Hunter in Equestria: Chapter 1

Alone on the top of a ruined tower, you stand. You ached all over, your battle with the glittering white dragon before you wearing you down immensely. Your compatriots were dead or mortally wounded, a fact weighing heavily on your mind. You brandish your Rukodiora sword and shield, the weapon proving effective in injuring the great dragon before you.

 

The Elder Dragon screeched at you, its large blood-red tongue hanging haphazardly from its mouth. You secretly hoped the bastard would bite it, but no such luck. Your padded helmet kept the sound from deafening you, but your ears were still ringing slightly. You looked at your armor for a bit, noting the slight cracks in the azure plate-mail. Frowning, you refocused on the Fatalis.

 

It launched itself into the air, firing an orb of red electricity at you. You rolled to the side, cursing under your breath as small rocks showered you from the impact. White Fatalis flew above you, content to launch attack after attack from perfect safety.

 

"Get down here and fight, coward!" You shout, growing agitated. Fine, it wanted to keep stalling? Glancing over, you see a fallen bowgun made of Gold Rathian and Silver Rathalos. "Fine, bastard. Time to clip your wings."

 

Sheathing your blade, you sprint over to the fallen weapon. Giving a silent prayer for the fallen hunter you were essentially stealing from, you aimed the bowgun and pulled the trigger. Six armor-piercing rounds flew out, 4 of which were straight and true. Three punched neat holes in the Fatalis' right wing, followed by one more in the left. Startled by the sudden hit, the dragon fell out of the sky and landed on its neck. There was a crunch, but you weren't in the mood for sympathy. Not anymore. Instead, you made a mental cheer at the fact that this fight should be over. You sprint over and to your dismay, it was still breathing. Hell, not only breathing, but actually getting back up.

 

You drop the gun and re-draw your sword, slashing mightily at the creature's soft face. The glowing-orange blade bit easily into the Fatalis' eye, blinding the creature on the right side. Liquid from the organ sprayed out, coating you and nearly making you vomit on the spot. In fact, you would have if your adrenaline wasn't forcing out every thought other than "Make this fucker hurt."

 

It screeched and thrashed, its claw striking you in the side and sending you sprawling. Adrenaline allowed you to ignore the injury, and a quick check showed your armor still in good condition. The Azure Rathalos you made your armor out of was quite tough, and that showed in the quality of his armor. As you stood, the Fatalis did as well. Beating its wings again, it flew into the air. The difficulty in this task was apparent however, with its right wing beating much faster than the left.

 

It landed on the highest point of the tower, and screamed. The clouds responded. Red bolts of lightning fell from the sky, blowing massive holes in the floor and simply incinerating some of your dead comrades. You growled in anger, sidestepping a bolt of lightning out of sheer dumb luck. Something that's followed you throughout your life, you idly noted.

 

You shook your head clear.

"Not a time to be distracted..." you mutter, keeping your eyes on the ground for the time being. You noticed a short-lived tell for the lightning, and you were keeping a sharp eye out. It showed up under your feet and you rolled, a loud rumble of thunder announcing the lightning missing. After all, if you had been hit, you doubt you'd have heard it. Resistant to electricity as your armor was, you didn't want to test it against what was essentially a demi-god.

 

The lightning stopped, signalling the return of your attention to the dragon that was not-quite-flying-but-not-quite-falling. It quickly descended, landing on all fours and exposing its face again. You rushed over, not wanting this opportunity to go to waste. With a loud roar of exertion, you gripped the hilt with both hands and brought it down in a mighty leaping slash. It cleaved through one of the Fatalis' horns, a dark explosion of Dragon Energy ripping through the last centimeter of horn. That allowed your blade to bury itself in the dragon's neck, another pulse of power simply disintegrating scale. The god screamed in pain, flicking its neck violently and launching your weapon off the side of the tower.

