//------------------------------// // 133. The Hunter // Story: Rebirth of the Damned // by Borsuq //------------------------------// Without giving it any thought, Storm shot his leg in Nymph’s direction. As his hoof shone with the Holy Light, a barrier had formed around the changeling, just in time to protect her from the arrow. As Nymph’s head turned around, she got to witness the deadly projectile bounce off a golden bubble with a distinguishable cling! At the same time, the rational part of Storm’s mind had realized that they couldn’t afford to give the would be assassin a chance to get away. “Guard!” he called out to his paladin brother. “I got him,” Guard replied before Storm could point out the cloaked figure to him. The older paladin, most likely alarmed by the sound of arrow being fired, was pointing at the archer in the similar manner to Storm at Nymph. However, where Nymph had been shielded by the Light’s protection, the cloaked figure became surrounded by golden chains, binding his movements. By then, ponies around them began to realize what was going on. All of them backed away from the mysterious archer. Some of them slow and steadily, staring at him with confusion; others took in the sight of the bow and the released arrow and ran away, some of them screaming with fear. The only ones that hadn’t moved were Applejack and Big Mac, whose eyes both traveled between Nymph and the stranger in deep shock, and Nymph herself, who was looking at the one that attacked her. Without as much as sharing a look, both paladins began making their way towards the bound figure. Storm reached for Spring Binder, abandoning walking in favor of flying, while Guard strapped his shield to his left foreleg. The cloaked figure, however, wasn’t content on waiting for them. The moment Storm and Guard had made a single step towards him, his hoof, in which he held the bow, rose, despite the Light’s chain limiting the pony’s movement. It crossed the short distance that separated it from the archer’s mouth, and he whistled. Almost exactly next to him, from a dark, small fog, appeared a black panther. So shocking was the view that Storm had almost forgotten to flap his wings. It’s not every day when an exotic creature suddenly appears in the middle of the town, after all. But it wasn’t just a normal black panther that the mysterious figure had apparently called to his help. It eyes shone with silver glow, and so did its nostrils. As it bounded towards the archer, Storm noticed that the edges of its leg and tail left a small smog-like trace in the air behind it, as if they were burning incense. If the event that was transpiring before him would have lasted more than a split second, Storm would have pondered as to why the Light had seemingly decided to broaden the horizons of his acquaintanceship with magical creatures. The black panther reached the archer in a few fast steps. With a fierce roar, it lunged at the chains that Guard had summoned, breaking them in one swift bite. Beside Storm, Guard had grunted as his mind suffered a mild backlash; but to his credit, he not only didn’t slow down, but hastened as well. The pegasus paladin followed suit. The archer, now freed, muttered something and turned his attention towards them. The panther, however, turned around. “He must have send it to attack Nymph!” Storm realized quickly. With a prayer in his head ready, he concentrated on the animal. As Storm prepared to stop it, he noticed in the corner of his eye that the archer had simultaneously shot another arrow, this time at Guard, and lifted a strange contraption in his free hoof, pointed at him. Expecting some sort of projectile to be fired at him (and very shortly being proven right by the sound of it launching something), the paladin raised his altitude, dodging the archer’s missile. He did dodge it. The projectile had passed under him… but at that instant, it exploded, encasing everything around it in a block of ice. With Storm included. Guard’s eyes narrowed at the archer’s pet. He had heard of such as him: the ones with a powerful connection to the wild, who manage to befriend even the wildest of beast, forming a deep bond with them and making them their companion. The hunters, they were called. However… there weren’t any hunters in Equestria. “And this panther,” Guard thought, recognizing it’s characteristic, despite only hearing of them in tales. “it’s a-” At that instant, the hunter had sent his pet at Nymph and the Apples, while at the same time notching another arrow. This time, his attention was on Guard and Storm. He fired the arrow, and Guard swiftly brought his shield to protect himself, barely noticing that the hunter was reaching for something under his cloak. He felt the arrow bounce off his shield. Guard shrugged it off and resumed running towards him… but then he staggered. His vision went hazy, and he felt his eyelids became very, very heavy… His eyes fell on the arrow. Though he didn’t recognize it’s design, Guard spotted one familiar detail: it didn’t have an arrowhead. Instead, the arrow ended with a very small satchel tied around the end of the wood. Guard had seen such modified arrows before, and as such, even with his focus being impaired, he realized what the contents of the satchel were. “Sleep powder… ” Big Mac watched