//------------------------------// // Chapter Four: Master Passion Greed (part two) // Story: Essenza di Amore // by Cerulean Voice //------------------------------// The first thing Kavi knew was darkness. Compared to the Crystal Pendant’s shimmering atmosphere, her surroundings seemed pitch-black in the early hours of the morning. Only the moonlight shining in through the doorway told Kavi where she was. She groaned, blinked furiously, and rubbed her eyes before looking around. Everything was as it had been before she fell asleep. All of Eva’s… no, Prismia’s things were arranged about the place in the same way. The rain pounded just as loud as when she’d laid her head down. The shadows seemed the same, yet the air was completely still. “You…” Kavi spun around at the voice. A wizened, grizzled old pony sat on the mattress, rocking back and forth in a foetal position, her horn glowing feebly. “My power,” she croaked, her voice harsh and dual-toned again. “You took it all away. I… I have nothing left now.” She caressed the Crystal Pendant, no longer shining but a dull, dark blue. “Prismia.” Kavi trotted next to the elderly mare and stared her in the eye. “You didn’t have to deceive us and try to take everything from us. You could have stayed in the village—made friends with us all. You might have come to love somepony, or even be loved in return.” She sighed, eyeing the pendant. “I’m sorry about your past. I have no idea what it must have been like for you. Even so, you had no right to steal emotions from other ponies. Just because you suffered, doesn’t mean everypony else has to.” “But… it was the only way.” Prismia buried her wrinkled face into her hooves. “I was never loved. I… I wanted it so much. When I found the Crystal Pendant twelve years ago, it was like a dream come true. Suddenly I had it—I had a way to acquire love. I kept using it, and… the more I took, the more I craved. I never wanted it to stop…” Prismia burst into tears and covered her face with her hooves, sobs wracking her aged body. Kavi watched in silence as Prismia’s long-bottled and hoarded pain flowed down her cheeks. “Take it off.” Prismia lowered her hooves enough for the top of her eyes to look up at Kavi. “W-what?” “Take it off,” Kavi repeated. She held out a hoof. “Give me the pendant. You’ve done far too many terrible things with it. Now, take it off and be free. Be your own pony, and stop letting it control you.” Prismia sniffled, rubbed a leg across her nose, and nodded. Encased in a rainbow, the Crystal Pendant floated up from her neck. Instead of placing it in Kavi’s outstretched hoof, however, she slipped it over Kavi’s head. “H-here. You s-should wear it. You have s-so much more love in your h-heart than I.” As Prismia’s aura faded, Kavi looked down at her chest. The ring of amethysts seemed to shrink around her neck while the sapphire itself sat upon her breast. She touched it—it was cool, soothing against the heat in her chest, like the Snowflow’s caress against her coat on a hot summer’s day. It felt like she’d reclaimed a long-lost piece of herself. As she turned the Crystal Pendant over in her hoof, it vibrated violently; startled, Kavi dropped it. Floating in midair, the pendant emitted a shrill hiss; Kavi and Prismia both cringed and brought their hooves to their ears. Green and black smoke poured from the sapphire’s centre, filling the dwelling. The fog swirled and contorted, its edges solidifying into something vaguely pony-shaped. Four misshapen hooves thudded into the floor. A section of green cloud sharpened into a pair of translucent wings from its back. A stringy, tattered teal tail burst from its rear. Crowned by a twisted horn, a head atop a slender neck sprouted from the body and rose until it towered over Kavi and Prismia. A pallid mane draped down over its face and down its back. Sharp fangs lined the too-wide mouth, a short nose poked out, and bottomless eyes of the deepest emerald green filled most of its new face. With a menacing hiss, the monster bared its fangs. Before Kavi had a chance to react, it lunged for her throat. As it closed to within a foot of her face, the Crystal Pendant gleamed to life and created a blue barrier between Kavi and the monster. It slammed its legs against the shield three times, hissing as the contact left fresh, glowing blue scorch marks on its solid black coat. The smell of singed flesh filled the cottage as the burns seared holes into the monster’s body at each point of contact. The monster retreated, flicking its tongue out at Kavi. Green flames engulfed it, and suddenly Kaviyayu found herself face to face with… herself. When the monster spoke, it was with Kavi’s own young, high voice, although its chosen words would never have left the original’s