My Little Pony - Inquisition

Chapters

Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2

Prologue

A crackling fire, echoing laughter and mulled wine. The small tavern on a favourable location near the crossroads between Canterlot, Fillydelphia, and Manehatten flourished with life and happiness, while the winter had the young night in its icy grip outside. Snow, driven by the wind, whipped against the windows as merchants and travellers recovered from the hard day on the road.

At the largest table in the tavern, a group of unicorns were seated with half-emptied mugs and abacuses next to parchments over which they were discussing. One table over was a colourful and very tipsy group of griffons and diamond dogs that were loudly telling stories of their conquests. One griffon held a young waitress, an earth pony with green fur and a pink mane that she hid under a kerchief, close while he carefully caressed her flanks with his talon.

The young mare giggled and refilled the mug of the drunken griffon.

The picture was the same at nearly every table in the tavern. The guests enjoyed the evening, much to the delight of the host, who watched in satisfaction and with a broad grin from the counter as he mentally checked his largest profit of the new year. The amount of money he had made so far would last over the next few weeks when not even the bravest vagabond would dare to travel.

A loud bang and the impact of hooves on wood, followed by a cold draft which swept through the room, caught the attention of everyone and made them look over to the door. Two hooded figures scurried into the tavern. Long, thick coats with hoods covered the bodies and heads of the two ponies who shook the snow from their clothes in the entrance. The clink of many small chains carried through the room.

Free from the snow, the smaller of the two figures turned around and closed the door, which allowed most of the customers to relax somewhat and whispers to spring to life. Everyone knew what had now strayed their way into their midst, but hardly anyone dared to give it word. The dark blue coats, the white crescent on both sides where normally a cutie mark would be, and the dark snouts, which poked out from under the hoods, didn’t leave room for many other possibilities.

Hooves met wood as the two figures began to move. Fearful eyes followed them from every table they passed. Ponies snorted, griffons clacked their beaks, and diamond dogs started to growl. The more shadow-loving customers reached with their hooves, paws, or claws to their weapons on their respective belts, ready to use them if one of the two got the idea to come any closer to them.

Honey Mead had run this little tavern over twenty years now. He had seen many beings of different species come and go. He called merchants, travellers, soldiers, and even thieves and other scum his customers. It didn’t matter for him, as his cutie mark told him to care for everyone who stepped into his establishment. However, for the two ponies who had just sat down by his counter, he felt the will to refuse them his hospitality for the first time.

“What can I get you?” His common sense told him otherwise.

The larger pony threw back its hood, and a mare with a light blue mane emerged. Her fur was shaggy, grey as steel, and covered with patches of rust. Only in this case the rusty patches were scars. The yellow glowing eyes, as though they belonged to a cat, along with the pointed teeth that came into view when she opened her mouth, made his heart lurch in his chest.

“Two mugs of warm cider, whatever is the special of the day, and a room.” The mare reached into her coat with her mouth and threw a leather pouch filled with coins on the counter. Honey Mead gulped at the sight of the bag. Leather, the trademark material that the Hunters of the Inquisition used and what gave them the nickname ‘vultures’. It was a material that would give any normal pony a heavy case of shivers down their spines. It did to Mead.

The second, smaller pony threw back his hood as well. Like his companion, he was a thestral but looked barely old enough be called a stallion, though he was not a colt anymore. He had dark and shaggy blue fur and a ragged silver mane which hung over his face and shoulders. He shifted on his bar stool, which caused more clinks from the chains under his coat to be heard.

“Here’s the cider,” Mead said as he placed two mugs in front of his newest guests. “I’ll get your meal right away.” The middle-aged honey-coloured stallion looked briefly over his shoulder into the room and then vanished through a door next to him into the kitchen.

Silence governed the tavern, but it didn’t seem to bother the thestral mare. She grabbed the mug of warm cider with her fetlock and gulped the liquid down so fast that some of it ran down her chin and onto the counter. She then slammed the mug down and turned to the customers. “By Luna, could you all just stop clinging to your tails like foals for a moment? If we were here because of any of you, you would already have noticed,” she called into the room with a deep, rasping voice.

“Master?” the young stallion asked in concern as he passed his mug between his hooves back and forth. The mare whirled around on her barstool, leaned on the counter with both front legs, and grabbed his mug. Before the stallion could raise his voice, it was empty too.

“Liam, sometimes you have to remind the population that we’re not all evil.” Liam looked over his shoulder. Most of the other customers had returned to their own business, but who had learned to read others like he did knew that appearances were deceptive. The ears of the present ponies were turned in their direction and not to the one they conversed with. Griffons had stretched their necks, their eyes wandering over the crowd. Liam couldn’t see it, but his sensitive ears heard the sniffing of the diamond dogs. It was quiet, but it was there.

“I don’t think that was the right choice of words though.” His master rolled her eyes.

“Then let’s play a game to relax a bit. How many weapons are in this room?” Liam closed his eyes while his ears straightened.

“The three pegasi in the far back left corner are wearing hoof blades.” He listened for a few seconds. “Two griffons from the table at the entrance have swords.”

“Which of the five?”

“The… The two right and left of the one with fancy clothing. Maybe a diplomat who’s trying to travel while keeping a low profile or a wealthy merchant, I guess.

“Which of the two? No guesswork. Guesses are our death.”

“I can hear gold jingle. A rich merchant. A diplomat would be housed by the Crown and wouldn’t have the need for that much money.” His master hummed in agreement. He also heard something else. “The unicorn merchants at the large table. They have daggers in their saddlebags.” Liam paused for a short moment. “No, not all of them… only three or four of them. The others could have daggers too, but they don’t have their saddlebags with them. They must be outside in the barn with their carts. It’s two groups of merchants who met here to make a deal. Those with the daggers are planning to get their money back later though. “

“Very good. Something else?”

“The two diamond dogs stink.” His master laughed while the host returned from the kitchen. Liam opened his eyes again and came face to face with a wooden plate with steaming vegetable soup consisting of carrots, peas, potatoes, and pieces of a hearty loaf of bread. A wooden spoon was thrown by the host onto the plate, which made some of soup splash onto the counter.

Liam wanted to say something but held back. He was used to those things by now. “Thanks,” his master said and made the soup follow the cider. The host looked at both of them for a few seconds longer and then went on his way to serve those his two waitresses couldn’t cover.

For a few minutes, they just slurped their soup, then rattled wood against wood. “Did you notice anything else?”

Liam was a little surprised and also put his spoon down on his half-empty plate. This time he didn’t close his eyes but looked over his shoulder again. The merchants had finished their deal and drank to celebrate the closing of the transaction. Only one half drank the watered wine; the other had normal wine. The griffons were still at their table as they kept their exchange of stories going, the one in the fancy gown still feeling up the waitress. The dark figures in the back had put their attention on something else. “No, Master, I think that was everything.”

She grinned. It was never good if she grinned. “First of all, you forgot our own weapons. It may be difficult, but a skilled enemy could get a hold of your weapon in battle. And try to use your nose again.” She shoved his plate away and pointed into the room with a hoof. Liam closed his eyes and took a deep breath through his nose. Alcohol, various meals, sweat, dirt, shit, and piss – all smells that were more than normal for a remote little tavern. He could also smell the waitress who was with the griffon.

“The waitress, she’s in heat. Somewhat unusual for the season. She must be out in the surrounding woods a lot to get enough sun for that to happen.”

