His attacker struck from half a dozen angles at once. Thin and quick, the insidious vines whipped around him. Were it not for his sadly weakened state, Thanquol could have avoided them with his legendary battle skills. Even as hardened and skilled a warrior as he, however, could not force a wounded body to move fast enough to escape the entwining strikes.
“Quickly!”
To her credit Rarity had recovered with startling speed. She leapt to her hooves barely two seconds after collapsing. She looked at Thanquol and in her eyes burned something which nearly made him squirt the musk of fear.
The way half a dozen odds ropes shot towards him, seemingly summoned from nowhere as the pony-thing’s horn glowed, had pushed his self-control to the limits. He thrashed as they began to wrap around him.
“Oh, so dirty!” the unicorn shrieked. “So grimy! Quickly, we must get you cleaned up this instant!”
“Um, Rarity? Are you sure you should be moving around so much? I mean, you did just faint.” Fluttershy asked worriedly. She glanced at Thanquol. “And, um, I think you might be distressing him.”
“It must be cleaned!” shrieked Rarity, turning her burning gaze upon Fluttershy.
Thanquol let out a particularly high-pitched squeal. “Release-free me!”
Closing in on the ratman, Rarity sniffed unhappily. “Atrocious grammar as well. Darling, what are you doing with this creature?”
“Oh, he’s not that bad. He turned up in my cottage yesterday. He was very hurt, I couldn’t just l-leave him!” Fluttershy explained, watching worriedly as Thanquol tried to manoeuvre his hands into a position to scratch Rarity’s eyes out while the unicorn multitasked the measuring tapes binding him and measured the ratman against his will. “Why, uh, why are you measuring him?”
Rarity scoffed. “Regardless of his lack of, ugh, personal hygiene I simply cannot allow anypony – or non-pony, I suppose – to wander around in such a filthy sheet. It would be criminal of me to him pass through these doors without receiving proper vestments.”
Something from the unicorn was saying managed to penetrate the fog of fear and anger around Thanquol’s brain. He stopped struggling and eyed her suspiciously. “What say-speak you, pony? I have owned-worn fine robes crafted by greatest-most skilled weaver-rats in Skavendom!” He sneered at her. “Doubt-doubt a pony-thing could ever match the genius of skaven craftsrats!”
“Oh ho?” Rarity smirked confidentially. “I believe you will find that I am master tailor, and if it is a fine robe you it is a fine robe you shall have! I am sure your, ahem, skaven was it? Yes, I am sure they are skilled indeed but soon you will wonder why you ever wore anything that was not sewn by my hooves.”
Fluttershy smiled at hearing this. “Oh my, how wonderful, I was going to ask you if you could maybe make him a new robe. His old one is all torn up and, um, a bit bloody. I don’t think he wants to be naked.” She whispered the last part in Rarity’s ear, although the rat-priest heard her easily.
The unicorn gave her friend a confused look. “Truly? Well, I can understand not wanting to be caught without the latest fashion but the sheet hardly seems necessary...”
Heat filled Fluttershy’s cheeks. “Its, well, I think....um.” She looked down, embarrassed. Shuffling ever closer, her mouth was practically pressed into Rarity’s ear as she whispered “His...you know, his ‘bits’ are just... hanging there.”
“....sweet Celestia.” Rarity’s hooves covered her mouth in horror and her gaze was drawn to Thanquol. “You mean...all the time?”
Fluttershy nodded timidly.
It took every iota of self-control Rarity had to not faint properly. “My word!” She frowned, reluctantly edging back over to the now placid rat. “Let me just take down your sizes, uh, your body size I mean not your...oh never mind.” She rubbed her forehead tiredly. “I am dreadfully sorry, but what was your name again darling?”
“I am great-powerful Thanquol! Mightiest of Grey Seers! First among the Horned Rat’s chosen!” The rat-priest declared, giving the pony-thing before him a superior sneer. Such a creature would surely be awed by his genuine and renowned titles, even in this place. His very bearing was enough to impress his shivelling enemies and grovelling allies, why should this mere pony-thing be any different?
Rarity closed her eyes. “Great...and...Powerful?” She grit her teeth at the memory of what that monster did to her precious mane! “Well, I had better just...” Nearly retching at being so close to such an overwhelming stench, Rarity made quick work of getting the measurements. The only biped she had ever measured before was Spike, and there was significantly less of him. A robe would be the easiest thing considering her relative inexperience.
