> Foxfire's Tail (extended) > by Dragonborne Fox > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- > What Was Once Blank... > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- "Blank flank!" "Bitch!" "Stupid!" "Fresh meat!" "Prick!" "Changeling in disguise!" "Evil!" "Ugly!" "Awful!" "Lazy-ass!" "Harlot!" "Slut!" "Worthless!" "Tight sheep!" "Stuck-up!" "Nameless!" "Obese!" "Anorexic!" "Beige trash!" "Vampire!" "Werewolf!" "Demon!" "Selfish!" "Wretched whorse!" "Foal-less brat!" "Two-timing liar!" "Snitch!" "Bad artist!" "Teacher's pet!" I never heard such foul words in my life, and from fillies and colts no less. Who taught them these things, and why? Sure, I was nameless and a blank flank, those much were true. Foal-less was also undeniable, as I was a foal myself. How can a foal get another foal? Beige was half-true; that was my coat color. Trash? I didn't think so. What on earth was a lazy-ass again? Changeling? At the time, I thought it was more than absurd. But that comes a bit....later. Artist was a vague term used for my stick-pony drawings. Aside from telling the teacher and watching her take the ruler out and commence with the beatings of my horrible classmates, drawing was my only means of escape from this world. I had this imaginary world where everypony was nice to me, where everypony was understanding of one another. At the heart of this imagination was Princess Luna and her elder sister, ruling the world in Harmony and Good Chaos alongside Discord, a Draconequus who can best be described as a weird chimera-type beast. I wasn't a bad artist, I was just underdeveloped. After being scared witless by Luna during Nightmare Night, I began looking up to her. Her inner beauty, those marvelous black wings, those turquoise eyes.... let's just say, upon seeing her, my jaw dropped. Malevolent, yet well-meaning. I wanted to be her personal student. -Foxfire sighs like she's doing chores- You wanna know what I looked like then? Fine. I was a beige coat filly of about thirteen years of age. My eyes were dark grey-blue and my mane was gold, brown, and red in that order. Just those three colors in streaks. Oh, I was still a blank flank. I was an earth pony. I vividly remember that day like it was only a few hours ago. I heard cutie marks were a rite of passage into adulthood in my family, which is why I referred myself as a filly back then. I know, my family was weird. Most of us were earth ponies who remained blank flanks. But here's what's really strange: My dad was a unicorn by the name of Mechanical Gear Flowerfeather. He had a peachy coat and a black mane which he kept tied back. He wore glasses and had a little beard he'd shave during the summer but let grow during winter. He stared at the sun too long, hence the glasses. And he had this really cool black cowboy hat! His cutie mark was a blueprint map and a gear, and his talent was carpentry and mechanics. He worked at this place where they make ovens for crying out loud, and I went there once and it was cool! -Foxfire looks at family picture and wipes off a tear- The picture of me back then with my family, you ask? It's the only thing I have left of them now, aside from my favorite teddy bear and other stuffed toys, the toys that belonged to my sister, my dad's gun and sword collection, and a few antiques mom used to own, among other things. I know, dad was a bit of a nut. But when I found out why that was, everything changed very drastically. It all happened so damn fast I can't tell you what happened next without rambling on and on. How I found out why dad was a bit of a nut is also how I became who I am now. -Foxfire clears her throat and takes a deep breath- I was trotting home from school with determination and anticipation. I wanted to dress up as an angel for Nightmare Night, which was two days after this..err....event. It was any other day as I walked to my front door as those bullies kept calling me names I already mentioned. I put my hoof on the door, pushed it open, and walked inside expecting my parents to chase off the bullies. The living room was dark for some reason, the only lights were from the door and windows. "Mom? Dad? Sister?" I called, expecting an answer. There was none. I breathed in deeply, then shouted. "MOM! DAD! SISTER!" Again, silence greeted me. The darkness was mocking me in some way as the bullies stopped their little name-calling charade. I looked back at them, and all that was scrawled in their eyes was shock. Even they knew something was wrong here, and they nodded for me to go inside. Steeling myself, I walked inside the dark living room as my hoofsteps echoed into the darkness of the house. I knew deep down something wasn't right, but I'd never know what that was unless I explored the small house. There was a flickering light in the bathroom between the kitchen and living room, so I stepped inside that room first. It was clean and pristine before, but then it was covered in blood. So. Much. Blood. I looked everywhere in the bathroom hoping for a sign of life and nearly choked on my very heart. In the sink lay my sister's head, a look of terror frozen on her face as her mouth was crudely stitched shut into an eerie grin. Her decapitated body lay in pieces in the tub, her hind quarters looking like somepony tore her open three times and then stitched it back together. Blood and this white substance were intermingling in the tub because a hoof was shoved into the drain. In other words, plugged up said drain. "Sister...." I heaved, looking at her frozen brown eyes. Her blond mane was stuck against her grey pelt with sweat, blood, and even more of that white ick. My ears fell flat as I ran out of the bathroom and into the kitchen, blood covering my hooves and making crude prints in the floor. Again, my heart threatened to jump out of my mouth as mother was on the table, stitched and cut open with her favorite celery knife. Her head was attached, but her body was in a really big casserole dish. An apple was in her mouth and her organs lay in a boiling pot of water on the stove. Like sister, her mouth was stitched shut in a grin around the apple as her blue eyes lay open in eternal horror. Her brown mane lay in much the same way on her grey-white pelt as did sister's. More blood, sweat, and that icky stuff greeted me as I peered into the casserole dish. But there were chunks of meat scattered about in the pan, and I saw a peachy colored hoof stick out of mom's hind quarters. Her body was enlarged to unusual proportions, and then I started sobbing as I realized dad was stuffed inside mom. He too was dead as I saw a broken horn lay in front of the fridge. Somepony help me get out of this nightmare! Then I saw a goat-horned stallion, his crimson pelt and pitch-black hooves caked in blood and more of that ick. He was also fairly sweaty, judging from his nigh-bare forehead. He had the teeth of a manticore and glowing, gold eyes which pried into my soul. A smile etched on his lips as I saw this really odd-shaped, black mass between his hind legs. Its tip pointed right at me as a brown bag suddenly threw itself on my head and knocked me out--but not before I let off a shrill shriek of pain I swear broke a window or two. > Just the Beginning > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- I groggily woke up, my vision blurry as fuck as I regained consciousness. A smell hit my nose as I wearily rose my aching head. My legs were numb, as were my ears. I could not hear a sound even if it came from my own mouth. For fifteen minutes it was like that. No clear sight, a vague scent growing stronger, and not a sound. Was something in my ears, perhaps? That, I know not. All I saw was a mess of red, brown, and grey. It was very dark, but still noticeable. My head was killing me, hurting very bad as feeling in my legs returned. I breathed in and out quietly as the smell intensified. What was that? A blur of red and brown? On the grey? And what was that white glow above me? I shook my head, which finally stopped aching for the time being. My vision was still blurry, but why? My hearing had also came back, and all I heard was my own breathing. It was deathly quiet as the smell hit me harder than a baseball bat swung by the strongest pony known to ponydom. Blood. My vision suddenly shot into clear mode and then my heart dropped. I was greeted by more dried bodies, some piled onto a wall and others hanging by meat hooks. Many of the bodies