Royal Hunter Book One: Successor

by Mr Curious Writer

Rating: mature
Tags: Princess Celestia, Human, Main 6, Princess Luna, Gore, Original Character, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Mystery, Spike, Comedy, Adventure
Length: 122256

A man from Detroit that loves to hunt is sent to Equestria and forced into a job that he can't refuse.

Meet Dan Richards. Dan's a young man in his 20s living in an Apartment in Detroit. He was born and raised to hunt by his well off family, Loves weapons and tech, and nerdy things. One day at the gun range he meets an old guy that asks him for his hunting expertise to hunt a "strange" creature that prowls the forest near his property. After a few refusals, an unlawful entry, a gun pointed to someone's head, and a sack of strange gold coins waved at his face, Dan agrees. However, he may soon regret even complying to the old man's request, in more ways then one would expect.

(Cover Art By EZTP) (Editing by: GameAssassin and Tenth)

(Romance is also tagged for this story, the interface would only let me tag 3 genres though)

Published 2017-06-20 00:00:06 UTC
Last updated 2019-10-27 17:32:28 UTC

Chapter One (Re-Edit)

Canterlot Castle, Guest Room

9:40pm

Dan couldn’t sleep. Not that anyone could blame him. Who wouldn’t be restless after being ripped away from everything they knew and loved and plopped down into some strange fairy tale out of a girl’s storybook… Dan casually sat at the side of his bed, fiddling with that medallion Aegis gave him. Now he and the Medallion were both all washed up. Thank God Showers and indoor plumbing exists in this world. Or was it thank Celestia or Luna now. He was tossing the medallion up and down with his palm just staring off into space. “Tch… Man, that Celestia chick really had it out for me.”

~~~~~~~~~~

Throne Room

Just After Dan’s Arrival

“Discuss?” Dan stood in front of the two sisters. “So you know what’s going here? Why I’m here and all that?”

“It is proper to speak to royalty with the appropriate respect, human.” Celestia spoke quickly with force in her tone. Causing Dan to respond by holding his hands up in defense.

“Sister, please!” The one known as Luna turned to Celestia with a stern look of her own causing the older to slightly reel back in shock. “I know what you must be feeling, but this isn’t like you.” Hearing her sister’s words Celestia softened a little. However, Dan could still feel that she’s still mad about something. He had a pretty good guess on what, but decided it would be unwise to bring it up in front of super powered Psychic flying unicorns. “We’ll talk about this later. Right now, we have a guest, and we must treat him as such.” the younger turned back to Dan and gave a bow. “Please excuse my sister. Recent events are fresh on her mind. For the time being, I’ll be happy to give more of an explanation on why you are here, as well as answer any of your questions.”

“Uh…” Dan looked between the two sisters Celestia was still giving him the look, but she remained silent. “Well, Alright then. The sooner I know what’s going on the better.”

“Excellent, thou art a lot more compliant than we expected you to be.” Luna smiled as she trotted past him. “This way please.” Celestia following close behind, but obviously kept her distance from Dan.

“Well, it’s not like freaking out and screaming is gonna help me given the situation. Better to listen to the locals than to run around like a headless chicken.” Dan replied as he followed behind them.

“That is very wise, young hunter.” Luna looked back a bit surprised at his statement.

Dan simply shrugged. “Yeah about that, My name is Dan Richards. You can just call me Dan.”

“Among other things I wish to call you-” Celestia whispered to herself. However, Luna heard it.

“Tia!” She whispered loudly in return. The Elder sister held her tongue but looked away. Luna knew well her sister wasn’t usually like this. However, she also knew exactly why she was acting this way. She would have to speak with her later. That much is for sure.

“Did you guys, say something?” Dan asked

“Oh, uh no. Let us return to why you are here.” Luna cleared her throat. “Dan, we’ll cut straight to the point. You are in another world.”

Yeah I kinda figured that much, lady Dan thought to himself. He could see guards that were standing at their posts. They all seem to be the same coat and mane color as they wore golden armor. What were they clones or something, or was it a requirement to dye their fur as part of the uniform… that’s going the extra mile to be sure. He managed to catch glances as a couple of guards every now and then staring at him in either awe, disgust, or fear.

“Whether this world is in another dimension or far out in the stars away from your world, we do not know. However, this has been done before a long time ago so precautions were made to aid you.” Luna lead them through some twists and turns quite honestly Dan wasn’t even paying attention to where they are or where they came from anymore. Everything looked the freaking same so he wasn’t gonna put in the extra effort and just listen to Luna. “So what is it that aids me… Wait, better question first. What am I even here for? From the way, you’re explaining it. It almost sounds like I’m stuck here.”

Luna stopped the “tour” as she processed what he just asked. Then looked back at him. Dan had his hand in his pocket, the other holding the strap for his rifle he had over his shoulder, putting weight on his foot to lean in the same direction his head was cocked. “You… Do not know? Truly?”

“Know what? All I know is that a lot of crazy stuff happened and here I am.” Dan scratched his cheek with his finger.

Luna took a moment to think of the most polite way to-

“Basically human, you are stuck in this world and you can never return to your own world for killing the Royal Hunter-” Celestia coldly gave a response

“Tia!” Luna yelled at her sister, but Celestia held her hoof to her to let her continue

“And you are basically taking over his job now. My condolences…”

… Dan didn’t quite grasp the meaning of the words for the first few seconds, but when he did, his eyes started to grow wider, his legs started to feel weaker, and his gun was sliding off his shoulder as he was now leaning way too far to the side still in growing shock “...Huh?” His voice cracked a little before the rifle finally slid off him, falling. Taking his arm with it since he was still holding onto the strap and causing the butt of the gun to hit the floor, and SOMEHOW triggering it, firing its next round. This startled everyone including Dan and the Royal Sisters. Dan cringing away from the gun as much as he could, Both sisters reeling back much like how a startled horse would do when they go up on their hind legs and whinney, and any guard within the hall cringing or getting into position for a fight. Fortunately, the bullet hit no one even when it ricocheted off the wall in its random direction.

“What… was that?” Luna asked turning back to the human, who quickly stopped flinching and hurriedly slung the rifle back on his shoulder.

“Sorry! Sorry! Forgot about my rifle for a second there”

“Rifle?” Celestia asked out of curiosity. She still seemed miffed but the curious device Dan had slung onto his shoulder did pique her interest.

“Uh, yeah it’s weapon I use for hunting, but back to what you just said.” Dan tried to wave it away. “What’s this about not returning home?! And that Royal hunter thing?!” he asked Celestia

“I mean what I said. From now on you will spend the rest of your life here and you are taking over the job of the previous royal hunter that you have so easily killed!” Celestia spat out. Dan backed up when she reminded him of Aegis and things were starting to come together for him in his mind.

“Sister, that’s enough!” Luna stepped in between them. “You have been acting different since the moment he got here. You’re being cruel.”

“You know very well why I’m acting this way! How can you not feel the same!” Celestia was raising her voice now. “He’s the one who-”

Luna matched her volume “We know, Tia! Don’t mistake that we were there as well when it happened!” Both sisters were now at a stare down and the tension was THICK. Even the guards started backing away. This was very unlike these two to be fighting in such a way.

Dan decided to speak his defense “Hey if this is about-”

“You stay out of this, human!” Celestia said with her horn glowing. Dan knew what that meant.

“Whoa! Whoa Hold on!” he watched the aura of the same color as the one on Celestia’s horn engulf him. “Aaaaugh!” He held his hands out in defense and closed his eyes to prepare for…. Nothing. “Huh?” one of his eyes peeked open to see he was still in the same spot, and in one piece

“Tia… He is human, remember? You know that won’t work.” He saw Luna staring at Celestia with a deadpan stare.

Celestia simply looked away “Tch! I know, I just wanted to give him a scare so he learns a lesson about asserting himself into another's conversation.”

“A conversation about him. Of course, he would want to say something.” Luna sighed “Perhaps it is better if you went to the garden to cool off for now and focus on your daily duties. You have been very rude to our guest here when he needs our help most. I’ll handle explaining things to him.”

“Just a moment, I still need to speak to him about-”

Luna interrupted “And you will, sister. I assure you. However, right now you and I both know you are not in your right mind. So we will hold that chat for when you are back to your usual self.”

…. “How can I…. When he’s here?” Celestia spoke softly but the bite was still there.

“You’ve done so before, now shouldn’t be any different…” Luna replied. With nothing else to say Celestia turned with a huff, gave Dan a glare to make him feel more than uncomfortable than trotted briskly toward the royal garden, eager to be away from them. Or rather just him.

Luna waited until Celestia was out of sight before releasing a heavy sigh. “We are Sorry, you had to see that Dan. Recent events have left my sister… greatly upset.”

Dan just watched in silence. “I… I think I can figure out why.” Seeing Luna turn to him with surprise he had to give a sigh. “Look, I’m not that oblivious. I can put two and two together… The old timer was important to her.” He spoke with sadness in his own voice. Luna could pick this up.

“Very… We do have to ask. Out of everypony here. Thou should be the one that is angry. Yet, thou feels sorrow for Sir Aegis?” Luna asked

Dan turned to Luna… then looked away putting both hands in his pockets. “Don’t ask me why. You’re right that I should be mad… I should be livid at that old geezer for even putting me through all this… I only met him for a day and a morning, but we did get to talk a lot. Especially during dinner.” Dan then smirked and tilted his head to the side. “He would talk nonstop about this girl he fell in love with. Called her his “Sexy Sunbutt” or something like that.”

This got Luna to snort and tried to stifle herself from laughing. “Yes… the two of them did give each other rather embarrassing pet names.” Another giggle escaped her lips.

It was then that Dan then remembered seeing a sun symbol on Celestia’s flank “Wait..” he pointed to where Celestia walked off. “She’s the Sexy Sunbutt?” Luna couldn’t help it now. Hearing that name had her in a giggling fit. Dan meanwhile now understood even more of her anger now. “No wonder she’s giving me the cold shoulder.” After some thought, he sighed again. “He was cryptic as hell, and always seemed to be up to something. Normally, no one would associate, or even talk to some random guy and even try to grant his request. There are a lot of crazies out there you know.” He gave a shrug “For some reason though, he didn’t seem that way to me. Maybe it was whatever that feeling was that made me go along with this whole crazy trip in the first place… Not sure gold alone would’ve made me agree.” He pulled out that sack of gold coins he received from Luna and gazed at it.

Luna nodded. “Indeed, such a meager amount of bits wouldn’t be enough to entice anypony to do such deeds.”

… “Excuse me? Bits?” Dan just had to ask now.

“Er yes, bits. It is the currency we use in our country and the very thing you hold in front of you right now.”

Dan looked back down at the bag. Again, opening it up to look at the small amount of “bits” within it. “Uh, How much exactly would this give me?” he turned to one of the nearest guards and held the bag open in front of him for him to see inside

After the guard took a moment to look he straightened back up and spoke. “Perhaps a night and a meal at a local inn here, sir.”

Dan pulled the bag back and looked inside once again. “You, sneaky old-”

“Is something wrong?” Luna asked curiously.

“Oh nothing, it's just the old man’s last laugh on me I guess.” Dan sighed as he pocketed the bag in one of his larger pockets on his cargo pants. “Anyway, we should get back to the point… is there really no way for me to go back home.”

Luna shook her head and gave a sigh of her own and they returned to their march. “My sister was being rude. The actual answer is more of something in between really.”

“In between? Like yes and no?” Dan asked. At her nod, he continued. “What does that mean?”

“You see… When a new Royal hunter is found, Who they are, what they are, everything they had on their person at the time, are both sent here, and remains there.” Luna tried to explain.

“...... Huh?” Dan tilted his head

“Er, I suppose the closest way to phrase it is, your body and your belongings are split into two, yet they are still one and the same. You Still exist in your world, but you exist here as well.”

….. That…. That sounds kinda trippy, like some Quantum Physics B.S. from what I’m hearing.” Dan just blinked.

“Tis’ somewhat difficult to explain, but I assure you it is very true. Your other self more than likely is returning to his daily life after the incident.”

Dan folded his arms and contemplated about it. “Knowing me he’s probably gonna try to distract himself with food and music or something.” When he noticed Luna giving him a curious gaze he explained “I don’t cope well with those kinds of things.” he lifted up his still bloody hands. “I just killed somebody not too long ago… even worse is that I knew them. Briefly, but I still knew him.” Luna cast her gaze down feeling both pity for Dan and a bit of shame for involving him in this a trick. “I suppose I’m only faring any better since you’re here to explain to me that this was all on purpose.” The mood in atmosphere definitely dropped now. However, Luna lifted her head back up and replied.

“Well as I was going to soon explain, there is a way for you to go back home.”

“Really?!” Dan perked up immediately and stared at the Princess in shock. However, he saw her lift her hoof up to him to stop his thoughts.

“However, You yourself cannot return there to stay.” Luna could almost feel his heart sank when she dropped that bomb. “I’m sorry, Dan. If there is already another you on that world. The magic of this whole extensive spell will correct everything by returning you back here if you overstay your welcome.” She once again bowed her head to him. “The ability to return is to let you obtain anything from your world that you would deem as important to your new role as Royal Hunter.”

Dan placed his hands on both sides of his head. Then proceeded to ruffle and mess up his own hair in frustration gritting his teeth. “You have got to be kidding me.”

“I’m afraid not, Dan.” Luna replied

After a short moment, Dan let his hands fall back to his sides and looked up to the ceiling. It felt like an eternity as the two of them just stood there in silence. Luna out of courtesy to let him cope with all this bad news, and Dan just trying to calm the rising panic within him. He should be outright enraged, kicking and screaming. More than likely calling both those princess a wide assortment of names along with Aegis for dragging him into THEIR problems. He knows this… but what would that really accomplish? He inhaled deeply then exhaled a long groan. There was nothing he could do for now. And from what she said, he might as well forget that “for now” part. So what positives DID he have?………………. “You said I am able to return temporarily?”

~~~~~~~~~~

Back to the Present

Dan’s short trip into his memories was cut short when he barely heard voices coming from outside his window. Out of curiosity he caught the medallion he had been subconsciously tossing and catching, set it on the nightstand and stuck his head out the window. “Guh!” He wasn’t prepared for how high up his room REALLY was, it made him pull his head back in the blink of an eye. “Jeez… I knew it was a long flight of steps, but Seriously?” he panted clutching his chest. After taking a moment to calm his nerves he steeled himself. It wasn’t SO bad once he knew it was there. When he stuck his head out Dan’s first direction to look was straight down. “Huh… Now that I get a better look. The view is pretty cool…” he closed his eyes and tried to focus. He could hear the voices. It sounded like an argument, coming from below. Yet, he saw nothing below him. However, there were open windows below him so it was probably coming out from one of those. He strained his hearing to pick up the conversation, but unfortunately, it wasn’t enough. It sounded like Luna and Celestia however, that’s about as much as he could tell. They were probably talking about him anyway. He was certain Celestia had some choice words to tell him now that he connected the dots with her and Aegis. Luna no doubt was trying to douse that impervious fire. He was pretty sure Sunbutt would have sent him to Death Row if she had the final word about it.

He pulled his head back inside and plopped onto the mattress. He turned his head to face the night stand he placed the medallion on. His memories picking up where they left off.

~~~~~~~~~~

Castle Dining Hall

12:35

Dan could easily tell Equestria consists of most if not all vegetarians. The chef did give him meat to be sure since Luna informed Dan of some previous guests from other countries would require meat in their diet. However, the chef could really take some lessons on how to properly cook a steak. In fact, he was surprised these supposed meat eating guests never brought it up, but there’s more to cooking a steak than just slapping it on a grill and waiting for it to change from red to roasted brown. He could only assume said chef would avoid getting near it unless it caught on fire. He picked at some part of steak that consisted of black charcoal… ON second thought maybe it did catch on fire for a moment. Fortunately, it was easy to cut off and set aside and continue his meal. On a side note, the salad that went with it looked like freaking art.

Yeah, no, Definitely can’t tell they’re vegetarians, alright. He thought sarcastically in his mind. He took a bite…. Come on, they didn’t even tenderize it… so tough.

“How do you find your meal, sir?” Dan flinched at the sudden voice to his left. He wasn’t sure if the correct term was butler or busboy, but it was the very one that gave him the darn plate.

Dan forced himself to swallow the tough slightly burnt piece of meat (“That’s what she said” Decided to beat you to it as I know you WOULD say it… Moving on.) “Uh… It’s… a unique way to cook it.” He forced himself to reply Unique as in your chef purposely cooked it this way anyway, and can’t a guy get some A.1. Around here?

The stallion bowed politely. “Very good then sir.” then returned back to his post.

“Shall we continue our conversation?” Luna asked him from down on the other end of the table, She was having the same salad, but her’s had daisies in it?

“Uh, yeah sure.” Dan gave a nod “So you said there was a way I can temporarily return home?

Luna nodded before taking a bite “Yes, the previous hunter would find a door on that world, away from the public eye and cast a special spell on it. Once set, the Royal Hunter would forever use that door as their way to return to that world for a set amount of time. To activate it from here, they need only to pick any door and perform the secret hoof-Oh Apologies, I mean, HAND gesture with their weaker hand, never their dominant hand.”

“Why is that?” Dan asked as he forced himself to chew on the tough meat.

“We believe Aegis never told us the exact details, but we’ve been informed that nothing should happen or something terrible will happen.” Luna tapped her chin with her hoof.

‘Yeesh, which is it, lady?’ Dan gave her a deadpan look as he managed to swallow his meal. “Well that aside, can you teach me the spell now? There are some things I would like to get from my world.”

“Oh, I do not know the spell.” Luna said simply “The only ones that know the spell were Sir Aegis…. and… My sister, oh dear.” Luna immediately had a look of worry.

Dan slumped before putting his hands on his face “Well that’s great, cuz apparently I made such a good impression on her, what with axing her lover and taking his job and all.”

Luna seemed to look even sadder the moment he reminded her of the situation. “Yes… Ahem, however, it is her duty to teach you this so it must come to pass. Thou shall leave this matter to me. I shall speak with her about it once we are finished here, I assure you.” She continued her meal. “Are there any more questions that thou need answering. If not, I would like to fully discuss more of your role as the Royal Hunter.”

“Nothing comes to mind, so go ahead, explain away.” Dan said before he started cutting out another piece of his steak.

“Very well, however just out of curiosity; we find it strange you haven’t made any attempt to refuse this task. We honestly thought thou would resist more than this.” Luna asked as she tilted her head.

Dan took a moment to chew his food this time before giving his response “When you think about it Princess, what other choice do I have?” Seeing her confused look he continued. “I’m basically a being from another dimension or world, stuck in another world I do not know, Haven’t the first clue how things work here, am more than likely gonna be seen as some freak or monster, and I’m all alone here.” he shrugged. “I don’t think it will be as simple to live here as it would’ve been in my world.”

After a moment Luna considered his words and then gave a sad smile. “I guess… in a sense, You are worse off than me since I have my sister.”

“Huh?” Dan tried to listen to her a bit harder.

However, Luna shook her head. “No, no, it is not important, right now. You do raise a very good point, and I shall make sure that we can at least help you get settled once everything is concluded.”

“... Thank you… Princess…” Dan nodded to her and waited for her to continue.

Luna smiled and nodded in return before clearing her throat. “The Royal Hunter is both the last resort to prevent conflict and the best choice to slay the beasts that prey upon the ponies and other races that live under our rule.” Dan straightened up, he could already sense how heavy those words were in Luna’s voice. “We are a peace-loving country, we avoid war and conflict as much as we can, and we are never the instigators. We do not have any reason to hunt other creatures since we are mostly a herbivorous race. As I said there are some other races that prefer to live in our domain and some ponies have been known to eat fish. However, we mostly like to live in harmony with nature and would generally never seek to harm wildlife.

“I’m sensing a “but” coming on here.” Dan replied when she paused.

Luna nodded “No matter how much we try to live with nature and given our abilities with it. There is a reason the term “Wild” still exists… Creatures, very violent and cunning, predators tend to appear every now and again in the long history of our country. These creatures may turn out to be some far sinister form of known predators, or some creature we have yet to discover. These creatures come from out of nowhere, and it is the Hunter’s duty to take them out before more harm could fall upon the innocent.”

“Question though, why just the Royal Hunter, surely you can just hire hunters from other countries or perhaps the other races that live here to do it?”

Luna shook her head, “You misunderstand, these sort of creatures are monsters among predators. They show no sign of empathy, remorse, any other form of emotion… They survive off their killing instincts and brutality. One thing they all have in common is that they Enjoy the killing of living things.” She paused and looked down. “Predators hunt for food… These… Monsters, they hunt for sport.” Her tone became serious. “Whether it be a woodland creature, an unaware traveler, or even so bold as a group of innocent ponies near the edge of town. If it lives, they take enjoyment in chasing their target down to enjoy the fear and despair on their face, before ultimately taking their life.”

Dan took a drink of his Sparkling cider. Listening intently to her words, He had a feeling that Luna had come across such creatures before given the thousand yard stare she was giving off. Honestly, he wasn’t sure what he could even do to help. This sounded like some kind of dangerous mission the main protagonist of a video game would have to handle. I’m not a Monster Hunter. As awesome as that would be, reality doesn’t work that way! Did they really expect him to take on such things?

“We wager thou art thinking that we are asking thou to take on the impossible, do you not?” Luna asked, causing Dan to flinch. Busted, she read his mind.

Dan scratched his head. “No offense your majesty, but I’m just one guy. You’re kind of asking a lot even if I’m a hunter.”

Luna smiled and shook her head. “We have expected as much. You underestimate your race.” Seeing his confusion she continued. “You are not the first human to take on this role.”

“Huh?” Ok, that intrigued him. Was she referring to Aegis?

“Does thou still hold the medallion? The one Sir Aegis gave thou before his passing?”

Dan dug into his pocket and pulled out the medallion out then held it out in front of her. “You mean this thing?”

Luna took a moment to gaze at it, then nodded “Precisely.” she finished her meal “You see, that medallion came from your world originally. By the one that took the role before Sir Aegis. Both he and Aegis are actually human in origin. That medallion is able to unlock the latent abilities within a human. In your world, I’m sure there were old legends of powerful humans that would take on the impossible. Even the ones that sounded like fairy tales.”

Dan could think of a few off the top of his head. “I… guess so”

Luna pointed toward the medallion. “That is what gave them such strength in your world, The first one to bring it here said that being in this world seems to enhance its power. However, it only unlocks the abilities within you. It is up to you to actually train to make them grow and put them into use.”

“So they’re great, but not so great.” Dan looked at the medallion again.

Luna shook her head “Do not misunderstand, That medallion you hold is a most powerful tool, but it is about as effective as its owner. Which now, is you, Mr. Richards.”

Dan took a moment to really look at the medallion, flipping it back and forth in his hand. “I see…” He leaned back in his chair. “This is gonna take some time for me to adjust to, if I'm being honest, your majesty.”

“We understand, this was all thrusted upon you so suddenly, if you wish, we can discuss other matters until you are ready to know more.

That wasn’t such a bad idea, he had other questions he needed asking anyway. “Right, well if you don’t mind my asking. Back when your sister was about to use telekinesis on me… nothing happened. Was she just trying to give me a scare or something?”

Upon hearing this Luna suddenly wore a look of regret. “Ah yes, that… Well, we would first like to apologize for my sister’s actions. It will be some time before she is truly back to her old self… or something close to it at the least.”

Dan nodded “It’s fine, really. I can understand why at the very least.”

“Yes… thou art correct. As for your question. Tia did attempt to cast her magic upon you to levitate you. However, it would’ve been impossible for her.”

“Impossible? Why’s that?”

Luna was quick to reply “It is because you are human, Dan.”

“...Huh?” Dan cocked his head to the side. “Uuuh, Does being human protect me from telekinesis or something?”

Luna shook her head “More than just that.” she straightened up as if preparing to give a lecture. “Because you are human, magic does not affect you. Your Race is much like the dragons in that respect where casting a spell or using telekinesis or the like will ultimately be a fruitless effort.”

Dan was surprised to hear that. He then looked at himself. “So I’m Magic-proof?”

“To be more specific, thy skin is what protects you from magic, it is very much like dragon skin in that respect. However, unlike Dragon skin, human skin isn’t as tough, thou art still susceptible to cuts after all, like anypony else here.” Dan nodded “And that is when thou should be most wary of magic. As we have said, thy skin protects thou from magic like a suit armor, but like a suit, if an opening is made on it, magic can seep inside and rendering you at the mercy of whatever spell is being cast.”

Dan folded his arms, not exactly a comforting thought, one cut that can so much as barely break through his skin and that’s it…. “Wait, what about if someone casts magic in something I eat?”

Luna shook her head. “Fear not, it has been tested already a long time ago, consuming anything imbued with magic has no effect as well, It would seem openings and entries into your body, such as your ears, or digestive tract has their own defense to magic as well.”

“Well, that’s good at least.” And he can assume based off of that, his eyes are protected from any magic attacks as well. He nodded to himself, this information was now going to be the most important thing for him if he’s gonna live in this magical fantasy land. He then heard the door to the hall opening, causing him and Luna to look in its direction. However at the first sight of the incoming individual Luna seemed to quickly hold a look of annoyance.

“Good afternoon, Auntie. I hope you don’t mind me joining you for lunch, and I believe I was informed that a guest is with you as well.” In entered a rather pompous looking unicorn stallion. His head held high and his eyes closed. He had white fur, blonde mane and tail and some weird star-like symbol on his butt that Dan couldn’t be bothered to care about since this guy already seemed to be screaming “SPOILED RICH KID” to him and he could already speculate his reaction when the overgrown brat actually opens his eyes.

“Yeah, that'd be me.” Dan said and just waited. Sure enough, blondie opened his eyes finally.

“Ah, then I would like to-AUGH!” immediately the stallion took a step back in pure disgust “What in Heaven’s name is that thing?!”

Dan leaned toward the table using his hand to prop his head up as he gave an unamused stare to the stallion. “Well aren’t we rude?”

Luna tried to get a word in to preemptively stop the Stallion. “Blueblood! This-”

“Egad! The hairless monkey can speak? What sort of pet training is this?”

“BLUEBLOOD!” Luna reverted to her echoing Royal Canterlot voice, It got the Stallion’s attention, but before she could continue, Dan lifted his hand to her. He then forks his steak hard and lifts it off the plate.

“Hey, Bluebutt… Gonna get some things out of the way for ya here.” he then pointed to himself “This ‘THING’ here you keep referring to hasn’t had the best day, and right now, my steak lunch, is tough and burnt, Which sucks.” he brings the steak to his mouth and chomps at it in front of Blueblood already shocking and nauseating him as dan ripped off a piece of it with his teeth then started chewing on it. “Now you have the gall to come up to me and act like I’m some monkey pet?... Get out of my sight, before I start wondering what you’d taste like with barbecue sauce and show the royal chefs how to properly cook a steak.”

“I-I-Ah-” Blueblood started stepping back, now with a look of fear added to his look of shock and nausea, before long he made a pathetic whimper, his eyes rolling back and he unceremoniously passed out onto the floor.

“... Wuss…” Dan said casually before turning back to his plate and setting the steak down to cut it like a normal civilized person.

Meanwhile, Luna had to hold her muzzle with her hoof to avoid laughing again. “Oh my, I didn’t know thy meat wasn’t satisfactory, I do apologize on the chef’s behalf.”

Dan shrugged “I’m not really blaming them honestly. They did their best after all.” he lifted the amazing looking salad to her. “I’ll just cook my own meat from now on if that’s alright”

Luna smiled and nodded. “If that is what thou wishes.”

“Oh, I have been meaning to ask, but what’s with that medieval speech?, You sometimes speak normal, but then you would suddenly start speaking like you're from the Renaissance.”

This surprised her for a moment before letting out a groan. “We-uh, I mean- I am still having trouble trying to speak in the modern tongue, Being banished for a thousand years tends to shelter you from how society changes.”

Dan took a bite from his salad “Oh, well, at least you’re giving it you-PPPTH!!!” He immediately spat out his salad “A THOUSAND YEARS?!”

“Hm?” Luna blinked “Did we not tell you? Tia and I are immortal.”

~~~~~~~~~

Guest Room

Present time

Dan sighed, perhaps remembering all this was what was keeping him up…. “A country ruled basically by pony goddesses…. Immortal with the powers to move the Freaking sun and the moon… and apparently, such omnipotent beings that would rather send a being from another dimension to do the bloody work of death so they don’t have to.” Honestly, that’s the only way he could see his purpose of being here. These are freakin' horse people that can quite LITERALLY move the sun and the moon without so much as stepping a single hoof outside their atmosphere and do it without breaking a single sweat, and they need HIS help, killing predators with a case of what sounded like evil rabies or something like that.

…. Maybe he was just a tad too accepting of his current situation… He heaved another sigh and tried his best to get some shut eye, Luna seemed to make it clear there was more for him to learn come dawn.

His old security job wasn’t sounding so bad right now...

Author's Note

Want to hear my thoughts and news? Turn the page ----->

Chapter Two (Re-Edit)

Canterlot Royal Castle Garden

7:30 am

It had to come to this eventually. Dan knew this. He had the medallion, she had the knowledge on how to use it. Not only that, but she was his only way to return home. Temporarily sure, but the ability to return to his home world whenever he pleased is at the very least comforting. He just wished there was an easier way. He and Luna were now watching Celestia raise the sun for the day. Celestia was tasked with explaining to him the workings of the medallion and how to call on its power. Luna had already spoken with her sister last night, however, Celestia didn’t need her sister to motivate her. She was still a woman-er… a mare who would complete her duties. If anything, she was only agreeing to do this for the safety of her people and a promise to Aegis. However, Dan could just tell that this was just gonna be nothing but awkward times ahead.

Once Celestia had finished her duty she gave a sigh before turning to Dan and Luna. “Good Morning Hunter, I take it my sister provided good company and information?”

“Oh! Uh, yes, she was very informative.” He gave a polite bow towards her. This caused the Sun Mare to raise an eyebrow. “You’re more courteous than before… Trying to stay in my good graces?”

Dan, being the man that he is, decided to not take the yes man route and just be blunt. “To be honest, after what I’ve learned about you and the old man, I doubt I’ll ever be in your “Good Graces”, but that’s fine.” this caused both sisters to look at the human with curiosity. “I’m sure I’d be pissed to speak to me too if I was you, but you all brought me here for a reason.You know it, and you’ll still complete your task for your country, but that doesn’t mean you're gonna enjoy it.”

Celestia sat back and looked away. “I cannot deny that what you say is true… I’m afraid that I still harbor resentment towards you.”

“Tia…” Luna looked at her sister sadly but was surprised when Celestia raised her hoof so she could continue.

“However, I also know that is unfair for you. I know you did not ask for this… I can see well that it was never your intention to take his life… and you were deceived in the process.” She seemed to pause there. “You simply did what you were asked to do and we allowed him to go to your world to complete this horrid ritual.” After a moment, she turned to face him and stood back up before making her way over to him. “If anything, you should be entirely angry with us, yet you don’t. I shouldn’t have any right to treat you as I have the entire time you arrived here, yet I did.” She bowed her head “Though my heart still holds ill will to you, I allowed for this to happen in the first place. For that, I wish to apologize to you… Mr. Richards.” This surprised both Dan and Luna, however, Luna seemed to be smiling. Pleased that her sister was doing the right thing.

Dan scratched the back of his head, “Well, jeez… Kinda killed that whole spiel I just had if you apologize already, and really, just Dan is fine.” This caused Luna and Celestia to laugh a little.

“Oh come now, you explained pretty well and yet you’re the one that disbelieves it?” Celestia smirked.

Dan simply shrugged and smiled. “You ponies seem to get past grudges pretty easily. I know a few people in my world that could learn from your example.”

“I suppose I should accept that as a compliment then.” Celestia responded “But I suppose we have delayed long enough, as promised, I shall now instruct you on how to use the medallion as well as the spell to temporarily return to your world of birth. Dan, do you have the medallion?”

“Naturally.” he pulled it out of his pocket tossing and catching it a few times. This seemed to worry the Princesses a little to the point where Celestia raised a hoof as if trying to reach out and catch it, but her magic lit up faster and caught it in her golden aura in mid-air.

“Please Dan, that is not a toy, it is a very powerful tool. We ask that you treat it as such.” Celestia said hastily before lowering it back in his palm.

“Uh, ok, sure.” He clutched the medallion. “Sorry about that…. So how does it work? some kind of incantation or something?”

Celestia shook her head. “No, I’m afraid the process is a bit more… physical.”

Dan turned his head away slightly and raised an eyebrow. “How physical?” God forbid I gotta eat the thing. He thought.

“Dan, do you recall what we-ah! Rather what I told you about your human qualities with magic?” At this Dan turned to Luna and nodded.

“Uh, yeah, apparently my skin is magic proof so long as I don’t get any cuts or scrapes that draw blood.”

She nodded. “Basically yes. What you have in your hand is a magical artifact. One that seems to only work on humans.”

Her sister picked up where she left off. “It was created in your world and brought here by the first royal hunter before such a title was even given to him many ages ago. We have tried to use it on our own soldiers, even went as far as candidates from other races, but the medallion would just remain dormant. Locking away it’s power to anything but a human.”

“Alright, so only I can actually use the sucker cuz of my race. That doesn’t explain what the method to actually using it is.” Dan folded his arms. They were beating around the bush. That never bodes well. He probably wasn’t going to like the response.

Celestia and Luna looked at each other. Luna with a more worried look while Celestia chose a more stoic face, either because she still resented him and wouldn’t take pity in whatever the medallion required him to do, or that she was just trying to put on a front to hide the same concerned look her sister was making. “For something magical to work or affect a human, the easiest method would be to create an opening on their skin that would draw blood. There is a feature to the medallion where it would extend sharp prongs to do just that on the back of it. I’m sure you can see where I am going with this."

Dan just stood there in silence looking at her, then at the medallion. A look of uncertainty and annoyance growing on it. He did remember the night before he fiddled with the medallion… like so and-

SHING!

Just like that, four very short, small, knife looking extrusions unfolded from the back of the Medallion and stuck straight out pointing away from the medallion. Dan couldn’t make out the purpose of it last night, but now it was perfectly clear after Celestia’s explanation. “.... What the Fu-”

~~~

Later

It had been a good half hour as the Royal sisters waited for Dan to actually muster the courage to actually do the deed. However, it was proving to be a challenge to mentally prepare himself to stab his chest. “Seriously who’s the Sadist to make this thing?! Or is it Masochist since they probably made it for their own purpose!” His eyes would twitch every now and then as he kept trying to make himself do it.

Soon enough Celestia had urged Luna to hurry off to bed since it was past her bedtime as the Princess of the night. However, she only agreed to even go to sleep if Celestia promised her that she would not let her feelings about what happened yesterday allow her to be cruel again to Dan. She wasn’t going to this time, but it hurt when her sister actually would question her in such a way. “I can understand the instinctual aversion from causing oneself pain, but I would like to continue the lesson if you please.”

“I know! I know! J-just, don’t rush me here.” Dan blurted out as he still stared at the thing with frustrated. He had to take off his Jacket and shirt to reveal his bare chest since Celestia informed him that was the best place to both conceal the medallion under clothing and where it’s magical effects would be most potent. He opted for aiming it over the right pectoral muscle.

Celestia couldn’t help but smirk as a thought came to her head. “Are you afraid to get hurt? I’m afraid your position as Royal Hunter will put you in a lot of danger. Painful danger.”

“I’m not afraid of pain! I’m just not cool with causing myself pain. If you can stop it, your body automatically chooses to stop it.

She shook her head “Perhaps we can continue this after we calm your nerves again. May I see the medallion.” she already took the medallion in her magic

“Uh… Yeah, let’s come back to this when I’m not so-GAH!” His breath was cut short as the medallion flew right at his right pec and impaled itself on it. “SONNUVA TAINT!” He stumbled back, now clutching the medallion on his chest. It took all of his willpower to stop his body from instinctually ripping the thing back out. “AUGH! YOU PSYCHO WITCH!” Celestia seemed to be enjoying herself as she TRIED to not laugh in front of his face from his reactions. “Crap, that hurt!”

“My, my, you certainly have a colorful vocabulary, dear hunter.” Celestia manages to say between giggles.

“Oh bite me, Sun Butt! I thought magic didn’t work on me.” Dan pondered as the pain was starting to subside and the eyes on the wolf symbol of the medallion started glowing white. The pain seemed to be going away and from what he could see, the back part of the medallion seemed to be melting into the skin as if attaching itself to him at a molecular scale.

“Direct magic doesn’t work on you.” Celestia pointed out “A rock thrown at you with magic is still a rock being thrown at you.” she tried to hide that sly little smirk on her face.

He groaned. “Point taken…” his hand subconsciously started rubbing at the medallion now. He could even feel where the metal and flesh joined… it utterly creeped him out.

Celestia approached and took a closer look at it. “Well, it appears the process is complete. The medallion could be using its magic to seal off the wound to prevent outside magic from affecting you from its entry point.”

“Oh, goodie” He deadpanned as he started putting his shirt and jacket back on. “So what happens next?”

“I’m not sure.” Celestia shook her head.

“...Huh?” Dan froze and just looked at her. “What do you mean, you’re not sure. Luna said you knew how to make this thing… do.. Stuff. Also, the spell to get back to my world?”

“Well, to be perfectly clear, I know the process on how you get that spell and your abilities was to put on the medallion. I’m afraid not even any of the previous hunters would divulge the secret of how their abilities worked to others.”

Dan folded his arms and tilted his head. “Wait, every time you get a new hunter, all you do is slap the medallion on and then they just figure it out? And none of them told you about how ANY of it works? Not even your boyfriend, Aegis?”

That gave Celestia a shock to her system and a blush to her face. “How do you-...Ahem… um, no, he did not. When I did ask him why, he told me that it was a trade secret and that I wouldn’t believe him if he did tell me.

Dan raised an eyebrow. “Well thanks, Aegis, that really helps us out.” he sighed.

“I’m sure it will come to you in some way. It was the same for him. For now, I’ve done all I can. It is about time you get yourself prepared.”

“Prepared for what?” Dan looked at her curiously

‘“Did Luna not tell you?” She asked, his silence and vacant stare seemed to answer her question. She sighed, she did have her sister stay up in the daytime the other day along with her shift at night because of her brief moment of selfishness. “Oh dear sister, I’m sorry for making you work so late.” the more and more she got to talk to Dan, the more she started to feel so silly about how she acted yesterday.

“Ah! A moment, please!” both Dan and Celestia turned to see Luna rushing to them with something floating in her magical grasp.

“Luna? Why aren’t you in bed?” Celestia rushed over to her to check on her. She looked fine, just sleepy...

“My Apologies, during the whole time with him, I neglected to give our Hunter this.” she then floated the object to Dan who caught it out of reflex. When he looked at it, It appeared to be a cloak and a pair of leather gloves. “It’s the garments the previous Royal Hunter wore during their missions. I meant to give it to you yesterday, but it must’ve slipped my mind, my apologies.”

“Uuh, thanks?” Dan looked at it, with a puzzled look. “So some old hand me downs from the last ones that were on the job.”

Luna cleared her throat “Tis’ more than just simple clothing, Dear Hunter.” She spoke proudly. Dan had a feeling she was waiting to explain this. “When worn, those garments are remotely triggered by the medallion’s magic. Sir Aegis explained all the amazing things it can do to me when Sister and I went to watch him train.” Luna seemed to be getting absolutely giddy about all this. Celestia could only smile and roll her eyes. Luna was always fascinated with the unknown.

“Really? Like what.” He wasn’t sure if her enthusiasm was getting to him, but this certainly caught his interest.

“Oh such fascinating abilities, One example is that no matter what you carry with you, the cloak will always keep it concealed” Dan could imagine that if he ever learned the spell to visit his homeworld he could hide away some real heavy duty weaponry if that was the case. Nothing says “surprise” quite like whipping out a minigun from out of nowhere… Well, it’s not like he had the physical strength to carry such a thing so it was fun to dream about it. Luna continued. “It has the ability to blend Perfectly with its surroundings.“ Luna proceeded to hide behind some bushes. “Perfect to ambush your prey!” she then stuck her head through it as if trying to spook them. Celestia and Dan just seemed to smile at her antics.

“That would come in handy to be sure on a hunt,” Dan said with a chuckle Who are you and what have you done with the real Luna? Dan couldn’t help but enjoy this different side of the Princess of the Night when previously she was all proper and head held high.

“Indeed, Sir Dan! Aegis even told me it can hide your scent as well! No beast can track you down with it on.”

“For real?” That would definitely come in handy if the creatures he has to take down in this world are as ferocious as he assumed. The last thing he wanted was to constantly look over his shoulder in case a predator happened to pick up his scent. This cloak definitely sounded like a great tool for any hunter the more she explained it.

“Not only that!” She pointed out with her head held high as if she was the very inventor of the thing. “But when the hood is placed over your head, the shadows within the hood will always conceal your face, no matter how close somepony is or wherever the light shines.” Dan thought about that one. It definitely is useful to hide your identity on Earth, but unless there were humanoid races on this planet, that wouldn’t conceal him very well since judging by the maids and guards, his height sticks out like a sore thumb. Well, at least it might help in some other way… like if there was a holiday on this world equivalent to Halloween he can spook the boys and girls with a boss grim reaper look or something.

Celestia seemed to pick up from the look on his face what he was thinking and decided to chime in. “That ability is actually a lot more useful than you would think for your new occupation. Do keep in mind for the future”.

Dan looked to her and shrugged. “This is all great, but I have to wonder why it would amaze you so much, Luna.” Dan turned to Luna.

“What doest thou mean, Sir Dan?” she cocked her head to the side.

Oh, she slipped again. He smirked before pointing out his reason. “I mean you and your sister here wield powerful magic right? Can you not simply replicate the spells for them.

Seeing where he was coming from Luna immediately dawned a somewhat smug look and waggled her hoof. “That is where you are wrong, Dear Hunter.”

Now it was his turn to make a confused look. “How so?”

“Tis’ true there are spells at our disposal that could replicate some of these abilities. However, we can not produce the same result as them.” This surprised him. Were these tricks exclusive only for the Hunter? “Not only that but it is impossible to sense when the magic is being used so others cannot detect that one of your abilities is at play.”

“No kidding?” He looked back at the outfit in his hands.

“Yes.” Celestia agreed. “It’s almost as if the Cloak uses no magic at all sometimes.”

Dan did find that phrase a little curious. It all sounded like magic to him. Then again back to his homeworld, a lot of science fiction was starting to turn into science fact as the days went on during the 2010s. “Oh! Dan! You must try it on! Perhaps even test out its abilities.”

“If I knew how.” he shrugged. “But at least I’ll try it on.” he smiled and started putting the outfit on over his clothes, then put on the gloves. All the while Luna watching, practically bouncing with excitement.

(Art Made by EZTP)

“Huh…” Dan looked himself over. “For ancient clothes… this looks pretty durable… kinda looks cool even.” He started to feel like a Main Character in an RPG.

Luna clapped her hooves “Wonderful! You simply look mysterious and dashing!”

Celestia giggled “Careful now, Sir Dan. it appears my sister is taking a liking to you.” This got Luna to blush and angrily glare at her older sister.

“Tia! That’s not it at all!” she then looked away tapping her hooves together more nervously. “It’s just that when a human wears them… it makes them more uh.”

“Attractive?” Celestia smirked.

“Heroic!” Luna angrily blurted out.

Meanwhile Dan decided to just say nothing. He could tell it was nothing serious. It was the look of a fan gawking at a superhero really. Celestia seemed to just like trolling however. However that did get him to think… if he was gonna be stuck here… would he eventually have to find a mare as a wife?... There was no way he was gonna die alone… but given his options. That might get a lot more complicated now for him… If only it were like in an anime where there were sexy cat eared girls. He would’ve definitely been on board with that. However, reality decided to flip him the bird on that.

After her laughing fit, Celestia cleared her throat. “Now that everything has been squared away, I do believe you should return to bed now, sister. It is almost time for Dan’s departure.

Oh yeah! He remembered they were talking about something like that before Luna came back with the cloak. “What’s this about me leaving?”

Celestia turned and nodded “Yes, I suppose we have been negligent in telling you. But you will soon be stationed to another place. Under the supervision of my personal student Twilight Sparkle in Ponyville.”

“Twilight Sparkle? Sounds kinda Disney...” Dan mumbled to himself trying to digest the name. “Why there exactly?”

“It is there that you will be living in a town that is closest to the Everfree Forest where most of your hunts seem to be coming from. Though we will send transportation to you for when your services are required elsewhere, Your ongoing assignment once you feel that you have trained enough, is to set off on your expeditions into the deep forest to uncover clues as to why the monsters only seem to come from in the forest and if possible, Take out any beast you deem would be a potential threat down the line.”

“Better to nip it in the bud I suppose.” Dan bidded seeing the logic in it.

“When you feel that you are ready to conduct an expedition, please notify Twilight Sparkle and she will let us know so we can provide you with the needed supplies.” Dan liked that idea, he wouldn’t have to pay out of his own pocket. “However, keep in mind that you will be on a budget, so choose carefully what it is that you need.” And there was the catch he was expecting… “However, if your expeditions prove to be fruitful in either uncovering this mystery or taking out a potential threat, we will expand your budget accordingly.”

Luna decided to speak next. “Oh and you will not finish a hunt or expedition empty handed. We will pay you for your services should they prove successful. Since you will be living in Equestria from now on, we deem it wise that you should earn bits to sustain yourself when off duty.” Dan couldn’t argue with that, and he wasn’t fond of the idea of looking for a part time job just so he can get by. Maybe he’ll even save up enough for his own place so he wouldn’t feel like a freeloader by living with whoever this Twilight girl was… Was that a girl’s name?... Sounded like one… he mentally sighed Watch it be a dude and they get all offended or something saying I’m sexist for assuming Twilight Sparkle is a name for Pony girls or something. His mind went on a tangent again. But he managed to cut it short to continue listening.

“I believe we have covered everything then, do you have any questions, Dan?” Celestia asked

Dan thought for a moment “Nothing comes to mind I suppose… Well other then trying to figure out how to do all those… things you said I can do.”

“I assure you Dan, You were not the first dropped into this position.” Celestia pointed out but Dan stopped her.

“Yeah, I know. Aegis, was thrown into it as well and somehow magically knew how to use all his powers and know that spell so I could visit home whenever. I just kinda wish he left a note about how to do it or something.” Dan rubbed the back of his neck.

Luna answered this time. “Aegis told us the reason why he couldn’t document how it all worked is to protect the medallion’s secrets, lest a rather unsavory individual should come across it.” She placed a hoof on his shoulder. “I have the utmost confidence that it WILL all come to you. We don’t know how, but you and only you will know when the time is right.”

Dan wasn’t sure if he should be encouraged by that or if he should kick himself for being so accepting of his new title… Well like it mattered much if he did cause a fit. Guess that was one thing to be thankful for. His mind likes to overthink things so it must be the main reason why he isn’t a basket case right now wondering about his own existence… Sounds depressing to him anyway. Too much hard work to be depressed in his opinion. “Alright… not like I have much say in the matter anyway.”

“That’s the Spirit, Dan...” Hearing that rather familiar voice, Dan couldn’t help but look around.

“Dan? Is something the matter?” Celestia asked watching his sudden strange behavior.”

“Uuuh… did anyone…” Seeing no one around them, even when he looked directly above himself, he shook his head. “Uh, nevermind, It’s still early for me, my mind isn’t fully awake yet or something. Anyway, should I go pack I guess?”

“Oh! Not to worry, dear hunter! We-er I have taken the liberty of having your belongings packed away and carried to the chariot preparing for your departure.” Luna smiled, somewhat mentally patting herself on the back for the foresight.

“Well I guess that takes care of that, I suppose.” Dan put his hands in his pockets and nodded to her. “Thanks, Luna”

“You are most welcome, Dan.” Luna happily nodded in return.

“Didn’t know you wanted me to leave so bad.” Dan’s smile changed to that of a sly smirk.

“Yes, well it's-” It took a moment for it to click for her but once she registered what he said her face turned to one of shock and concern “N-no i-it’s not like that I swear, Sir Dan! We- er I meant to say-” her rambling ended prematurely when she noticed Dan chuckling and Celestia trying to hide her giggling with her hoof. “W-what?... Oh…it was a joke...” she blushed a bit in embarrassment.

“Sorry Luna, hahaha, It’s been a long day yesterday and much of this morning for me. I needed a good laugh.” he smiled genuinely. Seeing that look on his face, Luna found it difficult to be upset with his joke.

She managed to anyway, however, as she turned with a “Hmph! We shall return to our quarters to rest, sister.” with her head held high she briskly walked away.

“Unintentional, but I guess your sister is finally going to sleep, now.” Dan laughed softly.

Celestia nodded “It seems Luna has taken a liking to you rather quickly, Dan. It’s good for her to earn more friends.” She then started walking ahead, ushering him to follow.

“Well, she has been really kind to me the whole time, so I feel like I’m friends with her already.” When he caught up to her he noticed a look in her eye. And he had a good idea what it was. “Oh, don’t start.” he pointed to her with a bored look.

“What?” Celestia turned to him sundure of what he meant.

“I know that look. It's the “You better treat my sister right or you’ll have to answer to me” look. It’s written all over your face.”

Celestia blinked before tilting her head in bewilderment. “Was it that obvious?”

He rolled his eyes. “Celestia, you’re the big sister. Not only that, but you definitely didn’t like me the other day. It’s not hard to figure out that would be on your mind when we were talking about Luna.

“That’s… true.” She looked away, “To be honest, I’m not even sure if my opinion of you improved at all during this whole time.” she held a somber look.

“That’s fine.” Dan replied looking ahead now.

“It… It is?” she looked at him quizzically.

He shrugged. “I’m not asking you to like me. Heck if you want, you can hate me. I can understand why you would, what with the old man and all.” He looked away. “I’d be ticked off too.”

Somewhat surprised by his words, Celestia was unsure of what to say about that for a while, However when she did, she gave a heavy sigh. “I thank you for those kind words, but now the more I speak with you, the more it seems wrong to harbor such ill feelings of you… I do not think it is right of me to do so, truly.” She shook her head, “No, even if you are fine with it, I am not. It will take some time, but I do hope that you’ll allow me that much to alter my opinion of you.”

Dan just shrugged. “Your call princess, it'd be nice to make friends with you as well, but I’m not gonna force you to do it. If that’s what you want, by all means.” He smiled a little.

“I thank you for your understanding, Dan… Truly I do.” Celestia slightly bowed her head to him. The rest of the walk was quiet, but in due time they had finally reached the stables for the Royal Chariots, There he could see pegasus guards already strapped in the reigns ready to take off.

Huh, so they’re their own steeds too in this world? Weird. Dan was given some knowledge prior by Luna of the three pony races of this world, along with the bat ponies he took notice off taking over the night shift guard duty for the ones working the day shift.

“Well, here we are then.” Celestia said as they approached the chariot, Dan could see a burlap sack was placed securely in one side of the coach. From the look of it, it seemed like there were more things in the bag then he original had on him when coming to this world. Perhaps there were some things the Princesses wanted to put in it. The guards that were pulling the chariot gave a salute to their Princess as she walked by. “The guards know the way so this is where we must part for now.”

Dan started inspecting the Chariot and the ones pulling it. “Uh, so this thing can fly with just them pulling it?”

“Of course.” she nodded. “This is nothing for them compared to their actual training, they’ll have you in Ponyville before you know it.”

“...Physics can suck a fat one with magic floating around this world huh?” Dan could hear half his brain screaming how this was just a death trap waiting to happen. However, his other logical side calmed that other half down with proof from Celestia’s words and the purpose of this very room, with a runway over on the other end, that this has been a successful practice so far. He sighed shaking his head. “SO much I’m gonna have to get used to here I can just sense it.”

“Try not to think about it too much, Dear Hunter. I already have a student with that very problem.” she smiled wryly.

“I’ll try my best to avoid that… So, anything else I should know before I go?” he said as he opened the door and climbed into the chariot.

“Well, yes, I have already sent a letter to Twilight of your arrival and the chariot will land at her home, the Golden Oaks Library.”

“Library? What your students the librarian there or something?” Dan figured she’d be some aristocrat or something living in a mansion given her position.

“It was her decision. She wanted to continue her studies on friendship there. That IS where she earned her closest friends after all.

“...Friendship studies? Not sure I get the importance of writing research notes on making buddies.” Dan cocked his head to the side.

Celestia simply smiled. “Oh there is so much more to friendship then you would believe, Dan. If you’re ever curious I’m sure she would be more then happy to explain all the things she’s come to learn about it.”

“Yeah uh…. I’ll keep that in mind.” He just shrugged. “Anything else?”

“Yes, just something for you to keep in mind. We’re aware it will take some time to find out how to activate your new found abilities and then train yourself to wield them properly So we will not rush you, however, at the same time we do expect that whenever you are not sent on a mission, you conduct at least one expedition per month you are off duty. Can I count on you to keep that in mind?”

Dan just shrugged. “Not like I could say no anyway. I’ll get a calendar so I can plan out those days when I get there.

She nodded “Splendid, that is all that comes to mind right now. If there is anything that we have forgotten we’ll be sure to send a message to you via Twilight at the soonest convenience.”

“I take it that Twilight is where I will get any missions you have for me.”

“You catch on quick” Celestia smiled “I wish you a safe a trip and that you will learn your abilities swiftly.” She nodded toward the guards up front, they gave another salute and the Chariot was off with Celestia waving toward the human riding in coach. Dan gave a wave in return before the felt the chariot start to lift off the ground. Instinctively he grabbed onto the edge of his seat as he felt his stomach drop. Looking forward he watched the two guards flapping their wings and taking to the sky. It was an experience he wasn’t quite sure he could describe with the thought of flying via horse and buggy. After his nerves calmed he took a moment to look around. He was amazed how high up he was now as the chariot was circling around the castle, Looking out to his side he could see Luna from the Balcony, watching the chariot race off. He wasn’t sure if she could see him from there or not but he stuck his head and hand out and waved toward her.

She waved back, apparently she could see him. Next time he visits the castle, as her friend he should try to do… whatever it was one could do being friends with a royal talking magic pony. One last look at the city below before pulling his head back in. He was now off to begin his life as the Royal Hunter. He started fishing into his pockets and pulled out his phone and earbuds. Checking the charge, he was satisfied with the 87% showing on the screen. And flipped to his music player, looked around various playlists, then picked the right song to listen to. Attaching the earbuds to the phone and putting them in his ear, he hit play and leaned back in his seat.

He was in the mood for some Daft Punk. Besides, this song always mellowed him out. And that’s exactly what he needed right now for this rollercoaster of bizarre events in his life. The song certainly made the trip feel faster, sticking his head out half way through the song he could already see a small little town off in the far far distance. Leaning back he started mouthing out the lyrics and just chilled.

If he was stuck on this world, might as well take it in stride.

Author's Note

Keep going ----->

Chapter Three (Re-Edit)

Golden Oaks Library

7:15am

The morning was just beginning in the home of Twilight and Spike. The sun was rising and the light shined through the bedroom window and struck the unicorn’s face waking her from her slumber. With a yawn and groan, she mustered the energy to lift her head up to greet the morning and get out of bed. She took a moment to stretch before heading over to her number one assistant to get him up for the day as well. “Morning Spike, rise and shine.”

The baby dragon moaned in defiance “Five more minutes.” And tried to roll over, further denying Twilight his cooperation. Twilight sighed, using her magic, she lifted the basket he was sleeping in a few inches into the air and tipped it over causing the little Drake to fall out with a thud and an “OW! Ok, OK!”

“Thank you.” she said and returned the basket to its former resting spot. As she was about to turn and make her way to the bathroom she heard that familiar sound of Spike burping up a letter out of green fire. “Huh? A letter? This early?” she turned around to see Spike pick it up off the ground since he was still too groggy to catch it like usual.

“She couldn’t have waited an extra hour or something? I haven’t even had breakfast yet.” he yawned as he untied the string and started to unravel the scroll.

~~~

An hour later

Rainbow was having a strange dream. She felt like she was falling at first, then there was a lot of bouncing in her dream… The cloud she was riding on in her dream sure was acting up, suddenly it bounced too high making her fly off it as she heard the cloud say “Oopsie” before BAM!

“Huh? Wha?! OW! What?” Pain, she was definitely awake now… She also had dirt in her mouth “Augh, Pbbth Pbbth Blurgh!” She spat out the soil as she shook her head and before opening her eyes to see she was no longer on her bed in her cloud home. “What the Hay?” That was when her vision was invaded by a familiar Pink face.

“Yay! You're up!”

“Aaah!” That startled the pegasus before her mind caught up to “who” she saw. “Pinkie?! What’s going on? Where am I?” She took a look around.

Pinki just laughed “You’re at Twilight’s silly!”

“Yeah, OK I can see that now… Why?” Rainbow proceeded to dust herself off.

“Cuz I brought you here.” Pinkie smiled.

“Yeah… I can see that… Whyyyy?” Rainbow huffed.

“Cuz you were sleeping, silly.” Pinkie giggled again.

Rainbow just facehoofed “Nevermind… I’m not even gonna ask how you managed to reach me… I’m going to assume Twilight asked you to get me.

Pinkie nodded “Yup! She was all excited and had a funny look on her face and asked me to get our friends here as soon as possible!!”

“Friends?” Taking another look she noticed the other girls standing next to her.

“Mornin’, Dash. Sleep Well?” Applejack had a smug look, it seemed Rainbow hasn’t noticed her bed head, that was now slightly covered in dirt like the side of her face.

“Rainbow, you’re an absolute mess.” said the posh voice to her left.

“Oh, you’re one to talk, Rarity. I can’t believe you let yourself outside with your face like that.” Rainbow grumbled, she honestly wouldn’t care about her’s or anyone else’s look, but Knowing Rarity long enough would make what she saw out of the norm. The unicorn’s Mane was still wrapped in hair curlers and her face was covered with some kinda blue-ish masking cream.

Rarity heaved rather exaggerated groan “Oh I know, darling, but Pinkie insisted on dragging me out here without so much as giving me time to freshen up. I’m at least thankful that it is still too early for the public to be out and about and I do hope whatever we’re for ends quickly so that I can hurry back home.”

“I hope so as well. This is normally when I start making breakfast for the animals.” Fluttershy finally made herself known by speaking up from behind Applejack, though she seemed more interested in watching some birds fly off in the distance.

Applejack then spoke “Alright girls, we all know we got places ta’ be, like mah’ farm. How ‘bout we just head inside and see what’s up since Twi is taking so long to come out.”

“Here here, I was having a good dream before I got dragged here,” Rainbow replied following after the farmer, with Pinkie right behind with a big smile on her face. Rarity and Fluttershy bringing up the rear as they approached the library and already they could hear a lot of racket going on inside.

“Oooh, sounds like Twilight’s getting ready for a Party!” Pinkie cheered.

“That or she’s just being a neat freak and re-alphabetizing the books… again.” Rainbow smirked rolling her eyes.

“Ah’m not sure, Dash. Normally, Ah’d agree but she wouldn’t call us here to just look at her books.”

“Ah wouldn’t put it past her.” Rainbow mumbled to herself, to which Applejack rolled her eyes as she went up and knocked on the door, no more than three taps did everything inside went silent in such an eerie way that it unnerved the girls.

“Uuuh, Twi-” Before Applejack call out her friend’s name, the door flew open magically

“Oh Good, you’re here! Come in Come in!” suddenly the girls were engulfed in a magenta aura just like the door and practically thrown right through the door.

Pinkie being the only one to say anything during this with a “WHEEEEE!” before the door slammed shut behind them.

When the girls were flung into the house they ended up in a pile before their librarian friend. “Oh shoot, that coffee table is a mess, Spike!”

“On it, ugh.” Up at the top of the stairs Spike was seen sweeping the staircase before begrudgingly making his way down and grabbing a duster.

“What is going on?” Rainbow asked as she and the others tried to untangle themselves and get on their hooves. “It’s a little early for spring cleaning don’t you think Twilight?”

“Of course Rainbow, but that’s not the reason at all.” Twilight shook her head “Listen we all must be ready-Oh my, uuuh Rarity, why… is your face like-” As Twilight was about to reach for the fashion pony, Rarity immediately raised her hoof to stop her.

“Don’t… If you must know, it is because Pinkie brought us all here. Normally I could be as patient as the next pony, dear, but could you please tell us why you sent Pinkie to gather us? The sooner we get this over with the sooner we can all go home.”

Twilight sighed and looked at Pinkie, who seemed to still have her legs tied in a knot giggling away. “Hee hee, I’m a pretzel pony!”

Twilight spoke, “Well, after what I’m about to tell you, you might want to reconsider that thought, Rarity.” She levitated a rolled up paper to herself and unraveled it.

“Is that a letter from the princess?” Applejack asked.

Twilight nodded. “Princess Celestia sent me a letter early this morning about a very important royal individual arriving in Ponyville to live here for the time being. Apparently, until he can afford his own home, he’ll be living with Spike and me as well.”

Spike walked past the ladies sweeping the floor along the way. And the many books floating in mid air in Twilight’s magic that were waiting for her to focus on returning them back to their previous resting areas. “Well that would explain all the cleaning, then.” Rainbow looked around with a bored expression. “And you called us here to join you in greeting him or something.”

“More than that! Apparently, the reason he’ll be living in Ponyville is supposed to be a secret to the public, but we bearers are allowed… well obligated really, to hear about it from him. In turn, we teach him everything about living in Equestria since the princess said that he is far from home.”

“Oh, my… A royal from another far off land? How simply exciting!” Rarity perked up, excited to meet anything upper class or higher… that is until she was reminded of her current situation. “OH MY! A ROYAL! From a far off land?! And just look at me! No no no no! This simply won’t do! I need to make myself presentable!” Her legs moving around in place anxiously.

“Well Rarity if you want, you’re free to use my bath-” Before Twilight could finish that sentence, Rarity was a blur rushing past her and to her bathroom.

“Thank you, Twilight! You’re the best!” before they heard the door slam and the sound of water running.

Twilight sighed, “Spike, there are towels for her right?”

“Already did the laundry and restocked it.” he said as he was now on the other side of the room cleaning a reading a table.

“That’s my number one assistant!” she smiled and praised him.

“So some big important pony is showing up and what he’s here for is a secret. Sorta suspicious to me...” Rainbow pointed out.

“You always say that Dashie!” Pinkie laughed making the Pegasus deadpan.

“Um… do you really need me to be here?” Fluttershy asked timidly stealing glances to the door. I mean, I’m sure you can handle greeting him without me, so I’ll just-Eep!” She squeaked when Twilight pulled her back.

“You're. staying Fluttershy, I want our guest to meet my friends, plus it is your duty as a Bearer after all,” Twilight replied

“Really?” Fluttershy asked

“... Maybe. If it isn’t, it is now, so you're staying.”

“Oh… Ok…”

“So when're we expectin’ this new feller to show up, Twilight? Applejack walked up to her.

“Well, that’s the thing. She didn’t quite say, only that he was on his way. So Spike and I are trying to prepare for when he does come.”

She then felt someone jump onto her back, she soon figured out who when a pink face invaded her view “You know what this means Twilight?” The excited look on her face was a dead giveaway.

“I’m gonna guess, give him a party?”

“No Silly!” This surprised everyone “We gotta give him a Super Duper Royal Party!” This came to no surprise to anyone.

Twilight rolled her eyes. “Very well, Pinkie, but can you hold it for later. It’s still kind of early.”

“Oooh, Good point Twilight! Can’t invite everyone to the party when they’re still waking up.” Pinkie said before bouncing off to the kitchen. “I’ll make snacks though for when it’s story time!”

“No Pinkie I meant… ah well. A party is a good way to greet someone I suppose.” Twilight conceded.

“Yeah, so long as she doesn’t go overboard. Normally them royal types can be Royal sticks in the mud.” Rainbow snorted.

“That’s not always true Rainbow. After all, look at the Princesses.” Twilight pointed out. At the mention of them, Rainbow’s rebuttal she had was stuck in her throat.

“Ahem… I guess you have a point, but it could still go either way.” she said just to save face.

“Right.” Twilight rolled her eyes. “For now, I’m gonna help Spike get everything ready. No telling when he’ll arrive, but I hope we can get things ready before he does.”

“Twilight! The books are still floating!” Spike called out from the stairs as he carried a stack of books from up in Twilight’s room that she borrowed to return them.

One look up reminded her of the many books that still remained suspended in mid-air in her magic. “Oh! Right! Sorry!” and just like that the books were sent flying back to the shelves where they belonged.

