//-------------------------------------------------------//
                   The Hunters - Book 1                    
                    -by Justin Daniels-                    
//-------------------------------------------------------//
//-------------------------------------------------------//
                          "Pilot"                          
//-------------------------------------------------------//
Author's Note
Before we start, I'd like to say thank you to everyone who's been with me thus far.
Yes, I know, I'm starting up another story. No, I'm not giving up on the others. Yes, I did write a bit more down for them. Yes, I'm suffering a Writer's Block that will render the waiting time to be a bit longer than intended.
And yes, I hear you all. I read the comments as soon as I am able to. But sadly, as life happens to everyone, including me, I can't always be there to respond.
As for this story in particular?
This chapter is named "Pilot" for a reason. It doesn't mean that I'm going to start bringing chapters in rapidly, nor am I going to update it consistently, just yet.
Rather, this is more of an experimental approach that, hopefully, will be good writing practice for me to pursue.
As such, I'm going to go ahead and say that, no, this story is not going to be updated in at least a month... maybe two. And that's why this chapter, in particular, is called "Pilot".
I want to dip this one out there to you all, and see how the overall reactions are for it, before I get started on a full-scale release. If all goes well, I'm going to pre-write the entire First Season, then, and begin publishing a chapter weekly... maybe two chapters a week. Likely Tuesdays and Thursdays. At least until Season 1 is complete.
Then, I'll get to work on Season 2, if all goes well.
Every 4 Seasons will count as a "Book", and all "Books" will be merged into this story once we get to that point, with the story's title and description being updated as needed.
My long-term goal for this story is to reach Book 5, eventually... with the potential of stretch-goals if things go super well.
I'll also be working on the other stories in the in-between time, so rest assured.
The Workhorse still has a huge goal I have to achieve, and so much more to bring onto the table, after all.
But until I can get past the Writer's Block, I'm throwing this out here to, hopefully, let you all know I'm still alive, and kicking.
And that, hopefully, you might come to enjoy this adventure, too!
So please, kick back, relax, and enjoy this little preview!
"Pilot"
Deep in the oldest archives of Canterlot, one might find a few passages here and there... passages of things that most would deem "unnatural", "sinister"... "monsters".
Things like Demons, for example. Or Vampires, Zombies, Revenants, Werewolves, Ghosts... the things that'd typically go "bump" in the night.
Stories that, to this day, have been leaked out in the works of fiction. Threats that folk would usually laugh at, or shudder in fear over. Threats that little to none believe...
Threats that are, in fact, real. And still out there. Hunting. Prowling. Killing those who are unaware... sometimes, even blending in among the crowds.
Wolves in sheep's clothing.
Canterlot Slums  
12:00 AM
If not for the full moon hovering directly over the otherwise clustered alleyways of the Canterlot Slums, it'd be pitch-black, and teeming in darkness. To most, this would be the time in which folk remain indoors, due to the cold chill that blows from the wind.
To one particular individual, however, it is the perfect time, and the perfect weather, for what he seeks.
As he walks through the deserted streets, he keeps his light blue eyes drifting left and right - a few small threads of his golden mane hanging loosely from his dark brown hooded cloak. His white horn would emit a feint golden aura to provide him with light, while a golden orb hovers over his right, brown cloth-gloved hand.
His hooves are covered in brown boots, and his legs would be covered in dark blue denim jeans. Fairly casual clothing. The only hint of formalwear would be the brown vest beneath his cloak, which covers a dark green shirt with brown suspenders.
He takes one more turn, and looks on at his destination... an old-looking tavern with a dim glow inside its closed shutters. When he reaches the front door, he brings the glowing orb over his hand in front of it, and a symbol glows back from the center of the door - a symbol showing a ram's skull with two crossed blades underneath.
To the commoner's eye, one might assume it's a simple mark of graffiti, or an old pirate symbol.
But to the trained eye, it's a universal symbol that marks the place as something else, entirely... a place where very few dare to enter, due to them being hotspots for all sorts of unusual things, yet also a place where those who seek said unusual things gather around in peaceful seclusion, barring the occasional visitor, here and there.
A small part of their secrecy being, that they must blend in among the normal crowds, after all.
Before he decides to go in there, he steps to the side of the door and pulls a small photo from his left pocket, then examines it carefully.
On the photo would be the picture of a lime green pegasus mare with a dark blue mane and tail. She'd be smiling at the camera, while propping a hand onto a tree.
The picture is amber-colored all around, though... an old style of photo, long-since replaced by black and white, which in turn, was replaced with full color. The color of her coat and mane, however, would be an edit made by a professional.
Underneath the picture would be two dates: 1822 - 1854.
