Sun Redacted

by daOtterGuy

Love and Loathing

Pine Grove was well known for its logging community. As such, the residents embraced a woodsy aesthetic of log buildings and a deep appreciation of flannel. It was also much larger than most towns in Equestria due to taking in the runoff from Manehattan, resulting in a nature-heavy town on the verge of becoming a city.

Evergreens towered overhead in the evening light of the moon, further lit by lantern posts. Flash trotted toward the center of town square, alone. Soarin had flown off to guide the townsponies out in preparation for the ensuing carnage.

Fill… Fill… Fill…

The centerpiece was a whimsical stump that pumped out maple syrup into a fountain. Flash wasn’t sure if it was just modern engineering or magic, but he liked to think it was the latter for the sake of his own foalish glee.

Flash was dressed in a black suit with protective armour and a green tie to indicate his assignment to the Evening Watch. It was form fit, it was flattering on his body, and it was in the way.

He took it all off, neatly folded it and placed it on the edge of the fountain. For most Agents, it was the only form of protection afforded to them. For Flash, it was just a hindrance.

Fill. Fill. Fill.

His inner monster, granted to him by the Malformant Collector of Curiosites and Curios, called to him, warning of the impending danger. He answered it, giving it a list of changes to better prepare for the fight ahead.

His bones cracked and reformed, his flesh stretching to accommodate the changes. It was painful, but, by this point, Flash was used to it.

Falcon wings to increase his speed, two dragon claws for close quarters fighting in place of his front hooves, dripping with an alcoholic solution to hopefully deal with the Malformant’s liquid that he’d been warned about, and some size and muscle density from Zebrican tigers just in case.

Several drops of foul-smelling translucent fluid dripped into the fountain from above him.

“Fill.”

Looking up, Flash came face-to-face with the Loathing Malformant To Fill My Holes.

It was a torso with four long limbs that ended in three-pronged claws, towering over both himself and the surrounding buildings. It had a rounded head that wobbled back and forth. Its torso was an open wound, small insects gnawing away at its insides. In addition, it had the trademarks of a Loathing Malformant, sickly yellowed skin and pockmarks all over its body.

Pus-like fluid with the consistency of sap dripped from all of its holes. It smelled foul, like a skunk that could fart sulfur.

Fulfilling its concept, ponies of all types were embedded in the holes of its flesh. The fluid kept them stuck to it, with their eyes wide open in terror. A frustrating development, as it meant that Flash would have to be careful not to harm the victims.

“Wow, you're ugly,” Flash remarked. “Even by Loathing standards.”

“Fill!” the Malformant screeched.

A clawed hand came down on Flash. In response, he raked his claws along the underside, tearing through flesh and drawing forth a gush of fluid that splattered all over him.

The abomination drew back with a screech, cradling its injured hand.

This fluid was a problem since, if he was drenched in enough of it, he wouldn’t be able to move. He could already feel the sap hindering his mobility. Thankfully, this particular inconvenience wouldn’t be an issue for him.

Calling forth on his inner monster again, he shed his sticky skin and stepped out of the discarded husk, perfectly clean once more.

Changing tactics, the Malformant threw a wave of fluid in his direction.

Using his increased speed to his advantage, Flash leaped out of the way and took off. He ducked and weaved around the Malformant as he flew, raking his claws along its flesh when the opportunity presented itself.

The monster continued to flail at him with reckless abandon. Based on its panicked strikes, Flash felt he could safely presume that its only trick was the sap.

“Guess I should stop waiting for you to be interesting,” Flash said.

“Fill!” it screeched, bringing two hands together toward Flash.

He flapped his wings hard and dodged it with ease. Opening his wings, he glided along one of the Malformant’s limbs and cut out captive ponies as he went with his alcohol-tipped claws. It dissolved the sap easily and allowed the captives to gallop away as they dropped to the ground.

Over the next few minutes, Flash systematically freed each of the entrapped ponies from the creature’s many holes.

When the last pony escaped, the abomination screamed, cradling its head with all four limbs as it threw a tantrum.

“Fill! Fill! Fill! Fill! Fill!” it screeched.

“Sheesh, you are loud.” Flash cleaned out one ear with a wing top. “If you’re gonna scream like that, then let me give you a reason to.”

He took a deep breath, the underside of his throat becoming scaled, his lower teeth sharpened into fangs. Once he was certain that enough air had been stored inside his mouth, he clicked his tongue, igniting the new flame sac that had formed there.

Jewel had told him of a type of flame used by dragons that only burns the flesh of the first target it consumes. A nasty trick, but useful in a very flammable pine needle forest.

With an exhale, he spewed out a torrent of magenta flames at the Malformant.

Burning flesh mixed the natural musk of the abomination as its screams took on a higher pitch. It flailed desperately along the ground, trying to put out the flames. A useless endeavor, as only Flash would be able to put them out.

“Did it give you any trouble, babe?”

“Nah,” Flash replied. He kissed his dapper coltfriend Soarin, who was dressed in a black suit with a green tie, on the cheek. “Was barely any trouble. Got the magnets ready?”

“Yep.” Soaring held up several metal spheres in his wings. “Put out the flames and we’ll pack him up tight for our trip up north.”

Flash spewed a gush of white flames, neutralizing the magenta. The stallions worked quickly, embedding spheres into the Malformant’s flesh. Before the abomination could react, it was already too late.

The contraptions hummed to life, beginning to move toward each other, folding the Malformant’s body in on itself. After a few moments, it had been packed into a big fleshy sphere.

“That took longer than usual for you,” Soarin remarked.

“Wanted to be cautious since I just got out of recovery.” Flash jerked his head toward the other end of town. “Got everyone out?”

“After care is with them now. We can leave for Stalliongrad anytime.”

“Right. We have a long way to go and I don’t want to leave them dealing with the Casino for too long, so we’ll go right away. Kiss for the long haul?”

Soarin grabbed Flash by the scruff of his chest and pulled him in close, latching onto his lips. They leaned into each other, savouring the other’s taste. After what felt like too short a time, they pulled back, panting from the intimate moment.

“Thanks, babe,” Flash said. “Now, let’s get this ball moving.”

Flash tapped into his inner self and willed it to transform him into something better suited for travel.

His wings shrunk into his body as the rest of him grew and elongated into larger proportions. Muscles leans out, limbs extended, and his head took on a distinctly feline shape.

After a few moments, a large orange cheetah stood in place of Flash.

After roping the fleshy sphere onto his back with help from Soarin, they were off toward their next destination.

Comments

[FanOfMostEverything]

Yeah, people seeking an escape to another universe won’t generally be in a good place mentally. The fact that there are facilitators on the other side advertising other worlds to ruin is an unexpected and deeply concerning development. Looking forward to further insights.