“Well if we’re stuck here waitin’, ah’ suppose we could help around the place. Maybe help whip somethin’ up with Pinkie in the kitchen.” Applejack said before she was given a shock to her system when the Pink Mare appeared behind her, with some flour on her fur.

“Ooh, that'd be perfect! We can make those apple fritters you like to make!” Pinkie then proceeded to push the farmer straight into the kitchen whether she wanted to or not.”

“I think I’ll go help Spike then.” Fluttershy said quietly as she hovered off toward the baby dragon.

Twilight smiled and nodded to her “Well, thank you Fluttershy. The sooner we get this done the better. Rainbow, maybe you can-”

“Zzzzzzz…..” Rainbow was out on the couch.

“Sleep… on my couch, perfect.” Twilight deadpanned before returning to her work.

With the help of her friends, even Rainbow’s when Applejack managed to kick her off the couch for being lazy as well as Rarity once she was satisfied with her look. The Library was spick and span and ready for guests. Just in time as Rainbow was the first to notice as she was looking out the window. “Hey, Twilight! Chariots Here!”

“It’s Here?! Finally!! OK! Places everypony!” Twilight called out opening the front door Only to watch her friends rush past her and through it leaving her in the dust. Undeterred, Twilight followed suit looking up to the sky watching the Royal chariot descend onto the road connecting to the library.

“Oh this is so exciting, who do you think it could be?” Rarity asked starry-eyed. “Oooh, Perhaps a Dashing Prince from some unknown kingdom.”

“It could just be some official that lives in Canterlot.” Applejack shrugged.

“You think he like’s cupcakes?” Pinkie added “Cuz I made a lot of those.”

“Ah’ noticed, sugar cube…. Ah noticed.”

Rainbow rolled his eyes. “Bet he’s a spoiled little rich colt that’s as annoying as that Blue Blood guy.

“Ugh, don’t remind me, dear. A dreadful experience to be sure.” Rarity groaned.

“Well whoever he is we as representatives of Ponyville and the bearers of Harmony, we need to give a good first impression to our-”

“HOLY CRAP!”

The outburst startled some of the girls, Fluttershy immediately hid behind Applejack, and even the guards pulling the chariot as well, as they watched the coach door open and watched some cloaked figure stumble out and fall onto the ground with a grunt…

~~~

A Few Minutes Ago

Once Dan got more adjusted to flying in “Cinderella’s Stage Coach” he would take more glances of everything outside the windows, even snapping photos on his phone. He was trusting the princesses words that he would somehow magically know the spell to return to his world. So he decided to spare some battery power on some photos and travel music. Nothing like Lounge music to mellow you out as you give the finger to physics and aviation without seatbelts.

This also gave him some time to think to himself, and many things couldn’t leave his mind. Being stuck in a weird fantasy world, forced into a dangerous job, the fact that he murdered a person, and that he had found a way to cope with it all and get used to it… Well, the coping part seems to be going well at least. He sat there thinking and thinking, as his mind wandered he would then hear a voice in his mind. Ever think that you think too much? He just scoffed to himself. He learned that about himself a long time ago, and one that he accepted as part of himself. Thinking is important and all, but if you're not careful it could be a hindrance… or worse your death. Again, something he already knew. However back then there were a few times where overthinking would cost him his life. During hunts? …. Well, yes… Dangerous ones?.... The fact that his mind was asking this weirded him out. He already knew the answer.

Kid, focus and just answer the question. Do you really lose yourself in your thoughts even during a dangerous hunt? OK, seriously this was freaking him out. What’s with this overactive imagination… Did coming to this new world awaken some alternate personality within him that speaks to him? Are you even listening? How could he not? It’s his mind, he can hear all of his thoughts. Seriously, He’s talking to himself and the “him” that’s talking back seems to be acting far more independent than one would think is mentally healthy. Kid, it’s me, Aegis… Oh great, now the other personality is pretending to be the guy he murdered. As if he didn’t feel guilty enough. What? No, seriously, It’s me Aegis! Dan groaned and held his head, he could feel the chariot start to descend they must be in Ponyville. He had to focus now, he was already the oddball of the world being the ONLY human in it right now, he didn’t need to add “Mentally ill” to the list.

“OK, this is getting us nowhere. Just open your eyes, Dan.”

...Ok that time that sounded like the voice was right in front of him.

“Dan! Would you open your eyes, you brat!”

Immediately he opened them, that voice sounded too real. It was at this moment the Chariot wheels touched down on road below. In front of Dan floating in front of him was the old man… Pony formed even… He shook his head, looked… he was still there. He rubbed his eyes. Still there.

“You’re not seeing things, I’m here… sorta.” ‘Aegis’ said

Dan pinched himself “Augh…” He’s awake.

“See, you’re not losing it. It’s me Aeg-uh” The ‘Aegis’ then noticed the growing look of terror on Dan’s face. “OK, I’m starting to think revealing myself now, wasn’t the best idea.”

Dan immediately responded to that statement “HOLY CRAP!” As he frantically tried to get out of the coach. Bursting through the door out, stumbled, then promptly tasted dirt.

The ghost of ‘Aegis’ looked out towards where Dan fell with a look of unease, then looked out to the group of mares he assumed were there to greet Dan… He sighed… “Lord, give me strength…”

(You can stop the song here if you want)

~~~

Back to the Present

Rainbow was the first to speak “Maybe you should’ve saved that first impressions speech for this guy, Twilight.” she then snorted and started laughing before Twilight immediately used her magic to silence her.

“Not Helping, Dash.” Twilight loudly whispered to her as she tried to keep a positive and friendly look, as the figure was getting to his… hooves? Now that Twilight got a good look at the figure, it was CLEARLY not a pony. The biggest thing that caught her attention was that when he stood up he was bipedal. A minotaur perhaps? He made for one strange looking one though. She saw no horns protruding from his hood… Actually, his hood seemed to hide his face somehow as well, his legs were longer than a minotaur's as well, His body was leaner than one as well. It was honestly hard to make heads or tails of anything else about him since he was fully clothed, even his… claws? They didn’t look much like claws in the sharpness category, and she was sure the being had no tail. Was the cloak simply hiding it like his face? What manner of creature is he? She thought, but that was cut short when the being spoke.

“Ok, that was… unpleasant.” Dan took a moment to dust himself off before his memory reminded him why he face-planted in the first place and his head immediately whipped back into the coach only to see his “luggage” in it… OK, he was seeing things.. Definitely seeing things… that was not a ghost of the guy he murdered, nope it wasn’t.

I wouldn’t go so far as to call it a murder. That voice again, now he knew it wasn’t his mind messing with him. No, no, no! Don’t freak out on me, kid! You already wrecked your first impression on these ladies, don’t make them think you’re insane as well…. He had a point… He’s seen enough TV and played enough video games where this is the part where the protagonist sees the ghost and the others don’t and they end up blurting it out and looking like they’re mental with the other folks. Yeah, he was gonna skip that. Too much trouble, but still… I promise I’ll explain things later. Right now, you’ve been staring into that chariot for far too long. You might want to make something up and change the subject with them. This much he agreed with.

“Uh, sorry about that, I uuh… tripped?” He rubbed his head. “I’m gonna take a guess that you are the ones I'm supposed to meet here?”

“Howdy,” Said the orange Pony, judging by her voice and look She definitely seemed like the farming type, that or there was an Equestrian version of Texas just right around the corner… the thought of ponies running a rodeo came into mind as he nodded to the farmer in return.

“She runs Sweet Apple Acres, a farm that’s main product are apples.” Twilight added Well looks like his first assumption was right.

“Ain’t no Apple in the world that ya’ll find better than one of ours.” Applejack said proudly puffing out her chest.

Hearing this Caused Dan to smirk, not that anyone could see it and folded his arms. “Well, that’s quite the claim. I hope you don’t mind me testing that later when I have more free time.”

Applejack’s demeanor didn’t falter “Course, sugar cube. Ah’ll have ya singing it’s praises in no time.” Seeing the two hit it off pretty well, Twilight decided to continue.

“This is Rainbow Dash, she-” She was then interrupted by the blue pegasus herself

“Yeah, yeah, let me handle this part, egghead.” She then flew up to the guy “Names Rainbow Dash, Fastest flyer this world has ever known and just amazing all around.” This got a few of the other girls including Twilight to either sigh, shake their head, or roll their eyes.

“And so modest.” Dan replied sarcastically, leaving the other girls to snicker a little and a sour look on Rainbow’s face. Given the introduction and everyone’s reaction to it, It was easy for Dan to determine this Pegasus was the braggart of the group, thus leaving him skeptical of her claim of “Fastest Flyer”.

“Moving on. Ahem! Next, we have Rarity, our resident Fashion Designer, and owner of her own business.”

At this Rarity was more than happy to entice such a unique customer. “Yes, she is correct, good sir. If you are ever in need of a stunning new outfit, please stop by Carousel Boutique, where everything is chic, unique, and Magnifique.”

Posh, she was very posh, that much Dan could gather, taking a moment to observe her as she was introduced, he noticed her mane and tail seem to not only be well maintained but styled in a rather elegant manner, and then there is the eye shadow, and how she presents herself. Yup, he knew this type. His mother taught him about them. “Ladies” or something like that. The kind that enjoys everything about being feminine. He could understand that he liked everything about being a dude after all. Makes more sense for him. This one specifically seemed like a lady who liked high-class things…. They did get a message from royalty, she probably expected some royal prince or something to arrive. ‘Hate to burst her bubble there,’ he thought.

‘Well you can still humor her just a little.’ Aegis’ voice filled his mind. To which placed a deadpan look on Dan’s face, not that the girls could see it. He WAS gonna do that. His mom taught him some manners and ways to treat “ladies” before since rich families run into such women often.

Dan bowed to the mare politely, “Thank you for the offer, madame. With how things might turn out for me, I might end up taking you up on it.” He spoke in his most polite rich guy voice he could make.

This got the fashionista to giggle “My, such a gentlestallion, I expected no less from a friend of the princesses.”

Friend? Is that what they think? How’d they get such an assumption from Celestia’s message? He had a better chance being friends with Luna sure, but as far as he could tell, Celestia doesn’t want anything to do with him… She’s trying to now, but why even bother when your heart doesn’t want to? Just putting unnecessary strain on it, in his opinion…. Oh, she’s probably faking it for her subjects or something.

‘We really need to do something about your overthinking, kid. You’re staring off again.’ Crap he was right, Twilight was already trying to introduce the next one.

“-She’s a bit shy but, she loves animals and taking care of them.” Crap he didn’t get the name. Twilight could be seen gesturing to some timid looking butter yellow mare hiding behind Twilight from him, her face mostly hidden behind her long pink mane. Every now and then he would see an eye peek through it to look at him only to hide back behind it.

‘Total herbivore…’ He thought in an unimpressed way.

‘You certainly make that sound like an insult, however ponies are all herbivores.’ Was it rude?.... He guessed so, he wasn’t trying to be, it was just his first thought. In any case, he needed to get her name. “Uh, Hello, Could you-”

“My Turn My Turn My Turn!” Said the rather hyperactive looking Pink Mare. Before Twilight could introduce her, Pinkie Pie was already in Dan’s face by somehow latching onto him with a foreleg around his neck to keep her up to his level as she spoke RAPIDLY as she would randomly move around and pop up in random places near or on him as she looked like she was examining him or something, even lifting up one of his arms to measure it’s length.. “Hi!I’mPinkiePie!Nicetomeetyou,I’msogladyou’reherebecausethatmeansyournewtoponyvilleandwhenyournewtoponyvillethatmeansyougetawelcometoponyvillepartybyyourstruly,PinkiePIE!” She would then jump off to stand on her hind legs and thrust her forehooves into the air above her as she called her name, then finish “The Original Party Pony!”

‘OK, safe to say Ritalin does not exist in this world..’ Dan immediately thought. “Uh, thank you, and nice to meet you. Uh, Pinkie Pie?” At her nod to confirm he got the name right he continued. “A party does sound nice, but if you don’t mind holding it off for a bit until I get settled here.”

Pinkie gave a salute with a silly determined look on her face with her tongue sticking out “Okie Dokie Lokie!”

Both Twilight and Dan rolled their eyes at the same time at her silly response before Dan spoke again.

“Well seeing as how you all introduced yourselves, my name is Daniel Richards. However, you can just call me Dan. It’s sweet and to the point.” He then pulled down his hood revealing his face finally. Twilight could finally get a look at his face and boy did it surprise her, other than the top of his head, his face was hairless. A black short mane, soft and textured crew cut to be exact. Hazel irises, slightly darker colored skin, he was a mixed child after all. His face had it’s softer features, but mostly as best as Twilight could tell masculine features. Never seeing his race before, she at least felt confident from his look and tone of voice that he was male. It was fascinating to look at, the same could be said for the other girls as well.

“So what the hay are you, anyway? Some kind of hairless gorilla.” Rainbow blurted out only to receive a glare from Twilight, Applejack, and Rarity,

“RAINBOW!” the three shouted making her cringe.

Dan just held an annoyed look. “You know, I expected it to be said, though I’m surprised you didn’t go for the “hairless monkey” line there,” He folded his arms. “The answer is no, nor am I monkey if that was gonna be your next question. That is the equivalent of me walking up to you and asking if you are some kind of rainbow mutant horse… Does that sound pleasant to you?”

She immediately shook her head.

“Well, now you know how I felt when you asked that if I was a hairless gorilla.

“...Sorry.” Rainbow looked away to hide her shame. To which Dan shrugged it off.

“It’s cool, first time for you meeting one of my kind so I expected some cultural insensitivities eventually.”

That just got Twilight worried, hoping she wouldn’t do anything “Culturally insensitive” by accident in front of their new guest. Also, to be honest, if Rainbow Dash hadn’t asked that question, she would’ve asked eventually. Better Dash gets chewed out than her.

Twilight decided to defuse the situation. “Ahem, how about we all go inside and get to know a little more about you, Dan. And in return, we can answer questions you have about us or Ponyville.”

He nodded. “That sounds like a good idea.” better to nip some things in the bud and make things clear about each other to avoid any unnecessary personal and cultural clashes or mishaps.

Twilight nodded “Splendid, let’s head inside then, I already have some snacks and tea ready for all of us and-”

“GAH!” Dan suddenly clutched his chest where the medallion was rested on. ‘W-What’s going on, My chest… What’s this strange feeling?’

‘Now?! But it’s too soon!’ Aegis replied into his mind.

Too Soon for what?!

“Dan? Are you alright? Dan?!” Dan took notice of the girls concerned faces to which he faked a smile and waved it off.

“Ahehe, i-it’s nothing really. Just uh, a cramp from the long ride or something.” Dan happened to notice Applejack frowning at that, it seemed like she knew it was a lie or something.

Dan, listen to me, there is no time to lose, what you’re sensing is one of those creatures you are supposed to be hunting. If the medallion can sense one from here, that means it’s dangerously close to the town. We MUST take care of it before an innocent life is lost. Make Haste!

“Dan? What’s going on? Applejack says you just lied.” Twilight replied after the farmer just spoke to her.

‘What is she, a lie detector?’ Dan inwardly groaned

Aegis swiftly replied, ‘She must be the bearer of Honesty, but that must wait, for now, We must go!’ Suddenly Dan felt his body move on its own, turn and run off down the dirt path.

“H-hey Whoa, what’s going on?!” He blurted out

No surprise that this confused everyone there. “Dan?! W-where are you going?!”

“Uuh, be right back!” he gave a nervous smile before pulling his hood back up and running down the road. OK, Explaining time now?! Meanwhile the two of them didn’t notice the girls follow after him.

Dan, you do remember the very reason why you’re here, correct?

Dan nodded and decided to speak since it was just the two of them “Yeah, I shot you and took over your job as some Royal Hunter or whatever.”

Aegis continued, ‘And I’m sure you recall from the Princesses what that job entails?’

“Yeah, to kill creatures that are threats to this world and evil-... And that’s exactly what we’re heading for, isn’t it?”

It is your job to slay it, after all.

“Now? Like for real, now? Whoa, whoa, I don’t even know what I’m up against here, like, how do we even know where we’re even going? And how are you moving my body?”

Aegis replied without missing a beat, ‘In order, we won’t know until we get there, the medallion is capable of detecting when a Creature of incredible murderous intent is nearby, and I’m technically invoking my powers as a departed spirit to possess you, so we can hurry up and find the beast…. Temporarily of course.’

“No, no, that’s great, a ghost is possessing my body to run straight into the jaws of some death beast without a plan. Nope, nothing wrong with this idea.”

Relax, I’ll be with you the whole step of the way and you have your gear and the medallion. We’ll rout this beast and be done in no time..

~~~

A Little Later

There Dan Stood in an Apple Orchard, there was an adorable little tree clubhouse, however, he didn’t have time to examine it as a creature seems to be trying to claw the door down. It looked like a Lion with wings and a scorpion tail.

“Oh, you have got to be kidding me.” Dan spoke under his breath as he was still panting from the continuous running.

It then slashed at the door, almost breaking it down and causing a trio of voices inside to scream in response. This caused Dan to pick up an apple that was on the ground and throw it at its head… It got the creature's attention alright, as it glared at him for a moment before jumping down and walking toward him easily towering over him with a glare like it wanted to rip him to shreds. Dan was regretting that impulsive thought about throwing an apple to its head now.

“You were saying, old man?”

Author's Note

Keep On reading for Info ---->

Chapter Four (Re-Edit)

Sweet Apple Acres

“Where is he going?” Twilight asked as she and the rest of the girls tagged behind him. They had been following him for a good while, for a being on two legs he sure was able to run far ahead of them.

“And Why are we back at the farm?” Applejack asked as well. Looking around, at all her apple trees.

“Why don’t I just fly up to him and ask him?”

Twilight was silent for a moment. After some time this caused Rainbow to smirk.

“You didn’t think of that, did you?

Twilight blushed in embarrassment, she was so focused on following him that she never thought about just simply having Rainbow easily fly up to him and grill him for answers. As Rainbow laughed, Twilight grumbled “Just get up there Dash.”

“Girls, I believe that is no longer necessary.” Rarity called to everyone before pointing out toward where they last saw Dan. They were in for a shock when they saw Dan gaze at a Manticore that somehow got into the orchard. Even worse was that the creature was trying to break down the door leading to a familiar treehouse. And even more familiar screaming

“No, Applebloom! The girls!” Applejack yelled

“They’re inside the clubhouse?! Oh dear, Sweetie Belle!” Rarity felt like her stomach just dropped like a rock from the terror of the news. “We have to do something!”

“Looks like, that new guy is already doing something!” Rainbow pointed out to where they saw Dan chuck a fallen apple at the beast’s head. This thankfully got it’s attention away from the Crusaders, but now Twilight and the girls were facing a new problem with the safety of their new guest.

“Oh no…” Twilight blurted out as her pupils shrunk to pinpricks.

Over by the Manticore, Dan wasn’t feeling too great about his newly gained attention either. However, Aegis seemed to be not only ok but wanted exactly this to happen. ‘OK, good job, young blood. Now his attention is away from the innocent.’

“Yeah, that’s great, so what about us?” Dan took a step back as the beast growled as it made its way toward him.

‘Well it’s more of a YOU problem honestly since I’m already dead and all.’ Aegis replied

“NOT. HELPING. AEGIS.” Dan grumbled through his teeth as he tried not to yell the words angrily.

‘Calm down, just keep your distance while I have a look at this guy.’ That was when he saw the ghost of the old unicorn exit his body and fly up toward the creature and began examining it. No problem since he was already dead and invisible for the beast to notice him. However, he couldn’t get a long enough analysis before the beast lunged for Dan.

“Ah! Crap!” Out of reflex Dan back jumped, normally this movement wouldn’t do much to aid him and he was prepared for that, which left him unprepared with how far he actually jumped back. It felt impossible given the last time he took stock of his average abilities, but there he was, somehow flying 10 to 15 feet back. “WHOA! What-!” This also caused him to not look back so that he could prevent falling on his butt and tumbling back a few yards. “Ow…” He stopped lying on his back and immediately sat up, questions running through his mind about how that even happened until that malicious looking lion face caught his attention since it was still barreling right toward him.

Before he could even move however a Rainbow streaked blur zoomed right over him and right at the manticore’s face, the collision knocking it off its forepaws. Meanwhile, that blur bounced off the creature’s head with a grunt and tumbled back to reveal that blue pegasus Dan met earlier. “Ow…. talk about a hard head.”

“Rainbow Dash, what was… Wow, I guess you really meant it about being fast.” Dan replied, but mumble the last part under his breath. Taking this opportunity, Aegis then returned to check out the manticore.

“Are you two ok?!” Dan looked back to see the other girls make their way over to him and Dash, with Twilight leading the group.

“For the most part.” Dan replied getting back to his feet.

This was when Aegis returned to Dan’s body and with quite a rush. ‘My fears were correct, Dan! You must slay this creature before it has a chance to harm these ladies.’

Dan decided to reply in his mind since the girls were within listening range.’ I dunno, that rainbow one seemed to have done more damage than me right now.’

DAN!

‘ALRIGHT! ALRIGHT! You don’t have to yell in my mind. That crap echoes, man!’ When Dan reached for his Eagle, Aegis chimed in again.

‘Stop! Do you mean to traumatize these ladies?!’ At that moment the Manticore finally came to its senses after that dazed moment.

Dan eloquently vented his frustration to Aegis. ‘WHICH IS IT, GRAMPS?! KILL IT OR NOT?!’

This was when the girls ran to his side, neither of the boys was paying attention to what any of them were saying at the moment as they were arguing with each other. Twilight tried to take command of the situation. “OK Dash when your back with us you and Applejack get ready to subdue it.”

Dash shook her head until her senses returned to her and nodded joining Applejack as she got her rope ready.

“Rarity, think you can go check on the fillies while we handle this.”

“Of Course, Twilight!” At this Twilight teleported her past the manticore in front of the clubhouse to check on the Crusaders as they kept the creatures attention on them.

“Fluttershy, can you see if you can convince it to leave peacefully, we don’t want to hurt it if we don’t have to.”

“A-alright….” The timid pegasus hovered her way over toward the beast.

“Pinkie you-” When Twilight turned to give Pinkie an order she noticed Pinkie was wearing some sort of camo outfit with a matching headband, a serious look on her face, along with warpaint under her eyes, on her hind legs holding a creme pie in each fore hoof.

“Just say the word and I’ll make it rain.” she said in a somewhat low tone

…. Twilight decided not to bother. “Roger that, Pinkie.” then looked forward she decided to use her magic to hold it in place… but for some reason, something was preventing her from magically grasping the lion. “What the-?”

Yes we must end this creature's life but not in front of them. Your main task as Royal Hunter is to take care of these things outside of the eyes of the public. We must guide this creature away from them and handle it in a more secluded area!

‘Twist my arm, will you!?’ Dan grumbled as he tried to think of something. The girls were now trying to subdue the beast, he even was surprised that the shy looking one actually flew up to it too… to... ‘Is she seriously trying to talk to it?’ The look on the manticore’s face did not bode well for this situation, his body moved on its own.

Fluttershy was at a loss, she tried speaking to it. But, it wasn’t listening. No, it was, but it chose to ignore her. “Please. We don’t want… we don’t want to h-hurt you” She could sense it, every cell in her body told her to run. The moment it locked eyes with her. It wasn’t a look of hunger or desperation.

It just wanted to kill her.

Fearing for her life she tried to back away. But it was all slow motion as the creature was already upon her, jaws wide open. Her friends all having the same look of horror on their face as they tried to move in to stop the beast. They weren’t gonna make it… She wasn’t gonna make it. Already half her body was technically in its maw now. Tears already forming in her eyes from sheer despair. She wasn’t fast like rainbow to avoid this…. But that hand she suddenly felt on her stomach seemed to be fast enough as she didn’t realize it till just then. The next thing she knew she was being pulled away from the Manticore’s jaws just in time as the row of jagged fangs closed, only managing to shave off a few inches off the tip of her tail, tucked safely under her Savior’s arm. It was then that she noticed that it was the strange newcomer they were speaking to earlier. The cloak hid his face, but she could sense righteous anger coming off him.

Her senses were spot on, He was mad and for a good reason. This monster, its eyes only said one thing, to kill whatever held a heartbeat. No moderation, no concern of what happens, or whatever it’s target is. If it breathed, it wanted to kill it. This utterly pissed him off. The gall this beast had to think it could just end a life whenever it pleased. It was worse than a poacher, and he hated poachers. His free hand was already balled up into a fist and wound back. As his body just followed how he felt and struck a fast punch at the manticore’s jaw. “BACK OFF!” he yelled as his fist connected…. And broke off more than few of the Manticore’s teeth.

“Whoooaa…..” Rainbow Dash was shocked, but probably because she didn’t expect much from Dan in the first place, He sure wasn’t brawny looking like a minotaur. Evidently, she wasn’t the only one there shocked at his surprising strength. Manticore teeth had to be pretty tough to knock out, and that creature ended up stumbling over and rolling onto his back from the impact. Heck, even Dan was shocked.

HOLY CRAP…. He thought before as he looked at his fist for a moment.

‘Hmm, you seem to be assimilating well with the medallion... Good.’ Aegis spoke

“The medallion?” he mumbled to himself, however, his current passenger picked up on it.

“Um, what medallion?”

“Huh?” Dan turned to Fluttershy, who was still in his arms, suddenly which made her squeak and shrink into herself.

“S-sorry…”

“Sorry for what?” Dan asked but was caught off guard by Twilight’s voice.

“Quick AppleJack, Rainbow, tie it up!

Both named mares were brought back to attention and reality noticing the Manticore starting to get back up.

“Whoa, Nelly!” Applejack swiftly through her lasso and snagged one of its legs. With a yank she caused it to lose its footing and tumble back down again for Rainbow to grab the rope from AJ and started tying its legs up in the rope in high speed so the beast could only snap at air whenever she passed by the reachable zone of its jaws. When she was done, the Manticore was hogtied on it’s back growling and trying to get at the closest living creature with its jaws, and it’s already tied up stinger.

“Well, that takes care of that.” Dan sighed.

‘It’s not over yet, we still need to move this creature away from the eyes of the bearers and the public to terminate it.’ Aegis replied

Dan rolled his eyes, ‘Why don’t we just tell them? It’ll make things a lot easier.’

Because it was decreed that a Royal Hunter’s true purpose must remain unknown to the public, this includes even most authority in even the Royal Guard. Sometimes it is needed to take a life of another, but that does not mean others are obligated to know about it. Only those essential, do. Ponies. do. not. kill. Other races do, but there is no hunting in this country.

Dan held a deadpan look on his face. ‘That decree sounds stupid. How can you hide any of this from society for so long.’

Well I managed, besides I don’t see why you’re so surprised, this is what the Princesses have been trying to stress to you the other day. Aegis replied

‘Yeah, but I figured that it'd be cool letting these girls know since they have to affiliate with me from now on..’ Dan argued

“Hey! Buddy!” Dan was snapped out of his thoughts and conversation with Aegis when he heard Rainbow.

“Huh?”

“You mind putting Fluttershy down already and explain to us what’s going on here.” She continued.

Dan was unsure at first. “What?” but then felt tiny movement from under his arms. “O-oh! Right, Sorry about that.” He set the pegasus down, and she murmured a few words involving “Thank you” and quickly moved over toward her friends.

“Alright, enough stalling!” Rainbow was now right in his face. “Seriously, who are you? Do you know something about this?!” She pointed toward the struggling angry manticore. “Did you bring it here?!”

A little taken aback by her barrage of questions he looked at the other girls. They all seemed just about as curious. He shrugged “Might as well tell you guys.”

Dan you will not.

‘Look old man, in the long run, having THEM know would probably be for the better for us in the future.’ Dan replied in his mind as he stepped to the side to get a better view of- “OH CRAP!”

“What? What does that even mean?” Twilight asked before noticing his gaze going over and behind them… “Nooo… don’t tell me!” she turned around and saw the Manticore seemed to thrash around so much that it got it’s jaws on the rope and ripped it off “Oh Horse-apples.”

“Da Fu-” Before he could finish that, his voice halted briefly.

Language, Dan. there are women present. Aegis replied

‘Oh Bite me, Aegis’ He replied as he stepped forward, walking past Rainbow.

Twilight turned to Applejack “Please tell me you have more rope” Before Applejack could reply she felt someone walk past her. Turning her head she could see Dan seemed to be walking towards the beast.

“Bag that, it’s just gonna eat it again, and I’m getting tired of dancing around what needs to be done.”

“What needs to be done?” Twilight repeated in confusion, but for some reason, it was making her feel a little uneasy.

Dan I implore you-

‘See, old timer I think I got you figured out. You can’t control me right now when I’m this close to the beast, right? Out of fear that it might leave me open to it killing me. So I KNOW you can’t stop me from this.’ Dan was already reaching for his side arm. The rifle would be more of a hindrance from this close range.

Dan, don’t you see? The effect of the Medallion is finally working. You remember when you punched it’s teeth out? How you ran so swiftly? The very fact that I am speaking to you should be proof enough!

‘Honestly, that last part I just assumed I just created you in my mind from my gradually decreasing sanity and grief of taking your life, but I can see where you’re coming from. However, I barely know what this new power can do, and NOW I have no time to test it all out.’ At this moment the Manticore already closed the distance, jaw wide, probably roaring if the two of them were paying attention enough. However, Dan didn’t need to hear it’s rage. In lightning fast speed that would make a pro gunslinger jealous. Dan had already pulled out his new pride and joy, the Desert Eagle Mark XIX. At this moment, time slowed down for Dan. He smirked, It made aiming so much easier.

During all this Twilight, watched in horror as the beast was nearly a second away from mauling her new guest, but she did catch a glimpse of the strange metal object he was now holding out toward the beast. She could see Rainbow fly over her in an attempt to “rescue” Dan. As fast as she was, she hesitated too long to make it in time, that much she could tell.

BANG!

It was loud, it silenced everyone. No one moved. Rainbow halted in her flight and cringed away from the source of the sound.

Then the girls all witnessed something that was just as horrifying. The manticore looked stopped in its tracks and as it’s head suddenly jerked back as if struck by something. A red mist coming off its face. Then it fell to the ground, lifelessly. When they finally got a look at its face, it was covered in blood and distorted in a way that looked like something pierced through its very face and skull. It was sickening to look at. Pinkie was turning green, Fluttershy was in utter shock, Applejack was at a loss for words. Twilight… turned to Dan.

He sighed as he pulled his gun back and holstered it and made his way over to the dead creature. “Glad that’s finally over. 50 Cal. Yeah, I’d like to see you get up from that, punk,” as he walked he pulled out his right hand to look at it. Astonished that with that very same hand he punched the teeth out of a previously mythical beast AS WELL as hold onto an extremely powerful Desert Eagle single-handedly. ‘I guess you weren’t lying about having powers now. Am I like some kinda superhero now?’ That was when he noticed some black smoke seeping out of the dead creature’s corpse for a few moments before finally vanishing completely. “What the….”

‘Dan… What have you done?’ Aegis finally said

‘What?! The job is done. Sure we had a few witnesses but I’m sure even they would agree to let this one slide’. When he turned around, the looks on the girl's faces said otherwise. ‘Or not… great…’

“Why?...” was the first thing to come out of Twilight’s mouth. “How could you DO such a thing?” Yeah, he could tell this was starting to not turn to his favor.

He looked back at the face of the corpse. He had to admit there probably would’ve been a prettier way of killing it. That is one UGLY hole in its face now, and the blood splatters only emphasized more. When he looked back at the girls the only thing he could think of saying was. “Royal Duty?”

~~~~~~~~~~

Canterlot: Celestia’s Study

A Half Hour After Dan’s Actions on the Manticore

Celestia’s day at Day Court was as boring and practically pointless today as it was most other days with the tiresome nobles. Sure there were some good ones in the bunch with ACTUAL points or issues to bring up and she was more than happy to deal with those. But there was a lot of pointless ones she would have to sit through to get to them. It was probably due to her immortality that after so many centuries dealing with this was a lot easier for her. It was still annoying though.

Thankfully it was all over and behind her until the next day. She took this time to think of more pressing issues on her mind. Such as Dan, Aegis’ successor as the Royal Hunter. Where would she even start about him? He definitely wasn’t what she expected, that much was for sure.

She remembered the day when Aegis took over the role from the last one. He was a mature fully grown stallion-er man… It didn’t take long for him to get into the swing of what his duties were.That was definitely needed as she and her sister were still new to ruling over a country themselves. He was capable, efficient, adaptable, charming… her cheeks burned a little as that last part was more of a personal opinion, but nevertheless, Aegis was exactly who she needed when she just starting out as a ruler and a faithful companion. Able to take care of the monstrous beasts and problems she was afraid would reach her subjects, and on a more personal level, he was just so dashing and charming. Always there for her in her times of weakness, actually caring about her well-being. As her cheeks started burning as she was thinking of Aegis in a more nonprofessional way, she dialed it back when she thought of the NEW Royal Hunter.

Dan was hardly any of those qualities that made Aegis so great. He was young, lacking in the skill and discipline she would’ve assumed should be expected Aegis’ replacement should have had. The memory of his weapon going off the other day came to mind when she thought of that. He seemed more reliant on his tools than his own abilities. During her brief window being able to see Aegis’ last day alive using her magic. She remembered Aegis once saying no matter how efficient a weapon is, it is useless in the hands of a beginner. However, her experience with Dan worried her. If the medallion chooses the right human to be the successor, she wished she could see how. She sighed and took a sip of her tea. She suddenly needed some cake right now.

Perhaps she was just being too negative. Despite everything that’s happened to him, he’s been more than compliant with his situation, and she and Luna did feel guilty about it. Even though his other self is still on Earth continuing his Daily life, that didn’t mean the Dan that was sent here shouldn’t feel as confused and frustrated as he was when the deed was done. She had to wonder then, was the process the same when Aegis was first chosen? Wouldn't she know? He never told her about his “initiation” into being the next Royal Hunter when the last one scouted for him. It all happened during the last few years of her parent's reign. And they were so secretive about it at first. Now she was starting to feel utterly foalish. Maybe this was exactly how it happened for him too. And after all these centuries she never even ONCE bothered to ask him that, even after being so close. Even when she fell in love with him. Now she was reminded once again of how she treated Dan when he first arrived. All that was born from her anguish and pain of watching Aegis die by this newcomer’s hands, but now she had to ask… “Was it not the same for Aegis, As well?” What she wouldn’t give to just speak with him once more.

She could only be thankful her sister was the mediator of the whole situation between her and Dan, and that honestly killed her inside that is how it went down because of how she behaved. Yes, she apologized to him, sort of, earlier this morning, but honestly, she could’ve done better than that. And she should. She should arrange to make a trip to Ponyville and have a talk with him once he’s finally all settled. Given the letter she sent to Twilight in advance, they would need some time to explain things with one another and it’s a good idea for him to make friends in this world since it will be his home now, and what better friends than the ones that embody friendship.

It was at that very moment that a letter appeared in front of her in a flash of green fire and smoke. “Oh, a message from Twilight already?” Celestia opened it and began reading. In time her face changed from “reassuring" to that of worry and exasperation. “How? How did it come to this?” It was apparent that her presence was needed immediately. In a brief flash of light, the Princess of the Sun vanished leaving behind the letter she was just reading to flutter to the ground, where on it, read as thus:

Dear Princess Celestia,

The guest you spoke of has arrived, however, a terrible event has occurred and your presence is needed before any of this escalates. This guest, or Dan as he is named, has done a very rash act that cannot be reversed. My apologies for not going into detail but right now I am trying to mediate a conflict between him and my friends at the library. If at all possible that you are able to teleport here, PLEASE HURRY. This matter is getting worse by the second.

Your Faithful Student,

Twilight Sparkle.

Celestia heaves a sigh “Buck my Life...”

Author's Note

Almost there! One more Chapter to get through and all your questions can be answered!

Chapter Five (Re-Edit)

Golden Oaks Library

For an establishment meant for citizens to find a book and read in silence, it has seen more than its fair share of “rowdy” moments. This time, was no different.

“What do you have to say for yourself?!” Rarity yelled at the human in the room.

Dan just stood there with his hands in his pockets and a slightly annoyed look on his face. Looking around he could see a number of the “new friends” he was supposed to make already are giving him a mean glare, while some others, had a fearful look in their eyes. That yellow Pegasus seemed to be trying to portray both. Still didn’t say anything though. Then there was that blue pegasus with a rainbow doo… Rainbow Dash, right? Makes sense, the girl definitely zipped all over the place earlier. Apparently, she was trying to be mad like the others, but she seemed impressed as well. Maybe she gets me more than the others. He thought. When he noticed them waiting for his response. He just shrugged “Uh, go me? I just saved all your whiny hides? You always this cranky, Gem Butt?” That didn’t sit well with the girls.

“Why I never!” Rarity stomped her hoof. “How can such an uncouth individual have any affiliation with the Princesses. Have you no manners?”

“Oi, I have manners, but it's hard to express them with all of you glaring at me. Besides, you want to talk about an “uncouth” individual? Save it for that blonde guy I met at the castle. Seriously, he acted like he owned the place and everyone was beneath him…. Really should’ve kicked him out a window or something.” He grumbled as he reluctantly remembered Blueblood.

“Well, I suppose that’s one thing we can agree upon.” Rarity replied once she realized who he meant. “But that’s beside the point!”

That was when Applejack butted into the conversation. “Where do you get off thinkin’ it’s ok to take a life?! Who do ya think ya are!?”

Dan barked back “Where do you get off questioning how I do things?!”

“When you start killing living creatures, that’s when!” Rainbow said next.

“Nobody was talking to you, Skittles and for your information, if I hadn’t shot the thing, most if not all of you would’ve been in that beast's gut. In pieces no doubt!” The mental image of that thought had made the girls hesitate a little as they would try to force that unpleasant thought from their minds. Now the argument was just getting louder until Twilight finally returned from her room after writing a letter and having sent it.

“Alright! That’s enough everypony! All this screaming is not getting us anywhere.”

“And giving me a headache...” Spike rubbed his head as he put earmuffs on to drown out the noise.

“I feel ya, Spike...” Dan mumbled but mostly to himself as things were finally quieting down. The glares still remained though, even on the librarian. Dan decided to pull out his phone. The battery power was still good. He was gonna have to learn that trick to getting back to the other world if he wants to charge that thing.

“Ok, a lot happened today and we’re all still riled up about it all. Let’s all take a moment to calm down and try this all again.”

“Why bother? That monster was pretty clear that he enjoys murdering.” Rainbow replied

“Rainbow! We can handle this, for all we know this was all just a misunderstanding.” Twilight said.

“Pfft, you got that right...” Once again Dan speaking to himself as he was looking through his phone, but it was overheard by the girls. Some of them were looking at the strange device in his hand.

“Anyway, just before all this, we were all very nice to each other, even him, remember?” All the girls seem to avoid each other’s gaze when Twilight asked that. Finally, Pinkie spoke.

“Um… you won’t… do the same to us, right?”

“Where’d that come from?” Dan finally tore his gaze away from the phone to look at the Pink mare. “Why would I?”

“Well…” her mane started to lose some of its poofy looks. “What if you get mad at us and-”

“No.” Dan stopped her “Murder is a crime and it is a stupid reason to kill anyone just because we have a disagreement.”

“You say that-” said a familiar voice. One look for Dan to see it was that shy Pegasus he saved. “But didn’t you already commit murder?” Her voice broke a little.

“On who?” Dan Asked

“THAT POOR MANTICORE!” Her outburst surprised everyone, even Dan. “You act like the poor creature’s death is nothing!”

… At that Dan folded his arms and looked at her. So she’s a definite animal lover. Hopefully not as crazy as PETA. This whole time Aegis hardly responded to him. He guessed that the old man wanted him to stew in the consequences of his actions. However, he replied. “So was it wrong of me to pull you away from it as it tried to bite you in half?” This got her and the other girls to clam up and remember another almost horrible scene of seeing that beast go after Fluttershy. For Fluttershy, it was worse as she was the one to get a look at the cold murderous look in its eyes. Dan continued. “If you had to choose between an innocent girl and a murderous beast that only had its eyes on her, would you have chosen differently?”

….. The silence was deafening….

Before anyone could say anything a bright flash filled the room. “JESUS!” Dan had to shield his eyes and feel his heart skip a beat from the sudden action. When the light went away he finally took a chance to see what caused that freak light show only to see, someone he’d rather not deal with right now. He folded his arms and stared at Princess Celestia as she made her presence known to everyone in the library. Immediately all the ponies and dragon in the room kneeled towards her. Before Celestia could speak Dan beat her to it. “So you can teleport now. Neat trick, princess.” This caused the others to look at Dan in surprise to how he would speak to their ruler.

“Ahem, yes…” Celestia replied, “I decided not to waste any time after getting word from Twilight about a dispute between you all.”

Dan raised an eyebrow and looked at Twilight. “What? You got phones or something in this world.”

“A what?” Celestia asked raising an eyebrow.

“That would be a no then. I’m just gonna assume some sort of magic priority mailing service or something then.” He waved it off.

“You’re… not too far off on that.” Twilight decided to answer this time.

“For real?” Dan said mildly surprised. Celestia decided to get everyone’s attention.

“You may rise my little ponies. We have much to discuss it would seem.”

Dan nearly released a fit of laughter and turned his head trying to hold it in until it passed. Did she really just called them that?

‘Yes and you will not bring it up to her, are we clear?’ Aegis said as if he was trying to discipline Dan.

Oh, look who’s back? I thought naps make old people LESS cranky.

Aegis just sighed ‘Just pay attention, kid.’

It didn’t take long to get the Princess up to date on what happened and when she was she just heaved a heavy sigh. “I see, I had hoped this sort of thing wouldn’t come so soon.” Dan raised an eyebrow as Twilight decided to speak what was on everyone else’s mind.

“What do you mean Princess?”

Celestia looked at her student “Twilight, do you remember what I wrote to you in that letter for expecting Dan’s arrival?”

Twilight nodded “Yes, it said to make him feel welcome and to let him speak the TRUTH of why he was sent here.” She then turned to Dan with a stern look. “The Whole Truth.”

‘What?’ Aegis was by far the most shocked ‘Why? Why get them involved?’

‘Beats me but it’ll make things easier on my end.’ Dan replied before he decided to make his way over to them in case he had to explain some things.

“Gather around everypony.” Celestia said as everyone decided to sit around the large table in the library that even fit Dan and Celestia in with the girls. Of course, the girls definitely gave Dan space, but not for his sake. He picked this up but decided to say nothing. They wanted to make it difficult, fine. “What I’m about to explain to you CANNOT leave this room. The public must never know the ACTUAL reason for Dan being here. I believe I explained in the letter Twilight that what Dan had to tell you was very important.” At her student’s nod, she began telling them everything Luna told Dan about his role as a Royal Hunter.

The girls were a little worried hearing of this secret side of the world they lived in, even more so that all conflicts with these “Darkened” creatures and individuals would always end with death. Naturally, this caused questions to raise with the girls.

“So you’re telling me some dark threat over the ages controls animals and even ponies and makes them bloodthirsty monsters?” Rainbow raised her hoof. “How come I never heard of any of this?”

Celestia then turned to Dan. “That is the doing of the Royal Hunter. It is their job to dispose of such threats before word and terror can spread.”

“Thus nipping a problem in the bud instead of watching it gain more casualties of innocent lives.” Dan added gaining everyone’s attention. “Correct?” He then turned to Celestia for confirmation.

“Why ask her? Shouldn’t you know this Mr. ROYAL HUNTER?” Rainbow glared at the guy.

Dan shook his head. “Hey it’s my first day on the job, the last hunter…. retired two days ago, and gave me the position.” He then looked away. “Wish he asked me first.”

“Would you have agreed if he did?” Celestia gave her rebuttal “For that matter, would you even believe him?”

…. Dan chose to remain silent…

Twilight then decided to speak “So princess this last hunter, was he human too?”

“Indeed he was Twilight, though in public decided to take on the form of a pony feeling it would make his time and travels much easier when confronting others.” Dan could see that look of longing in her eyes. But soon smiled “Actually I do recall you meeting him on occasions back when you were still studying under me in the castle.”

“I-I did?” Twilight asked in surprise before she tried to remember Such an individual, however, it is a fruitless effort since she didn’t bother to ask for the name or what he looked like.

“So, now that this is all cleared up. Are we all good now?” Dan looked around at the other girls. None of them seemed to answer straight away and just looked at one another, all looking unsure or conflicted.

It was Applejack to actually break the silence and speak what was on her mind after a moment of hesitation. “Well, ta’ be honest with ya’, I ain’t too sure if ah’ can right now.” Seeing that she got his attention, she continued. “Ah’ know what the princess said and the reasons for it, but How can ah’ trust a pony-”

“Person.” Dan interjected.

“Wha?” This caught her off guard.

“Please say, person. I’m not a pony. In fact, I probably should’ve said this earlier, but around me and any non-pony people here could you not refer to them as such? Everypony is EveryBODY. Since every living creature has a body. Same for the words, Somebody, anybody, and nobody. I get that the majority of this society are ponies, but please keep in mind of foreigners or anyone that isn’t a pony that comes to this country.

Applejack just stared at him as well as everyone else in the library…. “Can ah’ talk now?”

“Oh, sure, please continue.” he gestured to her.

…. “Ahem, as ah’ was sayin: How can ah’ trust a po-” She noticed a glint from Dan’s eye then sighed “How can ah’ trust a PER-SON that goes and outright… kills another living creature like that?”

“Yeah! What if he decides to do that to us?” Rainbow butted in, however, Dan immediately cut her off.

“Because I don’t kill people. That’s just outright murder. Which is bad and sinks heavy on your conscience.”

“Then…” that shy mare was speaking again ”Then why kill that poor creature? You… What you did to it, was murder!” She spoke that last part with more conviction.

“That wasn’t a murder and I already told you the reason. The beast was deranged and all it thought about was killing all of us.”

“How would you even know that?” She responded with despair in her voice.

He was about to open his mouth telling them about Aegis but immediately remembered how far fetched that would sound and make him look crazy. “It's… Hard to explain, but I do have a way of knowing. In any rate, why would you even care so much about it? It almost bit you in half.”

She remained quiet now that she was being questioned. Well not so much as being quiet, but sinking and curling into a ball as she quietly fumbled her words.

‘And NOW she’s back to being a scaredy cat again.’ Dan inwardly groaned.

‘Dan, you must have more tact when speaking to a woman. As well as sensing the mood of the situation.’ Aegis decided to chime in.

Not a word from you, This whole day has been crazy cuz of you. Everything would’ve been fine with the first impressions, but nooo, you had to make me run off to some farm to fight a demon lion and then I get scolded for saving their butts!.... Crap they were talking to me. Thanks ya geezer, now I have no idea what they were telling me..

From what he could gather, the other girls seemed to be answering for the timid one he decided to just nod his head and move on.

Seriously, she avoids speaking to me if it can be helped, but she has no problem questioning my morals when she doesn’t agree with them. He sighed and scratched his head. Living here is gonna be more of a pain then I thought.

As the conversation continued eventually the girls calmed down about Dan’s role. However, that didn’t mean they were ok with it. Only going with it because their princess asked them too. And not too long ago these girls actually wanted to get to know him. At least, that’s how Dan saw it anyway. They sure weren’t looking his way now. As if they were trying to ignore he was there. Especially, Pinkie.

‘Guess I can say goodbye to that welcome party she was talking about.’ Dan shrugged as he leaned against a wall letting the girls talk with the Princess. ‘Well, things are just gonna be awkward here now. Maybe it'd be better if I just live as a hermit in the woods so the public doesn't have to look at me.’

‘Do not be so depressing, Dan. This is just new for them. These girls were raised in a way that cherishes all life.’ Aegis echoed in his mind before floating out of his body and staring at the girls as well. “Sure they are aware of death and the Royal Guard are trained to take a life if need be… They just don’t see something like that in their daily life. The royal guards out in the frontier might, but behind the borders, the act of one person taking the life of a creature or another person is… inconceivable to them.”

Dan turned to Aegis, the spirit seemed to be staring more at Celestia then the girls with a look of longing. Seeing as how they moved far enough out of earshot he spoke softly this time to Aegis. “Wouldn't it have been better to just let them experience it? If you shelter them from the truth, it’s only natural they wouldn’t handle it well when they do see it.”

Aegis shook his head, “You misunderstand, It’s not like we’re actively trying to hide it from them.”

“What do you mean?”

Aegis turned to Celestia again. “I asked the same question to her parents when I was new to the job as well, and after so many years of observing these ponies I can understand what he meant.” He then turned to Dan. “The ponies… Wherever they choose to settle if there is enough of them. It’s as if some unforeseen force shields them from such disparities such as killing and true madness. Maybe they emanate it off their bodies since they are so attuned to the magic of the world but it remains a mystery. Magic is basically a part of nature in this world, and Nature seems to like coddling them.”

Dan thought about this before a thought occurred. “Wait, there are other races on this world right. I remember being told about Griffins and minotaurs and zebras and such, What about them?”

Aegis smiled a little and turned to Dan. “Hm, do you actually care about this world’s well-being to ask that. Or is this just human curiosity?”

“Can it be both?” Dan folded his arms

With a shrug, Aegis chuckled “Perhaps.” Then his face returned to its neutral state. “As The Royal Hunter, there are times wherein a manner of good will to allied kingdoms we are sent over to “deal with matters that cannot be handled by the resident people of that land. Other times that darkness seems to spread well in those other kingdoms. Mostly in the world of Politics, people suddenly bent on having a conflict with Equestria or other borders.”

“I’m guessing that's where the “killing people” part comes in.” Dan looked over at the girls, looked like things were wrapping up over there.

“Indeed… This dark force seems to have a far more strange and menacing effect on sentient beings than on beasts. A being could grow mad and aggressive, changing into a vile beast himself, a mere ghost of what they once were. Even worse is when the tainted being is smart enough to hide it and use it more strategically. A prime example is an individual suddenly raising a rebellion or going into politics to instigate a war. In the military, an official could break off the chain of command fooling his subordinates into taking on the most heartless missions imaginable. All for the sake of growing violence and despair.” Aegis decided to fly back into Dan seeing the girls finish up as well. ‘I know you have made a stance, not to kill people… but for the sake of peace, this is a burden I have selfishly given you. There is no way I can properly apologize for all this, and I understand that you can never forgive my actions, but it was the only way. The Talisman guided me to you, I cannot fully understand why, but I know it was for a good reason.’

….”Pfft, placing the fate of a kingdom on an old trinket to find me, old man?” Dan smirked for a moment before his look turned sour and he muttered under his breath “That jokes not even funny. What is this? A fairytale book all of a sudden?”

…. It was silent between the two of them for a good while. It seemed Dan still had some grudges and issues hidden away, though Aegis chose not to pry, at least not for now, for he had a good guess on what the reason was. With the girl talk ending and the Princess bidding her farewells she walked over toward Dan. Dan kept a neutral face and decided to push himself off the wall and listen to what she had to say. “Just in case you missed it, for the time being, I’ll leave you under the care of Twilight for the time being as you get settled in… Is everything alright?”

“No, princess it’s not.” Dan shrugged, “But I’ll manage.” he then turned his gaze to the six mares “Will they?”

“It… will be a rocky start, but I have the utmost faith that they will come to understand you… So as their princess, I can only ask that you at the very least try to make the same effort.” She bowed her head a little toward him.

……….. Dan sighed “I’ll try, but don’t expect a miracle, alright? These girls seem pretty dead set on not having anything to do with me.”

“All I ask is that you give each other time.” Celestia then nodded to him before smiling at the girls and teleporting out of the library. Leaving Dan to deal with the ladies.

“So…. Where do I sleep?”

Author's Note

Hey! Thanks for reading this far! As promised I'll let you in how this story is gonna work! Currently I'm working on my first story still and I post in every 3 weeks. how those weeks are set up is thus: The first week, I work on the next Chapter for this story here, The Royal Hunter. the two weeks are that are solely dedicated to writing the next chapter to my First story. I'm estimating here but I should be able to post a Chapter for Royal hunter at the very least, somewhere between once a month to a month and a half.

This will be the process until I finally finish the first story (Which I will! No proof to doubt me yet on that one.) Then Royal Hunter will get the three week treatment and see updates much more frequently. Also, despite this Chapter here and the prologue in my First Story, I don't accept a Chapter as complete until it's at least 4k words long. I personally like long chapters so I do the same for my stories.

Let me be absolutely clear incase your thinking this. I will NOT! be one of those types that will right a story and then never return or put it on a hiatus. There might be times that I might get writer's block, and if that happens I will update you whats going on via in the author's notes in the latest chapter and write "(News Update)" in the latest Chapter's title. I don't want to keep you guys in the dark or anything like that when writing this story.

Secondly, Whether you people like this story or hate it, I'm gonna continue it until its done. It's the same for my first story. Even if this story gets nothing but thumbs down I'm still gonna keep putting up chapters for it.

Now then, about this story! I wanted to start this with the first 5 chapters ready to go because I wanted to get through all the introduction stuff for the reader so the chapters from here on out get to rest of the story. It's why I withheld posting this for so long.

Anyway, I hope you find this story interesting and hope you look forward to more chapters coming for it. If not, thanks for giving it a shot at least.

Chapter Six (Re-Edit)

The Forest… For a city boy, Dan felt comfortable in the middle of a forest, it always gave him this childish idea that he was in some forbidden woods searching for never before seen ruins or creatures. As the years went on, and the more he took on his family’s favorite past time, he certainly got to see or even stalk interesting animals. Nothing rare or never before seen, hunting one of those was a lawsuit waiting to happen if not jail time. He would just attend hunting seasons, participate in any overpopulation threats, or even get dragged by his father to hunt an animal that was harassing a farmer. More often than naught, he’d end up in a forest. Much like the one he was in right now.

It was dense, unfamiliar, and somewhat dark. So many trees, so little sunlight. The whole time he just stood in that spot and looked around. Why was he here? Where was he? Was he back on Earth? Was everything that he experienced about Equestria one long dream after he hunted that unicorn? Did he pass out in the middle of the forest from shock? No, again, the forest was dense. Last he remembered when he shot that talking unicorn, there weren't enough trees to block out the sunlight like this… So it really did happen, and he’s in another world, but he was forgetting something, this much he knew.

He suddenly felt uneasy. Was something off? He looked around…. He saw nothing, but he did sense something-ABOVE! Something within himself was warning him of something above him, His legs barely managed to obey his brain’s command as he side jumped as far as he could before tucking into a roll. It was then that he noticed how he narrowly dodged a large beast pouncing onto where he once stood. “Ah, Crap! What the hell?!” When he was back on his feet he instinctively gave a wide berth of space between him and the creature. After getting a good look he was shocked to see it was a Manticore. The Manticore he just killed. How did he know? The hole in his head was still there. “Holy Crap, Zombie Beast!” His hand went down to his side only to end up grabbing his pants. His Desert Eagle wasn’t there, and he had no rifle strapped onto his back. “You’ve got to be kidding me here. What is going on?!” Not giving him any more time to think, the Manticore lunged at him, only for Dan to narrowly break out of his stupor and dodge it again, then kick off running.

“This can’t be happening, this can’t happening, this can’t be HAPPENING!” he chanted as he could hear the creature chasing after him. “Why the hell am I even here?!” he vaulted over a rock and rounded a large tree only to see the Manticore reached the other side before him and lunge for him again. “AAAUGH!” The only thing he could think of was to duck and slide under the beast, narrowly dodging its claws as it passed by above him and he immediately got to his feet and ran as fast as he could. “OH MY GOD, I’m gonna die! I’m gonna die in a dark forest alone with this thing picking at my bones!” He panted as his body was on autopilot frantically running through the forest. “What is up with my life?!”

He ran and ran and ran, surprisingly not even feeling tired, but he just chalked that up to fear as fuel to his engine on running away. He had no direction, just a primal goal to stay alive. Something within him felt like this was a correct response, yet at the same time, it made him feel somewhat frustrated about it. He immediately felt that he could do better, but at the moment there wasn’t anything he could think of or see that could help his situation. Suddenly he felt an ominous feeling just behind him. Then the image of his death crossed his mind and reflexively he made a hard juke to the side, just to barely dodge a giant paw smashing into the ground where he just was. “AAAAAAAAAAHHHH!!!” he screamed and back jumped away from the beast as far as he could until he slammed his back into a tree. “OH SHI-” he narrowly ducked under a swipe that lopped off the upper half of the tree he slammed against. The wood tilted and toppled over with a thud that could be felt on the ground. However, he was more distracted by the sinister looking lion face glaring down at him. This was it, this was where he would die… The beast lunged at him, once again. There was nothing he could do…

YEAH RIGHT!

Keep Clawing your way through life! He socked that Manticore right in the nose as hard as he could, the force knocked the beast’s face away from him, however he did so when it was still in mid air, when the punch was delivered so the next thing Dan knew, he was about to experience two ton of mythical beast colliding into him.

~~~

Dan shot up in with a start, his eyes wide, a sharp intake of air, and his heart pounding. It was a few seconds after did he finally register his current whereabouts. He was sitting up on a large couch, a blanket seemed to be carelessly tossed off to the side of him, the majority was on the floor while some of it still rested on his leg. A look around and he could see that he was in that Library in a tree. Oh, right… I stay here now.... He thought as he calmed down and his memories recollected. It was the only place Twilight could think to put him at, of course, she and Spike seemed to avoid as much conversation as possible with him. He can take an educated guess it was still about his actual job… that or the fact that he eats meat. He couldn’t tell, he wouldn’t be surprised if both were the reason.

At least they fed him that night, granted he had to explain to Twilight that humans don’t eat daisy sandwiches or any flower for that matter, but at least there were some things that he could eat there, he didn’t have any meat yet, but even if he did, he wouldn’t cook it now. He was pretty sure it wouldn’t sit well with Twilight’s stomach. Spike, was a different story. He was a dragon, but he couldn’t tell if the little guy would handle it or not.

“Well, it looks like I got all that I needed to know.” Said Aegis as he “ghosted” out of Dan’s body to hover above and look back at him. “How disappointing.”

“Huh?” Dan yawned but was unclear on what the old stallion meant.

“That session with the manticore, I honestly had expected more from you after what happened in reality yesterday.” Aegis shook his head.

“Manti-wait! You saw that? Did you cause that!?” The groggy feeling Dan had was replaced with anger and annoyance toward the ghost.

“Aye, I wanted to evaluate what you are capable of now so I know how to train you from now on to become a better hunter than I was.”

“You... You crusty old fart-” Dan glared at the stallion, trying his best to emphasize his extreme displeasure with him without yelling too loudly and waking his two purple roommates upstairs. “That scared me half to death!”

“Impossible, despite all that, the one thing you do have in spades is enough vitality to avoid from dying from extreme shock. Otherwise, the shock of that beast lunging at you would kill you easily enough.”

……. “What?”

“Honestly it was a bit of a gamble from my part, you seemed pretty sturdy a fellow so I decided to give it a shot.” Aegis explained.

“I hate you…. I’d wish you would die in a fire but you're already DEAD.” Dan grumbled as he grabbed the covers from the ground and to place it over him, laid back down, turned away from Aegis, and closed his eyes. “I’m going back to bed.”

“Ah, perfect we can get to training right away, we’ve got a lot of work cut out for us to graduate you from that sorry state of a coward you acted like in that last session.”

“No! Sleeping is meant to recover from hard work, and you're just gonna exhaust me before I even get to see the sunrise?” Dan rebuttaled as he pointed toward Aegis without looking back to see if he was even pointing at him at all.

“Oh come now, what you experience in the dream won’t affect your body in reality, by the time you wake up from training, your body will be just as well rested as it would be if you had a normal dream.

“MY MIND WON’T BE!” Dan replied adamantly. “That’s a mental strain.”

Aegis rolled his eyes. “Oh quit being a baby, I turned out fine and you will too.” Aegis said before he floated back into Dan’s body.

“N-no, NO! You will NOT-gaaaah!” Was all Dan could say before he suddenly felt extremely tired. The last thing he saw was someone coming down from upstairs before sleep overtook him.

At that moment Spike was peeking down from the top of the stairs at the couch Dan slept on. “What in Celestia was that about? Does he mumble this loudly in his sleep or something?” He rubbed one of his eyes and yawned. Before heading back up to bed.

The rest of the night, and every night onward, Dan was forced to undergo an unforgiving training regimen of near death encounters under Aegis’ tutelage…

~~~~~~~~~~

The Following Morning

The morning after, Spike was on his way downstairs to start his morning routine and make some breakfast for everyone. As he rubbed the sleep out of his eye and reached the bottom step, the strangest thing caught his eye. Dan was off the couch, standing in front of it and away from him. Utterly motionless, he rivaled a statue with his Dedication. “”Uuuh, Morning?” Spike eventually said.

“Oh… you're up… Morning…… Spike, right?” Dan asked as he still faced away from him.

“Uuuh, yeah…. Can I ask, why are you standing there?” Over to Dan if one were able to see through his eyes, they would see that he was glaring at Aegis who seemed to be smirking at him. That just ticked Dan off even more.

“I can’t let him win...” Dan mumbled.

“What?” Spike raised an eyebrow, he couldn’t quite catch that.

Of course, Dan immediately recovered. “I uh, can’t GIVE IN, I said. I’m uuh training… mentally…” Dan hastily made up. Aegis snickered, which of course ticked Dan off even more since he knew why. After the umpteenth time being thrown into “dream training” Dan finally figured out that if he mentally defended his mind and kept his eyes on the old man. Aegis would be prevented from flying back into his body and inducing that heavy call to sleep like before. However, he had to learn about keeping his eye on the ghost the hard way after succumbing a few more times to get it right.

“Oh.” Spike blinked, “Well um, I’m gonna make some breakfast for all of us…. Pancakes… Can humans eat pancakes?”

“Spike, where I come from, we have a restaurant chain dedicated to pancakes. Just don’t put any flowers or jewels in it ok?” He mentioned after dealing with the “dinner debacle” last night.

“R-right.” Spike managed to say, He was now more curious of the human after hearing that.

Breakfast finished as soon as Twilight woke up. This time, the meal was much more enjoyable for Dan, now that they knew a human’s diet. However, it was shortened quite a bit thanks to the purple mare. It seemed she had something planned today, and it involved Dan. So with some speed eating and a trip to the bathroom, he was ready to go. “Ok, Twilight, so what’s with the sudden urgency?”

“We’re going to visit the girls today.” she said curtly

…. “Aaaand why? Are they dying or something?” Dan raised an eyebrow.

“What!? No! Why would you think that?!” she asked, shocked to hear such a question asked so casually.

“Well, I figured since this was supposed to be “urgent” I figured someone was dying or a monster suddenly appeared or something,” Dan pulled out his phone to check the battery. 57% Great…

Before Twilight could even reply to his question, she found herself glued to that device with intrigue “You keep, pulling that out from time to time, then you stare and poke at it. Why?”

Dan looked up at her from the screen. “It’s a smartphone, the Swiss army knife of phones. Even if it does autocorrect my texts to say the stupidest nonsense.”

Despite being confused about the use of the terms such as “autocorrect” and “text” she would be lying if she said she wasn’t intrigued to know more about the device. Actually, the word intrigued would probably be an understatement. Quite honestly she found Dan to be utterly fascinating since she has never come across a human before. At least to her knowledge. She didn’t know what a human was until yesterday. She wanted to just take him down to her lab and run a million tests and barrage him with two million questions. However, thanks to her friends she is learning moderation, as well as the phrase “A time and a place for everything.” And now, unfortunately, wasn’t that time. “Well, that aside, yesterday, admittedly we did not make the best impression with each other.”

“Can’t argue with that.” Dan said as he closed out of an app he was checking before putting the phone back in his pocket to focus his attention on her.

“Right, well, I’ve decided that today we should try again to get know each other more, and by we, I mean the girls as well. Seeing that we will be working with each other from now on. It’s best to take care of any issues with each other as soon as possible.” Twilight stated as she opened the front door with her magic and walked out of the library soon followed by Dan.

“I agree with you there, but I have serious doubts it’s gonna be as easy as you make it. They didn’t really part on the best of terms with me the other day.”

“Well can you blame them? What pony would after what they just saw?” Twilight replied

“I guess, so who do we hit first?” Dan asked. This made Twilight stop and look back at him only for him to sigh “Figure of Speech Twilight, I didn’t mean literally.”

“O-oh! Right, of course!” She knew the term but the event yesterday still weighed on her mind. “Well, I decided that we should start with Pinkie Pie. She’s the perfect candidate, to begin with, since she’s always ready to make a new friend.”

“Pinkie Pie… She did seem excited about throwing me a party before the… ‘incident’. So, that'd be great I guess.” He replied, “Parties are a great way to meet people.”