were also stitched--a hoof on the face of one, hind legs attached to the back like a crude pair of wings, so on and so forth. The room was rusty, lined with cabinets that were made of stone. On top of one cabinet lay a bunch of odd instruments, most sharp and ready to inflict pain, but others were dull, broken, or simply useless. I tried moving my legs only to find them still immobilized for some reason. I shook my head violently once more before looking at my hoof and choking on a scream. Shackled. I looked at my other legs. More shackles, bloodied and rusted with usage and age. I felt my eyes shrink and my sanity go to Tartarus. My ears folded back as I looked up at the only light in the room. Just one lantern. I could not see anything beyond its sun-like glare. Whatever I was shackled to suddenly went from vertical to horizontal as a loud click hit my ears quicker than I could say 'bucking hell.' Last thing I needed was a reason to be truly afraid. Right there glaring me in the eye was that...monster, a wicked grin carved on his muzzle as his canines showed. They were sharp and ready to strike. "I see you're awake, little one." He hissed. His voice sounded horrifically ethereal unlike all other voices I heard prior. Was he from another world? I started heaving as my lips trembled, struggling to speak what little words I had to say for this jerk. He put a hoof to my cheek and stroked it. I tried moving my head away, but found out that was shackled by the neck as well. "Awww, cat got your tongue?" He chuckled as he put his hoof down. My whole being was shaking with fear. All the hairs not held by the chains stood straight up in horror. I tried screaming, but no sound came. "Aww, I pity you. NOT!" He cackled like a madpony, raising a hoof to his forehead and falling on his back laughing his ass off. This jerk! He went and killed MY FAMILY and then mocked me?! Who'd do this?! He got up again after his little laughing fit ended and re-established his intimidating posture, once more looking me in the eye. He lowered his head to my ear. "I need a new mare, little one. I never expected you to come home at just the right time." He whispered. I trembled, unsure of what to make of what he was saying. I blinked harshly a few times, my lips still quivering. He rose his head and tilted it to the side. "You don't understand a word I just said?" He asked, blinking a few times himself. "No, I don't. I don't understand and I feel I don't want to." I said, trying to remain as calm as I could. For a moment, he went slack-jawed. He actually shook his head in disbelief for a few seconds, then his expression turned hideously angry. "You choose to remain ignorant, bitch?" He hissed as I swore I saw fire in his eyes. Fear hit me once more, my eyes shrinking even further now. He walked over to my hind quarters with a large drill lined with thorns in his mouth. He put the drill right in front of-- I screamed as a pain shot from my hips and thighs as the drill whirred to life inside me. I felt it tear at my flesh in such a way I felt like my bones should've broken right then and there. I kept screaming in agony as the drill stopped suddenly. Tears streamed down my eyes as my muzzle was clamped shut with chains, hearing the drill clatter against the ground as it was tossed aside like a twig. The table returned to vertical position. That fiend looked at me in the eyes, holding my chin with his hoof. It lasted for mere seconds before he suddenly slapped me. A pain hit my right eye as I felt blood trickle down my face. His right hoof was clawed! "I'm very glad you're in heat. Otherwise, I'd flat-out kill you by now." He hissed, licking the blood off his claws like a cat. Another smile etched its way on his muzzle has he licked his lips in a way I did not--and flat-out refused--to understand. My heart was in my throat once more as he suddenly punched me in the stomach and knocked me out. > Runaway Fires > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- I woke up again, pain still present in my hind quarters. I woke up sobbing. But I wasn't bleeding. Well, I was, but it wasn't because of the drill. Did I heal? Was it a bad dream? I shook my head, which was unchained this time. I lay in....a stone bed? I was wet and cold, seeing many cuts on my forelegs. I wasn't chained by my upper body for some reason. I shook my head again as I heard...crying. It wasn't my own, that was for sure. I didn't know whose it was, and I was pretty sure I had no intention of knowing at that time. How long was I out cold? "Someone's awake after eleven fucking months!" Hissed that demon again. A horrid grin formed on his muzzle, yellow teeth glinting in the light. It was as if he were mocking me again. I raised my head, shaking off my tears and looking at him slack-jawed. ELEVEN. BUCKING. MONTHS?? There was no way I was out for eleven months! I jumped out of the bed snarling at him, hooves raised and ready to strike. I was stopped short by shackles on my hind legs as I kept snapping at the fiend who was just out of arms' reach. I was shouting words I never said before--things like 'fuck' and 'shit,' to name quite a few. I found myself flying back onto the bed after my face hit a wall all because I got punched. I did not scream in pain because, compared to the drill, this was a foal in a sandbox. "You served your purpose. And now, your time is at an end." The fiend hissed as he suddenly started beating me. The more his hooves connected with my body, the more pain shook my being, the harder the punches. Soon, my bones started breaking. Right when he was going to finish me off, he stopped abruptly. I looked up at him, and saw his eyes going wide as dinner plates. "Y-You....!" He started, only to fall on his rump. My flesh was burning as a cyan glow appeared on the walls. I looked at my hoof in shock as cyan fire started flickering around it. My forelegs were becoming grey as long, black fur began growing over the grey. The fire engulfed me, eating away at the chains and, very soon, the whole house. I felt the pain escape my body as I fled straight out the front door and into the Everfree forest. Trees passed by me as though I were about to go past the speed of light. So much had happened during my coma...so much that at the time I didn't understand. Why had he said I served my purpose? I did understand what he meant when he said my time was at an end. Maybe, I was awake during those eleven months, but if so, then why didn't I remember it from the get-go? Mind control? Drugs? I only knew I had to run away as fast as I could. I heard nothing other than my gallop and his cursing. I needed to tell somepony. Anypony. But...who'd believe me then? Would I even be treated equally? Or flat-out mocked once more? The cursing had died down, fading away into the darkness of the forest as I galloped into a beeline. Where was I going? Home? Canterlot? Manehatten? I wish I knew. I just kept running, half of all my hoofsteps was the time that my hooves did not even touch the ground. Eventually, I came to a grinding halt in front of a pond, the blue moon hanging high in the clearing. The softer shades of the dark world presented themselves to me as I knelt down for a drink of water. I drank what must have been a gallon before I even took notice of my reflection. I had a six-segment horn, the first four sections grey and the remaining two black. The black fuzz almost covered my grey hooves entirely like a set of snowshoes. I had a grey underside, starting from the tip of my muzzle and most likely ending on my underbelly somewhere. I had a monotone mane now, and though the moonlight did not reflect well off of said mane, it was a deep, dark scarlet brown. The same was said for the coat color on top of the grey--a blood crimson. My eyes were glowing a faint dark-grey blue, and I heaved in shock as I suddenly tried to remove my new horn. I impaled it in the ground, stabbed trees and rocks, do whatever I needed to do to make myself back to the way I was. No avail. Failure. Failure. FAILURE. That one word rang in my head as I slammed my whole body into a rock. I kept slamming myself in frustration, hearing and feeling something on my sides break. The objects fell limply, and in the moonlight they were like the rest of my body. Grey and black feathers. I realized I broke my new wings. I slumped to the ground crying, holding my head in my hooves. I curled up sobbing and screaming as my ears fell