Rainbow Dash
Garble
Anguirus
Aero
Mothra
Twilight Sparkle
Vex
Puff
Clump
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"Low and behold, Rainbow Rash remembers my name. Now if you’d kindly leave my dinner on its plate and get off my turf, I won’t burn your feathers off just yet."
Rainbow Dash glared back defiantly, wrenching back a realization of horror once she realized what would have happened to the filly now cowering behind her leg if she hadn’t shown up. The cyan mare put her forehoof to her side to further shield Gentle Leaf. Rainbow Dash raised her wings and backed a snide insult.
"What do you mean ‘Territory’, don’t you brats still live in your mom’s nest?"
The bluish purple, heavy set drake named Vex jumped up in an disgruntled fit, his thagomizer unshealthing.
"Hey! Leave my mother out of thi-"
Garble brought down a hammer fist to his cohorts skull to cut him off, making a cutting motion across his neck to silence the idiot. The red dragon turned back to the ponies as Aero looked on in horror from the shrubs.
"AS I was saying… THIS from now on is our turf and hunting ground. YOU are trespassing AND interrupting our dinner plans."
The albino drake, Puff, leaned over to a whispered the Garble.
"Uh, boss. I don’t know how to phrase this but… We’ve been travelin’ for days to get here, I don’t think one filly is gonna do it for all of us, Clump is about ready to chew on our tails out of spite if he doesn’t eat somethin’ soon."
A deep bellow echoed forth from Clumps’ gut.
"I am pissed and starving, you are right to fear me."
Garble turned and whacked his subordinate on the side of his head, cursing out threats and expletives in a language no pony understood. Rainbow Dash nearly rolled her eyes at the sheer level of idiocy she could feel rising before Garble whipped back and glared daggers at the mare.
"AS I was saying…AGAIN, give back our food and we won’t change our dinner plans to make her just the appetizer..."
Garble smirked, making a ‘come to me’ motion with his middle finger, an insulting tone that did not sit well with an already angered Pegasus. Garble licked his lips, curling them back to bare his fangs as he stepped forward. That was all the reasoning Rainbow Dash needed. She grabbed Gentle Leaf by the filly's midsection as she spun around with a flap of her wings.
"AERO THINK FAST!"
Aero barely had time to fire up a telekinetic spell and grab the “screaming”, airborne filly in a magical aura. Rainbow Dash turned, shooting up into the air with the flap of her wings and slamming her hind hooves into a lunging Garble’s face, sending the drake staggering. Rainbow snorted and readied her hooves for what she was sure would be a retaliation attack on her, her intent being to lead the drakes away to buy the duo more time to flee.
"I’ll hold them off! Get to the camp and get help now!"
"RIGHT!"
Aero nodded, securing the filly and bolting down the forest trait towards camp. Garble rubbed his jaw, spitting out a bloody loose tooth as he glared at the Pegasus.
"Camp huh? Boys we found the all you can eat buffet! AFTER THEM!"
Rainbow’s mood sunk as she saw most of the group completely ignore her striking their leader, and bolt after the fleeing unicorn like a pack of ravenous dogs. Garble gave her a snickering, malign cackle before joining the chase.
-…Ah crap bags…-
Rainbow Dash quickly left in pursuit circling around at high speed to cut the drakes off. Not far behind, Anguirus emerged from his leafy shroud, having seen and heard everything in the confrontation. Sounds of snarling and a pony screaming echoed down from the path ahead. Once again, Anguirus was conflicted. Back home, he and his allies looked out for their own kind, aside from maybe Mothra or Caesar; they could care less about other smaller beings like the humans. In this place, wherever or whenever it was, it’s equines with talks of settlements were now sounding an awful lot like humans, or at least an equivalent. Old habits should die hard and he only needed to find some verbal ponies to get his bearings. If that camp was going to have a half dozen hungry dragons raiding it, it was more trouble than it was worth, he couldn't fight them in a state like this. He was made to protect Terra, not an alien world. If the locals could fight like that blue pegasus, then they would be fine and not of his concern. He would just keep moving and find another town to get what he was looking for…
Anguirus turned to walk back into the forest when the splash of water and the sensation of wetness on his hoof gave him pause. Looking down into the rippling waters, the ankylosaur like kaiju stared down… and saw an equine face staring back at him. The distant roar of Garble and the frantic calls from the cyan mare rang in his ears.
