Monster Hunter: Equestria

by RomeoDKat

Chapter 2

“So, Twilight, can you go into more details on the monsters in the Everfree Forest? Cause, to be honest, a bunch of pegasi controlling the weather is more of an anomaly to me than the weather doing its own thing,” Artemis asked the mare sitting in the train seat in front of him. Zarola was sitting on his right, looking over her crossbow, while the rest of Twilight’s friends were sitting in the seats across the aisle as they listened in.
Twilight gave him annoyed snort before replying, “Well, most of the monsters in the Everfree Forest are predators that are known to attack ponies any chance they can get. While most of them are larger than ponies, they aren’t nearly as large as what you described Anjanath to be. Well, except maybe the hydras.”
“Hydras?” Artemis asked, leaning closer to her. “What are those?”
“They’re overgrown, multi-headed lizards,” Zarola piped up. She continued to casually look over her crossbow as she said, “The damn things are infamous for growing two heads every time they lose one.”
“…Eh, Bazelgeuse are more annoying in my opinion,” he replied with a shrug.
Zarola scoffed at him, “Please, how can it be more annoying than an oversized lizard that you shouldn’t decapitate.”
“Try a flying wyvern who likes to drop exploding scales all over the place just so it can feed on anything that managed to get caught in the explosions,” he answered with a smirk.
Zarola froze almost immediately. “Y-you’re kidding…right?”
“Afraid not. Damn thing also has a way of knowing that a fight started nearby before diving itself into it. Literally.”
“How do you even fight something like that?” She asked with a frown.
“I just hit it until it dies. Thankfully, Bazelgeuse spends most of its fights on the ground, so that makes things a lot easier. It would be a nightmare if it spent most of the time in the air.”
Zarola was too stunned to respond immediately. She didn’t have too much trouble with Artemis’s description on fighting something like Bazelgeuse, but more by how casual he was talking about it. Just how many monsters has he fought? She shook her head to clear her thoughts. “Yeah, well, I bet you that I could take it on with this baby,” she said, proudly holding her crossbow out.
Artemis looked at the crossbow in her hooves, frowning at it slightly. “Mind if I take a closer look at it?” he asked.
“Eh, I don’t see why not,” she shrugged, passing it to him. “One of the best crossbows on the market. The crown commissions them for us.”
“What does it shoot,” he asked as he began to look it over.
“Just these,” she answered, pulling out one of the many bolts she carried in her quiver.
Artemis just glanced at the bolt before turning his attention to the crossbow. It looks like it functions the same way my slinger does. If I were a betting man, I’d say that all of her ammunition are just normal bolts with no special properties. If this is one of the best crossbows they have, then it’s no wonder that they’re having trouble dealing with these monsters. “This wouldn’t have the power to put down a Great Jaggi,” he said as he passed the crossbow back to Zarola.
“Is that a bad thing?”
“Considering that it’s among one of the weakest of the large monsters, it’s a very bad thing. About the only thing you’re going to take out with this is a monster’s eye. The bolts are more likely to just bounce right off of their scales otherwise.”
Zarola sat flabbergasted as she looked between the crossbow and Artemis. She then looked at the sword that was strapped by his back and said, “Yeah, well, how do you take out anything with a sword that small.”
Artemis smirked at her again before pulling the sword out. “Simple, we make most of our weapons with parts from the monsters we kill and capture. This sword was made using the thunder-based parts of monsters so that it can use I can use the thunder element as well. So, while this sword doesn’t do much raw damage, it does a lot of elemental damage to monsters vulnerable to the element.”
Zarola looked down at the crossbow in her hooves when Artemis finished talking. It was one of the many items she had that made her proud that she was a guard, partly because of how much of a weapons enthusiast she was. Now, she didn’t know how to feel. Knowing it was next to useless in any confrontation against any of the invasive monsters, she lost some of the wind in her sails. At the very least, now she was more than happy that her assignment was just to observe Artemis.
“Wow!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed as she suddenly appeared from the seat behind them. “So you use a monster’s weapon against them. Me likey.”
“Okay, seriously, is there anything you have that isn’t made out of some monster?” Rainbow Dash asked, with a raised brow.
“Oh, yeah, plenty of things,” he replied as he sheathed his sword. He then rummaged through his pouch before pulling out a metal poncho. “This Rocksteady Mantle is made almost entirely out of metal. It helps reduce damage while also helping muffle the loud roars that monsters make.” He put it back in his pouch before pulling out a green plant and a jar filled with green liquid. “And this is a potion I use to heal from any damage I take.”
“Hold on,” Twilight interrupted. “Those potions actually heal you. As in, can actually help you mend a broken bone?”
“Yep, provided I’m still conscious enough to drink it. I primarily make ‘em out of these herbs. They’re unique in that they have healing properties on their own.”
“Fascinating,” Twilight commented breathlessly. “Were those plants hard to come by?”
“Oh, these herbs were very easy to come by. Grew damn near everywhere too. Forests, deserts, and, hell, even volcanoes for crying out loud,” Artemis answered as he looked down at the herb. He stared blankly at it as he said aloud, “Guess I’ll have to use these sparingly from now on.”
“What makes ya say that, sugarcube?” Applejack asked.
“Since you all didn’t know anything about this plant, then I take it that this plant doesn’t exist in this world. Which means I can’t be as reckless about these potions as I usually am,” he explained, looking solemnly down at the potion.
There was a small silence in the train before Applejack suddenly exclaimed, “Well, shoot partner, if that’s what you’re worried about, then give me some of those plants. I can try growing them on my farm.”
“Wait, you have a farm? Why didn’t you say so sooner!” he happily exclaimed, putting his potion back into his pouch before pulling out three more herbs. “Here, take some. These things will grow faster than weeds, so you’ll have a large supply of them in no time,” he explained as he passed them to her.
