//------------------------------//
// Chapter 38 
// Story: From The Gates 
// by Dirty Bit 
//------------------------------//


Chapter 38


To Obtain


Father gave a sigh after his exhausting teleportation spell and turned to the throne room's entrance "Now that that has been taken care of, I believe it's time to find Shining Armor and Mi Amore Cadenza." He trotted off, but stopped himself as he looked back "Oh yes, that's right..." The pale alicorn looked upon his fallen opponents as they writhed in pain "You're bound to recover shortly, so it's only best I keep you at a fixed position before I return..." He turned to face the three ponies and zapped a red beam at them, wrapping them all in a red aura that kept the trio still "There...That should keep you well-contained for the time being." He smiled at the three "Be glad. A new age is dawning for us all, and you'll be met with a familiar face once the shield dies..." He then turned away and made his leave while Celestia, Luna, and Wrath were trapped by Father's paralysis spell.
_____

At the castle's vestibule, Prince Blueblood trotted in and looked around "Aunt Celestia? Aunt Luna? Where are you? I came here because I noticed a disturbance at your castle from one of my manor's windows! Hello?" He trotted up the stairs and made his way towards the throne room, only to be bumped into by Cadence. The ignorant prince shook his head and gave a light sneer "Really, Mi Amore Cadenza! If you're to act like a proper princess, at least watch where you are-"

He was cut off as Cadence galloped past her with Shining Armor on her back "There's no time, Blueblood! You have to get out of here!! We're under attack!!"

Blueblood turned to Cadence with a raised eyebrow "Under attack? But everything in the castle looks just fine! What is going on with Aunt Celestia?"

Cadence stopped and glared at Blueblood despite fearing for his life "She, Luna, and Wrath are handling a strange alicorn in the throne room! But that's not important! Leave the castle before things get worse!!"

Prince Blueblood was confused at Cadence's snapping "Well, just where are you two going then!? It is most umbecoming to have your husband hoisted upon your back!"

Shining Armor grunted as he found his voice after being bombarded by the energy wave earlier "We're heading for Celestia's bedroom! We need to warn my sister and her friends about this new threat!! Please, Prince Blueblood, just run while you can!!" After his firm warning, Cadence then galloped in search of Celestia's room so that she could send a letter to Ponyville.

Prince Blueblood looked down in confusion 'My aunts are in trouble and even require the aid of that new elderly pegasus? I have to help them if they are suffering through harsher times!' He looked up with newfound determination "Do not worry, Auntie! I, Prince Blueblood, shall step into the fray and handle whomever has the audacity to storm our proud walls!" He then turned to gallop "I am co-Huh!?" Blueblood  was stopped in his tracks when he noticed a tall and pale grey alicorn standing in front of him, leering down at Blueblood with red eyes. He already felt threatened under the glance "Wh-Who are you!?"

Father examined the unicorn in front of him and searched through Celestia's memories to get a clear grasp of his identity. When it was reached, he narrowed his eyes "Prince Blueblood..." He took a step forward, to which Blueblood stepped back reflexively "The pinnacle of foolishness..." He took another step forward while the ignorant prince took another step back "To think one such as yourself held the courage to flirt with my daughter Lust."

Blueblood perked up and forgot Father's intimidating stare "So you're Lust's father? Well, I can see where she gets her looks from! But can you explain to me why you had to bring up such grotesque siblings after her!?"

Father glared at Prince Blueblood "The better question to ask is...Where can I find Shining Armor and Princess Mi Amore Cadenza? Will you tell me where they are?"

Blueblood flinched at the question 'Was this the strange alicorn that Mi Amore Cadenza mentioned?' He then casted a stern gaze upon Father "Who are you and what have you done to my Aunt Celestia!? I refuse to answer your questions if you have caused trouble here!!"

Father sneered and his horn glowed as he levitated Blueblood near his face "Tell me where they are, unless you desire sheer torment?" Despite his calm tone, he glared at the ignorant prince as he shivered.

Blueblood's eyes widened "Y-Y-You wouldn't harm me! I am a unicorn of royal blood!! I could have you executed for your crimes!" He tried to maintain an authoritive tone past his fear.

Father tilted his head with a bored expression "You would make threats when you exploit fear? You really are foolish. But I digress...Tell me where Shining Armor and Mi Amore Cadenza are hiding. My patience wears thin..."

Prince Blueblood despised getting hurt, especially by one who claims to be the father of Lust. Just by looking in his eyes, he knew that Father was most serious. He swallowed and stammered in fear while sweating bullets at his predicament. The ignorant prince whimpered before he blurted out "They're headed towards Aunt Celestia's bedroom!! They wish to send out a distress call to the Elements of Harmony!!"

