"Contracts, just piles of them… Best part of the job, I suppose." A stallion named Eclipse grumbled as he stepped into his cramped office, dedicated to his job of demon hunting..

His work really began to ramp up as of late. With the rebellion beginning to be waged across Equestria under Golden Virtue's leadership, wendigo problems have been growing at an alarming rate. It has grown to the point of almost being overwhelming for the demon hunter stallion, being commissioned all across Equestria to deal with both threats. Eclipse had done his best to avoid contracts against the resistance, not desiring to kill other ponies. Not to mention, his uncle joining it made taking such contracts much more complicated. However, if the situation grew worse, he might be forced to take such contracts.

Eclipse was, for the most part, fit despite the lines under his cerulean blue eyes. His fur was the color of charcoal, being too light to be called black but is close enough to that color. Eclipse's fitness was atypical for a unicorn such as himself, but his lack of magical talent makes fitness and combat fortitude a necessity. Throughout the last year, Eclipse grew out his chestnut colored mane to be almost the length of a mare's as well as a beard. His most distinguishing features was his blue leather jacket that matched the strikingness of his eyes, as well as a metallic prosthetic claw that replaced his front-left hoof. He lost his hoof in an incident the year prior, so this was the perfect replacement to hold things easier.

"Well, time to get to work." Eclipse slumped onto his desk chair as he looked at the thousands of letters directed to him, which he will put into a yes, no, or maybe pile. He took a sigh as he opened up one letter. Inside was a request for Eclipse to take out Golden Virtue and his boyfriend. The demon hunter immediately put that in the no pile. He didn't even know where they were even if he took up the contract, and even then he wouldn't for personal reasons. Eclipse then opened up another which wanted to contract him on a wendigo problem in Manehatten.

"Finally, a more serious contract. Although, I really should read more of the other ones." Eclipse let out a sigh as he threw that contract into the maybe pile. He rubbed his eyes in exhaustion. "Celestia damn it, I just got started. I really need to hire a secretary."

Eclipse reached down into a drawer from his desk with his claw, and grabbed a bottle of wine. The stallion looked at the bottle somberly, as this bottle came from his uncle's favorite wineries… Mainly because of how affordable it was. Eclipse took a swig from the bottle and placed it back in the drawer.

"Drinking on the job, huh? Wonder what the professors and my friends would think of me now." Eclipse muttered to himself as he decided to get back to work.

Three hours have passed as the sunbeams of sunset gleamed through Eclipse's office window. He took care of half of the letters in his office, with many being thrown into the no and maybe piles. Eclipse took another swig of his wine bottle and grumbled looking at his flimsy results. He should really just accept one of those jobs and do it.

However, a letter on the floor caught a glimpse of his eye. Most of the letters were directly addressed to Eclipse, but not this particular letter.

This letter was issued to Ilios Ekleipsi, his birth name.

"What? Who would know-"

Eclipse was immediately jolted awake as he used levitation magic to quickly bring the letter towards him and open it at the same time. The envelope laid on the floor as the stallion began to read the juicy contents of the letter.

Dear Ilios,

I heard about your exploits as a hunter and a warrior throughout your career and at my school. I believe you are capable of handling the task I cannot do on my own. I request that you come to Canterlot so we can discuss this matter privately. I will provide all transportation and necessities if you decide you want to hear the proposal. I hope to meet you soon.

Princess Celestia

Eclipse was left stunned by the letter, dropping it to the floor. He saw the princess before, but not only did she know who he was in great detail than the rest of his clientele, but she of all people requested to meet him. This peaked the demon hunter's interest on what the contract is supposed to be, not to mention all things he might need would be paid.

"Don't think it'd hurt to hear her out… Eh, why in Tartarus not?"

Eclipse placed the letter into the yes pile, and grabbed his hunting gear. He grabbed two pistols with Silverballer etched onto both of them. He managed he could buy essentials once he gets there, but these pistols would prove difficult to find. Eclipse holstered them in his cerulean jacket, stepped out of his office and onto the city streets. The streets were lit up by lanterns as well as the moonlight. It was a full moon tonight, so Nightmare Moon's silhouette is clear to the naked eye. Eclipse walked towards the city's train station and towards a booth. An earth pony mare stepped towards the demon hunter.

"How can I help you out, sir?" The mare inquired, as Eclipse gave her a cheeky smile. He was exhausted, but could still keep up a positive appearance.

"Just a midnight ticket for Canterlot, for business purposes." Eclipse exclaimed, placing a hoof full of bits on the counter with his claw hand. The mare raised her eyebrow as she took a glance at the stallion. To your common joe, Eclipse did look questionable. He was physically imposing with long hair and a beard, not to mention his claw hand and dark fur.

"Eh, I don't get paid enough bits to care…" The mare thought to herself as she nodded her head at Eclipse.

"Very well, hop on board. This night's train is currently at this station right now." The mare commented as Eclipse gave a friendly grin.

"Thanks a bunch! Have a great night!"

Eclipse trotted onto the train as he sat down on one of the seats. His work from earlier made him crash to sleep in a blink of an eye, snoring as the train chugged to the marble capital.

—-

Authors Note: Well, thank you everyone for reading this first chapter! I thought about starting this series for a long time, and felt it was the perfect day to do so on the day the NLR vs SE Roleplay began on Fanfiction. Although this is set in a different universe, expect some elements and even some characters of that RP as well as Starswirl's School for Gifted Unicorns, where Eclipse was originally from.

If you're curious in learning about both: please follow look up New Lunar Republic vs Solar Empire RP on this website and Starswirl's School for Gifted Unicorns on your chosen search engine. It has a Tumblr and a website.

To all the people that have been following me on my writing journey so far, the humblest of thank yous! And for all the new peeps, hope y'all enjoy the ride!