Hunters

by SilverKaizoku

Rating: teen
Tags: Alternate Universe, Adventure, Human
Length: 55501

In this world of fiends and hunters, one power drives the resolve of each side; the power known as magic

Many schools across the world were founded upon the teachings, and sacrifice, of The First Archmage. Decades have passed since his time, and things have grown darker since. Two students – a book-loving wizard and a half-fiend with a temper – must complete their training to save the world.

But they can't do it alone.

Their friends, teachers, families and even enemies will help fan the fires in their hearts to fight against the growing darkness.

Will the flames forge them into who they need to be, or will the darkness swallow them alive?

Co written with darkironpony

Edited by Rubahhitam

Cover art by littleSpiritRose

Published 1970-01-01 00:00:00 UTC
Last updated 2016-01-21 21:57:07 UTC

Mission 1

The joyful laughs of children echoed throughout the tiny village. Villagers spoke among themselves about the latest gossip. The scent of freshly baked pies drifted through the air as woodsmen returned from their daily grind. There was an air of peace which blew through the village, such a calming breeze that every mind it touched felt at ease.

Then in an instant, it all came to an explosive end.

A shriek of horror tore through the air, followed by the cackling of a madman. Villagers ran to their homes for dear life, barricading their doors to protect themselves from the madness outside. Bandits paraded throughout the village, looting and destroying everything they got their hands on.  They managed to round up most of the villagers in the town square.

A man easily twice the size and bulk of the other bandits approached the frightened villagers. His thunderous steps kicked up clouds of dust, his blood-red hair seemed to slither in the wind, and his bright yellow eyes were colder than the void.  He hoisted the oldest man with one hand around his shirt and pulled the elderly gent close. The overpowering stench of whisky from the brute almost knocked out the poor grandfather.

“Alright, old man,” he spoke gruffly. “Give us all yer valuables and maybe we’ll leave what’s left of yer town alone.”

“Y-you monsters!” The elder choked out.

“Monster, huh?” The bandit leader grinned maliciously. “I don’t take likely to insults. Boys!” The leader snapped his fingers. His fellow bandits began to chuckle darkly as they drew their weapons.

 “This old fart needs to learn some manners! So-”  turning back to the elder, he flashed an evil grin “- let’s teach ‘im.”

The bandits cheered loudly as they turned to attack the helpless villagers. But before a single blade could cut a hair on any of the townsfolk's heads, a blue blur passed by. Seconds later, over half of the bandits fell unconscious.

“What!?” The leader cried in confusion. “Who dares!?"

“That would be me.” A voice called from behind the leader. Swiftly, he turned to face his opposition. The second his eyes fell upon the source of the voice, almost immediately, the color drained from his face.

“I-it’s you!” The leader said with a trembling tone. The rest of his men recoiled in horror at the sight of their foe.   The villagers all basked in the heavenly glow of their savior, showering him with various ‘oohs’ and ‘ahs.'  The elder was so enraptured by the fearless hero he could only offer him a bow.

“We didn’t think you of all Hunters would come to our aid!”

The noble hero merely shook his head, stretching out a glove-covered hand. “No need for such words, dear citizen! It is my duty as a Hunter to help all people who cry out for a hero!”

The bandit leader bit  down hard on his bottom lip. Blast! We never thought he of all people would be nearby!

Another bandit slowly stepped towards the leader, a look of confusion on his face.  “Uh, boss?  Who is that guy?”

“You fool! Don’t you know anything?!” a different bandit hollered. “That’s the greatest Hunter in the world! The Blue Hero of Justice himself! Flash Sentry!”

Flashing a confident smile, the brave warrior stepped forward. “You dare harm these innocent villagers! Clearly you all need a lesson in proper etiquette! “ The Hunter said boisterously.

Growling , the bandit leader gestured to the Hunter. “Get him!”  The bandits shouted fiercely as the charged the azure haired Hunter. Flash simply chuckled. Pulling his arm backwards,  he thrust it forward, creating a powerful gust of wind that blasted the bandits and their leader right into a conveniently placed jail cell.

“Curses! And I would have gotten away with it too, if not for that blasted Flash Sentry!” The leader moaned.

Flash walked up to the captured bandits, shaking his head. “You foolish bandits. Don’t you realize evil is bad? You’ll never win so long as the forces of good exist!”

The bandits let out a collective gasp, taken aback by the noble Hunter’s pure words.  “Oh You are right, Mighty Flash Sentry. My men and I are giving up evil forever.”

The village exploded into cheers as the elder stepped forward. “Oh Mighty Flash Sentry, you have saved our village. We are forever in your debt.”

Flash shook his head. “No thanks necessary, citizen. It’s my duty to protect and serve!”  The blue haired Hunter gave a salute before a voice called out to him. Turning he saw a beautiful purple-haired girl running towards him.

“Oh Flash!”  She called.

“My love!”  He said as a huge grin spread out on his lips.  The girl ran into his embrace as he spun her around.

“You saved the village! You’re a hero!” She exclaimed joyfully.

“And you’re my everything.” He replied warmly.

“Oh Flash.” The girl said dreamily,  leaning in close. Flash copied her motions.

They drew closer, lips mere centimeters from each other. He could feel her breath on his cheeks as the smell of old books, strawberry shampoo, and pine trees wafted from her to tickle his nose.

Before something hit his forehead.

A young man laid on top of a tree. He squinted his eyes open, the sapphire twins staring at a rather large pinecone.

“Right at the best part!” He moaned.  With a low growl he grasped the reason his dream had ended early, quickly chucking it far above the treetops and deeper into the woods. He yawned, stretching his arms above his head, before pulling absently at the orange edges of his fingerless grey gloves. His free hand swept through his full, spiky blue hair. The man let out another long yawn, then sat up.

After giving his neck a brief workout, his gaze shifted to the target below.

“Are we really doing this?” he asked out loud. “Chasing down a freaking pig? Yovita, this mission sucks.”

Suddenly a familiar voice filled his mind, and he pressed his index and middle fingers together as he put them to his right temple.

Partner?

Finally! Why weren’t you responding before?

Er… I kind of… fell asleep for a bit.

Flash!

I know! Sorry. Doesn’t matter anyway; I found the target!

Good. Stay put until I get there.

Sorry, not happening. I’m gonna bag this pig!

Oh No, you are not! First you run off half-cocked without any sort of plan, then you fall asleep. Now you want to catch it alone?! Not happening! Don’t move until-

Sorry partner, can’t hear you.

Flash jumped down from his hiding spot and removed his auburn-shafted spear from its holster.

Slowly he crept towards the large, chestnut-brown boar fiend, who was sleeping soundly. Its loud snores covered the sound of Flash’s feet swishing through the short grass.

“Okay, big guy,” Flash began. “I need you to come with me.”  The boar snored its reply. Flash’s brows furrowed. Seriously? Is bacon bits here really ignoring me?

“Hey, piggy! Get up! Your owner is worried about you!” he yelled while inching closer to his target. The boar yawned and flashed its yellow teeth, then turned away to sleep on its side. Flash groaned. This pig is working my last nerve.

Flash’s eyes wandered to his trusted spear. It was a weapon that had served him well in the past. Maybe it would do so again. His eyes drifted back to the boar and his blood boiled; he would not be ignored. He jabbed it swiftly with his mighty weapon. The boar reacted by… twitching its left leg.

Flash grinned. “Just a bit more.” He once more plunged his spear into the boar’s side, this time with even greater force. It did offer a different result this time, but not the one the man was hoping for. This time its right leg jerked.

His grin grew wider; he brought his arm back again. “Okay… now get up!” He stabbed the boar with an even stronger thrust.

Suddenly the sleeping eyes of the boar shot open. A furious roar few from its yellow-toothed maw.

Flash stared in awe at the enraged beast. Its large tusks looked powerful enough to tear through bone, and its immense size dwarfed Flash. It let out a monstrous howl. Flash glanced at its enormous, razor-sharp teeth. They looked like they could crush even the most durable armor with ease.

“Okay, now let’s get back to…” Flash came to a sudden realization, as several beads of sweat formed on his brow.

“You’re mad, aren’t you?” The boar snorted steam into his face. “Yeah… you’re mad.”

Flash slowly backed away from the beast. In a fit of desperation he decided that he had only one choice – to run. Fast.

The boar followed closely behind him, its size belying its speed.

Luckily for Flash he had a head-start on the beast. He brought himself to stop and ducked behind a few trees, hoping to catch his breath while hiding from the swine.

The sound of the beast’s hooves and breathing could be heard. Flash knew this meant he had little time. He had to act fast. Still breathing hard, he ran through different options in his head.

“I’ve got no choice,” he finally said, holstering his weapon. “I’ve gotta use it. I promised myself I wouldn’t use it unless 100% necessary.” A surprising grin broke out on his face.

Realizing he needed to put some distance between himself and the monster, Flash pulled a small spherical object out of his vest and cradled it carefully. Dropping it was the last thing he wanted until he got that distance.

He took a deep breath with the object still clasped tightly in his hand; he had to be careful, act smart. He couldn’t afford any mistakes. Steeling himself, he came out of his hiding spot.

“Hey!” he yelled. The boar locked its eyes on him. Flash gave it a big grin as it readied to charge and loosened his grip on the sphere.

The swine made a mad dash for the young man. His grin grew wider; the plan was going perfectly.

 “Oh no you don’t!” He threw the object at the boar. The sphere hit the charging beast and a thick mist erupted from it, one so thick even the boar could not see through it.

The swine began to thrash about wildly, kicking and howling within the mist. It placed its massive nose on the ground and sniffed.

 “Secret Sentry family technique: Smoke Bomb Dash!” Flash yelled as he ran away from the boar. He looked ahead to see a small hill in the distance. Behind him he heard an angry roar, followed by the sound of hooves stomping hard against the ground.

 The teen smirked as he ran. Touchia, it’s following me. Plan’s working! As Flash jumped down the small hill, he took in his surroundings – a large open field with a few trees scattered about. This will work fine.

Another roar broke his train of thought. With a quick glance over his shoulder, he saw the boar had jumped down into the clearing. Flash felt the ground shake as it stomped its hoof, howling angrily.

 Flash cracked his knuckles and jumped in front of the boar, while pulling his spear out and twirling it in front of him. The boar seemed unimpressed. Flash shrugged and jammed the weapon head into the ground beside him. Extending his arms outwardly, he whistled to the beast. It turned to face him.

“Bring it,” he said confidently.

The fiend roared as it charged at him. He dug his feet into the ground and gritted his teeth.   Flash was thrown back when the collided, but he did an opportunity to grab hold of its tusks.

“I bet you didn’t count on me being this strong, did you, piggy?” Flash gave a wolfish grin as he struggled with the boar. This is starting to get fun! The hulking beast snorted, steam escaping its massive nostrils.

Flash pushed hard against the boar and was rewarded with the sight of its hooves tearing into the ground. The muscles in the boar’s front legs tensed up and released as it gave him a more powerful shove back, but he pushed back with just as much force.

The boar groaned as more steam fired from its nostrils.

“Ha! Getting angry? Well, it’s your own fault! You should have been a good ‘lil pig and come with me peacefully.”

 A thunderous roar escaped the jaws of the swine. Its nostrils flared, and a bit of bestial fury glinted in its eyes. As it planted itself firmly on the ground, its body became coated in a faint, dark purple aura. With a raised eyebrow, Flash stared at the now glowing beast.

The aura coating fully enveloped the boar and it began to grow, its coat changing from a chestnut-brown to a dark olive. Its tusks nearly doubled in size, and Flash lost his grip. Its once yellow eyes were now a burning crimson red. By the time the transformation was complete, the boar appeared much more fiendish than before.

Flash let his jaw hang open, shocked by the sudden transformation.

 “Oh,” he squeaked. “I screwed up…” As if to confirm his statement, the immense swine released a bellowing howl. Slowly, Flash let go of its massive tusks and slowly backed away.

The hulking beast charged at him. Before he could react he was stuck. In his final seconds before impact only a single word came to him.

  “Tein.”

He flew through the air. The worst part was yet to come, he knew. He had been flung into the air before. The being hit part was easy; the part that came next was far more painful. His eyes closed in an unreasonable hope that that would somehow lighten the crash. It didn’t.

 His body hit the ground hard enough for a shockwave to erupt from it. Flash was pretty sure it’d scared off some of the inhabitants.

He coughed. He was right, it was the crash that had hurt more. As usual.

As pain shot through his entire body, Flash groaned and rolled onto his back. The thunderous sound of hooves brought him back to his senses for a moment. Though pain stabbed at his neck, Flash moved his head to look upward. The swine fiend was running towards him, it’s black hooves almost a blur.

Flash groaned painfully while trying to climb to his feet.

“Ugh… crap. I think you cracked a few of my ribs, piggy.” He coughed again. The enraged boar let out a bellowing howl, getting ever closer to the young man. He closed his eyes in expectation of pain.

Without warning, several vines burst out of the ground and wrapped themselves around the rampaging animal. The action caught Flash by surprise. Someone saved him?

No, not someone. He knew exactly who had come to his aid.

“There you are, Flash,” a smooth voice stated plainly.

Flash looked up and saw a pair of light yellow boots. “Hey, Twilight.” He gave a weak chuckle.

The figure standing before him was a thin, young female. She had long, purple hair and a darker complexion than his own. Both of her hands were clad in light purple gloves. She gazed at him with her violet eyes, visibly annoyed.

“Hey yourself, partner. So, -” she glanced over at the now restrained boar “- what did you do to make him this angry?”

 “I… may have jabbed him while he was asleep. Repeatedly.” He grinned sheepishly.

 Twilight rolled her eyes. I should've known better than to let him run off on his own. “How long will it take for you to heal from that?”

“A minute or two,” the azure-haired teen answered as he sat up.  Twilight gave a nod to Flash before she slowly walked up to the bound swine.

As she walked, a circle of purple energy formed around her and she started muttering something. The boar growled at her. Twilight raised her glowing right hand, and, without further ceremony, shoved it in his face.

 “Passive!” she declared powerfully.

The boar swayed back and forth. Its eyes began to flutter and turn back from red to yellow, and its expression slowly changed to one of serenity. Its coat regained its normal colouring, the transformation capping off with the fiend’s normal size returning.

 “There,” Twilight sighed, lightly petting the beast. “Feel better now?”

 “Much better, thanks,” Flash chimed in, walking over to his partner.

Twilight sighed and narrowed her eyes. “I was talking to Clementine.”

Flash nodded. “Right, of course, the… wait. Its name is Clementine?”

The duo walked out of the clearing, the now sleeping boar being carried on Flash’s right shoulder. A sigh of relief and annoyance left Flash’s mouth.

“This pig,” he said with a growl. “I hate this pig so much.”

“Well, you provoked him first. It would only make sense for him to retaliate.” Flash’s eyebrow twitched. Though he wouldn’t admit it, she was right. Had he not struck first, the boar… er, Clementine, would have never attacked. They continued walking for a few minutes until they came upon a fairly large house where a tall, slender, blue-haired, woman who appeared to be in her mid-twenties was standing. Once she caught sight of the duo she shrieked with joy, running over to them.

“OH, CLEMENTINE! MAMA MISSED YOU SO MUCH! Thank you both for finding him!” she cried joyfully as she hugged the monster boar. Clementine gave a pleased snort in response. “Thanks a ton fer gettin' my baby back! Hope he didn’t give you much trouble.”

 “Oh, no! No problem at all!” Twilight chuckled awkwardly, rubbing the back of her neck.

“If by ‘no problem’ you mean he almost killed me,” Flash muttered. Twilight lightly elbowed him in the side as the woman turned towards him.

 “Hm? You say something, slim?” she asked bluntly.

 “Uh, nope! Didn’t say a thing.” He smiled.

The woman continued staring at him for a few moments before she shrugged it off and turned towards Twilight. She dug through her bag for a few seconds, until, with a bright smile, she found a piece of paper. She handed it to the two.

“Here’s your payment for a job well done!” the woman gave the duo a wide grin.

Twilight took the check from the client before bowing in response. “Thank you for your patronage, miss.”

 “Whew! Glad that mission is over!” Flash stretched his arms as he and Twilight walked out of the small village. Twilight nodded in agreement.

 “I must admit it was not a particularly fun or short mission. Which reminds me…” Without warning, she grabbed Flash’s ear and harshly tugged on it. “Why didn’t you wait for me?!”

“Ow!” Flash yelped. He tried in vain to wrestle his ear from the steel grip of his colleague. “Sorry! Sorry, sorry, sorry! I’m impatient! Please let go!” he pleaded.

Twilight rolled her eyes, giving Flash's ear a final, sharp pinch before releasing him.

 “Does searching for and returning a lost pet really qualify as a C-rank mission?” He asked while trying not to wince from the stinging in his ear.

 “Of course. They wouldn’t let something like this be any less than a C,”

 Flash sighed frustrated. “I just hope we can get a better mission. A mission that has nothing to do with pigs!”

 “He was a boar.”

Flash moaned at his partner. “Same thing!”

After today, I am never eating bacon again.

Downtime

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?”

Mission 2

If there was one place in all of Canterlot that filled Twilight with annoyance it was the train station. That wasn’t to say Twilight wasn’t interested in studying the odd place, it just threatened to give her a headache.

She could hear a multitude of sounds around her; the click and clack of the trains arriving and departing, the hiss of the steam engine revving. The sounds reminded her of Flash’s motorcycle. And just like that bike, the train was outdated, and that irked Twilight.

She pondered why trains would exist in a world where magnificent things as cars did as well. Not only were the trains typically cramped, but a train had a set path. It lacked flexibility. Now that she thought about it, it sounded a lot like Flash.

Both were very stubborn in their mindset. They would do the same thing over and over again, never learning from their mistakes, and both of them were filled with hot air.

Twilight stopped herself. She had been given a mission from the headmistress, and therefore should act like a professional. That meant not letting herself complain like a toddler.

Twilight’s legs hung from a bench. As did her partner’s, who was sitting a foot away from her. Unlike Twilight, he was tapping his feet, and a frown was visible on his face.

“Ugh. This still ticks me off, partner. Why couldn’t headmistress tell us anything about this guy? All this vague crap just burns me!” Flash complained.

“I understand your feelings, but I’m sure she has her reasons for keeping things a secret,” Twilight retorted.

Flash merely huffed, leaning his head back on the bench, “So, what’s the scroll say anyway?”

Twilight turned to him, “Just when and where we’re supposed to meet our escort.”

“That’s it?! No name, gender, age? Just pick-up info?” Flash asked in disbelief.

“Wanna see for yourself?” Twilight took the scroll out and handed it to him.

“Pass. I’ll just take your word for it.” Flash sighed, his face a mask of boredom.

The two waited for another thirty minutes for their target. At around noon, the train pulled into the station.

As people poured out of the train, Flash and Twilight stood back, scanning the crowd. One of the first people who walked out was a thin green haired woman. After her was a rather stocky man with black hair. And then there was a very lean man dressed as a clown.

“So, whoever this person is they’ll just come up to us, right? How are they going to find us anyway?”

“An impatient male with spiky blue hair. A beautiful and proper purple-haired young maiden?” a voice chirped.

“Proper and beautiful?” Twilight asked, cheeks turning a light shade of pink.

“WHO SAID THAT?!” Flash fumed, eyes briefly flickering red.

The pair quickly turned to find a very short young man shrouded in a plain red hood. Gray slacks clung to the hooded boy’s legs, hoping to stay on and slightly failing. An oversized light blue backpack was carried by a single strap on the youth. Flash cocked his head to the side while Twilight simply stared at the boy, who squirmed under her gaze. His hands went to his strap, hoping the rumor of it adding some protection would be true.

“Um, hello,” Twilight greeted.

“Are you-” Flash began.

“My name is Escort. Nice to meet you,” the young man interrupted as he extended his hand to the duo.

Flash stared in confusion. There is no way this kid is our target. Mr. Clawscould probably take him.

“You’re the one we’re supposed to accompany?” Twilight asked.

He nodded, “I am.”

“So, our ‘secret mission’ was to babysit a kid?” Flash asked, dumbfounded.

“Well, I wouldn’t say you’re babysitting me. Didn’t you read the scroll?”

Twilight sent Flash a knowing glance. He returned it with a sharp exhale.

Escort opened his mouth to speak only before a loud roar from his stomach interrupted him,

“Uh, could we discuss this somewhere else? Like a diner perhaps?” Escort suggested, lightly rubbing his stomach.

Twilight giggled, “Sure. I know a place not very far. Come on.”

Twilight began walking towards their destination with Escort in tow. Flash brought up the rear, grumbling all the way.

Unbeknownst to the trio, two mysterious figures stood watch over them, radiating  an aura so fierce, the shadows concealing them trembled. Nodding to one another, they vanished into the darkness.

As the trio stepped into the diner, they took immediate notice at the tables, which were aligned haphazardly throughout the establishment. Some were placed in the corners. Others were left in a diagonal that took up more space than it really required. Still some were tilted as if they were seats on a roller coaster. What was even more bizarre was the fact there were tables that resembled bendy straws. How they managed to create such a sight none of the group could hazard a guess. Well beyond the owner was in need of professional help.

The waiters of the restaurant at first glance seemed to contradict the arrangement of the tables. They wore tailored suits and finely hard pressed. Their hair was well groomed and styled in such a way to reflect professionalism. They all carried themselves with the dignity of a noble. Their last article of clothing brought the entire attire together. The one piece that no one could see but was an invaluable piece of the uniform,the footwear. Roller skates allowed for faster service after all.

Twilight always felt uncomfortable in the odd place. She wished the owner would just listen to her and organize it better. She was sure it would enhance sales by five percent. She did still come for the food so perhaps the owner’s idea of ‘organized chaos’ had some merit. At least when it came to the actual cooking.

Flash shook Twilight from her thoughts, and pointed at a nearby table. It was close to the exit. More importantly it was one of the tables in a corner and not a bendy table. Clearly Flash wanted to leave soon. Twilight didn’t blame him.

The trio sat down at the table. A waiter came by, dropped off a few menus, and left once they placed their orders.

“So, is this how missions typically work?” Escort asked politely, fidgeting in his seat.

“Oh. Um. Well, escort missions tend to work in this manner, ” Twilight said hesitantly.

“Our last mission had us fighting a boar. So, I’d say no,” Flash grumbled, pinching the bridge of his nose.

Escort's head perked up, “Oh, there are different kinds of missions?” he asked again, intrigued.

Twilight nodded slowly, “Yes.”

Before another word could be spoken, Escort dug around in his backpack, producing a pen and notebook. He swiftly clicked the top of his pen and eyed Twilight excitedly.

Twilight was taken aback by the boy's enthusiasm, but nonetheless continued, “There are escort missions, such as this one. Rescue missions, civilian missions, delivery missions, and much more.”

Escort was mystified by the violet-haired female's words, scribbling away in his note pad, “Wow. That’s amazing!”

The onslaught of questions surprised Flash. Every other Hunter knew this; why didn't he? It was truly odd, to say the least. Twilight was feeling nostalgic as she recalled her own curiosity which caused her to ask just as many questions at Escort’s age.

The waiter arrived with their orders, and placed them on the table before leaving again. Twilight’s plate consisted of a thick hamburger and fries. Flash had a bowl of tomato soup, and Escort had a simple salad. Each of them had a glass of water with their food.

Twilight took a bite out of her burger, and let out a moan of pleasure as she chewed into her meal. The flavor of the food was so intoxicating. Each bite of the burger only made her more and more ravenous for more. She paid little mind to the grease streaking down both of sides of her mouth.

Flash dipped his spoon into his soup with the delicate precision of a gentleman twice his age. As he lifted his spoonful of soup to his mouth, Flash felt the heat billowing from the utensil, and began to blow on it. After he was content that the spoon had been sufficiently cooled, he took a sip.

Escort looked at the two in amazement; the refined and intelligent Twilight was chomping on her food like a wild animal and the ill tempered and quick to anger Flash was taking great care with each spoonful.

“These two are really something,” the younger teen muttered as he continued to observe the pair.

“Are you okay? You haven’t touched your salad yet,” Twilight asked. Her message was somewhat garbled due to the large chunks of food still in her mouth.

Escort snapped back to his senses. With a rapid nod, he grabbed his fork and stabbed it into his plate. The loud clang informed him of his error. With a slight amount of embarrassment, he redirected his fork to its correct path. It struck true and he began taking a few bites of his salad. Absentmindedly he reached for his glass of water.

Flash watched the boy tear into his meal, slowly shaking his head. His manners weren’t as awful as Twilight’s, but still fairly poor. Although, that was only a minor grievance.

The hybrid wondered how Escort could have so little information on missions? He was the student of Headmistress Celestia's friend, which meant he should be at least somewhat knowledgeable of Hunters’ rules. These were the basics of the basics, the first things everyone learned when starting their career as Hunters.

Shaking his head, the blue-haired Hunter took another light sip of his soup. Suddenly, an odd aroma pierced his nostrils. He swiftly scanned the area, trying to find the source of the scent. The scent was near by, very near by. Slowly, his eyes locked on to the source: Escort's glass.

As Escort slowly raised the glass to his lips, Flash's arm shot out and clamped on to the younger teen’s.

“Don’t drink that!” he warned, eyes focused solely on the glass.

“O-ow! T-that hurts!” Escort squeaked, trying to pull away.

“Flash! What are you doing?!” Twilight shouted. She reached over to pull his arm away from Escort. Flash took note of Escort's discomfort and loosened his grip.

“Sorry about that, but it's the water, partner,” Flash stated, his voice carrying a great deal of concern. “There’s something wrong with it.”

Twilight cocked a brow in confusion. She looked at the glass and saw the water was slightly fizzy. It reminded Twilight of a baking soda volcano, though less messy.

“That is strange,” Twilight said as she inspected the glass.

“It stinks really bad. Water doesn’t smell like this. There’s definitely something in it,” Flash explained. He handed Twilight the glass of the foul-smelling liquid.

Twilight carefully poured some of the water onto her burger and took a deep breath. Suddenly the bun turned pitch black. The burger followed suit seconds later. Then the cheese, lettuce, tomato, and lastly the bottom bun.

“What does this mean?” Escort asked, slightly frightened.

“Somebody just tried to poison you,” Flash answered promptly.

“And they used a very rare type of poison too. It’s called ‘Black Omen.’ It's extracted from a nearly extinct plant,” Twilight explained.

“I  think you told me about this before, partner. This is one of the few poisons that is fatal to fiends.”

“Fatal? H-how so?” Escort asked with a shaky tone.

“Imagine that”- Flash gestured to the blackened hamburger - “but for five days straight, and to a fiend. Whoever used this poison is highly skilled, and that’s bad for us since you’re their target. Which leaves us with one option.”

Escort gave Flash a puzzled look, “What would that be?”

The azure-eyed half-fiend stood up from the table, grabbing Escort by his hood and placing him over his shoulder.  Twilight followed suit, picking up Escort’s bag.“Strategic withdrawal.”

“Which means?” Escort shuffled trying to find a comfortable position in Flash’s grip. He silently wished Twilight had grabbed him instead. Then he recalled her recently grease-stained lips again and thought maybe Flash was the better option.

“We run away,” Twilight helpfully answered as they exited the diner.

The trio were racing down the road on Flash’s motorcycle. Escort hoped they had managed to evade their pursuers. Twilight and Flash, however, knew that wasn’t the case. If these people were crafty enough to track them to the diner and even swap their food without notice, escaping them wasn’t going to be an easy feat.

 As if the universe wished to confirm their fears, the motorcycle controls began to malfunction.

“Tein!” Flash yelled trying desperately to gain control. He quietly swore to himself; of course these people would tamper with their only method of escape. The fact the neither he nor Twilight had the insight to assume as much was embarrassing.

He sharply looked behind him to make sure Twilight clung onto him and that Escort held onto Twilight. Flash couldn’t blame Escort as he screamed his lungs out. With a sigh, he pulled the two close to his chest and jumped off his bike.

The group rolled on the floor like an excited dog. Escort cursed his luck. He had already had the discomfort of having Flash’s shoulder dig into his chest and now his back and front felt like they had bruises. The only reason he felt he could hold on was because of the hands of Twilight that made him feel that he’d be okay.

Once they had stopped spinning Flash quickly inspected his friends. Surprisingly there was no visible damage to Twilight or Escort. Flash then realized he had forgotten one last important person to look for. He looked at his spiralling motorcycle tumble and fall like a newborn baby. It slid into a building and became engulfed in a wall of bright red flame.

“Um, sorry about your motorcycle,” Escort spoke in a small voice.

“I-it’s fine,” Flash lied, forcing a smile. “I wanted a new bike anyway.” The hybrid hung his head in sorrow, quietly muttering the words “My baby.”  Twilight gave him a light pat on the back.

“There, there, partner,” the mage reassured. “Your baby is in a better place.”

“Not… helping...”

Twilight gave a sheepish grin while Flash made his way over to the scene of the crash with the hope that the damage wasn’t too bad. Perhaps he could get it repaired. Once inside, his eyes fell upon the mess that at one time was his motorcycle. A groan of annoyance and sadness escaped his jaw. Figures. He moaned bitterly, moving closer. Upon further inspection he caught something stuck in the totaled vehicle’s back wheel.

Pulling the object out his eye widened in shock; a kunai, a signature weapon of a ninja. He should’ve known. Ninjas specialized in assassinations.  It was child’s play for them to collect a poison.

“This day just went to crap,”  Flash growled, slipping the kunai in the pocket of his vest. They needed to get as far away as they could. The crash helped in covering their tracks, but they still needed to play it safe until this was over.

“You really should try and make less of a mess, Barrage. This was a stealth mission,” a female voice scolded.

“But they were right there. I haven’t used kunai since that thing back at that farm, and even then I just plunged them into the cow like needles. I didn’t even get to throw them!” another voice complained.

Flash’s blood ran cold. He turned around to find two people standing behind him a mere five feet away.

The first was a man the size of a mountain. His chest was covered by a grey shirt with baggy grey pants to match. Dark grey gloves wrapped around his hands as the long sleeveless, black  hooded coat fluttered in the wind. The shine off his forehead threatened to blind Flash. A scar snaked over his right eye. Looking down at  Flash, a wide grin spread out on his lips.

The other was a slender female with dark short hair. Her light brown eyes scanned Flash, as if she could deduce a weakness by staring at him long enough. Her gaze made Flash uneasy, inadvertently placing a hand on the base of his spear.

Much like her partner she had a shirt that matched her gloves with a pair of equally baggy pants, though her’s were a lighter shade of grey. The boots she wore matched the color of her partner’s coat. In lieu of a coat, however, she bore a flowing, tattered, dark blue scarf that resembled the waves of the ocean as they danced in the wind.

So, these are the ninja who have been chasing us. I was really hoping they were just book smart.

“So,” Flash began, his grip tightening. “Is it safe to assume you’re the ones who’d tried to poison Escort?” The duo shared a grim laugh, their chuckles further unnerving Flash.

“So what if we are?” the larger one spoke in a mocking voice. “What are you gonna do about it-” The mountain of a man became a blur, and stood behind Flash within the blink of an eye “-little man?” Flash could feel the smug satisfaction on the man’s face.

He had no time to mount an offensive. One mistake with a ninja and it’d cost him his life. He had to survive first and foremost. Flash crossed his arms into an X as he turned.  The giant ninja’s leg crashed into him, sending Flash flying until his back, much like his motorcycle, crashed into the side of a building.

Twilight’s head snapped in the direction of the loud crash. Assuming the worst, she sprinted towards the building, only to stop. She turned back to the now frightened Escort. She couldn’t bring the boy into this fight, and leaving him alone was not an option.

