Chapter XXIII
Either stabbing pain in my stomach or prodding on my shoulder woke me up. No matter what it was, I was not happy.
“C’mon GentleSketch,” Dad said.
I sat up and haunched over.
“You okay?” Dad asked.
“My stomach hurts. I haven’t ate much in a while.”
“When’s the last time you ate?”
“Yesterday morning. And that was only a few raisins I had left. The rogues took a good amount of our food.”
“Oh, GentleSketch, you should have told me. I could have gave you some of mine… but I don’t have any left.”
“It’s okay,” I retorted.
“No it’s not. We’ll get them to give us some food.”
When GearClank arrived, Dad explained our new situation.
“We gave you a damn room, and now you want food?” The Pegasus growled.
“Well, you did kinda take ours,” Dad countered. “And you can’t expect us to work well without energy.”
GearClank left muttering, the only word audible was “fucking…”
We were brought outside. GearClank had somepony bring us some food. Dad glared inside the bowl.”
“What the hell is this?”
“Food,” GearClank said bluntly.
“No it’s not,” Dad argued.
“You wanted food, and you got some!
“This isn’t food. This is like rotten tomatoes, roots, stems. This isn’t edible.”
“Well, you’re gonna have to make it edible. That’s all we got for you.”
“No it’s not. You have ponies working all the time. How can you not have food to spare. Are you-”
“CharmingRhythm,” HyperBlitz stopped him. He shook his head.
GearClank found a wooden stool next to the wall to sit on. He crossed his legs and glared at me. “Eat it.”
I peered down at the mush. I frowned in disappointment. JumpingJolt went ahead and ate. I think Dad was searching for the decent parts of the tomato. I felt pressured by GearClank, but I did not feel comfortable being watched as I ate.
I consumed the substance, forcing myself to swallow. I attempted to imagine it was something I like to bare the horrible taste and texture.
“Hurry up,” GearClank ordered.
I took as much as I could get down. I scrambled to my footing.
“You two,” The olive green Pegasus pointed at JumpingJolt and Hyper. “DesertDash can tell you where to go. And you two,” to me and Dad, “Come with me.”
Every movement made my stomach hurt more. I stumbled from lake of nutrients in my body. Dad supported my stance.
GearClank scorned me, “Get a move on, you bastard.”
“Don’t call my son a bastard,” Dad snapped.
“I can call him whatever I want.” GearClank stopped walking to engage in the argument.
“No you can’t. You need to learn to respect.”
“Don’t tell me what to do. And you shouldn’t be speaking for your son. He doesn’t seemed bothered.”
“But he is. I knew he is. He’s just afraid. Just like every pony in this camp.” Dad concluded.
“Ponies only fear if they are doing something wrong.”
“No, they fear you because you are abusing your power.”
“Dad,” I groaned through my nausea. “Stop fighting.”
“Sketch, you don’t understand-”
“No, Dad, remember… you said… not to fight.” I insisted.
GearClank smirked. “You should listen to him, maybe he’s smarter than you.”
Dad confronted him again. “You know, maybe you should stop insulting ponies.”
“How am I insult-”
“You are always degrading them. I’m getting tired of it.”
The rogue cocked his head. “I’m getting tired of your shit too. You come in my camp and boss me around?”
“Well, somepony has to.”
I groaned some more, part from my sickness, a part from annoyance of Dad’s fit.
The older Unicorn turned to me. “Sketch...”
An unsettling feeling swarmed my whole abdomen and chest. I pivoted away from Dad. My stomach clenched and emptied itself.A weakness shuttered through my body as I picked my head up. I tried to make myself stop gagging.
Dad’s hoof was on my back. I glanced at him. His mouth expressed disgust by his eyes sympathy.
“I’m sorry,” I murmured.
“No, no, it’s okay,” Dad retorted. “You just can’t take that stuff. You’re stomach didn’t like it, so it get rid of it. I mean- it’s just a natural thing- especial if you have a sensitive stomach,”Dad glared at GearClank, “Or you eat rotten food.”
“I’m not cleaning that up,” The Pegasus grimaced.
After that, I trotted with the stallions to the workplace, feeling weaker than before. The station was full of water filters and large tanks. My eyes caught sight of a gray mare who looked too worse for wear.
Her magic lit up a jar of water in front of her.
“What are you doing?” I pondered.
She looked at me, confused. “I’m… purifying water.”
“How do you do that?”
“I have a spell for it.”
An aura removed the jar on the table and replaced it with another.
“Do you do this all day?” I hoped a conversation would distract me from my current state.
“Pretty much,” The gray mare sighed.
“Don’t you get tired?”
“Yes. I use my magic so much that I have to use this potion to make it stronger.”
“I’ve used that too,” I said.
“I’ve used it so much and use my magic so often that I’ve become depended on that potion.”
“WaterGray!” A pony commanded. “Stop talking with that colt and get back to work.”
