> The Huntress of Equestria
>  by Michael Hudson
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Into the Dream
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Twilight recoiled as she stepped into the dark stairwell. This had not been her first time down these steps, and in fact, before now, she had looked at the moss covered stones as a sign of knowledge left untapped. Only Celestia could give permission to a pony to enter this part of the castle, and thus, she held it in high esteem. No, it wasn’t the darkness that she feared. It was the smell.

The smell overpowered that of the damp earth that shared space with the stone, surpassed the dust that had come over the unused passage, and even beat out the incense that burned on every other step to guide her way. The smell wasn’t one Twilight knew, but a primal part of her told her to avoid it. That this smell was one no pony should be this exposed to. Still, Princess Celestia had beckoned for her, so onwards she had to go.

A steady splash filled her ears, but she was thankful for the noise. The journey down to the catacombs was long, and there had been many a night in which she had almost driven herself mad with simply the sounds of her own hooves. Her horn came to life, and the light at the end only helped to make her feel even smaller, a simple beacon in the darkness for anything that may lay below. 

She shook her head clear of the thoughts and scowled at herself. “You’re starting to sound like some scared foal, Twilight. Princess Celestia would never let anything dangerous come down here. Not while she was here as well.”

This thought comforted her right up until the moment she found a platoon of guards standing at the end of the stairs. Pegasi with spears had made makeshift fortifications above the others from wooden planks that looked like they could break at any moment, ready to strike at anything they were watching for. The unicorns were resting on steps further up, having spent their magic on magical barricades that were almost fifty feet high. And just in case something got past that, almost twenty earth ponies in brass, back horseshoes were waiting with spears at moments notice from being pointed at an intruder.

The guard captain checked behind them and scowled at Twilight’s arrival. “Princess, we’ve been expecting you.”

Twilight swallowed hard as she stepped forward and the earth ponies stiffened at the sound of hooves. The guard captain cleared his throat. “Rise! Seperate! Cover!”

Each command came at such a volume that it could be heard echoing far beyond where they stood. With each order, the guardsmen moved. The pegasi’s spears rose, pointed just beyond the barrier while the third and fourth rows of the ground squad pushed outward. Each squad took more steps than the last to the side, and Twilight faced a narrowing vee, just before each pony raised their weapons, covering the one in front of them, as well as the whole barrier. The captain turned to Twilight. “All clear princess.”

A pale Twilight nodded as she took unsteady steps forward. Each member she passed would tense at the sound, and she could see sweat coming down their muzzles. For a moment Twilight thought it may be from a lack of practice, but one thing told her it was something else. During her descent, she had heard nearly no noise. A whole platoon like this should have declared their presence to her at least five, ten minutes ago. And yet, nothing.

Their fear passed through Twilight as she slipped through the magical barrier, leaving the comfort of the stairs, and entering the catacombs proper.

One of the doors slowly creaked open to her right, and a white hoof stepped out. Soon, the rest of Celestia joined it, and Twilight gasped at the sight of her teacher. Her hair barely moved, her eyes were almost shut, and there almost wasn’t a part of her coat that was not coated in grime and dust, turning her beautiful white into a light gray. She managed a weak smile and barely bowed to Twilight. “Good evening, Twilight. I do hope the journey wasn’t too hard.”

The purple alicorn dashed forward, almost wrapping a hoof around Celestia before deciding to gently rub into her side. “Th-the journey was fine. What happened to you though?”

Celestia rubbed her eyes and attempted to chuckle, only to end up coughing. “Don’t worry, I just need some sleep. Taking care of Luna this past week has just made me a bit weaker, that’s all.”

Twilight paled further. “Taking care of Luna? Is something wrong with her?”

Celestia’s eyes glanced down before she managed a nod and gestured for Twilight to enter the room she had come from. Walking in, she was greeted by the scent from before becoming almost unbearable. Her legs shook, and she found herself entering the darkened room further, if not just to keep her balance as the room swayed. “What is this?”

A single voice rose from the corner. Raspy, weak, and only but a whisper, it stated one word. “Blood.”

Celestia came beside her student just as Twilight retched onto the floor. She slowly rubbed the poor mare’s back before yawning. “Don’t worry, not about that at least. Something else carries that stench, not Luna or I. Now, go say hello to her.”

Twilight glanced back at her teacher, drawing strength from her before trotting forward. Only now could she see the difference in blacks that were the shadows and the blanket that covered Luna. A single hoof came up from beneath the fabric and pulled the blanket away. Twilight gasped at what she saw.

Luna lay in the bed with a swollen stomach, breathing heavily. Her hind hooves retracted as she grit her teeth, a hiss of pain escaping her muzzle. What hair was left on her body was barely clinging to her form, and she shivered in the cold air. One of her eyes turned to actually look at Twilight before she tried push herself up. “H-hello, Twilight.”

Twilight rushed over and put a hoof gently on Luna’s side. The exposed skin was taut, and dry, like leather, and it sent shivers up the young mare’s spine. “You-you stay down, Luna. You don’t need to get up for me.”

The princess nodded before slumping against the pillow, with snores coming soon after. Celestia put a hoof on Twilight’s shoulder. “Come, we have much to talk about, and the faster we get done, the better.”

She only nodded, and the two slowly left the room. One more glance back and Twilight could see the princess shaking in her sleep. “Does she have cancer?”

Celestia created a weak ball of light, only to then be replaced by Twilight’s own purple globe. She hung her head low, and her barrel quaked as she breathed in, trying to stay conscious. “No… no she doesn’t. She has been infested by something though.”

Twilight started trotting, just before Celestia began to lean on her. “Where...where are we going? And what could have wormed into Luna that you couldn’t purge?” She swallowed hard as the shadows seemed to deepen, even while her globe stayed the same.

Celestia shook her head, trying to keep her eyes straight ahead. “Not… not infected. I’m just not thinking straight right now.” She felt Twilight lean away from her, but weakly pulled her closer with a wing. “We’re going forward. The heart of the catacombs isn’t far.”

Twilight nodded and kept to her course, the smell somehow growing stronger, even now. “Sh-should I know what I’m about to see?”

The other princess shook her head. “It probably won’t help, but it will be unlike anything you’ve seen before. What I can tell you is that you do not need to fear it… not yet. Luna made sure of that.”

The dripping Twilight had heard was all that met the response. Twilight felt that she had to see this before anything Celestia said made sense, and she was willing to wait. It was only once they reached a large, golden door that she felt her want to question come back. She held a hoof in front of her to keep the blazing enchantments from possibly blinding her. “Celestia, why is the sound of dripping growing louder?”

Celestia shook her head, unable to answer as her horn glowed hot white. A single beam of light left it and made contact with the door. Mechanisms within clicked and whirred, unlocking not only the complex workings within, but the enchantment outside as well. And then, with a final creak, it began it open.

Directly across from the entrance, the first thing Twilight saw was what looked like a doll. It was of a creature from the world on the other side of the mirror, and at first glance, she had assumed it to be alive. The doll wore a light brown, embroidered shawl that covered her shoulders and arms, over a darker brown corset. From this distance, Twilight couldn’t tell, but she thought it might just be made out of leather. The corset led into a long, black skirt, finished with a white, lacey trim at the bottom. Looking at the pale white face, framed by snow white hair, it almost took her breath away. It was such an effective distraction, that she only noticed the blood that coated the floor because she stepped in it, which caused her to tear her eyes away from the doll, and examine the rest of the room.

In one corner sat a long, discarded arm. It was gray, with just enough skin to hide the large bones within. Twilight thought it would take at least ten ponies to lift the arm, and that was simply because of how long it was. Its bony hand had long, slender fingers, ending in deadly points. It alone sent her stomach straight down, but then, Celestia pointed up.

Above them, hanging like a chandelier in the middle of the large, circular room, was a creature. A creature large then Cerberus, larger than an Ursa Major, and even possibly, larger than Tirek at full power. It’s whole body was almost only bone, covered in the same gray skin over seven more arms, and two legs, finished with a tail. It’s missing arm was not where the blood came from though.

That, was the head.

Twilight put a hoof to her mouth as another long draft of blood splashed onto the ground from a large hole in its ‘head’. The top appendage came closer to resembling a closed egg made out of mismatched, dying brambles, with smaller, black spots giving the appearance of holes, then a head. Celestia wrapped her wing around Twilight as the smaller mare shook, unable to process what she saw.

“This, is the nightmare that comes for my sister this time. I have no idea what these are, or where they are from, but at this point, I can only believe they mean harm, despite the doll being our only hope for answers.”

Twilight swallowed hard. “Wha-what is that? What happened here?”

The shrill tone sent chills through Celestia. She had known it was useless, but she had truly hoped her student might be able to stay calm. “Luna came down here almost a week ago. She had not known about the doll, and yet nonetheless. she felt it necessary to come. Inside, she says she saw nothing. At first.”

Pointing to the arm, Celestia continued. “She told me of a purple aura that came over this area, just before that creature grabbed her. She immediately felt a presence form within her, and try to wriggle into her mind. That is about the time that this foul beast lost its arm, and then part of its head. Since then, it hides. We can see it, but nothing can touch it, In fact, you can even fly through it. All that connects it here is that its wound stays open and bleeds onto the floor.”

Twilight blinked a few times as her knees started to shake. “B-but Luna couldn’t get rid of the presence, coul she?.”

Celestia could only look down at that. “No, she didn’t. Instead, she got pregnant, and very quickly. We suspect anywhere from a week, to a month, for when the child comes. And from what Luna tells me of her dreams, I believe with its birth, we will lose Equestria to this thing that resides above us.”

A dead silence passed over them. Different solutions ran through Twilight’s mind on how they could fix this, but either they were rebuffed either by uncertainty, or the fact that in all likelihood, Luna would have to die in the process. Turning to her teacher, she had no answers. “Please, tell me I am not only here to execute Luna.”

The solar princess shook her head. “If anypony is to do that, it will be me. You are here to find another way. A way I was too afraid, and now am too busy and weak to seek.’’ She held up on hoof. “You are to make a contract with it.”

Twilight’s gaze followed Celestia’s hoof, and it only brought her attention to the toy on the other side of the room. “It’s a doll.”

“It’s a doll that came through a rip in time and space, and begged for me to make a contract. To end her world’s dream so that the hunters may rest. I never understood, and kept her here, just in case it was a trap. With this things appearance, and its decision to rest over the doll, I can only guess that her contract may at least give us an idea as to what we need to do,”

Twilight spent almost no time in thought before she took one more long breath. The smell of the blood in the room closed her throat and made her eyes burn, but she tried not to care. She had a chance, a plan, and that was what she truly needed for. “As an element of harmony and a princess, it would be my honor to serve in this capacity, again.” She smirked at Celestia, but found no warmth in her mentor’s eyes.

“This isn’t like that world you’ve been to. This one has already proven hostile, and dangerous.” She put a hoof on Twilight’s shoulder. “Even if you succeed, I… I don’t know if I can bring you back. If you go, it has to be for you, not for your duty.”

Twilight’s smile faded and she looked away. So many ponies that she knew and loved, only to leave them behind. The thought was terrifying. One look at the creature above them as it spewed more blood into their world though, and she knew it was worth it. A month with them was not worth whatever this thing, or the thing in Luna, would do to them. “I’ll do it. For my friends, my family, and myself.”

Celestia nodded, trying, and failing, to hold back tears as she barely levitated a package from underneath the doll’s cloak. It was single bag, filled with black liquid. “This was all she had with her besides the clothes, and it has instructions for use on it. Merely grab it, and plunge it into your leg. I don’t know what will happen past that.”

Twilight took the bag into her own magic and grimaced, her stomach becoming knots. She lifted the bag up to Celestia in a mock cheers as a tear ran down her face.. “I-I’ll miss you.”

Tears started pouring down Celestia’s own face as she whispered, “You… you always have to make me proud, don’t you?”

Twilight only nodded before plunging the Yarnam blood vial into her leg, before she slumped onto her side, her corpse soon evaporating into white dust.
> Becoming a Hunter
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Twilight lay on a steel frame, examination table. No movement came from the body. It merely lay there, until finally, small, white wips entered the corpse, and a single beat of her heart came to be. The body began to warm, and the modest chest rose with Twilight’s first breath.

Opening her eyes, she no longer was in the stone catacombs. Instead, she stared at wooden rafters, kept clean of most cobwebs. She turned her head, her ears softly ringing as her vision blurred. She could see more medical tables laid out for other patients that weren’t there. Beyond those were cabinets filled to the brim with different bottles. She could make out herbs, rocks, and even, flesh and bone within them.

She grit her teeth and tried to throw her hooves off, only to collapse onto the ground.

With a groan, Twilight pushed against the hard, wooden floor. She was now dressed, which was definitely odd. She tried to put her back hooves underneath her and collapsed again, finding the footing to be odd. It was only now that she looked down upon herself, and groaned.

