Sighing, Piper sat in the gym, wishing that her legs were better. Oh, they were healing, but they weren’t healing anywhere as fast as Flicker, who had spooky-fast healing. His stitches had been removed yesterday by Doctor Sterling, who was baffled enough to take photographs. The past few days had all been ones of intense study, after spending two nights at Doctor Sterling’s house, where Lentil Pakora had spoiled her and Hennessy.
Her eyes, which were not in her Equestrian history book, looked over at Hennessy, who was going back and forth, trying to leap over a four foot section of wall. It was much harder than it looked, he kept smacking into it, banging his legs into it, and sometimes landing stomach first on the wall. In time, she supposed, that would be her, and no mercy would be spared because she was a filly. This is the price one paid to become a hero; blood, bruises, and bumps. It was a small price to pay, because here, she could learn magic. Real magic. Turn a monster inside out and make him explode magic. But this sort of magic had to be earned. And earn it she would.
All in due time.
In an open corner of the gymnasium, Flicker and a pale whitish-grey pony named Moonlit Gambit were sparring, whacking more at each other’s swords than each other. Each collision made a terrific ‘THWACK!” sound and the two heavy wooden swords had to be quite sturdy to hold up to the abuse. Watching them, she realised just how big Flicker was, as Moonlit was one of the older students, about a decade and a half in age, almost an adult, and Flicker was just about as big as Moonlit.
This lead Piper to conclude that Flicker was going to be a big one. Hennessy on the other hoof, while of good size, was on the delicate, slender side, and with each passing day, seeing him around other ponies, she could not help but notice how much more… fillyish he was in his proportions. She was beginning to understand just how self conscious he was, and why.
Sighing again, Piper shook her head as she thought of yesterday, and the incident. In an oral recitation about plague history, one of the older students had whispered the word “queer” behind Hennessy, setting off a chain of events that had ended with Mister Balister bashing the older colt in the mouth with volume E of Encyclopaedia Equestria over and over until the colt was a bloody heap on the floor, and the entire time Mister Balister shouted about respect, spitting out each word while driving his point home with the book, explaining the violence that might happen because of a single, careless spoken word.
Then had come the speech about courtesy and its importance around a group of such well-armed and capable types, ponies that excelled at extreme violence. Courtesy was the glue that held everything together, good manners and proper etiquette kept well trained soldiers from killing one another, or, as Flicker liked to say, “Civilisation maketh equines.”
Her studies forgotten, she watched as Flicker and Moonlit sparred. She was curious as to what Flicker had been up to with Wicked; he hadn’t said anything, not one single word, other than mentioning that he had gone off to Baltimare on guild business. Flicker and Moonlit were circling one another, moving with slow, cautious steps, and their swords clashed in heart-palpitating flurries of beautiful, purposeful violence.
Flicker didn’t have a lot of magic, hence the wand, but he was more than capable with his telekinesis, which Piper admired. She supposed that more capable wizards might give a haughty sniff and look down on ponies like Flicker, but she knew better. The smartest, most capable wizards cultivated friendship with ponies like Flicker, and then kept them close. This was how wizards lived to a ripe old age, gaining wisdom to go along with their power. At least, this is what her book, So You Have Magical Ambitions had suggested.
She knew from conversation with Hennessy that Flicker was The Doer, and in time, she could send him to do what he did best. It was all a matter of command and having a good and proper flunky. Having a good flunky was one of a wizard’s greatest assets, and a capable flunky was to be treasured and adored. Flicker was her best possible candidate.
Sucking wind, Hennessy crashed to the floor and then did not get up. He lay there, soaked with sweat, his sides heaving, his earth pony strength having abandoned him. He waited for a stinging swat from Mister Balister’s swagger stick, but no such blow came. Relieved, he kept sucking wind while laying on the cool, smooth floor.
“Mister Gambit, if you would please come over here,” Mister Balister said, his voice commanding and cool. “While Mister Walker is resting, I think a demonstration is in order to inspire him. Miss Pie, do come over here at once.”
Hennessy lifted his head as the others drew near and he wished that he had some water. If he drank it right now, he knew that he would just sick it up in his current state, but that wouldn’t stop him from drinking. Piper sat down just a few feet away, and Flicker stood nearby, holding two wooden swords, slashing them through the air.
“What should I demonstrate?” Moonlit asked.
