Author's Note

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

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

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

Henpecking

All throughout the way, there was an abysmal unknown of complete blackness where only such factors of sight, substance, and scent lay buried in those obscurities best referred to as a void. The exceptions that had given clues to the very location’s identity were surface, sensitivity, and sound: such were the gentle breezes being close to comfort anyone that would crossed their path. Most importantly, the current occupancy was above from simple desolate, let alone abandoned; after all, there were a few colors in many caliginous shades and hues giving off their silent cries.

Then, without any kind of warning whatsoever, some buzzing birthed the baseless boundaries, resonating about amongst the atmosphere before subsiding almost instantaneously. As if on cue, a trail of lights started to appear from nowhere, each with their own colors starting to illuminate the background they’d now been suspended upon all the live long day. Everywhere they’d went, the most predominate color found were but fifty shades of gray resting about with their own jagged edges and the like, stalactites and stalagmites no less. Whilst there were plenty of rocks to and fro, an abundance of crystals were also discovered so to speak of, each with their variances in shapes, sizes, and shades as they’d all shined.

Stuck in the middle of it all was a lonely male lying onto the ground amongst the illuminated caverns seemingly to no end in sight whatsoever overall. He’d possessed some skin shining about like amber, frostbitten and riddled with a few cuts and bruises having already made their way throughout and in. The lonely male’s deep blue hair presently standing on endwise was highlighted in gold, yet it all was tarnished with the dirt and grime latching on firmly. Adorning him were large strips of dirty paper covering up most of his abdomen and some tattered jet–black pants with holes riddled about the legs.

“Uh, that bottle of claret was too strong for me; what the fuck’s all this: where in the blue hell am I…?” the lonely male had sputtered about at once, his eyelids slowly opening to unleash a static electricity of blue within as he’d begun to survey the well grounded terrain around himself immediately.

As alone in the world he was while starting to take a stand upon the otherwise uniformed earth, the sounds of silence ruling its bejeweled elegance came to an end when another voice spoke out, “welcome…”

Standing further away from the male occupant was but another individual: lighter, brighter, and transparent to a fault compared to himself. Unlike him, so much more was said about his observer: dark integuments clothed by a rose red dress with hot pink accents matched shoes. Nothing else was said, aside from the elongated tricolor hair of sapphire, plum, and rose: of them, one was matching both eyes as well.

“Who are you; where am I: did I die or something…?” the male eyewitness asked as he’d struggled to stay still and squinted at the shining figure in red whom was smiling about, “what exactly is this place and where do you come from; is this your living space or something like that: better yet, are you living alone…?”

“Where you need to be…” the other person said.

This had earned a blank look from him as he’d still attempted to maintain his composure and reply, “I’m sorry but what are you talking about; all I’m just asking is where am I exactly: am I still in Equestria or Griffonstone…?”

“It is as I feared: you are not one…” the figure in red had only spoken, more stilted than the words from before since inception no less, “what has happened?”

“That’s what I’d been asking you all of the sudden, ma’am: as far as I’d seen it, I was hoping you’d have the answers to the questions I’ve been asking just now but I guess I was wrong…” the singular male hissed with exasperation, unamused whatsoever by either his observer’s neutral demeanor or the responses given out to him at all.

A gust of wind flown right past him, currently swirling around the figure in red whom bellowed at once, “you do not believe friendship is in your nature? That is not acceptable…!”

“I never said anything about friendship before; come to think of it, I don’t think I have any friends or family for that matter!” the lonely male exclaimed indignantly, unfazed by the eerie afterglow emanating from the other person afore himself all the same, “don’t go testing my patience like it’s nothing: I once saw a guy who smashed a man’s face into a clock back then…!”

“A test, yes: by sunrise this door will be closed – finish the test before then and you may go; fail the test and here you will stay…” the figure in red said simply before becoming bright like a shooting star as high beams of lights sprouted about instantaneously; meanwhile, he’d found himself enveloped by the light and disappeared first without a trace with the latter following suit.