Her legs were covered in light brown slacks, cut just long enough to cover her legs before they cut off to leather boots that were far less comfortable than the ones she had worn previously. She splayed her fingers out, her muscles whining in protest as she tried to lift herself up. The body resisted all of her attempts to move though, simply wanting her to continue to rest.

With enough effort though, she forced herself to her feet, swaying slightly with each step. The light wasn’t great within the medical halls, but she could make out a staircase that led down. Twilight knew better than to sprint or try to normally walk. Until she had her center of gravity figured out, she wasn’t going anywhere fast.

Slowly but surely, Twilight made her way down, breathing deeply against the pain. The clean, sterile smell to the what looked like a live in hospital was a nice change of pace from the blood soaked rooms that had been in Equestria. This thought stopped her dead in her tracks

Thoughts of Celestia and hers final moments came to mind. The fact that they were most likely gone. All of them. Pinkie, Rarity, Rainbow, even her brother and sister. None would be coming for her anytime soon, and even if she made it back, who knew when she would?

A loud smack resonated through the hall, and Twilight found herself staring at her hand. She shut her eyes, accepting that her body was right. She had to continue, lest her sacrifice be for nothing. With a deep breath, she steeled herself for what may come.

She also smelled damp fur.

Looking past the staircase, more of the examination tables stared back, but a sound resonated back. the sounds of a smacking, and crunching. The shadow of a beast’s head came into view at a particular harsh crack, and she watched as an arm was flung into her room. She brought her hands up to her mouth, trying to not scream from the site.

It was only now that Twilight noticed that her hands were still purple, and hairy. She splayed them out in front of her face, bewildered. While they had stayed purple at Canterlot High, these were coated in her natural horse hairs, the same ones that covered her back in Equestria. She would have taken longer to examine, if the scraping of claws hadn’t brought her survival instincts rushing back.

A single claw came into view, large and imposing. Each nail on it ended in a hook, and the beast dug into the flooring as he pulled himself forward. The black lycanthrope’s red eyes caught her attention next, as well as blood that dripped from its large canines. Her breath was almost gone as its whole body came into view. Even scarred with fresh wounds, the strong muscles were evident, and Twilight could only wish her heart would quiet.

The lycan sniffed at the air, raising on its hind legs before glancing over at Twilight. It slowly lowered itself, cautiously taking step, after step towards her. Twilight tried to call to her magic, to bring up a forcefield or blast it away. Just like the last time she was in such a body though, her magic was unwilling to respond, and all she could do was try to run, which only had her crashing to the ground.

It lunged forward, and before Twilight could do anything more then turn over, she found the beast’s claws deep within her sternum, pinning her to the floor. She looked down as blood ran over the nice white dress shirt that she wore under a brown vest, and thought about how Rarity would hate her staining such a nice outfit, just before everything went black.


======+++++======


This time, Twilight came to, just as her body materialised. She gasped a breath of life and sat up, a ghostly pain in her abdomen causing her to clutch at her stomach. There was no wound though, simply pain for no reason. With shaking breaths, she let go and glanced around.

White flowers surrounded the dirt path she was on, as well as cobblestone to mark the path. The flowers were serene, with small lights within the middle. It almost let Twilight breath a sigh of relief at the sight, especially as she dismissed the previous encounter as having to have just been a nightmare, a thought as to what this could be like, despite her still being in the same outfit, and same form.

Turning around, the oddly comforting feeling continued, despite the fact that she could see four gravestones to her right. Each one that led up the hill deteriorated in condition, with the first looking quite pristine, and for someone who must have been respected, with the last being cleaved in two, and black tendrils that looked like flesh being all that connected the two halves.

Glancing further up the hill, was a large house. It’s gothic architecture stood out to her as vaulted arches reached towards the sky. She could even see what could be considered a primitive balcony, made out of a bluff that extended from the house, and a small fountain rested upon it.

Trying to walk up to the charming house, she found herself being touched. Her body immediately froze. Adrenaline filled her veins as she looked down, and saw a small, white… thing. It had a slightly humanoid body, at least what she could see. Its limbs were small and bony, with an oval head, with another oval within that gaped open, causing her to assume it was its mouth. Most importantly though, its hand was on her leg, and there were more of them beyond it.

The ten things that had appeared on the walkway, half of their bodies underneath the ground in what looked like a pit that hadn’t been there before, just like this one, were different. Four of them held up two things that were clearly weapons, with one being a long wooden handle, that then curved back in on itself with a large saw attached, its serrated edges facing away from the long, straight, handle. The other weapon was a simple axe, with a long handle, and large head.

The other six things had what looked like a sturdy cane, but with lines showing that it was segmented along the shaft, a short and iron bar that curved into what might be taken as a handle. The final item they held aloft was very akin to the second, but its barrel was longer, and had more pieces of iron that led away from the handle. Why it would need the extra supports baffled her though.

The one that had touched her let go of her pant leg, and reached back into its own pit, with two others coming out, looking at her, and helping the first. Together, they unravelled a large, blue sheet, with neat, but large handwriting on it. The message simply read, Take a weapon, and a gun, but only one of each.
> First Kill
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Twilight swallowed hard as she reached out a hand. While the creatures were terrifying, they didn’t seem to mean her any harm, and they were her only lead at the moment. Her fingers clasped around the handle of the cane and the pistol, the smooth wood feeling odd in her grip.

And then, her horn burst to life.

Twilight levitated off of the ground for a few moments, her eyes glowing bright white as visions filled her mind. She saw another human, dressed like her on the hill. He was inspecting the cane, and then lashed out in a diagonal strike, causing the flowers before him to bend.

The background changed as he rolled away. A large, fiery maw came within inches of his body, flames licking at the now black garb he wore. He shot forward, jumping onto the creature’s head and plunging the staff deep into the hell hound’s eye. Magma gushed out of the molten rock skin of the beast as small embers in the air collected around the creature. Twilight landed back on her feet as the dog erupted, launching the other hunter.

She swayed as he got up, gripping the staff with both hands now. The man whipped around, smashing the handle into a bat creature’s face. The thing backed away, it’s gray body held up by it’s wings.  Another of the things came at the man, but he switched back to one handed and thrust back, impaling the monster’s face with the pointed end.

He then looked up, pulling out the pistol as the background changed again. Now he was in what looked like an abandoned cathedral with large columns in the background keeping up the vaulted ceiling. Twilight’s eyes burned as she saw what he looked at. It was a large, almost skeletal creature, that stood almost twice as tall as the man. It had a blood soaked rag on it’s head, and it’s whole body was a deep, dark red. It raised one claw, staring at the man with small, red eyes. A loud bang echoed in the room, and the gun fired a single round into the things chest, just before Twilight’s vision went out.

More lessons tried to fill Twilight’s head as searing pain ran through it. She could see nothing as she stumbled down the hill, words like threaded cane and hunter’s pistol filling her mind. She fell backwards and felt her back slam into something hard and straight. The back of her skull made a loud crack as it made contact with the stone slab, and she slumped forward, her mind finally at rest, just before her body faded away.


======+++++======


Twilight fell from the medical table this time, awakening with a start. She kept low as her horn glowed unconsciously and she drew her cane, watching the corners of the room, her heart hammering in her ears. No noise came though, not from the sickroom that she had first awoken in.

She took another moment to make absolute certain it was indeed the place that she had known before and shook. She knew this couldn’t be the same place, because that had been just a dream. A dream where she had… Twilight violently shook her head before stumbling forward, slowly making her way to the stairs. In the middle of them though, were five gouges, and a large bloodstain.

Her knees buckled, and she simply stared at it. She tried remember making it. Tried remembering the beast’s final attack, but couldn’t. All she knew was that she had indeed died. Twilight stretched out one hand and touched the patch. Pulling her hand away, the blood came with it.

Her eyes flashed red for a moment as her horn let out another magical burst, and she saw the eyes of the wolf as it bore down on her. How she had been paralyzed. How she had died.

A chill ran through her, just before a warmth appeared in her pocket. Twilight numbly reached back and pulled out a smooth, amber stone. It had one line going straight down the middle, and two branching, straight lines that went from the middle, to the edges, of the circle. It’s warmth was quickly fading, and she turned it over to examine the other side. Simply inscribed were the words, The mark of a hunter. Meant to make sure that you never have to fail in your hunt.

Staring at the mark caused her to pause. She didn’t know when she had obtained it, or why it had even appeared. She was no hunter. She was a princess, and a scholar. She had fought things in the past, but only in defense of her country and her friends. Not as a job. She glanced at the cane that was still held firm in her hand, and shook her head. She was here in defense of her country and friends, so fighting was what she had to do.

Her horn stopped glowing as she stood up. Glancing at the light beyond, she could hear her prey. A low growl, a small snarl, and deep breathing. It waited for her. She tried to summon a barrier to prepare herself with, but none came. Her magic was still gone from her, at least, from what she could tell.

She swung the cane once in front of her, feeling the balance of the stiff staff, and nodded to herself. It would have to do.

The beast turned to her as she entered the room. More medical tables awaited her, along with a large bloodstain that covered the floor. For a moment, they stared at each other before her eyes flashed purple, and it lunged.

Twilight rolled away from it, putting a table between her and the beast before letting out a weak stab that barely cut the beast, It snarled and swung a claw, sending the table across the room. This time, Twilight attempted to mimic the visions, and swung the cane. The wood struck hard against the lycan’s face, and it stepped back. Twilight struck it with a horizontal slash this time, and a large gout of blood came over her and the beast as the sharpened edge made its way through the creature’s nose.

Twilight could hear her heart hammering in her ears as she raised the cane one more time, hoping the next cut would end it. The wolf growled and surged forward, shoving its skull against Twilight’s ribcage and sending her back. She could feel the pain of the blow and grit her teeth, tears coming to the edges of her eyes. The stamping of the beast came ever closer, and she simply thrust forward. Blood coated her prone body, but the claws never came. In fact, as the blood made its way onto her, she even felt a bit better.

Opening her eyes though, that feeling quickly left. Her hand was in the beast’s mouth, its large teeth only centimeters from her arm. Blood was dripping onto her from the top of the creature’s head though, where she could see gray matter painting her weapon. She forced her gag reflex back as she pulled her weapon free and the weight of the monstrosity fell upon her. After another minute of pushing, she was free, and panting on the floor.

Her limbs burned as the adrenaline left her and she could feel the stress behind her eyes. She simply wanted to lay there, recover, and try to figure out what in Equestria was going on. “No. You're not going to figure this out with simple thinking, Twilight. You need… you need answers. And that means finding people.”

Slowly, Twilight made her way to the door the lycan had been guarding, and turned the handle. She found herself in a town cemetery, with headstones all about herself, and gravel causing each of her footsteps to sink a bit. She felt a chill run through her, but shook it off. Something like this wasn’t about to stop her after what had just happened.

She came up to one of the two metal gates that were a part of the surrounding fence and gave it a push. A screeching filled the quiet air, and her she could feel her bones as her body shook from the resonance. The moment it was wide enough for her to slip through, she did, and her ears thanked her for it.

Stepping out, Twilight found herself on a cobblestone street, just above a large town below her. It stretched outwards, and she spent a moment at the railing of the street, admiring the setting sun. A tear came to her eyes as she stared, imagining Celestia as she lifted the globe of fire. She knew better than that, and soon turned away from the painful sight.

Walking down the narrow street though, she quickly found another gate. Trying this one, it refused to budge, no matter how hard she pulled. She spotted a lever on the other side and tried to focus her magic It only brought a sharp pain crashing through her skull. She shut her eyes, and didn’t open them until she was turned to the right, where she saw a man next to a carraige. “E-excuse me, sir?”

The man looked up, a cleaver in one hand and a torch in the other. His old cloak was in tatters, as well were his loose pants, but what gave Twilight a real reason to pause was the face. It had sunken eyes, and pale skin, with dirt, blood, and grime smothering the head. It opened its mouth and let out a loud yell.

“What happened to yo-” She stopped as the cleaver came up in a diagonal slash. It tore through her front, and this time, her blood covered her enemy as she stepped back. Her eyes went wide as the pain quickly became unbearable. She clutched at her now exposed chest as warm liquid ran down her front and took another step back, just before the cleaver came down once more.
> Humanity
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Twilight stepped out of the clinic, her grip tight on the cane in her hand. She took a deep breath in, and scowled. The blood in the air should have been enough of a warning, and yet she thought something as grotesque as that mutated man would be friendly. She would not make the same mistake twice.

She shut her eyes as she walked up the lane. She knew her form was akin to that of the other person so did that mean she was to murder him? She shut her eyes again, her chest tightening, while a soothing wave came down from her horn. When she opened them, she could hear faint church bells, and heard the words, ”They’re tainted, just more beasts. To protect the rest, they must be cleansed.”