After getting the picture ingrained into his mind, he slips the picture back into his pocket, and pulls out a small vial, containing a green liquid. He uncorks the vial, takes a deep breath, and downs the contents, before growling, and hunching over a bit. A look of extreme pain adorns his features, before he takes a deep breath, and pockets the empty vial.
He then walks in front of the door and gently pushes it open, revealing a few patrons idling about. Some males of varying species would either be talking amongst each other, sitting beside a female of the same species (with the occasional mixed couple here and there), or just sulking around on the their linesome.
Not paying any of them any mind, the cloaked unicorn heads directly over to the bartender - a blue coated pegasus stallion with a dark brown mane and tail, and a pair of yellow eyes. As the unicorn takes a seat in front of him, the bartender raises a curious eyebrow, and leans forward, whispering to him.
"Prince Blueblood?" he whispers.
The unicorn shakes his head, and brings a finger up to his right eye, and gently pulls on his iris... revealing it to be concealed in a colored lens.
Rather than a pair of light blue eyes, his eyes would be dark green, instead.
After covering his eye with the lens again, he replies in as quiet a whisper as the bartender, "Not entirely. Blueblood, yes, but not the prince."
The bartender smiles, seemingly relieved at Blueblood's presence.
"Thank goodness. Solaire is a bit of a handful, but... well, you're a lot more tolerable, Sir Solaris. So, uh... been busy today?" he asks.
Blueblood looks over across the room, and immediately spots an elderly-looking pegasus mare with a light green coat, and a pure white mane and tail. However, if one looks closely, they might be able to spot a very, very feint blue mark here and there.
After mentally picking the target, he looks back over at the bartender and replies, "Actually, my shift's gonna start here, really soon."
He then gives the bartender a wink, and slips a 100-bit coin on the counter. "Just a small glass of Schnapps, if you would."
The bartender's eyes slightly widen, but he nods his head and accepts the coin, then leans down below the counter, and brings up a small glass, as well as a bottle with a transparent-looking beverage inside it.
He pours the drink into the glass, and offers it to Blueblood, who in turn, nods his head appreciatively, before gesturing towards the back door with his eyes.
The bartender immediately nods in understanding, before taking a few dirty mugs and bringing them into the back room... but undoubtedly, he wouldn't dare return to the main lobby for now.
He's already been down this road before. He knows what's about to happen.
Blueblood takes the drink and closes his eyes. He feels the residue of the potion still in his throat, so he mentally prepares himself.
Then, in one fell sweep, he downs the alcoholic beverage and sets the glass on the counter.
Keeping his eyes shut, he firmly grips onto the counter, as he feels as if the inside of his throat is on fire. He can already feel the life in his body starting to drain at an alarming speed.
And as he feels like he's about to pass out... his pain turns into numbness.
He opens his eyes, and his vision is now blue... like the world around him is being viewed by the eyesight of a ghostly figure.
And yet, looking down, he sees that his body is still in his own control. He sighs in relief, before turning towards the elderly mare sitting at the table.
Instead of the elderly mare from before, however, he sees the mare from the picture, sitting where the elderly mare once was. The only difference is that her dress is that which the elderly mare was wearing.
Albeit with a slight struggle, he manages to get back onto his hooves, and approaches her table, while a few of the patrons turn and face him.
He can hear their whispers starting up... they're beginning to notice who he is... even if the lenses hide who he really is. With an internal facepalm, he realizes he's going to have to hire his beloved "aunt of the night" to clear all sorts of memories in the next few hours.
But now's the most important part.
He casually takes the seat across from the elder mare, and smiles warmly. "Good evening, ma'am." he tells her.
Her eyes slowly drift up towards him. Then she begins to snarl, though her meek-sounding voice contradicts that which her face is making.
"Oh! Why hello there, young colt! What can a simple old mare like me do for one such as yourself?" she asks him. Her lips don't move, but her malice is as clear as day to him.
He clears his throat and replies, "Oh, nothing much, milady. I was wondering if you can answer a few questions for me, right quick?"
Her voice feigns ignorance. "Oh? Sorry, young colt, I couldn't quite hear you. My ears aren't as good as they once were."
Then he lets out a sigh, and shakes his head. "I suppose you wouldn't be able to, miss. After all, you're nearing 200 years of age, I presume?"
Her glare only intensifies. He, in return, smiles at her.
Hard at hearing, his ass. She could definitely hear him... clear as crystal.
"Though unicorns of Royal Blood can live for thousands... it's quite rare for pegasi to reach even a hundred. So, mind telling me your secret?" he asks her.
She gives him no response. Her menacing glare becomes a deadpan, and at a closer glance, the corners of her mouth starts to contort into a far-too-normal scowl.
