Hildr wandered about until she found a park. Due to the late time of day, the park was empty. Hildr sat on a bench and looked out at her surroundings. "I wonder what Lady Skorri would say about this place," she mused.
"If I had to guess, it would be some sort of poem describing how quiet and tranquil everything is," Raven commented.
"Perhaps, but I get the feeling that we're missing something here," Hildr said. She put her hand to her chin and thought about everything had happened. "Is this the only inhabited continent on this whole planet?" she asked.
"Hard to say. I did notice other landforms while we were in orbit," Raven said. Hildr nodded absently. "With everything I've seen so far, I wonder why the people of this planet haven't made any attempts at space travel."
"Maybe they have," Raven said.
"If that were the case, we would have seen some evidence of that," Hildr said. "At the very least, they should have satellites or some sort of debris in orbit." Raven bobbed in the air, as if giving a shrug. "Hard to say. Perhaps they haven't made the necessary technological advancements?"
"I find that hard to believe," Hildr said. "In any case, I think it's worth exploring this planet a little. We might be able to find what we're looking for."
"And what exactly is that?" Raven asked. Hildr glared at him and he shrank back. "I mean, I know we need to find a conflux and access the Vex network, but is that really all?"
"What are you saying?" Hildr asked with a frown. Raven sighed and buzzed about, trying to find the right words. "After all we've been through, I'm still not sure I completely understand what you're trying to do."
"I thought I'd made that clear a long time ago," Hildr said, but Raven shook his eye. "No, you haven't." He floated up until he was eye to eye with Hildr. "What is your plan?"
Hildr scowled and sat back. "Tell me what you think then."
"Nope. I asked you first," Raven replied.
"Why does it matter?" Hildr asked.
"Because I think you have no idea what you're doing," Raven said.
Hildr's temper started to rise and she tried to tamp it back down. "Fine then. If it wasn't so obvious before, we are hijacking the Vex network to travel back in time."
Raven simply stared at his Guardian. "Y-you're serious?"
"What did you think we were doing?" Hildr hissed.
Raven jumped back and his points spun in surprise. "I don't know, looking for a weakness of the Vex to exploit, or trying to find Osiris, or something like that."
"And what good would any of that do?" Hildr shot back. She jumped to her feet and glared at her Ghost. "Use your brain and think: What is the biggest threat Humanity has ever faced?"
"Uh, the Darkness?" Raven suggested.
"And why is that?" Hildr asked.
Raven looked back and forth while thinking. "Because it followed the Traveler?" Hildr put her hands on her hips and leaned forward. "Exactly. Everything that has happened can be traced back to one event, and that is finding the Traveler."
"But…but there's no guarantee that the Darkness specifically followed the Traveler in the first place," Raven said.
Hildr clenched her fists and let out a frustrated breath. "And now we'll never know, will we?"
Raven turned in a slow circle. "So let me get this straight. You want to go back in time and prevent Humanity from discovering the Traveler?" Hildr said nothing and stared at Raven. "You're willing to give up everything the Traveler has done, all the advancements in science and technology, just to prevent the Collapse from happening?" Raven shook his eye. "That's incredibly arrogant and short-sighted of you."
"Arrogant?" Hildr asked, her voice rising. "Ask the Fallen and see how it worked out for them."
"There's no evidence to suggest that the Traveler is the same as the 'Great Machine' the Fallen talk about," Raven said.
"Then what other reason would they have for being here?" Hildr countered. "What other reason would a race of hostile aliens have to leave their planet and follow the Traveler across the known universe? Either to take it back or get revenge on it for leaving."
"I still find your reasoning hard to believe," Raven said. Hildr folded her arms and turned her back to Raven. "I don't care if you believe me. You're here aren't you?"
Raven sighed. "For better or worse. And we have certainly been through our share of worse."
Hildr stared up at the darkening sky. So far, only the brightest of stars were shining. "Do you suppose the stars on this planet are the same as Earth, just from a different angle or point of view?"
Raven stared at Hildr. "Where did that come from?"
Hildr turned and made a face at Raven. "What are you complaining about?"
