//------------------------------//
// Dragon Knight 
// Story: A Monster's Sunset 
// by PrometheusX 
//------------------------------//

I'm not entirely certain when exactly it was my perception of Celestia started to change, but I think it was during my third year of personal tutelage under her. By that point, I firmly saw her as a mother-figure, someone to look up to at all times and learn from. I wanted to be just like her, to stand by her side in ruling Equestria. I saw it as the perfect way to both show the world Sunset Shimmer was no longer the poor foal to be pitied, but also to stay with the one pony who I believed was worthy of all my time and affection.

But that was point she also began to insist that I start to learn more about the concept of friendship and make friends. She might as well had told me to burn the Canterlot library down. What use did I have for friends? Sure, some ponies might seek companionship and camaraderie, but I couldn't see anything to gain from it. It didn't help that most ponies came to me less about becoming friends and more about riding on my coattails.

Don't get me wrong, I liked being looked upon and admired for my brilliance, but I had better things to do than babysit a couple of second-rates. They could all wallow in the fact that they would never be as good as me; me, who started out with almost nothing over their privileged richness, yet was their superior.

To put it plainly, I just didn't like other ponies, far more comfortable with my head in a book or being with Celestia. Friendship just seemed like a waste of time to me better spent preparing myself for becoming Celestia's heir.

Arrogant of me to assume? Yes, but I had my reasons. I was the only current student of Princess Celestia and a pony whom she trusted deeply. True, Celestia always dodged the question even if I occasionally (not always jokingly) suggested it, but a part of me, the part that always pushed to be the best, always assumed that becoming her heir was just around the corner. We were practically mother and daughter in our relationship, so why not take it to the next logical step?

However, all of this was really in the back of my mind at the time. Aside from Celestia's prodding about friendship, I was content and happy with my lot in life. I was at the top of the world and climbing higher. I was the best around and nothing was ever gonna keep me down.

And then she came along. That pretty pink princess who ever little filly wanted to be when she grew up. Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, or just Cadence as she preferred to be called, the Princess of Love.

And my hatred for her knew no bounds.





Luka slowed down as he neared the town's center, the tense feeling from earlier seemingly increasing tenfold as he got closer. Holding his drawn sword loosely, he jogged slowly forward, the sounds of battle and yells growing louder with each passing second. As he neared the opening that would lead towards the central plaza, he stopped for a moment behind a wall. Taking a deep breath, he inched towards the corner and peaked around it. What he saw made his blood freeze.

The town center looked like a small war zone. Bodies were strewn all over the place, all of them apparently town guards. Fortunately, they all seemed to be alive, since they were either breathing heavily or moaning in pain, but the situation was worrying nonetheless.

In the middle of that carnage four figures stood. Three of them, wielding a sword, mace and spear respectively, were fellow soldiers of the town guard, apparent by the identical uniforms to the ones on the ground. The fourth was the apparent culprit of said intimate meeting with the ground.

Standing lazily around with a clawed hand on the hilt of a giant sword was a dragon woman in full black armor with yellow highlights, wearing a matching head protector and a billowing purple cape. She had red hair and green scales that covered both her legs and forearms, but aside from that and the horns protruding from the sides of her head she looked surprisingly human. She seemed unconcerned by the fact she was surrounded by three men on all sides, and if she was the one who left most of the others on the ground, she had every right to be so relaxed; it was unlikely at best that they'd be a threat to her. Compared to the way the men surrounding her in an almost fearful way if the way there weapons were shaking was any indication she was utterly at peace, yet even like that radiated power.

Luka gulped, realizing instinctively that this one was out of his league.

"Well?" the swordswoman grunted. "Are you three going to attack or not?"

As if prompted by her words, the three charged at once, perhaps hoping an all-out attack might help. The swordsman swung at her swordarm, the spearman towards her back, and the mace-user at her head. Desperation drove them, and no human would have likely escaped the three-pronged assault.

Unfortunately, their opponent was not in any way 'human'. Moving inhumanly fast, the dragon woman plucked her sword from the earth and swung in a circle, reaching out with her free hand at the same time. Her clawed hand found its grip on the swordsman's wrist and yanked his weapon aside, and her greatsword sliced through the spear like tissue paper and bit deeply into the mace, knocking it off course to hit the ground harmlessly at her side. Not missing a beat, she smashed the swordsman into the spearman and sent them sprawling, and before the mace wielder could lift his weapon she grabbed her sword with both hands and swung the still-attached mace into the guard and sent him crashing to the ground, where he laid groaning as he gripped his chest. She then gripped the mace and yanked it off her sword, throwing it aside like garbage.

