Eventide

Chapter 5: The Arcane Huntsman

by Lan

The town of Nightshade fit its name perfectly. Despite the bright day, a dark gloom hung over the town, a kind of gloom implacable to the eye. The layout was a haphazard mayhem, with seemingly no plan. Each building was made out of gray stone blocks, solidifying the eternal foreboding quality. The inhabitants themselves dredged through the narrow streets in quiet solitude. Nebulous shadows clung to the tightly-knit buildings, revealing little of the brightness that beat at them from above.

To the untrained eye, every building would have appeared identical, sharing a similar Gothic design on each. The buildings themselves were all very tall, almost all of them being four floors in height. The wooden doors, shutters, and balconies would have complemented the stones walls and streets if not for the low light levels. Dim fires glowed through several doors and windows, barely visible in the streets, which received only ambient light through the towering structures.

Several buildings held various professions and crafts, as well as their corresponding guilds. The town had a blacksmith, tailor, bakery, and many more specialties. But none held any excitement in their eyes for their businesses. Every pony held a deadpan stare, their clopping hooves filling the air with a slow patter that resonated with the mood.

The inhabitants, however, did not review their town in such a manner as guests. To them, it was quaint, pleasant, and peacefully quiet. All those ponies in the street did not appear depressed, but nor did they appear content. Each simply went about their daily lives with the little fervor required in such a place.

Twilight was somewhat surprised to see that many of the adult denizens held no cutie marks, but was too preoccupied with finding someplace to rest to ask anypony about it, having not stopped walking since, what she now referred to in her own mind as, “the incident.” A wooden sign hung over the doorway that she almost missed in the murk, depicting a bed and a moon.

Pushing the squeaky dry-rotten gateway with a single hoof, she shuffled in, almost emulating the resident's pace. The entrance was not very big, only about ten feet wide and twelve feet long. On the right was a wooden counter, behind which stood a dirty-white pegasus with a bored look on its face, looking over the register before her. The entrance opened up to a much larger lobby, aligned with many plush recliners and couches around a lit fireplace. Every piece of furniture was made of wood with dark red cushions, probably never cleaned in their career at the hostel. A rug adorned the floor, a large red carpet that spanned to exactly two feet from each wall, an intricate golden design around the edges. It, too, appeared to never have been cleaned, except for the occasional broom. Just like the town, an odd, ethereal darkness clung to the corners, almost out of a poem or story, giving a strange, welcoming impression to the otherwise inhospitable hospice. Twilight hardly noticed in her stupor.

The receptionist gave her a blank stare as she turned her head to meet the incoming unicorn. In a nasal voice that resonated with boredom and repetition, she said in monotone, “Welcome to Shade-Inn. How may I help you today?”

“Is there vacancy?”

Rather rudely, “Look around. Do ya see anypony? We've got vacancy like a dog's got fleas.” She paused briefly, taking in a breath that sounded almost like a sigh. “Room's four bits a night. How many nights will you be staying?”

Rather lazily, Twilight responded, “I'm not sure. Here's four bits for the first night.” She scooped out the bits from a side pocket on her saddlebags, levitating the glittering coins out of her hoof and onto the counter, a soft clack  sounded for each one against the wood.

“Mm hm,” the receptionist hummed. “Just a sec.” Indolently, the pegasus turned around, slowly extending a hoof and reaching for a key, fastened to a thick string, that read 03. “You'll be staying in room three up the stairs on your right.” She dropped the key on the counter, where the bits had been, letting the brass thud against the rough wood surface.

