Monster Hunter Pie

by BronyArmitage

Chapter 1 - Mistakes Were Made

Pinkie disembarked, lugging her trunk behind her. Despite the weight of the thing, she seemed to move it with ease. Rumors were abound that Hunters were not like normal people, but Pinkie never felt anything but normal. All eyes in the village were upon her, but she had an idea of who she was looking for. Her clear, blue eyes wandered over the denizens of Moga Village(Mogans, Mogaians? She'd worry about that later), until they settled on an older gentleman sitting on a barrel, and chatting up a cute girl with mint colored hair, and a dress to match. Pinkie had a feeling that the girl was who she was looking for, since she bore no resemblance to any of the other residents. Where they wore earth tones, she was bright and stuck out. She was Pinkie's kinda' person! So, the fledgling huntress made her way over to the girl and the elderly man.

"Well, well. Seems to be my lucky week." the man spoke. His words were bright, but his face and his eyes gave him the look of a man who had really seen the world, and that the world he had seen was not always sunshine and rainbooms. Pinkie already knew that she was going to learn a lot here. She dropped her trunk with a loud thud and smiled brightly at the two of them.

"Hello! My name's Pinkamena Dianne Pie! But you can call me Pinkie! All my friends do!" she extended a hand towards the girl with the mint colored hair. As the girl turned to face her, she noticed that the mint had a streak of white running from the to of her head to just over her left eye. Pinkie noted it as an odd design choice and wondered if it was natural. "Oh! I almost forgot! I'm the new Hunter that was assigned to this village! I just realized I may have given the impression that I was some super creepy lady with a penchant for introducing herself to strangers." the girl with the mint hair had to suppress a giggle.

"I knew who you were, Pinkie." the girl extended her hand and shook vigorously, smiling. "The Guild informed me you were en route. I'm Lyra. Lyra Heartstrings." Pinkie returned her smile, pleased that she hadn't seemed like some weirdo. "I will be your Guild liaison and overall informant on all things to do with Hunting here in this uncharted territory. Thank you so much for volunteering to come out here. After my last fiasco in Pokke Village, I wasn't sure they would let me resume my work." her eyes look downcast. She, however, brightened quickly as she introduced the man she had been speaking with. "This is the village elder, Mr. Lane!" the older man smiled at Pinkie as well, shaking hands with her.

"People just call me 'Thunder', or old man around here. Either of those work for me. Glad to have you here, Pinkie." she retuned the smile as Lyra spoke up again.

"Alright! Thunder can answer any questions that you may have about the village or its residents. It may be a better idea for you to go talk to everyone yourself, Pinkie. First, however, let's get you settled into where you'll be staying while you work here." with a smile and a wave to Thunder, they walked towards the vacant house near the town center, Pinkie, trunk in tow, trying to keep up with Lyra. "Have you gone through the manual and all that boring stuff, yet?" Lyra asked her as she pushed open the door to Pinkie's new home. The pink haired girl dragged the trunk through the door and into the corner of the room, next to her bed. She let it drop with another heavy thud, then turned to Lyra.

"You kidding me? I could have wrote a manual on that boat ride. It felt like it took forever." Pinkie sounded as if she was recalling a horrific torture upon her being. Lyra chuckled.

"It was only a five hour ride." she said, waving a hand to dismiss Pinkie's negativity. "Now," she clapped her hands together. "The Guild has not sent me any formal jobs, yet. I believe it's because this island lacks the proper facilities. However, between you and the rest of the villagers, we're going to make this place into a honest to goodness Hunter's paradise!" she grinned broadly and Pinkie could feel her enthusiasm. She couldn't help but return it. "Now, equip yourself with whatever you see fit from the box, then go meet the villagers. After that, we'll see if we can't get you on the road to being a top-class Hunter!" with that, Lyra took her leave, giving Pinkie the privacy to get changed into her gear. She adorned the full set of leather armor, which was still a little stiff. It was brand new, so that wasn't much of a surprise. She'd have to break it in before trying to fight while wearing it. She adjusted the goggles on top of her head, her bright poogie-tails blowing in the gentle breeze that came through her window. The place just felt very homey to her, despite the noticeable lack of confectionary smells that she had grown up with back home. At long last, she drew the Switch Axe from the bottom of the trunk and grinned, holding it above her head. It was heavy, but not unwieldy. She swung it with unfettered grace behind her, and clipped it onto her back. It took her a second to get used to walking around with this thing attached to her. After a few laps around the room, she felt marginally more comfortable. She patted down her pockets and checked to make sure she had all her other stuff ready. She clasped the handle of a small knife and had to draw it from the small scabbard on her back. It was shaped like a kris dagger, and she took a moment to remember what it was for.

