Swab's tiny hoof scrubbed and scrubbed at a particulary grimy spot of the South Strut's inner deck. Hunched over on his knees, the little pony dipped his rag back into a bucket of water and resumed his soapy assault on the stubborn splotch of metallic red. He paused midway—however—yellow eyes blinking. After a moment of deep contemplation, he realized that the discoloration wasn't going away. The blood stain was simply far too old.
So, with a sigh, he picked up his bucket and carried it towards the next boat welded into the overall body of the Strut.
He was just again kneeling when his right ear twitched to the sound of hoofsteps. A group of stallions trotted by, carrying plumbing equipment and pipework.
“...have any idea when we're casting off again to another shelf?”
“That's up to Skagra and Skagra alone.”
“Well, it'd better happen soon. Digiff won't get off my back.”
“You ever think there's another reason for that besides stress?”
“Hahahaha...”
Just then, Swab's one ear heard the sound of a dull thump. He paused in scrubbing, turning to look. His jaw hung open.
A tiny burlap bag had fallen to the metal deck. A black ink pen was stuck through the top, used to fasten the thing shut.
The object had obviously fallen out of the rearmost stallion's saddlebag. The worker trotted off, unaware of the loss.
“Uhm... sir?” Swab crawled over. He cracled the object in his tiny hooves and held it up. “Sir? Mr. Pipeworker, sir? You dropped... you dropped you...” Against his better judgment, he gave the burlap bag a sniff. His pupils instantly enlarged. Nevertheless, he leaned forward, opening his muzzle to speak.
The stallions trotted off, grumbling and laughing over one thing or another.
Swab lingered in place. Slowly, his muzzle lowered... as did his grip of the bag. He sat there, shivering slightly as he hugged the burlap container tightly to his chest. Looking left... then right... ... ...he abandoned his cleaning materials entirely. On nimble hooves, the little colt bounced and slid his way to a tiny niche between various metal bulkheads. There—slightly sheltered from the baking sun—he squatted low, containing his breaths. He reached in, then pulled the ink pen loose. The rest of the bag unwraveled as if through magic, exposing a pile of brown and white rice.
Swab gulped, and his muzzle watered. His one ear folded back as he held the scrumptious discovery up to his muzzle and prepared to dig in—
“Whatcha hiding there, sea foam?”
With a tiny yelp, Swab fumbled. He twisted the bag shut as best as he could, spun around, and held both it and the pen behind his flank. He found himself immediately staring into the leering grins of two much-bigger colts who had climbed over a set of pipework to loom above him.
“Writing another stupid prayer scroll?” Whony rolled his green eyes. “You know Verlaxion's never going to bring your parents back from the dead, ya little shitball.”
Swab's nostrils flared. “They're not dead.”
“Oh yeah?” Quint strolled forward, his dull olive coat like a smog cloud billowing around him. “Then just where are they?”
“They're... out at sea...” Swab gulped. “Dredging.”
“Pffft... for two years? They're dead, Swab,” Quint belched. “Or else they won't be arsed to come back for a little muckstain like you.”
Swab clenched his jaw shut, glaring at the floor. “You don't know what you're talking about.”
“Oh, and you do?” Whony leaned in, almost shoving Swab over with his green-eyed gaze. “When did you get so smart, huh, Swab? All our parents are dead, sea foam. What makes you so special?”
“I... I... uhm...” Swab cleared his throat, avoiding their gazes. “I-I really need to work for my nibbles today.”
“Do ya?” Quint leaned in. “Why not answer the question, Swab?”
“Huh?”
Quint stopped circling to sneer in the smaller orphan's face. “I saw you, mucker! You're hiding something!”
“I... I-I'm not hiding anything!” Swab stammered, nevertheless sweating. “Honest!”
“Well, that's a shame!” Quint snorted. “Because you have the face of a pony who's hiding something!” He raised his hoof threateningly in the younger pony's muzzle. “Want I should hide your teeth in your stomach for you?”
