“No, out of the question.”

In the Canterlot throne room, Princess Celestia and Princess Luna were in their seats as they were chatting with an old friend of The older sister. Before them was a rather old Stallion, a Unicorn by the name of Aegis Blade. Old as he may be, he was far from feeble. He stared at the two princesses, his expression remained stoic and somewhat defiant.

Normally nopony with half their mind would be giving such a look to rulers of their land and controllers of the sun and moon. However, he was an exception. “Don’t you dare give me that look, Aegis!” Celestia stomped her hoof causing the floor to crack beneath it. “Do you even know what you’re asking?!” Her voice cracked matching her emotion. Something she was well versed in hiding.

Unmoved by her outburst he simply nodded. “I am, and we both know this is the only way.”

“Don’t just decide things like you know-” Celestia stopped when her sister placed a hoof on her to get her attention, then shook her head to her elder sister. Sadness evident on her face. “Lulu… Not you too.” All of this was welling up tears in Celestia’s eyes. How could the both of them be ok with this? He has no obligation to do it and there HAS to be some other way! Try as she might there was no better solution.

“Tia…” Hearing Aegis call her that ripped her out of her thoughts to turn to the stallion. “I’m old… Unlike you and your sister, I was given longevity, not immorality. It took a while but time has finally caught up with me. And I know it won’t be long. Now in this era, you and this kingdom need me most…” His face darkened as he forced himself to continue. “And I know I won’t be there when the time comes.”

Celestia opened her mouth to speak. Hoping to find the right words to say, but it turned into her gritting her teeth and taking a sharp intake to prevent herself from breaking down on the spot, but failed miserably. Luna could only console her. Celestia could no longer say a word, the hard truth of his words could not be denied and she knew it.

Aegis looked up at the two sisters, determination in his voice and sadness in his eyes.

