Monster Huntress Diamond

by HappyPillz

5. Home Sweet New Home

The world blurrily appeared, slightly swimming back and forth as Rarity opened her eyes. For the moment, all she could tell was that she was on her back. Slowly her surroundings came into focus; she raised her head slightly and looked down to see that she was lying in a hospital bed with an IV bag connected to her uninjured arm. She tried to raise her other arm, but found it incredibly difficult to do so; it felt weak, and she could see many stitches where the gash had been. She let her head fall back onto the pillow and looked to the side. The light was dim, but she could see the form of Cinnamon dozing in a small chair in the corner of the room.

She… stayed with me?

She looked farther around the room, seeing a desk with a feminine figure sitting at it with her back toward Rarity . She had long pointed ears and reddish hair, and sat scribbling away at something by the candlelight, obviously preoccupied with her work. Rarity tried to speak, but found her mouth and throat so parched that she couldn’t utter a word. What she did succeed in doing, however, was elicit a barking cough, startling the woman at the desk from her work with a jolt. Rarity gave her a weak yet sheepish smile when she turned around, and she returned the smile warmly.

“And so my patient awakens,” she said quietly so as not to wake Cinnamon, who had somehow slept through Rarity’s cough. Rarity once again tried to speak, but found that she could not. The woman held up a four-fingered hand. “Please, don’t push yourself, just rest. I will explain everything, don’t you worry.” She pulled her chair next to Rarity’s bedside, sat down, and adjusted her spectacles before quietly continuing. “First allow me to introduce myself. My name is Aerylla, and I am the doctor here in Miliesu village. You have been asleep here for a full day now, and Cinnamon has not left your side since you arrived.” She motioned to the sleeping felyne in the corner. “You nearly died from blood loss; if she hadn’t virtually carried you to the village you would not be alive right now.”

Rarity’s eyes widened in horror and she stared at the sleeping felyne, unsure how she could possibly express her gratitude to the small catfolk who had now saved her life twice.

“If I may, I’d like to reassure you that Cinnamon will not feel as though you owe her any debt.”

Rarity looked at Aerylla questioningly.

“Felynes have a tendency to form a strong bond with a single member of another race; usually they form a sort of partnership and work together, and the felyne treats their partner as though they were their closest family. I believe it’s safe to say that Cinnamon has taken that view with you.”

Rarity’s eyes softened, and she looked back to the small catfolk, who had curled up in her chair slightly and was mewling quietly in her sleep. Rarity smiled and felt a tear well up in her eye. She turned back to the doctor.

“Back to your current situation, though.” Doctor Aerylla pushed her spectacles back up her nose and continued. “We were able to replenish your fluids via the IV in your arm, and you should be back on your…” she looked down to the foot of the bed and smiled, “hooves… in no time. We stitched up the gash in your arm easily enough; thankfully we had plenty of sushifish on hand to help with that.”

Rarity’s face contorted in confusion and she mouthed the word “fish?” Doctor Aerylla chuckled. “I see Cinnamon was not exaggerating. You really are not familiar with anything here, are you?” Rarity shook her head, perplexity still plastered across her face. “Sushifish,” Aerylla explained, “have a unique property in that they help staunch bleeding. They are quite useful, especially when there are monsters out there that specialize in causing excessive bleeding. You’d do well to remember that.”

Rarity nodded, wide eyed.

“Now that we’ve covered that, I believe I should apprise you of the current situation in the village surrounding your arrival, if you think you are strong enough to continue talking. Would you like to continue?”

Rarity nodded without hesitation.

Aerylla smiled genuinely. “Very good. Now, first of all, it is important for you to know that we have recently had a surge in aggressive behavior in the monsters around the village. While aggression is not uncommon, these monsters have shown abnormally high aggression, increased strength, and in some cases enhanced abilities beyond what we have seen before. Our researchers have identified some kind of new energy signature present on these monsters when they appear, but we have never been able to study them properly as nobody has been able to track, hunt, or capture one successfully yet. All we know is what the energy signature looks like. Are you following me so far?”

