The Hunter’s Trek

Chapter 2: The Artist

The next three days went by without rest. Twilight had been dragged away in the morning by one of her friends to a ‘Welcome Back from Your 56th Foalnapping’ party and really had no time for a break.

The town had found it commonplace by this point that they started making a betting pool on which group had gotten to her this time.

On the second day of her return, she had her weekly report to the princess she had to write. Nowadays though, the only things she would write was information about the ponies who foalnapped her.

It was early the next morning that Twilight received a visitor to the Golden Oaks Hotel.

She was walking down the steps to the lobby, as she does every morning to check-in, where she spotted a man in a dark overcoat, a few pouches decorating it, but nothing else. Loong at his head, she noted that his short, dark brown hair was not even reaching his forehead. A new haircut maybe. His clothes were bland and a light shade of brown. The pants he wore almost reflected the colour of his hair if only a shade lighter. His boots were covered in mud, from the Everfree no doubt.

He was bent over, a leather-bound book on his lap as he drew some sketches onto the pages. As he heard Twilight’s hooves upon the wooden floor, he lifted his head up and turned his attention to her. A smile plastered itself onto his face as his eyes lit up in recognition.

“Morin’,” The artist greeted as Twilight came over and sat down on a pillow across from him.

He looked back towards his book as Twilight searched around the lobby for a certain dragon that definitely was not in his bed sleeping in again. “Where’s Spike? I thought he’d be cooking breakfast today.”

The artist looked back up and around for the young drake, who did seem to be missing. Then he remembered the short encounter he had with Spike when he first arrived in the early morning. “Right. Young lad said he’d be off sorting out the few books in the library section, just off that ‘a ways.”

Twilight turned her gaze to the far side of the lobby, where the library had been kept relatively the same since the renovations and heard the soft clicking of claws upon wood as Spike moved around.

She took the time she had to look around the place she called home for two years now. But, during that time, Twilight had noticed how much the small town was lacking in accommodations for any visiting ponies. So, she took it upon herself to request a renovation to the Golden Oaks Library, which had somehow been approved, to fix that problem.

It was unfortunate that nopony actually came over to the town for more than a day’s visit.

By the time the new hotel was finished, the tree more resembled that of a redwood tree than an oak tree. But it seemed wrong to change the name more than it had to be, so the name forever remained as Golden Oaks.

As for the interior, it had changed the most. Due to much of the construction happening above ground, Twilight was forced to live in a tent outside. It wasn’t all that bad at all, if she was to be honest. She quite enjoyed spending some time outside, her telescope just within reach so she could do some stargazing and her friends occasionally coming out for a small sleepover around a campfire made by Pinkie, who somehow managed to keep it from burning down the tree.

So far, at least on the ground level of the old tree, the only large-scale changes was in the lobby. Some bookshelves were either removed or were moved over to the library section of the hotel, because what place should not at least have a library. The centre table had been moved to a corner with a lounge for any waiting to be dealt a room. There was now a desk towards the back of the room, which barely has anyone there, but will be used when the time comes. There were a few stools and cushions here and there, mainly next to the few remaining bookshelves in the lobby, where pones could sit and read or pass the time with a friend or family member.

The library portion of the hotel was one of the ones that was barely changed on the ground level. In fact, the library is the only reason Twilight’s getting any income at all. The room had been spaced out a bit to make room for all the books that were being moved to that room. A lot more shelves were added and there was also a small desk on one side for checking out books, and a few smaller desks meant for resting a book on, or for note-taking, if the need arose.

The kitchen was probably the least bit altered during the renovations, not much needed to be changed besides the extension of cooking appliances for large amounts of guests. There was even a trolly to help with any deliveries, when and if it was ever to be used. But it was always welcome to wake up in the morning with the smell of breakfast being made. Much like right now.

Twilight did a double take.

“If Spike’s sorting out the library, then who’s using the stove?” Twilight asked slowly, confusion clear on her face.

“Oh, right. I went and grabbed some fresh slabs of venison and chucked it on the stove for a while,” the artist replied.

“Ah, alight then…” It took Twilight a second to remember just what venison was, and when she did she nearly screamed. “Wait… What!”

Twilight shot to her hooves and ran to the kitchen, hoping that her fears were wrong, and her ears were telling her things. Though, when she made it to the stove, those hopes were dashed as, true to the artist’s word, a slab of deer meat lay frying in the pan.

“Oh no, oh no, oh nononono. Why is there deer meat in my house!?” Twilight panicked as the artist had quickly moved to follow her after she left.

“Calm down, Sparkle.” He tried to calm her down, but it was all for nought as she started hyperventilating.

“CALM DOWN!? How can I be calm when there’s meat in my pan and an animal pacifist as a friend!?” The artist failed to get her nerves in check as bits of her mane started to stick out in different directions. “Ohhh, want if she comes by today? What if she’s on her way right now!?”

“J-just calm down and hear me out. Besides, it was raining in the Everfree and I sure as heck wasn’t about to start a fire in the middle of town.”