“Thanks, sugarcube. I’ll plant ‘em when I get back home,” Applejack replied, accepting the plants.
“Wow, thanks Artemis,” Twilight said, “this could help Equestria a lot. I’m sure Zecora would like to learn how to make those potions too.”
Artemis raised an eyebrow at Twilight as he asked, “Who’s Zecora?”
“Oh, she’s a zebra shaman that lives in the Everfree Forest. She makes various potions with the materials she collects in the forest.”
“Wait, so she lives in the Everfree Forest?” he asked.
“Yeah, that’s not weird to you, is it?”
“No, actually this could really benefit us.”
Everyonw frowned at him in confusion. After a few seconds of silence, Zarola asked, “Um, what makes you say that, sir?”
“It’s simple, she can help us find Anjanath.”
“And how’s that? It’s not like she went out looking for it too.”
“Yeah, but she’s bound to have heard something if Anjanath went hunting yesterday. They’re pretty noisy when they attack anything, let alone their prey. So, if she managed to overhear it, then she can help us narrow down where it’s laying low.”
“Assuming it went hunting last night,” Zarola pointed out dryly.
“It missed out on a meal yesterday because of me. I know for a fact that it went hunting for something else afterwards,” he replied confidently, smirking wryly.
“If you say so,” she muttered.
“Then it’s decided. We’ll visit this Zecora and see if she’s noticed anything about Anjanath,” he declared. “And probably give her a herb or two while we’re there. Speaking of which,” he pulled out a mega potion before passing it to Zarola. “Here take this mega potion with you. Just in case.”
Her eye glanced between Artemis and the potion, a frown furrowing at the two. “Um, sir, I appreciate the gesture, but I won’t need it. My orders are to observe you hunt the Anjanath.”
“Yeah, and it may or may not take notice of the potential meal standing nearby.”
Zarola’s frown immediately disappeared as dread and fear took a hold of her. “Would it… really go after me like that?”
“In peak physical condition, it’ll most likely ignore you while it’s fighting me. But when it gets tired and hungry, it’ll try to do whatever it can to get back to full strength again. Take this just in case something happens,” he said, doing his best to ignore the pain that was starting to itch at his chest.
Zarola stared at the potion for a few more seconds before taking it and attaching it to her belt.. “Thanks,”
“Sure thing,” he said, a genuine smile formed as the pain started to fade.
At that moment, the conductor came through the train car. “We’ll be arriving at Ponyville Station in ten minutes. Passengers planning to get off, please be prepared to disembark,” he announced before leaving the car.
“Right, that’s us,” Artemis said, putting his helmet on. “So, how do we get to Zecora’s hut?”
“There’s a path behind Fluttershy’s cottage that’ll lead directly to it. Most of the creatures don’t hang around that area,” Twilight informed.
“You hear that, Zarola?” he asked.
“Affirmative,” she answered, making sure her crossbow was securely holstered.
“Good, cause that’s exactly where we’re going when we get off this train.”
Soon after, the train stopped at Ponyville Station. As they left the train, Twilight turned to Artemis and Zarola as she said, “The six of us will go to the mayor and let her know what’s going on.”
“Okay, and make sure no one goes near that forest,” Artemis replied.
“Yeah, I’m pretty sure we’ve already got that covered, buddy,” Rainbow Dash quipped with a smirk.
“We’ll do everything we can,” Twilight said with a nod before walking away with her friends in tow.
“So, where’s the forest?” Artemis asked Zarola.
“Well, if I remember what a friend from the academy told me, the forest is southeast from the town. Apparently there’s a trail that leads that direction from town hall, which is on the other side of town from here. If we follow that trail, we should be able to find Fluttershy’s cottage and the path Princess Twilight talked about must be around there.”
“Sounds simple enough,” he said with a shrug. “C’mon, let’s go. We need to get this done as soon as possible.”
He began to walk with Zarola next to him. It was a relatively normal state of affair for him, until he reached the town center. He couldn’t help himself, but to tense up as he became more conscious about the situation he was in. He had been used to the hustle and bustle of Astera’s market center, but that was because he was a part of it. In Ponyville, however, it was a completely different story.
Everypony he ran into immediately cleared out of his way, starring at him. Most out of curiosity, some out of concern, and the rest just frowned. Regardless, he knew what they were all thinking. They were wondering if he was a threat or not.
“Is something troubling you, sir,” Zarola asked, noticing his discomfort.
“I’m fine. I’m just sticking out like a sore thumb here is all,” he droned out.
“Heh, yeah to kinda do. Wonder if all your monsters feel the same way.”
“Doubt it,” he simply answered.
Zarola raised an eyebrow at him. “What makes you say that?”
“Because I know how most of my monsters are,” he answered. “They were all probably confused at first, but they probably got over that quickly. Depending on where they landed, they either made do with where they landed or went off somewhere else. Regardless, they’ll do whatever they can to blend in with the environment, even if the rest of us think otherwise.”
Zarola was so stunned by his answer, she almost lost her step. When she first saw him, she thought he was just a simple-minded warrior with impressive gear. But, with the short amount of time she’s spent with him, she realized that she greatly underestimated him. He was still a warrior, without a doubt, but he was very well versed and educated on the monsters he’s fought. It only made her ask one question. “How long have you been doing this?”
“Long enough,” he replied. After a few seconds, he suddenly asked, “Is this the forest?”
She looked forward to notice that they had reached the edge of the Everfree, with the path inside right in front of them. “Affirmative, this is the Everfree Forest. And I assume that’s also the path we need to use.”
“If that’s the case, then let’s get a move on!” he exclaimed before running towards the path.
“Wait, hold up!” Zarola cried out as she ran after him.
“Sorry, but my hunt’s starting now!” he yelled back, picking his pace up a little. “If you’re going to shadow me, then you must work at my pace.”