Rarity nodded.

“Then, the other night, Cinnamon came to the gates with you, half dead, looking for medical treatment. And do you know what we saw?”

Rarity shook her head, but fear was written on her face.

“You had the same energy signature as the monsters.”

Rarity didn’t move. Rarity couldn’t move. She was entirely frozen; it was like a fuse had been tripped in her brain and all thoughts had been disabled. She stared ahead blankly as Aerylla waited patiently for her to process the information. Roughly a minute transpired before Rarity blinked and returned to some semblance of conscious thought.

“Are you back with me now?” Aerylla calmly spoke.

Rarity gulped and nodded, unsure where the conversation was going to go from here.

“I do not think you are to blame for this, nor do many others, to start,” she said. “I will warn you that there are a few that think that you may be directly or indirectly responsible for this somehow. While it is completely unfounded, it is also undeniable that you are connected to this in some way - we just do not know how. We will do our best to try to find the answer together, and help you along the way. Does that sound like an acceptable solution?" She gave Rarity a warm look and held her hand lightly. Rarity squeezed her hand back and nodded with a smile.

“Good. Now get some more rest, I dare say in the morning you’ll likely be strong enough to be up and about, and you’ll have plenty of people to meet, places to see, and things to do. Until then, sleep well.”

Rarity lay her head back down, finding her thoughts reeling with the information she had just learned. All her anxiety could not withstand her fatigue, however, and the thick veil of sleep overtook her once again.

**********

Rarity woke to the sounds of a busy town outside the clinic walls. Conversations, laughter, and yells all blended together in a cacophony of voices that could only be achieved if there were a bustling marketplace nearby. She blinked her bleary eyes awake and sat up, evoking an excited mewl from across the room.

“Rowrity! You’re awake!” Cinnamon rushed over to the bed and encompassed her in a tight hug, eliciting a slight squeak from the unicorn.

“Yes, quite, thanks to you.” She gave the felyne a small kiss on the forehead. “That’s twice I owe you my life, you know.”

“I just did what anyone would do.” Cinnamon scuffed the floor with her paw.

“Well, I’m glad you did.” Rarity conceded. “Now, let’s see if I can do more than sit up.” She tentatively lifted her arms without much difficulty, then swung her legs around and off the bed. She looked down with an air of distaste. “Cinnamon, is my bag somewhere nearby? I could do with a change of clothes from this hospital gown.”

Cinnamon chuckled, retrieving the bag from next to her chair in the corner of the room. Rarity’s horn glowed blue, floating the bag from Cinnamon’s paws, earning a startled squeak from her. A sharp inhale could be heard from the doorway behind Rarity.

“Now there’s something I hadn’t expected to see.”

Aerylla was standing there with shock written across her face, staring at the floating bag in front of Rarity. “What… how… exactly are you doing that?”

Rarity blushed sheepishly. “I guess you’re as unfamiliar with me as I am with you.”

Aerylla smirked. “Touché.”

Rarity laughed in response. “It’s magic.” She gestured to her horn. “I’m a unicorn. Where I come from, all unicorns can do magic, we channel it through our horns.”

Aerylla nodded, deep in thought. “I believe I have some introductions to make. Do you think we could meet with some people this morning?”

Rarity’s stomach interjected with a grumble.

Aerylla laughed. “After breakfast it is, then.”

**********

“Good morning, Aerylla!” the small white felyne chirped. “You have purr-fect timing, I’m just firing up the oven for the day.”

“Hello, Zuny, you’re rather chipper this morning,” Aerylla responded. “Allow me to introduce Rarity, she’s the patient that came in the other night. She just woke up this morning, so we were hoping to grab something to eat.”

Zuny hopped up and down, clapping her paws together excitedly. “Purr-fect! Welcome to Miliesu, Rowrity! I promise that you’ll find no better food than what I cook up here!”

Cinnamon sat down at the main counter of the outdoor restaurant, motioning for Rarity to sit beside her. “I can vouch for Zuny. I’ve eaten here be-fur, and her cooking is amazing. I’d recommend the… wait… never mind that.” Cinnamon fidgeted slightly in her seat.