 

"Oh you have got to be shitting me!" You shout. "That cost me ten grand!" You drew your back-up weapon from its special fire-retardant sheath, a glittering gold blade made from Gold Rathian materials. Golden Eclipse had a slight glow to it, and the sheer heat coming from it made the air around it refract and ripple. You grinned under your helmet before driving the weapon into the beast's neck. An explosion of fire met you and the dragon, intensity matched only by the sun itself.

 

Your armor allowed you to essentially ignore the flames, but it appeared the White Fatalis' scales weren't even slightly fire-proof. It screamed again, lashing out with its tail and blindsiding you. The thick appendage struck you in the side of the head, knocking your helmet off and allowing your head to meet solid stone brick. You blacked out.

 

---

Re-awaking with a start, you groggily got to your feet. Liquid was running down the side of your face, which you knew without even checking was your blood. It happened often enough to not even warrant another thought. Seeing as you weren't dead yet, the Fatalis must be worse off than you. This was good, because another hit like that and you might not get back up. You look at the dragon, and mentally cheered when you saw it at the other end of the tower roof, literally and metaphorically licking its wounds. You assumed it was planning on finishing you off later, obviously expecting you to stay down longer than you did.

 

You keep quiet, not wanting to let it know you're awake yet. You silently gather your helmet and weapon, sliding your helmet back over your head. You noted with disdain that the straps keeping it on your head had simply snapped, and you felt a heavy bruise forming under your chin. That would be an issue later, but adrenaline coursed through your body again. You pushed the pain and discomfort to the back of your mind, nothing a good long soak in the Yukumo Spa couldn't fix.

 

Sneaking up to the creature, you saw the wound your flaming sword had inflicted. The large hole in the side of the creature's neck brought an almost-evil smirk to your face. The damage you were causing was undeniable, and you had the added advantage of being on its literal blind side. This time your smirk was full on evil. You quickly bring your weapon into position, and Golden Eclipse strikes true, plunging deep into the dragon's thigh. It quickly retaliated, too quickly you thought. It lashed out with its tail again, which you expertly vaulted over...right into its waiting jaws.

 

"OH SHIT!" You yelled reflexively, swinging on pure instinct. The golden blade again struck accurately, severing a chunk of White Fatalis' tongue. The burst of flame scorched the interior of its mouth at the same time, forcing the dragon to shut its jaws. Instead of biting you in half like it intended, it headbutted you in mid-air. You flew into the ruined wall, your armor only softening the blow somewhat. Your ears were ringing and your head spinning, and you dimly realized you had a concussion. All the adrenaline you had been riding on the entire fight left in an instant, and your arms themselves felt like they were a thousand tons. You were simply spent.

 

This was it. Like the half-dozen hunters scattered on the roof, you were going to die. You were okay with that though. You fought your hardest, but it just wasn't enough. The fact you left the injuries you did on what was essentially a god brought a weary smile to your lips. You were content with death on these terms.

 

The dragon was pissed. Its chest and face had red markings on them, and the occasional bolt of red lightning would jump from its chest. You moved your fingers experimentally, noting they were still moving easily enough. You gripped your sword tightly, even though you couldn't move anything important. Anyone who found you would know you went down fighting. A glow under you signaled how the dragon would end you. You grinned, knowing why it wouldn't be using its jaws for a long, long time. The bolt struck, and you felt a falling sensation before striking something incredibly solid. For the second time in an hour, your body had enough and you blacked out.

--

 

You slowly woke up, a headache pounding away at your sanity. Still, pain was good. Meant you were alive, for however much longer. Creaking your eyes open, you found yourself at the top of a tower, but not the same one you were fighting the dragon at. The one you were currently occupying seemed even more worn down, if that was even possible. A cool breeze made itself known through the multiple cracks in your armor, and sleep was seeming really, really good right now. Something in the back of your mind told you that you were really hurt and shouldn't fall asleep, but it was irresistible.

 

After making a cursory check for wild animals from where you sat, you closed your eyes and dozed off.

--

 

"Are you sure it was this way...?"

 

You stirred from your light sleep at a voice, groggily waking up. You stood, yawning and working out the stiffness in your body, twisting your spine and feeling a multitude of satisfying cracks.