…Good thing jogging was a part of training. She thought in annoyance as she filed in behind him. While the two of them ran through the forest, Zarola’s attention was focused primarily on Artemis and he was focused on everything around him. I’m not going to let anything get the jump on us… especially not something I’m not prepared for. Then after a few minutes of running, he suddenly heard some heavy footsteps ahead of them.
“Get back,” he ordered softly, running behind the nearest tree.
Zarola did as she was ordered. “What is it?”
“Don’t know. It sounds too small to be Anjanath or any of the other large monsters from my world. My best guess is that it’s probably one of the monsters native to this forest,” he explained, loading his flash pod into his slinger.
He can tell how large it is…just by sound. Damn, that must’ve taken him years to master. She thought, staring at him in astonishment. Slowly, she unholstered her crossbow before asking, “So, what’s your plan, Artemis?”
Artemis flinched at the question. A familiar pain began to course through his chest. “What did you say?”
“Uh, I asked-”
“-what’s our plan, meowster?”
The pain in his chest tightened. Get a hold of yourself. He chastised himself. You know that it’s too small to be Anjanath. So, you know that there’s no way in hell that it’s Hellbl-. He stopped his thoughts. He didn’t want to think of the name. So, he ignored the pain as best as he could as he placed his hand on the handle of his sword. “Stay here, I’ll go on ahead. Let me get a good look at what it is.” With that, he slowly left his hiding place and proceeded forward, crouching close to the ground.
Zarola shifted around to get a peak from around the tree but couldn’t find Artemis anywhere. He’s using the foliage as cover. Smart. She noted, loading a bolt into her crossbow. She held it up, getting ready to assist him at a moment’s notice. Then, she heard something that she didn’t expect to hear. Is he…laughing?
“Zarola, everything’s fine! Get over here?” he yelled in between laughs.
“Wh…what?” Zarola muttered under her breath s she unloaded the bolt and put her crossbow away. She followed his laughter until she caught sight of three things. One was Artemis, the second was a hut carved into tree with a mask over the door, and the third was…something she’s never seen before.
It was a large quadruped with dark gray scales with black stripes on its neck, back, and tail. It had a crest on the top of its head with two horns protruding from it. It also had three pairs of horns on its tail as well. “What is that?” she asked, watching it as it munched on some plants.
“It’s an Aptonoth,” he answered. “Don’t worry it’s harmless.” He chuckled before commenting, “The girls weren’t kidding about how freaky this forest can be. I must be losing it if I was scared of an Aptonoth.”
“Harmless? But it’s as big as a manticore!”
“Is that a carnivorous monster here?” he asked. She nodded. “I should have guessed. Don’t worry, Aptonoth are very docile herbivores. They’re more likely to run from a threat than actually fight.”
“It appears you know about this creature.
And that you have knowledge of its nature,” they heard someone say.
They both turned to find a zebra mare walking out of the hut. Her mane was in a mohawk and she had golden bands around her neck and right foreleg along with gold earrings. “So, I take it you’re Zecora?” Artemis asked.
“It appears that my friends in town told you about me.
Though, I don’t seem to know anything about thee.”
“Well, there’s probably a good reason for that,” he said jovially as he took his helmet off. He reached a hand to the zebra. “I’m Artemis, a monster hunter. The guard with the crossbow is Zarola.”
“It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance,” she began, shaking his hand.
“Though I wonder the reason for your attendance.
Are you here to see my other strange guest?
Or do you seek me as part of your quest?”
“Well, you hit the head on the nail with the second question,” he replied with a smirk. “The two of us are assigned to hunt an Anjanath. It’s a very large monster that walks on two legs and covered in dark feathers, except for its head. Have you seen anything like that recently?”
Zecora stood in thought for a few seconds before replying,
“I was unable to see anything.
But I do know there was terrible anguishing.
An excited roar was loudly sported.
Along with screams of a life forfeited.”
She pointed at the forest behind her hut.
“Well, it’s definitely a start. Zarola, we’re heading out that way!”
“Understood, sir,” Zarola replied.
Artemis nodded before turning to Zecora. “Thanks for the info.” He started to leave before stopping. “Oh, two things before we go,” he said digging into his pouch. He pulled out a herb as he said, “Here take this. It’s a herb from my world that’s used to make potions. I can teach you how to make them when I’m done with my hunt.”
“To learn another potion is a welcoming gift,” she replied, accepting the herb.
“What else must you tell me before go adrift?”
“Be mindful around that Aptonoth,” he answered immediately, pointing at it. Zecora and Zarola were equally stunned by his answer. “It might be harmless itself, but it’s a favorite meal among the monsters from my world. The fact that it’s not with the rest of its herd will probably make it even more appealing.”
“A zebra by herself looks appealing too,
but I’ve done much to get them to misconstrue.
Don’t worry, I won’t let your words go errant.
I wish you farewell and good luck on your hunt.”
He gave her a nod. “See you later, Zecora. Stay safe out here.” He put his helmet back on as he exclaimed. “Zarola, let’s move!”
“Yes sir!” The two of them ran through the forest in the direction Zecora pointed them. They continued at the same pace as before, until green sparks began to fly out of Artem’s belt. “W-what are those things?”
“Scoutflies. They help me track down the monsters I’m after. Looks like we’re heading in the right direction, c’mon,”
Zarola did as she was told, but as she followed him, something in the air felt off to her. She caught on to an odd stench. One that was unfamiliar, but still unpleasant to her. She glanced over at Artemis to see if he caught the scent too, but he appeared unfazed by what she was smelling. She decided to chalk it up to her own imagination, but the scent got stronger the further they walked. Right as she was about to ask about it, they reached a clearing and the first thing they saw made her sick to her stomach.
Laying on the ground in front of them was the corpse of a manticore, which was being swarmed by Artemis’s scout flies. The only parts that were identifiable were its scorpion tail and bat-like wings. The rest of it was almost chewed beyond recognition. “Oh yeah, this was Anjanath’s work alright,” Artemis said as he casually approached the corpse.
