Harmonious Repetitions Twofold

by Fireflower

Rating: mature
Tags: Sex, Suicide / Self Harm, Tragedy, Profanity, Violence, Dark, Death, Zecora, Alternate Universe, Human, Sad, Main 6, Gore, Original Character, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Cutie Mark Crusaders, Other, Non-consensual
Length: 52943

A compliation of vignettes from several survivors of a tragedy that had hit too close to home as each of them are living in different enviroments and deal with their daily lives, seeking to overcome the newly embedded strifes from (not too) long ago.

The world wasn't always filled to the brim with some cold cruel cosmopolitans here and there; instead, it'd been able to know, care, and even understand the concepts of peace and prosperity: as a matter of fact, one could even find flowery meadows and rainbow skies with chocolate rivers.

Of course, all of that had changed when at least one corner of the turning earth had become embroiled in war: relatives perishing, survivors crying, and conurbations burning after being pillaged and defiled to no end forevermore; such is the case for the likes of a certain homeland, once the bastion of equality and balance, now a distant memory of a bygone era.

In the passing years, the sense of tranquility had now returned to those that lived after all the pain and sorrow tainted it, especially in the eyes of the assemblage: a scholar from the capital, an extroverted outcast from the quarry, a former caretaker of animals, a mad seamstress locked in a padded room, an athlete with a newly adopted sister, and a former farmhand with a deadly illness.

Although that the women in question are from and of different backgrounds, they still have some commonalities between one another including that aforementioned fact alone; as such, these are their stories.

NOTE: Although optional, it's best recommended that you should start reading Ocular Spectral Therapy first for the sake of continuity before jumping into this very story on your own free will(power) and time.

Published 2017-12-01 19:50:07 UTC
Last updated 2018-04-22 23:46:55 UTC

Moonset

Author's Note

My name is Fireflower and this is the third installment of my first My Little Pony fanfic that, like its predecessor and the one prior, is Mature and goes beyond the typical oneshots I had made before, using canon characters as human beings instead of their normal forms: as such, I have decided to focus on the main characters including Applejack, the main protagonist from her first story, Ocular Spectral Therapy; nevertheless, this story will be dealing with heavy subject matters unsuitable for certain readers so be warned.

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 and stay tuned for future chapters later on; having said that, prepare to face up to your first protagonist: Twilight Sparkle.

Moonset

Darkness and light, two separate but truly equal opposites, both were capable of switching places instantaneously and otherwise as the worlds around and within themselves turned. It was obviously clear to any observer inhabiting them to experience the similarities and differences between the two by definition in and of themselves therein immediately. Only then would the living beings that were dwelling amongst each other would quickly take a sides with either one at any given time whatsoever and stick with them all at once.

Now, it would seem that one part of the world had its very atmosphere had already applied some direct pressure upon itself with coldness and calculation. At the very least, the spacious skies objectively held up the golden sun alongside a few passing clouds that bore a silver lining within themselves already. The air all throughout crisp and cool enough to commute many different aromas from all walks of life, each of them were varying in quality and quantity. Even so were many flowers had slowly sprouted from the brilliant green, instantaneously bearing witness to ever rushing waters roaring from the cataracts. A calm gentle breeze was surfing onward and sliding about throughout the stony roads and dusty trails that was cutting across the vast hillside landscape. Nesting nearby the rocks and water was but a civilization already defined in such an intricate manner, bearing more colors and shapes than the earth. Density notwithstanding, it was only a matter of perspective to find an utter abundance of such individuals from finite but numerous typed demographics.

Out of all the places within the big city, there was one area that had stood out and about in particular: a high tower made of brick and mortar with some metal gear thrown into the mix. Resting at the top was a golden spire with a bulbous shape reminiscent of an onion with a lone arch made of glass to serve as an overlook to the rest of the world beyond its very confines. Hereon below was a stairway that spiraled around from the entrance to the solid earth that was already close to the walls, predominantly white save for some gold accents and a purple base. Nearby the other openings were a set of plants that were as blue as the firmaments above themselves albeit in a darker shade, save for a few that matched the grass that blew in the winds.

Inside, the rays of sunlight rained down upon the looking glass that was being called home, a corpulent structure that was filled to the brim with literature. Only every meter of the castle’s inner walls were painted in various shades of blue despite being in a different hue from the sky precisely composed anyway. Nearby shelves that were opened despite the presence of books allowed the existence of glass containers rounded off with liquids in such various colorings. There was a larger hourglass that was held up by golden fixtures, containing some white sand embedded right within the predominantly achromatic surface. Overhead, a black telescope was strongly affixed to the firmament and the glass that stood between them despite the very contrasts amongst the areas. Pillars of stone held the floor in place, standing on both sides of the azure postern as they stood across from the stairway to the penthouse above themselves. Hereon, the flooring was a stony lonesome of lavender, a darker shade than the gateway and skylight in essence from the first glance of any observer. On one side of the entrance were a series of plants right nearby the walls; on the other side was a bed consisting of some blue pillows and an identical duvet. Plopped onto the flow were books littered about with reckless abandonment nearby the bedside, many in the formation of tents with such paper taking sides.

Heavy breathing was now thrown into the mix, no doubt coming from a lone occupant in the bed already tossing and turning to and fro. Only then, a lone hand was found shaking about with no conscious sense of direction, bearing the qualities of some darkened copper. Reaching outward, tresses of sapphire, plum, and rose had just started peering outward alongside the owner’s brow in due time no less. Eventually, the entirety of occupant’s face ended up being shown, possessing vibrant complexion so smooth and soft like some wet clay. The fabrics on the owner’s form were instantaneously painted in a light periwinkle scheme with a big cluster of white shimmering stars. In a mere moment, the occupant’s eyelids flew open almost immediately, bearing irises of mauve brimming with overwhelming terror.

“CADENCE…!” the individual had cried out, shooting upward into an acute angling within earshot all at once.

Almost instantly, the occupant began to resume breathing at a steady rate, taking the time to do a search only briefly. Languishing about for a few seconds, the individual stepped out of the bed effortlessly and had started stretching. Long afterwards, the occupant scurried on to the stairwell, directly avoiding the littered literature that lay abandoned. Yards of distance later, the individual reached the penthouse with little hesitation, flinching at the sunlight overhead.

On the spur of the moment, the occupant was greeted by the sounds of knocking from beneath followed by a voice saying, “Twilight, are you there…?”

“Lyra’s birthday isn’t for a few more weeks… who could it be now…?” the eponymous individual cerebrated while turning around, “I’ll be right down…!”

Only then, it wasn’t long until the occupant backtracked down to the doors nearby the bedside, presumably unprepared for the identity of the visitor. Right after Twilight opened up, a lone towering woman stood before the former, sharing the same qualities but with different styles for effortlessly. Instantaneously, she had a pair of thick black glasses already overlaying her dark rank irises of purple, a trait that was also shared by the individual. Now the visitor possessed a rather wildly different spectrum of coloring upon her skin, light and bright like the shining sun upon the two very females. Encompassing the guest’s tresses were shades of red and purple in the same style as Twilight herself but with an extra adjunct holding up the peak. Snugly in place, the bespectacled visitor had worn a thick black turtleneck sweater along with some beige pants into the mix and a pair of sandals.

“Good morning, I’d assumed that you had slept well last night; is everything fine…?” the guest inquired, staring into the host’s baggy eyes.

At long last, Twilight replied instantly, “I wished I did, Moondancer… I can’t believe so much has changed in the past couple of years: I get sent to the countryside to make some friends and then the war breaks out before our friendship; even Swain was lucky he didn’t see it happen…”

“In no small form; were any of you dating…?” the aforementioned visitor asked, raising an eyebrow, “Princess Celestia told me about your interest in books but not in the opposite sex…”

“No, of course not; it had only been a few months since we had enrolled in the program: aside from the both of us and Fluttershy, Greystoke, Lighthouse, Zuul, and Krill were among the group before the war…” the darkened host stammered on.

Eventually, the bright skinned visitor sighed, “those guys seemed like trouble; how did you, Swain, and Fluttershy end up with them…?”

“Dancer, let’s just say it was by chance: Fluttershy was caught up in a brawl at the courthouse concerning who Messenger Bag described as ‘a remorseless dastard of a husband and a father compared to’ his and the judge; Greystoke and Lighthouse were bailiffs in the case while Zuul and Krill had criminal history…” Twilight sighed almost immediately, “our presence was for balance…”

“Balance…?” Moondancer repeated.

Only then, the host nodded and added onward, “Miss Alder said that I was assigned because of the lack of history in regards to crimes, mental history, or in the case of Lighthouse, civil complaints filed. Greystoke was the only one who volunteered out of his own free will because Lighthouse went too far with beating up Persimmon Tart, something that made Bag ridicule the justice system. Zuul was basically, in the eyes of Balance Beam, a sexual deviant in the making on the account of him being a rake with a penchant of sex, drugs, and ragtime reborn. Krill was a loose cannon who happened to have problems with tall people, if not anyone who he’d perceived as so much as looked at him funny. Fluttershy was basically a saint but they figure by adding Swain and myself to the roster, she wouldn’t ended up being corrupted by the three, or so they had thought.”

“Now that you mentioned it, what do you suppose had happened to her…?” the guest had asked immediately, “last time I'd heard, she was to be executed for crimes of being part of a separatist faction…”

“Because of our last prime minister Gelatin, mind you; Agar, the new one basically threw out the conviction altogether so she had ended up living in obscurity like before…” Twilight asked as she stepped away from Moondancer.

On her own accord, the light skinned visitor moved forward and enjoined, “doing what exactly…?”

“Nurturing a young son; Fluttershy had told me that she had adopted a baby from Applejack since the war ended: a sickly boy named Jasper Smith…” the despondent host replied, looking down at the floor, “according to nurse Sweetheart, he had a disease passed down from her after some soldiers raped her in a field one afternoon; she couldn’t stop crying about it now and then.”

“She reminds me of Lyra; I recalled Bon–Bon catching her attempting suicide one night…” Moondancer sighed sadly, a small tear currently escaping from the corner of the right eye.

Twilight sniffled as well, “just like my brother: he’d lost his wife–to–be in a terrorist attack at the wedding to a mad bomber named Mercury Promenade; he should have at least survived that cowardly attempt long enough to be killed by Shiny. At least Cadance would have been able to rest peacefully, alongside the many others in Applejack’s family; aside from killing her brother and destroying Granny Smith’s remains, she once recalled how her sister’s cousin ended up being killed by an automaton. That fucking war not took me not only from the town I had grown accustomed to and the citizens that lived there but also my home: I still can’t get the image of what happened to that library, especially since I could have died horribly there.”

“Really…?” the bespectacled visitor gasped, “but you looked fine to me…”

“Emphasis on the word ‘fine’ if you could even call it that…” the occupant had countered snidely, placing her hands on the rim of her blouse before raising the clothing upward.

Almost in an instant was Moondancer treated to the sight of Twilight’s newly unclothed state: an otherwise uniformed integumentary system in a lighter shade. Though that the tenant was baring supple breasts bearing the density of deflated volleyballs, they were offset by jagged edges nearby her own shoulders no less. Scars and scabs upon the rather abnormally whitened region of Twilight’s dark skin were painted into a picture of pain and panic to little end within sight so to speak.

The guest averted her gaze and had exclaimed instantly, “DEAR GOODNESS, WHAT IS THAT?!”

“Skin grafts and surgery courtesy of the medical staff at the capital after the fire…” the host answered bitterly, “they had said that I was lucky to be alive long enough to be taken back home…”

“I’m sorry; I mean I never expect that something like this would happen to you…!” Moondancer shrieked about before subsiding already.

Now it would seem that Twilight put her shirt back down as she had responded, “don’t worry about it, my friends need me more than ever and not just those from the countryside; after all, it was wrong of me leave you to the side when she sent me away…”

“It’s okay, that’s part of the reason why I’d shown up here: if you hadn’t survived, then I wouldn’t be able to forgive myself…” the guest had exhaled softly, “that is what my mother would have called a miracle…”

“As would my sitter Cadance, may she rest in peace…” the host said as she walked on over to her bedside slowly.

During the whole course of Twilight’s brief absence, Moondancer stepped in further and caught her smoothing the comforter out a bit, prompting the latter to speak, “I see that you’ve been doing a lot of reading lately; is there anything at all I can help you with, Twilight…?”

“If it means passing the time before I go back to sleep again, let alone see my therapist, then I can’t see why not; trying to get the place cleaned up just in case if it happens again…” the titular tenant told her guest as the latter moved forward, “anyways, I never caught your reason for stopping by just to visit me…”

“Your father stopped by to have me deliver a letter; it’s from your brother, Shining Armor: he’s been talking about you…” Moondancer had responded, pulling out a white envelope from beneath her jet black sweater almost immediately.

This had prompted the occupant to scurry back and grab the letter rather instantaneously, hurriedly attempting to open it as she said, “I wonder what could my brother might be talking about…”

“Hardly anything but the war; after all, I believe it has taken a toll on him…” the visitor replied as she had watched Twilight open the envelope, “of course, even your mom and dad can see it, no offense…”

“None at all…” the tenant chimed as she pulled out a piece of white paper carefully folded into a quadrangular shape.

With a small letter of text inscribed across the very way, Twilight focused her attention onto what was about to be said as Moondancer asked, “so what does it say…?”

“To My Dearest Sister…” the tenant had read aloud after exhaled, serving as an answer to the visitor’s question from not to long ago, “I hope that this letter finds you well; it would seem that it would have bore better tidings had Cadance been living. The only thing that kept me from going on a dangerous pursuit to reunite with her again was the thought of leaving you behind after what happened at the library. I wanted to ask how are you and what are you doing at this moment; it would seemed to be the kind of questions that our parents would’ve asked but I share much of the regret for not looking out for you. I heard from Captain Greystoke that you were a fighter and that he was sorry for not being there when Golden Oaks burned to the ground that night. Like us, he too lost a loved one: a wife by the name of Serene Accord; compared to me, at least he was strong enough to not even consider the idea of taking his own life. I also have to thank Princess Luna for making sure that the military got their shit together long enough to reach a truce; I just wish we could have caught some bad apples sooner. Speaking of apples, I heard that the survivors from Applejack’s family are now investing in militarization to recoup their losses, especially considering what happened to Big Macintosh and the Spartans are making sure it won’t happen again. Much like them, I ought to be considering myself fortunate to have a family despite everything; I just wished that I could have gone with you to the countryside if I had known what would happen.

Best wishes now and forevermore,

Your BBBFF, Shining Armor.

P.S. – Mom would like for us to go on a picnic next month; I hope to see you then if you have the time.”

When Twilight had reached the end of the letter, she decided to set it onto the bedside; at that moment, a deluge of tears unfolded before Moondancer’s eyes, prompting the observer to move forward. Even though that the guest was unaware of the situation that had inspired the written text thereof completely, the fact that the occupant was covering up her newly moistened face was taken as a first clue. A cruft of words in the eyes of Twilight had currently left her in such great despair; although that she didn’t see it as devoid of hopefulness, joy was also nonexistent in this very situation to say the least. Resigned to the role as an observer and a reporter, the lachrymose tenant had collapsed onto the bed, burying her face into the fabric underneath as she still hid her face away from Moondancer already. Sure enough, Twilight rested her weary head onto the floor as she began to feel the achromatic streams of fluids fell from her eyes and soon started wiping them away despite the overwhelming moisture.

“Twilight…” the guest had called out the tenant’s name slowly while moving onward over to her side.

The eponymous individual still cried softly, “it’s so funny, being sent off to serve as a mediator for a band of troublemakers and to protect Fluttershy from falling into the cracks only to let her be nearly executed on fallacious charges. Princess Celestia wanted me to do more than just spend my reading all these dusty books here and there to no end in sight; I bet she had found it ironic when I had nearly died in a fire at the Golden Oaks Library. Then again, what’s so funny about being nearly killed in a war when you learn about how people like Applejack ended up giving birth to war children and then some asshole attacks a wedding and kills a babysitter who could have been my sister–in–law instead…? The whole fucking war made me learn how I had neglected my friends and family for the world of literature, both fictional and otherwise and the one friend I do end up making nearly gets put to death with no chance of or even the time for appealing her sentence. I had remembered the night when I had stay over at her house at least a few weeks before Swain was killed: she had opened up to me about why she was keeping all of these animals there and we kind of came close to kissing. Fluttershy told me about how her pets helped her find a place in the countryside; like me, she came from a city but from one in the mountaintops rather than the capital where Lyra and I had been born and raised throughout my life. Come to think of it, if we had kissed even for one second, then we would have been living together like her and Bon–Bon; of course, I wouldn’t have considered the possibility of either Fluttershy or myself adopting a child like they had. At least compared to us, we can count on the youth like their child and Apple Bloom having it better than the lot of us although I can also understand them not seeing it that way, especially considering what had happened during the war.”

“But things can get better, Twilight; besides, you’re not alone as you may have thought of…” Moondancer said, stopping over to sit down at the foot of the bed right nearby the tenant’s feet, “after all, you have friends and family who love you…”

“I know that; it’s just that I had allowed my preference of ascertainment came at the potential cost of losing them in the process and a near–death experience made me realize that amongst other things…” Twilight wept onward.

The bespectacled visitor moved over to the tenant’s side and replied, “it’s okay, I was just like you in essence; I am still like you, if not are you. We may have studied underneath Princess Celestia and got the same grades but we had our own interests. As a matter of fact, all that I had wanted was a friend to be there for me; I was crushed when you didn’t show up at the party…”

“So I was told: Lemon Hearts, Twinkleshine and Minuette offered an invitation to your little get–together several months ago…” Twilight had moaned, still unperturbed by Moondancer’s direct presence already, “so much for girl power now…”

“Don’t be like that, Twilight; if I had recalled correctly, the real you wouldn’t be so quick to even think of giving up that easily…!” the visitor had exclaimed sharply, catching the lachrymose listener off–guard.

Twilight started to look up and sigh, “maybe the me that refused to give up died when the library burned to the ground, or rather when Swain was killed; not even Fluttershy being sentenced to death would be enough to convince me to do so. What do I even know or hope to understand now? I’m just a prefect who can’t even do anything else other than remained cooped up in a high tower with all these books like an introverted cat lady…”

“That’s not true…!” Moondancer retorted with little warning whatsoever, “like I had said just before, we may have looked and behaved the same way as each other but the one thing that made me want a friendship with you was your refusal to cave in, no matter what: for all that I can at least speculate, that was another reason why Princess Celestia had sent you away from there. Even though that I was sad, I was moved by the fact that you were able to send progress reports to her that I had been able to obtain regarding the whole social experiment; for crying out, Greystoke even made a stopover here about a few months ago to tell me about you’ve been such a positive influence on him. He told me that ever since that you worked alongside him, out of the rest of your peers, he’s been able to talk with his two children more often than ever; as a matter of fact, he had even once said that your studious nature and can–do attitude reminded him of his own daughter. Alsike wanted to meet up with you because of how her struggles made her think of you: she had lost her mother and the people responsible for that deed had also done unspeakable things to her that I feel sick even thinking about; afterwards, all she ever thought about was getting her father to take her and her brother Robin over to the capital just to see you in person. I usually mince words about certain topics here and there but I think if she were to see you like this, then she wouldn’t help but feel crushed; come to think of it, can you even recall the time that you and Princess Celestia had visited Applejack at the hospital one time?”

“Applejack…!” the tenant gasped as her eyes widened in shock, melancholy minimized to a condensed cruft.

It wasn’t long until Twilight suddenly shot back up from her bed, prompting her guest to retreat away quickly; at this very moment, the latter said, “what’s wrong now…?”

“I just remembered; I’ve been meaning to reconnect my old friends back at the capital but I was so stressed out about the war that I had nearly forgot about the others as well…” the tensed host answered, jumping off from the bed, “I know that Lyra and Bon–Bon are living in Appleloosa with a child they had adopted from the countryside where they had stay before the war. I wonder if Pinkie had decided to stay there to reconnect with her family; I heard that they had fallen on hard times since the conflict broke out. Come to think of it, Minuette needs more than a care package to help her with raising a child, much like what Fluttershy is doing right now. Speaking of kids, I heard that Rainbow is looking after Scootaloo since her parents have perished in the factory bombing they had escaped from. Rarity is still separated from her sister Sweetie Belle on the account of nearly strangling her to death so Cheerilee has decided to take over as a parental guardian. Twinkleshine needs help finding a home as does Lemon Hearts so Cherry Jubilee is doing a little fundraiser; she says that it’s the least that she can do considering that Applejack’s family used to host a barn–raising back then. Speaking of family, Zecora and Apple Bloom have decided to work with one of the Guides in making a recipe to also raise money for the refugees and the homeless as well.”

“Maybe I can help you with all that; there’s no use in letting one girl do all that by herself…” Moondancer said as she followed after Twilight.

The tenant had turned around and said to her guest within seconds with only a straight face, “you will…?”

“Considering that everything had happened to the lot of us, it would be a nice experience to catch up on some lost time together…” Moondancer replied with a small but growing smile donned right upon her own face, “besides, I don’t think that your parents would mind me jumping into the fray…”

“OH THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU…!” Twilight twittered onward instantaneously, quickly hugging the beleaguered visitor without so much as any warning whatsoever.

Moondancer struggled to speak as the tenant was currently locking the former in a one–sided embrace within both arms length, “don’t… mention… it… please… let… me… go… already…!”

“Sorry… I’ve been trying to find some things to do with my life now that the war is over…!” Twilight chuckled sheepishly as she had released her guest instantly before walking away, “I’m gonna go take a shower now; I’ll be right back…”

“Okay…” Moondancer responded as she watched the tenant trot off to another room nearby the bed within due time, currently calm and peaceful than before.

It wasn’t even long until the bespectacled visitor was currently finally left alone to her own devices as she had started staring downward at the book riddled flooring around the feet, right away at ease already with the whole wide world so far considering the rather noticeable turn of events that had unfolded all around the way before her very eyes since her very arrival therein.

Smokefall

Author's Note

It's Fireflower again with the third installment of my first My Little Pony fanfic that goes beyond the typical oneshots I had made from before and using canon characters as human beings instead of their normal forms; however, this is nonetheless a Mature fanfic for this chapter here contains strong language, content that is tame compared to the real madness that will take place in this flashback of a nightmare belonging to Twilight Sparkle.

As usual like before, 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 still belongs to me so I will say this very line one time only: please do not steal this story or I will sue.

Lastly, let me also say that I hope you can stomach this chapter now more than the others before it and still have the strength to continue onward in staying tuned though the passing times; henceforth, I will leave you with but one saying only: thank you very much.

Smokefall

There was a complete absence of light currently dominating the very environment, all shrouded in mystery and suspense that relied consistently on the element of uncertainty at large. While there had already remained a likely chance of loneliness filling the air itself at once, the atmosphere was likely enough to clear out within due time for one reason or another. In addition, even at least a few clues were presently providing some semblance of substance that was instantaneously dwelling inside even with the lack of a solid terrain, let alone earth.

Lain out right amongst the pitch black darkness was one of the very few possibilities that was becoming unveiled rather slowly: a lone dark skinned female lying facedown. In about the strands of dark blue hair were some bits of purple and pink as well, being already overshadowed by the predominate shades and hues alone to say the very least. Gathering the strength to move, the dark skinned female opened her eyelids almost immediately, bearing amethyst orbs with a tired but alarmed visage within a mere instant. Hereon, she was quick to find a set of clothes being worn upon her very body: a purple vest overlaying a long white blouse, a long red plaid skirt, and long black socks.

“This place, what is it; how did I get there all of the sudden and how come I can’t stand up from here…?” the lone female had gasped all at once, struggling quickly to stay conscientious of the situation thereof.

Soon, with her lively purple eyes quickly flying widely out in the very open, she had begun to study the minimal surroundings all across the way. The female had been quickly to find that the visibility provided for her was a poor sight for even the sorest of eyes to say the least, save for a light. An extremely low pitched droning was already piercing both of her very ears with the otherwise occasional whine interspersing along with it as well. Relatively speaking, the scent was nonexistent, save for a rather faint yet pungently acute aroma emerging from beyond the void the female was in. Though that she felt nothing giving her the freedom to rise from her station, she was nonetheless able to move around in any direction whatsoever. Such factors had all played a role in painting a picture right in the lone female’s mind that was far from the pleasant tales told and said at the bed.

Time passed long enough until she heard some footfalls followed by some more talking, “I can’t believe that Fluttershy is thrown into prison; I gotta do something before they all put her to death…!”

“How in the world is…” the lone female started to speak, her eyes widened by the sound of the voice that went into both ears, “Fluttershy is–––”

“Even a lone foot soldier would know that she is too kind to be working with the terrorists; I gotta go save her while I still can…!” the distant speaker had interrupted, prompting the observer to move forward towards the light up in front of her.

The corporeal female thought to herself with apprehension, “wait a minute: could that even be my voice; but, if that’s the case, then how is it even…?”

“It’s only a matter of time before the Terminal starts carrying out the execution any time soon; it’s apparent that I get her name cleared immediately…” she had heard, this time being slowly convinced by the similarities between both of the voices all at once, “if I play my cards right, then the courts might consider giving her a stay so they can process all of the information. Greystoke must have been pretty helpful enough to lend me his aid and make sure that nothing bad happens to her but I’m not sure how long he will hold out before they speed things up and get her killed off. Ever since the sudden arrest, Fluttershy has been professing her innocence; for crying out fucking loud, she’s a veterinarian, not a radical extremist. Realistically, the odds of the poor gal being involved with them directly are basically astronomical to say the least; that like suggesting that Applejack knows her way with mechanical engineering. Such a baseless accusation in my eyes and ears is enough to get me into taking a stand: this isn’t some case of prosecutorial misconduct in its most typical form; it’s a conspiracy and people like me need some answers.”

“Now I’m starting to remember what happened: I believe this was right after when Swain was slain about a week before the program was discontinued; besides the fact that I’d sounded like those cliched protagonists straight outta my many books, this must be right before the Golden Oaks Library got destroyed…” the female wondered, piqued by the potential conclusion at hand.

Only then, she began to become aware of the fact of the matter at hand while continuing to listen, “I swear, if this was the way trials could go, then there would be little need for respecting law and order: this country can’t survive as a government if people are tried the same way as Fluttershy was, guilt or innocence be damned; it would be as if we can live without pondscum. Whatever judge decided to go through with this isn’t gonna get away with making the lot of us look boorish and crass enough to prefer monster wagons, arcade cabinets, and winning every argument over studying, logic, and basic living essentials. Anyways, it’s best that I write a letter to Princess Luna immediately to let her know about it completely: I’m pretty sure that given my relationship with her sister Celestia, the very idea of sending her a letter would trigger a direct conflict of interest.”

“Come to think of it, I’ve must have been so focused onto the whole endeavor, I’ve haven’t even remembered when Nightmare Moon returned…” the lone female had whispered softly as she heard footfalls currently shuffling about once more, “even though that I had made friends with some of the countryfolk, only Fluttershy and I were assigned to the band of seven nonetheless…”

“Dear Princess Luna…” the other voice sighed.

It wasn’t even long until the observer moved forward towards the light and had gasped, “IT IS ME…!”

