The Hunt Begins.

The trip to Ponyville was uneventful as we had our own car specially designed to allow us to gear up before we hit our target city. I elected to wait until we were at Miss Rarity’s boutique before strapping my armor and weapons on, after all I couldn’t disappoint her now could I?

I was dressed in what could only be described as simple opulence; dark leather pants so deep a blue as to be almost black, black boots made of a buttery soft leather that came to the knee, and a midnight blue silk shirt with an open V-neck exposing a length of pale flesh almost to my navel.

The rest of the team is strapped into their gear and although my clothes are now designed to be worn under my armor and even have convenient catches to help hold it in place that can be used to get armored up quick, frankly I felt like a popinjay with these fine clothes and pants tight enough to advertise everything I had.

“I feel like a fool.” I say ruefully

“What for Moon? You look good enough that my sister may try to strap you into her display rack to advertise her designs.” Sweetie says lightly

“Either that or jump him on the spot.” I hear Babs mumble under her breath with a blush on her cheeks

“Babs Seed!! Ah cain’t believe ah just heard that come outta your mouth!” Applebloom says hotly

“What?! I was jus’ sayin’ what we’s all thinkin’ hell even Twi is squirmin’ in her seat watchin’ his ass when he walks around.” Babs blurts out. “even Skyla and Mac are lookin’ and they’s off-limits and as far as I know Mac is straight.”

“Well Babs since ya brought it up ah’m not straight, ah’m Bi.” The massive avian says fluttering his stiffening wings. “Not that it matters, not like ah would ever catch a man’s attention as big as I am, every time I try talkin to a cute fella they freak out and call me all sorta horrible things. Even when I know they like men.” He says with a dejected sigh.

“Aw that’s okay Mac your size doesn’t scare me at all.” Skyla says with a smile and a decidedly hungry look in her eyes “it’s honestly what I was hoping for.”

“EW EW EW EW EW!! I don’t want to hear that Skyla.” Twilight shrieks while plugging her ears.

“What’s the matter Lady Sparkle? Big bad hunter and near Arch mage a little squeamish about sex?” I ask playfully.

“NO sex is fine, I love it, probably more than I should I just don’t want to hear my NIECE talk about it.” Twi light says quickly

“C’mon Aunt Twilight my mother is the Arch mage of love for Celestia’s sake did you really think that I wouldn’t know about all of this?” Skyla says with a laugh

“AGHH not listening LA LA LA !” Twilight shrieks once more

The tension broken we all laugh at her mortification and relax until we pull into the Ponyville Station.

"So, what's your story anyway Moon?" Scootaloo asks me while we wait

"You really want to know?" I ask

"Sure, it will be nice to know you a bit better since two of us had sex with you last night" Sweetie says with a blush

"YOU WHAT!" Babs and Twilight scream at the same time though for different reasons I think

"Later Babs." Scoots says while i shrink under the gaze of Twilight and shake myself to recover

"Well if you must know, I grew up in Canterlot in a proud mage family that prided themselves on every member having been inducted into the solar guard immediately upon graduation from the Canterlot Military Academy.As you can probably tell from my Cutie Mark my abilities had more of an affinity for the night and, when I was approached by the lunar guard I accepted even though my family was appalled. I was a well liked if mediocre soldier pursued by both women and men and I enjoy both even if I prefer women, but my cutie mark and therefore my special talent was pretty well useless unless I was fighting a certain type of enemy, vampires."

"My cutie mark is a crescent moon crossed with a sword, I earned it killing the fang head that killed my mother. It seems unusual that I would get a cutie mark as a young kid that revolves around fighting vampires, and then, as an adult fresh from my tour as a lunar guard end up falling for a vampire."

"I was thirteen years old when my baby sister and mother were attacked by a rotter. I came home just in time to see my mother drop to the floor drained of her blood; I immediately grabbed my father’s sword from its stand near the door silently thanking my father for having a day in the office instead of a patrol day. I fought the fang head with little skill and a lot of fear and I can only say I got lucky when he tripped just as I swung the sword up neatly clipping his head off."

