//------------------------------// // Monster Hunting 101 // Story: Tales of the Equestrian Outpost // by ZeroChill //------------------------------// Typhoon Clap stomped over towards the direction of Indigo. His hoof stomps shook the very earth he was upon. Indigo twitched and sweated profusely as Typhoon Clap was a few centimeters away from his face. “You better give me a good reason why I shouldn’t wring you by the neck for the criminal scum that you are.” Typhoon Clap shouted. Indigo pranced backwards slowly as his face shuddered underneath the hot and heavy pressure. His muscles stiffened as Typhoon Clap stared into his eyes. In that moment, Pinkie Pie popped up from underneath the space between Typhoon Clap and Indigo. She stood on her hind legs and held her forelegs out as if forming a wall. There was an incandescent fire burning within the pits of her eyes. “You leave him alone right now you meanie! What authority do you have for picking this poor griffon?!” Pinkie Pie shouted. Typhoon Clap bumped his forehoof onto Pinkie Pie’s nose and pushed her slightly back. From his brace, he pulled out his badge. “I have been given authority by the citizen government of the Equestrian Outpost to do what I have to do to this so called ‘poor griffon.’” Typhoon Clap ushered in forcefully. “Well I’m not going to let you take him away you big meanie! He’s just a tagalong of a gang, not a criminal!” Pinkie Pie said defensively. “Look miss, I’m not going to make this any easier for you. Move out of the way or I will have you arrested for aiding a criminal.” Typhoon Clap directly stated. Pinkie Pie closed her eyes and crossed her forelegs together. She turned her head away from Typhoon Clap. “Make me.” She plainly said. Typhoon Clap’s stare suddenly flared with anger as he stood onto his hind legs and pulled out his blades. “You want to take it the hard way? Fine, I can do hard!” Typhoon Clap shouted. Fluttershy gasped as she quickly fluttered over to Typhoon Clap and Pinkie Pie. “Please Typhoon Clap! Don’t hurt my friend!” She stressed. Typhoon Clap turned back to Fluttershy, went down on all fours and disbelievingly stared into her eyes. “Would a friend of yours assist a criminal you were nearly hurt by?!” He shouted. Pinkie Pie covered her mouth as a gasp escaped from her mouth. She turned back to Indigo, who sweated a storm of bullets. “You mean to tell me that your gang assaulted my friend Fluttershy?! Why didn’t you tell me?!” She screamed in a very upset tone. “I didn’t know that she was your friend! I swear! I was just following on what I was tasked. I didn’t mean to assist in hurting her!” Indigo defensively stated. “Yeah, well you did. I’m going to bring you downtown now.” Typhoon Clap interrupted. “Butt out of this ‘copper! Can’t you see that Indigo and I are talking right now?” Pinkie Pie said. Typhoon Clap grinded his teeth together as his blood came to a dangerous boiling temperature. He clenched his blade in impatience. “I know you don’t know Fluttershy, but I want you to know that she had a very bad encounter with a griffon once. Now, because of your lame, cake-for-brains gang, she’s going to be distrusting of all griffons now!” Pinkie Pie shouted. “Ummm, Pinkie Pie, it’s alright. I don’t harbor negative feelings towards griffons…” Fluttershy barely whispered out. “Look! I’m sorry that my gang targeted your friend Pinkie Pie.” Indigo impatiently stated. “I didn’t have any control over what happened, yet I still played a part in antagonizing your friend. I acknowledge that. Just don’t think the wrong things about me…” His voice dipped into a lower tone as he tilted his head downwards with a frown. Pinkie Pie somberly looked up towards Indigo’s face. “It’s not me who you should apologize to.” Pinkie Pie uttered. Indigo sighed before he stood resolutely. He marched over to Fluttershy and softly looked into her eyes. “May you ever forgive me for my disgusting actions Fluttershy?” Indigo pleaded. Fluttershy softly smiled. “I already have forgiven you Indigo. You don’t have hostile eyes like the other griffons that attacked me.” Fluttershy slowly began before she turned her head to Pinkie Pie. She then turned her head back to Indigo. “And one of my best friends thinks well of you, so you definitely can’t be bad.” She turned around towards Typhoon