Hunter In Equestria: Chapter 15

It had been roughly an hour since you had found Twilight unconscious on the floor. You had given her a blanket just for modesty's sake, if not for her then for you. The door was shut and locked, though you could still hear music from the party meant for you.

 

Twilight's breathing had grown more normal since she had been moved, and you figured you'd take a nap. She didn't need constant supervision, and the dragon's abuse was catching up with you.

 

Yeah, sleep was looking really nice.

 

You closed your eyes, and hadn't been asleep for more than five minutes before a purple flash woke you up. Your eyes cracked open and you saw the familiar shape of a purple unicorn, still fast asleep. The spell appeared to have a time limit, judging from the fact she was still in dreamland.

 

A groan came from the mare, and she slowly sat up, holding her head in her hooves while gently rubbing her temples.

 

"A blanket...?" She asked herself, gradually becoming aware of her surroundings. She then saw you, and her ears immediately pinned themselves to the side of her head. "O-oh, hi Anon."

 

"Hey. How do you feel?" You asked.

 

"I'm okay, why...?"

 

You then gestured to the floor behind the couch. "Found you laying there. Anything you wanna tell me?" Your voice was calm and even, though the wording of your question heavily implied she was busted.

 

"Uh, n-no?"

 

"You sure? Pretty certain I saw something worth mentioning." You crossed your arms. "Something involving humans, I think."

 

"I don't know what you're talking about!" She shouted defensively.

 

"You're lying, Twi. C'mon, I won't be upset, what were you doing?"

 

"I...I was using transformation spells. I wanted to see just how hard it was to actually walk like you do all the time."

 

Bullshit.

 

"Uh huh. So tell me again why that had to be done in private? If anything, I should have been there to help out." You crossed your arms. The purple pony was stubbornly silent, only bashfully looking at you every couple of seconds.

 

"Well, let me see then." You finally said. This was the first time you've seen a human woman in months, you'd be damned if you passed it up.

 

Maybe she'd understand how uncomfortable being studied, as a bonus.

 

Twilight nodded meekly, before her horn lit up once more. She grunted and began to sweat as the glow intensified tenfold, before a blinding flash illuminated every corner of the room.

 

Upon uncovering your eyes, the same woman from before was standing in front of you. Looking her over, you started making mental notes.

 

Her skin tone was as pasty as yours was, and her shoulders were broad. Her breasts were absolutely non-existent, she had an Adam's Apple...hell, even her head was structured like yours was.

 

There were plenty of similarities in facial and body structure between you, aside from the obvious "she's human, retard." Twilight had blatantly just...copied you, then threw a few of her features on. You caught yourself before you started laughing in her face, instead pretending to clear your throat.

 

"So? How'd I do?" Her voice was hopeful, and her eyes were pleading with you. She was swaying back and forth slightly, not used to balancing on two legs for extended periods.

 

You cleared your throat again before replying, carefully keeping the amusement out of your voice.

 

"Well...you look a lot like me." You watched Twilight get excited, before you dropped the metaphorical hammer. "That's not a good thing."

 

"What?!"

 

"You have too many 'male' features. First thing is that small lump in your throat. It's called an Adam's Apple, only men have that." You put a hand on your chin and stared, watching her blush...with some satisfaction on your end.

 

"Your shoulders and face are much too wide as well." You looked down, scratching your chin in mock thought. "Usually, human women are on the shorter side too." You returned to the thinking position, before snapping your fingers. "Oh right, and your breasts."

 

"W-what about them!?"

 

"There's nothing there. Females usually have breasts larger than a bug bite Twi. Now," you continued, "for what you got right." You looked her over again.

 

"Skin tone is good, and it makes sense for your arms and legs to be slender." One more look, thankfully it was difficult to get aroused with what was essentially a guy standing in front of you. "Very well done on the hands too. Tell me Twi, how different is it having fingers instead of hooves?"

 

"It's...very different. Hard to control the individual fingers and their joints, they won't cooperate." She swayed and fell into you, apologizing profusely as you stood her back up. You merely chuckled in response.

 

"Well, can you fix what I pointed out?" You asked. "Or do you have to wait for the spell to wear off?"

