Hunter finds himself in one of the positions he's feared the most when another agent begins targeting Sunset. The threat becomes even more grave once he learns just who has her in their sights.
Following the emotional rollercoaster of their first separation due to Hunter's work, the new couple continue to find their footing as normalcy begins to return to their lives. But being a magical pony from another world and a government agent means things rarely stay normal for long. Hunter must deal with a nightmare scenario as another agent with the same skill and talent as himself begins targeting Sunset. The two pit themselves against this new enemy and things only get stranger when the pair learn the identity of their mystery assassin.
With Hunter back in her arms, Sunset slept like the dead that night following his return. Since it was going into Sunday, no alarm was set and when she finally awoke it was past eleven in the morning. Her cheek was still against Hunter’s chest, and she could hear him breathing steadily as he continued to slumber. With a long, contented sigh she smiled and traipsed her fingers up and down his side. In an instant, her mind recalled what they had talked about the night prior; that being his request that she consider becoming his partner. Far less emotional than she was just hours ago, she took a moment to really imagine what all of that would entail and what it would mean for her. Before she knew it, almost forty minutes had passed, and she felt Hunter begin to stir.
“Mm,” Hunter looked down at her with a comforting smile. “Morning, Sunny.” His ran his hand up her back, fingers flowing into her hair.
“Morning, Hunter.” She pulled herself up a bit and kissed him.
“How are you feeling?”
“Much better,” She nodded but frowned a bit. “I’m sorry last night was such a roller-coaster, I just…
“Hey,” He stopped her. “I was riding in the same car you were. We’re off the ride now, so we can just go throw up in a trash can together and call it a done deal.”
Sunset let out an involuntary snort. “Not how I was going to put it, but okay.” She hefted herself and slid on top of him, straddling his waist and balancing herself. “So what do you want to do today?”
“Actually, I need to make some calls and take care of the mission debriefing.” He said with reluctance. “But tonight, I’ll be all yours.”
She smiled and patted his chest. “Okay, sounds like a deal. I’ll meet up with the girls, they were so good to me while you were gone; I’ll make it up to them with lunch.”
“Perfect, I’ll give you a call when I’m wrapped up.” He promised.
“Sounds good.” Sunset fell forward and pressed her body against him, laying her lips to his in a long, deliberate kiss. She felt his arms tighten around her and allowed her head to fall to the side of his, pressing their cheeks together. “I love you.”
“I love you too.” Hunter whispered into her ear.
They actually stayed in that sweet embrace for a few minutes before parting ways for the time being. As Hunter left to tend to business, Sunset called her friends and invited them out; eager to see her after Hunter’s return, they agreed to meet around two at The Smoothie Operator. Slowly assembling in the parking lot around five till, they claimed a corner booth and got comfortable.
“Well, dear,” Rarity began as she nestled into the cushion. “You look positively glowing now.”
“Yeah,” Sunset slowly nodded. “Listen, I know I said all this already but… thank you all so much for everything you did while Hunter was gone. Now that I’m clearer headed, I know what a wreck I was.”
“Just seeing you better is enough.” Fluttershy sincerely assured. “How is he?”
“He’s good too,” She made a regretful sigh. “He felt so bad when I told him the truth about how I had been, which in turn made me feel even worse.” A mild laugh escaped her. “Ugh… I’m just glad it’s over.”
“Same here,” Pinkie came in. “Sad Sunset is my least favorite Sunset; even behind crazy monster-girl Sunset.”
“He did say something pretty wild though,” Sunset continued. “He… asked if I’d be willing to become his partner on his missions.”
“What!?” Twilight yelped, shrinking as her outburst caught the attention of nearby diners. “That’s insane.” She whispered.
“Yeah, you aren’t a soldier.” Applejack noted.
“Not an agent like him,” Sunset clarified. “He said that sometimes agents have kind of support with them, not so much a combat specialist but a field tech. I could be recommended through his contacts and put in a special training program.”
“Okay, that’s still nuts.” Rainbow Dash offered.
“Yeah, I know.” Sunset admitted. “But… he kind of made a good point.”
“About what, darling.” Rarity asked.
“High school is almost done, and you all have these solid plans for your lives.” Sunset looked over her friends with slightly ashamed eyes. “I… don’t. Yeah, I’m a student, but I was sent here by Celestia. Like Hunter, I don’t have a past in this world and even though I can choose to be whatever I want, what I’m best at is dealing with all these magical threats with you.” She shrugged. “Hunter says why not embrace that and keep fighting to keep the world safe from those threats with him. I know you don’t want to keep doing this for the rest of your lives, you should be able to reach your own goals and realize your own dreams.”
Her friends absorbed her side of the debate quietly for a moment before Twilight spoke up. “Some of that may be true, Sunset; but... if you commit to that then you won’t be able to live a normal life ever again. Working for a secret government organization, it’s cool in movies but look at all that Hunter has to do just to pretend to be a normal guy. Do you really want that?”
Sunset nodded. “That’s the part that scares me the most. Even just what you mentioned would only be the tip of that iceberg.” A long, hard breath passed her lips. “Hunter said that he’d understand if I couldn’t go through with it and that I don’t need to give him an answer anytime soon, but he also said that the only reason he even brought it up is because he knew I could handle it.”
“Well, I’m glad he’s being reasonable about the matter.” Rarity considered. “Still, that is certainly a heavy decision.”
“I had fun working with Hunter,” Fluttershy began. “But there’s no way I could ever live the life he does.”
As they sat in silence, the server came up and asked for their order. They hurriedly sifted through the menu and placed their requests before he headed off again. Rainbow Dash slapped her palms on the table and ran her eyes across the others. “Hey, how about we talk about anything else?”
“Good idea,” Applejack conceded. “We should be celebrating Sunset feeling better, not weighing ourselves down with even more stuff to fuss about.”
“True,” Sunset smiled as she sipped her water. “So, what sounds ‘fuss free’.” She asked with a laugh.
“Well, about three days ago, Bon Bon asked if we could do a Rainboom performance for Lyra’s birthday.” Pinkie informed. “I said I wasn’t sure, because I knew that you wouldn’t be up for it; but if you’re feeling better now then I can tell her yes.”
“That sounds great,” Sunset said with little consideration. “I haven’t touched my guitar since Hunter left, I could stand for some jamming out.”
“Awesome!” Pinkie cheered. “I’ll let her know.” She immediately pulled out her phone and started messaging Bon Bon. A few minutes later their orders arrived, and they fell back into normalcy while enjoying lunch. They spent the better part of the afternoon together, until about five fifteen when Hunter messaged Sunset letting her know he was free to get together. The girls parted ways and Sunset drove to Hunter’s apartment; heading up and knocking on the door, it was quick to open with Hunter grabbing her by the wrist and yanking her inside.
“Hunter!” She shouted in surprise.
“Shh!” He held her against the wall and looked at the door nervously. “There have been reports of a sexy red-head stalking the grounds.”
Sunset’s tense body relaxed, and she slapped his chest with an angry laugh. “Damn you!”
Hunter laughed and held her shoulders, kissing her. “Love you.” He let her go and headed for the kitchen.
“How’d the meeting go?” She fixed her top and followed him.
“Cut and dry.” He noted as he opened the fridge and pulled out a soda. “How are the girls doing?”
“Pretty excited, we’re going to do a performance for Lyra’s birthday.” She relayed.
“Going to pop out of the cake?” He asked wryly.
“A Rainboom performance you perv.” She hopped up on the counter and crossed her legs. “They said to tell you hi and they’re glad you’re back safe.”
“Even Applejack?” He eyed her.
“Even Applejack.” She chuckled. “You want to come with?”
“Wouldn’t miss it for the world.” He took a long drink. “I demand a solo though.”
“I’ll run it by them.” Sunset shook her head, kicking her leg out and stopping him as he tried to walk by. “You know, I was so exhausted I didn’t get to give you a proper welcome back.”
“Oh?” He faced her, taking her ankle and gently uncrossing her legs. “I didn’t notice.”
“I figured we could take the rest of the night to play catch up.” She welcomed him against her, linking her legs again behind his back and laying her arms over his shoulders.
“Ooh, I love that game.” He ran his hands up her sides, around her shoulders and up to her neck. “What do I get If I win?”
“If you win, I guess we’ll just have to go best two out of three?” She smirked.
“I am clearly rubbing off on you and I love it.” He kissed her, taking her by the butt and lifting her from the counter, staying locked together with her all the way to the bedroom.
Sunset stayed with Hunter through the night; the next morning they got up early and Sunset ran home to get ready for school while Hunter prepared to do the same for his ROTC program. Celestia and the others were informed by Sunset that Hunter had needed to leave for a while, so the program was halted in his absence; but he had placed a call to Celestia beforehand letting her know that he would be back today which she passed along to the boys. After fifth period, he reunited with his friends and showed them how much he missed them by running them through paces. As the regimen came to a close, he sat on the grass and laughed as the boys joined him.
“Still miss me?” Hunter asked with a grin.
“Hey, everyone was worried whether or not you’d even be back.” Flash noted. “So yeah, good to be sore again.”
