//------------------------------//
// Chapter 14: Things get Worse  
// Story: Humphrey Dinklehuegen and the Talking Horses 
// by Unwhole Hole 
//------------------------------//

	Fluttershy and Trixie sat on a cold metal table in a white, chilly room lit by oppressively bright fluorescent lights. Their manes and tails had been shaved to a fraction of an inch to make wands out of, and they were both shivering from fear and from the unusually low temperature.   
“What- -what do you think they’re going to do to us?” asked Trixie.
“I think we both know what they’re going to do to us,” responded Fluttershy. 
As she spoke, the locks on the heavy door near them clicked. They both clutched each other in fright.
“I’m never going to see Starlight again, am I?”
“It doesn’t look like it.”
A wizard stepped into the room. He was so enormous that he had to duck to get through the door. His head was completely shaved, and his dark eyes were sunken in a dark, sharp-featured face. He was wearing a stained apron and carrying something threatening as he slowly inched forward toward them. 
Fluttershy squeaked and closed her eyes. Trixie gasped and sputtered as Fluttershy squeezed the air out of her. She continued to hold on until she felt an enormous, calloused hand gently pat her head. 
“Aww,” he said in the most bizarrely out-of-place voice Fluttershy could possibly have imagined. His voice was still male, but unusually high and soft. “You’re trembling! You don’t need to be afraid!”
“Y- -yes, I do!”
Through her partially closed eyes, the saw the man take a knee so that he was eye-level with her. “Come on, tiny horse, you can trust me. I’m a certified veterinary phlebotomist. I know what I’m doing.”
“Phle…phlebotomist?” 
Fluttershy partially opened her eyes and saw that the “threatening object” he had been holding was in fact a butterfly needle, some tubing, and several small vials, the exact same thing she would see at any doctor’s office. Trixie seemed to see the supplies as well.
“So,” she said, “You’re not going to hang us upside down by our feet and- -”
The wizard got pale. “What? No, why would you even- -whoa!” He took a seat on a wheeled stool that almost bent under his weight. “Oh no, just the thought of doing that to you two adorable little ponies makes me queezy.”
“Are you going to pass out?” asked Fluttershy.
“No, no,” he said, calming down. “I just hate the thought of hurting animals.”
“We’re not animals!” protested Trixie. “We’re ponies!”
The wizard blinked, clearly not understanding. “Oh,” he said. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to be insulting.” His eyes fell to the cold aluminum bench beneath them. “Wait, they didn’t even give you blankets or anything?”
“No,” said Fluttershy. “They just shaved us and…and…” she wiped a tear from her eye.
“Aww, don’t cry,” said the wizard. “I’m really sorry. And a little angry. I promise I’ll talk to Mr. Lancaster. But…” He put on a pair of gloves and got the needle. “If you don’t mind, well…”
“You can’t have Trixie’s great and powerful blood!” protested Trixie. 
“Aww, don’t be like that.” The wizard reached into a paper bag he had brought and pulled out a cookie. “I have biscuits and orange juice for when you’re done.”
Trixie began to salivate. “Cookies, you say?”
“Yes. They’re peanut butter flavor. I made them myself.”
“Peanut…butter?” 
The wizard nodded, smiling.
“Well, Trixie certainly does want a cookie. But it had better not hurt.” She extended one of her front legs, and the wizard went to work. He was indeed experienced at his job, and after a few seconds Trixie winced and a silvery fluid began to fill the first of several vials. 
“Um,” said Fluttershy. “Excuse me, Mr. Wizard.”
“Otto,” said the wizard. “Otto Bartereus Kynd. And what’s your name?”
“Oh, I’m Fluttershy.”
“And I’m- -ohh- -Trixie,” said Trixie.
“Are you feeling faint? I can stop and come back later if you want.”
Trixie shook her head. Fluttershy continued. “Well, I hate to be a bother, but…” She spread her wings. “I’m not a unicorn. I’m a Pegasus pony.”
Otto stared at her wings. “So you are! I don’t know how we missed that. I mean, you don’t even look like a unicorn!”
“Finally, somebody actually noticed,” said Fluttershy. “So…do I need to get my blood drawn?”
“Well, no,” admitted Otto, “but I think we should get some anyway, just to check the chemistry and make sure you’re healthy. Is your family prone to diabetes?”
