//------------------------------// // Chapter 2: Gone Fishin' // Story: Shy and Aggressive: Book 2 // by Johng117 //------------------------------// Fluttershy was sifting through the pile of junk inside of the dark cave by the camp. Pinkie was sifting through as well, appearing a bit gloomy from her usual happy hyperactive self. She couldn't blame her. What had happened earlier between Junior and Applejack was nothing to be upbeat about. Fluttershy couldn't stop thinking about it. For whatever reason, Junior seemed to be extra aggressive with the others. He seemed to get along with herself and the other Transmutants just fine. However, the way he was behaving around Twilight and Applejack was off. "Do you think Goji hates us?" asked Pinkie. Fluttershy jumped, startled out of her own thoughts. She found Pinkie looking down at the ground sadly. "No, why would you think that?" asked Fluttershy. "Well... He still hasn't forgiven us for what happened," said Pinkie in a small tone. Fluttershy looked to the side, fully understanding what the girl had meant. "That's probably why he's been so mean to Twilight and Applejack today," said Pinkie. The more she thought of the day that they had a falling out with Junior, the sadder it made her feel. Pinkie Pie prided herself in making others smile. Even the gloomiest person with the deepest frown was no match for her warmth. But with Junior, she did the unthinkable. The thing that she never thought she was capable of. "I hurt him, Fluttershy. He was looking to me to stick up for him. But... I didn't," sniffled Pinkie. Fluttershy made her way over to her friend and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Why should he be nice to us? We weren't there when he needed us," said Pinkie, as she wept. Fluttershy held her close. "Well... he's just..." Fluttershy paused. She wasn't sure if she could give an excuse. Really, there wasn't any that she could think of. She wondered if in that beastly state, Junior's mind almost reset. Like reverting to a point that he saw them as strangers. After all, he barely recognized her the first time. Yet she heard from Amber that he has some memories as a human. Fluttershy thought that maybe he was only remembering the bad stuff with Twilight and Applejack. She couldn't prove it, but it offered a reason why he's the way he is right now. "Give him time. I'm sure he will forgive you," said Fluttershy. She pulled away from Pinkie, who wiped her eyes. Fluttershy had a reassuring smile. "Just keep being the way you are. Be a friend," said Fluttershy. Pinkie sniffled she nodded. A smile grew on her face. "Yeah, you're right! Hey, I should give him something for when he changes back. He likes this kind of soda, right?" asked Pinkie, holding up a Dr. Pepper can. Fluttershy nodded with a smile. "Ooh! He's gonna need clothes or he'll be bare buck naked! I bet he'll appreciate these shorts! Oh shoot, the others will need clothes too!" said Pinkie, digging through the pile. "Oh Pinkie," Fluttershy smiled. And just like that, this hyperactive girl bounced back. The air blew through the tall grass. Aria sighed as she wiped her sweating brow. She grimaced at the sight she beheld. Beyond her was a forest that spanned for miles, as a river ran through it. No sign of human civilization anywhere. All there was were the cries of birds and some other animals. "There's no way in hell that we'll be found here," said Aria. If only she knew where "here" was exactly. Aria turned to find Sonata to be sitting against a tree, holding her knees close to herself. A sad expression was on her face. "How're you holding up, sis?" asked Aria. Sonata didn't answer. Aria sighed as she took a seat next to her little sister. "Hey we're gonna be fine. As long as we're together, right?" asked Aria. Sonata still said nothing. "This is about Angirasu, isn't it? Figures that your mind would be on boys at a time like this," said Aria with a small chuckle. "I don't know what to say to him," said Sonata in a small tone. Aria sighed. "What happened, Sonata?" asked Aria. "He found out that I was using my powers on him. He got mad and..." Sonata paused. "Sonata, I warned you about that," said Aria. "But I just-" Sonata turned with a defensive look. "Shut up for a second! I warned you and Adagio that there'd be consequences if you kept doing that! Angirasu has every right to be angry at you!" said Aria with a glare. Sonata stared, her lips quivering and her eyes tearing up. Aria groaned as she turned away. "Come on. There's nothing out here. Let's go back," said Aria as she stood up. She and Sonata began their journey back to camp. "What should I do?" asked Sonata. "Look, you fucked up. Own up to it," said Aria. "Do you think he'll forgive me?" asked Sonata. "The hell if I know! At least you'll have apologized," said Aria. She wasn't going to get her sister's hopes up. All she could do was steer her in the right direction. It was up to Aang to decide what to do. This was a learning experience for Sonata. As the girls walked on, they failed to take notice of Applejack. Applejack was sitting alone under a tree. Her eyes were downcast to the ground as she lied slumped to the tree. The blonde gave a heavy sigh as she brought her Stetson over her eyes to shield her face from the sunlight. Later that noon, Sunset and Adagio were wading through the pool that the river ran through. They had spent the next several minutes in search of the fish that had swam away with the fishing rod. Their search had been fruitless. "Ugh. Where's that damn fish? I don't want to be swimming in here with these things," said Adagio. "It's huge. You can't miss it," said Sunset as she began to look further around the pool. Meanwhile beneath the surface of the water, the fish had begun to disperse as the humans waded through their home. They hid among the underwater plants that flowed and in between the rocks in the sand. However, they were not hiding from them. From beneath the sand, a figure emerged. Its eyes caught sight of the movement in the water, near the deepest parts of the pool. Its sight had locked on to one of them as it came closer. This one was much more luscious compared to the other, likely to carry much more meat. The figure began to swim, keeping low to the ground as the human remained unsuspecting. It swam closer and closer, its limbs brushing over the sand as it passed. It could feel the muffled voices from the water. It was growing closer by the second. "Ah! Something touched me!" cried Adagio in fright. "It's probably just a fish," said Sunset in annoyance. "No way! It felt hard! And no that's not a euphemism!" said Adagio. She frantically began to swim back to land. "Forget this! I'm not staying in here!" said Adagio as she kicked her legs to propel herself forward. Sunset sighed in annoyance. "Fine, I'll find it my-" Sunset went silent as Adagio yelped as she suddenly went under the water. "Adagio?" called Sunset. She grew concerned as the girl seemed to be under for a bit too long. "Adagio?" called Sunset, making her way to where the girl was. Adagio suddenly shot up out of the water, screaming. She was swimming to the surface but looked like she kept getting pulled under. "Adagio!" cried Sunset, quickly rushing from her end of the pool to the pop star's. Adagio found herself near the shallow end of the water, crying out in pain. She