Twilight fully intakes Granny’s recollection of the large, feline beast—Mawlchu. In truth, she hadn’t expected anything to be capable of instilling fear amongst this tribe, barring the Demon King. At least to her current knowledge.
But upon second thought, with the layout of the dense redwoods, the Tree Platforms etched onto them, and even Maimuta’s position on a mountaintop, these all came together to hinder the size of a Giganotosaurus. And offer the apes a bountiful advantage with ranged weaponry while staying out of the Demon King’s reach.
It was perfect for dealing with vast entities, but Twilight knew that every positive has an opposite negative. This was a place where small to mid-sized entities could capitalize on the niche provided by the forest, with only some large lifeforms able to maneuver comfortably.
And yet, in this forest of red spires, Mawlchu stood above all other beasts.
“Do ya un’erstand, Mejoberry?” Granny’s inquiry draws the alicorn out of fleeting thought, Micropscus adjusting his feathers. “If you ever find yourself going beyond the safety of our compounds littered amongst the forest, keep an eye on the treetops.” She gestures upward with an appointed index finger.
“That’s where you’ll find Mawlchu.”
Twilight thought back to how Ovis Archadia reacted, their lively aura seemingly dissipating upon any further conversation regarding the Thylacoleo. The pieces fell neatly together, and the alicorn’s features widened in a combination of realization and sympathy.
“Did… did Mawlchu ever hurt Ovis…?”
“He did more than just hurt her,” Micropscus answered. “He killed her entire family...”
The alicorn’s eyes fell downward. “To lose someone’s entire family…” Twilight comments in dread. “I… I can’t even…”
A momentary silence takes hold.
“Why?”
“That’s just the way of things, I’m afraid,” The Microraptor glances towards the shelter Ovis had entered. “Or, as Mawlchu would often call it: ‘Rules of Nature.’”
Another dead silence stakes its claim.
“Well, then,” Granny breaks, standing up—Micropscus flapping his wings to stay balanced on her shoulder—and wiping her hands together. “Let’s try to get our minds off that fer now.” She looks around, “Where in da Dead Isle is that dang ape?”
Twilight cocks her head, ears twitching. “I’m sorry?”
“Hol’ up a sec,” Granny responds, raising her left arm and accessing her wrists’ implant. A particular device is manifested and held within Granny’s grasp, Twilight’s eyes widening in recognition.
“Is-is that a radio?!” The alicorn questioned, Granny raising an index finger to garner a moment.
Twilight learned of the device via her talks with HLN-A and had planned to craft it herself. But even before that, she had some comprehension of such tech thanks to her time in Sunset Shimmer’s world.
“Hey, you old coot!” Granny exclaims, pressing a button on the radio’s side. “What’s takin’ ya?!”
The radio crackles. “What’s taking what?” Sir. Gideon’s voice mockingly left the radio, Twilight’s ears perking up. “You have to finish your sentence. Over.”
“Again, with this ‘Over’ shit,” Granny groans, facepalming. “You’ve got the kids with ya, right? Can one of em slap ya fer me? Over.”
“Great jumping apes, Granny! Having children partake in acts of violence? Shame on you. In any case, we’ll be arriving momentarily on the Dip-mobile. Over.”
Granny was about to retort with a small growl, but a sudden earthshaking phenomenon caused her eyes to widen. She sends the radio away to her inventory with a chuckle.
“It’s about Grok damn time.”
Twilight’s gaze is suddenly stolen toward a nearby cliff as a lightly armored, equine figure comes to a halt at its precipice, a visible cloud of dust being kicked up in the process. Then, a species of sauropod that the alicorn recognized as a Diplodocus via its dossier peeks its elongated gaze over the elevated landmark.
The alicorn simply stared in awe at the sauropod, and her ears picked up the unmistakable sounds of foals- wait, no, that wasn’t right. Children. Yes, children. But her gaze returned to the equine afterward, their form easily dwarfing any pony she knew on Equus.
The equine on the cliff rears up, their hardened form fully displayed as their strong hind legs supported the action, unleashing a powerful and echoing neigh.
Their forelimbs return to the earth, followed by a snort while shaking their head. Their head turns to the Diplo, and their muzzle parts after taking a breath:
“We have arrived, Sir Gideon.”
Twilight’s ears would perk up even further than they already are, if possible. It was a mare whose voice was deep and laced with authority that could even get Princess Luna to jolt to attention.
“Smashing!” The elderly voice of Sir. Gideon echoed, although Twilight couldn’t see him from her angle. “Thank you for the escort, Decanus Equulla!”
Equulla nods, her gaze shifting yet still turned away from Twilight, Granny, and the others below.
