//------------------------------// // The Hunters on the Prowl // Story: The Legend of the Arachnapony // by RaijingtheClockworkPony //------------------------------// The train rumbled along the countryside of Equestria, the gentle hills of the southern lowlands going past the windows. It was like a painting had come to like, and the stallion looking out the window drank it in like a fine wine. Such a pity I can't watch this more often... I love long train rides like this... The dark red stallion smiled as he spotted a small farm in the distance. It looked like an orchard, maybe citrus fruit by the colors in the trees. He gave his wings a small flap and looked to the small scroll in his traveling coat: A job, given to him by his usual employer. He let out an annoyed sigh at the thought of it. He hated the fat noble that employed him, and worse, the lazy stallion that paid him had a boss that had asked for the best, and of course his luck would have it that the noble would pick him. I hate this line of work... I'm not some game hunter for nobles to get their cheap thrills. He pulled the scroll from his jacket and read it. Red Trail, you are to report to the Town of Ponyville, train tickets have been enclosed to get you there. Report to Brother Riches manor — The stallion rolled his eyes at the term 'Brother' and rubbed the bridge of his nose. Another part of his job he hated: The stupid ranks and secrecy of the group the noble was a part of. Still... they pay well, so let them have their little fantasies, besides… it’s not like it can get worse. He looked back to the scroll. And await the others assigned to this task to arrive. Once there you will receive further instructions. Do not fail the Order. The bottom of the scroll held the seal of the noble made from bright yellow wax. Trail rolled the parchment back up and put it inside the coat. He knew there were parts of the job he hated, but other parts... other parts were worth every second of suffering through the pompous stallions he worked for. Before the nobles he worked for now, he was a tracker of big game in Zebranica. He loved those plains, and the forests, and he sorely missed the exploration of those lands, but that was then, and now... now he was a tracker of a whole different type of game. Monsters; ones that were supposed to be legends, or dead. He moved back in his seat and watched the landscape roll along. He smiled as he spotted a town in the distance. A small stop for more passengers, and perhaps his stop. “Next stop, Trottingham! Next Stop is Trottingham!” A conductor yelled in the distance. I suppose now would be a good time as any to get some refreshment. The pegasus rose from his seat and made his way towards the back of the train. Moving his legs was a nice change of pace, and it gave him something to do while he waited for the train to stop. His trip to the food car of the train was uneventful, save for the small surprise that they served soft pretzels, but his return to his seat held its own small surprise. He had been lucky enough to get an entire compartment of the train to himself, but now there was a unicorn mare sitting on the seat opposite of his own, and was looking at a pair of scrolls floating in front of her. One was Trail’s, and the other the pegasus assumed, belonged to the unicorn of pitch black. The unicorn spoke in a dull, near lifeless tone. “I see we have a common employer…” The pegasus moved into the compartment and closed the door. “Who are you?” The mare didn’t look away from the scrolls with her pale blue eyes. Her only action was to move her long dull purple mane out of her eyes. “A fellow hunter. You work for Lord Fat Feast… you have my condolences…” Red Trail nodded and maintained his gaze on the mare. “Who do you work for?” “Lord Blackmane.” She finally looked to the pegasus and looked him over. “You lack the build of a hunter…” The stallion took his scroll from the mare’s aura and sat down opposite if her. “That’s because I am not a hunter.” The mare cocked her head a little to the side and looked at him in silence for a moment. “Not a hunter…” She looked him over again with her dull eyes. “Then what are you?” He placed the scroll away and looked to the unicorn. “I am a tracker… speaking of which, how did you find me?” She pointed to his scroll. “I have been watching you for nearly an hour.” She shrugged. “It was easy to figure out if you worked for the order, once you read the scroll for the fifth time.” She chuckled. “In the public too.” “I was curious as to what the job could be.” He spoke, his tone defensive, as the mare made it sound like he was showing everyone the scrolls contents and was boasting about it. “What’s to know?” She grinned and sat back in the chair, placing her hooves on the adjacent rests. “Find a critter, kill a critter. It’s not rocket science.” He snorted at her in annoyance. “I’d like to know what it is I am looking for. Going in blind is a stupid way to handle a situation like this.” He looked her up and down. “Wouldn’t you agree?” The mare nodded and laid on her back. “I see your point… our boss is not one for sharing everything. He didn’t even say how many would be on this little mission in my letter.” She shot him a