//------------------------------// // Chapter 17 - Magic is Friendship // Story: Monster Hunter Pie // by BronyArmitage //------------------------------// Pinkie Pie and Wookie Love stood before the broken carcass of the Zinogre. The Huntress crouched down and picked up her Longsword, sliding it into its sheath. A small sigh escaped her lips, and her hair, though matted with blood, carried a certain buoyancy once more. She scratched the back of her head and looked around the courtyard, there were burnt patches of grass at random intervals where the Zinogre had called down lightning, or its electrical powers had leapt from its body and singed it. A tree was broken nearby, and there was a black, smoldering wood at the split. Wookie had made his way over to Twilight, who was starting to come to. The blow to the back of her head didn't do much for the liaison's health. "Ugh..." Twilight muttered, her eyes fluttering open. Her pupils looked a bit dilated, she had hit the stone wall pretty hard. "What happened?" her question was broken by a shaking voice. "Pinkie just saved your ass." Wookie helped her to her feet, holding her steady so that she wouldn't fall. "That's what happened." the liaison glanced over at the Huntress, her eyes holding a little less contempt than normal. "I think you may want to apologize to her." "No need, Wook." Pinkie piped, approaching the two. "A 'thank you' from her would feel forced and insincere." there was a certain level of contempt in the pink-haired Huntress's voice. "Just let her keep her pride. I just hope you'll remember this the next time you start an Anti-Pinkie Pie rally." she pressed a finger against Twilight's nose, shoving her hands into her pockets as she walked away, humming, Longsword slung across her back. "Damn her." the purple-haired liaison hissed. Wookie just shook his head and let her go. She stood fine on her own, and stomped off in the opposite direction of the Huntress. Wookie turned and followed his partner, Hammer clattering heavily on his back as he ran to catch up to her. "I think you hurt her pride more with that than it would have hurt her to thank you." he spoke as he caught up with her. "I know." came Pinkie's response, a grin plastered across her face. /) (\ The sun peeked over the trees the next day, shining into the dorm that the pair of Hunters shared. Pinkie raised a hand to deter the offending rays of light from blinding her as she rose into a sitting position. She slid off the top bunk and landed with a soft thud on the carpeted floor. She was wearing an oversized t-shirt and shorts to sleep in. She'd grown accustomed to sleeping in armor, so it was kind of comforting to sleep in normal clothing. She scratched the back of her head as she went about her morning routine. After attempting to brush her hair, which always ended in it bouncing into the same position, she would do her morning stretches, though they felt a little unnecessary, seeing as how she wasn't supposed to be hunting things, anyway. Wookie lay in his bed, dead to the world. There was a soft knock on their door, and Pinkie raised an eyebrow, staring at it. She debated on answering it until she heard a friendly voice. "Pinkie, you up?" Lyra's voice rang in her head. Knocking seemed unnecessary if she could just do that, but maybe it was a common courtesy. The Huntress opened the door and stepped out into the hall. There she came face-to-face with both liaisons. One she loved, and one she couldn't stand. "Miss Sparkle here insisted that she needed to talk to you, so I brought her along. I figured I would come with just to make sure nothing happened." Lyra shot a look at the liaison with the two-toned purple hair, before smiling at her friend. "Well? Go ahead, Twilight." "I'm..." Pinkie could tell Twilight was struggling with this, and it amused her. "I'm sorry." she finally broke, and Pinkie had to grin. "That wasn't as insincere as I thought it would be! Good job, Twilight!" Pinkie's tone was jovial. Killing that Zinogre had done wonders for her mood. A small sneeze escaped the Huntress, and a few strands of confetti hit the floor. "Whoops! Anyway, is that all you guys needed? If so, I'm going to get some breakfast." "There are a few more things to discuss, but that can be done over food. Will your partner be joining us?" Lyra asked, looking over Pinkie's shoulder at the sleeping Hunter. His pink hair still stuck in a pompadour shape. "Only if you have a wheelchair. Neither of us have slept good, recently. The only reason I'm up is because the sun stabbed me in the eyelids