fell under, quickly turning to rise back up. However, a large figure dove towards her. Adagio gave muffled screams as she caught two long appendages as a pair of pincers snapped near her head. Adagio shot up from the water, catching air but still screamed. Sunset's eyes widened in shock once she spotted what had Adagio screaming. An arthropod creature with long appendages near the front, a pair of pincers for its mouth, and smaller limbs at its sides was latched onto the girl. Its scorpion-like tail thrashed, attempting to reach her, but it was too short and its bend was limited. "GET THIS THING OFF OF ME!!" Adagio screamed at the top of her lungs. Sunset grunted as she pushed through the water. She raised her hand to fire a magic bolt but stopped, in fear of hitting Adagio on accident. "I'm coming!" cried Sunset, still rushing. Adagio found herself falling onto her back in the mud as the creature attempted to reach her. It gave shrieks as its pincers snapped. Adagio screamed as she attempted to push the creature, which was the size of a large dog and twice as strong. The barbs on its longest appendages dug into her skin, causing her to bleed. Suddenly, a figure grabbed the creature by the tail. It was yanked off of Adagio and was slammed to the ground. Adagio whimpered as she turned, finding that it was Angirasu Riku. He stood in his human form, naked. He grunted as he slammed the creature multiple times on the ground. Angirasu raised his foot and then stomped on the arthropod, crushing its head in. The creature began to twitch as it lied on the ground. The boy panted, stepping away from the creature. He turned his head and found Sunset kneeling next to a sobbing Adagio. "Thank you!" cried Adagio with a sniffle. "Maybe next time, use spears to go fishing," said Angirasu. He cleared his throat as he began to make his way to a bush with a blush. "You think maybe Rarity can make us some clothes? Mosura's freaking out," said Angirasu with an embarrassed smile. "I'm freaking out!" cried Mosura. She was crouching behind bushes, her face red hot from blushing. She was back in her human form. "It's alright! We'll get you something to cover yourself!" said Twilight as she looked around. She then gasped as she ran over to a rock, where the top Adagio found lied. "Here, you can at least use this for now!" said Twilight as she tossed the shirt. "Twilight this isn't enough! What if the guys see me like this?!" cried Mosura. "They're not even here! Gojira went off somewhere earlier, Angirasu was clearing the trees and Rodan's in his nest!" said Twilight, pointing to the nest on top of the cave. Rodan was peering over in shock. "How the fuck did I get up here?!" exclaimed Rodan. "Fret not, darling! I've just put together a skirt for you!" Rarity came running to the bush. She held up a skirt made up of plant fiber. Mosura quickly took the skirt and frantically began to put it on. "Do you have anything for the boys? If my hunch is right, I’d say the rest changed back," said Twilight. "Indeed i do. I have fiber skirts for all of them!" said Rarity, gesturing to three more skirts. "Hey can anyone pass me mine?" called Rodan. Twilight began to levitate one of the fiber skirts up to Rodan. He took the skirt and began to place it on. Her found that fiber from plants made up the band in the waist, allowing him to tighten it up. Meanwhile, Sonata and Aria had just arrived to the area. The two bore confused looks on their faces. "What's with the yelling?" asked Aria. Rodan had begun to climb down from the nest, dropping down to the ground with a grunt. "Oh you're back! What did you find?" asked Twilight. Aria scoffed. "Nothing. Just more forest. We're screwed," said Aria. "Wait, wait. I'm way out of the loop. What's going on?" asked Mosura. "We'll fill you in soon. Right now we should regroup. Rainbow, can you see if you can find Gojira and Applejack?" asked Twilight. Rainbow nodded as she was about to take off running. "Wait! He's gonna need these!" said Pinkie as she ran to Rainbow, holding out a pair of gym shorts. Rainbow took the shorts but felt a tremble. "Whoa. You feel that?" asked Rainbow. The rest of the teens felt tremors. A low bellow filled the air. The teens gasped in shock as they found the source of these sounds. Among the trees, a great beast stood. It stood on four powerful legs, with bright scales on its body. It bore a powerful gut and loins, along with the large limbs and tail that were attached it. Its long serpent-like neck stood tall and proud, as long spines stuck out from its nape of its neck down near the base. Its nostrils sat upon its crest on its head. A flap of skin ran down its neck, much like a lizards. There was no mistaking what the teens saw. "Holy fucking shit, it's a dinosaur!" cried Rodan. Aria stared, slack jawed. "What the fuck?" said Aria. The teens stared upon this behemoth in awe. It gave a low call as it stomped on the ground, leaving imprints in the ground. The creature bore a majestic aurora, what with its great size yet almost gentle calls. "I-I can't believe what I'm seeing," said Twilight breathlessly. The creature gave a cry as it began to feed upon the leaves on the nearest tree. "We definitely are a long way from home," said Mosura. Junior found himself sitting in the grass, by a tree and bush. He was overlooking the river that ran through this strange forest that he was in. He had vague memories of what had last happened. All he recalled was being pummeled by two humanoid mutations. But he also had faint memories of himself in his beastly state, even going to sleep and awakening in the same state the next day. That has never happened before. The fact that it did concerned Junior. He feared the possibility of changing and not being able to change back to normal, though that may be him being paranoid. Still, there were bigger problems for Junior. He knew he wasn't alone here, though he wasn't sure where the others could possibly be. But he did know one thing. He was absolutely naked. The boy sighed in annoyance as he kept his knees up to conceal himself from the front, while relying on the bush and tree to cover his back. "Gojira! Yo, where are you?!" called Rainbow. Junior sighed in relief. "Oh thank God," said Junior. He turned and leaned to the side, finding Rainbow to be walking through the area, covering her eyes. "I'm right here! Behind this bush!" called Junior, waving his hand. Rainbow removed her hand and found the boy's hand waving to her. "Cool, you changed back," said Rainbow, making her way to Junior's position. "Obviously," said Junior. Rainbow cleared her throat with a look of discomfort. She held out the gym shorts as she looked away. "Pinkie Pie found these for you. She thought you'd appreciate it," said Rainbow. Junior reached over and took the shorts. "Awesome," said Junior, placing on the shorts. He sighed as he stood up from behind the bush. How fortunate that these were a decent fit. Though he would've liked underwear. But beggars couldn't be choosers. Junior took notice of Rainbow staring at him. "What?" asked Junior with a raised brow. Rainbow shook her head. "Uh n-nothing. I just didn't know you were so ripped," said Rainbow awkwardly. "Are you admiring my muscles or is it something you like?" asked Junior with a smirk. Rainbow scoffed in embarrassment. "Shut up! Jeez, you better not start turning into Adagio," said Rainbow. "Well then don't stare at me like that," said Junior with a chuckle as he stepped away from the bush. "Where are the others?" asked Junior. "Back at the camp. We've been trying to figure out where we are and then some. Oh shoot, dude you'll never guess what we saw," said Rainbow, turning to Junior with a grin. "What?" asked Junior. "We saw a freaking dinosaur! A real live one!" said Rainbow. Junior snorted as he walked ahead. "Very funny," said Junior. "Dude, I'm not kidding! We all saw it! It was huge! It was one of those long neck ones. What are they called again? Brontosaurus or something?" asked Rainbow. "Rainbow, I'm not easily duped," said Junior as he stepped ahead. He then stopped as he nearly bumped into Applejack, who was walking from his left. The girl seemed to have stiffened and took a step back. Junior looked at her with a raised brow. As he looked at her, Junior had a brief flood of memories. He cleared his throat as he looked to the side. 