For the first time in years, the kaiju felt shame, and it strung at his heart. Shame turned to courage welled up inside him as his face hardened, turning his head back to the trail leading to the camp.
-No… THAT camp will be the place I get my answers-
Anguirus turned and rushed down the path, rapidly catching up to the fleeing chaos with the same bravado he felt the day prior when charging into the fray at Solgell.
-After I deal with a pest control problem…-
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Garble pounced out at the fleeing Aero, claws drawn and aimed for his back to rake away the terrified filly, who was frantically trying to climb away from the oncoming dragon, her mouth agape in a mute scream. Just as his talons would have raked across Gentle Leaf’s spine, to likely brutal effect; cyan fore hooves trailed by a streak of rainbow rammed into his gut. Dense muscle and hard scales softened the blow, but the power forced out a yip from the red dragon as he was thrown back a few yards.
Rainbow Dash landed between the stunned Garble and Aero as the counselor entered a now alerted and panicking campground. The Pegasus mare was not in top shape. Repeated high speed blows had left her legs bloodied slightly. Her body was riddled with bruises and cuts, her wings were missing a few feathers, and her whole body was coated in a thin layer of dust that stained her fur slightly. To say the aching mare was roughed up was a gross understatement. She’d been successful though, and despite half her body screaming for rest after frantically fending off a pack of drakes for a quarter of an hour, she didn’t intend on stopping.
Garble fell to a knee as his pack rushed past him and Rainbow Dash, both beings panting hard from the exertion. The tired eyes of Rainbow Dash might have missed it, but something was different about the teenage dragons. Their arms were getting longer, they were running as quadrupeds more and more; and their speech was growing more and more brutish as they pursued their prey. They were getting greedy. The frantic call of a camp pony ripped away Rainbow Dash’s attention, and in a painful effort the Pegasus beat her broad wings and took off to try and save another life. Garble only glared at the leaving pony. Punching a fist into the ground, fires pooled up inside the drake as his pupils became slitted. The aching pain of his bruises was fading rapidly as new pain from growing limbs ripped forth. His mind was beginning to numb, but the craving for what he desired grew only stronger. He came here to have equine flesh, and his greed and lust for it was reaching an apex. Before his body began to shift, the red drake managed to utter out two last words.
"G-arble WANT!"
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Anguirus rushed out of the tree line and made a bee-line towards the campgrounds that had become pandemonium. All around ponies were running for cover, dragons chasing their query amidst the scattered cabins and tents, screams echoing through the air; and several large structures were beginning to catch aflame. The formed kaiju looked at the sight briefly before shaking off the eerie sense of dejavu and rushing into the fray. He focused on the nearest drake, a tall, spindly, purple beast that was chasing several colts and fillies down a path of tents. Anguirus looked at the image of the dragon in his mind as he circled around. Something about it seemed different then when he saw it before.
-Last time that thing was only a bit larger than that mare, and why is it running on all fours now? Ah screw it, musta just not been looking close enough. Focus Anguirus!-
Brushing aside off thoughts, Anguirus turned the corner as he readied all his muscles and quills. It was time to see if this new form of his could be put to use.
Fume licked his fangs as he cornered his prey against a particularly large tent that spanned to either side of the lane they were in. The two young ponies huddled together, braced against the side of the tent. Quickly, the colt frantically tried to find a zipper or door to open the structure up as a bold pink filly glared at the ravenous drake, small sparks of magic erupting from her horn. Fume let out a bestial chuckle as red flames flickered in his throat. He always did like his meat well-done…
His dinner plans would need to wait however. A flurry of movement ripped forth from behind the tent, accompanied by a very deep whinny that sounded more like a growl than anything an equine could utter. A high speed object ripped forth from the structure. Sailing through the air as it barely missed the colt, it tucked its head and limbs up into its stomach as its mane and tail puffed out their spiky hair and quills; the airborne pony quickly and bafflingly shifting into rapidly spinning ball of quills. A wheel of spines that slammed right into Fume’s sternum. Force equals mass multiplied by acceleration, and what hit him was very large and moving very quickly.