“I hope that this letter finds you well: the memories of being banished to a cosmological object such as the moon is harrowing; the only thing that kept you going was the love of your sister…” the similar figure across from her line of sight had worded out, “of course, it would seem that the task of writing the letter to her would have been easily circumvented by obvious accusations. The fact remains is that one of my dearest friend Fluttershy stands accused of being an accessory to the deeds of a subversive element: it doesn’t seem right that this trial was done with the most basic of care or even respect to and for procedure. It also doesn’t help that it seems to be war is about this close to breaking out at any moment so to speak; perhaps this has something to do with how I was raised in the capital. Irregardless, I feel motivated to speak up on her behalf yet it seems that I’m alone: despite my best efforts, sometimes I find myself being brushed aside by some run–of–the–mill brute. I can’t, in good conscience, have the heart to let her die at the hands of the state, especially in such a rushed manner; please convince them to look this case over as soon as possible and not let the execution come to pass.

Your sister’s faithful student

Twilight Sparkle.

P.S. – Please make sure that you get plenty of sleep…”

“Great, even I’m starting to sound like I had taken up a hatchet job…” the lone female groaned as she had looked around.

Her amethyst orbs were scanning the insides of the rather corpulent tree that seemed to be called a home in the eyes of the unaware tenant. The very ligneous ceiling in its entirety had a source of light in active commission, brighter that the jet black void that the observer was in. Almost every inch of its inner walls were easily filled to the brim with innumerable books, each of them varying in more ways than once. Standing at opposite sides of the very room were but a pair of podiums, one just shorter than the other and an open book nearby the stairs. Off in the distance was a flight a stairs adorned with a trio of some light pink hearts, point up to the bed resting nearby the lone window. Decorating the simplistic cloister of the ingress were pairs of purple flowers hanging up on both sides, undisturbed by the lack of a base. All that remained in there was an equidistant tabletop circling around a tree stump, holding some more books and a sculpture of a horse.

All of the factors that had made up the dimensions of the location did little to prepare the female for the source of the voice she had shared alongside. Likewise, the similar individual had possessed the very complexion and components much like herself, a troubling sight from the observer’s position. Even the lone female was aware of the vast differences in attire that the tenant in question had possessed, leaving the former wide eyed with shock.

As such, the individual’s fashion was more different compared to observer at hand, despite the alarming similarities right at hand thereof. Compared to the female’s vest overlaying the white blouse, the tenant wore an open dark blue against a lighter blouse and a red bow–tie. Rather than the long skirt that the observer donned, the other individual had a pair of shorts in a light thistle with some periwinkle accents. Even the tenant’s footwear was more than elaborate: a pair of long hot pink stockings nestling within the depths of her black bar shoes.

What had made the grim silence easily chased off was the acute sound of some gurgling nearby; as a result, the individual had just chirped, “ah, I must have been so worked up by the whole turn of events, I must have forgotten to feed myself…!”

“Okay, so it seems that I’m trapped in library with a doppelganger who’s strangely not made aware of my presence so far…” the lone female summarized almost silently, watching the tenant trotting on towards the room across the entrance, “now all I have to do is make like a river and run on out of here; for what it’s worth, doppelgangers are a sign of ill omen, even in dreams…”

Almost immediately, the observer made every effort to climb out from the pitch black darkness that she had awakened from. When she had done so, she was surprised to find that there was another bed as well, bearing a simplistic purple comforter. Effortlessly, the female trudged over to the red door as quietly as possible, pleased to be wearing only black socks on her feet.

“What in the world is that smell…?” she had heard, no doubt the alternate voice of the identical individual from before she was observing.

The lone female had tensed up but remained calm as she laid her hand on the metal knob nearby; however, she was unprepared for the sensation that would follow: rather than the stagnant room temperature upon the surface, some heat had stung the palm, prompting a shrill cry immediately, “FUCK…!”

“Is that smoke but where is it coming from…?” the tenant asked as the listener scurried up the stairs and out of sight from the former who had returned, “that’s funny… I don’t recall going down in the cellar as soon as I had gotten back to pack up; in any case, I guess I should go ahead and take one last look before I kiss this library goodbye…”

“Oh, no…” the lone female had peeped, her amethyst irises now shrinking immediately as she had quickly contemplated turning around at once.

It was at this point the individual who had returned was greeted by the sight of flames growing about and barely touching some nearby bookshelves. A super–heated mixture of red, orange, and yellow clashing and meshing with and against one another was more than enough to raise such an alarm. The tips of its very cinders flickered on and off in rapid succession as they had threatened to expand onward in their entirety within mere seconds.

As the fires were in clear view of the tenant’s eyes, she had screamed, “OH MY GOSH, HOW IN THE WORLD DID THIS HAPPEN?!”

“That’s what I would’ve needed to know now that I remembered it…!” the observer exclaimed as the conflagration began to grow from its otherwise dark lonely place, “considering that I had a lot of potions stocked up in the basement, it’s likely it'd been a chemical fire; then again, there should've been some other colors as well.”

“I have to put the damn thing out soon enough while I still can; otherwise, it will spread all throughout the town…!” the identical individual whimpered as footfalls made their way closer to the female amidst the hungering fire and flames.

Needless to say, the observer still hid in the darkness and chatted, “in hindsight, I should have asked Princess Celestia to implement more fire extinguishers in the library, or at least buy them myself while I was in town.”

“Damn, is this some kind of cruel sick joke?!” the tenant groaned as the bright flames had roared more loudly, “it seems that the second I had taken aim at the mess, it started to make the flames grow; what is going on here?!”

“It had to be a joke fire extinguisher; no one of sound mind would dare think to make something like this…” the lone female had said as the heat and smoke slowly traveled up to her very own nose almost instantaneously.

It wasn’t long until air became clogged with the combusted particles that the identical individual scurried abound and screamed, “I need to flood the house with some water if I’m gonna save this library from being completely destroyed…!”

“SHIT…!” the observer screamed as the railing within her hand burned brightly than the doorknob itself from before, “it’s growing too fast; I have to get out of here and warn the others while I still can…!”

Sure enough, the heat and light became too much for the structure, the glowing brightness now bearing smoke and ash slowly but surely. The atmosphere became thicker enough to clog up the visibility of what had now lain behind her, no doubt the work of the growing inferno. In no small amount of time whatsoever was the female instantly reminded of what was quickly unfolding all around herself suffice to say. Mustering up the remaining strength to move on forward, she had kept running up the stairwell away from the following conflagration.

“If I clog the sink up and keep it running at the highest setting possible, then eventually the overflowing water will end up climbing to the cellar downstairs, ending the fire at the source…” the tenant stammered on as she moved back to where the initial female had climbed up from not too long ago.

The minute she had attempted to turn around, she ended up finding the fire and flames right behind her almost immediately, the option of returning back down no longer presented to her; this prompted the observer to cry, “at this rate, I’m going to be more scorched than a steamed yam…!”

“Okay then, now to make my escape and get the Tart on back to the capital at once…” the identical individual sighed as the flames were kindling within the area they were both in, “THE DOOR’S BLOCKED OFF… NO…!”

“Now I understand: the heat of the flames directly underneath me were traveling up from the cellar for a longer time; even the presence of many compounds are speeding up the process…!” the lone female said as she took notes of the otherwise pungent scent within the blinding smoke and fire right before herself.

At long last did she finally make her way to the balcony of the area that the tenant had once called home, rushing out to see another startling sight. For starters, within the female’s sights was a jet black firmament with columns of fire and smoke in predominantly warm colors like before climbing up. Within a large dream drop distance was a civilization defined in such various materials in grave disrepair: windows cracked, doors smashed in, and all. The roaring winds were beating down onto everything, from the grassy knolls to the place that in which where she was now standing to watch it unfold. In the background were but a valley and ridge of mountains were objects mostly in the shape of intersecting lines had flew about with reckless abandon. The town where the female was standing within was currently devoid of all lifeforms, save for small portions that were literally cloaked in the shadow.

Relatively speaking, she was now found to be right in the middle, standing right at the edge of veranda that had belonged to a rather tall and large tree. At the top was another veranda where a little telescope had its lens pointing outwardly as it had remained safely behind the circumnavigated steel railing. The many leaves upon that corpulent structure also had its share of windows peering towards the ghost town on many angles at an end, even on the bark. A glass lantern had already found its way on the left side, hung from underneath the blossoming awning and over the wooden sign planted on the ground. A beehive was in a sling from a branch beneath another balcony on the opposite embankment of the very tree, burning brightly as its occupants swirled. The rubicund door that had contained the simplistic illustration of a lit candlestick in the very middle of it all was also ablaze, threatening to spread.

Just as the lone female was about to say something that instantaneously came to her very mind since the narrow escape, she had then heard some rather shrill screaming almost immediately, “AAHHH…!”

“Oh dear… this must have been the part where I was burning alive in there…!” the observer had whimpered as she clenched her eyelids all at once, “I don’t even want to look at what my skin will look like after I get put out.”

“WOAH…!” a loud shriek had pieced her ears as a loud explosion quickly sent her flying off of the ledge with only little warning whatsoever.

It didn’t take long for the female to land onto the ground on her own two feet, gravity stepping in and planting much pressure onto the legs in the impact. Forced back onto the ground facedown into the grass, she’d felt her visage becoming moistened and dirtied about as some flames danced onto her back. Because of the escalating pain and agony within her limbs, she had turned her body over quickly and watched as the tree was being devoured by the fire. The excruciating heat from up above was serving as a reminder of the very fate that could have been bestowed upon the lone female not too long ago. The towering inferno that was once her home continued to roar loudly, assaulting her ears with sparks of metal slowly joining in from the cold distance.

At this rate, all that the lone female could do right now was cry out in pain, the broken legs being the least of her worries compared to the sight of the building burning down before her very eyes. Despite the tingling sensation throughout her legs, she had started to crawl onto her hands and knees, struggling not to be overwrought by the brokenness within them as she made her attempt. The tearstained female took little time to move away from the smoldering wreck that was once called home, already aware of the destruction pictured in her mind and the corruption in the sky. As tedious and dangerous as it was for her, considering the events that had transpired instantly, she had no other option but to flee from the fire and flames that had chased after her earlier ago.

While that the lone female was fortunate to escape the conflagration still devouring the tree, a flood of tears clouded her sights as she attempted to see what remained in front. Despite the overflowing waters that clogged up her amethyst orbs at that very moment thereof, she found a clear path to move away from the growing inferno right behind her. In what had seemed to be some sort of an amazing grace, the lone female was found to be all alone in a world gone mad and ablaze at this very moment in time nevertheless.

A loud explosion from far away had become close enough for her to flinch, compelling herself to shut her eyes away and hit the ground, feeling the ground underneath her shaking about. Opening both eyes back up, the lone female had come across the sight of even more of them now breaking out in the sky amongst the smoke and ash that were once a part of something. She was nearly forced into watching all of the destruction that had befallen upon her and the tree as well as her own town hands started wiping the streams right off of her troubled visage. The lone female closed her eyes and felt the teardrops becoming pulled down by the very gravity of the situation at hand, being ignored by the wavy battle orchestra taking place above.

As the smoke had grown thicker and her sights more narrow than ever, it would seem that her own body had reached her limit against her wishes; needless to say, she couldn’t help but cry softly, “so this is it: I’m going to remain in the afterglow forever as a victim of my own nightmare with no one to help me. I don’t understand how it could it be even possible: even though that I remember how this all began, it still hurts that I’m being tortured this way. Is this what Tartarus feel like or am I in it instead; but if that’s the case, who could have I possibly wronged: my family or my friends…? In any case, I least I get to see what it’s like to be caught up in the war: all alone, no one to save me, or even comfort me as I lay there, close to dying in my own nightmare in the town I had felt like belonging for the first time ever. Nevertheless, perhaps this is my retribution for leaving home altogether: the fact that I had a sense of camaraderie with this town was proof of how far behind I was thereof; mother… father… brother… wherever you are… please forgive me…”

Slowly but surely, the lone female felt her strength and stamina leave her entire body as she had finally collapsed on the surface of the brilliant green beneath against all expectations whatsoever. During the whole time, she’d watched the trouble world before her very eyes with overwhelming tears appearing within them for only seconds until she looked away and closed her lids quickly. Soon, even the heavy breathing that the lone female once was engaging in started slowing down gradually, her control over them also slipping from her grasp as she had lain upon the very earth.

Depth

Author's Note

It's Fireflower again with the third installment of my first My Little Pony fanfic that goes beyond the typical oneshots I had made from before and already using canon characters as human beings instead of their normal forms; however, this is nonetheless a Mature fanfic for that this chapter here will deal with a certain subject matter considered unsuitable for those under eighteen, easily offended, and/or quickly nauseated.

In addition, I would like to take this time to inform you that this chapter is only a nightmare but it can and will bring shock, awe, and outrage out of you in ways too horrible to imagine so it's with a generous heart and mind that yours truly has uploaded another chapter after this as well on the same day no less: for those of you amongst themselves wishing to skip ahead, please do so; I promise, this one will help calm your nerves a bit for the most part.

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 can withstand this chapter now and stay tuned for future chapters later on then again, you have but a few options: stop right there and wait, go back to the beginning, or skip ahead to the next chapter; whatever decision you make, I won't blame you but consider yourselves warned.

Depth

All throughout the way, there was an abysmal unknown of complete whiteness where only such factors of sight, substance, and scent lay buried in obscurities best referred to as an ethereal void. The exceptions that had given clues to the very location’s identity were surface, sensitivity, and sound: such were the gentle breezes being close to comfort anyone that would crossed their path. Most importantly, the current occupancy was above from simply desolate, let alone abandoned; after all, this bright light all around the way proved to be outright temporary to say the very least.

A tall woman was found out amongst the whiteness, lying supine with but a warm face plastered with a straight edge and sand all across the way. Her dark pink hair was decorated with a purple feather small bouquet of flowers, each with an assortment of many hues and styles whatsoever. A colorful dress was found to be adorned upon the woman’s body: though it was predominately purple, her torso area was jet black like the night. Her hands and feet were bare but her forearms and shins were all adorned with black silky arm and leg warmers respectively throughout her skin.

“I’m surprised that this freak of nature is a daughter of those drab rock farmers; for a second there, I had thought that Goody Quartz must have cheated on her husband with the milkman…” some scoffing surfed into the woman’s ears.

Within moments, she had slowly but surely arose from her station, both eyelids struggling to fly open as the true blue orbs prevailed. It wasn’t long until the woman came to her senses immediately, surprised to find the visibility had been instantly provided for her. The airstreams had quickly brushed up right against the woman’s ears with tender gentleness, causing herself to shiver to and fro. She started to smell the oxygen all around her, finding a crisp and cool breeze that was already over her skin and inside the nostrils. Given the realization that she was in an area devoid of any semblance in substance whatsoever, the woman took up a bouncy stance. Jumping up and down a bit, she began to explore the very void that was around herself, already embracing the unsettling uncertainty.

Of course, because of her place in it all, the woman had slowed down and began to ask aloud, “hello? Where am I; what is this place…? Is there anyone around…? Mom… dad… Maud… Limestone… Marble… Gummy… Mr. Cake… Mrs. Cake… Pound… Pumpkin… Twilight… Applejack… Rainbow… Rarity… Fluttershy…?”

“Waaaaaaaaah…!” a cry was heard reaching into both ears, serving as an answer that started to paint a rather unpleasant picture in her mind, “ah–ah–waaaaaaaaaah…!”

“A baby; oh my goodness, could it be one of their twins?!” the woman ruminated as she had begun to search for the new voice that was loud.

Sure enough, the bouncing stopped almost completely and she picked up on the wail yet again, “waaaaaaaaah…!”

“It must be; what if their own parents are nowhere else to found, or worse, what if they’re already dead…?” the woman thought some more as a few beads of sweat oozed from her forehead, prompting her to be on the move, “DON’T WORRY CHILD, I’LL FIND YOU…!”

“Waaaaaaaah…!” the crying went on, causing herself to pick up acceleration in her locomotion in little time whatsoever.

As soon as the woman started to saunter about quickly, she couldn’t help but think about the possibilities being placed into her head, “oh, no… what if someone comes across them and decides to do something awful that I can’t even imagine…? Providence, please give me the strength to not fail: I can’t live with the shame of letting him or her die alone; I just can’t…!”

“Waaaaaaaah…!” the wailing grew louder, forcing the woman to go faster and more frantically than before, “ah–ah–waaaaaaaah!”

“I have to find the baby but I don’t know where to find them…!” she pondered onward, the perspiration now increasing in torrents.

The woman looked all around in front of her and back, searching high and low but couldn’t trace the source of the ongoing bawling, “waaaaaaaah…!”

“Oh dear, I can still hear it but I can’t seem to find the infant; yet, I can’t just give up because of it: whatever the gender, a loving parent is still needed…!” she had ruminated while running about to no end in sight, still hopeful that the source of melancholy would be answered with tender loving care at her hands; suddenly, one of her feet got caught into something, “WHOA!!”

It was at this point that the woman tripped and fell down, landing into the surface of the void only to break on through to the other side in a flash. Sure enough, she had found herself landing onto something that was hard and rough with some color: it just so happens to be none other than wood. When the woman tried to sit upward, she had found a background filled to the brim with taupe shading and held up by some large pieces of timber. A thin carpet was found in the epicenter of the floor she’d fallen on with different hues of purple separated into a few rings in the form of a bullseye. One lone window was already well off in the short walking distance, nearly covered up by some dark blue curtains, save for what appears to be night. Despite this presentation, she had suddenly looked upward to find that the void she was traversing around in was now right above herself. Standing in front of the woman was a fireplace with logs already set ablaze, resting in between a drawer and shelf containing many ceramic tableware.

“There, there now, my child… return to slumber…” another voice now entered her ears as she turned around.

What the woman had found started to shock her: it was a lone tenant who had shared the same gender despite being much older and more plump. Some dark green tresses were found already tied into a bun, save for a few strands out of place in the finite neatness, compared to the lone witness. A pair of glasses with a golden frame were held securely in place by some of its petite chains, overlaying the tired icy blue that looked downward. Dressed in black from top to bottom with some thin white lines intersecting one another evenly, the owner also wore a gilded brooch with a gem.

It didn’t take long until the observer whimpered at once, staring at the tenant whom was already holding a swaddled figure in the right hand and a bottle in the opposite, “mom…?”

“Oh, how I pity thee, dear babe: born in the vestry to mine defiled yet departed daughters to a dreaded disease thou hast inherited from these wretched curs…” the matriarch sniffled as she had started feeding the youth with a somber gaze, “still, I miss them, seeing their legacy in thine eyes like thou were one of mine own…”

“Marble… Limestone…” the younger counterpart gasped quietly, still watching the two in front of her.

The woman in black had cried softly, “if only if I had been strong enough to defend our home alongside my dear Igneous; at least, he would needst not the assistance of another’s arms to make himself work hither and yon like before. Now, our only daughter is there to carry on the legacy of her fallen sisters, Marble and Limestone: two of whom now already found their place alongside their dearest grandmother, free from the vexations that destroyed them. Even though I would have cast mine shoes at Pinkamena for leaving them both to their mortal fates, the animosity towards her would be needless so to speak compared to the dastards themselves.”

“Does that mean–––” the observer thought, her pupils and irises shrinking about as her hair fizzled out all at once, “no, that’s not possible…!”

“Perhaps despite this grave tragedy, at least they livest on: their children free from bondage…” the tenant sighed as the child cooed warmly.

It wasn’t long until the younger counterpart felt her eyes well up and had wept loudly, “OH WHY DID YOU TWO HAVE TO SUFFER THIS WAY?! YOU WERE THE BEST OF SISTERS I COULD HAVE ASKED FOR BUT NOW YOU’RE BOTH GONE…! I SHOULD HAD BEEN THERE AT YOUR SIDES; I’M SUCH A HORRIBLE EXCUSE OF A PERSON. IT’S LIKE THE STUFF MADE FROM A MADMAN’S DREAM AND NONE OF US COULD EVER WAKE UP! IF ANYTHING, I SHOULD BE THE ONE WHO SHOULD HAVE SUFFERED INSTEAD: I SHOULD BE THE ONE USED AND ABUSED LIKE A COMMON WHORE, I SHOULD BE THE ONE INFECTED WITH SO MANY DISEASES, I SHOULD BE THE ONE BEARING CHILDREN, I SHOULD BE DEAD RATHER THAN LIMESTONE OR MARBLE!!”

“Hush now, little one…” the woman in black had chuckled briefly as the young infant burped, “the morrow willst be a brand new day…”

“IF ONLY I HAD STAYED BY THEIR SIDE INSTEAD OF LEAVING…!” the observer wept as she looked downward from the two.

Unbeknownst to the young woman, the elder figure moved forward and hissed sharply, “exactly, Pinkamena…”

“Huh…?” the observer sniffled as she looked at the matriarch who now wore a grimace, “mother, I want to talk to you about–––”

“What is there to talk about: for the past hundreds of fortnights, the prodigal mooncalf excuse of a daughter who hast departed from us to chase after frivolous dreams only so to return to this place the day these dastardly brutes took every single thing from right underneath the lot of us?!” the elder female laughed as she had still focused on the younger counterpart.

The observer backed away a bit and whimpered with tears in her eyes, “nevertheless, I feel awful for what had happened lately; I should have know that something like this could even take place: our own home being destroyed, dad losing his arms, you being forced to make a cuckold of him, and my two sisters being forced to give birth to unwed children. Now, I see you raising one of them like they were one of your own because of how they died when I could’ve saved them, or at least been at their side before they both took their last breaths; I’M SO SORRY MOTHER…!”

“I see then…” the matriarch sighed but still retained her frigid glare upon her daughter, “I don’t forgive thee…”

“Mom, I said that I’m sorry…” the woman said.

Nevertheless, the elder in black had replied almost instantaneously, “true yet I refuse thy pleas of forgiveness…”

“I don’t understand what’s going on now…” the younger counterpart whimpered as she tried to stand up, “this could be the last time that we could–––”

“No, I refuse to give you the relief from thy transgressions for thou hast deserved them not; thou must live with the horrid sin thou hast committed against us for the rest of thine life: thou shalt knowest that nothing will be mended back together like before…!” the matriarch interjected without any warning whatsoever.

Knocked down but not out, the young woman pleaded, “look mom, I understand that being a mother has been tough and losing Marble and Limestone in the process had undermined all of that but–––”

“Igneous has not much time to live on this wretch as do I…” the elder in black interrupted once more with feeling, “this illness will not go away and I refuse to be thy crutch of sanctimonious contrition…!”

“You must believe me: I did everything I could to try and save you…!” the observer broke down in tears once more.

The matriarch growled about, “even so, why didn’t thou visit me more often? A decade of time passed, yet thou visit me not.”

“I did…” the young woman answered tenderly, “I had tried to buy your freedom: I became a dancehall girl in Appleloosa to raise money for you; but then, I had came across another troubled girl–––”

“Dost thou knowest what it was like for any of us: we lost our home and they lost their maidenhoods; we were blessed that Maud had been able to escape when she hadst the chance, but you…?” the elder rebuffed as the child began to whine.

The young observer started to cry again, “I never asked for any of this to happen, especially not to you…”

“I didn’t care about the fact that they hadst treated me like a harlot; I cared about Marble and Limestone becoming one!” the indignant matriarch snarled instantaneously, catching the counterpart off–guard all at once, “we did well at each other’s side and made the most of our existences on the world, but what they needed then was a sister yet thou hast abandoned them! Because of their mortal vexations, they gave up their spirits and therefore I willst never forgive thee for such a treacherous deed; now, begone from mine sight, o’ unworthy one!”

“Mom, please… just hear me out I–––” the woman attempted to speak, only to be slapped by the elder.

It was at this point a redden handprint was found grazing upon the observer’s teary face, no doubt the work of the matriarch who snorted, “thou should hast learn what is troublesome with thee: thou envisions thyself as a heroine of thine own story simply because thou found talent and made thine freedom; but, that is not the case! Even I know thee better than any of thine sorry excuses of friends and parents thou darest to call mother and father; as a matter of fact, I wager that thou wouldst probably slumber a lot best under the moon and stars should thou admitted to thyself that thou art a selfish wretch who runs off to wherever without care. This be thee: Pinkamena Diane Pie, or rather Pinkamena Diane Cake…”

“Oh, mother…” the young woman wept, “I don’t know why I came to this place…”

“Liar… I cast thee out of the house…” the elder in black huffed as she had went away from the observer’s sights.

With the young woman now let alone, she had started to weep uncontrollably, creating a flood of tears that fell onto the surface of the rug beneath. Even as she had shut those blue eyes away with her hands, one of the memories of her mother’s deed was still implanted upon her very cheeks. The young woman struggled to wipe her own tears away as she came to find more in their place as they had moistened the hands upon themselves.

She had lost the strength to contest to the elder’s decision or move away, crying loudly over the cold hard flooring she landed upon not too long ago, “if I had known what would become of my own family, then I should have returned to them sooner when I had the first chance given to me or better yet never left the rock farm at all no matter what talent had been realized.”

“Then tell us this: why…?” the young woman heard, coming from right behind her, “what had prompted you to do so… sister?”

When she had turned around, she couldn’t believe what was currently standing before her almost immediately: a pair of females whom were perhaps alike in fair dignity at first glance; of course, she couldn’t even find an iota’s worth of strength to take joy in their collective appearances. The twosome had possessed certain commonalities: a bright complexion upon their skin, a set of monochromatic hair flowing out from their heads, some cool color shades circling around their pupils, some somber looks donned upon their faces, and already clothed in dirt and blood. Of course, there were some significant differences that the lone woman had taken notice upon turning around to face them all at once; after all, the matriarch from before was at least modest and clean despite the contempt she had for the former much earlier so to speak in the least.

Nevertheless, the two females were already found to be staring into the observer’s wet blue eyes with little concern for their own lack of attire whatsoever. For starters, one of them had long gray hair with a brighter streak in the middle whereas the other possessed spikey silver hair with its edge at the neckline. Secondly, there was also a slight difference in height between the very two who were standing within the young woman’s line of eyesight by centimeters. Third of all, one had a well–toned set of muscles etched into her forearms and abdomen while the other maintained a dainty slimmer figure upon her body. In addition, the brawny figure had donned a pair of small yet sizable cleavage whereas the petite counterpart surpassed her predecessor in terms of density. Within seconds, the observer had come to find that one of them had some acidic green upon the visage while the other was donning timid purple instead.

“Marble… Limestone… is that really you two; what have these fiends done to my sisters…?” the young woman slowly stuttered about as she focused in on the titular twosome almost immediately.

The spikey haired figure sighed softly before replying, “terrifying things, Pinkie; they’ve turned us into common slaves in our own home: working longer hours, eating table scraps, digging larger ditches, servicing our masters, and becoming stress relief all at our expense. Once upon a time, ma and pa had told us, Maud, and you to save ourselves for marriage; now, I can’t help but to cry at the reality that had befallen upon us both ever since they had defiled us to no end in sight: ever since that day, we can’t even go to sleep without at least one brute having his way however he sees fit. Even we had seen how far that our dear mother had been taken before our eyes despite her and father’s best efforts to protect us: not even offering my body was enough to stop them from hurting Marble; I could still hear her crying whenever they raped and/or beaten her too badly.”

“No… no… no… no… NO; say it isn’t so, Limestone…!” the aforementioned observer had screeched, “don’t tell me that you’re in this state…!”

