Vinyl Scratch: Nightmare Hunter

by War Muffin

Rating: teen
Tags: Original Character, Octavia, Comedy, Random, Adventure, DJ P0N-3, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
Length: 7018

Where do nightmares come from? I don't know, but its my job to find them and destroy them.

Nightmares, the demonic twisted forms of everything that has died. They steal, kill, and more. Vinyl is here to stop them.

Coauthored by Lonepone http://www.fimfiction.net/user/Lonepone

Published 2013-01-27 06:30:01 UTC
Last updated 2013-10-07 17:58:33 UTC

Just Another Day

Vinyl Scratch Scratch : Nightmare Hunter

Just Another Night

“Thank you, everypony! I hope you all had a wubtastic time!” Vinyl Scratch said as she walked off stage. She was a typical mare. She had a job, a marefriend, and a house in the small town of Firelight Village. But she was more. She was a secret protector of Equestria- She was a nightmare hunter.

“You were great tonight!” Octavia, the marefriend mentioned above, walked over and nuzzled her cheek. It had been three years now that they've been dating, and Vinyl trusted her with every secret. . “Will you be coming home tonight?”

“Sorry, Tavi, but one will be in Appaloosa tonight,” Vinyl said. She had recently caught wind of nightmare haunting near the town and wanted to check it out.

“I wish you wouldn't do this. You know how much I worry about your health.”

“I know, I know! But somepony has to do this, or all of Equestria could be destroyed.”

“Fine, but promise me you’ll come home safe,” Octavia helped Vinyl down from the stage, “And you have to stay home tomorrow night.”

“Fine, fine. I will. Now, we have to hurry, my train will be leaving soon and I need to get my equipment from the house.” The stars entwined with each other, forming constellations Vinyl had never seen before. The image of a mare sat on the face of the moon watching over Equestria. It couldn't have been anymore perfect.

“I never saw nights like this in Canterlot,” Octavia said, “It was always much too bright.”

“I know how you feel. That’s one of the reasons I left Las Pegasus. I love the peace and quiet of a small town.”

“And the privacy!” Octavia joked. They both laughed and talked until they arrived at their home, where Vinyl got her stuff. Octavia hugged her and wished the best before she had to leave, a tear in her eyes from another night alone in their small town home.

As Vinyl walked through the town, she planned how to get rid of the nightmare. Her bag was packed with many different discs and herbs. She also had a small switchblade in case something happened and she couldn’t use her magic.

She came upon the train station just in time to catch her train. She took one last look back at Firelight Village, taking in the peace before having to listen to the train for the next two hours. The whistle blew signalling it was time to board.Vinyl walked down the train carts reading the numbers on the doors. 204, 205, 206 “Here it is!” she said as she walked in the door marked 207. It was a small room with nothing more than a drawer and a bed. A single candle sat unlit atop the drawer. She pulled back the neatly tucked covers and laid down for a short nap. It didn't take long for her to slip into a dream. She was sitting beside Octavia on a beach. Young foals splashed in the water as their mothers sunned themselves. She heard the sound of an ice cream truck and looked over to where it was coming from. A pegasus mare handed her son an ice cream.

“Look out!” She heard somepony yell before a ball hit her in the head, jolting her awake. She looked around her surroundings, seeing that the train was still moving. She looked at the moon through the window. A sigh escaped her before she turned around, seeing a pair of dark, amber eyes staring at her from the corner.

“What? Where did you come from?” She gasped.

“You’re the best they have to offer? The guild must really be slipping if they had to send a mare that easy to surprise.” Scratch’s eyes adjusted, revealing a dark purple body.

“What guild? And who are you?”

“You dare have the nerve to ask that? To ask who I, the nightmare you seek, am? Just how uninformed are you, that you do not know who I am?” The nightmare asked.

“Wha-what do you mean?”

“Hmph, how pathetic. Tell you what, hunter, if you survive the trip, I will tell you who I am,” the nightmare said as she faded into the darkness.

“What do you mean, survive the trip?” she asked the empty room. Everything was silent, not even the train made sound as it traveled down the tracks.

Knock knock

Vinyl turned to the door.

Knock knock

It sounded again. She walked over the door and put her ear up to the door. She could hear the quiet whisper of a filly asking to let her in. The door opened just enough for a small, green unicorn to slip in. Tears were streaming down the side of her face.

“What’s wrong?” Vinyl asked.

