Secrets in the Light
Panic had set in on the town of Ponyville. The news that a monster was in the town had caused most of the civilians to scream and run, looking for friends, family or loved ones to make sure they were safe. All, save a group of five mares.
"Twilight, dear, why are you taking us to the library? We need to help the townsponies calm down." Rarity spoke with a deep concern for her fellow ponies. She was going to plead with her friend some more but was cut off.
"Because I need to let you all know what we are dealing with..." The unicorn spoke quickly, and in an urgent tone. "Besides... the guards are doing that and they are better at it. It's what they are trained for."
The group moved through the streets towards the Tree Library, stopping only a few times to avoid a panicked group of ponies, or to help a foal and their friends to a safe spot. Once they reached it, they moved into the main library room and Twilight moved to get several books.
Applejack walked up to Twilight, and spoke in a hushed tone. "Twi... do you think they will freak out? Ah mean... Guardian isn't exactly a teddy bear..."
Twilight sighed and nodded. "He's not, but they at least deserve to know, and hopefully, Dash won't hurt him... or worse, he won't hurt Dash..." The unicorn got another book and moved to the large circular table in the middle of the room.
"Okay... so..." The mare shuffled as she looked at her three friends that hadn't met the large arachnapony. "Well... there is something you need to know about the creature that was spotted today... I have seen it before, and so has Applejack."
The three mares looked between their friends, and remained silent for a moment, before Fluttershy spoke. "Wait... you've seen it before? So, what is it?"
Applejack answered. "He's not an ‘it’, he's called Guardian, and he's an Arachnapony. Think part pony, part spider." She explained everything she knew about him, and how he and Apple Bloom became friends. "So... yeah... he was in town to take part in the festivities... and then he fell onto Pinkie."
The farm pony finished her explanation, and noticed that three sets of jaws were hanging open, shocked expressions on their faces. Much to Twilight's and Applejack's surprise, the first thing spoken wasn't shock, but disappointment from the pink earth pony.
"I haven't thrown him a welcome party yet! I need to get that planned now! Apple Bloom could help me with the food and decorations for it. Does he like Cider?"
The farm mare blinked a few times. "Ah guess... maybe?"
Pinkie pulled out a notepad and a pencil and began jotting notes down while muttering something that sounded very close to "get lots of cake" as Fluttershy raised her voice.
"Does that mean he is what has been scaring and..." She swallowed and shuffled nervously. "...eaten some of the forest animals?"
"Ah think he is... he is part spider, and I think that means he's a carnivore..." Applejack swallowed as her friend paled. "Sorry Fluttershy... If you meet him, you may get an apology or somethin'..."
Rarity looked at some of the books Twilight was now flipping through. "So, I take it that once you met him, you began researching him, and everything about his... kind?"
Twilight nodded and flipped through some pages of a tome. "I did. I have tried to do as much as I can, but one piece of information keeps eluding me; their origins. None of the legends even mention how they were made. They say what they are made of, and most of that is useless. I mean, how do you make something from fear. "She sighed. “But none of them say if they evolved, or were made with magic or anything. "
The still cheery voice of Pinkie brought all of mares attention to her. "So, what are we going to do? I mean, the town is more panicked than when Zecora used to visit, and I think he might be a little bit scarier then she is. I mean, she isn't scary anymore, unless she wants to be, but you know what I mean right?"
She was answered with a few confused half nods. The violet unicorn took a moment to clear her throat then spoke in an almost matter-of-fact tone.
"Well, we will simply have to tell the town that he is not dangerous, and they he wouldn't harm anypony..." Uncertainty crossed her face and made her tone weakened. "That will work. Right?"
Her friends shuffled and looked at each other. They all knew that the townponies of Ponyville were not the bravest. Several members of the town had gone into a full-blown panic over a bunny stampede, and some even fainted at the terror it had caused.
Rarity gave a small cough. "Well... perhaps we can at least assure them that he won't harm any of them... as long as we can make him promise to not come into the town without warning..."
"Rarity! He's not dangerous, and he's a friend of mah sister. Ah think he at least deserves to be able to come to town now and then. We didn' put that kind of limit with Zecroa."
The white mare shuffled and looked embarrassed as her friend gave her a stern gaze. Fluttershy moved to Applejack's side and gently placed her hoof on her friends shoulder.
"I think we should focus on getting the town to be okay with him being in the forest... we don't want them forming a mob and going after him... they could get lost, or... "She shuffled at her thoughts. ”Worse."
