White Fang and his pack roamed through the forest searching for any trace of their prey, until one of the scouts came back whimpering in worry. It didn't take long for them to backtrack and find their immobilized comrade; still paralyzed and buried underneath a thick detritus of branches, leaves, and brush. The old wolfs head was uncovered, laying slack-jawed and whimpering pathetically before the new Alpha.

The unfortunate Elder Dire wolf endured the humiliation, while other members of the pack worked to dig out the rest of its body, while also cackling their fun at his expense.

White Fang, however, was filled with anger and hatred at the boldness and arrogance of the small prey. An attack on one of his own was like an attack on him. The lingering scent of their quarry was evidence enough that she was the one who did this.

White took his resentment and frustration out on the rest of the pack; breaking their merriment, as the white wolf viciously growl-barked, reared, and clawed at his brethren to 'find her' and 'bring her to me'.

The juniors of the pack didn't hesitate to follow orders, while the older, stronger wolves petulantly obeyed by taking their time and casting challenging glances back at their 'leader'. None dared to challenge the Alpha while the pair of bitches were by his side.

The two females--one, a bloody-rust color; and the other, a dark, muddy-brown--constantly flanked either side of White Fang in support of his campaign. Both recently lost their young to the beast they sought to end, and both wanted to avenge their fallen pups; along with a few other wolves of varying greyish coats who shared his ideal.

White gave each of his closest followers a single glance in turn, before they trod off into the forest to join the rest of the hunting party; leaving their indisposed comrade to ride out the poison that paralyzed his system.

White stopped short and carefully looked around the area suspiciously, before shaking his mind free of the instinctual thoughts, and left with the rest of his troop.

Unbeknownst to them, a pair of cerulean eyes watched everything from mere yards away; hiding in plain sight.

'Good, they're gone...' Rarity thought as she emerged from the bush she laid in; or rather, she was the bush she hidden herself in.

With quick needle work, Rarity fashioned herself a disguise out of the forest; a veritable ghillie suit of leaves and brush to keep her mane, tail, and saddlebags hidden. All she needed to do was curl up, and instantly she was lost within the forests palette.

Rarity used her magic to put away all but a few of the dozen-and-a-half poison pukwudgie spines back into her saddlebags that she readied in case they discovered her.

Rarity barely had enough time to finish her work before the scout returned to find his incapacitated comrade, then later came back with the rest of the wolf pack.

Rarity meandered out from her hiding spot while checking her work over once more and struck a pose in front of the paralyzed wolf, who still whined and cast his eye around at everything.

"Don't you just love it?" Rarity teased, before moving on to leave the poor wolf in peace and to focus on her dilemma.

The pack that was hunting her was now ahead of her path, which meant two things. One, that they were less likely to find her; and two, that they were between her and Atchmon; who--for all she knew--was still weak and horribly injured.

'He won't stand a chance against them. Even if he manages to climb up a tree for safety--which I doubt he'll be capable of in his condition--then he'll be stuck up there with no way to defend himself or survive.'

"I have no choice but to continue onward, and hope that I can reach him in time before they do." Rarity whispered under her breath.

Rarity took her time as she moved through the forest, while being wary of her surroundings. Every little sound was keeping her on edge as she checked around large swaths of open forest that were devoid of undergrowth; like a sneaky spy on a mission she slunk from tree, to bush, to rock, and hid under any scar of earth.

Time passed in a blur as she found her way back to the river; searching for any sign of Atchmon.

A few times Rarity thought she saw a poofy fur tail disappear just out of sight behind the thickets, trees, and underbrush, before she could ever focus her sight on the movement. She wanted to accuse her nerves getting to her, but knew it was better to stay alert, and not dismiss anything that would help warn her of danger before it descended upon her.

Rah-grrrahlah!

Rarity ducked down to hide herself, after hearing the sound of several snarling wolves nearby. She inched herself closer to a bend of earth that segregated her from the beasts, and peered over its edge to view what was happening.

Several of the oldest wolves were arranged in a circle listening to one whose fur looked black underneath white. They appeared to be in deep discussion, whenever one finished saying his peace, another would speak up. It terrified Rarity to think these savage beasts were capable of civilized discussion, until the youngest among the group spoke out of turn and was quickly put in his place as the older wolves dominated the young pup into submission.

'It worked once before; and if I succeed that'll be a few more wolves I won't have to worry about... for awhile at least.' Rarity silently opened her bag, and levitated out several of the venomous knockout quills; plus a few extra. Just in case.

Rarity was patient in arranging the quills far around the encamped carnivores, but the one in the circle furthest from her would be tricky. She couldn't afford for them to be alerted to her presence. She could sense the conversation was coming to and end, with the group seeming to be in agreement; minus the youngest who stayed silent and went along with the others decision.

She had to hurry, or Rarity will miss her element of surprise. With a final quick effort, she sent all the quills flying to their targets.

Doink! Do-Doink! Doink! Doink!

Each of the wolves bucked and yelped as the needles drove into their flesh; and one by one they fell paralyzed on the dirt-covered ground.

Rarity released the breath she was holding, then casually trotted out and passed the circle of wolves as they whined with their tongues lolled out on the ground.

She grinned toothily at them, while a new confidence swelled in her chest, before she cantered away; determined to find her friend.

Rarity fully immersed herself into the role of a huntress. Every wolf she encountered that stood in her way met a swift, paralyzing end. She snuck around and stalked her would-be hunters before driving more quills into their rumps. Some of their cries alerted others nearby, and Rarity backtracked in order to bring her quarry to the traps she quickly placed beforehand.

One such beast was easily twice the size of all the Direwolves she's encountered thus far; and it didn't go down so easily as the others. Even after jabbing two quills into its shoulder, the huge wolf still ran in hot pursuit of Rarity's flanks.

Rarity stood in the open and waited for her pursuer to find her.

The Dire wolf trotted between two trees, and spotted Rarity before she pranced off behind a rock. The wolf pursued and immediately felt a pressure around its forepaw.

A series of snaps sounded before the wolf was doused with a canister of foul-smelling hair spray. The wolf's eyes were nearly sealed shut from the sticky chemical, while it snorted to get the overpowering stench out of its nose.

"Over here, darling," Rarity cooed to the beast, as she appeared from behind the wolf.

The carnivore tried to trot after her, and nearly stumbled after blowing a huge sneeze out its snout.

Another snap sounded, and the wolfs ears drooped as another trap was activated. Rarity snickered and pointed upward with the wolf following her gaze. Then was immediately blinded by a poof of multicolored powder. The beast thrashed about and snorted to rid itself of the smelly dust; but it wouldn't come off, and the more the beast shook the more it spread it in the air.

Rarity finally put the poor wolf out of its misery by jabbing three more quills into its buttocks, before it finally lay still and whimpered before her.

Then as an added humiliation; Rarity tied a pretty red bow atop the Dire beasts head.

"Don't you look fabulous," Rarity cooed, before cantering off and leaving the wolf in peace.

Rarity rushed as she tried to pull ahead of the Dire wolves along the river. Somehow she just knew Atchmon was going to need her help. It felt like there was no end to the packs numbers, and eventually--to her dismay--she reached the end of the river.

The vast area of forest opened into a large marshland that was so big, Rarity couldn't see beyond the thick fog that lay across the boggy water.

The swamp smell was horrid as she gazed across the low, open growth amongst the bog; watching as its mucky waters burbled with gas.

'This is awful! This can only mean Atchmon wasn't swept this way.' Rarity dismayed, as the thought of having to turn back plagued her mind.

She spent several minutes frantically looking the area over for any sign of her friend.

'Surely he would've left something for me to find.'

AROOWOOOOOO

Rarity's heart jumped in her chest as she looked for a place to hide; until an unusual odor caught her nose. She smelled herself, her senses were graced with a faint floral scent from her recent trap. 'They'll find me in no time...' Rarity looked to the yucky swamp water, and readied herself to jump in, before the sound of a growl-barking wolf caught her attention.

More Dire wolves came running forth from the tree line and chased Rarity along the swamps edge, before she found herself cornered before a wall of earth that jutted far across the marsh. The wall was too steep for her to climb, and going for the forest was impossible as more wolves emerged from the thickets, and some appeared atop the wall of earth above her; completely surrounding her.

Rarity found herself backed against a very large smooth-looking boulder, and turned to face her opponents.

Rarity took a moment to check on her armament. 'Only one quill left...' And readied herself to fight against the semicircle of enormous Dire wolves.

White Fang and his posse was in the center of the group, and skulked further towards their prize.

Rarity lifted the quill up threateningly, and watched as the wolves flinched back, except for White.

But it was all for naught as her futile attempt was met with low growls as the wolves continued their approach.

Rarity was scared, but she didn't let that fear control her; instead, she felt a feral need to survive well up from within herself as she reared up, forelegs kicking in the air, and bayed out a battlecry. Her whinny was long and loud as it echoed across the forest. The world was quiet as her cry faded, silencing all who would challenge her determination.

Then the wolves started to cackle at her pathetic howl, before it turned into a raucous laugh. All except for White and a few others of his posse bothered to join in the reveley, before the pale wolf silenced his pack with a sharp growl-bark.

Rrrgl!

A steady gurgling sound emanated from behind Rarity, coming from the massive smooth boulder she found herself backed against. Then the boulder sprouted four slimy, reptilian-looking legs as it rolled forward and shifted itself around to face the group who disturbed its slumber.

The wolves backed off, while Rarity crouched herself low to hide.

Two slits near the top of the boulder opened, unveiling two large eyes.

"Rrrrribit" The massive bullfrog croaked.

The bullfrog was exactly as its name describes: an enormous bull-sized frog with horns--not on its head--but on its nose; looking much like a tacky upturned mustache.

One of the wolves growled and charged at the new threat, only to be instantly swallowed whole by the massive amphibian; its tongue struck out fast as lightning.

Other wolves soon followed as they tried to avenge their fallen comrade.

Rarity took her chance to escape and ran towards the marshes, using what little solid ground there was, while the bullfrog feasted on the wolves.

White noticed their prize trying to escape; and growl-barked to one of his wolves to chase her down.

Rarity didn't make it far before the marsh water exploded in front of her as four muddy pillars suddenly burst upwards from the mucky swamp water; with roars bellowing from the pillars four mouths.