“My mommy was *sniff* was a-attacked by a m-monster!”

“It’s okay, you're safe now. what’s your name?”

“My name is Misty Pool,” the filly said.

“Misty Pool? That’s a beautiful name. My name is Vinyl,” Vinyl said, trying to bring comfort to the filly.

“Ca-can you save my mommy?”

“Where is she?”

“We were staying in room 201. Please Hurry!”

Vinyl looked out into the hall. The walls had claw marks running down them and some of the doors had been beaten down. Stepping into the hall, the sound of a snarling beast came to her ear. It had been waiting for her on the ceiling by her room. Four Legs and a tail lined with spikes swung at her. She barely jumped out of the way of the tail as a spike brushed her nose.

“What is this thing?” She starred as the fearsome beast swung at her again, cutting her clear across the face. She tried to run down the hall, only to be cut off by another monster. It swiped a claw across Vinyl’s face, forcing her back into the other. The beast wrapped its tail around legs, lifting her in the air.

This is the end. I’m going to die here. She thought as she was dropped from the air. Her life flashed before her eyes as the world around her slowly grew cold. But when she hit the beast, she felt something else. Stone!

“Well look at what we got here, a couple of nightmare manticores!” A voice sounded down the hallway, followed by a couple of snickers. Three ponies walked out of the shadows to where Vinyl could see them.

“Piece of cake! I’ll have them running back to the nightmare realm in a matter of minutes!” A black pegasus with a scythe on his flank chirped up as the grey unicorn next to him grabbed him by the tail.

“Are you an idiot? You know damn well that you can’t rush a manticore! Especially if it’s a nightmare!”

“We don’t need another Phil on our hooves,” the other, a white pegasus, added as the still standing nightmare charged, crashing through the petrified one. Vinyl, who was still standing lying on the statue as it shattered, fell onto the head of the nightmare. Feeling that his prey was now in reach, it bucked around to throw her off.

“Now! While its distracted with the hunter wanna-be!” The unicorn let go, and the black pegasus took off. He flew underneath the nightmare, grabbing its tail and slammed it into the wall.

“Ow!” Vinyl cried as she hit the wall with the nightmare, “That hurt!”

“Don’t look at me, you’re the dumbass who didn’t get out of the way,” The pegasus landed next to her, a big grin on his face.

“Give it a rest,” the white pegasus sighed as she pulled a little, red cube out of her saddlebag. She clicked a button on the side and threw it at the nightmare. It instantly burst, creating a portal that sucked the nightmare and the shattered statue into it.

“Now then,” she looked at Vinyl, “Are you okay? Can you tell me your name?”

“I-I’m Vinyl Scratch, Who are you?” Vinyl asked as she looked at the pegasus, now seeing her red cross and halo cutie mark.

“My name is Light Star. I’m the team’s medic,” The white pegasus said.

“I’m Dark Star! I kill things!” The black pegasus proudly stated.

The unicorn smacked him, “No need to be so modest,” he turned to Vinyl, “ I’m Stone Hoof. There should have been another unicorn around here somewhere.” He looked back over his shoulders.

“I’m right here,” the voice came from Vinyl’s room, “I was looking to see if she dragged anypony else into the Nightmare Realm.” Misty Pool, now much bigger, walked out of her room.

“I’m confused, what the hay is going on here?” Vinyl asked.

“You’re hunting the nightmare, correct?” Light Star asked.

“Yes, but that doesn't explain anything!”

Light Star sighed, “Hopeless. We’ll just explain on the way home. Come along now.” Light Star lead the group towards the back of the train where the ponies had set up a base camp. Weapons Vinyl had never seen before lined the walls.

“What are these things?” Vinyl asked holding up one of the peculiar weapons.

“It’s called a gun. We found it one day while fighting the nightmares, and put it down. It’s insanely deadly” Dark Star said.

“It came from another world. This way, we have someone who would like to speak to you,” Stone Hoof said. His magic brushed some curtains aside, revealing a dark room.

“Come in,” a voice sounded from the room, “I don’t always bite.”

Vinyl looked at Light Star, who nodded to her. As she walked into the room, light filtered in through the windows. She looked out the window only to see the moon still up.

“They’re magic. They trap light in here and make anything outside the room see only darkness,” an orange earth pony sat at a desk on the far side of the room. “ I’m Captain Fireball, and you are?”

“You can call me Vinyl. What were those creatures that attacked me earlier?” Vinyl asked.

