Author's Note

My name is Fireflower and welcome to the fourth 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 a few of the main characters including some who are original and/or based on other characters from different medias; 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 alone 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 I hope you enjoy this chapter now and stay tuned for future chapters later on; besides, we've a long way to go before you can meet the rest of them.

Monochrome

Darkness and light in and of themselves were only two separate but equal opposites of one another, both capable of trading places instantly and otherwise whenever worlds collide and turn. Within them, many of its observers were more than willing to take note of the similarities and differences amidst them by sheer qualities and quantities alike almost immediately in due time. At long last would the lifeforms dwelling out amongst one another pick a side of their own desire at any given time whatsoever and stick with knowledge gained and lost on the way to the end.

Of the many civilizations where they had congregated upon construction, there was but a lone city bearing witness to the rising sun with absolutely no clouds within sight to obscure its light. Although there were towering behemoths already ruling and governing their very own landscape, their numbers were small compared to their shorter counterparts that huddled around themselves. Some vehicles were found to be running about all sorts of solid terrain with the sights and sounds contributing to its atmosphere; of course, their collective presence was inconsequential to a fault. In and out of the area was countless vegetation within the vicinity, ranging from potted plants to large trees with the fruit hanging from them to provide nourishment for its potential consumers. Scores of pedestrians were also discovered already traveling to and from places within their own proximity, looking for and/or having found something on their hearts and minds in the very least.

Out of the many structures within the fair city, there was but only one which had stood out and about: it was a moderately sized building, standing proud yet with a smidgen of dignity within. While predominantly adorned with a grayscale shell, they had shades and hues crying out with tears of a rainbow splattered about with reckless abandonment to the point of painting pictures. Imprinted upon its stony lonesome form were but lines of crystalline glass all plastered about in an orderly fashion, each totaling up to seven rows filled to the brim with neatness and the like. Nestling at the very uppermost region, some triangular polyhedrons were already pointing up to the firmament hovering over, its poles sticking out and about for the little flags to wave around. Galleries consisting only mere means of transportation were found to be within the residential complex, varying in different shapes and sizes imaginable yet completely inoperable so to speak.

Anyways, one of the rays of sunlight had managed to go and pierce on throughout the looking glass deep within its framework, illuminating a rather diminutive area with some distinctiveness. In that very location thereof, it had instantaneously stopped itself against a lone singular wall; as a result, its color was sparkling about in a faint hue of yellow with a hint of silver accents too. Beyond the small space that had lit up in the process, there had remained an entire area already exposed to light, thanks to the ceiling fan above it spinning about with its wooden panels at once. In what had seemed to be devoid of life, the whole place was decorated with a set of furniture: a green chair lay in the middle while accompanied by a pair of couches sharing the same corner. Locked up in front, a lone rectangular machine was cloaked in blackness with its screen already showing all sorts of colorful images in various shades and tones comprehendible without sound. Edging right underneath was a beige dresser holding up more items than the adjacent wall itself: a quadrangular device in green and a series of pictures with a lone candle colored in a sky blue. Nonetheless, there were a few other windows to the outside world beyond the single area where telecommunications had been faintly codominant despite being hidden by the vermilion blinds. Entering the otherwise naked space was a deep aroma cloaking the wispy smoke, reeking of the savory goodness telling of a complete breakfast which loomed right over the ligneous flooring.

“D–D–D–D–Dis is KDCR – Dodge City Radio vilkommen you to another glorioushly zunny day; I’m your host, Vice Croix here vid de morning news…!” the voice blared from the green machine, emptying itself throughout the very room as its audio bled across the speaker with its high quality rips of tone.

It was also at this very moment in time some booming but brief footsteps had made their way, belonging to another voice which was gruff and gentle, “Alsike, Robin… wake up; it’s time for breakfast…!”

