Glittering Gold, Jewels, and Baubles
In the lands of Equestria there are all kinds of creatures you kind find. From the mighty dragons and alicorns to the lowly rats that hide beneath cities and sometimes among the populace themselves. Every creature needs a way to survive, some make a living serving others, some find their place selling their hard earned produce.
I'm somewhat different in that regard, I travel the lands and meet exotic new creatures that many don't even realize exist. I find them, and take them to brand new locations, or if they're particularly… unlucky it's somewhere familiar. The client places the job on the walls and some creature might find it worth the bits and take the dive.
What I am called is a bounty hunter. I don't need a fancy title or any such accolades, like a ‘bail enforcement agent’. My work is dirty and I'm only equine. I grab the best jobs available and nothing less. A lot of the time it's some poor sod who lost family or some such to a local robber baron and they pulled everything they had and then some for the mark.
Every now and then it's some creature or another that was slighted by some unsuspecting clod and I pull in quite a few bits for an easy catch.
Then there's the marks that are barely worth it. Glittering gold, jewels, and baubles reflecting the light directly into your eyes. Seemingly always able to blind anypony who's offered despite the helmet they wear.
My name is Void spark but most just call me hunter or spark. I was raised with two older siblings and have two wonderful parents and what I do, is for them. Raised from the mud we grew up in, my parents afforded us the absolute best they could. We never went hungry, even if it meant they would sleep with growling stomachs for a few nights. When I was old enough I tried doing whatever I could to help pay for things around our home, but with five mouths to feed it was never enough. Then one day there was a pony whose chickens were being killed.
I don't remember his name but he was old and his chickens were his lifeline so when something was killing them he posted a bounty. My first bounty, i remember watching the chickens day in and out waiting for something to happen and eventually something did, a coyote, fat from the prey it was hunting showed up, with my dads axe i snuck my way near it and as it hunched up to leap at the birds my axe came down.
The five hundred bits I earned that day meant more to me than the cutie mark I had gotten, a wanted poster with a nondescript pony on it and an unreadable script with a bullseye tacked on the side. My father was so happy he spent the whole night forging the helmet I wear to this day. It's a work of art and if anypony says otherwise they can say it to my axe.
It was a Valsegarde Helmet, a formidable piece of armor, forged from polished steel with a sleek design. Its faceplate has narrow, slotted eye openings. The helmet is adorned with subtle, engraved patterns and a crest running along the top, A reinforced neck guard extends from the back and front, providing additional protection. Designed to protect and intimidate this helmet was made with the pride and joy of a father on a mission.
We had a feast that day and I was never happier to see my family fed. That day I knew what I wanted from this world, and through the enchanted visor of my helmet my eyes could only see the gold and jewels that lay before me.
I was pursuing the shadow market for any bounties that might catch my eye. Big bits for good hunts, my armor was particularly expensive but a while back I had found something of a sponsor he or she paid out the snout for seemingly simple marks. never there to issue the bounty or provide payment. only ever done via proxies but i didn't get paid to ask questions. I had found myself going down the path of an archaeologist rather than a bounty hunter. But with the bits they were paying I wasn't going to question their reasons.
As a self trained and practiced bounty hunter I had to work my everything off for every bit, jewel, blade, and even the armor I wore. But with every successful catch and return I earned more to do even harder and more complicated jobs. Now here I was standing before the last pony I'd ever thought I would see in a place like this.
Prince Blueblood in the flesh, with an extravagant gold blue cloak that made him stand out more than anything else here. A well groomed, white furred stallion with a done up golden mane and large build with teal eyes. Looking uncomfortable on the dingy little wooden chairs that were available in the workshop the shadow market offered for business transactions.
I simply remained standing as he pulled out a large chest from behind himself and revealed the contents. All I could see were bits piled high and impossibly from the chest itself.
“Greetings, I've come to you with something that requires your ‘delicate’ hooves” he pantomimes the word delicate with his hooves. “As an unofficial job for the crown I need you to bring me a rogue guardstallion” he grimaces “who may or may not have learned something outside his pay grade.” he looks off into the distance behind me at the old wooden door of our booth.
Getting his attention by putting an old bounty paper on the desk i tap at the bottom text
‘Dead or alive’. With a blink he looks at my hoof “ oh nonono no need to get so grim i- the crown needs him alive and preferable soon.” He taps the chest of riches and closes the lid “we are prepared to offer you this chest of exactly 100 thousand bits worth of assorted treasures, you have proven satisfactory in the past and those idols you returned to us were as intact as could be expected and as such I would like you specifically to take this task.” So Blueblood was the pony who paid me to find artifacts? He was my benefactor?
He looks at me in the visor as he passes me a photograph of who I assume my target is. He looks like a young unicorn stallion around my age, if not older. He has a two toned blue mane and a white coat of fur, his eyes are blue and he looks like somepony just insulted his mother.
Clearing his throat “His name is Shining Armor, current captain of the royal guard. now my good mare.. Or stallion?”
Now I realize I haven't described myself in any particular fashion other than my precious helm. I'm a unicorn stallion whose armor is made up of a Valsegarde Helmet and a Gambeson over some scale armor. It’s modified and personalized with quite an array of enchantments, glamor spells and illusions with a small amount of remember me not spells of various tiers.
Armored and spiked horseshoes for melee combat and climbing and some barbed wire bells in my tail for non-magical surprise attacks, somewhat similar to the steel feathers I've seen pegasi use and like those it's only good against unarmored targets. Some paralytic caltrops and my weapon of choice is a hoof axe made out of dragon blight steel at the axe head.
Dragon blight steel is an illegal material due to its effects on any magic it comes into contact with. The worst possible outcome happens to a unicorn, as with the output of magic being the deciding factor of the feedback, it gets sent right down the horn and will most likely destroy it… painfully.
Most creatures that can use active magic have a healthy fear of it but I use it for the surprise factor. If somepony shoots a spell at me I can block it with my axe and send it back, with the bonus of crippling the target either temporarily or permanently with mana feedback. Telekinesis is also tricky as the feedback while not crippling stops mana use for around 30 minutes and is very painful, so I only grab it by the hilt, but most unicorns tend to wrap anything they grab with mana thus touching the steel.
I don't make a habit of taking off my armor even when sleeping unless I'm completely alone. My armor makes me look bulky and for the unprepared? Intimidating, but underneath I have white unkempt fur and golden eyes with a blue tail that has a red stripe going down. but as far as the prince can see I'm just a heavily armored pony.
“I'll have him here for you in at least a week, the payment for the captain of the royal guard is sufficient, is there anything specific pertaining to the mark?”
The prince seems to think something over before gesturing to the good Captains cutie mark, a shield with a star in the middle and three more stars on top “as you might be able to ascertain the Captain is a highly capable stallion and quite formidable with his shields but I'm sure you have something for that, right good sir?”
Looking at the prince I grab the bounty page “yes thank you for the information, I'm sure it’ll come in use, forewarned is forearmed.” the prince gets up from the little chair walking to the door and teleports the chest away somewhere “I hope to see exemplary results from you sir Hunter, Ill see you when the work is done.” he puts the bright hood up and walks out of the booth leaving me alone as I think about what I would need for a high priority job such as this.
While I am sure I can take the captain there is a very possible chance he will be surrounded by other guards. I'll need to prepare for that as well. I head out of the booth with a nod to the barkeep and walk out into the open market.
