Unbeknownst to those who don’t exactly know Venture Vine, she is a mare that loves to explore and discover any kind of wild and exotic environment. It also helps that she’s an extremely athletic pony and loves to get outdoors whenever she sees the opportunity to really stretch her legs. It doesn’t exactly happen very often though, since Venture is a personal trainer for the Queen Celestia’s adopted son Spike, and a trainer for all the other Kirin hatchlings and foals that happen to live in Canterlot, not that she really minds that. Venture loves interacting with foals, other than Spike, Sheton, and Crescent Shield, and she enjoys the time she spends teaching and molding the Shenron colts and fillies into the fighters and protectors that they’re destined to be someday. The pay she receives from the Queen every two weeks was an added bonus, and it certainly helped in ensuring she was fixed for retirement, and had more time to spend with her son, Zephyr.

Despite all of this, Venture did sometimes wish that she had more spare time, so she can really explore the wildernesses that have yet to be discovered. That’s not to say that she hasn’t been out into the wild before, and there were times where she and Zephyr were invited by Evening Glory and Bardock on their family outings. Queen Celestia was very understanding and was more than happy to let Venture have some free time for all the work she’s done to help Spike and other foals under her tutelage grow. As thankful as Venture was for this, it was pretty marred at times when she couldn’t bring her son along with her, especially when he first started training in the Queen’s Solar Division. That was why she cherished every minute she could spend with the stallion, both of them having a bond stronger than the typical mother and son, especially since they weren’t normal ponies. Though there were times where Venture Vine wished they didn’t have to meet especially if they were dangerous situations.

This time, traveling through one of the most dangerous wildernesses in Equis, was definitely one of those times.

Venture pushed a thick tree branch from out of her way as she flew through the foliage of the trees in front of her, the branches pulling at her cloak. Her reptilian eyes glowed a soft yellow color as she scanned through the trees, taking in the trees up ahead. The large grass green Kirin mare’s nostrils were flared, taking in the different scents surrounding her. So far, the various scents of the plants were the only smells filling her nasal cavities, and there were no signs of any animals nearby, much to her relief. Her guard didn’t lower however, and she continued to remain prepared for any ambush or surprise attack that may just so happen to come at her, or the Queen and the other guards.

“Venture Vine, are you still able detect the presence of any of the girls here?” Celestia asked from behind her. “Any magical essence or sign that they have recently passed by here?”

“I am, they’ve certainly been going on the straight and narrow since that last clearing that we’ve been to.” Venture nodded. “It’s safe to assume that they have chance direction since they had first started their quest through this forest. Still though, we can be completely sure that it’ll stay like that. They may have run into an animal of some sort which caused them to go into another direction, so we’ll need to be prepared for that.”

“Indeed.” Celestia nodded, glancing about the thick trees. “This forest is one of many mysteries, possibly more so than any other wilderness that I’ve been into. Anything can happen here at any time in the most unexpected of ways; one of the many reasons ponies steer clear of it.”

“Ponies except for us Kirins and Thestrals.” Venture murmured, closing her eyes. “As far as I’m concerned, we’re the only type of ponies who can handle being in a place like this. To other ponies, this place is the epitome of danger and peril, and in some ways that is true. For ponies like me, Zephyr, Spike Evening Glory, Bardock, and their kids…places like the Everfree Forest is more than that…much more.”

“It’s a place of paradise for you, of safety and security where you can all go and not have to worry about being judged by others.” Celestia said softly. “While you yourself have never set hoof into the Everfree Forest that often, you still feel secluded and safe here, despite all of the dangers within it.”

“That I do.” Venture stated, a hoof coming to run through the scars on her face. “I mean, I get that there is an abundance of dangerous creatures here, but...I just can’t help but feel that I’m at home here. I guess it’s one of the many traits that I have since I’m half dragon and have the powers of one and need to be in the wilderness.”

“You mean like how Zephyr does?” Celestia asked, making Venture pause. “I mean, you are is dear mother, regardless of whether or not you’re blood related. He was bound to pick up a few things from you in the time that you had raised him.”