He drops his smile, and puts on a more serious expression. Then he pulls the photo out and slaps it on the table. "I know who you are, Aurora Borealis. And what's more..." He leans closer to her face, and squints his eyes at her. "I know what you are... as well as what you did."
This catches her off-guard. Her scowling expression quickly turns into one of worry and confusion.
He brings his right hand into his vest, but speaks as he does. "I've read about your unfortunate situation... losing your children, then having your life taken from you by their father. And how, despite that horrible injustice, he managed to get away with it, never losing custody of your kids... even causing them to grow into horrible grandparents, whose influence even causes problems in the Noble Homes to this day."
Then he glares at her. "But killing those children at the graveyard, just because they went there after the proper hours... even though they were only mourning the loss of their friend's mother? That's a line you shouldn't have crossed."
He then pulls a small necklace from his vest, with a white glass gem at the tip of it. The sight of it makes the mare's scowl intensify again. The tips of her teeth jut out, into four cross-laced fangs... though inside her mouth, her other teeth begin to do the same.
Ignoring this, he tells her, "So now, you have two choices here. Either get in this gem, and I have you properly exercised for, hopefully, a far more peaceful trial... or don't, and force my hand to make this ugly."
Her answer is pretty clear. She lunges her hands onto his shoulders, and in a blurring speed, throws him across the room, where he crashes into the wall, and lands on the ground. As he lets out a painful grunt, he quickly leaps to his hooves and charges after her, firmly gripping the chain of the necklace holding the gem.
She, in turn, stands up at full length, now, and opens her mouth. Her eyes immediately go black, with a tiny pair of white orbs where her pupils would be.
He stops and grits his teeth, before placing a hand over his ears, folding them over his scalp.
Then she lets out a shrilling screech that immediately makes the patrons inside the room, all of whom staring at the sight with mixtures of shock and confusion, pass out on the spot, and causing the windows and several glass objects inside the tavern to crack, with some completely shattering shortly after.
Whenever she finishes screaming, Blueblood stands back on his hooves and lifts the chained gem forward... only to realize that her scream shattered the gem amongst the chaos.
He lets out a small, frustrated sigh. "Well, fuck."
Tossing the now useless chain to the side, he's about to reach into his back pocket, but quickly brings his arms up in front after seeing the creature closing in too fast for him to draw a weapon. He barely manages to catch her wrists, and her face lurches after him; all feminine features now lost, in favor of a more fanged, skeletal feature with rotten flesh and minor traces of fur here and there. Her once luscious blue mane, now as white as her disguised form, and the white tints of her irises glowing even brighter.
The true form of a Banshee.
Blueblood, despite having been tossed and now knelt halfway down the ground, smirks at the creature. "Damn, you're ugly! For once, the pictures actually do you justice!"
Its response is a loud hiss, before it grips his wrists and throws him out the nearest window, and into the alleyway.
He anticipates this, however, and curls up to brace for impact. Then when he reaches the cobblestone streets, he rolls a bit, before quickly regaining his footing... only for the Banshee to lunge out of the window, and tackle him to the ground completely.
His hands now gripping her wrists, he starts to slowly pick her back up. Noticing this, however, she hisses in anger, and her fingers protrude into claws, stopping just an inch from his eyes.
He flinches slightly at the close proximity, before quickly rushing his head to the right, mere seconds as her claws plunge into the floor, impaling through the stone with ease.
Using the brief distraction the creature has, due to it needing to retract its claws, he rolls to the side, out from underneath it, and delivers a kick to its face.
The impact makes the creature recoil a bit, but as quickly as it came, it recovers and grips his leg with both hands.
Then it stands back up, twirls him briefly, and launches him across the street, into a pile of wooden crates.
He groans, and sits back up. Spitting some of the blood out of his mouth, he stands back up and approaches the banshee, albeit a bit slower.
It hisses again, then charges towards him.
With a quick golden glow of his horn, he swings his right palm towards the banshee, and sends a light orb after it.
Though the banshee quickly moves to the side, the orb homes in on it, and crashes into its chest.
The banshee roars in pain, and slides into a halt, before hunching down on all fours, turns around, and begins to dash away.
"Oh no you don't!"
Blueblood glares at the creature, and starts picking up speed, now giving full chase to the banshee through the dark streets of Canterlot Slums.
The banshee quickly slices the legs of a table carrying several barrels, and the barrels fall to the floor, rolling in-between it and Blueblood.
Blueblood quickly leaps over the barrels, and sends another bolt of light at the creature.
It singes the left side of its back a little, and makes the creature stumble a bit, allowing Blueblood time to close in. Its eyes then blacken, and it begins to hover, forcing Blueblood to roll into a nearby alleyway and cover his ears.