You think so?” Twilight looked back at him with a smile seeing that he was into making all this work.

“Yeah, though normally they’re hammered out of their minds and barely able to walk two steps without puking over their own shoes, so you generally don’t want to be near them, to begin with.”

Twilight’s face turned to that of disgust. “What kind of parties do you humans even have there?”

“Oh, that was just for frat parties and teenagers that like to drink booze while their parents are out of town cuz they're all about being rebellious and thinking their adults already.” He chuckled at that reminder. “Many teenagers can be stupid.”

…. “I’m not sure if you're being serious or messing with me.” Twilight raised an eyebrow.

Dan just shrugged “Maybe both, I’m really just fishing for a conversation at this point. Walking in silence is kind of awkward if you're walking with someone else.”

“You… Have a point.” And then it clicked for her. “Oh! That actually is perfect. Why don’t we do just that! It’ll be some time before we get there anyway. So we should get to know each other.” she had a smile going on. It was the perfect excuse for her to ‘casually’ barrage the boy with her most curious of questions.

“Well, that’s generally the idea.” He replied but he was getting a hint of the look in her eye that there was some ulterior motive to all this. It seemed harmless anyway and information sharing is important to him right now in a world he hardly knew anything about.

“Perfect, well then, you’re already aware of my name and who I am and I know why you are here. So we’ll start from there and ask questions back and forth.” Twilight suggested to which Dan just shrugged and nodded putting his hands in his pockets. “Excellent! Then I’ll go first. What were you doing before you took this job?”

“Wow, straight to the personal questions, huh? Alright then- Well I live in a place called Detroit, Michigan-” And so he began a brief explanation of his life on Earth, leaving Twilight utterly fascinated with that world’s technology, making her interest on Dan’s “smartphone” increase all the more.

“Wow, your world’s magic is so advance if you can create such devices.”

“No magic.” Dan replied as he looked up towards the skies. There was a cloud being pushed by a Pegasus from one group of clouds to the other. Ignoring the fact that they were quite literally manipulating water vapor like it was play dough.

“...Excuse me? Ahem, sorry, I think I misheard you, but it almost sounds like you said no magic.” she chuckled.

“I did. We have no magic in my world.” he said bluntly.

This realization didn’t hit Twilight right away, she stopped walking at first, causing Dan to do the same and look back at her with a confused look before he could ask if she was alright, she started stammering over her words until finally, she made a coherent “WHAT?! But that’s impossible!”

Dan just folded his arms and leaned to the side. “Oh? How so?”

“It-... It just can’t work that way. You claim that “smartphone” thing in your pocket can do so many things, but without magic?

“Yup.”

She shook her head “That can’t be! What other way could it possibly work in such a way that isn’t magic then?” She asked with a skeptical tone.

“Electricity, battery power to be precise.” He was smirking now as he pulled out his phone to look at it once again. He would really have to show her a thing or two about it. If only there was an internet connect-THERE’S WIFI!” He was shocked, he never really looked at the icon for it on his phone because he just assumed as much. Wouldn’t anyone else?... Now that he thought about it, the world clock on his phone seemed to be working as well… and so did the alarm each morning. He brushed it off at first thinking it was running on some kind of internal timer, but that’s not entirely how it worked. The thing would constantly update itself given his location in case he was in a different timezone and follow daylight’s saving as well…. No, no, none of this was adding up.

“Hey! Dan?! You alright? You’re making a weird face.” Twilight tilted her head and looked confused for a moment before suddenly she started grinning. “Ooooh, I get it. You were just bluffing, weren't you!? Can’t put your money where your mouth is, huh?”

….. On second thought. The astonishment could wait. This chick needed to be brought down a peg or two. He tapped on the phone’s browser app and he opened a tab and went to google. Twilight watched as his thumb furiously tapped on the screen part of the phone, though she couldn’t see what was on the screen that he would tap his thumb on so much. After a bit of time, his smug grin returned and he turned the phone around to face the screen at her. “Read it and weep, nerd.”

She glared at him, it was kind of rude for him to call her that just because she called him out on his bluff- That was when her eyes locked onto the screen. It was a Wikipedia page that explained electricity, in Equish no less. She decided to read it. She knew the basics of how electricity works and some rudimentary devices that used it, so this helped remind her that such a power source exists. “Ok, I see your point, but you can’t honestly expect me to believe that-” and then Dan swiped up to show more text. “Wh… What is this? How can this tiny thing fit more of this page?” she asked as she continued reading as it explained more in depth of the uses of electricity and the use of the foreign term “Electronics”. Dan tapped on that word since it was hyperlinked, and the page she was reading disappeared and then suddenly appeared an entirely new page talking about the word “Electronics”. “What?! How?!”

Dan smirked. “Keep reading and you might find out.” Suddenly his phone was pulled out of his grasp by a magic, magenta aura surrounding it and flew straight in front of Twilight’s face. “Hey!! be careful with that! Also, asking first would be nice.”

“This is… unbelievable...” she continued to read and thanks to Dan, learned how to scroll down for more info using the tip of her hoof. Then she found the process kind of fun and continued doing it. “What an interesting device I’ll admit, but with just two pages, I don’t see much value in this.” That’s right. It surprised her and perhaps someday in the future it might even hold a whole book’s work within it, but if that’s all it had then it’s really not all that great.

That’s when she heard Dan chuckling. “Done already? I guess you only read the first part of that electronics page and started playing around with the touch screen to notice didn’t you?” He took the phone as she tensed up, he got her there. “You haven’t even scratched the surface of it.” He then pointed to the device. “Think of every book and dictionary you’ve ever read in your life and that still wouldn’t even put a dent in how much knowledge you’d get from this thing here.” He replied as he started tapping away again at it.

“No…. You're bluffing!” She was shocked, but deep inside her, something wanted to him to be right.”

“Would I really act this smug if I wasn’t. Here, check it.” He then stood beside her, knelt down and pulled her close to him holding the phone in front of them. “Smile!”

“What are you do-Oh my Celestia! Is that us!? It just became a mirror!” she then heard the clicking sound of a camera shutter. In actuality he originally had that sound effect turned off, but he was just using it this time to rub it in for the little know it all. He then brought it close to them to get a better look. And there they were, on the phone's screen as if it were a photograph but much better quality with more realistic color and lighting and- “It’s so real…!”

This was when Dan stood up. “I’ll say it again, Twilight.” he then turned back to her with a big grin holding out his phone and tapping on the touch screen once more. Letting some music play.

“You haven’t even scratched the surface on what this thing can do!”

~~~

Sugarcube Corner

Pinkie, no surprise, was already up and energized like she just guzzled a few barrels of liquid Cotton Candy and finished off with an after dinner chocolate mint. However, all that energy was used to help the Cakes get their business up and ready for yet another day of hungry customers. “Pinkie, could you check on the oven? The next batch should be done any minute.” Said Carrot cake.

Pinkie had been helping Carrot setup cupcakes inside the glass display as Carrot’s wife was mixing up another batch in the making. This time with chocolate as the base for them. “You got it!” And before he could even blink, she was already gone and in the Kitchen, where Miss Cup Cake was working her magic.

“Ah Pinkie, How’s everything up front?” She asked as she just finished pouring the batter into the cupcake pan.

“Everything is ship shape port and starboard, Captain!!” Pinkie Saluted as she somehow managed to acquire an eye patch and bandana out of nowhere. “Arrr! 'Twas sent to the galley to check on the booty!”

Cup Cake smiled and rolled her eyes but played along. “Very Well First Mate. And what say you? Are they ready?”

Pinkie opened the oven and had a look inside. She then took a moment to make unnecessary gestures of rubbing her chin, glaring into the hot oven at the risen cupcakes within, as well as a lot of “Hmm”s coming out of her mouth before she finally nodded and pulled out a hot cupcake tray filled in each slot with a naked but fresh vanilla cupcake. She then gave a nod. “They are PERFECT!” she cheered before taking them out.

“I’ll handle those dear, You can just set them over here.” They then heard the sound of their front door opening. “Oh, it appears we have a customer already.”

“I’m on it!” she exclaimed just as she set the tray down and bounced her way to the front.

Meanwhile, Carrot was in utter shock at what he was seeing. He looked like he was about ready to bolt then and there when Pinkie arrived. Before she could even ask why she heard a familiar voice coming from the front door. “Uuuh, Twilight, the clerk over there looks like he’s about to freak out too…. Oh hey, the Pink one is over there too.”

Immediately she ran right over. “Hey, Twilight! Hey, Dan! Welcome to Sugarcube Corner! Here for something super duper yummy I bet!?

“Well, you’re half right on that one, bubble gum.” Dan stepped to the side to let Twilight in completely.

“Bubble gum?” Pinkie tilted her head and had an adorably confused look on her face.

“Why’d you call her that?” Twilight asked.

“Cuz she’s bubbly and just as pink as bubble gum. Surprisingly still cheery to meet me after… You know…. But hey, if you don’t like that I can call you Cotton Candy cuz of that wicked awesome hairstyle.” he joked, it was literally all he could think of and Twilight just face hoofed. “Or just your name is fine too if you don’t like those.”

“No… I LOVE IT!” Pinkie cheered and bounced so high in the air one would question if she was floating in place for a moment. Causing both Dan and Twilight to jerk back from the sudden outburst but just like that she zipped off and was now riding on Dan’s back. “Oooh if I’m Bubble Gum, then I’m gonna call you Danny!”

“Uh, yeah sure whatever floats your boat. Can you get off now?” he asked before reaching back and pulling the giggling pink fuzzball off his back. “Oh and you mind saying something to that guy over there before he gets a heart attack?” he looked past her to Carrot Cake who was locked in place wide eyed and in shock at what he was seeing.

When she looked back she just laughed “Oh don’t worry about it, He’ll be fine in a few minutes. OH! But where are my manners!?!? Let me introduce you to everypony here!!!” And so despite the light protest of Dan and Mommy & Daddy Cake. She started firing off introductions of Mr. and Miss. Cake, and their twins Pumpkin and Pound who WERE napping. But now that they were up and out of their crib, Thanks to Pinkie, they stared at the tall two legged “pony” and were immediately fascinated by him. “Awww, they want to play with you!”

“Wait, what? Uh, that’s... I don’t think- and you're giving them to me anyway, that’s fine...” and immediately found himself now holding the little tots in his arms as they reached out with their hooves to touch his face and scruffy goatee and started babbling away in baby gibberish. “Ah-hahaaa… yeah, that’s my face.” Despite the relative uneasiness he felt suddenly holding infant ponies, his body seemed to react instinctively to at least hold them with gentleness and care. Something that wasn’t missed by Cup and Carrot. It at the very least helped the two parents relax a little about the strange newcomer. “Pinkie, why don’t you take care of your friends while we deal with the twins, ok?” Cup asked as she trotted over to Dan. “I’ll take them off your hooves, dear.”

“Huh? Oh, uh sure..” he knelt down to let the actual mother take the little toddlers off him and toward the kitchen, no doubt to feed them their own breakfast, Dan could only assume it was like some kinda Gerber baby mush for ponies…. that or bag mushy oats or something.

Now you're just being racist. Dan heard from the back of his mind.

Shut up, gramps. You’d think the same too when the last time you saw a horse they couldn’t care less if they crapped on their own leg. This just… takes some getting used to so bear with me. He stood back up and noticed Pinkie and Twilight start chatting.

I know, I just felt like getting a rise from you.

“Seriously Aegis, come back to life so you can die in a fire...” Dan mumbled to himself

“What’s on fire?” Twilight managed to hear the end of his rant.

“It can’t be the cupcakes, I JUST pulled them out of the oven!” Pinkie defended.

“What? Oh uh, no I mean I was just saying “Wow, my guts…. on…. fire wwww-with hunger! Yeah!”

Seriously...? Aegis groaned

Well you're certainly not helping me out in this situation, douche..

What is this douche you speak of?

I’m done talking to you right now. Dan replied, meanwhile the two girls thought the phrasing was odd, more so for Twilight since breakfast wasn’t ALL too long ago. But she wouldn’t mind a cupcake before leaving.

“Well, in any case, Pinkie if you don’t mind, we would like something to eat. Cupcakes this time since you mentioned it has gotten me craving for some.” Twilight started pulling out some bits to pay for both their meals.

“Oooh! Perfect timing! They’re fresh too, You two have a seat and I’ll be back in a jiffy!!”

And so their first stop to help Dan get acquainted with the locals and the girls started off relatively well. Dan was still surprised to hear that Pinkie was still preparing the party for him. Another thing for him to note: “Jeez, This cupcake is awesome!” He managed to say as he was practically destroying his chocolate frosted and rainbow sprinkled one. “Screw those store bought ones!” he said before taking another bite

“Store bought?” Pinkie stated. “You mean stores make cupcakes where you come from?”

“Uuuh, kinda yes and kinda not, really. I mean some big supermarkets tend to have their own bakery, but smaller ones or convenience stores tend to get theirs shipped to them.”

“Supermarkets? Convenience Stores?” Twilight’s curiosity was starting to hunger after hearing such words. Dan was more surprised how fast she got her notebook out. “Can you tell me more about these things? Or better yet, I am very much curious about your world entirely, I would love to take the time to ask you about it!” The more she talked the more excited she seemed to be getting.

Dan felt like he just stepped on a landmine with the way the girl was staring at him stars in her eyes.

“Uh, that’s fine and all but don’t we have other places to be?”

“Oh you can just tell me a little bit first and THEN we can go!” She insisted, moving ever so close to him.

Is she for real? Dan had to respect the tenacity he was sensing from her. “Look I just want to get this whole meet and greet done as soon as possible cuz apparently I have work to do after this AND I need to get settled in too. How about after this we can talk ALL you want, ok?”

“Oh, you said it now!” Pinkie said with a giggle and trotted away back to the kitchen before he could even ask her why.

“You promise? You promise to answer EVERY QUESTION that I ask when that time comes?”

Seriously, warning flags and internal alarms were going off inside him, but against his instinct, he nodded “S-sure, that’s fine.” and the purple unicorn nearly squee-ed before she finished her cupcake in a flash and magically shoved the remainder of Dan’s in his mouth before hopping off her seat. “See you later Pinkie! We gotta run!” Twilight said nudging Dan out of his seat “Let's go let’s go, Dan! Time’s a wastin’!”

Dan was seriously contemplating what distance he could make if he punted Twilight like a football, right now.

Now, now, it’s your own fault for lighting a fire under the young scholar. Aegis said with a chuckle. With a wave from Pinkie, the two were out the door and Twilight was practically dragging Dan to their next stop.

~~~~~~~~~~

Carousel Boutique

The next stop was Rarity’s. If Dan planned on being on better terms with her, he would have to reach back to his mental “toolbox” so that he at least looks like a gentleman in front of her. She seemed to react well to him acting like that so that’s what he was going with. He’s been to formal gatherings before, having a wealthy mother and father they tend to invite or be invited by snobby people to get together. Frankly, his mother said it was for business reasons cuz he knows his father would rather be cracking a cold beer and fishing or something than deal with another minute in one of those. This also meant that being the oldest, you’d have to stop acting like the child that you are when you're 10 and stand there with an ugly comb over and a mini version of the same monkey suit your pops was wearing.

Dan did that only cuz he loved his mom, so he at least made an effort on keeping that gentlemen mentality to heart. “OK, this is where she lives and works.” Twilight stated as she trotted ahead.

“Much respect to entrepreneurs. And she’s in the fashion department?” Dan looked at the building. He can definitely see where the “carousel” part of the title came from.

“That’s right, though she can be a bit… enthusiastic about her work and fashion itself so… don’t take it too much to heart if she critiques you about what you wear.”

“She seemed fine with my duds before.” Dan replied.

“That’s just because you were wearing your cloak, we couldn’t see your actual outfit under all that.”

Dan looked at himself, he was still wearing that camo hoodie unzipped, Zelda shirt with Link making a pose with pulling out the Master Sword, some well-worn jeans, and his boots. He left his gear at the Library seeing as he wasn’t going anywhere dangerous with Twilight at the moment. “Welp, she’s just gonna have to deal with it. I didn’t exactly bring my dress clothes with me.”

Twilight seemed to avoid his gaze when he said that and knocked on the door. ”Don’t say I didn’t warn you….”

Dan just shrugged as he heard Rarity call out “Just a minute!” From further in the building. Dan got a look through one of the windows showing a few pony mannequins inside wearing some rather… flamboyant outfits. And one that just looked rather dapper. He assumed it was just gonna be one of “those” fashion shops. He remembered renting out a tux once for his Prom. He regretted it later, his prom just sucked, or maybe all Proms suck when you don’t have a date to them. The door then started to glow a blue magical aura before opening up revealing Rarity as she trotted right up, and giving that usual welcome line she does for customers. “Welcome to the Carousel Boutique whe-"

“Where everything is chic, unique, and Magnifique, Miss Rarity?” Dan cut her off. He still remembered that line from yesterday.

“Oh uh, yes, are you a regular-Oh!” When she finally caught sight of him all the memories came back. “It’s you the… the… the-”

“Yes I am, but you can just call me Dan as I’ve said before.” he nodded to her.

“Ahem.” Twilight cut in, “Say how about we head inside and have a chat? I was just showing Dan around and helping him get more acquainted with everypony since we all got off on the wrong hoof, after...you know...”

Rarity looked like she was about to say something…. “Think of the princess.” Dan threw in. Rarity seemed to scowl at that, but she eventually breathed in and then out.

“Oh very well, I suppose a simple chat is fine. However,” Rarity then stared at Dan with a scrutinizing gaze.

“What?” Dan raised an eyebrow

“Here we go...” Twilight muttered to herself as Rarity went up to him then circled around him looked at his outfit.

“Please tell me you have much more formal wear when you speak to the Princesses during your meetings with them.”

“Yeah, your purple friend here was wondering that as well. Can’t say that I do. I was ripped from my own world after all. Hard to plan out your luggage when you have no clue you’d be leaving. You know?” Dan then felt Rarity start nudging him in toward the doorway leading in. “Hey, whoa, what’s going on?”

“We are going to fix that right this instant. It’s only proper when you meet such royalty that you should look your absolute best. Now, come along, I must have your measurements.”

“My what?” Dan looked back at Twilight who just flashed an apologetic smile before following behind them. “Well, at least you managed to break the ice with her, Dan.”

“You are not helping, Twilight...” Dan grumbled as he was forced inside. There he experienced another side of Rarity he’d care not to invoke anytime soon. The nit picky, fashionista that demanded perfection. However, he went with it only on the account that it seemed to help clear the air and allow him to have a conversation with her. Before he knew it, it was time for them to leave for the next stop. Now Rarity was smiling and waving them off in a much more cheery demeanor. After taking some time to talk, Rarity, although was still against the act of the Manticore’s demise, now felt like she had a better understanding of the man. He can be a kind and polite gentlemen when he wants to be, but he also follows his emotions and his beliefs when things get rough or unclear for him.

“Ta-ta you two! I’ll be sure to prepare your suit by the end of the week, Dan.”

“Uh, yeah, sure, thanks.” he waved back to her but then sighed when he turned around to face forward. “Jeez, that woman doesn’t take no for an answer.” He adjusted his jacket. “But I guess when you're passionate about something…”

“Oh, and Dan?!” Rarity called out making him and Twilight stop and look back. “Thank you… for yesterday… Especially with my dear sister and her friends.” She was referring to the Cutie Mark Crusaders. “I’m sure if they weren’t at school right now they’d come to thank you as well.” Dan stood there for a moment, in the end, he could only nod to her.

“No problem, Rarity.” he did smile a little, however, then for real this time they turned and left after once more waving goodbye to her.

“I think that went better than I would have hoped. At this rate. The girls will definitely warm up to you in no time.”

“Let’s… try not to jinx it ok?” Dan scratched the back of his head. “Anyway, where to next?”

“To Sweet Apple Acres.”

“That Apple farm the cowgirl spoke of?”

“If you mean Applejack, then yes and also I think it’s very clear that she is a pony, not a cow. Could you not tell?”

Dan just rolled his eyes. “Forget it, wiz kid, it was just a figure of speech from my world. I know what she is.”

“Wiz kid?” She tilted her head

“OK, moving on.” Dan just kept on walking forward.

~~~~~~~~~~

Sweet Apple Acres

The Farm seemed to be just fine, The apples were doing their usual farm work like nothing happened. It seemed Celestia sent for some guards to properly move the Manticore corpse and dispose of it properly seeing as it was in a very visible and open area of the farm for others to see. However, it was clear on Applejack's face, when they met up with her, that she held some concerns about Ponyville’s new resident human. However, like Rarity, she understood there was a reason for it, and a pretty good one. Also, she knew full well if it wasn’t for him they wouldn’t know the Crusaders were in trouble in the first place.

So it was frustrating for her. Altogether, she should thank him, but she wanted to scold him, yet she knew that she shouldn’t since it was his job. So finally she decided on the only way to get over her issues. She came up with whatever her gut told her that would help.

“She wants me to kick a tree?” Dan stared up at the apple tree they were standing under.

“Yyyyyyup.” replied Big Mac as he was setting up the baskets. “Buck the apples out of the tree, whatever ya bring down, we’ll make sumthin’ nice with it for ya.”

“Like?”

“Oh Apple Pie, Apple Fritters, Apple Turnovers, Cider…. Hard cider if ya want.”

Dan looked back at the Stallion with a raised eyebrow. What, is that the pony version of moonshine or something? With a shake of his head, he looked toward the tree again. Last time I checked an average human roundhouse kick can't knock apples out of a tree. He looked at his chest where the medallion resided under his shirt. Your thoughts, Aegis? Am I able to pull this off?

When Dan looked back at the tree he could sense Aegis contemplating, It’s… doable, though not to a great extent, you have just gotten used to this power, without the proper muscle training I have set up for you later you won’t be able to use the full extent of the medallion. However, I trust that the very least you can do is knock out a few apples. I’d recommend a running start though.

He did just that. After taking a few steps back, taking a ready stance he bolted straight for the tree, jumped, and performed a flying drop kick on it. It shook the tree for a few seconds before ultimately gravity laughed at the foolish human by making him fall on his back to the ground with a grunt as some apples started to fall, which one of them bonked him on the forehead before bouncing off it and rolling away in the grass. “AAAUGH! SON OF A BI-!”

Aegis barely managed to shut his mouth up in time before he would say anything vulgar in front of the ladies. Remind me to add basic manners to the list of lessons I’ll drill into your head.

Dan was too busy nursing the throbbing pain on his forehead to give him a snappy remark. After a bit of first aid and apple collecting, Dan, Twilight, and Applejack were now standing at the farm entrance as Dan held a basket of his hard earned apples in his hand, a piece of cotton wool stuck to his forehead with medical tape, and an “I couldn’t really care less what happens now at this point” look on his face. It kind of made things awkward for either of the girls to speak for a bit. Then AJ broke the ice.

“Look, I’m sorry Dan, I didn’t want ya to get hurt, but it’s just..” Dan just lifted his palm in front of her to stop her talking.

“It’s fine, you were conflicted about me and tried to think of a way to overcome it. I kind of expected that from you and the rest of the girls. I think Rarity’s way to vent was talk about how tacky and plain my outfit looked and wanted to make me a suit.”

This got a chuckle out of the farmer. “Yeah, that sounds like her.”

He then smirked. “Look at that, got a laugh out of you.”

“Ah guess ya did… It was pretty funny how that apple clonked ya on the noggin, too.” Applejack started giggling, Twilight soon joined as well.

“All right now you’re just rubbing salt in the wound.” He couldn’t help but chuckle about it as well.

“Alright, we should get going, we still have two more stops to make today” Twilight started walking. Before Dan could do the same, however, Applejack called out.

“Hold on a moment, Dan.” She asked, when he looked back he could see the smile gone from her face as she seemed to be fighting about something in her mind. It took her a moment and a pair of eyes staring at her curiously before finally saying. “Thank you… fer savin’ mah sister and her friends…. Truly.”

….. Dan then looked away scratching his cheek. “Jeez, you too huh?” Reminding him of Rarity’s thank you about it. “Uh, don’t worry about it. Anybody else would’ve done the same thing.” They’d totally crap their pants though seeing the thing, though, He thought.

“Well, ah’m thankful anyway. Yer welcome here anytime ya like.”

“I certainly hope so.” Dan replied grabbing one of the apples from his basket and taking a bite “You weren’t lying about these apples being the best. I might just become a regular.”

Hearing that definitely lightened the mood and put a smile back on the mare’s face, before she then stood proudly. “Told ya so.”

“Ok, you two, we gotta get going for real now. Dan still has a promise to keep.” Twilight butted in.

“Oh yeah… alright, alright. Catch ya later AJ!” Dan called out before walking off with Twilight.

“Take care you two!” She waved them goodbye, glad that she got to know the guy better. He was a lot more easy going and friendly than she had assumed earlier.

~~~~~~~~~~

An Open Field in Ponyville

Dan looked around, grassy hills, some houses in the distance, and the tree line going to the Everfree on the other end. “Uh, you sure this is the right place Twilight? Cuz All I see is nature…. is Rainbow a hobo?”

“No!” Twilight sighed “She’s working today, but we should be able to met up with her here.”

“Oh yeah? What’s her job?” He asked

“She’s a weather pony.”

Dan folded his arms “Oh yeah, I remember Luna telling me about the ability of a Pegasus… and there were those pegasi flying about in Canterlot ramming right into some clouds bursting right through them like nothing.”

Twilight nodded, “That’s basically part of what they do, yes.” She looked back toward the sky and perked up. “Oh, there she is!”

When Dan looked up, he could see a cloud moving really fast with a rainbow streak coming out from the back of it. He was about to comment about that when he then noticed some blue sticking out from the back of the cloud as well. “That’s Rainbow up there?”

“Of course! Who else can make that rainbow contrail when they fly?” Twilight said matter of factly.

Dan was then reminded of that time Rainbow rammed into the Manticore when it was aiming for him. “Oh yeah… It did look like a rainbow was coming out of her butt.” That last part made Twilight trip up a little and smirk. Now she had something to mess with Rainbow with later. She decided to keep that bit of knowledge to herself until she needed it the next time Rainbow messed with her. Meanwhile, Dan watches the Pegasus go to work shaping and molding the cloud. “So what’s the reason for this?” He pointed to the cloud.

“Oh, that’s because there will be rain at 7 pm tonight. So she and her coworkers are getting the clouds necessary for it and turning them into rain clouds.”

“So Pegasi really do have control over the weather.” Dan stated.

“For the most part yes. So long as it involves clouds as well. Thunder, Lightning, Rain, Snow, Hail, etc.”

“That is… very convenient.” If Pegasi lived on Earth, He wondered if enough of them could stop a raging hurricane, or bringing a massive rainstorm to arid inhabited places when there is a long standing drought. Overall, control of the weather is definitely a step up in civilization. “Man… Magic is like life’s cheat code or something here...” He mumbled.

When it seemed like her work on that cloud was done she was about to fly off to get more clouds as her co workers finally showed up with their clouds. That was when Twilight called out. “RAINBOW! DOWN HERE!” This caught the pegasus’ attention and she locked eyes with Twilight and gave a wave but it cut short when she noticed Dan as well. In a flash, she was diving down straight toward them before stopping a foot and half above and hovering there.

“Heya, Twi, What’s going on?” She glanced over to Dan. “This guy causing you any trouble?”

“Hm, Honestly I kind of expected at least one of you guys to ask that.” Dan replied with an uninterested look on his face.

“Everything’s fine Rainbow, Dan is really not a bad guy. I actually brought him here so you two could take a moment to get to know each other better.”

“Now? Uh, I’m a little busy here, Twilight. Uuuh we just got started and all so we definitely need more clouds before our deadline hits. I’m on the clock after all.”

“Oh, I see. Well, then we can wait until you’re done.” Twilight suggested.

“I don’t know, this might take an hour or so to get ready, plus it’s going to be a big rain cloud with more of its friends to join it.”

Twilight raised an eyebrow. “This coming from the mare who brags she can take care of things in “ten seconds flat” if I recall?”

“W-well, this is different and-” Dan spoke up instead.

“It’s fine Rainbow if you’re busy, then we can try again another time.” He then pulled out an Apple and tossed it to Rainbow. “Here, straight from Applejack’s farm.” He then turned to Twilight, “Let's head to our next stop for now.”

“What? Really? But-” she looked between the two and was going to offer a retort before heaving a sigh. “Very well, Fluttershy is the last stop then.” she started walking with him. “We’ll come back later Rainbow.” she looked back.

Rainbow simply nodded “Uh, yeah sure.” before flying back up. When she was high enough she looked back to see the two head off to Fluttershy’s… She then looked at the Apple…. and then took a bite out of it before setting back to work on the rain clouds.

Dan could tell now probably wasn’t going to be the best time for Rainbow to want to speak with him. She definitely seems like she had some thoughts she wanted to deal with first with how she wanted to avoid speaking to him in general. As well as her body language. So better not to poke a potential beehive and move on for now.

~~~~~~~~~~

Fluttershy’s Cottage

Twilight and Dan came up to a quaint looking Cottage that looked like it was melding itself into nature as well. “Welp, this is the place.”

“Fluttershy correct…. the yellow pegasus with pink hair?”

“Pine MANE and yes, you are correct. This is where she lives. She’s an animal caretaker so she lives near the forest in case any poor creatures need her help.”

“Oh…. OH that explains a lot.” Dan turned to the side and slouched a little. “Of course she would’ve been so adamant yesterday in her argument.”

Twilight remembers that as well. “W-well, she really does love animals. She’s usually such a shy pony but she definitely surprises you when you least expect it.”

“The shy ones always do, Twilight.” Dan replied before walking over. “Either way, we still need to talk… Now there will probably be even more we'll have to talk about now that I know this.”

Twilight was close behind. “Perhaps I should speak to her first then, to make sure she doesn’t get too nervous or anything.”

“She’s that timid, huh?”

“She just… needs more work on her pony skills is all.”

“Shy AND a social outcast…. great…” Dan said under his breath before he went and knocked on the door. They both heard an adorable little squeak, then the sound of someone shuffling about in the house…. then silence.

Twilight just sighed. “Fluttershy? It’s me Twilight.”

……

The door opens, only just a little though for an eye to peek out and look. When she saw it definitely was Twilight she smiled “Oh, hello Twilight.” she opened the door more, “What can I do for-EEP!” When she caught a glimpse of Dan she immediately shut the door and the sounds of her scurrying off to hide were heard once more.

Dan just slumped over “Yeah, figured this wasn’t going to be easy.”

Author's Note

Hello everyone, As promised here's another chapter. and within a month this time. Doing pretty good so far. This Chapter I felt like there were some things that needed to be established and fleshed out a bit before continuing on. So this Chapter focused more on trying to get the new guy assimilated to society and make friends.

Personally, I want to write some actiony stuff in the Next Chapter, but I follow the pacing of the story so it all depends really.

Until the Next Chapter folks.

Chapter Seven (Re-Edit)

“That… could’ve gone better.” Twilight said as she saw the whole event unfold. “She’s really very kind once you get to know her, honest.”

“I’ll take your word for it.” Dan replied as he started to look around. Fluttershy was their last stop in helping Dan get better acquainted with the element bearers first before having Ponyville getting used to him in general. Dan could see a lot of animal homes, even a chicken coop, he also noticed the small animals were still around, but they were trying to hide AND peek out to stare at him at the same time. The peeking part pretty much ruined their hiding spots. “So what do we do now?”

“Uh, let me handle this, just wait right here.” with her magic the door swung open and she stepped inside.

Leaving Dan to himself as she tried to retrieve the timid caretaker. He decided to pull out his phone. If wifi works, then a little Fire Emblem Heroes couldn’t hurt while he waited. It shouldn’t kill the battery too much, but that just reminded him of something. “Oh wait! That’s right!” he looked around…. Only the animals. “Aegis do you know anything about that magic spell that can let me visit my home world?”

Aegis flew out of his body “Ah, I knew it was only a matter of time before you brought that up, I do in fact.”

Dan gave him his undivided attention. “You mind teaching me how to use it? Cuz I REALLY need to use it as soon as possible.” Meanwhile, the animals that were looking at him were now confused on why the tall creature was talking to himself so loudly. Such a strange creature… They would definitely have to let Fluttershy know about this later.

“I assume this has something to do with that “phone” device you keep looking at.”

“And my guns! I need to be able to purchase ammo for them whenever I need to. I figured since I work under the princesses now I can consider it work related expenses so they could send me more of those gold coins.”

“Bits, Dan. Remember we’ve been through this. They are bits.” Aegis replied with a sigh.

“I don’t care what they’re called, they’re made of gold and sold for a small fortune at the pawn shop. That can cover for all my ammo expenses and even let me buy much more powerful weaponry for this insane job you guys threw me into.” Dan said as he thumbed towards the Everfree Forest he was told about.

“What of those other weapons you already own at your home?” Aegis brought up.

“I already have two of them here, and I’m buying weapons because if there is another me that lives back in the real world. I don’t want to inconvenience him by popping by to take stuff from our house whenever I need to.” Dan postponed his Fire Emblem to look online and google some gun dealership sites he knew to shop around. “I mean, if he really is me, I’m sure he doesn’t mind that I borrow them, but we both know I would rather have my own gun rack here…. Wait, if wifi works here, Maybe I can play my Switch here too… well, buy another one for me…. Oh man to play Salmon Run with myself. Who could ever say that?!” he pointed to Aegis now getting even more excited by the minute. “Shoot! With Wifi Why not just buy a PC too and-”

“Ok, ok slow down, kid. I can understand your excitement and I won’t stop you from buying those things, but you should prioritize personal purchases for when you actually get paid for doing your job. I’m not gonna let you borrow money from Celly and Lulu unless it's for things you really need, ok?” Aegis stated.

“Oh come on they’re royalty, just a bag of those things is more than enough to cover me. Besides, you guys can call this um, paying me back for even accepting this job.”

Aegis thought about it for a moment. “Perhaps, I still recall precious gems and metals selling well back on Earth….” he looked at the door, “they have been in there for awhile.”

Dan turned to it as well. “Yeah, you’d figure they’d show up by now.” He’d tried to look into the house. “What’s going on in there?”

~~~

Meanwhile

In the living room, Twilight was pushing Fluttershy from behind the couch. “Come-ERG-on Fluttershy Grrrh, Sooner or later you’ll-” with a grunt she gives a strong shove to her timid friend making progress every step if not slowly “You’ll have to speak with him again.”

“I-I-If it’s all the same to you-EEP!” she received another strong shove. “I would prefer later than sooner, much much MUCH later.” Fluttershy replied as she kept trying to back up.

“Nope! Not gonna happen.” Twilight then gave one more powerful push and Fluttershy was now losing traction. “Now come outside and talk to him. He came here to make friends with you after all!”

She had her there, which caused her to fight back less now with that on her conscience. After all, she and her friends were all about making friends now matter who they are. This time, however, still had her worried, especially after yesterday.

~~~

Back Outside

At this point in time, Dan managed to get acquainted with another “friend” of Fluttershy’s that happened to make its way over from the forest. It was big, furry, and able to stand up on its hind legs and glared at him from a distance. “Hey look a bear…” Dan said

“Indeed…”

“Is it staring at us?”

“It certainly looks that way…” Aegis was starting to feel a little wary now.

So was Dan, “um… it’s kinda hauling ass now… toward us.”

“I can see that… “ Aegis was now back inside Dan again. “It looks like it wants to pick a fight with you.”

“Haha, funny.” Dan replied…. “Aegis?”

………….

“Hey, Old man this isn’t funny, do you know something?” Dan took a step back now as the Bear was crossing the field between them rapidly.

“Well, there is one possibility.” Aegis brought up. “It could be possessed by that dark force as well.”

“It better not be.” He said backing up a little more and taking a defensive stance “I have no way to take it down right now.”

“Technically you do, but that still requires more training.” Aegis responded “Though this is a perfect opportunity for you to use your mind on how to get out of this situation.”

“Easy….” Dan then starts running the moment the Bear was just 20 feet away from the cottage. “Get the Hell outta here!”

“That is one way to handle it, though if not the more shameful kind.”

“Live to fight another day, Aegis! I’m going with that philosophy!” Dan yelled.

“I meant it was shameful that you are leaving those two girls to deal with it.” Aegis said with a cold tone. This caused Dan to skid to halt.

…. “Dammit!” He forgot about that part, and when he looked back, the bear seemed to have lost interest in him and now was looking at the cottage and animal homes, To the bear, it just scared off an unknown creature that seemed to make the critters at the cottage nervous. To Dan, it looked like the Bear was looking for easier prey since the two legged one ran too fast…… The heel of his foot was anxiously tapping against the ground….. “Davy Crockett, give me strength.”

“Who?” Aegis was curious but that had to wait as Dan already was making a mad dash back at the house, using his new found speed that he obtained after receiving the medallion. It was at this moment Twilight finally managed to scoot Fluttershy outside.

“Ok Dan, sorry for the wait-Guh. But here-Oomph- She IS!” She grunted out the last word before giving a hard enough push to make them both tumble out the doorway. Making Flutters squeak and Twilight fall flat on her face before they immediately got up. “Ok, Flutters let's be nice and say hello to…..a Bear?” When Twilight looked up instead of seeing the human, she saw a bear that seemed to be communicating with the smaller animals in the animal homes.

“Mr. Bear?” Fluttershy was confused as well, but neither of them had time to figure out what was going on when something ran right past them, leaped and tackled the Bear.

“FOR THE ALAMO!” It yelled as it managed to knock the large creature off its feet and tumble across the ground. Some animals scurried off as the two rolled and fought with each other until they crashed into the chicken coop. There were scared chickens, feathers, and hay scattering everywhere.

“OH MY GOSH!” Fluttershy gasped as she ran over toward the two.

“Dan!” Twilight followed after, they soon discovered the two combatants dazed and covered in broken eggs, feathers, and hay. Fortunately for Fluttershy's sake, none of the eggs held any life in them. When Twilight ran up she took a look at the human. “Dan! What in Celestia’s name were you doing?!”

Dan coughed some feathers from his mouth before speaking. “Davy made it look so much easier on TV…. Also ow…”

~~~~~~~~~~

Later

Dan was in his boxers now as his clothes had to be cleaned after being covered in so much yolk and feathers and other unmentionable things that come out of a chicken. To apologize for the ruckus, both the bear and Dan helped round up the chickens as Twilight went to retrieve Applejack to help fix the busted down coop. She left before Dan took off his clothes so it was a simple matter. The reason why is evident to the animals and Fluttershy as they could all see it.

The medallion embedded into Dan’s chest. Fluttershy tried to avoid the conversation at first by focusing on washing Dan’s clothes and letting him and the bear pick up after their own mess. But now they were hung out to dry so she would have to return and talk to him eventually.

For Dan, Twilight and Fluttershy managed to explain to him that the bear was a friend of Fluttershy so he put two and two together and guessed that the bear saw him as a threat to the pegasus and her animals at first. Thus the confusing event occurred and he was now half naked wrangling distraught chickens and putting them in a temporary pen. Meanwhile, he noticed that he’s been getting some stares from the animals and a rather mean glare from a white rabbit that seemed to be helping out but kept its distance from the human. It somehow managed to make the chickens calm down when they were in the pen so they wouldn’t cause any more trouble. ‘What? Is he the Alpha of the animals here?’ Dan thought, but when he noticed even the bear was taking orders from it, he cocked his head a little ‘Well I’ll be damned.’

When Fluttershy came out from the back she tried to speak to Dan. “Um, y-your clothes are drying now… It might ta-”

“Huh?” Dan barely managed to hear her voice but not what she was saying since she spoke so quietly. “Could you say that again?”

This made her tense up before looking away trying to avoid his gaze and murmur the sentence once again.

“Um… what?” Dan leaned in closer, this also did not help, in fact, it just made it worse. As she curled into a ball and repeated it again with hardly even a whisper. At this point, Dan was internally screaming. ‘Are you kidding me here? What, are you a turtle now? I swear-’

“Try a different approach, Dan. Remember, she’s not the most Social.” Aegis reminded him.

‘Yeah, but I didn’t think it would be to this degree…. Alright fine.’ Dan moved back and breathed in. “Ok, well, Fluttershy, is it?” She gave a nod still keeping to herself. ‘A response! Good!’ He cheered “Good good, well, um were you trying to tell me something?” He spoke as gently as possible, another nod and a very very quiet “yes” came from her. ‘Progress!’ He thought “Right, ok, I see. I’m more than happy to hear it. I just, um, can’t understand what you said when you whisper like that. If it’s ok with you, can you speak up just a bit more?”

Fluttershy was quiet for a moment, but then she turned to face him a little more but stared at the ground. “Y-your clothes are drying now…” She spoke in a more understandable volume.

Dan stared at her for a moment, then blinked “O-oh! My clothes, right? Uh, thanks for telling me.” He replied to her. ‘Seriously? That’s all? I’m glad to hear it but I thought it was something important or something!’

“Calm down Dan, This must be harder for her than you think. If she is having trouble speaking to ponies, imagine how it must be talking to a being such as yourself. She never even knew you or humanity even existed until yesterday.” Once again Aegis comes in to bring in clarity.

Dan closed his eyes, he could understand that, he’s seen behavior similar to this before with certain other people back on Earth, both real and fictional. It did kind of bug him that Aegis had to be the one to remind him of this situation. He let his mind think. Although it was progressive of her speaking with him. This wasn’t exactly an actual conversation. He needed her to open up to him more, just how she would with her friends, but that is easier said than done. How was he going to do that? He decided to try catering to what she likes. “So, um… you must really like animals to want to take care of them.” He scratched the back of his neck trying to start some small talk.

“Oh, yes! Definitely! They can be such kind and sweet creatures, and sooo cute, it’s a complete joy to take care of them and-” Ok, He wasn’t expecting this. One second she was nervous and tight lipped, now she’s like the second coming of Chatterbox Pinkie. In his face, a big smile on hers as she started going on and on and on about animals. Thankfully unlike Pinkie, she wasn’t speaking faster by every passing millisecond. However, he needed to calm her down. He grabbed her sides gently, which caused her to clam up and squeak as he lifted her up and slightly away from his face.

“Ok, ok, we get it, you like animals, awesome.” however this ended up with him smiling and chuckling a little. This was an interesting surprise to discover. Just talk about what she likes and she’s an open book. “It’s nice to see you really love your job then.” He gently set her down. His laughter and his praise for her passion helped break the tension between them and the smile returned to her face once again.

“Sorry, I-I guess I got carried away there...” She replied

“No, no, it’s fine. It just surprised me is all.” Dan waved it off.

“Do… Do you like them?” Fluttershy decided to ask what was on her mind right now.

“Who? Animals? Yeah, I like to think that I do, maybe not as much as you, but I like to think that I do. Back where I’m from, my family owned this big dog that would go with us on trips all the time and we would play around with his big floppy ears. “I guess you can say I’m a dog person as well.” This was good, she was opening up more, and now she was asking questions. He decided to let this run on for as long as she wants to help her feel more comfortable around him.

“I see, puppies can be so cute, maybe someday you’d want another one? S-seeing as you live in Equestria now and all, ahem.” she asked

Dan thought about it, “Well that would be nice, I figured when I eventually own my own place here that'd be perfect. Since I’m currently bunking at the library I don’t think would be the best time.”

Fluttershy simply nodded and listened to him. She was now starting to feel a little interested in him now. A friend that likes animals is always welcome in her book. However, yesterday’s incident was still fresh on her mind so she still was a little wary. It was then that a squirrel came up to her and chattered away to her.

Dan saw this as odd if not a little cute until he noticed Fluttershy’s changing expressions and looking back at him with concern. “W-what?” He asked unsure if he did something wrong or not.

“Oh, uh, n-nothing, nothing at all. It’s just that um… well, you see-” She was fumbling over her words now. Everything was going so well, so now he had to know what immediately changed that? Fortunately, Fluttershy finally managed the courage to speak what was on her mind. “It’s just that, my friends say that… you talk…. with yourself… so uuuum-” Dan flinched suddenly which made her jump a little in response. “S-sorry, I didn’t mean to offend or anything it’s just that-”

“No, no that’s fine, I’m just surprised is all. I was pretty sure Twilight or the other girls never saw me do it so it came as a shock to me to hear you say that.” Dan replied waving it off.

“Oh, no it wasn’t them. I meant my friends here.” She gestured to all around her. Dan looked around, and all he could see were various animals here and there.

!!

“Wait a second. You can actually talk to animals!?” He said in disbelief, before noticing her speaking to the squirrel itself and nodding her head with it, “You can?! Whoa…” He looked at the two of them amazed. This reminded him of yesterday, he couldn’t understand what went through Fluttershy’s mind when she went up to try to talk to the manticore, but now he did. “That’s amazing!”

She blushed at the compliment not really sure how to take it. “Oh, it’s really not that amazing, honestly.” She tried to play it off.

Dan simply shook his head. “No for real! You’re like an actual Doctor Dolittle or something.”

“Doctor, w-who?” Fluttershy turned to look at him.

“Oh right, I keep forgetting this isn’t Earth. He’s basically a fictional veterinarian that speaks to animals like how a person would with another person. He got his own movie, back in the time when my folks weren’t even born and then THAT movie got a more current adaptation of it with a more modern atmosphere back when I was little and-... Ahem…” He stopped himself, he was going into nerd mode. “I guess it’s my turn to apologize for getting carried away too. I like… various things and I tend to blab on and on about them if I’m not stopped, uh anyway, w-what were we talking about?” He scratched the back of his head feeling really awkward and embarrassed about it.

Fluttershy was surprised to see this different side of the very being that killed that Manticore from yesterday. He seemed so cruel, and that day onward, he didn't seem like the nicest person to talk to. She even feared he might show up to her home one day and just- Well she didn’t want to finish that dreadful thought. However, here he was, trying to be friendly to her, and feeling embarrassed about chattering on about what he likes. In the end, she found it kind of silly. She held a hoof to her muzzle and tried to stifle her laughter, but Dan managed to hear and see the gesture and he groaned.

‘Greeaaaat, now she thinks I’m a crazy man that talks to himself AND a moronic chatterbox.’ He slumped and sighed. “Yeah, I’m weird, I know.”

“On the bright side, she doesn’t seem to fear you anymore.” Aegis tried to comfort him.

‘Yeah, but at the cost of the image of my attempt to look cool and all.’

“I believe that ship sailed when you started walking around in only your underwear.”

‘…. Thanks for reminding me Aegis…’ Dan deadpanned.

When Fluttershy managed to calm her laughter she tried to defuse the situation. “Well, to be honest, there are some strange things about you that I don’t understand, but you genuinely seem nice and that's all that matters really. If that’s ok with you, I mean.”

“Oh, uh, ok then. As long as everything is cool then I guess.” Dan replied quickly. It was then quiet again and the silence was slowly making things awkward between the two until Fluttershy spoke.

“S-so, if you don’t mind me asking., My animal friends and I are curious about why you were talking to yourself. U-U-Unless it’s something you don't want to discuss, That’s fine too.”

… Dan thought about it. Now that animals can be considered witnesses, it seemed like hiding it from her would be pointless, and the off chance it would make him look suspicious again would not be ideal for him. “Well, I can tell ya, but I don’t think you’ll believe me when I do.”

“Oh, I trust you, it’s ok.” Fluttershy reassured him.

“Just like that?” He blinked at what she said. When she nodded he tilted his head. “I haven’t even told you why yet.”

She nodded once more. “Yes, but you seem very honest right now. It reminds me of Applejack a little.”

Dan scratched his cheek, honestly, she seems a little too gullible. It’s not like they had any lie detectors in this world to call him out if he chose to make up a reason. However, with that innocent looking face it was hard to even have the urge to lie to her. He sighed. “Alright, but can you and your um, little animal friends do me a favor and keep it to yourselves for now if I do? I really don’t think the others would believe it if I told them. At Least for now.”

She nodded but then perked up “Oh, but if you spoke with AJ, I’m sure she’ll believe you too since-” Dan stopped her

“It’s fine, really. The fewer people that know about this the better because even I’m unsure about it.”

This caught her attention. What could it possibly be? She nodded and decided to listen to his request. “Well… ok, I guess.” she said in a quieter tone.

“I’m completely against this, however, those animals seem to have put us in a bad position.” Aegis commented

Dan agreed, ‘No kidding, The last thing I need is for them to put me in a straight jacket and sent to an asylum, and lying isn’t gonna help my case, either.’

“Especially since that Applejack mare is the bearer of Honesty.”

Dan was curious ‘What? Is being super honest a super power here or something?’

Aegis redirected his attention. “I’ll explain later what I mean, for now it is in your best interest to just speak the truth and nothing but it for now. Your new friend has been staring at you for awhile waiting for you to say something.” Dan wasn’t sure what the warning was about but he knew it was better to listen to the guy who lived here longer for now.

He then sighed “A-alright then, where to begin?… Just to be clear, I’m not a hundred percent sure if I fully believe it myself and it's all some mental issue I’m having, buuuut-”

~~~

Later that day

Dan gave Fluttershy the whole spiel, pretty much expecting her to start questioning his sanity, but true to her word. She believed every word of it to his surprise. Apparently letting her in on a secret seemed to completely help her open up to him and be on speaking terms with him like she was with the other girls. A relief, since he was concerned her reaction earlier was a bad omen. In time his clothes dried off enough once Twilight returned with AJ.

To say the least, when both girls also saw the medallion in his chest They had questions of their own, however, Twilight looked like her questions about it were double if not triple AJ’s. Sensing this, Applejack decided to not say anything and get to doing what she was called over to do. Other than that it was a pleasant surprise for Twilight to see Fluttershy getting along with Dan while she was away. The damages to the chicken coop, fortunately, weren't too bad, so it merely took an hour to get it back to its former self, leaving everyone, including the; briefly homeless, chickens glad to finally look past the blunders of today and move on with their lives. With her task of getting Dan to reacquaint himself with her closest friends complete for now, all that was left was what Dan promised he would do. Let Twilight assault him with her miles and miles of questioning and experimentations…. Well, he didn’t agree to the last part, but she was sure he wouldn’t mind taking on a few tests for the sake of Science and her voracious knowledge sponge of a brain. It was, at the very least, kind of her to hold it all in until after it was time to go. Everyone said their goodbyes to one another. After what Fluttershy learned about Aegis, although finding the thought of a ghost haunting somepony like that, she was willing to listen to him whenever he needed to talk about it with anypony since she’s the only one that knows for now.

When they finally reached the Library Twilight seemed to be squealing, her patience was finally running out and she was already galloping ahead. “I need to get my notes! Meet you inside, Dan!” She yelled before vanishing through the doorway letting it shut itself from the sudden force.

“Well Someone is eager.” Dan said starting to feel really anxious about what was to come.

“It appears your senses are giving you a warning yet you try not to heed it.” Aegis said as he drifted out once more from Dan’s body.

“Yeah, I know, I’m sure she’s the cause of it right now.” Dan replied

“And yet you remain here?” Aegis asked.

“I’m sure it’s just my nerves overreacting. I’ll admit she made some rather ominous, if not dubious gestures and expressions the whole time ever since I first agreed to her request, but seriously, when you think about it, how bad can a curious bookworm be?”

~~~

A disposable transparent cup was practically slammed on the table before him. “Pee in this cup, please!” Twilight said as she was levitating many notes, books, and some strange devices with her. Placing them down nearby.

…. Both Dan and Aegis merely stared at the cup with disbelief before looking back up at Twilight who seemed to be pulling out her notes and waiting anxiously.

‘This chick has lost it…’ Dan said mentally, fortunately, Aegis could still read his mind when out of his body.

“Well, she’s thorough in her projects, you can give her that.” Aegis replied.

Dan tried to talk some sense with the mare. “Uuuh, Twilight, I think-”

“Oh, I’m sorry! I lost myself there for a moment.” Twilight immediately blushed and it seemed like to Dan that she was finally registering how overboard and crazy this all was. “Please fill it in the bathroom.”

…. Or not…

“Twilight I’m not doing this.”

She was shocked “What? But you promised-aah!” She squeaked when Dan picked her up to bring her to eye level with him.

“I’m NOT peeing in that cup.”

“But-”

“Twilight, I get it, you seem to really like knowing stuff, that’s fine, but I think your excitement of finally interrogating me has taken over your mind and you’re treating me like some strange animal you just caught. I. AM. A. SENTIENT. BEING!”

“Well for the record she did have the decency to let you handle your business in the bathroom instead of watching you do it right in front of her.” Aegis said on the side

‘I’m pretty sure it was to protect her innocence.’ Dan blushed a little and looked away trying to avoid the mental image of it in his head. He was pretty sure Twilight had the same problem when she was red in the face earlier.

... She was silent and the “normal” Twilight was starting to come back down to Earth from the look of her eyes. “Y-you’re right.” She finally managed to say “Sorry.” she slumping in his arms now as that blush was returning and with a fury. “Oh my Celestia, what was I even thinking!?” She pushed her hoofs against her burning face “Why did I even say that? Why would I EVER say that? What was I even gonna do with a cup of-uuuugh!!!” And now she was disgusted. “I just remembered doctors asking the same of me once before on check ups to run tests about my biology and I… I… wow…” ‘Did she even have equipment for That kind of test’ Dan thought. He hoped not because then he’d have to question if she’s addicted to learning things or something.

“Well, thank God, we haven’t lost you completely to… whatever that was about.” Dan finally set her down.

“It’s just, you’re from an entirely different world, maybe even universe for all we know, and your technology is… mind boggling, the fact that your kind gets by without using magic and all those things I heard and saw about you I… I don’t know what came over me. I just wanted to know everything about your kind, your world, EVERYTHING, it just…” She tried to find the words for it.

“It was overwhelming?” Dan suggested. When she nodded he scratched his head. “You really do like learning stuff.” He sighed “Your curiosity certainly knows no bounds.”

“I know, my friends get on my case about it whenever I go overboard, but this definitely takes the cake. Hrrrrrmmmph!” She groaned inwardly in shame.

“Ok, ok, look it's fine. You were literally trying to get info from quite literally an alien species to your world. I can’t say my own people wouldn’t have done the same.” He replied patting her head. ‘Actually, they’d probably do much worse.’

“How so?” Aegis asked

‘Think unlawful and inhumane surgeries and autopsies with your body without your consent. And claiming your stuff is officially theirs.’

“Can't Say I find that surprising given our Races history.” Aegis replied.

It was then that Dan had an idea. ‘Aegis, you mind teaching that trick now? The portal back to Earth?’

“Right now? I can, but what are we going to do about her.” Aegis asked.

“She’s coming with us.” Dan said out loud which confused Twilight as he suddenly spoke these seemingly random words.

Aegis was shocked to even hear such an idea. “are YOU the one that I have to worry about their sanity?”

‘Oh? how so?’ Dan asked ‘Kills two birds with one stone if you ask me, I need to get back to Earth to grab some essentials, talk with my “other” self so we can figure out some way to use these equestrian bit things to help me buy more essentials, AND help fill her insatiable desire to know stuff and get off my back.’ He stated clearly to the ghost mentally. ‘Then finally with her out of the way, we can actually focus on getting down to business about my job here.’ He sighed ‘As much as I’d rather not too, it's been made pretty clear that I can’t ignore it for much longer. Especially after what happened yesterday could happen again at any moment.’

“S-still, you cannot let her pass through to our world, despite what you say.” Aegis answered.

‘Why not?’ Dan Looked back at Aegis with a puzzling look, meanwhile Twilight wasn’t sure what to think of Dan’s strange outburst and now it looked like he was looking at something next to him but she saw nothing. She was starting to wonder if this was some strange human ritual or something or if her new human friend suddenly lost his mind.

“Because it is forbidden When I was in your place I was strictly told never to let them into our world.” Aegis replied

“Uh, Dan?” Twilight tried to get the man’s attention.

‘Oh, and who told you that? The last hunter you replaced?’ Dan asked with an attitude.

“Yes! Yes, it was, It would be far too dangerous to bring one of them to our world in case a human sees them. That is what was stressed to me so very clearly by them.”

“Dan? Helloooo”

‘And why is that? Is it cuz the spell would harm them?! Does our world harm them just by entering it, like the air or something?’

“No, don’t be ridiculous, if you have no trouble living in this world, then the same could be said for them! Nothing spell wise, or natural is preventing a pony to cross over to our home world!” Neither of the two seemed to notice how much force they were putting into their words.

So it startled Twilight when Dan accidentally slipped to using his voice again saying. “SO WHAT IS IT?!”

“EEP!” That scared little squeak got both of the boys’ attention. They at first thought it was Fluttershy given that squeaking like that seems to fit her more for some reason. But instead, they saw Twilight shaking slightly behind the table across from then staring back at them wide eyed.

“Oooooh….. Right….” Dan said starting to imagine how he must’ve looked to her at that moment. ‘Starting to think you’re gonna be the worst kept secret for me, old man.’

“You're far too careless, boy.” Aegis replied before floating back into Dan’s body. ‘And we’ll not speak of this anymore about bringing one of them to Earth. If you wish for me to teach you that spell then respect your elders ways. Gripe and groan if you must but they are there for a reason, Hmph!’ And with that Aegis went silent, leaving Dan to figure out how to deal with Twilight now.

‘…. Thanks for the help you old bastard.’ Dan sighed “OK, uh so I know that looked a bit uh strange, but let me just state clearly, that NO I am not insane, nor am I just now losing my mind.”

“A-are you sure? How can you even tell? Crazy ponies would deny being crazy sometimes when you ask them.”

‘Crap, she has a point.’ Dan winced a little at the sound logic “ok, ok, uh look, I can assure you a hundred percent that I am quite sane and if you want to run tests, then fine by me, but please don’t worry, I’m not gonna go wild or anything on you so you can come out from under the table now.”

………. She rose up a little…. “You said…. tests?”