WaterGray scowled at the pony. I was relieved she didn’t scowl at me.
Time slowed to a crawl as I bared the weight of standing. Dad, a few steps over, eyed me. “You okay?”
I was slow to respond. I was going to say ‘yes’, but that would be lying. Instead, I said “No…”
Dad gave me another one of those concerned parent looks.
I didn’t know what time it was, but I was getting real tired (pun not intended) of working on water filters.
A figured descended from the sky. HyperBlitz held a bucket in his teeth. He spilled a bit of water when he dropped it.
“What are you doing here?” Dad prompted.
“They asked me to get water from the river.”
Crow landed next to Hyper. “We gonna have to get some more,” He stated.
Hyper rolled his eyes and groaned “Ugh!”
“Sorry,” Crow apologized, “I’m just doin’ what I’m told.”
“I’ll be back, Rhyth.” Hyper waved.
Crow handed HyperBlitz a new empty bucket. They both lifted off and headed west.
“This must be how they have running water,” Dad thought aloud. “They keep bringing water in and filter it.”
“But why not more than one bucket they have?”
Dad glared at me like I said something wrong. I didn’t catch my mistake. “What are you trying to say?”
“They each,” I pointed to where the Pegasi flew, “Have one bucket. Why not more?”
“Oh,” Dad paused. “Mmm, yeah, that may be better, but it would be hard to carry it. Unless they use hooves. Or have jars in saddle bags.”
“They usually do that,” WaterGray informed. “I don’t know why they aren't now. We usually have plenty of ponies coming in with water.” She returned to purifying the liquid.
“Geez, Sketch.” Dad turned to me. “You must really not be feeling well if you can’t talk right.”
“What? I did?”
“You’re doing it now. You are missing words and scrambling them around.”
I went back to scrubbing filters, embarrassed. I wished I have magic aid to use my bagic. But I couldn’t even use magic if I was this exhausted. Would using magic even be believable at this state.
“Hey kid.” I slowly turned my head. WaterGray was eyeing me. I paced over to her. “Could you go to Arcane and get me some magic aid? You know who that is, right?”
I nodded. “I do.”
I passed Dad. “She asked me to thing get for her.”
“Get a thing for her?”
“Yeah.”
I trekked to Arcane’s building. I spotted the blue stallion beating some herbs. His ears flickered in response to my entry.
“Oh, it’s you. Come for more magic aid?”
“WaterGray,” Was all I said.
“Oh yes.” Arcane turned to his shelves. Purple magic gave two elixirs of pink liquid to me. “One for WaterGray, one for you.”
“Thank,” I said. Was I trying to say ‘thank you’ or ‘thanks’?
I carried the bottles by the cap in my mouth. I went to my room to drop one off and took the other to the workplace.
“That took a while,” Dad stated.
“Well, he is moving pretty slow,” HyperBlitz observed. It must have been a while if Hyper was already back.
I gave the potion to WaterGray. I didn’t drink any of mine because I knew it was a lost cause.
DesterDash, a sand colored mare, came to us with GearClank’s report. “He wants you to go to your next job.”
“C’mon, Sketch.” Dad tapped my shoulder.
I struggled to rise. I walked a few steps, but failed to stand any longer. I collapsed.
My father gasped, “GentleSketch!” He rushed to my side. “What happened?”
I replied in a moan and held my stomach.
“Can we please take him back to the room? He can’t work like this.” I think Dad was talking to DesertDash.
The next thing I knew was that I was in a bed with Dad next to me. I moaned some more. “You really need some food,” Dad lamented.
“It’s not like those fuckers are give us any,” Hyper cursed.
Dad look at me. “Your stomach hurts?”
Well, duh. “Mm-hmm.”
He began to rub my belly with his mechanical hoof. “Does that feel good?”
“Mm-hmm.”
He checked my forehead temperature with a foreleg. I guess I didn’t have a fever because he didn’t say anything.
“We’re going to have to go back out,” HyperBlitz announced.
“But GentleSketch doesn’t feel well,” Dad refuted, still massaging my stomach.
“I know but… maybe we should let him sleep.”
“Do you think you can sleep?” Dad asked. I only made a tiny whimper.
Dad pushed himself off the bed. I extended my arm, begging him to come back.
“I’m sorry buddy, I can’t rub your tummy forever.”
The stallion paused, examining me. He stepped around the bed to HyperBlitz. Dad whispered something. My conscious was so blurred, I couldn’t catch his words. Hyper raised a brow at Dad. After sighing, he continued to whisper.
Dad leaned to the left of me. “Just rest. Only think of sleep. You don’t have anything else to worry about right now. Just sleep.”
Dad began to sing with Hyper, both in a lullaby like tone. It was a song I recognized, but I didn’t remember the name.
Even as great of a vocalist HyperBlitz is, I can not express how soothing my father’s voice is.
