Zap And Screecher

Zap quickly flew outside heading towards the village while Screecher followed behind. Once the two reached the village, Zap hovered over flapping his wings rapidly creating a small hurricane.  The surviving villagers held on to the ground as tight as they could hoping they wouldn't get caught in the wind.  After a short two minutes Zap finally put out the fires through out the village.  He panted slowly hovering down before he fell landing on his back as his wings were quite sore from previous flights.  Screecher walked over looking down at him.

"Maybe you should take a break from flying ok?"

Zap placed his hoof over his forehead shaking his head, slowly getting back on hooves.  Just right after he had gotten back up, the villagers started cheering for him. Some of the villagers shouted out "Our Hero" at him.  Zap looked at the villagers his ears were raised straight up slowly smiled as he was getting the feeling of satisfaction.  One of them walked over towards him, it was a young mare earth pony she held a medium size brown bag in her mouth.  At the moment she stopped she gently laid the bag in between them.  Zap didn't pay no attention to the bag she dropped instead he pay his attention to the mare.  His heart was beating faster then normal, his eyes thinned as if he just met a goddess.  It was at that moment that Zap for the first time, he was in love.  The mare slowly bowed to him before speaking.

"Thank you so much for saving us and our village.  As a reward for your heroism, here is a bag filled with Lightning shards.  I know how much they'll be of use to a Lightning warrior such as you."

Screecher looked at Zap noticing that he was staring at her as if he saw something looked so amazing and wondrous.  He even noticed his wings were slowly expanding; he quickly reacted hopped on his back using his whip to tie up his wings around his waist tightly.  He tried to get him back to his senses but it was too late the mare slowly stood back up looked at Zap noticing his expression before forming an awkward expression.

"U-Uuh... I-Is he... o-okay?"

"Who Zap? Yeah he just uh... so excited that he's... speechless."

"U-Uh, Sir Zap?"

She whistled at him before Zap managed to get back to his senses.  He stared at her smiling awkwardly as he scratched his head.  The mare smiled awkwardly back before clearing her throat.

"A-Anyway, we're really grateful you showed up.  You see, ever since the village elder Cyrus disappeared.   That... m-monster came and attacked our village."

Screecher gulped to the word “monster”.

"A m-monster?"

"A monster that is able to breathe both fire and lightning of its choosing, a head, neck, wings and tail of a dragon and a body of a pony.  We called it Zyris.  It attacked our village just a few moments ago it wasn't that long luckily. But I fear that this isn't the last we'll see of it."

Screecher gulped scratching the back of his skull with an extremely nervous and frightened expression.

"W-Well h-how big is it?"

"The monster is about maybe fifty meters tall I'm not for sure but it’s awfully massive."

Screecher's eyes began to widen as his body started shivering in fear.

"But with you guys around I'm sure you can save our village from the terrible wrath of Zyris, right?"

"Y-Yea sure… we will... maybe in about the next day, next week, next month, or maybe next year. Or maybe... NEVER!  There is no way that we're going face something that darn big, ever!  Are we?"

He looked at Zap while he was in thought.  He looked at Screecher then turned his attention towards the mare.  He formed a smile at her before nodding. Screecher jaw dropped as he fainted.  The mare gasped smiling at him.

"R-Really? You'll help our village rid that monster for good?"

He nodded. The mare stomped the ground in joy

.

"This is great!  There may be hope for all of us after all, now that we know their still is a lightning warrior around.  Now I got to go treat injured ponies.  Oh and the name is Life Saver, I'll be seeing you around Zap."

She winked at him before she trotted around the village attending the injured.  Zap blinked having his jaw faintly dropped, eyes twitched.  Screecher slowly woke back up snapping at him.

"What the heck was that about? Is it really worth our lives just win a heart of some mare?"

Zap frowned down at him shaking his head.

"Then what reason was it!?"

Zap let out a sigh before digging under his tunic pulling out a necklace as there was a small sapphire carved into a shape of a lightning.

"W-Wait… didn't your dad give you that before…"

Zap’s ears folded down, his expression slowly formed into depression as he lowered his head down facing the dirt.  Screecher stood up sighing before gently patting his head.

"Hey come on Zap… I'm sorry, I didn't realize you wanted to be… like your old man…"

Zap sighed slowly raised his head back up and stared down at Screecher.

"Come on; let’s go back to Tinker and your uncle."

Zap nodded folding his whip before strapping it back to his side.  Screecher hopped back on his shoulders as Zap took off.  They returned to Cyrus's hut, his uncle and Tinker looked at them as Tinker clopped her hooves.

"Congratulations, you guys stopped the fire and save the villagers."

"Good work my boy, but it’s far from over.  That monster that attacked the village is certainly not natural.  There's no way a creature can be that big, it has to have been created and mutated.  You two must defeat this monster before it may assault this village or worse, assault others after this place is nothing but ashes."

"But how are we going to be able to defeat a mutated dragon pony?  That thing is gigantic from what she said!"

Screecher replied

.

"You know what they say; the bigger they are the harder they fall.  That thing must have a weakness somewhere, and I'm sure you two can find it. "Heroes". "

His uncle said sarcastically.

