Author's Note

Hi there; it's me, Fireflower here once more with an electric feel ready with a new chapter of A3 on the way: suffice to say, the past chapters from before were by far a strong note for y'all, serving as a taste of what's to come later on as I write them all right at my fingertips.

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

That being said, this chapter does contain some heavy subject matter for it is similar to the second one due to the violence; of course, since I'm being generous, I've gone to the trouble of publishing another chapter as well for you to skip ahead again: at least y'all will be getting a WAFF compared to this one…

Greengrass

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 as simple as growth so to speak.

A dark skinned man was already found residing within the very void, laying again a rock with the cold wind blowing over his flesh immediately. Thin tresses of jade were found on his head with patches of dirt found splotched onto the surface in their powdery form therein as of this moment. The man’s face was riddled with cuts and bruises with darkened bags beneath the eyelids, dry and devoid of any blood leaking outward overall. His attire was simplistic to a fault by virtue of being loose–fitting yet modest also: a white shirt and blue shorts with a pair of brown boots as well.

It didn’t take long for the man to come to his senses, his eyes flying open to reveal a down–to–earth color scheme reminiscent of terracotta.

“I think I’m clear now but I didn’t do right by my guard, didn’t I: I let Fluttershy down, of all people; why can’t I do anything correct for once?!” he’d said to himself, looking at his left hand with derision in its entirety.

The lone man stood up and started standing up straightaway on his own two feet, grunting about in the process when he did so in due time. His eyes scanned the area for more people other than himself only to find that but nobody came, not even other species came into the fray. Even so, the place that the plain man in question was far from desolate, thanks to the abundance of grass and some rocks lodged amongst. The scent he’d picked up was devoid of any aromas good or bad but the oxygen was enough to give him a breath of fresh air immediately. All that was left for the very man was to leave in search of more life beyond where he was now standing; staying alive didn’t mean alone.

As he walked throughout the plane of existence, he took a look behind and left not a single trace but that was just clear for someone like him, calm on the outside yet rather constantly thoughtful. Even though that the man in question didn’t show it, the lack of other lifeforms within walking distance was a source of unease for himself, something that he was relieved to keep to his own. In no small measurement of time whatsoever did he desperately wish for someone else to talk to; the racing and pacing getting to him faster than the distance he actually travelled away to no end. Only the hope of another lifeform such as the lonely man himself making even basic eye contact held his resolve together in one piece and even that was doing little to cope with the uncertainty. Unless such simple expectations were met, he was perhaps doomed to wander aimlessly in the seemingly endless void with little hope for rest even to the point of collapsing from exhaustion.

Sure enough, the lonely man’s perambulation wasn’t all for naught as he’d listened some crying with both ears, “mommy…”

“That sounds like a child, and a male one too: what is he doing all by himself; where are his parents…?” he thought to himself as brief jumps in adrenaline were now coursing throughout his legs and feet at once, “this is no place for someone of his age to be out here alone; there’s no telling what or who could also be out there…!”

“Mommy…” the distant voice cried again, compelling the lonely man to sprint again after he started to pick up on the ghostly wail sure enough.

In spite of the beads of sweat oozing from his forehead, he was still on the move for answers as he couldn’t help to think about the possibilities taking place into the center of his mind, “someone has to know if he’s all by his lonesome; no one at that age deserves to be left alone…!”

“MOMMY…!” the crying went on, causing the lonely man to pick up acceleration in his locomotion in little time whatsoever, “PLEASE COME BACK…!”

“I don’t like where this is going but I can’t stomach the notion of letting him get into further trouble: it’s bad enough that they took her away from me, but now a child gets left behind; what is this damn world coming to…?” he’d pondering onward, the perspiration now increasing in torrents while looking all throughout his surroundings.

Despite the lonely man’s unfaltering resolve to search high and low, he couldn’t trace the source of the ongoing bawling, “MOOOOOOOOOOM…!”

“Oh no, I can still hear him but I can’t seem to find him yet; either way, I can’t just give up just because of that: it’s what Fluttershy would have wanted…!” his ruminations dominating the running about as he refused to give up on himself or the hope of finding some answers at once; however, his legs gave in despite his efforts overall, “OUCH, DAMMIT…!”