"Ah!" Rarity screamed as a giant four-headed hydra now stood in her path, and she had no other choice than to turn tail and run.

Rarity was surrounded with a hydra at her back, wolves on her sides, a bullfrog straight ahead, and nothing but thick marsh all around to hinder her movement.

The hydra lashed out at Rarity, just as the dire wolf pounced and the bullfrog launched its sticky tongue.

Rarity dove out of the dire beasts way--the most immediate threat--which sent her sprawling into the soupy earth. The hydra noticed the larger prey moving in, and adjusted its course to snap its jaws around the large wolf. The beast yelped in pain, but was dropped in a fatally injured state as the bullfrogs tongue latched itself onto the hydras eye.

The hydra swung its head up--along with the bullfrog in tow--and whipped the giant amphibian around like a ragdoll; trying to shake off its attacker. The bullfrog retracted its sticky tongue and chomped itself onto the side of the giant serpents face.

Rarity tried to run away from the four-headed hydra as its other three snake-like jaws struck out like lightning at the panicking pack of wolves. The 'fearsome' canines scattered all around, but not before a half dozen were snatched up and swallowed whole by the great mythical serpent.

Rarity continued to run away using the exposed stones and any solid ground she could find as she ran further out into the open marsh; it was her only chance to escape the growing chaos.

The rocks beneath Rarity started to shake violently, then the ground suddenly lurched, which threw her off-balance. Rarity gasped in fright and fell on her chin, while the path of stones beneath her hooves moved eerily, as the body of another creature emerged from the swamp.

An enormous ancient cragodile launched itself forward--faster than anything its size had any right to move--and snapped its massive, deadly jaws around the hydra's leg; eliciting a cry of pain from several mouths of the multi-headed serpent.

Rarity rolled bodily atop the hard rock-like hide of the cragodile during its charge. She slid down to the tip of its tail, then was sent flying into the shallow swamp after being flicked off the monstrous creature's tail. She resurfaced with a violent gasp for air and flailed to get herself far away from the battling beasts.

There was no solid surface nearby for Rarity to stand on as she slogged through the soupy earth; while the surviving Direwolves continued to hunt her down. Their larger bodies and longer legs allowed them to easily bound over the muck, as they closed the distance on their prey.

The cragodile started its deathroll while its maw was still firmly latched onto the Hydra's leg; sending fountains of muddy earth spraying across the battlefield. The multi-headed serpent cried out in pain and quickly latched its three remaining heads onto the narrow sides of the cragodile, preventing the stone reptile from completing its roll and ripping off the hydra's leg.

Rarity's strength was quickly being sapped as she tried to move through the deep muck. Her legs sank deeply into the soupy earth, causing her to virtually swim for the nearest 'solid' ground. She'd kick out with her back hooves to bound herself over the next length repeatedly, until her tiredness wore out. The mud was too thick for her to trot through, and Rarity feared if she stayed still too long that she'd sink and drown in the swamp.

Then the trees ahead of Rarity's path parted ways for an enormous blue-furred beast.

An Ursa Minor.

The colossal celestial bear with blue fur and a white eight-pointed star on its forehead spotted Rarity immediately and moved towards her.

"Oh, for Celestia's sake!" Rarity screamed in frustration, as she struggled to pull her hooves from the deep muck, before the Ursa could swallow her whole.

Rarity stumbled and fell to the ground covering her entire underbelly in thick muck, but she persisted in vain as the great bear stood beside her and swiped its massive paw over Rarity's head; sending a few of the pursuing Dire wolves crashing into the swamp.

Rarity's eye's shrank to pinpricks as she stared up at the Ursa's all-consuming maw and menacing red eyes, which bored into her; before a small figure peeked out from atop the back of the gargantuan beast.

"Found you!" Atchmon happily sang down from the back of the colossal bear.

"Atchmon!?" Rarity started in shock. "What are you doing up there!?" She screamed in an exasperated mixture of surprise, relief, joy, and fear.

"Grab the rope; I'll pull ya up!" Atchmon shouted as he threw down a long line of rope made of black vines with a loop on the end.

"Are you crazy!? I'm not going up there!" She shouted back while casting wary glances at the colossal beast.

Behind her, the hydra let out a massive roar, before clamping its mouths around the cragodile's head and midsection. The cold-blooded monster still trying to wrench the foot off the far larger serpent. The monsters struggled against each other until the hydra's strength and leverage won; twisting the cragodile's body until something cracked, and several chunks of rock launched forth from the stone hide of the massive reptile, before it finally went limp. The hydra's remaining heads quickly surrounded and dispatched the bullfrog still latched onto its fourth head, before one of the hydra's heads set its red eyes on Rarity.

Rarity rushed forward and dove through the loop of the black rope-vine that Atchmon cast down for her. "What are you waiting for!? Pull me up! Pull me up!" She desperately called up to him.

"Hurk!" Rarity grunted as Atchmon's strength quickly pulled her to safety.

The rope was pulled taut as it hooked underneath Rarity's shoulders above her midsection; and for once she didn't mind the ground shrinking below her.

Once near the top, Atchmon reached out to Rarity and grasped the hoof she was extending out for him. And with a final effort he pulled her over the Ursa's back and beside himself where he knelt atop the great beast.

"Atchie!" Rarity was so overjoyed with their reunion that she toppled the kneeling human over in a tackling embrace.

They fell together, and for a moment Rarity could imagine she was in a meadow of blue grass with her dear friend.

Atchmon laughed as he embraced his Rarity while she laid atop him with her wet, muddy belly; her hooves resting over his shoulders, and chest pressed against his.

Rarity's soft snout pressed against Atchmon's small button nose. The pair froze with bated breath at their closeness, while staring into each other's eyes. Atchmon, with his deep, dark, earthy brown; and Rarity's equally deep, blue, and endless as the ocean.

Both their cheeks blushed at their closeness. Their hearts thundered against each others chests, and for a moment they beat as one... before they both looked away sheepishly.

Rarity remembered herself and moved off the human pinned beneath her. "I'm, uhm, glad you're alright." Rarity sat on her haunches across from Atchmon, who also sat cross-legged before her.

"How did you know where to find me?" Rarity questioned curiously.

"When I heard all the commotion goin' on over here, I figured it had to be you." Atchmon quipped with a toothy smirk.

"Oh, ha-ha; you don't give me enough credit," Rarity started sarcastically, and tilted her head along with the fake laugh.

"Only where it's due," he cracked again with a manure-eating grin. "Now, whut are you wearin'; some kinda camouflage?" He half laughed at her wardrobe.

"Do you like it?" Rarity asked, while striking a pose. "It's the latest in my new line, I'm calling it 'Forest Chic', and I believe it'll be a big hit once we get back home."

"If you say so." He chuckled lightly, and gave her a fond smile.

The pair gazed at each other, both glad to be together once again.

"Atchmon?" Rarity sang, and looked as if she were waiting on something more from him.

"Hmm?" The human cocked his head, while looking totally innocent.

"Aren't we going to address the elephant in the room? The 'elephant' being the giant celestial baby bear we are currently using as a taxi?" Rarity suggested.

"Oh, yeah, isn't he great!" Atchmon started excitedly, while gesturing around at their surroundings. "Rarity this is Big Blue; Big Blue this is Rarity, and- wait... Did you just call him a baby?" He finished confusedly.

"Yes, darling, this is an Ursa Minor; a baby," she emphasised.

"How do you know that?" He asked, almost accusingly.

"Because this 'little one' attacked my village in a cranky rampage, once upon a time." As if to confirm her story, the Ursa lifted its head and uttered a few apologetic grunts. "It's alright, darling, all is forgiven so long as you keep us safe." The Ursa nod its head once and grunted in agreement. "Though, I seem to recall you looking much more, mmh, translucent the last time we met." The Ursa shrugged at that, and grunted a nonchalant 'Eh' to her.

Atchmon stared at Rarity neutrally after the exchange, and waited to see if she was joking...

She wasn't.

Rarity fixed him with a stare back with an unwavering expression of complete seriousness.

"Okay, so... If he's a baby," Atchmon started evenly. "Then where's his mom?" He finished in quiet realization.

Several roars sounded in the distance. The hydra was finished with the bullfrog and cragodile, and sought to challenge the baby Ursa for entering its territory.

"Get ready for a fight!" Atchmon pulled Rarity down so they both laid flat against the back of the giant beast. Rarity was about to complain about how painfully tight Atchmon was gripping her, but screamed instead as the Ursa reared up on its hind legs and bellowed out a challenging roar of its own.

The Hydra waddled across the marsh on its two legs, while its four heads whipped around and belted out more roars. The Ursa Minor delivered one more mighty roar before landing with a mighty crash on its forepaws, and charging across the swamp on all fours.

Atchmon held onto Rarity in a near-crushing embrace, while gripping tightly onto the Ursa's fur with his other hand; fighting to keep them from falling off.

But, before the two giants ever came within striking distance of each other, the hydra disappeared behind a titanic wall of purple fur and gigantic long teeth. The maw of a colossal beast chomped down the hydra, its massive jaws completely dwarfing the mythical multi-headed serpent several times over, as it suddenly enclosed around its entire body like a steel trap.

The pair atop the baby's back sat up to view their savior.

"That's its mother, darling, the dreaded Ursa Major," Rarity spoke with pride at seeing Atchmon's awestruck face.

The Ursa Major lifted its head back, and opened its mouth to reposition its meal; the hydra's heads flailed about within the Ursas maw while bellowing out terrified roars before it disappeared behind the Ursas massive jaws, then was finally swallowed whole with an audible gulp from the bears gullet.

The titanic beast towered far above them. The colossal celestial bear was like a living mountain of purple plum colored fur with white spots on its flank and a matching eight-pointed star-shaped spot on its forehead, just like its offspring had that the pair currently sat upon.

"So cool!" Atchmon exclaimed in exuberant laughter at the wonderfully amazing new discovery. Never in his life had he ever imagined such a colossal creature could ever exist. This creature would put even the dinosaurs from his world to shame.

In his excitement, Atchmon didn't realize how loud he was, and caught the ire of the mad momma bear. Clearly looking displeased with whatever pests were on her baby.

