//------------------------------// // Gathering Intelligence and Herbal Therapy // Story: The Legend of the Arachnapony // by RaijingtheClockworkPony //------------------------------// Sitting in his darkened room at the early hours of the morning, Silver Lining flipped through the pages of the ancient tome he had to study. He was trying to figure out how to go about finding the creature that Filthy Rich's filly had told him. He sighed as he flipped back to the one creature that best fit the story. He flipped to the page that bore the image of the creature and suppressed a shudder. The Arachnapony. Death and Nightmare made manifest.He read the title twice and groaned. It wasn't helping him feel any better. Of course the first thing he had to hunt was the most dangerous and most evil creature his order had ever faced. The unicorn scanned the page to the bottom and saw a small note. Presumed extinct. Last confirmed sighting was in the 573 year of the Blessed Sun Goddess and Her kingdom. "Well... great, not only is this the most likely of monsters, but also disproves that they were hunted down and destroyed... great..." The young stallion rubbed his eyes and brought out of his mental panic by somepony knocking on his door. The voice of his host reached him. "Hey, Silver, are you up?" The silver pony closed the tome. "Yeah... I'm up. Do you need something?" The door opened and the older stallion looked in. "No, I was wondering if you wanted some breakfast? I always make breakfast for Diamond so I figured I'd ask you." Silver was about to say no but his stomach rumbled at him. "Uhh... sure, I'll take some breakfast." The older stallion smiled. "Great, would you mind helping me with it as well? I think we should talk a little, and we can multi-task." "Oh... okay then... what are we making?" Silver walked into the hallway and pasted the doorway of his room before the elder stallion spoke. "Nothing to complex. French Toast with oatmeal. Have you cooked before?" The young stallion shook his head. "No... the cook at my father’s mansion always makes the food... it's sort of her job. Don't you have a cook?" Filthy Rich shook his head with a small smile. "No. I used to, but I've been doing the cooking for a long time now." As the pair reached the kitchen, Rich walked over and placed a pair of pans on the stove. Silver watched as he got out all the supplies they needed. He watched Rich move around the kitchen for a minute before talking again. "When did you learn to cook?" Rich motioned for the younger stallion to move over to the stove. "Watch the toast, make sure it doesn't burn." The earth pony walked over to the refrigerator and pulled out orange juice and milk. "It was shortly after Diamond's mother died. She and I had been wanting to take cooking lessons for a few months but never got around to it. I took some lessons in my spare time after my wife passed." The younger stallion paused and looked over to Rich. "Oh... I'm sorry to hear that... how did it happen?" Rich gave a shrug, his motion carrying a subtle sadness. "She had a complication during her labor. There was nothing the doctors could really do. She died nearly two weeks after our daughter was born, so at least she got to hold Diamond." He smiled at Silver. "That's all in the past. We had a wonderful marriage and knew each other since we were in preschool. Your toast is looking perfect. Get it out of the pan and onto a plate." Silver got two slices of toast on his plate and set it down on the table. He went back to the stove and placed a few more pieces of toast on the pan. "So, I know your father runs the order, but what does your mother do? I can't recall meeting her at any of the order's social events." Silver sighed and flipped the toast. "Well... she and my father divorced... they had a pretty big fight over me being inducted into the order. She wasn't happy and left after the fight... She sent him the papers a few days later." Rich stopped and looked over at Silver as he poured three bowls of oatmeal. "Really? I'm sorry to hear that. Was your mother a member of the order?" Silver shook his head. "No, she never really liked the whole thing. Said that the whole thing had changed my father... I don't really know how." "I'm sorry to hear that. Do you want brown sugar and cinnamon in the oatmeal?" Silver glanced over and nodded. "Sure. So um... I was thinking of finding out about the creature. Maybe the local wildlife has been acting weird or other ponies have seen things. Any suggestions?" The elder stallion thought for a moment then prepared his own place at the table as well as Diamonds. "I think for the rumors and gossip you'll need to check in with the local designer, Rarity. She has he hoof on the pulse of gossip. For the information on the wildlife, I think talking to Applejack, the head of the local farm would be one of the best options. She's also the older sister of the filly that told the story. If not her, then there's a local mare that is very good with animals. Fluttershy is her name." The silver maned pony nodded and began eating. "I guess I'll visit them today. Might as well get started." Rich sat down at the table. "Why don't you just take the day to get used to the town? Settle in a little before you get started on tracking down a silly fable." Silver looked over at Rich. "You don't think there's a monster running around in the forest?" The