//------------------------------//
// Chapter 24 
// Story: Giving Chaos 
// by Dirty Bit 
//------------------------------//


Chapter 24


Rainbow of Envy


Rainbow Dash was at a loss when she noticed her lover - now an emormous and unholy monster - let off another roar before raising a massive claw towards the ponies. Flashbacks from their time at the Grand Galloping Gala raced in the cyan pegasus' head as Envy's claw hovered over herself and her friends.

"Scatter!" Was the only word coming out of Greed's mouth that managed to snap her out of her impromptu nostalgia before her survival instincts kicked in.

The group instantly scattered as the battle against Envy's true form began. Shining Armor and Greed chose to move towards the right, but Envy swung its massive tail, easily catching the two stallions as they were knocked over the stream and next to the train. Twilight fell back to assist them while the others went on the offensive.

Rainbow Dash and Wrath took to the skies and scanned for openings above Envy, to which the latter greatly exploited each time he swooped down to slash at the monster.

Lust and Gluttony quickly dashed  forward and attacked Envy from underneath; Lust would pierce at Envy's chest, often stabbing at some of the frightening faces, while Gluttony continuously bit at Envy's legs.

Applejack, Rarity, and Sloth stayed close together and attacked Envy on its left, with the latter swinging his chains at its side with might while Applejack tried making dents by bucking Envy's legs. Rarity maintained a safe distance as she fired magic beams at the monster with accurate precision.

From all angles, Envy growled before thrashing about, throwing everypony that attacked on the ground off-kilter as they avoided each limb that swung at them.

"This is the best you all can do?" Envy bellowed in a deep and warped voice "You're all pathetic!" Before Envy could continue berating its attackers, three magic beams were focused on its face, causing searing pain that gave the monster pause. Twilight, Shining Armor, and Greed marched together in front of Envy with narrowed eyes as it shook off the damage.

Pinkie made several whooping noises as she rode on her party cannon across the ground at Envy's right side. She looked up at the many faces of agony, and her spirit wavered upon seeing them wriggle and writhe as they moaned in anguish.

"Wow...Envy must really have it the worst..." Pinkie said to herself morosely as she rode on "This is gonna be the toughest cookie since the time I messed up on baking sugar cookies." She skidded to a halt and aimed her cannon at one of Envy's hindlegs "But if we're gonna get our Envy back, we'll have to fight it out!" She said before activating her cannon and launching what appeared to be a large fruitcake that had managed to connect with Envy's last hindleg and caused damage, eliciting a snarl from the beast as red static danced on its wound.

"Well, there goes Hearth's Warming, I guess." Pinkie said wryly before she noticed she was being leered at. She yelped before hopping onto her cannon and pushing it away as she rode on it.

"I don't know what you did," The monster growled fiercely "But I can already tell you're pretty annoying. I think you'll die first!" Envy swung its massive tail towards Pinkie, who screamed as she jumped off of her cannon to avoid the attack. Meanwhile, the cannon was sent flying towards a distant cliff, shattering it like glass. As Pinkie saw her favorite contraption destroyed, she gasped before glaring up at Envy.

"Oh, you're throwing an apology party for that one!" She stated angrily while pointing a hoof up at the green monstrosity. Her bravado diminished when she noticed Envy went to stomp on Pinkie, prompting the party pony to gallop away from the descending claw.

Lust and Gluttony continued their attacks beneath Envy after their brief pause, though the former felt as if they were making no impact from their actions. It was then that Lust had ceased her offensive tactics when she had an idea. She quickly turned to Gluttony.

"Gluttony! Are you still capable of activating your false gate?" She called to the voracious pony, grabbing his attention as he focused on Lust, his head cocked to the side.

"I think so. Why, Lust? Do you want me to eat somepony?" He asked innocently, oblivious to the danger they were currently in. Lust drew closer to Gluttony after jabbing at Envy's chest with her horn.

"This is going to sound barbaric, if not cold, but I need you to use your gate and eat with all your might." She said quietly to where Gluttony could hear her "Aim for the limbs and tail, and make sure you don't swallow Envy whole." Lust instructed as she gave another jab with her horn at Envy's chest. Gluttony hesitated before nodding with a frown on his face.

"Okay...I'll-...I'll eat Envy, but I'm not sure if it'll be good..." Gluttony said reluctantly before he mustered his energy and transformed his body, changing into his monstrous form with his maw wide open.

