To anyone willing to help!

I am Princess Celestia, ruler of Equestria, and the one in charge of raising the sun, and the moon the past thousand years, prior to the later events where my sister, Princess Luna, was returned, and reformed.

As of late, however, she and I have received visions of terror. Monsters from beyond Equestrian borders have started to show up, and are terrorizing countless locations! While it may not seem like much to any of you, our forces are, and I hate to admit this, far too underwhelming to do anything about these creatures!

That's not to say that the triumphs of YOUR people haven't been heard of! That is, in fact, why I have sent this letter to you, Guildmaster of Loc Lac City Hunter's Guild. Unfortunately, there are creatures that could devastate all of my armies at once, at just the swipe of a tail... and no matter what forms of armor we have for our soldiers, even the sturdiest bend easily at just the impact!

We have heard that the currency that your hunters use are made up entirely of gold... something that we have quite an abundance of!

I know that our people haven't seen eye-to-eye for so long... but now, in this time of great need, we need your help, and will do whatever it takes, so long as my people are safe.

We need Monster Hunters here... and we need them as soon as possible. Thank you.

--Princess Celestia, of the Equestrian Kingdom.

"Just hang in there, Lyra! Everything's gonna be alright!" Bon Bon shouted from above the massive tree that she was resting on. She was a cream-coated earth pony mare with a blue mane and tail that had a single pink stripe that moved vertically with each strand. She stood on two hooves, and had a pair of hands with four fingers on each. She, like everyone else around the area, wore iron plate mail armor that had gold trimmings on the corners of each individual piece.

Lyra Heartstrings, a green-coated unicorn mare with a minty colored mane, stood in front of a unicorn stallion that had a white coat and blue mane. The stallion was unconscious, and in front of Lyra, she held a green bubble-shaped magic barrier around herself and the unconscious stallion, while on the other side of it, a large dinosaur-like creature with a fin-shaped neck constantly dug its teeth at the barrier, which caused the color around it to vanish briefly, before it kicked back up.

With a nervous expression on her face, Lyra turned towards Bon Bon and asked, "You sure about that, Bonnie? I don't think Shining Armor here can make it for much longer, unless we find somepony who can help him with his bite wound!" As she said bite wound, her gaze shifted from the mare on the tree to the stallion that lied behind her. On his arm, mere inches below his left shoulder, a thin stream of blood oozed out of the upper half of his arm, where the Great Jaggi, as a fauna book mentioned, bit him.

Bon Bon sat up and looked around nervously in a feeble attempt to find anyone nearby that she could possibly call for help at. When no such person appeared to be close to them, she internally cursed before looking back at Lyra and Shining. "Lyra! I'll distract this thing, and you take Shining Armor towards the camp!"

Lyra gasped before looking up at her friend. "No way! Out of the question! We'll find a way to get through this, but we'll find a way together!"

Bon Bon sighed before looking at the Great Jaggi, who jumped backwards and turned its back towards them. That action caused Bon Bon's eyes to widen. "Lyra! I think it's about to give up!"

Rather than double-check, however, Lyra said a silent prayer before quickly levitating Shining Armor up to the tree where Bon Bon sat, and lowered the shield bubble around herself.

The sudden action caused Bon Bon's eyes to widen in horror, as she saw Lyra clap her hands together in a taunting manner towards the Great Jaggi. "HEY, YOU! COME ON, FRESH MEAT RIGHT HERE!" Then she lowered the horn on her forehead and sent a small ball of energy towards it. When it landed on the back of the Great Jaggi's head, however, it merely vaporized, and left a small burn spot where it landed.

The Great Jaggi quickly turned towards her with a furious look in its eyes, while Lyra continued to glare at it and charge up more shots. Then, it inhaled deeply before letting out a strange series of four quick moans.

Confused, Lyra sent out another energy shot, but before she could shoot a third time, her ears twitched at the sudden sounds of little toes scampering through the grass and leaves of the small forest they were in. Then, in the blink of an eye, she noticed four smaller sized Jaggi appear from the angles around her. From the close proximity, it was clear to her that the small ones stood up to her neck in height, while the Great Jaggi they were facing stood up about three times her height.

In other words, she was royally bucked, now.

With her heart rate building up rapidly, all she could do was back away, while the Jaggi from behind her met with the three in front of her, and the Great Jaggi further behind them. Without any options left, she surrounded herself in a shield bubble, which the jaggis instantly began dashing into with their fangs diving into the said bubble; causing it to shrink slightly with each individual bite. At that rate, Lyra knew that she would only last another minute, at the rate that the jaggis were biting into the bubble.

