//------------------------------// // Part 2 // Story: Sunset Hunter // by Marezinger Z //------------------------------// Down by the shore, at the end of one of the quiet piers just beyond a few evening fishermen, the human Sunset and her Hunter rested against the railing; looking out into the endless dark of the ocean, Hunter made a silent curse as he thought back to their encounter. “I am sorry that went so awry, Sunset; I allowed my guard to falter.” He began solemnly. “It was just… seeing myself with a weapon trained on you was… unnerving.” “It’s alright, Hunter.” Sunset said with a sigh. “I let myself get emotional too, walking by him like that was so… sloppy.” She shook her head. “Our training doesn’t exactly get us ready to point at gun at ourselves.” She rolled around onto her elbows, setting her left heel to the lower rung of the railing; her head fell back which sent her long hair afloat in the evening breeze. Hunter eyed her with an enamored smile, the pale light of the early moon flowing over the curves of her battle-hardened body. “Copy or not, her beauty is nothing compared to yours.” She laughed shortly at his loving flattery which had become so familiar to her. “I’m certainly glad you’re the Hunter I wound up with; he’s nothing like you.” “I’m ashamed to share his face.” Hunter grunted. “His crude tongue and impertinence are unacceptable.” He paused in consideration. “That being said, I must admit, while that Sunset may not share your strength and fairness… she did seem… kind. Now that I’ve seen her and heard her words, I have a strong feeling that she is a Pony.” “You mentioned those before,” Sunset looked over to him. “One of the primary species of Equestria.” “Yes, and even though I had little contact with them, they are known for their gentle hearts and diligence when it comes to friendship and tolerance.” He elaborated. “I know well how you feel about seeing a foreign creature in this world, much less one with your own face, but perhaps she spoke the truth.” “Please don’t get soft on me, Hunter.” Sunset turned to face him fully. “I have no intention of standing in your way, my love.” He assured. “I vowed to fight at your side no matter what your mission.” Moving to her side, he laid his arm over her waist and took her cheek in his other hand. “If this is what you want, I will help you see it through. You are the most precious thing in this world to me and that is all that matters in the end.” Sunset smiled and wrapped her arm around him in return. “Thank you, I may have to answer to my superiors, but I know that you’re the only one I can fully trust myself to.” “That means the world to me.” He pulled her head lower and kissed her deeply, they fell into a warm embrace as the chilled, sea air flowed over them. Back at Canterlot High, Hunter parked his car well into the far lot and the two of them hurried to the portal. Without hesitation they passed through and found themselves once again in Twilight’s castle. Knowing it was nighttime, they slowly headed out and to the stairs to try and call for her. Before they could make a sound though, Twilight came flying up the stairs with a broom held in her magic. “Whoa!” Sunset shouted. “Twilight! It’s me!” “Wha…” Twilight came to a stop and observed the familiar face. “Sunset? Hunter?” “Yes, it’s us.” Sunset held her hooves up. “Oh…, sorry.” Twilight lowered her weapon and landed on the stairs. “After what happened the last time I got a late-night visit through the portal, I got a little scared.” “Understandable.” Hunter nodded. “Not that I’m not happy to see you, but why are you here and at this hour?” Twilight asked. “We’re in trouble, this was the only place we could go where we knew we’d be safe.” Sunset informed. “What happened?” Twilight took to the air again and began leading them down the stairs. “We were attacked.” Sunset continued as they followed. “By who?” “By… us.” Sunset said, her voice still laced with disbelief. “What?” Twilight twisted back in shock. “We found Sunny’s missing human counterpart.” Hunter continued the tale. “Not only that, but she’s also hooked up with my Equestrian counterpart.” Twilight landed again on the floor and simply froze at the news. “That… that’s…” “Crazy, we know.” Sunset finished her thought. “We’re still dealing with it.” “Okay,” Twilight took a collective breath. “Let me get some tea, we can sit down and you can tell me everything.” “Thank you, Twilight.” Sunset felt relief knowing she and Hunter were in a safe place with a friend. They headed into the kitchen and Twilight