"Not yet." Lust said as she drew closer to Gluttony "I'll yell to you for the signal. Until then, just try not to get hurt." She smiled when her little sibling nodded despite his new form "Good." She then proceeded to gallop from out of Envy's underside while Gluttony remained behind.

Outside, Envy was trying to swat away its attackers. Sloth and Applejack were knocked back once by Envy's tail, but managed to recover from their hit while Rarity tried to balance evasion with her attacks.

From above, Wrath managed to maintain his attack pattern while Rainbow Dash remained behind, choosing to aid in spotting more openings rather than attack Envy up close. Wrath, easily picking up on the cyan pegasus' sadness, chose to keep silent and focus on the enemy, sparing Rainbow Dash her feelings.

Twilight, Shining Armor, and Greed continued firing their magic in front of Envy while Pinkie Pie ran around, figuring out how to help her friends without the aid of her party cannon. She perked up when she noticed Lust galloping out and alongside her, making her smile brightly.

"Hey, Lust! This is pretty tough, huh?" Pinkie asked as she galloped. Lust looked over at the hyperactive mare with a serious gaze.

"Pinkie, I would like for you to warn our friends to distance themselves from Envy and stand clear. I've come up with a plan." She said firmly, to which Pinkie nodded.

"Okie Dokie Loki!" She chirped before parting ways with Lust, intent on relaying her message to the others.

"Hey, everypony! You might wanna step back a bit more!" Pinkie called to Twilight, Shining Armor, and Greed. They stopped in confusion directed towards the pink pony before complying to her request, backing further away from Envy. From her own side, Lust managed to convince Applejack, Rarity and Sloth, although the latter took his time to move. Wrath picked up on the movement from below and beckoned Rainbow Dash to ascend with him.

"Huh? What's going on with you all? Are you getting tired?" Envy taunted as it noticed everypony backing away.

"Gluttony, now!" Lust called out, causing Envy to snap its neck towards Lust.

"What the hell are you-GAAAAAH!" Envy was shocked when a large chunk of its upper right body vanished in a vaccuum of wind. The torn gap began to regenerate at an incredible rate before the left side of the green monstrosity's lower torso was ravaged by yet another fierce gale as everypony but Lust stared in shock.

Envy writhed and roared in pain as its body continued to regenerate in the same pace it was being destroyed before it chose to recede back into its pony form, panting as its body was covered in red static. From behind, Gluttony loomed over Envy while his mouth was wide open. The jealous pony looked back and widened his eyes.

"Gluttony! No wonder..." Envy grunted before attempting to gallop away, only to get pinned down by Rainbow Dash and Wrath from above.  Struggling and growling under their weight, the jealous pony glared at the group as Twilight carefully approached it with Greed and Shining Armor behind her. She dropped her Ultimate Shield spell and took a deep breath.

"Don't worry, Envy. I know it feels horrible now, but it'll all be over soon. Just give me a minute." Twilight said as she neared her horn towards Envy's forehead. Rainbow Dash watched intently while she kept Envy pinned, hoping for it all to be over.

After Twilight had cast her memory spell, the group had given Envy some room as everypony paused. The jealous pony slowly rose up and looked around at the ponies surrounding it. Rainbow Dash especially approached Envy face-to-face with a longing glance.

"Envy?" She asked hopefully as she stroked Envy's cheek.

Envy stared back at Rainbow Dash and smiled as it took her hoof, softly caressing her fur. The group circling them smiled in relief and almost felt like cheering for the two reuniting.

Up until Rainbow Dash was met with a hoof to the face that knocked her away.

Everypony stared with widened eyes at the spectacle while Envy smiled evilly before ramming Twilight out of the way and galloping towards the train. Greed and Shining Armor instantly went to Twilight's side and helped her up.

"What!?" Applejack blurted out in shock "How in th' hay was that possible? Twi's memory spell shoulda brought Envy t' his senses!"

"I'm just as confused as you are." Twilight said as she dusted herself off "Discord must have caught on to our process of helping the homunculi and reinforced some powerful ward within Envy to block out my magic!"

"We must hurry back to the train, or else Fluttershy, Spike, and Blueblood are sure to suffer!" Rarity said in panic.

"Yeah, let's go!" Greed said as he begain to gallop for the train, thankful he hadn't dropped his Ultimate Shield form. The others had followed suit, save for Rainbow Dash, who was found slumped against the ground, as if she were out of energy. Pinkie and Applejack skidded to a halt upon seeing this and retreated back towards the cyan pegasus.