“Those were the nightmares of some manticores. They’ve been known to destroy entire cities. You’re very lucky we found you,” Fireball got up and trotted to a window. “Tell me, what the fuck were you thinking?”

“I was coming to fight the nightmare. I didn’t expect it to be that dangerous!”

“What do you think nightmares are? Daisies?” His voice was becoming angry.

“I thought there would only be one, not three!” Vinyl snapped back at him.

“Three? We only received reports of two,” Fireball said.

“One came to my room. It said something about a guild.”

“What did it look like?”

“Dark purple with amber eyes, and it was an alicorn” Vinyl said, “Why?”

A grim expression grew across Fireball’s face as he said, “That is the nightmare of a powerful demon. No wonder we were only told of two.” He began pacing around the room, muttering curses to himself. He suddenly looked up and charged towards the door, “We need to get off this train now!”

“Why? Is something wrong?” Light Star asked.

“Nightmare Fang is waiting for us in Appaloosa!” Fireball was panicking.

“So what? It’s just another nightmare” Dark Star said.

“Not this nightmare. This is the nightmare of a fallen alicorn, I doubt even Stone Hoof could stand up to her,” Light Star told him.

“It’s too late to get off. We’re here,” Misty Pool began, “Gather your equipment, this is gonna be one hell of a fight.”

The train slowed down as it entered the station. The guild ponies stepped off, each heavily armored. Captain Fireball lead the group towards the center of town, where they set up a defensive perimeter. Vinyl watched as they moved around to strategic ambush positions.

Soon after the ponies were hidden, the air around Vinyl grew cold. “So, you survived my pets. I guess I owe you an explanation as to who I am,” the twisted shadows of nightmare bats flew overhead, joining together to form the nightmare Vinyl saw on the train. "I am Nightmare Fang, the nightmare of the fallen alicorn of animals."

"I don't care who you are," Vinyl said, "You're a nightmare and must be destroyed."

Nightmare Fang began to laugh at her, "And just how do you plan to do that? With this pathetic attempt for an ambush?" Her horn began to glow and the guild ponies were thrown from their hiding places. "Nothing escapes my eyes."

Misty Pool limped up to Vinyl from where she was thrown into some barrels, "I hope your ready to die." She lifted her head and sent a magic spear flying towards Nightmare Fang, stabbing into her torso. Stone Hoof raised a boulder and flung it in his magic while Fireball and Dark Star slammed into her from the sides, and Light Star threw out another cube, oe that could heal the injured ponies. The nightmare just laughed at them.

"Cut it out! You're starting to tickle me!" She lowered her horn and charged at Misty Pool and Vinyl, who just barely stepped out of the way. Vinyl shot a beam of sound out of her horn that managed to deafen the nightmare. "Nice try, but I have eyes and ears everywhere!"

The sounds of creaking mice and birds flapping their wings came from every direction as the miniature nightmares crawled and flew out from buildings and crates. One bird swooped at Stone Hoof, scratching his face. Numerous mice surrounded Light Star, jumping on her wings and pulling her to the ground as they ripped her feathers off. Captain Fireball was being lifted by a nightmare vulture.

"Dark Star! Get them off me!" He yelled as he was lifted higher into the air.

"On the way!" The black pegasus shook some nightmare mice off him and flew up to his captain. He swatted at the nightmare until it Fireball dropped out of it's claws, plummeting into a cart of hay. Light Star, who managed to escape the nightmare mice with a few feathers left, pulled the healing cube she was using earlier to him.

"Thanks," he said before charging back into the horde of nightmare birds and mice.

Vinyl looked for where Nightmare Fang went. Maybe if she could find her, she could break the control she has over the nightmares. She saw a few mice running in and out of a storage building and guessed that was where Nightmare Fang was hiding. She ran to the window to peek inside. She saw Nightmare Fang inside, sitting on a crate as a pair nightmare lions patrolled the floor.

Great, she thought, how will I get through them?

She heard a roar and noticed one of the lions charging at the window she was hiding behind. It leaped through, sending shards of glass into Vinyl's back.

"Agh!" She gasped in pain. The lion turned back towards her and roared. It reared up ready to strike when a blast of magic sent it flying to the side. She looked over and saw Misty Pool nod at her.

The lion stood back up, roared, and charged at vinyl again. She ducked under it and raised the switchblade she brought with her. The blade cut through the beast's hide, leaving it sliding across the ground in pain. The black blood of a nightmare dripped down her blade and onto her hoof. Some nightmare birds flew out of a barn loft at her, grabbing the knife from her hoof.