“I’m sorry, but I was too weak to stand up for myself…” the other figure on the opposite side wept tenderly.

As the image of the dirtied two had remained upon the colorful woman’s line of eyesight, the muscular counterpart turned to her side and replied softly, “it’s not even your fault at all, Marble; I should have been a little more stronger for your sake, or rather you should have been there alongside her…”

“So what could you have wanted me to do: offer my own body instead, bear their children, or even catch their diseases just like Applejack did after that meanie took her sister; will that be enough to appease you both?!” Pinkie wailed, looking downward, “the Pinkie you had grown to live with up til that day is gone and if hating me is all you can do to me, then please keep at it!”

“At least we can agree on one thing: despite being fucked up to think straight, even you have your moments of clarity; shame they weren’t strong enough to convince you not to leave the farm…” the spikey haired figure chuckled darkly.

A stream of tears fell onto the flooring again as the colorful woman sobbed, “I didn’t… I’m sorry…!”

“STUFF YOU SORRIES IN A SACK, YOU TWO–TIMING POLTROON…!” the muscular woman had now suddenly shouted within only seconds no less, “because of you not being around, we ended up losing everything when these bastards came to our doorstep: our clothes, our home, our virginity, even our health. I tried to keep my sister’s hopes alive even as that fucking bastard of a soldier who dared to put on a uniform had me turned out day in and day out from sunup to sundown. While we were left to own our devices since the night after they’ve performed anal, I heard Marble crying so hard she had tried to kill herself by bashing her head against Holder’s Boulder; ma had to keep her closer so it wouldn’t happen again. Since she couldn’t find the strength to face pa, she started looking after us at night: singing songs, telling stories, even giving up her food whenever we went hungry; in addition, she told us to pray and hope for the best. As we were left in the shithole of a rock farm that used to be our home sweet home, I’ve done all those things all the damn time as we looked around for something to free us from the nightmare we had been put through since the war broke out. Of course, it would seem that Providence had finally taken pity upon us but by then it was too late: pa lost his fucking arms, mom is nearly a cripple, and we had to carry our children with diseases that would make sepsis feel pleasant by comparison. Do you not know what was transpiring while you were away with those townfolk up north of us hosting your fucking parties; how could you dare do this to the lot of us?! Oh, I know why: because despite coming off as a virgin who likes to dress like a whore, you wanted to diddle yourself to the thought of us being raped and beaten like in every other sorry excuses of erotic horror; you’ve really acted like you couldn’t even get there in time…!”

“That’s not true; THAT’S IMPOSSIBLE…!” Pinkie had bawled loudly, crying out more profusely than before.

The spikey haired figure had growled, “it doesn’t even matter how hard you would’ve tried if at all; just keep that in mind that I found the time to remember all the memories I had spent without you around the farm. I’m surprised you had gotten so far enough that things aren’t the way they were before: you barely recognize me anymore, not that you knew any of us back then but I guess it all came back in the end; now, whatever they had meant to us will become like nothingness…! I’d have put my trust in you, pushed as far as you’d gone; despite all this, there’s one thing I would like to know: why…?”

“I don’t even know anymore…” the colorful woman had sniffled, not even paying attention to the fact that the twosome before her started to bleed themselves out all at once, “I wanted to go back and save you ‘cause that what families are supposed to do, no matter what… and yet I had ended up becoming a part of another family…”

“Then, go back to them; they’ll understand because as far as I care, I have two sisters now: Maud and Limestone…” the buxom figure finally joined in once again, this time with contempt, “don’t even dare cry for us, Pinkie; we are already dead…!”

It was at this point the two started to lose their shape before the eponymous visitor’s eyes all at once, snapping her out of her melancholy state. The integumentary system that had bore their unclothed forms now started to melt down onto the ligneous flooring right underneath themselves. Within seconds, the twosome had then went from being the same mold as the observer to an assortment of gelatinous waste and earth therein. The only things that had still remained intact in the process were their hair strands and eyes and even they couldn’t stay in place any much longer. As they were sinking down to Pinkie’s level and beyond, even the amorphous mass started spitting out full sets of teeth with some blood. Soon enough, the pool of blood reached the colorful woman’s clothes and skin but the shock of their decomposition still kept her firmly in place.

“I wish I were dead instead; even in death, I still can’t let go on them…” she'd cried as the tears now mixed with the sisters’ liquids all at once.

At long last, the puddle had sprouted tentacles that wrapped around Pinkie’s body, catching the mourner off–guard as she was being pulled down. The colorful woman had struggled to get away but to no avail, their blood already fused to her clothes and integumentary system without warning. Various bits of effort were instantaneously undermined as she’d looked around for something or someone to rescue her from the sudden predicament.

It didn’t even take long until Pinkie had heard a raspy gurgle all right nearby her very side hissing only briefly that her bombarded blue eyes widened, “rest in piss…!”

Sure enough, the colorful woman had finally sank into the area beneath her all alone, one with the puddle that once was their sisters not too long ago. Strands of hair that were flattened earlier had been the last to be dissolved in the mix; afterwards, the blood began to shrink in diameter rather quickly. Soon, it would become apparent that Pinkie was no more, out of sight, out of mind, and literally out of this world so to speak in all the criteria fulfilled.

Oddly enough, it was truly outrageous that the colorful woman who had just fallen from the void above to be pulled into another until she had finally disappeared completely without so much as a trace from any world she would have hailed from.

Liberty

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.

Confinement

Author's Note

Hi there; it's me, Fireflower here once more with an electric feel ready with a new chapter of Harmonious Repetitions Twofold on the way: suffice to say, the past chapters from earlier were by far a strong note for y'all and it'll only be a taste of what's to come later on as I write them all them at my fingertips, especially since this one has that taste and then some.

As usual, My Little Pony, or rather Friendship Is Magic, including its settings and characters belong to ––– you know what? F:heart:k it; you've made it this far so there's no use in me repeating what I had said before in the disclaimers, especially after what y'all had gone through.

However, let me say that I hope you can be surprised about this chapter now more than the others before it and still have the strength to continue on in staying tuned through the passing times; on the other hand, considering what took place earlier in the story, I also happen to have uploaded another one for you all to skip ahead to spare your feelings.

Confinement

The darkness in and of itself had possessed so many properties harbored within it: frigidity and misdirection to all; of course, there was also another quality that was already concealed by the changing atmosphere. With so much as a keen eye, one can especially see some of the colors in many caliginous shades and hues to be seen in there at once; out of these colors, few of which would be most commonly found on the planet. As a matter of fact, the very soil itself alone would even serve to provide such colors capable of providing life to those dwelling around its premises thereof so long as the consumers themselves had remained wary.

With its own colors all painting the scenery as if it were being done by a legendary professional draughtsman, the chilling twilight had become rather emphasized at once. The greatly spacious midnight firmament had held up a rather utter lacking of any twinkling light whatsoever alongside the birds and bugs which sounded off here and there. Within the dream drop distance of life itself was but a large sea of the brilliant green, each fiber of them in various combinations already creating bewildering camouflages. The calm gentle breeze traversed all throughout the herbage inside of them as the lush landscape remained loud and proud of its structured foundation amongst one another. For every piece of vegetation that dwelt within usually contained one plant capable of providing nourishment or mortality to any living being regardless of circumstances. Given the immense size of such acreage, it’d have seemed that the probability of finding anyone residing in there was rather nonexistent; then again, life had brewed about.

Of all the fauna that were within the forest, a lone woman was found to be lying against the dark wood to no end in sight whatsoever to say the very least. She had possessed a skin that was one of the fairest within the land and beyond, her very coating reminiscent of a lemon chiffon in a milky lighter shade. The woman’s face had borne a few cuts and bruises with darkened bags underneath her eyelids, dry and devoid of any blood leaking outward nonetheless. She had donned long locks of hot pink tresses that ran right past the nape of her neckline before stopping at the midsection, adorned with a white barrette. The woman was wearing a long teal dress that was picturing a harmony of butterflies of different shapes flying on away from the frilled lime green edge.

“Angel… please come back…” she was muttering about, feeling of hesitation and trepidation currently already dwelling within her voice.

It didn’t take long until the woman awoke to purity, eyelids quickly flying open to find some teal shining brightly like crazy diamonds in the rough capable of moving heaven and earth. At this point, she had started to arise from her current station only to find what had awaited her all up in front at once; suffice to say, the gathering possibilities were far from benign. The woman was on her toes, her bare feet already touching the soil as she had remained wary of the environment thereof that was brimming with dangers within, hidden and otherwise.

As she was done surveying the dark forest therein, she had suddenly heard a voice entering her two ears, “Fluttershy…”

“Huh, who said that; where are you…?” the eponymous observer had replied as she looked on all around from where she was standing, “please don’t hurt me…!”

“It’s okay, just follow mah voice…” a reply was heard, firm and solid compared to the woman’s confusion that she had possessed within herself.

Nevertheless, she had remained apprehensive considering the current situation thereof, finding the choice to move cautiously around. In spite of the near lacking of predators hungering for Fluttershy’s flesh, the option to wait it out was an extremely absurd idea at large. The timid woman was able to smell the fresh clear air all around herself as she had finally started walking onward rather immediately. Only the ever present threat of dying altogether had kept her two legs moving to and fro with the occasional stopping points here on out. Staying out of harm’s way completely was a dominant thought which was permeating already throughout Fluttershy’s fragile mind. Resting adjacently to it was a set direction that the woman had finally made as she had moved onward through the darkened woods. Slowly but surely, she had instantaneously felt the textures underneath her own dainty feet had changed: from the grass to the dirt. Fluttershy was newly aware of that particular fact thereof as she had been running amongst the very forestry nevertheless so to speak. The timid woman who had kept breathing got frantic before dangerously teetering to the end of the surrounding flora that was barren.

Needless to say, she had stumbled out of the forest and into what had seemed to be an open field out in front of her, unharmed but not unscathed. Fluttershy took her time to catch her breath as she was paying attention to the very darkness all around her, a double–edged sword etched in her. While that the timid woman was literally out of the woods, the sheer threat of danger had refused to subside for her in the very least whatsoever. Resting right as her side were a series of more rundown fields becoming choked up by a surplus of overgrowth that were all gnarly and twisted.

Fluttershy soon found the strength to stand upward again and had whimpered aloud, “I’m out of the forest now; please tell me: where are you…?”

“Ah am nearby, Fluttershy…” an answer was heard going into the aforementioned woman’s ears yet again, “now, stay off of the darkened trail…”

“Alright, I’ll try…” she had replied slowly already minding the dirt trail nearby her dirtied feet as she was backing away.

It didn’t take much time for a lump to form within Fluttershy’s throat as she then kept silent to avoid attracting any attention at all in the very least. The growing uncertainty being held up all around the timid woman was enough to keep her very guard up; although she was alone, it wasn’t enough. After all, the otherwise encroaching darkness had already reminded her of what was at stake; any deviation or hesitation whichever form meant death. Lining up right between the borders of the forestry and the open fields altogether, Fluttershy had trudged onward vigilantly in the process to no end. Yet, the timid woman felt her endurance escaping from underneath her legs as the rapidly dirtied soles had started attracting some pebbles and leaves.

Soon, without any warning whatsoever, a rapid percussion of artillery thundered throughout the skies, sending her down onto the ground immediately. Little did Fluttershy had known, she had just tumbled upon a rather large object that was resting right underneath her lightweight form at this moment. Given the very size altogether, it was perhaps safe to say that the subject the timid woman had stumbled upon had reminded her of another person. Unlike her delicate form thereof, the individual’s body was broader and taller, reminding her of the sizeable trees from before that she had rested upon. Already donning carroty hair, the subject in question was wearing some heavy dark clothes that were covering up most of the owner’s skin all at once. One aspect that was standing out and about the most however was a growing puddle of crimson liquids that had formed right beneath its owner’s body.

The fact that Fluttershy had stumbled across what had seemed to be a cadaver made both of the teal eyes contracted with shock, her jaw dropping open almost instantaneously as the lemony skin throughout her very body had grown paler than ever before; just as she was about to scream at what had been considered to be a horrifying sight of the worse, the latter spoke, “Fluttershy…”

“Wha…!” the titular woman gasped as she jumped back from the bleeding body, “somebody help us…!”

“Never mind me; just go… hurry…!” the cadaver had grunted, suddenly struggling on to move around from a facedown position before her eyes.

It didn’t take long for a weapon to be pulled out but it wasn’t pointed at Fluttershy directly as its owner attempted to take aim in the opposite direction. As the cadaver began to focus in onto the first object to be targeted, a storm of bullets shot into mobile body before the trigger could even be pulled. Not long after, the woman watched as the individual before herself ended up bleeding profusely in the whole ensuing mess of things they both were in. Surely, the cadaver had become a much worse sight than before: lacerations bored into the torso, a right arm reduced to a stump, and eyeballs no more.

The sudden death of the being that had lain at her side suddenly made her break down into tears, covering both eyes as she wept on and about, “that man died saving me from being killed and yet I should have been better off put to death instead. He was too great of a man to just lay down his life just to do that, let alone go to the trouble of comforting me… I’ve betrayed Zuul’s kindness and now he’s nowhere to be found; I found Big Macintosh and now he’s dead, just like Swain…! Good lot of sleeping with him did for me; I should have tried harder in convincing Twilight to save me from the dreaded electric chair! Had I never given up my virginity to anyone whatsoever, those awful men would have never considered accusing me of killing all those innocent people. Somehow, I’m beginning to wonder why I was being picked for the whole experiment; was being at that monster of a man’s trial enough for such an unfortunate fate…?”

“No, not at all…!” a beastly growl had penetrated Fluttershy’s ears, causing her to turn around at once, “it’s because you were weak…!”

The minute the woman had done so, a large fist had then made contact with her face that sent the female down onto the ground completely. The sudden impact had quickly left her into a temporary daze, not helped by the recent memory of the newly debased corpse near her side. Teal eyes were awoken to find a crowd of darkly figures now surrounding Fluttershy all at once, bearing clear teeth within the barren faces.

“How could you do this to me?!” the timid woman had spat out in pain as she stared at them instantaneously.

One of the shadowy beings, a rather large one, edged forward towards her and had answered within only seconds, “does it even matter; did their lives matter: Zuul whom you have loved the most or Big Mac whom loved you the most? Nevertheless, they had both paid a great price for your services as you will for ours here; after all, this should be a fair trade.”

Fluttershy backed away from them only to find a large tree currently blocking her path already; this made her scared but she had squeaked, “NO, I rather not… this is my body; nobody has the right to use me when I don’t want to…!”

“Quite the contrary, Flutterslut: you had lost the right to your own body when you sold it for your own freedom…” the larger figure had slowly growled as it was currently lurking onward to the woman with but a lone lecherous leer, “it’s kind of humorous that a whore such as yourself would give up your own virginity for some second chance at living…”

“Don’t you dare: I’ve grown to love Zuul and I loved Big Mac; but, the one I don’t love is you!” she had snapped back in anger.

The lone shadow had snarled in return, “and yet, it isn’t unconditional: you had wavered between cheating on one but you refuse me; interesting…”

“I don’t know you at all…!” Fluttershy had spat out, quickly finding the strength to stand back upward, “you’re just another stranger…!”

“But so was that man yet you were quick to view him like another monster, just like the Prime Minister…” the larger figure had retorted.

The woman started to falter again but maintained her composure and said back to the leading shadow, “exactly… he’s just a big meanie who turned our home into a playground of his own making and that bastard of a father was no different, killing his own wife over some encounter with another man…!”

“Ah yes, Joyce Prudence, a lovely mother and a saint, a fat lot more that can be said about you: even you of all people know that this wouldn’t have happened without harlots such as yourself…” the larger figure snorted about at her as the others moved onward, closing in at the latter, “this is all your fault that they’re dead, including that child of yours who could’ve befriended her…”

“That’s not true; Persimmon Tart deserved to die instead of her and I hope he rots in Tartarus…!” Fluttershy shot back with rising rage.

Soon, the shadow’s grin grew wider and then its owner chuckled darkly, “lies from the likes of you…? It’s no wonder why your boyfriend doesn’t trust you anymore, let alone love you; but we love you, we love you so fucking much…”

“What?!” the woman exclaimed at once, caught off–guard by the retort, “what are you talking about…?”

“We love you: we couldn’t be here without you… let me kiss you…” the large figure had slurped before a dark red tongue slowly curled out from its owner’s smile in full view for the rose haired observer herself.

With little warning whatsoever, Fluttershy was speedily being assaulted with it as the shadow started to lock lips with her own. Caught up in its caustic taste, the large figure had wrapped its arms around the woman tightly, restraining her movement already. She closed her eyes as her attacker’s tongue became more active within her mouth, quickly absorbing the searing hot dolor. The libidinous shadow grew more eager as Fluttershy’s eyelids became forced back open, seeing its face now adorned with blood. The overwhelming agony within the woman’s mouth came close to drowning her until she was thrown off from the figure’s grip.

She coughed up a lot more and spat the concoction onto the ground underneath her as she had groaned, “what are you?!”

“Your best entertainment…” Fluttershy’s attacker answered as a pair of hands was now upon her teal dress, tearing it all aside to reveal an emerald splash consisting of a brassiere and some knickers upon her dainty form, “now then…”

“Don’t you dare…!” the woman shrieked only to have her mouth covered up with a wayward hand as her very panties were quickly removed.

Assuming the worst, she struggled to stand on her feet once more with feeling, only to find the weight of the large figure crashing down upon her. Fluttershy’s eyes constricted when she had felt something enter her body, bearing a rough and spiky texture pressing onward without any warning. The shadow extended its reach with long arduous strokes all the way in and out within little time as their skin galled off one another in pulp fiction. The timid woman started struggling about all at once but her attacker’s arms still held on without any a concern for her own well–being whatsoever. Although that her eyes were focused in onto the bark of the tree, the picture of the large figure was burned in her mind with every interval thereof.

With Fluttershy now shedding some tears profusely, the shadow reached towards her ears and gave off a careless whisper, “you feel despair with pain, powerless so to speak; do you wonder why this is happening, right…?”

“No; not at all…” the timid woman had just thought to herself silently as she was being rapidly inflamed with rising agony within the body by her avid attacker already pressing inward, “what is going on here…?”

“Yeah, take it, you whore… TAKE IT…!” a loud voice jeered from behind but it wasn’t spoken by the large figure but rather something else.

It wasn’t long until she had heard some laughter coming from all around herself, its true point of origin left undetermined to concentrate on clearly thanks to the ongoing invasion of her body; nevertheless, she was surrounded by people who used to say that rhyme about sticks and stones as if broken bones would hurt more than the names that would be called to make her feel lonely. At this point onward, Fluttershy had felt something warm and loose that made its way inside of her frail and delicate body all at once; afterwards, she was released from the shadow’s tight grip to the cheers and jeers of spectators which had seemed to be nowhere in sight for herself to lay eyes upon as she had coughed up more redness huskily with some green all around the visage. Despite the exhaustion setting in, the timid woman was turned over to find a surrounding sea of onlookers pointing and laughing about without a care of the whole wide world whatsoever or her state of physical wellness as she was being dragged away from the base of the tree, barely caring about their sudden appearance for they were just the same as her own attacker from much earlier.

As she had laid coughing up her own blood violently, her legs were then being raised by a pair of paws belonging to the large figure who had chirped, “does it even feel good now, Sluttershy: just being able to open your legs to let some random man stick his peck into your dirty pussy…? You were so quick to go on and throw yourself at their feet for but a quick lay to escape your own crippling dependence on your worthless animal friends. I’m starting to wonder if you had ever even considered the idea of letting any of them wreak havoc upon your buxom body instead of your worthless excuses of boyfriends.”

“I would never do that to them…!” Fluttershy exclaimed as she had vomited up some more in the mix, “I highly doubt it would be very pleasurable for any of us, especially considering the sheer fact many of the species are biologically incompatible and that some are dangerous, even with one as friendly as Harry, may he rest in peace…!”

“I’m afraid you don’t seem to understand here, our little love dumpster: I am Harry…!” the large shadow wheezed deeply at the bleeding woman.

Her teal eyes had quickly widened in shock as she just gone through hacking out instantly, “that’s not true… THAT’S IMPOSSIBLE…!”

“Search your lustful feeling; you know it to be true and the fact remains: you have abandoned us and now you must suffer…!” the attacking Harry had replied out loud, smacking the target’s abs, “now then, prepare your body, Sluttershy…!”

“NO…!” Fluttershy screamed in return as the large figure pounced back onto her once again, this time with the assistance of another similar being.

It wasn’t long until the injured woman was being invaded once more, this time with two shadows restraining both of her limbs to prevent her escape. All throughout every step of the way, she was still seeing darkness all around her as her attackers quickly worked their way within her bloodied body. Fluttershy heard her hecklers cheer on the spectacle that she was a part of, with the unsafe speed rivaling the likes of those dashing through the tape. The bleeding woman was starting to suffocate under the very force of this tortuous ordeal as her vision became blurry and dimmer in the process. She’d eventually felt the two figures both expel themselves into her body at the same time before a quick release back out into the tightened folds.

The large crowd all around Fluttershy hooted and hollered on about as they had cheered on her plight uproariously, “SLUTTERSHY, SLUTTERSHY, SLUTTERSHY’S GONNA CRY…!”

“Now, then… time for the grand finale of your sorry lifetime…!” Harry had snarled out loud as the bleeding woman was then turned over yet again, this time with the full frontal shadow now resting beneath herself with the remaining brassiere finally stripped off of her very body, “Angel Bunny, come forth and take her mouth already…!”

“With pleasure, Harry…!” a dark cackle was now heard going into her weary ears, causing her to cough out some more redness all at once.

Almost immediately, Fluttershy was then greeted by the new sight of yet another being: like the previous attackers, it too was cloaked in a deathly dynamic shroud with white eyes and a wide grin; however, it was smaller and bearing the shape of a lagomorph but with a large protuberance that had made her squeak out, “Angel?!”

“That’s right, Flutterslut; it had taken me, your precious pet, several long months of preparations and instrumentations but we have finally done it: we have finally made our way back to wreak our revenge upon you and not even that dolt of a Prime Minister could try to fucking kill you…!” the eponymous figure had laughed before entering the woman’s bleeding lips with little warning.

She never had a chance to even reply their tirade as she was quickly being entered once more with feelings of pain reaching higher than ever before. With the next phase of the ordeal now becoming rough and ragged for Fluttershy, more tears had crawled out of the corners among the owner’s eyeballs. As they had mixed with the blood and saliva, the shadows showed no absolute signs of holding back in any whatsoever with the injured woman at once. She was now ready to accept the thought of dying, no thanks to the damage that she was taking alongside with the very exploits of her three attackers. Fluttershy could barely concentrate as a result of the painful endeavor that they were subjecting her to, suffocating right under Angel’s toxic efforts. Sure enough, the damaged woman was released from their collective grip as she had hacked up more blood and some other stuff that was inside of her.

Naked and afraid, she had soon found herself all alone once again, crying profusely in a puddle of her own making as she rested nearby the tree trunk while wheezing about, “so this is it: the whole world will remember me a tramp and a liar of the worse kind instead of my kindness… Twilight, wherever you are, please don’t you ever find me like this; I don’t want you to suffer like I had done. I don’t want Jasper or his mother Applejack to learn about my dreaded fate; the same should also go for my dear Zuul. Even though that I had betrayed him by sleeping with Big Mac, I still want to apologize for it anyway; but, he mustn’t know about her child no matter what. Rainbow, I’m sorry for not being stronger like you had wanted me to be; if only had I taken your advice sooner, then maybe perhaps I would have been able to live a happier life. Mother… father… if any of you are there… don’t feel bad for me… if it weren’t for the move… then I wouldn’t have… made so many friends… Twilight… Rainbow… Pinkie… Rarity… Applejack… Greystoke… Lighthouse… Krill… Swain… Zuul… Goodbye everyone… make sure that you… take care of yourselves… don’t let me down… I don’t wanna be… another girl… without fulfillment… of basic goals…”

Fluttershy then took in another long breath and subsided onto the blood with her line of eyesight fizzling out all at once, the lemony skin upon the owner’s body being greatly discolored in the process as she was finally left alone to her own devices; soon, the pained teal eyes became dulled and listless, now finally devoid of any struggle therein herself already.

Gemstone

Author's Note

Hello, it's Fireflower as always ready to give you another chapter on the way: of course, this chapter contains references to certain subject matters and thusly the reason why this story has been rated M for Mature; the only thing I can say is that I hope you are not under eighteen, easily offended, and/or quickly nauseated.

Aside from disclaimers long ago, I'd like to take this time to say thank you for never pulling out too early since we're now in the halfway region of the story's progress; somehow, the new year will provide us with a new hope to have and hold with tender loving care rather than yet a totally lost cause and the strength to continue onward in staying tuned for the future that is the now: I believe at this rate, everything will make sense soon enough.

One last thing before I sign off, I hope you can be surprised about this chapter now even more than the others before it because another special guest is going to be joining our fateful protagonist in this chapter below; but, it will not be the end until otherwise so please stay tuned and enjoy, okay?

Gemstone

Darkness was the only way of how the small world works, let alone the real world to say the very least; as a matter of fact, the small world is indeed the real world and vice versa too nevertheless. The jet black void was all that could be seen but not heard, felt, tasted, or smelled and yet it can be also sensed as well anyways, devoid of even a modicum of light bearing any hue whatsoever. For a moment in time, it had seemed that all was completely lost, its mere fate already sealed and set in stone to say the least before the very beginning; nothing else was going to change all that.

“Sweetie Belle…!” a loud gasp was emitted right from there, creating an anomaly that had given such a darkness some semblance of life whatsoever: a suddenly new voice being nothing more than ragged panting and wheezing from between intervals; before long, the haphazard breathing had soon quieted itself down into stabilization almost immediately within due time.

In its very place was the shuffling about in a somewhat reckless abandon, each and every move making contact with the small dimensional boundaries surrounding the whole time no less. Next were the sounds of kicking about being muffed and muted upon contact all within, perhaps every decibel from the very noise pollution just greatly reduced almost rather completely. Then, there had appeared to be fabric finding itself; without warning, footfalls had begun tapping onto the floor, its surface being a whole different story compared to all the walls closing in. All that had remained was a faint snuffle from the occupant, a small snort or two notwithstanding as the oxygen all around had instantaneously gotten sucked into its very nostrils only gently. Suddenly, a loud plop made itself known, resounding against the hard floor surface as the silent voice metamorphosed into a wail, ghastly as it were but rather interrupted by choking fluids.

A small diagonal path had made its way through, another joining it to keep the lachrymose tenant company: small beams of light peering from the windowsill, a gateway that was high like a kite. Speaking of which, the firmament’s color had also contributed to the very light in and of itself, creating a diminutive glimpse of the external surroundings that were just beyond the four walls. The sun resided in there as well too, being the source of illumination that had just broken away from the circumnavigating clouds that were dispensing some rain with a few rumbles of thunder. The scarcity of brightness gave it some bit worthy of color: a patch of light blue standing up to contrast against the dingy gray for the sake of providing observers below a bastion of visibility. Touching the floor, it had revealed its surface to be that of a patch of white tainted by the vocal majority of darkness, its circle bearing a square tile as it glistened and gleamed out of all others. If one were to look inside of the segmented photons rather closely, then it would become perhaps possible to see magnificent mysteries ready to be solved at once by anyone from all walks of life.