While Rarity worked, Thanquol began to actually look at the room. It was disgustingly colourful. This building, he vowed, would be the first to do when he had this land under control. A refuse pit, perhaps. Yes, that would be ideal. If the horned pony-thing could not live up to its claims, it would spend the rest of its life at the bottom, leashed to a pole so it could use its hooves to pack the trash down.
He snickered at the thought of vengeance. A glint of light, however, caught his attention. One of the false-ponies being used to store cloth was covered in gem stone! Diamonds! Warpstone might be the major form of currency within the Under-Empire but the stones unearthed by skaven miners were still a commodity. They were, for one thing, very shiny. Diamonds of certain purity were also prized by Clan Skryre engineers for use as lens in many of their inventions.
A sudden suspicion bloomed in his brilliant mind. Among the man-things, possessing a large number of valuables such as diamonds and precious metals like gold were considered symbols of status. They wore them in great, gaudy displays.
The horned pony-thing must be wealthy! He watched it carefully, comparing it to the ‘nobles’ among the humans he had studied. Compared to the pony-things in the street and Fluttershy, this one did seem to speak more carefully. Was it stupid? Perhaps both. If he could cultivate its allegiance, he may have a valuable tool. The pony-things were so very trusting.
“There we are!” Rarity finished jotting down the numbers. She turned back to them with a smile, although it was a tad strained whenever she looked at Thanquol. “Now, we simply must get your friend here to the spa. Lotus and Aloe are the only ponies I know who might stand a chance against such, uh, a challenge.”
Fluttershy nodded happily. Thanquol, to her surprise, gave Rarity a bow.
“Many-many thanks, oh generous one.” He bobbed his head. “You are kind-good. Consider this lowly one to owe you a service.” It was a risk, considering the beast might actually ask something of him, but he had to take risks in this situation if he wanted to regain an advantage beyond his own tactical brilliance.
Surprised but pleased, Rarity beamed back. “Oh darling, think nothing of it. Any friend of Fluttershy’s is a friend of mine, regardless of how dirty they might be. Not to mention that you are hurt, and it costs very little to help those in need. Now, let’s go get you cleaned up.” The door swung open at the behest of her magic. Thanquol stepped back, clearly offering her the chance to leave first.
Smiling together, both cheered at the change in the rat’s manner, Fluttershy and Rarity trotted out. Neither saw the momentary look of venomous rage on Thanquol’s face, nor the covetous look he sent at the gem-encrusted mannequins through the room.
***
Scurrying after the pony-things, Thanquol followed in their wake. While both looked back often to check on him, they were content to let him do as he wished. Had they known what he truly wished for they would likely not have been so relaxed.
“I fear cleaning your ‘guest’ may be quite a costly affair.” Rarity was telling Fluttershy.
The timid pegasus wilted somewhat. “Oh my.” She could not help a worried glance back. “I hope I have enough bits.”
Rarity laughed. “Darling, really. I am positive I can convince the girls to give us a discount this one time on my behalf and I will be more than happy to cover the price.”
“Oh no, I couldn’t let you do that Rarity.” Fluttershy gasped, shaking her head in her delicate way. A passing stallion, who had been glancing in their direction for unrelated reasons, was transfixed and found himself walking into a pole. A pegasus, flying over head, suddenly fell to the ground as her wings suffered an, ahem, moment of indiscretion.
She landed on him and in their mutual embarrassment they fled to in the same direction, leading to a budding relationship that would bloom into love and a watermelon growing family that would one day rival the Apple clan in size. This, however, is not the focus of the story. The insane rat-sorcerer is.
Completely missing this pivotal moment in the future of the wholesale fruit market, Rarity hastily reassured her friend.
“Nonsense. Darling, leaving such a burden upon you would be simply unforgivable of me.” She gave Fluttershy a knowing look. “Feeding all those little animals is quite a financial challenge.”
Fluttershy flushed slightly. She never made a fuss but her chosen life-style was rather costly. Her short-lived modelling career had provided a surprising boost to her funds but even that was starting to run dry.
“Um, it is a bit hard at times...” She admitted. Rarity patted her shoulder comfortingly.
Behind them, Thanquol stabbed at his nostrils with a dirty claw and fixed a passing cream coloured mare with a glare.