“Believe me, Zephyr’s most certainly picked quite a few things from me, some I wish that he didn’t pick up.” Venture replied with a chuckle her green cheeks turning a slight pink. “But yes, just like his dear old lady, having the gentleness, power and ferocity of a dragon, with the love for nature and the desire to be around it. That’s why neither me and him have any fear of this wilderness or the creatures that it contains...still though…”

“You’re still worried about Zephyr, despite the fact he has Goku and Twilight there to keep him said and vice versa?” Celestia asked, as if reading Venture’s mind. “That he may end up biting off more than he can chew in this forest?”

Venture’s dragon-like ears fell limp, her teeth chewing at her lower lip. “What gave it away?”

“The way you were talking about yourself and Zephyr, how you both love the essence of the wild and all of its freedom.” Celestia replied knowingly. “I could also sense some worry and doubt in your voice while you were saying it, plus that trail off at the end.”

“I was that obvious, huh?” The grass green mare sighed, her red mane spilling over her face as she lowered her head. “Well, I might as well say it…yes your Majesty, I have deep concerns tha my son may end up with more than he can handle. It also doesn’t help that he has seven mares that he’s supposed to keep safe on top of that, which only adds to his workload. I know that he’s a Royal Guard, and that’s his duty, but still…it doesn’t stop me worrying for him.”

“And who said that you shouldn’t be worried for him?” Celestia asked. “Every parent has their worries for their children no matter the situation that they’re in, so it’s understandable and perfectly normal for you to feel that way. I would most certainly be if I was in your position and it was my child in this forest.” She cleared her throat. “Be that as it may, every parent should have faith and believe that their child will make it out of whatever precarious situation in one piece. You do believe in Zephyr; do you not Venture?”

“Of course I do!” Venture replied adamantly, giving a sideways glare at the Solar Queen. “I’ve always believed in my son all his life, even when he’s had to deal with bullying and racism from his pees! How can you even think that I don’t have that?”

“I never said that I didn’t believe you didn’t believe in your child.” Celestia stated calmly, the firm reassurance in her tone calming Venture down immediately. “All that I’m implying is that you should not let that worry cloud your judgement and let you love your belief that your son will succeed. Every child wants their parent to believe in them no matter the reason, and it would be a major blow to Zephyr if you start doubting him. Especially when you of all ponies told him right to his face, before and after he became a guard, that you’d believe in him no matte matter what, do you not agree?”

“Yes, I do, and I remember always telling Zephyr that whenever I got the chance for felt that I needed to.” Venture nodded. “All that I’m saying is that I have my concerns about whether or not my son will come out of this without anything too life threatening.”

“As do I, even if Zephyr is not my child himself.” Celestia stated matter of factly. “Regardless, all that I am merely stating is that whether or not Zephyr will make it out without being physically, mentally, or even physiologically scarred, you should not lose hope in him. He is quite the mature, level headed and courageous young stallion, more than worthy of being the leader of my Solar Division if given the chance. For the longest time, he has held the upmost faith and belief in you and you’ve always managed to pull through. If there’s a more crucial time for you to do the same for him, it’s now, especially with all that is stake.”

“With you wanting to get your sister back, I know.” Venture sighed, her tail swishing from underneath her cloak. “I also know that of all the times that I need to believe in my son, the time is certainly now, and believe, me, I do. I just…I just hope that he won’t be too scarred by the upcoming battle that I know that we’ll all have with your sister.”

“The feeling is mutual Venture Vine.” Celestia murmured, letting out a sigh. “I hold you son to as much value as I do all of my subjects, as with you. We all hope that nothing crucial happens to him, least we end up paying for it in the end.”

“That makes two of us.” Venture Vine replied, adjusting the cloak around her frame. As the Kirin mare continued to walk ahead with the Queen, she was suddenly aware of the lack of light from above. As she looked up, she could see that there was nothing but blackness form where she was standing; no branches, no sky, and no moonlight.

“Oh my, it appears that we had stumbled upon a bit of an obstacle.” Celestia muttered, looking about the darkness in front of her. “It appears to be a cave of some sorts.”