"But anyway.  If you're looking for any more Lightning shards, there are some located in the swamp nearby.  But the down side is that their also have been primals spotted in there.  They must be after those shards, but why?"

"Maybe because they can give us cooler stronger weapons like what Zap has with his whip."

"Yes yes I know that Screecher.  But they can't get any use from shards or any Lightning artifacts.  They must be either trying to stop any Lightning warriors from using them in case if theirs any left.  Zap, you must get to those shards before they do."

Zap nodded before he quickly dashed outside and flew off towards the entrance to the swamp.

After a short bit they reached the entrance to the swamp, their was a sign near the entrance that said “You are about to enter Stormy Swamp, enter with caution.”  They read it, Screecher was feeling a little discouraged but Zap chose to walk in anyway.  Once they entered, it looked like every average swamp.  Ponds, lilies, swamp rats, etc.  But this swamp was known by its name.  It said that it has been raining over the swamp for years but surprisingly their area was never flooded or just wasn't flooded that badly.  After awhile of exploring around and taking on swamp rats, they spotted a medium sized brown bag just lying in open sight.  Zap slowly walked towards the sack Screecher looked a bit concern now.

"Uhm Zap, this doesn't look good.  How come they didn't take it?"

Zap went into thought but he picked the bag up anyway.  Just right after he did growling could be heard from around them.

"Uhm Zap, do you hear that?"

Primals were beginning to hop out from bushes, hollow trees, logs, and even the ponds.

"It’s an ambush Zap, ITS AN AMBUSH!"

The primals begin to charge and dive bomb towards them.  Zap quickly pulled out his whip and started spinning rapidly sending most of them flying back.  Once he stopped spinning he thrashed his whip as a few having their necks snapped.  More and more kept on charging after them as they finally managed to tackle them but it was short lived for the primals as Zap began spinning rapidly again as all of them were flown back, some of them died while the rest were injured but still were able to fight.

"T-There's too many of them Zap... let’s get out of here while we still can."

Zap shook his head, and got back into a battle stance while half the remaining primals charged towards him.  He quickly thrashed his whip towards at them electrocuting them, and having them turn into nothing but a pile of ash.  The other half snarled at them before retreating.

"Oh yeah, ya' better run you over-sized flys! But in any case… lets get out of here before more come back."

Zap nodded before he quickly flew out. After a bit they reached back at the village as most of the villagers were in cast or bandages soon as they walked around, Life Saver trotted over to them.

"Hey guys I almost forgot to mention this, if you happened to be looking for a weird looking sculpture.  It’s on your right, beside you.  You should go give it a try, if you have enough shards maybe."

"Uh excuse me Nurse Joy or whatever.  But how do you even know all this?"

"Oh, some time ago I did my research on the history of Lightning warriors for a project."

"Uh-Huh, that explains.  Anyway, lets give it a try from what she said."

Zap shrugged slowly trotting towards it placing his hoof as his eyes started to glow as it spoke.

"Beware of darkness brave one.. For it has twisted and corrupted one of you.. Place the fifty lightning shards you have obtained for a reward…"

Zap gently placed the bag filled with lightning shards. Life Savor was squealing quietly in excitement as the shards were levitated out from the bag slowly merging together.

"You seek a way to defeat this abomination that blocks your path of heroism… use this ancient weapon as your aid against it.  For one hit with its arrow will stunt any who cross your path."

The shards were done forming as they were formed into a crossbow.  After it was formed the oracles' eyes slowly faded away.  Zap spicked up the crossbow observing and noticing it didn't come with any arrows.  Life Saver clopped her hooves against the ground.

"That was amazing! But… what did it mean it has corrupted one of us?"

Zap went into thought about that but only shrugged as he resumed observing the crossbow.   Screecher scratched his side.

"Maybe it can shoot unlimited arrows, Zap?"

Zap thought about it before held on to the trigger gently before aiming at the ground.  He pulled it as it suddenly fired a bolt like arrow.  Zap blinked before staring at the crossbow.

'W-Whoa! I guess it can. S-So I guess we should… go and face, Zyris..."

Zap looked at him before nodding.  As Screecher gulped.  Life Saver walked over.

"You guys better be careful I'm sure you'll succeed in defeating him you'll be forever remembered as our savior of our village."

"W-Well at least we'll get the respect we deserve, right?"

"I'll go tell your uncle and your cousin that your about to face Zyris.  Good luck and Zap... make out of it alive."

Zap smiled at her before Screecher snapped.

"Hey, what about me!?"

She giggled.

"You too Screecher. Now Zyris should be at the top of that cliff that would lead you to the lava canyon."

Zap nodded as Life Saver quickly dashed off towards Cyrus’s hut.  He took flight towards the cliff before landing.  Once they reached the lava canyon a yellow lightning was fired towards them but luckily Zap quickly dodged it before looking towards where it was fired.  Life Saver

wasn't kidding, it looked exactly like what she describes it as but it also had a long narrow horn like an alicorn’s horn.  It swung its tail breaking a few giant rock spikes from behind before letting out a roar at them.