The Hunter

When the sun rises over the mountains of the Griffin Empire, off in the distance was a Royal ship containing one royal sister on it along with the Elements of Harmony. The crew aboard that ship quickly scattered around the deck, preparing to dock at Auria’s Gale. On the deck was the Princess of the night herself, she watched as they approached one of the town’s airship docks. Next to the Princess was the Elements of Harmony, all but one out of the six were awake.

Twilight wishes she could just ask Princess Luna if she could go to the local library, but she decided against that as they were here because of important matter that she has to do with her friends. She didn’t get much sleep last night because of another nightmare, involving the same dream with the Hunter. Before element of magic had fallen asleep last night Princess Luna used a spell on the mare, but that didn’t do much good to prevent the horrid nightmare of the young mare from being eaten again and feeling the Hunter’s teeth puncturing her skin. Why the dream felt so real was a question that Twilight had actually asked Luna, she had hoped that the Princess of the night and guardian of dreams would know something about this.

Sadly the Princess doesn’t know how to stop a nightmare that can break through her spells. A nightmare that can break through a dream should only be dealt with by the one who dreams it, meaning Twilight has to confront the Hunter just so she can stop having these nightmares. Though it may sound easy to do, however, it’s not as the one who dreams of this nightmares must do something that they fear; they have to face whatever they fear. Twilight was sure that what she fears was the Hunter himself as he was a creature that can shapeshift and use magic, but was that really what she fears of the Hunter.

“Princess, ah know this is out awf thuh blue, but what do ya know awf thuh Hunter other than what 'e done?” Applejack asked she wanted to know a little bit more about the Hunter as she just only heard a few of Rainbow Dash’s loud reading whenever the blue pegasus settles down on one of Applejack’s trees and reads. She was only curious thanks to Rainbow Dash reading out loud.

“We don’t know much about the Hunter, Applejack. We barely know anything about him other than what you all know.” Applejack sighed she thought the princess would know more than she does, but she should have guessed that not even their ruler would know anything about the Hunter.

Luna wishes that she knows more of the Hunter than what she and her sister had heard from their subjects. Knowing more about the Hunter would help her a lot, even if the information is just a little it would still be a lot. Sadly Luna doesn’t know that there was a certain batpony mare with two foals that knows more about the Hunter than just his name, she knows him as if she just written a book about him...which she actually did. That mare may be right on the ship with them all, but she and her foals were asleep due to being taken in the early evening before they left Equestria. All that information about the Hunter was right there below deck in the ship sleeping.

After the ship docked, the crew went to work preparing to tie the ship down on the metal beam. Every creature around the airship harbor all looked up at the Equestrian ship, seeing a royal ship means one of the princesses were here. Not everyone likes seeing one of the Equestrian royal sister’s, they may have a good reputation in their kingdom but in this kingdom, many do not like them.

Luna and everypony else, except the batpony family sleeping in the lower deck, got off the ship onto the port. Everypony that got off the ship looked around, the height of the tower they were on gave them a view of the entire town. The crew stayed on and near the ship in case anyone was stupid enough to try and steal the royal ship.

After the group left the airship dock tower to explore the town, a group of five griffons arrived at the ship. They didn’t look similar to the other griffons in the town due to their armor being different than the guards around the town. All of them were armed with different ranged weapons; a flintlock pistol, musket, blunderbuss, and long neck huntsgriffon musket.

These lion/feline birds walked up the ship as if they had owned it. The crew aboard had stopped them telling the group that this was the Equestrian royal ship, but the griffons didn’t care of what the ponies had said about the ship belonging to royalty, they just stayed there on the deck. One of the ponies on the ship picked up a baton with his magic, he was about to charge at them until a certain batpony mother walks up the stairs to the ship’s deck. She stopped the stallion from causing them any trouble with those griffons, it was a good thing too that she stopped them or else the unicorn would have been the cause of everyone’s death on the ship.