Then it screeches loudly, causing several of the windows around it to crack.
But this would actually be a mistake on the banshee's part. The noise makes several of the inhabitants turn their lights on, which illuminates the alley, and causes the bits of exposed flesh to burn off the banshee.
Its scream becomes a pained screech, before it leaps onto a rooftop, and begins rushing away.
Blueblood keeps it in his sights, however, and leaps onto a table, then climbs up a few crates, before scaling onto a rooftop, himself, and rushing after the creature that's a couple rooftops ahead of him.
He leaps onto the second roof with ease, seeing how it's right next to the first one he was one, but ends up having to grip the edge of the next one with his hands and pull himself up, since that one is across the road.
All the while, the creature continues to gain more distance, much to Blueblood's chagrin. But then, he notices an old, worn down building at the creature's path, and gets an idea. He launches a bolt of light, but it ends up missing the creature, and hitting the worn-down building, instead.
The building begins to emit a very, very feint glow that only Blueblood could see, then darkens back into its natural state.
The creature leaps onto the rooftop of the old building, and nearly leaps straight onto the next, but as soon as its hooves touch the surface of the building, the creature falls inside the building, and screeches as it lands on the floor down below.
Blueblood hops from the building next to it, and climbs down the windowsills. He checks around, and mentally notes that, thankfully, the houses in this particular area are unoccupied. That's less magic he has to use... which already is starting to run close to empty.
He reaches behind his waist, and draws a small crescent-moon shaped blade, and steps inside the front doorframe. The creature is repeatedly banging at the space between the doorframe on the opposite end of the room, which seems to be surrounded by a magical barrier.
Blueblood spits a bit more blood out of his mouth and takes a defensive stance as the creature turns around and hisses at him.
"Nowhere left to run, now." he tells it.
The creature stretches its hands out, and again, its claws stretch out, nearing one and a half feet in length. Then it charges at him, and swipes for his head.
He ducks below its arm and slices the crescent blade into its right hip, before standing and lifting his blade to block its next blind jab.
Blueblood then leaps back as the creature takes another swipe at him, slicing into the front of his cloak, and causing it to fall to the ground. It swipes at him again, but he side-steps and swings the blade into its left shoulder.
It hisses again, and grips his wrist. Then it pulls his arm in front of its chest and bites down on his right forearm, forcing him to drop his knife, and grip its lower jaw with his left hand, prying it open.
The creature lifts its right hoof up and kicks him on the chest, sending him flying into the wall, but not breaking through it... though a noticeable dent can be seen.
He quickly grips onto his right arm and grits his teeth, as blood begins to pour from the bite marks... but then, he grins and looks up at the banshee, who begins walking towards him.
Then its fangs begin to smoke and small embers begin to crackle. Its flesh begins to char rapidly below its chin, and down its throat.
It makes an attempt to screech, but all it can do is make a choking noise, instead. It falls on all fours and stares at Blueblood in horror.
Blueblood, meanwhile, regains his footing and lightly chuckles. "Uh-oh. Looks like someone forgot who they were dealing with."
He takes a step forward, while the banshee backs away.
"There's a reason why the Dark-born don't draw blood from the Royals. Especially the ones who have the powers of the sun literally flowing in their veins."
"In other words, my dear," he brings his right hand up to his face and closes his eyes, concentrating the last of his magic towards his fingertips, then concludes, "... you sealed your own fate."
Now beyond enraged, the banshee lunges at him with both arms outstretched, aiming to impale him in the chest.
Sensing the banshee's movements, however, he steps to the left, brings his hand downward, with two fingers together, outstretched. Then, with one fell swoop upwards, a golden glowing beam of energy emerges from his fingertips, stretching two feet outward.
The beam slices through both of the banshee's hands, cleaving them off with ease. The banshee's momentum forces it to crash into the wall and tumble backwards.
Blueblood adjusts the angle of his hand, and sweeps at the banshee's waist, sending its upper torso falling back, sliding further than its legs, which upon landing on the ground, go limp.
The banshee struggles to back away from him as he walks up to its helpless form. Its anger is now completely replaced with fear, as it helplessly tries to back away from him.
From its perspective, it sees him as more than just a unicorn, now. With his horn, the beam from his outstretched hand, and even his glowing eyes, it now sees a threat far greater than it.
He places his right hoof onto its chest and brings the beam just inches over its right shoulder.
"Ad inferos tecum!" he utters to it in Ancient Equish - its meaning long forgotten by most, but remembered greatly by spirits from that age.