Looking thoughtful, Mister Balister did not reply right away. He shifted his weight from his right side to his left side, then back to his right side, and then replied, “A single backflip off of the four foot wall, if you please, Mister Gambit.”
“Righto.” Grinning, the pale colt made an effortless leap to the top of the four foot wall, which was only about six inches wide. He stood atop it, balancing with ease, and then in a stunning move of dexterity, he backflipped from the wall, somersaulted through the air, and landed on his hooves.
“Now, Mister Gambit, an explanation as to why this is important,” Mister Balister commanded.
“Balance is everything. We might fall, we might get flung, and in our work, we regularly make leaps from high places. Being able to reorient in the air, knowing which way is up or down, and being able to land upon our hooves is paramount. It could mean the difference between life or death.”
“Very good,” Mister Balister said, offering a little dry praise that lacked much in the way of enthusiasm. “Mister Gambit here was in the sewers of Manehattan a while back—”
Moonlit Gambit groaned and shook his head as he backed away.
“ —and in a stunning display of gross, cretinous levels of ineptitude, he slipped while walking across some pipes slick with sewage condensation. Had he recovered, he might have landed upon some pipes just below him, but due to his complete and utter failure, he ended up dunked in a river of wastewater and he went for a swim. He hasn’t smelled quite right since. It is the putrid stench of… failure and it is my most sincere hope that he grows to loathe it. Perhaps some ridicule might condition him to hate that stench as much as I do.”
“I’m never going to live that down,” Moonlit muttered as his ears drooped in shame.
“No!” Mister Balister gave Moonlit a hearty swat on the neck with his swagger stick and the colt didn’t even flinch. “You will not live that down until you redeem yourself and take steps to ensure that sort of gross incompetency never happens again! You might have died, and your poor sweet mother might have sobbed at your graveside, her and your father living the rest of their lives regretting that their inept son bungled his life away and drown in a river of shit!” To make his point, the cranky older pony brought his swagger stick down twice on the same spot on Moonlit’s neck, and on the second blow, Moonlit flinched, his ears pinning back as Balister snarled.
Moonlit whimpered, not so much from pain, but from the idea of his mother mourning his death. That hurt more than anything, and his eyes almost began to water as he thought about it. His mother, Lady Gambit, was a good and gracious mare, sweet, caring, and lived a life of public service, throwing parties to raise money for charitable causes. The idea of making his mother cry hurt more than just about anything Moonlit could think of. She had raised him to be selfless, giving, and self-sacrificing in his service to others.
“One hundred backflips from the four foot wall, you disgusting shit-swimmer,” Mister Balister demanded of the glassy eyed colt on the verge of tears. “NOW, BEFORE THE WEAKNESS SPILLS OUT YOUR EYES!”
“Right away, Mister Balister, glad to do it, Mister Balister,” Moonlit replied as he rushed to comply.
Hennessy, fearing reprisal, felt a question that needed to be asked. He could feel it on his tongue, like a bitter pill, demanding to be let out, and his body twitched as he thought about the possible lashing he might get. Still, the question remained, and Hennessy desperately wanted an answer. He pulled himself up into a sitting position, turned to Mister Balister, and then summoned as much courage as he could.
“Could I see a demonstration of what you can do when you leap from the wall?” Hennessy asked as Moonlit landed with a clatter. “I only ask so I can see what I need to aspire to. I mean no disrespect.”
Mister Balister’s response had a surprising amount of gentleness and graciousness. “I would be glad to show you. So few students ask for a demonstration, they rush into it thinking that they know everything. It is a rare occasion that I get a chance to show anypony how it is done. Most would rather learn the hard way and I am all too willing to oblige them as they smash face first into the floor.”
Beaming, Hennessy felt both relieved and proud. Moonlit paused his in exercise to watch, and Flicker put his swords away. Piper, her legs sore, sat down beside Hennessy, and together, the apprentices watched as Balister began to limber up, all of them with eager faces and perked ears.
With an explosion of movement, Balister went streaking away, his close cropped mane and tail bobbing, and his hooves clattered over the floor. He moved with the fluid grace that came from thousands of hours of practice and a lifetime of living his skills. Away he lept, soaring through the air towards the eight foot wall. With ease, he landed on the top edge, standing on his two front hooves, doing a neat hoof-stand, with his hind hooves straight up over his head.
