I had been awake for an hour already when we started to come in for a landing after a full day of flying. It had been decided that because none of the injured were in critical condition that we would take it a bit easier on the way back and don’t push it.
No need killing the poor pegasi pulling the sky carriages unless it’s actually necessary. They had been completely zonked out basically from when they arrived until we left.
So we’d land somewhere at nightfall, give everypony time to set up camp and watch them as they slept to keep things safe.
Besides, I personally didn’t much like being in a carriage pulled by an exhausted pegasus anyway. Sounded like a good recipe to crash to me.
We circled once more above the clearing before we started to circle down to land. As we touched down and came to a half, I jumped down onto the ground and stretched.
“You sleep okay?” Sunset asked and jumped down next to me.
“Was okay enough,” I said and smiled at her, “You?”
“...Was okay.”
I had canceled three nightmares for her. I had hoped that with some luck, she wouldn’t remember any of them. Seems like I wasn’t that lucky.
I nodded and gave her a small hug with my wing, “It’ll get better,” I told her quietly.
Sunset nodded and leaned against me for a second, “I know,” she answered before giving me a small smile, “I’m going to go talk with Moon Glow, help her organize this chaos. We need to get a tree platform set up for the wounded before it gets too dark for us unicorns to work easily.”
I nodded and stole a small kiss, “I just saw a pony I want to talk to as well,” I said and when Sunset trotted off towards the guard pegasus, I walked over towards Rarity where she was drinking from a waterbottle towards the edge of the group.
“Rarity, do you have a moment?” I asked her as I got closer.
She startled slightly and then looked over towards me, “O-of course, Prince Page! Sorry… Page.”
I motioned for her to follow me towards the edge of the forest before I waved for Pinkie Pie to get her to follow as well before I led them over there for a tiny bit of privacy. Not too much, if I got out of line of sight Moon Glow or Amber would sound the alarm. But enough that nopony would easily overhear us.
Rarity had not slept easily. Her nightmares had been multiple. She had dreamed about the injured in the train. But the ponies she had found had been ponies she knew. And their injuries had been even worse.
I had done my best, but her sleep had been fitful to say the least.
Pinkie seemed to have done okay. I didn’t like entering her dreams, they were strange. They had not quite turned into nightmares either so I had stayed out.
“What did you want to speak of?” Rarity asked as I turned to face them.
I smiled at her, “I simply wanted to tell you that I was impressed by you and Pinkie Pie after the crash,” I told them seriously, meeting each of their eyes, “Rainbow Dash, Sunset, Twilight and myself have training in these kinds of things. You two don't and you handled yourself really well. Most ponies would have panicked, but you did what needed to be done.”
“Actually,” Pinkie said with a slightly sheepish smile, “I have first responder training.”
Rarity blinked at her, “Seriously, Pinkie Pie? You have advanced medical and disaster training?”
Pinkie nodded, “Fluttershy wanted to take the course… not just for her animals but in case somepony got hurt during one of our adventures,” she explained and shrugged, “But she didn’t want to be the only one to go, so I went with her. Thought might be useful.”
“Well, it certainly was,” I told her with a smile before I looked at Rarity, “but I’m still impressed. Well done, you two.”
Rarity actually blushed slightly, “It wasn’t our first emergency, We-”
There was a rustle of leaves behind me and my ear flicked back. My head snapped around just in time to see a Raptoroid rush out towards us, jaw filled with sharp, shark-like teeth, it’s two legs and claws digging into the forest floor as it charged.
I spun around towards it, baring my fangs as I half spread my wings. Somepony behind me let out a cry of surprise.
Lighting my horn, I grabbed the tip of it’s snout and pulled hard down and around towards the left with a twist. The predator yelped in surprise and went down face first into the dirt, rolling to a halt and then started to twist to roll back onto its feet.
I didn’t let it.
Keeping my horn lit, I smashed down on it hard, pressing it down firmly against the ground as I walked over towards it.
It snorted and bared its teeth, growling.