Atchmon and Rarity clutched each other tightly, as the Ursa Major pressed her disapproving face in on the pair.

"We, uh, w-w-we found your baby for you," Atchmon squeaked, and petted the fur beside him.

"Yes, no need to thank us, we'll be on our way, now." Rarity added, following his lead, and put on a very wide smile while patting the fur on her side.

"I don't think she believes you," Rarity whispered through his teeth.

"I don't think I believe me," Atchmon whispered back.

"He's a fine cub; so big, and strong," Atchmon continued.

"Absolutely! And so handsome too. Such a kind and gentle soul; he must get it from the mother," Rarity praised nervously, and added an 'I hope' through her nervous smile.

The Ursa Major squinted intimidatingly at them, and they stopped what they were doing and held each other even tighter as they awaited the mothers punishment.

Just as the mother bear was about to bare her fangs, her baby started grunting innocently at her, and stopped. She backed off and glanced at her cub; then gave one last look at the pair, before nuzzling her baby by placing her star-mark over the cubs forehead. Their star-marks glowed gently together, before the mother moved away with her baby following close in tow.

Rarity and Atchmon both released a breath they didn't realize they were holding, and inhaled the fresh, cool air.

The pair relaxed and enjoyed the ride. Watching as the trees moved swiftly passed them, as they sat on the back of their fuzzy chaperone.

Rarity closed her eyes, savoring the subtle rocking sensation; like being on a ship at sea.

The cracking sound of tree trunks and boughs being bent and broken in their wake echoed all around them. Their weak roots made way for the great celestial beasts. Any sheer drops they encountered were mear stair steps to the giant bears.

The cool breeze blew gently over the pair as they were escorted through the forest; heading just to the right of Canterlot Mountain. The Ursas long effervescent blue fur waved like grass in the wind.

Atchmon gazed westward towards the setting sun and his namesake. It looked so vastly different from the new height, as if he could reach out and pluck the ball of light from the sky, before it could settle behind the horizon. The sun looked as though it were within the world itself as it descended, like it was going to be cradled in the rocky mountains as it was gently put to sleep.

The pair looked all around as far as the eye could see, before their eyes met each other. Atchmon reached over and held Rarity close as they sighed in relief.

Atchmon watched the sunset as his heart swelled with a desire to see what else lay beyond that horizon; to witness more of what this amazing world had to offer.

Atchmon and Rarity had no choice but to go along for the ride. So long as the Ursas went in the general direction they wanted to go; they were fine with the escort.

The bears long, casual strides tread over the forest with ease. A few minutes traveling with them would've taken several times longer for the pair to navigate on their own.

"Okay, I have to know." Rarity started as she turned to face Atchmon fully. "How in Equestria did you end up taming an Ursa Minor to chauffeur us across the Everfree?" She asked curiously.

"I wouldn't say I 'tamed' him; we sorta found a bit of mutual respect." Atchmon explained, and the Ursa Minor lifted its head to the side and grunted cheekily. "Besides, you should know; I learned it from you." Atchmon said as he gave Rarity a playful push on the shoulder.

"Me!?" Rarity sounded surprised. "I don't recall ever teaching you anything remotely close to-" Rarity gestured and waved both of her hooves at the baby bear. "This." She emphasised. "Still, I have to know how you did it." Rarity pressed.

"Alright I'll tell you." Atchmon drawled. "Hmm, guess I should start at the beginning, huh?" He suggested, after a moment of thought.

"That's generally a good place to start." Rarity teased.

"Atchmon!" Rarity shouted, while reaching out a hoof as a stabbing pain of several sharp fangs lanced over Atchmon's shoulder.

He cried out, before his vision blurred as he was dragged violently beneath the gurgling waters; his hearing muffled from the calls of the one he was trying to protect.

He managed to wrench the beast off him as they wrestled beneath the murky rapids. Pain shot through his stomach as the Dire wolf clawed at the hunter's abdomen, while Atchmon kept his hands on the beast's throat; keeping it at bay.

Both surfaced together and took a breath before being dragged underneath the rapids again.

The pair tumbled around beneath the surface as the current carried them away swiftly. The hunter felt teeth on his arm--and without hesitation--thrust it forward into the wolfs gullet; causing the carnivore to choke and release its deathly hold.

The hunter managed to get away from the beast long enough to resurface for another breath.

He could see Rarity was nowhere in sight.

A massive ball of wet fur and claws exploded behind him; snarling, clawing, and gnashing to get closer and kill its prey.

Atchmon panicked as he tried to get away--not from the wolf--but from the jutting rocks that were rapidly approaching the downward flowing river.

The wolf turned and noticed too late the prey was looking past him, before being slammed hard into the first boulder, with the hunter landing atop the beast in turn. Its furry body managed to lessen the impact, but not by much.

Atchmon managed to grab ahold the Direwolves back after the impact, and rode the beast through the rocky, whitewater rapids. The beast thrashed and swirled in the water to buck him off, but to no avail.

Atchmon's plan didn't work flawlessly. As they struggled, he too hit a few rocks, but luckily not directly. He held on tight to the wolfs pelt, both by its neck and wrapping his legs around its flank. They constantly tumbled underneath the rapids; hitting rocks as they passed. He was struck hard on the side, enough to bruise his ribs and to cause his grip to falter and the two separated around opposite sides of the next rock.

There was no time to think ahead; only acting and reacting in order to survive the ordeal. Atchmon vomited the excessive amount of water he swallowed, and could finally breathe properly; he was grateful for the brief respite.

The wolf didn't look much better as it tried to paddle its beat up body for the river bank, ignoring its prey for the moment, and making no progress.

Atchmon didn't know how long he let the current carry him before finding the will to push himself forward and find a way out of the situation; and he had to act fast.

For up ahead, the earth seemed to end.

Atchmon willed his sore, tired body to swim for the nearest bank.

The wolf ahead of him managed to bite down on a dead tree branch sticking out over the water, its fallen bough located high above on the river bank, jutting over the rapids.

They were only a dozen or so yards away from the edge; and the water was flowing so fast that it'll pull them over that distance in mere seconds. Atchmon knew he wasn't fast enough to make it to the shore in time, and swam for the beast. He lashed out his arms to grab ahold of the Dire wolf by its tail.

The wolf yelped in pain, causing it to lose its biting grip on the branch for a moment before it lurched forward and bit hard with a resounding crack of wood being broken.

Atchon nearly lost his grip after the beast struck out to save itself; he held the wolf by its pelt as he climbed over the beasts back.

The branch snapped and the two fell deeper into the powerful rapids, threatening to pull them away. The branch was hanging on its bough by a thin strip of bark that was steadily tearing away from the long dead tree.

The Dire wolf tried lurching forward several times to bite the next limb, only to cause the thin strip of bark to grow ever longer.

"No!" Atchmon cried out as he tried to scramble over the wolf. The tip of his finger barely brushed the edge of the next thickest branch, before the desperate wolf lashed out to bite him.

Their heads dunked under the gurgling water once again, and their bodies were quickly swept away by the rapids.

Atchmon felt his world spin around him, before feeling a furry body next to his side. He quickly embraced the beast again, tightly shut his eyes, and prayed silently; before the sensation of falling, and the force of gravity churned his heart and stomach.

He fell into the water below the falls--a not so gentle landing--his body was stunned from shock as he blearily opened his eyes, only for them to sting from the murky water. He could make out the massive paws of the Dire wolf floating away above his vision.

The hunter closed his eyes, feeling incredibly tired and was ready to fall into a deep sleep.

"Mmm-mm-m Rrrrah! Rah! Rah!"

A garbled whimpering and barking noise shocked him enough to open his eyes; and he saw the unmistakable visage of a canine snout, a body of half fur and half fish scales, with fins for legs and a tail.

'Dog-fish...' Atchmon smiled weakly.

"I don't know how I ended up outta the water," Atchmon said, as he and Rarity snacked on what little supplies she had left in her saddlebags. "Next thing I remember was wakin' up on the shore."

"I'm really glad you ended up alright," said Rarity. "I'm certain I wouldn't have lasted another night alone. I was completely beside myself on what to do; other than to look for you." Her ears drooped and looked melancholy as she chewed her food.

"Thanks for lookin' for me," Atchmon reached over and pulled Rarity into a one-armed hug. "I was afraid of never findin' you again either." He whispered in Rarity's ear.

Rarity smiled and enjoyed the embrace while it lasted. She always liked his hugs, the human always nearly engulfed her in a smooth body of warmth. Of course now--thanks to Rarity--they both stank of swamp water, and dirt.

"Mmmph, thanks for that. It's been awhile since we were last intim- together... like this." Rarity quickly corrected herself.

Atchmon looked somber and gazed around at the horizon behind them.

Rarity was certain he was looking for the home he lived in for so many years; but without a unique landmarker as the Arc Tree jutting up from the forest, there was simply no way to tell exactly where it was.

"Everything alright?" Rarity concerned.

"Yeah, jus' can't believe how far we are." Atchmon replied distantly.

"Are you frightened of what lies ahead?" Rarity asked in concern.

"No," Atchmon started, then looked unsure. "Well, I don't know how to describe it. I guess you could say I'm afraid of the unknown, but that's what makes it so excitin' too, ya know?"

"Mmm," Rarity nodded her head in understanding.

"How are you so calm about all this?" Atchmon asked.

"Oh, this is hardly my first rodeo as some would say," Rarity smirked at him. "However, as far as adventures go: this easily makes my top five."

"Oh, yeah; what's number one?" He asked curiously.

"The time I gave away my most precious fabric to a competitor during a fashion contest." Rarity started. "Oh, yes it is a tale of broken promises, love, and betrayal the likes of which would shake the hearts of even the most stout of warriors." She continued, ignoring Atchmon's guffaws and raised eyebrow.

"So when are you going to tell me how you met this fine young fellow?" Rarity asked as she rubbed the Ursa Minor's back, eliciting murmuring grunts from the celestial cub.

"I'm gettin' to that part," said Atchmon, before starting back his tale.

The hunter woke up in a coughing fit; forcing out the remaining water from his burning lungs.

He felt the gritty texture of dirt, and the pungent smell of grass beneath him, along with the uncomfortably sharp edges of rocks poking against his soft belly.

