Contract Obtained
"And that's when I lopped off his head." A couple of the bar patrons smiled and nodded at the end of my story, none very surprised or enthralled. True, it had been a while since I'd had a great tale to tell, but still, I doubt any of these ponies had even seen the passing shadow of a Dragon.
"So, how many you got notched so far?" The bartender had realized that everyone was quite content in their drinks, and had settled himself against the end of the bar with a large, foaming mug for himself.
"Of that kind or just in general?"
"All of em put together."
"Well, that makes 99 I suppose."
"I see. Curious about what your big one zero zero will be?"
"Doesn't particularly matter to me. Just another one to kill, and another pouch of bits in my bags."
"I see." The bartender nodded, but his eyes didn't leave mine. "But you know, some say that 100 is the unobtainable number of Dragons killed. I haven't heard of-"
"4."
"Eh?"
"There's been 4 ponies to reach the 100 mark. My next one will make me the 5th."
"Well then, even more reason to hope for a special job, don't you think?" The grayed pony raised an eyebrow.
"Again, doesn't matter to me, as long as I get it and complete it." He nodded and grunted in agreement, sending the rest of his drink down his throat to end the conversation. I hovered my own drink to my lips, and had just touched the liquid to my tongue when a dark colored hoof touched my table.
"It seems that I'll be your 100th contract." The voice was a mix of male and female, equine and griffon. It wasn't unheard of for someone to mask their voice, although unusual.
"You don't want me to know who you are. Why?"
"That's none of your concern, Ar-"
"Fair enough." My drink had almost shot out of my throat as the pony had almost used my birth name. "Where will I be going?"
"I think this would be better to be spoken about in private." I turned my head towards the pony, and saw it draped in a cloak. The bar was not a low lit bar, so it should have been possible to see a muzzle or some sort of figure within the hood, but a darkness spell had been cast so that it was impossible. How cliche.
"As you wish." I swiveled around in my seat, and quickly followed the retreating pony towards the stairs.
"Want another one waiting for you?"
"If you wouldn't mind, I will probably be needing something a bit stronger." The bar pony laughed, and waved his hoof as I disappeared up the stairs.
"In here." The pony had stopped at a room. I wondered for a moment if it was some sort of set up, then again I hadn't done anything wrong. Dragons can't take the form of ponies. I plopped myself down at the table within the room, and allowed the other to sit as well before speaking.
"So, no face, no true voice. Either the Dragon knows you or you're scared."
"Why I'm hiding myself isn't really your concern, is it?" Something rustled noiselessly under the brown cloak covering the pony and quite a large sack of bits levitated over the table, dropping with a hard thud as the magic dissolved it's hold.
"Guess not." I shrugged my shoulders and began to count the bits with my own magic as I kept my eyes on the darkness in the hood. "I never put down a price."
"Do you need to? That seems a fair price."
"It is a handsome reward, but this is my 100th job after all."
"Didn't sound as though you held much weight to that number."
"Now I do."
"How dare-" The natureless voice began to rise.
"Supply and demand. I'm supplying a creature with a service, and I'm demanding a good price. If there's a problem, go find another hunter." The bits had finished being counted, pulled out of the bag, and had been stacked. The faceless pony made no noise, but seemed to reluctantly nod it's head.
"So be it. That will be your initial pay."
"And for when I finish the job?"
"Name it, and you will have it."
"Are you sure you want to do that? I may not be some fancy pony in a library or a school, but I do know some high numbers."
"It will be done, I will assure you of that."
"Alright. Seems we have a deal." I held my hoof out to the pony, but they didn't take it, instead they nodded in agreement. "Gonna need your hoof, otherwise it doesn't mean jack." A sigh, and the others hoof locked with mine. "So, what can you tell me?"
"This Dragon is a baby. It is not a proper creation. It has the ability to speak to any sentient race it chooses, without its knowledge. It's flames are able to send animate and inanimate objects through space to any place he desires. He was not born, but forced to life by magic." An agitated hoof pawed at the table top. "This.... thing has attached itself tightly to the pony that created it. It-"
"Is a pet? That's a first."
"So all others would come to believe, but that is not the case. In a juvenile display of greed, it almost ravaged the entire town in which it resides."
"Not entirely uncommon. Young ones have no filter, no way to hold themselves back. Must've caused quite a stir."
"It did, but it holds a magic that keeps all others from running."
"What?" My eyes widened in shock. This was definitely not commonplace. "If a young dragon goes berserk, even if it can reel itself in, no pony stays there. No one can be that stupid."
"It isn't stupidity that holds them, it's a bond that the Dragon has created. I have tried to speak to the ponies there, but they have little recollection of the events, or simply brush it off as though it were a simple bunny stampede."
"This does seem to be an interesting Dragon for my 100th."
"It's own magic is not it's only protection. This is why I have come to you."