Silence. So quite it would make one’s ears bleed. Darkness. So dark it could make one go insane. I was deaf and blind. Every thought in my head sounded like a scream. I squinted my eyes, well, I think I did. Little fuzzy lights spun around. There was a silhouette in the distance. A tiny pony.
“Filly?” I said, sounding like a bellow. I blinked. Everything went black again.
I could finally see again and there was a light buzz in the air. For a moment I thought HyperBlitz was sideways but I realized I was lying horizontally. I shuffled under the covers. Hyper noticed movement.
“Oh, GentleSketch. You’re awake.”
Sitting up, I asked “How long was I out?”
“A few hours. Like six or something.”
“I really slept for that long?”
“Hey, you’re growing colt who needs sleep.” He started to the exit. “I’ll be back. I’m going to get your dad.”
I snuggled under the covers. I think I slept so long that it made me more tired. I sat up again when the door opened.
Dad’s eyes were on me the moment he entered. “GentleSketch, are you feelin-”
“Hey,” HyperBlitz interrupted. “Light this.”
“Gosh, you can’t give me one second with my son?” Dad went to the counter that held a small stove thong. He shot energy under it, igniting the wood bits.
“That’s what?” I pondered.
Dad answered, “He brought tea. Out off all the things-”
“I told you, it was a random thing. SweetHooves suggested I’d bring some, so I put some in my bad. I forgot about it until now.” The Pegasus acknowledged me. “I thought it may help your stomach.”
“And, oh-” Dad bounced. “I got you a carrot.” He pointed to the vegetable on the nightstand.
“How did you get this?” I wondered.
“I… have my ways.”
I was almost regretful to eat the carrot. Once it was gone, I would have nothing else to eat.
“So are you feeling better?” Dad questioned.
“I guess I’m not as exhausted as I was.”
I crunched into the carrot, savoring the actual good taste. After swallowing I asked, “So is GearClank angry that I wasn’t working?”
Dad opened his mouth to speak but Hyper interfered. “He’s pissed.”
“But-” Dad added, “We worked it out. I said I would make up that time for you. And If I work a little extra, I can get food for you.”
“Here’s your tea,” HyperBlitz said as he tried to pick it up with forehooves.
“Whoa, whoa.” Dad lifted the cup telekinetically, knowing the danger of Hyper’s clumsiness.
“We’re going to have to go out again,” Hyper advised. I nodded. “They said they’ll give us some dinner but I doubt it's any better then the shit we had earlier.”
“I’ll see if there is anything good in it for you,” Dad proposed when going to the door.”
And then I was alone. The sky outside gradually grew darker. I clicked on a lamp and drew in my sketchbook. When I was bored with that, I read the book Mom made me take. I was glad I had brought it with me. I’ll take anything to distract me from my still aching stomach.
Dad and HyperBlitz returned with JumpingJolt.
“So what did you do while we were gone?” Dad asked.
“Just drew, and read.”
Dad sat on the bed. “Is it a good book?”
“I don’t know. It’s a book.”
Dad chuckled, “Well, as your mother says, every book is a good book.” That made me smile a bit.
“Find any food?” I broke silence.
“Um, nah. I don’t think you would have liked it.”
“Hmm. Today seems like it’s been longer than normal.”
“Yeah. Listen, bud,” Dad said, “I’m sorry I’ve put you through this.”
“It’s not your fault,” I protested.
“But I brought you along and-” He hesitated. “ I wanted this to be a good experience. It’s not for any of us.”
My eyes wandered away, like every uneasy conversation.
“Well-,” Dad patted my arm and then jumped off the bed,“I have to go again. I promised to work extra.”
“Are you going to be out all night?”
“ I shouldn’t be. I doubt they’ll make me stay awake all night."
I think Dad lied. When I awoke in the middle of the night, probably from having enough sleep, Dad was not in bed. Maybe he didn’t lie. Maybe he exaggerated the truth, or the rogues misfired his plan.
Stats
Page generated in 0.025 seconds
Total duration
638 users online
887,377 hits today, 2,054,621 yesterday
FIMFiction
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fanfiction
Designed and coded by knighty & Xaquseg - © 2011-2024
Follow & Support Us
Support us
SubStar
Chat!
Discord
Follow us
Twitter
MLP: Friendship is Magic® - © 2024 Hasbro Inc.®
Fimfiction is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by Hasbro Inc.®
Why does GentleSketch look like Littlepip? (That's the pony in the picture, right?)
7768410 WELL Um. Actually I should update the picture. Here's another picture of him (younger) orig05.deviantart.net/8e17/f/2015/255/c/a/marshmallow_in_a_bow_tie_by_kaciekk-d99cqco.png
I guess I could see the relation to LittlePip?? Really, he's just the mixture of his parents. Strangely, this story is quite inspired by Fallout:Equestria, and how I write GentleSketch's thoughts. But I never intended him look like LittlePip.