Swab sighed. “So what?” He glared out two thin eyes. “You always hit me.”
“Hahah!” Whony laughed. “He's got a point there, Q!”
“Shuddup, muckplot, or I'll make ya bloat!” Quint spat aside at Whony, then turned to Swab again. “Guess you can't beat up something that's already less than garbage.” He hissed in Swab's face once more. “Besides, is there anything left in there that's left to cry?”
“Hey, come on...” Swab kicked at the floor.
“Night after night... weeping into your fleas...” Quint faux-whimpered while Whony laughed. “You know, maybe there's just nothing left to hurt.” He smirked. “So maybe I'll knock Croche's teeth in instead.”
Swab gasped. He looked up sharply, eyes darting.
“Maybe I'll make a necklace out of her chompers!”
“Yeah!” Whony added, chuckling. “One for each time this little sea foam has tried being a smug bastard to us!”
“H-hey!” Swab's voice cracked. “You leave Croche out of this! She's got nothing to do with—”
“What?!” Quint shoved Swab onto the deck and stood directly above him, glaring. “She's got nothing to do with what?” He held a hoof out. “Whatever you've got, mucker, hoof it over or I'll make her sleep on a bed of her own broken bones!” He spat. “And I'll tell you you were the reason for it too!”
“... ... ...” Swab gulped. He squirmed, feeling the weight of both the pen and the rice in his hooves. Eventually, with a heavy sigh, he stretched his forelimb... and held out the rice.
Quint yanked it out of his hoof in an instant. Whony bounced up and down, muzzle dribbling. “Knew it. Sniveling little cheapskate. Bet you didn't earn this, either. I wonder what Digiff would think of that! I wonder what Skagra would think!”
“Please...” Swab gulped hard, shivering. “Don't...”
“Hmmmf... you're hardly worth it.” Quint glare down at the small colt. “Still, that's the third time this month that you owe me. By the time we hit another shelf, you'd better be ready to jump through burning pipes, ya shiteater.”
“Hah! By tonight, he's gonna have to be!” Whony said. “Come on! Come on! Share some nibbles, Quint—”
“Rggh!” Quint shoved Whony a few steps aside. “You get only what you deserve, chump.” He took a few liberal munches of the rice and trotted off, spitting up a few loose kernels that fell to the floor. “Good luck sleeping tonight, Swab. You'd better not let me catch you stealing again. I can't protect you every time!”
“Heheheh...”
Swab didn't even look at them. After the two orphans had trotted away, he crawled over to the patch of metal behind their hoofsteps. He poked at the tiny kernels of rice—still slick and slimy from Quint's saliva. With careful brushes of his fetlock, Swab wiped them dry. He then lifted the microscopic morsels to his lips, devouring all he could within the space of a blink. Sighing, he tucked the pen away behind his one good ear and shuffled back to work.
“Mrmmmff...” Digiff sat on a pile of metal crates, scribbling frantically on a clipboard. “Grnnngh... no... no no no! We've been over that part of the shelf!” Snarling, he hashed out a length of pre-written notes and slumped there, seething. A dull crimson sunset bathed in smog and steam over the lengths of Red Barge behind him. “What more does he want me to harvest? What are you holding out for, Skagra, ya half-headed bastard?”
Sweating, covered in filth and stains, Swab shuffled up to where Digiff sat. The colt placed aside his bucket and rags. He took a few pensive steps closer, staring. After several seconds passed, he cleared his throat.
Digiff simply grumbled, continuing to wrestle with his numbers.
Nervously, Swab cleared his throat again.
Digiff glanced down at the pony. “Mrrmmff... and what do you, want?”
“I... uh... I-I scrubbed the southern central Strut, Digiff.”
“Yeah, so?”
Swab blinked. Hard. “I... I-I was wondering if... if I earned my—”
“Dammit!” Digiff cursed through his teeth. “What are they working with down there?! Salad tongs?! I simply cannot afford to replace the digging apparatus again!”
