Book of the Hunter

by Shadow Lord Malice

A Brand new World

The salty breeze of the ocean, combined with the sounds of distant waves crashing upon a beach were what brought Rainbow Dash back into consciousness.

"Oh hay feathers, my head." She groaned, her voice as dry as her throat. "What the hay happened? First the book showed me that awesome world, then that question appeared, and then..." Looking around, Rainbow then realized she was not anywhere close to Ponyville, nor was she in the Everfree Forest. Neither locations were near the ocean, and she definitely smelt the salt upon the air, and heard the waves breaking upon a beach. "Where in Equestria did that book send me?" She wondered aloud, scratching her head with a hoof. Unfurling her wings she began to take to the air, only for a strong wave of dizziness to hit her, sending her back down to the ground.in a heap. "Okay," She muttered, "no flying for now." Deciding that finding water was amongst her best interests at the moment, Rainbow Dash listened for the sounds of rushing water, which wasn't as easy as she first thought, considering the sounds of the ocean were drowning out other sounds. After wandering around a while and keeping an ear open, she finally managed to find a fast flowing river, a large waterfall feeding it from a cliff face.

"Oh finally, water." Galloping over to the river, Rainbow stuck her muzzle right in, allowing the fresh cool water to rush down her throat. Drinking her fill, the pegasus sat down on the ground with a contented sigh. "Ah, that's much better." Said Rainbow Dash, her voice no longer raspy from a parched throat. Looking around, Rainbow's eyes nearly bugged out of their sockets at what she saw. A small herd of large quadruped creatures lumbered their way to the river. they were a slate gray color, with black stripe patterns across their backs. Their tails were adorned with bony protrusions, and their heads were crowned with large crests. Happy to have found some locals, Rainbow Dash spread her wings once more, and flapped over to the creatures, the dizziness from before no longer present.

"hello " said Rainbow as she hovered in front of one of the creatures, which looked up after being addressed. "Hi, could you tell me where I am? I'm a bit lost." In response the creature let out small grunt, and went back to drinking from the river. "Hay, I'm talking to you here. What's the matter, don't speak Equestrian?" With a small bellow, the creature simply walked off, causing Rainbow to bury her face in her fore hooves and groan in frustration. "Oh fan-pony-tastic, I'm lost in a place I've never seen before, and the locals are complete morons. This day just can't get worse." She was proven wrong on such a statement, when a shrill yelping howl reverberated through the forest, the sound making her fur stand on end and every fiber of her being want to run and hide. The creatures from before must have felt the same, because they bolted, grunting and bellowing in their hurry to flee. Gulping, Rainbow turned to where the sound originated. "Oh that can't be good." The sound of breaking branches and thrashing foliage gave way to a group of small orange lizard like creatures with purple frills, led by a much bigger one that was purple with some orange here and there. The thing Rainbow noticed about it most though, was the pair of drooling jaws filled with razor sharp teeth. "Definitely not good!" Screamed Rainbow, and flew off, another howl sounding from the monster behind her. Flying above the tree line, she was soon well away from the group of carnivores. Alighting upon a branch, she let out a sigh of relief.

"Phew, that was close." She sighed, only to let out a scream of pain as something from behind stung her. Instantly, every part of her body seized up and she fell uncontrollably out of the tree, landing on the ground with a painful thud. No matter how hard she tried, Rainbow could not move a muscle, and it was made all the more humiliating when she heard laughter behind her.

"Hahahaha, monster got stung-alaka by Bnahabra. Went all stiff stiff and hit the ground, cha-thud." said an odd voice from behind her. "Hmm, Cha-Cha never seen monster like this before. Wonder if it tastes good." Rainbow Dash's heart went wild at that. Whatever was behind her was going to eat her!? Desperately she tried moving something, anything, but still she was completely paralyzed. Soon she heard whatever it was getting closer. "Ooh lala, maybe Cha-Cha could use feathers and fur of monster for new mask. Make flashy shakalaka statement.." Tears were pouring from Rainbow's immobile eyes, and desperately she tried to will herself to move, and was rewarded when she began getting a bit of movement back in one of her legs. Soon she felt some kind of stick prod at her, spurring her even harder to regain mobility. Suddenly, she heard several familiar shrill barks, the thing behind her leaping back as a group of orange and purple lizards surrounded them. "Ack! Help, Cha-Cha about to become monster chow chow." While most of the lizards focused on the screaming thing, one of the smaller ones turned it's attention to the immobile pegasus on the ground. Darting over, the small monster seemed to loom over Rainbow dash, teeth exposed for a killing bite. Just as it was about to lunge, A blue hoof collided with it's snout, causing it to reel back in pain and surprise. The strike was not strong by any means, but it gave Rainbow time to try and gain more movement from her other limbs. Just then, the big lizard monster from before burst onto the scene, it's howl seeming to draw the lizards around it to it's command, as it charged right for her.

