Chp. 4 - Unraveling Eclipse
By the time the sun had started to rise over the Forgotten Oak again, those present at the beginning of the trial awaited the return of those willing to put their lives on the vanguard against monsters and safeguarding of the ecosystem at large. The veteran hunter stood by the gate in silence, behind him on a barrel was his superior, Ren, the woman yawning at the early wake-up. Though her patience was not tested for long, as from the forest clearing, either in groups or by themselves, the many ponies and races in between, returned from the grove.
"Welcome back, young ones, and well done," The older hunter bowed his helmed head toward them. The first to lead the group back was non-other than Silver; Blue following him closely. Attached to Silver's armour were various materials gathered from an Anjanath, purposefully on display, that, and he lacked the very clutch claw he smuggled in. "Impressive, you took down an Anjanath?"
"It put up a good fight, but ain't nothing special when you're as good as us," Silver spoke in a lofty tone, missing Ren's eye roll as she stood up as well.
With time, the two dozen or so trial runners returned from the forest, some bearing their rewards on display, others appeared exhausted or injured from their experiences, others looked the same as when they entered. Various events and memories were made individually among them, and that will be the deciding factor on how they would place at the beginning of their time at the Hunter's Guild.
Ren, however, held her arms tight across her chest, eyes slit. "Hold on..." She counted the heads, frowning deeply. "We appear to be missing... three others."
"Perhaps they're running late; this forest is vast," The old hunter commented as a few murmured.
"Myst?" "Wait, she's missing?" "I thought she was as good as Silver?" "You don't think something bad's happened to her?"
Just then, one of the hunters hidden in the camp noticed something through the dark thicket that the others could not. They smiled.
[Akira's POV]
"I see the exit," That immediately sparked a second wind from me as I flew ahead of Argo with a big grin, himself sharing a tiny smile. "It appears we have succeeded,"
"We did it... did ya hear that Myst, we actually did it!" I couldn't believe it, this... this was really happening, just a few meters more!
"..." She merely nodded, but she seemed happy... I think? Her aura's hard to get a read on. Shaking my head, I landed as the two trotted out of the darkness with me. When we exit... we'll become real hunters. Just like Mom and Dad.
Time for our big entrance. Vaulting myself forward with a strong flap I landed outside the forest, dirty, and covered in lighter injuries that had yet to heal. "We made it back aliiiive~!"
Upon my announcement, many seemed surprised or genuinely glad to see our return aside from that sickening glare on Silver's face, and Blue... his was priceless, slack-jaw and all. Argo didn't say anything, much like Myst as we stepped through the archway before the hunter that did our announcement yesterday. "Well, you certainly have the moxie of a hunter, hah, welcome back you three, and it seems you ran into a fair bit of trouble too."
"Oh, you know, nothing like a little chaos to get the blood flowing, right?" And a scary Elder Dragon but that's for later me to worry about.
The hunter chuckled, patting my chest in good taste. "Could not agree more," He stomped his hoof. "With that and the rising dawn, you all have passed the trial. Whether or not you performed duties outside of survival does not matter-!" I saw Myst glance over at me for an instant, and I winked back. Told her. "-you may only have scratched the surface of what the role of a hunter is, but make no mistake, you have proven to us you are worthy of such a name, so hold your heads high!" That lifted a few spirits of those who seemed worse off than us, even those that did only wait it out.
The crowd then erupted into a chorus of cheers, myself laughing as I wrapped a hoof around Argo's neck. "We did it, we really did it, Argo!!"
"Yes, that we did..." He too seemed speechless, reciprocating the shoulder hug. Off to my left, I saw Myst stand there, looking bashful herself at succeeding despite her hoof grazing her wrapped forehead gingerly. "Do not look so grim," She eyed Argo curiously. "You've earned this as much as us."
"I... right," Aw, this is nice-
"!!!" My breath hitched. What... what was that!? I lowered my hoof as I turned toward the forest again. The cheering and chatter were muffled as I focused my aura sense through the wall of trees again. Something foul was nearby, it smelt like... bloodlust. Squinting, I pushed all my focus into sight alone, the feelings of whatever it was weren't my concern, I just needed to see it.
"Oh no...!" The fur across my body stood on end as I shoved Argo behind me, someone else was closer to the forest than him! "Myst!!"