“Never mind what?” Rarity asked.

“I was going to suggest something to eat, but it was something with meat in it… and I’m guessing that you don’t eat meat?”

Rarity laughed heartily. “When I first arrived here, no, I didn’t. But, survival being what it is, I had to try it, and I’ve found that I have quite a taste for it. So, what were you going to recommend?”

Cinnamon looked surprised, as did Aerylla and Zuny. Shaking her head, Aerylla mused, “Will the surprises never cease with you? I had assumed you’d be herbivorous, given your resemblance to other herbivores. I guess I will be learning a lot as long as I stay around you.”

She earned a grin from Rarity. “I suppose you’ll need to get used to expecting the unexpected, yes. Now, Cinnamon, you were saying?”

The felyne nodded. “I’ve had Zuny’s Gargwa egg omelet with diced Rathalos sirloin be-fur, and I think it’s my favorite meal ever.”

Zuny swelled with pride at the compliment, while Rarity nodded at the suggestion. “If that’s what you think is best, then that’s what I’ll have. Though…” she paused, as a thought occurred to her, “I’m not sure how I’ll be able to pay for this; I mean, I just arrived in your world and I have no money…”

“Don’t worry about that,” Aerylla interjected. “Breakfast is on me, and we’ll continue to help you out until you get settled and can find a source of income. We understand what it’s like to be displaced and lose one’s home and possessions, monster attacks result in that frequently enough in neighboring kingdoms.”

Rarity smiled. “Well then, thank you for your generosity. I promise not to impose on it for any longer than absolutely necessary.”

“Good, good, all settled then, were we decided on our order? Yes? And what will you have, Aerylla?” Zuny interrupted.

“Just a couple wyvern eggs over easy and a cup of the strongest black coffee you can make, thank you.”

“Very well! I’ll be back with your orders shortly!” Zuny said brightly. And with that, the energetic, furry little cook was off to her kitchen in a blaze of speed.

**********

The trio sat at the counter, chatting away when two large platters appeared to float from the direction of the kitchen toward them. Rarity watched in shock as they approached; each platter was piled high with a massive amount of food, and she was unsure why that much food was coming toward her. Surely that wasn’t all for her?

Her question was answered quickly as each platter was set down by the felyne waiters underneath that were carrying them; one platter in front of Rarity, and one in front of Cinnamon, who was now practically drooling over the copious amount of food before her. Aerylla merely looked on in amusement as a third waiter brought over a much less impressive, yet still oversized and over-full, platter containing her eggs.

Rarity looked over her breakfast. It was easily the most food anyone had ever put before her in one sitting; there was a gigantic omelet, complete with vegetables and diced steak contained in it, with a full side of the diced steak beside it as well, mixed with a mountain of diced and seasoned roasted potatoes. Merely looking at the food made her mouth water, but then the smell hit her nose. The smell. Sweet Celestia, the smell. It was heavenly. Rarity had never experienced such an aroma before, and she was unable to keep herself from tasting the food immediately.

She had enjoyed her first taste of meat, deciding it was the best thing she had ever eaten. That decision was now overturned. This was now the best thing she had ever eaten. And it would be the best thing she ever could eat. Food, she decided, could not possibly taste better than this. With great enthusiasm, she continued to eat, much to the entertainment of her companions.

“Damn, girl!” The bemused voice came from behind Rarity, causing her to stop eating mid-bite, turning to look awkwardly at the man standing there. He stood in a full suit of light armor, with a heavy bowgun slung over his back; he sauntered over lazily and pulled over a chair, straddling the seat back as he sat down next to the group, facing Rarity more than the others and addressing her again with humor in his voice.

“Haven’t seen a girl eat that much since ever.”

“Sydreol,” Aerylla deadpanned. “Tactless as ever, I see.”

The man stood and bowed with a flourish. “Guilty as charged. And you’re as humorless as ever, Aery,” he responded with a grin.

“I told you not to call me that,” she responded coldly.