 

She shook her head, and the horn on her forehead lit up. She went to work correcting the mistakes, gasping in pain every now and then. You gave her a concerned look, which Twilight simply waved off.

 

"I'm fine...ow...Transformation spells aren't the easiest, especially wh-ouch! When they're on yourself." She panted a bit, before the glowing stopped. Another purple glimmer, and a winded unicorn sat on the floor, sweating buckets. Too bad you didn't get a look at the improved Human Twilight Sparkle.

 

"Alright, alright, don't kill yourself." You crouched down and looked her in the eye. "Now really, why are you doing this?" She mumbled something under her breath, which you strained and failed to hear. "I'm sorry, say that again?"

 

"Nothing, nothing!" She grinned widely and nervously. A firework from the party caused her to abruptly change the subject. "Hey, shouldn't we be out there? I mean, it *is* for you!"

 

"Yeah, I guess we should. Go ahead, I'll be out in a minute." You waved her off, going upstairs and removing your armor. You sat it in a pile near the bed, then walked back downstairs and outside. You'd finish your discussion with Twilight later.

 

Twilight was waiting for you by the door, and you both walked to the party together.

 

"Hey, there's the happy couple!" Rainbow practically screamed as you came around the bend. You slapped your hand to your forehead and groaned, while Twilight looked like she wanted to vanish...which is exactly what she did with a cloak of magic.

 

The partygoers broke out into laughter, and Twilight re-appeared at the food table, quickly grabbing something from a veggie platter and intent on keeping her mouth full. A bright pink glow of embarrassment was clearly evident, even from as far away as you were, and she was intently staring at a stalk of half-eaten celery.

 

You walked over and dragged her back into the crowd. If you had to suffer, so did she.

---

 

The party had been fun, up until Pinkie set off the Party Cannon. Said cannon knocked over Vinyl Scratch's equipment, which broke on impact with the cobblestone. To say she was pissed...was the understatement of the century. The party quickly ended itself when the Equestrian Guard came in to keep the white pony from tearing Pinkie a new one.

 

"Hey Anon...?"

 

It was later that night, as you and Twilight were settling into bed. Well, she was settling in. You already had one foot into dreamland, and the unicorn kept dragging you back out with questions that really could wait until the morning.

 

As a result, you simply grunted in response to her.

 

"D-do you like me?"

 

An affirmative grunt came from you this time. Should have been obvious from where you both were at the moment.

 

Twilight was silent for a time, which you took as your cue to fall asleep...right before she cleared her throat.

 

Gods dammit, why wouldn't she let you sleep?!

 

"H-how much do you like m-me?"

 

A mental eyeroll accompanied your response.

 

"Enough to comfortably sleep in the same bed."

 

You could have sworn you heard a small 'yay' in reply, but a quick check showed Twilight snout-deep in a book. The title was only just visible, but you read it silently regardless. "Beginner's Guide to Flirting: How to Tell if He's Interested".

 

You chuckled, before snapping the book closed on her. She gave you a withering look, before cracking it back open to the exact page she had it last. You laughed again, before letting sleep take you. Twilight woke you up unintentionally by snuggling against you a few minutes later, but you simple rolled over and pulled her closer.

 

She "eep"-ed in an automatic reaction to you grabbing her, before she relaxed. You heard her mutter "apex predator..." as she shuddered and pushed herself deeper into your arms, relaxing quickly. Any closer, and you two would be sharing a body.

 

---

One Week Later

---

 

"Another day, another handful of bits." You happily hummed to yourself, walking back to your workshop. You had just offloaded some more knives to your Griffon buddy, he had apparently been selling them off to his people whenever he got a restock of food. In fact, you were clutching an order for roughly one hundred knives, and it was worth a pretty good amount of cash.

 

Completing yet another uneventful walk, you opened the door and placed the order on the table. You had about a month to get this done, and you could do six or seven knives in a day, upwards of ten if you pushed yourself. Regardless, you'd start tomorrow.

 

You stepped out and locked the door, when you heard an explosion in the distance. You spun around on your heel just in time to see the airborne Treebrary fall to the ground, and you took off running back to town.

