The Hunters of Secrets

by Arkantos

Fall From Grace

A Hunter walked over to Black Fall and said, "It looks like you're all done setting up your traps. And are you sharpening your arrows?" The Hunter noticed Black Fall wasn't paying any attention to him, so he asked "Hey, are you with us?" He then used his hoof to shake Black Fall out of her trance.

The Huntress reacted sharply. "Who are you? And why are you shaking me?" She stared at him coldly before continuing, "Have you ever heard of personal space?"

The Hunter said, "My apologies. It's just that you seemed a little too focused. I think I should introduce myself. My name is Shivering Ice.”

"Wait a minute,” interrupted Cold Blood. “Shivering Ice? That’s a dumb name."

"Like you have room to talk!” Black Fall snapped. ”Seriously, where did the idea of Cold Blood come from? It’s not like your actual blood is cold. Now be quiet and let me tell the rest of my story."

"Ok fine, but when you're done, we're going to have a serious talk about this someday,” Cold Blood said. Black Fall ignored him.

Shivering Ice said, "I hope Harsh wasn't too rough with you. I've heard she can get carried away."

Black Fall’s heart fluttered knowing that at least somepony cared for her and she replied, "Thank you. I apologize for my mood earlier. As for Harsh, that wasn't her harshest moment. Trust me, you haven't seen her at her harshest moment. Because if she did lose it, then I wouldn't be standing here. Actually, if we’re being honest, I would probably be in a puddle of blood." Somewhere during their conversation, the two Hunters got lost in each other’s eyes for what seemed like forever.

Sadly, it did come to an end after one hour passed. Harsh’s voice broke in, "It's about sundown. Everypony should find a secure spot and assume their position."

Both Shivering Ice and Black Fall shook their heads and said in unison, "Oh, right away, ma'am." And with that, they both flew up to a roof and waited for any kind of sound.

Several hours after sunset, the first trap was triggered. The Hunters aimed their crossbows and would've gotten a direct hit, except that Black Fall tackled them and threw off their aim. The reason she did this was because she still believed there was another way.

"What are you doing?!” she yelled. ”There has to be a reason why this creature is attacking!"

The manticore got free from the net trap and made his way across the town, triggering several arrow traps which sprung into action. Every single one of them hit the manticore. But that didn't stop it. The monster looked around and eventually found the mayor’s house. It ran towards the building and, using its scorpion tail, broke down the front door.The mayor used his earth pony strength to break through the window to escape the manticore. However, monster gave chase, completely bursting through the window and the wall around it. It wasn't long before the mayor’s house was nothing but another destroyed home. The manticore managed to catch up to the mayor, who tried to jump out of its path. But the manticore caught the mayor’s hind legs in its mouth, ripping them off. As his blood spilled everywhere, the mayor still tried to get away. But the monster used its scorpion tail to pierce through the back of the pony, immediately killing him. When it was over, the manticore made a beeline for the forest. The Hunters’ traps failed to bring down the manticore as it ran and several more ponies were killed, either by the traps or by the manticore’s claws, teeth, and stinger. The monster had almost made it to the forest when it activated one last trap. It was a pit trap and it worked. When the monster fell into the pit, it was pierced by several wooden stakes at the bottom.

All four Hunters gathered around the successful trap. Harsh transformed her sword into a crossbow and said, "We got him. We finally got him. Now who’s-" She heard a whimper from the pit, and as she looked down, Harsh saw that the manticore was still alive. "Oh, guys, look. It's not dead yet. Let's kill it."

As Harsh aimed her crossbow, Shivering Ice asked, "Who set up the trap?"

The Hunter right next to him said, very disappointedly, "I think Black Fall set this one up."

Lowering her crossbow, Harsh said, "Well, since she's the one who trapped it, it would be better if she was the one who killed it. And who knows? Maybe it will help her to abandon her hopes and dreams for coexistence with these monsters."

Black Fall transformed her sword into a crossbow and aimed it at the manticore’s head, but the monster gave her such a fearful look that a battle rose up in Black Fall’s mind. The Hunter side of her said that killing this monster would give her more respect and the world would be safer with one less monster to deal with. But the side that favored monsters and desperately wanted coexistence to happen said that killing this monster wouldn't solve the problem. Perhaps freeing it from her trap would be a step in the right direction.

Black Fall’s crossbow began to shake in her hoofs and eventually, she lowered it and said, "No."

Shivering Ice asked, "What do you mean, no? Don't you want to kill this monster? Don't you want to protect ponykind?"

Not missing a beat, Black Fall said, "Yes, I do, but I also know that this creature has a right to live and we shouldn't take that right away."

Shivering Ice aimed his crossbow at the manticore and said, "If you're not willing to do it, then I will."

Her heart broke in two and she said emotionally, "I can't believe you're so coldhearted. I had a feeling that this would be the outcome, so I installed a backup system."

Black Fall slammed her hoof on a trip wire which triggered another trap in the pit. A net catapulted the manticore out of the pit trap and straight into Shivering Ice. Black Fall and the other two Hunters dove out of the way, but Shivering Ice wasn't so lucky. The monster swallowed him whole and then started to run to the nearby forest.