Soon, a shadow appeared from within the jet black void, obscuring the very sunlight in an instant without even a care in the whole wide world: it had the shape of a foot and its skin possessed the color and texture of porcelain; slowly, its owner quickly trudged towards the light in a moment. A small set of mulberry locks had made its way from the very darkness as these tresses reflected the very rays of light that were peering from the clouds that had obscured the skyward treasure from about as they had reached to the nape of the neckline with only a few strands touching it. Turning around to face them all at once had revealed but a pair of sapphire orbs circling about the pupils, thin brows instantaneously furrowed into slanted inclines as they were forming that of an edgy and downward concave of frustration and melancholy all coexisting in a fragile balance. The observer’s face was feminine, possessing a clear complexion that was burning very brightly even against the moisten cheeks, a uniform commonality found all throughout the rest of the integumentary system as beads of liquid trailed from the long but delicate eyelashes above them. Draped over most of the body was a white ensemble of clothing upon her: on one layer was only a thick gown which was so long it had managed to cover up both arms and reach over past the kneecaps completely; the other outermost layer was a straitjacket holding both arms behind her.

The woman squirmed about towards the sunlight, surrounding it all as she looked over with a weary gaze in her dark blue eyes. She had sniffled silently again as they became easily flooded with little warning whatsoever before shutting them both away. The woman coughed and choked between intervals before the tears fell onto the floor, staying solely within place suffice to say. Aside from the beams being her natural guide, the warmth also kept the tenant company even though she was seeing darkness.

Just as the woman had felt alone in the whole wide world with her strained breathing, a new sound permeated throughout the dulled atmosphere: the erratic ringing of metal rapidly clanging against another resounded within both eardrums; suddenly, the echo had quickly subsided. As if on cue, she had turned her eyes to the partition away from her head as the lights came on instantaneously, revealing the dark secret dimensions of her confines where she looked on ahead at the doorway out of expectation for some other individual to appear before herself at once. Both of the woman’s ears currently had stood on endwise as a series of footfalls were echoing about, its sound being of softened fabric treading lightly against the hard flooring coming from outside the checkered room that she was already inside of now, preparing for the lone visitor. Needless to say, she had remained slouched upon the very flooring underneath herself at once, the light from the egress becoming instantaneously obscured as the outsider’s footsteps were now being replaced by the likes of thin metal scraping about in a refrained legato of jingles.

Sure enough, the crack in the door had started to grow wide a bit within a second as both of the woman’s ears wriggled about, greeted by a curt voice already entering them almost instantly, “morning, your highness…”

“Huh…?” she had groaned, regaining the strength to back away from the very door all at once, “what’s going on…?”

“Today’s your monthly; I suggest you behave yourself…” the visitor had snapped a bit gently, stepping in to face the woman within only seconds.

At this moment in time, she was now in the presence of another figure, the latter possessing a shadow that had overtaken the former’s body. The woman was able to find that she and the visitor had shared one thing in common: their faces possessed the same gender upon them thereof. Nevertheless, the two individuals whom were present had many considerable differences that had already separated each other instantaneously.

The figure in question whom had arrived to see her had stood tall and rarefied, the source of the shadow’s dimensions in which the latter was made aware of. Unlike the woman’s hair which was clean and pristine, the visitor happened to possess so many greasy locks of blue in different shades constricted by a caul. Eyes belonging to the lanky individual happened were a toxic green; both of them had steadily focused upon the prostrate occupant with some mild contempt. The observant visitor had a slightly tanned complexion, one that was rather as clear as the golden sun was shining directly above in the big blue sky above them. Compared to the woman’s attire, the lanky individual wore a pale yellow ensemble consisting of a jacket, skirt, and slippers that covered up most of the owner.

Seeing the lone visitor in question appearing had made her spit out within a mere second, “Coldheart?!”

“That’s Nurse Snowheart to you, wretch…!” the lanky individual had snapped right back at the woman already instantaneously, “let’s go: Doctor Sevenfold isn’t going to be waiting any longer Miss Rarity…!”

“What’s the point anyway; what good will it ever do for the likes of me…?” the eponymous occupant had choked out rather immediately.

The nurse had stepped forward and picked her up by the collar with only a lowly growl, “the whole purpose of this entire exercise is to keep you from trying to end your life; for a while now, you’ve been nothing but a head case for the half of the staff here at the hospital…! Sweetheart was fortunate enough to coax you into taking a bath yesterday but today you’re going to be dealing with me on the way over to and from Doctor Sevenfold’s office for the time being. Under normal circumstances, people who try to kill their own siblings are no better than those who have succeeded in doing so, let alone those who allow it to happen, especially in my eyes! Now having said that, you should be counting your blessing that you were sent here instead of prison up in the capital for the rest of your life for what you did to your own sister. As far as I am concerned, you’re basically worse than Applejack for all I could know; the poor woman gave up one of her rapists’ child to someone else because of what they had done to her. Meanwhile, your response to finding your sister left in a burning home to die after being defiled forever and watching your parents being murdered was to simply wring her neck out to dry…! In any case, it’s time to go on and meet him soon enough; we haven’t got all day for whatever mess is going to go down out there: besides, feeding you has been quite a pain lately since then.”

“Fine then, nurse…!” Rarity sighed as she had gotten onto her own two feet already, “sometimes I wish I could sleep a lot more longer than that…”

“You’ll get your chance soon enough but now, I suggest you stay out of trouble…” the lanky individual had retorted while guiding the restrained woman out from the simple and sterile spot from the stounds.

It wasn’t long until she watched Snowheart close the door right behind her; afterwards, they had started walking away from there as they were guided by a series of lights directly above them. The sights and sounds of footfalls going between the twosome created a pattern in which would be observed every time a door frame was passed by, occasionally interspersed with the droning. Rarity had been steadily staring at her own two feet moving about upon the white tiles beneath as they traveled onward throughout the hallway with the nurse keeping a sharp eye all upon herself.

Within only minutes, the otherwise strenuous pattern had now met its end, overtaken by a vast new area that they had just walked in. Filling the widened space were but many sets of round tables strewn across from their position, each of which were occupied at once. Above the very occupants were a few wooden fans that were all spinning about from underneath the ceiling in the same speed thereof. The four walls had but a set of some windows providing both light and scenery from the outside world beyond the premises all at once. There was also another hallway within the vicinity where people were coming in from, more numerous than that of the two thereof. Even the very flooring now had gained some bits of color that were sprinkled across the uniformity of whiteness all throughout.

The woman had looked around and asked the lanky individual briefly, “come to think of it, where’s Doctor Sevenfold’s office…?”

“It’s just around the corner; as a matter of fact, he’s not too far away…” Snowheart answered snidely as she was greeted by the sight of another; unlike the one that the latter had been pulled out of, it was rather different so to speak: it was mostly wooden save for some acrylic glass, “here we are; enjoy…!”

It wasn’t long until Rarity was lightly shoved into there after the nurse had opened it up within due time, free from the latter’s influence but still restrained by the clothing anyway nevertheless. The woman was now surrounded with wider walls of wintergreen wearing out the willows within them alongside some flowers and posters adorned upon them with a few words painted upon. Another window was found on the left side, bearing the scenery of the landscape beyond their confines as they bore the golden sun shining right upon the brilliant green underneath the sky. Lying right nearby the woman’s legs were some furniture in a dark blue scheme: one of them was a long couch that was touching a bookshelf; the other was a chair aligned towards a desk. Yonder over her head was a source light that was in a series of coils burning brightly all at once, providing the room she was in some extra guidance and warmth all throughout its dimensions.

Standing up in front Rarity was a light skinned man sitting down upon a chair within the chestnut desk, bearing a rather different form than the lanky individual. Unlike the visiting woman’s sizeable yet colorful tresses, he was currently wearing some thin locks of jet black narrowly crawling out from the owner’s scalp. The lone man was bearing eyes of two separate but equally significant colors: on one side, the left on was a light lime; on the other, the right was a dark lemon. He was wearing a large white overcoat that had allowed his very arms the freedom to go and move around wherever he’d seemed fit at any given time.

“Ah, Miss Rarity, good morning; I was looking forward to your arrival…” the man said he had looked upon towards her from the top of the desk.

The titular tenant had rolled her true blue eyes around counterclockwise and replied slowly, “said the nurse with caustic condemnation…”

“We’re aware that it’s not your first time here…” he had said, laying down his utensil gently, “have you seen Nurse Sweetheart today…?”

“Not at all; I heard that today’s her day off: it’s not unusual for a woman like her to seek solace once a week from here…” the woman answered.

The man reached down beneath the desk only to return with a small aluminum can in his hand, “anyways, have a seat… I understand that you’re still looking for ways to end you life: it’s what some people wish to do but they pay the price themselves; so then, you want to talk about it…?”

“What is there to talk about…?” she had scoffed, looking towards the books on the right without a care in the world, “for all we know, if it wasn’t for those damned dastards, then I would like to have what they had taken kept intact and everything else would be fucking peachy–keen…! Of course, people like me can’t afford to have nice things this day and age, let alone even keep them no matter how hard one works their heart and soul into clothes for girls and boys of all ages and backgrounds. Growing up, I had used to dream about making it into the capital of this great nation because it was, at the time, the ultimate statement of legitimacy for an aspiring prodigy that meant absolute achievement. In the past decade I had spent making dresses to no end in sight, I had ran the risk of endangering my relationships with the people I had grown up with in this town time and time again, including my own family so to speak. Even though that many of them didn’t mind it, we were able to live in peace nonetheless, at least until that day these brutes, these curs, these demons sent our home off to Tartarus in a handbasket without so much as a balm! Not only have they succeeded in blatantly degrading and depreciating those whom have been borne and/or nurtured only to die in this town, they have torn asunder those whose lives are forever effected by the war itself! I am aware of other people who had lost their homes, their gardens, their savings, and livelihoods in there alongside the ones who had so much more than that with a price which can never be truly replaced or repaid with mere material goods and/or services! My friend Applejack ended up watching her grandmother be killed by that sorry excuse of a living being which had dared to wear a soldier’s uniform before being left for dead in her family’s farm with memories of my sister’s friend kidnapped to make money at her expense! Even worse, aside from being debased like that newly diseased rancher, Sweetie Belle had been left to die in a burning boutique that I and my pet Opal, may she rest in peace, called home after watching both of our own parents being murdered and being stripped of her innocence completely forevermore!”

“You’re looking for a way out, weren’t you Rarity…?” he said as the aforementioned visitor sat down upfront.

The woman still had looked away from the man and retorted, “if I had wanted out sooner, then I could have just found the next battle and let some soldier, if they had ever deserved to be called one, put me out of my misery; of course, that would mean leaving Sweetie Belle all alone in the cold cruel world that had already ate our parents…!”

“Tell me: where are you from; where did you spend your childhood, before the war, mind you…?” he had asked her immediately, “you had mentioned that you grew up in the countryside but where were you born exactly…?”

“Baltimare, Herr Doctor, otherwise known as the ABC of charms down equity…” Rarity sighed with a faint grin before reverting back.

The doctor frowned at the woman in front of him and had stated sternly at once, “let me lay this out for you here: I have a lot of cases to go until lunch time, some of which that last for at least an hour at most on average so I don’t have time to waste here. Now, you can sit here and remain silent if you want to but our sessions are going to begin until you begin talking to me; besides, I have a whole lot of work to catch up on in the meantime ‘til nightfall. Putting it lightly, it doesn’t matter to me if anyone is willing to talk or not: after all, I can listen to whatever is on their mind and/or in their hearts; however, I would like to see some positive progress for the time being, even from someone like you.”

“I should say the same thing but it’s actually not…” she had responded in turn with a quick huff, “what about prison…?”

“What about it…?” the man had asked briefly.

Rarity had replied, “just send me to prison…”

“This is prison right there; lock yourself up…” he had spoken up calmly while pushing the very beverage forward, “want something to drink…?”

“It’s just a waste of time for me to even drink, even if it’s only a carbonated one…” the woman had answered only bitterly while looking away.

The doctor had sighed and then retorted gently, “nothing’s a waste of time; maybe you can start by asking me a question. I don’t know… get things going; I can do that: you said that you had come from Baltimare, am I right…?”

“I did but I wasn’t born there, not in my mother’s hometown…” she had sighed with but a brief nod, “both of my parents were staying in that city on their honeymoon; they always happen to be seeing the world from beyond the homeland and within on a constant basis and the city happened to be the first place they had stayed a lot longer than a month, let alone a year or two. I kind of recalled the day that my baby sister had come into this world when we were on vacation there in Applewood; unlike Applejack’s family, ours was small as far as I had known: no grandparents, brothers, cousins, aunts, or uncles whatsoever. As to how I had ended up in south of the capital for little over a decade, they had been nice enough to move there and settle for once; that’s when I had found what I had thought to be my own destiny: a large geode filled to the brim with more gemstones than I could have ever understood what to do with. I could have fallen down when the erosion underneath me had given way and made the place of discovery my own early grave; back then, it was even safer for some people at my age to go to the big city all on their lonesome like in one of these Van Waifs books made by that lovely Gearwax C. Warren, the early ones, mind you.”

“Go on; what had caused you to go there by yourself on that day…?” the man had asked as he was intrigued enough to start writing again.

Moving forward to the drink, Rarity had said to him with a faint smile all at once, “I had a metal detector given to me on my tenth birthday by my dearest father; he was inspired by that stage show we had went to back in Applewood by that performer, Gilded Gourd. According to him, it was once claimed that sometimes when the conditions are just right, it could lead you to greater discoveries; at the time, my greatest discovery what that of fashion. Of course, this was when I had remembered there was a school play the following night when I was made in charge of the costumes; my schoolteacher had complimented them on looking nice but I had still felt that they were incomplete so I had tried out this device as one of my last resorts. Funny how something so gaudy like this could lead me to become more determined to not give up on my dreams so easily and yet it was used to turn our lives into a fucking nightmare; the last time I had seen it was after when the Carousel Boutique had burned down. The memory of my father’s wonderful gift had been snapped in two and thrown into an oven, presumably at a higher temperature than necessary to create a small fire that had destroyed everything in so much time whatsoever. The only thing that was saved, or rather salvaged, was my only sister, laying there bleeding and crying like there was no tomorrow with the memories of our parents murdered before her eyes; with the war impending ready to come down and rain fury upon the both of us, I had decided upon murder–suicide by drowning. Saddened and angered by the grave injustices done to my kin coupled with the lack of a prospective future for the lot of us, putting her out of my misery seemed like the only good deed I could think of rather letting her become dishonored any further before she had finally died. Death, it comes for everyone, it’s unavoidable, it’s unstoppable, for we cannot stop it: no matter what we do to try to cease or slow it down, it will always come for us, like it did with so many others like our parents. Of course, somehow I had felt that the same force thereof had become picky all of the sudden when I’d thrown us both into the river, fully expecting to die, and, in my case rotting in darkest pit of Tartarus while Sweetie Belle reunites with them in Elyse; instead of either one, we had ended up surviving downstream, far away from our hometown.”

“How did that make you feel when you had ended up living…?” the lone doctor had asked as he already provided an achromatic straw for the woman upfront of him, “what were your sister’s thoughts as well…?”

“What were we supposed to think: we lost our home, our parents, our hopes and dreams in that damned fire but not our lives whereas everyone else for all I had known was probably dead, including Fluttershy of all people; are you saying that we shouldn’t even think of being happy?!” she had shrieked out loud before hyperventilating.

It was at this point where the man had noticed some redness growing upon Rarity’s visage and eyes and cautioned her very clearly, “calm down… you’re going hurt yourself with the way you’re in currently…”

“Calm down…?” the woman burst into laughter, “how can I calm down when I had already been hurt by what these poltroons have done to the likes of me…? How can I calm down when I had been cursed with the memories of trying to subject my own sister to a sanctimonious honor killing?! How can I calm down knowing that two of my friends had suffered the same fact as the likes of Sweetie Belle before being left to die?! HOW CAN I EVEN FUCKING CALM DOWN SINCE I’D KNOWN THAT GOOD PEOPLE LIKE FLUTTERSHY AND TWILIGHT HAD SUFFERED AT THE HANDS OF COCKSUCKERS LIKE GELATIN AND WHATNOT?! TO EVEN SAY THAT ACHIEVING THIS PEACE WAS THE BEST THING THAT HAD HAPPENED THE DOG’S BOLLOCKS WOULD BE AN INSULT TO ALL BREEDS OF CANINES, INCLUDING APPLEJACK’S PET, MAY SHE REST IN PEACE! AS A MATTER OF FACT, EVEN OPALESCENCE DESERVED BETTER THAN BEING LOCKED IN A BURNING OVEN WITH THAT DESTROYED DEVICE I HAD ONCE CALLED A BIRTHDAY PRESENT FROM DAD; IF ANYONE DESERVED TO BE DEFILED AND DEBASED, THEN IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN FUCKING ME INSTEAD, NOT MY SISTER!”

“Security…!” he had cried as he ended up pushing a nearby button on his right of way instantly all at once, discharging a harsh and loud klaxon.

At the same time, she had tipped herself over away from the brown desk, smashing the very chair right underneath in the process while cackling about, “BASTARDS, GREAT FIERY TARTARUS TO THEM; I OUGHT MEET THEM WITH CHAIN, KNIFE OR RAZOR ANYTIME SOON! I’M NOT HAVING ANYONE AIMING HITS AT HER REASONLESS; I HOPE THESE FUCKING DEMONS CHOKE ON IT ALL!”

“Doctor Sevenfold, what’s wrong?!” a pair of guards in whitish gray clothes asked, only to be greeted with an answer before them, “her again…?”

“I’LL AVENGE YOU SWEETIE, YOU TOO OPAL, AND I WON’T FORGET EITHER OF YOU MOM AND DAD; NEVER AGAIN…!” Rarity had roared resoundingly with hot tears within her otherwise desiccated eyes as one of them, another dark skinned man pulled out a needle with some yellow liquid within.

The other counterpart, another woman with a tanned complexion reminiscent of Snowheart’s skin albeit with freckles, had warned him immediately, “keep your distance; at this rate, she’s gonna end up having a seizure if it doesn’t stop…”

“Get Doctor Monitor and a gurney on the double…” the male guard said as grabbed onto the frantic patient’s left arm firmly “now, now…”

“GET READY TO BE FUCKED BY THE ARCHDEMON, YOU CURS; TARTARUS AWAITS YOU AND TELL THE REST I’LL BE COMING NEXT…!” Rarity had cackled about as the needle went right directly in her vein.

It wasn’t long until Sevenfold had asked, “is this her fifth outburst already, Vigilance?”

“Worse: seventh; at this rate, we might need to do another brain scan…” the eponymous guard answered at once, watching as the patient started slacking around about, “I’m betting that the next seizure she has will probably kill her unless we do something about it; no more of the lithium flowers for the time being…”

“So be it…” the doctor wheezed as he had watched Rarity be dragged out from the office by the other man, the percussion of horns still ringing about with reckless abandon; outside, sounds of other people chattering about faintly yet clearly were overlapping each other in a disorganized chorus all dazed and confused with some delay.

Powder

Author's Note

Ah, you've made to chapter eight of Fireflower's fanfic that goes beyond the typical oneshots made from before, a Mature one no less on the grounds this chapter will deal with a similar heavy subject matter 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 like before, y'all are given yet another option to skip ahead to the next one: whether or not you'll takn this offer, it's only up to you to do so nothing more.

Aside from disclaimers long ago, I want to take the time to say thank you for never pulling out too early since we're now in the halfway region of the story's progress; somehow, the new year has provided us with a new hope to have and hold with tender loving care rather than yet a totally lost cause and the strength to continue onward in staying tuned for the future that is the now: I believe at this rate, everything will make sense soon enough.

One last thing before I sign off, I hope you can be surprised about this chapter now even more than the others before it; then again, considering what I had written earlier, you knew that this was bound to happen sooner for the most part.

Powder

An absolute absence of light had currently dominated the rather colorless environment thereof as the otherwise blackened void already served as a never–ending source of both scarcity and obscurity altogether therein. Whatever terrain that was within the darkness wasn’t solid like the earthly plane; of course, air itself wasn’t the only thing that existed either, even when they came in the form of gentle breezes that whispered taboo noises. Nevertheless, it was far from a desolate wasteland that had just defined the very area; then again, it wouldn’t mean that such a lonely place in question thereof is even sustainable for something so simple as growth so to speak.

Basically, all that had resided within the very void was at least one living being, a bright skinned female already lying supine upon itself as the cold wind blowing across her flesh. Locks of coiled hair were found on her head in in a wet and messy state of disharmony, already running past the nape of the neck as they were in a solid state society of mulberry. The inhabitant in question had donned a simplistic attire consisting of an all–white ensemble of a long flowing gemstone encrusted frock, a feathered fedora, and platform boots.

Calmly residing still, the lone woman had remained where she was, even as the wind and waves moved her to and fro; then, with little warning whatsoever, both of her eyelids flew opened to reveal a pair of sapphire orbs deep within. The otherwise golden silence that had already surrounded the lone inhabitant therein were just instantaneously replaced with the startled yet wordless gasps from the owner’s very mouth, interspersed with a brief chorus of splashing. Undoubtedly, she couldn’t help but struggle about in an attempt to at least stay upward, even though that there had been nothing in sight to go and guide her on a certain path that could take her away from the ambiguous environment.

“Dah… where am I; did I die: is this even Tartarus but where are all the others…?” the lone woman had coughed out as she was looking all around throughout the vast and infinite space she had found herself in at this very moment in time.

Effortlessly, the inhabitant couldn’t help but move about within the very surface, barely able to pick a course to set upon before starting to take heed of what was said to her as a result of such desperation. Confined to her attire that had pulled her down by its own wet weight of the otherwise unknown compound, she had still swam onward within it nevertheless, her strife barely beginning while moving on. Holding onto something resembling of a coherent thought, the lone woman had called out into the darkened abyss beyond for dire need of such assistance, only to find that no lifeform would answer back. Opposing the unknown all throughout the way, she had nonetheless resumed her very endeavor anyway, remembering the very environment its inhabitant was in not too long ago with utmost uncertainty.

Frantically moving forearms in a series of strokes, the lone woman had swum onward to hear the crying in the air: it was initially faint for the most part yet it wasn’t as far away like she had thought. As a matter of fact, despite the splashing that the swimmer had made in the process, she couldn’t help but listen closely as the leitmotif soon morphed into frantic screaming, increasing in pitch slowly. The sound in particular that she was now paying attention to had gained more volume as well, almost to the point in where it had seemed to be gaining up on her despite the desperate struggle thereof. Even though that the lone woman was all alone, the newfound cacophony of crying assaulting both of her ears proved to be extremely exacerbating to be found within the vast jet black void she was in. Definitive drones were even more piercing than the enormous ripples of the unknown fluid that the very swimmer had just recently made as she desperately wished to answer the melancholy all at once.

Gallantly, she had kept on going and refused to let the wailing get the best of her; however, they weren’t the only thing that were being heard: cutting into the sinister aria of sorrow was another voice calling out from the darkness, “RARITY…!”

“Huh, Sweetie Belle… could she be the source of all that crying; could it even be possible that she’s in there being tortured already?!” the aforementioned woman had gasped as she was now listening onward intently to the other voice thereof, “HOLD ON, SWEETIE BELLE; YOUR BIG SISTER IS COMING TO SAVE YOU…!”

“Is that so…?” a new voice entered the swimmer’s ears that had made her shiver about within an instant.

Just as she was now standing about searching for the source of it, she had then found her answer; after all, both blue eyes couldn’t even believe what its owner had come in contact with: another individual almost immediately. Much like Rarity, the new inhabitant in question had possessed such commonalities between themselves: a bright complexion upon their skin, a white ensemble of clothing upon their bodies, and some very strong emotions. Of course, they alone also had some significant differences amongst one another here and there, something that the stagnant swimmer was able to take notice upon this recent discovery that was instantaneously made already.

Kilometers of swimming had been cut short when she had started quickly studying the style of the sudden individual’s appearance therein. For starters, the other inhabitant in front of Rarity’s point of view was a clean–shaven man, a stark contrast from her very gender already. Secondly, there was also a small but noticeable difference in height between the two: compared to the woman, he outmatched her by inches. Third of all, the man was dressed in a white bodysuit with black accents upon the waist, cuffs, and leggings in a striped pattern altogether. She was even made aware of the fact that he also wore more colors into his fashion: a tea green shirt, midnight gloves, and dark sepia shoes. Compared to the long youthful mulberry locks that Rarity already had worn on her head, the man had some thinly aged white even on his face. The woman’s sapphire orbs were burning bright with contempt as she was currently staring into his nearly stoic hazel irises almost instantly.

Laborious breathing had escaped from her the minute she had then stopped in place, filled to the brim with exhaustion and devoid of love or joy as she was now startled by the man’s presence, growling, “what the fuck are you doing here…?”

“My, my… so many years had passed and yet you find it appropriate to greet me with such language…” he had chuckled darkly as Rarity contorted her face into a firm grimace at this very moment in time thereof, “what happened to the graceful self–made lady such as yourself, Miss Rarity, the one that had wanted to move up in the world of fashion to gain fame and fortune…?”

“No longer in action thanks to monsters like you; you’ve taken so much from me: my home, my livelihood, mother, father, Opal, not to mention what you had done to Sweetie Belle, and yet you dared to find it appropriate to lecture me on gracefulness?!” the woman snarled as she steamed and fumed about lightly.

Only seconds had passed before the man in white quickly replied, “relax, I did not come here to torture you but to praise you…”

“Praise me; and what in the Tart would you find worthy of praising me for?!” she had snapped back within even a smaller amount of time than before, “you’re just looking for more ways to fuck me over…!”

“Quaint… do I look the kind of guy to play dirty with the likes of you…?” he had just snidely remarked all at once.

Rarity’s face started to burn a much deeper shade of red as she barked out, “what else is there to say to you, foul ruffian?! You come in here to steal, kill, and destroy like a common thief, especially before the war breaks out and spills into our home…! The sheer thought of simply just killing a beast like yourself would be far too merciful for the likes of them, irregardless of whether or not they be foreigners!”

“Still, you haven’t even heard of me whatsoever until you heard the story your sister had told; perhaps, had you been faster, you might have gotten your chance…” the man sighed as he had knelt down towards the woman nearby, “but no, you had to go and save her from a fiery demise in exchange for sending her to a watery grave; even for a gentleman like me, that’s just cold…”

“That’s just a fat lot you’re even allowed to say considering what you had already done here, Courteous Bleach…!” she had squawked.

Under no more than a minute, the titular individual had bent down to Rarity’s face and laughed, “do you feel the hate swelling within you born from your grudge: it’s nothing more than a reflection of yourself, don’t you see? Let me ask you something: suppose that you had been able to find me and take your revenge on behalf of her, would you have still decided to put her out of her misery as well as yours; as a matter of fact, would you still have done if it weren’t for the impending war?”

“Vengeance may not be something my family would have condoned no matter what, especially considering how Sweetie Belle would react; however, you have no right to lecture me on vice and virtue, especially knowing your vile misdeeds…!” the woman had angrily answered almost instantaneously, spitting into the man’s face within a femtosecond, “no child deserves this…!”

