//------------------------------// // Chapter 3: Confrontation // Story: My Little World: Friendship is Indomitable // by Revan //------------------------------// Translated from the brainwaves of Terror. I move with silent rapidity, heading towards the sound of the roar. I am upwind of whatever produced it, so I do not bother attempting to smell it. I am ready for combat - but I will attempt to observe it without being observed first. Knowing what it is will help me know how to defeat it. The Ursa Minor, disturbed from his afternoon drink at his favorite stream, sniffed the air, attempting to locate whatever had challenged his authority as top predator in the forest. He detected a strange scent, one that he did not recognize. It smelled faintly like a bird, mixed with a hint of dragon. He scanned the surrounding forest, looking for anything out of the ordinary. But the Indominus would not be found so easily... I lurk in the shadows, studying the strange beast before me. It is on four legs, yet has the teeth of a predator. It is about the same height that I am, but is somewhat shorter and more bulky. The skin appears strangely translucent. It also has strange, bright-white marks on its head and body. It scans the forest, but fails to see me, as I have gone camo. It sniffs the air, then lets out another loud, growling roar. At this point, I emerge from the shadows, and respond with my own bellowing roar. The beast looks at me, seemingly puzzled by my appearance. I take the advantage granted to me, charging in for a deadly bite to the throat. The beast turns and snaps its jaws shut right in front of my face, causing me to stop abruptly. It lowers its head and charges, and I barely dodge out of the way. I turn and bite at its left hindleg, drawing blood. But the flesh is not torn off like it should be, as the skin and flesh is tougher than I anticipated. The beast turns rapidly, forcing me to back up a few steps. It then rears up on its hind legs, unleashing another bellowing challenge. I answer the challenge once again, and start circling it, looking for a weakness. It drops down, and also circles, the two of us now circling around a common point. I am puzzled, for I have never encountered a predator that fights this way. Frustrated, I vent by unleashing another warcry from my mouth, and it responds. Then I hear something, something that makes me feel something unfamiliar, full of energy yet ready to flee. It is the call of the beast - but a dozen times louder. I turn and see a massive form reared up against the sky. It looks like the beast but is a translucent purple instead of blue, has much longer teeth, and is larger. Much larger. It appears that the beast has a mother. The mother beast gets back down on all fours and charges. I turn and run away, hearing the smashing of tree trunks as the mother charges, pulverizing them beneath her feet. I suddenly turn, accelerating to my top speed. I hear the mother rush past, and I run, deeper into the forest I hear the mother slow to a halt, and it unleashes a cry that follows me into the depths of the forest. I appear to have made a potentially fatal error. Fortunately, I am not dead. I must reevaluate this place, and determine how I am going to deal with the beast and its mother. Soarin had been reactivated from his reserve agent status by order of the princesses, and was flying over the treetops of the Everfree forest in response to a call from an agent he only knew by the codename "Sweetie Drops". If this thing - whatever it is - is really challenging the Ursa Minor, then it must either be big and nasty, crazy, or both, he thought to himself. He was getting quite frustrated because he could hear the bellows of the unknown and the Ursa Minor, but he couldn't find them among the thick trees. But his frustration suddenly disappeared as he saw a terrifying sight. The ground shook, and the Ursa Major emerged from under the dirt of the forest. Trees snapped, and the Ursa unleashed a bellow of deafening proportions, rearing up on its hind legs. Sweet Celestia, Soarin thought to himself, shaken to his core by the sight. The Ursa Major came back down on its front limbs, then charged towards his position. Soarin turned around and flew madly, streaking out towards the Wonderbolt's headquarters. He went faster than he had ever flown in his life. As he fled, he heard another reverberating cry from the Ursa Major. As he flew, he thought to himself, The princesses are definitely going to want to hear about this.