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// Ahri 
// Story: Ponies of Legend 
// by Rennoc215 
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	The sleek, white fox came crashing through the bushes, running from the large manticore chasing it. The acrid smell of smoke soon became present, but the fox welcomed it. Fire would push the manitcore back, but not this sly devil.
Suddenly, the scenery changed for the dramatic, turning from lush forest to blackened and charred fields of ash. The manticore pawed at the ash, but the fox pushed on, running deeper into the devastation. When the fox looked back, she saw that the manticore had turned back.
Good, thought the fox. As the fox began to relax, a sudden wheeze caught her off guard. She looked down, and beneath her paws lay the form of unicorn, buried by the ashes. A swell of jealousy flowed through her, as she had always wanted to be a pony.
The ponies had it so good. Many could actively control magic, and were protected by their sun goddess. They weren’t food, nor did they kill. They were perfect. Not to mention that they could control fire.
The fox thought harder, recalling the fact that she knew she was destined to do something great. She always could feel the magic of the unicorns, and it had been her dream to be able to wield that power.
A sad groan escaped the lips of the dying unicorn, who whispered one word with his dying breath. “Brand,” escaped the dying unicorn’s lips, and the fox shuddered slightly. Not many things truly frightened the fox, but this one name did, for some reason.
The fox felt the breathing of the pony beneath her shudder, then stop. The fox quickly bowed in respect, because foxes are noble and respect the dead. As the fox looked up, she noticed that there was a small, glowing blue ball floating before her. It almost looked like a cloud, and rolled around. It had a tantalizing, delicious look to it, and so the fox inched closer, and breathed in.
The smell was amazing, like breathing your first breath of life. She shuddered as the magical feeling spread through her limbs, and she shut her eyes to enjoy this new, wondrous sensation. The tingling spread through her body, from her head to her paws, and she felt swept away, blowing on an etheral wind. An acute pain zinged through her head, and afterward she felt a closer connection to unicorn magic than ever before.
Risking a glance, she cracked her eyes open, and nearly fell over. She was much taller now, seeing the world from a different vantage point. But what really blew her away was the solid white horn protruding from her forehead, glowing faintly as she breathed in more of the cloud. She looked down at her legs to see her thin, canine legs gone, replaced by the bulky legs of a pony.
She had become the one thing she had always wanted to be. But now what to do?
The new pony dashed back into the woods, heading towards the nearest pony town. Maybe they could direct her? She dashed around, stepping over things that she used to have to climb, and slowed to  a trot once she reached a road. She looked about, enjoying the newfound height, when something bothered her. A pony tried sneaking up behind her, but she heard him the entire way. 
“Hello?” the newcomer called. She turned to look at him, and a fiendish plot worked it’s way into her mind.
“Hi.” She said shyly, batting her eyelashes. The colt was taken aback, but quickened his pace after the shy little mare. He came unusually close, and she smiled. The fox knows of it’s beauty, and used it to its advantage. She giggled when he brushed her a little, and she started a short conversation with him.
Once he was completely lured in, she reached out with her magic. He stopped, unsure, feeling her magic crawl over him. A wave of euphoria struck him, and he sighed contentedly. Finally, she found it, the little door to his soul. She ripped it open, and he collapsed to the ground, dead as a doorknob.
She gingerly reached out, and collected his soul with her magic. She used her horn as a funnel, pouring the soul down and not wasting a drop. His soul was sweet and full of life, and she smiled giddily. She was just about to belch when she heard the clopping of hooves coming closer. A wicked grin crossed her face, and she screamed with horror.
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Ahri smiled at her good luck. Not only had she acquired her new name, but she had become fed on the souls of all sorts of ponies. All the little colts wanted to be her special somepony, and she always lured them in and fed. Their souls were full of jealousy and love, two of the best flavors.
With each soul, she could feel less fox-like. Now, she was reduced to her fox ears and tail. She also found out that her tail also had a little magic of it’s own magic. Whenever she wished, her tail would explode, shattering into 9 full other tails, all swirling behind her.
And her tails weren’t the sole part of her beauty. Her cream fur and white mane complemented each other, creating a perfect balance.
She was currently breathing in the soul of a particularly young buck when she actually started thinking about what she was doing. It was selfish, killing all these innocents, just to make herself more like them. “This is no way to live.” She commented to nopony. “I know what I have to do. Don’t I?”
Unfortunately for her, the one thing she felt was emptiness. What was it these ponies do when they can’t figure things out on their own? Right as the thought passed through, she was slammed with an idea.
“The sun goddess...” She whispered. Yes, she would be able to fix her predicament. She could finish the transformation, and nopony else would have to die! It was ingenious!
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The trek had taken longer than she had expected. The forest she used to live in just so happened to be on the far edge of Equestria, providing her with that monumental challenge. She had a few bits, taken off her suitors, and so she was able to get a ride to the nearest town, Ponyville.
She groaned in frustration at the hike she had ahead of her, when she heard a loud gasp. She cocked her eyebrow and turned around, to stare face to face with a pink mare. I thought I turned off my charm, Ahri silently cursed herself. But when she checked, she realized that she had. She was about to ask what the matter was, when the pink pony exploded. Literally.
But inside of the familiar blood and gore, confetti and streamers came flying out in every direction. “You must be new! I know you’re new because I know everypony in Ponyville and I don’t know you so you are new! And if you’re new then you don’t have any friends and that’s sad. So I’m here to be your friend because I’m friends with everypony, and I want you to be happy and,” Ahri couldn’t take the talking any longer, so she shoved a hoof in her mouth.