listened as they told her the unbelievable story of just who and what Sunset's counterpart was and what she and the other Hunter were after. As they finished, Twilight ran her hoof over her mouth as she attempted to process everything. “I can’t believe that. That goes way beyond just coincidence.” Twilight looked them over. “It almost seems like you two were… destined to be together in some way.” “As romantic as that sounds, it doesn’t seem like they share our life views.” Sunset noted. “Yeah, no offense, but your human side is kind of an angry bitch.” Hunter noted with a playful smile. “That actually makes sense.” Sunset looked to him with troubled eyes. “That anger, that conviction in myself and what I thought was right… that’s who I was before Twilight came along. She is me, or at least how I used to be, but it doesn’t seem like anyone came along to make the change in her that Twilight did for me.” She reached out and laid her hoof atop his talon. “Not to mention she grew up like you, trained to be a soldier to fight monsters; even worse, she lost her family to them which is making that anger and conviction even greater. I mean, it’s clear that something changed, because she fell in love with you just like you did me… that part of the puzzle is there, but she still has that hard mind and heart that I was fortunate enough to move past.” Hunter flipped his talon and squeezed her hoof. “That’s a pretty sound assessment, I mean you’d know you better than anyone else.” “Our counterparts may look and sound just like us,” Twilight began. “But we’re not the same creatures entirely.” “Yeah, for one she’s older than me.” Sunset noted. “Which I still don’t get.” “I think I can answer that,” Twilight said with a degree of certainty. “The portals from Equestria to your world operate instantly and in real time. However, Celestia used her magic to send you to the human world; magic isn’t always precise and whatever spell she used must have involved some kind of… time lag between when she cast it and when you actually arrived.” “So I got there years after she had already left and been recruited.” Sunset concluded. “Which means that my snobby twin must have stumbled across one of the portals in this world and wound up there by accident.” Hunter added. "Which is why he and I are the same age." “If he’s a Hippogriff, then the difference in your personalities makes sense.” Twilight continued her evaluation. “I’ve been close to them for a while now since Silverstream joined my school; they’re very proud and noble, kind of like the knights I read about in human history books.” “He certainly thinks he’s the Lancelot to his bacon haired Guinevere.” Hunter jested. “That’s part of the problem.” Sunset suggested. “He’s not questioning her beliefs, he’s reinforcing them because of his love and devotion to her.” “Can’t blame him,” Hunter shrugged with a smile. “I’m already excited knowing that’s what you're going to look like in a few years. I really hit the jackpot with you.” Sunset’s troubled thoughts broke down as she smiled and smacked him. “Shut up.” “There’s my Sunny.” Hunter reached up and held her cheek. “Listen, I need to go think about this for a bit; and now that I know you’re safe I can do that a lot easier.” “Okay.” She leaned in and kissed him lovingly. Twilight watched him head out into the hall and smiled at Sunset. “I’m glad things are going so well between you two, I can tell how much you love one another.” “Yeah,” Sunset chuckled. “It’s like when I really looked at my life after becoming friends with you and the other girls in my world, I honestly can’t imagine my life without him now.” Her face twisted in consideration. “Although, a few less life-threatening events would be nice.” Twilight used her magic to lift her teacup. “How's that saying go? Preaching to the choir?” The two of them shared a much-needed laugh as they continued their catching up. After about an hour, Hunter returned to find the pair in far calmer spirits; he retook his seat beside Sunset and folded his talons on the table with a sigh. “Okay, ran through a few scenarios and I know what I want my next move to be.” “What are we looking at?” Sunset asked. “Well, firstly, the fact that she’s an agent is actually a good thing.” He began. “How?” Twilight inquired. “Isn’t that why she’s so dangerous?” “Yes, but it also means she has to play by the rules.” Hunter elaborated. “If she kills me, or any innocent civilian, her ass is grass. I don’t care how much she wants Sunset; she knows that which is why she didn’t just shoot me in the