'So this is it huh?' Rainbow thought to herself as she tried getting up.'This is how I die? Food to a giant monster, far away from my home, from my friends, and all because of a stupid book. I should have just stuck with Daring Do.' Knowing there was no way she could fight the monster before her, Rainbow braced herself as best she could and shut her eyes tight, when a pained screech caught her ears. Cracking an eye open, it shot wide open along with it's partner when she saw what was going on. One of the biped creatures the book had described was fighting the whole group of lizards, and was completely kicking monster flank. The hunter wore metal armour comprised of sections of both plate and chainmail (Chainmail armour set), and wielded two metal blades. One was big and thick, the other was slimmer with a trio of spikes on the spine (Dual Slicers). The hunter used the blades like it was a dance, darting this way and that, with sweeping and spinning blade strikes. Smaller lizards went flying, mortal wounds laid down upon them, and even the big one was sent flying back a ways. Getting back to it's feet, the monster hobbled away, pained yelps emanating from it's maw. Soon the area was silent once more. Rainbow Dash was about to gush over how totally awesome the hunter was, but soon found those twin swords pointed right at her face.

"Ack! W-wait! Don't swing!" She shrieked in terror, putting some distance between her and the hunter, though it wasn't much due to her legs still being stiff, and her wings still fully paralyzed.

"Jumping Jaggi, you talk?" Said the hunter with no small amount of surprise.

"Yes, I talk! So can we please just talk and not wave those swords around, I don't wanna die!" Much to Rainbow's relief, the hunter sheathed his blades.

"So, who and what are you?" The hunter asked.

"The name's Rainbow Dash, and I'm a pegasus pony from Equestria." Replied Rainbow.

"Never heard of either a pegasus pony or this Equestria place. What brings you into Moga Woods?"

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you. I can't believe it myself, and I was there." Just then, a yelping howl could be heard throughout the forest, snapping the two's attention back to the environment.

"Right, first things first. Where'd that Shakalaka go?" Asked the hunter as he looked around.

"Shakawhatta?" was Rainbow's response.

"Shakalaka, Short thing wearing a full head mask. It was just here a minute ago."

"Well sorry, but I only just got my mobility back, and it was behind me the whole time."

"Ugh, where could it have gone?" Asked the hunter. Neither he or Rainbow expected an answer.

"Ack! Cha-chock full of monsters!" screamed a voice some distance away.

"Well, duty calls." Said the hunter, and headed for the origin of the scream. Rainbow however, had no desire of being left in a dangerous forest she knew nothing about and promptly followed the hunter.

"Mind if I tag along?" It was more a statement than a question. The hunter let out a sigh.

"Fine, but stay out of danger." With that, the two headed for the Shakalaka.

---

"Ha ha! Well how 'bout that? the 'creature' was just a Shakalaka kid who couldn't find his way home." After rescuing the Shakalaka, the three came to Moga village. Rainbow immediately recognized this village as the one in her book, and seeing it in pony made it all the more amazing. Currently, she and the hunter, who's name was Raiden, were currently speaking to the village chieftain. Said man gazed hard at rainbow Dash. "As for your question, kid, I'm afraid I've never heard of this Equestria place, nor have I heard of a creature like this one 'til now." A devious glint then played in the old man's eyes. "Well, you know what this means... Cook 'em alive!"

"Waah!" Screamed Rainbow Dash, and she shot into the air so as to not be captured. The chieften let out a boisterous belly laugh at the pegasus' reaction.

"Ha ha, just kiddin' you two, just kiddin'. In Moga Village we welcome all visitors with open arms, whether they be Shakalakas, Lynians, or Ponies." Rainbow glared at the chieftan, before chuckling and coming back down. Grinning, the old man then leaned back, and began smoking his pipe. "besides, I like these two. The kid's got a sense of humor, and the girl's got guts. So... how do ya think ya'd feel about lookin' after 'em for a while?" At this Raiden got an incredulous look on his face.

"You want me to babysit a kid Shakalaka and a lost pony?" He asked.