She walked up to it, gripping the head of the cane. It was a beast, they were all beasts, so it did not matter if she dispatched it. Twilight then blinked, and then shut her eyes even tighter. No, no I will not think of them like that. They’re… they’re still people. She opened them up, finding herself just behind the man, and grit her teeth. Even if she hoped to keep her humanity, she would also need to survive, which meant killing those who looked to stop her.

Twilight raised her cane high, and brought it down with all her might. The tendons in the villager’s leg snapped, before the razor edge sliced through his leg cleanly, and he fell to his knees. Twilight switched to a one handed grip on it, her instincts raising it above her head, and pointed to the thing’s head. The clatter of his weapon on the ground told her he was disarmed though, and she stepped over the man, and pulled the lever that had avoided her before.

While putting her foot onto the first rung, she heard the scraping of steel on the cobblestones. Looking over, she saw the man picking his cleaver back up. That wasn’t a problem. No, the real problem was the fact that she could see his leg resealing itself, the open flesh sewing itself close with blood, and then skin. He then turned to her and let out the same yell as he had the first time they’d met.

Twilight flew up the stairs, her heart beating in her ears as she heard the man’s weapon clang against the ladder. He could be following her, and if he were immortal, she was in trouble. He can’t be though, not when I get cut and taken away to that other realm, right? She couldn’t dwell on it though, as she pulled herself up, and looked behind her.

The man stood there, staring at her from the bottom, but he did not try to follow. It was very… peculiar to Twilight. “Did he simply lose interest?” No answer came though, not from below her, and she stepped away. She couldn’t help but bite her lip as she moved, now in the middle of what must have been a small crossroads.

Her hand brushed against the lantern in the center of it, almost without her even noticing it, as she looked out to her right. She could see even more tall, grand buildings stretch to the the sky, and her mouth dropped slightly. This city had to be larger than Canterlot, or possibly any that Equestria had ever seen. “How is this even possib-”

“Cough, cough.”

She froze, her ears rising high above her head as she turned to the sound. She now saw the burning lantern beside a lit window. It had bars over it though, something usually kept only for prisoners. Twilight considered simply walking away, especially after the last person she had met. If she was going to survive though, she would need help, and maybe, just maybe, this one would be friendly.

Her soft boots made almost no sound as she came closer to the window, and she barely whispered, “Hello?”

“Oh, hello.” The voice sounded kind to Twilight, and while a little raspy, it was probably due to the cough he had, especially so if it’d been there for a while. “A-are you friendly? You don’t carry the stench of blood like the beasts, and you… you look different than the other hunters.”

Twilight performed a small curtsy, and almost fell doing the oddly instinctual movement. She righted herself quickly though, and tried to smile at the man within, despite being unable to see his face through the heavy curtains. “My name is Twilight Sparkle, and I mean you, nor anything else in this world, any harm. I simply come to protect those who I care about, and solve the mystery of the child my lady holds.”


A chuckle came from within the room. “Ah, you make me feel at home with such a proper greeting, even for one as sick as I am. I won’t ask where you’re from specifically, not with such an… interesting look to you, especially since I… can’t remember my home. I’ve been here so long, waiting for this blasted night to end so I may find the cure that Yharnam is famous for.”

Twilight placed a hand on the bars as another cough wracked through the man, and she could hear a quiet sob escape him when he quieted. She looked to the sunset in the sky, and whispered, “Don’t worry. Another twelve hours, and you should be fine. This night can’t last too long, right?”

A silence came from within, before something began to shuffle. “Thank you, Twilight. I… I needed someone to tell me that, even if I fear they may be hollow.” A break in the curtains appeared, and Twilight’s eyes widened as an ashen gray hand came out. She froze, panicked by the long claws and bandages over it, and the tufts of fur it seemed. The claw came against hers, and barely scratched her. It was still enough to make her jump back out of instinct.

“Oh, oh I’m so sorry. I swear I didn’t mean to hurt you. Ah, Gilbert, how stupid can you be?”

Twilight stared at her hand, and at the small scratch there. It was still nothing compared to what she had seen, and this man… She stepped back to the window, and pushed her hand through the window. “Thank you for showing me your regret. I was afraid such an emotion was devoid in this world, and I needed you to show me some light as well. Please, shake my hand, Gilbert.”

A silence came from the apartment again, before a thick rag pressed against her hand, before she could feel the grip around it tighten with both hands. “I know this is a small gift for trusting in me, but please, take it. I know hunters will inject themselves with that blood, and it heals their wounds.”

Twilight’s brow creased as she pulled her hand back, and saw that within the rag was what looked like a small blood bag attached with a needle. Her eyes briefly glowed, and the image of the hunter from before slamming it into his leg, and injecting himself with the blood. It was almost enough to make her sick.

Still, she knew better manners than to reject it, and nodded to the window. “Thank you, Gilbert, and I will try to come back from time to time. I promise.”

Gilbert stared at the purple hairs in his claws, sitting in the one stool in his apartment, and stared out at the piles of mess that made up the rest of his resting place. “Please, do, for this night feels like it has lasted for far longer than twelve hours, and the call in the back of my mind won’t get any quieter without you, or The Healing Church.”

He shut his eyes as a bang echoed from below, and Twilight barely got a glimpse at the first rifle in Yharnam, before the hiding man’s second shot went through her chest, and she fell back to her dream.
> Victory?
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Twilight breathed in as she knelt on top of the carriage and scouted out her route. There were fifteen of the beastly men roaming through the square, and that did not count the one she had shoved her cane through. It was the first kill she had made of this life, and was still confused from waking up near Gilbert. He had claimed that other hunters had spawned there too, but she still didn’t know why.

She glanced back down, pulling out her own pistol as she looked at the dead man. He had shot her the life before with the rifle in his hands, but when she had considered taking the gun, she had somehow known it would be weaker. That did not stop her from taking its three bullets and putting it into her own gun. Maybe once I have more ammo, I’ll find a place to practice this, because right now I’m scared to even try my instincts on it.

The leather holster made only the slightest of sounds as Twilight put the gun back, and jumped off the carriage. She had her route, and if all went well, she wouldn’t need to fight any of these men. With a small bend of her knees, she was ready.

She came to the square, running at a dead sprint. The two men she had watched earlier were coming back towards the alley, and one rose its torch as it yelled,  notifying the others. She had noticed before though that they were slow, and that whatever disease had crawled into their brain made them give up chase after a certain stretch of road usually. All I have to do is get past this square, and I bet I’m home free.

A quick side step got her past the one with a pitchfork, though it was close. She swallowed hard, looking into the man’s wild eyes. His clothes were a mess, and she honestly felt bad for them. They looked like some sort of disease had befallen them, and a tightness in her chest grew as she wondered if it were perhaps the same as the one that got Gilbert. But if that’s the case, and there are so many, than-

Bang!

Twilight glanced up to the rifleman on top of the carriage, and froze as she saw the small, metal ball that was coming for her. Her horn glowed as every tendon of her body screamed at her to move. Instead of just watching the hunter before her though, she moved with him, and tumbled to the side. Her heart was beating in her chest, but she could see the bullet smash into the ground. “Ha!”

And that’s when the dog came around the carriage, and lunged for her thigh. Her eyes widened as things seemed to slow, but it was too late, and she was by no means prepared to do the roll again. Her eyes shut as the dog’s jaw clamped over her thigh, and blood poured out of the room. It almost immediately let go though, and while it hurt like a knife going through the chest, Twilight forced herself not to blackout. This world wanted her dead, so she would need to get used to being hurt.

She jumped back, spinning herself around so she could dive into another roll. Even those hurt though, as the cloak Twilight wore was not enough to soften slamming her shoulder into the rough stairs. At the top, one of the men with a cutlass was waiting for her, and she slammed a foot down, before whipping the cane forwards, and cutting through the infected’s chest. He only stepped back, but it was enough to give Twilight room, and she quickly dove out of the way of two, simultaneous cracks of rifles.

Once back on her feet, she could feel tears streaming down her face as she stood, and looked to the last two in her way. The rifleman was reloading his gun, while the other was like the rest, weapon raised and charging at her. She balled her free hand, and ran. Around the first, and than just running more, and more. She had to get out of there, because there simply was too many.

Her sprint ended when she hit a metal fence, and was flung over it by sheer momentum. The cobblestone was hard on her back, and she grit her teeth. She could feel where every stone dug into her, but it wasn’t quite enough. Her back was intact, she was still breathing, even with how labored, and she really hoped that she would never have to get back through that damned gauntlet again. “Knowing my luck here though, I bet I will.”

She limped for the next set of stairs. Sure, she could bother the knocking giant, but even she could recognize that as a danger. Instead, she simply kept going up, hoping that this was the way to go. She was only halfway up though when her ear twitched, and Twilight heard a soft, simple melody. A look over left her exposed though, and she soon heard the excited running of a dog.

She gripped her cane with both hands, the leather protecting her from the razor edge, and scowled as she thrust. It’s momentum didn’t help its chance for survival as Twilight impaled it to the ground, the mare panting as she stared at it. It looked like a dog, maybe, but still malformed, just like the men. “Is this how far reaching this plague is?”

Twilight didn’t know though, and doubted she would get an answer anytime soon. “Not unless I find this healing church place at least.” A chill ran up her spine as she considered that. What if the church was gone? What if killing these beasts was exposing her to a sickness that she herself would succumb to? “All the better reason to move quickly than, and find the thing that possesses the princess.”

Still, there was the pretty music, and with how much Twilight was hurting at this point, what with her whole body feeling like one large bruise, and her leg having been ripped open, she thought it might be nice to go rest.

When she followed the sound though, she found a gate, locked by a mechanism she could see on the other side. Twilight blinked. She was tired. Not physically, not entirely at least, but mentally she was already done with this place. In what had to be about an hour of consciousness, she had been killed multiple times, killed another person, and now was possibly dying.

A gate was not going to stop her from the pretty music.

Fire split through Twilight’s mind as she reached out towards the lever with her magic. It felt like she was trying to lift several Ursa Majors, instead of one rusted lever, and she could see spots filling her vision. If this killed her though, she was fine with that. At least she would feel like she was trying to be productive while it happened, and that the agony she was in was worth something. I only hope that at some point during all of this, I may find rest.

As a tear fell down her face, and thoughts of home crossed her mind, the lever finally moved, and came towards her. She blinked as she almost fell back from the magic suddenly stopping, and watched as the gate opened. Twilight then lifted a hand, and put it to the side of her horn with a smile. “It’s good to know you’re still working, old friend.”

“Mother, is that you?”

Twilight paused. This voice had sounded like a young girl’s, but she also sounded scared, desperate, but hopeful to know that her mom may be home. Looking back at the square, and the dead dog, the purple mare doubted it. Still, she should at least identify herself to the little one. “I’m sorry, but my name is Twilight Sparkle, and I have no children.”

“Oh.” This time, Twilight knew exactly where the voice came from, and walked to the window to hear more. “Well, if you’re like daddy, and hunting tonight, do you think you could go look for her? She left a long time ago for daddy, and I’m beginning to get scared.”

Twilight’s breath caught as the mention of another hunter. Was she not the only one? Or did her dad just call himself one? If that were the case, it was all too likely that he succumbed to her own folly, and had died at the hand of a neighbor’s hand. She wasn’t about to tell a little girl that though. “Um, sure. I don’t know what she looks like though.”

“She wears a beautiful red brooch, one that shines as bright as any of her candles. Other than that… well, she has nice brown hair, and, um…”

A smile split Twilight’s muzzle as she heard her whimper, more out of the fact that something cute could still be here. “The brooch should be enough for me to find her. I only hope your father is there as well, so you all can be safe together in there.”

“I hope so too, though daddy likes going out to hunt the beasts, especially with Grandpa Henryk. Oh, but when you do find him, please, use this.” Small, dainty hands reached through the bars, and within them, a small music box that must have been playing the song Twilight had heard before. “It helps daddy remember who we are, but mommy forgot it. That was silly of her, but maybe it will help you talk to him if you find him.”

Twilight slipped the box into her pocket, not even noticing as it seemingly vanished into the much smaller container. She then reached out, and tentatively squeezed the girl’s hand. “Don’t worry, I’ll find them, I promise.”

“Thank you. I know they’ll be safe with a unicorn looking after them.”

A tear fell down Twilight’s face as she pulled her hand, and began walking away. Finally, something she could do to make someone’s life better here. It was a welcome change, but she also knew she had to move quick. This should help me move past the pain though, which is a plus.

She then opened her eyes to the sound of wings flapping, and a crow’s beak aimed straight for her face.
> Insight
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	“Fuck, fuck, fuck!” Twilight ran up the steps, her heart beating a mile a minute for almost the past three months. She turned on her heel and struck outwards. Her cane slammed against the three men’s dog that she had just ran past, before she thrust forward, skewering the mongrel through its mouth as she panted.

Then she looked up, and waited. It was all too possible they would follow her, as they had been coming this way. Every moment she rested though, the burning in her arms and legs grew, catching up to her since she got up from next to Gilbert’s house. But they never came, and she softly cursed at herself as she turned around.