Out here there's plenty to see of Canterlots lower city that make up the shadow market. The royal guards don't come here often enough to mean anything and the nobles or well off folk up in the middle and upper city are too busy to notice what and who is below them. There's plenty to be had down here if you know where to look, and its into the heart of Equestria all good things flow.
I find myself in front of the zebra alchemist Toruk, a secretive stallion who has a host of potions, lotions, and other such tonics. He's a squat zebra with grey green robes covering most of his body and some sort of cultural mask in the shape of a griffon's beak covering his face. I don't know what he looks like under the clothes but he's a stout sort and has fixed me up on more than one occasion.
While he is quiet, if you can get him started on how his tonics are turning out he can and will talk your ears off “greetings my friend it seems you've not yet met your end. If potions are what you need I've an ocean's worth indeed.” I KNOW he doesn't need to rhyme but at some point he figured out it bothers me and has done it literally every time we talk, I think he thinks he's funny.
Giving him a nod “hello Toruk I've got a new job to do and I need something to potentially knock out a group of fully grown stallions and powerful mages that might be among them.”
“I see I see then perhaps the royal castle is where your target may be?” I can hear the grin behind the mask as he says this before he reaches for something under the counter and pushes it towards me. It's a bright neon green bottle with some sort of zebra script written on it
“A spit of this at your foes and they'll be in no shape for any blows, a blight so bright even the sun would say goodnight in fact I say tha-” I interrupt “enough I get it, how much for this tonic of yours?”
He leans towards me as a more menacing aura seems to flow into the small hut “A unicorn's horn I would ask, after you complete your task, I know it won't be an easy day but that is the pay for which I pray.” I find myself jerking my head back a bit at the request. As a unicorn myself I can feel the sympathy pain in my own horn. Toruk has asked me to bring him scales, claws and teeth but never has he asked me for something like that.
Seeing my reaction he continues, this time without his infernal rhyming “ I know this is something that may be difficult for you but that will be something I need, and you're the only pony in this damn city that has a chance of actually getting me one. So I'm willing to take the loss on this sale, but please try to get me one as soon as possible.”
I reach for the potion “no, don't worry, I'll get you one when I can. In my line of work that won't be impossible for me, in fact I'll be able to get you one within the week thanks to this."
I can see his eyes light up in the eye sockets of his mask “that's splendid my friend i was worried I'd have to have one ordered from home and that would have been uh hehe expensive” he pulls at the collar of his robes “so you have my gratitude and the tonic, please take care and do hurry.” he waves me out.
Walking out with the potion in my bag I head to the drake market, a special market that the dragons tend to use for selling the most... Frowned upon gems, those or just the ones that are just straight up illegal, but today I just need a more normal set of gems.
Walking into the extra big building I never can get enough of the sheer opulence of the drakes court of jewels. Gold and gems are freely placed on the walls, ceiling and in some places the very floors. Everything from sapphires to diamonds and jade.
The dragons have nothing to fear down here as they fund the whole of the shadow market. They set the rules, price and the politics that let the market exist uncontested by the royal guard in the first place
Trotting up to the drake at the desk he looks at me despondently “what do you need or want little pony? Gems? Scales or fangs?”
Placing five hundred bits on the counter “I need a teleport jewel and a receiver diamond and..” I place another two hundred bits “I need you to forget this conversation”
The drake bares his teeth. Or grins I can't really tell while placing the gems on the desk for me “you were never here and it was just another boring old night in this hut” he put the bits in the box behind him with his tail as I walked out.
With my business in the market done I drop the receiver diamond into the booth. I met Blueblood in and headed out to the tunnels of the lower district.
The tunnels that lead in and out of the shadow market are long and complicated to the uninitiated so I typically teleport out, and with the tonic, crystals and my standard equipment I should be able to capture my mark and get out quickly with him in tow. Activating a concealment spell I head out into the city proper and trot to my apartment
Releasing my spell I head into my room. It's a small place but big enough for what I need with a repair rack for my equipment and a bed alongside a kitchen for me to cook whatever I need. Taking off my armor and placing it on the side of the bed, pulling my helmet off I look it over for any marks or dents that may need fixing. Finding nothing I set it down next to my armor and lie down in my little bed for sleep..
THREE DAYS LATER
Utilizing my concealment spells I was able to find Shining Armor and started to memorize his schedule and patterns. It was on the fourth day that I had an opening. Shining Armor walked into the training courtyard with a group of eight ponies with him.
Shining put on his helmet “alright colts the brass has been jumping down my throat about upping the efficacy of the guard and if they're on my flanks, I'm on yours. So today we're working till you drop. The squad after you might have a better time.”
This was what I was waiting for, a perfect opportunity to get my mark. After a few hours of them training and me preparing myself for another hunt. Lifting my helmet I take a mouthful of Toruk’s elixir and spit it out as quietly and as far as I can, after it hits the air I hear one of the guards ask “were we expecting fog?” right before he falls down unconscious
As his head hits the ground the captain looks at him and then the other guards as they fall before he begins to sway a bit himself, his horn glows and a shield forms around his head and then he somehow looks straight at me.
Now despite popular belief, fighting is a brutal affair, quick and dirty. The first one to land a direct blow usually wins and I'll be honest I wasn't aware that the good Captain was such a master of shields to the point he could allow oxygen through but not other chemicals. An otherwise extremely impressive feat but right now? Horrifying.
From what I understood of the blight tonic, it mixes with the users saliva to essentially render them immune to that specific spray but the addition of saliva forces the blight to dissipate rapidly. If I couldn't finish this in about 6 more seconds he might be able to turn this around.
Teleporting down to his left I toss my caltrops at him while attempting to shoulder check him into them. He rears back and slams his hooves into the back of my head, thankfully my helm absorbs the worst of the blow and I turn around and punch my front hoof forward into his chest forcing the air out of his lungs and grabbing him in my magic and tossing him towards the awaiting caltrops, right before he would make contact a pink floor materializes in between the two.
Cursing my luck I charge him. Avoiding my own caltrops I slam my front hooves into his chest, again forcing the air out of his lungs before attempting to slam the flat end of my axe into his head. Ducking his head, Shining dodges my axe and uppercuts me with his bubbled head.
Taking a moment to look at my target I see him holding his bleeding chest before glaring at me “you're gonna pay for that I hope you realize-” I charge him again and at the last second turn around slapping his bubble with my barbed wire tail and buck him in the chest sending him flying.
This time he does land on my caltrops and with a grunt he gets up. Rushing him with my axe drawn I slam helm first into a pink wall.
“Your fog is gone, I win, surrender.” he grins at me as he trots closer “the guards best couldn't break my shields so there's no way you stand a chance just drop your weapon and surrender”
Walking up to the shield wall I look the good Captain in the eye “Captain Shining Armor there is a bounty for your head…” I tap my axe blade to his shield and watch as the mana feeds back into his horn causing a twitch in his eye as he falls to the ground with a shout.
Walking up to his writhing prone body I see his panicked eyes as he most likely tries to use his magic again “and I've come to collect.” raising my axe to his horn I prepare to make it quick and as painless as possible, since Toruk still needs his cut.
“STOP HUNTER!!” Right before my axe can cut into the unicorn's horn I hear my benefactor and stop at the last second. Turning my head to the left I see Blueblood standing about eight feet away from me and walking closer “you've worked spectacularly and have more than earned your pay. I'll take it from here, you'll find your pay back at the booth in the market, please leave Shining Armor to me.”