older pony gave him a small smile. "I think you were sent here on a goose chase so that you could get the initiation finished. If anything, your chasing a good story made up by a few foals having fun." Silver licked his lips as he thought about it. The letter that brought him here was based on hear-say and rumors. If this was a wild goose chase then this would be a very easy way to become a full member, but if it wasn't then he might get he guts ripped out by a monster that he would have no hope in fighting. He really hoped for the former than the latter. He was about to open his mouth when Diamond walked in the room and sat down. "Morning daddy, French toast?" Rich nodded. "Your favorite. Did you finish your homework from last night?" As the filly sat down her eyes rolled and she let out an annoyed sigh. "You ask that every day. I finished it." The stallion smiled and placed a warm bowl in front of her. "Good. Will I have to hear Miss Cheerilee praise you for a perfect semester this year?" The filly nodded and began eating. Rich chuckled and sat down. He picked up a newspaper that was sitting on the table and began reading. Silence fell over the trio as they ate. Diamond finished first and left the older stallions at the table as she headed back to her room. "I'm going to meet Silver Spoon and then head for school!" Rich shouted back to his daughter without looking up from the paper. "Okay, but make sure you get your lunch. I'm going to be busy all day so I'm not going to be able to bring it to you." The filly walked back in with a backpack on and smiled at her father. "Fine. Is it okay if I play with Silver Spoon after school?" Rich looked at her and nodded. "That's fine, just play nice with the other foals as well." The filly shrugged and left the room. She shouted a goodbye from the front door and the sound of the door closing followed a few moments later. Rich returned to his paper and resumed his reading. "You're still thinking about getting started aren't you?" Silver looked up from his oatmeal. "What? Oh, um... yeah... should I not be?" Rich placed the paper down again. "That's not my choice to make. You're a young stallion, barely out of school from what I can tell. You can make your own choices. All I can do is make a recommendation." "So... what do you recommend, if I chose to get started?" The older stallion sighed and ran a hoof through his mane. "Pace yourself, and take your time. I would suggest you talk to Rarity first seeing as you won't have to leave town, and be able to get the lay of the land. Also, Rarity is pretty nice to ponies, so being able to ask her things shouldn't be hard." Silver nodded and finished his meal. "Thank you for the advice. Will you need me back here at a certain time... or anything?" Rich shook his head as he picked the paper back up. "Nope. You can come back when you see fit, but if it's late on a school day please try to be quiet. I don't want Diamond losing any sleep." Silver nodded. "Okay... Well... I'll be heading out then. Have a good day then Mister... um, Rich." The stallion nodded from behind his paper and flipped the page. "Have a nice day." The young stallion gave a final look at the older stallion before he left the house. He had an idea of what to do, and he hoped it went well. Rarity watched amused as the silver maned stallion walked back and forth from her boutiques front door to the road for the eighth time in less than ten minutes. She noticed him when he placed his hoof on the door then walked away. For a moment she thought that he might have been distracted, but after the third time she could tell he had a very severe case of cold hooves. The stallion approached the door once more and she decided that she needed to help the poor stallion. She got up from her sewing machine and placed herself a few feet from the door and watched the stallion approach the door. As his hoof neared the door she opened it, and gave him a warm smile. "Welcome to the Carousel Boutique. Please, do come in." The stallion stood there like a statue with his mouth open. He struggled to do anything for a moment before Rarity rolled her eyes and walked up to him. "As much as I am flattered by the speechless manner I've put you in, I would like to help you. You been trying to walk in here for ten minutes and I think you should come in." She gestured to the small waiting area nearby. "I'm Rarity by the way." Silver found his voice and took a moment to give a small cough. "I'm Silver Lining... I was um.. told that you know all the good stories and gossip of the town." Rarity gave the stallion a raised eyebrow in response. "Gossip is a bit of a harsh word. I prefer to think of it as idle chit-chat, but I do know a good story or two about this town. Why exactly do you need to know that?" Silver swallowed as he stepped inside the store. "Well... I recently moved in and I was told you knew all the good stories. So, I figured that you would be the best pony to talk to about things that are going on in the town." The unicorn mare nodded and smiled. "I see, well then, come on in, I have a bit of time that I could spare to talk to you about the local events. Would you be interested in a new suit as well?" The young stallion stood there for a moment. "Um... I don't know if I'd need one..." Rarity gave a small sigh. "Shame, you have really good shoulder structure that would make a suit look