Chapter II
Twilight Sparkle hummed a happy tone as she walked through her library, levitating several books while she was passing the many bookshelves. “Let’s see, ah, there it is," she said as she levitated another book of its shelf. "Spike." She called out to her assistant.
Spike peeked his head out of a pile of books. “What is it, Twilight?” He asked.
“Could you place these books on that empty shelve over there?” Twilight asked, pointing her hoof at the shelf.
“Sure thing,” Spike replied as he held out his claws. The books were placed in his claws. Struggling to keep his balance, the young dragon walked towards the empty shelve.
“I haven’t made a friendship report yet,” Twilight mumbled as she walked further into the library. "What do I do?" She asked herself. She was about to grab a few more books, until a familiar burp stopped her in her tracks.
“It’s a letter!” Spike said.
“I’ll be there in a minute!” Twilight called back.
“But it says here that it’s very important!”
A blinding purple light appeared in front of the young dragon. “Here you go Twilight.” He said, holding his claw out.
Twilight smiled at her assistant and started reading the letter. Her expression turning into one of curiosity with every sentence she read. “Spike,” she said as she scrolled the letter back up. “We’re going to Canterlot.”
“Again?” Spike whined.
"Alright," Twilight sighed as she patted her assistant’s head. "You can stay here and keep an eye on the library; while I go to Canterlot."
"Alright!" Spike beamed with much enthusiasm. "Now I get to read those new Daring Doo comics. Aw man, this is going to be great!"
“But remember Spike, a watchful eye.” Twilight reminded her assistant.
“Yeah, yeah. Spike replied, waving his claw at her in a dismissive manner. “Just pack your stuff and be on your way, okay?”
Twilight nodded, quickly trotting out of the ‘Conjuration area’ of the library and running upstairs. Opening the door to her room, she levitated he saddlebag towards her and opened it. “Let’s see,” she said, tapping her chin. “I’ll need four—no at least six scrolls. Two quills and four bottles of ink. A book to read in the train. Or maybe I should—no, I think that will be enough.”
Twilight packed the things she needed, triple checking if she had everything. Quickly trotting out of her room, Twilight haphazardly made her way downstairs. Spike had already begun reading one of the many Daring Doo’s. “Bye Spike!” Twilight said as she exited the library.
“See ya!” Spike called after her.
‘Alright, to Canterlot!’ Twilight thought as she started trotting towards Ponyville train station.
In about ten minutes, the young lavender unicorn had finally reached the train station. As if it knew she was coming, the train stopped right in front of her. Passengers left the train. While others—including Twilight herself—boarded the train. Sitting down on a nearby bench, Twilight placed her saddlebags on a seat in front of her. Levitating the book she had brought with her, she opened it and started reading.
“Chapter one: Of dragons and gems.”
“Sister, when does young Twilight Sparkle arrive?”
Princess Celestia rose from her throne, looking down at her sister she smiled. “Knowing Twilight, she’ll be here shortly.” she said as she rubbed her forehead.
“What’s wrong, sister?” Luna asked, giving her sister a concerned look. “You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”
“It’s nothing,” Celestia smiled. “I didn’t get much sleep last night, that’s all.”
“And why is that?” Luna asked, raising an eyebrow at her sister.
Celestia bit her bottom lip, looking down at the floor in embarrassment. “Would you believe me when I told you I’ve been drinking too much tea before bed?”
Luna shook her head. “The truth, please.”
“Nightmares.”
"Nightmares?" Luna repeated. Her sister had been having nightmares? About what? If she had, surely her own sister would have noticed. How could she not have noticed her own sister having nightmares? She was the Princess of The Night for Faust’s sake. Biting her bottom lip also, Luna spoke up. “What were they about?”
“Equestria.”
Luna let out a sigh of relief.
“And its destruction.”
Luna’s eyes widened. Equestria’s destruction? What was she talking about?
“I’ve been having the same nightmares for four nights straight. Canterlot burning, out subjects screaming, and in the far distance, a cackling voice that echoes through the sky.” Celestia’s eyes, always so calm and innocent, were now filled with fear and sadness. “I feel that this might be the beginning of something greater.”
“The same nightmare,” Luna muttered, closing her eyes in thought. “Visions, perhaps?”
“Maybe,” Celestia replied. “But that does not explain--.”
“Your highnesses?”
Both sisters turned their heads to a Pegasi guard that had entered the throne room.
“Normally, ponies knock before they enter.” Luna said, glaring at the guard.
The guard rubbed his helmet, laughing nervously. “Forgive me, but Twilight Sparkle has arrived, your highnesses.” Opening the door and letting the mare in question enter, Twilight thanked the guard and looked at her mentor.
“I will take my leave.” The guard bowed and left the throne room.
“My dear Twilight Sparkle,” Celestia greeted her student, smiling at her. “How are you doing?”
“I’m good,” Twilight replied. “So what’s this ‘urgent situation’ you wanted to see me about? She asked curiously.
“Yes, about that,” Celestia chuckled. “Gotcha”
“Gotcha?” Twilight repeated in confusion.