Clap, whose current, twitchy disposition warmed away with the falling action of the conversation. “Won’t you let him free to go? He doesn’t wish to attack me and just doesn’t understand what it means to have good friends on his side.” Typhoon Clap paused for a moment before he sighed. He turned towards Indigo with a serious expression on his face. “Indigo.” He began before he grasped onto Indigo’s right shoulder with his left foreleg. “Because the victim decided to forgive you for your crime combined with what the victim’s friend said about you, I hereby clear you of all charges.” He stated seriously. Indigo’s beak curled into a wide grin before he gave a crushing hug around Typhoon Clap’s chest. The sound of gas releasing from Typhoon Clap’s bones was heard as he winced. “Please let me go.” Typhoon Clap uttered out. Indigo quickly released his grip and allowed Typhoon Clap to fall onto the pavement on his hooves. “Sorry.” Indigo stated. Typhoon Clap swiped his hoof over areas of his torso before he spoke. “On the risk of getting hugged again, there is one condition that you have to keep. Please, for the safety of everyone in the outpost, learn how you can be a better griffon. I honestly don’t feel like chasing after you again when I hear that you were involved in another form of criminal activity.” He irately stated. “Understood enforcer!” Indigo shouted as he saluted Typhoon Clap. “In the meantime, I want you to stay with us for a while. I want to make sure that you have a clean act.” Typhoon Clap requested with a happier tone in his voice. “Us?” Fluttershy quizzically stated. As she said this, the front door to the building opened. Both Twilight Sparkle and Vitriolic Shot walked out from the door with faces drenched in concern. “I heard shouting out here! What happened?” Twilight Sparkle asked. Vitriolic Shot looked onto the group of two mares, one stallion and one griffon in front of him. He smiled. “Ah, Typhoon Clap! I didn’t expect you to be out of enforcer duty so early.” He stated factually. “Umm, dad, I’m kind of in a conversation right now if you don’t mind.” Typhoon Clap softly spoke. “Wait, you’re his son?! Then that must mean that you are also Mrs. Rainbow Dash’s son, and by extension you are Rainbow Dash’s cousin!” Fluttershy exuberantly revealed. “What a stroke of luck! The pony who rescued me is related to my best friend!” She continued. “Umm, Fluttershy, it’s not really that special.” Typhoon Clap nervously stated. “But son, didn’t you know that your mother made a bet with me that you would meet this mare? Aaaand, it looks like I owe her five bits now.” Vitriolic Shot said with dissonance. Twilight Sparkle looked into Typhoon Clap’s direction before she gazed down towards the gauntlets. She smiled as her eyes began to unravel the metal within the braces. She walked towards Typhoon Clap. “The alloys on these braces look very strong and the slots on them look wonderful. Whoever made these must have been an expert blacksmith.” She admirably said. “Actually, these braces are issued to all enforcers as a way of storing weaponry, holding our badges and establishing communication networks via magical crystals inside of them.” Typhoon Clap stated. Twilight Sparkle’s eyes examined the devices in utter fascination. “The Royal Guards have inter-communication crystal with their armor in case if a situation goes awry. I guess that makes you the Equestrian Outpost’s version of the Royal Guard then?” She asked. Typhoon Clap smiled slightly cockily. “In a way, it does. Being an enforcer is just one of the many jobs here. Anyways, I don’t think I have ever actually seen an alicorn before. Mind telling me your name?” He asked. “My name is Twilight Sparkle, one of the princesses of Equestria.” Twilight Sparkle formally introduced herself. “And my name is Pinkie Pie!” Pinkie Pie shouted happily in interruption. Vitriolic Shot walked over to the group with an uncomfortable smile. “Alright everyone, it’s time to go inside. I’m sure your cousin would like to see you, and I’m going to assemble a meeting on monster hunting soon.” He ushered in. Typhoon Clap shrugged, Twilight Sparkle’s eyes glimmered in interest, Pinkie Pie jumped around happily and Fluttershy meekly walked through the entrance. Vitriolic Shot looked towards Indigo, who just stood