“It doesn’t just appear to be, it is a cave.” Venture corrected, sniffing the air. “I can identify the telltale signs of animal bones and numerous animal scents in here. Chances are we might not find anything here, however…”

“…However?” Celestia asked, urging the mare to continue.

“I don’t want to get anypony’s hopes up on believing that nothing is here.” Venture replied, looking back at the Queen. “Which is why we shouldn’t let our guard down.”

“In a forest like this, it’d be unwise to do the opposite.” Celestia muttered, closing her eyes for a moment. “So, what do you suggest that we do?”

Pausing for a moment, Venture looked about the cave again, before looking back at the Queen and saying, “I’m going to go check it out, and see what’s inside.”

“All by yourself?” Celestia asked, her eyes widening in surprise. “Do you believe that is a good idea?”

“I am.” Venture replied firmly. “I know that it may sound crazy, but I wouldn’t be asking to go alone if I didn’t believe that I couldn’t handle whatever is in there. Plus, due to how big I’m guessing this cave is, it’ll take is a while to get around and even over it without running into something in the woods. And, not to sound overconfident or anything but, there isn’t anything scarier in this forest than a dragon, half pony or not.”

“That is true.” Celestia nodded, setting her spear down. “Are you sure that you don’t want to have anypony come with you.”

The grass green mare nodded. “I’m positive your Highness…don’t worry, I’ll be alright.” She said, her tail protruding out of her cloak as the tip turned into a large scarlet blade. “If anything pops out and tries to eat me, I’ll just slice it in two, or burn it to a crisp.”

“As you Kirins and Dragons are known to do.” Celestia murmured dryly, watching as Venture’s tail blade gleamed in the light of her magic. “Be careful in there, Venture Vine. We’ll be right here in case you need us.”

“Sure thing.” Venture nodded, her tail swishing about. “And if I feel that I’m in danger, I’ll give out a nice big roar so you guys can come in and help.”

With nothing else left to say to the Sun Goddess, the grass green mare trotted deeper inside of the cave, her reptilian eyes helping her see through the darkness. As she trekked through the interior, she noticed more animal bones lining up various parts of the cave and under her very hooves. They all ranged from deer, to pigs, moose, elk, bison and there was even the decaying carcass of an elephant that looked to have only been recently killed. A part of Venture was tempted to dive right into the gigantic carcass and stuff herself full of it, but she resisted the urge. She had more important matters to attend to at the moment; eating could wait. Celestia did say she was planning to restart the Summer Sun Celebration after this mess anyway.

‘Although, some other animal was clearly taking their sweet time devouring all of these dead animals here.’ Venture thought to herself after ten minutes of searching. ‘I’m not sure what it is, but it clearly has a big appetite, especially for animals as big as an elephant. Plus, there’s the fact that there’s more than one carcass in this cave, so that could only mean one thing…there’s an actual pack of carnivores resining in this cave. The question is, what is it?’

A gust of wind suddenly blowing into her form the front froze Venture in her tracks, making every single bone in her body lock up. For moment she wondered if she had felt what she did, or if it was just her imagination. She was soon given her answer, when she felt the gust of air again, and when it came a second time, she realized that it wasn’t air, far from it.

‘Oh shit, I smell the breath of an animal.’ The Kirin mare thought to herself, her heart skipping a small beat. ‘And I am standing just feet away from it.’

Doing her best to compose herself, Venture focused on seeing what kind of animal was in front of her, and once her eyes adjusted to the ever-growing darkness, she saw what it was. A gasp escaped her throat, her draconic pupils contracting as her jaw dropped, as if it was completely dislocated. A single word ran through her mind, one that was perfect for describing the gravity of the situation that she now found herself in. ‘Buck…’

Lying right in front of her, looking to be in the most peaceful restful sleep ever, was the largest bear that Venture had ever seen in her entire life. It was so big that it would make even an adult Battookuma seem like a cub in comparison. It had gleaming hide of misty blue fur, with shining stars nestled within them, as if the creature was blanketed by the very essence of space itself. It’s claws, about the size of an adult mare, were a gleaming golden color, slightly darker than Venture’s own eyes, looking to be sharper than curved daggers. Teeth the same color and sharpness as the claws could be seen protruding out of the bear’s mouth, looking to be able to crush a full-grown pony to a bloody fleshy mess. On the right side of it was a large whip like tail, that looked like it could leave a very nasty blood scar on a pony if given the chance.

