Hunters

The loud sputtering of an engine echoed throughout a road, empty save for the two people riding on a motorcycle. With each shudder and cough that spewed from the mobile road hazard, they grew ever more on edge. The thought of walking home, especially after the boar incident, was a detestable one.

Flash grumbled at the sound. As much as he loved his bike, he couldn't deny it was ready for the scrap yard. The hint of a smile curled his lip as he remembered his plans for the dying machine.

Twilight muttered to herself, though more in frustration at Flash’s insistence on keeping the machine. The bike was an old, rusted heap only held together by duct tape and Flash’s determination. No matter how many times she'd informed him of how ludicrous an investment it was, or how it offered little protection, he just shrugged off her concerns.

The two were mostly silent, so engrossed in their complaining that they failed to notice they had finally arrived at their destination. Thankfully, the cry of a crow tore them from their frustrations. They found themselves in a parking lot, where Flash quickly found a parking spot and the two disembarked.

Their legs seemed have the consistency of wet noodles, most likely stemming from sitting on a motorcycle for what felt like an eternity. Though if someone told them they had grumbling on the road for forty-five minutes straight they probably would have called them a liar.

As their eyes scanned across the grassy hills, they finally stopped to stare at a large school atop one nearby. Unfortunately, they could not take the bike with them. Despite his best efforts, Flash tried, but he and his precious vehicle were teleported back out to the lot. Twilight would have laughed if she hadn’t been stuck on Flash's bike for most of his failed attempts to get it in.

As they walked up the hill towards the school, Flash let out a loud yawn, stretching his arms. “Ah, I’m tired. Once we’re done here, I’m going to sleep.”

Twilight nodded. “I’m fairly tired myself. Let’s cash this and head home.”

The duo continued for a bit before coming upon a large, beautiful ivory castle, sitting atop a mountainside with many waterfalls surrounding it. Above the gate of the building, written in golden letters, were the words ‘Holy Sun School.’

As the pair continued, Flash’s left ear twitched. Shifting his gaze, he saw a man dressed in a shaggy, dark brown jacket with matching pants and a brown press fedora.  He was standing at a desk of sorts, handing out flyers. Despite the man being a good distance away, Flash could hear his words clearly.

"Down with the holy sun!” he shouted. “Why should we allow our children to learn at the same school as half-fiends? We all know how dangerous a normal fiend is! Who’s to say their spawn aren’t as dangerous; maybe even more so!” Flash’s movements paused, fists clenched, eyes briefly flickering red. He had half a mind to go over there and introduce the man’s head to the ground.

The persistent male continued. “The staff says our children are safe. But are they really? What’s keeping these half-breeds from going berserk!? The school can’t control all of them!

Flash’s eyebrows lowered. Teeth bared, eyes fully taking on a red color, he proceeded to make his way towards the loathsome man when he felt a hand latch onto his forearm.  He turned back, his red, slit eyes meeting with violet ones.

"Ignore him, partner. He isn’t worth it.”

Flash pulled back his lips in a snarl, his teeth creaking from his clenched jaw. His hands had balled into fists and their trembling quickly worked up his arms, stopping at his shoulders.

His eyes darted from Twilight's, back to the man, then settled back on hers once more.  Flash took a deep breath through his nose, and let his whole body relax as he exhaled slowly. With a nod to his partner, Flash turned back to the castle, his eyes returning to their normal state.

The pair walked into the building before them, Flash’s mind partly on the word the man used.

Half-breed.

Throughout his life, he heard those  words. Whether directed at him or someone else there was not a time during his childhood where he didn’t hear those accursed words. It was one of the only things in this world that made him feel like a monster.

“Are you okay?” Twilight asked, snapping Flash out of his thoughts.

“Yeah…” he replied weakly.

Twilight stared at him for a moment and contemplated whether to say something. Ultimately, she decided against it, Twilight knew how sensitive a topic this was for him. If Flash wished to bring it up, she would listen intently.

The two of them continued down the elegant hallway. The hallway was longer than a football field, though couldn't have been more than twenty feet wide. A soft, cream-hued carpet covered the floor, and despite the heavy traffic was meticulously clean. Spaced at regular intervals were marble columns thicker than ancient oaks, covered in veins of gold that seemed to stretch upwards like inverted streaks of lightning towards the vaulted ceiling. Portraits of past teachers and students ringed their bases.

