//------------------------------// // Chapter 4: Survival of the Fittest // Story: Rumble in the Jungle // by Minds Eye //------------------------------// You're making a mistake. You'll regret not going to the party. Thunderlane's words ate at Rumble's mind. He was pressed against the rough bark of a rare moss-free tree. His breath was shallow and quiet; his head tilted to side to let his eyes glimpse the thing moving on the other side of the tree trunk. It was tall, taller than any pony he had ever seen, but that wasn't what surprised him the most. It was a bucking plant. There was no other word for what he was seeing. The thing had a long, slender body topped with an oval shaped... head. There were no eyes, no ears, no mouth, no arms, and with the exception of one pink spot dead center where a face should be, it was completely dark green. Numerous roots snaked along the ground, digging in and pulling the body forward in short but fast bursts. Rumble's thrill of discovery vanished with the shrieking spider. He didn't care what this thing was, where it was going, or why it was going there. Rumble just wanted it out of his way so he could keep moving. His pride hurt more when he stood still. He licked his wounds as best he could while waiting for the plant to pass him by. The spider was bigger, stronger, and faster than he was. It also had the advantage of its distracting and disorienting scream. And it had experience on its side! Who knew how many creatures it battled in the past? Against all odds, Rumble landed some good smacks and got out alive. He fought well. But the spider let him go... Good thing, too! The whole fight was silly, really. The spider started the fight in the first place! Rumble hit the tree, not the spider. If it just kept quiet Rumble would have passed on and nothing would have happened. Although it gave him two clear warnings that something was wrong... It shouldn't have screamed the first time! Rumble was just trying to get through the forest. He wouldn't have thought twice about one single tree. He still invaded the spider's home... Rumble snarled in disgust at himself. How was he the good guy in this? He stepped out from behind his hiding spot and crossed the small trail the plant-beast-thing made, resolving again to follow this quest he set for himself. He couldn't go back to Ponyville like this. Thunderlane was never going to hear the whole truth of the spider fight, but Rumble's pride still wouldn't- Whip cracks snapped Rumble's reverie. He turned in shock to see roots wrapped around his hiding place. The tree bent under their pressure as they pulled in the body of the moving plant. The head on the body blossomed into five pink petals, each one covered in long, thin...things. Needles? Rumble couldn't make them out. He didn't want too, either. The thing moved methodically around the tree. It obviously couldn't see him; Rumble was standing right in the open. It must have heard him. Even from that far away, it must have heard him. Rumble slowly moved one of his rear hooves back, and then turned to reach out its matching front hoof. He pulled himself sideways, never taking his eyes off the creature. Rumble repeated the process, softly sidestepping his way deeper into the trees. The roots of the creature began to play across the ground. Suddenly, they dug in and pulled the body in his direction. The roots dragged on the ground again, digging in and pulling closer to Rumble once more. This time, he recognized the spot. The creature was feeling his footprints. Rumble allowed himself one moment of panic. The creature pulled closer again. If it was following his footprints, he just wouldn’t leave any. Rumble spread his wings and, with one strong push, propelled himself to hover in the air. He put himself high enough to clear the pink flower head, carefully avoiding contact with any branches or leaves. The thing froze in place. One of the five petals snapped forward, sending a hail of needles to strike where he just stood. Rumble faltered in surprise before quickly flapping his wings to right himself. He heard the wind his wings created rustle the leaves on his side. A volley of needles immediately flew by his head and buried deep into the branches behind him. A third petal snapped forward. Rumble ducked and dropped to the ground, letting the shot sail over his head. Buck this! Rumble turned and tore through the brush. He could hear the thing's crushing body moving behind him. He watched it move earlier. There was no way it could outrun him. The needles were another story. Rumble ran zigzag, veering right, then left, and right again, always trying to keep a tree between him and his pursuer. The whistling sound passed by him again. The forest suddenly opened ahead of Rumble. He dashed through the