“I have often wondered how you managed until now, actually.” Looking entirely innocent, Rarity added in a distinctly out-of-hoof way “Does dear Rainbow Dash ever actually ask you to pay her back?”
“Not at all, she-” Fluttershy snapped her mouth shut with a mortified squeaked. Thanquol actually looked up at that, fixing his beady gaze on the pair. “Um....”
Rarity sighed. “Darling, it does not take a Twilight Sparkle to figure it out. She’s your oldest friend and I know she does not spend much of what she makes. The only things she spends her bits on are food and Wonderbolts memorabilia. Well, and that rather fabulous house of hers.”
This got the rat-priest’s interest. Another wealthy pony? A ‘friend’ to Fluttershy, enough so to give plenty of their rather crude money without asking for it to be returned too. He scoffed at the foolishness of that. Even human moneylenders understood that the whole point was to demand an exorbitant interest. Preferably enough to bankrupt the imbecile and take everything they owned.
He inhaled a pinch of warpstone snuff, letting it set his mind alight. Those much reduced, the burning lights in his brain let Thanquol entertain himself with memories of a few fools he had sold into slavery using exactly that method. Idiots who thought a Grey Seer’s mind was so occupied with the ethereal that they could not hold onto their warpstone tokens properly. They had all learnt that the Horned Rat frowned on those among his chosen who did not pay mind to the physical world He wanted them to take in his name.
“-and whenever I try to pay her back she thinks of some excuse to not accept.”
His ears twitched, the muted sounds of the world around the Grey Seer returning slowly. He had not stopped walking, scurrying mechanically forward in a warpstone-fuelled daze while the pony-things talked.
Once again he fumed at the lack of proper minions. A rat-ogre at least would be sufficient. It was appalling that he, a Grey Seer, should need to keep his attention on the shallow mortal world. The Horned Rat meant for his children to gaze into the Empyrean, not divide their thoughts between the spiritual and the mundane. That’s what their magic-less lackeys were for.
Their destination loomed closer, Fluttershy and Rarity smiling widely at the sight of the Ponyville Day Spa. This place smelled even fouler to Thanquol, but he slunk closer in the wake of his companions. His grip on the Staff of the Horned Rat tightened as the door opened and a wave of disgusting air washed over them. His ruined nose twitched unhappily and it took all his incredible willpower not to blast the building to pieces.
This was considerably easier when he remember he could not actually do that right now. It also made him much more annoyed.
Rarity went in first, calling out to the owners of the Days Spa. “Lotus, darling, a pleasure to see you once more.”
The one of the two spa ponies, as they were known somewhat unoriginally around the town, smiled widely at the sight of nearly half their business. “Miss Rarity, here for your-“ Lotus began, as strong an accent as always. The beautician trailed off, her eyes growing wide as Fluttershy pulled into her business something from one of her foalhood nightmares.
The rat-monster hissed, its utterly destroyed nose darting about.
Aloe chose that moment to come in from the next room, eager to begin Rarity and Fluttershy’s weekly ritual. She froze, caught by the sight of the...the abomination before her.
“Darlings?” Rarity asked when neither spa pony spoke. “Are you alright? I was wondering if you could do us a simply terrific favour.”
They failed to acknowledge her, instead locking gazes. Without saying a word both nodded. Faster than any of the three pairs of eyes watching – or in at least one case, glaring at –them, items appeared as if by magic. Light glinted from the metal and plastic, held with surprising delicacy in their hooves.
They turned, fastening their eyes upon the filth ridden creature before them. They were hard, the eyes of crusaders who had just set eyes on the greatest mockery of their faith.
To his immense alarm and anger Thanquol felt his musk glands strain against his tight control.
Fluttershy looked between the two mares, confusion and not a little fear in her wide innocent eyes. “Um, I hate to intrude, but if you don’t mind Thanquol here needs a little....wash.”
At the last word, whatever had been holding the spa ponies back and they leapt forward like avenging angels.
Avenging angels with hooves and cleaning products, at least.
***
Sorry for lack of updates, just been working on Justice Itself. I have managed to finish the latest chapter for that, chapter 12, and send it off in case any readers of that see this.
While Fluttershy maybe being paid by the Mayor’s office, that’s a very boring idea. Far too easy, for one thing.
Also, I was apparently not clear on where Fluttershy was taking Thanquol. Regardless of which I intended, I’ve altered the previous chapter to follow the path this one has taken.
Please comment, I’m a comment-whore.