//------------------------------// // The Hunter // Story: Cards of Finality // by SwordTune //------------------------------// The Hunter woke with a start. She remembered flesh tearing, armor breaking. Both her own. Another nightmare. Monsters surrounding her, their faces blurred. Only their claws were clear in her mind. They were becoming more frequent. Ripe Apple's family orchard was the place The Hunter needed, both for the winter and for her life. The stallion was a gentle soul, helpful and caring for nearly all folk, mutant or not. She looked back to their bed, watching Ripe Apple resting from an exhausting night. She enjoyed his other qualities too. She picked up her sword and stepped outside onto the porch, moving her body through the motions drilled into her from her earliest memories. Adopted by monster hunters. It made family dinners very awkward. Her old mentor, Guerrier, was the only pony who ever accepted her invitations to family diners in the winter. Aunts and uncles, cousins of all sorts, they'd flock to their relative and gawk at the mutants who had joined their family tradition. The last time they ate together, she overheard an old mare, a distant aunt, reassured by Ripe Apple's mother than it was just a sign of gratitude and friendship. She made a mental note to send the wedding invitations written with extreme detail. She moved through six more techniques in what appeared as a single, long fluid motion. Properly warmed up, she rested her sword on a wooden bench on the porch and began tending to the grape vines. Ripe Apple's family were farmers, but they were by no means the same crop as the bumbling country-folk Twilight was used to dealing with daily. Their orchards grew sweet grapes for refreshing wine and crisp apples for cider. When she finally settled in, Ripe Apple and his father added a private cellar to their farm. They saved the best brews for special customers or Twilight. It was usually Twilight. In all her years, Twilight believed the big capitals of Equestria's many kingdoms were where the best drinks were held. Never had she ever tasted finer wine than the kind Ripe Apple's mother could make. Petite Sirah was, in Twilight's mind, a goddess of wine. Twilight walked through the rows of grapes, giving extra water to the plants to make up for the dry season. She walked calmly in the fields, but she could hear the silent steps creeping through the vines. Her mutant magic fortified her senses, and let her hearing pinpoint the location of the sound. Two stumpy legs. A djinn perhaps, they enjoyed grapes and wine as much as she did. Scratch. Scratch. Claws, so perhaps a lesser demon. No particular reason for a demon to be drawn to grape vines, aside from the chance to catch an unsuspecting farmer. She didn't have her sword, or any amount of night silver, to combat whatever lurked in the vines, but her horn bristled with energy as she tracked the creature's movements. She waited for it to draw near. She waited, and once she spotted it through the vines, she launched a barrage of energy bolts. Magic rippled off the creature, and it burrowed into the rich farm soil. Twilight felt the ground. She was the hunter, and knew her prey. A Long Clawed Field Demon, grey, with short and powerful legs combined with long, slender forearms. A rare creature to come across. Perhaps it was hungry, or perhaps it was bored, but either way she would remove it from the farm. Before it sprouted from the ground, Twilight was already on top of it, her magic making a barrier above the demon. It squirmed and turned to retreat into the ground, but she bit its tail and yanked it from the ground and into the air. She blasted more magic at it, but the demon was fast, its claws digging into the dirt as it sprinted away. "Perfect," Twilight sighed. Her senses were sharp, but the monster knew it had been spotted, and knew it couldn't win a fight. She'd have to hunt it down if she wanted the beast out of the vineyards. ============================================================= Guerrier chuckled. "Best monster hunter ever known. How long have you been trying to catch this demon?" Twilight scowled. "Four months. It's fast, faster than most." "Must be pretty old then," Guerrier said. "I can sympathize with it." "Stop complaining," Twilight retorted. "Potions have kept you young. Well, young enough." Guerrier scanned the fields, trying to ignore her remark. "Hear anything?" "Just the wind in the leaves and grass," Twilight replied. "Then we still have some time before it senses the bait." He leaned back, resting on the branch. They were both perched on an old apple tree that overlooked the farm and its vineyards. They could see Ripe Apple and his parents repairing the hole in their home after the last fight they had with the monster. The demon had burst through the window with such forced that the dragon head mounted above the doorway tipped over, tearing a chunk of wood with it. "Glad you came for the winter," Twilight said as they waited. "Family troubles again?" Guerrier asked. Twilight shook her head. "Nothing more than usual superstition. It's just that the wedding's this spring, and no pony else has replied to the invites." "Yet," Geurrier added. "Can't speak for all the friends you've made over the years, but Highsight and Lander have always been there for you. Just because a letter can't be mailed back doesn't mean they won't show up once the snow melts." "You're right," she replied. Down in the farm, a glow came from