//------------------------------//
// Chapter 34 
// Story: From The Gates 
// by Dirty Bit 
//------------------------------//


Chapter 34


A Special Somepony


Greed continued to stare at Twilight as if she grew another head 'What the hell kind of a question is tha-' He stopped himself when he realized his words 'She thinks I'm trying to make a move...Looks like it's time for a little truth!' He waved a hoof "I didn't mean just you! Your friends also belong to me, along with the rest of Ponyville. Simple as that."

Twilight's expression dampered when she heard Greed's response "Oh, I see...so I'm like a possession to you?"

Greed shrugged "That's basically the gist of it! Everything in this world is mine! I gotta make sure you and your friends are in good shape so I won't lose you! I take good care of the things I own!" He smiled, but it left when he noticed how dejected Twilight looked.

Twilight turned away "So despite how we've treated you, you don't think of us as friends, let alone ponies?"

Greed flinched and rephrased his words "No, not like that. I totally think of you and the others as friends!"

Twilight looked back to Greed with an annoyed look on her face "Then what are you trying to say, Greed? You're not really making your case easier with how you voice your opinion on us!"

Greed grunted 'Great, and now I pissed her off...' With a sigh, the avaricious pony tried to make his opinion sound abundantly clear "Look, I suppose what I've said sounds wrong to you, but there's more to it! You know how I am when it comes to taking care of my possessions, right? Well, you should be happy about it! Since you're under my ownership, you're in good hooves! I'll be sure to keep you away from all sorts of crap, or from anypony who has the balls to steal from me!" He flashed a confident grin "I'm sure you'd like that a lot!"

Twilight scoffed "Oh sure! And maybe you'll treat me like some kind of prized trophy that you later keep in the attic!" She snapped sarcastically.

Greed was slightly taken aback at the statement as his grin left him 'Not working. I'm gonna have to try something else...' He cleared his throat and gave the lavender bookworm another smirk "Look, just because I like owning things doesn't mean I discriminate! Also, why would I even want to keep you in an attic? You'd be much better in..." He poked at his chin repeatedly "...in..." He smiled when he thought of it "Maybe I could take you around me! Will that make you feel better?" His smirked vanished when he noticed Twilight's glare worsen 'I'm running out of options...Why do I even feel this way around her!?' Greed remembered back to where he would give whatever he claimed no special treatment, namely his old gang and the chimeras along with Edward.

Twilight rose up from her chair "I suppose I picked a wrong time to chat with my so-called 'owner'. Maybe I should give you time to think before we can even talk again..." She turned to walk away in a huff.

Greed growled to himself 'This isn't good! If her friends find out that she's pissed because of me, they'll hate me, too! Then what would Celestia think!?' He thought over his predicament and felt betrayed at the solution 'Freaking figures...No other way around this, huh? In a way, she IS special, what with her letting me learn from her and junk...' He placed a hoof on his temple before he held it out "Wait!" Twilight stopped and looked back at Greed with a raised eyebrow. The avaricious pony gave a defeated sigh as he spoke "Listen, about what I said earlier..."

Twilight scowled "Are you going to try and twist your truth to make me feel better?"

Greed rose up from his seat and shot a look "What do you take me for!? I already told you I'm a man of my word! The hell would I gain from twisting my truth!?" He then settled himself when he noticed his sudden outburst "S-Sorry...But I'm serious, Twi. I'm not twisting the truth on this one. I meant what I said about you and your friends being my possessions." Twilight only glared back at the avaricious pony "However..." Her glare softened as he continued "Just because you're my possessions, doesn't mean you all still aren't my friends. Some of the possessions I lost before I came to Equestria happened to be true friends of mine, actually..."

Twilight was curious as she turned to face Greed "Did they respect you for your views?"

Greed looked down "Yes and no. Those guys wouldn't know the meaning of avarice if it crawled up their asses and died. Well, except for this one guy..." He couldn't contain his smile at the memory of the Xing Emperor Ling Yao 'I wonder how the little shit's doing running his own country now...' He then faced Twilight "But either way, they still considered me as friends. I brushed them off at first, but then I thought of something..." He looked slightly depressed as he remembered his past words "What I wanted as much as everything in the world, was friends like those guys..." He spoke in a nostalgically somber tone.