 

After sprinting yourself to exhaustion, you slowed to a stop and listened. You were close enough to hear...absolutely nothing except the chirps of birds and the wind. No attack.

 

"What in the hell...?" You asked to no one in particular, before jogging the rest of the way to the small town.

 

You made a straight shot for the Library, where you saw Twilight and her friends exit. The unicorn was wearing a heavy scowl, and Spike was behind her, an astounding number of books stacked into his claws.

 

Twilight saw you and her expression brightened.

 

"Anon! Good, you're here! I need your help!" She chirped, grinning wide enough to set you on edge.

 

"W-what kind of help...?" You replied carefully.

 

"Princess Celestia has a test for Twilight," Spike answered. "She's panicking, really worrying too much about it."

 

The unicorn immediately rounded on the dragon and glared at him, the icy stare causing him to gulp. "I have every reason to worry! She might test me on everything I know! That's okay though, I'll be prepared!" Her grin turned lopsided and more than a little unhinged, and you finally noticed that her saddlebags were almost bursting with just...stuff. Books, quills, parchment, a magnifying glass, an hourglass...it was a wonder she managed to cram it all in there without breaking anything.

 

"Okay, so where are *we* going?" You asked. "If it's just a simple test, she could have just sent it, right?"

 

Twilight leveled her frigid gaze on you, which caused you to shiver slightly. Spike involuntarily flinched when you said "simple test", just what did you miss?

 

"Canterlot. Princess Celestia wants to give this test to me personally! I have to be ABSOLUTELY PREPARED!" The purple glow lifted a massive stack of flash cards to you, which you only had a tentative grasp on. "I want you and Spike to test me all the way there. I'm going to be ready!"

 

"Twi, this is...a lot of cards."

 

"Yeah, and that's after I convinced her to slim it down." Spike replied dryly. "You should have seen it before!"

 

"Oh, goodie." You replied, then gave a quarter of the stack to the purple scaled dragon. The pile you gave him was roughly as tall as he was. "No way am I holding all of these. How did you even make these fit in there, Twilight?"

 

"Magic. Now come on, I'm waiting!" She said impatiently.

 

"No, really, that's on the flash card. "How do you use magic to compress items?"" You restated, making it more clear.

 

"Oh." Was the quiet response, a small embarrassed blush creeping across her cheeks. Twilight cleared her throat and responded. "Magic can be used to compress items by simply eliminating the space between the individual molecules of the item. This compression makes the item as much as ninety percent smaller in some cases, while having little effect on solid items like metals. Once the magical field is relaxed or released, the item returns to its original size."

 

You looked at the back of the card, where the answer was. True to form, she had it memorized.

 

"Yep, that's it."

 

"Come on, that was easy!" Twilight whined. "Something harder, please!"

 

"I can only give you what's on the card, Twi." You huffed.

 

Her impromptu quiz continued all the way to the castle, where she snatched the cards from both of you and galloped at full tilt into the castle.

 

"Eh, this'll be quick." AJ said. "She's smarter than she thinks she is, should be a breeze for 'er."

 

"Yeah, she's got this." You agreed. "Worrywart's probably halfway through it right now, freaking out about it being too easy, then second guessing her answers." You chuckled. "I'd make the multiple choice answers all "C" just to screw with students like her."

 

You all chatted with one another idly, waiting for Twilight's inevitable victory march. After two hours passed, some anxious looks were being passed around.

 

"She's never taken this long before..." Rarity said quietly, as if her very words would jinx the purple unicorn's success.

 

"Yeah, d'ya think we should do something?" Rainbow asked, looking at everyone in turn. "I mean, it's killin' me just waiting here."

 

You shrugged.

 

"Nothing we really *can* do, Dash. Just have to wait." You replied softly. The cyan pegasus groaned, before flopping down to the ground. "It might be a little more than a quill-and-parchment test, mind."

 

"Yeah, might be more along the lines of an obstacle course." AJ continued, picking up on your train of thought.

 

"Egghead's doomed then!" Rainbow threw her forehooves into the air for emphasis. "She couldn't do an obstacle course if her life depended on it!"