 

"I'm sure, it was kinda hard to miss. A comet leading to Everfree Forest, and then a loud crash? It's a wonder all of Ponyville isn't out here."

 

"Still Lyra, it's dangerous out here. We really should have waited..."

 

"Ah, you're just being a worrywart, Bon Bon. If they made it in and out, we can too. Besides, we're not *that* far in. Ponyville is right...uh..."

 

An awkward silence, followed by a groan.

 

"Great, we're lost."

 

"Well, let's get up here. We should be able to see from the top of the tower, and that's where I saw that light anyway."

 

They must have been close for you to hear them this clearly, though you heard hoofbeats instead of footsteps like you were planning on. Riding a Kelbi...? Strange, but not unheard of...but why in a building?

 

You ran a quick check on yourself. Yep, that bruise started hurting...hell, everything was hurting. Still, you could move at least, which was better than a few hours ago. You noticed you were still tightly gripping your weapon, which had scorched the floor where it had laid. A few plants in the area were scorched and singed, but they were well out of reach of the fiery blade.

 

Shrugging, you stood and sheathed the sword and rummaged through your bag. Pulling out your field medkit, you began taking off portions of your armor and examining yourself. Mostly bruises you couldn't do anything about, and the stuff you could do something about wasn't worth the waste of supplies. Minor scrapes and burns, and that wound on your head had long since stopped bleeding.

 

Downing a bottle of green fluid, you cringed. Stuff worked like a charm, but man was it nasty. Next time, you'd put some honey in it. You already felt the pain receding to ignorable levels, which was good.

 

"WHAT IN CELESTIA'S NAME IS THAT?!" You heard who you assumed was "Lyra" shout. You spun around, to see a small, mint green...unicorn? Another one, this one cream colored and most decidedly not a unicorn (whom you assumed was "Bon Bon"), stepped around the corner. She(?) gasped as well, but didn't say anything, instead rooting to the spot in fear.

 

"Uh...hi?" You replied awkwardly. This was definitely not what you were expecting, but you could roll with it. A waist-high animal talking to you? Hardly unnatural to you.

 

They both stood stock still, aside from the occasional full-body shake from one of them.

 

"I'm not that scary, am I?"

They both screamed and bolted down the steps, when you heard a loud crash and them tumbling down the remainder. You sighed. Replacing your armor but keeping your helmet in your arms, you leaned against the wall for balance and went down the steps. You were still slightly shaky, and you didn't want to tumble down the steps like you assumed they just did.

 

Upon reaching the bottom, that's exactly what had happened. They lie in a tangled pile of green and cream colored limbs, groaning slightly. Lyra looked at you groggily, then immediately snapped her eyes open.

 

"NOOOOOOO, DON'T EAT MEEEEEEEEEEEEE!"

 

What.

 

"What?"

 

"Please don't eat me! Eat her, she tastes sweeter!" You arch an eyebrow, which Lyra sees. "Yeah! Don't eat me and you can have her!"

 

You press your hand to your face, sighing.

 

"Lyra! What do you mean 'She tastes sweeter?!'" Bon Bon shrieked, anger plastered on her face. "Eat HER, she tastes like mint!"

 

"I'm not going to eat ANYONE." You said loudly, annoyed. "Can someone tell me where in hell's name I am?"

 

"W-well, mis-mister big scary thing, you're in Everfree Forest." Lyra replied, probably thinking you'd change your mind if she didn't spit it out quickly enough.

 

Didn't sound familiar at all. You wracked your brain for any hint of this forest ever being mentioned to you, and nothing came up. Fair enough. Next question.

 

"Okay, where exactly is that located?"

 

They both looked at you like you were crazy...which at this point was a distinct possibility.

 

"In...Equestria...?" Bon Bon answered nervously, not liking the frown you were displaying. You sat down and thought for a minute. Obviously, you weren't dead. Pain wasn't a thing in the afterlife, or so you were told. Still, you felt that bolt hit you...

 

You shook your head violently to remove the thought, which elicited a small 'eep' out of one of them, you weren't sure who. Alright, third question.