Hunter nodded. “Yeah… there was a lot of that. Still not used to it, having people to come back to is still a new thing.”
“So, what did you have to do?” Bulk asked. “I mean, was it some kind of monster like last time?”
“Hey, those are national security secrets.” Hunter aimed his finger at him. “But no, it wasn’t a monster; at least I made sure it didn’t get that far.”
“That sounds eerie, dude.” Sandalwood leaned in closer.
Hunter leaned back and looked up at the clouds. “I was investigating a so-called coven of witches. Normally that kind of report would fly right by my agency, but they sent a recon agent in to check it out and she gathered a lot of odd accounts in the area. Her report warranted further investigation, so they sent me out there to see what was what.”
“Witches?” The technology minded Microchips asked with suspect. “Like… black cats and broomsticks?”
Hunter laughed. “Witchcraft has been a part of folklore for a long time; it exists, but mostly stuff like this is a bunch of socially awkward girls playing dress up and trying to curse the local jock because he won’t bang them. And at first, that’s what it seemed; I tracked down a group of high school girls who were meeting up in the middle of the night to perform some kind of ritual.”
“So, what made it serious?” Bulk inquired, deeply into the story.
“It was who they were meeting with.” Hunter continued. “Older man, in his forties; once I did some digging on him, I found out his name was Phineas Manheim and he was… well, a Warlock.”
“No way.” Flash eyed him incredulously. “That’s crazy.”
“Yeah,” Hunter nodded. “The girls were fake, but he was the real deal. He lured them in based on their interest and pretended to teach them black arts. But his real plan was to sacrifice them to summon… something.”
“Like what?” Sandalwood asked.
“I don’t know, and I didn’t give him the chance to let me find out.” Hunter shook his head. “I didn’t know what he was wholly capable of, so I dropped him with a long-range tranquilizer round from the forest around their meeting site. The girls immediately panicked and ran home; so, I moved in, tied him up and gagged him just in case he woke up and wanted to say any magic words and called in an extraction team to haul his crazy ass off.” Hunter shrugged. “Compared to all that shit with Melodiam, it was nice to tackle something easier.”
“Easier he says.” Microchips laughed. “I can’t imagine how you go out there alone and deal with that kind of thing.”
“Training and experience.” Hunter said confidently. “Speaking of which, break times over.” He hopped back up and clapped his hands. “Come on, got three weeks of catching up to do!” He started running and they all followed after him as he broke into another of his wildly inappropriate cadences. After they were done, Hunter took the sixth period to run home and shower before heading back to meet the girls as school let out. He waited on the railing of the steps just beyond the front doors as the students filed out, he caught sight of them and waved.
“Ah, there he is.” Rarity waved back. “Hello, dear; welcome home.”
“Good to be here.” Hunter smiled as Pinkie ran up and wrapped herself around her side.
“We missed you!” Pinkie hugged him tightly.
“Missed you ladies too,” He laid his arm around her. “Enjoy your vacation from me?” He specifically eyed Applejack.
“Not as much as I thought I would.” Applejack admitted, reaching out and squeezing his free arm. “Just glad you’re okay.”
“Told you.” Sunset laughed, recalling his surprise last night that Applejack actually missed him.
“Yeah,” Fluttershy laid her hand to Sunset’s shoulder. “It was rough, but we got through it together.”
“Oh,” Pinkie freed him from her grasp. “Lyra’s party is on Friday.”
“I’ll make sure my calendar’s clear.” Hunter vowed.
“We’re going to get in some practice sessions Wednesday and Thursday,” Rainbow Dash informed. “Been a while, need to knock the rust off.”
“Gotta keep those tambourine skills up.” He grinned at Fluttershy.
“Hey, it’s harder than it looks.” She noted with slightly judgmental eyes.
“But for tonight, we were going to just relax and catch a movie.” Sunset informed.
“Götterdämmerung.” Twilight quoted with raised finger.
“Bless you.” Hunter offered with a light smile.
“That’s the movie.” Twilight dryly retorted.
“Care to come with, darling?” Rarity inquired.
“Absolutely.” He held out his hand towards Sunset, she took it and was pulled close to him. “Just don’t reach into my bag of popcorn, only Sunset can do that.”
“Ugh.” Applejack rolled her eyes as she started for the parking lot.
“Gross.” Rainbow Dash quickly followed.
“I don’t get it.” Pinkie noted.
“We’ll tell you when you’re older, dear.” Rarity promised as everyone else headed for their cars.
High above them, on the roof of a four-story apartment building that yielded a clear view of the school and its main parking lot, a prone figure in a black cat-suit with matching balaclava stared at Sunset and Hunter through a detached, twenty-five times tactical rifle scope as they laid on the roof. As the couple began walking towards the parking lot the figure lowered the scope.
“Unbelievable.” The muffled voice muttered.
“So, it is true?” A second voice came from behind. “That’s… how can that be?”
“I don’t know, but I know she’s some kind of monster.” The figure got to its knees. “Since Hunter must be like me, then it makes sense why we’ve never heard of him until now.”
“This still defies all convention.”
“Yeah, we’ll keep an eye on them, I need to know more before we can make a move.” With a disturbed sigh, the figure stared at the school intently.
The week was spent with things returning to normal; Sunset and Hunter spent nearly every day together and more than a few nights. Come Friday, Hunter headed home after school to get ready for Lyra’s party. Freshening up and changing, he drove to her house which was beset by cars along the street. He parked at the end of the line and started walking up the sidewalk; along the way he came across Trixie who was bent over and cursing out her boot.
“Flat tire?” Hunter asked as he stopped at her side.
“Huh!?” Her head whipped up, but she calmed at the sight of him. “Oh, hey Hunter. The end of my lace snapped off and now it won’t stay tied.”
“Did you try magic?”
“Ha ha,” Trixie rocked her head. “So, what did you get Lyra?”
“I…” Hunter quickly realized he had forgotten a gift. “My… charming company.”
Trixie finally got her boot tied up and stood, looking at him with raised brow. “Really, Mr. Secret Agent. All that skill and you forgot a birthday present?” She reached into her pocket and produced a rose-tinted card holder. “Gift cards, simple and clean.”
“Can I say it’s from both of us?”
“No.” She poked his chest.
“Ah well, I just won’t have any cake.” He put his arm around her as they walked towards the house. “That’ll make it even.”
Lyra’s home was loud and busy as students hung out and talked over music. Hunter headed out into the back yard where Sunset and the others were setting up for their performance. He looked over the makeshift stage and set his thumb to his chin with a hum.
“What?” Sunset eyed him with a crooked smile.
“Is this built to code?” He asked.
“AJ put it together.” Rainbow Dash noted.
“That means yes.” Applejack glanced at him over her shoulder before going back to work.
“We’re almost set, go mingle.” Sunset suggested.
“Commencing mingling, ma’am.” He saluted and headed back in under her laughter.
Once set up, the entire party migrated to the back yard where Bon Bon gave them a proper introduction before their performance. Running through a handful of their established songs, they had their friends and the birthday girl in particular on their feet and rocking out hard. The party continued into the evening until everyone began to head home. Knowing she was worn out from the show, Hunter decided to let Sunset rest for the night and headed back to his apartment. As soon as he pulled into the lot and got out of his car, his phone rang, and he checked to see that it was Sunset.
“Miss me already?” He asked casually as he answered.
“Hunter, don’t freak out, but someone tried to get into my place.” She calmly informed.
Hunter instantly switched modes upon hearing the news. “Are you inside or outside?”
“I’m back in my car.” She answered.
“Good, drive away to someplace crowded. I’ll head over and make sure the place is secure.” He instructed, jumping back in his car.
“Okay.” Sunset responded, the sound of her engine starting coming through on the other end.
“What makes you think someone tried to get in?” He asked further.
“I went to punch in the code for the alarm system you installed and… the panel was just displaying a scrambled mess.” She detailed. “And the camera above my front door was covered in this weird, black goop.” She waited for a response, but Hunter remained quiet. “Hunter?”
“Just get safe, I’ll call you when it's clear.” He finally answered; as she hung up, he laid his phone down, an uncharacteristically shaken look in his eyes. He sped to Sunset’s home and pulled up along the curb; it had been dark for over two hours now, so he drew his concealed sidearm and approached the front door. He checked the alarm panel first; the screen displayed random integers and symbols as he was told. He popped off the front plate and looked for something very specific, letting out an unhappy grunt as his suspicion was confirmed. Turning his attention to the camera positioned above her door, he reached up and felt the black substance; it was rock hard which was what he expected. After trying the doorknob and finding it unlocked, he went ahead and entered with weapon drawn; performing a tight sweep of the dwelling and finding no one, he finally let his guard down. Turning on all the lights he started making a second sweep to see if there was any evidence of robbery; while nothing was taken, he found something left behind. On Sunset’s bed was an object with a computer printed note attached; he pocketed it and headed back outside to contact Sunset.
“Hunter?” Sunset quickly answered the call. “Is everything okay?”
“No, it isn’t.” He said grimly. “Tell me where you are, I’m coming to you.”