Laughing, he did a flip, launching himself straight up with his front hooves, and then he landed once more on top of the wall, and it was obvious to anypony watching that the older stallion was being playful—having fun on the job—and he showed off a little by standing on one front hoof. He did a few one hoof pushups, touching his nose to the top of the wall, and then, standing on his two front hooves once more, he lept backwards away from the wall.
In the air, he did six full backwards somersaults before he landed on all four hooves, but he wasn’t done. The second he landed, he sprung away, cartwheeling on two legs, he rolled around the room, heading for the six foot wall, and standing on his hind legs, he lept to the top, doing a neat little flip on the way. He landed atop the six foot wall, standing on his hind hooves, clapped his two front hooves together, bowed, then lept away again. In midair, he changed direction, twisting about, and did a front facing flip.
He landed on his right front hoof, balanced, and not even breathing hard.
“All of you will be able to do this in time,” Mister Balister said in a calm voice that didn’t have even the slightest bit of strain to it. “It will be like second nature to you. You will learn and your muscles will gain memory.”
“Doctor Sterling moved like that when the rats swarmed me.” Piper’s voice was a low whisper.
“Yes, and had you some training and experience, you would have been able to save yourself by leaping away, getting to a place that the rats couldn’t reach you,” Balister replied, still standing on one front hoof. “Or just going from place to place, never staying in one spot long enough for the rats to swarm you.” He dropped down to all fours once more, and with a look of concern and worry in his eyes, he approached Piper. “What happened to you is regrettable. I know for a fact that the good doctor blames himself for what took place. You will now live your life with some awful scars, which is a tough thing for a filly your age to face down. My suggestion is, use it to motivate yourself. You know what the pain feels like, make certain that you never experience that pain again. The pain of training is far preferable. In this life, we have the glorious option to choose what sort of pain we experience. It is magnificent and all of us should revel in this bounty of choice we have been given.”
“Yes, Mister Balister.” Piper nodded her head.
Then, the soft concern in his eyes melted away with a flash and was replaced with benevolent cruelty. He slapped Moonlit on the neck four times and barked, “You lazy shit-swimmer! Get to work! Give to me what I am owed!”
What was Moonlight doing in Manehatten? I'd think they would have their own guild.
7794205
Training exercise. Bigger sewer system.
This caused me to sigh contentedly. Well done.
"Since", I think.
7794205 From the sounds of it occasionally the branches help each other. Also occasionally the need ponies with special skills
H'YES!
CMC!
Also, holy shit, Balister.
Good luck with that, Piper, Flicker practically has a waiting list of groups that want him as an asset.
Fancy moves.
I kept waiting for Hennessy to smell something off about Moonlit.
The more I hear from Piper's inner monologues about power, the more I go 'she's going to turn evil, isn't she? And have no idea she is.'
7794276 I get that feeling off Flicker too sometimes. Reckon they'll probably turn out ok though, Hennessey will help keep them grounded, and the Weedverse is about positivity.
There was something about this chapter, I don't know what, but it forced me to reflect and realize something about Flicker Nicker. It's a queer thing, really, I don't know where it came from.
But I realized, in a moment of incomprehensible clarity, that the aptitude and enthusiasm that Flicker has for killing rats is really only matched elsewhere in fiction by the aptitude and enthusiasm that Cpt. Willian Joseph Blazkowicz has for killing Nazis.
Anyway, food for thought.
7794328
Weird. Flicker was a background pony this chapter.
7794276
I think she will turn out more lawful neutral, if not lawful good. Her friends/henchmen will help keep her on the straight and narrow.
7794335
In terms of actual listed alignments, I actually have these written down!
Piping Hot Pie: Neutral Good.
Hennessy Walker: Chaotic Good.
Flicker Nicker: Lawful Neutral.
For anybody reading this, have fun with this knowledge and make of it what you will.
7794331
I know, right? I can only suspect it was born out of the previous chapter, and a casual wonder at a meeting between Flicker and Hennessy's father, and even that isn't a very good explanation.
Oh well, don't mind me.
7794355
A meeting between Flicker and Hennessy's father would result in a terrible, terrible beat down as Hennessy's father discovers that some foals can't be intimidated nor beaten down. It would be painful and end with many, many broken bones.
7794316 I suspect that somewhere in there is where the ponies who have redeemed several villains may well become involved, before the two of them end up going all Starlight Glimmer on everyone. (OK, OK, different flavor, but Lawful Evil has certain, err, similarities...)
