//------------------------------//
// Chapter 26 
// Story: From The Gates 
// by Dirty Bit 
//------------------------------//


Chapter 26


To Find A Homunculus


Applejack bucked another tree and stopped for a moment to look over to the fields with a content smile at what Sloth was doing. She noticed the indolent pony still walking at his sluggish pace, but with two plows attached to each of his chains. Applejack never thought that somepony so lazy could be this productive 'Heh, he'll save us th' trouble of extra work with his progress! Thank Celestia Ah gave 'im this instead o' apple buckin'...' She looked over to where the tree Sloth bucked had remained before and shuddered at the latest memory before she began to collect the apples from her own tree and placing them in a bucket on a small cart.

A large red stallion (Though not as large as Sloth) trotted up with a cart filled with apples and stopped near Applejack "Good work on th' job placement, sis..." He looked over at Sloth and winced a little "Never thought y'all would find a pony like him t' work 'round here..."

Applejack chuckled "Yeah, but he's doin' good fer his first day, right? It'll be mighty hard t' fill his belly up with food, but at least he ain't Gluttony! That stallion could've probably eaten Sugarcube Corner out of its stock! But at least he's strong enough t' hold his own, eh, Big Macintosh?"

Big Macintosh gave a solemn nod as he chewed the straw of wheat in his mouth "Eeyup." He then trotted off "By th' way, lunch'll be done in a few minutes. Best get yer new friend situated 'fore he gets back t' work..."

Applejack sighed and nodded "Ah know, Ah know..." She looked over at Sloth almost finished with the enormous field needing plowed 'Ah jus' hope he won't think he'll need to stop permanently once he does...' She finished collecting her apples and attached herself to her cart as she trotted off. Normally, she would do more, but it was best to get the small load in before she comes inside her house for a good lunch. When she was about to reach the barn, she noticed a trace of lavender near the farm's entrance and recognized it as it grew in size "Huh? Wonder what Twi wants. She looks more flustered than a snake in a tight knot!"

Twilight stopped in front of the house and looked around until she saw Applejack about to enter her barn, then she galloped towards her at an athletic pace that almost impressed the cowpony. She skidded to a halt and caught her breath "Applejack! Have you seen Greed anywhere??"

Applejack raised an eyebrow "Greed? Nope, can't say Ah have! Y'all know how Ah'm always busy with my housework!" She looked over at Sloth standing still with his head hung down and buried in his wild mane after he finished plowing "Ah already have enough on my plate watchin' Sloth here. We're jus' about t' break fer lunch."

Twilight groaned in complaint "I can't believe he would hide from me like this! I'll just have to look back into Ponyville if he's not around here..." Her irritation for finding the avaricious unicorn was only toppled by the desire to look into the spell that triggered his Ultimate Shield form. She never thought that Greed would run after she looked so eager 'Maybe he's more shy than I thought...Or he might have the wrong idea when I said I wanted to experiment on him...'

Applejack tilted her head in confusion "What caused him t' run from ya, sugarcube? He seemed mighty fond o' ya from when we all first met..."

Twilight turned to leave, but stopped when Applejack asked her question and looked back at her "No time! I have to find him if I'm gonna learn that spell of his!" The lavender bookworm then took off as if she were Rainbow Dash about to fly.

Applejack shook her head "Here's hopin' she won't flip her lid on th' poor stallion..." She said to herself before she trotted into her barn to deposit her harvested bushel.
_____

A rock was being lifted by a deep purple aura of magic as Lust demonstrated her telekinetic ability to her younger brother next to a fountain with a superior smile "Now, as said by both Twilight and Rarity, telekinesis requires focus and a good amount of magic...While you've shown you hold magic, you obviously haven't shown focus. Perhaps this is because the spell is entirely new to you or you were merely blinded by your own desire. Knowing you, it is definitely the latter."

Greed scoffed "I'm in no mood for your superiority complex, Lust! Just get to the point so I can learn this thing!"

Lust huffed "Someone's impatient..." She then lowered her rock and canceled out her power "Focus on this rock and nothing else. I'm not asking you to rid yourself of your own avarice altogether, but merely push it aside as you focus on the current matter in front of you." The lascivious mare pointed a hoof at the rock "Now focus for once and let's see if you've actually collected what I've managed to teach you thus far."

Greed rolled his eyes, but did as he was told as he shut his eyes and took a deep breath 'Alright...focus. Have to focus on that rock if I can get this telekinesis down pat...' He took another deep breath and tried to think about nothing but the rock. The avaricious pony was unaware that his horn was glowing along with the rock he aimed at.