“And?”

“She doesn’t smell of herbs. So what is she doing out there?” He took another breath and let the many smells affect him. He slowly moved his head in different direction to see which smell got stronger and which weaker. There was something about her. He had smelled it before, Liam was sure of that. This must be what his master wanted to hint at, but by Luna he couldn’t determine it.

“Necromancy,” she whispered into his ear.

Liam’s eyes widened, and he looked at the young earth pony mare, how she giggled as the talon of the griffon went through her tail. “Death,” he answered quietly. “She smells of death, corpses.”

His master tapped her hoof against her nose. “Looks like our homecoming will be a little delayed.”

My little Pony

Inquisition

“Liam, wake up.” The young thestral slowly opened his eyes and looked around.

“Mom, what...” He rubbed the sleep out of his eyes and shook his head. “What is it, Master?” His chain mail pinched at him and took some hair with it as he stood up. The room was small, containing two simple beds with mattresses made out of straw. In the corner stood a wooden washtub filled with clean water next to a small chamber pot. The only light came from the candles that burned in little enclaves on the wall, as there wasn’t a window to let in any moonlight.

Liam picked up his belt from the bedpost and strapped his swords to it. They were simple short swords that he had made himself. “We’ll have activity shortly. The host locked the tavern an hour ago.” The belt followed the leathery protection for his shoulders and back. “If she goes out in the woods tonight, it will be soon. The storm’s calmed down, and the moon is full tonight.”

Liam pulled his armor tight with his teeth and pulled his cloak over it. His master didn’t have to do any of that as she hadn’t left her position ever since they had entered the room. She sat on her haunches next to the door, left ear leaning on the stone wall and peeking through the cracks of the wooden door into the corridor. “Do you really think she’s experimenting with necromancy? A simple mare from the countryside? Where would she get the knowledge from?”

“You’ve seen how many merchants pass through here. Most of them come from or want to go to Canterlot, the most magical city in the entire kingdom. Probably more banned writings exchange hooves here than in the back streets of Stalliongrad.” Liam had to agree with his master’s logic. The location was most favourable for that sort of thing, but what was missing was a motive. “So, what do we know about her?”

“Her name is most likely Platter. It could be a fake though. Green fur, pink mane. She’s young, between fourteen and sixteen years old. Thanks to our observations, we know she is not related to the host in any way, or anyone else here. She neither fears contact with other species like griffons or diamond dogs, most likely because of her working in this tavern. She is in heat and flirts with everything with a pulse between his legs. At least she did the entire evening. Her cutie mark is a table with a plate on top of it, which signals her talent of catering to others. Additional talents could lie in the field of social contacts, persuasion of ponies and so on and—”

His master suddenly held up her right hoof to silence him. Trained instinct took over Liam’s body. His ears straightened up, his eyes focused, and every muscle in his body tensed to minimize the chances of making any accidental noises. Both thestrals, stiff as statues, listened and observed as a lone pony wandered down the hall. The light of another candle fell through the crack below the door, and quiet steps were audible. Liam heard as the wood gently creaked as the pony made way past their door. Instantly, his mind began to analyse the volume and pattern of the steps and the speed of the pony to decipher who was out there.

The eye of his master went with the pony while she peeped through the cracks as the nightly wanderer started to go down the stairs. They listened as the entrance door opened and hooves crunched the freshly fallen snow. The moment the door closed, both thestrals sprang to life again. Their eyes met before his master began to move. She tore the door open, and they hastily went down the stairs as well. Chairs lied upside down on the tables, the once crackling fire was nothing more than embers, and the floor was cleaned and smelled of lilac. On the counter, the freshly washed mugs stood like a piece of art, arranged in a pyramid as they were. Without making a noise, their hooves rushed over the wooden floor in the tavern section. They leaned against the wall by the door that led outside and threw a glance out the window. Liam glimpsed green fur that vanished in the night.

“She didn’t wear a robe or anything,” his master noted. “It’s too cold to go outside without clothes. I won’t even give her ten minutes until she gets frostbite. If she had gone out at this hour in the past, she should have been covered in it.” That would be a clear sign for any trained Hunter of the Inquisition that something was amiss.

Hooves went down under robes and even further under the chain mail. Both of them pulled out an amulet with a glowing white crystal and began to speak: “In the name of her Holy Majesty, Princess Luna de Equestria, we begin the hunt of the subject known as Platter. She is under suspicion of using black magic, forbidden after paragraph one of the magical council in the year one hundred twenty two of the Third Era.”

The amulets extinguished for a small moment before their glow returned shortly, now a deep fearsome red. “Approved,” a monotone female voice came from the crystals in the amulets. “Act according to your own discretion. Good hunt.” Both ponies nodded at each other, then followed the mare into the dark and icy night.

For them, it was neither of those. They were thestrals, Hunters of the Royal Inquisition, and there were no better conditions for them. Their thick fur made them almost immune to the cold. Their golden slitted eyes, the eyes of a cat, were sufficient to make the faintest light of night bright as day for them. Their noses and ears were more sensitive than those of their equine brother and sisters. Not that they needed them to hunt down their target today, as the snow made it rather easy.

Flitting shadows were what Liam at his master were as they went from the tavern into the woods, their cloaks billowing about them. They galloped past trees, shrubs, broken-off branches, and other things the snow didn’t manage to cover entirely.

Their pupils were dilated, the moon bright as the sun as they reached a small clearing after what would take a normal pony ten minutes to reach from the tavern. Both were breathing heavily as they came to a halt, steam coming from their nostrils as they started to look around. The forest around them moaned and groaned in the wind as branches released their heavy white load while owls roamed for their breakfast. Otherwise, except for their breathing, it was silent.

Liam searched for the mare. Her tracks ended in front of him in the snow. She had to be here somewhere. He took a closer look to make sure she hadn’t gone back in her own hoof prints, but she didn’t even have time for that. Also, they would have seen her, and the snow around her tracks was untouched.

“We have a ghost!” his master cried out suddenly. Liam whirled around just in time to see a terrifying figure made of bones and shreds of flesh rush at him. The young Hunter rolled out of the way and drew one of his swords from his scabbard with his mouth as the ghost floated by. “We need something to write the runes upon!” his master yelled again and also pulled her sword from under her coat.

The ghost was devoid of any beauty the mare he had seen earlier possessed. All four of her legs were only bones with tiny pieces of flesh left. Her body seemed better preserved, but her stomach was ripped open, and intestines peeked out of the gaping wound. Liam recognized a pony that had been prey to wolves when he saw one.

To get rid of a ghost, there were only a few possibilities. The least dangerous one was to dig up the remains, cleanse them in fire, and then properly bury them again. The more dangerous method required them to fight the ghost and catch it in a rune prison. Three runes had to be placed in a triangle: dinokm, drem and lok. Even experienced hunters would only try that with a party of three. A ghost was a desperate soul that clung to its lost life and refused to move on. However, they needed the souls of the living to remain in this world for any large period of time. That this ghost managed to trick them and created an illusion that seemed so real spoke a lot about how many must had fallen victim to it.

Hastily, Liam drew the yol rune in the snow with his hoof. The moment he finished the last stroke, it began to glow, and a wall of fire erupted over the snow towards the ghost. Even if fire didn’t hurt ghosts, the fear of fire was branded in them from back when they were still alive. The ghost let out a shriek of pure terror as it tried to cover its face with its skeletal legs.