there clawing at the stone. “Aren’t you going to come in with us? I did say ‘everyone’ and not ‘everypony.’” He specifically stated. Indigo’s head jumped up in shock. “Are you sure sir?” He asked. “Why, of course. You appear to be friends with my son and his other friends.” Vitriolic Shot stated. Indigo giggled nervously. “Yeah… let’s go with that.” He stated uneasily. Both Indigo and Vitriolic Shot walked into the home. Rarity, Aunt Rainbow Dash and Rainbow Dash walked down a set of wooden stairs with content smiles on their faces. Aunt Rainbow Dash patted Rainbow Dash on her head with her right forehoof. “I do have to say darling, you really made a good choice with having a red stripe orbit around the dress.” She complimented towards Rainbow Dash. “Well… it just needed something to be 20% cooler was all, and having something fly around something large is pretty cool.” Rainbow Dash happily stated. Rarity softly grinned towards Rainbow Dash’s direction. “And you believed that you didn’t have an ounce of creativity in you. With all those tricks that you seem to come up with every other week, I had a difficult time believing that you thought that way.” Rarity contently said. As they walked down the stairs, their eyes came upon the sight of Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Typhoon Clap and Indigo standing at the center of the living room. Aunt Rainbow Dash ran over to Typhoon Clap and grasped him by the neck with her forelegs. She pulled him in for an embrace. “Typhoon Clap, darling! How was work today?” She asked. “It went pretty well mom. I beat down some criminals and rescued a mare.” Typhoon Clap bashfully stated. “Speaking of which, I heard that dad owes you five bits?” He asked with a hint of playfulness in his voice. Vitriolic Shot directed an unamused stare over to Typhoon Clap. “Ah, so you met Fluttershy? Isn’t she a darling sweetheart?” Aunt Rainbow Dash asked. Rainbow Dash looked towards Aunt Rainbow Dash and Typhoon Clap in curiosity before she rushed down the stairs. “Who is this?” She questioned interrogatively. Typhoon Clap walked up to Rainbow Dash and stared her into the eyes. “And who are you to ask who I am?” He asked in a straightforward tone. Rainbow Dash hovered above the ground and crossed her forelegs together. “Rainbow Dash.” Typhoon Clap fluttered into the air and mimicked the foreleg cross. “Typhoon Clap. So, I heard from Fluttershy that you are related to me?” He asked. Rainbow Dash maintained her stare into his eyes. “Maybe. After all, that’s my aunt you are talking to over there.” She stated directly. Typhoon Clap hummed twice. “I was talking to my mom. So, if you really are my cousin, then how tough are you?” He said in an unimpressed tone. “I ate a bowl of nails for breakfast the other day.” Rainbow Dash replied coolly. “So?” Typhoon Clap stated unimpressed. “Without any milk.” Rainbow Dash stated with a cocky smile. Typhoon Clap’s eyes opened widely before he smiled. “You’re definitely tough enough to be my cousin. So, I heard from my mom that you are going to be representing Ponyville in the Equestrian Games.” He replied. “Yep. You’re looking at the fastest flyer in Equestria.” Rainbow Dash confidently stated with closed eyes and a sweep of a hoof. The left portion of Typhoon Clap’s lip rose in confidence. “Somehow, I don’t believe that.” He stated rebelliously. Rainbow Dash’s eyes opened in surprise. “What? You don’t think that I’m the fastest flyer in Equestria?” She startlingly stated. Typhoon Clap hummed to himself before he shook his head. “Nope. I think I’m faster than you.” He stated confidently. Rainbow Dash flew up to his face with anger burning in her eyes. “Look, I didn’t see your name anywhere in the Equestrian Games, so you can’t be all that faster than me. In fact, I think that you might be as slow as molasses!” She stated insultingly. Typhoon Clap brought his face down to Rainbow Dash and smirked. “The Equestrian Outpost never competes in the Equestrian Games. It’s a waste of time and is just an excuse for cities to gloat about being better than the other. Now, if you want me to show you why you are slower than me then allow me to race you later on.” “Anytime, anyplace, anything does.” Rainbow Dash shouted confidently. Vitriolic Shot raised his right forehoof and loudly coughed into