//------------------------------//
// Making Plans 
// Story: The Legend of the Arachnapony 
// by RaijingtheClockworkPony 
//------------------------------//

	Guardian awoke, his eye snapping open, as the warm scent of baking bread filling his nose. He sat up and looked around, his mind unable to process where he was. The walls of the room he was in seemed to dance, not quite settling as the large creature felt the warm blanket around him slip off. It was when the face and form of the zebra mare entered his sight that it all clicked for him. 

"We... spent the night in this bed together."

Zecora nodded from the fire in the middle of the room. She placed more unseen ingredients on a small pan while she watched the arachnapony. 

Guardian slowly got up from the bed and stretched his limbs. "I... hope it was a pleasant night of rest for you."

"Twas indeed a very peaceful night, it lacked any scares or frights." Her hooves we a slight blur as she kneaded some dough and placed small balls of it on a small cutting board next to her. "I hope you have an appetite, for I have something that is a delight."

She finished separating the dough into small balls and then flattening them out, one at a time on the pan, flipping them every few minutes so that both sides we a golden brown. The smell of the slightly fried food was intoxicating to the large male, and he slowly moved to her side, and watched her as she cooked. With a practiced precision she placed all the fried dough onto a plate and then began sprinkling a sweet smelling powder over it. 

"What is this dish?" Guardian asked as the zebra offered him the plate. 

"My people call it Ahouifi M'semmen, and it taste best with some sugar and cinnamon."

Guardian looked over the plate of flat fried dough and took a moment to waft the warm aroma. The warm scent of the cinnamon filled his mind and he slowly lifted one of the flat cakes into his mandibles, and popped it into his mouth. The sugar was the first thing he noticed. By the Matriarch... I forgot how it tasted... 

The joy of his taste buds quickly spread to the rest of his body, as he began ravaging the plate, devouring the food with a near vicious approach.  Zecora chuckled to herself as she sat down and began making more. 

"You hunger seems endless and deep, must be born from your comfortable sleep." She chimed as she saw him licking the plate clean and placing it next to her. "So quick to eat the meal with teeth of razor, you forget the important part; to savor."

"I am ravenous and your cooking is amazing. More and I will savor them more this time." He gave her a small nod of the head and what the zebra hoped was a smile. 

She nodded and chuckled as she continued to cook in silence. Only the sound of frying dough filled the air as the mare continued her work with deft hooves. As another stack of the flat cakes filled the plate Guardian sate next to her and studied her form. 

"Tell me, by your peoples standards are you a good cook?" He asked as she took a cake and nibbled on it. "Because these... to be honest these have been the best things I have had in so long."

The mare gave a small blush as she finished her cake. "I am humbled by your compliment, of my skills I am very confident." 

"You are very welcome then." The large male sat beside the mare and studied her face. "You found my compliment endearing?" 

Zecora looked at the pan as she blushed a little deeper. "I do not receive compliments often, so when I them hear my complexion softens." 

The large male looked her over and then smiled at her. "You surely earn more than a fair share of compliments." 

The zebra shook her head slightly and flipped the small cakes in the pan. "Many ponies avoid my presence, as I have only recently earned their acceptance. I get kind words from Apple Bloom and her friends, but from others their words do not a fond meaning lend." 

Guardian watched the mare cook as he spoke. "Your rhyming, is that part of your native tongue, or is that how your learned Equestrian?"

"I was taught in my own homeland, where rhyming speech is as normal as the sands." She looked him in the eyes and gave a soft smile. "It is so engrained to who I am now, trying to talk without rhyming is something I cannot allow." 

She giggled for a moment and blushed as she noticed the larger male move closer to her. Guardian took placed the finished cakes onto a plate and looked at her. 

"You let me into your home again, and slept cuddled up to me." He spoke softly. "You are putting a lot of trust in me with this sort of behavior."

"Sometimes those that need trust most, must be allowed to get close." She shuffled towards him as well, and their faces slowly inched towards each other. "You are a stallion with a noble soul, kind in words and a friend of foals..." 

Their breath mingled for a moment and Zecora closed her eyes. Guardian moved closer, their breath mingling with each other's, but then he slowly pulled away from the mare, a deep sigh escaping him. He looked away and closed his eyes. 