lips. “You! Do you have any idea how long I’ve waited for somepony like you? Ages have come and gone, years and years spent endlessly craving delicious, enriching love, and now you dare to stand before me and deny me of such power?” It hissed again, and reverted to its hideous form. “Well, if I can’t have yours, mi amore, I’ll just take it from others in your place.” The monster turned to Prismia, licking its lips. Another flash of green flame later, a second Prismia leered at the first. Its voice changed again to mimic the elderly mare. “As for you… for too long I’ve put up with your minimal nourishment. You never could satisfy my demands for love. Now, with her in possession of the pendant, both it and you are worthless to me. That said...” The pretender cackled, making Kavi’s hackles rise. “Haha! Yes, this is perfect! If it weren’t for the two of you, I’d still be contained in that disgustingly cramped prison. I really should thank you both—at last, I’m finally free to go forth and take my own share. Equestria’s love will be all mine!” Its horn flashed once, green flames wrapping around the monster’s body as it cackled madly. With a sudden crack, it vanished, leaving only a small scorch mark on the floor. Kavi swallowed hard and looked down at the sapphire that had just saved her life. It was still cool against her chest, a comforting, welcome presence. “That thing… What was it? I think it might have been female, but...” Prismia sat wide-eyed, trembling as though the ground shook beneath her. “That… that must be what the voice in my head all these years belonged to. From the day I found the Pendant and placed it around my neck, it promised me as much love as could fulfill my desires. It…” She faltered before swallowing and carrying on. “It knew me, inside and out. It whispered to me of its memories—memories of others throughout the ages.” “‘Throughout the ages’?” Kavi held the pendant up between them and narrowed her eyes. “Just… how old is this thing, Prismia?” “Centuries, at least. Possibly thousands of years.” “T-thousands?” Kavi dropped the pendant. “But why would… I don’t understand—why would that… that monster choose now to come out? Wouldn’t it have tried to escape a long time ago?” “I cannot say for sure. All I can offer you is my best guess.” Prismia coughed and lay back down on the mattress. “When I… when I took your love while under that creature’s influence, it was the purest strain I had ever tasted, far stronger and more satisfying than anypony else’s before. Such potency… the creature could no longer stand to remain inside. Then, when you confronted me, and the pendant shattered… that must have weakened the pendant’s magic that kept it bound. Or maybe—” she coughed again “—maybe your pure heart forced it out.” “But… I don’t understand.” Kavi sat and shook her head. “Why am I so special? I’m just a filly.” “Don’t you ever believe that for a second, Kaviyayu,” Prismia said sharply. She continued to cough. “You have been raised in the most loving and isolated environment I have ever come across. Little wonder the Crystal Pendant hugs you so tightly. Even...” She looked down at the ground. “Even without it around my neck, I can still sense the power you possess. The pendant recognises you as its true bearer, Kavi—make no mistake about that.” Kavi fondled the pendant once more. As she moved it around, the monster’s voice rang in her memory. Do you have any idea how long I’ve waited for somepony like you… I’ll just take it from others in your place… others in your place... Equestria’s love will be all mine… Kavi gasped. “No! It can’t. Prismia, she’s going after my family—I’m sure of it!” Prismia remained motionless, her eyes bloodshot and downcast. “Come on! We have to get back to Zahara and help them!” Prismia lifted her head a few inches, then let it fall again. “Please, you have to help me! I can’t fly fast enough to get home in time and warn them! Everypony will be asleep, and… and I don’t want to think about that right now, but come on, please!” Kavi jumped onto the mattress and grasped Prismia’s shoulders, shaking her hard. The mare’s head lolled back and forth with the motion. Kavi opened her wings and beat them hard, straining, but Prismia’s adult weight was too much for her. “I can be of no use to you, Kaviyayu,” Prismia murmured. “I am an old mare, deprived of her main power source. My actions are unforgivable. I should stay here in my solitude, where I cannot hurt anypony ever again. ” She leaned back and curled into a ball again as Kavi released her shoulders. Kavi took a step back. “Hey, don’t say that. Look, I know you’ve done a lot of bad things to a lot of good ponies.” She shook her head, mane waving from side to side. “But that doesn’t mean you can’t start doing