The giant bear continued to snore in front of Venture, who continued to star in shock at its giant frame in complete silence. It was only when it let out a low rumbling growl did the Kirin mare snap out of her stupefied state, fear now replacing her shock.

‘Oh shit…oh shit oh shit, OH SHIT! I was NOT anticipating this in the least!’ Venture thought in a panic, sweat beginning to roll down her face. ‘I was way off in what I anticipated on finding in this cave when I got here! Of all the things that I expected to find here; an Ursa Minor was definitely not on that list!’

The grass green mare suddenly jumped when the Ursa suddenly raised its head, opening its mouth to show off its set of flesh slicing teeth. Its lips curled back to the point where its gums could be seen, allowing Venture to see the roots of the teeth. With an echoing snap the Ursa Minor closed its mouth and lowered its head back into its paws, letting out a third breath from its giant nostrils that blew Venture’s hood back.

‘Okay, okay, okay…just keep it together Venture Vine…don’t panic.’ The grass green mare said to herself. ‘The Ursa Minor is asleep and hasn’t noticed you yet, so you still have a chance to get out of here unscathed. It may be just a baby, but it’s still more than big enough to swallow you whole if it wanted to. Not only that, there’s no way an Ursa this young would be in this cave all by itself, because where there’s an Ursa Major…there’s always the mother.’ She took several deep breaths to clam herself, her heart slowly returning to its normal beat. ‘Just back out of the cave slowly and quietly, and don’t make a sound. You’ll be out of this cave without a scratch and you can let Queen Celestia know what you found so you can all make a quick getaway. the sooner we’ll be able to get to Zephyr, Goku and their friends, the better.’

Unfortunately for the draconic mare, fate seemed to have other plans for her, for as she began to back out of the cave, she made a fatal mistake. That mistake being to not only step down on a piece of bone hard enough to snap it, but to also fall into the sharper ones back first. “OW!”

The yell of pain that Venture Vine emitted echoed about the cave, at a volume that would most certainly wake the Ursa cub sleeping in front of her. Venture Vine froze where she lay as her gaze shot straight up to the space bear, watching as it began to stir, much to her horror. Her heart began to hammer against her chest like a drum as she watched the Ursa Minor move about, the bones around it clattering as it did so.

‘Oh no, oh no, oh no no no…oh no no no no NO!’ Venture thought frantically as she watched the Ursa begin to stand up. ‘It’s wakin up, it’s waking the buck up! Now it’s gonna see me and try to kill me, and I’ll have no choice but to burnt it to a crisp! That is if its mother doesn’t make up and try to squash me like an egg first! I gotta get out of here NOW!’

Try as she might, Venture couldn’t move a single one of her limbs, leaving her unable to do anything but watch was the Ursa Minor got onto its haunches. Just when it looked like it was about to wake up, the cub threw its head back and let out a rather loud yawn. It was so deep that Venture felt the ground beneath her shake, which helped her body to finally start moving again, and get her to her hooves. Just as she did so, the Ursa Minor suddenly fell back down to the ground with a thundering flop, emitting a dust cloud that flew into Venture and enveloped her for a few seconds.

‘Oh, thank Shenron, he didn’t wake up.’ Venture thought, a wave of relief was big as the dust cloud washing over her. ‘He was just wanting a different position to sleep in...for a second I really thought that he was gonna wake up. Guess that was me just being paranoid.’ A giggle left her as she blew her mane from her face and pulled her hood back up. ‘Okay, now that that’s over with, I can finally get out of this cave and-’

That was as far as the grass green mare was able to think before the eyes of the Ursa Minor snapped open, the brightness behind them seeming to light up the whole cave. The powerful light from its eyes caused Venture’s own eyes to snap shut to keep from going blind, and she put a foreleg to her hoof for extra assurance. A few moments later, she looked back up, and found herself looking into a set of glowing dark blue eyes that stared back at her groggily.