The phrase: “Danger, DANGER WILL ROBINSON!” Suddenly went through Dan’s mind.

~~~

Later

“Well it’s nice your enthusiasm is back...” Dan groaned as he was forced to wear a metal bowl with wires connected to it and multiple electro pads on his topless chest and on his face. Similar to the electrocardiogram pads doctors would use on a patient. There was even one placed on the medallion. However, since Aegis didn't make a fuss about it he let it be assumed it was nothing to worry about.

“Oh, it never left. If anything it only got stronger. And judging from these readings…. I can’t make sense of it!” She said with fascination as she stared at a device all the pads were wired too as it gave off all sorts of data and readings that Dan couldn’t even begin to understand so he just went with Twilight’s word on it.

“Can’t make sense of what?” He asked

“You, like all of you!” She gestured to him. “You’re alive obviously, here's your heart rate.” she points to some kind of strange part of the machine, again Dan delegated to take her word for it. It was getting too late in the day to even try to care about learning this stuff. “It’s pumping normally… I think, anyway. I’m only going by Equestrian biology, there's normal activity in your brain whenever I ask you questions.”

“Is that why you asked for my name again?”

“That was to test to see if the device was working, everything after that were actual questions of mine.” Twilight stated, “but we’re getting sidetracked, there was something completely odd about you though.”

“And that would be?” Dan urged her to continue.

“You have a pulse, your mind is just as active as any other pony. Obviously, by looking at and speaking to you makes you sentient. Yet all sensors that would detect living beings magical saturation, radiation, and energy is near if not utterly undetectable.” Twilight was writing down notes.

“Meaning?”

Twilight perked up and looked at him for a moment, then back at her notes with the most puzzled look on her face. “It’s like… saying that you’re half dead or something along those lines.”

“Half dead? Just cuz I have no magic inside me?” Dan asked ‘Ok, that last line sounded like lyrics to a song.’ He thought.

“Well, there is SOME detection of magical energy within you. However, it is small. Like dangerously small. Not only that, but it seems to only be detected here.” Twilight points at the medallion. “Intact I think it’s safe to say that’s the only thing magical about you. Everywhere else has nothing.”

“Ok, fine so the big gold coin is magical. What does magic have to do with me being undead-”

“Half dead.” Twilight corrected

“Whatever,” He waved it off. “Does this have to do with how all you ponies have magic coming off you and what not?” He still remembered what Aegis discussed earlier with him about “nature coddling” these ponies with magic.

“Not, just ponies, Dan. Every living creature here has magic within them.” Twilight stated. “Ponies, dragons, minotaurs, griffins, birds, dogs, cats, trees, flowers, et cetera. If it lives, it can produce magical energy. Yet YOU don’t.”

“Well yeah, apparently my skin is magic pro-” He stopped himself for a moment. “Did you say even dragons?” At her nod. He then folded his arms. “But I was told they are magic proof.”

“Well of course, but even then magic still can be sensed radiating off them. It’s just their scales that can prevent magic and spells from affecting them.” Twilight explained, which left Dan to think.

‘So the magic resistance is just skin deep and nothing more…. They did say my natural defense is useless if I have a cut.’ He puzzled, this was starting to intrigue him. “You said the medallion had magic in it though?”

“Oh! Uh, yes. Despite being, erm, lodged in your body. Like so. It still holds magic within itself. So it's safe to assume your body doesn’t suck up magic like a sponge, but rather, it means that your body seems to have no natural connection with magic!”

Dan was quiet for a moment….. He was about to say something when Aegis finally spoke from within him. “Just let her have this, Dan. We may already know about all this, but to her kind, this is like finding a mythical beast back on Earth.”

…. So, out of consideration, Dan let Twilight ramble on about this Discovery so much, that she forgot to actually ask the rest of her list of questions to him. The signal to end it? Spike calling the two of them for Dinner. Dan decided to use that as an opportunity to finally end his weird moment of seeing how a lab rat feels, get some grub, then finally get down to something he wanted to do, Learning the spell to go home.

Later on, that night after dinner when Twilight and Spike said their good nights Dan waited until he could hear the dragon’s snoring from up the stairs before he threw his covers off revealing he was completely dressed, sans his weapons again this time. And carrying that bag of bits from before. “Ok, the time is right. Now you hold up your end of the deal and teach me that spell.” He mumbled quietly to himself as he stood up.

It was quiet at first, but he then saw Aegis leaving his body once again. “Sigh, very well. I will admit, these “guns” certainly intrigue me and seem to have a lot of value to your job. I suppose I can teach you now.”

“Yes!” Dan fist pumped and cheered as quietly as he could to not disturb his roommates.

“Yes… well, keep in mind there is something that you should know.” He floated toward the door of the storage closet. “When I visited your home, I placed an anchor point on one of your doors within it, it is how we are able to move back and forth between worlds, without it, the spell is useless. I will teach you this method as well in the event that you need to move the entry point for a particular reason.” Dan nodded as his heel was starting to fidget due to his slight impatience. “Finally, when you cross through there, it is inevitable at some point you will encounter yourself when you're there.” This got Dan’s attention and made him chill out and focus for real this time. “It’s recommended, no, imperative that you lock eyes with him. The sooner you get this done the better.”

“Why? What happens?” Dan asked curiously

“Because the two of you are one and the same, nature and the universe will want to balance everything as best as it can, so when you look at each other, both your minds will end up sharing every memory each of you had individually since the moment you two were separated. He will share his mind with you, if you will, and vice versa.”

“Wow, that sounds like some sci-fi mumbo jumbo to get through a plot point and make it easier for the writer…. I like it. It doesn’t hurt does it?” Aegis proceeded to start the spell casting “O-oi!”

“Silence and pay attention closely, Mr. Richards. I can only show you the procedure because I am dead and no longer in possession of the medallion, I cannot cast the spell myself.” Placed his hoof on the center of the door and looked back at Dan expectantly. It took a moment before Dan caught on to the gesture and ran up to the door to mimic him. “Good, now repeat after me AND follow my hoof movements.” He slid his hoof up to the near top of the door while saying. “Door of Normalcy.” then took a deep dive as he slid it back to the center right, right next to the door knob, then spoke another verse “I bind you.” when Dan mimicked and spoke the words, the door rumbled a bit. It freaked him out at first and he nearly took his hand off the door to ask about it, however, Aegis was already on the next verse and gesture. He slid his hoof to the opposite side of the door horizontally and spoke, “To the door, I’ve marked.” Dan nearly stumbled over his words to keep up. When he did that was when Aegis took another dive to bottom center “in a world of existence.” he then slid his hand up back to the dead center of the door. “Beyond you.”

When Dan finished that verse the door stopped shaking and around its edges and corners, a brief flash of light lashed out from it as if someone turned on the light in the storage room the door was originally intended to stand in front of.

“And that’s the spell.” Aegis stated before floating back into Dan’s body

“Really?” Dan asked “Huh… I actually casted a spell… so this what being a wizard feels like.”

“I wouldn’t use such a term on yourself just on the account you learned A spell, nor do you have the ability to be one. Now hurry up and get this over with before you get caught by that Twilight girl or her pet dragon.”

“O-oh, right.” He stood before the now enchanted door suddenly feeling a little tense. He took a breath, exhaled to calm his nerves of finally going home, took the door knob in his hand, turned it, and pushed.

The sight at first glance astounded him, it was his apartment, his home. Never before did he miss that crappy one bedroom, one bathroom hole in the wall. He would smile if the next thing he saw didn’t catch his eye. His MP5 pointed straight at his face in the hands of well, himself, as his doppelgänger said “Don’t move.” rather menacingly.

“Oh yeah… Forgot about that.” Dan said as he raised his hands.

Author's Note

Hey, Guys, this I the best I can do, editing wise. Here's hoping I fixed all if not most of it. We've finally wrapped up with getting reacquainted to the girls so now. With that out of the way, I can finally work on the action stuff. Well, once Dan takes a moment to talk to himself. I swear I just want to go straight to it so badly right now, but I just need a little more patience lol. So close.

Anyway sorry I forgot to hit publish when I finished posting this. so you guys got to look at an empty chapter for awhile I guess lol. My bad, it was early in the morning and I fell asleep on the keyboard when I was in Author's notes lol my bad.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter and look forward to future ones. and let me know if I missed anything. I know I'm not perfect which is why say this.

Chapter Eight

To say that you are being held up at gunpoint by yourself, would be quite the story to tell at a bar. Which in that respect, your drinking buddies would take your car keys and call you a cab. This point in reality, however, had no alcohol to create such a scene, but let’s go back a couple days.

It has already been established that when Dan had slain Aegis and received the medallion, he was then split into two, one remaining on Earth to continue his daily life on that world. While the other was sent to Equestria to unwillingly take up the title his now deceased predecessor so rudely shoved him into. For the Dan that remained on Earth, he was a torrent of emotions after that event. On his drive home, his mind sank into paranoia, despair, and guilt. He would constantly pray and hope that he would wake up from this strange dream only to be reminded time and time again that it was all real.

As he returned home he tried to think of what he could do. Should he turn himself in? It'd be weird to tell an officer to cuff him for shooting a Unicorn. When Aegis died, he died as that, so it would be damn near impossible to prove he committed manslaughter when the victim isn’t even a human. Does he just keep it a secret? That didn’t sound too appealing either. Again that feeling of guilt would fill him and he felt that in time it would eat him up to become an unsociable hermit. He was probably exaggerating, but he was sure just keeping it all bottled up would affect him negatively in some way. His day off was utterly ruined at that point. No pay, just killed someone or something, burned a lot of gas in his car to go on the worst decision of his life, and he goes home to find out his leftover Chinese went bad and stunk up the rest of the fridge, thus leaving him to make a trip to the dumpster and buy some baking soda to suck up the stench still left behind because of it.

As the days went on his condition on the situation only got worse. Constantly looking over his shoulder, waiting for the day the cops stroll up and slap the cuffs on him, more distracted than usual at work when his “weekend” ended, and in no mood to go to the gun range. The only saving grace that kept him normal was crashing on the couch when he did return home and playing some video games to help drown out his feelings. Mostly wandering aimlessly in Breath of the Wild if not screwing around with Persona 5. Even if it did drown out his feelings, he still wasn’t all there when he was playing them. This kept on until the third day late at night. He had no shift the next day so he decided to stay up late and go to youtube on his computer so he was in the living room.

As much as he kept trying to ignore and forget about that day. It would just keep coming back to him. He would go through one thumbnail after the other, not caring that it would end up with him on the weird side of youtube again. He just wanted the distraction. Finally, he would look at the clock and notice how many hours he wasted on this venture. He paused the video he was on, got up, then stretched. He figured he’d rummage the fridge for a quick dinner, take a shower, then hit the sack, he’ll just head out tomorrow and visit his family. If anything, talking to them would help him feel better. As he got out of his computer chair and stretched with a yawn. He then stopped as he heard something.

It sounded like a sort of rumbling. Was his neighbor playing some loud music or turned their TV way too high? That’s when it started getting louder as if something was rattling off its hinges. It sounded really close. He turned his head to the source and was shocked and confused to see his storage closet door shaking around within its door frame. “...The hell?” He took a step back. Then came a bright light that seemed to leak out from the edges of it next to the frame. It was brief but impossible to ignore. Immediately his mind went to its instinct and he bolted over to his gun rack grabbing the MP5 from it. There was a desk just under the rack, He reached under it at the center. There was a tiny little cubby hole that his hand could just fit in, he pulled out a key from it, he then took the key to a locked drawer that was built into the desk, off to its side. He swiftly unlocked it and grabbed a magazine for the weapon, and two others just in case. Apparently, he kept those bullet boxes and magazines organized in the drawer. He had no reason to do that, but unintentionally it helped to make it fast to grab what he needed for whatever gun he grabbed.

So he loaded the gun, placed the key and extra ammo in his pocket for now, and closed the drawer completely since it auto locks every time he does. He didn’t know what was going on or how someone even got into his storage closet without him noticing, but he sure as hell wasn’t in the mood for any of this. He got in front of the door just as he noticed the knob turning and got into stance gun pointed straight at the door. When it opened, because most of his apartment lights are off, since it saves him in the electric bill to be frugal about it, when the door opened. Most of the light that soon filled the room soon came from beyond the door. This, in turn, made the person he was targeting look more like a dark silhouette since the light was coming from behind him as he stepped through, and that's as far as we were gonna let this guy go.

This is how this particular dilemma for Dan of Equestria, came to be in as he was going back and forth with Aegis within his mind. ‘Ok, this is kind of dicey.’

“What for? It is you after all. He certainly wouldn’t fire at a person, but rather intimidate them.”

‘Yeah, but I know myself enough to say that gun is loaded and not in safety. I’d rather avoid it, but I’m not stupid to think that will work all the time.’ Dan replied. ‘Worst case scenario, he aims to shoot at one of my limbs but instead hits a vital spot cuz I moved too much.’

“Ok,” said the other Dan holding the gun. “You’re going to tell me, what the hell, and How the hell you got in there-huh?” It was then that he finally noticed that within what he once knew as the storage closet, revealed an entirely different and MUCH larger room inside, mostly lined with bookshelves. “What? What is all this?” He stared at it unable to believe what his eyes were seeing.

“I don’t understand, seeing you should trigger the effect, why isn’t working?” Aegis asked curiously.

This left Dan to come up with a method to figuring that out. “Hey, buddy, don’t you know me?”

“Don’t test me right now, I have not had the best time these past few days.” Said the other Dan.

“Yeah tell me about it.” Equestria Dan responded. “Look, I promise I’m not gonna go anywhere. I won’t even move, but can you at least turn on the light? I promise when you do it will fix everything ok?”

“Why? Do I know you?” Earth Dan asked gun still aimed at Equestria Dan.

Without missing a beat Equestria Dan nodded “Yes, yes you do, but if I told you now, you wouldn’t believe me.”

“You know how stupid this sounds, right?” Earth Dan said in a monotone voice.

“Yes I know, but I literally have no other way right now to prove who I am-unless you can- Hey wait, why am I even saying this? I know you well enough that you’d do that anyway.”

“And Why is that?” Earth Dan narrowed his gaze.

“I know you're not gonna shoot me-”

“Don’t get your ho-”

“You’re not, in fact, you’re about to turn the lights on now!” Equestria Dan stated just as the lights went on. Earth Dan was actually near a wall with the light switches on it. When Equestria Dan noticed him leaning toward it. He knew himself well enough to know what was going to happen. The lights would flash on surprising Equestria Dan for a moment just for Earth Dan to kick him back through the doorway to knock him on his ass and leave Equestrian Dan in a less than favorable position. Thankfully this was him so when that boot to the gut came he immediately caught it with his hand. Surprisingly a lot more quickly than he had ever seen his hands move before and had no trouble holding the foot in place with his palm. “Knew it!”

“Oh Shi-” Earth Dan panicked for a brief moment before finally taking a look at the supposed thief. At that instant, both Dans experienced a very trippy, journey of each other’s past. From the moment they were separated, seconds, then minutes, then hours, then days, passing by before their eyes so swiftly, yet they were forced to remember it all as if they experienced each other’s time during their separation first hand. At first, their brains were trying to comprehend this sudden and massive memory dump on one another. When the entire experienced finally ended, it left the two boys in a state of shock and brief confusion. ”Whoa!... Hah…” Earth Dan nearly lost his balance after that but Equestria Dan grabbed his hand and pulled him back to his feet. “Uuh… Th-thanks… Me, I guess?”

“Uh, yeah, um no problem… Me.” Equestrian Dan finally managed to reply.

It was silent for the two of them as Earth Dan finally lowered his gun and they both tried to recover from that sudden mind trip. Every now and then Earth Dan would keep looking at Equestrian Dan in confirmation.

“W-what?” Asked Equestrian Dan

“I look at myself in the mirror all the time… but to see myself standing in front of me like this? This is crazy…” Earth Dan replied

“Dude I’m still recovering from our minds melding like that.”

“You think I’m not? If anything I’m worse off. I have to cope with that AND accept the fact that there is another me! Talking to me! Is this all a hallucination? Did I finally crack under the pressure of killing that old man?” Earth Dan ranted

“Well I’m sure even in this day and age you won’t get in trouble for shooting a pony with a horn.” And right on cue Aegis pops out of Equestrian Dan in between the two.

Earth Dan cringes and takes a step back. “OH, MY GOD! You really are real!”

“Wait you can see him?” Equestrian Dan asked surprised.

Aegis scoffed “Of Course he can see me, why wouldn’t he?”

“B-but I have the medallion, and he doesn’t.”

Aegis just rolled his eyes. “Yes, what of it? He’s still you and your still him. It doesn’t matter if one has it or the other, you both are able to see and speak to me” he responds as if it was common sense.

“That makes NO sense right now.” Earth Dan mumbled

“We can understand our clothes and gear, and BARELY wrap our heads around how our phones are connected. How is all this even possible in the realm of physics??”

“Magic.” was Aegis answered.

“OF FREAKING COURSE!!!” Both Dans yelled in unison as they threw their hands up in defeat. They both then walked opposite ways. Earth Dan to the kitchen and Equestrian Dan through the magic door portal slamming it shut.

Aegis just had a deadpan look in his eyes, folded his hooves and waited…

The door opens again with Equestria Dan walking through it while Earth Dan returned to stand in the same spot he was before, both Dans looking at each other with a look of annoyance on their faces.

“Right, the guns and stuff.” Says Equestrian Dan.

“Yeah, right, that.” Earth Dan nodded knowing the purpose of this visit thanks to their memory merge.

Aegis groans and face hoofs “Good Lord...”

~~~~~~~~~~

2 hours later

The front door to the apartment busted open with both Dan’s resting an arm over the other’s neck laughing and cheering, One Dan holding a huge wad of cash as well as the bag of bits, While the other carried in a Burger King Bag full of leftover fries and a Large Soda cup from the place, obviously still filled with a carbonated beverage. Meanwhile, Aegis hovered past them. “Was it really necessary to stop at the restaurant. you just had Dinner not too long before coming back to this world.” He said to Equestrian Dan.

Dan pointed at the ghost. “It was very necessary. I need human food too you know.”

Earth Dan added his two cents “and I haven’t eaten since lunch, and no better way to fill up an empty guy like MEAT!” the two Dan’s started chanting meat for a short while before Aegis calmed them down.

“Yes, yes, Meat, strange carbonated water, and fried beige potatoes. Surely the food of the gods.” Aegis said sarcastically.

“Now you’re getting it, gramps!” Earth Dan replied pointing at him before the two boys started laughing. “Triple Whopper, baby!”

“And what of our mission to acquire more of this society's weaponry? These, “guns” as you would call them?” Aegis replied.

Equestrian Dan waved it off. “Relax, Aegis. This stuff is gonna take time. Its way to late at night to even head out to buy one and besides.” As if on cue Earth Dan pocketed the wad of cash and held up the bag of bits. “If we keep going to that pawn shop with these, Despite his, “no questions asked” policy. He or whoever he sells these to might get a little curious about us. So we’ll have to settle with what we were able to get this time.”

Earth Dan nodded. “I’ll look into another method to sell these without worrying about prying eyes or loose lips. LIke pops for example.”

Equestrian Dan thought about that for a moment “Dad did always seem to take care of these kinds of things.”

This got Aegis curious. “What makes you say that?”

Both Dan’s looked at each other for a moment grinning and together saying “It’s a long story.” before walking on.

“For now I’m ok loaning you guys the MP5 until we get you your own guns.” Earth Dan suggested.

“Thanks, man, truly, I feel a lot better with more options.” Equestrian Dan replied fist bumping Earth Dan.

“Then if this is all that you required to do then I suggest we head back to Equestria,” Aegis responded. “I am glad to see you coping so well with all this Dan of Earth, but Dan of Equestria needs to return home so that we can commence our training posthaste.”

Both Dans simply groaned and slumped, but immediately after that, Earth Dan lifted his head up. “Hey wait, I don’t have to do it!” He then smirked and fist pumped as Equestrian Dan gave him a glare.

“No fair, I thought we share everything together.” Equestria Dan said to Aegis.

“Dreams are a different matter, Though your minds are the same, both of you have separate dreams. Believe me, it’s less messy if you keep those separate. Nothing good comes from two like minds stuck in the same dreamscape.” Both Dans looked at each other, unsure of what he meant by that before Aegis eventually entered Equestrian Dan’s body Now off you go, time is short and we have much to do.

Equestrian Dan sighed “Fine, just hold your horses…. no offense.” He got the feeling that Aegis was rolling his eyes.

Meanwhile, Earth Dan noticed that when Aegis entered Equestrian Dan, he could no longer hear him, but decided not to bring it up for now as it didn’t seem all that important to point out. “Right, well, I’ll see what I can do about your list.” he pulled out his phone, the Notes App on it had a list of things Equestrian Dan wanted that he posted on his own phone. But since both their phones are the same he got the same entry in his note App as well.

Equestrian Dan smiled and nodded “if ya need more gold just let me know, man. The two of them fist-bumped each other before Equestrian Dan made for the living room Storage door.

“I guess I’ll just text myself if that happens then?” Earth Dan joked.

“You laugh, but that sounds like a good idea, bro.” Equestrian Dan pointed out.

“I know, I just thought of that just now.” Earth Dan laughed. “Gonna feel awkward though texting to myself.”

Equestrian Dan snorted as he grabbed the door handle. “What? Having a conversation with myself wasn’t enough?” This got the other Dan to smirk and chuckle a little as Equestrian Dan opened the door revealing the library once again. “Catch ya later, me.”

“Get out of my apartment, Me!” Earth Dan joked. Before waving at Equestrian Dan as he stepped through the doorway. When the door closed, he noticed the same light show from before and the door rattling for just a moment, before it finally all stopped. Hesitantly he walked up to the door and opened it. Sure enough, instead of the library, he saw his regular storage closet filled with various things inside it that he had shoved in there when he first moved into the place. After opening and closing the door a few more times to yield the same results he sighed and closed it one last time before heading off to the bathroom. He went to splash water on his face. He wanted to be extra sure that the whole time he spent with himself was real and not some fever dream.

~~~~~~~~~~

Equestria Side

This Occurred in the Span of a Week.

Aegis made good on his promise as he put Dan to work. The entire week was dedicated to Aegis’ strict and almost Spartan-like training routines to get Dan prepared for their first expedition he had already promised to the Princesses in the coming week. For Dan, This week was utter Hell, in both his dreams and in reality:

During the First Morning of the week

“When you took on the medallion, the artifact set to work on altering and preparing your body to be nothing short of the deadliest hunter known to history,” Aegis said as he seemed to be staring at his apprentice. “One of the more obvious changes you have experienced a taste of is your physical abilities greatly enhanced. You run faster, you jump higher, you can lift and carry far heavier weights then a human and are almost on par with the strength of a Minotaur, Your stamina is beyond inhuman and your focus and concentration are in a league all their own.” Aegis then lifted a hoof up. “However, all of that is wasted if you do not know how to use them properly, and you have the ability to push these abilities even farther with enough effort. So in your waking hours of this week, I will be giving you a crash course of your limits so you can grasp what you can and cannot do.”

“So I guess that is what this rock is for,” Dan said as his arms shook above him, Apparently he was holding up a rather large looking boulder over his head.

“Precisely, we’ll be working on your strength, speed, and stamina first.” Aegis nodded before floating into Dan’s body. “You have until Noon to Make 30 laps around the town, begin.”

“Wait, what?! H-hold on!? 30 laps!?!? I know this is a small town but it’s not THAT small!!!” Dan said in disbelief.

“I hear a lot of complaining, but don’t see those two legs moving,” Aegis replied before floating back into Dan’s body.

“Because you are quite literally asking me for the impossible! Half of the morning is already gone!” Dan yelled as he looked at himself where Aegis entered into.

“Well, I sure as hell didn’t want you just walking those laps. Chop chop.”Aegis replied.

Dan’s eye twitched and he was about to say something before he felt his body start moving. “H-hey!” He immediately felt control of his body again, but now he was off on a run that it’d be pointless to stop right now.

“Needed to give you a push, lad. Now get to it.” Aegis said in his mind leaving Dan with naught else but to comply with his outrageous commands since every time he would slow down, Aegis would control his body to return to its previous pace. Naturally, however, this exercise did not go smoothly the entire time.

“H-hey, I think I see what you mean about my stami-” Dan trips over his own feet and falls forward losing his hold on the boulder, “Well Shi-HURK!” He faceplants in the grass only for the boulder to land on top of him. Thankfully, however, the momentum he made before his fall had the boulder rolling over him and down some feet ahead so he wouldn’t remain stuck under it.

“Congratulations, a normal human would have most likely died from that impact. It looks like the medallion properly toughened your body up as well.” Aegis said nonchalantly within him.

“.... Yippee…”

By the end of it, Dan would somehow barely make the deadline, where Twilight would appear just to drag him off into more questioning about his world and species. Of course, she wouldn’t get much this time as he felt like death until he got to eat lunch and drink a ridiculous amount of water of his own volition.

During the First Afternoon of the week

“Ok, new blood this next regiment will focus more on your focus, concentration, and your ability to react. You must be able to remain calm in the most dismal of situations, to react at a moments notice, then you must be faster than that.” Aegis said to Dan as the two of them were on a steep hill.

“And that requires me to juggle these balls on a hill?” Dan asked as he looked at the four balls in his hands.

“Not quite, that would be far too easy and normal.” Aegis shook his head.

“Of course...” Dan sighed.

“You shall be juggling those balls as you walk all the way down to the base of the hill,” Aegis replied with a hint of a smirk.

“Can I first say that I don’t know how to juggle? Can you at least let me handle that much while standing in one spot?”

Aegis shook his head. “Have more faith in your newfound abilities. It'd be far too simple if I left it as that.” Aegis looked at Dan’s raised eyebrow. “I suppose seeing is believing, give it a try.”

Dan looked at him for a moment unsure of what he meant but nevertheless gave it a try. The first toss was controllable enough to catch without thinking, the third, however, went off course, as soon as he noticed this he had a brief moment where everything seemed to have slowed down greatly. It was his newfound kinetic vision, but this felt so real, Dan literally felt like time around him slowed down. When he finally responded by moving his hand out to catch the stray ball. Time returned and he caught the ball with ease. He then just stood there, blinking. “Whoa….”

“That’s why ” Aegis said as he folded his forelegs. “When I say this medallion has enhanced your physical abilities, I meant every bit of it. Now that you're done doubting, Get to it, lad! I want you at the bottom of this hill asap!”

With this, Dan smirked, “With this kind of power that’s no sweat.” He then proceeded to juggle all four balls, when he felt confident enough he took a step forward and was not prepared of how steep of a step his foot had to make as it fell farther down then he would’ve wanted it leaving him out of position to receive the balls that were already in mid-air. He tried to recover by tossing the ones he had up and then turn his body a bit to catch the other two. This worked halfway as when he looked at the other balls he just tossed up they were heading out of his reach. Instinctually he lunged forward to grab one then for the other only for the tips of his fingers to brush it. But that was the least of his worries as the foot he lunged forward with still wasn’t touching the ground, and when it did, he wasn't prepared and lost his footing.

He reached the base of the hill alright, on his back after a long tumble while the balls bounced and scattered about, one finally bouncing off his chest before landing in the grass and rolling away a few feet. “Oooow…”

“How very elegant...” Aegis said in an unimpressed tone.

The First Night of the Week

Within Dan’s Mind

Even in his dreams, Dan wasn’t safe from Aegis’ insane training methods. “This is a time for your body to recover from your hard work today, however, your mind is constantly at work whether you use it or not. So we shall tap into that to run scenarios for you to survive, adapt, and overcome. You’ve gotten a good grasp of what your new body can do so in this dream, your brain will set your this form that you are currently using as your body, to mimic what you can do in reality.” Aegis said as he trotted up to Dan “I am here to monitor, judge, and give you lessons of course, but I also am suppressing the full potential you would have in lucid dreaming. So no flying, or making yourself larger or anything that breaks what you can do in reality.”

“Tch!” Dan turned his head away briefly seeing his plans dashed.

“Now I am aware in the dream world, the concept of getting tired will not be felt here seeing as the body you are in is not your real body. So I have added something to mimic your stamina as closely as possible.

“Like what? A Stamina bar?” Just as he said that, in front of his sight, at the top left of his vision was a yellow meter.

“I call it a stamina gauge, with this you can determine how much stamina you have when you exert yourself, then when the gauge is depleted your body will become sluggish and heavy. To restore the gauge you simply stand still or at the very least, jog or walk. Revolutionary, isn’t it?” Aegis asked proudly.

…. Dan raised a finger and was about to say something, but then lowered it back to his side and changed what he was about to say. “In this world, you're probably right about that.”

Aegis continued, “Now back to your training. With everything explained let's get everything underway.” immediately they were in the forest from his last dream.

“Wait… if we’re here, does that mean-”

“Correct, your starter level is slaying a manticore,” Aegis replied. Just then a large shadow landed before Dan, it quickly was revealed to be the same Dream Manticore from his previous one as well. It towered over him growling ferociously.

“I hate you Aegis.”

“Begin!”

This was his daily three-part training regiment for the entire week. The morning would challenge his endurance, the afternoon would challenge Efficiency, and at night, he would accumulate all he has learned and trained for, to what one would normally see as a near impossible test. The rules of the test were simple, at the start he would begin in the worst case scenario of a hunt, unarmed, standing before his prey and it clearly sees him. Aegis would then start a point system. For every five minutes, he would remain alive, he would receive one “hunter’s point”. Whenever he uses his surroundings to his advantage or using an object efficiently, he receives points according to how resourceful or clever it as at the time of its use. However, Aegis never explained to him what the points were used for and that they were ultimately useless for this test. So Dan chose to not think about it too much and worry about surviving. The first few days of the week it all seemed utterly hopeless. Dan would never last 30 laps in time.

“Crap crap crap crap crap crap CRAP!”

“YOUR SUPPOSE TO BE HOLDING THE BOULDER! NOT BE CHASED BY IT!”

He was always a mess with juggling.

“Come on it’s not that hard, just keep your eyes on the ball!”

“GREAT ADVICE! Now tell me how to do that with Four of them! WhooOaA-Oh Fu-Ngak!”

“I can tell you that your footwork needs more work! When you're done falling and embarrassing yourself, get your arse back up here and do it again!!

PISS OFF, GRAMPS!

And the Manticore would always take him out swiftly or he would make a mistake and take himself out by accident, the farthest he would ever last would be seven minutes.

Aegis was starting to wonder what potential did the medallion see in this boy, but he had to keep in mind, it was far too soon to assume anything. He knew there would be little to no change with just a week of training. This week was just to introduce him to what his body could do. To “break in” what he was capable of. He expected nothing but failure, but to such a degree where he can’t even last 10 minutes against a manticore. It wasn’t even controlled by the dark influence. He knew that everything takes time, but what was he to do with this level of incompetence.

It was because of this, that on what happened on the sixth night surprised him. “Ok… So just so we’re clear here. The goal is to NOT get eaten.” Aegis said as Dan returned to the dream realm after waking up from his last failure.

“I know…” Dan groaned as he stepped into the dream forest. “You know, where I come from. It’s a hunter’s job to avoid this situation BECAUSE of this.”

“You are correct, and I’m sure you can handle that well. Which is why I want you to experience what happens when everything goes wrong and figure out what to do about it.” Aegis replied. “Despite what you know and that cloak you were given, if there is one thing I learned when entering that forest, It’s that anything that can happen will happen.”

“Oh, like Murphy’s law?” Dan turned to Aegis

“Murphy’s what?”

“Uuh, don’t worry about it, just a phrase.”

“Oh, I’m not.” Immediately another Manticore appeared “I’m more worried about you.”

“... You’re a douche-Hurk!” Dan would say as he was knocked back by a strong paw swipe sending him back a few yards. After so many failures at least Dan knew how to recover from a tumble and get to his feet again. “You know, I’ve said this already, but I’m seriously questioning your teaching abilities, gramps!”

“If you have time to chat, then you have time to take this beast on!” Aegis replied with an annoyed tone.

“When will you get it through your thick head-” Dan jumps over the Manticore's pounce then jumps off the beasts rear end to get as much distance away from it as possible. “This just isn’t something I can just handle in a week!”

“We can’t afford more time! We need results! We need answers!”

“Answers to what?!” Dan asked as he just barely caught a paw swipe and pushed it back.

“Why? Why do you hold back?” Aegis demanded

“I dunno what you’re seeing,” Dan moved his head off to the side away from the creature trying to bite his head off. “but this IS my effort right now!”

“Then tell me! What happened to that fire in your eyes when you slew that manticore, and when you punched the dream one when I surprised you the first night you slept in this town?” Aegis glared at the scene. “You have all the tools, but no drive!”

At this point in time. Dan managed to escape the power struggle of the manticore and backed off again. He tried to remember those past moments. “What do you want me to do then?” he mumbled to himself. As he stared down at the beast, this was when the unexpected happens. Something that Aegis had never anticipated for since in the past it was previously impossible to happen. Luna appeared in between Dan and his prey. “What?”

Aegis was confused. He had suppressed much of Dan’s ability to control his dream other than to control his own dream body, and Aegis wasn’t the one to bring up this dream Luna…

“Ah! It worked! Huzzah!” Luna cheered unknowing of her current situation. That helped Aegis quickly piece together that this Luna, was the real deal. At this moment he could see the Manticore charge right for her. She didn’t even notice it as she saw Dan first. “Sir Hunter!” she went to wave when she then felt a sense of foreboding behind her. She looked back to see the Manticore already lunging for her. Had she the time, she would’ve easily done something about this situation with ease with her magic, but her body was still responding in shock to the startling discovery. By the time she would even cast a spell it would be too late. She couldn’t help but shriek in response as her legs tried to back her up.

This was when she suddenly felt something brush by her, it was a blur, but she quickly made out who it was when they jumped up to meet with the beast. “BACK OFF!” Dan was now in between her and the Manticore with his fist pulled back. When he was about to clash with his prey he gave it the hardest right hook he could muster, causing the fist to knock out more than a few teeth this time and knock the creature off course and into the dirt face first!

“Well I’ll be damned…” Aegis was shocked at this sudden turn of events. The manticore faded out of existence. Apparently, a strike and hard landing like that was enough to knock it unconscious.

Once Dan landed he groaned as he shook his fist “Ugh! Seriously Aegis! What the hell, man?!” He then turned to face the old timer and point at Luna. “What was that for?! Don’t spawn people I know like that. I wasn’t prepared!”

“Uuum...” Luna looked at the entire scene in confusion, “wait, Aegis?” she then turned to where Dan was looking and was immediately in for a shock.

“Dan… That Luna didn’t come from your mind...” Aegis stared at their “guest”.

“Huh?” Dan tilted his head.

“Greetings, Sir Hunter, I suppose this may seem hard to believe right now, but it truly is I, the real Luna within your dream speaking to you right now.” Luna gave a courteous bow.

Dan stared at her for a moment, before looking back at Aegis “Ok, seriously, stop messing with me already. If you wanted to take a break, you could’ve just said so.”

Aegis just sighed and face hoofed. “Princess, do you mind proving this to him right now?”

“Huh?” Luna was surprised at how this dream version of Aegis seemed to act so independently. “Oh, um, sure I suppose, I can send him a message or-”

“No, no, teleport to the library right now. You’ll find him sleeping on the couch.”

Hesitant at first, she complied. “Such a peculiar mind you have, Sir Hunter.” before she vanished from both men.

“I have to say, you're going to great lengths to really fool me. You can relax Aegis, I’d like to take a break to-”

“Dan, what happened?” Aegis interrupted.

“Huh?” When Dan looked back at Aegis he was now in his face causing the man to back up in response.

“Through the entirety of this week, I have been trying to get you to do that since day one with the manticore. I need to know. What happened during that time. To single-handedly pass this test in one fell swoop?”

“Look, I dunno man. After that dream, Luna showed up it just happened. I guess for a second I forgot this was all fake or something and I uuh, punched I guess.”

….. It was so obvious now, He should’ve dealt with this at the very beginning “That’s it. I see now.”

“What?” Dan was confused now. It was at this moment that Aegis started rousing Dan from sleep. “Huh?”

“I’ll explain later, right now I think the Princess should be here by now. Listen, Dan, I want you to tell her some things when you see her.”

~~~

Reality: Library

Luna had teleported to the Library as she was asked to, she informed her night guards as to not make them panic and quickly teleported right in front of the couch. She had to admit this was strange of her to do such a strange task. A simple letter to him would’ve been proof enough, however she really wanted to respect his wishes. She considered him a friend and she felt like he felt the same. At least she hoped so, It wasn’t conceited of her to assume, was it? She tapped her hoof to her chin. Then she shook her head. No, now’s not the time. No doubt Dan will have many questions when he wakes up and she must do her best to explain her earlier intrusion.

Should she apologize? What if after she explains he then hates her for doing such a thing. Aegis did tell her that humans weren’t always too keen on others knowing what they dream sometimes. No, she couldn’t have that. Perhaps an apology wouldn’t be enough, maybe a gift and solemn swear never to do it again… But after so long of trying to get it to work, only to never do it again when she finally succeeded, She should plead her case too then. Hopefully, he’ll be understanding enough and-This was when she discovered herself pacing back and forth in front of the couch.

“Luna?” And to make matters worse, NOW he decides to wake up.

“O-oh um, Good Evening Sir Hunter.” she quickly turned to him and bowed her head courteously, if not hastily.

Dan Meanwhile was blinking his eyes, trying to see if his eyes weren’t playing tricks on him. He rubbed just to be sure, He then pinched himself, so he confirmed he was awake. He then turned to her. “What… Are you doing here?” He asked suspiciously.

“Um… did you not, ask me to come here… in your dream?... Well that dream creation of Aegis did I suppose if you want to be specific.” She was starting to feel like she may have come under the assumption that he would even remember it. Sometimes ponies can wake up forgetting entirely what they were dreaming about that very night. If that were true, this would make things very awkward and already she was starting to feel embarrassed.

“You, you did? So that, really was you?” Dan was now slowly becoming more and more astonished at her words.

She sighed with relief, Thankfully he remembered the dream. “Um, yes. As I would like to explain. To summarize, I can... Well dive into a ponies dream at night when I so wish. O-only to aid in stopping any nightmares that would come to my subjects.”

From the look on Dan’s face, it seemed he was trying to cope with what happened in his dream, actually happened. “So then… You can enter my dreams whenever you want.”

“Yes, I mean, no, I mean…. well I can NOW. Before this very night, I could not.” Seeing she caught his interest she continued. “It's another human trait I suppose. Originally it used to be impossible for me to delve into a human’s dream. I tried many times before when Aegis was alive. To no success. It would appear even though a human’s dream joins the dreamscape. A sort of barrier wards off intrusion from my normal means to enter a dream. So I tried developing a different method to getting past that. After so many years of trying, I finally found the right method for doing it…. I suppose I got over excited and wanted to test it out right away. So I entered the dreamscape, searched for your dream and well… You already know what happened after that.

“Whoa…” Dan looked away for a moment.

“Ah, but of course I am aware that humans tend to like to keep their dreams private, so if you truly did not want me to enter your dreams any longer, then um, I’ll comply. I just wanted to plead my case that it was solely for the sake of helping you.”

“Helping me?” Dan asked.

“Yes, you see, as it was and is my duty to safeguard my subjects dreams, banishing nightmares is basically what I am charged with doing.” Luna looked away with a sorrowful look in her eye. “I remember the days when I would sense a nightmare, only to find it coming from Aegis’ dreams. He had always done so much for us. I wanted to return the favor in any way I could. To not even be able to do my own duty to banish the nightmares in his mind. It sort of felt like I betrayed him, in a manner of speaking.”

Dan could hear Aegis sigh in his mind. “She was always too nice for her own good. Despite that tough girl demeanor she would try to make in front of others. It was probably for the better she never got to see them. Despite, the battles and death she has seen. I’m not quite sure how she would handle it.”

‘Well she seems sincere in wishing to help you.’ Dan replied in his mind. He gazed at Luna for a moment. The poor girl seemed to be shuffling in place, waiting for his answer. ‘Well, no harm done, I suppose.’ He then cleared his throat to get her attention. “Well, I suppose, it’s not a bad idea,.. having a friend visit my dreams and help me deal with my nightmares…” Luna was surprised to hear what he was saying and started to smile a little. “Just uh, give me some warning if you ever decide to visit it. Not the nightmares I mean, you’re free to jump in if that ever happens. But um, in my other dreams, just like call in advance or something or-” immediately he was being hugged, rather strongly.

“Thank you! Thank you so much for understanding, Dan! It really means a lot.” Almost as much as when she heard Dan call her a friend “I also promise to warn you in your dreams of my presence to respect your privacy as well.”

“Good, good...” He wheezed, Lord only knows I’m going to end up with some really messed up dreams in the future as I try to cope with my new life here. He inwardly groaned. When she let him go he happily gasped for some air to fill his lungs after they had been squeezed out so abruptly.

“Speaking from experience, it will be quite the ride for you.” Aegis replied.

Dan’s head slumped, He was hoping he wouldn’t say that. Why? Why did they have to be ponies? He clenched his fist in despair of how messed up his love life will be.

“Think of it this way Dan.They have a lot more human characteristics than the ones back on Earth thankfully. Also, it could be worse.” Aegis stated. “instead of ponies, it could be minotaurs.”

‘I’m not sure how saying that would help.’ Dan replied

“After you see one, you’ll understand what I mean.” Aegis replied back.

“Um, are you alright, Dan?” hearing Luna’s voice Dan popped back to reality, it occurred to him that he probably looked depressed for a moment there. Which he was, but Luna probably had the wrong idea.

“Oh, no I’m fine. Just had a random thought is all.”

“Oh, good!” She relaxed “Then if you don’t mind, might I say your control on your dreams is most remarkable, to even have that cognition of Aegis act so independently as well, speaking to me even as if he was… actually real.”

Dan was then reminded of something. “Actually, there is something I should probably tell you since you might be visiting again in the future.” And it would appear two mares will now know this secret of his.

~~~

Later

After their Discussion, Luna soon pardoned herself as she had to return to the castle and resume her nightly duties before the guards start worrying about her if she remained any longer. It was their job to guard her after all.

When she left Dan was now preparing to return to sleep. He looked up at the stairs. He didn’t know what kept those two upstairs asleep this night, but he was thankful for it. It would just be even more explaining for him to do.

“Dan.” It was Aegis, outside Dan’s body this time.

“What’s up, gramps? Shouldn’t we be getting back to it?”

“Indeed, we will. I assure you, but first, I must address something.”

“Um, ok, what?” Dan sat up.

“I am sure I said this before, but I know that it would be impossible to expect you to change greatly with only a week’s worth of training.” Dan nods “However, I’m only trying to get you to get used to what your body can do. What YOU can do, now that you have the medallion. For a while, I was starting to think that would be impossible, that is, until what happened tonight.”

“Ok?” Dan wasn’t sure where he was going with this.

Aegis was then in his face. “Listen, Dan. It seems your body instinctively knows how to use your new powers. To do so this soon is remarkable, but it seems you don’t even exploit this unless you feel that you need it, that it’s imperative to avoid ruin. You see this training as just that and nothing more. So you see no need to go all out since you're free to fail.” Aegis spoke as sternly as he possibly could. “So for tonight and tomorrow, I want you to understand this. As much as I would like to give you more time. I cannot. There are others besides the Princesses that are watching what you will do during this upcoming expedition. It cannot be canceled, it cannot be postponed. You need to be ready for this because you’ll be going whether or not if you are.”

Dan was silent, worry slowly starting to set in.

“I need you to call upon that instinct on command before that day comes.”

Dan could really see the sense of urgency in his tone and eyes.

“If you don't… You WILL die alone in that forest.”

Author's Note

Ok, that chapter's done, sorry for the wait everybody. Att he final part of writing this, I had a debate with myself whether to leave it as is or write a little farther to where the big day arrives. I decided on the former since I want the next Chapter to focus on what I enjoy writing about: Combat.

Any readers that come from my other story will understand what I mean. I intend to make this an introduction to what I can do with beasts, monsters, and guns. I'm getting pumped already. I'd start writing it now, but these next two weeks are dedicated to finishing a chapter for my other story so, until the next update. See you guys in Chapter Nine!

As Always, I hope you enjoyed this chapter and look forward to future ones.

Chapter Nine

Canterlot Castle: Dining Room

Three Days Later

“Lulu?... Lulu…”

Luna suddenly snaps back to reality hearing her sister call her by her nickname. “Huh? O-oh, sorry sister, did you say something?”

Celestia gave her a smirk “Yes, for the past five minutes I’ve been “saying something”, however it looks like I lost you from the very start.” She laughed lightly

Luna was a bit flustered after hearing this. Was she that far gone in her thoughts? “Oh! Uh, sorry! I just-“

“It’s fine Lulu, this was basically what I wanted to ask you about.” Celestia gestured to Luna “You’ve been out of it these past three days. Whenever I turn around you’re lost in your own thoughts. Is there something going on with you? Is it something I should know about?”

When asked that question Luna couldn’t help but think back to that particular night.

~~~

Golden Oaks Library

Three nights ago

“Sir Aegis resides within you? Well, I suppose that is a positive way of remembering him. I do believe he resides in me and sister as well.” Luna tried to understand the meaning of Dan’s words.

However, Dan just shook his head. “No, no, no, that’s not what I meant! I mean he’s haunting me?”

“Oh, is it that you still feel guilty of his death?” Luna asked now worried. “I-I promise this truly was his wish and chose his fate with no regrets. You don’t have to beat yourself over-

“No. No. Again, not what I meant!” Dan groaned and ran his fingers furiously through his hair, trying to get that through to her. “I mean, he’s actually here, right now. Or rather, his ghost is here now.”

Luna was silent for a moment, eyebrow raised. “Haunting you? I’m sorry, Dan, but it's in poor taste to make such a joke about him. He really means a lot to us and-“

“Tell her this.” Aegis said in Dan’s mind. Soon after Dan raised his hand to stop Luna from speaking.

“I’m not sure what this means, but he just told me right now to tell you this: Do you remember that promise you made him keep about what you keep behind that loose brick in the wall in your bedroom-“

“Aaaaaaah! Stop stop stop!” Luna immediately went bright red at the mere mention of the loose brick having a brief flashback of the whole event of Aegis walking in on her that one day in her far younger years. “Ok, Ok! I believe you, can we please stop talking about that!?!?” She rushed her words covering her now red face in embarrassment.

Dan Stood there, feeling very uncomfortable. “Uh, ok…” he then spoke in his mind. ‘It's not a dil-’

“It's worse…” Was Aegis’ reply.

Oh God… Dan didn’t want to know, he didn't want to ask any further than that. He wanted to change the subject fast. “S-so now that you believe me. This is basically what’s going on. The old man apparently started haunting me the moment this got jammed into my chest.” he tapped at the medallion under his shirt. “Now he bugs me with all this stuff about training and whatever.”

“Training?” Luna asked, “You mean he comes back to the realm of the living only to teach you?”

“Pretty much it would seem.” Dan then pointed to the door he used earlier that night. “I now know that door spell to visit my world.” The moment he pointed at it. The symbol he traced with his hand on it flashed for a moment as if preparing to be used once more. However when he stopped pointing at it. The symbol went away.

“You cast that spell on your own?”

“Yes and no. I mean, I did it, but I just copied what he said to me and made some hand gestures on the door.” Dan said as he looked at himself. “Before I honestly thought he was some part of madness from the guilt, however, I can’t really use that excuse NOW. Madness doesn’t answer how I somehow knew a spell that required an incantation and specific hand strokes to activate it. So… he’s real, and I’m really being haunted by an old pony man.” He then got up and stretched.

“Pony man?” Aegis asked

“If you want I could’ve just called you were-unicorn or something. Cuz that’s what I deduced. One Day a human, the other day a damn unicorn lifting things up from the ground with his mind. Seem about right?”

“Um, I’m sorry?” Luna blinked at this strange outburst from Dan.

“Huh? Oh, right! You can’t see or hear him in the real world. Sorry, I was basically talking to him just now, not you, sorry about that.” Dan reassured her.

“S-so, Aegis still communicates to you now?” At Dan’s nod, she asked another question. “And… he can hear and see me right now as well?”

“Uh, yeah. Pretty much.” Dan wasn’t sure where this was going.

Luna nodded then smiled “Then I would like to say to him thank you for your services as the previous royal hunter of Equestria.” She gave a bow towards Dan. “However, although I, in the end, agreed it was the only option of discovering your heir, You are… an absolute jerk for even considering it.” She said that last part firmly.

There was a moment of silence between the three of them until Aegis responded: “Can’t argue with her there, had there been another way I wouldn’t have done it.”

Dan was feeling awkward, this conversation sounded like it wasn’t meant for him to be involved in but he relayed the message “He says you’re right, and he wouldn’t have done it if there was another way.”

“How could you have been so sure there wasn't? Maybe you didn’t look hard enough for another answer or, or…” Luna seemed to be looking for something else to say “I don’t know, anything else then hurting my sister like this.” Her words trembled a bit as her emotions nearly overtook her for a moment, however she froze when Dan suddenly came up and wrapped his arms around her. Before she could say anything Dan spoke first.

“Uuuh, I’m not doing this… Aegis why am I doing this?”

“Just shut up and tell her this…”

…. “He says he’s sorry,” Dan said, and before she was able to utter another word he continued. “He’s sorry that there is no better way to fix this mess that he alone created. He’s also sorry that he had to convince you first about it.” Dan felt Luna tense up after hearing that. “Aegis… what did you-“

“Just keep going…”

“He says-“ Dan stopped for a moment, “He says…” at this point, Luna was starting wonder what was going on with Dan’s internal conversation with his “mentor” now. When she looked at his face, she could see the lost expression on his face that slowly turned to anger.

“Dan?” She tentatively called his name. This seems to bring him back as his eyes snapped into focus then to her. He was silent for a few seconds mouth at the cusp of trying to form a word, until finally, he closed his eyes inhaled deeply then breathed out. “Luna, I need you to keep a promise for me.”

“A promise… of what? Honestly, I don’t think I can keep another for him at this point...” Luna shook her head.

“I know, but he’s not asking for it. I am, and I’m only asking this cuz you're my friend.” Dan replied, however, that one word definitely surprised Luna.

“Your… friend?” she blinked, unclear if her mind was messing with her or if he really said that.

Dan raised an eyebrow, “Uh, yeah? You're like the very first friend I ever made in this weird world, you actually took the time to tell me why I’m here and what to know about this place…. plus that cloak is actually pretty cool.” He mumbled at the end.

“O-oh, sorry, I’m just-” she turned to the side, she didn’t want to blurt out how she still had trouble making friends outside of Twilight and her friends. Knowing she just earned one on her own and it being the new Hunter no less. She decided to change the subject. She suddenly felt the urge to not look bad in front of him. “S-so, what was your promise?”

Dan inhaled then exhaled for a moment. “Are you able to take others with you on your um… “dream-walky” thing?”

“Dreamwalk-Oh! Of Course, it is within my power.” She gave a nod.

“Good, good, this can work then.” Dan cupped his chin and was in thought. But didn’t leave Luna hanging for long as he replied soon after that. “OK, here’s the plan. I want you to take Celestia out on this dream walk with you and take her to my dream.”

She was starting to catch on now. “You wish for the two of them to confront one another.”

Dan nodded. “Right, but not yet. I need you to also keep this quiet for me for a bit longer.”

Luna was confused. “But why? Wouldn’t it be better to deal with this now?”

Dan nodded “It would, and you’d be right, but I’m making a compromise. The old fart isn’t budging on this. He wants me to just focus on this stupid Expedition thing coming up. Apparently, it’s super important or something.”

Luna only needed a moment to think about it. She can recall why Aegis would want to handle this first. She sighed, she had to agree with his priorities right now. “Very well, I shall… keep this between us, but only until this expedition ends and you return. I won’t wait any longer than that.” She said firmly.

She watched Dan as he was silent for a moment looking upward ever so slightly, she could only assume he was conversing with Aegis when he did this. After a few more seconds he nodded “He agrees, it’s decided then.”

Luna nods “Very well then. I suppose I should return for now.” She straightened up, preparing to teleport. “Thank you, Dan, for doing this.”

He shook his head. “It’s fine, just didn’t want you to cry in front of me, not a big fan of making friends cry.”

She blushed and fumbled on her words “I-I don’t know what you’re talking about. I DON’T cry!”

Dan smirked “Oh really? So that tear streak on your face is just your eyes sweating or something?”

“What?!” She summoned up a mirror to look at her face, there was no streak though she did notice her eyes were a little puffed up, it looked like she narrowly avoided that very thing thankfully but seeing that Dan was messing with her she glared at him. “How dare you?”

He just chuckled and shrugged “Welcome to my friendship, please note that makes you a free target whenever I wish to mess with you.”

She huffed “Well, just so you know, this can only go both ways, Sir Hunter.” She spoke with an air of determination in her voice.

“Oh I look forward to it.” in truth, it was all just a ruse to get the girl to cheer up. It was working, but he wasn’t lying in what he said either. In the end, Luna couldn’t help but smile a little before finally teleporting back to the castle.

~~~

Back to the Present

“Lulu…. Lulu…” Luna returned from her flashback to notice she had been staring at her plate for what she could only assume was a long enough time to make her sister feel concerned about her.

“Oh- uh, sorry, Tia. I was daydreaming.” She would then yawn. “It is near my bedtime I suppose.”

Celestia sighed “Yes, perhaps we should wrap up so you can return to your chambers for some rest.”

Luna simply agreed and actually focused on finishing her plate now. However, by the time she finished she brought up a question. “I heard that Dan had already sent his notification to go on an expedition in a few more days.”

“Yes, though it concerns me. Isn’t it really soon for him to even bring it up. After all, he’s still fairly new to his role and there is no one to teach him of his abilities. I feel like we are sending him to his death.” Luna could see that there was fear and doubt in her voice. It was good to see her sister returning to her usual self, actually concerned for Dan’s safety, but after that night at the library, she wanted so hard to tell Celestia that her worries are mostly unfounded. However, a promise is a promise, and she intended to keep it.

“Keep in mind, sister, Aegis underwent the same thing when he started and he turned out just fine,” Luna replied. “We can only assume whatever method aided to him is doing the same for Dan, right?”

“That wasn’t as comforting as you think it would be, but I see your point, I suppose.” Celestia sighed.

Luna comforted her. “He’ll be fine sister. I have faith in him.” After all, they had far too much riding on his return, and not just what they promised that night either. At that moment, a guard opened the dining room doors and trotted in, she gave a bow to the princesses before speaking.

“Pardon the intrusion, you’re Highness. I have come to inform you that the Ambassadors have arrived and await in the throne room with the nobles you requested as well.”

The look on both princesses faces was that of annoyance. “So early? If it were for any other issue, they would’ve taken their sweet time.” Luna huffed

Celestia only shook her head. “It’s only natural, they have been looking forward to this day.” She took another bite of her food before getting up. “At least a few of them have good intentions.”

“Sister… I believe I shall stay up a bit longer to join you.” Luna replied.

“Lulu, you don’t have to. I’ve dealt with it before many times.”

“I am aware, but I want to support Dan as much as possible,” Luna spoke with finality in her voice. “Wouldn’t you do so for a friend?”

Celestia was surprised to hear her say that. She could see her sister was determined. It was a surprise to her, but a welcomed one. “Very well, but just for the meeting then.”

Luna nodded and smiled “Thank you.”

~~~~~~~~~~

Fluttershy’s Front Yard

A few days later

The week of training had past and the time had arrived the expedition. As told by Aegis, he had sent a formal letter to the princesses via Twilight and Spike to let them know what he was up to, which he was unaware already sparked a political battle for said rulers to take on back in the castle. During the last few days of his training, Aegis was pleasantly surprised by how much progress Dan made in such a short time. He made leaps and bounds in his daytime training, although he never fully mastered them yet. However, He was showing enough potential to give the ghost some confidence in him. Twas the night training that helped seal the deal for him.

Dan was double checking his gear and pack in front of Fluttershy’s lawn. Apparently, the girls were there as well, by Twilight’s request. “So, I’m not complaining or anything, but why is everyone here? I can understand, Flutters since she lives here and all,” he asked as he was shuffling some rations and various essentials in his pack.

“For moral support, of course.” Twilight said cheerfully as she looked over her checklist, then at Dan as well as the contents of his pack. “This is your first mission for the Princesses after all. Better to have your friends see you off, right?”

“I guess so-” he said as he closed the backpack and wore it under his cloak. “But I’m not sure if everyone here is on board with being my friend yet.”

Twilight waved it off. “You’re being too negative, sure we had a rough start, but some time and bonding helped in the end.”

Dan turned to his left. “Well, save for one.” When Twilight followed his gaze she saw Rainbow and couldn’t think of anything to say. By Dan’s decision, Rainbow was left alone as she wished, though she made no effort during that time to seek him out and try to speak to him. Rainbow seemed to avoid eye contact with him and it seemed like she tried to make herself look preoccupied with talking with the other girls.

Twilight sighed before speaking. “She’s not so trusting at first, but it normally doesn’t last, honest.”

“I’ll take your word for it,” Dan said as he checked his outfit. It was basically the same outfit he wore back in the woods when Aegis was alive. He managed to head back to his apartment on Earth and fill up his ammo pouch as much as he could for his hunting Rifle as well as for the MP5 Earth Dan loaned him for now. Any extra ammo was in another pouch he had to put in the pack to store it, hoping he would never need to use that much ammo, but better safe than sorry. On his side, in its holster was his new D. Eagle, however, he didn’t have any extra ammo for it. It was powerful enough on its own. So he had no intention of using it, but after hearing from Twilight and Aegis about the Everfree Forest, It was better to have every weapon at his disposal.

Despite, already experiencing it, it still amazed him how wearing his cloak it would look like he only had the clothes on his back under it. Yet he would reach out to touch the butt of his rifle and he could definitely feel it in the same spot he strapped it on. On a side note, thanks to his new and absurd “carrying capacity”, a physical gift from the medallion, he had to get used to the fact that, he barely even felt the weight of all the gear and backpack on himself. It sort of creeped him out a little bit if he ever thought about it for too long when he would compare himself a week before even coming to Equestria.

Aegis would yammer on about how the medallion only amplified his physical potential in all aspects and training will only raise it to greater heights. Honestly, it sounded straightforward to Dan, the way Aegis would say it to him made him think the old timer was keeping some secrets himself on the subject. He would have to probe the man later about it.

“You sure you don’t need anything else.” Fluttershy’s voice brought him out of his thoughts as he turned to see her along with the rest of the girls join him and Twilight. “It’s awfully scary and dangerous in the forest.”

“Indeed.” Rarity chimed in, “We’ve just gotten to know you, however, I feel so very concerned even watching you enter that dreadful place alone.” Dan could hear worry in her tone, despite the “airs” she would put on whenever she talks. He then felt Twilight tap his side

“We had hoped we all would have more of a chance to get to know you better, but that training you had taken up most of your time.”

“Yeah, sorry about that, that was just a simple exercise to help me get used to what I’m able to do now. I’m sure I won’t be as busy when I get back.”

“That Concerns me” Aegis said in Dan’s mind

‘Relax, gramps, it's only because you’ve had my nose to the grindstone the whole week. It's only fair after all.’ Dan responded, he only got a small grunt of acceptance from the ghost before returning his focus back to the girls.

“Dan, before you go.” Twilight watched as Fluttershy flew back into her house for a moment only to quickly return carrying something. “We want you to have this. It’s from all of us.” As far as Dan could tell when Fluttershy handed it to him, it looked like some sort of Bandana or very short scarf, and a pair of goggles. The Bandana/Scarf, which he then decided to dub Bandascarf, was mostly red with white designs of horseshoes and stars. The material looked and felt like cotton, yet he sensed something odd about it. Like there was more to it then what he physically saw.

The goggles seemed more like aviation goggles, He was unsure the reason why he was given this, but when he thought about it, they could be more useful than he thought in the future. The strap seemed stretchable so it was a one size fits all. The lenses had to have been custom given that it appeared like it would fit his face and was relatively proportionate to the size of his eyes compared to a pony’s much larger eyes. It looked kind of cool too so he wouldn’t mind wearing it when he needed to, Also, just like the Bandana he was sensing something strange about the goggles too that his eyes weren’t seeing.

“Uh, wow, girls… This is for me?” He deeply examined them, somewhat intrigued by them.

“Yup, Pinkie brought up the idea of getting you a gift to send you off on your mission but I wanted it to be something practical. So we all gathered and agreed to make you these. Applejack said it would be useful to have a Bandana when you’re out in the thick of it since it’s versatile in its uses.

Pinkie tapped her hoof to her chin. “I thought Applejack said it was a scarf.”

“I’m just calling it a Bandascarf cuz it looks like both to me.” Dan shrugged but smiled.

“Oooh, I like that name!” Pinkie smiled as well as she bounced in place.

“Ahem, yes, moving on, Rainbow suggested you would need something to keep the wind out of your eyes when you're running through the trees or something to that extent.”

Wow, that kind of feels like she’s calling me out as a monkey… Dan thought as he turned to Rainbow. It seemed like she either picked up on his stare or also could see how what Twilight quoted could be taken out of context, as she immediately came up with another reason.

“I-I-It can also protect your eyes from creatures that spit venom or ink or something… you know?”

“Nice Save,” Dan smirked and gave a thumbs up to her, she only responded by nervously chuckling and rubbing the back of her neck.

‘Wait. There are things that spit venom in the woods?’ Dan thought

“I told you to make time to look at that book on the Flora and Fauna of this world.” Aegis said

‘Dude, that's like a lot of reading. That book was huge. Can’t you just tell me what something is while we're hunting?’ Dan responded

“Please don’t rely on me for everything, you need to be actively learning these things on your own.” Aegis groaned

‘We can deal with that after we come back… assuming that I live that is.’ Dan said before returning his attention to Twilight again. Thankfully most of that time chatting with Aegis, Dan was able to pick up that everyone pitched in with making these gifts for him. It was a great gesture, but something was still bugging them about it. As if on cue, Twilight managed to answer that nagging feeling he had. “Also, I’ve made sure to enchant both of them so they have far greater durability than normal. So you don’t have to worry if things get rough.

That explained it, He had to assume the medallion was the one sensing it and letting him know somehow. Like a sixth sense or something. If that were true, there are even more things Aegis hasn’t told him yet about it. “This is… great guys. I think this stuff will be helpful sooner then I’d think, I feel.

“Honestly I wish I had more time to give them a unique flair to them.” Rarity said. “They seem a bit bland.”

“It’s fine, sugarcube.” Applejack sighed and shook her head. “He just needs them to do what they were made to do, nothin’ more.” most of the girls agreed, leaving Rarity to inwardly groan and concede, but not without a hand placed on her back. She looked up to see Dan already next to her.

“Thank you for keeping it simple like they asked Rarity, truly. I’d feel bad if it got dirty or torn otherwise, despite the enchantment.”

She felt a little tense, but not in a bad way. She just really liked that smile he gave her. “It's… It’s no trouble, darling.” For just a moment, he looked a little suave to her as he spoke to her gently.

Dan just kept his simple smile and nodded before looking up at the others. “Thank you again, guys. I know we didn't have…. the best of first impressions, but I really do appreciate everyone’s help here.” He tied the bandana around his neck and wore the goggles over his forehead.

“Aww, anything to help a friend, Danny!” Pinkie was already hugging him now which surprised him, though he felt like it was something he would have to get used to around the bubbly pink mare.

“Just promise to come back safe and sound so we can have time to get to know our new friend better.” Applejack replied.

Dan chuckled a little. “I still think you guys are a little too fast to call me a friend.”

“I like to think we are,” Fluttershy answered almost immediately. Hearing that from the shy one, definitely caused him to get in a better mood and actually feel good about this.

“Whether it bothers you or not, I’m afraid you’re stuck with us now, Dan.” Twilight smiled and shrugged as the girls joined her sans Rainbow.

He looked at them for a moment. After a while, he heaved a sigh but smiled anyway. “Boy, you are really twisting my arm here.” He laughed. “Alright, Fine… I guess we’re friends.” He heaved a shrug before he stood up straight, gave one long stretch, before exhaling loudly “Ok, lets get this train wreck over with.” he started walking toward the forest “See you guys when I get out.” the girls smiled and waved “Unless I’m dead.” then that dampened the mood a little

“Dan! Please don’t say things like that!” Twilight shouted.

Dan just smirked “Someone needs to teach you, ladies, dark humor.” he chuckled before he vaulted over a fallen tree and vanished into the shrubbery.

After a few minutes of watching, Twilight turned to the others “Ready?”

The girls nodded “Ready.” they all said and they all went into Fluttershy’s house, Twilight gave one more look at the forest Dan entered and nodded with a sense of determination in her expression.

~~~~~~~~~~

Within the Everfree Forest

The Start of the trip Seemed to be somewhat anxious, but also in awe of the forest around him. The farther he would walk, the stranger things he would see. First off were some strange blue flowers, Aegis called poison joke and to warn him not to take any back home, but ultimately he said the worst the flowers would do to him was a sneezing fit for a while. Further in he came across a tree that seemed to be hollowed out and lived in. He noticed some strange voodoo decorations on the tree as well as a window showing what looked like the home of a witch doctor. Aegis had nothing on it, He never explored this portion of the forest recently when he was alive. They decided it was best to leave it be and press on.

It wasn’t long after that that he came across his first corpse. A dear from the looks of it. “Ok Dan, let’s take a look at that carcass. We need to determine what killed it.”

A bit reluctant, but not really bothered by it, Dan approached the dead dear and knelt down to examine it. Claw marks… teeth marks…. From the looks of it, parts of this creature seemed ripped out, eaten seems more likely.

Aegis still able to hear Dan’s thoughts gave a nod. “Alright that's enough, The good news is that this deer died by a predator. Good to know nothing nearby this side of the forest has turned.” Aegis then put a hoof to his chin. “Though, that manticore from before. Where did it come from?”

Dan stood up and dusted his hands. “How do we know this isn’t that manticore’s doing, it seems old enough. Far from a fresh kill at least.” Dan said waving off the stench of decay from his face.

Aegis shook his head. “Impossible, a creature that’s been controlled by this dark threat doesn’t think of anything else other than killing anything with a pulse. It no longer is concerned about its own hunger or survival, it just looks for anything alive. Then kills it.” Aegis then turned back to Dan. “Sure more often than not, the controlled beast would end up goring their target, it doesn’t matter how they kill their prey, so long as they die. However, if that were the case. We’d see some entrails nearby, even some blood splatter. Tainted Beasts are rather violent with their kills.”

“True, but this corpse is old, who’s to say some other animal didn’t come long after that 'Tainted Beast' left and just scavenged what it left behind.” Dan folded his arms and looked around.

“Then we’d have another problem on our hands,” Aegis replied swiftly

“Huh?”

“If there is one thing you can say about animals, it's that they are far more attuned to their instincts than people are.” To that Dan nodded. “Over my years and my predecessors time as hunters, we know that animals ALWAYS steered clear of a Tainted Beast’s kill.” Aegis seemed to have a look of contemplation. “We could never figure out why that is. Did a Dark Beast secrete some sort of scent or perhaps their aura would remain on what they kill and animals can…. 'Sense' that somehow and to an animal, it could be the equivalent of a warning sign for something deadly… The answers are unclear still.”

“I’m sensing a 'but' coming on though.” Dan watched the ghost.

Aegis nodded. “The only time another creature would ignore all that would be if they were starving to the point that they were close to knocking on death’s door. I can see that in far less forgiving environments, but not this forest. There is always something to hunt for meat in the Everfree for the predator and there is more than an abundance of vegetation for the herbivore to feed on to even resort changing their diet so drastically. It’s just too big a place. If a creature did partake of a tainted carcass, the effect is almost immediate when they become a Tainted Beast as well. That would be troublesome since this corpse is still too close to Ponyville in my opinion.”

Dan walked around the corpse and looked on ahead. “I guess I see your point… So for now, we’re looking for dead bodies that are mostly intact or still have all their guts inside them.”

“That’s one method to search for hints of the darkness sure, but there are others we will tap in on as well if the time comes.” Aegis started floating back to Dan. “Now then, let's move along. Even I can smell that thing.” he chuckled before he was finally inside Dan again.

Dan smirked shaking his head and pressed on. Then a thought occurred to him. “What if it’s a kind of virus?” He looked back. “I mean animals can sense when somethings contaminated usually… Maybe that’s it.”

“We thought that for a time as well,” Aegis responded, “However, we also noticed that this plague acts a little too smart for just an affliction.”

Dan was about to ask when suddenly he felt the hair on the back of his neck stand on end. DANGER, was his first thought. He whipped his head back... Nothing.

“You sensed it didn’t you? We’re being watched, by unfriendly eyes.” Aegis, tone became more serious. The two of them waited, Dan, scanning around him. Dan’s hand went to his MP5 as he got ready. Aegis then spoke again. “Let’s not get too hasty. If it’s a predator, you can knock it out; however, if it's a tainted creature, then fire away. A Royal Hunter does not waste a life. He takes only what is necessary, nothing more.”

“Is it necessary when my life is on the line?” Dan mumbled

“Have more faith in your abilities, Dan. You can handle it.” After a while more of silence Aegis seemed to have confirmed something. “It’s a predator alright.”

“Because?” Dan asked taking his hand off the gun.

“The creature is taking too long to approach you, It has enough intelligence to not rush in. A tainted beast would instead charge you head on.”

“OK, fine, so what’s the plan?”

“We keep walking.” Aegis replied

Dan raised an eyebrow. “Excuse me?”

Aegis repeated “We KEEP walking. Come now, Dan you should at least know the phrase 'They're more scared of you then you are of them' or has that term been forgotten in time?”

Dan sighed “No, it's still around. It just seems that, whenever I watch the news, Nature has forgotten it.”

“Well it still applies here. Keep in mind, Dan, to them, your some freaky new creature stomping along the forest. They don’t know what you are or what you can do. So let's just keep walking. If that thing keeps following us then we take care of it, OK?” Aegis said

Dan thought for a moment… then groaned. “Fine, but if I get jumped, I’m blaming you.” He then turned and started walking.

“I highly doubt that for more reasons than you would think. Just show no fear and listen to your instincts.

“Fine…” Dan groaned as he kept walking. All the while paying really close attention to that feeling of Danger he kept feeling. He was tense, yes, but for some reason, he didn’t feel scared. It was like his body knew it had no reason to be somehow. Perhaps his mind was being overconfident because of what he could do now, and that’s never good. However, just as Aegis anticipated, whatever it was that was following Dan, seemed to stop following him after he walked a certain distance.

“See? As I told you.” Aegis confirmed

“Yeah, yeah, I guess you were right.” Dan looked back. “Still curious… You think that was a Manticore?”

“Most likely, perhaps, we came across its hunting grounds is all. We’ll have to mark this area to avoid any conflict when we return home.” Aegis commented

“Mark?” Dan asked

“Take a piss on that tree there, of course.” Dan felt Aegis guide his line of sight to a tree on his left and there was a short moment of silence.

“Ok, now you’re just trolling me.” Dan deadpanned

“It’s what I’ve done, using my heightened sense of smell when I was still a Royal Hunter.”

“Bull, I don’t have that, you're just messing with me,” Dan responded

“That’s because you didn’t activate it yet. You know how bothersome it would be if all your heightened senses didn’t have an off switch. That dead deer would have you writhing on the floor right now in olfactory agony.” Aegis said with a “matter of fact” tone to his words.

At this point, Dan wasn’t sure what to believe anymore. The old timer had the habit of screwing with him, but... this sounded so real… But he can tell Aegis has a smug look on his face. Yet, he could be smug knowing he’s right… “I hate you.”

“So I’ve heard, hmhmhmm.” Oh, that smug attitude he gave off just pissed Dan off. However, in the end, they continued walking.

Back in the distance, however, the creature that had been stalking them remained in place behind a tree staring at them. It was a Timberwolf, why it was by itself, however, remained unclear. Once Dan was far enough away from it, the wooden creature relaxed and continued watching. When Dan was finally out of sight it backed away into the shadows of the forest before scurrying off to who knows in the unknown.