"Rainbow Dash, what're ya doin'? Ya gotta get up and finish this! Ya came too far t' give up now!" Applejack said, urging her friend to rise.

"Come on, Rainbow Dash! This was a minor setback, but that's no reason to stay on the ground! You have a friend to save!" Pinkie shook her head before looking determined "No...More than a friend. Envy's your lover, and you gotta go after her!" Rainbow Dash slowly got up after Pinkie's words, her eyes hidden under her mane. She gritted her teeth, much to the anxiety of Pinkie and Applejack, thinking their friend was lost in despair.

"I hate Discord so much right now..." Rainbow Dash growled before raising her head, showing her narrowed eyes "It's gonna take more than some magic ward to keep me away from Envy!"

Pinkie and Applejack smiled in relief that their friend had not given up hope, and they rushed with the group together.
_____

Fluttershy, Blueblood, and Spike huddled together in fear from the many tremors they had felt when they had gathered back in the train. Each of them were troubled with their current predicament involving Envy, and they took turns viewing its revolting beast form, further heightening their fear. When the tremors had ceased, a part of them wondered if the worst was over.

"Do any of you think they've triumphed?" Blueblood broke the silence with his question.

"I-...I think so." Spike said, his confidence returning as he donned a small smile "We always come through in the end, don't we?"

"Maybe you're right." Fluttershy finally said as she rose from her seat "Perhaps they're headed this way, with our next destination in mind." She looked outside the door to see Envy galloping towards them with the group trailing after it, believing that they had finally won. Fluttershy gasped before smiling brightly "They have!" She noticed the jealous pony get closer and held out her arms, eager to hug her friend, only to be shoved inside and pushed against Blueblood and Spike.

"Alright, peons. Apparently those losers got soft and let me go, so I think it's time to have some more fun." Envy said before grinning at them "This time, you're gonna be involved, whether you like it or not..." The changeling looked at the three before stopping at Fluttershy "You'll do. Come here!" She grabbed Fluttershy and made for the next cart.

"Fluttershy!" Spike called out. He went to follow until Envy shot a glare back at the purple dragon.

"You follow us and she dies first..." Envy uttered darkly before going into the next cart and shutting the door. Spike and Blueblood shared looks of dread before Greed, Twilight, and Rainbow Dash were seen at the cart's exit door.

"Spike! Where's Envy?" Twilight asked "We saw him enter through this door!"

"Envy went through the next cart over with Fluttershy! He threatened to kill Fluttershy if we followed after them." Spike said feebly, feeling defeated that he couldn't defend his friend.

"Of course. Probably to screw around with us even more." Greed growled "Not to mention Fluttershy doesn't have any distinguishable features other than her stare, so we'll have to be on high alert."

"Envy..." Rainbow Dash then shook her head and stared at the next door "No. We gotta end this. It's now or never!" She galloped towards the door until she noticed it open by itself. Showing herself in was what appeared to be Fluttershy with mournful eyes.

"Everypony. You might not believe me, but Envy's in trouble." She explained, only to yelp when Greed got close with a threatening gaze.

"And just how the hell do we know this isn't a ruse? You better choose your words carefully!" He snapped.

"Greed, stop it." Rainbow Dash said, much to Greed's surprise "The last thing I want is to make a mistake at the cost of my best friend's life." She got closer and stared down Fluttershy "But that doesn't mean we can't be cautious about this. You're gonna stay at our side."

"Um...O-Okay, but you might be needed the most, Rainbow Dash." Fluttershy replied before turning around and trotting into the next cart, which appeared to be dark. The rest of the group made their way inside of the cart as well, following Greed, Twilight, and Rainbow Dash.

Twilight turned the lights on in the next cart and noticed another Fluttershy curled up in the middle with her forehooves covering her eyes as she whimpered. Upon seeing the other Fluttershy, she felt heartbroken before realizing that Envy could have possibly scared her beyond belief. She carefully approached the catatonic Fluttershy while Greed, Rainbow Dash, and Shining Armor surrounded the standing double warily.

As Twilight neared the mewling Fluttershy, her whimpering turning to frustrated grunts, then agitated growls as she writhed on the floor before turning into Pinkie Pie in a green aura, causing everyone, save for Fluttershy, to gasp.

"I told you..." Fluttershy said morosely "Envy's in trouble, and I'm not sure why." She watched with saddened eyes as Envy then changed into Applejack, then Twilight, then Rainbow Dash. She raplidly shifted into the other ponies, homunculi, and Spike as it continued to suffer mentally.