smile, showing him pearly white teeth. “Say, we don’t even know each other’s names.” He raised an eyebrow, and the closing of the compartment door brought his attention to the fact that her horn was softly glowing. “You know my name, it was in the letter.” She nodded. “I do, but I like having the conversation.” He gave her a tentative look for a moment then sighed. He might as well play her little game. “I’m Red Trail. You are?” She rolled onto her side and held her head up with a hoof. It took him a second but he realized she was trying to pull off a pose that a mare would do for a dirty magazine. He maintained eye contact and smirked at her. “I’m Shade. I’m a master poisoner, and an expert on all things toxic.” He raised an eyebrow at her. “And is there a reason you are doing that pose right now?” She pouted at him. “A simple compliment would have been nice.” She flipped her mane. “Can’t a mare just flaunt her ‘talent’?” A sigh was all she got from him and he heard her giggle in response. “You can relax buddy. We’re friends on this little trip.” She smiled suggestively. “Friends that may have benefits.” I was wrong… this trip might be getting worse… It had been three days since Nightmare Night, and the town was still abuzz with the news of a new monster living in the forest. Nearly every conversation had mention of it among the younger ponies, and many of the adults found the conversation worth having as well. Rumors spread about the possibility of what the beast might be, how it got into the town, and some were say that it was an elaborate hoax in honor of the holiday. Only a few ponies knew the truth, and none of them felt it was wise to spread the news. Most of them did it to avoid a panic, and one such of those ponies was standing outside of a manor on the outskirts of town. Silver stood outside the manor of his host, a small grimace on his face as he read the letter from his father again. He had be congratulated for finding the monster, and that as a reward he would be allowed to join the hunt. It would be 'a journey into stallionhood' his father claimed in the letter. That's a great reward... put me in harms way with a creature that could rip me in half... He sighed, folding the letter, and returned his attention to an aged tome that had been sent to him with the letter. He turned to the last page he was on but heard the sound of hooves on dirt. He spotted a familiar mare walking down the road. His grimace faded to a smile and he waved to the sea green mare. "Hey Mint. How was your trip?" As she drew closer he spotted a few bags of groceries, and moved to her, transferring a few bags from her aura to his own. Mint grinned at him and flipped her short mane out of her eyes. "It wasn't too bad. Stuff is so much cheaper here than in Canterlot. A lot of it comes from the local farms." He chuckled. "Small town living. It's sorta nice and way quieter... aside from the monster attack..." The mare nodded and moved into the manor, swaying her hips once she caught Silver looking. "Speaking of which, did you hear from your father?" Silver shook his head and looked her in the eyes. "Yeah... He sent a letter." He placed the bags down on the table. "He's sending some hunters here from the order, and he will be joining us shortly after..." The mare stuttered. "He's visiting?! Oh, that's not good..." "Why not?" "Because if he sees me being your friend, I'm fired, and then I'll have to leave..." She groaned. Silver shuffled, uncomfortable with the thought of losing a friend. He nodded and sighed heavily. "I guess you'll need to put the outfit back on." The mare nodded and shuffled for a moment. She looked around the manner to make sure they weren't over heard. "There is another part of the contract I need to do before he gets here..." Silver watched her lean in to whisper to him. “It’s about me and you… um… doing the horizontal tango…” The stallion felt his face warm up as he blushed as she turned around and playfully whipped his muzzle with her tail. He watched her walk off in search of her maid uniform, and wondered if she really meant that, or was teasing him again. His attention was brought away from his friend to the sound of the front door opening, and Rich walking in, followed shortly by his daughter. “Silver, I’m glad you are here. I wanted to ask you to do something for me.” The pink filly walked past them, scoffing at the bags of groceries as she went. Silver rolled his eyes at the sadly normal behavior of the filly and nodded to the stallion. "Of course. What do you need?" Rich chimed at him. "Well, as you know, there are some 'guests' coming over, and I need you go to the train station and meet them at the platform." The younger stallion nodded. "I can do that. How many am I meeting?" Silver tried his best to hide his unhappy tone, but the father that stood before him missed nothing. "Silver... I'm not exactly thrilled with it either..." The stallion sighed. "I'd rather this have been a simple visit from a friend and his girlfriend than a business visit." The unicorn was going to protest, but he saw the smile on the older stallions face. "I know, she's a friend. Still, you have an hour before their train arrives. I'd get her and head out." The