//------------------------------// // Contesting the Hydra Pit // Story: Tonight, We Hunt // by ShadowFall //------------------------------// As Twilight was now separated from the group, her friends could only hope that Ponyville was now being warned of the imminent danger of the hydra, and mass panic would not ensue. Knowing the population of that said village... it was not a safe bet. Although the citizens may not have taken a unicorn librarian seriously about a gigantic hydra that drains magic and breaths fire was now approaching the own too seriously, as the "Princess of Friendship", they could very much know of the genuine danger that was trampling their way. Rainbow Dash broke above the canopy of the forest, and bare witness to the hydra snapping up at a dragon that had flown overhead, breaking it in two with its massive jaw. Flying back down, Rengar spoke up. "Is the hydra still feeding on the forest?" "Y-Yeah. It's still sticking around here." Rainbow Dash tried to shake her head to get the image out of her mind as Rengar growled. "It wont stay for long. Soon, it will become sated from the Everfree's beasts and magic, and your town will be next. We have to hurry!", Rengar suddenly broke down to all fours, and bounded ahead at an incredible speed. Leaves flew off of the dying trees around him as the lion quickened his pace drastically. The ponies quickly adjusted themselves a bit better than the rest of their friends. "Hey! Wait up!", Pinkie bounced along the path faster and faster to keep up with the sprinting lion. "Come on girls, we're not lettin' some kitten outgallop us!, Applejack called back to get her friends to pick up the pace. Traveling back the mile where they had come to view witness to the mantacores, Rengar and five of the six Elements of Harmony arrived back at his den near Froggy Bottom Bog. Immediately, Rengar shoved aside the hide drapes that decorated his entrance and rushed inside. The ponies followed inside. Only Fluttershy was familiar with the surroundings of Rengar's den with the various skulls and bones of beasts he has hunted. As the other ponies entered the den, they too managed to feel rather out-of-place and very disturbed at the decor inside of the den. Before Rarity could even think about telling Rengar about his decorating habits, but after deciding to shut herself up about the pointless subject, Rengar emerged from the back of the cave with five, very long and deadly looking spears, crafted out of what seemed to be the most well-polished wood, and equally durable wood that there was. "Each of you, take one. Wait for me outside." The ponies reluctantly took the weapons from Rengar's possession, then did as they were instructed. After all, Rengar seemed to know what he was doing. Deep down, each of the ponies hoped for this to be as true as they wanted it to be. Even Rainbow Dash decided to cooperate. If she had to fight it, this time she wanted to follow a plan to not get eaten. Inside, Rengar stopped in front of one of the massive walls deep in the cave. The wall that was littered with weapons that he had crafted... ...or... borrowed from the League. Swords, knives, bows, and all sorts of other weapons adorned the wall, each organised neatly in decoration. Out of all of the weapons he could choose, the lion snatched a machete that looked two-sizes too small for him, and a tiny hourglass that rested on a pedestal. "That should do." Quickly rushing out of his den, he stopped in front of the ponies, eagerly waiting outside. "Okay, ponies. That was the first stop. We have one more to make.", Rengar tucked the hourglass into his waist pouch and the machete into a sheath. "Where are we heading next? And don't you think that our time's running out already?", Rarity asked Rengar. "The next stop is imperative. I don't believe that you ponies know of another individual who lives in the forest. Not surprising as none of your species dare to venture in here.", Rengar suddenly got cut off. "Oh! You mean Zecora? The zebra I- well, we mistook for an evil enchantress that would put us in trances, and would-", Pinkie suddenly piped up. "Perhaps you do know her.", Rengar glanced at the pink pony. Once again, these horses had defied their stereotypes that he himself have given them. Now their pace once again quickened as they heard the hydra shriek once again as it continued to drain the forest of its magic, both tainted and natural. Upon passing Froggy Bottom Bog, the entire group found the swamp to be replaced by a massive sinkhole that definitely indicated the hydra's eruption from the ground. A bog no longer existed. Instead, there was a giant pit. "Dear Equestria...", Rarity muttered to herself. She had doubts about encountering the beast, but the size of that hole further deepened her fears of the hydra. "You must not turn away with your tail in between your legs! I need each one of you to carry out this plan if we have any chance of stopping this beast. Do you want your town to be destroyed and allow hundreds of ponies to get devoured?", Rengar stopped running and turned back to face the ponies. Rarity looked down at the ground, took in a deep breath, and looked back up, nodding at the hunter. As afraid of the hydra a she was, she managed to draw her courage Applejack stomped the ground, and replied with a: "I hear ya', Rengar.", now ready to take on the giant beast. Not as one, but as many. Rainbow Dash planted her spear in the ground, narrowing her eyes with the fire inside of her building. She was not going to let innocent ponies die today. And she knew that her friends would not either. "I'm ready.", she replied. Pinkie Pie, though her go-lucky and carefree personality had to be cast aside, something very hard and difficult for her to even think about, she was ready to take