Walking back I watch as the Captain begins to regain control of his body and starts to rise “Understood” grabbing my caltrops from the floor and the Captains body I cast a concealment spell on myself and teleport away.
P.O.V Blueblood
As the bounty hunter disappeared from my sight I looked to Captain Shining as he pulled himself off the ground “now do you agree that such characters can prove useful to the crown if utilized properly?” I ask as he stands on shaking legs
“I-I don't disagree sir, but there has to be a better way for us to get things done, I don't want the guard to be seen as so weak that we need to rely on their sort to reach our peak capability.” he rubs his horn as no doubt he still feels the pain from whatever the hunters weapon did to him “and exactly how many uh characters like him do you have already?”
“Like him? Just the one, but I've got 4 others that would be equally suited to the more… off the record operations I may need to partake in.”
Shining Armor walks up to me “ your highness I understand what you want these ponies for but are you sure you want to be the one that's leading them? I think there might be another way that may-”
Interrupting the Captain I say “while I understand where you're going with this, these ponies only respect me as I've been the one paying them or have made deals with, there is a very real possibility that using a proxy for this may backfire in indeterminable ways, and I would not sully the crown by taking unnecessary risks to my own plan and having these wild cards unsupervised.”
Sending a spell to call for some medics to help the other guards who were felled by the hunters poison “This proves that the guard is not capable of dealing with threats to the crown if a simple bounty hunter can capture you then I shudder to imagine something like a trained army.” I feel my fur stand up at the very idea. “Captain, can you imagine a large force of ponies like that stallion? He was meticulous, and methodical, I'm not sure for exactly how long he was stalking you but that pony managed to infiltrate the castle defenses and incapacitated multiple guards while also learning and taking advantage of your schedule.”
Shining Armor blisters at the failure of his guards “I think the guard requires sufficient training but there's only one of me and entire battalions of guards that-”
“I agree that the guard requires greater training but so do you, Captain. Unfortunately the crown has had a difficult time procuring any combat trainers from Minos that are willing to consider a prolonged stay in the castle grounds.” I watch as the medics lift the unconscious ponies onto mats and take them away.
Shining armor picks up his helmet with his hooves and puts it on, it would appear whatever the hunter did to his magic is still in effect. “While I wouldn't deny a chance to improve my skills, I would have won had he not been able to shut off my magic and paralyzed me while contained in a barrier.” he looks at the medics as well “speaking of, how was he able to do that exactly?”
I was also pondering exactly how he did that. Perhaps some enchantment in the weapon? Or maybe he utilizes minotaur runes but if so how did he get them to forge the axe? The great steel smiths of Minos are notorious for only working steel for the Minos warriors. “I must admit I'm not quite sure, as the weapons I am aware of that are able to do as you described would be unlikely to be acquired by any pony's hooves…” I began to make my way back to the castle “Captain Armor I'm going to speak to my aunt, I'll leave you to your work”
P.O.V Void Spark
Teleporting to the entrance of the shadow market I made my way through the tunnels and then to the workshop where my payment should be. As I walk into the booth I see it, a chest that when I opened it was piled high with gold and jewels, 100 thousand bits worth of assorted gold and jewels, though the fallout of the attack may follow me even down here I'm still obligated to get Toruk his unicorn horn.
I can feel the excitement bubbling in me as I think about what I can do with this and although ninety thousand of it will go back home ten thousand will open most doors I would need at the moment. I get the gold and put it into an enchanted bag I own.
Making my way out of the booth I nod at the bar mare and head to the tally board. Once there I look for any contract that has a unicorn as a target, regardless of the pay Toruk needs his cut. Grabbing a mark for a unicorn mare named Golden Circlet, wanted for sleeping with another stallion and taking her husband's entire bank account that he wants back. The pay is only six thousand bits for a live catch but her horn is what I want.
As I walk out into the dark roads I feel something staring at me, there in the dark I see it, a rat with two glowing beady eyes watching me. scavengers the lot of them, grabbing some food from my bag. I toss it to the little creature and watch as more than I thought were there swarm the chunk of cheese bread with squeaking aplenty.
Walking away I see one of the rats scurry up to me before holding up a single bit in its tiny claws, my mind blanks for a moment.
Do rats know how transactions work? I thought that was like crows or something. Grabbing the bit with my kinesis I nod at the creature “thank you for the bit.” it nods back before scurrying off with the rest of the swarm.
I make my way back out of the slums and out into Canterlot proper, the day is young and I've got work to do.
Golden Circlet is a blue unicorn mare with a yellow mane and tail her cutie mark is her namesake, a golden circlet. Instinctively when i take a bounty i can get a general feel of where the target is no matter where they are, and my cutie mark says she's in Canterlots upper district.
SIX HOURS LATER
Its night now and the manor is dark with only a few lights left to illuminate some of the upper windows, climbing the wall I see nothing to catch my eye but some statues and sculpted hedges. The target should be in her room trying to sleep at this hour like the normal everyday pony.
No guards as expected and all the hired help should have gone home to their families at this time. Nopony here other than a lonely little mare who should have practiced the core tenets of harmony. in this case, loyalty, but now? Its too little too late.
Using a sharpened caltrop to cut open a window I make my way inside. Searching every door, every hallway and room. Its as usual in these types of jobs, The last room I search is the room the targets in, frustrating but overall meaningless.
Stalking over to my quarry I see her, looking all comfortable and snug, wrapped in expensive silk and wool blankets with velvet pillows. she's the face of relaxation.
I place a few caltrops on the floor near her and pull out my axe. She snorts and rolls over, raising my axe over her head I let if fall right at the base of her horn cutting it off in an instant.
With a strangled gasp she flops out of bed, right onto the welcoming caltrops. When she falls, she falls hard, the sharp points of the caltrops sinking deeply into her. She flails her way to her hooves in pure panic and runs out of the room barely making it to a hallway with me walking after her. The paralysis kicks in and she stiffens up and falls like a goat.
Walking up to her I grab her with my magic and put her on my back, she never even had the time to scream. Making my way to the front door I unlock it and trot out, stabbing a few more caltrops into her back I start teleporting my way to the market.
Once I'm in nopony even looks at me, the sight of a tied up pony being dragged like this not even the weirdest thing for them to see.
Walking into the workshop I ignore every creature in there and make my way to the booth my client is in. waiting inside for us is her ex. a tired looking stallion who looks like he's seen better days. With purple fur and a graying teal mane Bleeding Heart waits for us. A noble stallion I could have respected in the past, living up to his name he was known for his charities and fundraising auctions but after what this mare did to him he went completely silent. Now he's placing a bounty on the shadow market for this mare and while I understand revenge this isn't Bleeding Heart anymore just an angry husk.
Leaving the mare in his ‘care’ he passes me the six thousand bits and waves me away without a word, maybe when he somehow gets his bits back from this he might go back to his old ways. Those hollow eyes never look good on any creature.
TWO DAYS LATER
I believe the rats have been watching me. I've rarely seen them before but after that little trade I've seen far more rats in the market and in Canterlot than ever before in my life. But what really sold it for me was after giving Toruk his payment I made my way to the apartments in the dark. I found a small hole in the door and on my bed a letter with what I assume was the royal wax mark.