silver unicorn nodded. "You got it..." He paused for a moment and regarded the elder stallion. "Thank you for being so accommodating with Sea and I." The stallion chuckled. "Of course. I enjoy good company, and you both have been very welcomed guests." Silver gave the stallion a nod and moved up the stairs, and spotted Sea carrying her uniform. The unicorn mare noticed him and he could see the corners of her mouth rise in a flash, a mischievous flash in her eyes. "Hey, you come up here to watch me dress up?" "No... but I want you to come to the train station with me." Confusion was all he got in return as she shuffled with her uniform in one leg. "Um... okay... why?" "We need to meet some... guests at the station." He walked her to his room. "Just leave your stuff in my room for now. We have an hour to get there." The mare sighed, slight disappointment on her features. "Great... any idea who these ponies will be?" Silver shook his head as they made their way through the manor. "No, but they will be hunters... if they are anything like the rest of the ponies I have met from the order, they will be horrible to be around." They made it to the door before Sea spoke again. Her tone was soft, her voice barely a whisper to the stallion, and she shuffled for a moment before she spoke. "You're pretty nice to be around." Silver felt his stomach flip as he glimpsed the gentle smile on the mare's face. He grinned back after a moment and opened the front door for her. "Thanks... you're pretty nice to be around too." The mare blushed in return and walked out, playfully smacking his muzzle again with her tail. She let out a small giggle as they began their trip to the town. "Looks like we are flirting." Sea giggled playfully a little as the blush on the stallion she was with deepened. She gently nudged him on the shoulder with her own. "Hey, come on, this is nice." She joked. "If you want me to stop, just say so." Silver smiled sheepishly and looked Sea in the eyes. "Please don't stop... I like it when you flirt." The pair giggled and Sea moved close to her companion, resting her head on his shoulder. Silence fell between them for several minutes, and as they began navigating the streets of the town, the unicorn mare spoke once more. "So... I know about your father... but what about your mother?" She asked, looking up at Silver. "Does she stay in contact with you?" The stallion nodded and smiled. "She does. She sends letters and I write back to her." They turned a corner and spotted the station down the road. "She's been staying in Stalliongrad for the last two years. She works in a museum." The unicorn mare nodded. "Are your parents still married?" "No... they divorced a few years ago." Silver spoke, his voice choked for a moment. He surveyed the clear sky for a moment before he spoke again.. "She never approved of my fathers work... but she stayed with him for as long as she did for me." He smiled, a bittersweet thing for the mare with him. "I'm planning on visiting her for Hearths Warming this year." Sea felt a rush of sympathy as she saw the unicorn next to her blink a few times and swallow hard. The pain of being away from his mother was easy to read, but the fact he was smiling told her of the love he had for the mare that gave him life. "She has a great son." She beamed at him. "She should be proud." "She is." He smiled at green mare. "She says so in every letter." They entered the station, and took a seat on one of the few benches it held. The station was very small, which matched the town it was a part of perfectly. It was an open air waiting area, with the ticket masters in shared booth. The current ticket master was an elderly unicorn stallion of light blue that was changing the arrivals and departure times when they passed him. The pair settled on the bench, ready to wait out the last of their wait as comfortable as they could get. Sea placed her head on the stallions shoulder and smiled as she felt his heart beat, and listened to his breathing. Minutes passed as the sun warmed them, and a gentle breeze cooled them every few moments. Sea studied at her companion and smiled warmly. "Hey... um... I want to thank you for all you've done..." The silver coated unicorn turned his attention to his companion. "You're welcome... but... what did I do?" The green mare scooted closer to him. "You treat me like a pony, and not like a whore..." "Oh... Well, to me you’re not. I met you as a maid, and I’m still not certain you are." He gave her a chuckle, tapping his hoof on the bench. “You're just a really nice and pretty mare that I am friends with." He watched the mare blush and felt a rush of warmth, and a small skip of a beat of his hear as she smiled back to him. A gentle breeze came past them and blew her mane a little. The sight was something he found strangely mesmerizing to him and he found himself staring at her for several moments. The mare's blush deepened a little and she leaned closer to him, their faces inches from each other. Sea gave him a half lidded look that smoldered though his body, and she smiled as her look made his blush deepen. She could feel his breath on her lips and it sent shivers down her spine, and she hoped it did the same to