"I... have to go meet Apple Bloom..." He shifted away and stood up. "Thank you for the meal. It was the best I have had in a long time." 

The mare opened her eyes and her ears dropped. "I understand you have a meeting, make sure you give Apple Bloom my greeting..." She looked back to the fire and let out her own sigh as well. 

The stallion nodded and slowly walked out of the hut.
                                                                                                                                                                                       

Apple Bloom awoke enveloped in a cocoon of warmth. She yawned and slowly sat up, her room filling her vision. How did Ah... Oh Guardian must have brought me home! She smiled and stretched her legs.

She smiled as the warm rays of the sun splashed on her coat and mane. "Ah need to get breakfast so Ah can visit Guardian!" 

Her lips spread at the thought and she quickly rushed to the bathroom for a shower. Once she finished, she nearly flew down the stairs and rushed into the kitchen. She spotted her brother reading a paper. 

"Hiya Mac! Whatcha readin'?" 

The red stallion glanced over his paper at his sister. "News." 

Apple Bloom made her way to the cupboards and began pouring herself a bowl of cereal. "Anythin' interestin'?" 

Mac shrugged and folded the paper. "Enope." 

The filly got milk from the fridge and poured it on her cereal. "Ah'm heading out to meet Guardian. Do Ah need to do any chores first?"

The stallion got up and shook his head. "Enope. Just be back by bedtime." He nuzzled his sister and smiled. "And have fun."

Apple Bloom nuzzled her brother back and giggled. "Okay Mac. Love ya." 

"Love ya too." He walked out of the room, leaving the filly alone with her breakfast.

The young Apple filly wasted no time in eating her meal and placed her used bowl into the sink, then she raced out of the house and into the morning sun. She smiled as a gentle breeze moved through her mane. Ah love Fall. The Runnin' of the leaves is soon, and then Hearthswarmin'! She smiled as the thought of sleeping near a fireplace, warm pies, and the family holidays filled her mind. 

She walked quickly through the cool morning air, and she spotted her sister working in the orchard. She took a moment to wave, spotting her brother as he made his way to the orchard to work, and continued on her way. Ah wonder what Guardian and Zecora talked about last night. She grinned at the thought of two of her friends getting along. Maybe they will become close friends! That would be so nice. She reached the edge of the farm and moved towards the forest with a smile on her face. 

The filly neared the forest when she spotted the large form of the spider pony. She waved and beamed at Guardian. "Hi Guardian!" 

"Hello Apple Bloom." He returned the wave with his smaller forelimbs and waited for her to approach him. 

The young filly ran up to him and hugged him tightly. "Thank ya for takin' me back home last night."

"It was the least I could do for you." He looked down at the filly and returned the hug. "I hope you slept well."

"Ah did!" She smiled up at him. "Did you have a nice night too?"

Guardian was silent for a moment then nodded. "It was a very comfortable night." 

The filly grinned. "How was your chat with Zecora?" 

The large creature looked at her for a moment then back towards the forest. "We came to an accord, and I think... we are friends." 

Apple Bloom hugged him again and smiled. "Yay! You two being friends is pretty cool!" 

"Why is that?" 

She released him from her hug and sat down. "Because you two live in the forest, and can help each other out." She spoke matter of factly. "Plus you two can talk and maybe play games and have sleepovers." 

The larger creature debated on telling her they already had a sleep over, but the sound of ponies in the distance made him turn to look over. He spotted a small group of ponies heading for the tree line, and he recognized the way they moved, the gait of a predator on the prowl. He crouched low and his forelimbs grabbed Apple Bloom. 

"What's goin'—"

He placed one claw on her lips and shook his head. "Others are nearby, and I think they are not friendly." He slowly raised his head and peaked through the grasses. "Silence is needed now." 

Apple Bloom shifted closer to him and nodded. 

Guardian swiveled his ears towards the group of ponies and studied them closely. The leader was a elder unicorn stallion of a striking silver color, and very fit for his age. Something about the stallion seemed familiar to the arachnapony, but Guardian couldn't place it. Instead he focused on the larger ponies around the leader. Tall, in shape, and a few wore hooded coats. Guardian counted them as five in number, three unicorns and two earth ponies. 