I growled right back and put my hoof on its neck, pressing down, “How many times do I have to kick your tail up between your eyes before your kind get it through your prehistoric brain that Ponies! Are! Not! Food!”
The reptilian predator struggled against my magic field and I put a tiny bit more weight on my hoof against its neck as I hissed at it with a small growl.
It stopped struggling, just breathing hard as it looked up at me. I leaned in closer, baring my fangs as I looked into its eye for a second and I released it with my magic, “Not. Food.”
The Raptoroid didn’t move, just looking up at me with it’s closest eye.
Standing up straight again, I kept my magic ready to smash it back down in a split second if it tried anything before I pulled my hoof back and slowly backed away.
The reptile didn’t move for several moments before it rolled onto its feet. It looked in our direction for a second before quickly scampering off into the forest.
Folding my wings again, I turned away only for a pair of thestral guards to walk past me and take positions closer to the forest. Sunset was stalking over towards me and I raised my hoof before she said anything, “One, if they are ever going to learn not to try to eat us, some must actually make it out and teach their young. Two, those aren’t immune to magic. I can handle one of those easily enough.”
Sunset nodded, “Are you done?”
“...Yes love.”
“Then get your tail back into the clearing and away from the jungle filled with pony eating predators and let the guards do their jobs.”
I smiled and moved a bit closer to her, “You know, you have gotten way bossier since you started to hang out with the Nocturnis guard,” I told her quietly.
Sunset sighed softly, “I know. I just don’t like seeing you in danger,” she said before she smirked and continued quieter, “Even if that was pretty hot, wingboy.”
“Oh really?” I asked with a smile, just as quiet before I looked towards Rarity and Pinkie Pie, “She’s right, I told them, “We should move back inside the perimeter.”
Rarity swallowed and nodded, “Y-yes, of course.”
O damn it...Chapter 88 didn't had any time jokes or Infinity inspiring themes... Well... To bad
Fluttershy and Page will eventually teach the non magic predators to accept or fear ponys.
Not in particular came to mind so...
Nice. This reminds me of the cheetahs and the apes. (I got this from a HFY story a while back, so the details are probably off.)
In the jungles of earth, there exists a special relationship between two species who inhabit the jungle. The cheetahs have excellent hunting capabilities on the ground and can run to catch their prey. The apes of the forest use their superior maneuverability in the trees to gather fruit and catch animals.
These two species don't pull from the same food source, so they mostly leave eachother alone. Mostly.
When the cheetah is a cub, he thinks himself the king of the jungle, he is the best predator and should be beholden to none, it's parents know better and chastise the child. Eventually, the child grows a bit, and sees the baboon in the tree as a prey, and waits for an opportunity to strike.
After a short chase, the baboon grabs the cub by the tail and dangles it from the tree.
From here, the moher of the cub has two choices.
In one scenario, the mother tries to fight the primate to release the cub, in which case, the baboon beats it against the tree, killing it.
In the other, the mother lays down in submission, allowing the cub to learn the lesson that she did as a cub, do not mess with the monkey. The cub is then let go to run back to it's mother, having learned the lesson to pass on to the next generation.
Perhaps something similar will happen in this jungle, in this dimension. Not quite domestication or taming of the local fauna, but certainly a step in the right direction.
And back to page being babysit
11061529
Not done with the chapter but im starting to think you have a problem with page being able to do anything by himself or talk by himself without guards 2 feet away
And here we see that Page can flex his magic and prowess from time to time.
Later in camp…
Then he grabbed it, smashed the ruffian to the ground and said ‘Not Food!’ With a growl.”
“Did you see those wings? His muscles were rippling.
“Oh yeah, I saw them. Couldn’t help but notice he was also packing quite the hardware between his-“
“-Rainbow!!!!”
“Quite right, don’t be so crude…..
I saw it too.”
“Oh Momma!”
“You all realize that these tents provide utter no soundproof, and I, and the entire jungle for that matter, can hear you?”
“Yup!”
“Well yeah, stud!”
“Rather the point .”
