It was the night before Christmas. And through the house, not a creature was stirred. Not even a mouse. Yet on this bright holiday, as parents made sure their children sleeping, there was another set of ponies that stayed up. It’s not like they could, it was their nature.
In a faraway area, hidden and sealed off by a spell, there were a group of ponies that were far different form the others. They called themselves Pony Monsters, or Pony Freak. Born from when a spirit of a human Freak and an alive Pony combine under a full moon, they are truly powerful creatures. Driven mad with power, they were hunted and persecuted by ponies called Monster Hunters. Due to this, the Queen had sealed them all off form the world and into one secluded area. Yet, even now, they still love to celebrate the holidays.
“Well, that went rather well” Fluttershout grinned at Brutalight. She was wearing an elf sweater, green to match the season.
The Alicorn she was talking to seemed rather intrigued. She was wearing a red Santa outfit, jus minus the hat. “How are you always doing that?”
“Hmm? What are you talking about?”
“Your eyes. I get we have shrunken pupils, but we also could make them grow back to our old ones when we relax. I’ve seen the others do it before, and I did as well. It was nice. But, I never saw it happen around you. Can’t you do it too?”
Fluttershout looked down. “I can, but…who cares anyway?”
“Fluttershout, I’m saying that it would be nice if you could have a little break. You’re stressed especially with single motherhood” she then mumbled. “Besides, I’m curious”
“Curious about my eyes? You know I could hear you” Quite unlucky that the beige mare was the Queen of Sound as well as Ear Rape and could even hear the faintest of whispers.
“Okay, you caught me” she then smiled. “Come on, I wanna see what you look like”
She sighed before closing them. “Fine, here it goes”
Brutalight gave a curt nod before taking a sip from the eggnog in the cup she was drinking. Had she noticed, it had a very weird taste. It was faint, but there.
“There! Happy now?” the mare reopened her eyes to reveal they had relaxed back into the large pupils she had when she was still a Normal. If Brutalight didn’t know any better, those eyes made her as adorable as she was back then. The mare then felt a sense of tranquility in her, something she hadn’t felt in a long time. “Actually, this isn’t so bad. It’s so…peaceful…”
“See? I told you”
A bit of a distance off, two other Freaks were conversing. One was older than the other, both in Pony and Freak side. Though, the younger one was one of her own kind: Half-Freak, Half-Alien. In, perhaps a way to show it, she wore a white tunic while the older one wore an Elf shirt and fake Elf ears over earpieces.
“Merry Christmas, Bunochius. That was awesome!” Rainbine complimented the younger Freak.
“Thank you!” she then got rather worried. “I gotta know! Are you okay? Those ear pieces look like they hurt! Do you need help?”
The cyborg sighed. That was the first time anypony had wondered about the ear pieces on her head. They were used when she was reborn into a Pony Freak, but it was a very painful process as they were literally digging into her skull before cementing in along with the Host who owned them. She could remove them and retain her Freak form, but sometimes it hurt.
“Meh, it’s nothing. Not much can be done, kiddo. Besides, I’m…” she was cut off when the little one chirped.
“Because I know something that always helps! A Hershey’s Kiss!” before she could react, the young hybrid shoved the chocolate right into her mouth with a precious smile and wink. “There! Feel better! You’ll be okay!” she then turned a bit to the side. “Huh? Mom, did you call me?”
She didn’t notice it when she walked away. Rainbine was just shocked at that. Normally, when turned, a creature’s personality tends to morph to accommodate the new Host. They either go completely bonkers like Karateloo or turn to meet their Host’s. But this was new.
She knew Bunochius before as a Normal Alien, as Bunny Katsuma. She was so full of life and carefree, but also wary and stayed to her mission. She never thought she would see that. Bunny was still there, able to maintain her personality even without her pupils growing to their old size.
“Oh…my…Celestia…” she spoke up atlast from her daze. “She’s still adorable. I’m gonna keep her”
Adorableness like that cannot be tainted, especially in their race. Heck, even Fluttershout had been driven mad when she Turned. To have something like that, it’s a miracle. Rainbine just knew she had to keep that alive, if not for the better.
Before she could formulate a plan, the cyborg was confronted by a certain cannibal in reindeer antler dropped from the ceiling like a bat. “Rain, don’t even think it”
“I wonder what they’re talking about. Probably just mother-daughter stuff. Oh wait, I should know: I am a mom” Fluttershout sighed as she watched Pinkis and Rarifruit. She still disliked the Unicorn a lot but Pinkis was a different story. She was lucky to be her daughter’s Soulfriend.
“I’ve been wondering the same thing!” Kyle spoke up as he suddenly appeared right beside her. It startled her enough to nearly let out another Ear Rape scream.
Luckily, she caught herself and took a deep breath to recompose herself. “Don’t scare me like that, Kyle. I get Rainbine likes you, but I won’t hesitate to kill you if I could”
The stallion was surprised by her boldness. “Sorry. By the way, are you having as much fun at this party as I am? I bet you are!”
“Run? Whatever. I just talking with Flash, that’s all”
He frowned. “So, you’re not having any fun?”
She gave an annoyed grin. “Look, Kyle, I don’t really remember how it works back out there, but in here? We tolerate each other. We don’t play house like the rest of you”
That put a damper in his mood. “Tolerate? You mean…none of you are as close as we thought? You’re on your own? Bunochius, Rarifruit, doesn’t she love you?”
“My daughter does, but not so much for my friend. Matter of fact, all she wants is for me to start dating. It’s hard to do that when you don’t even get pass the friend level without fear”. The mare noticed the Normal’s look. “Hey, chin up; don’t frown for me, okay? It’s not a big deal”
“No! It is! I’ve decided!” he puffed up her chest. “I will be your first ever male friend!”
“WHAT?!”
“I thought we were already friends” Flash spoke up as he appeared beside them.
“Then we’ll all be friends!”
“Why does this have to happen to me?!”
Across from where they were, Rarifruit was chatting with Pinkis. The mother wore an Elf sweater with fake elf ears. The daughter had donned a pair of reindeer antlers and a brown white-spotted sweater to keep warm.
“Well, mom, how’s the party been for you so far?”
“How’s it been? Rather hilarious” the Unicorn smirked. No doubt, the Host was affecting her thoughts on Christmas. “So, this is how we had fun back then as Normals? It’s rather primitive, if you ask me”
“Primitive? Hmm…maybe. But you might warm up to it eventually and have fun. Look, even Fluttershout’s having fun”
The mare turned to see the Pegasus in question just livid. She was with Joseph and Flash, and no doubt really annoyed at their presence. She always hated males after the incident.
“Look at her! She hates them!” she mumbled. “They’re lucky she won’t attack tonight”
“You really don’t see it?” Pinkis asked. “You know, mom, I know my Joseph any more than anyone else does. Not matter where we are or how hard he tries to hide it, I can read him like a book”
“Umm, okay, can you tell me where are you taking this?”
“I’m just saying, even though he’s a tough knight, he still has a soft spot. We all do, even Fluttershout and Brutalight. Underneath all the toughness and insanity lies a sensitive and soft soul. You just haven’t been so nice to her lately. Better lighten up or Santa will put you on his Naughty List!”
“I’m trying to help her!”
“I used to be the one who makes Instant Best Friends as a Normal, and I could tell if you keep this up, you’ll lose her” she then walked away. “Also, she warned me to make sure you don’t curse infront of Bunochius. See ya!”
Later that night, the true party began as everyone dug into the food. Fluttershout and Bunochius had arrived with the best ham, pizza, and spaghetti found. Everyone was al at the table, eating their meal before they could move onto the booze. Strictly no alcohol for the kids.
Fluttershout then glanced to her side to see Rainbine. They were talking for a while, especially involving Bunochius’ inquisitiveness about her ear pieces. The little hybrid managed to keep her childish curiosity with new objects.
“That was a conversation didn’t want to be having” the cyborg confessed.
