//------------------------------// // Chapter 7 // Story: A Day at the Quest Hub // by Braininthejar //------------------------------// CHAPTER 7 “Can you believe it? Right in front of your door! And they copied my recipe too!” Carrot Top paced furiously in front of the counter. Berry Punch watched her for a moment before slumping onto a stool and turning her gaze outside. “That’s life. It’s called competition. It’s not like your family recipe is a trade secret or anything.” “Well, it should be!” snapped Carrot. Now she was angry at herself for not thinking of it earlier. Then again, a carrot cake is a carrot cake. How would she even prove anything? She followed Berry’s gaze outside; a short line of customers was waiting in front of the goblins’ vehicle. The first adventurer in line, a bulky, blonde human, exchanged some goods with Creed before pulling off the dented chestplate of his armour and handing it to the goblin. Creed turned to put the piece of armour inside one of the slots of the machine and soon the air was filled with the sound of fast-paced pounding. Carrot Top gave Berry Punch a quizzical look. “A mechanical blacksmith,” explained the barmare. “That contraption of theirs does everything. Including repairing armour. This is why some of the customers come to them - they are only in town for a moment and they like to have all services in one place.” “Can we do the same?” asked Carrot Top. “If they keep going to them instead of you...” Berry Punch stopped her with a wave of a hoof. “It’s not as bleak. First, adventurers don’t like standing in lines either.” She pointed at the goblins’ stand, where Creed’s machine was just finishing repairs on some unicorn’s robes. “So its not like they will all just go to them. Second, we have one more thing that they don’t.” She pointed at the floor between the counter and the stove and just on cue, somepony appeared there out of nowhere. An armoured pegasus, initially translucent but quickly gaining substance, looked around the inn before heading straight to Berry Punch. “The usual,” he said, turning around and tugging at his saddle bags, emptying their contents onto the counter. The barmare sweeped with her foreleg, taking all the items behind the bar before Carrot Top could take a good look. She then gave the warrior a small bag of food, along with a few small coins. The pegasus gathered them all up and ran out of the inn, spreading his wings. Carrot Top peered behind the counter and then looked at Berry Punch in utter confusion. “Twigs, pieces of bone and... an eyeball?” She stepped back, her face getting slightly green beneath the fur. “Care to explain why you buy trash from your customers? And you pay for it better more than my cakes are worth.” The last sentence was spoken with a strong hint of indignation. “Oh, most of it is junk,” replied the barmare. “I suppose the twigs are a trophy from some plant monster, but only good for kindling. The bones are completely useless too...” “Then why?” interrupted the farmpony. “For two reasons. First, all adventurers expect to sell loot, however ridiculous it is. My inn is ahead by being an attuning point for hearthstones, but if I don’t buy what the adventurers bring in, they will find somepony who does.” She paused, taking a pair of tweezers into her mouth, carefully picking up the disgusting eyeball and dropping it into a jar under the bar. “The second reason,” she continued “is that not all of it is useless. Some of the things they bring in are worthless junk for them, but fetch a good price if you know who to sell them to. And every now and then a pony who was too busy to ever learn how to use the auction house drops in something that makes whole weeks of buying junk worthwhile.” “So... that.. ugh... eyeball?” Carrot Top tried and failed to keep a straight face. “Some kind of cockatrice, if I’m not mistaken. Used in making of magical medicines.” “Magical medicines... that’s it!” For the first time since she entered the inn, Carrot Top smiled. It was Berry’s turn to be confused. “What are you thinking about?” “The adventurers want everything in one place, yes? They need to sell their loot, repair armour, get something to eat... and buy some potions and alchemical components, don’t they?” Berry Punch didn’t look convinced.“Well, some of them are alchemists... there is at least one in every guild.” “But not everypony is in one, and many are too lazy or too busy to go look for herbs. This could give us the edge, you’ll see. We just need to find a supplier. What do you think about Zecora?” “Well, she is the best around,” responded the barmaid. “But doesn’t she auction her potions?” “I’m sure she sells them to customers too,” said Carrot Top. “I know Cloud Kicker buys elixirs from her.” Berry Punch raised an eyebrow at her.”Not all concoctions are worth putting in the auction house. You sure these are combat elixirs?” Carrot gave her a look of incomprehension while her brain processed the question. Once it dawned on her who she was talking about, she turned red and facehoofed. “No matter,” she decided, standing up and going towards the door. “I’ll just have to talk to her. Then we will see.” Then she went out, leaving Berry Punch in the empty inn. Ten second passed before the farmpony came running back, skidding to a halt in front of the counter and digging her face into her saddle bags. “I almost forgot. Could you attune a hearthstone for me? I’ve finally got one, but haven’t tried it out yet...” *** The next morning saw Carrot Top standing between the stands in her yard, a large wooden sign with a yellow question mark planted on the ground next to her. She was watching Vinyl Scratch tinker with her equipment, lost in her own world, as usual. She then looked left towards the lemonade stand. It was now under care of a scrawny pegasus colt named Featherweight; Tiara barely appeared on the farm since the stand had been set up, leaving all the actual work to her “business associates”. The whole business was working pretty well, actually. For a time Carrot had considered selling her goods here as well. Problem was, the stand matched the needs of adventurers going to the outskirts of Everfree - most of them beginners, well below Carrot Top’s target market. Just like the ones approaching now. A trio of adventurers, two dwarves led by an earth pony whose armour seemed to have been adapted from hockey padding, approached the two stands. All three