He shook with a great laugh, then plopped back into his seat unceremoniously, rocking it back and forth on its legs as though he were a distractible child. Rarity simply swallowed her bite and continued to stare at him,unsure of what was going on. “Hey Zuny!" he called. The felyne poked her head out from the kitchen.

“Oh! Hey Syd! What can I get furrr you today?" she asked.

“I’ll take some barbecued short ribs, and a Ratha whiskey!" he called back.

Aerylla clicked her tongue in disapproval. “Drinking already, Sydreol? It’s still morning!”

He held up his hands defensively. “Hey, gimme a break! I just got back from a hunt! I was up all night, and I took down the Rath that you guys are chowing down on, so I think I deserve a drink or two or five. You should even be buyin’, I think.”

Rarity’s eyes went wide as Aerylla scoffed at Sydreol’s comment. “Wait,” she said. “You hunted the creature that this absolutely delicious meat came from?”

“You got it, lady.”

“And it took you all night to hunt it?”

“Yep. Fucker kept flying away every time I thought I was going to make some progress. Kept hitting me with that fireblight and poison shit, too.”

“They can do all that?” Rarity gasped in shock. “What kind of creatures are these things?”

“Big ass dragons.” He replied simply.

Rarity’s heart stopped for a moment. “D…Dragons?" she stammered.

“Dragons.”

Rarity felt like she might throw up. But she needed more information. She needed to know more, and now.

“So,” she began slowly, “These dragons… attack you?”

“Uh, yeah? Thought that was kinda obvious.”

“And… they do this without any provocation?”

“Well, we’re not exactly running around yelling ‘Hey! Come eat us and burn down our houses!’” Sydreol said sarcastically.

“And… has anybody tried to negotiate or reason with them?” Rarity asked hopefully.

Everyone stared at her, mouths hanging open, and the silence was suffocating.

Sydreol eventually broke his stare, turning to Aerylla and jerking his thumb at Rarity. “Aery, where’d you find this nutjob?”

Rarity huffed indignantly. “Well excuse me, Mister Sydreol, but where I come from, dragons can be very kind hearted, well spoken and reasonable individuals that-“

“Wait, wait, wait!” Sydreol cut her off sharply. “Whaddya mean by ‘well spoken’ and ‘reasonable’? These things are monsters, they don’t speak or reason with anything.” He looked at Rarity hard. “Lady, just where are you from?”

“Ahem,” Aerylla cut in, “I also would like to know exactly where you are from, and what manner of dragons you may have known that could speak, actually. Rest assured, Rarity, whatever dragons you may have known back home, the ones here bear no relation to them. In all truth, I share more of a common ancestor with them than your dragons would, so do not fret, nor let it throw you off your breakfast.” She chuckled slightly as she saw Rarity relax considerably in her seat.

“Well,” Rarity began, “I suppose it’s story time for me. I’m from a land called Equestria, where there are three races of ponies: unicorns like myself, the winged pegasi, and earth ponies. We actually look like ponies, not like I do now; I was sent here by a dimensional portal accident somehow, and… well, I don’t know what went wrong, but it transformed me halfway into a regular person and left the other half as a pony, I guess. In my world, magic, and magical creatures, are abundant, and dragons are one of the types of magical creatures that live there. One of my best friends is a young dragon named Spike, and he is an absolute sweetheart. We all live fairly peaceful lives, though occasionally we seem to have… uh… massive catastrophic attacks? We don’t have daily threats of monsters at our door like you do, but we have had to deal with rampaging demi-gods several times now, and almost had our world destroyed a few times for good measure, too. My friends and I have had to put a stop to it every time, it’s almost become a bit ‘old hat’, so to speak.”

Sydreol suddenly snorted so hard it initiated a coughing fit, and they all had to sit and wait as he recovered. Rarity glared at him menacingly. “And what, may I ask, was that about?”

“Whaddya think it was about? You just told us you and your mates were kicking gods asses and saving the world all the time or some bullshit like that, and you delivered it with such a perfect expression! Gods, you’re damn hilarious!”

