//------------------------------//
// The third challenge 
// Story: Spike's sister 2 
// by Musicnotes 
//------------------------------//

It was time for the group to face the third challenge, they have been traveling down the cave system for awhile now. Pinkie pie was bouncing along happily by Valkyrie chatting her head off with her. The bronze dragon looked a little annoyed by the pink pony chattering way to no end but didn't say a thing as she spoke and asked questions when she felt like it was necessary.

"And then Twilight used this memory spell on all of us and we gained our colors back so we weren't grey anymore. Then we turned Discord back to stone using the elements of harmony." Pinkie said with a smile.

Valkyrie nods. "Very interesting and what happened to this Discord after?"

"Well Princess Celestia brought him one day in Ponyville and asked Fluttershy to reform him." She answers. 

The bronze dragon turned to look at the yellow pegasus. "You reformed him. That must have been some feat to do so."

"Well it was hard at times when he didn't have my house upside or turning the poor beavers into monsters but all he needed was a friend and a dash of kindness." Fluttershy said quietly.

Pinkie pie nods. "Yeah Fluttershy showed him what it means to be a friend. He is still so much fun at a party. "

Valkyrie nods. "I see." 

While those three continued to chat with each other. Twilight was studying their surroundings trying to understand the magic used to create this place and the challenges that it uses to prove their worth to bring somepony back.  There were parts on the wall where she could see claw marks. "Why are there claw marks here." 

"Maybe somepony or dragon did that so they wouldn't get lost as they were traveling here." Applejack stated.

"That could be it Applejack. I believe that Valkyrie mentioned that others had been through these challenges before. Maybe some had gotten lost." Twilight states as they walked soon arriving to an entrance to a new path.  

Rarity looks at the path and turns to Valkyrie. "Is this the next challenge?" 

She nods at the unicorn. "Yes now lets see who this challenge is for. "

One by one everypony and dragon tried to walk through the entrance to the next challenge. Twilight was able to get through easily and so was Spike. He looks at the white crystal around his neck. "Looks like I have another challenge I need to face. " 

"I wonder what this challenge is going to be. Our group already had to face love and gluttony." Twilight said as she adjusted her bags. 

"Good luck darlings. Come back soon." Rarity said when she realized this wasn't a challenge she needed to face. 

Rainbow dash kept hitting the entrance, wanting to break through the magical barrier. "Come on! I want to prove myself in one of these challenges. Spike already faced one. Its not fair!" 

"You'll get it next time Rainbow." Fluttershy said as she put a hoof on her friend's shoulder.

Rainbow sighed. "Yeah, you're right." 

Pinkie pie tried to get through the barrier but couldn't. She chuckled. "Oh well, I don't need to go there. I already did a challenge." She smiled and took Applejack's hat when she wasn't looking. "Don't worry Dashie, good old Aunty Pinkie is sure that all of us will get to do a challenge together. Maybe we will all face a giant monster or our greatest fear." 

Applejack chuckled and took her hat Pinkie. "Pinkie pie don't you remember we all faced our fears before back when we were looking for Sarah's heart and such." 

She giggled. "Oh yeah."

Valkyrie  allows a smile to appear on her face as she walked through the barrier. "Enough chatter, its time for the third challenge."

Twilight and Spike nodded and a serious look appeared on their faces knowing that they needed to complete the challenge to move on.  They followed Valkyrie as this part of the cave got darker. It was so dark that Spike's fire couldn't make the place lighter. As they continued Twilight couldn't get the help but think that she was getting farther away from Spike. It was hard to tell cause now she couldn't see a thing out in front of her face as if she was blind.  "Spike? Valkyrie? Are you guys still here? "

There was no response at first making her worry. She heard the sounds of wings flapping and knew that it could be Valkyrie since she was the only thing she knew that was close by her with wings. She continued walking when she was suddenly surrounded by light. She was standing in a small room full of several books. As she looked around she saw that Spike wasn't there.  "Spike? Where are you!" 

Valkyrie appeared behind her. "Spike is going through his challenge and this is yours.  You both will be dealing with your greed." 

"Greed? I can understand Spike and greed but my own?" Twilight said as she walked over to a book. It was one of the lost journals of the great Starswirl the Bearded.  She couldn't help but open it to read about her idol.  

"Greed is defined as intense and selfish desire for something, especially wealth, power, or food. Knowledge is another form of wealth in some eyes." The dragon said in a serious voice. 

Twilight was scanning the book losing focus in what Valkyrie was saying. She found this journal to be very interesting as she read about alicorn magic and what she could do with it.   She didn't even notice that Valkyrie had disappeared. 


Spike wondered where Twilight had gone when he was finally able to see what was around him. He saw a fedora type hat, several gems, a lamp,  some books, a doll house, apple trees, and several other things.  "Look at all these things. Twilight would love the books. " He places the fedora onto his head, looking around and found a mirror. He looks at it.

"I'm looking good." He said tilting the hat. He grabs a gem off the ground and starts to eat it. He didn't really seem to care that he had already had eaten a lot of gems earlier. 

"Well I guess I could just wait here until Twilight and Valkyrie finds me." Spike said as he laid on the pile of things.  

Several minutes went by in silence. Spike just ate a few gems every now and then.  Valkyrie had silently entered. She watched the young dragon for several minutes studying him. She goes and tries to take something from the pile but he stops her. "I see you are falling to a dragon's life long enemy. Greed. You overcome it once and you will need to do it again. I can not help you but I'm sure you will accomplish it." 

Spike was slowly starting to grow. He didn't want to let anypony have his things now. He watched her as she silently left. 


Twilight had books piled all around her with several open at the same time. She  was slowly gaining more knowledge and becoming more powerful with ever book she read.  The books she was reading was now glowing but she paid no mind as she was absorbed into it's contents. The power from the books seemed to be going more to her head as her eyes glowed a grey color.  She had started to imagine herself being the only ruler of Equestria.  In the corner of the room there was a ghostly figure. It looked like Sarah. She walked over to Twilight and placed a transparent claw by her head. Her voice sounded horse. "Twilight...your being corrupted by greed. These books they are suppose to make the reader want to know how to get power. From what I know about you, your power doesn't come from your magic or even books. It comes from your friends, remember that." She disappears and Twilight seemed to have snapped out of it.

"Sarah?" She said sounding confused for a second. She stands up and looks around. "I thought you were here..."   She shuts the books. "I don't need these."  As soon as she said that the books started to disappear. 


Spike had grown to the size of a full dragon and he covered himself with his treasure, he seemed to have forgotten the true reason he was here. His crystal glowed lightly but he didn't notice. As he closed his eyes to take a nap, he saw images of his friends. He saw the time when him and Pinkie Pie on several occasions, when he first met Fluttershy and told her his life story, when he always helped Twilight in the library, when he helped Rainbow dash when she was training the pegasi to deliver water to Cloudsdale, the time when Applejack saved his life and most importantly he saw when Rarity got him to change back the first time he was consumed by greed. His eyes snapped open and roared. He swung his tail at the items that surrounded him, as he got out of his pile he could have sworn he saw the figure of another dragon around his original size but he paid no mind to it.  He started to separate his pile into several piles one to represent each of his friends. Once he had done that he changed back to his normal size and the treasure disappeared. 

"Good to be back to normal. Can't believe that happened." He muttered and turned as he heard the sound of the nearest wall by him dropping to reveal Twilight. He ran and gave her a hug. 

Valkyrie dropped back into the room. "You both passed this test. Now it is time to move on."