“Hey there,” a voice called to the pair. Twilight hastily turned to find the female ninja slowly strutting over towards her and Escort.

“So you going to hand him over?” the woman with a scarf asked. She opened one of her gauntlet-covered palms and gestured at Escort.

Twilight stood in front of Escort taking a defensive fighting stance, right hand moving close to her side. Her eyes burned with fierce determination.

“Of course you aren’t,” the woman sighed, disappointed. “Well I suppose I’ll just have to cut off those pretty little arms of yours.”

Peeking his head from behind the mage, Escort spoke up, “A-at least hers are pretty!”

“Escort!” Twilight looked at the younger teen a steely gaze. Escort took note of the gaze and returned to his original spot behind her. She wished he hadn’t taunted  the ninja, even if it was somewhat funny. A low chuckle from the woman snapped her back to reality.

 “Oh, he’s got a spine. How cute.” As she spoke, Twilight could feel the pure condescending air within it. “I’m going to enjoy examining it as I rip it out.”

“I won’t let you lay one finger on him!” Twilight declared, hand raised as it began to glow a faint violet.

The female let out a slightly louder cackle, gauntlets opened and facing the violet-eyed mage, “Fine by me. Two spines are better than one anyway!”

The large man slammed Flash into the opposite wall. The blue-haired Hunter found himself stuck to what little of the wall remained. Barrage smirked as he backed away to admire his handiwork.

“Hehe. Come on, you baby. I know you're not done yet,” he chuckled mockingly.

Flash pulled himself from the hole. He rolled his left shoulder and quickly scanned the man before him.

Built like a brick house and nearly as fast as me. Great. Flash gave a sigh of annoyance.

“So,-” Flash began, sliding his spear from the holster “-mind if I ask your name?”

The mountain-sized ninja gave a cocky smirk, “Why? I’m gonna kill you. Doesn’t make sense to give my name to a-”

Before he could finish his taunting Flash’s fist connected with his jaw. The force of the blow sent him stumbling back.

“Yovita! What’s your jaw made of, iron? Punching you actually hurt some,”  Flash winced slightly as he lightly shook his right hand.

Barrage held his jaw briefly, blood dripping from it.  Looking straight ahead, he gave Flash a crazed smile.

“Alright then, Spiky. I will tell you my name; It’s Barrage. How bout you return the favor?” Flash glared fiercely at the towering man before him who continued to smile psychotically.

With an irritated growl, the half-fiend complied, “Flash Sentry.”

Barrage tilted his head. Sentry. This name sounds familiar. I’ve heard it somewhere before. But where? Bah. It really doesn’t matter. I’m gonna kill this punk.

“Well now that we got that out of the way, I’m gonna crack your skull open!” without another word Barrage charged at him. Flash quickly leaped over the large man. While in the air Flash kicked the back of his opponent’s head.

Flash’s foot screamed in pain. It felt like he had just kicked it against the side of a house, something he had an intimate knowledge of.

For a brief few seconds Barrage lost his footing, nearly falling forward.  He quickly  recovered, turning around as he grabbed Flash’s leg and slammed him into the ground.  Barrage picked Flash up and did so several more times before hurling him into a nearby wall.

Barrage enthusiastically grabbed Flash’s neck with a single hand. The merciless ninja forcefully pinned Flash up against the wall, a twisted grin painted on his lips.

Flash hacked up a cough, glaring fiercely at the mountain of a man before him. His eyes were so fixed on the man, that he failed to notice Barrage’s fist collide with his face. The flurry of blows continued until the young hybrid’s head fell limp, small droplets of blood fell down from his busted his lip. He assumed the last strike was the cause of it.

Suddenly, he was being raised once more, Barrage grinning like a child in a candy store. The titanic shinobi began to apply pressure to Flash’s throat, forcing him to hack violently.

Flash desperately struggled with his opponent's arm. He scratched at it, but the man’s hand remained. There was nothing he could do to break Barrage’s death grip.

Panic is an understandable and even reasonable reaction when people are faced with their impending demise. It accelerates blood flow, oxygen and adrenaline throughout the body, increasing the chances for fighting or fleeing to succeed. However, there is a downside to panic; the narrowing of one’s vision, the focus on self-preservation at the expense of others. Those who rise above this, however, tend to find a path to escaping their present situation and launch a counterattack. As Flash’s panic rose to staggering heights, a spark of brilliance went off within his mind; he had a plan. One that could very well turn the tides  in his favor.

Removing his hands from Barrage’s arm, they slid to the left and right sides of his vest. Barrage cocked a brow to this. Had the lack of air caused the boy to go mad? He’d no clue what went on in the Hunter’s mind, but he was more than positive it would be a worthless endeavor.

Flash’s right hand returned from the vest’s pocket. The contents gripped in his hand caused him to beam.

Now Barrage was even more baffled. Why is he smiling? The fool was moments away from death and yet he grinned? Barrage didn’t know whether to be insulted or concerned. With a hoarse roar, Flash plunged the object into ninjas shoulder.

Barrage felt a sharp pain hit his shoulder. Veering to the right, his eyes grew in shock. The item embedded in his shoulder was a kunai. His kunai! The ninja’s body began to shake violently. He tossed Flash to to side, trying to remove it.

He gritted his teeth at the pain. He hadn’t been injured in a long time, having forgot the sensation. The sting  of the weapon alone was enough to send him into a frenzy.  Unfortunately, this was merely the beginning of his problems. Without warning a small black sphere struck Barrage in the head, seconds later it exploded into a gray cloud.

Barrage’s vision vanished. The heavy plume of smoke made it near impossible for him to find his target. The damn kid! He used a smoke bomb to hide himself! The shinobi growled.

“Stop hiding and face me like a man!” Barrage received no reply from the hybrid, the sound of footsteps quickly dashing around him only fueled his fury and bloodlust.

The punk’s resorting to stealth tactics. Barrage was mildly impressed, the Hunter wasn't a complete fool.

That, however, did little to temper his fury. Barrage fully intended on snapping his neck as soon as he found the irritating ant.

Without any sort of warning, something struck him in the stomach with great force. Barrage lurched over, arms hastily wrapped around his gut.

Teeth bared, Barrage furiously flung a flurry of shuriken into the gray cloud in a vain hope of hitting Flash. The sound of metal striking rock and lack of a pained yelp shattered said hope.

Instead, what he received was another strike; this time in the back. The onslaught of hidden strikes continued. Flash gave him no room to counter, shooting out of the plume of smoke at a breakneck speed. The ninja roared in anger, a large vein popping on his temple, his blood boiled. Never before had he suffered humiliation nor has anyone pushed him this far. The shinobi’s raged piqued. He would end this now.

Barrage clasp his hands together, rapidly using hand seals as faint green aura covered his body. A low wind steadily began to whirl around him. The light breeze picked up speed, turning into violent spiral. Barrage howled with laughter, the high speed of his personal hurricane drowning it out.

Sporting an enormous, twisted grin, Barrage extended his arm forward and with one bellowing scream:

“Gale Arte: Violent Blowout!”

The hurricane exploded with tremendous force, dispersing the smoke screen and blasting Flash backward, smashing him into the far-off wall.

Barrage examined the destruction wrought by his own hand. With a grin of pride, he strutted over towards the beaten half-fiend.

Flash pulled himself out of the hole only to fall on his knees. Lifting his head, he saw Barrage striding towards him, hand clutching his bloodied shoulder.  Standing once more, he pulled his spear from its holster and pointed its head at the shinobi.

“Credit where it's due, kid. That smoke bomb trick was clever,” the ninja gave a mocking grin accompanied with an equally mocking applause.  Once the applause ceased his hand returned to it's original location, fingers gripping the kunai.

"But all it did" - Barrage tore the kunai from his shoulder, blood oozing down his sleeve as he pointed the dagger at Flash with a look filled with rage and contempt - "was piss me off."

Flash saw the fury built up in Barrage’s eyes.  He was out for blood.

“Tein,” Flash mumbled.  Barrage charged him, a green aura forming around his fist.  He swung at Flash, who raised up his hand at the incoming strike. In his grasp were two black balls.

Barrage roared, helpless to stop his attack from cracking open the mist-filled spheres. They obscured his vision once more, but still his hearing remained untarnished. Flash knew without a shadow of doubt that Barrage’s hearing would lead him out of the haze.

Within a few seconds he was proven right. He could hear the monstrous giant’s footsteps hot on his tail, and swore he could smell the stench of neglected teeth. Then again, Flash may have caught wind of his own breath for an instant. Regardless of the smell’s origin, he knew he had to act quickly.

Barrage followed the quick, sharp breaths of his prey.If there was one thing he hated more than cowards it was runners, and the fact that Flash acted like both fanned his flames of irritation. That is until he happened upon the image his target standing in front of him. The boy was still, his confidence exploding out of him like a supernova.

“Got you! Now we’re gonna settle this-”

In an instant Barrage stood before the Hunter, cutting off the rest of his foolish words. He had been given a second chance at crushing a skull, and he wasn’t too keen on wasting it. Flash’s appearance didn’t change for the next instant as Barrage plunged a kunai deep into his victim’s head. He felt it fitting to finish Flash off with the weapon that had pulled him into such a protracted, pathetic, and unwanted game of cat-and-mouse. The sound of glass shattering caught Barrage by surprise. Urgently he turned around to confront the source.

Barrage found the Hunter now wielding a mighty spear. It was a weapon he knew very well, through his numerous years of experience, could penetrate his thick skin. However the idiot had failed to remain silent until the final blow was struck. Barrage bent down and pushed himself forward to the charging youth.

In most cases, a person running towards a spear would try to dodge it altogether.  Barrage, however, was unlike these people. Instead he moved slightly to the side of the spear.

The spear dug into his side. Barrage exhaled sharply, gritting his teeth.  The pain was intense, but he paid it no mind. He had zero intent on dying today.

Flash stared in horror at the man who had plunged himself into his spear. It was now clear to him Barrage no longer cared for his well-being. The ninja had one sole objective; Flash.

This action caused Flash to freeze up, his thoughts slowing to a crawl. He had no other ideas or strategies he could implement.

Barrage’s lips curled into psychotic grin. Taking full advantage of his confusion, he coated his left arm in a familiar green aura and punched Flash to the ground with an inhuman amount of power. The force of the blow caused Flash’s head to bounce off the ground.

Barrage’s side was a bloody mess. He grabbed the right side of his chest, breathing heavily, doing his best to ignore the pain. Weakly, he chuckled at the pain. It was like reuniting with an old friend.

Flash’s body trembled uncontrollably. He was completely disoriented, the entire room was spinning. Coughing violently, he tried desperately to push himself up, only to slip and hit the ground a second time.

Flash cast a look of pure rage at the shinobi. How could one human be this strong? Was this ninja even human? In either case he’d have to get away for now.

Steadily did he attempt to crawl away only for Barrage to grab his leg once again.

“Now, where do you think you're going, little man?” Barrage grinned like a madman as he flung Flash backward. The blue-haired teen crashed into the wall, coughing up even more blood.

Barrage cackled devilishly as he slowly strolled over to the downed hybrid.

T-tein. I can’t... I can’t beat him. Flash struggled to push himself up, but his body refused to move. He was in a daze, his vision blurred, head was pounding, he could feel blood dripping down the side of his skull.

Flash looked up at Barrage. The man looked more fiend than human. Gritting his teeth, he let out a low growl, eyes quickly flashing red. His breathing grew labored, his heart rate increased, beads of sweat fell from his forehead.

The large man gave Flash a mocking wave and the hybrid loathed it; The wave, that smug grin, and attitude, but there was one thing  he hated more...

The feeling of helplessness.

“Well, this has been a fun game of cat and mouse, but” - Barrage smiled devilishly, cracking his knuckles - “the game’s over.”

Flash swore under his breath as he punched the ground, causing it to crack slightly.  He was still far too dazed to move his legs or fight back. He was at the mercy of Barrage. With this revelation, a new, far more terrifying thought  appeared within his mind;

Am I going to die?

You Weakling. A voice rung in Flash’s mind. The voice carried with a  cold, apathetic tone. The type of voice that could strike fear into the hearts of even the most courageous of Hunters

His eyes shot open in horror. He knew this voice, it’s presence was never a good thing. Flash’s heart beat increased, his breathing all but stopped.

Oh no. Please no!

Why are you so weak?  Why can’t you take him without using my power?

Shut up.

Too weak to live on your own. You need a human to help you.

Shut up!

You're pathetic.

Shut the hell up!!

Stand aside, boy. The time for fighting as a human has passed…

At that moment the air became thin, nearly suffocating as an ominous crimson aura formed around Flash followed with a thunderous, inhuman roar erupting from Flash’s mouth, forcing Barrage to take a few cautious steps back. Flash slowly picked himself up all the while staring daggers at Barrage.

Flash felt a familiar sensation over take him; a rage he hadn’t felt in years. His formerly blue eyes changed in a furious blood red, pupils fading. His fangs doubled in their normal size with the rest of his teeth taking on a similar appearance. His fingernails grew and curved into claws nearly a foot long, giving them the appearance of a wild beast.

Barrage was awestruck as he witnessed the transformation before him. Though dumbfounded by the sight, he managed to eke out a few words.

“W-what… what… are you?” Barrage’s throat went dry.What was once Flash Sentry looked at his prey, a light growl rumbling from his throat.

Instinctively, Barrage backed away carefully, hands trembling, breathing increased, sweat falling from every pore in his body.  Barrage recognized this feeling. A sensation he hadn't felt in almost ten years. An emotion he thought was long since repressed.

Barrage was afraid.

“What's wrong, shinobi?” Flash spoke in an eerily low and dark tone, a devilish smile slowly taking shape on his lips. “Are you… scared?”

Any retort Barrage may have had vanished, only a measly squeak was all he could muster.

Flash’s smile broke into a full-on grin. Lowering himself on all fours, he charged the ninja at a blinding speed.

Barrage completely froze. His legs refused to budge an inch. All he could do was stare as Flash leaped at him claws and fangs bared.

As the hybrid pounced the ninja, a spark went off in Barrage’s mind.

Sentry… Iremember now.  I remember where I heard it before… he’s-

And with that, the final sound which came from the abandoned building were the cries of a man and the deranged roar of a beast

Twilight couldn’t comprehend how things had gotten to this point. Flash had yet to return from the crash site and now this woman was slowly strutting towards her and Escort. It was child’s play to assume she was the one who tried to poison Escort and was most likely behind their crash too.

Now she not only had to deal with the woman with a scarf but also keep Escort safe and out of the women’s clutches. Twilight’s eyes darted from the woman, to Escort, and a nearby forest. It would serve as  a decent battle ground or a hiding spot.

“Escort, go hide in those bushes until I finish this,” Twilight whispered to the younger male.

Escort nodded rapidly, making a mad dash to the haven that were the bushes. However, the earth between him and bushes suddenly grew, shifting into a solid wall.With a yelp of shock, Escort came to a screeching halt, nearly crashing  head first  into the newly formed wall. Escort gazed at the wall in both amazement and fear.

“M-miss Twilight!” Escort cried out. His plea caused Twilight to hastily turn around. The sight of the stone wall before the younger teen left her in shock.

“Like my handy work?” the female ninja snickered.

Twilight gave no rebuttal, merely a piercing glare.

“In all the books I’ve read on ninja, they never said anything about them using Geo Techs,” Twilight said.

The ninja gave a shrug, “What can I say? I enjoy breaking stereotypes.”

“How?”

"How did I break the stereotype?" she asked, holding her chin as she pondered. "Just because I'm human, I suppose."

"That's not what I meant," Twilight said. "How can you use Geo Techs? They're not in the average ninja's pocket."

"I might just be that bad of a ninja. Being found by an idiot can have embarrassing results," she replied with a mocking frown. Try as she might, she couldn't stop the frown's transformation into a smile, dancing around the question like a skilled ballerina. "Looks like you'll just have to die to keep my secret."

Twilight’s glare intensified on the ninja’s mocking grin. The fact that she saw this as nothing more than a game annoyed the Hunter.

“Why are you after Escort?” Twilight asked with a forceful tone.

“It’s nothing personal. We were hired to grab the kid,” the ninja replied, her tone unchanged.

Twilight’s brow rose, head tilting to the side. Grab? They intended on taking him from Flash and I?"

Her words contradicted the actions of the duo. If Escort had been their target, why would they attempt to poison him?

“You have a funny way of pulling off a kidnapping!” Twilight shot back.

This time it was the ninja’s turn to cock a brow in confusion, “The hell are you talking about?”

“You tried to poison Escort!”

The elder female’s eye rose slightly, “Whoa, what? We did not! The poison was meant for either you or the blue-haired kid.”

“Well, it ended up in Escort’s cup!” Twilight countered.  The ninja paused, lost in deep thought.  Several seconds passed before her eyes shot open, her brow lowering in frustration.

“Goddammit… Barrage,” she muttered bitterly, pinching the bridge of her nose.

Twilight stared at the ninja as she stewed in her annoyance. The mage hastily turned to Escort, who was still frozen with shock in front of the stone wall.

The temptation to grab the teen and make a run towards Flash and flee was a strong one. However, she quickly realized how much of a moot point it was. If they managed to keep up with them while aided by a motorcycle going at twelve miles per hour, chasing them on foot would be child’s play. Fighting seemed to be the only way to resolve the matter.

Twilight’s hands moved in a circular motions, the aura emitting from her hands forming a purple arcane circle. Thrusting her hand forward, a blast of purple energy shot out of the circle directly at the ninja.

The woman sidestepped the blast with the grace and speed of a cat, jumping to the right and allowing the beam to fire off into the distance.

“Well, that was rude,” the ninja spoke with obvious sarcasm. “You didn’t even ask my name.”

“I apologize, but I also don’t have time for banter,” the circle glowed once more and like before, a beam of energy shot from it.

Again the ninja dodged the attack with a jump to the right, as her grin returned.

“The name is Ko, by the way. Style Ko,”  she said.

Twilight paid no attention to her words as she launched a group of small purple arrows towards the shinobi.

The woman moved through the blasts, elegant as a ballet dancer.

“Well?” Ko asked once again, her taunting tone unchanged.

“Are you still on about that?!” Twilight shouted in disbelief.

Ko simply nodded.

Twilight clapped a hand to her forehead in exasperation, a moan following suit, “Fine. It’s Twilight Sparkle.”

“It’s nice to meet you, Twilight. Now, die,” Ko gave a ridiculing smile as she launched a large shuriken at the mage.

Twilight raised her hand and declared, “Shell Tech: Chrome Wall!” A wall of light gray energy formed in front of Twilight. The shuriken harmlessly bounced off it.

Ko grunted in annoyance; fighting against mages was such a pain. She sprinted on the right side of the wall, whipping out two kunai and throwing them near Twilight’s feet. Escort yelped in fear while Twilight stared in confusion.

“I think you missed!” Twilight hastily turned around, firing another beam of energy at Ko.

“And I thought you were the smart one,” Ko’s grin grew as she effortlessly dodged the beam with a backflip, and pulled two thin wires tied to the kunai.

“What are those gonna do?!” Escort queried, voice laced with panic.

Ko shot the panicked male a menacing smile, “This. Geo Arte: Terra Plate!”

The ground under Twilight abruptly rose, as she and Escort lost their balance, narrowly falling off the plate.

Twilight glared daggers at Ko. She was far more dangerous and intelligent the Hunter had first assumed.

Ko beamed before performing several hand signs, “Geo Arte: Terra Spike!”

A low rumble alerted Twilight and Escort. Casting a gaze downward, their eyes widened in horror. A multitude of large triangular spikes protruded out of the ground, pointing at the duo. Escort desperately backed away from the spikes, only to be met with the edge of the plate.

Twilight gritted her teeth, as the pair grew closer to the spikes. Taking a deep breath, she stretched out her left hand, which now bore a bright purple aura. Chanting an incantation, another arcane circle appeared before her. With a forceful shout, she thrust the circle at the spikes. Said spikes crashed into the circle, blocking them from advancing towards the pair any further.

The display of intelligence, skill and timing shocked Escort, his jaw hanging open.

“A-amazing, Miss Twilight,” Escort commended the mage. A small grin popped on Twilight’s face.

Ko gazed lazily at the pair, unfazed by Twilight’s tactic.

“Nice trick you pulled there,” Ko mocked, accompanied with an equally mocking applause. “Too bad it’s all for naught.”

The spikes began to transform into columns. The top of the columns stretched upward with great force, shattering Twilight’s seal. With the seal gone, Twilight and Escort fell to the ground below. The columns then circled the pair, the very top of them merging into a solid, flat surface.

“And that, boys and girls, is my Geo Arte: Terra Prison,” Ko cackled. “What do ya think?”

Twilight growled lightly, not amused by the ninja’s taunting. She backed away from the bars and began chanting another incantation. An aura formed around her right hand. Hand now glowing, Twilight chopped at the stone bars. Her attempts at freeing them earned a slight giggle from Ko.

“Something funny?” the violet-haired mage hissed.

“Yeah, you. Sorry to say, but that that's not going to do much,” Ko explained. “Those bars are strong enough to withstand blows from B level fiends. No way a little girl and her mana knife are cutting through that.”

Twilight looked down at the bar she desperately hacked at only to find them unscathed. Her pupils shrank as her hands shook with rage.

“Hehe. You know, I like you, Sparkle. You’re determined. That’s a pretty rare trait these days.” Slowly Ko moseyed her way to the trapped duo. “So, because of that, I’ll make a deal with you.”

Twilight looked at female before her. Her nose scrunched up at the sight.

“If you surrender the kid, I’ll drop the cage and let you and that worthless partner of yours go.”

Twilight’s eyes narrowed at Ko’s offer. “What makes you think I’d even consider such a deal?”

“What? “ Ko placed a hand on her chest, feigning offence. “It’s a pretty good deal, if I say so myself,”

“For you, maybe,” Twilight corrected, giving Ko the sourest expression she could muster.

“I wonder what’s taking Barrage so long? He should’ve already snapped the neck of that twig of a partner you have,” Ko stated nonchalantly, ignoring Twilight’s retort altogether.

“You don’t know what you’re talking about,” Twilight said. Her grip on the stone bars tightened.  “He won’t lose to someone like your friend.”

Ko casually stared at Twilight, eyes rolling, “Hey, Sparkle? Mind if I ask something?”

“As a matter of fact I do.”

Ko shrugged, “I’ll ask anyway. Why him? Why out of all of the students in that sun-brain’s school did you pick him? Why did you pick such a useless guy?”

Twilight’s eyes widened, “Sun-brain? You mean Headmistress Celestia?” Twilight’s grip tightened even more on the bars. She could practically feel her hand gain an added shade of red. “How dare you insult our mistress!”

Ko nodded, “Of course. Who else would take weaklings like you two in? Even together two weaklings are still weak.”

“You should really read a thesaurus,” Twilight quipped.

“Whatever,” Ko said as she rolled her eyes. “Now you gonna tell me why you picked him?”

“I didn’t,” Twilight blurted out.

“Oh?” Ko asked, another grin taking form on her lips. “My condolences.”

“I didn’t mean it like that.” A frustrated groan left the jaw of the Hunter before she answered, “Headmistress Celestia put us together. She said we had potential as a team.”

“Ah. I see,” Ko said, content.

“Do you mind if I ask you something now?” Twilight questioned.

“Barrage and I are from the same clan. We were raised to work efficiently together since birth,” Ko stated abruptly.

“It wasn’t about you and your partner. I don’t care about that,” Twilight replied, brow raised. “Why did you suddenly take an interest in Flash and me?”

“You seem like a pretty mismatched pair is all. He definitely isn’t the kind of guy I see a girl like you pairing up with. Though…” Ko paused, a sly smile growing on her lips. “Now that I think about it, maybe I can. No wonder you decide to walk behind him. It’s for the view.”

Twilight gave the ninja a bemused look.  Her blunt comment about the spearman made her feel slightly uncomfortable. While she could admit Flash was to some degree attractive Twilight was well aware of Flash’s eccentric (and often grating) personality quirks. She could barely stand them herself and prayed for the poor girl he'd show any interest in.

“So, are you two shacking up?” Ko blurted out.

The ninja’s words forced a blush to the mage’s checks. Hastily, Twilight turned away from Ko to hide her flustered face. The insinuation was absurd. Flash was a friend and nothing more. Still Twilight didn’t do well under pressure.

“Uh… Miss Twilight? Are you okay?” Escort asked, puzzled, scratching the side of his head.

Ko turned to find Twilight hiding her face. The second she caught the red on Twilight’s cheeks, she howled in laughter at the sight.

“O-o-our relationship is purely platonic!” Twilight squeaked, her face becoming redder.

“Calm down, princess, I’m kiddin’,” Ko’s laughter died down, wiping the tears from her eyes. “So, what about my offer?”

In an instant, Twilight's face regained its original coloring, her brows lowering and her face scrunching into a frown. “I already gave you the answer but I’ll be blunt. I refuse.”

 Ko shook her head, a sigh of disappointment leaving her mouth, “I tried.” Clasping her hands, the bars of the cage began rapidly moving closer to the middle, Ko smiling devilishly all the while.

Escort screamed as the space between them and bars decreased, “What are we gonna do?!”

Twilight tried once more to slice through the bar with her mana knife, to no avail. She bit down on her lip, grunting bitterly as the bars closed in. She needed to free them somehow.

The space was too cramped to use any of her higher level spells. A simple magical beam could cause the cage to collapse on top of them, which meant there was just one other option available left to her. An option she really did not wish to use.

Twilight took several deep breaths before she summoned her weapon, a knightly sword. From it a faint purple energy  began to surrounded the blade. The energy from the blade grew brighter, nearly fully encompassing the cage.

The light caught Escort’s attention and he turned to the mage. He watched Twilight with intrigue and confusion, the light from her sword nearly blinding him.

“Uh? Miss Twilight? What are you-”

Twilight extended her free hand, shoving it in Escort’s direction. “Please be quiet. I need to focus.”

Escort nodded slowly as the aura around her sword darkened.  The energy radiating off her sword caused Ko’s brow to slightly raise. Clenching her teeth, she gripped her hands tighter, increasing the speed of the bars.

With the energy leaking from the sword, Twilight tightly gripped the hilt and with a shout of confidence, slashed several of the bars clean in half, a faint arc of energy flowing off it with each slash.

 The bars flew off in multiple directions, Ko’s face becoming totally pale. She slowly sent a gaze at the mage before her. Twilight returned her gaze with one of her own, the two females becoming briefly locked in a intense staring match. Ko snarled, whipping out six kunai, wielding three in between her fingers on both hands and rushed the pair.

Grabbing Escort, Twilight jumped out of the cage and fired another beam at Ko.

Ko sidestepped the blow, and scoffed at Twilight’s attempt. Twilight smirked. As she swung her sword at Ko, the ninja's eyes widened at the sight.

Despite her previous assault, the blade was still overflowing with magic, to the point it oozed mana. When Twilight swung the blade, a mighty wave of magic was launched.

Coating her kunai in a dark blue aura, the ninja tossed them vertically at the arc of energy. Taking on another hand sign, a thin blue line formed between the six kunai’s rings. Soon after, six small arcs of blue energy shot out of the gaps in between the kunai, forming a makeshift shield.

“August Fin!” Ko shouted.

The arc of violet energy clashed with the kunai-shield, the two forces pushing against each other. Twilight gasped. She never assumed this woman, Style Ko, could create a defense in such a short time. Twilight would have been impressed if her and Escort’s lives weren’t at risk.

“You’ve got skill, I’ll give you that,” Ko grinned, pushing Twilight forward. “But, I have been doing this for years! Sorry to say, princess, but you are outmatched!”

Twilight grunted, the arc of energy pushing back. The mage’s knees buckled, the arc slightly shrinking in size, her breath slowly became ragged.

Ko gritted her teeth, pushing the shield further to its breaking point. With each strike of her devastating magic the defense of the Hunter before her grew more and more absurd. Ko watched with glee as the shield shrank to that of a size barely able to protect a single hand. She could just continue her assault and slowly destroy it or she could focus all of her energy into one glorious attack to demolish the pathetic accessory. It had been so long since she last did it and she missed the old technique.

Twilight watched as Ko jumped back a few feet. This shield of hers was about to die. At the longest it would last a minute maybe two. Then after that she’d be easy to take down. Was that what Ko was planning?

Ko’s hands became “I hope you feel honored. You will get to see my most powerful attack! August Fin: Maximum!”

Twilight grimaced. She was barely able to defend herself against the average August Fin. She needed a plan and needed it fast. It was clear her shield would dissipate and she had no more magic to spend to increase its strength but she could change one thing. Twilight focused upon her shield once more stretching it out. This time it reached even further than the size the shield was previously. One could even mistake it for a parasol rather than a shield.

“I see so you decided to create a more encompassing defense. Oh but there’s a price to pay, isn’t there?” Ko smirked. She moved one of her fingers back and forth. “Tsk. Tsk. Tsk. You spread yourself too thin. Now this won’t be any fun for me. You’re so selfish.”

“If that’s all you see then you’ve already lost,” Twilight shot back. She narrowed her eyes at Ko. She watched as Ko simply chuckled.

“Have it your way,”Ko said. Her mana changed color to a more violent red. “August Fin: Maximum!” She sent a surprisingly small blast Twilight’s way. It was far smaller than what had come before. The other arcs seemed to attack Twilight’s entire body but this barely could come at her torso which was why Ko specifically targeted it.

Twilight felt beads of sweat cover her brow. This was it. This would be the time of her victory or of her crushing defeat. Twilight took a deep breath as she once again focused upon her shield. Now she had to undo what she had done.She moved her magic closer and closer until it was the size of a small golf ball.

Ko smirked. The inexperienced Hunter would pay for her mistake. “Even if you had an opportunity to throw that last attack of yours I’d just dodge it.”

“You’re wrong,” Twilight replied.

Ko watched as her attack collided with the golf ball, which caused the little sphere to spin. The rest of her attack struck the Hunter, sending her to her knees from the sheer amount of force behind it. But even as she knelt, panting on the floor, the golf ball remained, blocking a small portion of the ninja's attack. As its final act the ball spun, sending the attack back to its source.

Twilight shakily got to her feet, face pale and arms wrapped around her stomach. "It wasn't an attack. It was just a shield the whole time!"

Ko roared defiantly as her own energy raced to her, but was sent flying far into the distance. Twilight's legs gave out, bringing her knees to the grassy floor with an uncomfortable thud. She sucked in a quick hiss of pain before continuing to pant, thankful that the exhaustion and bruised knees were signs she was still alive.

“M-miss Twilight!” Escort ran over to the tired mage, offering his hand to her.  “Are you alright?! That attack looked powerful.”

“I’m.Fine.Just.Tired.” she huffed.

“Partner!” Flash called out stumbling over to the two, hand clutching the left side of his head “You both alright?”

“Yeah,” Twilight said as she weakly picked herself up. Standing to face her partner, she noticed his present state.  “Are you okay?”

The hybrid nodded. “Yeah. That Barrage guy got a lucky shot in is all.”

“Uh… speaking of, where is he?” Escort chimed in. Flash opened his mouth to respond, only for his mind to go blank. The teen wracked his brain, trying desperately to recall the events of their battle. Try as he might, the ending of his battle with Barrage remained a mystery.

“I… I don't know,” spoke Flash. “The last thing I remember was Barrage smacking me to the ground and passing out. When I came to, he was gone.”

His answer caused a great deal of concern for Twilight and Escort. Without any information on Barrage’s whereabouts, Twilight was extremely hesitant about making any further progress, lest the shinobi attack them again.

