A week with no contact from any of my merry band of coworkers. I assumed this might be due to them being busy, but if what I saw while communing with the entity was true, there was very little work to be done. A griffon who had decided to see if he could become a lich, a dragon who was a simple error, and an incredibly lost pegasus who wasn't actually supposed to die, but had somehow wandered into my hunting ground. The last one wasn't exactly work, but was highly confusing for both parties.

I was spinning my knife as night fully descended, trying to decide how to get Twilight and her chosen survivors. I smiled as I felt a flash of inspiration as I imagined an old coworker. I couldn't do anything like it once the hunt started, but with all the freedom I had right now I could pull off something similar. I felt my knife's pull that had gone ignored for a week and focused on where it was pointing. With only a small amount of pure evil to guide me, I felt wind rise up to my mask. I closed my eyes, as I felt something pull my physical form from my standing position. Suddenly wind began whipping me from all sides, and I felt myself taking slight impacts from every side. When the wind finally reached a stop I found myself unable to contain my gasp, doubling over from the sudden feeling of stillness. "Never again, that was deeply... disturbing."

There was silence surrounding me, but I took no note of it as I stole a few deep breathes before straightening up. I saw the seven mares from before, each bearing grim face as the alicorn wore a tiara. I looked to the side, spotting the pink alicorn. "Ah, she is here." I gave her a nod while I focused on purple. "So then, let us get straight to business, I have a few jobs to get to as soon as we're done here and I do not wish to waste any time on pleasantries." I paused, looking to the marble ceiling above me. "This isn't your home young alicorn."

A familiar voice spoke from behind me. "No, it is mine."

I didn't bother turning around, recognizing the voice the second it grated against my ears. "Ah, Celestia. Such a joy to hear your voice again. Have you enjoyed your life since our last meeting."

There was a snort. "Why don't you turn and face me before asking questions."

I smiled, her ploy as obvious as my own mask. "I would gladly talk to you, unfortunately, I have other things to attend to. Give me an hour or so and I shall gladly hear whatever grievance you have for your treatment after spitting in the face of nature." I ignored her response, preferring walking up to the mares. "So young alicorn, I can guess that Ms. Shimmer will be taking my little test. Who is the last member of our little group?"

She met my eyes without fear, staring me down. "Flash Sentry, he's running late."

I shrugged. "Well, I said never again, but it appears to keep my schedule I must once again do something I hate. Give me a moment." I closed my eyes, tuning out the real world as the various aura's of the surrounding ponies revealed themselves in bright red around me. I let the entity guide my will, feeling his claws violate my own sense as it latched onto four auras somewhere nearby. "Times up, let us be off." I heard a confused squack as wind beat into my back, sucking me away from whatever palace Celestia now lived in. I stumbled as solid ground reappeared under me, but the gasp escaped again. This time a fit of coughs saw fit to join in as well, reducing me into a coughing wreck as I heard several strangled breaths around me.

I let myself take a moment to find my center before standing tall. "By the gods of above and below, I hate that rusty old hook." I dusted off my pants to distract my mind before clapping in front of me. "Excellent, I see we have our contestants all ready." I indeed saw four ponies stumbling into standing positions as they gathered their wits. I looked around to double check my little teaching corner was adequately prepared and nodding at the tables and lone arcane wheel sitting dilapidated in the middle of my little classroom.

The pink one was the first one to stand. "WHAT IN THE HAY WAS THAT?!!"

I shrugged, moving to the table and sorting out the set of tools they had to choose from. "A useless old god dragging all of us from wherever Celestia was and to my little patch of home for the moment. I wouldn't think about it to much, even I can get nightmares about him, and he's my boss." I shuddered as the memory of being the entity's puppet crawled through me. Refusing to kill was not a suitable option in that things mind. I focused on the task at hand. "Now, I really hate calling all of you by your colors, but the only one who bothered to introduce herself burned my head to embers. So unless that is a vital social rule of pony law I'd appreciate a less violent method of introduction."

Sunset was the one to speak up, which was about as surprising as the sun setting. "maybe you shouldn't threaten ponies at a funeral."

I rolled my eyes at the sass. "Calm down child, it was no threat." I began carefully sorting flashlights, making sure that they pointed away from me as I set the four up uniformly. "I was simply trying to give her the full sense of danger you four are partaking in, but before that, I would like to know exactly who I am speaking too."

A subtle cough sounded from the pink one. "I am Princess Mi Amore Cadenze, ruler of the crystal empire."

I nodded, moving over to the medkits as I opened each one, confirming that their meager supplies were still inside. "Excellent, always enjoy meeting royalty. Next please, I am on a schedule after all."

Some shuffling moved up and the pony I hadn't seen yet stepped forward. He had a nearly yellow skin tone, but my lack of perfect color vision muddied its actual color. Instead, I noticed his neon blue hair. He stepped forward with little fear, which was brave enough for me to nod as he spoke. "I'm Flash Sentry, one of Princess Cadence's guards."

