Author's Note

Ah, you've made to chapter fiver of Fireflower's fanfic that goes beyond the typical oneshots made from before, a Mature fanfic no less on the grounds that a previous chapter has dealt with heavy subject matters proven to be unsuitable for those under eighteen, easily offended, and/or quickly nauseated; suffice to say, this was by far a strong note for many readers all and therefore you were all given an option to skip ahead to this chapter: whether or not you had taken this offer, it was only up to you to do so nothing more.

As always, My Little Pony, or rather Friendship Is Magic, including its settings and characters belong to Lauren Faust and Hasbro; however, this concept of my fanfic belongs to me so I will say this line one time only: please do not steal this story or I will sue.

Lastly, let me also say that I hope you enjoy this chapter now more than the others and still have the strength to continue onward in staying tuned for future chapters later; henceforth, I will leave you with but one saying only: thank you very much.

Liberty

Daylight was now being burned in the minds and bodies of every possible lifeform that had just dwelled upon the soil of the turning world, already rotating on its own axis at a set speed while revolving as well on a different one to say the very least; as a result, half of it was already bathed in it. As such, the big gray sky had already become congested with many clouds to block out the rays of sunlight; despite this, a flock of birds from various sizes and shapes soaring across so serenely that not even gravity alone could ever pull any of them down to earth itself, free from fear and worry. Within a large dream drop distance was but a small civilization being defined in such various materials used to build them from the ground up, most of them all being the ones suitably fit for the likes of even three little pigs with not a care in the whole wide world for the dangers posed to them. The calm gentle breeze was now surfing across every one of the grassy knolls, the brilliant green surrounding it all on a solid lower plane of existence even as the dirt road guided its way over from a nearby forest, a curvilinear line worth holding as much as it is and was worth crossing as well. Out amongst the very backgrounds had rested a valley and ridge of smoky mountains already carving themselves a significant piece of the landscape alone, many that which were raging with growth and erosion in the very process of their trying times as the clouds were hovering over them. With the hustle and bustle about now deep into the flow, the small town was instantaneously filled to the brim with a rather utter abundance of many people from various demographics: age, gender, finances, and social standing being rather nothing short in the standardized metallurgy of life.

One particular place within that town had stood out and about in the process: while it was not a home in the very least unlike the other residences that were built nearby but nevertheless treated with respect. Standing up out from the brilliant green were some numerous monochromatic stones carved into various shapes, each of them bearing a name and line of text beneath as clues to who the bearers once were. All that was occupying right nearby them were but an arrangement of many flowers made up of various colors and species already planted upon the otherwise fertile soil that was now their new home therein. Many of them that were being observed by some wayward pedestrians had remained aware of their purpose within that very space as there were at least some people, either all by themselves or in a crowd. Uniting them under one common goal alone was but a feeling of solidarity and reflection on their lives as they had stared upon the formations that were sticking out of the very ground they were standing upon.

Out of the few whom were traversing in and out of the area, one stood out amongst the others: a lone woman was found staring deep into the diminutive monolith in a rather melancholy trance. Her skin was one of the fairest within the land and beyond, her coating reminiscent of lemon chiffon in a light shade with some milkiness within the pores as they were free of imperfections. The woman’s eyes had possessed some teal shining brightly like crazy diamonds in the rough, capable of moving heaven and earth yet tendered to a fault in terms of both tranquility and grace. Her locks were but a hot pink that were running past the nape of her neckline before stopping at midsection, adorned with a barrette in the shape of a white swallowtail butterfly on the right side. The woman wore a long sleeved blouse that was white as a sheep trained to make false teeth; additionally, she had donned a thick pair of emerald green pants and some ocean blue sneakers.

“I’m glad that the war is over so I can see you again; it would’ve been much more nicer if you had survived, Angel…” she had sighed sadly as she soon planted a nosegay upon the flourishing ground upon the stone.