Time resumed as I reached my hoof out to drag her close to me, drawing the only weapon I had left, my shield. In a heartbeat, had I been slower, she might've been a red stain on its surface. A large, tremendously powerful forearm slammed into my buckler, splitting it into two as I cried out from the force that threw me and Myst backwards. By now, everyone either yelled in shock or steadied themselves for what threw itself from the forest.
The monster rose to hind legs. covered in turquoise coloured fur with an ursine body structure. It has a ridge of erect hair aligned with its nose. Its back made of a tough hide, somewhat characteristic of a carapace. Hair runs from its cheeks, connecting to its back, where it forms a trim along the sides of the back. The claws were elongated, red nails. Each claw had a tough brace encasing and protecting the wrist and forearm. The bear had large, bulky legs connected to much smaller feet and a short, wide tail. Worst of all, it was infected with the same substance that Elder Dragon used against me! An Arzuros!
Waving its forearms with a deafening growl, it reeled back to bring its claws down on us, the other hunters moving in to intercept as I used my wings and hooves to shield Myst who instinctively did the same for me, I couldn't fly away with her in time so I'll take the brunt of this if I had to!
*Tiiiing!*
This feeling in my chest was familiar. When I stared up at the lack of an approaching claw, my gaze broadened to the size of plates, seeing a red scarf dance in the breeze.
"The Frenzy Virus... what an ugly mess," They said with such confidence.
Lowering my wings for Myst to see again, me and Myst split ourselves apart before a wide, transparent barrier between us and the infected monster as it stumbled back from the abrasive force. Holding it back was someone that erased all my worries as I smiled blissfully. He stood as a bipedal wolf with blue and black fur. He possessed a short, round spike on the back of each forepaw, in addition to a third on his chest, a long snout, and ears. His torso was cream-coloured with blue fur on its thighs that resembles shorts. Two piercing scarlet eyes burrowed into the Arzuros that landed on all fours to run him down.
"Force Palm," With one word his right palm was surrounded by a thin blue outline, bringing it forward against the Arzuros's forehead with enough force to send fissures through the ground as a literal clap of thunder resounded in the air between them, the force paralyzing the monster with yellow bolts of lightning as it swayed in a daze. "Retaliate," It happened before I could blink as several rapid strikes to the beast's body sent it tumbling back through the archway, its claws dragging it to stand again but the wolf clicked his fingers. "The floor's yours, Yui." Wait, seriously!?
From the shadows several dark hands snaked and caught the monster in a vice-like grip, muzzling it as it attempted to thrash its way out of the arms to no avail while the wolf's aura erupted from its body like a tidal wave, gathering heat around his right leg. He kept smiling. "Blaze-" He sprinted toward the captured Arzuros at breakneck speeds, leaving a small trail of fire behind as the superheated air erupted into flames by his foot. "-Kick!"
A single ring of fire expanded between them, leaving a burn across the beast's left side as it was sent flying through the trees, slamming into a solid trunk as it slumped to the ground. Behind us, many gaped at the astonishing sight. "It.. it killed the monster in seconds!" "What is it!?" "Is it a hunter too?" "Amazing...!" "Wait, isn't he the Guild Leader!?" "No way, that's really him!?"
He turned back to the crowd, grinning proudly with a click of his claws. "Nailed it." Smoke rose from his foot as he sniffed, noting that his foot was still on fire. "Yaaaah, hot-hot-hot-hot-hot - ah hah!" He summoned a rush of frost to his hand, clasping his raised foot in his paw as it hissed in satisfaction. "Ahh... that's better - totally planned!"
"Yo, Wolf boy, can't speak Pokemon, remember!" Godmother Ren waved as the hunters ran forward to inspect the dead monster while safeguarding the entrance again. Ren then put her thumb out. "Good to see you actually come out when there's an audience?"
The sensory beads on the back of his head rose a little as he projected something to Ren, the woman nodding along. "I see... well then," She clapped her hands. "Show's over, people, let's get you all back to the Guild to recover and celebrate!"
If there's one thing I'll never get used to in this job, it's how nonchalant the threat of death was. That's right! "Are you okay, Myst? Sorry, I had to think on my toes there, erm, right, hooves I mean, another odd word, hehe."
"N-no, it's fine, Akira," She waved her hoof as I hid my injured leg behind my wing. "...but thank you," She managed under a low breath.