Twilight sighed, "We'll need to be careful, but that aside we're all safe and that's what matters most."

Flash and Escort nodded in agreement. “Right.”

"With that said, Escort, -" the mage turned to the timid teen "- where are we going?"

“I can’t believe it,” Twilight said, all the life draining from her.

“What kinda joke is this?!” Flash asked angrily, a vein popping on the right side of his temple.

Escort gave the pair a look of confusion. “What? It’s just a school,”

“Yeah. Our school!” Flash screamed, even more irritated.

“Oh? I had no idea,” Escort chuckled awkwardly, rubbing the back of his elbow.

Does this kid know anything?! Flash angrily eyed the front of the school. Part of him was tempted to punch the doors open so hard the deaf students in Mr. Turner's class would hear the crash. Hell,  he’d try for the entire world.

However, just as Flash’s punch was about to connect with the door, it opened revealing a giant of a man. A giant man he had just punched in the face. His hair was wild, unkempt and did a good job of resembling a lion’s mane. The muscles covering his body were a bodybuilder’s dream come true.

 Flash wondered how the big man would move. Before his fight with Barrage Flash assumed he'd have an advantage in speed, especially against larger opponents. Now, he quietly prayed the frightening man was merciful.The large man lightly tapped Flash’s arm. Flash moved his fist, revealing his face and gasped at what he saw. The man had the eyes of a fiend, but he still had the nose and mouth of a human.

 "Oh. I think you just hurt my disguise, young man," he said as he slowly rubbed his jaw. A loud clang came from his chest after tapping it softly. "Well at least my armor is intact."

Flash examined what the man wore. He’d hardly call it armor. It looked more like tin foil than something that could actually protect anything. And his entire body was covered in it.

“Um. S-sorry, sir,” Flash squeaked, slowly backing away. Stepping out from behind the hulk of a man was their headmistress.

“Ah, Flash! Twilight! Welcome back.” She greeted them with a warm smile. “And you must be the escort.”

Escort nodded, bowing to the pair. “H-h-hello, miss. H-hello headmaster.”

The two Hunters blinked, their gazes shifting from Escort to Celestia and her friend.

“Did he just say…”

“Headmaster?”

Once more, Escort nodded. “Mister Scorpan here is my headmaster.”

 Twilight's jaw fell open as Flash ran both hands through his spiky hair. Managing to somewhat compose herself first, Twilight stuttered out, "S-scorpan? The one who opened a school specifically for fiends? That Scorpan?!"

The aforementioned headmaster nodded with a sheepish grin.“The very same.”

Both Hunters simply stood there in total silence. In an instant, their minds were flooded with a myriad of questions;  why was Scorpan here of all places? How did he know their headmistress? And just who was Escort?

 "How?! What?! HOW?!" Flash felt a strong need to sit down, dizzy from the swarm of thoughts too large to take in all at once.

Trying to regain her composure, Twilight turned to Celestia. “So I assume this was that friend of yours. The one who gave us the mission?”

"You were right. She's very smart -" Scorpan laughed heartily "- and an excellent choice."

Celestia gave a small chuckle. “Thank you, Scorpan. Twilight is one of the school's best students.”

Twilight blushed at Celestia’s praise. Flash beamed at the well-deserved praises his friend received. Placing a hand on her shoulder he gave the violet-eyed mage a warm smile. Though in the back of his mind he couldn’t help but feel somewhat bitter, wondering if his presence was even needed.

Twilight turned seeing Flash lost in deep thought, his smile having all but faded. “You okay, partner?”

Her voice brought the hybrid back to reality. He saw the look of concern painted on his partner’s face. “Oh, yeah. Sorry. Just thinking.”

Twilight stared at the half-fiend momentarily, her expression unchanged.

“So, why did the headmistress choose us for the mission?” Flash asked without thinking.

“Flash!” Twilight chastised in a hushed voice, swiftly jabbing his ribs.

"I asked for Celestia's best students. She personally sent you two, -" Scorpan grinned "-and you both performed admirably."

Hearing the man's words caused Flash's spirits to rise just a touch as a small grin returned to his lips. Twilight spoke up, "If you don't mind, headmaster Scorpan, may I ask you something?"

The elder fiend nodded. “Go ahead, young miss.”

“Why did you want us to escort… uh… accompany Escort specifically?”

“Well, as a bit of a learning exercise.”

Flash cocked a brow.“For Escort?” Scorpan nodded.

“But why? Don’t you run a school for fiends?” Flash began. “So, that would mean...”

“Escort is a fiend!?” Twilight gasped.

Another chuckle rumbled from the fiend’s gut. “Almost. He’s a half-fiend.” Twilight and Flash  slowly turned to Escort, who removed his hood revealing a pair of horns sticking out from his messy brown hair

“Sorry I didn’t tell you before,” he apologized, offering the two a bow.

“So is that why I was brought along?” Flash wondered.

“Indeed,” Celestia stated. “Scorpan thought it would do Escort some good to be around another half-fiend.”

"And it did, in a way," Escort chimed in. "I was a bit worried at first, since Flash seemed like a pretty scary guy. But he saved my life, so he can't be all that bad. I kind of wish I'd had more time to get to know him, as well as miss Twilight." Flash just stood there, and blinked once, twice, thrice. He'd expected Escort to think poorly of him, if not outright hate him for his less-than-friendly introduction.

“Uh… thanks, Escort,” Flash said, his cheeks turning a faint shade of crimson.

.

“Maybe next time the three of us could grab a bite again,” Twilight offered.

With a huge grin, Escort nodded joyfully. “I would like that.”

"You may want to postpone that," Scorpan said, quickly scanning the two Hunters. Twilight and Flash looked at each other, and realized the sense in Scorpan's words as they noticed the bruises, cuts, and scrapes covering their bodies. Their exhaustion kicked in a moment later like an angry mule.

Flash cracked his neck. "Yeah, I'm sore all over thanks to that Barrage guy."

"And I'm still drained from that attack," Twilight yawned.

 “I think it’s about time you two go home. It looks like you need some rest,” Scorpan said, with Celestia nodding in agreement. "Come to my office tomorrow and I’ll have your payment for the mission.” The duo nodded, giving each headmaster a bow.

Scorpan lightly motioned Escort to walk forward, before waving at the pair with a smile as his student stood beside him. “Thank you for helping me train my new student.”

“I’ll see you both later!” Escort shouted, copying his headmaster’s gestures. Twilight returned the waves with one of her own as Flash bobbed his head. With the goodbyes over, the pair began walking on the long road home. As the reached the bottom of the stairs, Twilight started to chuckle.

“What are you laughing about?” Flash asked, as he tilted his head.

“The irony of our present situation,” she answered in between laughs.

Flash merely gazed at the tittering girl before him, and scratched his head as he spoke up.“Irony?”

“Remember yesterday when I questioned your decision in buying another motorcycle?” Flash nodded slowly.  “Well, now we kind of need a new one.”

Flash slapped his forehead. Of course! How could I forget? Thanks to those ninja my baby's a pile of flaming scrap.

“Good thing I started saving up,” he sighed, before his eyes shot open wide. “So... until I get another motorcycle... does that mean-”

“Yes. We’re going to be doing a lot of walking."

A groan of annoyance flew from the jaw of the half-fiend. “Yovita.”

The last thing Style Ko remembered was being blasted backwards by her own attack, flying through the air like some giant ragdoll before her flight was rudely interrupted by an inconvenient tree. Her body hurt all over, her vision still partially blurred, and the slightest noise was like a jackhammer that sent her entire head pulsing. Suddenly she felt a jolt, which shocked her awake. Groaning lightly, she quickly moved her eyes all around, and noticed the sun had vanished from the sky.

 “Yo. You finally awake?” A voice whispered. Though it tried to be soft, it still sent a stinging throb through her skull.

She had to blink several times before her vision cleared, allowing her to cast a gaze downward where she was met with a familiar black cloak.

“Barrage?”

“Yeah?”

“W-what happened?” she mumbled.

“We failed our mission. The Escort kid got away,” Barrage growled through clenched teeth.

“Dammit!” Ko swore, biting down on her lower lip. ”Our employer is gonna be pissed.”

“He’s not the only one. Rain’s not gonna be happy either,”

“Shit, I nearly forgot! He trusted us with this and we let him down.” Ko shrank in on herself, letting her head bow limply against Barrage's massive chest. Despite all the cuts, bruises and broken bones, her heart hurt more than all of them put together.

“Don't’ feel too bad about it, Ko. I don’t think Rain’ll be too upset.”

“He trusted us, Barrage!” Ko's hands curled into tight fists around the front of Barrage’s cloak, as she clenched her teeth with an audible grind. “With everything going on right now with the clan, Rain needed one, just one victory, and we couldn't even do that for him!”

As Barrage heard a few light sobs slip out of his partner's trembling form, a pit slowly took shape in his stomach. The rare sight of his partner so brokenhearted filled him with the resolve to work harder, as to never see it again.

“Hey Ko?”

“Hmm?” She sniffled. “W-what?”

“You know what kid I fought?”

Ko peeked over Barrage’s shoulder. “Yeah? What about him?”

“His name was Flash Sentry.”

Ko’s eye’s grew in size, her face turning pale. “S-sentry? Like… that Sentry?”

As Barrage nodded, Ko went silent, torn between extreme relief and soul-crushing fear. Of all the things we prepared for, encountering a Sentry was definitely not on the list.

“There was something else,” Barrage paused briefly, his movements slowing. “I don’t think he was human. No, I’m sure of it.”  Images of his fight with the feral half-fiend quickly flashed by in Barrage’s mind, a chill traveling down his spine at the memories.

“So, at least we have some good new for Rain,” Ko sighed in relief as Barrage nodded again. "The sooner we get back to the hideout, the better. There’s one more thing I wanna ask, though. Are you alright? You're moving slower than normal. And why are you carrying me with just one arm?”

Her questions froze him in place, the sudden stop almost forcing Ko off of Barrage’s back.

He answered hastily, “I... I’m still a bit sore from the fight. And that brat broke my arm, too.”

Ko thought she noticed a slight hesitation in his answer. However, she couldn't be sure as his face was obscured in the moonlight. What she was sure of, however, was that Twilight Sparkle was far stronger than the Hunter's petite form would suggest.

Her blood boiled at the memory of her defeat, making her shake with rage as she softly mumbled, “Next time... next time I’ll crush her.”

Barrage sluggishly nodded once more, his gaze locked on the road before them. “Yeah... Next time.”

Downtime 2

The sun slowly rose from the hills overlooking Canterlot, basking several ivory rooftops in its welcoming light. One of these ivory rooftops was connected to the home of a pair of young Hunters.

The windows were decked in very fine curtains, though despite their quality they were helpless against the sun. Sunbeams penetrated the drapes' defenses like a piercing arrow, hitting a pair of closed eyes right on the mark.

The woman groaned, moving away from the sun in defiance. With a contented sigh, a smirk spread across her face, happy to have bested her stubborn enemy. However its warm embrace caused her some discomfort. A short string of grumbles later, she took a quick glance at her alarm clock.

“Aw come on! It’s six in the morning! Can’t you just wait for six more hours?!” she whined at her even more hot-headed adversary. Three seconds of increasing warmth was her limit. “Fine! Be that way!”

The girl grumbled as she threw the sheets to the side, slowly crawled out of bed, and lazily walked to the restroom. On the way she spied her partner still asleep in his own bed, free from the menace of the sun. She couldn't stop an eyebrow from twitching.

What a jerk. This room should’ve been mine. It's way cooler! Her eyes went wide as an idea sparked in her mind, followed by a grin that put a mad scientist to shame. I can make this room even cooler! A good prank in the morning is just what the doctor ordered.

She raised her left index and middle fingers. As she chanted, her hand glowed a faint blue. In her right hand a miniature tornado formed, which caused her to giggle softly. This is gonna be sweet!

Her eyes locked onto her partner’s bed. With a light flick of her hand the small tornado landed right underneath it. She angled her fingers towards the floor, causing the twister to grow and lift the bed into the air, so high that his nose was half a foot from the ceiling.

With the winds blowing so fiercely, the rest of the room was forced to take some punishment. The desk near his bed wobbled as it scooched away. Unfinished homework strewn across the floor was whipped around to smack against the walls, before one flew like a drunk butterfly right onto his sleeping face. His green eyes shot open. Thinking quickly, he went with his foolproof emergency plan. He jumped like a skydiver out of a burning plane.

He yelled “Banzai!” as he fell to the floor, tucking and rolling to the door as he ran out into the hall, breathing heavily. What just happened? What’s going on? Why do I feel like this has happened befo-A laugh to his right made him aware of his partner.“Really, Rainbow Dash?” He growled. “Did you really need to do this just to wake me up?!”

“Wake you up?” She chuckled. “I just wanted to pull a joke on you, Soarin! Not wake you up!”

”Hey! I thought we promised we wouldn’t prank each other with magic anymore. Not after that time your tornado spewed hot oatmeal all over the cafeteria!”

“Oh did we?” she replied coyly. “By the way, it’s your turn to make breakfast.” She gave his head a quick pat before continuing her way to the bathroom. Soarin waited until Rainbow had closed the bathroom door, before he rubbed his hands together with a grin. “That’s fine. I’ll make your favorite.”

“Oh look. Cold Cereal. Again,” Rainbow said with an emotionless face. She hesitantly brought the spoon to her mouth, before letting it plop back into the bowl.

“Well, what did you expect? It’s not like either of us know how to use the stove,” Soarin shot back, taking a bite out of his toast more harshly than he meant to.

“Hey if you can’t cook how did you get that?!” she pointed at the toast.

“I used the toaster.”

“The broken toaster?”

“Then I used the stove.”

“The stove we don’t know how to use?”

“Then, I used my own body heat.”

“You aren’t that hot.”

Rainbow sighed before pushing her chair away from the table.I need something to get my mind off that goop. She stood up and made her way into the living room, but after quick scan of it she frowned.

“Hey, where’s my book?” she asked, turning to Soarin.

“What book?” Soarin asked around a mouthful of toast.

“My comic book! ‘Daring Life?’ Where is it?!” Rainbow asked frantically looking for her comic.

“Oh that. Um. I don’t remember where I put it. Sorry.”

“Sorry?! Ugh! I was just getting to the good part! Vigil Shinestar was about to enter the Door of Despair and battle against the Ebony King!” Rainbow hung her head.

“I really don’t get why you like that book. It’s nice and all, but way too cheesy,”  Soarin said as he took a spoon full of his breakfast.

“It’s not cheesy!” she shot back running down the hall to her room.

“Hm. Ya know, I think I might remember where I left it.” Soarin yelled back. He took his and Rainbow’s bowls to the sink. As water hit the dishes, the loud sound of sprinting feet ran up to his ears. Soarin turned around to find himself face to face with an almost foaming snarl.

Rainbow wrapped her fingers around his neck, quickly closing around his throat in a grip that would put a vise. Her eyes burned with desire, the heat inside causing Soarin to sweat as she strangled him. “Where? Where?! Talk!”

“Gak! P-professor Toity’s class I think!” Soarin stammered. He felt the blood drain from his face, as well as the warmth from his cheeks. I don’t want to die this way! I wanted to die by eating endless pie!

“Then let’s go already!” Dash yelled as she dragged Soarin away from their home. He coughed twice before inhaling deeply and letting out his breath slowly.

Today’s going to be a long day.

Dash walked up the stairs of the Holy Sun School, dragging Soarin along by his shirt’s collar.

“You can let go of me now!” Soarin said desperately.

"No way. I’m not letting you get away,” Rainbow growled. “We’d better find my comic or you’re getting a hundred kicks to the face!”

“Wasn’t the tornado in my room enough?”

“Maybe I’ll drown you in that cereal. Or better yet, choke you with your stupid toast!” Rainbow grinned, licking her lips noisily in ecstatic anticipation. Soarin knew there was no escape from Rainbow Dash when she was ranting. As Dash continued to list the various ways to end his life, Soarin spotted a familiar figure quickly approaching them.

The older man wore a pair of magenta sunglasses with a matching tie, complementing his black dress shirt beneath a periwinkle vest. A pair of black slacks and leather shoes completed his ensemble. He held a folding fan in his hand, the easygoing motion causing his meticulously styled cobalt grey hair to bounce in the modest breeze.

“Hm? Miss Dash? Mister Gale? What are you two doing here? Do either of you have my class today?” he spoke as he waved his fan. His voice was thick with a heavy, posh accent.

“Sorry Professor. We just need to look inside for a bit,” Soarin said, waving at him.

“For what exactly?”

“My comic!” Rainbow yelled. She pointed at Soarin. “He said it might be in your class!”

“How gaudy! Who would seriously value a comic?” his tongue came halfway out, held back by teeth as he grimaced. “It is the lowest form of entertainment.”

“I thought that was puns,” Soarin thought aloud.

“Yes, for the masses. As for myself comics are disgraceful and ugly. As such, retrieving one is even more disgusting.”

“Hey my comic isn’t disgusting!” Rainbow roared.

“Well I’m surprised, Professor,” Soarin said with a half-grin.

Professor Toity peeked over his glasses. “At what?”

“I mean it’s surprising you’d leave such a disgusting thing in your classroom. If I saw something as gross as that I’d want it out of my classroom for good.”

"That is… most insightful, Mr.Gale,” he responded slowly. He handed Dash the key. “Please make sure to remove that trash from my classroom.”

"No problem,” Dash said through clenched teeth. Fearing for the key’s safety, Soarin quickly swiped it out of her hand before she could crush it into scrap. Dash followed after him as he headed for the classroom.

"Wow! I didn’t think he’d just give us the keys. We’re lucky he hates comics.”

“Shut up and get my comic!” Rainbow demanded as she pushed him towards the classroom.

Soarin flopped onto his desk chair, opening it to reveal a massive mess of papers. With a sigh he dug through them, pausing every now and then to marvel at a page of missing homework. It’s gonna take me a year to go through this mess.

“Find it yet?” Rainbow called to him.

“Not yet. Probably be easier if you helped.”

“I didn’t lose it. You did.”

“Yeah, yeah.” Soarin sighed, pulling more papers out until he grabbed something rather thick. Pulling his arm back, Soarin was able to read the cover’s title.

“Daring Li-” Soarin began, before Rainbow tore the comic from him. The sudden maneuver made Soarin lose his balance and fall headfirst to the floor.

“Ow,” Soarin groaned as he rubbed his chin. After a few moments, he noticed Rainbow’s shoes in front of him. His eyes traveled up her legs, past her black pants and dark blue coat, and into the terrifying look on her face. What he saw was not a glare, grimace, or even gritted teeth. No, Rainbow’s face was far more grotesque than that.

She was grinning.

“What? What is it?” he squeaked.

“I was just reading my comic. And I noticed something strange.”

Suddenly she pushed the comic in front of Soarin. What he saw made him frown deeply.

“So. Can you explain why there is bubblegum on my comic?” Rainbow Dash asked sweetly.

“Uh. I was attacked by bubblegum ninjas?”

“No.”

“A bunch of pink elephants sneezed on it?”

“No.”

“You’re mad aren't you?”

“Do you even need to ask?” Rainbow asked, still grinning. Despite the warm sunny day outside, Soarin felt as if he’d been doused with ice water.

“Oh crap!” he screamed as he ran out of the classroom.

Soarin dashed down the halls with Rainbow in hot pursuit.

“Get back here, Gale!”

“Not until you’ve chilled out!” Soarin yelled as he ran.

“You’re gonna pay for this!”

“Need to catch me first!” Soarin rebuked as he burst through a doorway.

The room he’d scrambled into was a pearly white, heavily packed with grey tables and plastic chairs. Pancakes and bacon filled the air – and his nose – before he dove under one of the numerous tables, earning him quite a few odd looks from the students inhabiting the room.

Within a few seconds Dash burst in, scanning the room.

Where is he? She slowly walked between the tables, keeping an eye out for Soarin. He, however, did his best to move quickly and quietly from one table to the next. Though fear pounded through his mind, Soarin kept moving carefully to not alert Rainbow.

Soarin could almost taste the exit before him. The scent of salvation was overwhelming. If only the exit was not ten feet away.

As Soarin contemplated what to do he felt a breeze. Oh, no. Don’t tell me-

He turned around to find Dash was throwing her little tornados under each table. As each table rose Dash would calmly look underneath it. When she found nothing she’d move on to the next one.

I always forget how well she can make those tornados. Maybe her name should’ve been Tornado? I wonder if she’d take that as a nickname. Maybe I should ask her. When she doesn’t want to kill me. Suddenly Soarin found a small tornado a mere five feet away from him.

In desperation, Soarin sprung from his hands and knees towards the exit. Despite the adrenaline coursing through his veins, he only managed to land halfway.

“Gotcha!” Rainbow yelled triumphantly, as she dashed towards Soarin’s prone form.

Soarin scrambled to pick himself up and tried desperately to sprint through the doors. He slammed one behind him, hoping to gain some much-needed distance. As he raced down the hall, a door crashing open and howling winds shouted the outcome of his endeavors. I got to ask Flash for one of his smoke bombs! I have to get somewhere Dash can’t use her wind magic. Her comic! She’d never let it get damaged. And she hasn’t bought any for a while, which means… the library!

Soarin turned towards the staircase, taking the steps four at a time as he surged his way up. With every inch he took, Dash gained a foot. Each time Soarin unleashed an extra burst of speed, Dash doubled her own.  I wish I was a horse. Or a spider. I know there’s a horsefly, but is there a horsespider? As long as it has more legs then it’d be okay!

A student stepped through the library’s doors, balancing a stack of books higher than her head. As she walked forward with her feet spread apart, Soarin took a chance.  He slide-tackled between her legs, let out a quick “Sorry!” and headed for the comics section.

Too bad she was wearing pants.

Soarin stopped in front of the racks, lightly gripping the hilt of his sword. Softly, he tiptoed to stand before the shelf dedicated to the ‘Daring Life’ series.

Rainbow leaped into the room, a powerful gust of wind trailing behind her. As she rose from her kneeling position, multiple thuds sounded from behind. Following the thuds was the voice of a young woman.

“Oh come on!”

Rainbow Dash winced with a grimace. “Sorry!”

“No more hiding, Soarin! Get out here!”

“Not hiding, Dash.” Soarin spoke confidently. Dash stepped slowly, her feet feeling like lead weights. When she reached the comics section, she gulped once before turning around the corner.

“No.”

“That’s right, Dash.” Soarin gave her a devilish smile. “Hurt me and your comics will suffer my fate!” he laughed maniacally, twirling an imaginary moustache.

“You monster! How could you take these poor, awesome comics hostage? Have you no shame?!” She shook nervously, gritting her teeth as her hands balled up into fists at her sides.

“Miss Dash! Mr. Gale! Please be quiet!” a loud whisper hushed them.

“Sorry Miss Cheerilee,” they said in unison.

“Let me go and your precious comics won’t get destroyed.”

Rainbow glared daggers at her friend. “This is a dirty trick.”

“Well, I’ve always been a bit dirty,” Soarin said chuckling “The gum in your comic is just one example.”

Rainbow stood still for a moment, then slowly narrowed her eyes. A violent wind began to form around her, gaining strength with her hardening glare. “Oh, you messed up big time!”

The wind made Soarin blink twice, before he started to sweat.

Oh, crap. She’s not really gonna use it, is she? Soarin’s grip on the hilt tightened as he braced himself for an incoming attack.

Rainbow raised her left hand. Wind began to swirl wildly around her arm, contorting into a claw the size of a cow.

Yup. She’s gonna use it.

“Gale Tech: Azure Ripper!”

Soarin had little time to act as blades of wind were coming fast towards his face. All ideas for blocking them fled from his mind like frightened puppies, and with bookshelves on either side of him dodging wasn’t an option. As the scything air flew closer, Soarin let out a squeak of terror before closing his eyes.

“Geo Tech: Stone Wall!” Cheerilee shouted, creating the technique’s namesake in front of Soarin. Rainbow’s wind struck, barely disturbing the sturdy barrier. Soarin opened his eyes to join Dash in a stare of surprise.

Cheerilee stomped up behind Rainbow Dash, a vein pulsing on her forehead. “You are not going to destroy any of the books in here!”

“B-but,” Soarin and Dash stammered.

“Geo Tech: Terra Wave," Cheerilee said in her inside voice. With a clap of her hands, the floor underneath Soarin and Dash began moving them to the exit like a rumbling conveyor belt.

They were dumped on their rumps outside just as Cheerilee reached the doors, scowling like a demon with a hangover. “If you two are going fight, do it outside of the library. I came here early to drink my coffee in peace, and I won’t let you ruin that for me. Is that understood?”

Both of them nodded hastily, which caused her to smile warmly. “Good.”

After she quickly and quietly closed the doors, Dash and Soarin shared a sweaty stare. They let out identical sighs before returning their gazes to the huge, ebony doors.

Soarin and Dash sat for what felt like an eternity, until the marble floor suddenly became too hard. With sore backsides they stood up and dusted themselves off before Soarin took off again.

Rainbow groaned as she quickly rose to her feet. I’ve had enough of this.

She straightened, letting loose a heel kick as she leaned back. From the sole of her boot came a gust of wind that flew towards Soarin’s unprotected back. She smiled as it struck him square in the center, sending him tumbling face first to the ground. He slid along the polished floor for ten feet, before tucking and rolling forwards.

With a wide grin he stood up and kept running, never losing momentum. “Nice try, Dash!”

Her brow drew down and smile widened. I’m not finished yet.

Dash launched another heel kick, and smoothly followed it up with a spinning back kick. Both sent beach ball-sized vortexes spiraling at Soarin, who turned his head around at the shrieking winds. Uh-oh, Dash is getting serious. Better do something, and quick!

]He swiftly turned around, sliding a few feet before dropping into a quick-draw stance for his katana. Soarin’s eyes focused on the cyclones bearing down on him, until they came within reach of his sword.

“Hail Tech: Sudden Frost!”

With a click and a swish, his blade cut through in a horizontal slash, sending the frozen air to the floor and ceiling to shatter like fine crystal.

He smirked while sheathing his katana, but looked up at the sound of footsteps. His smirk dropped. That attack was so she could get closer!

Seeing Dash quickly closing the distance was enough to get him moving at full tilt again. Thankfully, the nearby stairwell provided a convenient means of escape. Not even bothering to use the steps, Soarin jumped from one landing to the next until he’d reached the ground floor.

He was not alone, however. Dash had copied his idea, practically flying down the stairs. She continued launching kicks as she ran, flowing from axe-kicks to jump-kicks to wheel-kicks in a non-stop progression of acrobatics and rushing wind. The rattling of lockers and falling portraits were enough to bring out the faculty from their classrooms.

Not a smile could be seen on their faces, though frowns and glares were in abundance.

Soarin ran down the hall, ignoring the angry shouts of teachers as he passed by. He turned the corner, passing professor Toity in front of his classroom. The man made no sound, but stared at him over the edge of his folding fan.

Halfway to the end of the hall, Soarin felt a pressure on his chest. His feet were moving as fast as ever, but he made less and less progress forward. Dash’s footsteps became louder by the second in his ears, and the pressure steadily increased.

He looked down, seeing a silver ribbon stretched across his torso.

This looks like Professor Toity’s… Oh no-

A tug on his shirt and a loud ‘gotcha’ was all he remembered before flying backward.

All Dash remembered was Soarin’s elbow in her stomach.

They sailed through the air, unable to make out any of the blurry faces. Both of them did, however, hear a distinct voice over the wind whistling past their ears.

"Sage Craft: Spider’s Net!”

Rainbow felt a crisscross of ribbons at her back, stretching back to slow her down. Unfortunately, Soarin was right in front of her, pushing them both deeper into the net. In a split second, they shot forward, then back again, repeating the process like a bungee cord before finally stopping.

When the world finally came back into focus, Soarin and Dash saw professor Toity standing in front of them. As they hung like flies in a spider’s parlor, the professor stood with his hip cocked, fanning himself slowly.

He snapped the fan shut, pointing it at them. “Had either of you been awake during my classes, you would have learned a simple counter for the spell that launched you both back here. It was called Sage Craft: Finish Line. I expect a two-page report on nonverbal spells from each of you by tomorrow morning, as well as a practical example of how to respond to spells of this nature. This will, of course, be in addition to any punishment Headmistress Celestia deems appropriate for your most unbecoming behavior.”

By the time he was done lecturing them, most of the teachers had blocked the hallway, vocalizing their support of his actions. And complaining.

"Good job, Toity!”

“They interrupted my meditation!”

“Serves them right!”

“You’ve ruined my morning coffee!”

Professor Toity raised his hands for silence, waiting until the din died down. He motioned towards Rainbow Dash and Soarin, curling his fingers to touch his thumb. “Sage Morph: Spider’s Purse.”

The edges of the web separated from the walls, ceiling and floor, before joining together like some massive fishnet. As the spell finished reforming the net – complete with a bow around the top – professor Toity looked around at the teachers gathered around him. With a flick of his wrist, his fan opened, slowly moving up and down.

“Would someone be willing to carry these two to Headmistress Celestia’s office for me? I have a class in ten minutes I simply must finish preparing for.”

Each teacher raised a hand. Some of them raised both.

While being hoisted by the mob down the hallway, Dash grumbled, “Soarin, get your shoulder out of my face.”

A piece of the net was in his mouth as he replied, “Only if you get your bony knee out of my butt.”

“My knees aren’t bony!” she growled, before biting him.

“Yee-ouch! Miss Cheerilee, Dash is nomming my shoulder!”

She looked down at Soarin with a smile as she helped lift the net. “Suffering builds character, Mr. Gale. Bear with it.”

By the time the group had reached the doors to Celestia’s office, Rainbow Dash had stopped chewing Soarin’s shoulder. Miss Cheerilee knocked while the other teachers untied the bow.

With a click, the doors opened to reveal the headmistress. Cheerilee curtsied like a princess before speaking. “Sorry to bother you so early in the morning, Headmistress.”

“Not at all, Cheerilee. Though I am curious as to what brings you, as well as so many faculty members, to my office at this hour,” she said, quirking an eyebrow as she smiled.

She gestured with an open hand towards the now-free pair. “These two.”

Celestia covered her mouth with her fingertips as she giggled. “Well, I must say I never expected to see this first thing in the morning. Hello Miss Dash, Mr. Gale. Would you both be so kind as to explain what happened?”

Soarin sighed as he placed another book on the shelf.

“That one doesn’t go there,” Rainbow said, kneeling in front of the bottom row.

With a grumbled curse, he shelved it three books down to the right. If I’d known the headmistress was gonna make me clean the whole school for a week, I would’ve just let Dash kick my butt. It wouldn’t’ve been as bad, or taken as long.

“This is cruel and unusual punishment, Dash.” he moaned.

She turned her head to look at him, one eyebrow quirked. “Who you telling? You think I want to touch egghead books all day?” Soarin stopped, frowning. Crossing his arms, he leaned his shoulder against the bookcase to give Dash his attention. “Aren’t we in this mess because you got mad at me for putting gum in a book?”

“It’s. A. Comic. Not a book. They’re completely different,” she said, scrunching up her face.

Soarin and Rainbow Dash finished the mystery section before moving on to classical literature. It was not until they were halfway through that Soarin took a look around, even going so far as to peek around the end of the aisle. He scratched his head on the way back to Dash.

“Where do you think everyone is?”

She shrugged, continuing to shelve books. “I don’t know. I think I heard Celestia was talking to some foreign guy.”

Soarin tilted his head to the side. “Really? Who?”