“What a bold face lie; it’s no wonder why she doesn’t trusts you anymore, her only sister no less: your words and attitude were but a caricature of the high–class socialites up in the capital…” he had said to her rather immediately.

Xenoreactivity was now interspersed with a brief moment of utter shock as Rarity had choked out, “what?!”

“You should recall the day when that girl was left her alone in the workroom while you ran out to find some more gems for your frivolous dresses: you didn’t even bother to take her along with you to the nearby quarry; isn’t she supposed to be your responsibility as well as theirs…?” Bleach retorted with a frown upon his face, “of course, she wasn’t the only neglected one. Ever since the commotion got out about the general’s assassination, the innocent maiden woman gotten named as one of his killers so the princess’ pupil had to send you a request to send her some clothes to that awful excuse of a prison before the execution failed but you were so busy to impress these upscale twats that you didn’t even bother to try and visit her. Why can’t you look after your own family, let alone your own sister; why can’t you even make contact with your friends, especially one such as a known whore?! Oh, I know the answer to that question regarding it: it’s because you don’t care about anyone but yourself and moving up the ladder at the expense of others; someone like you can’t attain the joys of paradise…!”

“Zealotry with get you nowhere, hypocrite; you have a lot of nerve to talk about family values, even though that I had been peeved and hated things but it wasn’t from this line of work: my parents may have traveled the world and the seven seas, my sister may not understand things, and I haven’t any friends outside Twilight’s…” the woman spat out once more in rekindled rage.

Yanking off her space, the man then said, “speaking of which, a virgin such as yourself doesn’t even deserve to have any friends, especially those like the one sent from the city by that broad of a princess; just think about it. The spectrum striped succubus who had seen more action than you even could is now raising a little orphan girl you’ll never be able to accomplish. The bubbly bright baker who could have taken home a gentleman of her own choice is going celibate to atone for abandoning her sister. The mostly modest maiden who had slept with a boyfriend of her own only to cheat with another is raising the farmer’s bastard son. The rank ruddy rancher who had gone and let three men have their way with her is rotting away in the same kind of cell as you are with a pox.”

“Xiphias should rend your body…!” she had injected, catching him off–guard, “you should have died thousand more deaths in Tartarus…!”

“Where do you think you are…?” Bleach asked.

Venom started growing within Rarity as she had shrieked, “SWEETIE BELLE SHOULD BE IN ELYSIUM WITH HER PARENTS, NOT WITH ME…!”

“Unbelieveable, it’s no wonder how and why you have been abandoned but we love you as well…” the man had hissed at the woman all at once, “in fact, your personality reminds me just like Applejack: defiant, proud, stubborn to a fault; as a matter of fact, you even had sisters of your own whom you had sworn to protect only to wring their pretty little necks out to dry…”

“TO EVEN COMPARE US TO ONE ANOTHER’S SOMETHING THAT SHOULDN’T HAVE BEEN DONE!” she screamed as she had then struck him swiftly only to no effect whatsoever.

Soon, Bleach had replied with a smirk, “which is why we love you: we couldn’t have been there if it weren’t for the likes of you; shame that Applesnatch isn’t even here alongside you as well. For what it is, was, and will be with whatever it had been worth, you both would have made a cute couple together; of course, that damned pox inside of her would have made any relationship thereof irrelevant. Anyways, a virgin such as yourself will do in your place; besides, you have such a unique body type for such a woman: a pretty face, such exuberant eyes, those long luscious locks, a slender weight, some supple breasts, such perky nipples, a petite navel, a clean quim, a sweet ass, some shapely legs, some dainty feet, and, most importantly, a winning personality.”

“Really, now?!” Rarity had now roared aloud, “flattery gets you nowhere: do you think that I’m some kind of whore for the likes of you; as a matter of fact, is this even how you dared to treat women?!”

“Quaint for a hypocrite who would let her sister die at the hands of her own flesh and blood…” the man said as he had stroked the woman’s hair.

Putting up an instantaneous defense, she had backed away from him and shot back with some rising venom, “you sir, really are nothing more than but a depraved toxic libertine reprobate… are you?!”

“Of all the insults that you could ever come up with, this is the best you got…?” Bleach had chuckled, also keeping distance away from the recalcitrant Rarity, “I got to admit: your vocabulary is very renowned; it reminds me of the likes of those bourgeois you happen to imitate…”

“Nothing but a touch of class and integrity, something that your kind can’t even bother to care for these days…!” the woman had huffed about.

Many seconds had passed as the man retorted, “quite the contrary; I happen to have a hobby and a certain rule when it comes to dealing with people: betrayal is something I do not tolerate in the world of business and pleasure…”

“Like what you had done to my dear sister; is that the only line you have crossed or are there others?!” she had screeched with such overwhelming frustration, “I had a hunch that my parents would end up dying soon but the sheer thought of what would befall upon Sweetie Belle was utterly unspeakable…!”

“Kettles being called black by the stovetop pot; what you also had done was utterly unspeakable: strangling your only baby sister to salvage your wounded pride and honor…” he cooed aloud while wriggling about with little hesitation.

Just then, Rarity was now steaming and fuming about as she had now bellowed all at once, “WHAT DO YOU EVEN KNOW ABOUT HONOR AND/OR INTEGRITY, YOU FUCK?! I’VE MANAGED TO EKE OUT A SUBSTANTIAL LIVING WITH MY TALENTS, THANKS TO MY PARENTS WHO ARE DEAD BECAUSE OF PEOPLE LIKE YOU! EVEN SO, I WAS WILLING TO SUPPORT SWEETIE BELLE WHEN IT HAD CAME TO PASS BUT THE MEMORY OF HER BEING ABUSED AS A SHOWPIECE WAS TOO MUCH FOR THE LOT OF US. I FELT AS IF ALL OF OUR TIME ON THIS BLUE AND GREEN PLANET WAS BEING WASTED ON PETTY LITTLE CONCERNS LIKE WAR, EVEN THE MOST DEPRAVED, UNKEMPT, IGNORANT, MENTALLY INCOMPETENT BUS STATION VAGRANT WOULD BE FOUND MORE FIT TO BE PRIME MINISTER! I’M NOT EVEN SURE IF OUR MOTHER AND FATHER WERE THE ONLY FAMILY WE HAD BEFORE YOU CAME ALONG AND ENDED THEIR LIVES SO BY THE GRACE OF PROVIDENCE, I RATHER DIE THAN LIVE ANOTHER SECOND LONGER AS A HUNGRY REFUGEE!”

“Is that so…?” Bleach sighed before growing onward, “perhaps, you are forgetting something here: you are already dead…!”

“Huh?!” the woman hacked out all at once.

Gaining distance upon her already, the man talked, “wherever you had believed that your sister has gone, you cannot follow; we wouldn’t be welcome here anyway, especially with what I had done. After all, you said to yourself that Tartarus should be the more fitting destination for a traitor like you and Rockmount here; wouldn’t you agree, Miss Rarity…? I’m pretty sure that there are many demons trapped in there of all shapes and sizes: imps, ghouls, goblins, and even legions more under the control of what your kind have the audacity to treat as royalty like Malvern and Bardoma; oh yes, I should fit right in! You on the other hand here… well, I’m afraid that you’re going to be in for a long and very painful eternity!”

“Fuck are you talking about: Malvern and Bardoma; what kind of nonsense is that?!” the eponymous individual hissed with anger, “what makes you think that I’m going to be meeting with them…?”

“Eventually, you’ll understand soon enough, but now…” he sighed before blood began to escape from him at once, spilling onto the lone woman.

During the whole course of the newly returned silence, she was then instantaneously treated to the sight of something that made her anger becoming flash–frozen. At that point in time, Bleach had started sprouting some big white tentacles with some peachy suctions underneath, totaling up to at least six of them within him. Recoiling about, the bleeding man’s face had melted away, shedding his hazel eyes as they fell upon the bloody water with his small nose currently growing bigger. Pruning his arms and legs, they were fused to the torso as a pair of wings was growing right from the back of its new owner whom current left his clothes in tatters. At long last did Bleach completed his sudden yet strenuous transformation, finalizing it all as he grew a long gigantic beak that was as sharp enough to break bones.

Crunching up the visage in sheer terror, Rarity was only barely able to channel the remaining energy to comment on the man’s new form reluctantly, “what… in the… world are you, Bleach?!”

“Basically put…” he had started to answer calmly, his squawking voice now deeper and fierce, “your best nightmare…!”

“Aahh…!” the woman shrieked as Bleach’s tentacles swiped at her clothes, knocking away the hat and destroying the matching frock as it had revealed a set of silky undergarments painted black hugging its owner’s skin tightly all at once.

Before long, she could feel the overwhelming shame that had befallen upon herself as she began her attempt to cover the newly exposed layer with her arms, one of which happened to barely latching onto the headgear from before already. Rarity burned brightly once again but instead of solely frustration right at the forefront of it all, humiliation and trepidation had joined in as well; given the intolerable acts committed by the newly transformed man, she’d still stood strong. Aside from that, the woman could feel the top regions of her torso now hardening about despite being clothed and wet alongside the rest of the porcelain toned integumentary system therein, both boots still firmly worn upon her own feet.

Churlishly taking in the sights of her body in a newly formed state of dishabille, he’d then cooed, “it seemed that I had found the one; shame that you could have made a great model as well as a fashion designer to boot if I do say so myself…”

“Don’t you fucking dare…!” Rarity roared resoundingly, reeling back as she had reluctantly resided in the rank realm, “I’m warning you…”

“Even in death, you just don’t get it; it will not work…” Bleach growled before letting off a loud long–winded screech.

Frequencies rising about had left the woman greatly disoriented as she then covered up her own ears almost immediately; despite this, some blood had seeped out from them through the palms all at once. Only then did she relent and drop the soiled hands back into the water, just as the beastly man stop sending out the auditory assault already; now, it was her chance as she was starting to sink inwardly. Even though that Rarity was still aware of her surrounding enough to avoid drowning almost instantaneously, the strength within her own body was beginning to leave with only seconds of the attack.

Gurgling up some water, the woman had found herself being pulled out from there in due time by one of his own tentacles before being restrained as she replied with a tired look, “what the…?”

“Hereon, you can think of it as insurance: something to keep you from escaping and going out the easy way like before…” Bleach said as he ran his second tentacle down from her brassiere and knickers, tearing them both aside to reveal their owner’s large bust and small whispering eye, “look on the bright side though: at least you’ll get to enjoy what I’m about to do to you…”

In an instant, Rarity’s heart was racing as the creature used his appendages to slide into her body, pressing onward with extensive arduous strokes all the way through. This pulp friction made the woman watch on in horror as he moved on with thirst, feeling each fiber from parts of their integumentary systems making contact freely. Her tiresome big blue orbs were now being widened from the sudden impact and were forced to watch Bleach’s new form exploring her body to no end whatsoever. Already was Rarity shedding a bloody stream composed of some tears while the monster’s very own tentacles had currently restrained her from doing anything at all. Crawling about with overwhelming pain and agony, the terrified and lachrymose woman’s body shook to and fro when he was inside her sheath, haunches, and maw. Almost immediately, she was now gasping for oxygen as something warm and loose made its way out and about her fork: a thick red paste coagulating all at once. Soon afterwards, Bleach retracted one of his tentacles away from Rarity’s whispering eye as blood had painted it alongside the outer rim of the external appendage.

“Just my rotten luck: I’m already dying and I’m being defiled by the beast that happened to be the brute of a man my sister was victimized by with no one around to even rescue me from this pain…!” the restrained woman had thought to herself bitterly and with dread encapsulating all throughout her mind.

Keenly aware of the fact she was bleeding from the sheath, the creature still had at least two of his tentacles within her body: one inside her fundament that was also starting to suffer the same fate already; the other was catching a rather profuse amount of saliva here and there to no end whatsoever.

Latching onto Rarity tightly, he had lapped at her nubbins pointing outward from the cleavage and panted, “mmm… tasty milk; at this rate, you could have made a great mother as well with those tits and that ass to boot…”

“Mmph…!” the woman muffled about, “‘et ‘e ‘eathe…!”

“Now, now… you’ll be able to get your chance to be left alone; but first, I haven’t been able to finish what I have started…” Bleach said to her.

Only then did Rarity feel her throat being cleared up as the creature retracted his tentacle from the trachea already. At this point in time, the woman was quick to unload an assortment of such lukewarm hues upon the watery surface. The taste of it was unbearable for the likes of her but the fact that she was still being restrained made her forget. Much of the disgust that was plastered upon Rarity’s visage had still remained albeit mixed with such pain and sorrow. Even though that the lone woman had now been given back some breathing room, she was still coughing up at once. Already, she was still crying about profusely from the very traumatizing ordeal that he was still putting her through. Leering at Bleach was all that Rarity could do as she had felt her own loins bleeding about at the former’s tight grip.

Panted about, the woman had coughed about contemptuously, “you’re… going to… fucking pay for all… this, Bleach; this I swear…!”

“Quaint for the likes of you who is already paying for your sins with your very body…” the man chuckled as he suckled onto her bust with his own beak, “but don’t fret, it will all be over soon anyway…”

“REEEAAAHH…!” Rarity had moaned in pain.

Soon, the woman had begun to feel her thighs become wet and soiled with the same fluid that was found upon her fork just recently. Although that the appendages were no longer within her body in any way or form whatsoever, the recent memories were etched in. The fact that Rarity was bared and bleeding about with her boots on was too much for herself to take in despite the very cold comforts. Coughing about, the lone woman couldn’t help but cry loudly than before, her eyes clouded with liquid and threatening to fizzle out. Having partaken in such a horrific endeavor, she was expecting to be drowning about in the jet black void so as to avoid contending. Even so, Rarity remained on the surface of the water nevertheless, cold, wet, naked, and bleeding whereas he hovered over her no less. Longing for the chance to escape this realm of possibility to another, the woman closed her eyes and looked away from Bleach at once. She was all alone for the most part: she had no friends, no family, no benign lifeform to come to her own rescue, let alone avenge her.

Though Rarity was coughing and weeping about, her assailant had whispered, “see, I told you this will all be over soon; now, you have all the time in the world to feel sorry for yourself, Miss Rarity…”

“Unrepentant fiend, just end my suffering already; you got what you wanted from me now just get on with it and kill me…!” the woman cried as she had looked at him with a teary grimace already, “I don’t even want to live yet another second longer in this state of disgrace and dishonor!”

“Vanquishing you is not of my concern; besides, it would be best to get used to it soon: you’ll be serving the next client within another half–hour…!” Bleach chuffed aloud before disappearing right before her weary eyes almost immediately.

When Rarity was finally left alone like before, she had finally howled a shrill resonance that had filled the dank and dire atmosphere with its high decibels. The pain and sorrow that the lone woman was now feeling convulsing about within moments of quickly embracing the levity that had returned to herself. Fashionable attire was no longer an option for the likes of her for she was too shocked to even remove her own boots, despite the complete lack of fabric.

Xyloid defenses torn asunder by the very attack, Rarity had sobbed aloud, “so this is what it was like for my sister to be abused and left to die at the hands of brutish excuses of men. I was so caught up in my own little sob story, I didn’t even tried to save her from than man, let alone bond her whatsoever. Twilight would have made a better sister for Sweetie Belle instead of me; all that I have done was rely on mother and father to do all the work like good parents do. All in all, it was no excuse to keep my distance away from her whenever she had needed help the most, be if alone or with friends her own age. Really now, all I would like instead is her forgiveness; Sweetie Belle, wherever you are, please understand that I’m sorry for all of this tragedy I had put you through…”

Yawning about, the lone woman was now seeing darkness encroaching in upon her sights as the strength within herself was dissipating all at once. In the grand scheme of things, she had felt like that there was nothing that was holding her down in the very least thereof, light as air yet still heavy. Now, Rarity was tired altogether, the desire to even move one space was no longer even an option whatsoever for the likes of her weeping about.

Zoning out, the lone woman had started to embrace her loneliness which had finally returned already, quickly shutting away her dulled sapphire eyes away immediately.

Kaleidoscope

Author's Note

Hello there and welcome back again to yet another new chapter of Harmonious Repetitions Twofold, the one story out of many of my craft to go above and beyond the oneshots I have given you since the inception; suffice to say, the past chapter from before were by far a strong note for you all and giving a taste of what's to still come later onward.

Aside from disclaimers long ago, I want to take the time to say thank you for never pulling out too early since we're now in the the new year with a new hope to have and hold with tender loving care rather than yet a totally lost cause and the strength to continue onward in staying tuned for the future that is the now: I believe at this rate, everything will make sense soon enough.

Lastly, let me also say that I was planning to have the entire CMC trio appearing and Cheerilee in this chapter but due to time constraints and exhaustion from writing the last chapter, this did not come to pass; on the bright side, you get to see Spitfire and Soarin as a family together alongside their daughter instead as well as Apple Bloom and Zecora again.

Kaleidoscope

This day was now perhaps feeling like any other to say in the least for anything and everything, a constant result of the turning world rotating on its own axis at a set speed while also revolving as well on a different speed to say the least; as a result, half of it was already bathed in daylight anyway no less. As such, the big blue sky had become extremely clear enough for many of the lifeforms residing underneath it to see the golden sun already shining about over the scope with a big flock of birds from various sizes and shades now soaring across so serenely as if they themselves didn’t have a care in the world. Within a large dream drop distance was but at least one civilization out of many others already defined in such various materials whatsoever used to build them all from the ground up to the point of reaching for the skylines, most of them being the ones suitably fit for the likes of even three little pigs. The calm gentle breeze was currently 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 also worth crossing as well. Standing right outwardly amongst the very backgrounds had rested a valley and ridge of smoky mountains, all of them raging about with overwhelming growth and erosion in the process of their trying times that which many were living in currently as the golden sun was just hovering over all therein.

Outside in the cold distance, a wildcat did growl; two women were approaching and the wind began to howl. Both of them possessed such commonalities: some coldly colored eyes, some kindling in hand, and a firm look. It was safe to say that whatever was on their very minds, the road they were all traveling on was going to end.

On the other hand, they still had some significant differences between one another, especially at the first glance from another perspective so to speak. For starters, one of them was tall and wearing hair with more colors than just one whereas the other was shorter and possessing solid purple tresses. Secondly, the lanky woman had a bright complexion upon her skin while the little counterpart on the opposite side donned some light gamboge instead. Third of all, the bright traveler wore a white shirt beneath her denim jacket and black jeans; the darker equal had on a black hoodie with green shorts. Even though that the both of them had some footwear, the lanky woman had donned bright pink boots while the little one wore some white sneakers. The white individual had some magenta irises circling right around her pupils while the dark skinned counterpart wore amethyst orbs upon herself.

“How much longer will it take for the others to show up already, Rainbow…?” the small woman asked the adjacent traveler by the former’s side.

The aforementioned counterpart turned to her and answered back, “probably a few more minutes to go, Scootaloo; I have to admit, this camping thing seems to be something that the Guides would be more adept at doing like usual.”

“Not after what happened years ago: I heard that a few of the troop members were killed around the war alongside some of the other children…” the dark skinned pedestrian replied as she turned her gaze back to the dirt road up in front, “I never even considered the possibility that Noi had a big brother like Apple Bloom and her sister, let alone be the youngest of the family to die…”

“Yeah, I know: I was so worried about you I couldn’t help but cry myself awake from one nightmare after another; makes me really think about who I had actually thought I was for a long time…” the brightly colored woman had said hesitantly as a small tear escapes from her left eyelid almost immediately.

Scootaloo quickly stopped in place and exclaimed, “but you’re Rainbow Dash, the bravest of people in all the homeland who never gives up!”

“Emphasis on the word, ‘people’ mind you; I still had my limits, especially regarding what had happened: considering that I hadn’t been born in the countryside, much like Fluttershy, I didn’t pay attention to what was going on here, especially with her…” the titular traveler replied with little recognition whatsoever, “the false accusations made of her being a separatist did not help. Of course, that is a completely different issue nonetheless; as far as I was concerned at the time, the main thing that was concerning me was none other than yourself: up until the war, I wasn’t paying attention to the fact that you had parents working away from home. It was a great shame that you had to end up learning about the factory bombing that just killed both of your own parents; makes me feel worried about what could have been had something worst came to pass.”

“Don’t remind me; after all, I just wished that they should have been there to stop what these bastards were doing to you…!” the dark skinned woman said instantaneously as she had looked right behind themselves only briefly.

The lanky counterpart exhaled, taking the time to face Scootaloo as the former began to speak, “never mind that man, I was crying for you: no one should ever have their skin cut apart with a knife, especially a child like yourself…”

“I’m not twelve years old anymore; even my old schoolmates, Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle know that…” the dark skinned teenager responded with a terse laugh immediately, “besides, I feel good as new now that I’ve been able to get that skin graft and restoration operation earlier…”

“That’s besides the point: I was afraid of losing you altogether; ever since that fateful day, for the first time in my life, I had felt nothing but weakness and inadequacy all throughout because I couldn’t protect you outright…” Rainbow said as she had looked firmly Scootaloo in both of the eyes.

Holding her ground nevertheless, the young teenager whispered into the brighter counterpart’s ears, “you don’t have to feel sorry for yourself anyway. You’re doing great as my big sister and I’ll never forget that. Your friends would have been proud to see us like this together like a family…”

“Friends… family… yeah, I know…” Rainbow stuttered a bit, breaking away from Scootaloo at once, “wish I could say the same for the rest of them, especially Rarity, Applejack, and Fluttershy most of all.”

“I know… none of these girls deserved what they had been put through in the war, especially considering what these bastards did to my friends as well; we were just kids and that gave them no right to let them suffer at their hands…” the dark skinned pedestrian had growled disdainfully before walking onward again like they did before.

Sure enough, the lanky woman followed suit but still had maintained close proximity of her younger charge anyway. All of the four winds right around the twosome had possessed enough force to sway the foilage to and fro rather gently. The birds and bees that were synchronizing with one another remained in the backgrounds while they’d both trotted about. Effortlessly, the very females had taken in that breath of fresh air which was surrounding them already, light and crisp. Definitely basking in the affluent afterglow provided by the light of the golden sun, they also had plenty of shade as well.

Rainbow couldn’t help but take in all of the very details as she had stared at Scootaloo and the wildlife they currently were in so to speak. Gathering winds brushed against the tresses upon their heads, even more so for the lanky traveler who had watched half of hers blown away. Basically put, Rainbow was aware of the fact that they were all alone yet the stardust memories of their very conversation said otherwise. Yearning for the reality of some more people taking attendance to see them was fresh in their respective minds with great expectations. Only thing that was holding the lanky woman back from becoming completely exuberant was her own hesitation for what it was worth. Pursuing the destination which was the point of origin was on the surface of their goal anyway, a commonality her charge was unaware of. Much distance that the two had been traveling was going to get paid off in little time whatsoever; after all, the wood in the hands was proof.

At long last, they had come across a certain patch of the woods that was unlike the others that were on both sides of the otherwise unbeaten path. A small band of tents were found on the right side where the dark skinned teenager, many of which were bearing bright colors standing outward. An arrangement of firm ligneous material was currently standing at the epicenter of the rocky circle in the form of a generally uniform mountain. A line of some clothes were already found strung upon the wire, hanging about like strange fruit but lacking the wearer’s existence overall therein. Almost immediately, there was a plastic quadrangular container resting at the edge of a log, bearing a mostly crimson coat with white accents. Amongst the foreground were a series of people standing about far away from Rainbow’s line of eyesight that had finally put a smile upon her face.

If the lanky woman had found herself in an academic environment, then she would be quick to find the skill of mathematics being put to the test. Including Scootaloo and the observant guide, there were at least several people in attendance; of them, there was only one male left amongst them. It was at this moment when Rainbow became aware of the predominant females being all around whatsoever, each with their own traits and quirks. In spite of the fact that almost all of the individuals in question were of the same gender, the number of differences were far and few altogether.

Speaking of differences, the gang of four in their line of vision had been found to be standing around at the ligneous formation almost instantly. Amongst them was a young tanned brunette whose height was shorter than of the dark skinned teenager, wearing a frilly pink dress with shoes. Perambulating after the youth was a ginger matching her eye color, already dressed in a green hoodie and black denim shorts with brown boots. Sitting inches away from the two was another ginger with aged and prestige donning a purple ensemble consisting of a sweater, skirt, and shoes. Already standing behind the females was a lone man in a set of overalls upon his plaid shirt with glowing green eyes and a bucket of fish in hand.

The minute that Rainbow and Scootaloo were well within the brunette’s line of eyesight, the latter exclaimed, “mama, Rainy and Scoots are back…!”

“Hey you two…!” the young mother had greeted as the two others finally regrouped all at once, “it seems that you both had gotten us the motherlode together; must have been an easy haul, right Rainbow…?”

“Don’t get me started though: last week’s storm did most of the work here and there; besides, I heard that cleanup is still almost finished, Spitfire…” the eponymous gatherer had answered back almost instantaneously.

Setting the accessory down, he too had joined into the conversation, “same here: the local park is still a real mess out their; as a matter of fact, the flooding was so bad, it had to be closed so that the pools had to be cleaned out and they’re still not done yet for the most part. So much for hosting the birthday party here: it will only be a matter of time until the star of the show finally pops up; it would have been really nicer if your friend came over to help with it all.”

“True but she decided against it; Pinkie said she had to go back to the rock farm to look after her family, not that I blame her, of course…” the prism haired individual said calmly as the youth scurried away a bit, “I usually don’t mince words for whatever reason but I’ll say this: what they had done to them, this wasn’t right at all.”

“I agree, if what they did to the two of you hadn’t made me go on the warpath, then what they did to those girls and their mother should be more than enough to see them killed several times over…” Spitfire growled as she had clenched her own left hand from a palm into a fist slowly but steadily.

The dark skinned teenager had also chimed, “count me in too; cracking a shot at these bastards would have been a snap…!”

“I know that…” Rainbow said as she rubbed Scootaloo’s head around briefly, “of course, I don’t want you to become like Twist…”

“Speaking of Twist, I was kind of shocked that she had ended up thrown into the hospital; a twelve–year–old girl like herself shouldn’t have to risk throwing her own life away because of what she had seen: Apple Bloom even deserved better than what they had done to her…” the man groaned, looking upon the young girl.

It wasn’t even long until the elder female had finally stood up and said clearly all of the sudden, “speaking of which Soarin, isn’t that one of those girls we were just talking about already approaching us…?”

“Huh…?” the aforementioned male had sputter about in a brief confusion, “you mean Pinkie Pie…?”

“No, she has pink hair, not red hair, let alone a pink bow; otherwise, she would most likely had been named by her parents Ready Row…” the taller ginger had answered almost immediately as she pointed her finger past his direction.

Sure enough, Soarin and the females around him had came across the sight of two individuals approaching them almost immediately: of the six, Scootaloo was the first to smile. Already defined amongst themselves were likenesses in fair dignity, possessing commonalities between each other: feminine builds, straightened emotions, and shared directions. Even so, they still had such several significant differences thereof that especially the likes of prism haired woman had been instantly quick to notice within a heartbeat no less.