“The spell must be cast.”

~~~~~~~~~~

Detroit, Michigan

Year 2017

Mid August

5 days later

Inside a darkened bedroom on a nightstand by the occupied bed a smartphone lights up and starts making the most irritating noise.

“UGH!... Past me sucks!” From beneath the covers, a hand shoots out toward the nightstand, slapping around the top of it here and there until the palm finally lands on the noisy device, grabs it, and reels it back in just as quickly. “Jeez!” The voice yells as the owner’s eyes are assaulted by the blinding light coming from its screen.

After a bit of fiddling with it, the alarm finally stopped and the screen went back to sleep mode. Some rustling beneath the covers and a human sits up on the edge of his warm bed. With a yawn and grogginess of sleep heavy on his mind, he eventually gets up and makes his way out of room to start his morning routine.

Dan Richards, let’s make some things clear about this particular gentleman. He’s a twenty-two year old young man raised in a family of hunters. A somewhat wealthy family. Not Richie Rich, but a step or two above middle class. Recently graduated from an online college with an associate's, not so he could use it for some job. In reality, he was sick and tired of attending college to learn useless dribble he cared nothing about, but he was no quitter either. So he aimed for the bare minimum to get his degree and got the hell outta Dodge.

Dan’s not the kinda guy to try to get some high paying job working in a cubicle all day sucking up to some nameless supervisor or something. He is tech savvy, a little nerdy, and as modern as the next guy, but he is still a Hunter at heart. His family raised him well enough that holding a hunting rifle was second nature to him. In time this grew to him getting the credentials to own his own guns and weaponry.

He had multiple hobbies like video games, anime, the Internet, and whatnot, but what he really enjoyed was the thrill of the hunt and finding any excuse to try out his weapons. No, he wasn’t bloodthirsty, he was just fascinated by the tools of his species.

After a shower, shave and brushing his teeth, Dan was now dressed and in his kitchen heating up some pop tarts for breakfast and grabbing a soda can. No, it wasn’t healthy. Yes, he had Orange juice and all manner of well-balanced breakfast foods he could’ve had. But then again, he was a twenty-two year old bachelor living in an apartment complex and he has places to be. Balanced breakfast takes a backseat till he gets a day off work and if he’s in the mood. Plus, he could tolerate the taste of soda more than Orange Juice after he just brushed his teeth. It was always a wonder to Dan. Mankind has pushed far into so many advancements, yet there is still no toothpaste that doesn’t ruin Orange juice.

After his short meal, Dan heads outside in the dark early morning and to his car to head to work. His job was the 1st shift of a security detail for some corporate building he couldn’t care less knowing about. So long as he kept getting paid for sitting in his booth looking at cars and playing with his phone, he had no complaints about it other than getting up in the godforsaken morning where even the sun couldn’t be bothered to get up. He mostly took this job because he was a man of his hobbies. It paid well enough and gave him plenty of time in the day to do what he wanted.

He was pretty content where he was at and his days off all sat side by side with each other. Today was basically his Friday so all he had to do was ride out another dull morning at his job then head out to the shooting range for awhile. It’s a free country, if he wanted to spend his time fine tuning his gun handling, he’s free to do so.

This in time helped him meet various people and acquaintances that he could chat with, he even knew a group that invited him to deer hunting every year up on a lodge they owned. Along with this, he was involved with a group of hunters that would take on odd jobs for people willing to pay. Normally, this would include wild animals getting too close to a client's home or farm animals, free hunts, population control legalized by the government, all sorts of things.

During his shift at work, he received a text from one of them talking about some new guy showing up at the range asking around and staring at people. Honestly, this just sounded like some weirdo to him. Hopefully, the man would be gone by the time he got there. Just let me fire a few rounds then go home and play Overwatch or something. He thought as he finally closed the text and went back to surfing the internet on his phone. The hours go by and big shocker, nothing happens as he watches camera feeds in the surveillance room and walking around listening to suits chatter on about business figures and what they wanted for lunch or whatever.

When he finished work he made a lot of effort to get home to change into his street clothes then head off to the shooting range. He wanted to try out his new sidearm he bought the other day. It was the Desert Eagle Mark XIX, .50 Caliber. Oh, it was a beauty to behold for him, Rugged Stainless with integral muzzle brake. He saved up for it and made a few deals here and there, but he managed to become the proud owner of the handheld death dealer. Again, not bloodthirsty, just likes tech and tools. It’s just coincidence that this “tool” can dish out death if used in such a way. No one else's fault but the creator of it.

When he arrived there it seemed his prayers were answered as he looked around and only the regulars were seen that day. Seeing no other issues he wasted no time reaching the range. On his way there he did overhear some of the people talking to each other over the constant gunfire.

“What was with that guy? He was kind of creeping me out.”

“As if I know, he just stared me down like he was sizing me up, then just walked away without a word.”

“At least that’s all he did for you. Once he looked at me he asked me some weird question.”

“Yeah, saw him talk to a few others here as well. Is he looking for someone?”

“No clue, man. Apparently, when I answered him it didn’t seem to his liking and he just left me like that.”

“Wow, weird AND rude.”

Dan continued passed them until he found a vacant stall to use at the special section for higher powered weaponry. Fortunately, it was an outdoor shooting range, so he didn’t have too many issues with the owners about firing a 50 caliber like most indoor ones. These bullets were expensive for him. The gun itself really put a good dent in his savings. But it was fine He was just gonna burn through one magazine, just to feel the power of his new gun, then set it away until he saved more money in the future for more cartridges. Knowing this, as he was about to put on those earmuffs, take the weapon out of its case and load it, nothing was going to stop him from trying out his new gun.

“Setting up?”

Of course… He thought, just his luck that someone would talk to him now, and he had a bad feeling he knew exactly who it was. Sure enough, as he turned around there he was, some old looking bearded guy. He wore simple overalls, brown boots, and a plaid shirt. Hair and beard were gray and it seemed he lucked out avoiding male patterned baldness as it not only was a full set, but he had plenty to spare if he ever decided to take a trip to the barbers. Other than that, the guy seemed like some hillbilly hick. However, his accent matched his own. “Yeah, I was.” Dan decided to answer “Just gonna fire a few rounds then head out.” TAKE. THE. HINT.

He did not. The man nodded looking past Dan down the shooting line. “I can understand that. Any particular reason doing so?”

“What?”

“I’m just wondering, why you even come here to fire a weapon. Are you trying to hone your skills with it?” He continued to stare down the line, not even glancing in Dan’s direction.

This dude is creepy, is he trying to sift for personal information or something. Dan looked at his Desert Eagle before cocking his head to the side. “Technically you could say that. I own a miniature armory in a sense at my home. Half of it were either gifts or hand me downs, so I’ve used them in shooting ranges to get used to them. However, I do like using them at the same time.”

The old man simply glanced at Dan for a moment, his eyes seemed to take on a more steely gaze. “Do you take enjoyment in wielding a weapon?”

“I say again, what?” This guy was starting to get on his nerves fast. Was he looking down on him?