 

"May I know your names?" You already had them figured out, but it would be nice to hear it from the horse's...mouth...

 

You mentally punched yourself for that horrible pun.

 

Lyra was the first to speak. "I-I'm Lyra. Just a pony that really wants to go home now..." You felt a 'd'awww' try to fight its way out, but you suppressed it. Talking ponies, huh? You could deal with that.

 

"And you are...?" You continue, gesturing to Bon Bon. She clammed up, refusing to speak. Her eyes had dilated, and her breathing was quick and shallow. "Oh no, don't tell me you're having a panic attack right as I'm defusing this..."

 

She passed out. Great. You sighed.

 

"W-well can I-I know your name...?" Lyra shakily asked.

 

You opened your mouth and drew a blank. That...wasn't good.

 

"Uh...my name is..."

 

You panicked. Why on earth couldn't you remember your name? You checked for your Hunter's License, only to find that missing as well.

 

"Sonofa bitch." you muttered. Lyra flushed, an eyebrow arching.

 

"Is that your name? That's an interesting one..."

 

"No no, it's just that I can't remember. I think I was hit a little harder than I thought." You rub the top of your head for emphasis, where you felt a scab on your scalp and dried blood in your hair. You suddenly realized that's probably why they were scared, it looked like you just killed someone. To be fair, you *were* in the process of killing someTHING...

 

"Well I have to call you something..." She squeaked out, not wanting to make you angry.

 

"I know." You replied, wracking your brain for anything. "You know what, just call me Anonymous."

 

"Anonymous?"

 

"Yeah. It means "Name Unknown". Once I actually remember, I'll tell you my real name. Until then, that'll work fine. Now then."

 

You walk over to them both and Lyra's shaking intensified.

 

"I'm not going to hurt you, calm down."

 

You easily separated them both, then slung Bon Bon over your shoulder.

 

"What are you going to do with her...?"

 

"I'm taking you both out of here. I think I can find a way out."

 

Lyra took a step, then stumbled over.

 

"Ow...my hoof..."

 

You look back at the fallen pony, then walk towards her. Gently placing Bon Bon on the ground, you laid your hand out, palm up.

 

"Let me see."

 

She nervously lifted her hoof, and you immediately saw the issue. Right above where you assumed the 'ankle' would be was swollen and red. That tumble had either sprained or broken her ankle, and you hoped it was the former. Broken ankles took forever to heal, you knew from personal experience.

 

You rummaged through your pack, pulling out bandages and another potion bottle.

 

"This might hurt a little."

 

You began tightly wrapping the injury, and Lyra whined in pain. "Sorry," You said, continuing your work. "The quicker I get this wrapped up and stable, the quicker it'll heal."

 

Satisfied the bandage was tight, you cut it with your knife and sealed it with a bit of medical tape. You then popped the lid off of the potion bottle.

 

"Drink this, it'll help with the pain."

 

She sniffed it and, instead of recoiling like you assumed she would, downed it in a single gulp. You were surprised, right up until you remembered what she was. Ponies. Herbivores. Right.

 

"Wow, that was good! I already feel better!" A grin replaced the fear that had been on her face for the past hour or so. Lyra tried to move her ankle experimentally, recoiling slightly when it twinged. "Ow..."

 

Satisfied the mint-green pony was alright, you then looked over the other one. No noticeable injuries aside from a few bruises and scrapes from tumbling down a flight of stone steps. Bon Bon also had a light bump on her head, but you wouldn't know if she was actually alright until she woke up...which might be a while.

 

You lifted Bon Bon up and slung the unconscious pony over your shoulder. You then walked over to the injured Lyra and picked her up as well.

 

"Hey hey hey! W-what are you doing?!"

 

"You can't walk right now, and want to go home, right?" She nodded. "Then I'll take you home. Remember where to go?"

 

She thought for a moment, before a sheepish grin crossed her face.

 

"Uh...no...?"

 

A small grin made itself known on your face.

