The Rainbow and The Tiger

by PantheraMan

Chapter 6: The First Encounter

Rainbow Dash slowly opened her eyes. “-W-Wha?....Where am I?” she thought.

She looked outside, seeing the sunlight gleaming off of the foliage, and a monitor lizard walking by and disappearing into the forest. She glanced up to see a rock roof and two rock walls.

“A cave? I remember being near the water before things went black. How’d I get here?” she thought

Rainbow tried getting up, but a pain in her leg stopped her. Looking down, she saw teeth marks on her calf. Before she could further inspect it, a thundering roar swept through the jungle. Rainbow’s skin tingled and her heart raced. “I know that roar!” she thought before looking towards the cave’s exit.

She could hear the sound of footsteps coming her way. “Thanks a bunch Baagh Raaja! I-” she said before a large male tiger with a thick build and the size of Baagh Raaja entered the cave carrying a rusa deer.

He approached Rainbow before dropping the deer. “Who’s Baagh Raaja?” he asked as he laid down and began eating the rump.

Rainbow stared. “Oh...uuhh...he’s someone I know. I heard you roar and I thought you were him,.” she replied, scratching her head.

The tiger lifted his head. “Well, sorry to disappoint you. I roared at a leopard who was gonna come in here.”

Rainbow crawled to him. “Thanks for saving me, but...why did you save me? I mean...isn’t it your job to attack people?” she asked with a raised brow.

“Yes but there’s no way you’re an actual threat, so letting you die would’ve been pointless. Speaking of which, why are you doing here anyway?” he asked.

Rainbow sat up straight, glancing to the side. “It’s...a long story. But it involves a gang of Danger Beasts going for the Mookarina Stone.”

The tiger’s eyes got big. “WHAT!!?” he yelled as he shot up from the ground.

The tiger turned towards the exit. “You stay here, I’m getting my friends to help out.”

Rainbow raised her arm towards him. “Wait! I can help you,” she said.

The tiger raised an eyebrow. “How? Your leg is wounded so you can’t walk normal,” he replied

Rainbow lowered her head. “No.” She grabbed onto her geode. “But I can fly,” she said before her pony ears and wings appeared on her in a flash of light.

The tiger’s jaw dropped. “H-HOW!!?”

Rainbow began to get up. “That’s...also a long story,.” she responded while using the cave wall to get on her feet.

The tiger turned back to her. “Tell you what, you fly up and find your friends while I round mine up and we meet back here,” he said.

Rainbow made it to her feet. “Sounds like a plan...uuhh what’s your name?” she asked.

“Name’s Konda,” the tiger said while turning back around.

Rainbow put her hand to her chest. “Rainbow Dash.”

“Now go!” the tiger said before sprinting into the jungle.

Rainbow Dash limped out of the cave. Her wings lifted her from the ground and she dashed into the sky. She passed through the canopy and when she looked down she saw a clearing with tall grasses occupied by a herd of water buffalo. Rainbow passed over the clearing, scanning for any signs of her friends, but mostly all she saw was the treetops and the river.

---

A herd of banteng cattle strolled through the forest, grazing on the forest floor. The females, light brown in color, kept watch while the dark brown bull bellowed his warning to other bulls. The cries of a sambar made the banteng lift their heads up and dash into the jungle. Flashes of orange and brownish gold sped through the forest, causing a muntjac to flee, langurs to sound their alarms, and a tapir to flee into the water.

Baagh Raaja and Talamba ran into a clearing where the mere sight of them made a herd of gaur flee. Baagh Raaja breathed deeply “RAINBOW!!” he yelled

Talamba panted, trotted over to one of the clearing’s edges. “RAINBOW DASH!!” he yelled before he and Baagh Raaja ran to the other side of the clearing, reentering the jungle. They ran past a herd of Stegodon elephants that looked in their direction and darted through a creek. Baagh Raaja looked from both sides while Talamba looked above him.

“WHERE ARE YOU RAINBOW!?” Talamba yelled before he tripped, causing him to fall over and roll in a wheel and slide on his face. Baagh Raaja stopped and turned as Talamba got up, his face covered in dirt, and checked his paw for any damage.

Talamba put his paw down. “Why did this have to happen? Why couldn’t this have been avoided?” he asked.

Baagh Raaja turned back around. “I don’t know! It seems this kind of thing always happens to me!” he replied.

Talamba raised a brow. “What are you talking about?”

Baagh Raaja froze for a moment, then shook his head. “...That’s none of your business.”