it. Rainbow Dash and Typhoon Clap looked down towards Vitriolic Shot, whose demeanor was unusually calm. “As much as I would love to see my son race my niece, we have more pressing matters on hooves. After we get through them, then the both of you can discuss whatever race you want to have.” Vitriolic Shot stated with a notable sting of impatience. Both Rainbow Dash and Typhoon Clap flew down with fear etched onto their faces. Everyone in the room gathered around the fireplace. From the left to the right, Twilight Sparkle, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Spike and Indigo all sat in front of the fireplace. Fluttershy and Typhoon Clap sat in a row just behind the seven other attendees of the meeting. Aunt Rainbow Dash and Vitriolic Shot walked towards the front of everyone with militaristic stomps. They both glared down upon the audience. Spike, Applejack, Rarity and Fluttershy moved a bit backwards. “Now darlings, let me say this to you all: monster hunting is serious business!” Aunt Rainbow Dash shouted as she stood up on her hind hooves and pounded her left forehoof into her right one. All of the audience save Typhoon Clap flinched. “You see, monster hunting is more than just a job. It is a situation where your life is always in danger. You make one wrong move-“Aunt Rainbow Dash moved her right forehoof over to her neck and moved it across her neck while making the sound of flesh cutting. “-and you are a dead pony, or dragon, or griffon, or whatever creature you are. Do I have your attention darlings?” She asked. Everyone nodded shakingly. “Good.” As she said this, Vitriolic Shot’s horn flashed a dark green color. The plaque that was on the fireplace shifted towards the left, which revealed a big, red button. Vitriolic Shot smashed the button. As he did, the fireplace moved back several inches. A large, pointed, silver pillar rose from where the fireplace was. The point on top of pillar flashed a green color before it shot a beam that struck a portrait containing a younger Aunt Rainbow Dash in a white bridal dress and a younger Vitriolic Shot in a black groom’s suit. The wall that the portrait was on lowered, which revealed an iron chamber filled with weapons. “Now everyone, I want you to select a weapon in this storage room. Pick the weapon that best resonates with you.” Vitriolic Shot stated. Everyone that was seated on the floor walked over into the chamber. Twilight Sparkle curiously looked through the assortment of swords, axes, combat knives, bows, crossbows and more. However, a pair of black scythes with silver sickles and long guns for polehandles placed on black stands grasped her immediate attention. As she looked upon it, she saw that there was a white wing near the end of the pole where the barrel ends. At the opposite side where the sickle is attached to, a black horn was adorned onto the other end. She stared at it for a few moments before Vitriolic Shot walked over to her. “So Twilight, it seems as if Le Croissant de l’Alicorne has caught your attention.” As Vitriolic Shot stated this, Twilight Sparkle jumped up in surprise from the noise. “Le Croissant de l’Alicorne ? Isn’t that Prance for ‘Crescent of the Alicorn?’” Twilight Sparkle asked with a hint of happy interest in her voice. “It is. Out of the many weapons we have in here, this weapon is by far the most unique. It doubles as both a powerful, short-ranged weapon and functions as a way to snipe monsters from afar. Despite these advantages, it has some very visible disadvantages. For example, since you have to hold these scythes in reverse with your forelegs rather than your forehooves, it makes it very awkward to handle, which would make the sickles difficult to strike with. In addition to this, it’s very high recoil from shooting with it hurts the wielder more than it would harm the target in a long run. Even using unicorn magic to use this would result in a dangerous situation, as there is a very high chance that the magic holding the weapon would break and render the caster unable to fight back. It’s definitely not a weapon for a novice hunter to use, so I really don’t recommend that you don’t use it.” Vitriolic Shot described. Twilight Sparkle continued to look onto the object before a smile erupted from her face. “Buuuuuut, what if I find a way