Of Ponies and Hunters
Chapter 0: The Prelude
This world is an amazing, mysterious, and dangerous one. Where many fascinating creatures live, breathe, survive, and die; completing their life cycle. Where magic exists and technology is slowly advancing to improve everyone's lives for the better.
But what if I told you that the dominant species never met… until recently.
In one side of the world, are the Humans, Felynes, and Wyverian. They live "peacefully" in the large cities, towns, and in some islands far at sea. They posses no magic, but more than make it up with their technology and weaponry… mainly because they HAVE too.
You see, in their side of the world they have to defend themselves from monsters, very large monsters called wyverns. These wyverns are a force to be reckoned with, most flying wyverns ruling the sky, brute wyverns stomping through the land, leviathans claiming the sea and volcanos, and everything in-between doing what they can to survive. The wyverians where the first to be able to fight against these creatures; eventually passing on their knowledge and weaponry to the humans so that they could have a fighting chance as well.
The humans were fast learners; the Yian-Kut-Kus that once passed a modest threat, are now the laughing stocks of the monsters. A pack of Velociprey that would harass the humans are easily dealt with. Larger monsters like Najaralas and Rathians where still a challenge, but nothing they couldn't handle.
Eventually they would call themselves Hunters and soon formed teams where humans, wyverians, and soon after the Felynes, would come together and expand their population and knowledge to others in their continent.
It took them a while to reach the corners of their continent, regrettably lost lives to monsters and disease, but they never let despair weigh them down. In time they formed great cities, settled for enough time to make new medicines and advance their weapons and armor. Everything seemed to be going well, making them the dominant species in their side fo the world… until they got greedy and hungered for more power.
Meanwhile during the other side of the world, the other dominant species where not having it easy.
The three tribes of the Earth Ponies who plant and harvest crops, the Pegasi who cleared and control the weather, and the Unicorns who controlled the day and night cycles.
The Unicorns and Pegasi wanted the food that the Earth Ponies could only grow, in return they would give them night and day and clear skies. But it wasn't done in good faith, they only agreed to this arrangement because it seemed fair; while in reality hatred towards each other only existed between their tribes. The hatred only grew through the years, until an unforeseen and unstoppable blizzard came to their land.
The Earth Ponies couldn't grow the crops and where freezing, the Pegasi couldn't stop the winter and where hungry, and the Unicorns where both freezing and hungry! They all blamed each other for actions none had control over. All that hatred only made the blizzard worse.
One day the leaders of each tribe decided to meet-up in a Great Summit to attempt to set aside their differences and solve this problem together… it only ended into more bickering and blaming. The Earth Ponies blame the Pegasi for causing the blizzard who shifted blamed to the Unicorns who blamed their starvation on the Earth Ponies who where hogging the food (which they were, but they ran out almost instantly) They left the meeting angrier than ever.
After forming the capital of Castle Schrade, the hunters wanted more. They knew of other more powerful monsters they called Elder Dragons. These monsters where super natural. In the past they had to run from Teostras and Lunastras who had complete control over fire, Kushala Daoras that can control the winds, the ever so rare Kirins that people only DREAMED of seeing, and many more.
But not anymore, with their advanced weapons, armor, and brand new Dragonators, they hunted the Elder Dragons down, using them for their own gains. They hunted without mercy, driving some wyverns to extinction. Using the hides of Kushala Daoras to build one massive tower, and where so advanced that they managed to create new life in the form of The Equal Dragon, although some say that it is but a myth.
The Wyverians begged them to stop, sensing a great calamity if they didn't. Naturally, the Humans dismissed they warnings, confident that they could handle anything that gets in their way. What happened then is something no-one would ever forget.
The ponies just about had enough. The leaders of the three tribes, along side their closest assistants, secretly searched for greener pastures… literally, before the others could. They eventually stumbled upon a mountain side, the sun was shining, the flowers blooming, the mountain filled with gems, and the dirt fertile, perfect for a new settlement, except that the tribe leaders had the same idea.
They once again started to bicker about who should own this land while their assistants tried to break them up. Unaware to the six of them, the blizzard had followed them, almost as if it had a mind of its own, and covered the brand new land they found. They made a run for it into a far away cave, only to once again fight; this time over "territory".