"Give that back!" She screamed and let loose a powerful blast of magic, evaporating the nightmare where it flew.

"Retreat!" Fireball commanded, "There's to many of them!"

Dark Star lifted Light Star into the air and carried her off back to the train while Stone Hoof helped Misty Pool get to safety. Vinyl grabbed her switchblade from where it landed and ran to help Fireball. The other nightmare lion had come out now and was chasing him into a horde of the mice.

ROAR! the sound scratched through the air. Vinyl looked up and saw what appeared to be a dragon flying right for her.

"Is there anything that isn't going to try and kill me tonight?" she asked.

"Yeah, that dragon!" Fireball said, looking more confident now. The dragon picked up the lion and ate it as a pony jumped off it's side. The pony was cloaked from head to tail in a dark blue cloak, and stood not much higher than her knees.

"Hiya! I'm Rain! Wanna play a game, Miss Scratch?" The tiny pony asked.

This has to be some cruel joke, she thought. Why, of all things, did a small foal have to be here. Then she thought of how Misty Pool disguised herself as a scared little fill, but noticed he had no horn. She couldn't even see his mouth or eyes. Not even his mane or tail could be seen.

"Yes, yes she does, Rain!" Fireball said, pushing the a bird off him.

"Yay! Let's see who can make the loudest sound!" He bounced up to Vinyl and handed her a guitar he produced from nowhere. Vinyl, confused, took the guitar and strummed. It wasn't very loud, but it did make some sound.

"Now its my turn!" The colt took the guitar back and made it vanish.

Fireball called over to her, "Take cover! This is gonna hurt!"

She ran over to where he had ducked behind a building. Behind her, only the colt and the unending army of nightmare mice and birds. When she got behind the building, Fireball handed her some cork he found in one of the barrels and told her to put them in her ears. She put them in and looked back around the corner at the young, masked colt. He was crouching down, saying something Vinyl could barely here over the cork.

"Sooooonic.... Raaaaain.......BOOM!" He puffed out his chest as a rainbow shot out in all directions around him. The blast knocked Vinyl back, taking the air from her lungs. When she recovered, Stone Hoof was standing next to her, trying to get her on her feet. She looked back to where the colt was. All the nightmares were sprawled on the ground writhing in pain as a vapor escaped their bodies. The clearing was covered in ice and many of the buildings had taken heavy damage, if they were even still standing.

"The ocean's mist and the frozen north! We stand beside nature, for we are the..." Rain looked over to where the guild ponies were and stopped singing, "I win!"

Vinyl was dumbfound. How could such a small pony contain that much power?

The dragon that dropped him off landed next to him and whispered something in his ear.

"OOH! Is she here?" he jumped up in the air excitedly. He ran to the remains of the storage Nightmare Fang was in.

Vinyl started to run after him when Light Star put a hoof in her way. "Watch," she said.

After a few moments, a scream ripped through the silence. Nightmare Fang ran out of the building, badly beaten and bruised, with Rain hopping along behind her.

"I'm not done playing with you!" he said. An invisible force pulled Nightmare Fang back into the ruined building, the doors slamming shut behind her. Vinyl could hear the nightmare screaming and begging for mercy. She couldn't even imagine what he could be doing to her.

After a few minutes, Rain came back out with a pen and some paper. "Blu!!!!!!" he called. The dragon he rode stomped up to him. "I have a letter to send to her royal bitchiness!"

He lifted the scroll up and the dragon shot out a wave of icy wind, evaporating the scroll. Rain bounded over to Vinyl. "Are you gonna join my guild? Is Octavia joining to!!?" The idea seemed to excite him.

Vinyl was discomforted that he seemed to know her and Octavia, "How do you know about her? And how do you know me?"

Rain stared at her for a second before saying, "I dunno.... Bluuuuu!" The blue dragon bounded over. "How do I know her?"

The dragon whispered in his ear, "Oh yeah! That's how!" he said proudly.

"I didn't hear anything, " she said with a sigh.

"She's in! She's joining the guild!" Rain jumped in the air and took off.

"I never..." She was cut off by Blu belching out scroll.