"And this is the forest the creature is in?" The voice of the lead unicorn reached Guardians ears. 

"Yes sir." The tall earth pony next to him answered. "This is where they said it came from and fled to during Nightmare Night."

"I see." He looked into the forest. "A prime example of what happens when you forget to hire a gardener." 

The silver unicorn turned and looked at the group. "We will head to Rich's manor. I want to see what the others have learned. Perhaps my son has more useful information than the backwater ponies that live here." 

A chorus of chuckles and agreement came from the ponies and they began to walk away. As they headed towards the town the unicorn looked back to the forest. 

"The hunt is on." 
                                                                                                                                                                                       

Silver Lining awoke when the warmth of the mare next to him began to move away. He reached for her and grabbed onto her. 

"No..." He half whined. "Stay in bed with me..."

His ears were graced with a giggle and his lips were embraced by her own. "Sorry, but we need to get up. Breakfast is going to be served in ten minutes, and Shade seems to be a little... odd from what I heard. Well... more odd than normal for her."

Silver opened his eyes, and slowly sat up. "Odd? Odd how exactly?" 

He yawned as Sea nuzzled his cheek gently. "Not sure, but we can find out at breakfast."

The young stallion nodded and kissed the mare on the cheek. "Hey... um... last night was... amazing." 

The mare got out of the bed and nodded. "It was." She playfully brushed his face with her tail. "And I gotta say, you did well for your first time." 

Silver blushed and got out of the bed after her. "You mean it?" 

She nodded and began brushing her mane. "Of course I do." She giggled and looks at him. "You know... if we move quickly, we could shower together." 

Silver smiled and nodded. "That. Let's do that."

The mare giggled again and nodded. "Then let's check on the shower and see if it's in use." 

Together, the pair moved from the bedroom to the shower and they found it empty. Without wasting a moment, Sea turned on the shower and smiled to the stallion with her. He smiled back and they shared a brief kiss as they got under the warm water. Sea took a moment to let the water run through her mane. Silver could only stand there and admire the mare. 

I've got to be one of the luckiest stallions alive...  He let out a small chuckle. 

"What's so amusing?" The mare smirked and picked up a bottle of shampoo for them both. 

"I was just thinking... about how lucky I am." He kissed her cheek. "And how you made me a stallion." 

She giggled and nodded. "Mares tend to do that. Now, before you get ahead of yourself, we can't do that again in here."

He nodded and took the bottle with his magic. "I know, but at least let me clean your mane." 

A nod was his reply and the mare moved closer and moved her head close to him. "Wash away." 

Together they cleaned themselves, with plenty of shampoo and kissing, and after thirty minutes they got out and began drying each other off with a towel, and when Sea reached the stallions head she tossed the towel onto his head and giggled.

"So, shall we get breakfast?"

He lifted the towel off his face and was greeted with a gentle nuzzle from the mare. "Breakfast sounds pretty nice." 

They finished drying off and headed downstairs. Upon reaching the middle of the stairs, they spotted a group of ponies sitting at the dining room table, many of which were talking amongst themselves, but one of the unicorns spotted them walking down the stairs and nudged a mare next to him. 

"Looks like junior got himself a mare!" His remarks were followed by catcalls and wolf whistles. 

Silver looked at the mob of ponies and straightened up slightly. He cast a quick glance to Sea and he felt emboldened that she was also glaring at them. 

"I see my father arrived, and brought the bottom of the barrel with him."

The same earth pony sneered. "Watch your tongue colt. You're not the boss yet, and we don't take kindly to being bossed by whelps."

A door opened on the side of the hall and out walked a tall unicorn stallion of striking silver. "Actually, as long as this is his hunt, he is above you all, and any disrespect towards him is also towards me. And you know how I treat disrespect." Lord Silver spoke, his voice chilling and quickly making the mob shuffle and look back to their meals. 

He turned to his son and Sea as they reached the bottom of the stairs. Lord Silver's voice carried a hint of pride as he addressed his son. "Great to see you are becoming a great hunter." 

"I-I am?" The younger Silver stammered out as he froze under his father’s gaze. 

The stallion nodded and walked up to his son. "You are. First mission and you find an ancient evil for us to purge from this world. Very well done my boy."