“Well, look, whatever happened, you pulled through. Heck, I heard that if it were cases like that, the pony would just die from the pain. But look at you, you’re still standing. When you see someone with a weird attachment or lost limb, you shouldn’t cry, you should clap, because that pony is still alive. You should wear your scars as pride that you made it through”
“Pride, huh? Gee, I never really thought of it that way. Thanks, Shouty” she then grinned. “Bet you wanna see how my eyes look like when they’re like those Normals, huh?”
“Really? That sounds nice. Can I?”
“Alright, but don’t judge, okay?”
“Fire away”
The cyborg then closed her eyes as she faced her completely. “Okay, here it comes”
Fluttershout waited, and then she saw it. It was a little scary for her. She leaned back from fear on the nearest pony nearby. That pony just happened to be Brutalight. When she noticed the mare, she got a little worried.
Rainbine just laughed her rump off. “What’s wrong, Shouty? You don’t look so ear-turupted”
“Brutalight…she’s got two digits stuck in her brain literally and she’s still making puns. What a fighter”
The next hour made everyone turn in for the worse. By then, the eggnog was being taken out. No alcohol because they didn’t want to risk any kids getting curious and taking it. Everyone had dispensed to their own conversations and actions.
Brutalight walked up to Applepills quickly, a cup of the eggnog in hand. “Applepills, there you are! I’ve been looking everywhere for you!”
“Whoa, you okay, Brutal? You seem uneasy”
Indeed she was. The mare had a nervous and uneasy look on her face. She saw a faint pink blush on her cheeks. Her mane was slightly messy.
“Yeah, I know. I think someone spiked the eggnog and I didn’t know. I told those idiots no! And sure, we can discuss the logistics of Pony Freaks when they are on booze, but is now really the time? I personally don’t think so”
“Mah money’s on Rainbine. You know how crazy she was back as a Normal”
“Well, whoever the idiot was, I’ll deal with them later as soon as I’m hung-over. But now, this stuff was a lot, I can tell. I’m getting tipsy already…and…thinking things…” she looked down, rather ashamed. “Promise you won’t judge me?”
“Uh, promise?” the earth pony was confused now.
“I know she’s still recovering, but…I think this stuff is making me want to kiss Fluttershout” she stared at the mare in question. She looked back at the other she was talking to. Her eyes were wide as dinner plates. “Applepills?”
The mare didn’t answer. She just took the cup out of the Queen’s magic and walked away with a forced smile. “Whelp, that’s enough eggnog for you”
“YOU’RE DEAD TO ME, APPLEPILLS!”
Lucky for Fluttershout, she was away from the disaster. She had just stopped talking to Pinkis and kept an eye out for any stallions they brought. She didn’t want to stay near them as she hated them. It was just annoying with Kyle around.
“Hey, Fluttershout!”
“Speak of the devil” she mumbled before facing him. “Hello, Kyle, again”
“Hey, Rainbine sent me to say that she’s sorry about earlier. You looked creeped out”
“What? Pfft, as if! Tell her I’m fine. I’ve seen way worse than that”
The stallion was intrigued. “Whoa, really?”
“Are you kidding? We’re Pony Freaks, madness is our middle name. That stuff just separated us form the rest. In fact, it makes your marefriend think she’s cool”
“Wait, being tortured and always on the run makes you cool here?”
Well, now that he put it that way, it didn’t sound so much fun. “Uh…yeah…it does!”
That was embarrassing. That was the truth. They were different form the other races because they were so powerful that they are constantly persecuted and therefore, almost always on the run from the enemies that want them dead.
“Okay, fun talk, bye” the mare walked away. She had to take her mind off things like this. Too bad there was no booze, but she didn’t want to make a bad example for her kid. She settled on the eggnog.
“Hey, Shouty, I wouldn’t drink that” Applepills warned. She always had one confirmed drunk Freak around; she didn’t want to have another. “Pretty sure the whole thing is spiked”
“Good! I’ve never been happier!” she yelled.
Applepills was right. The whole thing was spiked, hard. After her first cup, she was already starting to feel the first signs of drunkenness. She had seen Brutalight drunk the first time, but she still remembered what happened when she herself was drunk with Creepigie. She only hoped that it wouldn’t go as worse.
“Whoa…this nog is strong…wow…” she tried her best to keep from slurring. A faint red tint already decorated her cheeks.
“Fluttershout” Rarifruit’s voice rang as she appeared.
“Fruity! I-I mean Rarifruit!” she did her best to recompose herself as she tried to show she was still sober. She didn’t want to make a fool of herself already with this mare. The tone that she used showed she was in a bad mood. She knew not to mess with her when that happens. “S-So…how are you…um…enjoying yourself?”
She sneered. “I’m not. We’re leaving”
She was surprised. “Wait, leaving? Now? Why?”
“I can’t stand it here. Whatever I once felt before about this celebration is gone. It’s so confusing I wonder why I liked it so much back then. So why stay?” she then glared at the mare. “You’re not actually having fun, are you? You stay with me the whole way”
“Yeah, I do. This whole thing just stinks…haha…”
“Fluttershout, I saw how you were talking to them a while ago. I get you hate those stallions, so why should we stay? You must stop being so weak, or your daughter may one day see it. Give me a moment to fix my hat and we’re out of here”
That was it. She just had it. She was tired of Rarifruit constantly bossing her around and telling her what to do. She was using her own weakness against her, all so she could have her way as well? She didn’t like the party, but her daughter did. She couldn’t’ spoil it for her child. And she didn’t like when she was being bossed around by someone other than Brutalight. And no one calls her weak, not anymore.
She mumbled something under her breath.
“Hmm? What was that? Speak up, darling” the Unicorn demanded, leaning closer to hear.
“I said…SCREW YOU!” she used her Ear Rape voice, gaining the surprised mare’s full attention. Using her sound abilities, she managed to trap all her yelling in a circle around her and the Unicorn to avoid getting a look from the others. “I DON’T KNOW HOW TO TALK TO THESE ONLY FIGURATIVE FREAKS, I JUST EMBARRASSED MYSELF INFRONT OF THE ONE WHO HOLDS A WEAPON THAT COULD END OUR WHOLE RACE, AND I’M HAVIGN A PANIC ATTACK THE SIZE OF YOUR EGO! SO IF YOU’LL EXCUSE ME, I’M GONNA DRINK, UNTIL I CAN’T FEEL FEELINGS!”
She grumbled a bit before she stomped her way out of the scene, her cup of spiked eggnog still in hoof. Rarifruit was left behind with her ears still ringing slightly from the amount of volume used in all that yelling. She had no idea that one day Fluttershout would have the strength to yell that much like that to her and not back down.
“Girl, you’re in trouble” Applepills teased.
“Hush!”
“Hey Derpigun!” Bunochius chirped as she ran to the orange mare, behind her was a now-sober Brutalight. The amount of spiked eggnog she took was only a little so she was able to recover quickly after a quick nap.
“Oh, hello, Bunochius, and Brutalight” the mare greeted. She wore a reindeer outfit with antlers and sleigh bells. “What’s up?”
“We want to invite you to our new Friend Club!”
The mare chuckled, but went along with it. Ah, the times she’s still cute and innocent. The white tunic she wore emphasized it. Go along with it, or face the wrath of her mother.
“I, President Bunochius, thought you would make a perfect candidate to join! The third member isn’t really here, so it’s just me and the Minister of…um…Minister of…”
Brutalight then new she was talking about her. “Huh? Or, right! I’m the Friend Club’s Minister of War” she used her evil tone.
Derpigun got uneasy. She knew that it didn’t sound so well. Bunochius still had some things to learn.
“The Friend Club can’t have a Minister of War”
“Oh, yes it can! We’ll use Friendship Blasters to enforce Universal Kindness with an Iron Fist!”
“No, you can’t. I, the President, won’t allow it”
“The President can’t stop me! I already have the Friend Military backing up my takeover!”
“There is no Friend Military in Friend Club!” she stood on the tips of her back paws to try and make herself taller.
“Yes, there is, because I made one!” the Alicorn stared down at her.