 

"Ya remember she took first in the Running of the Leaves, righ'?" The orange mare countered, scowling at the exaggerating pegasus. "She'll be fine."

 

Before Rainbow could start an argument, hoofbeats from the castle's direction drew all of your attention. Twilight was coming up the ramp with Spike in tow, looking dejected and worried.

 

"Twilight!" Applejack shouted, practically knocking you over and pouncing on her, throwing a hoof over the unicorn's shoulder. "So? How'd ya do? Did'ja pass?"

 

You spun around just in time to see the party cannon go off, before all the confetti simply...replaced itself in the cannon, Pinkie landing next to the weapon looking confused and upset.

 

"Not quite." Twilight turned to you. "Anon, Princess Celestia wants to speak with you personally." The mare suddenly pouted a bit. "She wouldn't tell me why."

 

You chuckled, before ruffling her mane.

 

"It's alright, I'll find out when I get there. Be back ASAP."

---

 

It was a short twenty minute jaunt to the castle, and the guards let you in without a fuss. The Princess was listening to an attendant list off her schedule as you walked in.

 

"At 1 PM you have a meeting with the Minotaur ambassador."

 

"Mmhm." Was the bored response from the Sun Princess. The unicorn reading the list didn't seem to notice.

 

"At 3 PM you have a meeting with Mayor Mare from Ponyville, requesting more gu-"

 

"Anonymous!" Celestia's voice cut across, silencing the Earth Pony swiftly. She turned her warm smile to the attendant, before continuing. "I'm sorry, this is important. I have time for this, correct?"

 

"Yes, Princess. It's only noon, this is your free hour."

 

"Excellent!" Celestia stretched her wings out and stood, walking towards and then past you. "Anonymous, follow me, please."

 

You arched an eyebrow, but did as the ruler asked. You followed her throughout the castle, not quite sure where you were being lead to.

 

"How have things been?" The Alicorn asked offhandedly, to which you gave her a questioning look. A musical laugh came from her. "I'm merely curious, I'm not all-seeing after all."

 

"Well, had to beat down yet another beast from my world. I can't even imagine where they're coming from." Celestia's smile suddenly vanished, replaced with a deep frown.

 

"That's part of why I called you here." She stopped, then turned to you. "Do you recall when you came to our land?"

 

"Bits and pieces. That day is mostly a blur. I remember waking up inside some ruins in Everfree, but that's about it."

 

Celestia nodded.

 

"Those ruins are of Everfree Castle, which was destroyed during the Nightmare Moon crisis. It is also where the Elements of Harmony were kept until appropriate wielders were found. As a result, it has incredibly powerful magical signature."

 

She looked out of one of the expansive windows. "Usually, this signature should diminish with time, and since the Elements' removal it has been, steadily. However," Celestia turned back to look at you. "Since you arrived, the signature has increased in strength. Every time one of those creatures appears, it grows stronger, and a rift has been torn in the very fabric of reality."

 

"So what does that mean?" You asked, concern crossing your features.

 

"Eventually, the magical barriers between our dimensions will cease to be, with catastrophic results. Both universes will be utterly annihilated if this is not dealt with."

 

You stared blankly at the princess for a moment, mind spinning with the implications.

 

"Anonymous, you must do something about this."

 

"How?!" You exploded, fear and rage combining into one. "I don't have magic, what do you expect me to do!?"

 

"I trust you to find a way." She smiled at you with the warmth of the star she controlled, which did little to calm you. "Humans are nothing if not resourceful, I've learned that over the past few months."

 

"Celestia, I appreciate the confidence in my abilities, but how do you expect me to fix something I can't even SEE?"

 

"You may not be able to see it, but most unicorns can if they're close enough. Take Twilight Sparkle with you, she can point it out."

 

"Right..." You looked out the window in time to see the train pulling away...with the mares gone. You slammed a fist into the stonework in frustration. "Fuck! Celestia, how much time do we have?"

 

"At the rate this has been going...I'd estimate four months. Twilight should be back in just a few days." Celestia walked over to you and draped a wing over you. "I believe in both of you. This is a problem that only the two of you together can solve."