"I sent a tracer spell to my father who taught it to us in case of emergency and he soon teleported home with a squad of solar guards trailing him, it wasn’t until after they took my mother’s body away that my father noticed my new cutie mark on my shoulder. He smiled sadly and said that it was time to go shopping."

"He took me to the armory and signed me up for the academy and got me geared up for what was to be the most boring six years of my life followed by a further boring four years in the lunar guard looking at my father’s disapproving scowl every time we crossed paths because I wasn’t one of Princess Sun butt’s personal guard. I won’t bore you with the details of my service to Princess Luna except to say that it allowed me to learn more about vampires and the different clans and their weaknesses when we weren’t on the duty roster for guarding the Princess herself."

"My time in the guard also allowed me to meet a wonderful young Belle named Blossom, we dated for months and she seemed to find me intriguing even though I was only twenty at the time and she was over two hundred years old though she barely looked eighteen. After I left the guard Belle approached me about joining her Kiss, which is what a family of vampires is called, I immediately agreed. Whatever makes me different caused the process to go wrong and I woke up in the middle of the day with absolutely no blood thirst, though everything else went the way it should."

"My abilities manifested over time and everything went well for the first fifty years until I started developing skills that no Belle should ever have. The first time I got caught out after sunrise I was fifty two years changed and I didn’t burn, my sire, a handsome devil named Asher, told me to hide this fact from the rest of the kiss. When I developed still more abilities, I was seventy-five years old, he threw me out of the kiss and deemed me outclan saying that I was unnatural and should be destroyed. So I went to the Princesses and here we are"
~Ponyville station~

As we are leaving our car and getting the rest of our gear trunks unloaded we see a few people that my team is apparently familiar with as well as the Former Elements. Next to a towering man in a red shirt and jeans with blond hair that can only be Mac Sr. is a sweet looking woman that given the gentle hug Mac Jr. gives her is his mother Fluttershy. Mac Senior moves to help me with my trunk and is slightly shocked when I heft it easily.

“Stronger than ya look ain’tcha?” Senior asks me in surprise.

“Well considering my condition that would only make sense good sir.” Smiling large enough to flash my fangs to which Mac takes a few steps back until he looks outside realizing it is full daylight.

“W-wha? H-how? How is this possible? Jack!! Gimme yer Duster NOW!” Mac hollers loudly

“Calm my large friend; Celestia’s sun does not burn me as others of my kind are known for doing.” I say with a calming hand extended

“Allow me to introduce our new Hunter Moon Strike, a Dhamphire perfectly designed for this job.” says Twilight with a smile.

“This little guy?! After tha stories Mackey here has been sending ta us ah thought he was some giant.” Senior states disbelievingly. “Not this little wiry guy. Ah’ve seen bigger saplings on tha farm.”

“Do not underestimate him Mac he fought the Princess at full power, and won.” Twilight says with a grin, she has a look in her eyes that says she knows where this is going to end up.

“Ha! Ah bet ah’m still stronger… or maybe I would rather not find out.” He stutters as I let my Humanity slip just a bit smile still on my face.

“Ah believe ya owe me 20 bits Dash.” I hear a tall farm girl that can only be Applejack say to the rainbow haired avian next to her as they both hug Applebloom.

“Ugh Fine!” taking a 20 bit note out and handing it over “He did make that lunk head of a brother back down without a fight.” Rainbow Dash said.

“Yeah, close thing though, he’s a sweetheart that brother o’ mine but he’s ten tons of muscles an’ not an ounce a’ sense.” Applejack says with a laugh.

“Pardon me Miss Dash, Miss Applejack but if I may ask without being to forward are you two perhaps together?” I ask quietly seeing the obvious chemistry between them.

“Yeah! Why you got a problem with lesbians?!” Dash asks with a flash in her eyes.

“My dear I am a Belle even the most heterosexual of my clan has tried both sides of the fence. I was simply going to comment on the chemistry should you not be with each other already.” I say gently.