'Did I really do all of that?' thought Junior. "AJ, there you are!" said Rainbow, rejoining Junior's side. She noticed the awkwardness that seemed to form between AJ and Junior. Rainbow cleared her throat. "Well... I'm gonna go back to the camp. See you later!" said Rainbow, zipping away from the area in a flash of light. Junior and Applejack stood by in awkward silence. Junior scratched his head as he glanced at the blonde, who seemed to be looking down at the ground, her arms crossed over her chest. A grimace was on her face. 'What should I say? Do I apologize?' thought Junior. The boy felt that he should say something, even if it wasn't really related to what had happened. But he wondered if that would even be enough. After all, he was threatening to stomp on her when he was that animal, though something that Applejack said to him nagged at him. 'You hurt people that you don't like'. Those general words stuck with him. It wasn't necessarily wrong. After all, people that he hurt were not to his liking, though they were usually people who provoked him into a fight. But Applejack seemed to have been referring to something else. Did she mean emotionally? No, that couldn't be it. Applejack wasn't one to be that way. She was made of sterner stuff. At least, that's how Junior felt. "Um... Applejack. I uh..." Junior began to speak but Applejack quickly looked up from the ground. "Hey, are ya feelin' alright? I mean, you and the others had changed for quite a while," said Applejack. Her tone had shifted to sounding almost distant. "Yeah..." answered Junior. "Good. Good. Let's get goin'," said Applejack, turning to walk off. Junior watched the girl walk on ahead, but noticed a hand on her arm. It looked to be shaking. "AJ?" Junior looked on, feeling a knot in his stomach. He sighed. "I guess some things never change," said Junior to himself. Later that evening... The sun had set below the mountains in the land. The sky had began to darken as the stars became visible in the sky. Some animal cries began to die down. The Main 7, The Dazzlings, and Transmutants were all gathered around the fire pit. Junior was holding Fluttershy's phone and stared at the screen. He bore a shocked look. On the screen was a photo depicting a sauropod dinosaur. If he had to dig up his general knowledge of the creatures from his childhood, he'd say it looked specifically like a Brachiosaurus. "Holy shit. You weren't kidding," said Junior, handing Fluttershy back her phone. "You should've seen it, Goji! It was beautiful! It's like seeing... I can't describe it! Think of seeing a whale for the first time up close," said Fluttershy. "Have you ever seen a whale?" asked Junior with a raised brow. "No, but I imagine that's how it'd feel to see this creature," said Fluttershy with a smile. "Dude, it was the third greatest thing that could have ever happened to me in my life," said Rodan. "What's the first two?" asked Sonata. "Being on a beach with hot women playing volleyball and having a girlfriend," deadpanned Junior. Sonata looked at him in confusion. "What you think I'd just make that up?" asked Junior in annoyance. "That's not the only weird thing around here," said Sunset, drawing up her phone and showed a picture of the arthropod that attacked Adagio. "Whoa! The heck is that?!" exclaimed Pinkie. "Hey, that looks like a Megalograptus! Commonly known as a sea scorpion! But those things have been extinct for millions of years!" said Twilight in shock. "So are dinosaurs," said Aria. The teens all began to look to each other, all bearing grimaces. "You don't think..." Rarity turned to Twilight. "I mean... What other possibility is there?" asked Twilight. "OK. You said that you opened up a wormhole with your combined magic that sucked us in. Not only did it send us somewhere we don't even know where, but it sent us back in time?!" asked Junior incredulously. "Seems that way..." said Twilight with a nervous titter. Junior groaned as he rubbed his face. "But something's still not right! Brachiosaurus and Megalograptus lived in separate time periods! How can they be living together in the same time?" asked Sunset in confusion. "Not to mention the monkeys. I thought lower mammals were supposed to be in this time period," said Junior. "Maybe the fossil record isn't what it seems," said Rodan with a shrug. "Maybe. But that leaves the question, what the hell are we going to do? If we're in another time period, it doesn't matter how long we wait or where we go. We're not gonna run into any humans," said Aria. "Well for now, we need to get organized and make sure we're planted somewhere safe. I think that we can maybe figure a way out back home. If what we did sent us here, maybe it can send us back," said Twilight. "But what if it sends us further back? Or hell, to a distant future?" asked Aria in annoyance. "What other choice do we have?" asked Sunset. "I think the real question is, can we get back? Can we even recreate the process that got us here in the first place" asked Angirasu. There was an uncomfortable silence. "Yeah, of course," said Twilight. However, Junior caught a hint of uncertainty in her tone. Angirasu merely sat back with a sigh. "If we're going to settle down for a bit, I don't think it should be here," said Mosura, raising her hand. Everyone turned their attention to her. "Why? There's a cave with some stuff from our time here!" said Adagio. "If we're talking about being among prehistoric animals, than we should move away from the river. Predators are likely to hang around looking for prey," said Mosura. Fluttershy nodded in agreement. "That's a good idea, Mosu. Alright, we'll pack what we can and move out to find somewhere safer. That means everyone has to be up at dawn," said Sunset. Angirasu found himself lost in darkness. His breathing had quickened. He was searching his surroundings. Nothing but dark and tall trees stood. There was nothing but a dim light from the moon in sky. The teen heard the sound of heavy footsteps heading for him. He broke off into a sprint as he navigated through these dark woods, panting. The faster he went, the faster the footsteps grew. He could hear the wail of a beast in the air, crying out to him. It was though it was taunting him, for it was coming for him. Angirasu began to hear heavy grunting. The boy mustered up all the stamina he could as he ran