His master had, by now, thrown away her cloak and spread her wings. With a few flaps, she rose into the air and started to fly around the still irritated ghost. Liam didn’t need words to understand that it was his job to create the rune cage, if possible on something more permanent than snow. His eyes darted around, and he quickly found something promising. A few meters away from the clearing, behind some bushes, stood three trees in the needed triangle.

He galloped without throwing a glance back, for every second counted. One mistake could cost one of them their soul.

He only needed seconds to reach the trees, walk from one to the other, and mark the triangle. It wasn’t perfect but would do. If it wouldn’t free the ghost from its misery, it would bind it long enough to come back with reinforcements.

Liam renewed the grip on his sword, so that the blade now pointed left, and started to inscribe the first rune on the trunk. The dry bark gave away easily. Flashes of rune magic were visible in corner of his eyes. His master was very experienced, one of the best. If there was somepony who could occupy a mighty ghost alone, it was her. Nevertheless, Liam felt the urge to hurry; every moment that passed was one too much.

Another piercing scream of torment reached his ears, and a quick glance back showed how his master was cutting away at the ghost. She turned the sword in the air and dodged one of the ghost’s hooves with a skilled reverse roll, her own hooves inches above the snow. It made Liam wonder again how dangerous the things must have been that gave her all her scars.

Finally, with a last stroke of his sword, the last rune was finished. Liam rammed his sword into the frozen ground. “Master! Over here!” he yelled to the battling mare. She was just doing another roll over the head of the ghost as she cut away with her long sword. The ghost dissolved into a fine mist but rematerialized almost instantly again. In a blind rage against its attacker that it wasn’t able to catch, the ghost followed Liam’s master as she flew towards him. She tackled him out of the cage as she landed.

They both saw how the ghost floated over the snow towards them while unholy screams no living soul should be capable of left its mouth. Then it entered the cage. The runes on the trees began to glow instantly, very old magic started working, and the ghost quickly hit the ground. Its face twisted in confusion as it felt the earth for the first time in a long while. The ghost looked at the ground and then towards them before it was cut in half by a long sword. Bones shattered to the ground while flesh hit the ground with a wet splash of blood.

His master also rammed her sword into the ground and started drawing a rune into the dirt with her left hoof. The body burst into flames. Liam stepped next to his master as the smell of rotting corpse was glossed over with the smell of burnt flesh. “Our hunt is closed,” they said together, and the amulets were extinguished.

“Someone summoned her spirit,” his master continued without taking her eyes off the fire. “Not too long ago as well. Rumours of missing travellers would have otherwise made it to Canterlot or other cities and attracted the attention of other Hunters. We should look for her burial site and search for clues for the necromancer behind it.” Ghosts always returned to the place where they were originally buried. Nobody knew why, but they liked to lure their victims there. “But I don’t want to fight a pack of wolves for that.”

Liam looked up to the sky and Luna’s moon, whose magical light gave evil no place to hide. It was the light of the moon that drove them forward and revealed the truth to everyone who wore the amulet of the Inquisition. “I can imagine the pain a soul must feel to be imprisoned in its own dead body… feeling every wound all the time.”

“My teacher once told me that ghosts weren’t crazy killers when they come back. At least, not at first. It is the pain of the wounds, of being dead, that makes them lose their minds, what turns them into the monsters we know. And I’m not talking only about physical pain.” Both thestrals turned away and stowed their swords away again.

Author's Note

Well, look at that: A new story.
I took notes the last six month for this and now I can finally start this. It's a great feeling. For today, you only get the prologue, but the first chapter will follow shortly. Hope you have a good time and leave some comments. Authors love comments.

I also would like to mention that this, like most of my stories, was originally written in German, then translated into English. In case of this story, by myself.

Thanks to Handyman for beta reading.
Special thanks to JBL for editing my mess.

Chapter 1

The closer they got to the capital, the less snow Liam and his master found on the paths before them. The local farmers were the only ones who rose even earlier than the travellers and had most it removed already. Though the grey clouds over their heads ensured that the path would inevitably be covered again, the sparse snowflakes meant it would take time to form a white blanket.

They could both already see the Gods’ Tip, the mountain that the castle of Canterlot and the surrounding noble district rested upon. Also welcome to see were the two large elevators that transported ponies, at least those without wings, up from the foot of the mountain.

Liam had often made use of them in his lifetime, and even if it didn’t look that way right now, it was quite a way up. One trip took between ten and fifteen minutes, depending on the wind and weather. Added to this was the time to wait for the elevators, which could be a pain if they either failed or required maintenance. Metal tended to rust, and wood strained under the constant load very quickly and often gave way.

At the end of the path they were currently on, surrounded on either side by trees, the first houses were visible. While the nobility lived on the top, the common folk had settled around the mountain. Farmers, craftsmen, and merchants lived in simple houses of wood and clay that they had built wherever they had found the space. The general rule was that the closer to the elevators, the better the location was. If somepony walked around the mountain, in its so-called shadow, they would find the slums. There were the thieving scum, prostitutes, and anything else that would flee at the sight of a guard. A long time ago, there had also been an elevator, but the operators refused to carry out maintenance because of the high crime rate, and it had been taken out of service. These days, not even the cage for the passengers hung on the ropes, long had it fallen and been forgotten.

These three parts, the tangled paths of the merchant district, the dark alleys in the shadows, and the golden roofs on the Gods’ Tip, made up the city of Canterlot. Liam felt like a load fell off his back at the sight of his home. Too many moons had passed since he had lain in his own bed and tasted the hearty home cooking of mother, Wheat Brew. He also looked forward to see his father and, of course, his siblings.

A slight spring found its way in his steps, which obviously did not escape his master’s eyes. “Don’t forget, first we have to report to her Majesty.” Still, in her deep raspy voice was a hint of relief of being back in familiar realms as well.

“How long do you think we will be on leave?” Liam asked, excitement leaking from his voice. After every mission, one was normally granted one moon of leave to recover. Since Equestria was relatively safe these days, that leave could extend to two or three moons before they had to don their armour again. If that was the case, he would be at home for Winter Wrap-up. That would mean a feast, alcohol, and most importantly, hot young mares.

His master pondered for a bit. “I think we’ll get two moons. Her Majesty will surely send other Hunters after the necromancer we discovered. Perry and Court Magician Velvet should still be in Mareheim looking into the disappearances of the fishers.” Liam had heard of the case. In Mareheim, a city right at the border to Grifalla, fishers of both races had disappeared on the sea between the two kingdoms. Fish might be a delicacy not many ponies enjoyed, but in areas without suitable farmland, there weren’t many alternatives. “The last time I heard from Galen and Rona, they were on their way to Canterbury because there were some rumours of ghouls, and High Magician Helios took Finley with him to Stalliongrad. So, if we don’t receive any urgent cases or somepony needing reinforcements, it could even be four moons of leave with Otis, Kendall, Juna, and Sina still in Canterlot as reserves.”

With the last words spoken, they passed the first houses of the merchants’ district. Despite the fact that it was the dead of winter, ponies were on the streets. Merchants without their own business had set up stalls in every nook between the two-story buildings around them and tried to lure in customers. Cloth and linen from far away countries were praised as well as freshness of vegetables and fruits. Others traders sold all variations of junk they had collected on their travels while others tried to bring weapons to the ponies. With the latter, they would have more luck in cities like Haflingen or Marelin, the capital of Germaneigh. Canterlot, with its Royal Guard that patrolled nearly everywhere, was considered one of the safest cities of the known world. However, the winter had forced the weapon merchants to stay and winter here, as had many other merchants.