really good on you." She motioned for him to sit on a small chair as she reclined on a sofa. "So, anything you want to know in particular, or just the general things about the town?" Silver sat down and gave a small smile. Time to try my hoof at acting... I'm going to fail so hard... "I was wondering if you knew anything about the story that a monster has moved into the forest... I heard it from Diamond Tiara... I'm staying with her father while I'm in town." The mare let out a small chuckle and adjusted herself on the sofa. "Oh, that little tale that's going around? It's little more than a rumor, but I think I know how it started." She scooted to the end of her sofa and smiled slightly. "My little sister’s friend had a small scare in the forest, and I'm certain she heard from her sister that some animals have gone missing from my friends care." Rarity chuckled and spoke in a matter-of-fact tone. "She might have decided that both were connected and thought a monster was what did both." Silver sat there for a moment and mulled over what she had said. Animals gone missing... that means the creature is eating them, and a lot if it's enough to get some concern from other ponies... His thoughts were broken when Rarity spoke again. "Though, given the time of year, it might be an attempt for them to get their pranksters cutie marks." The mare noticed the confused look on Silver's face. "Nightmare Night." "Oh... right, that." Rarity's eyebrows rose. "Do I detect a hint of disdain for the holiday?" The stallion sighed and shrugged. "My family was never a big fan of the whole thing..." He shifted in his seat. "My father doesn't like the whole lore behind the holiday... and he's not fond of pranksters trespassing on our property..." The white pony nodded. "Makes sense I suppose.” Rarity sighed. “Every holiday has a Scrooge I suppose... still, I think you'll enjoy the holiday here in Ponyville, the whole town goes all out for the festivities..." Silver let Rarity ramble on about what the town did for the holiday while he thought about the news that animals were missing. I'll need to talk to Fluttershy... she might know more about what kind of animals went missing. The form of Guardian sat on a large branch above the home of the zebra he had met before. He watched the home and the surrounding area as he waited for her to return. He had arrived at the hut hours ago due to being unable to sleep and had been waiting on the branch since then. He needed help to deal with the fallout of the magic that hit his body. Portions of his fur were burned, some even to the chitin. Worse was that there was patches of his body that were completely numb which only made the pain all the more intense in comparison, and to make it all the more crippling to the arachnapony was the constant burning ache from his muscles. Guardian groaned as he lifted his left foreleg. It was completely numb and looked as if the chitinous skin had been broken from the shoulder to the joint. Guardian groaned again as the numb limb failed to stay in focus. His smaller eyes were all in a different condition, from blurry vision to blind. His larger eyes were no better off as one went near sighted, and the other went fuzzy in its vision. This is what I get for saving that mare's worthless life. He sighed and closed his eyes to try to keep the headache at bay. It's not her fault... the tree has its way with the mind of nearby ponies... His eyes reopened as he heard the sound of hooves in the underbrush. He spotted the zebra walking towards her hut. He slowly got onto his hooves and made his way down the tree. "You, Zecora! I require your talents." The mare jumped at the sudden sound of his deep voice. She turned to see his dark form reaching the bottom on the tree he was sitting in. "You scared me with your sudden decent, I did not think we would talk after your visit so recent." Guardian stayed in the shadows. "Did any of the ponies tell you what happened with the Tree?" Zecora's eyes widened and she nodded. "Of Twilight's plight and rescue I did hear, she is lucky that you were near." Guardian grumbled and stayed in the shadows. "Luck had nothing to do to it. My devotion to my duty is what saved her life. If I was a few moments later, she would have been dead." Guardian let out a small grunt of pain as his back right leg's pain went from searing to stabbing. Zecora heard the grunt and her features became concerned. "Your voice, I hear, is tinged with pain, damage from the rescue still remain? Please, let me aid you with my herbs, to know you are in pain, my thoughts it perturbs." The arachnapony thought for moment then took a step forward into the light from the cottage. "I was going to ask for your help. Please, I need something to deal with my pain." He watched as Zecora's face changed from concern to that of horror. She forced her self to look at the mess in front of her. She saw the patches for burnt fur mingling with the raw chitin. She spotted that his four claws were curled up like a spider that had recently died, and she could see bloody ichor dripping from his maw. She felt her mouth turn dry and her throat threaten to gag as the smell of burnt flesh reached her. She took shallow breaths as she gazed at him. "I shall do what I can to ease your pain, for suffering like this to save my friend, you must be insane." She motioned for Guardian to follow her into her