Monster Hunter: Equestria Unite

by SkyShrieker


Meeting the princess (Edited)

Ash filled skys wavered and scorched, cracked earth trembled before the might of three blood lust filled, triumphant roars. A thunderous "WHUMP" followed by the quaking of the earth soon followed the deranged blood thirsty roaring. A massive black dragon lay bleeding and broken on the burned ground of the Bad Lands. On the Dragons sides, neck, flank, legs, and wings were deep ragged gashes with the scales either broken or completely removed. The beast was seventy feet in length and forty feet in height with jet black scales and spines running along it's back and neck. The wicked looking horns that should have curved back from the skull were snapped off at varying lengths and lay scattered upon the unforgiving earth.

The beings responsible moved in and began to feed on the corpse. The sound of flesh being torn from body, and bones snapping free of their homes filled the air as the three monsters fed upon their kill. A massive crimson and black head with four straight horns pointing away from the skull rose up from the belly of the black dragon and stared north. It's cruel silver eyes narrowed in confusion only to be replaced by fury when at the sight of it's white scaled brother digging into the fire sac. Letting out a shriek of anger, Crimson attacked.


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Howl sprinted up the winding mountain trail that lead to Canterlot with a sense of urgency. The life in his arms was fading, and fast. Halfway through the journey the naked monkey (which is what it looked like to him) had begun to spasm and cry out in pain. His breathing was now erratic and labored, a sure sign that time was not on his side. Howl had picked up the pace then, cutting the four hour walk by three hours. Howl leaped into the air, landing on a merchants wagon and pushed off of it. He sailed through the air and over the Royak Guards stationed at the gates, ignoring their angry yells. He landed, bending his knees to absorb the shock and shot off again, heading for the castle that towered over the city. More shouts came from behind and on either side of him as the guards descended upon him. Annoyed, Howl lashed out with his legs whenever anypony got to close.

Having had enough the earth ponies backed off to make way for the unicorns and pegasi. Bright lights rained down on Howl from the rooftops and balconies the guards had set themselves up on. Howl effortlessly dodged between each spell and rolled out of the way of kamikaze pegasi. All around him civilian ponies were running from him and screaming in panic. This served to annoy Howl to the point where he snarled at anypony who got in his way. Suddenly the spell fire and dive bombing pegasi ceased, worrying the Diamond dog a bit but not enough to deter him. As he rounded one last corner, the castle came into view as well as two VERY unhappy alicorns. Howl came to a stop, sliding across the cobblestone streets. Silence filled the air wwith the exception of two magical hums that came from both princess.

Thinking of nothing else, Howl fell to one knee and showed them the dieing wyverian. "Please", he said in a gravely voice, "Help him." Celestia looked at the creature held by the Diamond Dog and gasped in surprise and horror. Korlan's bruises were now covering his entire torso and most of his back. The ugly purple skin was warped in several different place indicating broken bones. His breathing was gradually slowing along with his heart. His body was quickly surrounded by a golden aura and whisked into the castle along with Celestia herself, leaving only Princess Luna and a panting Howl. Luna's magic died down and she walked up to the canine before her. "Come, follow me and we shall attend to thee, but know that we do have questions for you.", she said in an authoritative, yet gentle voice. Howl nodded in gratitude and followed her, ignoring the guards that had flanked them.

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Three days past with Princess Celestia and a group of medical unicorns working non stop on the dieing wyverian. Many times during their operation Kor's heart had stopped, scaring everyone around him multiple times. By night three though, he finally stabilized and was currently resting in one of the any guest rooms in the castle. Exhausted, Celestia slowly made her way to the grand dining hall. She arrived to see her sister conversing with the Diamond dog that had brought her the creature of myth that lay sleeping in her castle. Luna looked up at the sound of metal on marble to see her sister walk in. Curious as to what caught Luna's attention, Howl looked up as well. Upon seeing the princess of the sun he rose from his seat and walked to her before dropping to one knee.

Celestia was, to say the least, caught off by the Diamond dog's action and nodded her head gently. "Arise sir, bowing is not necessary. Come, sit and explain to me how you stumbled upon this creature.", she said in a tired yet commanding voice. Howl rose up and took his seat next to Luna, Celestia doing the same. "Your highness, I was surviving in a cave near the Bog of Frogs when I heard Five Headed Death Serpent. I would have dismissed it when yell reached my ears. I thought it was pony in trouble and rushed to aide. Instead I find hairless monkey cutting itself from the Death Serpents throat." He paused to take a drink from his cup and continued. "Took my hammer and joined the battle in case it needed help. We fought hard and enraged the beast. It charged us and hit him full on, throwing him into tree. I attacked but was thrown away. Luckily for us it retreated." Celestia listened intently to her guest, an idea beginning forming in her head.

