"Why? They didn't do anything bad!" Fluttershy said, against the idea of hunting innocent animals.
"Please, calm down" Dennis said to her "Hunting is the natural order of things"
"Look, I'm kinda with her in this" Applejack said.
"Yeah, me too" Twilight also agree with Fluttershy.
"Yeah, Dennis. Maybe this isn't..."
"Friends" Dennis interrompting Jason "Do not fear you instincs. Society may have taugh to how to fail and to be scare, not nature"
The four friends looked at each other, not sure of what to do, but they knew what was right, but it doesn't mean they all were confortable with the idea "You three do the...hunt" Fluttershy said, felling bad and walking back to the village "I'm going to do something usefull"
"Fluttershy, wait" Twiligth tried to stop her, but it didn't work.
"Don't worry, I talk to her" Dennis said, putting his hand on Twilight's shoulder "Now, Jason, select you hunting ground"
Jason stared at his map for a time, until found the perfect spot, by his eyes "Here" He pointed.
"Now, if you four wish to save your friends, you all must know the jungle" Dennis said, giving a list to Jason "Animal skin and leather will allow you to carry many weapons and equipments. Plants can be mixed to create potent medicines that can heal, enhance your sense and more" Twilight was someponie, or someone in this occasion, that loved to learn more, and certanly this would be the knowledge that she would most hate "Go" Dennis said, pointing to a street that lead somewhere "Return to me once you have mastered...the jungle"
"What does that mean?" Jason said confused "What are we suppose to do?"
"Listen..." Dennis made a pause and out his hand on Jason's chest "...to your instincts" Taking his hand off, he walk back to the village.
After sighing, Jason look at the paper Dennis gave to him. It was a list of what they needed to pick up. 2 green plants, 2 red plants, 1 blue plant and 2...boar skin Ah shit Looking at the two girls he say "Well, let's get this over with" He walk in direction of a vehicle parked nearby "Come on, let's use this car"
Twilight and Applejack looked at each other, before walking to the vehicle Jason's entered. Opening the back door, they sit and Jason start driving to where they would learn, all by themself, how to hunt.
Fluttershy was very bad, for not being able to hunt. She just couldn't bring herself to do it. Her whole life she was helped and take care of animals, she couldn't simply just...kill a poor animal.
In the moment, she was sitting on the ground and seeing the monkeys playing. They were trying to make her smile, after she speak of her problems to them. She felt good to see that this island had friendly animals, also, she wanted to know this "Hurk" they talked about. He seems a nice person, for being friend with almost every monkey in this island "Hello, Fluttershy" She heard Dennis voice coming from behind her, ane she see him a aprouching.
"Oh, hi" She greet him with a smile, and he sit by her side, also watching the monkeys play.
"Hehehe, they sure are friendly, hm?" Dennis ask her, who answered with a smile and a nod "I can see why you have dificulties for hunting animals like this. They sure have their beauty"
"Yeah" Fluttershy said "I'm sorry for not being able to do it, is that, I help a lot of animals and take care of so many of them that I..."
"Can bring youself to kill anyone of them?" Dennis completed her sentence, and she nod "Hmm, why don't you me a little about you and the animals? Maybe there is a way to help you, with this dificulty"
After thinking a bit, she decides to tell "Well, it all starts back in my home, Ponyville"
"Ponyville?" Dennis said and giggle at this name "Well, this will be a interesting tale"
After a quick drive, and quick stop by a abandoned house to spoiled some crates, by Jason's recommendation, they arrived at, by what looks to bem, a little farm, with various types of plants around and some boar walking around "Ok, everyone pick each thing for the list for themselfs. I think is better this way" Jason said to the girls "!'m going for the pigs" He said, preparing his pistol "Better get the worse out of the way" He ran after the animals.
"Well, I think is better that we start with the plants, don't you think?" Twilight ask her friend.
"Yeah, I think so" Applejack said, and pick up her machete "Let's go then" She then go after the necessary plants. Twilight pulls out her machete as well, and go after the plants.
She first go to a green plant that she saw, and cut it with with her machete. She saw Applejack going for a red plant and Jason running after a javali and shooting at him, and killing it. He aprouched it and crouched by his side, machete ready to...she looked away before he do what he was about to do, and saw another green plant. With all the green plants, she go after a red plant she saw. Cutting it, she just needed 1 more red and 1 blue "How you doing, Twi?" Applejack ask her friend, passing by her with green plant in hand.
