-INSTALLATION: THE ISLAND-
A series of batted breaths and splashing water cuts through the nightly veil of the swamp biome. The fleeing Tribe of Harmony comes to a pause, the Raptor some among them were mounted on halting its muscular footsteps, as the tribe’s remaining flyers tried their best to pierce the darkness.
“Buck, it’s so dark!” Rainbow Dash exclaims in frustration, flapping her wings. “I can’t see anything!”
“How do you think we feel, darling?!” Rarity shouts from below as the unicorn is currently mounted upon Vanellope, Applejack seated just behind her with a lit torch held within the cowmare’s right forehoof.
“At least you and Twilight can fly! Applejack, Vanellope, and I can’t see anything down here!”
Applejack places her free forehoof onto the unicorn’s right shoulder, muttering:
“Can y’all try to keep yer’ voices down, Rarity? The last thin’ we need is to be screamin’ in the middle of the night, and in this swamp of all places.”
Located all around the tribe are dense moss-covered trees; the ever-present sounds of crickets, frogs, and the flickering of Applejack’s lighted torch. All accompanied by a muddy-watery landscape and the thick blanket of darkness, of which their torch only barely managed to illuminate.
Both Twilight and Rainbow Dash lower themselves to the earth below and floats just before the Raptor.
“I could cast a spell to offer us some light,” The alicorn comments.
“Naw,” Applejack responds, turning her head left to right. “You and Rarity have to save yer’ magic fer’ an absolute emergency.”
“Does anyone else feel like we’ve been going about this all wrong?” Rainbow Dash inquires, rubbing the back of her neck with a forehoof. “I mean, things were looking up when I got that Dinosaur Gateway from that Green Drop, although those Troodons ruined that... I gotta be honest, we’re doing something very wrong.”
The other tribe members turn their gaze towards the cyan pegasus.
“Hear me out,” Rainbow starts. “We say that we learned a lot from Helena, but we never really applied anything she taught us,” She emphasizes by stretching her forelimbs apart, “She often said: ‘Think outside of the box,’ and it only now occurred to me… why didn’t me, Twilight, and Fluttershy just fly over to our objective? Hay, why didn’t we just tame some of those Pteranodons and fly there together?”
The ears of the pegasus’s fellow ponies began to fold against their heads, all while Applejack’s torch pulsates its orange light.
“W-well, now that ya’ mention it…” The cowmare comments, biting her lower lip in a regretful fashion. “Helena did say in that note that at least one of us should make it. You’re right… why didn’t we just do that from the start?”
Rarity opens her mouth to speak, but closes it as she couldn’t find the proper words. Opting to agree with her tribe members’ meaning.
Twilight sighs, “This is all my fault… I led us down this path,” These words garner the attention of everyone else present. “Some ‘tribe leader’ I am…”
“Now hol’ on fer’ just a sec, Twi. Are y’all feelin’ like this is your fault?”
The alicorn nods before looking away, “Every decision I’ve made has resulted in one of us being killed…”
“To be fair, egghead,” Rainbow said. “Not everything that’s happened was because of-”
The pegasus’s words were cut off by a display of a sudden jaw that locked itself onto her right wing. All while the owner of this tooth-filled maw pulls the pegasus away in the process of a stealthful; powerful lunge, or leap. The entity’s red eyes and black slitted pupils are vibrant even in the darkness.
The speed of this event taking place was so fast that the pegasus’s facial features could barely even morph into absolute pain, in accordance with the predator’s jaws that currently sank into her appendage. The newly revealed agile predator starts to run off into the night, carrying its captive forcefully. But what snaps the shocked members of the Tribe of Harmony out of their stupor is Rainbow Dash’s painful exclamation.
“Aaargh!”
“Rainbow!” The remaining ponies shout in unison, horror present in their tones.
Rainbow Dash grits her teeth in unimaginable pain as the agile crocodyliform maneuvers around the swamp in a graceful, albeit horrifying, fashion. Carrying the pegasus along for the cruel ride.
“I’m not going down again!” The pegasus roars out as she conjures forth an arrow and wields it in her right forelimb. “Let me go, jerk!”
The pegasus impales her antagonist in their right eye, causing the beast to let out a painful screech before loosening its bite force. Rainbow is freed moments after as she rolls in the mud, although her right wing was noticeably flaccid and flopping itself around.
Rainbow grunts in pain while looking back to her broken wing, “M-my wing…” She turns towards her attacker, who was currently thrashing about with blood leaking from their damaged eye, and growls, “Now you’ve made me mad!”
The entity finally locks its ‘half gaze’ onto the cyan pegasus with its remaining eye as a slitted pupil dilates in anticipation. It starts to walk around and attempt to reach the now spear-wielding prey’s backside, said prey bringing forth their weapon via their implant.