"Nothing," Raven said. He edged his way closer to Hildr. "So is that really your plan? How would you even prevent the first meeting with the Traveler?"
"Who said I ever wanted to do that?" Hildr asked. Raven slowly turned to face Hildr. "What? I'm so confused now. What's going on?" he sputtered.
Hildr consciously unclenched her fists and tried to work the feeling back into her cramped fingers. "I'm not alone in thinking the Traveler shares some blame for the Collapse. But it would be useless to try and prevent the Traveler from coming. How would you even stop something like that in the first place?" She then began to pace back and forth, Raven watching her intently. "So what other options are there? I have thought of several. Number one, go back in time and prevent SIVA from being created."
"What?" Raven shouted. "What purpose would that serve? How would you even DO that?"
Hildr turned on her Ghost and angrily pointed her finger in his eye. "Just shut up and listen for once! SIVA was developed by a Clovis Bray research facility. So we either prevent SIVA's creation, or obtain the kill codes and shut it down ourselves."
"That's an even worse idea!" Raven said. "We know very little about the creation of SIVA or how it even works! Not to mention the fact that Rasputin somehow took control of the entire replication complex. You know what happened."
"Of course I know what happened!" Hildr shouted. "I told them it was a terrible idea, but they didn't listen. No one ever listens to what I have to say!"
"I'm listening," Raven mumbled and Hildr glared at him. "Is that by choice? Do you even have free will, or are you a slave to the Traveler's grand design?"
"I found you and raised you because I was certain you had incredible potential for good and to help Humanity. And I was right for the most part," Raven replied testily.
Hildr crossed her arms and made a hmph sound. "And you're telling me that Ghosts don't make mistakes?"
"I never said that," Raven shot back. "Our purpose is to raise Guardians from the dead to act as protectors of Humanity."
"Then how do you explain fallen Guardians like Rezyl Azzir?" Hildr shot back. "Do you think their Ghosts resent ever raising them?"
"I wouldn't know. I'm not the Ghost of a fallen Guardian. Or am I?" Raven asked. Hildr quickly lashed out and grabbed Raven in her fist. "Am I? A fallen Guardian? If a fallen Guardian is defined as one who has turned their back on the City, the Traveler, and Humanity? By that definition I say no. If a fallen Guardian is defined as one who turned away from the Light and become consumed by the Darkness, again I say no. Osiris was banned from the City. Is he a fallen Guardian?" Raven said noting in reply. "What about Toland the Shattered? Is he a fallen Guardian?" Again, Raven said nothing. "Or what about in the first days of the Iron Lords who fought against the various warlords, hmm? Do you think the Ghosts of those who caused so much pain and suffering for others had regrets?"
"I have no regrets about raising you, but sometimes I wonder if I was in my right mind when I did so," Raven said. Enraged, Hilder threw Raven as hard as she could. He floated haphazardly for about ten feet before righting himself. He gave a little shake and huffed.
Hildr continued to glare at him. "Get the ship. We're going exploring."
Raven's annoyance turned to confusion. "Where are you trying to go?"
Hildr took a deep breath and sighed. "You said there were other landforms on this planet. I want to go and investigate those places. Maybe we'll find something of use there."
Raven gave a little shrug. "You want to do it here in this park? Might attract some attention."
"Just do it," Hildr growled. Reluctantly, Raven materialized the ship. It hovered above the ground and Raven transmatted Hildr onboard. Hildr took the controls and quickly took off for orbit. Hildr oriented the ship so they had a clear view of the planet. "The continent of Equestria, as we are calling it, is directly below. According to my scans, there is another large land mass across the ocean to the east. I'm getting bare traces of technology, but no civilization. Strange, don't you think?" Raven said. Hildr nodded reply. "Indeed. Let's have a look." She made a few adjustments and headed back down to the planet.
Hildr soon found herself flying above the ocean with the sun rapidly setting behind. With no other lights, the stars shone brightly in the sky. Hildr found her mind wandering when Raven said, "We're coming up on the coastline." Shaking her head, Hildr pulled back on the controls, causing her ship to gain altitude.