“HA HA! ah told ya he’d be fine with it Dash. Ya need to get that chip offa yer shoulder sugarcube.” Applejack said laughing heartily

“Fine, I guess he’s okay.” Dash pouts with her arms across her pert breasts.

“Where’s Pinkie?” Twilight asks

“Preparing a party for you guys of course!” a girl with bubblegum pink hair says popping out of a nearby potted plant only to disappear just as quickly.

“I have known that space case for 20 years and I STILL don’t know how she does that.” Twilight says with a grimace.

“Twi, why do you think she still does it?” Applejack asks.

“Because she is determined to make my brain explode?” Twi replies only for Pinkie to poke her head out of Twilight’s backpack this time. “YUP!” making Twilight grab her ears in pain.

“Oh, let’s just get to Rarity’s place so we can settle in.” Twilight says with a scowl.

As we open the door to Carousel Boutique we hear from the back an elegant voice call out, “Welcome to Carousel Boutique! I’ll be with you in a moment.”

“It’s us Rarity” Twilight calls out as the rest of the group had left our team to settle in on our own promising to meet up with us later if we had time.

“Ah Twilight darling so good to see you again.” As a beautiful woman comes around the corner with long flowing purple hair and bountiful curves. “And this stunning specimen of vampire must be Moon Strike.”

“Enchante Madam Rarity, I am Moon Strike and I would like to thank you for the clothing, they fit marvelously.”

I hear behind me “oh no, now he did it.” From a muttering Sweetie Belle.

“I will be the judge of that Darling.” She smile dragging me to a small platform and motioning for me to stand up on it. Her hands begin to glow lightly as several things begin to float around me measuring tapes, needles, thread, and most disconcertingly a pair of scissors hovering near my groin.

As she takes measurements the scissors are nipping seams and the needles are sewing them back either slightly smaller or larger according to her whims, all I can do is sit there calmly hoping she doesn’t accidentally nick a vein with those scissors.

“Oh do relax Moon I have been doing this for almost as long as you have been alive. I won’t stick or nick you.” She says with a slight chuckle.

“My apologies Madam I have never been fitted professionally before, I normally buy off the rack.” I say as she shudders at the thought.

“Never again! I will not hear of this atrocity being committed while you wear MY designs! If you have not put together all of the outfits I gave you yet then know that you have ten day to day outfits all along this signature design which will only be worn by you.” She says at length. “I have included a spell scroll detailing the care and maintenance spell I use to clean these types of clothing, and while the latches and hooks are there for your armor they will only be used in the direst of emergencies. For normal fighting wear I have included ten outfits designed on the Neighponese Gi these are black and meant to be worn under your armor given sufficient time to prepare. There are five outfits of the same design in gray for the purposes of training.”

“I should not need to say that should you ever rip your day to day designs you are to immediately have Twilight send it to me with her message spell so that it can be repaired. Celestia help you should you try and repair it yourself.” She says with a stern look in her eyes. I can only nod.

Finally finished with the adjustments she leads me to a mirror and hands me a small box as she takes my long hair into her hands I open it to reveal a hair tie with two black gems in the shape of vampire fangs attached to it.

“This will keep your hair out of the way and is enchanted to stay in place until you remove it.” She explains.

“Thank you Miss Rarity” I say sincerely as I put the tie into my hair holding the tight ponytail in place.

“Think nothing of it Darling.”

I finally look around only to see that my team has vacated to the basement to unload our gear. My chest of clothing I leave there at her instruction so that they rest can be altered while not on my person.

When we finally reconvene to discuss the plan of action we meet at a large table in the basement

“We have a bit of an issue with timing here we have to do double duty to investigate the Kiss Rarity has petitioned to join and also find the vampires we are to execute and while time is not strictly an issue with this, Rarity’s Transformation is in two nights giving us a rather small window.” Twilight says. “I recommend that since I am physically unable to hunt at the moment I do the investigation of the Kiss and you establish yourself as the new hunter by acting in that capacity.”