“It’s no surprise that you seem pretty eager to use that weapon of yours-”

Oh My God Dude, Just say Gun! I don’t care if you lived under a rock and never seen an Eagle before but at least call it a gun! Dan could feel his eye twitching.

“So it has me asking. Do you find it fun using it? Do you enjoy killing?” He still gave him that glare.

However, Dan wasn’t having any of it. “Ok buddy, shut up for a minute.” He pointed at the old timer causing said individual to blink back in surprise. “First off, don’t be coming up to me like you own the place. In fact, you look like ya took the wrong turn in Albuquerque trying to find the Bayou.” He pointed at the man’s clothes. “Secondly, where do you get off accusing me of being some bloodthirsty psychopath? Did the guys around here give you that notion about me?” He gestured to the group of people behind him who immediately started to look away and make themselves look busy because they definitely weren’t eavesdropping or anything. “Yeah! I know you losers are talking about me behind my back!” He called out to them before turning back to the old man. “If you want the truth; yes, I find it cool to shoot a gun! It’s awesome! No, I do not go around killing everything I see. I just like tools and hunting, and it just so happens a gun fills both parties. Say whatever you want, but at least get your facts straight about me.”

He huffed. He needed to shoot something now. Turning to the shooting line, he didn’t even bother to put on his earmuffs on as he loaded and cocked the desert eagle, took a double-handed aim (He’s not stupid enough to one-hand something that powerful on the first try) and fired a few shots. Letting the sound of his gun echo out over other guns. Despite all that, the old man suddenly looked down the shooting line for a moment. “With such recoil, it’s remarkable how well your aim is.” Sure enough down the firing line the target only received holes in the center of its head.

“Yeah well-” He fired another shot, shooting another hole through the bullseye “Not my first time handling a powerful gun.” Two more shots, it was apparent he paced himself well enough with each shot to take just enough time to aim again. “I own a sniper rifle with the same caliber. However, how both feel are different.” He was gonna have to get used to how his hands felt holding that Eagle after that many consecutive rounds. One last shot and his gun was empty. That was his time with his new gun. Would be awhile before he could do it again, he had backup rounds but those were for actual reasons like if just in case the whole world turned into a dystopian wasteland for survival. Unlikely, but he wasn’t gonna take that chance. And he was so mad he couldn’t enjoy it properly Stupid Old Geezer. “Tch!” He put the gun away and turned to make his way out, but the man just stood before him. “What? Are you not done with me? Cuz I’m done with you.”

The man lifted his hands up defensively. “My apologies, I did not mean to offend you earlier.”

“Could’ve fooled me.” Dan tried to walk past but the man wasn’t finished.

“A moment please, you said you hunt, correct?”

Dan sighed. “Yes, and I’m not looking for hunting buddies that claim to own their own cabin they use during the season.

The man shakes his head “It’s nothing like that I assure you. I was hoping if I could make a proposition for you.”

Is this guy for real? “Dude, just so we’re clear, I don’t shoot humans.”

“Perfect! Because you’re not.” The man nodded.

“What are you… No, I’m out. See ya, weirdo.” Dan put the Eagle back in its case before finally pushing passed him and made his way out of the range.

“Please, it will only take just a moment.”

Dan wasn’t gonna hear any of it. “Bye, Felicia!”

“That… I-Is not my name.”

“No kidding, Sherlock!”

“That is also not my name.”

Dan just stared at the man for a moment. “...Ok, I’m done.” And with that, he made his way out to his car and immediately drove off. His mood was now just a silent anger at this point, he tried to stay focused on driving, hoping it would get him to forget the whole ordeal by the time he got home.

It didn’t work…

“You seem tense.”

“MUTHA-” Dan swerved in shock onto oncoming traffic and had to force his car off the road into a ditch, car horns and rubber screeching on asphalt could be heard behind him. The two of them jostled about in the car until it finally came to a halt within the ditch. Dan never felt his heart beat so fast from such a scare. “Oooowww…” he mumbled.

“My sentiments exactly, ow.”

Immediately Dan unbuckled and reached for his glove compartment, inside was a Glock and it’s clip. In the span of a few short seconds, he pulled them both out, practically slammed the clip into the gun, cocked it back, and finally whipped it behind the passenger seat and aimed it at the old man. “You got 30 seconds to explain to me why and how you’re in my car.”

The old man looked at Dan with surprise. “Fast response.” He lifted his hands in surrender “Though wouldn’t it have been swifter to punch me THEN retrieve your weapon?”

“This is the first time a stranger snuck into my car, it’s not like I have a contingency for it other than this.” He slightly gestured with his gun. “Besides, I don’t think now is really the time for this conversation!” Dan pressed the gun between the man’s eyes. “Now I’ll ask again. How did you get in my car?”

“Through the door, now, I know you’re not gonna kill me.” The old man smirked.

“And what makes you think I won’t? You’re trespassing, anyone would believe you’re in this car to rob me. And you look old enough that you’d croak any day. What’s the difference if I cut it short a day or two?” Dan gripped the Glock. He didn’t like how cocky this guy was all of a sudden, with a gun to his head.

“Oh you have a point, I believe ya… But you wouldn’t pull that trigger, you don’t kill people.” He replied with some snark.

Dan’s eyebrow twitched… He called him on his bluff, and from the looks of it, the man didn’t seem armed at all. He pulled his gun back. It wouldn’t matter whether it was pointed at him or not. The man knew he wouldn’t shoot. “Maybe not, but I've got no qualms about knocking your ass out and having you arrested."

“Whoa now, I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t have something important to talk to you about.”

Dan gritted his teeth. “Are you still on about that “Proposal”? Look I’m not interested. I’m not gonna hunt with some stranger who apparently doesn’t know the meaning of personal space.”

“And if I said money was involved?” The man replied.

“That’s a load a bull! If you were gonna fake having money then at least dress up in a suit if you wanted to be believable.” Immediately something was tossed his way he dodged and caught it in mid-air, then retaliated by pointing his gun at the man. “Hey! Don’t throw crap at me or you really will be-”

“Just look at it, kid.” The man deadpanned.

Begrudgingly, Dan took a moment to look at what he tossed at him. It was a sack…

“Open it.”

Oh no he knew where this was going. It couldn’t be explosive, the geezer would be caught up in it as well. A Gas bomb? Possibly, a fast acting one. The man could escape the moment he untied it. He decided to hold it out to the man. “You open it. Then I’ll look at it.”

The man chuckled “Cautious, smart move, but unneeded here.” he went and opened the bag in Dan’s hand. Only now did Dan pick up the sound of jingling that his mind ignored earlier with the bag’s movements. When the bag was untied, it sagged over his palm covering it more almost like the contents were about to cause the bag to go inside out from the weight of it. When he finally brought the bag towards him after letting the thing stay in front of the old man’s face for a few moments. Better safe than sorry and have him take whatever trap he hid.

He couldn’t believe his own eyes. There in the bag were gold coins! “What the?” he grabbed one from the bag and got a closer look at them. Symbol of the sun on one side, the moon on the other. He wasn’t a historian, but Dan was pretty sure that if this were some ancient treasure from an old civilization, he has never seen such a design on a coin before. Then again, it’s not like he actively looks for these kinds of things. He sat the coin back in the bag. “Well, now this just made you even more suspicious. What is it that you’re hunting that would make you offer all this gold to me?” He turned to the man.

The old man simply shook his head. “The solution to my problems.”