~~~~~

Dan hiked for a few more hours, getting ever so deeper into the heart of the forest. He pulled out his phone. The time to his world seemed accurate enough for him to rely on the world clock SOMEWHAT. The time said 3:45 pm. Just to be sure, he hopped up a tree branch and jumped through the dense treetops he was in to get a good look at the sun. Landing on a sturdy branch he gauged the position of the sun. “Hmm, well that explains why I’m feeling hungry, looks like it’s somewhere far past noon here in Equestria land.” He then hopped back down to the forest floor. “Now seems like a good time to have some lunch.”

It took a moment but Aegis agreed "I suppose that’s fine. It appears there is a river up ahead, so perhaps it's best to set up camp here? We’re so far in the forest I feel we can set up a base point for us here"

“Plus fire roasted fish sounds pretty good right now,” Dan said as he walked past the tree line to reach a sizeable clearing, in front was a river with a steady current. Nothing like white water, but far past lazy river standards of current speed. Dan stepped up to get a closer look at the water to see if he could spot any potential dinner. Sure enough, the river was teeming with aquatic life, from rainbow trout to carps, some bluegill, and some other fish he couldn’t even identify. “Wow, is it like some sort of breeding season or something?”

“No, this is just the norm here. There's a lot of lifeforce in certain parts of the world, particularly here, the forest that so-called 'does things by itself' as the ponies would call it.”

“Or as I would call it: NATURE BEING NATURE.” Dan smirked at this, both he and Aegis had to laugh. “Ponies, I swear, it's like they believe everything needs a caretaker or something.” Dan set his pack down and started digging through it.

“Well a lot of things that we would leave Nature, ponies seem to somehow have better control over, or in Ms. Fluttershy’s case, abilities in taming.”

“Well, yeah when you can have a lovely chat with a squirrel as you would another person, I bet you can get animals to do all sorts of things… AHA!” He pulled out a fishing rod, his rod from Earth and a tackle box. “Knew this would come in handy.” With a flick of his wrist and a flick of a tiny side switch, the tiny pole extended to much more proper length for what it was made to do. “Ho, HOOOO I’m gonna catch a whopper with you.”

Aegis chimed in, “That's fine and all but perhaps you should set up Camp first before you fish, you don’t even have a fire pit set.”

“Relax, I’m getting those too, this stuff was just at the top is all.” he set the fishing pole down on the tackle box and started digging in the back again. “Seriously this magic stuff feels like Nature cheat codes.” From out of the bag, he pulled out a rather large bundle of tent making material and supplies. “I mean, having far more inventory room then what’s scientifically possible, sounds just like some kind of endgame reward or something for new game plus.”

“I’m not gonna even try to understand your strange metaphors but I will agree that magic does make things convenient for the ponies of this world and to an extent, us I suppose.”

“Yeah, enchanted gear rocks. Wish our race could use magic in real life like this.”

Aegis remained silent on that remark…

Dan pulled out a small spade, “Ok, fire pit first, then fish. Let the fish roast as I set up the tent. That sound good?” He said to Aegis.

“Oooh, I hope you don’t mind sharing some of your catch.”

“Well sure, but how are you gonna eat it when you're a- wait...” Dan just realized that wasn’t Aegis voice. When he turned around he saw a giant creature, with an admittedly nice mustache, loom over him. “Eh?”

“Well then… A sea serpent… this is rather unexpected.” Aegis replied.

“Oh, terribly sorry, I didn't mean to sneak up on you like that, I was just curious about what kind of strange creature decided to enter my home.” The serpent replied

“Home?” Dan managed to ask. He kept his eyes on the creature.

“Well, yes generally, I do live here after all.” The serpent gestured to the surrounding area and river.

“Oh… uuh, I can, leave if you want then-“

The serpent waved it off “Oh, no no, it's quite alright, it has been quite some time since the last time I’ve had company. It can get pretty lonely here, you know.” Dan could only nod with a dumbfounded look. “Besides, you said you were going to, ahem, roast some fish?” The serpent seemed to get a little excited at the phrase.

“Uuuh, yeah, that was the plan.” Dan then caught on. “So… you want some too?”

“Oh, that would be just heavenly if you wouldn’t mind. If you’d like we could even call it, a trade for letting you set up camp in my home if you want.”

Dan couldn’t argue with that. “I guess that’s fine, but why the interest in cooked fish? Can you not cook your own? If you don’t mind me asking.”

The serpent shook his head. “I’m afraid I’m all thumbs when it comes to cooking, even though I can groom my lovely mustache to perfection.” To add to that he gave his well combed facial hair a gentle flick of his claws to show off their bouncy luxurious reaction and sheen.

“Uuh, yeah, I see your point, sir.” Dan replied, “Well, if that’s all you're asking, then I can happily oblige that deal then.”

“Ah, splendid, I eagerly wait with anticipation, but I must caution you, there have been odd happenings as of late in this forest, I question the wisdom of your choice in coming here.”

At this Dan perked up. “Hm? What do you mean by that?” Even Aegis was curious.

The serpent tapped his chin “Well, I have been hearing some strange sounds off in the distance of the forest. At first, it sounded similar to that of the roar of a hydra, when you listen closely, it certainly gives off a ghastly tone to it. Unlike anything I’ve ever heard, good sir. In recent days I’ve even heard it nearby. I’ve yet to investigate it, but I feel if this keeps up, I might choose to locate a new home elsewhere, at least until the creature and its chilling roars have passed.”

“If it's what I think it is, I certainly doubt that.” Aegis replied

“Is there anything else you can tell me abou-“

Dan felt death from behind him.

His head jerked back to see three pairs of glowing eyes staring at him and the serpent, along with a loud hissing noise.

“Oh Dear!” The serpent was just as shocked to see them as well.

The creature came out to reveal a rather large quadruped lizard with three heads attach to it. It’s flesh looked like it was decaying at some parts into some black like sludge that clung to its body. Each head glared at Dan and the serpent with vacant glowing eyes, and black drool endlessly oozing from their mouths. It was utterly grotesque, even Dan could tell, that whatever it was, it wasn’t supposed to look like that. ‘Aegis, is that…’

“A hydra.” Aegis said as he drifted out of Dan’s body “And yes… it’s tainted.” He sort of growled out.

Dan reached for his hunting Rifle and turned the safety off. “Sir! I’d advise that you swim downstream for now.”

“You don’t have to tell me twice, hop on and I'll get us out in a jiffy.”

Dan refused as he had his gun trained on the beast before him. “That won’t be necessary, What is more important is that you are out of danger.”

The serpent was shocked at this “You can’t possibly mean to take on that thing on your own. Your just a tiny little thing.”

“Believe it or not sir, this is actually my job-“ the tainted hydra roared an ominous and ghastly roar with all three heads that shook both Dan and the serpent to their very core. It was so bizarre and fear-inducing. Yet, Dan stood his ground. With the beast starting to charge He fired a round into the beasts Foreleg, surprisingly for both Dan and the serpent, the entry point the bullet hit that leg exploded with flesh, blood and black goop. this proved to topple it and fall over itself. “The hell?” Dan mumbled to himself

“This poor creature, just how far gone is it?” Aegis asked in a somber tone. However, he seemed to switch gears when the creature was starting to get back to its feet “Get ready, Dan. The good news is that the creature’s flesh is so weakened, you can cut through it like a hot knife through butter, it won't stop unless you shoot the point of entry.”

“The What?” Dan asked as he was quick to load another round in his rifle, he looked back to see the serpent high tailing it down the river. Looks like fear got the best of him. Good, he didn’t have to worry about another’s life right now.

“That manticore you killed when you first arrived in Ponyville because it wasn’t tainted for very long, conventional means of killing it, like shooting its head or heart was still a viable way of slaying it. However-“ the creature was standing again but this time it received another bullet to one of its three heads. The left one to be precise. Here the face exploded in blood, bone, and black goo, but it still remained up like the other heads, glaring it's only eye at him now. Meanwhile, black sludge was squirting out of it as if it was blood coming out of a severed artery, some of it rolling down the side of the neck the head was attached too. “As you can see, it's not gonna work this time.”

“What the hell…” Dan took a step back, the Hydra only growled at him as if the shot was just a flesh wound, even the head with half a jaw now before it charged at him. Dan back stepped from one of jaws just to narrowly kick the broken face into the third head giving him time to create some more space between him and the creature, this time switching to his MP5. Aegis then flew up right beside him.

“Focus Dan, this is do or die!”

Author's Note

Hey Guys, Sorry for the wait, just wanted to make sure I did the best I could for this chapter, so I took my time with it. Yes, it's another cliffhanger one, but hopefully, this one will have you waiting for the next chapter with anticipation. I'm personally excited as it will be about the combat, its what I like writing after all. Of course, that also means I'm gonna take my time on the next chapter to make sure I get it just right.

For now, that's all I can think of.

As Always, I hope you enjoyed this chapter and look forward to future ones.

Chapter Ten

Canterlot Castle Throne Room

The meeting with the nobles and Ambassador was finally underway. Once the tedious formalities were taken care of it did not take long for the topic of discussion to be brought up.

“So I have been told that old stallion has finally retired from his duty as the hunter, is this true Princess?” The ambassador to the Minotaurs had no problem getting right to it.

“What you have heard is correct, Ambassador Broadhorn.” Broadhorn definitely a picture of what one would expect to see of a Minotaur his age. Big, buff, and horns to match. “After many long years of service, Sir Aegis has seen it fit to pass on his role to a successor. We greatly appreciate his vast contributions as well as his aid when times were-“

“Yes, yes, he was a credit to all and blah blah blah, I’m more interested in this new blood taking his place. Is it another human?” There was no deterring what he came here for.

Celestia sighed and gave him what he wanted. “Yes, HE is, always has it been a human, and human shall it remain. I know your customs but please refer to him as you would anypony else here. He is not a creature or an object”

Broadhorn countered “Until I can measure its strength I’m afraid, Princess, that is all I will see it as.

Luna frowned, Celestia continued, “Be that as it may, he also represents his own race as well, technically giving him the same status as you. I cannot stop you from what you believe or think, but atleast in front of him you come to remember this.”

Broadhorn snorted and folded his arms casually looking away. “Very well, but just for here.” He then pointed at Celestia “However, I will make it a necessity to gauge his strength, those without power should just step down and stand aside.”

Luna then smirked and gave a huff “I believe, Sir Dan will exceed your expectations, Ambassador.”

“So his name is Dan is it? The gryphon in this group spoke as she tapped her the bottom of her beak in thought “A peculiar name to be sure” While Broadhorn stood out as strong, if one word had to describe her, she seemed to come across as “militant” She stood up straight, had a stern gaze that looked like she’d melt a pony into a puddle if she glared at them too hard. She had her country's military outfit as well that just screamed: “I’m an important person!” As well. “I was told that back then, Sir Aegis had an odd name as well that he went by.”

“You are correct, Ambassador Gale Beak a long time ago he did but for the sake of growing more accustomed to living here. He felt it was necessary for the role.” Celestia nodded “Now then, if that is all there is, then I would like to proceed with today’s meeting as I’m sure you all are very busy.”

The room seemed silent but everyone agreed that it was in everyone’s best interest to get straight to it. As expected there was an ambassador from each Kingdom and a handful of Nobles from Canterlot that seemed to be in on this national secret.

“Very well, then I would like to begin with explaining to you all about Dan’s current situation on coming here.”

This seems to grab the attention of one of the nobles. “My my, are we finally going to learn of the trick behind that special door of his.” This particular pony seemed like he had is own particular agenda.

“I’m afraid even we don’t know how such a spell works, it forever remains secret only the Royal hunter would know of.”

The noble shrugged “Can’t blame a Stallion for trying.” He then stepped back and the meeting continued, however that look in his eye never left. Luna was curious of this individual, she had never met him before.

“As I was saying, When Dan entered this world, I’m afraid it wasn’t voluntary and much needed to be discussed. Surprisingly, He handled his new circumstance far better then we anticipated and that aided in getting him relatively up to speed.” Celestia said. “I bring this up just to state that when the time comes that you do meet him, Don’t be worried about overwhelming him with information, he seems to take it all in stride… for the most part.”

Luna continued as well. “Now we know you all came here to either learn more about him or to speak of matters regarding him. So please step forward and speak your mind.”

And so it began, one by one Nobles and Ambassadors would say their peace or make a suggestion, or even pitch an idea as they always would. The discussions would get heated one topic while completely ignoring another. As the focus would casually move around from one thing to another.

Luna started to yawn, This queuing her sister to pat her on the shoulder and tell her to go to bed. She refused however, this was one of the few times She and Celestia could speak for and Aid Dan, and she would see would see it through to the end for her new friend, and listening to some of these ponies, it seemed like the right choice to remain. A lot of pompous attitudes, expectations that sounded more selfish than necessary, and a good number of them were already judging him as a liability than anything else.

Just because he’s new, they belittle his value? I expected something like this now with Aegis gone, but this is getting frustrating to listen to. As she said this she and her sister had to listen to one of them ask for Dan’s aid as a bodyguard whenever he’s off duty. She had to put her hood down on that one. “If there are any more “requests” to have our new Royal hunter to take on some mundane task that you can have any other pony handle, I would like to ask you all kindly not bother bringing them up. He’s not a hired hand to rent out.” Hearing her tone and seeing the look in her eye caused that particular noble to end his conversation and back away to shrink his presence as much as possible.

Broadhorn huffed and folded his arms. “I’d agree with ya, but how can we be sure if the human can even handle his job at all. In the end, at least he’ll have job options if he ever decides to quit.”

Luna glared at the Minotaur, but then smirked: “I can say from my experience that he is more than capable of the task.” This got Celestia curious, How would she even know? Luna stood proudly “Why I bet even right now he’s already proving you wrong.”

~~~~~~~~~~

Everfree Forest

“F@%K THIS JOB!” Dan yelled as he rolled out of the way of yet another hydra head trying to bite him in half. When he got to his feet he turned back and unloaded so many bullets into the second oncoming head that it’s face was ripped into pieces of flesh and black sludge that littered the area around it and on Dan’s cloak “Ah, that’s gross, I can smell it, hurp!” he backed off while dry heaving as he watched the now headless long neck spitting out more of that black sludge, but not in death throes, It was an entirely different problem that made that third head he dispatched just as annoying. The black goo was, very shoddily, trying to remake the lost head. Already he could see a grotesque lower jaw with jagged looking teeth that he was pretty sure was part of the creature's bones once. “As if this thing wasn’t ugly before.” Dan picked up a large fallen log and threw it at the hydra to stagger it, so he could fire a few more rounds at the head to buy him more time before it's of any use against him. That ran through his magazine and he had to take a moment to reload. “So if it isn’t obvious, gramps, this isn’t getting us anywhere.” He started running around the beast. “Any ideas?”

Aegis was swift to reply. “What I was trying to tell you, is that we need to find the point of entry to slay it.” He watched the beast try to snap at Dan with its other heads before ending up charging him like an angry bull. Dan jumped to a tree branch and then jumped again over the treetops so the monster would lose sight of him momentarily in the leaves. This only made the creature attack the tree it last saw him on thinking he was still on it, knocking it over but not without damaging itself in the process and spreading black sludge all around.

When Dan landed back in the clearing he had already switched to his hunting rifle and fired a shot at its leg again causing yet another black fleshy explosion, but this time the shot finished the job of the first in separating the door from the leg itself and toppling the creature as he can only assume it was going to make a new leg to get back up again. “Cool, cool, you mind explaining what you mean by that so I’m not left in the dark? I don’t have infinite ammo here.” He pulls back the firing pin to load another bullet.

“The point of entry! Its where this creature was infected by the plague. Once it takes over the hosts brain and heart, that spot has full control of the creature’s body.”

“Okay, so like ‘The Last of Us’ with those damn clickers! That’s a problem, couldn’t kill clickers in the game!” He then took a moment to think about that. “Well, not with a gun anyway.”

“I am not even going to try to understand what you meant by that, but this beast can be killed, it will just be difficult is all!” Aegis assured as he continued observing the beast as it stumbled to get back upright as it’s blown off leg was trying to create a new makeshift one. “This takeover must be relatively new, otherwise it would be noticeable by now!”

Dan took careful aim at the one head he didn’t shoot at yet. This shot was more precise and managed to blow off the upper half of its head, leaving only the bottom jaw and a wriggling serpent tongue behind before black sludge shot out. “So what am I looking for then? A giant pimple or something?! A fungus maybe?!”

“Close… It's more like a… glowing agitated looking pus or boil. It grows bigger with time and eventually breaks through the skin to continue its growth over the body-“

“Ok, good, that's all I need to know, waaay too much info! Turning green over here.” He shook his head of the vile images and stared at the grotesque scene that laid before him. “Ugh… So I ran all around the dude and haven’t seen anything that even remotely resembles what you're saying!”

“I know, I’m having trouble as well, it must still be under the skin, try blowing more holes into it, we might have to dig it out.”

“As if we didn’t have enough black goop on the grass…” Dan put the rifle away and pulled out the MP5 once more, on full auto he started firing bullets all over the creature ripping the flesh apart and along with the black sludge that lies underneath the skin. “How is this thing even moving? I’m pretty sure that's liquified muscle underneath the scales.”

Aegis shook his head. “Neither of us has the time for me to even start getting into that bit of knowledge. For now, just chalk it up to magic again until I have a better time to explain.”

Dan rolled his eyes. “That better not be a running gag with you,” he reloaded and was ready to fire when he and Aegis noticed a change. Almost immediately the hydras regrowing suddenly sped up dramatically, a new rather deformed black leg replaced the old one and it returned to its feet within seconds, then it started sprouting 3 more long necks with grotesque jaws at the end of them. The roars now turned into a gurgling creepy chatter that left a chill down Dan’s spine. “Uuuh, I think it’s pissed off now.” The creature then roared a gurgled, sickening yet bone-chilling roar from each head in unison. “Yup, yup, definitely pissed off, sooo pissed off, now.” He then bolted as the creature charged for him, a lot faster this time for a creature its size.

“What happened to that courageous attitude you had when speaking with the Serpent?!” Aegis flew after the two.

“It got a head start when this thing grew extra heads and started hauling ass!” Dan yelled back with conviction as he confidently started sprinting like he was in the Olympics. He sensed death on his right, he juked left to narrowly dodge jagged teeth chomping down on where he just was. “NOPE! NOPE! NOPE!” Screw JUST the Olympics, he was gonna outdo Usain Bolt. As he sprinted for the more dense part of the forest, the angry mutant beast was not far behind.

Aegis groaned before flying after them. “He was doing so well…” Aegis seemed to pick up, however. It wasn’t the hydra that took his “motivation”, it was vanishing from the beginning, the moment the sea serpent left. With no innocent person nearby to worry about, why bother even thinking as aggressively in such a dangerous situation when escaping is a much better solution.

And run he did…

With the monster hot on his heels, Dan was sprinting madly into the woods. As he would dodge and weave through the dense forest whereas the abomination just crashed its body into whatever stood between it and Dan. This was not without its consequences, however, as part of what was left of its skin would peel off in some way or another from each impact bits of bark or wood getting embedded into it. The creature couldn’t care less as all it cared about was the death of whatever is living right in front of it. Time and time again whenever it felt like it was within reach of him, it would lash out without a second thought only for Dan’s strange detection of an oncoming death to forewarn him just in time to dodge.

Despite how it looked to Aegis, Dan blindly running away, to Dan, he was getting over his initial shock and fear of the creatures rapid regeneration and speed. His mind was trying to work out a solution to end this game of cat and mouse. Ok, so if I had to guess… Shooting it a bunch of times pissed it off so much it’s just going into a rage mode to enact revenge. A good thought, however, was shot down after being reminded that these creatures are mindless dead husks now. He vaulted over a boulder, then just as his feet barely touched the ground he made a baseball slide under a fallen tree, sliding under it completely, rolling to his feet and side jumping into some bushes. The creature crashed against the boulder stumbling over more than likely killing off a few of its heads that were sticking out in front of it under its own weight. However, not caring, as usual, it would tumble and struggle to get on its feet and crash through fallen tree busting it in half and tearing up more of rotting flesh that once covered that bile that grew within it. Another head is taken out in the process as well. What did it matter to such a beast that simply had to grow replacement heads?

With what heads that could see hear and or smell remained, it tried to pick up where Dan had gone. However, Dan’s cloak activated on its own, magically camouflaging itself with the foliage nearby. Already, the cloak was passively hiding his scent so the beasts sniffing was only a wasted effort. This gave Dan time to think. “If these things can’t think or feel, then there’d be no reason to think it's holding a grudge towards me right now.” He watched the beast walk dangerously close to where he was, hand on his gun in case he was found out. Thankfully that moment passed as it walked on, leaving him to his thoughts as he observed it. This was when Aegis came back to his mind.

If it can’t BE angry, then what triggered it to make it LOOK like it was? Dan thought.

Aegis took a moment to think back on his knowledge of his past work. Then something came to mind. A defense mechanism perhaps?

Dan nearly jumped out of his skin hearing Aegis in his head, you need to give a guy some warning when you enter his mind like that. He then shook his head and focused. So what do you mean defense mechanism?

Aegis pondered for a moment to reaffirm the idea to himself before repeating. In my more recent hunts and expeditions of these creatures, I noticed that they mutated once again to adapt how well I had slain them. Thirty years ago, to kill one of these creatures I simply had to remove the brain and the heart from the body or damage them to the point of being utterly useless. It seemed that was how this tainted infection would control them in such a way.

Dan was not really fond of hearing ‘how it used to work’ to kill them… sounded messy and horrifying. Wow, that sounds medieval…

Aegis ignored that, continuing. However, one day that all changed when apparently a creature that had been tainted for too long would grow an ugly boil within them that would then assume command of the now walking, melting, corpse. After some trial and error, I figured out that the method for this situation is to pop that pus as soon as I can find it to end a hunt as soon as possible. Sometimes when a creature is so far gone the thing grows so much that it's hard not to notice it. This creature, however… Dan looked on at the beast as it scoured the area. I can tell it's somewhere in between. Far past the method of shooting the brain or heart, not too far that the pus would outgrow its hiding spot and rip through the skin even for more space… I always did find these ones the more difficult ones to deal with.

Yeah, no kidding there, Hoss… So, what, this infection now evolved to defend itself better by growing more heads and picking up the pace? Dan asked

As far as I can see, anyway. Aegis answered. There were other cases I have seen but this one seems to focus on rapid regeneration when agitated… However, it still seems to retain the form of the Hydra it took over for the most part, and that will be its downfall. Here’s what we’ll do…

It had been a few minutes after their conversation while the beast still tore through the forest searching for them, no clue that it’s target was now the one following it in camouflaged silence. Keeping his distance and watching his step carefully Dan tried to creep around it. His rifle out this time. AS the multiple heads searched out in every direction Dan stopped when he was placed well behind a thick tree, taking aim. Can I just say this plan seems really stupid.

“You may since I don’t even know if it will work,” Aegis said

What?

“NOW!” Aegis called out, Dan didn’t hesitate to pull the trigger and another shot rang out. This time the shot took out two heads at once. The beast retaliated by lunging the nearest head toward the tree Dan hid behind as a knee-jerk reaction. However, this time the head chomped through the tree before Dan could even blink.

That’s new…

“Just move!” Aegis responded. Dan more than happy to follow that request as he sprinted out of cover, the beast giving chase. This time Aegis observing how that previous attack worked. He watched the head from earlier retreat back so the beast could give chase, and another head starts to pull back into itself. “Hm?”

Dan could hear the thundering footsteps from behind. He had to give himself credit, he was sure he’d be dead by now, or at the very least, need a new change of pants.

He sensed death in front of him.

His body instinctively responded by making a baseball slide. He watched at where his upper half would’ve been another grotesque head shot past over him narrowly missing him. Well, no time like the present to start talking about that change of pants.

“Grab it!” He heard Aegis yell. Without even thinking Dan grabbed onto the neck as it started to retract back.

THAT’S when the lights in his head started turning on. “Wait—WHAT-AAAAAUGH!” Dan and the head were taken back to the body where he was greeted by the 4 remaining heads. The 5th head he was holding was now trying to shake him off as the other heads were trying to take a bite of him. “Whoa! AH!” he dodged one set of jaws, then lets go of the neck to avoid another. That bite ended up decapitating the head he was once holding onto. However, just before Dan could touch the ground, he felt his cloak get snagged, then get pulled, with him in tow, off to the side. Looking up he could see one of the heads had a firm grip on his cloak. “Uh, hi...” And then he was flung around wildly like a how a dog would treat a chew toy. His screams were futile, as well as his use of profanity when in sheer terror.

Finally, from some unknown act of mercy the jaws on his cloak opened just enough for it to make a gurgling growl of intimidation to him, this only gave his cloak a chance to slip out and hurl it and Dan into a tree, busting through it with his body, tumbling into the next tree, this time stopping abruptly against the trunk thanks to the previous tree slowing him down enough for it. He ended up face planting into the dirt below. “Ooooooooooow…..” Fortunately for him, he was given time to respond to the pain, as his body unwillingly chopped through and dropped its upper half on the Hydra, crushing it under its weight momentarily.

“On your feet, Dan! I think I figured it out!” Aegis said, flying up to him.

“Can we just register the fact that I almost died first?! That plan was stupid!” He stumbled back to his feet.

Aegis ignored his complaints, stupid or not it gave Aegis the reaction he needed, so he continued. “While that thing is busy with the tree you gave it, this will be the perfect time to strike! It seems that whatever was causing it to regenerate and move so quickly is starting to deteriorate. It's causing more damage to itself now than you as it’s head doesn’t seem to be as coordinated, and the heads that were just chopped off have yet to fully grow back!”

Dan dusted himself off and grabbed his rifle. “Sounds like its losing adrenaline if you ask me, but so what? It's still alive unless we find that boil you talked about.”

“And I believe I have!” Aegis exclaimed, “but in order for it to work,” he stared back at the monster, almost free from the weight of the log, “we’ll need to give it something else to worry about.”

Dan looked at the beast and quickly thought of an idea. “If it’s having trouble regenerating its heads now, let's destroy the other ones to blind it.”

“That works, and with your strength, you can rush its side and topple it to leave it vulnerable briefly.” Aegis stroked his chin.

Dan took another look at the Hydra… considering its size it shouldn’t be that hard to at least stumble it if he can lift logs and boulders. Though he had to wonder why the old man suggested it. Yet that could wait as the creature finally freed itself and was getting to its feet. He pulled out his rifle once more. It was powerful enough to shave off pieces of the head, no reason to stop, especially since he had no other means of cutting them off. His knife was too small to even try that and he didn’t want to be near them anyway considering what happened just a minute ago. So he fired away as the monster was still trying to get its bearings. That was the easy part.

Once he felt like he shot off enough of the remaining heads he fired at the ones that were regenerating just to quell his paranoia of being bit in half for neglecting them. Jeez, I never wasted so many bullets on a target before. He lowered the gun. If this is what I’m up against, I might have to invest more on stockpiling ammunition or something. He gave a nod. This sure as hell wasn’t as quick as shooting a buck, nor as inexpensive.

“Ok, that should do it! Now hop to it!” Aegis thrusted his hoof toward it as his he was commanding a charge.

Dan just rolled with it for now. “Aye aye, Cap’n!” He put his rifle way and ran around to the side of the creature as it’s body thrashed about trying to kill what it couldn’t see. It’s like when a person is startled in the dark, thrashing around to defeat an enemy they can’t see. Dan then took a linebacker’s position. “Blue forty-two! Set, HIKE!” He then charged as fast as he could and rammed his shoulder into the creature's side. This did the trick in knocking the heavy beast off its feet and onto the ground. “DONE!” Dan cheered with a fist pump.

“Good now let’s get that boil!” Aegis flew past him around the back of the creature. “Over here!”

“Right!” Dan followed and stopped right in front of the ghost. This time pulling out his knife and looking at the creature to see… nothing even remotely resembling a boil. “OK! Where is it!”

“Your gonna have to pull it out to even get a chance to stab it.”

“Ok, and where’s that?” He turned back to Aegis

“It's in its ass.”

“Right, then I’ll just…” Dan pauses

“Hm?” Aegis looked at Dan curiously “What are you stalling for, we must-“

“I’m sorry, where did you say it was?”

“Oh my- You cannot be serious right now. You’ve had more than your fair share of watching its entrails spew and sleek out of its body from your own attacks and NOW is the time you want to feel grossed out?!

“Well then, can’t you do it?! I don’t want to play butt doctor here with a walking corpse! That ass is probably caked with God knows what!” Dan gestured to the writhing beast, knocking it over when it tried to get back up again.

Aegis face-hoofed. “We don’t have time for this, and secondly, I’m dead, I can’t touch anything in the real world remember?!”

“Yeah but-“

Aegis cuts him off, “Dan! Its heads are going to return and we’ll be back to square one if you don’t reach in that rectum and pull out that boil!”

Dan wanted to argue, but the old man was right… Time was short so he couldn't hesitate to think. He looked back at the creature’s backside and grimaced while looking at his hand. At least he was wearing a glove.

“DAN!”

“I’m doing it! I’m doing it!” He rolled back his sleeve, placed a hand on the creature’s body to keep him stable as he held the other, far more shaky hand toward it. After looking at it, he can see something glowing inside. He could only assume that's what tipped Aegis off. But of all places why here. “I DON’T CONSENT TO THIS!” He yelled as he forced himself to reach in. He immediately wanted to hurl. “Oh God, I feel everything he ate before he died…”

“Just keep going, your feeling for something that’s pulsating when you grip it.”

Dan groaned at those words yet continued. It took a bit of digging and grabbing what he would rather not know, but finally, he grabbed at something that felt like it was throbbing when he squished it. In response to this the monster, for once looked like it was writhing in pain.

“That’s gotta be it!” Aegis said as he monitored the beast’s reaction. Then his eyes widened when he noticed some of the beds were almost complete. All that was left was the teeth at that were starting to grow in. “Dan, get that knife ready and start pulling, your almost out of time.”

Dan had no issue complying with that command in more ways than one. He mentally prepared himself for what was to be seen as he got a firm grip on the boil and pulled hard. It took a bit of fighting but he finally managed to yank out his arm, the boil…. and everything else in between the boil and exit. That was it, he was gonna blow chunks. “UUUGH!”

“Dan, quickly, sever the tendrils!”

Dan could see one of the heads start to look back at him. “Oh hell no!” He gripped the knife and started cutting them as directed. Beast writhe again. This definitely was hurting it. He felt the sac of bile in his hand pulsate again. This gave him a sense of foreboding. He immediately responded to his senses by ducking. Sure enough, he narrowly dodged that hydra head’s attempt decapitates him with its jaws. No way was he gonna deal with any more of this, he cut the rest of the tendrils in two quick swipes and the boil was finally severed. The creature flailed and its heads screeched before finally going limp as if all the life had been sucked right out of it. Dan could hardly register what he had done, but his gaze turned to the pulsating pus sac in his hand.

“Atta Boy, Dan!” Aegis cheered. Dan could finally listen to the exhaustion in his body, that was a nerve-wracking experience to be sure. “Now you might want to get away from there right now”

It took a moment for him to register that last part “Huh? Why?”

There was the sound of a sickening POP!

~~~~~~~~~~

Back at Dan’s intended campsite

Sometime after Dan had led the Hydra away, the serpent eventually returned to check to see what fate had become of Dan and the beast. Cautiously he kept himself submerged in the water to keep from being noticed, every once in a while peeking out of the water to check his surroundings on land. When he had finally made it to where he last spoke with Dan he could see that he was nowhere to be found. Yet there was a sign of a struggle to be sure, he remembered the strange noises he heard from a distance when he was fleeing, most of them were loud bangs of some sort. He never heard anything like it. However, he was more concerned for Dan’s safety. From the looks of the fallen trees, he assumed that they headed deeper into the forest, yet, what could he possibly do, other than wait?

So he waited, every now and then hearing more of those bangs and popping sounds off in the distance, then finally utter silence. It seemed the strange sounds of that creature had scared off the wildlife. In time, he would hear them start to return once they felt like it was safe to make their usual cacophony of woodland ambiance.

Finally, after little more time had passed he picked up the sound of footsteps. He braced himself ready to high tail it in case it was that beast. The bushes rustled and he sunk low into the water, then finally out came the strangest two-legged grotesque sludge monster he had never seen as it held some strange green glowing fleshy thing in its... claw, perhaps? Black mist was coming off its body as it approached him, then stopped to look at him. “Oh hey… you’re back…” it spoke with a familiar voice, though it sounded more monotone this time.

“Young, sir?… is that you? What happened?” The serpent asked feeling relief it was just Dan but now left with more questions just by looking at him.

Dan started walking again. “With all due respect, I’d rather not talk about it. I’ve already lost my breakfast 3 times on the way here, and I barely keep my appetite for lunch.” The serpent grimaced at hearing that. “I need to borrow your stream if you don’t mind,” Dan asked, the serpent was more than eager to move farther upstream and give him his space. He positively reeked.

Dan was left to himself for a good half an hour trying to scrub his clothes clean. Though delayed Aegis explained to him that when a tainted creature dies if they could still be slain by damaging the brain or heart, that means the body is for the most part still intact and small amounts of black mist escape the body. However when the tainted boil grows well enough to melt the brain and heart, at this point most of its body is just dissolved flesh and black slime that the boil uses to control the body and sustain itself, leaving the corpse as nothing more than fleshy water balloon filled with black bile and entrails. Strangely enough, the boil can control the slime to replace any lost muscle or bone if need be to continue its primary objective of killing anything that has a pulse. When the boil is removed, however, the slime starts to evaporate rapidly into black mist within the body. Dan didn’t even need Aegis to finish his explanation to get the idea what happens after that. The effect was hard to forget when he finally managed to get his cloak and outfit cleaned off.

Fortunately, the cloak took most of the hit, which meant his boots and lower half of his pants as well as gloves only needed to be washed. Now, there was even more reason to get the fire going as he hung his cloak on a branch as well as his gloves. He would have to wear his pants and boots still as he collected firewood. He wasn’t gonna walk around in just his shirt and boxers in front of people, despite them mostly being naked themselves. When he returned he saw the serpent had as well once the smell finally left. “Oh, I didn’t really catch your name after what happened. I’m Dan Richards.” he placed the wood he collected on the side and started setting up the fire pit. He had set his rifle and MP5 beside his bag for now.

“Hm? Oh! Right, my name is Steven Magnet, Despite that little debacle earlier, it is a pleasure to meet you and thank you for your service. I do believe you said slaying that creature was your job.”

“More or less… Which by the way if you ever come across any other creature that behaved like that Hydra, you’d best stay clear and let me know.”

“Indeed I shall,” Steven answered with a swift nod. He certainly didn’t want to deal with something so creepy AND disgusting as this.

As he started the fire he took a look at his ‘glowing’ trophy set down. So any reason why you want to keep that thing?

Aegis responded casually, This isn’t all about slaying tainted creatures you know. We had to understand this plague to work for a cure to finally rid this world of it. Why do you think your obligated to schedule expeditions when things are quiet for Equestria and its allies?

Dan grabbed one of the thinner sticks and used it to poke at the wood and flames. So We took it to study it? You guys are actually researching these things?

Of course we are, once you have properly wrapped it up and stowed it away, we will return to Ponyville when the expedition finally ends and deliver this to research group over in Canterlot. Aegis replied swiftly, Did you really think we did nothing more than fight these creatures and left it as that?”

… Kinda, yeah…

Aegis was silent for a moment before giving out a sigh within Dan’s mind. You know, I find it offensive that you think that about us.

Dan just shrugged. Sorry, you guys just seemed the type to just beat up the bad guys and move on. I know this expedition is to find the source and all, but actually researching this stuff? And why do I have to bring this boil with us anyway, after all your years hunting, haven’t you already sent one of these off to this “research group” you spoke of?

I did, however, I would send any back when a creature would exhibit traits or abilities that we have yet to record. Dan felt his head move back to the boil again. “This, happened to be one of those times… rapid regeneration, a boost of what we can assume as adrenaline, these are new and we need to know why it does that and prevent it from happening again the next time we fight one of these. Aegis didn’t want to say it but there was something else that bugged him about that fight as well with the creature, but he wasn’t sure if he was just over thinking it or not. Without proof or confirmation, it was best to leave it be for now.

After that inner conversation, they shared Dan noticed the fire seemed to be at a point where he was confident to leave it be for now. “Ah, excuse me. Dan was it?” Dan looked up and toward the river to see Steven with a next full of live fish over his shoulder. “While you were cleaning up and preparing the fire, I took the liberty of catching our meal, if you don’t mind.”

“Oh! Uh, thank you, that saves us a lot of time.” Dan got up and gave an awkward smile. That's a crap ton of fish, then again looking at the guy, that's probably just about right for him. Dan thought before heading over to his bag. “You mind keeping them alive for just a bit longer while I set up the cooking supplies. Better to have them stay a fresh as possible, right?” He suggested.

“Ah, splendid idea, sir. I shall do just that and await eagerly for cooking to begin.” Steven replied with excitement.

This was nice, now that Dan thought about it. It was like he was just out camping with his old man. Except his old man was replaced by a giant flamboyant sea lizard that really likes his mustache. Well, the familiarity was kinda there via the camping gear and fire pit anyway. Cooking the fish would be a great distraction, especially after today’s events, Lord knows he needs it right now.

Still, he WAS kinda bummed that he didn’t need to use his fishing rod now...

Author's Note

Hello everyone, Sorry for the long wait for this chapter, Monster Hunter kinda didn't help with my time management I suppose and already I was busy with other things.

If I had to rate the combat level in this particular chapter. It was still to light for me, I wanted to go even deeper but I had to keep in mind that this was Dan's first time fighting one of these things so by far so I can't make him a badass yet lol. Even though I REALLY wanted to. I'll have to keep this story moving if I want to get to that, I suppose.

I honestly debated if I should have warned those that were eating to finish their meals before reading this story on account of the whole, boil in the butt thing. However, I decided against it as I know you guys would be fine anyway.

Now, this chapter does not end Dan's expedition if you were wondering, this Chapter was more of a "baptism by fire" kind of thing.

In any case, I hope you enjoyed this chapter and look forward to future ones. I honestly can't wait till we get to good stuff.

Chapter Eleven

Dan’s Dream Realm

Late at night

A door manifested in the middle of a forest, and then came a series of knocks coming from it. Finally Luna’s voice. “Hello? Dan? Sir Aegis? Is it alright if I come in?” Aegis was the first to arrive by flying to the door and opening it, allowing the Lunar Diarch to walk right in.

“You’re more than welcome to enter, Lulu. Anytime.”

“Hey!” came Dan who seemed to be fighting off a beast at the moment. “This is my dream, so it should be my call, not yours, gramps!” He managed to topple it over and watched it turn into mist and vanish completely “But yeah, you're more than welcomed to join, Princess.” he dusted his hands. “How goes it over in the castle these days?”

Luna sighed “It's been… eventful. It's why I’m here actually, there are some things that I must speak to you about after the events of today’s meeting.” She then stepped back when another beast lunged past her and toward Dan, instead of running away or dodging he quickly grabbed the creatures forelegs, pivoted, and hurled it into a tree. This was when Luna noticed the creature turned out to be a vague apparition of a quadrupedal, it looked intimidating on its own. “I see you are handling your training well, Sir Hunter.”

Aegis shook his head. “Only on the account fighting that hydra made him laxer with smaller ones.” He heaved a sigh, “at least it toughened him up… if only slightly.”

“I’m sorry, What’s that about a hydra?” Luna asked with concern. Suddenly a table with some tea resting on it appeared along with seat cushions. “Sounds like break time if you ask me.” Dan ran up to the two and took a seat on one of the cushions.

“Hmph, how did you manage to do that with me hanging around,” Aegis asked looking at the table.

Dan paused and looked at the table… then shrugged, “not sure… just thought about it and there it was…” he shook his head, “pop a squat Your Highness, let’s trade stories.”

Luna smiled and nodded before making her way over to the seat across from him. “This is still his dream, Sir Aegis. If he wills it hard enough, he will overpower your control.” She explained.

Aegis rubbed his bearded chin. “Hmm…I suppose that is true.”

“Ha! Finally an edge over you, gramps!” Dan pointed at the old stallion triumphantly.

Aegis simply shrugged and flew over to the table to join them. “I don’t see why you’re all excited, it just means you're finally growing a backbone.”

Dan just scowled at the old-timer while Luna just smiled at them.

“You two seemed to have bonded well.” She claimed

“How so?” the boys asked in unison. This only made her laugh. This made the two of them look at one another, Aegis looked grumpy about the accusation, while Dan was irritated that the most anime thing to happen just happened to him right now with the old man. They both groaned, and once Luna calmed down they got to business.

When they finally exchanged stories Dan and Aegis went first, telling her of everything that happened with their first encounter with a tainted beast. “A hydra?” she took a sip of her dream tea, “to think such a creature would be so far gone without us noticing.” She shook her head. “Yet, you said you were already deep within the forest so I suppose that's enough room to cause a ruckus without notice.”

Aegis nodded while holding his cup in his hooves. “The Everfree is vast as it is mysterious.”

Dan chugged his tea, it was a small cup, after all, when he audibly placed down on the table he asked, “Not sure, how you would have noticed it anyway, Princess? The forest is super dense and it's pretty far from your castle.”

Luna shook her head. “Not quite, Dan. We would not have to particularly see the creature to determine whether it exists or not. Only to observe the consequences of its actions.”

“Hm?”

Aegis decided to answer instead, “She means things like animals stampeding out of the forest in mass or discovering corpses carelessly strewn about. Those are just a few examples.”

“Oh…” Dan scratched his chin. He did remember how Aegis wanted to examine the old deer carcass earlier.

“Keep this in mind Dan, as the hunter we are tasked to be sent to any place where local flora and fauna start acting strange, as well as strange sightings from eyewitnesses.” Aegis took a sip.

Luna continued. “Sometimes it has nothing to do with a tainted creature, sometimes being something tamer as a predator entering or introduced in a new ecosystem that isn’t used to it, or a simple prank or exaggeration by the citizens, which I assure you we deal with if that ever occurs. We try to narrow it down, but if it cannot be easily explained, that is where we send you to investigate.”

Dan just sighed. “So I’m the proverbial stick you use to poke at something you don’t understand.”

Aegis scoffed, “It’s not gonna be a grand battle against the corruption everytime, new blood. Sometimes it’ll be a false alarm.”

Dan rolled his eyes and decided to change the subject. “Anyway, apparently Aegis said that Hydra was doing weird things that weren’t normal for a tainted creature, so he told me to get you guys it's boil to study or something.”

“Ah, splendid! As soon as you can send that over to Canterlot the sooner the research team can investigate it. Will you be returning to Ponyville then?” Luna asked

“I’m afraid not yet, Luna,” Aegis answered

“What?! Why not?! We fought one of those things right? We even got that gross pus ball. I got covered in liquified rotting flesh and black goo! What more do we need!?”

“We need to pick up where I left off last before you took over my job. There is a spot I marked deeper within the forest that interested me. However, due to my age at the time. I was not as limber as I once was, even with the medallion.” Aegis then pointed a hoof at Dan. “We’re going to investigate in the deeper reaches of that as soon as possible.” He folded his hooves in deep thought. “When I still had this role, the medallion kept urging me to go in deeper. It’s sensing something we cannot and it concerns me.”

Dan looked at the both of them. “The thing can sense freaky vibes too, or did your old age start to catch up with you and your memories are getting all mixed up?”

Dan then felt Aegis tap his hoof against his forehead. “I’m afraid it has nothing to do with this. That medallion is more than just a magical artifact. It changes and grows with its bearer. You should keep that in mind, kiddo.”

“Anything else I should know about the thing? I mean, it IS fused into my chest after all.” Dan brought up. “Like is it consuming my life force as we speak? Is it going to talk to me one day? Will I get some sort of metal poisoning?” Dan trailed off for a bit until a thought concerned him. “Wait it’s not gonna like take over my body when I’m near death or something right? Then make me some kind of unstoppable rage-beast that will fight anything that moves, right?”

Aegis just stared at him, took a sip of his tea, set the cup down, then spoke. “Everything you just said was utterly preposterous. Who would create such a magical artifact with such detrimental side effects and risks? Utter fantasy…”

Dan just looked to the side. “Yeah… I guess that’s true. Well damn, now that you shut down my notions like that, now I’m starting to wish they did happen just to flip you off.” Dan scowled only a little. “The rage beast part sounded kind of cool though…” the one classic TV trope he actually thought would be interesting, utterly dashed from reality.

“Indeed and highly impractical.” Aegis sighed, “I believe this is all we have to discuss on our side, Princess.” Aegis turned to Luna, “I take it you have much to discuss as well?” he asked, “I can only assume the nobles and ambassadors did not wait to speak their mind about Dan’s new position.”

“Hm?” Dan looked at the two curiously as he was eating a muffin that he conjured out of nowhere.

Luna sighed “You would be right, Sir Aegis. It was hardly past the crack of dawn and already they were at our doors ready to voice their requests and complaints to my sister and me.”

“Can’t say I’m surprised to hear that,” Aegis replied with a sigh, “I’m sure Broadhorn wants to pick a fight with Dan then.”

“You would be correct.”

“Wait, what?” Dan perked up, “who wants to fight me?”

Aegis rolled his eyes, “it’s more of a friendly sparring session to measure you up, really. Broadhorn is more hands on.” Aegis changed the subject. “Anything else happen?”

Luna tapped her chin. “Well nothing we haven’t expected from the Nobles and the Ambassadors to say really, Most of them were requesting Dan’s aid in various tasks that quite frankly, seemed a waste of his abilities.”

Aegis scoffed. “So, same old same old…”

“However,” Luna lifted a hoof, “There was one noble that stood out, mainly for his rather unique questions and requests.”

“Oh?” Aegis was curious.

“Yes, and he was… rather charismatic you could say, even swaying some of the others to his cause at times.”

Aegis was curious now. “What was it that he asked for?”

Luna frowned at this point. “He… wanted to request speaking to Dan… about the spell he can use to visit both of your homeworld.”

This got Aegis to look on with a bit of seriousness and Dan tilting his head. Aegis was quick to answer. “Well, of course, that's an absolute no. The very idea…” He scoffed yet again.

Luna nodded. “My sister and I made the swift action to quell that notion whenever he brought it up.”

“You guys are pretty adamant about keeping ponies away from Earth. Why?” Dan asked.

Aegis sighed. “The consequences of a pony being discovered by humans is far too great a risk to even entertain such a notion.”

Dan raised an eyebrow “Uuh, if your thinking like Area 51 or something, I don’t think-“

“Not only do I not know of this Area 51 you speak of, I also do not care. We are going to finish discussing this and continue your training, now.” Immediately the table and tea vanished and in its place was a scary looking beast staring down Dan.

Dan just stared at it as it growled at his face. “...Really, gramps?” And then he was tackled.

Luna could only watch and look over between Dan and Aegis… a brief thought of that noble stallion from before returned to mind… there was going to be another meeting in the next morning… she would have to make an effort to recall the stallion’s name or ask for it even. She was starting to feel uneasy about him.

~~~~~~~~~~

Dan’s Campsite

The Next Morning

Dan woke up to the perfect moment where Celestia and Luna would lower her moon and Celestia, her sun. However, being in a forest he only got the sunlight that managed to shine over the treeline and in the clearing he was camped in. In silence, he reluctantly sat up from his sleeping bag and took a look around once he crawled out of his tent. It looked like Steven was still having his “beauty sleep” as his head was the only thing not submerged in the river and resting on its own pillow on the river bank. Dan could only assume it was waterproof or something to that order. Turning to the fire pit he could still see the smoldering pile of ash and burnt wood still holding some orange embers here and there as well as a small rising smoke. Fish bones littered the ground all around the camp. Stefan really enjoyed the simple joy of fire-cooked meal. Always putting a new fish on a stick near the fire to replace the one he just ate.

Dan stretched and yawned before Aegis ghosted out of his body and observed his surroundings. “Brisk morning air, a refreshing way to greet the waking world.” Aegis would say.

Dan simply blinked before getting up. The engine within him wasn’t running on full cylinders yet. With a groggy feeling and slightly blurry vision, Dan slowly made it over to his bag to get ready for the day. It was then that he finally mumbled a tired response.

“I had pegged you for a morning person, Dan. you certainly don’t look the part right now,” Aegis said.

Dan just walked past him with a toothbrush and towel to the river. “Kiss my ass, gramps. I’m good in the mornings. I just don’t wake up like one.” Dan’s morning upkeep was a quick one, brushing his teeth and washing his face before changing from his boxers and tank top to his hunting gear. “So are we just gonna ignore that conversation last night now.”

Aegis turned to him confused. “I’m sorry?”

Dan rolled his eyes. “Apparently so… Can you at least tell me why you're so against humans and ponies making contact?”

Aegis immediately changed the subject “Make sure to wake up Steven over there and let him know we’ll be heading out for the rest of the day.”
Dan groaned “Seriously is it wrong for me to know?”

“It’s hard to say right now, Dan. It was an experience I had to learn the hard way…” Aegis
Dan raised an eyebrow. This was a different side of the old man he didn’t see as often. Dan had no idea what was going on in Aegis’ head so all he could do was sigh and head over to the sleeping serpent. A few pats of his hand on the side of his head and a call to his name and the sea serpent was up as well. Albeit in the same Mood Dan was when he woke up.

“Morning Steven, I’m heading out… you mind looking after my tent until I get back?” Dan asked

The serpent merely mumbled an “Ok” before going back to sleep again.

“Betcha he won’t even remember what I just asked.” Dan took off his bag and rummaged in it.

“What are you up to now?” Aegis asked

“Leaving him a note,” Dan answered as he pulled out a notebook, pen, and tape…

After a bit Dan and Aegis finally set out for where ever it was Aegis was taking him. The trip was mostly uneventful with the occasional small talk with each other and exercising caution whenever Dan sensed anything nearby, but overall nothing big. Dan made sure to take a look at his remaining ammo, he was still good, but he decided to use them more sparingly, perhaps he could ask Twilight if she or Rarity if they could come up with an ammunition belt with various pouches, enchanted to hold far more than physically intended. Then he started wondering how much could an enchanted pouch hold within itself? He hasn’t even tried to test the limits of the one that was on his very back. Something he would have to experiment with later.

“I’m glad you're proactively thinking how magic could be of use to you, but try not to use it as a crutch. Normal humans never had much of an affinity with magic after all, so it won’t come to save your ass when you need it most.” Aegis answered after delving into Dan’s thoughts.

“Can you like, not be a buzzkill every time I think of good ideas?”

Dan could sense that Aegis was rolling his eyes. After some time in silence, another thought occurred to Dan. This one he felt would make the old man all grumpy again but he had to know. “So Aegis… What’s the deal with you keeping ponies and humans from meeting anyway?” He was met with silence, so he continued. “I mean is it like you’re trying to keep the humans from abusing the powers of ponies or something…” Yet again more silence. “It’s not like this question is gonna go away you know? I honestly can’t see what the big deal is other than the government coming in and trying to study one…” still nothing. Dan just sighed. “Come on man, talk to me. You can’t just throw me into this insane job blind and expect me to be quiet when these sort of things are brought up.”

Finally, after a bit more time, he heard Aegis sigh. “I know, you’ve proven quite well how stubborn you are when you want to be.”

“So, out with it then?” Dan asked. “Why the ban?”

Dan could feel Aegis start to stare off ahead of them, as if not even paying attention to it. “In all honesty, the whole reason is just a response to a mistake I made. A naive belief really, and for that, an innocent died.”

Dan stopped walking and took a moment to listen.

“When I was far younger I suppose I came off as a tad more arrogant then I am now, keeping this belief I had that I had a good grasp on humanity and Equestrian people. After a few good years under the service of Royalty, along with getting well acquainted with the princesses when their parents were still in power, I had figured that perhaps if Man was to meet with these ponies and in turn the rest of the races of this world, surely there would be plenty to gain.” Aegis spoke in a rather somber tone.

Dan listened well, he was starting to get a sense of where this was leading.

Aegis continued. “Do not misunderstand, I had assumed that not everything would go as smoothly as my wishes would want it to be, but I know that with some time and patience things would work out for the better… Of course I never really got around to putting this into practice. That is until one day when a stallion approached me. A young merchant, to be precise.” Dan was intrigued, both of them were so focused on Aegis’ trip down memory lane, that they failed to notice they were being watched. However, had it had an intent to kill, Dan would have picked it up, if it had moved it would have made enough noise for Dan’s ears to pick up, so the only logical conclusion was that it was there before they even arrived and yet it still seems strange it was even there in the first place and just watching them.

Dan, waited for Aegis to continue. “What happened?” His curiosity only grew.

“He wasn’t anyone particularly remarkable,” Aegis answered, “just an ambitious merchant that owned a trading company, well it was still growing at the time. Nowadays, that very company has become a household name in Equestria. Black Wood Trading Co. I believe is the name.”

Dan folded his arms, remembering seeing that name before, in delivery carts whenever he was walking around in town. He didn’t pay it much attention, but to hear its past owner was involved with gramps in some way now made him even more interested. “So what did you and this merchant guy do?”

“Well, it was more of his idea then it was mine, but somehow he got wind of who I really am and where I truly come from.” Aegis seemed deep in thought. “To this day I still do not know how he figured it out, He certainly wasn’t one of the nobles at the time who were allowed to know… Hmm…”

Dan found that as strange too but was too curious about what happened next. Aegis picked up on that and continued.

“Right, so after he had found me out, he wanted to bring up this idea he had, if it worked, his business would grow rapidly and relationships between two worlds that didn’t know each other existed would change for the better.”

“Let me guess, he wanted to be an interdimensional trader so he could sell exotic materials from this world to the humans and vice versa?

“Bingo,” Aegis replied. “Naturally, I refused at first. It was a particularly busy time for me so for awhile I didn’t have the time.”

“But he kept asking anyway.” Dan guessed

“Hmph, I suppose that part was to be expected.”

Dan shrugged. “An ambitious entrepreneur with a crazy idea to make a profit, we still have those kinds of guys back home.”

“I suppose some things are a constant no matter what world you're on,” Aegis replied with a sigh. “Eventually, I finally caved and accepted his plan, part of the reason was to stop him from pestering me, another part was that I genuinely thought this was the best course of action to begin a mutual relationship between both worlds… whatever the reason, I pitched the idea to the King and Queen. They were reluctant at first, as expected, I honestly thought it would be the end of that right there, but stubborn as he was he managed to convince them as well.”

“The powers of an up and coming Businessman… or stallion I guess would be the term,” Dan shrugged. “So what happened next?”

This was where Aegis seemed to have the most trouble in speaking, it took him ages just to say a few words. “An utter disaster…” Dan stopped walking. Both from what Aegis had said and that he had noticed a pole sticking out of the ground in front of them. “Ah, we’re here.”

“Here?” a good look around Dan wasn’t getting a good feeling about the place they were in. It was significantly darker all around, hardly any light was getting through the treetops. It was enough to still see but dim enough to give the forest floor beyond him that sense foreboding. “Whoa… Is this the haunted part of the forest or something?”

“It certainly gives off that feeling to be sure,” Aegis replied before floating out of Dan’s body. “This is where I placed my marker, so, up ahead is where we will be going.” Dan couldn't help noticing Aegis really wanted to change the subject. Unfortunately, Dan was way top] invested in the story to have the old man leave it unfinished. That aside. He was pretty sure he saw the shadows moving up ahead. It was giving him chills right now. “Listen from here on out, we’re only going to observe.”

“Huh? Why? I thought I was supposed to kill any tainted creature I see.” Dan raised an eyebrow.

“Normally, yes, however, this is highly new territory. And this is an ideal spot for the corruption we seek.”

“Ideal?” Dan never thought this plague had conditions for it to thrive, from how everyone let on about it it just seemed to just magically appear whenever it wanted to.

“Yes, the darker the area, the better, but the main factor is that its as far away from any pony as it can possibly be.”

This made Dan curious. “From the ponies? Do ponies give off some kind of barrier or something to keep it at bay?”

“It’s not entirely clear yet.” Aegis made Dan’s head move to get a better look around. “Our best guess is that it has something to do with how ponies in numbers tend to the area around them. As you’ll no doubt remember.” Dan nodded. “It's not concrete evidence, but it certainly makes a lot more sense. Our hypothesis is that the magic that permeates and radiates off of life itself is like a poison to it. However, it seems to have some method or means of infecting a live individual anyway.”

Dan folded his arms. “Meaning, either the effect isn’t strong enough for a soul individual to produce, or this plague has some means to protect itself from it to enter the body?”

“Correct, I’m impressed…” Dan felt Aegis smirking.

Dan just rolled his eyes. “I think I established well enough that I’m not stupid.”

“True, just lacking in this worlds knowledge I suppose. Which is why I tell you to make use of those books in that library.”

“Yeah, yeah, anyway can we get back to-”

Aegis interrupted him “No Dan this part is important.”

“Hey!-”

“Shhh, be quiet!” Aegis did it again. “We’ll return to… THAT later. We are in the most dangerous place we can be right now so I’m going to need you to reply mentally right now.” Before Dan could even reply to that he continued. “I’ve been to places like this once before, this is where you will die if you don’t keep your wits about you and listen to me.” This got tense fast, Dan only nodded. “Good, to give you a perspective on what’s ahead, consider it enemy territory and we are now going behind lines. Granted I don’t know how far deep the plague would go or if it's even this far out. I’m saying this now because we can stumble upon it at any time. So I need to be a thousand times more observant than you ever were, and ready to respond to anything off.”

Dan nodded, Aegis spoke again only this time with as much seriousness in his voice as he could. “Also We are STRICTLY observing only, nothing more. If there is a possible chance of collecting another sample, I’ll let you know and come up with a plan of action, but you must ABSOLUTELY follow my instructions… agreed?”

“Hold on, no fighting? I thought all those dream sessions were for this exact purpose.” Dan replied mentally with a feeling of annoyance.

“They are but a few weeks is nowhere near enough time to get you ready for what’s to come. I need you to promise me! At Least, while we are here, to do exactly as I say… PROMISE ME!”

“OK OK! I promise! Don’t yell in my mind like that, ugh… What could possibly be in there to freak you out so much.”

“I don’t know… That's what…”

~~~

And so Dan stepped deeper into the woods, begrudgingly following Aegis’ every command. If he said to walk he walked, if he said to hide he hid, he told him to climb a tree he did just that, but through the whole time, Dan saw nothing. True the place was giving him a creepy eerie vibe but so far, he hasn't seen any tainted death beast coming to rip him in half, or any weird plague… thing… or whatever to destroy or collect. It was just really creepy and dark. Yet surprisingly he could still see in front of him. ‘Well at least I don’t have to pull out my flashlight.’ He thought

“If the name is any indication of its purpose then I would’ve prevented you from using it anyway. The less attention we draw to ourselves the better when we’re here.”

‘Right about that… I’m not doubting you or anything, but so far we haven’t run into anything murderous. How much deeper do you intend to go?’ Dan mentally asked.

“As far as your eyes will let you. You can observe far more in the dark then you ever could, but it has its limits as well, and to be quite frank, I am not too confident in your ability to maneuver with only sound.”

‘Fair enough, the feeling is mutual. I’m not fond of not seeing things. Makes me tense.’ Dan replied.

“Then just a little farther, than we shall return to ca-”

Dan stopped, as he could somewhat see what Aegis was seeing.

“Bones…” Dan couldn’t help but say aloud.

“Hush… but you are right. As I have feared, we have reached a corpse field…. Be on your guard. We do not know if whatever did this is still around right now, nor do we know what form it will be.”

Without saying a word Dan had pulled out the MP5 and set it to burst. He was not liking this vibe he was getting from the place, everywhere he looked bones and skulls were strewn about all over the place, All of them covered in black marks here and there. It was like a mix between a beast's den, an animal graveyard, and a massacre. Who knows how many countless lives were lost here, Deer, rabbit, Bear, squirrels, Birds, even manticore bones were in his view. Whatever did this, wasn’t a pushover, and more than likely a target he would have to hunt in the future. Dan dreaded the thought of facing it but knew it was just an inevitability.

Aegis seemed to be on edge. “Let's not linger for long, I think we can collect a bone sample for now. Just take a suitable piece and let us return to camp.”

NOT one to argue with that plan he looked around, He saw a sturdy looking bone not too far off, however, when he made his way over to it, his nose picked up a very faint rancid smell. “Hm?” he then heard the sound of his boot stepping in what he could assume as a puddle. ‘What the?’ Somehow stepping in that puddle made the scent even stronger. “Ugh…” he breathed out his disgust as quietly as possible and pulled his Bandascarf up to cover his mouth and nose hoping to make the breathing bearable. Then pulled his goggles down to his eyes since they were starting to burn as well. ‘Did I step in a Sh*% puddle or something? Smelled like death!’ His body responded to the stench by coughing out the air it previously sucked in before he covered his face. He was too distracted by the sudden smell to notice that ever since he put the bandana on the smell was completely blocked out despite it being a piece of cloth. Something he’d notice later, but for now, he knelt down to get a better look at what he was standing on. ‘Whatever it is, is really dark to see it… no, wait… its black I think…’

“Black?” Aegis seemed confused. If it was black sludge it should’ve long since evaporated under the light…. Except… this is the one place Light would have a hard time getting into. He starting to feel dread.

‘Is that a… a vine or rope… or maybe…’

“A vein!” they could barely see it but that vine was starting to squirm as well. Aegis reacted on instinct. “DAN JUMP BACK NOW!!!”

Dan’s body reacted on its own to Aegis’ voice as he pushed himself off the ground just in time to avoid the very puddle reaching out to grab his leg. Dan ended up tumbling when he landed back on the ground unprepared and stumbled back to his feet and stared on at where he was. The ooze receded back to the ground for a moment. This was when Dan realized that much of the forest floor before him, wasn’t “too dark to see” but rather, covered in black. That grotesque sludge. Even worse was how he could see it all start to recede and focus in one area. There he could see the sludge start rising from the ground. “Come on, black goo again?” no point in keeping quiet now, the monster knew Dan was there as he pointed his gun at it. He then noticed the sludge start spewing out dark gas all around it. The gas would then vanish in mid-air after a few feet away from it

“I've seen this before, Dan, it’s trying to choke you out with it. Keep that bandana up.”

“Right, invisible death gas noted.” This was when he saw the sludge mound take the most basic shape of a manticore. “What the…” When the thing tried to approach him he fired a few rounds. The good news, the body must not be as well held together as large amounts of it that were struck by the bullets would splatter off the “Manticore”. The bad news, however, was that it already was reforming what it lost. When Dan fire again, the sludge decided to split itself after being splattered again. Adapting and changing its form into what looked like some sort of canine, two of them, that stood on their hind legs. They seemed to move much faster as they were quick to close in on him. Dan back stepped focused well enough to shoot at both targets splattering them out of existence.

“Dan, remember what I said, We were only here to observe. Regrettably, we’ll have to leave empty-handed, before this becomes too much for you.”

“Right, right, gotta bail!” Looking back he could see where they came from however his vision was shorter than usual thanks to the general darkness of the area. He would have to run with somewhat obscured vision as he would have to dig in his bag for his flashlight. He could already see the sludge start to reform those odd canines as well as additional creatures to join in. He needed to go now. Before that, however, the most unexpected thing he and Aegis ever saw just happened.

In a great yet brief flash of light that even staggered the sludge, Twilight appeared in front of him “I… I did it! It worked!” she was clearly in a state of shock and awe.

Meanwhile, both boys exclaimed the same thing. “What the hell?!”

Twilight flinched at the shout and looked back “D-dan?! H-hold on, it’s just so dark here let me just-” Her horn started glowing and a bright magenta light radiated from it and filled the area. “There much better- AH!” she back stepped a little seeing there was a lone pony skull between them. “Oh, my Celestia!” Aegis took note of that skull. It troubled him, but that could wait, both he and Dan were now looking at Twilight in shock.

“Twilight, why and how are you here…you know what, shelf those questions, for now, We need to gooooooooooooo….. Oooh no.”