And it surely understands. It opens its mouth to shriek, even though it has no way of doing so anymore, before he quickly swipes the beam across, and through, its neck.
Its head rolls to the side, and its whole body goes limp.
Blueblood bends his fingers down just a tiny bit, and the beam, as well as the glow from his horn and his eyes, all fade away.
He wheezes, as the effects of the numbing agents, and adrenaline, finally wear off. After struggling to walk for even two more steps, he collapses onto his back and closes his eyes, fighting the severe burning in his lungs, and the throbbing muscles in his arms, his legs, and his back.
He turns to his right, and again, he can see the face of the lady from the picture. A single tear drops from her right eye, trailing down her face, before falling onto the ground.
Then he looks away from it, and closes his own eyes, as his consciousness quickly fades.
He gasps, and opens his eyes, while the morning sunlight begins to loom over the back wall, and into the old room. Blueblood groans, as he feels his muscles aching all over, then looks to his right, only to see a pony-like skull staring back at him, with old, withered fangs protruding from its jaw.
He then slowly sits back up and stretches his chest out, before reaching onto his back, and ripping out a small shard of glass.
With a sigh, he tosses the shard aside, and feels around for any more foreign objects lodged into his body. Thankfully finding none, he sacrifices some of his energy to mend his wounds. Though they would still be quite sore, he'd at least have a thick enough layer of skin to let them heal up properly. Add a small illusion spell, and his fur simply blends over the scars... at a naked glance, at least.
He stands back up onto his hooves and begins to gather the skeletal remains of the banshee, and piles it all into the center of the room. Then, he reaches into his vest and pulls out a tube of pink salt. He sprinkles the salt all over the bones, and makes a small ring encircling it completely. Finally, with a small spark of magic, he tosses a tiny fire orb into the center of the bones, igniting it into a small flame.
Blueblood lets it burn down into ashes, which for this particular set of bones, only takes a couple minutes, before waving the fire out, and pulling the empty vial back out of his vest.
He leans down and scoops up some of the ashes, then seals it shut and slides it into his pocket. Finally, with his work done, he gathers all his gear back (the knife and the cloak, in this case), steps out of the building, and heads off towards the Northern District... then finally, the castle.
Getting into the castle isn't an issue for him. With his lenses on, and simply lowering his cloak for the guards to see, they easily mistake him for his "cousin".
At least... that's what the public knows.
A little-known family secret that he holds dearly... a secret that even Solaire Blueblood doesn't know... is that Princess Celestia isn't really their aunt, but rather, their mother.
By legal complications, however, his father was cast from the public eye, due to having impregnated the princess without a legal marriage. Although their love was challenged, though, they eventually came to an agreement, once both families gathered around.
Princess Celestia could keep Solaire, and a distant relative of hers would adopt him into their home (thus allowing him the privilege of being a Prince, and Princess Celestia's "Nephew" by legal documents), while Solaris went with his father in his travels.
This would be a difficult choice Princess Celestia had to make... but one she knew she had to agree upon.
It was no secret to Solaris, of course... but to Solaire, he grew up his entire life believing Princess Celestia to be his aunt - a tidbit of knowledge he will, hopefully, believe all the way to the end.
Princess Celestia, of course, trusted a select few guards to bring Solaire out of the castle in secret prior to this particular contract... after all, the thought of having two Bluebloods would just throw the Nobility out of control.
And thankfully, because of this, he has been given a week to take on this task, under the guise of his brother.
This would be the sixth day. The previous days, he spent investigating every nook and cranny, from finding the culprit of the deaths of four children in a graveyard... all of whom were still, physically, intact, without any poison in their bodies to bring a logical conclusion to the labs.
In other words, they just mysteriously "dropped dead". A side-effect that only a few could come up with an answer for.
And so, Princess Celestia reached out for her beloved son, who at the moment, is now sitting in her room, with several patches over the bruises in his body, and a pouting white Alicorn Princess brushing the dust out of his mane.
"I'm fine, Mom. Really." he says, deadpanning at his own reflection while Princess Celestia merely snorts.
"Exactly! Just 'fine', and not 'perfectly healthy', like you said you would be!" she counters.
He sighs. "It was a late night, that's all. Besides, you said it was probably a Poltergeist. At least those would just require a simple spell, and they'd be cleared off. But to my luck, it happened to be a Banshee, instead."
"And you couldn't get your human friend to help you?" she asks.
He rolls his eyes. "No, Mom. He's taking care of some business in Ponyville. Speaking of, I need to hurry over there as soon as we're done here."
She pauses, and raises a confused eyebrow at him. "You literally just finished a job, and now you want to go straight into another one?"