Needless to say, the singular male reappeared, still alone and inside the unfamiliar environment: the only difference was that he’d see many lights, blue and plum, peering throughout the way; still standing freely, a deep exhale was made as both eyes were now focused in on a nearby trail, “dammit all: I’d just wanted to know where I am, not take some test in a godforsaken cave…!”

In any case, he had no other choice but to follow the path made by these sources of illumination; even though the other occupant gave him no clues whatsoever, he didn’t want to stay here either. Taking a first trot forward, the singular male felt the photons radiation from their territory now bathing his body while pointing out the damage sustained to his composure overall so to speak. Either way, he could feel comforted by the fact the trail in question was devoid of any dangers; nevertheless, his icy blue eyes darted to and from as far as he’d remained concerned altogether.

It wasn’t long until the lights behind became a distant memory; in the singular man’s frontal point of view were at least five different colors than before: green, chocolate, magenta, orange, and cyan. These had happened to serve as the divergent paths promptly provided for him presently, each just as ambiguous like the figure in red but more colorful as far as he can see them straightaway instantly. Of course, the several choices alone were far too arbitrary for the likes of the singular man to take lightly: after all, brief memories of the other occupant’s encounter were enough to keep him on all toes.

“People’s voices fill the night, Hearth’s Warming Eve is here once again…!” a firm lyrical tenor escaped into his ears at once, coming from the far left pathway as its green lights synchronized with the tones, “happy hearts so full and bright, Hearth’s Warming Eve is here once again; oh, what a sight: look at the light, all for tonight, Hearth’s Warming Eve is here once again…!”

“Whose voice is that…?” the corporeal male asked.

As he was edging towards the trail, more singing came about in the process, this time with more voices joining the fray bearing the octaves of the figure in red:

Clouds arranged ‘til they’re just so
Hearth’s Warming Eve is here once again!
Gonna make some awesome snow
Hearth’s Warming Eve is here once again!
The chill wind blows
making a show
snowflakes aglow
Hearth’s Warming Eve is here once again!

“Hearth’s Warming…?” the corporeal listener cerebrated about in confusion as he’d kept moving forward onto the source, “what are they all talking about…?”

A day that’s filled with songs to sing
Ding–dong, ding–dong–ding!
Cakes and pastries we shall bring,
Ding–dong, ding–dong–ding!
We’re so busy making merry
Windigos should all be wary
As our mighty voices carry!

Many sang even though their origins had remained unknown to him alone so to speak of no less.

“Hearth’s Warming Eve is here once again…!” a union of various octaves from all throughout the spectrum had joined in.

In any case, the corporeal listener could see the path ahead of himself almost at an end as he’d heard a lone maidenly voice lilted:

Decorations we shall make
Hearth’s Warming Eve is here once again!
Perfection you just cannot fake
Hearth’s Warming Eve is here once again!
Not one mistake
Don’t let that break
Oh, goodness’ sake!

“Hearth’s Warming Eve is here once a–––” the same choir from not too long ago had regrouped in full force, stopping themselves to gather up some more strength in numbers and synchronicity compared to the likes of himself at large so to speak of overall, “happy, happy Hearth’s Warming Eve… happy, happy Hearth’s Warming Eve… Hearth Warming Eve is here once again…!”

Just as the ballad concluded, the corporeal listener had now came across three more pathways: although there was some green, they were in two different shades from each other as they were from the one he’d just been on recently; in addition, there was some lemon added to the mix on the far right of where his eyes were seeing clear as daytime itself already.

“Alright, Gallus, it seems you’d gotten it right the first time around; it’ll be just like one of these find–it pictures from the diner…” he’d heaved as his heartbeat had started to stabilize soon enough, catching his own breath whilst briefly studying them altogether, “just find the one that isn’t like the others and you’ll be able to make your way out soon enough like she’d said…”

“아리랑, 아리랑, 아라리요⋯ 아리랑 고개로 넘어간다⋯” another aria began to sing, this time coming from the lemony lights between the metallic trails for the titular traveler to hear loud and clear.

