> Indomitable Journey's End
>  by Slendy
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Chp. 0 - Memoir
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Chp. 1 - Lost


"What? Feelin' left out?"

"Oh, no-no-no... I've got a deal on a Pokemon game I need to rob first," I replied, then grinned. "All you'll be doing is spending money on that weird manga you keep trying to finish, and you call me girly." I snagged her, seeing her face turn a new shade of red, eyes the size of pins. "What was it again...hmm...oh!" Slamming my fist into my open palm, I gave a glow of fake realization. "The one about that cute couple and the romantic genre around it!"

"Wait, seriously?" Summer looked as though Taka was someone else since I watched her face burn hot enough to cook a pancake on probably. In that same frame, I jumped to my right, avoiding the punch from Taka as she yelled out with unbound fury.

"Zee~eee~en!!!" Quickly grabbing my jacket, I sprinted past Taka and out the door of the cafe, hearing her scream from behind me. "GET BACK HERE, YOU JACKASS!!!"

"Seeya later, Zen~!" I heard my sister follow after with a sweet voice, in contrast, the she-demon screaming down the house

"Don't-need-to-outrun-the-bear-just-outrun-your-friends! Also, seeya, sis!" 






Chp. 2 - Metal beats Rock


"Grah!" Both I and the entity yelled from the impact, tumbling down into the field in a heap.

Grey fur covered its body, with a mane and tail a smooth shade of lilac; although both were messy in style, the bangs over its face covered the left eye, the other still shut in pain, poking out from its lips was a small fang too. Their ears were pointed, and a single, leathery wing sat draped across my side. Carefully, the being stirred as I continued to stare with fascination.

It wore a bag too, with a sky-blue hood with a white outline and arrow-like designs down the middle hugged against its neck; it also doubled a small cape.

"I'd appreciate it if you weren't atop me..." I was talking to myself, but the equine blinked, revealing a familiar, lilac eye. Said eye locked to me and immediately pushed itself off my body. Despite the sudden tackle, my nose caught the scent of a very common aroma; only then did I realize that this equine was actually bleeding. "Something injured it..."

"...w-What are you?"






Chp. 3 - In the Shadow of the Tower


*Crack-Crack-Crack-Crack*

Yui gently moved to stand against my legs. "Don't tell me; the ground's about to cave in from under us?"

I didn't so much as blink. "Yep."

"Bottomless pit or lake at the bottom?" She asked meekly

I just yawned. "Most likely."

I now held her bridal style; the light of my aura flickered out with only an anxious yet solemn look on her face. "Bring it--"

Her sentence cut short, and the very stone shattered under us.






Chp. 4 - Venator


"I'm quite fortunate to have met you."

I saw her jolt a little with her head turned to me. "Really? Why's that?"

With a shrug, I smirked. "'Cause I'd never had so much fun exploring before, that's all."

While I couldn't see it, her voice reflected her kindness. "Yeah, ditto."

I laughed a little. "No, Lucario."






Chp. 5 - Our Way


My brow raised, "Why's this different?"

Now she was slumped, looking down at her hooves. "I... have someone I want to protect."

I wasn't expecting that. Rubbing my cheeks to clear the heat, I placed a paw on her shoulder. "You've gotten us this far, I've just been doing the heavy lifting, I'm more of a hands-on kind of guy, you actually use your head in these situations, so I'm sure you'll come up with a plan as I distract Nargacuga." My pep-talk raised her spirits, but her aura was still sorrowful, was there more to this? "Can I count on you?"

Not a moment of hesitation, that confidence had sky-rocketed. "I've got your back, Zen."

I held my fist out, smiling with confidence I stole from the spiritful Bat-Pony. "Then let the Sapphire Star light our way!" That brought a small red hue to my cheeks

Her own cheeks were pink, but we both totally had a bit of chuunibyou in us, "And let no pony block our path!"

Her wing curled and bumped to my fist.






Chp. 6 - Bone and Steel


The eyes locked to a certain mare, body lurching upward to devour her, so I quickly slid to the ground, kicking up my hatchet; then, with a strike of my heel, the tool crossed the gap, striking Nargacuga into fighting me again. What would I do without you, Hatchet?

It landed in the centre again, tail swung high, decapitating the last of the four pillars, obscuring my view. Pushing against my body's wishes, I sailed across the debris, pin-balling up and over another low-bearing lunge of the tail, my paw pressed against the fur to spin myself up and over its head a final time. Win, with one blow straight to the head!

Nargacuga saw this, snarled, then snapped its neck toward my arms. I had anticipated this, that bloodlust oozing from his aura. With a slight turn, my foot pushed down the snout, twisting me into a lumbering twirl with my right arm wide. All the energy I channelled through Counter forced its way to my paw's spike, the vicious backhand 'crracked' against Nargacuga's jaw, breaking it and the neck with the force to shatter the ground that the body carved its way through.

The body slumped against the remains of a pillar, a final, strained roar escaped, and the eyes lost their glow.






Bonus Chp. - Water Dance


"Ah! Hahaha, this is amazing~!" Yui flew out from the water, smiling blissfully as the last rays of sunlight painted quite the sight of her mane flowing through the air with the droplets. "Zen?"

"H-huh, uh, y-yeah?" I quickly recovered and used her hood to purposefully cover my redden face as I noticed the item from before. Plucking off the edge of the spring, I noted that housed in a brass cage was a strange, multicoloured crystal, an imperfect sphere about the size of a golf ball. The light wasn't refracting through it; these colours were directly infused into the stone. "What's this?"

"Aah! I forgot about that!" Yui swam up to the edge, looking moderately panicked with her hoof swaying back and forth. "Don't worry about it, gimmie-gimmie-gimmie!"

My sly smile formed. "Oh, is it that important?" Her head vigorously nodded, and I looked to it with a keen eye. "You know, I swear I've seen this before... but where?"

"Not important! What are you, a dragon?" She huffed; I just chuckled

"Lucario."

"Don't you 'Lucario' me, dummy, hand over my gemstone," Her hoof continued to prod between us. I knelt, setting it back on her hood.






Chp. 7 - Thunder and "GLBLBBLGLGB!"


"What the hell Hasbro? Who designed your maps, a sadist?" It might not be like that in the show, but this world is as if that show was its own reality entirely so that anything could change

Why was I alone again? Turning my eyes back to the frozen Bat-Pony, I saw her lilac eye widen, mouth ajar. "...Z-Zen...?" My head tilted, dumbfounded.

"What?" She shook her head, pointing to me, specifically my throat

A Hoof rubbed her eyes, "Speak," Now she was confusing me greatly, but I shrugged and replied in Poke-Speak.

"It's over, Anakan; I have the high ground." I think her head is smoking, and not in a good way. She blinked, trotted to a tree, then proceeded to plant her forehead firmly against the said tree with a solid 'thunk'. "Am I... missing something?"

"You... I... I can... hear you..." Her body turned back to me, just as my own realization sunk in. Her muzzle soon stretched into an anxious smile. "I can actually hear you!"






Chp. 8 - Flawed...


The Sulfuric Cutting Wyvern, Acidic Glavenus roared.

The Alpha challenged it, sending forth several Timberwolves to intercept. With a low spin, the blade swiped the air, blowing the wolves away. With one leg, it bent back around, tail crushing another Timberwolf. One pounced, biting into the scales, so Acidic simply spun back around, decapitating another while throwing the Timberwolf off. It sliced across the right, then to the left as I rolled away from the rainfall of wood. A powerful thrust shattered another, leaving the Alpha to face the monster.

With a final push, the Timberwolf lunged with all means of attack. Acidic curved the blade then spun with the elegance of a swordsman; in a single, horizontal slash, the Alpha Timberwolf came crashing down, Acidic flexing out its tail in the end. Now, the head sniffed, and eyes locked solely to mine while I raised a stance, Bone Rush active. The acid quickly reformed across the tail-blade; the monster didn't go so much as a roar; instead, I only felt interest crawl through its eyes.






Chp. 9 - ...But Unbreakable


"...You'll be okay, I... know you're an amazing person, you'll be the happiest person in the world... I've seen it... there's... no room for doubt... not in that future," Tears fell down her arm, and Zen's voice broke under his tears. "Move forward... regret nothing... and smile."

Rika's smile remained, eyes lifting to the ceiling. "Keep smiling through tears..." Summer finally broke down, hands over her mouth; Taka buried her head against someone else's shoulder, "For a life without joy... in times of sorrow... is no... fun..."

The light flickered from her eyes, but beneath the mask... stood a toothy smile.






Chp. 10 - Found


"Zen... you're crying," Her hoof wiped them away for me. With my back to the tree, I sighed.

"Rika... she was the closest friend I had," My mouth ran without thought or consideration, and it was painful. "If not for her, I'd never know Taka, Kazu, Asher, my relationship with my sister wouldn't be as strong as it is now... she made me better."

My voice started to tremble, "I-I-I thought that if I just smiled like she did, kept to the promise we made t-then maybe, maybe she wouldn't be gone, that... that I don't have to let her go..." I couldn't hold my head high anymore. "But she's gone... she's gone, and I'm afraid... afraid that I'll forget her."

A hoof brushed against my shoulder. "I'm sorry, I never knew her but... I think she'd be happy with how you turned out." That smile again...

I immediately buried my face in her chest, breaking down with a shiver. Rika, I was scared to move on, to trust someone with the same level of kindness between us; it scared me that I wouldn't be able to save someone again; my failure haunted me, manipulated me into thinking I had moved on. It hurts because I won't ever see your smile again, so I'll just have to smile twice as much for both of us, for real this time.

Yui held me close, not needing to say a word as nearly two years of anguish were finally let go.






Chp. 11 - Egg Hunt


|You know, you seemed awfully charmed this morning when I came to visit your hotel room| While his eyes kept themselves forward, I shifted a little under his knowing smile. Oh no. |Anything happen yesterday after your outburst?|

I blew a raspberry. |Pfft, whaaaaat, noooo, nothing in particular! Just some reassurance of one's life|

With a single laugh, Kazu moved closer to whisper as I leaned down. |When your friend, Yui, left. You were watching her--| Oh no. |--and with great interest might I add| He pulled away, seeing my face slowly pale, he didn't face me, turning around dramatically. |I believe you were... enraptured|

Having dealt with worse from Taka, I stood my ground, crossing my arms while suppressing the blood in my cheeks. |She's my best friend and the one that usually has the plan forward, so I look to her for guidance|

|Ooo, I see, and what 'guidance' did you find in those... swaying hips, hmm?| That nailed the coffin. my face lit up as I robotically moved to tighten my arms around my chest in vain to stop my heart from racing

Frantically I swung them out in protest. |No-no! I wasn't looking at her... um, you know... her in that way|

|Certainly| Kazu nodded, but that look, he had me on the end of a noose, had fallen for the classic blunder

I closed my eyes, still retaining a crimson glow. |I gazed -- Glanced in that direction, maybe| Opening my eyes I slowly exhaled. |But I wasn't staring, or really seen anything, really...|

Kazu nodded simply |Of course, | He wasn't convinced, so I returned a glare, pointing a claw down at the cunning Umbreon

|I hate you| Once more, I crossed my arms with a pout. |You're a bad person|






Chp. 12 - Thundercrash


Something was building in my throat, like copper but far less bitter, with a tingly sensation or warmth of a hot drink. A rising tide swaying in my stomach as Zinogre body slam missed me, having already leapt high above its form, higher than even Zinogre could leap, the view was dark, and all colour dissolved into black and white, the only consistent tone was that of a spark of blue snaking across my muzzle with a highlight of purple. Motes of those two colours crackling across the sky as they formed around my fangs, the wind screaming in my ears.

"𝙷𝚢𝚙𝚎𝚛 𝙱𝚎𝚊𝚖!!" To encompass Zinogre's own deafening cry, mine tore from my throat, like a downpour of pure energy rippled through the sky, slamming down atop the monster with a hum that electrified the air, from any unaware, it may have been a dragon's cry that drowned out Zinogre's, dirt and stone tore and jagged from the impact as I landed, the last ghosts of my attack whisked away from my bared teeth. |And stay|






Chp. 13 - Budding


"Not to be that guy, and I will be, try not to give yourself a stomach ache like last time."

Her face froze while she stammered a blush. "I-I thought you forgot about that!?"

"Nope." I smiled slyly, her hooves desperately trying to take back the box as cartoonish tears fell from her eyes. "Not going through that mess again... and the Timberwolves, ouch."

"Come on, Zen, I'm super duper sorry~! I'll be careful, promise~!"

I patted my chest, looking to her while deadpanning. "Aura, remember?" She froze, then continued to complain

"Waaaah... you jerrrk...!"






Chp. 14 - Promise


I chuckled. "It's a whole 'nother world teeming with magic, mythical beasts, and so many wondrous places to explore! It's everything anyone with a thrill for adventure could dream of..." I scratched my cheek. "And now, a world without you doesn't feel as exciting, without my partner... my sense of adventure wouldn't feel as complete."

For a far too lengthy pause, I just... couldn't look away; her lilac eyes remained in focus, even as I felt the details of her face freeze in the frame. My heart was still pounding away in my chest, had any sense of logic clouded my mind, I may have tripped over my words or questioned my motive, but I didn't care; this was the undeniable truth, and I won't just fake ignorance this time.

Gently, Yui leaned in, her head tilted forward. And for a second, a sweet taste unlike any I could place rested against my lips. With a faint breath, she leaned back, eyes heavy, then they widened as mine remained frozen in shock. "I... I um, t-that... that's wasn't what I was... uh, t-trying to--" Her hoof tugged my scarf hard, my muzzle brushing against hers, eyes soft with a hint of mirthful ire

She rolled them, "...Just, shut up... you jerk..."

"What?" I blinked, and once again though with more tenderness, her lips pressed to mine without any warning, and I... closed my eyes for that moment, a delightful shiver coursing down my spine as I let my right armrest around her back. The two of us pulled away, and... I remember... that dream months before the events that turned my life completely on its head. I smiled warmly. "...I'm fine with this..."

She giggled. "That's good to know," Her voice whispered faintly.






Chp. 15 - Fly You Fools


Again, Topaz and her guards looked among themselves, herself stepping past the facepalms and smirks arising from the group; Twilight looked ready to blow a blood vessel as I bent at the knees and jumped atop the roof, surprising the ponies while I lifted Yui bridal style as she blinked, but giggled under her hood as I stated loud and proud with a slight accent.

"Gentlemen, ladies, and milady," I bowed at the last part, waving one arm high to the lot. "Remember this as the day you almost caught, Fighting Steel Lucario!!" With a gust of wind and many silver wisps gathered at my feet, I sped off down the line of roofs, thatch brushing past with every footstep taken away from the guards

"Hey, w-wait, you can't -- GET BACK HERE!?!"






Chp. 16 - MAZE of Confusion


Feels good not to be on the magical ground anymore; just the amount I get pumped into my veins daily is enough. And the saturation and colours in that world, blah! Don't know how that idiot can stand living for a day in that world, and a talking... bat... pony thing? There is no one alive that can explain that to me.

"Zorah!" Ooooh... great, it's Red. She came jogging up to myself and Azure, the rest of the class watching from afar as I tried desperately to forget whatever just happened in that lake. However, Azure looked ready to burst with the information of multiversal existence beyond Remnant. "You guys have been gone for nearly an hour, where--"

I slapped my hand over her lips, hushing her with venom in my voice. "Red, if I could so much as contemplate the very extent to what I witnessed, where I've been, and who nearly gave me a thrashing, I might very well be convinced I'm high," I smiled sarcastically with wide eyes. "So! If you don't mind, I'm going to go and drown myself in something else that isn't a lake! Good day!"






Chp. 17 - Maiden of the Lake


"There! Doc. Zen has done it again!" I presented the fresh bandaged monster to Yui, as the head swivelled around to lick the entirety of my right side as I shivered, Yui laughing her ass off until the Mizutsune copied the same. I saw Yui resist the urge to gag as I chuckled too, the monster slithering across the ground using the soapy bubbles it created. This leviathan was really something. Then it threw us through another loop as it started to string like clothing in the wash.

To our bulging eyes, the body shrunk and vanished in a plume of bubbles; what came sliding out and into me was another pony. Pink in colour with a long, white mane that faded into shades of pink and yellows down to the tips, a light blue bow pinned to the left side of her mane. She stopped humming to latch her hooves around my waist tightly, displaying large, blue eyes to us as I remained to gawk alongside Yui, the pony's head tilting curiously.

"Hi... thank you for helping me..." Her voice was gentle and pure to the core. "...I'm Mira..."

I'm going to have an aneurism.






Chp. 18 - Black Wolf's Rage


The river that was once dry and barren now flowed seamlessly to wherever the horizon led it, and Mira whined from the edge itself, head low while Yui petted her head, earning a nuzzle from the adorable monster.

I can't imagine being torn from her natural home has been easy, whatever is at the centre of all these rifts to the Monster Hunter World, I'll figure it out, even if it takes dozens of monsters, because if innocent creatures like her are being pulled into this, whole temples and civilizations too, there might not be much of either world left.

Yui tried not to frown, keeping a smile under her hood. "Don't be upset; you're free to travel the vastness of Equestria!" Despite the short amount of time, I could feel the sadness aching in her heart. "Besides, maybe one day we'll meet again, I'm certain."

"I second that," I waved my paw, linking the other around Yui's neck as we sat beside Mira, my paw patting her nose. "Take care of yourself, Mira, and don't for a second hesitate, and who knows, maybe we can explore another temple again or fight a monster?" She nodded with bubbling anticipation, her nose pressing back against my palm as I closed my eyes. "...Goodbye."

With a happy roar to the bright-blue sky, she dived back into the water, bubbles and water droplets painting an aroura of rainbows around us as she swam full-speed-ahead down the meandering river, her body sweeping up and down to the curvature of the world and further from our sight.






Bonus Chp. - Woes


"Cool, also, food smells good; you've improved from what I can smell." This visibly made her face scrunch up as it would when she's in 'Treasure Hunter Mode'. And after that last comment, I'm surprised she's not flustered herself -- Lightbulb, I am not apologizing for this. Ahem, "You know," I kept my voice low as I slithered up behind her to observe her work, not a bad soup given the bare essentials we could forage for. "I still have yet to keep my word from the temple."

"Huh?" Her face went ajar, turning away from the pod as I kept my face very close to hers, a small smile plastering my face. I gave it a moment to sink in as she let out an audible squeak, her face rising from the neck up in a shade of scarlet, both eyes now visible with a timid shake. "I-I-I, um, ah, um, y-you -- mmfgh." Too easy, as always. Her eyes kept themselves to mine, soon growing heavy as her hooves pulled me closer to deepen the electrified kiss as I closed my eyes too.






Chp. 19 - Homecoming


The older mare... my Mom's eyes widened for a brief moment, but her muzzle remained shut, taking in my posture and my rouge-like aesthetic; I probably look like a mess. Slowly, I tried to register the tiny, motherly smile crossing her face. "Look at me..." I did as I was told, lifting my eyes to see her hoof press to my cheek, and I felt no inch of my body move; my heart had skipped a beat. "...You've gotten so much bigger..."

Dammit... my legs caught up to me as I embraced my Mom without question, her own hooves pulling me in closer as I buried my face into her shoulder. Sniffing back the tears, I smiled, pulling away. "I'm sorry I took so long to come back..." Her hoof reached up to tap against my forehead, herself holding in a laugh

"Don't you start apologizing now," She hugged me again, stroking my mane. "You're home, my little filly is home, and that's all I care about."






Chp. 20 - Strength of the Soul


End of the line, Yian Garuga, "...Return..."

Opening my eyes again, I smiled and bridged the gap between myself and the surge of flames bubbling from within Dead-Eye. My left cross brought Yian's head away from the ponies and me, the flames burning out. With the neck exposed, I stomped once and bent for the right hook, burying my fist through its neck with a satisfying crunch against my knuckle, the reverberating force casting the wyvern across the square, but it didn't stay down for long, but the wings fell limp, and it was panting.

Before it could so much as squawk, I poked my finger high comically. Yian's eye slit, and it roared--

*BOOSH!*

Everypony in the area winced as the water tower was dropped atop the wyvern not a moment too soon. The contents gushed from the wooden frame that splintered under Yian's spined body. With an icy mist exhaled from my mouth, I slammed my fists into the ground, the wave of frost snaking across the body of water before it could disperse; the result was a glacier of ice that imprisoned the Dead-Eye for good, the last of its cries forever frozen on its face as snow fell from the tips if the jagged glacier.






Chp. 21 - One Step Forward, Another Back


"I'm recovering lost magic that no other pony has seen in generations; you honestly believe it's a smart idea just to throw them to everyone willy-nilly?"

Vega scoffed, "You can control them--" She put her hoof up.

"I've spent months practising with dozens of Moon-type spells and only three I can safely use. The side-effects of using spells without proper training and control include, ahem; Magic exhaustion, magic feedback, deliriousness, fever, migraine, and sometimes, and this has happened to me once, a sickness that leaves you bedridden for three days, and yes, I counted, the worst week of my life," Yui shuddered as I stared blankly at her.

Compared to my moves which at first could cause muscles to tear or bones to fracture, Yui didn't have any form of healing like I have, alone she risked her well-being to master just three spells alone, and I've just learned complete control in a matter of days. If my admiration for Yui weren't already peaked, it'd have grown higher; she... really is amazing. Heh, almost starting to feel a little unworthy of having the kind of relationship I have with her.