Blueblood shrugs his shoulders. "Well, someone's gotta keep your kingdom safe. And no, I don't just mean your former student, and her friends. I mean safe from the things that could threaten them."
Celestia sighs, and sets the hairbrush down on the dresser. She then kneels to Blueblood's eye-level, and places her hands on his shoulders. "I understand, Solaris. It's in your blood, after all... but please, don't do anything too reckless, okay? Just... promise me you'll take things seriously while you're out and about."
He smirks, before gently cupping her hands with his own. "Hey, don't worry, Mom. I'm not my brother, and I'm not my dad. I do take things seriously, even if I get my dad's little cocky attitude every now and then."
She smiles brightly at him, and uses her magic to remove the blue lenses from his green eyes. Then, with an understanding nod, she tells him, "You're right... you aren't them. You're so much more to me than that... I just wish your brother would set aside his own ego for once in his life."
Blueblood sighs. "Uncle Bitsworth really screwed him up, didn't he?"
Celestia shakes her head. "As much as it pains me to say it, I feel partly to blame. I should've at least visited him more... perhaps help plant the seeds of positive influence into his mind."
Blueblood pats her arms. "Hey, none of that Mom. You're the ruler of the whole nation... co-ruler now, but then was before Aunt Luna returned. You had a whole lot going on that you couldn't set aside. You've poured your heart and soul to this whole country. So you have nothing to be sorry for. What he became is because of the choices he made. Not you."
Her smile grows a bit more with each word. Then, when he finishes speaking, she pulls him in for a hug... which makes him groan.
"Oww! Ribs! Ribs!"
Immediately, she pulls back and yelps. "OH MY GOSH! S-SORRY! DOES IT HURT?!"
He waves a dismissive hand at her and shakes his head. "No, no, it's fine. Just a little tender, still. But anyways, I really should get going, now." Then he reaches into his vest and pulls out the vial of Banshee Ashes, and offers it to her.
She takes it and looks carefully at the vial. Then she looks at him, as if wondering what to do with it.
Reading her expression clearly, he says, "That's the ashes from the banshee. Get a Faustian Priest to sprinkle it over the childrens' bodies, then cremate them. It'll release their souls from Purgatory, so that their bodies don't become banshees, themselves."
Celestia nods her head and carefully sets the vial onto the dresser. "Of course!"
Blueblood then adds, "And the rest of its ashes are in that old, burnt warehouse in the Slums. If the priest screws something up, the ashes spill, or the priest uses too much on a body, then you can get more from the center of the warehouse's room. Just... make sure they get it done before a month's passed. Otherwise, you'll have four banshees for us to deal with."
Celestia nods again. "Understood. I'll make sure they get it done today."
"Thanks, Mom. I know you will." he says, giving her a knowing smile.
Suddenly, the door begins to knock. "Your Highness! Prince Blueblood has returned, and he's on his way to see you, now!" a muffled female's voice calls out from the other side.
Celestia gasps, and stares at the door. "Already?! He was supposed to be back tomorrow!"
The female replies, "I-I know, Your Highness, but he insisted! A-a-and was... th-thre-threatening to s-send us and our f-families to the st-stocks if we r-refused!"
Celestia plants her face into her palm, and a wave of irritation fills her. "Of course, he would play the Title Card... like always..."
Blueblood smiles at her and asks, "You want me to beat some sense into him, 'Aunty'? I can show my 'Cousin' how we got our ranks in the first place!~"
She giggles, and shakes her head. "As much as I'd love to see him get put in the right place, I fear the Nobles wouldn't take too kindly to seeing their primary source of income tossed around like a ragdoll."
Then, a male's voice calls out from the other side of the door. "What are you doing?! I said that I expected you to carry my luggage to my room, not Auntie Celestia's!"
The female stammers, "I-I was just a-a-an-announc-cing your a-arrival, P-Pri-"
And then a resounding slap can be heard, coming from the other side of the door.
Celestia's pupils immediately shrink, and she backs up, carefully looking at Solaris with a worried expression.
Solaris sighs, and closes his eyes, before pulling his hood over his head again, and standing from his seat. "Sorry, Mom, but I need to do this, now."
And so he quickly opens the door.
On the other side, a frightened looking Earth Pony maid is somewhat standing, somewhat leaning towards the wall, holding her left cheek with both hands, with her eyes firmly shut. Her coat is light pink, and her mane is light blue with mint green stripes. It's cut short, and tied into a ponytail.
And right in front of her, of course, is a male unicorn that's the spitting image of Solaris Blueblood, aside from having light blue eyes, rather than dark green. Unlike Solaris, he is wearing an expensive-looking tuxedo.