The coastline appeared as a gray line on the horizon that quickly grew larger. This particular stretch of coastline consisted of high, rocky cliffs. The ocean pounded on the rocks below, sending spray high into the air. And just like that, the coast was behind them and Hildr continued to fly onwards. She slowed down some so they could get a better look. Down below, the land appeared to be heavily forested. It was hard to see in the dark, but growth in the forest appeared to be uneven with large patches of dead land. Nature appeared to be recovering from some kind of catastrophic event. "So far, I'm not seeing any signs of civilization," Raven said.
"It is getting late. We'll be able to see better in the daytime," HIldr said.
Suddenly Raven shouted "Stop!" Hildr immediately hit the airbrakes, bringing the ship to a halt. "What?" she asked angrily.
"As we were flying along, the ship's sensors detected an encrypted data burst," Raven said. "If I had to guess, I think we set off an alarm."
Hildr frowned. "But why now? We haven't seen anything yet."
"Maybe that's the point," Raven said. "Someone is hiding something and doesn't want anyone to find out, especially time traveling Guardians."
Hildr crossed her arms and thought. "Is there any way to tell where the data burst came from?" Raven shook his eye. "It was a quick burst, only a few micro seconds in length. I was lucky to catch it when I did."
Hildr looked out into the inky darkness. "Someone is trying to keep a secret. I think we should find out why."
Raven stared at Hildr. "Getting side tracked already?"
"No. This might be what we've been looking for," HIldr said. "But we'll look in the morning. Let's find a place to put down for now." She took the controls and piloted the ship forward at a moderate speed.
Raven checked the scanners as the ground passed underneath. The forest began to thin out and transitioned into over grown fields. A broken road was barely visible. "Let's follow that and see where it takes us," he said. Hildr said nothing.
After a while buildings began to appear, but they were in a severe state of disrepair. Most were nothing more than piles of rubble. A few even had small trees growing through the roof or broken windows. "What happened here?" Raven asked.
"Hard to say. Looks to me this place had its own Collapse," Hildr said. She hovered over a crumbling building. "Drop us down," she said and Raven transmatted them to the roof of the building. "What about the ship?" Raven asked.
"Send it back to orbit for now, but keep it close," Hildr said. The ship re-oriented itself and took off. Hildr watched it until it disappeared. She then turned to view her immediate surroundings and growled. The building they were on was a short, two story warehouse made out of concrete and steel. The masonry was crumbling apart and there were large holes in the roof. Hildr made her way to the edge and looked out. The rest of the buildings weren't in much better shape. "This must have been a warehouse district of some kind," she said.
Raven floated around, scanning everything. "I think I'm inclined to agree with you. From what I've been able to discover, this particular building was used as a storage facility for cleaning chemicals."
Hildr nodded absently. "Any signs of technology?" Raven shook his eye. "Not that I can tell. Everything here has degraded too much."
Hiidr gave him a sly look. "What about 'alien' technology?"
Raven turned to face Hildr. "What do you-" He saw the look Hildr was giving him and he came to a realization. "Oh. Right." His eye blinked for a few seconds. "Nope. Still nothing."
Hildr shrugged. "Worth a shot. We'll figure it out in the morning."
Raven sighed. "What about that data burst? If there was one, there will most likely be other tracking devices."
Hildr closed her eyes and let out a sharp breath. "We'll worry about that later too." She looked around and saw the rooftop access door. Mindful of the crumbling roof, Hildr made her way to the door and wrenched it open. Since there was no power or lighting, Raven acted as a flashlight and illuminated the path.
The stairs led down to another door, which was rusted shut. After a vigorous application of elbow grease, cursing, and a nearly dislocated shoulder, the door screeched open and Hildr pushed her way through. HIldr found herself on a catwalk above the warehouse floor. Up ahead looked to be an office that looked over the whole factory. "We'll camp there," Hildr said and pointed.
After a few moments of carefully walking across the rusted metal catwalk, Hildr pushed the door open and Raven floated inside. "Hmm. This is cozy," he remarked sarcastically. A thick layer of dust had settled on all of the horizontal surfaces. The room was wide enough that Hildr could spread her arms out and not touch the walls and about twice that length. Some broken chairs littered the corner. Hildr also noted the windows that looked out over the warehouse were missing. She put her hands on her hips and said, "Okay. Get out the overnight box."