Anyways, these particular individuals that had now joined them possessed a sense of fashion that were just as loud and lively like their attires thereof. For starters, one of them had a set of straightly hot red hair running past her neck whereas the other an equal monochromatic pattern in the tresses. Secondly, the redhead in question stood at the same height range as the dark skinned teenager while the accompanying woman had rivaled the rest. Third of all, the approaching youth donned a bright complexion, much like many of the adults whereas the taller opposite had resembled Scootaloo. Like the gingers, the redhead’s eyes were circles of orange that peering outwardly while the calm circuits of chilled cerulean orbs rested in the woman. Compared to the brunette’s attire, the youth wore a dark green dress with its frills reaching her knees whereas the elder had on a large brown fabric. Unlike the onlookers whose footwear contributed to their lower limbs being covered, the two had sandals; of them, the woman’s was colored in black. As with how the man was found into the whole picture, they hadn’t come over empty–handed: the redhead carried a stick; the woman had a box.

It didn’t take long for the dark skinned teenager to run up towards the accompanied youth with a shout, “Apple Bloom…!”

“Scootaloo…!” the titular redhead had cried out as the two adolescents hugged each other tightly, small tears already slithering from the corner of their eyes, “Ah am so glad to see you again…!”

“I know, Apple Bloom; it may have been a couple of years but I still can’t ever forget your voice: that warm tenderness from long ago remains…!” the elder youth had laughed out loud before her friend had joined in.

As they were still stuck in this embrace, the young girl turned towards the young ginger and asked, “mom, who’s the lady carrying the box…?”

“That’s Zecora, Rainflower; her friends and family had talked about her years ago: she happens to be some woman who lived in the forest back at the countryside long before the war broke out…” Spitfire had answered calmly.

The eponymous brunette looked upon the woman standing next to Apple Bloom and commented, “she looks so darker than me, mom; why is that…?”

“It’s simple, Rain… we’re different from one another: some people are born in the mountainside and others nearby the water; after all, this is a pretty big world out there that we all live in…” the young ginger said, looking up towards the skies as she was aware of the few clouds passing by, “but it’s not all bad once you get to know some people besides their looks and attire though. Besides, this is what makes the world so great to explore and the people who live amongst one another; the homeland itself is a great example of it for what its worth: it’s run by a great monarch, there are plenty of cities and towns with adventures to be had, and people come and go there as they please. Soon, you’ll probably be old enough to do all sorts of things in here and beyond: seeing the world and its many seas, making friends, starting a family, and finding something to do with your own life; by then, at least it will be better than the times that were spent even since the war had ended long ago.”

“Mommy, what exactly did you and daddy do in the war…?” the tanned child had asked about while tugging at the rim of her mother’s hoodie.

Spitfire looked back down and replied calmly, “a lot more than what we’re willing to tell you so far, Rainflower…”

Monochrome

Author's Note

Ah, you've made to chapter ten of Fireflower's fanfic that goes beyond the typical oneshots made from before, a Mature one no less on the grounds this chapter will deal with similar 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 like before, y'all are given yet another option to skip ahead to the next one: whether or not you'd take this offer, it's only up to you to do so nothing more.

Aside from disclaimers long ago, I want to take the time to say thank you for never pulling out too early since we're now nearing in the end of the story altogether; somehow, the new year has provided us with a new hope to have and hold with tender loving care rather than yet a totally lost cause and the strength to continue onward in staying tuned for the future that is the now: I believe at this rate, everything will make sense soon enough.

One last thing before I sign off, I want to let y'all know that this was the hardest chapter for me to write, especially considering this was about Rainbow Dash so to help me along with it, I had to rely on some media for the basis of it: spot them and you might get your chance to see a preview of the next story; of course, I wouldn't count on it though for the most part.

Monochrome

At the moment in time thereof, the utter lack of photon readings, physical or otherwise, and an abundance of extreme uncertainty overall currently dominating the very atmosphere therein. Amongst the very factors that were clearly present and accounted for, the roaring winds and the mild heat were found to be making themselves well–known right here and now so to speak of. Aside from that, the current occupancy was above from simply desolate but nonetheless devoid of basic comforts from hearth and home alike so to speak, let alone the company of loved ones.

It was at this very moment in time, of all the people to be found was a lone woman lying at her side in an unconscious solid state society that was loneliness. Her skin was of a bright complexion, the coating amongst its own integumentary system already reminiscent of the wheat hailing from the grainy amber waves. Several colors were found to have already painted the lone woman’s very tresses all together now, separate but equal like a nearly, if not completed rainbow. Upon her body were but a set of jet black undergarments that had been tightly hugging its owner, instantaneously offset by the presence of muscles and curves.

In a matter of mere seconds with little warning whatsoever but somehow as if it were on cue, the woman was assaulted by a series of flashing lights. This was enough for her own body to twitch and spasm in the contact with the photons wreaking havoc before she had woken up from her slumber. Although that the lone woman had initially showed signs of a struggle, her eyelids were finally opened up completely all at once bearing magenta. Memories of the overwhelming darkness all around her and within the once dormant line of sight became a thing of the past as she had gotten in tune. Under no small of time as the lone woman in question had her ears subjected to a barrage fire of calliope cacophony running amok without a care.

“What the– what am I’m doing here in my own underwear of all things; as a matter of fact, how in the world did I even get there so to speak?!” she had sputtered about, starting to get onto both of her very own kneecaps within due time.

It wasn’t even long until the woman stood upon her bare feet, feeling nothing more but coldness beneath than ever so recently for what it was worth. Almost immediately was she greeted with a breathtaking sight that made her eyes contract a bit: not only was she above ground, she was in a park. Out from a nearby window, she could see that the moon and stars with the sky were offset by the abundance of electricity bounded within the glass. Numerous attractions were found to be surrounding the lone woman: rides, buildings, and food carts actively up and running so to all speak at once. Their colors were more loud and live with diversity compared to her hair, rampant in various shades, hues, and cries alike thanks to the lighting. Despite of the active atmosphere that the woman was already a part of, there were absolutely no signs of other lifeforms like and unlike her so far.

Just as she was about to comment on the environment thereof, she watched herself slowly descend towards the ground almost immediately as some feedback broke through the music and squawked out, “this a friendly reminder to all patrons in the amusement park: we will be closing shortly within the next hour; as such, please make sure to check your belongings as you leave. Thank you all very much for attending anyway and please have a nice night; tomorrow will be a better day as it were so we hope to see you again sure enough. After all, we’re determined to make you all grow a smile upon your faces as we bring the fun to anyone of all ages and appearances alike anytime anyhow.”

“Well, at least it answers one question I had from earlier but there is another: where is anyone; as a matter of fact, who’s even operating the darned thing…?” the lone woman had sighed as she turned away from the glass, still fluidly aware of her dishabille anyway for the lack of a better appearance, “I can’t believe that I’m in big wheel wearing my fucking underwear of all things!”

“ATTENTION PLEASE: PAGING MISS RAINBOW DASH, A CHILD IS SEQUESTERED AT THE KIOSK NEARBY THE HALL OF MIRRORS, I REPEAT…” another voice was now instantaneously heard going into her ears as soon as she stepped out of the very car she had woken up in just recently.

The titular woman felt the cold air rushing throughout her skin with more reckless abandonment than ever, causing herself to hug her own almost instantaneously while shivering about, “damn, I gotta find something warm to cover myself and soon: I hope no one sees me in my attire while I’m at it; I’d die of embarrassment at this rate…”

The door behind her had been closed almost immediately after she had departed, now rotating about at a steady pace with little concern whatsoever. Rainbow had absolutely no time at all to comment on even the most basic of details regarding the attraction she was once a part of not too long ago. Dense calliopes had currently begun to resume as the lone woman struggled to find some textiles or anything that could even function as one by proxy.

“Ugh, look at that slut with that clown hair on her head: I can’t believe that she came here in that get up of all places; who does she think she is, Pinkie Pie?!” a distant yet also different voice was heard scoffing, prompting her to look around for the source of its discontent only to find no one at all, “even she would’ve just gone naked and look good in all that morning glory unlike her…!”

“What the fuck: just because I had woken up in my underwear doesn’t mean that I always enjoy it; nevertheless, where could I even find something to cover my body…?” Rainbow growled as she had started to scurry about right upon the cold dusty trail within the otherwise open labyrinth that was festive yet desolate.

Amidst the newly burning ire therein, the icy airstreams had already brushed up against the lone woman’s exposed skin: every fiber within her ears, nose, lips, arms, legs, abdomen, hands, and, feet were becoming deprived of heat slowly; this had made a sneeze escape within only mere seconds no less.

As she was walking all across the loamy soils within the very environment, she’d appeared calm on the outside but was thinking all throughout the passing times since her sudden yet unexpected appearance in one of its attractions thereof: so now it was to be some unseen onlooker saying what to wear and otherwise with the golden silence as its mindless grinning supporter anyway. Even though that Rainbow felt like she couldn’t care less for the most part, she knew that mere actions such as thinking weren’t just for the unintelligent ones and that the clever ones could also use such things like inspiration and what was sent from the heavens even now that enharmonic steam did nothing to come to her very aid since the atmosphere was open and free so to speak of. In the midst of all the drama and suspense, the lone woman’s stomach did growl, crying out for some nourishment despite her appearance; although that she had taken in a deep breath and the scent of various aromas through her own nostrils, her current attire was enough to firmly remind its owner of the very situation she was in: underdressed, underfunded, and unaware all at once. Of course, she was far from fearful but rather annoyed and confused as to what could be done about her state of affairs and mind; after all, the very summary in regards to it all was native to the likes of herself considering the sudden natures the mysteries therein had possessed she had wished to unravel, provide with some caveats, unforeseen and otherwise all throughout the way. Under no circumstances did Rainbow ever dared to even think inasmuch about leaving the very area that she was in, despite the sudden announcement that was made earlier regarding the time it was going to close for the most part; after all, there was the matter of a single child having been mentioned following her departure from the point of origin that was once her sleeping quarters.

Lost in thought, the young woman broken out of her mobile trance by the sudden announcement therein, “MISS RAINBOW DASH, PLEASE COME OVER TO THE HALL OF MIRRORS SOON…!”

“I’m walking already…!” she had quickly exclaimed while the hour of salvation was at hand for the most part: a rather large cloth was found to be hanging from a pole at the height of her very shoulders, colored in blackness but burning bright red as of this very passing moment; this had made her sigh with relief, “finally, at least there’s something for my troubles already…!”

It wasn’t even long when Rainbow had gone and slowly but surely tore out a large portion of the very fabric away from the solid object almost immediately, gathering enough to wear it around her body from her underarms to kneecaps; of course, she was still barefoot and the makeshift attire did little to cover up the thick shoulder straps of the brassiere upon her own body.

“Oh my goodness, String Bean, look at that her rags: it is so bad she looks like one of those tribespeople in the local magazines but it looks like she couldn’t help it; after all, they only talk to her because she just a total prostitute, ‘kay…?” the same gentle voice from earlier had made its way through to the ears, causing such indignation to become kindled again like it was before.

It was at this point, the lone woman had stopped in place, looking around her environment for anyone who was seen to be agitating her as she screamed out rather loudly, “OKAY, WHO THE FUCK WANTS TO BE PRESSED INTO JERK CIDER FOR SAYING SOMETHING LIKE THAT?! COME ON AND KEEP IT UP; IF YOU’RE BRAVE ENOUGH TO REPEAT THAT, THEN THE LEAST YOU CAN DO IS SAY IT AGAIN BUT THIS TIME TO MY FACE, MOTHERFUCKER! EITHER WAY, I’M FEELING READY TO KICK SOMEONE’S STUPID FUCKING ASS…!”

“Says the woman whom is no stranger to taking it up butt lately…” a snide remark shot throughout the deadened air, causing her to grit her teeth almost immediately, “Rainbow is such a shitty little slut, I don’t see why that young brat puts up with her sleeping around with so many people, even other girls mind you. As a matter of fact, I bet she would have slept her way to the Academy the second she had gotten the chance; sucking, thrusting, and defiling every one of her colleagues: fatties, scraggies, mountaineers, tough customers, janegirls, even people with the common cold of all the others no less…”

“That is fucking disgusting; I’ll be glad that you get roughed up you sick ass bitch…!” the eponymous traveler snarled as she kept on walking.

Stardust memories of the recent announcement from not too long ago have instantaneously become magnified when the speaker from before had repeated it once more, this time with feeling, “RAINBOW DASH, TO THE HALL OF MIRRORS! RAINBOW DASH, HALL OF MIRRORS!”

“ALRIGHT, ALRIGHT ALREADY: I SAID THAT I’M GONNA GET THERE, SO I’LL BE THERE…!” the lone woman shout outwardly while stomping onward to find the aforementioned place in question sure enough, “I can’t believe that everyone in this amusement park is behaving like a sack of dicks all of the sudden; so much for the love and tolerate and all that jazz here…”

At long last, she came across another attraction almost immediately; the only thing she could take solace in was the fact it was rather drastically from the big wheel she was once inside of. Unlike the observational ride that had already been prided itself for being circular in and of itself, it was quadrangular and well grounded enough to have only two stories despite being thicker. Rather than the colorful scheme that had matched Rainbow’s titular tresses throughout her head, it was in a darker format of dank and dire monochromatic basis with mirrors plastered around. As such, even the lone entrance in question was more lively than the cars that traveled in the spaces between heaven and earth, bearing a face that had barely resembled the woman’s species.

If the foreboding attraction failed to scared, let alone surprise her, then the presence of another individual ended up doing the work for her almost immediately. Although that Rainbow was relieved to find life in an otherwise hopeless place, what had caught her off–guard was the mere appearance of subject in question. Not only that, the individual’s attire, despite being more modest, covered up much of the skin to the point of concealing its very identity to the likes of the woman.

“Good evening and welcome to the park, Rainbow Dash; we’ve been waiting for you for a long time…” the attendant nearby the titular onlooker chuckled darkly as the lights all around them had started flickering about.

She stumbled a bit before swallowing a lump of air and saliva into her throat as soon as it had formed, barely retaining the strength to reply, “how do you know my name; who are you anyway…?”

“My identity is not of your concern at all, Rainbow Dash; however, in regards to your previous question, such news tend to travel fast in this day and age…” the cloaked figure in black hissed fairly almost quickly, “besides, it’s been a long time since you had been to this place; do you even remember any of it whatsoever…?”

“What are you talking about; what does this have anything to do with me…?” the eponymous witness had asked caustically.

The unknown individual sighed before responding, “it’s odd how paths cross and we meet again under rather bleaker circumstances, especially considering how far you had fallen into a common whore…”

“What the fuck is wrong with you; what’s with everyone talking about my sex life?!” she squawked sternly, balling her hands up into fists before becoming ready to charge at the figure in black, “besides, I’m not like that anymore…!”

“You were never a wholesome woman to begin with, the state of your affairs cannot be deleted: they were a part of you, your flesh and mind; a tattoo, Rainbow, in the form of hedge sparrow burned into your soul…” the stranger had said, raising up a right hand to show off a picture of a bird etched into the very pale and damaged skin therein.

The aforementioned denizen scoffed aloud, “let me make this clear to you: there was no point to this, that’s was all in the past, there’s no need for this; it’s utterly ridiculous to dwell on these things anyway…”

“What’s so ridiculous about the past: the fact that you were a big fat harlot or the fact that you gotten yourself so engorged into the whole idea of living alone…?” the unknown individual retorted with hinted rage, “the fact you would even think that your friend Twilight seems to be a better excuse for neglect those who matter to you and you mattered to her and your friends…! For someone who even dares to think of herself as a positive role model in this day and age, you had no problem throwing yourself towards the nearest cadet who does more to care about the safety of the crown and country than a quick pick–me–up courtesy of the likes of you no less…! You couldn’t even put them aside for the sake of those that looked up to you; Scootaloo was blessed to survive the shit that man did to her while you were just laying there taking in all the crap the other guy gave you because of how you went by the reputation of a C–list porn actress…!”

“Scootaloo has nothing to do with whatever fucking bullshit you’re going with; she was just too young to have that crap done to her and so were her own friends, especially Apple Bloom of all kids: she was a good soul, had a nice family, and even lived in the most upstanding of towns…!” the lone woman spat back out in the heat of the moment all too easily.

The figure in black paid her outburst no mind whatsoever and said, “that’s more than anyone could ever say about you, especially Applejack; you should have seen her anyway, having the only place in the sun torn asunder by war before and after, something that you can easily relate. One day out there putting food on the round table for the whole family alongside kith and kin alike by shelling out all sorts of goods made from the freshest crops blessed by a higher power; the next watching the matriarch be killed with a swift blow to the face as the beloved sister gets dragged aside to do who knows what while a pet dies unsuccessfully defending such virtues. Everything that happened to that poor farmer, you deserved it more than her, if not worse: having such dignity being stripped away, being forced to sire a youth out of wedlock, coming down with the pox, losing the home and the workplace known and loved throughout all life since birth alongside the same kith and kin whom provided food, clothes, and shelter as well as memories! Even now, you’re already suffering the consequences of your own actions; TAKE A LOOK AT YOURSELF, OH RAINBOW DASH, AND DESPAIR: YOUR BLOOD RUNS COLD…!”

“What the fuck are you talking about…?” she snarled at once while taking a step forward into terror, quickly stopping in place the second she felt something wet and sticky; as a result, her point of view shifted from the stranger in question towards the ground that changed her emotions from fury to fear: a puddle of blood underneath her feet that made her jump, “EEEEEWWWW!”

“Feel the pain of the actions you have taken as penance…!” the unknown individual had bellowed as Rainbow slowly discarded the cloth to find the crimson fluid trailing down from her own soiled knickers.

Slowly but surely, the lone woman couldn’t help but to collapse onto the cold and messy ground involuntarily, clutching her abdomen in a spasm as she had screamed aloud, “AAH, IT FUCKING HURTS SO MUCH…!”

“Who do you think pays for this easy life of yours?!” the stranger had hissed as he became accompanied by more shadowy figures here and there now surrounding her as she was laying there bleeding, “people like you should be ashamed of themselves: you get everything you want but it’s never enough; it’s pathetic that you of all people had to be brought down this way…! Of course, this was bound to happen since you kept going down a destructive path of sex and violence: you had no problem risking your reputation by sleeping with anyone on your own free will; yet, with what one man did to you, you would go so far to cry for help just because you said no! It’s no surprise that you’re one of the most hated people in this country, let alone in the country: your friends are even more worthy of sympathy than the likes of you; for crying out loud, even your admirer’s friends deserve the most of it all, especially one of your friends’ sisters of all people!”

“Stop it, what are you doing here?!” Rainbow cried loudly as she had looked upon the faces of other figures in black, only to find nothing whatsoever; however, there was one that had dared to stand out and about: unlike the others, the onlooker in question had more details than the rest of them present and accounted for which made the former gasped briefly with some widened eyes.

It was a young female staring at the lone woman with purple eyes, albeit colder to the touch with a strained visage and a stagnant position so to speak. The very anomaly out amongst the crowd around the bleeding subject had some darkened gamboge coating her skin like a newly orphaned fawn. The youth’s locks of hair, despite having a more lively color than its owner’s eyes, possessed messy strands held out of place compared to Rainbow. The onlooker’s otherwise modest attire of a jet black coat, matching boots, green shorts, and teal socks were all caked with some blood, albeit scarce.

In due time, the youth struggled to speak in a groan, “why, Rainbow… how could you do this to us…?”

“Scootaloo, please believe me; it’s not true…!” the titular listener instantaneously pleaded, “I would never do anything to see you get hurt at all!”

“Well, it’s too late for that: I’ve been getting teased at school because of you and to think that being short–winded wasn’t enough of a reason to be picked on…!” the pained onlooker had shouted back almost immediately with a shrill reverberation, teardrops now escaping from her eyes with accents of a bloody stream.

The young woman buried her face with both hands struggling to hold back a sob in the process, “I can fix this…!”

“You couldn’t fix shit, Rainbow Crash…!” another shadowy individual had berated furiously, bearing a more masculine tint, “you’re too busy being a homewrecker in training to repair anything these days; you’re like a bitch in heat…!”

“THAT’S NOT TRUE…!” she’d wailed in pain.

The third figure in black hissed at Rainbow with erupting laughter, “in tomorrow’s news, you’ll be nothing more than an insult to jokes worldwide; even your dearest friend Pinkie Pie would refrain from making light of your existence altogether at this rate, especially considering her upbringing…!”

“It’s kind of a shame really for a woman of her age to fall so low; at least you’ll still have your customers to fall back on…” the secondary stranger had scoffed a bit rather sharply amongst one another, “then again, they’ll rather move on to sleeping with your other friends rather than you, Rainbow Dyke…!”

“What the fuck is this; what’s wrong with you people?!” the lone woman whimpered as she felt something growing within the pit of her pained stomach, causing her to clutching the wet area.

As she was doing so, the first individual in question said, “what happened here was your own doing; now, here comes the second phase of your penance, Rainbow Dash: THE PAIN OF CHILDBIRTH…!”

“MOTHERFUCK, IT HURTS… HOW IS THIS HAPPENING?!” the eponymous subject heaved as she felt her abdomen grow slowly but surely in the very process with a sharp sting making its way, “I HAD THEM PUT CONDOMS ON, FOR CRYING OUT FUCKING LOUD…!”

“Poor deluded wench; not even contraceptives can save you from the reality of your sins crawling in your skin…!” the very first figure in black bellowed as the lone woman stare at the star–studded sky above themselves with the sneering silhouettes at the edge of it all, the dark colors already falling out of place.

Her magenta irises watched as they began to swirl out of place as the many ripples and wrinkles in the time–space continuum to no end in sight whatsoever until it had finally happened already: although her eyes were shielded by its lids, she had felt her throat becoming warm and bitter as a great discharge was already in action, gurgling and plopping with utter litheness within intervals. Seconds later, Rainbow quickly opened her very eyes back up and couldn’t believe what she had seen: an assortment of lukewarm hues splattered into a wayward cluster found out as they were, mixing in with the rank blood as the stenches and colors merged immediately; needless to say, the sickening appearance thereof threatened to make things worse for her than they already have.

It wasn’t long until the lone woman, despite clenching her teeth tightly, had bawled out a hoarse gurgling moan, “UUUUUUUUUUUWWWAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!”

At long last, a child was borne into the whole wide world; however, there was no joy was found in the plane of existence even though that the crowd around them started to fade. The newly living being was in the altogether, a significant difference from its own mother whom was already in a state of dishabille; of course, the former was cloaked with blood. Instead of simply resembling Rainbow’s physiology in any shape or form whatsoever, it was green all around its body with scales making up the very integumentary system. The crying infant’s wrinkly abdomen was flat like a flaccid pancake, barely clinging to life as it wheezed around the puddle of crimson with spots on its very back writhing about.

“Rainbow Dash, if you can still reason, if there’s still any portion of your mind that can still function, then take this thought with you: this is not hatred, this is retribution; this is not revenge, this is justice…” the lone stranger said to the woman looming over her, “but this is only the beginning; you’ll have a lot to think about before you leave this world and your mortal coil too…!”

“Yeah, right…” she had groaned while hearing the newborn’s crying, still lying awake in a puddle of their own wastes therein as they were all alone, watching the stars above themselves going out before her eyes as her strength was starting to leave her very weakened body slowly but surely.

Eventually, Rainbow had subsided into inactiveness, no longer even fighting back whatsoever.

Sprouts

Author's Note

Hello there and welcome back again to yet another new chapter of Harmonious Repetitions Twofold, the one story out of many of my craft to go above and beyond the oneshots I have given you since the inception; suffice to say, the past chapter from before were by far a strong note for you all but on the bright side, we're nearing the end of it all at once.

Aside from disclaimers long ago, I want to take the time to say thank you for never pulling out too early since we're now in the the new year with a new hope to have and hold with tender loving care rather than yet a totally lost cause and the strength to continue onward in staying tuned for the future that is the now: I believe at this rate, everything will make sense soon enough.

Lastly, let me also say that I was planning to have Cheerilee appearing earlier in another chapter before it but due to time constraints and exhaustion from writing the last chapter, this did not come to pass; however, she'll make her appearance in this one along with two nurses who need more exposure as Redheart has.

Sprouts

The purely uncut darkness within was the only way of how the small world works all at large thereof, let alone the real world to say in the very least; as a matter of fact, the former was, by far, indeed the latter and vice versa altogether. The jet black void was all that could be seen but not heard, felt, tasted, or smelled therein; yet, it can be also sensed as well anyways, devoid of even a modicum of light bearing any hue whatsoever to permeate throughout its entirety. For a moment, it would had seemed that all was completely lost, its mere fate was already sealed and set in stone to say the least before the very beginning itself; as such, nothing else was going to even change that in even but a slight margin.

All of the sudden, the pitch black space was quickly illuminated, giving the area some shred of identity to the finite environment almost instantaneously. A quartet of partitions were padded with whiteness was already arranged in a strict pattern to be seen, save for some bars upon a window and a lone door. The flooring was aligned in the formation of a checkerboard, save for the squared edges where their dimensions proved themselves to be anything else. Hanging from the ceiling was but a diminutive lonely light bulb that had already dispersed so many photons in so little time by a fraction of a second. A simple pair of sandals was found to be resting soundlessly about at one of the corners within the walls laying aside with the heels touching themselves. The one element that had flourished all about the place was oxygen, providing only life and energy to start the day in any form or fashion whatsoever.

In the midst of it all, there had remained one solid figure that had sat right directly in the middle, giving off a looming shadow that touched a nearby wall at once. The individual in question had possessed a set of golden lock, reflecting the very light that was shown the way all too recently as they had reached the neckline. Its owner’s face was feminine, donning a complexion free of all imperfections even with its set of bright freckles studded from one side to another in symmetry. Underneath the blonde’s eyelids were some bag of darkened shadows that were painted thinly despite signs of respiration being more than ever present hereon. Draped over the rest of her body was a simple snow white gown with its thick length managing to cover both arms and reach over past the owner’s very kneecaps. Aside from the hands within possession were a pair of bare feet making themselves known as they brushed up against the walls all around the tanned blonde.

“Good morning, Applejack…” a lone voice was heard immediately, but it didn’t come from her at all whatsoever; although, it did make the aforementioned occupant in question’s eyelids fly wide open in a microsecond, flashing a pair of some jade orbs in the grand scheme of things no less.

As such, she had faced the glass pane upon the doorway up in front of her and replied instantly, “yeah… who’s there…?”

“It’s Nurse Tenderheart, you should have remembered me well, don’t you…?” the titular traveler had told the tanned blonde within due time no less despite the jingling of metal in the midst, “I got some good news for you: you’re going to be released from this place by the next fortnight; of course, there’s still the matter of your evaluation and living arrangements. In the meantime, you have a visitor waiting around in the lobby; now would be a good time to speak things out about what’s on both of your minds lately.”

“Who’s looking for me today; is it Twilight and her friends from the capital…?” Applejack had asked aloud as she was now found to be standing up on both of her feet, taking little of the time to face the footwear nearby and started brushing off the dusty particles from her snow white gown.