“I agree, however I won’t leave you defenseless so we split the team as well. Mac, Babs, Sweetie can you go with Twilight and help her?”

“Sure thing Moon” Babs says for the group.

“Good. Skyla, Applebloom and Scootaloo will be with me, I want to investigate without being to intimidating at first should that become necessary we will switch teams.” I continue. “I want full gear and weapons regardless. We do not know yet what clan we are looking for and I would not want you to stumble into the nest of the vampires we are seeking while trying to investigate Rarity’s case.”

“Alright team Strap Up!” Applebloom says loudly as she starts passing out our individual weapons. A double bladed axe for Mac and a bandolier of throwing axes followed it shortly.

Babs reached into our weapons cache and withdrew her bladed whips and fitted them around her body in a special holder so as not to slice herself ending with the handles in clamps over each shoulder.

Sweetie Belle grabbed a pair of hand cross bows in their holsters and what can only be described as a bundle of daggers. She started strapping these over various part of her body hips, thighs, under each arm, in her boots, etc. there must have been thirty of them.

Skyla grabbed another pair of crossbows and a pair of swords that I have never seen before. They are made of purple and blue crystal and are shaped like Neighponese katanas but covered with the most intricate glyphs I have ever seen. Seeing my questioning look she explains “These were made for the Royal family of the Crystal Kingdom several thousand years ago and are quite sentient. They chose me the same day I received my Element from Aunt Twilight.” She explains holding them up in turn, “Shikyo and Ikazutchi, and they don’t really want me to tell you anything else.”

Twilight has her own chest like I do and is strapping her gear on and it frankly looks like the same basic set up as mine.

Scootaloo picks up a few daggers and a LARGE spear with the same kind of blade my swords have as well as strapping on blades to her wings joints.

Applebloom finally reaches her weapons and starts hanging hammers and axes through loops in her armor that I haven’t noticed yet until finally she straps on a harness with a large Glyph covered plate on her back and places a giant hammer with a four foot haft against the plate where it adheres magically.

I switch into my Gi and start strapping on the armor for the first time, I find that it fits perfectly and comes with accessories I didn’t notice when we looked at it the first time. Fingerless gloves with small blades coming from each knuckle and a gorget covered in spikes and plates of armor. As I strap on my sword belt and bandolier I notice that there is a clip for the holster of my crossbow so I clip it in place and finally my duster to hide everything. As I turn back to the group I see that everyone is in their dusters and not a weapon is in sight even the large ones.

Twilight motions to us and holds out a box with eight small stones in it. She puts one in her ear and motions for us to do the same, as I put mine in I realize that these are comm. stones and will allow us to communicate with each other over distances.

“Are we ready? Good then let’s move out.” I turn with a flare to my coat and we all file out of the basement and out into the town.

A/N I will be doing this in two chapters. The rest of this one will focus on Moon Strike’s team while they Hunt the vamps. Next chapter will focus on Twilights team as they investigate the Kiss for Rarity.

“I think we should go by the mayor’s office and then speak to the victims to learn more about what all happened.” I say quietly.

“Good idea but Mayor Mary is used to dealing with Twilight so she may put you through the ringer a bit. She doesn’t mean anything by it but she likes to think of herself as a bit of a prankster and is obsessed with Belle’s so be aware she WILL ask you what clan you are a part of and likely will ask you to take her on the desk if she finds out you are a Belle.” Applebloom says

“Which explains why she has never been approached, nothing is a bigger turn off than someone throwing themselves around like a slattern. She could be the most beautiful woman in history and even the most desperate Kiss would rather sleep with a nest of rotters.” I say

“So it’s true that Belles only turn the beautiful?” Skyla asks

“As vain as it seems yes, but there is a reason for it. For those of us that carry the Ardeur as I do being beautiful makes it easier to feed this hunger and contrary to popular literature it IS a hunger no less than our blood thirst and if both are not fed we will starve and wither into revenants.” Hearing this they all cringe “I’m guessing you have faced a revenant before?”