As the other two Hunters got up and shot shocked glances at the emotionally unstable Black Fall, they saw nothing but disappointment in her eyes. Black Fall’s emotions were all over the place. Hot tears of emotion poured out of her eyes as she dropped her crossbow. When it hit the ground, it landed on a rock with a loud clunk. She was both pleased and sad about her accomplishment, pleased that the manticore escaped, but sad about the loss of Shivering Ice.

Harsh gave her a grin as he said, "I figured you would be the weak link. I also came up with a back up plan in case all of our traps failed."

Black Fall’s tearful eyes widened as Harsh yelled, "Now!" Suddenly, the rest of the villagers hiding behind stone fences and demolished buildings came out from behind them, armed their crossbows, and fired explosive rounds at the manticore. The air was bursting with fire, ice and lightning. The monster could only take so many shots befoe it finally died. The villagers cheered.

Both of the remaining Hunters looked at Black Fall, anger in their eyes, and Black Fall quickly realized what was about to happen. She backed up and tried to fly away. Unfortunately for her, both Hunters tackled her. Harsh kept her pinned as the other Hunter pulled out some rope to tie her wings down.

Harsh cried, "Oh, no you don't! Because of you, one of us is dead now. You must face the consequences."

The other Hunter finished tying her wings and then said, "I hope you're happy with your choice." As he spoke, he realized something and looked fearfully at the mare for a long while before seeing a quick little flash of gold in her eyes.

His eyes widened a little and he asked, "You didn't read one of those books of forbidden knowledge, did you?"

Black Fall got up on all four legs and, trying her best not to look at the Hunter, she asked, "Is it a crime to read books of any kind?"

With that question and the brief golden shimmer in her eyes, the Hunter’s fears were confirmed. She had read forbidden knowledge.

The Hunter looked at Harsh and said, "We need to tell the mistress about what happened here and hold a trial for her crimes." Harsh looked at Black Fall and nodded. Without saying goodbye to the villagers, they made their way to Blood Moon.

---

Present Day

The sun had just set when Black Fall shook her head and realized that the campfire had been burning for quite some time. Figuring that this was Cold Blood’s doing, Black Fall treasured the warmth she felt. She looked up and around before eventually finding him.

Cold Blood had been filling water skins for the road ahead. When he finished, he looked at Black Fall and said, "What, are we doing a commercial break?"

The Butcher replied, "Don't be silly. If we were doing a commercial break, then that would indicate that we are in a television show. And television doesn't even exist. Yet?" Black Fall looked up at the sky in confusion, because for a second, she thought someone was above her telling her to say those exact words.

A little puzzled by her reply, Cold Blood decided to just let it go, and he went to retrieve another skin filled with water.

"I didn't really think you had the guts to not only not to kill a creature that isn't a pony,” he commented, “but you also wanted the creature to live and find a better way to live in the world. You want life for ponies and monsters alike. But I'm curious, do you still believe in that? Do you still believe that monsters and ponies can coexist together?"

Black Fall looked down before answering her partner’s question. "Yes, but unfortunately, the Hunters don't see it that way. So as long as they're still around, the world will never be at peace."

"With the thought process you had back, it makes sense that you are where you are right now."

The Butcher looked up at him and said, "That incident was actually the beginning of the rockslide for me. My heart was torn in two. I accidentally killed one of my fellow Hunters because of my ideas and beliefs for a better world."

She began collecting rocks and throwing them at a mountainside. "When I got back to Blood Moon, my living quarters were searched."

---

Flashback

Before Black Fall stood a very angry Luna with several other Hunters pointing spears at her. Luna approached Black Fall and said, "Search her room."

Two randomly selected Hunters ran to her cavern house and started to turn the place upside down with several crashes, accompanied by the sound of furniture being tossed to the floor. The two Hunters returned with several books containing glowing pages. Luna’s eyes narrowed as she looked Black Fall straight in the eyes.

Black Fall said very nervously, "I didn't mean to get one of the Hunters killed. It was an accident."

Luna replied, "You know that the mission is to track down and kill monsters. But according to what Harsh has told me, you weren't helping with that. You became more of a nuisance to the Hunters, not an aid. And because of your actions, I can see no alternative. I, Luna, sentence you to Tartarus."

Black Fall’s eyes widened in panic and she begged, "Please don't send me down there! I'll leave the Hunters. I'll live a quiet life and forget everything I know about the Hunters of Secrets. Just please don't send me down there because of what I thought was right!"

Stomping her hoof, Luna used her Canterlot voice to yell, "You read from the most forbidden books in the library! Those pages contain ancient knowledge that no one, not even you, are ready to know! But you ignored my warnings and read them anyway, and it has pretty much changed you inside and out!" She then began to calm down a bit as her wings spread out. She continued, "With that knowledge comes the cost of your only friend. If you remain in this world, you will continue to try to make changes to our way of life. This is the reason why you must be tossed into Tartarus.” Then the Princess of the Moon came very close to Black Fall’s ear and whispered, "Please forgive me for what is about to happen." And when Luna backed away, Harsh knocked Black Fall out.