Silver shuffled slightly and gave a half smile. "Oh... right... um... thank you." 

The elder unicorn placed his hoof on the shoulder his son. "So, are you ready for your first hunt?" 

"I... um... yeah I think I am." Silver answered his father then shuffled. "Can we talk about it after breakfast?"

Lord Silver nodded and chuckled. "Of course son." His gaze shifted to Sea and he raised an eyebrow. "Out of uniform? I hope for your sake you accomplished all of your tasks?" 

She nodded and looked at the ground. "I did sir..." 

The unicorn nodded. "I'm very pleased to hear it. You are dismissed then." 

She looked up at him for a moment and nodded. "Yes sir."

"Return to the manor and consult the butler. He will get you the final payment." He didn't look at the mare and gave a small wave to her. "Get packed, and I can get one of my ponies to get you to the station." 

Sea turned to leave, but she was stopped by the younger Silver. His father cocked his eyebrow for a moment. 

"Father... I want her to stay." He cleared his throat and looked his father in the eyes. "I could always use a personal maid." 

The older stallion narrowed his eyes then chuckled. "She must be very good at her job then. Very well, she will stay on the payroll." 

The younger Silver nodded. "Thank you father... you have good taste in maids." 

The elder Silver chuckled, and so did some of the other ponies at the table. "Only the best for us my son." He looked right at Sea and gave her a cold smile. "Only the best." 

Sea shuffled and moved slightly closer to the stallion she spent the night with. All three near the stairs had their attention was shifted over to brown stallion walking in. Filthy Rich walked in and looked at the table of ponies eating, then to the trio.

"I see you and your hunters made yourselves comfortable." Rich gave the hunters another look, his expression slightly annoyed. His attention on the hunters was brief and he looked to Lord Silver. "I hate to be rude to you my lord, but how long will you be staying? The rabble you brought with you is a poor influence for my daughter." 

One of the hunters, a tall earth pony mare rolled her eyes. "Spoiled rotten. You should smack her and teach her a lesson." A few chuckles came from the group and a stallion spoke up as well. "We'll do it for free." 

The table erupted into agreement and cheers as they continued to eat. Rich huffed and adjusted his tie as he eyed the mare, his glare like daggers. Lord Silver looked to the rabble at the table and cleared his throat. The quickly became silent and shuffled in their seats as he stared them down. 

"Not one hair on the fillies head is to be touched." His high voice was colder than ice. "And I will expect you all to be perfect guests." He gave a smirk. "And while we are here, Brother Rich, your maids will have the week off. My hunters just volunteered to do their jobs while we are here." 

Groans and muttered curses came from the group, and the silver unicorn motioned for Rich and Silver to follow him. "Let's discuss this hunt in a more comfortable room." He looked to one of the maids. “Bring my son breakfast in the study, and make sure it is all fresh.”

Sea shuffled next to the younger Silver and whispered to him. "I'll be in the kitchen... maybe I can get breakfast in there."

Silver nodded and kissed her cheek. "Just... try to avoid them... please." 

She nodded and left Silver with the older stallions. Without a word he followed his father and Rich into the private study that Lord Silver had left. Once he made it inside, his father closed the door with magic and sat in a chair near the fireplace, and offered the other chair to his son, while Rich moved to the desk and began looking over some papers. 

"So, I take it that Shade and Trail are here as well?" Lord Silver asked as he started a fire in the fireplace. 

Rich nodded and began organizing the papers. "They arrived a few days ago. Shade is tending to Trail. He has... fallen ill from what I can tell." 

Silver looked over to the brown pony. "Is that why she was freaking out?" 

The earth pony nodded. "She told me that she went for a walk and found him outside in a cocoon of something... she wasn't very forthcoming with details.''	

Lord Silver looked over, and cocked an eyebrow. "A cocoon?" 

Rich nodded. "Yes. She brought it in the house and it is in her and Trails room." 

"I will talk to her, and see this mystery material later then." The silver unicorn looked into the fire and smiled. "Tonight, we go hunting my son. Tonight you will see the real purpose of the order, and complete your training." He looked over to Rich. "Care to join us? Maybe you can pick up tips on how to train your daughter." 

