From The Gates

by Dirty Bit

Chapter 23

Chapter 23

Stray

Pinkie, Rainbow Dash, and Envy took their seats in the dining room as they waited for Fluttershy to prepare the tea to go with the cookies. Gluttony gorged through most of them and earned the attention of Rainbow Dash "Hey, Gluttony! Show some restraint, will you? I want some cookies, too!"

Gluttony ate another one and spoke as crumbs flew out of his mouth "But they're so good!" He stopped and giggled when he saw Rainbow Dash's face covered in crumbs.

Pinkie joined in the small fit of laughter herself and beamed at the voracious pony "Gluttony makes my job super easy sometimes! I'll bet he'll be a shoe-in for Applejack once he comes around!" She then turns to Envy "Hey, Envy! Do you think Gluttony might be able to eat all of the apples on her farm??"

Envy sat down and looked away without a word. It was still fixated on the event that occured earlier and couldn't shake it off 'She's as scared as a rabbit, and all it took was a stare for me to submit to her!? This isn't right at all!' The jealous pony looked down and murmured to itself.

Rainbow Dash turned to Envy "Hey, Envy! Pinkie asked you a question!"

Envy snapped out of its thoughts and shifted its eyes towards the trio and only uttered in a neutral tone "Of course he will..." It then looked away. Envy felt as if its former personality had almost left for good, but the jealous pony could only deny the fact that Fluttershy held that amount of power in herself in order to feel better 'To be bested by a coward...'

Fluttershy looked in each of her cupboards and had a look of distress on her face "Oh dear...I'm low on tea." She turned to the group with an apologetic expression "I'm so sorry, everypony. I don't have enough tea for all of us. If only I've kept track on my supply..."

Pinkie smiled "Don't feel bad Fluttershy! We can still have tea! All I gotta do is head to Zecora's and ask for some!"

Fluttershy turned to Pinkie with a concerned frown "Oh, Pinkie, you don't have to...and besides, you'll be going into the Everfree Forest. There could be timberwolves around..."

Pinkie waved a hoof "I wouldn't worry too much, Fluttershy! I can be sure to steer clear of those mean monsters!" She turned to Gluttony "Also, I got Gluttony! Maybe he can help me if things get rough!"

Rainbow Dash tilted her head "I dunno, Pinkie...Can Gluttony even fight?"

Gluttony nodded with a wide smile "Mhm! I've fought plenty of enemies! I'm pretty strong! But not as strong as Sloth!"

Rainbow Dash turned to the window "I wonder if AJ's handling the big guy without a hitch! He seems to wanna nap more than work!" She chuckled "He's definitely got his priorities straight!"

Pinkie laughed as well "Yeah! He's just like you, only he isn't fast!"

Gluttony turned to Pinkie "What? But Sloth is the fastest out of us!"

Rainbow Dash turned to Gluttony "Seriously? Are you sure you aren't exaggerating there?"

Gluttony shook his head "He really is the fastest! He can go real fast! Like-" He moved his forelegs in a swooping motion while making a childish wooshing noise.

Rainbow Dash laughed at the gesture "Sorry, Gluttony, but I'll believe that when I see it!" She then turned to Envy "He really does talk so good about you and your family! I don't know why you barely like him!"

Envy grunted a little "He's not kidding, you know..." Rainbow Dash raised an eyebrow "Sloth may be big and dumb, but he's actually the fastest out of all of us..." It looked down "Only problem is he can barely focus with how he's so constantly tired..."

Rainbow Dash paused "Your serious? And here I thought Gluttony here was just being nice! Which reminds me..." She looked at Envy with a mischievous smirk "Ready for some kindness lessons?"

Envy grunted in disdain towards Rainbow Dash's smug remark 'I shouldn't be here...I'm a homunculus!' The jealous pony scoffed "Sure..."

Pinkie held up a hoof "Well, don't start without us! We'll be right back with some tea for us all lickety split!" She turned to Rainbow Dash "Not that I'm fast as you, Dashie!"

Rainbow Dash smiled at Pinkie "At least you know that much!"