were covered in tree sap and twigs. They stopped in front of Vinyl, giving her the baiting devices and receiving a couple of coins in return, then moved towards Carrot Top. After a moment of fumbling with their bags, each of the three produced a bucket of carrots. “Here you are, lady,” said the earth pony, named 4hooves if the name over his head displayed correctly. “We managed to gather everything before anything was eaten.” Carrot Top reached to her bag, giving her newest part-time workers a couple of coins each. She wondered if they realised, that she actually paid them less than a farm-hoof’s wage for their work. Then again, farm hooves wouldn’t pick up loot. “So, is there anything else you need from us, lady?” asked one of the dwarves. The farmpony considered the question. These three looked like they were completely fresh in the business. “Not right now, no. Have a nice day,” she said. The three nodded and moved towards the lemonade stand, dumping the contents of their bags onto the counter. Carrot Top paid them no further attention, instead turning to look towards Vinyl Scratch. The unicorn was busy at her stand as usual, tinkering on something in her mobile workshop, headphones keeping her in her own private world. The farm pony walked up to her and tapped on the counter, then waved her hooves in the air to get the DJ’s attention. Vinyl Scratch removed the headphones and looked at her expectantly. “Yes? Do you need anything?” “Just looking at what you are working with. You already have working parasprite baiters, but each time I come here, you are working on something. What is it exactly?” Vinyl Scratch shrugged. “I’m just doing some calibrations. I was wondering if I could adjust the baiter to work on other creatures.” Carrot Top considered the implications. “So, you could make it work on say... bunnies?” There was a long moment of awkward silence before the DJ responded. “You expect me to send adventurers to whack bunnies? Fluttershy would maul me to death. Repeatedly. I think I might make something to keep them away from your crops though.” The farmpony shuddered, as the words had touched the painful memory of her own demise. “Vinyl...” she hesitated before continuing. “Have you ever died?” The DJ didn’t seem as shaken at the prospect as Carrot was. “Besides the whole burning to death thing? Yea, I died twice yesterday. Some hordies found their way here while you were in town. This is the reason why we have these guys over.” She pointed up. Carrot Top followed the gesture of her hoof and only then noticed a pair of small clouds hanging over the edge of the farm. Two pegasi guards were sitting there, both trying to look vigilant - a vain effort, as it was quite obvious they were bored to tears and on the verge of napping. Carrot Top gritted her teeth. “So now my farm is a war zone, huh? Just great. Ok, let me know if you can figure out the bunny repellant thing, ok?” “No problem,” said Vinyl Scratch, replacing the headphones around her ears. “It could take me some time, though. Unless I get a druid to help me.” The farmpony nodded and turned towards the newest group approaching the stands. The three ponies were coming from the direction of the town and more importantly, they were all properly armed and armoured. Carrot remembered seeing them the day before. These would do. She tapped on the wooden sign next to her. The leader of the group, a magenta stallion whose name displayed as Hard Knocks, stopped in front of Carrot Top. He looked at her expectantly. “Yes, miss? What can we help you with today?” A warrior, a druid and a wizard. They should do. “Well, today I need to go to the Everfree forest myself, to meet the herbalist Zecora. I was hoping you three could help me get there safely, since you have a bit of experience with the dangers of the forest and everything...” As one, the three ponies stepped back. There was some uneasy shifting of hooves. The blue unicorn mare at the back of the group was the first to complain. “An escort? I hate escorts.” “I’ve heard as much,” answered Carrot Top. “From what I’ve been told, nopony likes escorts. That’s why I waited for a group to come by. I wouldn’t ask a single pony to do such a thing. Or an inexperienced one. But you three look like you have seen some fights already. I’m not asking you to fight a dragon or anything. Just escort me down that road to make sure nothing pounces on me along the way, ok?” Hard Knocks looked between his teammates and Carrot, considering his options. Finally, he made up his mind. “We should be able to do it. I go ahead of the group and check the bushes. You two walk alongside Carrot Top and be ready to shield her. If we avoid stupid mistakes, there should be no trouble.” *** Carrot Top finished wrapping Hard Knocks’ muzzle with bandages. Behind her, the unicorn wizard was fuming. “How is it that whoever we try to escort leaves his brain at home? The only way you could have made yourself an easier prey for these timber wolves would have been to season yourself with herbs!” Carrot Top turned away from the injured warrior and looked up at the angry mare, ears flattening against her head. “I thought I saw a rare herb there... and Hard Knocks had already checked those bushes. I thought they were safe. These wolves just appeared out of nowhere.” “And so, as usual, Hard Knocks is wrapped like a mummy,” snapped the mage, before turning towards her druid companion. “And as usual, you are out of mana and can’t just heal him?” The other mare gave an exasperated sigh. “Used it to fend off the wolves and to heal our escortee. Would you rather I hadn’t? Anyway, we better get moving. Or do you want to stand here arguing until the timber wolves return? Come on, the hut is already in sight.” Taking a deep breath, Carrot Top rose up and started walking. If she never visited Everfree Forest again, it would be too soon. The other ponies quickly followed her, not wanting the farmpony to run into any trouble on the last leg of her trip. The door of the hut opened before Carrot Top could tap on it, a familiar zebra looking out at the unexpected guests. The farmpony noticed that Zecora was wearing a set of armour, and a rather elaborate one - blue scale mail with large glowing gems set at the shoulders. The zebra looked at each of the ponies in turn, ending with a long stare at Hard Knocks’ bandaged muzzle. “Four ponies standing at my door, is my help you’re looking for?”