Five doors lined each wall, all bearing the stylized name of a teacher in brilliant silver paint. On every window into a classroom was the school's blazing sunset in orange, peach and yellow stained glass.

Between each door stood full-sized steel lockers, but painted to look like cherry wood.  Halfway down the hall were a set of staircases on either side, the same marble as the columns. Massive steps angled both up and down, and wide enough for ten students to march at arms' length with ample room.

Next to the stairs stood a bulletin board that dwarfed a moose in its enormity, almost completely covered from top to bottom with notices, school activities, and missions. The various mutters of students echoed throughout it, some of which were directed towards the pair in greeting. They stopped when they came upon a window.

Behind the window was a man in his mid-twenties, sporting  bluish-gray hair and complexion that spoke of little time spent outdoors. As they drew closer, they noticed him apparently counting something. Flash lightly tapped on the window and the man turned to face the duo, smiling brightly.

“Good afternoon, you two!” he greeted in an upbeat tone.  Twilight returned the smile, while Flash gave a friendly wave.

“Good afternoon, Mr. Shill,” Twilight replied.

“Yo,” Flash added.

 “So, how was your mission?”

“Long and agonizing.”  Flash let out an aggravated sigh, the mission still fresh in his mind.

“It was less than engaging,” Twilight added, giving a sheepish chuckle.

Shill chuckled as he rubbed the back of his head. “I can imagine. Now, let’s get that check cashed, shall we?”

Twilight slid the check under the window to Shill.  Taking a quick look, Shill whistled.

“You two made a good chunk of bits here. I'm not shocked, though .You have been taking C missions since forever ago." Shill said, taking a step towards the board.

 "I know they say S ranks are the most profitable, and E-ranked missions take less time, but you two are in that sweet spot with the C-ranks. I’ll be back in bit.” Shill turned, rounded a corner, and walked out of sight of the two.

The two shared a glance, a wink, and sported a twin set of grins. While the mission itself was bothersome ― and in Flash’s case, painful ― the knowledge of how hefty their payment was made their efforts worth it.

Twilight turned to face her partner. “So, do you have plans for your share?”

He nodded. “Yeah. I’m putting most of it aside.”

Twilight raised a brow at his answer.  “Really? That’s… so unlike you. You usually end up blowing most of it on ridiculous things.”  Flash’s left eye twitched slightly at his partner’s statement, despite the truth behind it.

“Well, you’re always telling me I need to be a little more careful with my cash, right? So I figured why not start here?”

Twilight's lips parted slightly as her eyes popped wide open. He's actually being responsible with his share of the pay?! This is great, but so out of character for him. Wait a minute…

“That is a really reasonable thing to do. But, if you don’t mind me asking Flash, what exactly is your plan?”

Flashing a wide grin, he turned towards his partner and spoke. “I’m going to buy a motorcycle.”

Twilight stared blankly at his declaration before hanging her head and heaving a sigh of disappointment. And to think, for a just a few seconds, I'd thought he was being mature for once.

“Something wrong, Twi?” Flash scratched the back of his head.

“What's wrong with your current one? It still works, right?"

"Yeah, but barely. It's pretty old too, Twi.”  Twilight sighed. “Well, I can agree with you there.”

 Flash nodded proudly.  “So, what are you getting with your share?"

Twilight’s eyes shone with excitement. "There's this super rare book about Star Swirl the Bearded I've had my eye on for quite some time! And with this mission, I finally have enough to buy it!" she squealed happily.

Flash cocked a brow. D-did she just squeal?

Shill smiled as he returned, hefting a small pouch. “Alright, here’s your pay!”

Twilight took the sack from the dropbox Shill had popped open for her. She gave him a nod before turning back to Flash. “Come on, partner.”

Turning to face her, Flash got a better look at the small sack clutched in Twilight's right hand. She sent a bright smile his way, which caused him to let out a hearty laugh. “Eight thousand bits, Twi! That’s the most we’ve made from a mission in a while.”

“And whose fault is that again?” Twilight raised a brow. Flash fell silent as his gaze shifted away from his partner, a faint blush spreading across his cheeks.

“I was trying to forget that.”

“You mean the mission with the Bugbear?”

“Yes!”

“You mean how the collateral damage you caused got taken out of our pay?”

“It wasn’t my fault I got thrown through a building!”

“It wouldn’t have happened if you had listened to me and waited!!”