From atop the tree, Bon Bon stared in horror while Shining slowly opened one eye, which then shot open even more when he saw the situation Lyra was in. "LYRA!" he shouted before quickly sitting up. When he did, however, he fell back down in pain, while the Great Jaggi turned towards him. Then it turned back to Lyra and shortly joined its pack by sweeping its tail clockwise; instantly vaporizing the shield bubble, and sending Lyra, along with the other four jaggi, flying into the air, and several meters from the now collapsed tree that she was cornered into.

Due to the sheer pain, she was unable to move, and her ribs felt like they were cracked by the impact. Just how strong was that thing?! Her thoughts were instantly shattered when she saw the Great Jaggi charge her way with its jaw wide open, and its fangs ready to sink in for a kill.

Suddenly, a mysterious black orb-like device fell from directly behind Lyra, and on top of another large tree; twice the height of the one that Bon Bon and Shining Armor were hiding on top of. When it landed on the ground, it bounced a meter into the air before bursting open. When it did, a huge blinding flash of light engulfed the entire area; stopping the Great Jaggi, and causing everyone in the entire area to cover their eyes. Then, once she was able to see again, Lyra noticed a different shadow towering over her. This shadow was, without a doubt, the shadow of a bipedal creature... a creature that she and her company were familiar with; having been on their way back to Equestrian Lands from said creatures' own country.

She was looking directly at a human... but not just any human. This one was completely covered in pitch black armor with golden stripes across its shoulders, and similar stripes across the rest of its individual armor pieces. The human's helmet was shaped differently than what Celestia's armors were made of that she sent them in. Instead of just being a plain white design with a golden feather in the center, this human's helmet was, in a strange way, shaped similar to that of an "Anubis", a race that has been extinct for countless generations. Below the protruded nose, however, was another black plate that, if one would look closely enough, must've been the lenses that the human saw through. By the shape of this human's body, it was clear that it was a male. On the tips of his pitch black gauntlets were round miniature shields that must've served to guard his arms from taking any damage. Around his waist he wore a golden waist cloth with pitch black plates that covered most of the centers of the golden threads. On the back of the waist coat, a pair of thick skinning/carving knives were sheathed. His boots were shaped in a cuffed pattern, with golden chains that appeared to be attached to them by a silver-colored buckle that stretched across his whole feet width-wise, but ended halfway down his feet; leaving the black tips exposed for flexibility. In his hands, he held a massive sword with a blade that must've been the same size he was... not counting the handle. The blade was curved and sunk inwardly, while several spikes were attached to it, and pointing outwards, which gave the entire sword a menacing look. What Lyra found odd about the sword was that it appeared to be made out of a mixture of metal and organic parts... but she shuddered to imagine where the organic parts came from. One thing was certain about this human, though... he was, without a doubt, a Monster Hunter.

The hunter stood there while the Great Jaggi howled again, which drew five more regular jaggi into the area to add to the four others. When they were grouped up, they all dashed towards the hunter at once, while he held the sword below his left hip with the blade facing outwards. Then, once the jaggi were within striking range, he quickly swept the sword to his right; sending all nine of the jaggis into the air, and killing them on impact. After that, the Great Jaggi shook its head and snarled at the hunter that just wiped its pack out in one swing. Leaping back into the air, the Great Jaggi angled its body towards the side and threw all of its weight towards the hunter, who responded by swinging his greatsword upwards.

From the distance, Bon Bon's and Shining Armor's eyes widened in shock at the sheer power that the hunter showed. Just from the contact of the blade, the Great Jaggi was launched several meters backwards, where it landed on its side and slid further away. Afterwards, the hunter gripped the handle of his greatsword with both hands and waited, while a red aura began to project from his body. Then, when the Great Jaggi stood back up, it turned towards him and dashed forward with its jaw wide open, and ready to bite into the hunter.

When the red aura started to glow white, the hunter slung the sword over his shoulder, and into a collision course for the Great Jaggi's forehead. Then, as soon as it landed, a large crater formed in the ground below where the sword hit the Great Jaggi, while its hind legs literally bounced up from the impact. Even Bon Bon and Shining Armor were able to hear the sound of the ground crumbling beneath the creature. Then it let out a pained cry before going limp.

Letting out a relieved sigh, the hunter lifted his sword and pressed a button on the handle that caused the blade to split in the center and fold into a thinner blade that was in-between it; stopping only on the handle, and reducing the size of the sword by half. Then he placed the sword on his back, where a hook on his right shoulderpad clamped the handle in place, and a magnet in the center of his back gripped the blade into place.

He slowly walked up to the Great Jaggi while Lyra side-stepped away from him and towards her friends. Then he drew the larger one of his skinning knives and knelt over the Great Jaggi's stomach. Out of curiosity, Lyra peeked towards the hunter... but her curiosity soon turned to a mixture of both shock and nauseation when she saw the hunter's knife go through the Great Jaggi's stomach. And her nauseation only intensified when she saw him cut a slit into the Great Jaggi's stomach, and turn the blade towards the opposite end of the slit. Then he cut another slit into its stomach in the form of a "V" shape. Afterwards, he put his knife away and drew the smaller one with his right hand while lifting the fold of skin up.