~~~~~~~~~~

Later

Dan’s Apartment

Dan stepped into his home with a groan. What was this day turning into for him? Behind him, the old man followed. “Touch anything and I’ll break your arms.”

“Why such hostility?” the man looked around at the house his eyes seemed to show signs of bewilderment and wonder whenever he would look at electronics and such. “I can only assume you scare off a lot of ladies with that personality.”

“I’m only hostile to you cuz you been stalking and creeping me out since the moment I met you. Now, do you wanna finally tell me what you mean by me being ‘the solution to your problems’?

“Well to put it simply, There is a creature that I would like your assistance in hunting. It’s a creature I have never seen before.” the old man took a moment to stare at the gun rack. A small variety of weapons were hanging on it. An AR-15, an MP5 pistol, and a weathered looking hunting rifle.

“What? Like bigfoot or something. “I’m pretty sure it’s just some dude scaring folk in a fur suit, and I’m not fond of the idea of potentially getting sent to court for manslaughter,” Dan replied as he went to the kitchen to grab a soda from his fridge.

“I assure you, the creature does not resemble a man in any way, more… Quadrupedal, actually.” the man replied

Dan popped open the can and took a large swig before finally speaking. “Sooo, like a deer or something?”

“Similarly yes, it has a horn on its head and seems to have some strange power.”

“Easy there old timer, you making it sound like it’s some magic deer or something,” Dan said before taking another swig and leaning against the wall. “And would you not get so close to my guns, I don’t like strangers being near my weapons, even if they aren’t loaded right now.”

The old man eventually backed off, but not before placing his hand on the storage closet door and a brief, weak aura and strange insignia appeared on the spot his hand was on for half a second. Dan didn’t catch any of this as he was too busy checking his stuff by the gun rack to make sure the guy didn’t steal anything. “You are correct, my apologies. It wasn’t a deer.”

Finally, Dan looked back at him waiting for the “and no magic” part, but it seemed the old man wasn’t gonna say those words. “Listen, buddy… If you’re about to say that this creature has magical powers, I’m gonna ask you where you keep your meds at.”

“You think this creature possesses no magical potential?” the Old man raised an eyebrow.

“Exactly, cuz we all know magic doesn’t exist, It’s all smoke, mirrors, and fantasy.” Dan sighed and leaned against a wall taking another drink from his soda.

“You claim that, yet man has done many things that seem like magic, like your ride for example. Or the fact that we have reached the moon.”

“Let me stop you there for a moment. If you’re from some Amish Family that has never seen modern culture ever, then I’m about to-”... He calmed down, he promised not to be offensive to others, that hardly ever worked for the better. He took a deep breath then exhaled. “Look, all that wasn’t magic. Just science and engineering. All our tech and knowledge comes from that.”

“Science and engineering?” the old man scratched his beard then mumbled to himself. “To think such fields would go so far without magic.”

“Hey if you got something to say, speak up!” Dan said in an annoyed tone. This guy was raising a lot of red flags for him. He might have to call the cops if this old guy gets any weirder.

“Ahem, well anyway. Magic or not, there is still this strange creature that possesses strange powers. I ask if you can hunt it for me. You do this, and this bag is all yours.” he pulled out that bag of gold strange coins and bounced it in his palm a few times. “Take your best gear, I’m sure this creature will not be easy for any hunter.”

“You make it sound like it’s a Tiger or something.” Dan finished his can and shot it like a basketball into the trash bin with success. He felt so awesome for doing that now. “Alright, fine I‘ll give it a shot, but I'm out the moment things get too dicey.” he then noticed the look on the old man’s face “Relax, I’m not gonna bail if it roars at me or something. I have some dignity as a hunter you know.”

