//------------------------------// // True Comrades // Story: Monster Hunter P - Friendship is Survival // by LakieLegion //------------------------------// Full Guard charged the leading Diamond Dog, and ended it's existence with a single swing, it's canine head rolling on the ground as it's body slumped over, it's sword falling, clanging on the cobbled marble street, Ruby followed in kind, her horn lighting brightly as she summoned hard-magic stairs to charge straight at the Crimson Qurupeco, many hard-magic shards flying around her as a barrier and her shield and scythe floating at her sides. The Crimson Qurupeco screeched at the charging soldier, however, it's reverberating cry did not stall the battle-hardened Valkyrie as she continued in her charge, twirling her adapted farming tool in her magical grip. Four of the mares of the group, looked on in shock at how quickly life had been taken on this battlefield, Fluttershy looked like she was going to faint already, but she held on from a hoof on her withers from Pinkie, the pink mare gave a comforting smile to her friend. "Don't worry Fluttershy! You'll get used to it, i was sick for a few weeks after i killed my first D-Dog in defense! they didn't like our farm being where it was!" the chipper mare said, a comforting smile on her face, "just remember! giggle at the ghosties! they can only hurt you if you let them, and besides! the author wouldn't let anyone DIE, at least, not yet anyways, it's only chapter eight after all!" Pinkie finished with a giggle. Ian and her friends looked at the mare astonishingly, she had fought before? killed even? it was something that they could never picture in a million years, Ian shook his head slightly before steeling his look and speaking. "Welcome to the war zone girls, it's kill or be killed now" the hunter said ominously, before his lance glowed ominously, and once the light was gone, the large silver weapon was replaced with a large axe-like sword, the blade on one side was a dark black color, while the rest was white, upon the side of the sword were a pair of glyphs, the meaning of which were unknown to the mares. The hunter then charged up to the diamond dogs beside Full Guard, swinging his large Cera Cymmetry at a dog, severing it's torso from it's legs at the waist before bringing the large blade up to block the pickaxe of another dog, Full Guard glanced to the hunter beside him. "Where'd ya get that sword Hunter? ya didn't have it a second ago" the grizzled warrior pondered over the large horn blade, Ian used it to gut another dog before replying. "Some ability I have found that I have upon entering this world, I can use it to access any weapon that I owned back in my world, I do not fully understand it myself" the hunter said, once more blocking an incoming blade. -------meanwhile, with the other combatants-------- Shining Armor dived out of the way of the large bird that dived at him, quickly bringing his tower shield up beside him as the Qurupeco pecked at him, deflecting the beak, before he swung his sword and stabbed his pike at the creature from opposite angles, the creature squawked at the pain, before it landed on it's claws, and it started clapping the large brown pieces of bone on the arches of it's wings. sparks flew with every clap, and then it jumped for Shining Armor, it's bone protrusions creating a large explosion of flame over the shield that the unicorn formed around him, he swore silently before turning to the ponies fighting the bird alongside him. "Big Mac, Flash, Applejack, keep an eye for that attack again, i don't think we'd want to get hit by that" the captain of the guard said, Big Mac looked on impassively, chewing on a stalk of chaff all the while, as he tested his grip on his maul with his fore hooves, he was using it as he had used a firewood axe in the past, both on trees and Timber Wolves. "Eeyup, don' wanna know what'd happen if that hit" the usually silent stallion spoke, glaring at the bird, which squawked once more, Flash Sentry scoffed before flapping up the the large bird. "I doubt it's smart enough to know it has no way of winning, it's dead no matter what it does" the cocky stallion said, patting the carnivorous bird on the beak, a grin on his face all the while, what the idiot failed to notice, was that the bird had flicked it's jaws away from his hoof and around the arrogant pony. "Flash! you idiot!" Shining Armor yelled as he charged at the bird, which began pinning the screaming pegasus to the ground, Applejack giggled to herself before trotting after Shining to help save the idiot, while big mac simply introduced his hoof to his face before surging forwards. ----------------meanwhile, with the