Unknown to most ponies, small villages had begun to vanish off the face of Equestria at what was becoming an alarming rate. Her guards ponies and secret service had brought back reports of death and fire, confirming her suspicions that the dimensional rift both she and Luna had closed ferried something across. "You said that the both of you took on a fully grown hydra?", she asked. Howl nodded and moved the thick fur on his chest around to show an ugly bruise from where the hydra hit him. Celestia and Luna stared at the injury with wide eyes until it was blocked by thick fur. Forgetting her exhaustion and hunger, Celestia rose and beckoned for Howl to follow. "Howl", she said, surprising the Diamond dog, "Come with me, I have need of your aide in a very important matter." Howl nodded slowly before rising and joining her.

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Korlan slowly opened his eyes but shut them again when he was assaulted by a blinding light. He took a deep breath and slowly opened his eyes a few centimeters at a time. Once they adjusted he fully opened them. Above him was a high vaulted marble ceiling with golden leaf and vine inlays. Kor gently pushed himself up from the incredibly soft bed he had been laying on to take in his surroundings. The entire room was made of marble with golden inlays of forests decorating the walls. Several book shelves were pushed against one wall next to a table and comfortable looking arm chair. The crimson silk bed cover fell from Kor's chest as he slowly moved off of the Celestia sized bed and onto the cold floor. Once standing, he raised his arms up and stretched and was rewarded with over a dozen popping sounds. He tossed one arm over his head and leaned with it, then switched arms (Think over exaggerated anime stretching).

With a happy sigh Kor walked to a mahogany door and put his hand on it to open it. He gasped in shock sa the universe flashed through his mind, showing him everything that was, wasn't, and had been before going dark. He backed up and rubbed his temples for a few seconds before looking up and eying the door. He timidly reached out and pushed the door which swung open. Shaking his head Kor stepped in to what turned out to be a bathroom made entirely of black granite. He quickly shut the door and stripped off his shorts and hopped into the shower, letting out a yelp when a waterfall ice cold water slammed into him. He hopped out and found a knob that he turned until the water came out at the correct temperature of 115f. He soon turned the water off and dried himself with a fluffy towel that lay on the granite sink counter, and put his shorts on.

He stepped out of the bathroom into the cool bedroom and froze. Sitting on the edge of his bed was a rather large furry being that held the basic shape of a dog...or was it a small bear? Instinct took over, forcing Kor into a defensive stance. The beast before him threw off it's tattered cloak and took an offensive stance with his paws up,ready to cut him into ribbons. The tension in the air was thick enough to be cut, sold, and used to help actors nail their scenes. Howl charged in throwing a left hook at Kor's face. Kor spun to the right, catching Howl's paw and using his momentum to throw Howl into the wall. He shook the stars from his eyes and lashed out with a back kick, catching Kor in the stomach.

Kor fell onto his back with a loud grunt while his vision exploded into hundreds of bright lights. Years of hunting experience screamed for him to roll. He obeyed and nearly missed a heavy elbow drop to the face. Howl yelped in pain when his elbow connected with hard marble. The pain caused him to miss a large shape fly at him until he felt something slam into his back and two powerful arms lock around his thick neck. Howl coughed and thrashed around as his oxygen supply was cut off. He attempted to throw Kor off but was failing to succeed. Howl's vision began to darken due to lack of air. A loud boom echoed throughout the room and with it, came Howl's ability to breath. He grabbed his throat and coughed heavily before sucking in lungfuls of air.

Howl eventually looked up to see a very upset Celestia standing in the doorway, her horn glowing a bright gold. A groan prompted Howl to turn around. What he saw was Kor laying in a heap on the ground with smoke trails rising off of his body.. "Howl, explain to me exactly what is going on here", she growled with barely restrained anger. "My apologies, had to test him to see if he was alpha in this pack you wish us to form", Howl grunted out. Celestia snorted in annoyance. "Next time at least inform them of your intentions, am I clear?" Howl bowed to her in compliance.

Kor groaned again and pushed himself up into a sitting position. When he saw Princess Celestia he rubbed his eyes a few times in disbelief. Standing before him was the most beautiful possibly ever created. Her entire coat was a snow white along with her impressively large wings and her multi-colored mane and tail flowed in a non existent breeze. Celestia cut her connection to her magic and stepped up to Korlan and bowed her head. "Please, accept my apologies for assaulting you. I hadn't any idea you were defending your self." Kor blinked a few times before nodding his head. Celestia gave a thankful smile before using her magic to stand Kor up and clean him off. "Please, follow us, we have much to discuss." She turned around and headed out into the hallway quickly followed by howl then Kor.