“I don’t know.”  Dash said, rolling her eyes.

“Was he a ninja?” he grinned, bouncing on the balls of his feet.

She waved off his enthusiasm with one hand. “Naw. I heard people say he looked like an ogre. Like a human ogre.”

“Doesn't mean he's not a ninja. Maybe he’s a fiend? That’d be surprising. I never took Celestia to have a thing for fiends,” he said, stroking his nonexistent beard.

She dropped a book, which fell to the floor with a thump. “You aren’t suggesting…”

He stared at the ceiling as he spoke, “Well… she's alone in her office with some big, handsome stranger from a foreign country. What would you do, Dash?”

Dash raised a finger, opening her mouth partway before she stopped. After a few moments of contemplation, she pulled her finger back and grimaced. “I don’t want to know.”

Soarin shuddered. “Me neither.”

Seed Hunter

The halls of the holy sun were bustling. Students of all shapes, sizes and colors scampered about. Some headed to their class. Others made their way to the cafeteria hoping the meal would be hot and fresh.

Still others mingled with their friends in the hall. They talked about many things. They talked about who was the number one teacher. What their latest missions were. And more importantly who was the top Hunter in the school.

However these were talks of people who merely wondered who was the best. They had given up long ago. None of them quite possessed the strength of Big Mac. Or the raw magic prowess of Blueblood. They couldn’t even blend into the background as good as that new student Raiken.

Even so there were some Hunters still filled with hope they could claw themselves to the top. These students converged near the entrance of the school. There was a large wooden board on a wall. The young Hunters eyes were transfixed on the board.

“Search and rescue? Pass.”

“Ugh! Why aren’t there any good civil missions?!”

“Oh no. Looks like that boar got loose again. Not touching that.”

“What about this one? It says to rescue a damsel in distress?”

“That says they want you to help sell a dress!”

“Oh. So?”

“No, we aren’t doing that one!”

“Another assassination mission? Who even does those here?!”

“I bet it was Blueblood. He is always trying to sneak those in. Says they pay more money. This has got to be a joke.”

“Well if it is it isn’t funny!

“How about this mission?”

“That one is already taken. It has Thunder Lion’s mark on it. See?”

“How bout this one about fighting a dragon?”

“Has Mac’s mark.”

“Dang. How do they get at this so quick?!”

A thunderous boom entered the conversation. Everyone fell silent. Who would bring a gun into the school? And who would be willing to use one in the school? Whoever it was had to be insane. Or perhaps the crowd was insane themselves. Despite their fear their collective eyes, independent of their bodies, made their way to the person who had dared to fire a gun on school grounds.

At the entrance stood a tall young women. She wore a large brown cowboy hat. It hung over her eyes like her brown coat hung over her arms. Her hands were covered in thick brown gloves. The gloves of a marksman. It was said Hunters with those kind of gloves could pick off the wings of a fly with a single shot. Her pants were a light blue. The woman stomped the ground. Her once brown boots becoming a shade of black. Even so the one thing that made everyone go silent was what was around her neck. A vibrant red bandana hung from her neck.

The tall woman raised her head. Her long blond hair tied into a ponytail was covered in thick knots. Her emerald green eyes were calculating. Her skin was a tanish brown. She gave a forceful spit to the ground.

Everyone eyed the woman with bated breath. What mission would she choose? Would it be the boar? Would it be the one with the dress? Or, they feared, could she have come for the assassination one?!

The tall powerful woman gave a quick nod. From behind her emerged a much smaller woman.

The smaller woman’s head was covered in a beautiful light purple hood. Her body was petite yet each part looked hand carved by a master craftsman. Each part of her body echoed a gentle warmth. A long flowing vest hung over this kind woman’s upper body. Her delicate legs were shielded by a pair of pants. Much like the blond woman she also had boots. Though hers were the same shade of purple as her hood.

She walked hesitantly forward to the missions’ board. The other Hunter could barely breathe. Surely if they touched her they’d be damned by the gods themselves.

The young woman quickly scribbled two marks on a mission. Then she made her way swiftly to her friend. As she ran her hood fell down.

Her face was no different than the rest of her body. Still the crowd of Hunters gasped at the sight all the same. Her pink hair flowed like the magnificent mane of the lion. Her blue green eyes pleading for the world to be kind. Her porcelain face was a bright shade of red. She promptly made her way behind the large woman once more.

“Ya got the right one, Shy?” The blonde spoke softly.

“Uh. Y-yes,” the smaller female squeaked.

“Good job, Flutters.”

The pair slowly turned around and walked. The crowd of Hunters stood there in silence. In a few minutes they had feared for their lives, fell in love, and had both of the embodiments of those experiences talk to one another. They didn’t know what to do.

“I think we can do that dress one. I feel like doing something I understand.”

“Me too.”

“Hey I was gonna take that one!”

“No its mine!”

“Hey! Look!”

The crowd looked at the board again. The mission with the dress had been marked. Written on it was the symbol for Mac.

“Oh, come on!

~~~~

“Um, Applejack?”

“Shy, I told ya. You don’t need ta call me by my full name. AJ is fine.”

“Oh. R-right. Sorry.” Fluttershy shrunk a bit. “I just wanted to ask something was all.”

“Go right ahead.”

“Where are we going to get the bloomberg seed?”

“Over there,” AJ said pointing at a nearby shop.

The shop was made of simple wood. Outside there was nothing to distinguish it from any other shop. It was just a shop. With nothing extraordinary about it at all.

“Bloomberg seeds are easy ta come by. So a simple shop like this outta have a few,” AJ explained. She opened the door of the little shop and the two entered.

“Welcome ladies!” A deep voice called to the Hunters as they entered. A middle aged man appeared at the counter of the shop. His eyes had enormous bags under them. His hair was moppy and unkempt. An odd substance dripped from his hands. His clothes were rags.

 AJ tipped her hat to the male. Shy offered a small wave.

“What can I do for you today?” the clerk asked.

“A bloomberg seed,” AJ said with a smile.

“That is if you don’t mind,” Fluttershy added.

“Hm. I don’t think we have anymore left. Let me go check in the back.” The man walked into the backroom to search for the desired seed.  Shy slowly looked around the shop. The smell of the various kinds of flowers brought her peace.

There were several flowers she recognized. She saw a bouquet of roses. A group of dandelions sit comfortably in a jar of water.  Two lilies twisted and turned around one another in a sort of dance. It reminded her very much of the grove near her home.

“You enjoyin’ yer self there, Shy?” AJ giggled.

Shy blushed slightly playing with her hair. “I’m sorry. I just feel calm here.”

“That’s fine darin’.  This place is pretty calmin’.”  AJ patted Shy’s shoulder lightly.

A few seconds passed before the man returned with the seed in a small plastic bag. He smiled kindly at the two young women.

“Thank ya kindly. How much do we owe ya?”

“Hm,” the man said holding his chin. He snapped his fingers. “Forty bits.”

“Forty? Ain’t that a bit much for a common seed?”

“Common to other stores perhaps. But this is my very last seed. I won’t get another shipment for two entire weeks.”

“Oh you poor thing,” Fluttershy said sympathetic to the man’s plight. She turned to her friend. “AJ we should give him eighty bits instead.”

The man began to tear up. To see such a sweet soul was a sight to behold. Just a moment before she was willing to pay him eighty bits for a common seed. Surely she was an angel. He must repay her in some way.

“Shy, he’s tryin to play us! I could buy a dozen seeds for ten bits!” AJ said sternly. “Forty is too high a price!”

“Oh. I’m sorry Applejack,” Fluttershy said bowing to AJ.

The man’s jaw dropped. She was so easily convinced. Maybe he could convince her back to his side.

“Ten bits,” AJ stated. “And no more.”

“Sure I’ll give you a ten bits discount,” the man replied.

AJ’s eyebrow twitched. “I ain’t gonna give you seventy bits for one seed!”

“Well then how about fifty?”

“No.”

“Thirty?”

“No.”

“Fine. Eighty?”

“Isn’t that where you started?” Fluttershy chimed in.

“That’s my final offer,” the man said crossing his arms. He turned away from the angry blond. “When you feel like paying I’ll feel like turning around.”

A vein popped on the right side of AJ’s temple. Her patience with this man had run out.

“Uh. Sir?” Fluttershy tried.

With a swift motion AJ’s right hand grabbed one of her guns. She picked it up and aimed it at the man’s head. Her finger moved to the trigger.

“You might want to turn around now,” Fluttershy pleaded.” Or else something bad is gonna happen.”

“I’ve said my piece,” the man said stubbornly.

“You warned him, Fluttershy. Was nothing you could do,” AJ said as she gave Fluttershy a comforting grin.

She licked her lips. She took her other hand and placed it on the gun. She wanted to make sure she was absolutely steady for the shot. Her shoulders loosened as her grip grew tighter around the trigger. She took a deep breath. Then she pulled the trigger.

A mass of dirt exited the gun and hit the back of the man’s head. He collapsed to the floor. AJ grabbed the bag and walked out.

Fluttershy looked on as she pitied the man. His dirty clothes were even more dirty now. If only he had just given the seed. She let out a tear for the man’s laundry bill. Then she too left the man’s unconscious form.

~~~~

Applejack had made her way to the road very quickly. So quickly Fluttershy doubted she could get back to her friend’s side. Which was very bad since they were on a road which could have many dangers ahead. She had to do something to slow AJ down.

“Uh AJ? May I ask something?”

“Sure.”

“What is Appleloosa like?”

Applejack came to a halt. She turned back to the small woman. Her brow was slightly raised.

“Well, to put it bluntly it’s sort of like most towns. Except they like ta use earth magic for pretty much everythin’. The folks in appleloosa like gettin’ their hands dirty. No pun intended.””

“Is that why we aren’t taking a train?”

“Yup.”

“I-I see. How far is it?”

Applejack gave a small sigh. “A few hundred or so miles.”

Fluttershy gave her arm a squeeze. She had no trouble with walking. She enjoyed it. Though the idea of walking several hundred miles for who knows how many days was a thought she didn’t wish to entertain.

“O-oh. Why do they want this seed?”

Applejack was stunned. “Uh. Well I guess it may be for planting stuff.”

“That is what seeds normally do,” Fluttershy agreed quickly. “But why this seed?”

“I reckon the folks there are running short.”

“Running short?”

“Yep. Ya see Flutters the town is very traditional. They’re right stubborn on it.Shoot they are that same way for a mess of things. Particularly with the number of plants they grow. They’ll only grow one big bloomberg tree in the middle of the town. They let it run its course and then replace it.”

“Can’t they get more seeds from the trees?”

“Bloomberg trees don’t work that way. They have to be a seed for at least a year until they could be planted. I heard that they could be used in a month but Appleloosa folk don’t do that.”

“So its like it has a birthday before it becomes a tree?”

“Now that you mention it, ya. It kinda is.”

“Oh my,” Fluttershy giggled.

“Ordinarily this would just be a D rank mission. However because the tree died sooner than they expected they are willin’ ta pay more. So it got moved up to a C.”

Shy nodded as the continued down the road passing a group of rather shady looking fellows. Shy took a quick glance at the group. A shudder traveling down her spine.

They wore jackets that had their sleeves torn off. Their pants were shredded and overflowing with holes. Their teeth were a rotten yellow. Their eyes were distant. As if they were grasping at something not there. That something was off putting.

“Shy?” Applejack’s voiced snapped Shy back to reality.  “You alright?”

“Um. Y-Yes! I’m fine!” she lied wearing a false smile. They had just passed them. Surely they would stay sitting. They looked tired. Clearly that is why they were sitting on the road.

As they continued up the road they came across another group of equally shaggy looking men. That same feeling of unease returned to Shy.

The shaggy men rose and turned to face the two women. Their eyes full of malice. Two of the men drew out daggers.

Fluttershy turned back around. The group that they had just passed now blocked their way. She had hoped they could run for it. Her hand began to shake.

“So I’m reckonin’ ya’ll want the seed?” AJ asked calmly. Fluttershy turned to her friend. How could she be so frightened when Applejack was so strong? She had to be strong too. Fluttershy steadied her trembling hand.

“That’s right. So hand it over girl,” one of the men said stepping in front of the Hunters. “And we won’t have to cut you.”

“Looks like we got ourselves an impasse. Ya’ll want the seed and I ain’t gonna give it to ya. So looks like ya’ll are reckonin’ for a fight,” AJ said raising her guns. “I’ll warn ya boys. None of ya’ll are gonna get away without a scratch.”

“Why you little,” the man snarled. “They want it the hard way. Lets show them what happens when they mess with us!”

“Well? What’cha waitin’ for? You want the seed right?” She dangled the bag in front of man. “Come get it.”

The man charged Applejack as he drew out two short swords. He swung his blades wildly at the young Hunter.

Applejack swayed back and forth easily avoiding the assault. The man quickly began to fume. He stopped for a brief moment. He lunged one of the blades at Applejack’s head.

Applejack hastily rolled out of the way aiming both of her revolvers at the man. From each gun three little dirt spheres flew at a blinding speed.

The man’s eyes widened. The first bullets hit his legs tripping the man. The next ones hit his shoulders. The man’s mouth opened wide in agony. The next one made its way to his mouth. As the man choked the last bullet hit him square in the forehead. The man fell down defeated.

“Geo Rapid Shot!” AJ said as she smiled proudly.

“Get’em!” Another man shouted furiously. The groups of men slowly advanced on the girls. They surrounded the two Hunters. Applejack backed up until she was standing back to back with Fluttershy.

“Any ideas?”

“Help is on the way,” Fluttershy said as she moved her hands to her temple. Her head began to glow a brilliant yellow.

“How long?” AJ asked. She pushed up her body behind her friend.

“Should arrive in five minutes.”

Applejack smirked. “Plenty of time.”

The vagabonds smiled at their captured prey. From the circle stepped forth to men of similar build. In tandem they drew their sickles.

Sickles are the tool of the farmer. They were specialized to cut grain. They were short and sweet lacking any kind of elegance. Which may be why these two men fit their weapons so well.

The men swayed from side to side. It was as if the men were becoming one and splitting back into two all at the same time.

AJ aimed a pistol at each of the men. She wouldn’t be tricked by such a cheap tactic.

The men’s feet were a blur. Their tools were raised in the air. The first man’s target was the neck of the blond. While the other man’s was fixed on the pink haired one.

The first man swung his sickle at the powerful woman. He aimed to dig into her belly. The second man ‘s sickle was mere centimeters away from the gentle neck of the shy one.

Applejack rolled away from the two men. She was beyond annoyed. Not only were they being thieves but they were using the tools of farmers to do it. They were disgracing honest work. AJ bite her lip.

She raised both of her guns. Each one aimed at the head of the men. She fired.

Hearing the oncoming bullets arrival the first man turned. With a quick swing of his arm the bullet was reduced to dust.

The second man having been behind the first man had little time to react. He rolled but one his hands took the hit. As he winced in pain he dropped his weapon.

The man quickly scrambled to grab his weapon. He shot a fierce glare at the Hunter.

He felt himself suddenly pushed to the ground. He began to pull himself up when suddenly he felt his body grew stiff. He raised his head to find his arms and legs were encased in mounds of dirt.

“Geo mound,” AJ stated.

The man struggled trying to pull himself free. He had to get out. He had to cut that neck wide open. He needed to see the blood spill onto the floor. The blood of an angel.

The other man wasted little time. He ran toward the gunman. He swung his weapon at the blond’s legs.

She jumped and flashed a grin at the man. She aimed her right gun at the man. His body grew tense.

“Geo clot!” she roared as she fired a bullet. In a second the small dirt bullet transformed into a large clod of dirt. The sudden additional weight forced the man to join his friend on the ground.

“A few more minutes!” Fluttershy yelled. Applejack gave a nod. “Got ya!”

“Did she just take out Tony and the Twin Sickles?!” one of the men yelled.

“Maybe Tom should handle her.”

“Yeah. Send in Tom!”

Another man emerged from the back of the group of men behind the Hunters. He was the size of a small mountain. And unlike his companions he held a large gun.

“Hah! Now you’re in for it!” the first thug laughed. “You should’ve just given us the seed! Tom, blow her head off!”

The hulking behemoth nodded raising his gun. It was slim and very long. Red splotches littered its frame.

“A shotgun?!” AJ said in shock. A gun of great power but it lacked maneuverability. It was like the antithesis to her pistols. She raised her own guns.

She fired a barrage of dirt bullets.Tom paid them no mind as he slowly strided towards the pair.

AJ mumbled a swear. Her barrage did little more than dirty his cloak.

“Geo Clot!” AJ snarled.  She launched a larger dirt bullet at Tom. Without losing a step Tom picked up his gun and blasted the bullet to oblivion.

AJ gritted her teeth.Her bullets had no effect on him. So that means no bullets. He was able to shoot her even larger attack into dust. So that meant that was out. And he was clearly much larger than her. Even if she could be guaranteed his friends wouldn’t interfere she doubted she could take him down that way. So even a fist fight was out of the question.

AJ sighed. She closed her eyes as she tightened the grip on her pistols. Her body shined an amazing shade of orange.

Tom looked in awe at his adversary. It was concentrated magic. However unlike others who allowed their magic to run freely AJ’s magic seemed very controlled. It clung to her body as an infant to its mother.

Tom watched as AJ’s magic flowed from her body to her guns. It was like watching a river make its way to the ocean. It was nature taking its course. He stared as she lifted her now orange glowing guns. Then the unexpected happened. Her eyes opened.

“Geo Beast: Bull!”

An enormous burst of orange energy shot out of AJ’s guns. The energy burst forth striking the ground with tremendous force.  Various pieces of earth shook and rolled behind AJ. They piled on top of one another slowly taking form.

Its form was thick and wide. It eyes were made of granite. Its head sported long stone horns. And its body was a mass of dirt. What was once a pile of rocks and dirt was now a bull made of earth.

The earth bull stomped its giant hoof. It’s nostrils flared. It stood by its master and awaited commands. AJ aimed her guns upward and fired.

Like a flash the bull was in front of Tom. With little time to react Tom dropped his gun. Their eyes met. Despite the fact its eyes were made of rock Tom could feel just how alive in this instant the bull was. And what’s more how its anger grew as it stared at him.

With a simple grunt the bull rushed forward. Acting quick the man raised his hands. The bull’s anger rose. The man had been spared from its wrath by grabbing its horns.

The bull’s head swayed to the left. Tom was pulled along for the ride. However he did not let go. The bull swayed to the right side. And once again the man held on. He knew he could not keep this up forever. Which is why he had dropped his gun earlier.

Nostrils flared as the bull came to the same conclusion as the man. It pushed the man away from his means of salvation.

The man’s teeth grinded against one another. He pushed back against the bull. The bull stood strong and kept pushing the man further and further away. The group of thugs had to expand their circle in order not to be crushed by the behemoth made of rock.

Time seemed to slow down for the man. He could not best the bull in a shoving contest. If it continued surely it would dig its large horns into his neck. He had to get away before then. He had to escape. The question was how.

The bull rushed the man. As he felt the rush begin Tom let go of its horns. He crouched and leaped to the side. Even with its target now gone The bull’s body launched forward.

Somehow the beast had managed to turn its attention back to him. Tom was sure it was the work of the blond woman.

He had not a moment to lose. Which meant he could not risk a look back at his attacker. He had to move forward. With that in mind he dove for his gun. In a single motion he grabbed his gun, lifted it, and fired. The head of the bull arched backward.

The beast stood there for a moment. Chunks of earth fell from it’s head. A moan of pain escaped the monster’s lips. It swayed back and forth. It collapsed onto the floor becoming a mound of dirt.

Tom picked himself up. His mouth was in an expression of complete elation. He was victorious. He had survived.

Then he heard a click. His heart sank. He turned his head to find the fearsome blond had one of her guns aimed at his head.

“Ya know I like your gun. I’ll take it,” she said grinning. Tom’s lips grew dry. He heard the click of the gun. And like the bull he fell. Applejack grabbed the gun of the man as she moved to stand near her friend once more.

“I don’t believe it.She beat Tom and took his gun.”

“He’s gonna be pissed when he wakes up,” another one of the thugs added.

“I told you guys we should’ve just kept walking down our lonely road. Its the only one we’ve ever known!”

“We still outnumber them! Let’s just gang up on them-” A howl interrupted the first thug. Various noises came from the forest around them. There was the rushing sound of foot steps pounding dirt. Loud banging on wood joined the footsteps. It was as if the pounding was the drum of an advancing army.

“B-boss, what is that?!”

“How the hell should I know?!”

“I always thought Tom was the boss,” a third voice muttered.

“They’re here,” Fluttershy said serenely. She opened her eyes. What once were eyes filled with innocence now looked full of judgement. Each of the thugs gulped at the gaze.

Suddenly a large wolf emerged from the forest. Then the forest grew quiet again. No pounding, walking, or even howls could be heard. The wolf sat down.

The thugs were stunned. All that noise was the work of one animal. This wolf was the sole cause of all of it. Their shock soon turned to anger at the animal. How could such a beast disrespect them? They would make it pay.

Each of the men drew out their weapons. Murder was in their eyes. Yet the wolf did not move one inch. Even when they surrounded the wolf it stayed sitting. The men raised their weapons

Growls came from the forest. The men stopped their advance as they turned. They found that this was no lone wolf they faced. It was the leader of a pack. And its pack had just taken the time to surround them.

Just then more steps could be heard from the forest. The men turned their heads to find a herd of deer had come from the forest. Surely this was the work of the gods. The wolves would turn their attention to the deers. At which time the men could escape.

The deer made their way next to the wolves. The wolves eyed the deers for a long moment. Then the circle of wolves spread out further. The deer had taken the new gaps in the circle. They now stood beside the wolves. These deer pointed their antlers downward.

“They joined forces?! That just ain’t natural!” the men screamed in horror.

He made a mad dash for the opening. The wolves and deer stood where they were. As if the man was no concern of theirs. The man did not dare question his luck. He continued running. Just before he reached the gap though his vision went black. He could not see anything in front of him.

The man’s face began to itch. So he raised his hands to scratch it. However as soon as he did he felt what seemed like small needles dig into his face.

The pain was excruciating. He had to get away. He tried moving forward but that just made the pain worse. He slowly walked back and the pain stopped. He walked even further back and he found he could see again.

The first sight he saw was a large flock of red birds. He recognized them as woodpeckers. He was lucky they were content with attacking them with just their feet. He didn’t want to imagine the state his body would be in if they pecked at him instead. It's no wonder he ran back to join his friends. One of the woodpeckers laughed at the man’s frantic dash to safety.

The thugs found themselves outnumbered by the forest dwellers. AJ watched the sight in awe. She slowly turned to Fluttershy who still wore her fierce judgmental expression.

“W-wow, Shy. This is amazin. I’ve never seen you call this many critters before.”

Shy didn’t reply to AJ’s praise. Her eyes still locked solely on the men before them.

“Uh. Boss, what do we do?”

“It’s times like this we have to ask ourselves what Tom would do,” the boss said nodding his head.

“That’s why you’re the boss.”

“Just this once we will allow you two to take the seed. But only because we have to go soon. We have a date with another gang back home. We are gentlemen. And gentlemen are never late.”

“Seriously?” AJ said dumbfounded.

“Y-yes! So you two better appreciate this act of kindness from us! Grab Tom and the others and let’s go!”

The thugs did as their boss said. One went to collect the man who had tasted dirt. Two went to grab those two people who wielded the sickles. The remaining three went to collect the man who dared to grab the bull by the horns.

They stared at the two women. They slowly inched away from them. Step by step they picked up their pace. Once they got far enough that the two imposing Hunters were mere dots only then did they turn around.

“Ugh,” Tom moaned as he was being carried. “Hey, where is my boomstick?”

~~~~

The pair continued down the road for sometime. After what felt like days of walking they finally came upon the entrance to Appleloosa.

“Are you sure yer head is alright, Shy?”  AJ asked the the petite woman. Fluttershy nodded slowly still holding her head.

“It’s just a mild headache. I’ll be fine.”

“Ya sure? Cuz I’m sure we can find a healer in town.”

“No, no. Really. I’m fine.”

“Honestly darlin’ you should really consider using some magic that won’t scramble your noggin’.”

“It’s not that bad, Applejack. I like being able to speak with the animals. If that means a headache every now and then. It’s worth it.”

AJ shook her head as they entered the town. Fluttershy was in awe of the town.

AJ was right it was a rather small rural town. The buildings themselves were brown and could store a small family. They were spaced evenly apart from each other. The roads lacked any kind of stone or rock. There was just flat dirt roads for as long as one could see.

All the roads seemed to lead to a very large mound of dirt. This area was mostly likely where the mighty  bloomberg tree stood. It was truly a great tragedy that needed to be rectified.

“Wow,” Fluttershy gasped.

“Told ya. The people of Appleloosa are a simple lot.” AJ flashed a smile. “Come one. We need to drop this fella off.”

The two Hunters made their way to a slightly larger building. It resembled the smaller ones in color and material used. However there was one clear difference. On either of its side was the image of a large red tree. Various fruit hung from the tree’s numerous branches.

They entered odd building. Once inside they found a fairly older gentleman. His hair was a chocolate brown. On his head was a big black stetson. Like Applejack he had a red bandana around his neck. His pants matched the color of his hair. He wore a short blue vest. On his vest hung a grey star. On his face was a magnificently thick and bushy black moustache.

“Howdy there Mayor Silverstar,” Applejack greeted tipping her hat to the man.

“Is that Applejack? It seems like it's been forever since we last spoke,” the man said his moustache moving ever so slightly.

Fluttershy was compelled by the facial hair. Fluttershy silently wished she could hug it. It looked like a large caterpillar or a small chinchilla.

“It’s been a few years since I’ve seen ya last,” Silverstar chuckled. He gave her a bright smile.

Applejack returned the chuckle with one of her own. She picked up the seed in its little bag. She presented the bag to the mayor. “Here ya are. A new Bloomberg seed.”

“Much obliged.” Silverstar tipped his hat to the blond. He slipped her a check.

“Tell Braeburn I said howdy,” Applejack said giving him a nod. He flashed her a quick grin. With another tip of her hat she made her way to the exit.

Fluttershy gave a quick bow to the mayor. Then she ran after her friend.

Fluttershy emerged from the building to final AJ standing. For a moment she saw Applejack’s eyes look at the mound of dirt in the middle of town. AJ smiled at the mound.

AJ shook her head. She then stretched her arms as she let out a long yawn. “Whooo wee! This mission’s finally over! Hopefully gettin’ home shouldn’t be as much of an issue this time around.”

“If you want I could call some of my friends to give us a lift back.”

“I’d prefer to walk. Speaking of those critters. How’d they show up like that?”

“I called them AJ,” Fluttershy said helpfully.

“I know that. I mean they don’t got those critters around here. They ain’t got wolves they got coyotes. They ain’t got woodpeckers they got vultures. And they sure ain’t got no deer.”

“What does that mean Applejack?”

AJ paused. She slowly turned to her friend with a puzzled expression. “Frankly darlin’? I just don’t know.”

Tricky Gambit

There are many wondrous things in this world. Of course there are the obvious things like magic or fiends. Yet they pale in comparison to nature itself. Both its beauty and its power. And no place better sums up both than the city of Everfree.

Located in the center of a forest Everfree‘s buildings stood proud. The buildings themselves were painted in a light green. A passerby may mistake it for being part of the forest.

Thick vines wrapped themselves around the bright green buildings. The vines seemed to pulse like veins. And from these vines tiny flowers bled out. These beautiful flowers hung over the sides of the buildings. As if they stood silent guard over the city.

The streets below were very occupied by its content populace. Like the forest around them and their own city’s buildings the people themselves chose to dress themselves in green clothes. Of course they wore varying shades of green.  Failure to note which shade of clothes your friends wore would practically guarantee you losing them.

If the green buildings and clothes weren’t enough there was another obstacle for tourists that hurt one’s sense of direction. In the town several of its citizens adored nature. So much so a majority of them placed their plants on their windowsills.

The plants themselves would vary. There would inevitably be more than one person placing a group of roses in a certain pattern. In order to differentiate these similarities the citizens would make their own unique touch to the plant. So if you failed to recognize the minimalistic difference between two groups of roses you could get lost.

Everfree is much like a forest. If one is not careful they could be lost in it forever. The town had a calming effect on the town. Many theorize it is because of its isolation from other cities but Everfree had no crime rate. In fact it was a rarity for any mission to concern the town at all.

Outside the gates of the city stood a pair of two young men. They were an odd couple of individuals.

One of the two towered a clear foot above the other. His fiery hair was short. His analytical eyes were a dark green. They’d blend into the city if he wasn’t careful. Freckles graced his face. And wrinkles laid on his black pants. His shoes were brown work boots. His shirt was a dark burgundy. Dark grey gauntlets covered his forearms.

The smaller of the two was completely enraptured by the city. His hot pink eyes were watery. He felt his long blond hair slap against his back. Like his friend he too wore a coat. However his had sleeves and was a dark shade of purple. On his head was a squarish hat that matched the color of his coat. His shirt, gloves, and boots were red. His pants were a light yellow hue.

“What a wondrous city!” the young man exclaimed. “A perfect stop for the two young heroes.”

The larger one stared at his friend. He silently grabbed his friend and entered through the gate of the city. They had no time to lose.

“M-mac! Why must you be so rough?! We should take this opportunity to bask in the glory that is this grand city!”

“We ain’t got time for that.”

“I am aware, but that doesn’t mean-”

“You got info on our guy, right?”

“I do.”

Mac said nothing more. The smaller man handed Mac a small card. Everytime he handed Mac one of his cards he’d carry Quick would hope his friend would never ask to play with him. After all Mac had an impenetrable poker face.

The outline of the card glowed white. As if some preschooler had spread paste to the perimeter of the card. Suddenly the card’s shape began to expand and stretch.

Mac rolled his eyes at this. Whenever Quick did this the card would sometimes get stuck in the middle of its expansion. Recognizing they had little time to waste Mac decided to do what he always did when Quick’s magic stalled. He shook the card as if it was a wet towel.

“Now I know that wasn’t necessary. I had it!” the smaller man said hurt by the actions of his companion. His eyes were starting to water.

“Calm down Quick,” Mac stated as he continued shaking the card.

In an instant the card shifted to the size of a poster. Mac steadied himself for the now added size and weight of the poster.

On the poster was a green haired man. The corners of the man’s eyes were covered in wrinkles. On these wrinkles were orange red streaks. His green eyes were full of joyous mirth. Mac knew that the man’s white jacket and pants were a facade. He knew this man’s past was drenched in blood. The shoes of the man resembled the color of the forest that protected the town.

“Bright Gleam. Wanted for theft, manslaughter, and dine and dashing. Hm. Quite the charmer, no?”  Quick asked dryly.

“Eeyup.”

“Credit where it’s due. Hiding out in a city without crime? Smart,” Quick asserted. “So where should we start?”

“There’s a bar in the town.”

“Oh the lively atmosphere of a bar. The two young heroes shall find themselves welcomed by comrades in the place they least suspect. Friends who will help them capture the vile villain.”

Mac turned to walk to the bar. Quick followed behind. All the while he was telling of how they’d find shady characters with hidden hearts of god. Mac silently hoped his friend would stop his rambling by the time they reached the bar. Or else he’d need a very strong, possibly toxic, drink.

~~~~

The two Hunters started at the building before them. While the rest of the city presented a feeling of life and a powerful connection to nature this place gave the opposite.

The plants that surrounded it were a dark brown like a sick or dying plant. The vines hung loosely from the building appearing to be on the verge of falling off. The grass was equally brown and dried out.