good things now! I’m sure my family will appreciate it if we help them together then explain what happened with that… that thing and the pendant before.” “I doubt it.” “Come on! Don’t give up like that!” Kavi jumped up onto the mattress again and pressed her face close to Prismia’s. “I know the truth now. It wasn’t you doing all those bad things! Yes, you craved love, and you let the pendant take hold of you, but you’re not a bad pony—you never were. You just made a bad choice and let the spell take over you. But when I wear this pendant... I can feel it inside me: the love for my family, and for all the good things in this world that I don’t even know about yet. There’s a power inside me, just sitting there waiting to be brought out.” Kavi whipped her head around, her eyes wide as she backed away, panting and shaking. “This is really it then?” She returned her gaze to Prismia. “You’re just going to stay here and mope. You won’t even think about trying to make things right?” No response, save for a deep sigh. Kavi bowed her head and trotted to the door. The rain poured heavier now; a beaded curtain of water flowed down over the space. She faltered at the door, the wind spraying her with a fine mist as she closed her eyes. Sighing, she spread her wings. “For what it’s worth, even if you won’t help me now… I forgive you, Prismia. The question is, can you forgive yourself?” Kavi took a deep breath and plunged through the curtain into the cold, wet night. While her initial adrenaline rush was enough to get her off the cliffside and into the air, Kavi’s lack of sleep began to creep up on her. The hot, comfortable bath felt like a distant memory as she struggled to keep her tired wings beating. Rain raced down from the sky, doing its best to force her to the ground. Flashes of lightning frequently blinded her, forcing her to slow down every time to blink the spots from her eyes. Every blast of thunder that followed set her heart racing faster. What am I doing? I’ll never make it in this storm! Kavi gritted her teeth against the pain in her overworked wings. She tried switching to a glide, only to find herself rapidly losing altitude under the heavy rain. She gasped and flapped harder until a sharp pang ran through her sides. Oh no, I can’t get a stitch now! Taking shallow breaths, Kavi searched the darkened canopy below for a place to land. Between the pouring rain, clouds covering the moon, and erratic wind gusts, she struggled to make out any decent landing place. Her head flew from left to right. Come on, come on… There! Kavi aimed toward the centre of a great oak with a gaping hole between branches. Fighting the pain in her side, she dropped slowly, resorting again to taking short, sharp gasps. Just as she neared the top of the tree, a sudden gust threw her off-balance. With a cry of alarm, Kavi tumbled through the air and crashed into the top of the tree. Unable to right herself, she plummeted toward the ground, smashing through thin limbs and bouncing off thicker branches while yelping with every impact. She reached for a branch about five metres above the ground with her flailing forelegs; failing to grasp it properly, her hooves slid over the slick wood and she fell the rest of the way, flapping her wings errantly. She slammed into the hard ground, the impact bringing a thunderclap with it. Kavi screamed into the night, tears leaping from her eyes as heat seared through her left wing. She tried to move, only for a jolt of lightning to run through her nerves in the wing’s main joint. With another anguished cry, she rolled onto her side and clutched at her abdomen, sobbing in the mud. Rain continued to fall around her—lightened somewhat by the trees above—and more lightning flashed. When the fire in her nerves burned down to embers, she scrunched up her eyes and tried taking deep, slow breaths. Careful not to move her wing, she curled up into a ball and lay still. She looked around for any familiar section of the wood, but every move made her head swim; she could barely make out which way ‘up’ was. Delirious and discombobulated, Kavi wept as the cold rain soaked her to the bone. In the moment that Kavi finally took a deep breath and exhaled, all of her senses returned at once. The dark, blurry outline of the woods around her took shape, lit by the pendant’s soft glow. The sounds of rain, wind, and thunder roared in her ears. The taste of acid and sweet potatoes filled her throat as she leaned her head forward and retched. The stabbing pain in her wing burned hot again. Wiping her mouth clear of excess ex-dinner, Kavi closed her eyes and felt the world start to spin. She collapsed to the ground, landing hard on her uninjured side, gasping through the searing haze of pain and nausea. Her