“How can you…tell?” Zarola managed to let out before her cheeks started to fill up.
“Cause I can still see the bite marks through all this mess and they’re identical to Anjanath’s,” he explained, kneeling down next to the corpse to search around the ground. “The footprints around the body also match and they’re fairly fresh too. This means that it’s gotta be close by,” he smirked as he got up. He turned to Zarola before saying, “Come on, we need to-” He immediately stopped when he saw her hunched over, practically vomiting her guts out.
What the hell is with her, he thought. She’s acting like she’s never seen a dead body before. She’s like- He paused as an image flashed in his head. The image of a young boy sickened by his teacher showing him how to carve into a monster. She’s like me…when I saw a corpse for the first time. His brow furrowed into a frown as he walked up to her. “Zarola, I need you to answer something?”
“Wh…what?” she said when she was able to catch her breath.
“Have you seen a corpse before?”
“Of course I haven’t!” she yelled. “I haven’t even been in combat outside of training!”
“So, what you’re saying is that this is your first quest?” She nodded. “Then I take it you’re not an elite member of the guard”
“No, I’m not,” she admitted. “I’m just on the reserves. My low combat scores kept me from getting into the royal guard proper.”
She couldn’t see his expression through his helmet, but she could tell that he was frowning at her. And the longer he did, the more uncomfortable and guilty she felt. Eventually, he turned toward the prints that his scoutflies were marking. “Come on, let’s get moving. We need to get this over with.”
“Look, Artemis, I know how this might look,” she began to plead as she followed. “But please don’t be mad at me or the princesses. They weren’t trying to trick you.”
“I know, which is why I’m planning to have some words with your captain the next time I see him.”
Her eyes widened at him. “What-”
“Before you ask, it doesn’t take a scholar to realize that he doesn’t trust or like me very much. Probably didn’t want to assign a higher ranked guard to babysit somebody when he feels like they’re needed somewhere else. And because of that, he sent you to a monster that no beginner is ready to deal with.”
“Artemis, I understand you’re upset, but I still have my orders to observe you,” Zarola pleaded. “You’re a soldier too. So you should-”
“Stop!” Artemis yelled, startling Zarola. “Let me make one thing clear. I am not a soldier. I might serve a commission and take orders from a commander on occasion, but I am free to do my job however I see fit. I can take any assignment that I’m able to, research what I want, when I want, and use whatever equipment I feel like, so long as I follow the rules. The biggest rule is that we aren’t allowed access to quests that are more difficult than my hunter rank says I can handle. An Anjanath quest exceeds any rank a newbie has.”
Zarola was at a loss for words. Not out of guilt, but out of surprise. He’s not saying it, but I think he more concerned about me than he is mad at Captain Iron Sights, she silently observed. In any case, he definitely keeps surprising me. He doesn’t just have experience and knowledge, but he’s also perceptive and cautious. I wonder…is all of that together what makes him a hunter?
After some time passed, the scoutflies began to fly around in random directions. “Um, Artemis, is that normal?”
“It is, but only something’s happened to the monster they’re tracking,” he replied. He felt uneasy the longer he watched. “And usually it means…we got to move!” He said as he began sprinting.
“What is it?! What’s going on?!” Zarola yelled as she chased him. “Artemis, come on! Tell me what’s going on?!” He didn’t seem to listen as he continued to run. Then, right as he entered another clearing, he stopped. “Finally!” she exclaimed stopping right next to him to catch her breathe. “What’s going-” she stopped when she saw what he was looking at. She began to feel sick to her stomach again.
There were two very large monsters lying dead right in front of them. One, Zarola recognized as a hydra. The other was one she didn’t recognize. “Is…is that Anjanath?”
“…Yeah, it is,” he softly confirmed.
Zarola let out a sigh of relief. “Oh, good, so that means our mission’s accomplished, right?”
“It is…but we’re not done here.”
“What?! But our mission was to kill Anjanath! How can it not be over when it’s already dead?!”
“Because we don’t know what killed it,” he answered as he walked up to the hydra, the closest of the two corpses.
“Isn’t it possible for the hydra and the Anjanath to just kill each other?” She asked, taking a few steps out of the tree line.
“It’s possible, but unlikely. Anjanath aren’t particularly smart, but it’s more likely to run from a fight if it feels like it’s going to lose. Just stay right there while I go check it out.”
“Yeah, you don’t have to tell me twice,” she muttered as she waited by the trees.
When he reached the hydra’s heads, he leaned down and yelled, “Hey, Zarola, what can you tell me about this thing?”
“Just that it has the ability to grow two heads back every time it loses one,” she yelled back.
“Well, that sounds annoying,” he muttered as he inspected the far-left head. It had large teeth marks on its neck and a large scorch mark along its face. This definitely looks like Anjanath’s work, but I don’t see how any of these injuries would have killed it.
He moved to the middle head. It had the same bite marks and a single, circular scorch mark on the back of his neck. Wait a minute. He focused his attention on the scorch mark. This mark’s different from the first. That one looked like it was caused by Anjanath’s usual stream of fire. This one couldn’t possibly have been made by the same attack. It looks like it was caused by a single…ball… His thoughts trailed as the word came into mind. No, don’t tell me. He looked over at the hydra’s torso and tensed up at what he saw. Two sets of three large holes littered all over the monster’s scaly body.
…Oh no. He ran over to the Anjanath’s body and quickly inspected it. It had the same type of injuries. Including the set of large holes on its hips. Damnit, it’s exactly what I thought it was. He chastised, looking down at his still loaded slinger. If I was able to restock, then this wouldn’t be a problem. But I don’t exactly have that luxury.
“Hey…Artemis?” Zarola piped up, sounding slightly unsure.
“What is it?”