Each step they took was accompanied with an audible crunch. It sounded like they were stepping on the bones of a decrepit hermit. It was as if the area in the town was forsaken by the rest of it. Quick shivered at that thought.

“This place certainly looks charming.” Quick spoke hesitantly.

“Eeyup.”

“Shall we then?” Quick said giving his friend a mock bow.  Mac simply walked by his bending friend into the bar. Quick slowly turned to watch his friend, eyebrow twitching.

“Really should have seen that coming,” the short Hunter said as he followed his friend inside. “Mac never got sarcasm.”

Once inside they took a quick glance. Rather surprising the inside of the bar was almost nothing like the outside. The place resembled the rest of the city.  The tables were very plain. Like the rest of the town they too were green. The plain appearance had a calming effect on the two Hunters.

“What a twist. The bar turned out to be more like a juice bar,” Quick observed.

Mac touched Quick’s shoulder getting his attention. Mac pointed to a counter where a young woman stood.

The woman’s purple eyes were glazed. Her purple hair was long and curly. A long white apron covered her upper body. Quick noted that she did seem to be wearing dark purple pants. Her skin was very pale.

“Ah so the hero has fallen in love with a beautiful maiden,” Quick whispered. “Now he must do as all heroes do and leave her in peace. But alas his heart compels him to speak.”

Quick’s hand went into the front pocket of his jacket he pulled out a mint and casually tossed it into his mouth. His hands went through his hair making sure each strand was in the ideal place for maximum waviness. Puffing his chest out Quick strode over purposely to the bartender.

“Greetings and Bienvenue, miss,” Quick said tipping his hat. “I must say, you look ravaging in this light. Like a rose blooming forth in a garden of weeds. I feel so much more at peace by merely being in your presence. Will you grace my ears with your name?”

“Did you just call my home a garden of weeds?” the woman asked her face contorting in anger.

“Um. O-of course not! I was merely stating how your beauty is matched by none within this bar,” Quick chuckled nervously as his cheeks became a bright red.

“Now you’re calling all my friends in here ugly?!” the woman snapped.

“No, no! I-I-I was merely saying. Um,” the Hunter said at a lost for words.

“Hello miss. My name is Mac,” the large Hunter said extending his hand to the woman.

“Berry,” the young lady said shaking the Hunter’s hand. “Haven’t seen you two before. You new to Everfree?”

“Eeyup.” Mac took a seat at the bar.

“Not much of a talker are you?”  Berry giggled.

“Nope.”

“I talk good!” Quick blurted out.

“So what brings you two to our city?” Berry asked ignoring Quick’s comment.

“A mission.” Mac said as he pulled out the poster. He held it up. “We’re looking for this man.”

Berry studied the photo closely. “Hm. Sorry, I haven’t seen this guy.”

Mac gave an annoyed grunt. He stuffed the poster back in his pocket.

“Perhaps we should rest for a moment. We have been tracking this man for several hours, Mac.”

“I’d really miss you, big guy,” Berry said winking at the large Hunter.

Mac sighed. He gave Quick a small nod.

“Excelent! Miss, could you bring us two mugs of...Whatever it is you have. Non alcoholic, please.”

The woman frowned. She stood there defying the short Hunter. Then Mac ordered the same.

With a happy smile Berry turned around for a few minutes. A loud slurping sound could be heard. She returned with two cups.

One was large enough to be called a barrel rather than a cup. And its contents were practically overflowing. How she expected Mac to finish that Quick did not know. She gave Mac a clear wink.

Quick looked at his own cup. Or rather his spoonful of the drink. He hoped that he would not spill the shallow amount. How she expected him to get full on this he did not know. He teared up as he realized that was the point.

“You can have my cup,” Mac said inching his barrel to Quick. “I’ll order another.”

“Thank you my brother in arms!” Quick shouted joyfully getting the attention of several bar goers. They were surprised at Quick’s face. On it was a huge cheshire smile

Mac shook his head. A small chuckle escaped his mouth. “No problem, partner.”

~~~~

Mac left a small handful of bits the counter as he and Quick left the bar. Mac noticed that a small paper was put in his hands. On it were scribbled a series of numbers. Mac could swear he saw the faint outline of a pair of lips on the paper.

“That could have gone much better.” Quick said walking from the bar Mac following quitely. Mac let out an amused sigh.

“You’d think someone like this would stick out somewhat! Or make some kind of mistake we could use to track him!” Quick huffed.  Mac gave no reply. He just kept walking along the road as his friend spoke.

“Did the poster list any of the magic he uses? Maybe he uses an invisibility spell of some sort?

Mac stopped as he pulled out the poster. He examined the poster. He grabbed Quick and motioned him to use his magic on the poster.

Once again Quick’s magic covered the poster. A few words glowed from the poster. The top word was abilities. Below included what he was believed to be which was a ninja. Mac scratched his chin. That was all the information given.

“He could be anywhere,” Mac commented.

“Have the brave heroes lost their way to save the day?!” Quick exclaimed.

Mac took a few steps forward. He surveyed the area as if he was looking for something.

“Where?” Mac said softly. Suddenly, Mac spotted something. Something that was off. The entirety of the city was green. Because of this the city appeared to be suspended in time. It was as still as a statue. However he found a place that seemed to be moving. Breaking into a sprint he dashed to a corner of a building.

“Mac?” Quick turned to see his friend chasing after something. This behavior was unlike his normally stoic friend. In fact the only times Mac would run off in such a manner was if he found something related to their present mission.

Quick Snap felted conflicted. While going after Mac was the obvious choice he had no idea where Mac was running off to. It could lead them to their target or it could be a wild goose chase.

“Yay verily the young hero finds himself in a predicament. Does he follow his ally into the unknown or hold the rear vigilantly? Tis the tragic decision of our young hero!  No, I must aid him! Whether We know what lies beyond or not, it is unbecoming of a hero to abandon his comrades! Tally Ho!” Quick soliloquized as he ran to a corner parallel to Mac.

Mac moved his head to see if the thing was still moving. He noted that it was. He leaned his head in its direction. Quick nodded his understanding.

“Right. So what is the plan?”

“You still got the cup?”

“Yes? I figured since we paid for it I might as well take it.”

“Good. We’re gonna need it.”

Quick cocked a brow. “For what reason?”

Mac reached his hand out to Quick. Mac gestured for the cup. Quick obliged him.

He was confused on what Mac’s plan was. Mac’s right arm became engulfed in red magic. Mac grunted as he tossed the cup far away from the Hunters.

The cup flew through the air like a torpedo. Quick’s jaw dropped. Had his friend just lost his marbles?!

Mac walked towards Quick as the cup flew. Quick gulped at the look in his eyes. It looked like Mac had come up with an awful idea. An awful idea he wanted Quick’s help with.

The cup spun in the air spilling its very meager amount of milk. The white liquid splashed as it hit something. It was then Quick noticed the white milk hovered as if in mid air.

Before Quick could comment he felt himself lifted up. He gasped as his friend lifted him onto his right shoulder.

Quick tried to speak but Mac tossed him in the air. When he returned courtesy of gravity Mac had grabbed Quick’s feet with his right hand. And then he threw the short Hunter at the hovering dairy liquid.

Quick had no time to react as he collided with the floating milk. It was at that moment he understood why Mac did what he did. The milk was not floating. A person, most likely their target, had become invisible.

Clever, Mac. Then Quick felt himself crash into this person. The two struggled as they found themselves in a little ball created by momentum. Quick noted that the man’s true appearance was revealed after he tackled. Most likely he had undone the target’s illusion magic. The momentum ended with Quick sitting atop their target.

“Greetings Mr. Gleam!” Quick said victoriously.  Gleam shot Quick a dirty look before kicking him off.

“Tsh. Just what I needed. A pair of Hunters on my back.”  Gleam spat coldly. As Gleam stood up he drew his weapon. It was a long sword with a slight curve to it.

Before Quick’s eyes Gleam’s body seemed to speed up. His torso twisted slightly to the right side. His left arm was raised up high. His sword was in this hand. His right hand was down as if he was reaching out to the ground beneath himself. He planted his right foot leaning on his body weight upon it. His left leg stretched forward towards Quick.

Quick produced a card and threw it at Gleam. Gleam side stepped the card swinging his sword at Quick’s neck. Before the blade made contact the Hunter summoned another card. He used it to block the attack as well as put distance between the two.  Quick brought another two cards out, both having a faint white aura, and tossed them at Gleam.

Gleam smirked smacking the cards to the sides. Quick’s jaw dropped as he saw his cards fall to the floor. The criminal’s body twisted as it moved forward.

Gleam’s blade graced the edge of Quick’s chin. If he hadn’t moved his head he would have lost more than some facial hair.

“Come on! Can’t you just let me be?”  Gleam asked bitterly.

“Of course we can’t! You’re a criminal!”

“So I killed a few dozen or so people. Its not like you Hunters don’t do the same.”

“Wedon’t!”

“Right. Whatever you say, Mr.Moral. I’ll just forget about all those stories about Hunters killing people. I mean it's like the incident never happened at all.”

“Incident?”

“Its easy acting like you have the moral high ground. Especially when you’re so ignorant of the world around you.”

Quick remained silent. What was this man talking about? What was this incident?

Taking advantage of the Hunter’s confusion Gleam stabbed at his chest. Noticing he had no time to dodge the Hunter pulled out a card. It glowed white like its brothers. However then it shifted into a bright light.

Gleam grunted as he was blinded. But that did not stop his thrust. He felt his sword plunge into something. He wondered since he cut the Hunter during this soul search if he’d see Quick’s soul exit his body instead of blood. He hoped so. Blood had begun to grow a bit stale.

Drawing his blade back he opened his eyes. He sneered at what he saw or rather what he did not see. He found no blood was on his sword. Instead what he found was another one of that Hunter’s cards.

The card glowed. The card let out a loud sizzle and exploded into a torrent of confetti. This was quickly becoming bothersome.

“I hate Gamblers. They’re the worst kind of mages,” Gleam grumbled. He tried looking around and could not find where his pursuer had gone.

Resisting the urge to grunt Gleam decided to walk away. Obviously the coward would not dare test his patience again.

Gleam heard the crunch of the ground as he moved forward. After a few steps however he stopped hearing it.

His eyes moved to the ground to find a card on each of his feet. Gleam decided to humor this Hunter and awaited to see the confetti once more. The cards glowed but instead of shooting confetti each of the cards sprouted water right into his eyes.

His eyes shut as he grunted in pain at the liquid invader. He walked away from the cards. Then that annoyance would be easily forgotten.

Once again he began to hear the familiar crunch of actual ground. But also once again he heard it stopped after a while. Unlike last time Gleam had no time to wonder why as he felt his body fall and roll.

Gleam felt a large pile of dust enter his mouth and nose. If he hadn’t had his eyes still closed he was sure he’d have been blinded a third time in less a minute’s time.

He confirmed his suspicion. He found himself at the bottle of a large hole. A large dusty hole. While it didn’t pertain to cards he was certain it was the Gambler’s doing.

Gleam clawed at the sides of the hole trying to grab hold of something. Nothing presented itself and the man slipped back to the bottom of the hole. The gambler would pay for humiliating him like this.

He then spotted a sturdy looking rock. Perhaps he could use that to escape.

“Ahh! When I find that Gambler I’ll skin him alive,” the embarrassed man groaned as he grabbed the rock.

With a grunt of effort Gleam lifted himself from the hole. He brushed any remaining dirt off his clothes. As he began to step forward he thought he should be more cautious.

It was at that very moment he realized he heard no crunch. He looked down to find he had found himself surrounded by many cards. Grumbling he closed his eyes. His eyes still stung from that water.

Gleam could feel the magic energy engulf the cards. The next thing he noticed was a foul smell entering his nostrils.

The smell was horrendous enough for him to open his eyes in pain. He hacked violently. That insufferable Gambler had struck again.

“I am sick of these games! Come out and fight me like a man!”

From a nearby tree a small square appeared on a string. That was new. He grabbed the small stamp and felt its edge cut against his fingers.

Gleam let out a small gasp of pain. He had never suffered from a papercut before.

Suddenly he heard some laughing. Gleam turned his head to find a figure in the distance. It had to be the Hunter.

A frightful grin formed on Gleam’s lips as his chased after the figure blade drawn. That Hunter would pay for all he had done. Heck maybe he’d actually like seeing the blood gush from him. The thought alone was enough to sustain himself for at least a century.

He closed in on the figure. He brought his sword down on them.  The figure vanished into a puff of smoke. When he brought his sword back he saw a single card.

“What? How can he just-” Gleam’s musing was halted when he heard an increasing aggravating sound. He turned around to find he was right near two cards on the floor.

Before he could breath one of the cards glowed. A large mass of a green gooey substance shot forth and hit Gleam in his chest.

It forced Gleam up against a tree. He struggled in vain against the goo. As he did he noticed the Gambler appear out of the words. An amused smile was plastered on his face.

“How?”

“Its simple really. I used illusion magic.”

“Illusion magic?”

“When you got that cut from the stamp  the magic in it was released. Having no where else to go it went into your wound. And it traveled all the way to your head.”

“But how could you tell I’d come back here specifically?!”

“The cards you swatted away. I imbued one of those cards with the same energy that the stamp had. That created a kind of link between the two.”

“Then why bother with all the joke cards?!”

“As a Gambler I lack forceful spells. We specialize in tripping up our opponents. I had no choice but to embrace them.”

“And you expect me to believe this?”

“If you’d rather believe I defeated you without one go ahead. Between you and me I’d rather this be an action story rather than a comical one.”

Quick closed his eyes awaiting the sweet sound of a surrender. What greeted his ears was a chuckle.

Gleam had held on to his sword with his right hand. With a yell of defiance Gleam cut the gooey substance from his person.

Quick fell on his butt. His breathing grew ragged. His eyes streamed forth a mighty river. His mouth trembled like an intensive earthquake.

Gleam enjoyed the view. He loved seeing his victims squirm. It was fun to see the life fade from them slowly. He raised his sword high in the air savoring every last second. He brought it down with a shout of victory.

Suddenly Gleam felt his attack was stopped. He saw a large arm had grabbed his. He followed the arm to find a large man with fiery hair.

Mac’s right arm was covered in an inferno. Without another word Mac punched Gleam to the floor. The target was unconscious.

“Ah! Thank you for the save, my comrade! However it was unnecessary. I had the situation under control.”  Quick spoke with false bravado.

“Right.”

“I did!”

“Course ya did.”

“I did, Macintosh!”

“Can we go now?”

Quick’s head fell down. He sighed. Then he gave Mac a slight nod. Only to see Mac had already put their target over his shoulders and was walking away.

“Oh the young hero has been abandoned by his friend! His friend who couldn’t have given him a little warning before he left!”

~~~~

The two Hunters returned to the Holy Sun. Quick decided Mac would cash their check while he would get the info on another mission.

Quick looked at the board searching for the mission he marked before they left to go after Gleam. He remembered what happened when he signed for this mission.

Mac’s sister had distracted everyone with her guns. Though personally for Quick her eyes were more captivating. And her hair. And her lips. He definitely had to get around to charming her. Heck maybe he could get Mac to talk him up to her.

Quick shook his head. He touched the board and created a card with the information for their mission.

After he was done he ran outside to find Mac waiting. He gave a puzzled look.

“We both have to be there for them to cash the check Quick.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?!”

“I did. You ran off.”

“Here it is!” Quick announced presenting the card to Mac. He hoped Mac would ignore his moment of idiocy.

“What’s that?”

“A new mission for us!”

“Can’t we wait a bit? I’m kinda tired.”

“Well, of course. I wanted you to see the data for this one. Rescuing a damsel in distress.”

Mach snatched the poster from Quick and gave it a brief scan. He smiled.

“Got a question Quick.”

“Yeah?”

“What size dress do you wear?”

A day at the park

Majestic creatures that claim the air. They devour their food with fierce precision. And they never are far from others of their kind. A small gathering of the creatures landed in the center of a park.

This park like most was filled with activity. Children happily ran away playing games. Identifiable flying objects soared through the sky and were caught by mighty canine teeth. Couples were huddled together under their own trees. No wonder the mighty pigeon would frequent this place.

These mighty birds dove to the earth. They did this for they sensed their salvation was at hand. That their once starving bodies could be filled with glorious food. Their watchful eyes spotted a bench overflowing with bird seed.

The grand birds made their way to the bench surrounded by bird seed . Hungrily did they snatch up the seeds. Their red eyes looked at the man on the bench who was eagerly throwing the seeds. The man smiled.

The man’s dark gray hair was tied into a tight ponytail it flew as the wind blew by. Scarlet eyes scanned the area watching the park goers enjoy themselves.  Hands, of a peachish hue, covered his mouth as he stifled a yawn.

The view of the other park goers put him at ease. It was rare that he got a moment’s rest. Plus he got to feed the adorable pigeons. What more could he have asked for?

He wondered if he could lead some of the pigeons back to his home. Then he could keep a few. He’d give them their own names. He’d take them on walks. And he’d tuck them in at night.

Abruptly did the pigeons flock to the sky abandoning their meal. With a brow raised he shot up out off the bench. He threw a few more seeds down. Yet the birds refused to come back.

“I would have named that one Toriyama,” the man sighed.

Defeated, the man sat back down on his bench. He noticed someone else had sat down while he was preoccupied. The person wore odd clothing. They were dressed in a trenchcoat. Atop their head was a fedora.

“Hello.” he said with an inkling of hesitation present in his tone. He tried to give a wave. He stopped when he realized he was not facing the other person.

The figure nodded in response. The discomfort of the awkward situation threatened to ruin the enthusiastic bird feeder’s day. The air of menace this new figure offered made that outcome more likely.

“Nice day, isn’t it?” the man said as a desperate attempt for conversation. He hoped it’d make the situation less unnerving.

The silhouette of a person before him offered no reply. And the silence made the situation even more difficult for the man.

“Did you want something?”

“Yes.”

“You want some bird seed?” he chortled.

“I wish to speak with you, Jaeger.”

“You know my name. So I take it you know what I am as well.”

“Indeed. Which is why I want to hire you.”

Jaeger’s muscles grew tense. Jaeger turned his head. His eyes were intently focused on the figure beside him. “What is the job?”

“I have some items I need recovering. These items have unfortunately made their way into the hands of others. I want them back. By any means necessary, of course. That is why I am hiring you.”

“And these ‘others’ would be who?”

“Does that matter?”

“Very much so. I won’t take any job that could potentially get me or my men killed. Unless you give me a name in the next few seconds this conversation is over.”

“Celestia and Scorpan.”

Jaeger’s eyes shot open. His body jumped out of his seat. The figure looked unfazed by the sudden action. Even the glaring daggers directed at it seemed more of an inconvenience than anything.

“Are you mad?!  Why would I ever risk angering people like that?!”

“Because I can give you anything your heart desires. And all you have to get me is a measly two items.”

“You expect me to believe that?” Jaeger scoffed.

“Shame about the birds. I mean you were going to take care of all of them.”

“What?”

“And you were right about this park. It is very peaceful.”

A lump took form in Jaeger’s throat. He was sure he hadn’t voiced these feelings before. How did this mysterious man know these things? How could he?

“Pity about that dog over there,” the man pointed at a nearby dog. It was eagerly bringing back a frisbee to his owner.

“What about it?” Jaeger questioned tentatively.

“Its going to die. And the boy has no idea. His mother can’t bear to tell him.”

“You’re lying.”

“Oh? Well just look at her. She right over there,” the figure said pointing to a nearby bench. Sure enough it was occupied by a woman.

Jaeger grunted as he studied the aforementioned woman. Bags upon bags hung under her eyes. Her skin was a sickly pale. Her hands were wet. Ironically her lips were cracked and dry.

“O-okay. So she looks worn out, but that doesn’t mean a thing!”

“Well then how bout that couple under that tree?”

“What? Those lovebirds? What about them?”

“Look at the man’s hand.”

“There’s a wedding ring. So what?”

“And now look at the woman whose face he’s been sucking.”

“She has no ring. Maybe she just forgot it or something.”

“Possible.”

“Then how does that prove anything?!”

“Because that other couple over there mirrors that one. The woman’s hand has a ring and that man has none.”

“So you’re suggesting they’re the married couple?”

“Their rings hold too many similarities. It is unlikely two married couples would have the same specifications of-”

“Fine! They’re cheating! What’s your damn point!?”

“You’re wondering how I knew this. The answer is simple. I can look into the hearts of mankind.”

“Hearts of mankind?”

“I can give you what you what you desire most. All I require is you retrieve those things of mine.”

Jaeger paused to think. It could have been mere coincidence. He was aware of telepathic magic, it had it’s limits. Yet this man had read the minds of six people in such a short time. There was no way this could be telepathy magic.  It was simply too powerful.

He found himself becoming quickly frustrated by this man. There was only one way he would be sure of the man. He opened his mouth.

“That is a noble desire.”

Jaeger stared in awe.  His jaw dropped.

“Yes I can read your mind. The only reason I allowed you to respond was for your own comfort. However it seems you require further proof of my power. Which is why I will not allow you that comfort any more.”

Jaeger gritted his teeth. He thought they break from how hard they were grinding against one another. Absentmindedly he roughly grabbed the man by the coat’s collar. Jaeger narrowed his eyes.

“What the hell are you?” Jaeger growled.

“A man with waning patience. I need an answer now, Sir Jaeger.”

Jaeger’s grip loosened somewhat. This felt like something out of a nightmare. Jaeger was stuck with a wild torrent of contradictory thoughts. All of them were put on display for this man. Heaving a sigh of defeat he released the man.

“What’s your name?”

“Why do you ask?”

“Because I prefer to know what to call my employer. And if I’m somehow captured I have a bargaining chip.”

The shadowy figure smiled. The gleam of its teeth was bright enough to act as another sun. That wasn’t what caught Jaeger’s attention. It was the sharp swords someone could mistake as teeth.

“You may call me Phantasm.”

Students Assemble

“I hate assemblies,” Flash complained.

“Assemblies are necessary to foster a sense of unity. As well as provide us with school spirit,” Twilight explained.

“That’s such a textbook answer.”

“Yes. Which is why it is the correct one.”

Flash moaned. He was sick of school assemblies.

He was sick of all the students being led into the large auditorium. Despite its size it always managed to feel cramped. He was sure if he was to actually breathe he’d hit someone’s head with it.

That was only nuisances. The real issues was the speeches. They’d always boil down to ‘our school is great RARA’. Rarely did the headmistress have something interesting to say during these assemblies. The only hope he had for them was the slightly possibility of seeing a friend or two. Maybe even the chance to sit with them.

“So do you think we’re getting new textbooks?” Twilight asked giddily. His partner’s enthusiasm was not helping his mood. With the auditorium filling fairly quickly he decided to see if any of his  other friends had entered yet. Sniffing the air various familiar scents penetrated his nose. Of the scents three in particular caught his attention.

“Yo. What’s up, bro?” A familiar voice called.

“Yo Soarin,” Flash replied happy to have the time to talk to someone. Well someone who wasn’t drooling over new books about that person with the overly long facial hair.

“So dude do you think this assembly is about Celestia’s new squeeze?”

“What?”

“Soarin think Celestia and the Scorpan are an item,” Dash chimed in as she took a seat.

“Hey, Dash. For real, man?”

“Dude lets face facts. Celestia ain’t exactly young. She is still kinda cute though. So if she wants some action now is the last time she can get it. You know before she becomes old enough to be everyone’s grandma. And what’s more attractive to a woman than something exotic? Women love foreign guys.”

“You do realize Scorpan is a fiend, right?” Twilight asked.

“Women love foreign guys,” Soarin’ repeated.

“It’d never work!” Twilight shouted in a hushed voice.

Flash loudly cleared his throat. The distinct noise caught the attention of the other three hunters.

“Is something wrong?”

Flash offered no verbal reply. Instead he sent an angry glance aimed in Twilight’s direction.

“Don’t be immature Flash. You know as well as I that Celestia already has enough bad press with the community as is with our school. The last thing she needs now is to go act like a school girl with Scorpan,” Twilight lectured.

“Not what I meant.”

“Well, what did you mean?”

“Forget it. It wasn’t important.”

“Tantrums seldom are,” Twilight huffed.

Flash rolled his eyes. His nostrils flared. He had fought with Twilight in the past but never like this. Never about fiends. Her comment stung his heart.

Dash grunted annoyed. She had already had her fill of yelling when she had to force Soarin’ to go to the assembly. The last thing she needed was two of her friends screeching like raptors.

Soarin’ was still groggy from his interrupted sleep. He zoned out during the fight. So when Rainbow Dash sent him a look of disbelief at the argument the only response he could muster was a simple shrug.

“Hey is that Fluttershy over there?” Dash exclaimed pointing.

Flash’s head rose narrowly. “O-oh. I guess it is. I don’t think she sees us.”

“Well I’ll take care of that,” Dash said confidently pulling herself up.

She cupped her hands near her mouth. And proceeded to shout. “Hey Fluttershy over here!”

“Dash, stop!“ Flash hissed.

“Dude, what gives? It’s been awhile since the four of us did anything together.”

“I-I know, but-”

“But nothing, Flash! She’s our friend.”

“Dash, listen for a second-”

“Um, hello?” Shy asked more than said.

“Tein.” Flash swore under his breath.  Shy caught a glimpse of Flash. Her nervous eyes turned back to the more welcoming expressions of Rainbow Dash and Soarin.

“How are you both? It’s been such a long time since we’re together like this.”

“Awesome as usual.” Dash said flashing one of her confident grins.

“Eh, can’t complain.” Soarin said. “But I will anyway.”

Shy giggled. “Oh, Soarin. You're still so funny.”

“Aw, Thank you so much, Shy.”

“Howdy,” AJ said as she came up from behind Fluttershy.

“Uh Hi.Um. Who are you again?” Soarin inquired.

The blonde sighed. “Applejack. Call me AJ.”

“Right, right.” Dash nodded. “Why does your name sound familiar?”

“Probably cuz yah heard about my brother.”

“Brother? Wait, is your brother-”

“Hey, Jackie,” Mac greeted.

“Greetings Applejack! Greetings Miss Fluttershy!” Quick Snap yelled.

“Hey, Mac. Hey Quick,” AJ replied.

“Hello, Quick Snap. Uh, Hello, Macintosh.”

“Shy, Ah told ya, it’s just Mac.”

“Oh. Sorry.”

Mac shook his head before taking a seat next AJ. Quick gave a short tip of his hat before taking the empty seat next to Mac.

The doors swing open from the other came the teachers of the school. Hoity Toity and Cheerilee led the charge to a group of seats. These seats were near a the school’s podium.

“Alright, everyone. Quiet down,” Cheerilee instructed.

The students own chatter canceled out Cheerilee’s voice. The teachers grew agitated at this disrespect.

“ENOUGH!!!” a voice shouted.

The sheer volume dwarfed Dash’s earlier one. The powerful sense of authority compelled the students to seize their conversations. They wished they had heeded Cheerilee’s instruction. It would have saved their ears.

From the entrance stood the one in charge of the school. The one whose magic power trumped everyone’s in the room. The queen of the sun; Celestia.

Every step she took presented an aura of benevolence and power. It always caught the students by surprise how much they didn’t fear her. They knew she could wipe all of them out if she so wished. They also knew she wouldn’t.

The students respected her restraint. Which made her loud outbursts unnerving. Could they have broke her? Were they all doomed? Would this be their last assembly ever?!

Standing at the podium Celestia took a second to clear her throat. The students suspected it was more to get her voice back to normal level than the loud one it just was. When she was done she addressed them.

“I apologize for the outburst. I hope I didn’t frighten anyone.”  The students were blown away by the sincerity in her voice.  They could hardly believe that the woman before them was the same one who, just seconds ago, released a fearsome shout to silence them.

“Now, the reason for this assembly. This school was founded on the idea that humans and fiends could work together. I believe in this ideal, however, I also feel that we should not only work together but try to gain an understanding of our fellow man and fiend.”

“She’s totally with Scorpan,” Soarin whispered.

“Shh. Don’t be rude,” Twilight shushed him.

“As such, the teachers and I have devised an experiment. For the next week, you will have partake in a mission with a different person.”

The auditorium became dead quiet as the students let Celestia’s words sink in. Seconds passed before a voice chirped up.

“Uh, Miss Celestia? How are going to decide who gets paired up?”

“First I need all of you to take a ball in your hand,” Celestia instructed.

One of the teachers got up from his seat. He was the size of a bull. A white shirt threatened to be shredded to pieces due to his mighty upper body. Tight dark blue sweat pants hugged his legs. He wore dark blue shoes.

The teacher’s face matched the air of dominance his body did. A ring was lounged in his nose. Under his chin was a long goat like beard. His hair was spiked in three directions. It looked like he had three horns.

This teacher was Iron Will. One of the P.E. teachers of the school. He was also the most feared. Partly because he was supposedly the strongest of the teachers so he could break even the highest students like twigs if he so wished. And partly because of his hairdo he was nicknamed the Demon Teacher of the school.

“Please refrain from hurting anyone, Will,” Cheerilee whispered.

“That moron will kill at least two,”  An elderly lanky looking man,sporting a black hair piece, sneered. Black slacks hung off his legs. A brown sweater vest clung to his small chest. He wore brown formal shoes.

“As long as he doesn’t make them as ugly as you Cranky. I’m sure it’ll be alright,” Hoity added.

“I can’t hear you over all those cosmetics in your hair,” Cranky retorted.

“Well at least I care about myself enough to treat myself.”

“Stop it! Both of you!” Cheerilee scolded. “Honestly, you’re worse than the children!”

“Don’t worry, Lee. I’m not gonna hurt’em. Much.”

He had grabbed a large crate. Once he stood in the middle of the auditorium he placed the crate down. He prepared to flick his finger at the crate.

The auditorium of students watched with bated breath. They had heard of Iron Will’s impressive feats of strength. One claim was he once lifted a mountain. Another was he threw said mountain into the ocean creating a new island. Yet another was that he managed to defeat one hundred fiends with a donkey’s jawbone.

His finger collided with the crate. And nothing happened. Everyone looked in awe at the poor display. The great and mighty Iron Will defeated by a mere crate?!

“You idiot! You need to psych yourself up!” Cranky criticized.

“Right!” Iron Will yelled embarrassed.

“Dumb middle agers,” Cranky grumbled.

“When you need to sock you need to tell yourself that you rock!” Iron Will shouted.

Once again he flicked his finger at the crate. This time it let out a powerful shockwave. If the students had not been sitting then they could’ve been sent up into the sky.

The crate opened to reveal a great amount of bubble wrap. Iron Will’s eyes flashed in glee at his accomplishment.

“Why is he smiling like that?”

“Didn’t Celestia say something about balls?”

“You don’t think-”

“I got a knot in my stomach.”

“I can help with that. I used to be a boy scout.”

“Idiot! He means he’s feeling sick.”

“I learned how to treat that in the boy scouts. I can give one heck of a belly rub!”

“Don’t worry. This crate does not contain anything dangerous. It does have balls. But they’re just tennis balls. You’ll be fine,” Iron Will assured them.

“Oh the knot in my stomach is gone!”

“Yay! We were worried over nothing.”

“Belly rubs are on me guys!”

“Don’t touch me.”

Reaching into the crate Iron Will pulled something out. The object was not a tennis ball as he said but a much large white ball.

“That’s not a tennis ball.”

“Oh! That’s a baseball!”

“Coach Will lied? Shocking.”

“Coach?! I didn’t vote for him!”

Wasting no time Will launched a ball into the crowd. Moments later, a thud following a screech of pain were heard.