“Sorry Page.”
“No you aren’t.”
”…yeah ahm lyin’”
“Dammit.”
11061530
Feels like every other alicorn is treating page like he's made out of glass to be honest. The rest are allowed to deal with stuff, meanwhile he's forced to stay back and wait whilst guards or his mares handle it.
I wonder when Page is gonna snap over that because it's been shown to annoy him before
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he's their lord and pager, they're doing this because if he goes their society and the thestral's hope at survival collapses.
Page: And that is how you deal with a Raptoroi--! PINKIE?!
*Pinkie holding a hoof out and four Raptoroids standing calmly around her*
Pinkie Pie: Thats right clever girls...I am your alpha! OBEY YOUR LEADER!
11061653
Page *shudders in terror*
Luna: "You've been peeking into Pinkie Pie's dreams again?"
Page: "NO! I've learned to stay out of there! I was just checking to ensure she wasn't having a nightmare, but I stayed outside!"
Luna: "Clever girl. You just leave her nightmares to the professionals."
Page: "You've got that right! Just walking by her dreams gives me nightmares!"
Luna: "That is merely a side-effect. She gives nightmares nightmares. She is a descendant of Discord, after all. "
Page: "Really!? "
Luna: "And if you're really good, Page, we'll arrange for her to join the herd. "
Page: "WHAAAA---!? "
Discord: "WELCOME TO THE FAMILY, PAGEYBOY! "
Page: "GYAAAAHHHH!!! Shit! shit! shit! shit! I can't wake up!!! "
*meanwhile, back at the lair*
Cadance: "Hmmm...? The things that can be done with that genetic mix... Now there's some possibilities! "
time to smack around a critter.
some times they just don't learn.
Assert Dominance! Cement Your Place In The Jungle!!!
An excellent chapter, very enjoyable. As usual the dialogue feels natural and I can absolutely believe Pinkie having done that, if nothing else it makes an awful lot of sense if there's an accident at the bakery too.
11061629
That's a side effect of the society. Page has been smacked with both 'Protect the Alicorn!' and 'Protect the stallion!' at the same time. It'll be interesting to see the fireworks if and when he finally blows up over it.
Jackbooted parade today, alas:
a bit easier on the way back and not push it.
a good recipe for a crash to me.
came to a halt
a water bottle towards
Thought it might be useful
its two
its snout
its closest eye
“She’s right," I told them,
11061629
Not often you get to share your immortality with another.
They're probablybeing overzealous about protecting him, but for good reason
That was kinda hot
Another idea. Put manequins, and soak them in poison. Not lethal, but unpleasent enough. Make them smell as ponies, but one bite, and those lizards would want to puke and claw their tongue out.
11061629
11061877
It was also said several times in the earlier books that the female dominant gender ratio caused ponies to have a different view of things. The females were more numerous so the few males they had were too precious to risk putting in danger. Celestia's guard may have gone a long way in lessening those views, but it couldn't completely get rid of them. Add in that Page was the only stallion alicorn to have been confirmed in pony history (the statue guy could still turn out to have been a faker), and those feelings get turned up to eleven.
Which predator got her more scared, I wonder?
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An effective-if slightly inhumane-way to solve the problem. If something doesn't taste good, or the contents don't sit well in their stomach, then they will be less inclined to go for a bite.
To do such a thing, however, means you have to be careful what "takes the bait", and what impact that will have on the ecosystem; small and large. We wouldn't want to change things that don't need to be changed.
Something to go on to the list to study when they have more manpower.
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I mean it was already established he’s only about as powerful as Sunset IRL, it’s only in the dream realm where he’s God
Oh right that reminds me, I hope we’re gonna explore that new world he’s making in the dream realm more
11062522
Fair point, I'm just curious how long it'll be until he charges past his own guards during a crisis.
11062638
🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔
tell that to changelings
11062638
How do you think he became an Alicorn in the first place?
I gotta admit... It kinda was
11061629
i wait at some point to go into a rage and use dark magic on your enemies