Atchmon opened his eyes only for his vision to be filled with the fanged maw of a Dire wolf bearing in on him. The hunter startled violently only to realize the massive wolf was already dead. Its corpse locked in rigor mortis. Atchmon lifted his head and saw the wolf's body was contorted in ways it should never bend. The human counted himself lucky for not suffering the same fate the fierce rapids bestowed upon the beast. But, that didn't mean he came out completely unscathed.

His body felt all beat up and covered in scrapes, with several bruises from slamming into rocks while being swept away by the fast current. His shoulder was pocked with several coagulated holes in the shape of a dog bite. The pain of his wounds beat in tune with his heart. And to top it all off, he had a massive swelling headache, which made his head swim and senses feel bloated.

Turning on his back and ignoring the pain of his freshest wound, he stared up into the bright cloud covered sky; which stung his eyes even when they were shut.

"Not dead yet," he rasped while smiling and forced a little laugh, though his mirth quickly disappeared in the wake of all the pain he was feeling; especially in his head.

His stomach growled, and he felt lethargic. Atchmon forced his sluggish body to move, and started gathering wood for a fire. Everything was wet from the rain, which continued to sprinkle, but that wasn't going to be enough to stop him. There were many tricks he knew of, and many more he discovered for himself after spending so many years alone in the wilderness. It was times like these, when he could implement his knowledge; so long as it meant surviving another day.

There were plenty of dead branches and dry brush hidden away underneath detritus littering the ground. He gathered larger branches and logs, then stripped them of all their wet bark. The outer parts may have been soaked, but that didn't mean the interior wouldn't be dry.

With the combination of a angled stone and his blade, Atchmon wedged the logs apart and split them open to expose their dry interior. With another sharp rock he shaved off tiny splinters and shavings to make the perfect tinder. Couple that with the sticky resin from a tree, and you have the perfect fuel for a fire.

Now that the hunter had his woodpile and fuel, it was time to build the actual flame.

Atchmon reached into his pocket and pulled out a square metal object. He flipped the top open and flicked the ignitor repeatedly, and with no success... He turned the device over and shook it, before flicking the ignitor again; only for it to continue failing at producing a flame.

"Really? Six years, and you choose now to crap out on me..." Atchmon grumbled in mild annoyance, before shaking it once more beside his ear. After hearing nothing sloshing around within the device, he tossed it away to be forever lost in the Everfree. "Best thirty bucks I ever spent," he sighed, having lost another longtime companion. At least he still had his trusty blade.

Atchmon pulled out the knife strapped to his waist and twisted the cap off the bottom of its hilt. A hollow core within the blade's handle once sheltered various survival supplies that were long since consumed, but now only held a lonely piece of flint stone to help spark a fire.

A great advantage of living in a town full of hunters and survival enthusiasts is: that there were no shortages of craftsmen to create a custom blade for himself. The knife he used--with its serrated top and curved tip--was significantly larger than the usual survival blades one could purchase.

"I want ya t' make Rambo's knife, but bigger; as big as Crocodile Dundee's," Atchmon chuckled at the memory of his younger self talking to the best local blade maker in town; while rolling the only blunt part of his blade across the surface of the square piece of flint; causing as much friction as possible between the metal and stone. He watched as sparks cascaded like a waterfall between his tools, and down into the awaiting tinder.

"Boy, what you goin' t' kill out thar; a dern bear 'er somethin'?" Atchmon mocked in the gruff craftsman's voice. 'If only he knew...' Atchmon chuckled in mirth at the irony.

"What's so funny?" Rarity's curious voice called from the side.

Atchmon could barely make out the blurry form of a white mare near the edge of his sight. He turned to address her, and she disappeared; just as he expected... In that brief moment, her voice and presence were so vividly strong in his mind.

"Keep it together," Atchmon grumbled to himself. "She'll be fine." But nothing he could say would convince him otherwise.

After a few attempts, and despite the light drizzling rain, Atchmon soon had a nice little fire going, and continued to feed it until the flames roared to life.

He left to collect the Direwolves carcass, and started harvesting its meat. The meal ahead wasn't going to be a pleasant one. Atchmon never particularly liked eating canine meat, even though it was considerably tasty, but the mental aspect of eating a childhood best friend dulled his pallet.

"Oh, I don't know why I've never thought of predators eating other predators," Rarity started thoughtfully. "I always thought of carnivores as some sort of coven where they only ate us ponies."

"Yeah, when you're meat eats meat, and you eat that meat, it's like you're getting double the meat." Atchmon quipped.

"I don't see how that can be physically possible; but you're the meat-eater here, not I; and so I will defer to your expertise."

Atchmon chuckled at that.

While his food cooked over the open flame, Atchmon busied himself with the wolfs pelt by preparing it for use as a furry tunic. It took several hours between washing the fur so it wouldn't smell like death, and scraping off the thin membrane of flesh, before the hunter was satisfied with his work. It wasn't anywhere near the quality he learned to achieve, but night was rapidly falling upon him and he needed more than a small fire to keep himself warm through the night.

While his furry garb dried over the fire--along with his socks and boots--Atchmon made himself a new spear. Shaping a stone point would take too much time, even with his bone-tools to speed up the process; instead, he settled for a sharp pointed stick. He found a suitable tree for his needs. Its trunk was the perfect roundness for his grip, and it grew perfectly vertical; saving him time from having to shape or sand it down to size.

"I was worried about you..." Atchmon started somberly. The cold air of the approaching night caused the pair to huddle close together for warmth. "I was preparing myself for the worst, if I never saw you again..."

"I knew you wouldn't give up on me," Rarity said as she tried to comfort him.

Atchmon looked somber, and was silent.

Atchmon sat near the fire within his makeshift hidey hole. The light from the flames caused shadows to dance along the brambles surrounding him. The hunter sliced off another piece of wolf meat from the spit above the fire, and chewed slowly as he recovered from his injuries.

Everything reduced itself to a dull soreness. Whenever he moved a certain way, the fresh scar on his back lanced in pain. He'd stretch it ever few minutes, or until he could once again take the pain; to test his movements and to expand his flesh to allow for more rigorous motions. Every movement felt as though his skin would tear itself apart, but Rarity's stitching held strong.

No thoughts entered his mind as he sat quietly before the flames; other than the most simplistic and obvious of ideas.

'Follow the river upstream, and find her. If she's smart she'll stay put, and build a fire.'

"Oh, this is impossible!" Rarity whined in frustration, as she threw down the pair of sticks she was rubbing together. "How do you and Applejack make this look so easy." She huffed. "And why can't I use my magic, again? I've shown that I can use the sparks from my horn to make a flame."

"Because you need to know other ways how to do it; in case one way doesn't work, or you can't use it..." Atchmon spoke quietly to the phantom Rarity. "What if your magic doesn't work..?"

Atchmon mulled his memories over to be sure he taught Rarity what she needed to know in order to take care of herself in the wilds. He wasn't a great teacher; he knew that about himself, but he couldn't shake the feeling he could've done more to prepare Rarity for what's out there.

Throwing some of the thicker logs on the fire to keep it going for the rest of the night, the hunter laid on his side to get some sleep. The direwolves pelt was large enough to cover his torso, other than his arms; and used line of sapling bark tied around his waist to keep the pelt in place, and a hole in the center for his head to go through.

Atchmon listened to the numerous sounds of the forest. Its ambiance gently lulled him to sleep... until a massive roar echoed throughout the land silencing everything.

Atchmon couldn't hold back his fear, worry, or anxiety; not for himself. But for Rarity. As he tried to ignore the depressive thoughts entering his mind.

'It's hopeless...'

'She's not gonna make it...'

'Never gonna see her again...'

'We're never getting out of here...'

'It's all my fault...'

Wump-bump...Wump-bump...

Atchmon woke with a start and a sharp breath.

Something massive was moving nearby. The tree branches snapped and cracked as it meandered through the forest near Atchmon's camp.

Atchmon readied himself by holding the spear in front of him, and securing the butt end into the ground. If something were to suddenly charge at him, then it'd run itself through; using its own weight and power against it. He watched a small puddle nearby as the water inside rippled across the surface with every stomp of the massive creatures gait.

The sound of its trek grew quieter as it wandered away; but Atchmon remained vigilant for a long while after the noise quieted to nothing.

Just as he started to relax, Atchmon noticed the undergrowth nearby was quietly parting for a much smaller creature. Soon, a slimy mass with undulating eyes and a hard shell on its back; wandered within Atchmon's camping area. The giant snail was about Rarity's size; maybe a little bigger.

Atchmon sighed in relief as he watched the curious gastropod use its two mouth-tentacles to feel around; before it shied away from the low flames of the campfire, then set its warbling eyes on Atchmon; its prey.

"Get outta here, snail." Atchmon nonchalantly commanded in a gruff voice as he pulled out a smoking hot branch from the fire; and tossed it at the giant snail.

The snail screeched in a quiet high-pitched squeal as it slowly ran away.

Atchmon barely slept until morning came; then gathered his things and followed the river upstream.

Without his rucksack, or any other means of carrying his food; the hunter used sapling bark to tie strips of meat around himself. He traveled for a several hours, until he came upon a tall cliff face with the waterfall Atchmon knew he must've fallen from. He looked upwards towards the rocky ledge which stood far above the tallest trees. The rocky shelf curved inward and bore down like a tidal wave at the apex of its crash. The cliff wall was pocked with caves that were nearly as big around as he was tall. The hunter looked left and right across the tall rocky shelf, which seemed to go on for miles in both directions.

Atchmon dropped his shoulders as the thought of having to climb his way up surfaced. He moved away from the river and sat underneath a tree as he viewed the obstacle before him.

"There's no way I can make it over that..." Atchmon said as the familiar feeling of defeat entered his gut.

"So you didn't even try?" Rarity asked; feeling a little hurt.

"Oh, I tried," Atchmon started. "But I know that I'm just too weak of a climber... I knew that even if I made it near the top; there was no way I could hold myself long enough to make it over."

"But I've seen how well you climb trees to get the fruit we need."

"Trees are easier, but this was too much of a challenge." Atchmon looked melancholy; before perking up again. "But luckily I got a little help."