The man then smiled. “I suppose that’s the best I can ask for. Very well then, we’re off.”

“Wait, whoa whoa? Now?! Easy there buddy, it’s been a long day as it is for me. We’ll wake up bright and early if you want tomorrow. I have the next 3 days off anyway.”

“Ah, yes, of course... Best to be at our best, after all.” He then felt his gut growling. “And some food would be nice I suppose.”

“I couldn’t agree more. Tell you what Mr. Amish guy if you hand me a couple of those coins, I know a pawn shop down the road that will take anything no questions asked. We’ll take the money, to get some grub at a restaurant and motel for you to rent for the night, cuz judging from the dirt on your shoes, you’ve been doing nothing but walking and I ain’t paying for you when you're probably richer than me right now.”

“Well, that… that would be a wonderful idea.” the old man pulled out a couple of the strange gold coins and handed them to Dan. “And please, you can call me Aegis.”

“Right-o Aegis, now get your but back in the car. I’m starving too and not in the mood to cook.” Dan grabbed his car keys. “Let’s get moving, my gut’s annoying when it complains.”

“Of course,” Aegis replied before the two of them disembarked from the apartment and to the car.

~~~~~~~~~~

On a dirt road, Somewhere in the Michigan Wilderness

The Next Day

Dan yawned behind the wheel, It had been a long ride and waking up at 6 am for it just added more reason behind that yawn. Driving was a bit of a challenge for him at the start as during that time it was a fight to keep his eyes open. But after a few cans of energy drinks as his breakfast they weren’t fighting against him as much anymore. Which was good since now they were driving out in the middle of nowhere down an old path hardly any car ever used.

He would look over and see the old timer was wide awake and looking out ahead of them. When Dan went to pick him up from the hotel, he figured he would have been worse off than him. But surprisingly the old timer was already waiting at the front lobby for him, bright eyed and bushy tailed. What was this man running on?

“Oh, This is the place, stop here,” Aegis called out. Dan complied and pulled his car over to the side and stepped out. The Sun was just cracking out from the horizon, though they couldn’t see it from their position thanks to the dense forest of trees. Dan saw a Doe and it’s fawn staring back at them for a moment before hopping off to who knows where. Not like I was after you two anyway, ma’am he said internally. Whenever it was deer season, he went with what every hunter would go for. The Big Stags, he felt that any hunter targeting a doe was trash at the profession. Though that may just be his personal feelings that more often than naught said doe was raising a fawn too or was pregnant. He hardly ever saw one without the other. Plus the real fun was when his pops invited him to hunts that involved more challenging prey, like natural predators. Legal hunts, of course, they were no poachers and frowned upon like the rest of the world did.

“Ok Aegis, where we going from here?” Dan asked as he went around to the trunk of his car, to grab his hunting gear. He went with the standard hunting rifle, a knife, ammo cartridges, and a camo zip up hoodie jacket. Whether or not that was useful for hunting he just liked wearing it anyway. He wears the loud orange vest during hunting seasons too, he knows the rules and guidelines. It’s just not hunting season right now. Plus the thing had many pockets on it, very useful. He was already wearing a black Legend of Zelda T-shirt, a Pair of cargo pants, a large ammo pouch attached to his belt, and hiking boots. Look, it wasn’t like he was participating for an official hunting ground or whatever like he normally would. He was just helping some old kook with his make believe fairy tale creature. Odds are, it was all made up and the old man was overreacting.

Besides… it gave him an excuse to bring his brand spankin’ new Desert Eagle which he even grabbed its holster and extra rounds he had stashed at his apartment. Just in case the old man was actually a crazed psychopath luring unfortunate individuals into the dense wolves to cannibalize them or something… It could happen. He put the ammo of both guns in the pouch, slid the knife into its sheath which was also on his belt, just like his side arm holster. Then finally slung the rifle over his shoulder. Aegis finally made his way around, then started surveying the area and mumbled the words “Looks like a good spot…”

“What was that?” Dan perked up his ears to hear what he said again.

“Oh, uh, It’s this way. Follow me.” Aegis then proceeded to step off the road and deep into the forest. Dan sighed before adjusting his rifle once more on his shoulder before following after the old man. They trekked for a good 10 minutes into the woods. Dan wasn’t worried about getting lost, He had a very good sense of direction and remembered to make marks on trees with his knife just in case.

“So you live out here, Old man?” Dan asked as he looked around the forest. “Pretty remote, wouldn’t you say?”

“Uh, my home is little ways off from here. I just hike here in my spare time… to enjoy nature.” Dan wasn’t sure but the way he said that last part kinda sounds made up… but who was he to judge some Amish hermit guy? He just kept following him. Dan thought about if he should kill time pulling out his headphones and listen to some tunes on his phone. But decided against it, this time. Save the battery life for the ride home or if he had to call 911 or something.

“Well can’t get any more nature than walking around in a place with no cell phone service and a butt ton of trees and bushes, I suppose” Dan mumbled to himself as he stared at the scenery around him, hearing the occasional chirps of birdsong and rustling of leaves from the summer breeze. He should enjoy the cool morning while it lasted, Summer was gonna wreck the rest of his day with heat and humidity. He just knew it… good old Michigan weather… God forbid it’s Winter, that’s when it really loved to mess with its inhabitants.

Soon he saw Aegis stop and wait for him. “OK, this is… where it usually appears.”

“Usually huh?” Dan looked on ahead into the forest. “So we’re setting up a hunting spot and waiting for him here I guess.

“I’ll leave that decision up to you. I’m gonna go and see if I can lead it over here quicker. The sooner we get this done the better.”

“And how are you going to do that? You’ve been at this before, old man?” Dan asked with skepticism. This sounded weird already.