“I don’t know why, but I think I hear flapping,” she replied.
“Flapping? I don’t hear any-” Then he heard it. The unmistakable sound of two heavy wings flapping. “Oh no. Zarola get out of here!”
“What?!” What do you mean? What’s going on?!” A shadow formed around her. She looked up and froze. A large dragon-like monster was flying right at her. The only features she could see were a pair of large, black talons and a pair of hungry eyes. What is that thing?! It’s…it’s coming right at me. I need to run. I need to run now! Her mind was working into overtime, but her legs refused to move. Come on, run! I need to run. I’m…I’m…I’m going to die.
Suddenly, a bright light flashed in between her and the monster. A screech-like roar burst through the air as the monster plummeted to the ground. “Zarola, get out of here, now!” Artemis yelled. He ran at the monster before drawing his sword.
Zarola was still frozen, though it was no longer because of fear. She was stunned as she watched Artemis slash at the monster furiously. What just happened? She asked herself. She then noticed that his slinger was empty. That flash thingy. He must’ve fired it to ground that thing. She then focused on the thrashing monster.
Now that it was on the ground, she was able to get a better look at it. Its body was covered with spikey red scales with black markings along with a tan under belly. In place of its front forelimbs were a pair of wings. A spikey club was at the end of a long, thick tail. Oh, Celestia, that thing’s almost as big as those other two. It could have torn me to shreds with ease. I’m glad Artemis was able to save me, but can he actually fight this thing on his own? When she saw that that the monster was starting to get up, she hid behind a nearby tree to keep it from noticing her.
This is bad. I’m not equipped to deal with a Rathalos easily. He managed to avoid a bite from it before slashing his sword against its jaw. Come on! I need to get to its wings before-
A deafening roar from Rathalos immediately stopped Artemis in his tracks. He stumbled around to try to recollect himself until he saw what Rathalos was up to. His eyes widened in fear as he watched it throw its head back and spread its mighty wings out as wide as it could. No, please don’t. His silent plea was ignored as Rathalos pushed itself into the air, shooting a burst of fire at the ground, hitting Artemis in the process.
“Gah, damnit!” he exclaimed as he was knocked back, parts of his armor lit ablaze. He recovered just in time to notice Rathalos attempting to swoop at him and attack with its venomous talons. He rolled out of the way, extinguishing some of the flames. He rolled again before facing Rathalos, preparing for its next attack.
It began to rear its head back a bit. Alright, he’s about to shoot another fireball. So, I’ll roll to the right to avoid it. Then, I’ll be done with these flames. Once Rathalos launched its first fireball, Artemis dodged it the way he planned, getting rid of the last of the flames on his armor. When he finished his roll, he turned towards it. Good, now that that’s dealt with, I’ll be able to find another opening to fight it. Especially while it’s firing another fireball away from… His thoughts trailed off as his eyes met Rathalos’s.
It didn’t turn away from Artemis. It was looking right at him with its mouth agape. Damnit, I was wrong! It’s going to launch it right at me! I need to get out of the way! Now! But it was too late, Rathalos’s second fireball made a direct hit at Artemis’s chest, sending him flying.
He grunted in pain as he hit the ground. Rathalos didn’t give him a second to recover, swooping in to pick him up with one of his talons. He felt one of them cut across his stomach. Then, with a flip, Rathalos threw him against a tree.
“Gah,” he yelled out before he slid down the tree. Damnit, I don’t have much left in me. He saw a purple liquid oozing out of some of his wounds, a burning sensation coursed through his body. Great, poisoned. I need to at least heal myself, but I don’t think he’ll let me. He looked up at Rathalos, who was proudly staring him down, flames sparking out of its mouth. Artemis stared up defiantly at him with a small smirk forming under his helmet. Watch out, you little furball. I might be joining you real soon.
Zarola, meanwhile, had been watching in utter shock. He’s getting thrashed by that thing. He’s not even fighting back anymore. I…I…I need to do something! He might die if I don’t do something!
She began analyzing Rathalos. Her eye never leaving it as she expertly loaded her crossbow with a bolt. Alright, I don’t need Artemis to tell me that those scales are obviously too thick for me to do anything to them. There’s nothing covering its stomach or neck, but I doubt I’ll hit anything meaningful. Then, something that Artemis had told her on the train caused her to focus on its eyes. Well, shooting it there probably won’t hurt it much, but it should give him the breathing room he needs. She aimed the crossbow at Rathalos’s eye, being mindful of how it was flying. Right as it began to make its final lunge at Artemis, she found her shot and took it.
Rathalos screeched in pain as the bolt pierced its eye, causing it to stagger in mid-flight. Artemis was stunned at first, but he was able to figure out what happened soon after. So much for only observing, but being ungrateful doesn’t keep me alive. before quickly drinking a mega-potion.
Rathalos took a few seconds to recover from the shot to steady its flight again, the pain gradually turning to an irritable itch. Artemis had finished drinking his potion by then and started to run up the tree he had previously been leaning against. When he reached the highest point he could, he leapt up at Rathalos with his sword in hand.
He struck its face, grabbing a hold of the screeching wyvern. He climbed onto the monster’s neck, sheathing his sword before pulling his knife out to stab at the wyvern. Rathalos began to trash around in the air wildly as Artemis continued stabbing it, only stopping to brace himself whenever Rathalos slammed itself against the ground. Within seconds, Rathalos tired itself out and hovered in one spot to try to recover. Artemis took the opportunity to proceed bashing its head with his shield. “Eat!This!You!Ugly! Bastard!” He finished up with a powerful strike from his sword.
It plummeted to the ground once more with Artemis jumping off of it to prepare for his next attack. Now’s my chance! I need to get it while it’s down! He focused his attention on its right wing, which was lying flat on the ground as it thrashed around. He slashed it furiously, hoping to make it useless. He managed to create a few tears into the wing before it got back up, but he knew that it would still be able fly effectively.