 

"Well then, looks like I have to put my tracking skills to work." Taking a quick look at the underside of Lyra's hoof, you noted just how flat it was. Still, it was better than nothing, especially with the ground as soft as it was.

 

"What are you doing?" A light blush was easily visible.

 

"Taking a look. If I can find your footprints, I can find a way out."

 

"Footprints? I have hooves, silly."

 

"Same difference." You shot her a sidelong glance, before returning to your search. After a brief moment, you found two sets of four, side by side. "Ah hah, now to follow them back."

 

--

 

About an hour of walking put you at the edge of the forest. Lyra had been quiet the entire way, intent on letting you focus on getting her out of there. Once the edge was in sight, she let out a loud whoop of joy.

 

"YES! I knew this was the right way! Once Bon Bon wakes up I'm gonna rub it in her face!"

 

You chuckled, noting that Bon Bon hadn't woken up yet. You still saw her breathing, which was a good sign. She hadn't been scared to death, at least. Mentally rolling your eyes, you stepped out of the forest and into...

 

6 other ponies stood before you, several arguing over who would be the first in. They all naturally stopped as soon as you stepped out. They stared at you, each with varying degrees of hostility. A bright pink pony with a poofy pink mane and tail had a wide smile on her face. A cyan pony, meanwhile, had the exact opposite on her face, it was almost a snarl. She was also flying, which threw you for a small loop.

 

Small horses, Unicorns, and Pegasai. Had you stepped into one of your old books...?

 

You suddenly realized you looked awful suspicious with two injured ponies hanging on your shoulders, one of which was even knocked out.

 

"HEY, JERK!" You snapped out of your internal thoughts when the cyan one shouted at you. "Put them down and you might not get hurt!"

 

Oh here we go...

 

"Alright, alright, you can take care of them better than I can anyway."

 

The six in front of you gasped, some with their mouths open. A sense of deja vu washed over you, when you realized you *had* done this before. Just over an hour and a half ago, in fact. Strange that the moon hadn't moved at all though...

 

"Rainbow, hold on." A lavender pony spoke up. Like Lyra, she was a unicorn. "If it can speak, it's intelligent. Don't go doing something rash to make it angry."

 

You ignored them both, gently setting the unconscious Bon Bon on the ground.

 

"Lyra, think you can stand on your own for a bit?"

 

"Uh, yeah. I think I'll be alright."

 

"Alright." You then repeat the process, making sure not to put undue stress on her injured ankle.

 

The instant you put them down, a light-blue cannonball slammed into your chest. You felt the wind get knocked out of your lungs, and you were on your back. Gasping greedily for air, your brain tried to figure out what just happened, not expecting the attack at all. You were lucky you were wearing your armor, otherwise you really think she would have gutted you. You felt like a Diablos had just run you over.

 

Now, however, you were a little pissed off.

 

"Rainbow! Why did you do that?!" The lavender pony shouted.

 

"Look what he did to Bon Bon and Lyra, Twilight! It deserved worse!"

 

"I didn't do any of that..." you croak out, finally getting your breath back.

 

"Shut it!"

 

You were really beginning to dislike this "Rainbow" person...pony, pegasus, whatever. You contemplated going for your sword, but you really, really hoped you didn't have to resort to defending yourself like that.

 

"No Rainbow, he really didn't!" Lyra spoke up, a twinge of anger in her voice. "He's been more helpful over the last ten minutes than you have!" She gestured to her injured leg. "Bon Bon and I would probably still be lost in the forest if it wasn't for Anon!"

 

"Oh geez, you named it?" 'Rainbow' replied with a sneer. "You can't just name wild animals Lyra."

 

The yellow pegasus averted her eyes and kicked slightly at the ground when that was said. Odd.

 

"I'm not an it, thank you." You said, standing up slowly.

 

"Huh, you're tougher than you look. Ready for round two then?!"

 

Oh for the love of...

 

"Rainbow Dash, stop!" Lyra shouted.

 

You braced yourself this time, ducking lower to the ground and lowering your center of gravity. You ground your heels into the dirt, bracing yourself. She would NOT have the satisfaction of knocking you over twice.