“Uhm... uhm...” Swab bit his lip. “Digiff? Aren't you going to—”
“What do I look like?!” Digiff barked at the kid. “The Barge slop bucketer?! I'm up to my pissholes in backlog, and Nixkit is threatening to wring me by my neck!”
“I... I'm sorry—”
“Are you?!” Digiff frowned. “I walked by the central strut three times this afternoon, sea foam. I thought I told you to get the red out along the lateral deckway!”
“But... b-but...” Swab's eyes twitched. “It's... it's...” He gulped. “The blood's so old, Digiff... and I've only g-got—”
Sneering, Digiff suddenly lunged forth, yanked Swab up by his neck, and slammed him back up against a metal hull. Clanggg!
Swab winced, dangling in the stallion's grip.
“Do not tell me about blood,” Digiff growled. “You do what I tell you and you don't talk back. Do you understand me? There are worse things in the seven seas that could be feasting on you right now, you little shit. And don't you forget it.”
Swab merely sputtered for breath.
Digiff's nostrils flared. Grunting, he released the colt.
Swab fell to his knees, wheezing for breath. The pen slipped out from behind his ear and rattled to the deck below.
Digiff stomped back to his sitting space and continued pouring over his numbers. “Go back to the underbasin, kid.”
Swab shuddered, fought sniffles, and got up on wobbly hooves. “But... but I didn't—”
“You get what you earn,” Digiff grumbled without looking. “We all do. Now scram.”
Swab clenched his eyes shut. He took several deep breaths, reached out, scooped up his pen, then hobbled his way across the struts of Red Barge.
As night fell like a smog-stained curtain, Swab took his sweet time crossing the bridges and ramps to the centeral platform. There—a rusted set of metal stairs led to a lower cabin level. Past streams of cargo nettings, a candle-lit hovel loomed, echoing with dozens upon dozens of little foals' voices.
Swab shuffled along, glancing lethargically at the various crowds of youngsters.
Some of the smaller foals found reasons to laugh and giggle. They chased each other in circles around hollow oil drums and crates full of metal scrap.
In the far corner, Quint, Whony, and a few other older colts sat in a circle, playing cards. A half-eaten bag of rice loomed a few inches away from the oldest pony in question.
Swab's gaze wandered to the right.
Fillies and colts sat in dangling hammocks, having muffled conversations. The stain of sweat, soot, and chemicals hung off their raggedy coats, and each of them had noticeable scars blemishing the flesh where a cutie mark once was... or could have been. Several orphans shivered, squatting tightly around a beat-up sink that had been converted into a crucible for burning scraps of paper. They leaned against one another while a few held their hooves out before the blissfully warming flame.
Swab trotted across the entire interior, heading towards a dimmer side of the cabin, furthest from the door. Here, the air reeked with a pungent odor, and flies gathered close to the rusted ceiling. The foals who sat on the mattresses and hammocks here did so motionlessly, their cheekbones pronounced and their eyes vacant. They stood for minutes... hours at a time, staring at the flickering flame as if it was four hundred leagues away.
The dullness in their eyes floated before Swab like a cloud. Overcome with a tiny wave of dizziness, the one-eared pony easily lost his balance. He stumbled to the side, brushing past a body or two.
“What...?” An older filly spun about, scowling. “Excuse you!” She shoved him with a grunt.
Swab winced, falling completely on his side. Several more fillies laughed.
“Hahaha... one ear and half a brain!”
“Lemme guess, no nibbles again, Swab?”
“Just give it up and bloat already. You're making us all look bad. Isn't that right, Croche?”
Swab shook, struggled, and finally pushed himself back up to his hooves. Squinting painfully, he glanced at the fillies and their bunkbeds.
All of them were giggling—all but one. A pony with a light pink coat and sunken eyes of teal. She blinked dully from where she sat on the top of a dilapidated mattress.
Swab looked back. Then, shuddering, he turned around and hobbled towards the very corner.
