//------------------------------// // Chapter 39 - The Demon King. // Story: Ark: Friendship is Survival // by Pomp-Neigh //------------------------------// -INSTALLATION: THE ISLAND- Having witnessed Fluttershy’s death before her very eyes as the Spinosaurus swallows down its’ recent kill, Applejack grits her teeth and hurriedly gets back onto her hooves.  The cowmare notices her hat sitting nearby, her former spear alongside it as both of her belongings were sent aloft due to the yellow pegasus’s actions. But rather than retrieving her possessions, the earth pony brings forth yet another primitive spear from her inventory, and upon noticing the dinosaur’s distracted state, she rears up, takes aim, and throws the weapon with her left forehoof while shouting: “Raaaaah!” The spear soars through the air and on route to its designated location. The Spinosaurus turns its head to the left and towards Applejack before the entity lets loose a painful screech. The transition only aided in the cowmare’s accuracy as her spear pierced the dinosaur’s left eye. The titan stomps furiously in place before standing on its’ hind legs as Applejack’s spear remained lodged into the beast’s left eye socket. However, while on the subject of spears, the cowmare spotted a metallic weapon that remained lodged into the top portion of the dinosaur’s upper jaw: Granny Pithecus’s pike.  For obvious reasons, the dinosaur’s healing capabilities only affected the entity’s flesh—not the non-organic material that still breached the titan as the being’s skin healed around the exposed weapon, sealing it in place.  “Ah’right then,” Applejack comments with a smirk before bringing forth another item from her inventory: The orange mare bites onto the lasso’s slack before spinning the looped end above her head. Applejack throws the noose with a muffled grunt in an effort to latch it onto Granny Pithecus’s pike. However, the Spinosaurus happens to move in tandem and locks its right eye’s gaze onto the earth pony. Because of this, the lasso instead wraps around part of the dinosaur’s right claw as it moved, and with wide eyes, while holding onto the other end of the tether with her forelimbs, Applejack comments nervously: “...Luna dang-IIIIT!” The earth pony is lifted aloft before being swung around as she still holds onto the lasso with her forehooves, even skiing on the water’s surface as the Spinosaurus turns in place while in its’ bipedal stance. But a semblance of intelligence seems to present itself as the dinosaur takes notice of this ‘cause and effect.’  The beast saw the lasso strapped onto its’ claw, precisely on one of the single digits, and it noticed how that caused Applejack to be flung around like a ragdoll while it moves. If one were to look closely, they’d see a smirk form onto the being’s elongated snout. All while Applejack remains determined to hold on, although one couldn’t help but wonder why she wouldn’t just let go. Her determination is unwavering, but a sudden force of strength on the dinosaur’s behalf yanks her upward.   Applejack is sent flying into the air above the Spinosaur as its’ strength overpowers her own, causing her to let go of the lasso. The titan follows up this action by opening its jaws and lining itself up with the falling earth pony, letting gravity take over from there. The cowmare could only growl with gritted teeth as she scornfully says internally: -I didn’t think this thing would be THAT smart!- Applejack is mere moments from sharing the same fate as Fluttershy, but a gust of wind suddenly forms as an entity swoops by via a barrel-roll, taking away the cowmare in one swift motion. And as a result, the Spinosaurus fails to consume its’ prey as the titan’s jaws clasp shut onto thin air. Applejack’s mane flutters in the wind as a pair of large clawed feet had latched onto her shoulders. She looks towards the Spino as she’s being carried further away from the conflict before turning her gaze upwards, the form of the tribes’ pterosaur blocking out the sky above her. “Applejack!” Pinkie Pie exclaims from above, although the aforementioned cowmare couldn’t see her due to the flyer’s body. “You are in so much trouble!” The orange pony is momentarily shocked, but she grits her teeth in annoyance before shouting: “Pinkie Pie! What ‘r ya doin’?! Get us back there ‘n-” “Be quiet!” The pink mare interjects, peeking over the pterosaur’s right wing as her mane is currently deflated while sporting an angered expression. “You’re in for a serious Pinkie scolding once we get back!” ………. As the two ponies and their prehistoric flyer head towards the direction of Sanctuary, the remaining tribe members and Granny Pithecus are left to deal with the dinosaur. Both Rainbow Dash and Rarity mount Vanellope’s back while Twilight takes to the sky, although she currently has Spike safely held within her forelimbs. “Twilight!” Spirit calls out. “Fly with all due haste and take Spike back to Sanctuary!”   