"Anytime, remember?" I'm just glad she's okay. Turning around though I saw them standing by the Forgotten Oak. I wanted to go say something but I fought against it, they were busy so I'll mention it at the Guild. "Though I reeeeeally want to say something, but there are too many people around, ugh, stupid crowds, always when you don't want them..." Pouting, I turned and hobbled over the Argo for him to berate me, at least that could distract me.
"Ladies, Gentlemen, creatures of all ages, welcome to your new home away from home," Ren declared as we stepped down the road leading through a hillside meadow nearest the Forgotten Oak. The air around me practically buzzed with excitement that even Argo had to place a hoof on me to keep my wings from flying. "Kalao."
To the southeast of Canterlot, outside the walls, a strange phenomenon after the Rift Crisis left behind a large, red temple that sat between the golden kingdom and the Forgotten Oak. Since its discovery and connection to the Old World where the Monsters originated from, it has since become the landmark of the Hunter's Guild.
Built-in part with the red temple, various levels of housing were bracing the sloped temple similarly to a stacked housing estate. In front of the temple was the guild itself, passing hunter large archways made from literal colossal bones embroiled by colourful banners and streamers, most dangling lanterns down onto the road that webbed toward various smaller buildings, one of which appeared to be fashioned from an old ship with pipes and the smoke exiting the chimneys.
To the left of the guildhall was an open cafe with large seating arrangments under triangular tarps. A massive stone stove was visible in the shape of a cat's head where large quantities of food were sizzling for both ponies and those that ate meat with a few dining together already, behind the wide, stone counter were... tiny cats standing on their hind legs? Aw, they look so cute in their little chef hats.
But the landmark aside from the old temple turned residential was the guild itself. Oval in shape constructed out of mahogany and blackstone tiles forming angular overhangs. It stood three stories tall with a balcony on both upper floors, that was where our group was led by Ren and the veteran hunter. Once indoors again through thick mahogany doors, the interior was as immaculate as the building.
A great spiral staircase sat in the middle of the room with crescent tables surrounding it, various ponies serving drinks and food from the kitchen in the ceiling above. The space was opened up with the second and third-floor rooms on the outer walls, leaving bannisters overlooking the common room where various officials and hunters mingled. At the back of the hall in the middle was a large reception desk with two Guild Mares offering advice and jobs out to hunters that took requests from boards either side of them. A large banner of the guild, a red tapestry with a gold symbol of four 'swords' stitched in the middle.
To our left was a large stage for performances or announcements with red curtains tied to the sides of the columns. A back entrance opens out into a large, lush garden through colourful beaded covers. And our right was where the grand staircase led to the upper floors with a split down the middle to enter what appeared to be an entry into the temple, lanterns lighting the way to what the sign displayed as an 'arena'. The various levels and support beams hung chandeliers and tapestries for decoration with a few small dragons, pegasi, and/or griffons hanging out on them. The ambience was addicting.
"Please make your way to the stage, we'll get started, chop-chop," Ren clapped her hands as us green hunters made haste, something she smiled at, clearly enjoying the power over others, she even murmured, 'love my job' under her breath.
Once we gathered, a few Guild Mares made their way into the group, offering us a small card roughly half the size of our forehoof. It was made of redwood with a card detailing our Name, Guild Title, our Hunts/Captures and even a profile picture, when did that get taken? Well, they got my good side. I cocked my head a little, "Huh, there's a blank space between my name and guild title?" Argo shared the same curious expression as mine as Godmother Ren stood atop the stage with a stern expression to quieten the crowd. "Oh, right, she'll probably tell us that."
"Everyone set? Good; you're now licenced hunters, below your profile you'll see a small code," She was right, a line of seven numbers and letters. "That'll be what helps you use the communication crystals dotted across Equestria to keep tabs on hunts, reports, and the busywork, so don't lose it - oh, and its completely customizable so have fun with that," Even I could see a few looked pleased with that, its the little things. "Now, you probably saw the blank space under your name, well, that's what we'll be solving right now; that's your cue, Dew - hey, a rhyme." She clicked her tongue.
One of the Guild Mares, a pegasus with baby-blue fur, various shades of blue for her long, silky mane and navy eyes brought her hoof up to expose us to a strange talisman shaped like the Guild symbol. With a flash of red, I saw the spot shimmer and warp right before my eyes. "What you see is your grade, yeah we work fast, gotta love it, with this you'll be able to take on quests of that rank or lower, completing them quests will eventually boost your rank, if that's the case, the gold stars will flash red, indicating you'll need to come back here and have an official change your rank after a practical test, simple!"