“What about Zecora? Surely, she would have let you-” Twilight was trying to reason with him, only to get cut off halfway through speaking.

“Except she decided to leave for a month’s trip to gather some native herbs around the country. And trust me, Fluttershy is still asleep and she ain’t coming by anytime soon.” Twilight, at this point, was really starting to freak out. So much so that she started to rabble on and on about what-ifs. Some like ‘What if she decides to come over early?’ or ‘What if she comes over for a random check on the owl family?’ But, before the artist could put a voice on any of this, the sound of claws hitting wood at a fast pace reached his ears.

Spike rushed inside the kitchen, drawn out of the library by the commotion happening within the next room. By the time he got past the doorway, Twilight was continuously mumbling to herself as the artist was trying to calm her down and tend to the venison in the pan, making sure it would not get burned, or set off the fire alarm.

“What’s going on? Why’s everyone screaming?” The voice of her number one assistant broke Twilight out of her mumbling, if only so she may answer his question.

“Oh, Spike, good. You’re here. Quickly, we need to get rid of this-” She turned to look at the pan, only to find the slab of deer missing. “Where did it go?”

She turned just in time to see the artist about to finish the remains of the steak. Stopping mid-bite to address the unicorn staring at him in bafflement. “What? You sad we needed to get rid of it, so that’s what I’m doing.” He continued to eat away at the steak as Twilight nervously shot looks between him and the window, hoping above all else that Fluttershy would not decide on an early morning visit.

“Eh… well, I’m going to go finish sorting the books…” Spike nervously left the kitchen, and its two occupants, as Twilight noticed a pony heading towards the door and, in her frantic state, neglected to process who it actually was that was coming towards the door. She barrelled her way over to the door, getting ready for all the apologies she was about to make to, whom she assumed was, Fluttershy.

“Ya know she barely reacted last time she’s was here, right?” the artist called as he followed Twilight out the kitchen. “Last time all she did was faint once she found out what meat it was. So just calm down, please.” Twilight quickly whipped her head away from the door, looking to address him.

“Exactly! Which is why I don’t want to worry her again! I don’t want to be seen as a bad friend!” While the two of them were arguing, they had not noticed the door opening to reveal a white unicorn mare, with a royal purple, well-kept and curled mane tail under its frame. Her blue eyes looking in the hotel with worry.

“Why would she think the steaks were yours?! You’re a flippin’ herbivore!” the artist shot back as they continued to argue. His face then contorted to a blank stare as he looked Twilight over. “Yer still new to friendship, aren’t ya?” – He held the bridge of his nose and shook his head slightly – “Don’t usually take yiz this long…”

Twilight’s face changed to one of confusion, before she decided to speak up again. “What’s that sup-” She was interrupted by the mare at the door cleared her throat to catch their attention.

“Terribly sorry, but I’m not interrupting anything, am I?” The mare asked, confusion and worry clear on her face.

“Oh! Rarity! No, no not. Just, ah, some light arguing?” Twilight spoke, long quite sheepish. She collected herself before addressing her friend properly. “So, what can I do for you?”

“Right…” Rarity said, not convinced at all. She decided to leave it for now and get back to why was here to begin with. “Anyway, I have come for your help, Twilight. You see, I came across a new gem cave recently, and I came across an odd-looking gem. I of course now the dangers of enchanted items, but it just could not be ignored, so I may have brought into town with me,” Rarity said as she herself started to look a little sheepish of her actions. “But I have it with me and was hoping you could understand what this gem was.”

Twilight beamed at the chance to study a potentially magical item. Maybe it was even an artefact from Old Equestria. “Of course! I’d love to check it out for you!” She looked around for the aforementioned stone but couldn’t seem to find it. “Where is it? I don’t see it anywhere.”

“Ah, right. It’s right here,” Rarity answered as she held up a square of fabric, that was held in a way that was reminiscent of a string bag, in her magic. It was clear there was something inside, most likely the gem, that weighed the fabric down to the earth.

“Alrighty then, I think I’m off then. I’ll see you lot around, maybe tomorrow, maybe not. See y’all later. Good night!” the artist called as he left the hotel and headed out of town.

Out of instinct, Twilight raised her hoof and called out to him in farewell. “Good night, Edmond!” It was then that she realised what she had said, and the fact it was still morning. Knowing it was to late to fix her mistake, she just shrugged her shoulders and lead Rarity into the hotel to get started on her tests for the mysterious gem she brought her. All the while, Edmond Khan Carter walked towards the Everfree forest. To hunt, rest or look for the many secrets of Equestria, nopony new, but they had their rumours of this hunter’s trek.

Author's Note

These first two chapters are a bit of an introduction to the story, and the protagonist. And, since this story is just me writing for fun, chapter updates will be quite irregular, so I make no promises as to when they will be done and posted. But bear with me, all I can promise is that they will be posted.

Other than that, I hope you all have enjoyed it so far and enjoy what is come.