Sunset told him her location and he rendezvoused with her in the parking lot of a nearby gas station. She jumped out of her car as soon as he pulled up and met him as he stepped out.
“What did you find?” She immediately asked.
“Someone was in your place, but they were a complete pro.” Hunter began. “Your alarm system was fried from the inside which can only be done with special equipment; that’s why it didn’t automatically contact the police like it was supposed to. That shit on your camera is called ‘Blackout’, it’s a military grade spray foam used specifically to blind security cameras.”
“So… whoever this was, they’re like you.” Sunset surmised.
“Maybe, maybe not; but they’re competent for sure.” He hefted the object he had found. “This bothers me more though; it was left on your bed.”
“On my bed?” Sunset took what appeared to be an ornate, high quality compact mirror with a note on it that read ‘I’m coming for you’. She opened the compact to find only a normal mirror. “What in the world?”
“I don’t know, do you recognize that thing?” He asked. “Maybe it was owned by someone you came across or an old enemy you fought with?”
“I… no, I don’t.” She shook her head as she observed her reflection.
“Well, you’re not going back there.” Hunter noted.
“Yeah, so what do we do now?” She asked with surprising calm. “Should I just stay with you?”
“I don’t know, something’s bothering me.” He leaned against his car. “Whoever did this has clearly been watching you, which means they’ve been watching me too since we’ve been together almost every day. This was timed to match the party, so it’s safe to say they’ve been tailing us for a while now.”
“Which means that your place could be dangerous too.” She concluded.
“More than that, I think that’s what they want.” Hunter held his chin. “Make your place unsafe so you run to your boyfriend's place which is the obvious next move. We could be walking right into a trap.”
“You tend to be right about this kind of thing.” Sunset admitted. “So, let’s do what they want.”
“What?” Hunter looked to her in surprise.
“If you’re right, then we can use the fact that they think we’re going to hide to our advantage. We can get the drop on whoever this while they’re trying to get the drop on us. If they’ve been watching us for a while like you think, then what good does giving them more time to set up do?”
Hunter was legitimately surprised by her assessment. “Got to admit, not the reaction to this I imagined.”
“I told you, I’m not afraid of facing these things.” She smiled confidently. “Besides, we’re together and we face this stuff as a team now.”
Hunter smiled back. “Right.” He nodded. “I’ve got a safe house we can stop off at so I can get some equipment. Even if I’m wrong, better go in like I’m not.”
“I’ll leave my car here for now.” Sunset went around to his passenger side.
“You want to tell the others?” Hunter asked as he got back behind the wheel.
“Not yet, not until we know what’s going on.” She shook her head.
Hunter pulled out of the gas station and headed farther into the city. His safe house was a small, standalone drive through coffee building that sat on the corner of a quieter parking lot. He pulled up to the rear of it and hurried inside to load up; within minutes he returned to the car with a black shoulder bag which he tossed into the back seat before returning to the wheel. From there, they doubled back toward Hunter’s apartment. Instead of approaching from the front which he always did, he took an alternate route that took longer but came in from the back. Hunter pulled into a lot across the street and immediately killed his headlights.
“Sit tight for a minute.” He said as he pulled the bag into his lap and unzipped the top; taking out a pair of day/night vision binoculars he left the car and ran around the back of the apartment complex adjacent to his own. Using a fire escape, he scaled the building and free climbed the rest of the way to the roof where he went prone and shimmied to the edge facing his own apartment structure. Setting the binoculars to his eyes, Hunter began meticulously scanning the area until he spied a figure on the opposite roof. “There you are Mr. Stalker.”
“And there you are.” A muffled voice came from behind.
Hunter whipped onto his back and found a figure in full black with a Beretta M9 trained on him. “Well… you’re better than I thought.”
“Stand up.” The figure commanded.
“Okay,” Hunter slowly rose to his feet, glancing back at the other roof. “Decoy?”
“Something like that.” The figure answered, raising a hand to an earpiece beneath the mask. “Have you secured her?”
Hunter’s body tightened at the words. “Damn it…” He mumbled to himself.
“Good,” The figure said after a moment. “We’ll be down in a moment.” They flicked their gun towards the edge of the roof. “Down, now.”
Hunter knew he had no other options at the moment with Sunset in danger; he slowly approached the edge of the roof with his assailant maintaining a safe distance behind him. They descended the building and once on the ground Hunter found another fully suited figure holding Sunset with her arms behind her back. “I’m sorry, Sunset.” Hunter matched eyes with her.
“It’s okay, Hunter.” She assured. "This was my idea."
“Listen up,” The armed figure continued. “I know who and what you are, Hunter; more importantly, I know that girl is a monster. I don’t want to kill you; I only want her.”
Hunter rocked his head slightly with a light smile. “You’ve got a funny definition of monster.”
“I know that you know she isn’t human.” The figure stated plainly.
“Ehh… I’ve done a very thorough check on her body, seems human to me.” Hunter carried on.
“Ugh!” The other figure sounded in disgust. “I cannot believe what a crude, boar you are.”
“This isn’t up for debate.” The first figure carried on. “You either stand down and let me take her, or I kill you both.”
"Hunter.” Sunset called to him. “I’ll go with them.”
“No way, Sunny…”
“Hunter,” She stressed. “It’s okay, just do what they say.”
“Good, get on the ground with your palms out.” Hunter’s captor ordered, watching closely as he did just that. “Don’t move.” The figure began to walk by him to head for Sunset.
Sunset watched the figure and as soon as they were close to Hunter, she threw her head back as hard as she could without warning; her own captor was caught fully off guard and recoiled in pain just enough to let her arms slip. As the other figure raised their gun, Hunter spun on the ground and elbowed them in the knee; falling forward, Hunter reached up and took the stock of the handgun in his hands and slammed his forehead into theirs. He wrenched the gun away and rolled on his heels, aiming it at them just as they pulled a second gun from their leg holster and aimed right back. Sunset was quickly claimed again and the four of them stood in their standstill.
“Fo… forgive me…” The second figure spoke. “I…”
“Zip it!” Hunter commanded. “Now you listen, you tell your partner here to let Sunset go and walk away slowly.
“You’re not making demands.” The figure retorted.
“Your friend there isn’t armed, and neither is Sunset.” Hunter detailed. “Worst case scenario, you and I kill each other right now and both of them walk.” He smiled. “You’re the one that wants her; so, if you die then this ends right now, that means the worst-case scenario is still a win for me as far as I’m concerned. So, if you want to walk away and at least break even, then tell them to back the fuck off.”
The figured growled in irritation. “Fine… let her go.”
Reluctantly, the other figure released Sunset and began moving around towards their partner’s side. “I’m sorry.” They muttered. “I failed you.”
“It’s fine.” The other assured.
“Sure it is.” Hunter said mockingly. “You okay, Sunny?”
“Yeah.” Sunset confirmed.
“Now, what the hell is this about?” Hunter asked. “Who are you?”
“Alright, maybe that will put some sense into you.” The figure lowered their weapon and reached up to their balaclava. Pulling it back, Hunter and Sunset both froze as they looked upon another Sunset; more mature in features, but Sunset none the less.
“What…” Sunset held her hand to her mouth in utter shock.
“My name is Sunset Shimmer.” The woman introduced.
“No, she’s the imitation.” The other Sunset pointed to her younger self. “From Equestria I take it.”
“How do you know about Equestria?” Sunset asked.
The other figure reached up and took their balaclava. “It was obvious, once I saw him.” He freed his face to reveal an identical Hunter. “He is clearly my counterpart.”
“What the fuck.” Hunter, against all his training, was so shocked he lowered his own weapon.
“Although, the face and name and where the similarities end.” The other Hunter aimed his finger at him. “You are an uncouth, brute.”
“How is this possible?” Sunset stepped up to Hunter’s side, looking over their doppelgangers. “When I arrived in this world, there was no trace of a human Sunset.”
“I left Canterlot city when I was a little girl.” The elder Sunset explained. “Because of monsters like you. My parents were killed by some creature, I watched it happen with my own eyes. No one believed me though, they said I imagined the monster as a way to cope with the trauma. But then, some powerful adults showed up and told me they believed me; told me they could help become someone who…”
“Would never let that happen again.” Hunter finished. “Then you are like me.” Hunter eyed her. “That explains why my background checks on Sunset didn’t turn anything up, the info was already scrubbed.”
“Which explains why my own background checks on Hunter turned up blank.” She gestured to her own Hunter. “Believe me, the sheer idea of the odds behind all this aren’t lost on me. I was trained and stationed in Asia, which is no doubt why we never crossed paths officially.”
“Why do you want me?” Sunset asked. “I haven’t done anything; you call me a monster but I… well, now I work to keep this world safe.”
“Monsters are monsters,” The other Sunset countered. “I vowed to help rid the world of any inhuman entity to keep those who rightfully belong to this world safe.”
“And what about this handsome fellow.” Hunter tipped his head towards his opposite. “Little hypocritical don’t you think?”