“No one would betray me! I am a kind and just ruler! Atleast…at first…” those last words just took away the innocence and cuteness. The worst part was when her tone reverted to creepy and eerie. Her eyes glowed with a madness similar to that of her mother. It creaked both of them out.
Derpigun just walked away while Brutalight kept thinking about how Fluttershout could raise a child like this.
Rarifruit waited anxiously. She just got sent when she heard that Rainbine wanted to speak with her. She said to meet by the entrance of the party room. Finally, the mare in question arrived.
“Rarifruit, thanks for coming. Sorry I’m late”
“Eh, no need to apologize. So, what did you call me over for?”
“Right, I saw the fight between you and Fluttershout a while back. You alright?”
“Yes, just nearly lost hearing, but we always heal quickly”
“Physically, we heal quickly, but those in the mind, don’t heal as fast” she grew hostile immediately. “I saw how you were treating her a long time ago and I sure as heck saw how your little conversation with her. Now, I don’t fully know how love works around us, but I could tell Shout still feels love because of her daughter. So let’s skip the polite stuff. I don’t care how you’re doing. Appreciate and love her like she deserves or you’ll regret it when something bad happens” she then calmed down. “Now go and apologize, for her sake yours”
She then let out a sigh before walking away. “I’m glad we had this chat”
The cyborg groaned as she went away. So many things happen at this party and it’s just within an hour after dinner. She didn’t know how much more she could take. “This party is an awful idea”
She then noticed Applepills, who looked rather weird. She looked a little tired but still smiling weirdly. A small pink blush tainted her cheeks. She held a cup in her hoof.
“Applepills? Are you okay? Wait, is that the spiked…”
“Umm, you saw Brutalight acting up earlier, right?”
“Yeah?”
“And you noticed how much time she spends with Fluttershout nowadays, right?”
“Yeah, it’s pretty noticeable now”
“She…uh…got pretty drunk”
She then felt uneasy. “Yeah?”
“And she told me something…”
“I don’t think I want to know?”
“She told me…”
“No”
“…she wanted…”
“Stop”
“…to kiss Fluttershout”
That made both mare stop and get uneasy. Even as Freaks, this was weird. Coming to life repeatedly, strange abilities, and death-causing young are insane, but this crossed the line. Applepills then noticed how weird it was now just sharing it to a friend.
“S-so…I guess that means…you…and I…”
Before anyone could speak, Francie waltzed in, grinning from ear to ear. “Narcissistic self-Shipping lovelorns. So, who’s going to win her in this game of passion? I want nieces and nephews”
Rainbine already left due to the awkwardness while Applepills reprimanded her sister. “Francie, no”
“Francie, yes”
Things had just turned into a disaster after the spiked eggnog came into the mix. Luckily, Brutalight and Applepills only took a small amount so they both sobered up quickly. The same cannot be said for Fluttershout. The mare just ran off and really did drink until she couldn’t feel feelings. She didn’t want Bunochius to see so she hid herself.
Now, Applepills and Rainbine were hogging the eggnog. Well, Rainbine was drinking, Applepills was pouring. She was already showing signs of drunkenness as she gained a small blush. No surprise, she had taken a huge amount. This was probably more than her record when she was a Normal on just alcoholic cider.
“Rain, ya’ll should probably stop” the orange mare warned.
“I’ll stop when I’m dead, and repeat again when I come back” the mare kept herself from slurring.
Brutalight then came over to them. “Oh, hello, Applepills and Rainbine. I see you two have just taken some of the only alcohol around”
“Technically, it’s just Rainbine”
The Alicorn eyed the drunken mare before turning back to the sober one. “Even as a Pony Freak, you’re a drunk. Anyway, have either of you see Fluttershout? I need to talk to her about Bunochius’ Friend Club”
“Friend Club? How cute, as if having a foal as a Host wasn’t enough”
“She’s not here. She ran off after a fight with Rarifruit”
The mare immediately got worried. When the words, “fight”, “Fluttershout”, and “Rarifruit” are in the same sentence, nothing can be safe. “Fight? What fight? When did this happen?”
“She was yelling at Fruity. It was about an hour ago. It looked pretty brutal”
“I gotta go! I have to make sure she’s okay!” she then ran off as fast as her hooves could carry her.
“W-wait! I’ll go too!” Rainbine spoke up. She tried to get up, but she slipped instead. She tried to push up, but it was in vain. That was when she realized it. “I drank too much…I hate this party…”
“You can’t be very…‘circuitous’?” the mare tried to cheer her up with a bad pun.
She laughed a little before groaning from the amount of alcohol in her body. “Oh, Celestia…this party can’t get any worse…”
But they were just so wrong. See, Flash went ahead and invited Enea, a friend of theirs. He was a light grey stallion with a black mane and red eyes. He came in wearing a Santa outfit. Beside him was an enemy to the Elements of Insanity.
It was old Painset Shimmercakes. She wore a matching Santa outfit, along with the hat. She already had a drink in her magic grasp.
“Hey, it isn’t a true party until you have a proper guest in your midst” she spoke as she turned to them. “Hey, what’s this?”
Applepills tried to be polite. “Hello, Painset, welcome to our Christmas party. Currently, everypony is either drunk, unhappy, or completely oblivious, so it’s been fun” Behind her, an annoyed and angry drunken Rainbine held onto the wall for support.
“Huh, well I hope it will be” she then gave the motion for Enea before putting a Restriction Ring on her horn. “Rest assured, I’m only here because Enea wanted a date. I’ll try to not cause any trouble. This Restriction Ring shall insure it. I only have enough free will to levitate objects slightly. For this night only, I’m just visiting”
“Uh…okay…but you have to speak with…” Applepills was cut off by Rainbine.
“Oh, don’t worry, I got this” she then glared at Painset the best she could past her drunkenness. “First off, Ms. Cool Guy Shimmercakes, this is a part of our Base, not yours, ya’ll got no jurisdiction here. And next off, I die when I say I die. Do you hear me, you dumb, bat-bird-winged abomination? I defy you, and kick your speckled face!”
Applepills was getting rather uneasy with the cyborg’s words. Not only was she afraid of making the guest angry when she came in peace, but also because she was slumping down from the alcohol. She gave a nervous glance to the Alicorn, who was just smirking. She motioned she wouldn’t mind it.
“I could just dodge with all your alcohol” she grinned.
“Shut it with your stupid logic!” she fell to the ground. “I just need to the sit down, but I will fight you, punk!”
Meanwhile, Fluttershout was off sulking in one of the closets nearby. She was coming down and hung-over from all the alcohol, but she didn’t feel like coming out, not after what she had said. She had chosen to hide in the dark so no one would see her. Her eyes had relaxed down into the ones with large pupils, while her hat was on her side, and she still sported a red blush. She only hoped that no one had noticed the fight and told Brutalight.
“Knock, knock”
Speak of the devil. “Argh…go away…I don’t wanna talk…” she groaned, her eyes back into the Freak version.
“Um…you’re supposed to say ‘who’s there?’”
“I may joke around, but I’m not really in the mood for it now”
“Okay, you start it then” there was some silence before she spoke again. “Come on, please?”
She sighed. “Fine, knock, knock”
“Who’s there?”
“Um…” she thought a bit before coming up with one. “Juno”
“Juno who?”
“Juno anything other than using my jokes card?”
Chuckling was heard from the outside. “Well, I had to try”
She sighed. “Whatever, get in here, Queen”
“Sure thing, Shouty Bad Romance” Brutalight then walked into the closet with the mare; luckily it was a big one. She grew concerned as she closed the door and sat beside the hung-over mare. “Hey, are you okay?”
She let out a groan, but didn’t look her way.
“Yeah, I kinda expected that”
“Well, the booze numbed some stuff, so yeah” she raised the empty cup to prove her point.
Brutalight chuckled. She remembered when she was drunk that one time with an object she thought was a potion. She was lucky the beige mare was there to help her. Now, it was fair she had to help her back in return.
“You know, you can talk to me. I’m right here for you” she spoke gently.