Then again, I may very well be all wet.
7794368
I rather think that's the whole appeal of the thing, Mr/s Haiku.
7794381 I hadn't thought of that, and although I think the mane six will likely be too busy dealing with the events in the other stories to take a direct hand, they still may well be involved somewhere.
7794491
I don't even know what is going on here.
7794368
What, no fire or farm equipment?
7794509
Being Lawful Neutral, Flicker wouldn't want to kill him.
It seems that throughout the Galaxy everyone is on a Quest to turn a monster inside out and make him explode!
7794498 Can you be more specific about what I've said that's confused you? Sorry, it's possible I've horribly misinterpreted something someone's said.
7794512 Mistakes were made.
7794522
The whole conversation. I don't even know where to begin. The assumption that Piper is evil.
Damn, Balister does not mess around.
Also, ah yeah CMC~!
7794540 I'm not assuming Piper is evil, I'm seeing evidence that, like most (if not all) people, she has some tendencies that may lead her down a dark path if not curbed, lust for power is dangerous, even with the best of intentions. I do reckon that these tendencies will be naturally dealt with by her association with her friends, as well as her inherent morality.
Or at least, that's what I was trying to communicate, sorry for the confusion. I can't speak for anyone else.
7794540 The gist of my thinking was not so much that she's evil - she's pretty clearly *not*, indeed, she might have the most "good" leanings in the D&D sense of the three - but rather her thoughts have the kind of trajectory that occasionally leads to turning into the type that does the wrong thing for the right reason. But, that in all likelihood, given all those she has around her (including, in extremis, the Mane Six, which is where I was going there), that'll get ironed out long before it ever becomes more than a faint ghost of a problem.
I can't speak for the other folks involved, of course. I'm not certain at all that we were on the same page. Then again, I rarely am, as it were...
7794555 Given both our responses, it does look like we were on the same page, even if we disagreed on a couple of details. At least that suggests I didn't completely botch my Communication roll and spew out a load of gobbledegook. Happens often enough.
So...the key to ending discrimination based on sexuality is to beat the perpetrators bloody. Makes perfect fucking sense.
First off, let me just say that the older colt was wrong here. He shouldn't have said that and he deserved punishment for that. I know the phrase "violence begets violence" is often over used and not even that well because in some situations knocking out the bully would stop the bullying because bullies are often cowards, but for fuck's sake a teacher just beat one of his students senseless-in fact bloody, so likely broken teeth, bruises, and a broken jaw isn't too unreasonable to assume. This just doesn't seem like a remotely reasonable solution, and one that I think Mister Balister should suffer the exact same treatment for. There has to have been other ways, hell I'd say a single good punch would have been all he needed-knock the older colt out, shock him, maybe get him to think, but beating him with a god damned massive encyclopedia bloody is too fucking far.
I suppose this might work on some and discourage others, but if that colt is of a particular personality type I've met in real life-they type to hold a grudge for years, all Mister Balister accomplished is created an undying hatred for Hennessy who, considering they're all part of the guild, could potentially lead to a loss of life someday. Imagine a situation even where even that colt is peripherally involved and his hatred overrides his duty, and Hennessy ends up devoured by a swarm of rats alone in a sewer because that colt couldn't be bothered to open up the manhole cover a few seconds faster.
Now, before someone comes along and responds to this, realize I'm not calling kudzu out on whether this is morally right or not. I'm just looking at this character in universe and how in my opinion this was a mistake and not taking kudzu's exact feelings on this matter. I realize kudzu has a lot of gray areas in his stories from time to time or things aren't especially clear-which is rather nice to have something that doesn't spoon feed me everything. Just in universe I think Mister Balister is a fuckwad who deserves to be knocked the fuck out one or twice.
7794771
Yet, this kind of discipline has existed for eons and has held armies together. There is a reason why so many follow the Spartan and Roman military model, even now to this day.
I'm not defending it, because I see many flaws in it, but the world has used this model of behavioural conditioning for over two thousand years now for a reason.
It works.
7794555
That's essentially what I was saying too. She's got a lust for power - but so far, what's balancing that out is that we don't really see *why*. That's where the danger is. And I do assume that Flicker and Hennessy will have the sense to keep her on the straight and narrow.
Explaining, or ironically demonstrating
where'd you find his missing molar? It was under E :p