The mares nodded and gathered around the table to think.
Silver made his way through the packed streets, with Sea Mint close behind him. They stopped for a moment as a group of mares ran in front of them, nearly falling over each other in their panic to get to another side of the street. As they set off again, the mare voiced her concerns.
"So... what was that monster, and why are we running for the mansion? Couldn't we help the guards to stop the panic?"
Silver looked at her, and then bit his lip. "Well... I know what it is, but you might not believe me... and I need to talk to Rich. He might be able to help me."
"Help you with what?" The pirate mare asked as they made it to the edge of the district they were in and made their way on the road that led to the Rich Mansion.
Silver slowed to a walk, and took a breath. "Well... this might sound nuts... but um, I'm here to hunt a monster, and that was the monster I am here to hunt."
He watched the mares face as she opened her mouth confused, and then, much to his surprise, she smiled. "Right, and I'm here looking for booty." She stopped and chuckled for a moment and muttered something he couldn't hear. "Come on, you are in a costume that gives away that joke."
"What?" He looks at his costume and rolled his eyes. "No, I'm being serious. I'm a monster hunter."
Sea Mint chuckled for a moment, then noticed that the look on her companions face was completely serious, and unwavering.
"You're... you're for real... holy crap, that explains the trophies in your fathers study, and that book you kept reading the other day... and those weird packages I had to pick up..." She sat on the side of the road and rubbed her eyes for a moment, letting out an exasperated groan. "Great... I was hired by a mad-stallion to be a consort for his son..."
It was Silvers turn to be confused. "Consort? What do you mean?"
The mare sighed and gave her friend a reading gaze for a few moments. She noticed that he was genuinely confused at her words.
"Well, since we are sharing secrets... I'm not a maid... in talent or in profession..." She rubbed her foreleg for a moment and gulped nervously, almost embarrassed by the words coming from her mouth. "As you noticed when I put my costume on, I have a strange cutie mark for a maid... and well... I'm a Call Mare."
All she got was a baffled expression in return. Silence fell between for a moment and she stood up and removed the coat of her costume, leaving the corset, boots and blouse. She was suddenly feeling very warm at the turn of this conversation.
"You know... a call mare, street worker..." The expression of her friend remained. She bit her lip and rolled her eyes. "Wow... sheltered... I'm a whore."
Silvers jaw hit the floor in an instant and he could only gawk at his companion. "You're a prostitute!” His surprised was quickly replaced with yet even more confusion. “Why would my father hire a prostitute for me?" He exclaimed.
"Well, he wanted me to be your first time. When he hired me, he said it was something to do with boosting self-confidence and something about you being more dominate with others."
Silver continued his look at Sea Mint and finally bit his lip. "So... he made you join me... because he wanted you to make your move?" He shuffled as a heart sinking thought crossed his mind. "Does that mean we aren't actually friends?"
"No!" She stammered "We are friends... but well... you're friends with a whore... so... um... I don't really know where we go from here. I mean... you weren't supposed to find out, and I was supposed to be 'fired' after you and I did the deed."
"Oh... I guess that makes sense..." He groaned and rubbed his temples. "Great, yet another thing my father thinks he needs to help me with." He looked at his friend in her eyes. "So... I guess both of those are in the open... I need to kill a spider like creature... and you um..."
"I'm your friend, even if I am a prostitute." She walked to her friend and hugged him for a moment.
Silver returned the hug. "Don't say it like that. Our talents are something to be proud of, no matter what it is." He grinned and Sea Mint giggled at his simplistic view of her profession.
"I suppose that's fair enough. So, we need to get to the mansion?"
The stallion nodded as a cool breeze passed through their manes, chilling them both as they resumed the journey to the mansion. Silver looked over at Sea Mint as she draped her coat now over her back and moved a little closer, a sudden feeling of strong friendship with her surfacing in his chest. They had just shared their deepest secrets with each other and neither of them so far think the other is insane or weird… or at least he hoped so.
"You seem really calm for somepony that found out her friend is a monster hunter..."
She shrugged and glanced over at him. "Well, I knew something was weird when your father paid me five times my asked rate, and he also never lets any of the maids clean his desk... not to be mean, but he's sorta a jerk..."
Silver chewed on his tongue for a moment, unsure if he should say what was on his mind. The feeling of closeness with her made his mind for him.