After examining the insides of the beast for a moment, they could've sworn they heard the human chuckle beneath his helmet. Cautiously turning towards him (after turning away from the hunter while he lifted the fold of skin) they noticed that he was reaching into a bag that was tied below his waistcoat. Then he placed a metal rod inside the bag and pressed a button on the tip of the metal rod. When he pressed it, a group of eight thinner metal rods protruded from the thick rod, and expanded the cloth bag into a large, open basket.

Then the hunter released the rod and picked his smaller knife up from inside the Great Jaggi (which was stabbed inside its back) and began cutting through the beast's insides, before pulling out a chunk of meat, and placing it inside the basket. Afterwards, he examined the inside of the Great Jaggi before repeating the same process twice.

Then he had to take the larger knife and extend the size of the cut up to the Great Jaggi's chest, where he then put both knives away and reached inside it, only to pull his hands out with three long thin bones that must've come from its ribs, due to the curves. Afterwards, he took the long bones and added them into the basket before turning towards the Great Jaggi once more, and examining it closely.

With a sigh, he knelt back down and cut the flap of the Great Jaggi's flesh off, and examined it carefully. Then he tilted his head a couple times before shaking it and tossing the patch of flesh over his shoulders.

Finally, after examining its claws, he nodded and took his smaller knife out. Then, in one swift motion, he stabbed the knife into the ground; removing the claws of the Great Jaggi, and causing them to scatter on the ground. Afterwards, he put his knife away and picked the claws up. Then he placed the said claws into a small pouch that rested on the opposite side of his waistcloth, where several more claws appeared to be stored.

Giving his work one final examination, he nodded his head and walked up to the basket. Then he pressed the button on the metal rod again, which caused the smaller rods on the sides to fold up onto the upper halves, while the upper halves clamped onto the outer corners of the basket, and folded into the large rod. When that happened, the basket was once again shaped like a bag, only this time, it had meat and bones in it.

Then he gripped onto the tip of the bag with his left hand and pulled the rod out of it, before placing the rod behind his waistcloth, and pulling out a long brown string of rope. Looking closely at the rope, he nodded once more before tying the top of the bag shut, and lifting it over his shoulders.

From the distance, Lyra, Bon Bon, and Shining Armor watched in horror as the hunter did what he did best after each hunt.

"Oh, sweet Celestia, I think I'm going to be sick..." Shining murmured while holding his snout shut with his hands.

Bon Bon was doing the same, but slowly nodded her head and remained silent.

Lyra stared wide-eyed, but wasn't holding onto her snout. Instead, she was watching closely at how the hunter did what he did with strange fascination, albeit with a nauseous look on her face. "W-why is he even doing that, though? What did that Jaggi do to deserve that?!"

As if he heard them, the hunter stood up with the bag of meat and bones over his left shoulder and turned towards them. Then he stood still, while the ponies continued to stare at him.

Time seemed to freeze at that point. Even the wind was able to be heard, as the hunter and the ponies just stared on in pure silence. Then... the hunter lifted his left hand up and nodded his head... he was merely waving at them, as if nothing out of the ordinary happened.

Slowly, Lyra raised her right hand and returned the gesture. Then the hunter turned away from them and walked away... towards the same direction that the ponies were heading before being ambushed by the Great Jaggi.

Lyra's eyes widened in horror as she turned towards Bon Bon and Shining. "You guys! He's going towards the camp!"

"What?!" Bon Bon asked in a shocked manner. "I thought the camps were now restricted to 'Royal Permission', due to the dangers around the areas!"

"W-well... what're we going to do about that?! Didn't you see what that guy did to that Great Jaggi?!"

Shining Armor coughed a few times, before murmuring, "I... don't think it matters, now. M-maybe we should... try the next camp over?"

Lyra shook her head. "No, Shiny! You're in no shape to travel that far, yet! We've got to get you to the closest camp, and hopefully someone left something for this kind of wound!"

Before he could complain, the sound of something being placed on the ground caught all of their attention. Turning towards the source of the sound, the three saw the human again, with a stone mug resting just a few meters away from Lyra. Speechlessly, the human pointed at the mug, then at Shining, before turning around, and continuing on his way, while the ponies stared at the strange green concoction in confusion.

"What... what is that?" Bon Bon asked before smelling the strange drink. When she did, she quickly pulled her nose away, and gagged. "It smells awful!"

Lyra hummed before smelling it, and repeated Bon Bon's gesture. "Ugh! What is that, mushrooms?!" Then she blinked before gasping. "Wait! Green, like the special medical herbs... and the smell of mushrooms! Bonnie! This is a high-quality medicine!"