back up on that roof.” “So as long as Sunset stays here, she’s safe.” Twilight concluded. “Right.” Hunter nodded. “So, Sunny, I need you to stay here for the time being. I’m going to go back, sneak out of the city and head to my HQ; I need to talk to Ajax and try and learn what I can about this Sunset.” Sunset sighed but slowly nodded. “I don’t like the idea of sitting here on my han… hooves, but I don’t see a lot of other options. What do you think they’ll do when they can’t find us?” “Well, if I were her, I would assume we went into hiding since I knew that I basically had the proverbial high ground.” He offered. “She’ll maintain eyes on the school, our homes and probably the girls… but like I said, she can’t directly harm them, so they’ll be safe.” “Okay,” Sunset accepted. “But be careful, we can’t stay in contact between worlds.” “You should rest here tonight,” Twilight came in. “It’s late and you’ve both been through a lot.” “You’re right.” Hunter nodded. “I’ll head out before dawn.” “Come on, I’ll help get a guest room ready for you.” Twilight used her magic to send the cups to the sink before leading them upstairs. As they proceeded, she magically pulled pillows, linens and a comforter from one of the closets and assembled them neatly on the bed as they entered the room. “There you go, if you need anything else, well… my castle is your castle.” “Thank you, Twilight.” Sunset hugged her tightly. “Yeah, having another dimension to lay low in beats anything I’ve got set up in my world.” Hunter laughed. “I just wish I could do more,” Twilight said with a warm smile. “Good night.” She left them and Hunter began making the bed. “Every time I think we’ve faced the weirdest thing; life just seems to try and one up itself.” Sunset said as she watched him work. “I don’t think the shock of all this has really set in yet.” “Yeah, I know what you mean.” Hunter confessed. “Pointing a gun at you and getting into an argument with myself is up there on things I never planned on doing.” “I just wish I could talk to her.” Sunset sat on the edge of the bed as he finished laying the sheets. “She’s clearly being driven by the loss of her parents.” Hunter joined her. “I was taken in and trained as an orphan, so I never knew my parents. When I was sent out into the field, I taught myself to judge everything in individual circumstances. But she went out into the field with a grudge, one of the worst grudges a person can carry.” He laid his talon to her back. “She doesn’t see you as a rare chance to have a unique relationship with something beyond her understanding, she sees you as a monster dressed up in her skin; given what happened to her, she must take that as the ultimate insult.” “I wish her Hunter was more like you.” She noted with a smile. “That’s the thing,” Hunter continued. “I don’t think he’s a bad guy; he’s a prick, but not bad. Neither of them are in truth, that’s what is making this fight so tricky.” “How do you deescalate a fight between two highly trained soldiers?” Sunset asked. “That’s what I’m going to try and find out.” He admitted with a simple shrug as he worked his way up to the head of the bed. Sunset followed, laying against his side with her hoof over his waist and cheek against his chest. They laid quietly for a few moments before Hunter reached up and gently pet her neck. “If we get through this clean, you want to take a vacation?” “A vacation?” Sunset repeated. “Yeah,” He carried on. “Maybe Europe or something, just get away for a while.” Sunset lifted her head and looked at him with a tired smile. “Why? So we can run into the Loch Ness Monster or a pirate ghost or something?” After a long span of seconds, they both began laughing and Sunset rubbed his chest. “That’s probably how it would go.” Hunter concurred. “It’s okay,” She assured. “Like we said, this is just how our lives are and I’m okay with that.” She looked into his eyes with complete certainty and trust. “We’ll get through this, I trust you with my life, Hunter.” Hunter smiled and combed her hair with his nails. “And I damn sure trust you with mine.” Sunset rested her head back down on him and he held her tightly until they fell asleep. As planned, Hunter was up before the sun; he readied himself and gave Sunset a short but loving farewell for the time and asked her to thank Twilight again for him. Heading back through the portal, he hurried to his car and made tracks to the outskirts of the city where Applejack’s family farm sat. Knowing the hard-working Apple would be up with the sun, he pulled onto the property