Herp-The one and only moth. Ch.2 "NOT spreading diseases"

“…-GROAN-”

>*Oooh frig everything hurts. Sweet Saturniidae does everything hurt. Can’t even bear to open my eyes! I swear if this is what the afterlife is supposed to be I will give Saturniidae a piece of my damned mind.*

>*I can’t even help but be frozen in one place, shaking uncontrollably. I don’t think it’ll get any easier any time soon, too. C’mon, Pollen Seed. Open your dagger stabbed eyes. C’mon, c’mon, C’MON, DAMMIT.*

>You open up your aching eyes, little by little, fighting the feeling of 5 needles going in at once.

>*Dammit, I can’t see anything anyway. Everything’s too hazy! It’s like looking through cloth!*

>A spike of pain runs through your spine all the way up to the back of your head. You tense up again, eyes slam shut and can’t help but release a shout in pain.

*AAAAAHHH, DAAAMMITKSSSSS!”

>*This is feaking ridiculous! WHERE AM I, anyway? Aren’t I DEAD? I sure as FUCK should be. And if I’m not I’d almost rather BE dead… This won’t get me anywhere. I’ve got to relax. Calm down and breathe… Breathe…*

>After what feels like an eternity in pain, your muscles start to relax, the pain seems to start releasing its rose vine like grip on you.

”Nghhh… Pant. Pant.”

>*Oh Saturniidae does that feel better. It’s not as grueling as before. Still hurts like I were cut up with a precision knife, but at least not as much as being thrown in a pool of acid and being perpetually magically regenerated. WITHOUT the last painkiller step of the spell.*

>A few minutes in uncomfortable rolling around and hard breathing, you manage to start thinking about something other than the pain.

>*Okay so where am I? What the hell’s touching me? Feels like… Sheets? I’m in bed, aren’t I?.. Well I’m not sticking around here. If I’m alive I may as well ACT like it.*

>You struggle around, moving around the sheets with you, uncovering your aching limbs and body.

>*C’mon, sheets. Leggo! Gotta open up my eyes again. Maybe this time I’ll be able to see. C’mon, c’mon, c’mon… Hang on a tick. Something’s touching me. Who the hell’s? They’re touching the back of my head. Why go there?.. They’re unbinding a piece of cloth aren’t they?.. Pshhh I should have guessed. Couldn’t really feel much besides the pain until now.*

>*K, cloth undone. Now open up your eyes, Pollen Seed. Do a favor for both of us.*

>*Open sesame!.. Whoa, brown. Wait, this is a tent... Whotouchedme??...?*

>You trail your still aching eyes to the right of you and notice your elder. Looking at you with a smile.

“ELDER!”

>”Yes, yes. It’s me. And you’re alive, it seems.”

“Heh, alive but hardly well. What happened, Elder? Why AM I still alive? I thought the rot turned everything it touched to husks.”

>”It does.”

“… Then how am I still-?”

>”What makes you think you’re not a husk?”

“… Wait what?”

>*Error. Logical value exceeding acceptable parameters. Additional data is required.*

>*But if that were true that’d mean my body would be… Oh no. I’m afraid to look down. I don’t want to look down.*

>“What you are right now is not quite what you were before. But you are alive and in time, just as able bodied as you were before, if not more.”

>*Don’t make me look down you old geezer. TELL ME WHAT I AM.*

“Elder… What exactly AM I if I’m not my old self?” – with a whimper in your voice.

>”A mix! A mix between nature itself and us mothponies. Something divine. Saturniidae’s own kin.”

>*Unable to read “Latest Elders statement.txt”. Logical response >Wat.*

“Wat.”

>*What in Equestria is he talkin-*

>You look down.

>*Flowers. Fluff and flowers in places where it shouldn’t be. On my legs, on my chest tufts, Does that… That looks leafy where my wing was nicked… IS MY MANE-*

>You start frantically touching each tuft of hair and flowers on you. Panicking. And finally touching your mane.

>*Mane. Feels like hair. No flowers. Phew. Good.* - “Siiiigh…”

>You plomp your head back on your pillow with no clue as to WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON.

>The elder still looking at you with a content smile on his face. And a logical question sparks in your head.

“What. Did you do?..”

>”I SAVED you. And that’s all you need to really know.”

>-blink- -blink- *”Saved” being a bit… Subjective here, Elder. I’m not even going to question it much. I’m a scout. I’m not supposed to ask questions. Except…*

“So what will my duties be now?”

>The elder looks at you surprised. Eyes shot open and him taken aback.

>”Thinking of duties this quick? You’re not even out of bed yet! Your duty right now is to rest! I still don’t fully understand what you are and you want me to already have your schedule planned out??”

“Well, yeah. I’m a scout. You said it yourself, I’ll be just as able bodied as before. So I should be sent back on the line as soon as possible, no? I mean, compared to the last time I saw you, this pain isn’t even a hindrance.”

>”No, no... Well. I do have plans for you, but nothing I want you to do in the near future.”

“Well tell me then. What plans? I’ll have to be a part of them sooner or later, why not as soon as I am able?”

>”Huh, thinking just like a Soldier would. Well fine. If you are so eager I shall tell you what I have planned for you.”

>*Better prep myself. This could go anywhere.*

>”After you’re done resting, I was thinking of sending you out into the forest again.”

>*No surprise there.*

>”But this time, you’re going to go a little bit further.”