flat. I hurt worse now as emotional and physical pains intermingled in such a way it was unbearable. The tears streamed down my face as if a dam had broke and all the water within was released. There was no stopping them--or the liquid still pouring out of my hind quarters for that matter. It hurts really bad, I can't take this anymore. Why can't I just die?! Where will I go? Who will take me in? Who's gonna help me smile just one more time?? Mom. Dad. Sister. Somepony. Anypony. Help me please. I don't wanna have to sleep in this hell. I wanna go home. I just wanna go home... > I Can't Remember What Happened in September > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- I woke up, still in the clearing thank Celestia and all things below her regal hooves and....holy buttocks? Wait, holy buttocks? OKAY, NOT COOL. NOT COOL, YOU FUCKING PERVERTED HORNY BASTARD. THANK YOU FOR MAKING ME THINK LIKE THIS, NOT. I smacked myself to get the image of the stallion and Celestia getting it on out of my head. This is NOT a good morning. -Foxfire takes a glass of tea and chugs it down like it's royal liquor in two seconds- Please, you're more than old enough to understand that thought, so shut up and listen for once in your damn life! Oi! Anyhow, the sun was glaring me in the face all the way from the sky. I stood up, really wobbly. I looked at the space between my legs and was met with more shock. My tail was blood crimson and...really, really fluffy. I moved the whole thing, and it was at least as long as Celestia's tail--perhaps longer, even...? Near the end of this beastly tail was a patch of solid white. Who stuck my tail in paint, cause that's what it looked like then! -Foxfire groans, then shows the end of her tail- But I knew something wasn't quite right when I looked at my flank. There was...a blur of grey and two more of blue? I rubbed my eyes because they failed me that time, as far as what the objects were shaped like were concerned. After I rubbed my eyes dry of sand and leftover tears and shook my head shortly afterwards, I looked at the objects once more. Two cyan orbs of fire and...a fox mask? I took a moment to think about it. I was...not entirely a pony..? What the hay? I walked back to the pond and knelt down for another drink, this time taking note my ears had become black. I drank a lot less water than I had done last night. That blue fire last night...was that my talent? To set shit ablaze? Or was it...something more? Despite my dad being a unicorn, I tried magic left and right as an earth pony and kept failing at it. So I ended up not trying anymore. Well, I got my foalhood wish granted, seeing how I now had a fucking horn on my head. But what happened to get that horn, I honestly expected it to be a lot simpler than that hell! I got up from my drink and my stomach grumbled loudly. When was the last time I ate? I looked at my stomach and could see my ribs. Great, I was fucking emaciated now! I looked at my teeth. I still had flats for plant-chewing, but I also had canines of my own. At least I could have my fucking celery still. I LOVED that vegetable. I jumped from my reflection and into battle mode as something rustled in the bushes nearby. Out from the bushes stepped a few Changeling drones. "Scan her. She looks strange." Said one. The horn of the second one began glowing green. He approached me and tapped his horn on my head. A few seconds later, he jumped back screaming. Who'd blame him? I wouldn't, that's for sure. "She's half chimera, but she can turn into a Changeling if she wanted to!" He shouted, pointing a holey hoof at me. "Say what?" I replied, feeling my jaw physically drop onto the ground. "Try turning." Said the third. "Fix my wings first." I replied impatiently. The horns of all three drones began glowing a mystic blue as I felt bones being repaired. Soon, I was able to move them again. Their horns stopped glowing. "NOW try turning." Repeated the third drone. I sighed, then entered a state of deep concentration. Fire began flickering around my whole body as I felt myself changing. It stopped as I peered into my reflection once more. My mane was much the same, just a bit longer. My horn was as contorted as that of Chrysalis's horn, and my wings were smaller than they were previously. They were still encased in black feathers, black chitin present where fur had been, save for my midsection and above my tail base, which were replaced with a sapphire blue carapace and ribcage. My eyes did not have dual irises, but were like those of Changeling eyes nonetheless. Blue, catlike, all-around weird. My tail now matched my damn mane this time, and my legs had glowing blue cheese-holes in them. They, unlike most Changelings, were the only part of my body that did have holes at all. My canines were so big they jutted out of my maw even when it was closed. "Well, damn." I said, blinking a few times. I turned to the drones again "But she isn't a queen! Take her down!" Shouted the first drone. "She mustn't overthrow Chrysalis!" Said the second. My horn began crackling to life again as right then and there the drones stopped dead in their tracks. All three had petrified looks on their faces as I burned them blacker than they would ever be. The smell of freshly-cooked Changeling flesh filled the area. Reluctantly, I walked to the now-cooked corpses and cut one ajar using my horn. And took a bite. It....was good. I swear my eyes went white with ecstasy as I dined like a king that day. I cleaned the chitin of all specks of flesh--organs, bones, everything. Thankfully, none of them were pregnant at the time. But as I ate, something entered my head. In my head, I was looking at a calender that was currently on September of last year. I turned around, saw the demon, and the memory went to darkness. It bothered me greatly as I picked my teeth clean with the horns of the dead food, which with the wings became my souvenirs. I reverted to my other form and stuffed them in my tail fur. "Why can't I remember what happened in September?" I asked myself as I rose from the carnage. > The Inner Beast > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- I smiled as I went about in the Everfree, getting to know every nook and cranny of what was now MY territory. In the heart of this territory sat the drinking pond I had to myself, and next to it was a foxhole which I made my home. It was marked with rocks so I'd remember where it was. When I was out and about exploring, I felt my eyes glow as an illusion was conjured to conceal my base of operations. That illusion was never broken unless either I said so or when I got hurt by a prey item/predator item. But that only occurred sometimes because, though meat was good for my new body, I needed to limit myself to vegetation. My ears were perked at all times, and in the dead of night fire illuminated my horn. Yes, fire was my illumination spell. I only killed when I was about to be killed. I had a second foxhole that served as a pantry. I used stone to not only wall the inside and keep dirt out, but also to lay meat and vegetables to store. I lined the outside of this hole with the Changeling carcasses in such a way only I could enter. I also noticed I picked up a craving for--you guessed it--blood. But that desire combined with the desire for flesh intensified on full moons. My front hooves gained paws and my teeth all became canine in sharpness. My eyes saw without the illumination spell and I found I could run without making a sound. I had a wet, dog-like nose on my muzzle and said muzzle was slimmer, more refined. My back hooves also became paws and after I made a kill a chilling, yet satisfying howl of triumph often escaped my throat. But my wings also became bat-like during times of the new moon, my eyes becoming blood crimson and mane becoming as black as the night as I feasted upon only blood of anything warm. Rabbits, manticores, you name it. I knew I had to keep myself at bay, but with my new body and instincts, how would that be possible? One time I ate a cockatrice. Whole. In one bite. I would take to the edge of the skies during half-moons in Changeling form, feasting on any bad pony I saw robbing a store, committing the vile deeds of rape, murder, child molestation, drug dealing, again you name it. Their emotions were weak except for pride and wrath. Yes, I label emotions by the sin to which they correspond, go ahead and slap me. Any passerby I'd leave alone