‘Or not…’ Venture Vine thought dejectedly, her panic returning tenfold.

With a sharp intake of breath, the Ursa Minor lifted its massive head from the ground, opening its jaws wide as it stretched all four of its limbs outward. Leaning back, it fell fight into its rump as it lifted its clawed paws to its face and rubbed at its eyes like a toddler. Venture would’ve found it cute if she didn’t feel like she was going to pass out from fear, and the cub in front of her wasn’t so big and menacing looking.

‘Well, now the baby is awake.’ Venture thought worriedly as the Ursa Minor blinked down at her. ‘So much for me being quiet and not wanting to wake it up…what’s it gonna do now?’

To the Ursa Minor’s credit, it didn’t try to attack Venture when it first saw her, since Ursa Minors are known to get pretty aggressive when cranky. In fact, the cub seemed to be more curious than angry, as evident when it leaned down and started sniffing at her.

“Whoa there, easy boy, it’s okay.” Venture said as soothingly as she could. “I’m not gonna hurt you, it’s alright.”

Reaching a scarlet red hoof out, she gingerly started rubbing the Ursa Minor on its nose in an effort to keep it from getting angry or agitated. It worked better than she had anticipated, for the cub started to hum contently, its eyes becoming half lidded at the gentle treatment it was receiving. Upon seeing this, Venture used her other hoof to reach out and scratch it under its chin, at least as much as she could reach anyway. Another louder hum came from the Ursa Minor as a wide smile came across its face.

‘I can’t believe it, it’s working! It’s actually working!’ Venture thought to herself, her confidence slowly growing. ‘I’m actually keeping the Ursa calm! I looks like all of those times I spent with Zephyr in the Canterlot Zoo really paid off! I really owe him big time for persuading me to learn how to calm animals in situations like this!’

As the grass green mare continued to display affection to the Ursa Minor, it suddenly began to get a little playful. Without warning, it lunged t Venture and pinned her to the ground, covering her face in thick trails of saliva as he repeatedly licked her. Venture squealed and laughed, trying in vain to get to cub to stop, but to no avail.

“H-hey stop it, knock it off!” Venture cried out in between laughs, unaware of just how loud she was being. “Get off of me ya big lug; you’re getting me all dirty!”

At some point, the Kirin mare was able to squeeze out of the cubs hold and get away a few feet, before the Ursa Minor suddenly jumped at her. Venture cried out as she flew back, narrowly avoiding its claws, but as she began to collect herself, she found herself in its massive paws once again. They tumbled across the ground, Ventures cries and squeals being hear all through the cave before it began to lick and nuzzle her again.

“Goddammit, get off of me!” Venture shouted, trying, and failing, to get the Ursa Minor to end its affectionate gestures. “I don’t have time for you to cover me in a blanket of your own glob of slobber! If you keep this up, you’re gonna wake your mother up!”

Try as she might, the Ursa Minor did not pay attention to any of Venture Vine’s commands and continued on with its overly affectionate assault on the Kirin. At some point, Venture came to the conclusion that she may have to use a little force on the cub to calm him down. Fortunately, and unfortunately for her, she didn’t have to, for something else made the Ursa Minor stop dead in his tracks. That something being an even bigger, more blood curdling growl that nearly made the Ursa Minor lost its own footing. He stopped dead in his tracks as if the growl froze him in place, and he dropped Venture, letting her fall to the bone covered floor. As Venture busied herself with getting the cub’s saliva off of her, the growl made itself known again and the grass green mare froze as well.

‘Do I dare turn around?’ Venture thought to herself, her face flushing blue. ‘Do I dare even take a single peek behind me and see that Mama Ursa is up and ready to kill me?’

