The Hunter and The Hunted

The room was much larger then expected and had a celestial theme that could be easily predicted when they opened the door.  They didn't exactly fit with the white tiles and blue bedsheets, but they were there for only a night.

"So where did you guys say you were heading?" Bull asked, taking off her cloak and sitting down.  Hawk did the same and shifted towards the window, spreading his wings, cracking the bones in them.

Twilight was hesitant at first, but how else could she say it.  It might just be better to tell them that they were going and hope for the best, but when she wanted to say 'Tartarus', something else came out your mouth.

"We are going to go as far as Neighpolis, which is around our destination," she guessed, which was probably where the Gates were if it was that long of a journey.

"That's a lengthy distance.  You said you're from Ponyville?  Well, you probably have a twelve day journey ahead of you, minimum," Hawk said.

"That's almost at the end of the known world!  Why in Equestria would you want to take a dog there?" Bull asked.

"Twilight, just let me talk to them, allow me to bond minds and I'll tell them about it," Cerberus said, who was pattering into the room.

"Fine."

"You're talking to yourself again, Twilight Sparkle.  Are you okay in the head?" Hawk said.

"Mind your manners, Hawk!" Bull said, "But in all seriousness, you have been talking to nopony for quiet a while, I'm getting a little nervous."

Twilight just succumbed to the questions she was being thrown at.  She took a breath and backed away as Cerberus came in front and closed all six of his eyes.

"This is Cerberus, he's a guardian of the Gates of Tartarus, and I'm supposed to get him back," she said.

Bull's Eye was starting to get a little edgy, but a smile overtook her face as she started to laugh.  Hawk did the same thing as Cerberus readied his power to connect the links between their minds.  His eyes opened and tow beams of light penetrated both their foreheads.

Twilight thought it was one of the most amazing things she had ever seen and when the link was finished, the duo mercenaries stopped their laughing, and looked at Twilight with a serious face.  Their eyes were sunken in, like they were sleep deprived for a few days, then they collapsed onto the bed.

"Cerberus, what did you do to them?" Twilight asked.

"Relax, I established a link between them, but their will power wasn't exactly 'strong' enough to accept my 'invitation'.  They just passed out and should be able to hear me when they wake up."

"When will they?"

"A few minutes, their minds are on idle now, and are in a magically induced micro coma," he explained.

"When did you become the scientist, Cerberus?"

"Actually, I have no idea what I'm saying, I was just told that's what happens when I was training to be a guardian."

Twilight and Cerberus waited until the pair woke up from their sleep, their sunken eyes vanished, and they looked good as new.

Hawk was the first to speak, "What happened?  I feel like someone bashed my head in..."

Twilight began to talk, but Cerberus cut her off, "Now you can hear me!"

Hawk jumped at deep voice of Cerberus, he looked around the room to find the source of the voice, but couldn't.  It felt as if the voice was in his head, like a living conscience.

"Bull, do you hear that?"

"I sure do!"

"Listen, you two.  My name is Cerberus, everything Twilight told you is correct, I am a guardian from Tartarus, and I needed help getting back home.  As you can see, I'm basically a dog in this form, but I'm much taller when I have all my powers.  We came in search of protection.  That is where you come in."

"Wait a sec, Cerberus, we never agreed that we would choose them," Twilight said.

"Twilight, these guys could shoot a fly out of the air, you say how Bull shot that rope off your legs.  They're the perfect body guards, and they said they weren't heading anywhere in particular, they could be up for hire!" Cerberus explained.

"You need us?" Bull asked.

It was now that Bull started making decisions for the both her and Hawk.

Cerberus stepped in the conversation first, he wanted something, and he was going to get it one way or another.

"You say you are not on any specific job?" he asked.

"Yes, at the moment."

"So, you are available for hire?"

"Yes, but under these circumstances, I don't think we have an agreement," Bull was being pushed away from the idea of going to the kingdom of evil.

"If we are lucky, it should be a straight walk forward with only minor close encounters of obstacles."

"When you say obstacles, what do you mean.  That is what I'm most concerned of," she returned.

"Your weapons will be used on this trip, I assure you, but I would not want to make you think that it is any different then being an escort mission," Cerberus said.

"But it is more than that, Cerberus.  We regularly go on escort missions, but only to a few town over.  You guys are talking about a twelve day trip, maybe even two weeks!  I don't know how you will be able to pay us for this.  I'm sorry, but we can't do this," she said.

"You've made up your mind?" Cerberus asked.

She had and it would take something big to change it.  Cerberus still had one trick up his sleeve.

"What if... I told you I can repay you, when we get there."

Bull's ears pricked up.

"How much?"

"As much as you want," he returned.

"I don't know, I can think of quite a lot."

"You'll get it."

"What will we be up against?"

"Monsters, things that go bump in the night, bounty hunters looking for me," Cerberus said.

"Bounty hunters? What does he mean?" Twilight thought.  She should have realized it sooner, that with all the commotion Cerberus caused throughout the cities he ran through, they must have posted some posters with a bounty for the three headed demon dog.

"I hate bounty hunters," Hawk said from across the room.

"So, all the untold riches you could desire for an escort mission.  Sounds like a good deal to me..." Cerberus trailed off.

Bull went over to Hawk for a few moments and whispered quietly to each other.  Twilight prayed to Celestia for a yes, but Cerberus had a straight face, or faces.

Bull came back, a nervous smile splashed on her face.

"Okay.  We'll leave tomorrow morning, I have a map." she pulled it out, "We're gonna' have to cross the rest of the desert, which is twenty miles, which should take us a day at the least if we trot.  Then we reach the woods, which should lead us up into the mountains in the Griffon Kingdom.  We can get better directions there."

Twilight finally spoke, "Thank you."

"Don't mention it, seriously.  I'm having second thoughts on our agreement already, but I think that I should just get some sleep before I go risking my life again," Bull replied.