"Ugh... if this is what qualifies for a medicine, I'm sure I could make something better in the bathroom!" Bon Bon complained before turning towards Shining with an uneasy expression.

Shining groggily sat up and looked at the concoction with confusion. Then, after inching closer to it, he took a small whiff of it and hummed to himself. "Well... at least it beats the smell of rations." After exhaling the air from his lungs, he quickly gripped the handle of the mug and chugged down the slimy green liquid. Then, after a few seconds, a green aura surrounded his body, and through several green flashes inside his wounds, the holes where the Great Jaggi bit into his shoulder was completely replaced with flesh and fur again.

He gasped and quickly sat up, while dropping the empty mug. "Whoa! That... that was... surprisingly good!"

"Shiny?" Bon Bon asked while eying Shining's left shoulder.

Shining followed her gaze, and his eyes widened at the sight of his scratch-free arm. "Wait... how did that happen?! I don't recall Lyra taking Medical Magic... and mine is restricted to third parties!"

The three of them slowly turned towards the tilted mug, and stared at it, then lifted their heads towards where the hunter went. "Um... guys? This... might sound strange, but... I think we should follow that hunter."

Shining shook his head and replied, "I'm sorry, Lyra... but I don't think that's such a good idea. We might just get in his way!"

Bon Bon nodded her head in agreement. "I'd hate to say this, but Shining is right. Besides, I'm sure he has other things to do! Maybe he's on his way to help the people from Loc Lac City?"

Lyra shook her head in response. "No, because Loc Lac was in the center of the Badlands... and you remember what we saw there, right?"

Shining and Bon Bon shuddered at the memory. "I never thought I'd see so much destruction in one place..." Shining commented while looking up at the sky, while scratching the back of his blue mane.

Bon Bon scratched her chin in thought. "And to think that they said so many people lived there just months ago... and it was destroyed by one monster!"

Lyra nodded her head. "And I'll bet that that was the same monster that Princess Celestia and Luna dreamed of!"

"An ocean of blood... meteors falling from the sky at specific places... I'd hate to say it, but the princess's rant is starting to sound more and more like what we saw over there..." Shining muttered in a whisper.

Lyra heard him and nodded her head. "Or rather, the aftermath of what it can do, if it isn't stopped!"

Shining sighed. "And if that thing that we nearly died from is just one of the many threats that we're bound to face, then I'd give Equestria another week, once that monster wakes up from its hibernation!"

"Celestia and Luna said it should wake up after a year has passed, so at least we have time to prepare, right?" Bon Bon asked.

Lyra nodded her head. "Yeah... one year to prepare for the inevitable..."

The three of them sat there silently for about a minute. Then Shining decided to stand back up. "No... there has to be a way! We can't just give up!"

"Shiny..." Lyra began, but she paused when she heard no other words coming from Shining Armor.

Shining decided to continue after another moment of silence. "I have a wife that's depending on me! I have an unborn foal on its way! I won't just sit idly by, and let some monster take that from me!" Then he started walking towards the camp. "Come... we'll go to the camp. If that hunter is there, then maybe we can ask him for help in the matter... but if he refuses, then we'll just have to fight it with every last bit of life left in us."

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Lyra asked, only to be distracted by Bon Bon yawning audibly.

"Well... It's getting late, and I'd rather not set up a makeshift camp up here, where more of those things could get us." Bon Bon murmured before standing up and following Shining Armor. "And besides! Maybe that hunter had his reasons for... doing what he did there." She hesitated at the last half of that statement.

Lyra nodded her head. "Alright, then... it's settled!" Then she stood up and followed behind both Shining and Bon Bon while trying her best to keep herself from looking at the carcass of the creature that nearly killed her and her friends.

On the top of a large thick tree, a series of wooden platforms rested with a large roof over it that had a hole in the center. At the bottom of the hole, a large stone platform rested to keep the bonfire in the center from burning the wooden floor. On the edges of the shanty walls, several beds made up of branches, hay, and cotton were scattered around; sized up to rest four large individuals.

In the center of the bonfire, only two figures sat there. One of the figures was the hunter. The other was a cat-like person that stood on two paws. He looked at the hunter, who was steadily rotating one of the three pieces of Jaggi Meat over the bonfire, and humming a tune to himself. Then the cat-like figure sighed. "Y'know, just because I'm not as good a cook as the Felyne Chefs doesn't mean that I can't help you cook that, y'know!"

The hunter shrugged his shoulders while he continued to rotate the meat. "And besides that, don't you think you're sorta overdoing it? You haven't even slept last night, and you know what that means!"

Again the hunter shrugged his shoulders, which only made the felyne groan and throw his forepaws in the air. "Ugh, fine! But don't forget that even a Brachydios has to sleep, and so do you!"