The lone woman had stood upright to stare at the scenery that was provided for the likes of her as the teal eyes had begun to scan in the details right all around her. Of the many places that were within her line of eyesight was a large sea of green, its fibers are in various combinations already creating a bewildering camouflage. All throughout the very herbage was but only a lush landscape denser than the open field she was now standing upon, so loud and proud of its structured foundation. Deep within every piece of vegetation now dwelling in usually contained many plants capable of providing either nourishment or mortality to any living being. Given the immense size of such acreage, it had seemed that even the sheer probability of finding anyone residing in here was rather nonexistent to a fault therein. Some dense moisture of the dewdrops was being formed on the surface upon many of the green grasses housing the very flora, overwhelming them all at once. The only thing that was left to complete this very scenery alone was at least a stray pedestrian in any traveling throughout the area for whatever reason thereof.

As she attempted to depart from the ocean of stony lonesomes, she was caught off–guard by a wayward voice greeting her at once, “Fluttershy…!”

Almost immediately, the eponymous listener was almost quick to come across the sight of two individuals approaching her direction almost immediately. Defined amongst themselves were likenesses in fair dignity, possessing commonalities between each other: feminine faces, somber emotions, and one goal. Even so, they still had several significant differences thereof that especially the lone rose haired observer had been quick to notice within a heartbeat no less.

Speaking of which, these particular individuals in question had possessed a sense of fashion that was more loud and lively than Fluttershy’s attire thereof. For starters, one of them had a set of some straight hot red hair running past her neck whereas the other an equal monochromatic pattern within the tresses. Secondly, the redhead in question was standing at little over half the height of the rose haired observer while the other woman was tall by a few inches. Third of all, the younger female had donned a bright complexion with some freckles whereas the taller counterpart had darker skin resembling the topsoil. The redhead had circles of orange that were peering outwardly while calm circuitries of chilled cerulean orbs were within the dark skinned woman’s eyes. The younger female wore a dark green dress with its frilly edges reaching down to her kneecaps whereas the taller counterpart donned a large brown fabric. Even though that they were also wearing sandals underneath their feet, only the dark skinned woman were found to be colored in a jet black scheme. Of the two whom were well within Fluttershy’s line of eyesight, only the redhead had on a light pink bow in her hair and a slender stick in her right hand.

“Zecora, Apple Bloom…” the rose haired observer had replied as the titular twosome trotted over to her side in due time, “hello, I wasn’t expecting you to show up; what brings you two here…?”

“Same to you, I didn’t expect: our arrival is to pay our respects…” the dark skinned woman answered already.

It didn’t take long for the younger female to add in, “we were just getting through picking some Zap Apples earlier today and went through the trouble of bringing one to place on Winona’s grave…”

“Yeah, I see; I’m sorry about your loss, Apple Bloom; I just never expected that people would be cruel enough to do this to a dog, especially one that had belonged to you and your dear sister…” Fluttershy replied with a morose visage upon her.

At this very point in time, the redhead used her free hand to pull out a large fruit resembling an apple, bearing stripes of red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple with tears in her eyes as she wept, “Ah didn’t want to believe it: out of all the animals that were killed when ya had lost your cottage, Ah should’ve been happy she wasn’t one of them; but then, Applejack told me. She told me about what they did to us before it all began, especially Granny Smith of all people; Ah had hoped that Applejack and Winona would have at least made out and caught up with Big Mac. Guess Ah was wrong to hope for the best when things didn’t turn out like Ah dreamt; the idea that we would lose so many of our relatives in so little time really broke me to pieces. Even worse, when Ah heard mah sister’s voice back at Plato’s Cavern, Ah felt like that someone had put me back to together again; that was after when Ah had seen Ruby killed but before she had tried to choke me. Ah tried to resist Applejack as she was talking about how Ah would be able to see mah mother and father again when this was all over but at the same time, Ah felt like wanting to die cause of what they did to Ruby and me. The fact that Ah was forced to drink the poison that monster had made for me didn’t help as Ah was feeling my stomach burning when my sister was seeing it as ‘putting me out of mah misery’ as they would call it. Just when it had seemed like the end would come, a miracle happened: rather than tightening the grip around mah neck, Applejack had started to hug me tight and was crying about how she was being a terrible sister and a person in general. Ah could swear that Ah was barely able to hear everything she was saying at that point, especially since Ah was this close to vomiting up the concoction that man made me drink up earlier. Before, Ah could even say something to Applejack, Ah had passed out again, mah fear of death kicking in full force as Ah begged for a chance speak to her again; of course, it would seem that mah wish was granted: Ah found mahself resting in a hospital, blind but not deaf or mute.”

