//------------------------------//
// Chapter 3 
// Story: The Hunter From Another World 
// by Marezinger Z 
//------------------------------//

Hunter, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy and Luna sped ahead of the balloon to reach the Everfree forest as quickly as possible and make sure Zecora was okay. Fluttershy led them to the sheltered hut deep within the trees only to find it in tatters. 
“Oh no!” Fluttershy held her mouth as she landed, eyes welling at the sight. 
“Stay here, watch the exterior.” Hunter whispered as he neared the wooden dwelling. The door was off its hinges and the walls showed signs of impact damage. He quickly cleared the small home and returned to the others. “No body and no blood, but there’s a giant hole in the floor. Zecora must have made a run for it.” He informed.
“Do not fear, I am right here.” Zecora’s voice came from the dense tree line.
“Zecora!” Fluttershy ran to her with a hug. “You’re okay.” 
“What happened here?” Luna asked. 
“The animals were filled with fear, they sensed something drawing near.” Zecora began. “Then the ground did rupture, right beneath my humble structure.” She pointed back to her hut. “A massive insect with a bestial head, the mere sight of it filled me with dread.” 
“Well, at least you were able to get away.” Hunter said as he stepped up to her. 
“You are new, who are you?” She inquired. 
“Hunter.” He shook her hoof. “I’m here to help stop that thing, did you see which way it went.” 
“After destroying my home, to the north it did roam.” Zecora gestured northward. 
“What’s north of here?” Hunter looked back to the others. 
“Sweet Apple Acres!” Rainbow Dash shouted in realization. “Applejack’s family farm.” 
“Damn it.” Hunter pointed back the way they came. “Fluttershy, go tell the others the reroute to the farm.” He glanced back at Zecora. “Will you be okay here?” 
“I will be fine, see to the Apple family line.” Zecora nodded. 
“Right.” Hunter galloped over to Luna and Rainbow Dash. “Lead the way.” 
“On it.” Rainbow Dash took point and set them on a course to Sweet Apple Acres. 
As they rose above the woods, they could see the balloon approaching from the east; passing the boundary of the forest, they soared over the plains until finding themselves above the vast apple orchards that surrounded the farm. Even from that distance, they could hear the terrified scream of Apple Bloom coming from the Apple family home. Even Hunter was not ready for what they saw, a hybrid aberration assaulting the barn. Head, shoulders and forelegs of a ravenous fox; the muzzle was extra-long and the black eyes were compound like an insect's. The paws were oversized, perfect for tearing through the earth, and the mammalian torso was affixed to the abdomen of a scorpion.  Its eight legs allowed the paws free movement and it battered the side of the barn in an attempt to get to the cowering family inside. 
“What the hell is that?” Hunter asked. 
“A Vulpion.” Luna said in shock. “My sister said that they have been extinct for nearly six hundred years.” 
“We need to get him away from the barn.” Hunter said as he dove down into the fray. “Stinger!” He called as he closed in. 
“What?” Hearing his human name, Stinger turned his eyes upward to see them approaching. “You know me?” He asked, halting his attack. 
“Did you think you could just skip worlds without anyone finding out?” Hunter asked.
Stinger began to laugh in wild amusement. “What are you, a cop?” He asked back. “Did you really follow us here to try and bring us in?” 
“I’m no cop.” Hunter assured. “A cop would give a damn about your rights!” He swooped down and swiped his talons, 														Stinger raised his massive paws and used the thick pads to mute the sharp nails. His head shot forward, attempting to bite Hunter in two and narrowly missing. 
"Whoever you are, I'm never going back!" Stinger vowed. "There's no way in hell I would give up this kind of power!" His tail darted forward, barb dripping with fresh venom. Hunter barely avoided it and tried to close in once more; Stinger caught him and began to squeeze. "The press called me an animal, well now look at me!" He laughed. "I've become the ultimate predator!" 
A blast of dark magic struck Stinger in the back of the neck, he released Hunter and skittered back; observing Luna above him. “Stand down, beast!” Luna commanded. “As a Princess of…”
“Shut it, bitch!” Stinger dug his paw into the soil and heaved a massive mound of it up at Luna who was forced to evade. Facing them fully, Stinger proceeded to fend off the three way attack; cackling like a mad man as he swiped the air with his heavy paws and attempted to skewer them with this tail. 