Pinkie nodded "Then we're off!" She turned to Gluttony "C'mon, Gluttony! We got some tea to get!" She hopped off and the voracious pony hopped after her.

Envy looked down for a moment before it perked up after an idea clicked in its head 'How could I've been so stupid!?' A devious grin then formed on its face.

Rainbow Dash noticed and narrowed its eyes "What's up with you? You thinking about something funny, Envy?"

Envy turned to Rainbow Dash and spoke in a tone of mock maturity "It's nothing at all. I'm just gonna go outside and look at the animals..."

Fluttershy looked at Envy "Do you like animals, too, Envy? We could go out and show you around if you want!"

Envy smiled at Fluttershy "That'd be great..."

Rainbow Dash was confused, if not skeptical of how Envy was suddenly acting 'This is too good to be true...' She then spoke up "Which one's your favorite?"

Envy turned to Rainbow Dash "Snakes, usually...They're pretty great with how they can defend themselves..."

Fluttershy tilted her head "I never met a pony who favored snakes before..." She smiled at the jealous pony "Okay! We'll go outside then! Let's go..." The three pegasi made their way out the door and into the backyard where many animals were seen in different spots.

Fluttershy looked around "Now let's just see where they're a-Ah, here they are!" She hovered over and pointed Envy to a cage of snakes next to a large tree "Be careful now, Envy. They're just like me when they meet new ponies..." The timid mare winced "Only they bite..."

Envy smirked "Thanks...I'll keep that in mind." It trotted over and stood in front of the cage as the snakes stared back.

Rainbow Dash turned to Fluttershy and whispered "Hey, Fluttershy? Do you think Envy's up to something?"

Fluttershy replied with a whisper of her own "Huh? What gave you that idea, Rainbow Dash? Surely she wouldn't do such a thing...I mean, she even agreed to cooperate with us..."

Rainbow Dash nodded "Yeah, but that's only because you had to use The Stare to make that jerk see the light! But something tells me that one stare wasn't enough!"

Fluttershy looked concern "What do you mean? Did I not try hard enough?"

Rainbow Dash shook her head "I'm not saying you didn't. I'm saying that maybe we're being a bit to lenient with that pony!"

Fluttershy looked down "But if that were the case, wouldn't she have already snapped at us despite what just happened?"

While the two were engrossed in their conversation, Envy was still staring at the snakes, but then slowly shifted its eyes at the pegasi. It then took one step before it broke into a gallop over the fence and towards the trees.

Rainbow Dash saw it and glared "I knew it! Come back here, you jerk!" She took flight and chased after Envy while it made for the trees.

Fluttershy noticed and followed after "Oh no! Envy, don't go near there! It's dangerous!" She never thought anypony would recklessly run towards the Everfree Forest for no reason whatsoever.

Envy went into the woods and blended in with the vast and gnarled foliage of the trees.

Once the two were at the outer reaches of the forest, Rainbow Dash was about to dive in, until she noticed a familiar pink pony hop out of the brush looking mangled all over "Wha!? Pinkie? What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be with Gluttony??"

Pinkie huffed as she caught her breath "That's the problem! I wanted you guys to come over super quickly! Gluttony was caught in a field of vines nearby Zecora' place and I can't get him out! If that isn't enough, Zecora isn't around! Boy, was I lucky enough to run into Envy, though! I told her everything and she was willing to help! But I need you guys to go help as well while I get Twilight and the others!"

Rainbow instinctively saluted "You can count on me! Glad to know that Envy's doing something kind for once!" She zipped to the forest's entrance so she could get a good start on the path to Zecora's.

Fluttershy turned to Pinkie "Pinkie, you look so hurt! I need to help you-"

Pinkie placed a hoof on Fluttershy "No time for that! Gluttony needs all the help he can get! There could be timberwolves around!" She had a tear in her eye "I can't lose a good friend..."

Fluttershy noted the tear in Pinkie's eye and nodded with determination "Okay, Pinkie. Since Gluttony means so much to you, I'll go help Rainbow Dash. Just hurry and tell Twilight what is going on, please!"

Pinkie gave a sad smile as she sniffled "Thanks, Fluttershy. You're the best...I'll let her know as soon as possible!"