"Is this where our intrepid blue hero comes in?" Rarity asked excitedly. The Ursa Minor turned its head to silently view its passengers.

"Not exactly..."

SPLASH!

The river exploded as a massive fish launched itself from the water, flailing its tail for everything it was worth to make it over the waterfall; only to fall short and crash back into the river below.

Another followed suit soon after the first, only to fail as well.

It was that time of the year when the giant salmon started to swim upstream to mate.

Atchmon looked around as he took the area in. "This is a pretty good spot..." He mused, while contemplating staying there until his dying days. Then shook those thoughts from his mind.

He had to at least try.

The hunter got up and went to inspect the nearest cave on the cliff wall that was several yards off the ground.

"May as well check it out... Not like I can go anywhere; and maybe--if we're lucky--one of these might lead to the top," Atchmon grunted as he found his footing and climbed up the rock wall.

The hunter cautiously approached the cave entrance with his spear at the ready. The dank hole was moist from the constant misty spray from the nearby waterfall. The cavern appeared to be caved in as he gazed further into its depths, while his eyes adjusted to the darkness.

'Dead end... Deep enough for a decent shelter, though...'

Just then, the 'rocks' that Atchmon assumed were just a pile of stones, shifted inside the cave.

Atchmon's heart leapt in his chest as every instinct told him to run. He listened to his gut and jumped out from the height of the cave. The hunter landed and rolled on his side to lessen the impact from the fairly tall height. He turned to look in time before a massive snake-monster launched itself forth from the cave entrance; like a scaly red tongue sticking out from the rocks. It slithered to and fro and hissed in anger before retracting back into its hollow.

Atchmon laid on his back and watched as another fish launched itself from the river, only to be snagged out of the air by another one of the cliff-snakes. A giant cave-snake managed to bend itself around to snag its lunch, before slithering back into its own cave to devour it. Countless other cave-serpents peeked out from their hollows, awaiting their chance to snag a meal.

Atchmon gazed at the cliff again.

The wall of rock he needed to climb in order to find Rarity. He gazed upon its shear heights, seeing the countless number of holes which pocked its surface in a whole new, and terrifying way.

"Shit..." Atchmon squeaked as he stared up at the overwhelming obstacle before him.

What else was there to say?

"Language," Rarity sang in disapproval.

Atchmon frowned at her, before rolling his eyes. "Fine; and then I was like 'Shoot'; that better?" He drawled apathetically.

"Much better," Rarity nodded in approval. "Anyway, those must've been Quarray Eels you encountered from the way you described them," Rarity said thoughtfully as she rubbed her chin in thought.

"Don't eels usually live in water- You know what? Nevermind; I stopped trying to make sense of this world a long time ago," Atchmon said with a shake of his head.

"Well, you must've come up with something to help you overcome such a dangerous obstacle." Rarity suggested. "Otherwise you wouldn't be here." She added.

"You're right, I did; and the solution--you could say--kinda fell into my lap," He smirked knowingly.

Atchmon stealthily moved himself away from the cave entrance and the snake-monster residing inside. There was no telling how far they could reach outside of their hollows, and judging from what he's seen from them thus far; Atchmon guessed it was pretty far. That's excluding the idea that they could even leave their abodes and hunt him down.

Atchmon wasn't taking any chances, and traveled a comfortable distance away from the waterfall, while he tried to come up with a plan. He listened to the roar of the falls for several minutes, while his mind blanked and the falls became nothing more than white noise to his ears.

"I'm gonna need rope... lots of rope," Atchmon said after a long while. And moved to collect what he'd need.

After searching the nearby woods for several minutes, Atchmon's hope and courage quickly waned as he cut down one sapling after another; not even putting all his strength or effort into the task.

"What am I doing? There's no way I can make it up that wall, even without all the monsters... It's too steep and there's not enough places for me to grab onto, other than the holes, and those aren't even an option..." Atchmon continued to mutter his reasonings, until something moved nearby.

The hunter stopped what he was doing and quietly snuck around to investigate.

Atchmon leaned his shoulder against a nearby tree and listened, until the same rustling sound emanated once again.

He continued to slink from one tree to the next, until he found what made the sound.

A grove of pitch black carnivorous plants covered the area. Thousands of turquoise spikes adorned their black vines like sinister rose thorns as they slithered around the area, likely looking for prey to drag into the plants hungry mouth-traps.

Atchmon smiled knowingly as he carefully examined the area for any part of the plant that was separated from the main body. Three of the wicked looking mouth-traps were concentrated near the center of the black grove, while one was off to the side; separated from the main group.

"Why in Equestria would you bother with that?" Rarity's phantom criticised from the edge of Atchmon's vision.

"Because those plants there," he gestured to the growth with a nod of his head. "Their vines are super strong, pretty much completely unbreakable; I could use that to help me up the cliff." Atchmon finished above a whisper.

"If it's as 'unbreakable' as you say, darling, then how are you going to collect them, hmm?" The phantom Rarity drawled snootily in challenge to the hunter's brilliant plan.

"It's also really easy to cut," Atchmon explained simply as he drew out his blade; gripping it in one hand, while his spear lay in the other.

Slowly he moved around to the mass of vines that was separated from the main group, and inched himself closer until a thin, black, thornless vine slithered up to his foot and firmly wrapped itself around Atchmon's leg.

The hunter remained calm as he allowed himself to be taken by the hungry plant. The mouth-trap opened and its spindly 'teeth' moved in anticipation of its meal. Atchmon took a breath as he readied himself, before the plant doused him with a thick plume of gas. The hunter waited patiently, until the tension in the air grew palpable; the mouth-trap dripped with digestive enzymes as the plant salivated in anticipation of its meal. The plant's mouth shook in eagerness, before plunging itself forward to consume the hunter whole.

But Atchmon had experience with this kind of plant before; he knew the signs and choreography of its attacks. And in the moment the plant had committed to its assault; Atchmon thrust his spear forward and skewered the mouth-trap. A small amount of digestive fluids sprayed on the hunter's arm as the plant snarled and hissed in anger, while it wriggled and clapped its mouth-trap around the pole it was impaled upon; still trying to consume its prey despite its mortal wound.

Atchmon wrenched the writhing mouth-pod to the ground; and with the blade in his other hand he cut off its head. The vine around Atchmon's leg went slack, while the rest of the black mass stopped moving.

"One down; three to go," Atchmon huffed with a confident smile while checking his arm, feeling it tingle all over, before wiping most of the slimy juices on his furred tunic.

The other plant-pods drew themselves up and opened their mouth-traps as they hissed threateningly at the hunter.

One of the plants ducked itself down and quickly slithered over to Atchmon's position, and dodged as the hunter tried to stake the mouth-trap against the ground. The nimble human made a quick retreat after his initial thrust missed, and jumped over the thick vine connected to its head.

Atchmon ran for the nearest tree with the carnivorous plant in hot pursuit. The attacking plant followed its prey as they rounded the bough, until it suddenly jerked to a halt. Its body-vine was caught around the tree trunk with its prey just out of reach of its chomping mouth-trap.

Atchmon stopped a scant few feet away from where the voracious plant was caught around the tree. He stood there and watched as the black mouth-trap savagely hissed its gaseous breath and bit at him in a frenzy. The hunter thrust his spear forward pinning the plants head against the tree, before quickly slicing it off with his blade.

Just as Atchmon turned to deal with the remaining two plants, he was doused with a faceful of noxious gas. He doubled over coughing and retching, while his eyes stung and teared to remove the harmful chemical. He swung his spear in order to ward off his attacker, only for the plant to whip itself around and bat Atchmon's spear out of his hand.

The other plant moved in, and both mouth-traps worked together to douse their prey in a continuous fume of noxious gasses.

Atchmon was brought to his hands and knees as he fought for breath, while the plants continuously poured more of their gas over his back. The hunter's vision started to swirl and blur; he felt in a daze and knew he wasn't going to last much longer.

'I just need a breath!'

With a final push for survival, Atchmon suddenly rose up and hurled his blade into the mouth-trap in front of him; sending it away with a pained screech. Then body tackled the second with his weight, throwing every ounce of his strength to wrestle the wriggling vine down. Muscle memory took over as the farmer of the past rose to the forefront of Atchmon's psyche, and guided his hands around the black vine--that was the rope he used to truss up an uncountable number of calves in practice and in rodeo competitions--leaving the carnivorous plant in a knotted ball; completely unable to untangle itself.

The last mouth-trap recovered, and used its thorny vines to ensnare its prey. Atchmon struggled to get out of the carnivorous plants powerful tendrils, as the sharp points started to dig painfully into his skin; but the vines were unbreakable as they quickly wrapped themselves around his whole body.

The plant monster swiftly entangled Atchmon in its vines, and patiently continued to add more, until most of Atchmon's body was covered in a thick mass of black, thorny vines; with only his shoulders and head exposed.

Atchmon gazed blearily at the mouth-trap as it hovered nearby, savoring its victory; its spindly 'teeth' slowly waved as its mouth drooled in hunger. Then the mouth-trap casually shifted itself above the hunter.

Atchmon's eyes widened as he realized what the monstrous plant intended to do; and struggled harder against the unbreakable black vines, while the mouth-trap slowly descended upon him.

It was going to digest him; starting with his head.

"C'mon... C'MON!" Atchmon's arms felt like they were being torn to shreds as he flailed against the thorny vines; struggling to pull just one of them free.

The light of the sun dimmed as the slimy mouth of the carnivorous plant brought itself down on the hunter.

Atchmon shook as he pulled hard and managed to get his right arm free just as the mouth-trap started to enclose around him; then the hunter thrust his hand into the predacious plants maw, and gripped the handle of his blade. With one swift motion he sliced the mouth-trap in half, and fell into a mass of limp, thorny vines.

"Yea-ha!" Cough! Cough! Cou- "Ooh, god," Cough! Atchmon croaked in jubilation as he layed in the black mass.

The hunter removed himself from the mass of vines, and sat upon his field of victory; before getting up and dusting himself off.

"Piece of cake," Atchmon rasped, as he shambled away while wiping his teary eyes from the effects of the noxious gas.

"Why did you have to mention cake?" Rarity whined. "Now I want cake." She pouted.

Atchmon chuckled. "What kind would you want? We'll make it the first thing we eat once we get to your home."