unless you count a memory wipe as not leaving them alone. Don't worry, I made sure they only forgot me and what they saw me do. I had to be sated from all sides, figuratively and literally speaking. I too had become a monster. And I hated myself for embracing it. But who could contain this beast silently rampaging across Equestria and know how to stop it? Better yet, would the darkness of eternity take this beast before it could be contained? Or would fate awaken and whisk all away who came across the path of the beast? Nopony knows. Anyhow, it went on for three years in silence. Criminal ponies lay on the streets, drained of all life and soul without one bit of a viable explanation. Some bad ponies were eaten alive, blood covering the whole scene as though it were paint. Crops disappeared without a trace, once more without a clear reason. Rumors began floating around Equestria about this wolf. Some about a vampire. Some more about an illusionist who stole the crops. And as sad as it is for me to admit it, none were closer to the truth than those most popular. This creature was always called the One in Hiding because nopony knew what the beast was, or what its purpose could be. Nopony knew its powers if it had any, or what gender it was for that matter. -Foxfire nods- Yes, I am the One in Hiding. You can sit there and call me all sorts of profanities--I hardly give a fuck! What's that? Describe the murders in more detail? Okay! -Foxfire clears her throat- For the murders on the new moon, I'd keep to the shadows of the town. I'd use an invisibility spell to further hide myself as I crept alongside an intended target. They'd always have those bad qualities about themselves--something to do with drugs or the like. They'd also normally be a stallion; but sometimes a mare would suffice. When they weren't looking, I would take on the form of the pony they most had eyes for and take the smooth approach. Then after seducing them was when their blood got drained. One time I even broke a neck, which alerted other ponies in the building. Yes, it was that loud. I simply turned invisible and hid under the bed for good measure. Good thing I wasn't caught that time--I found out I was in a house of freaking vampony hunters! On the full moon murders, I purposely ran headlong into towns in order to sniff out prey. I saw one particular pony with a whole platoon of slaves tending to his crops. He was morbidly obese, and there was a pizza on his flank. Considering it slid down his flank slowly, I knew it wasn't his cutie mark. Feh; the glutton. He was so fat it took ten earth ponies and five unicorns to lift him up! I wondered why he was in a small house to begin with if he was as big as a fucking whale! Being the idiot I was back then, I lunged at him and started gnawing at his flesh. It wasn't until I found myself full (a.k.a his bones cleaned) that the police ponies tried tailing me. Good thing I could fly! As for half-moon murders, I simply did the protocol of the new moon with a twist: abduction and putting the bastards into cocoons. To consume on a later date. For the really lucky ones, I drained their emotions so thoroughly they, quite simply, became dead inside and as such died a few days later. I think Changelings have venom. Who knows, and who cares? > Sanctuary > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- I kept hearing a faint melody in my head. It was soothing in...a foreboding way. I cannot really describe this melody unless I made a projection thereof. The forest was my home, my territory. But, eventually, I found something odd. What was that odd thing, you ask? A big, really oddly shaped rock in the forest. Around it were noisy Changeling drones. They had spears, so I assumed they were guard drones. I assumed my own Changeling form and casually walked up to the entrance where there were two guard drones ready to poke me. "State your name and reason to be here, misfit." Said one guard while the other motioned with his hoof. "Before I do, I must ask if your companion is mute." I replied. "Yes, he's mute. He's also deaf." Replied the guard drone. "I have no name at all. I want to see your leader. That is all I ask." Was my reply. "You are nameless?" Asked the drone, clearly shocked. "Yes. My last name is Flowerfeather. I have not a first name." "Very well, I'll lead you inside. Queen Aquafire will be pleased to see you." The drone said as he and his companion walked to either side of me as they directed me to the throne chamber. Inside the hive had more...misfits. One was solid white all over with blood-crimson eyes. He had no discernible wings to speak of, and his horn was a hare shorter than mine. He had a yellow mane concealing his left eye and it looked like a thunderbolt. He had no carapace to speak of. Another looked eerily like me, except her mane was blood red and her eyes were emerald green. Her carapace was aqua blue, and her wings were bat-like and brown. She had no horn at all. Another still had a dragon tail, claws, horns, wings, and black scales where the chitin would be. Her carapace was golden, as were her wing membranes. She had no mane, and her eyes were a hypnotic white. I could go on and on here, but I won't. We must get ahead with the story. We were in the throne chamber. Sitting on a crude throne was a Changeling queen, her mane, carapace and eyes all started sapphire and ended in fire red. I wondered if she had another purple form, for crying out loud. She had her wings visibly clipped, and on her head sat a little crown with garnets and turquoises. "We have another oddity? What is her name and purpose, drone?" Asked who was evidently Queen Aquafire. "She has not a first name, and her last name makes us tremble. She wanted to see you." Replied the non-mute drone. "Her last name?" Asked the queen. "Go ahead and say it already." "Flowerfeather." Replied the drone. "You mean....the direct descendant of Changeling hunters?!" Aquafire said slack-jawed. "Yes. I find it...ironic." Replied the drone, who was now looking at me. "So, err....young one." Said Aquafire, who was now looking at me. "Please, do not call me 'young' or 'little one.' I already had enough trauma as is, and I need not another reminder." I said. "Alright. Please, if you have another form, assume it now." Aquafire sighed. I turned into my other form and everyone was slack-jawed. EVERYONE. WAS. SLACK-JAWED. "So, you're an alicorn." One drone said, his voice quivering. "A huh?" I asked, not even hearing that word before then. "A pegasus and a unicorn mixed together!" Shouted another drone in disbelief, holding his holey hooves in front of him. "Who educated her?!" Called another. "ORDER IN THE ROYAL COURT! STOP HARASSING THIS MARE!" Bellowed Aquafire as her horn came to life with magic. Everyone shut up, and the horn ceased its glow. "Why was I nameless?" I asked. "It's...your family secret. Some of your ancestors were unicorns and pegasi with their cutie marks, yet everyone else were blank flank earth ponies, correct?" Aquafire said in a motherly tone of voice. "Yes, but my dad was a unicorn." I replied starkly. "His name was Mechanical Gear Flowerfeather." "I see. Well, those in your family who got their cutie marks had... a life-changing event happen to them. They also got their names because of those cutie marks." Aquafire said. "Life changing?" I asked. "Yes. But you're the odd one out. Your very appearance in both forms says so."Aquafire said. I swallowed hard as I was reminded of that bastard. Please, let me bury his memory. Nopony should have to remember him. "Here, little Foxfire, you will be safe."Aquafire said. "WHAT?!" Shouted everyone else, myself included. "Yes, remember that ponies in your family are named after their cutie marks." Aquafire grinned. I gave a nervous chuckle. "How am I descended from Changeling hunters?" "We queens, provided we do not run into any complications, can live for a little over a thousand years. Let's just say I hid from your ancestors." Aqua sighed with a nod. "They put up strict regulations about cutie marks--that nopony could be allowed to obtain them. The reason behind that is because once gotten, they change drastically. Some even had dangerous powers and Celestia took it upon herself to seal them within the pits of Tartarus--your birthplace. Your father figured out the mechanics in order to break that seal and led your mother out just moments after you were born. And that was when he got