others fighting Crimson--------------- Ruby Aegis was agilely avoiding the Crimson Qurupeco's attacks, using hard-magic constructions to fling her around, never striking the same place twice, the large bird's beak was wounded already, a well placed scythe cut straight through the stretchy membranes forming the collapsible trumpet. Twilight was easily flinging rocks and cobblestones from the environment at the large bird, she hadn't even touched the sword at her side as she swung stone after stone at the creature, in her concentration however, she barely noticed the gleefully screaming pink mass that she launched with a rock at the bird. Pinkie was having the time of her life, bouncing around the nearby buildings, the Crimson Qurupeco's head and the rocks Twilight was flinging at their foe, she would periodically axe the bird a question as she flew by, in both motion and words. Meanwhile, Rainbow Dash was making sure Fluttershy would not be struck in the combat, batting away globs of steaming hot saliva spat their way by the bird, but what she was not ready for however, was for the frustrated bird to scream in defiance and knock the three combatants and herself away. Twilight, Pinkie, Ruby and Rainbow all smashed into solid marble walls, all dazed from the high speed contact with the dense stone. Fluttershy was now woefully unguarded as the large red bird loomed over her, saliva dripping from it's jaws, it rolled the frightened mare over, exposing her belly and where all the tastier parts of it's prey were kept, it pinned the scared pegasus to the ground, however, before it could dig into it's meal of pony, it was tackled in the side of the head at high speeds and it tumbled to the ground. Rainbow Dash raised her sword over her head and brought the blade down on the creatures neck multiple times, until, finally, the head was finally severed from it's body, long after the bird's windpipe was crushed and Rainbow Dash had run out of tears, the normally brash mare collapsed into sobs, and continually muttered the words 'I will not let another die on me, no, never again'. ----------------back to Flash being mutilated ---------------- Shining Armor struck at the colorful bird that was standing atop the once cocky, screaming Flash Sentry, crushing his wings to dust and scratching his face to Tartarus, Big Macintosh and Applejack were continually smashing at the knees of the large bird trying to get it to budge, knowing that if it was left to do as it was, Flash was going to die. Almost from out of nowhere, however, a large explosion blossomed from the side of the Qurupeco's face, knocking it to the ground, Shining Armor and Applejack quickly dragged the heavily wounded Flash Sentry from the combat, whom was groaning in heavy pain, Big Mac looked in the direction that the shot came from and saw Ian, a large blue handheld cannon in his hands, the weapon was open, showcasing a rotary loading system, the large shell being loaded into the weapon had markings on it(which Big Mac could just barely notice that it read CRSL2), and once it was in, the hunter clicked the weapon shut. Ian Aimed his Nether Salvatore at the head of the Qurupeco once more and pulled the trigger, letting loose a powerful shot, the powerful Lv2 Crag Shot exploded violently, slamming the bird into the wall of a nearby building, Ian replaced the Crag shot with a much more powerful replacement, a red shell labelled WyvnFr. The hunter charged up to the side of the fallen bird, which was struggling to stand back up and took up a crouching stance before beginning to charge up his powerful shot, with a large explosion of fire, the beast thrashed no more, the Qurupeco was dead. Ian silently stood, eying the carnage, watching the now mortified mares that he had met astonished at what had happened, especially the sobbing form that was Rainbow Dash, covered in blood, Big Mac and Pinkie silently walked up to the hunter's sides as he watched Shining, Ruby and Full Guard taking Flash to the castle's infirmary on a stretcher made of hard magic. "Th' Girls didn' understand what would be at risk, ah hope they don' change too much after seein' this kind a combat" Big Mac said solemnly, Pinkie nodded by his side. "I honestly didn't think I would need to do that kind of stuff again, protecting the Rock Farm from Diamond Dogs is much more different to fighting giant birds that could eat your friends" the pink mare sighed before giving the hunter a weak smile. "and don't think I forgot to give you a real Ponyville welcome! it's just... not the right time for a party" she said, before her hair drooped a bit. Ian only knew one thing, and that was that Canterlot was safe... at least... it was for now.