through this endless forest. He cried out as he tripped and fell. He whimpered as he crawled along the ground but gasped as he found a cluster of trees in his path. The Transmutant turned and found his pursuer. It was a shadowy beast, which stood on four legs. Its spikes stuck out of its head and back, down to its tail. It stared at the boy with its beady eyes. The creature just stood in place, breathing heavily. It did nothing but stare. "What do you want from me?!" cried Angirasu. Angirasu's eyes shot open. His heart pounded in his chest as he looked up to the dark sky. Above he could see dark tree branches. Angirasu quickly shot, finding himself lost in the very same dark forest. He began to breathe frantically as his eyes darted for the beast. However, his breathing began to settle once he took notice Junior lying on the ground, with a sheet draped over him. Angirasu looked around, finding the other teens still sound asleep. The boy shuddered as he buried his face into his hand. Those damned eyes. They always haunted his dreams. Angirasu sighed as he lied himself down. This was normal. This is what he expected every night. There was nothing to do but to try to go back to sleep. Angirasu sighed as he closed his eyes. The sound of screams filled Angirasu's ears. His eyes shot open. He found himself standing in the middle of a street. Rubble lied on the ground and structures collapsed. He turned and people screaming as they fled all around him. Angirasu began to panic, feeling anxiety creep back in. Angirasu cried out as a soldier aimed his rifle right at him. He braced himself as the weapon fired. However, the bullets passed through him. All around him, soldiers ran and fired their guns in different directions. He couldn't help but find this place familiar. Angirasu gasped as he heard the sound of heavy crashes. He turned, his eyes widening. Among the rubble, he caught sight of the beast. Instead of being shadow, he saw that it covered in grayish brown scales. The beast snarled as its eyes scanned the air, shaking its tank-like body. Angirasu knew here that the monster from his nightmares was his. He was the monster. Angirasu stepped back, breathing heavily. He felt himself bump into something, prompting him to turn. His eyes widened as he found his mother standing, her head bleeding. Her eyes ran with tears of blood. "Angirasu!!" cried Aiko in agony. Angirasu gasped as he suddenly shot up. His eyes were bloodshot as he looked around. Again, he was in the dark forest. The boy panted, clutching his chest. He gritted his teeth as held his head. It was early morning. The teenagers all carried baskets on their backs. They were loaded with whatever that they could carry. Be it supplies, food, or whatever they found in the cave. They walked in an orderly fashion through the woods, with Twilight at the lead. The teens kept their wits about them as they walked. They jumped at every animal cry that filled the air. Sonata began to make her way to Angirasu's side. However, the boy did not greet with so much of glance. He completely ignored her presence. His eyes were incredibly baggy. "Its a uh... nice morning, huh?" asked Sonata, hoping to strike up a conversation. However, Angirasu kept his eyes forward. He said nothing in response. "Crazy how we ended up back in time. Dinosaurs would be cool to see if we weren't stuck here," said Sonata. Still, Angirasu said nothing. "Do you... think we'll get home?" asked Sonata. "Nope," replied Angirasu, his tone flat. "Oh," said Sonata, frowning. "In fact, I think we'll live out the rest of our lives here if we aren't eaten first," said Angirasu. Sonata shrunk back as she heard this. "Jesus. That's the most pessimistic thing I've ever heard him say," whispered Mosura, leaning close to Junior. "Yeah..." responded Junior. On their journey, the teens passed through many towering trees, which shaded them from the hot sun. The air was quite humid, causing their skin to feel sticky. Rarity spent to next minute whining about said humidity, much to the dismay of the group. The morning sun had seemed to quickly rise higher from when the teens began their journey. More cries of birds filled the morning air, which sent some comfort in the teens, not having to worry about any predators as of yet. "Twilight, where are we going?" asked Pinkie. Twilight pointed ahead to where tall mountains stood among the forest. "We're headed near the mountains. Large prehistoric predators would be quite unlikely to traverse the rough terrain. It should be safe there," said Twilight. "And how long will it take to get there?" asked Adagio. "I'd say roughly half a day. Maybe the whole day," said Twilight. The Dazzlings and Rarity groaned in unison. "You expect us to walk all the way there?!" asked Rarity. "The faster we move, the faster we get there. Shape up you four," said Mosura. "Look who's talking! You were too busy sitting around at camp for two days!" scoffed Aria. "I couldn't help that! I'm making up for it now!" retorted Mosura. "Oh Yeah? Well, maybe Sunset can ask you to help her with fishing next time," said Adagio. Sunset gasped. She turned around with an incredulous look. "You're blaming me for what happened?!" asked Sunset. "I'm sorry, whose idea was it again to stand in the water?" deadpanned Adagio. "How was I supposed to know that there was a killer arthropod in the water?" asked Sunset defensively. Junior sighed heavily as the girls argued back and forth. "Look, I said I was sorry!" said Sunset. "Sorry doesn't heal these wounds! I better not get scars because of you!" said Adagio with a glare. The rest of the group began to grow annoyed or anxious from the back and forth argument. Junior was just gritting his teeth. "How're you wounds by the way?" asked Angirasu. "Hmph. Well, they still sting but I'm alive. Thank you for asking, Angirasu. I sure am glad you were there to SAVE me," said Adagio, glaring at Sunset. The redhead was taken aback. She growled as she grew flustered. "You little-" Sunset was interrupted as Junior groaned. "Will you guys just stop? It's too fucking early for this shit!" said Junior. Adagio and Sunset both pointed to each other. "But she-" they were interrupted as Junior glared at them. "I don't care! Just stop talking to each other!" said Junior. He then grunted as he looked ahead. Adagio merely stuck her tongue out at Sunset, who gave her the middle finger in response. Junior sighed in relief. 