From The Gates

by Dirty Bit

Chapter 20

As the sun setted in the sky over Canterlot, Wrath took it as a sign to end his first training session with the Royal Guard. The furious pony looked up and watched how Celestia lowered the sun and turned to see Luna raising the moon over the opposite horizon. This intrigued Wrath 'Amazing...So they operate the sun and moon on a whim? They're similar to deities with their power...' He then turned and focused on his soldiers "Soldiers, it is now my duty to end today's training! You all have done well with your progression and I will gladly see you do better the next day! Now each of you may return to your posts, and be sure to report back here same time tomorrow! Dismissed!"

The guards saluted and shouted "Sir!" They then trotted off towards their respective duties.

Wrath nodded and trotted away as well into the halls of the castle. It was good to know that Celestia had offered Wrath a place to stay that reminded him of his former role as Fuhrer. He chuckled to himself at the thought of Greed getting angry over the fact that he was taken from such luxury that he craved since birth. Now the furious pony felt it was best to head to his office and file some paperwork for the reports on his guards.

"Hello, Wrath..."

Wrath perked his ears up and turned to see a bandaged Shining Armor staring at him with a serious gaze while Cadence stood beside him with a calm gaze. The furious pony donned a friendly smile "Greetings to you, Shining Armor. I trust you are healing well?"

Shining Armor nodded "Yes, I'm getting by. But I want to talk to you for a moment."

Wrath nodded back "Very well. We can converse while we head for the office. I forget how busy you are in your role as captain sometimes..."

The guard captain smirked defiantly "Is your age catching up to you that fast?" He wondered how the furious pony would react.

Wrath chuckled to himself "Perhaps. But at least I'll be living out my days doing what I love most..." The trio then trotted along the vast halls towards the captain's office.

It was silent for most of the trip, but Shining Armor broke the silence as he shifted his eyes to Wrath "Why are you fond of me?" Wrath shifted his uncovered eye to Shining Armor and hummed in question as the guard captain repeated himself "I never expected somepony like you to think so highly of me even when you've bested me in close combat. Why?"

Wrath paused before he gave another friendly smile "I'll be frank, Shining Armor. You actually remind me of somepony back where I hail from. He was a dutiful high ranking officer like yourself, and even held the capable skills no less. Just seeing you takes me back to when I was leading my own army and handling problems left and right..."

Shining Armor raised an eyebrow and then spoke "Did he respect you?"

Wrath fell silent once more, but then gave an answer "For a time...It is indeed rough to live a life shrouded in bloodshed brought about through obedience and foreign conflict. Nopony would ever think the same way about other people unless they actually cared for one another..." The furious couldn't bring himself to share most of his memories.

Shining Armor looked at Wrath and felt a small pang of sympathy for his many years of military experience. He then sighed "Hey...I suppose I shouldn't badger you too much. In fact, I should be happy that you think of me as a strong individual." He smiled at Wrath "And I thank you for that. Hopefully I'll get better soon and we'll have ourselves a rematch!"

Wrath smirked at Shining Armor "Perhaps..." When they reached the captain's office, Wrath trotted over and took his seat as he got started on his paperwork "Well, I shouldn't keep you two here. You have earned some time to yourselves and you should spend it accordingly!" He flashed the couple a friendly smile and they blushed in response while he jotted down some paperwork.

Shining Armor grunted and then spoke in a stern tone "Just try to make sure everything's in order, Bradley..." He then stopped "It is gonna be hard deciding on what to call you..."

Wrath stopped his paperwork for a moment and looked at Shining Armor with a smile "I should think the same way, Shining Armor..." The guard captain raised an eyebrow in confusion "I've decided on a nickname for you if you would like to hear it...Would you?"

Shining Armor paused and gave a serious look "I'm not sure that's necessary, but let's hear it..."

Wrath's smile grew wider "With how you trigger so many memories from my past with your skill and rank, I figure I'd call you...Mustang."
_____

It was late at night, and everypony present at Sugarcube Corner retired to their own places to sleep, but not before being hyperactively waved off by the local resident party pony herself. The element bearers and the former homunculi were all that remained as they prepared to head to their own homes themselves.

Fluttershy looked at Envy with a smile "It was nice to see you Envy. I hope I'll see you tomorrow..."

Envy looked away with a scoff "Whatever..."

Fluttershy frowned and drooped her ears for a moment, but then she trotted back to her cottage.

Applejack tipped her hat "Well, Fluttershy's got th' right idea! Ah better get Sloth here back at th' farm!" She turned to see the indolent pony remain in the same exact spot he chose to nap in. The cowpony then groaned as she trotted over and prodded at Sloth "C'mon, Sloth! Get up! Y'all can sleep back at Sweet Apple Acres! C'mon, up an' at'em!" Sloth did not move from his spot as he continued to snore. Applejack was irritated and turned herself over to buck Sloth at the side. When she did, however, she grunted in pain when her hooves connected with Sloth's massive build "Land sakes! That pony's made o' steel!!"