Fluttershy smiled back and galloped towards the entrance to catch up to Rainbow Dash, leaving Pinkie to watch her leave with a smile on her face. When she was gone, the party pony began to laugh. As she laughed louder, the look in her eyes became more evil while a green aura formed around her. It shrouded to reveal a laughing Envy "Idiots...I'm out of here..." It trotted off into Ponyville "Time to have some of my own fun for once..."
_____

Twilight, Spike, and Greed stood at the center of the library so the avaricious pony's magic lessons could take place. The lavender bookworm looked at her student "Alright, Greed! Remember, you have to focus entirely on the object you wish to lift in order for the telekinetic spell to work. Are you ready for this?"

Greed smirked "As I'll ever be..." The avaricious pony pointed his horn at the wooden equine bust on the table "Okay, here I go!" He clenched his eyes shut and strained himself as no magic aura appeared on his horn.

Twilight and Spike raised an eyebrow at Greed's performance and looked at each other before shifting back to glance at him. Twilight then spoke up "Greed, I don't think you're understanding the concept of focus. You shouldn't push yourself like this!"

Greed stopped for a moment as he caught his breath "Why isn't no magic happening yet? Maybe if I try harder..." He then pointed his horn and performed the same gesture as before with the exact same results. The only difference was that the avaricious pony rubbed his head after stopping "Dammit! This isn't working at all!"

Twilight smiled at Greed's disbelief "I told you there's no such thing as instant learning, Greed. Every course of learning needs to be taken one step at a time!"

Spike looked away and muttered "Oh boy, here we go..."

Twilight continued "It's our jobs as unicorns not only to use magic, but to study it and understand its possibilities AND its capabilities no matter how long it might take!" A thought came to Twilight's head "Say, a unicorn your age should be good with at least some spells other than telekinesis..."

Greed looked down "Well, I do know one trick, but I dunno if it counts as magic..."

Twilight beamed "Well, don't keep us waiting! Show us what you can do! Maybe it'll be related to your special talent!" She then turned to see his Ouroboros cutie mark and looked confused 'Whatever that might be...'

Greed shrugged "Alright." He shut his eyes and his horn began to glow. Twilight and Spike stared intently at it, wondering what was about to happen next. Then suddenly Greed's body gradually flashed brightly to reveal his Ultimate Shield form. Twilight and Spike were both shocked and awed at the sight of the new pony in front of them while Greed spoke in his metallic tone "Well? You think this counts as magic?" He was only met with silence from the two in front of him as they stared into his piercing red eyes while their own were wide as can be.

End of Chapter 23

Comments

[Dirty Bit]

Surprise! Also...

l-userpic.livejournal.com/94613147/17949645 : Ain't I a stinker?

[jar'o'mayo]

I only just finished reading the other chapter.

[Insanity]

784145
Btw is envy gonna you know start any mind games on fluttershy, pinkie and rainbow dash?
Cause he could change into the others.
Ps this was typed before reading this chapter

[Fullmetal Pony]

Was wondering when Envy would start pulling the changeling shenanigans. Hmm, wonder if Gluttony still has all his abilities.

[DavidPony]

A CHAPTER ALREADY!?!?!
also WOOTenvy's finally gonna have some fun

[Dirty Bit]

784244 He lacks his 'True Mouth' ability, but he still has his insatiable appetite, acidic saliva, and incredible strength.

784243 Just watch.

[Bookmaster]

784756 gluttony probaly ate the timberwolves or envy disguised as pinkie

[Thespurgin]

Whelp... Greed's already got his cutie mark and magic, as he is the ultimate shield. That being the case... why worry about TK when you can get hit with canterlot and shrug it off like a spring rain?

[Dawn Darkling]

785769
I laughed pretty hard at this. Great one.

[Genesis1212]

Hell ya envy xD and with greed changed i cant wait to see spikes and twis oppinion on his new looks xP

[Ink Sword]

Pinkie held up a hoof "Well, don't start without us! We'll be right back with some tea for us all lickety split!" She turned to Rainbow Dash "Not that I'm fast as you, Dashie!"

I think that season one would disagree.