“Diabetes? Oh no. Just everypony around me. For some reason.” 
“Well, we’ll check anyway.” He sighed. “Because, well…I don’t know how to say it, but you’re never going to leave here again. I’m sorry.” 

The warehouse had what could be best described as a basement. It had originally been intended as a kind of storage area for supplies relating to the operations of the warehouse- -pallets, forklift parts and repair tools, boilers- -but had since been modernized. It was now filled with a significant amount of equipment, most of it related to the processing and manufacturing of various goods and products. The equipment did not simply consist of obsolete wizarding cauldrons and buckets and so forth; it contained a number of parts pinched from the best universities of the country, including centrifuges. 
It was here that Trixie and Fluttershy’s blood had been processed, validated for purity, and in Trixie’s case packed on anticoagulant and enchanted ice in an aluminum briefcase that Eugene Lancaster now held. He was not alone. Beside him sat Gisla, her eagle-like head held higher than his despite resting on her haunches. Maggie and Liu were also in attendance. Eugene would have preferred more of his employees to surround him for the sake of safety, but Liu was the only one brave enough and Maggie the only one easily cowed enough to actually come. 
“So,” said Liu, crossing her arms. “They say this guy is pretty tough.”
“Shh,” said Eugene. “Don’t talk, if you can avoid it. We’re already not on good terms with him, and we need this to go off without a hitch.” 
“Well, as long as Mag doesn’t pee herself this time.”
“Hey! Who told you that?” protested Maggie. 
Maggie’s embarrassment was almost immediately replaced by fear as the room suddenly became silent and cold. A dark mist seemed to seep in from beneath the centrifuges and supercold freezers, and then it condensed and resolved. The tall Death Eater Rott emerged from the void.   
He paused, standing perfectly still. He made absolutely no motions. Even though everyone in the room could hear his breathing, his chest did not seem to rise and fall. The only element of color on his person came from the threatening red stone on his chest, and everything else was black and silver. Maggie nearly urinated again, but Liu stepped forward.
“Hey,” she said, even as Eugene motioned for her to get back with his eyes. “So. You really are a Death Eater. Super cool. Are you guys recruiting new members? Because if you are, I’m totally willing to join.”
Rott did not respond for a long moment. Then, just when Liu was about to repeat herself, his masked face slowly turned toward her. He did not speak, nor did his masked face produce any expression- -but the atmosphere of the room seemed to shift. Even Liu felt it, and she took a step back. “Sorry,” she mumbled, returning to Maggie’s side. 
The Death Eater slowly turned back to Eugene. “My…blood,” he rasped. 
“I have it,” said Eugene. He stepped forward and opened the case. Rott stared into it for a moment, and then reached out with his long, gloved fingers and removed one of the several small vials. He looked at the tiny glass cylinder and the almost luminescent silvery substance within. 
“Validation,” he demanded.
“A- -a report,” said Maggie, presenting Rott with the laboratory testing parameters of the blood. Rott just stared at her.
“Eez not what he means,” said Gisla. She snapped her claws. A door on the far side of the room opened, and Fluttershy and Trixie were led in, both on leashes held by Otto. “Az you can see,” said Gisla. “The blood has indeed been extracted from a living unicorn.” 
Rott stared at the pair of ponies, causing them to become as nervous as everyone else in the room. Then he spoke. 
“Only one,” he said, putting the vial back in the case. “There are two….unicorns. Blue one…and white one.”
“We only managed to capture these two,” said Eugene. “But the supply is more than adequate- -”
“Need. MORE.”
“We can’t take any more,” said Otto. “She’s already bordering on anemia, it would go against the protocol- -”
“And trust me,” said Trixie. “The Great and Powerful Trixie’s blood is indeed both great and powerful, as she is. You probably don’t even need that much.”
“NO,” hissed Rott, silencing them both. “Blood from TWO unicorns. Was promised…blood from TWO unicorns.”
“We will be able to produce more soon,” said Eugene. “With the unicorn in our possession, we can produce an unlimited amount.” 
“NO,” said Rott. He went silent again. Then he turned to the ponies, causing them to recoil in fear. He raised a finger and pointed at Fluttershy. “Bring her…to me.”
