//------------------------------// // Chapter 9 - Bird Of Prey. // Story: Ark: Friendship is Survival // by Pomp-Neigh //------------------------------// INSTALLATION: THE ISLAND The sound of crashing waves roars out, and the cool touch of the ocean breeze grace the unconscious forms of six ponies and a young dragon. The rays of the sun are also beaming down upon the land, warming it with its kiss. Twilight is the first to come to as she slowly opens her eyes before trying to get onto her hooves. Mounds of sand shifts, and Twilight starts to take in her surroundings. An extensive series of rock formations was among the very first sightings before her, in addition to the beach she and her friends were laid upon. “This is… beautiful. So, this is The Island, huh?” Twilight inquires, turning around to take in the beautiful ocean before her. “You know, were it not for the fact that the Arks are simulations, I’d enjoy staying here permanently.” “Don’t let it fool you, Twilight. It’s beautiful, sure, but it’s also a dangerous realm,” A new yet familiar voice chimes in, which causes the lavender pony to turn towards a particular floating AI. “Helena! It’s so good to see you. So, what can you tell me about this place?” “As I mentioned before, this island contains dangers all over it. Fortunately, you and your friends are in a sort of safe zone. Most of the creatures that live here are herbivorous and are much easier to deal with. Are you thirsty? Go ahead and drink from the ocean.” “What?!” Twilight exclaims. “You’re not supposed to drink seawater!” “Relax, love. It’s not exactly seawater. Although this is an ocean, it’s comprised entirely of freshwater, not saltwater. However, It is strange that your Ark has saltwater in its ocean, unlike this one. Ironic, I know. It would be best to remember that the Arks are artificially crafted simulations of life, including its landscapes and the ocean. All the creatures who dwell within are more than capable of surviving there. Honestly, the only thing you have to watch out for is if any of the sea life took a dump while you were drinking-” “Changing the subject,” Twilight interjects. “Where do we begin?” “Let’s wait for your friends to wake up before we get to that. Now, we should-” A mysterious creature lets out a series of sounds of what could best be described as its form of chirping or clucking. Twilight’s eyes were shot wide open, but before she could give in to her curiosity, a yellow blur flew past her. “Oh my gosh! You’re so cute! I’m Fluttershy; what’s your name?” The entity stares at her blankly as it clucks about with no end. Then, it both defecates and lays an egg in response, although it didn’t seem to fear the shy pegasus or anyone present for that matter. Fluttershy tilts her head in confusion as Helena and Twilight move forward to join the duo. “That there’s a Dodo, one of the most common life-forms on the Ark and… pretty stupid.” “Helena!” Fluttershy scolds. “Don’t say that about her; it’s very mean.” The shy pegasus then starts to nuzzle the bird-like entity, although it seemed not to know how to respond at all as it just stood there clucking and defecating. Incidentally, Fluttershy now has twelve eggs all around her. -Ok, seriously, did Mei-Yin get reincarnated into Fluttershy?- Helena says internally. “Ooh, these rock formations look amazing! Maud would probably go crazy if she saw them,” Pinkie Pie comments which cause Twilight to turn around. A smile forms on her face as she sees all of her friends regain their consciousness. “Woah, nelly, that was a strange experience. Ah’ gotta admit, this place looks amazing,” Applejack compliments. “My word, the air is so fresh, and this view is just so divine. I always was a fan of the ocean,” Rarity comments. “Heck yeah! The skies here are so amazing; they’re practically calling me!” Rainbow Dash exclaims as she spreads her wings and takes flight. “I’m coming with you, Rainbow!” Spike shouts as he too takes off into the air. “Y'all better be careful up there! We don’t know what kind of threats there might be!” Applejack exclaims. “Don’t worry, so long as they don’t fly more inland, then there’s nothing in the sky that can hurt them. Argentavis don’t live in these parts,” Helena responds. “Argen-whatsit now?” Applejack questions. As they converse, Twilight, Fluttershy, and Rarity inspect the Dodo, all while Pinkie Pie hops around merrily and observes the rock formations before them. Unfortunately, they all failed to realize that two particular flyers had already taken off. Both Spike and Rainbow Dash allowed their curiosity to get the better of them as they flew more inland. However, the two were dumbfounded by what they could see below. Large creatures of absolute mass and majesty lumbered about and another entity capable of flight like them. They were also curious about those glowing objects that