"Oh!" she piped up, realization dawning on her. "My...Carving knife..." she paused and stared at it. She looked a bit green. She had remembered this part of the academy. She also remembered barely getting a passing grade. Cutting things up was not her best talent. How she wished that her Cutie Mark would have been something having to do with chopping up other creatures. No. She was the person people came to when they wanted a party planned. Oft times she wondered how she ever ended up becoming a Hunter. She shook the doubts from her head. She could worry about that later. For now, she had a village to meet.

She stepped out into the sunlight, basking in its warmth for a moment before starting her rounds. Walking to the left of her home, she noticed what appeared to be a bar. A small barrel was set up on the side closest to her and was clearly made for sitting, but the other side was vacant. She examined the other side of the counter. She observed a large grill and various and sundry cooking utensils. Seasoning jars were scattered about the floor, as if the place had been abandoned in a hurry.

"Huh..." she spoke plainly, slightly surprised at the scene before her. She noticed Lyra, working at a counter not far from where she was standing. "Hey! Lyra!" Pinkie waved, getting the liaison's attention. "What's the deal over here?"

"Well, there used to be a chef who worked there, but after this last earthquake, most of them seemed to have abandoned ship." Lyra looked slightly annoyed. "I'm hoping they come back soon. I'm not much of a cook."

"Oh..." Pinkie had started to notice how empty the village was. She's made her rounds, meeting with the fishmonger. A nice enough lady with a bold attitude. She had pulled Pinkie into a tight hug upon hearing why the young girl had to come to their village. The strength behind the woman's hug made the Huntress wonder why she wasn't out there dealing with the monster problem. This woman was built like a brick shit-house. Pinkie smiled and waved to fish lady as she made her way over. She noticed that the Felyn that brought her here was not returning to the mainland. "Hey!"

"Hello, Miss Pie!" there was that thick accent again. "I was instructed to stay here and transport you around as needed. Once you've made some progress as a Hunter, I'll be able to take you to Tanzia Port where you can really...Uh...How do you say; get your hands dirty?" he gave a sheepish grin, not sure that he had used the right term. Pinkie smiled and nodded, which made him feel more comfortable. "Oh! Madam! I forget to mention. My name, it would be 'Neko'." the Felyn took a bow as he spoke. Pinkie gasped.

"We spent five hours on a boat together and I didn't even catch your name?!" Neko noticed the look in the girl's eyes was akin to someone being stabbed in the kidney. He waved his paws in front of himself rapidly, trying to dispel her look.

"Nonononooooo! No worries, madam!" he spoke quickly, almost sure he saw tears forming in the Huntress's eyes. "Pay it no mind. Minor detail that Neko forget to mention. Madam looked busy reading. Neko did not want to disturb her." Pinkie nodded, wiping her eyes. "There. No tears." he wondered how often that was going to happen. She waved and parted ways with the Felyn.

She made her way up a set of stairs and looked to her left. She could see what appeared to be a shop and a smithy right next to each other.

"Ooooooohhhhh!" her eyes sparkled as she made her way over. From time to time, the little things would remind her about why she decided to do this for a living. The intricately crafted armor and weapons was one of those reasons.

