The Hunter

Operation Raven
File: 4
Time Dedicated: (Unavailable)
Last Name: Storm (First Name unavailable)
Age: 23
City: (Formerly) Trottingham
Info: (Content removed by orders from Boss. For more information see File 2 .)

Suspicion Level: (N/A)

(Twenty Years ago)

The night sky, once quiet and dark, gave way to a red light. The light lit up the entire neighborhood. It was hours before anypony could understand what was happening. The mansion that belonged to one of the most pristine art collectors was set ablaze. Midnight until dawn, the fire ate away at the house. It wasn’t until the sun rose that the authorities arrived.

The firefighters managed to put out the last of the fire. They cleared out the smoke before the sheriffs entered what was left of the house. They did a thorough search for what could be salvaged. Most of the valuable art was collected, and insurance managed to cover a lot of the damages. But there was one thing that wasn’t salvaged.

“Where’s Dust?” The mother asked a sheriff, who was taking a drink .

“Who?” He asked.

“My son, I left him here with a babysitter, but I haven’t been able to find him,” The mother said.

“He was only three years old, and his babysitter was well over thirty,” The father explained.

“Nothing was found except for the art. Maybe you should ask the neighbors, but all we can do is declare him missing,” The sheriff said.

“We don’t care about the art, we just want our son,” The mother said.

“It’s okay Merriam, let’s just ask around, see if anypony knows anything,” The father said.

The parents asked neighbors and friends, but they couldn’t find anything. Their last lead was the babysitter. He had volunteered for the position the day before, and they gave it to him. Now, they had no idea where he was, or more importantly, who he is. They reported this to the sheriff who raised his eyebrow.

“Are you suspecting the babysitter has something to do with this?”

“No, we’re just wondering if you can find out who he is,” The father said.

“We’ll try, but we’ll need you to describe him clearly…” The sheriff said.

The house was cleaned. The charred remains of the old house were knocked down to make room for a new house. In all of the commotion, nopony noticed the most important details. The fact that two of the house’s most important historic art pieces were missing... A mask, and a cloak. They also didn’t notice the only paper-like substance that didn’t burn .

A single piece of paper on the dining room table lay there. It started to singe from the heat, but otherwise it was intact. Now, when the sheriff was ready to forget the scene, a nearby reporter slipped the note in their pocket. Motioning for his assistants, they left the scene. They weren’t seen from the townsponies again.

(Present Day)

Sunlight streaked across his vision. He could hear chirping of birds and the flow of a nearby river. Blinking his eyes, he let the sky stretch out above him. The silence that came after, kept him quiet. Slowly, he raised his head and looked around. The forest around him was peaceful, and the woodland animals scurried in the bushes.

He felt a sudden pain in his forehead. Raising his hoof up, he felt the smooth covering over his face. Pulling back his hoof, he found the river a few feet away. He stood up and walked over. He took a gaze into the calm water. His eyes focused on the monster that looked back at him.

The monster had a face with triangular eyes and lines on each side of the nose and forehead that made arrows. Suddenly he realized what was looking back at him. It was a mask, that he didn’t realize he was wearing. Reaching back up to his face, he could tell that it was indeed a mask. Although the mask didn’t cover his mouth, it did cover the rest of his face.

He reached up to take the mask off, but something held him back. A memory started to form in his head. He held onto his head as the voice came out.

“My name is Dust… and nopony can take that away from me,” He could hear a familiar voice saying.

“Dust…” He said out loud. Suddenly it came clear to him who said that. He was the one who said that long ago. It felt like it was all in a dream, but it was definitely him who said that. He rubbed his head to try and figure out what was going on. He felt like nothing was certain at this point.

Everything felt like a dream. Or it felt like he was leaving a dream. He had no idea who he was, other than his name. Everything looked so new to him, but it also looked similar. He sat down to try and figure this out. Taking another look at the river, he saw the mask again. The vision returned, this time it showed the inside of the mask as he was putting it on his head.
The Hunter

Dust rubbed his head to see if he could get anything else, but it didn’t work. He felt lost, in more ways than one. Trying to keep the mask out of his mind, he focused on the other details he saw. The cloak he was wearing was comfortable, and it was a good contrast to the white coat he had. Although, his coat wasn’t pure white, it was slightly darker . His mane was a deep shade of red.