'Sweet silence,' thought Junior. As the teens continued their journey, they came across an area where some hills were present. Some trees lied on the ground, having long since been knocked over. Twilight winced as she cupped her hand over her eyes. "Twilight? Are you OK?" asked Mosura. "Yeah. Just my contacts. They're starting to irritate me," said Twilight as her eye twitched. "Contacts?" asked Junior in confusion. Twilight winced as she began to draw out a canting of water that was boiled just yesterday. She began to use some of her drinking water to rinse her hands. "Hold this please," said Twilight, handing Mosura the canting. She began to reach for her eye as she held her lid open. "Oh geez!" said Rainbow, looking away. Some of the teens looked away as Twilight removed her contact lenses from her eyes. Junior's eyes widened as he noticed the girl squinting as she reached to her skirt pocket. She drew out a case and took out a pair of thick rimmed glasses. "Ah. That's better," said Twilight as she pressed her glasses onto the bridge of her nose. "You wear glasses?" asked Junior. "Hm? Oh yeah. I'm blind as a bat without 'em," replied Twilight. "Heh. You really look like an actual nerd too. The ponytail sells it," chuckled Rainbow. Twilight glared at her in offense. "Hey!" said Twilight. "Wow. I gotta say, they look kinda cute on you," said Sunset with a smile. Twilight blushed in embarrassment. "You think so?" asked Twilight shyly. "Mm. With some makeup and some different clothes, you can nail the sexy book worm look," said Adagio. Twilight cleared her throat she turned ahead. "A-Anyway, let's get moving!" said Twilight. As she stepped forward, Junior held his arm out in front of her. Twilight looked at him in confusion. "Hang back a little bit. I'll take point," said Junior. "Wha- Why?" asked Twilight. "I rather you stand out less among us," said Junior. "Huh? Gojira, it's fine," said Twilight as she attempted to walk passed Junior. However the male teen grabbed her shoulder, his brows furrowed. "Oh boy," said Aria. "Let go! You're hurting me!" said Twilight as she attempted to pull away. Junior suddenly felt his heart skip a beat in his chest. He realized how tight his grip was on the girl's shoulder. "Goji, it's fine," said Fluttershy, her expression turning to worry. Junior quickly released Twilight, a small look of guilt on his face. "Sorry," said Junior in a small tone. Twilight rubbed her shoulder with a grimace. "Geez. What's gotten into you lately?" asked Twilight. "Me?" asked Junior. He noticed that he was receiving stares from the other teens. Junior began to question what exactly could Twilight mean. The more he thought of it, he began to wonder if he was acting off after all. "No I agree with Gojira," said Mosura, drawing everyone's attention. "Twilight, if your vision is really bad, then I think it's in yours and everyone else's best interest to not be out too far from the group. If you're attacked and your glasses are lost or damaged, than it'll be a problem," said Mosura. Twilight slightly nodded. "Oh. Right, good point," said Twilight, glancing at Junior. The boy merely looked off to the side. "OK. You lead," said Twilight as she began to make her way in the middle of the group. Junior looked to Mosura, who nodded to him with a small smile. Junior, said nothing, turning forward as he gripped the spear that was carved out. "The mountains, right?" asked Junior. "Whoa, look at that!" whispered Rainbow, pointing to the right of the woods, away from the path of the teens. Ahead, they caught sight of a cluster of plants. "Look at what?" asked Applejack in confusion. "There! Don''t you see that in the bushes!" said Rainbow. The teens began to look to the bushes. As they continued to look, they noticed movement. "Oh! I see it!" whispered Pinkie. The teens caught sight of a tall bird, standing nearly 7 feet tall in height. It was green in color, with white tail feathers. Its back feathers stood up erect, appearing as long spiky blades of grass. The bird bore a long tail that stood upright. On the tail, there were frond leaf-like feathers. The creature looked almost like a flamingo, or rather a crane. Its crest flared as it gave a high pitched cry as it began to peck at the dirt. "Whoa," said Sunset in awe. "I almost didn't see it. That thing was blending with plants," said Sonata. "Look! More of them!" said Twilight. The teens found a few more similar birds to be emerging from the bushes, pecking at the ground. They gave small cries as they walked around. "Come on, we should keep moving," said Junior, walking on ahead. Some of the teens moaned in disappointment. Fluttershy quickly draw out her phone to take a picture, but notice some of the other teens doing so as well. She smiled in amusement. This was something that they wanted to remember. The teens continued on their journey. They heard the call of monkeys in the air. They found their shadowy silhouettes to be swinging from the tall trees above. Faint, distant bird calls filled the air. The teens, excluding Junior, were beginning to grow exhausted. They had spent the last two hours walking nonstop. Still, they were nowhere close to where they needed to get to. "Can we stop for a moment?" panted Fluttershy. "Yeah, I'm fuckin' dying here," said Aria, wiping her sweaty brow. "Please! Let us stop! I can't go on much longer!" cried Rarity. Her hair was a mess and her clothes hung loose on her body as she dropped to her knees. She panted as she began to crawl on the ground. Junior looked back in annoyance as he found the girl to be whimpering as she raised her hand. "Please! I'm wasting away!" cried Rarity. Junior rolled his eyes. But he took notice of the rest of the teens. They seemed to have been quite exhausted. Junior himself didn't feel very tired, but he knew that the group wouldn't be able to continue at this pace. He felt he had no right to push him. "Your call," said Junior, looking to Twilight and Sunset. The two slightly recoiled. "Um.. Sure. Yeah, let's take 5," said Twilight, clapping her hands. The rest of the teens all dropped to the ground in exhaustion. Junior sighed as he took a seat. He set his basket down on the ground and reached inside. He drew out a slightly crushed water bottle that was found in the cave. He took a drink, taking in the refreshing liquid. "Fuck it's hot," said Junior as he splashed some water onto his face. He noticed that Fluttershy was staring at him. "Do you need water?" asked Junior, holding up his water bottle to her. Fluttershy shook her head furiously, hiding behind her hair. The boy raised a brow but nearly shrugged in response. Unbeknownst to him, Fluttershy was glancing at his naked torso as water trailed down over his skin. "Boy, this is nothing like camping in the Everfree forest," said Pinkie. "Well we didn't have to walk this far," said Rainbow. "And the climate didn't suck," said Aria. She noticed Rodan to be sitting alone, holding a water bottle. His eyes were downcast. Aria merely took a bite out of her protein bar, ignoring the sight. Angirasu was sitting and eating a protein bar in silence. He sighed as he found his mind falling back to his nightmare filled night. He felt a little bit sleepy since he forced himself to stay up the rest of the night after the second nightmare. For whatever reason, they had gotten worse. Angirasu noticed Sonata kneeling next to him with a forced smile, holding out a cantine. "Need water?" asked Sonata. Angirasu raised a metallic thermos, which swished with the sound of liquid inside. "I have water," deadpanned Angirasu. "Of course," said Sonata with a forced giggle. As Junior was biting into a protein bar, Pinkie Pie came rushing to his side. She knelt down beside him as she held out a can of soda. "Here! I saved this one for you!" said Pinkie with a smile. "Oh. You sure?" asked Junior. Pinkie nodded eagerly. Junior couldn't help but crack a small smile as he took the soda can. "Thanks. I appreciate it," said Junior, putting the can away. Pinkie's smile merely grew. She took a seat next to the boy. "Hey, do you think dinosaurs taste good?" asked Pinkie, her voice in a whisper. "Dinosaurs? I uh... i guess so," answered Junior, awkwardly. "I think they'd taste like chicken. I hear that some meat that's not beef