It was at this point that the lonely man tripped and fell down back onto the ground, landing back at the surface with a strained squeal with little warning whatsoever. He’d looked up to see the dark sky where the cycle repeated as explosions broken in there before his very eyes, something that made his heart race at highest velocity. Underneath them was a civilization defined in such various materials used to construct it all, now abandoned to be left out at the mercy of whatever came their way. The calm gentle breeze was still surfing across every one of the grassy knolls, the brilliant green surrounding it all withered about and fading away into brownness. A dirt road guided its way over from a nearby forest that was currently smoldering about at once, a curvilinear line riddled with objects wrapped up in a white cloth. Amongst the very backgrounds had rested a valley and ridge of smoky mountains, all of which raging with growth and erosion in the process of their trying times. The small town that the lonely man stumbled across was devoid of the people he’d hoped to find; that being said, the sobbing kept resonating about in both of his ears.

Out of all the places within the derelict countryside in question, one particular area made his eyes widened with shock: it was a little house on the prairie in the outskirts remaining in the distance. Although there was an abundance of trees surrounding the big blue house standing pretty tall, nobody came to relish in the fruit they were producing despite their current appearances anyway. Sequestering them from the rest of the outside world were encamping white fences around the premises able to withstand the very test of time itself, despite the about–face of fortune therein. In addition, there was a little purple vault that stood upright and at life itself, the very presence alone being very foreboding due to the lack of activity that reflected the desolation rowed upon. Standing nearby the withering archway was a lone vermilion fountainhead with a small canister and two barrels in close range, unable to provide nourishment for the remaining vegetation here.

Down but not out, the lonely man relied on his remaining strength to crawl towards the very area, dragging his legs under the plain curve. It didn’t take long for him to see many trees were being already accompanied by monochromatic stones carved into various shapes with texts. Only flowers were planted over the surface area with more color and variety than the rest of the area or the town it was now residing within.

One exception brought a feeling of nausea for the lonely man: a blonde woman of a similar skin laid decaying about without any signs of stopping. Her listless eyes were matching the leaves blowing in the wind, undermined by the blood, sweat, and tears crawling in her skin and beyond as well. Aside from the fallen foliage and fruits across the lonely wood, he was quick to find the woman in a state of dishabille, covered in brown and red. Underneath the waistline were a thin pool of various liquids formed right between her own legs, sharing a related biochemical composition nearby.

“Why did you leave me…?” a familiar voice was heard yet it did not belong to either corporeal party whatsoever; this made the lonely man wince.

Nonetheless, he was quick to ask, “what is this place; where’s the child…?”

“Ya stupid bastard… Ah know what ya were thinking before ya came here, Zuul; heard ya dragging yer feet across the dirt like it were nothing t’ ya…!” a different voice was heard, now originating from an even more unlikely source: the tanned blonde was slowly moving her head, “of course, Ah am more than willing to answer some questions since even Ah have some manners! First off, yer in mah territory now: Sweet Apple Acres, or at least that what it had used t’ be before the war came here t’ our family’s doorsteps; now, it’s where Ah can’t even leave…! Secondly, the kid ya were looking for is gladly far, far away from here and you yerself; at least, mah friend has a more compassionate side to take the young’un in, something Ah can’t imagine seeing ya doing…!”

“What in the world are you talking about: how are you still alive; who are you to say such things?!” the aforementioned man barked at her.

Laughter escaped from the lonely woman but it was devoid of mirth as she’d answered back, “mah, ya oughta know since ya were the only reason mah brother is dead; of course, ya weren’t the only one that cause him t’ die, let alone satisfied with just simply taking his life no less…! As a matter of fact, even talking about what happened t’ Big Mac causes me pain considering what they did t’ him alongside with the lives he’d taken including mah sister’s cousin, Babs Seed: she got gunned down like she was prey! Of course, she wasn’t the only one whom was preyed upon like some kind of prize: Ah had t’ watch Apple Bloom get dragged off t’ parts unknown at the hands of these brutes’ commanding officer, the same people that defiled our home and mah body! This is where Ah come in: because of mah defiance, they took me over t’ a nearby tree and took turns beating and raping me like there was no tomorrow; after that, Ah felt like Ah had nothing left t’ live for, especially since Ah woke up t’ find what had become of mah family’s homestead! Once upon a time, it used t’ be Sweet Apple Acres, the farm that mah great–grandfather helped built: our home was the pride and joy of the town because it was our labors that put it on the map; now, it’s not there anymore or the rest of the whole thing which makes me sad whenever Ah think back to the memories Ah have made in and out of here! Ah know because Ah was born there and it makes me mad knowing what it has become of it thanks t’ the war, especially considering what it had done t’ mah friends; if anything, Ah am glad that many of them have been able t’ move on from this cursed mess, for the most part…! It’s just a crying shame that out of all the individuals in mah circle of friends who ended up sharing the same air as ya bastards, it had t’ be Fluttershy of all people: the fact that she'd ended up sleeping with ya was enough t’ convince me that something was going t’ go wrong one day and Ah was right all along!”