"Yeah... he's never been that emotionally close to anypony since my mother left him."
Sea Mint moved closer to the unicorn, now walking only a small hoofs reach away now and gave him a small comforting nuzzle. "I'm sorry to hear that... is she um... dead?"
The stallion shook his head. "No, they just divorced. My mother didn't like how he was... obsessed with his job as a banker for a lot of companies, and well... the whole hunting monsters thing also didn't help."
"Oh..." The green mare replied. "So, do you keep in contact?"
The stallion nodded and smiled. "She gets three cards a year and we write back and forth." His expression softened and his smiled warmed the mare next to him. “I always look forward to her letters… they make my week every time. Would you like to know about her?”
The pair continued on their walk, talking about Silver's mother, a restaurant owner and chef, walking side by side. Sea Mint moved next to him, only an inch between them at the most, and as Silver told her of the time he tried to cook a recipe his mother sent him, she rested her head on his shoulder, now aware that he was a little taller than she was. As they walked, they forgot their hurry, and just thought only of the intimate conversation they were having.
In the confines of his manor office, a middle aged unicorn stallion of deep silver, and his mane a light golden sheen, was enjoying the company of a few stallions, old comrades of his, many of whom he had spent years of his life as an equal, but now he was their superior. That was the way he preferred it.
"And so, with your humble permission, we should try to establish a hold in the Crystal Kingdom. Their position globally could allow us access to the rest of the world." A grey bearded pegasus stallion spoke, his voice dry and almost dry to listen to. The stallion in question was in a red robe, and had a mare far younger then him sitting on his lap, giving him a massage and stroking his mane. The stallion chuckled and whispered something to the mare, and took a swig of a glass of brandy in his hoof.
The unicorn at his desk nodded and took a sip of his own drink. "I agree. However, the princess of that kingdom will be hard to get a council with. Her nobility that she has court with are well established..."
Another unicorn, this one of a deep red and a bright blue mane nodded. "It would, but I'm certain we could persuade one of them to join our 'enterprise.' After all, we have persuaded a few nobles before."
A mare in a maid uniform with a far too short skirt walked by, and the stallion gave her flank a slap, causing the mare to give a small yelp and blush at the unexpected treatment. None of the mares there were going to complain. They were paid to provide entertainment, and to stay silent.
The silver unicorn at the desk was going to respond, but he stopped as the door to the small lounge opened. In walked an older stallion with a well-trimmed grey mustache and a perfectly kept butler uniform walked in, spending only a moment to give a small glance at the guests his employer had before the stench of burning wood, well-aged brandy, strong perfume, and something far less gentle to the nose reached his nose. With a fair amount of his willpower he did not so much as wrinkle his nose at the strong scent, but addressed his boss with a voice with a well-practiced calm.
"A message for you sir. Brother Rich sends it, and says it is of the utmost importance."
The stallion at the desk nodded. "Very well, bring it to me. I hope this isn't an invitation to a hoedown, or whatever Ponyville considers a formal gathering."
The other stallions and the "maids" they were with let out a chorus of laughter as the butler moved across the room, and gave a small scroll to the stallion. He was distracted for a moment by movement near his master’s chair, and caught a moment’s glance of a peach mane bobbing, and in a moment of silence, heard a lewd smack. He refocused his gaze to a painting of the Equestrian Mountains on the wall, and did his best to block out all but his employers voice.
"Seems he has some good news for me after all... my dear ‘maids’ leave me with my colleagues. We have some very delicate matters to deal with."
A few groans of disappointment left the stallions, but the mares seemed indifferent to the matter, and began collecting the empty bottles, and one emerged from the desk. As group left, one bright blue mare gave a wink to the butler as she noticed that he was watching them leave. The butler merely huffed and returned his gaze to the stallion at the desk.
"Shall I send a message to Brother Rich in return then sir?"
Silver Tongue nodded. "In a few minutes. I shall have one for him then. Bring me some more brandy. I seem to be running low."
The aged stallion nodded and left the room, leaving the group alone in the well-used lounge. The door shut with a soft click and the stallions gathered around the fireplace looked to the stallion at the desk.
Silver Tongue read the letter once more and smiled. "I see Brother Rich has made a very important discovery."
He placed the scroll down and looked at the others as they remained silent, waiting for him to explain, if we was going to. The unicorn looked each in the eyes, then pulled out a old carved pipe, packed it with tobacco, and lit it, puffing for a few moments then speaking, in an almost malicious way.