Fume felt the wind and fires get knocked out of his chest and blown skyward as his spinning attacker’s spines scrapped and tore at his chest, even managing to painfully tear off a few scales and stab into bare skin. The drake yelped in pain before being sent flying back and through the window of an empty cabin. The younglings’ savoir ceased its spinning and dropped to the ground on all four hooves with a short skid. Anguirus glared at the cabin briefly before looking down at the dumbstruck colt and filly. He spoke with a snort as he nudged his muzzle to the exit of the chaotic campground.
"… Get going..."
With a rapid nod the fillies, still half dumbfound at what they just saw, rushed off to the exit that was fortunately not far away. The former kaiju grumbled as he almost casually turned back and walked further into the chaotic camp ground.
-Why can’t they just save their own Tanaka damn selves?-
Anguirus snorted, rushing back in to try and re-enter the fray. If he was going to get the answers he wanted he couldn’t have his sources getting eaten. In his haste however, the former dinosaur failed in one grievous regard. He didn’t notice a pair of wings beginning to push their way through the cabin roof.
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Rainbow Dash meanwhile was rapidly darting about as fast as her tired body could carry her, picking up endangered ponies and getting them to safety in a rapid moving, colorful blur. Depositing a wounded counselor into the arms of his coworkers and heading back into the now half destroyed camp, the cyan mare barely had enough time to catch movement out of the corner of her eye. Rapidly beating her wings backwards to change direction, Rainbow Dash narrowly dodged a house sized red tail slamming to the ground in front of her, shattering a cabin and forcing the mare to shield her eyes from a shower of splinters and rubble. Flapping her wings to clear away some of the dust on her face so she could see, the cyan mare soon almost wished she remained blinded.
Her vision was greeted to the sight of a crimson red dragon standing on the crushed remains of a nurse’s office, flames broiling in its maw and licking their way through its fangs. The pegasus instantly knew who it was and pure dread washed over the typically bold mare. Red wings spread with hurricane force as a fully grown Garble roared with pure rage, dropping down on all fours and crushing another cabin underfoot. All across the camp, more and more growing forms emerged, some ripping their way through tents and buildings as their body mass increased ten fold. Rainbow Dash beat her wings to rise up to a safer altitude and try and take in the sight below her. Before she could devote her full attention to the now rampaging drakes, a rapidly moving green form stole the weakened mare’s focus away.
Down below, Gentle Leaf was running around in circles amidst the burning chaos that was her beloved camp grounds just a short while earlier. Frantically whipping her bruised and muddied head back and forth to try and spy an exit through the tall tents and cabins, the filly barely had time to jump back to avoid a massive set of red talons. Letting loose a silent scream as she reeled back, she looked up as the crimson face of the adult Garble emerged from the smoke and flames. Gentle Leaf quickly got back to her feet and ran in the opposite direction, only for a second clawed paw to cut off her exit. Peering down like a cat that had trapped a mouse, Garble ran a forked tongue over his fangs. So far it seemed none of his gang had managed to catch a meal, having gotten too caught up in setting the campground ablaze. He was going to change that. Gentle Leaf quivered against the side of a destroyed cabin, streams of tears flowing down a terrified face. Garble lunged forward with is jaws bared…. Before a high speed streak of cyan and rainbow slammed right into his face hoof first.
Rainbow Dash held back a yelp of pain as she push through her flying drop kick as much as she could before she was sent flying past by her own momentum. Garble stumbling back as Rainbow Dash tumbled across a small stream, kicking up spurts of water as she rolled and fell until she met her halt just under the old stone bridge. Cold water running over her battered body, the mare weakly tried to get to her feet.
-Gotta…get… up! Still need to.. hold them ba-aa-AAAACK!-
With a jolt of pain in her wing and lower leg, Rainbow sat back and clutched the limb, panic over taking her face as memories flashed back to a flying accident about a year earlier. She was grounded.
-No no.. no no no no No! Not now!-
Holding back tears as she held her broken and dislocated leg, she barely noticed the deep rumble of foot steps shaking the water. Looking down into the reflective brook and upon the image of white fangs and yellow eyes, Rainbow Dash’s heart sunk.
Garble was back on his feet, now sporting a noticeable bruise over the left side of his face and missing quite a few fangs in that area. His bestial facial expression betrayed malevolent intent as flames licked out from between his remaining teeth. The drake could wait for his meal. This mare had caused him enough trouble as it stood and his battered face was a testament to a bruise pride. Such was a dangerous offense to a dragon. Now was not the time to eat…no, now was the time to kill. In spite of his animalistic nature, Garble hissed a single phrase in a voice that could freeze the air.