Blackness was all Black Fall could see. Endless blackness. She tried to get up, but she couldn't. No matter how hard she tried, she just couldn't do it. It was like something was physically making her weaker. She did feel bumps from time to time and knew that she was to be tossed away like nothing. As she realized that they were transporting her to Tartarus or the hole that led to Tartarus, she said to herself. "So this is how it ends, with me getting tossed away like yesterday's trash."

She closed her eyes for several seconds before opening them with new determination. "If I can't make a world where ponies and monsters can coexist, then I will destroy this world no matter what."

Suddenly, she had the strength to walk again, and as she galloped toward the bright light, she yelled, “Watch out, Luna! I plan to destroy your order of Hunters!”

When Black Fall woke up, she saw that she was indeed on a wagon. The good news was that her wings were free. The bad news was that all four of her hoofs were stuck in hoof locks, basically giant iron clamps around a pony’s hooves with chains hooked on the clamps as well as hooked into the wagon.

Black Fall looked up at the driver and saw a Hunter.

'I guess Luna wants every Hunter that gets banished to remember how their wings felt before they get cut off.'

The Hunter continued pulling the wagon, which seemed to be moving uphill. Black Fall flapped her leather wings to feel the air once more before she lost them.

The wagon reached the top of the mountain and Black Fall saw several Hunters and Luna. Luna maintained a hurt look while Black Fall stared daggers at her.

---

Present Day

The sun had just set and the fire was being refueled with several branches from a nearby dead tree. Cold Blood was about halfway through a pony leg that had once belonged to a Hunter. He said, his mouth full, "Just curious, what was in the book of forbidden knowledge? Because I don't think that the ponies’ moon princess would banish one of her own Hunters for reading something like her secret diary?"

Black Fall replied, "You would be correct in assuming that there is something important in those pages." She took a bite out of an apple before continuing. "But alas, I can no longer recall the words, for I have forgotten them. I guess through time, I just forgot."

Black Fall took another bite of the apple. It wasn't juicy or sweet like a berry. No, it was more harsh. But food is food, there's no arguing that. She finished the apple and tossed it somewhere behind her before saying, "Let's get back to where I was."

---

Back in the Past

The Hunters unlocked Black Fall’s chains but did not remove the hoof locks. Holding the chains that kept her from flying away, they guided her to the edge of the hole in the middle of the mountain, the tallest mountain in all of Equestria. Two Hunters flew over and grabbed each of her wings. It wasn't long before a portal opened and Luna, along with several other Hunters, came out. Four of the Hunters spread out, took position, and aimed their crossbows at Black Fall, just in case she had any funny ideas about escaping. Four more Hunters pointed their spears at Black Fall. With a disappointed look, Luna said, "Black Fall, from now on, if you somehow manage to survive this fall,every Hunter will see you as an enemy and the rest of Equestria will believe that you are dead. Do you have any last words?"

Black Fall looked around her and said, "You do realize that if you continue down this path of hunting and killing, you’ll only end up getting everyone killed." She then looked at Luna and, with a little anger in her voice, said, "Stop fooling yourself believing that you're doing this for Equestria. You’re not. You're actually doing this for your sister." She glanced at Harsh and said, "Really, that was your worst mood."

Harsh responded, "If you don't like it, I can always kill you right here, right now! I swear I'll do it! Come on, let's go!" Harsh hit her front hooves together, preparing to fight Black Fall to the death.

Black Fall ignored Harsh’s challenge for a fight and looked down at the hole in front of her. "So this is the hole that leads to Tartarus. I thought it would be more like a portal to the underworld, not some big long hole in a mountain."

Luna looked sadly at her. "I'm sorry, but this is for the good of Equestria."

With that, two flying Hunters grabbed Black Fall’s leather wings and spread them out for Luna. Luna lit up her horn and a blue sword made of pure magic appeared at her side. She walked toward Black Fall and said loudly, "For the crime of looking through the book of forbidden knowledge that you knew you weren't supposed to look through!" She swung her magical sword to the right and chopped off Black Fall’s right wing. Black Fall emitted a blood curdling scream while Luna continued, "And for causing the death of one of your fellow Hunters!" She swung her magical sword again, this time to the left. Again, Black Fall let loose a horrible scream as her left wing was cut away from her body. Luna dispelled her magic sword and it disappeared from existence. She slowly approached Black Fall. Before Luna pushed her into the hole, a Hunter used a red hot iron to brand Black Fall’s side with the mark of an ex-Hunter.Black Fall screamed, not as much as when her wings were cut off, but the branding still hurt like Tartarus. And before Black Fall could do anything else, Luna pushed her into Tartarus with the expectation that she would die.

As she fell, Black Fall yelled, [b“]This isn't over! Someday I will get out of this hole! And when I do, I will seek my revenge upon your Hunters!”