"Envy? Envy, what's wrong!?" Rainbow Dash said as she galloped to Envy's side the moment it shifted back into its own form.

Envy couldn't bear the pain that had suddenly emerged within its mind. There was the moments spent in Amestris; the sudden reveal of Discord and the deal the two had made together; the damage the jealous pony had endured.

Then came the very cause of the changeling's pain: Memories. Memories that felt foreign, yet at the same time familiar. Disregarding them was easy, but it was from gazing into those magenta eyes and feeling that hoof that somehow made the pain skyrocket the moment Envy reached the next cart with Fluttershy.

It was hard to make it go away; the same gaze laced with penitence and hope. What did that rainbow-maned pegasus mean to her? What made Envy feel so bitter, yet so yearning upon seeing that pony? Fighting off the foreign memories made it worse the more Envy thought about her.

The jealous pony continued to suffer until opening its eyes to see that same pegasus look at it in concern.

"You!!" Envy snarled before jumping up and forcing Rainbow Dash into a wall, much to the surprise of the others "What did you do to me!? Why is this happening!? Answer me!!" Envy shouted at the cyan pegasus' face, hyperventilating with fierce indignation.

Rainbow Dash could possibly recover from being pushed against the wall, but she let it slide, because she knew what she had to do. She saw the curiosity and sadness behind Envy's eyes as she took a deep breath.

"I ignored you..." Rainbow Dash said in a defeated tone "I neglected you and ended up hurting your feelings, and somehow that's probably what led to Discord's release and this whole stupid game." She frowned at Envy "I was so caught up with the Wonderbolts that I barely showed you any interest, and I paid for it. We spent so much time together that I blew it for that one moment. I-...I'm sorry, Envy. The Wonderbolts are cool and all, but they'll never be as good as you." She smiled "I-...I love you."

Envy stared at Rainbow Dash, and those same magenta eyes had somehow eased the jealous pony's mental pain and let the foreign memories merge with the old ones. It wasn't long until everything came together, and Envy's eyes welled up with tears.

"Rainbow Dash..." Envy whispered.

"Yeah." Rainbow Dash said with a dry chuckle as her own eyes welled up "That's my name, alright..." They both stared before they trapped each other in a loving embrace, both sobbing into each other's shoulders.

"Envy, I'm so sorry! I'll make it better for the both of us! I promise!" Rainbow Dash choked as she held Envy tightly, the jealous pony unable to reply.

"Wow...And here I thought Rainbow Dash hated sappy moments." Spike quipped quietly, only to be met with a nudge from Twilight.

"Let them have their moment, Spike. They've been through too much as it is." Twilight whispered to Spike.

"Yeah...I'm glad they're back together." Spike said with a smile. The rest of the group showed their own signs of relief as Rainbow Dash and Envy let out the rest of their cries, wiping their tears and taking deep breaths.

"I'm glad you all came..." Envy said, regaining its composure "It sucked being under Discord's spell..."

"Perhaps there was a delayed reaction from Twilight's memory spell." Greed said with a smirk as he canceled out his Ultimate Shield form.

"Or maybe Rainbow Dash was the key for the spell to take effect against Discord's magic." Twilight chimed in "Whatever the case, we got a friend back." She said with a warm smile.

"Which just leaves the princesses and my wife." Shining Armor said in a serious tone before perking up "Wait a minute...What about the final element?" He asked, with the others catching on to his question.

"He's right." Applejack said as she scratched her head "Shouldn't Discord have given us th' last element t' go with Envy? What do we do about that?"

"Maybe Discord's gonna have us go on another scavenger hunt across Ghastly Gorge?" Pinkie offered.

"That would be something that ruffian would definitely plan for us." Rarity said bitterly.

"Only that it's highly improbable." Twilight interjected with a pensive glance "Whether or not he would plan for us to search for the elements, it would mean that we already have the key to defeating him the moment we find Discord. If anything, he possibly learned from our last encounter and prepared something more tedious for us." An echoing clap was heard, earning the attention of everypony on board.

"Bravo, Twilight! Bravo! Always the studious mare; Celestia's little teacher's pet. You never cease to amuse me with your calculations."

"Okay, Discord. We already have all of the homunculi with us. All that remains is the last element." Twilight said as she looked around with narrowed eyes "Now where is it?"

"In due time, but wouldn't you love to hear about dear little Envy's past? It's the most exciting out of all of the homunculi here..."