Talamba approached Baagh Raaja. “Well, if you say so.”

A scream flew through the air, Talamba and Baagh Raaja pricking their ears and lifting their heads.

“Rainbow!!” they both said in unison.

They bolted through the jungle, not slowing down, looking forward and not breaking their glances. Not even a king cobra they passed made them stop, rather the snake slithered out of their path. The big cats ran over tall plants and trampled ferns and they both leaped over a fallen log.

Rainbow’s cries echoed through the forest. “HEEEELLLPP!! HEEEEEEELLLLLLPPP!!!” Tthe noises kept ringing into their ears as if it were deafening them.

They got much closer to her screams and stopped dead in their tracks. The sight before them made them gasp and widen their eyes. Rainbow Dash was on the ground, caught in a net, trying to get the net off of her, but it was hooked in the ground. There, next to her, stood a band of the Danger Beasts. One in human form, holding a net gun in his arms and walking up to Rainbow, was Bladed Claw. Upon the sight of him, Baagh Raaja felt as if a spark was lit inside him. His paws clenched, his breathing turning to hisses, and his ears folded back as he kept his glare on Bladed Claw.

Rainbow Dash continued struggling to escape the net, but before she could make any further attempt, Bladed Claw slammed his paw on her back, pinning her on her stomach. She looked up at him and saw his narrowed pupils and his bared fangs. “Well little lady...I hope you enjoyed your life,” he snarled.

The spark inside Baagh Raaja became a fire as he burst out from the foliage and slammed into Bladed Claw, sending them both in a rolling ball of fur. Talamba charged out from cover and began ripping into the net. Baagh Raaja pinned Bladed Claw on his back before Bladed Claw threw him off.

Bladed Claw got up and stared at his attacker. “B-Baagh Raaja!” he stuttered.

Baagh Raaja bared his teeth and unsheathed his claws. “You…” he hissed.

Baagh Raaja approached Bladed Claw while Bladed Claw lowered himself to the ground, folding his ears back and moving backwards. Baagh Raaja stared at him intently into his eyes and growled. Bladed Claw looked around and saw only Talamba ripping the net, setting Rainbow Dash free, the rest of his band was also looking around, moving rapidly but staying close to each other.

Bladed Claw chuckled, and lifted himself up. “Is he all you brought with you?” he asked with a smirk.

A roar once again blasted through the canopy. Looking behind him, Bladed Claw lost his smirk when he saw a large group of tigers charging at his band and then engaging with them. Baagh Raaja was now the one with the smirk.

Bladed Claw’s eyes widened. “WHAT!? Where did they come from!!?”

Rainbow Dash looked at Bladed Claw. “Let’s just say I made a new friend,” she replied.

Talamba smiled “Sweet!”

Baagh Raaja lunged at Bladed Claw and nearly got in the back of his neck, but the Danger Beast’s mane got in the way and Bladed Claw managed to claw his shoulder, making him roar in pain. The pair reared up on their hind legs and swatted like heavyweight boxers, clawing into each other’s skin.

Rainbow Dash and Talamba watched as Baagh Raaja clashed with Bladed Claw, the pair noticing the expression on Baagh Raaja’s face as he sank his fangs into Bladed Claw’s shoulder. Konda and a brown Danger Beast rolled in front of Talamba and Rainbow Dash, the Danger Beast throwing the tiger off of him, only for Konda to pin him down and bite into his neck. Konda held him down with his forepaws, as the Danger Beast tried to scratch into his side but to no avail.

Rainbow Dash watched with her eyes wide open, her breathing slowing as she heard the sound of the Danger Beast’s neck breaking and him struggling for air. Talamba lifted his tail to cover her eyes as he looked on. There was one loud snap, and Talamba could see the light in the Danger Beast’s eyes fade away as Konda released his grip on his neck.

Turning around, Rainbow Dash saw the other Danger Beasts had been killed, and seeing how many there were compared to the tigers, it was clear the tigers outnumbered the Danger Beasts. She got up, seeing Konda with the blood of his rival on his muzzle. Baagh Raaja roared and pinned Bladed Claw to the ground against his back. He placed his paw on Claw’s neck and stared into his eyes. Baagh Raaja growled and lowered himself to grab his throat. Suddenly he stopped, sniffed the air and at that moment, Talamba saw a mist-like substance coming their way. He began to shiver.

“Smoke! FIRE!!” Konda screamed.

Talamba groaned. “Wonderful. First we go through a flash flood, now we’ve got a wildfire. What’s next?” he asked.