I flipped the medkit over and shuffled to the toolboxes. "Pleasure, I am reminded of a quote." I ceased my check, trying to dredge the quote from my head through millennia of wasted time. "Greater love has no man than this, who lays down his life for his brothers." I opened a toolbox as soon as I finished. "Or princess in this case, at least as long as you weren't tempted by the offer of life-everlasting."

I snapped the box shut, putting it in its proper place before unfurling the maps. Purple spoke last. "I am princess Twilight Sparkle, and you are going to try and kill us."

I assume she wanted me to be shocked at her knowing what my little test was. I don't think she thought I would shrug. "Yes, I am death's hand in this world or one of them at least." I rolled the map shut and spared a glance at the keys. Which brings us to the next part of our meeting. Orientation."

I hopped over the table, leaning back against it when I was on the same side as them. "Two of you are here for breaking the first law of nature." I raised a hand to gesture at my own chest. "One I just happen to be named after. I am Memento Mori, which roughly translates to mean that you to, will die. In this one phrase, you two should already know how you have broken the law, with only one trial blocking you from getting away with it scot-free." I turned to look at Sunset. "The other two are here for immortality. Whether you wish to help first and immortality is a fringe benefit I neither know nor do I care. Do not mistake my lack of care for disdain, because I will follow it up with this."

I took a knee, bowing deeply to all four ponies. "I am deeply sorry for the hardships all four of you will go through. I wish that there was a less barbaric, but know that if you fall your face will be forever remembered." A true statement, I had the face of every being that had been on the wrong end of my knife permanently etched into my mind. Names as well, though they had faded slightly, and I didn't want to lie to them. After a moment bowing I rose. "And with that orientation can begin fully."

I gestured the four ponies to come closer, each one eyeing me like I would shove a knife inside them at any point. I wouldn't but since I had yet to o over the rules I could understand their trepidation. "Well, first I shall give you the basic rules. For one as soon as the test starts you will lose all magic. Be it earth pony stamina, pegasus flight, or unicorn spells. All magic will be negated, with the exception of all people gaining the ability to levitate one object of their choice." I gestured to the table behind me. "Which you will choose here. There will bed seven arcane wheels like the one beside me scattered around the area, your job is to get five of them operational. They are simple tools, and easy to fix." I tapped my wheel on the side. "However it will take time. When five are fixed the area will light up, and you will be able to pull open the exit gate with a lever and leave."

I jumped forward, standing up on my own. "As Twilight said, I will be hunting you while this happens. I will not kill you personally, but there are hooks scattered across my hunting area, upon catching one of you I will hang you from them. Another of your group can come by and free you, but there is only so much time before my boss will claim any hanging ponies as his own, so do try and avoid it."

Flash gulped at my explanation, before raising a hoof. "When you say hang us by the hook, what exactly do you mean?"

I grimaced, hating some of the grisly details of my work. "I will slide the hoof through the soft flesh of your shoulder, and hang you by your own bone. It is an excruciating process that I know more intimately than I like." repressed a shudder at the memory, the blood games we were put through for the first hundred years this world had settled down. "It hurts but is a non-fatal and repairable injury. Let us move on to the tools you will be given. Most are obvious, the only one I should have to explain is the key and the light."

I picked up the key. Showing its silver body to each pony. "This key will open a small hatch somewhere in my hunting ground. Going through it is an instant escape, but the key will only work for a single user." I paused. "Oh, and I wouldn't suggest all for of you grabbing a key and trying to find the hatch. I've killed every creature who tried to escape that way."

I put down the key and grabbed the light. I held it with utter disdain for a moment before passing it to Sunset. "The light, however, is a different sort. I hate myself for saying this, but please shine it on me."

Sunset didn't hesitate, shining the light on me. The concentrated sunlight held in the device instantly blistered my skin, and after a half of a second I let out a pained scream and stumbled forward, falling to one knee. Only a second later the light vanished along with the pain. My blisters quickly faded, and I was able to rise freely. "Yes, the light does that. It is hard to aim when running or moving, but I believe the effects speak for themselves."

I stumbled a bit as I regained myself, the effects of the light much more pronounced without the entity tugging ever so sweetly at my strings in that oh so subtle way he had while I was hunting. I shook my head. "Now that that bit of unpleasantness is out of the way, I will warn you that the flashlight is not a long term tool. Its beam will only work for five seconds of use when the test starts." I shook my head again, turning to face the four. Sunset was holding the flashlight with an appraising look in her eyes while the other three seemed shocked that I would give them something that could harm me. I grunted, trying to shake off the fog of pain. "You have ten minutes to prepare. Your abilities will be canceled as soon as I leave. When the trial starts you will be moved to a new area." I let myself fade into the fog already pooling at our feet. "Oh, and good luck, I find myself hoping some of you survive."

Author's Note

So, I decided the hunt itself should be its own chapter, and the orientation should be its own thing. So one more chapter, and maybe an epilogue if I feel up to it.