"He has found something we need to hunt, or rather, I wish to hunt. A worthy challenge, and a terror that needs to die. This beast attacked some civilians and is on the run." He took a puff, and drank in a dark enjoyment at the enraptured looks on his guest's faces. "I shall require the best hunters under your command, and I'll need them within the week at Brother Riches home in Ponyville."
If there were any objections, the other stallions didn't make them known, but the annoyed denial on their face's was like a sweet wine to Silver Tongue.
"Now then, leave me, and make the arrangements for my hunters. I have some other matters to attend to."
The stallions gave sideways glances at each other and slowly made their way out of the lounge, leaving the other stallion at his desk alone. The unicorn took another puff from his pipe, and slowly got up from his desk. He made his way over to the fireplace and used a quick spell to put out the fire, and left the room. A small journey through the well decorated halls of his expansive ancestral home and he reached his personal office.
He locked the door before he sat behind his desk, and opened a the large drawer in the middle of the desk, and reached under it, popping the bottom up, and pulling it out. A false bottom to hold something far more valuable than any document of his legitimate profession. In the second drawer was a journal that was as old as his family. The personal tales of the first hunter in his family, and the founder of his order.
My ancestors hunt failed. Looks like some of the beasts escaped their wrath. I shall enjoy finishing their work, and mounting another trophy on my walls. He looked at the manticore skull on his wall, next to the stuffed cockatrice. They were only two of the many beasts he had hunted, and he took joy in their ends. He may have founded the Children of the Rising Sun, but I shall accomplish it's original task.
This book had taught him so much about what it meant to be a hunter, and what the real purpose of his order was. It taught him, with the words of wisdom from an ancestor, what sorts of evils and monsters lurk in the shadows.
He looked at the first page and read to himself. "This is the Journal of Iron Quiver, son of Quick Silver, and I have sworn my life to hunt the beasts that drove my mother mad. The Spiders shall bleed for ruining a noble lady that she was."
He closed the book and smiled at his refection from a nearby window. “Soon, one more will die, and I will make sure none other survives.”
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As the pre-reader, and the guy who convinced the author to write a new chapter, I approve.
~Crystalline Electrostatic~
5037246 Hug this person and thank them for their hard work!
Oh. Mah GAWD.
Dis gon be good
cool to see it back though i do have some issues with it......... largely cause the spider is far too competent and needs to be more vulnerable.
especially zecora cause.......... well she LIVES in the everfree. why in god's name would she not be suspicious of every twitch of leaf.
5037263 oh hey you're still alive.
5037260 That praise is so faint it's downright incorporeal.
5037301 So you're saying to the author to make the spider dude LESS intelligent?
No offense at all intended here, but...that's stupid.
If the author wants his spider buddy to be competent and stuff, he can. If the spider dude is made vulnerable, he's gonna get killed a hell of a lot quickly once the hunter's posse turn up and start causing a loud ruckus all over the damn place.
Also, that prostitute man. I actually did NOT expect her to be one. And that was ind of sick and sad at the same time. His damn father paid a hooker to shag him. That's just wrong, man. That's disrespectful of a mare.
Author, if you happen to read my comment, do me a favor and kill off the bastard father at some point, okay? Give him an ironic death too. I would enjoy that.
Other than that. Keep up your work author!
ITS ALIVE
Heeeeeeeeeeeyyyyyyyyyyy
lookie who's updated 
Been a while
5037517 he is apparently so powerful zecora, who lives in a forset of monsters, cannot detect him and he could possibly overpower a dragon if he wanted........ not a good combination.
not to mention he has it that the spider pony are far stornger than any pony. faster i can understand, stronger than pegasi and unicorns yeah, but earth ponies were seemingly indicated as weaker despite the supernatural origins of theri strength.
normally magical strength trumps natural strength, unless there is a vast physical difference and size difference.
put simply have it that zecora detected him and ti shows more competence, and that he would be not match for the sea serpent and knowns it to show vulnerability and intelligence.
5037613 You are only looking at his traits, and not his situation. He has very little experience in dealing with ponies; essentially making him an incredibly intelligent and overpowered toddler. Not to mention the fact that pretty soon he is probably going to b e curb-stomped a bit by the hunter guys before he can defeat them (with the help of his newfound friends of course).
For those who don't want to read my small word wall: He is strong, but not strong enough on his own to deal with the threats, and he has a hard time making friends who can help him.