his cutie mark. Celestia hasn't taken too kindly to the broken seal." "Am I dangerous?" I asked. "Exceedingly so." Aqua answered. "Guards, please lead her to the bedchambers of the other hybrids and see to it she's safe and sound." > What Is Love? > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- "So, I hope it does not hurt to ask, but...you lost your family?" Asked the white wingless Changeling. "Yes, and.....I'd go as far to say the bastard went and married me. This has yet to be confirmed as I ended up burning everything." I sighed deeply. "I thought marriage was always a good thing." Said the draconian, maneless Changeling. "Pfffffft. Not all things are as they seem. Apparently, my family took that to a whole new level." I replied starkly, narrowing my eyes in anger. "She's right." Said my blood-emerald lookalike. "Why do we come from similar backgrounds?" Asked the white Changeling. "Coincidence?" I said sounding like an ass. "You can't remember ANYTHING after he shoved that drill up your second pie-hole?" Asked my lookalike. "Nope. Nothing but vague details." I replied, getting tired of these questions. "Let's ask her something else, because this is getting nowhere." Said the draconian Changeling. "Sex?" Asked my look-alike. "Yeah? What of it? It's awful!" I chimed in a nasty tone of voice. I almost hissed each word out as I felt my other half about to emerge. What little I knew about the subject was nothing but hell, and we all know who to blame for that. "Subject change, nobody can blame her." Said the white Changeling. "Names." Said the draconian. "You already know me, I was in front of Aquafire." I sighed. "I am Still Coldwater." Said my lookalike. "I am Dragontongue." Said the draconian. "I am... Whiterock Bloodstream." Said the albino. "We all share one bed. Why is that?" I asked, very nervous now. Yes, we had one bed in one room. I was told everybody else in the hive was a pervert. "I don't know. Good thing all the full-fledged Changelings not the queen are sterile." Said Whiterock. "Why are they perverts, or so I'm told?" I asked. "I don't know. Must be protection issues." Said Dragontongue. "Out of all of us, Foxfire's got it worst." Said Still, who cringed. "I am unsterile. I am half Gryphon, hence why I cannot use magic." Said Whiterock. So, that was why he had talons for front hooves. And a lion's tail. "I am half bat." Said Still. "So, it's me and three mares." Whiterock said. "Lemme guess: you had sex with Still and Dragon....and now you're hitting on me...?" I asked, ears flat. Whiterock nodded. I could see another white mass. Yeah, THIS bullshit again. "Listen, Foxfire. I may be a horny bastard in the literal sense of the phrase right now and you can run around bragging to the world about it. But I. Am. Not. Him. Am I clear?" Whiterock asked. I nodded in response. "Good. We good on food, girls?" Asked Whiterock again. Still went to check on the pantry shelf in the room. There was meat, vegetables, emotions-in-a-jar... "We need blood for our new friend." Still sighed. "We're good otherwise." "Foxfire, you think you know enough about you-know-what to...err....get rid of those tensions you built up?" Asked Dragon. "No." I sighed in defeat. My lips quivered. "I'm scared." "Do you know what true love is?" Asked Still, who stood behind me. "Regular love, yes. True love, I only heard about and in vague details." I answered sheepishly. "Foalhood shenanigans, I assume?" Asked Whiterock. I nodded, making sure to keep my head low. I felt like I was blushing. "It's okay." Dragon said as she put me on the very soft and warm bed. I was in Changeling form, if nobody got the drift. "Her carapace is unusually soft and fuzzy. Why does it glow?" Asked Dragon, who I could say was more or less complaining in a way. I had my torso on the bed and my ass in the air, my tail over my backside. It felt strange, really. If I sat like that for, I dunno, a good fifteen minutes without moving an inch I would've become numb. I felt a pair of scaly claws on my flanks as something long, wet, slimy, and--I swear to Celestia--forked found its way into my special area. My eyes shrunk as this...unexplainable feeling tingled in my thighs and, more importantly, what lay between them. It was good, and yet, bad at the same time. It stopped for a mere second and then it returned with twice the force. I was unsure of what to make of this. I was blushing more and, as if by instinct, I started panting. The good overcame the bad in such a way that said bad became nonexistent right then and there. I began moaning...and ended up seeing the special area of Still in front of my face. Her legs were next to both sides of my head as, once more by instinct, I began to lick. She tasted...like celery. "Right there...." Still moaned as I kept using my tongue to apparently please her. I pushed my muzzle further inwards, finding a world of wet, slime, flesh, and apparently a happy place. I had to have my god damn celery taste, making my tongue explore every nook and cranny. Still was moaning and so was I, though mine were muffled in the happy place. The bat-Changeling was moaning to high Cloudsdale as more of that delicious celery taste hit my tongue like tea was being poured into my mouth. I drank it greedily as I felt my own thighs and stomach become wet for apparently the same reason. There was a muzzle just removing itself from my happy place as Whiterock pushed Dragon off and his talons were on my flank, though he did not move otherwise. Once I finished drinking, I looked at him. And instinct told me to shut up and take it, so I merely nodded. Still had collapsed and was asleep, the sweet celery juice soaked into the bedsheets. I felt something warm and fleshy push itself into me, and I did not know what it was. All I knew was that it made me a happy mare. It went in and out as far as I could tell in my right mind at any rate. And my right mind was screaming at me for liking this, which I responded with 'take a bucking hike.' The rhythm was slow and not noticeable at first. Then it quickened as I felt hips slam into my thighs. Whiterock moaned as he stopped abruptly while I felt something flood me. Where and how, I still did not understand. It then began peeking out from my happy place and I felt it dripping onto the bed. The albino suddenly got off of me as my rump fell unceremoniously onto the bed. All three cuddled next to me and we covered up. That was...the best night in my life. > Tsuna Awakens > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- I was standing in the dream world. In front of the many forms of my darker self, the One in Hiding. I was berated for letting 'these pitiful creatures' rut me senseless. I was also bitched at for not tapping into my powers--as in, wreck all the things around me. More lectures came my way. One word flew out of my mouth and stopped the whole thing. Tsuna. Tsuna. TSUNA. The dream stopped as I woke up. I felt like shit. I hit my head against the pillow, trying to go to sleep. And then I hit my head on a rock. A holey hoof kept me from screaming. "I teleported you and your lovers out of the hive. The Royal Guards found us out. We're in a cave, and I am glad you four were the only misfits in the hive." Said Aquafire's voice. "Owie." I whimpered. I felt cold all of a sudden. Damn myself for being wetter than a swamp. I took note that the caves were lined with crystals of all shapes, colors and sizes. Still, Dragon, and Whiterock woke up. And their jaws dropped. "The hell happened?" Whiterock asked. "Hive was attacked and we were the only lucky ones out of the apple basket." I said for Aquafire. "We're in the Canterlot Mines. Everfree Forest is no longer safe." "I feel funny." Complained Dragon before she right then and there threw up on her claws. I nearly collapsed on myself as pain once again overcame me. I felt strange as well. Like he was there. The others followed suit. "I think Celestia put a spell to find and weaken us." Rasped Aquafire... I raised my head and speak of the fucking devil, Celestia was there indeed with her horn aglow! My hairs raised on end...she was glaring at me. I almost screamed because guess who stood next to her holding an anti-magic collar in his maw. My heart sank. My eyes shrunk. My ears fell flat. Aquafire suddenly teleported us and her crown elsewhere as with the last of her mighty strength she charged straight at Celestia and you-know-who. "AQUAFIRE!" We all shouted