Chapter Nine
PRE-STORY NOTE: The change from Ditsy to Derpy is quite deliberate, not a mistake. Its not me being indecisive about which to call her, it’s on purpose. Just go with, right?
*
With Twilight safely entombed among her bed sheets and Spike staying as a silent guard Fluttershy came downstairs. Thanquol was hopefully doing fine on his own but she just wasn’t comfortable leaving him alone. What if somepony took advantage of his vulnerable, wounded state? The thought was unconscionable!
Speaking of the unconscious, Thanquol stood on Ditsy, using the pony-thing to add to his reach. He swiped a book off the shelf; one he had seen the mage-pony returning. The ‘Comprehensive Foal’s Guide To Most of History’ would surely be of some use to him. Jumping from the laid out mare when he heard the clop of hooves coming down the stairs, he slipped the book into his robe. Let them think he knew nothing of their land and history. If they sought to deceive him he would know the truth they were keeping from him. He had already investigated her bag, messily putting the letters back in the mail bag when he found nothing of interest.
When Fluttershy finally arrived he was standing there, looking as innocent as the day he was whelped. Considering he had gnawed the face from one of his siblings to get at food...
“Twilight’s asleep now,” Fluttershy told him.
“Good-good, the mage-pony should be at its best to aid-help me.” Thanquol nodded approvingly; glad he had thought to wait until the next day before beginning. Truly the scope of his intellect was unfathomable.
Fluttershy nearly frowned at the way he called Twilight an ‘it’ but brushed it off as an oddity of the skaven. She approached Ditsy, checking over the pegasus.
“We should probably take her home.” She murmured softly. She realised just after saying it that they weren’t exactly suited to the task. She wasn’t what you would call strong and Thanquol was still injured. “Oh no, how can we move her?”
Stroking his whiskers, Thanquol wondered if maybe a heated iron would wake the stupid pony up. Its strange mark looked to be circles of some kind. When he ruled this land there would be no such foolishness. The mark of the Horned Rat would be much more appropriate, although he wasn’t sure if burning it in with a brand or some sort of chemical acid-tattoo would be better. What little Fluttershy had said indicated they may be magical, perhaps whipping them until they manifested the proper mark would work out better.
Fortunately for her, Ditsy began to wake up. Repeated crashes had given her quite the fast recovery time, especially when it came to head injuries. She rose from the ground, rubbing her head and looking around. Her eyes were back to normal, meaning only one could focus on anything for long.
“Huh? W-what happened?” She frowned. Derpy could remember seeing something odd. Not the giant rat next to Fluttershy. It was almost like before her unfortunate run-in with the underside of that flying chariot, the one going to Ponyville the day before the Summer Sun Celebration.
Fluttershy helped Derpy up, smiling reassuringly at her. Thanquol tried not to scowl. It was disgusting! If he had a rival skaven in such a position he would have made short work of it and anything of value it carried.
“You had a bit of a crash.” Fluttershy told the mare, helping her gather the messily spilled contents of her mailbag. It must have gotten thrown about by the landing they both assumed. “Are you alright?”
Derpy nodded. “I, uh, think I got distracted. Rainbow Dash was doing tricks!” She said, apparently happy despite the fact she had crashed into a building.
Thanquol ignored the inane chatter of the foolish ponies. His plans – such as they were – required that they leave so he could study his newly acquired tome of knowledge. He tapped his staff impatiently.
“Enough!” He decreed at last. Fluttershy and Derpy peered at him uncertainly. He remembered belatedly that he was meant to be befriending the stupid ponies. “Err, enough...time... distracted from your work. You are mail-minion, yes-yes?”
Derpy gasped in shock. “Oh no, I forgot! I need to get back to work. Thanks for helping Fluttershy, but I really need to go.”
Fluttershy waved it off. “Its fine, you need to work. Have a nice day, say hello to Dinky for me.”
“Okie-dokie. Buh-bye Fluttershy, and big rat thing.” Derpy waved, taking off and flying out the window.
“Thanquol!” Thanquol growled as the mail-pony fled, no doubt fearing his wrath. That it called him such a thing was a mockery he would not soon forget. “I am mighty-grand Thanquol!” He shook his fist at the window it had fled through.
Fluttershy giggled slightly at his reaction, taking it for playfulness rather than actual anger. She trotted past him to the door, missing the hot glare he sent at the back of her head. When she reached it and looked back he had concealed his anger.
