“Are we there yet?”
“This is taking forever!”
“How much further?”
Good gravy, is she gonna harp on all day? I groaned and rolled my eyes. Ever since leaving the ruined train behind and setting off northwest along the tracks, Rainbow had been complaining about having to walk alongside me. After checking to make sure all the other passengers were all right, we had started off at a gallop, but the blow to my head from the train slamming to a stop put me in too much pain to tolerate anything faster than a brisk trot.
Why’d the train stop so quick, anyway? The most I could make of it was that the train driver had been attacked. But what does it gain anypony to jam the train on the line? Certainly not the one responsible; they would be just as stuck as the rest of us. But then, what if they didn’t care about getting stuck, so long as some other ponies did too… Something was off about this whole thing, for darn sure.
I shook my head. All that thinking only made my headache worse. Instead, I tried to keep my thoughts on our destination. I could see it in the distance, the faintest outline of tall buildings stretching up to meet the clouds. Van Hoover really was within a few hours walk, just as the driver said.
I looked over to Rainbow Dash. Apart from making annoying complaints every few minutes, she spent most of her time just staring down at the Medallion, a determined look on her face. Its blinking speed had definitely picked up overnight, and the gem itself still shone bright in the lull between flashes. Our target had to be in Van Hoover.
“Look, Rainbow,” I said, “the driver told us it was only a couple hours. I don’t see what your big problem is with that. We ain’t lost too much time at all, really.”
Rainbow let out an exasperated gasp. “Easy for you to say, A.J.. You’re not the one who can normally move about ten times faster. Really wish you had wings right about now.”
“Well, I’m sorry, but I don’t!” I said. “You’re just gonna have to deal with this pace, sugarcube. I can’t move any faster without my head feelin’ like it’s gonna explode. Besides, it’s only three hours.”
“Might as well be three days,” Rainbow grumbled, eyes returning to the Medallion.
And listenin’ to your non-stop complainin’ is only gonna make it longer...
Darn, I’m gettin’ hungry.
About an hour’s walk from the city—the buildings were a lot larger by then—my belly started yelling at me. It was then I realised I had only eaten a single apple all day.
I could hear both our stomachs rumbling, so I sat down, pulled out another apple from my saddlebag, and eagerly munched on it. It was not long before I heard Rainbow Dash let out a depressing groan.
I raised an eyebrow at her. “What's the problem now?”
She looked at me with a sheepish expression. “I just remembered I didn't pack any food.”
“What?” I almost choked on my apple. “How the hay didja think you wouldn't need any food of all things?”
“Uh, I was trying to pack light, so I wouldn't have to carry too much in flight.” She shrugged. “That, and I kiiinda maybe assumed you'd pack enough for both of us. Y’know, you being the strong Earth pony and all.”
Oh, you've gotta be kidding me.
“Consarn it all, Rainbow! You can't just go makin' assumptions like that!” I yelled. I put my face into my hooves. “Now we're gonna run out double time. Why d'you gotta be such an airhead sometimes?”
“Well, how was I supposed to know we'd get stuck walking in the middle of no-questria?” She threw her hooves in the air and spun around. "I figured with this awesome homing beacon—” she tapped the Medallion “—we'd only be gone two days tops!”
“Rainbow…” I punched the ground next to me. “This sorta thing is why you're supposed to plan for more than just the ideal situation, ya big goof!" I sighed and pulled another apple from my bag. “Here! Take this. We'll have to pick up more food once we hit town.”
I tossed the apple her way; she caught it with her mouth, a muffled “Thag yu A-ay,” her response. She downed the apple in two bites and dropped down next to me. I was about to give her another lecture when I found myself wrapped up.
“I’m sorry, A.J.” she said during the hug. “I guess I should have brought at least a little something to snack on.”
I just couldn’t find it in me to stay mad at her. “I’m sorry, too,” I said as I returned the embrace. “I shouldn’ta gone off at you like that.” Still in the hug, I gave her a light tap over the back of the head. “But you’ve gotta start thinkin’ of the important things, especially now, y’hear!”
There in that moment between us, I realised how glad I was for us to be journeying together, and not with anypony else. Now don't get me wrong: I loved all my friends, but for some reason I had a gut feeling that, around Rainbow Dash, everything would turn out all right. She had always been my best friend, ever since arriving from Cloudsdale.
Well, maybe it works the other way around, too. That mare's hopeless without me.
Rainbow broke the hug and cleared her throat before holding the Medallion in her hooves again. “Uhm, so… we just… keep following the tracks, right?”
While she started off again ahead of me, I scratched the back of my head. If I had a mirror, I reckoned my face would have been redder than Apple Bloom's mane. I fought to keep a straight face as I trotted up next to Rainbow.