She didn’t have time for this. A child’s parents were out here somewhere, and she had probably lost precious time to that stupid, fucking crow. Her knuckles turned white against the cane, and she began to run. Past the werewolves, past the house, past even the crows. She could not wait, and with how clear the rest of the bridge looked, she could mark this off her list of places all that much faster.

Midway through the open ground though, her stamina spent and her natural reserves screaming at her to rest, she slowed, and looked up. A shadow was being cast upon her, and the source made her stop. The beast atop the gate at the end of the bridge leapt off, slamming into the cobblestones only a moment later. It’s smaller arm raked over its face, before it spread both of them, and screamed.

Twilight stepped back, her blood having turned cold. It had to be at least five times as tall as she was, and from the cracked stones, it had plenty of weight to put behind those…. She blinked as it put the large hand on the ground and roared once more. It made up possibly a third of its mass, and was covered in thick, white fur, while the other looked far more nimble, but like it couldn’t put nearly as much power into its swings.

That didn’t quite matter though, not when it lowered itself and tensed its body. In the next moment, the beast was a dust cloud, and Twilight looked up to its figure, high in the sky. She still couldn’t move, not properly, and her vision began to swam as a distortion in the air surrounded her. As it came close, she whispered, “Cleric Beast,” before its heavy body crashed into her.

Much to her surprise, and possible annoyance, this didn’t quite kill her. Hurt her? Yes. Throw her maybe thirty feet while also causing her to question how every bone in her broken? Yes. But kill her, it did not, which meant she could run from it, and continue her search.

Twilight turned around, and saw only a white wall of fog.

And then, black as the large hand came down upon her.


======+++++======


Twilight’s vision swam as she woke up. Or, she thought she woke up. She wasn’t certain actually. Everything still hurt, and the world around her spun uncontrollably. Or was that how it was supposed to be? Was the cosmos spinning around her?

A sound came from her back, and turning around, she saw the outline of… something. It’s body was that of a skeleton with far too long of a spine, four gangly, spindly limbs, and a rib cage that would hold the largest heart and lungs that Twilight could conceive of, at least, at that moment.

Looking at it made her head hurt though. No, not just hurt. It felt like something was in there, squirming, screaming, to get out. She put her hands to her head and began to try to tear it away, to make the pain stop, but it just wouldn’t. All she wanted was to get away from the agony, but no such pleasure seemed to wish to come for her.

“I could wake her up now.”

She tried to turn to the noise, but everything was going black now. The beast seemed to make some sort of noise, and the last thing she saw within the ethereal plane was that of a large hole in what looked like a mask. It glowed red, and the screaming got out.


======+++++======


Waking up, a soft, comforting voice rang into Twilight’s ears.

“Welcome hunter. I’m so happy to see you’re safe.”

Twilight looked up, her breath catching as she looked at the woman above her. Her skin was as pale as snow, and she wore a beautiful, brown and red corset, covered slightly by a shawl with a white trim. She smiled, her blonde hair bobbing ever so slightly, and Twilight did all she could think of to do... which was to roll away right into one of the headstones lining the way to the workshop. "Ow!"

The woman stood up, and Twilight could hear the clanking of her joints, which caused her to pause. People's joints didn't clank when they moved. "Please, hunter, do not fear me. I am but a simple doll, here to help you as best as I can. I am at your disposal, and may be used however may please you."

For a moment, even while upside down, the thought of the lovely... doll, apparently, undressed appeared in her head. Before she could even blush though, the whispers of the child crept back into her head, along with Gilbert, sitting there, waiting for his body to be consumed by the illness. She sprang back to her feet, shaking her head clear as she scowled. She then rushed up to the doll and pointed a finger at her. "If you want to help me, than tell me where I can find the Healing Church."

The woman looked down, placing her hands into each other as she responded with, "I am sorry, but that is about the waking world, and I cannot help you there."

Twilight blinked for a moment, before stepping closer. 'W-what do you mean?"

"I am only here in the Hunter's Dream. I know nothing of what lies outside, except for that which _______ tells me. My apologies, dear hunter."

Twilight's head began ringing at this point again, but she shut it out. This ringing had only come from that inbetween state, and she remembered what that had been like. She didn't have time for this pain though, nor for a doll that was useless to her. So instead she turned, and ran back to the headstone. She had parents to find.
> Twifood
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Twilight stood atop the bridge again, wiping her blade clean of the blood on it as she looked at the ways to go. The beast at the end of it was out of the question, not with how big it was. That left one other option here, and that wasn’t very hard. She even would get to go into a house, and so far, they had been quite good for her.

She beat the man that stood between her and the house, but left him alive as she ran back towards the door. There was no reason to kill him, not now, and she had for the most part found that running helped her the best. She slammed the door between the two. It roared in her face, but she wasn’t surprised that it didn’t open the door. Intelligence was definitely not these thing’s strength.

Turning around, she saw barrels, planks, and other assorted things before her. She did not know the primal joy yet that was with those, so she merely stepped down the stairs. Another beast stood before her, but like the others, one had started becoming too little for her, and a few smacks, plus stab, and she was done.

And finally, she saw a lantern, hanging from a man’s chair. She smiled, remembering the other lanterns, and straightened out her clothes. She wanted to make a good first impression, and coughed as she came closer. “Hello sir. My name is-”

Her vision distorted as the man said, “Twilight Sparkle.” He reached behind, pulling out a gun, and pointed it at her. She… she couldn’t make out his face, his clothes, n-nothing. “W-what is going on?”

Bang!

She rolled on the floor, rolling back as a hot slug slammed into her gut. Twilight’s eyes widened as one of her hands came over the wound, and she looked up. Now she could see the thing, but it wasn’t him. Something within her simply knew. Instead, it was some old guy with a long rifle, a bandage over his eyes, and in the process of reloading. A stab through the head, and he was dealt with.

She panted for a few moments, resting herself on the cane as she panted. What was with these weird visions? Why couldn’t she see the enemy that had been about to shoot her? She grit her teeth as the bullet fell out. Had to be that on again, off again healing factor she had. I wish I just had regeneration. That would be wonderful! She shook her head, and pulled her blade out.

It was then that she noticed the silver bullets resting in the old man’s lap. They hadn’t been there before, but now that he was dead… These things do respawn normally. Is this there remai- She stopped mid-thought as the man faded away, and the bullets were all that were left. “What, the, fuck?”

Twilight shut her eyes, breathing in deeply as she slipped the bullets into her gun. Finally, she had a fully loaded pistol, and, maybe, a way to reload them. She wasn’t meant to understand this world, not yet, and if this could help, she wasn’t going to question it… not yet. She had to keep going though.

She left out the door, and turned right, avoiding the giant she saw in the other way. She didn’t want to deal with larger opponents, not when she still hoped to find the parents, and she was doubtful that normal people could fight those. So instead, she made her way down the path, down the stairs, and to another dog. With a sigh, she put the poor, infected puppy down. If only I could find them a cure. I hate killing these poor animals.

Looking around herself, she could smile though. Someone must have been close, and locked some of the dogs away. They growled, barked, and charged at her, but they stayed in those steel cages they had been trapped in. She nodded, and walked ahead, happy to finally find someone trying to help with whatever was going on. “Now where are they?”

Crossing the new bridge before her, she thought she saw what was indeed the stranger. Once more, unfortunately, it was just a window and a lantern, like all the rest. Twilight gently knocked, but before she could speak, she heard, “Get out of here, hunter! All you do is bring trouble, and have even lost at your hunt! You couldn’t even kill the beasts that sit outside my door.”

Twilight blinked, before scowling. “Look, mam, I’m sorry that I would not murder defenseless animals, but I promise, I am doing my best. Now, if you could, have you seen a set of parents running around? Perhaps one with a-” She didn’t get much farther before the dogs that had come out of their cages descended on her, and the old lady within cackled.

“See, hunter, you and your kind are useless.”
> Another Hunter
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Twilight watched the beastly man fall over the side with a sigh. She wasn’t in a condition to merely run at this point, not with the large gash in her left leg from one of the men in the square slashing her leg. At least she had been able to recover from the dog that bit her, at least a little bit. “You were able to do it before, why not now?”

Maybe because you know they keep responding? Because the woman is right that you’re bad at all of this? Really, what right do you have being a fighter? Aren’t you a scholar, Twilight? And what led to this? You trying to be that first phony title of yours; The Savior of Equestria. Yeah, the nobody from Canterlot can really do that, especially when she’s all by herself.

Twilight shut her eyes against her thoughts as she made her way down the stairs. She remembered the same conversations after she moved into Ponyville, when she had failed to defeat… No, everytime she failed, she remembered what she actually was. Just some stupid unicorn that liked to stay in a library. “And now look at the mess you’re in.”

“Raargh!”

Twilight’s eyes widened as she remembered about the man that was down here, and quickly turned the knob to the door beside her. She wasn’t ready to yank it open though, and so fell through it, toppling to the ground as she avoided the man’s attack. Looking up, she saw him pursuing, cutlass raised high. Her hand scrabbled for her cane as she watched the deadly arc, and gripped it hard when she found it.

Clang, shunk.

Twilight withdrew her cane from the stumbling man as she found her feet, and panted as he came back. This time, it was her now well trained sidestep, along with a smack into his abdomen, and then spearing his head. She winced at the sound of his grey matter being destroyed, and let out a sigh as he collapsed.

Looking around the new way, she noticed another man with an axe and a torch. He was above her, next to one of the street lights that littered the streets of this world. And he was just… standing. Twilight raised an eyebrow and put a foot onto the dead man’s back, but there was no response. “Sir?”

Still, no response.

She began to walk up the steps, smiling as she did so. “Sir, you would not believe how happy I am to see you. So few friendly faces are out tonigh-”

“Rawr!”

Twilight blinked as it rose it’s torch, and she grit her teeth as tears came to her eyes. Though, that may have also been due to the heat of the flame as her face felt the fire. She let out a scream as she stepped back, before swinging wildly, and knocking the fire out of his hand as she almost cut off his hand. She didn’t let up now, feeling some of the burns heal as she hacked him apart.

“I. AM. DONE. FIGHTING!”

She thrust into what was left of the man, only to feel her blade meet stone, and for her arms to ring out in pain from the impact. The blade fell to the ground as she hit her knees, and she sank into the remains of the man. She turned to her blood stained hands as the tears wouldn’t stop now. They used to be clean. They used to think of violence as the absolute last resort, and now… Now she would never be able to get them clean.

She wrapped her hands around her, her whole body shaking as she tried to shut it all out. Maybe if she wished hard enough, when she opened her eyes, she would be back in Equestria, safe and sound, and away from all of this horror. If she just wished, and wished, and-

“Damn you, you crow wh-Urk!”

Twilight heard the slam of a body against a gate, and the slow retrieval of steel from the corpse. She could then hear panting above her, and looking up showed her an oddly dressed… woman? She wore a cloak of feathers, held two short knives in her hands, and her face was covered in the long beak of a medieval medical pony. They were quacks, more likely wanting to rip you off, or kill you, rather than help.

And now the woman spotted her, and held out a trembling hand. “Hunter, if… if you’re still good, please, give me one of your blood vials. Speak first though, as my vision seems to be a touch blurred.”

Twilight pulled out the packet that Gilbert had given her, and then turned back to the woman. Why did she want it? What did she mean by turned?

And why had she killed another sentient creature?
> Anthropomorphic Issues
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Twilight slowly stepped up to the gate, reaching for the lever to open it as she said. “How do I know you’re friendly?”

The woman chuckled slightly, before coughing. “Deary, please, I may be old, but that merely means slower reactions, and being set in my ways, not that I’m a monster. If you can help me, I will try to help you back. I promise.”

Twilight grunted as she began to pull on the rusted lever, slowly moving it as the metal scraped against it’s holdings. “Yes, but that way could be in killing, and… and I’ve seen too much of that here to be quick to believe otherwise.”

A sigh left the other hunter as she nodded. “I… I can understand that. So many of them have changed into beasts that there no longer seems to be a street where one can be safe. That’s why I have this fellow here. He used to hunt the beasts, but is now more interested in blood, and challenge. So I had to put him down.”

With one last pull, the lever came all the way, and the gate began to open as she extended the blood vial to the woman. “So, you’re a hunter of those who have become beasts? Is that why there’s so much hair on the men on the streets.”

The huntress nodded, and Twilight noticed her slide one of her daggers into the other, and then extend the blade. Not by much, but it was still noticeable. The unicorn slipped that into her bank of questions as her, or she hoped at the least, new friend jammed the vial into her leg. She saw as the blood made its way up the huntress’s body, and closed the wounds that she had. “Wow.”