Breaking the seal on the letter it reads
Greetings my good hunter I've taken the liberties to have this sent to you via an unknown means even to myself such as I am not sure if you have received it but if you have then I have a proposition for you, it would provide a steady stream of work and good coin if such things interest you then please come to the courtyard where you defeated the Captain and let us converse tonight.
Signed PBB
Holding the letter over the open flame of a nearby candle and letting it burn I've a decision to make. To go to the castle tonight absolutely reeks of a trap but on the other hoof Blueblood has paid for my work before and would need no reason to trap me like this.
Looking at the ashes of the letter I pack up my gear and head out to the castle.
Glittering gold, jewels, and baubles
The road ahead was completely dead at this time of night, even my remember me not spell wouldn't work at its peak efficiency with no creatures nearby
Using a hook rope I climb up the wall and activate my invisibility and begin to head over to the courtyard. The grounds were well kept with healthy trees and flowers, the grass looked to be shining even now. The flagstones while old were impeccably kept and the sound of a marble water fountain could be heard in the distance.
Walking further in I can see the Prince alongside Shining Armor and a few other ponies including a.. Cow? There are two unicorns and a Pegasus
The Pegasus and the cow were the only ones not wearing robes. with yellow fur and a red mane and tail his wings were yellow as well before turning black at the feather tips the Pegasus looked to be lanky with long legs and a crooked jaw, his cutie mark was what looked like a group of rats whose tails were tied together forming a circle
The heifer is wearing some form of armor that somewhat looks like leather? Her fur is brown and turns black at her knees. Other than the leathers, she's wearing what looks like a rusty iron fly mask.
Stalking my way further I can hear the Prince “now as you are aware i have asked for you all here tonight due to your success in the tasks that I've given you ,weather you came for coin or pardon I-”
One of the ponies in the robes snaps their head to stare at me with their glowing red eyes “it isn't just us here Blueblood” before I could react a purple bolt of magic slams me into the dirt, rolling to my hooves I grab my axe and prepare to deflect the other bolt before it slams into a pink wall.
“ENOUGH! This isn't the time nor place for this, we have other matters to attend to, everypony this is one of your potential allies, who I would ask that in the future to not skulk around like some sort of brigand.” the Prince says as he begins walking away with the Captain in tow.
Putting my axe back into its harness I follow at the back letting the others take the lead. The Pegasus looks back at me with a strange look in his bright green eyes before giving me a feral grin and turning back.
The castle halls are empty tonight which as far as I'm aware is unusual, the castle is supposed to be heavily guarded, even at night so i assume this was done ahead of time. After a rather long walk and about fifteen minutes we made it to our destination.
The meeting room was amazingly designed with silk curtains and drapes, the carpet was made out of a bright white wool and the marble walls looked to be freshly polished, the whole room had an aura of power and sophistication. The damned drapes probably cost six times what my family's house cost at its peak.
Now here I am at the home of opulence and fighting the urge to pocket something , anything! Though I may be a bounty hunter, I'm only equine and the siren's call to grab something was nearly impossible to ignore.
I was taken out of my thoughts as the Prince sat down and used his magic to pull up a few bulging bags and slide one to each of us. The desk is a masterpiece of craftsmanship, its dark wood gleaming with a rich, polished finish. Intricate carvings run along the edges, depicting floral patterns and delicate scrollwork that catch the light. I wonder if it's made from trees in the deer lands.
Taking a seat at the other end of the table next to the heifer, I open a bag and see that it's filled with bits. The others open their bags to see the same thing, the heifer wears a muzzle splitting grin as she puts the bag in one of hers.
“This is simply for showing up to hear my offer. It's a total of ten thousand per bag, per participant. I've come to the conclusion that the royal guard is incapable of anything more than simple peace keeping.” Shining Armor grimaces at this “so I saw fit to compile a group of capable individuals who can take care of complex tasks that the normal royal guard can't be expected to deal with.”
Shining Armor cuts in “if you agree you will be getting paid per assignment and a royal pardon for past crimes to Equestria and her ponies but should you do anything unspeakable you may be liable for permanent imprisonment or execution.” he lets that sit in the air for a moment and looks each of us in the eyes “I've looked into all of your pasts or as much could be done with the information at hoof.”
The prince begins to read off a list he pulled out from somewhere under the desk “Usage of Dark Magic, Foalnapping, Murder, Grand Larceny, Assault and Battery, Conspiring to Murder, Trespassing, Necromancy.” My eyes widen at this “sentient creature experimentation without consent, treason, and finally incitement of chaos and violence. These crimes are what we were able to find.” using his magic he burns the paper “but if you agree to our terms you will be pardoned.”
He points to the cow “Mountain Breaker, the so called ‘beast of the east’ hailing from the gryphon lands you've pillaged and plundered with your herd until for some reason you ran here to Equestria” Mountain Breakers grin quickly turns to a snarl as the prince goes on “while I could ask the gryphon kingdom exactly what you've done in extensive detail that would lead to questions I don't care to answer.”
The heifer speaks up with a thick country accent “Now ah don’t rightly know how you done found that out but if’n yall think yall can use what ya know to make me moo on your word then you won't just be dead wrong.”
Shining Armor gets up before the Prince waves him down “me pointing these things out is not intended to force you to join up with us, but to show you what you stand to earn if you do, whether those rewards be land, gold, or pardon.”
He points at the Pegasus “ Vermine the ‘Rat King’ while I know that isn't your real name, for some reason most things that had anything on you were found torn to pieces in the most random places we could actually find” he gives the stallion a pointed look, while the ‘Rat King’ only gave a crooked grin at this while petting a rat that somehow found its way on the table. Incidentally the Prince and the Captain just noticed this as well as they stared at it “But while that is no longer being investigated we know what you’ve been up to more recently, and your skills are valuable and as such here you are.”
Now the good Captain points at me and I tense up “you've got no known name other than your title and occupation as the bounty hunter, your trail leads from the Crystal Mountains near the Frozen North all the way to Canterlot, following up on that, you have a reputation of brutality and ruthlessness. Having fought you myself, I now know both of those things to be true and you are frighteningly capable of covert surveillance and pattern recognition. If it weren't for your brutality I'd offer you a place in my guard.”
Shifting his eyes to the robed duo his gaze hardens “Nox Mortalis” clearly the necromancer “Despite my misgivings, his highness has decided to pardon your crimes against life as long as you continue to complete the tasks that are assigned to the group you will be a part of.”
Taking off his hood reveals a gray furred face and white maned unicorn stallion, with a green ring around his horn. He has two different colored eyes his right eye was dark blue while his left eye was bright purple, the stallion has clearly seen the very rough sides of life with bags under his eyes and some unkempt facial hair, with a weary sigh he asks “I hesitate to ask but what exactly stops me from running away if I see an opportunity?” he asks with his apparent posh canterlotian accent.
With a glare Blueblood says “while I understand the morbid curiosity in such a question I would refrain from such actions as you've no doubt noticed the electrum ring around your horn is different from the standard gold magic restriction rings, this ring will activate should a specific spell be cast, causing the ring to saw your horn off”
Every unicorn other than the Prince flinches at this, including me, what a brutal sendoff from unicorndom, I'd like to meet the mind behind such a tool.
Shrinking into his seat “I withdraw my question, sincerest apologies.” Nox grabs his bag of gold and puts it between his forehooves.