this coming battle to heart, knowing that ponies she knew and loved could very well be taken from her. Fluttershy was a same, yet different matter. Fluttershy sucked up her determination that she had managed to keep with her from the various adventures she has had with her friends and allowed it to manifest once again within her. She was up to the task. Even if she had to help in killing a beast. From this realization, she now saw that she was about to do the exact same thing that Rengar has done. The exact same thing that she despised and believed was morally wrong. But with Rengar, that was not the case. And with the hydra, something had to be done. There was no room, or even the slightest bit of reasoning that taming the behemoth would make any sense. The monster had to die. And Fluttershy was about to assist in just that. "Okay. I... I'm ready." Rengar looked over at the meek pegasus. He had labeled her as a cowardly and double-crossing whelp that would define another perfect stereotype for ponies as a whole. But now, even Rengar had to admit that he had been incorrect. "Okay. We must hurry now. Time is going to run out." And with that, the party rushed deeper into the forest that was quickly withering from the drainage of magic. "Zecora! Open up! This is urgent!" Rengar pounded on the door to the zebras hut, and almost instantly, it flew open. Standing in he doorway was the familiar mix of grey and black stripes, along with the mowhawk manestyle that was adorned from her grooming. The smell of potions and herbs rushed into the nostrils of her visitors as Zecora quickly motioned for them to come inside. "Rengar, I was expecting you to arrive. Have you come to make sure that accursed beast does not remain alive?", Zecora seemed to be in the middle of packing her belongings, or whatever belongings had not fallen off of shelves and broken. "Precisely. And I do believe you know what I need." Zecora motioned for the rest of the ponies to enter. "Where is Twilight? Has she gone back to fight?", Zecora asked Fluttershy. "Oh, she's teleported back to Ponyville to warn everypony else.", the pegasus responded, who earned a nod from Zecora. "I see. But now, what you have come to receive.", Zecora walked over to a corner of her hut, pressed her hoof on a small switch located on the ground, and a compartment opened in the floor. Lifting out a small chest from the ground, Zecora set the box down on a table in the center of her hut. "Zecora, is that...?" "You are correct, Rengar. It's the same that you used to hunt with your bow from afar. However, I believe you'll need more of the poison, to stop what is about to come: the destruction.", Zecora's rhymes filled the hut with their mysterious aura as they flowed out from her. "Poison?", Applejack looked inside of the box. Sure enough, there was a bottle with a mysterious liquid that was as black as the night itself. "Yes. 'The Dragon's Wine'. I have seen... and felt some poisons in my life. But this poison is the most powerful and deadly toxin I have even seen be created. Just a drop of this is enough to kill a dragon. And just within a fair amount of seconds or so. I used to use this poison to hunt basilisks and even a hydra at one point, and it works extremely well. This poison is going to be the only thing that can make a scratch on this hydra." "Even something as huge as that? With that tiny bottle?!", Rainbow Dash doubted the vial that held the toxin. "Yes. But this is what the spears are for. They have a grove that can inject poisons that are stored in them. There are five spears, and there are six heads. My knife can also apply this poison as well." "So...one dose for each of the heads?", Rarity asked Rengar. "Yes. Because this hydra is covered in scales from head to toe, there is only one area where we can apply the poison." "Where's that?", Pinkie inquired. "The tongue." Each of the ponies cringed, especially Pinkie Pie, clutching her own tongue in imaginary pain. "Apply the poison to a head, and it will do enough to cause that brain to become dead. Apply it to all six, and the hydra's life will cease to exist.", Zecora handed the bottle to Rengar. "Yeah, but there's a problem with this here plan. There's six heads, and each one of em' can come after us. We only have six chances to apply the poison, so none of us can screw this up. With six heads chasing us, how is this even gonna work?", Applejack put up a very good point. A point that Rengar addressed when he walked up to Rainbow Dash. "Alright. Rainbow..." "It's Dash." "Right. I'm going to let you hand your spear to the alicorn when we arrive back to your village. I have another task for you. You and I are going to divert the hydra's attention away from your friends so they can apply the poisons. How good of a flier are you?" The rest of the ponies and the zebra looked dumbfounded by Rengar's question. A long silence hovered above the group, before Rengar shouting: "Well? Out with it!" Rainbow Dash crossed her hooves and gave a confident smile at Rengar. "Ask anyone of my friends. There's no better pony for the job." The lion nodded his head, this dreadlocks shaking a tiny bit from the movement before he returned to the bottle of poison. "Give me your spears." The ponies complied and handed the weapons to Rengar. Popping the cork off of the bottle, he didn't even dare to smell it. He carefully poured the poison into each of the five spears' groves, and flicking them to seal the groves shut, now ready to inject its loaded venom. The last of the poison was poured into a compartment of his giant Hunting Knife, ready for the upcoming encounter. "What about that other sword? And that hourglass that's poking out of your pouch? Is time really that important now?", Pinkie pointed at the machete at Rengar's side. Looking