//------------------------------// // Chapter 62 - Ichthyornis. // Story: Ark: Friendship is Survival // by Pomp-Neigh //------------------------------// Vanellope stares at the hesitant rainbow pegasus following their admission, the equine’s head turned away with a blush and scrunched features. All while Pinkie Pie gathers resources from nearby trees and stones, harvesting them with a primitive pickaxe and hatchet. Rainbow could feel the Raptor’s snout draw closer, hot air being let loose from the dinosaur’s nostrils. “Look, it’s not a big deal,” Rainbow began, still looking away, embarrassed. “Everything’s out on the table now, so let’s just-” A long tongue made contact with Rainbow’s neck before going up, traveling to her left cheek, and interjecting the equine’s words. Rainbow’s eyes shot wide open during Vanellope’s gesture, and the Raptor turned sideways before lowering itself to the sandy shore. Vanellope waited patiently and stared expectantly at Rainbow, the pegasus momentarily stunned by the action before turning -- a vibrant grin exploding on her muzzle. She flaps her wings and takes to the sky before hovering over and lowering herself onto the Raptor’s saddle. With the pegasus now mounted, Vanellope rose to her full stance, and Rainbow could genuinely feel the prideful honor of calling the dinosaur her own. This was completely different than before, more riding Vanellope out of need rather than want. But now? She loved it. She wanted this. The experience is simply a thrill, but above all:  she loved Vanellope’s agility.     “Awesome.” Rainbow chuckles, forming a smirk. “You’re still not nearly as awesome as me, but close enough.” ………. It’s now 9:12 am on the Ark, which Rainbow had checked via her implant before turning her gaze to Pinkie Pie. “Got everything you needed?” The rainbow mare inquires.  Pinkie nods. “That should be everything. Thanks again for helping me, you guys.” “You sure you don’t want to come with us, Pinkie?” Rainbow taps the saddle, “There’s room for two of us.” “Nope. I’m ok. Besides,” Pinkie smirks, “I wouldn’t want to be a third wheel now that you and Vanellope are soooooo close.” She finishes, giggling. “Heh. Well, what are you gonna do -- am I right?” A thought suddenly comes to the pegasus as she brings a forelimb to her chin. “Say… isn’t that Ichty-whatchu-call-it those dolphin-looking things?” “Yuppie! And thanks to the meat you gave me, I just need to find some and-” “Actually, Vanellope and I saw some near the shoreline,” Rainbow interjects, causing Pinkie’s eyes to widen before letting out a drawn-out gasp. “It was just a day ago, and around the time we killed a Carnotaurus.” “Really?! Where?!” Pinkie excitedly jogs in place, “Where, where, where, where, where?!” Rainbow Dash gestures toward a particular direction: “Just head back toward the direction of the Demon Jerk’s mountain; those Ichtys should still be there. Honestly, I’m surprised that you missed-”  The pink mare immediately turns away and runs down the beach at full throttle, passing by several flocks of Dodos and land-bound Trilobites. “Aaand she’s gone.” Rainbow sighs and shakes her head at the pink mare’s antics, a look of worry taking hold as she continues to observe Pinkie’s departing form. “Be careful, Pinkie,” Rainbow mutters. “You’re all by yourself, and don’t forget: we’re not alone on this island.” “Ichty! Ichty! Ichty! Ichty!” Pinkie Pie repeats merrily, staying along the coast while keeping her gaze fixed on the ocean. The vocal sounds of flying seagull-like entities engulfed her surroundings. And several Carbonemys shuffled to and fro every bushel they could find, the giant turtles feasting on the heartful berries.  Pinkie Pie even ran past a Dilophosaurus hunting several flocks of Dodos -- paying it no mind as she continued her search. Just another day in the Ark, she dismissed. “I must be getting close!” She starts, kicking up sand as she treks along the beach, now approaching the coastal side of the Demon King’s mountain. “I can feel it! Dashie said-” She gasps, skiing to a sudden halt and creating a mound of sand around her forelimbs. She saw a fin breach the surface just about ten feet into the shallow waters before her. But in comparison to the fin of a Megalodon, this one is far smaller. And any doubts are washed away entirely as the fin submerges into the sea before an Ichthyosaurus jumps out of the waters playfully. Besides, her Pinkie Senses weren’t going off. Pinkie wasted no time at all. She charged forth with a vibrant smile, took a deep breath, and plunged into the cool waters with a resounding splash. Her mane flowed beneath the surface, her hooves propulsion her toward the entity that swam majestically amongst long stalks of seaweed. And, as an excellent addition to her luck, she could see no signs of any water-based predators nearby. The Ichthyosaurus takes notice of the equine, and much to the earth mare’s bemusement, the sea creature curiously approaches them. “Phi!” The mare spoke underwater, her words affected as she floated mere inches in front of the Ichty. “Phim Phimphie Phie!”  