It turned to swipe Artemis with its tail. He blocked it, knocking him back and forcing him to crouch lower to the ground to keep his balance. He peered over his shield to prepare for its next move, but flinched when he saw what it was doing. It was limping to the center of the cleaning.
What the hell? It’s almost dead already. How? There’s no way I did enough damage to it, unless… he let his thoughts trail as he looked over at the two corpses nearby. He smirked. Guess the two of you gave ‘em hell last night, he complimented as he watched Rathalos fly off.
“Artemis!” Zarola yelled as she ran out of her hiding spot. “What was that thing and what is it doing?!”
“That was a Rathalos, the King of the Skies,” he explained as he pulled out another mega-potion. “And, right now, it’s going off to whatever nest it made for itself to recover from its last couple of fights.
“It is? And what do you mean by ‘last couple of fights?’”
“Simple, he was the third monster those two were fighting last night,” he said pointing at the corpses. “I can guarantee that the wounds on their backs are from Rathalos’s venomous talons.”
“Venomous…talon,” she noted before her eyes went wide and she noted some of the poison dripping from his wounds. “Wait, you were hit by those talons. We-we-we gotta get you to the hospital and get you-”
“It’s alright,” he interrupted. He took a long swing of his potion. “I’m not gonna let it kill me. It’ll wear off on its own sooner or later.”
“If you say so,” she said, feeling unsure. “So, should we head back now and report what we saw here,” she asked as she put her crossbow away.
“You can go do that,” Artemis simply replied as he started to check the ground where Rathalos stood.
“Wait, what are you-” she began to ask as she turned to him. She stopped when she saw the scout flies flew out of his belt and toward Rathalos’s general direction. “Hold on, you’re not thinking of going after it, are you?”
“Of course I am. I need to finish it off while it’s still weak.”
“But it almost killed you a few minutes ago!”
“It caught me off guard and I wasn’t prepared to fight it.”
“But why go after it now? You need to get some rest.”
“Cause if we go after it tomorrow, it’ll be back at full strength, provided we can find it.”
“Can’t you find it with those scout flies of yours?”
“Only if it’s in the nearby areas…and that might not be possible with Rathalos.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“It means that its territory is too large!” he yelled.
Zarola flinched back at his response. “W-what?” she barely managed to let out.
Artemis let out a deep breath before explaining, “Anjanath was manageable for me, because its territory was relatively small and would have been near Ponyville, since that’s where it knew there was food. Rathalos, however, can turn this entire forest into its own personal playground.”
“But that would mean that… that Ponyville won’t be the only town at risk,” Zarola finished breathlessly. Her eye shrunk as she realized just how much of a threat Rathalos was.
Artemis nodded before adding, “And we can both confirm that it’ll view ponies as a potential meal. So, you can go report to the princesses if you want. I’m going to finish this job.” He then followed the scout flies to Rathalos’s nest.
Zarola stood there motionless. A small part of her wanted to fly as fast as she could to the princesses and update them on what was going on. It was one of the things she was trained to do. But then she would think back Rathalos and its battle with Artemis, how it would have killed him had she not interfered. All of those thoughts led to a very large part of her to do something she was never trained to do; disregard her orders.
“Artemis, wait up!” She yelled as she flew over to him.
“What are you doing?”
“I’m gonna back you up,” she said confidently.
He paused, turning to her and asking, “No, you said you were going to report to the princesses. So, you better get going.”
“All due respect, sir, but I think you’re going to need some help taking that thing down. You did say earlier that you weren’t prepared to fight it.”
“Yeah, but I know what it’s fully capable of. You don’t. Not to mention that your crossbow it almost useless. You could get killed.”
“You honestly think I don’t know that!?” she yelled. “What, do you think I wear this armor imagining that I’ll get through life easy?! No, I joined the guard to try to be the first line of defense for the ponies that couldn’t. And if that meant dying in the process, then so be it,”
Artemis could only stare at Zarola. Yet, the longer he stared at her, the less he saw her and more of a familiar felyne he knew. They’re so much alike, it’s scary. he felt for his scar as a familiar pain in his chest started to crawl back. If she’s anything like he was, then I know there’s not a whole lot I can do to stop her…as much as I don’t like it. “If you’re that dead set on coming along, then fine,” he relented as he began to follow the scoutflies with Zarola alongside him. “But if you’re going to help me, then we’re going to need a plan. Any ideas?”
“Well, I think about the only thing I can do to it is taking out its other eye. I can try shooting it out while you take it down.”
“That could work, but it could also make it more dangerous too.”
“How would it be more dangerous? Wouldn’t it be unable to see you?”
“Exactly, which means it’ll be more wild with its attacks. The fact that it can still fly makes it even worse.”
“So, should we take the wings out first.”
“That’s usually the strategy when dealing Rathalos, but it’s going to be difficult bring it down within my reach without any flash pods.”
“Then how do we deal with the wing?”
Artemis frowned in thought she looked over Zarola. First, he focused on her crossbow. It might be able to pierce its wings, but she probably doesn’t have enough bolts to break the wing. His eyes then drifted around Zarola until they landed on her wings. His hand subconsciously traveled to the knife that was holstered behind his sword, a smirk formed as an idea formed. “What if we used its own strategy against it?”
“Its own…strategy?” she asked, feeling slightly concerned.
“Rathalos is a predator that uses its flight as a means to outmaneuver its large sized prey and rivals. It’s not used to dealing with something much smaller that can outmaneuver it.”
Zarola was silent at first. But as she thought about what he said, she slowly began to understand what he was implying. “Wait…you want me to remove its wings…by hoof!”
“You’ll just need to take out one of the wings. I made some tears into the wing earlier, so all you have to do is make them bigger. Here,” he said as he took out his knife and passed it to her. “use this. It’s made to carve into monsters.”