the far end of the grapevines. "See that?" Guerrier looked. "Yeah. That's a lot of magic. I wonder what it's doing." "Why don't we go ask it?" Twilight said. They leaped down from the tree and made for the vines, as Twilight silenced their movements with magic. ============================================================= The demon was feeding on a dead rabbit, using magic to turn the flesh into a digestible paste. Twilight could feel the magic through her horn, and it almost made her dizzy. She grabbed two bombs from her saddlebag, both filled with shards of night silver, and rolled it toward the field demon. Guerrier lurked behind the demon opposite Twilight, keeping his sword ready in his hoof. Twilight drew hers too, but she grasped it with her wing. With both hooves free, she slammed her horseshoes into the dirt, the magic glyphs inscribed on them flaring with power and sending a ripple of fire spreading toward the demon. The heat may have been intense, though hunter glyphs were still far weaker than the fire magic she could cast. But the last thing she needed was a fire in the vines. The bombs burst from the flames, scattering night silver across the dirt. A lot of the shards struck the demon, and it shrieked as its magic was forced away by the night silver. The demon was old, and infused completely with magic. It could not abide by the touch of night silver. So it tread carefully, aware of the night silver on the ground, and backed slowly away from Twilight. Guerrier launched a flurry of blows once it stepped to close to him, burning the demon's hide with his sword. The steel blade, forged with night silver dust running through it, tore into the demon's magical aura. But even without magic its body was naturally strong. The rough hide was barely scratched by the attacks. Twilight shouted to Guerrier to be wary and he rolled away from the demon. It turned to Twilight, but was it was too late. She levitated darts of pure night silver from a pouch by her saddlebag and launched it at the demon. It tried to dodge, but only managed to get the darts stuck in its back. Twilight pounced on the demon, ramming her sword down to break its leg. Even with five darts sticking from its back, the monster was surprisingly agile, and it leaped out of the way and onto Guerrier's face. Its short snout bit viciously, tearing at his neck and cheek. While it was distracted with him, Twilight swung the flat of her blade and batted the demon off. Guerrier reeled back from the hit as well, but was more relieved to have the monster off him. The demon lunged again, and this time Guerrier spun aside and cut the demon out of the air as it passed by. The blow was powerful, flaring bright as more magic was forced out of the creature, but it still landed on its feet and fled. Twilight had gone around and waited for it at its usual escape route. She hid behind an illusion spell, and thrust the tip of her sword into the demon's eyes as it ran right by her. The shock of magic repulsed by the night silver undoubtedly blinded the monster. She pivoted her blade around and cut it twice, before it jumped back to recover. Then the demon screamed, amplifying its voice with magic. The shrill shockwave in the air burst Twilight and Guerrier's ears, and they both collapsed on the ground. It jumped on Twilight, its long claws digging into her armor while its unnatural strength pried apart the leather and chainmail. Guerrier bucked the monster off Twilight and lunged at it before it could recover and slashing its across the jaw. The demon slashed at him, but he leaned back and let the monster throw itself off-balance with its heavy strike. He clamped his jaw around the slender neck of the demon and twisted, his hooves forming circles in the dirt as they spun, until Guerrier brought the monster back down, planting the monster's head into the ground. Twilight recovered and helped restrain the monster. She struck her sword into the demon, its skin burning as magic was driven away from its body. However ancient the creature, its magic had a limit, and between Guerrier and Twilight, they had drained it of its power. Regardless, the monster's muscles were taunt fibers packed with power. It squirmed under the force of the two monster hunters, writhing until one of its slender arms whipped from the ground and slashed Twilight across the jaw. Guerrier thrust his weight into Twilight, moving her out of the way of the second strike aimed for her throat. He ducked and brought his blade up to the monster's neck, finally piercing a weakened spot in its natural armor and bursting through the bottom of the skull. He twisted his sword and wretched it out, severing the head completely. It thudded on the ground, and after a few seconds, the two hunters thudded on the ground as well, winded from the demanding hunt. "You've lost your touch," Guerrier said, breathing heavily. Twilight smirked. "And you've let age get the better of you. I guess we've both gotten a bit sloppy." Guerrier got off the ground just to sit by the demon's body and appreciate the kill. "You're right. Potions or no, I need to retire." "Extra hooves on the farm would help," Twilight replied. "Besides, I'm sure there'll be the occasional monster that strays in and out." "Me? I'm a city-colt," Guerrier answered, "I think the long quiet days and nights on the farm would drive me crazy." She rolled her eyes. "And yelling preachers and merchants brings you peace?" Guerrier simply shrugged. "It's an acquired taste."