Vega grunted, clear animosity in his heart. But Yui knew better than any of us. Patting her chest, she added. "I understand all of you are worried for me," Her only wing flapped. "I've been aware of my disadvantage for years, but I've taken risks time and again to make up for what I don't. I love you, but I'm a grown mare and capable of handling myself, so take my word, as an official Archeologist and explorer, that I'm aware of the risks involved with this ancient magic and that I won't part with any of its knowledge so casually, not even to you, Zen."

I held my paws up. "I've got enough powers myself, you do you, Yui."






Chp. 22 - Tempered


"I have... no right to call you my sister... hehe, you've grown so much that it hurts..." He couldn't wipe away his tears. "...I'm... I'm so sorry... everything I've done can't be taken back, but when you leave... I'll happy for you," He held his head high with a forced smile. "Because you're amazing--"

*Thump*

Yui's hoof knocked him across the forehead, snapping him from his ramblings as I smiled gently. Her eyes regained a glow I've seen since day one and a tiny smile of gratitude as she chuckled, tilting her head. "You have no idea how much I want to beat the stupid out of you..." She reached around with just her right hoof, pulling his head down into her shoulder. "Thin ice, that's all you get because nothing you can say right now can undo what you've put me through, and I won't ever truly forgive you... but you're still my big brother, Vega."

His face was buried into her shoulder, both hooves around her tightly as she smiled warily, patting his back. "Cool it with the waterworks, bro, my fur's gonna get all itchy..."

"Sorry," His voice was hoarse as he pulled back, wiping his eyes. "Dammit... I feel like an idiot still."






Chp. 23 - Journey's End


"I won't bore you with the details, but before Caleb and I were married, I suppose the idea of having kids wasn't what I intended; I mean, if you saw who I was back then you'd understand my reluctance," She chuckled, but her smile remained. "Now? Well... to see the panic in Vega's eyes that night... and Yui was gone... I was so scared that I had done very little to help her and that by the time I tried to reach out, she had already slipped away."

I frowned, "I can imagine, I... lost someone close to me, I almost gave up on everything," Those months were hard, but the thought of letting go of everything Rika did for me, that was far worse. "Violet, I... well, words alone aren't enough proof, but Yui is... amazing," I too watched her; everything about her was endearing. "She's smart, tenacious, kind... heh, it's kinda funny, but in just the short time I spent with her... I... fell for her without a second thought."

Violet giggled beside me, and I scratched the back of my head sheepishly as she motioned for me to kneel, opening me up to a gentle, motherly hug. "You brought my little treasure hunter home, and she's happy; that's all I could ask of you, to keep making her smile," She pulled away, bumping a hoof to my heart while winking. "Don't worry; I find no pleasure in tormenting you with the 'Embarrassing Questions', not my style."

"Truly, you are a saint among these Bat-Ponies." I bowed my head graciously while she laughed heartfully, ruffling the top of my head

"Yep, I like you!" She stepped back as the last of the supplies were loaded in; all that was left were for the Guards to gather into the train carts, Topaz still listing things off, no longer exhausted given the coffee that floated next to her

"Thanks, you're awesome too, but I'll do my best for Yui; count on it."






Chp. 24 - Bloodstained Sand


Closing my eyes, I put my paws together to channel my aura across my body; infused with the divine blessing, I held a vastly superior reservoir of energy than ever before; now I get what Trinity's done. "Calm Mind. Nasty Plot. Swords Dance. Work Up. Bulk Up-" Still no strain, only the sensation of lightning racing to and from every bone in my body. "-Iron Defense. Agility. Laser Focus. Substitute." "

Upon opening my eyes, a nigh unbelievable amount of power blew away dust and debris before the Deviant. Tiny wisps formed as thin lines of dispersing energy conjured a rainbow aura over my body, every muscle and bone infused with unparalleled strength, my senses so sharp I could hear the cheers and yells from afar. All of my skills brought to the height of their power.






Chp. 25 - Secluded Valley


"We need to go, now!"

"Have you figured out the monster that--" I stopped Luna with my arm out

"No, this isn't just a monster, it's-!" Shining's head had turned to a mound of rock up high, his jaw dropped to the ground while his eyes remained pained and stained with terror, the very icy chill from his form resonated to us as our heads craned up gradually to meet his view. Yui and I jogged closer, the light seeping through the ceiling to illuminate the dead skin blanketing the back wall

The husk of a monster larger than any so-called dragon of Equestria slumped over the podium of rock, mouth agape as the skin peeled and curled in the wind. Still, the head remained recognizable to me; it wasn't obvious at first. Still, this monster had the capabilities needed not just to drain but also to harness the energy to grow and mature—large, hollowed horns with an almost extraterrestrial appearance.

"Xeno'Jiiva!!" My words felt heavy, and all eyes were on me. At the same time, I struggled with the idea of a manifestation that could replicate its maturity into the one monster I hadn't fought yet because it was never released before I arrived in Equestria. "This is... it's already shedded its skin countless times here."






Chp. 26 - The Spirit is Indomitable


Etherial spectres began to form. One of Barroth outline a solid bronze, then Nargacuga a faint lilac. Tobi-Kadachi an aquamarine. Acidic Glavenus dark green. Kulu Ya Ku tangerine. The powerful Zinogre cast in marigold. Deadeye Yian Garuga's fierce purple. Bloodbath Diablos tinted blood-red. And last, almost curled protectively, was Mitsuzune, shaded a baby-blue.

The flames ignited with a roar of multicoloured flames, banishing the revenants, ranges of shades rising in the tempo of the sparkling, purple sheen across Zen's body as it warped and changed gradually, certain points of his body evolving faster with a helix of gold ribbons encompassing his body, eyes cast a sharp orange as he clenched his fists, howling powerfully enough to impact the ground under him.


[※•⁎·°•⁎․•°·•⁎※]


He started shaking more, squeezing tightly to prevent the inevitable somehow. "It's okay to say goodbye; it doesn't have to be the end; I know it won't be; one day, we'll meet again, I swear as your big sister." A promise, a vow that neither would dare break. "No matter what you chose, I love you, Zen... goodbye..."

Forcing through the tears a smile, she slowly started to fade from his sight. "I-I love you too... S-summer," It was then he fell forward, the silver fireflies having scattered between his hands. "goodbye.... goodbye..."


[※•⁎·°•⁎․•°·•⁎※]


"What happens now?" This was the definitive question; the next step was our own.

"Whatever we want." Yui hugged me tighter, a hum between her lips while my fingers played with her mane. "A hidden world of relics and treasure awaits, my Guardian."

I smiled, shutting my eyes to the rays of sunlight from the window, like the flicker of her lilac soul against my azure. I like the sound of that. "Aye-Aye, my Treasure Hunter."

To Be Continued...





[FUN FACTS]

-Did you know Indomitable was going to include other monsters or replace certain ones with the likes of Odorgaron, Thunderlord Zinogre, Astalos, and/or Lagiacrus but either due to my own personal changes or the fact that even through videos, I had no real way of writing them into the story, let alone where. So the roster we got is how things panned out.

-Second fact, the final battle was a close tie with The Blazing Black Dragon, Alatreon, but due to the fact he wasn't out at the time and had a completely new move-set in Iceborne, coupled with my hatred for fighting him once he did come out, he was replaced with Safi'Jiiva which suited the similarity with Zen a lot better. Plus, I like his theme more, sue me.

-Fact Three! Yui was never going to be a Treasure Hunter but, in fact, what Topaz was, a Guard for the Princesses. I also based Yui's quirks for Treasure Hunting off my favourite non-canon character from the Sword Art Online game, Hollow Fragment, Philia. They even have the same cloak.

-Trinity was gonna be Discord, surprise, but I found that a little too on the nose like many other stories. Hence, I replaced him with Trinity, one of my original characters that have appeared in other fanfictions I've created, like RWBY Fragments, acting as a mentor to the main characters.

-Last Fact; Both MAZE of Confusion and Bloodstained Sand were improv chapters that I just suddenly had the inspiration for. Crossing over the RWBY universe for one chapter with another fanfic of mine, also named RWBY Indomitable - yeah, I'm original T_T - and I also ended up watching a lot about the Deviants in the older Monster Hunter titles. Hence, I felt compelled to add one. It seems both surprising twists paid off, huh?
> Chp. 1 - The Rumbling
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Across the wide-stretched plains between Ponyville and the Badlands border, the noon was bright and tranquil, not a creature stirred under the warmth of the day. Or until the shriek of metal and a jet engine tore through the plains, tugging at the trees. Gleaming from the sun, a large, slender dragon covered in glossy silver scales flew high. Its most notable feature is its wings, which were fused into a trident-like structure, each segment ending in an opening designed to expel dragon energy. It's back lined with fin-like projections. The head bore a small crest, and its eyes are blue. Its chest has three horizontal gaps used to take in and pressurize air like a jet engine.

The Sky Comet Dragon, Valstrax.

With a slight pivot of the wings, I found myself scrambling to wrench my Bone Rush between its wings, keeping myself from plummeting at Mach speed. Did I enjoy it?

"Yaaaaaaaah~!" That about summed up my time out here. "Tch, would you consider slowing doo~oo~wn~!?!"

Valstrax spun sharply, threshing upright to slingshot me high into the clouds, a flash of crimson parting the clouds as I came eye-to-eye with the burning blue orbs against my scarlet. It was testing me. Bringing itself back into a flip, I blocked with Quick Guard, the clear barrier shattering under the weight of the tail as I too spun. The wind was pulled around us while I gathered two Aura Spheres, tossing them toward the soaring beast as it spiralled between them, fanning out its wings to blow me away.

"Hyper-!" Sucking in the dangerous energy, I twirled, arcing the attack from left to right. "-Beam!" The whip of unstable reddish energy grazing Valstrax while it flew past my legs, knocking me downward sharply with just its velocity. "I'm getting sick...!"

Without warning, I crossed my arms, raising Protect against the sudden force of a comet against my forearms; the wind screamed behind me as Valstrax's eyes burrowed into mine, a cone of wind forming around its beak. The wind was almost impossible to brace moving at this speed; just how fast was this metal vulture attempting to go!? Then it hit me, literally. "Oh right, gravity is a thing." Noticing we were rapidly approaching the ground, I braced with what strength I could apply in the air, a blinding, silver light gathered at my paws. "Counter-Counter-Counter-Counter!"

The force applied suddenly left my body; the exhaled force slammed into Valstrax, neck flung backwards while I spun a few times, my descent continuing though without the crazed Elder Dragon on my tail as it reeled from the kinetic backlash. Holding my arms wide, a soothing, pink aura travelled down my body, Calm Mind followed by a rising fury of four swords above my head. Bringing my arms into a cross, I watched through my aura as the blazing blue flame surrounded by a silver outline zipped through the air, craning around toward me.

"Dragon Pulse!" My eyes adjusted to the tucked form of Valstrax, sending a devastating wave of white and purple energy toward his chest, filling the vents with a vibrating force of my own 'Dragon' energy, causing him to shriek, faltering enough for me to slide down the length of his body between the jagged wings while the splayed to stall its flight. Rolling down the lower back, I vaulted over the tip of the tail, descending into the small cluster of trees below. "Ack!"

I tumbled sharply, using Quick Guard to lessen the pain, my world spinning until I crashed to the solid ground once more in a heap of branches and leaves, groaning. "I think I developed a fear of heights..." My eyes were spinning. 

*Fwoosh-Bam!*

A sharp gust of wind and the smell of copper stung my nose as the wind knocked me against the trunk, staring up shakily toward the burning blue irises and blood-red pupils. Valstrax kept his posture wide; wings splayed to enlarge their form as it snarled down at me. Rage and... curiosity? Bubbled in his soul. Not a muscle twitched between us; if needed, I could try another Hyper Beam, though how effective it would be left much to the imagination.

A sharp exhale from the wings' exhausts released red dragon blight into the air before it hissed once more, bringing its bladed wings high to slam down sharply, lifting it off the earth for another massive burst of wind pressure from its wings. With the roar of a fighter jet, the gleaming monster shot forth high above the plains, leaving me to stare through the hole in the trees as it left without so much as a roar. I, for one, flopped against the dirt.

"Thank God he's a nomad dragon..." I got my ass handed to me, literally. Not often, a monster left me thankful it wasn't out for blood; we just had a... disagreement.

"Zen!" Now that's a voice to pep me up when I'm down. 

"Heeeey, love," I waved lazily, staring forward as the familiar, one-winged Treasure Hunter finally caught up to me, panting for all her worth. "Enjoy your run?" I mused.

Yui tugged her hood down, shaking out her lilac bangs with a smug snort. "Enjoy your flight?" Okay, that's fair. Once by my side, she sat her saddlebags down, inspecting my body as I winced from the bruises, internal or otherwise. "You really overdid it this time..."

"Like that's anything new with me." She lightly struck my forehead. "Shutting up now - ah."

She applied one of the remedies we knew to my stomach in the form of a roll of bandages applied with aloe vera, it was painful, and without any energy for Life Dew, I was left unable to lift a finger, watching how her face scrunched up with that concentration of hers. The silence was nice among the trees; with Valstrax long gone, the wildlife returned to its chatter. 

"What do we do now?" She finally spoke, scrutinizing my arms. "Valstrax isn't going to mistake you for a 'harmless creature' again, if it's even still in the country."

"Very true - ngh!" Okay, that arm hurts. "I can't track them as easily without my ruby, despite the remnants still in my aura." Beggars can't be choosers.

"Guess we should head back home," Yui sighed, rubbing her head with her wing, looking slightly unnerved. "You know, it doesn't matter how many times I see it, you fighting these monsters still..." I looked at her funny until she blinked wide, smiling anxiously while waving her hooves. "N-not that I doubt your abilities, hardly, it's more um... ah how do I put this..." She started muttering under her breath, or until I leaned over to peck her snout.

"Love you too," With a wink, she dropped the deep-thinking face for a relaxed smile, nuzzling my cheek.

"Sweet - well, up you get," She pulled on my scarf, helping me roll to my knees to rise myself. With some effort, I managed to stand, scanning the hills that spanned the world. "So! I suppose we should rethink this strategy for chasing down Valstrax; any ideas?" Yui, never one to put off what can be done today.

Rubbing my chin, I gave it some thought. "He's nomadic but tends to perch himself in secluded areas or high altitudes..." That led my mind astray. Why was it here then? The plains were vacant of ponies, but that still didn't seem right, and why did it just leave us alone? "I dunno, the behaviour of this one seems almost too complex; I could just be overthinking it."

"You always do," Yui giggled at my frown, looking over her shoulder. "Maybe it's the universe's big test; it has almost been two years since you arrived here, when... we met," She rubbed her left forehoof shyly, returning her gaze forward. I didn't want to search her emotions; something was telling me not to right now. "Heh, two years, and you still have a  reckless streak."

"And how are you any better? How many traps have I had to 'deal with' cause I'm the 'guy with the super cool muscles', thanks, by the way," I teased, seeing her stammer a blush.

"H-hey! I'd do it myself, but my Moon spells aren't diverse for combat!" She attempted to hide her true intentions, looking away while her pace quickened. "B-besides, you enjoy it, so no harm, no foul," Yep, she's hiding something.

With a devilish grin to rival Taka's, I leaned down. "Oh? Is that all? Suppose I'm not as 'super cool as I was when we first met, shame..." She knew my lies were as thick as paper but still refused to budge on the subject. "Tsk-Tsk, must be losing my touch, whatever shall I do? I mean, compared to the amazing, talented girlfriend of mine, I'm losing my edge; Oh, smart too, and funny, did I mention beuti-"

"Alright, I get it! You're really sexy when you fight; I admit it, universe!" She flailed her hooves into the sky, face crimson as I stood over her with a toothy smile stretching my muzzle. "You're insufferable," 

"You say that..." I hummed, leaning closer

Her breath hitched, parting her lips a little. "But...?" Yui whispered, bangs concealing her left eye falling back when she tilted her neck.

*Rumble... Rumble!*

Suddenly, the two of us fell atop one another, myself spinning so that she landed on my stomach, bracing the sharp shift in the crust. It came like a seismic kick to my chest, a tsunami of... power. I shuttered a breath, feeling the ground slowly subside under us, Yui looking down at me in worry. My face was a mixture of terror and confusion over whatever I just felt; brief as it was, Valstrax was akin to a toothpick to what I felt. 

"Zen? Zen, look at me," I did, finding my uncertain gaze on the mare above, expression soft and reassuring. "Are you... still there?" Ah, right, overloaded senses due to aura caused a few episodes where I lost myself to my more animalistic instincts. It happened with Acidic Glavenus way back when and when Safi'Jiiva injured Yui. 

"I-I'm good, that feeling though," Rubbing my paw to the grass, I sensed nothing but a dull, almost ghosty tremor of what hit me. "It wasn't normal, not in the slightest."

"We should really get back to Ponyville." I couldn't agree more. What did keep me pensive was the tremor itself, not just the vibrations in the soil; rather, my aura sensed a strange, eerie melody, like a song.






[Ren's POV]


Across the highlands along the outskirts of Canterlot, I can say nothing beats a collect quest that devolves into a battle! "Hmph, someone's frisky today? Sweet," I grinned, lunging to cut down the second Jaggi with a long slant of my blade, Hidden Saber. Jaggis were quite the nuisance from the Old World; how they ended up in Equestria probably has something to do with those lingering rifts Zen goes on about, nice guy for a bipedal wolf thing. "How's it go again...? Ah, right! Have at thee!"

The Jaggi are mostly pink, with purple foreclaws, back-stripe, head-frills, and cream-coloured underbellies. Their tails are barbed along the length of the appendage, and they sport sizable frills. The pod of them gathered, one rushing me from either side, so I grinned, sheaving my longsword against my hip, slashing out once their bodies were low enough to the ground. In a wide, crimson slash, windswept behind me, the two falling to the ground in a heap.

Three remained; one lunged and kicked, so I blocked with a rising slash, knocking it back before rolling away to evade the second, firing a scattershot pellet from my slinger, the ball disorientating the third for me to send flying into the side of the mountain. Running toward the wall, I hopped up and over the two lizards that charged my heels. Once high, red light coursed through my blade as I came crashing down with a single, vertical chop, cleaving stone and scales alike. 

The burst reaction to my weapon's ability finished them off, not that they could really fare against a seasoned Huntress with Nargacuga equipment. "Points for effort, buuut you guys are worth a little Bits here, lucky me, hehe - Wah!!"

To say I expect the mountain to let out an all-powerful tremor from deep under the surface was an understatement. Whatever it was lasted a couple of seconds, leaving me dazed and a little wary of how close I was to the edge. "What the heck?" Looking around, the air was; still, no monster was nearby or made itself known. Was this what made those Jaggi all frazzled, to begin with? 

Packing up my sachel full of herbs, I just called it a day. Maybe the higher-ups at Canterlot know what's got the earth-shaking up a storm...






[No POV]


Somewhere in Equestria, a small pony stopped to feel a faint tremor vibrate under their hooves, forcing their head up sharply in fright, hearing a strange calling, a song that made their eardrums twist. It was an unpleasant sound that made their fur stand on end, tail flicking sharply in protest. Turning left, their big eyes faced the vast expanse of the twinkling ocean. The sight made a smile return; it was a comforting remedy when their instincts were disorganized.

"Stupid song..." She huffed under her mane, biting her lip while the tide tickled her forehooves. She had to know what it was, why it kept persisting despite a sickening feeling curling in her heart.

[centre]"-don't for a second hesitate, and who knows, maybe we can explore another temple again or fight a monster?" She nodded with bubbling anticipation, her nose pressing back against the king wolf's palm as he closed his eyes. "...Goodbye."


Inhaling through her nose, she let her eyes stare across the waves, stepping deeper into the waters that glossed her fur, scales beginning to glisten underneath. "Don't hesitate." She repeated, diving under the cool kiss of the ocean once more. 

To Be Continued...
> Chp. 2 - The First Song
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

I read through the letter again in my paw, with Yui grabbing her things as the train slowly began to pull up into the station. With Spike, the ever-so-important messenger, we received a summons of sorts from Princess Celestia about the rumble down under.


Dear Zen Amadeus,
I will keep this brief; the recent tremors that have plagued Equestria have grown increasingly hazardous for all walks of life. I wouldn't be requesting your help if I wasn't certain a monster was behind this catastrophe. Please, when you receive this, come to Canterlot so we may discuss the matter further.

With our meeting, alongside Captain Topaz and the Huntress Ren, I hope we can see to the end of these earthquakes before it is too late.

Sincerely,
Your friend,
Celestia


"To think it warrants all of us for this..." Yui wondered, hopping beside me until the train came to a stop, then she nudged my leg. "Hey, Zen?"

"Huh, what?" Shaking my stupor off, I smiled. "Sorry, just lost in thought again."

"Still trying to wrack your brain for the monster's name?" Yui guessed, sighing a humorous look. "You know it's only natural not to know everything - look at me, I'm a treasure hunter, yet I'm here trying to fight monsters and wyverns alongside a guy who's a literal library for the stuff."

"Heh, fair point," I defended, stepping off the train with Yui behind me. "It's just I swear I know this monster, I've faced it, but I can't place where or when." It's been a very long time since I actually played a video game; the memories of such become a blur between then and Equestria facing them head-on. "And for the record, you've handled yourself quite well against monsters without me - like Rathian."

"Uuuugh, don't remind me!" She groaned to the high-heavens, rubbing her muzzle with her wing. "I can still smell the poison in my mane! Not to mention my stomach felt like a dragon kicked it..." 