as we appeared in the Badlands. Her crown sat there mocking us. My head fell and I was crying. There was no stopping the tears. All of us mourned that day. In silence. We were hurt. Our protector...gone. That night, we found an abandoned hive--long forgotten before we set hoof and claw into it. That was our new home. We gently put the little crown inside what I call a tomb of the queens. It was literally just that, a tomb of rulers and scriptures of their lives long since forgotten. An empty tomb reserved for Aquafire contained her crown. There was no corpse, as we knew it would be destroyed. The hive had room for all four of us and maybe four Canterlots' worth of other residents. That respectable Changeling Queen, suddenly taken from us without a second thought. But I noticed something was off. There was a tomb...reserved for me. Another for Dragontongue. And another still for Coldwater. One more reserved for Whiterock Bloodstream. One thing rang in my mind: We were meant to be rulers of this hive in Aquafire's stead. But how did they know of rulers to come and make tombs for them before said rulers were even brought into the world?! It bugged me the entire time, but compared to our loss...it was nothing even worth noting. It felt as if I were walking in the prettiest garden and my sorrowful sins in its presence caused it to wither. You could say I felt a part of me--a really important part, just like mom, dad, and sister--die that day. There were four crowns waiting for us: One was white with rubies and topaz, another was brown with rubies, sapphires, emeralds; yet another was gold studded with onyx... And mine was crimson with onyx, diamond, sapphires, turquoises, gold and silver. It occurred to me that I was the only one capable of using any magic at all--which I learned that day in Changeling society was 'the more powerful magic you had, the more likely you were to call the shots.' For those of you who do not understand, it means I had THE most power period. Though fighting with queens of other hives was inevitable as I recalled the drones who said "I mustn't overthrow Chrysalis," I would have to do so provided she was one of the following: 1) She was a slave-driver. With a whole bunch of innocent ponies used for sex. Let's not get into anymore details about that. 2) She was very mean to her subjects in ways I refuse to mention. Don't ask. 3) She was not a good ruler, i.e. a hypocrite. Saying one thing and flat-out doing another at the expense of her subjects/potential prisoners. We've all been hypocrites at some point in time, but I feel this may apply to over-excessive hypocrisy. 4) She had way too many luxuries on her pony (if anypony could even call a Changeling like her that), and hardly anyone else got anything. Rich bitch goes here. 5) She supported birth of unwanted children no matter how they came to be. As in, against free abortion. Who wants to bet she was raised that way? 6) She married a king to kill his kids. Sometimes, kings' children are born of horrors which I can understand, but more often than not she was just being a bitch. Sometimes the king would be a good king, and who'd wanna do that to him? I'll answer that--a fucking sadist would! You say I have waaaaay too many standards? I say you have too many standards that should be in your life! Bitch, please. I'm a queen here. I could go on and on about the list of yada yada, but enough of that. > Quivering and To Build What Was Lost > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Around fifteen months passed since me and my harem (remember, I got the power here) found our thrones. Dragontongue had...quite the anomaly. What were minutes of screeching out pained cries turned into hours of cleaning a precious joy. She laid an egg. A really big egg. And then it became a clutch. None of us knew what the babies would look like, but we knew they'd be cute. Admit it, all babies are cute even if they have hideous deformities. There were seven eggs to look after, all black-white with splotches of gold and crimson. "How long does it take for a Changeling to gestate?" I asked. "Around six months. Dragons take almost three years." Answered Coldwater. "In eggs for Changelings, or live births?" I asked once more. "Sometimes eggs, sometimes the other. It depends on the queen, really." Said Whiterock. I nodded with a smile. "How'd he survive?" Asked Whiterock, who pointed behind me. I turned around and my jaw dropped. It was the mute-deaf guard. He was waving hi. In his maw he had a scroll. Coldwater asked him who it was for...in sign language. He responded by pointing at me and then poking my fuzzy carapace with a hoof. I opened the scroll and read it. Again, my jaw dropped. Foxfire, My death nears me in this hellhole. I was dragged back to the Everfree Forest...and to what you ended up burning down. I had to help repair it, only to get beaten senseless. It has come to my attention that there is a child who not only belongs to you, but looks very much like you when you were a filly. Also, I have confirmed the unwanted marriage you have been forced into under mind control. Celestia knows of what he has done, and yet she refuses to do anything. Find Luna while you sleep, as only she understands what you went through and has any objections about the senselessness her sister has partaken in. He's already gotten what he could out of me, and after my death he'll go back to hunting for you. I asked him if he was very much like King Sombra... they're brothers, that much I was told. If you do become Luna's student somehow, make this hell end. Do whatever you deem is necessary. Aquafire. Tears welled in my eyes. Damn you, Celestia. He's probably controlling your mind too. "It's...from Aquafire?" Asked Whiterock. I nodded, my magic shaking the scroll. "He's....he's....." I started, only to collapse into tears. My wings fell limp to the ground. The mute-deaf guard stroked my mane as I sat there crying. Still went to check on the eggs while Whiterock clutched me in his talons. He himself was crying too. It was bad...for all of us. For the future hive. Later, I fell asleep. It wasn't a good one by any imagination possible. I was met with...violent images of Aquafire being.... Then darkness. And then, Luna herself appeared. I cried as I told her everything about me there was, about what I saw, about...him...what he did..... not one detail was left behind. She held me in her forelegs as I sobbed like I never cried before. "If Celestia is under mind control, then we have to stop the source." Luna said in a hushed whisper "But, I do not want to shed blood." "I fear it's needed. It needs to stop one way or another." I sobbed into her chest. "You're much too correct." Luna agreed. "We need to build up the hive first. He won't attack unless he knows exactly where I'm at." I heaved. "Cancel the marriage?" Asked Luna. "Please do." I answered in more sobs. I woke up. "What did Luna suggest?" Asked Whiterock as he was polishing an egg. "Since he won't be able to find us until the hive is built back to its former glory, we've all the time in the world." I said trying not to watch Coldwater go at it with the mute-deaf guard who we found out was also not sterile. You could say I waited for a turn with him, I just wouldn't admit it then. "Wait, you're saying he won't look in areas long since forgotten?" Asked Dragontongue, who was so confused I swear she was looking at me cross-eyed. "Yes, they're not likely to hold anyone or anything of value in his eyes." I answered. "Is she doing the guard?" Asked Dragontongue. "What's it take to rebuild this hive?" I retorted, rolling my eyes in pent-up frustrations. "She's right. Again." Whiterock said. "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!" Coldwater moaned before she passed out on top of the already unconscious guard. "DAMN!" We all shouted in unison. "We need a room reserved for that and that only." Dragontongue said. "Y'think?" I responded. A few days went by and egg-caretaking and guard-fucking were switched to and fro amongst ourselves. The eggs hatched into Gryphon-dragon-Changeling hybrid...things. They had feathered wings, dragon tails and horns, the rest Changeling. Some were yellow and some were red as far as the carapaces were concerned. Damn, they were adorable. I wondered what my precious little gems would look like given I was so many damn things rolled into one being. Or Coldwater's, for that matter. She was half