“Believe me, kiddo. I’ve been at this for WAY too long… Definitely gonna retire after this.” Aegis waved him off and chuckled to himself as he made his way deeper into the forest. “Don’t worry about me kid, I’ll make sure that creature is the first thing you’ll see.” before long Aegis vanished within the foliage. Leaving Dan to himself to really question the old timer’s credibility. Shaking his head he decided to take up on the guy’s advice and find a good spot to lie and wait. Both for the creature and just in case the man comes back to secretly stab him in the back… What? He still didn’t fully trust him. Would anyone trust an old guy to follow them into the middle of the woods to hunt a mystical and more than likely, make believe creature? If that didn’t set off any warnings flags he didn’t know what would. But that gold was real enough, THAT he learned from the pawn shop the other day.

As time went on Dan got himself in a good position under some dense foliage as he waited for either Option A or B to happen. His ears attentive, listening to the slightest sound, one hand on his rifle, ready to turn the safety off if Aegis was speaking the truth, while his other hand was at his holster, ready to whip it out in case Aegis was going to sneak up on him. Dan had a lot of confidence preventing anyone sneaking up on him. He always hated it so he looked up on the internet to self-teach himself to listen out for what’s going on around him better. If there was so much as a twig branch snap, grass being stepped on, clothes rustling from the movement and/or breeze he’d be able to hear it long before the would-be attacker could reach him…. His only regret is that he’d be in a lot more trouble if Aegis used a gun…

Crap! Why didn’t he think of that? If he was going to ambush someone, it'd be easier to shoot them from far away then trying to sneak up on them and more than likely fail at it. Why hasn’t this thought occurred to him before he even got into this situation… That Stupid gold had him in a get rich quick trance for sure. Do Amish people use guns? What does he even know about Amish people anyway, only from what he heard and stupid stereotypes? Didn’t he have one as a Math teacher once in High School? The guy was wearing normal clothes… didn’t touch the computer though. Did he walk to work? Or did he actually get in a cab? Would that be against religion? WHY IS HE STILL THINKING ABOUT AMISH PEOPLE IN THE MIDDLE OF A SITUATION THAT HE COULD GET MURDERED BY A POTENTIAL SERIAL KILLER! Moreover, he just assumed he was Amish! Could’ve been a cover or he’s just some old creepy hermit.

That’s it, I’m bailing… Gold or not, all of this was completely sketchy. Just gotta check the coast was clear and-

The sound of grass rustling was heard far in front of him. Dan’s instincts kicked in and he zeroed in on the area it came from. He saw some bushes rustling before something finally poked it’s head out. It was… a horse… a small one… A Pony? What’s a pony doing all the way out here? He thought then he looked through his scope to get a closer look. That’s when he saw some strange things about it. The first and most obvious thing was that this was the most pastel colored looking pony he ever saw. Like his fur was painted, there was no way Tan should look that bright and cartoonish. Also, it’s Mane and tail was red. Why? But the biggest discovery was the freaking horn on its head.

“Hoooolllyyyy Crap…” He muttered to himself quietly. “Is that a freaking unicorn?” Suddenly the creature tensed up and looked toward Dan’s direction both ears turned to face the same direction. He immediately clammed up. This thing had some good ears. That much he could pick up from what he saw. He held his breath and locked up. He could sense it. The moment he’d make a move, that creature would notice his location. He kept his eye on it through the scope, hoping that the front of the scope won’t reflect any light and set the creature off.

The whole time he was contemplating with himself if he should really take it out. It didn’t seem like the kind of creature that would rampage or kill something. Besides He was pretty sure it would be bad luck or something. It looked old too. It even had a beard for some reason. The tired look in its eyes says wonders about it. This was an old Unicorn, one that seemed to look like it was smarter than it let on. Suddenly there was some rustling to his right. That’s when he witnessed something unbelievable happened. It's Horn started glowing with a golden aura and immediately saw the same aura cover a nearby bush that was making the noise before ripping it out of the ground like it was a weed. Then it just hovered in the air as the unicorn took a good look to see a frightened little squirrel scamper off as fast as it’s tiny legs could take it.

It took him everything to not scream what he was thinking WHAT THE HECK?! PSYCHIC POWERS?! This thing has telekinesis or something! Am I dreaming this up? Seeing that it was only a woodland creature, the unicorn dropped the bush and was looked around again. He had to wonder what happened to the old guy now. Did this thing get to him? Cuz this was crazy! He had to back out for now. This was crazy. There was no telling what that thing could do if it spotted him. He would have to wait it out and let it be on its way. Then get out of there. !! Its horn was glowing again. He watched it glow brighter before its eyes started glowing white as well. Then “FLASH” he heard the sound of some kind of warbling or other all around him… things were starting to get darker. He looked up and was shocked to see some kind of darkish, yet transparent dome form over the area from the ground up.

This was bad… really bad. This thing must know he’s here. He must be sensing him somehow and he intends to keep him there until he finds him. Now he was stuck between a rock and a hard place. If he doesn’t do anything this unicorn was gonna find him from the process of elimination. He watched it look behind the bolder, but now it seemed to keep itself low and at full attention of it’s surroundings… There was no other option now… he had to take it out. He didn’t want to know what it planned to do once he was in its psychic grip. He finally released the breath he held for so long as quietly as he could. Pulled his other hand from his side arm and to his rifle to join his other hand that flipped the safety off. All this he was doing as silently as possible.

Whenever the creature would stop, he would, in case he was listening out for him. The process felt like it took forever as he watched the thing search and push and pull things around with its mind. He couldn’t help but feel pumped for this. He was essentially hunting a potentially dangerous animal. The moment his cover was blown, he could possibly die… His adrenalin was pumping. He was smirking… Why was he smirking? Oh, Right… His crosshairs were aimed perfectly at its chest. Of course he’d be excited.... Everything was set… he squeezed the trigger This was why I would hunt predators with his father…

BANG!

….. It gives me such a rush!