“No need to. I’m a big mare. I’m not little Miss-Shy-and-Weak anymore. I’m not doing that little feelsy thing my old self kept doing…such a weakling”
Brutalight was getting concerned. That may be her past self, but it’s still her. “Shouty, I think you’re being mean to yourself”
She faked a laugh. “That’s hilarious, the Queen of Ear Rape, mean! Do you know what mean is?” she put her hat on to try and look like her more intimidating self.
“Mean is walking out in a graveyard and letting a mare get possessed by a Freak ghost, simply because that mare was ‘too weak’. Mean is walking down the street in a form that’s not your own and knowing others are watching, because you’re so different from them. And one day, you had your glimmer of happiness taken from you by a person you thought you could trust. And now you live with others of your kind because those other species want you dead. And you’re terrified, and you can’t tell anyone, because that’s what weak Freaks do” she was starting to sound broken. “And you go to a party because you got your bundle of joy back, and some of your friends brought those from the same race that persecuted us and…”
She was near crying now. “And…they’re happy. And they joke…and talk…and there’s no fear…no front walls…I just…I…”
She couldn’t speak anymore. She was on the verge of crying, but didn’t let it show. Brutalight now understood her. She misses her old life. She misses just being normal. As a Freak, your life is on the run and you must stay low key or risk capture. Sure she had a rough life as a Normal, but it was so much more peaceful than this.
“I’m sorry…” she hid her face in her hooves.
“No, it’s okay, I didn’t know” she put a hoof on her shoulder.
Meanwhile, Rarifruit was approaching Bunochius. She felt a little bad after hearing everything that Fluttershout had to say. She was hoping she could talk to her about it, especially since she started a Friend Club.
“Hello, Bunochius, I heard you started a Friend Club” she spoke to her.
“Oh, right! I’m the President! But mom says I’m her Princess!”
“Right, so…about this whole friendship…Brutalight kept saying that for our kind, it’s when we form alliances to decimate enemies together, is that true?”
“What?” the hybrid was now confused. “No, that’s not how it works…”
“That’s exactly how it works!” Brutalight yelled as she chimed in. “Also, you should talk to Shouty”
“That’s what I’m trying…”
She was cut off by the Freak-Alien. “I’m helping her right now! And don’t lie about Friendship! I knew you as the Friendship Princess and you would never lie!”
“Why not? In this race, young Bunochius, you need to do whatever you can to make sure your subjects live on. You will learn this one day when you’re Queen of Ear Rape. Misinformation is the easiest way to control the masses”
“Does that mean you’ve been lying to us this whole time?”
“No! Of course not! What I meant was…”
Rarifruit had enough. “WILL ONE OF YOU STUPID ROYALS JUST HELP ME TALK TO F*CKING FLUTTERSHOUT?!”
It was only when the two went silent did she realize what she had done. She swore infront of Bunochius. And it was even the worst word to say around a child. She was doomed now. It became even worse as she felt an eerie prescience behind her.
“Hey mom, what did I tell you?”
Pinkis had to take a while to finally get Bunochius to not say that word. She was wondering why or what it meant but she just said that she should never say it. The hybrid agreed after she was given a candy cane from the table. Now, she just had to talk to Rarifruit.
“Alright, we’re alone, and she won’t say it. You wouldn’t kill your own mother, would you?” the mare got a little worried.
“Nah, just here to help since you mentioned it” she then turned to lead a direction. “Now let’s go fix this issue with our Queen of Ear Rape”
“Wait, right now?!”
“It’s okay, just take a rest, partner” Applepills spoke comfortingly as Rainbine lied on the floor. The cyborg had finally gone down into hung-over state and was now currently in pain from the amount she had drunk. She held her head with a hoof as she groaned in pain.
Painset was just watching the scene. She found it rather amusing. Taking her phone out, she snapped a selfie before adding some text one it.
‘Sorry, Enea, found a new bae’ it said.
“And sent” she smirked as it posted.
“So, I didn’t think you go on the invite list, especially with Brutalight and all” the orange mare spoke up. “Also, your Type is a Demonic Goddess-slash-Hybrid Abomination, right? So why do you need a phone?”
“Well, I like to stay connected. Plus, Enea really wanted me to come along since Kyle invited him and it was a Normals-Pony Freaks party so he thought I may as well tag along since the others have Pony Freak dates, and I was his marefriend” she then thought a bit. “He also said you had good eggnog and ‘everyone should try it’”
As she continued to look through her phone, Rainbine suddenly felt uneasy. She thought about what Painset said, and despite her distrust to her, she still felt it was true. She then noticed Applepills’ look and then came up with a theory.
“IT WAS YOU!”
Fluttershout was sleeping in a sitting position. It had been a while since Brutalight left after comforting her. She fell asleep at one point and the mare had left a blanket she teleported on her so she could stay warm.
“Alright, time to force some making up!”
“NO!”
She was fully sober when the door opened and sprung right out of the blanket. She sat up, her cup in hoof as she came to see who woke her. It was Pinkis and Rarifruit, and she was fully scared now.
“What is this?” she asked, trying to hide her fear.
“Hey, welcome to the Pony Freak Therapy Closet. I’m your host, Pinkis Cupcake, Pony Freak #4”
“Ok…wow…this is silly…”
“Silly or not, this is gonna help. I wouldn’t really have suggested this, but of Brutalight’s constantly worrying, Bunochius is in the crossfire of innocence, and you two Queens of a sub-kingdom in our race are a special case”
“Oh, great, a special case!” she gritted her teeth as she fixed up her hat.
“#2 uses sarcasm” she took it down on a notepad and pen that suddenly appeared out of nowhere. “Now, I get that we really are different now from the Normals, because we’re not really all sunshine and bubble baths, so I have a special idea. Alright, Fluttershout, time to fix your issues with my mom…with violence”
That caught both their attention. Did they hear right, violence? Sure, they fight a lot, but it was never physical and bloody on their terms, except for Bunochius, but she was still new to the setting. And as much as she really hated her, Fluttershout did not want to beat up Rarifruit.
“Wait, WHAT?!” the beige mare yelled, her voice almost heard from outside.
“Go on, beat her up, Shouty”
“You…want me to beat up your mother…right infront of you?”
“Yep, that’s the plan. But if you don’t want me to watch, I could leave right now”
“Hehe…wow! Out of all things I have encountered, even my daughter, you are, by far, the most insane thing I have encountered! Why do you want me to beat up Rarifruit?”
“Huh?” she was confused now. “Don’t you want to beat her up, after everything she does to you?”
“NO!” she lost it. “RARIFRUIT IS FINE! I JUST WISH I COULD TALK TO HER!”
She let it slip. She didn’t know she was right there, and she let it slip.
“Fluttershout, talk to me about what?” she sounded both surprised and gentle.
“Um…nothing, Rarifruit, it’s fine…” she tried to hide it by looking down with a forced smile.
“Fluttershout, as a friend, I order you to tell me what is going on”
Now she was in for it. There was no escaping now. She would have to tell her the truth.
Pinkis smiled as she left. “Whelp, that’s my cue to leave. I’ll be out now, you guys got this”
“YOU DID IT! I KNOW YOU DID!” Rainbine yelled, still pointing a hoof to Applepills.
“Uh, what did I do?”
“You spiked the punch!”
“Heya! What’s going on here?” Pinkis asked as she came in the room.
“Rainbine thinks I spiked the punch”
“Well, did you?”
“Nope”
“Well, there’s your answer”
“She’s lying!” her hoof soon fell down as she held her head again. She was clearly not yet fully sober.
“Well, I’ll be hanging with you now” she then noticed Painset as she sat. “So…why are you here?”
Not far, Brutalight was already on edge. She had overheard the news when Creepy Belle reported to her all the stats. For safety precautions, she decided to stay a bit of a distance away from the enemy but close enough to see her friends. Yet, she was still on the lookout for Fluttershout and Rarifruit she saw what Pinkis did and was now more worried than a mother with a child coming late at home.
“This better end well, Pinkis, or I will put you in the Crusher” she mumbled under her breath.