head swam. “Mother… Father… Kara… Avran… I’m so sorry.” Everything faded to black. For how long she lay in the empty abyss, Kavi knew not. All was bliss, all was warm, all was fine. As such, she objected to the feel of something shaking her shoulder. The pain, the nausea, the chill in her bones—all returned in full force as somepony sought to drag her from the comfort of unconsciousness. With a long, low groan, Kavi shifted her body and lifted her head. Her eyes fluttered open, meeting with a familiar white coat. “Pr... Pris… mia?” The albino's body swam into view, sharpening with every passing second. “Praise the Sun. You're awake.” Prismia knelt down, placed a hoof on Kavi's left shoulder, and breathed a sigh of relief. “When I saw you lying on the ground like this, I... well, I feared the worst.” “Prismia…” Kavi made to stand, but yelled and fell back down as the pain returned. “Argh... you came back... but why? You said—” a coughing fit wracked her body “—you said you were done. I thought I’d never... see you again.” Prismia bowed her head. “Nor I you, young one. Though in fact, I am surprised that you have a chance to see anypony again at all. Such injuries, and in this storm—it is a miracle that you still draw breath. You look like you have seen the face of Death... and defied it.” “Oh no! The monster!” Kavi sat bolt upright, her eyes wider than the moon above. Her wing panged again, forcing her to bring up a leg to cradle it. She noted that the rain had finally stopped, and that she had been moved and laid at the base of a larger willow tree. The night seemed lighter, like the Sun was sitting below the horizon, just waiting to rise. It’s almost sunrise... “My family! Oh, no! They won’t have a chance! What if they’re—” two hooves flew up to her mouth, the wing forgotten “—Prismia, please! You have to help them now. I’ll do anything for you if you at least try!” “Kavi, I—” “Please! I’m begging you—” “Kaviyayu! Listen to me.” Prismia rubbed Kavi’s shoulder as the filly fell silent. “Have no fear for your family. They will be fine. You and I are going to help them… together.” “Really?” Kavi’s face lit up, only to fall again. “Oh, but I won’t be very useful at all. You should go alone. I’ll only hold you—argh!—back.” She rubbed her wing, every pang bringing forth a wince. “See? My wing is useless now. I broke it when I fell out of that tree in the storm. I can’t fly. I can barely walk.” “Kavi…” Prismia looked her firm in the eyes. “I am not leaving you behind. I will take you home. My actions might not earn your family’s forgiveness, but… at least my conscience will be clear. I see that now, and I am prepared to do what is right.” “Prismia… what happened? Why the change of heart?” Prismia smiled and looked over her shoulder. “I… thought about all those things you said. The more I contemplated your words—” she coughed and cleared her throat “—the more I realised… I want this. I want to be loved, for real, and to try and earn it. As I walked outside to think, I saw a flash of blue coming from far away, and then another, and another. I remembered how the same thing happened when that beast attacked you earlier. And then, the flashing stopped.” She swept a hoof across her face. “If I was ever going to learn about real love, I knew I had to protect you.” Kavi sat mute for but a second before she nodded. “Okay. So what do we do?” “Grab onto me, and I will do what I should have done hours ago.” As Kavi wrapped her forelegs around Prismia’s neck, the mare closed her eyes. Her horn shone with rainbow light; the two disappeared with a bright flash. Home. We made it. Kavi took a deep breath and released Prismia’s neck. Swaying from instant travel disorientation, she stumbled to her hooves. After wobbling around, she planted herself into the ground, legs spread apart evenly. She looked around, her heart leaping for joy at the sight of familiar buildings. So far, all seemed quiet and normal in the pre-dawn gloom. “Mother! Father! Everypony, wake up!” she cried, bounding toward her house, ignoring the constant stabbing pain at her side. Wind rustled in the trees. Birds chirped in the surrounding woodland. The distant sound of the flowing river reached the village square. But not a single pony was awake. “Kavi...” She paused and looked over her shoulder, a hoof still in the air. She retraced her steps and dropped to the ground next to Prismia, who was lying on her side. Her eyes were closed, her breath coming in slow, soft pants. “Prismia, what’s wrong? You need to get up!” Kavi said, lightly shaking her. “It is… all up to you now,” Prismia murmured. “I have… no strength left. I used what remained… getting us here. It was… no small distance.” “But…” Kavi stepped back, eyes shining. “I need you. The