Needless to say, the corporeal male felt his ears flop about quickly as he’d struggled to speak softly, “huh, what kind of language is it…?”

“나를 버리고 가시는 님은⋯ 십리도 못가서 발병난다⋯” the new matronly voice lilted as he’d begun to move towards it straightaway, albeit reluctantly than ever before overall, “청천하늘엔 잔별도 많고, 우리네 가슴엔 희망도 많다.”

“That’s weird: it’s not from around here or Equestria; what kind of song is this…?” Gallus had whispered softly as the lights alternated between dimming and brightening about slowly around himself.

It wasn’t long until the ethereal singer sighed about, “저기 저 산이 흰털산이라지, 동지 섣달에도 꽃만 핀다⋯”

“Come to think of it, that voice, it sounds familiar but I don’t know where or when it’d been sung if at all, much less who…” the corporeal listener had ruminated about as the lukewarm photons up above cloaked his body despite lacking solidarity therein, “what is its name and/or it’s about: if I haven’t heard before then it’s new to me; the real question is who sung it first…?”

“안⋯ 녕⋯ 하⋯ 십⋯ 니⋯ 까⋯?” a stilted gasp hissed into his ears as he was now presented with a rather ghastly sight up ahead of himself.

A lanky woman was found to be sitting up in front of Gallus with her back against the rocky wall; unlike the primordial visitor from before, she was much older compared to the likes of him. Like the singular male, the lonely elder had some colorful integuments, except they were more reminiscent of a peeled apple with all the bruises and cuts wearing her own pores down and out. Tresses of peach and raspberry made their way past their owner’s neckline, all rough right round the edges due to the irregular cuts already made upon the matted and adhesive surface area alone. Over her own willowy body were a snow–white blouse with long sleeves dyed a deep blue and a long cerise skirt with jet–black accents at its hemming, all torn asunder as she was still exposed. Such eyes of emerald splash were nevertheless undermined and underlined by the deep heavy bags of black and red with textures of such a watery translucency imprinted about without a care.

Despite blushing about, he’d struggled to speak to the woman already, “hello…?”

“어, 샌드바⋯ 내 아들이야?” the disheveled elder had coughed out in confusion, spitting out some pinkish compound in the leftmost direction away from themselves, “이 상태에서 나를 만나러야 만하는 유감입니다⋯”

“Actually, I don’t know what you’re talking about, ma’am; no offense, to be honest, but you look like you’ve been through hell already yourself: are you okay…?” Gallus gagged greatly whilst slowly walking up to her at once, the former taking note of a deep purple collar wrapped around the latter’s neckline presently.

Panting and wheezing about, the woman answered the singular male laboriously as she attempted to cover herself, “I’m sorry, I thought you were my son, Sandbar; come to think of it, you almost look like him already so to speak: they did say that the curtains basically match the windows or was it the carpet matches the drapes…?”

“Sandbar, your son; how could I be anything like him…?” he’d whimpered, still unnerved by the disheveled elder struggling to look at him reluctantly approaching her, “I’m sorry, I don’t even know what he looks like; to be honest, I wasn’t even sure if I was the only one in this place: come to think of it, do you have any idea where we are…?”

“I wish I did… if anything, I wish I can see my family again: my husband Beachcomber and I were just off in Canterlot for our son’s spring break; now that I think about, I can’t even find our daughter Coral either…” she’d tensely answered while her legs became straighten up compared to Gallus’ tepid perambulation so to speak of.

Now standing at mere feet away from the woman, the singular male asked her almost immediately, “do you suppose we’d might team up and find some help together: I can help you with getting back on both feet and perhaps covering yourself; do you trust me on this one, ma’am…?”