Rain picked it up and began to read aloud,

Dear Rain,
I will send my guards to bring Nightmare Fang to me. Once again, I must thank you for defeating yet another nightmare alicorn. Your guild has been by far one of the biggest assets to Equestria's security. I will have your rewards delivered to the usual spot, and an extra for the friend you mentioned. I expect more will appear in the next few weeks, and ask that you be ready for my call. I look forward to the next time we meet.
Sincerely,
Princess Celestia
P.S. Please quit referring to me as "Your Royal Bitchiness." I know what it means now.

"I wonder what it'll be this time!" Rain hoped on Blu and flew off.

"Is there something wrong with him?" Vinyl asked.

"We don't know," Stone Hoof knelt down so he didn't tower over them as much, "But we should be getting you home."

It was a quiet ride back to Firelight Village. The guild ponies told stories of adventures they've gone on. They told her that the guild was much bigger than the six ponies Vinyl met tonight, and included more than just ponies, but griffins as well. There was even a tiger that stayed with Rain.

"When Rain was reading the letter, he said 'yet another nightmare alicorn'. Does this mean you've fought more?" Vinyl asked.

"Yes, that's actually where we got some of the weapons you saw earlier. We've fought two, well three now. It was when one of them attacked our home that Light Star and I joined the guild," Dark Star said.

"The nightmare of time itself," Light Star said. "It killed our parents right in front of us."

"That's when Stone Hoof and some other guild members showed up and saved us," the massive unicorn looked away embarrassed by the praise, "And he took us into the guild."

"And how did you join the guild, Stone Hoof?" Vinyl asked.

"I used to be a traveler. I was on my way to Manehattan when the caravan I was with at the time was attacked by nightmare wolves. The guild saved me and I felt like I owed them," he said.

"And you, Fireball?"

"Same as them, I was saved by the guild," was all he said. "We're here. Think about Rain's offer. Somepony will deliver your share of the reward soon. Tell them if you accept or not. Misty Pool, get her out of the Nightmare Realm."

"Right," she cast a spell on Vinyl, and the ponies were gone and the sound of the train came back.

Octavia was waiting for her when she got off the train, "Vinyl! I'm so glad your home! You're bleeding? What happened?"

"There were more than I thought. I probably wouldn't have made it if it wasn't for a guild of nightmare hunters showing up and saving me," Vinyl told her.

"Vinyl," Octavia sounded serious, "You can't keep putting yourself in danger. What would I do If I lost you?"

"I'd rather die fighting than curled up like a coward," Vinyl replied.

Octavia sighed and ushered Vinyl back home. When they arrived at their small, red home, there was a letter stuck to the door. Octavia took it down and read it.

"What's it say?' Vinyl asked.

"It say to expect visitors soon. Do you know what it could mean?" Octavia asked her. Vinyl nodded and told her about the ponies she meet and the offer to join them. "Will you do it? Join them I mean."

"I don't know. It sounds like a good offer."

"But think of the danger. We may never see each other again!" Octavia's eyes grew wide in fear of losing her only love.

"Well..." Vinyl started.

"What is it?"

"The pony who "asked" me to join asked if you were joining to. He wouldn't tell me how he knew us," Vinyl answered the unasked question.

"If it means I get to see you safe, I'll come to," Vinyl noticed the relief in her voice that she could finally join in her mare friend's endeavor.

They stood there for a few more minutes thinking about what they would do before going into the house. Octavia fetched some bandages to put on Vinyl's wounds before making spaghetti for them to eat. They ate in silence, each contemplating joining the guild. Octavia had no experience in dealing with nightmares and would be in danger of getting hurt.

"I'm going to bed," Octavia finally said, "I'll see you in the morning."

"Goodnight," Vinyl said.

A New Day

Vinyl Scratch: Nightmare Hunter

Ch2. A New Adventure

Vinyl sat up in her bed. The light of day filtered through the windows. She could smell Octavia's cooking coming from the kitchen. Toast and Eggs, she guessed. Her mouth watered at the thought of her cooking.

It had been three days since her encounter with the guild, and Vinyl began to think she would never here from them.

"Vinyl! It's time for breakfast!" Octavia called from the kitchen downstairs.

"I'll be there in just a minute!" Vinyl called back. She pulled her blanket off herself and made her way to the kitchen. When she got there, she was surprised to find a small masked pony sitting at the table waiting for her.

"Vinyl!" The foal-like figure cheered when she entered the room. He began jumping up and down in his chair and fell to the ground when the legs broke under his excitement.

"Are you okay?" Octavia asked, helping the foal up.

