Creator Hatch

by Josh Crapo

S1E4a Grubs

Upon the change of plans, I decide to head back to Our Town before going back to Rainbow Falls, still as Catcher. Going around Our Town the day after my first real Rainbow Falls visit, I start getting a feeling in my stomach as if I ate something at Rainbow Falls. For a while, I pay no mind to it. What’s even weirder is that all around town, there are reward posters, stating that Party Favor’s gone missing, and whoever finds him practically becomes a millionaire. Suddenly, a pegasus comes to me.

“Hey Catcher. What’s up?”

“Just taking a walk around town.”

“Sad, isn’t it?”

“What’s sad?”

“Party Favor?”

“I’ve read about it. Night Glider, is it?”

The pegasus nods.

“Kind of coincidental. It’s almost as if my gut knows about it.”

“What about your gut?”

“It’s felt strange lately.”

Suddenly, I feel a burn in my throat as something rises into my mouth, making me cough it out, turning out to be what looks like spit.

“You okay?”

“Not sure, but I think I’ll be fine.”

“I sure hope so. Perhaps you could help find him. If you do that, you’d be RICH!!!”

“Only if I needed to buy something high quality would I really want to do that.”

“Well, okay. We won’t force you. I just thought I’d mention it.”

“That’s okay. It makes sense that the ponies of Our Town have reported Party Favor as missing. I talked with him the night he went missing. Recently, he’s been uneasy about me, I thought we could talk things out But things got bitter and I-”

Suddenly, I spit again, away from Night Glider.

“Catcher, are you sure you’re going to be alright? You could go to our medical facility.”

“I’ll be fine, really. It’s just spit.”

The pegasus examines the places that I spit.

“That doesn’t smell like spit. You need to go to the medical facility.”

“But wait; I don’t have any real symptoms! Ponies spit at some point.”

“That wasn’t spit.”

-=-

So, once we make it to the closest cottage to the cliff, a nurse comes to us.

“So, let’s see what’s going on.”

“Catcher has been spitting out something that looks like saliva, but seriously isn’t by scent.”

The nurse gives me a cup without further speech, just at the same time that I have another need to spit. Now with what I spit out in the cup, the nurse has all she needs to see what’s going on.

“So, what is it?!?”

“I... don’t know, Night Glider. I’ve never seen anything like it before. The liquid is so clear... even more so than any bodily fluid I’ve ever seen.”

“Wait a minute. Where do I know this liquid from?”

Night Glider pauses and shrugs.

“Eh. It’s probably going to blow over by tomorrow if you take care of it right.”

-=-

Throughout the course of the day, I find myself more drowsy after each time I have to spit. I decide to head to the caves early tonight.

“Gac! My form has limped!”

“What’s wrong, Hatch?”

“I have fallen a tire today from my visit to Our Town! Take me upstairs, shall you?”

“Yes, Hatch!”

And with that, I get a view of Party Favor and Diamond Tiara’s cocoons when Gac lands. Soon, I fall fast asleep out of my disguise while Gac scats, lively as ever. Suddenly, my slumbers are interrupted all too quickly when my stomach starts aching. I blink and groan in agony.

“Gac... Gac!”

“Yes, Hatch!”

“I am in no condition to travel to Rainbow Falls. Can you retrieve love from there?”

“If you can’t travel, what’s wrong?”

“I am experiencing abdominal agony. That’s irrelevant to your current condition. Simply answer. Are you well enough to retrieve love from Rainbow Falls?”

“Not without you. I’m staying here.”

“Are you in pain?”

“Yes. I’m in pain, that is without you.”

“Gac, what are you talking about?”

“We have been trying to start making our hive for six days. I have helped you the best that I can in reaching that goal. I don’t want you to be alone like this.”

Wait a minute. Gac has actually been trying to help me? He was doing everything he can to contribute to making my hive, or as he calls it, “our hive”? Our hive... I gasp in realization, tears starting to stream through my cheeks.

“Oh, Gac. I’ve been so ungrateful about you. You introduced me to Diamond Tiara, made two cocoons without any problem, helped me out of that stupid necklace, and even pointed out that I would’ve had to avoid feeding off of love the first time visiting Rainbow Falls. And I never gave you any thanks for it. I deeply apologize that I ever did that to you. You deserve a break. Stay with me until I wake up, okay?”

Gac proceeds to hug me as I feel too feeble with abdominal pain to return the hug. With Gac comforting me, I am ready to fall asleep again.

Waking back up, I find myself in the same spot from when I apologized to Gac as I wake up. Surrounding me are grubs about half of my size. Counting them all, there are seventeen. One of them looks at me, realizing that I woke up. The grub flutters its wings, notifying the others of my comeback. Finally, all the others buzz their wings in front of me, possibly in respect and reaction that I have arisen to a comfortable position. I try getting up, but I feel unstable in the legs, which can only mean one thing. Me and Gac’s hive has officially started.