The Flowing of Ichor
"Are you sure this is a good idea? My parents get really angry when I break curfew..."
"Bah! Don't worry, it'll be fun!"
Pleasant Tone's voice was just that: pleasant. She was adorable, a small unicorn filly with a pristine white coat, green eyes, and a light purple mane and tail.
Her companion, however, was not adorable.
He was big, losing hair, and his eyes were yellowed. His vision twitched from side to side, as if searching for something.
"Alright, but if either of us get in trouble..."
"I'll think of an excuse," the stallion barked, somewhat harshly.
Pleasant was really beginning to question her parent's in selecting a babysitter for her, but she complied, just wanting to get it over with and go home.
The brown-colored earth pony held open the door to the weepy apartment complex and led her to his home.
Pleasant shook her head and took a few steps inside. It was dark. The light rain that had started a few minutes ago was quickly escalating, and a crack of lightning and following thunder started the little filly.
"Ditch? What did you want to show-"
Pleasant gave out a tiny shriek as she was tackled to the ground. Her babysitter turned her over on her back and clamped a hoof over her muzzle.
He wore an unnerving smile, baring his yellow teeth.
Pleasant was really questioning her parent's choice of babysitter now!
"Sh, sh. It'll all be over soon. Just...just lemme..."
Pleasant's eyes widened as Ditch began to reach down between her legs. What was he doing?
Before the intrusive hoof could reach its destination, however, Pleasant heard a crack and the weight vanished from her chest and stomach.
The lights flicked on to reveal a filthy apartment, strewn with old socks and oily articles of clothing. But that's not what caught Pleasant's attention.
It was...
What was it?
It looked at Pleasant and stared at her unnervingly for a few seconds. Then when Ditch groaned and began to climb to his feet, it gave Pleasant a thumbs-up and vanished.
No, not vanished, moved moved really, really fast.
There was a heavy thud and Ditch gave a cry of surprise. The tall creature carried the struggling pony over his shoulder to the window, opened it, and jumped out.
Pleasant lay on the oily carpet, breathing heavily. What happened?
"What the hell are you doing, what are you, put me down!"
The beast hauling Ditch over his shoulder gave no answer, and didn't respond to any of the earth pony's kicks or shoutings.
He had been being carried for a long time, when Ditch finally pushed it.
He gave another kick and the beast suddenly stopped.
"Huh, what?"
Ditch's vision tumulted as he was swung from his spot on his kidnapper's shoulder, rather roughly, and landed on the ground.
He was in a forest. Not the Everfree; there were snow mountains in the distance, and the pine trees were rather normal.
"Okay, sir, whatever you are-"
Ditch was interrupted as the thing cleared his throat rather loudly and obnoxiously. Ditch frowed.
"Anyway, what-"
It happened again.
"Will you just-!"
The creature suddenly turned around - he had been looking at the scenery, apparently - and cocked its head.
"...what...?"
The thing lifted its hand, lifted a finger, and wagged it.
"Huh?"
Suddenly, there was a blur of movement, and all was black.
- - -
Ditch, after clawing his way to the waking world, found himself in what appeared to be . . . . a cave. It was a good-sized dome-shaped area, with a majority of the center being taken up by a smooth underground lake. Ditch looked up and found a beam of light protruding through the ceiling, hitting the water and reflecting, therefore lighting the area up relatively effectively.
Most surprisingly, the entire cavern was littered with piles of bits and other forms of currency, as well as other trinkets and what-not.
Suddenly, the dirty pony remember that hideous creature that had probably carried him there in the first place. Did it even speak Equestrian?
"Hello?" Ditch called. The only answer was that of his own voice, reverberating around the dome, echoing loudly.
Ditch stood up and dusted himself off, mumbling. He began to search for a way out, but one wasn't apparent. Except that hole in the top...
Suddenly, it was dark, and Ditch looked up to the hole. There was that beast.
It began to tremble with excitement and made a noise that could only be describe as a muffled "squee."
"Huh?"
The creature darted away and, a few seconds later, startled Ditch by popping up through the water.
Ditch took a step back as the thing climbed from the pond, sopping wet, and began to approach him.
"St-stay back, you."
The creature did something that Ditch found surprisingly familiar; it cocked its head to the side.
Then it plopped down on the floor and crossed its legs.
Ditch was quite put off by the whole display.
"Um, hello?"
The thing raised its hand and waved it as if Ditch were miles away, even though he was simply a foot or so away. Ditch blinked water from his eyes as the waving flung some of the water on the creature's sleeve onto his face.
"What...what's going on here? What are you gonna do to me?"
The black-clad alien cocked his head yet again, the opposite way, this time, and stared at Ditch, holding his position.
Ditch let out an exasperated sigh.
"Come on-!"
There was a blur and Ditch was hit in the side of his head. He tumbled to the floor, scattering a small pile of bits, stars dancing in his vision.
The creature opened up his hand, fingers splayed, and gestured toward the pained Earth Pony. Suddenly, all four of his limbs felt as if they were lead and wouldn't be moved.