"I've had worse! Much worse!" he cheered, almost singing, as he stood back up.

"What are you doing here, Rain?" Vinyl asked him.

"Well, we were stalking nightmares in town when I realized you lived here and decided to see if you were going to join the guild and if you had any cookies because I'm really hungry," Rain said quickly as he rubbed his stomach, which decided to emit a loud growl.

"What do you think, Tavi? Should we go with him?" Vinyl looked at her.

"If it means we can help kill nightmares, I say we should go," She said.

"Yay!" Rain cheered, "Now let's go bag us a nightmare!" He led the two mares outside where Stonehoof was waiting with a griffin.

"Vinyl! Glad to see you're still alive. This is Ravage," he nodded to the griffin. "Ravage, this is Vinyl and... Who might you be miss?"

""I'm Octavia," Octavia informed him and extended her hoof in greeting. Ravage backed away and fanned out his wings, hissing at her.

"You'll have to forgive him. He's not very trusting of strangers," Stonehoof explained.

"Well, I can't say that's entirely bad, but still, we're friends," Vinyl said.

"Whatever, let's go. I can hear it getting farther away," the griffin mumbled, ears twitching. He led the group towards the town square where the shops were busy setting up for the day’s customers. Vinyl saw the sun rising over Dragon Mountain in the far distance. Why would they be hunting Nightmares this early? Nightmares would be out when ponies are dreaming, right?

"This way," Ravage led them down an alleyway, his bulk almost touching both walls.

"So, what kind of nightmare are we looking for?" Vinyl asked.

"Just a Bear. Shouldn't be too much work," Stonehoof answered her.

“How did a Bear get into town?” Vinyl asked.

“Little buggers can get anywhere, but if you know where they are, it’s pretty easy to drop ‘em. I'm surprised a hunter like you has never noticed how many are right in front of you,” Stonehoof said. They followed Ravage down even more alleyways until they came to an old abandoned warehouse.

"What the fuck is with warehouses?! Every time. First Phillydelphia, then Manehatten, wherever we go, warehouses! What's wrong with a good old chateau? And it's not just nightmares, but all sorts of villains to. Just a little while ago, a guy named Runner murdered somepony in one. Magnets for evil" Ravage growled as he jumping on some crates to get a better look inside.

"Is the cliche in there, Ravage?" Rain asked.

"He's in there alright. What's the plan Rain?"

"We need bait. Sounds fun, doesn't it, Octavia?"

"What?" She asked, looking around nervously at being the center of attention all of a sudden.

"We're going to be the bait! Sounds smashing, right? Stonehoof, Ravage, and Vinyl, you three stand up on those crates and wait for us to draw him out, then pounce and beat the livin hell outta him!"

"Rain, don't you think it would be better if Stonehoof or I played bait with you? We do have more experience than her," Ravage offered.

"Nonsense! He has magic and you can fly, so it would be better for the two of you to get behind and surprise him! Now get up there!"

"No point in arguing, Ravage. Let's go," Stonehoof instructed him.

Vinyl picked up Rain with her magic, "If she gets hurt, I'll kill you." She dropped him and crawled onto a crate next to Stonehoof. Rain nodded to Ravage to open the door and began to growl at the warehouse. He bumped Octavia and she began to growl too. They stood there for what seemed like years until the Nightmare came charging out of the door at them.

"Run!" Rain shouted, as he pushed Octavia out of the Bear's path and ran around to where the hunters were waiting to ambush it, but before he made it the Bear turned back to face Octavia. Vinyl jumped off the crate and blasted it with her magic, tripping it about halfway to Octavia. Ravage took advantage of this opportunity and sank his claws into its side. The Nightmare bellowed in pain as dark smoke filtered out of the wound. Stonehoof charged from where he was hiding, shaking the ground around him. When he reached the Nightmare, he rammed his horn into its neck, toppling the beast. Letting out one last breath of pain, the bear began evaporating into smoke.

"We did it!" Octavia cheered, "We killed a Nightmare!"

Stonehoof chuckled, "I love it when recruits think they killed a powerful Nightmare!"

"This was just a test to see if you had what it takes to join us," Ravage added. "Now, let's get out of here before the guards catch us!" The three hunters took off running down the street towards the train station. Barely making it to the train in time, they hurried aboard.

Panting, Vinyl asked them why they had to run so quickly.

“Its because the nobles don’t exactly... approve of our activities” Stonehoof asked.