Pinkie hopped over and examined Sloth for a moment, and then she jumped high and landed on Sloth's back "Wheee~!!!" She hopped up and down and the indolent pony gave a displeased grunt with each time Pinkie touched him.

Sloth eventually woke up and spoke in his tired and monotonous tone "Make it stop..."

Greed looked up at Pinkie "Hey, Pinks! He's awake now!"

Pinkie stopped and smiled down at the avaricious pony "Okie Dokie Loki!" She hopped down and patted Sloth's head "Now you be a good pony and follow Applejack home! You can sleep there, okay?"

Sloth slowly rose from his resting position as his chains rattled "What a pain..." He then looked around "Which one of you as Applejack?"

Applejack grunted "Oh, for Pete's sake! Ah'm over here, ya dummy!"

Sloth turned to see Applejack with impatience plastered on her face "Oh...Over there..." He then faced her "Are we going?"

Applejack smiled to know that Sloth was now willing to move "Yessir! Let's get ya home an' acquainted with th' others!" She trotted off at a decent pace while Sloth followed after her slowly, each of his steps thudding at the ground.

Envy watched in disbelief and turned to Pinkie "How the hell can you wake Sloth up like that!?"

Pinkie smiled at Envy "By jumping, silly! Haven't you ever jumped on somepony to wake them up??"

Rarity looked at Pinkie "Pinkie, I doubt that these ponies would resort to such an infantile action on their part!" She then yawned "Oh dear...Perhaps it's best to get my beauty sleep." She turned to smile at Lust "Lust, shall we escort you to the boutique? I'll prepare you a guest room!"

Lust smiled "I would be delighted..." The lascivious mare, while being escorted home, still felt uncomfortable about Rarity being as clingy as Gluttony.

Gluttony watched Lust leave and whimpered like a puppy as he sat on his haunches.

Pinkie hopped over to Gluttony's side and wrapped her forelegs around his neck "Don't be sad, Gluttony! Turn that frownie upside-downie! We're gonna be roomates!"

Gluttony was a little happy to know that Pinkie was there to lift his spirits and smiled at the party pony "Okay. Thank you, Pinkie!" He nuzzled at Pinkie and she gladly returned it.

Envy watched the scene and groaned in disgust "Gimme a break..."

Rainbow Dash shared the same expression "Yeah, I hate when things get too sappy..."

The two pegasi realized what they were doing and looked at each other, only to quickly glare and look away in a huff.

Envy spoke first "Shouldn't you be leading me home or something?"

Rainbow Dash replied "Maybe...maybe not..." She then noticed Twilight looking irritated and then changed her mind "Just follow me, alright? Don't wander off!" She unfurled her wings and took to the skies.

Envy unfurled its own wings and turned to look at the remaining ponies before it took off after Rainbow Dash.

Pinkie and Gluttony looked up and waved them off as they called out simultaneously "Bye, Dashie! Bye, Envy!"

Twilight, Spike, and Greed laughed at how Pinkie and Gluttony shared similar traits "Well, we better get going, too. Thanks for another great party, Pinkie!" She then turned to Greed and Spike "C'mon, you two. Let's head back to the library!"

Greed nodded "Lead the way, Twi. I'm starting to feel like Sloth with what Pinkie chose to feed us..." He stretched a little and gave a yawn as his sharp dentures revealed themselves.

Twilight and Spike widened their eyes at the sight of it. Pinkie, however beamed "Wow! I've never seen anypony with those kinda pearly whites before! Well, except for Sloth..." She turned to Gluttony "Why don't you have those teeth with how you eat, Gluttony?"

Gluttony scratched his head "I don't know. But I like my teeth the way they are!"

Pinkie smiled "Well, they seem pretty strong with how you've gobbled up almost half of the food, you little greedy gut!" She poked Gluttony's stomach and the voracious pony gave a high-pitched giggle.

Spike snapped out of his surprise and spoke "Were you actually born with those teeth, Greed?"

Greed laughed at the dragon's question "You make it sound as if it's a bad thing! Of course I am!" He then looked at Twilight with an amused smirk "Now, you said you were going to lead me to the library?"

Twilight flinched and looked down "Oh, o-of course! Sorry, it's just...you don't seem like the common unicorn. No offense."

Greed waved a dismissive hoof "None taken. I get that a lot from plenty of people. Now let's get moving so we can sleep, huh?"

Twilight looked up and smiled "Right." Spike climbed onto Twilight's back and she along with Greed trotted away while Pinkie and Gluttony waved the trio off.
_____

Applejack and Sloth made their way towards the entrance to a vast set of land full of apple trees and a house with a barn. Applejack was trotting at a decent pace while Sloth moved at his sluggish pace, and the indolent pony easily kept up with Applejack with his massive size.