Hunter battled through the barrage of appendages and landed on his back, sinking his talons into the soft fur of his upper body. Stinger howled in pain, frantically trying to reach back and grab Hunter. Rainbow Dash latched onto his tail in an effort to keep it still and Luna fired consecutive streams of magic into his chest. A purple beam joined her own as Twilight flew down to assist while the balloon touched down near the house. Seeing that he was being overwhelmed, Stinger threw his body into the barn and shattered the wall; the collision forcing Hunter and Rainbow Dash to let go as they landed on the hay covered ground. Hunter's attention was pulled at the sound of another scream, he looked to the opposite side of the barn and saw the Apples huddled together. As Stinger began to rise, Hunter flew in front of him; trying to keep him from noticing them. 
“Damn you!” Stinger growled. “I’m not going to be taken in again!” He raised his paws and demolished the roof, the falling debris forcing everyone to scatter. Hunter ignored the danger and went at him again, locking talon and paw with him but quickly becoming overpowered. Stinger forced him back and his multi-faceted eyes noticed that the innocent bystanders were rushing to escape. His muzzle twisted into a smile and he matched eyes with Hunter, his intent fully communicated without the need for words. 
“Don’t!” Hunter scrambled to his feet as Stinger sent his tail towards the exposed, young filly. Apple Bloom cried out but Hunter made it in front of her in time to take the stinger into his back. He instantly went limp and Stinger laughed mockingly at the sight. 
“You might not be a cop, but you’re as predictable as one.” Stinger took out the remaining wall and brought the barn down on everyone inside. He easily stepped through the rubble only to be met by Luna, Twilight and Sunset. They fired their combined magic and staggered Stinger but failed to bring the monstrous animal down. “This is too crowded for my taste.” Stinger brought his paws together in a clap, the shockwave from the impact sending the three mares back. He then set his paws to the ground; burrowing back into the earth at amazing speed, sending dirt and rocks high into the sky and raining down onto the others. Within moments, he was gone and the battlefield went quiet. Rarity and Pinkie Pie ran to the aid of Sunset and the Princesses while Fluttershy worked to free Rainbow Dash from her prison beneath a pile of splintered wood and roof shingles. 
“Apple Bloom!” Applejack called as she began digging through the wood. “Big Mac! Granny!” The pile began to move and her sturdy brother rose from the debris, having used his body to shield Hunter and his family from the collapsing building. Her racing heart was relieved at the sight of her family, it quickly sank though as she saw the motionless Hunter laying at their hooves. 



Hunter’s head was on fire when we woke up, his eyes fluttering open and focusing in on Zecora and Sunset. 
“Hunter.” Sunset wiped her eye in relief at seeing him awake. 
“S… Sunny?” He mumbled through a dry beak as he tried to rise.
“Hold it now, you must be still.” Zecora set her hoof to his chest. “From the venom, you are still quite ill.” 
“The girl… is she…” Hunter began. 
“Apple Bloom.” Sunset stopped him. “And she’s fine, thanks to you.” 
“Stinger?” He continued. 
“He got away.” She noted. “He went underground and disappeared. We went to get Zecora to treat you instead of trying to chase after him.”
Hunter rolled his head over to the zebra. “Thanks.” He tried to smile. “If we make it through this, I’ll take you back to my world and get you a record deal. With all those rhymes you’ll take the rap scene by storm.” 
Zecora gave Sunset an odd smile. “I don’t know what he means, but he’ll be fine it seems.” She removed the cloth from his head and went to see it cleaned. 
“I’m sorry.” He said as she left.
“For what?” Sunset asked. 
“I let him get away.” 
“Hunter, no one blames you for him getting away.” She laid her hoof atop his talon. “He’s an even bigger monster than we thought and not even Luna and Twilight's magic was doing much to stop him. Zecora and the Apples are safe, that's what matters.” She ran her hoof up and down his arm. “We’ll beat him next time, just rest for now.” 
“Alright.” He conceded as his stirring body began to feel the pain of his injuries. 
“Do you want anything?” She asked as she went to the door. 