“Does that mean... Does that mean you’re wanted criminals?” Octavia asked in a panic.

“No, no. Not entirely at least. We’re only wanted!” Rain told her in a happy voice to cheer her up.

“Sometimes when we fight Nightmares, things get out of hand. You were there when Rain destroyed most of Dodge Junction,” Stonehoof looked at Rain who was looking at the ground embarrassed. The train came to a stop, as though on cue, as he said this. “Ah! Forest sweet forest!”

“Why are we in the middle of the Everfree forest?” Vinyl asked as they got off. “Are there more Nightmares here?”

“No, but our base is. We need somewhere to train where we won’t destroy public property,” Stonehoof told her as he stepped down from the platform, the train lifting off the ground at the relief of his massive weight.

"So, was it you who caused the destruction of the royal castle last year?" Vinyl asked Stonehoof.

"No, it was me!" Rain chirped.

"That's what I asked."

"No, you asked if he did it, not me, and I suggest you point that spear somewhere else before I shove it up your ass, Crystal Flame," Rain said. Vinyl hadn't noticed the group of ponies who surrounded them as they walked through the forest.

"Sorry, Rain. Saw those two and didn't know if it was you or not," a white pony with fire red hair said. "They the new recruits?"

"No, they're magic fairies that we captured to grant our every wish. Now, about that spear in my face," Rain flipped back, kicking the spear into the air with his back hooves. The spear came down, going through the base of Crystal Flame's tail and piercing the ground.

"Well, that was quite rude. I should rip that cloak off your body!" she snapped at him.

"Then you can explain to Light Star why your spine is sticking out your back!" Rain snapped back and possibly glared at her. They stood there locked in each others gaze until they both burst out in laughter.

"Let's get out of here you cold hearted bastard. Everypony is waiting to meet the noobs." Crystal Flame pulled her spear from the ground and lead them to a small cave. Lights had been strung up to illuminate the twisting path. Countless boulders and stones laid on the path. As they walked along the path, the lights grew dimmer and dimmer until there was no light at all. Vinyl heard rocks tumble and the sound of laughter.

Then she dropped. The ground below her disappeared into the dark abyss as she felt cold air push her down. As she fell, she felt one of the largest adrenaline rushes ever. Another current of air push her up, stopping her Celestia knows how far from the ground. "That was fun" she muttered sarcastically.

She felt herself propelled forward by another gust as a bright light came into view. She was rocketed into the opening and felt an icy spray hit her face just before being submerged in a pool of water. When she surfaced, she saw Octavia on the edge of the pool screaming at Rain, who was laughing at her.

“Were not done yet! We still need to go over the waterfall!” He jumped back into the water and swam to where the water dropped going headfirst. Horrified, Vinyl and Octavia ran to the area around the waterfall. When they looked down, they saw Rain had went face first into a metal pipe with the top cut off and a sign next to him reading “Water slide down for maintenance”.

“Hold on, Rain! We’re coming for you!” Vinyl looked around for a way down. She saw two sets of stairs carved into the walls, one leading farther down the cave and one leading to where Rain had face planted. They climbed down to him and flipped him over.The area around his mouth was turning red. Fast. “We have to find help! And where the hell are Ravage and Stonehoof!”

“I thought they were behind you! This is just great. What if he’s dead? What if he becomes a nightmare? We’re trapped in here with no way back and no idea what’s down this cave! Is it even safe to move him?” Octavia panicked, nearly slipping on the slippery metal.

“Stay here and watch him. Do your best to move him as little as possible. I’m going to see if there is a way out farther down.” She took off down the stairs. There were many tunnels branching off from her path, but she followed the slide. She ran for fifteen minutes before finally reaching the bottom. She heard laughter down a tunnel and followed it. The tunnel opened to a clearing filled with hundreds of ponies, griffins, and other creatures, all of which went silent when they saw her. “You have to help! My friend has been hurt!” Almost immediately, a group of ten ponies ran to her, asking her to lead the way.

She lead them back to the top of the slide where Octavia was sitting by Rain. They all ran to Octavia asking if she was alright. “I’m fine, but he isn’t!” She pointed at Rain. The ponies began laughing at her as though she were crazy.

“I thought it was serious,” one pony said.

“I left my drink for him?” said another.

“Who’s bright idea was it to make the slide out of metal again?” a third asked.

