Red awoke in a bed that was significantly more comfortable than the one she had fell asleep in. She also didn't remember purple sheets. All of this meant that Luna hadn't been lying to her, and she was actually in the land of magical talking ponies. She stood up and stretched, taking stock of the items she had brought with her. Actually, where did they go? A quick look around the room told her that her hosts were wealthy, with the fancy bed and the expensive looking mahogany furniture. It also appeared to be a guest room, if the lack of personality was anything to go by.
Drawing aside the curtains of the windows across the room from her bed, was that silk? Wow, those were some expensive curtains. Getting back on track, she took in the view of a city that was just waking up. The sun was rising, and the multicolored inhabitants were beginning their daily business. Taking a closer look at the city itself, Red marveled at the vibrant whites present in every structure. Berlin was always gray and depressing, and the american cities she had been in recently were gray and shiny. She hadn't seen a city this grand since she was young, and even then, nothing compared to the clean marble that this entire capital was carved from.
"Enjoying the view?" Red jumped in surprise and spun around to meet the newcomer, hands reaching for the dagger that wasn't there.
"Did I startle you? My apologies," said Princess Luna. "I came to inform you that my sister and I wish to speak with you over breakfast, which will be served in an hour. How are you feeling?"
Noticing the caring tone on that last sentence, Red relaxed. "I'm fine, thank you. I just need some time to adjust. I appreciate your concern though," she said with a smile.
"It isn't a problem. Well then, I will leave you in the care of Express Service. He will help you find your way through the castle when you are ready."
"Thank you," Red replied with a quick bow.
After Luna had left, Red changed into something more suited for a formal conversation, after finding her suitcases in the rather large wardrobe in the corner, which was also mahogany. A quick search revealed that her weapons were under her bed, and that the cat was nowhere to be seen, even after calling for it. That was disappointing.
"Maybe it wandered off somewhere. I sure hope so," Red sighed. That was the first friend she'd made in a long time.
Express turned out to be a rather uninteresting conversation partner, and only answered questions with the fewest words possible and leaving no room for small talk. Oh well, hopefully the princesses weren't too preoccupied.
Three turns later, and she was walking up to a door that was quietly opened by a pair of guards in golden armor. A good show of power never hurt anyone.
"Ah, Red, glad you could join us! Come, take a seat," ushered Princess Luna. "This is Celestia, Princess of he Sun," she gestured to her right, where an even bigger alicorn sat. This one, like the city, and most of the palace, for that matter, was white. Like her sister, her mane flowed on an unfelt wind, but was the color of a rainbow. Staring at it for prolonged periods of time might cause seizures. At least, that was the impression Red got from it.
"Good morning, Miss Red. I trust you slept well?" Celestia asked after setting down her cup of tea.
"Very," Red confirmed. Then with a sweet smile, she continued, "So, I heard you were looking to hire a monster hunter?"
"As it stands, yes," Celestia said with a frown. "I never condone the killing of others, no matter their crimes. I despise it, in fact. However, I simply have no other course of action available to me at this time. I understand why you must deal with them in the way you do, but I do not like it."
"Your opinion has been noted, and stored for future reference. Now, before we start talking business, I am going to need some preliminary information."
"We will assist you in any way we can," said Princess Celestia.
"Ok then," Red continued, "how big is your overall population, and what kind of density are we looking at? How many werewolves do you estimate are living amongst them?"
"There are just over twelve million ponies living in Equestria, and most live in major cities, of which we have Canterlot, where we are now, Manehattan, Baltimare, and Fillydelphia to the east, and Las Pegasus and Cloudsdale to the west. There are also a few dozen smaller towns scattered across our country. As to the second question, in short, we have no idea. We were hoping you could give us an estimate after you did some scouting."
"Alright, moving on," she continued, "provisions. I am going to need many things. Food and lodging, ammunition, transportation, those kinds of things. Another thing that needs to be addressed is how I'm going to go to all these places and not cause a panic. From what I've seen, I'm a monster straight out of a fairy tale around here," she said with a grin, the irony not going unnoticed.
"We will discuss that, but first, your waiter is here with your breakfast. I'm sure you're hungry, so we can speak when you're finished."
After a light salad and herbal bread with jade tea, followed by a delicious pastry, the conversation picked up where it had left off.
"We will send you an address for each city you visit. The doors shall be left unlocked, and their will be no occupants. You may use these houses for the duration of your stay. As to how we will keep in touch, we will give you a royal seal." Celestia said.
"Will this allow me to use the mail service?" asked Red.
"No, the item we intend to give you will allow us to send letters back and forth instantly with magic."
"I see. It has been such a long time since I've seen real magic."
"Well, one in every three citizens can use it, so you best prepare yourself. As for food, each house will be fully stocked prior to your arrival, and for the longer stays, we will have food delivered discreetly." Celestia continued. "When it comes to our transportation, you will be given a private train car, where you will not be disturbed. They will be guarded, and the guards are not to let anypony in, nor discuss it's occupants. We also ask that you act with the utmost discretion. We will try to keep your existence a secret for as long as possible. Try not to be discovered, although we do have a plan for when it happens."
"That sounds like a plan. Now I must ask, can you make more of these?" Red produced one of the bullets she had brought with her, as well as one of her silver-tipped crossbow bolt.
Upon inspection, Celestia replied, "Yes, we can make these arrows. But what is this other thing?"
"That is a bullet," Red explained. "I will need the bullet itself to be silver. As for how it works, the 'bullet' is crimped into the brass casing, sealing the propellent inside. In this case, it's gun powder. At the bottom of the whole thing is the primer. When the round is placed into my gun, and I pull the trigger, a pin strikes the primer, igniting a spark, lighting the propellent, and firing the bullet at extremely high speeds."