"But it was a dragon," She jabbed my calf. "Yah!"

"'But it was a dragon', jerk - not everyone has metal bones," Yui trotted ahead of me, hood up. "Come on, Monster Hunter, before Canterlot gets split in half or something."

My face paled. "Please don't red flag us, specifically me." Yui giggled with that cute fanged smile of hers, again, shutting down any complaints I had. It's a curse, I swear.





Once inside Canterlot, another slight tremor shook the world, constantly giving me a headache from that annoyingly awful melody; thankfully, being up on that mountain meant it didn't travel as far, though that was still a concern. Ahead of us, I sensed a familiar soul among the routine guards, one that brought a smile to my muzzle. "'If it isn't the fellow Hunter to grace us once more!'" 

From behind a pillar stood the only one of two humans in Equestria not turned into something else. With snow-white hair and a pair of braids, layered head-to-toe in Nargacuga armour, was the crimson-eyed Huntress from the Old World, Ren. She gave us a boisterous wave, chomping on an apple. "Heeeey, it's my main wolfman, Zen! And the studious Yui, been a while, huh?" 

"Hi again, Ren," Yui greeted. "I'm guessing you're here about the tremors?"

"Who isn't these days? Thing's been causing so many of those stuck-up smart ponies to lose their cool; I'm honestly glad my doofus of a brother's up at the Crystal Empire, he'd probably throw them out a window or something," She replied between bites, pointing her finger toward me. "So, any takes on this, wolfman?"

For once, I threw my arms down in defeat, sagging. "'I've got nothing, maybe an Elder Dragon - certainly not a Black Dragon,'" If it were, we'd be dead by now. "'You?'"

"No dice, here's hoping it's not anything fire-related, hehe," She sweatdropped nervously; even Yui gave her a look of worry. "H-hey, I'm getting better at handling my pyrophobia, just... not very big flames or Equestria's dragons."

Suddenly, a wave of anger slammed into my chest, tickling mine and Yui's ears. Something caused a stir in the castle.

"SOMEPONY BROKE INTO THE KITCHEN A STOLE A BUNCH OF FOOD!!" "NOT AGAIN, JERRY!" "THIS IS WHY WE ROTATE SHIFTS, EVERY TIME!"

"Ren-"

"I did nothing wrong," She tossed the apple core away as Topaz suddenly emerged behind me and Yui, the latter latching onto my legs from how stealthy the - wow, she is really sleep-deprived, even her face looks like it's dead. 

"-you actually did it." Topaz blinked at the hunter's cackle, rubbing her eyes. "I let you out my sight for one minute... you know what, buck it, I don't care." The grumbling mare spat out, giving Yui and me a tired smile. "Glad you could make it, Zen, be a pal and help a girl up?"

"'Sure!'" Stepping forward, I put my hands on her head, seeing the soothing wave of pink rush over her body; Calm Mind worked its magic, prepping the honeycomb unicorn back to full strength, mentally, that is. "'Better?'"

"Ahh... well, any consolation, I'm envious of Yui, bet that keeps the nights interesting," Said mare went rigid as I felt my face begin to burn a little at the insinuation, the two of us looking away. Bad brain, bad brain, bad brain...

"You know, you'd think after two years they'd be chill about this," Ren shrugged. "You two are so weird."

"Get a room!!" We yelled at the pair, Topaz snorting a laugh while Ren stuck her tongue out at us.

"Topaz, please-" Another voice chimed in from the adjacent corridor. Belonging to a similar therstral to Yui, his hoof running through his mane. "-the last thing I really want to know is my little sister's se-"

"YES, IT'S GREAT TO SEE YOU AGAIN, VEGA, MISSED YOU~!" Yui shot forward to cover his mouth, face going from light grey to scarlet, pupils pinpricks. Her grip looked to be vice-like since Vega's face started turning blue, tapping her iron hooves. "Hehehe, now, what were you gonna say, big brother, certainly nice things about me, hmm?"

"She is way too intense." I think all our thoughts aligned, shuffling back once Vega was released.  

"Happy... to see... you too - think that ache... in my neck's gone... now," He huffed and puffed, face turning to its normal shade again, shaking his head. "Topaz, did you send those orders through to the divisions?"

"Took an all-nighter, thanks - yeah, now, before somepony else lands another stack of paperwork on my desk, let's get this meeting started - Vega, take care of the rest for me before I commit a war crime," Topaz spoke with a not-so-sweet voice.

"Already ahead of you," He huffed, turning to give Yui a quick hug, herself returning it. "Be careful, alright?"

"Like you'd do any better," She joked, tapping his silver breastplate. "Try not to pull your mane out, Captain."

"Haha," He humoured her, giving me a silent look, letting his aura tell me all I needed without anyone's knowledge. I smiled, giving a small salute of my fingers before Topaz led us through the castle. 





The last time I really came here for a meeting was shortly after our battle with Safi'Jiiva; with Celestia and Luna's help, I hope to, if 'other' hurdles can be conquered, set up a Guild of my own here. Monsters will continue to appear in this world; for all I knew, it was a progenitor to Equestria becoming much like Monster Hunter. And with Ren and her brother apparently, it might prove to be an invaluable piece to Equestria's future. That, and I really just want to make the Guild, the idea sounds really cool in my head. Lots of funding, though...

Once inside, only Princess Celestia was present, her sister more than likely asleep or attempting to sort out the tremor issues. She gave us all a warm smile, bowing her head as we all reciprocated it; my heritage never lost on me. "My subjects, and my friends, Ren and Zen." Huh, our names do roll off the tongue in tandem. "I'm grateful you are all here; now we can discuss the matter personally."

Raising her head, Yui spoke up. "If you don't mind my asking, Princess, but-" She took her hood down. "-do you have any idea what's causing these earthquakes? We know it may be a monster, but something of this large of a scale has to have a source, right?"

"Right you are, Yui," She concurred, feeling the faint tremor shake the throne room. "They grow larger and more frequent with every rise of the sun, and while it shames me to admit it, I... have no identification on the creature responsible."

"Seriously?" Ren blurted out, unlike me, who was pretty tame with authority; Ren wasn't much in the way of formal mannerisms. "No offence, but there ain't many monsters that, you know, can really shake the earth this much, hard to miss, ya know?"

"Watch your tone," One guard made the dumb move of speaking his mind.

"Now you've done it..." I muttered that Yui was the only one that technically spoke Pokemon.

Ren turned on her heel, hand to her hip. "Listen, buddy, I know I don't get all your customs, but I'm a Hunter, we don't bother with formal affairs often, heck, the whole Guild doesn't make big deals of monsters less it's important," Sighing, she closed her eyes a moment. "All I'm sayin' is that I'm taking this seriously, but that doesn't mean I'm gonna pretend I grew up in some fancy kingdom where I had every fed to me with a silver spoon, get me?"

Opening her eyes, she offered us a reassuring grin, waving to the Princess. "Sorry, just a habit when you live your life surrounded by monsters, kinda skip formalities."

"It is quite alright," Celestia forgave. "I understand my knowledge is not as fortuitous as I'd like, if I'm honest, you four have had far more experience with these Wyverns than my subjects; if anypony here could aid us, it would be you." Really putting us on a pedestal, I felt a little anxious.

"It'll be okay," Yui whispered to me, automatically sensing I was tense, and they say I'm the aura sensor. 

There was a great silence; Celestia's aura was always this radiance that mimicked the sunlight; in her core, she was beyond scared, frightened for her home, her people; it was overwhelming her and the guilt... My ears stood up, realization dawning as she opened her eyes, laughing gently. "You are very perceptive, Zen; even for all my years, I cannot hide my aura from another who sees it too," I flinched when she met my gaze. "Do not feel alarmed; I indeed harbour guilt, for I... have failed my father in a way."

This shocked all of us. Not often you hear about her folks, but she seemed sombre, casing her golden magic to force a blank tapestry into existence. It was old, to the point the wrong touch could turn it to dust. She unfurled its short length before us. "Tell me, have you heard of the First Song?"

Our silence was long, so she nodded. "I understand, it's not often spoken of, this was a well-kept story from mine and Luna's childhood, even I have no knowledge on when it came to be, only that our father spoke of it with great care,"

"Princess, is this... related to the earthquakes?" Yui wondered, but I saw it; she was buzzing with a need to know more; I won't lie, I was inquisitive too. A story untold, now that's a title!

"Yes," She sat the tapestry down, allowing us, even her stationary guards, to observe as the blank face took shape, black markings warping with her words. "The tale is as old as Ponykind, my father's own ancestors told many stories, some layered in secrets for the sake of Equestria, this one, however, is of the First Song..." Celestia began her tale.

"Long ago, Equestria was, like today, plagued with beasts of an unknown realm, nopony knew of their origins, nor why such creatures came into being, only that they too, like all living creatures, fought to survive..."


The ancient tapestry took the form of ponies behind walls to villages. Some ran while many held up spears or fought with magic barriers against dark depictions of large monsters of various shapes and sizes. Some looked agile with crimson eyes; others took to the skies, lunging down with their talons like dragons. One was so large and serpentine in shape; its maw could swallow a village whole.


"In time, these monsters would come and go, an existence that, with time, every generation of our kind learned to combat. In a way, Zen was ours, and before, others were guardians too. Sometimes, these monsters simply were too much, ancient and in hiding to this day."


Another image manifested, dark and showered in flames. Weapons lay discarded, banners torn and battlements in ashes. Standing against the towers, an imposing beast of black overlook the kingdom; flames hung its maw like a furnace, eyes fueled by death and fire. Even its tail coiled so tenderly around a tower.


"One such legend is of the First Song; When Equestria was prospering, ancient creatures, pony or otherwise, felt something stir from deep beneath Equestria, an eerie cry of the world as it mourned a great calamity, it was a warning - they tried to warn their fellow kin of this impending doom, but none dare listened to the thoughts of those lost in the magic, to fantasy,"


These ancient creatures, dressed like sages of old, gave their warnings, hooves or claws wide at the masses. One by one, the crowds became mere echoes of their pleas, none listened, and the cracks under the tapestry worsened, splitting apart the world above.


"This calamity, a song that shook Equestria far and wide, ripped apart the lands, kingdoms returned to dust, great ravines and floods consuming the now divided land, splitting Equestria across the east, transforming it into the land it was today. Much of the circumference of Equestria was... simply swallowed by the sea,"


The shaking stopped, the map of Equestria shredded and split like glass, where there were kingdoms, homes, families, was only the sea or ruins. The face of Equestria had changed forever...


When Celestia lowered the magical parchment, it remained forever fixed on the world fractured beyond repair. The ancient mare sighed a long, exasperated breath. "Our father spoke of this tale to us often, and I can admit, it was farfetched at first, and now... I see we have only led ourselves to repeat what the First Song had done to our world."

The news, rather, the repetition on Equestria's history, hit us like a ton of bricks. Ren whistled with her arms crossed. "Y'know, even after spending a lot of time here, this whole magic really still blows my mind," She looked around, reading the room a little. "So this First Song is happening again; I can't say I'm not worried what'll happen if we let it continue."

"I've seen so many retellings of stories across Equestria, but never once had I heard of the First Song," If Yui looked puzzled, then that was a bad sign. "I wouldn't know where to look; we need a reference; otherwise, fancy words are just that."

"I concur," Celestia sighed, Topaz stepping forward to reveal a map of Equestria as it were today. "Thank you - Topaz, if you would."

She nodded, pointing to a blip off the west coast. "See, while back then detecting epicentres for earthquakes wasn't as advanced as it is now, we've managed to isolate the source, though it moves it generally happens here, on a small island that's completely uninhabited by any species."

"'Sounds like an Elder Dragon's favourite hotspot,'" I surmised, Ren, agreeing with me.

"Only seems fitting; elders have the power to do this, might be the big ol' snake I heard could crush a mountain with its length."

"Seriously?" Topaz and Yui echoed at us

I smiled. "'Ooooh, what's his face, um... ah! Dalamadur!'" Beaming, Ren clicked her fingers.

"That's the one; I always wanted to see one up close." She sighed dreamily.

"Can we please not jinx it, dragons I can handle, flaming swordtail thing, sure, but that's where I draw the line," Topaz muttered, shaking her head. "If it is an Elder Dragon, we need to take care of it, just like Safi'Jiiva."

Guess that meant Celestia only wanted us to go hunt this thing down. With my abilities as a Lucario, Ren, an expert hunter, Yui with her knowledge and Moon magic, plus Topaz, who also confronted several monsters before. Looking to the princess, she smiled back at me. "I trust you can handle this? My sister and I need to do what we can to oversee the damages caused already and any that may ensue across Equestria."

"Just us? Me?" Topaz blinked, her emotions forever in uncertainty until Ren patted her mane.

"Why not? We've taken on big monsters; what's another for the books?" Her confidence was very infectious, Yui bumping her wing to my fist.

"Partners to the ends of the earth, right?" She hummed, making this situation far less harrowing.

"'Yeah, all of us,'" Eyeing Celestia, I put on my brave face. "'We'll stop the First Song, I promise.'" That I will never take lightly.

The monarch bowed her head at us, feeling almost pleading in her words. "I cannot thank any of you enough to burden yourselves with the past."

"The essence of a Hunter is a culture of danger," Ren pointed out, shrugging. "A monster capable of shaking the whole continent, now that's got my heart ticking must faster."

Topaz sighed. "Sure, I might actually get some sleep again."

"Thank you, all of you," Celestia's woes were lighter on her heart.





Once the meeting and preparations were handled, I sat out in the garden overlooking the endless world below. To my left, Yui was laughing as Topaz smugly retold a story about Vega, said bat-pony hiding his face behind his wings in shame. It was a sweet sight; I honestly never got bored of it, seeing her happy. How the sun glossed over her lilac hair, her one obscured eye; everything felt so refined I was afraid I might still be dreaming of my time spent here. Guess that's just what being stupidly infatuated with a treasure hunter will do to the mind.

"You still haven't asked, have ya?" I leapt at Ren's sudden appearance, taking her helmet off to let her hair blow free, eyes on mine. "Don't see the you-know-what on her soooo... you chickened out." An anvil struck my head.

"'I haven't!'" I defended, slowly turning redder.

"Aw, you're cute when you blush~."

"'Great, now I'm being tormented at the end of the world,'" Why was that oddly familiar? Slumping against the wall, I just stared out toward the horizon. "'I really have tried, but... nothing seemed right, you know? Perfect even!'" The universe was against me. "'Every chance I get that does fit the bill ends up falling apart, the latest was by the name of the Sky Comet Dragon, what fun that was...'"

"It doesn't have to be," Ren shook her head, turning to look at the world with me, sitting against the wall. "Sure, no girl wants some bland, unimaginative moment, but... if I'm honest, that's pretty dumb; if she's as stupidly in love with you as I've come to know, and I know a lot of stuff, then it'll work out, regardless of the time or place," Ren patted my shoulder. "Give it some thought, but don't wait - Hunters live in danger constantly with our line of work, sometimes... our own strength can't win a fight."

"'Guess that's why we work in teams,'" I joked, her knuckle bumping to my temple. "'T-thanks I'll... do my best.'" I exhaled, feeling a weighted rest in my chest.

Looking over at Yui again, conflict, complete terror, and a lot more were swimming in my head that aura sense wasn't needed. Why now at the point the world could be ending? What kind of cliche is that, universe? And 'The' question of all things! Slumping, I could hear it, muffled under the earth, the song's ghostly chime, "Man, I am really screwed."





"Zeeen, come on, what is it~?" It was always adorable hearing Yui whine, especially if it involved something valuable. I led her and Topaz through Canterlot to the Armory for a particular reason. Ren was a big help, so was Celestia; I don't know how many times I thanked them for this. The one-winged bat poked my leg, attempting to pry an answer from my smug grin. "I hate that, you and your stupid smile like a canary."

"Lucario." I hummed, chuckling as her wing missed me again. "'Just inside-'" I held my paw up to stop them. "'-really couldn't have done this without Celestia and Ren, so thank them, not me, I just cobbled the plans together.'"

"Alright, I'll bite too," Topaz sighed, using her magic to immediately pry me from the doorway, pushing it open with Yui vaulting inside, the Captain following suit as I rolled my eyes. Once inside, I heard the pair gasp and fawn over the two stands awaiting them. "No... way."

"'Yeah way, bud - ta da~'" I shook my jazz hands toward the armour stands, one more suited than the other for obvious reasons. Stepping forward and clearing my thoughts, I set up my display. "'Presenting to the lovely treasure hunter, a suit of Kirin Armor fashioned from both the normal Kirin and Oroshi last Christmas - what fun that was on my claws'" I couldn't feel them after working with the stuff.

The armour was fitted perfectly for Yui's size, a mesh of the standard Kirin's white and blue scales with a transition of dark purple and black fur for a jacket collar. Straps for the flank plates and bracers sat on the table behind the stands. The most notable piece was the helmet fixed with a sub-zero horn, a faint white mist still gathering around the forehead. It would provide quite the buff compared to the vambraces made from Acidic Glavenus from way back.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you~!" She praised earned me one kiss each and a bone-crushing hug; it was nice to know she liked it. "This is - I can't - eeeeehehe!" She squealed with stars dancing in her eyes.

"You serious, this is for me?" Topaz admired her own set though it was more to replace her helmet solely due to resources. She felt waves of awe, conflict, and admiration flooding her soul as I patted her head. 

"Isn't that...?" Yui caught on as I nodded.

"'I failed to slay it but what you're seeing is a scarce helmet crafted with the few materials I gathered from Valstrax,'" I answered their lapse of silence.

Ren helped forge a helmet rather quickly with some added resources and gotta love artisans from the Old World. Modifying Topaz's standard helmet, the gold was replaced with metallic silver, the scalp angular and jagged with a dark grey visor with light red eyes and a plated mouth guard. It would give Topaz the head of an intimidating knight. While not much, the royal armour held up nicely against Monsters, so a little added dragon resistance couldn't hurt.

"Buck, I both love and hate you," Topaz chuckled lightly, rubbing her eye. "Making it really hard to refuse this little quest to slay a dragon, you know?"

I grinned, rubbing my nose. "What are friends for?"

"What indeed," She bumped her hoof to my fist, accepting this gift. 

Safi'Jiiva left me without much in the way of preparations, many monsters did so, but this time, I'll be damned if I let anyone suffer for my miscalculations. What kind of Hunter would I be if I did. Besides... Looking over at Yui, who inspected her light but sturdy armour with Topaz fixing her helmet to test its weight, I felt my chest tighten. "I will ask her before my luck runs dry."

To Be Continued...
> Chp. 3 - Rising Riptide
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Across the stretches of Equestria, directly west of Canterlot, was a small seaside town of Lily. It was a quiet village with a small wall encompassing it, leading to sand-coloured brick houses reinforced with oak beams and pale-blue tiled roofs. However, some looked to be under reconstruction, replacing the thatch with these colourful tiles—renovations, I assumed. We drew quite a few heads, not often a bipedal wolf, a one-winged bat pony, an armoured human woman, and a Captain of the Royal Guard merrily strolled into town.

"You know, there's a joke about this scene..." I commented, arms crossed with my back against a post while waiting for the glowing Bat Pony beside me, her eye glossing over the many necklaces carved from coral and seashells. They weren't expensive but held delicate craftsmanship compared to some run-of-the-mill trinket. 

"You think?" Her brow rose humorously, poking her wing against my side without looking. "When's the last time a bipedal wolf walked into town?"

"Valid point," I concurred, smiling nervously at all the staring. "Just... a little on edge about it." "I'm not used to this much attention..." My ears flopped, patiently waiting for Yui to move forward with our sightseeing; we had time. The tremors continued, but it seemed the ponies here didn't take much notice, their own issues tangible compared to mine.

"There, thank you," Yui gave a short bow to the clerk as she shuffled to stand before me; I kneeled to her height, seeing her hoof hold out what she bought. "I know it's not as 'fitting' as your old ruby, but... I never really thought about how attached you still are to it, what remnants of it remain, that is," She scratched her head under her hoof, keeping that fanged grin soft. "But consider it a good luck charm to keep you calm,"

I looked surprised, but given who I was speaking with, she saw through it wasn't hard to understand. Placed in her hoof was a black string for the necklace, the coral centrepiece triangular in shape, the deep-red tint lighter in tone due to the streaks of white that curled around its surface, forming a spiral. In the centre was a small hole. My expression of gratitude didn't do it justice as I leaned forward for her to link over my sensory organs and snout carefully. It dangled against my scarf, Yui leaning back with a bright grin. "Perfect fit!"

"Yeah... thanks, Yui," I winked with my thumb up. "An amazing treasure hunter's instincts are sharp, so I know it'll pay off."

Her cheeks turned a little pink at the praise, leaning to nuzzle my cheek. "Sweet talker for a monster hunter."

"Touche." I chuckled while her giggle swung my mood high again.





Our vessel for the trip was by the docks, a sizable ship with white sails stained with blue stripes, sailing the flag with a golden arrow crest. Far as what Topaz could tell me, its name was the Ambit. 

Several guards helping me in moving supplies onto the ship, supplies, food and medical, armour included. Yui sat on the deck, inspecting her tools and magical artefacts to help cast Moon magic, gifted by Celestia herself. I had a few new remedies to mix later; certain ores and plant life from the Old World started to appear recently, so I wanted to experiment. It really bothered me since I had no clear answer for the evolutions undergoing in Equestria, hence the need for a Guild of sorts.