The crew was bewildered to know that the one they brought with them has just stopped the unicorn from attacking. They watched the mother walk to the group and had a few words with them. What wasn’t sketchy before when the mare stopped the unicorn then it would be sketchy now to see her talking to the group in a low whisper.

A few silent agreements later the mother turned back and told everypony on deck that they were sent here to escort her and her daughters to the mayor of this town. The crew was a bit unsure about that since the guards around didn’t do anything to show them any kind of respect for those who are higher up than them, but they couldn’t do anything other than question if the group were indeed here to escort Shade and her daughters to the mayor. Well, one of them did do something and jumped off the ship not afraid of falling because how she was a pegasus. That mare fly over the town to find the Princess before the griffons could leave without them, she had to tell Luna about this or else they may find out later than sooner.

Sadly her search would be pointless as the group wasn’t in the open, they were inside a building talking with the mayor himself about an escort to Griff Glade. However, she didn’t give up on. The mare was determined to find her Princess and tell her the news what had happened on the airship.

Back at the ship, the crew watched as the group of griffons and a mother batpony carrying her two daughters on her back. The two foals were covered in Orkris’ pelt -a creature that has the body structure of a rockgator and fur similar to a bear, however, it wears a bone skull on its head with no eye sockets or patterns- to keep them covered from the sun’s rays and cool. The ponies didn’t know what to do since the griffons didn’t demand the mother to come with them or threaten everyone on board to bring her to them. Shade just went with them as if this was all planned out. As the crew watched the griffons and the mother with her foals walked away from the ship, they all went back to work surely that the Princess has planned this out before they arrived here.

After the mother and group of griffons walked out of earshot, one of the griffons gave the mother a scroll. Without much of questioning of what the scroll was, she took it with her hoof and tucked it away under her left wing. This was all planned from the very beginning of this trip to Griff Glade when Luna had shown her the message from Cazador, he had planned this after making a deal with Celestia. The cursed Hunter wanted to make sure that it’s his own friend that made it there before Celestia’s sister. Shade was the only one that he trusts to be there first with Cynder, both of them are females and maybe the mare knows what’s wrong with the dragoness than trusting somepony to have a look at her and do something stupid that’ll cost the house and the lives of the pony.

“Miss Shade, under the direct orders from Crow, we are going to escort you to Cazador’s mansion. We will make sure that you and your foals are safe during this voyage, it will not take long until the Dark Mare noticed that you are gone.” The head leader of this group of griffons leads the mare to the other side of the tower where a carriage was stationed at. Two other griffons armed with blunderbuss guarding it.

One of the guards opened the door allowing the mother to climb aboard, with some help of course. Setting her foals on the cushion seats, Shade’s back felt a bit better no longer carrying her foal on her back. She took a seat across from them, close to the window. The griffons outside were all talking, wanting to know if everyone was ready before they depart to Cazador’s house. Every one of them was ready, four of the griffons were already hooked up to the carriage ready to fly, the other three that weren’t strapped to the wooden carriage took positions on the sides.

“We’ll arrive at Griff Glade around noon and after than an hour past noon when we reach Cazador’s home,” The group’s leader said. Shade remembered that everypony left Equestria in the morning around six and arrived here at ten, Griff Glade was two hours away when flying light and not taking the usual safe path to the town.

How the batpony knew about the time it would take to arrive at Griff Glade was thanks to her cursed friend, his experience of taking an airship from her town to Auria’s Gale and then traveling on foot or in the air. She already knew why she had all of this planned up for her and her daughters, he trusts her more than the Celestia’s picked helper. He wasn’t sure if she would keep her word, so he wrote two scrolls before he departed to the Crystal Empire. One was given to Celestia having details of the agreement, how she and her daughters were going to the Griffon Empire to live with Cynder, and to be going with Luna. However, the second she received from the griffons explains more of what he has planned than what was written in the first letter.

Soon the carriage was pulled by the four griffons and was flying in the sky, the other three followed behind. Shade didn’t mind having a free time to herself without being asked questions by the Princess and the element of Loyalty. She could enjoy her time there in the carriage watching the land below her slowly move beneath her, but the bat mare had something else to do before she starts looking out her window. Pulling out the scroll from her wing, Shade broke the seal on it and used her wings to unscroll it.