and parked in front of the signature red barn. Hearing the foreign engine, Applejack soon emerged from the house and saw Hunter sitting on the hood as the sun began to crest over the horizon. She dropped the work bag she was holding and immediately ran over. “Hunter, where’s Sunset? Are y’all okay?” She quickly asked. “We’re good, Sunset is still in Equestria.” Hunter calmly assured. Applejack reset herself at the news. “Good. Is all that stuff she messaged us true? You really being chased by… yourselves?” “Yeah, it’s true.” Hunter nodded. “That Sunset is an agent just like me, and her Hunter is originally from Equestria like our Sunset was.” “Well, not that I ain’t glad to see you, but what the heck are you doing here?” Applejack sat on the hood beside him. “I came here because you’re the most removed from the city.” He started to explain. “Listen, I’m leaving to talk to my superiors about this other Sunset; in the meantime, Sunset is going to stay safe in Equestria. But I need you to do some things for me.” “What?” “First of all,” He took out his keys and tossed them to her. “I need you to hide my car here; I’ll be taking public transportation out of the city since they’ll be doing everything they can to track us down. If you can get it in the barn or covered up, that’d be best.” “Okay, I can handle that.” She clutched the keys. “What else?” “Well, I don’t want you to get spooked, but they’re going to be watching you and the others to see if we try to make contact with any of you. They’ll probably set up surveillance to watch your property and will most likely watch your cell activity.” Applejack’s face grew hard, but she nodded. “Alright.” “Look, you’re not in danger.” Hunter promised. “She can’t harm you; remember, she’s a government agent at the end of the day. She wants Sunset and she’ll only target Sunset; that being said, it would be best to keep this from your family. Also, you can’t use your magic; she doesn’t know about your abilities so as far as she knows you’re just high school friends of Sunset’s. I need you to contact the others and just make it look like you’re getting together to hang out; tell them everything I’ve told you and make sure you all just go on with your lives until we settle this.” “Will do.” Applejack nodded once again, noticing how serious his tone and eyes were. “You sure you’re okay?” Hunter let out a soft laugh. “I have a choice to make and I haven’t made it yet.” He confessed. “If I don’t handle this just right, I could be putting Sunset in even more danger; not to mention that the Sunset after her is… really good.” He looked up into the fading night sky. “I’m actually scared.” Applejack had never seen this side of him before and reached out to take his hand, he quickly looked over to her and she just smiled surely. “That’s okay, it just shows how much you love Sunset.” She thought back to the time he was gone. “I know you and her talked about it already, but Sunset was quite the sight while you were away. She says we helped keep her strong but… honestly, we were just as scared as she was.” Her smile grew lopsided. “You and I may be oil and water sometimes, but I know that you’re the best thing that’s happened to Sunset and no matter what choice you wind up making, I know it’s got her best interests at heart. And y’all can be sure that we’ll be right with you no matter what.” Hunter gripped her hand and smiled. “Thanks, AJ.” “Now go on and get so we can settle this mess and get Sunset back here where she belongs.” “Yes, ma’am.” Hunter hopped from the car and stared out at the road. “I’ll be in touch ASAP.” Applejack watched him head off, flipping his keys in her hand. “Good luck, sugar.” After a day had gone by without sight of their targets, Sunset used the cover of night to begin setting up remote cameras in key areas of interest. She and Hunter had taken care of the majority of the hot spots and were wrapping up on the roof of Canterlot High. As she began testing the feed to her cell phone, Hunter stepped up to her back and called her attention. “Sunset, as we are nearly done setting up your surveillance web, I… need to depart for a short time.” “Huh?” Sunset glanced back at him. “What’s this about?” Hunter eyes belied a shame at his performance in the prior encounter. “My falter before is what caused this continued effort, I do not wish to compromise your aim again; I intend to arm myself properly so that the next battle will be assuredly victorious.” Sunset stood and placed her fist to her hip. “I told you it wasn’t your fault.” “I know you