Topaz was directing the guards on where to drop the supplies, keeping things moving for Ren, who underwent a brief report with the ship's owner. "Guess that's the perks of being a Hunter; even sailing's a skill," I'm both impressed and jealous. "Feel a little useless..."

"I hardly think you of all people are 'useless'," Yui smiled while cleaning her tools diligently, sticking her tongue out the corner of her mouth. "We all excel at our own things; fighting monsters isn't exactly needed to prep a ship."

"I concede, you're right," Crossing my legs as I sat down in front of Yui, I let her work in peace, pulling out a small book I had in my own bag. It wasn't much, rough pictures to symbolize monsters and my knowledge of them if I ever needed to give any physical advice to anyone in passing. Plus, I catalogued how many I've hunted, a rift formed or otherwise. Now a new page remained blank at my claws, almost mockingly.

"Still drawing a blank?" Yui had scooted up beside me, leaning against my side to see my book. I held it out for her hooves, that pleased smile on her face as she flicked back over the previous entries. "It doesn't matter, you know? We've overcome unexpected fights before."

"Not with another Elder Dragon," I wished I could smile at the situation, but... "It's not like Blackveil, heck, we haven't seen another Elder Dragon since the Kirins, but this... something that can make the earth tremble is powerful... maybe even stronger than Safi-" Again, I felt something soft press to my cheek, Yui pulling away to flick my snout.

"I seriously have to spell it out for you, huh?" Yui stood up, moving to stand eye-to-eye with me, pointing her wing-tip at my nose. "Zen, even if it was that Black Dragon, Fatalis or whatever, I know you, and I know for certain you could beat it - you never needed to be the best, to know everything down to the last detail to prove to me that you are capable," Her fang poked out from her smile. "I think the person you are now is more than enough."

This mare... I sighed a lax smile, looking up at her. "How is it you're so good a pep talks today?"

She wrapped her hooves around my neck, nuzzling me back, causing my body to electrify. "I met a pretty strange human with a needless obsession with references."

"You love it." I snickered.

"Yeah, I do." She giggled back; though I wish I had a faint idea what we were up against, I didn't feel as guilt-ridden as before.





Out a sea, the wind was at our backs, proving to be a fortuitous occasion to make traction across the uncharted waters. Out on deck, with Ren happily at the helm barking shanties like a lunatic, Topaz sat with me and a map on the deck, the sun cast over our heads. "The island we're looking for is called Organ Isle; it's remote, hardly anypony's been there since... well, Princess Celestia went there once." 

My brow rose. "And that was...?"

She slumped. "I'm certain my great-great-great-great grandparents weren't even born yet." There it is...

"So we're looking for a small island that no one's seen in centuries..." I blinked, shrugging. "Atleast it's a lovely day for sunbathing."

"I second that," Yui, who was lying on a towel, sighed. Her hoof rose to wave lazily. "If anything, it won't be hard to miss; no other islands are out here bar the odd dune formed from weathering and time."

"I've seen three so far," Ren appeared, dusting off her hands. "Might as well leave it to me less one of you guys wants to handle lookout from above?"

"Will do - wait," I froze, "Um, who's steering?"

She chuckled, waving a hand. "Relax, Wolfman, gotta love magic, like someone's keeping it on course for me, best ship ever." She caringly rubbed the mast.

"Magic runes are carved into the wheel," Topaz explained, drawing an invisible line with her hoof to the wheel and the ship. "They then connect to the sails, and other key devices that maintain a ship's ability to turn, adjust velocity, normal stuff - to put it simply, autopilot."

"Oooh," The three of us echoed, 

"Not to call out this lovely vessel on its abilities-" Ren patted the mast again, tugging the rope that ran parallel to the beam. "-But I got one iddy biddy complaint." Ren held her hunting knife up.

"What's that?" I asked as she swiped it across the taut rope. With an audible 'snap' followed by a girly cry, a pony slammed into the deck with a groan, rope piling atop his spiralling eyes.

An ash white earth pony with a tussled, warm black mane and tail. His eyes were forest green. He wore the clothing of some bandit. Black coat with a high collar, a belt lined with pouches, and even a few hidden weapons now clattered around him.

"I think I see Canterlot..." He shook his head, blinking up with a nervous grin at Ren's devilish smirk, Topaz's scowl, and my confusion paired with Yui's. He sat up, holding a hoof up accusingly. "Now, that was very rude."

"A no-good stowaway," Topaz rolled her eyes. "I don't need this..."

"Ah-Ah-Ah, 'A no-good stowaway' would've been caught back at the docks, I'm a good stowaway," Then Ren poised her knife toward his muzzle, hooves raised in fright. "Woah, easy with the knife - I don't mean any harm, must've misplaced my ticket somewhere..." 

"Really?" Yui asked, earning a deadpan from the stowaway.

"Seriously? I'm not even trying right now," The knife twisted closer. "Okay-okay, I'll spill, I was... procuring valuables from this lovely vessel of yours, honest! I don't even care why you're out here!" Now it was my turn to be suspicious of this pony.

"For a kid, he sure loves to lie at knifepoint," I summed up sardonically, his hoof pointed my way.

"Hey, I may be young, but in this world, things can get pretty rough, what with monsters roaming the land nowadays-" He froze, realizing who he was speaking with since fear shot through his body. "Y-y-you're... that wolf guy... ooooh, I really think this was above my paygrade."

"Do you even have a paygrade?" Topaz snorted.

"Nope! Just wanted to say something cool," He realized that the knife hadn't moved. "Ahem, the name's Blackjack; drop the first part, though, makes me sound like a girl."

"You sure scream like one," Yui giggled behind her wing, earning his deadpan and flustered face.

"Aren't you a laugh, clipped-wing?" That made Yui's aura turn pitch black.

"Ren, throw him overboard." Okay, she's lost sympathy for the guy, ouch.

"Hahaha, with pleasure," She yanked him by his collar.

"Woah, okay, bad touch I-I get that-" He started flailing, trying to reason with Ren while I ran to put my paws on her chestplate. 

"'Let's not commit a war crime, please?'" I begged, wanting to spur the tension down a notch.

Out the corner of my eye, Jack raised his brow, tilting his head to the left a bit to peer over her head. "Um, say, anypony here read about red stars in the weather forecast?" He inquired, my speculation of his intentions shot instantly.

Rage slammed into my heart—the water below rippling against the hull sharply.

"'Get down!'" Yanking the pair away from the edge of the ship, we ducked, Yui hiding behind Topaz's amber barrier as a screaming whirl of wind slammed into the deck with a long, silver tail. The sails buckled, and waves of water shot high into the sky from the gust that flew past our heads. 

Scrambling to our feet, Ren worked to bring the sails down, chuckling. "Oh, man, now that's an Elder Dragon!" I'd share her enthusiasm if a large body of water didn't surround us. The wind slammed into my fur, a shadow hovering above us with a piercing roar of metal from its beak. He followed us, my chest hot with the sheer swell of power radiating from its aura, droplets refracting in the sunlight. "Man your posts, ponies and Pokemon alike, and keep that thing clear of the sails!"

Valstrax released a jet of draconic energy, propelling himself vertically, sweeping through the open skies with devastating speeds. Sprinting to the right-hand side, starboard? I dunno - I rushed to the edge. I quickly erected Protect with my palms, holding it strong until a wave of hot wind slammed into me, shattering the barrier but effectively tossing Valstrax above the sails. At the same time, Topaz and Yui, alongside our stowaway, worked to fasten them down.

Shaking off my stupor, I dived to the bow, watching the glimmering comet readjust its course, honing on me specifically. Leaping onto the beam jutting from the bow, I spun around, my fur trembling with a crimson flurry of swords as I tossed two Aura Spheres to intercept. Valstrax tucked in his wings, performing a barrel roll between them, fanning out his metal wings with a squall. The scarlet glow gathered in his wing vents, both poised toward me like fingers.

Inhaling slowly, I brought my paws by my left hip, channelling a great deal of energy between them, much like my Aura attacks only with greater intensity, the ball of bluish light as blinding as the sun. "Focus Blast!" The sheer mass of the sphere pulled two arcs of water alongside it, colliding with Valstrax's dragon barrage, the contrasting energies expanding into an explosion between us. 

Through the smoke and water vapour, I lunged with a howl, striking Valstrax across the cheek with an Ice Punch, the rime freezing sharply across his right side. Keeping the momentum, I had my left curled with yellow lightning at my knuckle, obliterating the ice, sending ripples of electricity through the dragon's body, releasing a pained wail. It tried to bite me only for my feet to press down on its beak, spinning into a roundhouse strike with Blaze Kick. The halo of embers tossing us both back through the tail nicked me, flicking me so hard I imbedded my back in the deck.

"Ow..."

"Zen!" Yui rushed beside me, helping to pry my splintered ass from my own mess. "Are you okay?"

"Is Valstrax dead?" I dizzily asked, shaking my head with a groan.

"Um... does having red-tipped wings and eyes mean yes?" She squeaked.

"Nope, nope, he's a furious boy... or girl, I'm not judging," Rubbing the dust from my eyes, I could see the Elder Dragon flying closer to the ship, circling us. The exhausts of his wings were expelling a vast amount of dragon element now, turning crimson, the eyes left a contrail similar to a Nargacuga. If it decided to use its 'Around The World' attack on us now, we'd be swimming home. "We need to ward him off, now!"

"Okay, how do we do that?" Yui asked the fabled question, one I... kind had an answer to. She noticed my lighthearted expression and quickly struck my already painful chest. "Zen, no-"

"-Only way, can't risk you guys getting seriously hurt with no way home," Much as I too hated it, what other choice did I have? It's a powerful Elder Dragon, and it wasn't dumb or some manifestation. I winked. "You can scold me later, love."

"Wait - dammit, Zen!" Yep, she's peeved.

Standing evenly on the rocking deck, I brought my right arm back, feeling it graze my cheek until a cool, cyan flame erupted from my knuckle down to my elbow. It was hauntingly cold. I had one shot, mess this up, and I'll be drowning in the deep as a Worm God once said. "Final...!" Here we go, all-in!

Valstrax spun in a blitz, rocketing toward the bow, specifically, me. 

Releasing that breath, I let out all my energy. "...GAM-"

*Boosh!*

A large, pressurized torrent of water erupted from the waves, striking Valstrax with enough force to send the Elder spiralling, using a nearby sandy dune to tumble until it hopped to its feet and took off again. The Ambit swayed to our left sharply, a large shadow swooping over my head as my power fizzled out in favour of staring widely at the unbelievable sight. Glimmering scales and colourful patterns of an aquatic-based monster levelled its posture to snarl at the approaching Elder, firing another jet-stream of water to force it around to the bow. 

"'A... Mitzutsune!?'" I echoed my thoughts

"Heh, colour me impressed..." Wait, Jack knew about this monster? 

The Mitzutsune squared off with the Valstrax, lunging to wrap its whole body around the flailing beast, spitting a volley of water into its face before slithering under to claw at the vents on its chest. The Elder's flight began to sway greatly, diving up and down into the dark depths below momentarily with the leviathan. Seconds later, Valstrax flew from the waves, raining saltwater atop us with a howl as another streak of liquid sliced across its neck, forcing it to fly back, the fox wyvern resting just below the waves, raising its head at... portside? 

Each monster challenged the other with a roar, neither willing to back down while the stationary ship rocked in the middle of the turf war. Despite the insane events transpiring, the aura the wyvern gave off felt so familiar; its anger was directed at the Elder Dragon, a sense of protectiveness in its spirit. 

"Rooooar!!" Valstrax gave us a very rude farewell, inhaling through its vents until it could propel itself high above the clouds, its presence fading with every nail-biting second I watched the skies. Soon, the roar of its exhausts left my eardrums entirely. The ocean gradually settled. 

"So, not to sound ungrateful, but..." Ren slowly pointed her longsword at the wyvern staring down at us. "...what now?"

Sensing the threatening stance, Ren took the Mitzutsune hissed, bubbles beginning to pop around its scales. It dived sharply, specifically splashing Ren until it surfaced again with a fountain of water. When the large splash struck the deck, the wyvern had shrunk considerably. Then my heart thundered with glee.

Blinking, big, blue eyes stared back at us with a timid smile. "Hi, Mister Wolf and Yui." 

"'Mira~!'" I beamed, tackling the little pony in a hug that she returned with a giggle, nuzzling my neck. Then I recoiled. "Ack, you smell like fish."

Her head tilted to the side. "Is that bad?"

Then Yui struck the back of my head. "Be nice - Mira, it's so good to see you!" Yui embraced the little pony, who cooed at the affection.  

Ren then slumped, spitting water from her mouth. "Uh-huh, quick question - The Hell is this!?" 

"You know something, I've seen monsters with swords for tails, dragons that absorb energy from the world, and much more, this-" Topaz pointed at Mira. "-is just par for the course."

Realizing the questions bubbling in their heads, I spun on my knees. "'Ahem, right, kinda forgot - so you know that wyvern I said we met back in some creepy temple, turns out it was really nice,'" The pair nodded as Yui, and I waved to the docile Mira. "'This is said monster- who, unlike me, can turn from pony to monster at will.'"

Jack clopped his hooves, "This is nice - why am I not surprised you'd be here, short-stack?"

This earned him a small beam of water to the face from the wyvern who gave the thief a deadpan. "Dirty Thief."

He threw his hoof wide. "Oi, I have standards! And the name's Blackjack, though drops the first part, please." He grunted.

"Dirty Thief Jack," She... gave a smug retort? That had Yui and me clutching our sides in laughter, my paw ruffling her silky mane.

"'I missed you so much, kid.'"

"Ditto." Yui winked.

"Yeah-yeah, laugh it up," Jack then blinked, throwing a hoof my way. "Say, Wolf, you doin' okay? Lookin' a little pale?" I am? Huh...

Clutching my forehead, I swayed a little in place. "'Huh, I think I... used to... much..." Soon, the whole world spiralled, and my vision slammed into darkness. "Ugh, note to self, don't cast move less I mean to..."

To Be Continued...
> Chp. 4 - Origin
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

When I opened my eyes, I was standing in a vast, cloudy field. My feet touched a surface I couldn't see, and the sky stretched on around me into infinity. I couldn't find my voice, it all came out empty, so I repressed my questions and let my eyes answer for me. Oh, nothing but clouds and sky, and the woman standing only a few feet away - wait.

I tried to scream, but nothing came out, yet, the armoured woman turned, giggling silently herself at the reaction that left me turning red from embarrassment. She wore dragonhide weaved together with scales and spines laced with a red undertone across studded spines, Constructing a suit of armour that hugged her nicely. Claws hooked around her fingers and toes, a pair of black wings tipped with crimson like the many accents of her armour.

The helmet was gone in place for kind, emerald eyes under ginger bangs tied up into a ponytail. She smiled at me, a great shadow cast over the clouds behind her. A large, jagged array of peaks and ominous spires of rock overlooked us. She sighed breathlessly, pointing up at the two highest spires, a valley of sorts between them. And... that same eerie melody that's bugged me for near three days. It was emanating from them. 

"Who are you?" I had found my voice. She turned back, lowering her arm with a sad smile; approaching me, she raised her hand, pressing it against my... human chest. I was my old self again! I felt a steady warmth pulse at my centre, a few glimmering shards of red underneath my shirt. "My ruby's shards? Why are they...?" She pressed that same hand to my lips, her right mimicking the action on her own. All I could do was a nod to her.

She lowered her hands, constantly smiling until the sunlight over the peaks blinded us both. 





*Thunk*

"Ack, who built these bunks so low?" I hissed, clutching my head as the ship rocked me awake. It appeared to be nightfall, judging by the candlelight beside me. I must've used up all my stamina in that fight. "What was that dre- eh?" Peering down at where my paw resided, I found it against the chest, rising and falling by my side. 

Yui was fast asleep beside me, hugging my waist tightly as I removed my hoof from her fuzzy chest. Heavy sleeper as always, rivalling me nowadays. She snored softly against my fur, tickling me as I adjusted to rest my head on the pillow again. I loved this world, fighting Monsters, discovering treasures but... I really do like these times when it is just us. Call it corny, but I just felt... like I belonged here. Not in bed constantly, but - well, it doesn't matter.

I flicked a few strands of her mane behind her ear, seeing it flick with her eased smile. "...you really love making me worry..." Yeah, aura sense is a breeze to tell if someone's sleeping.

"Not all the time," I answered simply. Her hooves tightened.

"And that stunt you pulled, you knew it was dangerous," Yui murmured against my chest.

"I... know," That was a little quieter, my arm trapped under her neck, so I just bent it to hold her until our noses touched, herself adjusting to sit at that level. "I was scared."

"I know," She echoed, pecking my lips sweetly. "But we've been in dangerous situations before, and we've found a way, it didn't matter the place or the monster, we just did it our way," Her eyes finally opened, irises as captivating as they were every day. "So, let's do this our way."

I was lost for a moment, staring back at Yui who's ears flicked curiously. "...you're beautiful," She blushed lightly at that, giggling against my face with half-lidded eyes.

"Oh? Now you want to start buttering up to me?" She teased, scooting closer to listen as I humoured her. "I mean, you never did finish what you said a few days ago..."

"Well, let's see, I was complimenting you for being awesome-"

"I remember," She added.

"And then you said 'but', implying I had more to say," By now we left really no room between us, I ensured this time nothing would come close to interrupting me this time. Maybe now wasn't the best time, but no issue with trying to drop breadcrumbs.

"Did you...?" She faintly breathed against my lips, moving an inch closer.

"I-I... just wondered i-if someday w-we um..." Stop; Ren told you this would happen; you need to relax and just get the words out. Four words, the first big three were tough too, but I managed, I can do this! My face was beginning to boil hotter than I could control. "I-if um w-we c-c-could a-a..."

Her muzzle pressed to mine, silencing my stuttering, her cheeks rosy while keeping her purple gaze locked on me. "Don't be afraid," I flinched. Did she know...? "It took you two years to let me know about every little secret of yours; I can hardly recall every detail, but I listened, and I will continue to do so, alright?" She pulled back slightly. "So whatever it is, I can wait. Besides, I'm already happy where I am; after all, it all led me here..."

She gently pressed her lips for longer to mine, so I didn't worry, and simply enjoyed a little quiet time with my bat pony, savouring the fruity taste on her lips.





Nightfall out at sea had a certain vibrance to it. There was a clear, star-filled sky, gentle currents beneath the ship, and a captain who knew how to play the flute. Ren sat with her back to us, playing a gentle tune that carried itself to sea, filling the astral night as Topaz was clearly up at the top of the mast, her aura soothed by the song. I poked Yui, tugging her behind said post while pointing at the bow. She followed my claw, and her smile grew larger than after enjoying each other's company.

Jack sat on a barrel, facing the dark sea far and wide. "Y'know, I ain't some two-bit thief, I'm honest for a change, and I only take from greedy ponies, not my fault they left that armour lying around for somepony to snatch."

"It was still wrong," Mira argued, watching the sea below with her head on the edge of the ship. "Why did you help me?"

"Why wouldn't I help some crazy wyvern beat another crazier wyvern?" He remarked, flinching when he saw her cheek puff with possibly more water. "Ahahaha... sorry, just... sometimes you gotta take risks, do not what your mind dictates and gets with your own flow."

"My own flow?" She echoed; clearly, Mira hasn't grasped philosophy as well in all this time. I can't blame her; a monster trying to be more human isn't easy. "I... do not have one, I... travel a lot."

Jack clopped his hooves. "There it is; that's your flow! Travelling the world, seeing new places, meeting new characters doesn't get freer than that!" He chuckled, and his boisterous aura bubbled and weaved with Mira's, her ears perking up again.

"I... like that," Well, no sense in ruining their own time together. "Being free."

"He's not so bad," Yui whispered as we approached the stairs leading to Ren.

"Can't believe you wanted to toss him out to sea." My smirk caused her to trip slightly had I not caught her.

"Ahem, thanks, b-but in all fairness, we're not all mind readers here."

"Aura-"

She prodded her wing at me. "Don't you get wise with me."

"Aren't you two lovebirds adorable," Ren chuckled, lowering her flute to greet us. "Lovely night, eh?"

"'It's tranquil,'" I replied.

"Nothing for miles ought to be daylight soon, so we best find a small island to dock so we can rest," Ren stretched, not bothering to watch the water. "Do me a solid and grab Topaz; pretty sure she's asleep with a bottle up there, and I'd rather not have her being injured on my conscience."

Nodding along, I turned with a wave. "'Aye-aye, Captain.'" With that, I leapt over the railing down onto the deck.





[No POV]

Now alone, Ren casually hummed a little tune while scanning the waves for a suitable place to settle for the night. So far, their search had come up empty, no Valstrax and no rumblings; rather, none could feel them. Actually, Ren gripped the wheel tighter at the lack of any waves. 

Yui smiled, watching Zen scale the mast to find Topaz. "So, enjoying being the boss?"

Ren giggled. "Love it~ Haven't been at the helm since I arrived in Val Harbor, what a day that was, even fought a big ol' Elder with a newbie too, it was something spectacular." Her mind wandered back to the great desert and the battle across its endless dunes with the monster that swam through it like water fins gliding through sand as they battled across its back. She missed that chipper Huntress and her Palico friend too. "I think if I got the chance, I'd like to go a second round against that dragon; I never did settle the score."

The treasure hunter chuckled with the woman, sitting down to look up at the stars. "Hearing you say that makes me feel a little worried about what your big dreams are - like facing a Black Dragon?" Yui suggested, seeing Ren nod in thought, eyes closed. This made her worry increase. "You're kidding me...?"