The largest of the group, a red and black griffin, picked him up in his wing. “Let’s get him back,” he sighed. They followed him back to the clearing, where the noise had sprang back to life. The griffin showed them to the infirmary as the group that followed them dispersed back into the crowd. “Hey Hard Sound! He did it again!” He dropped Rain on the ground. A black Pegasus with short spiked gray hair came out from behind a curtain in the back and sighed.

“Has nopony moved the sign so he can see it before he goes over yet? I mean really, he’s done this almost ten times now!" He smiles a little. "And then you just drop him on the ground. You could have at least put him on the table”

“Sorry about that,” he moved Rain to the table then turned to Vinyl and Octavia, “So, who might you be?”

“This is Vinyl and I’m Octavia,” Octavia answered him.

“Ah! So you're the recruits! I’m Daniel. Care for a drink?” he asked.

"Love one" Vinyl replied almost instantly. "So who was that guy?" She asked, talking about the black and grey pony.

"Him? His names Hard Sound, and he’s the head doctor. My advice: don't fuck with him. Incredibly smart, moderately strong, and very determined, you don't want to be on his bad side" he handed Vinyl a glass bottle of cider.

"Thanks. Both for the drink and the advice. But no need to worry, I got my friend Tavi here to keep me outta trouble, don't I?"

"Yes you do, but we all know how you get around big handsome stallions" she said with a playful smile.

"Hoho" Daniel said "You sound like someone I should get to know a little better. You ever feel like hooking up with a Griffin, come find me" he says with a wink.

Vinyl laughed teasingly. "Only in your dreams, big guy"

"See you there tonight?" He said. Vinyl just laughed it off. She looked around at the ponies in the clearing. She saw Light Star and Dark Star standing with a group near one of the caves.

She grabbed Octavia, "Come here. I want you to meet some of the ponies I meet back at Dodge Junction." As they trotted towards them, Vinyl noticed they were wobbling, trying to support them. "Hey there, you two."

"Who the *hic* are you?" Dark Star said with a slur.

"I ain't never seen you before!" Light Star said, also with a slur.

"Are you two drunk? You seem kind of... drunk."

"We're not drunk! You're just sober!" a green and yellow earth pony in a lab coat shouted at her.

"I think we should go now, Vinyl," Octavia said.

"That's right! Run away like the little chicken shits you are!" a silver and purple griffin hollered. That crossed the line. Vinyl knocked him to the ground and started bucking away until she felt magic pull her off.

"We leave you alone for five minutes and you start fighting drunks? You may be more suited for this job than I thought!" a male voice said.

"Stonehoof? Where were you!" Octavia asked him.

"I'm bigger than that cave. I had to come through a different one, why? No, wait. Let me guess, Rain hit the slide, didn't he?"

"You say that like it happens a lot."

"It does," they heard most of crowd that gathered to watch the fight say.

"We've all had worse though. Now, if you two will follow me, we need you to sign your death cer.. er, contracts and get you assigned to a team," He turned and walked towards a large upward slope. When they got to the top, Stonehoof called into a side cave, “I got two more for you, Skyfire!”

“Send them in!” A voice called. Vinyl and Octavia entered the cave. A pegasus with brown hair and a white coat greeted them with a smile. “I’m Skyfire. Sign these and I’ll get you're rooms.” He pretended to write something down before handing them a set of keys, “You’ll be staying in room 626 in Green District, and have a complementary air freshener. You’re going to need it.” He turned and disappeared deeper in the hole.

“What do we need this for?” Octavia asked.

“Who knows, but lets go find our room. I’m sure Daniel or Stonehoof can help us.” They left the cave to find them, but instead ran into Ravage. “Hey Ravage! Can you help us out for a second?”

The griffin flew down towards them, “What?”

“Can you help us find our room? Room 626 in Green District.” A smile crossed the griffin’s face as he tried to hide his laughter. “What’s so funny?”

“Just follow me,” he said, walking past them, letting out a small burst of laughter. They followed him to the room. “Here you go. Enjoy your stay.”

Vinyl pushed open the door, and immediately the foulest stench she had ever had the displeasure of smelling reached her nose. The smell of expired milk, mixed with skunk and death drifted from the other side of the door. Octavia vomiting didn’t help either.

“Why would they have this in a room!?” Octavia screamed. Vinyl just shut the door and walked away.

It appears another hero has returned. What shall we do, Master?

Inform number eleven that she will be next. We shall see how much they like having a thorn in their sides.

Yes Master. I shall inform her at once.