Without saying a word, Solaris quickly wraps his arm around the mare, and grips the stallion firmly by the ear, and brings the two of them inside Celestia's room, then gently shuts the door behind him with his right hoof, and shoves the stallion towards the dresser, not firm enough to slam him into it, but at least enough for him to stop just short of it.
For the mare, however, he gently releases her from his embrace, and walks over to the dresser, where the stallion is.
"What the- HOW DARE YOU, YOU IMPUTENT OAF! DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHO-" the stallion begins, only to be silenced when Solaris firmly grips his ear again, and pulls down on it, forcing the stallion to hunch down, whining.
"Now Solaire, I thought you knew better than to strike a lady like that. Have you no honor for your family?" Solaris berates him, not loudly, but with enough stern authority to get the message across.
Solaire blinks owlishly, and stammers, "S-Solaris?!"
Hearing his own name being used, Solaris grins and releases Solaire's ear, allowing him to straighten his posture back up.
"W-what are you doing here?! Aunty, what is he-" he begins, only for Solaris to cover his mouth.
"What's wrong? Can't have a Family Reunion every once in a while?" he asks.
Solaire glares at him and shakes his head. "Not here, with you! You could ruin everything, if the Nobles find out there's two of us! You could ruin Auntie Celestia's reputation, my own reputation, and the whole castle can-"
Solaris silences him again, this time by simply covering his snout with a hand, and clamping his mouth shut. "Yes, yes, don't blow a gasket. I'm actually just here to wrap things up from a job I had to do... because unlike you, who went out on vacation, I actually went out to help people." Then he pokes him on the chest, and adds, "And I didn't leave my work half-done, either. I actually finished my job a day early, while you couldn't even handle a vacation."
Solaire pulls back from his grasp, and glares at him for a moment... before adjusting his tie and holds his head up high. "Well if you had been to the Butterfly Islands, you'd have probably wanted to leave early, too!"
Solaris rolls his eyes. "Actually, I have been there. And from what it seems, you stuck to the Northern Wing, didn't you?"
"... Your point?"
Solaris facepalms. "The point is, if you'd have gone to the Southern Wing, you would've found the tropical half of it!"
Solaire gasps. "T-the TROPICAL area?! With all of that heat and humidity?! That would ruin my complexion!"
Solaris deadpans at him. "The heat and humidity is nothing compared to the saunas you go to on a regular basis."
"W-well even still! I was never informed about that!" he argues.
Solaris nods his head. "They were written on the brochures, and the signs near the entrance. Something tells me you were too busy admiring yourself to really pay attention to that, though."
Solaire rolls his eyes and looks away from him. "Hmph! Well enough about that! So, what all did you do around here, anyways?"
Solaris folds his arms over his chest. "I wasn't working around here, per se. I was checking all around Canterlot."
This makes Solaire do a double-take. "Excuse me?! YOU went out and worked with the public?!"
Solaris nods his head and picks his blue lenses back up, showing them to Solaire, then pockets them back into their container, which he then puts into his vest. "Yes. Under your image, too."
Solaire folds his arms and harrumphs. "Hmph! Well you better not have ruined my reputation doing your hokey investigations!"
Solaris merely deadpans at him and retorts, "I could literally piss on an Altar of Faust in the middle of a sermon, and it'd still improve your reputation."
The maid covers her mouth and snorts a bit, trying to hold back a snicker, but she quickly starts to hunch her head down when Solaire glares at her and points his finger her way, as if to silence her.
But her slight amusement is once again regained when Solaris casually grips onto his finger with two of his own, and applies enough pressure on it to have the prince keeling over and whining, as he tries in vain to pull from his twin's grip.
Then when Solaris does release his grip from Solaire, he approaches the maid, smiling warmly, and soothingly. The maid can only start to blush as he approaches her, before he brings a hand up, and gently brushes her cheek.
"Anyways... hello, my dear. I hope my cousin hasn't been causing you trouble. You'll have to excuse him... he is an idiot. The Nobility have clearly trained him wrong... as a joke."
Solaire glares at him and stomps over. "Now see here, you-"
But his complaints are shut down again, as Solaris clamps his snout shut once more, and deadpans at him. "Yes, yes. Go cry in a corner, child. The grown-ups are talking, now."
Solaire pulls back again, and folds his arms, holding his head up and angled away; a true testament to him being spoiled and bratty.
Then Solaris swiftly, and gently, grasps the maid's right hand and brings it up, where he plants a gentle kiss on the back of her palm, making her blush only intensify.