“Ai. Unfortunately, these have become much harder to find. As for the hunting of hunters, you need not worry, for I only hunt those who have turned into-” The woman’s eyes widened as she looked into Twilight’s eyes, her vision now clear. In there she saw a muzzle, a horn, and hair, just like so many others. So many others, seen year after year after century.

Her hand flicked up in instinct, and Twilight stood up straight from the impact. A small bit of blood escaped the corner of her mouth as she placed her hand onto the other hunter’s, and whispered, “Why?”

Twilight was lowered as the woman shook her head. “No, that’s not, I mean, it was instinct. I-I know you’re not a foe, or, weren’t, and… and I’m sorry. Hopefully after your rest, you may forgive me, though, I understand if you…” The woman hung her head low, unsure if the creature even heard her apology as she faded back into her dream.


======+++++======


Twilight awoke abruptly on the steps of the Hunter’s Dream, a hand over her abdomen as she clenched her teeth. It was vanishing, yes, but this time she couldn’t simply shake it. Not when it had come from one she had thought she was doing right. But still, it had ended like all the rest, with blood on her fur, and an abrupt end to her journey.

She looked down to her hands as the word, fur, stuck in her mind. A closer look at her sharp nails, pink fur, and even a touch to her horn brought a tear to her eyes. So far, the ones to accept her was a small girl who probably was too desperate to worry about her intentions, and a man who was half beast himself. What would Gilbert even think of her when he was human, and she still looked like…

A beast.

Twilight curled up on the steps, her body shaking now as hot tears came down her face. Soon, a soft hand placed itself onto her shoulder, and in the hard bosom of the guardian of the dream, she finally slept, for the first time since she had arrived.
> 'Father' Gascoigne
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Twilight took a deep breath, and ran. Nothing was stopping her this time, nothing was distracting her this time. She was determined to make progress this time, and the new weapon in her hand was only one symbol of this. It was a saw, attached to a curved handle, which led to a slightly curved weapon, but an effective one still. Just back and forth would be all it would take to put something down, and it carried her weight, making these running attacks easier as she sprinted.

Unfortunately, this weight also left her somewhat more committed, even if it gave her more forward momentum, something she learned as the teeth of her weapon sank into one crow, and another pecked into her shoulder. A spin took that one out, and brought tears to her eyes as she growled. “Not again.”

After retrieving her cleaver, she walked up the steps. She didn’t want a nasty surprise attack to come from behind, and, honestly, she wanted a chance to find respite. She didn’t want to bother dear Gilbert, not yet. Instead, she stopped beside the small girl’s window, and gently tapped against the bars. “Young one, may you… may you tell me why you trust me?”

Shuffling could be heard within, before the girl within giggled. “Well, honestly, you look like daddy when he gets super serious, but like daddy, I know you don’t mean any harm. Otherwise, why would you be a super nice, magical unicorn?”

Twilight smiled, a tear coming to her eye, before she gripped the handle tighter, and thrusted it into the air. Her eyes glowed for a moment, and she did it two more times as she shouted, “You’re quite right!” She then threw the blade down, and swung herself towards the ladder beside the girl. “I promise, I will be back soon, and with good news this time!”

She slid down like lightning on the ladder, but, at the last moment, smiled, and leapt from the metal structure. She spun in the air, an aura bursting around her as she aimed herself. A little more to the left, so she needed to throw her arm out at fourty two degrees, spring back her left leg, stick tongue into cheek, and…

Crack!

Her hoof came against the giants skull, the impact sending shockwaves through her body as the creature let out a loud grunt. It tried to keep its balance, but the impact was too surprising, and too hard to allow for that. He took one, two, three steps, before the fat bastard fell over the side, and Twilight got to smile as he fell.

Next, she crossed the bridge, and narrowed her eyes. From here, she could see that the sewers extended into two different directions. One way looked similar to the ways she had gone before, so that immediately was out of the question in her mind. She had been there, and had had enough of it. So the other way was her path, and she could see another bridge, even higher than this one, not so far in the distance. She pointed the cleaver at it, and nodded.

After she murdered a murder, she swung down another ladder. This time, she felt the ooze and water of the sewers finally get to soak into her shoes, and she shuddered at the feel. The smell wasn’t much better, though the change from above was kind of welcomed. At least, until she smelled something akin to a rotting corpse, and looked below herself to see what may have as well have been a rotting corpse. Upon closer inspection, she changed it to corpses, and decided that the shiny object was not worth it.

Instead, she moved along the corridor, smiling as she saw a ladder leading up, and it was long. The corpse like beings were easy to dodge, as they seemed connected to the mud, so moving along wasn’t much of an issue, and it felt… good. She was finally moving again, and any way forward meant progress, because it meant new opportunities to find information and the truth.

She lifted herself up from the ladder, and smiled. She had been right about the bridge, and all she saw was… She frowned, noticing the last two at the very end. They had a large ball of pitch, and looked very ready to use it, even though they had possibly ten of their fellows on the bridge. “Then again, they come back, so they could be bait. There’s also that other path I saw, but I also saw it had a large figure in it, and from how that’s worked out for me... “ She sighed, and stepped forward towards the bridge.

Unfortunately for the Yharnam residents, Rarity and Celestia had not let Twilight be inflexible, so when she had to get past them, she simply hopped onto the railing of the bridge, and kept going. In another second, her suspicions about the last two were confirmed, but they didn’t really get that she could just stop, and watch the fireball as it passed. She could hear the crunch f bone behind her, and actually kind of felt bad for the poor monsters behind her. “Sorry boys.”

She continued though, and, as one of the ones there was that stupid giant with a cinderblock on his hand, decided not to really leave the railing. There was no real reason to, as she could just keep running right past them, as she did with the two other things she saw: two humanoids, with one holding a spiky piece of wood, and the other holding a steel pole. Instead, she just slipped to the side, and walked up the stairs while looking behind her.

And bumped into pure fog.

Turning around, she saw the deep, white barrier, and frowned. For a moment, her horn glowed, and one of her hands began to reach forward, as if to part the barrier, but she grabbed it quickly. She didn’t know what could be in there, so just rushing in would cause issues, and probably get her-

“Raaaw!”

Her eyes widened, and she could see the two fast approaching, before she decided to just risk it, and rush through. The fog shifted out of her way surprisingly easily, but she took quick note of the fact that it closed right back up behind her. Not usually a great sign, just like the sound of flesh being torn into.

She followed the noise to a man, bent over… something, all while she bit into her lip. The whole place felt… bad, though most likely just because it was a graveyard in a place that was in, well, Yharnam. If this was where the actual dead laid, she wondered what could be beneath her feet, or could be coming up as she thought.

“You… you’ve just turned, like all the others, and need to be dealt with like any filthy beast.”

Twilight turned around, now able to see that the old man was not just a man, but an old man, in what looked like church garb. The blood on his axe made the idea of him being a holy man… questionable, and he seemed more inclined to be hostile than even than the last normal looking person she had met, which was not really a good sign. What was even worse was when he charge at her, and only her weapon raising fast enough stopped her from getting almost cut in two.

She slammed against one of the tombstones, and gripped her weapon, ready to fight as her horn glowed. The name Oeden Tomb appeared in her mind, and it was where she was to fight Father Gascoigne.

Wait, Father? But, he can’t be a holy man. Holy men don’t kill, and they certainly do not mutilate the corpses. So, if he isn’t a holy father, than- “Wait, Mr. Gascoigne, we don’t need to-” Twilight was cut off by the need to  roll out of his way, and scowled. Just like every other fucking thing in this place, it looked like she might need to subdue him. “And I just switched away from a weapon I can bash with, perfect.”

She doubted it would have helped much though. This place didn’t play by the same rules as… anywhere, really, so she bet she would need to just weaken him enough so that he would calm down, or parry his blows while she tried to talk some sense into him. Either way, it meant she had to fight, and so swung her weapon.

Just as Gascoigne fired his blunderbuss. The bullets slammed into her stomach, but they didn’t send her flying, or just stall her for a moment. Instead, she fell to her knees, and watched as Gascoigne stepped over, and said, “I will rid this town of beasts. Every, last, one.” He then raised his hand, and plunged it into her chest. His hand gripped Twilight’s heart, and crushed it. The large burst of blood from her now gaping chest cavity was the last thing she saw, before all became black.
> Resolve
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Twilight gripped hard on the handle of her cleaver as she looked at the fog door. It laid before her, swirling in a cloud of mystery, but also promise. She could remember it vividly as it sat behind her against the cleric beast, barring her freedom from the challenge she had invoked.

And now, it was her turn to invoke the challenge.

With one hand put forth, she split the Nightmare Fog, breathing it in as she slowly walked back into the graveyard she had known for a brief time. Glancing ahead, she could see Gascoigne beginning to stand, just a bit farther and to the left of the small tree that stood strong in the middle. Between her and him, stood dozens of graves. They looked solid though, and she bet, if she were careful, she could use them as cover.

Cover meant defending, staying out of combat, and staying alive though. If she wanted to put rest those soft, innocent eyes, make them no longer need to cry, and fulfil the first, truly good thing she could, she couldn’t just stay alive. No, that razor sharp ax of his would probably need to cleave through her stomach, and maybe even kill her again.

But she would be back, and she would make him stop, so she could bring him home.

Gascoigne swung his axe wide, and Twilight brought up the cleaver, bouncing the blade off with almost a sense of contemptment, and her eyes glowed a deeper, darker purple as she pushed forward. The teeth of her weapon found his shoulder, before she spun it back, and got a quick slice into his thigh. Unsurprisingly to her, as she dodged back, she could see the wounds healing, a promise that this man would be no mere villager.

She had to go on the defensive now though, as he switched to using that blasted gun of his, dusting the tops of the tombstones with it’s shards of metal as she dived for cover. Once she heard the click of him reloading though, she spun over it, launching herself forward to cut deep into his stomach. It was surprisingly tough to get her blade in deep enough to inflict any real damage, but his roar was oddly… satisfying.

The man let out another cry of frustration as she rolled away from another blast, before he threw away the gun. This would mean trouble for her, if he began to use both hands, because that would mean more power, more damage, and possibly even more speed, and, while she had been doing pretty well so far to stay out of harm’s way, this could trip her up.

Chink, Shing!

Twilight’s eyes widened as she saw the movement, and she could see the smile of Gascoigne’s face. He could tell that she didn’t know the secret of her weapon, and that left her at a severe disadvantage. He spun in a wide arc, now holding the axe in both hands, and Twilight got to see just how much more reach he had gained by extending the ax handle. How, she didn’t know but it came only an inch from decapitating her as she stepped back.

He wasn’t done though, and, as the ax got to his back, he twisted it in his hands, changing the direction of the momentum that the head carried, and brought it in a massive downstroke towards Twilight. This one, she didn’t dodge, even if she could.

The ax blade sank in deep into her shoulder, and Twilight grit her teeth. If her body were how it was supposed to be, she bet that the arm would have been rendered useless, at least for now. As it stood, it only led to be guyser of pain, with blood gushing out of it, and splattering both of their clothes in the gore. It also led to a plan hatching in her mind as her mouth twitched into an involuntary grin.

Gascoigne blinked as she put one hand onto the ax, keeping it in her shoulder as the purple beast lifted her other hand. There, he stared into the muzzle of a pistol, pointed right for his-

Bang!

“Agh!”

Twilight slumped onto the ground, breathing hard as her opponent placed a hand onto his eye and continued to scream. Her smirk switched to a frown, before she let out a sigh. Even a gunshot right through his brain was apparently not enough to put him down, even temporarily. Than again, I don’t want to leave him crippled, not when his little girl still waits for him.

But he has clearly lost his mind. Even if you can subdue him without killing him, he’ll probably just kill her, so you should make sure he can’t harm the little one.

But I promised…

That doesn’t matter! He is your opponent, and a beast. Just look at him, and you will know the truth!

Twilight looked up, the pain in her shoulder throbbing from the movement as she saw Gascoigne bent over. His hands clutched… No. His claws scraped at his skull as his figure shuddered. Every passing second brought more ripples to his figure, and she could watch those long digits grow more grotesque, and like those on the werewolves on the bridge.

If she didn’t do something, this fast, dangerous opponent would have the ferocity and strength of a beast.

But also the mindlessness, the danger of one. He won’t be able to hear me, even if he had cared for my words before, but what of others? The girl said they used the music box to make sure he recognized them What if… what if it can help-

No!

Twilight stood up, the box appearing in her hand, even though she never searched her bag, and she moved it to be clutched by both now. So small, so fragile, but she had to trust it, had to see if it would work, for otherwise, she knew what she would need to do, and the image of the girl’s tears hurt far more than any ax wound.

Gascoigne opened one eye as a far too familiar melody entered his ears. Looking up, he could see his prey, cloaked in the clothes of so many villagers. So many people he had to kill. So many that looked up to him to cleanse the infected. And she… she was just another one. No amount of multi-hued trails coming off of her would tell him otherwise. No, the menace would be clean-

”Daddy, I drew you a rainbow! Do you think you might get to see one tonight?

