From Beyond the Badlands: Tales of a Monster Hunter

by Justin Daniels

Rating: teen
Tags: Bon-Bon, Adventure, Shining Armor, Crossover, Anthro, Gore, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Human, Other, Lyra, Romance, Original Character, Comedy
Length: 18069

After the mysterious appearance of dangerous monsters and vicious wyverns that even spread fear into the dragons' hearts, Princess Celestia and Luna request aid from beyond the Badlands. What they get, however, they did NOT expect...

When a group of three ponies travel to the Badlands in search of someone who could handle a monster problem that not even the Elements of Harmony could handle, four return... and one of them isn't a pony.

With the help of a speechless Monster Hunter, can Lyra, Bon Bon, and Shining Armor manage to save Equestria from the upcoming threat, or will the Hunter's Guild have to send someone else in for the job?

Crossover between "My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic" and "Monster Hunter 3: Ultimate". Might include "Monster Hunter 4: Ultimate" after its release.

While not exactly a Self-Insert, this story contains a Self-Character-Insert, meaning I'm using my character from the game.

Published 2015-01-02 18:00:07 UTC
Last updated 2015-03-11 00:10:53 UTC

Quest 1: Ponies VS Jaggies

To anyone willing to help!

I am Princess Celestia, ruler of Equestria, and the one in charge of raising the sun, and the moon the past thousand years, prior to the later events where my sister, Princess Luna, was returned, and reformed.

As of late, however, she and I have received visions of terror. Monsters from beyond Equestrian borders have started to show up, and are terrorizing countless locations! While it may not seem like much to any of you, our forces are, and I hate to admit this, far too underwhelming to do anything about these creatures!

That's not to say that the triumphs of YOUR people haven't been heard of! That is, in fact, why I have sent this letter to you, Guildmaster of Loc Lac City Hunter's Guild. Unfortunately, there are creatures that could devastate all of my armies at once, at just the swipe of a tail... and no matter what forms of armor we have for our soldiers, even the sturdiest bend easily at just the impact!

We have heard that the currency that your hunters use are made up entirely of gold... something that we have quite an abundance of!

I know that our people haven't seen eye-to-eye for so long... but now, in this time of great need, we need your help, and will do whatever it takes, so long as my people are safe.

We need Monster Hunters here... and we need them as soon as possible. Thank you.

--Princess Celestia, of the Equestrian Kingdom.

"Just hang in there, Lyra! Everything's gonna be alright!" Bon Bon shouted from above the massive tree that she was resting on. She was a cream-coated earth pony mare with a blue mane and tail that had a single pink stripe that moved vertically with each strand. She stood on two hooves, and had a pair of hands with four fingers on each. She, like everyone else around the area, wore iron plate mail armor that had gold trimmings on the corners of each individual piece.

Lyra Heartstrings, a green-coated unicorn mare with a minty colored mane, stood in front of a unicorn stallion that had a white coat and blue mane. The stallion was unconscious, and in front of Lyra, she held a green bubble-shaped magic barrier around herself and the unconscious stallion, while on the other side of it, a large dinosaur-like creature with a fin-shaped neck constantly dug its teeth at the barrier, which caused the color around it to vanish briefly, before it kicked back up.

With a nervous expression on her face, Lyra turned towards Bon Bon and asked, "You sure about that, Bonnie? I don't think Shining Armor here can make it for much longer, unless we find somepony who can help him with his bite wound!" As she said bite wound, her gaze shifted from the mare on the tree to the stallion that lied behind her. On his arm, mere inches below his left shoulder, a thin stream of blood oozed out of the upper half of his arm, where the Great Jaggi, as a fauna book mentioned, bit him.

Bon Bon sat up and looked around nervously in a feeble attempt to find anyone nearby that she could possibly call for help at. When no such person appeared to be close to them, she internally cursed before looking back at Lyra and Shining. "Lyra! I'll distract this thing, and you take Shining Armor towards the camp!"

Lyra gasped before looking up at her friend. "No way! Out of the question! We'll find a way to get through this, but we'll find a way together!"

Bon Bon sighed before looking at the Great Jaggi, who jumped backwards and turned its back towards them. That action caused Bon Bon's eyes to widen. "Lyra! I think it's about to give up!"

Rather than double-check, however, Lyra said a silent prayer before quickly levitating Shining Armor up to the tree where Bon Bon sat, and lowered the shield bubble around herself.

The sudden action caused Bon Bon's eyes to widen in horror, as she saw Lyra clap her hands together in a taunting manner towards the Great Jaggi. "HEY, YOU! COME ON, FRESH MEAT RIGHT HERE!" Then she lowered the horn on her forehead and sent a small ball of energy towards it. When it landed on the back of the Great Jaggi's head, however, it merely vaporized, and left a small burn spot where it landed.

The Great Jaggi quickly turned towards her with a furious look in its eyes, while Lyra continued to glare at it and charge up more shots. Then, it inhaled deeply before letting out a strange series of four quick moans.

Confused, Lyra sent out another energy shot, but before she could shoot a third time, her ears twitched at the sudden sounds of little toes scampering through the grass and leaves of the small forest they were in. Then, in the blink of an eye, she noticed four smaller sized Jaggi appear from the angles around her. From the close proximity, it was clear to her that the small ones stood up to her neck in height, while the Great Jaggi they were facing stood up about three times her height.

In other words, she was royally bucked, now.

With her heart rate building up rapidly, all she could do was back away, while the Jaggi from behind her met with the three in front of her, and the Great Jaggi further behind them. Without any options left, she surrounded herself in a shield bubble, which the jaggis instantly began dashing into with their fangs diving into the said bubble; causing it to shrink slightly with each individual bite. At that rate, Lyra knew that she would only last another minute, at the rate that the jaggis were biting into the bubble.

From atop the tree, Bon Bon stared in horror while Shining slowly opened one eye, which then shot open even more when he saw the situation Lyra was in. "LYRA!" he shouted before quickly sitting up. When he did, however, he fell back down in pain, while the Great Jaggi turned towards him. Then it turned back to Lyra and shortly joined its pack by sweeping its tail clockwise; instantly vaporizing the shield bubble, and sending Lyra, along with the other four jaggi, flying into the air, and several meters from the now collapsed tree that she was cornered into.

Due to the sheer pain, she was unable to move, and her ribs felt like they were cracked by the impact. Just how strong was that thing?! Her thoughts were instantly shattered when she saw the Great Jaggi charge her way with its jaw wide open, and its fangs ready to sink in for a kill.

Suddenly, a mysterious black orb-like device fell from directly behind Lyra, and on top of another large tree; twice the height of the one that Bon Bon and Shining Armor were hiding on top of. When it landed on the ground, it bounced a meter into the air before bursting open. When it did, a huge blinding flash of light engulfed the entire area; stopping the Great Jaggi, and causing everyone in the entire area to cover their eyes. Then, once she was able to see again, Lyra noticed a different shadow towering over her. This shadow was, without a doubt, the shadow of a bipedal creature... a creature that she and her company were familiar with; having been on their way back to Equestrian Lands from said creatures' own country.

She was looking directly at a human... but not just any human. This one was completely covered in pitch black armor with golden stripes across its shoulders, and similar stripes across the rest of its individual armor pieces. The human's helmet was shaped differently than what Celestia's armors were made of that she sent them in. Instead of just being a plain white design with a golden feather in the center, this human's helmet was, in a strange way, shaped similar to that of an "Anubis", a race that has been extinct for countless generations. Below the protruded nose, however, was another black plate that, if one would look closely enough, must've been the lenses that the human saw through. By the shape of this human's body, it was clear that it was a male. On the tips of his pitch black gauntlets were round miniature shields that must've served to guard his arms from taking any damage. Around his waist he wore a golden waist cloth with pitch black plates that covered most of the centers of the golden threads. On the back of the waist coat, a pair of thick skinning/carving knives were sheathed. His boots were shaped in a cuffed pattern, with golden chains that appeared to be attached to them by a silver-colored buckle that stretched across his whole feet width-wise, but ended halfway down his feet; leaving the black tips exposed for flexibility. In his hands, he held a massive sword with a blade that must've been the same size he was... not counting the handle. The blade was curved and sunk inwardly, while several spikes were attached to it, and pointing outwards, which gave the entire sword a menacing look. What Lyra found odd about the sword was that it appeared to be made out of a mixture of metal and organic parts... but she shuddered to imagine where the organic parts came from. One thing was certain about this human, though... he was, without a doubt, a Monster Hunter.

The hunter stood there while the Great Jaggi howled again, which drew five more regular jaggi into the area to add to the four others. When they were grouped up, they all dashed towards the hunter at once, while he held the sword below his left hip with the blade facing outwards. Then, once the jaggi were within striking range, he quickly swept the sword to his right; sending all nine of the jaggis into the air, and killing them on impact. After that, the Great Jaggi shook its head and snarled at the hunter that just wiped its pack out in one swing. Leaping back into the air, the Great Jaggi angled its body towards the side and threw all of its weight towards the hunter, who responded by swinging his greatsword upwards.

From the distance, Bon Bon's and Shining Armor's eyes widened in shock at the sheer power that the hunter showed. Just from the contact of the blade, the Great Jaggi was launched several meters backwards, where it landed on its side and slid further away. Afterwards, the hunter gripped the handle of his greatsword with both hands and waited, while a red aura began to project from his body. Then, when the Great Jaggi stood back up, it turned towards him and dashed forward with its jaw wide open, and ready to bite into the hunter.

When the red aura started to glow white, the hunter slung the sword over his shoulder, and into a collision course for the Great Jaggi's forehead. Then, as soon as it landed, a large crater formed in the ground below where the sword hit the Great Jaggi, while its hind legs literally bounced up from the impact. Even Bon Bon and Shining Armor were able to hear the sound of the ground crumbling beneath the creature. Then it let out a pained cry before going limp.

Letting out a relieved sigh, the hunter lifted his sword and pressed a button on the handle that caused the blade to split in the center and fold into a thinner blade that was in-between it; stopping only on the handle, and reducing the size of the sword by half. Then he placed the sword on his back, where a hook on his right shoulderpad clamped the handle in place, and a magnet in the center of his back gripped the blade into place.

He slowly walked up to the Great Jaggi while Lyra side-stepped away from him and towards her friends. Then he drew the larger one of his skinning knives and knelt over the Great Jaggi's stomach. Out of curiosity, Lyra peeked towards the hunter... but her curiosity soon turned to a mixture of both shock and nauseation when she saw the hunter's knife go through the Great Jaggi's stomach. And her nauseation only intensified when she saw him cut a slit into the Great Jaggi's stomach, and turn the blade towards the opposite end of the slit. Then he cut another slit into its stomach in the form of a "V" shape. Afterwards, he put his knife away and drew the smaller one with his right hand while lifting the fold of skin up.