Smells and sounds flooded Liam from all sides, and as unpleasant they might be in some cases, he was happy to be back in civilization. It might not be the most pleasant of odours that came from a narrow alley to his right, where an old mare emptied the chamber pot from the second floor of her house, but it meant that around him was life. He preferred the smell of shit and piss over that of death and decay.

Despite so many ponies already afoot this early in the morning, they had no problems to get through the streets. The ponies in this town knew and respected the mantle of the Inquisition. They knew that as long as they did nothing wrong to attract the eyes of thestrals, they were safe from them.

In the corner of his eyes, Liam saw a white pegasus with a matted blond mane as he untied the purse from the clothes of a unicorn mare who browsed a merchant’s goods. He paused, his master doing the same after a slight delay. Her eyes followed his, and she saw the young pegasus as well. They waited a moment until he was about to take off with the purse before he turned around. His eyes met theirs, the golden orbs that glowed from under the hoods. They didn’t move, didn’t make a sound or said a word. The stallion swallowed, dropped the purse, and fled. The jingle caught the attention of the robbed unicorn, and when she turned around to look for the source, she found her purse lying on the cobblestoned street. They didn’t wait for the unicorn to pick up her money and continued their journey to the castle.

Though it had seemed like only two ponies could fit into the elevators a few minutes ago, their true size got clearer as they neared the mountain. Right now they looked as though three houses would fit into them, but Liam knew better. There was space for five. The eastern elevator was in descent at the moment. He could make out the wagons that must belong to merchants, who were probably on their way back from a delivery. Others were carriages that were drawn by two or more ponies in front of them. Those usually belonged to some noble pony who thought it would be a grand idea to travel somewhere or on their way to their chalet. The ponies that pulled those had Liam’s sympathy, as walking in the deep snow was hard enough without pulling something. Normal ponies were also visible, who most likely came back from a visit to the gardens or maybe even an audience with the princesses.

There was one thing they all had in common: clothes. Canterlot in winter was something different than Canterlot in summer. The city didn’t have many tailors who specialized in making clothes for the common pony, which was why they only wore light clothing in winter. Equestria in general was a very warm region so that nopony saw much reason to wear garments in the summer. Only the nobility wore the finest of attire most of the year, most likely to separate themselves from the rest. Still, everypony owned at least one piece of padded clothing for the winter, which was what was needed if you wanted to travel on the mountain. While a thick fur was enough to keep the wind at bay down here, at the top of the mountain, there had been a few accidents in the past, with some fools getting serious frostbite after just a small walk around the block.

Eventually they reached a large stone archway that separated the area around the elevator from the rest of the city. On top and before the archway, Royal Guards stood in their golden armour, also padded with wool to fight against the cold, spears over their shoulders and secured in their right fetlock. They were always alert, always looking straight ahead. As a foal Liam, had tried to see when a guard would blink. He had never needed all four of his hooves to keep count.

One of the soldiers in front of the archway saw them as they stepped out of the crowd and saluted silently. Liam as well as his master acknowledged him with a nod and stepped through into the area of the still descending elevator. On the wooden landing stage, several ponies and diamond dogs were already waiting to bring their goods up the mountain. They were also wearing clothing, but the fancier kind. These had embroidered patterns and buttons made of precious metals. Some of the diamond dogs wore light armour, also stuffed with wool so they would not suffer frostbite when they reached the top. They had to be sell swords, hired by the rich merchants to protect their goods. Liam heard at least three different languages.

The soldier at the ticket booth, which was next to the ramp that led to the landing area, also recognized them and waved them through with a small salute. “Damn vultures. We pay for the ride and they can just...” Liam heard one of the merchants hiss as he had to pay the small fee of ten copper bits. Some of the other merchants started to agree with him, but Liam didn’t bother to pay them any further attention. He knew the arrogance of the nobility and the wealthy and also knew how many fucks he had to give. He also knew it wasn’t him personally they despised, but the Inquisition. In his younger years, he would have grabbed the merchant and asked him who he thought he was for bad mouthing the Inquisition of Her Holiness, Princess Luna. He had been a bad tempered foal.

With a loud bang and the clank of metal and wood, the elevator’s cage reached the platform. Around fifty individuals, earth ponies, unicorns, older pegasi, and griffons, were the first to step out of the cage and head to the second ramp that led back into the merchant district. After them came the wagons and carriages Liam had already seen before. The last to step out were six guards to reinforce their fellow soldiers down here. Two soldiers of every pony race.

His master pushed him forward as the new passengers started to board the cage. Liam remembered his first ride as a young foal, how he had looked down between the boards on the floor as the mighty elevator started to ascend with a mighty jolt. He also remembered the view over the green hills around Canterlot he had enjoyed. At one point in the ride, he had even been able to see the small village of Ponyville, nearly half a day away. There had also been the apple trees of the local farmers and the clock tower they had been building at the time. Even today, the place was so small that the only thing that connected it to the road system of Equestria was a small dirt path.

A well-known jolt got Liam back into the present. Following his own little ritual, he looked down between the floorboards at the quickly shrinking ponies on the ground. Then he slowly turned his gaze forward. After the first minute, they had passed the tree tops, and after the second, the ponies on the ground looked like he could trample them with his hooves. After the fifth minute, even the largest houses had vanished completely under his hooves, and after eight, the entire merchant district was nothing more than a brown, yellow, and white blur of wood, straw, and snow surrounded by trees that looked like blades of grass. The clouds looked to be so close, and Liam had to resist reaching out to them. Feeling what others of his kind could touch was what dreams were made of.

Instead, he looked over to his master, his other mother. She stood as he did, her eyes forward and lost in thoughts. She had wings; she didn’t need to take the elevator if she didn’t want to, but she did anyway. She always did. Liam couldn’t remember her not taking the elevator. She had always taken the elevator together with him and, like the rest of the world, was robbed of her freedom to reach the top of the mountain on her own. Liam rarely regretted that he was born without wings, those elegant leathery appendage all thestrals had. It made him different, but also special, and long he had learned to live with that. The sky was the limits to him, but the rest of the world was not. It was one of the many reasons he had chosen to follow his mother’s path and become a Hunter.

With a second jolt, they had reached their destination. The doors of the cage opened with a wooden groan, and the passengers were in motion again. While at the bottom, they had been surrounded by walls made of natural stone. Up here the walls looked like they were all cut out of one stone. Of course, that wasn’t the case. Unicorns had built the walls with magic and enchanted them afterwards to look like that. That was also true for every other building up here. There were even unicorns that specialized in that kind of enchantment to add fake marbling to stones or even clay. Smash two vases, piece them together as one, and sell it as though it was a piece of art. Maybe that description wasn’t fair to said unicorns, but that was how Liam would describe it if he was asked.

Liam felt another push from his master, and she was right. He could reminisce later at home, after they had reported to the princess. The castle was already in sight. The familiar white towers stretched a good deal into the sky. On occasion, some scattered wild clouds enveloped them tightly. Like the rest of the district, the castle seemed to be made out of a single type of stone, white mixed with a slight grey and created the illusion of fine marble that was actually granite, impossible for nature to create.