village needs you!” “No, Kavi. I have… played my part. This is... this is your moment.” “But I’m… I’m scared. I don’t know what to do. What if the monster attacks us? What if it’s…” Kavi whipped her head around, cringing as her wing twitched. “...Already here…?” “Then you had better—” Prismia coughed five times in succession then cleared her throat “—you had better check on your family, post-haste. That is… what you came to do, is it not?” “I… okay. You’re right.” Kavi backed away from Prismia and watched her close her eyes, her barrel gently rising and falling. With a nod, Kavi scrunched up her eyes and fought back the tide behind them. She took a deep breath and galloped back toward her home. Her wing drooped by her side, drawing a wince with every step. Gritting her teeth, she trod up the steps. As she reached the doorway, her heart leapt into her throat; Kartanya stepped outside, rubbing her own eyes. “Was it really a dream? It felt so real…” “Kara!” Kara yelped and jumped into the air. She landed slightly off-balance, then turned to meet Kavi. “Kavi?” Kara rubbed her eyes once again for good measure. “You came back! Where were you? What happened last night? What happened to your wing?” She closed the gap between them, mouth open as she reached out to touch the useless appendage. “Kara, no!” Kavi pulled back, wincing and shaking her head. “Please don’t—it really hurts. But forget about that for now, okay? You have to help me wake everypony up, now! Do whatever it takes—just make them get up!” “Kavi, what—” “Now, Kara!” Kavi yelled. “Something’s coming, and—” A distant sound reached their ears. “Sounds like some kind of swarm,” Kartanya said. “Did the beekeeper neglect his hives again?” “Kara, that isn’t… that isn’t bees. Now quickly—” Kavi shook Kartanya’s shoulder “—wake everyone up for me!” Kartanya opened her mouth, but closed it and nodded instead. Without another word, she retreated through the beaded curtain. Kavi sighed and turned west, heading for another house. The buzzing grew louder, rising in pitch. “You ponies are so predictable.” Kavi slid to a halt as she froze up. She stumbled, crying out as her wing brushed against the ground and dragged her down. She shook her head then turned around, heart hammering in her chest. The monster drew back its lips to reveal gleaming pointed fangs. A vicious leer covered its face as it stalked forward, every step slow, deliberate, calculated. “I knew you would take my bait. It was too easy tracking you here.” Kavi trembled, lips quivering. “You… you f-followed us?” Taking a step back, she caught the tip of her drooping wing underhoof and yelped as new pain shot through her body. “Awww, did the little loving pegasus hurt her wing?” Kavi blinked as green flames engulfed the monster. A second later, she gasped as a being the spitting image of her mother stared back at her. “I told you not to fly off by yourself, you insufferable disappointment of a daughter! Now look what you’ve done—you’re completely useless to everypony!” Another flash, and Samanka’s feminine form was replaced by a taller, stouter figure. “What do you do every day besides mess around with the foals? When have you ever helped with our workload? Lazy layabout, never grateful for anything…” “Shut up!” Kavi and her not-father both turned to Kavi’s house, where Kartanya and the rest of the family came to rest after galloping out of their door. “You leave my sister and all of us alone, you… whatever you are!” The imposter Stamska cackled, its mirth rising from low to high pitch as he shape-shifted into his challenger. “And who is going to make me? You and what army?” the duplicate Kartanya said, her grin never fading. “You’re not my sister!” Avran yelled as he ran between his parents’ legs and lowered his stance in front of them. “And we don’t need an army anyway. Everyone’ll be awake soon, and there’s only one of you. I bet my dad could beat you up by himself right now!” The grin vanished, the night seeming darker without the monster’s teeth enlightening the vicinity. “I highly doubt that, you little foal,” she hissed, again reverting to her monstrous figure. “Inside me lies the pent-up power of over a thousand years worth of greed and envy. I have wings and magic, and no inhibitions about hurting any of you. Why, the only reason I don’t simply take your love and wipe you out right now is because of just how amusing I find all this. After all, I should be savouring my birth into such an accommodating world.” It lowered its neck and approached Avran, who swallowed but—though he trembled—refused to look away. “Even without your precious sister’s shiny new toy, I have far more than enough power to grasp my victory. And I think I’ll start with you, little one.” More green fire, and