When they were in front of the house, Applejack stopped and looked at the door and back towards the massive stallion approaching her. She then looked down "H'oh boy, somehow Ah knew it would come t' this..." The cowpony turned to Sloth and spoke "This way, Sloth! Since yer so dead set on catchin' some Z's, it's only best y'all get to a place fit fer a pony yer size."

The two trotted off and found themselves at the barn. Applejack opened the doors and waved Sloth in further and directed him towards a pile of hay "Yer gonna hafta make due with this bein' yer place t' sleep, sugarcube!" She closed her eyes as she continued "Ah know y'all must be so antsy t' sleep in th' Apple family homestead with th' rest o' us, but yer jus' so plum big!" She was unaware that Sloth trotted past her "But maybe y'all will learn t' deal with these conditions an'-" She jumped and yelped when a small shake made the barn and ground tremble. The cowpony turned to see Sloth sleep soundly with his face buried in the hay pile. Applejack stared for a moment and shook her head "That stallion can sleep like a rock..." She then caught herself and smirked 'Now Ah found another joke fer Rarity...' Applejack chuckled to herself and trotted out of the barn. Before she went to shut the doors she glanced at the sleeping stallion "G'night, Sloth...Hope yer ready fer tomorro'..." She then shut the doors.
_____

Rainbow Dash and Envy flew in the sky without a word to one another knowing that they don't have anything good to say.

Envy grumbled and finally broke the silence "How long before we reach your house?"

The cyan pegasus looked back with a small glare "Keep your skirt on, princess! We aren't much farther from here!"

Envy sneered at Rainbow Dash for the remark. It wasn't the jealous pony's fault that it wore what seemed like a skirt to most people.

Before long, they came across a house made almost entirely of clouds, with small ponds of what appeared to be rainbow-colored liquid. Envy grimaced at the sight 'She totally lives up to her name. How cute...' Rainbow Dash landed first and somehow managed to stand on the clouds as if it were a base floor. This intrigued Envy and it landed soon after with the same results 'Heh! Looks like I got some perks of my own! In your face, Greed!' The jealous pony grinned to itself.

Rainbow Dash waved a hoof "Here we are. This is where you'll be staying for the time being." She trotted over and poked a hoof at Envy's stomach "And just to make things clear, I have rules you're gonna follow, so get used to it!"

Envy glared and swatted away Rainbow Dash's hoof "No promises! Now are you gonna show me around or what?" It snapped irritably.

Rainbow Dash glared back at Envy, but kept her cool knowing that while Envy was a complete jerk, the pony was also a student needing to be taught a lesson. She turned and opened the door "Yeah, follow me so I can show you around." The two pegasi trotted in and Envy got a better look of the house's interior.

It was almost similar to what the jealous pony had seen in a museum. Envy hummed to itself and continued searching the area "So where do I sleep?"

Rainbow Dash looked back "I'm getting to that! Learn some patience, will ya?" The two trotted up the stairs and Rainbow Dash pointed Envy to a door "You're gonna be crashing here from now on. Don't get too comfortable, cuz you're going to be stuck with Fluttershy tomorrow and I'll be there to make sure you don't cause any trouble!"

Envy glared at Rainbow Dash "Thanks for the heads up..." It sarcastically remarked. It then looked away "Surprised you didn't explain these 'rules' I have to follow around this dump." It then gave an evil grin at Rainbow Dash "Wouldn't want me to do anything wrong, would you?"

Rainbow Dash glared back at Envy "The only things to remember are to not break anything or leave my sight! Got that?"

Envy scoffed "There you go again acting like you own me! I'm not sure if you know this, but I'm not your personal slave! Why don't you just piss o-" The jealous pony felt weak for a moment and stumbled as it rubbed its temples with its left hoof.

Rainbow Dash did not expect Envy to falter like this, and for the first time she felt concerned for the jealous pony. She trotted to its side and looked down as Envy hung its head "Hey. Are you alright? What's going on?"

Envy moaned as it rubbed its head, and then looked up to see Rainbow Dash. It scoffed and looked away "I'll be fine...I just need some sleep is all. Your's and Pinkie's nonsense already wore me out..."

Rainbow Dash glared down at Envy, but then looked at the guest door. Two things then clicked into the cyan pegasus' mind: She made it abundantly clear that she was to watch and make sure that Envy did not make any trouble, and the sudden occurence of the jealous pony feeling weak would not do well for her or the others. It was time to stick to her element. Rainbow Dash looked down at Envy "Change of plans. You're sleeping with me."

Envy looked up with an incredulous expression "What? Why now?"

Rainbow Dash smirked "Because I just realized giving you your own room was a stupid idea. That, and you look worse than you have before..."

