Imperial Hunter

Dragon and Celestia stumbled out of the Everfree Forest, one significantly more injured than the other. Several hundred meters in front of them, every Guard in the camp was arrayed in a long line before the village. As soon as they were free from the darkened borders of the woods, a veritable swarm of Guards came running, a significant chunk of the line shattering as ponies ran to a Princess they feared wouldn’t return. Easily in the lead by several dozen meters, Princess Luna and the Elements of Harmony were on their way as well. With a wave of her wing, Princess Luna told the Guards to return to the line, which they did, albeit reluctantly.

When they Elements and Luna got close enough to see Celestia’s condition, Dragon saw the Unicorn he heard be called Twilight grow angry and he suspected it was at him. Then it calmed a moment later as she closed her eyes and breathed deeply. A few moments later, the two groups stopped in front of each other. Luna’s eyes roved over her sister’s, taking in each injury as she saw them. Eventually, her teal eyes stopped at the decayed wing, pain crossing the Night Maiden’s face. “You were bitten?”

Celestia nodded. “I was. I would be dead right now if it wasn’t for Dragon. I thought the Naga was sleeping but I was tricked.”

“How?” Twilight asked in a small voice.

“Are you going to be okay, Princess?” A pink Earthen asked, concern clear on her face.

Celestia nodded to the pink one. “I will be fine, Pinkie. I’m not poisoned anymore and the Naga is dead. I’m just a little hurt but I’ll heal with time and magic.”

Then she turned her attention back to Twilight. “I found its den a few hundred hooves beneath the surface in a tunnel. When I was walking on the stone floor, it must have heard me and faked sleeping. I arrived and pulled out the Tartarus Blood but it struck, destorying the vial and biting me. I was forced to fight it without any poison as the Blood dried and stuck to the ground.”

Her gaze shifted to Dragon, who she was still leaning against as he held her up. “Dragon was watching, waiting for just the right time to shoot one of his arrows. He wanted to end the beast in a single strike and not risk our health any more. Unfortunately, it caught me and wrapped around me, ready to bite me and end me.”

The six Elements were listening closely, though they were clearly bothered by how close Celestia had been to death. Luna was watching in interest, a fact Dragon took note of. However, before Celestia could speak, he continued the story. “Your Princess showed no fear and didn’t scream when it held her, ready to poison her. Instead, she spit in its face, which impressed me and definitely earned some respect while also giving me the chance I needed. When it screeched in anger, I shot it in the back of its throat, killing it.”

“Dragon quickly gave me a dose of the antidote and supported me when one of my legs gave out from a rather large slash.” Celestia said, showing them her front left leg. “With me leaning on him, we walked out of the cave and out of the Everfree. Now we’re here.”

“Then you deserve a reward, Mr. Arrow.” Princess Luna said.

“Dragon.” He quickly said and left it at that.

When Luna gave her sister a questioning look, Celestia nudged him and he continued. “You’ve fought the beast and lived, even if you didn’t kill it. You don’t need to refer to me by titles or honorifics. Just Dragon is fine. Like I told Celestia, you’re also welcome in my home should you ever desire to drop by.”

“Aren’t you Hunters supposed to be secretive and reclusive outside of your villages?” A cyan Pegasus asked. At first, he was surprised she knew that tidbit about his group.

“Yes.” He said simply.

“That’s what makes it so important that we’re always welcome.” Celestia explained for him. He was starting to respect her even more. It seemed she knew quite a bit about Hunter customs, likely from the mare she said she knew before.

Princess Luna coughed once and brought their attention away from their tangent. “If I can call you Dragon, call me Luna. In any case, you deserve a reward.”

“Celestia’s already given me a reward.” The Hunter said. “Three favors, one of which I’ve already called in. I’ve asked if I can remain in the Everfree unless my Chief says no.”

“Wait, why in the world would ya want to stay in the Everfree?” An orange Earthen asked, likely a farm mare by her accent and mark.

“It reminds me of home, the Shaded Woods. It’s a lot like the Everfree, just not as ancient or alive.” He explained. “It’s about as dangerous to me as Ponyville is to you. It’s just the environment I’m comfortable in.”

Coughing again, Luna seemed a little irritated at the conversation trailing off topic. In his defense, he wouldn’t be changing topics if they weren’t being interrupted by the Elements. Celestia seemed to be listening in amusement as if her wounds weren’t even bothering her any more. A quick glance revealed that several of them were already healed, leaving behind small patches of missing fur that would likely regrow. Hmph. Native Alicorn magic, I would guess.

“You may have gotten rewarded by Celestia, but you preformed both of us a favor. She gave you her reward and now I’ll give you mine. What do you want? Wealth?”