Luckily for her, Venture didn’t have to really look behind her, for the look on the Ursa Minor’s face was enough to let her know just how bad things had gotten. Even so, that did not stop her from looking behind her to see an Ursa a hundred times as big as the cub, its star filled purple coat shining even brighter that the baby’s. Its scorching yellow eyes seemed to burn straight through Venture, making her feel as if she was brunt from the inside out. For a moment that seemed to last for an eternity, the two stared at one another. The Ursa’s Major’s eyes filled with murderous intent, while Ventures were filled with horrified terror, neither of them making a single move.

Then the Ursa Major opened its mouth and let out a roar that sent all of the bones littering the cave flying away like a flock of birds. It was only thanks to Venture’s hooves turning into claws and them digging into the earth that she wasn’t carried away. It was a different story for the saliva coating her, for it was all washed away from her in a single whoosh of air, her large cloak included. Just as quickly as it had come, it was gone, and Venture found herself staring once again into those furious yellow orbs. The grass green mare’s own reptilian gaze snapped over to the cub’s, only to find him staring back at her as well. His eyes told her one thing, a single thing that would either save her life, or end it right there.

Run.

Venture didn’t need to be told a second time. Spreading her wings from under her cloak, she turned tail and took off back to the entrance of the cave. In her haste to get away, her tail blade accidentally sliced across the Ursa Minor’s nose, emitting a cry of pain from the cub. The Ursa Major saw this, and let out an even louder roar that inadvertedly helped Venture pick up speed to get out of the cave. It only took her a minute to get back to the entrance and she found herself colliding with Queen Celestia.

“Venture Vine!” The swan white Alicorn exclaimed, surprise washing over her face. “What’s the matter, why are you so shaken up?”

“Your Highness, we need to get out of here right now!” Venture cried, flying away from the Sun Goddess. “I was right about finding an animal in the cave, but I was way off on what I thought it could be!”

“Yes, I heard roaring coming from within the cave a few moments go.” Celestia murmured, looking around at the slice trees and ground. “What did you find inside of the cave?”

After taking a few moments to collect herself, Venture Vine revealed her discovery. “It was an Ursa…and Ursa Minor and an Ursa Major.”

The sounds of the horrified and shocked gasps from the guards let Venture Vine know just how terrified they were by what she said. Celestia looked just as taken aback as them, though she did her best to hide it. “Are you sure Venture Vine?”

“I saw them with my own eyes Celestia! I saw them for a full five minutes, and not once was there a trick of the eye!” Venture shouted stomping her hoof. “We need to get away from this cave before the Ursa Major comes after us!”

Another roar that blew Venture, Celestia, and just about all of the other guards back prevented the latter from following the former’s course of action. As they recovered from the onslaught, they all froze upon seeing the Ursa Major emerge from its cave. The ground shook violently with each step she took, and as she reared up on her hind legs, the Ursa Major seemed to tower over all the trees, even though many were larger than even her. She glared down at the ponies with the upmost menace, and she let out another roar that blasted through the trees.

“Eeyup, it looks like I was right.” Venture gulped. “Mama Ursa is really pissed off!”

“Everypony, prepare for battle!” Celestia commanded, drawing her giant spear forward. “The creature we are facing off against now is extremely dangerous! More so than most of the animals in the Everfree Forest!”

To say that the Ursa Major, or any kind of Ursa for that matter, was dangerous, was a major understatement in itself. It was the biggest species of bear to ever roam the face of the entirety of Equis, more so than even the Battookuma. It was a creature that looked to be from the very essence of space itself, as evident by its starry coat. It was certainly the biggest and strongest animal in the Everfree Forest so far, second only to Dragons, with the speed and agility of one to match. Its massive forelegs and clawed paws gave it the power to rip one of the giant trees right out of its roots, the claws leaving gaping slashes into the bark. Just a single stomp of one of its legs allowed it to split the very earth apart, with its whip-like tail doing the same. It also had the ability to breath and ethereal fire-like mist that burned hotter than any fire, able to turn even the toughest trees to ash. As if that wasn’t bad enough, Ursas were able to use their space like powers to use magic like the ponies, from flying in the air and using attack related to it, smashing the earth, and firing off ethereal blasts. It was bad enough for ponies when they faced an Ursa Minor, but to face off against an adult is just asking for a death wish.