~~~

The barrier around the area soon disappeared. It would seem that the deed is done. He watched the creature tense up and fall like a rock. Away from him from the force of the bullet. Dan soon stood up, then slowly made his way over to it. Once he arrived, he could see it was still alive… it’s breathing was labored and blood was escaping the bullet hole rapidly. The job was done, all he had to do now was find Aegis, get paid, then go home… Yet, looking at the creature… he couldn’t help but felt like this was all wrong… Either way, he had to put it out of its misery. He slung his rifle and pulled out his Desert Eagle. He instinctively went for the heart instead of the brain mostly out of habit. After all, a mounted head on your wall looks better when there’s no big gaping hole between its eyes… but he didn’t want to mount it so this time… the next bullet was going to the brain, to end it’s suffering.

Safety off cocked and loaded.

Dan now stood over the unicorn. Its eyes were open now as blood was dripping out of its nostrils and over its beard. “Sorry… It was either you or me, pal.” Dan spoke softly before he lifted the gun and took his aim.

“Heh… Nice shot, kid…”

“HOLY-” Dan immediately moved back taking a sharp intake of air. Did… Did that thing just talk? He aimed his gun right at it.

The Unicorn seemed to make a weak smile and chuckled a little. “Easy, I ain’t goin’ anywhere… You made sure of that.” It tried to swallow more air to speak. “You did good, kid… Real Good.”

“No way…” That voice “Aegis?!” from previously backing up to running then sliding to his knees. He was once again back at the dying unicorn, his gun in its holster and both hands supporting him as he leaned in. “Old man is that you? Your a freaking unicorn!?” he was then reminded of the bullet hole he put in his chest and started to freak out. “No, no, no, no, I’m sorry! I’m really sorry! I didn’t- We have to get you help!” Dan went to dig into his pockets for a phone but a weak hoof grabbed his arm. Unfortunately he was too busy being worried and freaking out over Aegis dying to even ask how a hoof could even “grab” anything.

The old unicorn shook his head slowly “It's ok, Dan… This… This is how… it should be…”

“What? No, your not making sense. You're losing too much blood, that must be scrambling your brain or-”

“Dan… Believe me. This was intentional…”

Dan’s eyes went from shock to a little bit of fear, a bit of anger, but a lot of sorrow. “You knew.... You knew this would happen.” he leaned back upright still reeling from what he had just done. “Why?... WHY?!” He watched Aegis reach for his neck. “Answer me damn it!” Dan pounded his fist in the dirt.

The stallion weakly grabbed onto something and pulled on it. It was then that Dan finally noticed that Aegis was wearing some kind of necklace. “Sorry kid… It was the only way… I had to know if you really were… the right man for the job.” He spoke between breaths as he finally ripped the necklace off himself, his vision was starting to fade, and things were getting colder. He didn’t have much longer. He was both thankful for his vitality giving him time to still Speak to Dan but cursed it for how painful this all was.

“I don’t… What job? Killing you? I don’t-”

“Don’t worry about it, kid… You’ll know soon enough... Just… just do me a favor.” he gulped in as much air as he could. “Hold onto this, will ya?” He slowly nudged the small medallion on the necklace toward him. The medallion depicted a serious looking wolf staring back at you. “It’s your’s now, keep hold of it.” Dan watched the hoof when his hands subconsciously went to grab the medallion. “Sorry, things will get a little crazy from now on…. And I’m basically throwing you into the thick of it... Just, bare with it for a little while.”