The leaders where too caught up in their fight to notice that entrance was slowly closing in with ice. The leaders could only blame the others for this act, finally freezing over by the magical ice, leaving the three remaining ponies alone.
The assistant unicorn saw the cloud on the cave an explained to the other to they where Windigos, spirits that feed off of negativity and hatred. They brought the blizzard to themselves and they were going to pay the price.
The Pegasus told them that they never hated them and the Unicorn and Earth Pony concluded the same. Right before their bodies got engulfed by the ice, the horn of the Unicorn lit up, expelling magic fire that formed a heart, expelling the Windigos.
The three ponies celebrated all night by telling stories and singing songs still in use to this day. After the ice thawed their leaders, they each apologized and decided to share the land, naming it: Equestria.
I know what you are thinking.
"Why this history lesson? We all know this already. How did they meet."
And you may be right, but it is important to know the past to learn about the present. If only the Hunters had a happy ending like the Ponies.
It was like any other day in the capital city of Castle Schrade. The cloudy skies, children playing on the streets, the people trading their goods, and the Hunters returning with full bags of monster parts. It was a peaceful day all-in-all, until the alarms started to sound. Everyone quickly closed their shops and homes, the Hunters rushed for their weapons and got into their designated areas of defense.
You see, the Elder Dragons are by no means simple creatures. They are smart and intelligent; Some might say human like. The Elder Dragons didn't appreciate being hunted down so mercilessly, so they decided to counter attack.
This was The Dragon War, the bloodiest, most gruesome, and darkest time in their history. The Hunters fought bravely, doing their absolute best to defend their cities against the Elder Dragons, some of which where never seen before. Both Hunters and Elder Dragons fought to the bitter end, causing the near extinction of both parties.
The Hunters didn't dare to lose hope, as long as the capital of Castle Schrade stood, then there was always hope… until that faithful day.
What happened next, not even the wisest of Wyverians could've ever predict.
The sky darkened like the night, the Elder Dragons that where fighting the Hunters quickly retreated, leaving them all confused… and scared. Where the sun once was stood a vortex with a large storm cloud starting to form and circle around it. From the vortex was heard a bloodcurdling roar.
From the sky dropped a MASSIVE dragon, scales black in coloration, wing span larger than any other, a long neck, two horns, and a long tail and yellow glowing eyes.
It eyed the army of Hunters, who quickly got on the offensive. Without as much of a thought, the dragon huffed and spewed a stream of fire at them. The armor the Hunters had where no match for its fire, leaving them as burning husked in their wake.
The dragon set its sight at the capital, expanding its wings and took flight, the ground shaking at every flap. The people of the capital tried to run while the outer assaulted the monster, but it was no use. Their bullets seemingly bounced off the hide of the dragon, not even flinching it, not even the Dragonators as much dented it's scales.
Soon, every man, woman, and child where executed by the dragon. The capital was left lifeless, only a hand full of survivors where left to tell the tale of the dragon. It only took a few weeks before the Elder Dragons earned victory, scattering the last remains of humanity.
They would eventually call this dragon: Fatalis The Black Dragon
It took many years for the Hunters to get back on their feet. The Wyverians who pitied them did the best they could to recover the now lost knowledge of technology and Hunter Arts. They took this war as a sign to never interfere with nature and too instead keep it in balance.
They formed the Hunter's Guild in order to keep the balance on check, in fear that the Black Dragon will return.
And now ever sense that day, civilization managed to prosper once more, keeping the balance of nature to the best of their ability.
That is the history our two factions, The Ponies and Hunters. And now it is finally time to answer the question: How did they meet?
It happened only twenty years after the banishment of Nightmare Moon. The city of Canterlot had just finished construction and the ponies where all settling in their new homes and businesses, all but one.
Princess Celestia, the current alicorn ruler of Equestria, sat on her throne with a heavy soul. She felt great sorrow and guilt for banishing her sister, but she knew she couldn't let that stop her from ruling the kingdom to the best of her abilities. She sat straight and started to plan her day.
It wasn't until a Canterlot guard used his magic to open the doors and walked in the room with a scroll floating next to him.
"Princess," He bowed. "There has been increased reports of missing settler ponies on the western shores. The soldiers you sent to protect them appeared to be too late." He announced.
Celestia used her magic to unroll the scroll and read it for herself.