“I was hoping to go see another friend. Um, w-would you like to come or do you want to go back to the cottage?” She asked, sensing that he was less than pleased.
Thanquol was sorely tempted to command Fluttershy to follow him back to the cottage but he suppressed it. After his last outburst she was likely beginning to suspect him. He had to curry her favour, as disgusting as the notion was to his refined skaven sensibilities.
He gave her an imperious nod. “We shall go to your friend. Quick-fast now, before I change my mind.”
She smiled gratefully. He was really such a dear, willing to keep walking around even despite the likely discomfort of his soreness. A little exercise would help him in the long run though.
They left the library, Thanquol sneering and glaring at every pony that looked at him when Fluttershy couldn’t see. None of them held his gaze. Fluttershy didn’t notice the way the road ahead of them was always clear and that nopony seemed to ever cross paths with them.
Thanquol gnashed his teeth as he stomped along impatiently. Where were they going? He was growing tired of this walking. A skaven of his stature deserved a palanquin when he was tired, yet like so many the ponies around were blind to what he deserved.
He was right on that note at least. They certainly didn’t know what he deserved. He deserved a lot, just not in the direction he thought it should. He was thinking along the lines of comfort and riches, where something more like a kick between the legs was called for at the very least.
His attention was distracted from being internally indignant by the sound of ...cheering? He looked around, quickly finding the source. One of the young ponies, a foal, was buzzing around the middle of a large empty area he was able to brilliantly deduce was the town square. The sign proclaiming that the town square was back in action after the unfortunate bear stampede last week was merely a confirmation to him.
“Woo, Rainbow Dash!” The child was screaming, having a hoof at the sky while the other held onto the strange contraption it was riding. Clearly it was sick in the head. Perhaps these ponies would allow him to deal with. It wouldn’t be much use, clearly insane, so perhaps it would serve as a meal-
“Oh, there she is.” Fluttershy rudely interrupted his thoughts. She pointed and for a moment Thanquol thought she was pointing at the insane spawn. He realised she was actually pointing higher and he followed the direction.
Even he, with his vast experience, was silenced by the spectacle. He had seen pegasi before, Fluttershy notwithstanding. He had watched a skaven army routed by the cursed Britonnians, their only saving grace the final volley from the Clan Skryre snipers taking out a few of the flying knights. Watching them plunge to their death and splatter was rather amusing, he had to admit.
Yet the flying he was seeing now was incredible! A rainbow-trailed blur was shooting through the sky, piercing clouds and pulling them in its wake as it darted around them, spinning them into oblivion. It bounced from cloud to clouds, rapidly clearing the sky.
Fluttershy giggled next to him, catching Thanquol’s shocked look.
“That’s Rainbow Dash, always showing off.” She said with a light titter.
At the sound of her words Thanquol snapped his jaw shut and stood up straight.
“Great Thanquol was not impressed.” He asserted sourly, sniffing haughtily. “Merely...surprised. And not even that!” Yet still his eyes darted back to watch the end of the show, if that was what it was.
She worried if his rather damaged looking nose was giving him trouble from the crash, but Fluttershy focused on what he was saying first. She didn’t want to be rude after all.
“There’s nothing wrong with admitting to being impressed. Uh, I don’t think there is anyway.” She added shyly when he looked at her through narrowed eyes.
“I was not impressed!” Thanquol huffed, shaking his staff at her. He stamped the butt in the ground. “Thanquol has seen much in his life, and Thanquol sees-knows all-”
“Look out!”
For the second time that day a pegasus came hurtling at Thanquol. He looked up in time to see the insane orange youth flying towards him on a metal contraption, skipping across the ground at high speed as though it was threatening to take off any second. A shriek pierced the air and he had just enough time to lift his staff. It caught the weight of the contraption. It didn’t catch the foal, which flipped over the handle bars and rammed its head against Thanquol’s.
Fortunately for Scootaloo her head was small enough to go between his horns, helmet and all. Unfortunately Thanquol was very dense. That is, his skull was. Clearly there was no other meaning that could be taken from that statement. None whatsoever. But it was nearly as dense as her helmet.
“Oh no!” Fluttershy cried, wincing as Thanquol fell to the ground clutching his head with a chorus of pained squeaks and squeals. Scoootaloo landed next to him, rubbing her head.