Lust was pleased with the results of Greed's magic making contact with an object "Wonderful. Now lift it up while you're focused on it..."

Greed shot his eyes open in excitement "Did I get it?" His magic faltered and he flinched before he regained his control 'That was close...' He gazed intently at the rock while it slowly lifted upward and a smile slowly crept on his face "Yes...Now we're talkin'...Now we-"

"Hey, Greedy!! Hey Lust!!"

The avaricious pony jumped and yelped as the rock he held sped into the air and flew across town. He looked back and growled in irritation when he noticed Pinkie with a detective's hat with Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, and a sniffing Gluttony grouped with her "Don't do that, Pinkie! I was busy with my magic!"

Pinkie held up a hoof "That's Detective Pinkie!" She then held an expression of remorse for a brief moment "Also, sorry about that..." The party pony turned detective then looked at Greed diligently "Now that apologies are out of the way, we want to know where Envy is!"

Rainbow Dash soared at Pinkie's side with her bowler hat and narrowed eyes "Yeah, the jerk gave us the slip and now we can't find that pony anywhere! Have you seen Envy?"

Greed paused as he gazed up at Rainbow Dash before he began to snicker and hold back his laughter with a hoof. The cyan pegasus was slowly agitated with the response she was receiving from him, but softened when he spoke "Sorry, can't say that I have! But I have to say that you should probably ditch the hat, Rainbow!" He then laughed at how ridiculous she looked in the bowler hat.

Rainbow Dash growled in anger "Pinkie made me put it on, okay!? Stop laughing! I happen to have sunglasses and they're much better on me!"

Greed ceased his laughter before he looked up "Did you say sunglasses? Where'd you get them from?" The avaricious pony was more than interested in a pair of good sunglasses.

Rainbow Dash shrugged "Rarity made them for me. I'd gladly show them to you if I weren't so caught up in finding Envy right now!"

Lust took a step forward "So, you've managed to get outsmarted by Envy, hm? I hope you aren't dealing with too much trouble at the moment..."

Fluttershy shook her head "Oh no, it's no trouble at all. At least we have Gluttony claiming that she has her scent." She looked over at the voracious pony sniffing at the ground and Fluttershy could not help but smile at how adorable he looked while doing it. He seemed like a young and curious puppy.

Gluttony caught a new scent and noticed Lust with a wide smile on his face "Lust!" He galloped over and leaped at the lascivious mare in hopes of tackling her, but he was held up by a magical aura surrounding him. He grunted and struggled before he noticed his older sister trotting up to him.

Lust held a glowing horn and an entertained smile on her face "No tackling, Gluttony. But it's nice to see you're doing fine with your new friends..." She levitated the voracious pony down and cancelled out her magic. The lascivious mare already anticipated Gluttony galloping up and hugging her without hesitation and returned the embrace with a motherly nuzzle.

Fluttershy watched the two with a touched smile on her face. It was as if they were long lost souls reunited once again "That is just so sweet to watch..." She looked down with drooped ears "If only Envy could be the same as you two..."

Lust looked over at Fluttershy with a small smile "You realize it's not as easy as it sounds to make someone like Envy act more restrained and proper around others. It would be wise to take a different approach..."

Rainbow Dash held up her hooves "But she already gave Envy the Stare, and THAT wasn't even enough!"

Lust raised an eyebrow at the term. Perhaps she should look into this topic at another time. She then nodded "Well, then you should have Gluttony continue the search if you wish to find Envy quickly."

Greed chuckled "Yeah, that pony can be pretty crafty if you're not too careful! Now if you'll excuse me, I got some magic to practice! With Gluttony at your side, you'll never fail with that nose of his!"

Pinkie saluted "Righto!" She turned to her group "Okay, gang! BACK TO ADVENTURE!!"

Rainbow Dash facehoofed "The yell wasn't necessary at all, Pinkie..." The group then went back to their search after Gluttony broke his embrace and waved goodbye to his older sister.

Greed turned to Lust with a smirk "I think I might have another favor for you, Lust. And I think you'll enjoy it as much as I do..."

Lust smirked back "Oh? And just what, pray tell, would that be?"

The avaricious pony's smile widened "Well, all I need you to do is-"

"Greed! Come on, this isn't funny anymore!"

Greed's ears perked up and his eyes widened "Shit! Not again!" He darted his head left and right and then he looked at the fountain before he dived in. Lust quickly backed away when some of the water splashed away from where the avaricious pony jumped.

Twilight heard the splash caused by Greed and galloped by the fountain. She stopped and noticed Lust while she gave her a smile that said 'We should stop meeting like this'. The lavender bookworm trotted over to Lust's side "Lust, what did you do? You didn't make a wish and throw a small saving of bits in the fountain, did you?"