did, but please listen; while I have no doubt in your skill and ability, it is clear that this other Hunter is not an opponent to be taken lightly. In lieu of his… contemptible demeanor, he is a warrior without a doubt and now will be even more on guard.” He gestured to her. “On the contrary, this other Sunset does not appear to be remarkable in any significant way. If I prepare myself properly, then the tide will be in our favor and we can defeat him together; the impostor will then be at your mercy.” Sunset considered the assessment. “Well, what do you need. I have plenty of weapons on hand.” “While I have always appreciated the power and deadliness of your world's firearms, my skill lies elsewhere. I’ve been looking into arms more suitable to my taste for a while now and have my eye on something special.” Hunter relayed. “This seems a suitable time to go ahead with my acquisition.” “Well, I can’t do much for the moment but wait.” She looked down at her camera set up. “Honestly, he probably knows I’m doing this anyway; taking on another agent is a frustrating process. Since they got away last time, I basically have to start over from scratch.” “Which is why I wish to ensure that does not happen again.” Hunter tipped his head to her. “Alright,” Sunset went to him and laid her hand to his chest. “Just make it as quick as possible, if something turns up I need to make a move.” He laid his hand over hers and nodded. “I will, my love.” Lifting her hand from his body he kissed it gently. “Please take care in my absence.” He quickly turned and moved out from the location, disappearing off the roof. Sunset turned back and looked out over Canterlot City with determined eyes. “I know you’re out there somewhere; eventually you’ll slip up and then you’re mine.” Once out of the city, Hunter booked a flight to the capitol and spent the night under a fake name in a D.C. hotel. Early the next morning, he traveled to a nine-story office building that to the rest of the world appeared as a mundane, executive space for some national conglomerate. Showing his I.D. to the armed guard at the entrance, a special bar-code was scanned which let them know just who he actually was; he was granted access to the grounds and headed up the eighth floor. Again his I.D. was checked by armed personnel at a station beyond the elevator; again verified, he proceeded onto the floor and to the primary desk where a very surprised woman noticed his entry. “Hunter?” She stood. “Hey, Lily.” He smiled. “Forget what I look like?” “Almost.” She stepped from behind the large, half-moon desk and hugged him. “I saw your last report, glad to see you made it back safely.” She looked him over with slightly confused eyes. “Why are you here? It’s been years since you’ve been to the main office.” Hunter sighed and glanced about. “I need to speak to you and Ajax… privately.” “Oh,” She saw the seriousness in his eyes. “He should be in his office, hold on a minute.” She returned to the desk and took up the phone, after a few minutes she hung up and returned to his side. “He’s in.” “Good, lead the way.” Hunter gestured in front of him. Lily walked him into the back offices and through Ajax’s door, as soon as the man saw him, he made a surprised hum. “Well, rare day indeed.” He offered him a seat. “Hey, Ajax. Thanks for the time.” Hunter said as he sat. “So, to what do we owe the honor?” Ajax asked with a laugh. “Actually, I need to have a Black conversation with you and Lily.” He answered with serious tone. As soon as Ajax heard the term for a completely off the record discussion, his face grew equally serious. “I see…” He looked up at Lily whose face bore the same confusion he felt inside. “Alright, Lily.” He offered her the other seat; she closed and locked the door before seating herself beside Hunter. “Well, I know you well enough to tell that whatever this is about is as serious as it can get for you.” “It is,” Hunter nodded. “Honestly, I wasn’t sure if I was going to go through with this all the way but… I have to; make no mistake, what I need to talk to you about is information that carries a lot of baggage with it.” “What kind of baggage are we talking about?” Ajax inquired. “Just you knowing will compromise you both; and if it ever gets out then I’m as good as jailed for life if not worse.” Hunter said evenly. “If you want to back out, then I understand; but I’m here because you are the only two and I know I can trust a hundred percent.” Lily looked at him with distressed eyes. “Is this about why you decided to stay in Canterlot