Chapter 2
A Storm Approaches...
The weird statue remained motionless while it stood by itself under the pale moonlight in the Royal gardens.
"This sucks!! It's already been long since I've been imprisoned by the Elements of Harmony again, and even THAT sucked!! Now I'm missing out on so much fun while I'm stuck here, dealing with these STUPID PIDGEONS!! What makes things worse was having to feel that lovey-dovey nonsense from a good distance! And by the same unicorn that crashed into me way back when...But there's something special about that little whelp...something...chaotic..."
Another pidgeon flew by and cooed before laying a drop that landed directly on the statue's forehead.
".....FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFUUU-"
_____
Inside of the castle, Greed and Twilight followed Spike as he led them into the banquet hall, where Pinkie and Gluttony were seen dancing recklessly while Lust mildly joined with them. Sloth was seen digging into some of the food while most of the noble ponies distanced themselves out of disgust and fear. The only ones that chose to stay by him were Applejack, Fluttershy (who hid behind her friend when everypony was watching), Rarity, and an intrigued Fancy Pants as he examined Sloth "I say, Sloth! You must have been cared for to have grown so large in your life! Can you tell me what your exercise consists of?" The sophisticated unicorn asked nonchalantly.
Sloth swallowed his portion and groaned "Exercise is a pain..." He went back to eating without another word.
Fancy Pant smiled "Well, it's as the saying goes: No pain, no gain!" He chuckled as he straightened his monocle.
Rarity fumed and hissed "Sloth! For Celestia's sake, show some manners around Fancy Pants!"
Applejack smiled at Rarity "Ah got this, Rarity!" She trotted over to Sloth and gave him a buck on his hip "C'mon, Sloth! Ah know it's askin' too much from ya, but try t' socialize fer once!"
Sloth finished eating again and slowly turned to Applejack "Hungry..."
Applejack scoffed "Ain't we all? Jus' try an' be more active here! It's a party!"
Greed chuckled at what was going on as he looked around "Looks like everypony's here!"
Spike looked around as well "I think you're wrong! Where's Rainbow Dash and Envy?"
Twilight smiled "I think they're still at the Wonderbolts' VIP section! We all know how Rainbow Dash wanted to be there!"
Greed held a taunting smile "I'll bet Envy's bored to death! I think I might swing by there to see what's going on!"
Twilight gave a brief nuzzle to Greed "Be sure to come back, okay? I'll try and calm the other ponies down with how they're eyeing Sloth..." She said with a small wince as she noticed how Sloth went back to eating.
Spike smiled at Greed "We'll save you a slice of cake when you get back!"
Greed gave a mock salute before he trotted off into the castle in search of the two rowdy pegasi.
Pinkie, Gluttony, and Lust continued dancing, though both Pinkie's and Gluttony's moves grew more erratic, much to Lust's slight annoyance.
"Mind if I cut in?"
Lust turned around to see Prince Blueblood attempting to both ignore Sloth's gathered attention and appear more charming in front of the lascivious mare. He held a winning grin and a lidded stare when he asked his question.
Lust only stifled a fit of laughter before she smirked "I'm afraid I'll have to decline, Prince Blueblood..." She shifted her eyes to Gluttony, her smile failing to leave "I think you know why..."
Gluttony ceased his dancing and leered at Blueblood while growling like a provoked dog, easily causing the ignorant prince to take a few steps back "S-Some other time then?" He asked with slight fear in his voice.
Lust nodded mockingly "Maybe..." She then proceeded to pat Gluttony's head, the voracious pony instantly smiling and nuzzling into her hoof.
Pinkie hopped up to Blueblood with a chipper smile "You can dance with me if you like!"
Blueblood craned his head back with a frown "No thank you, I'll just grab some hors d'ouerves..." He turned to see Sloth eating while Twilight and Applejack urged him to stop 'If there are any left...' With a fake smile, he made his way over towards the food table.
Pinkie tilted her head and heard hoofsteps before noticing Shining Armor trotting into the banquet hall with Cadence at his side "Hey, Shining Armor! Hey, Princess Cadence! You here to grab some food, too?"
Shining Armor smiled "Just some punch for the lady!" He looked over at the food table and held an incredulous expression "Whoa...I'd expect that sort of thing from Gluttony."
Pinkie giggled "He learned self-control thanks to me! Also, he had his fill earlier, so it's no trouble!"
Cadence examined the scene before tilting her head "Say, where's Greed? Normally, I'd expect him around Twilight with how inseparable they've been in the past!"
Pinkie waved a dismissive hoof "Don't mind Greedy! He's just gonna check up on Dashie and Envy before he comes back to her!"
_____
Rainbow Dash was engrossed in chatting with Spitfire, she couldn't be happier. They swapped stories and flight tricks while they bonded through their conversation. The cyan pegasus felt that this night made up for her last time at the gala with how she was finally able to talk with her childhood idol on an equal standard.
