The Hunter From Another World

by Marezinger Z

Chapter 2

When Sunset appeared on the other side, she paused in shock at what she saw before her. Hunter steadied himself and turned back to see her stare.

“What?” He asked. “Is it that bad?”

“You’re a… hippogriff.” She answered.

Hunter went back to the mirror and looked at himself; a beige cream colored frame accented by soft olive green mane and tail along with sharp amber eyes. He raised his talon and touched his beak, recoiling at the sharpness of his claws. “Okay, this is going to take some getting used to.” He spun back with a smile. “Am I at least cute as far as hippogriffs go?”

“Haven’t met one in the flesh yet, so... sure.” She went to him to get a closer look. “Got to say, not what I was expecting. Let’s find Twilight, take the time to get used to moving around in that form.”

Hunter nodded and began following her through the castle. “So, is Twilight still a borderline neurotic, mad scientist?”

“Well… she isn’t a scientist.” Sunset giggled. “In this world, Twilight is the Princess of Friendship; one of only five Princesses in Equestria.”

“Who are the others?” Hunter inquired.

“Princess Cadence and her daughter Flurry Heart; and Celestia and Luna who are the rulers of Equestria.” Sunset explained.

“Hold on.” Hunter laughed. “Your Principals are the rulers? Man, positions of power don’t translate well to our world do they?”

“Not really.” Sunset shared his amusement. “Listen, I’m glad you’re here but I have to warn you; Equestria is completely different from our world. This world is naturally kind and even though there are monsters and villains that threaten it, on the whole, Equestria is simply more… innocent. All the violence, vulgarity and perversion that bubbles underneath the surface of human society just doesn’t exist here.” She gave him an understanding smile. “I’m used to you, but you’ve got to keep it toned down.”

“Hey, I get it.” Hunter nodded. “First rule of being in a foreign operation zone, don’t introduce elements that may corrupt the local population.” His seriousness quickly dissolved back into playfulness. “Don’t worry, I’ll only embarrass you just enough.”

Sunset rolled her eyes with an unsurprised smirk. “I am so going to regret this.”

They found Twilight and Spike along with a hired crew working on repairs. They excused themselves and joined Sunset and Hunter in a quieter room.

“Hello.” Twilight went to the newcomer and held out her hoof. “You must be Hunter.”

“Somebody has to.” He took her hoof with a smile.

“Thank you for coming.”

“Anything for my side of bacon here.” He patted Sunset’s shoulder and tried to sit in a chair, finding it difficult given his new body.

“What’s bacon?” Twilight whispered over to Sunset.

“I’ll… explain later.” She sighed. “Oh, I’m probably going to be saying that a lot.”

“So, do you want the bad news or the worse news about what we’re dealing with?” Hunter asked honestly.

“Spike.” Twilight turned to her faithful assistant. “Go get the others, they should hear this too.”

“Right. Be back as quick as I can.” Spike flew from the castle and out into Ponyville. While they waited, Twilight brought out some tea sandwiches for them. Soon enough, Spike returned with the rest of the team. Hunter felt a genuine sense of familiarity as he saw them.

“Hunter.” Twilight gestured to her friends. “This is…”

“Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash and Applejack.” Hunter rattled off their names. “We’ve… sort of met.”

“Oh, right.” Twilight nodded. “Well, we’re a bit different than the versions of us you know from your world.”

Hunter pointed to Pinkie. “Hyperactive and addicted to sugar.” His talon drifted to Rarity. “Accessory obsessed fashionista.” His claw moved over to Fluttershy. “Quiet and loves animals.” He subsequently pointed to Rainbow Dash. “Loves sports and competition.” He smiled at Applejack. “Hard working with strong family values.”

“Wow.” Pinkie smiled brightly. “He does know us.”

“You may have a few more legs, but you’re the same candy striper I know and love.” He noted with a wink. “I know you don’t really know me, but being around you already feels like home.” He stood from the chair.

“He seems a lot nicer than Sunset told us.” Fluttershy pointed out.

Hunter looked over at Sunset with a raised brow. “What did you tell them about me?”

“Just the truth.” Sunset elbowed him.

“Now why would you do a stupid thing like that?” He asked with a crooked smile as they moved into the map room. “Just for that, I’m sitting next to AJ.” Hunter took a spot beside Applejack and batted his eyes at her. “Hi.” He smiled.

“Guess Sunset wasn’t completely exaggerating.” Applejack lightly pushed him away.

“Hunter, dear.” Rarity called his attention. “What can you tell us about these humans?”

Hunter’s face quickly grew serious as he laid his arms on the table. “There are three of them, all serving life sentences without parole.”

“Life sentences.” Twilight had never heard of such a punishment.