Before anyone could move he threw another. And another. Celestia watched as the onslaught of balls continued, a feeling of regret taking form in the pit of her stomach.

“Perhaps the lottery would have been a better choice,” Celestia sighed.

“Yes. The fewer students the better,” Cranky agreed.

“Not that kind of lottery.”

In the far back of the room Flash and the others ducked down from the volley of pain.

“Happy I chose the backsets, now?”

“I can’t hear you being in the back,” Twilight shot back.

“I knew Coach Will was nuts, but this is alpha nuts!” Dash yelled.

“Don’t think that’s a thing, Dash!”  Soarin cited.

“Oh what a wonderful new term!” Quick shouted.

“Ah hate tah interrupt, but we gotta catch these things!” AJ interjected.

Flash growled. This was going to hurt. Raising an arm his hand came into contact with one of the rapid fire balls.

Yelping in pain he quickly brought his arm back. It felt like his entire arm was on fire and ice cold all at once. He had no idea how a single throw could even do that.

“Ow. Yovita, that hurts.”

He turned to see the others had all gotten their balls. And unlike him their hands were not a shade of red.

“How?!” Flash demanded.

“Mac,” Twilight answered.

“Mac,” Soarin agreed.

Flash’s eyebrow twitched. Had he waited a few seconds more he’d still have some feeling in his hand.

With the crate now emptied Will returned to his seat. His smile of achievement still plastered on his lips.

“Thank you, Iron Will. Once the assembly ends, anyone who might may injured report to Nurse Red Heart.”

“Aw but her medicine is all grape flavored!”

“But she is a hot tamale!”

“I will heal her heart and our two hearts shall become one!” Quick exclaimed.

“Quick. You ain’t hurt. And you ain’t sick. You ain’t going to the nurse.”

“But I am Mac. I am lovesick!”

Mac shook his head at his friend’s declaration. He had hoped his friend would remember the last time he went to the nurse to ‘heal his heart’ he got beat up by the nurse’s very real husband. Though it was by accident.

“Now then, does everyone have a ball?”  A collective groan was Celestia’s reply.

“Then I require a volunteer.” No one moved from their seats. Possibly due to the previous assault or perhaps the overwhelming sensation of being so close to Celestia.

Celestia frowned somewhat. The lack of volunteers irked her a little.

Heaving a sigh Flash began to get up from his seat only to find Twilight had already stood up. And was making her way towards the front.

“Shoulda seen that coming.” Flash lightly chortled, returning to his seat.

Twilight strode towards the podium with the utmost confidence. She paid no heed to the piercing eyes of her school mates and even less attention to the snide remarks she heard every few seconds.

All she cared about at this moment was helping her idol. It was a honor for anybody to do.

Once she reached her destination she offered a bow to Celestia. She returned said bow with a warm smile.

“Thank you, Twilight,”  she said pleasantly.

“It was my pleasure,”  Twilight said grinning brightly.

Nodding Celestia turned back to the crowd. “To decide how pairs will be matched, all the balls have a student id on them. You shall be matched up with a new partner for your next mission. You will be split into pairs.”

Celestia urged Twilight to turn her ball. On Twilight’s ball was the number 114.

“Given Twilight’s number her partner shall be whoever holds the number 113. Any groups larger than two will be dissolved for the time being. Remember this exercise is to get to know your peers.”

“I’ll show her. I won’t even go on a mission today then,” a student said defiantly.

“In the event you choose to abstain from this exercise you will be expelled from the school immediately. We will not tolerate those who can not adapt to change.”

“Dang it,” the defiant student hissed.

“Since no one has gotten up and left the auditorium I will take that as a sign there are no objections. Now get in your new pairs. And make sure to try and learn about one another,” Celestia finished giving a small smile.

After Celestia’s speech ended, several handfuls of students scattered amongst the auditorium to find their temporary partner.  Some were pleased or even ecstatic for their new ally. While others were less than happy. Some even contemplated Celestia’s threat of expulsion. It was beginning to sound like the more viable option.

Twilight made her way back to her seat. She found the sitting arrangement had changed. Soarin was now sitting next to Mac. Fluttershy next to Flash. Rainbow Dash and AJ opted to stand and stare at one another. And off to the side was Quick who greeted her.

“Greetings, partner,” Quick said removing his hat and giving the mage before him a bow.

“Oh! You’re my partner?”

“Indeed I am, miss sparkle.”

“And judging from the arrangement of seating-”

“Yup! I got paired with Big Mac!” Soarin cheered. “ One of the strongest guys in the school is my partner. Doesn’t matter what the mission is. It’s gonna be cake.”

Mac rolled his eyes at the swordsman's comment. Guys like this always burned him.

“Try not to slow me down, cowgirl,” Rainbow warned.

“Ah think that’s mah line,” AJ retorted.

Twilight noticed neither Flash nor Fluttershy had said a thing to each other. Flash in particular looked downright miserable. She recalled Flash’s words early and the sheer amount of nervousness in his voice.

“So Miss Sparkle," Quick's voice broke her out of her musing.

"O-oh! Yes?"

"I hear you are an avid reader."

She nodded. “I am.”

“What was the last book you read?, if you don't mind my intrusion.” The gambler cocked a brow.

“I believe it was ‘I must screech for I don’t have a mouth’. It was a very upsetting book, but still very interesting."

“Really now?" Quick replied eagerly. "I'll have you know that's one of my favorite books!"

“Really? Mine too!"

"Great mind think alike to seems." Quick gave a small chuckle. “Perhaps we could discus the book more so on our mission?”

From this comment, a large smile sprouted on the purple haired mage's face. "I'd enjoy that!"

“Great,” Flash mumbled. "Twilight found her soul mate."

Fluttershy stirred uncomfortably in her seat. Stealing a glimpse of Flash, she slumped down into her seat.

“He’s changed.”

Change

He changed. This small phrase haunted Fluttershy for the remainder of the day. It wasn’t the fact that they would be alone on a mission or even that fact that Flash had changed. It was the person he had changed into.

She remembered who Flash Sentry was when she first met him. A kind hearted person who was willing to help anyone regardless of if he knew them. Someone who wasn’t afraid to cry or feel compassion for others. Someone who was happy.

Anytime she saw him now, whether it be alone or with someone else, he would always wear that same scowl. A look of pure bitterness and anger. She found it baffling how this was the same person who panicked over a bird falling out of it’s nest.

How could someone so kind become so angry? A foolish question. She knew how. Furiously shaking her head Fluttershy tried desperately to rid herself of that horrid day. She still couldn’t shake this feeling of dread. She was unsure if she could take one of his outburst. And with his current persona, she’d doubt he’d care if he upset or even scared her.

Fluttershy hated this. Thinking so negatively of a friend was the last thing she wanted. Sadly she needed to be realistic. As Flash was presently these were all things to expect. As much as she hated to think this there was no point in trying to deny it. Flash scared her.

Flash walked a good distance behind Fluttershy. His hands shoved in his pockets and eyes looking down. The entire trip to this place had been one of the most awkward in his life. Neither he nor Shy said a word during the train ride. Not that he blamed her.

The two haven’t had any form on interaction with each other in almost five years. The ride did give him time to contemplate things. How did they grew so distant? If their friendship could be saved. And if it should be?

A part of him thought it would be best if they didn’t reconnect. What if this wasn’t the same Fluttershy from his youth? What if she had change for the worst? What if she didn’t?

The last thought in particular scared him. Though, another far more terrifying thought lingered in the back of his mind. What if she was afraid of him?

“ Um. What are we looking for?” he asked in the lowest tone he could muster.

The sudden sound of Flash’s voice caused Fluttershy to jump slightly. She had to fight the urge to grab her chest in panic.

“A-a bugbear cub,” she replied in a whisper.

“I see. How much farther?”

“Uh. Another three miles or so. I-I think.”

“How do you know that?” Flash asked. He had a good idea but he asked more for the sake of keeping the conversation going than anything.

“You can see the tracks he made on the brush and trees. Bugbear cubs play a lot. So they leave their marks all over the forests,” Fluttershy explained.

“So we follow the wave of destruction and we’ll find the bugbear?”

“Yes.”

“Good. We should be able to cover three miles in no time.”

The two continued their trek through the woods in relative quiet.  The only sounds which could be heard were those of the dwellers of the forest. The silence made Flash far too jittery. Had this been Rainbow, Soarin, or even Twilight, they would have found something to discuss.   But what could he talk to Fluttershy about? He barely knew anything about her now.

He groaned in annoyance. Anything’s better than nothing.

“So,” he began. “How have you been?”

Shy was taken aback by his sudden question. She didn’t consider the possibility of him trying to talk with her. It would be rude not to reply.

“Um. Fine.”

“That’s nice.”

Flash breathed a sigh of relief. Headway. It may not have been much, but he’d gladly take it.

He needed to keep their talk going. What should he ask about next?  Her home life? How she met Applejack? Did she have a boyfriend?

He struck that last one from his mind almost immediately. Fluttershy never seemed like the type who was interested in having a boyfriend. At least, that’s what he remembered. It’s likely that could have changed. It also seemed a bit too personal to ask that.

Maybe she had read some interesting book in the past few days? Even if he wasn’t an avid reader he could try to feign intrigue.

“Read anything good lately?”

“Not really.”

“Seen any movies?”

“No.”

“Do any missions?”

“Applejack and I had a guard mission a few days ago. “

“How was that?”

“It was okay.”

Flash groaned. This was going nowhere fast. Did Shy do anything that wasn’t related to animals?

He found himself quickly becoming irritated. It was like she wasn’t even trying to add to the conversation!

Shy examined Flash. The anger on his face was clear as day and with good reason. She hadn’t intended to give him such short answers, but she didn’t really know how to lengthen her responses.

“Maybe I should have just got myself expelled,” Flash muttered.

“I’m sorry,” Fluttershy squeaked hanging her head low.

The duo continued deeper into the forest. Hours seems to pass by at a snail’s pace. Flash looked up to find the sun’s light slowly disappearing over the horizon.

“We should stop for the night,” Flash said. “It’d be too dangerous to travel at night.”

Fluttershy nodded taking a seat on a nearby log. Flash sat opposite of her finding a rock to rest upon.

The two sat in total quietness, both lost in their own musings. After what felt like hours Flash final spoke up.

“We should start a fire,” Flash stood up. He walked over to a random tree. He searched around it and found a few pieces of wood on the ground near it. He grabbed a handful. Then made his way back to Fluttershy.

He carelessly threw the pieces of wood on top of one another. He gave Fluttershy a stern look. It was a message that her responsibility was to watch the fire. She nodded.

Flash searched around their minimalistic campsite. He found two sharp rocks. He took the said rocks back to the camp.

He sat near the mound of wood. He grabbed the two rocks and began scrapping the little one against the larger one. A few minutes of effort he managed to produce a spark that launched from the stones and landed on the wood.

At first the flame was nothing more than that produced by a match. Flash flapped his arms at the fire. When that proved fruitless he bended and blew on the fire. This empowered the flame more than tripling its size.

Returning to his original spot the two sat in silence once more. Picking up a spare pieces of wood Flash casually poked at the dancing flames.

Flash and Fluttershy were drawn to this new acquaintance of theirs. Perhaps they could start a conversation with the fire. Tell it about times long since passed.

Back when they weren’t Hunters. Back when times were simpler. Back when they were friends.

~~~

The sound of laughter echoed throughout the forest. Flash ran passed the huge trees trying to find one of his friends.

“It’s not fair. I’m half fiend.I can hear a lot more stuff than them. So why can’t I find anyone?” Flash whined.

He came across a group of three trees. They stood proud and tall. Flash figured they looked like they reached high into the sky.

He recalled a story of such a thing leading to a giant’s home in the sky. He considered climbing the trees to find out. He decided against it because he knew his mother would have a heart attack.

As he moved forward he tripped over something. He grabbed his leg as he winced in pain. His eyes grew a bit wet as he choked back the pain.

When his eyes adjusted he realized he had fallen over a stump. Unlike the trees it remained firmly planted in the earth.

It was near the tall trees. Had it once been like them? Were those trees its friends? He felt like he could sympathize with it.

As much as he loved his friends he wasn’t like them. He was half fiend after all. Could he end up like the stump and lose all his friends?

Before he could continue this train of thought he heard a small gasp. Following the source of the gasp, he spotted one of his friends; Fluttershy.

“Ha!” Flash grinned as he made his way to Fluttershy.

Fluttershy hadn’t noticed Flash yet. She appeared to be lost in her own world. It wasn’t until she heard the giggling shouts of her friend did Shy snap back to reality.

“Found you!”

“Flash? Wait!”

He paid no heed to his friend protest as he got closer. Stifling a grin he dove at his friend.

Unfortunately as he dove he stopped one inch short of within reach of his friend’s body. He groaned. He wondered why he cared. Freeze tag was a dumb game anyway.

He felt his friend grab his arms. She helped him up. He looked in confusion at her. If he had dove at her before she would have ran screaming.

She pointed at a tree. His eyes followed her finger to find a bird’s nest. On the edge of it was a tiny baby bird.

Flash’s eye grew three sizes. It was going to fall! Thinking quickly he tore himself from Shy’s grip and positioned under the nest.  The bird fell squawking and flapping frantically. Its tiny, featherless wings worked desperately to fly. Flash felt his breath go short. Tears formed in the corners on his eyes. His eyes blinked trying to clear the tears from them. The blinking didn’t help at all.

With his hands cupped the bird roughly fell into them. Flash smiled brightly. He caught it! It was okay! Wasn't it?

Looking down he found the tiny creature was not moving. Its chirping ceased. Its eyes closed.

Flash’s arms began to tremble. The tears flowed unabated. He moaned sorrowfully.

Then he felt a small tapping on his shoulder. He turned around to see Fluttershy’s kind eyes. She held out her hands. Flash passed the deceased bird to her.

Fluttershy moved the bird up to her mouth. She gave the top of its head a small kiss. That kiss seemed to pass on some of its warmth to the bird. The bird now shook as if it had awakened from wa bad dream.

Flash was left stunned. He had never known Fluttershy could bring a bird back to life just by kissing it.

“It...it wasn’t dead?” Flash chocked out, wiping the tears from his eyes.

“No. It might have just gotten hurt when you caught it.”

“I’m-I’m sorry, Shy.” Flash sniffled. “I shoulda listened to you.”

“It’s okay. The bird is okay now.”

Flash nodded. Although the bird was mostly unharmed, it was still a few feet away from it’s home.

“I feel bad.” Flash said, lowering his head.

“Why?”

“The birdie. It can’t get back home.”

“Oh.”

The pair stared at the little chick as it was chirping and hopping around in Shy’s hands. Flash looked up at the nest. From the bird’s view it seemed as far as the bird was from being a lion. To Flash it was a simple jump or two away.

“I’m gonna put the birdie back.”

Shy shook her head rapidly.  “No! You can’t! It’s still a baby. It’ll be too much for it.”

“I’ll climb slowly.”

“But-” Shy had no chance to further vent her concern as Flash took the bird placing it within his shirt’s pocket.

“I promise I’ll be careful.”  Fluttershy still had doubts about this, but the look of pure confidence and reassurance Flash gave her was overwhelming.

“Okay. Please be careful.” Flash nodded turning to the large tree before them. Slowly he scaled the side of the tree.

Flash grumbled softly. This was going to take forever. He wished he could scamper up the tree at his regular speed. But he had promised to take his time. He could see the nest. It was fairly close. Only a few inches away.

Slowly he reached out to the nest. He delicately dropped the little bird into its home. The bird adjusted itself before closing its eyes. Flash sighed in relief.

As Flash begin to climb back to the ground a loud squawk caught his attention. Flying at him from his left was a large and angry looking hawk.

The furious flyer pecked at the blue haired half fiend. It had thought he was trying to harm its hatchling.

“H-hey! Stop! I was only trying-” the hawk paid no mind to his words as it continued its attack.

Desperately Flash tried swatting the predator bird away. This only resulted in the bird moving away temporarily. Only to move back in for more clawing of his body.

Flash became painfully aware of one of the now numerous injuries over his body. His hands were bleeding. The pain was so intense he wanted no more than to view his hands to inspect the damage.

The next thing the hawk attacked was his ears. The world around him grew eerily quiet. Then he felt it spinning around. In a daze he let go of the tree.

As he fell he looked over to see Fluttershy was in tears screaming something. He turned back to find the hawk was now cuddling its baby. Flash grinned at the sight.

“FLASH!”

~~~

“Flash!” Fluttershy shook her temporary partner awake.

“What? What is it?” Flash asked, still groggy from his sleep.

“The bugbear cub is right there,” Fluttershy said pointing to the cub. It was a few feet away from their camp.

Flash hastily picked himself up. Their target was so close. Stuff like that normally never happened.

Cracking his knuckles Flash readied himself to jump. He’d try to grab the bugbear in a single motion.

The cub looked distracted. Using its confusion Flash dived and caught the cub in his arms.

It struggled futilely trying to escape his grasp. He smiled. It was really cute.

Fluttershy came up behind him. She tapped him on his shoulder.

“Yeah Fluttershy?”

“We should go.”

“Look how cute this feller is.”

“He is Flash but we really have to go.”

“I thought you liked animals.”

“That’s not really the issue Flash.”

“Then what is?”

Fluttershy pointed behind Flash. Flash slowly turned around to find the parents of the cub were standing behind him.

“Bugbear parents never leave their children for long. Typically they’re just a few feet away.”

“That’s why we should’ve left?”

“Yes.”

“Tein!”  Quickly lifting Shy onto his shoulder, Flash jetted away from the raging parents. He knew this was too good to be true. Nothing’s ever this easy.

Two beastly howls from behind motivated him to move faster. Though how much faster he could go against two flying creatures he was unsure of. Taking in the additional weight of both Fluttershy and the cub Flash seriously doubted his chances of escaping the enraged parents.

The only other option was to fight. Something that he knew Fluttershy would object to. Even if she didn’t that would require he’d drop the cub. It was too big for him to fight effectively while carrying it. And then he’d have to fight three bugbears. One bugbear could take on three C ranked Hunters. It was suicide to fight them.

“Any ideas?”

“You’re asking me?”

“Well you’re the animal expert. And I kinda just made those bugbears angry. I think I can’t trust myself when it comes to dealing with them. That leaves you.”

Fluttershy was blown away by his statement.  “You’re trusting me?”

“Yeah!”

Fluttershy felt the heat rise to her checks. For the first time in years they were on the same page.

“What do we do?”

“First we have to hide somewhere.”

“I already got that. But where?”

“A tree.”

“Good first start,” Flash commented sarcastically. “Hang on tight!”  Momentarily increasing his speed Flash leaped to the nearest tree. Fluttershy screamed as they left the ground for the safety of the tree.

“Okay. What next?” Flash asked.

“Take off your shirt.”

“What?”

“You’ll need to rub the cub on it.”

“And how is that gonna work?”

“You’ll be leaving the baby’s scent on it. The parents are tracking us by its scent.”

“So basically if I rub him on my shirt the parents will think there are two of him.”

“Her.”

“Her?”

“Yes.”

“Alright. Hold her then,” Flash said handing the cub over to Fluttershy.

He proceeded to take off his shirt. Fluttershy blushed deeply and looked away.

Flash rolled his eyes. Fluttershy hadn’t known Flash had a tendency to wear one shirt over another. He did it for extra protection.

With his shirt he reached out and reached for the cub. As he did he heard the parents growling as they searched for their cub. He had bought little less than two minutes.

He grabbed the cub in his shirt and rubbed against it. He scrubbed it until the stench of the shirt matched the cub’s.

Flash gave the cub back to Fluttershy. He balled his shirt. Then pulled his arm as far as he could and then launched the shirt soaring through the air. He couldn’t see where it landed. Which was very good.

He saw the larger of the parents follow after the shirt. With that he grabbed Fluttershy and the cub and jumped down.

“Eep!”

Flash looked to find Fluttershy still had her eyes closed. “You can open them now Fluttershy.”

Fluttershy slowly opened her eyes seeing Flash with his second shirt. “Oh! Um, I didn’t-”

“It’s fine. Let’s just make tracks.”

Right after he said that his nose caught the scent of a bugbear. He turned around to find one of the parents chose to stay. So it was back to running for the young Hunters.

“What about this one?”

Fluttershy pondered that for a moment. “We should try and find some honey.”

“Honey?”

“It is a bear.”

It was Flash’s turn to blush now. It was such an obvious answer.

“Afterward we need to find a lake or a good source of water.”

Flash smirked. Both were easy for him to locate. Taking a deep inhale his nose twitched as it sniffed out the desired location and item.

The second Bugbear had covered the distances between itself and the Hunters. Using its wings it had managed to fly up to the pair. Its jaw snapped at the pair.

Flash growled.  He lifted Fluttershy and tossed her to the branch of a neighboring tree. When he was sure she was okay he threw the cub to Fluttershy.

“Flash!”

“Go Fluttershy! I’ll try and hold him back. You go get that honey.

“Where is it?!”

“It's a few trees up. You can’t miss it!”

“Okay!”  Fluttershy began to run from tree to tree. “Please be careful.”

The larger bugbear began flying after her. Only to be stop by a tackling Flash. The force of the charge brought both of them to the ground.

“Stay away from her!”  Flash yelled. The Bugbear bellowed in response.

“Yeah. Growl and snarl to you too!”  Taking flight once more the bugbear charged the young hunter. Its sting front and center.

Flash reached for his spear only to pause. He wanted to stall the beast. With a sigh he balled his hands into fists. The beast thrusted its stinger at him.  Flash quickly parried it with his left hand.

The beast thrust again with Flash dodging the blow entirely.

The bugbear swung one of its mighty claws at Flash. This time the half fiend blocked the attack.

The stinger swiped at his chest and left a long wound on the young Hunter. He gritted his teeth stifling the pain. He placed his hands inspecting the level of bleeding.

Come on Shy! I’d rather not be cut open like a pig!

Slowly the bugbear pushed itself forward. And its stinger launched right for his chest. Right where his heart was located. Instinctively Flash’s hands grabbed the stinger on its sides.

Roaring and moving forward the bugbear could smell its victory. Flash could feel his grip on the stinger begin to slip. His bloody hands were a liability.

How long before they’d fail? He did not know. All he knew was he didn’t have long.

~~~~

Fluttershy hopped from tree to tree. Her thoughts were divided. Half of her was focused on grabbing the honey. The other half was concerned for Flash’s safety. She was unsure if she had made the right decision to listen to him. Deep down she knew he could hold it off for some time, but it did little to sway her fear.

No. She needed to believe in him. The same way he trusted her. It was her turn to return that trust. Looking ahead her face lit up. A bee hive! Yes! And it was only a few meters away. She needed to grab it quickly.

The bugbear cub moaned a little. She knew it must be sad. But this was for her own good.

Stopping on a branch near the beehive she placed the cub on it. She gave it a small pat on its head.

“I’ll be right back.” She gave a small smile as she left it.  Jumping to the final branch she approached the hive careful not to disturb its denizens.

She pucked the hive from it’s resting place. However it seemed that small movement was enough to garner the attention of the bees.

The tiny insects exited their home. They were clearly irritated. If she was not careful she could be stung by a hundred bees.

Fluttershy placed her hand on her head. Her head glowed as she translated her feelings into thoughts for the bees.

In response several bees had one word to say. Revenge. And like that several bees stung Fluttershy.

Seeing her only plan foiled worried Fluttershy. What could she do now? What would her best friend Rainbow Dash do? She surmised the answer was surprisingly simple. Rainbow Dash would dash.

Fluttershy took off running back where she came. The sound of the angry insects were not far behind.

As she ran with the hive over her shoulder she felt a familiar weight return. She turned to find the cub was now sucking on the top of the hive.

She sighed. She hoped Flash could help her solve the mess she got herself in.

~~~

A shriek echoed across the forest. Followed soon by the sound of wood breaking. Flash picked himself up from the pile of knocked down trees. Clutching his stomach he scowled furiously at the bugbear.

The beast didn’t seem to be losing any stamina from tossing him around. He however was fading fairly quickly. He could probably continue this exchange for another five minutes. Maybe six if he was lucky.

Flash’s nose then picked up an oddly sweet scent. And it was coming closer. That meant Fluttershy had to be near with some honey to distract the bugbear. It was fortunate.

That thought had given him the strength to dodge another strike from the bugbear’s stinger. And enough to once again grab onto the beast.

Flash’s adrenaline had faded and his grip on the beast became practically nonexistent He was unprepared when he was sent falling to the ground. He was even less prepared for the bugbear flying to hit him with its stinger.

Thinking quickly he moved his hands to the center of his chest letting them take the impact of the stinger. Stifling a yell he pushed back against the flying animal. Another push and the bugbear was unmoved. It gave the young Hunter a skeptical look. Flash’s strength had finally run out.

The Hunter started chuckling wildly. The bugbear joined in. Flash figured if he was going to die he’d do it with a smile on his face.

Lost within the sound of his own laughter and his impending death the half fiend failed to notice something soar through the air. This something landed right on top of the bugbear’s head.

The sweet scent returned en masse. It felt slightly overwhelming being so close to a strong scent. Flash would have gagged if he had the energy to do so.

Flash watched as the animal’s head came under assault by a swarm of angry bees. Flash figured they were the homeowners of the hive. Now with its vision gone and its body being attacked by the swarm the bugbear screeched in pain.

Despite having wings the bugbear opted to run away from the bees. Flash watched his previous insurmountable foe defeated by insects. He couldn’t help but be a little insulted.

 “Oh no!”  Fluttershy ran down towards her blue haired friend. “I didn’t mean for it to land of his head!”

Flash stared blankly at the shaking pink haired girl. A smile slowly sprawled to his lips followed by a small giggle. This giggle soon broken into a fully on laughing fit.

This sudden outburst confused Shy. She didn’t know whether to be relieved or terrified by his laughing. Her confusion caused her to join in on the laughing.

“Um. Why are you laughing? If you don’t mind me asking?”

“Why are you?”  Flash managed to choke out in between laughs.

Fluttershy wondered that herself. She was terrified, guilt ridden, and nervous. Yet she still

laughed. Why?

She looked at Flash and she realized why. She didn’t see the new Flash anymore. She saw her friend from long ago. She had laughed because she was happy to be reunited.

Her eyes grew wet. Flash was laughing hysterically as Fluttershy gave him a tight hug. The wetness of the tears snapped Flash out of his fit.

“Uh. Fluttershy?” Flash said slowly.

She kept holding onto her friend. Flash appreciated the hug. He’d hug her back but his hands were a bloody mess.

“Fluttershy? Where is the cub?” Flash asked. It had just occurred to him he did not see the cub anywhere.

She was so happy to see her friend again. They were reunited and it felt so good.

“Fluttershy the cub is right there in the trees!” he yelled seeing their prey. He doubted ,even if his hands weren’t wounded, that he had the strength to push her away.

Fluttershy let go. Her gaze shifting to the lone cub. With great haste the two Hunters went to retrieve the young cub.

~~~

Fluttershy stood near the door of the school’s nurse’s office. Her hands clasped together. She couldn’t help but worry about the poor cub.

Flash was seated on the other side of the office. In order to recapture the cub he had decided to do something similar to the honey idea. He had covered himself in tree sap.

The plan has worked and the cub had come willingly. The sap also attracted many bugs that longed for its sweet taste. This meant he had one option. He had to get rid of the sap.

Luckily he found a small river to wash the sap away.  When he was finished with his bathing he moved to meet Fluttershy. As he exited the river he accidentally stepped on an asleep skunk who repaid his act by spraying him.

Fluttershy didn’t mean to hurt Flash’s feelings when she asked him to sit on the other side of the room. It's just he smelled really bad.

The door swung open. From it a pink haired woman emerged. Atop her head sat a small hat with a red plus sign in the middle of it. Flash recognized her as the school’s nurse, Redheart. She gently placed the cub down.

“It’s a good thing you got this little one here when you did.” Redheart spoke as she gave the cub a small pat.  “It doesn’t show any signs of the sickness.”

“So you were able to give it the vaccine?” Flash asked from across the room.

“Yes.”

“That’s a relief. I was so worried,” Fluttershy sighed.

“I got a question,” Flash said.

“Which is?” Nurse Redheart asked.

“Why don’t we try and bring in the parents? I mean what if they get it? Wouldn’t that leave this cute guy alone?”

“First off it’s a girl. Second even if you brought in the parents they’d be much more difficult. As bugbears grow up their aggression follows suit. I wouldn’t worry about them. Grown bugbears immune systems are more than enough to deal with the sickness.”

“Then why did we need to get the cub?”

“Because our headmistress wanted us to plan for the future. This sickness could have made bugbear cubs extinct and little by little the population would decline.”

“Why is she so concerned with bugbears?”

Fluttershy pointed at the cub. The cub’s furry face warmed Flash’s heart. He shrugged in defeat.

“So should we take the bugbear off your hands?”

“I’ll handle it. I am a nurse after all. I do all the grunt work in this school.”

“I thought that was the janitor’s job.”

“It is. And he is bad at it,” Redheart snarled.

Flash waited outside the room as Fluttershy took her time to leave. He had an important question to ask her. Inside Fluttershy gave the cub a goodbye. She gave its head a quick pat and kiss on his head. She then exited the room.

“I didn’t answer you before,” Flash said.

“Hmm?”

“When you ask why I laughed. I never gave you an answer. I laughed because, for the first time in eight years, I remembered what it felt like to hang around you.”

“And?”

“And that made me happy. Shy, I want you to understand something. Even if we don’t really hang out as much you are still my friend. I guess I kinda forgot that myself for a while. I’m sorry.”

Fluttershy gave him another hug. This one was not as tight or as long as the other. Partly because Fluttershy knew to make it quick. And partly because Flash still stunk like dirty laundry.

“Before you run off because I stink I gotta ask you something. I know you’re an expert on animals and all. What do you know about badgers?”

The Book Thief

Magic is an essential part of many lives. Some use it for menial tasks such as cooking. Others like the Hunters use it for combat. Magic is a convenience many can not live without.

Which is why the city of Hattan Hattan baffles many. Unlike many other cities it has remained steadfast in refusing to establish a school for Hunters. When asked why the answer is always the same. Technology is a more viable and sustainable option than one person’s own supply of magic.

While Twilight disagreed with their stance on magic she couldn’t deny that the reputation of the city was well earned. Statistically speaking it had the smartest individuals in the entire world. Many great poets, scientists, and scholars originated there.

Quick Snap stared in awe of the city. The buildings shot high into the sky, appearing to pierce the heavens themselves, though his feeling towards the works on the city is where his mind split on. The city’s near phobia of magic he saw as off putting, did the dwellers possess this fear as well? Would they be too afraid to even speak with the young Hunters?  Gleam’s words echoed in his head.

“Hattan Hattan City. A city wrapped in an enigma, wrapped in mystery, wrapped in intrigue. A place many Hunters would not find themselves at.”  Quick spoke in an unusually low tone, his hat lowered somewhat.

“Not really. It's actually a typical destination. Well, as far as books go. It has one of the most extensive libraries and bookstores in the world!” Twilight said excitedly.

“Hm? Oh! Apologies, Ms.Sparkle. I was thinking aloud to myself,”  Quick chuckled sheepishly.

“Oh,” Twilight said blushing, “We should ask someone for directions.”

“Alas. Have the two heroes found themselves lost beyond help?!” Quick pondered aloud, raising his hand in the air.

“No. We just need directions.”

“OH woe! Oh how shall we overcome this mountainous hurdle?! HOW?!” Quick yelled raising his other hand to the sky.

Twilight sighed. While her temporary partner was freaking out she opted to do the sensible thing. She chose to talk to strangers.

She returned to find Quick reading a book calmly sitting on a fountain. She, in a dazed state, approached the Hunter and was nearly floored. Only moments before he was practically on his knees and now he was nonchalantly reading a book?!

“Um. Quick Snap?” Twilight shook the reading gambler.

“Hm?” he muttered as he turned to her. Twilight could hardly believe his face was now wearing a calm smile.

“I got some information on the location of the item. It’s at a bookstore called ‘The Grimoire’. It’s not too far from here, just a few blocks.”

Standing from his seat, the Hunter extended his left arm once again. This time he pointed a finger up to the sky.

“Then let us commence on our daring journey!”  His proclamation caught the attention of many passersby, pausing briefly to stare at the screeching Hunter.

Twilight's cheeks turned a bright shade of red. She gripped Quick Snap by his coat collar and stormed off.

 “Uh, Ms. Sparkle? Is something wrong?” the gambler inquired.

Twilight offered no reply, continuing her stride to the bookstore. Quick had to admit despite her size her grip on his collar felt just as tight as Big Mac’s.

“I didn’t think I could meet someone as annoying as Flash.” She huffed. “At least with Flash, he’s just impulsive and immature. But him?” Twilight shifted her gaze back to Quick Snap, who gave her a small smile.

“He’s crazy!” she shouted.

As Twilight pulled him Quick looked at the eyes of the inhabitants of the city. Their eyes seemed to dismiss him as a simple nuisance. An annoying nuisance but a nuisance all the same.

Quick breathed a sigh of relief. Maybe that’d ease their fear of Hunters.

