//------------------------------// // Chase away that Saphire Star... // Story: Hunter Turned Monster // by Ahrazell //------------------------------// There they stood, Four hero's of the Guild sent to slay a god. One whom none could possibly catch, and even the fastest of hunters could never even dream to match. Their leader spoke as she brandished a strange Axe which could morph into a Sword. "Jake, keep with the Arial style. You're a Insect glaive, Use it! Sarah, you're a hammer, you know what to do. Alex, You know how to effectively use that horn, buff us and then join Sarah at the head. I'll try to go for that tail sever!" I said through discord as I controlled my character towards the elder dragon in front of us. Ah, it’s good to hunt again! I looked down at my screen as me and my friends all controlled our hunters, mostly running away or dodging incoming attacks as we started to memorize the moves of the coolest Elder dragon of all, Valstrax. I was rocking my favorite Goremagala armor set, and taking charge of my usual team. Our group is pretty much balances each other with our weapons and the way we fight so we vanquish any monster that crosses our path. We are the Trio of Blades after all. I grinned as Jake actually used his air superiority, jumping off Sarah  as she went in close to try and KO the rocket powered elder dragon. With them receiving the monster’s attention, Alex was open to start giving us all Earplugs as well as a few other boosts before joining Sarah in the KO effort. I went for the (in my opinion) Most important job: Cutting off the tail of the monster. I grinned as my blade went to cut into the monster. As it did though, I cried out in pain. My back felt as if I had just been stabbed. “Valkyrie, You okay? What’s wrong?” My friends said over the mic, not caring as the monster carted their avatars. I looked behind me to see blood dripping on the floor… from my back. “Guys… call 911 for me…” I said as I started to feel dizzy. Little did I know that as I fell over, so did the Elder Dragon on the screen as everything went black. The wind roared around me as I opened my eyes. I was falling, and somehow, I wasn't afraid. I felt a energy in me as I turned to face the ground before I was surrounded by red, and crashed strait onto the top of a mountain plateau. I looked up into the sky and Roared, a monstrous roar escaping my lips before I calmed down. It was then that everything caught up to my tired mind. I looked at myself and started to freak out. Instead of two legs, two arms, I had four legs, each clawed and scaled with silver scales. I looked to the side and saw some very distinct wings. Looking to the side, I saw a small natural spring and stumbled over to get a look at myself. I looked at my reflection and saw, staring back a distinct beak looking maw and blue eyes, along with the glowing red air vents on my chest. “No, no no no, this has got to be a dream. I always liked Valstrax, but I never dreamed of becoming one!” I said as a laughter filled my ears. “Hahaha! Well look who decided to visit.” A boisterous voice laughed. I followed, slowly getting used to walking to where I heard the voice just to see a few very strange sights. First the entire terrain looked like something straight out of Alice in Wonderland. Sitting on a throne in the center of it all was a strange dragon-like creature. It had a grey horse face with yellow eyes and red pupils, a long brown dragon body, the left hand of a chicken, the right arm is a dog paw, a green reptilian right leg, a left horse hoof, and ending in a red dragon tail. Basically a chaotic mis-match of various animals. “Damn, what Angry pickle thought it was a good idea to bang a chicken, a Rathian, A dog, and a horse all at one?” I said in response to the Creature’s appearance, staying hidden to see who he was talking to. Two horse… With Wings and a horn… and looking like teenagers walked up to the throned monster. (like I’m one to talk) “Oh my this is so much fun, Let’s play pin Tail on the pony!” he said, holding the tail that once belonged to the white pony before the pony in question gasped and glared. “Playtime is over for you, Discord!” The currently tailless pony said. “Discord? Fitting name.” I said to myself as I continued to watch. “Oh I doubt that.” He says, slapping his fingers to replace the tail where it belonged before eating a bag of black seeds, a few of them bouncing off the teen’s muzzles. “Hungry?” He said, offering the bag before receiving unflinching glares. “Suit yourself.” “You caused our parents to lose their minds and kill each other, and you dare to offer us whatever those seeds were?” the youngest growled out as the monster shrugged. “Not my problem that they tried to understand Chaos.” He said, as if talking about the weather. The older one said no words as she opened her saddle bags… with magic… “Shit I’m in for a headache later…” I groaned to myself as I looked at the items now floating around the two ponies. A look of surprise flashed across the monster’s face. “Well, looks like Celi and Lulu got some new toys. But do you even know how to use them properly? Let’s find out!” Discord said before darting at the two, claws outstretched. It was then that time seemed to slow. This man, whatever the hell he was, would willingly attack… no, I know that look in his eyes. He would willingly kill two children just because they stand in his way. The energy I felt earlier started to vent out of me as my chest cavities started to draw in air. I now know why everything seemed slow. It is because I am faster. With the roar of Dragon energy flames, I closed my wings much like Valstrax does in his hunts as I launched myself strait at Discord. It felt amazing, all the speed, the power, but at that time, I was too enraged to care. Red and black energy poured out my wings, chest cavity, and even the crest on top my head as I slowed instantly. Discord was thrown into a building before I let out a Piercing roar, causing all nearby, sadly including the teens, to cover their ears in pain as I glared at the hole, knowing he was still there. Discord freed himself from the rubble with a dizzy look on his face. “Did somebody get the number on that train?” He dizzily asked before shaking off his confusion. “Now, what do we have here?” Not giving a reply, I launched one of my wings at him, the links in the wing forming into a rocket powered spear that was aimed to stab through the prey in front of me. I roared “I may not know where I am, or who you are, but you will not hunt children, not in my territory!’ I roared, my enraged state causing me to go into full Valstrax instinct. Discord grunted in pain as he tried to remove the wing from his body. “Your territory? As you can see, this world is full of chaos. This is my territory!” He successfully pulled the wing out, and sent a wave of purple magic towards my direction. It crashed into me as I roared. “You call that a blast?!” I said as I rotated my wings to face him, the biological thrusters facing the creature before releasing a volley of pure Dragon element shots off at the mismatched creature. “Why do you stand in my way!? Do you even know the ponies you’re protecting? Why are you fighting for beings you don’t even know?” Discord asked as he manipulated the ground beneath me to split. Just when he thought he had handled me, I decided to show him why I was the Red Comet. With wind being pulled in around me, I launched skyward and speeds even discord was jealous of, Circling to gain speed before breaking the sound barrier with a resounding boom, red energy covering me completely before I dived straight at him, knowing my scales and energy will protect me from the crash. A explosion of energy emitted when I crashed into the dumbfounded Chimera esk creature, keeping him stunned for a time. "That was a fancy trick." The Chimera growled before snapping, and nothing happening. An aura I recognized as dragon blight flowed over his angered form. "What?!" Not being one to waste time I continued my onslaught, slicing, biting, and stabbing the dazed, angry and confused creature The two teens realized their opportunity and began to use those relics they had floating around them, a warm, calming energy radiating off them as they directed their attention to Discord. As they did this, the dragon blight vanished and the creature growled at me. “Okay, no more mister nice Dragonequis!” Discord rose his paws to the sky, gathering various pink clouds to fill the skies. “It’s time to end you! Then I’ll take care of those little ponies!” “Then you may wanted to have payed them more attention.” I growled as the, I assume, Sisters fired of a wave of rainbow magic at the Dragonequis, quickly turning him to stone before sending off another wave, cleaning the land of all chaos and reverting to actual land. When it hit me however, I screamed in pain as a burning sensation from the inside felt as if it was consuming me as a small sound echoed in my head. ”I am sorry, but this must be done. This is not your end, Valstrax.” I blacked out. I groaned as I opened my eyes. “Man, that was a weird dream…” I said with a yawn before stretching… and feeling something extra. I looked over myself, and noticed I was still looking like Valstrax. “Wait, you mean that wasn't a dream?” I said in slight panic as I looked around. I was in a building of some sorts, though where I couldn't begin to guess. Before I started to have a full blown panic attack, I heard a knock on my door. “C-come in!” I said, wondering who it was that was coming into see me. The door opened, and revealed the dark blue pony I had saved from Discord. “Oh, you are awake. That’s good.” She sighed in relief. “O-oh, uhm… hi?” I said, nervous and honestly clueless. “You’re one of those two sisters I saved, right?” “That is correct. I am Princess Luna. It is nice to meet you, dragon. I wanted to formally thank you for saving both my sister and I.” She bowed her head. My jaw dropped. “A princess? Wow… There is no need to be formal.” I said “It feels strange is all. Not used to it.” “Only showing respect to those who deserve it. May I ask you name?” I paused. What should be my name? My real name was Valkyrie, but I was in Valstrax’s body. Then I had an idea. “My name is Valstrax, but please, just call me Val. And I just did what anyone should do with power, instead of abuse it.” Luna smiled, “I understand. Are you able to walk? My sister would like to have a word with you as well.” “I think so.” I said, rolling onto my four feet. “Just so you know, I may need to go hunting later. I am a carnivore.” I responded as I felt a pang of hunger. “Quite… unnerving. But as long as you stick to non-sentient creatures, then it should be fine.” Luna said nervously. I tried my best to smile. “Don't worry. If it talks I won't hunt it. I have morals.” I stretched like a cat. “Alright, let's go.” I said. She lead me through the castle, if you could call it that. It was currently still in the process of being built so I guess my room was one of the first to be finish. Luna continued to lead me along until we reached the throne room. Two thrones stood in the open corridor slash entrance hall, each bearing a symbol, one of the sun, and one of the moon. “Wow, pretty impressive display of Duality.” I said in honest complements. “Well my sister raises the sun and I raise the moon. It’s only natural.” Luna chuckled. “Wait, you mean you control the moon?” I said, my eyes wide. “Yes, that is what my cutie mark represents after all.” She motioned to her flank, which had a white moon symbol on it. “Cutie mark? Does that thing represent your destiny or something?” I asked as we started to walk up to the stand, where Luna’s sister was talking to another pony, something about paying finances for castle walls. “More or less. I’ll explain more to you later, but right now my sister is waiting for us.” I nodded, though I thought that it was kinda