first." the Huntress said. "I'm going to put my normal clothes on, then I'll be ready to go." she stepped into the bathroom as she spoke, and adorned her normal attire. It was her Academy uniform, which still fit, since she had only graduated recently. It was also the only real article of clothing she owned that wasn't her armor. She checked to make sure nothing was ripped, seeing as how she was not the most gentle person with clothing. Her inspection ending clean, she walked with the two liaisons down to the cafeteria. /) (\ "What did you girls need to speak to me about?" Pinkie asked, grabbing various and sundry foods off the breakfast buffet. There were not many Hunters-in-Training up and about this morning. The Zinogre attack had woken a lot of them, and they'd had trouble going back to sleep. It was no surprise, seeing as how a few of the windows closest to the battle had shattered when the lightning-coated monster let out a roar. "The Guildmasters want you to come in for a hearing." Lyra said in a very matter-of-fact tone, even though Pinkie almost dropped the bottle of juice in her hand. "A hearing? That seems a little extreme." the Huntress spoke, her eyes flicking back and forth between the two liaisons. Twilight looked uncomfortable, but Lyra seemed relatively nonplussed. "I mean, I thought they only did that for Hunters who broke rules or attacked other Hunters..." "They're trying to treat the Alatreon as an extention of your body. They're basically trying to say that the dragon attacking Tanzia was the same as you doing it yourself." Pinkie could tell this bothered her mint-haired friend, as she'd never heard so much venom in Lyra's voice. "It should be an open and shut case, because while they're blinded to what's going on, the Council will not see it as they do. They know that no single Hunter could control such a beast." the last statement made Pinkie's stomach churn, and she wasn't sure why. She put back one of the items she had selected. Her appetite was waning. "So...What do I have to do?" the Huntress asked, and she would have accepted an answer from Twilight at that point, but Lyra piped in first. "State your case. Tell the truth. There is no concrete evidence pointing to the fact that you control Alatreon, or that its actions should be blamed on you. There is nothing they can do except set a date for your suspension to end." Lyra was trying to convince herself as much as she was trying to convince Pinkie, but the look on her face gave no indication of that. Truthfully, she was worried that they would succeed, and her friend would be executed for crimes against the Guild which caused the deaths of several Hunters. "Right. Sounds like a plan." Pinkie said, trying hard to sound positive. She was scared out of her mind, but she couldn't let them see that. "They also said that Mr. Love will be receiving his license back on the day of your hearing, regardless of how things go for you. They acknowledge that he was just in the wrong place at the wrong time." it was Twilight who spoke this time. Pinkie had to give a small smile. At least, if things went bad for her, he would still be able to go on with his life. "So, what day is my hearing?" Pinkie cocked her head, chewing on a piece of toast as she looked at Lyra. "Three hours from now." Lyra's answer caused Pinkie to comically spit bits of toast onto her tray. /) (\ Pinkamena Dianne Pie stood and stared at the double doors before her. They were tall and foreboding. The wood was beautifully polished, and the carving on the door showed a depiction of Celestia and Luna fighting what appeared to be an oversized Rathalos. "You gonna' be okay?" Wookie asked, and she looked at him out of the corner of her eye. "One way or another, I suppose." her voice was shaking as she placed her hand on one of the brushed gold door handles and pushed, stepping into the room. There was a wave of mutters that passed through the room upon her entry. She glanced across the room, noticing all the eyes that fell upon her. It made her a little more than uncomfortable as she walked up the aisle, approaching the podium. She came to a stop at the base of the Guildmaster's podium, looking up at the two sisters, who sat in uncomfortable silence, glaring down at the Huntress standing below them. "We assume thou knows why thou was summoned before us?" Luna's voice boomed across the room. A few Council members plugged their ears. "Volume, sister." Celestia held up her hand, and Luna quieted herself. "Pinkamena Dianne Pie. You have been brought before us today to answer for