Rainbow moves in tandem with the predator, keeping the business end of her spear constantly pointed towards her foe while standing on her hind legs. Using her remaining wing to help keep balance. The beast lets out a low-pitched rumble before lunging forth with its clawed forelimbs extended for a pounce, jaws agape to bite down upon the pony once more. However, the cyan pegasus plants her legs into the mud and establishes her foundation as she roars out, thrusting her spear forward with all the strength she could muster.
The beast manages to tackle her; causing the pegasus to fall onto her back. But another painful exclamation escapes the predator as it seemingly aided in its own agony. Half of Rainbow Dash’s spear was now shoved down the throat of the monstrosity which pierced through the backside of the beast’s neck base. Followed by the orange text presented by the pegasus’s implant:
You killed a Kaprosuchus - Lvl 9!
With a resounding grunt, Rainbow Dash turns the spear sideways as the Kapro’s form falls limply off of her, leaving an indent onto the muddy surface upon which it crashed down on. Its remaining eye losing their crimson light.
The pegasus takes a few deep breaths while laying on her back, and chuckles before saying:
“T-that… was for… my wing… jerk.”
“Rainbow Dash!” A collective of voices shouts in unison, along with the approaching sounds of steps that dug into the mud and splashing into various puddles of murky water.
“O-oh, hey... everypony…” The cyan pegasus responds with a closed eye as her allies drew ever closer. “Your t-timing… sucks…”
YOU HAVE A LEVEL UP! Access your inventory to apply it!
The pegasus chuckles lightly, “I got another… level-up,” She raises a forehoof into the air, “A-awesome…” The mare’s raised appendage falls back onto the earth as a vibrant smile is present on her now unconscious features.
Both Applejack and Rarity dismounts Vanellope, the cowmare holding her lit torch, while Twilight lands onto the scene just beside the sleeping pegasus. The alicorn places a forehoof onto her slumbering ally and states:
“She’s ok! Well, still alive, at least,” She takes notice of the cyan mare’s ruined wing that was covered in a mixture of blood and mud. “Her wing’s in bad shape. Applejack, can you help me get her onto-”
A loud series of steps, hissing, growling, and slithering are suddenly present which cuts off the alicorn’s words.
“You’ve got to be kidding me!” Rarity shouts in frustration. “Can’t we just have one moment without anything bad showing up?!”
A lavender barrier soon covers the tribe as the purple light of the protective shell illuminates the monstrosities all around them. From within, the ponies could see a singular Sarcosuchus, more of the agile Kaprosuchus, while also taking in the forms of multiple large serpents with frilled necks.
“I can’t h-hold it for much longer!” Twilight shouts through gritted teeth, and with closed eyes. “Quickly! Get Rainbow Dash onto Vanellope!”
As the alicorn continues to grunt and struggle, Applejack places the unconscious pegasus onto the back of Vanellope, even strapping them down with her lasso to ensure that the pegasus wouldn’t slip off.
“Now Vanellope, dearie,” Rarity starts as she looks into the Raptor’s eyes beggingly. “I’m not Fluttershy, but please understand me when I say that you must get Rainbow Dash to safety.”
The Raptor chirps in response.
“I don’t know what you just said, darling, but I’ll take that as a yes!” The unicorn responds with a smile.
Various creatures begin to strike against the lavender shield, every blow causing Twilight to flinch in response. All while Applejack straps her signature hat onto Vanellope’s saddle.
“Ah’ ain’t gonna risk losin’ this hat,” The cowmare said. “You got a lot of important cargo, Vanellope. Keep em’ safe, partner.”
“I c-can’t hold on for m-much... longer!” Twilight shouts strugglingly.
Applejack looks at the enemies surrounding and striking the barrier in every direction. She formulates a plan and turns to Rarity before shouting:
“Get ready to unleash a blast, Rares!”
“W-what?!” She responds.
“Twilight can’t hold on fer’ much longer, but we can at least clear the way for Vanellope to make an escape. Once this barrier goes down, shoot yer’ most powerful magical attack y’all can manage, that way!” The cowmare finishes as she points a forehoof towards the indicated direction.
Rarity nods as she lights up her horn and prepares to fire off an attack. All while Applejack brings forth her spear and approaches Twilight.
“Twilight… it’s ok, sugarcube.”
“N-no!” The alicorn roars out in response. “I can protect us! Maybe I can cast a spell before-” Her words are cut off as a comforting forehoof rests onto the lavender mare’s left shoulder.
“Twi, ah’ want ya’ to know that y’all are a mighty fine leader. You can blame yer’self for what happened, but don’chya ev’r think that we blame you. We always believe in ya’, Twi. We’d follow you into Tartarus and back,” She pats the alicorn with a forehoof, “So keep than chin up, partner.”