It wasn’t long until the lone occupant started putting on her sandal when the doorknob nearby her side turned at an angle with a click, followed by Tenderheart’s very answer, “actually, it’s your old friend Cheerilee, she’s right down the hallway…”

“I see, my sister’s old schoolteacher; my how time flies…” the tanned blonde had said now that she turned to face the open doorway again almost immediately, “in hindsight, Ah wouldn’t have minded if Big Mac had started dating her; in fact, there’s not a day going by where I stop missing him…”

As Applejack stepped out of the room slowly but surely, she had came face–to–face with another woman whom was a lot like her: tall, thin, and dressed in white; even so, there were differences. The individual from the other side of the doorway wore a hat painted with but a single red cross accompanied by several hearts around it, a stark contrast to her green locks wrapped in a bun. Tenderheart had both eyes of magenta steadily focused upon the former occupant in question with hope and restraint even amongst the drabness of the clouding reality they were both in. Unlike the tanned blonde’s skin complexion, the nurse’s integumentary system was as clear and bright like seashells sold by a young woman by the seashore on a hot midsummer’s afternoon. Even the observer opposite of Applejack herself was wearing more articles of clothing than the former: aside from the white ensemble of sneakers, socks, and shorts, there was also a blue vest.

“You’re not the only one who misses people, let alone some familiar faces here and there: I remember the hospital used to have a more when I’d started on the job since your teenage years; but, enough about that for now cause we have a long day to go about it so let’s not waste it…” Tenderheart replied as she alone started to lead the occupant out of the room altogether at once.

The two individuals walked on the floor away from there in where the tanned blonde had once resided in with only but a series of lights above them providing guidance and visual altogether. The sights and sounds of footfalls from them created a pattern in which would be observed every time door frames were passed by occasionally interspersed with the droning about of inhabitants. Applejack had steadily stared at the small sandals on both her feet where they’d rested upon the white tiles underneath themselves as they were traveling onward by all throughout the hallway. The otherwise composed nurse directly nearby the trembling occupant still kept a sharp eye right on the former as the latter had maintained a small but rather significant distance all so warily.

Within only minutes, the otherwise strenuous pattern had now met its end, overtaken by a vast new area that the two walked in. Filling the widened space were sets of round tables strewn across from there, each occupied by more than just one in attendance. Above themselves were a few wooden fans spinning about from beneath the ceiling in the same speed but lacking synchronicity. The walls had but a set of windows providing both light and scenery from the outside world beyond the very premises thereof. There was also another hallway in the vicinity where the people alone were coming in from, way more numerous than their arrival. Even the very flooring itself now had gained some bits of color that were sprinkling about all across the uniformity of whiteness.

It wasn’t long until the tanned blonde herself had spotted another bright skinned female in the distance, the latter sitting down with a left arm being thrown upwardly. The singular visitor had possessed some tinted silvery lining all across the mauve tresses directly upon her head, already reaching right past the nape of the neck at once. Although the other bright skinned woman in question was sharing the exact same eye color as Applejack, the former alone had the rather lighter shade than the latter. Even the visitor’s very attire was more colorful than their collective appearances: a thick purple sweater, a long green skirt, tall pink socks, and brown open laced shoes.

Sure enough, the lone occupant had gone right over to her very counterpart and greeted happily, “Cheerilee…!”

“Hello, Applejack… what a pleasure to see you again: I take that you have slept well; anyway, how are you doing today…?” the eponymous visitor had instantaneously replied as the tanned blonde quickly took her seat on the opposite side at once, “it’s only a matter of time until you leave here; what are you feelings about it…?”

“Really numbed to the whole thing, you know Cheerilee: Ah never considered the fact that a lot can change in so many years, let alone be changed in the process; even now, Ah can’t help but yearn for a more peaceful sleep rather than just trudging onward like Ah had done before…” Applejack already answered almost absentmindedly.

The smile upon the bright skinned woman’s face started to falter a bit while she began to speak, “I know, Sweetie Belle hasn’t been able to leave therapy since that fateful day: of course, this was to be expected by someone at her age and her friends as well; on the bright side, Dr. Couch Potato said she’s still making some progress. I’m still worried about her sister Rarity though: I just heard that she had another breakdown one morning; they said it was most likely her period but I highly doubt it anyway considering everything that happened of course…”

“To tell you the truth, she was also on mah mind as well, considering that we’re so alike in more ways than one, no matter how much we would hate to admit, let alone come to terms with it…” the patient sighed with a mirthless laughter to boot, looking at the other people nearby them, “heck, even our sisters have more in common with each other than us two ourselves mind you. It’s a shame that this is all they have to talk about for so many years, especially Sweetie Belle of all the people; come to think of it, we’ve never been able to talk to Apple Bloom about what happened to mom and dad for the most part, save for a few bits and pieces here and there. Now, it seems to me that she’ll never know about it whatsoever; even Granny Smith was the last bastion of credible information regarding them but between that and the home being torn down, mah sister has no way of knowing altogether. Even worse, the fact that Ah was willing to end her life because of what these monsters had done to the lot of us shows that Ah am no different from them or Rarity; the only way Ah can communicate with her is through letters that Zecora had helped sent out…”

“Come to think of it, Sweetie Belle had gotten a letter from Apple Bloom weeks ago since her birthday party: she’s been thinking about wanting to see her sister Rarity again but hasn’t gotten around to it; what would you do in her shoes, Applejack…?” Cheerilee had asked as she quickly regained the tanned blonde’s attention immediately.

A full beat of silence between the two women in question had passed before Applejack began to give out her reply in due time, “well, considering the fact that so much time had passed and that she’s getting the help that’s needed, Ah think the best course of action is to start things out with a letter. While that Ah would have loved nothing more than to find, capture, and strangle the sumbitch who did all this to her, Ah think the logical solution would be to ask her how her day was for starters. What Ah would prefer is to avoid the painful stuff as much as possible unless it’s necessary: after what happened to Sweetie Belle, it would best to do so for our sake and theirs.”

“Way ahead of you; as a matter of fact, she had once written to Apple Bloom and Scootaloo about the whole thing and how she had lost her voice for a while, the same time they lost their sight and hearing respectively…” the colorfully dressed visitor said as she had pulled out a piece of paper from her sweater, “she even wrote a letter to you; do you want to read it though…?”

“Anything to pass the time in here…” the drab patient said as her hands were now touching the surface of the folded parchment; before long, as soon as its ownership was relinquished to her, the new possessor took the time to rip it open and find something within it: a piece of paper carefully folded into shape.

The tanned blonde found a small wall of text inscribed across the very way, focusing her attention on what was about to read as she had exhaled a deep breath before preparing to concentrate every bit of her energy onto the paper now in her grasp while the bright skinned woman said, “aren’t you excited about it all…?”

“Just let me read the letter and you’ll get mah answer soon enough, Miss…” Applejack snarled playfully at Cheerilee before the former began to read loud enough for only the latter to hear, “Hello Applejack, how are you doing so far with therapy? My doctor, Couch Potato has been a positive influence into helping reconcile with my parents’ death amongst other things that have been bothering me lately; nevertheless, it was nice to see my friends, Apple Bloom and Scootaloo once again just like old times but it made me think of you and the rest of your friends, but mostly you. It would be nice to see you again face–to–face like before the war broke out when we met you: so many years had passed since then and there’s not a day that goes by to remind me of it all yet Zecora and Apple Bloom said that things have been going well so far; I wish I could’ve been your sister. Rumors have been flying around that Rarity’s been getting worse but I refuse to believe those lies; I think this must have something to do with discrediting my sister and her friends like before though what really scares me is what happened to my former classmate Twist. Besides that, I want to see my sister again more than ever despite what she had tried to do to me so long ago; I don’t like what is happening altogether, especially with what’s been happening back at home: Sweet Apple Acres has become a graveyard, the ashes of the Boutique are still there, and Fluttershy’s cottage has become the final resting place for many pets. I still feel sorry for your sister though, seeing that she’s not old enough to see you by herself or with any adult, let alone Zecora; Scootaloo is still afraid to even go any near this place even if she doesn’t have anyone or reason to be here, save for you and while Rainbow may have been there to keep her safe, it didn’t change the fact that she shared them with me. I’m still worried about Twist though: she acts like she hates me because I’m not Apple Bloom but I think is had something to do with why she’s there; of course, she wasn’t like that to Miss Cheerilee for the most part. Nurse Sweetheart said that she was suffering from the same condition that Dinky’s mother has; I think the stories I had read in the newspaper years ago play a role in it: what she did in the war was horrific in and of itself and the fact she didn’t speak up about it sooner made her mad with guilt. That being said, I’m still sorry to hear about what happened to all of my classmates, especially Noi: her sister, Carrot Top still misses her to this day and the only thing that was keeping her going is raising her niece and nephew; I hope that these doctors and nurses let you out soon so you could come live with us one day.

With love and best wishes, XOXO

Your Sister’s Best Friend, Sweetie Belle.

P.S. – Please tell Apple Bloom that I’m sorry about what this brutes did to her and Ruby; she sounded nice and brave enough to protect her than any of us could have.”

“Applejack…?” the colorful visitor whimpered as she watched the aforementioned patient struggling to have her composure remaining still like the pools of stagnant water, only to be on the verge of unleashing them in due time no less.

Needless to say, it wasn’t long until the tanned blonde in question had placed the very parchment onto the surface of the tabletop; at that moment, she finally couldn’t hold it in any longer and began to let loose into her forearms almost immediately, “Ah can’t believe so much time had passed that Ah have missed out on her friends growing up and closer despite their hardships…! Meanwhile, people like Rarity and mahself are wasting away in this facility while everyone else Ah know and care for ends up leaving me at the end of the day, permanently and/or otherwise…! Ah bet our parents wouldn’t help but be disappointed, let alone devastated to see us in this state, especially since we tried to kill our own sisters rather than let them suffer through the thought of living after that forsaken war in such a manner…! Not even being forced into being the town whore would be enough of an excuse for the way Ah had acted in the midst of doing what Ah had done to get Apple Bloom back, let alone seeing her in those wretched pictures like some piece of property to be used and abused before being casted aside like yesterday’s garbage…! Damn straight that a man couldn’t be able to get away with the stuff I had done, let alone escape a death sentence regardless of whether or not he serves his time; then again, considering what happening to Rumble and Bravebird, even laughing about it would be just as bad irregardless…! All Ah want is for Apple Bloom to not see me as a monster anymore; Ah am sick of the fact that she has to live with the notion that all of the terrible things that happened to her were for no reason whatsoever so to speak.”

“Applejack, I–––” the bright skinned woman called out to the aforementioned listener but was shut down by the latter slamming her hands down onto the surface of the table loudly, causing the former to recoil in trepidation instantaneously so to speak; afterwards, some red liquid was found pooling underneath them both, “APPLEJACK…!”

“I’m sorry but you need to leave…!” another voice had interjected, making its way to Cheerilee’s ears, albeit belonging to the likes of Tenderheart herself who pulled the latter aside and out of the table quickly but gently.

At the same time, a harsh and loud klaxon was discharged as the colorful visitor was being dragged off to join the crowd consisting of her own kind by the nurse in question; conversely, patients including Applejack herself were being herded off to the other side by many orderlies, including doctors and nurses in much similar attire along with some guards.

Speaking of which, a paired combo was found to be dragging the bleeding individual away by the forearms and onto a nearby wheelchair that she was strapped to in due time. The fact which their presence was quickly made known to all personal especially the tanned blonde herself left no time whatsoever to pay attention to such similarities at all. Under no circumstances however were their differences left unnoticed by Applejack even as she was being taken away from the room where the other nurse had once led her to.

Of the two in question, the feminine orderly in a similar complexion to the escorted patient said, “it happened again; this farmgirl doesn’t even remember how to control her own strength…”

“Unfortunate… at least she’s nothing like that Rarity, though I am worried about her anyway…” another orderly on the opposite side, a dark skinned man replied in a calmer tone, “that being said, we should get her all bandaged up; her cuts may be small, but her blood is still contagious…”

“Not since the war, she ain’t…” the tanned nurse retorted as she had helped him wheel the tanned blonde down a much different path than the latter came down from not too long ago no less.

It didn’t take long until Applejack looked onward in a fit of melancholy and broke down crying, “Apple Bloom…”

“LOCKDOWN PERIOD IS NOW IN EFFECT: ALL VISITORS ARE TO VACATE THE PREMISE IMMEDIATELY; REENTRY WILL NOT BE PERMITTED…!” another voice had suddenly echoed throughout the hallway, this time coming from the speakers themselves rather than the people alone, “ALL PATIENTS ARE TO RETURN TO THEIR ROOMS NOW…!”

“Come to think of it, Vigilance, any new developments on little miss haberdasher so far…?” the employee on the left had asked.

The titular guard gave out his answer, “not much, Snowheart: for what it’s worth, Spec Ops said that the tumor may have stopped growing but she can barely even do anything, let alone eat; compared to the damage that had been caused, Rarity just stays shut up in her room staring at the window…”

“Serves her right for strangling her own sister anyway…!” the tanned nurse scoffed with a faint frown, looking upon the masses of people nearby their collective line of sight, “she should have helped her anyway; she’s no better than these Ratfink brats, especially the one who sold out her brother of all people. As a matter of fact, their precious community had this coming for a long time for what it’s worth; all this violence and cruelty for what: a few measly bits to buy some pissant candy, let alone some got–dang gobstoppers?! I mean, I’m aware of the expression ‘kids these days’ but their behavior had placed them far beyond that of normal kids, let alone the likes of Diamond Tiara…”

“Even so, the court says she’s not culpable anyway: besides, I highly doubt that Rarity would’ve gotten the help needed regarding her tumor; speaking of which, even Applejack would have died in prison had things been different…” he had said to Snowheart almost immediately as they went past the line of doors.

Unbeknownst to the both of them, the eponymous patient had slowly slipped into unconsciousness as the flow of blood began to stop; nevertheless, the surface beneath her hands were wet and sticky. Putting it lightly, the tanned blonde was lucky to be alive but not enough to be excused from the grim reality which she was living in currently, especially in a sorry state of affairs such as being put in a wheelchair. Now all that was left for Applejack to do right now was to let her wounds be tended to by the professionals in her care, even though that she would be completely unaware of it all in its entirety so to speak.

Sure enough, the bleeding patient was finally taken to another room thanks to the combined efforts of Vigilance and the nearby nurse, free from the contact of other individuals like and unlike herself.

Seeds

Author's Note

Ah, you've made to the final chapter of Fireflower's fanfic that goes beyond the typical oneshots made from before, a Mature one no less on the grounds this chapter deals with heavy subject matters proven to be unsuitable for those ––– you know what? F:heart:k it; you've made it this far so there's no use in me repeating what I had said before in the regarding the stuff I had y'all read since winter.

That being said, I want to say thanks again for putting up with my story this year, especially if you been reading the prequels as well since years ago; I honestly wished that I could have done this sooner, let alone finish it.

One last thing before I sign off, I want to let y'all know since I've gone back to writing a certain character, I had to rely on some media for some inspiration; as a matter of fact, considering that I published stories like these on this website, I can use certain media to embed hyperlinks into text and then some so look out below.

Seeds

All throughout the wayside, there was an abysmal unknown of complete whiteness where only such factors being sights, substances, and scents all lain buried in obscurities best referred to as an ethereal void. The exceptions that had just given out clues to the very location’s identity were surface, sensitivity, and sound: such were the gentle breezes close to comfort anyone that would have crossed their path. Most importantly, the current occupancy itself was above from being simply desolate, let alone abandoned; after all, this bright light all around the way had proven to be outright temporary to say the very least.

That being said though, the location in question was uniform but lacking, spanning across many acreages to and fro like mosaic pieces with no end in sight. They were adorned with footprints caked with inches of mud and blood staining them with the utmost uncanniness in every single step thereof deep within. There was a sink which was filled to the brim with a brackish water bed tinted in a jet black color scheme and a rim with a much livelier color rippling about. Nearby was a toilet made with pristine porcelain textures already oversaturated with numerous crimson streaks as water poured throughout the closed lid. A lone bathtub was also found, adorned with a small pair of pink curtains with a shadow sticking out and about in the process despite remaining stationary.

Lying within them was but only one identity in particular with labored breathing lacerating the atmosphere already: a singular tanned blonde female. She had possessed eyes reminiscent of the green grass blowing in the wind but with the textures of discolored shadows that bled outward against them. The occupant in question had lacked a shred of fabric in any material form whatsoever upon her very body, clad in the cold comforts of the red liquid. The tanned blonde had her left arm already being submerged right in the depths of the otherwise achromatic fluid that was already lacking in solidity. Her freckled skin was moistened with a combination of milk, blood, and sweat; the solution coated its owner in an illustrious sheen from the waist. The occupant’s cleavage barely touched the water as its protruding nubbins were currently facing the adjacent leaky faucet and showerhead themselves.

“PLOP…!” was the sound of the water beholden to by the forces of gravity which had sent it downward in a straightforward direction so to speak; the mere exception being none other than the otherwise gentle overflow from the sedentary latrine right nearby the tanned blonde therein.

After ten minutes of its rhythmicity that made the mundane and paltry pitter–patter precipitation into a dull sonata, she shed a large yet singular tear and began to sing out an aria of sorrow:

A righteous tongue exercises discernment
and it will also pronounce supreme judgement

Blessed heroes who endure temptations
proven they are crowned throughout generations

Providence, fountain of integrity
Providence, sacred fire, please have mercy

Oh how sacred, how serene
how benign, how lovely
O’ lily of purity

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

Providence, sacred fire, please have mercy

Oh how sacred, how serene
how benign, how lovely
O’ lily of purity

As soon as the song had finally reached its conclusion, the occupant began to cry, shedding her achromatic tears as they were mixed into the colorful solution. Of all the hands that were used to bury its owner’s face, the left one had a cluster of purple spots surrounding a freshly cut wound that was pouring outwardly. Though the tanned blonde was all alone, she couldn’t bear to see her reflection into the bloody stream of her own making but the sounds in question remained.

“Applejack, was that you singing…?” another voice broke on through, but it didn’t belong to the aforementioned occupant in question; nevertheless, it made the latter jump a bit in confusion, “it’s beautiful...”

“What… who’s there…?” she cried out, this time in alarm as the sheer singular temptation to look outwardly from beyond her place had been instantaneously planted all in due time no less.

Before the tanned blonde dared to open the curtains, the voice in question had replied back, “don’t you remember me…?”

“Huh, who are ya…?” Applejack asked as she finally gave into the opportunity to peek from the curtains; little did she learn, what had stopped before her had made the beating inside skip about in longer intervals than the dripping water: a lone individual standing out and about so freely, “Babs?!”

Another female was now in the ethereal void, a sight that made the occupant more aware of her exposed state thereof due to the whole encounter. Like the tanned blonde in observance, the individual in attendance was also bearing a darker complexion with freckles and glowing green eyes. Of course, such differentiation had begun to take form which had prompted Applejack to cover herself in the most rudimentary of such a manner.

Babs was already bearing the stature of a lonely girl fifteen feet from where the young woman was now standing, the latter wrapped in drapery. A set of straight red hair had been found to be making its way down to the nape of the neck sharing the same length as the tanned blonde. Of the two eyes that the redhead possessed, some cuts and bruises were found to be underneath the right side as it had overwritten her freckles. The lonely Babs’ attire was simple to a fault: a stripy long–sleeved shirt in shades of brown, bottle green jeans, and a pair of wine sneakers. The redhead was nevertheless caked in dried blood from her shoes to the neck, already mixed in with some tears and mucus as of this moment.

“Applejack, I’m cold and hungry; my stomach hurts…” the lonely girl whinged as she clutched her abdomen.

The titular occupant stepped out of the tub and said to Babs, “what do ya mean by that; haven’t your mom and dad been feedin’ ya lately…?”

“No, not anymore; they’re gone and I can’t do anything about it…!” the timid redhead had cried as the tanned blonde went over to comfort the latter immediately, “mommy and daddy have been taken away along with the food they’ve brought home; my siblings been trying to feed us but we ended up losing more money and I–––”

“Shhhh… it’s okay, Ah am here fer ya; please tell me what happened at the big city lately…” the young woman whispered into the young girl’s ear.

Babs attempted to compose herself and started to speak to Applejack at once, “I was running home from school one afternoon and I saw my parents being dragged off by some men in uniform. I tried to tell my sister Sunflower about it but she got to me first; we tried to go get some more groceries together but there was a large explosion at the local shopping district. A curfew was set up afterwards which meant that we couldn’t be able to see them come back, let alone visit them.”

“Ya mean the Oranges, am Ah right; why would they be taken away all of the sudden…?” the young woman had gone and just asked the similar youth, looking the latter in the eyes, “as far as Ah remember, none of those two would have ever dared to even hurt a fly, much less be connected to the bombing itself…”

“That’s was I’ve been trying to say; besides, I’ve been still worried about whether or not they see that: even my friends Smokey and De–Shawn have been asking me about it too…” the redhead answered the tanned blonde slowly but steadily at once.

A moment of silence had now passed between themselves, only to be instantaneously broken by the likes of Applejack herself who then asked Babs immediately, “Smokey… De–Shawn… who were they and how come Ah haven’t heard of them…?”

“To tell you the truth I’ve been meaning to tell you about them on my upcoming vacation away from the big city; so much for seeing you again…” the young girl had said now with a dab of water growing from the corner of her left eye, “by the way, I heard that something happened at the farm: I wish I could’ve gone there to check it; better yet, have you seen my cousin lately…?”

“Ah wish Ah had but even now Ah don’t know where Apple Bloom is or what’s happening to her at all: honestly, Ah can’t even stomach the mere thought of what’s being done to the poor girl; if anything, it should have been happening to me instead of her…!” the very woman wailed alongside her younger counterpart, the former’s tears bleeding into the latter’s dirtied clothing.

Speaking of which, it didn’t take long for the redhead’s tears to gain color matching her tresses and thickness within themselves easily reaching the pink curtains that were refashioned into a modest garment for the tanned blonde with a gruffly snarling hiss, “you’re right, Applejack… it should have been YOU…!”

“What are ya––– Babs?!” the eponymous adult replied in alarm as the closely adjacent youth reached for the former’s neckline all of the sudden with a roar, “what in blazes has gotten into ya?! Yer bleeding faster than honey dripping out from a beehive on a hot midsummer’s day!”

“That’s right I have been bleeding ever since that metal doohickey shot me in the back on that day and it reminded me of how you didn’t stop him, let alone save me…!” the young girl screeched aloud as her facial structure transformed into something bone–chilling: both eyes now had matched hair and blood along with such frothing carnassial triangular dentition in the mouth.

The sight of what was once a timid redhead now replaced by a beastly visage with venom and vexation in her blackened conjunctiva, causing the startled woman to scream, “what in tarnation does this have to do with me…?”

“Isn’t it obvious, dear cousin?!” the straggler once known as Babs began to laugh out loud like a hyena before regaining her frown, “you both had shared the same eye color as me, especially that bucket of bolts that went and killed me alongside others; I was blessed to find that my siblings got away safely but not enough to avoid being slaughtered by shrapnel thanks to him…! To think that I would be killed by something that reminded me of my cousin Apple Bloom, let alone a failure of a sister such as yourself; speaking of sisters, Sunflower in jail and there’s not a damned thing that corpses like me could do about it! Meanwhile, you’re sitting pretty in some hospital because of a fucking baby you gave birth to on account of you sleeping about with these shit snack soldiers stationed down south of the bordering cunt–fucking city! Even the memory of what you tried to do to Apple Bloom pisses me off, even in death; I’ve may have regretted taking part of this damned war, let alone not being given the chance to see her again but at least I didn’t grow up to become people like you!”

“Now that’s a lowdown dirty lie here, missy: those soldiers killed Granny Smith and mah dog Winona, took Apple Bloom away from me, and threw me down on the ground and raped me as Ah had laid there bleeding begging for them to stop this nonsense against me and mah family!” the tanned blonde had interjected but to no avail.

Then, it was the profusely bleeding figure’s turn for a rebuttal, “but it didn’t stop, didn’t it…? People were being killed out there on the streets and in the buildings, including some that went to my school like my friends…! Sunflower had to start selling her body the minute our home went up in flame because of them, and to think that being bullied at school wasn’t enough so to speak! Even worse, when we had learned about what was happening down southward, I couldn’t fucking believe it at all: our entire clan was being besieged by some ungrateful bastards our elders, especially Granny Smith, had once dared to call her neighbors! We even hoped that by teaming up with another company we could’ve been able to save the town and rebuild it but that changed went that machine came by. It was big, red, had glowing green eyes that reminded me of Big Mac, not that it matters anyway since it killed me and all of those people at the Springwheel Foundation before you came along! Ever since that day, I’ve been trapped in that forsaken corpse that used to be me, reliving the same fateful moment in the same damned clothes, suffering the same fucking fate as these cunt licking faggots from overseas! It makes me sick knowing that you survived while everyone else died alongside, crying your heart like a cog in the cuckoo clock on schedule before everything starts up again without notice; but not today, not here, not now, not anymore! At least this encounter has made me feel hungry enough to remember how big and juicy you are; as a matter of fact, I’m going to see to it that by the time that I’m done with you, I can never go hungry again…!”

“Babs, no please don’t take your anger out on me; get back Ah say…!” Applejack struggled out a command in a newly firm tone, “Barbarella Seed, Ah–––”

“SHUT THE FUCK UP, YOU LYING BITCH; BABS IS DEAD THANKS TO YOU BUT I’M LOVING IT, OR AT LEAST AS MUCH AS I’M GOING TO BE ONCE I EAT YOUR FLESH…!” the bloodstained redhead interspersed loudly as she had shoved the woman back into the bathtub with overwhelming force.

With the tanned blonde back into the scarlet water, she could look at the smirk on the face belonging to what had once been referred to as Babs and begged, “please, Babs… Ah am family, yer cousin for crying out loud: what would yer parents think if you end up resorting to cannibalism; matter of fact, what would Apple Bloom think of ya then…?”

“It’s too late to play the family card now, bitch…!” roared the stout figure in question, leering at the timid Applejack’s dirtied yet shapely figure with naughty glee, “the second I died, I’d stopped being your cousin and the fact that your begging and pleading by using my parents this way is only succeeding in pissing me off even further; fuck, using Apple Bloom’s hypocritical! At least the only good thing I had going was that my parents were there and so was my sister; compare to them, she was a fucking saint, unlike you…! THAT BEING SAID, I’M ABOUT TO DEDICATE THIS FEAST TO MY COUSIN APPLE BLOOM WHO’LL DO WHAT I’VE FAILED TO DO: LIVE LONG AND PROSPER! YOU, ON THE OTHER HAND, LET’S JUST SAY THAT I HOPE YOU LIVE UP TO YOUR NAME; THEN AGAIN, SEEING WHAT I AM RIGHT NOW, I’M TOO YOUNG AND DEAD TO BE A PICKY EATER: I’LL EAT ANYTHING FROM BREADCRUMBS TO WORTHLESS EXCUSES OF SISTERS IN PEOPLE’S CLOTHING!”

“Augh…!” the young woman cried out as she had felt a sharp clamping onto the left leg, no doubt the work of the adjacent redhead who started to sink all the teeth into the former’s flesh.

As much as the tanned blonde started kicking Babs’ face in, the clothed figure still held onward to her shins; at long last did the former get her wish, only for the latter to rip out a small yet wet and messy piece of the integumentary system with a snigger, “this shit tastes better than what we Apples were known for: even as an entree, you’re as sweet as nectar…!”

“AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!” Applejack screamed in pain as the stout figure was now feasting upon her body, teeth marks soaking in blood and salivation despite the dirty water nearby more than ready to absorb the concoction, “PLEASE STOP THIS ALREADY, AH AM BEGGING YA!!”

“YA SHOULD’VE THOUGHT OF THAT BEFORE YOU LEFT ME TO DIE; DON’T YOU GET IT, FUCKER?!” the gluttonous redhead spat out onto the young woman’s face with blood, “IT’S ALL A LIE: YOU’RE NO FUCKING HERO; YOU COULDN’T SAVE ANYONE, LET ALONE ME AND YOU DARED TO END THE LIFE OF ONE OF YOUR OWN…! IT’S ALL YOUR FUCKING FAULT… YOU’RE A HORRIBLE FUCKING PUSSY PUNK BITCH AND I HATE YOUR FUCKING GUTS SO FUCKING MUCH I HOPE THIS HURTS YOU MORE THAN IT HURTS APPLE BLOOM; IN FACT, YOU DON’T DESERVE TO HAVE A SISTER HALFWAY GOOD AS HER. I WISH THAT SHE WAS MY BABY SISTER INSTEAD OF YOU; AT LEAST I WOULD GIVE UP MY LIFE FOR APPLE BLOOM AS MUCH AS SUNFLOWER WOULD DO THE SAME FOR ME, UNLIKE YOU UNGRATEFUL SANCTIMONIOUS BITCH!”

“CEASE, THY GHOULISH SORE…!” another loud voice had boomed but it belonged to none of the female figures in question.

Almost instantaneously, the attacker otherwise known as Babs had spontaneously combusted, rays of heat and light now emerging from her body as laughter turned to screaming. The bloodstained attire that the stout being had once worn was starting to singe about as the flames begun consuming her while leaving the tanned blonde completely unharmed. Even though that they were nearby overflowing sources of water nearby themselves, only the redhead alone was already disintegrating as she was burnt up into absolute oblivion.

When the belligerent battling Babs had disappeared in a mass of photons and fire, the heart inside of Applejack was beating against the structure as she sighed at once. It wasn’t even long until the young woman was quickly accompanied by another female figure, this time descending from above almost immediately to the former’s relief. The new visitor bore a complexion rivaling the tanned blonde herself albeit fifty shades darker and already free of such irregularities plaguing the latter before and after. Glimmering about in the cold distance was but a pair of cyan irises glowing about alongside with the rest of its owner’s eyes, capturing Applejack to remain firm at attention. The floating female’s elongated hair had flowed to and fro, sparkling about as each and every one of its tresses were a bluish tint with both lighter and darker hues alike. Aside from the small obsidian tiara matching a widely white crescent necklace, the new visitor had wore a long shimmering dress colored in pink and achromatic slippers.

The young woman was in awe of such presence and begun to call out to her, “Luna… Ah am so glad to see you again…”

“Yea verily, ‘tis I Princess Luna…” the well–dressed figure introduced herself at once, “greeting, my fairest Applejack…”

“Luna, Ah can’t believe it’s you again… Ah am such a mess here…” the tanned blonde had wheezed aloud onto the regal figure in question.

The eldest of the women looked upon the younger counterpart damaged form and had sighed, “thy phantasmagorias art beginning to take form: though thou hast overcome the guilt of attempted sororicide, ‘tis been replaced by thy survivor’s guilt…”

“Sometimes, Ah wonder if it was right for them to let me live after what Ah had done; after all, Ah couldn’t even do anything right besides watching people Ah know and love die and/or be destroyed…” Applejack wept as she looked at her still wounded left arm, “as a matter of fact, Ah think back to the time that Rarity had another breakdown that day and the disease infecting me. It’s funny how one would still act like that all will go back to being right with the world even after everything that happened in the homeland, let alone my family’s hometown, not to mention the things I have done and failed to do in the grand scheme of things. Going right back to what had been done against Apple Bloom, Ah don’t think Ah deserve to be anyone’s pride and joy anymore, let alone mah parents or Granny Smith; if anything, Big Mac deserved it more than me. Ah hurt people and bring destruction to them without even trying; Ah am not even worthy of fighting for mah own forsaken life… Ah am a failure.”

“Thou shan’t be weary on the account of what hadst been done to thee; after all, thou art not alone as one thinks: as a matter of fact, there is someone else who I wish to bring along to prove it to thee…” Luna replied as she had directed the younger counterpart over to another figure in the distance.

The tanned blonde now found herself staring at another woman, though older than the girlish figure from earlier but the youngest of the three therein. Unlike the very females in attendance, she was brightly skinned with curled locks of purple and pink tresses vying for dominance upon her weary head. Even the youngest of the inhabitants had a much simplistic attire than the princess and modest than Applejack: a long purple dress with long pink socks. She also had eyes of green like the bathing woman albeit pale and threatening to go off joining the same spectrum as the likes of the eldest counterpart.

Before the tanned blonde had the chance to speak, the bright skinned individual interjected, “hello Applejack…”

“Sweetie Belle, what are you doing here…?” the aforementioned woman asked, memories of the savage redhead’s recent attack still fresh in her troubled mind, “Ah don’t understand why or how this has anything to do with me…”

“You already know anyway; after all, we have more in common now than we actually had in the past: even I had felt like that everything that happened to me was all my fault…” the youngest visitor answered back as she pulled down her dress’ collar to reveal large handprints upon her neckline.

The mere sight alone brought tears to the occupant’s tears once more, now finding the strength to reach outwardly and cry, “Sweetie Belle, don’t be going around saying such stupid things like that; yer smart, beautiful, cute, generous, kind, and fair just like your sister Rarity was. Everything that happened to us was none of our fault whatsoever; it’s just those bad people who did this to us, our friends, our families, our neighbors, our home. Don’t let what they did to ya or them shape ya into something ya hate or fear; don’t let what we did to ya two stop ya from becoming what ya want to be; don’t let what happened to yer friends impede ya from what needs to be done. There’s a whole bunch of people in this land that care for ya: Cheerilee, Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, Twilight, Pinkie, Fluttershy, Rarity, Rainbow, even Ah care for ya as well; they’re all counting on ya to make the best of things for yourself. Ya were yer family’s pride and joy and yer still are: they saw ya all brand new and perfect, no mistakes or regrets; even though that we once feared living in yer shadows, we still grew to love and cherish ya as one of our own.”

“Since time immemorial, many gazed upon those individuals such as you and ruminated on how wonderful the river of time will flow be: they wished for the best of things to happen, like vast wealth or a clean bill of health; many of them still do…” the princess said, the environment around them now changing with little warning, “of course, the wishes alone aren’t the vexations. The future is often rife with utter uncertainty, factors ranging from the mundane to the astronomical are usually not called for at most but even the best laid plans can be torn asunder. To think that if I hadst managed to plunge the world into eternal night only to end up causing the mass extinction of many was one thing; to be forgiven for daring to try after all this passing time was another thing I hadst never expected, let alone be freed from mine self–imposed prison by the likes of mine sister’s chosen few. If we continue to be corrupted by this darkness throughout our very lives, then we’ll be more likely to wind up as victims of harlotry and disease crying for the world to end; should we continue to corrupt others with it actively, filthy lucre wilst be stained with blood and tears from the trades of bane and brutality against others indiscriminately. The darkness shan’t be casted aside for its undeserved reputation of what can be done within it but rather embraced and accompanied by the light alongside, all for the sake of balance and resolution. The past is more than just a memory – ‘tis a force at our back which pushes and steers; we may not always like where it leads us, but like any story, it needs resolution to this day, beyond the prologue where our youthfulness, full of vim and vigor hadst made it playable. As nervous as we feel about the future, we must prevail, over our own past and the outcome of actions therein: love all, trust a few, do wrong to none – these are the tenets that our predecessors hadst lived by and passed down to us; that being said, redemption is possible as is reconciliation. Don’t let these shortcomings make thee become friendless or hopeless; keep thy faith lest we may never recognize the good that can be done for the people living on this blue and green world irregardless: some people can be trusted and some people can trust you. Just remember that there are still people like you and me that still love you and they always will: the lovingkindness of friendship and family still exist within you even to the end of time itself; ‘til then, fare–thee–well, kind souls… fare thee well…”

Finally, the visage of the eldest woman started to dissipate before their very eyes almost immediately; soon, Sweetie Belle joined in, leaving the tanned blonde all alone again. Applejack now found her feet standing upon the clean colorful sands between the lush forests behind and the waters upfront with a large bright orb rising up from that adjacent side. The lone woman also looked upon her own body: although she was devoid of the pink curtains once used to clothe herself, the wounds on the integumentary system were no more. She'd stared outward in relief as the firmament above her started grow brighter and warmer as the darkness that had loomed overhead now showed signs of disappearing altogether.

“Thanks, you two…” Applejack sighed happily as gentle tradewinds were blowing against her long flowing golden locks.

Atmosphere

Author's Note

It's Fireflower again with the third installment of my first My Little Pony fanfic that goes beyond the typical oneshots I had made from before and already using canon characters as human beings instead of their normal forms; however, this is nonetheless a Mature fanfic for this chapter here contains some suggestive dialogue and brief nudity.

As usual like before, 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 still belongs to me so I will say this very line one time only: please do not steal this story or I will sue.

Lastly, let me also say that I hope you can use this chapter as a breather now more than the others before it and still have the strength to continue onward in staying tuned though the passing times since this will be more tame; henceforth, I will leave you with but one saying only: thank you very much.

Atmosphere

It was a dark and stormy day but still possessed the light that was being hidden away from the eyes of its own observers whom were now running about at this moment in time thereof. The silver linings that could have been easily found as the shine in the storm were overshadowed by the outpouring of rainwater that had fallen onto the solid ground almost immediately. Some sounds of thunder currently rolled about within the vast storm clouds while refrained waves of hot lightning carved its way throughout with blinding speed and synchronicity. Unbound by the vast spaciousness of the very atmosphere, the cluster of grays and whites with the occasional colors spread further apart all over the lands and waters right underneath. Kiloliters worth of rainwater had already saturated the terrain, many square acres of it all were gaining the very texture that was more malleable than even stone and metal themselves. Accompanying the otherwise percussive duet were the howling winds now moving the grass and tress that had already completed the interactive orchestra for the surrounding environs.

Speaking of the very environment in question, it was nothing short of an open desert with little vegetation whatsoever in the vicinity. Within the rather large dream drop distance, a civilization defined in such various materials used to build them up from the very ground. Out amongst the background were but a widget series of monoliths each raging with growth and erosion in the process of trying times. Nevertheless, it was likely that there would at least be an utter abundance of many individuals from various demographics whatsoever.

Out of all the places within this otherwise small area in particular, there was one that stood out amongst the others no less: a tall blue building made of timber and steel. The very roofing was equilateral on all four of its very corners, synching up with the dimensions of the entire structure almost immediately at the first glance of course. There were a few shapely yet wholesome windows that while sharing the same geometric area came in such different sizes; as such, they were either closed or obscured. Only a singular door had remained there to be a finishing touch as a gateway to this simplistic residence, bearing the fruity color reminiscent of some unripe bananas.

Much like many of the residential and commercial building within the desert town, there was life brewing about in there despite the troublesome weather. The very ligneous ceiling in its entirety had been coated with a sky blue wallpaper with a texture as thick as the firmament but without the thunderclouds. The flooring itself was already basked in a tufted and orientated carpeting rich with a down–to–earth shade of salmon with some starry platinum accents. The curtains that were hanging around over the onlooking windowpane had silky yellow depth with drapes bearing the pictures of nosegays in all sorts. A large bed had rested across from the glass frame, donned with a simply red comforter with hot pink sheets and some teal pillows neatly within place. A pair of tall dressers stood close by, painted in chocolate: one possessed a slender lamp and a clock underneath the shade; the other had a picture frame. In addition, there had remained a pair of doors which were standing adjacent from the very bedside with a share of metallic knobs pointing outward.

At this moment in time, a lone woman had just walked into the very room, bearing a rather bright complexion right upon her skin. Her long hair was dark pink and filled to the brim with dripping water all falling down onto the floor around her dainty bare feet. The lanky female was clad in some wool towels, one covering the top of her head and the other wrapped around her very body. Both her irises were tensed up enough to be small, barely showing signs of some color at first; however, they grew to a big blue.

“It’s a good thing I had gotten out of the bathtub before the storm had began; now then, some clothes…” the woman had sighed as her body remained moistened, the rumble of thunder roaring into her ears.

Unperturbed by the sudden crescendo outside, she had walked towards the dresser where the lamp was standing upon the smooth surface. All at once, the lone woman had opened up the top tray almost immediately, pulling out articles of clothing without any hesitation whatsoever. A snow white blouse, jet black undergarments, and some denim shorts were currently thrown on the surface of the blanket almost immediately.

It wasn’t even long until she had cast aside both of the towels and bared her entire integumentary system in its entirety altogether. The lone woman bore a bust of large density: surface area a fifth of a meter, the volume less than a quart, and weighing a pound. Her body frame was substantial enough to have curves that gave way to both a bared abdomen and the pence size petite navel. In between the plain yet shapely legs, a sheath signifying and confirming the owner’s gender, nothing more and nothing less.

Already clad in only liquid moisture and gaseous molecules, the woman had moved to dress herself in that chosen attire from not too long ago. First, she had begun to put the set of lacy dark combo of some bra and panties upon her skin, no longer either in a towel or in the altogether at all. Then, the lone woman had begun to put the blue shorts upon her legs and then the small white blouse over the torso in so little time completely.

Despite the water underneath and around her feet, she had lain sprawled across from the bed before turning her attention to the sight of a photograph bearing the figures of several people. They were standing within clear view of a quickly grown homestead free of stereo that consisted of rocks and dead trees with a wooden fence separating them from a house, silo, and windmill. Each of them had dressed more modestly than the woman in question, wearing dark clothes with barely a hint of color taking up dominance as they all stared outwardly with a solemn expression.

Of course, their very commonalities had came to an end, any and all significant differences they personally happened to share amongst themselves came to light at once. Inside the sextet, one male with silver sideboards matching thick eyebrows wore a wide brimmed hat along the entire suit, save for a shirt that brought out his orange eyes. Next to him, a bespectacled woman with dark green hair tied in a bun wore a long predominately black dress over her white blouse with thin eyebrows over her blue eyes. Standing in front of them were four small youths of the same stature and height thereof with thinner eyelashes and brows alongside barely similar hairdos in pinafores.

Out of the quartet in question stood a girl with a similar hair and eye color as the observer with a pink blouse as well. She was directly in front of the lone man, standing in between two almost identical peers of her own with a frown. Her hair was all straightened and flat like the three girls except her tresses were gaining a portion over the right eye. Compared to the rest of the quartet, let alone the entire party, the girl’s visage was all bordering on such melancholy.

Sure enough, some tears were seeping out from the lone woman’s eyes, creeping down to her cheeks with little warning whatsoever. After returning the picture to where it had stood, she had started to lie upon the bed almost rather instantly, the golden silence no more. Despite the quiet contact of the showers making contact with the glass window, the lone woman’s sobbing started to grow loud. Eventually, she had only sighed softly but still sniffled away, turning towards the opposite side and shut her wet eyes away all at once.

Time had passed onward throughout space alongside with the inhabitants as if they were drifting aimlessly while floating above the stars amongst the never–ending blackness that had been known to drive some from method to madness. It was only the mere memories of life such as one in which when even the richest beverage of its consumer kept up their spirits so as to be assured that within the very framework whatever destination that was set would be in reach soon. Mostly put, it was at least one of the only constants dwelling within the ever–changing plane of existence where many other variables came in all shapes and size, coexisting either in unions or divisions, all transcending boundaries thereof. Every now and then, it was all the same: any bit of energy that was expended would then quickly succumb to the infinite folds of entropy sooner or later; in the lone woman’s case, the concept of sleep was nothing new as with every other action.

She had remained nestled in what would have been a long slumber, her silent snoring being all that was needed to show such inactivity; however, the sounds of rapping against the wood caused her eyelids to fly wide open when the occupant heard its owner, “Pinkie Pie, are you there…?”

“Is that Missus Cake…?” the eponymous woman had thought to herself as she sprang upward at once, “I’M COMING…!”

It wasn’t long until she had ran out of the bedroom all throughout the darkened hallway around herself until stopping at the white ligneous surface upfront. With exuberant felicity upon the visage and the frizzle tresses all puffed up and inflated, Pinkie turned her attention to the chain and latch above the knob. Soon enough, the perspective payout had become worth it for the lone tenant as the woman was graced by a singular visitor whom was waiting at the door.

At long last, she was greeted by the sight of another woman standing before her big blue eyes, already happy to see the former all at once. The visitor, although possessing a bright complexion just like Pinkie, was a few shades darker with a small touch of dimples on her cheeks. The other woman’s eyes barely matched the locks of hair on her head; even though they’d shared the tenant’s color, the former was two–tone. Adorned upon the visitor’s body was a long blue dress that had brought out her full house figure overlaid by a yellow apron with pink frills. Clinging onto her very legs were a pair of snow white socks and some rose red bar shoes on her feet that were shining like stellar corundum.

“Pinkie…!” the visitor had cried out aloud.

In no small amount of time whatsoever, the aforementioned host ran up to her and exclaimed, “MISSUS CAKE…!”

“I’M SO GLAD TO SEE YOU AGAIN…!” the two women had blurted out in unison as they hugged each other really tightly, “I HAVE SO MANY THINGS I WANTED TO ASK YOU AND–––”

It was at this moment they stopped and laughed with synchronized felicity, the presence of heavy hearts becoming more lighter as the air around themselves, much like a discarded candy wrapper. Of course, the aria of hilarity began to subside as they broke away was the embrace slowly but surely as they returned to each other’s boundaries with a smile still upon their faces nevertheless.

“You know, I wasn’t expecting any company to be coming over today; what brings you here…?” Pinkie asked while nudging slightly onward away.

Mrs. Cake moved inward and had given her answer immediately, “I was just stopping by all the way over to Appleloosa for a visit; kind of surprised to find out that your folks are across the river from here.”

“Don’t be: if anything, I ought to be the one counting my blessings since I still have them; of course, I didn’t expect those meanies to hurt them badly…” the thinner tenant had sighed softly and sadly, currently looking down upon the floor beneath their feet, “the things they did to Mom and Dad were the stuff for nightmares, even worse than that story about the invading horde.”

“Not that I’m incapable of understanding: my husband needed to be treated for his flashbacks after the war ended so his sister Carrot Top is usually taking of our kids; she said they kind of reminded her of Noi…” the thick guest replied.

It wasn’t long until Pinkie shed some tears and wept, “she’s not the only one who misses her: if it weren’t for that damned disease, then maybe she would have made a great friend for the twins; as a matter of fact, Noi could have been able to turn seven on her own birthday. Speaking of diseases, the only one in my family who stayed clean was my sister Maud and she’s making sure to keep the farm running like they have before: mom’s been walking around with a cane, dad’s been reduced to an amputee, Marble and Limestone are a few months due for their children. I have to wonder: was leaving the homestead ever a great idea for me considering every thing that happened recently; would it still had made any sense whatsoever at all if it meant being a party planner…?”

“Stop feeling sorry for yourself…!” Mrs. Cake had interjected rather instantaneously, bringing the younger listener out of her trance, “look, it’s bad enough that the war has taken the lives of many good people, including and besides Noi, not to mention the things that were done to our friends and family alongside our neighbors. That doesn’t mean you should interpret every bad thing that happened to them as something that’s your fault; it’s like suggesting a whirlwind can touchdown just because a conic shaped was stepped on. When you had came to the Sugarcube Corner a couple of years ago, you were barely even able to stand up straight and had little to eat underneath the pinafore; we had even thought that you were homeless.”

“Although that would have been the least of my worries: we had a little spat and it was right after my grandmother passed away from pneumonia; but, it definitely wasn’t like we’d hated each other at all…” Pinkie sniffled as she backs away.

The thick guest had closed the door right behind them and replied, “not at all: besides, you just told me all about them just earlier; from the way you were talking about them, you really love them that much.”

“Of course I did; I wouldn’t just straight up abandon them just because you had helped me embrace my hopes and dreams…!” the tenant chirped up before returning to her previously somber look, “and yet, it feels like that I had done that; Maud told me some things that made me throw up and whatnot. She had recounted the memories how our home was destroyed during the war, when Marble and Limestone became slaves in their own farm, and when mom was being constantly defiled by some meanie while dad was forced to watch. I can’t help but break down crying whenever I look at them this way; I bet my party cannon that if he had even at least one working arm attached to his body, then I wouldn’t mind him–––”

“It’s okay: you didn’t anticipate that something awful like this would happen; this doesn’t make you a horrible person…” Mrs. Cake sighed as she was watching Pinkie break down right in front of her.

The tenant had wept onward, “try telling that to Limestone: last time I had visited them, she was the only one who spoke to me the most, other than Maud; even I can’t help but feel guilty for letting it all happen. I never could imagine her grumpiness could boil over into contempt whenever she had talked to me, let alone being the one that had served as the mouthpiece for the rest of my family; you could have been there and listen to it all but it would have been best you didn’t. The way Limestone had talked to me was like having Winona looking at a thief being caught red–handed ready to sink her fangs into the flesh like a lion; I was being treated like an outcast in my own home instead of being her sister. Considering the fact that she had suffered alongside Marble, I guess that Limestone did and maybe even continuing to do a better job being a sister than I had been.”

“What makes you say that…?” the guest had whispered as she wrapped her arms around Pinkie yet again, this time more gently, “the way you had been speaking of them since you had first came to town was generally positive…”

“Emphasis on the word ‘was’ now that you had mentioned it; Marble can’t even go another hour without bursting into tears and dad would just be lying there and hear it unfold…” the tenant sniffled while looking away.

Mrs. Cake felt Pinkie now crying into the former’s torso and sighed, “that’s awful; surely they must have been more understanding to all this…”

“Mrs. Cake, up until I had ended up on your doorstep, we had lived on a farm just like Applejack and her family had before the war broke out…” the tenant had sniveled about to little end, “but we rarely talk or show emotion that strongly in any way compared to them. Nevertheless, I’m not even sure if this is the only thing I have in common with her family; then again, I happen to be the anomaly in all of this within my family, something that Limestone is constantly reminding me of every visit. Surviving may be something to celebrate but not everything can be done with a party, not especially after you lose almost everything else. They’re basically being forced to live with the reality of all the shitty things that were done to them for as long as they live and maybe even after they die; not only that, I happen to be not too far behind from where they’re standing. Between losing their home completely and learning that two of my own sisters have offspring sired against their will, just like Applejack, we are never going to get any better. I should have called them the day I found my passion, or at least called them more often; several years and the last message was about stopping over for a visit, one week before the library burned down, one week before Fluttershy gotten thrown in jail, one week before Applejack had gotten raped.”

“I don’t think that any of this was your fault…” the guest whispered about, wrapping around Pinkie once more.

The tenant wipe her eyes and quickly replied, “do you know what it was like to be the only one in your family whose different from even your father? Even though I had not only shared the same mother and father much like Maud and Limestone, but also the same exact birthday alongside with Marble, anyone that looked at me assumed that one of my parents had cheated on the other and/or vice versa. Unlike all my three sisters as a whole, I can’t go on without hearing at least one individual talking behind my back about how I’m the loony one in my family, even though it’s true. Ever since Twilight came to this town, I had felt so much happier than the day you took me in by this much; she reminded me of how lonely I truly was when I left the farm and she wasn’t the first friend I had. Aside from that, I could even recall the time one of the townspeople mistaken me for Fluttershy’s sister just because I have pink hair; but, I didn’t care about that at all, just being her friend was enough to resemble that feeling. What a hollow feeling that was: being a friend to someone just because of such commonalities only to be undermined by the fact that I was a shitty excuse of a sister and a daughter compared to them. They may have done fine without me for a long time but I should have been there for them more often and I basically left them to be humiliated and defiled to no end in sight so I can’t even convince Limestone to forgive me for letting that happen to them.”

“Pinkie…” Mrs. Cake started to speak again to the titular tenant, “I’m not sure how I can explain this to you but I’m sure that your mom would be more willing to forgive you anyway. You may think that they had disowned you for being different or because you chose to stay with us when the war broke out but that’s not true. As different as your parents and sisters may be, they still love you just as much as everyone else; you already know that. You’re a special child in their eyes because you had talents that weren’t going to be simply left within the home. I’m pretty sure that if you really wanted their forgiveness, then the best way to do so is to not let each other live in constant despair. Your survival, as well alongside theirs, is a miracle and an opportunity to rebuild old ties between each other on much more positive terms. No matter how much your sister wants to blame you, have her understand that you want to make things right for their sake; prove to them you haven’t abandoned them at all.”

“How do I do that…?” the guest heard already.

Mrs. Cake held Pinkie tightly again and had replied, “do what you always do best but not too big; they may need some more time and space to themselves so when the time is right, just strike while the iron is hot enough with some subdued force: I’m pretty sure that sooner or latter that one of their birthdays will be coming up by then.”

“But for how long; like I had said, my family is a total mess, remember…?” the tenant countered on, barely finding the strength to look her guest in the eye, “dad can barely move around, mom’s still trying to care for him, Marble and Limestone are still in the process of becoming mothers, and Maud is basically the only one who’s keeping them from falling any further into the cracks. I wouldn’t blame them if my mom and/or dad decided to take her side sooner or later because of how I didn’t show up when they were needed the most; after all, Limestone is the strongest person I know, second to Maud but strong nonetheless and seeing her reduced to a slave was painful for me. I bet that with everything that had happened to her, she must have been using her anger to cope with the stress of being treated this way: compared to Marble, she almost never cries but that never made her a heartless meanie in the very least; just a grump, nothing more, nothing less.”

“Exactly, so I’m sure that if my family decided to visit them alongside them, then I’m pretty sure they would be able to let this uneasiness against you go away; don’t you see where I going…?” Mrs. Cake asked gently, a smile now on her face.

Pinkie slowly began to beam up and reply, “when you put it in that way, that doesn’t even seem to be a bad idea on paper; after all, I’m pretty sure that making a trip to their home sometime soon would be nice enough for a get together. Besides, I might convince Apple Bloom to go with with me and maybe even invite Zecora as well to join us to keep them company.”

“That seems to be even a much nicer thought; at least this should help up take our minds off of the war altogether for the time being…” the thick visitor cooed before letting go of the tenant at once, “I best be going back home soon; the trains aren’t going to be staying longer while I’m around.”

“Are you sure you don’t want me to pack you anything for the long trip back, at least for the twins?!” Pinkie had chirped as her hair returned back to the vibrant texture from long ago with little warning whatsoever.

Mrs. Cake turned around and answered, “not at all; we still have plenty of food, thanks to Carrot Top. Besides, I think you’re still capable at taking care of yourself and patching things up with your family so I wouldn’t recommend running yourself ragged. Anyways, I hope to see you again next time so we can go plan that trip to see them; ‘til then, have a nice day and be blessed…!”

“I will…!” the tenant twittered about with a wave of the hand, watching the plump guest leave the same way the latter went in not too long ago.

It wasn’t long until Pinkie was now finally left alone following the gentle slam of the door in front of herself, a small smile still worn upon her face that still shined brightly within the very darkness thereof.