“Oh, you poor thing…!” was all that the rose haired observer could say as Apple Bloom wiped away her own tears from the weary eyes, “I just don’t understand how people could be so cruel to one another, especially to the young ones…”

“This is most unfortunate for the lot of us folk: the severity of war left many choked by its yolk; even in times of peace, all that remains are misery soaked as yesterday’s fires were stoked…” Zecora said as she had started comforting the lachrymose younger companion rather gently.

Fluttershy couldn’t help but shed a tear as she replied, “indeed, this pet cemetery was like an animal sanctuary before the war; not only that, it was also my home where I’d taken care of them. Back then, I was the go–to expert trusted in caring for the other lifeforms that lived amongst us upon the planet we were living in: mice, birds, monkeys, lions, tigers, even bears like Harry. Even though that these animals had me at their side for a little while, it was like having an entire family at my side; compared to most of the townspeople, they were nice to me enough to let me come out of my shell. Of course, this was way long before Twilight Sparkle had came over from the capital, especially since this was after I had been watching that dreadful court case go down right before my eyes. I can even remember the fateful night she had stayed over at my house for a hot bath: she had helped become more open with my friends, especially since Zuul was starting to lighten up and show some restraint. Unfortunately, all that bonding between her and the rest of the entire group was undone when Swain was killed right before the explosion had killed some people who were in the peace talks. After the dust had died down, I was taken out of my own home the minute I was suddenly accused of being responsible for the bombing run, leaving so many of these creatures to be put down. When they took me to the Terminal, I was thrown me in the cell; at this point onward, I had broken down crying: fervently hoping and praying that this nightmare would come to an end already. I was scared for my life, wondering what could cause the people to think that I would do such a thing; after all, the sheer thought even hurting someone ended up making me vomit from stress.”

“Ah am sorry to hear that, Fluttershy; Ah was told that mah brother was stationed there at the Terminal by that man before he had killed Granny Smith and took me from mah sister…” Apple Bloom sniffled as she had then looked away, “did ya happen to see him there…?”

“Even more than that, he saved me: on the night of what was supposed to be my execution, the Terminal was attacked by a pack of invaders; while everyone was focused in onto the fighting, Big Macintosh had taken me to a safer place when the electricity was cut off almost instantly…” the aforementioned woman answered the redhead.

The dark skinned visitor had sighed and now jumped into the very conversation at once, “you must have been a very fortunate fellow, Fluttershy; had it not been for his own kindness surely you would have died…”

“Well, it wasn’t simply because he had felt sorry for me…” the rose haired observer responded reluctantly looking away from the two, “I felt like I had to do something to convince him to do so…”

“Like what…?” the younger woman asked briefly.

It was at this point that Fluttershy had taken a deep breath and quickly replied, “I offered him my own body in exchange for protection: realizing that I was under the impression that I was going to die, I had talked him into sleeping with me; of course, that meant sacrificing my relationship with another man…”

“No, that can’t be right: Big Mac may have been charismatic but not scummy; he wouldn’t even dare do something like that…!” Apple Bloom exclaimed as her face burned up a bit to the point of matching her locks by a bit, “what happened to all the talks about abstinence and abstemiousness…?”