“I’m going to go out on a limb and say that you don’t really have a hardcore prison system here.” Hunter said with confidence. “Basically, these are three extremely dangerous men and the reason they were being transferred was specifically to extradite them to a state that would administer the death penalty.” He saw the looks on their faces sour at the mere mention of the ultimate solution. “They’re killers, among other things.” He said grimly. “The first is Ridgeback; murderer, rapist and drug runner. He worked as an asset for a South American cartel; moving product and people across the border. Indulging in the lifestyle, he got sloppy which is what led to his capture.” He held up two claws. “The second is Skyfall; the assassin for hire. He operated a site on the deep web that offered his services to anyone with the money to pay; unlike other assassins however, he had no limits. Men, women, children, public officials… he didn’t care; he saw it as a challenge. Ironically, he was brought to the attention of the FBI by other assassins who, while killers themselves, held at least some type of moral code about their targets and were sickened by him.” He held up a third claw. “Lastly, there’s Stinger; a serial killer and a cannibal. Stinger is a rare type, always mobile and was wanted in over 30 states having racked up a total of 67 victims; honestly, he’s was more beast than man by the time he was finally brought down. It took over a dozen officers to subdue him and only 9 walked away with their lives.” As he lowered his talon he saw the looks of disbelief on the mare’s faces.

“Sunset, humans like that… exist?” Twilight gave her friend a disheartened look.

“Yeah, they do.” Sunset nodded solemnly.

“Guys like Tirek are bad but…” Rainbow Dash shook her head. “Geez, what makes a creature do things like that?”

“Sunset let me in on how different this world is from mine.” Hunter began. “From what it seems like, you all are fortunate to live in a world without such a broad spectrum of extremes. There are humans in my world that represent the best our species has to offer; and there are some that represent the sheer worst of it all. We’re dealing with the worst and if we don’t stop them… they’re going to do things to your world that it won’t be able to forget.”

“Can you beat them?” Fluttershy asked.

“I’m damn sure going to try.” Hunter looked down at himself. “I’m going to have to get used to fighting in this body.” He glanced over at Sunset. “I’m going to assume you don’t have guns in this world?”

“No. But we do have magic on our side.” She noted.

“Do hippogriffs have magic?” He queried.

“No, but you can fly.” Twilight pointed to his back.

“What?” He looked over his shoulder. “I’ve got wings?”

“You didn’t notice?” Rainbow Dash asked.

“Cut me some slack, I’m still getting used to walking around in this thing.” He felt around for the muscles to control his appendages and spread his wings out. “Alright.” He looked back to the pegasi. “I need a crash course in how these things work.”

“You got it.” Rainbow Dash flew into the air. “Come on, Shy. Let’s take him to flight school.”

“Okay.” Fluttershy joined her in the air.

“Once you get the hang of flying, we’ll travel to Canterlot to see Princess Celestia and Princess Luna.” Twilight and the others followed them outside.

Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy ran through the basics of wing operation, steering, gliding and landing. Hunter, trained to adapt quickly, rapidly picked up the art to the point where he could maneuver on his own. Sunset and the others observed from the ground, watching him improve in real time.

“Well, he’s learning quicker than I did.” Twilight admitted.

Sunset watched as he rolled and flipped in the sky, her smile at the sight faded as she noticed he was rapidly descending right at her. “Whoa! Hey!” She staggered back but Hunter scooped her up in his arms and flew straight up into the clouds. Sunset screamed all the way, only stopping as she felt him slow and hover above the cloud line, all of Equestria before them.

“Hey, I can see my dimension from here.” He grinned at her.

“Down! Now!” Sunset commanded as she looked below from the dizzying height.

“Pssh, this worked for Aladdin.” He grumbled.

“Hunter!” She toned with a stern glare.

“Okay, okay.” With a mild laugh he soared back down and set her gently next to Twilight.

“Awesome job.” Rainbow Dash offered him a high-five.

“Thanks.” He flexed his wings proudly.

“Are you good to go then?” Twilight asked.

“Lead the way, Princess Purple.” He said with a bow.

“Hee hee… Princess Purple.” Pinkie quietly repeated with a giggle.

Twilight, Applejack, Rarity, Pinkie and Sunset took to the balloon while Hunter and the pegasi flew alongside as they traveled to the Equestrian capitol. Hunter quieted down as he looked over the beautiful landscape, in all his travels around the globe he had never seen anything like Equestria. While the forefront of his mind was enamored by the view, the back of his mind was ever busy trying to figure out how he was going to track down Ridgeback and the others. Skilled as he was, he was out of his element; stripped of the tools of his trade, in a foreign environment and hunting enemies he had little information on. The situation was as atypical as it could be and the gnawing fear of what these brutal men might do to his friend’s world wasn’t easing his nerves.