“I’ve no need. Most Hunters don’t use much in the way of wealth. We get what we need from the forests and lakes, not cities or towns.” The Hunter said.

“A title?”

“Not interested. That would mean I would have to meet with ponies on a regular basis.” Dragon replied.

“Antisocial…” The cyan Pegasus from before said softly, though he still heard her.

“No, I just don’t like being forced to talk to ponies. Give me the option and I’ll do it. Try to make me and I’ll ignore you.” Dragon said, making her flush slightly at being overheard.

“A home?” Luna asked, still adamant about rewarding him.

“Imperials make their own out of wood, hide, and bone. A few manticores and I’ll be able to build my own.”

Luna huffed in frustration as he turned down her third offer. She was tempted to just give him something and not care if he didn’t want it, but that defeated the purpose of a good reward. It had to be something he wanted, otherwise it was just a responsibility. Then she remembered a very old reward from before her banishment. Nobles would often give it to commoners who performed a great deed, though she was hesitant to do as they did. Royalty had never given the particular reward she was thinking of.

Allowing her teal gaze to drift over him, she took note of everything she saw. He was just as tall as her which was both strange and exciting. Equestrian ponies weren’t very tall but it seemed Imperials were, which she found new. Before her banishment, Imperials had been just as tall as Equestrians. She supposed it was because they needed to be larger to be better fighters and hunters. He was also strong, solid muscles visible beneath his dark green coat. They weren’t disgustingly massive but they were there. If she remembered correctly, he would be smaller than a Warrior but also faster.

His wings were massive as well, possibly larger than Celestia’s. Imperials Pegasi didn’t have quite as much magic as Equestria did simply because their land didn’t have as many leylines. When he began to absorb the natural magic of Equestria, she suspected he would become one of the fastest fliers in the land, possibly rivaling the Element of Loyalty. His wingspan could easily be twenty hooves, something that was hard to tell while they were folded. His teeth were also very sharp, something that she couldn’t help but find thrilling. Unlike her sister, she had also enjoyed having predators as her suitors, the sheer adrenaline from the threat driving her crazy at times.

All in all, she could do worse. “...My body?”

Celestia started coughing in surprise while fanning her flushed face with her good wing. Elements gasped in pure shock and she heard two voices start shouting their dissent, though Luna quickly silenced them with her wing. Luna soon noticed that Dragon hadn’t reacted with much surprise, just a small widening of his eyes and a raised eyebrow. She was impressed by his restraint. She could do much worse with her choice.

Celestia quickly recovered from her coughing fit, instantly noticing the blushes on six muzzles, though Luna’s and Dragon’s were bare. From her burning cheeks, she was sure her own were flushed as well, which she knew would be painfully obvious due to her white coat. “Sister, the nobility doesn’t offer that as a legitimate reward anymore!”

“I don’t accept anyway.” Dragon said simply. That made Celestia turn her head in shock as Luna did the same. The Elements, the poor mares, were too shocked from the offer to react. Pinkie and Rainbow seemed to be recovering quickly while Rarity and Fluttershy had outright fainted. Sometimes her ponies were too soft-hearted for their own good, though she would never say that out loud.

“And why not?” Luna asked, her voice edged with steel.

Dragon was familiar with steel; it was his metal of choice, after all. The Hunter knew she could vaporize him in a moment but he wasn’t afraid. If Luna had wanted to kill him, he would already be dead. “Offering a place in your bed as a reward is an insult to yourself. It means your intimacy is worth less than trivial objects. It shows you believe yourself of lesser value. Don’t offer something so valuable as your body. Save it.”

“Save it for what?” Luna asked, her bladed tone gone, replaced with surprise and a little respect. She hadn’t expected him to so readily defend her as a pony over something that was commonplace in her time. A thousand years ago, any stallion would have jumped at the chance to bed her, even if they preferred the company of other stallions. He denied her, then gave an apt reason while complimenting her.

Dragon just stared. “For a stallion, or a mare if you swing that way. I’m sure you aren’t inexperienced but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t save yourself for somepony special, not just a stallion who killed an animal.”

Celestia stared in shock, amazed than anypony would turn down no-strings-attached sex with an Alicorn. She knew that her own nephew would have jumped at the chance to bed Luna, incest be damned. This Hunter had been offered something some writers spent lives fantasizing about only to turn it down out of sheer respect for Luna. The Solar Alicorn began to reevaluate what she thought she knew about Hunters and their codes of conduct. She knew each one followed their own code and that it could drastically differ between Hunters. Celestia figured she had just learned a part of Dragon’s honor code.