"I'm on it," Raven replied, rather reluctantly. A large hardened case appeared on the ground. Hildr pressed a button and the top opened up, revealing a series of smaller boxes. Hildr pulled one out and set it on the ground. She pressed a few switches and the box started to make a whirring sound. Hildr stepped back and the box expanded into a sleep pod about seven feet long, three feet wide and three feet tall. The bottom of the pod contained a few drawers for extra clothes or blankets. Hildr went back to the big box and pulled out an electric lantern and turned it on. Soft yellow light illuminated the room.
Raven floated out through the broken windows and down to the floor. Several large containers were stacked on one side, but the floor space was otherwise empty. Raven also noticed many stains on the ground. Scans revealed them to be chemical residue from spills. The Ghost continued to explore his surroundings, looking for anything of note.
Hildr set up a small heating unit and cooked a ration pack. She didn't mind the bland taste, but didn't see how Hunters could spent so much time away from the Tower living off of them. Raven came back as she was finishing up. "You know, we could have spent another night with Sunset Shimmer before exploring. Plus you could ask her about all this," he said.
Hildr licked her spoon and frowned. "What makes you think she knows about any of this? She's not even from here."
Raven rolled his eye. "That may be true, but it's better than the nothing we have to go on right now." Hildr sighed and waved him off. "There's nothing we can do about it now. Worry about it in the morning." She packed away the remains of her dinner and pulled out her med bag. Raven watched as Hildr took inventory. "Expecting problems?" he asked.
"I don't know. It's always a possibility," Hildr said. "I am due for inventory anyway. Find anything interesting in your travels?"
"Not really. I didn't go very far, just inside the warehouse," Raven said. Hildr nodded in reply and continued her task. When she was done, she packed everything up and put her bag back in storage. Hildr then stood and stripped down to her under layer. "If you can't sleep, go and explore a little bit," she said to Raven as she opened the sleep pod and climbed inside. After a bit of tossing and turning, Hildr finally fell asleep.
Sunset Shimmer opened her eyes and groaned. Her vision was blurry and the splitting headache certainly didn't help. She winced and rubbed her head. Her memory was a little fuzzy, but she remembered meeting strangers in her apartment. Sunset's vision cleared and she found herself laying on a small cot in a white padded room. A table with two chairs sat in the middle. She slowly sat up and took several deep breaths. "What have I gotten myself into this time?" she wondered.
The door opened and Sunset looked up to see the same man from her apartment enter. He was still wearing sunglasses. Sunset frowned. "What do you want with me? Why am I here?" The man said nothing, but sat at the table. He indicated to the empty chair, inviting Sunset Shimmer to join him. She gave him a wary look before sitting down. "So. You are Sunset Shimmer, yes?" the man asked.
"Yes. Who are you?" Sunset asked.
The man stared at her with a blank expression. "You may call me Agent Smith."
"Really? Agent Smith? You sure are playing up the secret government agent stereotype," Sunset replied and sat back, crossing her arms. "Why am I here?"
Smith leaned forward, placing his arms on the table. "You are here, because we have evidence that you have been in contact with an unknown female entity."
"Really? What proof do you have?" Sunset asked. Smith pulled out a folder and showed her a series of photographs. Each was a different angle, but clearly showed Sunset Shimmer and Hildr together. "So you have some pictures. What of it?" she asked.
"Let me make this clear to you," Smith said. "We know all about you, your friends, and you 'magical' abilities. We've had you all under surveillance for some time, ever since the incident at your Fall Formal."
Sunset Shimmer was taken aback. "How do you even know about that?"
Smith chuckled. "The Internet dear. You'd be surprised the amount of information you can find if you simply take the time to look."
Sunset was unsure. "If you've know about us for so long, why show yourselves now?"
Smith shrugged. "My superiors are more than content to let you and your friends be, as long as you don't present a threat."
"A threat to who?" Sunset asked. "If you really thought that, you would have locked me up when I first came here! Or taken us in for questioning after what happened at the Battle of the Bands. Or investigated what happened at the Friendship Games! Or showed some concern when a giant monster appeared in Everfree Forest this summer!" She glared at the man named Smith. "What are you really after?"