He put  claw to his head as his legs began to crack, and pop, but pink strands began to wrap around as well. They reminded him of her smile, and even of her pout as he reminded him of the fact that rainbows needed light, and the night never had any. It was cold, desolate, lonely…

”I know you’re working hard honey, but I thought I might bring you a sandwich, and try to make the night better.

He now stared at the stranger, his head shaking as she kept her eyes closed. Blue and orange strands soothed the headache though, coaxing him to relax… and to remember.

”Honey, I’m afraid. This night seems so much worse, and you’ve been on the hunt for so lo- Honey! Please, i-it’s m-me! Please, it’s your sweet Julian. Ah!”

He shut his eyes. It was his duty, she was diseased, they’re all-

”W-where is it? Please be here!

No, he didn’t do it. She wasn’t her. His Julian-

”It… it’s my fault, my dear Gascoigne. I… I’m only sad tha- Hurk!

Boom!


======+++++======


Twilight pushed against the ground, her fingers sinking into the soft ground as she groaned. Her head was splitting her, much like the tombstone she cracked in two upon impact, not that she remembered what threw her. All she remembered was beginning to crank the music, and then… nothing. She tried to focus, but the more she did, the more her mind cried out in agony, and her blood boiled.

Once she got to standing though, she found that, instead of having died, something the now dry ax wound made sure to tell her, she was still in the tomb. And, almost fifty feet away, was Father Gascoigne, slumped against a tree, but still very human.

She limped over to him, her body crying out for real rest as she checked the poor hunter. His pulse was weak, but it was there, and that’s what was important. It wasn’t enough though, as Twilight thought back to the path to his little girl, and the beasts that roamed those streets. “No, the two of us will never make it there if we try.”

A passing breeze brought with it the scent of something sweet, something that calmed some deep, inner part of her, and Twilight looked up. She could see a set of large doors, and, felt the weight of a key in her pocket at almost the same time. It was the way out, and to something that even tried to promise safety. Not for her, no, she doubted it would be more than a respite for her, like any other lamp, but for Gascoigne, it meant a place to wait until he woke up.

The man was heavy on top of her, and she grunted as she began to shuffle towards the lights. She had to make it though, for his sake, and his daughters. So, as her muscles screamed, and tears beat down her face, she opened the heavy way to the Cathedral Ward, and set the man down upon one of the chairs in the large study, knowing she would not be able to get him up the ladder. She just didn’t have the strength.

After a few moments rest, watching to make sure that Gascoigne would be able to stay alive here, before she started her trip back. Maybe if she found some rest in that other realm, she would be able to formulate a real plan, or even listen to the wooden doll that laid there. At the thought of the woman, she felt a pang of guilt. She had been so rude, and so abrasive to someone only meaning to help her. It was not something she wanted to do again.

Upon coming back, having lit the new lantern in Oeden Tomb, she found her headache only growing worse, and when she blinked, the world changed. In one version, she saw the doll, and the pristine fields of the Hunter’s Dream. In the other, a shadow replaced her spot, one that hurt to look at. That, or it was due to flames behind him, engulfing the cottage that she had never even entered. And each time she blinked, he came closer.

This isn’t how the dream is supposed to go.

Twenty feet.

He was destined to die for his cause, convinced he had done right by the Healing Church. He was not meant to begin to question, or regret.

Ten feet.

Luckily, those I believe in and commune with tell me that I do not have to give you an option. You are not the one to end the night, or even my next hunter. No, you are merely the next to-

Black.
> New Power, Old Lessons
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

        Twilight’s hand twitched as her body screamed. She could feel a cut across her chest. No, not across. Through. She slowly opened the inside of her tattered clothes, but saw no such mark. Instead, she was okay. Okay, not okay, not with how much pain she was in, but she was alive, and whole.

        She slowly pushed herself up, crushing a couple of the flowers along the steps to the hunter’s workshop. She blinked, swaying on her feet as she tried to get her head to stop spinning. Things were off still. She was heavy, unbalanced, and with no way to fix it.

        “Oh, you’re awake, dear huntress.”

        Twilight’s eyes swiveled to the small, earthen stoop in front of the steps. The doll was still sitting there, peaceful as ever. Though, she did not have the same soft smile as always, but instead a small frown, and was beckoning her over with one hand.

        The unicorn limped over, moving as quickly as she could, even though she thought at any moment she might throw up. It was a brand new agony, and one she had not been prepared for. “I think I am.”

        The doll slowly nodded, her soft smile coming to her lips as she held out one hand. “Please, you’ve been through much. Hold my hand, and let me help you rest, dear huntress.”

        Twilight blinked a few times more, making sure she could spot the hand. She’d been so rude to the kind thing before, and it still gave her no reason to distrust it. No, she was happy to rest her hands in the doll’s.

        The doll’s small, fragile fingers gripped into Twilight’s, and then everything became bright. Twilight found herself in a space between worlds for a moment, staring at the sky. She could see her youth with Celestia, getting taught about the basics of magic, how to harness it correctly.

        And then, she was back, stepping back from the doll. The doll’s smile was much wider now, and she tried to cover it with her one hand. “I hope that shall help you fight the beasts of the night, and find morning, so that you may truly rest.”

        Twilight blinked, staring at the gun in her hand. It hadn’t changed, but she could feel a new power in the hand that held it. It glowed purple for a moment, and she smiled, feeling an old friend whisper hello. “Oh, I can already think of one  Until next time, doll.”

        The doll returned to her normal expression while Twilight passed her. She could hear her huntress leaving already, and waved her goodbye. Fortunately, she knew hunters could not turn away from the graves, and so the splintered end of her arm was something her huntress did not have to worry about.


======+++++======


        Twilight took her cleaver from the giant’s neck, blood pouring down on her as the thing fell before her. She glanced at her hand, the purple glow fading slowly from it. She could feel an ache in it though, despite the small amount she’d used of it so far, and scolded herself for wasting it. Still, she wasn’t about to deny how ecstatic having her power back.

        If not, she might not have been able to face the giant arch that stood before her. White, billowing smoke filled it, and she could sense the beast that awaited her within. It was a beast though, and she had managed to beat a hunter. Why should she be afraid now?

        Then again, she thought as she crossed the barrier and saw the monster wailing at her, she remembered that she only ‘beat’ him.

        The Cleric Beast had the first move, charging down the bridge. It’s fur flew along its body, and she could only imagine what its full weight and momentum would feel like. Her gun hand raised, pointing at its face. If she could get a clear shot at one of its eyes, she could probably deaden the charge.

        Or, she thought as she looked at a carriage on the side of the bridge, she could put something in its way…

        “Graaaw!”

        Twilight’s eyes snapped back to the beast, and she paled as she realized that it was maybe a hundred feet away from her. In a second, those large claws would crash into her. She moved without thinking, her legs bundling beneath her before she sprang forward. Her body barely fit between the beast’s arm and leg, and she could taste the dust it threw up with its crash.

        She put her strategic thoughts out of her head for now, raising her head as a small, purple aura came over her cleaver. It was a beast, and to kill a beast, one had to match it. One had to be faster, stronger, and focused, and her weapon fed those thoughts as she crouched.

        The Cleric Beast raised itself high, almost as tall as the gate that the bridge led to. It would crush her, she could tell. It wouldn’t get to of course, as stepping back just once left her safe. It wasn’t though, and her cleaver flashed forward, biting deeply into the small arm. For a moment, Twilight thought she might tear it off right then, but her cleaver soon dragged its way through the beast, and she saw how far from the bone she’d even gotten.

        Its next swipe wasn’t anymore successful, and she began to realize just how pitiful the beast was. It was slow, clumsy, and so long as she stayed calm, it would never hurt her. Unfortunately, as she saw on its legs when she tried to cut its achilles heels, she couldn’t do much better to it.

        It turned towards her, almost stepping on her. That would just be embarrassing though, just like being hit by its ill fated grab attempt. “It’s usually not good to throw your arms back like that if you want to be subtle at all!”

        The Cleric Beasts body shook at the insult, screaming in her face. Drool splattered onto her face, along with breath that forced her eyes shut. She didn’t know if she’d smelt worse than it, as it smelled like a mass grave.

        And then, its large arm, covered in hair that felt like steel strands, slammed into her side. She could hear one of her arms snap at the weight of it, before she slammed into the other side of the bridge. If it weren’t for the stones her back cracked against, she would have been tossed right off.

        Twilight began to stand up. She hadn’t let one of these large things fight her for long. Usually they just killed her if they got a hit in. She didn’t entirely know how she was going to beat it now though, not with her legs like jelly. Hell, she never knew what to do when she really got hurt.

        Unfortunately, she found herself not sure whether or not that may matter. Instead, she was being clutched by the beast’s large hand. It’s long, thin claws crushed against her ribs, squeezing her lungs and ripping the air out of her.

        When she did open her eyes, she could see into the beast’s eyes, staring at her with a red fury. Apparently, it had taken exception to her taunts. It was not something she planned to do when she fought it again.

        Fortunately, she thought as she looked at her free arm, she might not need to fight this thing again. She raised her gun as the beast growled in her face, her bones cracking under the stress. She ignored it though, gritting her teeth as she squeezed on the trigger.

        There was a loud crack, before an unholy scream. Twilight slammed against the ground, feeling her ribs come back together because of the things blood. It was probably a good thing too, because otherwise, she was on the brink of blacking out, and she needed to focus on other things then consciousness.

        Her gun fell from her hand as she reached out to the cart she’d thought about before. It was definitely the largest thing she’d tried doing this to so far, but it was the only thing that was gonna finish him off.

        Her purple aura slowly came around the carriage as the beast continued to reel in pain. It had been cut, bludgeoned, beaten, and lit on fire. It had never had its eye shot out though.

        A creak brought its attention down, and, while standing at its full height, it simply stared at the floating carriage. It was kind of pretty, especially with the purple sparks that came off of it. And hey, it was even getting clo-

        Crash!

        Twilight collapsed onto the ground, listening to the beast’s howl as it got farther and farther away. Down and down, all the way into the abyss it deserved to be in. She could feel her bones begin to knit as she suspected it died, and something told her it wasn’t coming back, unlike all the others.

        No, she had won, and her first real beast was gone. It had barely gone down, and, if she hadn’t been smart, she would have lost, easily. She would need to get a lot better before she regularly faced things like that.

        She was alive though, and able to move, and so she slowly got back to her feet. Something turned her head to the closed gate at the end of the bridge, and she couldn’t help but smile at the lamp that sat there. It invited her to rest, and to heal, things she was very ready to do.

        She flicked it on, feeling her wounds slowly close as the light from the lantern restored her. “Not that I need to go back the way I came from. Father Gasc-”

        She stopped, staring across the bridge, before she whispered, “His daughter…”

A)Escort the girl to her father 
B)Grab her father, and hope he doesn’t try to murder her again. Twilight or the daughter.
        
Acquired: Combat levitation, and the Sword Hunter's Badge. Only need 3 votes, instead of the normal 5, to switch to the Kirkhammer.
Owns: 10 bullets (acquired some on the way to the Cleric Beast)

> A Shift In The Nightmare
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Twilight felt her stomach lurch as she stepped out of the world in between the graves, appearing within Oed0n Tomb. She fell to one of her knees, her hand tight on her side as she looked up, sweat pouring down her face. It was like she’d just caught a fever, and at this point, she wouldn’t even be surprised.

Looking up though, she saw it was much… better than that. It was confirmation of a hypothesis of hers. That shade she’d seen back at the Hunter’s Workshop didn’t like her being here, something that she’d only chalked up to the desire these beings had to take over Equestria. Now though…

Twilight smiled, slowly standing up tall as she gazed upon the shifting fogs around her. Sure, she still felt weak, but when one does something great, they should make sure they watch their handiwork, instead of shunning its effects.

And the large beastman, twice her size, with claws half as long as her short cleaver, that screamed at her face made her quite proud of her accomplishment. This was Gascoigne, she could feel it. It was what she had stopped. What the music box had put to rest.

And now she was watching as this hell tried to handle it. Tried to deal with the change to it. A course of events it couldn’t reconcile, or just reset like the Cleric Beast. No, Twilight had denied whatever the fog had wanted to do in this place, and it sent chills of joy down her spine. She could do something here, instead of just being helpless to the beasts she faced.

The only problem she had with her joy was that while she could see she was denying these beings of their game, she still didn’t know how it happened, or what the fog caused in the first place. She shouldn’t be able to see Gascoigne fall in this beastial form just as much as her ability to revive back at the lamps made no sense.

For a moment, the hair around Twilight’s eye darkened before she brought a hand up, covering the pain. Calm down, Twilight. If you worry about this too much, you’ll go insane. This place is of pain, destruction, and for me to comprehend it… She shook her head, dismissing the thoughts. There was no reason to dwell while she had a little girl to help.