All of that took place in barely 12 seconds.

"Is that it?" she called out, looking towards the swordsman who still managed to keep his grip on his weapon. "Or are you just gonna stand by while I take this city?"

Slowly, the guard stood up and assumed a ready stance, but his shaking form betrayed his fear. "I-I won't let you!"

"Don't do it, Gregory!" the spearman shouted, "You'll die!"

The dragon nodded, appearing almost impressed. "That's the spirit...but even if you have the spirit, it's meaningless here!"

As she spoke, her sword suddenly became covered in flames, giving off scorching heat that Luka could feel even from where he was. Undaunted, or perhaps just fueled by pure desperation, the soldier called Gregory let out a yell as he charged straight at her and swung with all his might, despite the protests of his fellow.

Luka blinked. In that instant, the dragon disappeared...and the soldier fell to the ground unconscious, the woman now behind him and lifting her sword as if she had just struck him. She turned towards the spearman and gestured towards the sword.

"Well?" she barked.

The man scrambled to his feet and ran for his life. The dragon watched him go with a sneer of contempt as she lifted her foot and snapped the steel sword under her feet.

Now she alone stood in the plaza, triumphant.

A dragon swordswoman who wields a greatsword and the power of fire...

Able to stand up against an entire army by herself...

A killer of thousands...

An insanely powerful monster that only the insane would dare to challenge...

'Is that really...?'

One of the Four Heavenly Knights of the Monster Lord...the strongest monsters in existence after her...

"Dragon Knight Granberia."

Luka turned with a start at the voice, only to relax when he saw it was Sunset. The mage was watching the scene as well, observing as Granberia demanded to know if that was the best Iliasburg could throw at her, arms wide in challenge.

"I'd heard the rumors, but I didn't really put any stock into them until just now," she whispered, as if afraid her voice might carry over to the dragon. "Then again, seeing is believing."

"Well, what do we do?" Luka whispered back. What was such a powerful monster doing here of all places? He was expecting something a bit more...mid-bossy or so at this point in their journey.

"I...I don't know."

Luka was surprised at the expression on her face. It was...fear. Luka couldn't remember the last time he had ever seen Sunset afraid, ever. Not when Mother had gotten sick nor when she first woke up in their home, not even when they found her in the snow half-dead. It was something utterly alien to him, his big sister showing fear.

"She's completely out of both of our leagues..." Sunset muttered, licking her lips nervously. "It might...it might not be a bad idea to run away while we still can."

"Leave?" Luka wouldn't deny the idea was definitely appealing, but he remembered all the people in the town hiding in fear and found some measure of resolve. "But what about Iliasburg? Who knows what she'll do if she's not stopped?"

"I know that, but that doesn't do us any good if we die trying to save them. She's way too strong."

"Even so, we can't abandon them. I can't at least."

"Luka..."

"No! If I flee now, I'll never be able to call myself a Hero! I'll be a Fake in deed as well as word," he insisted. "I can't let her just have her way, Sis."

Sunset flinched. He knew she never really liked being called 'Sis', preferring her first name to be used in conversation. She looked back towards the plaza, seeing that Granberia had seemingly calmed down as she shook her head in disgust and went back for her embedded sword.

"...And I promised Liese to keep you safe, so I guess I'm involved too, huh?" she asked with a mirthless chuckle. "Fine...but stay behind me."

"But I can-"

"No," she said firmly, cutting off his protest. "I'm not gonna convince you to run because I know you're too pig-headed to listen when you're 'Hero-sense' is up in arms. However, I expect you to stay back and try not to get killed. I might be able to hurt her, but she's way out of your league and I don't feel like explaining to Liese that I failed. If I need to, I will trap you behind a wall of fire if you start to get out of hand. Got me?"

Luka reluctantly nodded. Sunset sighed. She really didn't like the idea of him being anywhere near a fight with such an enormously strong opponent, but in the current situation all she could do was keep an eye on him and hope he didn't do something utterly stupid and suicidal. Gripping her staff, she stepped out of the shadows and into view of the plaza, pointing it directly at the dragon knight, who currently had her back to her.