“Hunter?” Sunset’s voice broke his trance.

Hunter flew over to the basket and clung to the side. “Sorry, my head is literally in the clouds right now.”

Sunset stifled her laugh. “I’m glad you’re getting used to flying, but don’t tire yourself out too quickly.”

“Should I give you the obligatory ‘I can go all night’ line or do you want something with a bit more je ne sais quoi.” He asked with keen smile.

“Keep in mind I can use magic now.” She tapped her horn, setting it aglow.

Hunter shimmied over to Applejack. “Fine, I can always go where my charm is more appreciated. Isn’t that right, my delicate country flower?”

“Nope.” Applejack said shortly, bracing her hoof on his beak and pushing him off the basket. He glided back up and returned to formation with Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy.

“My, he’s nearly as hard to reign in as Pinkie Pie.” Rarity noted with a quaint laugh.

“His manner really seems to drift back and forth.” Twilight added. “I just hope he’s taking this seriously.”

“He is.” Sunset said surely. “More than you think… or at least more than he wants you to think.”

“How can you tell?” Rarity asked.

“It’s hard to explain.” She sighed. “Back when we were fighting, my magic gave me a good look at his life. After I saw it, I started to see what was behind his words and actions. This is just his way of keeping every pony positive; he knows full well how dangerous this is going to get but he doesn’t want us to see that he’s worried, even though I can tell he is.”

“You two certainly seem close.” Twilight observed with a light smile.

“Yeah, you’re like a Hunter expert.” Pinkie pointed out.

“I’m not sure how I feel about that.” Sunset snorted as she watched him mess with Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy.

---

The majestic city of Canterlot was quite the sight to Hunter. Landing just outside the city limits, the group made a bee line for the castle to meet with the Princesses. Twilight guided them to the throne room where the royal sisters were discussing an upcoming soiree with Fancy Pants and Fluer De Lis.

“Princess Celestia, Princess Luna.” Twilight stepped up to them. “Sorry to interrupt, but we’ve brought Hunter. He’s right…”

“Good afternoon ladies.” Hunter casually strode up beside twilight, Sunset fervently waving her hooves in the background in an attempt to stop him.

Twilight's eyes widened at his lack of formality. “Ah hah ha ha.” She laughed nervously. “Yes, this is… Hunter.”

“Well, it is nice to meet you, Hunter.” Celestia said cordially.

“Likewise.” Hunter grabbed Twilight’s shoulder with a smile. “You didn’t tell me the rulers of your world were drop dead gorgeous.” He could hear Sunset’s hoof slap into her face.

“My word.” Fancy Pants turned his nose up. “Princess, the company you keep always seems to grow more and more uncouth. This one is the most unsavory yet.”

Hunter eyed him. “That’s pretty big talk coming from the Equestrian monopoly guy.”

“It is alright.” Celestia chuckled. “We were warned in advance.”

“You too, huh?” Hunter smiled up at her. “My infamy precedes me.”

“Most assuredly.” Luna agreed.

“Please excuse us, Fancy Pants.” Celestia stepped from her throne. “We do have business to discuss with Twilight and her friends. We will continue this at a later time.”

“Of course, Princess.” Fancy Pants bowed, offering Hunter a disapproving look as they turned to leave.

“Have fun talking about me at the next wine tasting.” Hunter waved.

“Well now, let us speak of this matter in a more private setting.” Celestia used her wing to wave the others over. They walked the castle towards the meeting hall, Luna using her magic to close the large oak doors behind them. The sisters took their spots at the table’s head while the others lined the sides. “Firstly, we must thank you, Hunter.” Celestia gave him a sincere smile. “Answering the call from a world that is not your own is something that cannot be understated.”

“I’m just sorry some of the worst from mine made its way here.” Hunter offered. “Do you have any information on where they may be?”

“Not yet.” Luna came in. “We have dispatched seven teams of our most elite guard but no reports have come back.”

“We are willing to defer the handling of this matter to you, Hunter.” Celestia gestured to him. “Twilight told us that Sunset says you are a professional when it comes to dealing with this type of situation; and given that underneath their new forms they are still human, your insight into how human criminals operate overshadows any knowledge we have.”

“Indeed.” Luna agreed. “We are putting our trust in you to help see Equestria through this unique threat.”

“No pressure, huh?” Hunter smiled.

“What should be our first move?” Twilight asked.

Hunter let out a long breath as he considered their options. “Well we’ve got a few different problems on our hands… er… hooves, whatever. Tracking them down is one thing, but what I’m more worried about is that we don’t know what they’ve become.” He folded his talons on the table. “Normally, I’d have at least some intel on the targets but we’re going in completely blind. That being said, let’s roundtable a little bit.” He looked over the ensemble. “What creatures in this world can use magic?”