“I’m impatient! You know this!”

“There is a difference between inpatient and pig-headed! And you are definitely the latter!”

“I am not pigheaded! I don’t even like pigs!”

“Uh.” Shill’s voice broke through to the arguing Hunters. The two fuming teens turned towards the cashier, who took a very loud gulp at their heated glares.

“What!?” the duo snapped in unison, causing Shill to shrink some.

“Uh, I-I wanted to inform you that the headmistress wanted to see you two when you got back,” he squeaked.

The pair quickly fell silent, the color draining from their faces. Headmistress Celestia wants to speak with us?!

“Why!?” Flash blurted out. “We haven’t don’t anything wrong yet!”

Twilight faced Flash,  jaw slacked as an eyebrow escaped into her hairline.  She held out her open hands as if to grasp something.  "What do you mean yet?!”

"Just a precaution,” he explained. Twilight released a groan, her head falling into a hand.

“I’m not sure myself. But she told me to send the both of you to her office once you were done here.” Shill gulped.  After sharing a glance, the duo sighed.

Goodbye, sleep.  Flash thought bitterly as he and Twilight made their way down the hall.

]“Ugh! Couldn’t the headmistress have waited until tomorrow to call us!? I miss my bed,” Flash moaned, his head hanging down.

Twilight merely offered a sigh in response. Despite his tone, Flash did have a point. Both of them were exhausted. The thought of going home, resting for a day or two, was enticing.  The temptation to catch up on some light reading was present as well. However, she knew that ignoring a direct call from the headmistress would not end well for them.

Admittedly, she was rather curious about why the headmistress had summoned them.  Perhaps they had made some mistake on a past mission they were unaware of.

While lost in her own musings she had failed to notice Flash’s sudden stop, nearly bumping into him as a result. Twilight stopped herself, turning to him.

“Is something wrong?” she asked, brow cocked. No answer. “Flash? Are you alright?”

The young male remained silent focusing on something. What is he looking at?

 “Is everything alri-" Flash placed his hand over her mouth. His eyes rapidly darted from Twilight to the ceiling. Twilight followed suit. Tucked on the sides of the large wooden beams were two familiar figures. The distance made it difficult for her to place them.

As her head lowered, violet eyes meeting blue ones, she spoke in a low tone.“How long have they been there?”

Flash held up three fingers, indicating the unknown pair had followed them for three minutes. Twilight nodded and summoned a sword to her side. One of their attackers roared a long, drawn-out "Banzai!"

The duo looked up to find one of their attackers diving headfirst towards them. The pair jumped to opposite sides of the hall, narrowly avoiding a collision with their attacker.

The attacker, however, was less fortunate. He crashed so hard into that ground that the entire upper half of body was underneath the rubble. Only his legs, clad in indigo track pants and dark blue sneakers, were visible.

Flash chuckled lightly as he walked over towards the small hole, grabbed the would-be attacker by their lower leg, and heaved. He plucked the assailant as easily as an apple from a low-hanging branch.

Shaking his head, Flash smiled at the boy. “Hey, Soarin.”

 The teen smiled back, ruffling his dark blue hair to shake out the debris. “Hey, bro. Sup, Twi?” She gave a steady wave to the boy, letting out a sigh of relief.

“If that was Soarin,” Twilight pondered aloud, “then the second figure has to b-”

A screaming “Ya-ho!” from above interrupted her musing.

Quickly drawing her blade the mage blocked the oncoming attack. The sound of metal clashing with metal echoed throughout the empty halls. With a strong push, Twilight heaved her attacker backward. The attacker performed a backflip in midair before landing a few feet away.

The smile on Twilight's attacker shined brightly. With such a cocky smirk, it was a wonder how she had managed to blend in so well. “Hehe. Sharp as ever.”

 She possessed a build similar to Flash, if a tad thinner, with skin tanned a distinct beige. Her cerise eyes overflowed with confidence, though the most unusual feature she possessed was her long, naturally rainbow-colored hair tied in a short ponytail.

“Good afternoon, Rainbow,” Twilight replied with a wry smile, dispelling her blade.

“Yo, what’s up?” she asked, walking over to the group.

“Not much. Just got back from a mission, and now we’re going to see the headmistress,” Flash replied, still holding Soarin’s leg.

“Uh, mind letting me go, dude?” asked the failed attacker. Flash adhered to the request, dropping him.