They followed the paved road that ran from the elevator directly to the castle. To their right and left were some minor roads that led to large estates, high-end shops, and other facilities. Unlike the city below, everything seemed to still be asleep. Occasionally, lonely shadows moved behind the large windows of the mansions, but those were most likely only housemaids or other personnel. Maybe one shadow was even one of the noble owners, but even with his eyes, Liam couldn’t see anything more than outlines through the coloured glass.

The estates also shared the same design. Smooth, light grey facades, decorated with inlaid columns supporting a small roof over the entrance, with fine wooden double doors and golden handles. The roofs of the estates were covered with expensive tiles, not with straw as in the merchant district. Small gardens were laid out left and right to the front doors, but now were covered by a layer of snow like everything else.

The other passengers gradually parted from them as they approached the castle walls, and so they were the last ones on the street. The few hours of sleep he'd gotten in the tavern slowly became noticeable after the battle and the march in and through the city. His hooves were tired and cold, the latter very unusual for a thestral. The chainmail was practically glued on his body, and his eyelids fought with the slowly rising sun. Liam really hoped that this was the last time wearing it for a while.

“Halt!” came the order from one of the two unicorn guards at the entrance to the castle grounds. It didn’t matter who came to one of the mouse holes, the entrances in the wall surrounding the castle, everyone was checked. It didn’t matter if one wore armour or was even one of the princesses. There were things in this world for which it was no problem to get access otherwise. Some surely could even manage it now. No one passed these so-called mouse holes without undergoing a security check. Golden, enchanted doors waited to be slammed shut in front of unwanted guests, and Liam knew about the crystals on the inside at the back of the wall. Those created a magical shield that would turn the castle into a fortress that could resist any siege. "Who demands entrance?"

They took off their hoods, and this time it was his master who first saluted. “The Hunters Jeanne Dark and Liam of the Holy Inquisition of her Majesty, Princess Luna, report back,” she said firmly, and they both lowered their hooves again. “We are here to report to the princess,” she answered the second question before the soldier could ask. They all knew the questions by heart by now. The third question also didn’t need to be asked as they drew their swords and handed them to the other guard, a unicorn.

The horn of the stallion, to which they had given their weapons, glowed again and the first of five spells hit their bodies. The first searched for any hidden weapon on and in them. The second checked to see if there were any active spells on them, like a spell to hide their true identity. The third looked for passive magic like curses, and the fourth for any kind of mind control. The fifth and last was only a medical scan to make sure everything was alright. There were stories about soldiers who stood at one of the mouse holes with internal bleeding they didn’t even know about.

“Clear!” the stallion shouted and went away with their weapons. They would get them back when they were leaving the castle grounds. The Royal Guard wasn’t by any means a small unit, but they couldn’t be everywhere anytime, and they trusted nobody except one of their own. Everypony they didn’t know was a potential risk they weren’t ready to take. And every Hunter worthy of his title would most likely agree with them.

Both soldiers nodded towards the third on the wall, and the way was free. “Thank you, gentlecolts,” his master said as she walked past them. Liam followed with a light trot as it was custom for a subordinate to keep some distance between them. His gaze fixed forward. In a few minutes, they would step in front of Princess Luna, and he wanted to be the picture of professionalism. He had returned from his first mission more or less successfully, which would allow him to act without the order of a master in the future if necessary. Of course, he would still go with the rotating masters on travel, but he would no longer need permission to do simple things such as going into the bushes to relieve himself like the last two years.

Liam stopped as a small ball suddenly rolled in front of his hooves. Automatically, his eyes went in the direction from which it came, and he spotted a small purple unicorn foal that, somewhat clumsy on her hooves, made her way in his direction. She wore a knitted vest and under her wool cap peeped her dark blue mane which had a single stripe of pink that ran through it.

The eyes of the foal, which had been fixated on the ball up to this point, went first to Liam’s hooves, then up to his face. The small foal gulped and took a step back, unsure how to react. “Twilight!” Another mare joined them. At the sound of her voice, Jeanne also turned around and fell on her knees as Liam did. Princess Mi Amore Cadenza came after the foal a second later from between the snow-covered hedges of the palace gardens.

Liam felt as though the air had warmed as the goddess of love approached, her aura much like a physical force. The princess stopped for a moment as she saw Liam and his master, but then continued the rest of the way without hesitation. The smell of roses made itself noticeable as she stood in front of them. Liam kept his gaze downward at her hooves. “Your Majesty,” he greeted her formally.

“Rise, there is no need to bow.” Liam did as he was told and looked at the beautiful mare before him. A pony had to be blind or a liar to deny this. There were the loving and radiating purple eyes, the long elegant muzzle that fit her slender frame perfectly. Her pink coat was groomed to perfection, no doubt thanks to products that would cost quite a few bits. Her horn was pointy and long and freshly filed, and every feather on her wing was spotless and in the right place. The picture was completed by her light pink and purple mane with a golden stripe in the middle, tied into a ponytail.

Liam averted his eyes to the foal that now hid between her front legs and was watching at her ball again, which was still between his hooves. With his snout, he nudged the object of desire cautiously in her direction. “Here you go.”

The foal didn’t react, continuing to stare at the ball as it rolled slowly towards her and finally stopped in front of the hooves of the princess. Nothing happened for a few seconds, but then little Twilight snatched the ball with both her front hooves and brought into safety. “What do we say if somepony is nice, Twilight?” the princess asked with a small chuckle.

They all waited for a moment for the foal to speak, but she just looked away. “I think the attention is a bit too much for the little one,” Jeanne said with a smile.

“Maybe if you two were books.” The princess giggled. Liam looked at his master, but she seemed as lost as he was. “Forget what I said.” The princess looked at each of them for a moment, then stepped closer to Liam. “May I?”

Liam nodded. “Of course, your Majesty.” She took another step in his direction and looked him deep in the eyes. It was in this moment that Liam noticed the princess was a bit smaller than him. The entire time he had felt like he had looked up at a monument or a large statue. But now their eyes were at the same level, and her purple eyes looked deep into his golden ones. Then she did something he never expected: Princess Mi Amore Cadenza leaned a little further forward and gave him a light kiss on the forehead.

“May you find happiness.” Her lips hadn’t moved and nopony had spoken, Liam was sure of that. Still, he had heard the voice of the princess more than clear.

It was already over. The goddess leaned back again, a broad grin on her lips and a hint of satisfaction. She winked at him before she turned back to the foal. “What do you think, Twilight? Want to go home and drink some hot cocoa?” The foal nodded twice and stepped next to the princess. “I wish you two a wonderful day!” the Alicorn called over her shoulder as she vanished with the foal back in the direction of the castle gardens.

“The same to you, your Majesty,” Liam and Jeanne called as one and briefly bowed their heads.

Then there was silence for a few seconds. “The princess blessed you,” his master stated the obvious. “You should feel honoured.” Having said her piece, she continued on her way. Liam could only nod and follow. He knew it was a very high honour to get the blessing of one of the goddesses. It meant she would watch over him, protect him, and lead him. A blessing from the goddess of love therefore could only mean one thing.

Fate was what controlled the lives of all living beings, some more, others less. Ponies were beings branded by fate, clearly visible on their flanks. Thestrals didn’t have such markings. They only wore the mark of their goddess. One of the three goddesses that had the power to alter fate. Just like his was altered just a moment ago.

