Author's Note

Ah, you've made to chapter twelve of Fireflower's fanfic that goes beyond the typical oneshots made from before, a Mature one no less on the grounds this chapter will deal with similar heavy subject matters proven to be unsuitable for those under eighteen, easily offended, and/or quickly nauseated; suffice to say, this was by far a strong note for many readers all, and like before, you're all given one last option to skip ahead to the next one: whether or not you'd take this offer, it's only up to you to do so nothing more.

Considering how easy it was to count how many words to write down in the later half of the story, this was no different: the only good thing I could say is that at least I'll be able to make use of certain cultural references here, specifically of other characters; at least for the first one, I'll say that he belongs to Aneko Yusagi but the other one belongs to Parker and Stone.

Either way, take solace in the fact that this story is almost over; for those of you wondering why I'm not going to stop there, that's because I have one more character to write in there: if any of you had been reading the comics and/or playing the mobile game, then you'll come to remember who'll be happy number seven but until then, have fun with this chapter.

Exposé

“Fifteen minutes, that’s fifteen minutes, people…!” a stray voice had emerged from the dark backward which was deemed to be nothingness itself, a void soon dissipating within moments at an end when some more colors came into the picture.

Most of them were dark and steely, possessing the appearance of an industry complex booming alike in the flowing hustle and bustle of a big stinking city where a pink courageous dog could walk about in the company of its owners, a far cry from its lonely and trouble past of its infancy.

By comparison, even the brightest of which had now already started to stand out in the open as it were, loudly and proudly as they were being a bit more up, close, and personal than it had been previously perceived so earlier ago, especially since another sentence had escaped into the folds, “get some more acetylene ready…!”

“They’d almost ruined everything; how did something like this happen…?” yet one more voice had intonated, this time being far from indistinct compared to the first two no less, “wake up… wake the fuck up, you little bitch: who do you work for, some other trash king? Answer me, dammit…!”

This was due to the fact its source came from a particular palette of colors already in the visage: it had painted out a lone individual in the flesh. Though predominately dressed in green, there were some other shades and hues from the fabrics which had failed to match their wearer’s irises. Tresses of blackness were spiked up in all directions, despite being kept short; it was all shiny enough to match both two belts and undershirt. To keep with the theme, an ensemble of brown gloves and tassets were also found upon the speaker, pelted much like the pants and mantle. There was also some metal slathered about its wearer: a breastplate, several chains all throughout the limbs, toecaps of leather boots, and a shield. To say there was just anger in there was but only an understatement: etched within the speaker’s bright face was a horrendous scowl most of all.

“I… don’t work for anybody…” a weak murmur had escaped into the fold, belonging to the listener upfront of the lone eyewitness whose anger grew.

A far too different person was discovered on the opposite end: a lanky female restrained by a big wooden board and shackles attached to both feet. Unlike the bright skin, the prisoner had skin so much darker than her viewer’s hair, so much so there were many photons illuminating it outright. The female’s hair was small and transparent, bearing only faint amaranths as they were already narrowed down into a centralized strip at the end. More importantly, her neckline had possessed a solid red collar, an accessory to the fact it’d been standing out against the quiet hues over her body. Considering the low density build the lanky female possessed, the only things of color worn were a set of dirtied brown rags stopping at kneecaps. Her eyes of cyan were becoming open and clear, staring at her observer’s grimace as the latter was already at close range as it was going to be.

It didn’t even take much for the eyewitness in green to reply instantaneously to the lanky female, “oh, sure I believe that: you'd just tried to ruin Equestria for your amusement, just like before, haven’t you?!”

“What exactly are you talking about: I haven’t done anything; better yet, who exactly are you…?” she’d said frantically, looking around at the dark scenery around her observer for something else overall, “where am I and why am I in all this; none of this makes any sense to me at all: what is going on here?!”

“All will be revealed soon enough, not that it matters since you know what you and your kind did; besides, this is all too familiar for the likes of me to bore you with the details so I’ll sum it up as it is: 'seeing is believing' is what one says and this place has seen far too much of you and your deeds…” the eyewitness in green sighed about before turning away so to speak of no less.

The lanky female struggled to move as the metal around her heels clinked and slinked before she spoke to her listener at once, “none of this is helping at all whatsoever: what do you mean by ‘all will be revealed soon enough’ and does it have to do with me; why go to the trouble of restraining me anyway…?”