“Uh… umm…” the disheveled elder trembled about as her heart skipped a beat at what had appeared from abaft himself: a musclebound trio came into the line of sight with, all covered in darkness save for some bright blue eyes and white–hot fangs, “OH, NO, THEY’RE BACK; LOOK OUT…!”

“Huh…?” Gallus peeped prior to being shoved over nearby her body on the right side, his lips becoming red with blood due to the cuts taking formation upon the surface area; soon, he was groaning in pain as he’d felt his face having abruptly making contact with the shambolic partition thanks to them.

It didn’t long for the bleeding male to look upon the newfound entrants with indignation, currently scowling about as their numbers slowly grew along with their diversity of physiques: out of the many, one stood out to speak to him directly with a regal yet unfriendly tone no less, “pardon me but we weren’t expecting intruders in our very hideout, let alone one so scrawny…”

“Who the fuck are all you bastards?!” Gallus exclaimed angrily, reaching into his left pocket to dig out a sharp yet rusted knife and point it into their collective direction firmly, “don’t come any closer, fuckers; I don’t know who or what you are but you might as well be up to no good all the same; after all, I wasn’t expecting to find someone else there other than that lady in red if at all!”

“Perhaps we’re on two different wavelengths you and I; after all, even I can tell you’re not from round here either: this homely housewife happened to have spoken a much different language…” the same voice escaped into both onlookers’ here, its identity soon become uncovering from the slowly growing sea of similar individuals alone.

The newfound speaker was another being cloaked in blackness, albeit more reminiscent of the lanky woman in terms of physique so to speak. Unlike the disheveled elder’s hair, a darkly translucent teal was dyeing all the diaphanous strands cleanly enough to be freeform within every step. Even though the distinct bystander was just as dark as the entrants on the opposite side as their gilded witnesses, there was glycosaminoglycan. Some emeralds were also found to be matching their owner’s intestinal accents, already bereft of the fear in the lanky counterpart’s opposing gaze. Distinguished features separating themselves from each other were the lack of textiles discovered upon the newfound speaker’s curvaceous figure. All that could be seen glowing too were a set of aquamarines found upon the distinct bystander’s crown resting about onto the elongated tresses. Yet with all the lack of modesty emanating from the newfound speaker, neither Gallus nor the disheveled elder nearby were happy to see them.

In any case, the youthful onlooker wasted no time hissing at the crowned bystander instantly, “who the fuck are you?!”

“Oh, again with the swearing already; didn’t your parents teach you it’s not polite to swear in front of royalty, if at all no less?” the curvaceous speaker groaned as Gallus still glared onward without a care in the whole wide world whatsoever so to speak of, “in any case, let me introduce myself: name’s Chrysalis and what you and your girlfriend are seeing are my Changelings…”

“Changelings… I haven’t heard of you or your kind at all in my entire life whatsoever; not even that boy knows of them either…!” the lanky onlooker exclaimed tensely as her weary eyes had looked upon the hungry yet obscure faces of the eponymous beings, “what is it that you or any of these beings what with us if at all; what did we ever do to you to deserve any of this treatment?!”

“How about the fact one of your own had sat me ablaze on my special day of all days no less; of course, what would you all know about what it was like to have so many flames on your flesh?!” the black queen had answered harshly, catching their listeners upfront off–guard as they’d all felt themselves forced further back despite remaining in place as they both were not too long ago.

Out of the two, the bleeding male spat out at Chrysalis already, “so what, we’re all supposed to feel bad for you because you literally got burned; if that were actually case, then why the hell are you targeting us of all people: can you give us at least a reason as to how this should relate to us?!”