I just want to get there. I bet all of our other friends are already ahead of us...
“By the way, Rainbow—” she turned back at me as I sidled up against her “—what did you pack for this trip?”
“Uh, well…” She grinned. “Mostly just some Daring Do books… but I did bring some flashlights, and, uh… hold on a second… er, nope, that’s it. Just Daring Do and some flashlights. Oops?”
It took most of my willpower to not clip her behind the ears once again.
An hour later, you could not imagine my unrelenting happiness as Rainbow and I strolled into the outskirts of Vanhoover. During our walk, greenery and various shrubs had grown more plentiful. The city itself seemed alive, to the point where plants were all over the place. Pretty little wildflowers also littered the ground. I sniped a glance at Rainbow Dash; even though I knew she wasn't really one for ‘pretty’ things, I could tell that she was impressed by the gorgeousness of the scenery.
I heard Rainbow chuckling. When she looked at me, I saw a mixture of relief and excitement etched on her face. She fixed her rosy eyes on mine.
“You ready?” She spat on a hoof and held it out.
Matching her grin, I did the same and bumped hers with my own. “Heh. You bet your sweet apple flank I am!”
I’ve never been more ready in all my life.
***
“But… but she was just here!” I exclaimed, slumping down to the ground. “Where did she go?”
Pinkie Pie paid no mind, simply looked around while the Medallion continued to insist we were in the right place. As I watched her zip from under the feline-infested dumpster to the other end of the alley, an idea popped in my head. Pinkie Pie was always good at disappearing; she was technically one of the fastest mares I knew besides Rainbow Dash. Maybe she could figure something out. For a second, I had a small glimmer of hope as I turned to look at her.
“Come on, Pinkie. Let's search the alley. There's no way she just disappeared.”
Pinkie nodded and joined my search through the alley. The only things inside it were the dumpster and two trash cans, but something told me the elusive, gorgeous mare would not choose one of them to hide in.
Think, Twilight! We must be missing something.
We scoured high and low, looking for anything that might have given the mare an escape route. I knew, right as I saw her, that she would lead us to whoever we needed to find. That is, if it even was her in the first place.
No. That mare has to be a Sin. And, judging by the fact that she can get a mare like me even a little warm under the scruff, I think I know which one she is... Wait, did I really just think that?
I derailed that train of thought immediately and focused instead on Pinkie, although that yielded just as few results. She ran around like she had consumed a whole bag of sugar, tapping bricks in the wall at random. Eventually she stopped, panting heavily as she just looked at me with a shrug, the Medallion still going off.
“Aaargh! How can she just disappear?” I screamed as I hit the wall with my forehooves. When I first saw her, she was almost impossible to miss! Bright pink, just like Pinkie, and that… well, exquisite mane. “Gaaah! If she was still hiding here, then I guess we would have found her by now.”
I sighed, taking note of the shadows in our alley; they stretched out far longer than when we'd entered. Although it was impossible to see from between the two buildings, it did not take Princess Celestia to know the sun's location.
“Let's come back later, Pinkie,” I said. “We need to get some sleep. It's pointless to keep looking now.”
“Okey dokey lokey, Twilight! Where are we sleeping? Oh! I saw this really nice hotel on the street over! Or maybe—oh! There's a nice box we can share right there!" She pointed to a small slab of folded cardboard next to the dumpster.
“No, Pinkie,” I deadpanned. “We are not sleeping in a cardboard box.”
“Why not?” She tilted her head. “I've seen Rainbow Dash do it before. And I heard snakes like cardboard boxes too!”
I slapped my forehead. “I don't care, Pinkie. I'm not Rainbow Dash, neither am I a snake. Let's just... check out that hotel instead.”
I opened my saddlebag and floated out my bit bag. Hmmm... only forty bits. That won't last much longer in this city at our current expenditure rate. I looked over at Pinkie. “How much money do you have?”
“Well—” Pinkie rummaged around in her bag with her tongue slightly out, then pulled out the smallest sack I had ever seen “—about this much!”
Please forgive me one day, forehead. “Pinkie, are you—”
I never finished that sentence; when Pinkie turned the bag over, what seemed like a thousand bits pooled onto the dirty alleyway ground, ringing with rapid jingling sounds.
“Pinkie... where did you get so much money?” I asked, my jaw almost touching the ground like the small fortune at her hooves.
Pinkie just giggled. “That's a baker's secret, Twilight!” With that, she quickly swept up the coins and deftly dumped them back into her impossibly small pouch.
“‘Baker's secret,’ huh?” I raised an eyebrow.