After examining the insides of the beast for a moment, they could've sworn they heard the human chuckle beneath his helmet. Cautiously turning towards him (after turning away from the hunter while he lifted the fold of skin) they noticed that he was reaching into a bag that was tied below his waistcoat. Then he placed a metal rod inside the bag and pressed a button on the tip of the metal rod. When he pressed it, a group of eight thinner metal rods protruded from the thick rod, and expanded the cloth bag into a large, open basket.

Then the hunter released the rod and picked his smaller knife up from inside the Great Jaggi (which was stabbed inside its back) and began cutting through the beast's insides, before pulling out a chunk of meat, and placing it inside the basket. Afterwards, he examined the inside of the Great Jaggi before repeating the same process twice.

Then he had to take the larger knife and extend the size of the cut up to the Great Jaggi's chest, where he then put both knives away and reached inside it, only to pull his hands out with three long thin bones that must've come from its ribs, due to the curves. Afterwards, he took the long bones and added them into the basket before turning towards the Great Jaggi once more, and examining it closely.

With a sigh, he knelt back down and cut the flap of the Great Jaggi's flesh off, and examined it carefully. Then he tilted his head a couple times before shaking it and tossing the patch of flesh over his shoulders.

Finally, after examining its claws, he nodded and took his smaller knife out. Then, in one swift motion, he stabbed the knife into the ground; removing the claws of the Great Jaggi, and causing them to scatter on the ground. Afterwards, he put his knife away and picked the claws up. Then he placed the said claws into a small pouch that rested on the opposite side of his waistcloth, where several more claws appeared to be stored.

Giving his work one final examination, he nodded his head and walked up to the basket. Then he pressed the button on the metal rod again, which caused the smaller rods on the sides to fold up onto the upper halves, while the upper halves clamped onto the outer corners of the basket, and folded into the large rod. When that happened, the basket was once again shaped like a bag, only this time, it had meat and bones in it.

Then he gripped onto the tip of the bag with his left hand and pulled the rod out of it, before placing the rod behind his waistcloth, and pulling out a long brown string of rope. Looking closely at the rope, he nodded once more before tying the top of the bag shut, and lifting it over his shoulders.

From the distance, Lyra, Bon Bon, and Shining Armor watched in horror as the hunter did what he did best after each hunt.

"Oh, sweet Celestia, I think I'm going to be sick..." Shining murmured while holding his snout shut with his hands.

Bon Bon was doing the same, but slowly nodded her head and remained silent.

Lyra stared wide-eyed, but wasn't holding onto her snout. Instead, she was watching closely at how the hunter did what he did with strange fascination, albeit with a nauseous look on her face. "W-why is he even doing that, though? What did that Jaggi do to deserve that?!"

As if he heard them, the hunter stood up with the bag of meat and bones over his left shoulder and turned towards them. Then he stood still, while the ponies continued to stare at him.

Time seemed to freeze at that point. Even the wind was able to be heard, as the hunter and the ponies just stared on in pure silence. Then... the hunter lifted his left hand up and nodded his head... he was merely waving at them, as if nothing out of the ordinary happened.

Slowly, Lyra raised her right hand and returned the gesture. Then the hunter turned away from them and walked away... towards the same direction that the ponies were heading before being ambushed by the Great Jaggi.

Lyra's eyes widened in horror as she turned towards Bon Bon and Shining. "You guys! He's going towards the camp!"

"What?!" Bon Bon asked in a shocked manner. "I thought the camps were now restricted to 'Royal Permission', due to the dangers around the areas!"

"W-well... what're we going to do about that?! Didn't you see what that guy did to that Great Jaggi?!"

Shining Armor coughed a few times, before murmuring, "I... don't think it matters, now. M-maybe we should... try the next camp over?"

Lyra shook her head. "No, Shiny! You're in no shape to travel that far, yet! We've got to get you to the closest camp, and hopefully someone left something for this kind of wound!"

Before he could complain, the sound of something being placed on the ground caught all of their attention. Turning towards the source of the sound, the three saw the human again, with a stone mug resting just a few meters away from Lyra. Speechlessly, the human pointed at the mug, then at Shining, before turning around, and continuing on his way, while the ponies stared at the strange green concoction in confusion.

"What... what is that?" Bon Bon asked before smelling the strange drink. When she did, she quickly pulled her nose away, and gagged. "It smells awful!"

Lyra hummed before smelling it, and repeated Bon Bon's gesture. "Ugh! What is that, mushrooms?!" Then she blinked before gasping. "Wait! Green, like the special medical herbs... and the smell of mushrooms! Bonnie! This is a high-quality medicine!"

"Ugh... if this is what qualifies for a medicine, I'm sure I could make something better in the bathroom!" Bon Bon complained before turning towards Shining with an uneasy expression.

Shining groggily sat up and looked at the concoction with confusion. Then, after inching closer to it, he took a small whiff of it and hummed to himself. "Well... at least it beats the smell of rations." After exhaling the air from his lungs, he quickly gripped the handle of the mug and chugged down the slimy green liquid. Then, after a few seconds, a green aura surrounded his body, and through several green flashes inside his wounds, the holes where the Great Jaggi bit into his shoulder was completely replaced with flesh and fur again.

He gasped and quickly sat up, while dropping the empty mug. "Whoa! That... that was... surprisingly good!"

"Shiny?" Bon Bon asked while eying Shining's left shoulder.

Shining followed her gaze, and his eyes widened at the sight of his scratch-free arm. "Wait... how did that happen?! I don't recall Lyra taking Medical Magic... and mine is restricted to third parties!"

The three of them slowly turned towards the tilted mug, and stared at it, then lifted their heads towards where the hunter went. "Um... guys? This... might sound strange, but... I think we should follow that hunter."

Shining shook his head and replied, "I'm sorry, Lyra... but I don't think that's such a good idea. We might just get in his way!"

Bon Bon nodded her head in agreement. "I'd hate to say this, but Shining is right. Besides, I'm sure he has other things to do! Maybe he's on his way to help the people from Loc Lac City?"

Lyra shook her head in response. "No, because Loc Lac was in the center of the Badlands... and you remember what we saw there, right?"

Shining and Bon Bon shuddered at the memory. "I never thought I'd see so much destruction in one place..." Shining commented while looking up at the sky, while scratching the back of his blue mane.

Bon Bon scratched her chin in thought. "And to think that they said so many people lived there just months ago... and it was destroyed by one monster!"

Lyra nodded her head. "And I'll bet that that was the same monster that Princess Celestia and Luna dreamed of!"

"An ocean of blood... meteors falling from the sky at specific places... I'd hate to say it, but the princess's rant is starting to sound more and more like what we saw over there..." Shining muttered in a whisper.

Lyra heard him and nodded her head. "Or rather, the aftermath of what it can do, if it isn't stopped!"

Shining sighed. "And if that thing that we nearly died from is just one of the many threats that we're bound to face, then I'd give Equestria another week, once that monster wakes up from its hibernation!"

"Celestia and Luna said it should wake up after a year has passed, so at least we have time to prepare, right?" Bon Bon asked.

Lyra nodded her head. "Yeah... one year to prepare for the inevitable..."

The three of them sat there silently for about a minute. Then Shining decided to stand back up. "No... there has to be a way! We can't just give up!"

"Shiny..." Lyra began, but she paused when she heard no other words coming from Shining Armor.

Shining decided to continue after another moment of silence. "I have a wife that's depending on me! I have an unborn foal on its way! I won't just sit idly by, and let some monster take that from me!" Then he started walking towards the camp. "Come... we'll go to the camp. If that hunter is there, then maybe we can ask him for help in the matter... but if he refuses, then we'll just have to fight it with every last bit of life left in us."

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Lyra asked, only to be distracted by Bon Bon yawning audibly.

"Well... It's getting late, and I'd rather not set up a makeshift camp up here, where more of those things could get us." Bon Bon murmured before standing up and following Shining Armor. "And besides! Maybe that hunter had his reasons for... doing what he did there." She hesitated at the last half of that statement.

Lyra nodded her head. "Alright, then... it's settled!" Then she stood up and followed behind both Shining and Bon Bon while trying her best to keep herself from looking at the carcass of the creature that nearly killed her and her friends.

On the top of a large thick tree, a series of wooden platforms rested with a large roof over it that had a hole in the center. At the bottom of the hole, a large stone platform rested to keep the bonfire in the center from burning the wooden floor. On the edges of the shanty walls, several beds made up of branches, hay, and cotton were scattered around; sized up to rest four large individuals.

In the center of the bonfire, only two figures sat there. One of the figures was the hunter. The other was a cat-like person that stood on two paws. He looked at the hunter, who was steadily rotating one of the three pieces of Jaggi Meat over the bonfire, and humming a tune to himself. Then the cat-like figure sighed. "Y'know, just because I'm not as good a cook as the Felyne Chefs doesn't mean that I can't help you cook that, y'know!"

The hunter shrugged his shoulders while he continued to rotate the meat. "And besides that, don't you think you're sorta overdoing it? You haven't even slept last night, and you know what that means!"

Again the hunter shrugged his shoulders, which only made the felyne groan and throw his forepaws in the air. "Ugh, fine! But don't forget that even a Brachydios has to sleep, and so do you!"

The hunter smiled and lifted the large haunch of meat over his head to get a good look at the meal. The bone that it was attached to was a golden color, and the meat itself projected an aroma that caused the hunter's mouth to water.

Then the hunter gently placed the meat on a stone plate that was sitting beside his left hip on a small wooden table and placed both of his hands on his helmet. He then proceeded to lift the helmet up, and off of his head, revealing his face.

He had pale skin, light bluish-green eyes, and short dark brown hair. While seemingly strong below the armor, his face showed no wrinkles, and his hair showed no brightness; almost like he was in his early twenties.

He opened his mouth and inched the meat closer to its target... but before a single bite could be made, the felyne's ears perked up, and he quickly jumped out of his seat and towards the only edge of the large walls that was completely open. The hunter quickly placed the meat back on the plate, latched his helmet back on, and grabbed his greatsword that was placed directly behind his stone seat.

When he made it to where the felyne was, he looked down and grunted, "Huh?"

The felyne looked up at him and asked, "Do you know them?"

With a nod, the hunter turned back towards the bonfire and placed his sword back down. Then he took his helmet back off and placed it at his right side while picking his well-done steak back up and quickly taking a bite out of it before any more interruptions could take place. Regardless of race, gender, age, or species, nothing should stand between a hunter and his dinner. That was a definite life-threat waiting to happen.

After a few moments, the felyne looked at the entrance again, and smiled when he saw the ponies headed his way. "Well hello there, travelers! It's been a while since I've seen the ponies roaming around!"

Shining looked up as he continued walking up the wooden stairs that spiraled over the tree and led to the entrance of the large tree-camp. When he saw who was talking, however, he froze in place.