"Good, just need one more of this and a blue one" Twilight said "And then...the skin"
"Yeah" Applejack said, not a bit happy by the idea of skinning a animal too "At least, Jason is doing well" She said, looking Jason about to skin his last boar, and looked back at Twilight quickly "By Celestia, I have a felling this island going to make us nuts" Twilight simply nod at this "Well, I'm going after the blue one and...then the boar. See ya" Applejack then go look after a blue plant. Alone were she was, she start thinking about having to skin a animal. Since she saw Jason doing it, maybe she can ask him for picking some skin for her No, I need to do this by myself She think to herself. She knew that, if she wanted to learn how to survive in this island, until she find a way to go back home with her friends.
"Interesting" Dennis said, after listening of the relation that Fluttershy have with animals "Now I can clearly see why you can't do it"
"It just..." Fluttershy tried to think in what to say "I want to help my friends, I really want, but...how can I kill and take the skin of a animal, when my life was all about taking care of animals!"
"Yes, I see" Dennis said, thinking in everything she said. "But, you don't need to be afraid or sad by killing them, my friend. This is their purpose" Fluttershy looked st him confused "We, Rakyats, hunt since the old days, but not for fun, but because the animal skin to build equipment that help us survive and give us a advantage on our battles and their meat is to feed our people" Fluttershy stayed in silence "They born to die by our hand and help us fight, so, my friend, you don't need to feel bad by killing them"
Fluttershy think of what he said. If this is true, then they must know about this, right? "But, they are happy for this happening to them?" She ask him" and he stayed in silence by a short time.
"No one would be happy by knowing that they purpose is to die. Some of them will run, and others fight" Dennis than put his hsnd on her shoulder "But the necessary must be done" He then take his hand away. Fluttershy started thinking for a little while "But, to make you feel better" Dennis said and looked at her "Some warrior, before skinning the animal skin, they forgive for what they had done to him and thank him for his skin and meat and prayed for his soul, to be sure that he can rest in peace"
"Really?" Fluttershy ask.
"Yes, I do it myself" Dennis said "So, do you want my help to hunt?"
"Well, I..." Fluttershy was nervous for this suddedly question, and didn't have sure what to answer.
"Ok, Twilight, you can do this" Applejack said to her friend, who was crouched by the side of a dead boar and with her machete in hand, just starring at the dead animal. Since Applejsdk already gor everything, she decided to help her friend "Just, breath, close you eyes and...do it"
Breathing slowly, Twilight raise her machete ans closed her eyes. Bringing the machete down, she start skinning the dead animal, fighting the urge of barfing. Finishing, she put the animal skin on her bag, and get up and open her eyee, not wating to see what left of the animal "Celestia, that was horrible" She said, breathing slowly.
"You did well, Twi. Congrats" Applejack said with a smile, with her hand over Twilight's shoulder.
"Thanks" Twilight answer with a smile "Hey, how do you think Jason is going?"
"FUCK!!" Jason's scream get the girls attetion.
"Trouble!" Applejack said, and both girls run to his aid. The scream came from the river, and by getting there, they see on the botton a alligator that was spinning with...Jason, who was desperatly stabbing him "We need to do something!" Applejack said to Twilight.
"But what?" Twilight ask, and then remember their gun "Oh" Picking it up, they aim at the predator, doing their best to not shot on Jason "Okay, prepare to..." She stopped when she see the animals stop spinning and Jason turn it over and did a final stab on it's neck, before kicking it away. Jason swim to the top, and started to breath heavily, and the girls help "Jason, are you alright?"
"Yeah, yeah, I just..." Jason said getting up, and put his arm on his left arm "Fuck, my arm" Looking at his arm, they see the alligator teeth mark, that sure did damage "Thank god I killed him before you girls go pick the blue flowers, right?" He said, trying to light up the mood.
"Well, have more carefull next time, Sugarcube" Applejack said "Twilight go pick up your blue flowers, I'm going to help Jason here"
"No, no, it's okay" Jason said "I can take care of this myself, don't worry"
"Are you sure?" Applejack ask, and he give a nod "Well, okay then" With this said, Twilight and Applejack jumped on the water, looking for the blue plants. When they found and pick them up, they swim back up and found Jason, with his arm in bandages. So, it was time to return to Dennis, with Jason only commenting.
