Guess what? I'm back and better than ever! Well, at least my formatting is. Just in time for Chapter 40 as well!
The other slept soundly that night, but Headhunter was plagued by the nightmare of the purple forest. Though Princess Luna had intervened the first time, she now apparently was simply letting the dream take its course. Eventually Headhunter decided he had had enough, and got up. Raven Holm still slept in the bed, Scout was sleeping in a sleeping back in the floor, and Headhunter had let (forced really) Ellen to take the Hammock that was sleeping in before. Head Hunter now slept on the brown coach. Headhunter grabbed his gear and headed out into the night.
There was a crisp breeze in the air, however his did not notice it. Something was calling him to a part of the town he had yet to explore. Walking among unfamiliar streets was equally calming and unnerving. The fresh air cleared his mind as if it were water washing away dirt, but the uneasiness hung on to him as he went deeper and deeper into this section of the city. Something just seemed…
Eventually Headhunter entered an opening, an empty marketplace or park; he wasn't sure. That was when he first saw the tower. It loomed over the other buildings near it, but it wasn't so high that could be seen from more than a few blocks away. It looked old and abandoned. The only sign of light was coming from a window near the top.
The Realization hit Headhunter like a train: Not only was that one lit window the only sign of light in the tower, it was the only sign of life he had seen in several blocks. It was undoubtedly the source of the itch that caused him to venture out this night. He did not even consider what might be inside before he was already on the second floor.
. . .
It was almost morning by the time he reached the floor with the light on. The sun had just begun to shine it's light over the horizon, though it would still be a while before the Sun itself was visible. Headhunter put his ear up to the door.
"They shall see, my brothers. Once I show them the truth, they shall all join us and overthrow the corrupt Monarchs!" The voice was deep, and charismatic. "Equstria will be free soon."
It became clear that the person behind the door was talking into a radio or other transmitter, and after several minutes of propaganda, the voice signed off. Headhunter slowly opened the door, and slipped inside.
The Window he had seen from the ground was on one wall, and directly across from it was a large opening. It appeared to be that an explosion or collision had made a hole in the tower, and this new inhabitant had turned it into a makeshift balcony. The inhabitant himself was a middle aged unicorn, with a dark red coat and a brown mane. His green eyes were piercing, even when they were not looking at you. On his left check was a branded scar of a circular symbol. Headhunter had never seen it before, but it may have been magically enhanced, because he could feel the treachery it implied.
"You might as well come in." Headhunter nearly jumped, not realizing he had been found. He slowly stepped out of the shadows to stand in front of the pony. Their eyes locked for a moment, then the pony went on to look the sniper up and down, as if examining every part of his soul.
"A Human Hitman. I don't know if I should be flattered or not. To send someone to kill me, but not a member of my own kind?" He half sneered, and then began to walk closer to Headhunter. "That is why you are here, isn't it? To kill me and silence my treason?"
Headhunter remained silent. The unicorn stopped within inches of him.
"Well? What are you waiting for?" A wicked smirk grew across the pony's face. "Do it. Kill the Great Heretic."
Without thinking Headhunter pulled his Luger from it's holster and fired a single shot. The bullet flew through the pony and buried itself into the broken wall. The Heretic did not move, or even flitch. Another bullet joined the first. This time, the Heretic seemed to shimmer, and a blue tint had settled itself across the pony. Headhunter reached out to touch him, and was horrified to realize that the image standing in front of him was an illusion. The marksman scanned the room signs of where the real Heretic was, and noticed the ladder on the wall near the hole.
He ran over to it and climbed onto the next floor. The Heretic was attempting to climb over a pile of boxes. Headhunter threw his Tribesman's Shiv, and it stuck into the wood next to the Heretic's head. The Blade landed so close that is skimmed the pony's ear, and a small trickle of blood seeped out. The Heretic turned slowly.
"Fine, I'll play your game." The air to his left and right began to shimmer. "I don't have any weapons, so I'll just have to call upon my best friends, Me, Myself, and I!"
Two Illusionary versions of the Heretic faded into existence and stepped forward to block the real Heretic. Headhunter was about to retort on how he knew the pony's tricks when a piece of the ceiling cracked and fell onto the back of one of the copies. The dust clearly showed that these new clones were not merely illusions, but physical as well.
Why Headhunter was still processing this the copy of the left charged. Headhunter fired three 9mm bullets from the hip, and two landed. The slowed the clone, but did not stop it. It hit Headhunter in the gut with a viscous head-butt, and sent him toppling down to the lower floor. It jumped off to follow him and deliver a killing blow, however Headhunter was ready for him. He sidestepped the falling pony, and when it landed Headhunter kicked it off the edge to the fatal fall below. He looked over the edge and watched as the clone hit the ground with a resounding *thud* and fade away.
He readied his rifle and peaked back up to the next floor to see the Heretic and his clone attempting to push the boxes out of the way of the door in an attempt to escape. Headhunter climbed up fully to be on the same floor.
"Is that all you have got?" He taunted.
Both of the ponies turned and snarled, and one charged the sniper. Headhunter lined his shot up perfectly, and then fired straight through the center of the charging unicorn's skull. The high caliber easily penetrated the first target and tore all the way through to hit the second in the chest. The charging pony toppled to the ground and quickly faded, but the second pony, the real "Great" Heretic stood wide eyed. Without acknowledging his wound, he stumbled toward the sniper in a half-hearted attempt at a counter attack. Once the unicorn had stumbled close enough, Headhunter again sidestepped and kicked the pony off the edge.
On the way down the Unicorn tried to summon some sort of magic to help, but his heart stopped and he hit the ground with a wet thud…
Wow, 40 Chapters. I got to say, that is impressive, all things considered.