The felyne tilted his head in confusion before turning around. Seeing nothing directly behind him, he looked back at Shining and asked, "What? Is there something on my face? Ooh, if Justin left something on that telescope earlier, I swear I'll turn him into Rhenoplos Bait!"

"Are you... a talking cat?" Shining asked blankly.

The felyne stood there silently before groaning. "Oh come on! Why can't there just be a single pony who knows-"

"Hey! Aren't you a felyne?" Lyra asked from behind Shining.

Just the proper mentioning of his race caused the felyne's eyes to widen, and a smile to form on his face. "Thank you! And yes, you would be correct, young lady! Please, do come in! My friend over there is cooking something... but I'm sure we have something for the herbivores, as well!"

"Your... friend?" Bon Bon asked confusedly.

"Herbivores as well?" Shining added before tilting his head. "What do you mean by that?"

The felyne merely shrugged their questions off before looking at Lyra. "Please! Do come in! Make yourselves at home! I'll go make your beds more comfortable for you all, while you can all talk with my friend... but don't expect him to respond verbally!"

"Well, thanks Mr... um..." Lyra began, but paused when she realized none of them have introduced themselves yet.

The felyne's ears perked up. "Oh, my! Please, do accept my most sincerest of apologies! My name is Neko! It means 'Cat' in my native language! The hunter over there is Justin! He may seem tall and scary, but he has a good head on his shoulders, and an even better heart in his chest."

"Wait, hunter?!" Shining began, before looking at the entrance of the camp nervously. "Does... that hunter happen to have black armor on, by any chance?"

Neko chuckled before nodding his head. "Yep! That would be him!"

If Shining Armor's fur weren't white, it was clear he would've gone pale at that discovery. Though he was mentally prepared to speak to this hunter before, after seeing huge trails of jaggi and rhenoplos corpses on their way to the camp, his fear was starting to build up, and eventually, he began hoping the hunter was already gone along his way.

"Um... y-you sure he won't harm us?" Shining asked nervously.

Neko nodded his head and replied, "Unless you're a monster, then you have nothing to worry about!" This made Shining sigh in relief before nodding his head in response.

"Thank you!" Lyra said with a carefree smile, as if she already knew about the hunter. Then the three walked up the stairs while Neko scampered towards the beds to start making them comfortable enough for equines. When they stepped hoof into the building, however, they froze in place when they saw the helmet of the figure they saw before lying next to the tall human.

He turned towards them while continuing to hum the same tune he hummed last time he was cooking. Then he smiled and waved at them again before turning back towards the rotating meat.

Lyra was the first to slowly walk up to him. "Um... s-so your friend 'Neko' says that you won't harm us?"

Justin looked at her again and smiled before shaking his head... much to Lyra's relief.

She then decided to take a seat on the stone chair at Justin's left, on the 9'oclock position, while Justin sat on the 6. "Thank Celestia!" Then she looked at him and smiled. "Thank you, by the way... for saving us, that is!"

Justin chuckled before shrugging his shoulders.

"You don't really talk much, do you?"

Justin shook his head.

"Why not?"

Justin shrugged his shoulders again, which caused Lyra to giggle.

"It's okay if you don't want to tell me. I'm... just glad you were there for us, though. You're almost like some sort of action hero!"

Justin lightly chuckled at that statement before shaking his head. Neko decided to walk up in-between them and place a chunk of lettuce on a stone plate on the table at Lyra's right. Lyra decided to examine the area around the bonfire while she reached towards her salad.

Around the bonfire were four stone chairs, and each one with tables similar to the one Justin was using to hold a single piece of cooked meat and the golden bone of the one he already ate.

Lyra looked at the meat that was cooking on the bonfire curiously. "Um..."

Justin lifted the meat over his head and examined the color of the meat. It was another well-done steak. He then looked at Lyra and held it out to her, but she responded by leaning away from it.

"Um... n-no, thank you. I... don't eat meat."

Justin pulled the steak away before shrugging his shoulders and offering it to Neko, who took it without hesitation.

"Ugh... how can you guys stand that kind of stuff?!" Bon Bon asked from the 3'oclock positioned chair in front of the bonfire.

Justin turned towards her before shrugging his shoulders and chuckling.

"Well... please bear in mind that... not all of us might like watching someone eating something that was once living."

Justin chuckled again before shrugging his shoulders.

"It's just the circle of life, ma'am. And besides that, it's not like the plants are any different!" Neko commented, which caused Bon Bon's eyes to widen.

"Wait... what do you mean by that?!"

"Plants are alive too, y'know! They grow up from seeds, they reproduce, and they even breathe! They just exchange the air that we breathe in for the air that we breathe out! Please tell me you're joking when you say you didn't know that?"

Lyra stared at the lettuce that she already took a bite out of uneasily. "I... knew that, but didn't necessarily think about it that way, before..."

Neko chuckled again before nodding his head. "Trust me. To us, it's just the way how life works! We have to eat, but to eat, we have to hunt! And be it monster or plant, we have no choice but to take the life of at least one other thing!" Then he turned towards Justin. "Why, I can remember how disappointed Justin was when he was issued his first quest in Moga Village! That's where he lived for several years now, y'know! Beautiful place, too! Maybe we could show it to you all, sometime! As long as you're okay with getting your fur wet, that is..."

Shining Armor decided to sit at the 12'oclock seat, but he eyed Justin warily. "So... Justin, right?" he asked.

Justin looked up at him and raised both eyebrows in attention.

"I... don't want to sound rude or anything, but... why did you help us, exactly?"

Justin merely shrugged his shoulders before turning to Neko.

Neko cleared his throat and was about to reply, but Shining had another question that he had to ask. "Also... why don't you speak, if you can understand what we're saying?"

Justin merely lifted his helmet up and pointed at it, which caused Shining Armor to tilt his head in confusion again.

Neko decided to reply for him. "It's... complicated, to tell you the truth."

"What's so complicated with speaking?"

"He lost his ability to speak years ago."

Shining was about to say something else, but Lyra decided to cut in. "Shiny, stop! He probably doesn't like being asked so many questions!" Then she turned towards him and asked, "Um... right?"

Bon Bon groaned before saying, "Lyra! That was a question!"

The three began to complain to each other in unison... but their arguments were broken by the sound of, what appeared to be, a man and a feline-like male laughing. Turning towards the hunter and the felyne, they saw that Justin was covering his mouth with his right hand and resting his left hand on his lap, while Neko was rolling on his back in laughter.

"Wait... what's so funny?" Lyra asked confusedly.

Neko stood back up and wiped some tears from his eyes before turning towards Justin. "My, oh, my! The Guildmaster was right! These ponies are a curious bunch, aren't they?!"

Justin nodded his head in agreement before turning towards Shining with a smile on his face.

Neko then cleared his throat. "You three don't have to worry! He's used to this kind of thing, so he isn't offended in any way! If anything, he's found it more entertaining than insulting!" Then he looked at the helmet beside Justin's right hip and picked it up. "But to answer your question for why he can't speak... he was hit in the head by a cursed blast from the same creature that he got this armor from!"

"Same creature he got his armor from? What... do you mean by that?" Shining asked uneasily.

Neko raised an eyebrow. "You mean you don't know? After killing it, he made this armor out of its remains!"

That statement caused Lyra to spit out the bite of lettuce that she was eating, and instantly, all three of the ponies stared at Justin slack-jawed.

"WHAT?!" they asked in unison.

Neko and Justin looked at each other confusedly before shrugging their shoulders. "What's wrong with that?" Neko asked.

"Um... don't you think that's... I don't know... a little barbaric?" Bon Bon asked.

Neko hummed before shrugging his shoulders. "Honestly, I don't see anything wrong with it! And besides, how else do you think the hunters can inherit some of the powers of the monsters?"

"There's a lot of things wrong with-" Shining began, but paused once the rest of the words sunk in. "Wait... did you say, inherit some of the powers of the monsters?!"

Neko nodded his head and replied, "But of course! If you fight fire with fire, then you would stand more of a chance than if you fought fire with dry grass, right?"

Lyra tilted her head in confusion once more. "So, wait... you mean to tell me that... you made that armor out of a monster?!"

Neko raised his right paw up and corrected, "Not just a monster! The monster that took his voice away!"

Shining, Bon Bon, and Lyra sat there silently for a moment, before Lyra decided to continue. "So... what exactly was that monster?"

Neko looked at Justin who smiled and motioned for him to go on. Then Neko turned towards the three ponies and replied, "He was an Elder Dragon... a monster so powerful, that long ago, people thought him to be a god!" He cleared his throat for a dramatic pause. "They called him... Goldbeard Ceadeus!"

Lyra's eyes widened. "W-wait! You mean... he defeated an Elder Dragon?!"

Bon Bon raised an eyebrow. "But... I thought you said he doesn't fight sentient beings, though!"

Lyra shook her head and turned towards her friend. "Don't forget, Bonnie! The dragons from outside of Equestria are different from the ones we're familiar with seeing!"

Shining Armor nodded his head and smiled. "Well... that kind of power must mean that you're one tough cookie... maybe we could use your help!"

Justin sighed and shook his head with a concerned look on his face, which Neko translated for them. "Sorry, sir... but I'm afraid we're on a tight schedule as is! We're already on an important task, and we can't really delay it for very long."

"Damn it..." Shining cursed beneath his breath; silently so that nobody else could hear him.

Neko, however, caused his ears to perk up. "But maybe we can help afterwards! That is, if you're still in need of this help after a year, or so!"

Lyra's ears also perked up at that statement. "Hey! Do... do you think we can help? Maybe together, our problems can be solved quicker!"

Justin hummed before rubbing his chin in thought. Then he turned to Neko and shrugged his shoulders.

Neko turned to Lyra and asked, "Would you all be okay with wearing the corpses of monsters?"

"What's wrong with the armor we've got on now?" Shining asked in a slightly annoyed tone. "This armor is made of the highest quality metals in Equestria!"

"Are they made of monster parts?" Neko countered.

"N-no... but that doesn't mean it isn't good!"

Neko hummed before moving up to Shining's helmet that was rested next to his waist, and gave it a few taps. Then he nodded his head and replied, "You're right... it wouldn't be useless..."

"See? So that question is-"

"It could make a perfect bowl, or perhaps a plate once smelted! Armor, though? I bet even a Giggi could suck your blood through the metals you're using! What is that? Steel? Gold?"

Shining nodded his head. "Yeah? So?"

Neko shook his head. "I've seen so many amateur hunters wearing things like leather from Bullfangos... and even that stuff is more sturdier than this junk!" He then began to laugh while Shining's face started turning red.

"J-junk?! I'll have you know that Princess Celestia herself wears this kind of armor all the time!"

"Well, she must not have faced the monsters we've faced before!"

"That's because she had limited time to prepare for the things that she faced!"

