//------------------------------// // (Tale #4) Hunting Trip // Story: The Alchemist's Tales // by DVAN56 //------------------------------// Hunting Trip Ponies have very different diets then humans. Though I can eat most fruits and vegetables that ponies do I can't eat the grasses and flowers they love so much. As they can not eat meat as my diet requires. Though the ponies don't think less of anyone for the need to eat meat they do ask that Kira and I eat such things out of sight of anyone. Kira is like me in a way. She is not human but she is not from Equestria either. She arrived via a rift a year after me from a world called Nirn. When given the choice to ether return to her world or stay here, she chose to stay and is now a permanent resident of Ponyville. From the stories she has told of her world it was for the better, not for her but her child that would be born about a year later. Kira is from a race of people called Khajiit. The Khajiit are shaped like a human but with feline features, the three most noticeable is their skin is covered in fur, the shape of their heads are very feline like(using the word “cat” around Kira or any other Khajiit is a very BAD thing to do), and they have feline like tails. Though I could go a week, sometimes two before I actually needed to eat meat, Kira could not. At most she could go two days. So she would take trips into the Everfree when her stocks were low. Every now and then I would go with her. Those I never did actually hunt more as I just carried back the kill. I wish I could tell you how Kira is such an efficient huntress but I am sworn to secrecy. I even had to Pinkie Promise not to reveal it to anyone in fear Fluttershy would learn Kira's secret. I can say this much though. It is the cheapest hunting tactic I have ever witnessed, and it would truly hurt Fluttershy's feelings if she found out about it. Their was one trip that I will never forget. It started off like any other trip save for the late start. Kira usually is out in the morning and back sometime in the afternoon. That day however do to an unforeseen accident caused by a certain wall-eyed gray pegasus, who shall remain nameless, we did not get out till the afternoon knowing we would not get back till sometime after dark. We went deep into the forest and Kira worked her “magic”. We ended up bagging a deer and a wild boar. Though not a big fan of venison, I absolutely loved boar meat, making this a very successful trip. It was starting to getting dark and we still had another two hours to go before exiting the forest. It was then that my stomach gave the gurgling sounds of “Feed me”. Kira's did the same shortly after mine. We decided that dinner was in order before continuing on back to Ponyville. I made a fire while Kira worked her “magic” yet again, bagging some squirrels. As the squirrels were set up to barbeque over the fire we swapped a few stories from our home worlds as our food cooked. Oddly we were both telling tales about slaying dragons. The squirrels were about done when out of the blue I get drenched in ice cold water. I instantly knew it was Luna. Ever since the whole parallel world viewing incident she had started to greet me with a bucket of ice cold water every time we meet. Why I don't know, but if I had to guess it's because she finds it funny and can get away with it. Kira, like Luna was laughing at my misfortune. “Ha Ha, very funny Luna.” I said drily “I must ask, why is the Princess of the night out here?” Kira asked through her laughter “Seeing why my favorite Alchemist is out in the Everfree at night.” she then saw the deer and boar corpse. “But then again I should have known.” “Well if nothing else I'm glad you care for me so much.” I said sarcastic. What Luna did next opened a floodgate of questions on Alicrons. I was honestly expecting another bucket of iced water to be poured on me for my sarcastic remark. No instead Luna went and stole my food. I only assume the shock on my face was similar to that on Kira's, as she was silent and wide eyed. Luna gripped one of the cooked squirrels and started eating it. My mind was blown, right when I think I have the ponies figured they do something that just blows my mind, again! “AH! I forgot how good squirrels can taste.” Luna said as she finished the first squirrel and began to pick up another. She then noticed our surprised looks. “What?” she asked. “How are you able to eat that?” I asked sounding very confused. “With my mouth.” she replied sarcastically. When we didn't react to her sarcasm the gears in her head must have finally started turning. As up till now we had thought she was a herbivore like the rest of the ponies. “Oh..I see now. I guess it will be easier to show you. Then I'll explain.” Luna said. She then proceeded to remove her necklace that she always had on. Once it was off she opened her mouth. She had both canines and molars, Omnivore? “You see you two, Alicorns are not actually ponies. Though we do look very much alike. Too keep from frighting our subject after Nightmare Moon, Celestia crafted an enchantment to hide her canines while in public and adopted a vegetarian diet as well. She said it was a from of coping with my banishment. She apparently tried many weird ways of coping during the first century of my banishment.” “Anyway she made an enchanted necklace that would hide her canines. Over the Centuries ponies came up with a weird legend of something called a Vampony. To keep ponies from panicking Celestia insisted that I have the same enchantment on our Necklaces. She really doesn't want the press to think we are these 'Vamponies'. Then again with how the press is like, I can't say that I blame her.” Kira seemed to cringe at the word “Vampony”. Why I don't know but if I had to guess there may have been something similar in her world. “I'm getting off track.” Luna sighed “Anyway to actually answer your question. I can eat this squirrel because Alicorns are omnivores. Its just not known because Celestia is just, well weird and wants use to keep it hidden.” Somewhere during that explanation Kira had taken her squirrels and ate them. How did she eat them so fast, I don't know. Then again I have never actually seen her eat anything. One minute the food is there, next its gone. I pushed the thought off as another mystery for another time. It was then that I realized that Luna had taken the last squirrel. With a smile she devoured it in front of me. It was the only time that I didn't think she was smiling at my misfortune, as she focused more on devouring the squirrel in front of her then anything else. I however was still without dinner. Luna departed shortly afterword while Kira and I continued our trek back to Ponyville with our game. My stomach still growling along the way but I ignored it for the most part. There was one question that went through my head as we traveled back. “How is it this place never ceases to amaze me?”