“Owww.” She whined, taking off her helmet and shaking her head, presumably to bounce her brain back into place. “D-did I hit someone?”
Thanquol would have answered if he hadn’t been huddled on the ground clutching his skull and thinking deadly thoughts. Preferably he would have answered in the form of warp lightning or a spell that skinned enemies alive, but that wasn’t an option right now.
He really wished it was.
“Whoa, Scoots, awesome skid there.” A crackly voice said from nearby, the swish of wings and displaced air preceding it.
Fluttershy gently eased Thanquol’s paws away from his head, inspecting it. She was rather worried about how much Thanquol was getting hurt in just one day. Was it always like this for him? No wonder he was so hurt when she found him. It was lucky he had found her home, he could be so much worse off.
“Really?” The dazed filly managed to be elated at the compliment. “I was trying to follow you and I lost control...”
“Yeah, I noticed. You hit Fluttershy’s...giant...rat...thing...what the hay?!” Rainbow Dash actually noticed the robed rat for the first time. How she missed the large cringing creature before was a mystery.
“His name is Thanquol and he’s unwell.” Fluttershy told her friend with an upset look. “Scootaloo hit him and he’s already hurt. Oh, poor thing.”
“Poor thing?” Looking over the creature Rainbow Dash snorted. “Okay, he’s got pretty cool horns. Look at those points! He could take an eye out.”
“Thanquol will take the eye from whoever struck him!” The ratpriest rose, tail lashing. He forced away Fluttershy and stood to his full height. Recovering his staff he glared down at the cowering Scootaloo. “Who dares to strike me?! Who dares to wound a holy priest of the Horned Rat?!”
Scootaloo stared up at him with wide eyes, her jaw open in shock. Fluttershy let out a squeak of shock as well. Rainbow Dash just looked at him with an unimpressed expression.
“You threatening Scootaloo? You’re barking up the wrong tree.” She glared at him and Thanquol returned the gesture.
“I shall destroy-.” He began with a wrathful look, lifting his staff. A weight on his arm distracted him and he looked at it to find what it was.
Fluttershy looked up at him with wide eyes. “P-please c-calm down.” She whimpered.
His plan came crashing back to Thanquol and he remembered he couldn’t destroyed the child because it was likely to tarnish his image among the stupid pony-things. He also didn’t have any magic to destroy it with, which factored heavily into his decision.
Snapping his jaw shut Thanquol took a deep breath, sucking air in through his nostrils. It made a horrible sound and everypony in hearing winced.
He let out a rancid breath a moment later. For all their work, neither Aloe or Lotus could clean the rot that ate away at everything inside him, both natural skaven foulness and spiritual. In terms of souls Thanquol was something along the lines of a piece of wood that had ceased to be wood and was more like a collection of rot that hung loosely together. Probably maggot infested too.
“I...ap-ap...” He forced it out, wincing as he did. “I ap...pologise. The pain made me...unhinged.” His paw tightened on his staff and he resisted the urge to slap the child with it. Oh how good it would feel, just one good swing.
Rainbow Dash snorted, still suspicious. “You okay squirt? He didn’t scare ya did he?”
“...no!” Scootaloo asserted, which was quite impressive considering she had been about to jump behind her idol until he calmed down. “Why would I be scared?”
Fluttershy smiled in relief. “Oh thank goodness. I knew all these accidents must be having an affect you, you poor thing.” She patted Thanquol’s arm as she cooed.
He sniffed haughtilly. His head still throbbed but he was not going to show weakness in front of mere pony-things.
“Great Thanquol is fine-good.” He said when an idea occured to him. A devious idea. A genius idea. An idea as befitting the great intellect that was Grey Seer Thanquol. He lifted a paw to his forehead and staggered. “Argh!”
It was, in truth, a rather convincing ‘argh’. Thanquol certainly sounded like he was suddenly stricken.
“Hey ‘shy, I think something's wrong with your rat thing.” Rainbow Dash pointed out.
Fluttershy was already trying to find the source of his pain. “O-oh no! Are you alright?”
He waved her off, or tried to. “Oh yes, I am fi-ah!” He ‘slipped’ and fell down on one knee. “Thanquol feels...faint.”
“Faint? Are you hungry? How long has been since you ate today? I’ll go get you something to eat. But I can’t just leave you. Oh no oh no oh no oh no.” Fluttershy began to hyperventilate, looking panicked as she was trapped between options.
Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo shared confused looks. With a sigh the weathermare approached her panicking friend.
“Uh, Fluttershy, want some help? I could-” She began to offer.
“Look after him while I find something for him to eat?” Fluttershy hugged her fiercely. “Oh thank you so much! I’ll be right back, I promise!”
It took Rainbow Dash a few seconds to realise that hadn’t been what she was going to offer. “Wait, no, Fluttershy-” She reached out a hoof as her friend took off, not hearing her. “But- but I don’t wanna look after the giant rat!”
By the time Rainbow Dash looked back at Thanquol he was laying comfortably on his side. He quickly did his best to look stricken when she turned to him.
“Great, looking after a stupid monster thing.” She muttered, sitting down heavily.
That she would be upset over being in his presence was not possible. Thanquol observed the brightest colours of the pony-things he had seen so far. It was disgusting. When he took over he would have to consider having its mane and tail removed, or perhaps dyed different colours. Its strong flying ability would make it a prime breeder for aerial mounts. The size of the pony-things seemed perfect, so dextrous skaven with light enough frames could easily ride them into battle.
“So...you’re a Thanquol?” Rainbow Dash asked, scratching the back of head awkwardly.
“The Thanquol.” He corrected her, adding a cough just to keep up the whole ‘unwell’ thing. He had been feigning faintness, but a cough should work. They were too stupid to pick up on it.
“Hay, I thought you were feeling faint, not coughing.” Scootaloo pointed out with a frown.
He glared at her slightly. “Yes-yes. Thanquol coughs when he is faint.” He said with narrowed eyes. The insane one was talking to him like an equal. Disgusting.
“Ooookay. Ignoring that....I’m Rainbow Dash, fastest pegasus in Equestria. I take care of the weather around here. Between practicing for the Wonderbolts and being awesome, obviously.” She boasted. “You’re kind of weird but eh, if Fluttershy is okay with you. I can understand being upset after taking a scooter full of Scootaloo to the head.” She ruffled Scootaloo’s mane as she said it, giving her a grin.
Thanquol’s sycophant instincts kicked into gear and he had to fight urge to sneer. This pony-thing was, unlike Fluttershy, deluded into a belief that it was important or impressive. It was wrong, of course, but such could be useful.
“Thanquol sees that the title is well befitted to you, flying one.” He said with a vaguely praising tone. “Truly, the skies of this land are blessed. Never before have I seen such skill. Great-good you are.”
The pegasus preened, puffing her chest out. “Yeah, I know, I’m totally awesome. Never seen anything like that before? Stick around and maybe you’ll see even better. That wasn’t my best, I can do way better.” She smirked. “If I bother to try, that is.”
He sat, resting his staff across his knees as he sat cross legged. “Truly? Thanquol would be honoured-awed to see such a sight. A rare and impressive dispay from such a generous pony-thi- pony as you.”
Looking down at her number one fan Rainbow Dash grinned. “See, he’s not so bad. Maybe you should say something about running into him.” She hinted.
“Yeah, I’m really sorry about that.” The filly apologised. She ruined it by giggling. “You sounded weird, making all those sounds, just like Marbles.”
Rainbow Dash giggled as well, covering it up with a cough and replacing it with a chuckle because Rainbow Dash doesn’t giggle. Giggling isn’t awesome or cool. Its not even radical!
“Uh, yeah, so, what’s up with you? Fluttershy looking after you or something?” She asked casually, at ease now she was certain he was impressed. Not that she hadn’t been certain before, since she was pretty rad.
“Mighty Thanquol is unwell. The Fluttershy is aid-helping me. Not that I require aid-help, obviously. Except right now.” It was hard to give both an impression of greatness while pretending to be wounded, made more difficult by the fact he was actually wounded. The various aches were starting to get to him.
“Mighty?” She asked, cocking an eyebrow at the weird way he talked. “You sound like Trixie. Can’t you talk normal?”
He bristled at that. He was talking normal! It was all others who talked strangely. Even in human tongues his skill was beyond doubt, although of course the stupid man-things were too moronic to realise that. He was a skaven and like all skaven when he used something another race had created he improved upon it.
“I am a wise-smart Grey Seer, my knowledge of tongues extends from the lands of the man-things of Clan Empire to the smouldering heat of Araby!” He snarled, banging his staff on the ground. “I speak-talk normally!”