“W-what? She then tensed up as if remembering something, and slowly turned her head back.” More and more mounds of sludges were being formed, it was started to look like a small army of goo creatures were about to be made “uuh, um uuuh… O-oh yeah! Why I’m here!” she turned back to Dan and ran up to him “Stay close to me I’m getting us out of here.”

“Uh, ok, how?” he saw her horn glow even brighter and that same flash from before happened again, yet again staggering the goo beasts in a whiny squeal of agony. Only this time Twilight was gone. Dan, meanwhile just stood there looking around in utter confusion as the darkness returned thanks to Twilight’s sudden absence. “Um…”

“I don’t think that’s how she planned it, Dan,” Aegis answered

“Really? You don’t say? What gave it away?!” Dan decided to go single fire since burst looked a bit like overkill right now.

“Enough with the sarcasm, we must leave now. Twilight is gone and hopefully safe, we must leave as well.”

“No, not yet!” Dan took a step back aiming down the sights and popping off the small ones out of existence and knocking off major body parts of the larger ones just to stall them.

“What are you talking about, I told you, your not ready to fight this thing yet!”

“I’m not trying to fight it. We need to wait!” he said as he reloaded another magazine.

“Wait for what?! You will Die here if you don’t-” That same flash again. Twilight was back and in a much weaker state this time.

‘That is what we were waiting for.’

“She came back… Of course, she would come back… ponies…” Aegis sighed

“S-sorry, I think I, I messed up… Let me try agai-” Dan put his gun away and scooped her up into his arms. She made a squeak in surprise and squeaked again when he started running. Her horn light was still active so she can see why. That army got bigger and it was starting to surround them. “Wow… Teleporting takes a lot out of you. I don’t understand how it didn’t work… I did everything right.”

“Teleport?!” Dan asked as he ran as fast as he could. Twilight’s horn making it loads easier for him to navigate in the forest. ‘You ponies can teleport too?! I thought that was like a Princess thing or something!”

“I-it’s not impossible… just difficult to learn is all…” She panted out “And it takes a lot of magic the further you teleport.”

“Hence you’re heavy breathing, I guess.”

Twilight groaned “And major headache…. I can try again for one more go, but I need to figure out what went wrong. We should have both been teleported.. Why didn’t it work…”

As Twilight tried to contemplate the answer Dan had a brief flashback.

“Dan, do you recall what we-ah! Rather what I told you about your human qualities with magic?” At this Dan turned to Luna and nodded.

“Uh, yeah, apparently my skin is magic proof so long as I don’t get any cuts or scrapes that draw blood.”

“Aw Hell….” He didn’t like where this was going.

“Dan? Is something wrong?” Twilight asked that was when they noticed 3 large black shadows fly over them and land in front of them, making Dan slide to a stop. Apparently, they were goo beasts, looking back he saw a large beast that was getting ready to chuck more goo beasts at them. Back in front of them, the goo beasts took the shape of ponies. When they turned to face them, however, their faces held opened jaws with jagged teeth made of who knows what. They were an utter nightmare to look at. “W-what do we do?”

“Twilight, can you teleport us now?” Dan took a step back, they were becoming surrounded.

“I, believe so, but it's worthless if I can’t take you too.”

… Dan smirked. “Damn, you're really making me seem like a bad friend and a chicken wuss.” he sighed as he shuffled and held her with one arm and reached into his cloak.

“What?”

“Twilight rev up that teleport now!” he pulled out a knife

“What? But it won’t work!”

“Trust me it will this time, just let me know when you're about to use it!” he had to keep backing up.

She didn’t understand what he meant but she did so anyway. “Ok… I’m ready.” she then heard the sound of metal cutting flesh, then something warm splattered her side. She turned back to Dan to see his knife swiping a deep cut into Dan’s arm. She could not comprehend.

“Ok, do it now!” Dan said Twilight was flustered now as she fumbled on what to say. However, she wasn’t given the time. The beasts finally decided to charge in when the big beast started throwing more of them. “TWILIGHT!” That knocked her back to reality and she tried the spell once more. In a flash, they both were gone this time leaving the goo monsters to lunge at thin air and crash one another splattering themselves into a large puddle on the spot.

~~~

Golden Oaks Library

When Twilight and Dan finally appeared in the library, Dan was in an unstable position in response to the oncoming monsters they were about to confront, this caused him to fall back and both of them to crash onto the ground.

... “Are we dead?”...

Twilight shot up. “No, It worked this time! Oh, my head...” Twilight stumbled a bit as she held her head and tried to endure the ache that was hammering away at her mind.

“Twilight! Dan! Your Back!” Applejack’s voice drew both their attention to the other girls and Spike that were all in the same room staring at them with either astonishment or worry. They all rushed over to the two only to stop and notice something horrifying.

Fluttershy was the first to call it out. “Dan! Your Arm!” This led Twilight and Dan to look at his arm. The cut he made was bleeding a lot now. Twilight could see that much of the blood was in her fur now.

“Oh… Guess I hit an artery...”

Author's Note

Hey guys, sorry for the long wait. it's still not done getting checked, but we edited enough for it to be tolerable for now. hopefully, you don't mind and once we finish editing it, we'll fix it completely. for now here is the next chapter. Hopefully, it leaves you with intrigue and keeps you interested.

Chapter Thirteen

Celestia’s Chambers

The day had been eventful, to say the least. It had only been two days after Dan had begun his expedition, and already he would return not only with another mutation of the plague to be studied but also inform them of his discovery of an even worse infestation far deeper in the forest than she or Luna could have ever imagined, and so close to Ponyville no less. Sure on foot, it took Dan two days to find it, but she had to consider the fact that he probably had been wandering about in his exploration, as well walking the majority of the time. Had one of those creatures wanted to, it’d be a shorter trip for them to reach the town. She could only assume why it hasn’t happened yet, the creatures had no idea where the town was.

She recalled that manticore Dan shot during his first time meeting the bearers. When she thought about it. That manticore could’ve been taken over for the sole purpose of venturing out in uncharted territory as directed by what she can only dub “The Plagued Forest.” Fortunately, as far as she and Luna could determine; since no plague beasts have been marching over to the quiet little town, information between its beasts and the forest had to be limited in such a way that all that needed to be done would be to slay the scout before it would return to its base. Was it luck or an omen that day the manticore appeared, she couldn’t tell. She’d prefer the former.

And now the sun had set, she had completed her shift and it was her sister’s turn to look after the Kingdom so she could get some much-needed rest. Of course, the Universe seemed not to be finished with her yet as just before she would retire to her room for the night. Her sister had informed her that she would be speaking to her in her dreams tonight about something important. For her sister to say that. Whatever it was, it was something she wanted to make sure no one else knew about since normally, Luna would respect her sister’s wish in keeping out of her head when she slept.

In time even sleep claimed the sun deity and she drifted off into her own dream realm. It wasn’t long before her sister “dropped” on by Celestia had already been lucid dreaming, creating her favorite spot in the garden and sitting in peace. Luna felt this was just too innocent of a dream, no doubt her sister made it so to make sure what’s really on her mind doesn’t slip out. “Tia, I see that you’ve been waiting.”

“Yes, but not long, I kept myself busy.” she gestured to the world around them.

Luna looked around before sitting next to her. “I can see that, sister.” she smiled “Though I believe this garden looks much better at night.” She smirked.

Celestia scoffed “Well, OF COURSE, you would say that.” The two of them shared a brief giggle fit before getting back to the point. “So, Lulu, what is it that you couldn’t tell me in our waking hours earlier this day.”

Luna seemed to have wanted to say something but shook her head “Actually it would be better to show you rather than tell you.” She then got up.

“Do you mean, delving into a pony’s dream? As interesting as the idea can be, I’m not quite fond of invading someone else’s mind. It's understandable when you have to handle someone’s nightmare, but-“

“No, no, trust me the “pony” in question was the one that came up with this idea. In fact, they went to bed early awaiting our arrival.”

“I see…” Celestia was suspicious now. Who could this mystery pony be for Luna to agree to this? There was one idea, but it seemed impossible since Luna tried before and it failed. “Very well then,” she stood up “Best not to keep this pony waiting.”

“Agreed ” Luna then opened up a portal leading out of Celestia’s dreams and with that the two of them stepped through it. Luna did not take her time in leading her sister straight to Ponyville and stopped right above Twilight’s home.

“Lulu, are we entering Twilight’s mind? I can’t possibly understand what it is that she could not confer with us while awake? She simply had to send a letter and-“

“‘Tis, not Twilight that requested this, dear sister,” Luna replied before approaching the dream bubble, making a door appear on it, and giving it a quick knock.

“Not Twilight then-“

“Not Spike either I’m afraid,” Luna responded, being one step ahead of her, then they both heard a familiar voice.

“Took you two long enough, come in!”

The door then opened by itself and Luna trotted right in. “Coming, sister?”

“Dan?!” Celestia was shocked. “You were able to enter Dan’s dream!? I thought you said it was impossible to enter a human’s dream?”

“I thought so too, turns out it was just really difficult.” She replied with a sense of pride seeing her sister in awe of her accomplishment. “Now are you coming or not? We don’t have all night you know”

“Oh, right, yes.” Celestia rushed right in and the door closed behind her. When she entered she found herself in a small living room. Yet all around her were objects and devices she has never seen before, from where she stood she could see what she could assume was a small kitchen with its own tiled flooring connecting to the living room, a dining table, and a hallway leading to other rooms as far as she can tell from where she was standing.

“Well, this is new, no forest this time?” Luna asked already curious about every bit and bob she could not recognize, walking about the place.

That’s when they heard Dan as he stepped out of the one corner of the kitchen Celestia couldn’t see thanks to a wall separating the kitchen from the hallway.”Yeah, I figured since this was going to be a special occasion, I wanted to be as comfortable as I could. And what better place than mi casa, amirite?” That was when “Something” had beeped, this drawing Celestia’s curiosity, as well as her sisters, the two of them went over to have a peek. Dan was in the middle of opening up his microwave and pulling out a bag of popcorn. “Hope you two like butter, I wasn’t in the mood for homestyle.” He then opened a cabinet and pulled out a big bowl where he promptly dumped the contents of the bag into, already the air smelled of the concession stand at a theater. “Why don’t you two have a seat.” he handed the bowl over toward the two, Luna was quick to oblige and picked the bowl up with her magic. This let Dan go to his fridge and open it. “What you guys in the mood for? I got soda, OJ, Purple stuff, two kinds of Sunny D references.” He then tapped his chin. “Then again, I don’t think any of this would work since you’d probably have to taste it in reality first. You guys have like carbonated drinks in this world right?”

“Carbonated-“ Celestia wasn’t sure what he was talking about.

“You know, the kind of drinks thats all bubbly?”

“Oh, fizzy drinks.” Celestia perked up.

“There we go. Though knowing you ponies it’d probably be all fruit flavored or carrot or something… Lemon-lime it is.”

“Oooh, I am quite partial to that flavor,” Luna replied happily.

“I, um, I guess I shall have that as well.” Celestia said “please.”

“Two Sprites comin’ up” He reached in, grabbed two cans of Sprites and a Pepsi for himself before closing the fridge with his foot and making his way over. “So I’m excited how about you two?”

“Excited for what?” Celestia asked curiously

Dan smirked and turned to Luna “You didn’t tell her? Oooooh, this just got twenty times more exciting.” He sat with them on the couch handing off a can to each of them.”

Luna stumbled a little over her words. “I merely thought it would be best to show her rather than tell her.” She looked at the can curiously, normally the fizzy drinks would be in a glass bottle she couldn’t make heads or tails on how to open it, Same for her older sister.

“Show me what, exactly?” Celestia was getting suspicious.

“Pull the tab on top like this” he turned the top of the can toward them and demonstrated. They repeated the method as well. He took a drink and exhaled an “aaah” like they would almost every beverage brand commercial then set the can on the table. “Yeah I have him waiting for my cue so this is gonna be great.”

“He? Who is he?” Celestia asked

“He… would be me…”

That voice… Celestia knew this voice all too well. She hesitated to turn her head down to the hallway but once she did there he was, in his pony form. Her thought to be deceased lover.

“Aegis… Dan, please, even if its meant out of good intentions, please get rid of this apparition.” She said though she sounded a little choked up.

Dan shook his head as he took some popcorn. “Believe me I would if I could, but actually, the bastards real…. in a sense.”

“What do you-“ she was interrupted by the “apparition”.

“Tia…. my dear… It’s truly me, however, in spirit form.” Aegis stepped forward.

“Stop this, please Dan.” Celestia looked away from Aegis. Tears welling up. “If this is some sort of joke-“

“Tia, he speaks the truth. I’ve checked myself.” at that last part she looked away and blushed remembering that particular memory. “That is Aegis’ spirit, he resides within Dan.”

“What proof could that even be? It's not like this thing even knows anything about us… of the time he and I spent together, what he meant to me, All that he’s done for us…” Dan could see she was on the verge of anger and sorrow mixing together when suddenly Aegis decided to speak.

“I suppose I never really did understand completely what I meant to you.” this got Celestia to slowly turn to Aegis with an angry yet tearful look. “But I damn well know what you meant to me, Tia.” Aegis stood there never breaking his gaze from her. “And of all the cakes I would’ve shared with you, Our wedding cake would have been my favorite.”

Dan just stood there and blinked, “ Was… was that supposed to be romantic or something?” He was then in for a shock seeing Celestia’s sudden change in attitude. No longer, angry, but in a state of shock and disbelief.

Luna shook her head yet smiled. “I’m not sure honestly, but I think he just pulled a memory only the two of them knew.”

Dan just looked toward Luna then at the two lovebirds. “The hell is with the cake part then?” He muttered to himself.

Luna just smiled “Tia adores cake.” She said plainly “Even sneaking herself more then she should.” she whispered the last part to her.

Dan just stared at Celestia “Well that sounds a little anime-ish.”

“Ani-what?” Luna turned to Dan to ask but he just waved it off. “Shh, it's starting.” he pointed toward Celestia. After some time of staring at Aegis, she finally started walking toward him.

“Aegis…” she spoke eyes locked with his. “Can this really be true?”

Aegis approached her as well. “Very much so, love. I’m sure there’s much you want to-“ When they were finally before each other, Celestia cut him off.

“YOU BUCKING BASTARD!” And that's when her Golden Horseshoe slammed against the old man’s face, sending him flying back into the hall from whence he came, bursting through the bathroom door at the end of the hall crashing into the bathroom tile, cracking and making a dent into it, then slumped over himself before finally falling down into the empty tub below.

“OH DAMN!” Dan stood and cheered as he pointed down the hall. “He just got knocked the F@%K OUT! HA!” He then made a fist pump “Oh this was so worth it.” Dan said to Luna before taking a drink from his can.

Luna was now at a loss for words, she chose to drink from her can as well rather than speak.

After drinking deeply from his can he lowered it from his lips and let out a sigh of content “Aaaaah, This gonna be a good night…”

~~~

After some time letting Celestia “speak” with Aegis, things were finally settling down… sort of…

“After all this time you were here all along, and yet you kept quiet about it.” Everyone was back in the living room again. Though it was still a dream, Aegis put an effort into trying to get Dan into simulating touch within it. It wasn’t perfect but it was enough to effect Aegis as well since he resided within Dan, the worst he was given after that “meeting” with his ex gave him a dull pain. Unfortunately, for this to work, Dan would have to feel it as well, since it was his dream, but he didn’t mind. In his eyes, the old man deserved it probably and he only wished he was the one to do it.

“I’m not going to lie, I had intended to keep it that way.” Aegis responded, “However, only out of good intentions.”

“What good intentions?!” Celestia replied, “You make me agree to such an absurd “trial”. Then accept your death if it was just a passing for my journal to write. Leave me and my sister to guide this young colt on our own,” She gestured to Dan who was in the midst of scarfing a handful of popcorn into his mouth. “with NO knowledge on how to help him in handling a job neither my sister and I had any hooves on experience with-”

Dan leaned over to Luna “I’m still a little vague on pony terms kinda, but did your sister just called me a “little boy”?

Luna nodded seeming too engrossed in the conversation between her sister and the previous Hunter, yet she still heard his question. “Generally… yes…”

Dan just gave an annoyed look. “Well, that’s just rude… and incorrect.” he decided to take a drink, it was obvious Celestia wasn’t in the mood to take back what she said, but he’d remember that.

Celestia went on a tangent for an extra minute or two. Aegis, who just seemed to stand there and take it all in, looked on at her patiently.

Dan sighed “I was kinda expecting to see more of Celestia smacking gramps around.” he finished his can. “And it’s no fun if the old timer is acting so calm about it.” Though the start of the fateful meeting was to his liking, it seemed he no longer had an interest in it with how things were turning out.

“You certainly were looking forward to the negative aspect of this confrontation, sir hunter.” Luna was still drinking hers can. She seemed to be taking smaller sips as the tense atmosphere they were in made her a bit anxious on what would happen next, despite being focused on it. “Do you truly dislike Sir Aegis to enjoy his suffering?”

Dan looked at Luna for a moment and shot her an “are you kidding?” look. “Princess this guy keeps dragging my ass into the most insane crap I’ve ever been a part of, and he expects me to complete them with a damn smile on my face as if I’ve done this before and can execute with impossible perfection. I’m pretty sure I almost died more than once during that expedition and he expects me to just ignore it and move on.” he crushed his can in his clutches. “So yeah, I’m not too fond of him right now.”

“I see… I knew the two of you were constantly at odds, but I never knew you hated him so much.”

… Dan was silent for a moment as he looked at Celestia finally calming for real this time and started to really speak with Aegis. It was basically more of the old man apologizing to her though. Then he rolled his eyes and sighed. “I don’t hate him.” He chucked his can to the side. It was his dream so he didn’t need to bother with keeping the place clean.

Luna tilted her head “You do not? If it's for my sister and my sake please, you don’t have to pretend.”

Dan shook his head. “Look, hate is a strong word in my opinion. Sure you can say it without thinking about it when you say you hate pineapples or something. Everyone knows you just dislike the taste of the fruit or texture or whatever. In my world, people just use that word with people they generally dislike as well. Only some actually use it with its actual intended purpose and let me tell you. Its damn near impossible to come back from being hated, and you had to do some really messed up stuff to become hated. I’m talking about killing someone’s family kind of bad.

Luna’s ears lowered and pressed against her head at the mention of that.

“Just an example. A person can say they hate you if you break a promise, or if you did them wrong in some way, that's fine. But more often than not they’ll end up forgiving you. There’s a lot worse you can do than that if you wanted to be hated.” He turned to Luna finally. “The old man is a right pain and I want to slug him for his spartan like training and genuinely being a jerk, but I can’t say I hate the guy. I can at least understand why he does it. I’m not oblivious.”

“Y-yes… it was his duty when he was the hunter, so he only wishes to make sure his predecessor is just as qualified.”

“Nah, not even close, Luna.” Dan shook his head.

“What? What other reason would there be?” she asked

“Don’t get it wrong, he does think of those noble things, and genuinely looks like he gives a damn.” Dan waved it off “But he’s a guy with a girlfriend. If keeping her people safe and happy puts a smile on her face. Then that’s what he’ll do.” Luna seemed surprised by this response. Partly of but mostly that it came out of Dan’s mouth. She wouldn’t say it to his face, but he always came off as somewhat crude with how he goes about things. “Blame nature I guess, show us a pretty girl, and all that blood meant for the brain just goes straight to the-“ and there was her crude friend again. He certainly wasn’t away for long. “OH GROSS, Stop!” Luna was brought out of her thoughts when she heard Dan start yelling at Celestia and Aegis.

“Huh?” When Luna turned to the two she then put a hoof to her mouth and blushed, for some reason, the two were making out, and Dan wasn’t having any of it.

“No! Not in my head! I don’t want any of that nasty ass grampa slobbering going on in my brain.” He walks up and physically separates the two. “It’s like I’m a part of it since it’s my dream, and it's making me hurl.” he shudders. “Go back to ripping his head off or something, Celestia!”

Luna just watched with a smile before looking at her can, before chugging the rest of it, When in a dream, do as the dreamers do.

~~~~~~~~~~

Meanwhile on the outskirts of Appleloosa

The Sheriff had made some good distance from the town, though he didn’t expect to run into any other buffalos as soon as he did. The majority of them were females, elderly and children, with Strong warrior types at the edges of the group keeping a lookout as they continued to walk.

In Front of them was the chief as he leads them all toward Appleloosa. As the Sheriff recalled, the young buffalo, Little Strongheart, managed to explain to him the situation while the doctor was patching her up. It seems that the tribe were intending to travel on their traditional stampeding grounds like always and were expecting to cross through the Appleloosans’ orchard like always So everyone in the tribe was resting for the night. However, before the sun was even setting, the ground started shaking. Then a large beast, the likes of which they have never seen, appeared out of nowhere.

Little Strongheart claimed that it was long, a strange mouth, and very aggressive. She at first intended to defend the tribe with those willing to fight, However, it quickly became clear they were no match for it when the beast had consumed five warriors, killed 3 more, and injured Strongheart by throwing it’s massive weight around and knocking her into a tent. In the end, she was volunteered against her will to head to Appleloosa and seek help from their equine friends. The chief had decided to round up all that could not join the fight along with a select group of warriors to make for the town after Little Strongheart left to run ahead, as what warriors left fighting remained to keep the beast distracted as long as possible to ensure their tribe’s escape.

Chief Thunderhooves was the first to meet up with the Sheriff's slight bow of the head from the buffalo and a tip of the hat from the stallion and the chief halted the group and began talks with the Sheriff. It was basically a repeat and understanding of what Little Strongheart had told him, along with the Chief asking that for the time being until the matter is solved with the monster, that his people could take refuge in Appleloosa.

Hearing this request, the Sheriff picked up that the chief knew full well that even their best warriors would not be able to defeat it. Judging by that he could safely assume he would not be able to help in stopping or defeating the mystery creature. However there was still one more option, but for him to even consider it, he had to at least be sure if it was necessary. That meant going to the campsite and seeing things himself.

When he told his plan to the chief, the large buffalo was shocked. “Surely you do not intend to do so alone?”

The sheriff nodded “I have to, this creature attacked you’re home and I’m not comfortable with how close it is to my town. As the Sheriff, I reckon that It doesn’t give me much choice in the matter.“ He then gave a chief a polite bow of his head then started walking past them toward their camp. “Now, if’n you’ll excuse me, my job isn’t over just yet.”

“Be wary, sheriff” The chief turned to the stallion. “This beast is vicious, it has already claimed some of our best warriors.”

“Oh, I have no intention of fighting it.” The Sheriff replied, “just a little scouting to see what we’re up against here.” With that, he continued his trot that quickly became a gallop once he left the group and forged on ahead to the camp.

Truthfully, he didn’t have to do this, all he needed was the word of the chief and Little Strongheart had given them and he could notify the Royal Guard in Canterlot. There was a law that lasted for as long as the start of Celestia and Luna’s reign that stated that if anypony discovered something off in an environment or ecosystem, or if there is an unusually aggressive and ferocious creature terrorizing the locals of an area. That they were to notify the Royal Guard immediately to have it dispatched and/or investigated. However, if it was just that. Not many ponies would give it much thought. There was more to the law that was never really explained. “If one were to discover black sludge or discover an area covered in black mist. Run far away from it and again notify the Royal Guard immediately. Failure to do so would be a hefty fine if not imprisonment.”

THAT was the most curious part. They urged citizens to tell them if something is amiss in the wilds, but they demand a report the moment they see some black sludge or mist or there would be consequences. Throughout time this had given many rumors that would then become myths, legends, and fairytales of dark forces the Royal Guard fought in secret, or monsters that lurked at the fringes of civilization ready to prey upon the unsuspecting pony that happened to get too unfortunate or foolish enough. Bedtime stories even to keep naughty little colts and fillies in line when they misbehaved, and of course, whenever there was a report and word got out to the public about it. Taverns, public areas, and for the Sheriff's case, the saloon, flood with stories, guesses, and rumors about it.

Growing up, the stories would fascinate him to almost joining the Royal Guard to see for himself. Yet, life has a way of changing things when you least expect it and here he was, a simple Sheriff protecting the law and citizens of a simple town.

These were his thoughts until the moment he arrived at the camp, he slowed down once it came into view.

It was a mess, broken tents, some things were even on fire no doubt some campfires or torches being knocked over or kicked into more flammable things during the panic. But what chilled him the most, was the utter silence. No monster to be seen, and no warriors that supposedly stayed behind to fight… Not even a body of those that had fallen.

Could the supposed creature have eaten them all? He was already told some already became its meal so whatever it was, it was carnivorous. If not omnivorous. Compared to a buffalo’s size, a pony would probably slide down its throat in one gulp should it somehow ambush him, so nervousness began to set in. Yet that little voice in the back of his head spurred him on.

He was cautious as he investigated, trying to make as little sound as possible Now that he had a closer look of things, he could see hoofprints, drag marks, and bloody smears and trails in the dirt on some debris. Then came the holes, He had noticed them when he just arrived, but now that he was right in front of one, he could really scale their size, and they were large, to say the least. Connecting to them would be various trails of unearthed dirt, some subtle, others very noticeable. As confirmed from what he heard, a monster that was at the very least, carnivorous, that digs underground, and from the state of the camp, very aggressive. As he was about to lean over to peer into the hole, he heard a voice “Stop….” turning back, he was surprised that he missed a buffalo, injured and under a collapsed tent. “Stay… Stay away…” the buffalo’s called out to him.

His voice hoarse, and blood. Leaking from him, from where the Sheriff could not see. Immediately he ran over to the buffalo. “Hold on, I’ll be right there.”

“N-no! No STOP!” The buffalo called out as loud as his voice could allow. This barely got the Sheriff’s attention as he skidded to a halt. “Don’t move, be silent!...” The buffalo looked around frantically. Now that the Sheriff stopped, he could feel something. Tremors beneath his hooves. “Don’t. Make. Sound.” the buffalo whispered as loud as he could to him. “It never left.”

Well, that was unsettling, he was in the middle of it all and that's the last thing he wanted to hear. The Sheriff remained still as he looked around. Sure enough off behind one of the few tents that were standing, he saw some dirt being unearthed, in a trail toward it. When it reached it, he then heard a desperate and horrific scream that would haunt his dreams, if he lived long enough, that is. Apparently, there WAS another buffalo within the tent. WAS. The scream almost immediately became muffled before the tent finally collapsed from an unseen force, and then there was silence.

The Sheriff could feel his heart rate quicken, already he was cursing his job, his curiosity, and his conscience for “doing what’s right” and investigating instead of just being in the saloon, where he would be on his sixth glass of hard cider right now. Waiting for the buffalo’s that managed to escape to arrive. He turned to the buffalo under the tent. And whispered as best and as loud as he thought was safe. “I’m coming over, we’re gonna get out of here.”

The buffalo shook his head, fear on his face “No… Stay.”

The sheriff lifted his hoof and made a gesture of his to tell the buffalo to relax, “I’ll be quiet, I promise, just STAY. CALM.” He made sure to emphasize those last two words as best as he could.

The buffalo finally seemed to notice that he was indeed starting to breathe rather hard, he nodded and did his best to calm the panicking soul within him. As this was happening, the Sheriff slowly and quietly crept one hoof after the other toward the buffalo. Meanwhile, keeping an eye on the moving dirt trail that seemed to be patrolling the area. Step by step, he was making progress, the sight of the sheriff nearing him and nothing happening was helping the buffalo’s attempts at keeping calm. This was working. Slight relief starting to set in at the thought. Until he noticed the sheriff suddenly stop, and then look around.

Why was he looking around like that… !! “Where is it?” The buffalo asked

“Shh!” Was all the Sheriff managed to say before suddenly that thing appeared right between them. The ever moving trail beneath the ground. The buffalo lost all sense of calm and was so close to shrieking in response, but managed to catch himself. The Sheriff kept very still, this was all either of them could do. Make a sound and that was it. If it decided to head in either of their direction, the same outcome. They watched intently as the creature seemed to have just stopped in front of them, then slowly move about the area it seemed to know someone was nearby, but couldn’t figure out where. When it moved towards the sheriff he had to act fast, lifting his hoof up, he let the creature move dangerously close to him, practically underneath him before it quickly turned away. He then noticed that the creature unearthed a fairly large rock.

It was perfect, he quietly picked it up with his hoof before chucking it off into the random distance, apparently, it hit the side of a tent that was almost collapsed making the other half finally fall over. This got the creature's attention as it swiftly turned to face that direction, before swiftly moving toward it. This was his chance, he got moving, quietly of course, but he tried his best to pick up the pace. While the creature looked busy, he finally reached the buffalo. “Ok, I’m gonna try to get this stuff off you. Can you move? He asked the buffalo nodded, he knew he had a wound but as far as he could tell it wouldn’t prevent him from walking. The sheriff got to work, as silently as he could. Piece by piece he could finally see the wound the buffalo had received. It was a wooden pole of some sort, broken off and lodged in the poor fella’s side. At this point hard to tell how it even got there, but that wasn’t important at the moment. What WAS important was that amazingly the buffalo struggled to get to his hooves and succeeded. When the buffalo reached for the pole lodged in himself, the sheriff stopped him. And shook his head. “Pulling it out now would just make it worse, and there would be no way to be quiet with the pain.” Honestly, the sheriff was amazed the guy was even still alive at this point but he wasn’t going to question it. At least not now. “Come on,” he whispered as they both started moving, the buffalo on a limp. The escape was long and agonizing since they had to take it slow, always on the lookout on where the creature was at all times, as well as the pain the buffalo felt with the wood lodged in him. Unfortunately, time was not on the buffalo’s side, as the enduring pain only got worse, to where his mind focused more on it.

That’s all it took for him to misstep on some debris that gave way under him sliding making him stumble. The pain was excruciating. So much so that he forgot his situation and yelled in pain. Halfway into his howl he realized his mistake and the look of shock and horror on the sheriff’s face and tried to stop himself, but was too late.

They could hear it now, barreling to their position underground. Dirt flying from the speed it was kicking up. The buffalo panicked and started to run, or rather, hobble as fast as he could.
“No! Nonononononono!!!!”

The Sheriff called out to the buffalo “Wait! Your only drawing atte-” suddenly he felt the ground shake and the horrifying sight of the ground opening up beneath the buffalo and tendrils wrapping around him as he screamed in shock and fear, then got snapped up in what at first looked like the maw of a giant three-petaled flower, with teeth lining the edges. The creature then shot into the air with the buffalo screaming helplessly as he was briefly launched into the air, then the tendrils coming from the beast's mouth reeled him back in as the beast roared. It was long, so much so that it towered over the sheriff who was in utter shock at realizing what he was looking at. He saw the buffalo he was just with get pulled back into the creature’s jaws swallowed whole without an issue. The poor buffalo screaming and struggling in pure terror the whole way down. “Of all the varmints it had to be,” the sheriff said to himself, he was helpless to stop it and how could he, “It had to be a tatzlwurm.”

The creature finally turned to him, the bulge of its last victim still seen sliding down its long body.

That’s when it lunged at him.

Chapter Fourteen (Incomplete Proofread)

In a train car bound for Appleloosa

Two Days Later

Dan was staring off into the distance at the prairie before him. It seemed the train was making good time, however, that wasn’t on his mind, the fact that other then Twilight that obviously knows about his identity, none of the other passengers in the car were paying him any mind at all. He looked down at the amulet he was wearing around his neck before back out into the window. “You sure this is actually working Twilight? Hard to tell when I only see me after all.”

(Image made by HoodwinkedTales)

Twilight was so engrossed in her research she barely heard his question. “Huh?” The entire time Dan had allowed Twilight to study his phone, its capabilities, and use the “wifi” as he called it, to look up as much information from his world as she could. She was like a kid on Christmas, a phrase Dan used to describe her eagerness, it became one of the first things she tried to look up on his phone. “Oh, yeah, don’t you worry, If Celestia vouches for it, then of course it does. Besides, we already tested with the girls and all the other residents remember?” Dan recalled.

Apparently, that night when Celestia and Aegis met, there was more to the visit then just that. Celestia had intended in the waking hours to send a letter to Dan via dragon fire, meaning Spike and Twilight would more than likely get it first which was good since she trusted her student to aid Dan as much as possible. Her original plan was to send the amulet she had been holding onto to the golden oaks library while sending a letter in advance for Dan and Twilight to read about its capabilities in hiding Dan’s actual body with an illusion enchantment that was placed onto it. However, the dream meeting basically allowed her to tell Dan face to face what she was sending and what it could do. She would send a letter to Twilight on the finer details.

Having Aegis there helped in explaining to Dan that it was something he also had to wear back before he went into the process of accepting an actual equestrian body. A tale, Aegis did not care to go into, seeing as Dan didn’t seem to care much about the idea. The fact of the matter was during his time starting out and many years after, Aegis had to wear it in public areas as not to freak out the citizens with his true human form. Those that are aware that he’s wearing it are able to see through the illusion, it was actually a pretty clever condition. To those outside of the loop, there would be no chance for them uncover his true form so long as he wore it, to a pony that knew of his amulet, the spell would break on them when they recognize the “Stallion”.

It only just now occurred to Dan that even though he was given the amulet, he was for some reason allowed to show his actual face around Ponyville, When he asked Aegis, the old-timer was curious about that as well seeing as in the past for himself he mostly had to stay within castle walls when he wasn’t on mission or expedition. Now that he was thinking about it again, this whole thing was odd, If he was supposed to be such a secret to the public, why place him in Ponyville at all? “Hey Twilight, got another question for you,” when he turned to her direction he could see she was really enameled with something on his phone. Curiosity getting the better of him he hopped off his seat and sat in the one next to her to get a look at what she was up to. For some reason, now she was on google and typing in a phrase in the search bar. Well, she picks up fast… how is she typing on the screen with her hoof and mag- He, then noticed she was typing a question. That question only brought on more questions, but for the time being, he swiftly swiped the phone from her magical grasp.

“H-hey! I was still researching with that!” Twilight said with a pout

“Twilight… there is nothing you need to learn from Rule 34… Where did you learn that phrase?” Dan turned to her with a burning curiosity, just yesterday that girl could barely understand which app was which.

“Oh, that? I saw it in the comments in one of those, you-tub videos I found.”

“Youtube, Twilight, youtube…” Dan should’ve known, just what was she watching? He was going to have to look at his view history later to find out.

“Now arriving in Appleloosa!” the train conductor called out as he entered one end of the car and making his way to the other to inform the passengers in the next.

“Oh! It looks like we’re here!” Twilight said as she was already sticking her head out the now opened window.

“So it would seem.” he sighed before pocketing his phone. He was gonna have to monitor her from now on… and put on some child locks for her sake.

After some time the Train finally pulled into the station, Dan and Twilight had to step through the small crowd of ponies also getting off just to get out of the station. Were they visiting or looking to join the settlers here, who can say?

Finally made it through.” Twilight sighed before looking around. “Perhaps it was best to bring Applejack with us.”

“Can’t be helped, apparently it’s a busy time with her right now, right? She said she would at least send a letter in advance to her cousin here for us right?” Dan looked around at the town. “I’m assuming the mail service beats the train then?” He found it rather interesting how “Wild West” it was looking, yet he couldn’t avoid getting a “cuteness” vibe from it. It was almost like some kind of western themed playground parents would drop their kids off of, sans the swings and jungle gym.

“Yeah, especially when Rainbow volunteers to do it.” Twilight started leading the way

Dan nodded “Oh, right, she’s here too then. Applejack did mention that.”

“WELCOME TO AAAAAAAPPLELOOSA!”

“JESUS!!” Dan jumped away from the loud yet welcoming voice. His hand already in his cloak reaching for his sidearm.

“Oh, sorry! Didn’t mean to startle you there, friend!” the apologetic pony sported a brown western hat unsurprisingly, a brown vest, green eyes, light gold coat and two-tone mane of orange and amber. He had an apple for a cutie mark, and of course a big ol’ grin on his face. “I just wanted to greet all you newcomers to this wonderful town!”

Dan sighed as he pulled his hand away from his gun. “It’s fine, I guess.”

“Glad to hear it!” the stallion was now in his face. Or rather, in reality, his gut seeing their height difference. It was VERY uncomfortable for Dan. ‘Is this gonna be a thing when I have to wear this necklace?’

“ Unfortunately, what they see as your disguise’s face, is, in fact, your stomach. The spell required a disguise that was at least eye level with them.” Aegis answered.

‘Great…’

“Hello again Braeburn, I take it Rainbow arrived already with our message?” Twilight intervened and got straight to the point.

“Oh, well howdy Twilight! She sure did, and we’ve been waiting for your train to show up ever since.”

“There you guys are!” and just in time Rainbow hovered over to the group, then close to Twilight and Dan, “Finally, he gave me another tour again and I was running out of excuses.” Twilight seemed to react to that as if remembering something.

Dan was taking the hint it was something he shouldn’t even mention right now. Looking back at the Stallion next to him, he was kinda getting a vibe that even mentioning the word “tour” to him was bad.

“So is this, the special agent from Canterlot you mentioned in the letter?” the stallion now known as Braeburn was now giving Dan a scrutinizing look.

“Yes, of course,” Twilight answered, “Braeburn this is, uuh, Loose Cannon,” Dan smirked it was the name he came up with that sounded like a Pony name.

Braeburn rubbed his chin “I see, well I’m sure if the Sheriff was here he’d want to make sure he’d play by the rules while he’s here.”

Dan nearly snorted out a laugh. ‘There is just NO way, that was too perfect of a coincidence! Do they know?!’

“Know what?” Aegis asked

“I assure you, he’ll be on his best behavior, but that aside, we were told the sheriff was one of those that became missing after the event.” Twilight asked

Braeburn nodded this time with a more serious look “That’s right, it’s been two days now and we’re all getting a little worried after what the chief told us about the beast that attacked them.”

“Oh, well he’s dead.” Dan said bluntly, this got him some looks from both the girls and a look from Braeburn that said he was thinking the same thing.

“Oh, uh… Sorry?”

“No, it's alright, after seeing some of the other Canterlot guards and officials arrive today, some of us here were starting to think the same thing.” Braeburn sighed

“guards and officials?” Dan asked

“Oh right, I guess I forgot to mention.” Twilight turned to Dan. “Celestia sent over some of her best here beforehand when they received the news from Appleloosa.” She then leaned in and whispered to him. “The guards are just for show and to keep ponies out of places so you can move around more freely without the amulet.”

“Hm, smart… and the officials?” Dan asked

Twilight seemed perplexed “I’m not entirely sure. The Princess said it was necessary for them to meet you.”

Dan wasn’t sure what that was all about so he asked the only person he figured would have an answer. ‘Do you have any clue who they are, gramps?’

“They’ve probably already assigned your handler if I had to guess.” Aegis answered casually.

‘Handler?’ Dan raised an eyebrow

“Well, you didn’t expect Tia and Lulu to let you loose forever without somebody keeps tabs on you did you?” Aegis replied.

‘I thought that was-’ His response was interrupted by Twilight.

“Dan? You ok? We should probably get going to meet them.”

“Uh, yeah sure, sorry, kinda been spacing out today.” he lied with a nervous smile, before joining the three ponies as Braeburn led the way. The entire way there he couldn’t help but observe the buffalo that had to take refuge in the town. “Huh, So the buffalo can talk in this world too.”

“Well, duh, Why wouldn’t they?” Rainbow Dash replied bluntly as she hovered next to him.

Dan scratched his head, then mumbled quietly to himself “If you knew the kind in my world…” Dan continued to look around. From the looks of it, since the ponies were playing the part of settlers of the Wild West, the buffalos played the part of the Native Americans it would seem. At least that’s as far as he could tell with the obvious fashion and markings the buffalo had on them. Another thing he could sense is the solemn atmosphere in town.

Braeburn seemed to be trying to keep a cheery mood by pointing out things in his town to the newcomer in the group, but when he noticed his attention was more on the ponies and buffalo, He could already take a guess on what was on his mind. “It's been like this ever since what we heard from the tribe’s chief. Everyone is worried the creature might show up here.”

Dan turned back to Braeburn. “Well, that’s why I’m here… I guess.” he added that last part.

Braeburn asked, “So you’ll be able to stop it?”

“Of course he can, no one is better suited than Da-er Mr. Cannon.” Twilight replied

‘Please don’t raise their hopes when we have no idea what we’re even dealing with!’ Dan wanted to say that aloud, ‘What’s with that “Da-er” crap you’re the one that picked the damn fake name!’

“You’re the one that came up with that name.” Aegis answered

‘… That’s true.’ Was all Dan could answer. It really sucked having a second voice in your head.

“Well that sure gets the knot out of my stomach, and no doubt the mayor’s too,” Braeburn said “those fellas are at the mayor’s office waiting for you to show up. I’ll take you to them.” without another word he started out into a trot and the others simply followed.

The trip was relatively short, but it was enough time for Dan to get a general look of the town, and let Braeburn scratch that “itch” he had to give Dan a brief tour of what was on the way, the girls had to just let it be, Dan certainly seemed interested in listening. Though mostly for the fact that he liked the whole western aesthetic of the place.

“Well, here we are, town hall!” Braeburn announced, “those officials should be just inside.” when they stepped in, they could see a group of ponies in the middle of a discussion. First was a stallion that looked like he was getting on in years, with a long mustache bifocals and a button up shirt. No doubt that was the mayor, he seemed to fit the vibe of the town by appearance. Who he was speaking to garnered more attention. One looked like a Royal guard only more decorated with a more detailed set of armor, if Dan had to guess, he was probably a Captain or something of that nature. The stallion next to him seemed like one of those “Noble” types, Luna would tell him about. Dressed like a 17th-century rich boy, Well groomed and stylized mane, a dumb egotistical look as if they thought they were superior. The last part Luna said that Not EVERY noble was like that, but just his luck he gets the bad instead of the good.

Finally, there was a mare, this one seemed to have a royal military outfit, but that was putting it lightly. It was more like an outfit a secretary in an army would wear. Neatly pressed, formal, yet nothing about it was meant for protection, she even had a goofy beret with a feather on it. As well as a pair of large round glasses on her face. She seemed to be holding a clipboard and seemed unsure of what to do. Dan wondered if she was new to her job, with that naive look on her face.

“Look all I want to know is if this problem can be handled by the guard or not? Everyone here is getting a bit on edge from what the buffalo have been saying about their camp, and the chief is telling me it may not be safe here as well.” The Mayor seemed to be at wit's end about this monster.

The “Captain” looking guard seemed to be doing all the talking “Sir, we assure you, we are doing everything in our power to take care of this.” the Captain then turned to his side and seemed relieved to see Dan and Twilight enter the room. “In fact, our best agent for the task has finally arrived.” he gestured to Dan letting the mayor turn to see the human, or rather, the pony disguise he was wearing. The mayor along with the “Captain”, “Noble”, and “Secretary” all awaited for Dan and the rest of his group to approach.

Once they did Braeburn was the first to speak “Just like you asked, I brought Mr. Cannon.”

The Captain and Noble seemed to raise an eyebrow to the name, Dan caught on and made a gesture to say “Just go with it.” he could only hope, his “disguise” was capable of doing that as he couldn’t see it apparently. Thankfully, it seems like they did as the Captain continued. “Ahem, yes, Mayor, as you can see, agent… Cannon, is trained specifically for this kind of job.”

‘Trained? Or nagged by a cranky old horse.’ Dan thought

“Someone has to be there to kick your ass in the right direction.” Aegis responded.

Dan rolled his eyes before speaking out to the mayor. “Hello, I’m Loose Cannon, as you no doubt are already aware, Listen, I’ve already had enough experience to handle these sort of delicate matters, All you need to do is just point me in the right direction, give me as much information as you can and I’ll have this whole mess sorted out before you have your morning coffee tomorrow.”

Aegis immediately responded. “What was that?”

Dan didn’t miss a beat ‘Me Bull$#!*ing so we can get this over with as soon as possible.’

“I don’t know if your saying that just to comfort me or to exaggerate about yourself, but you’ll have to forgive me if I don’t trust the idea of just sending one lone stallion to handle something that has taken out multiple Buffalo warriors and my sheriff.” the mayor replied while rubbing his temple.

Dan raised an eyebrow. “You’re sheriff is also missing?”

Braeburn decided to answer this. “He was the first to respond when we first got wind of it. It’s been two days and so far he hasn’t come back”

‘B*TCH, he dead’ Dan thought

“Knock it off” Aegis replied.

Dan cleared his throat, “I see, well then I guess there isn’t any time to waste.”

“I couldn't agree more, Da-er-I mean, Mr.Cannon.” Twilight answered.

“A moment of your time Mr, Loose Cannon.” the noble stallion along with the captain and “secretary” all approached Dan. “There is something we must discuss in private.”

“Figured as much.” Dan sighed The mayor thankfully got the message as well as Braeburn, opted to stand outside, for now, to let them have their chat. That just left Dan the “officials, Twilight, and Rainbow all in a circle before the Captain spoke. “I can tell from the look in your eye you seem to have an idea why we have come here.”

“Enough to know that you didn’t show up to give the mayor some nice words of encouragement, you came to tell me some things that I probably won’t like.” Dan replied

“You are correct.” Responded the Captain.” Allow me to introduce myself, I am Captain Steel Edge.” he gave a curt nod.

‘Isn’t that a Pokemon move?’ Dan thought

“This stallion here is Lord Golden Arches.”

‘Bada-ba-ba-baaaaa’ Dan hummed mentally. ‘Quarter Pounder sounds good right about now.’

“And this is Private Wind Flower.” as the Captain gestured to the “secretary” looking mare, she gave a salute and looked like she was trying to give the best one she could give as if that would make her look professional.

“Reporting for duty, Sir!” said the mare.

‘As if the name wasn’t cute enough… I wonder if she’d be insulted if I told her that she’s only making herself look adorable doing that?’ Dan decided to keep that in his head where Aegis could only hear it.

“Now that we have gotten the formalities out of the way, let’s get straight to the point, the sooner we get this over with, the sooner I can finally get out of this blasted dust bowl.” Golden Arches said with a hint of disgust in his voice. Dan couldn’t stop himself from rolling his eyes. “Also, remove whatever spell you’ve cast upon yourself. I wish to see what a young adult human looks like. I’ve only seen the last one when he was on his last legs. Noble to be sure, but ghastly to look at if he ever shaved his face.”

“Hmph, Celly liked it, you little punk.” Aegis grumbled.

‘I’m sure she did, gramps.’ Dan sighed before finally deciding to comply and lift the amulet from around his neck. Although he couldn’t see the dispel in action, the looks on the three’s faces were enough for him to know it happened as they finally stopped looking at his crotch and at his actual face.

“Hm.” the Captain observed stoically

“Definitely not as wrinkly as the last one.” Golden Arches seemed to look at Dan more like an object than a person.

“A being from another world… to actually be able to see one for real?” Wind Flower mumbled but Dan’s ears managed to pick it up.

“I’m flattered,” Dan deadpanned, “If that’s all you wanted can we get to why you're here already?”

“You’re correct, we should make this quick to let you begin your work.” Steel edge nodded before turning to Wind Flower. Seeing she was still “admiring” Dan. “Ahem, private?”

That knocked her back to reality and she straightened up and saluted again “R-right!”

~~~

“Rules of my engagement with the plague?” Dan was looking at a rolled up scroll he was given by Wind Flower before their discussion started.

“Yes, though it’s mostly what to do around civilians and soldiers, not in the know. You may have already guessed by now but Private Wind Flower reached the status and met the qualifications to let her into the fold as well. So don't be surprised by her sudden… appreciation of your existence.”

“As if I’m not used to it in Ponyville… There’s a mare I know there that won’t stop asking me weird questions.”

Twilight and Rainbow both looked away with a knowing expression when he mentioned that.

The Captain raised an eyebrow but nodded all the same “I see, well, to get back on topic, what we came here for is to basically inform you of the rules and obligations you need to uphold to as the Royal Hunter, along with that. Introduce to you, your handler.”

“My what?” Now it was Dan’s turn to arch a brow. That was when Wind Flower stepped forward

“That would be me, sir. It is an honor to be working with you… uh, Sir!” she was saluting again, looking as stiff as ever.

“Wait, hold on. Wouldn’t that be our job or at least mine?” Twilight stepped into the conversation.

Rainbow as well. “Yeah, the princess dumped-er, I mean SENT him to us. Wasn’t that why?”

Golden Arches answered her “That was more of a stand-in job actually. While you are able to aid him in any way you please as decreed by the Princesses, the fact of the matter is, you and the other bearers have your own lives to live and can’t be there to handle his workload as well.” That was something Dan nor the girls could deny. “So she shall handle the paperwork, YOUR job is to report to her whenever she calls you, like a good boy and give her any information you may come across during your hunts and investigation, like that disgusting pus you sent our way after your expedition.” Arches seemed to shudder at the thought.

Wind Flower decided to take this moment to speak, “Please, sir, don’t think of it as me being superior, far from it, It's only for the sake of getting the facts straight and keeping record on what you do as well as making sure your real identity remains hidden from the general public. She lowered her salute before “ahem, shall we get going, sir?”

“Already?” Dan figured they’d want to say more.

The Captain responded, “There will be time later to discuss with you the rest, for now, we would like you to focus on your hunt until the matter has been resolved.” Steel Edge then had a look of realization before speaking again. “Ah, of course, I nearly have forgotten to mention. The ambassador of the minotaurs would like to see you as soon as possible.”

Golden Arches huffed “Do keep us entertained when you do.” Dan raised an eyebrow, both the message and Noble’s response were odd, to say the least before he could even ask further, the Noble spoke some more. “Now get a move on, hunter, you have 12 hours.”

“What?” Dan asked.

“Sir, you cannot be serious!?” the Captain turned to the noble but was met with the noble’s hoof.

“I am perfectly serious, Captain. He is the illustrious Royal Hunter after all… or at least, his predecessor did a fine job holding up the title. Sure his findings in the Everfree is commendable, but compared to Sir Aegis, they might as well be considered mediocre at best.”

“Hey, buddy. Don’t go spouting out what’s good or not until you’ve actually been there.” Rainbow was already tired of listening to Golden Arches, but now she was certain that a good hoof to the face would shut him up good.

“We’ve taken it slow enough for him, and the danger looms far closer to civilization than his romp in the forest.”

“What makes you say that? May I remind you that the forest is literally right next to Ponyville. We were exposed to such danger without even knowing.” Twilight stated, just like Rainbow, she was getting tired of his voice too.

“Perhaps, and though he slew one beast. He left a far more unsettling discovery back in the forest if I recall as well.”

The girls flinched knowing what he meant.

“W-well, what could he have done, there was so much of it who knows how large that forest ran for?” Rainbow gave her rebuttal.

As did Twilight. “And it was so dark in there even in the middle of the day. There was no place like that anywhere near ponyville-Oh!” she quickly covered her mouth.

“Exactly.” Arches answered. “True there is much we don’t know about the Everfree forest, but what we DO know currently is that such a place was yet to be discovered until recently upon his expedition and it took him two days to reach it. Upon hearing this the rest of us FUNDING him have been debating whether or not it was wise to let you not go back in there and take care of it, Sir Hunter.” Dan narrowed his gaze. “But in the end, it was decided that is sounded too far from Ponyville to let it slide, but only briefly.” He pointed at Dan. “in 12 hours, YOU, Sir Dan, will resolve the situation here, then be brought to Canterlot to meet with the ambassador, then you will be sent straight back to Ponville to finish what you started. If you cannot, the royal guard will, and if THEY resolve it. Well, let me just say, your PURPOSE here will be called under question.”

The tension was thick in the room, Rainbow wanted to slug him. Twilight was on the verge of casting a spell to shut him up. both the Captain and the secretary were shocked that the noble would claim that the Royal Guard would replace the Hunter at his job, and Dan who wanted to just go home now.

“Very well, Golden Arches, if that is how you want to play it.” Aegis grumbled “Boy, accept the challenge.”

‘I’m sorry what? Did you NOT hear what he just-’

“I KNOW what he said, and I’m telling you it can be done, now say you accept so we can be done with this cad.”