“Coming, dad…” one of the two other tenants had replied, sharing the same quality as the first tenant albeit at a lower decibel than the previous speaker or the radio, “I’ll go get my sister as well…”

Nevertheless, a lone man was standing about, right here in the flesh and blood compared to the announcer from not too long ago. His skin, though dark, had shone on like smokey topaz despite the wrinkles in time making their way throughout and within itself. As if this wasn’t enough, the man had only possessed hair all over his chin and sides, gray like its tiny anecdotes from yesteryears. Both pupils trapped within the calcium sea were encrusted with a heliotrope of power capable of uniting his mind, body, and soul. Cloaked over the man’s integument was his entire attire painted black save for a light blue sash wrapped snugly around his torso.

Rather than wait for either two of the other residents to present themselves, he’d turned to face the kitchen which was abaft him the whole time. A stovetop oven was just lined up uniformly underneath a row of even door breakfronts, each of which were rivaling in shades of the moody blues. The washbasin stored crystal clear yet somehow sullied water inside, an otherwise safe haven for microorganisms like bacteria and protozoans alike. Hobbling about were a quadruple slotted toaster within a close range line of the man’s eyesight and a wood block filled to brim with some knives. Even a square dining table had rested on the adjacent side, cloaked in flannel as it was outlined in an emerald splash against a large tower of gray. Residing right nearby the opposite corner were only but a large white refrigerator and a cupboard as well, both accompanied by a full line of drawers.

“It’s been over seven years since that damn war, each of them filled with anguish and anger brought about by that bastard of a prime minister and those wretched terrorists as well too: the fact this was a grand opportunity to take so much from us at the time only pissed me off even more…!” the man only said to himself, watching the food being absorbed by the searing heat.

Of course, it’d only gone unnoticed when he was greeted with the shuffling of feet behind him, gentle and subdued as the liquids sizzled. Much like the man present and accounted for, the individual in question shared the same gender but not the age or wisdom it’d came with. In addition, the younger occupant had some brighter skin reminiscent of the sands untouched by the wind, water, or even the little footing. Climbing out of the scalps were tresses of white, highlighted in sky blue sparkling about in buzz cut styling, fresh with the health of youth. Resting about were also some purple eyes, albeit with true blue leanings threatening to tip the scaled balance of power away from red. Over the young man’s very body was a white tee shirt augmented with some black slacks, both of which were carrying a divided circle. Nestling within the other occupant in question’s visage were his sluggishly small drool pouring right out amongst his straightened lips.

While the younger occupant slowly took his first step, he’d subdued his own yawn with a hand, “just to give you the heads–up, Alsike just about headed in for a shower before she gets there; as a matter of fact, the water will be on soon enough…”

“It’s still unbelievable: the fact the two of you had grown up so fast and she’s not around to see it happen…” the father said as he’d refused to turn his back on the stove that was active in front of himself so to speak of, “it’s my fault that I let the toxic waste do so much damage to the three of you; I should’ve been there more often…”

“Don’t fret about it: if anything, I should have been training more often; at least mom would still be alive…” Robin sighed as he’d turned away.

It was at this point the elder faced his son and replied gently, “I thought that we’ve been over this seven years ago: what they did to you, your sister, and your mom was not your fault but mine; besides, nobody expected the war to be this destructive, let alone make it to our home. I left my own homeland a long time ago when I was about around your age for similar reasons; it’s not there anymore as of now, which makes me sad to even reminisce overall, especially considering what led to it all.”

“What do mean by that: what happened back then; is there something that you and mom haven’t told us both yet…?” the younger male had asked his father rather immediately, “sorry, I didn’t mean to be too intrusive…”

“Don’t worry about it, just forget that I had said anything; besides, you and your sister are going to be needing your focus on starting your school day at the Rosemound Institute, one of the new schools down south of there: I heard one of the Princesses is going to be speaking there…” the elder replied, turning back to face the edibles.