"Good afternoon, darling!" the girl behind the shop counter spoke as she dressed up a mannequin in her latest shipment. The chain mail gleamed in the afternoon sun, and Pinkie was taken in by the way it sparkled. "Welcome to Rarity's Rarities. Lovely name, wouldn't you say?" her eyes fluttered and Pinkie noticed that this girl was much better groomed than anyone else in Moga, including herself. Her violet hair curled delicately at the ends and her clothing was nothing short of incredible. Seemed like an odd person to be running a shop that sold things to aid in the slaughter of horrible monsters, but who was she to judge? "My name is Rarity." the girl continued, completely unhindered by the look on Pinkie's face. "Owner and operator of this fine establishment. What can I do for you today, darling?"

"Oh! Um..." Pinkie had to take a moment to remember what exactly she was doing. "I'm the Hunter who was assigned to this village. My liaison, Lyra, told me to go around and get to know everyone." she smiled, scratching the back of her head nervously.

"Well, then!" Rarity clapped her hands together. "Allow me to formally welcome you to our little piece of paradise!" the girl seemed genuine, but Pinkie almost felt like she was being put on. A sophisticated lady like Rarity would never find a place like this remotely close to "Paradise". Pinkie, however, returned the girl's genuine smile and Rarity spoke up again. "I'm the vendor of all things a hunter needs to survive out in that big, terrifying world. However, since we were just recently added to the Guild's jurisdiction, the shipments have been rather...Ugh...Pathetic." she looked downcast by sharing this bit of information with someone, as though she was blaming herself for this. Pinkie was about to attempt to comfort her when she seemed to cheer up again. "However! Not all hope is lost!" she gave a wide smile. "If you can make a name for yourself, I'm sure the Guild will increase their shipments to us! And, should you manage to retrieve the parts you need, my father's shop next door is in charge of the crafting. He is a prestigious member of the Wyverian Guild." she spoke proudly, and Pinkie was all the more excited to meet this person. She gave Rarity a smile and wave and made her way next door. A short, stocky man with a large hammer was tending to a fire. His brown hair had started to gray in some areas, and his face was lined much in the same way that Thunder's was. A man tempered by this harsh world. Pinkie could scarcely believe that this was Rarity's father, but she introduced herself all the same. The response was not quite what she had expected.

"You the new Hunter?" his voice was harsh, and he didn't bother to introduce himself. Pinkie nodded, letting the hand she had extended in a friendly gesture drop to her side. "Then why are you just standing here?!" his eyes narrowed as he watched the Huntress recoil slightly. "What? Expected everyone to be thrilled to se-" he stopped his harsh words quickly, noticing the weapon she carried. "My girl...Would that be a Switch Axe?" his voice had gotten much gentler, but Pinkie only nodded, afraid her words might bring forth another torrent of rage. Instead, he let out a guffaw. "So, those high and mighty Guildies finally pulled their heads out of their asses, huh?" he asked jovially. "I'd been trying to push that thing on them since we discovered the ancient text back in Pokke Village!" Pinkie was dumbfounded by this change in attitude. "My dear girl, I cannot overstate my joy to see you carrying that thing. Years...Years I spent perfecting that design! Just to have it thrown back in my face because it was 'too dangerous'." he made air quotes. "Seems like now that Luna is back to help with the Guild, they're getting their edge back. Now, you get out there and kill something and you report immediately to me!" he shouted, pointing to the bridge leading out of town. Pinkie jumped in surprise, then saluted, taking off top speed across the bridge. She was not ashamed to admit that the artisan had frightened her. Everyone else had been so nice!

