The rough, bored tunnel had ominous implications. It was a small thing, too small for even Piper to shimmy though, and it led upwards. Another tunnel led downwards, down into the heart of the Canterhorn. Flicker peered upwards, looking at the slick, slimey stone, but could see very little because the tunnel had a bend to it. All of Flicker’s senses were screaming at him that something was wrong.
“We should investigate aboveground,” Flicker said to his companions, stricken with a need to get answers.
“Yes.” Piper’s voice was a mechanical hiss, like steam escaping a valve.
She had changed, Piper. In the span of just a few hours, she had changed in Flicker’s eyes. Her mask was an accessory no longer, but Flicker knew that he was looking at her true face, though the same could not be said for Hennessy. In Flicker’s heart, he did not want the mask to replace Hennessy’s true face. But Piper? Piper was like him now, a creature driven by dark motivations that had become as one with her new face and skin.
Piper was very much like his sibling, but Flicker lacked the vocabulary to truly describe the scope of their relationship. He knew that she would follow him into the darkest, foulest sewer, or into darker, danker places, or even Tartarus should it be necessary. The colt had no idea what had made him wax so poetic, but these were his thoughts as he peered up into the ominous tunnel above him.
“Yes, let us have a look around.” Doctor Sterling backed away from the tunnel and gestured back down the passage behind them. “There is a means to go topside back there. Let us make haste, and be cautious.”
The lane was very narrow, no wider than a wagon. This was an old place in Canterlot, with exquisite, graceful towers packed together like trees in a forest. The cobblestones were dark grey, with glittering speckles, made from some stone that Flicker did not know or recognise. Turning his head, he focused on the tower at the end of the lane, where the tunnel was. It was tall, square in shape, and quite old looking. It was surrounded by a wall on three sides, a tall wall with spikes protruding upwards. The front was closed off with a wrought iron fence, also spiked.
Something about the tower made Flicker’s blood run cold, but that did not deter him. He moved, a strange four legged bird cloaked in dark and shadow, leaving behind a trail of filth from the sewer. It was quiet here, a strange quiet, even the birds were not chirping. No ponies could be seen in any of the tiny yards.
This place seemed as lifeless as the sewers.
Unseen by Flicker, unseen by mortals, several figures stepped out of the shadows. One was a zebra whose mane was a mass of writhing, reaching, ropey dreadlocks. The second was an alicorn stallion, pale in colour, and his gaunt face held a deathly pallour. His cutie mark was a shattered, broken hourglass. The third figure, the largest and most dangerous looking of the three, was matte black with pale white dapples. His cutie mark was an intact, whole hourglass, filled with a moving mass of sand that shifted up and down in constant motion.
As the companions moved down the lane, with Flicker in the lead, the unseen trio drew nearer. The unseen zebra turned away, an expression of intense pain upon her face, and she squeezed her eyes shut when the large, black alicorn stallion drew his primary feathers over Flicker’s throat as he passed. Flicker had no reaction to the touch he did not feel.
The same happened to Piper, but so focused was she, so eager to follow Flicker, that she walked right through the massive, black wing with white dappled feathers. When Hennessy was touched, the earth pony colt paused for a moment and shuddered, as if experiencing some chill. He did not remain still for long though, and hurried after his friend as the dark black alicorn stallion allowed his primaries to trail along Hennessy’s spine.
The last touched was Doctor Sterling, and the alicorn that looked as though he was made from the night and stars lingered for a time on the good doctor. The zebra’s eyes opened and she looked at him, her eyes pleading, sad, there was an eternity of sadness in those eyes. When no response was made, she looked away, unable to watch.
And then, his eyes focused on the tower, Flicker pulled open the gate…
The mare that opened the door had dull, glassy eyes that seemed to stare through Flicker. Her maid outfit seemed a bit dishevelled, less than perfect. Flicker, rigid, his senses screaming, could hardly see the maid, and it was as if the two were blind to one another.
“Ma’am, we need to have a look around,” Flicker said to the maid.