Envy's heart sank from Discord's words, looking over at Rainbow Dash with widened eyes. If word got out about the changeling's dark past, there could be dire consequences in the near future.

"Remember what I said about Envy back at the Gala? Well, Envy's the most exciting of the bunch because the little spawn actually started a large-scale war by killing an innocent child while disguised as a soldier! Another fun fact was that Wrath was also involved in it."

Everyone but the homunculi were surprised by this news while Envy shrunk into the floor.

"What's funny was that the soldier Envy posed as was already on bad terms with their military, and was court martialed for his supposed crimes! And that's not to say Envy didn't cause anymore trouble past that enormous event. There was the time your little friend murdered someone else's and relished the moment. And to think, you're willing to give Envy a second chance and not little old me? Guess your 'Magic of Friendship' is more complicated than I thought!"

Discord's laughter rang in the cart as Envy covered its head, feeling as if it were about to be struck. Wrath looked up with a hardened gaze before lowering his head with his eyes closed.

While Envy awaited a bombardment of abuse both physical and verbal, it didn't expect a gentle hoof on its head. The jealous pony looked up at a serious Rainbow Dash, feeling as if she were the one to start it all. Envy was hepled up by the cyan pegasus and looked around at the varying looks of surprise from the rest of the group other than the homunculi.

"Envy...Is this true?" Twilight asked.

"Indeed." Wrath answered before Envy could, directing the group's attention onto him "It was merely another step in Father's grand plan. He wanted us to start a war and coat an entire country in blood. There were other bloody wars before the one Envy and myself were involved in." He closed his eyes again "I cannot say it was an enjoyable experience in hindsight, but we were different then."

"It doesn't matter."

All eyes were on Rainbow Dash, who looked angered by what was shared by Discord.

"I'm not gonna lie, all those things make Discord look like a sane pony, but he's just doing this to psych us all out! Just because Envy did something unforgivable in the past doesn't mean the same Envy we know hasn't done anything now!" She waved a hoof towards the other former homunculi "We already knew the rest of the homunculi have skeletons in their closet, but we saw past them, didn't we?" Rainbow Dash didn't acknowledge the knowing smile Pinkie wore on her face.

"The moment Discord started this thing, he kidnapped our friends and used them AND their pasts as obstacles! Well, I'm not letting that happen with Envy!" She draped a wing over her partner's back and smiled at her "All that matters is that we're back together now, and I'm not letting that slip from me again." The cyan pegasus concluded.

"The past is a pain..." Sloth rumbled.

"Well said, Slothy." Pinkie said with a friendly jab at Sloth's shoulder. Greed smirked at Rainbow Dash's display of affection.

"Guess this didn't turn out as bad as I thought it would." Greed quipped.

"I know, but damn, that was heavy!" Spike said, earning a gasp from Twilight. The purple dragon instantly covered his mouth while the lavender unicorn slowly turned to glare at Greed.

"...What?" The avaricious pony asked innocently.

"Well, if the matter's sorted out for the time being, shouldn't we focus on the matter at hoof?" Rarity asked.

"Agreed. Either we await another clue or we'll have to go back out into the gorge and search around the area." Wrath said.

Twilight was about to agree with Wrath until a scroll appeared in front of her. She unraveled it and read the message aloud for everypony.

"With the game nearing it's saddening end,
Here's a classic hint for you, my friend:
Twists and turns are my master plan.
Then find the element back where you began."

"Back where we began?" Greed asked "Does he want us to go back to Ponyville?"

"No." Twilight said as she rolled up the scroll and made it disappear "He wants us back at Canterlot, where it all started."

"Are you sure about that, Twi?" Applejack asked "No offense, but ya weren't exactly right th' first time Discord brought up that riddle."

"Considering that this train we're in has taken us to each correct destination, I wouldn't be surprised if Twilight was correct." Wrath said "If we're actually to go back to Ponyville, that would be a different story."

"We're gonna be in for a hell of a fight wherever we go." Envy said as it narrowed its eyes "I got a score to settle with that asshole Discord..."

"We all do." Rainbow Dash chimed in, her and Envy sharing a smile as they stood together.

"Um...While it's good that we're prepared for the worst, shouldn't the train be moving right now?" Fluttershy asked. On cue, the train lifted itself up, startling Fluttershy as it began to fly into the sky, prompting the group to find their own seats and endure their last wild ride before the decisive battle waiting for them in Canterlot.


End of Chapter 24