“Okay, you know what, since we still have plenty of time to ourselves, how about I let you in on a little secret, an open one at that?” the eyewitness in green exclaimed, turning back around to face her once more, this time with a softer yet still strong visage as is, “you’re a Changeling, a threat to their whole homeland and their princesses as far as they’d all remembered right now. Even before my arrival, a lot of people have lost their lives, business, families, and hope because of monsters like you, Ocellus: apparently, it seems that it wasn’t enough for you to go kill their precious princess bride in the invasion plan your queen made; you just had to lay waste to the capital too, looting and plundering to your hearts’ content like they were all playthings no less! Sure, some of you have managed to blend in with the crowd before hearing the news of the onslaught being thwarted here; still, you’ve been a thorn in their side ever since that day, especially as far as the princesses Celestia and Luna were aware: always causing trouble with and without your shapeshifting powers for them and their dear subjects no less, but never more! This is ends tonight for you and your kind, something which we’d grown accustomed to preparing the second we saw you; unlike you, I’m not even from around here and even I’ve grown disgusted with your sordid past, with and without your dear Queen: bone–grinding, bloodcurdling, sweat–inducing terrors unfit for a Saturday morning cartoon anywhere at all. Recently, I’d been summoned to anew world that had hated me for the weapon which had chosen me, despite being alive and well: a shield on my right hand that only I can wield, at least until a worthless wannabe found a way to take it from me like he did afore; nevertheless, I’d been able to have it returned to me with the help of people whom had lent me aid as I had to them since. Under normal circumstances, I’d be nauseous at the mere idea of a public exhibition, especially in my old homeworld no less: after all, the modern age was more peaceful, despite all of the wars, terrorists, and rebels making far too much noise in the news; however, from what I can see, this is not that and your kind are almost no different so to speak of, especially with your deeds. Seeing that your species had played a role in killing their princesses’ adopted niece, it’s rather fitting that this Queen had to go; of course, even her death couldn’t satisfy or pacify any of the Equestrians you’d all terrorized individually and collectively: your atrocities alone were so heinous, many of your victims had suffered in silence as well as howls under your heels no less! Even as civilians, you Changeling scum are getting what you deserve for following the whims and wishes of your Queen alone: had your invasion gone off without a hitch, this nation wouldn’t have existed as it were now and who knows how many have died; now, you’re just a prisoner of a war she’d started and lost, waiting for your sentence to be carried out on behalf of the Crown. Such is the life of a soldier and spy from an enemy nation falling to that of tinkers and tailors in this world and perhaps others: for many of you, the darkest pit of hell will arrive to swallow you all whole so don’t keep the devil or your Queen waiting; though for your kind’s hybrid offspring, if any, I believe that there should be peace and perhaps more now and in the hereafter instead.”

“What about my family: my mother, father, sister, and brother; what will become of them…?” the lanky female moaned raspy at what he’d said.

The eyewitness in green stared blankly and replied, “perhaps you haven’t heard me clear enough, despite being close range as it: tonight, you, your parents, your siblings, and every single one of your peers will be executed for your collective and individual crimes against the crown and country of Equestria itself; if it’s any consolation, you’ll get to see them all again one last time.”

“But, why all this: my family hasn’t done anything to you or the people of Equestria personally; how can they even justify this?!” she’d wailed, catching him off–guard, despite his attempt to hold firm initially as he’d done ever since the very beginning no less, “I’d made friends, started a brood of my own, even found an identity for myself rather than a wayward drone; is this right?!”

“Who said a silly thing about ‘right’; haven’t you Changelings done enough wrong to them for one lifetime…?” the eyewitness in green had shot back in an instant, his frown returning in full force altogether so to speak of.

The lanky female struggled to continue onward, “but I’m not like the Queen; I’m just a young at heart mother like I’d said before: what will become of my children?! They’re just kids: they don’t deserve to have their mother taken from them because of something like this; they have a right to live and let live, just like everyone else…!”

“I’m sure that they’ll find a foster family that will love them as much as any other pureblooded Equestrian would in this age…” he’d said to her without a care in the world, the vitriol in his voice still kept at an all time low more than ever before overall, “as far as I’d be concerned, it’s irrelevant to discuss it with the likes of you; anyways, it’s almost time for me to leave now…”

“Wait…!” the lanky mother had exclaimed to the eyewitness in green, quickly earning a deep scorn in the process.

With harlequins rolling around, he’d scoffed about, “if this is going to be you begging for your family’s lives, then you can forget it; your parents have committed their fair share of crimes against Princess Celestia long before Nightmare Moon returned home to Equestria no less, you dirty little–––”

“No, it’s not that…!” she’d interjected, currently subverting such expectations no less almost immediately, “I just want to know: who are you and why do you care about what happens to Equestria if you’re not from around here as you’d said before…?”

“Well, let’s just say this: my name is Naofumi Iwatani and I’m a hero; it’s clear to me that Equestria’s champions aren’t like me or others like myself but I’d grown disgusted at what had been done to them, even before your Queen’s arrival…” the eyewitness in green had finally introduced himself to the lanky mother nearby himself no less nonchalantly.

She’d struggled to break free but to no avail as she’d groaned towards him altogether, “you mean the Bearers of Harmony…?”