She had no idea someone else had appeared right behind her. It was a mare with red skin, deep blue hair with light blue and red highlights, purple eyes, and faint blue eyeliner. She wore a Santa costume, but it was somewhat rainbow-ish.
“MEERY X-MAS, GIRL!” she yelled, arms spread wide, startling the Alicorn she greeted.
“Girl, I just love the X-mas here! It’s so bright and cheery, and everything is even more heightened when you’re a Freak!”
“What…who are you?” she was frightened and surprised by the newcomer.
She didn’t seem to hear her. “But, my radical sistern, there is always going to be trouble in this holiday: Dangerous levels of intoxicants…and love…”
She was about to ask, when she had an arm draped on her as the mare spoke. “My dear, have you been drinking at this party?”
“Uh…yeah…”
“And have you been having weird, crazy thoughts about locking lips, and possibly tongues, with one of those who are present?”
“Uh…”
“That’s okay, sister. An open intervention and communication is what a secret lovelorn like you needs the most. I’m here, sis, I’m here”
“Uh…leave me alone right now or I’ll turn you into a jar of apple cider, and break it!” she warned, flaring up her horn.
“Ha-ha…That’s just cold and I’m only trying to help…on the other hoof…why would you do it with children present?” her tone was eerie. “Catch ya later, lovelorn. I’ll be watching…very closely”
Before she could react, the mare just disappeared in a literal poof. Brutalight was confused and coughed a bit. But it was true, in a sense. She was drinking, and she was having weird thoughts about kissing Fluttershout. But she was hoping none of it would show.
She looked around to see if the mare was anywhere in sight like Trixie, but not.
“What was in that eggnog?” she wondered.
That question was soon answered after she eavesdropped a little on Applepills. The orange mare was already helping herself to the spiked eggnog relentlessly. She drank it down straight from the container. She was getting stoned faster than anyone else who had it before. She wondered why she would do that.
Fortunately, Bunochius came to ask. “Heya AP! You look down! Do you need a friend too? I can help!”
The mare spoke, trying not to slur. “You know how this nog affected the other who took it? I’ve been holding onto it so no one else takes it and does something they will regret later on. But you know when Painset told me about that weird, scary story? I think I’m just gonna drink until I pass out” she paused for a bit, almost falling over. “And…with all that…I think I’m coming down now…”
The hybrid laughed with a wink. “Yeah! Hardcore whiskey really has that effect on anypony!”
The mare stood quietly, almost collapsing, but she refused. She thought about what the child said, and saw the innocence in her eyes seemingly just fade away. She was even winking evilly with a grin that matched her mother’s.
“No…”
“Goodness! You don’t look well, AP!” she sounded worried and cheerfully took the bowl away. “Here, let me get that for you, afterall…who know what could be in it?” she used an eerie tone and a scary look in her eyes.
Brutalight grew more nervous by the minute as she waited for Fluttershout and Rarifruit to come out of the closet. She feared that things went awry and one of them might walk out hurt, threatened, or traumatized.
She was surprised to see how they were when they both exited the closet. Both gave a genuine smile and were talking openly.
“Thanks, Fruity. You’re the best” Fluttershout gave a giggle.
“Well, of course, darling” she smiled at her before walking off. “I’ll be at the party room with the others should you come to find me”
“Will do” she waved before noticing Brutalight. Remembering her order for the night, she shifted her eyes down to the calmer version. “Hey, Brutalight! What are you doing out here?”
She breathed out a sigh of relief. “I was worried something would go wrong, but it seems I over-exaggerated. So, you and Fruity are talking now?”
“Yeah, we finally talked. It’s not so much, but it’s off to a good start. I’m just glad now that I finally got that off my chest”
“Oh good. Oh! And before I forget, I gotta tell you about Friend Club”
“Uh, Friend Club?”
“Well, you weren’t there, but…Bunochius started a little Friend Club with me for fun! She’s the President, and I’m the Minister of War”
She chuckled. “Aww, how cute. One day, she shall be Queen. This is great practice for her future”
“But wait, this is a story of betrayal and sabotage!” Brutalight grinned.
“Wait, what?”
The mare’s eyes then suddenly began to flare with the chaos she was installed with when she was reborn. “For you see, the Minister of War is unhappy with her current position. She is certain she can overthrow the President at ease. However, she will need the full and support of her armies. The Minister is a mare of tactics, but she is no true warrior. You, however, would make my perfect warrior. So, what do you say? Will you help me lead our army into eternal power and glory?”
By the time she was done with her speech, Fluttershout seemed to have gained a pink blush on her cheeks. She didn’t answer; just stared. A few more moments and Brutalight got nervous.
“Uh…too much?” she looked awkwardly away. “Wow…I just told you I wanted to destroy your daughter’s fun and innocence. I should’ve just stayed put. I just wanted to see if I can teach her a thing or two about leadership as a Freak and…”
“Yes” she was cut off when Fluttershout’s eyes went back to their standard insane form. “We will make that softy President beg for our mercy!”
She then began to show an evil laugh before noticing she was doing it alone. “Um, you have to do it too or I look like an idiot”
“Oh, right!”
Both then gave their evil laughter. Boy, the Princess of Ear Rape better watch out. Trouble’s on the way and it’s got two Queens of the same race.
Rainbine was still trying to get past the hangover. She was able to stand now, but she still didn’t feel too well. She was planning to sleep in the closet for the rest of the party when she bumped into Rarifruit.
“Oh, hey, Fruity! So, how’s everything for you?”
“Oh, Fluttershout and I spoke and we are currently working out our differences”
“Whoa, so how did it go?”
“It’s been alright so far, atleast she finally became more open now and I’m trying my best to accommodate and be more sensitive to her state. And I wanted to thank you, because you helped me find the courage to speak to her”
“Really?” she was fully attentive now.
“Yes, I apologized. Also, Rainbine, you didn’t try to sugarcoat what you meant to say. You direct and didn’t wanted to back down when you threatened me to talk to her”
“Oh…” she looked down, a little unsure.
“And, it made me realize that I have to be a better mare, even if I’m a Pony Freak now, especially to my own kind. We said it ourselves on the night we made Brutalight reborn. “We may be new and improved, but our elements are still within us”
Rainbine looked down. She did remember that night. And she did notice some things. Every now and then, if they are surrounded by something that had a connection to their lives as a Normal, they could feel their old selves reemerge from the power of their Hosts. They were still them. And she was still Rainbow Dash.
“And so, because we still need each other, I have decided to be a little more sensitive to the others beliefs and feelings. And I will consider saying I love you as a friend, if you so wish for it”
When she finally finished speaking, the cyborg looked like she was tearing up. She got worried immediately.
“What’s wrong, darling?”
“N-nothing…it’s just…you’re so…I’d love that…very much…I’m just so…I’m just drunk and emotional…”
Applepills was still trying to pull herself together with all the spiked eggnog she consumed. She has spotted Pinkis and went over to her. Apart from Fluttershout and Brutalight, Pinkis is one of the few Freaks who knew Bunochius pretty well. Perhaps she could enlighten her about how the cheeky little hybrid dared to make them drunk by adding whiskey to the drinks.
“Heya” she spoke.
“Oh, hey, Rainbine! How are you holding up? You weren’t acting so calm after Painset and her story” Pinkis pointed out.
“Yeah…no…I’m a wreck” she got back to the topic at hand. Hey, Pinkis, how much do you know about your Soulfriend?”
“Pretty much everything as she does with me. We’re like two peas in a pod, why?”
“So…what if I were to tell you that…I found who spiked the eggnog and…well…how would you feel if I said that your Soulfriend spiked the eggnog with whiskey? Because…she told me…with an evil look in her eye?”
For a moment, Pinkis didn’t say anything. She didn’t change her expression. Then, she just pat her friend by the shoulder and walked away.
Painset had just retracted from the eggnog disaster and was now just drinking her non-spiked smoothie. Rarifruit had spotted her. She initially was about to go and inform Brutalight when she was filled in on the details. She wasn’t so sure if she could trust their enemy in their Base, but she didn’t want to ruin in for the others.
“I don’t recall you being here earlier. Painset Shimmercakes, correct?”