the events that transpired before him in such short amount of time. To say he was shocked would be an understatement. His mind became incapable of any thought. First, he heard a strange piercing noise, then, as he noticed Nymph became enveloped by a golden bubble and heard an arrow bounce off it, he realized what he heard earlier was said arrow. Then Storm and Guard, two paladins trained by Matt, attacked the cloaked figure holding a bow, who was quickly freed from the chains that surrounded him by a strange beast. And then said beast turned it’s attention to Nymph. It was as if time had slowed down. Big Mac watched as the big cat crouched down and lunged at Nymph, baring its fangs at her. His Nymph. Without giving his next action much of a thought, Big Macintosh, gritting his teeth in primal fury he had tasted only once before, sprung into the air, meeting the beast before it could reach Nymph. He bowled into it, throwing it off it’s trajectory and falling together with it away from the changeling. The beast, though taken by surprise, didn’t remain inactive. It quickly whirled away from him before he could pin it down to the ground and retaliated. Burning pain stung Big Mac as the big cat’s claws slashed his shoulder. However, all it had accomplished was to fuel the red stallion’s fury. Empowered by it, Big Mac grabbed the beast’s limb and threw it off balance. He once again bowled into it, and this time pinned it to the ground. He placed his heavy hooves on the beast’s neck, and despite it’s struggles, he held it down. Having dealt with the animal, Big Macintosh scanned the area, hoping to see the cloaked archer being detained by the paladins. Instead, he saw said archer fire two more arrows at Nymph. Panic seized his heart. He turned his head, about to shout a warning, despite knowing it would be too late… … and saw a black shape hover over Nymph. Again, it was as if time had slowed. Otherwise, Big Mac wouldn’t be able to see what had happened. It was so quick. He saw a changeling, Wind Reaver, diving down from the sky head first, with his forelegs outstretched and spread wide. They were encased in a green substance, which grew long and took the shape of blades. Beside him, in the air, were the spinning remains of the arrows. Though Wind Reaver acted the instant the alarm spell that Queen Chrysalis had implanted into his head went off, signaling Nymph was in danger, he was almost too late. The fact that the Queen’s Heir, whom he had been charged to guard, was protected by a bubble of Light, meant that she had already been attacked. Wind - whose best flying maneuver was diving, and he had been almost directly above her - almost didn’t make it. Growling under his breath, he took in the scene before him. A black panther being wrestled into the ground by a bleeding Big Macintosh. Applejack getting a rope and coming to her brother’s aid. A glowing Storm Clash stuck in a cracked block of ice. Guard Shield shaking his head and staggering a bit. The cloaked figure with a bow… firing two more arrows. He concentrated on the current threat first. His timing was perfect, the swings of his claws precise; a true testimony to his skills and the reason why Queen Chrysalis trusted him to protect her heir. He cut both arrows in half before the could reach Nymph; and then, before he could collide with the ground, he did a barrel roll and bent down. The beating of his wings, coupled with the alignment of his body, allowed him to propel himself from the ground safely and lunge forward. Ending the barrel roll, he readied himself as he flew at the attacker, snarling. All the rage Wind had pent up in himself throughout the last three months, all the fury, now  had finally found a target upon which it could be released. Without acknowledging his foe with as much as a battlecry, he swung his claws- -hitting nothing. The cloaked archer made a backflip in the last second, dodging his attack. Wind gritted his teeth; the cloaked figure was not going to be so lucky next time. With his wings still propelling him forward, he would reach his mark in less than- Only when the sound of explosion reached his ears did Wind notice that the archer had left behind a vial with an orange fluid. A searing pain overtook him in the next instant. And then he felt nothing. The ice which bound him shattered under the force of Light. Storm Clash clenched his teeth, trying to forget the sensation of being frozen, even if it lasted only a few seconds… The nearby explosion caused him to focus on what was happening around him. The paladin located the archer; he was in the air, pushed back by the force of the blast. In his hoof he still held his bow and had another arrow ready. Storm didn’t bother to look where he was aiming; with the power of the Holy Light, he could stop him before the archer would fire. He narrowed his eyes, prayer recited in his mind as he raised his hoof- At that moment, three things happened, one after another, with the intervals between them so short that to Storm’s eyes it was if they had happened simultaneously. Firstly a shield, glowing with the Light, shot through the air, knocking the bow out of the archer’s hoof. Then green bolts of magic hit the archer in all four limbs, becoming a goo-like blobs. Finally, a rainbow-colored streak hit him square