Hunter's Harmony

The movie had ended and everyone found themselves on Applejack's farm, looking up at the stars. The eight friends couldn't stay up the entire night as seven of them had work in the morning, but they were going to spend as much time as they could with their friend. Big Mac walked over to the group and noticed even through the armor who was laying on the ground near his sister, "What's she doin here!?" he yelled.

Applejack started to sit up, but Leila placed her hand on her friend and shook her head. The Reploid stood up and looked the tan human in the eyes, "If you don't want me on your property, I can leave. But in only a few hours, you'll never see me again anyhow. I'm leaving for good and there's nothing I can do about it, but there's something I can do about this. I know that two years ago, I went Maverick and I attacked the farm. You tried to stop me, which was admirable," she started to speak before being interrupted.

"He ain't the only one who tried to stop you. Mom and Dad told me you had returned, Leila and I don't feel comfortable with you hanging near Twily," Shining Armor's voice said from behind her.

The Maverick Hunter did a half turn so that she could keep both her eyes on the potential attackers. "I'm unarmed. Armored, but unarmed, I won't hurt any of you and if you'd like, I can take off my armor," she stated.

This did little to placate the two of them. They both stood at their distance away from the Reploid, but her friends started to get up to protest. However, she wasn't going to have any of it, "This is my problem, it's my duty to make amends," she stated to them, loud enough for the two men to hear her.

She stepped away from her friends and placed her hands on her helmet, removing it from her body and placing it on the ground. She grabbed her arm armor and unlocked it, removing it from her body in the process. She repeated this with her chest armor and her boots, leaving her armored "clothes" underneath. She then removed those to reveal the soft green bodysuit that remained. "I have nothing protecting me, no armor. No weapons. I'm just like any non-combat model Reploid now in that regard," she stated.

Big Mac cracked his knuckles and walked forth, causing Leila to turn her focus onto him. He glared at her and she didn't respond in any aggressive way, merely placing her hands behind her back, where she knew Shining Armor would see them. "You have the advantage, Big Mac, you can feel free to return the favor from two years ago. I know that I hurt you and Shining Armor. I hurt Cadance, Luna, and Celestia as well as some police officer I don't know. I threatened Applebloom and I tried to kill my own friends. Do you believe for a moment that I look back at that experience fondly? Can you honestly say to yourself that you believe that I want to ever go back to that, and don't think I won't be able to detect you if you try to move close to me, Shining Armor," she told the two of them.

Big Mac got within arm's reach of the Reploid and she decided to give a warning, "If you throw that punch, you will never hit me. By the time you move your arm, I will have calculated hundreds of different possibilities and will be ready to move my body accordingly," she told him.

The farmer didn't exactly believe what the Maverick Hunter was saying and decided to test it. Just as Leila said, she moved out of the way, her entire upper body moving as she did. True to her word though, she didn't react back in aggression. She stood there as Big Mac looked confused as to how he could have missed. He moved his arm back and the Reploid returned to her normal standing position. "You had an opening and you didn't take it, why?" Shining Armor asked.

"Because I'm not here to fight you or anyone. I don't want to fight anyone. I'm here to see my friends, I'm only here for a total of twelve hours and then I can't ever come back. You won't ever have to deal with me ever again, you won't ever have to see me ever again, outside of my capsule that is. I just want to spend some time with them and record some last memories with them, that's all," the Reploid responded.

"She's tellin the truth, Big Mac. She just wants ta spend the last hours she's ever gonna get to see us. Jus give her some time ta be with us, alright?" Applejack said in her defense.

Leila turned around and walked over to the blue haired human, giving him a hug, "You're my big brother, Shining. I'm sorry for suplexing you two years ago. I didn't have any real control of my actions, my equivalent to a brain was damaged and I registered all humans as enemies. At the end of the day, despite how advanced I am, despite how lifelike I seem, I'm nothing more than a machine and I follow what my coding tells me. Even though under normal circumstances I can rewrite my own programming, if my cognitive systems are damaged, I'm stuck with what it tells me," she told him.

She leaned her head against his chest, "You were always kind and friendly when I got to see you two years prior. You loved to joke around and make me feel like I really did belong. So I ask you, big brother, please let me spend my last hours here with my friends. I'm going to be returning to the time I came from soon and I won't ever be able to come back," she stated.