“Hmm? Oh, yes”
“Well, I heard what your arrangement was for the night, so I will do my best on my half of this deal. And for my friend’s sake, I will try and make sure I don’t freak out”
“You shouldn’t go all the way like that”
She was confused. “Hmm? Why?”
“Be good and obey orders, but don’t deny who you truly are. You’re Rarifruit, the Queen of Greed. You rule a subkingdom in our race and have quite the body count. You shouldn’t let the party change that” she then looked down a bit. “Though, don’t try killing anyone here. I’ll take a punch to the shoulder if you want, but that will be it”
Without any more words, she drank her beverage again as Rarifruit stared at her. She just told her it was fine to be herself, even if it was dangerous. Perhaps she wasn’t as bad as she thought.
“I like you” she grinned.
“I like me too” she winked.
Meanwhile, some trouble was brewing on the other side of the spectrum. Fluttershout was fully on board with Brutalight to take over Bunochius’ Friend Club. She knew that she was the President of the club, but she still had to be stronger if she wanted to prove she was her mother’s Princess. Brutalight wanted to teach the little innocent upstart a lesson in what it means to be a Freak. Being sunshine and bubble baths won’t cut it. She needs to shed her cutie demeanor and develop some toughness. This takeover may each her how.
“Okay, I spotted her heading into the supply room. Let’s get her” Brutalight grinned when she saw a trail of white cloth move into the said room.
“Oh, yes, let’s go” she grinned back.
Both mares made their way to the door very stealthily. One sound and it could betray their presence. Then again, Bunochius was in Alien form so she had rabbit hearing and could still detect them, as well as her keen sense of smell. Then again, some traits may be removed when a Pony Freak was born to accommodate new ones. There was a chance they were gone because she would damage herself if she could hear the Ear Rape in enhanced volume.
They saw her inside the room. She was giggling and being oh so happy. She did what looked like a ballet step as she twirled in her tunic. It was as pure as she was. Too pure.
“Hey, Bunochius, we’ve been looking for you!” they both called out to her.
“Hey, mom and Brutalight!” she chirped. “Gosh! It’s been a while since the three members of the Friend Club have been together like this!”
“It’s only been an hour. Also, try putting some lights on in here. You could damage your eyes” Fluttershout softly reprimanded her. It was true. The room was dark so the only thing they could see was her daughter dressed like a bride without a veil and bouquet.
Brutalight wasn’t listening as she cackled. “Sorry, not sorry, Bunochius, but this is a Coup! Your reign as President is coming to an end!”
The hybrid seemed to flinch a bit, but her smile didn’t falter. “Aww, Brutalight, please don’t this. You might regret it!”
“I doubt it. I’m the Queen of Freaks, and you’re still a child who’s learning to hone her skills. I have the souls of two powerful Freaks and all you have is the soul of a filly. I’ve killed many without mercy. I didn’t feel regret then; I won’t feel it any time soon!”
“You misheard, Brutalight. That was a threat, not a plea”
“A threat?” the mare threw her head back in laughter. This Freak was really a foal, not just in her age, but also her mindset! “Bunochius, you have no allies to defend your title! You can’t even control your own Host at times or your new abilities! You’re powerless against this takeover!”
“…that you know of”
“Hmm?”
“I have no allies that you know of”
That caught their attention. What did she mean? “Hmm?”
“Bunochius, don’t lie to your mother or superior”
She giggled a bit. “Gosh! I almost feel so sorry for you!”
Right then, the two mares then noticed something moving in the shadows. There were two somethings, really. Both seemed different from the other.
“Oh, well, you asked for it!” she shrugged as she closed her eyes.
They took a side behind Bunochius, one on her left, and the other on her right. Finally, their forms became more visible. Both mares were horrified at what they were seeing. There was no way she could’ve had tough Freaks like her, let alone ones who were very powerful. That was just what they were seeing.
“You should know, Brutalight. When you threaten the leader of an entire club…”
One mare had the shape and form of Flutterbat. Yet, it looked like it was yellow splashed on blue skin. Her eyes were yellow and glowing and cat-like. Her wings were like that of a bat’s. Her red mane and tail were messy. She had sharp fangs. She wore a Santa outfit, without the hat. The funny thing was that the outfit seemed to have been knit and made just for her.
The second was a mare with red skin, deep blue hair with light blue and red highlights, purple eyes, and faint blue eyeliner. She wore a Santa costume, but it was somewhat rainbow-ish. It was the same mare that Brutalight thought she hallucinated earlier.
“…smart leaders call backup”
Bunochius finished her sentence as she opened her eyes, no longer with their innocent shone.
Rainbine was awfully happy for quite a while after her discussion with Rarifruit. Painset seemed to have noticed as she went over to see if she could tease her about earlier. She promised not to do damage, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t make a little verbal joke.
“Hey, still having a terrible time?” she spoke.
“Oh, hey, Painset!” the cyborg was now happy, which confused her. “And nope! The party is great! I take it back! I’m having a great time!”
“Wait, since when?”
“Since Rarifruit said we can talk freely and she could say she loves me! So you know what, Painset? Suck it!”
She just grinned. “Actually, I can do just that”
“What?”
“It’s been established that I can’t really hurt anyone here. But, a few teasing’s are not so bad, right?”
“Oh, no, you don’t!” she growled. And just when things were getting better! “I’m not putting up with all your sadistic stuff!”
“Wait, am I a sadist? That explains some things” she then paused before speaking again. “But, Rainbine, I’m trying to help you. Happiness as a Freak doesn’t really suit you. And I think I know why now”
“What are you talking about?”
“Well, let’s go over the facts, shall we? You have earpieces sticking out of your head, and you don’t even bother to hide it. You’re wearing an elf outfit, but no elf ears like your date. You’re also at a party which you hate, and instead of leaving, you’re drinking yourself to death. And you kept dying at times form the attacks or madness, but it doesn’t faze you” she grinned. “You’re a masochist, Rainbine”
The mare just stopped. It was true. She was all that. She does all that. She had no idea until now, and even this enemy had found out.
“Oh no” she groaned as she slunk down.
“There you go” Painset winked before sipping her drink again.
Applepills was still trying to get a hold of herself from the spiked drinks. Painset was scary enough, but with how Bunochius confessed that she was the one who had the audacity to spike their drinks just took the party to a whole new level of insanity. She didn’t know how much more of this she could take. So many things had just happened and it wasn’t even 3 in the morning yet. Brutalight begins having weird thoughts about Fluttershout, Shouty has a fight with Rarifruit from her drunken stupor, Painset arrives, Rainbine is a mess, she is a wreck from the story, and now Bunochius has been spiking drinks. What was gonna happen next?
Her thoughts were answered when she heard screaming. She turned her head and saw Brutalight and Fluttershout running as fast as they could from something that wasn’t even chasing them. It was clear they had just fled from something.
“I knew there was something wrong with combining a Freak soul with an Alien!” Brutalight yelled.
“Okay, let’s try and stay calm…” Fluttershout looked down.
“I AM BLOODY CALM!” she used so much volume, the mare’s hate almost fell off. “What kind of connections does that kid of yours even have?!”
“Um, good enough to know another ‘destroyer of worlds’ and some hyperactive nightmare?” she was scared in case she would face her Leader’s wrath.
She just took a deep breath to recompose herself. “Perhaps I should’ve seen this coming. That one in the rainbow Santa costume actually harassed me earlier, but I thought it was just all in my head”
“She did WHAT?! Want me to make her deaf?”
“No, it’s fine. She just called me a lovelorn because I wanted to ki-” she then remembered that the very mare she wanted that with was standing right infront of her. She just went on with the “I” syllable, hoping to throw her off she sweated nervously. “iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii”
Fluttershout was confused at what was going on. Brutalight was just playing on and on with the “I” syllable. She wondered what was going on and why she seemed a little afraid. She eventually got annoyed and gave up.
“Well, this is awkward” she turned about face and left. “I’m gonna go get some cookies”
“iiiiii-yeah!” she laughed nervously now that she dodged a bullet. “See you!”
