Endura led them to a warehouse and went inside, lights coming on as they did so and exposed small living arrangements and a two wheeled vehicle in the corner. "Everyone, I'm back from Beacon patrol! And we have guests!"
Small explosions drew Twilight and Spike's attention to the vehicle as a blonde woman rocketed out from behind it, green gauntlets and grieves drawing their eyes. The woman stood up to her full height and stretched out her hand for Twilight to shake. "Karin Schneider, nice to meet you. Where in Vale are you from?"
"Applejack?" Twilight and Spike questioned aloud, to which Karin raised an eyebrow.
The sound of an object rapidly falling drew their eyes upward as a person fell straight to the floor, crouched with a single fist on the ground. The figure was a woman with chromatic hair, a scar over one eye, and a piece of her ear was missing. On her back was a technological backpack with a single metal wing coming off the right side. The woman stood and saluted. "Iris Storm, prepared for combat." Endura palmed her face in annoyance.
"Rainbow Dash?"
"Guests huh?" Iris asked Endura, who crossed her arms and nodded. "How the heck did they get to Beacon?"
"I never said they were at Beacon with me." Endura stated.
"When you have Beacon patrol you never stop and chat on the way back, that's the only reason they would be here."
"We came through a por-!" Spike was going to say before Twilight came up behind him and covered his mouth.
"It doesn't matter how they got there, only that they were. Beacon is infested with Grimm, it's too dangerous for even most Hunters." Karin admonished them with absolute sincerity. She looked at Endura "Get Amarilla and see if she can take time from Triage to give these two a physical, I'll take them to my room." Endura nodded and walked off and Iris floating up the loft. "Come on you two."
As soon as Karin closed the door, Twilight began asking questions. "What is going on here?"
Karin sighed and rested her head against the door. "...That is a very long story we don't have time to tell. What you need to know is that you're safe now." She turned around and faced the two with a glare. "Now the others may stop question' ya, but I won't. What were you doing at Beacon Academy?"
Twilight wrung her new hands. "Some one stole something from me, something important. I followed the thief there."
"Look out the window, towards Beacon.." Twilight did so and saw a tower with a shape curled about its top. "That thing is a Grimm, a Dragon Grimm. Somehow it was frozen in place but it keeps drawing more Grimm to it. If whatever was stolen from you is there, it's in the Grimm's claws now, best forget about it."
"I can't!" Twilight yelled. "Without my crown po-people are in danger!"
"Crown?" Karin asked with an eyebrow raised. "You royalty or somethin'?"
"Yep! She's a Princess of Equestria and...!" Spike was slapped on the back of his head by Twilight who gave him a look that said 'Stop. Talking.'
"Princess of Equestria?" Karin's eyes seemed to widen briefly in something akin to recognition, but it may have been a trick of the light in Twilight's eyes. Maybe just considering the name, as she closed her eyes and lied back on her bed, arms behind her head.. "Never heard of it. Most nomads don't find good places to hold back the Grimm and definitely would have better armed leaders."
"If you aren't going to help us, we'll just leave!" Spike said storming to the door.
"Spike! Don't be rude." Twilight admonished him.
"Rude! She has no intention of helping us get your crown back!"
Karin cracked an eye open and smiled. "Now when did I say that?" To spike and Twilight's eyes, she vanished. "I'm a Huntress, we help people. It's kind of our thang." Karin's voice came from behind them now and she wrapped her arms their necks in a friendly gesture. "But Hunters are professionals, there will be a fee."
"You expect us to pay you?" Spike questioned.
Karin stepped back and shrugged. "Don't know ya well, and times are tough. Got ta make a livin'."
Twilight nodded. "Alright, we'll find a way to pay you, but it may be difficult. Equestria is...rather out of the way."
"You'll figure somethin' out, and its not like I'll be taking ya wings." Karin stepped to the door and walked outside. "Amarilla here yet!?"
"um...I'm here..." A small voice said from the entrance to the garage. Twilight and Spike passed around Karin and saw a pink haired woman in a nurse's uniform carrying a large back pack...and two pistols, the look they shared seemd to say 'Fluttershy?'. "You said you had patients for me Karin?"
"These two." Karin said pointing to Spike and Twilight. "Somehow they ended up at Beacon and Endura broguht them in. Thought it'd be best they get a check up."
"Oh, of course." Amarilla set down her pack and pressed a button, causing it to expand to an examination bed with equipment. She then took out a flat board that she pulled open to show a projection screen, which from what Twilight could guess, worked in conjunction with the bed. "Alright ma'am, if you would please lay down, I have the bed configured for Faunus with back protrusions." Twilight gently laid down on the bed and a circle came up from around the bed, separated, and began moving along her body and shined down lights as it moved. "Interesting." Amarilla said looking over her screen. "You don't have the normal double ears I expected, possibly due to the presence of two animal traits? Possibly due to mammalian and avian mixture?" the nurse questioned hypothetically. "Your Aura is also strange, almost like..." Amarilla suddenly stopped the device and placed her hand on Twilight's, her eyes closed as a glow came from the place where their skin met. "...I see, just like her." Amarilla opened her eyes and looked at Twilight questionably. "Are you related to Sunset Shimmer?"
"We know her. She's the one who stole Twilight's crown!" Spike said. Karin dropped a wrench by the vehicle that drew their attention, but waved it off. Amarilla looked at her concerned but she silenced the nurse with a glare.
"Right... Anyway. You are in fine health for an Equestrian." Amarilla retracted the circle back into the bed. "Your turn young man." She waved Spike over.
"You know about Equestria?" Twilight asked as Spike laid down.
"Sunset Shimmer has been treated by me many times in the past."
"You know where she is! Please, tell me!" Twilight took Amarilla's hands into her own.
Amarilla for her part looked concerned , glanced to Karin, then sighed. "Not at this moment no." Twilight became sullen and backed off to allow Amarilla time to examine Spike. "Oh! You are a Faunus as well? Ah...You have sharpened teeth not unlike an alligator or crocodile's. Very subtle compared to others." She frowned as she looked at the data on her screen. "Your Aura is also quite strange, but closer to the normal baseline." She closed her eyes and collapsed her screen. "Without a larger sample I am forced to conclude you are in good health, but I request you have a full physical at the hospital here or Patch in a few months to be sure."
Iris floated down from the sky and hovered above the bed. "Then let's get going. Karin filled me in that you two are clients?" Twilight and Spike nodded. "Okay, we'll check with Sunset Shimmer's old boyfriend to see where she is. Flash Sentry is usually pretty good about keeping tabs on her." She landed and led the two out the door back into the city. "He's probably over at Juniors right now." With that the three left and went into the disturbingly empty city.
Amarilla stopped packing her things and met Karin's eye. "Do you think...?"
"Maybe."
"But...?"
"We'll have to wait an' see." Karin said with folded arms, her eyes glaring at the door.