In the distance, a brash colt—trembling from hunger—tried sneaking up behind Quint. He reached for the bag of rice, starting to pull it away. Whony glanced over, smirked, and pointed.
Quint spun around—and in a flash he leapt upon the colt, shoving him over. The smaller pony yelped as Quint rushed in, kicking and kicking and kicking him hard in the belly. At last, the colt crawled off, sputtering and whimpering in wheezy breaths. Quint snorted, picked up the spilled rice, and munched on a few of them as he trotted back towards the cardgame and his chuckling comrades.
About this time, Swab had reached a mattress that was raised up on slabs of metal. He crawled onto it, plucked the pen from his ear, then looked the instrument over. Carefully, he eyed the rest of the room, then turned around towards the metal wall behind him. With tiny, prying hooves, he was able to pull one of the outer panels loose. Reaching in, he fumbled around, then eventually produced a scroll of parchment.
Huddling over, he shook the pen, then tested it for ink. A mark blemished the paper where Swab commanded it, and that summoned the first smile in several hours. It was a terribly brief thing. Taking a deep breath, the little colt proceeded to write in slow... deliberate strokes:
Dear Goddess Verlaxion,
My name is Swab. And I am a sinner.
I stole today. A worker—one of Digiff's stallions—was walking across the Barge. He dropped some rice and a pen. I could have given it back to him, but when he walked away, I didn't try hard enough. My mother always taught me that a truth not spoken is just as bad as a lie. Could a gift not given be just as bad as stealing?
Well, it doesn't matter. Quint and Whony took the rice. Because of me, they share the sin now. It has already hurt somepony. I know it because I saw.
I kept the pen too. I know that this is also sinful of me, but at least it allows me to write to you for the first time in weeks. Nixkit is always telling me and the other orphans that Verlaxion hears our prayers, even if we put them down on paper. I don't expect you to forgive me, Goddess. But maybe if I confess my sins and pray hard enough, you will at least forgive my parents... and you will bring them back here... so that they can be safe. That's all I really want. It doesn't matter what you do to me, as long as my parents get to find their way back.
So, here they are. Here are my sins this week. I pray, Verlaxion, that you are merciful after reading about them. I know that nopony else would be...
Poor kid's got a heart of gold...and a body of twigs...and a will of wet noodles.
And here I sit, just wondering if karma is gonna bite those two bullies in the ass for having possession of the missing bag of rice.
Ouch, my feels are acting up.
Well Swab, I think, in a round about way, Verlaxion is going to help you. Her Goddessness has antagonized a certain pegasus to horrible things and at this point I think she'll want to balance her Karma a bit. Don't thank Verlaxion too much though, I doubt she did it for you.
I really just want to hug Swab right now.
So... How long till RD saves Swab from being beaten to death by these kids? I'd say a day or two, enough to allow the Talon to get in the area.
6535999
Karma's name is Rainbow Dash.
6535999 Don't know about karma biting their asses, but I bet RD is going to give them a nice ass whooping at some point.
Meanwhile I'm just sitting here waiting for Dashie to show her face again.
How did a practice like cutie mark denial get created?
Heh... Swab is like.. the opposite of Kera. A soft hearted wimp.
Is Dash gonna teach this poor sod to stand up for himself and those he cares about, or will she coldly push past him like everypony else?
Watch yourself foal... cause for better or worse, once the Rainbow Rogue reaches your home, things are gonna change.
-In the end isolation, hunted by a nation. Utaan.
6536055 This, just this. It's despicable.
Rainbow Dash has betrayed her principles and is no longer heading east in the description. Swab is a pegasus on an east-bound barge and suffering dizzy spells. Swab is new Austraeoh confirmed.
I think the title is a Sound of Music reference.
Ya know, I wouldn't mind RD going all "Loyalty's Wrath" on these fudgenuggets.
Oof, Ebon feels right in the gut.
Only a matter of time before Rainbow Mister Miyagi's her way into the story.
The parallels with Murky continue to pile up, what with Swab having a filly he wants to protect, and a fairly simple method of escapism from his pains and labors that requires something to write with (though in Murky's case it was draw).