"Nope, I mean, I get it, the idea of facing these sorts of monsters to the inexperienced seems almost suicidal, but in actuality, it's just how I was raised," Ren turned the ship, adjusting to sail in a wide arc. "The Old World is teeming with monsters, many of which have killed many people; in honesty, if not for Hunters like me, we'd have been wiped out by now, but..." Gripping the handles, she spun softly, feeling the midnight breeze on her cheeks. "To be a Hunter is to embody a culture of danger - when we hear of a massive monster heading toward us, we run at the chance to meet it, to enthral ourselves to that feelin' pumping through our veins, you know?"

She saw Yui's whimsical face and stammered an awkward blush. "Ah hahaha, sorry, my brother's better at the big word talk than me..."

"No, it's alright, I feel that way when Zen talks, you both come off to be headstrong or childish, but you understand the gravity of things, like this mission of ours," She waved her wing up at the mast, seeing a bottle fly past a shadow that ducked in fright. "You both can laugh even when things are dire; you make others stronger because you don't let that fear of failure bother you."

Listening closely, Ren soon cackled out loud, scratching her cheek. "Hehehe, you keep that up, and I think I might fall for you," She teased, Yui giving a perplexed, awkward smile. "But thanks, I can see why Wolfboy's got his eye on you constantly - not just your looks."

"Eh? I-I mean I-i'm just saying what's t-true," She blushed at the implication, watching the whitette wink.

"Your secret's safe with me," Ren cooed. "Duh du d-duh..." This particular melody only served to further Yui's crimson features, hiding behind her hood and wing with a whine. "Oh, and about the 'culture of danger'..." She poked her thumb off to the left casually as a distant roar of water caught their ears. 

Yui, still flustered, turned to find that part of the horizon was warped by a dark wall of water not far from the ship. The waves under them buckled from the force of a rogue wave in the distance. The sight and trembling vibrations on her ears made Yui's face drain of blood, realizing why Ren had pivoted the ship a while back. Snapping her neck around to the grinning girl, Ren merely rubbed her nose.

"...Good senses are a good payoff, heh." Captain Ren was the best captain; Yui wouldn't question otherwise.





[Zen's POV]

We made it...

There was a strange tension in the air, not around us; the land itself circulated. The sea was deathly calm despite my ears picking up on the faintest trace of that racking melody. The wind was tame, but the sky was a constant grey. The land was mostly jagged mountains and valleys. These same spines of rock jutting in the circumference of the island like teeth, waves crashed into their obstructions as we docked on a beach, one of the few available. Organ Isle.

"Alright!" Topaz drew our attention in, herself kicking another crate down the rampart. "I'd say this would be a safe place to camp, but the higher ground never hurts."

"Then we'll divide into teams?" Ren surmised, seeing the Captain nodded. 

"One team investigates the island, look for clues to the monster behind all this, the other stays to handle offloading necessities for a camp, the former team we'll also handle that on the side if they want." Topaz waved her hoof side-to-side, then drew it toward the stowaway. "And you."

"Heeey, don't mind me, Capy, I'm just gonna get the lay of the-" He froze at her snort and glowing horn, pursing his lips. "You drive a hard bargain; I'll stick with the ship."

"Dirty Thief..." Mira murmured with a pout off to the side.

"Ack... alright-alright, I'll behave," He ushered our worries down with his hooves, pointing at me. "Stop reading me; I hate that look!"

"'You want to try and learn Poke-Speak, by all means,'" I grinned, seeing him deflate. "'Jack aside, I think it's best Topaz keeps him in check for us, no telling if Valstrax will show up too.'"

"You think it's connected to this island?" Yui inquired though even I lacked certainty, herself rubbing her chin with her wing. "I guess it's all a big mystery until we investigate further." It was clear she was eager to set out and explore. "I know this is tossing up a red flag, but what happens if we come across the Elder Dragon responsible for the tremors?"

"You better hope we don't," Ren warned, finishing sharpening her sword, inspecting its faces. "We're at a severe disadvantage like this, exposed, no camp, not even a lay of the land - heck, anyone else hears any wildlife yet?"

This was true; not a bird nor bug was in sight, oceanic life was present, that much I could sense, but the rest was diluted, almost barren of life across the jagged spires. To take my mind off the impending shivers, I wanted to ask Jack something. "'Say, why did you stow away on our ship, just curious?'"

He stopped looking over his cloak with a smug grin. "Well, a little stubborn monster seemed eager to get back to the waves, so I took it upon myself to follow her trail to see what fortunes could be found," It wasn't entirely dishonest, but his words did draw Mira's eyes from the ocean, hoof no longer swaying in the tide. 

"You followed me?" She asked, no less confused than the rest of us.

"Well..." He fiddled with his cloak a bit. "You kinda saved my flank and felt I owed ya one; sure, fighting big monsters isn't part of my skill set, but I can be quite the info broker," He patted his chest. "Got any details or need of them I'm your stallion - though I can't exactly do much now that Capy here's got a stink eye on me."

"You'll get more than that if you keep calling me that, brat," Topaz growled, whipping sand into his face with her tail. "Zen, take Ren, Mira, and Yui further inland; I don't know what's waiting for us, but we can't waste time twiddling our hooves."

"'Sure, I can handle that,'" I gave a playful salute, seeing her roll her eyes with a smile.

"Yes-yes, and I'll handle this so-and-so thief, what little that means." Now that seemed to offend Jack, pouting himself as Mira hid a small giggle at his reaction. To remedy this while packing up my own supplies, I hummed.

"'Hey now, professionals have standards!'" I snickered, seeing Yui's expression drop, mouthing 'don't you dare'. Too late, the thief nodding in agreement.

"See, Poke... whatever here gets it! One; Be Polite," He answered, seeing my grin as Yui ran her wing down her face to cover her other eye.

"Stop, please..." She was losing this battle.

"'Hehe; Be efficient.'" I added, then he sat back on a barrel, hooves wide.

"And have a plan to beat everypony you meet - code of honour among thieves!" He crossed his heart. "I'll keep my ear to the floor."

"And I'll try not to step on his head." Topaz rolled her eyes.

"You just had to sneak one in..." Yui shook her head at my mirthful grin. "...you're hopeless."

"Nope, I'm Lucario."

"Sweet merciful Luna..." Her grovelling got worse, Ren chuckling along with me, slipping her helmet back on.





Organ Isle was a ghost landscape. The first real sign that life once existed were the plants, of course, but rather, the barren, blackened shreds of banners flailing in a breeze across certain points a pathway once navigated the sharp cliffs. It was impossible to see where to go next without them or the rotten masts used from ancient times. Within seconds, Yui was inspecting them, Ren keeping to the far back with Mira to held the smaller pony step lightly from loose points along the narrow pass.

"Strange, this wood isn't completely rotten yet," She rubbed the surface, snapping a piece off from a stump to crush in her hoof against a rock. "Still brittle - it's nothing like the trees back in Equestria."

"You can tell?" I kept our conversation private for now.

She shook her head. "I'm not an ecologist, but there's clearly something abnormal with the plant life so far, even this wood, which was processed into this mounting stick, even for centuries it's retained its shape to a degree, it doesn't make sense."

"Does anything in Equestria make sense?" I mused, seeing her smirk under her hood.

"I can say the same about your world if I ever visited." She'd be disappointed then. Following her hoofsteps, we continued to climb closer to the valley we heard the wind howling from. When we did... music was heard?

It wasn't music per se, but the wind was reverberating from somewhere beyond the mountains, like a wind tunnel, perhaps? "Sounds like wind chimes and big ones too." Ren offered, admiring the sound with her hand on her hip. "My brother and I came from a small village in the mountains, really reclusive village too, and a lot of old temples along the mountains had these large wind chimes hanging outside to, as the old monks say, 'Give the wind it's voice', they were weird but meant well."

Continuing our pace, we rounded a corner, myself stumbling into Yui, who caused Mira, then Ren to follow suit. The four of us poked our heads around to find the source of the noise, no longer howls but chimes like water droplets against a cymbal. The path widened at the foot of a large cliff overlooking the beach far below. The sunlight caught beyond the old, cracked walls of a monastery, a dark-green tiled roof along the walls with gaps in the wall suspending thick, jade windchimes as Ren implied. 

The doors were left wide open, rotten and withered, left to sway for any visitors to the long lost civilisation—an old dried up creek to the left of us. I admired the sight with awe, Yui standing next to me in equal wonder to the rest. "'Another Rift-torn piece of the Old World?'"

"Looks like it..." Ren murmured, all of us slowly stepping inside to inspect further. 

There wasn't much for the monastery. It appeared to be a large arena or summons plaza. Building lined either side of the mountains, built into the earth itself atop stands of various levels. Old pillars broke up the segments, some withered, others holding onto the same, tattered cloth as before. Tapestries were carved into the structures that stood against time. A long, cobblestone path leading toward what appeared to be the rest of the isle though large spires of rock told me it wouldn't lead to much more than a dead end.

Off to the right was a seaside cliff; the land collapsed into the waves below. Yui marvelled at the forgotten world, galloping to a wall acting as a mural with text and depictions of ponies... and monsters. "Zen, I think... I think this is your world's language again!" Her optimism drew us closer, and true to her word, it was. She shook my leg excitedly. "I've never seen ruins this immaculate to weathering and erosion before; i-i-it's almost too perfect!"

"You can read this stuff, Zen?" Ren asked, scratching her head, squinting at the Japanese. "Looks like chicken scratch - eh, n-no offence."

Chuckling, I stood back to find the start of the tale. "'It's all good, I agree with you on that... but it's written non-traditionally, so bear with me...'" Okay, the start is... here? I mean, there's not much to read; most of it was faded. "'Um, right, so I'm paraphrasing here, this stuff is really ancient.'"

Yui, notebook out, nodded away. "Whatever's possible."

"'So it's talking about... Equestria?'" That made things easier then.


'A needle pierced our world/A thread woven between/Two fabrics conjoined'



The mural scarred a line between a world with Monsters and one with Ponies. Something large spanned half the murals, serpent in nature, shadowing both worlds.



'The Devourer tore the fabric between/Two worlds no more/Our Darkness follows'



A large monstrosity tore between Equestria and the Old World with tattered wings, devouring the skies themselves before it slithered into a spiral, a vortex. Monsters invaded Equestria, and the Old World was cut off, leaving Wyverns to run rampant.



'Fate relished chaos/A Song of Old slumbered/Our New World left scarred'



The last detailed a... large black dragon. Another prodded its mandibles above the earth, causing paintings of mountains to shatter like glass. The last details what Equestria knew as 'Rifts', splitting the skies, twisting the land. The mural faded with time...


I leaned back with a presence on my shoulders like no other, leaning against a pillar. "'Equestria and the Old World... they've been connected for centuries by something,'" That didn't look anything close to Dalamadur; it tore reality apart, crossing two worlds. This lingering presence, was it the creatures? "'Sorry, I had to chop up a lot to decipher whatever context was left, Yui.'"

She shook her head, closing her book before tucking it back into her saddlebag. "It's fine; considering how ancient this place is, I doubt we'll find any above ruins now..." 

"There's something in the air..." Mira drew our eyes, seeing the Mizutusune sniff the air around her, features glum. "Old and angry."

"The Elder Dragon?" Ren inquired, but Mira's face scrunched up, befuddled by whatever she could smell that I couldn't.

"Maybe, the mountains are stained in many scents; I do not know which is the monster," She sighed, brushing her mane aside. "I'm confused."

I wanted to go and comfort her but my legs rooted to the cobblestone, the rest beginning to fan out as I held my breath. My eyes were lost in a dark sea overflowing with blue shapes. It hung over the temple, past the peaks and toward the ocean waves. Something was disturbing them all. I focused again, hearing the windchimes bellow as one from a strong current.

"Zen?" Mira noticed my blank face.

"'Listen...'" I murmured, holding my paw up. It was faint, but... it was coming.

A large boom rocked the air as the sound barrier was torn through. A piercing silver arrow came from the side of the mountains as its red glare flew high above the clouds, arcing downward with a prideful wave of spiritual energy. The clouds parted, and the battlefield released a whirlwind from the monster that crashed from orbit, static bolts of crimson tingling in the air. The dust was sucked back into a glimmering vent upon its chest; wing blades splayed high against the afternoon sun. 

Valstrax had arrived.

"Urrrraaawr!!" Valstrax's metallic scream rattled the skies, releasing a small burst of draconic light from its vents, locking a glare upon us.

"'Round three,'" I murmured before it hopped back slightly, bringing the right-wing down on me like a blade, tossing me behind the rest in a split second. "'Tag in...~!'" I wailed while tumbling backwards.

Valstrax lunged, chomping down on Ren's blade to toss her across in the stands while swinging itself around to swat Mira and Yui aside. Mid-turn, it took Ren's slant followed by a strong arc to the ankles, hopping back to deliver the same attack it used on me had my bo staff not intercepted, striking its face as I caught it mid-twirl, lunging down sharply across its jawline while Valstrax charged over me, ignoring Ren's attacks to turn to us, inverting the wings like claws.

It slammed the left down on my Protect, the other thrust forward like a rocket to abrade against Ren's breastplate. I rolled out from under the wing, diving into a helix spin to evade between the curved swiped of the wings, dragonblight electrifying my fur as I landed for a Blaze Kick straight to the next downward slam, parrying the wing as Valstrax turned to find a water beam crashing straight into its chest, causing it to gag and reel back from the large Mitzutsune slithering around the ruins.  

"Attack the vents before it becomes enraged!" Ren declared, thrusting forward to wedge her blade against its flank, vaulting over another slash of the wings to bring her longsword through its lower back, carving a crimson glint through the Elder's body shattering a few scales. Valstrax snarled, standing back on its hind legs to fire a barrage of dragon energy from its wings, blowing Ren and me away from its underbelly while Mira slammed into the Sky Comet, biting down on its neck until it spread its wings again. 

"Yui!" I yelled for, firing two Aura Spheres to batter Valstrax's beak. 

"You got it -" She closed her eyes on the stands, holding her hoof out toward the underside of the flailing monsters, pulling at the shadows. "-Tenebris Hamo!"

A dark grey seal rose from the shadows, several spindly hands latching onto Valstrax's limbs before it could take flight. It worked, or until it narrowed its gaze on her, thrashing until it freed its right-wing, slicing across Mira's collarbone, using a burst from the vents to send her flying into Yui, luckily; she avoided the collision, but her focus on the spell fizzled away, releasing Valstrax as it flew away from mine and Ren's weapons, unleashing a volley of energy blasts that I blocked with Quick Guard. However, the force still shattered my protective move.  

"You guys alright!?" Ren called, dousing us both in Armorskin and Demonpowder, the flakes of amber and crimson brushing by.

"We're good if not a little pride is broken!" Yui actually quipped? She's been around me too often.

Bringing my spiked paws together, I saw Ren cover her ears. "Metal Sound!" The ear-racking screech worked as intended, utterly discombobulating Valstrax. Ren rushed it, slipping with a crimson stroke of her sword, slicing in a double helix through its chest and legs, rolling back to deliver a rising slash, knocking Valstrax into Mira's water pulse, the beam slicing across its neck like a blade of water. "My turn..." Closing my eyes, I drowned out any sound, feeling the world with nothing by my aura.

"Calm Mind. Nasty Plot. Swords Dance. Work Up. Bulk Up-" My body began to heat up, everything was sharp and defined. "-Iron Defense. Agility. Laser Focus. Substitute." Upon opening my eyes, a nigh unbelievable amount of power drew Valstrax's focus, swiping Ren away with its tail.  I grinned back, a flurry of wisps forming a multicoloured aurora around my body, my feelers floating in the air. "Extreme Speed." 

In turn, Valstrax releasing a large amount of draconic light from its chest, the vents and exhausts along its wings tinted red, blazing like a rocket, even its irises were smothered in dark red energy. Valstrax flew up into the air, unleashing a barrage upon us while I vanished in a haze, avoiding the detonations using the pillars to leap high, striking with my right foot extended forward. 

"Blaze Kick!" The streak of embers collided with a wing, knocking us back while I used two Aura Spheres to propel myself forward. "Ice-Thunder Punch!" Thunder crashed and ice crystallized in my palms, bringing them down after a front flip over its wings, smashing them atop its forehead, dropping the Elder Dragon into the earth below.

He recovered, slamming into the earth with a halo of crimson energy, releasing it a blasting ring around him. That red glow persisted as it narrowed its eyes upon my Bone Rush and me, spinning forward to parry the wing's bladed thrust, Ren working alongside me to divert the follow dragon blast into one of the ruin walls instead. I gave Ren a subtle nod of my hand, flicking my paw behind me as Yui rode atop Mira's back, the pair retreating from Valstrax's wings, the jagged exhausted slapping the earth as it chased them down. 

"Hey!" I spun my staff around, lobbing it like a boomerang at its head, causing Valstrax to recoil from the pillar, snapping its attention toward me as it propelled upward to crash where I previously stood, thrashing its tail into my forearms that I immediately backhanded away with a Metal Claw, using my left hand for a Quick Shield to parry a claw swipe a moment later. It was frantic and far more precise than any monster I've encountered.

Diving back into a helix twist, I slashed at its eyes with Shadow Claw, the darkness shrouding the wing as it shaved a few hairs off my head, performing a handstand over the wing while the other swept down to pierce the earth under me. Rolling forward, I Retaliated, releasing a pent-up amount of energy to batter the underside of Valstrax, sliding between its legs to avoid its wings, dashing up the staircase as it gained on me quickly. 

I wrapped my arms around a pillar, flipping away from the draconic blast that rippled and tore apart one of the remaining buildings. Pressing both feet against the concrete, I developed a section of the column in bronze light, punting the layer into Valstrax's jaw, knocking the beast away and into the stands with a groan, the tail slicing by to sever the pillar, myself tumbling away from its collapse. 

When Valstrax pivoted from my Aura Spheres, he shrugged off the dust, inverting his wings for a cross-chop, forcing me to suck in my gut as I dived between them, cheeks puffed out with a sudden, hot sensation in my mouth. "Hyper...!" I snarled; Bue and amethyst static gathered around my lips. "BEAM!!" The massive cone arced its way toward Valstrax, or it would have, had it not shifted right, bringing its left wing in a wide arc to slam into the ground ahead of me, the force knocking me across the arena.

"Zen!" Yui's aura was dripping with panic, but... it was okay. I coughed, pushing up with my elbows to chuckle, the metallic stomps the Elder Dragon pausing as it shadowed my glowing form retaining its refined state. 

"Looks like you're outta power," It flexed its wings, noting the lack of excess dragonblight, and its soul trembled slightly, even if only for an instance. "Well?" I raised my arms, shuffling to my feet. "I'm standing right here." Terror shivered down my spine at its rising right appendage, ready to crush me under its talons; I stifled that fear, waiting and place all my hopes on this risky plan. "..."

A crimson glow expelled from the exhausts, rocketing his right side forward, straight into the rolling cloud of mist. I felt the wind breeze past me, the plume of smoke releasing the countered Elder straight into the minefield of bubbles Mira flung in its direction. The soapy substances clung and popped, gunking up the exhausts, stretching between Valstrax's wing talons. At the same time, it stumbled about, squeaking angrily though even that caused it to gag, the vents on its breast popping bubbles while the heat from its dragon element worked to evaporate the substance.

Mira coiled herself around its body, bearing her teeth with tension plastered across her face. Unfurling herself, she threw Valstrax across the ruins into a cherry red streak that curled like a crescent moon, slicing dozens of scales with a single blow, Ren's boots sending sparks flying from the sheer velocity of her Iai Slash, knocking the Sky Comet down the stands toward my roaring Mega Kick, the crimson splash pulverizing the scales on the left side of its face, gouging out the eye. At the same time, my bones groaned from the contact of metal against metal.

"Graaaah!" I whined, clutching my leg from the unpleasant vibrations. "I feel like I gong - ugh, M-Mira, switch!" I muttered out in my stupor.

Our resident leviathan curled her upper body down, soaking the cobblestone with a rising blade of water, slicing through many more of Valstrax's scales, knocking it onto its hind legs. However, mine and Mira's eyes widened as the bubbles cleaned themselves from their wings, releasing the red glare upon us in a shower of blood-red light, the heat sending us flying into one another, ripping up much of the concrete in the process.

Valstrax howled wildly, releasing a breath that sent it flying into the air like a rocket, shooting through the clouds with a ring behind it, breaking the sound barrier. I realized what was coming, pushing off of Mira to take center stage, feeling all its hatred and might fluctuating toward my back. I had made far too many gambles to be healthy for the human mind, but that's never been something I considered in the heat of the moment. Threading the needle was all I knew felt right in the sense of things, even if it wasn't always healthy.

The scarlet comet broke the sound barrier once more, high above in the great gold sky. I hopped around, hands raised with a great, silver forcefield ahead of me, my lingering buffs holding strong for a moment longer; the die was cast ambiguously. I hardened my glare as the blazing red Elder Dragon tore above the ruins, collapsing several weak structures, even the outcry of my friends was mute against the screaming wind that let out a seismic crash against my Protect. I swore I saw everything in my life rush through my pupils at once.


"Move forward... regret nothing... and smile."