It wasn’t long until the radio spoke again, but rather than belonging to the likes of Vice Croix, it was maidenly and regal, “hello Dodge City, my name is Twilight Sparkle and I must say it’s been quite an honor to be featured here today…”

“Hey dad, isn’t that the woman you had used to be in the program with years ago; what’s she doing all the way out there in these parts…?” Robin inquired as he’d went over to the green machine in the nearby room at once, “I thought she’d went back to the capital and stayed there after the war…”

“Of course, she’s been quite the celebrity since then: apparently, her family had been attacked since it’d made its first step into the mainland and she was one of the first targets; someone had come into her home and set her up the bomb in the basement of the library she was staying at…” the cooking father replied, sliding one of the victuals onto a nearby plate as he’d done so.

The younger male had faced the elder counterpart again and inquired, “what reason would they have to do so…?”

“Most likely terrorism but she told them it was more than that: some days prior, Twilight was gathering proof to show that another one of our classmates, Fluttershy wasn’t with the extremist faction who blew up the meeting…” the father answered had Robin instantaneously, refusing to take eyes off of the stove despite the conversation, “believe me, the whole mess reeked of shit! Even I knew she wouldn’t stoop this low to kill so many of our soldiers; sure there was this one time she’d punched out that bastard Persimmon Tart back at the courthouse but this was too much. I would have stuck by her side much longer if it weren’t for the fact that I’d gotten that phone call; I never thought it would’ve bothered to save me, let alone get me away from the madness that had ensued. Anyways, Twilight told people that when she spotted the fire in the cellar, she tried to put it out but somehow she’d ended up with a joke extinguisher making things worse so she tried to flood the whole place. Apparently, the fire had gotten so bad, she was grievously burned in the process of the very explosion: the medical staff said she’d suffered second–degree burns over much of her torso; as a result, she needed skin grafts and undergo surgery and therapy up north. Either way, as much as I would’ve loved to get my hands on the bastards who caused those girls so much grief, I just couldn’t forget about you two as well; you’re a part of my world as they are as well as the others: your friends as well as mine…”

“Mr. Greystoke, are you there…?” another female’s voice was heard accompanying the rapping onto the wooden door.

This broke Robin out of his trance as he’d found himself scurrying on down to the source of the sounds in question which had been made.

It was at this point the last of the tenants had shown up yet unlike the males in attendance, the individual shared the same gender as the speaker outside the door and in the green machine. She was, in more ways than one, so much like the younger male in terms of keeping up with appearances: some bright hair and a matching shirt too; of course, even she had differences. Alsike was in accordance with what her brother and father had recently spoken about: a young woman was adorned in a lighter complexion in tune with the brighter regions of an apricot. Much like Robin’s tresses, his sister’s hair was highlighted, albeit in a dark pink shading; in addition, she wore a purple bow over the gold even as they’d reached the nape of her neck. Under no circumstances her body wore a long brown skirt doing little to cover the legs, let alone her own feet; much like her brother, it too had a divided circle at the hemming edge so far. Alsike possessed bright blue eyes reminiscent of the hydrogen’s high concentrations which had populated the seas and the skies making up the world she and her kind were already living in.

When the woman had finally come around, she was quick to ask the two lone males immediately, “was that Cresset at the door…?”

“Mm–hmm…!” Robin replied rapidly, turning the knob around already as he’d gone and done so, “I recognize that voice from anywhere…”

Needless to say, the door was opened to reveal another young woman in the flesh and blood, much like the small family of residents before herself. As with the twins in question, the visitor in attendance was of the same age range; of course, the signs of development were easy to spot nevertheless. Unlike them, Cresset was wearing some colorful hair down her neck: a series of moderate magenta already matching the socks over her own feet. The visitor’s integument were much like Greystoke, yet of a lighter and more youthful shade like his progeny; of course, she was still darker than his son. Cresset’s eyes had matched the majority of her very attire: a violet shade already more in favor of the moody blues than the two males would ever be. The visitor’s was carrying a light green backpack abaft her elongated dress, bearing more weight over her very shoulders, carrying it within both hands.

“Morning guys, are you guys ready to start our day in the river city…?” Cresset had greeted all three of the tenants without any hesitation whatsoever.