Shining Armor thought about this and then looked at Twilight who nodded, "Alright, Leila. I'll let you spend time with your friends. But Mom wants to see you one more time before you vanish off to your own time," he said.

Leila smiled and broke the hug, "Thank you, brother," she said as she looked into the eyes of the man who stood before her.

The two of them shared a handshake and the two men left the women to themselves. "Wow, I didn't know that you felt that way about Shiny," the scientist pointed out.

A gentle breeze blew through the farm, causing the Reploid's hair to flow in the wind, "I had brothers when I was back in my world. None of them were like me though and none of us really shared anything in common, other than our shared admiration and love for our father." She sat down and looked up at the stars, "Though we loved each other and felt like a family, we weren't really as close as I was to you and Shining Armor," she said.

"I have a feeling this has a tragic ending, Leila," Rarity pointed out.

The Maverick Hunter nodded, "You are perceptive. I've told you all how Mavericks reached my father and how I was too late to save him. My brothers blamed me for that, except for one. He was part of the force that attacked the facility. I don't know where or how he got the weapon he had that day, he attacked me and I was forced to retire him. This being after Commander X had used the Mother Elf to rid the world of the Maverick Virus caused great worry. It turns out that the entire attack was to cover up a theft. What had been stolen was classified, even I didn't have the clearance to know about it," she revealed.

Fluttershy gasped, "That's horrible!"

"Being forced to put down your own brother like that, I can't imagine what that had to have been like for you," Sunset stated.

Leila shrugged, much to the shock of everyone, "Like I said, at the end of the day, I'm just a machine despite how human I seem. My DNA Soul has my personality and physical appearance saved within it. It hurt a bit knowing that it was one of my father's creations, but I'm a Maverick Hunter and he had already attacked and killed over a dozen human researchers. It was in my personality if you will to put the well being of humans over anything else, even my own self-preservation," she stated calmly.

"So you don't feel sad about it at all?" Pinkie asked.

"Didn't have the time to. With Maverick attacks popping up all over the world almost immediately thereafter, I had enough time to go into sleep mode and get a minor repair job before I was sent back out onto the front lines. But I digress, Twilight, you and your family are the first time I ever felt like I had a true family. Like I felt like I had belonged somewhere. Because of Flim and Flam..." The Maverick Hunter sighed and looked down at the ground, "That got all taken away from me. I can never really get it back, all I can do is keep going forward," she said somberly.

Twilight Sparkle moved closer and wrapped her arms around the Reploid, "You'll always be part of our family, our descendants will know this, that much I can promise you. Even if I don't have kids of my own, I know Shining Armor has a daughter, I'll be sure to tell her about you," she told the machine.

"Yeah, and we'll always be friends, no matter if we are separated by space or time!" Sunset pointed out with a confident smile on her face.

The eight of them realized the time and they all looked at each other. This was going to be their final chance to say goodbye to the Reploid. But none of them were sad. Leila walked over to Fluttershy first and drew her into a hug, "Fluttershy, I'm glad to have gotten to meet you and the animals that you showed me. There were so many different kinds of animals that I didn't get to see when I was younger. I hope you'll be able to ensure those animals have long lineages that last into the far future," she stated.

The soft yellow woman smiled and returned the hug, "Thank you, Leila. I hope that your time in the future is spent happy, surrounded by many wonderful animals," she said.

The two of them broke the hug and the Reploid walked over to Applejack, giving her a hug and she gave her a tight hug back. "Ah know ya ain't gonna be able to see us again, but Ah sure do hope that where yer goin, y'all will have Apples runnin around and tendin to the farms there," the farmgirl told her.

The Maverick Hunter smiled and patted her friend on the back, "I hope your orchards are nice and strong when I go visit them in over a hundred years from now. You were always one of the best farmers and one of the strongest people I've known, thank you for being my friend, AJ," she stated.

The two of them broke the hug and smiled at each other. Then Leila walked over to Rainbow Dash, who she hugged tightly. The cyan human was hesitant at first and then hugged the robot after a few moments. "Your loyalty to your friends is strong, but never give up your dreams. I know you want to be a pilot and join the Wonderbolts team. If you work hard at it, you will achieve that dream," the Maverick Hunter told her friend.

Rainbow Dash was taken aback by this, she had never been told this by the Reploid before. "Thanks, that means a lot to me. I hope that I'll go down in history so that the world never forgets me or my friends!" the athlete stated.