Kartanya’s doppelganger became Avran’s. “Tell me what you cherish most. Give me the pleasure of taking it away.” “Stop it!” Both Avran’s whipped their heads around as Kavi lowered her own stance. “Why can’t you just leave us in peace?” Her right-most brother disappeared in a flash of green, appearing directly before Kavi; she jumped back with a yelp of surprise, adding another as her wing sent another jolt through her body. “‘Peace’?” the monster repeated, again towering over Kavi. “You think I want something less? Do you think I really feel like fighting you all? Fighting generates hate and resentment, something I absolutely cannot stand. In peace, love and good will thrive. Why would I not want peace when it begets the very thing I need, the emotion I crave above all else?” She cast her eyes around at the family, a lazy smirk playing across her features. “You ponies are like a gold mine, and I’ve struck the motherlode.” “Enough of your mind games!” Stamska leaped forward in front of Samanka and Avran, bounding up into the air with a hoof drawn to swing in. “Begone, demon creature—wha?” A green aura enveloped his body. Stamska strained against the force yet could do naught but wiggle and grunt in his airborne suspension. “Ah ah ah,” the monster taunted, its twisted horn glowing with the same hue. She approached and circled Stamska, flicking her tail in his face as she passed. “It would be better for you to cooperate with me under my terms. Otherwise—” Every other member of the Samankas floated up off the ground and drifted over next to Stamska, all of them crying out to each other. “—I might be less inclined to negotiate with you,” she finished. Kavi trembled as her family all struggled against the binding force holding each of them prisoner. Her eyes darted back and forth between them, all yelling together incoherently. “What… what do you want?” she whispered. “Finally,” the monster said. “A pony with some sense among you. Was it so hard to just ask me what I wanted?” She smiled, then began to hum in a low murmur. “As to that end, I require but one thing from you, little one.” Her wings flickered in a clear blur, the buzzing rising in pitch. “Come forth, my subjects!” “S-subjects?” The question died on Kavi’s lips as she turned away from the monster, for the buzzing grew even louder. She stared in horror as many other smaller versions of the monster emerged from the dwellings. Although shorter than their leader, each one looked no less menacing. All bore the same style of tattered wings and miniature horns, resting upon a solid black carapace; they reminded Kavi of overgrown beetles. They closed in on Kavi, their pupilless blue eyes shining as bright as her pendant. Forming a predatory semi-circle around her, they transformed one by one into different residents. Familiar, once-friendly faces leered at her as they sniggered. Four of them surrounded Kavi’s family as the monster finally deactivated her magic and dropped them to the ground in a heap. “W-where did they all c-come from?” Kavi asked, eyes darting back and forth. “And what have they done with… everypony?” “Relax, little morsel,” the monster said, her grin stretching from ear to ear again. “Everypony is safe and sound inside their little dens… at least they are as long as you give me what I want.” Kavi’s heart hammered in her chest as she pushed the Crystal Pendant into it. Everything in her being told her not to trust the monster… But what will happen if I don’t? “I’ll tell you what will happen.” The monster laughed while Kavi stuttered. “Yes, I know your thoughts. Magic is a powerful ally. Now, let me tell you how this is going to go.” She made a screeching sound in her throat. Ten more of the smaller creatures surrounded the Samankas, some circling them, others hovering overhead. “You are going to offer up your heart to me, with all of your sweet, delicious love, and I am going to gorge upon it until I burst. Alternatively, you can refuse—” she turned to her captives “—in which case I’ll simply take what love everypony in this village has for you instead, and then make mincemeat out of their withered husks. And no funny business with that pendant either.” Kavi looked at her family, all struck dumb at the monster’s proclamation. Stamska was set in a determined pose as Samanka and Kartanya huddled up to him on either side. Avran pushed up against Samanka, his eyes glistening. She swept her gaze about the village, eyeing the forces of darkness surrounding her. “So, what’s it going to be?” Kavi looked up at the monster’s question, the challenge heavy on her mind. A motion to her right caught her eye as the glimmer of sunrise crested over the eastern trees. She blinked, smiled, and answered the monster. “Take it. Come and get it. I