Neko sighed before shrugging his shoulders. "You know what? How about we test the quality of that equipment, then!"

Shining stood up and glared at the carefree cat. "You got it! What should we do?"

Neko hummed before clapping his paws together. "Is your sword made of the same materials that your armor uses?"

Shining nodded his head and replied, "Yeah! Even better, too!"

"Then show me, please!" Neko demanded.

Shining nodded his head before drawing his longsword from its sheath. Then Neko examined it and chuckled.

"Good heavens! Is that really what you call a weapon nowadays?!" He then laughed before walking towards one of the four huge beds in the room and lifting a small felyne-sized apron from a chest that sat next to it. Then he walked up to Shining again and stretched the apron out. "Here! I want you to strike this apron as hard as you can!"

"Seriously? Dude, that's cloth! It'll just rip through it!" Shining protested.

Neko chuckled before shaking his head. "Rip it, then! I've got plenty more!"

With a shrug, Shining said, "Alright, then. Don't say I didn't warn you, though." Then he lifted the sword up and gripped it with both hands. Afterwards, he let out a battle cry before slicing downwards... and stopping mid-swing, where the blade caught onto the apron, much to his, Lyra's, and Bon Bon's shock. "No way!"

Neko chuckled before shrugging his shoulders. "Try again, if you'd like! I can guarantee that it won't tear at all!"

Shining, out of denial, decided to take up his offer and attempt another swing... then another ten following that.

While panting, he dropped his sword and fell to his knees. "That... is... not... possible..." he complained between breaths. "Have... have we really been that vulnerable to the outside world?!"

Neko shrugged his shoulders before slipping the apron on and picking up Shining's sword. Then he examined it before passing it to Justin. "What do you think, Justin? How do you think they could use that sword?"

Justin thought for a moment before smiling. Then he placed the center of the blade in-between his pointing finger, his middle finger, and his ring finger, with his middle finger over one side of the blade, and his other two fingers over the other halves. Then he straightened his fingers into a straight row, which bent the blade 90 degrees, and caused Shining, Lyra, and Bon Bon to continue staring at him in astonishment.

After bending the blade a little more, Justin finished bending the sword to the point where it was shaped like a triangular flag.

Neko chuckled before nodding his head. "You're right, Justin! They'd be better off waving a white flag, rather than use that kind of weaponry!"

"H-HEY!" Shining complained while Justin placed the "flag" on the ground and stood from his seat. Then he walked towards the bed that Neko got his apron from and leaned next to the chest on the opposite end, before opening it and checking inside it.

After about ten seconds, he came back to the bonfire with a basic, oddly-shaped iron sword and shield and offered them to Shining Armor, who took them hesitantly while nervously looking up at the human that towered over him by about twice his height.

He then looked at the sword and shield and raised an eyebrow. "Um... thanks and all, but... isn't this made of iron?"

Neko nodded his head and replied, "It's iron that came from Moga Village! Considered the hardest grade of iron around!" Then he lifted the bent "flag" sword and smiled. "Don't believe me when I say your things are weak? Here, I want you to chop your super high-quality sword here with that cheap little iron sword!"

Shining shrugged his shoulders before lifting the sword up over his head. Then, with one quick vertical swing, the iron sword cut through the bent steel sword without even the slightest bit of resistance. Needless to say, the result caused him to gasp, drop the iron sword, and fall on his flanks, while Neko burst into laughter.

For several moments, Shining just stared at the iron sword, then at his broken sword handle with incredulous eyes. "H-how?!"

Neko shrugged his shoulders and replied, "Simply put, either your weapons are weak, or our weapons are supreme! Take your pick!"

"I still disagree with both of them..." Shining mumbled.

Lyra, however, was lost in thought. "S-so... from the looks of it, we have no choice but to wear armor made from monsters?"

Justin nodded his head and smiled. Neko then spoke for him. "Despite how barbaric it may seem, we do purify it, so it's not like you'll be wearing the blood! If anything, think of it like using a wig, but with bones, scales, and hide, rather than hair!"

Lyra nodded her head in response. "Okay, then... while it... might take some getting used to... I think we can live with that, so long as it's for a good cause."

Neko chuckled. "Believe me... Monster Hunting isn't some kind of sport, y'know. We hunt large monsters because nobody else will. To ensure their survival, however, a Monster Hunter has to wear special armor forged from the most basic of monsters, and then work their way up, so that they can continue to save those in need without as much a risk as not wearing anything, or wearing something far too weak, even in monster standards!"

Shining looked up at Justin while Neko spoke. "Wait... so you guys hunt monsters... to protect people?"

Justin nodded his head but looked at the bonfire.

Lyra then hummed to herself. "So... you don't take pride in killing the monsters?"

Neko chuckled before shaking his head. "No, we do take pride in it! After all, the monsters are cruel and merciless, despite how cute they may seem at times! And besides that, if we saved someone by killing that monster, then why not smile, knowing we did the right thing?"

Justin cleared his throat, which caught Neko's attention. Then Justin motioned throwing something, and followed that motion by clapping his hands together and leaning his head on top of them with his eyes closed. Neko noticed that motion and nodded his head.

"Of course, there's also the times where we capture monsters, instead! While we don't necessarily kill them, they are eventually neutralized by the Guild. Though barbaric that might seem, it still helps many people in the long run! Sometimes, there's diseases caused by monsters that can only be cured by certain things from certain monsters... and some of that requires the monster to be alive... a 'live specimen', as the scientists call them."

Shining nodded his head and turned to Bon Bon, who was still looking at the bonfire uneasily.

Lyra then decided to ask another question to change the subject and try to find a way to conclude the conversation. "So... if we help you with what you're doing, you'll help us with what we're doing?"

Justin nodded his head and smiled, while Neko replied, "Of course! Who knows? Maybe on our way, we'll be able to help you, even!"

Lyra nodded her head and replied, "Great! Then in that case, we'll help... but, uh... what are you both doing, exactly?"

Neko replied, "Well, right now, we're supposed to head to this place to meet with someone, so we can discuss a monster problem that she's been having, along with her sister... um..." he then turned to Justin. "What was that place's name again?"

Justin sighed before raising his right hand with his fingers rounded out, but parted on the edges in a "C" shape.

Neko nodded his head. "That's right! Thanks, Justin!" Then he turned back to Lyra and smiled. "We're on our way to Canterlot to meet the princesses!"

TO BE CONTINUED

Interlude: Conversations and Conversions!

From the border between the Apple Loosan Grasslands and the Hayseed Swamp, a humble little city rested with several large walls recently built to keep any monsters from the Badlands out... though the conditions of the lower halves of the huge walls made it clear that whatever was beyond there was way out of their control, and if it were attacked much more, the wall wouldn't even be there in the following week. With that knowledge, the military forces stationed around the huge walls were afraid of going anywhere near it, despite the claims of how safe they may be.

Hesitantly, a large squad of one hundred guards were hired to keep a close eye on the other side at all times... but they didn't let anyone out there, unless given permission from the princesses themselves. One time, they tried sending ten guards to keep watch from outside... their screams still filled those that were inside with nightmares. The following morning, nothing was there that remained... no corpses, no armor, nothing. As for whether they were chased out, or eaten whole, nobody cared to try and find out.

About a week ago, they sent three ponies out with plentiful supplies of rations and medicine, but even then, they were told to write down their last rites, since it was clear that they wouldn't last that long out there, anyways. Most of the guards would consider them lucky if they lasted an hour out there, since two of them weren't even fully trained in combat. One of them, however, was the Captain of the Royal Guard in Canterlot, so they still felt that at least they had a slight chance out there... but even the mighty will fall one day... and Princess Luna was a prime example of that one thousand years ago.

Lyra and Neko walked in the front of the line of travelers/hunters, while Shining Armor and Bon Bon walked in the back. Justin, however, was roaming around the area collecting green herbs and blue mushrooms. He knew that he would probably need to find some honey as well, but Snakebees were hard to find around here, so he had to make do with what he had. Perhaps he could find someone willing to help him grow the Snakebee Larvae that were in his pouch... which he had in containers, of course.

While his armor might've been intimidating enough before, he had a huge backpack strapped on him, which rose up several meters above his head and lowered to the bottoms of his thighs. The pack itself, from the looks of it, must've contained several chests where he kept most of his stuff. As such, just the sight of him carrying that large of a pack, and still be able to move freely and unhindered would, without a doubt, turn several heads his way... and make the owners of said heads step as far away from him as possible.

Lyra looked back and forth from Justin to Neko, before finally deciding to break the hour-long silence. "So... what's with the backpack?"

Neko looked up at her, then followed her gaze to Justin, who stood up after collecting the last of the patch of blue mushrooms, and placing it in his mushroom pouch. "According to Princess Celestia, we are needed to stay here for at least a year, or until the creature in her nightmares is vanquished."

Lyra nodded her head then looked forward again. "Have you seen it, before?"

Neko continued walking, but this time, he was silent for a moment. "Um... yes. Yes, we have."

"Did... did you manage to slay it?"

Neko heard Justin sigh behind him, which led to him sighing in response. "If we did, then we wouldn't be coming here in the first place."

Justin nodded his head in agreement to Neko, who continued. "If it weren't for the fact that the Dragonship we used broke down after hunting a Jhen Mohran, we probably would've stopped it, and avoided this mess."

Lyra looked at Justin and noticed that he was no longer looking at the ground, but rather, directly forward, and across the long dirt road that they were walking on. "Sorry... I don't want to offend anyone. Perhaps we should change the subject."

Neko shook his head and smiled at her. "Nya! It's quite alright! Besides, it's been a year since it happened, so it's not like the wounds are fresh!"

Shining's eyes widened. "Wait... it's been a year?!"

Neko looked back at him and nodded his head. "Well, it's been a year since it destroyed Loc Lac last time! This isn't anything new, however, so it's not like we're completely hopeless! I'd say Loc Lac should be about done with its rebuilding and recovery in, say, another month, perhaps?"

Lyra whistled at that statement. "Wow! Humans and Wyvernians sure do work fast!"

Neko chuckled before turning back to her. "Indeed! And while we felynes prefer working the farms, at least we're capable of helping out whenever needed, eh?"

Lyra nodded her head. "Good point." Then she looked up at Justin. "So, by the way... how did you and Justin first meet?"

"Would you like the long story, or the short one?"

"Either one you want. I'm in no rush!"

Neko nodded his head and cleared his throat. "Well, you might not believe this, but I wasn't always a Hunter Companion... or a 'Palico', as most hunters would call it! Beforehand, I was nothing more than a fisherman!"

"Really?!" Lyra asked with widened eyes. "But... you're... um, please don't take offense to this, but... don't cats hate water?"

Neko shrugged his shoulders before replying, "Eh, that's just stereotypical. Some of us hate getting our fur wet, while others quite enjoy it! And I'm sure the same thing can be said about cats, even!"