Incidentally, the small form of Skitters hops onto Spirit and scales the UNI-CRN until resting upon his left shoulder. But the ape has a new feature sitting on its’ head as he graciously retrieved Applejack’s hat during the conflict. The alicorn naturally hesitates, “B-but, I can’t! I won’t leave you all behind!” “You’re not truly leaving us behind if we TELL you to leave!” Rarity responds. “Spikey Wikey needs you to keep him safe! Now, GO! We’ll be right behin-” The fashionista’s words are cut off as a fear-inducing roar makes itself known. The entire tribe simply remains silent in shock and fear; this roar is far more horrifying than anything they’ve ever heard before in their life. But Granny Pithecus, HLN-A, and Spirit seemed to recognize the booming exclamation. “Oh, no…” HLN-A comments with dread. “I-it’s the-” Large steps could be heard from the nearby forest at the mountain’s base, cutting off the AI’s words.  The Spinosaurus loses interest in its’ former choice of prey and is drawn towards the commotion by turning its’ head. All of the beast’s senses flared as the titan remained frozen in place. The approaching entity takes another few steps. Then, a brief pause causes everyone to stay on edge. The ponies gritted their teeth in a cold sweat while Granny Pithecus, Spirit, and HLN-A hoped their suspicions were wrong. But deep down, they knew what was coming. Or, more accurately, who was coming.  A duo of trees is knocked over by an absolute gargantuan, and the entity’s head is the first to peer out from the forest. The newly arrived beast locks eyes with the Spinosaurus, which causes the river-dwelling predator to screech out in its’ form of fear.  The Tribe of Harmony instantly recognized this new threat, the undisputed apex predator of The Island. One of the ‘Big Three,’ or ‘Rare Trio,’ as HLN-A had labeled it. “G-Giganoto-s-saurus…” Twilight comments dreadfully from above, her forehooves tightening onto Spike. “The Demon King,” HLN-A said, floating alongside Vanellope as the Raptor expressed caution, her feathers risen in response to the King’s arrival. No more words are needed, only action. And thanks to the Giganotosaurus’s appearance, the tribe retreats by running into the nearby forest surrounding Sanctuary, hoping to lose the two titans within the dense forestation. ………. The Demon King takes mighty steps towards the Spinosaurus, his massive form now in the clearing. The member of the Big Three did not need to size up his opponent, for he knew his girth was more than efficient. He didn’t doubt his might, for he is mighty. The Spinosaurus roars out in defiance from within the river, but the Demon King seems to be amazed by this creature’s actions. A rumble emanates from the King’s throat before he leans forth and roars out in response: This silences the spined titan, but what comes next would shock and awe any survivor from the ancient times of the Ark. “You would face me knowing full well that death is a certainty,” The King said, his voice deep as it echoes in his throat; drenched with authority. “Fascinating. Although, I sometimes wonder why the weak try to resist.” The Spinosaurus doesn’t display any understanding in response to the Demon King’s words. But it does seem to be waiting for the King’s next actions. “Hmmm…” The beast chuckles, walking towards his spined opponent unhesitantly, “Perhaps I’ve gone senile. Speaking to you as if you were anything more than an animal…”    Suddenly, the spined dinosaur turns away and tries to retreat in a sudden rush of speed. However, a hurried set of steps and splashing water closes in behind it before the enormous head of the Giga slams into the Spino’s left side. The action causes the fleeing predator to fall over with a painful screech before the enormous foot of the Demon King plants itself onto their downed opponent. The King lowers his head and stares directly into the unharmed eye of the Spinosaurus, who struggles beneath him.  “Why do you regret your actions only after I break you? Why do the weak fight against the inevitable storm, knowing they’ll be swept away? Is it pride? Or their last-ditched effort? Surely, even you must know that this is the inevitable outcome.” The Spinosaurus still tries to escape, but the downed titan’s fate is now decided by the greater threat that looms over them.  “I descended from my mountain purely out of curiosity. Your kind can regenerate nowadays… a useful tool, to be sure,” The Giga bares its’ fangs, “I’m intrigued to put it to the test.”  The King bites down upon the Spino’s neck region, causing the spined dinosaur to screech once more. But the screeches are suddenly cut off as, with a resonating jerk, the Demon king tears off the Spinosaurus’s head before rising and tossing it away carelessly. The decapitated head falls into the nearby forest, the same forestation the Giga had emerged from, as the resulting blood flow from the Spino’s body travels down the river. Small predators are drawn to the corpse, seeking an opportunity to take any scraps, but the Giganotosaurus pays them no mind. In fact, the behemoth doesn’t even partake in his kill as the giant walks away, allowing the collection of smaller predators to clean up after his actions. Yet another combat scenario plays out as these scavengers compete against one another, each one trying to claim the corpse as their own. The flying insects, Meganuera, flew in a swarm and furiously bit at their opponents in unison. A duo of Dilophosauruses spread their frilled necks and spewed projectiles at the flying insects. But the smallest of the three species, Compsognathius, displayed a higher intellect than the other scavengers. As they fought, the Compy bites off chunks of flesh and retreats a short distance away before going for another piece of the carcass.     