Rarity thought for a moment. "All the cakes. I'm going to have my friend Pinkie bake every recipe she knows for us."

"Sounds good," Atchmon chuckled.

Atchmon dipped himself in the river to wash off all the slimy digestive juices from the black carnivorous plants.

He continued to wade in the cold river, watching as the giant flying salmon started to explode out of the water in greater frequency; while dozens of giant cave-snakes tried to snatch them out of the air.

Atchmon stared at that wall while his body numbed under the cold river water. He still didn't believe it was possible for him to make it over that cliff.

Suddenly, all the cave-snakes withdrew inside their hollows all at once; as if they were spooked by something.

Then Atchmon heard the crash of large foot-falls followed by the snapping and breaking of tree limbs as they parted for a massive creature.

Atchmon quickly swam to shore and gathered his supplies, before a gargantuan blue-beast emerged from the forest, as if the trees were nothing but tall grass.

Atchmon placed himself behind a tree for protection against the ginormous beast. He watched as the massive creature meandered by the river shore, while it made whimpering grunts at the water's surface.

"Holy moly that's big... that's really big." Atchmon gasped in shock as he studied the new creature. Its stout body and canine-like head told him it was a bear of some sort; that much, at least.

Atchmon watched curiously as the big blue bear pawed at the water. Then the bear stuck its nose down only for it to be slapped away by a cheeky fish.

The bear flinched, and seemed to be too scared to try that again, despite the rumbling growls of its tummy; as it sat forlornly by the waters edge. The bear continued to whimper and paw at the water sadly, as if some fish would take pity on the whiny bear and offer itself as a meal.

Atchmon looked from the bear to the cliff wall; and back again. The cave-serpents weren't bothering coming out while the bear was in their presence. A fact proven as Atchmon watched a few of the flying salmon soar over the waterfall and make it to the other side. The cave-serpents never bother to peek out of their hollows.

The dots connected easily in Atchmon's mind as he formulated a plan; albeit a very insane one, at that.

"It doesn't hurt to show a little generosity," Rarity hinted just outside Atchmon's vision, as he gazed at the sheer size of the great blue bear.

Atchmon thought of what Rarity did with the manticore, and how it protected them from being caught by the savage pack of wolves.

"You gotta be kiddin' me!" He dismayed, as he realized what he needed to do.

"So that's what you meant when you said I taught you to do that," Rarity said curiously.

"Yeah," Atchmon chuckled. "I went back and got as much rope-vine as I could carry." Atchmon said as he patted the loops of black 'rope' he tied to his waist. "It wasn't easy catchin' a fish for Big Blue, but I managed to pull it off usin' the thorns from the vines and tyin' those to my spear, so they'll hook into it once I manage to hit 'em. Some of the vines could stretch like rubber; so that made it a lot easier to launch my spear at 'em."

"And then you filled our mutual friends belly with delicious fish, and as a 'thank you' he carried you over the wall?" Rarity quessed.

"I wish it were that simple,"

Rarity frowned as she listened the end of Atchmon's tale.

Nearly an hour passed before the big blue bear gave up trying to catch its own fish, leaving Atchmon room to do the work himself, without worry of getting himself eaten instead.

Catching a fish was easy enough. The hard part was hauling said fish out of the water and dragging it to the bear.

Atchmon's solution was to tie a long piece of rope-vine to the spear, and tie the other end to himself. Then he would swim to the shore, and drag the fish out.

It was a pretty good idea.

In theory.

In practice, it went much more horribly.

Atchmon speared a nice fat fish that was nearly as big as he was, and it immediately took off swimming with Atchmon in tow. The giant flying salmon swam with unbelievable speed and power. Atchmon briefly wondered if this was how he was going to die; felled by his own stupidity.

Atchmon felt like his leg was going to be torn off, before the giant salmon went airborne; shooting to make it over the waterfall for the sake of saving the spawn it carried in its belly.

Atchmon screamed as his drag caused the flying fish to fall significantly short of its goal, and they fell together; all while cave-serpents took the opportunity to acquire a two-course meal.

Atchmon saw a flash of red as it swept over him and he suddenly stopped in mid-air. The cave-serpent quickly retracted into its hollow, but was stopped as a competitor came to challenge for the hearty morsels.

Atchmon was swung to and fro as a third serpent tried to sneak underneath the two that were fighting, and snatch the human out from under them.

Fate had other plans as the rope-vine was broken, and Atchmon fell safely back into the river, before the monster had a chance to nab him.

"Buah! Ha! Pfffsh!" Atchmon was delirious after surviving another near-death experience, as he resurfaced and spat the water out of his mouth.

Splash!

The fish that was tied with him fell into the water with a line of black rope following after it.

Atchmon swam to collect the rope in hopes that the fish was too stunned to fight against him. The hunter grabbed the black rope-vine and gripped it tightly as he swam for all he was worth to the shore.

He made it to ground and tiredly dragged himself and the weightly line with him up the steep river bank. Atchmon pulled and tugged on the line with all his strength to reel in his catch. He could see the shiny fish scales just under the murky water, and slowed as more of the fish's body was pulled to the surface.

What was left of it, at least.

Barely half of the fish was left on his spear, leaving most of its tail fin for him to collect. Its gnarled remains floated tauntingly on the wavey river water. Atchmon threw down the rope in frustration, then cursed up a storm at the cave-serpent who took most of his prize.

Atchmon sat on the bank and let his anger stew for awhile before getting up and removing his spear from the fish corpse.

"Ass end is still an end; I guess," he grumbled irritably as he turned around, and froze in fear.

The colossal blue bear was staring hungrily at him just a few dozen yards away along the river bank.

Atchmon thought about making a run for it as he darted his eyes across the treeline. The river bank was too steep and covered in loose, muddy soil; he'd never make it before being overrun by the massive beast. Atchmon turned his head ever so slightly to gaze at the fish remains. It was an opportunity to put his original plan in motion. The giant blue bear stomped its forepaws and bellowed out a roar at the hunter; his long hair whipped behind him in the wake of the bears powerful lungs.

Atchmon tensed and gripped his spear tighter, yet remained perfectly still, despite his thudding heart and his legs turning to jelly.

Playing dead was never an option in his mind; lest he were to become dead, if the massive beast wasn't fooled by his charade.

He could swim for it, and hope the murky water would cover him until he made it underneath the waterfall and wait out the beast until it left the area.

'He'll chomp me up like a fish if I do that.' Atchmon thought, before finally making up his mind.

Atchmon turned to pick up the fish carcass. His movement caused the blue beast to fake a charge, and roar again to scare him off.

"Hay!" Atchmon pointed his spear at the beast defensively for a moment, before quickly kneeling down to pick up the fish carcass.

It was still a hefty chunk of meat, despite it being under half of its original size.

The big bear sniffed at the air, growled, and roared at Atchmon as he slowly approached with the offering.

"H-hey there, darlin', feelin' a lil hungry, huh?" Atchmon said, trying to repeat and copy Rarity's performance and charm with giant blue bear, just as she did with the manticore. 'God, that was so lame!' He thought, while straining to keep his nervous smile.

The humungus bear shied away as Atchmon stepped closer, and hesitated to move closer while also being drawn in by the fishy smell.

"You better not eat me," Atchmon muttered under his breath, and set the fish down on a small patch of grass a dozen yards away from the bear; then stepped back for the beast to eat.

The bear slowly drew closer to the offering, while occasionally looking towards the water, as if it were pretending to not see the morsel, before bending its head low and slurping up the fish with its tongue.

Atchmon felt he could relax after hearing the audible gulp of the bear swallowing its meal.

But that was a mistake.

The bear drew closer to Atchmon uncomfortably fast, and was forced to raise his spear to defend himself. "Hay! Hay!" He roared at the beast.

The bear roared back and reared itself up on its hind legs; towering nearly a hundred feet over Atchmon like a colossal shadow.

Atchmon shrank in fear at the display of power before him, before he regained his wits and noticed the bear raising its right paw for an attack.

The bears body weight came crashing down along with a swift claw strike that cut deep furrows into the earth with its claws.

Atchmon read the slow telegraph of the massive beasts strike and dodge-rolled away, before the ground exploded behind him as a chunk of earth was easily swept away like sand on a beach. His back lanced in pain as he landed directly on the fresh wound behind his shoulder. He writhed in pain for a moment, before focusing on the fight at hand.

The bear stood on all fours, and lifted its left paw for another strike.

Atchmon simply reacted and rolled into the fresh trench created by the giant bears first strike, just as the second attack landed and sent clods of dirt cascading over Atchmon's body.

The hunter couldn't blink away the dirt in time before the bears massive maw opened above him. The trench was too deep and narrow for the beast to chomp Atchmon up. The giant bears foul breath washed over him, as the hunter shifted in his haven; trying and failing to get further away from the beasts searching maw.

Atchmon yelled in fright as the bears floppy lips touched him, before finally pulling away and granting the hunter a brief respite. Then the bear clawed perpendicular of Atchmons trench, in order to dig out its meal.

Atchmon's haven was being worn away, before the bears maw returned to eat him.

Atchmon found his courage and thrust his spear up, and heard the beast roar in pain after the hunter felt his sharp pole connect with something fleshy. The barbs on the spear nearly caused it to be wrenched from his hands when the beast pulled away.

Atchmon's eyes teared to help wash away the dirt that blinded him, and in that moment of clarity; he saw the looming shadow of a giant paw bearing down on him. The hunter readied his spear and stuck the butt end of it firming into the ground by his side and pointed it straight up, just before the massive paw descended upon him.

The giant beast howled in pain as it leapt way from harm.

Atchmon was gripping his spear so tightly that he was pulled along with it when the bear retreated. The hunter's body was flung several feet above the trench, before landing roughly on his side with the spear still clutched in his grip.

The bears right paw was hung limply by the giant animals side while the beast limped away backwards; away from the hunter.

Atchmon got up and stumbled back down, before finding his feet again to stand firmly on the ground.

The bear seemed to have enough as it whimpered and grunted pathetically, while nursing the wound on its paw with tender little licks.

But the hunter wasn't done with it yet.