Twilight paused before she spoke with an inquisitive glance "But what does that have to do with me and my friends? What are you getting at?"

Greed soon realized that he was beating around the bush and gave a frustrated grunt "You're special, okay!?" He blurted out as Twilight looked surprised. The avaricious pony continued "Yeah, I said it. I guess you could call it my own pride that stopped me from saying it, but you're special since you've decided to grace me with this 'Magic of Friendship' stuff and everything that goes with it. I just can't really bring myself to saying stuff like this on account of...well...y-you know! So I'm sorry if I pissed you off. Though you are one of my possessions, you're special to me. End of story!" He looked away with an angry pout, unable to continue his words.

Twilight stared at Greed before she smiled and trotted up to him. She gave him a brief nuzzle at his cheek that snapped him out of his pout "Apology accepted. That's all I wanted to hear from you." She then looked at Greed with an amused expression "I suppose I shouldn't pick at you since you do tend to flaunt your masculinity at a good level. But I'm glad that you were being honest with me. I'm sorry that I got angry with you."

Greed stared at Twilight before he looked away again "It's no problem. Just try not to let the fact that you're special get to your head!"

Twilight chuckled "I will. I think I'm gonna go talk with the others for a moment. Thanks for taking the time to chat, Greed." She trotted away in a better mood. She shifted her eyes back, unbeknownst to the avaricious pony behind her 'He can be such a child sometimes, but I guess he's not all bad...'

When Twilight was at a good distance away, Greed smiled to himself "Good, she's not pissed no more. The best part is I didn't twist the truth! So she is special to me..." His triumphant tone decreased as he continued "...like she wanted to hear..." His smile left as his tone went down another peg "...so she thinks that I'm..." The avaricious pony twitched an eyebrow before he bared his teeth in a low growl. He lifted a hoof "God...DAMMIT!" He slammed it onto the table as his glass of punch flew upward, only to land smack dab on top of his head, soaking his spikey mane and forehead as he stood with an irritated growl.
_____

Envy sat at the corner of the room and watched everypony have a good time. The jealous pony did not enjoy the sight too much and turned to face a vacant wall 'I shouldn't be here...but it's not like I have anywhere else to go with this new form. So, I'm a changeling...that means I have to feed on love as an energy source, huh? But who would even go so far as to giving me all the energy I need to get by?'

"Sheesh, are you always like this?"

Envy snapped from its thought to see a familiar cyan pegasus at its side "This is a party, palm tree head! You're supposed to enjoy yourself, not sit in a corner like you're in a time-out!"

The jealous pony sneered "Just because it's a party doesn't mean I'm willing to just throw myself in there for the hell of it. I'm in no mood to talk right now, so just don't bother me, okay?" It then looked away.

Rainbow Dash looked confused before she looked annoyed "Why are you so mopey? Was it something you and your family talked about?"

Envy grunted as its gaze remained averted from Rainbow Dash "It's none of your business...I just have a lot on my mind is all."

The cyan pegasus was now curious "Why not share with me so you can get whatever's off your chest? Maybe I can help."

Envy shifted its eyes towards Rainbow Dash "Maybe..." It then shifted its gaze away with a sneer "Maybe not..." It muttered bitterly.

Rainbow Dash snorted in disgust "Come on, Envy! I can't have you acting like this when everypony here's having a good time! Stop being a party pooper and tell me!"

Envy growled and looked at Rainbow Dash "What if I don't want to!? Do you always poke your nose in wherever it doesn't belong? I know you're the Element of Loyalty, but give it a rest! I don't need any help!" It looked away once more.

Rainbow Dash grew infuriated with Envy's attitude until an idea sprang in her head. She held a mischievous smile as she spoke in the same tone "Okay, fine. If you won't tell me..." Her smile grew wider "Why don't I have Pinkie Pie try and cheer you up instead?"

Envy perked up and looked at Rainbow Dash with a glare "You wouldn't dare..."

Rainbow looked smug "Try me! I can have her here right in front of you in ten seconds flat! Or you can be a good pony and tell me what's bugging you! Your call!" She held a satisfied smile as she awaited Envy's answer.