“Hunter is different.” She insisted. “When I found him and defeated him, I had every intention of killing him. But he was willing to offer his life to me on his pride; I could tell he was special and offered him to chance to live if he fought alongside me.”
“And then you fucked.” Hunter casually added.
“You be silent!” The other Hunter glared at him. “You have no idea how fortunate I felt to meet such an amazing and strong female. I had never met a human so noble ever since I became stranded in this world. I am blessed to be hers and you will not make a mockery of it!”
“Wow, who knew I was such an uppity asshole.” Hunter looked back to the other Sunset. “So, what do we do now? We’re both agents working for governmental bodies, if we kill each other it's going to stir up a lot of shit. That being said, I’ll never let you hurt Sunset; you’ve clearly got an axe to grind against all creatures but that isn’t how I operate. But if it helps to go along with your own logic, then my Sunset is as special as your Hunter.”
“I have no intention of letting another version of myself run free,” Sunset eyed her younger self. “Some otherworldly creature running around with my name and face, it’s a liability to me and an affront to my life's mission.” She offered Hunter a confident smile. “You may have outplayed us here, but you’re the ones at a disadvantage. This is your home and I know everything about you both; you’re on the defensive and have no place to hide.”
“Please,” Sunset looked to her human self. “I don’t want to fight you, if anything I… want to know you.”
“What?” The human Sunset turned her eyes to her.
“There is literally no reason for us to fight.” She continued. “You may have different reasons for fighting than Hunter, but it’s clear you want to protect your home and your world. We’re not that different, I'm sorry about what happened to your family but…”
“Stop!” The other Sunset suddenly barked. “You’re nothing like me, you’re not me!”
Hunter raised his weapon again. “Then I guess you’re not going to leave me any choice.”
“Hunter no!” Sunset reached up and pushed the gun down. In that instant, her other self pulled a pin from her side and started running back with her own Hunter.
“Flashbang!” Hunter shouted as he wrapped Sunset in his arms and hit the ground; the grenade blew and for several moments their ears rang and everything went white. By the time the effects ended, their duplicates were gone. “You okay?” He asked.
“I’m good.” Sunset nodded as they struggled to their feet.
Hunter stared down the long alley, seeing nothing. “I don’t think stopping me was a great idea, Sunny.”
“I couldn’t let you, I’m sorry.” She apologized.
“No… I get it, it’s just…” He looked back at her. “Everything she said was right. We’re at a complete disadvantage and she wants you dead; she’s as skilled as me and has the upper hand in intel, location and opportunity. I… I’m not sure what to do. You’re not safe, our homes aren’t safe, our friends' homes aren’t safe; I can’t go on the offensive.”
“We’ll figure something out.” Sunset laid her hand to his shoulder. “But we do have someplace we can go.” She noted. “Equestria.”
Hunter considered that for a moment. “She doesn’t know about the portal, and my unflattering twin said he wound up stranded here halfway across the world so he wouldn't know about it either." He nodded. "Okay, that's our best move at the moment."
“I can’t believe my human counter exists; I mean… why is she so much older than me?” Sunset asked. “That other Hunter is the same age as you, it doesn’t make any sense.”
“We just got into a Mexican standoff with ourselves.” Hunter said with a dry laugh. “Sense is out the window right here at the moment.” He started back to the car. “Let’s get to the portal, they won’t be tailing us right away so now is our best chance. Text the girls and give them the short version.”
“Will do.” Sunset pulled out her phone and began messaging as she followed Hunter to the car.
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.”
“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.
As soon as they were through the portal, Hunter had Sunset follow her back to his rental car. Hunter got behind the wheel and sighed heavily as he watched Sunset slide into the passenger seat.
"Sunny." He tapped his fingers on the wheel. "Before we get going, I need to tell you something."
"What is it?" She asked, noticing the atypical hesitance is his tone.
"I know I didn't exactly ask for permission, but I... I had to tell Ajax and Lily who you really are." He looked at her with apologetic eyes.
"Oh," Sunset recalled their first encounter and his warning about his agency finding out about her.
"They both understand, and they promised to keep you a secret too, it's just... I wanted to be straight with you about..."
"Hey," Sunset reached over and took his hand. "I told you I trusted you with my life, didn't I?"
Hunter slowly smiled and nodded. "Yeah."
"Then that's the end of it," She smiled back. "If you trust them that much, then so do I."
He squeezed her hand in acceptance. "Alright then, let's get a move on." He got them back on the road and began heading further into the downtown area.
“So were you able to learn anything?” Sunset asked.
“Well, you’ll be proud to know that you come from excellent stock.” He chuckled over at her. “Sunset has an impressive record, and her vendetta against otherworldly creatures led her to take on nothing but highly dangerous missions against some heavy hitters, which means she has some serious combat experience."
"I would say good to know, but..." Sunset trailed off, not excited about finishing her thought.
"I went through her training and testing logs as well." Hunter continued. "She excelled in strategy and tactics, espionage and POS missions.”
“POS?” Sunset repeated the foreign acronym.
“Procure on-site.” Hunter explained. “Basically, you go in what we call 'naked'; everything from basic supplies to weapons are procured by the agent during the mission. It’s reserved for rare scenarios where we wind up dropped in contested territory or regions where our governments aren’t technically allowed. In that scenario, if you get caught, well… you’re just plain fucked.”
“She must be as tough as they come.” Sunset said with some degree of respect.
“Well, she isn’t perfect.” Hunter added. “She's not well rounded in diverse weapons and has no particular expertise in explosive ordinance. More importantly though, she has some red flags in her psych profile. Highly defiant, especially towards authority; showed symptoms of PTSD from the attack on her family, prone to outbursts of anger and demonstrates controlling behavior." He let out a short, hard breath. "In the field, when it comes to interacting with friendlies, civilians and hostages she’s not exactly a saint; she's not against collateral damage or public endangerment if it means taking down her target. Her own agency started keeping her off missions that required heavy contact with a civilian population."
“That part sounds familiar.” Sunset nodded, seeing a reflection of her past self in the description. “So, how do we fight her then?”
“She’s doing what she does best right now, controlling the battlefield.” Hunter continued. “We have to take that power away from her, make her fight the fight we want to have and not the one she wants to have.”
“We should get the others.” Sunset noted. “Our magic could really turn the tide.”
“We can't do that.” Hunter shook his head. “Not that I don’t have faith in them, but remember, she’s like me without the moral compass. If she finds out about them and their magic, then that goes right back to her superiors.”
Sunset immediately tightened up at the idea. “Right… I forgot about that.”
“I’ve been trying to think of a way to draw her out… get her off her game.” Hunter mulled as he drove along. "I know her buttons, just have to figure out which ones to press and how hard." He glanced over as he heard Sunset laugh.
"You're kidding right?" She asked. "If you're still thinking about that then you're not looking at this from the right perspective."
“What do you mean?” Hunter shifted his eyes between her and the road.
“You’re trying to strategize and come at this as a fight between soldiers; but don't forget that she’s also me at her core, which gives you one expertise that she can never have.”
“What?”
“Getting on my nerves.” Sunset toned with love. “No one is better at screwing with me than you; so screw with her like you would me. Not as a soldier; but as a dirty, mouthy, quick witted, smart ass.” She gestured to him. “Her Hunter already hates you for that reason alone; and since she doesn’t love you like I do, your BS probably sends her up the walls too.”
Hunter laughed to himself. “You know what, that is an excellent idea.” He grinned. “And I know just where to start.” He quickly changed direction and began driving towards the outskirts of Canterlot. Once again, he returned to Applejack’s farm and she was quick to come running out when she saw the foreign vehicle. As soon as Sunset stepped from the passenger side, Applejack hugged her tightly with a heavy sigh of relief.
“I’m so glad to see you in one piece, Sugarcube.”
“Same here,” Sunset smiled as she gripped her back. “Are you and the others still okay?”
“Yeah,” Applejack nodded. “Nothing strange happened, haven’t heard a peep around here.”
“Well, we excel in not making peeps.” Hunter said as he rounded the car. “She was here for sure.”
“So what do we do now?” Applejack asked.
“Hunter is going to get her attention in the most obnoxious way possible.” Sunset informed.
“Right, which means I need to find her equipment.” Hunter began panning around. “Going to be up high, full view of the main grounds and the front door…” He clicked his tongue as he eyed the silo. “There.” He waved for them to follow.
The girls followed him to the silo and Applejack showed them how to reach the top; as they climbed up onto the main dome, they found a small surveillance set up just as Hunter had predicted. “That snake,” Applejack scowled. “Not even Winona or the pigs heard her.”
Hunter picked up the camera and turned it to face him. “Hey there, Pancetta Pompadour.” He smiled and waved. “I hear you’ve been looking for me. Sorry, I had to take off and take care of some business out of town; but I’m back now.” He put on a gimmicky frown. “I don’t appreciate you keeping tabs on my friends; nobody gets to secretly film my lovely county rose but me. That being said, all this cat and mouse is really cutting into my off time; so I’ll do your job for you, Sunny and I are going to be at the condemned De La Cruz packing plant at five tomorrow night.” He paused to wave again. “Don’t forget to bring my shitty twin brother and uh… wear something a little more casual; that cat suit is nice and all, but you’ve got the body so show it off.” With that he ripped the camera clean from its wire and tossed it off the side of the silo. “There, if that doesn’t light her fire then nothing will.” He chuckled.