"Raaaaaaaainbow…Daaaashhhhh…"
The pitter patter of small hooves rushed up to Rainbow Dash as Gentle Leaf rushed through a brook she could barely wade across. Voiceless begging rushed out of her mouth as she tugged and pushed at the fallen mare, desperately trying to get her rescuer out of the oncoming dragon’s way. Rainbow Dash tried to push her away in spite of the filly’s efforts.
"N-no f-forget me! R-r-run!... Run!"
Gentle Leaf never listened as she tried to pull Rainbow’s forehoof over her shoulders in a vain attempt to support her. Garble increased the intensity of his flames as he took aim at the stone structure above them, cackling in perverted glee. Gentle Leaf spotted the growing light out of the corner of her eye as the realization of her inability struck home. The filly shed a tear as she let go of Rainbow’s leg, and in a spark of courage that would put all to shame; threw herself in front of the mare while slamming her eyes shut. Rainbow’s eyes shot over as she reached forward, not even noticing the slamming of large hooves on creek stones coming up behind her.
Then it all happened in the span of seconds.......
Rainbow grabbed a hold of Gentle Leaf, yanking her back and pulling her back to shield the filly with her own body as she shut her eyes.
Garble threw his jaws open and unleashed a carriage-sized fireball that impacted the stone bridge, shattering it.
A large stallion galloped behind the pair, lunging forward with his forehooves outstretched to try and tackle the duo out of harms way.
And a magnificent light shot out from the pegasus’ cutie mark, a second beam of rainbow colored light emanating from her chest, arching back and striking the stallion in the chest.
Several tons of falling bridge fell down in torrents as Garble cackled in malevolent glee. The tumbling rubble kicked up a mass of dust in its descent, obscuring all in the area for nearly forty square yards as the entire structure came down. Anypony under the structure short of an alicorn would have been easily crushed. Something however, was amiss. An aura settled upon the now adult drakes, causing them to cease their destructive joy and congregate around their still laughing leader. Something wasn’t right, and they could feel it… They couldn’t have been more correct.
A beam of white light shot out skyward from the dust cloud, splitting the darkened heavens above like sword. The burst was visible for miles, hundreds of evacuating ponies stopping to gawk at the spectacle. Garble finally stopped laughing…
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Mothra and Twilight’s horns crackled with power, forcing the duo’s heads to shoot up in unison as their eyes widened, their attention ripped away from the star chart they had been going over. Twilight’s voice quivered as she felt more and more energy passing by her.
"M-mothra... You feel that?"
"Indeed… Is this, normal for your world?"
"Not outside of something very important…"
Light filtered through the drapes on the balcony window. The changeling queen and young alicorn needed only give each other one wide eyed glance before they rushed upstairs as fast as possible.
Outside Ponyville was an anomaly. All action had halted as ponies stood and looked on in a mix of fear and confusion at the brilliant beam of white light that was ripping out from the forest behind the hills not far away, many unicorns’ horns crackling or surging from the waves of invisible magic being put out. Twilight watched in silence as the beam reflected in her large eyes.
-It’s been years since I felt so much power being put out. It’s similar to the elements or one of the princesses but… something’s off… What in the hay is going on over there?…-
Mothra’s expression however, warmed, a small smile creeping out of her cheeks.
"I know that aura."
Twilight looked over at her new friend, her face nonverbally begging for an answer.
"He always did want to play the hero…"
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Rainbow Dash finally took a breath and tried to force her eyes open. She half expected white clouds with singing breezies and a long red-haired alicorn to greet her. Instead she got a lungful of dust and burst into a small fit of coughing. It was after several moments of coughing did the realization dawn upon her.
-Wait a minute… Spirits don’t cough! That means I’m stil-
Her thought was cut short by the tugging cling of little forehooves around her chest. Shifting her eyes down as the booming of stonework harmlessly falling to the sides of them, the cyan mare was able to make out the gawking figure of Gentle Leaf, who was busy looking at something over her shoulder. The dust was cleared away almost fully now. The old stone bridge was gone… and something Equestria had never seen before had taken its place…
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