With a huff, she stood up, wrote a quick note telling the stationed guards she'll be arriving soon, and walked to the balcony.
"I'll look into this myself." She said spreading her wings. "Keep the Kingdom safe while I'm gone."
The guard puffed his chest and saluted.
It only took her a few minutes to reach her destination thanks to the magic enhancing her wings. She landed gracefully on the ground and was greeted by the Squad of ten troops, five unicorns and five earth ponies, that she sent earlier that month.
"Sergeant Steel Hoof, at your service!" The sergeant saluted followed by the rest. He was a unicron with dark grey fur, a buzz cut under the helmet, and a shining shield for a cutie mark. He is on the older side of things, but still as resilient as ever.
"At ease." She commanded. Her heart sank at the sight. The make shift huts where destroyed, carts of food and clothes toppled over and shredded to pieces. But the worst part were the stains of blood on the wood and ground. She used her magic to lift some of ruble to find a small stuffed bunny stained in blood.
A small tear went down her cheek
"What happened here?" She asked while setting the bunny down.
"We are not sure you majesty. It was like this when we arrived. We did however find a few skid marks and quite sizable prints heading towards the beach. I sent a group of four to investigate further just a few moments ago. We know for a fact some kind of creature did this. And judging by the blood stains and the still good to eat fruits and vegetables, this happened at least a few days ago. "
Steel Hoof then pointed at the areas that they surrounded, making sure that the evidence wouldn't wash away or any-pony accidentally erase it away.
Indeed the prints where large, larger than her head, and the skid marks even more so.
"Do we have records of any creature like this in the area?"
Steel Hoof shook his head. "None princess. My stallions suggested an Ophiotaurus, but the prints are no where near resembling hooves, and the Pegasus guards that flew ahead of us would've easily been able to handle it. They don't even live in these parts either."
Celestia nodded in agreement. What ever this thing is, it is nothing they have seen before and needs to be dealt with as fast as possible.
"Stay vigilant, we have a new creature at our mists."
Suddenly, from beyond the trees separating them from the beach, came a very injured unicorn. His helmets was off, armor dented, a broken leg forcing him to limp, and blood coming down his sides and mouth.
"Help… me."
Celestia was about to use her magic to levitate him, but then a large monster barrel through the trees and snagged him up.
The unicorn screamed in pain before the monster ripped into his flesh and ate him whole.
This creature is nothing they like they have seen before. This monster was large in size and length. Its scales where blue on the top from head to tail and pale from the neck to the stomach. It had a crocodilian like head, two red horns and eyes, four webbed limbs and most notably a set of spikes on the mid section of its back.
The monster licked the blood off its muzzle and eyes the other ponies, hungry for more.
The soldiers and Celestia powered up their horns and got ready for battle.
The monster roared at them and charged at them.
"Fire!" Celestia commanded.
The unicorn soldiers fired their magic projectiles while the earth ponies pointed their spear in a defensive formation. The monster didn't stop and kept moving forward. Once it got too close for comfort, Celestia blasted her own laser of magic. The laser managed to hit it square in chest, causing it to whine in pain.
"Keep firing! Don't let it rest!" Celestia commanded.
The unicorns and alicorn continued with their attack, kicking up a cloud of dirt around the monster.
"Hold!" Steel Hoof shouted.
The soldiers did as told and waited for the cloud to clear up, horns still lit with power.
"If we can, we should capture it and study it." Steel Hoof suggested.
"That would be a favorable outcome, but we cannot risk it taking anymore lives." Celestia answered.
They stood there in silence waiting for a sign of life. They then saw a spark of lighting come from the silhouette of the creature. Once the first finally cleared, they saw the back spikes of the monster glowing blue and crackling with electricity. It faced them with glowing eyes, steam coming out of its nose, and sparks flying out its mouth.
"Stay close to me." Celestia said.
The monster growled and to their surprise, the monster spat out an orb of electricity, the alicorn countering it with a magic shield that covered everyone. The monster ran up to them and did its best to take it down by scratching and biting down on it. Celestia had underestimates the creature's strength and was starting to sweat.
"It is stronger than I thought! *boom* When I drop the shield I want you all to spread as far apart as possible!"
"But princess, what about you!?" Steel Hoof questioned.
"Don't worry about me! Just get to safety."