Father stared for a moment before he nodded and canceled out his hold on Prince Blueblood, causing him to drop on the floor. He then trotted past the ignorant prince nonchalantly as if he were an inanimate object. Father smiled to himself when he remembered the exact location Blueblood was referring to through his acquired memories from Celestia. His horn began to glow while he trotted away from Blueblood.

Prince Blueblood scrambled to his hooves and looked at the pale alicorn leaving "You would spare me?" He asked in bewilderment.

Father continued trotting "You've given me all that I need...Besides, one such as yourself isn't worthy of becoming a stone, even if you've acted as a stepping stone...Insect." He then winked out with his destination set.

Blueblood sat on his haunches and contemplated on his actions only to wear a face of sadness and guilt 'Aunt Celestia...Aunt Luna...I have failed you both!!'
_____

Cadence galloped up the stairs with conviction, though carrying her husband on her back had taken a toll on some of her stamina. She continued on as she thought about Celestia, Luna and Wrath 'Oh, I hope that they're alright...' She shook off her doubt and continued up further.

Shining Armor tried to hang on and looked back to see no shadows behind them "Wrath...I can't believe that alicorn's his father." He then grunted "Why did this happen all of the sudden? Our city being invaded, and by an alicorn who has the ability to turn ponies into stones, no less!" He cursed himself for not being able to defend his fellow soldiers or his rulers.

Cadence inwardly grimaced to herself on the truth about Wrath "I never imagined Greed and Wrath's father to be so strong! Perhaps them escaping Tartarus was no mistake!"

Shining Armor held an expression of displeasure "How can we trust Wrath and his siblings now that their father decided to pay us a visit? I'll bet they were in on this the whole time!"

Cadence looked ahead with an expression of worry "I'm not sure they're on his side, Shining Armor. Especially when we heard Greed two days ago..." The princess heard genuine hate from his words when he spoke at the dining table and wondered if he had a personal vendetta with his father.

"Let's just say my father's a fickle bastard and leave it at that..."

Shining Armor glared "But how can we be sure that they won't side with him once Greed and the others arrive? Doesn't this concern you at all!?"

Cadence mustered her strength while she carried Shining Armor "I'm just as concerned as you are, but we need to press on! The fate of Equestria rests on your sister and her friends! The Elements of Harmony are all we have left if Celestia is unable to handle this!"

Shining Armor nodded "Yeah, you're right. If they won't, then who will? I hope we can reach them in time..." On the inside, Shining Armor was concerned about Greed being with his younger sister, hoping that she is at least dealing with whatever problem may arise.

Cadence smiled when she reached the door and caught her breath briefly before she focused her magic on the doorknob. She looked back at Shining Armor "We can! All we need to do is send our message and we may have a better chance!" When she opened the door, she turned back to have her hopeful smile turn into a fearful frown as she gasped at the sight of Father in front of her.

Father smirked down at the couple with his horn crackling with red static "That will not be necessary, princess..." He spoke in a grave tone.
_____

Greed growled and roared in displeasure "Aw, come on!!!"

Rarity huffed "You must control that volume of yours! Are you trying to imitate Princess Luna with that outburst?" She glared at Greed with contempt. The two were facing each other at Rarity's doorstep.

Greed waved a hoof at Rarity "You're supposed to be the element of Generosity! Can't you just spare me one of those awesome shades in that boutique of yours? You'd be doing me a favor!"

Rarity kept her glare on the avaricious pony "The only favor I would be doing is stimulating your atrocious nature of hoarding! Honestly, you should take a lesson from Spike about this! I will not have you take advantage of my element so easily, Greed!"

Greed looked away "It's not so much me taking advantage of your element but because I don't have any spending money! That, and those shades could be gone soon! You don't really need them!"

Rarity deadpanned "Oh, of course~! Silly me~!" She spoke sarcastically "I also do not need my myriad collection of dresses and suits in my boutique neither! And they end up gone as well! Do you wanna know how, darling?" She smiled at Greed, who leaned in with an inquisitive glance. Rarity then scowled "They pay for them! Like everypony else!"

Greed drew back and growled again "You made a free dress for Lust! A free freaking dress! Why give her a gift and not me as well?"

Rarity held her nose in the air "I made a dress for Lust specifically because she's my guest and she gave me the most wonderful ideas for some of my newest outfits!" She smiled as she stated Lust's attributes "She is also proper, well-mannered, and mature about situations!" The fashionista then frowned as she muttered "Unlike somepony I know..."

Greed twitched an eyebrow as he glared at Rarity for her jabs "Couldn't you turn a blind eye just this once? I'm looking to improve my image, and you have the only thing I need in there!" He smirked "Besides, it's what friends do right?"