The last pony in the group takes her hood off finally and reveals herself as a beautiful unicorn mare, her fur is blood red and her mane is onyx black with two yellow stripes going from her scalp to the tips. Her fur is immaculately groomed, almost to a inequine quality. With no blemishes and perfect fur, this mare is what all the noble ponies must mean when they talk about perfect pony pedigree. Though what takes away from this is her eyes, hollow and empty blue eyes that simply gaze into the Prince or perhaps through him.
“Flesh Mender” ok I am no longer sure which one is the Necromancer anymore “though your crimes against basic sentient rights have caused no shortage of horror or tragedy to many inside and outside equestria I am willing to pardon you while also…” he takes a deep breath and continues “allowing you to continue your work, on enemies of the crown and kingdom if you use your skills to assist me” the mares eyes finally seem to gain some life at this.
Shining Armor slams his hoof on the table “your highness!?” he questions “surely you don't mean that, we both read the reports on her work, to allow that knowingly is tantamount to-”
A blue aura wraps itself around the Captain's muzzle and shuts it “enough Captain I'm aware of the consequences of this and have already thought it through and have come to the conclusion that this is what the crown and my aunt need.”
The Prince floats a fancy napkin to his forehead and dabs in underneath his horn “now my plans are laid bare and the rewards are on the table so to speak, if there is anything you would like to change about our deal to make it even more accommodating please speak now.”
We all look at each other and both the cow and the unicorn stallion speak at the same time “ I/ah want enough land to build a small village.” They look at each other before looking at the prince. Raising a brow he asks “and what exactly do you need enough land to make a village for?” Nox speaks first “I imagine if I follow your rules and don't revert to my ‘old ways’” he pantomimes “I will someday regain my freedom correct?” the Prince nods slowly “then I plan to build a library big enough to eclipse Canterlot castle and hold all magical knowledge in the known world.”
Looking to Mountain Breaker she says “ah want to bring the herd to Equestria and start a business for real warriors.”
The Prince nods again “I can agree to those terms, we can discuss logistics and locations later” he looks to the rest of us. Vermine asks for a mega mansion while flesh mender says the “opportunity to continue her work with ‘royal backing’ is more than enough”
Finally every creature looks at me and after a moment I simply say “as long the bits are good and the targets realistic I'm fine but if i can requisition some royal equipment sometimes I'll work with a smile, no extra charge.”
“Wonderful, I've set aside a barracks for you all to move into. I would recommend you all go there and get comfortable as your first job starts in two days.”
Author's Note
anyway thank you for reading and I'm sorry if the beginning is kind of rough. its been a while since I've wrote anything and getting back into it was a little difficult but this idea wouldn't leave me alone so here we are.
let me know what you liked or disliked so i can improve the future chapters quality
oh and if you can guess who is inspired by who from the game try it id like to see what you all come up with
The walk to the barracks was quiet as we made our way through the hallways. Nothing to be said as the Prince took us there himself and as he opened the door I had to hold in a chuckle, it would seem that despite most likely spending his sentence out in a dungeon Nox was expecting some form of luxurious bedding. But for the rest of us? It was just what we expected some cots to sleep on with the bare minimum of comforts.
Standing at the door the Prince waves us in “come on in, now I know that these might not be the most comfortable lodgings you've ever had but feel free to customize it as much as you'd like.”
As we all walk in the Prince closes the door behind us, silently i walk to the bed at the very back and sit down, pulling out my axe and a sharpening stone, I get to work. I get about forty seconds into my weapon maintenance before I hear a heavy thump on the bed across from me glancing up I see the heifer smirking down at me.
“They call ya the bounty hunter right?” I grunt in affirmation “then that means y'all've fought some crazy critters right?” another grunt “so alls ah’m askin is…” she leans in close enough for me to smell her breath “what the nastiest critter ya’ve beat?”
Looking up at her while i think about it “depends on if I did good work or not, but its a roll of the dice on zebra or deer.”
she doesn't look impressed “zebra? Deer? You're telling me that's the toughest? Not a bugbear? Not no wendigo?”
Shaking my head “no creatures putting a bounty on any of those but respect that when cornered even a worm may turn, if you surprise a zebra then they're easer then most earth ponies. But if they have a staff or their potions? Good luck fighting an opponent as good as them in melee while not being able to breath, those potions of theirs are nasty work, I'd know. As for the deer? Impossible to ambush and always travel in pairs, what do you do when the very grass you trot on or the trees you walk under are used against you?”
A look of understanding begins to dawn on her “so how do ya do it?”
Grinning i tell her “deer are one with the woods they live in, or so they say, but i can say for sure that they panic pretty badly when the forest is burning. All that magic they have and it burns like dry grass.”
Putting my axe way and pulling out my caltrops I ask “so what's the strongest thing you've fought?” as I begin to look for and straighten out or sharpen the spikes.
laughing she slaps her thigh “why that would ave to be my old bull. Bastard could knock out thirdy of those flyin cats and ask for seconds. Didn't win though, he knocked me through the wall, floor, by Tartarus even the roof!” she laughs even louder “took a whole week of sweatin it out before I could fight again, but trust you me next time Ill beat him black and blue.” she leans back into the cot. It creaks with her weight as she grabs the pillow and puts it under her horns
Reaching for another caltrop i hear a squeak as the thing I pull towards me is a rat. The plump little creature looks humorous in my magic as I hear a “I'd like that back if you'd kindly.” looking over to the yellow Pegasus I see him smiling at me, he appears to be herding a swarm of rats to make his cot for him, I even see more pillows then the rest of us have, how? Were the rats bringing stuff in for him?
Levitating the rat over to him he says something that surprises me “so you nabbed Golden Circlet a few days ago?”
With a grunt I ask “what's it too you?” grabbing the little thing in his feathers and letting it crawl up the limb and to the other one to then jump off onto the bed to get to work “nothing much but I liked good ole Bleeding and I was a bit disappointed in her for what she did. But in the end my rats ate well so no harm no foul”
Pausing my work “ate well?” he nods “yup they wont find the mare now, Who do you think gets rid of bodies in this city?” he grins and spreads his wings wide “I'm the rat king, I know just about everything in this city and everyone. No creature can do something without me finding out, but I didn't know you were in the city until after the whole Golden Circlet thing” he pauses “normally it bothers me something fierce when somepony gets one past me, but my rats said you've done right by them so Ill let it pass.” he never stops grinning at me.
A question comes to me when he's done “you speak to rats?” he nods “yes I do, it takes a special pony to speak to them, and a special mind to understand them.”
“‘special’ .. right” I nod, looking over at the other two ponies in our group I see them whispering to each other about something before movement in the corner of my eye catches my attention. Vermine had curled up in a makeshift nest with his rats. Glancing back I see the talk they were having is over.
I finish sharpening and straightening my caltrops and put them away, getting onto my cot I lean against the wall with a pillow between my back and the wall, crossing my hooves I relax.
“You gonna sleep in your armor?” I hear Breaker ask. With a grunt I wave her question away and continue to get comfortable. After a few minutes I finally fall asleep.
THE NEXT DAY
Interesting fact about me, I don't dream, never have. I close my eyes and when they open, its the next day. So when I open my eyes and see a rat on my chest chewing on my helmet I calmly grab it and throw it directly at Vermine, catching him right in the snout. With a shout he and his mischief practically scurry out of the nest and onto the floor.