Leila started to laugh as they broke the hug, "So long as I live, the world won't forget any of you, my friends, that much I promise," she said with a smirk.

The red-haired machine walked over to Pinkie Pie and gave her a hug, "I know that you're sad that I had to take down my own brother, but don't be. I can also tell you're sad that you're never going to see me again, but if it helps, you can go to Twilight's lab and talk to me in my capsule. Heck, ask Twilight to keep recordings of you guys talking to me, I won't be able to see any of them until I wake up and then come here and then go back to my time, but I promise you that I'll see them. Keep a smile on your face, stay happy and spread your joy everywhere. You'll make a better world that way," she stated.

Pinkie returned the hug, "You pinkie promise?"

The Maverick Hunter nodded, "Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye," she promised.

The pink human started squeezing tightly and Leila had to stop herself from projecting the Rolling Shield as she started to notice pressure readouts on her HUD. She wondered how a human could hug this tightly, but she managed to break free from the hug, "I know I can't breathe, but you don't need to damage my systems, Pinkie," she stated, surprised that a human could squeeze that hard outside of Applejack.

Pinkie Pie started giggling as the Reploid walked over to Rarity and gave her a hug, "Your generosity is an amazing thing. I would love to take some clothes with me to my time, but I have a feeling they won't follow me as I go back. Please spread and teach generosity to all the peoples of the world, help the others make this world a better place," she stated.

Rarity returned the hug tightly and smiled, "I will Darling. I have a fashion line inspired by you so that no one will truly forget about you and I'll be sure to leave some clothing in a safe spot where they won't get damaged so that in the future, you'll have a Rarity original to wear in your time, sweetie," the fashionista stated.

The two broke the hug, "Thank you," Leila said with a smile.

She then walked over to Sunset Shimmer, the two hugging each other and Sunset ending up using her Empathy power to see the future that she came from. "Wonderful world you'll be going back to, but it's empty without us. I'll try to ensure that we leave some mementos for you to never forget us by. If we were immortal, then you wouldn't have to be able to be alone forever. But are you sure that you're really okay with living on in a world without us?" she asked.

The Reploid nodded, "Yeah." She broke the hug and placed her hands on Sunset's shoulders, looking into the orange woman's eyes, "I'm a Reploid, a machine. I have no upper limit to how long I can live in theory. I was going to outlive you guys anyhow. Even so, getting to know all of you, even for such a short time as a month and a half and then twelve more hours. It'll be something that I look back on fondly for as long as I continue to function," she said truthfully.

Everyone turned to Applejack who shrugged, "She ain't lyin," she pointed out.

Leila sighed and smiled, "Thank you, Sunset. Well, this is the last time I'll see any of you alive, except for Twilight, I'm going back home with her. It's been great seeing you all again and I hope that you'll never forget me and remember to record lots of messages for me in your future. I'll be sure to watch them all and treasure them," she stated.

There was a somber silence among the group, but everyone said their goodbyes to the Reploid. They all separated to their vehicles and both Twilight and the Maverick Hunter climbed into her car. Neither of them said a word until they were halfway home. "So why didn't you say anything to me back there," the scientist finally asked.

Leila looked out the window, "Because I already know what you're going to do. All of your research, all of your experimenting. Everything, it all finally succeeds to bring me back to a functioning state. But you'll never get to see it happen. If my chronometer wasn't incorrect, I wake up one hundred and sixty years from now. One of your successors ends up being the one to oversee the project during the years you are gone. Hell, I don't even know if I should tell you this, because of the ramifications it could have on my future," she stated.

A hand was placed on the Reploid's shoulder as the vehicle came to a stop at a red light, she turned to see her sister looking her in the eye, "Leila, you don't have to worry. I was going into this with uncertainty if it could ever be done, but knowing that you'll get to walk the Earth once more, even if you're not with us, then that makes it all worth it. I care about you, sister, I love you. You're family and knowing that there's a member of my family still around in the future makes me happy. I want you to go to your world and be the hero that you appear to be now. Be the hero that I know you've looked up to. This world doesn't have an X or an Axl, but it has you. You can be the hero that everyone looks up to, that everyone turns to when there's trouble in the world. Just like we are to this world," Twilight reassured her sister.

"Thank you, Twi," the Maverick Hunter said to her sister.