After a moment, Luna nodded. “I suppose I can respect that decision, even if I am a little disappointed. You look like you would be fun in bed.”

“Luna!” Celestia shouted. Rarity, who had just awakened, proceeded to fall backwards in time to be caught by Twilight. Dragon, out of the corner of his eye, could see the Elements quickly backing away and leaving with the white Unicorn and yellow Pegasus being carried.

Dragon shrugged dismissively. “I wouldn’t know. I’ve never had a partner. Never been too concerned with it, honestly.”

“If you ever change your mind, I’m sure I could teach you a thing or two.” Luna said factually.

“If you visit me often, my opinion might change over time.” Dragon retorted honestly. “Like I said, you and Celestia are welcome wherever I settle down at any time.”

“I still owe you a reward.” Luna said suddenly. Dragon flinched, his hope of it being forgotten dashed immediately. The night mare smiled at the flinch, glad she caught his plan even if he had been very subtle about it, trying to direct the conversation elsewhere.

“Fine, just give me a favor or something.” Dragon said, resigned to his fate of being paid twice. Luna just smiled.

“Five.”

“Two.”

Celestia watched, bewildered. Dragon was trying to lower the number of favors he would get from Luna. She thought about what little she knew of him so far to try to find out why he didn’t want a reward from her, but then she realized it. He had already gotten rewarded from her. He didn’t believe he should be paid twice for something he did once. She added ‘fair payment’ to what the code of honor he held himself to.

“Four.”

“Three.”

“Deal!” Luna said, a wide smile on her muzzle. “Three favors it is! Of course, I doubt I need to say that they must be reasonable and legal.”

“Naturally.” Dragon said, a tiny smile on the edge of his muzzle.

“Then that’s it. Six favors total, one of which you’ve already used. Speaking of that favor, let’s head to my tent and I’ll send a message to your Chief.” Celestia said, starting to walk forward after pulling her wing off of Dragon. Her leg was mostly healed by now so she could walk under her own power, even if she had a slight limp to her gait. As the three were walking toward the mostly abandoned camp, she noticed that Dragon stuck close to her side, likely in case she stumbled or fell.

The alabaster Alicorn internally sighed as she thought of what had just happened. She was going to have to talk to Luna about propositioning stallions. Though, she couldn’t really blame her sister. It had been a long time for them both and Celestia hadn’t been the one stuck on the moon without any form of toys. A thousand years would be a massive hit to libido and endurance.

***

Celestia, the Solar Diarch, Mother of a Thousand Years of Peace, and Goddess of the Dawn, struggled to keep a smile off of her muzzle. She really did. It helped that she had a letter hovering in front of her muzzle but she knew well that she had several tells that Luna would pick up on if she wasn’t careful. The letter was actually from Roaring Thunder, Dragon’s Chief, and it gave Dragon Arrow permission to stay within the boundaries of Equestria as long as he desired. There was an addendum on the bottom for Dragon himself and Celestia avoided reading it but she did see that the letter was signed by Roaring Thunder and somepony named Spell Rune.

The white Alicorn rolled the scroll up and gently set it on a small desk before her, her face unreadable as she gazed at her sister and the Hunter. Celestia couldn’t help but notice the glances Luna was giving Dragon and she chalked it up to his denial of her fourth offer still being on her mind. Looking closer at her sister, she easily could tell that something was on Luna’s mind and resolved to ask her about it at a later date, preferably in the privacy of one of their chambers.

Turning her look to Dragon, she examined him for a long moment. At first, she thought he was perfectly calm. His posture was straight, his face calm and a patient air around him. Then she started to notice his little tells. His posture wasn’t just straight but locked, his back tensed as he waited. His face was calm but one side of his muzzle was curved down just barely but still enough for her to notice. His left wing was bent a few centimeters to the side starting from the feathers from the bottom, showing that the muscle there was tensed as well. They were simple things, but they added up and the sum was enough for her to notice that he was impatient and anxious.

With a slight push of her hoof, she rolled the scroll across the table and to the Hunter. He hesitated for a moment, then grabbed it and and tried to unroll it. He pinned the bottom to the table with his hoof and moved to pin the top, too, only to stop when a white hoof came into his sight and pinned the top. Dragon looked up and flashed Celestia a thankful smile, one which she returned with a warm one. Then he turned his attention back to the scroll and began reading.