Looking at his eyes, Dust noticed that they were a dark red. It was the same color as a fresh puddle of blood. He couldn’t resist wincing and turning away. It gave him chills to think about it. He instead looked around him again. He realized that the forest he was in was actually full of apple trees.

Dust inspected a fallen apple and took a bite. It was slightly bruised, but otherwise alright. He enjoyed the sweet juice that came out. He didn’t realize how hungry he was until now. After a few more bites, he started walking. Everything seemed to be clear to him now that he’s eaten. He had a plan. Ask any locals if they recognized him, and see if they could help him figure out where he is. Or more importantly, who he is.

A snap of a twig caused Dust to be on high alert. He spun around and faced a Timberwolf. Its jaws oozed sap. Suddenly it pounced. Dust felt time slow down as the teeth of the assailant found its way to Dust’s neck. He cried out in pain, but sent a blow to the head of the Timberwolf. The Timberwolf gave a howl as it let go.

Dust felt the blood from his neck flood out. He made eye contact with the Timberwolf, and suddenly it stopped. Instead of going forward for another attack, it took a step back. Dust continued to look into its eyes, and the Timberwolf gave out a yelp as it retreated. Suddenly, the world started to turn grey. He let his head roll to the side as he passed out. The last thing he saw was the outline of a pony running up to him.

“You sure he’s going to be alright? He looks like a ghost,” A voice with a distinct southern accent said.

“That’s just his coat color, don’t worry,” Another voice with a southern accent said.

“W-what happened?” Dust managed to cough out before opening his eyes. He caught sight of an orange pony with a yellow mane and a yellow pony with a red mane standing over him. He didn’t pay much attention however, because he felt a sudden pain in his neck. He reached to his neck to try and soothe it.

“Careful mister, them bandages might rip,” The yellow one said.

Dust suddenly stopped. He felt something in his head now. It was a sharp pain that started to expand. He closed his eyes as the voice came back to him.

“…magic in the environment. Don’t forget it can be used to help you as well as…”

Dust opened his eyes, and suddenly he felt something warm on his neck. He reached his hooves up to it, and found a thin layer of powder was over the wound. The bandages were still there, although they were also covered in the powder. He looked up to the two inspecting him.

“What’s going on?” The little one said.

“I don’t know, but it doesn’t look good,” The bigger one said.

Dust felt his pain go away. His neck started to itch, but he was relieved. Slowly, he let his eyes close to revel in the feeling.

“Is he dead?” Dust heard.

“I don’t think so, I reckon he’s just sleeping,” Dust also heard.

“I’m not dead…” Dust managed to whisper from the dry throat he was feeling.

“Are you sure, maybe you just can’t accept it. What if you turned into a ghost and you need help going to the other side. Maybe I can get my talent in helping ghosts! I’ve tried catching them, but I’m sure I’ll get my cutie mark doing it this way,” Dust heard.

“Applebloom, go get him some water. Last thing we need is him dying of thirst,” Dust heard the thick southern accented pony say.

“Thanks,” Dust said when he heard hoof steps leave the room.

“Don’t got to thank me, I’m just doing the right thing. I found ya in the forest with a gash in your neck. Thought we could get you to the barn to wait for the doc, so just hang in there,” She said.

“I think I’ll be fine…” Dust said, raising his head. He looked around the room from the couch he was laying on.

“So, what were ya doing in the woods by yourself?” She asked.

“I was… uh, I don’t know. I don’t remember much of anything lately,” Dust said.

“Well can I get your name then? My name’s Applejack,” Applejack said.

“I’m Dust… I think ,” Dust said, realizing that he didn’t know anything for a fact yet.