Rarity folded her arms across her chest and her ears lay back in annoyance. “I was not joking, you barbaric oaf.”

He just grinned at her and picked up the mug that Zuny had just set in front of him, holding it out to her as a toast. “Well, you’ll just have to show me your world saving prowess, then.”

She glowered back, keeping her arms folded and ears pinned back. “Fine with me.”

“Deal!" he downed a swig of his whiskey, then pointed past her at the counter. “Now sit your ass down and finish your breakfast. That Rath sirloin is too good to waste.”

Her scowl turned into a smirk, and she sat back down. “At least we can agree on something.”

**********

“So, where were we going next?” inquired Rarity, still looking over her shoulder as she hurried away from the restaurant. “Hopefully as far away from here as possible. As quickly as possible.”

Aerylla sighed and massaged the bridge of her nose in annoyance. “I’ll admit, I did not expect Sydreol to begin cheering you on like that when you were close to finishing off that entire platter. Nor did I expect him to be quite so… loud. Or cause such a scene. Or stop passersby to tell them about it."

“I still can’t believe Cinnamon joined in.”

“Yes, well, Sydreol’s energy can be… infectious.”

Rarity cast another glance back. “I suppose it does have some sort of charm, in a twisted sort of way.”

“He’s always been that way. Regardless, back on topic, we need to meet with our village chief, and then we have to go introduce you to our head researcher; I think she’ll be most interested to meet you. After that, I suppose it’s up to you, whether you’d like to discuss your plans, or wander the village, or just sit and gather your thoughts. I’d imagine this is a lot to take in right now.”

Rarity nodded. “I agree, it is quite overwhelming. For now, let’s just see where the day takes us.”

“Very well. Chief Leonys lives in the manor farther up in the village. Shall we?”

The two left the restaurant behind, with Cinnamon and Sydreol still audibly singing Rarity’s praises much to her chagrin, and headed toward the massive building. Rarity marveled at how its presence was so much more regal than the homes surrounding it, and though it was for a chief it still reminded her of a castle in a way.

Rarity stopped for a moment as they neared, and Aerylla stopped a few steps later, turning to face her. “Is something the matter?”

“Aerylla, is there anything I should know before I meet with Leonys?” Rarity asked nervously. “I mean, if I’m to meet the village chief, I should be at least a little prepared, shouldn’t I?”

Aerylla’s face softened somewhat, and she placed a hand on Rarity’s shoulder. “He’s a very understanding man, so I don’t think you have much to worry about. Just be respectful, and keep in mind that he’s protective of his village, so if he comes off as brash don’t take it to heart. I would suggest that you don’t use or mention your magic around him just yet, though. He’s just meeting you now, if you come out and show him everything different about you at once, it may just alienate you even more.”

“Point taken.” Rarity agreed. “Alright, I think I’m ready, then, let’s go.”

They approached the large doors, and, with a deep breath and a decent amount of trepidation, Rarity knocked.

After a long, drawn out wait, a large man opened the door, standing there with an imposing stature and a somber expression on his face. Rarity gulped at his overwhelming aura, but he slowly opened his arms and let a smile adorn his face.

“Welcome to Miliesu, miss,” he boomed. “You must be the newcomer I have heard so much yet so little about. Everyone was talking about how a bedraggled girl almost died on our doorstep, yet nobody knew anything more about her. Doctor Aerylla here was very protective about keeping you hidden away from prying eyes while you were recovering.”

Rarity gave a start. “You were?" she asked Aerylla in shock.

Aerylla merely shrugged. “Everyone deserves some privacy, especially when they’re a new person from a race nobody has ever seen before and they’re unconscious. You probably haven’t noticed, but people have been watching you all morning.”

Rarity suddenly felt extremely exposed and shrank back slightly, suppressing a shiver.

Leonys gave a hearty laugh. “Don’t let it get to you. They’ll get used to you fast enough, and I’m sure you’re not doing anything worth getting worked up over. Now! On to more official-type matters, which is why you’re here. For starters, you are welcome here in Miliesu as long as you earn your keep and don’t cause any trouble.” He turned a steely eye on Rarity and his tone turned serious. “I tolerate no trouble in my village. We get enough of that from the monsters without causing it amongst ourselves. Is that clear?”

