//------------------------------// // The Hunter // Story: Lunatics // by GottaLovePinkiePie //------------------------------// The early morning streets of Ponyville buzzed with life, multicolored ponies trotted around from stall to stall in the packed market-place, going on with their everyday life. The sky was filled with menacing clouds, a heavy downpour was scheduled for the afternoon. Blaze sat in an ancient armchair, gazing out at the busy bees hurrying their way through the crowds, eager to get home before the first raindrops. The window was hammering against its frame. The wind grew more fierce by the minute and a hat swirled up into the air, its owner chased after it whilst desperately holding on to a dozen of shopping bags. Blaze's jaw was clenched, he didn't notice. Not that he would care. "Poison Joke!", Blaze angrily thought to himself. "The only plant I recognize, and still I went and picked the damn thing up. Everything is ruined. He hindered a surge to turn a nearby standing end table into ash. Why did he always buck things up? His family, his life, Millie... And now Tricky as well. Her appearance had been the most bizarre strike of luck he'd ever had. Before, he'd even been thinking about quitting. But then suddenly, there she was. His last chance. He shook his head. That luck was gone now anyway. He had already made a bet with himself that she wasn't coming back. About two hours after he'd regained his senses, she'd gone out to retrieve their camp gear. No sight of her since. No use in hope either. His life was useless. Blaze's eyesight flashed red, the end table instantly turned into a pile of ash. "Oh, which way is it again?" Tricky frowned and turned the map again. What way is north? She peered through the opaque wall of rain that surrounded her. She was standing under a large tree in middle of Ponyville, unable to find the hotel where she had deposited Blaze. The heavy gear on her back was absorbing the water, thus growing in weight and size. If she didn't find the hotel soon she would probably be crushed by the tents and sleeping bags. She let out a quick sigh, then, with all her strength, picked up herself from the ground and walked into the rain. She couldn't go on like this for long, flying was not an option, neither was running, the bags were just too heavy. In the distance she saw two white stallions in armor taking cover under a building made out of... Is that gingerbread? It was, Tricky hurried towards it. She was eager to see for herself what this curious building was, but foremost she had to ask somepony where she could find the hotel. As she approached one of the stallions turned towards her. She gave him an awkward smile. "Excuse me, you wouldn't happen to know where I could find The White Horse Hotel?" The guard didn't smile back at her, but answered in a cold, monotone voice. "It's just around the corner miss, just make a right and you're there." "Thank you!" Tricky smiled at both of them, their sulky faces were almost painful to watch. The one who hadn't spoken turned his head towards her. "Say, you do look familiar..." He gave his companion a nudge. "Haven't we seen her somewhere before?" Tricky just stood there, drops of water running down her face and a look of sudden interest and confusion taped across her features. "You know... now that you say it... Yeah, isn't that the imaginary mare you hooked up with yesterday?" he snickered at his friend who immediately turned red and murmured something under his breath. Tricky awkwardly thanked for their help and trotted back into the rain. Behind her the guards were now arguing loudly. "Stop playing around, I'm being serious!" "Yeah right, where did you meet her again? Oh right, in your dreams!" The guard started laughing hysterically at his own joke, the other guard grabbed his friend and shook him. "That's enough, Wind Shield!" He glanced at the disappearing mare, and then, his jaw dropped. "Wind, isn't that the mare?" Wind Shield looked at him, eyelids half closed and a look of complete indifference stared back at him. Then his eyes widened. "Oh. My. Gosh! It's the infamous crazy mafia boss, walking around in Ponyville like any normal citizen. Woooooowww!" He waved his hooves in the air and spoke in a voice soaked in irony. "Please, Hunter, if you're going to make stupid accusations at least try to knock me down with a feather. Pffffft!" His mocking angered the guard named Hunter so much that he seized his buddy's head and turned it towards a poster glued to the side of the house. Wanted alive by order of the Princesses Pegasus Mare, known as Tricky Extremely Dangerous, Do Not Approach Under the text there was a blurred photo of a white mare in a suit. Wind Shield's eyes widened, in genuine surprise this time. "Oh horsefeathers!" Hunter gave him his best I told you so glare, and without waiting for his friend to follow, he sprinted after Tricky. Tricky was now dragging the bags behind her instead. A growing pile of mud was forming in front of the bags, slowing her down even more. She dropped down in the mud and took a deep breath. She had to cough up some water that she'd inhaled. Her eyes watered as her coughing increased. In the distance a white figure approached her quickly. She tried to control her coughs, but they came back stronger and more painful than before. The figure walked up to her, she recognized the same guard from before. "Sorry, I'm just fine..." Tricky managed to say between the coughs. The guard stared down on her with eyes of steel. She had another fit and had to look down on the mud as her body shook. Hunter took the chance to light up his horn and produce heavy chains out of thin air. "Tricky, you are under the arrest for suspicion of accessory to First Degree Murder, treason and plotting against the Kingdom of Equestria and the Royal Pony Sisters..." Tricky's face dug into the mud as Hunter pressed her down on the ground. "Hey?! What are you doing?" Hunter started tying the chains around her hooves. "Everything you say will be used against you, if you choose not to co-operate your situation will only deteriorate." he looked down on the back of her head. "We have got you now, freak." Behind him Wind Shield approached whilst breathing heavily. "Hunter... Not... So... Fast... Phew... You know... I have... Asthma..." he took a deep breath and calmed down. Then he noticed Hunter and Tricky, both covered in mud from head to hoof. "Uuuh, Hunter you might want to let her breathe? It does say alive on the poster." Hunter looked down. Tricky's muzzle was drowned in mud, a blue tint had begun spreading over her face. Wind Shield pushed Hunter away and lifted her off the ground. She spat out a mouthful of mud and took a first desperate breath in what felt like hours. "We're not supposed to murder suspects, you know that." Hunter held his head high and sneered at Wind Shield. "She's already as good as dead, might as well die in the dirt where she belongs." "What?!" Tricky stared at the two guards, eyes wide with fear. Wind Shield tried to stop Hunter, but it was like screaming into the wind. Hunter made a muzzle mask appear and so Tricky was tied up in the mud, unable to move or even squeak. Hunter and Wind Shield began arguing again. It was clear that Hunter was not a normal guard, he was behaving disrespectfully even though he was clearly of lower rank than Wind Shield. Seconds turned to minutes, minutes turned to what felt like hours as the two ranted on. Tricky started to shift awkwardly in the chains. Hunter and Wind Shield didn't notice. "If only you weren't such a joke of a guard, we would actually get somewhere!" Hunter roared at Wind Shield. "Mind your manners, it doesn't matter who it is that we catch, but we do not, I repeat, do not treat them like scum! We are royal guards for a reason, try to get that into your thick skull, deputy Hunter! Now, let's get over with this dreadful business so that I can fire you!" Hunter angrily turned towards Tricky, only to stumble upon the abandoned chains in which Tricky just seconds ago had been trapped. Wind Shield stared into the distance, a disbelief and heart-fallen expression stamped on his face. "I told you!" Hunter's muffled voice snapped at him from the mud. "Oh shut your trap and get after her!"