Envy growled in a mixture of anger and frustration. It would do the jealous pony no justice to have its true identity exposed. Envy grew slightly weaker and reacted with inner fear 'No! Not here!' It felt as if it were being pushed into a corner with its cruel fate. The jealous pony then blurted out without proper thought "I'm just lonely! Is that what you wanted to hear!?" It looked away with an angry expression "I'm just lonely..." It repeated in a softer tone.

Rainbow Dash craned her head back "Lonely? How can you be lonely when you have us?" Envy shifted its eyes to show Rainbow Dash a deadpan stare and helped the cyan pegasus understand completely "Ooooooh...I get it." Rainbow Dash smirked "I never actually expected you to even want to start a relationship with anypony! Then again, you are je-"

Envy sneered "Don't say it!"

Rainbow Dash waved a dismissive hoof "Alright. But maybe I can help you with this problem!" She smiled at Envy "We just gotta straighten you up and set you up with the right..." The cyan pegasus stopped herself before she leaned in and inspected Envy up close and drew herself back "...pony for your standards! And the other way around, since that's how it usually works." Rainbow Dash felt awkward to try and distinguish Envy's gender. It was hard for her to go by either Fluttershy's or Applejack's views on the jealous pony while they could do so without much of a problem "So, from one pony to another, what's your preference, Envy?"

Envy raised an eyebrow at Rainbow Dash "What do you mean?"

Rainbow Dash circled a hoof in the air "You know! Do you like mares, stallions, or both? Which do you like best?"

Envy never thought about that question before. It never really had a personal preference for any man or woman to begin with, but now was the time to think given the unfair circumstances it had to bear. The jealous pony looked at Rainbow Dash and thought to itself for a moment 'Well, she DID say she wouldn't leave me alone...' "Before I say anything, mind telling me your preference first?"

Rainbow Dash looked confused "Huh? Why me? This is about you! I wanna hear YOUR preference!"

Envy replied "Well, yeah, but I figured since we're talking like this, the least you could do would just fill me in on your own preference as well! So, why not tell me? I got something off my chest for you! Quid pro quo, prismatic prick!"

Rainbow Dash grunted "O-Okay, fine! I'll tell you..." She shifted her glances both ways so nopony could hear her as she spoke in a lighter tone, almost close to a whisper "I...I prefer both." Envy was shocked at the answer, and Rainbow Dash wasn't amused by the jealous pony's expression "Yeah yeah, it's weird, I know, but it's me! I haven't really been dating as much though. Not that I'm saving myself for the pony of my dreams or anything! I'm just more focused on practicing my skills so the Wonderbolts could accept me!"

Envy tilted its head "Again with the Wonderbolts? Are you obsessed with them or something? Is joining them that big of a deal to you?"

Rainbow Dash looked miffed at the question "I prefer the term 'Number-one fan'! Nopony knows the Wonderbolts like I do! And of course it's a big deal! They're the best fliers in Equestria! I even saved their lives once!"

Envy nodded in comprehension "If that's the case, shouldn't they owe you or something? I mean, you saved their lives! That should grant you entry in their ranks more than anything!"

Rainbow Dash looked away and scratched her head with an embarrassed look on her face"Well, I hung out with them for a day..." She then looked back with determination "But I'm not that kind of pegasus, Envy! I gotta make sure I have the skills to be on their team! They only recruit the best, you know?" She gave a friendly smile.

Envy rolled its eyes "They should've just given you that position just for keeping them from biting the big one..." It muttered boringly before it looked back at Rainbow Dash "You wouldn't even take advantage of something like that to get what you want in life?"

Rainbow Dash gave Envy a small glare "I already told you, I'm not like that! That's so not cool to just do something like that when you want something! Sometimes, you have to earn the things you want through hard work and trust from other ponies! Sure, it sounds stupid even from me, but I can come back from whatever life has to throw at me if things get too hard!"

Envy stared at Rainbow Dash in silence 'You sound more and more like that pipsqueak...I almost miss him because of you...' It snapped out of its thought when Rainbow Dash spoke up "But enough about that! We're getting off-topic here, and that's not good for anypony! Let's get back to you! What do you prefer, Envy?"

Envy paused for a moment as it stared into Rainbow Dash's magenta eyes before it gave its final answer "I...I like mares. Yeah, that's it...mares..." It then thought about what it said 'Am I...?'


End of Chapter 34