So, any bets on how many chapters before Dash drifts into Red Barge? My guess is three more chapters, maybe four.
Jaundice, I assume, but my first thought was chaos.
6536052
6536047
... Yes...
What'll happen first, Swab's starvation or a scene with Dead-Inside-Rainbow?
6536136
Don't think that's going to happen anytime soon.
Harmony nuke in 3...
Though perhaps it is unkind to say, but I certainly can't wait for Rainbow or some other pony, griffon, or dragon, to charge in and cause a probable chaos and flankicking for the majority of these ponies.
6535999 you mean the kid will get ratted out for "stealing it" when those brats get busted with it?
6536136 I think we're going to get a more Seraphimus' wrath.
I'm finally caught up. I really don't know what to say at this point. Rainbow Dash..I know what you had to do to get Fluttershy was meaningful. You'd do anything for your friends. Speaking of which, they just abandoned her right after Rainbow told them that she was dying for peat's sake. What type of friend does that!? Second, Rainbow Dash should of told them the story of the manticore or hinted to the words that Fluttershy told her. That she had to save someone and suffer the consequences because of it, and Fluttershy hoped that Rainbow Dash never would have to experience something like that.
I don't like the long absence of Rainbow. The right claw group are interesting, and I was hoping Rainbow Dash would make friends with them. But the way it looks, just like the monks, their faith is going to blind them to what is really going on. Also, I don't think that Rainbow Dash has lost her principles. There was literally no other way to free Fluttershy without getting into the reed.
If Verlaxion's grace doesn't extend all the way to the muck of Red Barge, maybe her wrath will.
I wont try and predict when we'll learn Swab's backstory, but I'll bet it'll just make us want to hug him even harder.
Luna damn it all, Im really hoping Rainbow or the Talons trash this place.
This poor kid. He really just can't win.
Right in the feels. God, I hope this place burns down soon enough, and that poor colt gets a better life
I'm not sure what's worse. The situation this kid has to live through or knowing that the deity he prays to for salvation is most likely apathetic to his existence.
Either way hopefully somebody comes in and shakes things up. Nothing sucks quite as bad as seeing a child have to suffer.
I'm not gonna lie I'm not really expecting rainbow dash to be doing anything like we're used too in this part of the story based on what we've seen. For every one of the main 6 she gets back she seems to get weaker and weaker and softer and softer, instead of the wake up call to her friends about how this world and journey has been. The first thing they do when they find out the truth is shun her like the luminards who are stuck in their beliefs. Instead of doging rifle rounds from soldiers on the battle field, slaying dragon divines, and just all out flank kicking she can easily be defeated by quite literally anypony. Instead of her explaining and dealing with her journey she is easily led astray by other ponies. I mean I KNOW (very willing to bet) Wildcard is/was somehow hooked up with the Right Talon and they're gonna beat up and capture RD, and WC and Bard are gonna have to save her and she's gonna thank them and turn to their ways (even when she KNOWS they're wrong) and try to go back to being peaceful and respecting every ponys ways because flutter shy will cry if she fights blah blah blah. The Jury would be very disappointed in RD. Still waiting for Roarke to show up and slap some sense into her. Haha now THAT would make things interesting introducing her killer bounty hunter lover to her new and friends and ghost companions, especially with applejack on the horizon (now that would be some situations lol) and providing all the flank kicking we need... A man can dream though right? but I don't think Bard and WC could cut it with the jury or the dark side of the world to be honest, maybe WC could. Don't get me wrong I like Bard and Wildcard as characters but the divide was definitely coming and if/when these characters return it should be on RD's terms and not on theirs (like I'm pretty sure it's going to) I don't know, I guess I was just expecting this to go the other direction, twilight and crew learning about the horrors of the world and what rainbows gone through and doing what needs to get done, Bard and WC learning what's up with Verelax and figuring out the same and getting on board with the journey. Because Rainbow was completely right in telling them and her friends off and somehow I think it's going to make her the "bad guy" and she's going too be doing the apologies instead...which leaves me wondering what's going to happen when they get to the dark side of the world? Will going back to her harmonious roots help her against the waiting monsters?! We shall see!!! But other than that rantish run-on paragraph I love the chapter and am digging these new characters and am eagerly awaiting the next chapter and the return of Rainbow Dash!