Still in a state of shock, albeit mild, the unkempt purple pony dragged herself up the stairs and to the room. Consistent with the state of the lobby, the room was fairly dirty, subjected to irregular light cleanings. There was one bed, crimson in color, one splintery, wooden chair, a small wood desk, and a wooden drawer. The exhausted pony barely managed to kick the door shut on her way in before collapsing on the bed, a musky smell pervading her lungs. Ignoring the odor, she closed her eyes as the world faded to black.

~~~~~~~

The morning arrived swiftly, but it was impossible to tell within the room. Twilight woke up and opened one grungy window, unsure of the hour, to find that the sun had already risen over the horizon. She had slept for twelve hours.

Groggy, she opened the door and descended the creaky staircase, making her way to the receptionist, an orange earth pony that shared the same demeanor as the previous afternoon's pegasus. He was reading the local newspaper, The Daily Poison, opened to about halfway through. She approached and cleared her throat, prompting, “Excuse me? Sir?” he lowered his newspaper, returning a blank stare.

“What?” His accent was the same as the pegasus.

“Where can I go for breakfast?”

Curtly, he grunted, “Smiley's cafe is down the street.”

She thanked him and followed his brief directions. Outside, the sky was hardly visible in the agglomerate of obstructing buildings. She walked to the end of the street, the only pony outside at the early hour, her hooves clopping rhythmically against the cobblestone streets. She stopped at a door with a jutting wooden sign, carved with a smiley face. She pulled open the door, slightly worried that it might fall off its hinges as it whined in protest.

Inside the cafe were only two other patrons and yet another sullen pony behind the counter on the right. Despite the cheerful name, the restaurant was just as gloomy as anywhere else. Passing the grid of tables on the left, Twilight stepped to the middle of the counter and read the menu on the wall:

Entrees:

Oats

“Uhh...” she mumbled, wondering if the sign was a mistake or a joke.

The dark green pony behind the counter rolled her eyes. “Do you want to order something?”

“Can I have-”

“No.” she interrupted.

“But-”

“No.”

“Okay.”

“Do you want to order something?” she repeated.

“I'll have-”

“Got it.” she turned her head to the back and yelled, “Hey! One order!”

A voice replied, shouting, “Two minutes!”

“Two minutes.” she told Twilight, as if the purple pony was deaf.

Glancing around after paying the mare in advance, the purple unicorn noticed that the only two ponies weren't eating anything. She turned back to the green pony and asked, “What are they doing?”

“How should I know? You go ask 'em.”

Rolling her eyes, she turned away from the counter and walked over the the pair, both dark gray in color. She watched them for a bit as they did nothing. They simply stared down at the table, thinking to themselves. “Is this what qualifies for fun around here?” she asked to break the silence.

“What...?” the one on the left drearily replied, the stench of alcohol and dirt wafting over the the unicorn, who barely stifled a gag.

The pony on the other side of the table looked up, revealing a pair of bloodshot eyes that looked tiredly at his companion. “She said 'What do we do for fun around here.' Can'tcha hear or are ya deaf now too?” He turned to address the querier. “Nothin.”

“Nothing?” She questioned in disbelief.

The drunk one replied, “There's the bar downtown.” before dropping his head to the table with a loud smack that made Twilight wince.

“Eh, don't listen ta him. There's plenty ta do. If you like...” he made a quick thrusting motion with his groin, a wicked grin appearing over his face as he winked at the unicorn.

Saying no more, Twilight, clearly startled, turned around and walked quickly back to the counter, sitting down on a stool, a red flush over her muzzle. She heard laughing and some unintelligible comment behind her, but did not turn around.

“Here you go.” A bowl of cold oatmeal slid over the counter, stopping perfectly in front her. Twilight finished her meal and briskly walked out the door, barely muttering a “Thanks.” under her breath as she stepped outside. The oatmeal had done nothing to help the cool morning air from chilling her to the bone as she walked around the town.

Exploring, she drifted unknowingly towards the bar the pony in the cafe had mentioned. As she walked, she became vaguely aware of a loud noise emanating from somewhere nearby. As she drew closer, she realized it was a great many ponies all talking at once, nearly having to shout over the noise every other pony was making. A sign appeared over the door to the vociferous establishment, a martini glass etched into the wood.

Maybe somepony here will know something... she pondered to herself before entering. The night had ended and the day had begun, but the assembly had not slowed down in their clangor or jest since it had begun many hours prior. As Twilight opened the door, a fetor so powerful as to make the drunk stallion's breath from earlier seem like roses bombarded her unprepared nostrils. The interior was mostly wooden, with a great many ponies, mostly stallions, crammed into the small space. This was the happiest she had ever seen the residents. She spotted several with mugs of beer or other alcoholic drinks as their cutie marks.

They barely even took notice of her, except for the few nearby the door. She could barely hear herself think over the brouhaha in the one-room building. One of the nearby stallions was talking to her, obviously thinking of himself as suave in his drunkenness, but she could not hear what he was saying. She turned to another, who was simply staring at her as if he had never seen a mare in his life. “I'm looking for some information.” she shouted. He seemed unfazed. “I said, 'I'M LOOKING FOR INFORMATION.'” She was screaming, barely able to hear herself.

“WHAT KIND?” he screamed back, mimicking her tone.

“HAVE YOU HEARD OF ANYPONY NAMED EVENTIDE?” Several of the nearby stallions who overheard her question stopped talking and turned to her. One, a black earth pony wearing a white fedora, pushed aside the stallion she had been talking to with one hoof, stepping in front of him.

He gave her a questioning look, dipping his head close to her ears. “What do you know of him?” A slight sneer appeared on his face as he looked in her eyes, doubting that she would have the information he sought.

“Not much, that's why I'm here.”

The stallion, visibly annoyed at her response, growled, “I mean, did you see him? Do you know where he is?” He sounded almost desperate.

“Yes.”

With startling promptness, he lashed out, grasping her tightly by one shoulder, “Where. Is. He?” Twilight, expecting his breath to be similar to the pony from the cafe, took a deep breath as his head came less than an inch from her horn.

“Ponyville.” she gasped as he tightened his grip.

“Where the fuck is Ponyville? The fuck kind of name is that for a town?”

Answering his first question, “It's on the other side of Everfree Forest, just down Everfree Trail.” Much to her astonishment, his grip somehow tightened further, a burning pain shooting down her shoulder, causing her to pull the leg off the ground, recoiling.

“You've got to be fuckin' kidding me.” he threw her backwards, turning to some of his associates in the corner by the door. They grew wide-eyed and hurried out the door, followed by the black stallion in the white hat.

Still recovering from the invisible laceration, she hobbled out of the tavern in pursuit of the group. “Wait!” He turned and looked at her briefly before snorting and turning his head back down the street, towards his associates.

“What is it?” he asked as he resumed his march.

“What is he? What are you going to do? How do you know him?”

“I don't have time to answer your questions, girly.”

The last word of his sentence sent waves of anger over the purple mare, her pupils dilating as pure rage flooded her being. Images of the Marauders and the trail filled her mind. “You have time to answer my questions if I say you do!” Her horn began to glow and the black stallion found himself being lifted into the air, turned around, and placed before the furious unicorn. “And don't call me 'girly.' Or else.”

Feigning unconcern, “Yeah right, like you've ever killed anypony, girly.”

A vein bulged on her face, her snarl becoming impossibly large. The glowing force-field around the stallion began to compress, crumpling his hat first, before he began to gasp for air. Fear took him, but he could not speak to yield to the livid assailant. He hovered a foot off the ground for a full minute before she finally eased up. The group had taken noticed, but did not intervene, simply staring open-mouthed at the spectacle. “Now, answer my questions.” she hissed, repeating them. “First. What is he?”

“I-I don't know. I-I'm sorry.” he was practically begging.

“Fine. Second. How do you know him?”

“H-He killed my wife and daughter, the bastard.” Tears swelled in his eyes, fueled by memory.

Not swayed by the tears, Twilight asked, “Third. What were you going to do?” She sounded more deadly than ever.

“I was going to hire a hitman to go after him.”

“Hitman? What's a man?”

“I don't know. He just calls himself that.”

“Who is he?”

“The Arcane Huntsman. Surely you've heard of him, even where you're from?” He shuddered as he thought of the Everfree Forest.

She leaned forward, glaring even deeper at the stallion. “Enlighten me.”

“Nopony knows what he is, o-or where he's from, but he's the best assassin on the planet. For the right price, and some information, he can kill anypony.”

“What kind of information.”

“J-Just normal stuff, like where the target is and when.”

“What do they,” she motioned towards the surrounding group, “have to do with anything?”

“They have unsolved business with him too. W-We were all gonna summon the Huntsman.”

Twilight released the stallion, who fell to the ground, unable to control the quaking in his legs. “I'm in.” she told him flatly.