“Crystal, sir,” she responded without hesitation.

“Good!" he said, clapping his hands together. “Moving on, then. Were you here for a short while and then moving on, or were you planning on staying for a longer time?”

Rarity considered her answer. “Ultimately, I want to go back home as soon as I can, but realistically I doubt that will be any time soon, so I don’t think I’ll be ‘just passing through’. I think it’s safe to say I’ll be staying here for quite some time, if that’s alright with you.”

“That’s just fine. You’ll need a place to stay; we have several vacant houses we keep open for hunters and you can use one of those for as long as you’re here. I’m not going to require you to pay rent until you are able to find steady work and earn a living-“ Rarity began to protest, but he cut her off before she could say a word. “Provided that you are still making a contribution of some kind to our village in the meantime. I expect you to be a productive member of society here.”

“That, I can do.” Rarity assured him. “If I may be so bold, I dare say that I am quite skilled.”

“So I have heard,” he said, raising an eyebrow with a smile. “That brings me to my next question: have you thought about what you want to do while you are here? Might you be interested in becoming a huntress for us?" he asked hopefully.

Rarity seemed taken aback at the suggestion. “I’ll be honest, I hadn’t even considered that as a possibility! I think you might have the wrong idea about me, I really don’t think I’m quite huntress material.”

Leonys looked disappointed. “A pity,” he sighed. “We only have two skilled hunters in our village right now, and Cinnamon had informed us that you had seemed a natural, given your exploits and survival skills right after arriving in the middle of the jungle.”

“Ehehehe,” Rarity nervously tittered, “Aerylla, back me up here, I’m hardly in any shape to be a huntress, right? I mean, I’m small and petite and wouldn’t be able to hunt anything, right?”

Aerylla flushed with embarrassment. “Actually, to be honest Rarity, I was quite impressed while I was examining you when you first got here. You have a very lithe, agile and muscular physique, one that would be perfectly suited for hunting actually. I’m truthfully a bit jealous, your body is nearly perfect.” She flushed even more. “If trained properly, you could be an absolute wrecking machine in terms of monster hunting capability.”

“O…Oh…” Rarity stammered. “Well then… I suppose I shall have to give it at least a little thought. But I think I’d much rather look elsewhere first.”

Leonys nodded. “That’s fair enough; I can’t force it on you, and if you don’t outright dismiss it that’s good enough for me. As for available jobs, you can check around town, but I’d suggest starting with our smith Reneris, our shopkeeper Faan, and our cook Zuny. Also, if you’d like to check into the idea of training yourself, Jorahn is our hunter trainer; I’m sure he’d love to give you some lessons. He’s always looking for someone to throw lessons at.”

Rarity gave a polite bow. “Thank you very much, I think I will have to pay them all visits; even if I’m not going to work for them, I’ll definitely be working with them for the foreseeable future.”

“That’s the spirit! You seem to get the idea of the community already!" he smiled broadly, then suddenly his face adopted a somber expression once again. “That leaves me with one final thing to discuss,” he stated gravely.

“O-oh? And that would be?” Rarity asked nervously. Her anxiety levels skyrocketed, and she began to sweat profusely.

“I heard how you have some link to the aggressive monsters that have cropped up.” He watched her closely as he talked, possibly looking for any hints of guilt, but for now all he saw was fear. “I’m not saying you caused it, but we know that there’s some new energy signature that these monsters have, and that you have it, too. All that we know is that it means that somehow you have something to do with these new types of aggressive monsters. I want you to know this: if you stay here in our village, I expect you to help us with these monsters, should we discover that you are the necessary link to dealing with them. Is that understood?”

Rarity gulped and nodded wordlessly.

“And do you agree to those terms?”

“Yes, sir,” she answered breathlessly.

He smiled broadly once again. “Then allow me to officially welcome you to your new home!”