Seemingly unconcerned by Sunset's aggression, Smith pointed to the photos. "Two days ago, our monitors discovered a momentary spike in electromagnetic energy, followed by a unique gravity incident. We determined the source to be here in Canterlot City or somewhere close by."
Sunset shrugged. "What does that have to do with these photos?" she asked.
"After these events were noted, a team was sent to investigate. The next morning, these pictures were taken," Smith said.
Sunset Shimmer was at a loss. "So you think this woman was responsible for these weird readings you recorded?" she asked and Smith nodded. "How do you know she isn't just visiting from out of town?" Sunset added.
"We've searched every government database that exists. There is no record of this 'Hildr' ever existing here in Equestira," Smith said.
"So you just jump to the conclusion that she came from another universe?" Sunset asked.
"Isn't that what you did?" Smith replied. Sunset said nothing, but glared at Smith. She was both annoyed and confused by what was going on. "So what do you want?" she asked.
Smith leaned back and had the audacity to look hurt. "I'm just a simple government employee trying to do my job. Right now, my job is trying to figure out if this Hildr woman, or you for that matter, are a threat to the peace and security of this country."
Sunset stared long and hard at Smith. "A threat? Just what are you trying to find?" A sudden thought came to Sunset and she added, "Or what is it you're trying to hide?"
Smith cleared his throat and adjusted his tie. Sunset smirked to herself. Gotcha. "When was the last time you saw Hildr?" he asked.
Sunset shrugged. "Well since you have such overwhelming evidence that I'm colluding with another otherworldly character, I haven't seen her since yesterday."
Smith remained unconvinced. "Was this before or after you let her stay overnight?"
Sunset rolled her eyes. "You're the super spy, you tell me."
Smith sighed and shook his head. "Like I said in your apartment, it really is in your best interest to cooperate with us."
"Or what?" Sunset shouted, slamming her fists on the table. "You'll abduct me and take me to a secret prison?" She stood and angrily waved her arms. "Oh wait! We've already done that!"
Smith simply stared at the enraged young girl. "This was merely a precaution. We didn't need you to cause a scene and have other people get involved. Luckily for us, your apartment is quiet and out of the way."
Susnet slammed her hands down on the table and leaned over in a threating manner. "Take me home. Right now!"
"Or what?" Smith asked calmly. "You are in no position to make demands. But by all means, keep making threats and digging your hole deeper." His face became serious as he added, "I can make you disappear, like you never existed in the first place."
Sunset Shimmer leaned back and laughed. "Ha! As you said before, I'm not from here, so I don't belong anyway!"
Smith sighed and slowly rose to his feet. "I try to make it a point not to threaten young high school girls, but since you are technically none of the above, I guess those rules don't apply to you do they?"
Sunset stepped back and took a defensive posture. "If you come after me, I WILL defend myself. I don't care if you lock me up and throw away the key, but I won't go down without a fight."
Just then, there was a knock at the door. Smith stared at Sunset for a long moment, then went to the door and opened it. Sunset couldn't hear what was said, only mumbling. Once, Smith turned around to look back at Sunset. He didn't look very happy, so Sunset blew him a kiss and waved. After a few more moments, Smith walked back to the table. Once again, his face was unreadable. Sunset glared at him and crossed her arms. "A more pressing matter has come to our attention. You're free to go, but we'll be in touch," Smith said.
Sunset grunted. "Well I won't hold my breath." She looked around the room and added, "So how do I get out of here?"
Just then, there was a pfft sound and Sunset felt a prick in her neck. She reached up and pulled out a dart. "Really guys? Again?" she asked incredulously.
"This is a secret facility and should remain so," Smiths said.
Sunset glared at him. She could feel her arms growing heavy and fog was enveloping her thoughts. "I'm really starting to not like you guys," she slurred. "You're off my Christmas Card list for sure."
"I'm heartbroken, really," Smith replied. The last thing Sunset saw before slipping into unconsciousness was Smith standing over her with a sympathetic look on his face.