She strode out of the tomb, heading back to the study that she had left Gascoigne. She’d been gone for maybe an hour at most, and that was while being extremely generous. Still, he was a pretty hardy old man, a pain in her neck reminding her just how true that was, so he could have woken up and walked off. The thought worried her, as she didn’t know how she had calmed him before, and doing the same trick twice didn’t always seem to work with this place.

Of course, to go with how terrible this place was, Gascoigne was indeed gone. Twilight rushed forward, knocking over some of the books and a chair as she tried to go to where he’d been. Placing a hand on the seat of the chair, she cursed, having hoped that maybe, just maybe he had somehow gone invisible. No luck though.

And then, she sniffed. Immediately she knew the sort of smell in the air, as she’d had it cling to her clothes all too often back at the magic circles in Canterlot. Incense, and it was powerful. So thick in fact was its potency, even like this, that she could taste its magic. It was a welcoming feeling, or it would be if it wasn’t where a father had been.

Fortunately, there was ladder, and she clambered up it, not caring about her hooves or bumping into the sides of the small hole it led into. Instead, she only kept her eyes forward, watching for any sign of the man she hoped to call friend.

And, there, halfway in a slightly ajar, well decorated door, was Gascoigne. Her horn lit up, but not to grab the hunter. Instead, Twilight used it to try to grip whatever had him, only bringing a small, strangled scream from the other side of the door. Her magic immediately dispelled itself as she threw open the heavy door, the muscles in her arm screaming as she looked down.

A man looked back, covered in a simple, dirty, full length cloak. His face was covered by the cowl of the gray cloth, as well as his hands, which were thrown up in obvious terror. Under his breath, Twilight could hear him mutter about how he knew he shouldn’t have left his chapel, and looked up.

Before her was a tall building, its vaulted ceiling at least a hundred feet above her. Balconies looked down upon her, their banisters cracked, but made of fine marble. Looking back to the open space before her, she could see small stairs lead up to a vaulted middle area where she could see an orator giving a speech to all of those around there that occupied the lower parts of the chapel.

And coating all of it: ash. The incense in the air was still just as powerful as before, probably due to the man who cowered below her having been the one to always set up the magical wards. In fact, Twilight could even see to her right a small area with at least ten pots of burning incense with a space inbetween them for someone to lay down, sleep, and probably pray at.

Twilight looked back down, before crouching towards the poor, pale man. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you, but I’m used to this place having so many wicked people that I assumed you might be hurting my friend. Now, why don’t I help you move him.”

The man nodded furiously, weakly crawling away from Twilight. She could hear his labored breathing and felt bad for him for a moment. How long had he been here? How much had this possible act of kindness hurt him, especially for trying to get a body up the ladder behind her? It only made her attack on him all the worse.

Not that he seemed to mind as he gestured to one the banisters on the corners of the raised platform. It warmed her heart that he would put Gascoigne above himself, and the banister would allow him to sit up, so he might be a little more comfortable like this, even if the chair might have been softer.

Twilight set him down, before going to the middle of the platform where she had spotted one of her small lamps. It seemed a little silly for there to be one here with another at the tomb, but then again…

Twilight breathed in deeply, sighing out as she heard the name ‘Oedon Chapel’ ring in her ears. It welcomed her home, and her magic sparked, excited to be past Central Yharnam at least. She only had one more thing to take care of there, and then she could just head forward.

The small man cleared his throat, before the act made him cough. After the small fit though, he did speak. “D-Do not worry about your friend. I just wanted to bring him to where my incense could protect him, as the beasts seem to hate the scent. In fact,” a small smile slipped onto his face, “I’m happy to see that you enjoy it.”

Twilight smiled, her eyes darting to her fur covered hands. It was nice to have a way now to possibly show someone that she was safe, instead of them just having to believe that she would become what Gascoigne could have, or at least what the Nightmare Fog had shown her he could. “And I thank you for trying to help him. If I can return the favor, then please, do not hesitate to call upon Twilight the Huntress.”

Her tongue ran across her lips, slightly enjoying the title, before it turned bitter. She supposed it was much like how these hunters ended up. Even that nice one…

The man nodded, returning to his little alcove as he spoke. “It’s nice to meet you, and my name is of no import. I simply seek to protect myself and others, so if you wish to help me, tell those you find who seek somewhere safe that they may come here.”

Twilight nodded, already having two people in mind to possibly bring here, even if one was… rude, to say the least. “I’ll keep it in mind. For now though, I should head back. I have someone to go grab for my friend.”

“Oh, is it Henryk?” The dweller recoiled as Twilight sharply turned back to him, and he waved his hands. “I-It was the name your friend was saying in his sleep. If that’s not the case, than that’s fine.”

Twilight bit into her cheek. She’d heard the name before, but she couldn’t put it together. She thanked the distraction though as she headed down the ladder and back to the tomb, She would grab the chest later, but a little girl was waiting for her and-

The screech of metal against stone interrupted her thoughts, before a male and female voice, the latter which sounded possibly familiar, shouted at each other.

“They didn’t deserve! He good man!”

“Just like you are, while you try to mindlessly rip me apart. You can barely speak you’re so close to transforming. Besides, do you really think it wasn’t his hand that killed her?”

“Shut up, birdy!”

Twilight ran out, her eyes wide as she watched the two below her. Neither were going to notice her up here, not with how they were locked in combat. The crow woman was indeed back, her twin daggers flashing as she danced around the other hunter. However, any blow that caught under the insane man’s yellow clothes brought little blood out, and Twilight knew first hand how fragile she was.

And, as the man’s Saw Cleaver shredded a tombstone, Twilight knew the fight could go either way. The man had talked about them, and him, and a good man… Had he seen the corpse of Gascoigne’s wife? Could this man, as far gone as he was… be Henryk?

She would need to make a choice soon though, before they made it for her.

1) Join sides with the man who may be Henryk to take care of the ‘Hunter of Hunters’ who had killed her before.
2) Join the crow clad hunter against her foe. Twilight at least knew she had good intentions, and this man was too far gone for reason.
3) Wait for one to die, before coming down to finish off the other. They both were threats, and she could get something useful off of their corpses.
4) Stop the two fools. I’ve changed this place’s fate once, so maybe I can do it again and find out who this man really is, while also saving the feather covered woman again.
> Eileen and Henryk
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Eileen stepped into Oeden Tomb. She’d heard… sounds before. Cries of beasts, the ripping of flesh, all done with more noise than any hunter was taught to do. At least, not the ones she went after, for the noise could attract more, and the more there were, the less likely you were to survive. Only she had mastered the art of fighting multiple threats, but she blamed that more on her weapons.

A glance over the tombstones brought her eyes to an all too familiar yellow. Her head twisted around, checking for another, but none came to her practiced eyes. No, he was alone… “Oh, Henryk, please don’t tell me you did this?”

The yellow figure lifted its head. It was on the roof of a small cabin within the tomb where a caretaker used to live. It would be deserted now, but she could see the body that he’d been standing over. It was a woman’s body, and Eileen felt her stomach churn at the thought of who it could be.

The man fell from the roof, landing rough on his feet and stumbling. He clawed at his head as he regained his balance, and Eileen could feel tears prick the edges of her eyes. No, she had to be tough. If she wasn’t, he would become worse than a turned hunter, and she would not allow that to happen. “Hello, Henryk.”

The man scowled, raising up his Saw Cleaver to his side. “Violet… You… Eileen, too far!”

With a howl, Henryk charged forward, leaping with his cleaver into the air. By the time he landed though, Eileen was long gone from the spot, and it found only gravestones.

Eileen scowled, the stench from him surprisingly small. Maybe... 

Eileen paused for a moment as she realized the truth and yelled, “I didn’t do this! Gascoigne was gone before I could even find him!”

Henryk didn’t listen, just like all of the rest. Instead, he just screamed his insanity. Soon, he wouldn’t even be able to do that much. “They didn’t deserve! He good man!”

What Twilight hadn’t seen was him whip around, slicing through the side of Eileen’s cloak and painting the tombstones with her blood, before she whipped around his side, her daggers raking him back, but to much less of an effect. Was she really this weak? “Just like you are, while you try to mindlessly rip me apart. You can barely speak you’re so close to transforming. Besides, do you really think it wasn’t his hand that killed her?”

This time she stepped out of the way of his swing, his witty retort only making her scowl. “Shut up, Birdy!”

He couldn’t even recognize her. Somehow that hurt more than any wound she’d taken.

She looked back up, that cleaver coming around again. Why was she so distracted? Why was she so slow? Why couldn’t she just do her job?

The sound of metal against stone brought her out of her thoughts, as well as words being screamed into the air.

“Henryk, stop! Gascoigne is alive!”

Eileen looked up, staring at a familiar figure. It was the beast hunter, the one with purple hair. She had a name… Twilight, that was it. No, she couldn’t be here. Not again! The poor girl didn’t deserve to have to get tied up in her mess. “Don’t try it. He’s too far gone, especially for lies.”

Twilight glanced up, feeling the slab of stone on her back take another hit, and this time she didn’t have the help of focus to keep her from stepping forward, slamming into the crow hunter as she stabbed the ground with the blade in her hand, barely stopping herself.

She glanced back, seeing Henryk standing there, silent for a moment. Yes, her words were working. At least, until the crow hunter whipped around her. “Leave the hunting of hunters to me, young one.”

Twilight scowled, picking her blade out of the soft ground and bringing it around in a long arc, catching Eileen’s blade with hers, and stopping both from heading towards Henryk. She was just happy she’d picked up the new weapon, as it was definitely going to help for this. “I’m not lying! He’s just a bit ahead, and I won’t let you kill his brother.”

Henryk looked up, staying his hand again as he lifted his cleaver. Brother? He had no brother. Gascoigne had been close to one, but he was dead now! He shot forward, wanting the pest gone, and ignoring the blade that cut across his side, his cleaver now slamming into the purple thing, its serrated teeth embedding themselves into the girl’s clothes before he launched her away by swinging up.

Eileen launched herself forward, cutting in an X with her twin daggers, slicing open his back, before dodging back just as he tried to cut her. He was slowing down.

And then, a small rock slammed into the back of Henryk’s skull. A pebble. A fucking pebble, the most useless of the tools in a hunter’s belt. Yes, the pest would-

He looked up, seeing three tombstones over him. The first landed flat on his chest, shoving him to the ground, before the next two did the same, knocking the wind out of him as the pest yelled, “Do you not care about your niece?”

Niece? Brother? He had no family. He’d never been as lucky as Gascoigne in that way. He’d been lucky that Voilet even let him near…

Carol.

Eileen stepped forward, raising her daggers, and getting ready to finish off Henryk. It was for his own good-

Bang!

Henryk looked up, his vision clearing. Eileen… Eileen was just shot, after she was going to kill him. But she only did that to… “Ei-Eileen, please, don’t. I’m…” It was so hard to breathe, with so much weight on his chest. If he could get it off.

“Henryk, is that actually you?”

The purple hunter’s voice. The one that said Gascoigne was alive. That he was… He looked up, spotting a limp arm hanging off the roof.

His friend needed him. In a tremendous show of force, he shoved the three tombstones off of him, before raising his cleaver, blocking Eileen’s jumping stab, before swiping her away, and then…

And then throwing his weapon away from himself. “Eileen, stop!”

Eileen looked up, staring at Henryk, and in his eyes… clarity.

Twilight watched as they both looked to her, her chest in pain from the slash from Henryk. She’d been right that any hit from him was going to be devastating, but she hadn’t expected to  be hit herself. Not that it mattered now. They both had stopped fighting, which was all she wanted.

Twilight slowly stepped forward, and the crow hunter grabbed Henryk’s arm as his whole body had tensed up. “She’s not a beast, I promise. In fact,” she looked to Twilight, “it appears that you’ve saved me twice now.”

Twilight smiled as Henryk looked from the other hunter and then to her, and nodded. She… she had allies, or at least, she hoped that much. Now, she just needed to inform them on the situation. “Gascoigne is ahead in Oeden Chapel. A kind man has made an incense that pushes away the beasts, so he’s safe there and sleeping, though I don’t know how he’ll be when he wakes up.”

Henryk crossed his arms, scowling as he shook his head. “A temporary measure. Nothing stops the beasts forever except the end of the hunt. Trust me.”

The crow hunter nodded in agreement. “Still, if it gives him time to heal, it would be best to use something that’s proven for the moment, even if one of us has to stay to protect him.”

Twilight bit into her cheek. The crow was right, but that caused a problem in her own plans. “Well, why don’t one of you stay with him then, and the other comes with me? I’m on my way to get his daughter so she can be with her father instead of... “ Twilight glanced up, and both other hunters cringed.

Henryk looked to his friend, before stepping towards Twilight. “Eileen, you stay with him. Defending a single spot will be easier-”

“Says the man who almost lost his mind. Why should I trust you with a child, especially when travelling through the hunt is my specialty.”