Dear Shade,

After you meet Crow’s loyal hunters, they should lead you to my home in Griff’s Glade’s forest. I know that the Princess of the night would start panicking if she isn’t then she might be threatening the locals to know where you are at buying you some more time to make it to Griff’s Glade. She may not know where you will be at first, but I would believe that someone will tell her where you went, probably one of her loyal ponies. Meaning you will only have maybe an hour or two before she finds you, but if she finds you sooner than expected then I have underestimated the Princess’s slow mind of thinking and actions.

When almost thirty minutes have passed, the hunters will fly high in the sky and use the clouds as cover to avoid being spotted. I have no doubt that they will be able to avoid the Princess herself, however, I am not sure if any clouds are out this morning. If there are any then this would be easy on you and your family to make it to Cynder.

Before you go to my home, Crow would like to have a word with you and has something for you to use too. The item he has should be my revolver along with a foot tall and six inches wide metal box, I decided to hand it over to Cynder so that she can continue knowing how to shoot and will be able to defend the girls. I know that Cynder wouldn’t be able to practice it and protecting you so soon, but I have my doubts on Celestia’s words. However, I can’t turn down the offer in case the Princess of the day did something to her, she was probably the reason why Cynder suddenly fell ill. There’s no proof I can show the world that Celestia had done this to her, magic is difficult to know who’s the one that cast it and with her being royalty would be like fighting against a horde of infected villagers in a middle of the night alone to prove that she was the cause of my apprentice’s illness.

However, you might be able to tell if it is a spell that caused her to suddenly collapse or something else. Then is rude to say that your both females and have animal instincts, but you may know what type of instinct is causing her to have a fever. This is just a guess I’m taking, I am not sure if you truly do know what is happening to her.

Sadly I do not have much time to write down more on this scroll, but hopefully, you know what to do. Remember you will have exactly one hour as Crow agreed to keep the Princess of the night occupied. It may or may not give you enough time to know what is wrong with her.

After reading the message Cazador had for her, she wondered if the Princess of the Sun could have placed a curse on Cynder, however, the chances of that would be impossible to prove that. Shade had to think for a moment about the fever part the man had mentioned in his message, she has many guesses what could have caused that fever or what could be similar to having the same warmth as a fever. Though the mare doesn’t fully know of the dragoness’ condition in person, she had to make guesses and believe what the dragoness has.

Shade rolled up the scroll back up and tucked it under her wing, she no longer needs the letter but she couldn’t let her Princess find them out of luck and see what Cazador had written her. Having one of her rulers read this would mean that the other would find out. A mother that worries too much would see this situation a dangerous one and would never agree to come along, but not her. Shade knows and trusts Cazador with her life and her children, he was the godfather of them when they found them weak and close to death’s doorstep. If it weren’t for her daughters then the man and dog she got to know and trust with her family’s life would be dead.

The mare couldn’t help but smile at the memories of meeting Cazador and Wyndbain covered up in bandages and barely able to move at all. She was clueless as to how two creatures from different worlds were sent to Equestria after death, but she doesn’t care about how he arrived here and what purpose do the gods have for him here. Both of them were like family to her daughters, they never did anything to hurt them even when his mind was clouded in confusion. A creature that hunts others should have done something dangerous when they are backed up to the corner by beings they never saw, but Cazador had done nothing to show any hostility towards her family.

The story he told her about his world and what his world was like made her wonder if there was a place in this world that was as dark as his world if there was then what would the princesses do? Black blood that has no cure and is considered to be a curse from the gods of darkness and death. Would there even be a cure if someone has black blood? Cazador said that if someone has black blood they must put down. Shade hopes that he doesn’t try killing himself for having the blood run in his veins, a cursed hunter and wolf that could turn at any time if the blessed medallion in Cazador’s chest were removed then he wouldn’t hesitate on killing himself.

"I pray those that are listening you will never decide to kill yourself Cazador."