//------------------------------// // Ch. 29: Absolution // Story: Sin // by MemoryLane //------------------------------// I successfully teleported everyone back to the castle. Ennui and Vanity were pretty caught off guard by the action, and immediately stumbled on the floor along with Aphrodite. Who as finally starting to wake up, I noticed that she was stirring a little bit. She finally opened her eyes. "Ennui, Vanity? Can you two please go fetch everyone else?" I asked. Vanity had to literally drag Ennui by her tail(The smile on her face implied that she didn't mind), but they soon obliged. Aphrodite looked up at me with a confused expression of her face. "Twilight? What happened?" She asked me, rubbing her head. She looked like she was hungover again. I considered getting angry at her, and hating her. But I know I shouldn't. It won't be the right thing to do, even though she had no right, or control, to do something like that. "You attacked me in the Changeling Nest." I muttered. Aphrodite immediately stood up, looking as if I just ripped her heart out of her chest. "W-what? Why? How...?" Aphrodite stuttered, too shocked to say anything worthwhile. "I'll explain why in a minute when everyone else gets here. But you tried to rape me. Again." I peered at her angrily. She stared into my eyes sadly, and for once, I sensed no traces of seduction in her eyes, just sincereness. I almost felt bad for her, really. She'd been trying pretty hard as of recently to control herself. Just what snapped inside of her mind, I wonder... "Oh no...I'm really sorry Twilight...I-I..." She sighed, stomping her hoof on the ground frustratingly. She looked really upset with herself. Good. My suspicions are coming more and more true. I just no one else gave into their sins like she did. She looked as if she was about to cry. "Don't worry, Aphrodite. It's not your fault-" I started, but Aphrodite wanted none of it. "Yes it is!" She sobbed. This is all really strange. I didn't really expect her to be this upset, because she was trying to get into my bed anyways. "W-What did I say to you?" She looked at me with slightly hopeful eyes. I really didn't want to tell her, because it might just make her upset, but I really didn't have a choice. If I was in her position, I would want to know too. Besides, she spouted some pretty...interesting things. I let out a soft sigh. "You said that you loved me. And that you wanted me." I paraphrased. Aphrodite was trembling now, looking away from me with a blush. "Then you tried to rape me." "I-I..." "But it's strange." I pondered out loud, now that I think about it, something really didn't make sense. Aphrodite tilted her head at me. If she's the embodiment of "lust", well the actual definition is "to have a strong sexual desire". But when she was trying to rape me, she told me that she loves me. Love and lust are two different things. So why did she say that? Unless that wasn't her sin talking. Aphrodite was looking at the ground embarrassed, kicking the floor with her hoof nervously. Does...does Aphrodite actually love me? "Aphro-" I started, but I stopped myself, when Ennui and Vanity came back with everyone else in tow. I saw my friends come up and hug me gingerly, all cheering upon my return. I think they were a little afraid that I wasn't going to come back. A few of the sins gave Aphrodite a welcome back hug as well. "Mission accomplished." Ennui chuckled as Vanity appeared by her side. "Everyone, there is no time to waste." I said. I looked around the room cautiously. I wanted to make sure that everyone was here for this. All five of my other friends were here, that's good. The Princess was probably doing something important, so we can exclude her. I did a mental count on the sins. One, two, three, four, five, six... "We're missing someone." I uttered, causing everyone to look around. Everyone simultaneously tried to figure out who was missing on their own, with very little order. Covette suddenly broke through the large crowd of ponies. Her wound seemed to be healing quite rapidly. Or that's what it looks like, considering that she's actually upright and walking. "It's Cashmere." She muttered loud enough for everyone to hear. "Well? Where is he?" I asked. "We need him here." "I haven't seen him since he stitched up Covette." Warble added, raising his hoof as if he was in a classroom. He was looking sickly pale, for some reason. I decided not to bother him about it right now. "I'll go look for him." Covette said, as she began to walk down the nearest hallway. It seemed like she knew where she was going. "I'll go t-" I started, but she snarled at me like a dog. "No!" She yelled, before regaining her composure after remembering that everyone was staring at her. "I'm going alone. Everyone else stay here..." She said before turning around and hobbling off down the dark hallway. *** I know exactly where that dipshit is. Well, kind of. I know for sure he wandered down this here hallway to seclude himself and cause more problems. I don't know why. It's not like I never said anything to him that he didn't already know, or wasn't true. Now we have to go find him. Great. After I was out of sight of the other group, I began to open all the doors that I came across. I knew that this corridor wasn't very long, and I would find him shortly with this method. One by one, I opened every door that I came across. My stomach was giving me tons of problems. With almost every move I made I felt like my stitches were going to break, and my stomach was going to pretty much tear open. But I kept on, hoping and praying that it didn't. Cashmere had more surgical tools to help patch me up if that's the case. When I eventually got to the tenth door, I opened it and expected to see an empty room. I saw a chartreuse blob inside, but by habit I almost closed the door again. "Cashmere? What are you doing? We're all waiting for you! Twilight and friends are back!" I told him. But he didn't move. He just stared at the coffee table in front of him. I couldn't help but notice that there was an old and rusty knife on the table. His eyes were only half opened as he hypnotically stared at the knife. He seemed to be in some sort of trance. I was starting to get a little creeped out. I hope he's not going to try and kill me like Warble did. I took a step closer to him. Maybe he's just in deep thought and can't see or hear me? The moment I took a step closer, his lips purled in sadistic and manic smile. One that seemed just a little to big for