to consistently strike with the sickle and avoid the recoil? Would I then be able to use it?” She asked hopefully. Vitriolic Shot looked left and right before he moved his head over to Twilight’s left ear and whispered into it. “Tell you what Twilight. If you find a way to nullify the downsides of Le Croissant de l’Alicorne , then I’ll let you keep it for free. To be honest, I, my wife nor my son has the confidence to wield it without suffering some form of permanent damage. It’s a shame too since it can be a very powerful weapon in the right hooves.” “Well Vitriolic Shot, I will do more than my best to master this weapon.” Twilight resolutely stated as she grabbed the pair of scythes from the stands with her magic. “I’m sure that if anypony can do it, it would be an alicorn with a strong will.” Vitriolic Shot added. As she grabbed them, she saw that everyone else had selected their weapons; Applejack grinned widely as she held a giant, sharp, silver battle axe. Rainbow Dash had a pair of some very sinister black and red knives that exuded dark power. If one listened closely to it, one can hear the wails of tortured souls. The hilts on the knives were decorated in a skull-like fashion. Rarity carried a white, florally-designed bow with a blue string. Pinkie Pie carried a thick, black and blue sword that appeared to be three times her maximum height. The hilt on the titanic blade was of a wood-brown color. Fluttershy held a purple, twisted crossbow whose handle was made of light brown-colored wood. Indigo held a long, green katana whose shine looked as if it had cut off the heads of many of its victims. Finally, Spike carried an orange, one-handed blade and a vermillion-colored shield with the emblem of an orange heliotrope in the center of it. “This stuff is cool! I can’t believe that Rainbow Dash’s aunt and uncle are actually letting me use a sword and shield!” He said enthusiastically. “That’s nothing Spike. I got dark and edgy daggers with a tragic backstory! That’s so cool!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed. “Rainbow, ya know that just because something is cool doesn’t make it any better than other weapons here. Take for instance my battle axe. I would knock you away before ya can hit me with ‘dem puny, Mary Sue-like blades in your hooves.” Applejack stated confidently as she plopped her axe’s handle onto the floor. “I don’t care if you can knock me away. I have the advantage of speed and accessibility on my end. You just got raw power. Besides, it’s not like we are going to fight each other anyways. After all, we have these weapons so that we can hunt down monsters.” Rainbow Dash finished as she quashed the rising tensions between her and Applejack. Applejack smiled conspicuously before she continued. “I guess yer right there. It don’t matter whose weapon is better as long as the both of us hunt down vicious…” She paused as the words she was about to say brought shiver down her spine. “Do ya find it rather criminal that we are going to be tasked with taking the lives of creatures?” She replied. Rainbow Dash raised her shoulders in neutrality and closed her eyes. “It feels a bit weird, but it’s perfectly legal over here. Besides, my aunt said that these monsters are vicious and try to attack the town from time to time. So, if they want to attack this town without a good reason, then I say that they perfectly deserve what they’re going to get.” She stated. “If ya put it that way Rainbow Dash, then it does make sense. Well, I’m ready.” “Darlings! I see that you have all gathered your weapons of choice. Now, please return into the meeting area where we shall discuss monster hunting.” Aunt Rainbow Dash called out. Everyone in the chamber walked out of there and back into the living area. Each pony, Spike and Indigo sat in their previous areas. Aunt Rainbow Dash smiled as she saw that everyone had selected a weapon. “Now that we have got weapon selection out of the way, it’s time to discuss hunting an actual monster.” As she said this, she grabbed a small, plastic, yellow ring hanging from a brick on the fireplace with her mouth. She pulled on it, which revealed a long, white string at the end of it. A clear slab emerged from the ceiling as it fell down and landed with a large thump. On the slab, a crudely-etched image of a