bat. Did I tell you the guard managed to use his magic to bring my pond and foxholes to the hive effortlessly? I could not thank him enough for cleaning out my pantry, let alone bringing the watering hole too. He also cleaned out the pantry we shared in the Hive of Everfree and brought the food here as well! In short, we had reserves that could last us all for three whole years! Afterwards, I gave birth... to half-Gryphon-Changeling-were-vampiric-alicorn-things. What's more, I had fifteen right off the bat. Apparently, my reproductive system was messed up to high Cloudsdale and back. They were mostly Changeling, just some had feathered wings, some had paws, talons, what have you. One had a straight horn! And they grew up to adulthood in a matter of hours! Here, I had my own driving force of the Hive. My fifteen fast-growing-procreating children. If my system was fucked up, then it was more than likely it was passed on to at least four of them. They started procreating with the others...and more kids. Incest at its finest was a thought that kept crossing my mind every time a new hatchling showed up. Whether be it the ways of the Changeling queen or simply my being so many damn things at once, I did not know. Hell, I assumed it was both. How else would hives have many Changelings buzzing about in as little as a few days (so I read on the scriptures in the tombs)? Soon, from fifteen fucked-up Changelings rose a Hive of well over ten THOUSAND. Since we already had so many descendants, we stopped fucking almost altogether. The mute-deaf guard became a consort of sorts, as I refused to let him take the risk of attacking an intruder. How would he hear possible insults, their footsteps if they made any sound? Considering I had the most power, I simply laid low and waited for a few days. A scout from the hive of Chrysalis showed up and wished to speak with me. So I shrugged, spoke with him with what Chrysalis demanded of my new hive...and told him to tell his Queen I said to take a hike. Why? She wanted my hive to be demolished. And I was told that--by a freak chance of the lucky sevens--that bastard was her own consort. In short, I went and declared war. With three words. Three words only. "No. Way. Jose." > One, Two, Three, I Declare a War! (+ Planning) > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- I was told something really vital in Changeling-exclusive wars: whoever had the most firepower won. I was also told that Chrysalis stopped laying eggs herself because Mr. I-Fuck-Everything-Whether-They-Like-It-or-Not had somehow made her infertile. Then again, when one has a hundred thousand mouths to feed, why would you continue being fertile? When I heard his hundred thousand against my ten, I suddenly took a very odd step for the war: a really huge, hot, steaming orgy. But not before we 'escorted' the rival scout out of the hive. We actually treated him with utmost diligence, but he cursed us out. Gee, I wonder where he learned that from. The orgy lasted for a whole month. Unlike those of Chrysalis's hive, I had so much variety you could say everyone in my hive has a distinct power. Some of fire, some of lightning...I could go on and on here. And in that one month came a MILLION. Heh, wait till Chrysie here gets a load of this! -Foxfire laughs like a maniac- And if they pissed me off, Tsuna--my very dark-side--would be released! Whiterock, Dragon, and Coldwater did not partake in the orgy, as they needed some of the workers to excavate more tunnels and more or less expand the hive. That and they were exhausted by the original fifteen who rutted them up senseless. I also partook in the excavation party because where the chambers led was a key to ensuring the colony's survival. We found three oases in one day thanks to my method of excavation. When we got back from underground and into the hive, we had a most...peculiar visitor. He was merely a tourist, so I won't mention his appearance. He was an archeologist pony who wanted to explore the structure of the Hives, sent by Luna herself. He also told me I was Luna's student! I nodded and said I was going to a war with Chrysalis because she went and had one of her own insult me. He told me she already knew and was waiting for me after the war ended. I told him to head back to Canterlot once his expedition was over as the war would probably escalate into the hives themselves. He took my advice and I waited for a few days after he left before the war started. All I can say about that is her brood was killed off by mine in five minutes after they clashed. The bastard fled while my babies brought Chrysalis to my hooves. I had not one casualty while she was practically the only one left in her hive! "You....how did you...?" Chrysalis said as she spit in my face. I flicked the spit off and burned it. "By using my brain and messed up repro system!" I hissed. "You should not live! My in-law said so!" Chrysalis retorted. "Then I'll just get rid of the in-law as well." I responded before smacking the rival queen upside the head. "You possibly cannot kill your own child in cold blood, whorse!" Chrysalis snarled, baring her fangs. "Who says I can't?" I asked. "You are just as much of a whorse as I. Why else would you marry that bastard?!" "What say you, murderer?!" Chrysalis shrieked. "I may be a killer. I may be a whorse. But I have my reasons for doing so, unlike you who does nothing, AND I MEAN NOTHING, but harm to innocent ponies and Changelings alike! I dare say even in my own beastly temper I brought no harm to innocent ponies. I stole from the corrupt not only for my own survival, but to teach them a thing or two about proper crop management that did not revolve around slave-driving everything within three bucking yards of their homes!" I retorted, baring my own fangs. "You nasty bitch!" Chrysalis hissed once more. "Guards! Take her straight to Princess Luna, on the double!" I shouted, stomping my hoof. "Yes, your highness!" Said the guards as they dragged the rival queen screaming to the hive entrance. "I think she went overkill there. But, like she said, she has her reasons for doing this." Whiterock nodded. I sighed and was about to lay down and call it a day when another guard brought me quite a surprise...that came in the form of my unwanted child that looked like me when I was an earth filly. And before you ask, it was a colt. "What shall we do with this noisy brat?" Asked the guard. "Put him in the nursery dungeon immediately. I'll take care of him later. And keep him separate from everything else!" I answered. The nursery dungeon, you see, as a dungeon for younger ponies, dragons, what have you. It had basic things like food, water, even a playpen for the infants. But it was also where the guards got to deliver corporal punishment. In short, half of the excavations were made for potential prisoners, and he was the first...and last prisoner I ever had. I fell asleep that day. Leading a war sure was tiring. The next day was nothing but a doozy. Interrogations. With. The. Bastard. Colt. All. Damn. DAY! I kept asking the same question, and he gave a different answer every time. I had to fucking pound him senseless before he said anything I wanted to hear! I began to wonder if I was insane, for crying out loud! -Foxfire takes a deep breath- So, it got to the point I had to kick his ass. Only then did he start to talk. "Why. Are. You. Here?" I hissed, baring my teeth as I sounded each word. "Because dad wants to know why you almost killed me!" Shouted the colt, who I dare say would not cry despite my homemade hoof-pounding earlier. Either he held it in or did not have tear ducts. "It's not about that bastard, it's about you." I hissed. "I wanted to love you! Why don't you love me?!" Replied the colt. "I never loved you. I was under some freak mind control!" I rasped, as I was on the verge of unleashing Tsuna. "Mind control doesn't exist!" Shrieked the colt. I could see the tears welling up in his horrid gold eyes. "I beg to differ." I answered, tilting my head. A blinding flash of night-blue light blinded both me and the colt. When it ended, Luna was standing in its place right next to me. "This colt is causing you more problems?" Asked Luna, who rolled her eyes. "Yes. What should I do with him? Nopony'll want him." I answered. "Do what you wish. I'll be waiting in Canterlot." Luna said before she teleported out of the hive. I reared my horn towards the colt and--unleashing