“Well Dust, the doc should be here any minute, maybe you should keep your head down,” Applejack said.

“I’m feeling a lot better though…” To emphasize his point, he brushed away the layer of powder and showed her the wound. What he didn’t realize, was that the powder was actually sand. Now that it was gone, the wound looked like it was days old. Applejack raised her eyebrow in surprise.

“Just a second ago, you were bleeding like a stuck pig. I reckon there’s something you ain’t telling me,” Applejack said.

“I… I just had this weird feeling and now my pain’s gone,” Dust said, reaching up to itch his neck. He scratched away more of the sand that was there.

“What’s all this then?” Applejack asked, picking up some of the sand. She held it up for Dust to see.

“Is that sand?” Dust asked, feeling his head start to pound again.

“Sure looks like it, but maybe it could be some kind of magic dust,” Applejack said.

“Right… magic dust,” Dust felt his head stop pounding, but gradually. He took a slow breath to calm his head. Now he looked back up to the mare looking worriedly at him.

“Are you sure you’re alright? Maybe you hurt your head before we found you,” Applejack said.

Dust didn’t have to answer, because The younger pony entered the room. She gave him the cup and he downed it quickly. He gave a sigh of relief when he was finished. It slid down his throat with ease, and left a tingling in his throat.

“I feel great now, thank you,” Dust said to the younger pony.

“Your welcome, mister,” The younger pony said.

“Dust, meet Applebloom she’s my little sister. Applebloom meet Dust, he doesn’t remember much, ‘cept for his name,” Applejack said.

“Nice to meet ya, Dust,” Applebloom said.

“It’s nice to meet you; you two have been really hospitable. Can I repay my debt anytime soon?” Dust asked.

“First I think you should focus on getting better. Until then, you shouldn’t be doing much,” Applebloom said.

“I’m fine, really. I’ve been through worse… I think,” Dust said.

“Let’s wait for the doctor though. He’s the professional,” Applejack said.

“I have no idea what this is…” The doctor said, inspecting the wound.

“I was bit by a Timberwolf, I managed to fight it off, but it left me with this,” Dust said.

“I understand that, but the wound… it’s not a wound. By my calculations, it looks like it’s been healing for days now, but you say that it happened this morning?” The doctor asked Applejack.

“Yeah, we found him right after it happened and took him here. After that, we waited for you to show up, doc. But he woke up and said he was fine,” Applejack said.

“I really feel okay. I don’t know why this seems like a miracle,” Dust said.

“Hold on… what’s this?” The doctor inspected the sand that remained on his neck.

“I think it’s sand, but I don’t know how it got there,” Dust said.

“It wasn’t there when we brought him in, so your guess is as good as mine,” Applejack said.

“I’m going to take some of this with me for analysis, I’ll return in a few days. Until then… I guess you’re free to do whatever. Don’t stress yourself though, it could open back up. Just remember, if you feel any pain, feel free to come see me,” The doctor said.

“Okay, anything else?” Dust asked.

“I suggest you find something… less grim to wear,” The doctor said, gesturing to the mask he wore, and the cloak he was lying on.

“I’ve grown attached, sorry doctor,” Dust said, finding it amusing how other ponies viewed his mask.

“Well I’ll be going then,” The doctor left with his bag of sand and Dust was left to look at the ceiling. He slowly sat up and got off the couch.

“Well what are you going to do now?” Applejack asked.

“I was wondering if I could stay here until the check up. I don’t think I live anywhere near here,” Dust said.

“You’re welcome to stay at the farm, just make sure you get acquainted with the other residents. My brother Big Mac could sure use a stallion to talk to, just don’t expect him to say much,” Applejack said.

“I think I’ll take a walk around, I won’t go too far,” Dust said.

“I’ll give you a tour of the farm later today, just don’t get lost until then, okay?” Applejack said.
“I’ll do that, but for now, I need some time to think,” Dust said.

Dust walked out of the living room. He passed by a mirror and noticed that the gash in his throat was barely noticeable compared to how he looked with the mask and cloak. He felt the wound again, aware that some of the sand still remained, but he brushed it aside. He made his way to the door and pushed it open.