"It'll be good for 'em. Take 'em huntin' with ya. They've clearly got the guts for it, and you'd be givin' 'em experience that'll last 'em a lifetime." Raiden's face contorted in aggravation, but the chief wasn't having any of it. "Now don't give me that look. I mean, look at the three of ya. You're pretty much a terrifyin' trio already." Raiden however, didn't exactly feel the same way, but the chieftain would not be swayed on the matter. Thus with great reluctance, he agreed.

"By the way chieftain, what of Rainbow's story, of how she got here. No offence, but a magic book? That has to be the worst woven yarn I've ever heard." Said Raiden. Rainbow Dash gaped like a fish at that, the jerk was accusing her of lying?"

"Aye, I'd agree with you there kid, save for one single fact." The chieftain then grinned, his pipe clutched between his teeth. "She ain't lyin'." That statement threw Raiden completely out for a loop.

"Chieftain, she has to be. It's just impossible."

"Kid, when you get to be as old as I am, you see things, crazy things, things you can't explain with reason. Also, when you get to be my age, you become a darn good judge of character. Tell me kid, for what reason would that mare have to lie to us?" Answered the chieftain in complete seriousness.. Try as he might, Raiden could not come up with a reason. Upon seeing the hunter's defeat, the chieftain nodded. "I thought so, kiddo. Now I know, her story sounds downright impossible, but sometimes truth can be way stranger than fiction." Raiden couldn't deny the chief had a point, and with that, left the old man for a quiet place to wrap his head around everything.

"Jerk." Rainbow muttered after him, and Raiden winced a bit. In all honesty, he deserved that though. After finding a nice spot at the end of a pier, the hunter sat down and looked at the picture of nature before his eyes. Thinking about it all, Raiden knew the chieftain had a good idea, but how was Rainbow Dash supposed to fight monsters? He wasn't terribly worried about Cha-Cha; Shakalaka were inhumanly durable, and their masks could be imbued with powerful abilities. What did Rainbow Dash have though that could allow her to combat monsters? He decided to visit the old forge artisan to see if he could make something for her. But that could wait for tomorrow as it was getting late, and the sun was beginning to disappear over the horizon. heading back for home, he bumped into Rainbow.

"Oh Raiden, I was just looking for you." She said. "I don't got a place to stay so I was wondering..." Raiden stopped her with an outstretched hand.

"Follow me, I'll take you to my place. You can crash there whenever and however long you need." Rainbow was shocked at that. She wasn't expecting Raiden to offer his home to her whenever she needed it.

"Gee, thanks Raiden," She said, her tone portraying her thankfulness, Soon the two were inside Raiden's home, the Felyne caretaker there having brought in a bed for Rainbow Dash. Said Pegasus was intrigued by Raiden's house. The place only had three walls; the entire back of the house being open to the outside. The house was spartan in furnishings, having only the beds, a rack of some kind, a table, and an odd lamp of mushrooms that glowed in different colours. Dinner that night was delicious; nothing beat farm grown vegetables, and soon the two were in bed, Raiden snoozing like a log, while Rainbow looked up at the starlit sky from her bed.

"I wonder if it's night now back at home? Has any time even passed in my world?" She asked herself aloud. Deciding that now wasn't the time to dwell on things that couldn't be changed, Rainbow got herself comfortable, and was soon sleeping away.

Author's Note:

And that's chapter two for all you fans of this fic. I should hopefully have the next chapter up sometime next weekend. Unfortunately this story is the only one I'll be able to work on for a while, so apologies to those reading this who are fans of my other works as well. Now then, leave a comment on what weapon type you want Rainbow to use, and it might just go into the fic.

Comments

[Zodiacspear]

Rainbow - Bow. Just fits in my opinion. Think of the awesome shots she could pull from the air.

[dovyzz]

While I to agree with Zodiacspear about bow option, I have some other options in my mind as well:
daggers
shortsword
spear
wingblades (read few stories with those in and it sounded quite interesting)
glaive.

[thequote]

Just one problem, Shakalakas are Lynians. Lynians are small creatures that are sentient, but usually wild, they include Felynes, Melynx (there is a difference in species), Shakalakas, and the Frontier-exclusive Uruki.
The Monster Hunter world is actually quite fascinating when you look under the surface. For example, the 1st and 2nd Gen regions are in the (possibly fan-named) "old world," while the 3rd (and possibly 4th) are in the "new world," and the frontier games are in the "great frontier" (though that last one might just be one specific fan work).