The Anthropologist

by Weavers of Dreams

-95- Vermin Magic

"Well, that was anticlimactic," Velvet mentioned casually as she hoisted the little filly upon her back and looked about the room.

Bogeys were not created for warfare. Even drunk and full of bravado, all the wizards needed to do was lower the temperature of the room a few degrees for them to become slow and lethargic. Covering everything in a thin layer of frost.

Her mate nodded as he watched the bogeys begin to curl up on themselves until they resembled a field of black billiard balls. If not for the fact that they pulsed whenever they breathed, one might even have thought it was a ball pit.

"Should we grab a bag and just scoop them all up?" he asked himself, not sure of the procedure of arresting bogeys.

"Our best bet would be to start stuffing them into their own bottles and corking the tops," Velvet sighed, dreading the long task that would take. "Then call some other authorities to take care of the rest."

Twist, in the meantime, was burrowing into the mare's mane for her warmth. "How did you find me?"

Velvet took a moment to flip her cape around her neck so as to hold the filly close and warm. "The security spells about the house allow us to track anyone who leaves the premises for up to three days. After that, it was just a simple flight spell to follow the signal from the sky."

"Ah... that'th... that'th nithe," Twist yawned happily as the cape and warm body soother her tired body.

"Sleep, little filly," bid the mare with a gentle coo. "Let the big ponies take care of the rest now."

Twist almost complied with the Mare's soft command. Almost.

"Not over."

That voice tore away sleep's gentle embrace and made all three Equestrian's look back towards the stairs. The bogey king, who had not made it very far, was stiffly unraveling herself from the cold ball.

Shards of ice falling off, she managed to extend her limbs and prop herself up to a standing position. However, the golden ring that served as her crown had somehow slipped down around her neck. Whether or not that was something to be concerned about was anybody's guess.

"King bogey better than big bogey," she croaked angrily. "King bogey king. King. King-king-king-king."

"This one's drunker than the rest," Nightlight commented as he shifted his staff towards the pest. "Just needs to get a little colder."

"No," shrieked the king as she felt the temperature descend even further. "King bogey will never fall."

Velvet's ears twitched. She swiftly hooked her husband's horn and jerked him towards her. "Come back, love. There is something wrong."

The stallion nodded sagely. "If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes I might not have believed it myself."

All three ponies regarded the royal pest with varying levels of concern.

"A bogey wizard," Nightlight narrowed his eyes dangerously. "No wonder she managed to unite all these parasites."

Somehow, the king's smile sent shivers down their spines. She seemed almost flattered.

"Pony fear bogey," the king cackled ominously. "Always. When small... serve us. Give us shinies. Treasures. Make bogey rich. Richer than pony."

"Tells us a few things," Velvet commented as she glanced at the brewing equipment. There no way a bogey, even an army of them, could have dragged a single piece in the old decrepit house. It appeared somewhat new as well.

Getting rich off of scaring foals?" the stallion twisted an eyebrow up. "That's an idea that never crossed my mind." Then he smirked. "If you could tell the difference between trash and treasure."

Contrary to what he had expected, the bogey laughed.

"Big bogey teach king bogey," she sneered. "Gold, silver, copper, ruby and diamond. He show king all."

Both wizards were taken aback by the idea of a bogey knowing anything.

"Who's the big bogey?" Velvet demanded, lifting her staff threateningly."

"Gone-gone," the bogey croaked in a bitter fashion. But, she still chuckled. "King rule now."

"She seems awfully proud of that," the mare whispered the stallion with a touch of annoyance. "Can't we just shut her up?"

"I would like to find out more," Nightlight answered back in an equally hushed voice. "You can take the filly and leave."

"Leave you here alone?" the mare sounded most offended. "There is something wrong, and I will not leave your side."

The stallion looked to the filly on his wife's back and noticed a small shield projected about her body. He nodded. "As you wish."

"I do," she grinned, bearing her teeth. "This little monster interrupted our alone time by kidnapping this sweet little filly."

"They didn't kidnap me," Twist pointed out for their information. "I fell down a hole and came here."

"Semantics, sweetie," the mare shushed her gently. "Let the big ponies do their thing."

"Big pony stupid," the king burst out laughing as if she had a big secret plan. She began stepping backwards, laughing all the way.

"Where do you think you're going?" Nightlight demanded, growling.

"Out of range," the bogey croaked.

"I could hit you from across the continent," the stallion huffed.

"Their range," the bogey pointed a crooked claw behind the ponies.

One-by-one, all three ponies turned their heads to see.

Rats. Not the Equestrian ones, earthly pests that had thrived on Equus. Some even went so far as to say the magic had changed them. Made them less independent of each other and smarter as a collective.

Swarming over each other like a ball of ants, the rats, which had remained silent up till now, lunged forward. Like a horrifying gaping maw of a thousand mouths, they descended upon the wizards with voracious intent.

"At least we know her expertise now," Velvet cried out as she expanded the shield to cover herself and her husband.

"Never ever heard of a rat mage before," Nightlight growled as he stomped a view rodents that had managed to slip past the mare's barrier. "Hold them off, love. I'm going to charge up."

The mare wordlessly obeyed, increasing her power output. She swallowed nervously, disgusted as the shield rippled against the horde of rats. They were trying to eat their way through. She quickly tucked the filly's head beneath the cape to keep from scarring her mind.

All the while the king laughed. She danced an eerie jog as she jeered and joked.

“Heehee. Pony not see. Blind as blind be. King bogey king of bogey see. Has small eyes, but is no blind. King did rats bind. Power not pony find. Chewing up, falling down. Pony go down-down-down.”

And just like that, they did. The floor beneath the wizards began to crack, and then they screamed in horror as it gave away entirely. Chewed thin by the rats they did not see. The ones in the basement.

Comments

[The Wind King]

Maurice this bogey is not, he's actually made a rat king.

[pahnazd]

Well, isn't that an unexpected twist of fate? And the adventure continues!

[Dan]

Have Beethoven summon his Penguins.