Author's Note

Word building, easing you guys into this world.

Thanks to Handyman for beta reading.
Special thanks to JBL for editing my mess.

Chapter 2

Her eyes were so profound and blue, like the deepest depths of the ocean, yet they were so caring and compassionate that they made the hearts of anypony who looked at them to flutter with hope. Light blue fur seemed to flow with her every motion, like a creek after a mild spring shower. Her mane was made of pure magic, so dark that it seemed to draw the light out of a room, yet every star in it was clearly visible, bright as they were. And there were so many.

This was what everypony would see if they were allowed to lay eyes on the Princess of the Night, the Goddess of the Moon, and immortal ruler of Equestria. It was her and nopony else who had jumped from her throne the moment Jeanne and Liam had entered the room and was now headed towards them. The expression of joy on her face could melt the heart of a daemon.

They met halfway on the red carpet, which led to the pedestal where the thrones of the two princesses rested. Princess Luna leaned down immediately and nuzzled the experienced hunter. “Jeanne, my daughter. It gladdens mine heart to see you once again. We were in quite a state of anxiety.”

It wasn’t known if Princess Luna or Celestia had ever had a foal in their long lives, but as the creator of the thestrals, Princess Luna granted herself the honorary title of mother and called all thestrals her children, treating them as such. Liam saw his mother return the greeting before she bowed her head. “It is an honour to see you again, Your Highness.”

“Liam!” He blinked in surprise as the attention of the goddess shifted towards him, and he found himself in the same position as his master a few moments ago. “We notice you have yet again grown since the last time we saw you.” Princess Luna pulled her head back and smiled down at him. She was nearly double his size. “We can remember it like yesterday, when your mother chose to ruin the carpet in our chambers by leaving us a little gift.”

“With all due respect, Your Highness, we aren’t here to reminisce. We’re both tired and had a long journey.” Liam tried his hardest not to smile. He could hear from his master’s voice that she did not like to be reminded of that day. Still, he also knew that she was right. They were both tired, she surely even more than him.

With her everlasting smile, the Goddess of the Moon shook her head in bemusement. “You are right of course, my child. You must both be exhausted. Do tell, what have you found in Manehatten? Had it been seaponies like we hoped?”

Liam remembered the mission briefing they had had around five moons ago. Sailors had reported unusual events near the coast, and the local residents had said they had seen something in the waters: ponies with fins and fish tails. The princess had been beside herself with excitement. The last contact with their relatives in the sea had been at the end of the First Era, or so she had told them. The accurate time of the last contact was something nopony could say for sure, as too much history had been lost in the Second and Third Era.

“We arrived at the city with a delay of two weeks. Like we discussed, we rented a room in the old tavern by the sea, questioned the residents, and spent as much time as possible in the harbour district. At the end of the first moon, the only evidence we could gather were fish bones that had washed up on shore in large quantities. We then rented a small boat for a more direct approach, but that also brought no results. At the start of the third moon, we observed an increase of visitors in the city, also attracted by the rumours about seaponies. We started from the beginning with a different approach entirely. It turned out that the sailors and residents had spread the rumours to get more money in the city. The fishbone originated in a restaurant for griffons in the city. The saltwater did a good job of erasing evidence of the fish being cooked, but after we knew what we had to look for… we closed our investigation and handed over the case to the local Royal Guard unit. Too many ponies were involved to name the specific culprit who started the rumours and tried to fake evidence.”

The smile on the face of the princess had shrunk by the end. “It makes us sad to hear that. We had hoped to get a clue to what had happened to our allies.” Liam also wasn’t really happy with the results of the mission. He didn’t like to disappoint his princess, and he would have liked to see one of the mythological creatures himself. The legends said they were a sight to behold. “Anything else, my daughter?”

“On our way back, we encountered the work of a necromancer. A young mare, who had been killed by wolves sometime in the last ten moons, was haunting a tavern near the crossroad between Canterlot and Manehatten. She was strong enough to imitate a living body.”

Princess Luna turned her gaze towards one of the coloured windows that showed her and her sister. “Celestia had told us of the incident. The young mare was not the only victim of the pack. It was during the last seed that she had sent a troop of Royal Guard to get rid of the problem. More souls could be victim to that necromancer. We will send Otis and Juna to look into that. Three moons should be enough time to recover from their last mission.” She looked back down towards Liam and Jeanne. “We thank you for your service, especially you, young Liam. You mastered the strain of your training and proved yourself in action. We will have to wait for the detailed report from your mother, but we look forward to sending you on your own missions in the near future if it should be necessary. We would normally grant you a small gift, but we can clearly see our little sister got ahead of us.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

The smile regained some of its former size that it had reached when they had entered the throne room. “Do not fret, sweet child of mine. Our little sister would never do something that if it would not be for the best of all involved. She just tugged a bit on your red thread.” The princess eyed them both for a moment. “We think we should finish here for today. Go to your family, get some rest, and recover. We will not expect your reports before the end of the week. Your hunt has come to an end.”

Liam relaxed every muscle in his body, and his stature visibly sagged when he yielded to the weight of his chainmail. His ears fell down to the side of his head and lay limp for the first time in a long while. His tail began to swing a little, and a yawn forced his way out of his mouth.

The Princess of the Night giggled. “More tired than we thought. Hush, out of my eyes with you two.” She pointed with her left wing towards the doors. “There are ponies waiting for you,” she ordered and turned around, her head shaking but still with its usual smile.

The next moment, another wing collided with the back of Liam’s head. “Our hunt may be over, but we always stay alert,” his mother scolded him, also shaking her head. “Still, I’m so proud of you, and I want you to know that.” Her right wing also found its way from under her cloak, and she used both of them to pull Liam closer. Neck to neck, chest to chest, they stood in the throne room, her grey wings resting on Liam’s back. “I’m so proud. Luna said it already, but you finished your apprenticeship and did very well on every mission so far. I couldn’t be any prouder right now.”

“Thank you, mother. That means a lot to me,” he whispered back in her ear.

They stayed like that a moment longer in their embrace, then his mother pressed a kiss on his cheek and released him. “You go on ahead now – your father and Wheat will be happy to see you. I want to check in with the others in the barracks.” Jeanne took some steps back, her eyes not leaving Liam. On her lips was a smile as she finally turned around and headed towards a door on the side of the throne room.

With Princess Luna and his mother both gone, Liam was left alone in the large hall made of white granite, hung with fine tapestries, and illuminated by coloured glass pictures. The spell that the presence of the princess caused was lifted, and all what he previously only noticed as a kind of blur came back into focus. The light played on the windows on the walls; the gigantic columns stretched up to the ceiling and seamlessly went into it. There was also the coat of arms of Equestria on the tapestries, the sun and moon joined in a play of light and shadow.

Liam shook himself awake. This was something he still wasn’t used to. It was the natural effect the presence of the goddess who was called the origin of dreams had on everypony around her. Some said weak-minded simpletons would fall asleep in her presence.

His gaze wandered to golden thrones that stood at the top of the pedestal, and he wondered how it would be with both princesses present at the same time. Maybe he would get that experience some day.

With that final thought, he also turned and walked towards the massive golden doors through which they had come, one door nearly so big it could scratch the ceiling. Despite their size, they opened fluently as he drew near. The two unicorns, who made that possible with their magic, nodded to him as he passed. It was common knowledge that the unicorns who guarded these doors were considered to be the best spell casters in the realm and could have easily gotten a position such as that of a High Mage. They stood here though, guarding these golden doors that had more enchantments than the common pony could count.