“Ouch.”  Standing up, the swordsman rubbed the back of his head before going to the small hole to retrieve the lost katana.

Rainbow cocked a brow. “Wait, why are you going to see the headmistress?  Ohh,” – she snickered – “are you guys in trouble!?”

“No, Rainbow, we are not in trouble,”  Twilight replied rolling her eyes.

“For all we know,” Flash added, causing Twilight to shoot him a glare. Soarin returned to the three, decided to add his thoughts. “Maybe it’s about that time Flash wrecked a bunch of houses?”

Flash huffed, folding his arms. “It wasn’t my fault,”

“You’re acting like a little kid, man,” Rainbow chuckled.

“I am not,” Flash mutter.

Twilight cleared her throat, getting everyone's attention.  “It’s been fun, you guys, but Flash and I should get going. See you later,” she said with a bow, continuing her trek. Flash waved at the would-be attackers as he followed Twilight further down the hall.  Rainbow and Soarin waved them off, walking down the hall’s opposite end.

The pair continued down the hall for some time before coming upon two large white doors. As they gazed upon them, Flash shifted slightly. A lump began forming in his throat.

He had been trying to come up with a reason for their summons. He had secretly hoped it wasn't for the previous blunder that resulted in a large part of their pay being taken. Maybe it’s got something to do with my grades? Nah, that can’t be it. My grades are good. Can’t be a C-ranked Hunter with a few C’s, right? So what does headmistress Celestia want with us?

Flash turned to Twilight, hoping to get some insight. Unfortunately, the girl looked just as lost as he did.

“You okay?” he asked, his own voice shaking slightly.

Twilight shook her head. “Not really. I’m worried.”

“Same here.” Flash chuckled weakly. “It’s pretty rare that the headmistress summons anyone, least of all a pair of C-rank hunters.”

Twilight squeezed her arm, a look of fear painted her face. Seeing Twilight in such a state of worry pained him. Even if the two bickered from time to time,  at the end of it all, they were still friends. Exhaling, Flash quickly opened the doors and they walked in together, ending their self-imposed torture sessions.

Behind the doors was a large room with various trophies. Several dozen photos of the student body decorated the walls, and an enormous bronze sun hung above a large desk near the back.

\Underneath the sun sat a woman in her mid-thirties. Her skin had been caressed by the sun, giving it a bronze hue. Though eye-catching, it did more to enhance her shapely figure than detract. She seemed to give off a soft glow, as if having embraced the sun within that it might shine without. Truly she was blessed by the majesty of the sun. Her light magenta eyes burned with intelligence and beauty, while her clothing reflected such qualities in their elegance. She was dressed in a light grayish-fuchsia blazer with matching pants and a dark yellow button up shirt. Her feet were shod in a pair of dark gold shoes that shined with the sun’s brilliance. The lengthy stripes of her hair were multicolored, like an aurora. Wavy pastel locks cascaded freely and wildly down her back , but were groomed so well as to be elegant, even sophisticated.

They slowly approached the woman, bowing their heads. “Greetings Headmistress Celestia,” Twilight said.

She smiled warmly at them. “Good afternoon.” They stood up straight, facing Celestia.

”You wanted to see us?” Flash bluntly questioned. Twilight quickly elbowed him for his direct and tactless tone.

The older woman merely chuckled. “It’s quite alright, Twilight. I have grown accustomed to Flash’s forwardness. It reminds me a great deal of Landslide.” At the name’s utterance, Flash winced slightly.

Celestia caught the subtle movement, her own eyes widening.  “Excuse my poor wording, Flash. I should have realized that name might cause you some discomfort.” The teen simply shook his head.

“It’s okay, headmistress,” he replied, putting on a false smile. Celestia saw through his facade ,but decided against pressing the matter further.

“Very well. I called the two of here because I have a special mission for you.”  After both of their eyes shot wide open, Twilight cupped her chin, brows lowering as she began to think. Flash folded his arms, brow raised and head tilted slightly to the right. They exchanged a glance with one another.

"Um, headmistress? If you don’t mind me asking, why did you select the two of us?”  Twilight inquired.

“Actually, it was not I who requested you for this mission. It was a friend of mine.” This was not the response either Hunter was expecting to hear. A friend of the headmistress asked for us? Twilight’s hand returned to her chin.