Once again, when Sunset Shimmer opened her eyes, she winced from the hammers pounding in her skull. "Ugh. I think they did that on purpose," she mumbled. At least this time, she was back in her own bed staring up at her own ceiling. She sat up and sighed. The events of the last few hours finally caught with her and she started shaking. All the anger and annoyance drained away and was replaced with fear and paranoia. Sunset fought to keep her breathing and under control and her heart rate skyrocketed. "Who was that? Why is the government watching me?" She wondered. Sunset felt in her pockets and pulled out her phone. She made a disgusted face and tossed it aside. "Have they really been watching me? Bunch of perverts." Sunset then looked around her room, scrutinizing every nook and cranny. "Hey! Are you watching me now?" she asked out loud.
She then walked through her apartment, checking for anything that seemed out of place. After several minutes of this, she collapsed onto her couch. "Good job Sunset. You're letting them get to you. Pretty soon you'll end up like those conspiracy theory nutjobs," she muttered. Still, being effectively kidnapped unnerved and upset her greatly. Whoever Smith claimed to be, he proved he had the ability to get to her. Sunset suddenly sat up. "If he could get to me, then that means…" She quickly ran back upstairs to her room and dived across the bed for her phone. She scrolled through the message settings until she found the group text with her friends. With shaking hands, she sent off her message.
S.S. – Hey. Have you guys noticed anything weird the last few days?
She looked at the time and saw it was fairly late. She wouldn't be surprised if no one replied until morning. However, moments later, her phone dinged.
R.D. – Hey Sunset! Nah, I haven't seen anything weird. Is this about what happened to you?
A.J. – Nope! Haven't seen anything out of the ordinary. I've been pretty busy around the farm, so I don't know a whole lot about what's going on in town.
F Shy – Hello Sunset. I haven't seen anything strange. None of the animals have noticed anything either.
Rarity – Darling, it's too late for this nonsense. Can't it wait until morning?
SciTwi – Is everything okay Sunset? Did something happen?
P.P. – Hi Shimmy! What kind of weird? Normal weird, or crazy magic weird? Although I DID mix the vanilla sprinkles with the strawberry ones and I normally wouldn't but for some reason I had this idea that it would turn out okay and I put them on the chocolate cake I made and it turned out okay but something was still missing so I…
Sunset didn't bother to read the rest of Pinkie's message, she got the gist of it. Blowing out a nervous breath, she typed her new message.
S.S. – Everything is fine, but I have a sneaking suspicion that things are about to get weird again. How about we get together tomorrow?
As soon as she sent her message, Sunset groaned and slapped her forehead.
S.S. – Never mind. I have to work tomorrow. We should get together soon though.
Sunset sighed and put her phone down. Since it was so late, she decided to shower in the morning before going in. Her thoughts then turned to the man named Smith. "What is he hiding? Why is he so interested in Hildr and not me?" A small part of her brain was slightly offended that she didn't warrant as much attention as Hildr, even though Sunset was the first traveler from another world. The rest of her brain quickly squashed this thought and paid it no further attention. As she was getting ready for bed, Sunset made up her mind to try and look into the matter. She wasn't sure what she'd find, but it was better than nothing. Sunset lay in bed and finally drifted off into a non-chemically induced sleep.
Hey Twilight,
Things have been escalating quickly and I have a suspicion that HIldr is the reason for it. It's likely not her fault these things have started happening, but we'll just have deal with it and move on from there. Anyway, before you get all fired up, nothing has happened yet. Well, that's not exactly true. I met a man who calls himself Agent Smith and claims to work for the government. I don't know why it surprised me when he said me and the other girls were being watched. I probably shouldn't have said that. Now you're probably having a panic attack. Like I said, nothing has happened yet and you have your own responsibilities as Princess of Friendship, so please don't drop everything just to come here. I promise I'll keep you informed. You may be a princess, but I was Celestia's student too. I know how to take care of myself. Say hi to Spike and give him a knuckle rub for me. On an unrelated note, do you think it would be okay for me to visit sometime? I know it's been a while since I was there and I didn't exactly leave on the best of terms. Anyway, I'll be in touch.
Your friend always,
Sunset Shimmer