bear sitting was shown from the front perspective. Vitriolic Shot pointed his horn towards the head of the bear. “Now everyone, the first thing you must know about fighting dangerous creatures is that you have to exploit their weaknesses as much as possible in order to gain advantage in a fight. If you see that a creature doesn’t like something, and then press that element against them whether it is a weak area, which is usually the head, or an elemental weakness. In addition to exploiting these weaknesses, you have to know about how each creature would attack.” He pointed towards the claws of the bear. “For example, the Runite Bear is always aggressive and will attack anything that moves. It is an incredibly bulky creature and its claws are made of runite. In case if you didn’t know, runite is considered one of the hardest materials in the physical plane. This means that you should all avoid the claws whenever possible. Fortunately, because it has a skeletal structure made with 65% runite, it is very weak against ice, fire and lightning-based elemental strikes.” Vitriolic Stroke finished. “…Wow… we have to fight that?!” Indigo blurted out. His voice had a bit of a slight tremble. “Oh darling, don’t you worry about the Runite Bear. After all, there are weaker and stronger enemies than it. It’s just the most general example I can give at the moment. However, you do have to steel yourself regardless. If you let a potentially dangerous creature smell your fear, then you will be mauled. But, I have faith in you darling. I know you will be a fine monster hunter.” Aunt Rainbow Dash stated as she patted Indigo on his back. Indigo smiled and chuckled nervously. “Gee… that does mean a lot to me err…” “Mrs. Rainbow Dash. And what is your name darling?” Aunt Rainbow Dash asked. “Indigo ma’am.” Indigo replied. “Alright Indigo. Since you have the Jaded Decapitator, I expect you to be among the front line attackers of the group. You think you can handle it?” Aunt Rainbow Dash happily requested. Indigo jumped back an inch in shock. “Hold on there Mrs. Rainbow Dash! I grabbed this sword because it looked pretty cool. I don’t want to go into the front lines, because that is where most of the casualties happen!” He screamed. Aunt Rainbow Dash gently placed her hoof on Indigo’s beak and covered the sound. She looked into his eyes with a motherly expression. “Listen Indigo, I understand that you are afraid. It is true that when someone is in the front lines, then they are exposed to sixty percent more of a risk. However, you will not be alone. Spike, Applejack, Pinkie Pie and I shall also be on the front lines with you. Twilight Sparkle, Rainbow Dash and Typhoon Clap shall be our hit-and-run hunters, and Vitriolic Shot, Fluttershy and Rarity will be covering our backsides with their range. As long as you believe in yourself and all those around you, then you will not have a thing to worry about.” Her words and advice were like sweet honey cascading down onto the fearful Indigo. Indigo dropped his shoulders and exhaled his stress. Aunt Rainbow Dash walked back before she pulled out a white, beaten sheet from behind the glass plaque. “Now darlings, I took the liberty of getting our first assignment ahead of time. It’s nothing complex, and I’m sure that you’ll be able to do it. All we have to do is hunt down one hundred Spleegs.” She finished. Rainbow Dash raised her hoof into the air with a confused expression emanating from her face. “Yes Rainbow Dash?” “Ummm, what’s a Spleeg? That sounds like something inside a body rather than a creature.” She asked. “Well, I’m glad you asked. You see, Spleegs are very unusual creatures that exist on the archipelago of islands nearby here. They are all slimy little things with bug-like faces and dinosaur-like claws. They have slug-like pink bodies and are normally small. However, they do have a tendency to kill off all the other creatures around them when they become overpopulated, so some form of control has to be done to prevent that. While they are low on the danger rating, they still can rip through your sides and devour your spleen, which is their favorite thing to eat.” Aunt Rainbow Dash stated. Rainbow Dash looked wide-eyed towards Aunt Rainbow Dash. Spike smiled viciously and pounded his fist into an open set of claws. “That