The hunter smiled and lifted the large haunch of meat over his head to get a good look at the meal. The bone that it was attached to was a golden color, and the meat itself projected an aroma that caused the hunter's mouth to water.

Then the hunter gently placed the meat on a stone plate that was sitting beside his left hip on a small wooden table and placed both of his hands on his helmet. He then proceeded to lift the helmet up, and off of his head, revealing his face.

He had pale skin, light bluish-green eyes, and short dark brown hair. While seemingly strong below the armor, his face showed no wrinkles, and his hair showed no brightness; almost like he was in his early twenties.

He opened his mouth and inched the meat closer to its target... but before a single bite could be made, the felyne's ears perked up, and he quickly jumped out of his seat and towards the only edge of the large walls that was completely open. The hunter quickly placed the meat back on the plate, latched his helmet back on, and grabbed his greatsword that was placed directly behind his stone seat.

When he made it to where the felyne was, he looked down and grunted, "Huh?"

The felyne looked up at him and asked, "Do you know them?"

With a nod, the hunter turned back towards the bonfire and placed his sword back down. Then he took his helmet back off and placed it at his right side while picking his well-done steak back up and quickly taking a bite out of it before any more interruptions could take place. Regardless of race, gender, age, or species, nothing should stand between a hunter and his dinner. That was a definite life-threat waiting to happen.

After a few moments, the felyne looked at the entrance again, and smiled when he saw the ponies headed his way. "Well hello there, travelers! It's been a while since I've seen the ponies roaming around!"

Shining looked up as he continued walking up the wooden stairs that spiraled over the tree and led to the entrance of the large tree-camp. When he saw who was talking, however, he froze in place.

The felyne tilted his head in confusion before turning around. Seeing nothing directly behind him, he looked back at Shining and asked, "What? Is there something on my face? Ooh, if Justin left something on that telescope earlier, I swear I'll turn him into Rhenoplos Bait!"

"Are you... a talking cat?" Shining asked blankly.

The felyne stood there silently before groaning. "Oh come on! Why can't there just be a single pony who knows-"

"Hey! Aren't you a felyne?" Lyra asked from behind Shining.

Just the proper mentioning of his race caused the felyne's eyes to widen, and a smile to form on his face. "Thank you! And yes, you would be correct, young lady! Please, do come in! My friend over there is cooking something... but I'm sure we have something for the herbivores, as well!"

"Your... friend?" Bon Bon asked confusedly.

"Herbivores as well?" Shining added before tilting his head. "What do you mean by that?"

The felyne merely shrugged their questions off before looking at Lyra. "Please! Do come in! Make yourselves at home! I'll go make your beds more comfortable for you all, while you can all talk with my friend... but don't expect him to respond verbally!"

"Well, thanks Mr... um..." Lyra began, but paused when she realized none of them have introduced themselves yet.

The felyne's ears perked up. "Oh, my! Please, do accept my most sincerest of apologies! My name is Neko! It means 'Cat' in my native language! The hunter over there is Justin! He may seem tall and scary, but he has a good head on his shoulders, and an even better heart in his chest."

"Wait, hunter?!" Shining began, before looking at the entrance of the camp nervously. "Does... that hunter happen to have black armor on, by any chance?"

Neko chuckled before nodding his head. "Yep! That would be him!"

If Shining Armor's fur weren't white, it was clear he would've gone pale at that discovery. Though he was mentally prepared to speak to this hunter before, after seeing huge trails of jaggi and rhenoplos corpses on their way to the camp, his fear was starting to build up, and eventually, he began hoping the hunter was already gone along his way.

"Um... y-you sure he won't harm us?" Shining asked nervously.

Neko nodded his head and replied, "Unless you're a monster, then you have nothing to worry about!" This made Shining sigh in relief before nodding his head in response.

"Thank you!" Lyra said with a carefree smile, as if she already knew about the hunter. Then the three walked up the stairs while Neko scampered towards the beds to start making them comfortable enough for equines. When they stepped hoof into the building, however, they froze in place when they saw the helmet of the figure they saw before lying next to the tall human.

He turned towards them while continuing to hum the same tune he hummed last time he was cooking. Then he smiled and waved at them again before turning back towards the rotating meat.

Lyra was the first to slowly walk up to him. "Um... s-so your friend 'Neko' says that you won't harm us?"

Justin looked at her again and smiled before shaking his head... much to Lyra's relief.

She then decided to take a seat on the stone chair at Justin's left, on the 9'oclock position, while Justin sat on the 6. "Thank Celestia!" Then she looked at him and smiled. "Thank you, by the way... for saving us, that is!"

Justin chuckled before shrugging his shoulders.

"You don't really talk much, do you?"

Justin shook his head.

"Why not?"