Valstrax's collision course with my smaller frame felt like a hot anvil was shot from a cannon, splintering the barrier between us with ease while stinging hot air tried to force itself down my throat, burning against my eyes locked with the comet that forced my heels back. My fans were bare, muzzle crinkled with an animalistic growl, holding back this hellish might. I screamed with all I had left in my throat. My heart practically about to burst! "COUUUUNTEEEEER!!!"

To conflict with the malice and unstable red world, my fist curled, the point of my spike releasing a blinding veil of silver light, wrapping around my knuckle and across my arm as I fought back with its own diminishing strength. The barrier was atomized, two gargantuan arcs of light intersecting as my knuckle met its scarred beak, expunging the last of its dragonblight that stung my nose, blood flying from my teeth. At the same time, the same was released from its own from the sheer pressure my knuckle compressed. 

The excess energy pulverized the earth under us. High above the devastation, Ren's eyes glossed over us while I fell past the Elder Dragon, its nape left completely exposed to the razor edge of her longsword curved in a single, rose slant through the battered and shredded hide. What little energy Valstrax had left to give was sent forth to knock Ren away from its legs, stumbling away with blood dripping down its neck, the linger crackles of dragon energy hissing within its dying exhausts as it approached a seaside cliff.

"grr..." Even its roar was strained, attempting to stand tall as I panted, clutching my arms with Life Dew and Heal Pulse, working in tandem to fix my broken wrists and possibly broken everything from how every inch of me flared with pain. Valstrax's lifted its head, meeting my scarlet eyes with its remaining deep blue. 

Acceptance was all I could sense.

It lost its footing, swaying down toward the crashing waves below, out of my sight and aura sense range. 

The wind was hushed, a gentler song ringing the large windchimes further back. I guess even Equestria understood it wasn't just out for blood, then why was it here? Lulled by the same song Mira and I heard? I almost regret slaying it now. Beside me, Ren stumbled to sit on her haunches; arms rested upon her knees.

"You okay?" She asked, not taking her eyes off the cliff it once stood proud by.

"Yeah... just tired," I sighed, smiling weakly. "Nice moves."

"Ditto, Wolfman," She winked, nudging my shoulder though I held back my wince; instead, I focused on healing and avoiding the anger swelling behind my head. "Think if we sit like this, we'll be invisible?"

"Hmm, ten seconds tops." Ren chuckled anxiously, almost turning had I not shook my head.

"Don't make eye contact, savour this," From the pan to the fire, as they say.

To Be Continued...
> Chp. 5 - Our Final Hour
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The campfire crackled before me, Ren finishing with her medical care for me long ago, now I let my scarlet eyes linger on the embers. We posted our camp just outside the monastery, the wind chimes singing their alluring song while the stars lit our world with their glare. I continued to jot down notes on Valstrax with a solemn face, taking a bite out of the fish that Mira collected for us. Herself munching away on another beside me in her Mizutsune form, the deceitful stowaway against her stomach, drinking while staring up at the stars. 

"Y'know,  today marks the strangest time of my life, and I've had some strange stories - ever meet a pony with two metal legs and an eye? His sword could split whole hillsides in two with a flick!" He whisked the air with his hooves, clopping them before he fell back, Mira reverting back to her pony state. "Could've warned me, Short-Stack."

She stuck her tongue out but chose to sit next to him, curious eyes wide with wonder. He lowered his forehooves, having expected her to blast him with another water beam, "What other things?" Her tail wagged as he blinked, chuckling.

"W-well, I can share a few, met a mare who could control ice, turn even the hottest day into winter with just a breath!" He proclaimed happily, and he wasn't lying, at least from his perspective, besides, Mira looked positively enthralled so I won't ruin her fun.

"Nice work-" Ren pipped up next to me, taking a sip of her personal ale while Topaz mulled over her mission reports, jotting down her own documents for when we returned. And that was a murky 'when' given our only progress was the death of a nomad dragon. "-Looks just like his marking from the Guild."

"'It is,'" I agreed, shading the symbol of a Valstrax pouncing, wings and tail curled downward. "'When it comes to carpentry, survival, and remembering hundreds of Monsters and their abilities I'm your man or Lucario in this case.'"

She placed her helmet on the log, stroking her pearl-white bangs. It was strange how similar she and Summer were, say for the shorter hairstyle. Her rough hand slapped my back. "Hey, don't sell yourself short! I'd have loved to have met you in the Old World, maybe then I could get over my pyrophobia faster." I heard that, despite her improvement, Ren still feared large fires, that Glavenus she and Topaz fought was a small step, and that was months ago.

"'I'm afraid of isolation, cramped spaces too,'" I admitted, closing my book. "'What really matters if how we chose to confront those fears instead of neglecting them.'"

"You said I could live up to the title of a Hunter," Topaz butted in, not once lifting her head while her magic held out pages for her to inspect. "Even if I was doubtful of myself, you still saw that in me."

She stared for a moment longer, then nudge my shoulder to offer a comforting grin. "Appreciate that you two - though I think one of us needs to take their own advice; eh Wolfman?" Her finger prodded forward through the flames.

"'I know...'" I sighed, admitting defeat as I slumped on my seat, seeing the lone figure closer to the edge about one hundred yards from the camp. My stomach knotted, "'But how do I face that?'"

Ren folded her arms, pursing her lips. "Can't say, I'm not a romantic," I slumped further to the ground had her hand not petted my head. "But, as your awesome friend, I think if anyone can confront that hurdle, it's you, and only you."

What was there to lose? Sucking in my breath, I stood up as her hands clapped for me. Mira, alongside Jack, observed me too, with the added detail of a Topaz's presence against my back as I left the camp to find Yui enjoying the moonlight alone. I rubbed the coral necklace gingerly, praying for some of that luck Yui blessed it with. 

The waves struck the base of the cliff, the endless curve of a dark horizon with a sky dazzled by distant stars and Luna's moon. Yui kept her hood down, turning to look at me with a blank expression that slowly warped to a smile. "Doing better, dummy?" 

I rubbed my nape sheepishly. "Yeah, I deserved that," Sitting down next to her I hung my legs over the edge. "And you?"

Her left shoulder rolled. "A little sore, but manageable - huh?" She blinked as I wrapped both my arms from the back across to her chest, a soothing, baby blue light shimmering over her bruises, reducing their swelling and leaving my girlfriend in a state of serenity, coughing into her hoof. "Thank you, Zen."

"Anytime," I winked, pulling away to fiddle with my paws. "And... sorry for making you worry again."

"Same," She chuckled, playing with the dirt by her hooves. "I guess I've just gotten a little protective that I'm always forgetting you're like a hundred times stronger than a pony." Her mirth lifted my spirits slightly.

"It keeps me grounded though - I'm not invincible, I think that's what Taka drilled into my head before we parted ways - or what she wanted to say," Not much could've been spoken before the connection was torn apart, her aura hazy but Taka's always meant more than what her brash personalty told. "I could honestly use some of her 'tough love' one more time," I crossed my arms, holding one finger up with a stroppy face. "Ahem, 'Don't go whining 'cause you got hurt, buck up and keep moving, you shut-in neet'! Something like that." 

Yui giggled into her hoof, "Didn't you work at your parents' place, a cafe, right?" Nodding, I scratched my cheek.

"Yeah, but I spent my holidays locked in my room playing games, only time I ever when outside was to my own benefit or if the others insisted," I admitted with a nervous grin. "My living conditions weren't something to aspire to."

She laughed with me, rolling her eyes... or one visible eye. "Try explaining to my parents why my room was littered with junk I argued was 'treasure' when growing up," Yui rubbed her forehead with a groan. "Luna above... my Grandad just laughed as my Dad was trying to make heads or tails of how I snuck so much stuff past two ex-Night Guards."

"So we both weren't social creatures, no wonder we're perfect together," I mused, choking a bit at that last part considering why I sat here.

She nuzzled my arm. "Wouldn't have it any other way, my Guardian." She cooed at my blush - she's gotten far too good at this flirting. 

"Stop beating around the proverbial bush," Looking around, no one bothered us, not even Topaz nor Ren snooped around in the dark. We were alone in the moonlight. This scene, it... was breathtaking. Not even a tremor or vocal deep below the earth. "She's right there, tell her."

I laughed a little, lifting my head. "You know, a part of me still thinks I'm about to wake up," Was that silly? Probably, but given how surreal this world is can I really be blamed? "That I'll be laying upside down off my bed, staring through that crack in the blinds as all this fades to a vague memory," A shiver of fright passed through me. "It's scary - especially when we're up against something as terrifying as an ancient Elder Dragon."

Before I allowed Yui to act on her pained look, I held up my finger. "However! Even if by some minute chance that were true..." I lost myself in her alluring gaze, smiling gently. "I wouldn't forget a single thread of it, and, I'll live this fantasy for as long as I can, to... the very ends with you."

Seeing Yui's expression rise with a hint of crimson was always great to see because there is no possibility in my mind that her smile wasn't real. And... I knew what I wanted to ask, I had to because she's worth risking over stupid, destructive thoughts. Months I've sat like this, questioning every little detail like it was the meaning of life or something. It really just boiled down to one simple fact. A scary one, but that was okay.

Failing to suppress my own anxiety, that, and the blood rushing to my face as I fiddled with my scarf. "Y-Y-Yui, can I-I ask you a question, j-just a small one?" I pinched my claws close while she giggled.

"Like you had to ask," Her wing motioned for me to ask away. 

"R-right, I-I-I wanted to know - erm, wanted to ask i-if you - um..." My words were like needles in my throat, twisting in my chest. Say it. "I wanted t-to..." Say it! 

The moonlight refracted off the ocean below, the bioluminescent algae casting an undertone of sky blue under her body. She looked... stunning, smiling at me patiently without a hint of worry to trickle off her soul. I closed my mouth, hand taut at the object I kept hidden under my scarf. 

"When this is over, I was hoping Celestia would help me and Ren finally make good on establishing a Hunter's Guild here, heh, I can't fight every monster alone, not forever that is," The reality was clear, but that wasn't what mattered. Not even the threat we faced; only her. "But, before that... Yui..." Just say it...

Her smile was calming. "Take your time," I felt my throat collapse, did she know? "I will always wait because you did for me so many times."

I was scared.

Something warm held onto my shoulders, it was brief, but a strange pressure calmed my nerves with their presence. As though five hands pushed me onward down my own road again. I swallowed a lump I never noticed. 

But I was done waiting.

The moon didn't really capture the same sight as the necklace embroiled with silver. At the centre was a matching ring. It took countless days of trial and error on my part to find the exact gemstone I needed but it was worth it, Rarity is the best. Like my own, before her hung a pristine, silver ring with an amethyst centre infused to the metal, the gem filling the middle of the ring perfectly.

All or nothing, "...will you marry me?"

To my confusion, Yui giggled behind her wing. "I told you, you're cute when you're flustered," This again, really? My subtle deadpan only made her laughter last a few seconds before taking her wing down, face overflowing with affection that could kill. "Of course, you dummy."

"Could do without the insults, this is taking all my will not to curl up into a ball." I winced as she bent her head, allowing me to apply the necklace as she did with me a day ago. Once fitted, the light caught on the amethyst as it did with mine. A matching pair. "Consider this as a token of our bond." I winked; though Yui continued to admire the precious gem in her hoof, I didn't read her aura this time.

"Always," Yui was on me in a heartbeat, wrapping her hooves around my neck tightly while nuzzling my collarbone. The largest weight of all felt paper-thin now it could've been humorously. Embracing the treasure hunter, I closed my eyes, enthralled in only her on this mysterious island. "I love you..." She whispered.

"Love you too, always," Replying equally in the moonlight.





The next day we returned to the monastery to investigate further, Topaz, and Yui armoured up for whatever was ahead. Yui attached to my hip the whole way though I didn't mind one bit. Her tail intertwined with mine as the aftermath of our battle with Valstrax left quite the scars across the lost civilization that marked the very beginning of two worlds colliding. "It's strange, there's not much else to find other than what's in the buildings..." Yui frowned, rubbing her chin. "Any luck!?"

"No dice!" Topaz waved from the left-hand side.

"Place doesn't have much value, all of its been reduced to dust," Even Jack was stumped, tossing a rock back down a hallway as he sat on the steps. "Face it, One-Wing, no pony's left anything for us but a few paintings and bones if we're lucky."

Though Yui's expression said otherwise. "That can't be right, this place is too significant in history to us... stop?" 

"He's got a point-" Ren shrugged, leaning against a pillar. "-this island's been collapsing by the looks of things so whatever might've been here's fallen to the bottom of the ocean."

It was a disappointment to be sure, yet, I shared Mira's unwavering lower. "'Where's that song?'"

My question stopped everyone dead in their tracks. Mira opted to speak. "I had to come here, it called to me, but it stopped yesterday when we arrived."

"'Not a single tremor either,'" I reminded them. Nothing stirred since, rather, it didn't need to.

"Say, this any good?" Jack, who appeared to have wandered off during the moment, waved a large scale at us. At first, I thought it was one of Valstrax's, though Mira's reaction to slapping it from his hoof was worrisome. "Okay, rude, what did I do this time?"

"'That worries me when you say that...'" I muttered off to the side.

"Elder Dragon, very old," She hissed at the scale. Upon closer inspection from all of us. Ren looked lost, unable to place it while lifting the object. It was a pale, sickly yellow hue, a tint of white around the edges. What startled me was the energy that lingered much like Safi'Jiiva's. Potent, and ancient. "It's here..."

"Huh, that serious? Well, guess I'm tagging out," I blinked, following his hoof waving us away. "I ain't got the methods to take on some dragon, heck, that one you fought before nearly blew half the mountain atop me and Capy over here - I ain't takin' that bet with my life."

"'Jack, wai-'" I murmured, meeting his emerald orbs that gleamed with earnest.

"I'll level with ya, I only came here for my own gain, least I can do is keep your gear from tumbling into the ocean, right?" Jack grinned, heading toward the exit. "You guys just do what you gotta do - I'll get a good seat for the show."

"There it is..." Topaz grumbled.

"Be careful..." Mira's worry was met with his eye over his shoulder.

"Ditto, Short-Stack," His tone was softer though, taking his leave of the battleground.

"If he's anything like me he'll know to handle himself properly," Yui assured the resident leviathan, turning to me. "Zen?"

Shaking my head, I felt nothing. "'Not even a shift'" It was unlike any Elder Dragon I've seen, masking its aura so easily it made me appear as though I were an amateur. "'All the signs point to this island but now there's not even - wait'" Placing my paw on the cobblestone, I pushed my aura downward, focusing solely on everything under then the surface of the mountain instead.

Deeper and deeper, my senses punctured the crust, slithering through caves and stone for more than subtle signs of life-

!!!

My whole body let out a shutter, almost forcing me to empty my stomach from the tremendous force that called back, crashing into my chest. Terror threw my body back into Ren, the song's deafening wail louder, permeating the cliffs from every direction. "Zen - the song!" Yui helped me sit upright with Ren, wiping the sweat from my trembling brow. "Zen, look at me, breathe..." Her words helped me focus again, drawing back my overloaded senses. "Where is it?"

"'U-under us,'" My words dropped an anvil in our hearts, the song increasing in volume, distant spires quaking from the force that split the earth from below. Picking myself up, I coughed, "I-I'm good... oh boy," Shaking off my stupor I soon heard the pinkish skies howl with a foreboding melody, one that wailed and dipped like a song of death. The very tune causing the dirt under my paws to tremble. Ren quickly stood with Topaz, hand clasping her sword while said guard kept her flank against the woman's leg as the ground shook harder. "I remember now..." My eyes widened considerably, enough to make my throat dry. "It's Him - brace yourselves!"

*BOOOSH!*

A great shadow enveloped us all under two large, rocky hands curled in the sky from the earth. Their thick digits fanned wide with another deathly howl from the beast before the tips sunk into the earth, tearing half the temple's plateau down with it, shattering the foundations of the mountain like glass. The only thing I could sense was rage, pure and everlasting hatred that tore through the crust and broke apart the edge of the land. Once the appendages sank away, I scooped Yui as Ren did with Topaz, the two of us bracing for the sudden loss of gravity as the ground under us jutted upright.

The large drop below was a haze of dust and debris, the two of us sliding toward the edge until it broke apart into pieces. I leapt to the right, rolling down the slab until I could propel us onto a smaller rock and back onto a thin road of granite and across to another segment before rolling down and across solid ground again. Ren wasn't far, performing the same landing as I with Topaz looking a little greener but safe. Setting Yui down she smiled graciously at me, turning as I did to face the shadow over us once more. Mira in her monster form, shaking off the rubble from her back.

"This is it, huh?" Yui murmured, I just nodded dumbly, conjuring Bone Rush in a heartbeat.

The massive, angular digits threshed, discarding the remaining debris and dust with a subtle vibration in the air that tickled my feet. The Elder Dragon was armoured head-to-toe in thick rocks, sand, and other minerals. The form of its head is mostly impossible to make out. Most distinctively, instead of wings, it had adapted its appendages into a four-fingered hand-like structure. The 'hands' folded against its sides as it roared down at us, the very vibrations splitting the earth slightly under us.

"The Earth-Singing Wyvern-" I grimaced, my body roaring crimson with a pair of astral swords above us. "-Shara Ishvalda."

"Hahaha, let's put an end to this melody!" Ren grinned challengingly. I couldn't agree more, rubbing my ring sharply.

To Be Continued...
> Chp. 6 - To The Very Ends With You
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Scatter!" Ren screamed, diving in time to evade between the large, rocky fingers scraping through the earth around us. 

The source of the First Song, and the recent seismic activity, an Elder Dragon so ancient that its very presence made mine feel so insignificant. Shara Ishvalda. I hooked my claws into one of the digits, scaling the large beast until I was above its head, lunging with a spiralling axe-kick, releasing a halo of scarlet in my wake, chipping more off its thick armour. Shara growled, shifting its weight to one side, dragging the length of its body across the battlefield as Ren vaulted over with her longsword; Topaz and Yui skirting around, one casting magic simultaneously with her blade slants. Meanwhile, Yui used another of those creep hand attacks to yank the Elder Dragon by the tail, tugging it toward me.

Clasping my paws together, I sent forth a large Aura Sphere, the explosion shaving more minerals from its face, Ren working her way underneath to hack away at its underbelly, slashing in wide, frantic arcs. It suddenly lurched back, tucking its wings close to practically levitating off the ground, slamming down with enough force to toss Ren across the arena, sand flying everywhere as it crawled from the pulverized stone, vibrations causing the rock to solidify in seconds under it.

"How did - what - huh!?" Yui's mind broke, moon opal in hoof.

"'It uses vibrations through its wings, that's how it causes earthquakes!'" I relayed, diving back from a lumber claw swipe, followed by a chin slam. Using the duality of Calm Mind and Nasty Plot, I let the contrasting colours intertwine. "'It's using the earth as an armour, and it can turn granite to sand and back with ease - oh, like that!'"

Shara bellowed again, plunging its wings into the earth to send bone-trembling vibrations through the island, reducing half our solid ground to sand for it to sink into partially. Charging a great deal of light into my claws, I plunged Focus Blast through the side of its massive head, marring much of the bluish rock as large chunks fell away, tossing the wailing Everwyrm across the arena and into a nearby wall that Ren finished scaling, utilizing a ledge to hoist herself over the tumbling behemoth for a Spirit Helm Breaker down the large section of its throat, leaving a blinding barrage of aftershock blows across Shara. 

"Get outta there!" Topaz warned, Ren, realizing the wind was honing down to flatten the area had a glistening pink, and white Mitzustune not slithered in to catch the huntress before the 'hand' could crush her. Topaz wiped her brow, avoiding the sandpits as Mira spun around with Ren on her back, producing a pressurized beam to shear through the sand and carve down Shara's body as though it were a blade. Although, despite the many wounds, the Elder Dragon didn't look tired at all, rising to send tremors through the converting sand, causing the pits to erupt like geysers. 

"'Here'" I placed my paw on Ren, seeing Life Dew clean her cuts and bruises in seconds. She gave a wink then lobbed herself off Mira's back, our party divided by Shara charging between us like a bull, using its wings to thresh the air, the pressure tossing all of us on our asses. I slid onto my knees, darkness crawled around my forearms. "'Shadow Claw!'"

Shara craned itself toward me in time to see a vial fly from Yui's direction over its back, it burst with a blinding white light, throwing off its leg's swing. My body blurred, time crawling as I dived across its side, slashing in a frenzy, utilizing the gradual swipe of the leg to climb its body again, Extreme Speed rocketing me high above the monster. Topaz levitate rocks toward Mira who used her tail to swat them toward me. Grinning, I accepted their gift, bronzey-orange wisps tracing my legs. 

"'Brick Barrage!'" The unique move meant I had to twist my body into a helix, punting the rocks at a devastating velocity into Shara's vertebrae, seeing it ruffle from the bombardment. Meanwhile, Ren unleashing an Iai Slash to draw herself close to its chin, promptly amputating said chin before swinging in a series of diagonal slants, finishing with a rising slash to parry the leg that forced her legs to buckle. 

The Everwyrm howled in rage, rising on its hind legs to unearth an ungodly cry as it met my gaze descending. My right arm folded with a sickly hue, turning dark purple as I sent a needle of venom to gouge out the edge of its forehead, Poison Jab immediately taking effect while I slid down its back, evading the charge with both wings forward, mowing down whatever it could find. 

