Monster Hunter in Equestria 4 - First Quest part 1

>You're rudely awakened from your sleep by the small dragon yelling

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HXPUjmipRN0

>"Whoa. Hey Twi! What is this thing?"

>"SPIKE! That's very rude, Anonymous is not a 'thing', he's a hunter."

>"You mean that thing the princess sent to kill the monsters in the Everfree Forest? AND YOU LET HIM IN HERE?"

>Spike is beginning to hyperventilate

>You stir in the bed, and sit up quickly, still somewhat covered by the sheets.

>You quickly note that the sun hasn't risen yet, and let loose a pillow at Spike's head.

>It connects and bursts, leaving the bewildered sleep depriver with a maw full of down.

>Twilight giggles at his reaction and feathery visage, Spike spitting out and coughing up feathers

"Am I not allowed to be well rested for my first day on the job? I hunt monsters, not dragons, even if some might see you as such. Besides, you seem like a decent little guy, despite the fact you just woke me up with all of the noise you were making."

>"Ya see, Twi? He's violent! And that was one of YOUR pillows."

>You just facepalm, and lie back down.

>You'll find sleep eventually... you hope.

>"And it was worth it to get you calmed down, Spike! It's two in the morning, what were you even doing up to begin with?"

>"I was getting a drink of water. I saw that thing in the guest bed, and wasn't sure what to make of it."

 

>You thrash in the bed a little bit, pulling your remaining pillow out from under your head and placing it over your ear to block sound better

>"What is he anyway, Twilight?"

"Mmm-muhmuhn"

>Spike turns to you, a puzzled look on his face

>"Do what now?

>You pull the pillow off your head with one hand and hold it

"I'm a man."

>"What is a 'man'?"

>You growl, and repeat your pillow chucking performance WITH GUSTO!

"A MISERABLE PILE OF SECRETS, NOW LET! ME! SLEEP!!!"

>Spike is knocked flat this time, feathers flying in all directions around the balcony.

>Twilight no longer finds the pillow chucking amusing

>"ANONYMOUS! Those pillows are coming out of your pay!"

>Your only response is rolling up the blanket you were under, folding THAT into a blocky 'pillow' shape and holding it over your head

>You were too warm under the comforter anyway

>And it's FAR too fucking early for this shit

 

>After a few more hours of sleep, you awaken to a scent coming from downstairs

>You take a whiff, and note the distinct scent of fruit

>You also hear what sounds to be something sizzling

>FUCK YEAH, PANCAKES!

>You quickly head down into the library to see what's going on.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=amesoJcIjGI

>You spot Twilight first, and she seems to be nose deep in whatever book it is that she's reading.

"Good morning, Twilight! Is that Pancakes I smell?"

>"OH, good, you're up! Yes, Spike was making blueberry pancakes to make up for waking you last night. I've also got your first assignment!"

>huh-oh, first assignment

>From what you've heard from other hunters back home, it's always some menial, ridiculous task that could easily be done in a minute

>You're none too enthused about this

>Actually, that's a lie, you're giddy as a schoolgirl

>You're just putting up a tough front infront of Twilight and Spike

 

>You and twilight move into the kitchen, and see Spike at the stove, in a frilly apron, flipping these lumberjack sized flapjacks

>"Hey, good morning, Anonymous! Look, I wanted to apologize for waking you up like that last night. Here, your pancakes are already done, there's syrup on the table and everything."

>You take the plate of pancakes from the little guy and head over to the table

>You cut a piece of the pancake off with your fork, so you can taste it before you start adding butter and syrups

>you spear the piece of pancake with your fork and raise it to your mouth and-

>You stop

>Something's wrong here

>You close your mouth and raise it to your nose instead, sniffing it

 

>There's the distinct scent of blueberries, but there something else

>It smells... bitter

>Suddenly, it hits you

>This little dragon is pulling one of worst known pranks in existence on you

>He's added some powdered Buckthorn berries to your pancakes

>a berry with a well known laxative effect

>You've half a mind to slap that little dragon, but you get a much better idea

>You're going to turn this around and get him in trouble with Twilight, if you play your cards right.

"Hey, Spike. I'm just gonna go ahead and tell you now, I don't really remember much about last night, but I do believe I was acting like a jerk. So, whatever I might have done last night, any aggressive actions I might have taken towards you, I do apologize."

>Brilliant evil mastermind plan is go

>Twilight is nose-deep in that book still

>She's waiting on her stack of pancakes most likely

 

>Let's see how far you can take this

>You pick your fork back up and start to raise it to your mouth

>"...Hey anon, don't eat that."

>Just as planned

"Huh? How come? They look and smell delicious."

>"I, uhh... I think a fly might have gotten into the batter I used to make yours. Lemme just whip you up some fresh ones."

"A fly? That's good protein, you don't really have to bother-"

>"No, Anon, I insist. It wouldn't be right."

"Well, if you insist. I'd hate to impose though."

>"Alright, well... I'll just take these, then."

>He reaches up to take your plate

>You quickly snatch his hand and lean in close to whisper to him

"Let's not add any of those buckthorn berries this time, eh?"

>His eyes go wide from surprise, and whispers back

>"Y-y-y-you knew?"