Getting off my cot I look myself over and find no damage was made to my equipment. Vermine glares at me as he gets up, his rats already grooming his mane back to its normal state. “I’d ask you to not do that again hunter, for your health.”
“Keep your pets on your side of the room and it won’t.” I grab my bag and pull out my medical supplies, courtesy of Toruk I now have ten zebra grade regeneration tonics, bandages, and stitching tools but the most important one I have is a self made cure all I called healing bounty. Though I'm not an equal to Toruk this is my own concoction I created with his supervision. Made with Concordia root as a base it can cure the body of poisons, paralytics, and toxins by reverting it to its harmonious state before it was afflicted. A simple sip can provide the benefit and as such I only make the one bottle at the time and keep it in a iron flask.
Hearing hoof steps coming up to me I hear a soft melodic voice ask “you’re in contact with a zebra alchemist?” I look up at the unicorn mare “yes, what's it to you?” her hollow eyes bore into me “I'm currently looking for a zebra alchemist to purchase some potions like the ones you have here.”
With a nod I tell her “yes there are a few in the under markets if you look for them, you might have some luck if you leave tonight.”
Without another word she walks away. The door to our barracks opens revealing Blueblood “I've come to make you aware of what you will be doing.” every creature focuses on him “there’s been whispers about a Nightmare cult growing in the neighagra falls region, northeast of our location. The good ponies of hollow shades have reported foals going missing and the local ponice force has been unable to deal with the problem.” I pull out a scroll and begin writing what I know of the Nightmare cultists.
Blood drinking freaks, they practice unnerving shadow magic and blood magic to great effect, almost all are Pegasus ponies but all have some sort of mutations primarily in their eyes , ears, and teeth
I've had to fight them before but those cat-like eyes and fangs have proven to give them an advantage in the dark and in melee combat, although its been rare I've been contracted to execute a odd lone cultist that got sloppy.
Though they have very beastial tendencies the whole cult practices combat as religiously as their tall tail goddess. In the times I've put the axe to them they wield their magics with frighting efficiency and quite frankly I would rather not take on an fully established cult, but with a team it just might be doable. But the most important and deciding factor of this mission is- “the pay for this task will be four hundred thousand bits” I'm salivating “split between all of you” I am no longer salivating “which will turn out to be eighty thousand for all of you, I am having a carriage prepared for the six of us to head out in the next few hours.”
Wait wait wait, the six of us? “So the pony prince is comin’ along? What if y’all chip a hoof?” Mountain laughs while I speak up “your highness are you sure its wise to travel to exterminate a cult alongside us? Should the hunt grow dire your protection may come into question and I’d prefer to get paid.”
The prince smiles at that “I will be coming with you to ensure satisfactory results” now he smirks “after all if you five couldn't ensure my safety while on this excursion, would you be worth the bits I'm paying you?”
gritting my teeth I nod my head “understood your highness, I will ensure your survival myself, my services will be worth every coin.”
“Good, now, our informants have discovered the most likely place the cultists would lurk in would be a large cave system directly behind the famous water fall”
Nox speaks up “now I know the rumors about the nightmare cult and the superstitions but be honest, did your spies actually find anything or did they just guess that the blood drinkers just like to hide in caves?”
He pulls at his little blue bowtie “of course not! The royal spy master would never stoop to such idiotic conclusions.” he floats a paper to each of us, grabbing one I see that it contains information pertaining to our new mission.
Though the others don't appear to read it I do, and the information on it isn't much different from what I had already know but what does catch my eye is this excerpt about the missing foals alongside a mention of advanced shadow magic.
There are 4 missing little ones between six and seven years old, two fillies and two colts, but all of them are unicorns. Taken from their homes in the middle of the night yesterday the foals would most likely still be alive and kicking but for how long I wouldn't know.
The prince clears his throat “in light of recent information we will not be leaving tomorrow but instead today and while the elimination of the cult is a high priority the safety of those foals is paramount” he turns around and begins to walk outside “prepare yourselves immediately we leave very soon” he looks over his shoulder “any questions?”
Instead of a question Mountain says “if’n those varmints are stealin’ pony calf's then they ain't nothing we gotta be scared of. Weak trash takin’ weaker ponies, ah say line em up and knock em down.”
The Prince nods his head “ I hope you're right for everyponies sake.” he closes the door behind him and every creature begins to get ready.
Mountain Breaker simply puts on her leathers and her iron fly mask.
Vermine puts on a raggedy black jacket that is littered with both holes and pockets he puts on three saddle bags one on each side and one on his stomach though he wears no actual armor.
Flesh Mender also wears a set of saddle bags. Her armor is some kind of wood I'm unfamiliar with mixed with some kind of robe.
Nox Mortalis wears his robes and nothing more and other then me is the only one to use a weapon. Its a brutal and heavy looking hammer made of what looks like real pony bones.
I'm wearing my normal armor and my standard equipment alongside my healing equipment. My axe is sharp and my caltrops maintained although I do plan on upgrading my hook rope with royal grade materials.
After about two hours the prince returns with a massive carriage, its rather plain looking for a royal ride if I do say so myself. With a dark brown color it looks rather old and has no windows to see out of. The wheels are a lighter brown and have Bluebloods cutie mark in the center.
Opening the door he waves us in “please, please come on in we must begin our journey.”
I'm the last one to get in and once I'm in I see that the inside is far superior with luxurious seating and velvet pillows, there is a small chest at the side wall and the floor has a soft carpet that Vermines rats are already making themselves comfortable on.
Quite frankly this compartment is practically a room in the royal castle, clearly Blueblood did not spare any expense on the interior. I could live comfortable in this carriage if the need came down to it.
Avoiding the rats on the floor I sit in the only available spot which happens to be right next to the Prince himself who looks on perturbed at the rats making themselves at home on the probably expensive rug. As we finish settling in the ride begins and so does our journey to the Hollow Shades.
About six minutes of silence are all we get before Breaker starts up conversation. “So ah wanna know spooky stallion, what's the biggest dead thing ya brought back to life, was it a dragon? Or maybe one of those things that broke the gryphons? Come on ah really wanna know.”
With every creature listening in, from the Prince to even my ear turning to the conversation, with a sigh Nox says “It was a ursa minor” my eyes widen, an ursa minor! I was under the impression that they were mostly cosmic energy give material form. Yet if he could raise it then that implies they can in fact die.
Though he looks Ill the Prince asks “but aren't ursa magical creatures? How could you bring it back?”
Nox shrugs “I used its energy to augment my own, and to give it a physical body I utilized the corpses of its prey and my old standing forces, though I sacrificed my quantity of warriors I gained a superb quality minion.”
With an appreciative hum I ask “can you still summon that beast?” with a shake of his head he looks at me “Celestia destroyed it during my capture alongside my elite undead. I am currently left with one minion” he hefts his hammer “this is the last minion I have”
Even Breaker looks confused “yall mean your hammer is alive?” she reaches out too hoof at it before the skull on the end clacks its teeth at her causing her to pull it back with a yelp “who was it?”
He gives a nostalgic smile “don't you worry about it, its nobody you know” I snort at that while Breaker gives a belly laugh and the prince asks “when did you find the time and the” he gags “corpse, to make… that?”
“The material is made out of a physically manifested soul, she makes herself.” Nox says “even if I am unable to summon my minions she will always manifest.”