Dan could sense some malice in Aegis’ tone and was hesitant at first but sighed “Fine, I’ll do it.” he looked at his phone, after matching the time with the world’s time he could see that it was noon. ‘Huh… “you have until midnight” sounds a little Disney…’ he shook his head.

~~~~~~~~~~

Outskirts of Appleloosa nearing abandoned camp

Approx. an Hour Later

The decision was made to head out as soon as possible, and since Twilight and Rainbow were accompanying Dan to the target destination, the Captain agreed to let Wind Flower remain behind this time to help with keeping the town calm. This was much appreciated by Dan and the girls as they needed some time to think about all that is to come. Well, that was the idea, if it wasn’t too hot to ignore the weather that is.

“Hm… l think I liked walking through the death forest then I do wild west.” Dan responded as he sluggishly continued walking, he looked up at the sun in the sky underneath his hood and glared at it. “You think the princess could set the sun for a little while?”

“Well of course not, Dan.” Twilight answered as she wasn’t fairing much better herself in the heat. “The sun is very important. Celestia needs to keep it on schedule to-“

Dan waved her off “Relax, Twilight, I wasn’t being serious. It's just really damn hot out here.”

“Yeah, no kidding? What’s with the heat? Sure it was hot last time we were here but this is just ridiculous!” Rainbow said as her body and hovering seemed to sag a bit from the heat.

“I do admit it is warmer then I remember.” Twilight responded. “Nevertheless, we have to get this job done before midnight.”

“So we can shove it in that stuffed shirt’s face.” Rainbow responded after slamming her hoof into the other as if she was punching into it.”

“Couldn’t agree with you more Rainbow.” Dan smirked “That aside, the town and those buffalos do need peace of mind, I suppose. NO one likes the idea of sleeping with one eye open in their own home, wondering when a monster is gonna jump ’em.”

“Oh, it looks like… we’re here.” Twilight pointed out as they stopped just outside the ruins of what used to be the Buffalo’s camp.

“Jeez, whatever wrecked this place must have been very huge, or very aggressive in destruction.” Dan looked around. “Does anyone have a clue what we’re dealing with here?” he said before he continued walking, the girls following closely behind him.

“I managed to get some info from the buffalo while we were preparing to leave town.” Twilight pulled out a book from her saddlebag and opened it in front of her with her magic. “If I’m getting it right, I believe what we might be up against is a tatzlwurm.”

“Oh! One of those? Huh…” he scratched his chin. “Hard to believe just one Tatzlwurm could do all that… must have been pretty big.”

“Wait, you know what a Tatzlwurm is?” Rainbow flew up next to Dan with a raised eyebrow.

“I don’t remember you saying you saw one in the forest?” Twilight said while looking at dan.

“Not in the forest. In a book, I remember some things I learned from High school.”

“Oh, right! Both your world and ours seem to have a lot of similarities, especially in what you considered mythological, correct?” Twilight asked as she recalled one of her “questioning” sessions with Dan.

“Eeeeexactly.” Dan pointed to Twilight. “And If I’m correct the Tatzlwurm is a weird ass creature that burrows underground and stuff and pops out of the ground to attack people and stuff.”

… Twilight had to take a moment to process what he just said while Rainbow mulled it over for a moment before nodding to the statement. “Yeah sound about right.” Rainbow said

“There's more to a Tatzelwurm then… sigh well, you’re not wrong.” Twilight shook her head. “Anyways, we should probably look for clues.”

“Alright!” Dan then decided to leap a long distance into the ruined camp. “The sooner we get this done the better. Starting to get the munchies.” While the girls weren’t looking his way he pulled out some beef jerky he got from his other self before even leaving for this trip. He managed to stuff a reasonable amount in his backpack while leaving room for the essentials. He took a swift bite and ripped a piece off the one he was holding before secretly stowing it away before the girls could take notice. “Mmm, teriyaki style,” he mumbled

“What was that?” Twilight turned to Dan, who had to stop enjoying his snack and shake his head rapidly

“N-nothing at all.” It wasn’t as though Dan wasn’t allowed to eat meat in front of them, but after seeing their reactions after the manticore incident and after them finding out he was omnivorous, he decided to just keep the meat-eating to himself.

By the time they reached the ruined camp both Dan and Twilight suddenly stopped in their tracks, Rainbow eventually looked back with a look of confusion. “What's with you two?”

Dan looked over at Twilight. “You… felt that too right?”

When Rainbow saw Twilight slowly nod and become wary of her surroundings. She decided to land and at first, she felt nothing, but just as she was about to ask, she felt a small tremor beneath her hooves. “Whoa… is that the Tatzlwurm?”

“Uuuh, how far do you think it is from us?” Dan asked

“It's hard to tell if we don’t have an idea of its actual size. I do recall the Buffalos said it was huge but none of them was able to give me an estimate.”Twilight decided to stick close to her friends.

“Yeeeeah, that makes me feel better.” Dan could feel his heart racing as he started to get nervous now that the tremors were getting stronger. “Ok, I’m voting that we all get hell out of here. Now.”

The tremors were only becoming stronger the longer they stood there, “Ok, it's definitely getting closer.” at this point the wind seemed to have picked up enough to blow something against Dan’s leg he peers down and notices it was a Stetson hat. Before he could even think about why such a hat would be there the tremors grew more until in the center of the “camp” outshot a long humongous creature that roared into the heavens above. Dan looks up at the towering beast before him. “The F@%K! Is that?!”

Aegis answered simply “that’s the Tatzlwurm Of course, Dan.”

“The hell it is a Tatzlwurm! That’s a big ass Graboid!” Dan took a step back. Both the girls were having a similar reaction. Then it turned in their direction Dan felt his stomach drop. “Oh, F@%k…” It went straight underground.

“D-dan, what do we do?” Twilight asked

“Rainbow fly!”

“Don’t have to tell me twice!” Rainbow was already flapping her wings going airborne.

They could see the trail of dirt make a beeline for them. “Good now catch!” Dan yelled as he grabbed Twilight

“Wait, what are you-” before Twilight could finish her question she was now yelping as Dan hurled her at Rainbow.

“Whoa!” The pegasus barely managed to catch her in time. “What’s the big idea?!” That’s when Dan leaped and rolled to the side at the last second to avoid the Tatzlwurm’s jaws from swallowing him whole. “Oh, right.”

The creature didn’t seem pleased by missing its prey and was back underground chasing him.

“Damnitdamnitdamnitdamnit DAMNIT! Just once I want be the one to get the jump on these guys! JUST ONCE!” As he started off on a sprint he side stepped to avoid the creature’s lunge toward him and sprinted in another direction.

“Well, with how you just stumble onto our targets, that would definitely be a challenge. Also, we’re not going to get anything done if you keep running away from it.” Aegis flew out of Dan’s body and followed beside him.

Dan just glared at him. “Sorry, but which one of us has seen the movie Tremors? I know how this plays out and me getting close to it spells instant death! In fact, just stepping on the ground is a death wish!” Sensing another wave of foreboding he leaped up in the air and parted his legs just in time to narrowly avoid the jaws of the beast yet again and this time land on its body as its head burrows underground. He continued running on its back and stuck in place because of it diving out of the way from its next attempt only to chomp itself instead of Dan, making it real back roaring in pain before it retreated back to the dirt. Something Aegis picked up on quickly as Dan grabbed at his MP5 and kicked off of the worm safety.

“Hold on a moment Dan. Holster your weapon for now.”

“Gramps that is the LAST thing I should be doing right now, don’t you think?” Dan replied as he held his gun up.

“No, I mean this Tatzlwurm-”

“Tatzlwurm my ass!” Dan scoffed

“THIS TATZLWURM might actually be alive!”

“Yeah ok cool, but so what?!” He noticed the beast now circling around him. It knew where he was, now when was it going to strike?

“That means you are instructed to NOT kill it if it hasn’t been infected.”

Dan was skeptical “Are you serious right now?”

“I am always serious when it comes to doing your job.” Aegis said with a calm tone that means he wasn’t budging on this.

Dan groaned “Unbelievable...”

Meanwhile up above “We gotta help Dan!” Rainbow said as she was keeping her and Twilight airborne.

Twilight meanwhile was looking through her book “I know, I know, but rushing in there isn’t going to help. Uuuh let's see, Tatzlwurm, Tatzlwurm, Tatzl-Ah here it is!” she read as fast as she could to find something useful. “Let's see… can jump high, tendril-like tongues and strong jaws…. Well obviously… Where am I gonna find a white rooster?!”

“Come on Twilight, any day now!” Rainbow watched as Dan could only play on the defensive, dodging another wide mouth attack, and its multiple “tongues” slapping one away that got too close to him before running off with the beast in hot pursuit.

“I’m trying I’m trying, but this book isn’t exactly big on details on this creature’s weaknesses. I suppose not many ponies had to deal with this creature or actively looked for one to get any information on it!” Twilight said with a groan as she was about to toss the book before her innate love FOR books had her return it to her bag.

“Well… what's this about a rooster?” Rainbow asked…

Back with Dan, he managed to dodge the creature through some debris as he picked up a large pole. When the creature made another attempt on him. He was waiting this time as he sidestepped the attack and using his strength, smacked the tatzlwurm over the head with the pole. The Pole broke in half upon impact but it did halt the creature… temporarily as it moved its head up with a bit of a dazed look in its eyes before shaking it off and glaring at him. “Yeaaah, that never seems to work well.” he threw the part of the pole he had left at the creature who opened it’s maw and chomped on the piece before spitting it out to the side. That gave him enough time to make a break for it. “Ok, gramps, if you have any idea what to do, I’m all ears cuz the only way I can think of stopping this thing is shooting it!”

“I thought you said you’ve read into Tatzlwurm?” Aegis responded “Shouldn’t YOU know what to do then?”

“Ok for one, the Tatzlwurms on Earth don’t F@#king exist! Secondly, the ones I learned in school were damn furry lizard things with cat heads, weaponized halitosis, and no back legs!” He then pointed back at the beast that seemed to now be trying to close the gap between them. “Does that look like a Tatzlwurm to you?!”

Aegis stroked his beard casually, “Hmmm, I will admit there is a difference, but the people of this world refers to it as one so it is… to be honest I never had much reason nor the experience to come across one during my long life surprisingly-”

Dan chimed in “Life story later, Aegis! Do you have a solution or not?!”

“Well, there has to be something both sides know of the Tatzlwurm that would work. Is there anything at all?” Aegis asked

Dan thought for a moment as he ran….. “Where the hell are we gonna find a white Rooster here?!”

“BUK-AAAAAAW!” this caused Dan to stop, for Aegis to stop, and even the Tatzlwurm to stop in mid-lunge and they all looked to their side. Just a few yards away from them, was Rainbow, somehow her fur was white and her mane red and shaped like hen’s crest… or rooster actually. On her face looked like two pieces of yellow paper, shaped and designed to look like a beak “I can’t believe this.” Rainbow groaned.

Twilight seemed to also be impersonating a white rooster as she got up on her hind legs, wobbling trying to keep balance. “Come on Rainbow, we gotta act the part too.” using her for legs to arch against her torso and make the elbows “flap” “BUKBUCKBUKBUUUUK!”

“They can’t possibly be serious…” Dan blinked and thought then turned to look back now even more surprised that the tatzlwurm seemed to be staring straight at the two girls. It seemed to move and make strange noises toward them.

As Rainbow tried to mimic Twilight she was having doubts when she noticed the creature's change in behavior “Uh Twilight is that a good thing?”

“Yes! It is! It's agitated! Keep it up!” Dan managed to hear her question from that far off thanks to his higher sense of hearing, but Aegis seemed to be more interested in Dan’s words as he turned back to the creature. “Try moving closer to it!”

And so the two did, they struggled, trying to take bipedal steps trying to keep balance and every now and then having to push themselves back up after falling over. But the Wurm didn’t seem to care about their mistakes as the girls kept “Bucking”, “flapping”, and even making rooster calls at it. The worm would try to make hissing noises and act like it was going to snap at them, but when it seemed like they were to close for it. It held its head up, roared before receding underground, and then they could see its dirt trail lead out of the ruined camp before stopping completely, judging from the vibrations Dan felt, more than likely burrowing deeper underground.

“Ok… I think it's gone.” Dan started to relax, the girls followed suit before losing balance and falling over again. Dan turned back at the two. “That was… strange, yet very clever. How are you guys like that?”

“Oh just some papercraft.” Twilight said as she took the “beak” off her muzzle “ And on the spot mane styling.” she pulled out a brush with her magic from her saddlebags. “And a spell I learned back when I was living in Canterlot.” She then dispelled the magic that had changed her’s and Rainbow’s appearance.

Dan smirked “Figured as much.” his smirk then vanished when he turned back to where they last saw the whereabouts of the Tatzlwurm. “Well, this certainly is complicated.”

“No kidding.” Rainbow replied pulling the paper beak off her face and messing with her mane to get it back to its usual style. “How are we gonna stop something that can go underground?”

“Though that is a problem, Rainbow, it's gonna be harder since it seems to be alive.”

“Huh? What do you mean? It's not like, infected or whatever?” Rainbow asked.

Dan turned to Aegis who simply shook his head. Before looking back at the girls. “It's nothing concrete, but he-er I mean, I haven’t noticed any signs that would make it tainted, and the fact that it ran away when it saw your disguises proves that it was scared. Tainted beasts don’t have that capacity.”

“So you can’t handle it like before?” Twilight picked up on, to which he nodded. She had to admit she liked the idea that he wouldn’t be killing anything, but now the situation changed “So, what do we do now? We have until Midnight to catch it or at least get it out of here, and we still need to find out what happened to the Sheriff and the other buffalo that remained behind.”

Dan sighed looking at the hat that was now resting against some debris. “I can probably answer that right now.”

“Don’t jump to conclusions yet, Dan,” Aegis said as he floated next to him. “Though I can’t speak for the buffalo, these ponies can surprise you in the end.”

Dan wanted to speak out his disbelief, but now with the girls in earshot of him, he wouldn’t be able to call it “Yelling at the Wurm” or just say it was their imagination.

“Come on Dan, we can’t just assume without all the facts. We need to investigate more before we come to an answer.” Twilight stated.

Dan just shook his head. “Normally I would agree with you, but right now, it seems pretty open and shut that the sheriff and the rest of those buffalo dudes are chilling in that things stomach… scratch that, it's been two days since they were gone so they’re probably already a great big pile of-”

“AAAAANYWAY! What are we gonna do now?” Rainbow butted in. “Dan’s not allowed to take it down like the monsters from before, and we already wasted an hour or two getting here and dealing with it.”

Dan folded his arms in thought. She had a point. They needed to make their next move. However, he already had an idea. Aegis already seeing the image of it in his head and remarking that its the best option. The girls noticed him staring at where the creature burrowed underground

“Nobody’s claustrophobic right?”

Author's Note

Hey guys! sorry for the EXTREMELY long wait, and don't get used to the (incomplete edit) part of the chapter title, it just seemed fair to at least send this out now since I've been taking way to long with mt stories this time around thanks to that temporary writers block and RL stuff that kinda had me indisposed at times. but enough of that, I'm trying to to get back to my usual schedule before all this nonsense, so wish me luck. Also, my other story will be wrapping up sometime this winter so expect another story I have planned to be in the works while at the same time this story will be getting more frequent chapters until the new chapter is made. I figured I should let you guys know about that. as for the other story... well, when you do get to see it and actually like it. I hope you read that one too haha.

Alright, enough of that let's talk about this chapter. So I'm sure someone will ask. "Why did Dan toss Twilight in the air when she clearly has wings int he picture?"

.... I may have forgotten to tell hoodwinked that when she made the picture. that was my bad and I JUST now realized the wings after looking at it once again and facepalming that I forgot to mention that. however at the same time I just REALLY like the picture so I don't want to change it..... soooo this tiiiime.... pretend the wings aren't there. next time for future pictures I promise to keep them as accurate to the story as possible when I request any. I apologize for my selfish request.

Another thing I tried to do was avoid making a cliffhanger. I noticed that seems to come second nature to me and I'm working to not do that All the time. I'm not sure if the end of this Chapter is seen as a cliffhanger or not but I felt like it didn't everyone knows they are all going down into the wurmhole (hehe, wormhole) to investigate. As for the future chapter... well... it should be interesting for you guys, hopefully anyway.

Next Chapter: Choices had to be made

As always, I hope you enjoyed this Chapter and look forward to future ones.

Chapter Fifteen

“Man this wyrm digs deep.” Dan looked on ahead as he as well as Twilight and Rainbow continued deeper into the tunnels the creature created. He had pulled out his flashlight to look on ahead but it just seemed like an endless tunnel, for awhile it descended for what felt like a mile or two before it leveled out making the walk much easier now that they don’t have to worry about slipping.

“Well they are at home to being underground, it makes sense that they’re digging prowess should match their lifestyle,” Twilight replied

Dan nodded “Right, right, live underground means you dig good, the question is where is this tunnel leading us?”

Twilight tapped a hoof to her chin for a moment “I can only imagine it returned to its nest for now.”

“Well since it isn’t infected that sounds about right, that or off hunting for food maybe.”

Despite the size of the large tunnel Rainbow still wasn’t too keen on walking in it. It wasn’t claustrophobia personally, but just being comfortable being there since her natural instincts as a pegasus are to be higher in the air. Hovering helped a little for her, but constantly making sure she didn’t bum her head on the ceiling always kept her wary and anxious. “How far is it?” she asked.

“How would I know?” Dan replied looking on ahead “I never dealt with a Tatzlwyrm before, nor have I been in a tunnel like this.” he continued onward “Plus since it's alive I’m a little busy trying to figure what to do to take care of it without killing it.”

“Well, we can capture and relocate it.” Twilight suggested

“You and what army, sister?” Dan looked back “It’s a straightforward solution sure, but what do you suppose we catch it with? I’m afraid the net in my bag isn’t gonna be big enough for this beast. Not to mention it's probably gonna be a pain in the ass trapping it in its home turf.”

Twilight pondered the thought, “Something big enough to catch it with…”

“Hey guys, something’s up ahead!” Rainbow called out as she moved passed Twilight and Dan to get a better look, having Dan and Twilight look in that direction as well. It was hard to make out but they could see a faint light up ahead.

“Light, down here? We’re too far down for it be the surface.” Dan said before he walked a little quicker leaving Twilight to pick up the pace to catch up with the two. When they finally reached the lighted source, they were surprised to enter a large cavern, lighted by strange glowing rocks embedded and peppered into the cave walls, stalactites, and stalagmites. Dan couldn’t help but whistle out his amazement “Damn, this is going on my phone.” he turned off his flashlight and pulled out his phone and started recording the place.

“It's so pretty, mystic even.” Twilight then noticed Dan’s comment and looked at his phone “Are you taking a Photograph?”

“Better than that, a Film of the place.” Dan tried to get as much as he could on camera. “Other me will probably try to save and make copies of this.”

“How are you gonna do that? With that thing? Don’t you need like filming equipment or whatever?” Rainbow was tossing a glowing rock from one hand to the other with mild interest.

Twilight seemed to jump at the chance to explain “Oh it's simply fascinating, Rainbow, his device can do so much like-” and then she was interrupted by a rumble that shook the ground.

“Oh boy.” Dan put his phone away

“We’re at a disadvantage, best to hide until we have a better shot at detaining it.” Aegis suggested, and Dan took it to heart as he looked around to find someplace to get behind and fortunately there was a rather large rock column. “Over here” he waved at the girls and made a dash for it, the girls close behind, and just in time as the creature finally surfaced from one of the holes it had already made on the other side of the room. The Tatzlwyrm surfaced completely and was already making its way to another end of the cavern, the end that was obscured the most by rock columns and thicker stalagmites. “Guessing its nest is over there,” Dan whispered

“We need to be careful if it has offspring, no doubt it will be even more aggressive now that we’re here,” Twilight replied quietly.

“Well here’s hoping its ugly mug kept it from getting some,” Dan replied as he crouched a little and silently made his way over, the girls close behind, trying their best not to make any loud noises. When they managed to reach the “wall” they peered between the stalagmites to peek and determine what their target was doing. Of course, something else immediately distracted them. “What the-” Before them they saw, buffalo, the missing Buffalo warriors, various animals, and a Stallion. What's more, was that they all seem to be tied and wrapped up in some strange residue plastered against the cave wall, “Hm?” It seemed to be glowing and encompassing most if not their entire bodies, submerging them in it. “Uuuh, can Tatzlwurms make that weird glowy stuff?”

Twilight could see what he was talking about and furiously shook his head, “N-no, at least, I don’t think so.” She then pulled out her book on Equestrian Fauna “L-let me check.”

“Uh, no need Twi, look.” Rainbow nudged them both whispering as well as she pointed to something above the Tatzelwurm It looked like some type of fungus planted well into the cave wall. Yet it moved as if it were an animal. It was mostly jet black, with what seemed to be the head with a glowing eye staring down at the victims, all around it were long thin appendages with glowing tips. And behind its head seemed to be a large bulbous sac of some sort.

“What in Celestia’s name is that?” Twilight almost broke out of her whispering voice, which caused the tatzlwyrm and fungus to look at their direction. However, the three barely managed to pull their heads back in time to be seen.

“Well this just got more complicated.” Aegis responded. “Looks like we’re dealing with an Incu-shroom.”

“An incu-shroom?” Dan whispered, and the others heard.

“Dan? You know what it is?” Rainbow turned to him

!! getting caught in the act of speaking to Aegis, he had to play it off. “Uuuh, y-yeah, I’ll explain later but basically that thing is bad news.” At Least that’s what Aegis immediately trying to tell him right now in his mind. “Part of that plague I’m supposed to be fighting against, just another mutation that was made to spread it.”

Rainbow raised an eyebrow, “Wait, but then shouldn’t it have infected the Tatzlwurm by now then? But you said it's still alive so what gives?”

‘Yeah, what gives, gramps. This freaky mushroom isn’t acting like a plague creature.’ Dan retorted to his ghostly companion.

Aegis responded without missing a beat. “That’s because it’s a more advanced mutation. Listen, just tell them this and let's move onto handling this problem, our targets seem to be busy right now anyway.” Looking back Dan could see he was right, it seemed the fungus was protruding strange glowing appendages toward the wyrm and flashing at its face with them randomly one by one in an odd sequence. Once Dan relayed the message and promised to explain later the three of them focused on a plan of what to do. “You see that sac behind it. By the looks of it its almost full.”

‘And that's a bad thing right?’ Dan asked

“Yes, it is, it’s a ticking time bomb before it fires off its spores around the area. Right now they are inert, but the moment the sac starts glowing, that means the spores have been given the corruption and it’ll explode almost immediately and we can kiss those hostages, goodbye. They’re only saving grace is the time it takes to make the spores. That’s all the time we have for an explanation. You wanna know more, then you gonna have to take care of this mess first.”

“Right, right” Dan mumbled to himself “Ok, looks like they’re still busy over there.” He whispered to the girls. “Now’s here’s the plan. That fungus back there will be my target if we can just sneak in closer than we can-”

CRACK!

As they were listening to his plan Rainbow had leaned against a small stalagmite, which wasn’t as sturdy as she expected as it eventually gave way to her body weight and she fell with it with a yelp and thud. Of course, all this got the attention of both the wyrm and incu-shroom that immediately turned to their direction.

“Yeeeah, this seems about right.” Dan monotoned with a look of annoyance before pulling out his MP5 set it to auto and just fired at the Incu-shroom’s sac, this caused the sac to rip and blow prematurely.

“Clever.” Aegis responded at the scene, the fact that he didn’t have to tell Dan to break the sac before it started glowing.

The wyrm still under the Shroom’s influence just roared before heading toward them at high speed. Rainbow was already back on her feet, and already in the air, Twilight teleported a good distance away. Dan… Dan had to leg it. “F@#K!” He sprinted then when his sense of death was at its highest he leaped to the side, narrowly dodging the beast’s maw once again. “I’m used to your tactics now, big guy!” he sprinted alongside the creature’s length knowing it was turning around to chase after him again He then leaped up and over its body aimed and fired a few rounds at what he assumed was the eye, well it looked like one anyway to him. The bullets mostly hit their mark and it seemed to have an effect as the incu-shroom recoiled from it as chunks of it flew off.

‘Not as well put together I see.’ Dan thought as he has to keep sprinting away from the Wyrm.

Aegis exited Dan’s body “It IS technically a fungus. Hit it hard enough and it’ll come to pieces… Hm?” He turned to his side to see the girls were making their way over to victims in the goop. “Well, nice to see they’re taking advantage of the situation.”

Twilight and Rainbow had snuck closer to the Incu-shroom as Dan seemed to be distracting both of them well enough on his own. Once they reached the stallion, they grabbed his hoof that was sticking out and began to pull, the process took a bit of grunting and a lot of effort but slowly they were getting more of the stallion out of it. Judging by this Both Dan and Aegis could only assume this was going to take awhile. And that was simply something they didn’t have now that the incu-shroom was starting to regrow its “eye” again. “How do we completely kill that mushroom?” Dan rolled out of the way another attempt by the wyrm “I feel like things will be a lot easier once that thing is dead.” he hopped over the beast's tail when it tried to whip at him as it passed by him

“Well, your intuition is correct. Slaying the incu-shroom will break its control on the Wyrm, and if it regains its sight, it’ll notice what the girls are up to and take a more direct approach.” Aegis responded as Dan started running at full sprint now. “Well for this particular creature, there is no core, in particular, you need to look out for-”

“Oh thank God.” Dan blurted out, memories of that Hydra seemed engraved in his mind. He looked back to make sure the Tatzlwyrm was still chasing him and only him. Which was good but with his luck, it was only a matter of time before something would wreck that.

And now was that time!

“Dan in front of you!” Aegis called out

“Huh?” Dan managed to turn his head halfway before colliding himself with an exceptionally
“Grk!” He staggered back a bit recoiling in pain before his mind reminded him of what was behind him, but it was too late and he was scooped up in the Wyrm’s mouth. “AAAAH!” Of course, he was putting up a fight as he pushed against its jaws in all four directions as its multiple “tendrils were trying to snake around its torso and limbs. “Crap crap crap crap crap crap!” with his right hand he pushed off the “jaw” part it was holding up before pulling back and pulling his fist back punching it hard. This got made the Wyrm jerk and recoil from the strike and yelp in pain, which in turn gave Dan enough time to pull out his knife and stab at one of the tendrils. The beast writhed in agony before it threw its head about and its tendrils released Dan he was flung out and painfully tumbled across the cave floor a few yards before stopping. “Ow! Getting really tired of being the chew toy here.” he stumbled to his feet.

“Then stop getting yourself in such situations,” Aegis replied

“F@#K You too.” Dan turned to the incu-shroom and the girls. They had just finally managed to pull out the Stallion and were now working on the buffalo warrior he was next to.“Can you ladies pick up the pace, Please?!” Dan called out before he jumps over the wyrm trying to head butt him land on it’s back, run down it a few feet before being shaken off.

“We’re trying, but this stuff is really sticky! HHHHRRGH!” Rainbow yelled back as she and Twilight pulling without all their might. “Twilight don’t you have a spell or something for this?”

“I can try teleporting, but to do this many, will definitely drain my magic if I take them back to town. And I’m not even sure if I can take this many with me. More than likely, if it succeeds, Dan will be left here by himself for who knows how long before I can just get the two of us back.

Just then they heard some movement above them. Looking up they could see the incu-shroom’s “eye” had regenerated, and what’s worse it was staring right at them.

“Oh that can’t be good.” the appendages it had used to control the Wyrm changed into a more robust form, thicker and sturdier than before, they then began descending upon them, beneath what would be considered its stem/torso, a seam suddenly became visible and the entire underbelly just opened up to reveal a disgusting goop covered cavity, perfect to fit large objects into, or in this case, large creatures, as the Girls were swatting away the tendrils completely distracted for a few minutes as the other tendrils burrowed into the goo trap the other victims were in and forcefully started pulling them out.

“What?! Huh?” a few of the buffalos that were trapped within seemed to be jostled awake from the force of being ripped out of their confines utterly confused and trapped as they were lifted higher into the air. “W-what’s going on?! I-I remember the beast and, huh?” this particular Buffalo was unlucky enough to be the one closest to the incu-shroom’s cavity, “What is that?! Wha? No! No!!! Let me go! What are you doing?! STOP!” the buffalo kicked and flailed confused and terrified.

This yelling did, however, catch the attention of Dan as he managed to dodge the Wyrms attempt to bite him in half and give a heavy kick that pushed the beast against a large stalagmite, this brought the creature into a brief daze. “What’s going on over there?!” he then noticed just too late as that buffalo was already pulled into the cavity and it snapped closed

“This is not good!” Aegis seemed alarmed, inside the monster they could hear the horrible screams and throes of agony from the buffalo as the incu-shroom seemed to be shifting about.

“STOP AAAAGH! IT HURTS! AAAAAA-aaaaaauauuuuuurrrrgh….….” and then silence, the entire scene was so bone chilling, no one said a word. Except for Aegis.

“It can’t be… another mutation?” he spoke before the cavity finally opened up and something fell out, it was encased in black goop and inert spores. Before it spattered onto the ground like a heap of dead flesh, this already was horrifying the captured, but it got even worse when it started to move then rise, and once the black sludge and spores fell off its body, they could see it was no longer the buffalo warrior they saw go in. It was lean yet muscular, its horns were gone, furless, blackened flesh, flat herbivore teeth replaced with nothing but jagged full row on both the top and bottom.tailless, it is replaced with long spindly, bony claws, and with the way it was standing on them, they were anything but fragile and the forelegs seem to have opposable thumbs. Its face barely retained the buffalo it once was and took more of a rabid canine-like with a longer muzzle.

Aegis, what the hell is that?” Dan asked

“A Ghoul, Since when can-NO! now is not the time get Twilight to teleport everyone out of here NOW!” However before Dan could even say a word, it seemed the Tatzlwurm was no longer shocked about the ghoul as it returned its attention to Dan, who barely caught on in time to catch it’s tail whip and was pushed back a yard “AUGH! F@#K That hurt!” without thinking he gripped onto it then pivoted, and with all his might, yelling out loud, unintentionally knocking everyone else out of their stupor, he actually managed to move the entire wyrm, granted only feet but it was enough to freak the wyrm out that such a little guy could even accomplish such a feat.

Meanwhile, the Ghoul seemed unfazed and was now making a mad dash toward Dan. Rainbow picked up on it and put two and two together and yelled at Twilight. “Twilight take the others back to town now!

“What?! But what about-”

“Someone’s gotta be here for Dan! And right now you need to go!” she pointed back at the incu-shroom and they could see another buffalo kicking and screaming as they were being lifted toward its cavity as well.

Twilight gasped and knew she didn’t have much choice as she charged her horn, and just as the buffalo was completely in the cavity, Twilight casts her spell and she as well as buffalos and Stallion vanished from sight.

“OK!” Rainbow then grabbed the tendril that grabbed her and chomped down on it. In retrospect, she probably shouldn’t think this was the best idea for it to release her, but to her surprise, it did as it recoiled and loosened its grip on her and in that split moment she darted out of its reach and straight at the Ghoul.

During all this, Dan was still fending off the wyrm when he felt the sense of death coming from behind him. Looking back he could see the Ghoul lunging straight at his face, getting another look this creature looked familiar to him. Suddenly he had a flash of realization, he had a brief image of those training monsters in his dreams, and he was already used to this position before. He moved in, ducking under the first claw to avoid it, then he grabbed the ankle yanked with one hand, grabbed at the throat with his other catching the beast in midair as it violently tried to rip his face off with its jaws, He then turned pivoting his foot to swing the ghoul over his head, then slam it onto it’s back onto the ground causing it to yelp in shock.

~~~

A few nights ago

Dan’s Dreams

Dan was on his back holding onto the top and bottom jaw with each hand keeping it from going for his neck. “You got careless again,” Aegis said

“I know!” Dan brought his foot under it and kicked it off and over him so he can roll to his feet into a kneeling position, pulling out a pistol manifested in his dreams as he took aim and fired a few rounds at it staggering it taking careful aim for the brain and fired. The shot went through the brain, a direct hit.

“That won’t work on these creatures.”

“Huh?” The beast was charging back at him again “Whoa!”

“Aim for the leg!” Aegis called out. Without even thinking Dan did so and his kinetic vision really came into play as everything seems to slow down just enough for him to anticipate where to fire then pull the trigger. The bullet hit the leg where the upper and lower part was jointed at causing the creature to then fall over itself and tumble before him. “This creature has no brain, so the shots to its head aren’t gonna be As effective… you’ll need to really make a mess up its head meat to really kill it as its all just one big muscle trapped in its skull following an order.” Aegis then came flying in and with both, his forehooves slammed them onto the bottom of the creature’s head, this seems to do the trick as the beast vanished from existence. “However it's not always guaranteed to work as it might regenerate its head. So if that happens-”

~~~

Present Time

“Eat a D$%K!” Dan then slammed his foot onto its head smashing it like a pumpkin However he didn’t want to take the chance as he reached for his Deagle, aimed for the chest and fired a few rounds blowing it wide open and spraying blackened guts and sludge everywhere, revealing a smaller, yet familiar looking green throbbing boil Dan had the displeasure of remembering. He was ready to fire another round at it when Aegis stopped him.

“Don’t! This ghoul was made in a strange way, we’re taking it. Its body won’t decay like other infected creatures but it we still need it out of commission sooo…”

“I was afraid you were going to say that…” Dan groaned, however movement, ahead of him reminded him of his previous problem. “Oh crap! The wyrm!” looking up putting his gun away ready to fight to flee, he was actually surprised to see Rainbow was already fending it off and distracting it.

During his brief Tussle with the ghoul Rainbow was about to join in when she noticed the Wyrm was going to take advantage of Dan being distracted, so instead she changed her course and rammed right into the Tatzlwyrm’s face hard making it reel back in a daze. And now she was flying around it keeping its attention on her. Not wasting a moment Dan quickly reached in, grimaced as he grabbed hold of the Ghoul’s boil, then ripped it out Mortal combat style. That was when the ghoul finally became limp. “Not sure how long she can keep that up, we need to kill that incu-shroom to finally calm it down.” Both Aegis and Dan then turned around to the creature. “Fortunately, it’s actually a sitting duck without protection.”

“I could go for some duck right about now,” Dan smirked as he pulled out his MP5 once more and decided to take care of it from a distance and avoid the tentacle hentai by emptying a few magazines on the thing until all its parts were shot off and it was nothing more than a husk on the wall drooling with black sludge and yet another green glowy pus ball. “And with that!” he ran to it then leaped high up to the side of it, reached in and ripped that boil out as well.

“You’re finally catching on,” Aegis said

At the same time, The wyrm suddenly stopped attacking Rainbow and immediately lost consciousness, falling into a heap on the ground. Rainbow was panting but seemed pretty confident as she remarked “Haaah… haaaah… That’s right, I’m untouchable.” She lowered herself to the ground so she could take a breather.

“All good over there Dash?” Dan asked as he was wrapping up the boils individually before stowing them away in his bag.

Rainbow tiredly lifted a hoof to wave it off. “Hah, a piece of cake when you don’t have to worry about other ponies in the crossfire.”

Dan shrugged as he walked up to her “Can’t argue with you there, and looks like the wyrm isn’t dead, also a plus.”

“Yeah but…” Rainbow turned back to the remains of the ghoul… Dan looked back and couldn’t help but feel sorry for the buffalo that it once was.

“Couldn’t be helped, it was the first time an incu-shroom could take someone like that,” he replied.

“And so quickly was the transformation. This doesn’t bode well… hopefully, these samples will provide enough information for the researchers.” Aegis replied.

It was quiet for a few moments before Dan looked back at Rainbow’s look of pity on the ghoul before sighing walking past her but making sure to place a hand on her head. “What's done is done, despite all that, I think we did a lot more good then there was harm by that thing, so that’s gotta count for something.”

“Oi, don’t forget the body!”

“O-oh yeah….” Dan immediately doubled back

~~~~~~~~~~

Ambassador Broadhorn’s Guest Room in Canterlot

Broadhorn was waiting. He stared out the window down at the town lost in thought.

He was told of a noble that wished to speak with him that involved his upcoming sparring session with the new Royal Hunter. He scoffed, if it was one of the hunter’s financial backers wishing for him to throw the fight to make their “asset” look good, he’ll immediately turn them away. If it were one of those types that wanted the complete opposite they’d get the same treatment. He was aware of the split views in Canterlot about the Hunter, and he would not get involved. He merely wished to see if this new generation can live up to their predecessor, nothing more.

That was when one of the guards at the door gave it a knock. “Pardon, Ambassador, but Mr. Black Steel has arrived.”

Speak of the devil, “Show him in.” The Ambassador replied Once the door opened, the first to step in was one of the maids, carrying a tray with a full tea set. Then right after that, stepped in another, a stallion it would seem. “So you are this Black Steel fellow?” Broadhorn made his way over to the table the maid was setting and took his seat. “Seeing as you have set us a drink, you seem confident that I would give you the time for such things.” once the maid poured fresh tea into both cups she set the teapot back on the tray gave a bow before heading back to the door just as the Stallion walked passed her. “Just to let you know, I’ve heard them all and I’ve no intention playing any of your games in throwing or cheating this fight.”

The Stallion took a seat across from the ambassador, “Oh rest assured I did not come here for either of those things.” the stallion replied. Once the door finally closed he spoke again. “On the contrary, I’m here to help you.”

“Help me?” The ambassador raised an eyebrow, “Again, I have no intention of cheating, so what could you possibly mean by helping me?” He watched the stallion take a sip of the fresh tea, he seemed calm and relaxed. What could this be about? He didn’t have to think on it for long as once “Mr. Black Steel” set his tea down he got straight to the point and spoke.

“You wish for a fair sparring Correct?” This got the ambassador’s attention. “Yet at the same time, you want a real challenge… A fight that could get your blood boiling.” To this, the ambassador nodded to the Stallion's words. He was correct. Nothing would make him happier than to fight this new hunter with everything he had.

To this, the ambassador nodded “What are you suggesting?” When he asked the Stallion smiled

“I know of a way, to grant that silent wish of yours if you're interested.”

Author's Note

Hello everyone, Cutting it a bit close but I managed to get it done before February ended. Sorry for the wait. So we finally wrap up Dan's time in the Prairie, and we can all tell where he's heading to next. It would seem not only will he get to meet the ambassadors especially Broadhorn, but it seems unavoidable he'll have a run in with our peculiar Noble Black Steel.

I've been waiting for this particular part of the story because, after this, some plot points will finally start moving into motion.

I hope you look forward to that as much as I will.

Chapter Sixteen

On Route to Canterlot

After Dan and Rainbow returned to Appleoosa, they were greeted by a very worried Twilight who was practically biting her hooves waiting for her mana to return so she could teleport back to them. Well, she would have if the moment she returned she hadn’t all but collapsed onto the ground with the survivors she teleported with. She managed to give a few orders before finally exhaustion hit and she passed out. The pony survivor that had been with the group of Buffalo, was no surprise the sheriff and decided to take it from here getting the others together to help Twilight to the hospital before they could do anything else. By the time she woke up, she was distraught seeing the sun setting outside and practically rushed out the door prepping to use her teleport spell again when she noticed a pegasus hovering next to the only two-legged being she could ever think of coming into town, carrying a large sack of some sort. The reunion was both cheerful and somewhat scary after listening to Twilight tell them off about how stupid it was for them to “play the hero” and how they could’ve died and the like, but overall, she was just very relieved.

Dan felt he made up for it as they returned to the Town Hall.

~~~

Earlier

“Ah, you’ve returned.” Golden Arches had a servant mare bring him a dinner set from the nearest kitchen. “I take it you finished the job then, I heard much of what happened before Ms. Sparkle teleported all of those buffalo and the sheriff here.” he seemed to enjoy displaying his table etiquette as if it was to show who was calling the shots here. Next to him was the Captain standing guard as Wind Flower was approaching them paper and quill ready to take in statements, notes, and the like. “Well, seeing as you’ve kept your promise in completing it in one day, I suppose congratulations are in order.” he sighed

“Oh no, don’t get up on our behalf. In fact, I have a gift.” Dan said in a monotone voice.

“A gift, you say?” This intrigued Golden Arches. “Well, isn’t that kind of you, something exotic I hope.”

“Oh, it's exotic alright.” Dan approached the noble with Wind Flower following right behind him before tossing the large sack he was carrying. Once it landed it deflated a bit before the top fell open revealing the body of the Ghoul Dan had killed, just as its eyeball popped out of the gnarly boot marked mess that used to be its head and rolled toward the noble.

“Oh Sweet mercy!” Golden Arches reared back as his face started to turn green before losing balance and falling onto his backside. Dan just laughed before shaking his head.

“Anyway, that thing was a buffalo once, then an incu-shroom sucked it in and out popped a ghoul.” he kicked at the dead creature’s leg that slipped out. “Poor B@stard, you might want to get that to the research team.” He looked back at Golden Arches “Oh...” Golden Arches passed out, looking around he could see Twilight was turning green, Wind Flower as well but with weak legs to go with it, no doubt her first time seeing entrails of a creature. Steel Edge and Rainbow seemed to be dealing well with it. Rainbow didn’t even flinch since she was there when it died and watched him carry it all the way back to Town, and the Captain just had experience with this department.

“Private Wind Flower, when you are finished holding down your lunch, It would be best that you record what Sir Dan has just stated.” The Captain set to work in swiftly rebagged the ghoul to keep its existence hidden for transfer.

“Huh? O-oh, yes of cour-urp.” she held her hoof to her mouth for a moment as she barely managed to keep herself up letting the feeling pass then swiftly pulled out a scroll, ink, and quill.

Dan stretched and yawned. “So, I guess we’re going to the castle then.”

~~~

Present

Which brings us back to Dan’s current situation, on a train ride to Canterlot with Wind Flower, Steel Edge, and Golden Arches, though the latter seemed to have purchased his own cart near the caboose and wasn’t too fond of letting anyone in, especially Dan. Twilight and Rainbow had to go home since their presence wasn’t particularly needed and they had their own lives to return to back in Ponyville. With the sun setting and dinner just finished, Basically, his trail mix, jerky, and canteen, it was the perfect time to get some shut-eye, Aegis seemed to be urging him to do so so they can prepare for Broadhorn’s challenge tomorrow. Oh well, it had been a long day for him anyhow and he felt pretty beat.

Turning in early, Sir Dan?” Steel Edge seemed to be standing watch at the entrance to the Caboose. While some of the Royal guards remained in Appleloosa to assist the town and the buffalo, a few came along with them so they could all take shifts guarding the noble.

“Yeah uh, better to be fully rested before taking on a minotaur, right,” Dan replied before covering his mouth from a yawn.

Steel Edge nodded “Valid point, sir. Minotaurs aren’t meant to be trifled with in combat. Many times when both our nations conduct joint training exercises, the sparring would often have our participants given a swift trip to the infirmary.

“You… You don’t say?” Dan raised an eyebrow in concern. “Like, sent to the infirmary for exhaustion or-”

“Broken body parts, concussions, one time it was due to internal bleeding.” Steel Edge replied flatly.

“......Ah… Yes, of course…. Makes sense.” he put up a poker face but he was starting to get a cold sweat.

“I’m sure your prowess will give you the advantage just like the previous Royal Hunter, but I do recommend planning out how you will combat the challenger.”

“Right, right of course.” Dan faked a smile “I’m gonna get some shut-eye then, long trip and all.”

“Yes, of course, sir. Rest well” Steel gave a nod. “Be sure to speak with Private Wind Flower, to confirm everything in her report.”

“Report? O-oh right, she's supposed to do that,” Dan looked around and noticed her on the other end of the cart, furiously writing on a sheet of paper, then taking a sip out of a cup of, what Dan could only assume to be coffee. The scent was unmistakable and the other guards that were standing watch right now either already downed theirs or were still drinking their own cups. When he made his way over to her he sat across from her. “You look busy.”

“Y-yes, I am, if it's not important, I would like to be alo-Oh!” when she lifted her head and noticed the human in front of her then gave a salute. “Hello, sir! Private Wind Flower reportin-”

“Yeah, we have already been through that.” Dan cut her off

“We have? Oh, right aheh...” she flushed about her lapse of memory. “Ahem, How can I help you, sir?”

“Your Captain wanted me to talk to you about your report. For today and whatever.” Dan shrugged.

(Image created by HoodwinkedTales )

This got her to perk up and smile, “Yes, I was hoping to have a moment to speak with you, to make sure everything I’ve written matches with what you have stated. Seeing as Ms. Sparkle and Ms. Dash are not here with us. I’ll have to request their testimonies via the Princess once we get to Canterlot.”

“You’ve already written down what they told you, why have them repeat it?”

Wind Flower sighed. “It’s just to make sure everything is as accurate as possible…. And so my superiors can observe my actions to see if I’m cut out for this.”

“Cut out? Aren’t you already since you’re my handler.” Dan asked

“Well, yes and no” Wind Flower looked away sheepishly as she nervously tapped her forehooves together. “You see, I wasn’t actually meant to know about you, or this division.”

Dan blinked “Ok, explain.”

“Well, you see. Before meeting you I actually wasn’t even in the Royal Guard. I actually was just an employee for Black Steel, I worked directly under the current president to be precise.

“That name again…” Aegis drifted out of Dan for a moment and seemed to furrow his brow. Dan did recall that Company’s name getting thrown around in both the public and from Luna about a Noble that was part of financing the Royal Hunter and Research Department.

“It was actually through him that I learned about... Well you, or rather, the previous hunter and this secret department.” She then turned to look back at Dan “He’s also the one that got me this position.”

“For what reason?” Dan asked.

“Um, well, I’m not entirely sure, I mean, I did mention my extreme interest in being able to meet you.” She stated.

“Extreme?” Dan reeled back only slightly giving her a look of apprehension.

Seeing his response she immediately tried to wave it off “N-n-no, not in a weird way, honest!” She then seemed to twiddle her hooves together. “It's a bit embarrassing to say, but I always wanted to meet an alien.” Both Dan and Aegis didn’t expect that answer. “Ever since I was a little filly I always loved reading science fiction stories and comics about ponies meeting aliens from outer space and would always pretend I had a magic ship just like in those stories, traveling among the stars, and meeting alien species.” She then made a sigh, quickly noticed it, then blushed outright and pulled up her scroll and quill, trying to hide his face. “Ahem, a-anyway, the president heard about my childhood dream and recommended me for this position. Of course, it wasn’t easy since I had to go through guard training and take multiple tests and examinations, and swear an oath in front of the Princesses to cut out my own tongue if I ever utter a word of your existence as the Hunter.”

“Jesus...” Dan responded

“It's just theatrics,” Aegis responded, “It was Luna’s idea, but Celly would never go through with it. She’d just use a spell to take away their voice for eternity.”

I’m... I’m not sure if that's better or worse. Dan replied mentally.

“You’re a national treasure and a global secret. Get used to it, this country and those allied with Equestria are willing to sacrifice a lot to make sure you don’t exist to the public.”

“Oh, I’m starting to ramble,” Wind Flower rubbed the back of her head. “I don’t want to keep you any longer so lets review.” She pulled up the paper and quill once more, and took another sip of her coffee, “Let’s see…”

~~~

Later

Dan’s Dream

The thing about dreams is that time within one runs far faster than reality. A trait Aegis exploits nearly every night to train his apprentice. The same can be said for Luna and Celestia. Because of this fact, it wasn’t an issue to visit Dan’s dreamscape for a day or two, sometimes even more.
For Dan, however, well, nothing much had changed for him. He still wished he could use this form of Lucid dreaming for better things, like chilling in a beach bungalow, drinking some kind of tropical drink he never had before, or surfing. He doesn’t know how to surf, but that doesn’t matter in a dream, right?

“You sure make for a great punching bag, kid.” Aegis watched on, from a table with tea along with Luna and Celestia as Dan was in the middle of tumbling across the ground after taking a heavy body blow from his opponent. Aegis’ cognition creation of a minotaur.

When Dan got to his feet he growled out a “Shut up!” before charging back into the fray. Aegis was pleased to see Dan giving his training more of an effort than usual. “S#@T!!” Even if his apprentice was still lacking in skill. Dan’s opponent this time was completely different than his usual target of mindless beasts. This was a sapient being that could think and plan… even if it was a minotaur. “Try, dodging this!” Dan hopped over its flying fist and went for a roundhouse kick. The minotaur caught it with its other hand. “Or you can catch it, yeeeeah...” He was then swiftly reminded of that part of the first Avenger’s movie, screaming wildly as he was slammed back and forth against the ground a few times before tossed aside. “I don’t wanna be a hunter anymore…”

“Less whining, more fighting!” Aegis watched as he sipped some tea “When next you wake up, you’ll already be at Canterlot. Can’t have you embarrassing the title of Royal Hunter, now can we?”

“Then you do it. This crap is too soon man!” Dan yelled as he had to roll away from a hoof slamming down on where he used to be.

“We can’t help it if Broadhorn wants a fight now, and this will be a learning experience for you so I am not taking over your body for this one. Broadhorn is one of the most formidable of Minotaurs and you need to learn how to handle his race if the worst comes and one of them becomes corrupted.” Aegis responded. “Without using your guns. As effective as they are, there may come a time where you won’t be able to use any weapon.”

“So what's the difference?” Dan backed away from a charge. “Doesn’t anything tainted become mindless?!-Whoa!” he jumped over another attack.

“I was sure I’ve covered this with you, ah no matter, I’ll explain it again.” Aegis groaned. But surprisingly Luna cut him off.

“While all corrupted creatures lose their mind, with the exception of where the effect is immediate ghouls, it normally would take time before reaching that state.” Dan punched the minotaur in the jaw. Luna Continued “Depending on the target’s intelligence, the effects could take longer or is much shorter than others.” The minotaur charged again but Dan grabbed its horns and slowly stopped the charge. “It goes without saying that a sentient mind takes far longer than a beast’s to turn.”

“She was your biggest Fan, dear.” Celestia sipped her tea up and watched her sister. As Dan was starting to lose the headlock.

“I think she was just interested in research back when it was new-ish,” Aegis replied.

Luna cleared her throat. “If I may, you too.”

“Oh no, go ahead, you clearly know your stuff,” Aegis replied just as Dan was then lifted off the ground by the minotaur's head and sent flying into the air

“I’m glad you guys are bonding!” he crashed into a wall. “I’m lying, by the way…”

Luna continued. “While corrupted. A sentient being is far more dangerous than a beast, as the corruption slowly affects their mind in unnoticed ways. Makes them think of things they shouldn’t and devise plans and ideas for darker purposes. All the while, they can never comprehend their own symptoms.”

“Well of course,” Dan pushed himself off the wall and dodged another charge from the bull. “It’d be bad for its survival if the host-RAH!” he ran at the minotaur while it’s horns were still stuck in the wall before jumping and giving it a dropkick, snapping parts of both horns off as it tumbled away a few feet away from Dan, as he got back to his feet “-Can tell when something is trying to control its brain, I guess!” he got socked hard in the jaw.

“Yes, in the past it was hard to believe, but many of the researchers, as well as my sister and I, are starting to believe, this entity, maybe more self-aware then we had once believed,” Celestia replied.

Aegis sighed, “And I truly wish it was all mere conjecture, however, fate isn’t kind.” He then turned to Dan with a look of disappointment, “And how can I trust all of this to you as you are now.” Dan was now in a headlock trying to break free as the minotaur took this opportunity to continually punch him in the face.

“You say that,” Celestia leaned next to Aegis. “But you can’t seem to admit how far he’s gotten in such a short time.”

“Of course I can,” Aegis responded. Which had both Dan and the Minotaur pause to look at the old man. “I just choose not to, since it might just go to his head.” Dan deadpanned before the Minotaur got back to punching him in the schnoz.

“AUGH! OH That’s it F@%ker! Your Hamburger meat!” he punched the bull in his junk making it cringe in pain before releasing them before lunging onto it and proceeded to wail on its face while holding onto it’s busted horn for support. “How does that feel, B#!ch?! Don’t feel too good, huh?!” He punching it on the snout though.

Aegis rolled his eyes. “It's just a cognition, Dan, it's not like it can actually feel any of your attac-”

“Oh let him have his moment, It's adorable to watch.” Celestia interrupted.

“AAAH Crap! He’s mad! Time out Time out!” And Now Dan was running as fast as he could from the charging foe yet again.

“As always, your sense of humor can be a bit dark for a Sun Princess.” Luna rolled her eyes. “Along with that, we have all been relying on him to just take everything he’s new to head-on. After this we really should, let him have time to rest. Longer this time.”

Aegis Shook his head “As much as I’d want to and put this cub into a real boot camp, Luna, the current circumstances won’t give us such an opportunity. You remember our expedition, and no doubt the report given to you both on the matter by Ms. Sparkle.” to which both Princesses nodded solemnly.

“Uh, guys? GUYS. GUYS!” Dan was tumbling and squirming away from giant fists that were coming down on him, fast. The minotaur really seemed angry.

“Sir Aegis, was it necessary to give this cognition emotion?” Luna asked

“No, though I suppose my frustration is affecting it as well.” Aegis scratched his chin. “You see what I am up against. How can I not?”

“Yes, yes, but you have a full night’s rest to get him ready by then,” Celestia replied nudging him. “And he proves to be willing and quick to adapt. I’m sure before he wakes up. He’ll surprise you.” she smiled at him warmly.

“I doubt it, but I could definitely use a miracle.”

Luna then stood up. “Well, since my sister brought it up, we’ll have to cut this short, it appears there is much for me to do in the waking world after this so I’ll have to continue my duties guarding our citizen’s dreams. Come along now, Tia?”

“Whaaaat? Nooooo? Only you have to go to work. I’M Allowed to sleep.” Celestia pouted while flopping undignified on the table they were sitting at. Very unbecoming of how she would usually act in front of her subjects or important individuals.

“Yes, but you forget that I am the one who can keep you in Sir Dan’s dream, once I leave, you’ll be back in yours, sister,” Luna smirked and watched her older sister pout more and make a face. Her only rebuttal was sticking out her tongue. “Shall we, then?”

“No…”

“We’ll come back once I take care of things before he has to wake up-”

“You promise?” Celestia was hugging her dead lover now who seemed to be returning the favor.

“Barf,” Dan said as he was now the one giving the bull a headlock and one hell of wicked noogie pummel.

Luna only rolled her eyes and giggled. “Promise. But if I stay here any longer it’ll be longer to come back.” Surprisingly, Celestia was quick to release her lover and start flying.

“Let's move slowpoke. The night is young!”

Dan was still trying to comprehend that the Celestia he’s looking at now, is still the Celestia he knows in the waking world. It was almost night and day. And then the bull grabbed his face with a huge open palm. “Uh oh…”

~~~

Canterlot Castle Courtyard

The Next Day

There was quite a commotion in the area as nobles, the ambassadors, and the Princesses all gathered around an open clearing, Broadhorn in the center of the clearing, dressed in a light minotauran sparring uniform, which is basically a belt, toga, and two leather gauntlets with the nation’s symbol on them. Looking at their physique, it's not like they needed much protection. Though, during sparring they did have to cork their horns, just in case, just as well he does so now. With his arms folded he seemed deep in thought as he waited for his opponent, ignoring the idle chatter around him. All nonsense to him, save for the one he heard next to him

“So it would seem, the Hunter brought in something interesting for the research division the other day.” Two nobles closest to him were having a rather loud conversation.

“Right, it was a ghoul I believe… if the information is correct, those are like puppets made from flesh. Seems pointless, since the last hunter transported many of those before, for study.”

“I hear it's not the ghoul itself, but rather how it was created that seemed unusual.”

“Really? Is such a thing even important? They’re formed from when an intact deceased creature or pony is in contact with that corruption, correct?”

“Yes, but this time, it was stated while the victim was alive when it was transformed.”

“Alive? That is… rather terrifying to think about...” The nobles continued their chatter as this left Broadhorn to contemplate.

This new hunter certainly has been a busy little bee. Perhaps my declaration for combat may have come at a bad time. He turned his gaze to one of the nobles, in particular, the one he spoke to in his quarters not to long ago. He seemed to be chatting with a group about business, but when he managed to turn to the Ambassador’s direction he took a moment to smile and give a bow. Regrettably, it's too late to postpone now that everyone is here, and he is more than eager to test his idea out anyway…. Well, so long as it gives me a true fight.

As the time drew closer, Both Celestia and Luna couldn’t help but feel anxious for the battle to come. When they returned to Dan’s dreamscape during the final hour, it seemed that the training session was already over. However, they found the two bickerings about something that Dan had come up with. In the end, before they could get a chance, the sister’s had to leave so that Celestia could pick up her shift in place of Luna’s as they lowered the moon and raised the sun.

Whatever it was, it had Aegis in a fuss but didn’t see anything wrong with the method. It was just not what he would consider “honorable” in a duel. He had no qualms about its use for a mission though.

It was then that one of the guards stationed at the entrance of the courtyard had made his approach to the crowd, before speaking. “Now presenting the Royal Hunter Dan Richards and his Handler Private Wind Flower!”

“Finally,” Broadhorn opened his eyes to finally take a look at this so-called predecessor of his old ally and rival. He was not much to look at, then again, neither was the last one, but at least Aegis appeared to have more muscles on his bones then this little whelp. “Is this truly it?” Broadhorn raised an eyebrow.

Dan had his hands in his pocket, hood down, and earbuds on as he seemed to be bopping along to a song on his phone, he kept one ear free to listen to his handler ramble on about what is to come and all the procedures. He already got it all from Aegis, but it seemed giving Wind Flower something to do as they walked to this slugfest calmed her down more than she was before this morning. She was kind of a fumbling mess and almost led him in the opposite direction while she was trying to keep herself together.

“Ok, so now that we’ve gone through all the customs of a sparring session, and the rules of dueling, I might be able to squeeze in the etiquette to have before and after-“ Wind Flower was then cut off by Dan.

“Kinda, too late, Windy, we’re here” Dan stopped when he was at the edge of the “pony-made” sparring ring.

Wind Flower paused and looked around before stiffening up at all the gazes upon. “I-oh, so we are,” she then trotted passed him “I’ll just uh, handle the etiquette part for now then, hehe…” she gave a nervous chuckle as she fought against her inner stage fright. When she was halfway to the center of the ring, she gave a bow to the princesses. “Your Highnesses, a-as the handler f-for the royal hunter… uuh… Oh uh, I present to you Dan Richards, to accept Ambassador Broadhorn’s call for a duel of combat.” She then raised her head and gave a salute. “May this duel be blessed by the grace of the sun and moon.”

“Well, that’s kind of a winded introduction.” Dan tilted his head slightly.

Aegis drifted out of Dan and shrugged, “She could’ve shortened it, but you can tell it's clearly her first time addressing royalty and the like. NO doubt she just recited what she was given on paper. Just like you, she’ll have to get used to this line of work.”

Celestia and Luna nodded before the older sister responded. “We accept his agreement to respond, may he stand before his opponent. It would appear Ambassador Broadhorn would like to make an announcement before we begin.”

Windy was quick to give a bow, “R-right away, your majesty!” And swiftly walk back to Dan and out of the gazes of so many nobles and the like. “I-ok, you’re up, Dan. Good luck! Or is that bad luck to say good luck, Break a leg? No no, that's for theater talk and no one wants to break a leg in a fight.”

Dan couldn’t help but sigh and rub the back of his head. “Let's just go with the first, Windy. You’re doing fine, why don’t you go over to the refreshment stand and get something to drink, calm your mind.” He knelt down to her level and gave a thumbs up. Not that he would expect her to know what that meant. “I got this, trust me.” he flashed a grin before standing up, turning around and made his way to the center of the ring. This left Windy in awe for a moment before she felt like she could possibly agree with him… and get that drink to calm down.

“You’re talking out of your ass again?” Aegis smirked as he drifted next to Dan.

Dan muttered quietly “Hey, I’m probably gonna get my teeth kicked in, the last thing I want is for her to freak out over my body thinking I’m dead if I lose.”

Aegis raised an eyebrow. “An if? Dare I say you actually showing some confidence for once.”

“Well, it’d kinda suck if I lost now wouldn’t it?” Dan responded then kept quiet once he made it to the center, his opponent doing the same. When they were standing toe to toe with each other, Dan couldn’t help but be reminded of a minotaurs size and height. ‘Aegis there are f#%king muscles on his muscles…’ Dan said in his mind.

“Like I said last night. Broadhorn is a fine example of one of the more powerful people of his race.” Aegis shrugged “You don’t get into the position of ambassador as a Minotaur without a whole lot of muscle.”

‘Oh goody…’ Dan ‘s eyebrows twitched.

Broadhorn snorted, his arms still folded before speaking, “Have to admit, you look nothing near as intimidating as the last one. I have half a mind to just cancel this fight as you clearly don’t look worthy in strength to be the next hunter, nor fight me.”

‘I’m down with that, raincheck sounds like a great idea!’ Dan thought

“However-“

‘Yeah of course not…’ Dan grumbled internally.

“In light of your recent feats. You may be more formidable than I suspect. So the fight continues.”

“That… that's just great!” Dan faked a smile, this seemed to work more than he expected.

“Ha HA! Eager to fight as well? Perhaps there is even MORE to you that I am wrong about.!”

“Oh, no I just-“

“Oh don’t worry, what I have planned will get both our blood pumping then!”

“.. Our wha?” This was just a duel, right? Before Dan could ask for more, Broadhorn took a step back and then addressed the crowd.

“LADIES AND GENTLEPONIES! AMBASSADORS!” He then turned to the Princesses “AND OF COURSE TO THE DIARCHS OF EQUESTRIA! As the voice of my people I want to assure that the weapon of this alliance against the corruption, known as the Royal Hunter, is more than a match for this plague and even to go so far as to bring the tool we need to finally be rid of it once and for all!”

Aegis raised an eyebrow “Where is he going with this?” Aegis did not expect this of his old sparring rival. And to go so far as to call Dan the cure to what they had been fighting for centuries and longer. Broadhorn wouldn’t make such a lofty goal unless he knew it could be done.

“As Ambassador and challenging opponent, I demand my right to alter this duel into my country’s Rite of Challenge!”

At that moment there was a group gasp among the crowd, at least for the ones that were in the know. Then chattering amongst each other once more.

“Can he do that?”

“I’m not sure, isn’t that merely a Minotaur thing? Does that even apply to the hunter?”

“Hmph, I say why not? They're both two-legged. For all we know, his kind is probably some subspecies of Minotaur anyway.”

“I thought they were descendants of pigs? Given they have no fur on their body and all.”

As the chatter continued Dan was getting some bad vibes from this announcement. ‘Aegis? What’s this Rite of Passage, thing? I remember seeing those sort of things in movies and it always half the time involved almost dying or something.’

“Well, you’re not far from the mark, kid.” Aegis replied as he was imitating “The Thinker” with the way he was pondering about this change of events.

“What?” Dan couldn’t help but speak out, thankfully all the other voices drowned him out.

“I remember my trips over to the Minotaur country. Whenever an adolescent came of age, they would duke it out with an adult, typically their father in a no holds bar match.” Aegis answered calmly.

‘That’s a nice bit of culture, but he obviously ain’t my dad!’ Dan’s eye twitched

Aegis waved him off “That’s it’s common use and it’s point of origin. Minotaurs love settling things with a good brawl. So at times, they just use the Rite of Passage, as an excuse to settle a dispute two minotaurs would have.”

“He wants to take my job doesn’t he?” Dan replied

“SILENCE!” Luna hushed the crowd with her royal voice.

“That shouldn’t be the case. Not once, has Broadhorn ever wanted to take over my job. In fact ever since he was just a snot-nosed brat, he seemed more fascinated about our race and the tales of our world’s heroes, be they myth or real. He really took a shine to Heracles if I recall.”

‘Ok first off that was a demigod born AS a god. I don’t know if you can still consider that human, but I don’t have time to debate the mythologists right now. Second, HOW OLD ARE YOU AGAIN!?’

At this moment Celestia addressed the issue. “Ambassador, though I am aware of our agreement to let you and the other ambassadors challenge our methods in the way of your countries, I have to implore that what you are asking is a tad bit extreme.”

“Extreme? He’s basically just trying to take my job, right?” Dan felt like he wasn’t on the same page as with the others.

“That’s not the extreme part.” Aegis replied “And we don’t know if what he wants is your role. He hasn’t even stated what he disagrees with.”

“You call it extreme, but we all know if he is even half the hunter as his predecessor, this shouldn’t be a problem for him even when he loses.”

“Ooooh that cocky little brat, already thinking he won.” Aegis smirked, “Some things never change I guess.”

“And what exactly is your disagreement, to even want this pointless challenge?” Luna coming in barely containing her urge to just call this off entirely. “Is it to take his place if he does not defeat you?”

The Minotaur laughed “Ho ho, not even your highness. My disagreement is that leaving him here to train might not be to the best interest of this very program.”

“What?” Luna frowned “and what do you mean by that? Sir Dan is being taught- I mean, has been taught by Sir Aegis himself, and trains under his strict regimen daily in order to fully take his role as the new hunter.”

“And that’s all well, and good Princess, truly. No one knows more, what a capable Hunter Sir Aegis was and again no one knows more about the role then he, no doubt he has taught this Youngblood everything there is to know before passing the torch.”

“Well, I’m trying. Not easy when you’re already dead living in the mind of such a hard-headed individual.” Aegis scoffed

‘You’re already invading my dreams and my mornings off duty already to hell with your Spartan training, what more do you want?! A Boot Camp?!’

Aegis stroked his chin “Hmmm…”

`Oh don’t even dare.’

Back with the Ambassador he finally brought about his point. “The fact of the matter is, as great as Aegis was, he’s dead, and not here to mentor his new protege. Yes, he has done well on his own so far, albeit a shaky beginning.” No doubt he was commenting on the expedition events back in Everfree. “But this dark plague that endangers us is growing stronger and changing more and more by the day. All of us don’t want to admit it, but it might very well have a mind of its own instead of just some sort of mindless disease to stamp out.”

A hushed murmur filled the crowd before Broadhorn continued.

“We know that it affects the animals and our people, and no telling who it might have touched across the frontier and fringes of our borders. It is only fair that the rest of the nations observe and decide if this newcomer has what it takes to expel this corruption, perhaps even, dare I say it. Once and for all!” Those words certainly started winning over the minds of the nobles and ambassadors alike.

“I have to agree with the brute for once If we are to truly to put our faith in this new hunter. I at least want to make sure if he is up to snuff. “Ambassador Gale Beak” proclaimed.

“As do I!” Spoke the representative of the dragons. His name was Lava Spitter, his scales were basically a shade of red that turned into a more burnt color version down his back from head to tail. With horns to rival Broadhorns and half a size taller than Celestia. The dragons didn't have an ambassador truly as the leadership and order there was relatively loose for the most part. They had a royal line, who basically just sent Lava Spitter to be the voice of his people. Truly, he just drew the short straw as no one else wanted to do it. “The last hunter could best even the strongest dragon. I expect no less, but the Minotaur has already beat me to the punch I suppose so I’ll just have to settle with this, for now.”

More and more of the nobles were in agreement as one, in particular, decided to voice out. “With so many voices for yes, how can the princess’s POSSIBLY refuse!” That voice… Luna and Celestia remembered that voice. Before they could even call that stallion out. The rest of the crowd were raising their voices to allow the ambassador to have his rite.

Meanwhile, Wind Flower, was over at the refreshments stand clutching her cup. And looking around nervously. She had no idea what to do or how to help Dan in this matter, she was just a private after all. “Oh dear… Sir, why would you say that?” She too knew exactly whose voice that was, after all, she worked under him before being a handler.

The uproars and calls were becoming too much that this time Celestia had to use THE VOICE. “Enough!” And once again, there was silence...

“While I apologize for the cause of such disruption, Princesses, we very well can’t deny what everyone here wants, now can we? Also, you can talk around it all you want. It is still within my right as ambassador to ask for this.”

Celestia looked at Luna, her younger sister was holding a glare that could melt right through the ambassador if she had such a power, after calling her attention Luna finally turned to her, there was a whisper amongst the two before it ended with Luna deflating in defeat before giving another glare at Broadhorn. Celestia sighing. “After listening to the words of those here, and a brief discussion with my sister, we understand that we cannot deny you this… You may have your Rite of Passage, if you happen to win, what are your terms.”

“I’m sure you all can guess, but it’s rather simple. If I win, then we will discuss in sending the hunter out to my country and any other country willing to take him in and train with their military.”

“Oh hell, no… global boot camp?” Dan ‘s eyes widened at the very idea.

“Well, now, still against my “Spartan training”, whelp?” He chuckled “And you were just talking about it too.”

“And if he wins?” Luna asked

“Then we promise to say no more of this ever again. After all, if he wishes to defeat me, he will definitely have to be in top physical condition to take out my brethren if they, unfortunately, become corrupted.” Broadhorn then points at Dan “I know that’s not enough of wager, so I will also offer up my blade “Wolfbane” another round of gasps amongst the crowd. For those in the know. Wolfbane was Broadhorn’s most trusted weapon. In any battle, he fought, be it with the corruption or otherwise. This sword was always drawn.

“Ah, now I see…” Aegis folded his arms and nodded. “You’re going that far, huh?” Aegis couldn’t help but smile. “Precocious little brat.”

‘Uuh, gramps? Am I missing something here?’

“Don’t worry about it. This is actually the perfect way to prove to him what I’ve taught you. To prove to them all.” Aegis flew back into Dan.

Just then Dan felt his mouth move on its own and his voice speak. “I accept your challenge!”

The Princesses were stunned, Dan was in shock.

“Hold up! Wai-“ Dan was interrupted by the uproar of cheers and praise for his “eagerness to battle.”

“You heard him everypony! Even, The hunter agrees to stand up to the task. Win or lose, I at least know we have ourselves a real go-getter of a hunter!” Broadhorn.

‘AEGIS! WHAT THE HELL?!’

Aegis drifted back out of him “Trust me, kid. Everyone needs this. Especially you… so try not to die ok?”

‘Die? What do you mean die? This is just a sparring kind of duel right?’

“It is,” Aegis shrugged “But a Rite of passage is serious business, that means the gloves come off.”

“Gloves?” Dan turned to Broadhorn who was taking off the corks from his horns. “Oh, that is so many safety violations I am so sure.”

“Eh, your medallion will fast track healing any injuries… just make sure you don’t get impaled in the vitals. Doubt, it can heal those fast enough before you croak.”

‘Aegis, all of me is vital!’

“Then don’t get hit.” Aegis shrugged as he decided to get a higher view.