Pinkis had walked over to the room Bunochius was in; she saw Brutalight Fluttershout come out from there earlier and had a feeling. It was just right as she saw her Soulfriend laughing in the dark room with two other Freaks. She knew those two as enemies according to Brutalight so it surprised her that Bunochius was just laughing with them as their friend.
“Yeah, gotta love it!” she laughed with them before noticing Pinkis. “Oh! Excuse me for a moment; I have to speak to someone”
“Hey, Soulfriend, what’s going on?” the mare asked her.
“Oh, nothing, just some typical party stuff!”
“And, those two?” she pointed to the others behind them.
“Oh, those two are my pen pals, Rachidile from the Subjects and Sonica Douskan from the Bloody Symphony”
“Neat. You made friends with who Brutalight called our enemies. Your mother must be proud” she then grinned. “So, you spooked Applepills out about the eggnog?”
She nodded before laughing. “Yeah, her face was priceless!”
She nodded. “Alright, I won’t stop your fun. Just, no killing anyone, alright?”
“I told you that was an accident! I had no idea I was capable of using my mom’s Ear Rape Death Scream”
“Yeah, we all surprised ourselves that day” she then eyed one of them. “Alright, I’m gonna go and talk to your buddies, okay?”
“Okay”
Pinkis gave a nuggie to her Soulfriend before going over to the mares.
Sonica beamed when she saw her. “Heya, girl! What’s sup?” she was ignored as the pink mare passed by her. Nonetheless, she just played on. “Yeah, that’s fine, girl! You do great, my fine line brotato chip!”
Rachidile was feeling anxious before she noticed her.
“Heya, pal”
“Whoa!”
“So, another one of the Subjects here, huh? That’s interesting”
She grinned. “Yeah, so? I was invited”
“I’m aware, so I got a question for you”
“Okay, lay it on me”
Before she could react, Pinkis jumped to her front hooves before she bucked her in the face and sent her flying to a wall. She then calmed down before speaking again. “Don’t touch my Soulfriend”
Sonica was just dazed form what she saw. “Bro, that was not a question…”
“Shut!”
“Hey, Painset” Rarifruit greeted the mare after a short separation.
“Hello Rarifruit”
“What have you been doing lately?”
“Nothing much. Earlier, I was hate-flirting with Rainbine but now…I can’t stop staring at that filly”
Fruity turned her attention to the one she was talking about. It was Francie Bloom. She was just giggling and laughing in a corner as she watched what was going on around her. That was new. Francie almost never smiled or laughed since she came to be, she was always so serious. It was safe to assume that she may have sneaked a cup or two of the spiked drinks.
“Has she been there the whole time?” Painset wondered.
“Oh, her? That’s Francie Bloom, Applepills’ little sister. I have never seen her laugh like this much before”
Painset grinned. “I’m gonna go and see if I can mess with her”
“Uh, I wouldn’t do that, darling. Applepills might have a fit, and I’m pretty sure she’s a little unhinged”
“So everyone else at this party. I’ll just go and say hi” she then walked over to the giggling filly. “Hey, buddy, this party is so killer it’s going to be the death of me. How are you?”
Instead of answering, Francie just stopped her laughter. She stared at Painset for a bit before looking around. “You can see me?”
“Uh, yeah, why?”
The filly then seemed shocked. “Tania, do you know what this means?”
“Uh, just call me Painset”
“I was able to make myself turn invisible using the Host in my body…”
“What?”
The filly was already leaning up and whispering in her ear. “…Pretty soon, I could make buildings explode just by thinking of it”
“Oh, Celestia…what are you?”
Brutalight sighed and let out the breath she was holding. She almost told Fluttershout how she felt. That was embarrassing. Good thing she can’t herself just in time or things would go really awkward. Before she could react, Applepills came over to her.
“Whelp, dodged a good bullet there”
“You were…watching?” she got nervous.
“Unfortunately, yes”
“That was a close one. Too close. Too close for comfort. One more word and…”
“Yeah, so regarding your things with Fluttershout?”
“Yeah?” she was anxious about what to hear.
“Never. Ever. Tell. Her” she growled with each word. “It’s making me really uncomfortable, and I like you so please don’t tell her. Also, she’s a single mother with an abomination for a kid so no”
She then recomposed herself before speaking again. “Okay, glad that’s sorted out”
“Yeah…” the Alicorn was still a little shaken about what happened.
“YO! I GOTZ A MESSAGE FOR YA, DAWGZ!” Sonica cried as she jumped right out of the nowhere.
The shock had caused both mares to scream a little and jump from the shock. Brutalight immediately got angry after calming down.
“Don’t. Ever. Do That” she growled.
“This is from the Prez, girl! Don’t shoot the messenger!” she beamed as she produced a white card form her Santa hat.
With a huff, the Alicorn took the letter. No doubt it was from Bunochius. She probably may have heard about what happened and wanted to rub it in. The letter was written fairly well in crayon. There was a sketch of her and Bunochius in the bottom of the second page.
Dear Brutalight Sparcake,
You are invited to a super special tea party! Just you and me, alone! I got a rare Darjeeling just for the occasion!
-Bunochius
P.S. I found some construction paper and crayons around in the supply room and so I had Sonica send you this letter! I hope you like the drawing I made of you and me.
“Huh, I got a date with the freak” Brutalight sighed as she read the end of the letter.
“So, what are you gonna do?” Applepills seemed anxious. This was dangerous now that they had a clear view of what Bunochius could really do. It was crazy she was able to hide it for so long, but then you never know what a kid could be really capable of until they show it themselves.
“Obviously, I must go” she looked back at the orange mare before turning to her path for her fate. “And if I don’t make it back, tell Fluttershout she’s hot”
The mare facehoofed. “What did we just talk about?”
Rainbine had been trying to calm down and get over what Painset had said earlier. It made her freak out that she realized she was actually like that. It was insane. Luckily, she spotted Rarifruit so she decided she could practically just talk it over with her.
“Hello again Rainbine, how have you been?” she greeted her.
“I’ve been a little better. Sorry about crying like that earlier. I was just drunk and it made me emotional”
“Don’t fret, I understand. I’m aware some of us were made to be a little less strong than the other if you take the amount of power we have and put it on a scale”
“Wait, what?”
“It’s not your fault. I mean, being the Queen of a subkingdom in your race has its quirks as well so you should be happy your type is just an Overwatch Pegasus”
“WHAT”
She was surprised at how she reacted. She swore that her eyes seemed to have shrunk even more than they normally did and it made her seem a little more freaky than usual. Before she could react, Fluttershout came in and began to push her away from the scene.
“Fruity! There you are! I need your help real quick!” she frantically began to push her away as she eyed the frozen in place cyborg with fear and worry.
“But, Fluttershout, I was having a nice chat with…”
“FRUITY, RIGHT NOW, OKAY! GO GO GO GO!”
Only when she was sure they were far from the others did Fluttershout began to speak again. She was alright now with her and Fruity’s relationship, but she was still mad at her making Rainbine like that. Yes, she knew the cyborg tried to kill two of them on two separate occasions, but those were accidents. Also, she could tell she was still in hangover by the look of the faint blush on her cheeks. Freaks always had a blush when they were hammered or in the aftermath.
“Okay, what the heck was that?!” she yelled at the Unicorn.
“Polite conversation, darling, why?” she kept a straight face.
“Polite?! You just called her weak for being a plain normal cyborg!”
“Technically, I just told her that some of those in the Pony Freak race may be weaker than the other because of our Types and…oh” she got the idea.
Shouty nodded. “Yeah, it’s the exact same thing. Also, are you even aware that those earpieces she has are literally drilled into her skull when she turned?”
“They…they are?”
“Yep, why did she cry anyway? She didn’t seem like the type of cry since that night she turned”
“She uh…got a little emotional because I told her I could love her the way we all used with each other when we were all still plain Normals”
Fluttershout dropped her jaw in shock. No wonder she got so feelsy. “Go apologize, right now” she gritted through her teeth.