~~~

Some blocks later Twilight had released Quick Snap. She made certain she was a good distance ahead of him. She’d rather not draw the attention of anymore of the citizens. And Quick was a magnet for that.

“Excuse me, Ms.Sparkle,” Quick began. “But, are you sure this is the correct path?”

Twilight nodded.

“I see. Another question if you will permit me. Are you angry?”

“I’m not angry.”

“You sound angry.”

“Well I’m not!”

“Methinks the lady doth protest too much,” Quick mumbled.

Twilight paused momentarily her gaze solely fixated on the male before her. The same male who was now trying his best to avoid direct eye contact.

“I’m not angry. Annoyed? Somewhat. Frustrated? Slightly. Embarrassed? Incredibly.”

“I apologize for my careless actions milady,” Quick Snap removed his hat and gave a bow.

Twilight’s left eyebrow twitched.“Stop that.”

“Stop what?”

“Stop talking like that.”

“Huh? Is something wrong with the way I talk?”

A vein popped on this right side of her temple.  This boy was quickly pushing her beyond her limits. “Yes. You sound like a character from a comic book.”

“I never knew you read comic books.”

“I don’t. My brothers do.”

“I didn’t know you had brothers.” Quick seemed to light up from the mention of her brothers.

“That isn’t the point. Stop acting like someone that you clearly aren’t.”

“But this is who I am.”

“Sure it is,” Twilight said sarcastically rolling her eyes. “We’re here.”

The Hunters came across two large buildings. The large buildings were the same as the others throughout the city. They were made of what looked like stainless steel. Their mighty statures was imposing. Or it would have been if Twilight had never been to other cities before.

What stood out was what lay between the buildings. It was another building.

This one was small and plain. Clearly it was made of some type of wood. If she was to hazard a guess Twilight would say it was made of oak.

Other than the material it was made from something else struck Twilight as odd, it was a single story building. In a place technologically inclined it seemed odd for such a house to exist.

Over the doorway of building a sign hung. It read “The Best Bookstore in all of Hattan Hattan: The Grimoire! Get the books before they get dusty!” Twilight couldn’t believe it. This meager cottage was the bookstore there were looking for. Of all the buildings this one was it? The mage sighed, her head hanging low. Quick took noticed of this before shrugging it off.

As the Hunters continued to stare at the building they felt an odd sense of warmth from the building. As if unlike the cold behemoths around them it wanted them to go in. The Hunters decided to oblige.

A pungent stench attacked their noses as they entered. Twilight had to resist the urge to gag at the smell. Her partner was already enough of an embarrassment for both of them.

Quick looked around at the bookstore. Like many others it stacked its books on shelves. It always baffled him why bookstores would mimic libraries. It seemed counterintuitive to remind customers they could just check out books.

Despite their criticisms both the Hunters felt comfortable in the demure bookstore. They could feel the passion for books in the store. While everything around the books was covered in dust the books were in pristine condition. As if they were covered in some kind of protective magic.

The two Hunters ventured further into the small bookstore. They came to a small desk where a short woman sat.

“Uh. Excuse me, Miss?”

The short woman lazily moved her eyes to meet Twilight’s. Her face was a mix of boredom and fatigue.

“Yes?” the woman said with her nasally voice.

“We have come to retrieve the precious package. We require it for the safety of the world!” Quick said dramatically.

“What?”

Twilight face palmed.“We’re Hunters on a mission. We were told to pick up a book from this store.”

“Ah. Well you got the paperwork?”

Twilight nodded. She reached into one of her pockets and withdrew the mission slip. She gave it to the woman.

The woman scanned the slip. Then gave it back. She got up from her desk and went to retrieve the item.

“Excuse me again,Twilight, you like stories right?”

“Yeah.”

“Why?”

“Why do I like books?” Twilight cocked a brow. She’d never been questioned on her passion of books before. “Well I guess it’s because they’re brimming with knowledge. The more we know of the world the more we can grow as people. We should aim to improve and books help us do that.”

Quick looked dissatisfied with her response. “That’s an interesting answer. However, I didn’t ask about books Twilight. I asked about stories.”

“What’s the difference?” Twilight asked befuddled.

“Books can share stories, yes. But they aren’t stories. Stories have the ability to inspire us to go beyond what we are. Not to improve intellectually but to improve ourselves morally. To constantly remind us good will triumph over evil. And that we can be more than what we are now. That is what a story is. A book can’t compare with a story,” Quick passionately explained.

Twilight had no idea how to respond to that. Twilight couldn’t be sure but it seemed like Quick was trying to convince himself as much as he was trying to convince her. This hardly seemed like the same person from before who was pointing his hands up to the sky screaming like a banshee.

“I guess that’s why I want to be a writer,” Quick said chuckling.

An air of silence had fallen between them. Twilight was amazed at Quick’s words. Despite how he chose to use it, the boy had an very impressive vocabulary and when used in the same manner as just now, he could be rather poetic.

Quick’s foot tapped against the hardwood floor at a steady pace. Another question hung in the back of his mind.  A question about the city itself.

“Miss Sparkle, might I bother you with another question?” Quick asked, his tone still steady and calm.

Twilight nodded.

“How...does this city make you feel?”

The mage’s head tilted to the right. Why would he ask this? Suddenly he moved from talking about his musings on what makes a story a story and now he wants to talk about feelings? She understood that Hattan Hattan was a rather different setting from what they were accustomed to. Heck, she’d be lying if she said Hattan Hattan didn’t give her a feeling of uncomfortability. It was a small feeling, but none the less, it was still present.

“It's a city full of knowledge. It's the forerunner of numerous technological advancements. I’m pretty sure this place is where they created Flash’s motorcycle. Not to mention the impressive collection of books we found at that one bookstore. Which I remind you is one of many. And the buildings are about as magnificent as our own back at Canterlot. I’d assume they were both based on the same thing.”

“That’s a nice description of the city. But how does it make you feel? How does it feel to be around people who seem so afraid of magic?”

“I’m not sure how to answer this. It never crossed my mind,” Twilight lied.

Quick remained silent, sending his gaze downward.

“How do you feel about it?” she asked.

“It confuses me. I mean magic could help them do so much. Yet they refuse to do so. On the other hand it has allowed people who don’t want to use magic be able to accomplish great things too.”

Twilight stood there, letting his words sink in. He did have a point, magic did make the lives of all who used it much easier, it wasn’t to say that magic was without flaws, however.

“Quick you’re partners with Big Mac, right?”

“Yeah.”

“For the short time I’ve been on this mission with you, and the brief time I’ve interacted with Big Mac, I can already tell you two are very different. Does that make either of you wrong being who you are? Of course not. And neither does this make this city wrong for refusing to use magic.”

“I guess,” Quick chuckled.

“Besides it’d make an interesting story wouldn’t it? I mean a town unlike any other. I bet there is a book that tells a story. A story that can help us understand this city. That is why books are cool.”

Quick stared wide eyed at his temporary partner, a huge grin spawning on his face. “Indeed it could! The lone hunter, lost in a city beyond his understanding. Can he gain a grasp on this foreign concept of ‘technology?’”

“And more importantly can he return the book he check out from the library? Or will he be burdened with being tardy?!” Twilight giggled.

“I’d appreciate it if you didn’t shout. This is a bookstore not a stadium,” the short woman said annoyed.

Twilight blushed. She had thought the woman would have been longer.

“I have the book you wanted.”  the woman handed them a large black tome. Scribbled on the cover was a strange language.

“Is this demon speak?” Quick pondered, scratching the back of his head.

“I’m not sure. I’ve never seen anything like this before. I’m sure the headmaster will be able to decipher it,” Twilight said as she held the book.

“Thanks miss,” Quick said giving the short woman a grandiose bow. “I hope our stories will intertwine once again.”

“I don’t think my ears could handle it,” the woman replied. Quick’s eyebrow twitched slightly from her cold comment. With a shared sigh the two Hunters exited the store.

“This certainly was an easy mission. Although, this tome is fairly odd. Never before have I seen this dialect,”  Carefully examining the book revealed to Quick that the back of it also had the bizarre writing.  “And yet, it’s that same oddness which draws me to it more so. I want to know what it says so badly. I can’t wait to find out.”

Twilight nodded in agreement. She too was curious as to the content held within the pages of this tome and yet, something felt strange. The book possessed an unsettling aura around it. The fact that this item could emit such an aura in the first place disturbed her.

“Hmm? Ms. Sparkle? Is everything-” Quick said while trying to check on his friend failed to noticed the person in his path, crashing into him.

“Ouch,” the gambler mumbled, rubbing his back side. He lost his balance. Twilight zipped over to him and offered a hand.

“Thanks. Ehehe, that was pretty embarrassing. I suppose this is karma for earlier, no?”

Twilight chortled. “I doubt that.”

“Are you alright?”  The man asked walking over to the downed Hunter.

The man’s dark blue long spiky hair fell down and touched his lower back. Its dark blue was matched by the coat the man wore. The end of his coat appeared to be torn as if by some ferocious beast. His pants were dark grey. The most striking part of the man wasn’t his torn coat or spiky hair but his eyes. They were blood red. It appeared as if he popped a blood vessel and all the blood had went to his eyes. He towered over the two hunters by at least two feet.

As he stood back up,Quick gave a short brush of his clothes. “Ah. Yes, yes. We’re okay.”

“Apologies. I am usually far more perceptive of my surroundings. I was merely lost in thought.”  The man offered a bow to them.

“O-oh no! I was the one at fault! I got distracted talking to my friend about-” Quick suddenly realized he had dropped the tome. Hastily scanned the area where the three were. Near the foot of the man it lied.

“There it is!”

“Hm?” Looking down he saw the item in question. His eyes nearly shot out of their sockets when he saw what it was.

“T-that tome,” He stammered, “Where did you find it?!”

Twilight studies the man closely. Moments before, the man was calm and presented himself in a respectful manner. Now however, she couldn’t tell if he was terrified or elated.

“At a bookstore called “Grimoire”. It’s only a few blocks away.” Twilight answered hesitantly her hand moving slowly towards the hilt of her blade. “I’m sure you can find another copy of-”

“I cannot! This tome is very rare! Only a small handful of copies exist, and I severely doubt that store would have more than one.  How it managed to acquire this one is beyond me,”  he stated with a low growl.

”You sound like you know your stuff. Just how much about this book do you know?” Quick asked.

“Enough,” he said flat out, “Listen, I have been searching for this book for some weeks now and I would greatly appreciate it if you gave it to me.”

The two Hunters share a brief look before turning back to the man before them.

“We’re hunters. We had to pick up this book for a mission. Sorry but you can’t have this copy,” Twilight explained.

“We offer our deepest apologies,” Quick said with a sincere bow.

“Sorry but I think you two should give me the book. It is for your own protection, after all,” the man said feigning a look of concern.

“What do you mean?” Twilight asked.

“I mean if you value your life you’ll hand that book over to me now,”  the man said with a sneer.

“Death threats over a book? What a plot twist!” Quick said stifling a laugh.

“It should go without saying we aren’t gonna do what you say. And the fact you decided to threaten us makes your conviction clear as well,” Twilight thought aloud.

“So we have reached an impasse. You want the book and we got the book,” Quick said.

“That means a fight is inevitable between us,” Twilight concluded.

“Even if we managed to escape you’d just come after us,” Quick continued Twilight’s thought.

“Then what do you suggest?” the man asked impatiently.

“Simple. We fight outside of the town.”

“Why would I agree to that?”

“Because if you don’t, you’ll have to deal with the technological stuff here. No matter how strong in magic you are there is only so much it can do to technology. And despite its reluctance in the ways of magic when push comes to shove I’m certain the authorities would help us children from a despicable villain such as yourself,” Twilight threatened.

“I think I heard something about some mechanized soldiers. Like a giant toy soldier or something. I think it can breathe fire or something,” Quick added.

The man glared at the teens for some time before sighing in defeat. “Very well.”

Quick nodded producing a card out of thin air.He could feel each of his fingers grip on the card. He felt sweat run down his brow. He didn’t want to use this technique.

The Warp Card. It was a special form of teleportation. All one would need to do is imbue a special card with magic and think of any place. In truth he could have used it minutes ago. He would have to. If it wasn’t for the technique’s keen weakness.

Every previous time he has used the card it’s sapped him of all his magic. And sometimes it used so much that it damaged his body. If it happened like that again he doubted his partner would leave him. Meaning they would be sitting ducks.

The card felt so much heavier in his hand. Could he really do it? Could he really leave his temporary partner with a useless sack like him? No he knew he had to do it. There was no guarantee this stranger would be patient enough to wait to go the long way out of town. He had to use it now.

He began to channel his magic only to find the weight of the card was now gone. He looked down to find the card had disappeared. He looked around frantically and found Twilight had taken the card.

“Wait, Twilight!” he tried but it was too late. The card became illuminated in the young woman’s magic.

The card shined like a miniature sun. Its glow growing larger and larger until it consumed the hunters and the stranger.

Once the light had died the three found themselves transported to a wasteland. Quick turned to Twilight,  who was in shock at her action. She hadn’t even had enough time to think of a place and yet they were mere miles away from Hattan.

Quick’s jaw hung from his mouth. He stared at Twilight’s body in awe. Her body was completely undamaged. She didn’t even look tired from the experience.

“Uh. Twilight are you okay?”

“Yeah. Just a little dazed.”

“So any reason why you picked this place? Please tell me you had a reason.”

“I recalled seeing a book talking about this desert.”

“You mean when we were at the bookstore?”

“No.”

“How many books have you read?”

“I’d say about roughly 100,000. Why?”

“That’s a lot of books.”  Their conversation ended when the man approached them.

“Look, I don’t enjoy fighting children.  So, please...just give me the tome.” He asked once more, his tone seemingly softened some. Twilight shook her head. “We cannot do that.”

With a heavy sigh, the man extended his right arm upward so the back of his hand faced the two. “Alright. But remember,”  His hand took a clutching motion.

“I gave you a chance.”

Dashing straight ahead he swung at Twilight with his right arm. Twilight side stepped the strike.  Turning his gaze towards Quick, he attempted a repeat attack. Quick blocked it with an enlarged card.

“Hm.” He cracked a smile, giving his hand a shake. Hitting that card hurt some.

“Can you at least give us your name?” Quick asked another card clutched in between his index and middle fingers.

“And why would I do that?” He countered with a casual tone failing to noticed Twilight moved behind him.

“Common courtesy?”

Groaning, he gave in. “It’s Jaeger.”

Blade in hand and chanting a spell, she charged their attacker. Jaeger realized too late that this had been a distraction when Twilight thrusted her sword at him. Thinking fast he brought his left hand up The blade’s tip passing straight through his hand.

Jaeger winced before grabbing the blade in a tight grip. Both Twilight and Quick were taken back by this. This man had just been stabbed through the hand, yet treated it as a minor inconvenience.

Taking advantage of their momentary shock Jaeger pushed Twilight back. Twilight felt the sword began to exit the wound. Regaining her footing Twilight rushed back in.

Jaeger tried pushing her off again. This time Twilight would not be moved.

“Hey! Get off of me!” Jaeger said as he tried to push her off.

“Not until you are inconvenienced!”

“What?!”

 As Twilight pushed against Jaeger, Quick stood directly behind him, planning out his next move. His eyes shot back and forward in rapid succession knowing exactly where to set his trap.

First...To the left!  The card flew from his hand at a breakneck speed landing on the far left of Jaeger.

Jaeger caught wind of this, however, with his current struggle he could do nothing about it.  He swore under his breath.  These two could present a bit of an issue.

Now, the right! In a similar fashion, he flung the card with great force, it too landing in it’s designated area.

A grin broke out on the gambler’s lips. Good. Two more, then we’re done here.  Producing two more cards, Quick  jumped back a few feet away from Twilight and Jaeger. He needed to get this right on his first try as he doubted a second attempt would be possible.

Mimicking his previous motions, he threw the cards both landing a good three feet from their siblings.  Quick’s grin grew wider. Now Twilight just needed to move.

“Grr! You’re a stubborn one!” Jaeger growled, teeth bared.

“Also smart!” Twilight said lifting a hand up. Her hand was filled with an intense glow.

Before Jaeger had time to respond a beam shot from the Hunter’s hand. The beam hit his right eye. As he writhed in pain he felt the sword slide out of his hand.

With Twilight out of range, Quick clasped his hands together, forming a diamond shape with them. Both his hands and the cards began to glow a bright pale yellow. The energy radiating from the card was near blinding.

“Light Cage.”

In an instant, the four cards shot a burst of energy. It traveled into the sky just above the heads of the three before crashing back down in the form of  four pillars of light surrounding Jaeger. A wall of energy then formed above the pillars. The energy stretched out and connected forming a ceiling of energy trapping Jaeger.

Quick fell to his knees, drained. This spell, while effective for holding dangerous foes, required a great deal of magic to use. Twilight ran over to her friend, helping him back up.

“Are you okay?” Twilight asked with a concerned tone.

Quick nodded. “Yes. Just a bit exhausted.”

“I’ll bet. Light Cage is a very powerful spell. I’ve never seen anyone under A rank use it.” Twilight stood in amazement at the display.

“Hehe. You flatter me.” Quick smiled warmly. The duo walked over to their now trapped attacker. Expecting him to be furiously clawing at the walls, Jaeger instead, seemed impressed.

“Hm. Not bad.” He praised the gambler. “Someone your age using a Light Cage to this effect. It’s very impressive, however…”  Jaeger’s left arm started glowing a dark shade of blue. The muscles in his arm tense, his hand once more opens into a clutching position.  The energy wrapped around his arm caused the hair to grow, taking on a white color. his nails extended, resembling claws. His arm barely appeared human anymore, looking completely like an animal’s claw.

“Lobos Edge.”

Jaeger swung his arm at the Cage, a burst of energy smashed against it. The Light Cage’s shape began to groan as it seemed to expand like an overinflated balloon. The Hunters watched in horror as much like said balloon, the cage burst.

Quick tried to pick himself up however his body didn’t want to cooperate. His arms shook violently,

his knees felt weak. Moving seems all but impossible. He cursed silently.

 “Don’t try junior. I’ve seen older and more experienced Hunters go down with that move.They also weren’t stupid enough to use the Warp Card and the Light Cage. You got guts I’ll give you that,” Jaeger said.

Jaeger made his way to the exhausted Hunter. He stretched out his hand. He took his other hand and pointed at his empty hand.

Quick’s face smiled as he shook his head. Jaeger sighed as he raised the same arm he used to destroy the Light Cage high up into the air. Quick closed his eyes as the claw came down.

Jaeger felt a familiar pain. He looked to find his claw hand now been plunged into with the same sword his other one was.

“You’ve got to be kidding me! Not again!”Jaeger yelled angrily.

Jaeger watched as a mass of magic began to surround the young Hunter that pierced his hands. The energy flowed until it resembled a large bubble. Luckily it wasn’t big enough to encompass his body as well.

He smiled at the Hunter’s stupidity at dividing her attention. He pulled his hand free. He shook it around making sure it still functioned. Albeit throbbing as if a bugbear stung it.

Jaeger decided he needed to get his blood flowing again. So he decided to punch the bubble to dust. It’d make his hands feel better. After all he always hated bubblegum.

Jaeger fists flew as fast as missiles. The frail bubble was already beginning to crack.

“Twilight?” Quick spoke slowly. “What-”

“Shh! You need to rest. I doubt you have the strength to stand, let alone fight.”  Twilight immediately shot back.

Quick sighed. She was right. He barely had any energy whatsoever left. At this point, he would be more of a hindrance than an aid.

“You were strong kids. But not nearly strong enough!” Jaeger said as he threw another punch. This punch produced a crack that spread throughout the bubble.

“That’s okay. I’d rather be smart than strong anyway.,” Twilight said raising her arm. The bubble began to split into tiny little shards. They floated in the air facing Jaeger.

The blue haired man stared at the hovering pieces of solid magic with fear and anger. Had she planned this? he wondered.   Using her sword as a conductor’s wand, she flung the shards at him. Jaeger growled crossing his arms in an X formation to defend against the onslaught.

The pieces of Twilight's former bubble launched forth. They flew like throwing daggers. Though their points were crude Jaeger knew better than to underestimate this Hunter’s ability to cut. His hands could attest to that.

The first wave of the daggers aimed for his right side so he evaded by moving to his left. The remaining knives closed in on his right side. He dodged them by going to the left. He had successfully managed to evade all of the shards.

He didn’t expect them to circle back. He felt every inch of his body pierced. If one were to see his body they’d think he was a walking corpse.

Dully he looked down to find something that angered him more than the intense pain. He found a couple of shards were through both of his hands.

His eyes found the one responsible. She looked smug. She was a fool. She had no idea what he was capable of. Simple cuts and bruises could never stop Jaeger.

A bright light began to assault Jaeger’s eyes. He looked down to find all of the shards had begun to glow white. He gritted his teeth.

“Clever girl,” he muttered angrily as the lights grew brighter and brighter. And they burst into a small explosion covering Jaeger’s body.

The Hunters shielded their eyes and closed their mouths. A huge wind of dust blew at the Hunters. Quick was surprised he managed to not be lifted into the air by the strength of the wind.

As the dust cleared they found Jaeger still standing. His body even more bloody than the shards had made before the blast.

 Twilight and Quick breathed a sigh of relief. This ordeal was over.

Twilight stumbled her way to her partner. She nearly tripped as her knees began to buckle. Twilight offered her hand to Quick.

“That was one heck of a climax,” Quick said as he took Twilight’s hand to help himself up.

As Twilight picked him up Quick’s heart sank. He moved in front of Twilight. His brow drowning in sweat in both exhaustion and fear.

“Quick, what is it?”

“He moved.”

“What do you mean he moved?” Twilight said terrified.

“I mean when you picked me up right now I saw his fingers move. He is still conscious.”

“Quick it's not possible for someone like that to still be conscious after an attack like that. What you saw probably was an unconscious act. Like someone moving in their sleep,” Twilight reasoned.

“Twilight he has endured far more than what any normal person could have. That’s why you had to use the exploding shards. You know that wouldn’t be enough.”

Twilight looked away. She wanted to believe what her partner had said to be mere conjecture. She couldn’t. Not when the truth was staring her in the face.

”Look at his right hand Twilight.”

That was easier said than done. Like the rest of his body Jaeger’s hands were overflowing with blood.

Twilight had to resist the urge to gag. Still she stared. Seconds passed and Jaeger remained still. The mage shook her head, nothing. No signs of consciousness was present.

“See? Nothing. He’s completely unconscious. We have nothing to worry abou-”  A hand swiftly struck Twilight in the back of her neck, knocking her down.

“T-Twilight!”  Quick called to her. “You-” Before Quick could even draw a card, a fist made it’s way to his stomach. The gambler lurched, blood shooting out of his mouth. Quick found himself on the ground holding the area where he was punched. With one last move of defiance, he reached his hand out granning Jaeger’s pants leg.

Jaeger, sighing, shook the boy lose before grabbing the discarded tome.

“Apologies,” said Jaeger” I really don’t like hurting kids, but I had no choice.”  Bowing his head, Jaeger walked off.

“W-W-Wait.” Quick hacked, hand reached out. He felt himself slowly slip into unconsciousness.

Looking back at the now unconscious Hunters, Jaeger grunted his brows lowered. “Damnit…”

~~~

Twilight’s eyes slowly opened, taking in her surroundings. She was resting on a bed in a white room. To her left was another bed, this one not occupied. Attached to her arm was a small needle which was connected to a clear tube.

Slowly she rose from the bed, her head throbbing. The last thing she remembers was calming Quick Snaps’ paranoia about Jaeger then..

Her eyes grew with shock. Quick Snap! With all that took place, she failed to noticed his absence. She need to find him and confirm his safety. Hastily she slid out of her bed, nearly losing her balance. She was still weak from the fight with Jaeger.  Regaining her bearing she exited the room only to bump into a nurse.

“Oh. Hello, there.” The woman spoke. “I’m happy to see you’ve recovered.”

“Thank you, but I have a question; what happened to the male that with me”

“Hm? Oh, him! He’s just down the hall. In room 202.”

Twilight bowed to the nurse. “Thank you.”

Twilight leaned against the walls as she made her way down the hall. Her mind was racing with a multitude of thoughts; how did they get here? Who brought them? Was Quick Snap alright? Where did Jaeger go and why did he want the tome so badly?

Focus on the matter at hand, Twilight!She scolded herself. Soon, she found Quick’s room. Bursting in, she saw he was mostly unharmed, save for a few scratches.

“No! Don’t go into the forest!” Quick screamed hysterically. Despite his shouts Quick’s face was a large grin.

Twilight stared at Quick in disbelief. After their encounter with Jaeger he could just go back to being loud. Twilight coughed.

Quick tore his eyes away from his book to greet his temporary partner. “Twilight! You’re up!”

The mage gave a small smile followed with a nod. “Yeah. I woke up a few minutes ago.”

“Oh that’s good. I was worried. Despite this place not being too keen on magic they claimed you were just drained. I couldn’t get up at first myself. But I was able to ask them to get me something to read. That lady from the bookstore dropped a few off. Though I don’t think she was happy to do that.” Quick sighed.

“What makes you say that?”

“She said I looked like I had been stranded on an island. Then she gave me this book,” Quick said showing the cover to Twilight.

“Isn’t that the book about someone who gets stranded on an island? And then is hunted by an eccentric billionaire?” Twilight asked.

Quick gulped. Then he nodded very slowly.

“Wait a moment. Quick you said you couldn’t move, right?”

“I did. What of it?”

“Then how were you able to bring me over here?”

Quick paused for a moment, his left brow raised slightly.“Uh. Twilight, I didn’t.”

“You didn’t? Then how did you get here?”

“I figured you dragged me here. After all you showed you had a massive storage of magic.”

“I didn’t bring us here. And neither did you. So who?”

The duo were puzzled to say the least. How on earth did they get here mostly unharmed?  No one else was even aware of their location. Twilight barely knew herself and she doubted it could have been the man called Jaeger. There would be no benefit to him so he couldn’t be. It would make no sense whatsoever.

“Maybe some handsome stranger who fell in love with us?” Quick joked.

“My head aches just thinking about it. Let's just be thankful we’re alive.”

Quick nodded in agreement.

“So,” Twilight moved to the chair across from Quick’s bed. “How’s the book? I’ve heard about it, but never really got around to reading it.”

From this question Quick’s face light up “Well, I must say, it’s truly a thriller. The main antagonist is a terrifying man. Hunting humans for fun…”

Twilight sat and listened as the gambler went on. However,  a feeling of shame washed over her. Not only had they failed their mission, but nearly lost their lives. She was certain the headmaster would be disappointed. It was a thought that filled her with grief.

Then another more depressing thought crossed her mind. What if Flash had succeeded while she had failed?! He would never let her live that down.

“Twilight, why are you crying? Hey it's okay,” Quick said doing his best to comfort the young mage.

“Flash you jerk!” Twilight whined.

~~~

  A few feet away from the hospital’s entrance there stood Jaeger, clutching the tome. Slowly a smirk formed on his lips.

“Heh, I’m getting too soft.”  With a small chuckled, he turned back to the road and descended the hill.

Hot and Cold I

The train to Sunny Summer parts north zoomed down the tracks, the metal exterior rattling against the cold wind. Within the metal shell, many people sat anxiously taking in the sights as the train zoomed passed. Many felt a compulsion to comment on the beauty of the landscape. The various voices that came from the other passengers were a blessing to Macintosh, as they were far easier to tolerate than the voice of his temporary partner, Soarin Gale.

“And then that time you KO’ed that one chump with a single punch! It was so awesome!” Soarin cheered and Mac sighed. It was bad enough that he had already shown how little he took the mission seriously, but now he was acting like a total fan boy; praising the older Hunter like a child meeting their hero.

“Look, ya don’t need to keep bringin’ all that stuff up. Ah ain’t no different from any other Hunter.”

“Says the guy who took out five fiends by himself,” Soarin retorted.

“Three and they were bees and Ah gave them honey. They were good,” Big Mac explained.

“But the guy with one punch-,” Soarin said, quickly being cut off by Big Mac.

“-was already exhausted and distracted by my partner; Quick Snap. Nothin’ but good teamwork,” Big Mac finished for him.

Soarin shrugged. “Well, teamwork or not, you’re still one of the strongest dudes at our school. I’m not the only one who thinks that.”

“Ah know. Trust me.” Mac stated flatly, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Ah can’t tell ya how many folks have challenged me. It gets annoyin’ after a while.”

Soarin cocked an eyebrow. “What? The challenges? They can’t be that hard.”

“Not what Ah mean,” Mac corrected him, his expression softening some. “The attention.”

To this, Soarin let out a chuckle. “Sorry, man, but I don’t buy it. Any guy would give their right arm to be in your spot. Everyone wants to partner up with you, girls throw themselves at you and guys are super envious. Who wouldn’t want that?”

Mac scoffed, rolling his eyes. “Yeah, it’s all good until you find yerself unable to have even a moment’s peace. Or when some chump starts throwing yer name out like it’s a damn candy gram just to protect themselves or when a girl begins stalking ya. It may seem like a glamorous life, but it ain't. Bein’ at the top tends to bring out the worst in people.”

The weight of Mac’s words hit Soarin hard. It never dawned on him to wonder what that meant. For the brief times he did see Macintosh, he never really looked annoyed or tired or anything other than...bored. Soarin had presumed that he got bored with being one of the strongest students. He didn’t think it would be like this.

The younger Hunter was at a loss of words. Any form of comeback he might have had was gone now. So, to prevent further damage, he remained silent. Mac himself was less than keen on keeping the conversation going and he opted out.

Soarin leaned back in his seat letting out a sigh. He’d botched this big time. The only thing he could hope for was that they’d reach their destination soon.