Justin shrugged his shoulders again, which caused Lyra to giggle.

"It's okay if you don't want to tell me. I'm... just glad you were there for us, though. You're almost like some sort of action hero!"

Justin lightly chuckled at that statement before shaking his head. Neko decided to walk up in-between them and place a chunk of lettuce on a stone plate on the table at Lyra's right. Lyra decided to examine the area around the bonfire while she reached towards her salad.

Around the bonfire were four stone chairs, and each one with tables similar to the one Justin was using to hold a single piece of cooked meat and the golden bone of the one he already ate.

Lyra looked at the meat that was cooking on the bonfire curiously. "Um..."

Justin lifted the meat over his head and examined the color of the meat. It was another well-done steak. He then looked at Lyra and held it out to her, but she responded by leaning away from it.

"Um... n-no, thank you. I... don't eat meat."

Justin pulled the steak away before shrugging his shoulders and offering it to Neko, who took it without hesitation.

"Ugh... how can you guys stand that kind of stuff?!" Bon Bon asked from the 3'oclock positioned chair in front of the bonfire.

Justin turned towards her before shrugging his shoulders and chuckling.

"Well... please bear in mind that... not all of us might like watching someone eating something that was once living."

Justin chuckled again before shrugging his shoulders.

"It's just the circle of life, ma'am. And besides that, it's not like the plants are any different!" Neko commented, which caused Bon Bon's eyes to widen.

"Wait... what do you mean by that?!"

"Plants are alive too, y'know! They grow up from seeds, they reproduce, and they even breathe! They just exchange the air that we breathe in for the air that we breathe out! Please tell me you're joking when you say you didn't know that?"

Lyra stared at the lettuce that she already took a bite out of uneasily. "I... knew that, but didn't necessarily think about it that way, before..."

Neko chuckled again before nodding his head. "Trust me. To us, it's just the way how life works! We have to eat, but to eat, we have to hunt! And be it monster or plant, we have no choice but to take the life of at least one other thing!" Then he turned towards Justin. "Why, I can remember how disappointed Justin was when he was issued his first quest in Moga Village! That's where he lived for several years now, y'know! Beautiful place, too! Maybe we could show it to you all, sometime! As long as you're okay with getting your fur wet, that is..."

Shining Armor decided to sit at the 12'oclock seat, but he eyed Justin warily. "So... Justin, right?" he asked.

Justin looked up at him and raised both eyebrows in attention.

"I... don't want to sound rude or anything, but... why did you help us, exactly?"

Justin merely shrugged his shoulders before turning to Neko.

Neko cleared his throat and was about to reply, but Shining had another question that he had to ask. "Also... why don't you speak, if you can understand what we're saying?"

Justin merely lifted his helmet up and pointed at it, which caused Shining Armor to tilt his head in confusion again.

Neko decided to reply for him. "It's... complicated, to tell you the truth."

"What's so complicated with speaking?"

"He lost his ability to speak years ago."

Shining was about to say something else, but Lyra decided to cut in. "Shiny, stop! He probably doesn't like being asked so many questions!" Then she turned towards him and asked, "Um... right?"

Bon Bon groaned before saying, "Lyra! That was a question!"

The three began to complain to each other in unison... but their arguments were broken by the sound of, what appeared to be, a man and a feline-like male laughing. Turning towards the hunter and the felyne, they saw that Justin was covering his mouth with his right hand and resting his left hand on his lap, while Neko was rolling on his back in laughter.

"Wait... what's so funny?" Lyra asked confusedly.

Neko stood back up and wiped some tears from his eyes before turning towards Justin. "My, oh, my! The Guildmaster was right! These ponies are a curious bunch, aren't they?!"

Justin nodded his head in agreement before turning towards Shining with a smile on his face.

Neko then cleared his throat. "You three don't have to worry! He's used to this kind of thing, so he isn't offended in any way! If anything, he's found it more entertaining than insulting!" Then he looked at the helmet beside Justin's right hip and picked it up. "But to answer your question for why he can't speak... he was hit in the head by a cursed blast from the same creature that he got this armor from!"

"Same creature he got his armor from? What... do you mean by that?" Shining asked uneasily.

Neko raised an eyebrow. "You mean you don't know? After killing it, he made this armor out of its remains!"

That statement caused Lyra to spit out the bite of lettuce that she was eating, and instantly, all three of the ponies stared at Justin slack-jawed.

"WHAT?!" they asked in unison.

Neko and Justin looked at each other confusedly before shrugging their shoulders. "What's wrong with that?" Neko asked.

"Um... don't you think that's... I don't know... a little barbaric?" Bon Bon asked.

Neko hummed before shrugging his shoulders. "Honestly, I don't see anything wrong with it! And besides, how else do you think the hunters can inherit some of the powers of the monsters?"