newfound clearing. The gaping mouth of a cave waited for him on the far side, but that wasn't his goal. Caves were bad news, especially without a light source. What mattered was that the cave was burrowed into the face of a small hill. This thing was following his noise and his footsteps, so if Rumble could get up there, he could lose it. Rumble spread his wings and prepared to take flight. A stabbing pain just above his right hoof brought him down. Rumble fell on his face and skidded to a stop. He looked back, but he still saw the mouth of the cave in front of him. How was that...? His head spun. The world started to fade away. In one brief moment of clarity, his vision focused on a thin needle sticking in his right hind leg. One slow swipe, all the force he could muster, knocked it loose. The crashing sounds from the forest behind him grew closer and closer. Rumble crawled, trying to stand. His stung leg refused every command he gave it. He finally managed to pull himself up and limped towards the black hole in the fog of the world on three legs. Rumble crossed the threshold of darkness and felt stone beneath his hooves. Stone was good. He wouldn't leave footprints. Rumble walked about ten feet in before huddling behind an outcropping of rock. His mind slowly cleared as he watched the plant creature pull its way towards the cave. It would follow him that far, obviously. His tracks were like a beacon to the thing. But what would happen when it reached the cave? He would have to avoid it somehow if it followed him in. Rumble held back a chuckle at that thought. The numbing effect of the needle was doing him a favor. He would usually be panting like a dog after a sprint like that, but his breathing was now calm, slow, and, most importantly, quiet. The thing stopped on the edge of the cave. Roots tentatively stretched atop the rock floor. Rumble watched it turn a circle, feeling the trail Rumble left behind it. The root spread wide back in the clearing. The thing was double checking itself! Creepy as that thought was, Rumble took it as a good sign. It was confirming that yes, the prey did run into the cave. If it was smart enough to do that, it might suspect the dangers that could be waiting for it. Maybe it thought Rumble was one of those dangers? More dangerous than I really am. The plant creature pulled itself backwards. Its five pink petals closed into the green bud he saw earlier. The slowly clearing haze of Rumbles vision eventually swallowed the creature as it retreated. Though it was gone, it certainly left an impression on him. Rumble turned and leaned his back against the rock. He used his hooves to try and rub the feeling back into his hind leg, wiping away a drop of blood where the needle hit him. A spark of sensation finally began to spread from the spot. Rumble writhed in place as the pins-and-needles feeling slowly filled his entire leg. He kept his ears perked up the entire time. Even with the thing gone, he was nowhere near safe. His eyes couldn't pierce the black in front of him, though if that was from the lack of light or a continuing side effect of the plant's sting, he didn't know. It didn't matter. He was dazed, half-blind, and hobbled. If there was something in the cave with him, he wouldn't stand a chance. Rumble stood up as quietly as he could. His stung leg supported his weight OK; the discomfort was slowly dying down. Rumble stepped back out into the clearing. The world became sharper as he moved. He must have been burning through whatever the creature did to him. He heard of poison plants before, but needles being launched like a slingshot was new to him. So now he could add running and hiding from an overgrown weed to his list of epic accomplishments on the day. That would go nicely with his tail kicking from a horrifying beast of a bug that was leaving him alone until he totally provoked it on his own. If he set his mind to it, and tried really hard, he might be lucky enough to trip over a stump. Wouldn't that just be perfect? He turned to his left. The hill sloped up with rocks sticking out of its face here and there. Could he fly yet? It was probably better to climb the hard way to give himself more time to deal with the poison sting. Rumble put one hoof in front of the other and pulled himself up foot by foot. Maybe he could add conquering the hill to his list? Rumble approached one of the rocks and jumped on it. He grabbed the top with his front hooves and tried to pull himself up. As soon as his rear hooves set themselves, the rock dislodged and rolled downhill. Rumble face planted and rolled after it. He hit the rock at the bottom, lying on his side and looking up the hill again. "COME ON!" Rumble jumped to his feet and glared at the rock. "Seriously?! You're, like, twice my size! I