Vermine speaks up “you say it'll manifest even without your magic? Does that mean its capable of acting on its own?” Nox nods his head “yes as you've just seen she is fully capable of autonomous movement and can react on her own.”
Breaker points a hoof to Flesh Mender “alright I wanna know what you've fought Mender. Don't hold out on us, ya must've fought something nasty to be here for a pardon.” the mare in question looked at her hoof dispassionately “I'm a mare of medicine, I don't make it a habit to ‘fight’ anything, Ill primarily be there to put you back together should you receive a traumatic and or fatal amount of damage.”
The Prince clears his throat "Miss Mender here is very well versed in healing magic and while I question her ethics we have come to an agreement, trust her to keep you all alive and well while you fight.”
With a snort I make sure my healing supplies are well in hoof. Far be it from me to ignore the pony who pays me but under no circumstances will I allow a medic who was detained by the royal guard to cast any healing magic on me. The only exception being if I'm dying on the floor.
With a frown from Breaker Flesh Mender pulls out a book and flips to a certain page before showing it to Breaker who when looking at it flinches before leaning in and muttering “ya even got it down to the udders?” she clears her throat “ahlright ah believe ya when ya say ya know what needs to be done to fix us up.”
I think I can guess what was on those pages, after that everyone goes silent for a few hours. With me writing up a plan of attack for the cave, Mountain Breaker using some sort of spring to workout her hooves, Vermine was playing with and feeding his rats, while Nox seemed to lean against his hammer and whisper to it and Flesh Mender would periodically take a sip of a glass of water she had procured at some point.
It was as I finished writing my strategy for us when I noticed the prince was a hairs breath from leaning on me so he could see what I was writing, shifting a little away from him I tilt the scroll so he can read it “I would like to know what you know about the cult.” glancing at him “I've fought cultist before although it was always stragglers, I've hunted them down in their caves and most have the same layout, from what I've gathered the caves layouts are drawn from over a thousand years of tradition and have never changed, that's one of the two things you can trust about the nightmare cults.” Blueblood seems to hesitate before he asks “and what of the other thing?” I close up the scroll “that there's always more.”
The prince seems to think over something for a while before “good hunter I find myself overcome with curiosity, what do you think the cult will do with the foals? You are familiar with the way they operate correct?” there's no question “the foals will either be used as some sort of blood sacrifice or perhaps as a bargaining chip but that is doubtful.”
Bluebloods eyes sharpen “and you're sure of this?” shaking my head I say “I cant be sure as I've never interrupted or faced a proper cult before but I've seen enough bones and blood script to have an accurate idea.”
Blueblood seems to sink into his own thoughts at that. Now the rest of the ride was passed by in silence and after a few more hours we finally arrive at Hollow shades.
Finally making a complete stop I quickly see my way out and onto the fresh dirt and air. It was about three hours in before the smell of sweaty cow became nauseating in a enclosed space with no windows.
Looking ahead I see that we are at the edge of the village and that ponies are pointing in our direction and talking. With the sounds of hooves hitting the dirt and a dramatic gasp the Prince clamors out of carriage with a small chest clutched in his magic. “I’m having widows installed when we get back, bounty hunter please remind me of that.”
As the others begin walking out I see vermine's rats swarm into the woods “they should help find anything that might be worth looking into.” vermine says as he walks past me.
As the group heads further into the village there is no shortage of whispering and hoof pointing as we continue our walk. After around ten minutes of walking we make it to what I assume is the mayors office. It was as we were about to walk in the Prince says “please feel free to familiarize yourselves with the layout of the village while I speak to the mayor. Make sure to meet back up with the carriage by sundown.”
Before I can respond Breaker lets out a cheer and runs off to… somewhere, with the others splitting off to tend to there own desires while I just stand there for a minute then I decide to go find something to drink and eat, so here's hoping they have a bar.
After asking a random mare I find my way to the only bar in this place. Its a small hole in the wall squeezed between two houses, it looks like a homely looking place with some rose bushes out front and a swinging double door. Walking in the smells of salt and liquor alongside roasting vegetables hits me in the face. Making my way to the barkeep I pull a hundred bits from my bag as i walk up to the counter “how much for a bottle of darkshine?” she looks at me in surprise before saying “it’s forty bits for the whole bottle sir.” I pass her the gold coins and grab the bottle while she passes me a shot glass.
Waving the mare away I pour some of the drink into the glass and before I can lift my helm and drink I hear the door slam open and a mares exhausted voice rings out “you! I've heard about your kind!” she gasps as she hobbles her way over to me “y-you hunt ponies for coin right?” I nod “t-then please I-I need you to find my colt!” she pulls out a picture of what I assume is her and her family.
Taking a good look at the photo I see the unicorn mare herself sans the sunken eyes. She has bright pink fur with a purple mane and tail, the stallion is a tall well built earth pony with dark brown fur and a golden mane, while the colt was a unicorn with a dark rosy brown coat and a muddy brown mane and tail.
Looking up from the photo I see her tear filled pink eyes boring into mine through the holes in my helm “please, please save him” she pulls out a small bag of bits “here it’s all the bits I own please save him please bring my baby tea leaf back to me unharmed.”
Taking the bag I see its a measly five hundred bits. Floating the bag back to her I see the hope in her eyes start to die before I grab the photo “payment is done after services are rendered, if I find him Ill bring him here.” in an instant I have my hooves full of sobbing mare.
POV Blueblood
Sitting down with the mayor, a old blue-green Pegasus stallion with a yellow mane and tail, his cutie mark was a leger with an unreadable script, “ I appreciate your timely arrival my prince, please if you would entertain me I would like to be enlightened of your strategy in saving those foals.”
With a sigh I tell him “I've hired a tracking specialist and a scout to assist in the search of the missing foals and while I'm not currently privy to the information they've collected, I plan to reconvene with them later today” nodding his head he asks “I understand please save them as soon as possible, here this is what we've been able to find out before you and your entourage arrived.”
Sliding a scroll my way I pick it up, inside is information on the movements of the cult and although its not much more then what we already knew there still was more. Such as the fact that these cultists have been collecting cosmic artifacts that have a connection with the stars and moon. Looking up from the scroll I see the mayor tapping the desk “thank you for this good mayor I'm sure that this will be of immense help for our tracker.” getting up from the chair I begin to make my way out.
Now as I head back to the carriage I wonder, what exactly would they want such artifacts for? Even if they have unicorns in the cult they wouldn't be able to utilize cosmic magic for anything. Except… my face pales THE FOALS! That has to be what they took them for, perhaps some sort of ritual, but the question remains what exactly do they plan to do? I would admit that the inner machinations of such cults does illude me and as such Ill simply rely on the hired tracker and scout to know what to do.
Vermine is an interesting stallion. Although the spy master could dig up very little of his past, what we were able to learn about his most recent activity indicates a level of intel gathering that would rival the spies employed by the crown. While one of his apparent specialties are corpse disposal the information network he's cultivated with his rats in Canterlot alone is impressive. His psychological evaluation suggests he has a habit of spying on everypony in the city, in fact if I can recall Shining Armors report he was already prepared to leave when he arrived to collect him. He also seems to find entertainment in allowing his mischief free reign at anytime. Something of note is his protectiveness of the rat swarm. What had even caught our attention to him in the first place was the first hoof accounts of his assault of a local exterminator in the lower district of Canterlot. He was also the one to get the missive to the bounty hunter in the first place.