Bon Bon nodded her head and turned to Lyra. "It's true. I even heard that Roseluck's cat doesn't mind getting wet. She even has to get onto her when she gets in the hanging flowers' wells to drink... and when she falls in it, she just casually floats back to the side, and pulls herself out... then gets back to drinking, even though she's soaked to the core."

Neko chuckled before shaking his head. "Ah, if only I could see that! I'd pay top zenny, then!"

Shining looked at him and asked, "Top what?"

Neko looked back at him confusedly. "Zenny! You know... little golden coins?"

Lyra chuckled before turning towards Shining Armor. "Don't forget, Shiny! Not everyone calls the little golden coins 'bits', y'know!"

Shining's cheeks turned slightly pink out of embarrassment. Looking away from her, he retorted, "Eh, I knew that! Just... testing your knowledge, that's all!"

Lyra rolled her eyes and chuckled. "Right! And I'm the Captain of the Royal Guard!"

Shining's face reddened even more at that statement. "No you aren't! I am!"

Everyone then started to laugh at the angry stallion. "Lighten up, Shiny! You need to take Pinkie Pie's advice, and just smile!"

Neko nodded his head and replied, "I may not know this 'Pinkie Pie' person, but I'd agree with her on that one! Smiling is a good way to ease regrets and troubles... though to be honest, I'd also throw in some Dragon Ale to go with that!"

Justin chuckled before shaking his head.

"Oh, can it, Mr. 'Alcohol Tolerance'! Just because you were able to put a bar out of business by drinking their entire stock, and walking out sober, doesn't make you some sort of god!"

Justin shrugged his shoulders and turned to his right, where he could see Lyra staring ahead with a wide smile on her face. When he followed her gaze, he questioningly grunted, "Huh?" when he saw a huge iron wall that towered over the tallest of trees straight ahead blocking the path. On the bottom of the wall, several burns and claw marks were clearly visible, even from their distance from the wall... which happened to be quite far.

Bon Bon walked in front of him and smiled widely. "Sweet Celestia! We... we actually made it!"

Neko tilted his head in confusion before following her gaze as well. When he saw the giant walls, he lightly chuckled before nodding his head. "Ah, so we did! That's a relief! My paws are killing me, and I'd more than enjoy a nice jug of bourbon to get rid of this ache in my tail, as well!"

Shining Armor quickly looked down, only to realize that his left hoof was on top of Neko's tail. With an embarrassed look on his face, he quickly lifted his hoof up and placed it back down where Neko's tail wasn't at risk for being stepped on. Then he smiled at the gates ahead. "Looks like we don't have to travel that far anymore! Who knows? Maybe they'll even celebrate for us being the first ponies to actually return from there!"

The other ponies of the group nodded their heads while Justin and Neko shrugged their shoulders and continued onwards.

The distant sound of something clicking caused Neko to gasp and jump in front of the group. "Wait! Something isn't right here!"

The group stopped and Shining's ears perked up at the realization. "You're right. Normally, this place would be noisy... you don't think a monster might've gotten inside, do you?" He turned to Lyra and Bon Bon, who each had worried looks on their faces.

Neko shrugged his shoulders before turning to Justin. "You know what to do, big guy."

Justin nodded his head before stepping forward. He continuously turned his head left and right just in case anything out of the ordinary were to show up. Seeing nothing, he decided to continue towards the walls of the city.

"S-sir! There's something on its way here!" a panic-stricken guard said to a knight.

The knight, who was drinking a cup of coffee, spat the contents back into his cup and dropped it. Then he turned towards the guard and replied, "Battle stations, everypony!"

Justin casually walked towards the front gates when the sound of metal sliding on another piece of metal screeched. He looked towards the source and found, what appeared to be, a huge array of cannons pointed directly at him.

He sighed before quickly drawing his sword and holding it directly in front of his body to prepare for impact.

Shining tilted his head in confusion as he saw Justin just standing there with his sword in front of him. "Is he... trying to defend himself from something?"

Neko nodded his head and replied, "Indeed... it would seem that your guards are about to strike at him."

Shining smirked before shaking his head. "Oh, please! These are the most highly trained ponies in all of Equestria! There's no way they would fire out on a whim!"

As if on cue, a loud explosion caught everyone's attention. They turned towards where Justin was... only to find a crater in his place. The ponies' eyes opened widely and their jaws dropped at the sight... but their heads turned up, towards what they assumed to be the source of a loud whistling noise.

Falling from a high velocity was none other than Justin himself with his arms and legs flailing at the size of the fall.

Neko gasped before jumping backwards with his paws outstretched. "Don't worry, pal! I'll catch ya!" About two meters behind him, however, Justin landed face-first into the dirt.

Lyra gasped and rushed up to him with a horrified expression on her face. "SWEET CELESTIA! JUSTIN, ARE YOU ALRIGHT?!"

Justin popped his head out of the dirt and stood up before smirking and looking at her. Then he nodded his head before turning to Neko.

Neko crossed his arms with an amused grin on his face and asked, "So... they fire at you on a whim?"

Justin shrugged his shoulders before nodding his head. This made Neko lightly chuckle before turning towards Shining.

"Looks like 'the most highly trained ponies in all of Equestria' went a little trigger-happy on our hunter friend over here." Then he rubbed his chin in thought before looking at Justin again. "So, what do you think, Justin? Are their defenses good enough for a real monster, or not?"

Justin hummed for a moment before shaking his head left and right. "Very well, then... looks like we'll have to make some suggestions to the princesses once we arrive in Canterlot."

During Justin's and Neko's conversation, Lyra and Bon Bon stood in the background with relieved expressions on their faces at the Monster Hunter's safety. Shining, however, had a glare on his face as he looked towards the city gates. "Damn it! If we can't get through, then how are we going to make it to Canterlot?!"

Neko shrugged his shoulders before suggesting, "Um... we break through these walls?"

Shining's glare quickly focused on Neko. "No way! Out of the question! If we were to break through the walls, then that would leave this place vulnerable for monsters to get in!"

Again Neko shrugged his shoulders. "So we keep the monsters at bay while you get the wall taken care of! Simple!"

Shining groaned before turning around. "Forget it... we'll have to find another way across."

Lyra sighed before grabbing him by his left wrist. "You know he's right, Shiny... there aren't any other gates, anyways! If anything, this could be a chance for us to up our defenses while we're here!"

Neko nodded his head and hopped in front of Shining. "Of course, I meant no disrespect! It's just that you're lucky no monsters were able to see or hear anyone on the other side! If they were to catch a glimpse, I'd say even a simple little jaggi could find its way past your walls... maybe even through them, if your walls were made using the same materials that your armor was made out of!"

Bon Bon raised a confused eyebrow. "Wait... but what about the urgency of going to Canterlot, though? Won't adding more supports to this wall kinda-sorta cause a delay?"

Neko turned to her and smiled. "Indeed it may be so, but like I said before! Being a Monster Hunter means more than simply hunting monsters! It's about helping those who have monster-related problems! I can see you guys need more than just a little help... so, we can afford a few extra nights building up this wall." He shrugged and turned towards Lyra. "Heck, I bet we might even have a chance at hunting some monsters to get you three geared up properly!"

Bon Bon and Shining scratched the backs of their necks in deep thought. Sure enough, after hearing about the powers that these monsters had, second thoughts were starting to build up in their minds about the whole monster hunting idea. Lyra, on the other hand, smiled and nodded her head eagerly, which made Neko chuckle. "Trust me, Mistress Heartstrings! If you truly do wish to become a Monster Hunter, you will surely be rewarded greatly for your efforts... and not just in money, either! And I can guarantee that after your first successful hunt, you will start to feel a sense of accomplishment that you wouldn't be able to feel anywhere else!"

She nodded her head again before replying, "Sounds like something to look into! Of course... I'd have to see the lifestyle of a Monster Hunter a little more, first."

Neko nodded his head and replied, "Understandable! Remember, though! Not all Monster Hunters fight with swords and hammers! Other times, Monster Hunters would fight from a distance, using bows, light bowguns, medium bowguns, and even heavy bowguns!"

Lyra tilted her head at the last three items. "Um... what are bowguns?"

Neko cleared his throat before describing the different ones to her. For a split-second, she almost felt like the two of them were in a classroom with Neko standing on top of a desk with a meter-long ruler in his paws, with the ruler tapping on a chalkboard made out of some kind of ancient-looking khaki-colored stone, or perhaps a tribal kind of concrete.

Neko's Newbie Monster Hunter Guide 101

"Well, to start it all off, a bow would be the best weapon to use mid-range, as they rely on manual muscle power, and what-not! Bowguns, on the other hand, are special automated bows that fire bolts from metallic tubes that are imbued with monster parts to add their elements to the Gunner's shots! The powers from the monster parts, of course, allow the users to remain at an even further distance for their safety!

"The light ones are, as their names imply, lightweight, and are easier to carry, but they pack less of a punch than the medium ones or the heavy ones!

"The medium ones would be a balance between the two.

"The heavy ones, however, are almost as heavy as a greatsword, so you can guarantee that they would be a challenge for ponies to use."

When Neko finished with his description, Lyra blinked a few times and found herself back into reality. She rubbed her chin in thought before smiling and nodding her head. "Thank you for the information, Neko! I... think I may actually try using a bow, first! If I choose to become a Monster Hunter, that is."

Neko nodded his head approvingly. "A wise choice, so long as you know how to dodge effectively!" Justin leaned down and gently patted her on the back, making her slightly blush when she looked up at him. Despite his face being covered by a helmet, she could've sworn she could feel him smiling at her. Neko appeared to notice, also. "And you can count on Justin that you'll be protected, too! After all, it's his job as a Blademaster to protect the Gunners and keep the monsters focused on himself, since the armor that the Gunners use are more lightweight, and as such, flimsier when it comes to defense... physical defense, that is."

Bon Bon scratched the back of her head before asking, "So... if we were to become Monster Hunters, what would someone with a keen eye for detail be best suited for?"

Neko turned towards her and tilted his head in confusion. "Um... eye for detail?"

Lyra cleared her throat and leaned towards Neko to whisper. "She makes candy for a living... and some of the best in Equestria, might I add."

Neko smiled and nodded his head in approval. "Ah, well I've heard of some bakers ending up as the best Bowgunners, then! Perhaps you should try with a light bowgun!"

Shining cleared his throat to get everyone's attention. When they looked at him, his arms were crossed, and an impatient expression adorned his face. "Hate to ruin the mood, but... shouldn't we be thinking about how to get into the town without destroying the walls?"

Neko sighed before shrugging his shoulders. "I kinda figured we already had that one figured out!"

Shining groaned before throwing his arms up in the air. "You know what? Fine, then! If you can at least figure out a way to get past the cannonballs, then by all means! Tear through the gates!"