can't...even...climb a hill?!" He planted his front hooves and twisted his body, bucking the rock with his hind legs. A jolt of pain shot up his right leg. Rumble cried out and fell to his knees. Tears came to his eyes, as much from frustration as the pain. He panted through clenched teeth, trying to compose himself after his outburst. His breathing stopped when he heard a noise behind him. Rumble looked back and saw the rock roll along the ground on its own. With the sound of grinding stones, a short stubby limb extended from the mass. Four thick claws dug into the ground. The rock rolled along its anchor point, stretching out three more limbs, each one covered in a stone shell with light brown scales underneath. The legs pushed the remainder of the rock into the air. A long head swung up, the pointed snout scraping the ground. Two small black eyes set on either side of the head stared into his. A long tail rose over the body. Rumble's eyes focused on the blunt chunk of rock on the end of it. The massive weight swung down, throwing soil high into the air and shaking the earth under him. The good news was that, finally, this was a creature Rumble actually recognized. The armored dillo was a plant-eating species that occasionally nested near Ponyville. One time, Fluttershy invited Miss Cheerilee and the class on a field trip when she found a nest of newborns on the edge of the forest. The juveniles would slowly graze their way deeper into the forest as they grew in their first days of life. The bad news was that this was definitely not a juvenile. As it grew, a dillo would become territorial and quite single-minded on whatever task it may have. Adults were dangerous, but Fluttershy taught the class three things to do to escape a confrontation. You had to avoid eye contact, stay out of their way, and never touch them. That knowledge was absolutely no comfort to Rumble now. He took off for the trees ahead of him like a shot. Rumble both felt and heard the clubbed tail hit the earth behind him. His wings spread out, lifting him out of harm's way. Rumble landed on a nearby branch and turned back to watch the armored dillo. There was nothing else he could do. His sword couldn't even beat a spider. What was it going to do against rock? The beast's claws pulled against the ground, sending even more loose soil flying. The body instantly collapsed into itself again. The newly reformed mass rocketed towards the tree trunk. Rumble watched, stunned, as it smashed into his perch like a bowling ball. The tree shook violently under the assault. Birds shrieked overhead. Rumble lost his balance and fell, barely able to hook a foreleg around his branch to stop his fall. Rumble dangled, still shocked from the impact. The dillo had one more surprise in store for him. It jumped. The rock shell on the creature's back spun in front of his eyes. The massive tail swung side-to-side, trying to crush him against the trunk. Rumble let go of the branch and fell to the ground. The tail pulverized the bark, showering him in wood chips and bending the tree with the impact. Rumble forced himself to run. His leg still bothered him, but he had no choice. He needed distance to fly again. The dillo didn't give him the opportunity. Rumble felt the shaking ground under him as the beast's tremors grew closer. He threw himself to the side in a roll. Rushing wind flew by him as the tail swung around, passing inches from his face. The dillo's momentum carried it too far for the blow to connect. A clawed limb stretched out to catch a tree trunk. The dillo cut deep furrows in the bark as it made the turn, slinging back his way. Rumble sprinted back for the clearing. He risked a look over his shoulder as he ran. The rolling mass was gaining on him again. With that jump and that tail, he'd get swatted out of the air like a fly if he tried to take off. He needed some separation. The hill should give it to him. At least, he hoped so. Could a rock roll uphill? Rumble hit the clearing and darted for the hill. The ground exploded behind him. The shockwave from the heavy tail tripped him up. Rumble braced himself with his front hooves and dove out of the rampaging rock's way. The beast spun as it passed him, unfolding to its full size again. He couldn't beat it. Rumble only had one advantage. The dillo's tail swung down. His wings spread and pushed him up. Rumble twisted his body, just dodging the attack. The beast jumped after him, raking the air with his front limbs. The claws passed overhead, forcing Rumble to stay low as he shot forwards. The dillo followed him with the agility of a cat. Rumble danced back and forth as claws and the club tail flailed around him, keeping him lower than he wanted. He led the chase for the base of the hill. A few seconds. He just needed a