The fresh air felt good on his coat as he walked out. The scent of apples and trees filled the air, and he didn’t mind. He took in the sight as well. Trees surrounded the farm house, and there was a path that led back to town. The area immediately around the farm contained farm animals and crops, but the trees are what gained his interest.

For as far as he could see, the trees stretched in every direction. There was only two ways where he couldn’t see apple trees, and one led to town . The other direction had an evil looking forest that he hadn’t seen before connecting to it. He walked in the direction that was only apple trees and started to think.

“I should gather up what I know and find out what I need to figure out,” Dust said to himself. He made a mental note of what he knew. It started with his name.

My name is Dust, I think. I woke up in the forest near a Timberwolf. I don’t have any wings or horn, so I’m an earth pony. I’m having flashbacks, and I don’t know when they’re going to happen. I have a weird mask and cloak… that I don’t think I should take off. My Cutie Mark is…

Dust stopped and looked down to where his Cutie Mark should be. The cloak covered it, but he pushed it aside. He saw the tornado stand out from the rest of his coat. It was slightly greyer and the bottom of it was white. He let his cloak fall back over his body.

“Tornado, what does that mean? What could my special talent be then…” Dust questioned himself. He stopped thinking about it and went back to his list.

I know my Cutie Mark, so… who am I? Dust leaned on an apple tree as he thought about that more. He didn’t know anything more than he did earilier, but now it felt like it was getting slightly clearer. He grabbed a fallen apple and had a snack. He took his third bite of the apple before he came up with something new.

“What was I doing in the middle of this forest? Does that mean I live somewhere around here?” Dust asked himself. He tossed the apple aside and walked in the other direction. He stopped at the path that led to Ponyville. Nothing felt familiar or gave him déjà vu. He sighed and turned back to the farm house.

He noticed Applebloom walking towards him. She kept a good distance between him and her to get to the path to Ponyville. Dust decided to ask a question.

“What’s wrong?” Dust asked.

“Nothing, mister- I mean Dust. It’s just that… my sister said that you’re sick, and that you’re not yourself,” Applejack said.

“I’m not really sick, but there is something wrong. Don’t worry, I don’t bite. I just need to get my memories back and then I’ll be fine… probably,” Dust said.

“Okay then, I’m gonna go play with my friends, bye Dust,” Applebloom said.

“Yeah, see you later,” Dust said. He watched her take the path into town. He suddenly felt alone. It was something in his chest that started to hurt. He felt like he was missing something, and being alone wasn’t helping him. He turned towards a sound of wood nearby. He started walking towards the barn, where the noise came from.

Dust walked through the open doors and looked around. Barrels and crates lined the walls, with support beams in the middle. He looked in the very back where a red stallion was taking a cart from the wall. Dust must have made a noise because the stallion acknowledged him.

“Hey, I’m Dust. I’ll be staying here a while,” Dust said, looking the stallion over. His build was a lot bigger than Dust’s and he didn’t want to get on his bad side.

“Eeyup,” Big Mac said, hitching himself to the cart.

“Okay… so do you need any help with… whatever it is you’re doing?” Dust asked.

“Sure,” Big Mac said, leaving the barn. Dust followed him out and into the forest. The apple trees seemed to stretch on farther than Dust thought. They finally stopped and Dust wasn’t sure if it was because Big Mac was tired or because they reached the end of the world .

“So, what should I do?” Dust asked.

“Harvest,” Big Mac said, pointing to the trees around them.

“Am I supposed to pick the apples, or do they fall out if you ask nicely?” Dust asked, confused about what he wanted.

“Buck ’em ,” Big Mac said.

“Oh… does that really work?” Dust asked.

“Eeyup,” Big Mac said.