Fear. That was the one emotion and feeling that Brutalight hadn’t felt since she had turned. She never felt it. She never had it. She was always the one who installed it into other, even those of her own kind. She knew worry was different, but she wasn’t worried. She was scared.
Right now, she was currently back into the dark supply room with Bunochius. They were sitting on opposite ends of a table that had white cloth draped over it. There was a candle which lit up the room. From where she was sitting, she could tell the young hybrid was grinning. It was like she could smell fear. She now had a good look of what she really was like and now she wasn’t scared to show it.
“Heya, Brutalight!” she greeted cheerily, as though she wasn’t as mad as they were. “How’s you?”
“Um…never better” she tried not to sound scared.
She just threw her head back and laughed. “You’re so funny!”
Right then, Rachidile came over. “Hey, Boss, I know you’re having this ‘evil dinner’ or whatever, but I destroyed all the napkins and now I’m bored”
“Aww, come on, Rachy!” the hybrid whined. “We’re roleplaying right now! Can’t it wait?”
She got one good look at that face. She sighed; she couldn’t say no to that. “Fine, I’ll just go bend some forks in half”
“Okay, have fun, buddy!”
Brutalight then wondered. “Bunochius, what do you mean by roleplaying?”
“You know! Our Friend Club Role-play!”
Her eyes widened. “WHAT?!”
“Yeah! You know, you’re the rebel and I’m the Evil President! This role-play was so much fun that I had to invite my pen pals over to be my evil henchmen! They’re a bit weirder than I expected from before, but that just made this even better! You even invited mom to participate! Oh, what fun for a night!”
Brutalight was dumbfounded as she sank down to the floor. She was playing this whole time? This sneaky little spawn was playing with this whole time. For such a little girl, she already knew how to make things seem so real when it was all just a game.
“Um, Brutalight, are you okay?” the hybrid stood over her when she fell to the floor.
“I’m an idiot” the Alicorn sighed.
“Aww, no you’re not, Brutal. You’re the best Leader and Queen we can all have. I just get really intense with my roleplaying”
“And I get carried away and forget we’re just playing a game. Though, I know you aren’t really Little Ms. Innocent. You DID spike the punch, did you?”
“Oh my! How did you know that?”
“Kinda hard not to; Applepills was freaking out about it”
The hybrid laughed her heart out. “She was so funny! The reactions are the best to earn when you do something like this!”
“And your moral compass and character confuses me”
“So, Brutalight, does this mean we have to stop the role-play? I kinda had some really evil things I wanted to try out so I can do it again once it’s the real thing”
“Really? Like what?”
Her eyes seemed to have sparkled with mischief. “Oh, I was gonna kidnap mom and take her hostage. Then, I’ll use mother-daughter love to turn her against you and make her my third evil henchman!”
The mare was surprised at her guts. “How does she put up with you?”
She giggled in the air. “Oh, you flatter me!”
With Fluttershout watching, Rarifruit went up to Rainbine to apologize. She knew she was right. She had to say sorry for calling her inferior. She had learned from experience with the beige mare watching that she had to do it sooner or it will turn into anger.
“Rainbine, I want to apologize”
“Oh, uh, Fruity, don’t sweat it”
“I disagree with that. I shouldn’t have called you weak because you were being so emotional. It’s not even healthy for anyone to bottle up their emotions” she then added. “I’m also glad that you were actually open about it with me rather than hide it. I’m sorry if I ruined that”
“Fruity, you didn’t ruin anything. Our Types are just different so don’t sweat it. It’s okay really” she glanced over her shoulder. “Shouty helped you with this, didn’t she? I can see her watching us”
The beige mare then looked away and pretended not to hear anything.
The cyborg chuckled. “She’s a great mare, a perfect Queen, and a loving mother. She never forgets her family despite her duties, and neither should you. Also, try to be a little closer to her. I think she would like that”
“Hmm. Alright, I will”
The party just turned into its worse after midnight when they all drank down the punch. The guys didn’t do it because they wanted to stay decent for the night and because Kyle had already spotted Bunochius adding whiskey. Yet, the mares weren’t spared. Okay, some like Rainbine were, but only because she decided to lock herself away until she sobered up.
Right now, there was absolute chaos in the party room. Brutalight was going angry, yelling for them to get her more of the booze or she would kill someone. Fluttershout was hysterically crying over even the smallest things. Pinkis couldn’t stop laughing, her mane fully inflated into its poofy form. Applepills kept crawling about, occasionally burying her face into the concrete floor and mumbling something incoherent before bursting in a fit of laughter. Rarifruit was dizzied out and just pretending to swim on a table she fell on. Bunochius was dominating her henchmen, and they couldn’t stop her.
The thing about being a Pony Freak was that alcohol had a very weird effect on them. It was a Normal, but heightened. Right now, everything was either the opposite of what their Normal self would do, or heightened.
“Bring me more booze! Booze on the double!” Brutalight yelled as she held up the empty cup of tainted eggnog.
“Joseph, give me a piggy bank ride!” Pinkis begged while waving her arms like a young foal.
“ Whee!” Applepills laughed as she rolled around on the floor.
Rarifruit squirmed like a fish out of water on the table she was on. “I arrived…but how?”
“You’re a donkey! My donkey! Got it?!” Bunochius yelled angrily as she continuously slapped Sonica.
She could only submit. “Yes…”
It was quite unfortunate that the only mare capable of sedating both the hybrid and the Freak Queen was currently crying from her intoxication. “Christmas is so painful! It’s heart-wrenching!”
“Hey! I didn’t have enough! Bring me more!” Brutalight yelled again.
Kyle was afraid now. “What did I get myself into?”
Joseph just had enough. “We have to make a run for it!”
Enea agreed as they both turned to leave.“Yep!”
They wanted to get away so badly. But unfortunately, their decision changed when Brutalight had summoned a sword and it landed in the space between them. They were both pale to the core and feared for their lives.
“Where do you think you’re going? Pour me another glass now! If you can’t even do that…pour me another glass”
Pinkis only laughed. “She said the same thing twice!”
“You’re going home and leaving Pinkis all alone here, Joseph?” Fluttershout lamented, remembering her own experience. She just let out a full-sob like a young foal that lost their pacifier.
“Come on! I wanna play more! Hey!” Applepills managed to catch herself before she fell to the ground. She had enough to make her hooves unsteady. “I wanna play!
Rarifruit had reached hallucination. “Look at those…pretty stars”
Rachidile and Sonica were now wishing they left earlier. Bunochius had really taken control and was very bad-tempered. She had made them crawl on their stomach, put fake reindeer antlers on their heads, and was now currently standing on their backs, using a paw each to make sure she were on both.
“You guys are my reindeer, now pull the sled!”
Sonica was crying now from all the pain she endured. “Yes…”
“I’m different” Rachidile struggled to speak before Bunochius put a gag in her mouth to shut her up.
“Onward!”
They could only crawl together at the same pace to satisfy her.
The males had now tried their best to atleast calm them down a little. The alcohol was a lot. Joseph had been trying to snap Pinkis out of her state by shaking her by the shoulders. But that only succeeded in making her pull on his wing as if it were a toy.
Kyle was trapped in a crying Fluttershout’s embrace as the Ear Rape Queen simply sobbed all her emotions about everything out. He knew Rainbine would kill him and her if she saw him like this, but he had to calm the mare down.
Applepills had pinned Enea to the ground and was currently purring on her chest as he fretted about Painset’s reaction. It was a good thing she left earlier because she had a mental call from Magic Mare that she needed help.
It took a bit of time before they all finally just passed out. Fluttershout and Applepills were the first to wake up so they had just the hangover to deal with. The stallions helped them carry their passed out friends back to the Base before they themselves were sent home. Then, the mares went back to their own rooms. Applepills chewed on some pills before sleeping while Fluttershout slept beside her daughter.
The next morning was just filled with mares in hangovers and inability to visit their Lovers until perfectly well again. While Fluttershout was proudly showing off her daughter for her works last night, Brutalight was constantly telling no to a very annoying Pinkis that just wanted to see Joseph despite her current state.