Speaking of the stallion, he is perhaps the second most dangerous pony in the group behind Nox, although we could only trace his trail from the crystal mountains, tales of his work spread throughout the underground. Apart from having a habit of shattering unicorn horns and using an axe as his primary weapon the stallion is an unknown variable, renowned as much as he can be for his efficiency and his brutality this stallion is perhaps the only professional out of the five ponies in our group, and after catching the end of his battle with the Captain and stopping him before he could shatter the stallions horn i cant help but agree that his willingness to inflict permanent harm on his opponents will have to be reeled in. his mental evaluation suggests a psychopathic and sadistic personality and from the history that could be discovered he should have more then enough bits to comfortably retire so his continued work in this field suggests another reason for him to continue. But as long as the bits keep coming in he should listen to orders.
The sight of the carriage breaks me out of my musings and sitting down outside the door is the heifer Mountain Breaker. She has apparently procured herself a veritable feast of fruits and vegetables, pastas and clearly no shortage of what looks like gryphon mead.
My arrival gets her attention “ey Princy!” princy? “come sit down and have a bite, the food in Equestria is better then anything the birdcats have.” walking up to her as she stuffs her face in a most uncouth manner, I can see sauce of various types dripping off her chin, she looks up at me for a second and picks something up and shoves it in my muzzle “try this here little bread thing, ah haven't had something like this before” taking a step back I hold it in my magic and take a better look at it. Its a warm, buttery loaf with a crispy exterior, the bread is infused with the rich aroma of roasted garlic and seasoned with fragrant herbs, Its garlic bread, she's stuffing her face with garlic bread.
Floating the bread back to her I ask “where did you get all this?” she stops eating for a moment and looks back at me and gives me a simple “ah paid for it” I look back at the village before I feel a rough wet hoof poke me in the side “yall should eat something little Prince, ah know it ain't some fancy little leaf on a plate but ya wont be much help if your hungry.”
“Thank you for your concern but I'm not quite a fan of garlic bread and I assure you I will eat at a later time.” she stops eating completely and looks me in the eye “ya should eat little Prince.”
POV Void Spark
Taking my drink and easing the mare off of me as she pours out an endless stream of ‘thank you’s and tears I head back to the carriage to see the cow absolutely feasting on a horde of food while the Prince solemnly eats what looks like a piece of bread. Spotting me, Breaker waves me over and with her mouth full of food she speaks “bounty hunter come, sit, have something to eat.” walking up to the pair I see fruits and vegetables alongside what looks like spaghetti. Taking a seat near the pair i grab a fried carrot and lift up an empty mug she has off the floor and fill it with the darkshine, lifting my helm to let my muzzle free I take a bite and wash it down.
In the corner of my eye I see the Prince staring at me “do you eat like that all the time?” with a shake of my head I say “not if I'm alone.” we eat in silence and wait as the others file in one after the other over time.
Once we are all seated in the carriage after the meal Vermine picks up a rat and places it on his shoulder “my rats found the cave that the cultist are using” he looks at Blueblood “your intel was correct they are behind the water fall and from what I could gather the cave network isn't too extensive but I wasn't willing to risk my mischiefs safety to go deeper.”
He looks like he's about to say something before my Tapping him on the withers interrupts him “your highness with your permission i can scout ahead and identify our targets weapons and possible traps they may have set up.” putting his hoof to his chin he hums and says “granted, but be back before too long as I plan for us to leave for the cult after midnight.” Vermine pulls out the map and points to the Falls “follow this path to the cave and hide your scent, the rats say the cultist have a well developed sense of smell.”
Getting up and nodding my head to the rest of the group I make my way out of the carriage and into the woods. Casting invisibility on myself I also use a sanitation spell to rid myself of any smells the blood drinkers might pick up on.
It takes an hour of travel before I stand at the entrance of the cave, a few hooves in I can see some form of script written in blood, ‘the stars will aid in her escape’. While I am unable to read it, the very sight of it leaves a itching behind my eyes. Tearing my eyes away from it I make my way further in and after a few minutes I finally see the first cultist.
With ragged blue fur and a black mane and tail the Pegasus stallion stands at attention with a rusty halberd, his golden slitted eyes stare forward at the the entrance behind me, looking at his muzzle his breathing looks normal so I assume my scent is indistinguishable to the smell of wet rock.
Walking past him I find more hallways and more script on the walls. It takes about two hours but I'm able to find a small standing force of ponies walking around and patrolling the corridors. But I'm not able to find any traps on the ground or on high, the biggest issue I find an absolute mountain of an earth pony mare. With bulging muscles and large sharp looking fangs she would be one Tartarus of an opponent, her navy blue fur and purple mane and tail blend in amazingly with the dark. Her weapon is a large three headed flail, I shudder at the idea of getting hit by both it and her.
With a total of eight Pegasi and three unicorns and the huge ass earth pony mare we are going to have to deal with a total of twelve ponies, to be honest I had expected more from cultists who were willing to steal foals in the night.
Heading out of the cave I can't help but wonder, what has emboldened a small group such as this to do something so overt that it catches the crowns attention. It doesn't take me long to realize I'm missing something from this equation, if I had more time I would scout past the mare but I don't want to chance it and have the others barge in and lock me in the back of the cave.
Making my way back from the caves and finally getting to the carriage I knock on the door and see one of Vermine's rats hanging off the roof before it opens. Seeing the rest of the group lounging around I tell them about what I found. “The big one ya saw at the end do ya think she can actually fight?” Breaker asks, shaking my head I say “I don't really know but despite their clumsy fighting style they are decent in a fight just be ready to dodge.”
Getting up from the plush seat the Prince bids us to follow him “alright, its time to begin this operation” he turns his head to look at us “we have no need for prisoners, save the foals and wipe out this sub-equine filth.”
Making our way into the forest I cast the sanitation spell to wipe away our scents and an hour later were at the cave. With me, Breaker and Nox in front and Blueblood, Flesh Mender and Vermine in the back. Its as we walk the path to get to the waterfall that the first issue crops up, skulking our way past the water I catch a flash of widening golden eyes before a much bigger flash of brown fur reveals Breaker slamming the pony at the entrance hard enough to shake what feels like the whole cave.
Getting a better look at what happened as she pulls back I see that her headbutt had pierced the stallion through the chest with her horns. He didn't even have a chance to scream. Shaking the corpse off her head she looks back at us and grins before waving us over “got’em nice and quite like.”
Looking at the dead stallion I notice this isn't the same pony as before. He has an ocean blue colt with a shaved mane and yellow tail, his cutie mark is a wolf howling at the moon. Feeling a presence behind me I look and see that Nox is walking to the body. Stepping back I see his eyes turn green with a purple smoke coming from them before he launches a spell at the body.
As soon as the spell hits I see the corpse begin twitching for a moment before it rises, the ponies eyes are glowing bright green and his mouth is hanging open. “Where are the missing foals and what were your intentions with them?” Nox commands. Its mouth closes and opens again and while it looks like its speaking there’s no sound. After a minute or too Nox closes his eyes and the body falls to the floor like a puppet with its strings cut.
Opening his now back to normal different colored eyes he says “the foals are being kept past the large mare where the bounty hunter stopped his investigation. And there's some form of ritual being prepared.” the Prince speaks up as he lights a torch “alright were going in make sure you all are ready because were not leaving without those foals.”