'Can't believe I'm actually doing this,' she thought grimly as she drew from her mana reserves. 'But hey, you only live once, right?'





Granberia yanked her sword out of the ground with a barely concealed growl of disappointment. She had decided to commandeer this pathetic place to serve as a beachhead for her one-monster invasion on the temple to the south, but she had originally hoped that she would at least get some enjoyment out of any fighters on the continent. Surely on the continent that was the heart of the 'Goddess's' worship there would be worthy foes to battle, right?

'Apparently, these fools place too much emphasis on their precious Ilias defending them to do much of anything,' she decided with a growl. 'If I was native to this place, I would be ashamed of my heritage...'

Well, she supposed it didn't matter. If Ilias Village had the same quality of soldiers defending it as here she'd be done and feasting in the ruins of their Goddess's temple by evening tomorrow.

"Well then, I've taken control of the city..." she muttered to herself. "Now I-"

She felt the surge of power build from behind her right before it was released. Twirling around with sword at the ready, she was greeted to the sight of a massive fireball as big as herself coming directly at her face. Face unchanging, she brought her blade down, cleaving the ineffectual attack in half as she felt the flames lick her body almost like a warm blanket.

She blinked. Impressive. A dragonkin usually didn't feel fire even when it was roaring in their face. To even feel some level of heat was proof this wasn't the type of spell used by an average magic-wielder. Granberia suddenly felt like she might get some entertainment out of her day after all.

"Dragon scale is strong enough to make lava a comforting hot spring," she called out to whoever attacked as she sliced through the magic. "An attack like this is useless against me."

"Maybe, but I had to see if my preferred spells would work," a female voice called back. "Guess I'll have to step up my game."

As the fireball dissipated around her, having not even managed to sing her armor or cape, she got a closer look at her attacker. Standing across from her by the entrance to the plaza was a young red-and-yellow-haired woman in her twenties or so, clad in a long-sleeved brown tunic and leggings with a black staff in hand. Granberia noted with mild interest the appearance of scars visible along her left arm and her chin, but didn't put much stock into either of them. In her experience, those who collected battle scars simply didn't know when to dodge properly.

She also raised an eyebrow when she caught sight of her companion, a boy younger than her and holding a rather plain sword in hand. He tried his best to hide it, but she could almost smell the fear on him. Still, she approved of the way he seemed to know what he was doing, maintaining a firm grip on his sword and staying slightly back to the mage, looking ready to bolt any which way necessary. Already he impressed her more than the 'town guard' still groaning at her feet and it was clear he was the inferior of the two of them.

If nothing else, this pair might prove to be a welcome diversion.

Keeping her eyes on the pair coolly, she relaxed her stance slightly as they started forward slowly and stopped about twenty paces away from her. She decided to let them make the second move of the engagement and just waited patiently.

She was surprised when it was the boy who made the first move, visibly steeling himself as he cleared his throat.

"G-Good day. I assume you're the Heavenly Knight of Fire, Granberia, correct? My name is Luka and this is my sister Sunset. Might I ask what a warrior of your level is doing here? This place's a long way from the Monster Lord's castle after all."

He actually got that out without many pauses or stutters. Granberia approved. "Huh, at least one of you has manners," she remarked, casting a glance towards the mage Sunset, who just frowned slightly. "Yes, I am Granberia, and what I'm doing here is no business of either of yours."

"I-If you intend to make this town's citizens suffer...then yes it is," he replied with a shake of his head, though the motion seemed just as much to calm his own nerves as rebuke her.

"And you're gonna be the one to stop me, Mr. Big-Shot-Hero?" she taunted.

"Nope, that would be me," the girl suddenly said. "He's gonna help, but I'm the one doing the heavy lifting for this fight because he's totally out of his league as just a plain Apprentice."

Granberia found it almost funny how the boy suddenly looked towards his companion like she was stealing his thunder. "And who exactly are you supposed to be, 'Sunset'?"

"My name is Sunset Shimmer," she replied with just a hint of pride. "I'm the strongest mage on this entire continent, the dreaded Witch of Ilias Village, and currently responsible for the boy's well-being on his quest to become a Hero, which includes beating up monsters that are too strong for him to handle at his current level. So get ready to be sent back to the Monster Lord crying like a baby when I'm done with you." As if in response to her statement, teal energy started to form on both her staff and her free hand. "Ready?"