"But-"
"That's an order!" Celestia commanded, stomping her hoof.
Steel Hoof and the rest of the soldiers huffed and charged their horns, ready for another fight.
"I didn't waste forty years of my life to not protect the princess." Steel Hoof started. "And they didn't spend days and nights of back breaking training to not do their jobs. We will be by your side till the bitter end!"
Celestia couldn't help but smile.
"Alright then, let's show this creature to never mess with ponies!"
She concentrated her energy on the shield to make a small shock wave strong enough to stagger the monster.
"Now!" Steel Hoof shouted.
The soldiers quickly surrounded the monster and attacked. The unicorns and alicorn fired their horns while the earth ponies threw their spears at the monster. It was not having a good time, the blasts of magic and the sharp spears where digging deeper into its hide causing massive pain; It just had about enough of this. It curled up and charged up its electricity.
"Oh no. Get back!" Steel Hoof commanded.
But it was too late. The monster unleashed it's built up electricity sending a literal shock wave towards its potential prey. The soldiers got electrocuted and fell to the ground motionless, leaving Steel Hoof and Celestia alone.
"Don't let it get near them!" She instructed.
At this point, Steel Hoof used his magic to take off his armor and got ready for round three.
"Consider it done."
The sergeant teleported out of sight as Celestia got the monster's attention. As the alicorn and monster fought, one by one Steel Hoof teleported each soldier into a safe distance, glad to see them still breathing. Teleporting is not an easy task to do, even the princess can get tired if done too many times. But a sense of duty and adrenalin can help you accomplish many feats.
"That's… all of you." Steel Hoof managed to say, sweating and panting hard.
Meanwhile Princess Celestia had gotten the upper hoof on the monsters, staying at a distance by flying in the air, dodging any electric orbs that came her way.
But while in the air, she had something shine on her eye. Turning to the source, she saw a medium sized ship with symbols on the sails she hasn't seen before. There were creatures managing it, but from the distance she couldn't tell if they where ponies or not. This distraction left her vulnerable and an electric orb hit her side.
She may be an alicorn, but getting hit with an electric orb hurts all the same. She desperately tried to soften her landing but still hit the ground hard.
"Princess Celestia!" Steel Hoof exclaimed and quickly ran to her side. "Listen here you overgrown eel! If you take one step closer I will mount your head on my wall!"
The monster, beaten, bleeding, and tired, growled at the unicorn and charge to claim its reward.
"G-Get out of here. That's an order." Celestia grumbled, slowly getting up.
Steel Hoof didn't listen and stood his ground.
"Come on!" He yelled.
Just as the monster was about to take the finishing blow, two cats jumped out of the ground and covered the monster's eyes. The monster flailed around to try to get them off but to no avail. Celestia took this opportunity to teleport the both of them away.
"You shouldn't hav disobeyed my orders sergeant." Celestia joked with a smile.
"Well don't thank me just yet you highness. I had help." Steel Hoof admitted while pointing at the two cats.
They then heard a whistle from the trees, making the cats get off the creature and run away. From the woods came two more creatures.
They where both bipedal, that much they knew, but they where also wearing some kind of armor and wielded weapons no-pony could ever imagine.
One was wearing what closely resembled gold, with large scutes all over the armor plates. It wielded a shield on one arm and held an oversized silver lance on the other.
The other wore an overly spike armor, red as its main colors while he spikes slowly turned black on the ends of the limbs. On its back was yet another oversized weapon, this time a hammer with the same patter as the armor.
The hammer user ran at the monster and swung the weapon at the head, making it stagger back. The lance user charged at the side of the monster at full speed while it was staggered. The lance perched right through the hide, drawing more blood and making the monster squeal. The hammer user jumped on the lance user and landed on monster's back. The two cats from earlier soon followed on the assault.
Princess Celestia and Steel Hoof couldn't believe the sight. These four creatures came out of nowhere and where effortlessly taking on this monster.
*insert Goofy Scream here*
Well almost.
The hammer user rolled towards them, stopping at their hooves. They looked down, blinking at the sight.
The hammer user slowly sat up while shaking their head.
"Every time." It groaned in a masculine voice.
Celestia used her magic to help the hammer user up, surpassing him.
"Are you alright?" She asked.