Zarola just stared at the knife in Artemis’s hand. “Are you sure there’s no other way? I mean…I’m not good at CQC,” she said with a slight quiver in her voice.
“You don’t have to be a good fighter to do this. You just need to avoid it as best as you can and stab into its wing. Think you can do that?”
The question felt heavy to Zarola. She still wasn’t comfortable with the idea. She only considered her flying skills to be about average, something that didn’t provide her much comfort. But at the same time, time was short, and she was the only pony that knew about the Rathalos. Besides, she wouldn’t be the one doing the fighting. Reluctantly, she took the knife and said, “I don’t know if I can, but I know that failure isn’t an option.”
“Not much to go off of, but we’ll have to make do. C’mon, let’s hurry,” he said as he led her to Rathalos. Just don’t die on me, Zarola, he thought as he tried to ignore the creeping pain in his chest.
Eventually, they reached the ruins of an old castle. The scoutflies, however, were leading them to a small canyon that was near the castle. The both of them peered down to find Rathalos sleeping by a cave. “Well, he definitely found an interesting spot,” Artemis noted. He looked up at the ruins and asked, “So, what is this place?”
“That is the Castle of the Two Sisters. Princess Celestia and Princess Luna used to here,” Zarola answered. “Which means that Rathalos is sleeping right in front of the Tree of Harmony.”
“The Tree of Harmony?”
“It’s an ancient tree that holds the greatest power we have to defend Equestria. Do you think Rathalos could try to destroy it?”
“I doubt it. About the only thing it’ll try to do is scratch it to mark its territory.” He took a deep breath before looking over to Zarola and saying, “Wait for me to wake it up. Go for the wing as soon as you get an opening.”
“Understood,” Zarola responded with an uneasy nod.
“You ready?”
Zarola took a deep breath of her own, tightening her grip on Artemis’s knife. “Not really,” she admitted.
“Well…at least you’re honest.” He stood up as he said, “Sit tight, I’ll go wake it up.”
He steadily went down the stone stairs that were nearby, being careful not to accidentally wake up the wyvern as he laid out his plan. When he eventually reached Rathalos’s head, he quickly drew his sword, hopping back for some extra power before lunging forward to land a massive hit.
Rathalos let out a surprised chirp as it woke up to deal with the threat. By then, Artemis had jumped up in the air and slammed the top of its head with his shield. Rathalos reeled back with a series of yelps. It looked back at him, snarling, before it charged forward to bite him, its wings flaring out a little as it did so. The attack missed him entirely, as Artemis was able to roll out of the way.
It flares its wings out when it attempts a charge like that, Zarola noted as she watched. She tightened her hold on the knife. That’ll probably be my best chance at it. She flew up and continued to watch the fight below. She inched closer to it as she watched Artemis alternate between striking Rathalos and avoiding its attacks.
Then, it reeled back the same way it did before. Wait for it. Wait for it, she chanted to herself, until Rathalos charged forward. Now! She dove at the monster, aiming the knife right at its injured wing and controlling her speed so she could hit it at the best possible moment.
Rathalos paused its series of attacks when it felt a sharp pain in its wing. It turned its head and glared angirly at Zarola. She was sawing away furiously into the wing.
Damn, this wing’s tougher than I thought it was, she complained as she began to tire out from her sawing. She felt a sudden jerk when Rathalos began to furiously flap its wing to get her off. Zarola immediately stopped what she was doing to hold on to both the knife and the wing for dear life. Artemis started slashing at Rathalos again to try to gain its attention, but it seemed dead set on trying to throw Zarola off. Then, it suddenly stopped. Zarola thought she had a short reprieve before Rathalos stretched both its wings out. As Rathalos lifted its head up, Zarola held on tighter to the knife and closed her eye, knowing what was about to happen.
With a leap and a powerful push from its wings, Rathalos lifted itself into the air, shooting fire at the ground to keep Artemis at bay. Zarola was being thrashed around like a ragdoll as she held on for dear life. All Artemis could do was pick up some rocks and launch them out of its slinger.
This is nuts! She screamed internally as she felt her hooves slipping from the knife. I need to let go of this damn thing, otherwise I’ll- Her thoughts stopped as she opened her eye and saw that the tear she was trying to make was getting bigger and at a faster rate than before. Her fear shifted to determination as she held on even tighter and flared her wings out. No, I can use this!
She began to flap her wings back to pull the knife in the direction she wanted it to go. It was still a challenge to cut the webbing, but it was much easier than before with Rathalos doing most of the work for her. She continued like this for what felt like hours, only making adjustments in her flying to respond to Rathalos’s thrashing, till all the resistance from the wing suddenly vanished.
She flapped her wings furiously to keep herself from hitting the ground and kept her eye on Rathalos. It wasn’t faring as well as part of the webbing in its right wing was flapping around uselessly. Since it was no longer able to maintain its lift, all Rathalos could do was slowly and sloppily descend down to the ground, right to Artemis.
“Good job, Zarola. I’ll take it from here!” he yelled, slashing at its talons when they were in reach. Zarola nodded before flying back up to the ledge to continue watching the fight.
Rathalos tried to bite Artemis again when it reached the ground. Artemis rolled out of the way to avoid its jaws and stepped forward to slash at its head. Rathalos yelped in surprise then turned to attack with its tail.
Artemis saw its exaggerated movements and blocked it expertly with his shield before attacking it again. It’s getting sloppy. It’s just about over. Rathalos turned again to try to sweep Artemis with its tail again.
Artemis leapt back, avoiding the attack, and prepared a massive attack.. He lunged forward, striking Rathalos with massive attack, then jumped up in the air. Rathalos reeled back in pain, leaving its neck wide open. With a mighty roar of his own, Artemis cut into the neck on his way back to the ground.