won’t resist.” At once, her family erupted. “No, Kaviyayu!” “Don’t do it, angel!” “Sis, don’t worry about us! Save yourself!” “I’m doing this!” Kavi yelled. “There’s no other way. I love you all, and I’m going to save you.” “Ah, a wise decision, young Kavi,” the monster said, licking her lips. “On one condition.” The monster raised an eyebrow and snorted. “You are in no position—” “You let them all go, right now, and promise to leave us alone when you’re done with me,” Kavi continued, undeterred. “Or else I’ll throw myself into the Snowflow river near here, and I’ll be nothing more to you than a cold, wet lump of fur. Everypony will be miserable, and you’ll get no love from any of us.” The monster hissed, its forked tongue flicking out through its teeth. “And don’t think you’ll stop me either,” Kavi added. “We both know my pendant will protect me from you and your magic.” The monster growled, but relented. She nodded to her young, and all the creatures backed away. Once freed from their captivity, her family rushed forward to wrap their hooves around Kavi. “Sweetie, you don’t have to do this,” Samanka said, gripping her tight. She slackened off as Kavi yelped. “Oh, your wing! you poor thing, however did you—” “It’s not important, Mother. Nothing else is anymore.” Kavi smiled as she felt the more careful hugs enveloping her with warmth. “I know what it means to be family now. You love me for who I am—you always have, and you always will.” “Of course we will, Kavi,” Kartanya said. “Always,” Stamska said. “Yeah!” Avran added. “I love you all,” Kavi whispered. “Now let me do what I must to save you.” She lifted her head and walked slowly forward until the other ponies fell behind, whimpering and holding each other. Bowing her head, she allowed the Crystal Pendant to slide forward. For a moment it seemed to fight against its removal, but soon enough she held it in her outstretched hoof. “You promise to leave everypony here alone, forever?” The monster smiled at her, a rather motherly smile; if anything, Kavi found it more disturbing than any other expression yet. “Of course I will, darling. I am a creature of my word. Besides, your heart will more than suffice for a good few years.” The pendant flew off into the dark, its sheen fading. “There,” Kavi said. “I’m all yours. Come and get me.” The monster cackled, laughter filling the village square. “It’s about time! After thousands of years inside that accursed crystalline chrysalis, my true imago into this world will be glorious!” She lowered her head and pointed her horn at Kavi’s chest, the twisted appendage glowing a sickening green. The monster’s eyes shone, radiating with the fervour of an endless hunger about to be sated. A blue streak of light slammed into her side. “Aaargh!” She screamed as the beam sent her flying metres away. Shaking—an angry red scorch mark on her flank and an acrid, noxious smell filling the air—she struggled to her hooves and looked back at her assailant. “You!” “Yes, me,” Prismia said, the Crystal Pendant glowing brighter than ever around her neck. She stood next to Kavi, and placed a hood upon her left shoulder. “You will not harm a hair in this filly’s mane, nor any of the others.” “You useless, insignificant foal!” the monster screeched. “You just doomed this entire village with your insane ploy. Now you will all pay!” She spread her wings, horn glowing once again. “Subjects, drain your captives. Leave no pony with any trace of love in their hearts.” “I don’t think so.” “What?” The monster snarled and faced Prismia. “You are—” Beam after beam of blue light slammed into each and every one of the creatures, dissipating them into smoke and shadow. The black miasma converged into a cloud and returned to its owner through her nostrils. She barely had time to let out a curse before yet another beam slammed into her, followed by a slinky tendril wrapping itself around her legs. “Aaargh! It burns! Get it off, take it off!” Kavi and Prismia looked at each other and nodded. “Together?” Prismia asked. “Yes, let’s,” Kavi said. They both closed their eyes and touched the pendant. With its hog-tied victim still screaming their curses, the tendril of light bent back toward the ground and unloaded like a trebuchet. With naught but a cry of “I’ll get you one daaaaaay,” the monster disappeared over the western forest, and away from dawn’s first light. The cerulean aura enveloping both bearers spluttered and faded, leaving everypony in the vestiges of night. “We did it… Kavi,” Prismia said, voice and legs wobbling. “Yeah, we sure… showed that thing, didn’t we?” Kavi answered. Completely spent, starving, and sleep-deprived, Kavi collapsed to the ground. After a final flash of light and gasps from her family, she lost consciousness.