The silence of the foals

A loud screech sound invaded everypony’s ears. The crystal wall was turning. As it did, it was spilling from the edges all the black water that had been gathering inside Canterlin’s cage. Even though the water directed itself to the sewer holes, Luster and the comptroller were up to their pasterns in the liquid. With their magic, they kept opening the crystal more, pushing from the right side and the pulling from the left edge.

Canterlin was still standing on his hinds on the bed. The water level had dropped. The bed was visible again, just like the bale of hay on one corner. The crystal barrier was open enough that it allowed a pony to cross the threshold. Canterlin could escape if he dared. “Commissar, that’s enough. Stop pushing!” The comptroller shouted, turning his head at her. He had stopped his telekinesis. Luster stopped hers immediately after he told her. They stepped back a few legs from the crystal, looking forward at Canterlin’s prison.

In front of Luster and the comptroller was the nasty cage of Canterlin. Open. Canterlin, still standing on the bed, exchanged glances with them. Neither Luster nor the comptroller dared to move a muscle for a few seconds. They both were staring at Canterlin. Canterlin smiled. He was holding his silk bedsheets with his forehooves. He raised one forehoof and pointed at the toilet. The metal fixed receptacle was still spewing out dark liquid. “Now, who’ll do the honors of fixing my toilet?” He looked at it, and then back at them.

Luster and the comptroller exchanged glances; their eyes wide open. Luster looked at the comptroller’s body. He was trembling. She sighed, closing her eyes. Then, she opened her eyes. She looked down at her hooves for a second. Instead of purple like the rest of her coat, her lower legs looked brownish. “I never save myself from the sewers”. She looked forward at Canterlin. “I will, doc”, she said. Canterlin nodded at her. She looked back at the comptroller. “I’ll get in there. You’ll watch my back from here, okay?” she said. They were side to side, just about six legs away from Canterlin. The comptroller nodded energetically; his body still shaking a bit. “I won’t let you down, commissar!”

Luster looked forward; at Canterlin in the eyes. He was still on the bed, smiling. She stepped forward. “Doctor Canterlin, you better stay right there”. She took another step; her eyes scanning Canterlin from head to hoof. Canterlin was standing on his hinds, still holding his silk sheets with his forehooves. Luster took another step. Her hoof splashed the water on the floor. “Did you understand?” She was getting away from the comptroller and closer to Canterlin.

“Yes, commissar, like I promised”, Canterlin answered, closing his eyes and nodding. In front of Luster, there were two possible entrances. One was by the left face of the crystal and the other by the right one. She chose the left one; the furthest away from Canterlin. She walked forward. She stopped when she was a leg away from the threshold; her eyes locked with Canterlin’s. Then she looked forward, at the toilet on the corner of the room. She gulped, and looked back up at Canterlin. She, raising a hoof from the dirty water, pointed at him. “You’ll stay right there”, she ordered. Canterlin grinned. “Of course I will, commissar”.

Luster looked and stepped forward. She crossed the threshold into Canterlin’s rocky cage. She was inside, so close to Canterlin. Her breathing was loud. She inhaled and exhaled deeply. She couldn’t help it despite the terrible smell coming from the toilet and the waste water on the floor. She was looking at Canterlin with the corner of her eye. As she slowly moved forward, he turned his body at her. She walked past a table with books.

Canterlin was just a leg away from her, on top of the bed. He could have jumped on her if he wanted. Finally, Luster reached the toilet on the corner of the cage. The metallic furniture wouldn’t stop puking water out. When the water hit the semi-flooded floor, it splashed her legs. Luster turned her head to the right and faced Canterlin. He was staring at her with a grin on his lips.

Luster's eyes fell on his teeth. He had eight canine teeth. As impossible as it looked, Canterlin had double the tusks than a normal stallion. She cleared her throat. “As you know, doctor Canterlin, we ponies have a blind spot right behind us”, Luster said. Canterlin nodded once at her. The dozen of wrinkles on his face looked worse when he smiled widely. “So, if you try to attack me from behind, I swear I’ll buck all of those fangs off your silly mouth. Got it?” Luster said. Her eyes were locked with his. Canterlin stopped grinning and closed his mouth. “That sounds fair, commissar”. He pointed at the toilet that was in front of Luster. “Now, please, carry on”.

Luster sighed. She had gotten used to the smell, so she didn’t gag anymore. For a second, Luster’s eyes went and fell on the comptroller six legs away behind her. He was looking at them. His eyes were wide open and his jaw was dropped and trembling. Luster turned her head forward and looked at the toilet. Still, she could see Canterlin with the corner of her right eye.