~~~~~~~

The syndicate finally arrived at their destination, the Nightshade Cemetery. On the way, the group had gathered a few more members, as not all were present upon learning of Eventide's residence, coming from all corners of the town, which was far larger than Twilight had previously conceived. The materials required for the summoning did not take long to procure.

The sun was beginning to set over the horizon as the congregation of now fifteen members arrived at the wrought iron gates, forged in a similar Gothic design as the buildings. Nothing seemed to live in the field of death. No grass grew from the land anymore, no insects buzzed through the air. Even the equable ambient noise of the wildlife had ceased, leaving the air empty and void.

The setting sun sprung forth not the familiar autumn array, but instead a bleak set of gray-green and blue hues. The oldest tombstones were closest to the gate, and the most degraded, some worn to the point where the deceased could not be read. Old, dead vines crawled up some of the tombstones, dried green claws trying to destroy their last connections to the world. It made Twilight shudder to think about it, even from the other side of the gate.

One of the unicorns opened the gate, which sprang to life in a blue aura as the rusted gates resisted the opening with a groan that echoed over the eerily empty landscape. Nopony moved, all waiting for someone else to take the first step. In the end, the pony with the crumpled white fedora stepped forward, his hooves crunching in the dead grass. A spade was strapped across his back, rocking slightly with each careful step.

Once his body was fully past the gate, the others followed suit, moving together as one entity. Twilight could hear some of the ponies in the assemblage muttering to the others, worried. Each carried a spade, except for three who shouldered over-stuffed saddlebags. They gingerly tip-toed across the field, finally stopping when the black stallion began shoveling the dirt off one of the graves. Twilight did not question why he had chosen this particular grave site.