 

"Why us?" You asked glumly, head resting in your hands.

 

"Because there is a bond between the two of you, stronger than any magic that I possess. It is capable of sealing this rift, but it requires you both to be true to your emotions." Was that a wink she gave you?

 

Celestia walked away, leaving you alone with your thoughts.

---

 

You waited for the train in silence, brain absolutely overloaded. Hints of fog were creeping around, which the pegasai had said would be in full force later today.

 

Total multiverse annihilation. Your mind couldn't even grasp the concept of planetary destruction, let alone obliteration of millions, billions...trillions of worlds. You were a Monster Hunter, what the fuck did you know about sealing universe destroying holes?!

 

"Twilight, hurry up and get back here...I need you..."

 

The train arrived a short time later, and you boarded it after flashing the conductor your ticket. You sat in an empty seat, and ponies crowded around you. A familiar minty green mare sat next to you, grinning at you.

 

"Heyo Anon! Whatcha doing here?" Her grin quickly faded when she took a look at your expression. "Whoa, I can FEEL the stress pouring off of you. What happened?"

 

"Well Lyra, apparently my being here is an affront to the very laws of the universe themselves." You snapped, then sighed. "Sorry."

 

"No worries. What's going on?"

 

"If I don't seal up some...hole that I can't even physically see, then Equestria and my world are going to be obliterated."

 

Lyra burst out laughing.

 

"HAHAHahaha...oh man, you have GOT to stop reading comics Anon!" She wiped a tear from her eyes, before looking at you again. Her ears flattened to her head when she saw you glaring at her. "Oh buck, you're serious."

 

"Yeah, I am." You leaned back and sighed. "I...I don't know what I can do."

 

"Well, where is this...hole?" The unicorn asked, tilting her head to the side.

 

"Remember those ruins you found me in?" A nod. "There. At the top of them should be that rift."

 

"Well, let me come with you, maybe I can help."

 

"I hope so Lyra. We don't have long." You replied glumly, looking out the window.

 

"...really...?" Fear crept into her voice, and you looked back. Lyra sniffled. "How long is...'not long'?"

 

"Four months."

 

"Sweet Celestia..."

 

"Yeah."

 

The rest of the train ride was completed in silence, with Lyra leaning into you, asleep. You idly stroked her mane, more to calm yourself than anything else. Her mane was quite silky, and she didn't seem to mind from the satisfied sounds she was making. You stopped a few minutes later, waiting the rest of the ride out.

---

 

"Alright Anon, what's our game plan?" Lyra asked, walking behind you on the path to the library.

 

"I...have no idea. I suppose the first thing to do is just see what we're up against." You opened the door with your spare key, going upstairs to grab your armor and weapon. Lyra waited outside, despite you leaving the door wide open. You exited and re-locked the door, placing your helmet on your head.

 

Lyra grinned.

 

"There's the big, strong human that saved me from those oh-so-awful ponies!" The mare teased, and you grinned in spite of yourself.

 

"Heh, c'mon. I'd like to do this while we still have daylight." The mint mare nodded, and followed you.

 

A brief walk had you at the entrance to Everfree, and she eyed it nervously. "I'll keep you safe. Trust me Lyra." A gulp, a nod, and she followed you in.

 

You followed the familiar path to the ruins, not seeing the usual predators in the shadows. This set you on edge, usually there would be a few timberwolves keeping an eye on you, making sure you wouldn't thin their numbers more than you already had.

 

You barely had time to react to the tree branch snapping.

 

Something big and HEAVY pounced on you from behind, slamming you into the dirt. It roared into your protected ears, and Lyra screamed.

 

"ANON!" You heard the twinkle of magic being used, and the beast roared in frustration as it was hit with something. The weight suddenly and painfully removed itself from your back, and you stood. Drawing Golden Eclipse, you spun on your heel to see Lyra pinned by a manticore, which she was only barely holding back with her telekinesis.

 

You wasted no time in launching yourself at it, pulling your sword arm back and driving the blade between the creature's ribs. It roared before flaring its wings and knocking you off. It ripped your weapon out of itself and tossed it into the forest, where it stuck fast into a tree...which promptly set ablaze.