“I don’t think- -” started Otto.
“Just do it,” said Eugene.
Otto grimaced, but then acquiesced. He brought Fluttershy forward.  
The Death Eater stared down at the yellow mare, and then spoke directly to her. “I need…the blood of two unicorns. I was promised…two unicorns. Where is the other?”
“Oh,” said Fluttershy, shaking. She then spoke to herself. “Be brave, Fluttershy. Be. Brave.” She took a deep breath and stared directly into Rott’s face. “I’m not going to tell you anything!” she said.
Rott paused. “Yes, you are.”
“No! You’re being so mean to us, I don’t have to tell you anything!”
From his robes, Rott drew a slightly corroded wand. “So…be it.” He raised the wand and pointed it at Fluttershy. “Crucio.” 
Fluttershy screamed and fell over, convulsing on the floor.
“NO!” cried Otto, rushing forward. “Don’t!” 
Gisla reached out a claw and held him back. In his haste, he had released Trixie, but she could hardly run. She just stood, watching in horror, on the verge of being sick. She found she could not move. The look in Fluttershy’s eyes was just too much.
Rott maintained Fluttershy’s agony for several more seconds, and then lifted his wand. The spell terminated, and Fluttershy was left lying on the floor, breathing hard and sweating.  
“Now,” said Rott, slowly. “Tell me where the white unicorn is.”
Fluttershy muttered something in response.
“Louder,” ordered Rott. Fluttershy muttered again. “LOUDER.”
Fluttershy lifted her head and looked into the inky pits of his eyes. “I said: MORE.”
“Crucio.”
Once again, Fluttershy screamed in agony and fell onto the floor, shaking and twitching. This time, though, Rott held the spell for much longer. After nearly a minute, he released it. By this point, Trixie was pretty sure she could see Fluttershy smoking.
“Oh YES!” said Fluttershy, moaning not with agony but with pleasure. She rolled onto her back. “Yes, Rainbow Dash!  HURT ME! I’ve been such a bad, bad pony! Punish me, Rainbow Dash, PUNISH ME!” 
“Wait, are you enjoying that?” said Trixie, simultaneously confused and mildly disturbed. “I’m confused now. Is that what the spell’s supposed to do?”
“No,” said Maggie. “It’s supposed to be the worst pain you’ve ever experienced! It’s been known to make wizards go mad!” 
“Worst?” said Fluttershy. “Well, clearly you’ve never spent time in Twilight’s extra-special castle dungeon. But honestly, I think this would work better if you put some blinders on me. And a bit. And a really, really tight saddle. And some rubber boots. And then hit me in the cutie mark with a riding crop. That might get the information out of me. Try that.”
Rott just stared at her. “This is…unanticipated. But not insurmountable.” He drew his wand, but instead of pointing it at Fluttershy pointed it at Trixie instead. Trixie gaped and started to try to run, even though there was nowhere to go.
“Cruci- -”
Gisla moved surprisingly quickly, swiping her claw across Rott’s face with enough force to knock his mask away and to interrupt his spell.
“Gisla!” cried Eugene. “What are you doing?!”
“That is one of the last two unicorns in existence!” she growled. “She is priceless! I will not allow a genetic inferior such as yourself to jeopardize our company’s future!”  
The blow had not apparently injured Rott, even though it would have been strong enough to do significant damage to a normal person. He slowly turned his head back. When the group saw his face, Maggie cried out in fright.
“Holy duck,” gasped Liu in simultaneous amazement and fear.
It was quite obvious that Rott was not alive. His skin was sallow and gaunt, with several patches of mold covering the otherwise dry and yellowed surface. Both of his eyes were sunken and blind. With his mask removed, it was clear that he was an inferi. 
Slowly, he raised his wand. His mask was drawn toward him, and he caught it.
“You would…do best to forget what you have seen,” he said. His mouth- -which was sewn shut- -did not move. Rather, the magic that animated him seemed to produce sound externally. 
The atmosphere distorted again, and several more identical Death Eaters arrived. Each one wore the same mask, robes, and red crystal brooch. From the slight sour smell of formaldehyde that filled the air, it was immediately apparent that all of them were inferi as well. 
Rott replaced his mask. “We will…remain,” he said. “We need….the blood.”