“It was all my idea anyway: it wasn’t like that he was being a terrible person anyway when we had consummated the ordeal…” the rose haired observer answered calmly as she had still looked away.

Zecora gave a stern but soft look and said to Fluttershy, “a big risk you had partaken, if I am not mistaken: a relationship forsaken by a task undertaken; even I was greatly shaken, since I too had been taken. Speaking of apples, I had visited one in a sickhouse: she was resting in bed wearing only a long sterile blouse; the poor woman was sad, such melancholy of douse as her tears had even rivaled that of a common grouse. She had once spoken to me of a bad dream: a nightmare with a rather dreadful theme in which contesting to death with a scream; even I had found it so hurtful as it had seemed. Despite Applejack’s survival, she seems regretful of revival, tortured by deeds so vile, a street rat would produce bile: grandma slain, canine too, then defiled; it’s even hard for the lot of us to smile. Nevertheless, she is in good spirits alongside good hands: with such wonder brought forth by health spanned, the woman has recovered from traumas unplanned; of course, Applejack rests in a different land, away from the town and her painful shand. I, on the other hand, stay to protect Apple Bloom for in her fragile state surroundings spell doom: keeping her safe in a tree without such gloom with a roof overhead alongside her own room. Perhaps, this is atonement for providing aid to some sanctimonious fanfaronade: the fact that he started this tragic calvacade, though bad enough, I was spared from the blade. The other option was suffer in silence if not end my life, another fair penance for contributing to such a strife; the cruelties of the very world are so rife, one could be tempted to run through with a knife. At least, by then, her sister’s smile was all that I had needed: someone like Apple Bloom here, a surviving kid without care or concern for the future ahead lest the lot of us would have lived onward in dread.”

“The story of my life as well: I too had adopted a child…” the rose haired observer had said only softly at once, “a son named Jasper but he is not with me right now on the account of being in the care my friend’s parents up in the capital until I return.”

“Where were his parents…?” the younger female had asked all too clearly as the winds blew their hair around.

Another tear escaped from Fluttershy’s eye as she had answered, “dead: they were killed after the end of war; the hospital said he was lucky to be alive so to speak. I remember when one of the nurses stationed there told me of a disease he had contracted from the war: she said it had robbed him of his eyesight before he was born.”

“Just like how Ah can barely see without mah walking stick…?” the redhead interjected as she held it out up in front, “how come Ah had never met him yet…?”

“Trust me: it would not be a good idea to do so, at least not yet; besides, I don’t have much time left to stay here…” the rose haired observer sighed.

The dark skinned woman then asked at once, “is this about the child you are also caring for; are you sure I cannot even implore…?”

“Don’t worry about it, Zecora; I still have plenty of time to visit lots of people whenever I can: aside from Twilight whom I’m grateful for, I have Applejack, Pinkie, Rainbow, and even Rarity to look forward to visiting sometime soon…” Fluttershy answered as she began to turn away from them at once.

Almost immediately, Apple Bloom jumped back in and inquired, “will you also have the time to see Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo soon? Ah want to coordinate a way to host a welcome back party for Twist; her mother has gotten a way to release her from the hospital soon. It would be nice if you also came by there to see her again since the party several years ago before the war broke out…”

“Gee, that sounds like an awfully large one for a loner like Twist; are you sure that Pinkie is going to be hosting it…?” the rose haired observer had gasped in response, “besides, I figure that she would have be up for the task.”

“Not since the letter Ah had gotten from her sister a week ago: Maud said that she’s basically taking a leaf of absence to tend with their family especially with their sisters, Marble and Limestone now becoming mothers and all…” the younger female had answered rather immediately.

Fluttershy then began to asked, “come to think of it, how is Pinkie Pie anyway…? I haven’t seen her since we had both visited Applejack in the hospital so many years ago; do you think she’s doing well on her own…?”