“Yes,” Celestia replied, walking over to her student and draping a wing around her. “I just wanted to spent some time with my number one student.” ‘Even if it is just for a few minutes’ Celestia thought, remembering she had to attend day court very soon.
Twilight blushed a bit when her mentor said that, she wasn’t that talented.. right? “So I brought all of this,” she said, looking at her saddlebags. “For nothing.”
“No,” Celestia replied, using her magic to lift the saddlebags of Twilight. In the blink of an eye her saddlebags were gone. “Let’s just.. talk.”
“Talk?” Twilight repeated in confusion. “Talk about what?”
“About your life in Ponyville.” Celestia replied.
“But I already sent you all those friendship reports. What would--.”
“I want to talk about your life in Ponyville.” Celestia as she motioned Twilight to follow her.
Both unicorn and Alicorn walked out of the throne room, leaving Princess Luna to herself.
“Nightmares,” Luna said as she looked at her sister’s throne. “How strange."
Twilight could not feel more uncomfortable than she already was feeling. Spending time with her mentor was a privilege.. but the questions she was asking her were beginning to get a bit personal. ‘Are you seeing anypony?’ ‘Have you dyed your mane?’ All these questions, they were beginning to get weird.
“So how is Spike doing?” Celestia asked as she and Twilight walked through the Canterlot gardens. Several ponies who were in the gardens too, bowed before their ruler. Celestia smiled at her subjects, happy that they were enjoying the gardens as well.
“Spike is doing good. He’s actually been doing a very good job lately, Twilight said as she let out a small sigh. “But I think the whole invasion really did a number on him. He didn’t sleep much after we returned to Ponyville.”
Celestia closed her eyes. “I can understand that. He’s just a baby dragon, after all.”
“Yes,” Twilight smiled as she looked up at her mentor. “But nonetheless, I still love him with all my heart. And so does everypony else.”
“I can understand that too,” Celestia giggled. “How can you not like his cute, innocent nature. But how are the others. Your friends, how are they doing?” Celestia asked as she and Twilight passed one of the many statues in the garden.
“Princess, I couldn’t help but overhear your conversation with Princess Luna,” Twilight said as she looked up at her mentor. “ Are you really having nightmares about.. you know.” She trailed off.
Celestia closed her eyes and sighed. “Indeed I have, my faithful student,” Looking up at the sky, Celestia let out a small chuckle. “But they are just nightmares. Nothing to worry about.”
Twilight couldn’t help but notice a small twinkle in her mentor’s eyes. Was she… lying to her? No, Princess Celestia never lies. Shaking the thought out of her head, Twilight spoke up. “How is Princess Luna doing?”
“She’s doing rather well,” Celestia replied, looking down at her student. “Ever since Nightmare Night she’s been opening up more and more.”
“That’s good to hear” Twilight smiled. sighing to herself, Twilight rubbed the back of her head awkwardly. “Princess, not to be rude but.. are we just going to keep walking and talking?”
Celestia chuckled. “No, no. I have to attend day court in a few minutes. So I’ll leave you to yourself. If that’s alright with you, I mean.”
“Don’t worry Princess, I’ll just ‘explore’ Canterlot a little bit. See what I can find. Perhaps some new books to add to my collection.” Twilight replied.
Celestia nodded in agreement as her horn lit up. Smiling at her student, she vanished into thin air.
“Okay,” Twilight said to herself, “To Canterlot!”
A dark, yet clear gravel path could be seen in the distance. A man stood on the path deciding whether or not he should walk it. Deciding he should, the man walked down the graveled path. As the man walked down the path, he looked to his side. Gravestones. Ones he recognized, and ones he did not had suddenly appeared out of thin air.
The path grew darker and darker. Trees started to appear behind him, as if he was walking deeper into a forest. The man let out a sigh. For how long did he have to walk down this path of despair?
Walking further down the graveled path, the man stopped, looking down at a gravestone that he had not noticed before. Falling to his knees, the man read the name on the gravestone.
“Willem… was this the right choice?
It's becoming harder and harder to remember your name. Even my own is starting to fade away. It's been so long, I wonder if you're even still alive in the real world. If not, then you were the lucky one among us.
So many hunters. Either free, turned to beasts, or prematurely renouncing their vows. Their faces are all blurring together, and I can't make out any distinct aspects of them. Top hats, hunter's caps, the occasional metal helmet, it doesn't matter. Every single face is the same. Angry. Betrayed. Tired.
They always refuse. It's so rare that they allow me to free them. And so, I am forced to free them. My bones creak, my back protests, my hands writhe with pain, and I can barely move my mouth to speak. And then the moon aids me, and I gain my old self. My old burial blade, my gun, my coat, my cap. I used to thank the moon for returning me to my prime. Now I wish it would just leave me that crippled old man, too weak to stand, easy prey for the hunter that refuses. They don't deserve to stay in this hunter's dream, but I can't stand this anymore. I want to be free. I want to wake up from this cruel Hunter's Dream, return to reality, so that I might finally die. I can't. Willem. I can't.