Rainbow looked at Baagh Raaja. “Come on, Baagh Raaja! We have to go!” she said.

Baagh Raaja looked at her with his brows down. “Not until I sink my fangs into his throat!!” he replied.

Konda approached Baagh Raaja. “But the fire’s speeding up! You’ll be burned by the time you kill him!” he reasoned.

Baagh Raaja looked back down at Bladed Claw, keeping his paw on his throat. “Then I’ll cut his throat!!” he yelled.

Baagh Raaja lifted his paw as he unsheathed his claws, but he stopped. He twitched his ears and looked behind him and listened. It was as if thunder was coming their way. Baagh Raaja looked into the sky and saw no grey clouds anywhere. He glanced towards the forest again, hearing the thundering getting closer. Plants began to fall to the ground and points became visible.

Talamba dashed off into the jungle, Konda and the other tigers followed suit. Baagh Raaja looked on, only now he could see a herd of giant water buffalo coming his way. Rainbow Dash took off into the sky, Baagh Raaja lept off of Bladed Claw and sprinted in the direction the others went, while Bladed Claw ran off in the opposite direction.

Baagh Raaja looked behind him. The buffalo herd was nowhere in sight. Looking above, he could see Rainbow soaring below the clouds. She looked down at Baagh Raaja and stopped for a moment and pointed forward. Baagh Raaja looked ahead, and saw a big rock towering over the jungle ahead. He continued sprinting towards it and saw Talamba and the tiger climbing the rock. Rainbow landed on it, and when Baagh Raaja got there he leaped onto the rock wall, his claws catching the ridgidy surface and started climbing. Looking up, he saw Partak and Sulu looking down on him, pacing back and forth along the edge. Baagh Raaja pulled himself onto the top, looking back he could see the fire burning several miles of jungle, the pitch black smoke rising in the sky, and fire getting closer to the rock.

Rainbow Dash looked at Baagh Raaja, but before she could walk to him, Partak got in front of her. “Are you all alright?” he asked.

Pinkie Pie hugged her, nearly suffocating her. “DAASSHHIIEE!!!!” she yelled before releasing her grip, letting Rainbow breathe.

Applejack squeezed Rainbow. “Rainbow! Thank God you’re okay! When we got up here and didn’t see you here when the fire broke out, we were getting so worried!” she said.

She looked down and noticed the injuries on Rainbow’s leg. “W-what happened to yer leg!?” she asked.

Rainbow Dash unwrapped Applejack’s arms. “A crocodile attacked me,” she answered.

“A CROCODILE!?” Applejack and Pinkie yelled in unison.

Rainbow scratched her head. “Yeah I...bit into it’s eye and it let go.” she said.

Applejack lifted a brow. “You...bit...a crocodile!?” she asked.

“Yeah,” Rainbow replied.

Applejack hugged Rainbow Dash. “I don’t care how ya did it, I’m just glad we found you,” she said.

A voice came from behind Applejack. “You mean I found her and those two came along and we fought your enemy.” Applejack turned to see Konda walking up.

Talamba sat himself next to Rainbow. “Yeah, give the tiger the credit, not yourself!” he ranted.

Applejack blushed. “Oh, sorry,” she said.

Rainbow placed her hand on Applejack’s shoulder. “Speaking of which, you should be more worried about Baagh Raaja,” she told her.

Applejack touched her hand. “Why’s that?” she asked.

Baagh Raaja was pacing back and forth with his eyes facing the rock surface. “I...I was so close! I could’ve killed him right there, but no! Fate just has to put in a fire and a stampede to interfere!!” he yelled before swiping at the rock beneath him and scratching the surface.

Applejack froze for a moment. “Y-you wanted to kill him?” she asked.

Baagh Raaja turned his head. “Applejack. He was about to kill Rainbow Dash. He’s a murderer!” he snarled.

Rainbow Dash got in front of Applejack. “So you’re just gonna kill him!? How’s that supposed to make you better than him?” she asked, looking him in the eye.

Sulu watched and trotted over to the girls. He walked right in between Rainbow Dash and Baagh Raaja. “This may seem wrong, but it is justified.” he said.

Rainbow blinked. “HOW!? Did you not hear him say he wanted to kill somebody!!??”

Sulu walked closer to her and sat down .“I understand your concern, but from the stories birds have told me, Bladed Claw and his gang have broken every law of the wild, and breaking some of the laws is punishable by death,” he responded.