"I'm going to head to bed when I get back. I'm sure Mom and Dad are waiting for you to return if they're not asleep. Before you go, would you like to say goodbye to them?" the scientist asked as she placed her hand back on the wheel, turned her attention to the road and started driving again.

"Yeah, I would." Leila replied calmly.

Neither of them said anything as they returned home. Nor did they say anything when they pulled into the driveway. The two of them climbed out of the car and walked to the front door. "Good night, Twilight. I hope your future is bright," the Reploid told her sister.

The purple woman smiled and opened the door, "Good-bye Leila. I hope you'll become the hero that the future needs," she stated.

The two of them went their separate ways, and the Maverick Hunter found her parents asleep on the couch. She shook them both awake, "Mom? Dad?" she said to them.

Twilight Velvet and Night Light both woke up, they looked tired, but the gray skinned human smiled weakly, "Hi, Leila, how was your day with the girls?" she asked.

"It was good, but before I carry you both to bed because you're out here on the couch, there's one thing I want to say to the both of you. Individually," the Reploid said to them.

The blue skinned human yawned and rubbed his eyes, "What is it, honey?" he asked.

Leila hugged her adoptive mother, "I want to thank you for taking me into your family and calling me your daughter. Being part of this family meant more to me than anything else has before. I never had a mother before you and I never had the chance to get to know what it felt like to be a part of a real family. I'm glad to have met you and I promise that for as long as I live, I'll never forget you," she said.

Twilight Velvet hugged her adoptive daughter, placing a hand on the back of her head, "Leila, you are a truly wonderful daughter. Not many children would travel back in time to see their parents again," she told her.

The two of them broke the hug and the Maverick Hunter hugged her adoptive father, "Dad, I know we didn't get to talk a whole lot, but I'm glad to have met you. You're like the father that I've wanted in my life since I lost my own. I'm going to miss you... both of you when I'm gone, but knowing that you were part of my life, makes it all worth it. Watch over Twilight and Shining for me, lest they get into trouble," she told him.

Night Light returned the hug, he patted his adoptive daughter on the head with a smile, "You're a great kid, Leila. I'm sure that in the future, you'll be a wonderful leader. I know that you'll never forget us, you'll never forget any of us. But never forget that your mother and I love you. We always will, even when we're not here anymore, we'll be watching you from the other side. If you ever feel like you're alone, just know that we're there with you," he told her.

The two of them broke the hug and the Reploid helped them both to their feet, carrying them to their bedroom and placing them in the bed. She started to walk out of the room when they pulled the covers over themselves and she stopped at the doorway, "Twilight will have a project to make video messages for me when I get back to the future. I would like the two of you to record a few, please. Oh and ask Shining and Cadance to do so, along with any kids they might have," she told them.

Twilight Velvet smiled, "We will, honey. I wish you a wonderful life in the future. I love you," she said.

A tear ran down Leila's face, "Thanks Mom, I wish you the same, but for your future. And I wish the same for Dad. I love the both of you too," she said.

The Maverick Hunter closed the door gently. She was now alone with only an hour before she had to go back to Future Equestria. She walked into the living room and picked up her Buster Shot and Beam Saber, which had been placed on the table by her parents. She walked out of the house and into the Lab where she saw her damaged and inactive body in the capsule that it had been placed in. Leila placed her hand on the capsule and smiled. "Don't worry, you'll wake up someday, and you'll come back to see your friends one more time," she told the inactive Reploid.

The active Reploid sat down in a chair within the lab and activated a vocal recorder, "By the time you get this message, I've already left to my time. Twilight, I know that you sometimes feel lonely, but there is someone out there for you that you haven't quite worked up the courage to ask. I've seen the way you and Sunset look at each other and I know there's an attraction between the two of you. All one of you have to do is ask and I'm sure the other will say yes. Don't spend the rest of your life alone, my sister. Don't worry, Mom and Dad are okay with this as is our friend group. Well, this is the last message I'll be able to pass on to you, I hope you take it. Your sister, Leila," she said into it.

She stopped recording and just waited as everyone in the house slept. Everything was quiet and then the fated time for the Maverick Hunter to return came. She closed her eyes and started to fade out of existence. All that was left of evidence that she was ever there was the security footage in the lab and the recording that she had left her little sister. As far as the rest of the world was concerned, she had never left her capsule. Her friends and family however knew the truth, that she had returned one last time to see them. After a few moments, the lights in the lab turned off as there wasn't any more movement.