“Now, that’s very nice of you. But I’m not here to stay, I’m just passing through, So, it was nice to meet you, but I really have to start walking.” She stated. She turned around, and started off, when the pink one bounced up beside her.
“Well, where are you going? Must be fun if you have to walk!” She said.
Ahri facehoofed. “Actually, it will be. I’m travelling to see the sun goddess. I hope she can help me with a... ‘predicament.’”
“Sun... goddess...? OH! You mean the princess! Well, why don’t you just take the train to Canterlot then?” She slowed down, and looked at this strange mare.
“I... don’t have enough bits.” She admitted. The annoying one smiled.
“Silly! Let us take you! My friends and I get a free ride if it is for royal business!” She smiled and started bouncing up and down. “Let me go get them, and then you can be happy because your life will be easier and then you might stay in Ponyville and.” Ahri smiled. This pony, no matter how annoying, had that kind of effect.
“Very well. But tell me, what is your name?” Ahri asked.
“Oh, silly me! I’m Pinkie Pie! And your name is?” She said, wiggling her eyebrows.
“Ahri. It’s Ahri.” She said, smiling.
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The train ride was less than stellar, and the fact that all six of them wanted to hear her story was just as problematic. Most ponies don’t smile on murder, but now it seemed like the only way to get them quiet. “For the hundredth time, I’d rather not talk about it.”
Pinkie gave her the saddest eyes she had ever seen. Even those baby bunnies couldn’t make eyes more heartfelt. “Pretty Please?” She asked in that annoyingly infectious voice.
“Fine!” Ahri snapped. “But you won’t like what you hear.” The six mares huddled around her, uncomfortably close. “I am not a pony. Nor am I a changeling. I... was a fox. I absorbed the soul of an unfortunate pony who was dying, and awoke changed like this. I began to feed on the low life of a town on the distant edge of Equestria, and after killing and eating so many, I discovered my sense of morality.” She waited for the facts to settle in. Each of the six recoiled in horror, and she sighed. “I’m going to see if the princess can help me, since I can’t help myself.”
A condescending pink hoof pushed on her shoulder, and she looked up at Pinkie. “Hey. Cheer up. Soon you’ll be okay.” She said, pulling Ahri into a hug.
The brakes screeched, and the train finally came to a stop just outside Canterlot. “Okay. Here goes nothing.”
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The princess was in solar court when they arrived at the castle, so the seven of them patiently waited outside. After a few hours, the doors opened, and a large collection of lords and ladies walked out, some with smiles and some with pouts. After the lot had left, Princess Celestia strode out regally, and smiled when she saw the group. "Ah, Twilight. What brings you here today?" She asked conversationally.
Twilight smiled back, and then motioned towards Ahri. "Actually, she gave us a reason. Ahri? Care to explain?"
Ahri chuckled, and rubbed the back of her head with her hoof. "It's a... uh... long story. Do we have any place to rest while I tell it?" Celestia nodded slowly, standing and walking out into the gardens. "Thank you, your emminence." Celestia raised an eyebrow, and Twilight shook her head dissmissively.
"Please, call me princess. Emminence sounds far too... formal." Celestia said, before shaking her head. "Sorry for interrupting. Please, continue."
"It isn't a problem. Well... Best take a seat. It's a long tale..."
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"And that's right about when I met Pinkie Pie." Ahri stated, as if nothing was going to phase her from telling the story. Of course, that was bound to happen.
"So what made Pinkie so special. After hearing your numerous... escapades, I would have assumed that she would have been more than an easy target." The princess interrupted, stopping Ahri dead in her tracks.
"Well... Um... You see... It was because I had discovered the feeling of guilt on my last feeding. I was hit with a wave of realization as to what I have done. I killed them, and I couldn't bring myself to do it again, since I had discovered compassion. Otherwise, I would have never met her, so she should have been safe." She stumbled about, trying to reccover the story. "But as I had said, I couldn't bring myself to it. She noticed my frustration at not having the bits to ride all the way to Canterlot. So she offered to help me. While we were on the train, they wouldn't stop asking about me, no matter how I tried to dissuade them, so I eventually told them. Not in so much detail, but in enough to let them understand me."
"If you didn't go into such detail with your friends, then why did you say it with me?" Celestia interrupted again.
"Well, I felt that you should hear the full entirety of the story, so that you could have the most information when deciding what to do with me."
Celestia smiled. "Actually, I have just the idea. The fact that you are willing to do nearly anything to become one of my subjects honors me, and I have just the idea as to how you can earn it.
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"Grandma! Don't go!" The little filly cried from the doorway of the train station, being held back by her father.
"Ma? Are you sure this is what you want?" The older stallion asked, watching his aging mother walk out.
"Yes. I don't want to have to face death alone, and it has been so long since I saw Post." She said, walking out to the train waiting for her.
"Well, whatever happens, we love you Ma." The stallion said in defeat, watching as she boarded the train.
They stood on the platform, waving as she rode off into the distance. The old mare turned and started walking towards the caboose. Outside the door, a guard was posted.
"Reason for entry?" He asked, almost mechanically.
"I'm going to see my husband again." She answered. He nodded, and opened the door.
Inside, it was dark, but she could still see the pony waiting there for her. "Please, come in." Her enchanting voice said, and the old mare found herself compelled to do so. The door shut behind her, and the pale pony smiled. "Are you sure you want this? It isn't something I can reverse."
The old mare nodded, and Ahri sighed. "Alright then. Sit still. From what I've heard, it's absolutely painless."
Granny Mail smiled, closing her eyes. Soon, she could feel her limbs growing dark, her body suddenly feeling less and less important. Finally, she was released, and she felt the light of day on her pure essence, one last time. I'm coming, honey. She thought as she was pulled into a blinding light.