Granberia grinned slightly as she assumed a battle stance. Now this was what she wanted out of her trip to Ilias. This might actually be worth her time.

"Enough talk. Have at you!"





Sunset pointed her staff and fired a teal blast of energy from it. The dragon knight seemed to expect it and blocked without trouble, rushing forward as she did so.

"Luka, get back!" she yelled as she brought up her staff with both hands to defend herself, the wood glowing with power as she formed a small shield about it. The boy instantly complied and jumped away just like she taught him as Granberia's sword came down on the staff-shield. Metal met magic aura and wood as the dragon pushed down on her, Sunset's knees buckling at the pressure as her arms felt like they were about to snap in two. She could even see where the sword was digging into the black wood despite the shield, marks flaring along the staff's surface as her wards kicked in.

Still, she and her staff held firm, and Granberia looked impressed.

"Not bad," she admitted. "Your magic and staff wardings are pretty impressive to be able to withstand my blade...but it's not enough."

So saying, she lashed out with her foot, smashing into Sunset's midsection and sending her sprawling away. Sunset gasped, it was like someone rammed a hammer right into her stomach. Granberia moved to follow up on it, but stopped when she caught a sudden movement to her side. Turning, she batted aside Luka's attack attempt. Snorting, she glared at him.

"Oh, you're still here, boy, or I should say 'warrior' since you're carrying a sword?" she growled. "Let's see what you've got."

"Luka! Back off!" Sunset yelled as he pointed her staff and fired another teal blast. Granberia responded by cleaving it apart and then following up with a return strike so quick that it would have cleaved Luka in half had he not aborted his attack and leaped back.

"If that's all you're good for, just stay out of this," she stated flatly, "You'll only annoy me."

She turned back towards Sunset, only to blink when she realized she wasn't there anymore. "Where-"

Sunset blinked into existence right behind her and swung her staff, unleashing an explosion of teal energy that actually sent Granberia sprawling. Not letting up, she fired three more blasts at Granberia's still rolling form before forming lightning around her free hand.

"Take this!" she shouted as she launched the attack. Granberia managed to get to her feet and swung her sword on instinct, only to shout in pain as the electricity coursed down the metal and into her body. Still, she seemed more angry than hurt now.

"Bitch!" she shouted, charging forward with a roar. Sunset teleported again before the dragon could reach her, but this time Granberia twirled around and threw up her free arm as the electricity from Sunset's surprise attack struck her. With a growl she charged forward heedless of the attack, swinging her sword with her free hand and colliding with Sunset's staff again, forcing her to cut the attack off to better defend herself. As they struggled with the stalemate, the mage attempted to remove her left hand from the staff and unleash a quick attack, but Granberia's own moved even faster and gripped it in a vise, squeezing it until she felt something crack.

Sunset screamed and her grip on her staff weakened. With a jerk Granberia slammed her knee into Sunset's ribs hard and sent flying away to smash against the plaza stones. The staff came free from her sword and clattered to the ground, and Granberia gave it one look before bringing up her sword and cleaving it in half. Immediately afterward, she felt a sharp sting in the back of her knee, and she turned to see Luka beating a hasty retreat, arms shaking.

"Tch! Attacking me from behind? Your puny sword won't pierce my scales, boy! And I'm growing tired of you making an annoyance of yourself!"

With those words, she turned her full attention towards Luka and tensed her muscles. Her sword came up, and she noted that he gripped his sword firmly as he assumed a dodging...no, parrying stance.

"Think you can block my attack, boy?" she asked almost incredulously. "See for yourself how foolish that is!"

She swung, her blow aiming directly for his midsection. A lightning bolt would have been jealous of how fast her blade went. She was already getting ready to turn her attention back to Sunset as she-

*Clang!*

Granberia's eyes widened as she stumbled, her balance lost as she tried to keep her grip on her sword. In front of her, the boy still stood at the ready, only now his eyes were like dinner plates as he stared in just as much dumbfoundedness as her. Right between the two of them and surrounding Luka entirely was an egg-shaped teal shield, flickering with energy. Her attack had quite literally slid right along it and slammed into the ground, not even leaving a mark.

"Wha...how..." she murmured in surprise, then looked back towards Sunset with a growl. The mage was currently propped up against the plaza fountain, broken hand limply at her side as her free one pointed directly at them and glowing. Blood was flowing from a cut along the side of her head where she had dashed against the stones, but she was smiling slightly.