6536201
Yeah, three or four seems about right.
Both should be Digiff, right?
I guess Swab's existence isn't quite as bleak as I'd thought. Good to know he's got a friend even in this hellhole.
6536510
Welcome aboard.
6536510 Welcome aboard the Luna Ninth, hope your feels barrier recharges quick.
6536521 inb4 Swab becomes Dash's new morality pet.
Come on kid. Stab those bullies in the eyes with your pen and share the rice.
Well, kid, salvation comes in two forms: by praying to those who listen - or by listening to yourself.
6536047 As so often. They pray for justice to gods and never seem to realise that the ones that deliver it will always be men and women - or well, in this case, horses.
6536055 In ancient cultures, slaves often had to shave their heads - to rob them of individuality. Helps dehumanizing them and keeping them down.
Forcibly removing cutie marks?
You cant have any nightmares, if you dont have any dreams.
I want Dashs history to catch up with her as she approaches Verlaxion, as Rourke and Crew grinding her way in from the West, like Langoliers.
Would make a nice Goblin Battleship name that.
Langolier. Obliterator Of Enemies.
6536510 Welcome, Friend, to the Lunar 9th. Enjoy a free bowl of Cheerios to complement your Feelios.
Congratulations, Crochettail. Your wish has been granted.
"won't be arsed" - correction - "can't be arsed"
swab is a real feel-maker but that poor digiff fellow seems quite in a pinch right now, I hope he can make the numbers and his superiors expectations agree on at least something.
what is this sorcery?! we only got a glimpse of her but I already wanna know more about this "Croche" filly!
Ah, what a lovely little pit of squalor.
From what they've said before, Red Barge is actually part of a prefecture. Meaning it and all the other little hovels they've talked about are effectively part of Rohbredden. All those aristocrats and bureaucrats sitting pretty in their frosty estates know goddamn well about the suffering of these poor bastards, and they choose to ignore them, exploit them and extort them. As Skagra said in chapter three, Verlaxion doesn't love seafoam. And I've lost any respect I'd have for the Rohbredden higher-ups.
I get it, they've got their isolationist policies, the colonialists are fiercely independent, et cetera. I'm not saying they should go Vilcheez and invoke the Tidal Accords, but how do they sleep at night knowing this is where their wealth is coming from? I hope the Rainbow Rogue shatters their glass towers and they all die of hypothermia. Metaphorically speaking.
No wonder they've got random bandits tearing up their towns every other week.
6537224 EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE JOY EVERYWHERE
Poor Swab, it's a pretty tough life to live especially when there's not much hope for his parents returning or things getting better.
While everyone else is hoping Rainbow Dash is going to come and save the kid from all these bullies, I predict she will only encounter him after the Talons have begun their purge of the unbelievers on their hunt for Rainbow - leaving him as a survivor on the barge. It would be an ideal setup to have Swab join Rainbow's party, and bring Rainbow back to a more harmonious side as she would have to show kindness and take care of him.
Will Rainbow Dash appear in this book at all? Will there be Whinnyhelm screams when she does?
Calling it now - Swab's parents are Bard and Wildcard.
6538038 This. So much this.
6538024
I would say yes.
6536319 1...
zastavki.com/pictures/1280x800/2009/Photoshop_Nuclear_explosion_016547_.jpg
6538291 It's always awkward when I have to explain a post.
It was an Appledashery reference. I posted that exact video two days ago over there.
6536047
Best comment under this story so far.
6537031
I laughed way too hard at this.
Also, even though we've only got her looks for now, I'm liking this filly. Let's hope both her and Swab join RD.