Blood gushed from the wound as Rathalos struggled to remain standing. But it soon stopped struggling as the world grew dark and its body went limp. All it could do was release one last painful roar before falling to the floor for the last time.
Artemis sheathed his sword before sitting down. He let out an exhausted sigh as he looked over Rathalos’s dead body. “Good, it’s finally over,” he muttered.
Zarola flew down when she saw that the battle was over. “Artemis, is it really…” she trailed off.
Artemis nodded. “Yeah, it’s dead.”
She looked over at the Rathalos before sitting next to Artemis. “This is the first time I’ve seen any creature die.” She let out a chuckle before continuing, “It’s weird, I feel sorry for it, but right now, I kinda feel like celebrating.”
“That’s only natural,” Artemis replied. “It might have been a threat to the ponies of Equestria, but only because it’s a predator doing what predators normally do. It’s harsh, but sometimes it’s something that has to be done.”
“Yeah,” she quietly replied. She looked over at Rathalos, glad that nopony would become its prey. It filled her with pride as a guard protecting Equestria. Then it got her thinking about something. “Hey, Artemis?” she asked.
“Yeah?”
“Why’d you do this? Why did you become a hunter?”
Artemis was a little perplexed by her question at first. Then, he let out a chuckle as he took off his helmet. He lifted two of his fingers as he said, “I did it for two reasons. One, because I was interested in the monsters that inhabited my world. Second…was because the job pays well and I really needed the money.”
“That’s as…good of a reason as any,” Zarola replied, feeling slightly disappointed but not surprised by the answer. She looked over at Rathalos again as she asked, “So, think that there’s another Rathalos out there?”
“Maybe there is. Maybe there isn’t. I don’t know for sure.”
“Are there any monsters much stronger than Rathalos?”
“…Yes, there are monsters much stronger than Rathalos.”
Zarola felt like she was just punched in the gut. This monster could have torn them apart with ease, and now she knew that there are monsters that could overpower it. And not even Celestia knew how many of them were actually out there. She looked down at Artemis’s knife, which was still in her hoof. She wanted to help fight the monsters, but she knew that probably wasn’t going to be possible. Not after today. She passed the knife back to him as she said, “I hope it goes well for you then.”
“You make it sound like you’re not going to be there with me,” he said, taking his knife back and placing back in its sheath.
“Probably not. I did disobey my orders to strictly observe. The captain will probably take me off for that.”
Artemis chuckled dryly. “That dick can shove it for all I care.” He stood up before saying, “C’mon, might as well start heading back.”
“Okay,” Zarola simply replied before following him. “You coming back to Canterlot?”
“Not right now. Not when I still feel like wringing your captain’s neck out,” he replied. “Besides, still gotta teach Zecora how to make my potions.”
“Alright, I guess that’ll leave me to report to the princess.” After a few seconds, she suddenly spoke up, “Hey, Artemis?”
“Yeah?”
“Between you and me…I’m glad I disobeyed my orders today.”
Artemis looked down at her to finally see the pleased smile on Zarola’s face. He smirked at her before he turned forward. Heh, to be honest… I’m glad that the captain screwed up by sending you with me. Let’s just hope I don’t need your help for the next monster.

Manehattan Park. Late at night, it was largely deserted by those who lived in Manehattan. But for Juniper Leaf and Copper Cut, a young couple on vacation visiting the city, the emptiness made the park more inviting for certain escapades. “Oh my Celestia, Copper, we’re going to get in so much trouble if we get caught,” the green mare giggled as she followed her husband through the poorly lit section of the park.
“Don’t worry about it, babe,” the blue stallion replied confidently. “Nopony’s going to be out here, so we’re going to have some more privacy out here than at the hotel.”
“But nopony can watch us at the hotel.”
“Yeah, but we could still have a creep listen in on us.” They continued to sneak through the park until they reached a lake. The only objects in sight were the dark silhouettes of what they could guess were rocks. With sultry smiles, they both faced each other and reared up on their hind legs to wrap their forehooves around their shoulders. “You ready?” Copper asked.
“Always,” Juniper replied before locking lips with Copper. Juniper then leaned forward to knock him down on his back, bringing her down with her as they continued to make out. A few seconds into their session, Juniper looked up and paused as she saw something. A bubble. Followed by two. Then six more. She giggled as leaned up enough to face Copper. “You goofy dork,” she lightly teased.
“W-what?” he chuckled.
“Did you really set up a bubble blower before you brought me here?”
Copper’s smile faltered into a frown as he stared up at her in confusion. “Bubble blower? What are you talking about? I didn’t set up a bubble blower.”
“Oh, really?” She pointed at a bubble that was approaching them. “Then how do you explain this?” She teased before popping the bubble with her hoof.
A low growl echoed around the area, immediately catching their attention. They quickly scrambled up to their hooves as they looked around the area for the source. “W-what is that?” Juniper asked as she shifted closer to Copper. “Is that a...monster?”
“That’s impossible,” Copper nervously replied. “There aren’t any monsters in Mane-” he stopped as his eyes landed on a rock a few yards away. Only, it was moving.
They watched fearfully as the once round object uncoiled into a serpent like creature. It swiftly slid behind them, cutting off their escape, before it began to circle around them menacingly. All the couple could do was huddle closer together and prepare for its next move. The details they could see of the creature were the patches of fur that could be found on its scaly body, fins that were on its back and head, and its long snout. Then, around the fifth pass, it used its clawed limbs to stop itself so that it was between them and the lake. It leaned up, snarling, before shooting its head forward to let out a high pitched roar.
“Aahh, a monster!” Juniper screeched as she turned around and ran as fast as she could.
“Somepony help us!” Copper yelled as he ran after her.
The both of them ran through the park, thinking that their lives were at stake, completely unaware that the creature wasn’t giving chase. Instead, it watched them before letting out a yawn. It then laid down on the ground and went back to sleep, content that the couple were no longer in its newfound territory.