“Yepperooni!” she said, her trademark grin stretching ear to ear. “Oh, and the parties too, I guess. I mean, not that I charge anypony for parties—that would be silly. I just love to see everypony happy and smiling, and ponies don't often feel like smiling after spending their bits, but sometimes they really really want me to take their bits so if I didn't take them it would make them upset, because they insist my parties are the absolute bestest best parties in the history of ever—”
“Ooookay, then!” I exclaimed. “Heh heh, that's great, Pinkie, really, but we should really get going before we can't see our hooves in front of our noses.”
As we both cantered out of the alley, I shot a final look over my shoulder and frowned. The lingering, unwelcome thoughts persisted. I shook my head. Focus, Twilight. It's only because you're not used to failure that you're upset. That, and we need her to help stop the invasion. That's it. No other reason.
Absolutely none.
The Hay and Stay Inn, huh? Don’t we have one of those in Ponyville?
Pinkie and I split the cost, which came to a total of sixty bits. Our room was on the second floor—which was fine by me, although Pinkie made a fuss about it not being closer to the pool—and easy to reach. Honestly, my hooves were killing me after being on them all day.
The room itself was… rather average. There were two beds, a television, and a dresser. A very worn coat of white covered the walls, peeling a little in the corners. The far side of the room featured a very large rectangular window, dark green curtains drawn across it. I frowned as I looked at the carpet, a rather drab beige; upon closer inspection, I doubted more and more that was its original color.
“Wow!” Pinkie shouted as she belly-flopped onto the bed nearest the window. The curtain-matching sheets creased and rustled under her weight, shifting as she bounced up and down, cackling like a filly. If she were any other pony I might have rolled my eyes at the immaturity, but Pinkie’s actions just seemed so natural.
“Calm down, Pinkie. It’s not that nice,” I told her as I placed my saddlebags on the bed next to hers. “We're only staying here for one night. We’ve got to find that pony tomorrow—we’ve already wasted a whole day here!”
I'm not sure Pinkie heard me, or if she blatantly ignored me. Nevertheless, when I looked back at her after putting my stuff down, she was wearing water wings, a duck-shaped flotation device, and a snorkel.
“Twilight, come swimming with me and Mister Ducky!” she cheered.
Of all things to pack for a trip, she brought those?
I shook my head a little harder than I meant to. “No, I'm good. I’m just going to sit back here and catch up on my reading for a while,” I said as I pulled out the travel guide and flicked to the Las Pegasus section.
“Awww.” Pinkie Pie frowned. “Suit yourself, but me and Mister Ducky are going to be splashing around for a while, okay? Come join us later!” She squeezed the duck around her waist, generating a loud quack. I couldn't help but giggle as a pink and yellow blur bolted out the door and disappeared.
I’m glad she’s having fun in this place, but we still have to remain vigilant. We can’t afford to forget just why we’re here. I flicked through the book absently for a few moments before letting out an exasperated gasp and closing it.
Urgh… Why does that mare bother me so much?
I looked at my quivering hoof and sighed again, lowering it.
This must be tended to accordingly.
***
“Your name is Cashmere?” Rarity repeated.
The fancy looking stallion nodded. “Yes, that is my name… and this is my beloved mansion!” He raised a hoof, showing off his enormous home; I had to admit, it was rather impressive.
“Wow.” Rarity’s eyes shone as she observed as well. I had to agree: with all of those partygoers crowding the interior earlier all gone, the mansion seemed so much larger and more lavish the more I looked around.
That reminds me: I wonder where that toad went.
“You approve? It’s my pride and joy! I've bought everything you see here with my own bits. It's all mi-i-ine!” Cashmere sang, his eyes shining like diamonds.
I looked down at the Medallion still around Rarity’s neck. Only a few minutes earlier it had been flashing faster than Photo Finish’s photography crew, and yet now, it had completely stopped. Even the sapphire in the centre looked dull and lacklustre.
Could that mean...
“Rarity,” I whispered, pointing out the Medallion to her while Cashmere spun in circles. “I think we’ve found him.”
Her eyes widened as she put the pieces together in her mind. “Darling, I think you might be right.”
“Right about what, my dears?”
We both jumped as Cashmere asked the question rather formally, raising an eyebrow; the resemblance to Fancy Pants was uncanny, minus the monocle.
Rarity looked at me—shared a nod—then back to him with a sigh. “Look, I'll make this short and sweet.”
The Medallion glowed blue and floated up into midair. “This Medallion here holds the key to unlocking unimagineable power. But to activate it, we need seven special ponies together in the same place. An Equestria-wide Changeling invasion has been predicted to occur in the matter of a week—perhaps sooner—so we need to find these special ponies before time runs out.”
The Medallion’s glow faded as it returned to her chest. “You're one of the ponies that we need," she said, pointing at him.
Cashmere seemed to be listening, but his attention was more turned to the Medallion.