Envy gritted its teeth "Fuck you! You need to learn to back off an-" Once again, the jealous pony stumbled as it felt more weak 'Dammit, not again!! What is this!? Why do I have to feel like this now!?'

Rainbow Dash felt pity for the way Envy looked and trotted towards its side "C'mon. Looks like we both gotta turn in before we pass out on the floor." The two made their way towards the cyan pegasus' room.

Envy casted a weak glare at Rainbow Dash "I don't need your help. I can do this on my own..."

Rainbow Dash gave an unamused glance "Yeah, you're more than capable right now..." She then opened the door and guided the jealous pony towards a large bed.

Envy then lifted itself onto the bed and did not move from the spot it landed on. The jealous pony was ready to pass out with how the bed's plush comfort was overpowering its building fatigue.

Rainbow Dash hovered towards her side and covered up "Sleep well, Envy. We got a lot to do tomorrow, and you better be ready!" The cyan pegasus received a tired murmur, and took it as a sign to get some sleep herself.
_____

Rarity and Lust simply made their way and found themselves at what appeared to be a house resembling a carousel. Rarity trotted over proudly and stood next to the front door "Well, here we are, Lust! This is Carousel Boutique, where every thing is chic, unique, and magnifique!"

Lust admired the construction with a small smile "I'm impressed. It would seem you're the only pony around here with a sign of nobility..."

Rarity shook her head "Oh nononononono! My friends are just as noble as I am! Sure, they might not see my point of view entirely, but they respect me as I do them!"

Lust chuckled "With such nobility, I would figure you were fawning for Blueblood..."

Rarity stopped herself and looked at Lust with widened eyes "Did you say Blueblood as in Prince Blueblood!? You met him!?"

Lust nodded "Yes...and he seemed rather smitten with me. Do you like him?" She expected a 'yes' out of the fashionista, but she was almost surprised to see her face contort into a face of ire.

Rarity growled "Liking him would mean giving up my life's passion!! He is by far the worst stallion who ever roamed Equestrian soil! A pony like him doesn't even deserve to be called a prince!! Oh, if I had him in my hooves right now, I would strangle him until there was nothing left of his pompous little neck!! I've never met such a detrimental parasite in all my life! I-" She looked ahead to see Lust stare with an amused smile and quickly casted her anger away in lavish embarrasment as she blushed "O-Oh dear...You'll have to forgive me, Lust. I did not mean to lash out like that, really! It's just I hear the name and..." She growled "Something snaps..."

Lust chuckled, and it turned into a small fit of laughter "I'd never expect such an answer from you of all ponies, Rarity." She trotted up to the door next to her "In truth, I feel the same way about him, minus the rage. Us ladies must keep a calm demeanor unless we're actually pushed to the edge..."

Rarity instantly nodded as she beamed at the lascivious mare "Oh, but of course! I'm glad we share the same thought, Lust! We'll get along just fine, you and I!" She opened the door and the two made their way inside.

Lust nodded "Maybe..." After her word, the lascivious mare began to feel a sense of warmth in her heart 'What is...' She stopped and looked down for a moment in confusion. Was she feeling different than how she was back in her other life?

Rarity stopped and looked back "Lust? Are you alright?"

Lust looked up and shook herself "It's nothing. I probably just need my rest."

The fashionista nodded "Well I'll be sure to give that to you once I've led you to the guest room! Come on inside so we can get you situated!" She gave Lust a warm smile.

The lascivious mare paused before she smiled back and made her way inside. She was not sure about the unknown feeling inside of her, but part of it felt welcoming almost. It seems that Lust has a lot to learn about this new world.
_____

Twilight guided Greed up the stairs of her library with Spike on her back and then led the avaricious pony to his own bed. Greed looked ahead and tilted his head "I guess this'll do just fine. Thanks for letting me crash here, I guess." He then trotted over and jumped onto his bed and laid in a comfortable position "There we go! Haven't had a good bed like this in ages! Much better than the dungeon floors..."

Twilight went to crawl into her own bed before she heard Greed "You were kept in a dungeon!? Did you do something to anger the princesses??"

Greed smirked at the lavender bookworm "It's nothing major. Luna just didn't have much else to place me and my 'loving' family...Besides, what's done is done! I wanna get to learning what you have to offer tomorrow!" He then nuzzled his head into the pillow "See you in the morning, you two..." Greed slowly found himself lost in the bed's comfort before he finally went to bed.

Twilight sighed at this and turned to Spike "We should probably keep an eye on him like Rainbow Dash with Envy tomorrow..."

Spike crawled into his small basket-bed "Knowing that he's a strange unicorn with a strange mind, it's probably a good idea!"

Twilight smiled at her assistant and went into her own bed as the two fell asleep themselves. Before she went to sleep, she got one last look at Greed and smiled to herself 'I'll bet he has some kind of plan for me tomorrow...'