Big Mac reached into his pocket to glance at the mission slip. Again, he wished they added more info. Rescue mission in a place called Sunny Summers, that’s not that much to base a plan on. Even the name seemed suspect to him; it was as if the name was something to attract tourists. For all he knew, Sunny Summers was a cold and dark place. Big Mac shrugged and put the mission slip back into his pocket. Time will tell the story; it always does.

~~~~~~~~

Two hours. Two hours stuck on a train with Macintosh, with neither saying a word nearly drove Soarin mad. When they did finally reach the location, Soarin landed on the icy train platform with a crunch while a cold wind shoved it’s way past him like a boorish person. Soarin’s breath came out in white clouds while he glanced around the area. He couldn’t see any threats other than the thick white blanket of snow.

“Holy crap! It’s cold!” Soarin said right before his teeth started to chatter. A moment later, he had to hug himself to keep warm.

“Ah’ve been to colder. It's nothing compared to ice magic.” Mac informed him, as he walked off the train.

“R-R-Right.” Soarin' said, the chattering of his teeth growing louder. “S-so, since we're on the topic; w-what kind of magic do you use?”

“Terra magic,” Mac replied simply, joining the swordsman on the platform.

Soarin turned to face the orange haired Hunter. “T-terra magic? Like, rocks and dirt and stuff?”

Mac nodded.

“All of mah family uses Terra magic. It's kinda like a tradition.”

Soarin gazed at the older male. “Wait, does that mean your sis uses it too?”

Mac replied in the form of another nod.

“But, I saw her with a pair of guns. Why don't you-”

“Ah prefer mah fists.” Mac stated flat out.

“O-oh.” Soarin said. “A-as for me, I use Blazing Frost magic. It lets me-”

“Control ice and fire, right?”

“How do you know that?” Soarin asked, dumbfounded.

“Experience,” Mac answered.

“So uh, how does terra magic work?”

“Ah spose its like Blazing Frost magic. Just instead of fire and ice it's earth.”

“So you scoop up dirt and chuck it at people?” Soarin inquired.

“As much as you throw ice at folks.” As the words left Mac’s mouth, Soarin saw the larger Hunter deflate. Mac’s shoulders sagged and he bowed his head toward the dirty, icy ground. Mac’s mind had obviously wandered back to their mission; one of the residents of this icy town was in trouble. Most likely endangered by bandits using ice magic. Suddenly Mac’s quip made him feel a bit ashamed. Soarin stared at the town unsure of what to do to help his partner.

The shabby buildings with broken windows and peeling paint hunched over the nearly deserted streets like a bum protecting the last sips of his rotgut wine. Scanning the surrounding area, Mac found very few people on the train station. He wondered how if the low population came from this snow and cold? From the brief looks he got, these people looked terrified but of what he was unsure of. The longer they lingered the more worried Mac became in concern of the state of the town. Soarin’s concern, however, was fixed on something else.

“H-Hey, Big Mac? C-c-could we f-f-find some coats or something?”

~~~~~~~~

Thank God for coats, Soarin thought while Mac passed several bits to the sales clerk. Once they had put them on, Soarin could feel his body temperature rise back to that of acceptable levels. Mac looked the same save for some sweat running down his head. They left the store as content customers and decided to continue their journey through the town.

As they continued the wet snow poured down, covering them periodically with insane amounts of precipitation and hail as their footprints were made deeper and deeper. Each step became painful, each little curse under Soarin’s breath more pointless and his annoyance growing with every minute that passed. Soarin stared at the large Hunter in front of him. Soarin’s jaw nearly hit the ground; Mac looked completely fine. As if the hailing snow didn’t exist. To say Soarin was shocked would have been an understatement.

And his annoyance only continued to grow. After trekking for what felt like hours, they finally reached a building, much larger than any they had seen previously. Surrounded with ivory columns, a long driveway lined with pine trees and glass garden stakes. The stakes were made of red crackle glass, although barely visible through the thick mountains of snow. Tall, stone towers loomed in the distance with a courtyard filled with chipped fountains and ice skating rinks. Over the entrance of the large building, there was a bronze plaque that read “City Hall.”

Without knocking or giving any indication they were there, they bolted inside, shivering. Mac first noticed the architecture, the white marble floors being the first to grab his attention. Giant archways lead to a very long corridor and was followed by the longest spiral staircase imaginable. Mosaics adorned the walls and ornate rugs were everywhere. Who could live in a place like this, the Hunters wondered.

“Hello, gentlemen,” A voice came from behind the two. Turning to locate who it belonged to, they found a man standing a mere few feet away from them.  He was an older man decked out in a traditional butler's outfit, “The mistress will see you now. Please follow me.”

“Huh, great service.” Soarin said nonplussed.

Mac gave no response, opting to follow the butler. The butler wasn’t much different from how Mac had imagined one. He had the distinct accent of someone from Trottingham. Not to mention the classic bald head and bushy gray mustache on the elderly man’s face. Mac wondered if the hair accurately represented the man’s age.

The butler led the two Hunters outside to a beautifully crafted oak door with gold handles. The butler gave two quick knocks, three long ones, and a voice came through the door. “Let them in, Hogsworth. I’m ready now.”

Mac and Soarin tried their hardest not to laugh at the butler’s ridiculous name, the latter failing as his quiet giggles grew into loud cackling, tears rolled down his eyes.

Hogsworth muttered bitterly. He’d had to deal with this type of reaction nearly every time his name was spoken. It’s what caused him to stop introducing himself. Hogsworth sighed as he stepped aside to allow the Hunters to enter the office.

The other side of the doors held a large room, the interior matching the rest of the house. Seated in front of a stained glass window was a woman, her height was imposing. She was a blonde, but she gave a look that warned if you called her “blondie”, she’d rip off your head. Her body was slender and defined. Overall, a commanding presence of a leader combined with a smart, professional woman. Even as she sat on her mahogany chair like a queen. It was easy for her to have even the larger of the Hunters under her calculating blue gaze.

The woman’s desk was covered in various forms, with papers falling off the desk and memos tacked on the wall behind her. A giant map was covered by dusty, leather books. Numerous dull red pens were scattered on the floor of the room. It might of looked like a mess, but it was actually a very complex organizational style, with all the moldy sandwiches in one corner far away from the potato chips. She wasn’t unorganized. She was...original. At least, that was how she described herself.

“Ma’am, a pair of Hunters have come for the mission,” Hogsworth said. Soarin’s heart beat like that of a marching band, if a little out of tune with the trumpets and the saxophones playing off-key. The butler entered the room behind him and the duo didn’t even hear it.

“I didn’t offer a job, Hogsworth,” the woman said as she flipped through the papers on her cluttered desk. Her searching method was so concise Soarin' couldn’t help but wonder how her desk became what it was today; that being more paper than desk.

“I am aware, Madam. However, it was necessary to find aid as soon as possible. Hence, I sent the request.” he spoke confidently. “The safety of the young master is of utmost importance.”

“Says who? I’m the one in charge here, you ignorant fool. I make the decisions, you bring me ice-cold vodka. Understand?”

“Yes, I suppose you’re right. Very well, I’ll take my leave,” he turned to the two Hunters with a look of defeat. “Gentlemen.” He turned and walked down the dark corridor, leaving them with the ever more mysterious mistress of the house.

“Well, um, how are ya?” asked Mac.

“Let’s cut through the pleasantries, shall we? Tell me your name, your age, your skills, your favorite pizza topping, etc. And hurry.” She gave them a look of utter contempt, as if they were intruding while she was getting undressed.

Soarin' stared blankly at the woman before speaking up. “Right…Okay then. Name’s Soarin' Hi-..uh...Gale Swordsman, rank C.”

Mac's brow rose at Soarin's fumble before speaking. “Machintosh Apple. Fighter, rank B.”

The woman’s face twisted in annoyance. “What they couldn't bother to send two Hunters of the same rank? Or at least an A rank…”

“Well, you know,” Soarin' began. “Budget cuts and all that. We are more than suitable for the task. Otherwise, wait another week or so for some other group of Hunters to show. And that is if they feel like riding a two hour train that’s covered in snow and barely surviving the slaughter of the rain and sleet, and just to top it off, deal with your hostility once they survived that hell.” Soarin' was getting a little annoyed with her attitude and his eyes narrowed. He was damn well ready to leave. Mac’s elbow found its way to Soarin’s side and the swordsman doubled over with a barely hidden grunt.

“Pardon mah partner's words, miss. This happened durin’ an exercise at our school. But, rest assured we are capable of completing the mission,” Mac stated plainly.

The mayor stared intently at the pair briefly before sighing. “Very well. I don’t have much of a choice. My name is Sapphire Snegadoch. Come, sit down.” She went over to a mini-bar stashed in the corner and asks, “Care for a drink? I have vodka, bourbon, and gin.”

Soarin was pleased immediately. “Yeah, I’ll take a double bourbon with rocks.” He looked over at Mac. “Well, I don’t suppose you’d take a drink, Mr. Follow The Rules?”

“We’re underage, Gale.”

“So? We are pretty much alone on this nearly barren landscape, with the only warmth in a bottle a few feet from us. How can I resist?”

Mac pinched the bridge of his nose. “Neither of us will take a drink, miss.”

“Oh, fine. Never mind,” Mac noticed that Soarin mouthed the words “Later,” but decided to let it slide. He needed to learn the mission at hand before he could scold him again. “So, judgin’ from yer butler’s word, Ah’m guessin’ this is a rescue mission?” Mac asked.

She nodded. “Yes. Some days ago, this gang came to our town. A group of vicious men bent on destroying anything of value or integrity. They’d plan to extort money as “protection”. I refused. So, they decided to give a “demonstration”; assaulting and injuring many of the citizens.”

“That explains why no one was on the streets.” Mac thought aloud as he rested his chin on his hand.

“Yes. The remaining citizens are terrified to leave their homes. Only the foolish attempted to challenge them. "All who went never returned,” she paused momentarily. ”Then, about three days ago their leader approached me again, making the same offer.”

“And you refused again?” Soarin chimed in.

She nodded. “Yes. So, as a way of 'helping' me reconsider, they took my son, Ruby.”

From those words, Soarin’s expression darkened. “How did they manage that?”

“They broke into my home the same day that I was giving a very important speech. They arrived making quite a commotion. Their leader felt the need to interrupt me and eventually it escalated to an altercation. I managed to fend him off and he retreated. I didn't care why or how they got Ruby but as any parent should do I went to make sure that my child was unhurt. I had left him with Hogsworth and found his hand was covered in blood. He told me the bandits did it and I believe that is when they took him.”

“Um,” Soarin' interrupted. ”If you don’t mind me asking...how old is he?”

The mayor shifted her body away from the two Hunters. “H-he’s five.” she spoke, her voice breaking some.

With this new information provided, the pair went silent. Mac tensed up slightly, casting his gaze downward. Soarin’s face contorted in anger, biting on his lower lip.

Mac took note of Soarin’s reaction to the news. He decided now would not be the best time to question him about it.

“Can ya give us a description of him?” Mac asked.

“O-of course,” she said coughing trying to regain her composure. “He’s about three feet tall, has messy blond hair. He has very pale skin, too, and was wearing a dark blue coat and has blue eyes.”

As those last words came from her mouth she felt her lip beginning to shake. The Hunters before her became giant blobs as her eyes grew moist. Her throat felt as if it had swallowed a frog; a frog that was on the verge of breaking free.

The mayor’s eyes grew wide as she got up. Soarin' had the urge to sit up with her. Sadly, Mac’s hand was on his shoulder reminding him he was already standing.

Mac looked at Sapphire with concern in his eyes. “Ma’am, do ya know where yer son is now?”

Sapphire sniffled. “No! Bring my son home! If you fail...”The mayor gave the two a stern look. She tilted her head to the door. The Hunters nodded and they departed the office to meet the bandits.

The duo stood in silence, taking in all the mayor had told them. Mac felt a myriad of emotions; anger and disgust at the idea of these bandits kidnapping a child. Sorrow for the people of this town. Frustration at Soarin’s attitude during the early half on this mission.

It was that last part bothered him most. Once they had been informed of the situation, his demeanor changed. The plucky, yet obnoxious Hunter he came here with had vanished.

Mac glanced at the blue haired swordsman, his hand gripping the hilt of his katana tightly.

“Hey,” Mac began, slowly moving over to the swordsman. “Are ya-”

Suddenly the Hunters heard a chorus of voice. Voices that shouted out in agony and despair. They both knew what it must have meant; the citizens were in pain. The bandits had returned. Cries of fear and dismay sounded in the town.

Almost instinctively the Hunters moved their heads to the direction of the screams. Then with great haste they opened the door of the town hall. They had to hurry to assist the poor populace.

~~~~~~~~

In the distance, they could see explosions and flames. Snowflakes stung their faces as the Hunters ran through the empty streets.

“So any idea where to go first?” Soarin' asked.

“The town square,” Mac answered. “Ah’m bettin’ that’s were they gotta be.”

“Let’s go, then,” Soarin said as he took off running. Mac noticed the shift in Soarin’s personality after finding out about the present situation. Prior to this, he’d been a bit too overjoyed being paired with him. Slightly happy-go-lucky and very loud. Now his tone of voice and how he carried himself seemed like somebody on a mission who’d evade all possible detours. It was a change Mac had to admit he liked.

“We’re getting close,” Soarin' called to him. “Get ready!”

Mac nodded, a smile spreading across his face. Up ahead were two fierce looking men kicking some poor elderly women. Behind her were two small children that were too afraid to cry. Soarin' and Mac got there in a jiffy.

“Hmm? Hey!” One shouted. “Who are you punks-” his sentence was cut short when the hilt of Soarin’s sword slammed against his face. The man stumbled backwards and the bandit had little time to counter as a metal clad fist made contact with his face, sending him flying. The second bandit pulled out a switchblade, the light in the alley slid along the sharp cold edge. He gave Soarin' a grin that promised bloody murder.

While Mac checked on the elderly women and the children, Soarin faced off against the other thug. With a crazed yell, the second man charged Soarin'. The younger Hunter dodged each strike the remaining thug threw his way. He had to give this fool some credit; at least he knew some of the basics.

The last strike Soarin blocked, pushing the man back a few feet. Then, quickly drawing his sword, zipped by him.

The thug stood baffled before chuckling loudly. “Y-you idiot! Ya missed me!”

Soarin turned towards the man, a cold smile painted on his face.

“Did I?” Sheathing his blade, Soarin watched as a large gash became visible on the thug’s right side. A white vapor billowed from the man’s wound. Like a scab, a sheet of ice spread across the wound covering it.

The man looked at Soarin for a moment. His face was contorted in a puzzled expression.

With a grunt, the man touched the ice scab. The ice began to melt. The man’s hand scooped up a large portion of the melted ice and threw it. Soarin' wondered how desperate the man could be. Though how the man melted the snow seemed off; the only type of magic that could pull that off would be his own.

His mind racing, Soarin' didn’t notice the melted ice began to harden once more. It continued to do so more and more until it resembled an ice lance without the hilt. Soarin’s eyes widened as the flying icicle neared its target. He raised his sword.

The icicle pushed against his blade and Soarin' pushed back slightly before it shattered with a swing from his blade. The bandit scowled, firing off three more icicles. The Hunter smirked, side stepping two and smashing the third with ease.

“Grr!” the bandit fumed.”Okay, you little punk, try this!” Once more did the bandit create an icicle, unlike the previous ones, it was much larger. Sprouting a grin, he flung the enlarged icicle at the younger Hunter.

Holding his sword in front of him, he blocked it. The force of the icicle was so great it pushed the young Hunter several feet away. As he blocked, Soarin' instinctively knelt closer to the ground.

Realizing he could not withstand the force of the icicle much longer with Soarin's weakened defense. He tucked and rolled out of the way of the giant ice weapon. The icicle smashed into a wall showering Soarin with pieces of ice that cut like tiny razors. He tried to focus on a flame spell that would fry the bandit but a cold feeling at his neck got his attention. Soarin raised his head to find the very thug that threw the icicle was right in front of him and his switchblade was right under Soarin's neck. The cold steel was intensified by the bandit’s ice magic. Soarin’s neck felt as if it was trapped in an iceberg and the sensation began running through Soarin’s entire body.

“Okay. I apologize,” Soarin said, throwing his hands up mockingly. He didn’t know what to do. So Soarin did what he always did when he didn’t have an answer. He talked.

“You will pay for your defiance.” the bandit snarled.

“You definitely know the basics.”

“What?” The bandit questioned.

“I doubted your skills and I'm sorry.”

“We are Frozen Chimera. We are all skilled,” The bandit said as he puffed out his chest.

“So why did your friend get knocked out so easily?”

“Shut up!” He said promptly. As much as he hated to admit it, the man saw Soarin’s point; his partner did get knocked out rather easily. If that idiot had stuck true to his pledge, he would have been able to take far more damage. Even so his face grew redder at the very thought a Hunter could be so correct.

“Why do you gotta be so cold?” Soarin asked mockingly.

“The deathly cold of Tartarus is but a summer breeze next to my ice dagger! You’ll see that for yourself very soon. When you arrive tell them Chien Doh Lo sent you,” the bandit boasted. Frozen Chimera was a gang he was truly proud to call his own. They were great. He would not allow a man such as this mock them.

“Chicken do what?” Soarin pounderd, feigning ignorance. “I don’t think I can remember a name like that. Kinda sounds like a food. Are you a food?”

“Why won’t you shut up!” the bandit screeched, tightening the grip on his blade. A spike of cold lanced up Soarin’s neck. It made his head hurt like he drank too much ice coffee at one time. He could feel that he had enough power to cast the spell.

A grin cracked on the lips of ice swordsman “Because I was buying time. Time to bring out the big guns.”

"Heh. Big guns?" Chien looked at this fool he had at the end of his blade. All he had to do was a quick slash and the child's irritating voice would cease. The idea that this fool would try to scare him almost brought a smile to Chien’s face. Almost. Boredom was setting in and Chien decided to end the Soarin’s life. He gripped the dagger tightly. "What big guns?"

“Ah think he means me,” a voice said from behind the man. Chien turned to find Big Mac cracking his knuckles as he approached the bandit.

“You’re big gun is a friend? I’m disappointed,” Chien said, his smile returning. He still had control of the situation.

“Naw. My big gun is a lot less cool,” Soarin said throwing forward his right arm. From it erupted a wave of intense flames.

“Blaze Tech: Burner Edge.”

Red orange flames engulfed the bandit and the ice blade glowed white for a second then melted away into steam. Now the bandit was lying on the ground screaming. As he did, some of the steam flew into his mouth as he took a breath. His screaming turned into powerful hacking coughs that shook his body.

Mac looked in horror at the sight of the burned twisted thing that once was a living, breathing person. The stink of the charred flesh was nearly enough to make his stomach turn.

He turned to find Soarin’s face held a resolute expression. He was determined to not let such a person that has caused so much pain be allowed to get away with it. The townsfolk were counting on the Hunters and he refused to disappoint them.

His eyes were filled with righteous fury as he walked forward to his former opponent. Both of his arms were raised as if he planned to continue his assault against the fallen bandit. As Soarin brought them down, his arms were caught by something.

He chanced a glance behind him to find Big Mac’s hands gripping onto each of his arms. The grip was tight enough that Soarin' feared it may obstruct his blood veins.

“What-” Soarin began only to then have his mind flooded with intense pain. Mac’s grip on Soarin’s arms grew tighter and tighter until Soarin felt them go numb.

Soarin' threw Mac an angry look and Mac retaliated with an angry expression of his own. Then he proceeded to tighten his grip even more. Soarin’s expression changed to one begging for mercy for his arms. Disgusted, Mac grabbed Soarin' by the hood of his jacket and threw him into a snowbank behind them. “What the heck was that about?!” Soarin' moaned as he picked himself up.

“Don’t kill. That’s one of the guidelines for our school Soarin'. We are never to kill anyone.”

Soarin gave a roll of his eyes. “A guideline is not the same as a law. Guidelines are more like suggestions than anything else. From what I can tell, I’ve prevented this guy from hurting anyone else in the future!”

Mac clenched his fists, his brow lowered. “Yer’re right Soarin', but that doesn’t give ya the right to execute people!”

“You’re right, Big Mac." Soarin replied, his voice laced with sarcasm. What gives me the right to kill people is that I’m a Hunter! Assassination missions are still a thing, Mac!”

“What about the law?”

Soarin marched over to the taller Hunter, eyes burning with anger. “Mac, we’re the law! Whenever Hunters take a mission we take the burden of the law on ourselves. We have to try our damnedest to finish it and protect people. No matter what it takes to do so.”

Mac couldn't believe what spewed from his mouth. Soarin's words cause Mac's rage to boil, fist clenched so tight, he'd fear his gauntlets would crack. Gripping Soarin up by his cover, the fighter brought Soarin's face closer to his own. His breath was hot, carrying a linger scent of apples.

“Listen to me, Gale: This ain’t no assassination mission! It's a rescue! And that-” Mac's free hand shot in the direction of the barely alive man. "Ain't rescuin!"

Soarin struggled to break free from Mac steel grip. A hopeless endeavor.“And what if this guy stabbed us in the back?!"Soarin snapped back." Who would save the kid then? Do you really think even if they did send another team they’d come back in time to do anything?!”

Mac's grip tightened, teeth bared.

“There's gonna be consequences. Beyond the school. You’re a killer now and that part of ya won’t ever change now, Soarin'!” His rage tempered some, he harshly dropped the swordsman back into the snowbank.

Glaring daggers at the large Hunter, Soarin quietly muttered “Good. I don’t want it to.”

A low moan from the bandit grabbed their attention. Mac turned away from Soarin to check out the bandit. Mac’s stomach almost turned when he smelled the burned flesh.

The bandit whispered something. Mac leaned in closer, but he was alert for a trap. The bandit whispered again, “Death comes and I am so afraid.” Mac looked up. Dying alone was one of the most frightening thing a person could do.

“Please don’t let me die alone. Stay with me until I go,” The bandit begged.

“We don’t have time for this,” Soarin spat coldly.

Mac watched as the bandit wheezed and coughed. His breathing was irregular, it won’t be long now before he dies. A whimper made Mac look up. Off to the side there were two old ladies and several children. The bandits we no longer harassing them but they still sat quietly while their large brown eyes looked around for more trouble. Mac walked over to the group.

“Hey, y’all are safe now,” Mac said while thinking of the bandit. “Ah have a favor to ask of ya.”

The taller of the two old women eyed Mac with suspicion. He wondered if she already knew what he was going to ask.

“W-what do you want?” She said while watching Mac warily.

“That man is dying and I just need an act of mercy from you,” Mac said and pointed to the dying bandit.

The taller woman shook her head vigorously. “No! Absolutely not!”

“Oh come now, Sew. The man is injured. The least we can do is give him some kind of mercy,” the shorter woman responded.

“How can you say that, Margey?! If things were reversed, he would just let us bleed into the snow. Let him get what he deserves!”

“But he didn’t do that.”

“Only because he wasn’t given the chance. And thank Heaven for that!”

“But, he didn't!"

“He could have and that is enough!"

Mac sighed. Sew did have a point. They owed this man nothing and Mac's request was pure madness. Have he in their spot, he would have said no, too. However, to leave the man in such a state to die alone would be cruel.

“Ah understand yer anger, but if ya act like the bandits, you are just as bad as they are. All Ah ask is that you hold his hand and let him die with some comfort.” Again Sew shook her head no. Then Margey stepped forward.

“You have to forgive Sew, the bandits promised to do terrible things to her. She's still a bitten shaken from it. I will do as you ask because I believe that all deeds have consequences and they come back to you. To deny this bandit a measure of mercy is heartless. Maybe one day I will need a bit of mercy and I will not get it. Bring him over here and I will see to him.”

“Oh fine. But at least keep the children back. Even a hurt bandit can’t be trusted,” Sew demanded, pushing the children behind her.

Mac bowed to Margey then he walked to the groaning bandit. “I’m sorry, this is going to hurt.” He placed his arms under the bandit and was planning to drag him when Soarin grabbed the bandit’s legs. Mac was surprised at Soarin’s action for a second. Together they carried the bandit to Margey. Sew led the children away so they wouldn’t see the bandit pass.

Margey grasped the bandit’s hand firmly. The man who chose the life of a bandit smiled briefly. Screams and shouts echoed down the street. Soarin and Mac glanced down the block.

Sew smiled and pointed. “Please help my neighbors!” As the Hunters left, Soarin took one last glance back. He saw that Margery was closing the now dead man’s eyes.

~~~~

At the heart of the town, Ymir Square, the Hunters gazed upon a saddening scene. All the windows from the stores were smashed. Precious foodstuffs lay in piles in the dirty snow. Bandits were threatening and beating the townsfolk. In the middle of the chaos and screams, a sly voice urged the bandits.

“Now, now, everyone. Try to be reasonable,” A man standing in the center spoke. “We do not wish to cause you any harm. All we merely want is any valuables you have and we shall be on our way.”

The citizens around the area felt themselves as ants under the weight of a large boot. The man before them was a giant. To Mac, the guy seemed to be at least seven feet tall. His white beard hung down to his waist. In his face, two blue eyes blazed. A grin formed on his pale white mouth as he continued.

“It would be a shame if some misfortune fell upon you. I’d feel simply awful if that happened.” He spoke with fake sincerity.

The people trembled at the large man. He had a certain commanding presence. Even so neither the man’s size nor his presence was what they feared the most. It was his words. As he spoke they felt in them was nothing but sincerity. They wondered could they have been wrong to condemn the man. Was he truly sorry for what had befallen them? Perhaps if they gave him what he wanted he and his gang would leave this time. Then they would be free from the pain their mayor had brought down on them for her stubbornness.

“H-how do we know you’re telling the truth this time?” An elderly man spoke up. “You said something similar before and yet here you are! Terrorizing us again!”

“Aw yes,” the man chuckled as if remembering an amusing joke. “We had to terrorize you that time. You told us you gave us all your valuables. And then we discovered you lied to us. We’re terrorizing you on principle. So please do the right thing. And hand them over. Then we’ll leave.”

“What about the mayor’s son?” Another voice shouted.

“He’d leave with us of course. Your mayor is quite vindictive. We’d only keep him long enough to escape.”

“You mean you’d leave him alive long enough to use him as leverage to escape?!” the old man accused.

“Every day live is a precious thing. Surely someone as old as you has already learned that lesson of life. If not I can remind you,” the large man said with a monstrous grin. The old man cringed as though he was expecting a harsh blow.

That made the large man’s grin wider. “Now, one of my kind associates will remind you of your position in the scheme of things.” One bandit walked up to the elderly man and punched him hard in the gut. The poor man doubled over gasping.

While this was going on, Soarin and Mac watched from behind a building’s corner. The quick glimpses of the bandit’s bouts of mayhem were enough to make the Hunters angry. A red glow covered Soarin’s arm but Mac tapped him. The glow faded.

Soarin frowned. “Is that the leader?”

Mac shook his head. “It doesn’t matter. We need to strike them soon before more townsfolk are hurt.”

Meanwhile in the square, a brave townsman managed to do a leg sweep on a bandit. He hit the ground hard and was stunned. Then the townsman grabbed a club and started swinging away at a nearby bandit. Before the bandit could strike back, the ground rose up under his feet and tossed him into the air. It took a second before he landed hard onto the ground. Then another bandit is hurled into the dark night sky by a pillar made of snow covered soil. The rest of the bandits spread out casting fearful glances all over the area and the treacherous ground.

Their leader looked at them and howled. “The cursed ground hasn’t turned against you fools! Someone is doing magic around here! Find them or I start cracking' heads!” He said as he shook his big fists at them.

The bandits turned their black, beady eyes to the area around them. A red orange fireball streaked across the town square and hit a bandit. He burst into flames screaming. One of his buddies pushed him into a snow bank.

The leader sighed and closed his eyes. Then he started to breathe slowly. Every exhale lowered the temperature of the square. Everyone in the square could see their breaths as white clouds and a chill started to gnaw into their clothes. Just when it seemed like things were just too cold, the bandit leader exhaled a great gust of wind. It grew like a blizzard, picking up snow and tossing it into the eyes of the folks in the square. Then it spread out of the square.

A few seconds later, the wind brought back two half frozen hunters. They shivered in the grasp of the bandit leader’s magic. For a few moments the hunters were floating above the bandits like they were on display then the spell just dumped them in front of the bandit leader.

“D-damn.” Mac cursed. “I can’t move. T-T-Too cold.”

“C-crap.” Soarin hacked. “This guys i-ice magic is nuts. C-can’t feel my legs! I c-can’t even make any flames.”

The leader grinned at the pathetic state of the Hunters. He had expected that the vile woman would employ such help. He had to admire their confidence.

“So you two are the Hunters, eh? You took out a couple of my men. That is quite a feat. Despite what followed. What rank are you two?”

“That doesn’t matter,” Soarin snarled in defiance.

“They wouldn’t have bothered to send a D rank. And a B rank wouldn’t have been stupid enough to get caught. So I take it you’re a C rank.”

“So what about it?”

“Tsk, tsk. The Hunters must be losing their touch. I remember there was a time when even a C rank Hunter could frighten anyone to their core. I guess the Hunters must have gotten sloppy.”

“Shut up!” Soarin snapped as flame erupted from his body. In a fit of uncontrollable rage, he charged at the much bigger man. The leader evaded the attack and grabbed Soarin’s neck. Within a single second his hand covered the young Hunter’s neck. The next second Soarin felt the wind begin to leave his body. Before it all could exit the man dropped Soarin to the floor. Soarin gasped desperate to reclaim his lost air.

“Where are ya holding the kid?” Mac demanded. He had to distract the leader somehow. He couldn’t let the fighting continue. Even Mac realized the stupidity of what he asked.

“What do I gain from telling you that?"

“Ah'll be gentle when ah'm smashin yer face in the ground!" The fighter hissed.

The leader burst out a hearty laugh. “I like you boys. That’s why I didn’t kill your friend here."With that statement, he dropped Soarin on the frozen ground. Soarin began to cough heavily as he rubbed his throat.

The leader shifted his glaze back to the bound Hunter. "I can see you two have a lot of potential. So what do you say about joining my little gang?”

Mac’s jaw dropped. Hunters joining a group of bandits? This man could not be serious.

“Yer kiddin’ right?” Mac asked, glaring daggers at the leader “Ain’t no way in hell we’d ever think about joining’ y’all!”

“That is before you showed to us how strong you are,” Soarin said as he picked himself up. “We’ll join you.”

"WHAT?!"  Mac's head snapped in Soarin's direction.

The leader released another hearty laugh. "Smart boy."

Mac glared furiously at his blue haired ally. As he stared, Mac felt his ice restraints dissolve into normal water. All except for a pair of ice cuffs that hung from his hands. Mac noticed Soarin went without cuffs.

“I don't think you'll be needing those cuffs." The leader said, a chilling smile growing on his lips.  "Go get your friend’s weapon and leave you katana with me. We’d like to hold them. Beautiful pieces of work they are."

“Of course,” Soarin said as he removed his katana and gave it to the hulking man. With that done, he went over to Mac. The terra magic user was in shock, so much that he didn't bother resisting as Soarin removed his gauntlets. Returning to the leader, he offered both the gauntlets and his own sword.

“So, you gotta a name or should I just call you ‘boss’?” Soarin inquired.

To this did the leader chuckle. “Mangoro Belia. You should get used to calling me by that. All my subordinates do,” he said giving a small smile.

Mac stared in disbelief at the younger Hunter. For him to easily betray not only the poor people of this town, but his self respect and pride as a Hunter. Though, in some strange way, Mac felt some relief. That incident with the bandit was no exception to Soarin, it was the rule.

His conclusion then was right.

This turn showed him what kind of person Soarin really was: a disgusting human being.