City?” “Yeah… for the most part.” Hunter nodded. “So what’s it going to be?” Ajax sat silent for a minute and then began to chuckle. “I haven’t even had my coffee yet.” He folded his hands on the desk. “Alright, if this is big enough for you to risk all that… then you must really have no other options.” He looked to Lily. “Are you okay with this?” Lily nodded. “I know Hunter wouldn’t risk himself like this if it wasn’t called for; besides, won’t be the first time I’ve gone off record for him.” “Thank you, Lily.” Hunter smiled. “I really don’t deserve you.” “So, what is this about?” Ajax beckoned him to continue. “Well, remember when you said that Sunset must really be special for me to make the move I did?” He recalled their conversation about her when Ajax visited his apartment. “Well, I’m going to tell you just how special she is.” He took a long breath. “Sunset… isn’t exactly human.” “Not human” Ajax repeated. “She’s from another world entirely; I’m not going to give you the name, just know that it exists and I’ve been there.” Hunter continued. “When she came to this world, she took on human form; but her form is actually that of someone already existing in our world. You see, everyone from Sunset’s world has an… equivalent in this one; and we ran into hers the other night. This other Sunset is a field operative just like me; all I know about her is that her family was killed by an unidentified entity and another agency based in the Pacific caught wind of her story and recruited her. What’s more, is that my equivalent from this other world ended up here as well and by some ridiculous twist of fate they wound up together.” Hunter faced turned grim. “Somehow, she found out about Sunset and has taken it upon herself to hunt her down and kill her. We’ve already gotten into it once and we managed to chase them off, but she’s still in the city and still hunting my Sunset.” Ajax and Lily sat stone faced at the story, unable to garner an immediate reaction. Ajax finally managed to sit back in his chair and sigh in overwhelmed thought. Unexpectedly, he started to laugh and shake his head. “Sir?” Lily eyed him. “Only you could possibly wind up in this situation.” Ajax stated plainly as he stared at Hunter in disbelief. “That is too outlandish to even make up.” Hunter actually laughed as well with a slow nod. “Yeah, when I do get into shit, I go big or go home.” “Is she safe?” He asked. “Yes.” Hunter confirmed. “She’s with a friend, that’s all I can say.” Lily looked at Hunter curiously. “So, Sunset is really from another world?” “Yeah,” He looked at her with warm eyes. “And I love her; no matter what, I’m not going let anything happen to her." He looked back to Ajax with concerned eyes. "Telling you about her just doesn't put us at risk, if the agency finds out what she is you know what they'll do to her; that's why this decision was so hard for me." He shrugged weakly. "But like I said, I need your help; you two are the only ones I can trust with the truth.” Ajax saw concern and vulnerability in Hunter that he didn’t think he was even capable of; seeing that helped confirm his decision. “Okay, we’ll help you.” “You will?” Hunter asked, almost a little shocked at how quickly the decision was made. “Of course,” Lily added. “I know what you kids had to go through to become agents; to see you so happy now and to have found such an amazing love… that’s certainly something I’ll help you keep safe.” She set her hand to his leg. "Sunset's secret is safe with us." "Right." Ajax concurred. For one of the few times in his life Hunter was left virtually speechless. “Thank you.” “Alright, so what do you need from us?” Ajax carried on. “I need access to her personal file.” Hunter began. “Our agencies may operate separately, but we’re all part of the same global database; as an Orchestrator, you have access to that intel.” Ajax breathed heavily through is nose. “That’s a bit presumptuous,” He stated. “I technically do, but accessing the data files of another agency is another matter entirely.” “But not impossible.” Lily came in. “If we believe a foreign agent is operating inappropriately outside their assigned region, you can make a case to access the file.” “Hmph,” Ajax chuckled. “I’m glad you keep up on all the fine print.” “Have to do something while I’m sitting at that desk all day.” She smiled. “So what are we looking for?” Ajax asked further. “She knows all about me,” Hunter continued. “I need to level that playing field; knowing her psych profile, mission profile, weapon orders and areas of operation, I