"What have you gotten yourself into, Pinkie?" she asked herself, suddenly realizing she had run onto a different part of the island. She turned around, seeing the village was quite a ways away. "Wow." she turned back and walked to the edge of the nearby cliff. "Oh, my..." she stared in awe at the landscape before her. She could see a herd of Aptonoth below her, drinking from a stream the flowed from a waterfall. She was sure she heard the call of some kind of bird wyvern, but couldn't place the species. Maybe it was something that only lived on this island. She listened to the sounds of the ocean with a slightly disgruntled look. She'd heard enough of those sounds in the past day to last a lifetime. It was something she would have to get used to. even though she, in no way, found it soothing. Just then, she felt the ground start to shake. She looked around quickly before a sudden, vicious earthquake threw her off balance and she lost her footing, taking her first dive down the cliff. "Shiiiiiiiiiiii-Oof!" she bounced off a branch protruding from the rock. She reached her hands out to try and slow her descent, digging her fingers into the cliff wall, but only succeeding in tearing up her new gloves. "Well..." her voice was far too collected for someone about to reach terminal velocity. "This was a short-lived adventure." in the next instant, she found herself hitting the water, she was too busy trying to stop herself, she hadn't noticed the small body of water beneath her. She quickly swam for the surface and exploded up onto a small patch of dirt next to the pond. Gasping for air and hacking the water from her lungs all at the same time. "That was sufficiently horrible." she spoke to herself. She heard an odd chirping and raised her head, water dripping down her face. Her eyes widened as she came face-to-face with a creature that was clearly of the bird wyvern family. It's pink scales matched her hair, and she marveled at it for a moment. She noticed gentle footsteps coming from her right and she looked over, seeing another approach. This one had shrunk down into a striking position. "Clever girl..." a smirk spread across Pinkie's face as she got rapidly to her feet and spun around, grabbing the hilt of the Switch Axe with her right hand and swinging it in a massive arc, the weapon unfolding as she clicked the button at the base of the hand guard. She noted that a hand guard was an odd feature for an axe to have, but wrote it off as a design flaw. The movement had surprised the two monsters and they took a few steps back. Pinkie's left hand grabbed the hilt, bringing the weapon to bear. She was surprised at how light it felt when it wasn't compact.

One of the monsters stood up a bit taller, letting out a loud cry. A few others had appeared from various crevices and caves in the surrounding area, and Pinkie soon found herself in the middle of a pack of these things. Something was different about her, though. She had a glint in her eye and a smirk on her face. Completely opposite of the girl that had run from Rarity's father out of the fear of inducing another outburst from the old man. This was Pinkie in her element. The Huntress. This was what she had trained for tirelessly. It was time to put it all into practice. She clutched the Bone Axe tightly as the first creature leapt at her.

Her movements were smooth, practiced. Like watching a musician play their instrument, she wielded the axe as though she had been born with it. She made a low rotation and clipped the airborne monster's legs, sending it spiraling past her as she finished the strike by embedding the unfurled blade into another one's skull. As she removed the blade forcibly, she accidentally rotated the hilt of the weapon. All at once, she felt the thing in her hands start to change. The axe blade slid down, folding over to make a sword tip, followed by an additional blade emerging from what had once been the shaft of the weapon. The hand guard made sense, now. This thing had some kind of innovative "sword mode". She was taken aback by how this completely changed the function of the weapon, and she noticed an odd glow. Noting it for later, she remembered that she was in the middle of a group of hungry carnivores. And Pinkie was the only thing on the menu. As she swung the axe-turned-broadsword to the side, she easily removed the legs of one of the others pack members. At this impressive display of violence, the rest of the pack scattered, having noticed that their fallen brethren had failed to harm the girl. She panted lightly, a few beads of sweat dripping off her forehead before she collapsed to her knees.

"That's right!" she yelled defiantly. "Run! Maybe next time you'll think before you mess with the Pink...Ie Pie!" she wiped her forehead, still clasping the hilt of the Switch Axe in her right hand. She realized how sore she was from that last fall. The three monsters lay in dead heaps around her. That's when she heard someone clapping to her right.

"Good show, girly. You must be the new Hunter!"

Author's Note:

Prologue was short. Figured I'd put up the first chapter, too. The weapon she's using is called a Switch Axe, but the model is the Bone Axe.

Comments

[The-darkevil101]

Damn, damn, damn!!

I HATE fics where pinkie wins in a fight!

*sigh*, that's what I get for curiosity though...

[doompownr]

2396426 die.