Dust turned towards one of the trees and sized it up. He put his hoof over where he wanted to strike. Slowly, he turned around and got his footing right. He pushed on his front hooves and let his back ones go backward. With as much force as he could muster, he sent his hooves behind him. He didn’t position himself well though, because his back hind hoof scraped the tree. The bark sprayed into the air, and Dust landed on his stomach.

“Did I do it?” Dust asked, slowly getting up.

“Eenope…” Big Mac said.

“I’ll give it another shot…” Dust said, making sure he was lined up good. He pushed on his front hooves again and let his hind hooves go backward. Instead of scraping the bark, he made direct contact with the tree. He heard a crack, and pulled away from the tree. He turned and inspected the tree. The apples did fall, Big Mac managed to get most of them in the cart. He was surprised though, at what else fell.

The leaves on the tree were almost half gone. They fell with the apples, and when Dust looked at the bark of the tree, it had a nasty crack in it. The crack started where he hit the tree and stretched upward toward the branches. Dust also noticed that there were more branches on the ground than normal. He turned to Big Mac.

“Is that good?” Dust asked.

“…Why don’t you pull the cart, instead,” Big Mac said, inspecting the crack that was left on the tree. Dust took the harness from Big Mac and strapped it to himself. He followed Big Mac to the next tree. The stallion didn’t hesitate to drive his hooves into the bark.

Dust watched the falling apples and a few leaves fall into the cart. He came to the conclusion that apples know when they’re being picked, because they always end up in the cart and not the ground. He pulled it up to the next tree and watched as they got the same result. They managed to fill the cart after a few more trees. They went back to the barn and got another cart before heading back.

“Do you usually do this alone?” Dust asked, wanting conversation.

“Eeyup,” Big Mac said.

“Don’t you get tired doing this by yourself?” Dust asked.

“Eenope,” Big Mac said.

“So why did you bring me along?” Dust asked.

“Company,” Big Mac said.

“Okay then…” Dust said.

(One hour later)
“And then I passed out, I woke up in your house after that. I’m pretty lucky to be alive, I’d say,” Dust said.

“Eeyup,”

“But look at me now, in a few hours I’m already up and working… hard to believe, huh?” Dust asked.

“Eeyup,”

“Now if I only knew who I am, I’d be set. I feel like the only thing that makes me different from anypony else though, is this mask and cloak. I woke up with them this morning, and it feels normal having it on, is that weird?” Dust asked.

“Eeyup,”

“See, this is why I like you. You’re straightforward and say what’s on your mind… sort of,” Dust said.

“Eeyup, say it how it is,” Big Mac said.

“That’s the most you’ve said to me in one sentence, does that mean we’re friends now?” Dust asked.

“Eeyup,” Big Mac said.

(One hour later)
“This here’s the barn, it’s for the storage and the like. Until you find yourself a place, this is where you’ll be staying,” Applejack said.

“Looks comfortable,” Dust said.

“It’s either here or the attic, and I don’t suppose you’d be willing to sleep in the cold,” Applejack said.

“I wouldn’t mind…” Dust said, wondering if he would enjoy it or not.

“Well it’s up to you, just make up your mind before nightfall, we lock the doors at night. Don’t know what could be lurking in these forests,” Applejack said.

“Yeah… so is this the end of the tour?” Dust asked, wanting to stop walking after they’ve walked through every part of the orchard.

“I guess so, unless you want me to show you around town,” Applejack said.

“No, I’m alright, I’ll find my way on my own,” Dust said.

“Oh shoot, I almost forgot. I asked Twilight earlier if she knew something about what’s wrong with ya, and she said to come by later. I should get going before it gets late,” Applejack said.

“I’ll go too, I want to find out if I can get some memories back,” Dust said.

Dust and Applejack walked down the path from the farm. They were headed in the direction of the town. Slowly overhead, a single cloud followed. They didn’t notice the shadow of the cloud behind them. Dust stayed quiet while they walked, and Applejack told him some information on the town.

When they reached the town, Dust looked at all the ponies he saw. A few looked back at him, but that quickly changed. Some walked off quickly, and Dust felt really out of place. He noticed that the sound of birds chirping somewhere nearby was silenced. He kept his eyes down as he walked.