Then she raised a finger, "Oh, and as for those with more than one star? Well, ya still need to perform at least two quests from prior tiers just so we don't throw you to the wolves on the basis of 'luck'," A few groaned at that but the silverette stuck her tongue out professionally. "Too bad, suck it up, princesses, this is a tough job for a reason!"
I think my brain broke. While others rejoiced at their stars, ranging from three stars, two stars, and of course, Silver and his group were ranked four stars. Where did I and Argo land? Right at the bottom of the list, a single, golden star on our cards. I expected as much, we only fought a few lesser monsters. However, my frown remained with a hint of bewilderment. "But that Elder Dragon, I know what I saw... I even gave them the scale as proof!" I didn't let my frustration show, no, this was fine, no one got anywhere for free... this sucks though. "Argo?"
"Yes?" He glanced over to me, seeing my strong smile.
"Looks like we officially did it," He looked somewhat surprised by my comment, but nodded. "Thank you."
"I did the research, I've achieved my goal, but you, your stars are-" I put my wing out, tucking the card into my bag with an eased expression.
"It's just a star," Turning back to the stage, I saw Ren kneel down to the four that had risen to Four Stars within one trial, I had to resist a snort at their blunt disregard for the rules, without that clutch claw I had no evidence so I shut my mouth against my better judgment. "So, you guys took down an Anjanath and Great Groggi? Well, colour me impressed." What was that? Something about Godmother Ren's smile looked wrong, it was subtle but she didn't entirely mean what she said.
"Just a big sinus infection really, sure, when both showed up we had a struggle, I'll admit that," Silver retold in his faux modesty that had half the young mares enraptured, I had to roll my eyes with Argo muttering, 'oh please'. Silver patted his chest, "But we kept our cool, used the Groggi's poison and the Anjanath's fire against one another, after that, we hunted the weakest and the toughest, Anjanath, then tracked the Groggi down last."
"Well, I'm sure you'll do well in the future, but, take my advice," Ren leaned closer, her eyes slit. "Don't bite off more than you can swallow, trust me," For a moment, her right hand shook. "Some monster's don't leave scars," That silenced them all as she clapped her hands. "Well? Look alive, you guys are Hunters now, celebrate!"
Ren had... a way with words.
"I'm soooo proud of you~!" I sat by one of the small booths against the entrance walls with a cheesy smile as Argo's blank expression was smooshed by Ren's cheek creased against his, the human woman hugging him tightly, even without aura, the little tint of red on his face told me he was happy if not a little flustered.
"Mom... can't... breathe..." She was still wearing her armour and had a vice-like grip comparable to a wyvern, and Argo didn't share my steel-like bones. "Thank... you..." He wheezed.
Ren let go, ruffling his mane with a giggle. "You're too much like Topaz it scares me," Ren jabbed with her arms crossed, standing up. "You two really can't stay out of trouble, can you?"
"Huh?" Her eyes met mine as I raised my hooves. "I take no responsibility... for what exactly?" My brow curved.
"This," She tossed the black scale I handed to the veteran huntsman after the trial, its surface still making my skin crawl. "You, Argo, and that chick... uhh..." Ren cocked her head, spinning slowly on her heel to scan the hall. "Uhh... that one, with the permanent scowl and bandaged forehead-"
"Myst-" I and Argo answered.
She rolled the word around in her mouth, "-Uh-huh, right, yeah, her, all three of you are needed upstairs, top floor, don't keep them waiting..." She waved goodbye, returning to continue her work though she stopped to give Argo a sweet smile. "We're really proud of you,"
Argo sat up straighter for a moment. "...t-thank you," I had to keep from cooing at the sight, although my mind travelled to what I was to expect next, packing up the black scale for later.
It didn't take long for my impatience to show, with my hooves clipping against the second floor as I waited for Argo and Myst, the latter keeping her silence as I practically vibrated on the spot. I haven't seen them since two weeks ago, this timing was too perfect to miss! Then Argo waved his hoof at me. "You have wings, by all means, go on ahead,"
"You're saying that because the sound of my hooves tapping is making your ears twitch," I smirked as they did indeed twitch, his borderline glare remaining.