“What the heck kind of plan is that?” Applejack looked to Sunset worriedly. “Telling her right where y’all are going to be?”
“All part of the plan.” Hunter assured. “She’s a master tactician, so I’m throwing all her strengths out the window.”
“Ok, so are we setting another trap at that plant?” Sunset asked.
“Nope.” Hunter calmly answered. “I’m going to let her go over that place with a fine-toothed comb and not find a god damn thing.” He smiled. “That’ll really piss her off.”
Sunset laughed. “Now you’re in your element.”
“We’re going to let them look for a trap that isn’t there; meanwhile, we'll set up a little ambush of our own just like they did to us back at my place.” He continued. “Now all we need to figure out is how this ends.”
“Well hold on now,” Applejack came in. “What about the rest of us?”
“Sorry, Applejack,” Sunset gave her an apologetic look. “But Hunter made a good point, if she finds out about your magic then you won’t be safe; she could report back to her own people about all of you and then you’d be in serious danger.” She took her shoulder. “Hunter and I have to fight them on our own.”
Applejack tried to argue but had to begrudgingly accept. “Alright, just make sure you two win.”
“Don’t worry,” Hunter gently took her hand with a cavalier grin. “I’ll always come back to you.”
Applejack shook her head and laughed. “For once, I’m hoping that’s true.”
Across the city, Hunter’s opposite stood behind his Sunset with wide eyes as they finished watching the feed.
“Is… is his childishness truly without limit?” He growled. “How dare he speak about you in such a manner; and to suggest that your fiery, silken hair resembles… pork product.”
Sunset stared at the black screen with cold eyes. “He’s lucky this whole affair is off the book; he’s a disgrace of an agent.” She set her phone down. “But this has to be an act; he knows he’s at a disadvantage so he’s forcing a fight at a location of his choice.” She looked to her Hunter with concern. “But why would he tell me he left town… what the hell was he up to?”
“Surely he must have been securing something he believes would give him an advantage. Some weaponry or some other equipment?” He suggested.
“Maybe,” Sunset considered. “But he doesn’t have a lot of other options but to fight.” She rapped her fingers against her thigh as she thought. “This is obviously a set up, but what kind?”
“Telling us exactly when they shall be there is odd, is it not?” Hunter asked. “Unless he truly seeks an honorable showdown with you… which I highly doubt someone of his caliber is capable of.”
“We’ll just play it safe.” Sunset concluded. “Let’s head there right now and make sure we control the location. If he is planning some kind of set up, we’ll catch him in the process and take them down. If it comes to a straight fight, then we’ll do what we have to do.”
“Yes,” Hunter walked over to a nearby table and ran his fingers along the blade of a massive claymore; the blade etched with runic symbols, cross guard a pair of stone studded dragon’s heads and the pommel set with a stunning ruby. “And with this, I can be the deciding factor.”
“Hunter,” Sunset eyed him. “What good is that thing going to do you in a firefight? Besides, it’s almost as big as you, can you even use it?”
“Of course, my love.” Hunter easily hefted the blade in one hand. “This sword is unique, and despite its size it feels light as a feather in my had.” He smiled at her. “I may be weaker in this world, but in Equestria I was a blade master. I promise you I can more than handle my own with such a weapon and I will ensure your victory.” He aimed the blade at the sky.
“Where did you even find that thing?” Sunset asked as she joined him, observing the weapon more closely. “I can tell that it isn’t a reproduction, it looks like it really is a few hundred years old.”
“The person who advertised this blade said that it is a true artifact, but as strong and sturdy as the day it was forged.” Hunter detailed. “I must admit, the historical humans of your world were true artisans when it came to swords; it is a shame the art is lost.”
“Well, I can shoot down ten enemies in the time it takes you to cut down one with that ancient meat cleaver.” Sunset scoffed. “But, if that’s what you’re comfortable with then it’s fine with me; if anything, having a wild card like you with an unorthodox weapon is something that can come in handy on the battlefield.” She allowed herself a quiet laugh. “And it does make you look pretty slick.”
“Praise that means to world to me, Sunset.” Hunter tipped his head to her.
The two of them quickly headed for the building that was named to them; at once, Sunset began scouting the place from top to bottom in search of anything untoward while Hunter monitored the surrounding area from the roof. After the bulk of the day, the place came up clean and the pair then set themselves to wait. As tomorrow came, they maintained their silent presence until the agreed upon hour tolled; but as five o’clock came and went there was no sign of their targets. As three more hours passed, Sunset finally conceded that she was being toyed with and packed up to fall back. Abandoning the site, they hiked back to their vehicle and stopped as they found the tires slashed.
“What!?” Sunset quickly dropped to her knees and began opening her rifle case, a shot rang out and the case flew from her hands and skidded across the dirt. “Damn it!” She drew her sidearm and pulled her Hunter behind the commercial Humvee.
“Attention all red heads!” Hunter’s voice rang out. “I have you surrounded!”
“Surroun…” Sunset growled. “You little coward! What happened to five!?"
"I meant five o'clock eastern standard time!" Hunter yelled back. "Did I not make that clear!? Sorry!"
"Oh my god..." Sunset's knuckles cracked as she gripped her gun. “I didn't think you were actually childish enough to pull a stunt like this!” Sunset called back. “Treating me like a joke is going to be your last mistake, you bastard! I don't care how much trouble I get in! I'm going to gut you like a fucking tuna!"
“Ow!” Hunter retorted. “Do you kiss me with that mouth!”
The Equestrian Hunter got to his knees and pulled open the rear door. “Enough of this.” He reached in and took his newly acquired sword. “Face us like a true warrior you lout!” The rear window on the opposite side of the vehicle shattered as a bullet went through it.
“Stay down!” Sunset took his shoulder and yanked him lower. “He must be somewhere high if he saw you move from this position, but close enough to hear us.” She maneuvered towards the front tire. Reaching up, she grabbed the glass of the rear-view mirror and ripped it free from its mount; using it, she began peering around the front bumper until she spied a glint of light reflecting off of Hunter’s scope. “Found you.” She looked back at her own Hunter. “I’m going to shoot at him to make him back down, when I do, you make a move in the opposite direction. We can pincer him after that.”
“As you order.” Hunter readied his sword.
Sunset dove out and emptied her clip at Hunter’s vantage point; as soon as she did, her own Hunter made his move and sprinted in the opposite direction. He watched where she was firing and began heading for the adjacent building. Sunset continued shooting until her clip was empty and dove behind a pair of dumpsters to reload; she could hear running somewhere above her and peeked up to see Hunter sprinting across the roof to get above her. Leaving her hiding spot, she fired three rounds up to let him know that she had seen him and headed around the building to the fire escape. With expert skill she clambered up the side of the three-story structure and leapt onto the roof; jumping behind the entrance to a stairwell leading into the interior just as a bullet chipped the old brick.
"You should have head shot me when you had the chance!" Sunset yelled out.
"Unlike you, I don't just aim to kill!" Hunter responded.
"Unlike me!?" She laughed. "You don't know a damn thing about me!?"
"I know you still have night terrors because of what happened to mommy and daddy!" He called back.
"What..." Sunset muttered.
"I also know that you didn't get your first period till you were sixteen, Ms. Late Bloomer!" Hunter added.
"How can you..." Sunset's eyes angered fiercely. "You accessed my files!?"
"Told you I had business to take care of!" Hunter reminded.
"You son of a bitch!" Sunset banged her fist against the brick. "You've got high ranking personnel doing favors for you!?"
"It's called having friends!" Hunter pointed out. "You should try it sometime!"
Sunset had been paying enough attention to his voice to estimate his location, she moved around the opposite side of her cover and began firing in Hunter's direction. She pulled back as Hunter returned fire. "Don't think you've gained some kind of edge just because you read up on me!" Another shot whizzed by, but she ignored.
"Oh really!" Hunter challenged. "I learned enough that you'd probably not be able to recognize a S-Mine on sight!"
"What?" Sunset paused and began looking around; another shot rang out and this time it struck something over to her left. She turned towards the sound and saw that the round had knocked away some kind of support, an unfamiliar canister that was upside-down began falling towards the roof. With a quick shout, she was forced to dive from her cover as the fall struck the pressure sensor and after a short delay an explosion sent shrapnel into the surrounding brick and metal. Saved by the structure she was once hiding behind, she tried to get to her feet but her beretta was sent flying from her hand as another rifle shot disarmed her. She looked forward to see Hunter approaching with the barrel aimed at her head.
"I also know that you really stick with that M9; don't really carry much else on your person." He lowered his weapon. "Can we stop this now?" He asked. "I'd really hate to have the death of a fellow agent on my record; you know how much trash on the side of the highway I'd have to pick up to get that removed?"
"Is everything a joke to you?" Sunset asked bitterly.
"Not everything," He shook his head. "I take protecting Sunset very seriously."