Her implant glows beneath her Hide Armor, and a piece of the raw meat she had procured from Rainbow Dash and Vanellope is manifested within a forelimb. She offers it to the Ichty and waits patiently with a vibrant smile.  Although she hoped the sea creature would make up its mind soon, she was starting to need air. The Ichthyosaurus investigates the offering for a moment with its elongated maw, its tail swooshing side to side to keep itself in place along with its pectoral fins. Then, it accepts the offering and devours the meat while being sure to avoid biting the hoof that feeds it.  Pinkie clapped her forelimbs together before making her way back up to the surface, the Ichthyosaur swimming around her general vicinity. The pink mare pops her head out and takes in a greedy breath of fresh air. “Yippeeee!” She cried out. “I’m taming an Ichty! Step one to conquering the sea is a-go!” However, a sudden presence swoops down upon her, causing the pink mare to shoo it away with her forelimbs. “H-hey!” She roared. “Stop that! You annoying; thieving seagull!”  Darn it all; It was just as HLN-A had warned her, and she tried to bat the black and white coastal flyer away with her forelimbs, but to no avail, as the Ichthyornis flew just beyond her reach in evasion, striking at her when it knew it could. -Okay then, you meanie!- She said internally. -If that’s how it’s going to be, then fine!- The pink mare took a breath and submerged before swimming back to the shoreline, but the ancient seagull seemed to catch on as it followed her from the surface. Fortunately, she hadn’t swum out too far and managed to hold her breath until she could stand at the water’s edge. She immediately conjures forth a primitive spear from her inventory and aims at her aggressor, one eye open as she bit down on her tongue—steadying herself. “I’m not going to let you take anything away from me!” She threatened as the flier circled her from above. She moved in conjunction with the seagull, rotating in place and ready to strike away with her weapon. “Bring it on, birdie!” The Ichthyornis braves a swooping maneuver, and Pinkie roars out while throwing her spear at the encroaching opponent. But the flyer displays incredible acrobatics as it tilts its body sideways, the equine’s spear careening past the bird, and proceeds to barrel roll into Pinkie Pie before going skyward again. It happened so fast, and before Pinkie Pie could even notice what had happened, she saw the result within the flyer’s closed-toothed beaks: several slabs of dangling meat. -The Ichthyornis can infiltrate someone’s inventory with lightning speed!- The memorable words of HLN-A play out in Pinkie’s mind as she keeps an eye on the flyer soaring above.  -Since you’ll be interacting with coastal entities alongside sea life, I advise you to be wary of this thieving bugger. Here, I’ll give you Helena’s dossier on it.-    Pinkie Pie growls in frustration, but the reality of the situation dawns on her: the seagull has her meat! All of it! “No!” She manifests another spear from her inventory. “Give it back right now! I can’t finish my tame without it!” The seagull continually circles her, watching her with those darn thieving eyes. Pinkie couldn’t even fathom why this flyer would even bother her at a time like this. Stupid, stupid bird!  And to make matters worse, the spear she held within her grasp was also the last. If she misses another throwing shot, she’d have no actual weapon to deal with the flyer, save for her primitive hatchet and pickaxe. She held the spear tightly and kept it pointed at the flier, ready to thrust at them at a moment’s notice. The bird braves yet another swooping maneuver, and Pinkie Pie prepares to jab at the flier with gritted teeth. [DUT DUT] Two sudden gunshots crack off like thunder, and Pinkie Pie stares at the seagull in complete shock as it goes lifeless and falls to the earth before her very eyes. The feathery thief lands in front of her, and the large holes in its form offer her a fine view of its now-exposed innards. “That thieving Pegomastax with wings stole me hat,” Comments a male voice from the nearby forest, causing Pinkie to turn to its source. "Good thing I arrived when I did, eh, savvy?" The pink mare’s eyes widened as an absolute gargantuan stood there, wielding what looked like one of those Pistol things she heard Twilight and HLN-A harp on about before sending it away to their inventory. The entity was similar to Granny Pithecus, yet Pinkie could tell that this individual was also unique, judging by their appearance: they are larger, taller, and covered in pure white and gray fur.  The stranger rests a hand under their chin. “But, like me mum always said: one of the best ways to deal with a problem is to shoot the problem while it’s focused on another potential problem. And so, I ask you: are you going to be a problem?”