Rarity nodded "Indeed, but they also don't squander their trust OR their goodwill like you are now! Come back to the boutique when you have enough bits, Greed! And don't you think about stealing them neither!" She then went inside and slammed the door.

Greed growled again and stomped at the ground "Element of Generosity, my furry ass..." he muttered to himself as he trotted away with a sour expression. Before he departed from the boutique, he snuck a peak at the window to see the shades he had his eyes on.

They were perfect for him. Circular lenses with the finest tints he could as for. And he was downcast and outraged because the very Element of Generosity denied him the privilege of owning and wearing them. Greed grunted and looked away with a huff 'I don't pay for things I want! I take them!' He then looked down with a wince 'But that bitch has her guns on, and that leaves me without a plan to get them...' He rubbed his hoof as he sat on his haunches and pondered .

"You're thinking...Such progress from you, Greed..."

Greed snapped out of his thought to see the image of his older sister stare down at him with a teasing smile. The avaricious pony sneered as he glared up "Eat a dick, Lust! Shouldn't you be with Rarity right now?"

Lust flicked her mane as she closed her eyes "Were you unaware of my absence from the boutique? I only trotted over to Sugarcube Corner to enjoy some of Pinkie's delectable tarts...They make for a good meal in the morning. And I must say that I am happy that Gluttony managed to find somepony else to play with."

Greed rolled his eyes "Yeah, Pinks can sure keep him occupied with her food supply. And she usually eats as much as him! They're made for each other!" He then dismissed the off-topic discussion and went back to moping and thinking "I gotta find a way to get those shades..." He muttered.

Lust focused her attention back to Greed and leaned her head down to him "What was that? Do you need something to add to your towering pile of possessions?"

Greed sneered at Lust "Don't fuck with me, Lust..." He looked back at the boutique "But yeah, I really do want those shades that the so-called Element of Generosity is keeping from me!"

Lust feigned sadness as she placed a hoof on her cheek "Oh my, that is so sad...If only I was skilled in the violin..." She then offered a teasing smile "You know, this isn't a total loss. You could always PAY for a pair of sunglasses, Greed."

Greed growled as he jerked his head to Lust and snapped "Up yours! Everything in this world is mine! In case you haven't noticed, I don't actually share!" He then jumped onto his four hooves "If only that bitch Rarity got the message! She's more into you than anything el-" He stopped as his eyes widened. The avaricious pony then slowly developed a smile that grew in width as his eyes narrowed deviously 'That's it...' He turned to Lust "Hey, Lust...Do you ever miss manipulating folks to get what you want?"

Lust paused for a moment before she sighed with a nostalgic smile "Now that you mention it, I forgot how fun it was to have someone be putty in my hand..." Her memories went back to when she manipulated Havoc's hormones in order to obtain information "But what are you getting at? Are you planning something?" She raised an eyebrow at her younger brother.

Greed smirked at Lust "Aw, it's nothing special..." He flashed a grin as he explained "You think maybe you could stroll into that boutique and sweep Rarity off her feet so I can get me those shades?"

Lust chuckled "Your thoughts are amusing, Greed...It's bad enough you wouldn't pay for a simple pair of shades, but to have me do your dirty work in order to get them for free?"

Greed spread his forelegs while he frowned "I'm just asking a favor from my older sister! Is it too much that I can count on you?"

Lust huffed "Well, you seem awfully insistent about me getting you those shades. But I suppose it can't be helped seeing as how you're so adamant of your nature as I am my own..." She smiled "Not to mention, my actions will also count as generosity, even if Rarity does find out the truth..."

Greed smiled expectantly "So you'll do it then!?" He asked quickly with joy in his eyes.

Lust gave a condescending pat on Greed's head "I'm only doing my duty as an older sister for my baby brother and nothing else..."

Greed growled "You forget Wrath's the baby out of us, right?"

Lust trotted past Greed with a mischievous smile "Age does not equal maturity, Greed. Just wait here and you'll have your sunglasses so that you will not turn to the heavens and cry like a baby..." She opened the door to the boutique and made her way inside.

Greed crossed his forelegs and scrunched his face 'If she weren't giving me my shades, I'd kick her ass...'
_____

Rarity was busy going through her dresses and inspecting their details before she decided to go into her back room to work on more. She heard the door open and expected Greed to come back with a scowl on her face, but it left when she noticed Lust "Ah, hello, Lust! Did you enjoy your time at Pinkie's?" She smiled at the lascivious mare.