Neko grinned menacingly before snapping his left claws. Justin nodded his head and gripped onto the handle of his sword. Then, without even giving a fair warning, he made a mad dash out of the shadows of the trees, all while Lyra and Bon Bon stared in amazement at the Monster Hunter. Shining, on the other hand, gasped before reaching his right hand out and shouting, "W-WAIT! I WAS JUST BLUFFING!"

The guards all gasped at the sight of the figure rushing towards the gates at an alarming rate. They turned towards the knight and stuttered, "S-SIR! THAT THING IS HEADED OUR WAY AGAIN! S-SHOULD WE PREPARE THE CANNONS AGAIN?!"

The knight gasped before pushing the nearest guard out of the way and stating, "Let me see, damn it!" As soon as he saw the figure headed their way, however, he frowned, turned towards the guard that he pushed, and slapped the back of his head angrily. "You fool! That's not a monster! It's just a person wearing armor!" He then turned towards another guard who saluted him upon meeting his gaze. "You, there! Let him in at once!"

The guard saluted him again and shouted, "YES, SIR!" before turning around and dashing towards the lever that was used to open the gate.

As soon as Justin was close enough to the gate, he drew his sword and sliced a large portion of the gate all the way down to the ground like butter... and mere seconds afterwards, the gates slowly began to open up.

The ponies that were in the center of the road stared in mixed expressions of awe, fear, and confusion, as a large chunk of the lower portion of one of the gates was split in a triangular shape, with the outer half of a massive sword plummeted into the ground. The gates opened shortly afterwards, while the behemoth that towered over the ponies by at least half their size stood there with his expression hidden by his helmet.

The guards from inside the walls quickly rushed out of the doorways with spears held high, and pointed towards the "monster".

"HALT! YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO REMAIN SILENT! ANYTHING YOU SAY CAN AND WILL BE USED AGAINST YOU IN THE CANTERLOT THRONE ROOM!" one of the guards shouted at the top of his lungs, though his expression appeared to reveal, like everypony else, that he was frightened at the creature before him.

Justin stood there confusedly before turning towards the rest of the group. As he did, the guards' eyes followed him, only to widen when they saw the same ponies that left for The Badlands earlier that week. They also noticed Neko amongst the group, but thought nothing of him, as their eyes were focused on the enraged Unicorn stallion that was giving them all the "Death Glare".

"C-Captain?! You're alive?!"

Shining stepped in-between Justin and the guards before growling, "You fools! Do you all realize that you just endangered, not only myself or our Monster Hunter here, but also a pair of innocent mares?! IMAGINE IF ANY OF US WERE THERE WITH HIM WHEN THOSE CANNONS WERE FIRED!"

While Shining shouted at the guards, Lyra and Bon Bon looked worriedly at him before turning to Justin, who simply stood there rubbing the back of his head, clearly feeling a little uneasy about the situation.

Neko, however, glared at him and jumped in-between the guards and their captain. "Hey, now! They were just doing their jobs! And besides, I'm certain they would've held their fire should they have seen you and the other ponies!" He turned around and looked at the guards, who all were staring at him in disbelief. "Am I right?"

The guards took a few moments to process what was going on. Then, from out of nowhere, a guard in the background asked, "Is that a talking cat?!"

Neko's ears twitched at that remark. He crossed his forepaws, closed his eyes, and angrily furrowed his brows while forcing a fang-filled smile on his lips. Then he shrugged his shoulders, looked at Shining, and commented, "Never mind. Shiny, please teach these idiots a lesson before I get Justin to."

Shining deadpanned at Neko before retorting, "I planned to anyways..." he looked at the guards again and shouted, "TO THE BARRACKS, ON THE DOUBLE!" The guards saluted and, in the blink of an eye, dashed towards a distant fenced-in building... save for one. Shining looked at the knight who stood there, but also noticed that he was dressed differently than the rest. Instead of white armor with golden trimmings, this one wore golden armor with white trimmings.

"Is there a problem, Knight?" Shining asked before walking towards the knight who stood there with a serious expression on his face.

The knight turned towards Shining and replied, "I am the Five-Star General of the Celestial Elite Guards, General Golden Wing. I am on a separate branch from the ones that are under your command, Captain. My orders can only come from Princess Celestia herself, only. No exceptions, unless I were personally informed by her, otherwise." Then he leaned forward and squinted his eyes at Shining before countering, "Is that a problem, Captain?"

Any and all frustrations that Shining held were instantly wiped out from this unexpected visitor. This was no mere rookie, but one of the highest in rank; a personal escort of Princess Celestia, and one of her first to turn to at a time of war.

Shining gulped before backing up to the group once again. Then he shook his head left and right, but couldn't say anything.

Golden then looked up at Justin and glared even more. "I do not know who you are, nor do I know what you are. Regardless, though, we have our own laws here, and you have already broken two. Vandalism, and Endangerment of Pony Lives. You five will come with me to the dungeons, or I will be left with no choice but to use force."

"WHAT?!" the ponies all asked in unison.

Shining stepped forward again before adding, "You can't do that! We were-"

Golden glared daggers at him before retorting, "I already did. Now, come quietly! This is your last warning!"

Everyone went silent. Then Neko shrugged his shoulders before hopping onto Justin's shoulders and saying, "Very well, then. We mean you no trouble, so lead on."

With worried and saddened expressions on their faces, the group followed Golden up to the dungeons on the other side of the town.

"YOU'RE MAKING A HUGE MISTAKE, PAL!" Shining shouted as he gripped onto the metal bars. He growled and let go after noticing tht the jailer wasn't even paying attention to him.

Lyra and Bon Bon were too busy looking at the Monster Hunter, who was casually lying down on the bed near the wall with the barred window. This was the first time that they saw him out of his armor, and just the sight of his muscles sent shivers down their spines.

He was wearing dark blue shorts similar to boxers, and a dark blue sleeveless shirt that simply covered his chest, while keeping his stomach exposed. The way how the patterns on the undergarments looked made him give a slight "tribal" vibe to those who were looking. His muscles, though, were very well toned, and his stomach held a six-pack. Even his legs were well-toned.

An hour before they were sent into the cell, even Shining Armor caught a glimpse of his muscles for the first time. Needless to say, he was beyond jealous. Perhaps his reaction to seeing the hunter out of his armor was the only source of entertainment that the mares were going to have for a while.

Neko, rather than lie down or sit down, stood in the darkest corner of the cell with his back leaned on the wall. His forepaws were crossed, and his eyes were closed. He was lost in thought.

"Well... looks like we won't have a chance to go to Canterlot until Princess Celestia herself gets here to straighten things out." Shining groaned before walking to his own bed and sitting on it. "Could this day get any worse?!"

Neko's left ear twitched and his eyes opened widely. His jaw dropped, his head turned to the left, and he gasped, before rushing towards the window and leaping up, grabbing the handlebars once they were within his reach. Then he looked towards the distant forest before growling.

Lyra, Bon Bon, and Justin all walked up to him while Shining merely turned to face him. "What is it?" Lyra asked with a slight hint of worry in her voice.

Neko turned towards them before replying, "Trouble, I'm afraid... I can sense a monster headed this way!"

Shining gasped before rushing up to the window and looking through it. Sure enough, there were multiple guards rushing towards the gates while the traveling merchants and the few civilians that stayed there prior to the invasions began running away from the broken gates.

"A m-m-monster?! W-what kind of monster is it?!" Lyra shrieked before backing away from the window.

Neko leaped from the window and placed his ears on the ground. Justin knelt to the ground and felt the floor with his hands. The two of them felt a very feint vibration, but it was clear enough to the two of them just what it was. They looked at each other and nodded their heads before turning towards the curious ponies.

"It's one of the monsters that are used to test the potential of all of the new Monster Hunters... a Rathian."

Outside the city walls a huge line of soldiers stood with their tower shields in front to form a simple barrier. Their spears were all pointed towards the entrance while the echoes of a distant roar sounded through the air. In front of the guards was none other than General Golden Wing with his longsword and kiteshield drawn.

He looked at the solders before turning back to the gate. "SOLDERS! WE ARE ABOUT TO FACE A THREAT UNLIKE ANY WE'VE SEEN BEFORE... BUT I KNOW WE CAN HANDLE THIS! TODAY, WE ARE GOING TO SHOW THIS THREAT THAT WE ARE MORE THAN JUST SOLDIERS! WE ARE PRINCESS CELESTIA'S HAND-PICKED ELITES CHOSEN TO KEEP THE THREAT OUT OF THESE SACRED LANDS!" The soldiers, despite the fear showing on their faces, nodded their heads and eyed the gate warily. "I AM SURE THAT SOME OF US MAY FALL TODAY... BUT WITH ENOUGH STRATEGY, WE SHALL OVERCOME THIS THREAT WITH MINIMUM CASUALTIES!"

Shining glared at the soldiers that were, without a doubt, about to walk themselves into their own graves. He firmly gripped the iron bars and gritted his teeth. "Damn it! Those idiots are going to get themselves KILLED!" He punched the wall and hissed in slight pain as his right knuckles started to bleed from the impact. Regardless, though, he was mostly breathing heavily out of frustration, with his teeth firmly clenched together.

Lyra and Bon Bon covered their mouths out of fear before turning towards Justin and Neko. "P-please tell us he's wrong! There's... there's nothing too dangerous about this Rathian... is there?"

Neko sighed before shaking his head. "To a Monster Hunter, no... at least, not this one... but there's a reason why our people call them the Queens of the Land. If you aren't a Monster Hunter... then you better run while you can... even if the odds of your survival would be zeroed out."

Shining's pupils shrunk into pinpricks at that comment. Then he turned towards the jailor... only to find that he wasn't there. When he heard the back door slam shut, it was clear what just happened... the jailor ran away... with the keys, no less! Apparently, everyone else heard it, too, because Bon Bon let out a loud groan.

"Oh, fantastic! It looks like the jailor bailed out on us already!" she complained before walking up to the bars that separated their cell from the room and gripping onto them. Then she started shaking them two at a time to find any loose ones.

Shining sighed before falling onto his bed and gripping his forehead with both hands frustratedly. "Great... so we're stuck in here until that 'Rathian' thing shows up and eats us all!"

The sound of another roar broke their conversation short... but this time, the roar was closer.

The soldiers ducked beneath their raised shields and braced themselves for battle. Golden growled before backing up behind the center of the shield wall, though his weapon was still drawn, and his shield was raised. Archers with metal-embroidered wooden bows aimed several arrows at the gate, and multiple unicorn guards had their horns glowing brightly, with battle staffs in their hands to enhance their spells' accuracy.

Due to the magic barrier around the city that kept them hidden from anything beyond the walls, they couldn't see anything, despite being able to hear everything. There was a loud quake, followed by the sound of a large creature growling in slight pain. Then, from the cracked lower half of the gate, a large portion of dust blew through it, with a loud quake following it. Through the dust, the soldiers could see the shadow of a figure that towered over the gate by at least twice its size.