Tsuna--charged straight forward. Which part of Tsuna, you ask? The lycanthropic side. I tore him with my claws, not even allowing him a fleeting chance to scream as his head was separated from his body and thrown against the wall. An arm went this way, another went that. As quickly as she had come, Tsuna had left as I burned the body to ash. Or rather, what was left of the body. I cleaned off the blood that day and then flew to Canterlot. With my harem and a few guards. The Royal Guards (Lunar Division) let us in, holding off some Solar Division guards at bay. I noticed they were batponies. The corridors were longer than I anticipated as I was being led into Luna's own meeting room, which was reserved for visitors only she knew of. She was on one end of a mere round table, motioning with a regal hoof for me and my fellows to sit down. Luna sighed and closed her eyes. "He's still running around, right?" She asked. "Yes. He went and married Chrysalis." I answered. "She had to be executed for hiding a refugee from the law." Luna said, opening her eyes. "I understand that." I admitted, as I myself was a refugee as well. "We need not shed anymore blood unless it's his own. Do you know anything else about his kin?" Luna sighed. "He's King Sombra's direct brother." I stated. "Then...something is wrong." Luna replied. "I am well aware of that." I said. "Once we find him, you will shed his blood. Until then, please stay here and make yourself at home." Luna nodded. "Will do." I answered. > End of the Tail > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- "Where do we start?" Asked Luna, who was holding out a map for Equestria. "We start at Germaney and head to Saddle Arabia. My changeling hive will scout out all other areas using invisibility." I answered. "Including Ponyville?" Luna asked. I nodded. "But, I must give them the order to do so." "Alright." Luna nodded. "Now, when do we start?" "Tomorrow." I answered again, going into alicorn form. Now I know you, you wanna hear about when I caught the bastard and had him executed. Frankly, who wouldn't? So, we'll skip a day and to the moment the guards dragged him screaming and cussing back to Luna. Who wasn't pleased with him at all. Hell, it looked like she wanted to curse at him--but that would be stooping to his level, right? "How dare thou place such a curse upon my sister!" Luna bellowed, hitting the bad stallion with a hoof. Celestia was also in the room, and the instant a hoof connected with his face, the spell was broken. "Where am I? Why are you hitting him?" Celestia asked, clearly confused. "It is too much to explain right now. Find my personal student and ask her." Luna replied, pointing a hoof toward me before smacking the bad pony again. Celestia trotted up to me and I gave her a sheepish grin, as did the rest of my harem. "How did thou become my sister's protegee?" Asked Sun-butt. "Let's head elsewhere. Luna looks mad, and who's to blame her?" I piped. Celestia nodded, and I lead her out of the room and into another. There, I spilled the beans on everything. When I finished, instead of getting mad, she sat there slack-jawed much to my surprise and chagrin. "There is no way thou hast seen those things!" Celestia shrieked, her eyes wider than my hoof. "And your father could never break my seal without magic! Your clan is most....dangerous! Luna should never have made you her student! It's unholy! Dost thou hearest me?! NEVER!!" I looked at her in disbelief. My horn glowed, imbued with those awful memories. I tapped her forehead once, thus enabling her to see what I saw. It took a second, but all the pain, hate, suffering...even the taste of flesh hit her harder than a rock. Celestia pushed me away with her hooves as she herself tumbled backwards into a wall, and I heard a sickening snap indicating her wing broke. I quickly fixed the issue before she spoke. "So....it has already been decided?" Celestia asked, her voice somewhat bitter. I nodded. "Yes, I say public execution in the most humiliating way possible." "Alright. I will call the execution right now." Celestia sighed, walking out of the room. "And even though you are my sister's student and one of my subjects, you are most dangerous. Kill no more and you shall be allowed to stay, unless self-defense is necessary." I have been forbidden to release details about the execution to the commoner pony who didn't attend. Sorry, Luna said so. You think this is just a bad dream? Please, I am Luna's student. And Luna showed me how to enter dreams! -Foxfire is eerily silent- What's that? You wish to get the images out of your head? I can do juust that. -Foxfire's horn glows, and in an instant, you find yourself no longer standing before the strange pony in Canterlot. You are now in the town of Ponyville, trying to regain your memories of the encounter, but there are none to be had. You sigh and trot to a graveyard and look at three graves, each engraved with 'Flowerfeather' and no first name, save for the middle grave which has 'Mechanical Gear' inscribed on it. You feel bad for the deceased trio of ponies, most likely related, who have died unknown to the world around you now. You then go deep into the Everfree, a burnt house visible in a clearing. Two more tombstones greet you as you see one smashed to pieces and the other charred beyond recognition. You decide to explore further, seeing a ruined pile of rubble and many more tombstones surrounding it. Upon dusting off one with your hoof, you see 'Queen Aquafire' inscribed where you brushed away the debris. Deeper still, you find a crude statue of a goat-horned stallion crucified upside down. His look of sheer madness pries into your soul. You do not understand why you seem to have a growing dislike for him. Inscribed in the bottom of the statue lie these words: Malum in se, evil in itself. You turn tail to run back to Ponyville as fast as you can. You do not understand how, but something keeps you locked into fear. You dare look over your shoulder, the stallion is no longer on the statue. You turn forward and grind to a halt, a bloodied form standing before you, golden eyes locked dead onto yours. You turn around yet again, before seeing more of him. You're surrounded. They've cut off all means of escape; ravished looks only a rapist could give on their faces as they proceed to close in on you. Before you scream in fear, cyan fire washes his image away, and you wake up only to find you are once again in Ponyville under the care of Nurse Redheart who scolds you for going into the cursed Everfree in the dead of night, when it was said three ponies died on the day you ventured to Canterlot, and another so horrendously tortured it became a monster. She then leaves, closing the door behind her. You fight the urge to look outside through the window, but it overcomes you... ...And when you look out the window, you see him again. A mare's cry echoes in the distance, shattering the window you stand behind. You stumble backwards, cutting yourself in the process due to the broken glass. He enters the window, giving you the same horrid look of hunger. You are backed onto a wall as he approaches you. Now, he's in front of you. That grin encompasses most of his muzzle. You start to hyperventilate. You are then grabbed by the fiend and dragged into the darkness of the cold world. The last thing you see before going into the darkness of eternity are those horrid, golden eyes and that insane, wide, toothy grin from the pits of Tartarus. And ponies now see a tombstone with your name inscribed upon it, sitting next to the Flowerfeather graves.- We can't all get what we want. In fact, some of those desires are unobtainable, even for the immortals. Foxfire wanted to go back to being an earth pony, but she knows full well that'll never happen, and that fact has lodged itself deep in the recesses of her heart. She cries and wails during the night, longing for her earth pony family to be alive once more. She wails, and her woes are carried by the winds to be heard throughout all of Equestria. She knows that it cannot happen, hence why she cries. To go to great lengths to stop a pony from hurting somepony else is one thing....to go to great lengths to get what you want is another, and as a result, Foxfire will be forevermore forced to live with survivor's guilt. But...one day, she'll join them in the afterlife. One day, she'll be with her parents and sister again. But now isn't the time.