 

"Aw shit..."

 

The manticore roared in anger, lunging at you again. You rolled and drew your knife in one fluid motion, facing your opponent. "Lyra! Are you okay?"

 

No response.

 

The manticore lashed out with the Akura-like tail on its back, which you sidestepped and stabbed, crimson blood oozing from the wound. It pulled the tail back and swiped horizontally, which you in turn ducked to evade. You quickly closed the distance between you and the amalgam of creatures, making it difficult for the manticore to use the stinger effectively.

 

Instead, it struck with its massive claws, which you caught on your pauldron and shoved upwards, throwing the angry beast off balance. You rammed your knife hilt-deep into its abdomen, earning a roar of rage and suffering, along with another stream of life-sustaining fluids.

 

You used the serrated edge to cause further damage, ripping it out viciously. The forest behind you was beginning to burn, and quickly. You had to get out of here, but the manticore wouldn't let you. It had been wounded, and now would only let you go when either it or you were dead.

 

It rushed you again, before leaping to the side and tackling you. Claws bit into your chestplate, leaving deep marks but not quite penetrating. You stabbed the beast several times in the arms and face, only succeeding in getting it off when your knife found its left eye. It clutched its face and howled in agony, backing off of you.

 

You pressed your advantage, slashing the knife across its thigh and chest. Blood welled up from the shallow wounds, and the Manticore was beginning to get disoriented from the blood loss. Time to finish this.

 

You rammed the manticore, causing it to fall onto its back. Your knife found its throat arteries, and with a swift slash, vital fluids stained your knife, you, and the ground. The manticore fell silent, and you sprinted towards Golden Falchion. You wrenched it out of the tree trunk, sheathed it, grabbed Lyra, and sprinted down the path.

 

The fire was spreading alarmingly quickly, with you only staying a few steps ahead of the blaze. Your heart was pounding in your throat, and your body was begging you to stop...but you couldn't. Stopping meant Lyra would die, and you weren't about to let that happen.

 

"There...so...close...!"

 

The ruins were coming into view, and your heavy footsteps rocked the rickety rope bridge as you dashed across it. The flames set the bride on fire, and as soon as your feet hit solid ground the ropes snapped, sending the blazing wreckage into the gorge below.

 

You were safe for now, and your legs immediately gave out. You toppled over, sending Lyra sprawling into the dirt and you sliding on your face. Your breathing was heavy and labored, and you rolled onto your back with Herculean effort.

 

You stayed like this for almost half an hour, calming your pounding heart and quelling the urge to vomit. Slowly sitting up, you observed the damage.

 

Everfree must have had self-aware weather, you decided. Rain was already pouring onto the forest, extinguishing the impressive fire with an even more impressive deluge. As a result, the damage wasn't as severe as it could have been.

 

It was still pretty bad though, and it dawned on you that you were probably trapped over here...or at least would have to take the long way around. Neither option was desirable.

 

"Oh, my aching head..." Lyra moaned, slowly standing. "Where's the Manticore...wait, don't answer that. I think I know." She looked around, wincing at the burned forest. "Wow. Quite some toy you have there, Anon."

 

"Yeah." You double checked your weapon, making sure it was sheathed. Satisfied it was, you stood up and walked towards the ruins. Lyra trotted behind you a moment later.

---

 

The destroyed tower didn't look any worse than when you had last seen it, which you expected. You climbed the stairs with the minty green mare, and she was slowly and steadily growing more uneasy the closer you got to the top.

 

"Anon, this place feels...wrong."

 

"What do you mean?" You stopped and turned. Lyra looked almost sick to her stomach.

 

"I can't place it. I've never felt something like this before...it just feels like pure hatred."

 

Fantastic.

 

Finishing your walk up the stairs, you came to your entry point. It had been...months, maybe almost a year since you had been here. Lyra shuddered, pinning her ears to the side of her head.

 

"A-anon, it's strong here. Too strong, I'm a..." She gulped. "I'm a little scared."

 

You ruffled her mane.