in the chest, sending him against the wall of the building on the other side of the street. The green blobs engulfed his hoofs, glueing the would-be assassin to the wall. Seeing that the danger had passed, Storm allowed himself to relax and put away his sword. He looked as Guard, who was now without his shield, approaching the mysterious figure, keeping his hammer at ready. He was about to go join him, when a shout from behind made him stop and look around: “Big Mac, you’re hurt!” Storm’s eyes scanned the area. Big Macintosh was standing atop of the strange black panther that only a seconds ago had freed the archer. His sister was tying it up with her rope, though at the sound of the scream she looked up at him in shock. The one who uttered the shout, Nymph, still in her unicorn disguise, was running up to them, her horn glowing as she probably prepared some sort of healing spell. Her face had worry written all over her, and as Storm turned his attention to Big Mac, he couldn’t blame her: three large cuts marked his shoulder, no doubt a memento from the panther below him. Streaks of blood ran down his leg, easily noticeable even with his red coat. Deciding that Guard could handle the archer on his own now, Storm flew towards the wounded stallion. On his way, he looked at two remaining participants of the battle: Rainbow Dash, who appeared out of nowhere in the last moment, and Wind Reaver. Wind Reaver stood where the explosion took place. Actually, it couldn’t be said that he stood. Rather, he was suspended, in an eerily similar manner to how Storm had been just a few heartbeats ago. The changeling was encased in a green block of amber. That sight was so confusing that Storm landed next to it to get a better look, and was quickly joined by Rainbow Dash. Both of them gasped when they saw the state Wind Reaver was in. His chest and belly were burned off. His chitin on those body parts were visibly blackened and crisped, and the parts on his legs were cracked. “Is he going to be okay?” Rainbow called out to Nymph, and Storm, who remembered how hostile she was to the changeling when he first came to the Abbey, was surprised to hear worry and panic in her voice. As he also looked to Nymph for answers, he went over the prayers for healing, in case he would need them. The female changeling was tending to Big Mac’s wound. She turned her head to them at Rainbow’s question, though she didn’t cease her efforts. “Yes, he will be fine. I encased him in amber before he could suffer more serious damage. It should already start healing him.” Indeed, as Storm looked back to Wind, he saw that the cracks on his legs had already disappeared, and the wounds on his chest were healing as well, with new chitin beginning to grow in place of the burned one. Relieved and confused at changelings’ powers, Storm’s attention shifted back to Nymph and the two Apples. A green, pulsing glow surrounded Big Mac’s wound, identical in color to the amber. As the paladin approached them, the glow grew gradually weaker, and the expression on Big Mac’s face became less pained. “Guess you don’t need my help,” he commented. “Actually, mind givin’ me a hoof with this fellow, partner?” Applejack told him, pointing at the panther and the other end of the rope. Together, they tied the animal’s limbs tightly to its body. Once it couldn’t move, Big Mac got off it. The panther immediately resumed thrashing around with renewed strength, but the rope held. “Well, that’s taken care off,”. “Eeyup,” Big Mac nodded, and at the same time, the glow around his shoulder disappeared. Everypony looked over where his wound was, and saw no trace of it left. Only blood matting his coat indicated that he had been in a fight with a ferocious beast. The red stallion stretched his leg to test it, and smiled with relief. “Thanks,” he told Nymph, who was still looking at him with concern. The changeling immediately blushed. “I-it’s nothing,” she stammered, scratching her head. “Y-you got wounded while defending me, so…” “Speaking of,” Storm interjected when Nymph had trailed off; also, he noticed that Applejack was looking back and forth between her brother and the changeling, and although he had no idea why she was looking at them so oddly, the paladin hoped to avoid any new conflict. “Do you know why somepony would want to attack you?” His mind went back to when he was guarding her and Wind Reaver not so long ago, in Canterlot. Blueblood and some other nobles had hired goons to rough the changelings up due to some petty revenge. Could they be responsible now as well? “I…” Nymph hesitated, “I think I know why.” She looked over at where she had glued the archer to the wall. Guard was standing by him, probably interrogating him.  “And if my guess is correct… then things are going to be awkward…” Guard nodded with approval as Storm hastened to help with Big Macintosh’s injury. He had the feeling that Nymph was capable of healing him, he heard how she treated Wind Reaver in the Crystal Empire, but it wouldn’t hurt to have a paladin look at him. “I wonder what about him, though,” he thought, looking over at the green crystal holding Wind Reaver inside. Though the sleep powder had dulled his senses and almost caused him to lose consciousness, as he prayed to the Light to cleanse him, Guard had noticed the explosion that undoubtedly had wounded the changeling. He was worried about Wind’s state, but he hoped that the fact that Nymph had went to take care of Big Macintosh meant his life wasn’t in danger. “Not now, at least.” His attention focused on the hunter. Nymph’s spell hit him in the hooves, creating the goo similar to the one Guard had seen during the Invasion of Canterlot. It glued his hooves to the wall, making him unable to fight back anymore. With a last look at his restrains, Guard reached out to the hood hiding the hunter’s face and lifted it. As he had guessed, the face of their attacker was adorned by the white and gray stripes. What he didn’t expect, however, was the zebra being female. She had a pale blue eyes which now gazed into his. Her right ear had two small golden piercings, but other than that her head lacked any jewelry. Unlike the zebra that lived near Ponyville this one kept her mane free, letting it fall down to her shoulders. She also appeared to be older than her. On her neck she wore a necklace made out of small bones. Most ponies would be horrified by the sight. Guard, however, had been part of Princess Celestia’s entourage many times during her diplomatic missions, including the ones to the zebras of the Dowunai Tribe. He knew of several of their customs, like making animal sacrifices to their Great Spirits (though that depended on what Spirit the zebras were offering to; some preferred fruits), which also gave rise to the hunters. Guard was also aware that traditionally hunters wore a necklace made out of the bones of their first kill. Shaking off his head to hide his surprise at the zebra turning out to be a female, Guard narrowed his eyes. She had, even if for a very short time, managed to fight off him, Storm and Wind, all while trying to shoot Nymph. “Why have you attacked her?” he asked. The zebra looked at him with confusion. Guard wondered if it was possible that she couldn’t speak Equestrian, but then she spoke. “Are you ponyfolk mad or blind?” Her Equestrian bore a strong accent. “Can’t you see that’s a changeling?” Guard blinked. “We know Nymph is changeling,” he told her, baffled. “She and Wind Reaver are here as guests of Princess Celestia.” Now it was the zebra’s turn to blink in surprise. “What?” A few minutes worth of explanation later, the zebra was vigorously apologizing. “I be so sorry,” she repeated yet again, bowing; Nymph had released her shortly after they started explaining to her why two changelings were in Ponyville. It was clear that the zebra wasn’t as fluent with Equestrian as Zecora was.  “Me swear by the Great Spirits, I did not know. Me thought you were feeding on their love.” “That’s fine,” Nymph replied, Storm noticed a slight blush of embarrassment on her. “Luckily, no one got harmed.” Wind Reaver, standing beside her, snorted. Soon after Nymph had finished treating Big Mac, she released the male changeling from the amber. His wounds had been healed, but his pride was still hurt. He was not the only one glaring at the zebra. Big Mac was standing on the other side of Nymph, as if waiting for the hunter (as Guard had called her) to try and harm her again. Applejack also seemed distrustful of the zebra, and continued to keep the panther tied and on a leash. The glares of ponies who came back after the short fight was over were also not friendly, though Storm couldn’t help but wonder if it had more to do with how she had disrupted the peace rather than attacking Nymph. “Um, I mean, permanently harmed,” Nymph amended with anxious smile. “That doesn’t make trying to kill you okay,” Guard told her. “She wasn’t trying to kill me.” Everypony turned to stare at Nymph. “Come again?” Rainbow asked. “The first arrow was aimed to pass right before my eyes,” Nymph explained calmly. “I assume she meant to scare me and make me reveal my real self, right?” The zebra nodded sheepishly. The changeling continued: “Her later shots were aimed to wound, not kill.” Guard exchanged a glance with him. Storm shrugged. He had no idea what to think of this. The older paladin glanced at the zebra, then back at Nymph. “Are you sure she poses no threat?” “Well…” Nymph started, the smiled shyly. “No greater than two changelings.” “How did she know that you’re a changeling, though?” Rainbow Dash inquired. “That’s actually a good question.” Nymph opened her mouth to answer, but the zebra interrupted. “Me know me be the guilty here, but could you not talk as if me was not here?” She gave the younger mare an offended glare, then quickly dropped her ears back and resumed her submissive stance. “My people be in tune with the spirits; we be better at seeing things for what they be.” “Which is why we changelings usually don’t stray into their lands,” Nymph added. “That’s all well and nice, but what are we going to do about her?” Guard asked, still retaining his impassive expression. “We should probably bring her to Sir Lightbringer to decide that,” Storm said. “After all, he’s the one responsible for the changeling’s safety. I can fly ahead and notify him.” Turning to the zebra, he asked her: “But before that; could you tell me your name? And what are you doing in Ponyville, for that matter?” “Me name be Zahara. Me be looking for me younger sister. Zecora, her name,” the zebra added. “Do you know her?”