>*Wait. Further? Further how?*

>”After you’re in the rotten forest, I want you to keep going until you exit out again.”

>*Exit ou- Wait. NO.*

>”Once you’re out, you are to go to Celestia or Luna and request a space within the realms of her kingdom, instead of this wrenched forest. I’m hoping your “Special properties” will be enough to convince them you are a proper representative of the mothponies.”

>*No. NO! I became a scout specifically to avoid all this political crap! NO!*

>”The truth is, Pollen. I want us to leave this forest. I want to leave here and never come back. Your main priority will be to convince them to let our village stay there. Other villages are a secondary objective.”

“I have no say in the matter, do I?”

>”I’m afraid not. Unless you want to let the entire village down and leave it to its fate.”

“Yeah okay, but why me then? There are plenty of scouts specifically designated to leave the forest area and keep contacts with the outside. Although there are few, but five moth ponies would surely make the same impression as one covered in flowers.”

>”Can you walk?”

“… Yeah I guess I could.”

>You shimmy out of bed and place your hooves firmly on the ground and trot around a bit in the tent.

>”Good. Now follow me outside.”

>*And here’s to hoping that not EVERY mothpony in town will flock to me.*

>As you step out of the tent behind the elder, you note that the town is in a much more lively mood than usual. Moths trotting and flying around with actual smiles on their faces. As you walk, regularly would a moth come up to say a “Hi” or “Good to have you back.”. More so than usual. The whole town seems chipper.

>”Take in the lively nature of this town for once. You see how many moths are happy right now? They’re happy because you’re alive.”

“B-Because of me? The town’s this lively because I’m alive.”

>”Yes. You see. Once one of the nurses that helped me let the word out of what you have become, rumors spread like wildfire. Not too long afterwards, you were considered our salvation. Saturniidae’s kin. The next God of the mothponies.”

>*Did he just say- -*

“Saturniidae’s kin?? Hold on, WHAT? Just because of a few flowers and a leaf for a wing?”

>”Precisely . I wasn’t able to stop them. I for one know that this is just a mutation. But they insisted that you were “The chosen moth” or something. The truth is, I just hadn’t had the chance to try and clean a near husk yet. Either way, each and every moth in the village agreed that you are to be sent to the forest to clear a path to the mainland. In spite of your new immunity to the rot, that’s not as farfetched of a possibility.”

“Immunity to the rot? You mean I’m immune to the rot now? How do you know that? Wasn’t I out cold the whole time I was treated?”

>”Well…”

>The elder walks up behind you and SHOVES you straight beyond the edge of town. With all the talk, you hadn’t even noticed that you WERE close.

*WHOA WHAT??* -Thud- *OH SHIT. OH HELL. GET OUT. GET. OUT.*

>You hop right back out of the edge and look around your entire body. There’s plenty of rot, moss and mildew on it, but none that sticks. It all just sorta… Slides off, without you even moving much.

“How did-. DID YOU JUST TEST THAT OUT NOW??”

>”I may have.”

“WHY?? WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT??”

>”Although I understand the reason for your tone, that is no way to talk to your elder.”

“Oh.. Well, I’m sorry but. How could you be so reckless?”

>”I was not at all reckless. You are part of the rot plant now. The rot doesn’t consume itself. As such, it does not consume you.”

“But wasn’t that just a theory??”

>”It was up until a minute ago. Whether it worked or not, I am able to get rid of minor infections without side effects. You really think every villager who touched you has flowery hooves now? ”

“… Yeah but-… I- I guess I overreacted.”

>”Yes. Yes you did. Anyways. Every moth thinks it is you who should convince Celestia and Luna to give us a place in the mainland. You are immune to the rot so it will be a safe trip to you. I need not worry about your return and you seem eager to do the tasks you are given. Not to mention you definitely look the part of our proper God. Those are the reasons I am sending YOU, of all the moths.”

>*Although those reasons make perfect sense. I still call bull. But there’s no saying “no” to the elder, or the entire village. I guess there’s not much choice.*

”Fine then. I will go. But I want you to know I am no diplomat! If I fail to convince Celestia and Luna, you should not shun me! I am going to speak to royalty here.”

>”Celestia and Luna do not act as royal as you think. Despite being royalty, they are fairly easy going ponies.”

“How could you possibly know that?”

>”There is a reason I was appointed leader of this village, Pollen.”

>*Did he just- ?*

>”Regardless! You are to go to our storage house. There you are to find Cotton Ball, he will equip you with your regular scouting gear, the only exception being the two full jars.”

“Wait. Cotton Ball’s alive?? HOW??”

>“… What do you mean? Your entire team is alive and well. They came back a few hours before you came trotting from the forest. They thought you were dead, cut their losses and went on with the mission. We got 19 jars that day. 21 including yours.”

“Then who’s husk did I see when I came too that day? And why didn’t whatever nick me come to kill me??”

>”Those are questions I cannot possibly know the answer to. You are the one with the memories. Make sense of them.”

>*Pssh, wise ass.*

>”My briefing is done. You are to go to Cotton Ball as soon as you feel you are ready. I thought it would take at least a month for you to recover. So you have a week.”

“How did it go from a month to a week??”

>”You’re the one who wanted to be appointed somewhere. So I’m appointing you.”

>*I just HAD to play strong solider.*

>”You are dismissed.”