“You got to be fucking shitting me: you’re mad at me for even being in a relationship with her?!” he said, shaking his head in disbelief before returning his focus towards the tanned blonde in question, “I dealt with some bullshit like this in my life but yours is the best: the fact that you’re so protective of your friend because of how gentle she is–––”

“That’s beside the point, dammit: it’s no wonder why she’d gotten singled out for harassment – ever since Ah saw ya face, it makes me think of when Zecora came t’ town and what could have happened to mah dear sister Apple Bloom; that being said, even she herself did nothing wrong either, more than Ah can say for ya…!” she’d spat, a splotch of blood appearing close to Zuul.

The lonely man watched as the dirt beneath himself was starting to absorb what little nutrients from the tainted fluid and quickly gasped at once, “what does this have anything to do with me?!”

“Hmph, typical… ya just don’t get it: maybe it would be better if ya wake the dead already with all that nonsense yer spouting; matter of fact, perhaps Ah should go on ahead and do it anyway…” the tanned blonde had chuckled before some rustling was heard; soon, ringing of metals against one another had followed after, “SOUP’S ON, EVERYONE…!”

Before long, he was treated to the sight of her rising from the tree she’d been resting upon earlier and it’d made his beady eyes grow wider with shock. Soon, Zuul looked around to find a horde of people now slowly crawling up from within the solid earth and into his sights possessing similarities. Although that many of these individuals were wearing some clothing, the real matter worthy of concern was how much they’d resembled the woman. Each and every one of the members were showing some signs of wear and tear, their skins pale like the silvery moon but lacking its illustrious sheen. Whatever normalcy the man would have found was nonexistent: gashes fresh with blood, skin torn open wide and skeletal frames sneak previewed.

“What the… what the fuck is this shit?!” he’d cried, squinting at one of the smiling faces in the very crowd: one of them was a redheaded girl with freckly dark skin and glowing green eyes like the woman in question, wearing a red sundress with just black dots all over itself which were already matching her shoes; nevertheless, the youth was caked in blood from the neck up.

Zuul gotten his answer from the bystander therein who dug into one of her ears to draw blood and cried out to him at once, “you should know: because of you, I ended up losing my family to bastards like you and I thought I was having it bad; to dink dat I would be killed by de brudder of my cousin ‘cause of what you’d did to him…!”

“At least he wasn’t around to see the whole farm get poisoned with the sins of his churlish so–called brothers in arms… what ungrateful bastards…!” another female’s voice shouted, bearing the toxicity of bleach and vinegar alike, “not even mah own rivals would dare t’ stoop this low over some fuck shit; as a matter of fact, even he’d come t’ hate what ya had done t’ mah grandson!”

“This is the third time I heard about Big Mac and none of what you people are saying is making any sense; what exactly do you think I had done to him?!” the lonely man demanded as he was now attempting to take a stand keenly on the issue.

More faces started to crowd around himself as the recent voice spat back at him immediately, “y’all whippersnappers are all the same, always full of piss and vinegar yet y’all end up using yer talents t’ gas people to death with them when ya outta ways t’ build doohickeys that do nothing but blow some people up and burn things t’ the ground…! For what it’s worth, it’s a good thing she’d stopped canoodling with ya deviant foreigners, especially since ya went t’ the trouble of lashing out like a sad sack excuse of a man who can’t relieve themselves by taking our females with yer sex, drugs, and those wretched tribalistic tunes of yers! If ya hadn’t gotten int’ the same class as that poor girl on that cursed day y’all beat the snot outta that consarned deadbeat, then the least she would have hoped for was finding a nice respectable man t’ marry instead of yer degenerate hide; ya basically were responsible for Big Mac’s death as they were for leaving Applejack to get dishonored and die in shame…!”