"As I was saying, my dear, please do not hold it against him, nor to the rest of his family. I can assure you, what he did was uncalled for, and he will be disciplined accordingly. In the meantime, though, I humbly request that you keep my presence here, as well as my existence altogether, a secret, please." He brings his other hand up to her chin, and gently brushes it with the side of his finger. "The truth is, should the Nobles find out that there's another Blueblood roaming around, it could cause Princess Celestia far more trouble than it is worth... can we trust you with this, milady?"
She quickly nods her head, and smiles at him, like a poor soul caught in a siren's song. "O-o-of course, y-your Lordship!"
He smiles back at her, and gently brushes her cheek again. "Oh please, my dear... you may call me Solaris. And sadly, I must be off, now. Duty calls, and all that."
Then he turns around and starts walking over to one of Princess Celestia's balcony windows - the one facing the outside of the Castle Walls. Using his magic, he opens it up and hops onto the banister, causing the maid to quickly step forward, as if to stop him... but Celestia gently brings an arm forward and stops her, giving her a knowing, reassuring nod.
But even still, the maid feels obliged to ask, anyways.
"W-what are you doing?! That window leads straight down the mountain!"
He turns around and smiles, nodding his head. "As faulty as Solaire is, he was right about one thing. If others see me roaming around freely, they'd freak out. So, I'm just gonna take the backway!"
Celestia clears her throat. "I'll mail your payment to the Ponyville Tavern! Expect it when you get there!"
He salutes her. "Will do! And hey, buy her something nice for me, yeah? Oh, and... make sure Sunny boy there carries the luggage that she was ordered to carry for him, please!"
Celestia smiles, and shakes her head. "Sorry, Solaris, but I can't just do that."
Solaire grins and nods his head triumphantly.
"He's going to carry all his luggage, instead!" she adds.
Solaire's demeanor drops in an instant, and he stares at her, flabbergasted. "Wait, WHAT?!"
She gives him a clever smirk. "Something wrong with that, dearest nephew?"
He stomps his hoof down. "Th-the luggage is heavy, though! And most of it is Magic Proof, so I'd have to carry it by hand!"
She shrugs her shoulders. "You could use the exercise! After all, wouldn't that be good for your figure?"
He pouts at her, but she leans forward and her grin grows more wicked. "Oh, and I'll make sure to have my guards watch you do so. Which means, no bribes or bribery attempts will go past my ears!"
This makes Solaire's ears fold back, and his blood run cold.
Celestia tilts her head. "Is that going to be a problem, dear nephew?"
He knows that look. She's very, very livid, right now. So naturally, in his own methods of self-preservation, he shakes his head. "N-no ma'am, Auntie Celestia! N-not a problem in the slightest!"
"Good!~" she says in a sing-song voice, before waving at Solaris. "Anyways, be safe out there, Solaris! And write back soon!"
Solaris nods at her. "Will do! Take care, everyone!"
And with that, he crosses his arms over his chest, and falls backwards, down the windowsill.
Unable to hold herself anymore, the maid quickly rushes towards the windowsill and looks down... only to blink in surprise when she sees him disappear in a golden light, with a feint flash appearing at the bottom of the mountain underneath. She squints her eyes, and notices that it's him, completely unscathed, and brushing his hooves.
Then, she sees him turn back around, and give her a salute, before walking onward towards Ponyville from within the woods underneath.
All the while, she thinks to herself, "Just who exactly was that?!"
Deep in the oldest archives of Canterlot, one might find a few passages here and there... passages of things that most would deem "unnatural", "sinister"... "monsters".
Things like Demons, for example. Or Vampires, Zombies, Revenants, Werewolves, Ghosts... the things that'd typically go "bump" in the night.
Stories that, to this day, have been leaked out in the works of fiction. Threats that folk would usually laugh at, or shudder in fear over. Threats that little to none believe...
Threats that are, in fact, real. And still out there. Hunting. Prowling. Killing those who are unaware... sometimes, even blending in among the crowds.
Wolves in sheep's clothing.
Blueblood lowers his hood and looks up at the sign ahead, which reads, "Welcome to Ponyville!". He lets out a light smirk, before heading over to an old-looking cellar near the entrance.
He hovers a golden glowing orb in front of the cellar, and notices the ram's skull pattern with the crossed blades underneath - a perfect match to the one back in the Canterlot Slums.
With his magic, he simply opens the door and steps down the stairway, as the sound of music begins to play from within.
... But then, comes a tale undocumented from those archives.
A tale of ordinary people, with an extraordinary task.
They seek out the threats that prowl about, day and night, and deliver swift justice, so that they can never threaten the peace, again.
These heroes come from all walks of life. From the Highest of Nobility, to the Lowest of Peasantry. And in most cases, they live short, and die young.
And despite this, and a long history of death rendering their forces to nothing more than whispers here and there, they press on.
These heroes, we call...
The Hunters.