Alsike was the first to answer the visitor almost immediately, “not quite, I just started putting on some clothes now; please give us some time to finish. Anyways, you’re more than welcome to join us for breakfast; father’s just about done and we still have plenty of time to talk about things.”

“What are you having…?” Cresset asked warmly, sniffing the air instantly to find conjoined aromas of both sugar and spice, “it smells good…”

“Eggs, torrija, croquettes, baked beans, mushroom stir–fry, and some fried tomatoes slices…” the elder man responded in due time so to speak.

This had made the visitor’s ears perk up as she’d quickly stepped to it inside, taking in the sights and sounds as she’d began to speak up once more, “sounds even more than tasty; can I join you, please…?”

“I don’t see any reason why not…” Greystoke answered heartily at once, even after the door was slammed lightly, “besides, does your father know you’re here…?”

“Barely… both of us needed to get up real early to harvest the fields around these parts; they’re still there if that’s what you mean, although we'd to make do with the cutbacks since the end of the war: we couldn’t afford to hire more people what with the recessions and the like…” Cresset had elaborated while she’d begun to take her seat within the kitchen.

The younger woman walked over to the guest’s side and said, “yeah, I had remembered: the countryside we were staying in years ago was hit hardest after the war since many farmers ended up leaving, especially since the Apple family was scattered into winds following Granny Smith’s death. I still couldn’t believe what had happened to her though and what was done to them no less; they didn’t deserve any of the shit these bastards had done to them, especially not her granddaughters! Not even what had happened to me and mom was enough to make me forget these wretched excuses for soldiers or the people whose lives they had ruined!”

“I know that, Alsike: I still miss her too anyway and I hated the fact I was too weak to save her; who would ever thought all those years of goofing off would come back to haunt me…” Robin replied, rearing his face towards the blinds in the living room rather than the people abaft, “she was also a kind soul too; if anything, I would’ve–––”

“Okay, that’s enough: I get the fact what happened years ago was a major low point for the lot of us, something I should relate to since I was there but the last thing we need to start the day is for this past nastiness to crawl in the skins of the present, especially now; do I make myself clear?!” the father snarled, his fist collapsing upon the woodwork near the oven, startling all three youths.

Of the trio in question, Cresset was taken aback despite her stoic enthusiasm as she’d answered back, “sorry, I wasn’t expecting this to happen…”

“No, it’s not your fault or anyone else’s in this room or any room for that matter, Cresset…” Greystoke suppressed a cough, turning the dials around until the clicks were heard immediately, “it’s just that it’s been haunting me for too long to be reminded of the whole nightmare I’d let them get put through, especially with Alsike here. I don’t want to get into too much detail since you were already in the know to begin with but I also would like nothing more than to move past this; besides, I’ve been taking them to therapy and counseling sessions to help them. As a matter of fact, I believe it’s time that we have a quiet breakfast for once, especially since they needed a friend more than ever like before; all this technology and innovation was nice and whatnot, but I think we can make do without them for the rest of the morning, let alone the goggle and music boxes.”

“It is now day three in which the protesters show little signs of relenting here in Baltimare, the city where the head of the Springwheel Foundation plans to visit on his cross–country trip throughout the homeland after the–––” was all that the very radio was able to speak of before the elder had come around to shut it off and the larger counterpart above itself as well.

The younger male had faced the females on the other side without looking at them in their eyes and asked, “what the freak was so special about the Springwheel Foundation, or that geezer’s trip to it? I’m pretty sure these protesters should have been focusing on some more worrying issues like saving the forests or the new recycling program.”

“And I’m sure you’d be focusing on eating breakfast, like your sister and friend are; aside from working too hard to make it, you can’t keep spending time around the speakers and screens…” Greystoke said as he shoved Robin off back into the kitchen with Alsike and Cresset intensively, “I swear, all this technology and we’re finding ourselves being televised on a regular basis…”

Needless to say, it didn’t take long for any of the foursome to be served their foodstuffs and beverage immediately within the golden silence.