can feel her out and find out how to counter her.” Ajax nodded. “Alright, let’s get to work. We need to keep this as low profile as possible.” “But quickly as possible,” Hunter amended. “The longer she sits around not finding us, the antsier she’s going to get. This is a personal vendetta, so at some point she’s going to give into her feelings and start getting drastic.” “Okay,” Lily nodded. “I’ll hit the phone and get things rolling.” She laid her hand to Hunter’s shoulder. “We’ll get this done.” He reached up and laid his hand on hers with just a relieved smile that said everything. Nearly forty-eight hours had passed since Sunset had last spoken to Hunter and even the peacefulness of Equestria couldn’t fully stem the tide of her nerves. In order to help, Twilight had invited her to the School of Friendship to see what she and her friends had accomplished as her last visit gave no time for such recreation. They headed to the Head Mare’s office where Starlight was busy overseeing schedules for the upcoming week. “Knock knock!” Twilight sounded as she tapped her hoof on the parted door. “Twilight,” Starlight raised her head from behind a stack of papers. “Sunset?” “Hey,” Sunset waved. “You look like you’re having fun.” “Heh, Twilight and I have different ideas of ‘fun’.” She laughed, leaving the desk to join them. “How are you?” “Well, that’s a bit of a story.” Sunset admitted as they hugged. “So, Twilight tells me you’re gearing up to take over here?” “Yeah,” Starlight nodded. “It’s been a long learning process, but I’ve got Trixie as my Vice Head Mare and she’s been… well, keeping me grounded.” “Trixie?” Sunset laughed. “Hard to imagine that with my Trixie.” She looked to Twilight. “This is all amazing, Twilight. I can’t believe you all have your own school.” “Well, it isn’t just a business for us.” Twilight said with a bright smile. “This is a passion project and has done so much for spreading the lessons of friendship.” She glanced at the door as the bell rang. “Oh, looks like it’s going on break period.” “Best time of the day.” Sunset noted from personal experience. After visiting for a bit, the three of them headed out into the hall, continuing their talk as they weaved through the wandering students. Making their way back out into the courtyard, they saw a crowd of gathered students fussing over something in interest. “What’s going on over there?” Sunset asked. “I… don’t know.” Starlight tried to see but couldn’t make anything out. “Ms. Starlight.” Silverstream called out as she, Gallus and Yona headed over. “Hello.” Starlight greeted. “Who’s that new Hippogriff?” Silverstream immediately asked. “Hippogriff?” Starlight repeated. “Yeah, I don’t know him.” She pointed out to the crowd. “Uh oh.” Sunset sounded. “Hunter?” Twilight asked. “Hunter.” Silverstream looked to Twilight. “Is that his name,” She giggled. “He’s kind of cute.” “He’s not that great looking.” Gallus added with a hint of disapproval. “He funny.” Yona noted. “Is he student like us?” “Definitely not.” Sunset came in, heading out to the crowd. Twilight and Starlight followed, as they neared, they found Hunter doing his best to entertain the students. “Hey Sunny,” He waved as they neared, leaning down closer to the students. “That’s my girlfriend, pretty hot huh?" Sunset laid her hoof to her face as the kids collectively sounded their interest in the matter. Starlight moved in and motioned for them to spread out. “Okay, okay.” She began. “Break period is almost over, get a move on.” As the students cleared out and headed inside, the three mares assembled around him. “Well, I’m glad to see you’re back safe.” Sunset quickly hugged him. “I take it that means things went as you hoped?” “Yeah,” He nodded. “Fortunately, I’ve got really good friends in high places.” He glanced over at Starlight. “Hey, Star; long time no see.” “Good to see you too,” Starlight gave a light wave. “You here for Sunset?” “Yeah, we need to get back to our world.” Hunter smiled down at Sunset. “We’ve got a fight to finish.” “Are you sure you don’t need any help?” Twilight asked. “Thanks, but we’ll be alright.” Hunter assured. “This is a fight we have to handle ourselves.” “Please be careful.” Twilight offered. “Yeah, we still need to have a real get together sometime.” Starlight added. “We will,” Sunset hugged them both a final time. “Thanks again, Twilight. I promise, as soon as this is over, I’ll write you to let you know.” “Okay.” Twilight nodded, she and Starlight waving as the couple hurried back to the castle to return to the human world.