“Of course; after all, they were all chosen to be the best: Twilight, Rainbow, Pinkie, Rarity, Applejack, and Fluttershy…” Naofumi had replied before turning away once again, leaving the lanky mother alone within the relative darkness no less, “as far as I see it, I’d dread to see what happened to them befall my friends and family, be if by foreigners or neighbors; bye Ocellus…”

“Mom… dad… brother… sister… I’m sorry… I wish I’d… been able to… protect you all… I knew for a fact… Equestria… was going to be… a challenge… since our Queen fell… thanks to a… regicide… still, I’d never… wanted you all… to die en masse… with or without me…” the titular prisoner slowly wept, stuck in the void yet freed from the eyewitness in green’s presence.

Taking one last look at the interiors, the lanky mother remembered how stripped down to the bare minimum and blackened it was, much like her body. Her eyelids had struggled to stay opened as a small singular tear seeped out from underneath them before being followed by a few more in the process. In a matter of seconds, Ocellus began to cry softly already, barely comprehending the future he’d spoken of not too long ago and the events prior to it all. Even as the lanky mother stood tall against the board, her own legs bound by restrictive chains had reminded her of the location she’d been introduced to. Verity was harsh as far as she was concerned, even more so compared to what Naofumi had spoken to her, especially with his grim intonation no less. Effortlessly struggling against the darkness, Ocellus made one more attempt to escape from her confines but ended up wasting more energy in the attempt. Such was enough for the lanky mother to subside and wait for the seconds to count down into nothingness, a fate she’d been told of not like the present.

Time had passed on through space alongside with the inhabitants whom were drifting aimlessly as the stars amongst the never–ending blackness floated on, each of them to prompt any wayward traveler to harken back to the memories of life when the richest beverage kept their spirits up until their next destination and from the mouth of madness. Of course, time itself was the only thing that remained constant in the ever changing plane of existence where many variables had come in all shapes and size, coexisting alongside either in unions or divisions thereof as they transcended boundaries without incident to say the least; then again, almost all of them succumbed to the folding sooner or later. This interval however would prove to be a special case since that there were those who have found themselves still standing rather than stumbling and falling to the depths of their failure nonetheless; however, not all of them were doing so as the whole wide world turned on its own axis: out of many of those in question, there was indeed a few no less.

At ease, the atmosphere had already applied some pressure upon the large surface area with nothing short of coldness and calculation. The spacious skies above were darker than the shadows she was cloaked in, bearing a few stars and a crescent more redder than her hair. While the air was crisp and cool enough to commute many different aromas from all walks of life, it was musky enough to be reeking. A few flowers had sprouted from the brilliant green to witness the rushing waters roar from the cataracts overflowing nearby themselves. Wild assortments of cries were also heard off in the distance, possessing many emotions befitting a sentient species, known and unknown. Other than that, there was but an uneasy peace and appreciated quiet in the good night it was, something in which many could relate to.

Nevertheless, Ocellus wasn’t granted any as she was now found sitting in a wooden chair above a platform of the same material: her arms and legs were now bounded together by more steely chains as they were already abaft her gagged face so to speak of; thankfully, she was still clothed in these rags but they’d still provided little comfort for her altogether as far as both eyes see it all. Underneath was a glassy container holding up the ligneous frames together where the lanky mother had now resided upon: unbeknownst to her, an enormous amount achromatic liquid was halfway full, stagnant and clear like water or so it had seemed; adjacent to it all, were a crowd of people jeering and booing together, assaulting her ears as the screams and cries were nearby her.

Out of them, a boy in an orange jacket with a similar green ensemble of a hat, pants, and mittens alongside black shoes stood up: like the others around him, his face was fierce with a murderous grin but he had a white sphere firmly in his right hand no less; with a stoic gaze, he’d said simply, “well, this is it: so long, Ocellus, you dumb bitch…!”

Afterwards, the jaded youth had thrown the small object right into the direction of a tricolor bullseye in a matter of seconds; in doing so, she’d descended into the liquid with little warning whatsoever but was unprepared for what had come next instantly: her flesh and fabric were being devoured as bubbles formed around it all, undisturbed by the sudden arrival of their delivery. Ocellus began to scream like she’d never done before but was too busy being overwhelmed by the compound eating up already; however, no octaves came out and even if they did, the hissing about was enough to cover up the very struggle inside the tight area: this was nothing short of pleasurable to the boy and the rest whom were watching as the liquid changed from clear to red. It wasn’t long until the lanky mother was no more, being reduced to muscles and bone before being devoured by the compound; at long last, her additional eyewitnesses were sure to have been given an up, close, personal yet safe confirmation of it all no less: needless to say, there entertainment, though brief, was utterly fulfilling to their eyes and ears nevertheless so to speak.