 

The pegasus slammed into you...and you simply slid back a little, grabbing her by her sides.

 

"GOTCHA!" You shouted triumphantly, immediately pinning her wings to her side. Her face flushed, an odd expression crossing it. You affixed her with a cold glare. "I'll let you go, but if you attack me again, I won't be so nice. Deal?"

 

Rainbow mumbled something, which you didn't hear at all. "I'm sorry, say that again?"

 

"...fine..."

 

Satisfied, you let her go...to promptly get kicked in the head as she flew away from you. Your helmet absorbed the blow, and you growled under your breath. Cheater.

 

"That was completely uncalled for!" A refined voice called out. A pure white unicorn with curly purple hair was standing to the side, and you honestly couldn't tell who she was talking to. "Grabbing a pegasus like that, how dare you?!"

 

...what?!

 

"So what, I was supposed to let her kill me? I don't think so." Anger was blatantly apparent in your voice. So much for a peaceful 'first contact'.

 

This time, it was their turn to sputter.

 

"Kill you?! What?! I wouldn't do that!" Rainbow called out, appalled you would even suggest that.

 

"Got a funny way of showing it!" You shouted back, placing a hand on your stomach where you felt yet another bruise forming. "Dammit that hurts..."

 

Lyra had been standing off to the side, not wanting to get in the way. She had at some point moved over to Bon Bon, but you weren't sure when. Probably when you were on your back. A groan diverted everyone's attention, Bon Bon was waking up.

 

She looked around, confused.

 

"The edge of the forest? But...how?"

 

She then saw the six opposite you.

 

"Oh thank goodness, you found us!"

 

"Uh, Bon Bon..." Lyra started. "He got us out." She gestured with her bandaged hoof towards you, and Bon Bon's turquoise eyes locked to yours.

 

"Oh...well, thank you."

 

"You're welcome." was the terse reply. You were in a bit of a bad mood, but you really shouldn't be taking it out on the two that you had just helped.

 

It suddenly occurred to you to check for your shield. You looked at your left arm, where it was usually attached, only to find the azure gauntlet alone. You either left it at the tower you woke up in...or the tower with the Fatalis. You hoped the former so very, very much. Something told you that you might want that shield.

 

You about faced and returned to the forest, putting some much needed distance between you and that psycho pegasus.

 

"Hey coward! Get back here!" You heard Rainbow call out, but you mostly ignored her. You had more important things to worry about.

 

You disappeared from view, only barely hearing Lyra go off on the group. You couldn't hear what exactly was said, but you smiled under your helmet nonetheless.

 

--

 

You reached the tower again in less time than it took to lead Lyra and Bon Bon out. This time it was as simple as retracing your much, much more noticeable footsteps. A few growls came from the trees, but you paid them no mind. Naturally, that was a mistake.

 

Something leaped onto your back, biting at your armored neck and attempting to bring you down. You hurled the assailant over your shoulder, and it hit the ground hard. The creature looked a bit like an Orugaron, except much smaller and made of wood. You kept your ears out for anything else, and were rewarded when another growl sounded off to your left.

 

This time, your sword left its sheathe. Golden Eclipse shone in the dark, causing the wooden wolves to back away slightly. One brave wolf lunged at you, which was its first and final mistake. The weapon cleaved through its neck with ease, setting both the head and body on fire with an explosion of flame. The other wolves quickly backed away, barking and howling in fear and confusion.

 

The corpse quickly burned to ashes, the intense heat devouring what it could find. The remaining wolves fled, not wanting to risk a quick, brutal death. Smart.

 

You sighed and sheathed your sword, somehow disappointed. You supposed you had some pent-up aggression to let out, due to "Rainbow Dash". A frown crossed your face. Just what the hell did you do to her? Argh, and it was going so well, up until she attacked you unprovoked.

 

Ranting to yourself until you no longer made any sense at all and then drifting to a different topic. That's how you dealt with frustration and anger. Your thoughts quickly diverted away from that rainbow-haired cunt and towards your currently growling stomach.