Spitfire chuckled after hearing the story of Pinkie devouring the cake she made for the bake-off in Canterlot and spoke "Dash, if your stories are that good, then I'll bet your partner's would have the same quality!" She looked around with a confused frown "Where'd she go, anyway?"
Rainbow Dash perked up and looked around "Huh!?" She held back her anxiety and anger upon seeing Envy gone 'Envy better not be making trouble around here, or so help me I'll cut back on the love!'
While the two mares were looking around, Soarin trotted up with a frown "Hey, Spitfire! Some fans over on the east end wanna have a photo shoot with you! They're pretty antsy about it, let me tell you!"
Spitfire sighed, but smiled afterwards "Another one, huh? I suppose our work's never done..." She turned to Rainbow Dash "I'd gladly keep talking, Dash, but I gotta take this. You know how fans are, right?"
Rainbow Dash gave a nervous chuckle as she looked back "Yeah, don't I know it?"
Spitfire nodded "Cool. I'll be right back!" She trotted off, leaving Soarin and Rainbow Dash behind.
The cyan pegasus tried to ignore her anxiety by breaking the ice with the pie-loving Wonderbolt "So I heard about you avoiding pies on a dare! How's that helping you anyway?" Rainbow Dash noticed how Soarin only watched Spitfire leave before he began to snicker. Her confusion grew before she held an irritated look "Not funny..." She said in a low tone.
Soarin ceased his laughter with a smirk "Oh come on, it was only a small prank!" He looked around "Say, no one's watching, right?" Taking the slim opportunity, a green aura surrounded Soarin before it dissolved to reveal Envy in his place. The jealous pony turned to Rainbow Dash "Besides, it's a party! No use in standing around and talking all night!"
Rainbo Dash glared at Envy "Not everypony here knows you're a changeling, Envy! Could you just please try and be cool for once? Like me? FOR me?"
Envy scoffed with a scowl "For you, alright! You've been talking to Spitfire like she was next in line to be your special somepony! If anything, I could've been considered a ninja with how you chose to ignore me like that!"
Rainbow Dash was slightly taken aback by Envy's rash statement before she spat back "Hey, just because I idolize Spitfire doesn't mean that I'm just gonna leave you behind like that! We're together and you know it!"
Envy spat back "If only I'd believe you if you hadn't noticed me leave UNTIL Spitfire brought it up! Face it! If it weren't for the fact that the Wonderbolts were here, we'd probably have more fun around this place!"
Rainbow Dash glared "Look, Envy! I'm sorry for ignoring you back there, but I don't wanna play babysitter the whole night! This is the one chance I actually get to talk with the Wonderbolts like we're friends! They could even let us in their ranks soon enough!"
Envy glared back "Do you honestly think I'd want to join them? Sure, maybe for you, but I don't really intend on spending my life performing tricks in front of an audience like a little monkey!"
Rainbow Dash got in Envy's face "You talking bad about the Wonderbolts!? Take that back!"
Envy pushed back with the same force "Or what?! You're just gonna defend them and forget about me? I'd honestly expect that out of you with what you got in your room!"
Rainbow Dash growled "Fine! You want a fun time so bad, why don't we go a few rounds!?" She said, obviously antagonized by Envy's harsh words.
Envy grinned "That's more like it! At least now I can take your mind of those dopes for a bit!" The two pegasi assumed their stances.
_____
Greed shoved through the crowd, barely paying attention to his manners while looking for Rainbow Dash and Envy 'Should've just asked where they would be in this place...I forgot how huge this castle is!' As he traveled, he noticed a section separated by velvet rope dividers.
Looking past the given boundaries, he spotted the pegasi he was looking for. He grinned when he noticed the tension between them 'Looks like things got interesting before I arrived! Time to step inside!' Ignoring the front entrance, Greed leapt over the velvet rope divider in front of him and sifted through the VIP section. When he finally reached the scene, he called to Rainbow Dash and Envy "Hey, you two! What's up?"
Both the pegasi were caught off-guard and turned to see Greed come their way. Rainbow Dash was the first to speak with an incredulous expression "Greed? How'd you get in here? This is the VIP section!"
Greed looked behind him "Just made my way inside from the edge. Not that it matters anyways. What's going on with you two?" He asked with an amused smirk.
Envy scowled and pointed at Rainbow Dash "Little Ms. Fangirl over here talked with her childhood hero and somehow left me in the dust! For once, I'm actually happy to see you with how boring it is here!"
Rainbow Dash fumed "For the last time, I'm sorry! Get over yourself, palm-tree head!"
Greed laughed at this "Spoken like a true relationship! I'm kind of glad I haven't reached that point with Twilight yet!"