down at the machete and the hourglass, he looked back up at the pony. "In case of an emergency." However, Rengar quickly dismissed the subject as he handed the ponies the spears. "Okay, one last run through of the plan. Me and Rainbow Dash will distract the hydra while the rest of you will find openings to inject the poison. Take all the heads down, and the hydra's defeated. Got it?", Rengar managed to give the quick version of his plan. "Got it!" "Right!" "O-Okay!" "Yes, sir!" "Yes!" Rengar was about to open the door, until he was stopped by a hoof poking his back. Looking over his shoulder, he could see the ponies gathering in a circle, and placing their hooves in the center, getting ready for a team shout. Applejack motioned for Rengar to join in. Rengar shook his head and grunted at the ridiculousness of this act, but at the same time, felt compelled to approach and join in with the pre-battle ceremony. After all, from where he used to come from and from where he used to fight, teamwork was always the highlight in the League of Legends. Placing his gigantic paw in the center of the hooves, Applejack gave a smile that beamed of confidence as she shouted: "Alright everypony! Let's go save Ponyville! Again!" "YEAH!" The ponies flung their hooves high in cheer as they went to gather the spears, and head right out. Rengar was the last to exit, but was stopped by Zecora. "Rengar, as the only one who knew of your dwelling, I must ask, have these ponies shown you that you cannot judge them all as being posh and annoying?", Zecora asked quickly, "Or have the Elements proven much more to the ponies? Have they proven that just I have proven to them that they aren't all spoiled from their luxuries?" Rengar looked back at the Zebra for a second, stared at her with his piercing blue eye, then left without a word. He put aside what Zecora had said, and managed to catch up with the five other ponies. "Okay Rengar, anything else we should know about this monster?", Rarity spoke between huffs from all of the running they had been doing. "Aside from breathing fire, draining magic, growing back two heads as all hydras do when one is sliced off, and the fact that it might as well swallow multiple ponies whole, I think that's it. I don't know about its intelligence yet, and that's the only thing that is biting at my side." "Well... I suppose we'll find out soon..." Ponyville had undergone its evacuation, the population fleeing towards the eastern mountains, away from the hydra's trampling path. Guiding them with excellent skill was none other than Twilight Sparkle, making use of a megahorn that Pinkie had given to her for one of her birthdays. "Okay everypony! Keep a straight and orderly line! Head towards-" "SCRAWWWWWW!!!" Twilight's command was cut off from the massive roar that bursted from the Everfree Forest. Looking back, she could see the familiar form of six monstrous necks tower above the canopy. The scariest detail: they were approaching Ponyville. Now, she could also see six tiny figures run towards the town from the Everfree Forest. It had to be Rengar and her friends. Looking back at the crowd of ponies now moving a fair distance away, Twilight took to the skies to meet up with the incoming defenders. "Girls! Rengar! There you guys are!", Twilight tried to bring each of her friends into a massive hug, but Rainbow Dash instead handed the spear to Twilight. "Sorry egghead, not enough time for that. Rengar needs to tell you what's gonna happen.", Rainbow Dash moved out of the way for Rengar. Looking at the spear uneasily, the princess looked up. "Okay, what's the plan?" "This spear is loaded with a poison that can cause a head of the hydra to go brain-dead. The only place we can apply it is the tongue. Me and Rainbow Dash will distract the monster while you and your friends take the openings we create to apply the poison. Five spears and my knife for six heads. Got it?" Twilight stared at the lion before her wings burst from her sides. "Are you NUTS?!" "Magic won't work. It will just absorb any you attempt to throw at it. This poison is our best and only chance we can take to kill the hydra." Twilight shut her eyes, bit her lip, and opened them to heave a heavy exhale at Rengar. "Alright." Rengar looked back at the forest and bare witness to the six giant necks approaching. "Me and Rainbow Dash will start from the town square. The rest of you, hide behind the buildings nearby. Go, go, go! Now! Get into positions!" Twilight teleported, Fluttershy hovered away uneasily, Pinkie hopped out of sight, and Rarity galloped with Applejack. Rengar and Rainbow Dash managed to arrive at the spacious and deserted town square. "Are you ready?", Rengar clutched his knife in his paw. "Ready as I'll ever be.", Rainbow Dash relied, digging into the dirt surface with her hoof. Then, the trees that bordered the forest were smashed down into tiny pieces as the monstrous six-headed beast erupted from the forest. Rampaging its way towards the town, the beast let loose another blood curling roar. "GRAAAWWWWWWW!!!" Each of the ponies' spines felt a chill slither deep inside of them as the roar echoed through the entire forest and Ponyville. Buildings and trees shook from the massive shriek of the hydra, and continued to be jostled by the incoming stomps of the beast's rampage. As the monster began to approach the town and its quickly made defenders, Rengar suddenly took a deep interest of the hydra's heads. Eyeing each of them with great greed and passion. What an amazing beast that hydra was... and those heads... Such heads would look so beautifully in his possession... "Hey, Rengar? Are you okay?", Rainbow Dash asked the lion next to her. Rengar could only respond while still looking at the hydra's heads. "I'm going to need a bigger den."