“Mm–hmm…” the redhead chirped with a nod, “she had said to have made some stops to our home on her way back to town: she was real worried about mah well–being long before the war ended what with me being blind and nearly killed…”

“Oh, that’s wonderful that she’s doing that…” the rose haired observer had said with a small smile.

Apple Bloom then nudged away and spoke onward, “unfortunately, she’s been finding the trips from and to Appleloosa very depressing with how everything’s changing: Sweetie Belle is still living with Cheerilee since Rarity tried to kill her and Scootaloo is about to join the academy to follow in Rainbow’s footsteps. Twilight said that since the end of the war, Agar had ended up taking on the helm to clean up the mess that Gelatin had made; plus, Princess Luna was able to get the military back in working order thanks to Martin’s expose on the Brighton brothers. Most distressing of them all was what happened to Pinkie’s parents: her mom is stuck walking with a cane and tending to the grandkids; her dad is basically without arms at all to hug anyone whatsoever so to speak.”

“Oh, my; that’s terrible…!” Fluttershy coughed as her irises shrank a bit upon hearing her replied, “I’ve only found pictures of people who had lost their limbs in library books, let alone animals with three legs instead of four but this is tragic…”

“Yeah, Ah know: since her parents can’t run the farm like they used, Limestone and Maud are the only ones able to keep it running and who knows how long that they have to do that anyway; kind of makes me feel bad since Granny Smith basically ran the farm before she had died…” the younger female sniffled as she stared at the soil.

Zecora held the redhead tightly by the shoulder with a reply, “a matter of sympathy that is all too resonant: despite the elders’ strength, they were crushed like ants; their offspring, much like us, cease to be gallivants. Either way, the tragedy’s all the same as we are left alive with the shame, the memories of our home in the squames now that we had long escaped the flames. It would seem that time on earth is cut short by the schemes of dastards that were thwarted: with news of their ignoble bout, the scandals came out and through their deeds they became mort. On the surface of the all things, it would seem too little, too late: our enemies transgressions had left us with utter hate. United by common pains we’ve sought solace straight away from the new necropolis that was once home to many we now miss as it once was along with as it is.”

“Home; we can never go back to it ever again, not with the way things are now…” the rose haired observer choked out a faint sob, “once upon a time, my mother and father talked about how home happened to be where the heart is: that no matter where I go, it will be there; it’s kind of tragic to feel as if your heart was ripped out from your chest right where you were standing. I may have found a place to live on my own again but even now, I can still think of all the animals who had died because of me and that accusation alone, burned to a crisp after the bombing took place; this wasn’t justice but senseless slaughter of many I had thought of as part of my family. Then again, I can still think of all the pleasant memories I had sharing with them alongside my friends and their pets; it’s a shame that unlike those living at the cottage, Winona ended up being kicked to death before Applejack’s eyes trying to defend her and all. No creature of any species deserves to die in any manner whatsoever for whatever reason or lack thereof, especially not through fire or by such abuse.”

“Indeed…” Apple Bloom whispered all at once.

At long last, Fluttershy started to walk away from the two women and said with a wave, “in any case, I should be going now; my child needs me back soon.”

“This I can understand; seeing you again would be grand…” the dark skinned woman replied at a higher decibel as the eponymous female started running away, “feel free to stop by, Miss Fluttershy; until then, I guess this is goodbye…”

“Don’t forget to write back to us, please…!” the younger female had shouted cheerfully before the rose haired observer was finally out of their collective lines of eyesight.

Like before, they had returned back to their somber looks and looked on outward throughout the ordained mass grave all around themselves. Of the two in question, the redhead pulled back out the strange fruit and had gotten led around by Zecora through the sea of small monoliths. Under no small amount of time did Apple Bloom placed the food upon the grave in front of her as she stopped where her companion stood. Many tears had escaped from the younger female as the dark skinned female comforted her, the winds howling about as they focused onward.