"No comment," He turned his head away as I stuck my tongue out and took flight between the rafters.
Flying in a sharp curve to dive up to one of the secondary flights of stairs to land on the third floor. I knew the layout well enough, the whole third floor served as a meeting room with a large table in the middle. To either side was a doorway to two balconies, and at the back, a single door where I easily sensed two presences on the opposite side. I quickly brought my hoof up to knock but froze, two weeks ago, I was still working out the last of my 'punishment' for the whole Brute Wyvern thing, and now I had the potential to fight one again.
My smile fell as I stepped back an inch. I knew how much I worried them so how would they react to this? Even the conversation with Mom about my sign-up for the trial felt tense, what if this goes sour? I... "Deep breath, Akira," Doing so, I raised my hoof and knocked. "I'm coming in," I steadied my voice and pushed the door open.
The office that was more of a study was circular like the top of the building with a series of windows between the top of the walls to the ceiling. The space I stood in was large enough for several people with various bookshelves containing... well books, pictures, and an assortment of relics and photos. Two displayed items were of a single, leathery pale scale with a blue tint to it, practically radiating with life energy that I thought it was another person. The second item in a glass box shared the same strange energy, only a hardened, red scale with a tint of white along the ridges.
A decorative lampshade hung from the ceiling with a yellow-tinted fabric depicting dragons on it. In front of me was the Guild Leader's desk littered with notes, stacked papers, books, everything a busy person would have cluttering their desk. A teapot included.
"Boo,"
"Yah!" I leapt forward in fright, almost drawing on nothing since I didn't have my smashed weapons with me. My pout only made the snicker behind a paw intensify. "Seriously, again!?"
"What? You're too easy to scare, sue me!" My Dad, that strange bipedal wolf from before, flashed a fanged smile at me, adjusting his red scarf with a modest expression. "Or do you wish to speak with me in a professional, dignified manner, Miss Amadeus?"
"Ugh, I'd much rather be poisoned in my sleep, thanks," That weird accent again... My wing flicked in his direction. "You totally stole my thunder too! I was gonna use Night Slash on that monster, and you know it!"
He rolled his eyes at me, "Is that before or after you embraced your friend to protect them from a deranged monster?" I went to reply but found no words coming out of my mouth. "Hmm, thought so - but no-no, my apologizes for saving your life, again!" He drawled sarcastically, crossing his arms. "Parental morales say I had to intervene."
"You mean, Mom?"
"You want her to bury me six feet under?"
"I could've handled it," I threw my hoof up, exasperated.
For once, his eyes looked at me sharply. "Not that Arzuros, trust me," That shut my argument down as he knelt down to rub my cheek. "You seriously need to stop copying me."
"Old habits, right..." I sighed, then peered around the room. "Wait? There were two auras I-"
*Thump*
My eyes blinked against the blue fabric that clashed with the lime-green accents of my hood as two hooves curled around my nape gently. Looking up I found the second aura soothing over my own. One lilac eye stared back at me with the other hidden by matching bangs, a scar across her right cheek toward her eye. "Hi... Mom,"
"Are you okay?" She asked softly as I put my hooves around her.
"Yeah, your training paid off big time," I'd be an Elder Dragon's dinner otherwise. "I missed you guys..." My voice was much softer.
She nuzzled my cheek, "I know, I'm sorry we weren't able to talk before," We let go so the three of us could face each other, then Mom looked at Dad. "And what's that about 'Parental morales say I had to intervene'?" She air-quoted with her hooves in a dumb, horrible masculine voice as Dad froze up with a smile.
"Nothing! You know I say weird things!" Her eye narrowed. "Honestly, I was gonna do something, and we did, problem solved!"
"You're unbelievable..." Her one wing pressed against his cheek. "If you say 'Lucario' I will punch you in that stupid smile of yours."
"Never crossed my mind," He dismissed with a wave. Immediately, I suffered from whiplash, spinning around in my Dad's arms. "Okay, Yui had her moment now I want to hug you!"
"I think I'm gonna be sick..." I'm seeing double now... Mom just laughed at Dad's obvious coddling of me, despite his cool appearance and status he was a big girl which was funny.
"Are we... interrupting?" Argo stood at the door, looking between us with Myst trying to process the information before her. Dad dropped me like a sack of bricks had I not flown next to him, both of us clearing our throats with pink cheeks, Mom below rolling her eyes up at us.