 

"It's been what...at least half a day since I last ate...?" You didn't know exactly how long you had been out, and the moon never shifting through the sky was playing hell with your perception of time.

 

What threw you even further off was when the moon and sun...just swapped places. No warning, no sunrise, just BAM! Sun.

 

In your eyes.

 

"AAAARGH, DAMMITALL!" you shouted, covering your eyes from the brutal sunbeams. "A LITTLE WARNING would be nice!"

 

You grumbled and cursed all the way up the tower, cursing everything from your luck to the sun to Rainbow to the very stone you walked on. You kicked a pebble in frustration, causing it to ricochet and strike you right in the face. It slid through the eyehole in your helmet and struck you dead-center in the forehead.

 

"Are you fucking kidding me!?"

 

That was the price you paid for evading death on a regular basis. Horrible day-to-day luck. You were a walking Murphy's Law outside of combat...which sucked most of the time.

 

Sighing lightly, all angered-out, you trudged up to the top where you found your matching golden shield. Smiling, you picked it up and fastened the leather straps to your arm. Almost looked like the day it was made, despite the vicious fight it had been in just a day prior. A small scorch mark and nick was visible on the topmost edge, where a lightning bolt had simply melted through. That was going to need fixing...whenever you got around to it. Or whenever you *could* get to it. Hell, your armor could use some serious patching too.

 

Satisfied you were ready to leave this godsforsaken place, you walked down the path for the third time today.

--

 

Your stomach was threatening a mutiny. It growled loudly, demanding attention.

 

"Alright, alright! Can't wait until we're completely away from this place, huh?" You mutter, snapping a few tree branches. You put them together in a cone shape, before touching off the entire thing with a light tap from Eclipse. Soon, a merry fire was crackling in the small pit you had dug out just outside of Everfree Forest. A flat stone you found was placed over the flame, supported by a thick-ish branch. Once the flame broke it down, the stone should cover the flame and smother it completely.

 

Taking your helmet off, You dug into your pouch for a small packet of dried Aptonoth meat. Throwing it on the rock you had positioned over the flame, you heard it sizzle. That was strange, that was the point of dried meat. Nothing there to sizzle.

 

You suppose the Felyne that prepared it didn't dry it completely, though you were fine with not eating Aptonoth Jerky every day. Got old after a while.

 

Your growling stomach didn't let up until you took a bite, which instantly silenced it. You pulled out your canteen from the pouch, disappointed to feel it empty. That would be a slight bother.

 

Filling it from a nearby stream, you placed it on the heated stone for roughly half an hour. Satisfied everything in it was dead, you took the canteen off and waited for it to cool. During that time, you decided to take a nap under a tree. You left your armor on, not trusting this place in the least.

 

This place was quite relaxing, murderous pegusai notwithstanding. You closed your eyes and let sleep take you, which was easy enough despite the sun overhead.

--

 

A poke to your head woke you up.

 

"Uh, hello?" A feminine voice asked, strangely familiar.

 

"Ugh, five more minutes..." was the groggy reply.

 

"I really need to speak with you. I feel the need to apologize for Rainbow Dash's behavior."

 

Oh, you think you remember who this was. Twilight, was it? You didn't quite care at the moment, still drowsy. A quiet "mm?" was the reply she got.

 

"She was completely out of line, and I'm very sorry about that. She *should* have been here herself, but she wiggled out of an apology. Again." A huff followed.

 

There was a soft 'fwump' next to you. You cracked your eyes open to see Twilight sitting down, watching the fire.

 

"What were you doing out here anyway?"

 

"Cookin'," you said, slightly more awake now.

 

"Cooking...what?"

 

"Food."

 

You saw her roll her eyes, not amused.

 

"And that food would be...?"

 

She was fishing for answers. You saw a small figure in the treeline watching you both with a quill and sheet of paper. Note taking, huh?

 

"The kind you eat." A small grin was on your face, you were gonna have a little fun with this nosy little pony.