him. The stayed like that for a moment, both of them holding their breath, waiting for other to make the next move. Sea closed her eyes and began that final move, ready to bridge that little gap. They both jumped a fraction of a second later as the shrill whistle of the train pulling into the station. They shuffled up from the bench and broke their gaze from each other to the cars of the train. "Looks like... um..." Silver gave a small cough as he took a breath. "Our guests are here." Sea nodded and let out a small sigh, and her gaze shifted from the train to Silver. "Wonder how we can tell who they are?" The doors of the train opened up, and only a small group got onto the platform. A pair of mares, one pink with a blue mane, and the other blue with a pink mane, were talking to each other quickly in a language that neither of the ponies waiting on the platform knew. The next pony off was an elderly stallion that was hugged by a few foals and was welcomed by a mare that looked very similar. The final two were a jet black unicorn talking to a red pegasus. The unicorn was grinning at her traveling companion, and the pegasus seemed to be annoyed by an unseen action. Silver's first thought was that the stallion across the platform was mad at the mare, but he was carrying a few bags on his back, and the mare had none. "I'm not going to do that." The red pegasus stated flatly, his annoyance clear. "Feathers are not meant to be used like that." The mare chuckled. "Oh come on! It could be so much fun!" She spotted the pair of ponies sitting on the platform, just in front of the bench. "You think that's the welcome party?" The stallion shrugged for a moment then his eyes snapped came upon Silver. "Yes. If I am not mistaken, that is a member of Lord Silver's household..." Shade focused on the silver stallion for a moment. "Looks too young to be Lord Silver... his son?" The red stallion nodded. "Must be. We should introduce ourselves." The duo from the train moved to the ponies on the platform. Trail gave a small bow to the unicorn stallion and gave the younger pair a look over. "Are you a member of Lord Silver's household?" Silver nodded his face in a polite, but friendly smile. "I am. I'm Silver Lining. This is Sea Mint." He glanced to the black coated mare for a moment then to Trail. "I take it you two are here to visit Mr. Rich?" Trail spotted the extra emphasis on the word mister that the younger stallion used. He liked that the younger stallion wasn't using the term 'brother'. He returned the smile with his own. "We are. I am Red Trail, and she is Shade." He gave a small gesture to the mare as she gave a curtsey to them both. "Shall we head out? The trip was rather..." The red stallion looked over to Shade again. "Tiring..." The black mare giggled. "You know you liked it." She winked to the other ponies and laughed at the clenched jawed look of the pegasus. Silver motioned for them to follow him and Sea. He didn't know what the mare was trying to do, but he didn't want it to happen in public, least of all in front of foals. "Then let's get to the manor. I'm certain Rich has a room ready for you both." The four ponies set off down the road, Shade looking around and occasionally stopping to inspect a shop window, and running back to the group. They reached the edge of town before Shade spoke up. "So, what are we hunting exactly?" She glanced at Sea for a moment, as if noticing her for the first time. "And is she allowed to know... because I can kill her if she's not." Sea gave a weak smile to Silver, but her smile fell when he gave her a look that clearly told her the mare was serious. The green mare felt the blood drain from her face at the thoughts of what could happen to her. Silver turned his gaze to the jet black unicorn. "She's allowed to know. I trust her." He saw a blush and a wide smile from Sea before she turned her head to hide it from the other two ponies. "We are after something called an Arachnapony. It's—" "A monster that can kill with venom so potent it is said to be able to melt steel!" Shade exclaimed and was hopping from left to right. "If we kill it can I milk its venom!?" All three ponies gave the mare surprised, and in the case of the green mare a horrified look. Silver swallowed for a moment and nervously nodded. Trail raised his eye brow at her. “How do you know about it?” She gave a self-satisfied look and gave an almost dancelike shuffle. “I’ve raided a few libraries.” Silver swallowed and cleared his throat. "Uh... sure... you can do that... but killing it is not going to be easy." Trail spoke up from the back of the group. "Is this beast truly this... dangerous? Surely it is no deadlier than any other the order has slain." Silver nodded and shivered. "It's one of the beasts that caused our order to be founded." He looked back to Trail. "These things are said to be evil incarnate... and our order has records saying that lone arachnaponies have killed over ten hunters before they were even sighted..." The red stallion’s eye brow rose. "How long ago was this?" "Nearly eight hundred years ago... maybe seven hundred." The younger stallion stated. "I have very little to go off of... most of the book claim they are merely