but also not chicken seem to taste like chicken," said Pinkie. "I mean, maybe. You might be able to figure it out given our situation," said Junior. This entire exchange, while silly, felt normal compared to their current situation. In fact, it felt nostalgic. Just having a random conversation with Pinkie Pie reminded him of the earlier days before the fallout. It was something that Junior missed. "Hey, I took a couple of those fruits from the tree near the cave before we left. Anyone wanna try one?" asked Rainbow, pulling out a large fruit from her basket. "Sure, give it here," said Junior, holding his hands out. Rainbow grunted as she toss the melon sized fruit to the boy. "Wait! We still don't know if that's safe to eat!" said Applejack in alarm. Junior ignored her and took a bite. The teens all tensed as they watched the boy chew. He shrugged. "Hm. Not bad," said Junior as he swallowed. His eyes then widened. Junior wheezed as he made a gagging sound. The teens bore looks of alarm as the boy held his throat. "Oh my God!" cried Sunset horror. "Gojira!" cried Fluttershy. Junior suddenly stopped and began to snicker. "Gotcha!" said Junior. The teens sighed in relief but also groaned in annoyance. "You blasted, no good-" Applejack grunted as she grew flustered. Mosura began to smack Junior's shoulder several times, which he responded with pained yelps. "Don't. Scare Us. Like that!" said Mosura with a glare. "Alright, alright!" said Junior with a wince. He noticed Fluttershy looking at him with a glare, though her face looked to have puffed up as though she were holding back her anger. It was kind of hard to take her seriously since she looked too darn cute like that. "Please, don't hold back on my account," deadpanned Junior. Fluttershy turned away with huff. "Whatever. I'm gonna check the area," said Junior as he stood up and began to walk off with his spear in hand. "So I uh... I just-" Sonata stumbled over her words as she sat next to Angirasu. The boy quickly stood up, raising his hand. "Goji, wait up. I'll come with ya," said Angirasu, walking after the other Transmutant. Sonata moaned in disappointment. Junior turned and found Rodan to be sitting alone in silence. "Rodan, you wanna come along?" asked Junior. Rodan shot his head up and turned to Junior. "Sure," said Rodan, halfheartedly. The girls looked on oddly as the boys all walked off from the area, passing beyond the bushes. "Hey, don't go off to far!" called Mosura. "Huh. Wonder what that was about," said Pinkie. Meanwhile, the boys were walking off from the path that they were on. Junior was looking back to see if any of them had followed. They seemed to have been a good distance away. "Alright, that may be far enough," said Junior. "Far enough?" asked Rodan. "Yep. God, those chicks have been bickering nonstop these past couple of days!" said Junior in annoyance. "Ah I see. We're venting," said Angirasu in amusement. "Yeah. Come on man. I don't remember a whole lot, but I do remember just hearing them yell at each other. It gets annoying fast," said Junior with a groan. "I hear ya. I'm actually glad you got them to stop earlier. I'm too worried that they'll just turn their anger on me," said Angirasu. Junior scoffed. "Ah you can't be scared of them. I think girls have this sense that they can tell whether a guy is intimidated by them," said Junior. "You think so?" asked Angirasu as he picked up a rock, tossing it to the side. "Oh yeah. They don't respect you and can get overconfident too when they think they can just push any guy around. It's bullshit," said Junior. "Surely not all of them are like that," said Angirasu. "Of course not. And the ones who know that and aren't that way won't get defensive about it," said Junior as he sniffed. "Then why don't you say that around them?" asked Rodan with a deadpanned look. "Are you kidding? You wanna hear a bunch of teenage girls whine and bitch about me being a sexist because I think some of them would push us around if we weren't confrontational? We are stuck together, Ro," said Junior. "Good point. Man, I'm getting a weird thrill out of this conversation for some reason," said Rodan. "Still though, I think you might be a little heated because they didn't appreciate you pretending to get poisoned." "Maybe," said Junior with a shrug. "I appreciated it, Gojira," said Angirasu. "Thanks, Aang. Man we should make splitting off from the girls to just hang out a habit," said Junior. "We're not just gonna vent about the girls are we?" asked Rodan with a raised brow. "Nah, we can do whatever. But for sure, when they start to uh... You know what," said Junior. Rodan nodded. "Oh yeah, I gotcha," said Rodan with a wink. "I don't," said Angirasu in confusion. "You know. It happens once a month," said Junior. "Ooooh. OK, yeah." said Angirasu with a shudder. Junior sat down and began to drink from his canteen full of water. "So Aang, what's up with you and Sonata? You've been kind of cold lately," said Junior in confusion. "Yeah, I noticed that too," said Rodan. Angirasu scoffed. "I don't think I even wanna talk about it," said Angirasu as he sat down next to a tree. "I just thought that... I don't know, I thought you guys had a thing going on," said Junior. "So did I. But I realized it was bullshit," said Angirasu, drawing into the dirt with a stick. "What happened, man?" asked Rodan. "Same thing that happened to Gojira with Adagio," said Angirasu as he pointed his stick at Junior. "Oh..." said Junior with a grimace. Angirasu gave a bitter chuckle. "You know, I really thought that she got me. She understood what it was like to be told what to do by everyone. Never being allowed to make decisions for yourself," said Angirasu, his brows furrowing. "And what happens? She uses her magic to manipulate my mind to lie to my mom and to go out on these dates with her and risk getting in trouble. It wasn't out of my own free will!" said Angirasu, throwing the stick to a bush. "God. I had to put up with this from my mother, and now the girl that I was starting to like. Life's funny, isn't it?" asked Angirasu sarcastically. "I uh..." Junior scratched his head. "Oh, and I'm also a fugitive now too," said Angirasu nonchalantly. Junior and Rodan looked at him incredulously. "Whoa, what?!" exclaimed Junior and Rodan. "Yeah. Isn't life fun?" asked Angirasu as he lied back. "Shit. Man, Aang. I... I don't know what to say, buddy," said Junior, his expression softening. "What's there to say? My mother turned me over to MONARCH, Sonata destroyed my trust, and we're marooned into prehistoric times," said Angirasu. "Your mom? No way," said Rodan in disbelief. "Well, she might as well have. She had her gun aimed at me. Guess I was never good enough for her. I'm out of her hair now," said Angirasu. "Aang, come on. Don't talk like that," said Junior. "Why not? I'm not being pessimistic. In fact, I think I'm feeling free," said Angirasu, standing up to his feet. "I mean I'm not sitting in a cell miles underground right now. Let's have some fun while we're here," said Angirasu with a smile. Junior and Rodan just stared. "You're taking this extraordinarily well," said Rodan. Angirasu shrugged. He turned and looked to the trees. "Man, it's nice out here. Hey, what's that big fuzzy thing?" asked Angirasu, squinting. Junior and Rodan stood up and squinted as well. "Huh. What's that? Some