“No.” The maid shook her head, her voice was slow and slurred. “The lady of the house does not wish to have visitors and she has requested that I turn away all callers.”
“No, I really need to have a look around,” Flicker insisted.
“Come Mister Nicker, let us go.” Doctor Sterling’s voice was firm. “We have been turned away, it is now a matter for the guard. Let us go and find the Daywatch. We’ll explain what is going on and then we’ll return.”
“No, I don’t think so.” Flicker, grunting, shoved the maid out of the way. “Sorry, Ma’am… but I’m going through puberty and I’m having a rebellious moment. Please, forgive me.”
“You can’t come in!” the maid cried, almost moaning, and she tried to shove Flicker out as he pushed past her.
“Mister Nicker! Come out of there at once!” Doctor Sterling commanded.
The colt did not listen, but continued, going into the tower at the end of the lane…
Almost overcome by his rat-sense, Flicker stood in the middle of the entry room, looking around, and ignoring the orders being given to him by Doctor Sterling. A dreadful obsession had overcome him, a compulsion that he could neither resist or ignore. His cutie mark burned with inner fire and he gave himself over wholly and completely.
This place had not been cleaned in some time. Had Flicker not been wearing his mask, he might have smelled spoiled, rotten meat, an odd smell indeed in a pony’s dwelling. He looked about the room, ready for violence, ready for anything.
At the door, Doctor Sterling was apologising to the maid. “Ma’am, I’m frightfully sorry, I don’t know what has come over him, please, accept my apologies.”
“Get out!” the maid moaned.
Everything here felt wrong. Rat turds littered the floor and the rugs were soiled with urine. Flicker’s head turned and he stared at the stairs leading upwards. Moving with his slow, methodical, almost mechanical movement, Flicker headed for the stairs, his head tilted upwards, while his booted hoof splashed in a puddle of urine.
“Flicker Nicker! Obey me! What has gotten into you?” Doctor Sterling barked.
But Flicker did not listen, he did not obey, and he continued for the stairs…
Poking his head up, Flicker had a look around. The second floor was also filthy, just as disgusting as the first. There was a small landing at the top of the narrow, cramped stairs, not a large space, and several doors were visible to him. Flicker peered through the walls, but there was nothing, not a thing. No sign of any rats, but Flicker could feel them. they were close now, so very close, and the colt wondered if they were somehow invisible, as he had heard stories.
The dreadful stories that nopony in the guild wanted to believe. Invisible rats.
With a few steps, Flicker stood on the landing and had a look around, scanning his environment. He could feel the cold through his protective gear, there was quite a chill in the air around him. The rats were close now, if his senses could be believed, but there was still no sight of them, no trace.
In an act of curious desperation, Flicker took his mask off, he took off his face. There was a faint hiss as the seals gave way and he could feel cold air on his fuzzy flesh. A terrible stench of rot and decay assailed his nostrils. Something had died here and the putrescence in the air was like a slap in the face.
Standing in the corner, near a door, was a rat. It stood, bipedal, and it wasn’t like any other rat he had ever seen. With his mask on, it had been invisible to him, but now unmasked, the rat was visible. A murderous scowl crossed Flicker’s face as he stared at the strange, bipedal rat. It had much longer legs, longer arms… and hands.
The rat laughed and then many things happened all at once. The doors around Flicker slammed open and screams could be heard downstairs. There was a clang of steel on steel, and then Flicker heard Doctor Sterling shout, “Run, Hennessy! Go and fetch help! DO IT NOW!” Then there was screaming from down below.
“PIPER! GET OUT! GO!”
Several loud clicks filled Flicker’s ears and much to his surprise, several small crossbow quarrels pierced his protective gear. He stood there, dumbfounded by everything taking place, shocked by the sudden appearance of an army of rats. Almost right away, his blood began burning as some awful poison seeped into his flesh from the crossbow quarrels.
Time seemed to slow down for Flicker as the poison burned into his muscles. His swords came out, both of them, and his mask fell to the floor, dropped from his magic. Snarling, gritting his teeth, he advanced, determined to go down killing. More quarrels peppered his sides, his neck, and his legs.