few measly seconds to climb high enough and avoid this thing. The tenacious beast wasn't going to give it to him. The thing was tireless. How could it have this much energy carrying that shell? Claws brushed against his tail hairs. Rumble gambled everything on the uphill climb slowing down the armored dillo. He abandoned his evasions and set his eyes on the crest overhead. Every drop of strength poured into his wings. Rumble ignored the heavy impacts behind him. The fact that he was still breathing told him his plan was working. The crest passed underneath him. Rumble was stunned to fly out into thin air. Disoriented for a moment, he found himself suspended above a valley between two sheer rock faces. The trees below- WHAM! A massive weight slammed into Rumble from behind. Two clawed forelegs wrapped around his chest and pulled him down. His scream of terror joined the high squeals coming from the armored dillo falling with him. It jumped after him?! The dillo's forelimbs loosened as the wind rushed by both of them. Rumble turned and latched onto the rock monster. The beast was out of its element, thrashing wildly as Rumble tried desperately to flap a wing. The trees weren't far down. All too slowly, he turned the beast so its rock back hit first. The pair crashed through the foliage. The trees seemed to roar in anger as they passed through every leaf, limb, and branch. Rumble held tight, enduring the beast's chest pulverizing his muzzle from the jolts of collision. Soon, Rumble knew he couldn't afford to wait any longer. He let go of his ride and frantically flapped his wings. His body fell...and fell...and fell slower until he hit equilibrium. Rumble immediately threw himself on top of an undamaged branch to his side. He collapsed. Legs, wings, tail, tongue, it all draped over the side as he tried to catch his breath. Rumble was only mildly surprised to see that the armored dillo was unfazed from its fall, although it looked like its back was stuck in the ground. After grunting and groaning and rolling back and forth, the rock shell came loose. The beast got back on its four feet and plodded along the forest floor. It didn't even look for him. It chased him over a bucking cliff, but it didn't even look for him now. Rumble agreed with the thing. Enough was enough. The forest was silent around him. Rumble wasn't surprised after all that racket. He was just grateful for a chance to rest. And then he heard the grunt next to him. Rumble let the slightest whine escape his lips. Now what? He was too exhausted to even look up; he turned his head on the branch to look ahead of him at an angle. His eyes fell on a grey ball of fluff perched a foot away from his face. The absurdity of the sight forced him to lift his head and look properly. It was a pigeon, staring him down with red eyes. The feathers were puffed out like a blowfish, but Rumble could make out the feet and beak now. The bird hopped in place, grunting again. Was this really happening? A bird was trying to chase him away now? He couldn't believe this place anymore. A giant spider was one thing. Even though the one he fought let him go, they were carnivorous by nature. The moving plant freaked him out because it could track him without sight, and it had its poison shot. The armored dillo was all kinds of tough on top of its strength, speed, and agility. He was not going to back down from a bird. "Get lost," he hissed, stretching out a hoof to shove the pigeon away. It bounced back to its place. The bird swelled to an even greater size now. The little thing started trembling, trying to hold its shape, all in the effort to trick him. It was trying so hard to look bigger than it really was. Rumble was out of patience. He swiped his left front hoof and knocked the pigeon off the branch. The bird rapidly beat its wings in the air, cooing loudly. Rumble just shook his head at the sight. What did it think was going to happen? An all too familiar whistling passed by. The birds cries stopped instantly. Its body hung in the air, completely still. Rumble barely had time to notice the three needles sticking out of it wing, breast, and leg before it fell to the ground. Rumble watched, frozen in horror, as a set of roots pulled a tall green body from behind his tree. The roots felt along the ground until they found the body of the bird. The pigeon was wrapped up and lifted into the air. Five red petals closed around it, and the roots pulled out. The tranquility of the forest was shattered with a single, loud CRUNCH. The creature retreated back the way it came. Rumble couldn't take his eyes off where the bird just was. It was, but now wasn't. Just like that. His legs and wings wrapped tight around his branch. Leaves fell across his vision as his body's shakes knocked them loose.