"There's a lot of things wrong with-" Shining began, but paused once the rest of the words sunk in. "Wait... did you say, inherit some of the powers of the monsters?!"

Neko nodded his head and replied, "But of course! If you fight fire with fire, then you would stand more of a chance than if you fought fire with dry grass, right?"

Lyra tilted her head in confusion once more. "So, wait... you mean to tell me that... you made that armor out of a monster?!"

Neko raised his right paw up and corrected, "Not just a monster! The monster that took his voice away!"

Shining, Bon Bon, and Lyra sat there silently for a moment, before Lyra decided to continue. "So... what exactly was that monster?"

Neko looked at Justin who smiled and motioned for him to go on. Then Neko turned towards the three ponies and replied, "He was an Elder Dragon... a monster so powerful, that long ago, people thought him to be a god!" He cleared his throat for a dramatic pause. "They called him... Goldbeard Ceadeus!"

Lyra's eyes widened. "W-wait! You mean... he defeated an Elder Dragon?!"

Bon Bon raised an eyebrow. "But... I thought you said he doesn't fight sentient beings, though!"

Lyra shook her head and turned towards her friend. "Don't forget, Bonnie! The dragons from outside of Equestria are different from the ones we're familiar with seeing!"

Shining Armor nodded his head and smiled. "Well... that kind of power must mean that you're one tough cookie... maybe we could use your help!"

Justin sighed and shook his head with a concerned look on his face, which Neko translated for them. "Sorry, sir... but I'm afraid we're on a tight schedule as is! We're already on an important task, and we can't really delay it for very long."

"Damn it..." Shining cursed beneath his breath; silently so that nobody else could hear him.

Neko, however, caused his ears to perk up. "But maybe we can help afterwards! That is, if you're still in need of this help after a year, or so!"

Lyra's ears also perked up at that statement. "Hey! Do... do you think we can help? Maybe together, our problems can be solved quicker!"

Justin hummed before rubbing his chin in thought. Then he turned to Neko and shrugged his shoulders.

Neko turned to Lyra and asked, "Would you all be okay with wearing the corpses of monsters?"

"What's wrong with the armor we've got on now?" Shining asked in a slightly annoyed tone. "This armor is made of the highest quality metals in Equestria!"

"Are they made of monster parts?" Neko countered.

"N-no... but that doesn't mean it isn't good!"

Neko hummed before moving up to Shining's helmet that was rested next to his waist, and gave it a few taps. Then he nodded his head and replied, "You're right... it wouldn't be useless..."

"See? So that question is-"

"It could make a perfect bowl, or perhaps a plate once smelted! Armor, though? I bet even a Giggi could suck your blood through the metals you're using! What is that? Steel? Gold?"

Shining nodded his head. "Yeah? So?"

Neko shook his head. "I've seen so many amateur hunters wearing things like leather from Bullfangos... and even that stuff is more sturdier than this junk!" He then began to laugh while Shining's face started turning red.

"J-junk?! I'll have you know that Princess Celestia herself wears this kind of armor all the time!"

"Well, she must not have faced the monsters we've faced before!"

"That's because she had limited time to prepare for the things that she faced!"

Neko sighed before shrugging his shoulders. "You know what? How about we test the quality of that equipment, then!"

Shining stood up and glared at the carefree cat. "You got it! What should we do?"

Neko hummed before clapping his paws together. "Is your sword made of the same materials that your armor uses?"

Shining nodded his head and replied, "Yeah! Even better, too!"

"Then show me, please!" Neko demanded.

Shining nodded his head before drawing his longsword from its sheath. Then Neko examined it and chuckled.

"Good heavens! Is that really what you call a weapon nowadays?!" He then laughed before walking towards one of the four huge beds in the room and lifting a small felyne-sized apron from a chest that sat next to it. Then he walked up to Shining again and stretched the apron out. "Here! I want you to strike this apron as hard as you can!"

"Seriously? Dude, that's cloth! It'll just rip through it!" Shining protested.

Neko chuckled before shaking his head. "Rip it, then! I've got plenty more!"

With a shrug, Shining said, "Alright, then. Don't say I didn't warn you, though." Then he lifted the sword up and gripped it with both hands. Afterwards, he let out a battle cry before slicing downwards... and stopping mid-swing, where the blade caught onto the apron, much to his, Lyra's, and Bon Bon's shock. "No way!"

Neko chuckled before shrugging his shoulders. "Try again, if you'd like! I can guarantee that it won't tear at all!"

Shining, out of denial, decided to take up his offer and attempt another swing... then another ten following that.

While panting, he dropped his sword and fell to his knees. "That... is... not... possible..." he complained between breaths. "Have... have we really been that vulnerable to the outside world?!"

Neko shrugged his shoulders before slipping the apron on and picking up Shining's sword. Then he examined it before passing it to Justin. "What do you think, Justin? How do you think they could use that sword?"