stories..." "So, there is little useful information about them then. That’s nearly myth territory." Trail bit his lip in thought and let out a small sigh of acceptance. "We'll have to work from scratch then." The four ponies finished the last leg of their journey in silence. As the manor came into sight, Shade let out a small whistle. "Cozy little place ain't it? This Rich guy must be loaded." "His name is fitting. He's a pretty down to earth stallion as well." The younger mare responded, looking over to the black coated mare. "I'll warn you now though... his daughter is... less than pleasant to be around." A wicked grin came from the older mare. "Spoiled rotten, and is a brat?" The younger duo nodded together, and both let out a small smirk of annoyance. "Give me ten minutes with her. I can correct that." Shade let out a chuckle that made Silver certain that Diamond would not enjoy it at all. Shade's mirth was cut short by Trail. "I doubt that is needed. I don't plan on being here long enough for a filly to annoy me." The black unicorn pouted at the stallion. "You hate fun." He shrugged in return as they reached the yard of the manor. They were met at the door by Rich, his tie a little looser now that it was well past the end of his work day. He gave the group a smile that was friendly, but also a little business like. "Hello, I am Rich." He greeted the two new ponies. "I need to speak to you all about your rooming situation." He spent a moment looking at Shade, as she was studying the porch of the manor. "Unfortunately, not enough rooms will be ready for everyone to have their own, so some of you will have to share." "Dibs on Trail!" Shade shouted and beamed. Trail's hoof met his face as he let out a small sigh. Rich nodded and smiled back to her. "That makes things easier to me." He turned his attention to Sea and Silver. "Sea, I've already moved your things into Silver's room. I figured it would be easiest if you two shared, since you know each other pretty well." The younger pair shared a fond glance to each other and nodded in unison. Rich smiled and motioned to all of them to enter the home. "Wonderful. Dinner will be in an hour or so. You have till then to settle in." A few hours had passed since dinner, and Silver had spent them looking over several books while Sea organized the room so they could be comfortable. Much to his surprise, she had reoriented the room in that small span of time, all without moving the desk we was at. Her final project in the room was doing what her cover was supposed to do. She was making the bed and doing so with a smile. The stallion closed the tome he was holding with his magic and turned to her. "Wow... you work quick..." He cast his gaze around the room and noticed a small problem. "There is no way we can get another bed in here..." "I know." She chimed as she placed the pillows on the bed. "I don't need it." She giggled at his befuddlement and her hoof tapped the bed she was working on. "I got a perfectly good bed in here already.” A few blinks were all Silver could manage. "But... where am I sleeping?" She pointed at the same bed. "On the bed." It took the silver stallion a few moments to comprehend what she meant, but once it clicked for him, his eyes widened and his stomach did a flip. "You mean... we are sharing?" He asked. "I mean... we can get another bed..." She shook her head and giggled at him. "Not on your life. This bed is plenty big enough for us both... at the same time." She beckoned for him to move onto the bed. "Come on, it's not that big of a deal. We're friends after all." Silver found her smile infectious as he hopped onto the bed. "I guess you have a—" One moment, he was sitting up next to his first friend his age, and the next he was on his back, and she was on top of him, straddling his stomach and pressing her barrel to his own. "We have some unfinished business." Her horned glowed for a moment and he heard a small click from the door across the room. "We... we do?" The view of Sea from beneath her was breathtaking to Silver. The way the candle light danced off her mane reminded him of a painting, and the way her eyes seemed to glow with alacrity made his heart pound. He had never felt like this before. She nodded and leaned in, her muzzle a hairs breadth away. "We do." She gave a playful smile as their breath mingled. "We were interrupted by the train." Silver felt her hoof begin tracing a circle on his chest. He liked the way it felt and he shuffled a little, adjusting to the weight of her body, and the warmth. He couldn't get over just how comfortable he was with the warmth of her body. "So, wanna pick up where we left off?" He stared into her ruby eyes and tried his best to say anything. A few failed attempts later he nodded. His ears were graced with the silk like notes of a low hum from her, and the next moment, their lips locked. He was in bliss, and felt slightly disappointed as she pulled away. His disappointment was short lived as he saw her half lidded stare. "Don't worry." She shifted a little down his body. "We're just getting started. By the end of tonight, you’ll believe me about my profession." He felt his heart skip a beat as her velvet lips resume their intricate dance.