big hairy cat? Or a monkey?" asked Junior. Rodan's eye sight was much better compared to the other boys. After all, he was an aerial predator kind of Transmutant. Once his sights focused, his eyes widened in alarm. "That ain't no damn monkey!" said Rodan. "Oh hey, it's flying!" said Angirasu. Junior gasped as he stepped back. "Oh God!!" cried Junior as a large brown fuzzy object crashed into him, causing him to fall to the ground. Meanwhile, the girls all jumped at the sound of Junior's cry. "That was Gojira!" said Mosura. "He sounds like he's in trouble!" said Fluttershy. The girls all shot up to their feet and began to rush to where the boys had walked off to. Once they passed bushes, they found Junior to be standing with a large brown spider the size of his head, latched onto his face. Mosura screamed in fright at the sight as Junior gave muffled screams as he attempted to pry the spider off. Rodan was swinging a stick against him. "Stand still! I'm trying to help!" yelled Rodan as he smacked his stick against Junior. "What the hell is going on here?!" exclaimed Sunset. "Get it off!!" cried Junior. Angirasu snatched the stick from Rodan. "Give me that!" said Angirasu. He stepped over to Junior and swung the stick at Junior's head, smacking the spider off of his face. Junior gave a deep inhale and coughed. "Are you OK?" asked Fluttershy. Junior panted as his eyes were blood shot. He grunted as he grabbed his spear and locked his sights on the spider. The arachnid hissed as it raised it legs. "Hiss at this!" said Junior as he thrust his spear forward. The spider quickly jumped back, keeping its legs raised as its fangs were exposed. "Son of a bitch!" said Junior as he thrust his spear again. "Get it! Get it!" cried Mosura, hiding behind Sunset Shimmer. "What do you think I'm trying to do?!" yelled Junior as he sent his spear forward. However, the spider jumped over the tip and began to run up the stick, towards Junior's hands. The teens cried out in fright and alarm as they staggered back. "Oh no, you fucking don't!" said Junior as he backed handed the spider with his reptilian hand. The spider slammed into a tree, a couple of its legs were mangled from the impact. Junior grabbed a heavy stick and stomped towards the vulnerable arachnid. "Face fucking little bastard!" said Junior as he raised his stick. He swung the stick against the spider multiple times, smashing it into the tree. The teens watched as Junior grunted as he kept swinging at a now dead spider. "OK! OK, stop!" cried Sunset as she and Angirasu began to pull Junior back. "No, he's still moving!" said Junior as he attempted to break free. "You got him! He's dead!" said Angirasu, pulling Junior back. The dark haired teen panted as he kept his eyes on the dead arachnid that was nothing more than a stain on the tree. He suddenly found Fluttershy in his line of sight. She had her hands on his cheeks, forcing him to look into her eyes. "Gojira, look at me! Calm down!" said Fluttershy. Junior's panting began to slow down. His adrenaline began to settle. "You got him, buddy. He's gone," said Angirasu in a calming tone. Junior sighed heavily as he dropped the stick. "Holy shit, man," said Aria with wide eyes. "You OK?" asked Sunset worriedly. "No, I'm not OK! I think that thing was trying to rape my face!" said Junior, pointing to the splat on the tree. Sonata gasped. "This is just like that Alien movie! That spider might have been a mom trying to lay its eggs in your stomach!" "Sonata!" said Adagio with a look of disgust. "Right now they might be incubating in your stomach! Waiting for the day to hatch so they can eat you from inside out!" said Sonata with dread. Junior cupped a hand over his mouth as he began to gag. "Oh God, stop," grunted Junior. "No you gotta get the eggs out! Yak it! Yak it!" said Sonata urgently. Junior grunted as he forced his way passed Sunset, Angirasu and Fluttershy. He hid behind a bush and began to retch. The rest of the teens looked at Sonata in disapproval. "What the heck is the matter with you?" asked Applejack. "We're in a prehistoric world, people! Anything could happen!" said Sonata. "She has a point," said Aria, begrudgingly. "Darling? Are you alright?" called Rarity. "Ugh..." Junior groaned. The teens looked to each other with grimaces. Junior groaned as he lied on his back. He was staring up at the sky as a pair of winged birds circled. The boy grimaced as he watched as the birds circled over him. "I'm not dead, you cunts," said Junior. "Did you say something?" asked Mosura from the side. She and the rest of the teens were seated on the ground away from Junior. "No. I was talking to these fucking birds. They're just circling. Waiting. Starving. Eager to peck my flesh apart for their own sustenance. Those are birds, right? I'm not hallucinating?" asked Junior. "No, those are birds alright," said Mosura. "Huh," replied Junior. Mosura frowned. The poor guy just collapsed after vomiting so much earlier. It was so bad that the group decided to take a longer break. It may delay their time to get to their destination, but they'd much rather be in their best condition to move. "Goji, do you need anything?" asked Fluttershy. "My dignity if you can find it," said Junior, glancing at the girl. "Aw. Don't feel bad, Goji. Sure you lost your cool because a big hairy spider jumped on your face. We still respect you," said Pinkie with a reassuring smile. "We do?" asked Aria in confusion. Adagio grunted as she elbowed her sister. "I'm just kidding," said Aria in annoyance. "Fuck my life," said Junior in a monotone. He sighed as he felt his eyes grow heavy. "Gojira, you're not falling asleep are you?" asked Sunset. "Nah it's fine. Just wake me when you wanna..." Junior trailed off as he began to drift off to sleep. "Man, he's just been weird lately," said Rainbow in a whisper. "He was just attacked by a giant, disgusting spider. I sympathize," said Mosura with a glare. "Yeah me too," said Adagio with a nod. She shuddered at the memory of the arthropod that had attacked her prior. "That just goes to show that we need to keep our wits. There's no telling what other creatures could be waiting for us out there," said Rarity. The teens all nodded in agreement. "Alright, let’s give him five more minutes. Maybe we should start going over our supplies," said Twilight. The teens began to empty their baskets. They revealed the snacks and tools and sheets they had acquired from their previous camp. "Let's see. Flint steel, matches, snacks, couple of hatchets, and a lantern," said Twilight, looking at the things that stood out to her the most. "Yeah, but no batteries.," deadpanned Aria. This was a shame. The lantern would have been useful moving in the dark rather than making a fire to get around. "Guess not. Say, any chance that we can power this another way?" asked Mosura. "What do you mean?" asked Twilight. "Well, maybe you can use your magic or something to power the lantern without the use of batteries. It was just a thought though," said Mosura, scratching her head. Twilight hummed in thought. "Actually, that might work," said Twilight. Junior groaned as he began to roll himself along the ground, a bit further from the group. "Keep it down, please," said Junior as he buried himself among the tall grass. Twilight sighed as she turned back to the group. "OK, so if come across