sounds like an awesome first job! It’s just the eleven of us against one hundred creatures that can eat our spleens out. So cool!” He shouted happily. Everyone in the room looked at him curiously. “What? You don’t find it cool that we get to fight against spleen-eaters?” He barked out with an angry stare while his claws rose in the air. “Yes Spike, it's so cool to fight against spleen-eating creatures…” Twilight Sparkle stated sarcastically. “So, when can we fight these Spleegs auntie?” Rainbow Dash asked. “Well, we can fight them right now. It’s only one in the afternoon. If we run to the docks right now, then we can start our objective at two in the afternoon.” Aunt Rainbow Dash finished. “Now, I expect you all to be in tip-top shape. When we get on the boat, we can plan out our attack on the Spleegs. Is that alright with everyone here?” Everyone in the audience nodded. “Splendid.” As she finished, she walked out of the door. Vitriolic Shot walked out with her followed by Typhoon Clap. Twilight Sparkle looked towards everyone else in the room. She scuffled with her forehooves on the floor nervously before she spoke. “Look everyone; I’ll be honest with you. I’m really afraid of what is going to happen. I know that this is life on the frontier, but I have never actually had to kill something before. It makes me feel uneasy about killing even a pest like the Spleeg.” She stated. “I want to know if everyone in here will be alright with what will happen next.” “Well Twilight, Rainbow Dash and I just talked about this a few moments ago. Eventually, we came to the conclusion that, though we are visiting, we are expected to help in any way we can. Since these creatures will be a problem down the road for the entire town, then we just have to bring their numbers down.” Applejack stated. “And what about you Pinkie Pie? Are you alright with taking the lives of others?” Twilight Sparkle asked. “Well, normally, no. However, these Spleegs sound like real party poopers. You can’t party without a spleen after all, so I’m all for it.” Pinkie Pie energetically responded. Twilight Sparkle turned her head over to Fluttershy’s direction. “We’ll be taking the lives of innocent creatures Fluttershy. Do you think you would be able to live with that?” She asked. Fluttershy looked down towards the ground for a moment before she looked back into Twilight Sparkle’s eyes. “While these Spleegs may be just a part of nature, an overpopulation of Spleegs would hurt too many other creatures, including the Spleegs themselves. For the sake of keeping all the creatures safe, I will be able to give the Spleegs the ultimate form of mercy.” Fluttershy stated with a resolute shine in her eyes. “And you Rarity? It doesn’t seem like you would want to get your hooves dirtied like this.” Twilight Sparkle questioned. Rarity nonchalantly shut her eyes and flipped her right forehoof. “Please Twilight. While it is dreadfully dirty to kill animals, we actually have a purpose in killing these particular animals. I trust Mrs. Rainbow Dash and her request of helping to clean up the island of those dreadful things. Besides, if all goes well, then I might be able to find something on them that I can use for a new line of clothing.” Rarity reasoned. Twilight Sparkle turned to Indigo, who acknowledged her focus of attention with a small hop. “I know that we have only just met, but I want to know if you are comfortable with what we are going to do.” Twilight Sparkle said. “I have been in a bit of a dark pit. I was involved in gang activity and nearly attacked Fluttershy. However, Pinkie Pie guided me on the path to redeeming myself in my own eyes. For a part of this redemption, I will take on this quest alongside everypony and dragon in here. I want to be useful in the Equestrian Outpost, and I want to be useful for my new friends.” Indigo stated. “Well then, if it is okay with all of you, then it is okay with me. Spike shows a lot of interest in hunting these creatures so let us all do our best and strive for success.” Twilight Sparkle happily said. Everyone in the living room clamored before they all rushed out of the house. Rainbow Dash tailed the crowd. As she left the door, she looked back and pulled on the knob. The door closed with a click. She then flew over to the group in front of her.