Rainbow Dash held a wry smile "With how you two are, I envy you. And I'm standing right next to the pony!"
Envy jerked its head towards the cyan pegasus and bared its teeth "Oh, ha-ha!"
Greed chuckled at the small joke "Well, anyways, I kinda felt like stopping by and seeing what you're up to. Maybe even bring you back to the banquet hall for some food! Sloth's helping himself over there so badly, it's like him and Gluttony switched roles!"
Rainbow Dash blinked in disbelief "That is something I wanna see! Then again, Sloth is a big boy after all!"
Greed turned to Envy "How about you, Envy? I'd say you're bored enough to be hungry!"
Envy huffed "You're telling me...I could use a little snack." It turned to Rainbow Dash with a passive frown "Hey, you coming or what?"
Before Rainbow Dash could speak, Spitfire and Soarin trotted up with a smile "Hey, I'm back. And I brought back Soarin here with me."
Soarin cast a skeptical glance at Spitfire "The hay's that supposed to mean?" He asked with genuine confusion. He then remembered Rainbow Dash and waved with a smile "Hey, Rainbow Dash? How's it hangin'!"
Rainbow Dash grinned and turned to the two former homunculi "Don't worry, you two! I'll catch up with you later!" The cyan pegasus then went back to chatting with the Wonderbolts.
Envy stared at Rainbow Dash before its face contorted in a toothy scowl as it growled at the Wonderbolts.
Greed placed a hoof on Envy's shoulder with a smirk "No need to get all worked up, Envy! I'd say you could last a few minutes without her!"
Envy swatted Greed's hoof away "Let's just get some damn food..." The jealous pony muttered bitterly as it trotted towards the VIP entrance with Greed following close behind.
_____
Twilight and Applejack managed to move Sloth away from the food table after he had enough to eat and decided to sleep in the middle of the room. The lavender bookworm groaned "I can't believe Sloth would even misbehave like that! I'm just glad Princess Celestia isn't around to see this..." She said as she looked around anxiously.
Applejack scowled at Sloth "Ain't no point in wakin' this big lug up now, seein' as how we'll only make more o' a scene!"
Greed and a bitter Envy trotted into the banquet hall, and the avaricious pony laughed at the scene in front of him "Looks like Sloth's got his fill!" He looked over to see the remnants of what was devoured being replaced by more of the castle's chefs, though they held looks of contempt towards the sleeping mass in the middle of the room.
Twilight noticed Greed and smiled as she trotted over to his side and gave him a small peck on the cheek "Welcome back. And you're correct about Sloth." She looked over at Envy and tilted her head when she noticed that the jealous pony was staring at the floor "Envy? What's the matter?"
Envy only scoffed and lightly shoved Twilight aside as it trotted towards the food table "Out of my way..." It muttered sourly.
Pinkie and Gluttony were busy dancing, but when Envy caught her eye, Pinkie stopped and waved over at Envy "Hiya, Envy!"
Gluttony followed suit out of childish instinct "Hello, Envy? Isn't this party fun?" When his answer came in the form of an angered grunt as Envy passed by, the voracious pony frowned at his older sibling.
Twilight was slightly agitated by the rude gesture, but then turned to Greed with an inquisitive stare "What's with him? Did you mess with Envy, Greed?" She asked with a light sternness in her voice.
Greed rolled his eyes "Please, as much as I'd love to poke fun at my siblings, this wasn't me. The poor pony's being shunned by Rainbow Dash while she's busy chatting with the Wonderbolts!"
Twilight frowned at this "He's being ignored? Shouldn't he at least be happy for Rainbow Dash instead of holding a foul mood?"
Greed laughed "Twilight, you're missing the concept!" He pointed a hoof at Envy eating a small sandwich "You're looking at Envy the jealous! I think the answer's pretty obvious, don't you?"
Twilight looked down in embarrassment before looking back up at the avaricious pony "Be that as it may, Envy shouldn't be acting this way at the Grand Galloping Gala!"
Spike waddled up to the two unicorns with an arched eyebrow "You mean the same way you and your friends did at the last Grand Galloping Gala? I even acted that way until I found you all at Donut Joe's shop!"
Twilight looked over at Envy and sighed "I suppose I should feel bad for Envy. Granted, him and Rainbow Dash bicker like it's nopony's business, but deep down they share a very strong connection!"
Greed gave an amused smirk "And along came the Wonderbolts..." Twilight glared at her coltfriend, to which Greed shrugged "What? It's true! You honestly expect to pay attention to anypony else when talking to somepony you look up to?" Twilight went to speak, only to be interrupted by the avaricious pony "Somepony BESIDES the princesses?"
Shining Armor chuckled as he joined the group with Cadence "You're asking too much from my sister to look up to somepony else, Greed!"
Greed grinned "I suppose so, but who else would be a good role model? I already filled that position for a good while since I got here!"
