Chapter 2:

Hunter awoke mid-morning, the soothing ballads of the local birds serenading him as he climbed out of his bed and did a few quick stretches. The few possessions he had adorned the 2 shelves on the far side of the room, except for his cloak, which was draped over the footboard of his bed. His knife lay in its sheath on one shelf, the other held his saddlebags and coin pouch. He strutted over to the first and secured the sheath around his waist, the 8 inches of sharpened steel hadn’t felt blood on it in the 4 years it’d been since he’d last served on the front lines. Apparently, Princess Luna saw something special in him and took him under her wing. As he finished jostling the sheath into the most comfortable place, he recalled the dream from last night.

It’d been the same dream as usual, the dream he’d had every night for the 15 years since the events had unfolded. He looked out his window at saw the small handful of soldiers that remained in Luna’s army. The past few months had been especially brutal, thinning their numbers to no more than a hundred troops. He started to reminisce about the few months he’d spent working as a soldier. He didn’t like the killing at first, but it wasn’t like he had a choice. He owed his life to the alicorn of the night, since she dragged him to safety after watching her sister leave him for the buzzards.

He quickly returned to reality as a knock at the door rang through his small room. He waltzed over and opened the door, surprised to see Javelin there. The striking green stallion had been the princess’s chief guard for years, even before the war began. “The Princess wishes to speak with you.” He announced in his gruff voice.

Hunter nodded in acknowledgement, grabbed his cloak and stepped out of his room, closing the mahogany door behind him. He followed Javelin to Nightmare Moon’s private study. The two stallions entered and felt an air of unease. A stern voice from atop the staircase requested that Javelin leave the two for a moment. As soon as Javelin had left and closed the large double doors, the alicorn of the night appeared on the second floor. As she began striding down the stairs, Hunter queried “What could possibly be so important that you would tell me and not your most loyal guard?”

She merely replied “He is of no concern anymore. You’re the one that I need to speak to.” Hunter just gazed at her, a puzzled look plastered on his face, as she continued down the stairs. “We’re in trouble here.” She said grimly.

“What do you mean?”

“Celestia’s found us. She’s on her way here right now.”

“Oh c’mon, I’ve trained for this moment for years. I’m more than a match for her, add your power in and it’s just unfair.” He drew his knife and gave a quick stabbing motion “Just let me at her.”

“Not yet, you aren’t ready. You’ve learned much, but not enough.” Her soft voice echoed through the room.

“I’ve waited for this moment for 15 years!” He shouted. “I’m ready to drive my blade through her heart!”

“No you aren’t! She’s much too powerful! She’s coming here right now to banish me to the moon and we aren’t strong enough to stop her!” The room went silent for a few seconds as they both realized the predicament they were in. “But I’ve got a plan.” She said. “A new spell I’ve invented.” A mischievous smirk crossed her muzzle.

“And what could you possibly do to make us more powerful?” Hunter asked.

“Time. We need more time. The spell I’ve created puts the target in a state of suspended animation. I’ll return once I’ve served my sentence, and you’ll be in suspended animation waiting for me.”

“Sorry, but I’m not exactly keen on the idea of being frozen in place for a thousand years.”

“You want revenge don’t you?”

Hunter nodded.

“Then you need more training, and the only way to get that training in is to give us more time.”

“I guess I don’t have much of a choice then.”

As the last word passed Hunter’s lips, a large bell began bellowing out in its low tones. Shouts echoed through the halls, as well as from the outside. “She found us!” one particularly frightened guard shouted.

“We need to begin the spell now if we’re to have enough time!” The voice of the night boomed through the library.

The two sat in silence for a minute or two as the night goddess gathered almost every bit of magic she could. All the while the clashing and screaming drew nearer. “That should be enough.” The alicorn finally said.

“Goodbye for now.” Was all Nightmare Moon could think to say before blasting her pupil with the energy she had stock-piled. Hunter had begun to wave goodbye before being frozen in place, leaving him in a very awkward position. As Luna heard the enemy forces dispatch of the guards posted outside her door, she used what magic she had left to teleport Hunter to the only place she knew of that would remain safe for the duration of her banishment.

As Hunter vanished, the double doors burst forth. The queen of the night turned to face the glittering alicorn that stood before her. Then, the sun goddess spoke the last words her sister would hear for a very long time.

“Hello again, dear sister…”