his face. His mane was still intact, but his eyes dilated at the sight of me. I took a step back, closer to the door, just incase I needed to make an escape. "Hi Covette!" He breathed loudly through his gritted teeth. Oh no...I was right. He's just like Warble. "I'm SO glad to SEE you..." "Uh..." I didn't really know what to say. "Thanks?" I don't do well under emotional pressure, okay!? Cashmere picked up the knife on the table, something that I hoped that he wouldn't do. Crap. He inspected it for a moment, poking the tip to make sure that it was pointy. "Can you just-" "Wow. Covette. You have lovely colored eyes..." He monotoned. This isn't going to go over well. The fact that he's holding a knife and complimenting my eyes raises a ton of red flags to me. I took another step closer to the door. "Okay?" I said, my eyes weren't anything special. Hell, Aphrodite has irresistible ones... He said monotonously, walking closer to me, the knife pointed in my direction. "You want my riches? My things!?" He screamed at me now. "You try to steal from me!?" "I-I..." "Well you can't have it! It's all mine! MINE!" He cackled madly at the sky as he got closer and closer to me. "No one can have it! It's MINE!" "Cashmere! Calm down!" I shouted back at him, weighing my options. Yep. I was screwed. He would definitely get to me before I could escape through the door. Stupid fricken shard of glass. I was starting to get nervous, I had no choice but to stand up to him. Well, it didn't take much to get Warble to calm down. Just a few minutes alone in the room. Unfortunately, there was no way I was going to be able to lock him in here. Unless I want to lock myself in here as well. I had no choice but to try to talk to him. Disgusting. "No! Why should I calm down!? You're a threat to my things!" He stopped walking towards me to speak. To make SURE that I heard him. "Heeheehee. I NEED to kill you! So that you can't get your grubby hooves on my things ever again!" He yelled. I tried to scream for the others, but as soon as I did, I gripped my stomach. Shit, didn't think that one through. I looked back at him. His eyes...what the Hell!? His pupils were no longer there. Just...dollar signs!? How does he do that!? He continued to howl with laughter at what he was imagining in his mind. "I-I was kidding!" I tried to lie. "I just said that to make you mad! I didn't try to steal from you!" I argued back at him. I saw him squint at me through his dollar signed pupils. It was actually very difficult to look at, because it's kind of disturbing. "Liar!" He shouted at me. He was still pretty far away from me, but he lifted the blade anyways. "You admitted it! You told me! You bucking HATE ME! THEY ALL BUCKING HATE ME!" He screamed at the top of his lungs. Well, that didn't work. In his fury, he tossed the knife at me. Luckily I figured out what he was going to do when I say him bring the knife behind his head, and ducked my head to my right. The knife soared past me, barely missing my face. The knife embedded itself in the door. I stood in awe at the knife in the door, and the fact that it almost just took my life. And the fact that he almost fricken killed me! While I was slightly distracted, Cashmere slammed into me, almost knocking me unconscious, really. The doctor's got some shoulder! I felt like I got hit by a linebacker. I flew back, my head hitting the door and barely missing the knife. Before I had time to rub my head, Cashmere wrapped a hoof around my knife as I lied on the ground, and squeezed. "C-Cashmere! Don't do this!" I wheezed. His hooves were practically killing me. His mania induced grin finally got wiped off his face, and turned into one of pure hatred as he pushed down HARD on my neck, causing me to choke. I brought both of my hooves to his, trying to peeling off his hoof so that I can at least get a few good breaths in. "Oh! I will! I don't care anymore! No one cares about me! I don't care about them! They can all BURN!" He shrieked. I was running out of breath, and time. "MINE!" He babbled. "MINE. MINE. IT'S ALL MINE!" I looked to my left, hoping that there was something that I could use to help me in some way. Nothing. I looked to my right, and grinned to myself. There was a picture frame on the short dresser next to me. I reached my foreleg up to try and reach it. My foreleg was only about a centimeter away from touching it. I tried to maneuver my body, screaming in excruciating pain as my stomach did not approve. I tapped the framed, repeatedly, causing it to fall to the floor next to me. The picture, I barely had time to look at. But I remember it clearly. It was two earth ponies. A green stallion, and a blue mare, standing behind a young filly, who was smiling unhappily. It angered me. It reminded me, of...me. I took the picture and smacked Cashmere with it on the side of the face. The glass from the picture frame scratched him, making a small and thin scar appear. He let go of me and hobbled back. "Cashmere! You're not a greedy bastard alright?!" I screamed at him. Maybe that will snap him out of it. "Hehee! Yes I am! And I'm embracing it!" He said as he felt the scar on the side of his face. "No you're not! That's what you were told! You're not greedy!" I yelled. The psychotic stallion looked on the ground, and picked up a large piece of glass, and held it in his hoof firmly. "Yes! YES! I am! And it's all MINE! MINE! MINE!" He repeated dementedly. "NO! You're not greedy! You helped patched me up when you had the opportunity to save yourself! You tried to save us when Applejack tried to lock us in that damn cave! You let us stay in your mansion when we had no where else to sleep." The memories seemed to be coming back to him, as he dropped the large piece of glass on the floor. He brought a foreleg to his head, and ran it through his mane angrily. "NO!" He screamed. His head was shaking for left to right, as if he was arguing with his inner self. It was working! "You're not greedy!" "YES...I...AM...not?" With every other word, he seemed to be turning back to his original self, and his voice was switching between manic and his normal one. Before I had time to react, he collapsed on the ground. *** We waited there for what seemed like forever. I was starting to this that Covette was lying to us so that she could have an excuse to leave the group. I was about to go after her, when she finally showed up, with Cashmere(With a strange scar on the right side of his face) behind her. His mane was very messy and untidy. "I found him."