"You two are fine, come on in," Mom welcomed as Dad sat against his desk with his arms crossed.
"'Right, guess I need to explain a few things,'" He rubbed his neck, trying to find the words as I took my place beside Argo and Myst. Using telepathy, his sensor beads on the back of his head vibrated slightly, Myst a little taken back by the intrusion into her mind, "'In the forest, you encountered a monster that used a blackish-purple substance, and that happened to appear on two monsters, correct?'"
"Yeah, it was massive, and... it had six limbs," I explained, rubbing my jaw at the memory. "It hit like a steamroller too."
"Why are six limbs important?" Myst inquired, raising her hoof.
"It's the most common trait of an Elder Dragon," Mom replied calmly, and Myst's face couldn't look paler, Argo's lips parted in awe as well. "The classification of 'Elder Dragon' can vary from uncategorized species to ecosystem changing monsters."
"'Hey, you read the book!'" My Dad's tail swayed happily as Mom playfully rolled her eyes. "'Ahem, but yes, what you saw was a powerful monster, The Black Eclipse, Gore Magala.'"
Gore Magala... that's what I encountered, what nearly killed Myst had we not shown up, and the scale I tucked away into my bag. "But... what was it doing here? I've never seen it in your books?"
"'Because I never encountered it, and I wish I never had to,'" Dad waved a paw. "'He's not an Elder Dragon, not yet anyway, he goes through a metamorphosis into one eventually, Shagaru Magala, if that happens he'd have mastery over the Frenzy Virus.'" That sounded bad.
"Is that what the strange substance was?" Argo inquired, jotting all this down with his magic.
"'Exactly, when monsters become infected they're highly aggressive, strong, and will never stop fighting until the virus kills them, and even a scratch can infect other monsters,'" He held out a claw to emphasize, shaking his head with a troubled look. "'I don't know the effects on Equestrians but hopefully it shouldn't cause any harm to you, well, I'd like to avoid that issue when we come to it; this is also why I never increased your rankings from one-star.'"
I and Argo shared a look, "But why? I barely survived fighting that thing, let alone escaping!" I exclaimed but Mom put her wing out to stop me.
"We know, but the rule was proof of capture or kill was needed, once the trial was over several hunters and handlers investigated where every claim a trial runner made about a kill or incapacitation and once confirmed, they pass along that information," Mom explained.
"'Since we didn't find its ugly mug anywhere, it never counted,'" Dad put his paw on my shoulder, my frown fixed to my face. "'I know it's not fair but you not only held your own against a powerful monster that would've given me trouble but saved someone's life, so while it isn't much, I'm just glad you're okay, and that you did what you did,'" His words lifted my head a little, dawning a tiny smile. His hand patted my shoulder. "'Now then, don't look all doom and gloom, you're hunters now, relish it! And get ready to do your jobs, well done, all of you,'"
With a bow of our heads, we turned to leave but I felt Mom's wing tug my tail back. "Yeah?" I was a little dejected. I'm happy Myst was okay, but I feel so robbed when someone like Silver cheated and was praised for his efforts.
"Shoot," Mom used the same word Dad would as I gave Myst and Argo a small wave of my hoof to wait for a second, closing the heavy door with a long sigh.
"That arrogant asshole cheated!" I exploded, pacing in front of them. "I-I-I mean honestly, he used a clutch claw when we're not supposed to! And he passed with FOUR STARS, are you kidding me!?" I punched the wall. "It's so frustrating! Why, why him of all creatures in Equestria - and then me and Argo get shelved with a single star!? How am I supposed to find Gore Magala if I can't even go after anything more basic than a Great Jaggi!?"
Mom looked ready to speak up but Dad did first with that knowing smile of his. "Get it all out?"
Taking a long inhale, pausing, then releasing it, I sighed. "Yeah, pretty much," My head hung until his fingers pushed my chin up to see my distraught face, a swarm of mixed feelings and thoughts rampaged in my head and squeezed my chest. "I... I just don't get it?"