"I'm Sunset!" She screamed. "Not that... thing!"
"You're both Sunset." Hunter countered. "Do you see me getting in a tizzy over another me running around? As long as he doesn't subscribe to a bunch of weird fetish sites in my name, I couldn't give less of a fuck what he does in this world. He's living his own life with you, why can't you just let Sunset live her own life with me?"
Sunset lowered her head and let out a long sigh. "Maybe... maybe you're right."
"I know I am." Hunter tossed his rifle aside and went over to her, extending his hand. "Can we talk with our mouths instead of our guns?" Sunset reached her hand up to his, jutting it past his palm and taking his wrist; she lunged forward with a knife in her other hand, but Hunter twisted his body and blocked the attack. "I knew you were going to do that too." Hunter admitted with a wry smile. Sunset slammed her forehead into his and sent him back, quickly diving for her gun and raising it again as Hunter pulled his own sidearm.
On the adjacent building, the other Hunter planted his feet on the rooftop. Hearing the explosion a few moments ago, he hurried for the opposite edge but stopped as he was called out to from behind. Glancing back over his shoulder, he saw the younger Sunset with a gun pointed at his back.
“Don’t move.” Sunset instructed.
“Heh…” Hunter smirked. “A Pony with a gun, what a sight you would be back home.”
“Not my first choice,” Sunset responded. “But you aren’t leaving me much of another one. I don’t know much about Hippogriffs, but the ones I met in Equestria were a lot kinder than you.”
“Perhaps that is why we find ourselves in this world.” Hunter suggested. “Neither of us hold much to the standard. Still, if it makes you feel any better, I only do this because it is the will of the one I love.”
“There’s more to love than blind devotion.” Sunset countered. “You know there is no reason for us to fight.”
“Her desire is all the reason I require.” Hunter turned to face her. “You are not a warrior; you may hold that weapon, but I doubt you have what it takes to use it; especially given my visage.” He held his sword up. They stared at one another in silence until with sudden and precise motion, Hunter dashed in and ran his blade across the barrel of the gun; it flew from Sunset’s hands and he moved in further to grab her.
Sunset reached up and wrapped her hands around his face; he stopped as he felt a rush of magic as she used her ability on him. After a few seconds, Sunset pushed herself away and landed on her butt a few feet from him. She looked up at Hunter with stricken eyes as he collected himself.
“What was that!?” He barked. “What did you do!?”
Sunset merely looked at him. “It wasn’t your fault…” She muttered.
“What?” Hunter glared down at her.
“I saw her… it wasn’t your fault.” Sunset continued.
“Her.” Hunter repeated with confusion.
“My magic can read people’s memories.” She explained. “I wanted to see yours, see how you wound up here and why.”
“You dare violate my mind!” He pointed his blade at her.
“You loved her so much, I could feel it.” She continued.
“Shut up!” He commanded. “You know nothing!”
“Cloud Dancer.” Sunset spoke the name that came to her.
“Don’t say her name!” Hunter’s eyes watered as he threatened her. “You… you have no right to…”
“Sunny!” A second Hunter’s voice came from behind her as he appeared; he saw his double with sword aimed at her and trained his sidearm on him in kind.
“Hunter!” The other Sunset appeared on the opposite side of the roof. “What are you do…” She stopped as she saw the situation. “You had her this whole time?"
“I’m… I am sorry…” Hunter looked back at her, revealing the tears in his eyes.
“What did you do to him, witch!?” Sunset asked quickly and angrily, aiming her own weapon at her.
“I read his memories.” Sunset explained.
“What?” She asked.
“It’s my magical ability.” Sunset continued. “I saw his past before he came to this world…I saw who he lost.”
“Lost?” She again repeated. “What is she talking about, Hunter?”
“Feel free to fill me in too.” Hunter suggested with a rock of his head.
“No!” Hunter readied his sword. “I will end this so we can move on with our lives!”
“Drop it!” Hunter fired at his counter but with supreme skill the bullet was deflected, with a smooth motion he flowed into a horizontal swipe and brought the blade at Sunset’s neck. Sunset pushed herself back, but the blade caught just above her breasts and sliced her. “Sunny!” Hunter moved forward and fired again into his leg.
“Damn you!” The other Sunset fired in response but missed out of fear of hitting her own partner.
Hunter grabbed Sunset and pulled her behind the large AC compressor and immediately began inspecting her. “Sunny, let me see…”
“I’m okay,” Sunset took his hand and held it tightly. “He just grazed me.”
“Hunter!” Back across the roof, Sunset ran up behind her own Hunter who had fallen to one knee but remained still. “Hunter, are you okay!?” She stared in confusion as he stayed silent.
Hunter suddenly rose to his feet and eyed his blade, collecting Sunset’s blood on his finger and placing it in his mouth. “Ah… fresh blood, it has been ages.” Hunter spoke, but in an unfamiliar voice laced with a Swedish accent.
“Hunter…” Sunset noticed the runes on his blade begin to glow red.
“I most certainly was, girl.” Hunter turned back with a smile.
Sunset immediately raised her gun. “What the hell are you?”
Hunter eyed the gun curiously. “Is that supposed to be some kind of weapon?” He asked. “This is a true warrior's weapon.” He raised the blade.
“Hold it!” Hunter and Susnet stepped from behind their cover and he aimed his gun at them, noticing the other Sunset with her gun pointed at his counter and pausing in confusion.
“What’s going on?” Sunset asked.
The other Hunter looked over at them. “Ah, and who are you?”
“What the hell…” Hunter muttered.
“Look, the sword.” Sunset pointed to the weapon. “There’s some serious magic coming off of that thing.”
“Magic?” The other Sunset asked in frustration. “What did you do with Hunter!?” She quickly shouted.
“If that is who this body belongs to, then I have some unfortunate news, girl.” He turned back to her. “I am Ulf Backe, slayer of the north lands.”
“Well… this is unexpected.” Hunter looked over at the other Sunset who stared at her Hunter with conflicted eyes.
“Get out of Hunter!” Sunset commanded. “Now!” She aimed at his head, but her hands were clearly shaking in hesitation.
“You do not command me, girl.” Ulf stated boldly. “If you wish to fight, I will cut you down; a fitting start for my return to the Midgard.”
“I will shoot you if I have to!” Sunset challenged.
“Oh, will you now?” Ulf asked mockingly. “Your quaking limbs and unsure eyes say otherwise.” He approached Sunset but she only backed away in response; his procession halted as a bullet struck the ground between his feet.
“Hold it!” Hunter called.
“You seem prepared for a battle!” Ulf reared around and brought the massive sword down onto the roof; a red crescent of magical energy left the edge and tore up the rooftop as it headed for Hunter and Sunset.
“Watch out!” Hunter pushed her in one direction while diving in the opposite. As soon as he was on the ground he aimed upward and fired off several more rounds, the shots again being deflected.
“Just like the cowards who hid behind their bows.” Ulf scoffed. “Neither of you are worthy of facing me in combat.” He turned back to Sunset and repeated the attack; Sunset however stood frozen, unable to bring herself to shoot. She only watched as he attacked, but as it was upon her, her other self dove in and tackled her out of the way. The side of the roof shredded and blew apart, brick and siding falling to the street below. “Bah!” Ulf looked out over the new city. “Your blood is not worthy of my blade!” He began heading for the southern side of the roof. “I hope this foreign world has more to offer than the likes of you.” He leapt from the side and disappeared.
Sunset got to her knees and looked over her human self. “Are you okay?” She asked.
The other Sunset managed to look at her. “You…”
“Saved you, yeah.” Sunset nodded. “It’s what I do.”
“Sunny!” Hunter ran over and looked down at them. “You okay?”
“Yeah.” Sunset nodded.
“Hunter…” The other Sunset stared over at the place he jumped from.
“What the hell was that?” Hunter asked as he knelt down. “Sunset!” He tried to get her attention.
“I… I don’t know.” Sunset shook her head. “That sword…”
“We need to get out of here,” Hunter noted. “No way the police haven’t been notified by now.”
“I have to go after him.” Sunset got up and began heading off.
“Stop.” Sunset took her wrist. “We need…”
“Let go of me!” Sunset wrenched her arm away. “Don’t think just because you saved me that anything has changed!”
“I don’t care about that right now!” Sunset yelled in exasperation. “Whatever possessed him is loose now and we have to stop it. Let us help you.”
Sunset looked at her with hard eyes, turning them to Hunter after a long moment. “Why?”
“Well, for one, it’s both of our jobs.” Hunter reminded. “And two… like Sunny said, it’s what we do.”
Sunset found herself so flustered with emotions in the moment that all she could do was nod in reluctant acceptance. “Fine.”
“Good.” Hunter nodded in return. “First of all, we need to get to a safe location and learn what we can about what we’re dealing with.”
“I set up a safe house in the city,” Sunset informed. “We can go there.” She eyed Hunter with lingering irritation at her slashed tires. “Have to use your vehicle though.”