Flicker’s whirling blades found their first enemy, and with a vicious scissor attack, Flicker beheaded one of the many rats swarming him. They came at him, armed, some had small swords and bucklers, others had axes, and one had a rat-sized mace. With a broad, sweeping motion of one sword, he forced them back on one side, but they continued to advance on the other.
The ones who were closest burst into flames as Flicker unleashed his magic. The flames spread with great rapidity, igniting the carpet and then the drapes that covered a large picture window meant to illuminate the landing. The choking smoke made it difficult to breath and Flicker no longer had his mask, his face, leaving him vulnerable.
In this wretched, dreadful moment, Flicker thought of Mister Balister. Every beating, every blow, every painful punch and kick… Mister Balister had prepared him for this… his teacher had educated him on how to deal with pain… and how to die well. Flicker understood the lesson now, and he was thankful that he had been blessed with such a fine teacher.
As he slashed at a rat swiping at him with a sword, another rat drove it’s blade between Flicker’s ribs. He felt the chilly steel piercing vital places, and Flicker might have fallen over from the pain, had it not been for Mister Balister’s many lessons. Another sword buried itself into his flesh, this time just in front of his hips. The colt swept out with his swords, low and wide, and several rats were sliced or chopped.
Below him, there were more screams, some of them Piper’s. She had not fled as commanded.
Incensed by her screams, Flicker lashed out with a psychokinetic nova, his flick spell, but it now formed a circle of applied force around him. Rats flew away, some exploding from the impact, and others were knocked into the flames that were consuming the landing. A new combatant entered the fray, and Flicker watched as he entered through an open door.
Tall, as tall as Flicker, the hominoid rat was pale white and covered in bulbous tumours. In his hand, he held a longsword that had a fine, tapered point. With his other hand, he made a gesture, and his claws glowed with magic. Flicker found himself lifted, picked up by his throat, and a crushing force bore down on his windpipe.
“So predictable,” the rat said in a calm, cool voice. “Just as my Master said you would, you came. Had you more intelligence, you might have been a threat to me, but the foolishness of youth is your undoing. Even now, your guild is burning… we’ve scattered you all over the city, chasing after ghosts and shadows.”
Gasping, Flicker tried in vain to draw breath, but couldn’t.
“Together, you might have posed a minor threat to me, but you were so easily pulled apart.” The rat’s voice was mocking, condescending, and he flexed his claws, which tightened his magical grip on Flicker’s throat. There was a wet pop as Flicker’s larynx collapsed, and the rat let out a malevolent chuckle. “We’ve even found a way to use your precious, beloved masks against you. What was it like, being blind to the world as you crawled through my sewers, unable to see my army mocking you as you passed so near to them?”
Stars danced in Flicker’s vision, which was now fading. Try as he might, he could not draw in any air and he felt his body growing heavy. There was a lot of screaming from down below, and as Flicker’s consciousness began to slip, he wondered if Doctor Sterling and Piper could even see what they were fighting.
“In the end, you weren’t much of a threat at all… I don’t understand why my Master was even worried about you.” The pale rat made a dismissive gesture with his sword, and then with his other hand, he acted as though he was flinging something way. “His instructions were very clear though, I was to be the one that killed you.”
Flicker was hurled through the flaming drapes that covered the glass window and then through the window itself, which shattered. The jagged glass carved into his flesh, ripping him to shreds, and as his vision went dark, he could see the glass glittering all around him like millions of tiny stars suspended in the velvet night sky.
The colt fell, trailing ribbons of scarlet blood, shards of glass, and flaming sparks. A second later, he landed on the spiked fence below, back first, and then much to Flicker’s confused shock, he saw the wrought iron spike protruding up from his barrel, slick with his own blood. He struggled a bit, but there was no fight left, and after a second of convulsing and thrashing around, he went limp. His body almost folded in half as his front part and and his hind part hung on different sides of the fence.
With a gasp, he spoke his last and final word, which was more of a bloodied wheezing exhalation than anything else. “Knick-Knack…”