Atchmon's adrenaline fueled mind was blinded by fear and rage as he chucked his barbed spear at the massive beasts face, and watched as it soared and pierce squarely on the white star-shaped spot on the massive blue bear's forehead.

In the dim light underneath the cloudy grey sky, the white spot glowed brightly, before dimming back to its original state, as the Ursa wailed in pain and flopped on its side.

"I got your weak spot now," Atchmon growled breathlessly like a feral animal, while he drew out his blade and charged at the stunned bear as it lay dazed on its side.

Over the years Atchmon encountered dozens of magical beasts. In nearly every instance, there was some sort of weakness to be discovered in order to even the odds. Whether it be a soft spot, an opening to attack, weakness to fire, or simply grabbing it by the tail; the hunter would find out eventually and exploit it. Turning the great magical beasts own power against them.

Atchmon felt betrayed when the beast came for him after the offering of fish. He hoped the legend his people told about eating the heart of a beast you killed in order to gain its strength were true. He wanted that power. He felt as though he were owed something for going through so much pain and suffering; and the hunter demanded satisfaction.

Atchmon charged towards the downed beast, and ran up its left forepaw that was laid out on its side like a ramp. The bear stirred and jolted itself upright, causing Atchmon to fall on his belly and grip the fur on its head. The hunter recoved and sat on his knees while holding onto the bears fur, and raised his blade high above his head; ready to deliver another deadly blow to the massive magical beasts weak spot.

The bear thrashed its head to and fro trying to shake the hunter off its head; while Atchmon held on for dear life by grasping fur in his blade-hand too, while his legs flailed uncontrollably above and around him. The giant beast then tried to run through the forest, using the strong branches of trees to wipe Atchmon off its head; the hunter held tight and grit through the pain of bark scraping against his exposed skin.

The great bear had enough, and used a fore paw to swipe Atchmon off.

The hunter gripped the beasts fur in his left hand and rolled right, staring up into the bright, cloud-covered sky just as the massive bear claw swiped on Atchmon's left. Then he rolled left in order to avoid the swipe on the right.

The hunter quickly let go of his grip on the furry beast, before the next paw swiped over where he just was, and slid down the bridge of the massive bears nose. Atchmon straddled the beasts snout as it stared up at him with hatred burning in its red and yellow eyes.

Atchmon matched the beasts furious stare, while he grasped his blade in both hands, lifted it above his head, and plunged it deep into the weak spot. Another wail of excruciating pain, and another bright glow occured, before Atchmon was flung from the beasts head and crashed back into the river.

The hunter swam for the surface and gasped for breath, before wiping the wetness from his face. The bear winced in pain while shaking its head around. It nearly fell faint as it leaned against the trees trying to support the beasts massive weight, the cracking boughs echoed all around. The big blue bear shot Atchmon a quick glance before shaking its head once more and shambled away into the forest.

"That's right, you blether run away; that'll teash you not to mess with m'le!" Atchmon shouted at the retreating beast, while pumping his fist in the air with his blade still gripped tightly within his hand; and spat out the water that splashed into his mouth when he failed to keep himself afloat during his rant.

The hunter swam to the shore on the opposite side the bear went, and belted out a savage roar of victory for all the forest to hear.

Atchmon looked back at the unclimbable wall he still had to face, and cursed in frustration.

He wanted to give up. He thought about it; debated it. Weakly. But knew he couldn't do it... not this time. Not after all the other times, as he remembered every obstacle that ever stood in his path to salvation. Every time he hit an unscalable wall--not unlike the actual one before him--he always gave up when things seemed impossible to conquer. After every failure, Atchmon always went back 'home' with his tail tucked between his legs. Before now, he only had himself to worry about. It didn't matter to him how hard he tried, or if he failed, so long as it meant living another day.

And that mentality is what kept him stuck in the same place for six years...

But now things were different. Atchmon didn't have just himself to live for anymore. There was another who depended on him. One that needed him, just as much as he needed her.

He wasn't going to give up this time.

"Hold on, Rarity; I'm comin'," He whispered under his breath.

The Ursa Major rounded on Atchmon when he admitted to harming her baby.

Rarity and Atchmon both laid back in submission underneath the angry mothers scrutinizing eyes.

"Easy, I-I apologized to him and we're friends now, see? We're all good, right Blue?"

The Ursa Minor thought for a moment while uttering an extra long grunt as if he were mulling it over.

"BLUE!" Atchmon squeaked as the mother pressed in on him.

Big Blue grunted in affirmation, getting his mother to back off his friends; then Momma bear gave her cub a lick on the forehead to make his owies feel all better, causing Big Blue to shy away embarrassed as he grunted out a 'Mom! Not in front of my friends'.

"Aww," Rarity cooed sweetly at the loving display of affection between a mother and her child.

Atchmon, however, was still shaken. 'How can she go from scared shitless, to doughy-eyed, in no time flat?'

It was easy to pick up the trail left behind by the giant bear. A clear path of broken trees brought Atchmon right to the massive creature; who sat forlornly underneath a shallow cave that was eroded into the tall rock wall, and was just large enough to accomodate the colossal bears size.

The giant blue bear glared daggers into the hunter, and shifted away when Atchmon got too close, then roared threateningly as it pressed against the rock wall, before uttering whimpering little grunts while shifting back and forth on its forepaws. The bear swayed its head left and right, looking like it wanted to be anywhere else, so long as it was away from the creature who caused it harm.

"Easy, I'm not gonna hurt you; jus' wanna talk," Atchmon stepped one foot at a time as he tried to soothe the savage beast with his calm voice, while shifting himself closer to the gigantic bear laying beneath the jutting shelf of rock. The hunter kept himself angled in such a way that he could make a quick escape if things went badly. Atchmon's heart thudded in his chest, but kept his fear in check as he neared the beast. Doubt plagued his mind at whether or not the bear could understand him; but after witnessing the intelligence Monty displayed whenever Rarity spoke to him; he had to believe this could work.

The bear wasn't convinced as it moved to stand up, only to bonk its head hard against the solid stone ceiling of its cavernous abode, and causing a loose rocks to fall free around the cavern.

Atchmon flinched and backed away as he felt the solid impact through the ground he was standing on, and winced in sympathy for the bears misfortune as it whined pathetically. Any fear Atchmon had left was replaced with pity and remorse as he watched thick tears fall from the beasts heartbreakingly sad eyes and listening to it sob in choking little grunts.

Atchmon noticed a red puncture wound on the bears black snout. 'Must be where I poked 'em.' And winced again as he saw the bit of crimson marring the pristine white of the star-shaped spot on the giant creatures forehead.

Atchmon thought for a moment, before drawing out his blade and held it out for the bear to see. "Look here." He said, getting the beasts attention.

The bear lifted a paw to protect itself and wailed in fear, causing Atchmon's heart to ache as the Ursas blue fur flashed to a stark white for an instant; reminding Atchmon of his first encounter with the Unicorn he cared greatly for.

"I'm not gonna hurt you; it's okay," he said evenly and cooed gently to soothe the savage beast, before tossing his blade far away by the tree line.

The beast seemed hesitant, before it slowly relaxed while still casting wary glaces between the hunter and where the blade was tossed; and looked a little worrisome as Atchmon continued to make his slow approach.

"But I'll knock the fire out of you, if you try to eat me again." Atchmon warned sternly as he gave the beast a death glare.

The bear sat like a sphinx before lowing its head as they reached some sort of mutual understanding.

"I was tryin' t' help you, you know," Atchmon started with his voice increasing in volume. "Y' don't eat people who are tryin' t' help!" He yelled up at the bear.

The bear lowed its head dejectedly, uttering whimpering little grunts, clearly feeling sorry for its mistake.

"I know what its like to go hungry; so I understand where you're comin' from," Atchmon said sympathetically, evening his voice so it didn't sound like he was yelling at the creature.

Atchmon sat down, cross-legged before the great bear.

The Ursa shifted curiously to get a closer look at him, and pressed its snout to sniff at the hunter.

Atchmon stared up at the blue furry beast. A calmness fell between the two as they grew accustomed to each others company. As the human looked silently upon the melancholy face of the Ursa, he couldn't help but see himself in the great celestial bears eyes.

"I know what it's like bein' the 'big guy'," he started. "Everyone's either afraid of you, or wants t' fight ya jus' to prove their own self worth, or how tough they are..." His voice trailed, as old memories resurfaced. Though his words seemed to have an impact on the bear as it shifted closer to listen. "And I know how easy it is to be the bully. To push others around just to get your way, just because you can." He shook his head. "But you can't be that way forever. I learned that a bit too late; I always just assumed everyone was out to get me. No one wants to friends with someone like that..." He finished pensively.

The Ursa looked away with a little grunt, and laid its head down in a depressive state.

"Yep, I been there a time or two... It's tough to make friends when everyone assumes you're a monster, huh?" Atchmon spoke melancholy while watching the slow, sad blinks of the bear's eye.

"I'll still help you, if you'll help me too." Atchmon started sincerely. The Ursa raised its head, looking interested. "And I'll be your friend," he added, getting more of the bears attention. "I'll even show you how to get those fish, if you'll help me get over this wall," Atchmon said as he pointed straight up above the bear.

The Ursa glanced at him, looking a little unsure. Atchmon felt strange talking to such a giant creature. An animal no less. But after witnessing the little conversations between Rarity and Monty, talking to the great bear felt... oddly natural.

"So what do you say, bud?" Atchmon got up slowly, and cautiously stepped forward with his hand outstretched. His arm trembled in fear, excitement, trepidation, and anticipation as he drew closer to the Ursas head.

The massive bear shied away and uttered a low growl; causing Atchmon to draw his hand back slightly, but was otherwise undeterred.

"C'mon, we can help each other, because that's what friends do; right?" Atchmon suggested as he continued to draw nearer to the beast and closed his eyes with arm still outstretched, and left his life for fate to decide.

The Ursa gazed down at the strange creature, before lowering its head and nuzzling into the hunters hand.

As his hand touched the soft, warm fur of the celestial bear; Atchmon's eyes opened misted over in joyous tears.

He looked up in wonder at the gentle giant. "You are just the coolest thing I've ever seen," he croaked, as he was overwhelmed with emotion.

It was moments just like this that Atchmon sought out, desired, and longed for.