‘I hate you, I hate you so damn much, right now.’ Dan’s eye twitched

“Yeah I know, hehe. Try not to get too much blood in Celly’s Courtyard please?”

~~~

After a little time to have the medical team on hand to prepare for the worst. The princesses, took a moment to speak to Dan about his sudden acceptance, When he relayed to them it was Aegis’ who had controlled him at that moment, both sisters were not pleased, but knew they had no say in the matter if that is what the previous hunter believes. Oh but next dream session, you better believe he was gonna get more than an earful from Luna. Wind Flower was helping in giving Dan the rundown of the Rite of passage. Thanks to her previous job having her travel. It also didn’t hurt that she started brushing up on cultural etiquette of other nations. The fight was basically a no holds bar kind of fight so long as one does not aim for the opponent’s genitals. The match ends when one fighter is unconscious, dead, severely injured, or unable to fight in any way. Training weapons are allowed and so are any real weapons that do not cause fatality or permanent injury.

“So basically, a Right of Passage is a duel where just about anything goes. SO long as it doesn’t involve hitting below the urm, the uh sensitive spot between the legs.” she seemed to be uncomfortable, as she looked in a small book she had in her saddlebag.

“Ah, You mean the gonads.” Dan scratched his chin as he looked in the book as well… Not that he could read, but it was on instinct to assume that he would.

Wind Flower blinked. “T-the what?”

Dan answered without a second thought, “Yeah, you know, the c#%k and balls.”

She flushed and buried her nose in the book. “Erm, yes… that.”

“I swear it's like going in one ear and out the other with you,” Aegis grumbled.

‘Huh?’ Dan looked at Aegis.

“Despite her job, she is a lady, keep your vulgar words at the tavern.”

‘But, I don’t drink.’ Dan was missing the point.

“A-anyway,” Once she got over Dan’s blunt way of saying genitalia, she continued “The match ends when one fighter is unconscious, dead, severely injured, or unable to fight in any way. Training weapons are allowed and so are any real weapons that do not cause fatality or permanent injury. Other than that it's pretty straight forward.”

“So basically we just headbutt each other until one of us calls uncle,” Dan asked.

“Actually there is no chance of forfeit, only victory or defeat.” She replied.

“Of course...” He said as his head drooped.

Upon hearing this, Dan was already trying to think of what to do. “Uh um, Sir Dan, sir?”

He lifted his head up to look at Wind Flower, “Huh? What’s with the Sir stuff? You get more nervous than me and I’m the one in danger.”

“Right, right, sorry, it's just… Well, good luck. I know we barely know each other, other than at work, but… Well… Good luck.” She fumbled through her words but Dan sighed getting the picture.

“Right, thanks.” He patted her on the head before walking past. “Go get another drink to calm your nerves, ok?” once again he turned to her, smiled and gave a thumbs up. If Wind Flower didn't pick up on the meaning of that gesture, she was starting to now as she looked on with a nod. When he faces forward he groaned at himself. “Jeez, she’s like my little sister it's kinda creeping me out.” He exasperated. ‘Every time she makes that sad look I’m the one that has to proverbially eat sh%t, trying to fix the problem.’

“Sounds like you’re making a friend to me,” Aegis replied

‘You don’t get to talk right now unless its ways in helping me beat this guy or weasel out of the fight all together.’ Aegis just smiled and remained silent. ‘Yeah screw you too.’ When Dan finally stood at the center, he watched the Minotaur stride back up to him, immediately reminded of their significant difference in mass, and contemplated throwing in the towel now.

“Sorry for the wait, I wanted to make sure we both get the best out of this fight.” Broadhorn gave a bow. Then smirked. “Seeing your passion for a real fight, it must have been aggravating to get to this point.”

“Oh, no I-I would have waited you know. Cuz-“

“Eager yet patient, you hunters truly are in a league all your own. It only excites me MORE!” Broadhorn yelled out in the end.

“Please don’t say it like that.” Dan cringed.

“Good afternoon combatants, I will oversee this duel.” A Royal Guard Training instructor was called in as well “Please give us a moment as we set up the perimeter.” He trotted back as four Unicom guards were at each corner of the sparring ground and used their magic to make a boxed in a barrier. “So as the Princesses can view the duel without our worrying about keeping the spectators safe, we will act in their stead on safety. Though it pales in comparison it has been tried and tested by the last hunter that four is enough to contain you both.”

“What am I? A wild animal?” Mumbled Dan.

“Ah just how I like it!” Broadhorn grinned at the defense.”No Interference, no worries.”

“Combatants, Are we ready?!” The instructor raised his hoof high.

‘HELL NO!’ Dan wanted to say that, but at this point, it was no use. “Yeah, sure...”

“I AM READY!” Broadhorn bellowed.

‘Easy there, Spongebob.’ Dan remarked mentally.

“Then with authority from the Royal Princesses, This match shall now… BEGIN!” The moment the instructor called it and his hoof came back down. Broadhorn was already on the offensive. With a mighty bellow of his voice, he charged at Dan, who seemed to expect this and retaliated by back stepping Far back with his superior agility, this gave him enough time to plant his footing and grab Broadhorn by the horns.

“Good start,” Aegis smirked. “It’s customary to start any match with a Minotaur by locking horns, in our case, grabbing their horns during a charge would count as well.”

Broadhorn was still grinning. “Ah, the old man taught you the customs as well.”

It was a brief clash of powers to see who would push the other back. But before that could happen, Dan did something unexpected. Dan’ was fully aware he wasn’t going to win this head-on, so he forced his strength to push his opponent's head up, giving him a brief moment to look up at the sky before Dan followed up with a strong step forward firmly planted his feet before thrusting his palm straight to Broadhorn’s upper chest hard making the Minotaur lose his footing. That was Dan’s chance to rush in and tackle Broadhorn to the ground but the old veteran fighter slammed his foot back down with a big cocky grin making Dan stop in his tracks.

“Haha, Did the old hunter teach you that as well?” Indeed he did, It was Aegis’s usual starter tactic to go for an easy pin. After the years, it was used on many other Minotaur he had to fight, and Dan was banking on Broadhorn not expecting a “blast from the past” from the newcomer, but sadly that was not the case. Dan could see a fist coming and lifted up to block it. Taking the hard impact that made him the one getting knocked back a few feet. The tables had turned quickly as Dan pulled his hands back and shook them.

“Damn, that hurts!” he went on the defensive dodging and moving as Broadhorn was already on him, trying to make sure Dan did not get any breathing room. ‘Jeez this guy’s nuts!’ It was taking a lot for Dan to avoid another one of the Ambassador’s powerful fists. He needed to break this up so he could have a moment to retaliate. He then decided to step in with a bluff, faking a right hook.

It worked causing Broadhorn to hesitate and put up his guard. Dan took this moment to duck and slide, grabbing, his opponent's leg and yanked hard to make the bull fall to the ground, even though Broadhorn managed to catch it with his hand and forearm. Not letting this moment slip by Dan got to his feet and went for a running dropkick to the bull’s face as he was trying to get up as well. Unfortunately, Broadhorn caught on and blocked the attack with his forearm. “Well, damn,” Dan mumbled to himself as he felt the minotaur’s strength go into that very arm to fling him away. Dan tumbled back before getting to his feet. Sadly so did his foe.

“Cunning tactic, hunter, but you’ll have to try something else.” He stood tall and then held a hand out. A guard posted by a cart of training weapons just outside the barrier magically hovered the ambassador, a huge wooden sword, definitely fit for a Minotaur.

“The Hell?!” It went through the barrier now indicating to Dan that the barrier was actually one way. How fortunate for the onlookers.

Broadhorn laughed “Haha! Weapons are allowed whenever we wish it in a Rite of Passage, the battlefield is always changing, hunter!”

“I doubt that's how it changes-OH GOD!” Dan could now see Broadhorn charge right at him Great sword pulled back. Like he was going to cleave the human in two. Dan bent back so far he would even be shocked at himself if he wasn’t too busy trying not to die. But fortunately, Aegis and the crowd saw and commented about it for him. As he flipped away after the swing.

“My, this hunter is far more limber than the last one.” a Noble commented.

“Quite swift as well. A real agile thing he is.” said another.

“Yes, but his offense seems to leave much to be desired.” another noble joined in the conversation as they watched.

“Gentleponies, please.” the three of them stopped talking when a fourth voice joined in from behind. It was the stallion from Black Steel again. “I think it's a little too early to assume our hunter weak, don’t you think?” he placed his forelegs over them and pulled them uncomfortably close to his ominously grinning face “After all, have you ever seen what happens when a human is backed into a corner?”

“W-what?” one of them dared to ask. Meanwhile, both princesses watched on tension building within them the longer the fight continued. Luna was seen every now and then making faces or stamping her hoof whenever there were close calls, Dan managed to land a hit, or if that hit wasn’t as effective as they wanted it to be.

Black Steel simply smiled and said. “I don’t know. I can give you a general guess, but I can’t speak about every human. Now what kind of human do we have wearing that cloak, I wonder?”

Dan dodged as much as he could but eventually, he was getting struck every now and then and it hurt every time it did. Soon, the bull caught him by stepping in deep toward Dan while already going for a wide strike. Time slowed for a moment for Dan, he could tell he wasn’t going to avoid that hit. He had to stop it. That's all he thought about before his hand was already moving toward the sword his hand cut through the air faster since it was flattened out but at the last second he curled it into a fist and as his vision helped him connect a punch on the broad side of the training sword, striking it into the ground to stop it completely. Even breaking it upon impact against the ground.

This feat definitely garnered the attention of the nobles and other spectators.

“Hmm, never taught you that.” Aegis stroked his chin.

“Well, played, Hunter!” The bull was nowhere near done as he used the broken part he was still holding to continue his onslaught stepping in more and moving in close. “But you can show me more! I know you have it in you! That fire! Just like him!”

Dan couldn’t believe this. Not even the least bit discouraged about his sword. He, in fact, seemed even more motivated as he was attacking him constantly. What sucked was that it wasn’t just some wild swinging. This Minotaur is very skilled as he hardly gave any openings in his attacks, and it was relentless. Dodging, backstepping, deflecting and blocking if he could. Dan was getting sick of being on the receiving end all the time. But he had to be patient. He won’t admit it, but he was following Aegis’ advice very well. He stayed on defense, letting the bull continue on and on and on. Every now and then he isn’t quick enough to avoid a hit or two. However, that moment finally came When Broadhorn slowed for a moment and had to take a breather.

He attacked him so furiously, it was only natural he would continue to back up, giving Broadhorn a moment to breathe and readjust himself to continue his onslaught. However, to his surprise, Dan immediately moved in. Broadhorn had no time to react as he was slugged hard in the face with a right hook, then a left, each punch strong enough to knock Broadhorn’s face from one way to the other. Then came a series of alternating jabs sped up into a flurry, all on the face which was blinding the bull and making it hard for him to think, let alone counter. He then finished a spinning back kick that knocked the bull away and off his hooves for a good yard before crashing and against the ground.

The crowd was in shock at how quickly the tables had turned.

“Yes!” Luna whispered loudly with a fist pump.

“Oh, that smarts, Well done lad.” the bull got back to his hooves. Dan had to find some way to take this big guy down. And he can’t let him get any momentum or it’ll just be a repeat of going on defense again. He charged in.

“Come on, Dan doesn’t just run in blindly...” Aegis muttered.

Broadhorn was ready it seemed, as he still was holding onto the broken training sword. He then threw it at Dan. And once again. Time slowed down for Dan. His mind going a million miles a minute for a solution that Aegis barely could keep up with his train of thought. When he came to a decision, his body immediately acted upon it and his legs made him hop in the air and flip. A spectacle that attracted everyone’s gaze as it was crude yet graceful in a way as he tucked in. Reached out. Caught the sword by the handle, then during the flip, moved his body so he could get as much momentum and power into his arm as it was winding up. When he was right side up in mid-air it now looked like he was the one coming in to slash him with a jump strike. The kind Link would do when you press “shield” then “A”. However, instead, he just whipped it right back at Broadhorn with all his might. “RAAAAUGH!”

The sword flew true and Broadhorn had no time to dodge, only block with his arms. The training sword shattered against Broadhorn’s rippling forearms but the power was just too strong and even sent the hulking minotaur careening to the other end of the battleground. Falling, then tumbling, then crashing against the barrier, so hard, it made the barrier guard jump almost losing his focus on the spell.

The crowd was in utter shock. Celestia had a hoof to her mouth in disbelief. Luna half wanted to cheer, and half wanted to call off the fight assuming the worst for Broadhorn. A certain noble only smirked. “Remarkable…”

Dan landed on his feet, stumbling a bit since that was the first time he voluntarily tried to flip since he was 10. “Whoa, That was kinda cool…I should flip more.” it was only a brief moment before his head was back in the game and he turned to where Broadhorn crashed at, just as the dust was settling. “Oh, damn…. did I kill him?” He cringed “Hey Buddy, you ok?!” He called out hoping for anything.

The instructor was about to run in to call it when everyone heard a laugh.

“Haaahahahahahahahahahahahahahaaaaa! Oooooh, He was right about you!!!” Broadhorn started to get up.

“He?” Dan blinked

“He?” Aegis repeated

“Awww, and after taking that attack, it’s definitely clear to me now."

“W-what is?” Dan took a step back and put his fists up. He really didn’t want this to continue.

The bull looked at his forearm, the one that made contact with the blow. There was a huge gash. And it was bleeding onto the ground. “Yeah, this is what I get for disrespecting you.”

“What is he..?” Dan had no clue what this was about.

“Ambassador, it appears you are injured, now would be the time to call this off-“Celestia spoke out but Broadhorn interrupted.

“I can still fight your majesty, It's just a flesh wound. I can still use my arm.” He demonstrated by moving it around.

“You say it is fine but all that blood on the ground says otherwise,” Celestia argued.

Broadhorn’s response was to grab at his outfit, rip off a piece of cloth from it, then wrap it around the wound. “There, problem solved.”

Celestia was about to speak again before Gale Beak spoke first. “I see no problem here, your highness. The one that was attacked wishes to continue to fight, and he is not severely injured.” The Dragon representative only snorted and nodded in response. All eyes were on Celestia and Luna now. Tia looked at Luna, only for her to give a firm nod and a look of determination.

Lulu, So much faith in your friend, when this could’ve worked in our favor… Celestia nodded then raised a hoof. “Then the match may continue.”

Luna was worried, especially with wanting to Dan to take a break... but she was really sensing that today. Dan was gonna pull it off. Where she was getting it from she was unclear, but something in her just knew Dan could do it.

“You gotta be kidding me.” Dan muttered as he looked at Luna “I thought we were friend’s girls. HELP ME!" Those last two words were repeated in his head in Kevin Hart’s voice. However, once he saw that look she was giving him now. It was a look of how much she believed in his victory. 'Girl, you’re expecting too much from me.'

“I don’t see much of a problem with this, you want to avoid “global boot camp” as you call it. And that fair maiden trusts you. Why not just go for it."

'Because saying I’ll win and ACTUALLY WINNING are two very different things, gramps.'

“Thank you, you’re highness, and to you to Ambassador.” Broadhorn gave a polite bow to the griffin who only rolled her eyes and scoffed. “Now then before we continue, let me start by apologizing to you, Dan.”

“.... Apolo-what now?” That caught him off guard. “Apologize for what? I’m the one that beaned you with a broken wooden sword.”

“Yes, and after feeling that attack, I could sense your feelings as well."

“My, what?” He muttered.

“Yes, it’s clear to me. Us minotaurs exchange our feelings with our fists you know, and I could hear your heart from that attack.” He stroked his chin and nodded

'What is this? Dragon Ball Z? Is Goku gonna fly in on Nimbus and finally get me out of this mess?!' Dan’s eyebrow twitched “And uh, what’s clear to you, again, sir?”

Broadhorn pointed at Dan. “All this time I’ve been bringing up your predecessor in how he trained you well, and how you learned from the best, it was only fair that after hearing me prattle on, you must feel as though I’m giving you no credit to your efforts.”

'Not, quite what I was thinking…' Dan thought.

“Yes, it screams out from you!” Broadhorn clutched his hand. “THIS FIGHT IS ABOUT ME, NOT ABOUT MY MASTER!”

He shook his head and raised his hands up to his chest and waving them back and forth “Holdup, Master is not what I would call him!”

Broadhorn wasn’t listening. “I truly and deeply apologize. You wish to fight at your fullest, but how can you when I bog you down with all this praise for your efforts given to someone that's not even here."

“Speak for yourself whelp.” Aegis scoffed

“Yo, I think you are getting the wrong idea here!” Dan tried to get his attention.

Again to no avail. “Oh, I have got it wrong. And now let me say this to you young, Sir,” he bellowed with a forceful tone that made Dan involuntarily stand at attention. “You, sir, have fought splendidly! You and You alone. Yes, you were trained by Aegis. But it is you who decides how to use that training, and you have expressed your fighting style well… However!"

“However?” Dan’s voice cracked from the tense feeling he was getting from this conversation.

“I can tell.. you can go even further than this. Much much further!!!”

'What is with everyone in this world seeing bulls#!t that I’m not seeing?' Dan remarked mentally.

“Yes, and I truly wish to see you at your best.”

“Bro, I’m telling you this is my best-“

“Nonsense! That fire in your eyes from earlier spoke of more, you are holding back!”

“There is no fire! I’m telling you that's all I got.”

“Oh but you have so much more. And I’m going to bring that out.” Broadhorn got into a charging stance

……. “Huh?” Suddenly Broadhorn lunged at him with speed and force that Dan never thought he had as he was swept up in the attack grunting from the impact before Broadhorn then hoisted his head up tossing Dan in the air. Skidding to a halt to turn he leaped and grabbed Dan’s arm as he was flailing about in the air.

“Show me!!” He turned flung Dan hard at the barrier closest to them Dan screaming all the way. Until his back crashed against it and he bounced off it in pain. Dan grunted loudly from the impact before he started falling to the ground. During that time Broadhorn made sure to throw Dan just as Gravity was about to bring him back down and fling him upward so when he landed he had enough time to dash under him then shoulder rush him into the barrier again making Dan Spit up blood and lose his breath.

Somehow, Dan had enough of a thought process to respond with a joined double fist hammer strike on Broadhorn’s head that made the bull back up and shake to come to his senses. Dan went for an uppercut but it was caught by Broadhorn’s palm before he yanked the human towards him and gave him a gut punch. “Hurk!”

“Is that all?!” Broadhorn asked as Dan crumpled on his arm after that attack. Then Dan grabbed his arm. “Hm?!” Dan, then punched at what he assumed was Broadhorn’s funny bone. Luckily he was correct as it made the bull falter and fold his arm in on reflex. This gave Dan the opportunity to plant both feet on Broadhorn’s chest, then he twisted his body in a direction he knew an arm doesn’t normally bend. “AAAH! You Little!” Broadhorn cried in pain for a few moments before he decided to fall to the ground hard bringing Dan with him, and slamming his arm down. This got the human to release it before he scrambled to his feet along with the minotaur. Dan tried to get some space but Broadhorn wouldn’t allow it and was already charging right at him. Dan grabbed his horns and slowed the charge immensely but it wasn’t enough as he was sent upward once again, only not so high, but rather he was tossed farther behind Broadhorn instead. The landing wasn’t pleasant as his body rolled across the ground a few feet before coming to a stop. He was slightly dazed for a moment but that was just enough time for the bull to take advantage and give another beatdown.

“NO…” Celestia was at a loss at what to do. Luna was on her hooves, instinctively her body was ready to jump in and stop this, but was this right? Should she? Dan was tossed away from Broadhorn again, tumbling and rolling, but back on his feet, with surprising tenacity as he put his guard up. He was still up, despite his panting, the sight of blood on him, and the scratches she could see, he was fine… the rules dictate the fight to continue… No! What kind of friend would she be if she let this continue? It was her fault, she let this continue, thinking he could handle it. Maybe it is too much for him. She had to stop it.

During Luna’s internal battle, the fight raged on. Dan barely keeping up to avoid or block some attacks but each time he blocked, it was like the weight of a mountain crashing into him so often his guard would break and he would be punished for it with another fist, or get slammed against the ground or one of the barriers. Barely managing to escape with a well-placed kick or punch.

“Enough, acting weak! I see it in you! Show me that power! Show me what you are, hunter!” He had him by the throat this time and no matter how much he kicked and grabbed at his arm, Dan could not break free as he was thrust again and again and again against the barrier. “Are you truly this week?!” Now Dan was the one looking like a bloody mess. Scratches and cuts all over, he’s surprised he hasn’t broken a bone by now or twisted something. His upper lip felt hot so possibly a nosebleed, not like he can check right now anyway. And he was starting to taste metal

Aegis flew in, in front of Dan, that was strange… if he didn’t know any better, that old coot looked worried about something… “Dan! Dan! Just fake unconsciousness!!! This is too much!! I don’t know what he’s searching for but… DAN!”

Too much… even gramps thought he couldn’t do it… it's only natural… he’s been telling that to everyone the whole time…

This is for the best… he just had to close his eyes ... and….

~~~

Dan’s psyche

“Well… ain’t you just pathetic.”

~~~

Reality

Dan’s eyes shot open, and he grabbed onto Broadhorn’s wrist with both hands.

“Wha?” Broadhorn was confused by this until he could start feeling the pressure building and it started becoming painful. His immediate response. “Enough of your squirming!” he stated as he prepared to slam him again against the barrier

~~~

Psyche

“Aww, did what I say strike a nerve?”

Immediately his mind was hit with memories. First of Wild Flower:

“Right, right, sorry, it's just… Well, good luck. I know we barely know each other than work, but… Well… Good luck.”

Then came Luna:

“This’ more than just simple clothing, Dear Hunter.” Then an image of his cloak appeared “When worn, those garments are remotely triggered by the medallion’s magic.

Medallion’s magic?

“Oh, looks like he’s onto something.”

What even IS the medallion’s magic?

~~~

Reality

Just as Broadhorn had pulled back and then thrust his arm forward. At that time, Dan had swayed his body with the motions far forward when Broadhorn pulled back, then swayed hard in reverse just in time so he stopped the slam attempt with his boots. Everyone was surprised, even Broadhorn if only for a brief moment, but that was long enough for Dan to increase pressure on the Bull’s wrist. The pain became too much as the ambassador hissed and his hand lost its grip. Dan did not waste this chance. He lifted his body upward, his legs ran backward to increase momentum until he was now doing a handstand on Broadhorn’s arm. Then he vaulted off it to land behind the bull, during this Dan’s hood had managed to go over and onto his head from the movement, letting the face-concealing spell kick in. Broadhorn was quick to turn and go for a right hook

~~~

“Alright, pup, Showtime. Figured this can get you in the mood.”

At that moment it felt like Dan’s memory was being messed with. It was like all he could think of was memories of a song he would play or hear often. Every time he heard it, he couldn’t help but feel like he could take on the world.

~~~

The timing was perfect as a fist was going straight for Dan's jaw. Time was going far too slow. 'Oh, hell yeah.' With a simple step back Dan dodges the fist just as the beat comes in. then uses this opportunity to get away from Broadhorn and put on a combat stance with his arms up, palms open. The bongos started coming in and Dan was bouncing slightly like a boxer, keeping himself light on his feet. Again, Dan wasn’t sure why he was doing this. He didn’t feel controlled, he knew he was doing this on his own.

“An interesting change in how you dodge, but if that’s all you HAVE-” Broadhorn threw another punch but it was a feint, making Dan sidestep into an oncoming left hook.

~~~

Psyche

“Let the good time’s roll! SURVIVE WHELP!”

As the song goes: “Ok three-two-one Lets jam”

~~~

Reality

Through the enchantment, Dan’s eyes sparked to life. A Blazing blue that left a light trail in the viewer’s vision as he narrowly ducked the hook, Stepped in, gave the bull an uppercut, pivoted and swiftly moved to the side of the foe hopped high off the ground with ease and made for a high kick to the back of the minotaur’s head. This had some force to it and made ambassador stumble forward to avoid being forced to kneel, or worse falling and face planting. That wasn’t gonna fly for Dan as he closed the distance just before Broadhorn could make a full stop. When he was at Broadhorn’s side he knelt, flung his fist at the joint of the bull’s leg, forcing him to kneel after all. Dan pivots so now he is behind the bull, facing away from him grabbing his arm and giving the larger foe a grappling judo throw over the shoulder. Finally slamming the big guy face-first onto the pavement.

“Oof! Yes, That’s more like it!!” the bull rose again as Dan hovered over him. Knocking Dan into the air, but this time the human just flipped and oriented himself to land on his feet then dash in. Now it was Broadhorn on the defensive as Dan went for the gut first. It connected. The power behind that blow had the bull spitting up this time, for a sliver of a second dropping his guard involuntarily. He would receive a jab on the jaw, he stumbles back, his arms fall away to maintain balance. But that's just what Dan wanted. The other trail of blue aura leading to the bull and Dan was now seen standing on the Ambassador’s chest. Dan then squatted and his arms whipped out. From Broadhorn’s position, Dan looked like a bird of prey swooping down for the kill. Dan would unleash a flurry of punches alternating rapidly from one fist to the other.

It was hard to think when your face is constantly smashed in. but thankfully gravity would be his savior as he was finally falling over from the weight and unstable balance. The punching stopped and Dan jumped above him, only this time to orient himself to give the ambassador a falling elbow drop. It landed on the bull’s abdomen. And the air left the bull, but in this moment of shrinking into himself, he grabbed the hunter’s cloak and in a desperate move, fling him away with all the strength he could muster and that sent the hunter flying high.

~~~

Psyche

“Let’s give him a scare. Of what it’s really like to be hunted.”

~~~

Reality

Dan was quick to twist his body around and right himself as he landed on the barrier wall on all fours. Broadhorn was amazed by how quick the hunter can recover. But that amazement was shattered by a brief moment of fear, when Dan then whipped his head away from the barrier, and straight at him. He gasped and got to his hooves. “Weapons!”

Dan was on the move now, dashing down the wall halfway before leaping off, tucking in and rolls off the ground until he was on all four again. Then sprinted forward on with two arms out, palms open in a way as if his hands were claws, and those burning blue glowing eyes never taking their sight off their prey. To Broadhorn, it was like he was something akin to a timberwolf.

During this, another training sword was teleported to the bull’s dominant hand, and a shield in the other. Just in time as Dan lunged. Broadhorn brought up the shield, taking the blow. This still pushed the big guy back yard or two, but he was ok. He pulls his sword back and swings, but Dan pushes himself off the shield to dodge the swing before he moves back in jabbing his knuckles at the elbow of the sword arm. Kicking in the pain of the funny bone, making Broadhorn drop the sword in response. Dan grabs the hilt before it even touches the ground. And moves around. Broadhorn doing his best to keep pace as the hunter rapidly circles. This went about a few laps before Dan makes a hard stop and moves in. Broadhorn brings the shield up ready for another strike. He noticed the hunter only goes for the gut or the head. So long as he guards those- wait, where’s the impact. Sensing no weight on his shield he peeks out. There was no hunter.

“What? Where?!” He looked around to no avail. His answer soon arrives when he sees his training sword at his neck and feels a palm on his other shoulder. Looking back, Broadhorn caught a glimpse of something that even made his fur stand on end. The hood, still hiding the face, but one could see the shape of some features to the face. But those glowing eyes. It was like they were bearing right through his soul.

~~~

Psyche

“Times getting short. Good work, pup. I’ll take it from here.”

~~~

Reality

It was the only moment during that fight where Dan felt like he was no longer in control. But so far nothing happened. His body didn’t move, nor did Broadhorn. But the look on the bull’s face was making him wonder, what WAS going on. He never thought he’d see fear on the big guy’s face. But he was truly sweating, mouth agape eyes quivering in fear before they rolled back and the bull’s body finally buckled and he went down. Dan felt his body dismount with a spinning backflip before landing perfectly. After that, did he feel whatever presence that controlled him immediately fade away. Perfect timing since the song in his head was coming to an end as well. He pulled the hood off. “..... the hell was that?” he muttered to himself.

And finally, the rest of the world around them suddenly started blaring in when the instructor fumbled a “T-t-this Match is over! Winner: The Royal Hunter Sir Dan Richards!”

Dan looked around seeing all shocked and stunned faces. Even the Princesses and Wind Flower were making a similar face. Luna is the first to recover with a big grin on her face and an “I knew it!” look coming from it.

Dan just stared at the crowd, then at Broadhorn. “That was freaky…”

Author's Note

Hey guys, sorry this chapter took so long... it was a lot of writing. I could've broken off into two chapters, but wanted to put it all in one instead to get a move on with the tale. also dealing with IRL stuff that kinda distracted me... aaand then Shadowbringers comes out in the final stretch in my writing and I didn't want my friends to ditch me so I juggled there haha.

Now at the end, if you are probably wondering, why the response of the spectators was limited after Dan's "sudden change" in the fighting. That is because I'm leaving that to the next chapter. So NO, I haven't forgotten to put them in.

Its early int he morning so my brain isn't thinking much else on what to say to you guys, so I'll just end my notes here.

As always, I hope you enjoyed this chapter and look forward to future ones.

Chapter Seventeen

In the midst of the shock and awe of the spectators of the fight, no one was more surprised of the outcome then Dan himself. Aegis a very close second.

“Kid, What was that?!”

“I-I dunno” Dan was still standing in that dumbfounded pose as he looked around.

“Well, how did you do it?” Aegis continued his questioning.

“I honestly don’t know?” Was Dan’s response.

Aegis’s eyebrow twitched as he threw his hooves up “HOW do you not know?”

“L-look I dunno how it happened, what happened, or why? It just sorta happened, ok?!” He was really thankful that the chatter of the nobles and ambassadors were drowning out his conversation with his ghostly instructor.

Aegis folded his hooves. “Hmm, this is unprecedented… we’ll discuss this later when we have more privacy. For the time being. I do believe the hunter should start looking like he MEANT to win.” he gestured to the spectators and Princesses.

“Huh?-OH Right uh.” he scratched his head in thought before clearing his throat. “Uh… Is this proof enough of my abilities?” He was forcing a far manlier voice than his usual one as he puffed out his chest. Aegis rolled his eyes.

“Well, at least you’re trying.” Aegis then flew into Dan.

Seeing Dan had finally drawn in everyone’s attention to settle down, Princess Celestia finally came out of her thoughts and utter shock to address everyone. “As Sir Richards has asked, I hope that everypony's thoughts and reservations on our new hunter have finally been quelled?”

There were no objections among the ponies, nor the ambassadors. Just stares at Dan’s direction as Broadhorn finally got to his feet after waking up. “Ah… What happened?” it took a moment for his memory to catch up and he looked around before noticing Dan. When they made eye contact, Dan thought the big guy was gonna be pissed at him. For Broadhorn, the first thing he felt was fear, but almost immediately afterward he felt pride and excitement. “Now THAT is how a hunter should be!” he bellowed with a laugh as he came up to Dan, grabbed his hand nearly shook his entire body as he vigorously gave him a handshake, Still laughing away. “Swift! Dexterous! Powerful! And scarier than anything locked in Tartarus.” he slapped Dan’s back hard enough to make the poor guy stumble forward.

“Ow”

Broadhorn then turned “My sword!” he called as a soldier trotted up with his sword, Wolfsbane, in his mouth, sheathe and all. Broadhorn took the blade from the soldier then turned and held it out to Dan. “As promised... This belongs to you.”

Dan looked at the blade. “Uuuh, that's fine, you don’t have to give me your sword.”

“Nonsense, this sword was yours, to begin with,” Broadhorn practically shoved into Dan’s hands with another laugh. “In a way, I was just holding onto it for the old man until you showed up.”

“What do you-”

“It's a long story, kid, but for the summary: That sword belonged to the first Hunter and was then given to me, once I earned it. So now you’ve earned it. Just take the damn sword so we can move on.”

Dan grimaced a bit but took it anyway. “Uh, thank you, Ambassador. For holding onto this.” he had trouble figuring out what to do with it until Aegis told him how to wear it. ‘Funny how I always wanted a Sword as a kid and now, I’m contemplating that it might be useless to have it.’

“You won’t know until you have a chance to use it, Dan.” Aegis responded as Dan managed to get the sword strapped to his hip. During all this the ambassadors, including Broadhorn all gathered together to have a conversation with the princesses.

“I have to say, that was a splendid showing, Mr. Richards.” A stallion walked by him from behind When Dan turned around. The stallion was already disappearing into the crowd. “I look forward to this wild new future you’re leading us.” Whoever the Stallion was, he definitely sounded like he grew up in nobility but it had a more down to earth feel to the accent compared to others, articulate, confident, but not pompous.

“Uh… Thanks?”

“Congratulations Sir!” He practically jumped at the sudden outburst to his side. It turned out to be a rather cheerful Wind Flower. “That spar was amazing, especially at the end when you were all.. All, Yeah!”

Dan just smirked and pointed a finger gun at her. “Yyyyup, that's exactly what it was.”

“Sorry, sir, it's just hard to explain what just happened…. What just happened?”

“I’ll let you know when I actually know, Sport. For now, I’m starving and I don’t want to be left to my thoughts. Can we get some grub?”

“O-oh sure! Right this way. I recommend the punch!” “Show me to the meat dishes first. I know they made some for that Broadhorn guy back there…”

“Oh, uh s-sure right this way!” Dan followed Windy to the buffet tables as he was congratulated by ponies every now and then for his “splendid display of combat and prowess.” Dan could only nod and agree or thank them. A lot of them seemed genuine in their compliments, but some he could tell were just thankful their investments were not being wasted.

During this the ambassadors and the Princesses were given time amongst themselves to speak alone as the guard surrounded them and gave them a rather generous perimeter to keep ears and prying eyes away. “Ah, haven’t gotten bruises this bad since the good old days sparring with the old bull. Oh what a snot-nosed brat I was.” Broadhorn seemed to be reminiscing.

The rest of the group just moved on without him. “I have to agree with Broadhorn to an extent, This new hunter. He definitely seems to be a powerful asset, potentially. A bit of an odd one compared to his predecessor, if you don’t mind me saying.” Gale Beak stated as she looked amongst the group.

“You got that right.” Lava Spitter huffed. “One minute, he’s all jumpy and getting his flanked handed to him, the next he’s standing over the minotaurs unconscious body like it was nothing.” He then stepped in and held a claw up. “What was that feeling I got from him during those last few minutes?”

“What feeling?” Gale Beak asked

“Don’t act like you don’t know,” the dragon snorted a short billow of smoke from his nostrils, “This hunter is on the brink of defeat when suddenly, He starts fighting like a predator,” He closed his eyes to recall the memory. “Eyes solely locked onto his prey, Swift and fluid were his motions to avoid Broadhorn’s offense, yet easily able to pounce onto him and dish out his own.”

Broadhorn rubbed his cheek, that particular attack was hard to forget since his face still felt sore from it. “And he didn’t stop there.”

“True,” Gale Beak held a claw under her beak in thought. “His prowess may be far more formidable than we originally believed.”

“And I sensed a beast in that boy.” Lava Spitter responded, which gained him looks from everyone else. “I meant what I said. This hunter has something in him. It isn’t anything like when Aegis was wearing the title.” This left group silent for a few moments before Luna took this moment to speak.

“No matter the reason, you all are in agreement that he qualified for his role then.” There were no objections. “And listening to the crowd of investors they all agree as well. Is there any more need to discuss the topic?” Luna was smirking. She could see two of them didn’t want to admit it for superficial reasons then actual reasons. Thus no room to argue. Oh how she loved to be right, especially now. Celestia just sighed, at least it settled matters. However she too was curious about how the match ended. Never once did she see Aegis pull off such a stunt so early in his career, nor did his style. No doubt something that she would have to discuss later with the boys.

~~~

Deep Everfree Forest

Meanwhile

It was practically pitch black… but then again what else was new with this particular area of the forest. Enough death had made it clear with the local wildlife to stay clear of such a dangerous place, but every now and then you get a lost one The poor thing, a cockatrice this time. Sure, not many Ponies were fond of the guy, but he was part of the ecosystem all the same. This particular one was already injured and on the run. It had been attacked. What attacked it? A strange tainted beast, This one was nothing but a two-legged black sludge, much like the ones Dan had to deal with last time he was here, however, there was no telling what it once was. Ever since the cockatrice stumbled into the area, that thing had been chasing after it relentlessly deeper into the Forest, until the cockatrice noticed the ground it was running on felt wet almost, the splashing sounds made it felt like an endless puddle. And then, the scent of death, all around it and beneath it. How it was unable to pick it up until now, it couldn’t even fathom. And there was no time to even think that. The monster that was chasing it suddenly stopped. Even though it was so dark, something in the beast’s chest was pulsing and glowing bright enough for the Cockatrice to keep track of where it was as it chased. As if the sounds it made weren’t enough anyway. A wet gurgling growl.

Despite its best efforts of turning it to stone, it would be like another would come out from behind one tree or another to continue the chase. Now the cockatrice was in the worst possible place it could be as it could see more of that dim pulsing glow around it. It panicked, it used its defense mechanism once more. One by one turning them to stone, only for more to rise up from the ground and take their place. As they closed in. When they were close enough. They all jumped it at once and the next thing the cockatrice knew, was inky blackness.

When it awoke it had no clue how long it was out or where it was, but it was no longer in that dark part of the forest…. It then felt an impulse… to head south… this impulse was strong it could only obey. As black mist. Escaped its mouth when it exhaled. It had no clue that its death was imminent. Only the thought of going south… What laid in the south of its position?

A sleepy small town called Ponyville for one.

~~~~~~~~~~

Canterlot Castle, Dan’s Quarters

Later that Evening

Dan face planted on the bed and practically melted into the mattress. “Augh… My everything hurts…”

“Well, you did take on Broadhorn and managed to beat him as well.” Aegis responded in Dan’s mind. “Along with having to answer all those questions from the peanut gallery, I’m not surprised that you’re exhausted.”

Dan’s response was another groan as he tried to crawl into bed, before hearing a knock on his door. “No ones here! Go away!”

Aegis then drifted out of his body. “Don’t be rude, Dan, answer the door.”

With a sigh of defeat and even more knocking. Dan forced himself back up and made it over to the door. “Man this better be room service…” He opened the door to see Wind Flower at the door. “Windy?... What’s going on?”

Wind gave a swift bow of her head “Sorry, I know you’re tired from today, but m-my boss would like to talk with you.”

He raised an eyebrow until he remembered her saying she used to work for the Company, directly under the president. He then shook his head. “Seriously? Can’t you tell him to wait until tomorrow?”

She then bowed even more almost like he was a royalty or something. “Please! I know you have every right to say no, but, but… You have to see him… please.” Wind Flower seemed extremely serious and very nervous. That much he can pick up.

… Dan folded his arms, fixing to answer her, but before he could open his mouth she spoke again.

“Please, Sir Richards, I promise to do anything you want. Just hear him out, please?” She looked up at him. And.. Oh no… not those eyes… always the eyes with these ponies…

… He sighed and averted his gaze. “Alright… fine… where is he?”

~~~

“Seriously? He wants to see me and he has the gall to make me walk all the way to his headquarters.” Dan grumbled as he looked on at the tall building. The amulet around his neck, of course, to prevent unnecessary attention. Anyways they stood in front of the gate where a security guard stood watch.

“Names?” The guard asked.

“Wind Flower, and this is Sir Dan Richard,” She gestured to Dan. One of the guards looked confused for a moment.

“Wait, wasn’t this “Dan fellow suppose to be some kinda two-legged pig thing or something? I just a see grouchy lookin’ stallion” One whispered to the other. To which that same guard got smacked upside the head, by the other.

“Of course it is, moron. But the public doesn’t know that. He’s obviously using some kinda illusion magic or something. You know how ponies in this town act to non-ponies. Imagine they see such a freak of nature just strollin’ down the street, suddenly? PANDEMONIUM”

Dan wanted to punch both these idiots right now…

“Right, the Boss is waiting for you in his office.” the slightly smarter looking one finally responded to Windy before he and the other guard opened the gate.

“How much does your boss pay you if guards are allowed to know what I am?”

“Oh we’re not guards” the “dumber” one answered. “We’re engineers! We help build all the amazing things for this company.”

The less dumb one sighed “The boss wanted to make sure no one out of the loop knew who you were. So the real guards got the night off.” He honestly looked rather annoyed. “Which means my brother Wedge and I have to sit here for the rest of the bloody night instead of building the future.”

“Wedge?” Dan paused at the name… then turned to the nameless brother. “Which means your name is…”

“Big. Big Bolt and this is Wedge Bolt.” Big replied then he along with Wedge and Windy all jumped from the racket of Dan kicking a nearby trash can over.

“F@#king missed opportunity!” He muttered rather loudly.

“Hey, littering is royal offense you know.” Wedge brought up.

Dan immediately turned and pointed back at Big. “I’m calling you Biggs now! That’s final.”

“Big was taken aback. “Wha- no, that’s a ridiculous”

“Ok, bye Biggs, bye Wedge” Dan swiftly walked past them and through the gate and into the building.

“H-hey! Come back here! We’re not done you can’t just-”

“He’s already gone bro.” Wedge interrupted.

“I know I was trying to yell at him.”

Windy looked at the two brothers before timidly walking past them. “I’ll just uh… yeah.” she shrunk into herself as she made her way in to avoid the awkward situation.

After a brief, uncomfortable silence, “They seemed nice.” Wedge said. “Can I go get us lunch now? Donut Joe’s should still open.”

Biggs just groaned and deadpanned... “Just get my usual…”

Back with Dan, he followed Wind Flower into the rather lovely looking parlor, and up a flight of stairs. “Looking around, this place feels kinda cozy for a business estate.”

“Well, that’s because The president lives here as well.” Windy responded

“For real?”

Windy nodded “Yes, Every head member of the Black Steel Family always live near their work and the testing facility. Its been like this for generations. Each one always showing great interest in the livelihood of the company.”

Dan whistled “Wow, a family business with a deep history. What
do they sell? I recall this place is a trading company, but what do you trade?”

“Innovation!” Windy said proudly. To Which Dan tilted his head.

Meanwhile, Aegis was contemplating on the whole thing. Through his life, he recalled the name. A once small business that grew as it invested and developed the modern day technology that Equestria would come to know. Recently it was focused on household appliances and the like. Involving Magic in devices and tools. At first in the early years the company didn’t quite kick off since what they made could be replicated or outdone by spells or the abilities of one of the three pony races, because of this Aegis didn’t pay them any mind when they put more of their business into trading third party products. Then before he knew it. He was trying coffee for the first time in his older years straight from a device that made coffee.

Something he recalled having back when he was back on Earth when he met Dan for the first time. It was part of the hotel’s complimentary breakfast... made by a device that made coffee...

“Wait…”

Dan turned to Aegis who floated next to him. ‘What’s up with you?’

Aegis was quiet for a moment, as he recalled that Pony from a while back… that was impossible… “It was Black Wood… but it fell into obscurity… and then…”

‘You gonna keep talking to yourself or-’

“Ah here we are!” Windy stopped in front of a door. “This is his study, he does all his paperwork here as well.” she knocked on the door. “Uh, Mr. Steel? Are you in?”

“Ah, Ms. Flower! Impeccable timing as always. Please come in!” Wind Flower proceeded to open the door and inside a Stallion stood before them. He held a quill in his hand as he’s just finished writing on a document as he stood by his desk and had a confident smirk as he stared at Dan. Meanwhile, Aegis looked at the bust that stood behind him.

“Wait… I know that face!”

“Welcome, Sir Dan Richards!” The stallion spoke

(Picture made by Hoodwinked, ofcourse)

“You can call me, Arthur Black Steel, and we have much to discuss.”

Author's Note

Finally got this chapter done, and its a "set up" chapter haha. Sorry, folks, no action this time, but some dialogue that needed to be addressed. Like for example, that mysterious Noble guy that has an interest in Dan's world.

the next trial making its way to Ponyville,.one wonders what will happen with a Cockatrice

Sorry for the somewhat short chapter it's kind of straight to the point

I got more to add here but I gotta go so I'll post the chapter now and the comeback later.

I hope you enjoyed the Chapter.

Prologue (Re-Edit)

“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.

Chapter Twelve

Dan heaved a sigh, This was certainly not how he expected this day to go. “You know I can do without that expression on your face.” Fluttershy merely looked up at him as she was still at work, either it was unintentional or she was really trying to convey her feelings on the situation, it caused the human to have trouble meeting her gaze and in the end to look away.

( Picture by HoodwinkedTales )

“Alright, fair enough…” once again he heaved a sigh feeling her stare of concern and fear burn at him in the back of the head for a few moments before she finally returned to bandaging his arm. Jeez, she might as well just say the, “I’m not mad, just disappointed” line, so I can finally feel like utter garbage.

A recap of what occurred just when Twilight warped her and Dan back to the library; when it was noticed that blood was on both Twilight’s side and Dan’s arm it certainly blocked out any relief they had on both their return. Pinkie turned green before blacking out at the sight of so much blood, and Rarity didn’t fare any better but at least remained conscious. Rainbow and Applejack were sort of in a state of shock, but Twilight even more so than either of them. That adrenaline Dan was fueled by finally seem to vanish and the pain of his self-inflicted decision was setting in. Fluttershy shocked Dan, but not so much the other girls as she suddenly went full on Medic mode and was already barking orders on what was needed… Well not so much “Barking orders” as more of “aggressively asking” everyone what she needed and bringing Twilight back to reality, so she can aid with magic. The process was simple, albeit everything was touch and go since neither Fluttershy or Twilight knew much of the human anatomy and it wasn’t like Dan was an expert on the subject, knowing the basic things any average joe would know about the body.

Thankfully it was enough to help the two as Twilight would heal the artery with her magic along with anything else his knife sliced open, Fluttershy made full use of Twilight’s first aid kit she had in her kitchen, using it to clean up the blood and begin bandaging the arm. The bandaging was very important because once Twilight had gotten to repairing his skin for last she noticed that she couldn’t quite effect it with her magic somehow. Dan had to explain to her the reason before she started thinking she was the reason it wasn’t working. Surprisingly though some of his inner skin deep in the cut did repair itself. So it was like his body was using its own skin to stitch its wound, but left a lot of open spots. The best they could do at that point was let Fluttershy rub some healing salve on it before she began wrapping it up. With that being the extent of their abilities everyone finally started to relax. Twilight had to make a trip to her bathroom to wipe the blood off her fur, Pinkie was coming to. And Dan was getting that sad look from Fluttershy and he couldn’t bear to look her in the face.

“So…” Dan started “Anyone gonna tell me how our favorite purple bookworm suddenly appeared in the bowls of forest hell with me?” He noticed the girls, even Spike, tense up. Fluttershy even paused in bandaging his arm for just a moment when he announced it. “Well, from your responses I now know it was intentional to send her into that death pit… Did you guys already know what she was going into?” ... Again, more silence. “Lovely…” he facepalmed before sighing.

“Hey, if we didn’t you totally would’ve been toast back there.” Rainbow pointed out.

“I could’ve ran,” Dan replied, this made all the girls think it over. That was true if there was anything to go on with him it was how athletic he was. Sure Rainbow may still claim victory in a contest of speed, but his running can outpace an average pony easily.

“We… may have… sort of panicked after seeing the situation you were in.” Twilight answered. Now they were the ones looking away from his gaze.

“Which leads me to my next question,” Dan deadpanned, “how in God’s name did you know what I was doing?” The girls all looked at each other before finally to Twilight, who sheepishly chuckled and gestured to the left of Dan. It was just now that he finally noticed that on a table, was a crystal ball. Dan stared for a moment before finally saying, “So now you're going to tell me you’re clairvoyant now?” He raised an eyebrow

“What? N-no it's not that, I just had this thing I worked with in my lab… and wanted to try it out… sooo, I added some extra enchantments… to your goggles.”

Dan had to take a moment to look up at the goggles he was wearing before taking them off to get a better look at them.

“It was all for the sake of science, truly,” She tried to convince him.

Dan just looked at her with a baffled look. “How is magic considered science? If it-Hrmph!” He felt his mouth close up. Before he could finish.

“Let's not get into a debate, we are getting off track, don’t you think? If these girls have the ability to see what we’re doing, it would be in our best interest to know more….”

After a moment Dan sighed ‘Fine, whatever…’ Was his reply to the old man before coming back to reality. Then turned to the others. “So explain, please” he gestured to Twilight.

Twilight cleared her throat “Well, I’m glad you’re sitting, this might take a bit.” The other girls joined in the group as well as Fluttershy just managed finished wrapping Dan’s arm. “Well, you see it all started after examining your medallion.”

~~~~~~~~~~

4 days ago

Twilight was really pouring over her notes and reviewing one spellbook after another. Lately, she had been rather motivated in magical research ever since she examined Dan and his Medallion. A being devoid of any magic, with a magical artifact lodged into his chest, and that artifact seemingly is affecting him physically. Furthermore, Dan actually explained to her what the princesses told him about how his skin and certain inner body parts are the reason why magic doesn’t permeate through his body like any other living creature here, aside from dragons.

It was a fascinating discovery, and yet it left her with a hypothesis. What if the medallion did more than just enhance Dan? Then more thoughts came in involving finding some way to interact with it, with Dan’s permission of course. She may be excited but she at least wasn't gonna go overboard and do something she would regret… not anymore. Soon with this, she had thought. Since the medallion is for Dan’s duty as this “Royal Hunter” he and the princesses mentioned, there must be a moment in which that medallion would react in some way and she wanted to see it.

Joining him when he would be sent out on an expedition was out of the question. “For some reason, he would look aside for a moment, then back at her and say no.” As if someone told him to say that. And he was very adamant about it. So she thought about it and finally came up with the perfect plan. However, it involved the other girl’s help.

Fortunately, they were planning to meet that day to discuss what to do about Dan’s soon to be expedition. They had talked about it the night before but didn’t come to a full agreement. Rainbow and Pinkie opting to join Dan on his expedition to back him up. The thought was tempting but Dan apparently made it clear that he was supposed to go on this mission alone. Besides, none of them were too eager to be around when and if he had to… to kill again. Yet, they agreed they weren't gonna just let him go in there without any aid from them. The question was. What could it be? Fluttershy had already planned on preparing a first aid kit for him while Applejack opted to get him some camping gear. Pinkie was bummed she had nothing to contribute this time but that did spur her to start thinking up some yummy trail snacks for his next expedition. As well as a party on his return, though the others made sure she at least downplayed the party to a nice get together for Dan’s sake. However, still wishing she could do more she offered an idea. “We should get him gifts too!”

“Gifts?” Fluttershy pondered the thought.

“Yeah, first aid and camping gear is nice and all, but a present from friends would make him SUPER happy!” She smiled.

“That’s fine and all, but lets not all give him a gift. I’m sure he’ll want to travel light… two should be fine” Twilight suggested.

This left the girls in deep Thought on what two things they could give to Dan. That was when Twilight had an epiphany, one where she could, metaphorically speaking, kill two birds with one stone.

“Accessories?” Rarity perked up at the suggestion.

“Right! I want the two of you to find or make something for Dan that he can wear that you think would help him out.” She pointed at Rainbow and Rarity. “Of course it would be a team effort. So everyone well each split up into groups of 3 once we’ve decided on what to get him.”

While Rarity seemed to be loving the idea and already start mentally sketching out ideas in her head. Rainbow was more skeptical. “Not to burst your bubble, Twi, but how would some extra clothes help Dan with his mission?”

“Think about it, Dash, there has to be some special gear pegasus wear when they’re out flying, right?” Twilight encouraged her to think it over, and she could see the athlete’s mind start brainstorming.

“Well… We have wind goggles but I don’t see how that would-“ and then she paused. She was reminded of how Dan could outpace her friends and his jumping ability was impressive as well. Along with that, she could see how a pair of goggles would help in other situations like getting blinded by a monster’s attack or something. “Actually, that might work.”

“Then I shall endeavor to design him a beautiful scarf then.”

“Hold up, I don't think a scarf would be a better choice, sugarcube. I can already see that scarf getting caught on all sorts of things.”

Rarity pouted.”I suppose I could shorten the length a tad if it makes you feel better.”

“I’m sure he’d appreciate it.” Applejack decided to assist with the soon to be bandascarf just to be safe that Rarity doesn’t get too eccentric with it. In the future she ended up getting more involved then she realized even with suggesting horseshoe patterns would be added to the design, along with Rarity’s star pattern.

“So what are you going to get him Twilight?” Rainbow asked.

This is where the librarian gave a smile. “I shall be enchanting them both.” She stood proudly “There was also something I’ve been meaning to try out, so here’s how it will go. Rarity, AJ and I will work on the bandana or scarf or whatever.” she shrugged “Then you, Pinkie and Fluttershy, find some goggles for him to wear.” She then had a thought… “Actually, it’d be best if we get Dan’s measurements.”

“Why is that?” Rainbow asked.

“Well his face is different after all, I’m not sure pegasus goggles would fit him,” Twilight responded.

Rainbow was in thought. “Ah… good point.”

“I can handle that part!” Pinkie raised her hoof.

“R-really? How?” Twilight asked.

Pinkie just smiled “Oh there’s a pony I know that could get it done, but first, Dash, Fluttershy and I gotta get those.” She grabbed the two pegasi into a hug “Shopping adventure!” And just like that, she was off with the two in tow.

Twilight turned to Aj and Rarity and they were already on their way out. “Eager as well?”

“Oh definitely, designing something for such a unique clientele has me ecstatic, to say the least. Oh, we must get measurements of him this instant for me to begin.” Rarity was in a trot in high spirits.

Applejack just rolled her eyes, But followed after her.“We’re just making him a bandana, I’m sure it’ll be fine if it’s a little too long.”

“I wouldn’t even entertain the thought, dearie. Our new friend should have nothing less than perfection. Considering what his job entails.” Rarity responded and their conversation carried on for as long as Twilight was in earshot of it before she started preparing for her part in the gift as well.

~~~

Present Time

“Well, that explains that awkward moment of being blindfolded and frisked during my training.”

“You were what?” Twilight along with the other girls, sans Rarity and Applejack were all surprised to hear that and looked over at the two now sheepish looking two. Rarity trying to look away, Applejack rubbing the back of her neck.

“F-f-for your information, I did not “frisk” you, sir. I simply took measurements of you for the gift we would be making.” Rarity responded.

“So why did it feel like you were “measuring” my whole body, then?” He replied.

“I…. I may have gotten overboard and thought about and wanted to measure you out for… future ideas in designing outfits for you.” She couldn’t get out of that little truth.

“Still can’t believe she talked me into it.” Applejack mumbled

Dan then asked, “So, then why did you grab my crotch?”

!!!

Everyone else in the room was in shock and all eyes were on the alabaster unicorn who was now blushing and fumbling with her words. “W-w-w-what?! I-I-I-I did no such thing?! ... right?” Now she was unsure herself, after all, she just went on assumption. She never considered that she was wrong about where everything on his body was located.

And that’s when Dan started laughing. “Relax Duchess, I was joking. You got close at times but it seems you guessed my no-no zone pretty accurately.” At Least, Rainbow and Pinkie started laughing, Twilight, AJ, and Rarity not so much but the blush was still on Rarity’s face. He continued to laugh, then felt Fluttershy grab at his bandage and pull on it. “Ow!” Looking back he could see Flutters was blushing too with a stern look in her eyes. “Oh come on, it was a joke. You guys are too innocent-OWOWOWOW-“ she did it again. “Alright, alright sorry!” She released him. “Jeez girl, you're like a quiet rage when you want to be, aren’t you?” Fluttershy only huffed and looked away.

Aegis was chuckling in Dan’s mind, “Can’t say that wasn’t deserved, you uncouth brat.”

‘Shut up, these girls are just too innocent and G-rated for their own good.’

“And I prefer it that way for these lovely ladies.” Aegis responded. Dan deadpanned at that. Atleast he knew two of them saw the joke in it. Though now he was pretty sure they were just laughing more at his expense now after Fluttershy’s response.

When everyone finally calmed down Twilight decided to continue the story.

~~~

Night before Dan’s expedition

The gifts were ready and given to Twilight so she could add in her part of the gift. A simple enchantment for durability was cast to be sure. Then it was onto what she was preparing for. “Ok… here we go.” Reading from the notes she made she pulled out the crystal ball and setting it next to the goggles and bandana. She started charging up magic to her horn and started speaking an incantation, the crystal ball was now engulfed in her magenta magic aura. On the table just below the items, she was working on was a scroll. Twilight had already drawn three magic circles, the largest magic circle had the crystal ball while the goggles each had their own smaller circle. When the circles started to light up, the aura on the crystal ball almost immediately vanished. Twilight took out an ink and quill and started to sketch out a line from the large circle and connected it to the circle under the goggles then drew another line from the crystal ball’s circle to the one under the bandana scarf.

“So far, so good she started focusing her magic again and the lines soon started lighting up. Then each held that Same Aura that was once in the crystal ball. They traveled up their respective lines and into the two smaller circles. Then the goggles and bandana scarf were now covered in that aura. ‘Need to just….. separate their tasks aaaaaaaand there!” She let go of the breath she did not know she was holding as she released her magic from her work. The circles along with the lines on the scroll then vanished magically and the scroll was just an ordinary piece of paper now.

She looked at the goggles and picked them up, examining them for anything off or if she felt anything wrong with the spell. As far as she could see and sense, everything looked in order. “Oh, how exciting! I can’t wait to get started!” She had a giddy tone.

“Yay! You're done!”

Twilight shrieked at the voice yelling next to her only to see it was Pinkie Pie.
“P-pinkie?! W-what-How-“

“You left your door open!” Pinkie pointed to the door leading out. Twilight was sure she closed it

But that didn’t matter now in her mind. “Fine, Pinkie, what are you doing here so late at night?”

Pinkie then patted Twilight on the head. “Silly, I came because your done casting magic on the gifts,” she then whipped out a rather nice looking gift box. “Ta-daaaa! I found a good one!” Twilight had to hand to her if it’s party related or had to do with making friends, Pinkie seemed to always be on top of her game.

In the end. Twilight sighed. “Well, I suppose I am done so you can—”

“YAAAAYY! Just leave it to me!” She grabbed the goggles, and bandana scarf.

As much as Twilight would like to know how Pinkie knew when she was done there was something nagging her. “Well while we’re on the topic of the gifts. I have to ask Pinkie. When you said you would make the goggles fit for Dan. Who was it that did it for you?” She clearly remembered that line Pinkie said before.

“Huh?” Pinkie was wrapping the ribbon on the gift. “Oh, yeah! That’s right.” She giggled “There’s this merchant guy that comes around Ponyville every now and then to deliver dreams!”

“Dreams?” Twilight was curious.

“Well, that's what he calls them. Though I think it's more of granting wishes, for bits!”

Twilight raised an eyebrow. “And this… merchant, was able to refit the goggles for Dan’s needs?”

“Uh huh!” Pinkie sat back and nodded at her work. “Now that's one pretty package if I do say so myself.”

“Pinkie, if you don’t mind me asking. I’m curious on who this merchant is. I haven’t heard of such a pony around here in Ponyville.” Twilight continued.

“Oh, that's because he usually stays in Canterlot. When he comes over, he doesn’t really sell to other ponies… just certain ones. Like me!” She said with pride. “He says I’m an open mind!” This only gave Twilight more questions, but just as she was about to ask, she couldn’t help but yawn. Pinkie picked up on this and grabbed the gift and stowed it away in her curly mane. “Oh is it that late already! Better get home then!” She then trotted off.

“What?” Twilight looked at the clock…. it was indeed late, but that could wait. She had to at least-

“Noooo, no! I see that look on your face.” Pinkie was now in front of her giving Twilight yet another shock.

“Huh? W-what look?”

Pinkie simply clicked her tongue and shook her head. “No more magic stuff. You need to sleep.”

“I will, I just need to-“

“Nope!” Pinkie seemed adamant. “Your silly when you don’t sleep. And not a good silly either. Plus it’s Dan’s big day Tomorrow! Won’t you feel bad for looking all tired and sleepy in front of him?”

“Well, I-... um… sure, but-“ Twilight fumbled her words until a pink hoof was placed against it.

“Then off to bed with you.” She then got behind her and started nudging her along, despite the librarian’s protests.

~~~

Present Time

“Good call, Pinkie,” Rainbow stated. “Egghead would’ve probably been all cooped up in her lab for the rest of the night.”

“I would not!” Twilight retorted. But after some time of seeing her friends giving her deadpan looks, she fidgeted. “I-I’ve gotten better, I think.”

“You have.” Rarity replied. “But that doesn’t mean we don’t worry.”

“And you do slip into it from time to time when no one’s looking.” Applejack said.

Twilight just heaved a sigh, she couldn’t argue when Applejack herself can account for it.

“It’s not that we’re mad or anything about it, Twilight.” Fluttershy just smiled. “We all know that's just who you are. We just want to make sure you keep your health is all.”

Dan just squinted and looked at all the girls. ‘I feel like this conversation just went way off course. Am I in an episode of Full House or something?’

“What do you mean?” Aegis replied.

‘You know, cheesy family sitcoms that take a moment at the end of every episode to talk about morals and stuff while some slow 80s heartfelt music plays in the back- ‘Dan stopped, then shook his head. ‘Right, you're super old…. um, I guess… how Aesop's fables end with a moral at the end?’

“… Oh… Yes, I think I see your point now.”

‘Oh my God, I think I just narrowed down what timeline you came from a little.’ Dan, felt like it was a small victory.

“Good for you but I believe we are the ones far off topic now.”

‘Damn, you right.’ Dan cleared his throat “Uuh, anyway. Sooo, Twilight did some magic stuff with my goggles and bandana scarf… Then what?”

“O-oh right.” Twilight was trying to collect herself. “Well, before Pinkie… made sure I was in bed. I asked her to tell the girls that I had something to show them once you left.”

“Yeah, she was very specific you didn’t know about it,” Pinkie added

“Hm, ominous…” Dan shrugged, he can already take a guess what it was about though.

“Once, you left and we said our goodbyes, that's when she showed us that.” Applejack pointed to the crystal ball.

“And the ball does…” Dan dragged on the last word a little.

“Allow me.” Twilight raised a hoof. “I did work on it after all.” She cleared her throat and went into lecture mode.

“Oh boy, here comes the egghead talk.” Rainbow groaned.

“So I was dabbling with practical spells one day along with enchantments with remote use when I had this great idea, what if I combined the two together? So I started with small things like making one of my tomes open by itself whenever I stomp on the floor two times. And slowly I would scale it up more and more. It's amazing really! Shall I show you?”

“We’ll take your word for it,” Dan waved it off, “keep going.”

She seemed a little dejected by the brushing off but got back to the point. “Oh, yes, um, well after experimenting with the idea some more and jotting down some notes I was wondering where to take this idea next.”

“And cue in me and my expedition, correct?” Dan asked

Twilight nods “Yes! I wanted to see what other spells I can use and methods I could take so I…” Now that she realized it, she started to get a little sheepish. “So I… um… enchanted your goggles so we can see through their lens from the crystal ball…… and the bandana-“

“Banda scarf” Dan interjected.

“Right! The um… bandana scarf to record and send your voice over to the crystal as well, so we could…” she looked away, “spy on you.”

… The whole room was quiet, letting Twilight stew in those last words she uttered and sinking to the floor in shame.

After staring at her for awhile Dan looked at the other girls. Applejack just shook her head. “It surprised us too, sugarcube. She had Pinkie tell us to meet her in Fluttershy’s once you left.”

Rainbow just shrugged as she hovered over him. “When Twi goes into egghead mode she gets like this if no one's around to bring her back to reality.”

Dan looked back at Twilight who at this point was bowing her head at him. “Sorry sorry sorry, I got really carried away and I just HAD to know and well…” she tried to find the words. Before facehoofing herself. “Oh my Celestia, I don’t even have the words.”

Dan and Aegis had no words as well, for a time. Aegis was amazed that this unicorn librarian would come up with such a strange idea AND find a way to make it work. He remembered well seeing this young mare under Celestia’s tutelage in the past, but he never stuck around long to really learn more about her other than when he asked the princess one day and she just said: “She’s a very smart and adept little girl.” Well, now he’s gotten a glimpse of what his devious lover meant.

For Dan… Well, his thoughts were more to the point. ‘F@$king magic… ‘ Yet, he started smiling. “That is wicked.”

“I know, I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have done that, please don’t be mad!” Twilight continued to apologize.

“What? No, that’s not what I mean!” He stopped for a moment. “Well, That WAS wrong of you but what I really meant was that what you did sounds amazing!”

“Wait, what?” She looked at him confused, as did the other girls.

“What you just said, that enchantment or whatever with my stuff. I mean, it's just total B.S. to me, yet you did it anyway, and it worked!” His smile grew a little more. “I thought you were just a bookworm but you're like a mad scientist or something. No, wait! A mad wizard!

“Can we, not use the mad part? I am quite sane thank you.” Twilight interjected

“Sure could’ve fooled me, you went after that theory of yours without even a thought of the consequences! You just wanted to know what would happen right?”

Twilight was about to refuse but her mouth remained open as she realized the point he made. It was true. She slumped.

Dan shook his head “Hey nothing wrong with that, you're just passionate about magic. Nothing purer than that right?”

Again, Dan left her speechless, and again he had a point. It wasn’t like she was planning to do something nefarious with this knowledge. If anything she was going to catalog it and her notes and send it off to Celestia to decide what to do with it, and she indeed WAS passionate about magic. It's practically all she ever studies on and tinkers with.

Finally, the one thought that should have been in Dan’s mind managed to bring itself up and he stopped praising her and stood there in shock and slight worry. “Wait… Does that mean you saw everything I did when I left?” He remembered talking to Aegis a lot aloud, Fluttershy might be able to understand that, but to the others, he might as well have looked like he lost his mind talking to nothing like that. And the Hydra… how he had to reach in it’s-

“Well, not everything.” Twilight answered, “Although I got the spell set up, I couldn’t quite get it working until today… like 10 minutes before those-“, she shivered “Those things appeared in your view.”

“Oh Thank God!” Aegis sighed with relief, Dan did as well, Seeing the girls stare at him strangely he quickly changed the subject “So, uh, I guess I have to cut the expedition short this week and get a hold of Celestia.”

“Good,” Fluttershy said in a relieved tone.

“Yes, I agree, after seeing those sludge monsters I’d tell the Princesses too,” Rainbow replied.

“Well, yeah that and plus I need to make a delivery,” Dan said as he walked over to his stuff that was placed neatly in a corner. Then opened up his enchanted bag and began reaching in.

“A delivery? Of what?” Rarity asked

“Oooh, is it a present? I don’t think it’s their birthdays today though.” Pinkie was hopping with excitement, literally.

“No, it’s something more serious… And gross.” Dan then pulled out something, it was wrapped up tightly and pulsating slightly.

“What IS that?” Twilight asked while backing up form Dan a little.

Dan looked at the thing in his hands then back at the girls. “In short? An Evil glowing ass pimple…” the looks on all of the mare’s faces were incomprehensible.

Aegis just sighed, “Mongrel…”

~~~~~~~~~~

Canterlot

Over in the high-class residential district, a unicorn butler had just returned from a trip to the market and entered a manor on the corner of a street. Once inside he handed off the groceries to the chef once he arrived in the kitchen, who was already at work preparing a meal. Once the package was received the cook gestured to a platter with a tea set on it. With a nod, the butler carried the platter and set with his magic and made his way out. He made his way up the foyer stairs passing by one of the maids who seem to be busy with dusting. Things have been relatively quiet in the manor, that could only mean the master had returned but was in the study. When the master went to the study, it was made clear that everything would be silent, save for a few whispered conversations amongst the servants. But for those with nothing to say, it was just better to keep their mouth shut.

Once on the second floor, he made his way down the hall and stopped at the third door. He straightened himself up before knocking on the door.

“... Come in, Vigil.” hearing his name the butler entered.

“Your tea, Master Blacksteel,” he announced before making his way over to the Earth Pony stallion sitting in front of a desk. He had been busy with ink and quill. Writing and signing various documents. “How was your trip to the castle, sir?” the butler named Vigil set the tea set on a nightstand nearby and was already pouring the master a cup and saucer cup before levitating it to the side of the desk that was empty and within his employer’s reach.

“About as well as we both had anticipated.” the master replied. “Those princesses wouldn’t agree to any of my suggestions.” He then straightened himself up before reaching out to the cup, took a moment to take in the scent of the tea within it, then taking a sip. “Ah, my favorite.”

“You do prefer to be alert after all when you're in here.” Vigil gave a bow.

“And I am grateful for the thought.”

“If I may be so bold to ask, what do you intend to do, now that permission to see this “Royal Hunter” as they call it, has been denied.”

With that, Blacksteel just smiled. “When one door closes, another opens up.” he downed the rest of his cup, before holding it out to his side, the teapot was already levitating and waiting to refill it again. When he brought the cup back to his face he chuckled. “And we have our good ambassador Broadhorn to provide the opportunity for us.” he takes another sip.

~~~~~~~~~~

Appleloosa

Another day was finally ending in the busy little town of Appaloosa, the Sheriff was making his final rounds about the place for anything wrong or unusual. Patrons were already making their way to the saloon, it wouldn’t be long before he’d join 'em. Shops were starting to close up for the night and he would even tip his hat to citizens walking by on their way home or to the aforementioned saloon. By the edge of town, he would look off into the distance at the Apple Orchard, nothing out of the ordinary, with a nod he was about to turn when at the last second something caught his eye.

A Buffalo, not just any buffalo though, this was Little Strongheart as he would recall, from that feud between her tribe and ponies of his fair town. Things have long since smoothed over after it was resolved with pie. So both sides were on better terms with one another. So to see the young buffalo charge for him with a frantic face of fear and worry. He just knew tonight wouldn’t be as peaceful as he’d want it to be. With a sigh, he straightened his hat and went to meet her halfway. When they finally met up she skidded to a halt just a foot away from him.

“Help! Please!” she called out. “A monster! A monster is terrorizing my tribe!” She then fell over to which the sheriff responded fast enough to catch her. There he could see that she was dirty, scuffed up, and actually had a gash on her side, her blood already staining her fur as she finally passed out. This was not good, he struggled to get her onto his back. Hopefully, the doctor wouldn’t mind staying up late tonight.

His drink would have to wait.

Author's Note

Ok, So it's finally done! yeah, this chapter is just basically prepping for whats to come, but needed to be written. things are finally starting to get intriguing for Dan, and his companions and Princess with what was discovered in the forest. It definitely warrants more investigation, but some strange things are happening over in another part of Equestria as well. Question is, is this Dan's problem too? That's up to the sheriff to decide I suppose.

Ah, that aside there are a few things I wanted to ask the readers that happen to take the time to read the Author's notes:

Things are definitely starting to get even more dangerous for Dan, You think that hunting knife will still suffice on its own as his melee weapon?

For those that care about the romance part in this story. So, if you don't care for it, you can just ignore this question entirely, lol. Who do you think it is for Dan? (Just so you know, it won't change what I decided, I'm just curious on your thoughts. :twilightsmile: )

COMPLETELY UNRELATED to the story, buuuuuut... :ajsmug: "When you're about to see some drama happen in front of two people with... romantic history... would you back away or grab some popcorn? No reason, just a random out of the blue question......... *turns away to hide a devious smile*

Anyway, that's all I got to say apparently. So with that said:

As always, I hope you enjoyed this chapter and look forward to future ones