The hallway, like the bedroom, was made from white marble with columns running along the walls. Tapestries and paintings adorned the walls, giving a sophisticated feeling to the castle. Kor noticed other, smaller, ponies in golden armor standing in between the columns, their faces set in grim expressions. "Oh silly me, I have forgotten to introduce myself, I am Princess Celestia, co-ruler of Equestria." Kor sgave his attention to Celestia quickly. "I am Korlan Rathalos, Monster Hunter of Pokke Village", he replied. "It is a pleasure to meet you Korlan, though I wish it could have been under better terms." She frowned slightly while using her magic to open a door into a hallway filled with stained glass windows.

Celestia led them towards the end of the hall and stopped in front of one particular window. It showed the two sisters, Celestia and Luna, blasting a portal with their combined magics. Over one thousand years ago my sister and I sealed a dimensional portal that had been sucking creatures and objects from your world into ours and vice versa During the time this portal was open, all of the thunder unicorns vanished from our world while at the same time we gained the vicious hydra." "When my sister and I sealed used our magics on the portal we thought it to be sealed foe good. However, this kind of portal was actually a tear in...oh dear, I've lost you haven't I?" Kor had a look of pure confusion on his face, stating plainly that he hadn't a clue what she had said.

Celestia tapped her chin with her hoof for a second before smiling. "Basically, a portal is like a magical doorway that allows you to move from one point to another in an instant.", she started, " Now, the portal that brought you here connected our two worlds together. However, this portal was made using the time stream. That is basically where time meets our worlds. This allowed the portal to be in all laces at every second of time." Kor nodded in understanding. "Unfortunately the portal is closed for good and cannot be opened...meaning you are stuck here forever." This last sentence was said with regret and sorrow. Korlan put a hand on his head for a second, absorbing the life changing information he had been given. 'Well... It's not so bad, this world has monsters that I could hunt to make a living... I did always want to get out of the village and find my own place in life..maybe this could be it!', he thought.

"You need not apologize your highness, I feel no anger towards you for something outside your control." Celestia looked up at him and smiled. "Thank you Korlan Rathalos, I appreciate that." "Our friend Howl here", she said while pointing at the Diamond dog, "Has informed me that you single handedly fought a hydra and even took one of it's heads. Is this correct?" Kor nodded in confirmation. "I see... Kor, I have request for you if it is not to much to ask?" "The creatures that were sucked into our world have begun to cause a serious problem and I need your help to...Handle them. You seem to be already qualified,and if i am right, you have done this before." Kor nodded again. "Yes princess, it would be an honor to hunt for you. I will put everything into keeping your people safe from the threat of monsters."

Celestia bowed her head in thanks. "Thank you, I do not know how I can repay you. I know this task will be dangerous to do so Howl here has volunteered to aide you." Howl bowed to Kor, who nodded in return. "Now, I do not know much about hunting these creatures, but I am going to guess you require armor to do so?", the princess asked with small smile. Kor looked down at himself and gave a sheepish smile. "Come,follow me too the armory where we can get the both outfitted.", Celestia said while leading the way out.
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The armory was a sweltering hot stone building in the east courtyard of the castle. The front of the building held rows of weapons and armor locked behind a gated desk and attended to by a grey unicorn. The back of the building though was a blacksmith's shop complete with three large forges which were worked by unicorns. The only exception was a massive rust colored earth pony with a steel grey mane and tail and an anvil and sledge hammer cutie mark. He stood at five foot six and was made completely out of rock hard muscle earned from years at the forge. He noticed the princess and barked out "SHOW SOME RESPECT TO YOUR PRINCESS!",prompting everypony to drop what they were doing and bow.

Celestia giggled at the display and nodded to her ponies. "Please, rise and do not worry, I am very proud to see you all take your craft seriously. Vulcan, may I speak to you for a moment please? I have a task for you." The behemoth of an earth pony quickly led the princess to a back office and closed the door before taking his seat at his desk. "How may I be of service your Highness?" Celestia gestured Howl and Kor forward. "These two are in need of armor and weapons for a task I have given them, and you are the only one I trust to see it done." Vulcan bowed his head and thanked the princess before going into work mode.

He grabbed a measuring tape in his mouth and trotted over to Kor to take his measurements. Howl was next and both hi and Kor's measurements were scribbled down in a worn notebook. "Alright lads come with me and we'll draw up some designs. I'll also need to know what you will be going up against to make sure your armor does not fail you." Vulcan led the way out of the office followed only by Howl. "Princess, may I ask a favor? In my world we used the parts of what ever we hunted to make weapons and armor. If it i not to much trouble, could you bring the head of a hydra I cut off before being injured?" The princess nodded and took her leave. "Hey! Wait...I didn't tell her where it was...oh well."