"C'mon get up, lemme get a look at you!" Atchmon waved his arms up in excitement, encouraging the bear to stand up for him.

Atchmon looked in awe at the sheer size of the massive animal as he circled several times around it. "Hah, you got the Big Dipper on your butt," the curious human chirped as he pointed at the Ursas flank, admiring the white spots that ran along the bears surprisingly long tail.

"I think I'll call you... Big Blue." Atchmon said thoughtfully as he looked up at the bears face. "Cause you're big, and you're blue," he explained. "How's that sound?"

Big Blue gave Atchmon a happy sounding grunt.

Atchmon walked away and collected his blade by the tree line, before sheathing it and turning to his new friend. "So, what d'ya say we catch some fish; sound good?" He suggested.

Big Blue uttered a long grunt, letting Atchmon know he was ready.

Atchmon started to walk back to the river, before a thought popped in his mind. "Hey, would you mind givin' me a lift?" He smiled toothily at his new pet.

Blue cocked his head, before raising its paw for Atchmon to climb on, then lifted the hunter onto its back.

"This is awesome!" Atchmon shouted to the world as he rode the colossal bear back to the river. His whoops and cheers echoed far throughout the forest.

"After that, we stuffed Blue's belly full of fish, and climbed right up that wall," Atchmon said as he held Rarity in his arms. She was doing him a favor by helping keep his exposed limbs warm from the cold night air, while she sat comfortably in his lap. "I had a sneakin' suspicion that Blue could climb up that wall himself, since I knew some bears could climb trees; I figured it wouldn't hurt to try."

"That was a wonderful story, Atchmon, and thank you Blue for being such a noble bear," Rarity complimented the Ursa.

Blue walked a little taller as his pride swelled with the compliment, while his mother seemed very pleased.

"So I guess the moral of the story is: Give a bear a fish, and you might get ate up. Teach a bear to fish, then you'll make a new friend, or sumthin'" Atchmon chuckled, as he butchered the wise old saying.

"Although, I think you were wrong about one thing, dear," Rarity started.

"What's that?" Atchmon asked curiously, hugging her a little closer to his chest.

"I didn't teach you anything... You already had everything you needed," said Rarity, gazing up behind herself to look the human in the face.

"What are you talkin' about? Of course you did; you've taught me about Friendship, and Generosity... Exquisite silverware placement." They both chuckled at that. "I've learned alot from you." He finished sincerely.

"Perhaps, but I would have never tried to make friends with an Ursa; not in a million years," Rarity emphasised. "I hope you understand I meant no offense, darlings," she explained to the Ursas present, as they glanced her way; then shrugged and grunted in understanding.

Atchmon chuckled lightly at the exchange.

Time passed as the night went on, and a long silence befell the two travelers.

"Hmm," Atchmon sighed in thought, while he stared up at the colossal momma bear.

"What are you thinking about?" Rarity inquired, seeing his thoughtful and mystified look at the Ursa Major.

"I was jus' wonderin' what other giant animals had to be in this world for somethin' like her to live," Atchmon gestured with a nod to the Ursa Major. "I mean, what else could they eat that's big enough for them to survive?" Atchmon questioned idly while admiring the purple mountain majesty that was the great celestial bear.

The Ursa Major glanced his way with a single eye. Atchmon sat straighter with great interest, and watched as the Ursa Major lowered her head to the forest canopy, and chomped up a massive swath of trees. Their leaves and bark turned to embers within the Ursa's maw as she chewed her meal.

"Oh! Well that answers that question," Atchmon mused at the new discovery, before his face dropped as he realized something. "Better not ask how much they poop..." He whispered. "I bet they poop mountains..." He added quietly.

Rarity scoffed as she rolled her eyes and shook her head at the human's strange curiosity.

Atchmon bit his lip as he motioned for Rarity to get off him.

"What are you doing," She asked while laying on her flank, and watched as Atchmon tried to wave down the Ursa Major.

"I wanna see if she'll let me ride on her; I wanna be up high an' get a good look around," He replied. "HEY MOMMA BEAR!" He shouted.

"Be respectful, Atchmon, I believe we're being imposing enough as it is," Rarity warned.

"Oh, c'mon Rare; it's jus' harmless fun," Atchmon pressed.

The Ursa Major lowered her head by Blue's withers, aware of what her son's friend wanted; and allowed the human to walk on her snout and up to the top of her head.

The air was chilly, but the sights were spectacular as he gazed at the world around him. Atchmon stood on his shaky legs and reached out to a low-hanging cloud, brushing his hand through its fluffy-wet condensed-ness.

"HEY, RARITY; BET'CHA I CAN BEAT YA TO THOSE ROCKS!" Atchmon's voice shouted down to her; his small form pointing far ahead to a rocky outcropping.

Rarity smiled knowing. "What do you say, darling; up for a little race?" She asked her chaperon, hinting the spirit of competition in her voice.

Big Blue nodded his head and gave a short grunt.

"YOU'RE ON!" She shouted up to Atchmon, and the race was on.

"Whoohoo, go go go!" Atchmon cheered as the two bears ran with surprising speed. Atchmon held tight against the Ursa Major's plume colored fur as the winds threatened to blow him off.

Rarity laughed and cheered for her own mount, as they neared the finish line.

The bears were neck and neck for a while, before Big Blue pulled away into the lead.

"C'mon c'mon c'mon; we can beat'em!" Atchmon pushed, but no matter how much he cheered; the mother bear stayed firmly on her babies heels, boosting her offsprings confidence.

Big Blue rounded the outcropping, clearly the winner, as he bounded and grunted happily in victory, while his mother uttered grunts of praise and sportsmanship.

"That was so not fair; I was sabotaged," Atchmon complained, as he was reunited with Rarity atop Big Blue.

"Never underestimate a mother's love for her child," Rarity said smugly as she smiled proudly at the defeated human.

The Ursas stood at the precipice of a massive crater that sank far below the forest; and in the center was a tall, rocky, five-pointed mesa, its flat top shaped like a star.

The Ursas carefully descended down into the massive concave; the depth of which was great enough to nearly match the center star-shaped point in height; leaving the towering natural wonder virtually hidden by the canopy of trees.

The smooth rocks made the small mountain look like the bark of a giant tree.

"Wonder what their doin'," Atchmon asked thoughtfully, as the Ursa's stopped before the small, vertically rising mountain. There was nothing else that filled the area other than the dense forest surrounding it. The area around the base of the mountain was clear of any growth for at least a hundred yards. Smaller rocks and boulders that must've eroded away from the main monument gently sloped up to the mountains base.

The pair could see numerous claw marks on the rocky surface leading all the way to the top.

"Hold on," Atchmon grabbed Rarity as the Ursa Minor made its ascent up the vertical cliff. Its long claws bore into the mountainside, cutting deep furrows into the stone; leaving fresh claw marks among the countless others. The youth struggled to pull itself up, until momma came to help by nudging her snout underneath her baby, and gave him a little push.

The pair crested over the mountain, and found the top to have a vast, shallow depression around the center of the star-pointed mesa.

The giant cub flopped onto its chest and shifted back to watch his mother effortlessly pull herself over the mesa.

The area was just barely big enough to accommodate the colossal purple bears size, before she laid on her side and sniffed at the cool night air.

The cub approached and laid next to its mother before looking behind itself, gazing at the pair expectantly.

"Looks like this is where we get off," said Rarity, looking above at Atchmon.

Atchmon went first and easily slid down the cubs furry shoulder, and turned to catch Rarity as she slid down as well.

"Take care, buddy; stay out of trouble for your mom's sake, okay?" Atchmon smiled fondly as he petted the cubs massive paw.

The Ursa Minor grunted its goodbyes to his friend.

"Thank you for helping us," Rarity said as she bowed in respect to the great celestial beasts. "You should be so proud of him." She said as she addressed the mother bear.

The mother bear looked on silently at the pair, before giving her cub another embarrassing nuzzle in front of his new friends.

"Aww, how sweet," Rarity cooed a the beautiful image.

Atchmon chuckled as the Ursa Minor grunted petulantly at his mother and tried to avoid her proud, loving nuzzles.

The pair moved away as the loving family settle close together for a long night's sleep, before a gentle blue and purple aura surrounded each of the celestial bears. The glow started off soft and faint; but steadily grew until their light cast a beacon across the Everfree.

Rarity and Atchmon watched in awe as the mother and child ascended into the heavens. They rose ever higher, as their furred bodies turned translucent, and the motes of light along their flanks shone brightly.

Then they became the stars.

Their constellations shined brighter than any in the night sky, before they settled among the other lights in the heavens.

The pair shared a look of wonder, and stared back at their sleeping companions in the sky; bidding them a pleasant hibernation.

Atchmon bent low next to Rarity and wrapped an arm around her, after witnessing the rare event.

After breaking the embrace, the pair looked around their surroundings atop the mountain.

"Sooo... how do we get down?" Atchmon questioned, while turning in place.

Rarity's shoulders dropped as she frowned in realization.

The pair pivoted in place as they tried to spot a part of the mountain that wasn't a sheer vertical drop from the top of the mesa.

"Bear lifted me up so I could see all the earth, He said I may jump high among the cliffs and live forever"

Wow, I really didn't think this chapter would get this big. Writing action scenes takes up a lot of space.

So first off I was really wanting to paint the Ursas in a better light that also falls in line with many of the Native American myths and legends about bears. Some I recalled from my youth about a bear who brought fire to the native peoples and when it ate trees, the bark would turn to embers. I felt that was very fitting for the Ursas since they're basically referred to as 'Star-bears' and so I went a step further by suggesting they WERE made of stars... it's possible, you know; magic and shit, right?

Speaking of becoming stars, I've waited for a long time to bring you guys the legend about Devils Tower and the pleiades star cluster into this story, with a slight twist. Instead of the seven native girls who pray for salvation against a giant hungry bear and are lifted into the heavens by the Great Spirit by raising the rock from the earth. The Ursas themselves take on every role in the legends I've known about Devils Tower.

Although I never played it myself, I always enjoyed watching Shadow of the Colossus. And ever since I thought of Atchmon's simplified gear of using just a bow and hunting knife, I couldn't not pay homage to that game with the Ursa Minor as a 'colossus'.