“Yeah, once in Saddle Arabia.” Scootaloo said still cringing in memory “he got stranded in the desert and dug under the ground to escape the sun, but once he finally found a village he was so far gone that there was nothing of his personality left just mindless rage and hunger.”

“Were there no masters there to help bring him back to himself? I ask

“The whole village was maybe thirty people and by the time we got there only two people were left alive and then only barely.” She said sadly

We had arrived at the mayor’s office and as we waited on the Mayor to see us we stood silently against the wall and if the look on the receptionists’ face was anything to go by she was VERY intimidated SO I thought to break the ice.

“My dear why are you so fearful? We are here to help with the rogue vampires. As beautiful as you may be you are not our target.” I say with a smile.

“AGH! There you are Oh my Celestia I thought you had vanished.” The pink haired woman said.

“Ah, the perception filter, I forgot about that. Rest assured we are not here to harm you or anyone that does not deserve it.” I say calmly “Do you happen to know anything about the attacks that might be of use to us?”

“Yeah, unfortunately Bon-Bon is my cousin. They have been sleeping in my home since it happened. As you already know Lyra and Bon-Bon are a couple but sometimes they find a couple of girls to bring home to have some fun, apparently they got so lost in the fun that they didn’t even realize they had been drained to the point of anemia until morning.” She says hotly

“I’m a registered Donor and I know the signs and how to care for it but this was careless and done without an ounce of permission what I don’t understand is that the feeding sounds like a Belle and we only have ten of them in town, not even a Master just a few wanderers who formed a Kiss, most of the vampires in this area are Children of La Bête because of our proximity to the Everfree.” She continued

“So there are very few Belle’s in town and no Master level Belles at all?” She nods, I tap my comm. stone “Twilight, this is Moon, We have a situation, there are only ten Belles in the entire area no master level ones either and from the reports I have gotten so far it sounds like two of them are our targets.”

“That isn’t good.” Came Twilights voice. “What do you recommend?”

“Well, if there are no Masters then a formal request would not have been answered by the Council and it would be an illegal turning, resulting in us being right back out here in a few days to take the life of your friend and her sire. However if one has reached Master level then it might be just as she said. Do you have a way to detect the general power level of a vampire?”

I continue after a breath “even if there is a Master then they are weak and inexperienced to let two of their Kiss feed illegally. Either way you need to send a missive to Belle Morte herself to investigate and install a real Master who can keep the Kiss in line.”

“Understood Moon, message is being sent as we speak. Should we continue with allowing the transformation to progress or wait for response from the Council?”

“Speak to the Pomme de Sang at the Kiss home and ask for the response letter to their request to bring Rarity over. If it is in order then all we can do is allow it once they are verified as Belles.” I say thoughtfully “If they are hesitant in the least or if the home does not fit with what I have learned of the size of the Kiss then the Change cannot go through.”

“Understood, update me as needed should you find anything else out about my case.” Twilight says signing off.

I turn back to the receptionist “Now Miss…?

“Cherry Jubilee. Or just Cherry is fine.”

“Miss Cherry, we are in quite a hurry if you could be so kind as to get the mayor we have some naughty vampires to punish.” I say catching her mind with my gaze.

“Of course.” She says dazedly getting up to follow my directions. “Mary! Get out here! The Hunter needs to speak with you about the Lyra and Bon-Bon case.”

“Of course, My apologies Hunter.” Says an older woman as she comes out of her office. “Please come in.”

My team files into the office and while we do not learn much more than we did from Cherry we do get a general description of the two. A Neighponese woman with tattoos of dragons all over her back and a young woman with bright red and blue hair but otherwise unremarkable, the women used the names Black Jade and Sapphire, unknown if they are aliases.

“Come let’s meet up with Twilight and the others this could get bad quickly if they run into the culprits at the Kiss home.”

Next- The Kiss

Author's Note

Sorry about no sexiness in this chapter but I got really distracted today and could not concentrate. Please be patient I can guarantee both sexy times and action in the next chapter.