Golden tightened his grip on his sword and shield once the shadow got even darker. Then, from the shadow, he could see a glowing red eye looking directly at him. The pupil dilated in a cat-like fashion before lifting out of sight.

The guards heard the sound of wings flapping, but stood their ground. The sound started to get even more distant, though, which made some of the guards drop their defenses a little. One of them even asked, "Is... is it running away?"

Golden turned to the guards at the left and right and ordered, "Left and Right! Space yourselves slowly! Then, if it shows up again, flank-" Before he could finish his sentence, the monster roared again, and caused all heads to turn to the gate.

In the blink of an eye, the green-scaled Wyvern rammed its claws into the gate, sending both of the large iron doors flying into the city, and even crushing several of the guards who were unfortunate enough to be in their paths. When the Rathian landed, the gust of wind from its weight blew several more guards back, and caused them to tumble on the ground... one of which was Golden Wing, himself.

He quickly regained his footing, pointed his sword at the Rathian, and shouted, "ATTACK!" The guards let out a battle cry as they ran to the Rathian with their spears in front of them. Due to the thickness of the Rathian's scales, though, all of their weapons just bounced off without even denting the Rathian's flesh below its belly.

The Rathian retaliated by stretching its wings out, which sent even more guards flying away. Then it bent its tail towards its right wing and spun it through the guards that were too close to it. Several of those guards' wounds turned a sickening purple color, and their mouths started to foam up.

From inside the jail cell, Shining gasped at the sight before him. The Rathian was definitely not what he expected it to be... it was far worse.

"Damn it! They're dying out there! We... we have to do something!" He turned to Neko before asking, "Neko, can you and Justin deal with this thing, while I take Lyra and Bon Bon out of the city?"

Neko nodded his head and replied, "Good idea. We'll just have to figure out where they took our equipment first, though."

Shining hummed before looking out the window again. "If I remember correctly, I think they were taking your equipment to the Barracks to go through it... but I doubt if they would've taken anything, considering where most of the stuff came from."

Neko nodded his head and turned to Justin. "Very well, then! Justin... please do the honors!"

"WAIT!" a feminine voice called out. Neko, Justin, Bon Bon, and Shining turned towards Lyra, who had a nervous, yet determined expression on her face.

Shining walked closer to her and asked, "Lyra? What's wrong?"

Lyra took a deep breath before replying, "I... I want to help! Justin, Neko, do you both have anything that I could use to help you both with this thing? A spare bow, perhaps? M-maybe some basic equipment?"

Neko and Justin rubbed their chins in thought, but while they were doing so, Shining glared at her and shook his head. "Out of the question, Lyra! You'll get yourself killed if you fight that thing! I will not stand by and let-" His words were instantly cut off once she slapped him across the face. That action caused Bon Bon and Shining to stare at her in shock, while Shining pressed his hand on his red cheek. Justin and Neko, however, were so lost in thought that they didn't even notice... or if they did, they didn't seem to react to it.

Lyra's glare intensified as she stared Shining Armor down with tears forming in her eyes. "Now look here, Shiny! I did not intend on you coming here with us in the first place! In fact, if you weren't married to one of my best friends who, might I add, personally hand-picked me to be one of her bridesmaids, I would've done that ages ago! All I've been hearing from you were nothing but complaints, arguments, and stubborn pride! It took all of my willpower to avoid doing something worse to you, so consider the slap a blessing! Now, you will either stop with this nonsense and actually help us, or you can just take the next train back to The Frozen North, and explain to your wife why you weren't able to protect her friend, or the kingdom that her sister-in-law, and your sister, happens to live in!"

Shining and Bon Bon just stood there dumbfounded and at a loss for words. None of them could believe that Lyra of all people just retaliated like that. Shining couldn't believe that one (somewhat) ordinary mare actually did something bolder than any of his soldiers would ever thinkof doing. Bon Bon couldn't believe that her best friend actually stood up to someone like that, when usually it was her who stood up for her friends.

Neko, having come up with a decision, looked at Justin for approval. Justin nodded his head with a smile before they both turned towards the tree ponies in the room, oblivious to the events that just took place. "Well, I did bring my portable forge with me, so I don't see anything wrong with forging something out of the materials that we have... but are you sure you're up for this?"

Lyra nodded her head and walked past Shining and Bon Bon without even looking at them. "I'm positive! I don't want to sit idly by and watch Equestria burn! Just as long as you've got my back!"

Neko chuckled and nodded his head. "Very well, then! You can come, and we'll cover you." He turned towards Justin and pointed at the wall. "Justin... do the honors, please!"

Justin nodded his head, turned to the wall, backed up a few steps, then charged at the wall, while Bon Bon tilted her head in confusion. "Um... that wall's made of stone!"

As soon as she finished her sentence, Justin dashed through the wall and left a huge open chunk for everyone to step out of. Lyra grinned mischievously at her friend before asking, "Uh-huh... and he's a Monster Hunter! You got a point?"

Bon Bon couldn't help but smirk at her friend's remark. Then she turned to Shining, who was still just staring at Lyra blankly as she followed Neko and Justin out of the jail cell. Bon Bon then tried to put on a serious frown as she walked up to Shining... and slapped him on the other cheek.

He rubbed his other red cheek and stared wide-eyed at Bon Bon, while she raised her right pointing finger at him, poked him in the chest, and inched closer to his face with a disgusted look on her face. "You... you made Lyra cry! Shame on you!" Then she turned towards the hole in the wall and ran to the others. "Hey, guys! Wait up! I want to help, too!"

Shining just stood there with his hand on his cheek. He stared at the opening in disbelief. "W-what... what just happened?" He then sighed before sitting on his bed again, rubbing his forehead in thought. "Oh, what would Twily do if she were in this situation?"

After a long moment, he heard the Rathian roar in the background. Then he groaned and stood back up. "Ugh... I know I'm going to be chewed out for this one." Without another moment to spare, he made a mad dash through the hole in the wall.

Golden wheezed heavily as the wind was knocked out of his system by the Rathian's left wing. Regardless, though, he stood up and ran around the Rathian in hopes of sneaking up on it while it was distracted with the other guards.

Eventually, most of the guards were knocked away and/or killed, until only five remained; three spear users and two mages. Golden Wing was almost completely behind the beast to try striking at its tail. He removed his helmet and wiped the blood from his brow before increasing his speed.

The Rathian, however, noticed him moving towards it and lowered its left wing on the ground. When Golden was close enough, it used its wing to propel him into the air while also disarming him of his sword and shield. Then it opened its mouth to eat him while he yelled out of sheer terror.

One of the spear users noticed right away and leaped onto the Rathian's back with the handle of his spear pointed outwards. Then he knocked Golden out of the Rathian's path while the Rathian growled, flailed its wing to get the guard off of its back, and swallowed him whole once he started to fly up.

Golden landed with a tumbling thud before weakly looking ahead at the monster before him. The Rathian roared and dislodged something from its throat. When Golden noticed what it was, he crawled backwards in sheer terror... it was the skull of the guard that just saved his life. Somehow, his flesh was completely peeled from his bones instantly upon entering the beast's throat.

The Rathian turned towards the remaining four guards who stood in a close formation within a shield bubble. The Rathian raised its right talon and stomped on top of the bubble, which caused the unicorns inside it to scream in agony as the sheer power of the monster hitting their spell damaged their brains. Their noses and mouths dripped with blood, and the shield bubble weakened. One last stomp, and the shields broke completely. The guards screamed for a split second before being flattened by the Rathian's claw.

The Rathian removed its claw from the corpses before lowering its head and eating them whole. Then its predatory eyes focused on Golden Wing, who frantically tried to back up. The Rathian, however, let out a loud roar, which sent Golden flying back a couple more spaces. Then his eyes widened as he saw fire starting to form inside the Rathian's mouth. It raised it head up to inhale oxygen, then quickly lowered its head while facing Golden. Then, at an alarming speed, a huge fireball flew towards him. When it landed, a huge dust pile filled the area where he lied.

As soon as the dust cleared, Golden opened his eyes, only to find a unicorn stallion wearing "strange white and blue armor", who was carrying a "similar colored lance and shield". The size of the lance appeared to be too big for the stallion, yet he held it without even the slightest signs of strain.

When the dust cleared, Golden's eyes widened in shock at who it was that just saved his life... it was none other than Shining Armor, himself.

Shining glared at the Rathian before pointing the lance at it. "Hey, Rathian!" His glare intensified and he angled the lance towards the Rathian's chest. "You picked the wrong kingdom, you Royal Bitch!" he spat before dashing towards the Rathian while letting out a battle cry. The Rathian, in turn, started dashing towards him.

From the Rathian's right side, a Flash Bomb went off, and caused it to stop abruptly and roar out of mild pain. Then the tip of the lance found its way onto the Rathian's chest and pierced it enough for the Rathian to topple over. Shining then proceeded to stab at the wound while it tried to regain its footing. When it did, it roared loud enough to knock Shining back a couple steps. Then it tried to take off, but was knocked to the ground level again by a swarm of arrows that pierced into its wings. When Shining turned towards the source of the arrows, he smiled when he saw Lyra wearing "lightweight green armor", and holding a "foldable bow made of bone and metal" in her hands, aimed at the Rathian. She ran to where she could get a clear shot at the Rathian's chest and began firing multiple shots at a time while Shining resumed stabbing at the Rathian with his lance.

Finally, once the Rathian was up again, it used its wing to push Shining back before turning towards Lyra. Lyra then noticed it inhaling for another breath of fire and quickly rolled to her left. When the fireball blasted, it missed her by a meter and flew right past her.

Golden flinched as the fireball missed him by a foot and flew into a large rock, which was then shattered upon the impact. He gasped at the realization of how strong this thing truly was, and then grew curious on how Shining was able to block a shot like that. His attention was drawn back to the battle.

Lyra began circling the Rathian while continuously firing her bow at it. She then noticed the Rathian's tail turning, which was a sign it was about to spin... but then she noticed that she was cornered by a building behind her, and would more than likely take a hit. Therefore, she crouched slightly in hopes that she would at least be able to roll beneath the tail.

When the tail was on a collision course for her, she braced herself, only for a decent-sized dart to fly past her and land onto the Rathian's tail. Upon impact, the dart burst through the Rathian's tail, and split into a swarm of blades that managed to cut its tail clean off. The tail flew past Lyra and stuck into the wall of the house behind her while the Rathian roared in pain and stepped away from the house while staring at its tail in shock.

Lyra used this free moment to run away from the corner she was in, turn her head towards the source of the dart, then smile and wave at the one who kept her from becoming victim of the Rathian's poisonous tail.