However, as the small war ensues over the Spinosaur’s body, what is most unsettling is the Demon King’s current direction. “Hmmm. Those beings interest me...” -Sanctuary- The time is currently 4:56 pm on the Ark, and this day has leaned towards nothing but conflict. Unfortunately, despite its namesake, more conflict plays out as Sanctuary is now the grounds for a trio of argumentative ponies. Applejack, Pinkie Pie, and Fluttershy disagree over recent events within the tribe’s home and are positioned in their shelter’s dining room. All while their newest pterosaur perched itself on the rooftop of the housing. “Y’all have got’ah be kid’n me!” Applejack roars out, standing next to the door exiting to the home’s patio. “We could’ah taken that overgrown reptile!” “There was no NEED to keep fighting!” Pinkie Pie retorts, her mane still deflated. “Why did you do that, Applejack?!” “To get stronger, obviously!” “Stronger?!” Fluttershy responds, mortified by the orange mare’s reasoning. “Why are you being so careless about this?! This isn’t a game!” “You don’t think ah know that?! Of course, this ain’t no game, but y’all don’t realize the advantage we have!” Applejack gestures a forehoof upwards, “Right upstairs ‘r our beds, the place we’ll respawn at when we die!” She lowers her appendage and sets it onto the wooden floor, “Do you have the slightest clue as to what that means? What it TRULY means?! We can get stronger without worry’n about nuth’n! We can die and come back to fix what we dun died to!” “That is a horrible way to look at it!” Pinkie Pie shouts. “Helena also said that there will be times when we can’t respawn at all! What are you gonna do in those situations, huh?!” “Well, this ain’ one of those situations, now is it?!” Applejack inquires before looking towards Fluttershy, “Fluttershy here is the best example of what ah’m talkin’ about!” “What?!” The yellow pegasus questions in shock. “What do you mean by that?”   “You sacrificed yer’self and saved me from that Spinosaur. Ah appreciate it, sugarcube, and your death would’ah allowed me to beat that fell’r-” “Excuse me?!” The yellow pegasus interjects in another shocking exclamation; Pinkie is appalled by the orange mare’s words. “Did you just imply that you used my death as a sacrifice so that you could defeat that Spinosaurus?!” “Why else would ya save me?!” The cowmare responds, her words causing Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie’s ears to fold against their heads. A sense of sadness fills them both as their eyes widen with their mouths hung slightly agape. Then, tears threaten to leave Fluttershy’s eyes while Pinkie Pie stares at Applejack with disappointment. “Y-you… you think I d-did that just because I knew I’d come b-back?” Fluttershy stuttered sadly. “Applejack… I would have done that for any of you. Respawning or not, I’d have saved you from that Spino either way…” The pegasus closes her eyes and turns away before sitting down on her flank.  Having taken in those words, Applejack could feel regret festering within her form. “F-Fluttershy… I…” She says while extending her forehoof, but Pinkie Pie bats it away with a forelimb. “No. We get it, Applejack…” The pink pony starts, disappointment ever-present. “Death doesn’t matter, right? So why not just toss your friends aside so that you can beat some giant dinosaur?” She emphasizes by gesturing with her left forehoof.  “What happened, Applejack?” Fluttershy inquires while still looking away, her tears flowing freely. “How could you even think like that?” The cowmare’s pent-up emotions conflict within her as she closes her eyes in regret. What she had done was wrong, she admitted to herself, but she also needed to progress faster. She needs to ascend quickly, and she must reach him.  Applejack suddenly grits her teeth, stomps her left forehoof, and roars out: “Ah’m sorry, alright?! But yall don’t get what ah’m goin’ through!” She takes a few steps closer, “Ah NEED to improve faster, but ah can see now that we’ve been goin’ at a dang snail’s pace! So ah’m gonna exploit this respawn system if that’s one way to make progress faster! Ah need to get off this darn Ark and face Edmund fer all the wrong he dun done to mah family! Ah got’ah stop him once and fer all!”   [BWAMCK] Suddenly, the door behind Pinkie Pie and before Fluttershy slams open as Twilight enters the shelter with worry--Spike still being held within her grasp. “This isn’t good! We’re all in trouble!” The alicorn starts before hurriedly flying upstairs. The alicorn’s sudden arrival garner the attention of the trio, but Pinkie Pie turns back to the cowmare and seethes: “This conversation isn’t over, Applejack.” ……….  Outside the house and standing just before the two smaller shelters, HLN-A, Granny Pithecus, Spirit, Vanellope, Rarity, and Rainbow Dash recover from their trek through the jungle. Skitters, still wearing Applejack’s hat, sits on a nearby stone railing. “Wh-what in Tartarus is that thing doing here?!” Rarity inquires.  “I know I’m awesome, but I’m not THAT awesome to go picking a fight with that guy!” Rainbow Dash comments, dismounting from Vanellope before placing a forelimb onto the Raptor, “Heh, got to say, you run pretty fast. Of course, you’re not nearly as fast as me, but you did good back there.” The Raptor leans into Rainbow’s gesture. Vanellope was about to lick the pegasus once again, but Rainbow stops her in time before commenting: “Hey! We aren’t there yet!” She pokes Vanellope’s snout twice with her left forehoof, “No. Licking.” “This is all just so surreal!” HLN-A exclaims. “First, we encounter a talking and highly intelligent Gigantopithecus-” “I’m standing right here, ya little shit-bot,” Granny interjects while placing her left hand onto her waist. “Don’t go talk’n smack about ol’ Granny, and the only reason ah’m lett’n that comment fly is because you all helped me. So thanks fer that.” The AI winces, “R-right. Sorry about that, mate,” HLN-A clears their throat, despite appearances, “In addition, a Spinosaurus can’t heal-” “Well, them Spinos would like to know your location,” Granny interjects, pointing her index finger towards the AI. “Unless you’re blind, you just saw-” “I know what I saw!” HLN-A interrupts in frustration with red lights flashing, surprising the ponies present. The AI regains their composure afterward, “I’m s-so sorry for that outburst, Miss. Granny. I’m just under a lot of pressure, and there are a ton of questions that I must seek answers for.”  The Gigantopithecus grunts, although she narrows her eyes at the AI, “Just Granny will do, so drop the ‘Miss.’ And doncha ever yell at me like that again,” She punches her left palm with her right fist, “Ah’m serious. In mah tribe, that earns you a broken nose and a week of Phiomia shit duty. Enforced by yours truly.” “Tribe?” Spirit inquires. “There’s a whole tribe of you?” “Have you and the robot been liv’n underground or somethin’?” The ape questions dumbfoundedly with a raised eyebrow. “Not to brag, but we Gigantos damn near run this island.” “Well, no, but-” Spirit takes notice of Granny’s last sentence, “Wait, what did you just-” “Can we get back to the big issue here?!” Rarity interjects, cutting off Spirit’s words. “There’s a giant monster living around our home! What are we going to do about it?!” “Yeah,” Rainbow Dash says as she approaches them. “With that guy stomping around us, we aren’t gonna make any progress here.” As they continue to converse, a series of hoof steps emanates from the tribe’s home as both Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie walks on the stone foundation just outside of the door. After a moment, Applejack exits the shelter, although she follows the former duo from a short distance.  Spotting the cowmare, Skitters waves towards her as she approaches the railing he sat on. The Mesopithecus takes off her hat and offers it to her. Applejack smiles in response before petting the monkey gratefully. “Thanks fer that, little fell’r,” She placed the hat onto her head, but as Skitters was about to jump onto her back a sudden commotion caused the monkey to nearly fall off the railing, although he, fortunately, catches himself. [THOOMB] [THOOMB] Everyone present shoots their gaze towards a giant nearby wall of stone composition. The obstacle blocks off any terrestrial life forms from exiting or entering Sanctuary. But what kicks everyone into a state of absolute caution and forebodingness are the lines of cracks that begin to form, indicating that something was trying to break in. [THOOMB] [THOOMB] Everyone within Sanctuary could only watch as the cracks grew and multiplied in numbers but were accompanied by dust and falling debris. The wild creatures that roamed their local haven began to flee as the two Carbonemys within the central water source—the same turtle-like entities that Rainbow Dash had seen earlier—submerged themselves.   Still positioned within the tribe’s home and on the third level, Twilight looks out the window as she’s drawn to this earth-shaking event. As Spike laid unconscious upon the lower bunkbed besides the alicorn, Twilight felt the same fear her fellow ponies bared as she mutters: “No, no, no, no, no…” One more strike slammed against the wall before the entire structure capsizes. Dust is thrown into the air as large chunks of stone and wood crashes into the earth. This event causes everyone to wince and jolt to attention, but their hearts began to beat rapidly as the entity responsible proceeds into Sanctuary. The Demon King. “Survivors!” The beast calls out, causing everlasting shock to those before him. “My curiosity demands satiation!” However, one among the frightened and shocked masses recovers as Granny Pithecus narrows her eyes before adjusting her hat. “That voice... heh, well, well...” She says as this particular entity’s voice stimulates recognition. “It’s been a long time, ya’ edge lord.”