"So since it's a pet, one that's gone on a rampage once already, it has an owner. You need me to take care of them."
"Yes, but you cannot kill her. If any harm comes to her or any pony during this Dragon killing, you will be branded a traitor and condemned to an eternity in solitary confinement. If you succeed, you will be given full amnesty, will be sent to a place where you may live out your days, and have access to anything your money can buy."
"Quite the high stakes. What country is this in anyhow?"
"The Kingdom of Equestria."
"No." I was already on my hooves and halfway to the door. "I will not return there. I can't go back anyway. You know my name, you know why."
"You are no longer known there."
"The princesses have eyes everywhere. They can see anything in their Kingdom. I cannot hide there. I will be found, and I will be killed on sight."
"I can help you."
"What are you going to do, turn me into a newt? It doesn't matter what I'm transformed into, they can see through any magic to see what and who I am."
"You are not able to see my face, no matter what you try, isn't that right? If I can fool you, I can fool them." My hoof sat on the door, ready to push it open as I stood stock still. "You know it to be true."
"Let's say it does work." My hoof came off the door. "Let's say I can get to this Dragon." I slowly sat back down. "And lets just say, I break all of the spells this Dragon has created unbeknownst to himself or any pony with no help other than my own, why in this great wide world would Celestia and Luna pardon me? This seems to be just up their alley, this magic the dragon has to keep ponies from acting like true creatures, not ones held down by a magical dictatorship."
"They have put the bounty on this dragon. Here, have the poster yourself." Another noiseless rustle and a rolled up paper slid across the table at me, unfurling and revealing the Dragon.
"There's no way... He's protected by-"
"The Elements of Harmony. Yes."
"That's the personal pet of-"
"Twilight Sparkle. The Element of Magic." My eyes were locked solidly on the picture of the small purple and green Dragon, flanked on both sides by the 6 mares of legend. "It was with her magic as a foal that he was created, and it is with your own magic that it shall be undone."
"I can't fight against her."
"Oh? The slayer of 99 Dragons can't stand before a mare?"
"She's the Element of Magic. Magic incarnate! That would be blasphemy, an impossibility, a perverse work done by any unicorn. It's not possible."
"I didn't say you were to fight her, if she comes to any harm, my spell will fade and you will be found and you will suffer the fate I described."
"Then what-"
"You are to put yourself between them."
"How-"
"By being a stallion to her mare."
"I don't follow."
"Of course not." The pony exhaled something that sounded like "simpleton", but I let it slide. "You need to gain her affections. You need to be the pony of her eye. She has no love save for 2 things. A) Knowledge and B) that Dragon. You need to replace that creature in her mind and her heart. She is his strongest wall of protection. Break that down, and you will be fighting another juvenile Dragon. With her love she feeds him what his powers need. No Dragon in written or unwritten history has ever been or seemed to have been this strong or magically inclined. He must be stopped and eradicated."
"And you promise that if I succeed-"
"You will have no worries."
"And when I arrive..."
"None will recognize you. Your appearance will be changed, but not your name."
"I haven't heard that name in a long time." I glanced down at my cutie mark, a sword sheathed behind a shield with a cracked and broken helmet adorning them.
"You will need to get used to it, you'll be hearing it a lot. Especially to gain the trust of the Elements, and especially Twilight Sparkle."
"Agreed. So, when does the contract start?" The figure chuckled as it began to fade and shimmer.
"It began the moment I walked into this bar." Again, how cliche.
"Will we meet again when I get my pay?"
"Possibly. Do not fail. You know the consequences."
"It will be done."
"There's a train leaving for Equestria that will go through Canterlot and to Ponyville, where the Dragon resides, in an hour. Your ticket is already taken care of, simply pick it up."
"Got it." My magic went to pick up the stacks of bits, but when I felt nothing, my head turned to see it was gone. "Do not play with me."
"It is in a safe place, waiting for you. In Equestria, there is no need for so much. You will stand out. Just reach into your bit pouch, and you will find any amount you could need."
"Yeah, thanks."
"Good Luck. Aremis." My eyes crinkled at the edge as I cringed at the name. The image of the cloaked pony finally faded and I made my way back down to the bar.
"So," started the bar pony, "got yourself a good contract?"
"Let's just say you won't be seeing me again, whether I finish it or not."
"Well here's to you keeping us safe these past few months." A tall glass of thick emerald liquid rose from behind the bar and settled in front of me. I tipped it up in the air and began to chug. "Say, what was your name again?" I take the last few drops of the liquid down my throat, and turn to the bar pony.
"Does it really matter?" The glass put back down, I walked out the door of the bar and took in the sunset. As the door closed, the bar pony got in his last words.
"See ya later, Stranger!" I snorted softly in a gentle chuckle, and started towards the train station.
"Well.... here goes nothing."