Lust looked away "Such trivial actions are beneath me, especially if they are merely myths. I'm not one for wishing on a fountain, Twilight Sparkle..." She looked at her with a smile "I rely more on logic, facts, and doing things on my own like any rational being." Her smile faltered when she remembered witnessing Pinkie's antics yesterday.

Twilight smiled "Well, at least I know you're an esteemed intellectual!" She then frowned "But have you seen Greed yet? I'd say he's been dragging this game of hide and seek for a long time now! This isn't doing well for me with leaving Spike back at the library!"

Lust chuckled "No, but I would say your search may come to an end very shortly..." She shifted her eyes at the fountain and the statue spewing out water onto the base. Inside of it, Greed was trying very hard to hold his breath in order to avoid Twilight.

Twilight almost got into Lust's face after her response "Really!?" She then noticed her infiltration into the lascivious mare's personal space and moved back "I'm very sorry, Lust. It's just that I've never seen a spell like Greed's before!" She looked down with a smile "He might seem a bit childish at times, but he's very unique for a unicorn." She looked up at Lust "Which reminds me...What exactly is his special talent? Or all of your siblings, for that matter. Forgive my curiousity, but all of you seem to bear the same exact cutie marks! What do they mean exactly?"

Lust pondered on how to break her explanation to Twilight without it sounding too complex or irrational. She looked back at her and spoke "It is...a special mark where we come from. It shows that we are a more than capable group of ponies that bear our own special powers such as what Greed has shown you earlier." She hoped it would be enough.

Twilight nodded "I see...that might explain how Greed was able to learn such an amazing spell in his life! I've never seen anypony with a spell like that at all! I'm not sure if even Starswirl the Bearded himself has heard of such a thing!" She poked her chin with a hoof in thought "Perhaps if I read his books again..."

Lust gave an amused smile at Twilight's unrequited desire for knowledge and how she praised Greed for his capabilities. She then looked at the fountain once again while the lavender bookworm was still in her own mind. Her smile widened even more as she knew what was about to happen next.

Greed did not move from his spot while his cheeks were puffed from his held breath during his time underwater. However, his lungs were about to give out from being underwater for so long 'Oh no...Nonononono! I can't go out like that so easily!' The avaricious pony's eyes widened while he felt his innards cave in from the lack of air channeling through his body. Some bubbles blew from his mouth, but he stopped them. What he couldn't stop was his legs flailing from trying to endure his time holding his breath 'C'mon! Just a little longer! I don't want to lose out on avoiding her!' His spirit was willing, but his body could not take it anymore when he almost felt like passing out 'Fuck...' He then swam up and hoarsely gasped for air when his head sprang onto the surface.

Lust and Twilight watched in surprise, but the lascivious mare ended up keeping her smile despite her former reaction. Twilight then beamed at the aspect of finding her lost stallion "Greed! There you are!"

Greed caught his breath, but widened his eyes and grunted at Twilight before he scrambled out of the fountain and galloped away all soaking wet "Not today!!" He was then froze in place and noticed that he was covered in a purple magical aura "Noooooo!!!" The avaricious pony was then dragged back against his will and turned to face an annoyed Twilight.

The lavender bookworm huffed "Look, Greed! I don't know if it's you being shy, paranoid, or both, but you shouldn't have ran off like that!! I only wanted to know how your spell works through a little experiment is all!" her expression softened "I promise you, I won't do anything extreme. I just want to see you perform your spell again and gather some notes from it! Can you please just come back with me so you can show me?"

Lust smiled and spoke up "I wish to join you both in this little experiment of yours. Perhaps you might collect something that could interest me..." She spoke of interest, but she only wished to see her younger brother possibly suffer under Twilight, and her message got to the avaricious pony as he glared at her. Lust only shrugged it off and stifled a laugh. For all she knew, it could possibly be like the time at the fifth laboratory before it was guarded by the three killers with their souls bound to armor.

Greed grunted as he struggled, but then sighed "Dammit, fine." He then narrowed his eyes at the lavender bookworm "You better not get carried away, Twilight!"

Twilight nodded and held up a hoof "I promise! I'll even Pinkie promise if I have to!" She smiled warmly at Greed.

Greed raised an eyebrow "Pinkie promise? The hell's that?"

Twilight looked stern for a moment "Language!" She then took a deep breath as she performed a series of childish gestures while she spoke "Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my ey-AH!" Her last gesture involved sticking her hoof in her eye. Sadly, she poked it and quickly drew back after giving herself a minor set of optical pain.