From on top of a flat-roofed house, Bon Bon gave Lyra a thumbs-up while reloading her "Hunter's Rifle". She was wearing a "purple and metal set of lightweight armor". She slung her rifle over her back and jumped from the roof before landing with a roll. Slightly surprised at how she was able to even land a fall like that, she grinned before drawing her rifle again and firing at the Rathian from a safe distance.

The Rathian continuously tried to strike at the three ponies, but they were far more coordinated than the others, and their lack of size made it even more difficult for it to strike at them. Finally, seeing that it wouldn't be able to win on the ground, the Rathian let out a loud roar which filled the entire town and caused the ponies to cover their ears. Then it spread its wings and took off into the air while Lyra and Bon Bon continued trying to fire at it. Unfortunately, though, while they were able to land a few hits, the Rathian was showing no signs of weakness from their shots. Then it flew in a circle around the town with its eyes dead-set on Lyra and Shining Armor. Bon Bon joined her friends and readied her rifle while Lyra drew more arrows in anticipation at the Rathian's upcoming sweep. Shining raised his shield and his lance to keep the mares behind him safe.

Finally, once the Rathian found a clear path, it charged towards the three ponies at an alarming speed. Bon Bon and Lyra fired their shots, but found them to be ineffective. They all braced for impact, almost completely oblivious to the sound of loud footsteps behind them, or the felyne that popped out of the dirt behind them with his hind paws crouched, and his forepaws pressed together in a "lifting" manner.

Lyra, however, caught the sounds and turned, only to gasp when she saw Justin rushing towards them head-on. Then, once he stepped on Neko's forepaws, she started to wonder about the felyne's strength, as she saw Neko toss Justin over their heads, and towards the Rathian.

In midair, Justin drew both of his knives from the back of his belt and pierced them through the Rathian's back before pulling backwards on them. The results caused the Rathian to roar loudly while flying up slightly enough to where the only thing that hit the group was nothing more than the wind from the Rathian's wings... though that was still strong enough to send them flying back a little. Neko, however, had his paws firmly planted into the ground, so he wasn't blown back as much. Shining, due to the weight of his armor, didn't fly back, either. The group of "future hunters" just stared in awe as the Rathian took flight with the Monster Hunter clinging onto its back and hacking away with his Carving Knife.

Lyra appeared to be the one who was most fascinated by it, though.

From the distance, the citizens also stared in wonder and amazement at the individual who was boldly taking on the monster head-to-head.

Finally, once the Rathian was too wounded to fly any more, it tumbled to the ground and started spinning rapidly. Regardless, though, Justin still held his grip and continued to stab away at the Rathian's back.

Then Justin noticed a crack on the Rathian's forehead. He had a plan that could end this quickly. He decided to take the bold move and pull his knives from the Rathian's back. The Rathian used that moment to its advantage and flung him into the air, while he firmly gripped onto the handle of his greatsword. Then, while he fell down, the Rathian raised its head up and opened its mouth to eat the Monster Hunter, only for his sword to clash onto its forehead and bring its head down with it.

As soon as he landed, the sword pierced through the Rathian's skull and planted it into the dirt. Its body started convulsing rapidly and its wings flapped wildly for several seconds. Then its eyes stopped glowing, its wings fell limp, and its body collapsed onto the floor, motionless.

Neko, Lyra, Bon Bon, and Shining Armor ran up to the fallen Rathian, only to stop when they saw Justin holding onto the sword that was still attached to the Rathian's skull. When he pulled his sword out of it, he slammed the tip of the blade on the ground a couple times to get the blood off, before pressing the button on the blade that made it fold slightly. Then he sheathed it on his back again and waved at the ponies who helped him hunt this thing.

The group walked closer, but were still focused on the Rathian. Finally, Shining was the first to speak.

"I don't believe it..."

Lyra finished his sentence for him. "We... we actually did it?!"

Neko chuckled and hopped up onto Justin's shoulders. "Okay, I would like to make one thing clear, before we all get ahead of ourselves!"

The group looked up at him, only to find that he had a huge grin on his face. "You three did exceptionally well for your first hunt... and lucky for you, I happen to also be a 'Trainee Guild Representative'... and I'd like to say you three have more than enough potential!" He pointed at the Rathian's corpse and continued, "What you three have just done was a small taste of the excitement that you will be facing, and the rewards that you have earned are mere fractions of what you could earn!" Then he hopped onto the ground and held his right forepaw out. "So, I would like to ask you this..." he leaned closer to them and asked, "would you three like to become official Monster Hunters? Admission is free, and the tasks you are offered can be delayed or passed to someone else, should it be too difficult for you to handle!"

Lyra, Bon Bon, and Shining stared at him with wide eyes. Sure enough, their heart rates were still full of adrenaline... but neither of them could deny that it did feel rather good. Lyra, of course, was the first one to reply. Her response was to lift Neko into the air and give him a bear-hug, which made him let out a cat-like meow out of surprise. "YES-YES-YES-YES-YES-YES-YES!" she shouted while spinning the felyne in the air. When she released him, his fur was ruffled up, and he was staring blankly at her in a trance.

Then he shook the dizziness out of his brain and looked at Shining and Bon Bon. "Well... that was a first... regardless, though, what say you two? Um... please no hugging, though."

Bon Bon giggled before kneeling to his level while stretching her right hand out. "Neko... you've got yourself a deal!" She shook his paw before turning to Shining, who had a blank expression on his face.

Then he sighed before rubbing the bridge between his eyes. "Well... I was assigned to keep these two safe, so it looks like I'm in, as well." He weakly smiled before reaching his right hand out for Neko. Then, once they shook hands/paws, they were interrupted from the sound of hoof steps headed their way. When they turned around, they noticed Golden Wing headed towards them with an infuriated glare on his face.

A pair of surviving guards with bent spears and battered armor followed him with their spears held towards the hunters. "YOU FIVE! I HAVE HALF A MIND TO STRIKE YOU ALL DOWN WHERE YOU STAND! DO YOU EVEN REALIZE WHAT YOU HAVE DONE?!"

The Monster Hunters tilted their heads in confusion... except for Shining. They both glared at each other while Shining stepped forward. "What we have done is we saved your sorry hide!"

Golden growled before retorting, "IF YOU HAVEN'T BROKEN THAT GATE, THEN THAT DAMN THING WOULDN'T HAVE BROKEN INSIDE!"

Shining leaned closer to the enraged General and growled back. "AND IF YOUR DAMN GUARDS DIDN'T FIRE AT US, WE WOULDN'T HAVE HAD TO EVEN DO THAT!"

Golden gasped before raising his bent sword in the air. "HOW DARE YOU?! HAVE YOU FORGOTTEN WHO YOU'RE DEALING WITH?!"

Shining gripped the tip of the sword and bent it backwards, which caught Golden's attention. Then Golden looked at Shining with bewilderment before Shining countered his question. "And have you not even realized who you're dealing with?!"

Golden growled before retorting, "I told you I DO NOT CARE! My orders were to-"

"Keep this town safe? Wait for the Monster Hunters to get here?" Shining finished for him.

Golden's eyes slightly widened at that last comment. "How do you know about that?!"

Shining sighed and planted his face in his right palm before deadpanning at Golden. Then he threw his hands into the air and shouted, "ARE YOU SERIOUS?! YOU SEE A DEAD MONSTER BEHIND US, AND YOU STILL HAVEN'T FIGURED IT OUT?! WHO THE BUCK DO YOU THINK WE ARE?! WE ARE THOSE MONSTER HUNTERS, YOU DIMWIT!"

For the first time since they've been there, Golden's eyes shrunk into pinpricks towards Shining Armor. He shakily raised his hand and pointed at them. "W-wait... YOU'RE the Monster Hunters?!"

Shining growled, "That's right... and now, I have half a mind to report your foolish actions to Princess Celestia the second we see her!"

Golden backed up a couple steps with a worried expression on his face. Shining, however, closed the space quickly, while the guards beside Golden backed away after dropping their spears. "Now, if I were you, I would start writing letters to the families of the soldiers that died while under your command! Then, I would start looking for a new job, because quite frankly, this one isn't going to last that long," he leaned up to Golden's face and venomously asked, "is that understood?!"

Golden weakly nodded his head and gulped before replying, "Y-yes, sir!"

Shining backed up again before concluding, "THEN WHAT THE TARTARUS ARE YOU WAITING FOR, AN INVITATION?! GET THE BUCK OUT OF MY SIGHT, YOU FILTHY MAGGOT!" He slammed the lower half of his shield onto the ground, which left a small crater where it landed. The impact caused the guards and the general to run away with their tails tucked between their legs.

Shining breathed heavily for a few moments until Bon Bon walked up to him with a small grin on her face. "So... how did that feel, exactly?"

Shining took another deep breath before turning towards his friends. "Surprisingly... pretty good, actually."

Neko clapped his paws together before nodding his head. "Well, now that that's out of the way, why don't we get your first few lessons out of the way? These will be quite essential to your careers as Monster Hunters!"

The ponies turned to him and eyed him curiously. "Um... sure! So, what lesson is this one going to be?"

Neko turned to Justin, who nodded his head and drew one of his knives from the back of his belt. He then handed it to Lyra, who eyed it and Justin curiously while he led her towards the Rathian's corpse. Then she and the other newbies stared at Neko in disbelief after he gave them the answer to what they were going to learn.

"How to carve a monster!"

Shining's and Bon Bon's jaws dropped at that statement. Their faces began to turn green, as the realization hit them... apparently, Monster Hunters had to carve most of the resources from the monsters that they hunted. They turned to Neko, and said the same thing at the same time.

"WHAT?!"

TO BE CONTINUED

Author's Note

At long last, the update has arrived! :rainbowlaugh:

This time, I've decided to add an "Ending Theme"! If you middle-click the words "TO BE CONTINUED", or hold CTRL and left-click it, you'll open a new tab that will open a YouTube page, and take you to the song.

I'm sure if you've been a Brony for a while, you'll already know what that song is! Why did I choose it, though? If you've been a fan of Monster Hunter, you'll also recognize the music in the background, as well! Here's the song that I used for this story's ending theme! (Note that I did not make this, nor am I the poster of the video!)

Now, beneath the squeaking and the "YEAH!"s, you'll hear a flute-like song in the background. Listen to this theme song, and you might be in for an unexpected surprise! (Again, I didn't make, nor post this!) :raritywink:

On another note, some might've found this chapter to be a little on the "Dark" side. I'd like to go on ahead and say that these kinds of situations will be rare, and the tone of the story will actually be a little on the brighter side, with the "Dark" tag being there mostly for the use of "Carving" and "Death" to the monsters.

UPDATE: 3/25/2015 A cool cat/possible fellow Monster Hunter named "Joseph7" made a comment that pointed us to yet another video, revealing the origin of that song... which would also happen to be the song itself!

Props to you, my friend, for pointing that out! :twilightsmile: