Spud was plagued by a growing sense of annoyance. The not-terribly-bright equine creatures sharing his room were in a less than pleasant mood. The little female with the squeaky voice and the voracious need to hug appeared as though she was on the verge of tears, as if somekitty had smacked her in the face with a mackerel, or perhaps a sturgeon. The Ratkiller, the smart one of the group, the one that understood the danger, he was brooding, but he was prone to brooding. The Ratkiller’s cold indifference and brooding nature almost made him a cat… almost. The soft one was laying in his bunk, staring up at the ceiling.
At least the soft one had some common sense. Laying down was smart, there was no sense in expending any energy unless one absolutely had to. The little female? She was pacing the room and it was driving him to distraction. He had tried tripping her, getting under her hooves, to make her lay down on the floor and save energy, but she had just lifted him up and out of the way with her magic.
Harrumph.
The hyper-intelligent feline figured out that it was up to him; he was going to have to give a rousing speech and inspire his foolish equine associates. He would have to lift their fragile spirits and return a spring to their steps. Sitting down on the table where the Ratkiller was reading a book, Spud yowled once to clear his throat, and then he began to orate in his fine feline voice:
“Hearken unto me, my boon companions, and listen well! The dreadful rodent menace down the dark depths grows ever stronger and we do not have the luxury of self-pity or self-doubt! We must be strong, we must resist their machinations, for they wish to injure our morale! We are not mice! We do not cower! We are not mewling kittens who cling to a teat, no, we are roaring lions! Well, technically, three of you are silly horse creatures, but my point still stands! The rodent invaders might have scored a victory, but we are noble! We are valiant! We have greatness! And for certain it is us who shall win the war!”
“Well said, Spud,” replied the Ratkiller, also known as Flicker.
“All he did was meow once,” the whining little female said as she shook her head. “I swear, sometimes, Flicker, I worry about you. I feel as though I am going stir crazy. How is that studying going along for your candle exam?”
Spud gave an impatient yowl and wondered how miniscule equines could be so stupid. They would be nothing without cats to rule them, guide them, and keep them civilised. No doubt, they would be standing out in some field someplace, eating grass, and getting rained on. Spud snorted in disgust and wondered why he bothered.
“I think I’m going to be okay, but I just need to practice a few times.”
Doctor Sterling seemed older somehow. His silvery grey mane somehow looked a little greyer, his eyes were bloodshot, and the crows feet in the corners of his eyes were far more pronounced than usual. In Flicker’s eyes, the doctor had aged by a decade or more. It looked as though Piper noticed it too, she was staring at him, and Flicker, with a turn of his head, studied her for a moment, so that he might gage her reaction.
“You’ve been requested for a job,” Doctor Sterling said to Flicker in a dry, somewhat raspy voice that sounded as though he had been shouting—or perhaps crying. “You’ve healed up a good bit and I think you’ll be able to do it. The harbourmaster needs another quarantined ship cleared. He has specifically asked that you do it and is willing to offer a little compensation.”
“Why me?” Flicker asked.
Doctor Sterling shuffled on his hooves for a time before he replied, “You cleaned up well and he appreciates that. You left behind a well cleaned ship after your last job when you took your test. A clean ship makes him look good, as it shows that he seeks out competent help. Alas, there have been those within our ranks that have disappointed him.”
Flicker thought of Sunfire Rondache, but said nothing about him. Instead, he had this to say, “The cleaning is just part of the job. I did my best and I am glad that my efforts are appreciated. I can clear out an infested ship tomorrow, that should be no trouble at all.”
“Miss Pie, Mister Walker, you’ll be coming with us. I want the two of you to meet the harbourmaster. It is vital that we maintain a good rapport with him. Having Flicker do this job is a step in the right direction in establishing a good working relationship with him.”
“Wait, Sunfire did he—”
“We do not speak ill of the dead,” the doctor said, making a gentle interruption.
Piper’s mouth opened to say more, but then she thought better of it. She stood there, no longer pacing, frozen and in silence. She shifted from one side to the other, left to right and then back again. Her mouth moved again, her eyes blinked, and then she asked, “How is the other apprentice?”
“Beryl… his life hangs by a thread. Princess Cadance is coming so that she might have a chance to practice her skill. Radiant Hope should arrive by the morn as well. His injuries are extensive and gruesome… and represent the sort of challenge that would test the skill of any healer.” Doctor Sterling hung his head and his eyes looked troubled. “I can detect trauma… I am so very skilled at that, I can even find hairline fractures that x-rays can miss… but alas, I do not have the ability to magically mend flesh. What I wouldn’t give for the ability to do so.”
At the mention of her name, Flicker’s mind recalled Radiant Hope. He had met her just once, her and her strange, quiet companion, whom she called her shadow. Her body guard perhaps? Friend? More than friend? Her companion had been covered in a grey cloak the entire time and was quite mysterious. Radiant Hope had the most miraculous ability to heal, and he had met her at the Weeping Sister Hospital.
She never stayed in one place long, she was always coming and going, and had to be. A healer, a rare gift, there were so many looking for a cure and so few capable of curing. Being in one spot for too long tended to cause mobs of angry ponies who demanded her skills as a healer, believing themselves entitled to her gift. She was a walking, talking, breathing, sometimes singing panacea.
Flicker couldn’t imagine being so hounded.
“Be well rested tomorrow. We’ll start early. I want all of you bright eyed and bushy tailed.” The doctor did not wait for a reply, but turned about and headed for the door. “I shall be in my personal quarters here at the guild if any of you need me. “I would suggest turning in early.”
And then, the doctor was gone.
The next morning…
It was a matter of going through the motions on difficult mornings like this one. This particular breakfast was a Canterlot favourite—savoury oatmeal; soy nuts with sautéd onions, mushrooms, rosemary, and thyme. Flicker had cracked two fresh eggs into his and stirred well. His companions hesitated, savoury oatmeal was unknown to them, and Canterlot cuisine in general made them both raise their eyebrows on occasion.
There was something in the air of the guild, something palpable, a feeling of grief and rage. Deaths were uncommon, but they did happen. More apprentices died from training accidents than rats though. Alchemical explosions were a common way to go, or suffering fatal equipment failure, which was typically the end result of being sloppy. Being careless would get you dead.
Piper, sighing, stirred two eggs into her oatmeal, doing as Flicker did, and she stared off into space as her spoon went round and round. Flicker broke two eggs into Hennessy’s oatmeal and gave it a quick stir with a spoon. Hennessy eyeballed the mess of strange oats in his bowl, and after shrugging, he tried some.
“Oh, that’s good… silky,” the colt murmured and then Hennessy began to eat in earnest.
“Flicker, I’m scared,” Piper blurted out. “I keep thinking about quitting and going home to my parents… but I don’t want to quit! I want to keep going! But I can’t stop thinking about it even though I want to and I feel so conflicted. It’s tearing me apart inside!”
Looking up from his oatmeal, Flicker saw tears in Piper’s eyes. He sat there, chewing, looking at Piper, and then he crammed another spoonful of breakfast into his mouth. “Piper, this is a hard life,” he said around a mouthful of savoury oatmeal, “and it isn’t for everypony.”
“I know.” Piper tried a bite of her breakfast, then nodded. “Hey, this is rather good.”
The filly hunched over the table and began to shovel in her breakfast, knowing that time was limited. As she gobbled it down, her cheeks bulged, and she had a thoughtful expression upon her face as she stared at Flicker. After swallowing, she paused her eating and said, “Last night I had a bad dream about the rats swarming me. It was really bad… in the dream, they crawled up my hind legs and then started gnawing their way inside of me just under my tail, if you get my meaning.” Grimacing, Piper returned to eating and stared down into her bowl.
Almost choking, Hennessy began to cough as he lifted his head away from his bowl. He sputtered, oatmeal and runny egg dribbled down his chin, and he turned to look at Piper. “Are you okay? Land sakes, why didn’t you wake one of us up after you went through that?”
Groaning, Piper swallowed, sucked in a deep breath, then replied, “Spud came and comforted me after I woke up. He slept with me and his purring made me feel better.” Having responded, she began eating again, scooping up great dripping spoonfuls of oatmeal, and making a mess on her chin.
Pushing aside his empty bowl, Flicker sat back in his seat and let out a stifled belch. He thought about the spider-hag, which he couldn’t talk about, and the rabid bear. Both had almost been the death of him. Things got a little exciting with those two. It dawned on Flicker that he was ten years old—a decade—and he had his whole life ahead of him. His eyes went vacant and he stared off into nothing.
He was okay with that, he realised after zoning out for almost a full minute. He wasn’t too keen on any spider-related encounters, no doubt he would run off screaming again, as much as it pained him to admit it, but that is why he had Piper and Hennessy around. Lifting his head, he looked at his companions, who were still eating, and he tried to think of what to say.
“I need both of you.” Flicker did not say why, or that he needed them to deal with spiders, no, saying that he needed them was enough. He could let them arrive at their own conclusions as to why he needed them, they could derive their own value from his words. It felt like he had more to say though, so he added, “I can’t do this without you.”
Which was true in a technical sense as well as a practical sense.
“I’m flattered,” Piper replied around a mouthful of oatmeal.
“I think I need you more.” Hennessy’s words were faint, breathed more than spoken, and he stared down into his oatmeal. “You’ve been just the sort of friend I’ve needed. When you took me to the Chapel of Night that night after my Ma arrived… I… well… I dunno.” The colt’s words trailed off and he stuck his muzzle back down into his bowl to finish off his breakfast.
Piper’s face reddened and she dropped her head as her ears also drooped. “I can talk to the two of you about anything, right?”
Not seeing the harm in doing so, Flicker nodded.
“Well, last night, when that dream happened, when the rats gnawed their way inside of me and started chewing on me between my legs, I climaxed—”
Hennessy choked on his oatmeal, and then snorted some up his nose when he tried to suck in some much needed air with his mouth being clogged with oatmeal. It was the primary danger of eating the earth pony way. Piper, still blushing, her face now purple, whacked Hennessy on the back with her telekinesis and he began coughing.
“It was a really scary dream,” Piper said, almost whining, “and it isn’t the sort of thing a filly my age should be… well, you know, it isn’t the sort of thing a filly my age should be aroused about. I’m really torn up about it, and I don’t have anypony to talk to. Even if I went home, I couldn’t talk to my mother about it, and I know it. She’d cover up her ears and start shouting ‘Tralalalalalala!’ until I shut up about it. I don’t know what’s normal for a filly my age to experience and I’m scared.”
Hennessy let out a whoop, coughed a bit more, and then managed to wheeze out a few words. “I’m over here ‘bout to cough up a lung or two, and Flicker looks fine, yes he does. He heard about a filly getting the shivers from a dream about rats eating her filly parts, and not one muscle twitched. How?”
Flicker shrugged, not knowing. He was bothered by it, but he was also disconnected from it. It would probably sink in later and he would be bothered by it then—but as for now—he didn’t know how to react. Stoicism or dull senses? He couldn’t decide.
“Well, my balls has done moved north and I think I can feel them in my throat now.” Hennessy coughed once more and then began to wipe his muzzle with his foreleg. He squirmed in his chair, avoiding looking at Piper, and not looking at Flicker either. The colt groaned and placed a front hoof between his legs to comfort himself.
“I’m really sorry I brought this up—”
“Don’t be sorry,” Flicker commanded, his voice now hard. He turned his head to look at Piper, his hard, blank stare made her squirm. “We are your brothers and your guildmates. I have been tasked with your wellbeing and protection. That includes helping you out if I can if you have a troubling dream. I don’t know what I could do for you, but I can listen, and if you wake up troubled in the night, I can sit with you until the fear subsides.”
“Thank you.” Piper looked Flicker in the eye for a second, then looked away. “That makes everything better, actually. I think I’ll be able to sort myself out now and if I need to talk to you… I will. Knick-Knack is a lucky filly to have you as a brother… and I feel pretty lucky to have you as a friend.”
Flicker nodded, his expression stony and hard. “Finish up, we have work to do. We’ve lollygagged long enough…”
These frequent chapters are awesome
*puts hands between legs* oooowwwoowowowoowowowow...
Spud, I want you to keep doing you.
I am a truly warped individual, and am usually quite a fan of gory things. However, in this instance, I would like to thank you for not going into further detail about that dream.
Another line that feels like it should be in a slow song somewhere. Something about... "I don't know what to do for you, so all I can do is be there for you." You have a tremendous capacity to describe the feelings of one who loves another helplessly.
Oh man, I love the contrasting responses of Flicker and Hennessey...
I do think that Flicker is on to something though. Sometimes all you can do is listen.
7806302 Eh, I myself would enjoy further details.
Oh God...
I'm scared.
Why?
Because I'm certain that there's a fetish for what Piper described, and what's worse, if there's a fetish, then there's certainly porn of it.
(hides)
Spud S. Jackson, an inspiration to us all.
I feel kind of sorry for Sterling, so much knowledge but only so much he can do. Then again, probably a similar story for Hennessy in time.
Kudzu, have you had savory oatmeal before? Thoughts?
Stimulus is stimulus is stimulus to some degree I suppose? Academic insight about paraphilia is beyond my ken.
Also, does that mean Sombra is around in some capacity?
*Coughs* um... I guess I can relate to Piper... Pain works different for a certain subset of the population.
7806388
I like steel cut oats... the whole oat, not the hulls, not Quaker Oats.
Steel cut oats with roasted garlic, rosemary, a little olive oil, and some grated parmesan cheese... to die for. Oh, and butter.
But you can't do it with Quaker Oats, it will be disgusting.
images-iherb.com/l/MCC-00020-2.jpg
This stuff is amazing, but expensive. Totes worth it though.
Damn, now I want some.
There's a strange sort of charm to Flicker's unflinching earnestness. He doesn't have a lot of tact, necessarily, and this does make him come off as abrasive to others, but at the same time, he never says anything that he doesn't mean, and means everything that he says.
I think the world would be a better place if we were all more like Flicker Nicker.
The unflinching earnestness part, I mean. Just that part. Pretty much everything else about him gives me squirmy guts.
7806371 Sounds like some nauseating mix between unbirth and hard vore... Those do not mix well for healthy minds.
7806371 There is and now I can't get the images out! Damn you Kudzuhaiku!
Incidently, savory oatmeal is da' shitz! Got me a craving for curried oats and eggs. Maybe caramelized onions.
7806398
Now I want some too~! I can't eat cheese though.
I've had that oatmeal before, it's good stuff. If only I remembered where to get it. Wait, do you remember where you bought it in the Seattle area?
7806415
Piper does not have a healthy mind. She had her first real sexual awakening when Flicker was strapping her suit on and was hurting her. It felt good.
7806422
Order it from Amazon. It's CHEAP!
I used to buy it in Albertson's, Safeway, and Tidyman's.
7806428
Duly noted, thanks~!
7806425 It seem the Rat Catcher's guild is attracting those with unhealthy minds. Out of the three Hennessy is probably in the worst shape. Then its a toss up between Flicker and Piper though Piper definitely experienced mental abuse though it probably wasn't intentional.
7806464
Killers tend to have quirky minds. Go figure.
I want everyone to imagine this... Gummy and Spud having a discussion with each other about the ponies they deal with and life in general... and Gummy joining them in the Sewers, dressed Rambo Style, complete with weapons
7806466
...I have pictured it, and It. Is. GLORIOUS!! Such a vivid image too, I can easily picture this occurring should Gummy and Spud ever meet.
7806425 At least she can trust Flicker. Hungry rats make for far more risky partners.
7806465 Everyone has quirky minds TRUTHFULLY. NORMALLY and average are two terms I despise..
Normal is an opinion and average is a mathematical concept. Normal works best as a group opinion but that doesn't mean it cant perverted. I bet if you asked Hennessy's father he is perfectly normal average if you will.
It is so awesome how you are bringing Hope from MLP comic into Weedverse. She is one my favorite comic characters. I am also glad you mentioned her bodyguard too. Those that have read the comic know who he is. on another note, I can relate to Flicker emotional detachment. I am like that myself.
7806290 he is a cute cat monster in his own way. Imagine what he can say in two.meow
7806371 Algolagnia or Vorarephilia
7806402 as someone who is described as emotionally dull... It's not easy as I know I don't react as a normal person would have. Just been around enough stuff to became apathic
7806425 she is a maso ... Although the suit opens up more options
7806464 that's the point. They are not normal and do something that isn't normal for a pony.
7806466 forget it.something more simple... When he meets him pinkie will be amazed that someone else understands him
7806547
"Normal" is just another way of saying "mode" as applied to behavior, rather than statistics. It is the most commonly occurring behavior or set of behaviors within a population. It can be applied to things aside from behavior, but means the same thing: What can be reasonably expected to happen because it happens the most frequently. "Average" in the same context really has the same meaning.
So, yes, Hennessy's father likely would described himself as "normal," and he would be correct in doing so: For the population he lives in, he probably conforms to what can be reasonably expected. "Normal" in this context only means "expected;" extending its meaning to include "correct" or "good" when it never means either of these things is not the fault of language, but the fault of the observer.
Huh, I never imagined Piper being into vore.
Takes all kinks I suppose.
7806619
And if Flicker had 'gone south' his behaviour could theoretically be defined as normal.
He would be doing what his training made him to do.
7806630
Memory serving, Flicker is trained to take the fight to rats; he is not a law enforcer, peace officer or soldier.
His behavior with regards to his Guild training in the proposed scenario would not be any more normal than fighting a rabid bear with dynamite is: He would not be reasonably expected to explode a bar, and he would not be reasonably expected — as a rat catcher — to go south with a raging murder-boner.
His behavior in the proposed scenario could be considered normal, however, as an equine who cares very deeply for those close to him, and who is at best compulsively, at worst obsessively protective of those he cares for.
It would still not make his behavior "correct," however, and as an equine who cares for "correct" behavior almost as much as he cares for those close to him, he naturally did not act in this way, even though it was very, very hard for him not to.
It's hard, hard work, being Lord Death of Murder Mountain.
7806649
As a duly appointed, able bodied member of the militia, it is his duty to uphold the law and keep order. We'll betting to that soon.
7806649
He is trained to destroy disease and vermin. The ponies in Hennesy's family are nothing more than Vermin in Pony's Clothing spreading the diseases of ignorance, Bigotry, hatred, ect.
7806651
Yes, I hope that we do, because upholding law and order would normally fall to police or sheriffs or, I suppose in a suitably remote location, rangers, rather than the military. Which a militia absolutely is, albeit not a professional one.
7806652
You realize that you've just advocated for every pony in Hennessy's village being summarily executed without a trial, and the village itself razed to the ground, yes? I'm sure that wasn't what you were intending to say, but that is what is done to vermin. There's bound to be other villages just like or almost like it too, so they'll have to go as well. Everywhere that bigotry and joyful ignorance can be found, there will be ponies that must be killed immediately and publicly, so that the rest of society will know to watch out for signs of disease "or else." How many executions do you suppose would be required? Hundreds? Thousands? Tens of thousands?
The moment we begin to classify social ills as "diseases" and one group of individuals or another as "vermin," we find ourselves in very, very frightening territory from which we cannot easily leave.
7806621 actually a common response to that level of trauma is instinctive arousal. Your mind tries to turn something horrifying and a violation into something good for a few moments so you can survive it. That stuff kinda leaves an impact on the mind.
Spud is awesome.
This chapter is great
Go ponies!
Less than pleasant mood
Spud is awesome.
This chapter is great
Go ponies!
Less than pleasant mood
That entire speech in just one meow? Efficient.
Oh my goodness, Radiant Hope and her friend exist in the Weedverse? That seems very significant for the larger conflict, particularly considering the abilities they bring to the table.
You know, I was going to suggest that Piper could maybe use some Luna dream assistance, but as of the end of the chapter I have no idea if that would help or not.
7806466 Gummy doesn't need weapons, just wait til he grows up!
fc09.deviantart.net/fs71/i/2014/225/f/c/all_grown_up_by_jazzekat-d7v3665.jpg
7807052
the best part of that pic is i can see pinkie still pulling him along with her tail
This is inaccurate, in the sense that it is his current age. Flicker is reported to be 10 in the first one shot story, and then during this one it is said many times that he has been gone for over a year (possibly two) and specifically that his birthday goes by without celebration. That makes him, at minimum, eleven, though possibly even twelve as which birthday is never mentioned.
I noticed the discrepancy because I decided to reread Flicker's story, so it is still fresh in my mind. The first time slipped by because I was waiting in between chapters and would forget some things. Hope this is helpful.
8792222
He was 9 in the first story, and is now ten.