I remember, a long time ago, when you and I used to sit on the balcony at Byrgenwerth, how we spoke of what would become of us in our old age. You planned to stay in Byrgenwerth. I wanted to be remembered for excavations in the old labyrinth. We laughed at how Laurence would probably still be chasing girls in Yharnam.
Laurence is gone. Turned beastly, and worshiped against his will at that Grand Cathedral. Turning in his grave, if anyone had had the decency to actually give him a grave. You're still at Byrgenwerth for all I know, still on that balcony, regretting letting that excursion commence, eternally regretting how we brought about the beasts.”
And me, just a toy for the moon, forced to hold this dream. Trapped in this sickeningly beautiful void. I did it to save other hunters from the moon, to keep them alive. As every day goes by, I think of how I would turn my own gun on myself the next time a hunter refuses, blow out my mind and this cursed hunter's dream. Finally be free.
One day, a hunter will win. They will end me, either with a bullet to the head, or a saw through my chest. I've imagined it so many times, hoped so many times. My moon brings me back to what I was, but some have come close. Sawed through a vital artery, blinded me, cut off an arm, crushed my bones. And I've always won. No hunter can destroy that which made them. No student has defeated the master yet.
Master. As if. I was the one that let my family be maimed by the beasts. I was the one that aided Laurence in bringing back the old blood. I bowed to the moon, and locked the door of my own prison. The moon makes me young again, fast, efficient, accurate, powerful. All to keep itself alive.
That man has been dead for a long time now. Gehrman the hunter died the day he let himself be trapped in this dream. All that's left is an old man. An old man who pretends to mentor the new hunters. An old man who's forgotten who that doll was supposed to look like. An old man who stares at the moon, every night of the hunt, wondering what could have happened had things been different. Had things gone better.
Willem…. I find it most ironic. I took up the hunt, created an ending for the beasts. I used to think that I was the hunter, and they were the prey.
When, all along, I was the very first beast there ever was.
Willem, I am free. But please, do not forget who I was. Do not forget my name. Do not forget… our friendship.”
Gehrman lowered his head, tears falling down his cheeks. He had been freed, but his vow he could not keep. The hunter who had ended his suffering, was probably regretting his decision. Sitting in--what once was—his wheelchair, under the ever watchful eye of the moon.
Then, out of nowhere, there was a light. And Gehrman felt at peace.
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This fic pleases us.
Well, I'm officially hooked.
Hmm, this fic is actually well written. Dare I say, it's quite beautiful in places and it certainly helps those not familiar with the game catch up to speed about this character, in such a short amount of time. That takes skill. Bravo.
I would recommend, before going into 'vs' with Equestrian monsters and heroes, not to nerf them or at least, downplay their powers. For some reason, a lot of crossovers do that, making the other cross the dominant one. It's just a tip. I sincerely doubt you'd tip the scale like that because it's wondrous so far. You have talent. I can't wait to read more.
I hope we see that hunter again
I kind of hope that Gehrman is the only aspect that will crossover so the focus can remain on him and his interactions. Hopefully he also doesn't turn into a pony or anything like that.
Honestly, this looks very good so far. I'm not sure how I feel about the impending big bad this early on (a lot of stories don't handle an original villain very well), but I will keep my hope up. The descriptions are good, and the characterization is good so far as well.
Also, when I saw Gehrman in the picture, the first thing I thought was, "Please, please, please don't let this be another stupid, baiting, deceptive Displaced story." I was extremely happy when I saw that wasn't the case! I rarely see Bloodborne crossovers, much less decent ones.
I look forward to this stories progression. I will love to read on how Gehrman will react to and interact with Equestria and act as a rather kind (if not sometimes quite crude) grandpa-esque figure for many characters. And then when the eventual conflict comes, Gehrman rolls his wheelchair (if he will still have one) right up to the villain, exchange a fewer barbed words, and then the old man stands up. In that moment, everyone sees that what they once thought was nothing more than an old man, was in fact something far more dangerous than they could possibly conceive. Keep up the good work!
I like it, but, please go through your chapters and check for grammar, or ask someone to do it.
I tend to overlook these things, for the plot of the story is always the important part, but for you I make an exception. Not because you desperately need it, but because I know this will turn out well.
6572598 While that is true. For the hunters who reside in that dream, it feels like days. Constantly going through Yahrnam, Bergenwyrth, Oedon Chapel, etc, can really do a number on a hunter's mind.
6572598 Very awesome when you think about it.
6571126 I will. This fic had been in the back of my mind for a long time. I'm glad to see so many people are enjoying it!
6577492 Indeed he was. Well hold your horses, next chapter will be up shortly!
That's not the place for a period, but a question mark.
Loads of missing quotation marks in this paragraph.
Same thing.
This is intriguing already; it only needs some careful polishing to be a clean hit.
The Moon Presence was beaten by the new hunter, who's body was turned into that of a baby Great One.
So what about
DIO, Master of the Leaguethe Axe Hunter?1. Missing quotation mark at the end.
2. For someone as old as Luna, using the term "How strange" Is very strange. Consider "How queer" perhaps?
I hope Gerhman learns the Hunter killed the Moon Presence and (hopefully) permanently ended the Scourge and Hunt.