Idea. "'Jack, can you hear me?'" I pushed my thoughts further than the battle, dulling my senses as Yui showered me in opal dust, enveloping me in a lucid veil. I gave a thumbs-up as she aided the others. Mira riding Shara, spurting water through the cracks in its armour, tearing larger portions from the moving mountain. Ren and Topaz fighting side-by-side, blades drawing as one unit down its stomach, rolling away from another levitating slam, the wings attempting to pluck Mira off, though the leviathan slipped through the gaps with her bubbles. 

"Loud and clear; What is up, Wolf?" His voice was rather laid back given the circumstances.

"'Got an important job - find me a large ledge overlooking us, any at all?'" My inquiry made him hum.

"Specific... alright, tsk-tsk-tsk, ah-hah, to your left, eleven o'clock." Following his guidance, I spotted a massive portion of what remained of the upper level we fell from. It dangled a shadow across the middle of the arena. "Anything else while I'm enjoying the show?"

I chuckled. "'No, thanks.'" Cutting our connection I turned to my friends, Yui hopping between the wings, kicking through the sandpit before Shara's roar caused it to erupt, flinging Topaz back sadly. Sprinting toward Shara, I pushed my aura against its own, seeing it slow its rampage to follow my scent, the veil fizzling away as I held onto Bone Rush, expelling a large portion of my energy into its tip. "Hyrah!" The spear plunged into its head, though that did little in impeding the large wing barreling toward me.

"Zen!" Ren rushed to my aid but I held firm, bringing my right palm high with an orange sheen, holding the wing in place with my bare hand, the ground under me sinking a few centimetres while I applied the same force to my left, puffing out my cheeks, bones groaning. 

"Tsk - I-Ice Punch!" My own small glacier manifested, piercing between two fingers while locking the wing in place for only a second, freeing me. I hadn't the time to check my injuries. We had to end this fast! "'Everyone, use your strongest attacks on the western wall, now!'" When I met Yui I immediately picked her up in my arms despite how heavy her Kirin armour appeared. "You and me, Yui!"

She blinked, then smiled. "Always," She adjusted to hold onto my back as I kicked my speed up a notch with Quick Attack, hurdling over several boulders flung from Shara as it gave chase, attempting to block our escape with a wing carved through the wall. Feeling my legs tense, I leapt between two digits, pivoting to anchor my Metal Claw into the back of the wing, lifting us high into the air, meeting the Everwyrm's outcry, using its other wing to swat us, or it did until it realized a large gathering of bubbles gunking up the wing, sticking to the cracks thicker than webbing. Even its left leg stumbled, slipping on the soapy substance.

Twisting my arm, I tore through the minerals, giving Yui ample time to toss a moon opal at its head, the dust from the cracked stone showering its rugged form. She squeezed her hoof around me tightly. My off-hand beside her hoof. "Meditor!!" Our chant shrouded its head in mist, forcing the body to lurch west, myself landing atop its back, catching myself as it stopped just before the heavily scarred mountainside. 

Mira evaded under a wing, however, Shara anticipated this, kicking her across the arena with its back leg, Ren wasn't fairing much better, her sword was starting to deflect with every stroke into thicker deposits, same with Topaz. I didn't need to read Yui to know she shared my determination, running up the arching body of the Elder Dragon. She hugged me tightly, giving me that needing morale boost as well as some of her aura as it gathering around my spikes as a soft, lilac glint. 

Using Retaliate to weaken the rocks surrounding its face, I hopped from its head to the nearby cliff, ricocheting to meet its deflated form with my fist swirling with crimson-amethyst light. "Mega..." My knuckle met the rocks, effectively reducing them to dust under an expanding ring of our colours. "...Punch!"

Shara let out a wail, the massive form tumbling forward into the marred wall, the sheer tons of debris and muscle sending massive fissures along the entire wall, fragments forcing the others to evade while we tumbled together, looking up with Yui atop my back. The Everwyrm, swayed, groaning and unable to realize what darkness shrouded the sunlight. Masking Yui with Protect, we all hunkered down before the gargantuan slab of stone buried the beast with a Crash, bits of rock and dust released into the arena. 

Large segments of Shara's body crumbled away, the body slumped in the plume. Its aura went unbearably quiet, like all in the world ceased to make a sound. Lowering the shield, Yui slid off as the light trickle of dust filled the air with any notion of sound. All was still.

"Hahaha, yes!" Ren clapped to my right. My eyes refused to leave it, the same could be said for Mira, her gums curling with a snarl. "Hey, why the long faces, didn't we..." Her accomplished smile slowly faded and her brow knitted tightly with uncertainty. "You're kidding, right?"

"Zen, what's wrong?" Yui nudged my leg but I just shook my head slowly, crossing my arms to erect and Quick Guard. "Not again~!"

"'Everyone, get behind me and cover your ears,'" Once the barrier was up I folded my own ears tightly while the rest braced against my back, Mira acting as a wall with her head low by my side. The dust and rock crumbled further, revealing something spindly within. Twisted mandibles like yellow bark felt around the dust, a slimmer form rising amongst the shroud as more boulders and minerals were discarded. This was it, his True Form. "'This is Shara-'"

"rrrrooooaaaaaaaarrr!!!"

The wings fanned wide against its back like a star, the sheer might of its sonic boom shattering the cliffs into dust, flattening the whole area with only a few protrusions left, the sunlight no longer obscured by cliffs and mountains. Shara's true form was exposed, it was a lithe and athletic creature, and boasts a variety of bright colours, mainly yellows, purples, and white.

Its face bears two large, forward-facing eyes, though they remained shut, and crests around its head make the shape of a crown. The distinct arms are well-muscled, and the fingers are shown to be spindly and misshapen, bearing specialized tips for sound production. Spikes, markings, plates, and indentations run along its neck, back, sides, and limbs, some invoking skeletal structures such as a ribcage. The tail ends in an entwining series of snaking structures, failing to form any one tip.

"Ugh, that's... really unsettling to look at!" Topaz yelled once the ringing in our ears faded away. Shara wasn't going to wait, immediately pointing two of its wing fingers between us, forcibly dividing us with two sonic blasts that rippled through the earth. "Okay, seriously, what the hell is this!?"

"'An Elder Dragon,'" What else could describe it? 

Shara rose high again, posing its fingers to produce several cones of sound to ripple and dance around us, one managed to knock me flying, and I swore my eardrums burst from the sheer force of my own insides being vibrated, causing me to convulse slightly during my scramble. It stopped, craning its neck to find that Ren spun around, hacking through its left foreleg. Hissing, Shara curled its fingers, the wind threshing under its own stomach, tossing the whitette into Topaz who suffered the same fate, their weapons almost lost had Mira not swooped in, spitting another beam into its face.

It stumbled, pointing one wing toward the Mizutsune, the erratic nature of the limb, chipping her scales, leaving Mira rolling across the ground in pain. Without his armour, Shara wasn't nearly as slow, and its attacks were varied. Kicking my foot into the soil, a large rock slammed into Shara, drawing the Elder toward me, the fingers caged before it, the air distorted by its touch. My eyes widened in horror before I ran far from the reach of the earth-shattering beam of sound that tore through granite and soil. In the distance, one of the island's spires were reduced to a crumbling mass in the ocean. 

This Elder Dragon was beyond anything Safi'Jiiva ever displayed. I... don't know how we can win. "No, I can't hesitate yet, even if we have to beat it until the sun goes down..." Clenching my fist, I let out my own roar, charging steadfast into hell.






[Ren's POV]


"This is bad!" I rolled to the side, avoiding the leg but not another of its wing's burst attacks. The sonic beams knocking me off my fluid motions again. Topaz wasn't fairing better either. I hopped back, slashing in a criss-cross down its leg before taking a rising strike at the chest, bringing my longsword through the same cut once more before rolling out from under it, the wing narrowly missing my boots. Rising from my knees, I quickly hid to the side of its wings, forming that devastating blast of sound that tore up the earth, pushing even something as big as Shara back a few inches. 

With enough of energy stored in my blade, I held the sheath by my hip, swiping between the legs for a clean, scarlet arc, hopping back to fire a scatter pellet from my clutch claw, disorientating the Elder long enough to step closer, avoiding the erratic spray of sound from its risen wings. Nearest the tail, I continued my assault, making minimal damage. 

Shara spun to meet me, claw deflected by my sword's inverted guard before I raised my arm, firing a clutch claw into the side of its head, lifting me over its wings as I slung myself up and around, repeating the process with a scattershot loaded into the gauntlet. "Open wide!" I smirked, fixing the anchor into its face to propel it toward the nearby mountain base. To my horror, its right-wing splayed to catch itself, pushing off the surface to roar back at us, well, until Wolfman leapt from one of the few remaining rock formations, his mouth bleeding static.

"Graaawr!!" Whatever he spouted, it came with a tremendous beam of light that crackled and tore through Shara's wings, disrupting its large beam attack in time while knocking it away from the wall, whining as it did. Zen pumped a fist, myself giving a thumb while showering my head in Demon Powder. 

Then it released another roar to break away more of the walls circling us.






[Topaz's POV]


That roar was getting on my nerves. It forced half our available space to shift and disintegrate into sand, my hooves sinking a few inches. I swayed through the sea of sand, Yui appearing next to me, equally as annoyed. Ren and Zen handled the frontlines for the most part, but where was Mira? "Any luck?"

"Not a dent," I spat sand from my lips. "If we can bring it down we'd have a moment to recover," THat was when a purr snuck up behind me. "Gah!" Mira sniffed my back, lowering her head between us. "So, any bright ideas?"

The monster gave me a nod, eyeing the front legs eagerly with a spit of its tongue. Yui tapped her wing to her chin. "If we take out the legs it'll topple over, maybe if we..." She suddenly perked up, grinning at us. "Alright, girls, I have a plan - Topaz, we'll get you in close with Zen, and Ren, then leave it to me and Mira to knock it down!"

Why did I feel my job was what mattered if the plan sinks or swim? If I were honest, I'd refuse but... this was a situation to doubt. I'm well out of my depth here, the Princess trusted me of all ponies to stand on equal ground with others that had done more than I bargained for. I smiled sadly, "Protect your comrades, right mom?" "I'll show what the Royal Guard can do then."

"Right!" Yui nodded, hopping atop Mira. "Mira, you're up!"

"Grr..." She hissed, curling her body before diving down onto the sand, she... was swimming through it like water? Following their lead, I couldn't stop admiring how the pair moved. Yui adjusted herself atop Mira's fur, Shara's fingers spraying the lake of sand haphazardly, releasing waves of destabilized sand in an effort to stop them. I rolled out of the path of another while Mira glided between the chaos as though the wind carried her glistening body through a sandstorm.

Shifting through this sand was difficult but with Mira constantly evading between sonic blasts with Yui using a lot of those opals, they kept Shara distracted as Ren knelt beside me, drawing her clutch claw before giving me a wink. The hooks wedged themselves into the Dragon's shoulder, Zen appearing to share her idea by vaulting over a claw swipe with his staff, backhanding the jaws of the beast away, snapping several scales in the process.

The pair moved fluently, tearing their weapons down the length of its arms, weakening the tough scales. They... gave me an opening! "Seriously? Now I really feel like the weak link here..." That was when a strange pressure surfaced in my head.

"'The curtain fall is all yours, buddy!'" Zen chimed, performing a handstand to swiped several bronze rocks against Shara's cheek while Ren tore under its chin, knocking it into a barrage of bubbles that netted its head, causing the beast to wail in protest. 

Adjusting my sword I let my magic pour into its edge, overflowing with golden light that appeared as though the metal was dripping. It was a risk but with everypony else doing the same I can't be the weak link. Shara's wing curled down to thresh under its stomach. With a great deal of concentration, I leapt between its vibrating fingers, hopping off its wrist to spin around, my magic throbbing in my head as I carved a spiral through its first weakened muscles, biting my cheek while dancing under the collarbone to carry my molten attack through to the second leg, seeing both buckle under the weakened earth.

I stumbled out the other side, coughing from the exertion of magic. When I glared back, panting through a headache; I couldn't believe what I was seeing. The legs trembled, lurching forward in protest toward Zen's glowing fists, the bubbles underfoot allowing him to skate away from a massive wave of sand unleashed prior to its fall. Ren hovered above, curving delicately with Spirit Helm Breaker. Two scarlet impacts rippled and tore through the Elder Dragon's head with a devastating force that clapped in the air. Scales splintered and gashes bled, knocking the towering behemoth down into its sand, or rather, into Mira's water beam as it sliced a thin, arcing crescent through its collarbone, flinging the beast across the earth with a pained wail.

Collecting my thoughts quickly, I ignored how my head pounded and drew my blade forward. "Now, hit it with everything you got!" We had to use this window sparingly, if we couldn't bring this monster down soon, none of us is swimming home. 






[Yui's POV]


I got everywhere, what an awful day. Shaking the loose debris from my mane I quickly wiped my nose of a dribble of blood. A side effect of overusing my spells I guess. I'd honestly refuse to go this far but when my whole home - Equestria itself was riding on our success, a little blood wasn't going to sway me. The others used magic or their skills to pummel on the weakest points of Shara's body. Snapping claws, chipping scales to finally lay real damage on its form. Ice and thunder warped and clashed, metal and magic splashed and stripped through with gleams of light emanating from their weapons. A triumphant howl from a leviathan as it unleashed bubbles and pressurised water to keep the Elder unstable longer.

The wings twitched, and I caught it, using Tenebris Hamo I dipped my hooves into the shadows, gripping at that dark void as it coiled and snapped against Shara's body, tugging the beast to its knees in protest. They were weaker the long I expanded the arms but they were effective at keeping those dangerous wings from utilizing sound again, even if only for the moment. But...

"Grah...!" I coughed up a few red specks, feeling my head throb from the pressure. My own muscles felt like they were being squeezed by a vice. This wasn't like Safi'Jiiva or Vaal Hazak, I... I can't hold it back! Is this what Zen feels constantly? This overwhelming sensation pounding in his chest that I'd feel like screaming? 


|Get...| 


"What? Who...?" My sweat froze down my cheek, the ambient sounds a dull throb. This dark, overbearing presence in my head, shadowed everything, the sun was gone in place of two sickly yellow eyes with burning red pupils stared back at me. It. Sees. Me.


|Off...|


Shara's wings curled to rest its tips against the cracked soil, right where... Zen and Topaz were... My heart burst with horror. My throat was dry as time gradually sped back in tangent with my scream.


|ME!!!|


"GET AWAY!" My horrified cry was far too late. The wings released a devastating amount of sound into the earth under it, showering them in sand and rock that blew outward, ringing in my ears as... two more mountains crumbled in the ocean, the wings splayed wide to sheer several tops of the rocky spires afar. 

My spell was all but nought as I collapsed to the ground in a heap of sweat, eyes shaking with fright. I couldn't move, I... I've never felt something so terrifying in all my life. I... I can't beat that...

Shara stomped back down, taking a water beam to the face as it pointed its right wing toward Mira exclusively, trapping her between cones of sound before backhanding her with only its tail, leaving a large gash across her face while she rolled toward the edge of the arena. Shara craned its neck to face Topaz, swiping at her with his claws until she sunk her back hooves into the sand. I couldn't even mutter a word before Shara released a horrid sound from its throat. That alone caused another eruption of sand to sweep Topaz in its wake, flinging her battered form closer to me, hacking up sand in the process.

"'Yui,'" Zen's voice startled me, though I couldn't pinpoint where he was through the dust. "'Grab Topaz and stand by Mira, hurry.'" He wasn't yelling but that tone of his was almost unrecognizable, any empathy he had simply vanished. "'Go, now.'"

"Ngh, r-right," Much as I wanted to just curl up in fear I needed to get Topaz out of harm's way until she was okay to move on her own accord. Tucking her right hoof over my shoulder she groaned, dragging her sword with her teeth. 






[Zen's POV]


"Z-Zen, I-I can't move!" Ren was behind me, trying to pry her legs from the sandpit, digging her hunting knife into the edge to keep herself steady to slowly pry herself free. In front of us, Shara's powerful legs struck the earth. She couldn't move, and I had very little energy left myself after blocking that blast so suddenly for us.

'"It'll be okay,'" Guess I'll let the old me show for a bit. Clenching my fists until ice burst from my skin I let the last Sword Dance raise my strength further with a combination of silver wisps from Retaliate. "'You guys just gave me the edge.'"

Ren chuckled slightly. "Little dark for you - *cough-cough*, go get 'em." I appreciated that. 

That look on Yui's face... really makes my insides turn! "Shinsoku!" My body blurred over the burst of sound waves, paunching my left fist against Shara's head, almost knocking him back while the left arm rose to swipe at me had I not anticipated it, landing one foot atop the palm to flip backwards, flinging several rime-covered fists against its underside while diving back from a stomp. I may lack the incredible strength to shatter mountains but my speed far accelerates beyond its vision.   

My fists rattled against Shara's body, leaving patches of ice in my wake while he failed to catch me, dipping over its back and under his legs constantly until I ran up his spine for his head to thresh back, curling the tips of his wings to form a sudden ball of sound directly at my chest. Smashing my fists together, I yelled back, driving Focus Blast back before the beam of sound could be released. The chaotic outburst threw me toward the earth again, holding my ground to swing my right arm wide, backhanding Shara once he was on all fours. The large wall of ice expanded to shred against his face, destabilizing him momentarily, the tail knocking the ice down.

We stared at one another, his lips pulled back in a snarl. His body was battered and bleeding, and my own body fared no better. How much more did I have left? My ice was dripping, and my strength was beginning to fade. And the others? Could any of us still muster the strength to finish Shara off?

It growled, pulverizing the ground below instantly before plunging his whole body into the sand again, leaving with a sudden plop into the earth as the sand shifted under me, he was travelling through the sand now? But why would - I left my arms to go limp, my eyes downcast for a moment. I moved to kneel beside Ren, herself almost free as I hooked my arms under her pits.

"Ah, thanks - huh, what's with that face?" She tilted her head, clueless as to why I was... smiling grimly. She turned to where Shara arose from the depths, shaking off the fountains of sand with his back toward the sea, the others hugging the edge not far away. I felt all that malice and contempt stare back at us, our backs to the wall. "He's going for something big, isn't he?"

"'Pretty much, and we're right in the middle of it,'" I replied, hoisting Ren into my arms as Shara roared to the sky, clasping his fingers above his head to channel a gargantuan sphere of sound between them, the sheer pressure distorting my vision through the vibrations. 

Ren, despite the looming end of our lives, managed a shaky smile. "Well, not exactly how I expected this to play out but... guess our little plan for a Guild's got to have a pin in it, I really hate that saying." Shaking her head I handed her back the weapon she lost, meeting her gaze one last time. "Wait, you-"

"'Just one, hunter,'" I saw her tense before I swung her wide, tossing the girl safely out of harm's way. By now, there'd be no time for me to escape this attack, the blast would either kill me instantly or send me flying into the ocean, though I might as well be landing on concrete. I wasn't afraid, rather, I... couldn't feel it. Just, tranquillity I guess? Was this how death felt when you knew it was coming? I mean, I'm scared but I don't feel my body locking up... Looking down at my ring, I sighed a smile. "Not yet, I got a promise to keep, right?" The amethyst gleamed as I held out my paws, standing firm against the trembling earth.

I inhaled slow and steadily, just like Safi'jiiva, I let the energy of Organ Isle flow through my legs and to the tips of my fingers. Light gathered around me, expanding into a Protect that shimmered in the sunlight, the Elder Dragon bathed too in its radiance. Not a single thought intruded, though I wasn't going to die here, I promise I won't. Do whatever it takes to fight, whatever it takes to live.

The Everwyrm released the spirit bomb of sound directly into the ground, though the radius expanded to clash with my barrier, my whole body gripped for dear life against a force that overwhelmed my entire aura. I bore my fangs in protest, the ground split and curled behind me heels threatening to break at a moment's notice. My blood felt like bursting from my skin, arms groaning with agony to be let free.

Chips of my barrier flaked off from the edges, my energy was nonexistent at this point. I felt my hold slipping bit by bit, I couldn't stop this. Shara held its wings wide, remaining upright to release all the pent up energy contained in the sphere. It sank further, an unearthly rumble sending large fissures through the ground under me. Then, the sand was sent rushing toward the surface for newer land to reshape the environment, a mountainous explosion blocked out the sun, and my barrier shattered before my eyes, throwing me back into the haze.

My body was being ripped apart by the debris, or that's what it felt like, then... nothing, I struck something with my back but it was a numb pressure and nothing more. I... couldn't hear, see, or even taste anything, I... think I lost. 

...

...

...

...

...

...


This, wasn't how I wanted this to end.






I stirred, opening my eyes to find I was... sitting in a booth? Once the light adjusted in my eyes, I could see a window to my left, golden light beaming through as though the sun had risen recently. I gasped, almost standing up had my body not ached. The cafe my parents owned was bright but so empty, left hollow and vacant. Looking down at my hands I was human again, that's twice this has happened, why?  "I'm... home?" The words felt exciting yet terrifying. 

"Not entirely, but I felt this would help put your mind at ease," For the second time I nearly fell from my seat, snapping my neck toward the voice of an old acquaintance masked by a golden veil over her eyes. That motherly smile resting on her lips. "Hello again, Zen - you've been busy?"

"T-Trinity?" This is a lot to bear. Rubbing my head I paled. "Cr - erm, I'm dead? Great..." Yui is going to kill me.

"Not particularly," Trinity offered me a cup of tea from her side, one that took slowly to calm my nerves, heck, even my mind felt clairvoyant. "I'm sure you've noticed how mellow you are, since we are within my world, I'm able to put your heart at ease to think rationally; I hope you don't mind?"