crimes against the Guild, and the confirmed death of a least three Hunters. At least four other Hunters are missing. These are crimes that are unforgivable. How do you plea?" "Not guilty. Duh!" Pinkie's fear was gone. Something had possessed her and she realized she was tired of being blamed for all of this. "You're blaming me for the acts of a monster? Who do you blame when a monster kills a Hunter in the field? You don't blame another Hunter. Why are you blaming me because the Alatreon attacked Tanzia?" silence filled the room after she finished speaking. There was a string of mutters from the Council's podium, which resembled a Jury's bench. "On what grounds?!" Luna stood up, slamming her hands down on the podium in front of her. Her lips curled into a snarl. "We found you there! And that thing was not attacking you!" the navy-haired Guildmaster pointed an accusing finger at Pinkie. "As soon as you have a point, let me know." the Huntress crossed her arms in front of her chest. "All I can see is that you found me in the wrong place at the wrong time." "The Alatreon claimed that you and he were somehow connected." the calmer of the sisters spoke, Luna still glaring at Pinkie. Celestia's eyes had softened. "That seems incriminating enough. Still, though, I wish to make this trial fair. As a 'guilty' verdict will lead to permanent suspension and possibly execution." the last word made Pinkie flinch. She hadn't even considered the fact that being put to death was a possibility. The trial proceeded, both sides presenting their cases. The tension in the room was thick enough to cut with a set of Dual Blades. Pinkie was fidgeting in her chair, her eyes flashing back and forth between the sisters and the Council. Lyra had spoken on the Huntress's behalf. The mint-haired liaison had made a strong case in her favor, as Pinkie was not allowed to defend herself after the initial plea. Forty-five minutes had passed. Forty-five high tension, stress inducing minutes passed before Celestia addressed the room as a whole. "Will that be all, then?" the Guildmaster asked, scanning the room with her eyes. "One more thing!" a voice echoed throughout the circular room. Twilight was walking towards the podium. Pinkie's eyes got wide as she watched the purple-haired liaison. She had to be here to finalize the decision against the Huntress. This was it. She was going to the gallows for sure. "Pinkamena Dianne Pie saved my life last night. When the Zinogre attacked the Academy, only her and her partner, Mr. Wookie Love, came out to defend the building. They showed more spine than any Hunters I've seen in quite some time. I would also like to point out that, upon review of the report on the attack on Tanzia, I found that Miss Pie stood her ground and attempted to strike down the Alatreon. To no great effect, but she did not stand idly by as it attacked. Also, she was not present when the dragon descended upon the port. I find it hard to think that she should be blamed for such a thing when she wasn't even present." "That was a change of heart." Pinkie whispered to Lyra, who was sitting next to the Huntress. "Saving someone's life will do that." the liaison replied in an equally hushed tone. Another wave of mutters came from the Council, and the Guildmasters looked as though they could spit fire. Though, Celestia was a bit more composed than her sister. "Let's just hope for the best." Celestia raised a gavel, and let it drop heavily, silencing the room. "In light of the new evidence, I would like to allow the council to adjourn to make the final decision on the fate of Monster Hunter Pinkamena Dianne Pie." the calmer Guildmaster spoke, but there was a slight twinge of hatred in her voice. The Council rose and left the room, a cacophony of unintelligible muttering resounding from them. "We will take a recess until a decision is made." she slammed the gavel down again, and everyone rose to their feet, leaving the courtroom. /) (\ They were all summoned in within the hour, and Lyra, Twilight, and Wookie stood outside the double doors. They were standing in silence, staring at their shoes. They weren't paying attention to how much time passed, but the doors flew open after an undetermined amount of time. Pinkie stood in the doorway, and her expression was grim. "Oh no..." Lyra spoke, looking crestfallen. Even Twilight's speech couldn't save the Huntress. Pinkie reached into her chest pocket and pulled out a small plastic care. A grin crawled across her face. Her license, with a 'Reinstated' stamp, glimmered in the fluorescent lights.