“Cashmere? Darling?”
“Hm?” Cashmere looked up. “Oh, right, an invasion, wow.” His eyes flicked back to Rarity’s chest. “Wow… such an exquisite piece…”
While he stood with his mouth partially open—flecks of drool threatened to leak out—I tried to remember what Twilight told us about the attributes of each sin. I creased my brow and thought hard. This would be much easier to figure out if I could remember what each word meant.
“He was angry before when the toad scared his guests… Wrath? Or maybe something with being lazy… Sloth? Hmmm.”
“Yes, I know! It's just gorgeous isn't it?” Rarity’s voice jerked me from my musing as she, too, eyed the Medallion around her neck.
Cashmere walked up to her, his sight never leaving the golden disc; I could see its reflection in his hungry eyes. “Along with you, this would make my collection truly complete,” he said, his voice smooth as silk. “I must have it.”
I raised a hoof to my chin as I continued to wrack my brain. “He’s trying to be seductive... coveting? No…” I should have written it down!
“Well, I can't just give it to you, silly stallion,” Rarity teased, fluttering her eyelashes. She blushed as Cashmere closed to within kissing distance and stared into her eyes.
“Yes, you can. Rarity—” the way he purred Rarity’s name sent shivers down my spine “—I have lots of money, dearie. Give it to me, and I can make all your dreams come true…”
“I, er... well—” Rarity's eyes glossed over as she started to giggle “—we might be able to, er, come to some kind of arrangement… I suppose…”
Wait, is she seriously considering his offer?
“Rarity!” I cried. “We need that Medallion, remember? Really important, world-saving mission?”
What’s wrong with you?
“Give it to me, and let all of your dreams come true,” Cashmere whispered, his voice a sultry whisper.
He really is trying to seduce her! Is he… Lust! That must be it!
Before I could say another word, Cashmere grabbed at the Medallion. As soon as his right hoof made contact with the artifact, it sizzled loudly before he shot his hoof back and let out a pained scream, snapping Rarity out of her dreamy state. The shout scared me unintentionally, and I came close to landing on my back.
“Argh! The damn thing burned me!” Cashmere shouted, nursing his injured hoof; already I could see an angry red welt shining near the bottom of his fetlock.
Rarity shook her head and took a breath, the pink fading from her cheeks. “Well, that is entirely your own fault, Mister Cashmere.”
The stallion scowled before putting his hoof back onto the floor.
"Regardless of the situation, we need you to come with us,” Rarity continued. “Equestria depends on it.”
Cashmere raised an eyebrow before looking around his home, filled entirely with fancy things. He let out a loud chuckle. “No, I don’t believe I want to.”
“What?” Rarity and I exclaimed in unison. “Why not?”
Cashmere sneered. “Canterlot can burn for all I care. I’ll send those Changelings a friendly Welcome to Town postcard. But I’m not leaving my things… any of them.” He began to rub a nearby statue, a dreamy look in his eyes.
If it’s not Lust… what is it? Oh, it’s on the tip of my tongue...
“But we need you,” Rarity said. “We need all seven ponies or else—”
“I don’t care! I’m not leaving my things!”
I trembled at Cashmere’s shout and took cover behind Rarity, who stood her ground. As he stood there and seethed, it came to me: all this stallion seemed to care about was his things… and others ponies’ things.
Wait.
“That it!” I said to Rarity. “One of the Sins Twilight mentioned was Greed!”
Rarity smirked, as did I. There was no doubt about it anymore; before us stood the embodiment of the Sin of Greed.
“We're now more sure than ever that we need you!” Rarity yelled. “You really need to come with us—thousands of lives are at stake!”
“I'm. Not. Leaving.”
While the two stared each other down, their teeth bared, I thought about what Applejack would do in such a situation. I smiled dumbly to myself. She would probably resort to getting out her lasso and tying the stubborn stallion up. The image brought a smile to my face.
“What if we make a deal?” Rarity offered.
Cashmere shook his head. “I don't want that cursed neck-weight anymore!” he boomed, his voice slightly cracking.
“Oh, no, dear. You misunderstand. I can’t let you have this anyway.” She caressed the Medallion for a second. “No, I propose something different. How about—” Rarity reached into her bag and pulled out a small sack with her magic, levitating out a single diamond “—you come with us, and the entire bag is yours. Deal?”
Well played, Rarity. Surely Greed incarnate can’t resist such a treasure.
Cashmere's jaw dropped as he stared at the diamond, floating around his head in Rarity’s blue aura. I silently congratulated Rarity while he blinked a couple of times then closed his mouth. Seconds later, he heaved a great sigh and stepped closer to Rarity, wearing a smug grin on her face as he snatched the sack from midair.
“Deal.”