"So, what’s this guy’s name?” Flash asked bluntly.

“He wishes to stay anonymous.”

“Wait. So you’re giving us a secret mission?”

“Yes.”

“With a secret employer?”

“Yes.”

“And you can’t tell us anything. Anything at all?”

“That’s correct,” Celestia calmly answered.

A vein began to throb above Flash’s right temple as he frowned. Twilight caught sight of his frustration and placed a hand on her friend's shoulder.

Celestia let out a small chuckle. “I apologize for all the mysteries, Flash. But my friend has his reasons.”  Flash gave an aggravated groan before muttering something.

“The request is as followed; you are to aid him with an issue concerning an apprentice of his.” Flash and Twilight remained silent for a brief few seconds before he spoke. “Um, is that it?”

Celestia nodded. Flash breathed a sigh of relief as Twilight cleared her throat to speak up. “Very well. We accept. But we may need some time to rest. Our last mission was exhausting.”

Celestia gave another nod. “Of course. The mission does not begin until tomorrow in any case.” Celestia handed Twilight a piece of paper with the mission information. Scanning the paper, she promptly folded it and placed it in her pocket. With another bow ,the duo departed.

Outside the room, Twilight released a hard exhale, leaning on a nearby wall for support. She couldn’t have been more relieved at the moment. She turned to Flash, expecting his reaction to mirror her own.

But this was not the case. Flash’s eyes were locked solely on the ground, Celestia’s words still fresh in his mind. Specifically, the one name that stung him to his core. He chuckled inwardly. No matter how painful it was being called a half-breed, that name and the memories attached to it hurt him that much more.

Twilight's expression softened, looking at Flash. But as she reached out a hand, stopped soon after witnessing a smile, similar to the one he gave Celestia, crawl to his lips. Her hand jerked back just before he turned towards the mage.

“Let’s go home. I’m ready to collapse.”

After twenty minutes of driving, Twilight and Flash returned to their medium-sized, two bedroom apartment. Once they entered, a woman with dark blue hair, sky blue eyes, and a complexion close to Flash’s greeted them.

Flash waved at the woman before giving her a hug. “Hi, mom.”

“Good afternoon, Mrs. Flare” Twilight waved. She smiled at them. “Hello, kids. How was your mission?”

“Please don’t ask,” Twilight replied somewhat bitterly. She slipped off her boots and walked toward the couch. She grabbed the book resting on a coffee table and began reading.

“Thank you for watching Mr. Claws, mom.”

“Of course honey. It felt nice to get out. Plus, I'm sure your brother and sister are happy about me being gone, too.” she chuckled, flexing her bicep.

Flash gave a chuckle of his own, albeit with a more awkward edge. He knew what her comment meant, feeling incredibly sorry for his little brother and sister. Once the laughter had ended, Flash spoke. "So, where’s Mr, Claws?”

“In your room, waiting for you,” she responded.

“Okay. Oh, mom? Could you come back tomorrow?  We have another mission."  Flare nodded. “Yup!  Just call me before you leave.”  With another wave to Twilight, she departed.

Flash walked into his room, nearly tripping over an eighty-pound dumbbell as he entered. A brown desk planted on the far right side of the bed resting next to it was a bin slowly filling with clothes, Flash casually tossed his vest into it. Above the desk hung a poster, depicting a group of five people in brightly colored outfits with a star emblazoned on the face of their helmets.

On the wall left  his bed was a dresser holding three framed pictures upon it. One ,in particular ,stood out. In it were five people; Two adults, one man, one woman, and three children. While two were being held by the adults, the third was standing front and center in between them a huge grin plastered on his face. Once in, he gave a loud yawn. After leaving the spear on the wall behind the door, Flash kicked his shoes off and finally flopped onto the bed.

Hmmm. Bed. Flash gave a relaxed sigh as he began drifting to sleep. Before he entered the realm of sleep, a loud, familiar noise got his attention. Slowly rising, Flash searched for the source of the whine. Looking down, his eyes met with two small black orbs belonging to a baby badger.

"Hey, Mr. Claws!”  He smiled, picking the badger up. The baby gave his master a lick. “Hehe. I missed you too.” Flash chuckled, petting the animal. “I hope you were good for mom. Twi and I have another mission tomorrow, so mom’s gonna watch you again, okay?” He let out another small whine. Flash replied with a small giggle

“So, wanna hear about my day?”