 

A crack from the fire snapped your attention to it, just in time to watch the rock fall in and smother it. You gave a little fist-pump, even though you knew it would work regardless. Twilight watched you with equal parts amusement and curiosity.

 

"What was that?"

 

"What was what?"

 

"That thing you did with your front leg."

 

Front leg...? Oh, she meant your arm.

 

"Oh, this?" You fist-pumped again, and she nodded. "It's a motion congratulating yourself for success. Very common for my species." You used the word species deliberately, because you had a sneaking suspicion you were the first human to be found in either a long, long time...or ever.

 

"And your species is...?"

 

"Human. Very common in the Minegarde region, less so in the Yukumo region. That's where the Wyverians are more common."

 

"Wyverians?"

 

"Very odd people. Some are as tall as you are. Others? As tall as that tree." You gestured behind you to a tree that was roughly twenty feet tall. Her mouth dropped open, and the little eavesdropper proceeded to drop his quill in shock. "Most are very wise, and many are Hunters like myself."

 

She nervously asked the next question, predicting the answer ahead of time.

 

"Hunter...?"

 

"Monster Hunter. It's a profession and a lifestyle."

 

"I assume that means you..." A gulp. "...kill things...?"

 

"If I have to. I don't often have to." You said, attempting to put Twilight at ease. It wasn't working, as she put some distance between you and her. Not enough to matter much, but enough to be noticeable. "Last time I killed something was well over a year ago. Most of my hunts involve trapping and relocation."

 

"Why did you have to kill that something?" Twilight asked quietly, morbid curiosity getting the better of her.

 

"It, or he rather, attacked a village. Killed nearly everyone in it, and the remainder of the village put a contract out on it. An Azure Rathalos, huge bastard. Nearly killed me too." You gestured to your armor with a chuckle. "Nearly."

 

Twilight suddenly looked very ill, making the connection quicker than you thought she would.

 

"You're WEARING IT?!"

 

"Uh, yes?"

 

"Why?!"

 

"Because it protects me better than my skin." You unlatched your chestplate to reveal your heavily muscled and heavily scarred torso. The bruise from Rainbow Dash was still plain as day, which elicited a wince of sympathy from the pony inspecting you. Your underclothes were dyed a bright green, though the clothes themselves did little more than prevent the armor from chafing.  

 

You pointed at a few scars.

 

"This one is from when I was first starting out. A Velociprey got the jump on me, claws cutting clean through my leather armor. I was in the hospital for a week recovering."

 

You pointed to another, a small circle. "This one is from a Rathian hitting me with one of her tail thorns. I'm lucky it was a dry hit, or I wouldn't be talking to you right now."

 

"A dry hit?"

 

You nodded. "Rathian tail spikes are usually loaded with venom that causes necrosis at the impact site within minutes. It's not a pretty sight." You shivered at the thought, having seen someone die from it. "Only way to save yourself is to either carry an anti-venom, swift removal of the limb, or get incredibly lucky. Naturally, I carried a Rathian anti-venom with me at all times after that." You rummage through your pouch again, pulling out a small vial of blue fluid to prove your point. It was a wonder your bag was as intact as it was, what with the abuse you were put through before you got here.

 

She was curiously looking into the bag herself, your scars and stories forgotten for now. You shrugged and dumped the contents onto the ground, letting her get a good look.

 

A few flash bombs, a tranquilizer, some whetstones, and a few potion vials tumbled into the dirt, along with a book you had been reading on the way to the tower. An adventure novel, funnily enough. A man going from place to place, finding treasure and beating bad guys, standard stuff. The title read "Dr. Harrington and the Quest for the Crystal Rathian Egg!"

 

Some zenny also fell to the floor, the small coins shining in the sun.  Those caught Twilight's eye as well, and she lifted one up with...wait, what? A purple aura surrounded a coin, and it just...floated to her. THAT was something you had never seen before.

 

She noticed your dumbfounded stare. "What?"

 

"What are you doing?"

 

A sly grin crossed her features.

 

"Stuff."

 

Clever girl.

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