“Unicorns, alicorns and a very select few creatures like Discord.” Celestia detailed.

“Twilight, did anything you got a glimpse of resemble any of that?” He asked.

“No.” Twilight shook her head. “They were too big. I can say that one could fly, that’s the one that broke through the roof.”

“Okay, not having to worry about magic is a plus.” Hunter nodded. “Flight though, that one has the farthest reach and could be anywhere by now.”

“Wouldn’t they stick together?” Rainbow Dash asked.

“I don’t think so.” Hunter shook his head. “They helped each other escape, but the type of men they are… they aren’t team players. Stinger is a lone wolf so I'm certain he ran off on his own. That would leave Ridgeback and Skyfall and their M.O.’s and methods don’t mix in the slightest. By now they’ve gone in separate directions…. growing more and more accustomed to whatever new abilities they have.” Hunter let out a mild growl. “Once they get comfortable it’ll be back to business as usual, if that happens then…” He didn’t finish the thought. “We need to focus on Stinger first, when it comes to the rawest threat of the three, he’s the highest priority.”

“You said that he was already more like an animal, even in your world.” Applejack recalled. “I don’t know humans, but Fluttershy and I know about animals.”

“Good point.” Hunter looked to Fluttershy. “How about it, Whispers. You’re a bloodthirsty, wild animal dropped into a new territory. What do you do first?”

“Well.” Fluttershy thought. “Most predators immediately claim a spot that they consider to be safe. After that, they slowly move out in an expanding radius until they become familiar with the area; then they secure food and water and keep others predators out of their new territory.”

“Well, in this case his food is going to be pony.” Hunter noted. “What areas near your hometown fit the bill?”

“I’ll bet my last bit he’s in the Everfree Forest.” Applejack said. “Dark, quiet and right across the way from Ponyville.”

“Oh my gosh!” Pinkie bolted up. “Zecora. She could be in real trouble.”

“Who’s that?” Hunter asked.

“She’s a Zebra that lives in the forest, she’s alone out there.” Fluttershy explained.

“If Stinger is in the forest, then she’s a prime first target for him.” Hunter stood. “It may just be speculation, but with a civilian in the field we don’t have a choice but to sweep the area and extract her.”

“Shall I aid thee?” Luna asked. "My sister and I need not both remain in Canterlot."

“You strong?” Hunter asked bluntly.

“I am the Princess of the night.” Luna proclaimed.

“Sounds awesome, you’re in.” He gave her a thumb up.

“Then I shall remain and await word from our guard.” Celestia looked to her sister with pleading eyes. “Please, be careful. All of you.”

“We will.” Sunset assured as the group of nine moved out.

Comments

[pandzia]

“I am the Princess of the night.” Luna proclaimed.
"Sounds awesome, you’re in.” He gave her a thumb up.
I'm dead

[FolkloreBrony]

And just like that, I want to know what happens next

[SUPERETHAN2]

“Well… she isn’t a scientist .” Sunset giggled. “In this world, Twilight is the Princess of Friendship; one of only five Princesses in Equestria.”

Like how five princesses isn't considered that many to her unless she meant one of only five alicorns, but it can't be since it wouldn't fit in her line. Just find the way she phrased it like that weird to be honest.

Sunset: Only five princesses.
Hunter: Why are you acting like that is not that many. Do our countries here actually have more?
Sunset: Not to my knowledge no. I... let's just move on.

“Hold on.” Hunter laughed. “Your Principals are the rulers? Man, positions of power don’t translate well to our world do they?”

Blame lazy writing

“Not really.” Sunset shared his amusement. “Listen, I’m glad you’re here but I have to warn you; Equestria is completely different from our world. This world is naturally kind and even though there are monsters and villains that threaten it, on the whole, Equestria is simply more… innocent. All the violence, vulgarity and perversion that bubbles underneath the surface of human society just doesn’t exist here.” She gave him an understanding smile. “I’m used to you, but you’ve got to keep it toned down.”

I wouldn't say it bubbles underneath the surface. It's a major part of it period. Another poor phrase of words, but fine I see what she means.

“Sunset let me in on how different this world is from mine.” Hunter began. “From what it seems like, you all are fortunate to live in a world without such a broad spectrum of extremes. There are humans in my world that represent the best our species has to offer; and there are some that represent the sheer worst of it all. We’re dealing with the worst and if we don’t stop them… they’re going to do things to your world that it won’t be able to forget.”

Note Hunter specifically says they are dealing with the worst of humanity. Remember this as it will be important in a future chapter.