“Well look at that, the who gang’s here,” Applejack said.

“Gang?” Dust asked.

“My friends, the six of us very close,” Applejack said, stopping. “But… I don’t know who they are. Are they friends of yours?” Applejack asked.

Dust looked up to the others. The first thing he noticed was the masks on half of the others. He looked in at every one ; each was different than the others. They were looking at each other too, and he felt like it suddenly got quiet. Time felt like it stopped as a cloud moved lazily by. Then he saw a shadow on the cloud.

Looking up, Dust saw the form of a pony standing atop the cloud. He opened his mouth to say something, but he saw something that made him stop. His head immediately spun. He felt his stomach’s content threaten to come up, and he retched forward in pain. He grabbed his stomach as his mind continued to spin. Suddenly he felt the ground come closer. His mind went into a flashback.

(Twenty Years ago)

Dust was sitting in his chair, ready for his meal. The babysitter was in a different room, so he pretended the plate was a UFO. Then, he saw the babysitter pass the kitchen. Dust stood up to ask what was taking him so long. When he left the room, he saw the babysitter cutting a display case. Dust approached him to ask a question.

“Um, what are you doing?” Dust asked slowly.

“Listen kid, we’re going somewhere special…” The babysitter said.

“Where are we going?” Dust asked.

“Someplace where you’ll fit in. Don’t worry Storm, you’re in good hooves ,” The babysitter said.

“What about my parents?” Dust asked.

“You’ll see them another time, we’ll take care of you until then,” The babysitter said, removing the glass around the case.

“Okay, Storm come with me, you don’t belong here,” The babysitter said.

“My name’s not Storm,” Dust said.

“Last names are what counts. Storm sounds better anyways, doesn’t it?” The babysitter said.

“Well why don’t you call me by my first name?” Dust asked.

“Because it’s just how I operate. We’ll talk about this later, let’s just get out of here,” The babysitter said.

Dust followed the babysitter out of the house. The babysitter took some boxes of food with him before they left, and Dust noticed he also grabbed the bottles of alcohol off the parent’s shelf. Cracking one open over the frame of the door, the liquid poured down. The babysitter lit a match and left it at the bottom of the frame.

“Hey, what are you doing?” Dust asked curiously.

“My name’s Echo, and I’m leaving your parents a gift, don’t worry,” Echo said.

“Oh…” Dust said.

Echo led them away from the building and into the tree line. He gave a smile as the glow of the flames illuminated the street. Dust didn’t look back as they walked through the forest. He didn’t know what was happening, but his hooves didn’t stop moving. He followed Echo for three hours until the memory faded away. Then, another one showed up, when he was slightly bigger.

(Two Years Later)

“Storm, are you ready?” Echo called from the other side of the door.

“Almost,” Dust called from the bathroom.

Dust looked at himself once more in the mirror. He closed his eyes and then opened them.

“They can call me by my last name, but my name is Dust, and nopony can take that away from me. Even if I’ll be followed after today, I’ll still have that. My parents should be the only one to call me that,” Dust said to himself softly. He turned around and pushed open the door. He stepped into the darkness.

(Present)

“What a pathetic group of ponies. I think I’ll play with you all for a little bit,” Dust heard from above. He stood up and looked to the voice.

“But I think you need to learn that this isn’t a game,” The voice said.

Dust suddenly felt himself become light headed. The wind started to pick up around him. He had to balance himself before the wind took him. He tried to keep himself on the ground, but eventually it became too much for him. He was thrown backwards and hit his head on the pavement. The last thing he saw before he passed out was the orange figure falling next to him.

Author's Note

A shorter chapter, due to the fact that his past is a mystery, but it does open a lot of doors, just don’t hit yourself on them when you leave. That always happens to me in Minecraft… Damn buttons. But anyways, glad to see people enjoy the story. If you don’t, explain why in the comments below, thank you!

Next Time: The Sixth Mask, Understanding the obvious.