"I'm...your opponent," she remarked slowly.

Suddenly, the temperature around Granberia seemed to plummet as if all the heat was being sucked out at once. She actually saw her surprised exhale of breath begin to freeze as ice formed about her limbs. With rising panic, she reached within herself and summoned her own power. Fire exploded into existence as the Heavenly Knight brought her magic to bear against the cold, instantly melting the restrictive ice about her form and evaporating the resulting water before it could even sink into her clothes.

When she looked back though, the mage was gone.

Granberia narrowed her eyes as she forced herself to calm down, reaching out with her senses to try and detect her opponent's movements. For a moment, she saw world not as others saw it with their eyes, but rather as a giant flow of energy, with disturbances in the form of waves flowing everywhere and telling her where everything was. She could sense the boy watching her in confusion but not attacking, likely fearful of what would happen. She could sense the townsfolk in their homes, watching the battle with bated breath. She could even sense a strangely familiar presence-

There

Opening her eyes, she turned on her heel and lunged towards an area directly to her left, flames gathering around her sword. At that instant, Sunset Shimmer reappeared, her hand crackling with magic unlike anything she had used so far, black and green and with purple bubbles forming inside the energy. The mage's eyes (which Granberia realized in surprise were now red and green with purple smoke drifting out of them) widened in shock when she realized that the knight was already nearly upon her, but she fired the spell nonetheless.

Fire clashed with darkness as the two opposing forces collided. Granberia's eyes widened as the dark magic, for there was nothing else the attack could be, actually started to push her back slightly, flickering against her body and sending chills that had nothing to do with being cold through her. Sunset's own expression was set in a tense line of concentration as sweat beaded and rolled down her face. Granberia could tell she was putting all of her remaining power into this attack in a last-ditch effort to overwhelm her.

Well, it was only right to answer in kind.

"Vaporizing Rebellion Sword!"

At her words, her sword's flames seemed to triple in size and strength, completely consuming the dark magic. With that, she lashed wildly at Sunset, a barrage of flame-enhanced blows raining down on her. In desperation, Sunset brought up that same shield she used earlier and actually managed to deflect the first two blows, but her defense cracked upon contact with the third strike, shattered on the fourth and she took the full brunt of the final slash, cutting into her chest. Sunset didn't even have time to scream as the violence behind the blows sent her crashing into a nearby wall hard enough to hear something crack, the impact upon which thankfully knocked her unconscious to the pain.

As Granberia watched her opponent fly through the air and hit the wall, she nodded out of respect. That had definitely been a great fight and the mage a worthy opponent to both hurt and make her use her ultimate attack, but now it was over.

She almost didn't notice the incoming attack until it was too late.





Throughout the entire last exchange of blows, Luka had been watching, frustrated and fearful. His best attempt had been batted aside and he'd been driven to his knees so easily. The difference in power between him and Granberia was staggering. But even so, he still believed there had to be something he could do. And when he saw the opportunity, in the form of Granberia unleashing her ultimate attack and blasting Sunset away, he gathered every ounce of his remaining strength, gripped his sword with both hands, and leaped forward, fueled by his desire to save Sunset and avenge her defeat.

As he closed the distance between them in a flash, far faster than an ordinary human soldier could, the Heavenly Knight finally became aware of his movement. Realizing his opportunity was about to be lost, Luka murmured a plea to his mother, sister and goddess to give him strength, desperately pushed his body to its absolute limit, and swung as hard as he could at the dragon knight's neck with the skill Alice had taught him - Demon Decapitation.

Recognizing the attack being used on her, Granberia's eyes widened and, reacting as fast as she could, she immediately twisted out of the way, attempting to protect her vital spots from a deadly blow.

However, it was far too late for anything more than partial success. She managed to avoid a mortal blow to the soft, unprotected flesh of her neck, but the tip of Luka's sword nonetheless managed to lightly brush against her cheek, leaving a small nick, and the sword's blade violently impacted her left shoulder guard. With a terrible noise of shattered metal, the pauldron gave under the stress of Luka's assault, and a large chunk broke off of it, flying in the air and landing a few steps away from the two combatants, not that far from Sunset's destroyed staff.