Luster’s horn illuminated. She lowered her muzzle and pointed her horn at the vomiting toilet. From her horn, a slow and curved white laser beam came. It was approaching the toilet pit. It pierced through the water, evaporating some of it, and started to get through the sewer hole. Luster’s forehead was sweating. Every few seconds, with her ears pointing at Canterlin, she looked with the corner of her eye at him. He was still on the bed, standing on his hinds.

After a minute since Luster casted the unclogging spell for the toilet, there was a sudden suction sound, coming from the metal object. The water coming from it fell back. Luster’s magic aura turned off and she immediately turned around to face Canterlin. The flood was over. The water that reached Luster’s pasterns started to quickly go down, escaping through the sewer holes outside on the hallway.

“Excellent, commissar, you saved the day! Or the night, I don’t really know what time it is”. Canterlin chuckled, looking down at Luster. She also was looking at him. She snorted. “Now, it’s up to you to clean this place out”. She turned right and walked forward, leaving the cage. Canterlin briefly laughed. “So long, commissar!” He said. He, that was still holding the bedsheets with his forelegs, dropped them down and sat on the bed. His eyes followed Luster, who had already left the cage.

Luster walked until she was next to the comptroller. “Thanks a lot, commissar”, he told her. Luster turned around and looked at the open crystal of Canterlin’s prison. She turned her head at the comptroller. “I think it’s time we lock him up again”, she said. The comptroller nodded energetically. He looked forward, just like Luster, and approached the crystal until he was a few legs away from it.

Canterlin was inside, sitting on his bed. He waved at them. He looked at the comptroller and smiled. “It’s nice to meet you, comptroller! I love to see new faces once in a while!” The comptroller looked down. He chuckled and turned his head at Luster. She looked at him too. “I’m so scared right now”, the comptroller whispered. Luster smiled at him and then looked forward. “Alright, let’s do this, comptroller”, she said.

The comptroller nodded and looked forward. Canterlin exchanged glances with them. Luster approached the right wall of the hallway and the comptroller the opposite one. “Okay”. Luster looked to her left, at the comptroller. “I’ll do the countdown this time. You’ll push and I’ll pull, right?” she said. The comptroller nodded. Luster looked forward. “In three, two, one…”

“Now!” Luster shouted. Her horn and the comptroller's started to illuminate. Magic aura surrounded the crystal barrier. That time, both Luster and the comptroller had to do the opposite effort they had done when they opened the crystal. Luster pulled and the comptroller pushed. The crystal wall rotated clock-wise, closing itself with a shriek noise. Canterlin, sitting down on his bed, watched the scene.

After thirty seconds of magical effort, the crystal was in place again, preventing the escape of Canterlin. Both Luster and the comptroller were panting; their cheeks red for the effort. Luster turned her body left at the comptroller. “This crystal must weigh more than a herd of shires together!” She expressed. The comptroller smiled at her. He approached her until he was a leg away from her. “I’d like to thank you again, commissar. I wouldn’t…”

Canterlin loudly cleared his throat. Both Luster and the comptroller turned their heads to look at him. Canterlin jumped out of the bed and stood on all fours. He exchanged glances with them as he approached the crystal he was trapped by. “I think you must leave, now, comptroller. The commissar and I have confidential things to discuss”, he said.

The comptroller looked back at Luster. “I’ll let you two alone, commissar”, he said. Luster looked at him, smiling. “Yes, I would appreciate it”. Reflexively, Luster put a hoof on the comptroller’s shoulder but quickly put it away as she was staining his coat with her filthy still wet hoof. The comptroller looked at his then wet shoulder. He looked up at Luster with a smile. “Don’t worry about dirtying me, commissar. I’m going to take a long shower after this!” He said. Luster nodded. “Off you go, colt”.

The comptroller nodded too and turned right, heading to the exit of the hallway. He crossed the open threshold that was the unlocked magic shield of Canterlin’s prison. Luster had turned her head left, looking at him while he was leaving. Then, she turned her body to the right and looked at Canterlin. He was before the other side of the crystal. He was smiling. Luster approached the crystal until she was a couple of legs away from Canterlin. “I hope you’ve done your homework, commissar”.

Luster smirked at him. Then, she looked up, at the beige vents and the white lights on the ceiling. She sighed. She looked forward, at Canterlin. “Indeed, doctor Canterlin. I believe I deserve an a plus!”