Liam crossed the familiar corridors of the castle and finally the mouse hole through which they had entered the premises. With the familiar weight of his swords left and right on his body again, he remembered the days he had wandered the streets of the city without steel by his side. Back then, he didn’t even know what creatures were out there and only waited to get pony flesh between their teeth. Canterlot may be safe from such monsters, but like every soldier, a Hunter also became paranoid, if not even more so.

Leaving the castle behind, he returned to the wide main street and then turned into one of the smaller streets that led to the houses of the gentry and the Royal Guard. That was one reason so many ponies enlisted for the Royal Guard. A place on top of the mountain was promised to each soldier who had served at least five years in the name of the princesses, and not only for him but his entire family up to ten years after the soldier’s death. Often the eldest children took over the service from their parents, and so there were a few houses inhabited by the same family for hundreds of years, entire families who had themselves dedicated to serving the princesses.

It was no different with the castle’s staff. They were also housed in this district, equipped with many small houses in the same facade as the larger mansions. Parents taught their foals to serve the princesses, to cook or to clean their chambers. It was very rare that somepony was taken outside of one of these families into the ranks of a servant.

Liam had grown up here, played as a foal in the front gardens, and as a young stallion, studied the afternoons away with writings about ghouls, ghosts, and their ilk. He didn’t need to look where he was going. His hooves did the work for him on their own to carry him to the small house at the corner between a small smithy and a pond that housed a few fish and toads. At least if it wasn’t frozen like today.

Smoke rose in thick swaths from all the surrounding chimneys and also from the house inhabited by his family. His father had taken over the house from his father, and he from his father before. It was now in the fifth generation of the family, and it would be so for a long time to come. A look through the kitchen’s window showed movement, and Liam saw his mother as she likely prepared breakfast. After all, his sisters would want to be fed. By now, his youngest sister should no longer be depending on his mother’s teats.

In a short sprint, he crossed the last few meters to the front door. For a moment, he considered knocking, but he decided not to do so. He quietly opened the thick oak door and was welcomed by a warm breeze. A carpet was laid out behind the door so that each visitor could discard the snow from their hooves. Pictures adorned the stone walls, showing places or ponies that were dear to him, sometimes both.

Voices reached his ears from the common room, which lay just down the corridor. One belonged to his father; the other could only be a guest. He also heard his mother Wheat Brew in the kitchen, humming while a knife repeatedly struck a wooden surface. The decision was made in favour of his mother, and he poked his head around the corner into the kitchen. The light brown earth pony stood at the table, her back towards him, busy cutting carrots and apples with the knife in her mouth. Her bright blond mane, interspersed with grey streaks, was pulled back in a ponytail and was moving in tandem with her head for every cut she made. Normally his father helped her since his magic was better suited to move a knife than the rest of family could. Fine motor skills were something which few understood except unicorns. Fortunately, as Liam thought, there were no monsters that were apple or carrot sized. At least, he didn’t know any. If they existed though, they would certainly be a tough opponent, worthy of the title of arch-enemy.

“I’d offer to help you, but all I have are my brutish bread knives, and you said if I got them near the table again, it would bring me a week of latrine duty.”

The mare stopped abruptly, letting her knife drop out of her mouth as she turned around. Her eyes found his as he stepped into the kitchen, and in the next moment, Liam was in very hearty hug. His mother’s muzzle rested on his head, her nose rubbing through his mane while both her front legs pushed around his neck and tried to get him even closer to her. “My little colt is back.”

Liam also sat down on his haunches as his front hooves went around the neck of slightly plump earth pony mare, who was around two heads taller than him. “Hello, Mother, it’s good to see you.” Instead of more words, she answered by pressing kisses on his head, his cheeks, and again on the top of his head.

“Vigil!” she finally called out and silenced the voices in the common room. “Come here – our son came home!” Liam heard his father excuse himself, and a moment later the older stallion joined them in the kitchen.

Liam hurried out of the hooves of his mother to him, the hooves of his father already spread out for a hug. A hug was one of the most intimate gestures a pony could give. Not only was it impossible for them to run with only two legs on the ground, they were also mostly defenceless, sitting like that with their chest and abdomen open to anypony. In his history studies, Liam had learned that this practice was made to show enemies at the bargaining table that they really had come with peaceful intentions. Many customs like that dated back to the Third Era, the period of the Three Kingdoms.

For a former soldier like his father, somepony who knew danger and had experienced his fair share of it, it was an even bigger sign of trust that he spread his forehooves for him and held him close. Of course he expected nothing else, for it was his father, and he loved him. The old stallion, whose fur color he shared, was lacking an eye as well as the lower part of his right hind leg. An unsightly prosthetic made of iron was fastened on the remains and was used to fill the gap between the leg and the ground. Instead of a wooden eye, as many who had lost one used, the unicorn wore an eye patch. This brought out the striking greenness of his remaining eye even more. Not much was left of the color of his once black mane, long had it surrendered to his age. The mixture of grey and black was also cut short, just long enough to be able to choose a side of his neck it could fall.

“It’s good to know you home, son,” his father said into his ear while his hoof wandered to his shoulder. Then he ended the hug and pushed him back a bit. “Let me look at you.” The single green eye wandered from his head over his cloak and its various bulges that were his swords and chainmail. For Vigil, those might have well been invisible. A Royal Guard, even a retired one, knew how to see through one’s armor and clothing for any hidden accessories. “You’ve grown and become stronger,” he finished his examination with a grin, “but you smell like an old dog that wallowed in its own filth. And by the goddesses, your mane is in dire need of a pair of scissors, or will you soon be wearing fine dresses?” His father gave him a cuff to his shoulder, which made him waver before he straightened up again.

“I’ll finish the breakfast, then I’ll prepare a bath.” His mother nuzzled him from his other side.

“Thanks you, mother.” He nuzzled her back. “Taking a bath, getting some of your food, and a bed is what I need right now.”

“Put your armor and weapons down, then you’ll see about those things.” His father was already to the door. “Try not to wake your sisters.” The stallion took a step, then paused and looked back in the kitchen over his shoulder. “I suppose my other wife will come a little later?”

“Mother wanted to visit the barracks. She said she wanted to meet with the others.” Vigil nodded and continued back to the common room and his guest. Liam wondered who could have visited this early in the day, but he was sure he would find out soon enough.

Liam also rose and started his way to his room. “Don’t wake your sister. We put her in your room,” he heard his mother say before she took up the knife again with her mouth.

He nodded and walked down the hall towards the common room. He could see through the doorway, which was normally blocked by a curtain, that his father was sitting on the sofa. On the chair opposite to him sat another unicorn stallion. He had a brighter blue coat than Liam or his father, but still in the range of color that it fit the cutie mark on his flank, two differently-sized crescents. His similarly coloured mane was neatly combed. Liam did not believe he had met this stallion before, but by his appearance, he had to be one of the servants who worked at the castle. The simple cloak that hung over the chair and the lack of any other apparel made it unlikely that he was any sort of nobility. There were also no traces of perfume or oil coming from him. No, this was either a merchant or a servant.

Liam ignored the talking and turned left into the direction of the sleeping quarters. There were three, as in every house here. After all, they all shared the same floor plan. The largest of the three rooms belonged to his parents. The other two were his and that of his younger sister Moon Dancer, who last year began attending school. Her door was blocked with a curtain, and the young filly was still probably sound asleep.