“What are you- No… No, you are not dying on me old man!” with the medallion still in his hand he pressed both his hands on Aegis’ bloody chest, over the wound. “We gotta get you to the hospital, or the vet or WHATEVER, Just stay with me!” Dan’s mind was frantic trying to think of a way to fix all this mess. However, the stallion below him just rasped out a chuckle.

“Heh… and here I thought you’d be glad to be rid of me.” Aegis’ eyes were half open now as his breathing slowed. Dan looked back at him much of that sorrow from before overwhelming any other emotion. There was nothing he could do. “Good hunt.... Dan…” that was when the life vanished from his eyes.

Dan was motionless… he just stared at the dead stallion’s face for who knows how long before finally, his arms started trembling. His hands gripped at the blood stained chest… He only met the man for less than 24 hours… knew his true identity for less than 5 minutes.

And yet, he couldn’t understand the tears falling from his face, he wouldn’t have noticed them if his vision didn’t get so blurry and actually seeing one of them fall from his face and over his “kill”. Was it out of fear that he would be caught and tried for this, was it the fact that he took the life of a sentient being, or did he actually considered the old man a friend? How could the last one be possible when he barely just met him. Yet, why did that thought hit him the most?

He finally pulled his hands away... looking at the now blood stained medallion in his hand. His hands still shaking, he clutched the medallion. Part of him wanted to throw it in the forest for this whole mess. But the rest of him knew that wouldn’t solve anything and Aegis told him to hold onto it.

All he could think of right now was giving the unicorn a proper burial. However, he was immediately blinded by a flash of light “Augh!” he shielded his eyes with his arm as he was briefly engulfed in the light. Then, just as quickly as it came, it went away. “What the?” He got up and looked around, but there was nothing but forest. However, the medallion in his hand was gone. He started looking around but couldn’t find it, and he knew he didn’t let go of it. His hands clutched tightly on it during the flash and the necklace it was attached to was in his grasp.

It just vanished…

After the initial shock and sorrow he felt, he went back to his car, grabbed a shovel out of the trunk of his car. It was there for whenever he went out hunting during deer season with his father. It’s pretty obvious what it was used for given the old bare toilet paper tubes lying near it. But it was still cleaned after every use. It was the only digging utensil he had so there was no room to complain. He returned to the body and spent a good few hours making a deep enough hole for the old stallion. Then buried him. Better than letting him rot above ground or by some random chance some hiker come across him. The last thing he needs is to be reminded of this day thanks to youtube. With the deed done, he packed up, got back to his car, changed the address on his GPS to his apartment, then drove the long silent drive home.

~~~~~~~~~~

At the point of Aegis’ Death

He finally pulled his hands away... looking at the now blood stained medallion in his hand. His hands still shaking, he clutched the medallion. Part of him wanted to throw it in the forest for this whole mess. But the rest of him knew that wouldn’t solve anything and Aegis told him to hold onto it.

All he could think of right now was giving the unicorn a proper burial. However, he was immediately blinded by a flash of light “Augh!” he shielded his eyes with his arm as he was briefly engulfed in the light. Then, just as quickly as it came, it went away. “What the?” He got up and looked around, and he found himself in what looked like a very large, regal throne room. “Where am I?”

“You, are in Canterlot Castle.” Dan whipped his head back to the voice behind him. There in front of him stood two beings. Horses again. Around his height apparently. And they just emanated royalty and power. Two Winged unicorns, one pure white with some warm multi-toned colored mane and tail, and the other was a bit shorter, with a darker shade of blue with her mane and tail representing the twinkling night sky. Both of their manes seem to be flowing in a way to make them look like some divine beings. Dan could only stare both in awe and utter confusion. He could swear the taller looking one seemed to be giving him a much more stern gaze, while the smaller one seemed to give him an apologetic look. The voice apparently came from the taller one as she started speaking again to confirm it. “I am Princess Celestia, and this is my younger sister, Princess Luna. Despite your abrupt transportation here as well with recent events, It would be impolite if I do not say this, but-” She gave a bow. “Welcome to Equestria, dear hunter.”

Dan was still staring at them unsure what to say or do, but the younger one named Luna made her way over to him. He took a step back out of response but decided to wait to see what would happen. Luna stood before the human, and pulled from under her wing a small bag with her magic and hovered it over to him. He jumped at the sudden display of magic and the impossibly of it, then looked up at her again. She gave a nod and the bag floated closer to him. She then spoke “As promised… Well done, Sir Hunter.” When Dan finally held his hand out, the bag was lowered onto his open palm. That’s when he heard that familiar jingle and remembered the origin of it. Opening it up, he saw the very same gold coins that Aegis agreed to give him.

Immediately he clutched the bag and figured it out. They somehow saw the whole thing. And judging by the look on the older sister’s face, he was in some deep trouble. Celestia spoke again.

“Come, we have much to discuss...”

Author's Note

For my Notes, for those that are curious or want to hear how I will update this story, read to the Fifth Chapter.