Lust held back more laughter after witnessing the scene "In that case, we'll both hold you to it then, Twilight Sparkle. Shall we head back to the library?"

Twilight, after rubbing her eye, nodded in response "Yeah, let's get going! I can't wait to get started!" The two mares trotted off while Greed was being carried.

The avaricious pony looked impatient while he was hovered in Twilight's magical grip "I can walk, too, you know!"

Twilight looked back and dropped her hold as she smiled sheepishly "Ehehe, sorry about that, Greed. When you've studied as much as I have, you tend to lose track of things..."

Greed brushed himself off with his forelegs "I'll bet..." The trio then trotted away towards the library. While they made their way back, Twilight couldn't help but steal a small glance at the avaricious pony.
_____

A pink earth pony mare with a yellow mane and tail and a flower cutie mark was trotting along town until a stray rock flew down and bonked her on the head "Ow!!" She rubbed her head and looked down at it 'How did this happen?' She then looked over to an approaching group of ponies with a round one taking point.

Gluttony sniffed at the ground and then approached the mare as he sniffed all over her while she yelped in surprise and pushed him away forcefully "Get off of me!" She inspected herself before Pinkie, Rainbow Dash, and Fluttershy arrived and grabbed at her attention "Is your friend always like this?" She asked in irate bemusement.

Fluttershy quickly drew Gluttony back "Oh my! I'm so sorry, Lily. Gluttony was just..." She looked away in embarrasment "...sniffing around for one of our lost friends. We're trying to look all over for her."

Lily's expression softened "Really? What does she look like?"

Rainbow Dash held up a hoof "A pegasus about this tall, green all over, tends to act like something crawled up their flank." She detailed in a deadpanned description. She faltered when she noticed the stern glare from Fluttershy.

Pinkie blew into her pipe as bubbles flew out into the air "Hmmmm, an accurate description of the one we're looking for..."

The flower mare looked confused and pointed at Pinkie "Erm, does she always-"

Rainbow Dash nodded "Yeah, it happened ever since the baking competition a while back." The cyan pegasus and Fluttershy looked down in guilt at the memory.

Gluttony continued sniffing at the mare and then stopped when he came to a realization "Hey! That's-"

Rainbow Dash looked at Gluttony "Gluttony, I don't know if you actually think that she's the one we're looking for, but she isn't!"

Gluttony whimpered "But she smells like Envy! Just like Envy!"

Lily perked up "Wait a minute! I think I know who you're talking about now!" The group looked at her "Yeah, I met a pegasus a few minutes ago, but she can be so mean sometimes! All she did was insult my flowers when she flew my way!" She looked at Gluttony with a smile "Your friend here must've caught her scent on me." The mare chuckled to herself.

Rainbow Dash smiled at Lily "Yeah, sorry for the trouble! The funny thing is that his sense of smell's as good as his appetite! You see where she went?"

The flower mare turned to Carousel Boutique and pointed "I think she went that way! I'm not sure if she stayed there though..."

Rainbow Dash bumped a hoof against her head "Of course! Envy would hide at the last place we'd expect that pony to be! Pretty clever for a jerk..."

Pinkie pointed the hoof holding her pipe forward "A-HA! So that's where Envy's hiding! Looks like this mystery's solved! Let's go bag us a pegasus, gang!"

Gluttony pointed at Lily with a sad face "But-But-"

Rainbow Dash looked at the voracious pony "No buts, Gluttony! We know where Envy is, so let's get going!" She pushed the voracious pony away from Lily while he struggled "Sheesh, you can be so persistent! Envy's at Carousel Boutique!"

Gluttony still flailed against Rainbow Dash pushing "But Envy's not there! Envy's-"

Rainbow Dash growled in irritation "For the last time, Envy's not Lily! I don't know where you're coming from thinking that Envy's a mare, but let's save that for another time!" She was actually still torn between the jealous pony's gender, but she didn't let it bother her with how Envy acted.

When the group distanced themselves, Lily took a deep breath and trotted away with an eye roll. She then trotted behind a building while nopony was watching and gave a deep sigh of relief "That was too close..." A green aura surrounded the flower mare and shrouded her to revealed a flustered Envy "Of course Gluttony would take point with that nose of his! Why didn't I think of that!?" It then peered behind the building and smirked 'At least I kept them busy for the time being...Let's see if little Miss Prissy can handle their company for a while!' The jealous pony then felt its stomach rumble as it looked down "Damn...All of this crap and I forgot to eat something..." Envy sighed and looked around "Where to find some good food around here?" It then transformed into a tan stallion with a brown mane and tail and a cutie mark with three horseshoes before it trotted off in search of a good meal.


End of Chapter 26