The Parasprite Project

by GJT_Productions

Inquiry - Prelude

"Cupcake, sir?"

"Thank you, don't mind if I do!"

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Lieutenant Captain Aten rolls his eyes as he watches Captain of the Guard Gibraltar levitate up a cupcake from the tray beside the eagerly smiling Pinkie Pie and takes a bite. Pinkie, along with Zecora, had traveled together (and at Princess Celestia's request, it was just the two of them) to Canterlot to participate in the board of inquiry regarding the recent parasprite infestation of Ponyville. Lieutenant Crispin was also there from Ponyville to testify about the parasprites, but Pinkie Pie and Zecora were the star witnesses. Zecora would speak first, then Pinkie Pie, then Lieutenant Crispin and finally whatever "expert" opinion about the parasprites.

Both Princesses Celestia and Cadance would watch the proceeding, as would Captain of the Guard Gibraltar. The participation of Gibraltar and his secretary meant that Aten would be the ranking officer available for any issues that came up over the morning shift, which as it turned out was exactly what the Agents of Chaos wanted to cover their operations. Beside Aten, "co-conspirator" Lieutenant Amarna was busy processing paperwork, sharing Aten's low opinion of the guests but unable by virtue of his workload to show it.

"These are good cupcakes, where are they from?" Gibraltar asks Pinkie Pie as he takes another bite of the cupcake.

"Sugar Cube Corner in Ponyville, I help the Cakes out baking in exchange for my room and board. I live there because the rest of my family doesn't live in Ponyville." Pinkie Pie replies with an eager smile and chipper tone in her voice.

"Does Twilight Sparkle hang out there a lot, like she used to do with a place in Canterlot?" Gibraltar asks again.

"Sometimes, mostly she stays in the town library though."

"Makes sense, considering what she did in Ponyville..."

"So you're a Captain of the Guard? Must be exciting getting to order all those guards in their fancy armor around!"

Gibraltar chuckles before replying to Pinkie's statement: "It's not as exciting as everypony seems to make it, and I have to always be accountable to the princesses for what I do."

"So both to Celestia and Luna?"

"Indeed, filly."

"I see. I wish Luna was here."

"Nighttime work, remember. Still, I empathize with your desire to see her improvement since she arrived in Canterlot."

"Ah well. You want a cupcake?" Pinkie turns to ask Aten, who had been observing the whole scene with increasing annoyance in his expression.

"No thank you, earth filly." Aten replies with a cold stare.

"Well you don't need to be a grumpy hooves about it, sheesh." Pinkie replies with an eyeroll.

"Don't mind him, filly. He's always like that." Gibraltar states reassuringly to Pinkie.

"We're supposed to be..." Aten begins to object.

"Aten, there's nothing wrong with socializing with young mares. Particularly if they are Element Bearers." Gibraltar overrules with a cautionary undertone.

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"But she's not an Element Bearer, sir." Aten objects again, pointing to Zecora, who had been sitting quietly beside Pinkie Pie enjoying her own cupcake. She had tried to stay out of the conversation, but Aten now decided recklessly to bring her into it.

"And what do you think of the zebra?" Gibraltar asks, which should've been a warning to Aten - a warning that went unheeded.

"An earth pony with stripes and pretensions of magic use." Aten replies without missing a beat, unaware or uncaring that his bigotry was showing in his statement.

Pinkie Pie glares at Aten with unsurprising indignation, but Zecora was more than up to defending herself and after finishing her current mouthful of cupcake replied thusly: "If you are willing to describe me with language rude, then you sir are a stallion most crude."

"What?! Why I oughta...!" Aten exclaims, indignant at the rhyming insult Zecora had just delivered.

"Aten!" Gibraltar warns, reminding the hot-headed pegasus he was in full view of whatever would happen next.

"But sir, you heard...!" Aten objects again, gesturing in Zecora's direction.

"Don't 'but sir' me, Lieutenant Captain!" Gibraltar cuts off. "She is entitled to her own opinions, and I will remind you that she is here because Princess Celestia ordered. If you have a problem with her being here, then I suggest you take it up with the Princess directly. Now, enough of this nonsense, is the paperwork ready?"

"Almost, sir..." Lieutenant Amarna pipes up as Aten's rage rapidly deflates, the rapid scribbling of charcoal pencil on paper filling in for the silenced growls of Aten unable to vent his spleen. Aten gives another glare at Zecora but dares not say anything more.

A tense minute passes, the only sounds being the scribbling on the paper and the quiet murmur coming from the crowd assembling in the courtroom nearby for the inquiry proceedings, before the pegasus Lieutenant finally finishes his papers and uses a wing to transfer them to the Captain. Only the background murmur remains as Captain Gibraltar uses brown unicorn magic to levitate the paperwork and look it over.

"Good enough, that'll do until I get back. No guarantees that won't be before the shift change though. You two are dismissed to your posts." Gibraltar says after finishing looking over the paperwork.

The tension spikes up again as Aten and Amarna do not immediately turn to leave, looking at each other as if debating whether to make any more fuss about Pinkie Pie and Zecora being there. Amarna shakes his head once though, and immediately after that both pegasi turn to leave. Pinkie Pie and Zecora exchange raised eyebrows, then change to looking curiously at the departing pegasi as Gibraltar sighs and rolls his eyes in annoyance.

"Never mind about them, you two. The Princesses are waiting, so let's get going with the proceedings." Gibraltar states, and the lack of objection is indication of approval enough...