Sunset quietly directed them to her safe house about four miles away. Hunter was able to tell that she was still in mild shock over everything that had happened; she quickly sat in a metal chair and laid her head in her hands without further word. Her Equestrian self wanted to comfort her, but knew that she couldn’t at the moment; instead, she joined Hunter who had set himself to her laptop.
“What are you doing?” She asked quietly.
“I need to find out just what happened to him,” He looked over at the other Sunset. “What can you tell me about that sword?”
Sunset slowly lifted her head. “Not much. He found it on some auction site overseas and had it shipped to a nearby address I had access to; he told me he wanted a weapon that he was familiar with to help me. I was so wrapped up in tracking you two..." She sighed. "I didn’t really pay attention to what he was doing; I figured he had it under control. He had the sword for a while before we fought; it didn’t do anything to him or show any signs of supernatural activity.” She looked to her other self. “Until her blood got onto it anyway.”
“Okay.” Hunter began working. “At least the evil entity was nice enough to give his name this time around,” He glanced back over at Sunset. “Usually that’s a bitch and a half to…”
“Stop joking around!” She fiercely shouted, voice quaking with upset.
Hunter slowly sighed as he typed. “Just because I joke, doesn’t mean I don’t take what I do seriously.” He explained. “That’s the part about me that you underestimated.”
“Sunset,” Sunset slowly walked over to her. “Whatever you think of us, we do want to help, and we will.” She smiled as best she could. “I meant what I said, I don’t want to be your enemy; I don’t want to fight you at all.”
Sunset looked up at her younger self. “He said you were a Pony, that you’re peaceful and kind.”
Sunset took that with a grain of salt. “Yes, but I wasn’t always like this; I used to be… more like you.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Sunset eyed her.
“You… remind me of myself, before another Pony showed me true friendship after seeing the literal manifestation of all my anger and contempt for the world.” She let out a long sigh. “I know what Hunter went through, which means I have an idea of what you went through; and knowing what happened to your family… it’s clear that anger and contempt is in you too.” She shrugged. “But I can at least admit that you use it to try and protect your world, which is more than I can say for myself.”
Sunset absorbed the words of her otherworldly self. “I suppose this is the part where you try to convince me we’re the same?”
“No, we’re not the same.” Sunset shook her head. “Not at all; we have some similarities like all counterparts, but at the end of the day we’re completely different people with different lives, pasts, goals and dreams.” She took another step closer. “We do have one thing in common though, it’s clear that we both love our Hunters; that’s enough common ground to at least be amicable.”
Sunset lowered her head again with conflicted emotion. “I guess we do.”
“I think it’s great that you love him so much,” Sunset continued. “Love can conquer anything, even your hatred of otherworldly creatures it seems; but it’s also nice to have friends.”
“Agents don’t have friends.” She countered.
“I used to think that.” Hunter came in. “Live it actually; and you know what… it’s a complete crock of shit. I have loads of friends now and it has changed everything about my life, for the better; you might not like me, but I know your life better than anyone else. So from one agent to another, you should give it a shot.” He stood from the little desk. “Now, want to know what happened to your admittedly handsome boy-toy?”
“You found something?” Sunset looked back at him.
“What is it?” The other Sunset asked as she stood, eyes now filled with determination.
“Ulf Backe, which translates to ‘wolf breaker’ and is totally going to be the name of my metal group after I retire, is a legend in his own right.” Hunter began. “Think Genghis Khan, just further north.”
“Vikings weren’t really known for conquering.” Sunset noted. “They were pillagers, they traveled and took from others to bring back to their homes.”
“Very true,” Hunter nodded. “Which is why ol’ Ulf wasn’t very popular. He took from other Norsemen and tried creating his own Nordic city-state. This led to a kind of civil war that saw a unification of many different villages to finally get rid of him. His army was completely killed off and he was slain with his own sword which was said to have been crafted by Wayland the Smith.” Hunter tapped the side of his head. “He was beheaded, the sword jammed into the blood-soaked soil and his head was impaled on the blade.”
“That’s… unpleasant.” Hunter’s Sunset said with a disturbed breath.
“Legend has it that while his head sat on that sword, he spoke his last words.” Hunter continued. “Swearing that one day he would lift his sword again to continue his conquest.” He shrugged. “That last part might be a bit exaggerated, but we’re going off of legend here.”
“So when my blood got on the sword, it brought him back.” Sunset surmised.
“Which means we know what to do.” Hunter went to his fellow agent. “You and I have all the expertise and firepower needed to destroy that sword and save him.”
Sunset slowly nodded. “Then let’s get to work; if he causes any kind of severe damage or casualty…I won’t be able to protect him from the fallout.” Her hardened face washed over in distress. “I… I can’t lose him; he’s all I have.”
“You won’t.” Sunset assured. “We’ll get him back.”
“Sunny.” Hunter took her shoulder. “Jump on social media platforms and see if anyone has posted pics or video of him around the city; they’ll pick it up faster than the police will.”
“I’ve got weapons and munitions here we can use,” The other Sunset offered, regaining her composure. “Enough to split between us.”
“Aw, and I didn’t get you anything.” Hunter smiled as he followed her; he watched as she removed sheets from trunks and stated popping them open. "Listen, I know I said some pretty shitty things back there, but I just needed to get you worked up and emotional so I could win."
You were just exploiting my... weaknesses." She bitterly admitted. "I would have done the same if given the opportunity."
"Yeah, I know." Hunter nodded. "Doesn't mean it felt good though; I never knew my parents, so I can't imagine what it was like to have them taken from you. But on one hand, at least you had the chance to know them."
"Grass is always greener." Sunset quoted hollowly as she stood and looked at him.
"Point is," Hunter began with a light smile. "All our lives were shit in one way or another; but we found the strength to become the agents we are today. There was a lot in your file to be impressed by too, you're one hell of a soldier in your own right."
Sunset managed to at least accept the compliment between combatants. "I admit I did underestimate you; I thought your behavior and unorthodox tactics made you a disgrace, but it actually makes you far more dangerous than I gave you credit for."
"Like I said, I take protecting Susnet seriously." Hunter stepped up to the trunks. "I can tell you take protecting Hunter seriously too; I know how I'd feel if I lost Sunset, so let's go make sure that doesn't happen to you."
She quietly accepted and the two began arming themselves. As they worked, Sunset paced the room and began scanning through the accumulated notifications on her page; she soon came upon a video clip that was less than an hour old and had already received hundreds of re-posts and comments. She watched the clip to hear a voice clamoring about a crazy guy brandishing a sword down by the beach. “Hunter?” She called.
“Find anything?” He asked as they jogged over.
“He’s at the beach, looks like the marina.” She detailed.
“He’s looking for a ship.” Sunset concluded as she readied her QTA-11.
“Well that’s just cliche.” Hunter noted. “Better get there before he finds his sea legs.”
Loading up in Hunter’s car, he rushed them down to the location pinned on the video. In such an open area of operation, Hunter had to take them well past the crowds and along the way they could see first responders arriving at the scene to investigate. Knowing they didn’t have much time, he parked in as quiet a spot as he could find and they got out to survey the area.
“Better mask up.” Hunter suggested as he slipped on a ski mask.
“Obviously.” Sunset did the same. “By the way, we destroy the sword without harming Hunter. If you so much as graze him, I’ll kill you myself.”
“I won't harm a hair on my head.” Hunter chuckled as he looked to his own Sunset. “Sunny, get as many people as you can out of the area and try to stall the police if you can.”
“I’ll do my best,” She looked the two of them over. “Good luck.”
The other Sunset watched her sprint off; Hunter noticed and hummed in interest. “Does it make you feel better seeing that she isn’t some dangerous creature?”
“Shut up and let’s get to Hunter.” She ignored his words and began moving in; knowing his aim, they made their way to the marina and began inspecting the rows of piers that were lined with private vessels. At pier fourteen, they found their target sinking a speed boat in disgust.
“Are there any ships here fit for a warrior?” He muttered.
“If you’re looking for a battleship, the U.S. military tends to hog those all to themselves.” Hunter called his attention.
Ulf looked back and shook his head at the sight of them. “You two again?”
“The possession is getting worse.” Hunter noted, seeing that his counterpart's facial features had begun to distort and his eyes now burned with the same red magical aura as his sword.
Ulf pointed the tip of his weapon at them. “I at least give you praise for wishing to die in battle.”
“No one is dying,” Sunset readied her rifle. “I’m destroying that sword and sending you back to whatever hell you came from.”
“Ah, it seems you found your fire, girl.” Ulf laughed. “Very well, maybe this time you’ll be worth my effort.” He slashed the air and sent an aimless wave of magic at them.
Hunter tossed a flash bang as he and Sunset went in opposite directions; unaware of the modern weapon, Ulf was blinded by the flash and stunned by the sudden noise. Hunter fired at the blade of the sword, but the bullets were burnt up before impact by the powerful magic emanating from the cursed weapon. “Shooting the blade directly is useless!” He yelled over to Sunset.
“I’ll try the hilt!” Sunset answered as she went prone. “Distract!”
“On it!” Hunter continued moving away from Sunset’s position.
“Running!” Ulf leapt into the air and came crashing down in front of Hunter. “You are a coward.”
