“Hurry up Apple Bloom” the orange filly yelled “I don’t want to miss any stories!”
“Hold your horses Scootaloo I’m coming” Apple Bloom replied.
Scootaloo and Sweetie Bell were waiting on Scootaloo’s scooter in front of the Sweet Apple Acers fence. Apple Bloom was rushing through her home when she slammed into her big sister Applejack.
“Woah there sugar cube, where’s the fire?” AJ said as she adjusted her signature cowgirl hat.
“Sweetie, Scootaloo and me are going to listen to the stories a new pony in town is telling” Apple Bloom explained as she
began picking up various items that fell out of her bag.
“Alright got my binoculars, map, paper, quill I think that’s everything.”
“Apple Bloom you’re listening to stories what do you need these things for and who is this new pony you should be careful
around strangers?”
“His name is Artie Fact and don’t worry Applejack Twilight will be there and she worked with him in Canterlot. He’s been all over Equestria going on cool adventures and discovering new things all the time. We hope he can give us some ideas on how to get an adventurer cutie marks.”
“Well ok so long as Twilight says he’s ok have fun.”
Apple Bloom ran down to a waiting Scootaloo and Sweetie Bell. “Sorry I’m late girls”
“Just hop on and let’s go so we’re not any later”
Within a few minutes Scootaloo had the ponies outside the Ponyville library where there was already a crowd of other ponies lined up out the door.
“Awwww we’re already too late” Scootaloo sighed
“I’m sorry again” Apple Bloom said sheepishly
‘Over here girls” a familiar voice called out It was Twilights assistant Spike leaning out of the first story window.
“Hey Spike” Sweetie Bell called back “Busy day for the library huh”
“Boy you’re not kidding it’s been like this all morning everypony just loves Arties stories”
Scootaloo let out a loud sigh.
‘You know I could bring you in through the back” Spike said
“You’d do that for us” Scootaloo said as she perked up
‘Sure thing all I want is one little favor, Sweetie Bell next time Rarity gets a shipment of rubies from Canterlot think you could let me get a few?”
“No problem” Sweetie Bell answered.
“Well then we have a deal meet me behind the library in a few minutes”
Spike had brought the Crusaders through a door he and Owlicious used when Twilight was away. The girls moved through the crowded library to get a better view of the Adventurer Artie Fact. When they finally pushed their way forward they saw a sand colored colt wearing a pith helmet sitting amongst many strange objects and pictures of faraway places. The young colt was in the middle of a story by the time they settled in.
“The strangest thing I’ve seen huh that’s a difficult question” he said as he brought his hoof to his chin.
“Well I’ve seen many things in my travels from vast oceans with the fabled sea ponies, to the temple that the Daring Do series is based on, to the volcanic homeland of the dragons but the strangest thing I’ve seen was the thing I didn’t see.”
A light chatter filled the room at his odd answer.
“It was on my first expedition, it was also the expedition where I got my cutie mark.” As he gestured to the treasure map on his flank.
“You hear that maybe we can get our Cutie...” Sweetie Bell squeaked before she was shushed by Appleblom and Scootaloo both staring intently and Artie Fact.
“It was 10 years ago I had just been accepted to the Royal Canterlot Historical Society. I was part of an expedition sent out to find safe passage through the southern deserts. While spending time in a local village I was told the story of the Spirit of the Desert. The story goes that when ponies got lost or were in danger out in the dunes a mysterious creature would appear and guide them back to safety. We immediately wrote it off as local superstition or an just an old ponies tale, but the deeper we continued into the dessert and each local we ran into gave a similar account and almost all the stories gave the same description of the “Spirit”. The creature would walk on its back legs and use its arms much like a dragon would use its claws. It was said that it was the color of sand from its head to toe with the exception of its single black eye. Others have claim to have seen it carrying and using strange tools never before seen in Equestria. Some stories show evidence of magic one native who was surrounded by Diamond Dogs claims the Spirit used thunder to scare them away.”
“Did you ever see it yourself?” a pony in the back room asked
“I was just getting to that part” Artie said, “We were returning back to Canterlot when the expedition was hit with a violent sandstorm. I was separated from the group alone and ill prepared. I wandered for days without water I collapsed on the fifth day. When I awoke I was in a village the villagers all said they saw the Spirit carrying me on its back and dropped me off at the outskirts of their village. By the time they reached me it had disappeared again into the dunes.”
At the end of his story Artie Fact smiled at his audience. They all began at once with questions about the Spirit and his desert adventure. At this moment Twilight came into the room to quiet everypony down.
“All right everypony” Twilight said as she began to shoo them out the door. “That’s enough stories for today Artie and I have work to do.”
Reluctantly all the ponies slowly trotted out the library doors with the exception of the Cutie Mark Crusaders.
“Now girls that means you too?” Twilight began to lecture.
“Awww but Twilight we want to hear more stories we missed all the others.” Apple Bloom pleaded.
“Yeah can’t we stay for one more” Sweetie Bell joined.
At the moment Artie Fact trotted over to the girls “Listen girls instead of listening to my boring old stories why don’t you go on your own adventure. If you think listening about them is fun just imagine how great your own will be.”
“You may be on to something there mister” Scootaloo said “Let’s go girls we’ll go have our own adventure we’ll get a cutie mark for sure. Thanks Mr. Fact”
While the three fillies rushed out the library Twilight glanced at Artie and said “You have no idea what those three are most likely going to come up with for an adventure”
“What…What possible trouble could those three sweet little fillies get into?” Arite said with a puzzled look.