“Yeah. Tell Celestia to invent the M4 so I can shoot that fucker next time.” He smiled at having gotten her to laugh. 
“I’ll see what I can do.” She chuckled as she headed back into the living room. As she rejoined the others she gave them a reassuring smile. “He’s awake, it looks like he’ll be okay.” 
“Thank Celestia.” Twilight sighed. 
“Thank Zecora.” Fluttershy corrected. 
“Without a doubt.” Rarity nodded. “I shudder to think what would have happened if she’d not been close by.” 
Applejack was sitting with Apple Bloom, holding her sister close. She rubbed her head before standing and heading into the back bedroom. The sound of her opening the door made Hunter’s eyes open again and he gave her a weak wave. “Sorry, Sunset said you were awake.” 
“It’s fine.” Hunter summoned the strength to push himself up against the wall. “I’m in too much pain to sleep anyway.” He let out a sharp breath as he got comfortable. “Apple Bloom, right? How is she?” 
“Pretty shaken, but she’s alive.” Applejack went to the bed and gently hugged him, tears falling from her eyes as she pressed her cheek to his. “Thank you for saving my little sister.” 
Hunter put his arms around her and rubbed her back. “Hey, I had to do something to impress you.” He managed a small laugh. 
Applejack laughed and ran her hoof across her eyes as she stepped back from the bed. “I’m serious.” She smiled. “We lost our parents when we were young, I couldn’t bear to lose one of the only family members I have left.” 
“Anytime, AJ.” He took her hoof with a sincere smile. The door opened again and Sunset returned with a fresh cloth from Zecora, pausing at the scene. “Sunny.” Hunter pulled Applejack close and held her. “This is exactly what it looks like.” 
“Do I have to knock you out again to get you to rest?” Sunset asked with a shake of her head. 
“Sorry, Sugar cube.” Applejack apologized. “I just wanted to thank him.” She left them and Sunset took her place at the bedside, laying the new cool cloth over his forehead. 
“Luna went back to Canterlot to update Celestia.” She informed as she adjusted his pillow. “Twilight and Pinkie Pie are going to research the Vulpion to try and find a weakness and Rainbow Dash is tracking the tunnel he left behind.   
“I need to get better at using this body.” Hunter sighed. It's been a long time since I've gotten my dick knocked in the dirt like that. That mirror really short changed me when it was passing out new forms.” 
“No, it didn’t.” Sunset said surely. “You didn’t become a monster because that’s not what you are. Hippogriffs, with the aid of their magic shell, can change into sea ponies. They’re the only creatures in Equestria that can operate on land, sea and air… sound familiar?”
“The few and the proud, huh?” Hunter nodded, having gone through military training on par with MARSOC. “Oorah.” 
“Exactly.” Sunset sat on the bed beside him. “To be honest, being in my pony form still feels funny too; even though it was how I was born. I’ve been in that world for so long now that being human feels more natural to me.”  
“You didn’t wind up on my side of the tracks by choice, did you?” He asked. 
“No.” She admitted. “I was Celestia’s protégé before Twilight, a position I took for granted and let go to my head.” Her mind traveled back into her past misdeeds. “She was forced to send me away and I wound up in the human world. I used my knowledge and skills to become a bully and ran roughshod over everyone.” 
“Typical red head.” Hunter smiled. 
“Ha… I guess.” She snickered. “Twilight, the one from this world, was the one to ultimately knock some sense into me and since then things have been better. I’ve even reconnected with Celestia and I finally feel like I’ve gotten my original home back in some small way.” 
“Then why didn’t you just stay?” 
“I don’t know.” She shrugged. “As weird as it may sound, the human world is my home now and I don’t want to walk away from what I have there. Maybe I’ve been human for so long… I don’t really think of myself as a pony anymore.” 
“Maybe you’re the missing link between the two.” Hunter mused. “Like bigfoot.” Sunset raised her hoof over his head. “But cuter!” He defended. 
Sunset laughed and lightly bopped his beak. “Get some rest.” She smiled down at him. 
“Yes ma’am.” He saluted before settling down into as comfortable a position as he could. Sunset drew the curtain to darken the room and gently closed the door on her way out.