home. It was with a pang of pity that she noticed him shake slightly as he walked and the limp that slowed his gait. She moved swiftly into her hut, leaving the door open for him as she gathered healing salves, relaxing herbs to make a tea from, and readied a bath. She knew that his wounds would need a proper cleaning before she could work on them. Guardian limped into the hut and stood in the small entry way. He looked around at all the herbs, masks, and vials hanging from the wall and ceiling. "Your wounds I must clean, and while I do that some information I might glean." Zecora motioned to the small tub tucked away in the back of her home. The arachnapony limped his way over to the tub and looked at it with his barely working eyes. It would have been large enough to hold Zecora and a friend or two, but it was rather small for Guardian. He might have protested, but the thought of getting the pain to subside, even for a few hours was more than enough reason to not protest. He gingerly stepped into the lukewarm water and submerged himself. He let out a small hiss of pain as the water touched his open wounds. Zecora placed petals of a dark green color into the water. "These herbs shall ease your pain, can cleanse the blood that has left a stain." Guardian barely heard her as he felt a strange numbness passed over all of his body and he sank into the tub. Zecora noticed his sudden lack of focus and began to pour water on the portions of his body that weren't submerged body and his head. The large creature eyes glazed over as she washed the parts of his body that couldn't fit in the tub. Guardians thoughts drifted for a while as he lost grasp on time. They settled on the events of the night before with Twilight and the Tree, replaying the scene over and over again. He focused on different things as sounds and smells filled his mind. The sound of the arcane energies ripping through the air, the screams of the fillies, and the cries for help from Apple Bloom all passed through in rapid pace. The large creature sighed heavily and hissed in pain as Zecora worked on his hind legs. The zebra noticed this change in his behavior and spoke gently to him. "There is something that weighs your mind with fear and doubt, perhaps it would be best if you let it out?" Guardian opened his right eyes and looked at the zebra. "There is nothing to talk about." "Please, speak about what is on your mind, you could see it as responding in kind." Zecora held up a bottle of the healing salve to make her point more clear. Guardian groaned and shifted a little in the water. "You scratch my back... I scratch yours huh?” He studied the mare for a few second then sighed. “Fine. I was thinking about what happened to myself and Twilight." Zecora motioned for him to get out of the tub by offering him a towel. He rose slowly and dried himself off as he spoke. "Twilight endangered herself by ignoring the warnings of her friends, and by doing something stupid that nearly killed her. She violated my trust, endangered those foals, and desecrated holy ground." The zebra helped him in drying off by rubbing down his legs and back. "She is a curious sort and has a mind that must know, it is a trait that, even though it lands her in trouble, she will not out grow.” Zecora began working on Guardians lower back, which made him stiffen in pain. “Had she known of the pain it would bring, she wouldn't have touched the tree that gave these wounds that sting." Guardian placed his towel down and sighed heavily. "It wasn't really her fault though. The Tree is a semi sentient arcane creation. Its magic can warp the mind of ponies near it, preying on their emotions and making them act on the things they want to do. I've seen it make ponies go mad, and make them fall in love... it's a dangerous thing, and she didn't do it... not completely on her own." Guardian let out a small cry of pain as Zecora rubbed the healing salves onto the raw flesh on his body. "That hurts... thank you for helping me... The pain has lessened and I really need to get some sleep..." He slumped to the floor and closed his eyes. In less than a minute he was out cold on the floor of the hut. Zecora would have tried to stop the creature from collapsing, but she knew she would never be able to hold him up. She sighed and finished applying the healing salve to him. She gathered some bandages and started wrapping his wounds as she took a mental count of how many herbs she had used. So far, from just the healing salve and the petals from the dark green flower had set her back months of gathering. She sighed and placed a small blanket over Guardian and a pillow beneath his head. The massive creature passed out in the middle of her hut looked much older, and much more gentle than he had appeared the previous times she met him. She gently touched him on the forehead and placed her ear to his chest. She muttered a chant and was filled with a deep sorrow, sorrow that came from the creature under her touch and care. So much pain and sorrow within your heart, it is no wonder you wished for a new start. You are burdened with so much guilt, that even your will to carry on has wilt. She sighed again and cleaned her hut up, checking on her guest every few minutes and half an hour later she settle down on her bed. She got under the covers and gave Guardian one last look as she blew out the candles near her bed.