“You poor deprived fool, you really are out of the loop as that little whore is right beside you, much less anywhere from here…” the black queen had sighed, rubbing her forehead in exasperation before finding the patience to continue on and face Gallus now, “I was but a simple girl whom had a dream, seizing the day that would accomplish what others couldn’t: revenge…! Long before any of you were ever conceived, I, along with much of my brood, had all emerged from one rotten and barren tree: it was in the middle of a pond that was filled with the magic of both death and decay, all thanks to them bones and flies feeding; even before that crack in time, I could feel myself and my kind being nourished by the dead and its scavengers over time no less. Even before our encounter together, I could actually see how different we are from the rest of the world at large, especially them: hairless, sharp–toothed, bereft of pupils, darkest than nighttime itself, even gestation alone was progressive, not that it mattered; the only way we were able to blend in was to transform ourselves as something more colorful and lively by sheer comparison. Despite our advancing numbers, we wouldn’t be able to take things seriously until right after we had become a full–fledged force; our first foray into militarism had began when we’d taken aim at a city high above all of us and that of Equestria a millenia ago: its name was Timbucktu, thriving with its riches as a center of trade between its native and travelers far from the ground. The city was ruled by a king known as Orion, beloved by his subjects and visitors alike so much they couldn’t see us all coming: it was the first time we’d managed to make use of our abilities, hiding amongst their soldiers long enough to drain them all; stripped of both love and his crown, this was the last time anyone from their saw their precious ruler, let alone remember him fondly. Speaking of which, my first conquest had lead me to another one of their city’s so–called head of state, a meathead of an emperor: his name was Incitatus, a narcissist who somehow managed to figure out the differences between me and his precious fiance at all; even without their advanced tactics or prior forewarning, I could still never get over how insufferable he was before then. Nevertheless, I was this close to taking over his pathetic Trot of a city until a certain bitch of a princess came blazing on by; I could never get over the fact that she’d handled me a crippling defeat more devastating than my limbs could even try to handle: not only that, she and her troops would’ve been better off turning us all to stone or having us sent to the moon but it was worse. Tartarus would’ve been a more merciful preference compared to what they’d done with us ever since she’d crushed our invasion: even with our bodies acclimated to both hot and cold alike, the abundance of magma alone left us all sweating bullets constantly; if anything, we would’ve preferred being eaten alive raw rather than becoming steamed hams soon enough so to speak of. Of course, in this world of eat or become eaten, we’d rather prefer the former than to be the latter, especially by the others: a certain Sergio learnt that lesson the hard way and was burning away in the same volcano prison we were in thanks to that bitch; of course, he was nothing like us or the foes we’d faced before he came along looking for a place to rest right where we were.”

“So you’re mad because some princess from Equestria took you out and imprisoned you overall; in all fairness, that doesn’t even sound like a good reason at all, especially after what you all did: if anything, you should’ve been dead for all your crimes against these innocent people already!” Gallus bitterly chuckled, shaking his own head at what had been told to him recently at large.

Chrysalis paid the bleeding male no mind as she’d edged forward rather slightly, while cooing, “someone whose princess would store the likes of us in a volcano has no right to talk to us about innocence or guilt; but, enough talk for ‘tis time for torture and you are already in our way as is but don’t fret about, little boy: I have someone whom would be better interested in your body…”

“Body, what body…?” Gallus growled before finding himself becoming singled out by the changelings almost immediately, “stay back, I have a knife and I’m not afraid to use it; come any closer and you’re dead, YOU’RE ALL DEAD…!”

“That’s just it, we’re already dead but you and that whore, High Tide, are filled with life and love, well she is; either way, it wouldn’t matter how many cuts you make into our body, we’re still going to see to it you’ll be useful: at this rate, you won’t die but you’ll wish you would…” the black queen said before snapping her fingers.

Then, as if on point, the bleeding male was besieged by multitudes of Chrysalis’ subjects overall: even with his weapon firmly in hand, not one drop of blood was found onto the steely surface; next, he was disarmed, now at the mercy of these entrants whom taken their time stripping him.

Gallus was now in the altogether, forced facedown in front of his viewers, even the disheveled woman whom couldn’t bear to watch this sight at large, not that it’d mattered as her eyelids were stretched further apart as she’d screamed, “NO, DON’T!”