“As if that wasn’t made so viciously obvious!” Venture shouted, flaring her wings as her eyes glowed fiercely.

The Ursa Major roared again before slamming down on its forelegs again, causing the ground beneath it to split apart and crack. At the same time, it shot a stream of ethereal fire at Celestia, Venture, and the Royal Guards, all of whom either leaped or flew out of the way. They watched as the starry flames scorched the grass down to the very earth to the point where there was nothing but ashes, with the same happening some trees.

“Everypony scatter again!” An Earth Pony Solar Guard shouted, watching as a few trees came falling down towards them. It happened just in the nick of time as the wooden appendages landed with such force that they nearly snapped in two. As they recovered from their near-death experience, a roar brought their attention back to the Ursa Major, only to find her mouth open again. This time, Venture Vine was able to see it, and she went on the defensive before the giant bear could fire.

“Fire Kirin: Roar!” She shouted, shooting off a blast of flames at the Ursa Major, right into her gaping mouth. The Ursa Major’s mouth snapped shut before opening again to let her agonized roar erupt form her mouth, leaving her open for another attack by Venture Vine.

“Fire Kirin: Iron Claw!” Venture yelled, flying to the right side of the Ursa Major and delivering a burning claw swipe to its face. The purple starry bear roared again as the force and the heat from the attack causing her to stumble to the side. Growling, she raised a paw and took a swipe at the grass green mare, her claws glowing a bright yellow. Venture’s sharp eyes were able to see the attack coming in time and was able to dodge, but as she looked behind it, her eyes widened upon seeing large magic slices appear.

“What in the…?” She whispered to herself as she watched the slashes of magic slice into the trees behind her, going through them as if they were mere paper. Her eyes widened even further when she was it was some of the larger trees, which were slowly falling towards the ground. “Oh Faust…”

“Venture Vine, look out!” The terrified voice of Celestia yelled through the destruction and fighting. The grass green mare’s ears perked, and she turned around just in time to see the Ursa Major’s giant tail soaring towards her. The stunned shock she felt afterward left her unable to dodge or retaliate, and by the time she managed to get herself together, she was struck head on. Venture screamed as she was sent careening through the air, slamming into a giant tree with so much force that she threw up a mouthful of blood from the impact.

“Venture!” Celestia shouted again, only to freeze upon feeling a shadow loom over her. She spun around to see the Ursa Major back on her hindlegs once again, one of her paws raised to strike the ponies down below. Thinking quickly, Celestia charged her spear with magic and fired a golden flaming beam from the tip, watching as it struck the Ursa Major square in the center of her left paw. “Solar Beam!”

The Ursa Major roared in pain from the burning in her paw, leaving it open for another one of the swan white Alicorn’s attacks, to which she shot right at her chest. It was three times as big as the last one, and had enough force to send the beast toppling down onto her rump. The moment she did, she found herself assaulted by a series of tail swipes from Venture, the blade carving deep into her fur covered skin. Blood sprayed from the slashes like a fountain, and the Ursa Major roared loudly as she swiped angrily at the grass green Kirin mare. Remembering what happened last time, Venture narrowly flew passed the magical slices and flew right at the purple bear’s face, blasting a breath of fire in her face. As the Ursa Major tried to get rid of the burning sensation, Venture took this opportunity to try to bring the Ursa down for the count.

“Fire Kirin: Brilliant Flame!” She shouted, shooting a giant orb of flames down at the Ursa, the size being more than big enough to fit her head. The attack hit the beast square in her chest before exploding into flame as she fell square onto her back, causing a huge cloud of dust to wash over the gaint clearing. Everypony waited until it cleared, and they were greeted with the sight of the Ursa Major laying on the ground motionless, surrounded by fallen and broken trees.

“That…was way too damn close for my liking.” Venture said to herself, letting out a shudder. “It really looked like I was about to be sliced in two by her.”