Liam’s goal was the curtain down the hall that blocked the way to his chambers. Well, his youngest sister’s chambers as well, it seemed. The room looked like the day he had last seen it. A simple wooden bed was next to a desk close to the window, on which there had been some candles. He could see that some new ones had been added. In the corner behind the door was a wooden figure for his armour and swords. In the other corner, which had previously been empty, was a crib.

Quietly, he crept up to the crib and risked a glance into it. Buried under a thick blanket, only the head of his little sister was visible. Her bright green coat, the same colour as his grandmother’s had been before her death, was bushy and dishevelled, evidence that she had had a fresh bath. Her similarly green mane with white streaks was also in need of a brush, but that didn’t seem to bother the sleeping filly at all. With small breaths and a smile on her lips, her thoughts roamed the land of dreams, unaware that somepony was watching her.

“Hello Lyra,” Liam said softly and kissed his sister on the forehead. Her little horn sparked in response while her smile widened slightly. She probably wouldn’t even recognize him when she awoke. When he had left, she hadn’t even been able to walk.

Liam turned away from his new roommate and turned towards the wooden figure of a pony. His mouth wandered to the brooch that held his cloak on his body, and with one fluid motion, he pulled it off his body and laid it out on his bed. It was filthy, littered with stains of various origins. The only clean place was the symbol of the moon, which was mounted on both sides of the cloak so that it rested where a cutie mark would normally be.

From time to time, Liam asked himself if he envied other ponies for their mark of destiny. His mother’s was a tankard filled with foamy beer. Crossed lances belonged to his father. Moon Dancer’s was a vision of the night sky. His eyes fell again on his coat, and again he answered the question with a yes. It would be nice to know for what purpose one existed in this world. It meant knowing that what you loved to do was your destiny. If somepony asked if he liked being a hunter, he would definitely answer with yes. If somepony asked him if he liked to hunt, he would answer with a no.

The cloak followed the leather harness that protected his shoulders and chest, then his swords and eventually the chain mail. These joined the cloak on his bed, and he looked at them for a moment. His swords were old, several years now. Often he had honed them, brought back into shape and restored. As he looked now at their wooden sheaths, the notches in them and the rust that had infested several parts, Liam knew their time had come. He would have to buy or make new swords before his next mission.

Some of the chains in his armour had opened or were bent, but that was something that could be solved with a little work. His armor just needed a good polishing.

Freed from his armour, he began to put everything on the wooden doll, an exercise he had had to practice for weeks. In an emergency, every soldier had to not only be able to dress himself, but also his brothers and sisters in arms who would not be able to do so. First the chainmail went over the wooden head, then the leather armor, followed by the swords, and finally everything vanished under the dark blue coat. The only thing that gave away that it was not him under the cloak was the missing glowing eyes from under the hood.

Then he looked at himself. His dark blue fur was thick, unkempt, and dirty. If they survived the cold, he certainly would have fleas and ticks. His white mane hung far down to his right shoulder as if it was wet. His father was right – he urgently needed a pair of scissors. Then again, this was usually how Hunters returned home. In the woods, there wasn’t the luxury of baths, oils, or other things needed to keep yourself spotless. Teeth were cleaned with fern, and when the temperatures permitted it, one took a bath in a river if it was available. If Hunters stayed in one area for a longer length of time, they normally shunned hotels and taverns. After all, if the prey knew they were in town, it would flee. Hunters appeared, observed the ponies they had to question, searched the places needed for an investigation, and disappeared again to whence they had come. If whatever they were hunting knew where they were located, the hunter could become the hunted.

Liam’s eyes fell wishfully on the grey sheets of his bed, and he imagined how he would sink into the thick mattress made of straw. As he was, however, he would only ruin the sheets. His stomach also begged to be filled.

He left the room, trying to avoid waking his sister, and made his way back to the kitchen. “Liam!” he heard his father call as he passed the common room. The stallion still sat on the sofa and beckoned to him with a shake of his head to join him. Liam obeyed and walked into the warmest room in the house. A large fire was crackling in the fireplace and lit up the room at the same time. More pictures and drawings hung on the walls, just like the hallway, and showed ponies that he knew and loved. In two open cabinets rested his mother’s silver, and in between was a shelf of books that his father had acquired over the years. The most valuable assets of the family were showcased for everypony whom they called their guest.

“Liam, I’d like you to meet Night Light.” His father pointed at the unicorn across from him, and Liam bowed his head briefly in greeting.

“Good day, sir.”

“I also wish you a good day,” Night Light replied formally with a slight accent. If Liam was not mistaken, it sounded Germaneighan. Based on how the stallion spoke, he was now sure he worked at the castle. Only the servants spoke so eloquently, deliberately, and with a bit of grandeur in their voices. Either that or his nostrils were clogged.

“Night Light is a representative for High Mage Helios, who is currently in Stalliongrad.” It left Liam wondering why the servant of someone like a high mage was in their humble abode. “He’s here to discuss the details of an agreement concerning you.”

“Me, father?” Liam was surprised. “What could I have to offer a high mage?”

“Not the high mage directly,” their guest interjected and turned around slightly so that he could look at Liam and his father at the same time. “It’s about his youngest daughter.”

“Father?” Liam asked again.

“It’s about an engagement.” The eyes of the young stallion widened. He would be engaged? “And before you say anything, this decision was not made only yesterday. I’ve discussed it even before your departure with your mothers, and we all agree that this is for the best.”

“I don’t follow….”

“Liam, you didn’t have a normal foalhood. Other foals go to schools, play with other foals, and form groups that develop into herds over time. You received private lessons in the castle and learned how to use a sword from a young age. You didn’t have that. We also wish for you to find happiness while you’re young, not like I did.” Well, it was true. His father was a bit older. “I waited too long, and look at me. I’ll never be able to run with my foals in the meadows.”

“But father—”

“I’m still talking, son!” Liam’s mouth snapped audibly shut. “You’re young, and I know what goes on in the mind of a young stallion, boy. Still, you have to remember that we are soldiers. We generally don’t live as long as normal ponies do. I just want you to be happy and still have time to enjoy it. Or would you say that you’d be happier with having a different mare in your bed every night instead of one you could love and would be the mother of your foals?”

“The young lady also grew up in the same vein,” their guest said before Liam could speak up again. “She also studied the arcane arts all her young life so far, and was thus deprived of the possibility of normal social contact. When High Mage Helios heard that a highly decorated veteran of the Royal Guard sought a fiancée for his eldest son, a Hunter of the Inquisition too, he saw the opportunity of a good match for his youngest daughter. She is young, talented, smart, and at the end of her training as a court magician. However, the final decision is one we will leave to you two. The high mage only requests that you two meet and get to know each other for now. Should you not get along, you will not be forced into anything. That’s all for the moment.”

“Just a meeting?” Liam asked cautiously. He was not sure what to make of the entire thing. He only knew that he felt betrayed and maybe a little offended. He was not some antisocial stallion who preferred to be left alone instead of female allure. He was sure he could find love on his own. Maybe.

Author's Note

I established the adventure part, now here we are starting the romance. 10 points to who answers the question: "What's the name of high magician Helios daughter?"

Thanks to Handyman for beta reading.
Special thanks to JBL for editing my mess.