Princess Celestia,

It’s good to hear from you again after these years. I’m content to know that you now have your sister at your side again and I’m even happier to know that she is no longer Nightmare Moon, the Spirit of Darkness that we feared for so long. Pleasantries aside, you’ve eased this worried heart by telling me that the bone Naga is dead and that Hunter Arrow is unharmed. His mentor, Elder Rune, is happy as well. As for your request, it is one that I can easily allow. When I sent Dragon to the Everfree to help in the Hunt, I knew that it was possible he would desire to remain within the Forest. I will have Dragon’s things sent to him sometime within the next two weeks, and Elder Rune will include a collection of information for him to remember detailing rune magic, alchemy, flora and fauna of the world, and a variety of other topics. These next two parts are for Dragon himself, so I would appreciate if you didn’t read them, Princess.

Hunter Arrow, you performed your task reasonably well. The Naga lays dead with no extra deaths and injuries only to Celestia herself, wounds that came about through no fault of your own. You made the right choice in waiting for a clear shot, else you may have been killed alongside the Spirit of Dawn. I’ve decided to allow you to move to the Everfree. Don’t concern yourself with having to return to gather your things; I will have them sent to you within the next half-month. Included within will be a supply of potions and poisons from our Apothecary as well as a collections of journals from your mentor detailing various topics that you might find useful. This next part is from Elder Rune.

I’m proud of you, Dragon. You’ve come far from the young stallion too afraid to challenge a manticore. You’ve slain a monster that would give the majority of seasoned Hunters paused and came out with no injuries and no deaths. You’ve saved the lives of two members of foreign royalty, earning their favor as you did so. You’ve proven yourself a respectful stallion by attempting to avoid being overpaid for your efforts, though you may have learned a lesson from that; An Alicorn gets what she wants. Next time both Princesses want to reward you for the same action, just accept it. You’ll save yourself a headache. Moving on, I’m sending you quite a few books filled with information you may come to respect; poisons, potions, oils, salves, ores, runes, even spells. Good luck, Dragon, and know that you’ve made everyone at the Leaping Wolf village proud. Word of you achievement will spread in the coming months.

With Respect, Chief Roaring Thunder,
With Pride, Elder Spell Rune,
With Honor, Village of the Leaping Wolf

Dragon lifted his hoof and allowed the scroll to roll itself up as Princess Celestia returned her hoof to the floor. His gaze drifted up and met Celestia’s eyes, then turned and met Luna’s. Both of the Alicorn mares were smiling at him. He felt a smile spread across his muzzle even as his eyes grew slightly misty before he spoke.

“Thank you, both of you.” Dragon said honestly.

“You’re very welcome, Dragon.” Celestia replied in kind. “I’ll be glad to see you grow in Equestria and possibly, if the time comes, make friends with my little ponies.”

“I respect you.” Luna said after Celestia fell silent. “You saved us both and quite a large number of ponies as well. The Naga, if not for you intervention, would have brought havoc, death, and chaos all across Equestria in time.”

The two Alicorns stood and he did so as well, following the Spirits of Dawn and Dusk out of the tent where they turned their attention to him once again as Celestia spoke. “Feel free to set your home anywhere within the Everfree, as you desire. We’ll be sure to visit when we came, Dragon, and we hope this to be the start of a life-long friendship.”

My life, I suppose. Dragon thought to himself as Luna began speaking.

“In the future, I may hire your services to collect ingredients from the Everfree. A Hunter such as you may be one of the few beings in Equestria capable of traversing the Everfree with little danger compared to Equestrians. You’ll be paid fairly for time, effort, and any injuries, of course.” Luna said simply, though she favored him with a quick smile after she finished.

Dragon nodded, not speaking as he didn’t quite know what to say to convey how grateful he was at the moment. Thankfully, they seemed to understand because neither seemed upset with his silence. Instead, Celestia stretched lightly and he noticed most of her wounds having healed, including a large portion of her wing no longer being rotten. “In any case, my sister and I need to begin returning the Guard to Canterlot after dismantling this camp and assuaging the fears of the Ponyville residents. I’m sure they’ll be happy to know that they are safe, thanks to you.”

“Farewell for now, Dragon.” Luna said.

“Goodbye, Dragon.” Celestia added in turn.

“May your travels be swift.” Dragon started to the two of them.

“And may your prey be strong.” They replied in unison, their voices melding for a harmonic moment before they began walking toward the line in the distance. Dragon nodded once with a smile, then turned and began heading into the Everfree, toward his temporary home. He would have to move deeper within the Forest and cut a trail to either another trail or to the edge, whichever was closer. It would be quite a bit of work but be completely worth it.

“Oh, Dragon?” He heard from behind him. He stopped and turned around, seeing Celestia smiling at him. “Pinkie Pie, the Element of Laughter, wishes to throw you a party for defeating the Naga. It would mean a lot to me if you were to attend.”

“Then I’ll be sure to.” Dragon replied, making her smile grow brighter. With another nod, the two turned around and continued walking.