Tears start to form within the alicorn’s eyes, “I’m so sorry…”
“Naw, don’t sweat it,” Applejack responds, conjuring forth her spear via her implant, “We’ll see each oth’r again, even though it’ll probably hurt like Tartarus. Now, let’s see what that respawn’n stuff is all about, eh?”
Twilight lets out a fatigued sigh and falls limply to the ground as the barrier protecting her tribemates dissipates. The various beasts of the swamp start to rush towards them, but Rarity roars out and unleashes her built-up projectile. A beam of light-blue energy is let loose from her horn, forcefully creating a path as the creatures dodge the blast although others are wounded.
“Now, darling!” The unicorn shouts as the form of Vanellope swiftly runs through the masses of death. Rainbow’s unconscious form laid fastened onto the Raptor’s saddle. Vanellope could be seen dodging the strikes of the large snakes as she drew further away, all while the agile Kaprosuchuses gave chase.
“Rarity!” Applejack roars out from behind, garnering the unicorn’s attention. “Ya’ did good, sugarcube. Ya’ got anyth’n left in ya?”
“I can cast one more-”
“Good,” Applejack interjects. “Get on outta here, Rares.”
“B-but, Applejack, I can’t just- awww!” Rarity screams as she barely dodges a lunging Kaprosuchus.
Applejack began to contend with a serpent, but another one of the giant snakes slithers up behind her and bites down upon her right hindleg, its frilled neck opened wide. This causes the cowmare to cry out in pain, but a sudden spear pierces the serpent’s head as a recovered Twilight Sparkle turns back and shouts:
“Go now, Rarity! If you’re lucky, you might catch up with Vanellope and-”
The large form of the Sarcosuchus suddenly cuts off Twilight’s words as its massive jaws closed around her form, followed by the appropriate death message:
Your Tribe Leader Twilight Sparkle - Lvl 14 was killed by a Sarco - Lvl 53!
“Gosh darn it, Rarity!” Applejack shouts, her spear currently planted into the body of the large snake, its frilled neck on full display.
All the while, many of the other beasts begin to compete against one another as the agile Kapros could be seen biting the serpents, although some of the serpents were also wrapping their bodies around various members of the agile predators, sinking their fangs into them.
“Get the hay out’ah here!” Applejack roars out as she jumps into the air to dodge a serpent’s strike, but a light-headed sensation overcomes her in a fashion similar to what had happened to Fluttershy. The snake bite on her hind leg comes back to haunt her as the cowmare drops her spear and falls unconscious.
A slithering mass of elongated bodies continue to bite into the unconscious pony’s form, followed by the crimson text:
Your Tribemate Applejack - Lvl 14 was killed by a Titanoboa - Lvl 23!
Firing up her horn, Rarity finally adheres to the request of her fallen comrades as she casts a spell and disappears in a flash of light. Fortunate, considering a Kaprosuchus was mere seconds away from pouncing onto her as it flies past where she once stood.
A flash of light-blue light manifests itself, followed by the form of a white unicorn as the pony rolls across the muddy landscape. Still within the swamp biome. Her once snow-white coat was now covered in mud as the mare’s purple mane was not only frazzled but a gathering of moss and leaves from her roll in the mud.
“I’m so sorry, darlings…” Rarity comments on the ground before she starts to lift herself onto her hooves. After taking in her surroundings, the unicorn grunts irritably after realizing she was still in the swamp before screaming:
“I hate this place! My mane is a mess, I’m covered in mud, and worst of all, I’M ALL ALONE!”
Likely due to her exclamation, a small critter was currently crawling towards her as it moved in a fashion similar to a slug. Rows of teeth could be seen within the small entity’s opened maw as it even let loose a chittering screech.
The crawling entity’s screech pulls Rarity out of her stupor, but rather than scream in fear as was usual for the fashionista, she growls towards the creepy crawler and says:
“I am NOT in the mood for any more of this Ark’s brutes!” She brings forth a club from her inventory and raises it above her head before bringing it down upon the critter, splatting its form beneath her weapon; followed by the words:
You Killed a Leech - Lvl 3!
“How do you like that, huh?! That’s what’s going to happen to anymore… of… y-you…” Her eyes widened in absolute fear, the pony’s words dying down in their throat as all around the unicorn, in the darkness, a large number of chittering screeches could be heard.
Rarity swallows a lump before rising onto her hind legs and conjuring forth a lit torch from her inventory. Holding the torch in her right forehoof, the club in her left, the orange light of the flame illuminates her local area… where she is greeted by an army of Leeches. All of which crawled towards her with ravenous hunger.
"Ehehe... I'm in d-danger..."
Being surrounded by Titanoboas, Sarcosuchus, and Kaprosuchus… now looked like the better option.
.
.
.
“AAAHHHHH!!!”