"Is in this times that I wished Fast Travels existed"
After a trip back, with the necessary itens and some lot they found, they get to the village entering, were Dennis, who know had a gun in his back, was talking with Fluttershy "Do you think she still bad?" Twilight ask the others.
"Don't know, Twi" Applejack answer.
"Well, I have a felling she does, but not for the original reason" Jason said, making the girls confused.
"Why do you say that?" Applejack ask, and Jason point to what Fluttershy was carrying, that appeared to be "What the what?" It was skin.
Running to them, Dennis was the first to greet them "Hello, my friends. Did everything had gone well?"
"Yeah, we got the plants and the animal" Jason answer
"Good" Dennis said with smile "Then bend nature to your will. I will teach you four"
"Wait, before that" Twilight interrupted Dennis "Fluttershy, were did you get this skin?" She was very confused.
"Oh, this?" Fluttershy said, looking at the skin "Well, Dennis helped me to hunt them"
"What?" Twilight and Applejack said together, in surprise.
"Your friend have a natural talent to hunt" Dennis said putting a hand on her shoulder "She just needed help discovering and to not being afraid of this talent, anymore"
"After what Dennis told me, he took me to a close boar area, and helped me hunt them" Fluttershy explain "It was hard doing it to the first, but the second was a bit more easy. Also, the plants wasn't much of a trouble to find"
"Wow" Jason said, felling proud for, like Twilight and Applejack who smile at her.
"We were waiting for your three return to procced. So shall we?" Dennis ask them and they agreed. With this, Dennis started teaching how to mix the green plants into serynges, that could heal them when necessary. Fluttershy did much better in this, since she was acostument into using plants into medicines, thanks to something she learned for Zecoria. Next, he teach them how to use the boar skin to upgrade their bag, making it possible to carry more things. They had no problem on this, but they had a fellling that Rarity could help them a lot in this moment.
With this done, it was time for the last lesson "One last thing. The tatau on your arm, it is a sign that you all are special, that you four have the soul of a warrior" Dennis said, and the four give a quick look on their tattos "You four progressed along the path. Let me show how to add to them" The four now completely look at them "With each tatau, a skill is mastered. You can choose to learn skills in three diferent areas" Twilight was getting more intrigated in this Tataus "Now, I will teach you four the takedown"
"Takedown?" Twilight repeated what he said, as a question, and Dennis explain to them. He explain it was a art of taking your enemies down in silence, not giving them a chance of reacting, also adding that exist many forms of doing a takedown. Twilight now understood well what it is, and so she felt a small burn, that more incomodated than hurt, in her left arm. Looking at she she saw something interesting. A symbol was shinning in her arm, and quickly dessapeared, leaving another tatau on her arm, a shark. It wasn't just to her that this happened "What the..."
"Holy shit" Jason said in surprise.
"As you become stronger, with each new skill you learn, the tatau will grown" Dennis explained to them. He then procceded to teach some new things to them. He teach them how to slide on the floor, making possible to dodge shots, or even escape place quickly, and also teach a little strategy about grenades, that before telling them he had to explain what was a grenade to the girls first. He said that, a good way to a grenade explode right were you wanted, is to "cook" them, by oulling the pin and holding it for a fell seconds before throwing. As they learn this skills, more tataus appeared in their arms.
"What kind of magic is this?" Twilight ask
"Hehe, this, my friend, is simply..."
*Trim-ri-ri-rim Trim-ri-ri-rim* Before Dennis could explain, a noice came from Jason, thsr took a cellphone from his pocket. Pressing a buttton he wondered who it was "Hey, Felipe. We driving to the outpost near Amanaki. We have three girls with usa. One of thr Americans, and two from that weird girls with colorer hair. Come have some fun"
"What the hell?" Jason said.
"Nooooooo!"
"Let us go, you meane!"
"You brute!!"
"Liza!" Jason said, recognizing one of the voices.
"And Pinkie Pie and Rarity!" Twilight said, worry.
"Oh shit!" The pirate hang up, noticing the mistake he did.
Looking at Dennis, Jason and Twilight said in union, in determination "We have to get them back!"