Twilight narrowed her eyes with a smile "Are you going by teaching me how to use your Ultimate Shield spell?"
Greed inched near Twilight's face, the grin on his face refusing to leave "Maybe..."
Cadence looked over at Envy and frowned "That poor changeling..." She turned to Greed "Greed, you should probably go cheer Envy up. Nopony should be sad at a party!"
Greed blinked "What?"
Cadence held up a hoof "You're Envy's older brother, right? Shouldn't you at least go and comfort your younger sibling out of the goodness of your heart?"
Greed frowned "You're kidding right? That's like asking me to give up all of my possessions!"
Shining Armor looked disappointed "That seems pretty harsh coming out of you..."
Twilight nodded "I agree." An idea came into her head "And yet...your analogy can be considered similar to generosity!" She beamed "That's a great idea! This could be a good way for you to actually start learning generosity without having to turn to Rarity!"
Greed cringed at the mention of the 'G' word and the thought of actually having to be taken under Rarity's wing. He gave a small groan "You know how Envy is, Twi. Can't we have somepony else to do it? Like Lust? Or Fluttershy maybe?"
Twilight frowned "No need to come up with excuses, Greed. Besides, looking at it from a rational point of view, if you don't do it, then Pinkie will the moment she notices Envy feeling down, and I think we both know how he is around her..." She said as she looked over at Pinkie, who already made her way towards the jealous pony and began to ramble on.
Greed already imagined how bad it would be if Pinkie were to push Envy even further than where it stood with its attitude, but was still reluctant "Just give Envy some time, I'm sure the pony'll come around!"
Twilight inched her face near Greed's with a smile "Please? For me?" She asked in a cute tone.
Greed kept silent and tried to hold a stalwart stare towards Twilight's attempt at making him submit to her request. He narrowed his eyes for a moment while his marefriend tilted her head slightly as she blinked, her smile refusing to leave. His pupils trembled for a moment as he continued to stare at Twilight, who then drew her head back as her lower lip quivered in a small pout, looking sad. Greed only paused before he squinted his eyes 'God, that's cute...' He then sighed "Fine! I'll try and cheer Envy up!"
With that, Twilight kissed Greed on the nose with a triumphant, but grateful smile "Thank you very much, Greed. I'm sure you'll get Envy back on his feet!"
Greed looked away with a frown "I think you're giving me too much credit, Twi..." He then noticed Pinkie continuing on as Envy looked more aggravated by the minute "But I'll give it a shot for you!" He said as he made his way over towards Envy and Pinkie.
Cadence smiled "Good luck, Greed!"
Greed scowled as he trotted away from the others 'Sure, make it seem harder than it actually looks, why don't you?' When he reached the food table, Greed waved a hoof "Hey, Pinkie, I can take it from here! Why don't you go dance with Gluttony some more?"
Pinkie looked over at Greed and smiled "Okie Dokie Loki! Make sure to turn Envy's frown upside down, okay?" She then hopped away and left Greed and Envy alone.
Greed cleared his throat before he smiled at Envy "Hey there. Good thing I saved you the trouble of actually wanting to kill somepony, huh?"
Envy leered at Greed, still in its bitter mood "What do you want, Greed? I'm in no mood to talk right now."
Greed nodded "I can see that, and trust me when I said I felt like leaving you alone to get over this thing. But the way I see it, this is basically a relationship problem, and you obviously need some comfort!"
Envy bared its teeth at Greed "I don't need your pity, dumbass!"
Greed scoffed "Who said I was pitying you? I'm trying to cheer you up! Apparently everypony else is bothered by how you're choosing to act like someone just spat in your coffee!"
Envy narrowed its eyes "Go try somewhere else! The only way I'll even cheer up is if something exciting actually happens around here!"
Greed chuckled "What, like when you and Rainbow were about to throw down? If that's the case, then I can empathize with being bored!"
Envy growled "That's a load of crap and you know it! You don't even seem it with how you and Twilight are doing alright!"
Greed shook his head "Well that's because I'm cool like that. No point in letting anything get me down like this! So what say I take your mind off of Rainbow for a moment and try to lift your spirits?"
Envy paused before it smiled "I'd say you wouldn't have the balls since it would involve pissing off the princesses AND Twilight. Not to mention, you look like you're out of practice..."
Greed laughed "Look at you go! At least I did well in cheering you up a little, but I'd say that you're far from besting me in a fight! Besides, I'd figure you would-" His face was met with a green hoof as a hard punch connected with his jaw. The others, save for Blueblood and the nobles noticed and gasped.
Envy grinned as it drew back a hoof "You were saying?" It asked in a taunting tone.
Greed drew his head back to face Envy as he held a toothy grin that reeked of a desire to fight "Let's go..."
End of Chapter 2