Rich stopped in the middle of writing and sighed. "I... will have to decline." 

"Suit yourself. You'll be missing the thrills that only a hunt can provide, and the honor of keeping our kingdom safe."

Silver shifted in his chair, feeling uncomfortably warm, and he doubted it was the fire. "Father, will I have to kill this... beast?" 

"I would certainly hope you get that honor, if possible." The elder stallion smiled and looked to his son. "I think this night will be a very good bonding experience my boy." 

Silver swallowed and nodded. It was all he could do.
                                                                                                                                                                                       

Twilight looked at the two mares with her at the small cafe. To her right sat a very excited looking Fluttershy, and to her left sat a nervous, and very quiet, Rainbow Dash. If she didn't know why they were acting the way they were, or what was going to happen later in the night, she would have found the sight before her very bizarre. 

"Do you think this Guardian will like me?" The pink maned pegasus asked. 

The purple mare sighed and nodded. "I'm certain he will be nice and you two can become friends. He seems like a very gentle giant, but he does have some... aggressive behavior." 

The unicorn cast a sideways glance at Dash, and saw that the blue mare was focused on her glass of lemonade. The rainbow maned pegasus remained silent as she stared into the cup. Twilight wanted to say something to make her smile, but nothing came to mind at that moment. Instead she smiled to Fluttershy and decided to switch topics. 

"So, how have the animals been with getting ready for hibernation?" 

The yellow mare sipped her drink. "Oh, they are doing well, but some of them are being stubborn. I think a few of the bunnies don't want to get all the extra fat stored up yet." 

Dash took a sip of her drink and looked over to Twilight. "Do we really have to wait till sundown to go meet him? All this waiting is making me... anxious." 

The purple mare nodded and sighed. "Yes. We can't go into the forest yet, mostly because I think he will be sleeping, and I don't want to see him upset by us. Also, it would make it easier to find him if we had Applejack with us. She's met him more times than anypony, except Apple Bloom."

"So why not get Apple Bloom?" Dash inquired. 

"It's a school night!" Twilight exclaimed, almost offended. "We can't have her missing school." 

"I ditched plenty, and I turned out fine..." Dash muttered as she returned her attention to her drink. 

Twilight shot the cyan mare a dirty look then rolled her eyes. "Besides, we don't want the filly being tired, and Applejack knows him well enough." 

"Speaking of which, when is she going to meet us?" The pink maned pony asked. 

The purple unicorn tapped her chin. "She said that she would meet up with us after she helped her brother harvest part of the orchard."

Fluttershy nodded and smiled. "I hope he is nice to us. I could always use a little help with some of the forest animals... if he promises not to hurt them that is..." 

"If he doesn't hurt us you mean..." Dash sighed and looked at Fluttershy. "I don't want to be a downer, but he did eat some of those animals..." 

Twilight nodded and rubbed her neck. "He has done that... from what Apple Bloom tells me, his regular diet is birds and small creatures."

The yellow mare nodded and sighed. "Maybe... but all creatures need to eat, and I don't think it would be right to force him to change his diet." She smiled. "Maybe he could change it for us?" 

The other mares at the table shifted in their chairs and looked at each other. Twilight gave a weak chuckle. "That's... not likely... You can't expect a bear to not eat salmon, or ants to not love sugar." 

The yellow pegasus shuffled and nodded. "I know... but maybe if we are really nice?" 

"Ah think you could convince him if yer nice enough."

The trio at the table turned to see Applejack smiling at them. 

"Applejack, when did you get here?" Twilight asked and stood up. 

"A few minutes ago. Mac and Ah made great time in the northern orchard." She smiled and moved to the table. "Mind if we get food before we head out? Ah'm famished." 

The farm pony sat next to Dash and gave her a soft smile. "You doing okay sugarcube?" 

Dash shrugged. "I just want tonight to be over with." 

Applejack nodded and gave her friend a hug. "Trust me, he's a gentle giant, just a little moody at times. You should see how he acts with Apple Bloom and her friends."

Dash sighed again and sipped her drink. "I'll see if that's true tonight I guess." 

The four ordered food, and the conversation moved from topic to topic, but for the cyan mare, her mind was dwelling on the meeting that was about to happen.