The dreary sky faded to black as the sun disappeared over the horizon, reminiscent of the Nightshade itself. The grave now lay open, the naked skeleton just visible in the moonlight, partially masked by light, diaphanous clouds. A chill began to fill the graveyard as the group stared at the skeleton, a colder sensation than she had felt exposed to the elements in the forest. She felt chilling waves ripple up and down her spine, could feel the flesh reeling from both the sight and the atmosphere.

Those who had dug to the bottom climbed out of the pit, alleviated now that they were away from the rotten coffin. The lip had collapsed from the pressure and the dirty skeleton slept, exposed to the audience that simply stared. One began to gag, breaking the silence like a brick through a window.

A white fedora, the only part of the pony visible in the darkness, turned to the three carrying the saddlebags. “Okay, drop 'em in.”

The trio nodded and set the bags down on the edge, unclasping the sides and tipping the edge over, spilling the glittering silver contents into the grave. The group had spent the entire day collecting the lustrous coins, filling the three bags. The coins completely covered the skeleton, leaving no bone visible to the naked eye.

“Now, we wait for midnight.”

The night dragged on. Nopony wanted to talk and the entire group sat on the ground in complete silence, listening to only the sounds of their breathing. At last, the moon rose to its peak in the sky, illuminating the field. The group gathered around the grave once more, watching as the fedora-wearing stallion conjured a small blade in his mouth, cutting the soft spot on the bottom of his hoof, allowing a drop of blood to splash the coins below. He passed the knife to his left, to the pony who then repeated his steps. The knife finally reached Twilight on the other side of the grave.

It's okay, its just a slight prick. I'll be fine. Don't think of infections! Her mind swarmed with the thoughts of what could infect her hoof. The slight phobia raised her heartbeat. She could feel it in her ears as she raised her hoof to the knife in her mouth. She clenched down with her teeth when the steel bit flesh, a fresh drop of blood rolling down the blade. Moving the poniard over the lustrous coins, she let a single drop fall, hearing it splat against the silence.

The last pony let his lifeblood mix with the sterling mintage, the soft plip ringing out into the graveyard. Before their eyes, the silver coins began to stir, swirling together at the bottom, the coins clinking against one another. The argent coins lost their luster, tarnishing and becoming near-invisible in the darkness. The ebony coins amalgamated into a thick liquid, taking on a gleam like quicksilver.

The murky pool of the aberrant liquid began to ripple, as if a drop of water disturbed the tranquility in the center. The frequency of the ripples increased, the entire pool becoming visible in the various reflections. A black arrow shot through the center at lightning speeds, the whoosh audible only to the closest ponies. It rose high into the night sky, kissing the lunar orb that hung above, before plummeting back down to the Earth. It struck the pool dead center, from the very spot it sprang from.

The newest ripple created tidal waves that clashed against the walls of the grave. As the influx brought the liquid to the center, a skull rose from the grave. The bones of the unearthed skeleton followed the cranium, reaching the surface and disintegrating into a fine powder.

The liquid stilled, motionless. The ponies at the edge leaned inward, their curiosity too great to hold themselves. A figure, dark as the liquor from which it rose, ascended, rising to the surface without any means of propulsion. It was humanoid in form, slender, but with an air of strength inherent in its figure. Despite being called the Huntsman, the creature was genderless. Across its back was strung a bow, no quiver to be found.  The creature opened its eyes, as white as the darkness in a black hole. It was not so much the white of light, but a white in the absence of black, as the black in a black hole is the absence of light.

It stood in the empty coffin, having absorbed all of the thick oil into its essence.  The white that cut through darkness like a knife turned its gaze upward, eying each pony individually. Twilight realized she was holding her breath, letting it out slowly as a voice spoke. It was like the speaker was whispering in her ears, but reaching her from far away. Having no mouth, it couldn't have come from the bipedal figure standing below, but it was a voice it spoke with nonetheless.

It hissed, “Why have I been summoned?” Nopony spoke, waiting for another to answer. The creature did not prompt again, but the question still hung fresh in the night's air.

“We have summoned you to kill one called 'Eventide'. He is located in a place called Ponyville. Can you do it?” Twilight never tore her eyes off the figure and did not know who had spoken.

“There is no one I cannot kill. It will be done.”

“How will we know you have accomplished it?” another asked.

“My word is enough. It will be done.”

At that, the figure sprang nimbly into the air, jumping far above the heads of the crowd. Unlike the arrow, it gave off no noise and was utterly silent. It landed in the grass in a similar manner, Twilight unable to hear the crunch of the grass that she expected. The dark figure, not missing a beat, took off sprinting, jumping over the gate and out of sight into the inky shade of the Everfree.

There was a bright flash of light, emitted from somewhere in the congregation. Looking around, not one of the onlookers could see where it had originated from. The stallion with the white fedora realized that the purple unicorn had vanished. He chuckled to himself, but did not say anything to the group.