stupid. Why should a mark on your body determined your place in life, rather than crafting your own through hard work? I shook my head of these thoughts as we reached the podium, Celestia glancing up as me before turning to the other pony in front of me. “Mason, we will continue this later, something important has come up.” She said, gesturing to me as the pony turned around before bowing to me. “Very well Princess Celestia, I will return tomorrow with the numbers for review. He said before taking his papers and leaving. “Such is the life of royalty I guess.” I said as a I walked forward onto the podium, barely fitting on it with my comparatively larger size. Luna left my side to take a seat by her sister on her own throne before Celestia cleared her throat. “First off, I would like to thank you for your help. If not for you, I fear what might have become of my sister and I.” “No thanks needed. As I told Lulu over there, I did what anyone with power should do.” I said, still nervous, but thankful that talking to them is lessening my panic of being a Valstrax. Celestia raised a brow at my nicknaming of her sister before continuing. “Yes, well thanks are still due. May I ask though, what breed of dragon are you? You look nothing like any dragon I have seen before.” She questioned with a hint of suspicion.   “I suppose I am the last of my kind.” I said somberly. Thank you acting classes, even if it isn't a complete lie. “I don’t even remember who my parents were, only what my race of dragon were. My race was the Valstrax, and I decided to take that as my name. We were a breed of Elder Dragon, dragons with immense power. Admittedly, the Valstrax were basic as far as some of their powers go, with us being the fastest things in the air, but others were more akin to forces of nature rather than dragons.” I spoke. I am so thankful that I knew all the lore of Monster Hunter before I came here. “I see…” Celestia said, writing something down. “Can you tell me what that red and black energy surrounding you earlier was? It bore a resemblance to dark magic, but didn't feel like any magic I know.” “This is feeling more like an interrogation.” I chuckled causing the two to wince before I continued. “It was my Dragon Element, or as some refer to it, Elder Dragon Energy. I, unlike other dragons, Do not have a breath weapon, or can I stand heat to be honest. Instead my kind utilize our energy to rule the skies, blasting forth with speed and power. We have learned to even create balls of our energy and launch it out our wings as you had seen earlier against Discord. And before you ask, no, extending my wing into a spear was not a part of the use of the energy. That is just how my wings work.” I said with a chuckle. “When you saw it surrounding me, unlike now, that was because I was enraged. When I’m like that the Element just vents out of me, making me stronger, faster, and far more deadly.” That didn’t seem to reassure Celestia as Luna smiled at me. “Sister, you mustn't be paranoid. The fact that she is telling us this, and the fact she isn't attacking us is proof that she means no harm, despite her being a carnivore and not having eaten in a week.” “Wait, I was out for a week?” I asked. “Why didn’t you mention anything sooner?” Luna blushed “It sorta… slipped my mind.” she said embarrassed. Celestia looked at me. “But you are a dragon are you not? I thought dragons could eat gems more commonly than meat.” “Well not me, eating a gem for me would be similar to you ponies eating one, complete with all the digestion problems..” I said. “Fine, one last question before I let you go to… proquire some food.” Celestia said, obviously not enjoying the fact that there is a very powerful predator in the room with her and her little sister. “What did you mean by your territory during your fight with Discord?” Damn, wasn't expecting that one. “It… Valstrax are very territorial. Anything inside their territory, unless they want it to be in it, are hunted down as if a criminal barged into your room. In my rage, my instincts worked before rational thought and I must have claimed the forest, specifically the one around that mountain” I said, pointing out the window towards a large mountain that extended far beyond the clouds, past the point where most pegasi could hardly even reach at their peak, with a flat plateau on top. “And all surrounding areas… I guess including where this castle is located. However, Now that I am more calm, I do have to say I claim that mountain, but only that mountain. It has prey for me to hunt, places for me to live, a natural spring and a great place to be alone and enjoy the night sky.” I said, at the time not recognizing the sparkle in Luna’s eyes. Celestia closed her eyes. “Very well. I will write a deed for you so none may claim the mountain for any reason, along with telling the population about it being your homestead. Many here will never forget the role you played against Discord, and would likely respect your privacy, however you can never be sure.” She said, writing down another note. “Now, please return here after your bit of hunting. As you do not officially own that mountain yet, you can for the time being remain in the room that was made for you.” Celestia actually smiled at me. “Provided you do nothing to become a threat to Ponykind, that room shall always be reserved for you.” I was taken aback but nodded none of the less. “Thank you Tia.” “Tia?” Celestia questioned before I turned to Luna. “Hey Lulu, if I get back early enough, I would love to see you raise the moon. To be honest, I didn’t even know how they worked before I met you.” I said causing Luna to have a big old smile. “I don’t see the problem Val. Be swift.” I laughed at her unintentional joke as I blasted out the unfinished roof, quickly traveling over mach one as I looked for food. “Well, this has been crazy… at least I’m relatively calm about all this.” I said to myself, unaware of the future forced upon me.