Sipping my drink I shook my head quickly. "No-no, I'm grateful actually... I... wait," I pointed a finger at her with a deadpan. "Aren't Gods not supposed to pick favourites?"

She giggled behind her hand, veil raising to indicate her brow moved. "And who made up that rule? I certainly don't recall it ever being written in stone - besides, I believe my involvements are substantial enough." Trinity replied, offering a sad smile. "You've been through a lot lately..."

Lowering my head to stare at my reflection in the tea I couldn't hide anything from her. My ability to see auras was one thing, but a Goddess? I might as well speak everything on my mind. Looking up, Trinity didn't say anything, waiting for me to speak regardless. Biting my cheek, I made a selfish request. "How do I beat Shara Ishvalda? I can't... win with my abilities, I'm too drained to do anything substantial now, I... I lost." Of all Monsters, I finally came to my crossroads. Valstrax drained much more than I realized, and now the others would pay for my costs. 

Trinity was frowning, though it didn't look malicious, rather, she was thinking, the scarf concealing her eyes moving until one of its ends flicked against my nose. "I can't do much, otherwise it will cause more harm, even for you I can't risk billions for," I nodded.

"I understand - I wouldn't want you to," My smile made her lips curl slightly, placing her hands together on the table.

"You've spent nearly two years closing Rifts alongside natural Monsters, in that time, the remnants of the ruby I gifted you have reacted in kind, drawing you toward these threats," Trinity looked around the cafe. "I could use it all to finally send you home, Yui too if you desired that, or... I can grant you one last edge against this Old Everwyrm," My heart twisted and caved at her words, eyes shaken and wide. 

"It has always been your choice to make, your virtue-" Her hand raised before me, waiting for my hand. "I don't know when you'll accumulate enough energy to return to your world, so, I ask you, Zen Amadeus; Will you return to your Old World, the one you've longed to see or will you save this New World at the cost of your own heart's desires?"

I never told Yui... about the days I wanted to see my sister again, my best friends, what became of Taka and Kazu's kid. I missed my parents, I missed everything so normal about my life that I forced myself to mindlessly train for hours in private just to bury those feelings. I had a feeling the remnants of the ruby were gathering slithers of ether left by the Rift-Monsters, maybe... I could've used them to go home with Yui if possible. Now, all that progress was split between two choices. My own happiness or a world that in the grand scheme of things was a fraction of a grain of sand on a beach. 


"How can you get it!?" She spun right around, and... was crying, I... made her cry. Now that pit in my chest only constricted. "You'll be home with your family and friends again! And how I feel... the time I spent with you will just disappear!" She bit her lip. "Call me selfish, but... I'm so scared! Because I'll lose someone very important to me."

"I ran away two years ago... they wouldn't let me pursue anything other than their stupid 'Lunar Guard', and all the taunting was just... aggravating! Sure, I've had fun but... it's just me," Her head was low, hood hiding her eyes as tears dripped to the ground. I wanted to say something... but what? What can I say right now, what should I say? "Then I met you, you helped me, laughed with me, comforted me... I... I don't want you to go away..."


Back then, I did get it, I just was too much of a coward to admit that's how I felt. 

"Trinity?" She looked to me, seeing the tears running down my face as I gripped the table, turning away from my home, face scrunched up in agony. "I... made my choice."

I'm sorry I'm such a selfish person.






[No POV]


Anyone who held the strength to stand could barely move from their spots, debris gathered on either side, they were cornered and backup was out of the question, keeping even Jack from intervening from afar. Despair and dread filled the air and gripped their hearts. 



The worst of them all was the bat pony, she held nothing but sorrow, not even rage could surface above her ocean of grief, staring down at her armoured hooves stained with her own blood, a horrifying image of it being Zen's twisted in her head. Shara didn't charge, not even a roar after triumphantly disposing of the Lucario. The air rose with a dull trepidation, a few sparks gathered at the tips of its wings as sound erupted outward in a blinding torrent.

"You were a good partner, Topaz," Ren combed her hair, smiling slightly as her vision blurred. "I'll seeya the next time around, big brother."

Mira curled herself around her allies, never once taking her eyes off the gathering tension between Shara's wings, caging its face. "I'll protect them, I will like Mama would!"

"So this is it? Down a friend, standing with a human, a treasure hunter, and a monster," Topaz managed a small laugh. "Well, certainly an unforgetting life."

"...I'm sorry Mom, Dad, Vega... I tried my best..." Yui closed her eyes, tucking the necklace with her ring close to her chest. "I'm sorry... Zen."

...

...

...

*Boosh!*

The air grew a lot quieter, something sharp having cut the attack mid-conjuration. When their eyes felt the will to look, all were shell shocked to find that Shara was flailing to one side, a large figure grasping the side of its face with a silver claw wedged to its eye socket. The figure twisted their arm, locking the device to the Everwyrm's face to release several small explosions point-blank. The blinding force threw Shara forward, slamming headfirst into the wall of the battlefield, dropping the thick slab of granite atop its scalp. 

The figure, who stood much as Ren would, rose to their feet after decoupling the claw. "A... human?" Yui murmured, flabbergasted through tears.

His armour consisted of a large white coat, the fur pearl-white across the hem, the collar tucked around his neck tightly. A red sash strung from under his collar and belt to hand by his thigh. The belt was large, bearing the mark of the Hunter's Guild with a collection of pouches and a glowing pendant containing green fireflies. His arms and legs were suited with dark, embroiled plate armour, hugging his slim frame tightly, the left gauntlet fitted with what appeared to be a Slinger much like Ren's only to fit the theme of the armour.

The last they noted was he wore no helmet, allowing his scruffy white locks dance in the wind, revealing a pair of pale red eyes. His hair dawned a dark crimson hairband with a pink rose. In his right and left respectively was a black sword and shield, their very structure layered like scales, the sword's blade split with bright purple light much like his shield. The pair radiating strength comparable to an Elder Dragon.

"Who... are you?" Yui murmured breathlessly, meeting his eyes as though they were familiar.

He blinked, inspecting his looks with a pleasant grin, admiring his weapons fondly, stars in his eyes. "Hehehehe, oooh Trinity wasn't kidding~! I'm human again, suckas!" Did he cackle... like Zen? "She even gave me my Alatreon gear? Oh-oh, do I have..." He swiped his hand, seeing something the others could now, his giggling intensified. "I do!? My precious little jewel slots..."

"I - wow, so this is who you really look like?" Topaz commented after a brief gathering of her thoughts, smiling slightly. "You're scrawnier than I expected."

Zen bashfully scratched his cheek. "Yeah... I didn't get out much - I'm more of a recluse back home."

"What's with the Hunter's Mark then?" Ren questioned as Yui continued to stare in awe, drying her eyes as the Elder Dragon ahead of them slowly began to rise, Mira slithered around to nuzzle Zen who chuckled at the affection.

"Hehehe, that tickles - ahem, love to explain but let's take care of big, yellow, and ugly before we're forced to swim home," He drooped. "I... can't swim in this armour."

"Zen..." He paused, turning to Yui to see her smile, holding back a few relieved tears. "Y-you look amazing."

He winked, feeling her worry fizzled away, he couldn't imagine that was pleasant to watch without knowing. "Now-now, that title is rightfully yours," He stood by her side, drawing his Black Dragon weapons forward as the Everwyrm reared its massive head toward them, dust cast aside by its roar. "Alright - Let's kick 'em where it hurts!"

"RIGHT!!"

"Oh, and take this-" Zen tossed Topaz a yellow jar of liquid, giving a wink. "It'll help regen your mana... I think?"

"You 'think'?" She blinked but ultimately sighed and tossed it back with an electrical current between her eyes. The heavens themselves practically opened up for her briefly. "Holy Celestia! Where has this been all my life!?"

"Maybe I shouldn't tell her it's made with a shroom that explodes." Zen grimaced before taking the vanguard, dousing himself in Mega Demon Powder and Armourskin, biting down on a yellow pill that effectively increased the health and stamina gauges in the top left of his vision. 

Over their heads, Topaz used her newfound vigour to unleash a barrage of magic bolts to impede Shara's sight, blinding the beast though it still caged its face, building pressure between its wings as the team divided up, evading the massive beam that tore through the earth and toppled another distant mountain, even causing a large wave to crash into the island. Mira slithered on her bubbles, curling around to fire a sharp beam to slice the ground and Shara's hide, forcing the Everwyrm to stumble away into a smoke bomb, leaving it discombobulated to Yui retreat. 

Ren stood firm, clasping her weapon for a single, instantaneous motion through its legs, leaving a devastating assault on its body with a nice scarlet finish. Growling, the wing curved to blast the earth, freeing dust that obscured the fingers that swatted the pair out its sight. It lumbered toward the bat pony and human leg rising had something solid not struck it in the muzzle, bringing its head lower. A scent of a Black Dragon actually forced Shara to hesitate, seeing the purple energy expel from Zen's sword and shield, practically blazing with Alatreon's strength. For a glimpse, Shara swore the legend loomed over the hunter's shoulder.

Another slam of the shield stunned Shara, its swipe missing while Zen backstopped, lunging with a flash of red on his blade's edge, the force flinging him up from his initial strike for a downward thrust of the shield, the draconic force ricocheting Shara's chin off the ground. While the Elder Dragon recovered, Zen and Ren stood either side of its head, clutch clawing to its face to grapple and thrust their blades through its scales, shredding the already weakened head further with a final, vertical slash.

Weak, Mira leapt high, sinking her teeth into its neck while choking the monster with her length. She kept moving to evade the wings sonic blasts, chewing scales and gashes wider. Snaking around, her cheeks were sucked inward to gouge out Shara's left eye with a deadly amount of water, Releasing her tail in time to avoid the monster's retaliation, giving itself breathing room with a hazardous sweep of sound while it wailed from the lack of a second eye.  

Yui hid behind Zen who managed to deflect one of the beams with just his shield, though he did stumble. With her guardian at the ready, she crushed the last of her opals, blowing the dust toward Ren, the now semi-transparent girl sprinting to meet with Topaz on Shara's blinded side. Together, they plunged their swords through its scales, Ren acting as a stool for Topaz to double over the monster to bash it across the temple with the butt of her sword, removing that last layer of protection for its marred, cracked face. Zen then slid forward, performing a rising strike to Shara's chin, knocking the Elder backwards to use its wing on the edge of the arena again to steady itself.

"It's weak, we're almost there!" Zen cheered, thankful his temporary form came with the nuances of Monster hunter. A skull blinking beside Shara's icon. One blow to the head was all they needed, do that, and they win! "Oh no... Topaz!"

"On it!" She retreated with Ren, evading the sheer might of Shara's enraged roar as it destabilized the ground once more, fountains of rock and sand sent flying while they scrambled for solid ground. Not a moment later, the towering beast sunk back into the crust, swimming through the island toward the remaining mountainside.

Each side held on the final trump card, the be all end all. Zen swallowed two pills to bolster his strength further than before, swiping a whetstone over his blade three times to a glint. The Old Everwyrm howled high, wings curled to gather sound and vibration between its fingers, one more attack like that was avoidable, Zen knew this. But that was also Ishvalda's biggest opening. "Mira, taxi!" He waved her over as the monster bit down on his arm lightly, flicking up onto her tail. It stung but the slap of her tail threshed him high into the air, enough to bask in the whole battlefield.

Topaz put the last of her magic into her horn, squeezing our sparks to conjure a pale but stable disk of light in the sky, Zen's foot shattering it once he leapt further, sword folded back with a marron glow mingling with ominous amethyst. One sword strike or Pure Heaven Breaking Force. Clenching his muscles, Zen slit his eyes toward the large gash atop Shara's forehead. 


"One more thing, if you don't mind," Zen spoke up, holding onto the red sea-shell necklace tenderly. "It didn't help in time before the blast sent me flying, but I stored that last attack into Counter," Trinity's scarf curved up curiously. "So I was wondering if you could let me channel it when I need it, just once?"

Trinity was silent a moment, then giggled behind her hand at his bashful request. "Zen, you certainly amaze me."


"I gave up my home for my new one, I hope you guys can wait a little longer because I'm not dying now!!" "COUUUNTER!!!" White light discharged from the red shell necklace to the Alatreon Sword, screeching as though it were a living legend reincarnated. Shara's frontmost fingers were severed from its wings, the brilliant silver flame burning through its attack, carving through its shoulder with an unbearable amount of heat, that once it made contact with the ground, detonated with a resounding flash of light. 

The Earth Singing Wyvern cried out, the fissure carved through the mountain with ease, the impression in the earth several layers down where Shara collapsed in a bloodstained heap, dust rising from the epicentre. Through the dark clouds and ominous aura, all slowly began to fade, allowing the sun's rays to fully bask over the forgotten island once more. Up above, Jack whistled to himself, peering out from his hovel with binoculars, laughing triumphantly at what he saw.

Through the resting dust, Yui galloped to find Zen standing tall, staring silently back at the fallen Elder Dragon. He turned to look back at his approaching friends with a small wave, dirt and injures dotting his face while his right arm appeared limp, blood dripping from fresh wounds. "Hey... I think I won, ehehehe."

"Zen!" Yui immediately tackled him to the ground, hugging him tightly though he was unable to do anything to pull her away. Lying back with his good arm around her back, feeling her muzzle nudge his chin. "If you do that again, I'll kill you." She murmured, sniffing slightly.

"Wouldn't have it any other way," He sighed, tucking his head against her neck. "You're the best."

"Isn't that my line?" She smiled warmly, sitting on his lap while Ren helped to pull him upright, laughing away with Topaz smiling next to the pony form of Mira, the monster girl smiling pleasantly to herself. 

"You're one crazy wolf - erm, hunter I guess?" Ren motioned at his change in appearance, making him rub his nape bashfully. 

"Yeaaah, Trinity helped me out on that one," That made Topaz and Yui gape.

"She came back!?" Yui leaned close enough that Zen pecked her lips quickly to throw her off, it earned him a punch to the arm.

"Only to give me this edge over Shara, it's strange, last I checked my character was a chick but I'm not complaining," He boasted, patting his equipment, or until it turned a soft silver, deflating him quickly. "Aw, I'm out of time, gonna miss not needing aura to chat, shaaaame." Ren patted his messy white hair.

"Still our hunter, Wolfman," Ren clicked her fingers as Yui stepped off his lap for the transformation to finish. It didn't take long before Zen's posture shifted, becoming smaller and more animal-like. The light faded away, leaving only a Lucario in its place. "There he is in the fluffy flesh!"

"'I am not fluffy.'" He grunted, leaving him the butt of the joke until Mira approached, looking content after all the fighting, though even in her pony form she retained her injuries. "'Sorry, I can't really do much to heal you.'"

Shaking her head, Mira merely hugged him briefly. "I am happy you are okay, you beat the Elder Dragon, transforming like me."

"'To a degree-'" He waved his arm toward them all. "'-don't sell yourselves short, all of us did this, beating an Elder Dragon far more powerful than I could've anticipated, so thank you for putting up with my shortcomings.'"

"Ditto." The group replied.

Looking around, Topaz gave the deceased Elder one more look, shaking her head free of the Valstrax helmet. "We should gather what we can, this'll be quite the report, great." She muttered flatly.

"'I've got to take more notes too,'" Zen agreed, "'Every monster I can remember, I need to list everything instead of waiting, so that the next time an Elder Dragon shows its ugly side I've got us prepped.'"

Yui nudged his hip, smiling bashfully. "And time to, you know, handle what comes next, dork." She played with the ring on her necklace, watching him laugh nervously with that cute smile of his.

"That is very important, Yui Amadeus," He took great joy in seeing her face erupt into scarlet. Spinning on his heel to his allies he replied to them all. "'Ahem, we should probably find a way back to the camp, and to Jack, if he hasn't fainted or something.'"

"I can still hear you - or are you ignoring me!? Hello!? Ah, r-right, okay then!" His voice echoed from afar.

"Sadly," Mira added under her breath.

While everyone gathered their gear and felt the massive weight lift away, Zen held his footing, turning when his ear flicked in protest. Behind them, he met the single, red pupil that dilated at the sight of the Lucario. He paled in turn. "Oh, you've got to be fu-"

"Roaaar!!" Shara shook the island again, waves crashing from the disturbance that slipped by Zen's aura.  

"You're kidding!?" Topaz gawked.

They turned, Ren drawing her longsword instantly, Mira converting back into a Mizutsune, Topaz levitating her own blade, Zen managing to conjure a thin Bone Rush with what little he had left, even Yui procured some materials meant to blind or mislead the monster once more. '"Round two it is then!'"

Shara pushed off its wings, clearly weak and holding onto its fading breath, the blood pooling by its left leg from Zen's devastating attack. Despite these fatal injuries, it brought its wings high, the finger taut with rage. Lifting itself onto its back legs to shadow the hunters bearing their fangs at the indomitable Dragon. 

"I'm up for another 'bout, let's go!" Ren challenged the almighty Elder, everyone awaiting the sonic barrage to ensue again, or, had a sharp ringing not pierced most of their eardrums. 

The clouds that remained were banished instantly by a red blur colliding with Shara's back, claws tearing strips off the monster. The team followed the silver body toward the mountain peaks, all unexpectedly shocked to find a one-eyed Dragon facing the Everwyrm. "No way...!" Zen breathed in his native tongue.

"It's alive!?" Yui was at a loss for words.

Valstrax hovered for only a second, rocketing down to carve a draconic infused wing across Shara's chest, the impact forcing the others to kneel just to stand against the gale-force behind Valstrax's speed. It swivelled out of reach of Shara's claws, pinning the weakened Elder by the throat for its wing to invert, carving down into its jugular like a knife, twisting before one final slam of the head silenced Shara Ishvalda forever. 

In mere moments that dread filling Zen was gone, replaced with something he couldn't describe in Valstrax's eye. It inspected them from head to toe, giving them all a roar before posing its wings downward, releasing another crimson burst from its vents, vacating the island without a hint of malice to be felt. His gleaming form disappearing into the big blue world above, never to be seen again.

"'Well,'" Zen clapped his paws, immediately flopping onto the ground in exhaustion. "'Atleast it wasn't Nergigante.'"

"Ugh!" The rest soon followed in his stead.






[Zen's POV]


After the sudden climax brought to us by the totally not dead Valstrax, we finally found our way back to camp to patch up and head home. It felt like forever ago given the many events that have transpired, I honestly wasn't sure how this would've panned out. Looking back on the day I first met Valstrax's eyes, I feel like he led us here, he wanted us to find Shara and put an end to his rampage. But why? What makes Valstrax different from the rest? Maybe because he's nomadic or-

"You still reciting everything that happened?" Yui started me from my notes, almost scribbling down the page while she sat beside me against the mast, frowning disapprovingly. "I know you want to keep tabs on everything that's happened but you need your rest."

"I know, sorry I-" That look of hers again forced me to close the book, setting it down. "-Right, I will, promise." She nodded and placed her head against my shoulder, wrapping her wing tucked between us. This felt nice, and to let my guard down after so long felt great. "What's your take on Valstrax?"

"Probably as good as yours," Her eyes were closed, brushing the bangs to reveal the other as they opened toward me. "I've learned that not all monsters, Rift or otherwise, act as expected."

"I've been comparing them to their video game counterparts, but that's no longer viable given their intelligence." Much as that irked me, I suppose expecting things to pan out like a game would be a poor judgement. "Well, nothing to do now but look forward."

"Agreed, I still have a few sweet spots to beat that other adventurer to!" Yui grinned, holding her hoof high. "That mare won't beat me this time, hehe." No one should be this cute, period. "Though I wouldn't mind spending a little time to ourselves, i-if that's fine w-with you?"

I hooked my arm behind her waist, tucking her closer to my side with a sigh, closing my eyes to the blissful world around us. "With you? I'd go to the ends of the earth, remember?"

She giggled, "I do," This feeling, I think this is what made that choice easier. "Can't wait to say that again..."

I let my head rest atop hers, my wounds no longer itchy, a warmth wrapping around my heart. "You and me both."





Several Years Later...

"The End... or is it?" Zen drummed the nightstand lightly. "So, your rating? I went for a little more flair for the theatrics this time."

"Eight-out-of-ten," Came the reply from bat pony filly with amethyst eyes, and a messy mane a shade of charcoal with a single, lilac stripe just off to the left. She waved a hoof side-to-side heavily. "Kinda feel details were glossed over and *yawn* cheesy."

Zen deadpanned. "Geez, I end up with a critic tonight - guess we're skipping the part about me nearly dying... again," 

She just rolled her eyes, snuggling into her blanket, eyelids heavy. "Still sounds exciting..." She yawned again. "...I want to... fight an Elder... Dragon..."

Zen stared at the slumbering filly for a long time. So much has happened it made his head spin at times trying to keep up. He chuckled lightly, closing the journal that detailed his encounters with various monsters and ferocious Elder Dragons, a red scale stitched into the front, a faint remnant of Safi'jiiva's aura humming through his fingers. Leaning closer, he pecked the filly on the forehead. "Goodnight, Akira, try not to cause any trouble." He teased.

"Hrm..." She groaned in her sleep, turning over. "...night, Dad..."

Summer, Taka, Kazu, Asher, Merry, I know you'll never know but I'm okay here. Equestria's a crazy place, and I can't stop thinking about how I'll meet you guys again. Even if it takes years of my life, and I'm forced to break myself against dozens of dangers just to make it an inch closer, I'll find a way back to you. But right now...

I am home. 

With a soft smile, the human turned Lucario shut the door softly.


End