Applejack raised a brow. “They are?” she and Rainbow Dash said in unison.

Sulu nodded.

Applejack held her hat in her hands. “Then...I guess we’re some to talk, I mean, we do have a death penalty,.” she said.

Talamba frowned. “In that case you are!” he yelled while waving a paw rapidly

Sulu got back up and walked up to Konda. “Who are you?” he asked.

Konda held his head high and stood straight. “Konda, and these are my friends,” he answered.

Sulu dipped his head. “Thank you for your help, and welcome to our group,” he said.

Rainbow Dash took another glance at Baagh Raaja. He breathed heavily and kept pacing. She tried walking to him. “Uh, Raaja-”

Baagh Raaja turned to her. “I’m fine.” he growled before continuing with his pacing

Rainbow Dash kept looking at him. “-Baagh, you clearly aren’t fine, I mean you literally just said you wanted to kill someone. There’s obviously something else going on with you, why won’t you tell us what it is?” she thought.

---

The stars glowed in the night sky, the moon cast its light on the forest canopy with only some of it touching the forest floor. A herd of gaurs grazed in a forest clearing, each adult lifting its head up and smelling the air. Sulu, Talamba, and the girls rest by a large rock. Applejack placed rocks in a small circle before placing a pile of wood in the middle. She grabbed a pair of rocks and rubbed them together, creating sparks, leading to a fire building up.

Rainbow held her knee. “How long do you think it’ll take for my leg to heal?” she asked.

Applejack moved over to her. “Ah’d don’t know sugarcube, but I’m guessing weeks,.” she answered.

Sulu lifted his ears and head. “Actually, I know of a healer who can make something that will fix your leg much quicker.”

“You do?” Rainbow asked.

Pinkie Pie got up in her face. “Well duh silly! He travels all over this place, remember?”

Rainbow sat straight up. “Yeah but knowing someone who can fix my leg faster? In a jungle? That’s incredible! How do they do it?” she asked with her eyes bigger.

Sulu lifted himself up. “I don’t know. But I do know that the healing process goes faster with food in the stomach,” he said, looking at Partak who just came out of the forest.

Partak looked at Sulu. “Agreed old friend, are you ready for the hunt?”

Sulu nodded. “Of course.”

Pinkie’s eyes got really big. “OOOOHHH!! What do you think they’ll catch?”

“No idea, as long as the belly’s full, I don’t care,” Tambala said, shrugging his shoulders.

Rainbow Dash and Applejack looked at him as he lay near the fire. “But why aren’t you going to hunt?” Rainbow Dash asked

Talamba moved his eyes from side to side. “Someone’s gotta keep an eye on ya,” he said before laying his head back down.

Sulu rolled his eyes. “Regardless, we’ll be back soon,” he said before they went off into the jungle.

As they walked through the jungle, they saw Baagh Raaja walking past a clearing, twitching his ears and moving his head. Sulu and Partak walked up to him. “Baagh Raaja,” Partak said

Baagh Raaja turned his head to them. “What do you want?” he asked sternly.

“We’re going out hunting, would you like to join us?” Partak asked.

Baagh Raaja stood still, his eyes didn’t move, and his body shook. His paws shook as well and he unsheathed his claws, and his breathing became heavy. Partak and Sulu both raised a brow. “Uuhh Baagh Raaja, are you okay?” Partak asked.

Baagh Raaja shut his eyes. “NOO!!” he shouted, echoing through the forest.

He opened his eyes back up, and saw Sulu and Partak both blinking and their brows raised. “S-sorry about that. No thank you.,” he said before walking off.

Konda watched from behind the trees and ran after Baagh Raaja. “Hey,” he said as he caught up with him.

He looked at Baagh Raaja who rolled his eyes. “What was that all about?” Konda asked.

Baagh Raaja didn’t look at Konda. “What was what?” he asked.

Konda got in front of him. “You acted weird when Sulu and Partak invited you to hunt with them. Why?” he asked.

Baagh Raaja looked away from him. “I-I just like being alone,” he replied, lowering his head.

Konda lowered his brows. “Yeah, that’s clearly not the case. But seeing as though you won’t talk about it, I’ll wait until you’re ready.” He walked off into the jungle. Baagh Raaja kept walking through the clearing and into the forest, finding himself at a river. He lowered himself and began lapping at the water. “-Why can’t anyone just leave me alone?” he asked while drinking, then he got up and walked back into the jungle.

Author's Note:

Thanks to Norm De Plume for editing!