"I'm a hunter, Spike. I've trained to be able to sense things others may miss. Intuition plays a vital role in hunting big creatures. A prank like that? It shows highly intuitive thought. You might make a good hunter yourself one day, if you ever decide you're tired of being a library assistant."

>"Aww, jeeze. You're not gonna tell Twilight, are ya?"

"Y'know what? No. Not this time. You've actually just earned my respect. Just make me some more of those flapjacks, I wasn't kidding when I said they smelled wonderful. Well, besides the exceptionally bitter scent of buckthorn, anyways."

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3r9GTBgeJuk

>You finish your last bite of pancake, and decide to find out what your job entails

"So whats the assignment, Twilight?"

>"Okay. So your first assignment is just some basic gathering.  The problem is that you're going into the Everfree Forest. It's very dangerous in there, We can't be sure that it's safe."

"Danger is just a part of the hunter's way of life, Twilight. That's why I'm the hunter, and you're the liaison."

>"Gee, you make it sound like I couldn't make it in the Everfree Forest."

>She's staring at you with a sense of contempt.

"I never said that, Twilight. I'm just pointing out that I'm the one who's being sent on these missions, and you're the one sending me.

>"Besides, Twi, you did get turned to stone by that Cockatrice that one time."

>"SPIKE!"

>Her face gains a scarlet hue, you're not sure how that works.

"Cocka-what now?"

 

>"A Cockatrice, Anon. It's a small monster with the body of a wyvern and the head of a rooster. If it catches your eyes with it's gaze, it will mesmerize you into staring at it as you slowly turn to stone. I was... unfortunate enough to run into one one night while going to visit a friend of mine."

>A monster that can turn anything that locks eyes with it to stone?

>Dear Christ, how horrifying.

"Huh. That's a new one on me. So the, uhh... the process is reversable. How?"

>"Nop0ny has discovered magic enough to break a cockatrice curse, Anon. Fluttershy used her stare to make it break the curse on its own. Nop0ny has seen the cockatrice since. We believe she may have scared it off"

"Huh. This 'Fluttershy' sounds like quite the brave and adventurous p0ny."

>Twilight stifles a giggle

>"Oh no, Anonymous. Quite the opposite, actually. She just knows how to handle animals of all kinds, and absolutely will not tolerate her friends being mistreated."

"Bravery isn't the absense of fear, Twilight Sparkle. It is realizing that even though you're afraid, some things are just more important. I stand by my statement, she sounds like a very brave p0ny indeed."

 

>The two of you were rambling

>You have a job and you'd like to know what it is

"Anyway, you said I have a gathering mission, right? So what am I supposed to be gathering out there?"

>"Oh, yes, well. You've got the mission, and 2 optional sub missions. They're straight from Princess Celestia herself."

"Okay, and they are?"

>"The main mission is for you to gather 3 blue mushrooms. It pays 20 bits. It's apparently a new breed of mushroom in Equestria and nop0ny knows what they're used for, or if they're even edible."

"Combine it with a Green Herb and you'll get a weak potion."

>She's a bit surprised with how quickly you pop out that information

>"Well, that explains the first sub mission then. It says you're to gather 3 green herbs. It ALSO pays 20 bits. And the second sub mission is...

>She looks at the paper in horrified disbelief.

>"She can't be serious about this one. Why would she even want that? AND WHY DOES IT PAY SO MUCH MORE THAN THE MAIN MISSION?!!?"

"Oh, come on, Twilight. It can't be that bad, can it?"

 

>"Yes, Anon. It's that bad. She wants you to get her 1 Poison Joke flower. Its pollen brings about very bad, although somewhat comedic results. I've had experience with it. It turned my horn completely limp, limiting my magic. The only cure is an herbal bath. This plant is bad, why would she even want it?"

"Sounds like good pranking material. That's... really weird from a member of royalty. What's it pay?"

>"No Anon, you can't seriously be thinking abou-"

"What does it pay, Twilight."

>"Please, Anon, you don't know what you're ge-

"TWILIGHT SPARKLE, IN THE NAME OF THE 9 LEVELS OF TARTARUS, YOU WILL TELL ME WHAT IT PAYS RIGHT THIS INSTANT!"

>She lets out an exasperated sigh, defeated

>"Fine, Anonymous. It pays 600 bits."

"THANK you. I'll decide whether or not to do my own quests, IF you don't mind. Besides, that one is probably just a prank, like I said. Still, you're right. I will say, it IS odd that she would ask for that, given what it does."

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vcSbyIl_jEE

>"Just be careful with that one, Anon. The Everfree Forest can be a dangerous place anyway, and under the effects of Poison Joke, who knows what might go wrong."

"I'll be as careful as possible, Twilight. Besides, I can use the time I'm out there to gather basic hunting components. Maybe even get some materials to help improve the town as a whole."

>"I'll let Aloe and Lotus at the spa know to have the special bath ready for you should you decide to go after the plant. It's a bit pricey, but you'll more than be able to afford it with the reward."

"Right. Well, I should probably head out, then. This job isn't gonna do itself, afterall."

>You walk over to your trunk next to the entrance of the library and pull out your Iron Dagger and shield.

>You give the blade a practice swing or two, then resheathe it behind your back.

>And then you open and walk out the door, headed in the direction of the Everfree Forest