slowly floated to the ground from the skies. They came in many different colors, such as white, green, and blue. “This is amazing; look at them all. They remind me of dragons, but without wings. What do you think, Rai- oh you’ve got to be kidding me...” Spike says as he takes notice of Rainbow Dash challenging one of the flying entities to a contest. “Hey! Quit ignoring me, you flying bats! I challenged you to a race, get back here and-” Suddenly, Rainbow’s words are silenced as the shadow of a large entity flies over her. At first, she had assumed that it was Spike, were it not for the fact that he was floating right in front of her with wide eyes. The young dragon points a claw towards the entity, looking down upon them hungrily. “R-Rainbow Da-ash... that thing looks like bad news!” “Oh, come on, Spike. It’s just a stupid bird!” “A bird that’s big enough to pick up Princess Celestia and toss her away! It’s almost just like a Roc!” “Ok, let me show you how it’s done!” Rainbow exclaims as she flies up towards the entity. “No! Rainbow, we’ve got to go!” Spike exclaims in a mix of anger and frustration. “Ugh! That pegasus and her pride!” Spike shouts as he follows the rainbow pegasus. “Hey, buddy! If you don’t want to get clobbered, then I suggest you-” Her words were cut off as the giant bird entity roars out and swoops down towards her with its claws, ready to tear her apart. She manages to dodge its attack, but the bird of prey turns around with little effort and takes another swipe at the pegasus. Rainbow Dash was quite surprised by this large bird's agility despite practically being three to five times her size. “Buck! This thing’s more agile than it looks!” “Rainbow! Stop this right now! Let’s go back to Twilight and the others; that thing’s too dangerous!” “I can kick its sorry butt! Sure, it might be big, but-” “Watch out!” “AURGH!”  Spike’s warning came too late as the giant bird clutched onto Rainbow Dash, who in turn lets out a painful exclamation and struggles within the bird's talons. “No! You let her go!” Spike roars out as he flies full speed into the giant bird. The creature was about to fly away with its prize until the young dragon pounced right onto the bird of prey. “Spike! Go back to the others and forget about me!” Rainbow shouts as she struggles to get free from the bird’s grasp. What she sees next absolutely shocks her beyond all belief. “Raaaaaaw!” Spike roars out as he starts to mercilessly claw his way into the bird, plucking its feathers as a result. The bird manages to shake him off and takes a swipe at him. However, thanks to his dragon scales, the bird's talons failed to puncture his flesh. The dragon was still pushed back by the force of the attack but managed to recover as he suddenly smirks and says: “Nice try, but dragon scales are even tougher than stone!” Spike leans his head back and takes in a large breath of air before thrusting his head forward. He opens his maw and unleashes the true fury of a dragon as green flames shoot forward and engulf the giant bird of prey. The bird screams in pain as it releases Rainbow Dash and attempts to flee the scene. The pegasus beams a bright smile before she turns around and says: “Spike! That was amazing! You fried that-” “That never should’ve happened to begin with!” Spike shouts angrily. “What the hay were you thinking?! That thing could’ve eaten you if I weren’t here! Haven’t you learned anything from our adventures?! Especially since we’re not even on Equus anymore, Rainbow Dash! We can’t afford to be reckless here!” Spike then sighs in frustration, wiping a claw across his face, “We’re both at fault for flying off as we did, but you never should’ve challenged that thing from the start. We should’ve just flown away….” Rainbow Dash’s ears began to fold against her head as it felt as if Spike were her enraged parent. Funnily, it looked like it as he scolds her for such a foolish action. Most of all was the fact that she came to realize the same thing: she was a reckless fool. Spike grunts angrily before he turns away from Rainbow Dash and says: “Come on, let’s get back to the others before you start to cause more trouble for us.” The young drake then starts to fly off towards the direction of his friends and loved ones, leaving behind a stunned pegasus who is currently racked with guilt and regret. “I’m sorry, Spike….” Rainbow Dash says. She sighs sadly and follows the young dragon. The two were flying side by side, but his pegasus friend’s actions still angered the dragon that he kept his gaze forward. Rainbow Dash knew this just from the looks of it as she says to herself internally: -I’m such a bucking jerk; I made Spike do something he’ll no doubt regret because of my stupid actions.- . . . “I’m sorry, Spike.” “Not now, Rainbow. Just, not now.” The cyan pegasus nods in response as the two continue to fly in silence.