"I see. I will look into it, but it may take a while." Celestia seemed a bit overwhelmed. Oh well, no gun for a while. She could live with it.
"Last question, when do I start?"
"The train that will be taking you to Ponyville leaves tonight."
"Ponyville?" Red asked. "Why wouldn't I start here?
"Because after fought back the werewolf army many years ago, we had the walls of Canterlot lined with silver. There is no way one could enter, let alone live in this city." Luna explained.
"Clever. So why Ponyville?"
"A few reasons. First, it's the closest settlement, making it the first stop on the most efficient route through our country, as well as the most likely staging grounds for an attack against the capital. Second, it is where the Elements of Harmony, our greatest weapon, lives."
"Lives? Your greatest weapon is a person?" Red asked indignantly.
"There are six of them, but yes, they wield the Elements themselves, which are magical artifacts capable of cleansing corruption and sealing disharmony. They are our nations greatest defense against those that wish it harm. However, they are not assassins, nor would I ever ask them to be." Celestia finished.
"Alright, I think I got it," Red said, placated. "Guess I should pack then."
"Aren't you-" Luna started.
"I was joking." Red interrupted, grinning at her new employers.
"One more thing we need to share with you is the topic of apprentices." Celestia said before Red could stand up.
"Apprentices? Why would I need an apprentice, not to mention more than one?" Red was not only confused, but a bit insulted.
"There may come an opportunity when one of our ponies wishes to join your crusade against the terrors in the night," Luna said. "If this happens, and you deem them capable, we ask that you train them. You may wish to set up criteria beforehand, but we would be willing to pay you extra if you do this. Equestria doesn't have a way to deal with threats within our borders quietly and with lethal force. Should a new threat arise after you leave, we would like to have a small force to rely upon should the need present itself."
After contemplating it for a while, Red nodded. "I see where you're coming from. Very well, should I have the opportunity, I will train a select few apprentices in my craft. I must warn you, there will not be many. My criteria will be strict, and in order for anyone to have the spirit required to fight against the shadows, there can only be one way to acquire it."
"We understand, think it over. Now, your train does not leave until tonight, but in the meantime, we will grant you access to the royal library. You may wish to familiarize yourself with our geography and culture. Everypony in the castle has been sworn to secrecy, and notified of your presence, so you are free to do as you wish until tonight. When it is time to leave, Luna will give you the seal and teleport you and your things directly into the train, and will answer any other questions you may have before then."
"Thank you, Your Highnesses. I shall not disappoint you." Red said, standing and giving a bow. "I look forward to working with you."
After the sun had set, Red made her way back to her room, content that she had learned everything she needed and feeling a bit excited to get back to protecting others from the monsters in the night, the fact that they were ponies made little difference to her.
When she was done checking her luggage, and had herself strapped up with all of her 'equipment,' she sat patiently for a short time before she heard a knock on her door. Verbally granting access to the pony on the other side, Luna stepped in.
"Well, Red, this is it. Are you ready?"
"As I'll ever be."
"Glad to hear it. Tomorrow night is a full moon, and we ask that you save as many ponies as you can before they go on a rampage."
"I shall do my best."
"That's all I can ask. Now, before we go, I must give you this." Luna presented Red with a small ring, with a strange gem set in the middle of it. It appeared to be half diamond, and half sapphire, if such a thing was possible. It wasn't an even split, as the clashing colors appeared to war for dominance, the distinguishing line being wavy. The symbol of the royal pony sisters was engraved into the top of the gem. It was a beautiful piece.
"Thank you Princess. It is very beautiful." Red was astonished at the craftsmanship that went into such a piece of jewelry.
"While you wear it, we can send letters directly to you, and any letter you seal with it will be sent directly to us." Luna said proudly. "It is a design we came up with recently, it is a work of modern thaumaturgy!"
"Well, I guess I'll see you when I've completed my task, Princess. I'm ready to go."
"Very well, good luck, Red." At this, Luna smiled, and lit her horn, but just as she was about to cast the spell, a loud noise interrupted her.
Looking, down, there was a very indignant looking cat glaring at the moon princess. Turning away, it walked over to Red and hopped up onto her suitcase.
"I think it wishes to accompany you." Luna giggled.
"Yes, I think it does. Where did you go? I was about to leave with out you!" Red said.
At this, the cat meowed in an irritated fashion. It was just a cat.
"Ok then. Goodbye, Red."
"See you later, Princess."
"Please, call me Luna." And like that, she was gone.
"Hey, are you excited for the sleepover tomorrow night? We are finally going to get some real crusading done!" Sweetie asked Apple Bloom, who was just standing from her desk, grabbing her saddle pack.
"Of course! I can't wait!" her friend replied with just as much enthusiasm.
"Ok, I'll see you gals at twelve then!"
"Bye Sweetie, see you tomorrow!"
Fluttershy looked all over her house for some coffee beans. Why was she always out of coffee beans? Angel was being rather insistent today about having some in his salad. Why did he want coffee beans in his salad? It would be rude to ask, after all, everyone was entitled to their own preferences.
"Tell you what Angel, there isn't anypony in Ponyville who sells coffee beans, but when I go shopping tomorrow, I'll stop by Twilight's house and borrow some of hers if she has any, I know she gets it shipped in from Canterlot, ok? Can you wait until then?"
Angel bunny huffed in annoyance and hopped away. That was as close to a yes as Fluttershy was likely to get from him. Oh well. She flew over to her to-do list and added 'Visit Twilight tomorrow evening.' Yes, that would do nicely.