~Crystalline Electrostatic~
....I don't like spiders... Buuuuuut- *Takes a deep breath and plunges into the story*
still interested in this monster hunting group. they dont sound on the up and up
5037246 Well than I guess you better get working with that Silver Tongue of yours because I require more chapters.
5038034 I forgot to mention that I convinced him to see it through, not just post one new chapter.
~Crystalline Electrostatic~
I'm guessing that the "drove my mother mad" bit means Lady Silver had a change of heart and tried to convince her family that Guardian wasn't evil. They assumed that this meant he was evil and had brainwashed her. Guardian will discover this at a critical moment, something that was broken within him will be healed, he will get his act together and save the day, liquid pride will be had, etc.
Just a guess, obviously, but it'd be cool if I'm right.
Wait.... I think Fluttershy has no problem with carnivores... in fact, doesn't she feed some?
http://images.wikia.com/mlp/images/7/73/Fluttershy_bringing_fish_to_ferrets_S1E07.png
ITS ALIVE!!!!!
HOLY SHIT! A WILD UPDATE APPEARED!
Finally! Man, and I forgot about this fic, too! I get the feeling Silver and Sea Mint are gonna have their own personal time and put her Cutie Mark to use ;) Love the story, and try to update it soon!
5037613 You DO realize that in the circumstances where he had a brief brawl with another pony, he often took them by surprise? It wasn't so much that he was stronger in those cases but that he had the advantage of stealth on his side.
Not that he's really been going out of his way to actually kill another pony thus far.
And overpower a dragon? I don't think he's going to need to do that, and I doubt he's even that strong. I think the author is only making Guardian as strong as he would need to be to survive in the Everfree Forest, not so strong that he could topple mountains or some crap.
I really don't think the author is trying to make Guardian look like an impossible-to-kill creature. So far I have only seen Guardian challenging wildlife and maybe a few ponies, which he hasn't killed. I highly doubt there's any need for him to take on an army or a dragon or something like that.
And what do you mean Guardian had no weaknesses? Did you say that somewhere here? If so, think of Applebloom. She's his friend, and he seems to hold her in great respect and such. If Applebloom were to be put in danger, Guardian would very likely throw himself into the fray just to protect her, even save her.
I'm not being rude as I type this but I just think you need to examine the story again from the beginning and observe the development of Guardian's character carefully.
Also, Zecora isn't a tracker or anything. I think a lot of creatures would get by her without her knowing, not just Guardian.
5039101 I recall a scene in one of the official MLP comics I happened to come across on Google once that showed her taking interest in two carnivores that were about to attack her and the rest of the Mane 6.
I think she was just standing and smiling over the fact that the carnivores were going to fight each other for the right to eat Fluttershy and her friends.
"Isn't Nature wonderful?"
If you know what I'm on about then that saves me looking for the comic image. But yeah I imagine she does feed some carnivores, though maybe not inside her house?
Seems to be missing a comma after "maids", also, adding the word, "please" before "leave", or "alone" after "me" would help make it sound more natural....
On that note, hmm.... mid-life crisis, anyone? And seems like someone's a little miffed that their wife has left them...
5041772 Whoa there partner, my stable door doesn't swing that way.
~Crystalline Electrostatic~
P.S. You're welcome.
5042305 Okay... I personally prefer trans-spatial windows to interdimensional trap gates, but okay... And you really shouldn't love me in any context, I simply did what any manipulative schemer that is also a hopeless romantic and self-proclaimed philosopher who enjoys reading good fan-fiction would do.
~Crystalline Electrostatic~
Why do I get the feeling that 'Belial' is more deeply connected with the Silver family than we've been lead to believe? Looking forward to more.
Keep up the good work. Deus tecum.
Oh great, a bunch of vigilantes who imagine themselves "monster-hunters" are about to flood into Ponyville. Considering their leader got most of his knowledge from an ancient tome, it's safe to say they don't have much in the way of actual experience.
The Ponyville police chief is about to get one hell of a migraine...
I so hope all this hypocritic idiots die slowly and gruesome!
than
"You see, I haven't been entirely honest with you. I am actually a Monster Hunter."
"Well, I haven't been entirely honest with you either. I am actually a pirate."
"So... You are a pirate?
"Well... No that's not true. I am actually a Call Mare."
"So... You are a Call Mare?"
"No. I am actually a whore."
What an odd way to try urging a son into stallionhood...