With the momentum carrying Luka past the Heavenly Knight, she stumbled backwards, a shocked expression on her face as she stared at the broken shoulder pad. As the boy rolled on the ground and came to rest on his knee again, breathing hard and with his muscles aching from the strain, Granberia's eyes slowly moved from her pauldron to him, then to the broken piece lying on the ground a ways off, and then to the boy again. Her mouth moved, apparently trying to form words, but no sound came out.

Luka didn't care though. He raced instantly for where Sunset was unconscious, stopping right next to her and leaning down to look at her. He breathed a sigh of relief when he realized that she was definitely breathing, then quickly ripped off part of his shirt to wrap around her head and stop the bleeding. He then reached into his pack and pulled out a paste meant to help treat burns. Even though he knew she was more or less fireproof, a fact that was proven as he realized most of the damage from that last attack had been from the cut itself rather than the flames, he still applied it to the bright red areas on her skin around the cut, pressing another rag to the cut to stop the bleeding.

"C'mon Sunset," he whispered. "You can walk this off. You've got to..."

"Y-You..." the dragonkin finally uttered, still staring at Luka. "How...that was a Cursed Sword skill. How did you-"

"Granberia."

A new voice rang out across the town square. On instinct, both Luka and Granberia turned their heads towards it, the former's eyes widening as he realized it was Alice, still in human form, approaching them with an unreadable expression with the cloak cowl on over her head. Granberia blinked, then went wide-eyed again as she appeared to recognize her even with the hood.

"Ah! Y-You-" she gasped, but fell silent as Alice's gaze turned to her specifically with a frown.

"What are you doing here?" she asked after a brief silence. "I don't recall you ever receiving orders to begin attacking human towns this far south of all places."

"W-Well, the temple south of here-" the dragonkin began to explain, but was cut off.

"Go away, you annoyance," Alice declared flatly. "I came here to sightsee and taste this town's fabled 'Happiness Honey-Filled Ama-ama Dango', even resorting to human form to do so, but I can't even consider it an acceptable sacrifice with you wrecking chaos everywhere and keeping the doors shut to visitors."

"B-But if I don't destroy the Temple, Heroes will-"

"Are you deaf? I said go away," Alice repeated, not in the least bit moved. "The Temple has infinite amounts of time to be destroyed. My desire to eat, however, does not."

It was hard for Luka to connect this image of Granberia almost...sulking like a child told she couldn't go to the town fair to the fearsome Heavenly Knight who single-handedly stomped both Sunset and him in the ground. She even pointed at them like they were part of the blame game.

"What about this boy Hero and his companion? Surely-"

"This is the third time I've had to repeat myself. I said go away," Alice interrupted her once more, a tinge of anger now apparent in her voice. "Is this how you acknowledge your loyalty as a Heavenly Knight? By ignoring what I say?"

A heavy silence fell as Granberia seemed to wrestle with conflicting thoughts and emotions, during which Luka thought about what he was seeing. Obviously, Alice was a monster of very high status if Granberia deferred to her like this. Perhaps a senior Knight? She certainly had the power to spare if Sunset's words still rang true.

'Or maybe...nah, it couldn't be.'

Suddenly, Sunset moaned, breaking the silence as the three others looked towards her. Eyes widening, Luka cursed as he looked over her, trying to see if he could move her safely without causing more damage. Unknown to him, Granberia's eyes softened slightly as she observed his desperate expression, then she reached into a bag on her belt and pulled out a vial of blue liquid.

"Here," she called, throwing it towards him and watching as he managed to catch it. "Have her drink that. It should help her with the bleeding and the bones."

As Luka moved to pry Sunset's mouth open, the dragon knight returned her gaze towards Alice and bowed. "I will return to the castle."

As Granberia moved to leave though, she stopped as something caught her eye and took a few steps to the side. Bending down, she grasped both the shattered piece of her armor and Sunset's staff pieces off the floor and held them in her hand, examining them. Her gaze turned from them over to the three companions and stopped on Luka, who shivered. There was a strange intensity to her gaze as it shifted from him down to the injured Sunset, a bit of the vial's contents running down her chin. However, it was apparent it was already taking effect, the cuts on her head and body slowly sealing shut while the burns faded. Her broken left arm was still in a twisted appearance though.

"...Apprentice Hero Luka and Witch Sunset Shimmer, wasn't it?" she murmured. Her eyes lingered on both of them for a few more seconds, then nodded. "I will remember those names. Until then, farewell."