Rainbow Dash was about to argue the point when Scootaloo piped up with a question.
“What’s a ‘man-thing’? Feel like I’ve heard that somewhere....” She frowned as she tried to remember.
Now that she thought about it, Rainbow Dash had heard that before as well, or something like it. It hit her, remembering perfectly the last time the word ‘man’ passed her hearing. Unfortunately she didn’t get to warn Thanquol from the topic in time.
He smirked widely at the chance to prove his knowledge. “I am wisest of Grey Seers in the ways of the man-things, creatures that call themselves ‘human’.” He said the word sneeringly. A stupid if sometimes useful race, really. How unfortunate for them, with Thanquol’s acquisition of these pony-things they would be useful for fewer tasks. Their future in the grand utopia of a skaven ruled surface had lessened a great deal.
He took out one of his pouches for a small whiff of warpstone dust, it had been almost ten minutes since he last had any and that was unacceptable. Brilliance like his needed fuel after all.
Rainbow Dash’s expression fell as he talked. “Oh no...” She began to back up, shaking her head.
Its actions brought a wide smirk to Thanquol’s face. Clearly it realised just this moment the grand personage it had been insulting! Now it would fall prostrate before him, grovelling at its unworthiness. Perhaps he would forgive the pony-thing, in time. For now it could earn his generous mercy by serving as his mount. Its tongue might need to be removed so it wouldn’t be able to talk back and a proper saddle that gave him full control fitted to it with a collar would help it remember who its master was. The greatest of the flying pony-things was the obvious mount for Grey Seer Thanquol, once proper mindless obedience and discipline had been beaten into it.
He was too busy planning how Rainbow Dash would be trained into a faithful slave to notice the cloud of dust and dirt speeding towards them from the distance. It was much like the distant dust cloud of a stampede, except only one pony was responsible. Thanquol had just began to plot how his pony-slave would be taught to always respond to the far better name he would give it and to forget its stupid old name when a something came skipping to a halt in front of him.
Dirt and rocks pulled in her wake came tumbling down as she slid to a halt, leaving a long scar through the dirt road. The dust settled over the skaven, pegasus and filly as they stared at the brightly, widely grinning mare.
“Who was talking about humans?” She demanded.
“Him!” Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo answered, pointing at Thanquol with expressions quite close to terror.
The Grey Seer coughed, rubbing his eyes as dust stung them. Skaven curses rolled from his snout When he could finally see again something greenish was in front of him, with splashes of white. Blinking through the watery haze he glared at it.
“Hi!” The green thing said far too cheerfully for his liking. “I’m Lyra Heartstrings. What do you know about humans? Please tell me!”
Clearing the dust from his eyes suddenly became less important. Thanquol heard something in that voice. The voice itself was new but the personality behind it he recognised from long experience. It was in the voice of alchemists shunned for their obsessions and willing to go to any length. It was in the voice of wizards delving into the darkest of magics who burned to know, who would sell their souls to learn everything. It was the voice of the obsessed.
He grinned through the dust. She wanted to know about humans. She had to know about humans. This pony would sell her soul to know about humans. Thanquol knew about humans. More importantly, judging from the hidden desperation in her voice, he was the only one around here who did.
How much, he wondered with a suppressed cackle, was her soul worth to her?
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... Crap.
Well... at least she's not buying Nurglite. Also auto-correct tried to correct Nurglite as glittering.
So, Thanquol shall be acquiring a minion?
Shenanigans shall be ensuing quick-fast.
2506579 And much head-bopping.
When is the rat on evil crack going to run out and go through withdrawal hopefully when Celestia comes by.
If he gets Lyras soul under wraps (which he probably could do, even in his grand and all-shadowing incompetence) he may even be able to do some warpcraft, not very much, but enough to worry about.
But somehow i think the greatest flaw in his plans is himself so yea not a big chance of that happening.
2508108 The greatest flaw in ALL of his plans is himself. He's essentially a big walking flaw that just never dies. Its more her soul, metaphorically speaking. He has something she's desperate to have (knowledge about humans) and so Thanquol is going to use that to basically control her.
2506464 I really hope that was a response to Thanquol's wondering, not a description of the chapter itself. That be unhappy-causing.
2508602
It was on the fact that our favorite rat man potentially gaining a minion.
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