“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!” cried the youthful victim as he’d felt his haunches being lodged within by a thick, unyielding appendage, sliding in and out as it was bereft of any rhythm or emotion whatsoever from tension, “STOP IT; FOR THE LOVE OF ALL THAT’S SACRED, STOP THIS ALREADY, PLEASE!”

“Like I said, honey, you won’t die but you’ll wish you had…” the black queen said salaciously before disappearing into the crowd.

The bared male began to shed tears as the changelings cheered and jeered at the sight of it all; meanwhile, he’d felt more fluids all coating his bruised body in a matter of seconds altogether: saliva shot from the mouth, urine trickling onward, and some white painting his hair as well. Despite closing both eyes, Gallus was devoid of any autonomy already, convulsing to and fro as his invader was taking the time to enjoy him at his expense, laughing and growling while causing him pain and sorrow, something High Tide became exposed to directly as well thanks to them. Likewise, the lanky woman was being besieged by the same crowd of changelings from not too long ago, her supersaturated legs being spread further apart than she'd attempted to keep together prior to her would–be rescuer's arrival as she’d felt her lips being contacted by a stray prepuce. Regardless of their past and present differences, one thing was certain for both of them overall: their crowd of invaders would be finished with their bodies and there was nothing they could even do whatsoever to escape their predicament, whether by themselves or as a team so to speak.

Out of the two firmly within the changelings’ tightening grip, Gallus was alone in rumination, “so this is how it’s going to be for me: used up, washed up, bricked up, descended in maelstrom, bedlam, and redrum?! It would’ve been better to bet the devil my head with how I’d been misled into bloodshed and my heart underneath the floorboard beating for somebody named Lenore nevermore. To hell with all this and them too: these changeling bastards can eat shit and die for all I care, especially that fucking cunt Chrysalis most of all; she calls her a queen but she’s nothing but a tyrant and a twat. If it were up to me, then I’d like to see the darkest pit of whatever hell that exists to swallow them all whole and take them away from all that is good and innocent, like High Tide. Please, for the love of all that is sacred and holy… just… just…”

“Oh, hold on, I’m gonna cum as well…!” one of the attackers nearby the youthful victim chirped, giving him indication as to what was now happening, “UURGH–––”

“AHN~!” High Tide moaned, getting a face full of white fluid as her loins overflowed with the same similar compound from before.

Gallus also felt the weight of world lessen greatly as he was freed from his suffering yet bound by the solutions experienced and endured; the onlookers laughed at how he’d squirmed and spasmed about, “you make an exquisite fuck doll: it’s a shame that you have to die; now, time to end this…”

“Huh…?” the bleeding male groaned about as his eyes were treated to the sight of the lanky woman hoisted above ground by her handlers; almost immediately, a burst of energy had returned to his moistened body as he’d shrieked, “PLEASE, NO–––”

High Tide was decapitated before Gallus’ eyes, her head slumped next to him as a puddle of blood formed around it nearby both the perpetrators’ fluids and that of his own making too; before long, they’d disappeared in a puff of teal wispy sparks, leaving him alone with her remaining body and compounds too.

“수시로⋯ 섭리님⋯ 부모와⋯ 애완⋯ 동물을⋯ 데려가는데⋯ 이유가⋯ 있고⋯ 수시로⋯ 수시로⋯ 우리도⋯ 그렇게⋯ 합니다⋯” the disrobed elder’s head coughed out, catching the lonely male off–guard as he’d watched the life fade out from her eyes in a matter of seconds afterwards.

Gallus could do nothing at all whatsoever except hold back some tears, wheezing about as he’d cradled High Tide’s head hesitantly; all the strength within him was spent closing her lids and lips as he’d felt more drops falling onto his torso before a loud scream escaped him with his hair turning white as snow, “GOD, HELP US ALL, PLEASE…!”