“Are you alright Venture Vine?” Celestia asked, flying up to the Kirin mare. “The tail swipe that you took from the Ursa Major was quite the devastating one.”

“Aside from feeling like I was going to throw up, I’m alright.” Venture replied, shuddering. “This is a tough girl though, those attacks that we just shot off now aren’t gonna hold her down for long. At any moment she could get back up and try to eat all of us again, so I say that we make a hasty retreat.”

“As wise as a decision that is, I doubt that this Ursa Major will let us get away, especially with how much she looked like she wanted to kill us.” Celestia muttered, watching as the Ursa began to stir. “Venture, did you somehow do something to aggravate her?”

“No, I didn’t. As a matter of a fact, I was trying to keep as quiet as possible trying to get out of there.” Venture replied. “It was the baby that I saw first, but rather than try to kill me, it ended up…playing with me instead. The noise that the Ursa Minor was making was sure to wake its mother up, and I was trying to get it to calm down, but I couldn’t. At some point, all of that ruckus ended up waking up the Ursa Major, and well…you heard and saw what happened.”

“I see…I’m not exactly surprised honestly.” Celestia said, with a sigh. “Ursa Minors can tend to be rather curious and playful to anything that they may deem as such. They’re usually cranky if they’re woken up from their sleep. It would seem that you got lucky this time around.”

“And yet it still managed to piss his mother off to the point of wanting to kill me.” Venture said dejectedly. “Some luck that is.”

“Either way, we’re not quite out of the woods yet, metaphorically speaking.” Celestia said, adding the last two words as Venture went to correct her. “The only way we can defeat this creature is if we can hit it with enough force to render it unconscious, or to buy is enough time to escape.”

“Due to how big this girl is, that seems like a really tall furry order.” Venture commented as the Ursa Major turned over. “Though it looks like the only option that we have. Let’s just hope that the guards will be able to help us in making that easier…that is if they don’t lose their nerve first.”

“With the kind of guards that we have and how powerful that they are, I have full confidence that they’ll be able to.” Celestia said, winking at the grass green Kirin. “Just like how I know that you won’t fall so easily to the Ursa Major. Especially with Zephyr’s life on the line…”

Venture snorted, a stream of fire leaving her nostrils. “Damn straight.”

The sound of something slamming caused the two mares to turn back at the Ursa Major, and saw it sitting back up on her haunches. Giving a hard shake of her head, the purple bear blinked a couple of times, before glaring back down at the ponies in front of her. She bared her gigantic teeth at them before standing back on her hindlegs and roaring at them once again.

“Soldiers, follow my lead!” She commanded; her pale lavender eyes glowing as she took to the sir. “Attack!”

None of the guards needed to be told again, and joined their Queen and Venture in a second around with the mother Ursa Major. The giant bear roared again before charging her foes, clearly intent on devouring them all and killing them right where they stood.

Author's Notes:

Well everypony, what did I tell you? I told you that that the creatures that Zephyr, the Main Seven, and the Shadowbolts would be facing wouldn't be the only beast presented. They wouldn't be the only ones in a fight for their lives, and I think that this chapter very well proves it. Now, I'm just gonna say, in the chapter where Celestia explained the situation in the Town Square, I had neglected to add the parts with the Ragadile and the Ursas while Fluttershy was explaining the animals that they'd be facing. So that is a partial reason as to why I had added the Ragadile and added this chapter as well, with Venture Vine and Queen Celestia running into the Ursa. It would also give a thorough explanation as to why it was taking the former so long to make it too the caslte, while Dash and the Shadowbolts were fighting to the Galaxy Star Bolts. Now, for the next chapter, I'm thinking of combining the two fights happening both above and below the ground before finally going back to Ponyville and showing the next dark surprise they're soon going to get. One that will surely have them all fighting for their very lives, and not just the adults as well.

Well, that's all for this chapter for tonight folks. Tune in next time for the two upcoming animal fights as Queen Celestia, Venture Vine, Zephyr, the Main Seven, and the Shadowbolts all fight for each others survival, and to make it to their ever waiting dark foe of a Queen!!!