Dad's scarlet eyes drifted to the side. "I have no doubt he cheated, honestly, I expected someone would, so I humoured him," My jaw hung but he pushed it up. "Ah-p-p-p, but I know the good hunters and the best, his half-measures scored him the highest but that doesn't breed effort and valour; determination, courage, fear, passion," His fingers tapped my chest just below my coral necklace. "Things I know you'd aspire to learn, and I don't want my daughter to be held down by expectations, make your own,"
I never took my eyes off Dad's, his image blurry as I felt something warm sting my ears, forcing my wing to rub my eyes as he put his arms around me again. "Come on now, you're more stubborn than this one-star? Well, I wonder, will the Guild find Gore Magala first? Or will this nerd for monsters catch up and do it herself?" Dad let go, drying my tears with a warm pulse of blue on his hand. "I dunno about you, but I like to place my bet on the bat pony."
"Hehehe... okay," Sniffing, I showed them my smile. "I'll show you what I can do! I blow through the ranks before next year!"
"Never a doubt, flower," He booped my snout, propping the door open for me. "Good luck, hunter," He winked.
"I will!" I waved, meeting with Myst and Argo by the staircase with a smile.
"Are you... okay?" He pointed to my cheek. "Were you crying?"
"Huh? Nah, just dry eyes," I grinned, "Dad's right, let's finally celebrate."
"Hey, can I say something? Alone?" Myst glanced at Argo, the unicorn shrugging.
"All yours, I'll go see what's on the menu," He bumped my hoof with his, departing down the right-hand side, leaving me and Myst at the intersection with her playing with her mane awkwardly.
"Is your head feeling better?" I quickly spoke up, seeing her blink widely. "You're still wearing your bandages."
"Oh, I'm fine, my head is still fuzzy though," Myst coughed. "Look, I... I wanted to say I..." She fumbled with her words again so I raised my wing.
"It's okay, if... you're trying to apologize I," Now it was my turn to be awkward. "I've done a lot of dumb things, and it hurt you, and I always mess up because I never learn to stop talking and-" Her magic caught my lips, sighing a... laugh? It was only one but it was definitely a laugh.
"I get it, Akira, I... maybe you aren't a bully, I haven't exactly been the friendliest pony either," She admitted, turning around with a solemn frown looking back at me. "I'll think about that," She paused again, giving a short wave of her hoof as I returned it, my smile softened.
"Guess I can make things right,"
As it stands, I was at the bottom of the chain, many monsters stood between me and Gore Magala, and ultimately, Fatalis, if the legend was true. I think Dad's testing me, to see how capable I was after that incident, he didn't want me to have any advantages but my own. Well fine, he was right, I can do things my own way, with help from Argo, of course. Adjusting the necklace I wore, I brought it up to peck its surface for good luck. "Time to start from zero."
[No POV]
"She's out of range, you're free to proceed, love," Zen motioned as Yui began to pace much like her daughter, looking frantically worried for what transpired.
"She was nearly killed by an Elder Dragon, or at least a monster comparable to one! I... I don't want to mother her into restricting her, I never would but I-I just...." Yui panted until Zen used a soothing pink light over her temples to quell her worry. "I'm scared she'll..."
"What? Die?" Zen admitted, though he too felt his body shiver, sitting down on the floor to hug Yui behind her back, feeling her chin rest on his forearms. "Akira's got your sharp eye, cunning, not to mention stubbornness,"
"And your recklessness... and strength," Yui leaned against his chest, avoiding the spike as she closed her eyes. "I just don't want her to be alone like I was."
"Funny how the roles reversed, huh?" Zen nudged, earning a chuckle from his wife, the word never ceased to take his breath away. Placing his head on her shoulder he smiled. "I'll find Gore Magala before her,"
She had to ask, staring down at his paws anxiously. "And if you don't?"
"Then we'll beat it together, I think facing Equestria-destroying monsters is a family thing at this point given our track record," Zen mused as Yui craned her neck up to kiss his lips sweetly.
"Love you,"
"To the ends of the earth," He winked as a coy smile split Yui's lips.
"You were totally freaking out when you heard the news, weren't you?"
"Gore Magala, hahaha... the one monster I never fought... hehehehe!" He paled, eyes dilated. "Watashi wa okashiku natto te iru!" His ears fell in horror.
Yui just burst out laughing in his arms, feeling a weight off her shoulders.
To Be Continued...
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This is what I need in my life. Friend and family values with a bit of drama and lots of love.
Would offer more of a comment but not feeling great at the moment. Reading this definitely helped tho~
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What's life without a little love and drama? Especially with these two. And it's all good, I saw by your status on Discord, hope you feel well in time my friend
A family of Equstria saving Hunters? I love it.
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