“I DIDN’T KNOW ABOUT THAT, OKAY?!” Zuul responded with the utmost fury in his tone of voice, full of heat and oxygen therein, “I’m not an extremist, just some guy who hates what the military had become; even then there’s a huge difference…! Of course, no one in the country ever takes the time to ask themselves things like, ‘should we try telling the princess about what they did?’ or ‘must we do something before they wear out our patience?!’ Well, I assure you, fuck yeah: as a matter of fact, just for the record, I could care less about what Big Mac did, good or ill; but, all that I ever wanted was for someone to not hate me for merely existing, let alone being born! What the fuck do you all want from me: do you want for me to repent, apologize, beg for your forgiveness; are you really going to call out a man living in sin about how my life is wrong just so you’ll be satisfied?! There’s no need for that because before the war, that’s exactly what I had been doing: I was so happy that the several of us weren’t going to jail over something that happened in court; as a matter of fact, everything that I did since that fateful day wasn’t just for me, but also for her! The home where I was born and raised was awful; here’s no different even in retrospect: I thought that this program was enough for me to be a better person for the sake of others and yet everyone had been acting awful as well as I was being! It’s like it came with me even before the shit that went down; was I really that bad enough, now even the dead has come to rise to take me to task before the underworld over shit that I didn’t even do myself?! Come to think of it, you people weren’t the first to hate my stinking, rotting guts: in addition, everyone hates me; I can’t find a place to stay without getting targeted, no one will hire me–––”

“That was a problem before, you scum–fucking douchebag…!” a deep masculine voice interjected, no doubt belonging to a member of the crowd surrounding the lonely man.

“I can’t even muster the courage to look my classmates in the eye without visualizing them ready to kill me and whatnot…!” Zuul had continued to shout at the horde in spite of being heavily outnumbered at large, “LEAVE ME ALONE…! I’m the guy who made the mistake to claim asylum, not to take more lives; I’ve helped put an end to the war: where’s my fucking medal?! I’m so mad even thinking back to this whole mess sets my boiling point so fucking low: the fact Persimmon Tart killed his own wife over some petty inadequacy crap was bad enough, especially since she’d died protecting a child I’m willing to bet he’d have moved onto; better yet, thinking back to his ugly mug makes me wish Fluttershy should’ve punched him even harder! INSTEAD OF HOLDING ME ACCOUNTABLE FOR DESTROYING YOUR FAMILY FARM, HOW ABOUT YOU TAKE THE WHOLE FUCKING MILITARY ON AS WELL SINCE THEY WERE THE ONES RESPONSIBLE FOR MESSING UP YOUR LEGACY?!”

“At least ya got us pegged here, ya little shitfaced cockmaster: made mah own bundle of pride and joy feel foolish and stuff; the least we can all do now is work like we have never worked our hides off before… work hard to make sure ya die… the most painful death possible… Zuul…!” a brief chuckle went directly into the lonely man’s ears without any wind resistance whatsoever.

Before he could turn around to face the new speaker, some concentrated force ended up clouting him in the head, sending him flying into the direction of the redhead’s feet whose owner hissed, “finally, fresh meat…!”

“Hey, what the fuck are you doing to me?!” Zuul cried out as he’d felt sharp clamping onto his body, no doubt of the horde whom were now beginning to sink all of their remaining teeth into his flesh; because of the overwhelming agony being delivered by themselves, it didn’t take long for some small yet wet and messy pieces to be ripped out, “AAAAAAAAAAH, DAMMIT…!”

“Quiet you, didn’t your mother teach you not to say such language; oh wait, that’s right: you don’t have a mother anymore, am I right…?” the previous voice sniggered as the crowd were now feasting over the lonely man’s body, dental incisions soaked in blood and salivation as the fabric upon its owner’s skin were being stained and torn apart.

It wasn’t long until he was reduced to some pile of bones and threads attached to his head and even that was down to one ear; that being said, he’d retained the strength to speak up despite the pain, “I don’t understand… why…?”

“Wow, even as a severed head, you still don’t get it: you took away the lives of our pride and joy; I hope you enjoy spending eternity in Tartarus ‘cause that’s where you’re going, bastard…!” Zuul got his answer before getting spat on with some blood, blinding him in one eye at once, “have fun being the ball, Zuul… fuck you…!”

"Fuck…!" was the only word that the titular victim had spoken as the tainted visage of the ravenous redhead faded out into darkness before his very eyes.

Sure enough, the disembodied head of the lonely man was kicked off over the wooden fence, earning the cheers and jeers of onlookers, one of whom the same girl saying loudly, “REST IN PISS, YOU STUPID ROTTEN SON OF A BITCH; WE’RE GLAD THAT YOU’RE FUCKING DEAD, DEGENERATE SHITCUNT…!”