any streams or water sources, we should stop and refill. We do not wanna be dehydrated out here," said Twilight. "Cool. We have this cone thingy and a pot," said Rainbow, drawing out a couple of items from her basket. "Sunset can use her fire powers to heat up rocks for the water," said Mosura. Sunset grimaced. "You want me to use that power out here?" asked Sunset, finding the abundant plant life in the area. "Sunset, we need your help. We want to be on the move. It'll take too long just to set up a fire pit hot enough for the rocks. If you're immune to heat you produce, then you can just toss in the rocks yourself," said Mosura. Sunset nodded with a sigh. "OK, got it," said Sunset. Junior found himself lying himself down in the grass in silence. His eyes were closed as he breathed softly. He noticed that the grass was rustling near him. He opened an eye, finding Applejack to be kneeling next to him, a concerned look on her face. "Don't do that. I thought you were another spider," said Junior in annoyance. "Sorry," said Applejack in a small tone. Junior sighed as he propped up the back of his head with his arm. "So what's up?" asked Junior. "Just wanted to check on ya..." said Applejack. The two were in an awkward silence. Junior sighed. "Applejack, listen," said Junior. The blonde turned her attention to the boy, who stared up to the trees, "About what happened back at the cave. I... Well actually, I don't even know what to apologize about," said Junior with a blank look. Applejack raised a brow at him while growing mildly annoyed. "Excuse me?" said Applejack, crossing her arms. "That came out wrong. What I mean is, I don't know what exactly I did that made things awkward. I mean I do. I can understand being mad at a guy threatening to stomp you when he turns into a giant lizard," said Junior awkwardly. Applejack kept a stoic expression. Junior sighed. "Do you hate me?" asked Applejack. Junior looked at her in confusion. "What?" asked Junior. Applejack looked at him with a firm expression. "Do. You. Hate me?" Applejack spoke much more directly. Junior was taken aback. He wasn't expecting this question out of her. Why would she even ask that? It seemed so out of left field that Junior had to collect his bearings to think of a response. "I... I don't understand," said Junior. Applejack sighed in annoyance and looked away. "That is like you. Denser than a rock," said Applejack. "It's just that-" "I mean who am I kidding? We didn't circle the wagons with ya when you got into trouble," said Applejack, a grimace on her face. 'So that's what this is about,' thought Junior. Asking him if he hated Applejack, let alone the other girls just threw him off. If it was very recently that their fallout happened, Junior wasn't even sure if he would say that he hated them. Yes, it hurt him that they didn't believe him, but it was because he started to like them that he was so angry. He wouldn't spare them a second thought if they were total strangers. Junior watched as Applejack held her arm, her lip quivering as she looked to the side. It seemed that there was more going on than Junior realized. "AJ, if I scared you or hurt your feelings in anyway, then I am sorry," said Junior, looking to the girl with soft eyes. Applejack stared. Junior grunted as he sat up to fully face the girl. "What happened back then doesn't matter now. We need to work together if we're going to survive and get home. Alright?" said Junior. Applejack cupped a hand over her mouth as some tears began to flow. She held in her sobs as her face grew red. "Ah Applejack," said Junior with a frown. The girl wrapped her arms around Junior and wept into his shoulder. "Everything's just insane right now! I'm scared..." whispered Applejack. Junior caressed her back as the girl cried. "It's alright. Let it out," said Junior. He never realized just how much of a toll this had taken on Applejack. He was surprised that she could be emotional. She seemed much stronger compared to most girls. But, he couldn't fault her. They were put into a situation where multiple parties had tension among each other in a world that they didn't know. Junior couldn't afford sulking over what happened between them. He needed to bring everything that he had to make sure that they'd all get home safely. "Hey, did you make Applejack cry?!" shouted Pinkie from the rest of the group. Junior recoiled as he noticed the stares that he was receiving. "Um... I uh..." Junior awkwardly sat. Applejack pulled away as she wiped her eyes with a sniffle. "Oh, you know Goji," said Applejack with a sniffle. She brought her Stetson down over her face. "Wait, what?" asked Junior. He noticed that the rest of the girls were looking at him in disapproval. "Shame on you!" said Rarity. "Me?! Hey, she's just stressed out!" said Junior defensively. He noticed the teasing smile that Applejack gave him as she was hiding her face with her Stetson. Junior groaned in annoyance as he glared at her. "Because you made her stressed!" said Pinkie. Junior sighed in annoyance as the girls scolded him. Rodan sighed as he got up. "I'll be back. I gotta take a leak," said Rodan as he walked off. "TMI!" said Sonata. "Hey, don't forget to wash your hands! We have water for a reason!" said Sunset. Rodan groaned in annoyance. "Oh and make sure that there aren't any spiders around. I'm not helping you if you get bit," said Junior. Rodan winced. "Ah right. Good to know," said Rodan. Junior sighed as the girls finally gave up on scolding him. He noticed Applejack scooting closer to him with an amused look. "You're a cheeky hick, you know that?" deadpanned Junior. Applejack chuckled in response. "Sorry bout that, hun," said Applejack. She suddenly leaned into Junior and planted a loud wet kiss on his cheek. Junior flushed furiously as he looked at her with wide eyes. "Hello," said Junior. Applejack smiled as she ruffled the boy's spiky hair. "Remember, we're counting on ya, sugarcube," said Applejack. Junior slightly nodded as his face burned red. Applejack gave a small girlish giggle as she walked off to the rest of the group. Junior just stared as he held his cheek. His brows furrowed as his eyes fell on Applejack as her rear slightly swayed in her denim shorts. "Damn I can't get enough of those legs," said Junior under his breath. Meanwhile, Rodan sighed in relief. He took his water bottle and began to rinse his hands. He hummed to himself as he rinsed his hands. During this, a brief flash of his memory flooded his mind. Fire. Gunfire. Shrieks. Rodan felt his heart race as he recalled Eliza's frightened face as she began to mutate. Rodan stood with a blank expression on his face. "That's right..." said Rodan. It still hadn't hit him yet. Eliza wasn't around anymore. She was dead. And he was the one that killed her. Rodan sealed up his water bottle but noticed something in the dirt. "Wha..." Rodan knelt down and began to look over the dirt. His eyes widened. "No way," said Rodan. "Alright, let's saddle up ya'll! Time to move out!" said Applejack's voice. "H-Hey, guys! I think I-" Rodan looked back at the ground. "Rodan, hurry up! We gotta move!" called Junior. Rodan sighed as he looked back at the dirt. "OK," said Rodan as he began to run back to join the group. What he saw in the dirt was unmistakable. He had found what looked to be a foot print. Belonging to a human.