Lust smiled back at Rarity 'I hope she can forgive me for what I'm about to do...' "Yes, I did. Pinkie can really bake her confectionaries professionally..." She began to sashay towards Rarity as her eyes took on a half-lidded stare at the fastionista "But I suppose she couldn't do better..." She spoke in a sultry tone.

Rarity noticed the approach Lust was taking and raised an eyebrow "Are you feeling okay, Lust? Pinkie didn't place anything weird in her tarts again, did she?"

Lust shook her head as she drew closer "Not at all. But that shouldn't be a matter to think on knowing it was just a simple meal..."

Rarity widened her eyes and began stepping back while Lust closed in on her "W-Well, I wouldn't say simple, darling! Pinkie's the best baker in Ponyville!" She said while she drew herself back shifting her eyes "I-I mean, I do not have my suspiscions on one of my friends, though you surprise me with your current mood!" One part of Rarity felt uncomfortable, but she could not help but almost be swayed by Lust's seductive behavior.

Lust chuckled "I assure you, Pinkie had nothing to do with this little...change...But I'm sure you do not mind in the slightest, right?" She spoke again as she batted her eyelashes at Rarity.

Rarity's coat began to abandon its whiteness to be replaced by a light red while Lust continued her little prowl. She gasped when she noticed she had backed into a wall, and shuddered when Lust invaded her personal space with the same seductive gaze on her face. Rarity wanted to question the way Lust was acting while it began to grow hot around her "L-Lust! I'm won't contempt you f-for this sudden mood shift, but could you perhaps maybe relent a bit with your...a-approach, please?" She forced a smile while she blushed furiously.

Lust gave a mock frown as she stroked one of Rarity's cheeks with a hoof "Does this not suit you, Rarity? I was under the impression you would be into something like this..." She spoke in a tone that feigned hurt feelings. She inwardly smiled at how good it felt to be herself again 'I haven't really charmed a lady in a long while...'

Rarity frantically shook her head "No! N-Not in the slightest! But I have to admit that it's a little uncomfortable even though you are a guest here!" She blurted out while she tried fanning herself with her own hoof 'Oh my...Why is she doing this!? Why am I enjoying it!? This has to stop!!' She swallowed as she spoke again "E-Er, Lust? Is there any way at all that could make you hold off on this little advance? A new dress perhaps? Anything at all!?" She blurted out the last sentence in a loud and desperate tone while she forced a shaky smile.

Lust looked down and feigned thought "Well, I suppose there is ONE thing..." She looked over at the sunglasses Greed wanted and smiled "Those glasses would look simply dashing on my figure. It would help to hide my eyes so nopony would feel so obligated to look back at me without acting hypnotized..." She looked back at Rarity with an expression of mock hope "A lady like you would understand, right? You've been so helpful to me the last couple days and I do not wish to ask for too much..." She slowly drew her muzzle near Rarity's.

Rarity's heart was beating fast when she noticed Lust about to close the distance between their faces completely and she then blurted out "Take them! I understand the plight of anypony who would lose themselves in a lady's eyes! Anything to help you out and avoid this steamy venture, just take them!!"

While the arousing scene took place, the front door to the boutique opened to reveal Spike waddling in with a smile and closed eyes "Heya, Rarity! I just finished cleaning around the library today and I just dropped by to see what you are-GUAAAAAAAAAH~...." He opened his eyes and they became as wide as dinner plates as his jaw hit the floor while he witnessed Rarity and Lust so close together.

Rarity noticed Spike and noticed his reaction as she forced another smile with awkward eyes "Er...H-Hello, Spike! Do you wish to aid me around here?" She then realized her position and how well they connected with her words in the wrong sense 'Gah! Stupid, stupid, stupid!'

Lust smiled nonchalantly at Spike "Greetings, Spike. I was just asking a favor from Rarity and she gladly obliged...Is there something that we can help you with?"

Spike kept his reaction and quickly turned around "I-I-I better get going! I think I came at the wrong time! Sorry if I bothered you! See ya!" He dashed out the door.

Outside, Greed leaned near the front door with all his legs crossed and a satisfied smirk on his face 'Those shades are as good as mine...' He then noticed Spike bolt out the door "Hey, kid. Rarity kick you out or something?" He asked in an amused tone when he saw how shocked Spike looked.

Spike shuddered as his arms locked beside his legs "I have the weirdest feeling!!!" He yelled out randomly.

Greed chuckled "I'd gladly throw you a bone, but I see you've already got one..." He looked away with an amused grin.

Spike was confused to what he was referring to until he inspected himself and jumped before he waddled away covering himself "Don't tell Twilight, Greed! PLEASE don't tell Twilight!"

Greed laughed as Spike ran off "Not to worry, Spike! You're secret's safe with me!"


End of Chapter 38