“Br’thin, Althrok, unload the children and set up a perimeter. If a Dodo takes a shit, I want to know about it before it even reaches the ground.”
“By your order, Decanus!” Two voices, male and female, respond in unison.
It was then that Equulla finally lowered her gaze to those who stood on the island below her rising. The sight of Granny’s Greenhouse, the ape herself with Micropscus resting on her shoulder, Poo’baloo, and Alarm Call are immediately familiarized.
She was about to greet them, only for her words to die in her throat upon noticing that small patch of purple standing beside Granny, muttering in disbelief:
“Is that… an Equus with wings and… a horn?”
-Eastern Swamp Biome-
“Well, we’re making good progress from where we left Pinkie Pie,” Rainbow said while checking her map, sending it and a Compass back to her inventory. “I’m honestly surprised by how little action we’ve seen, especially since we’re in the swamp of all places. Heh, that, or they’re just too scared of us. Eh, Vanellope?” She boasts.
Rainbow Dash’s wings kept her aloft as croaking frogs, excessive buzzing, and distant creatures greeted her hearing senses. And while other lifeforms wandered nearby, most of which consisted of herbivores and more neutral entities, including a very large species of snail, the absence of any predators shocked the rainbow mare. It was the complete opposite to when she and her friends entered this place during HLN-A's challenge. Granted, that was during the dead of night.
Vanellope raises her gaze to the pegasus hovering just above, deadpanning and chirping lowly.
“Ok, fine,” Rainbow spat while rolling her eyes, “Maybe it’s because we’re hugging the edges of this place and staying away from the water, but my point still stands.”
The dinosaur seemed to mildly agree as she pulled her eyes away and surveyed the area, senses on high alert. The aerial pegasus looks back to her cutie mark, her implant flaring to life with a light-blue aurora.
“It’s a little past three pm,” Rainbow lowers herself and lands on Vanellope’s saddle. “We’ve still got some time. Let’s keep going.”
Vanellope’s legs trekked through the muddy landscape at a pace lingering between fast and steady. Despite the duo staying on the edges of the swamp, its notable properties still made themselves present: a muddy terrain with dangerous, murky waters. They could easily traverse around the water, to be sure, but there’s no escaping the mud.
“I’ll wash that mud off you at a pond somewhere,” Rainbow starts. “Sound good?”
Vanellope chirps, passing by two large herbivorous entities that often dwelled in the swamps and redwood, garnering Rainbow’s interest.
“I think those are called Parac-something-or-other. But if I'm being honest, they just look like oversized naked earth ponies-”
“Ack!” An appalled female voice came from one of the Paracers, notably light brown. “Excuse me?” They sassily inquired, Rainbow dumbfounded with an agape muzzle. “Did you mockingly compare us to an Equus, you rainbow-colored mess?! That is absolutely rude!”
“Oh, Shirly, dear,” The dark brown Paracer said, male. “Just let it to go-”
“No, Herbert!” Shirly interjects before stomping towards Rainbow and Vanellope, the duo looking on with widened eyes as the earth shakes around them. “I am sick and tired of creatures on this island comparing us to Equus!” The titan stops before them, lowering her furious and teet-grinding gaze.
“Woah, woah, woah!” Rainbow tried to defuse with a raised forelimb. “I’m sorry-!”
“‘Sorry’ isn’t going to cut it. Listen closely, Equus; we Paraceratheriums have more in common with Woolyrhinos! Rhinos! Not equines, you disrespectful, little- wait…” Shirly’s eyes widen, her gaze morphing from rage to confusion, “You have wings…”
“Oh!” Herbert’s head suddenly lowered, joining Shirly’s, although Rainbow and Vanellope were too stunned to notice his approach. “Look at that. You’re right; this Equus does have wings.”
Rainbow is simply taken aback by this, but Vanellope turns her head back and gently nudges the pegasus with her snout, stirring them back to the world of the living.
“What kind of Equus are you?” Shirly asked. “I’ve never seen any with wings before.”
“R-right,” Rainbow managed but soon regained her composure by shaking her head. She then puffs out her chest, wings extending as she poses on Vanellope’s back in glory. “I’m not just an Equus; I’m an awesome Equus. Well, I’m actually a pony—a pegasus, but that’s another story.”
Herbert tilts his head. “Isn’t the term ‘pony’ used for a young Equus?”
“I think you might be right, dear,” Shirly said.
“Wow…” Rainbow responds monotonously; with a deadpan expression. “Look who’s making assumptions now.”
Both sides stare at each other for a long awkward moment, Rainbow keeping her deadpanning gaze while Shirly remains in shock, a sense of hypocrisy growing within her.
“This is, uh… this is awkward,” Herbert began, Shirley shooting him an unamazed glare.