The hammer user quickly turned around in a defensive position, causing Steel Hoof to do the same.
"You can talk." He stated while pointing at them.
"And so can you." Steel Hoof repeated.
"Get your butt over here!" The lance user shouted in a feminine voice. "NOW… AH!"
The hammer user looked at them and grabbed him hammer.
"We'll talk later." He said and ran back into action.
Princess Celestia and Steel Hoof looked at each other in disbelief. They made contact with another intelligent creatures. They seem to know how to handle this monster and they simply must learn more.
"We'll help them." Celestia stated.
"But princess, we can't possibly know their intentions. As far as we know, they could've sent that thing in the first place." Steel Hoof worried.
"You might be correct, but there is only one way to find out."
And with that they joined in the fight. The newcomers where surprised, but more help the merrier as they say.
The monster was at its last stand, the finishing blow coming from the lance user saving Steel Hoof from a deadly bite, said weapon going through the head.
"Thank you." Steel Hoof said from the ground.
The lance user looked down on him, sheather her weapon and help him up.
"We should be thanking you. You weakened the Lagiacrus for us."
"You saw us fight that thing?" Celestia asked.
"Sense the start with the others." The hammer wielder chuckled.
Steel Hoof raised an eyebrow. "So you saw us risking our lives and didn't bother to help!?" He shouted, stomping over to the him.
"We can explain! But first we need to check on the others." The hammer wielder pointed at the direction of the other soldiers.
Some time passed after the fight. The four newcomers introduced themselves as Bouclier the Lance user, Marteau the Hammer user, Strong Paw and Smooth Tail as their Felyne companions known as Palicos.
From that day on, Equestrians and the Hunter's Guild shared their knowledge. The hunters of the time couldn't understand how or why a Lagiacrus would go so far out to sea to another land. But many say that it was a good thing it did because with their shared knowledge of technology and magic, it helped advance both societies for the better.
It took many moons but eventually these two world would be allowed to trade and residences allowed to move between them freely.
Trade consisted of gems, hides and pelts (mainly from the Hunter's Guild), and food. However it is VERY uncommon to see an Equestrian Hunter.
That's not to say that there aren't those who found a job there. The Unicorns usually work of mail delivery and construction, Earth Ponies work on the fields and as blacksmiths, and the Pegasi help with guiding the air ships and mapping the landscapes. And of course everything in between.
And it is uncommon for hunters to be in Equestria. While there are many dangerous creatures, the Hunter's Guild and the Council of Canterlot agreed that they are part of the ecosystem and should be dealt with by the residences. But just like the ponies, many Humans, Wyverians, and Felynes do find a place in Equestria. Either as field workers, construction, bakers, etc… Some hunters retire to Equestria, seeing it as a MUCH less risky place to live.
But ever sense that day the Lagiacrus attacked, more and more monsters appeared in Equestria. Luckily it was limited to the only one that could cross the sea, the Leviathans and Flying Wyverns.
The Hunter's Guild and High Council of Canterlot (with Celestia's approval) would allow at least two hunters and their palicos to be stationed at any major city most likely to be attacked. The more skilled Pegasi are signed to soar the skies in search for these monsters, being carful to not get to close to them and to report immediately.
Many Equestrians where and still are opposed to that idea because during the course of time, some of the hunters would abuse their privileges on them. While many where quickly dealt with it still sadly occurs to this day.
Celestia and the High Council of Hunters would from time to time write to each other about the progress of their world. Luckily neither of them had to write anything desperate.
Safe to say these two world are in almost perfect harmony. Some Equestrians are uncomfortable with omnivores Humans and Wyverians, and some Hunters were still wrapping their heads around talking ponies. But at the end of the day, their worlds changed for the better.
…
…
…
At least for now.
So yeah… yet another Fanfic that I may never complete. I had this idea for a while now. I basically binge watched MLP:FiM Season 1-5 on Netflix and played Monster Hunter World: Iceborne in-between each break. I am not gonna lie, I am not happy about the "fight" with Lagiacrus. (By the way, can anyone explain to me why season 6 and 7 are missing on Netflix?)
I felt like I had to down play Celestia a because I feel she could easily smite the shit out of any non-Elder Dragon or an Elder Dragon equivalent.
So I hope you enjoyed either way. Feel free to say how shit I am with fanfics and see you then.