"Bwah-?"
The thing swung what appeared to be some sort of saddlebag of its back and began to dig around. It took a while, but finally the alien snapped his fingers and withdrew a bundle of white cloth. There was a sort of jangle of metal from inside.
Ditch remained silent, more confused than afraid. That was about to change.
The creature rolled upon the cloth and Ditch's eyes widened as he saw a rather sizable collection of knives appear in front of him.
"Wh-what are you doing? You leave me alone, you monster!"
The beast ignored him...but he didn't grab a knife and start cutting him up either, he simply stood on his knees, looking down at the blades.
Eventually, it shrugged and swept the weapons out of the way. Ditch let out a sigh of relief. The thing dug around in its bag some more and withdrew a small case, which he set on the ground and opened up. Ditch heard the thing laugh rather manically from under its mask, if that's what it was. Ditch had assumed that it was its face, at first, but if it was it was quite an expressionless one.
Ditch couldn't see what was in the case, but his fear was creeping up on him again nonetheless.
"Wh-why are you doing this?"
The creature looked up from his work and began rummaging around in his bag again.
This time, he pulled out a stack of papers. From it, he withdrew a picture. It was of Pleasant Tone, the foal he was going to...
"Th-that's none of your business."
The creature shrugged and pulled another image from the stack. And then another. And another. Ditch's veins began to fill with fear, more and more, each time the alien showed him an image. They were all his victims. Each and every one of them.
Lastly, the creature withdrew a newspaper clipping.
"Canterlot Child Molester Strikes Again..." Ditch mumbled, reading to himself
The alien mumbled something that sounded like an "uh-huh!" nodding its head as well.
"What? Are you gonna punish me?"
Again, the alien nodded.
"H...how?"
The creature cocked its head and laughed a bit. Then it reached behind itself and brought the case forward, showing its contents to Ditch.
Suddenly, it was as if an icicle from the deepest reaches of the Frozen North had replaced his insides. Inside was a massive assortment of blades. Twisted, toothed, electric, hand-operated, it was all there.
"B-b-b-but what about those other knives!?"
The creature, once more, cocked its head. Then it shrugged, almost as if to say "okay" and he brought the other blades forward.
"N-no! That's not what I meant!" Ditch felt his bladder empty onto the smooth gravel underneath him. He looked down between his legs and looked at the alien.
The alien's attention stayed on the trail of urine, however, which was slowly beginning to leak into the pool. The thing slowly turned its head to Ditch. Equally as slowly, deliberately, he raised his hand...then his finger... And then it wagged.
In a blur, the monster snatched a small, electric saw from the bag, flipped it on, and slammed the blade into Ditch's right hind leg.
Ditch cried out in pain and tears began to leak from his eyes as he saw a small spray of his own blood being misted into the air and patting on the rocks.
But the alien stopped. The little surgical saw had inflicted a relatively small wound, but it still bled heavily.
"I'm sorry! Ya hear me? Sorry!"
Ditch's torturer again cocked his head. In one smooth motion, he produced a pad and pen from his hoodie, and scrawled a few words down on it. Ditch couldn't help but notice that he was using a really nice pen...
The alien showed Ditch what he had written, and his stomach sank.
You will be.
"Why don't you at least talk to me!?"
The alien only shrugged and reached inside his case. From it, it produced a hand-operated woodsaw, which it put on the side of Ditch's neck. Ditch looked up at the monster, his eyes begging for mercy. The alien seemed to be deep in thought.
Suddenly, and to Ditch's great relief, the beast's weapon left his neck and was placed back into its case. But Ditch began to whimper in fear as the monster, sitting cross-legged next to Ditch almost the entire time, reached over to the array of knives on the cloth and selected a massive butcher's knife.
The monster let the tip rest on Ditch's stomach for quite a long time...but, again, Ditch's life was spared, if only for a little while longer.
This time, the creature reached inside his bag and Ditch emptied his bladder again as the masked vigilante pulled out a massive pair of razor-sharp, curved scissors. This time, there was no hesitation.
Ditch's tormentor placed his lower right hoof, the same leg that had been gouged earlier, between the massive blades and leaned forward, putting all of his weight on the handles.
Ditch seized up and screamed. Those must have been really sharp, as, soon, Ditch's hoof was gone. The Earth Pony stallion felt himself fading away, but was re-awoken as the beast hit him on the side of the head.
"No! Stop! Please! I-I-I'll pay you! I don't have much, but-AAAAAGGGGHHHH!!!"
Soon, Ditch's other hoof was removed, and blood was flowing freely, lots of it getting into the monster's lake. The mentioned monster looked over at the now-stained water and sighed, exasperated.
He took out his pad, flipped the page, and wrote another message.
Don't bleed in my pool.
"RAAAAAAH! SOMEPONY, PLEASE HELP ME!"
The alien face-hoofed, if it was the same thing, and shook his head.
He then raised his finger, showed it to Ditch, and wagged it.
The Earth Pony began to cry heavily.
The alien sighed; he was going to have a long night, too.