 

"You'll be okay, trust me." You looked at the empty air. "Can you see it, or light it up somehow?"

 

"I'll try."

 

Her horn lit up with a soft gold light, and actively began searching the air. One edge of the searching beam hitched on something, and the unicorn grunted in discomfort. Leaving that marker there, she expanded her search. Eventually, it was all lit up. A swirling vortex, absolutely invisible without the golden light. It was huge, much wider than any wyvern it had sent through. The eerie part was, for as massive as it was...it was completely silent.

 

Suddenly, it started swirling faster and faster. You drew your weapon, not entirely sure what was going on...when a book came soaring out of the portal, striking your helmet faster that you could have hoped to react. You stumbled in shock, clutching your head out of instinct more than pain. The gold light left the invisible whirlpool quickly.

 

"Anon, are you okay?"

 

"Yeah, just surprised. I wasn't exactly expecting a book to assault me." You sheathed your weapon again, bending over and collecting the book.

 

The embossed title had been almost worn off, but it was legible.

 

"Wyvern and Dragon Anatomy, Volume 1." You recited. "Hmm, definitely from my world."

 

The author's name was worn off, this book had been through hell. You cracked it open, and it listed every predator from Velociprey on up to Rathalos. You closed it and slipped it into your pack, might be useful to the guard.

 

"Well, now that I know what I'm dealing with, let's try something stupid."

 

You picked up a rock and hurled it into the invisible rift. It traveled through the air...before vanishing completely and without any real fanfare.

 

"Wait, what?"

 

You tossed another rock, with the same result as the first.

 

"Anon, I'm going down the steps...this is too much for me. My head feels like it's going to split open..."

 

"Go ahead Lyra, I'm gonna try to figure this out."

 

You thought for a moment...then decided to do something supremely idiotic. You stuck your hand through it.

 

Intense pain washed over you, and you pulled your appendage back like you had been burned, cursing aloud. Your armor was smoking lightly, and there were definite singe marks all along the outer scale. You tugged the gauntlet off, inspecting your arm. Happy to see the only damage was to your armor itself, you slipped the gauntlet back on.

 

You drew your sword and took an experimental swipe. The tip of the blade vanished into the air, before your swinging motion pulled the weapon out. It looked no worse for wear, so you tried again. Same results.

 

"Hmm. Yeah, I need Twilight's help, I have no idea what I'm doing." You said quietly to yourself. It seemed like there was an almost physical link between your worlds...maybe...

 

You took a deep breath, steadying yourself...before sticking your head into it. A roar of pain tore itself from your throat, and you reflexively pulled back...but you had seen it. The tower, and the dragon...

 

Falling over and panting heavily, you simply...thought.

 

You heard hooves coming up the stairs at a quick pace.

 

"Anon?"

 

"Over here Lyra." You said tiredly, not bothering to move.

 

"What happened? Are you okay?" Palpable waves of worry and anxiety were coming off of the mare.

 

"Yeah, I'm alright. Did something stupid, but I'm fine." You replied. "I think I know what this is. It's an actual tunnel between our worlds."

 

"Okay, so what about that horrible feeling coming from it?"

 

"There's a very, very angry dragon on the other side."

 

"How do you know it's angry...?"

 

"Uh, well...let's just say I had a fight with it before I came here." You explained simply. This was a serious problem though. If the Fatalis had seen you...it would know there was a portal there. You wanted to check, just to make sure it hadn't...but at the same time, another check would mean another chance the Fatalis could potentially see you...

 

You had shouted in pain too, the dragon must have heard it. This was confirmed when a red ball of plasma shot through the air and impacted the wall behind you, shattering it and showering you both in hot shards of rock.

 

"RUN!" You shouted to Lyra, who wasted no time doing exactly that. Another bolt came through, this time at an angle. It hit the floor and punched through it, causing the floor bricks to buckle and collapse. You fell through the expanding hole with a shocked yelp, coming to a sudden and painful stop ten feet below.

 

Testing yourself to make sure nothing was broken, you stood. The Ancestral Dragon's head came out of the portal, snarling at you as it pulled the rest of itself through.

 

"Oh...fuck."