With that, Granberia's form shimmered and then she vanished into thin air. Luka tensely watched the spot where she had stood for a few more seconds, then deflated, sighing in relief. She really was gone.

"That was a mistake on both of your parts," Alice stated as she walked over to where he and Sunset were.

"What? I know we were badly outmatched, but I think we did pretty well, all things said..." he protested. Alice shook her head.

"That's the problem. You two did too well," she pointed out. "Now she has her eye on both of you. You will have to be careful."

"Eh...?" Luka blinked. Alice sighed as she knelt down next to him, gazing over Sunset's body before removing her hood. Luka was certain he caught a glimpse of Alice's eyes flashing a bright yellow. As if in response, Sunset groaned before visibly relaxing, almost glowing seemingly as whatever Alice did worked in conjecture with Granberia's tonic to heal her body. The lamia even reached out and straightened Sunset's arm, noting with approval as she almost felt the damaged bone shift under her grip.

"You'll understand. Eventually," she stated, waving her hand towards the houses surrounding them as their doors opened and the citizens of Iliasburg timidly stuck their heads out. "For now, though, you might as well enjoy the Hero's welcome. You two just saved the town from a Heavenly Knight. Not bad for a Fairytale Hero's first feat."

"Ah... but without you it wouldn't have gone nearly as well," Luka answered honestly. Alice shrugged.

"I merely defended my interests. I still want to taste that dango," she said. She then smiled wickedly. "Of course, it'll be your treat. It's the least you could do."

"I should've expected that," Luka shook his head as he watched the townsfolk gather around them, smiling and cheering. Inwardly, however, he grinned. Thanks to her, the town's civilians could rest easy. Compared to that, paying for food was a small thing indeed. He paused as he took in the smiles around them. Seeing the happy faces of those he helped... that was what he was fighting for, and all the reward he needed. He glanced back at Sunset, her face set in a peaceful expression as her chest rose and fell slowly. He sighed, still smiling. It hadn't been easy, but this single moment more than made up for the pain and sweat of today's events.

"Hey, you three were amazing back there!" someone in the crowd surrounding them shouted. Several bystanders nodded enthusiastically. "I can't believe you managed to drive off such a strong monster!"

"We got lucky, really," Luka answered honestly. "I'm surprised we're still in one piece, myself."

"Young, strong, and modest," a middle aged woman said approvingly. "More Heroes should be like you, my boy!"

"We should move Sunset soon," Alice whispered to him, drawing his attention from the cheering crowd. "I've worked some magic along with that tonic, but they can only go so far alone. She'll need someplace to rest."

Luka nodded and then turned towards the nearest person in the crowd, an old man with white hair and a handlebar mustache.

"Sir, is there an inn or hotel nearby?" he inquired. "I think my sister needs to lie down for a good long while."

"Yeah, she does look mighty beat," the old man nodded. Pointing towards a luxurious-looking building that could be seen in the distance, he nodded at the boy. "That o'er there is the ol' Sutherland Inn. Oldest 'n most respected inn in this town, it is. Go there and take a good rest, you done earned it."

"Many thanks," Luka nodded, then paused. "Wait, the 'Sutherland Inn'?"

Behind him, Alice clapped her hands in delight. "I knew my guidebook was accurate!" she exclaimed, her eyes shining as she drooled slightly. "I can't wait to try their Ama-ama Dango!"

"...Do you ever think of anything but food?" Luka muttered as he reached down to carefully grip Sunset's injured arm. Several helpful villagers quickly stepped in to help, grasping her other three limbs and carefully lifting her up so as to not aggravate her injuries. Several others brought a makeshift stretcher of sticks and blankets out, quickly placing her into it and began to carry her in the direction of the inn, Luka and Alice right alongside them.

"Aside from lording my superiority over Sunset once she wakes up? Not really."

Luka sighed. He really didn't know what to think of the lamia. One minute she's insulting him, the next she's training him or saving his or his sister's life. 'It's like she's bipolar or something.'

"Still...thank you, Alice. I seriously mean that."

For a moment, Alice's face faltered, and she looked genuinely surprised by the sincerity of his words. She glanced over both him and then Sunset, then shook her head.

"...Don't mention it...and don't mention it to Sunset when she wakes up, me healing her. I won't hear the end of it."

Luka smiled. "Of course not."