Justin thought for a moment before smiling. Then he placed the center of the blade in-between his pointing finger, his middle finger, and his ring finger, with his middle finger over one side of the blade, and his other two fingers over the other halves. Then he straightened his fingers into a straight row, which bent the blade 90 degrees, and caused Shining, Lyra, and Bon Bon to continue staring at him in astonishment.

After bending the blade a little more, Justin finished bending the sword to the point where it was shaped like a triangular flag.

Neko chuckled before nodding his head. "You're right, Justin! They'd be better off waving a white flag, rather than use that kind of weaponry!"

"H-HEY!" Shining complained while Justin placed the "flag" on the ground and stood from his seat. Then he walked towards the bed that Neko got his apron from and leaned next to the chest on the opposite end, before opening it and checking inside it.

After about ten seconds, he came back to the bonfire with a basic, oddly-shaped iron sword and shield and offered them to Shining Armor, who took them hesitantly while nervously looking up at the human that towered over him by about twice his height.

He then looked at the sword and shield and raised an eyebrow. "Um... thanks and all, but... isn't this made of iron?"

Neko nodded his head and replied, "It's iron that came from Moga Village! Considered the hardest grade of iron around!" Then he lifted the bent "flag" sword and smiled. "Don't believe me when I say your things are weak? Here, I want you to chop your super high-quality sword here with that cheap little iron sword!"

Shining shrugged his shoulders before lifting the sword up over his head. Then, with one quick vertical swing, the iron sword cut through the bent steel sword without even the slightest bit of resistance. Needless to say, the result caused him to gasp, drop the iron sword, and fall on his flanks, while Neko burst into laughter.

For several moments, Shining just stared at the iron sword, then at his broken sword handle with incredulous eyes. "H-how?!"

Neko shrugged his shoulders and replied, "Simply put, either your weapons are weak, or our weapons are supreme! Take your pick!"

"I still disagree with both of them..." Shining mumbled.

Lyra, however, was lost in thought. "S-so... from the looks of it, we have no choice but to wear armor made from monsters?"

Justin nodded his head and smiled. Neko then spoke for him. "Despite how barbaric it may seem, we do purify it, so it's not like you'll be wearing the blood! If anything, think of it like using a wig, but with bones, scales, and hide, rather than hair!"

Lyra nodded her head in response. "Okay, then... while it... might take some getting used to... I think we can live with that, so long as it's for a good cause."

Neko chuckled. "Believe me... Monster Hunting isn't some kind of sport, y'know. We hunt large monsters because nobody else will. To ensure their survival, however, a Monster Hunter has to wear special armor forged from the most basic of monsters, and then work their way up, so that they can continue to save those in need without as much a risk as not wearing anything, or wearing something far too weak, even in monster standards!"

Shining looked up at Justin while Neko spoke. "Wait... so you guys hunt monsters... to protect people?"

Justin nodded his head but looked at the bonfire.

Lyra then hummed to herself. "So... you don't take pride in killing the monsters?"

Neko chuckled before shaking his head. "No, we do take pride in it! After all, the monsters are cruel and merciless, despite how cute they may seem at times! And besides that, if we saved someone by killing that monster, then why not smile, knowing we did the right thing?"

Justin cleared his throat, which caught Neko's attention. Then Justin motioned throwing something, and followed that motion by clapping his hands together and leaning his head on top of them with his eyes closed. Neko noticed that motion and nodded his head.

"Of course, there's also the times where we capture monsters, instead! While we don't necessarily kill them, they are eventually neutralized by the Guild. Though barbaric that might seem, it still helps many people in the long run! Sometimes, there's diseases caused by monsters that can only be cured by certain things from certain monsters... and some of that requires the monster to be alive... a 'live specimen', as the scientists call them."

Shining nodded his head and turned to Bon Bon, who was still looking at the bonfire uneasily.

Lyra then decided to ask another question to change the subject and try to find a way to conclude the conversation. "So... if we help you with what you're doing, you'll help us with what we're doing?"

Justin nodded his head and smiled, while Neko replied, "Of course! Who knows? Maybe on our way, we'll be able to help you, even!"

Lyra nodded her head and replied, "Great! Then in that case, we'll help... but, uh... what are you both doing, exactly?"

Neko replied, "Well, right now, we're supposed to head to this place to meet with someone, so we can discuss a monster problem that she's been having, along with her sister... um..." he then turned to Justin. "What was that place's name again?"

Justin sighed before raising his right hand with his fingers rounded out, but parted on the edges in a "C" shape.

Neko nodded his head. "That's right! Thanks, Justin!" Then he turned back to Lyra and smiled. "We're on our way to Canterlot to meet the princesses!"

TO BE CONTINUED