“And actually killing things is mine!”

Twilight swallowed hard. It was somewhat obvious that neither would back off from their stance of being better, so she would need to break up their argument. Only question was who she trusted more with what job.

1) Bring Henryk. He’s the girl’s uncle, and his strength will help, even if he could go crazy.
2) Bring Eileen. Her speed and knowledge could get them back faster, but if they got into a prolonged fight, it could mean trouble.
> Carol
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Chink

Twilight pulled her sword out of the slab of stone on her back, blinking as visions of older hunters cleared from her eyes, and Eileen sliced in a flurry of blows through the mob of crows near Carol. They didn’t want another case of her first meeting with the little girl after all.

As Eileen came back, Twilight was trying out a few practice swings, before she swung, planted her foot on the ground as her blade went behind her back. It slid into the slab of stone like it was being sheathed, before she jammed it to the side, locking it into position. Using the base she’d made, she spun, throwing her whole weight into her next swing. The sword followed, now coming around as a sledgehammer.

And throwing Twilight five feet with the momentum as it crashed into the ground.

A bit of laughter brought a hint of red to Twilight’s cheeks, before Eileen stood over her, offering the poor mare a hand. “I don’t blame you. I stick to my daggers because I prefer their weight, but I also know that if you can master the Kirkhammer, you’ll be able to smash your way through anything.”

Twilight rubbed her neck, feeling the hyperextension that had happened with the swing fading, just like any injury on her, especially one not caused by another enemy. This was all caused by Eileen having put her daggers away as they’d slipped out of Oeden. When she pulled them out again, it was only one, until she ‘switched’ it.

As Twilight was told, all hunter weapons are called ‘trick weapons’. Said trick is that they all have a second form. Some have a hinge they rely on, like the Saw Cleaver, while others could fit into different parts of themselves to form brand new weapons, such as the twin daggers of what Eileen called The Blades of Mercy, or a sledgehammer out of a sword like the Kirkhammer.

Twilight pushed herself up, putting the slab of stone back onto her back before forcing it out with a slight wince. Yeah, she doubted she would use the tricked form of this one much, not when it winded her just to lift the slab of metal. It did become surprisingly light on her back, but she put that to the fact that anything she picked up just vanished into a bag that she just knew she had, even if she couldn’t find it. “Yeah, maybe, but for now I think I’ll just stick to the shortsword.”

Eileen grinned as she stepped away, beckoning Twilight to follow her. “Come now. You need to grab Carol. From her house, go as far down as you can. You’ll hit a sewer. Following it will bring you almost all the way to Oeden Tomb, and I’ll be waiting for you at the end of it to make sure you find the ladder.”

Twilight frowned as they came up to the gate. “Wait, you’re not sticking with us?”

Eileen shook her head as she slipped onto the ladder just past Gascoigne’s home, looking over her shoulder where they both could see a giant akin to the ones with slabs of cement on their hands there. It used more of a large club though, and Twilight sighed as she thought about how fun it would be to kill it.

Eileen crushed that worry as she said, “I’m used to fighting by myself, and you’ll be burdened with Carol. Therefore, I’ll go ahead and clear the path. Understand?”

Twilight nodded, watching as Eileen launched herself from the ladder, becoming a missile of death as she dove towards the giant. The sound of its neck cracking made Twilight cringe, but also made her certain that Eileen was fine. It was hunters that caused the woman trouble anyways.

“Unicorn, is that you?”

Twilight smiled, before she moved to the window. “Yes, it’s me Carol, and I’m here to take you to your father. He’s somewhere where you’ll be a lot safer, and… and it’s best you be with him right now.”

“Oh…. Dad usually doesn’t like us wanting to join in his hunts, but I guess I could leave a note for Viola to let her know I’m with dad.”

Twilight’s brow furrowed as she heard the name. Neither Henryk or Eileen had mentioned a second daughter, or was it some sort of nanny? “Carol, sweetie, whose Viola, and where is she? You uncle and father would probably want to have her with them as well.”

“Uncle Henryk’s with dad too? Oh, I wonder if he has any treats with him. He usually at least has hard candy. He says he carries it because he’s bad at talking to people.”

That seems to be a running theme with these hunters. “Carol, please, focus. Where and who is Viola?”

“Oh,” the little girl said as she came around from the other side of the bend, “she’s my sister, but she’s probably at the Healing Church right now. That’s where she always at at this time at night, getting taught how to be like dad.”

Twilight blinked. The girl, maybe ten or twelve years of age, came up to her stomach. She wore a simple blue jacket over a black shirt, leading into a gray dress skirt. Around her neck was a beautiful white ribbon, and the girl even held onto a teddy bear. It was almost heartbreaking to think about the fact that this little girl would soon be losing her innocence.

Twilight knelt down, offering her back to the girl. “Come on, I’ll carry you down the ladders.” This was something easier said than done. As Twilight had been reminded of earlier, she wasn’t exactly the strongest mare in the world. Maybe if she were Applejack she could handle at least a hundred feet of ladders, if not more to get to the bottom of the sewers, with a child on her back, but by the time her feet stepped into the water and mud at the bottom, she had to let the little girl down and lean against a wall, breathing hard as her muscles burned.

Carol frowned as she looked at Twilight. It reminded her of so many nights when her dad would come home from the hunt. The unicorn didn’t look half as strong as daddy though, so she probably could use a pick me up. Now, she knew her dad liked stiff drinks, fervent prayers, or playing with her when he needed to relax, but she doubted the unicorn would want any of those, especially with how urgent she made everything sound like it was.

And then, seeing a small, silver shine from the middle of the room, Carol remembered how much her dad liked cleaning his bullets while he told stories about the night to all of them.

Twilight looked around the wall, looking down the sewer. In all honesty, it was a rather impressive construction. Large, stone walls to make sure the scent stayed down here, with walkways along the sides for workers to walk on and stay out of the majority of the gunk. She could even tell where stairs would help them move different levels of the sewage levels.

Looking farther, she could see a torch come into view, shining off of a metal face. So she had gone the right way. She just needed to grab Carol and take her there.

“Hey, Twilight, look what I found!”

Looking to Carol, Twilight’s heart froze. Eileen was a hunter of hunters, and took no pleasure in the slaughter of beasts like the rest of her kin. It was one of the many factors that made sure she would never become like the beasts her marks were like. She also was fast and direct, usually trying to end fights in a single flurry of fast blows.

As such, she didn’t deviate her path, such as going to the middle of a square room of the sewers where a little girl held aloft a set of quicksilver bullets, and about seven creatures that were sleeping in the mud that looked up at said girl.

Twilight shot forward like a rocket, her sword drawn as the first raised its hand. Her blade intercepted it, but instead of cutting into the gelatinous monster, it simply forced the arm back down, hurting it a bit. Carol screamed in her ears, but Twilight couldn’t focus on that. She spotted a few more monsters in the back of the room take notice of the two of them.

A back cut got three of them, deterring them from attacking yet, but that left two more who were already acting, and soon she would hope that more than one of them was staring into the sky when the second wave got to her.

Her blade caught one arm, while the other hand slammed into her chest. For a moment, Twilight thought her ribs were cracking, before she took a step back. They were probably bruised, and it explained their speed. Slow, but infuriatingly strong. If even just one of them hit Carol, the poor girl would be doomed.

Her eyes glanced back as a cold calm came over Twilight. One behind her, two in front of her, and one to the side of both Carol were all getting ready to attack. Twilight could see the torch in the distance moving. It was fast, but she had seen how Eileen had fought. Fast, with blows that could devastate a person by targeting their most vital points, and the woman had even admitted that she used to be almost unmatched when she was younger, but age and her own code had dulled her speed, just like it had Gascoigne’s sanity and Henryk’s intelligence.

Even then, she doubted Eileen could get there in time. She was too far away. There were too many of them, and they were too tough. Maybe if the two of them had baited them together, only fighting one or two at a time, but like this…

Twilight shut her eyes, her mind burning. She was going to die, but that didn’t matter. She was a hunter. She would go back to the dream. Carol was only a child, and if they got her…

Twilight didn’t feel herself move at first. It reminded her of with Gascoigne, where she had lost control of her own body. Her blade came up, slipping into the hammer on her back. Instincts showed her the wave of damage that came with its slams, and Twilight’s body acted, bring it straight down.

The crash of water against it filled Twilight’s ears, her eyes still shut to the force she could feel around her. Her horn was at maximum power, having joined in with the rest of this instinct, helping the hammer come down.

From the echos that came into Twilight, she knew she had done it. Knew she had stopped all of the-

Twilight had opened her eyes to where her hammer had fallen. Right in front of her, or, in other words, right where Carol was… or had been.

She let the hammer fall to its side, and almost was happy that there was no corpse to be seen. Twilight didn’t need one though, not when there was a neatly folded ribbon there that was as white as snow.

Eileen limped in front of Twilight, her breathing heavy as she asked, “Twilight, what happened?” She waited a few moments for a report, the knot in her stomach growing. The hunter wasn’t blind, but she had gotten used to such tragedies long ago. The beast in front of her on the other hand… “Twilight, I’m sorry. I should have made sure there was nothing here. Children wander, and I should have-”

“No… No.” Twilight slowly picked up the ribbon, breathing in deep as tears ran down her cheeks. “It was my responsibility. She was with me, and… and it’ll be my responsibility to tell Gascoigne.”

Eileen slowly nodded, before letting the walk be a quiet one. For a moment, she’d thought about talking about how she’d done this plenty of times in training with Gascoigne and their master, but something stopped her. Probably just the pain of having failed in such a long time she assumed.

It didn’t take long for them to get back to the chapel. The only thing Eileen had let live from the large room to here, were the two gangly beasts outside of the tomb, and they were nothing for the two hunters. Twilight almost wished they were.

Walking into the chapel was harder though, as Twilight could feel her legs turn to lead as she looked up. Gascoigne was standing now, using the the banister to support his weight as him and Henryk talked. From what little she could hear, it sounded like they were happy, even… even catching up.

They stopped dead as Eileen and Twilight walked up, the ribbon still in Twilight’s hand. She didn’t even get a word out before Henryk reached for his cleaver, spitting the words, “You beast,” with enough venom to make the mare ill.

Gascoigne on the other hand held up a hand, stopping his friend. His shoulders were shaking, but his face held no emotion as he looked into Twilight’s eyes. Twilight swallowed hard, trying to square her shoulder and meet his gaze back. He deserved that much. “Carol got away from us for just a moment, but-”

Henryk stepped forward, smacking Twilight across the face as he screamed, “You didn’t carry her? You didn’t make sure she never left your side? Why did I trust you for a second?”

“Henryk.” Gascoigne looked up at his friend, and for a moment Twilight felt that, despite the fact that she could now seek Henryk’s face properly, and the dozens of wrinkles that pocketed the old man’s feature’s, he was not the one in charge between the two. “It was a mistake. We made plenty of those when we were learning. It’s best we make sure she doesn’t forget this one.”

Twilight swallowed hard as Gascoigne stood tall. She would turn away from him when he struck her down. She would take the blow like a good student. It’s what happened when you messed up after all.

“Attack me.”

For a moment all of them were silent, before Eileen was the first to speak, whispering, “You’re not serious, right?”

Henryk simply leaned back, nodding solemnly. “I understand. It is more fitting after everything after all.”

Twilight looked up at Gascoigne, seeing cold steel in his eyes. She would not convince him of otherwise, and, from what seemed to happen to hunters with little else, maybe she would be doing him a favor. She brought her sword up high, tensing her muscles to bring it down,

And Gascoigne flipped his gun up from his side, putting the blunderbuss to Twilight’s chest. With one blast she was knocked to the ground in an oddly familar fashion. Gascoigne stood over her, his now open hand flexing open. “If you fire upon someone when they swing, you can throw them off, staggering them. While they’re open, you can reach back, and rip them apart.”

And, just like the first time the two had fought, though now with Twilight seeing images of hunters performing the same technique a hundred times to teach her, he reached in, crushing her heart in one swift movement.

The normal darkness came around her before she could feel that something was wrong. She wasn’t going back to Hunter’s Dream again. Was it because of Henryk? Because she was continuing to defy the dream.

She would never find out, as the shadowed hunter appeared for only a moment, before his form was mixed with stars and traces of a deep, dark blue that called to Twilight, before it pulled him away.

And for just a moment, Twilight had felt Equestria again, before she woke back up in Oeden Chapel, and all three of the hunters she’d wanted to call friends were gone. She shut her eyes, tears coming down her face as she remembered she wasn’t in Equestria, and she wasn’t about to find a new set of elements or anything like that.

She was a hunter in a nightmare, and like all hunters apparently, she too would be a monster before this dream was over.

Once again so lost, with so many ways to go, from people back in Yharnam to check on to the two doors in Oeden, she cannot decide, and needs some guidance. Leave your comments below for what you think Twilight should do next.