“I prefer to think of it as strategy, thank you.” Hunter tossed his weapon aside and pulled a combat knife from his hip. “But if you want to go toe to toe.”
“A puny blade, don’t you think?” Ulf scoffed.
“Maybe, but I don’t have to compensate for anything Mr. Two-hander.” Hunter smiled.
“Your tongue is sharper than your skill, boy!” Ulf rushed in with a solid swing.
Hunter forward rolled beneath the swipe and got to his knees in time to block his backswing; blades locked, he pushed into him further and gripped his wrist tight to hold his dominant arm still. They both instinctively broadened their stances to gain stability; Hunter rolled across Ulf’s right side and locked him in a rear naked choke. In response, Ulf flipped his sword upside down and stabbed it at Hunter’s foot; forced to give up his footing to dodge, Hunter pushed him forward and they fell to the ground. Ulf rolled onto his back and pinned Hunter against the ground, but Hunter took his wrists and forced them upward giving Sunset a clean shot at the hilt of the sword. A series of carefully aimed shots rang out, the last of which striking the ruby resting in the pommel. A surge of magical energy spewed outward and Ulf reacted with a pained shout; he rolled away and guarded himself as Hunter rose to his knee.
“Don’t like taking it in the jewels, huh?” Hunter panted.
“Damn you, boy…” Ulf growled. “You will not best me.”
“You might have been a badass in your time, but you’re out of your element.” Hunter rose to his feet as Sunset ran up beside him.
“I saw the reaction,” Sunset too dropped her rifle and pulled out her own knife as well as her sidearm. “Close range and shoot the ruby.”
Hunter drew his sidearm as well. “Sounds like a plan.”
“You dare act like you’ve won!” Ulf rose once more and readied his sword. “Were it not for this weak body, I…”
“Hunter is not weak!” Sunset shut him down. “He’s a more honorable man than you’ll ever be; and I want you out of his body now!” She ran in with Hunter following; Ulf found himself backing up and parrying as the two skilled soldiers assaulted him with a mixture of close quarters combat techniques and handgun fire. With each exchange, either Hunter or Sunset would send a round into the ruby with each impact causing Ulf to wail in pain. As he faltered in his stance, Hunter weaved under a blind swing; taking his wrist and shoulder he hyper-extended his sword arm and offered Sunset an open shot. After firing twice more into the ruby, Sunset side kicked the sword from his hand and it stuck into the sand alongside the walkway. Sunset caught his body as it went limp while Hunter pulled two hand grenades from his belt and tossed them next to the sword as soon as the pins were pulled. They both took the weakened Hunter’s body and sprinted away, diving into the sand as a massive explosion reduced the sword to pieces that scattered across the area.
Sunset scrambled to her knees and pulled her Hunter with her; ripping off her mask, she held him steady and cradled the back of his head. “Hunter!?” She called. “Hunter, wake up… please.”
His eyes slowly began to open and his dry mouth quivered. “S…Sun…”
“It’s me, Hunter.” Her face washed over with a joy that was rare for her. “I’m right here.”
“I…” Hunter focused in on her with weak and sad eyes. “I… attacked you…”
“No, it wasn’t you.” She assured. “It was the sword, but we destroyed it.”
“We..” His eyes slid over to see his human counterpart looking down at him.
“Hey there, sunshine.” Hunter made a dry laugh. “You slept through the fun part.” He laid his hand on her shoulder. “We need to get somewhere safe, head back to the car and I’ll find Sunny.”
“What about the sword?” Sunset looked up at him.
“Normally I’d want to collect the pieces, but we don’t have the time.” He shook his head. “Besides, I’m ninety nine percent sure that in cases like this the thing has to be whole for it to be a problem.” He smiled as he held up the ruby. “So I’ll just hang on to this part here.”
Sunset nodded and got Hunter to his feet, collecting her rifle as she spurred him along while Hunter went to collect his own weapon and find his Sunset. Within the half hour, the docks were filled with police who were investigating but finding little more than bizarre metal fragments and spent bullet casings. The pair of Sunsets and Hunters managed to flee the scene and make their way to the back of a superstore parking lot to collect themselves. The Equestrian Sunset ran into the store to get some water while her counterpart sat in the back with her still dazed Hunter.
“Sunset… I am so sorry,” Hunter looked at her dimly. “I only wished to aid you and…”
“I don’t care about any of that now,” Sunset stopped him, pulling him against her. “You’re you again, that’s all that matters to me.”
He smiled at her embrace, doing his best to return it; as he sat back, he looked to his other self. “You… you helped save me, why? I tried to kill your Sunset.”
“Because I knew it would piss you off.” Hunter answered with a laugh.
Hunter laughed into a cough as Sunset rubbed his back. “Yes, it does.”
A knock on the rear door sounded as Sunset appeared, she pulled it open and passed in two bottles of water. “Here you go, ice cold from the cooler.”
Sunset took them and unscrewed the tops, giving one to Hunter who was quick to begin downing it. “Easy,” She warned as she looked to her human self with softer eyes. “Thank you.”
“Of course,” Sunset smiled. “I’m just glad everyone came out of this unharmed.”
“Jump in, Sunny.” Hunter rocked his head towards the passenger seat. “We’ll get back to the safe house.”
“Right.” Sunset closed the rear door and hopped into the front.
Hunter took them back to Sunset’s safe house and once inside they were able to shed their gear. As he rejoined his Sunset by the table, they looked over at their other selves as she inspected his body for any injury.
“Hunter?” Sunset laid her head on his shoulder.
“Yeah?”
“Do you believe what Twilight said?” She asked. “About us being destined to be together?”
“Ah,” Hunter sighed as he ran his hand up and down her arm. “I don’t believe in destiny or fate, but I also don’t believe in coincidence; let’s just file it under fucking weird and leave it at that.”
Sunset laughed and nodded. “So what now?”
“Well,” Hunter began as he saw them start to head over. “That’s up to them.” He smiled at they approached. “You good?” He looked to his counter.
“Yes,” He nodded. “Sunset told me I had been shot, but being under the magical thrall of that spirit seems to have healed the wound." He surmised. "I am unharmed, save for my pride.”
“You’ll get over it.” His Sunset chortled.
“So what’s the plan?” Hunter asked. “We done trying to kill each other or do we pick up where we left off?”
The human Sunset looked to her Equestrian double. “When I found out that there was a creature from another world with my face, living the life that got stolen from me…” She sighed. “I admit that it clouded all my judgement. I came racing across the globe, off the books and without my superior’s knowledge to hunt you down.” She gestured to her. “And you have the nerve to… not be a monster.” Her hold around Hunter tightened. “Your Hunter said that you were special like I decided mine was, and he’s right. Maybe I need to start rethinking things.”
“And you,” Her Hunter took over, looking to his opposite self. “You’re an arrogant, vulgar and perverted swine.” He smiled. “But… you are also and true and honorable warrior. Thank you for saving me and for being there for Sunset when she needed it most. She is not one to ask for help.”
The human Sunset slowly nodded. “So, to answer your question, we’re done here.”
“So, you keep quiet about my Sunny and I’ll keep quiet about your Hunter.” Hunter offered.
“Agreed.” Sunset nodded.
“Isn’t mutually assured destruction fun?” Hunter smiled over at his Sunset.
“Sure,” She left his side and stepped up to her counterpart. “I hope things do change for you, for the better.” She began, looking to her Hunter. “You’ve got someone that truly loves you, maybe a little too much, but you really should think about opening yourself up to others like Hunter has.” She looked up at her with warm eyes. “I know you said agents don’t have friends, but if you ever find yourself thinking that, then just remember you have two here in Canterlot.” She held her hand out.
Sunset allowed herself to smile and slowly took her hand. “One for sure,” She glanced over at Hunter. “Still on the fence about him.”
“Now that I understand.” Sunset said as they both laughed.
“Come on Hunter, let’s go home.” Sunset helped him along.
“That sounds wonderful, my love.” He laid into her as they walked.
“By the way, she told me about Cloud Dancer.” She began as they started off. “Want to fill me in?”
“Oh…” Hunter stammered. “Well…”
“If you don’t want to, I get it.” She nodded.
“No, it’s just… given my past lied in another world I…”
“I want to know.” Sunset interrupted. “I’d… like to know.”
Hunter smiled as he thought back to his past life. “I’d like to think that you two would have been close.” He started.
Back across the way, Hunter and Sunset watched them go as their conversation trailed off into echoes along the walls.
“All the craziness aside, I’m glad I finally got to meet her.” Sunset noted. “Feels like finding a missing piece of myself.”
“I think she feels the same way now.” Hunter suggested.
They stood in silence for a long minute. “You know, I think I’ll take you up on that vacation trip.” Sunset took his hand, starting the procession back to his car.
“Oh, what about yetis and ghost pirates?” Hunter laughed.
“We’ll fight them,” Sunset said without hesitation. “At least the scenery will be different.”
“I’ll start looking at brochures.” Hunter squeezed her hand tightly as she pulled out her phone to begin letting everyone know that the danger was over and they were on their way home.