Outside the office Kor joined up with Vulcan and Howl who were gathered around an art table and drawing up armor designs using basic Diamond dog armor design. "So foal, it's dragon's and such that you're hunting is it? And I also here you have experience with these creature in the past? Any chance you can how me some new technique?",the large earth pony asked in a deep gravely voice when Kor joined them. The young hunter nodded and explained about the usage of monster parts in armor and weapon crafting. He continued by explaining how monster scales were ground up and dissolved in a boiling water before being mixed in with the metal to help strengthen it and add resistances to different elemental attacks.

He was interrupted when a bright flash of light brought a severed hydra's head. The sudden appearance didn't seem to surprise anypony who all simply continued working. "Ah it seems we can now do a demonstration, please, show me how to do this." Together, Kor and Howl dragged the head and neck out back to a concrete porch where several water hoses had been set up in case anypony needed a quick shower after work. Vulcan watched the hunter get to work skinning the appendage. He took mental notes as the teeth, vertebrae, and skull were carefully extracted and washed off.

Having been stripped of everything useful, the remains were gathered up and set ablaze. With a fresh stock of materials, Kor set about drawing up two sets of armor. Once finished he handed them over to Vulcan who made looked it over and made a few minor changes. Next he trotted off into a back storage room and returned with several metal ingots. Vulcan went on to explain the difference in each metal. Kor ended up choosing a metal that absorbed impact and even protected against piercing. (Here all our metals are magical.) Howl on the other hand chose a lighter metal meant for speed. After putting up the rest up, Vulcan began barking out names of those he needed on the project. "SONIC VELOCITY...VELOCITY!!!" Grumbling in anger, Vulcan picked up a hammer in one hoof and hurled it at a sky blue pegasus with a grey mane and tail who was dozing off in the corner.

The tool struck with a crack, drawing a yelp of pain from the pegasus. He got up while rubbing his head with the tip of his left wing. "NEXT TIME I'M UPGRADING TO MY SLEDGE, NOW GET OVER HERE!", Vulcan boomed out. Velocity trotted over to the small group and didn't give Kor nor Howl a second glance. "Alright everypony, I have a special job for all of you. These two right here-", he said while pointing at the two bipeds,"- are in need of custom made armor. Now, Smelt, Hammer, and I will set about getting the metal and molds ready. Velocity...'' Vulcan looked at the two bipeds. "What are your names?" The Diamond dog let out a chuckle and introduced himself, quickly followed by Kor."Okay, Velocity will go with thee two and follow their exact instructions on fusing the monster pieces into the metal. GET MOVING!"

The two groups split up and got to work. Kor picked up a pile of muddy brown scales and a hammer,then began beating the the chaos out of them until all that was left were tiny pies and brown dust laying on the table. "And that is how it is done.", he said with a bow. Howl snorted and copied Kor, ending up with the same results. Velocity spread his wings and grasped a hammer in one and a small pile of scales in the other. After setting the scales on the table he picked one out and rapidly slammed his hammer into it. Kor watched the sight in awe, not fully understanding how the wing was able to move in such a way.

"Velocity, how do you do that?", he asked. Said pegasi looked up at his wings and shrugged. "Don't know, I was born this way." "It seems to be very useful either way." Velocity nodded and the three continued to work. When they had a large pile of brown dust and chunks, a large stone tub was wheeled over filled with steaming water. They slowly poured all of the dust in and stirred it until it became dark brown and slightly viscus. After the tub was wheeled away, Kor began cutting the sheets of scales into various shapes and sizes. These would be used later as added protection as well as decoration. Hours passed and the sun gave way to the moon before the armor was finished and ready to be completed.

Kor carefully attached the scale pieces to each set of armor and finally set the helmets on top of the armor stand. Before them were two sets of armor. One for a Diamond dog, the other for a Wyverian. Both were a light brown that caught and reflected the light of the forge's, making them glow a dull gold. Both armor sets had a cuirass adorned with scales at the collarbone, set of shoulder guards that just barely covered the shoulders to allow better mobility, a pair of vambraces, and a helmet. Kor's armor however, had a pair of brown metal and scaled greaves, and brown metal boots. His helmet was a full helm with a sliding visor while Howl wore a spiked cap with chain mail hanging down to protect his neck. Howl's armor had metal plates hanging over his upper leg a protection and only had a pair of shin guards.

Everyone took a step back and stared at the product of their hard work. Eventually though someone let out an infectious yawn. "Alright everypony, you can all expect something extra for Hearth's Warming this year,you have all earned it.Now, everyone to bed, the night shift is waiting for us to leave." After a chorus of "Good night" everyone split up and headed off to bed. Howl bid Kor Goodnight when they made it to their rooms. Kot shut his door and hopped into bed with a loud yawn, quickly followed by snoring.
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Meanwhile in the mountains of Griffonia, one of the smaller mountains trembled and moved ever so lightly before falling still again.