Sin

by MemoryLane

Ch. 5: Premiere

"Fluttershy?"

I felt a tiny poke in my side. I jumped back at the sudden sensation, only to see Rarity staring back at me. She looked terrible; her mane was all over the place, and there were dark bags under her eyes. I watched as she took out a brush and began to run it through her mane.

I looked around. I couldn't tell if we were right outside Ponyville or if we were twenty miles away. I glanced up, hoping to see the bright sun, but it wasn't there. It seemed the pegasi had scheduled an overcast day. Large clouds blocked the sun, making the summer air chilly and dreary. There was no way to tell the time, be it early morn or mid-afternoon, although I guessed it to be not long after sunrise.

"We need to get going. This signal from this thing is starting to get stronger," Rarity said, holding up the Medallion.

I stood up and stretched out my legs, finding I enjoyed the sensation more than usual. The only time I ever slept anywhere other than my bed was on my downstairs couch, close to the other animals I tend to. Although Rarity’s travel mattress had been somewhat soft, even it could not compare to my own bed.

"Did you sleep well, Rarity?" I asked.

"No. I barely got any sleep at all," she grumbled. Pulling a brush from her saddlebag, she closed her eyes and began to run the brush through her bedmane; I saw her cringe whenever she undid a stubborn knot. "I hope we will not have to do anything like that again," she said.

"Oh..." I kept quiet while I watched Rarity finish off her mane with a fancy comb and don her saddlebag, her beautiful curls back to normal. The mattress rolled itself back back, slotting back into Rarity’s bag. I picked up my things as well, put on my bag, and fell into step beside Rarity as we both started down the trail.

"Yes, me too."

On the move again, I took a better look at Rarity, sneaking sidelong glances at her every now and then. She had fixed her mane—for all intents and purposes, any passers-by would not know of her rough night—but I could see the slight misstep in her usual gait, and her bloodshot eyes beneath their stylish lashes. I knew I could not appear much better; I shuddered to think what my own mane looked like, and my back ached like I had slept all twisted up.

The further we walked, the more frequently the Medallion flashed. We had to be getting closer to our destination. I sure hoped so; the long trek had started to wear on my hooves, enough for me to consider flying next to Rarity.

A distinct ribbit drew my attention. I looked down, seeing I had almost stepped on a tiny green toad.

"Awww, such a cute little toad!" I exclaimed as I picked it up and happily petted it. “How are you, little fella?”

Wait… toads aren’t supposed to inhabit this area… "Are you lost?"

The toad looked down at the ground as if to confirm my question. I softened my gaze and gave him a small smile. "Don't worry! Just come with me. I can take you home!"

As I said those words, the toad’s throat swelled and it gave another joyful ribbit before literally hopping inside of my saddlebag.

“Um, that’s probably not the best place for your, Mister Toad. You could—”

He croaked at me again, his eyes twinkling.

“Oh, well, if you say so.”

I looked up to find Rarity about thirty feet in front of me. “Hey, Rarity! Wait!”

As we continued through the green fields of overgrown grass, I noticed Canterlot growing larger in the distance; we were much closer to the city than I thought. Still, the Medallion flashed ever so slightly faster.

Could that be where we needed to go the whole time?

"Rarity?" I said. "Do you think the pony we need is in Canterlot?" I pointed to the mountainside city.

“Hmmm?” Rarity rubbed her still-veiny eyes before following my hooves. Her eyes shot open and she giggled loudly, eagerly tightening her saddlebags while I moved behind her and waited, expecting her usual swoon and faint.

"The pony… we need to find… is in Canterlot? The best and most glorious place in all of Equestria?"

“Uh… well…”

I wasn't too sure. The pony might have just been in Canterlot’s general direction; they could have been much further beyond our capitol for all we knew. Still, the Medallion certainly seemed more lively the closer we approached. They might live just outside of it. But I didn't want to rain on Rarity's parade, so I nodded.

She squealed before fainting into my hooves.

Needless to say, it took a minute to rouse her from her swooning state. When she finally came to and—once again—saw Canterlot, I honestly think she would have fainted again had I not been there.

"Um, shall we get go—"

"Yes!" she hollered as she galloped down the trail.

I cringed and did a double take, my left ear ringing from her close range yell. I poked my ear with my hoof to make sure that I wasn't deaf. After confirming that yes, I still had a sense of hearing, I took to the air and followed her.

It dawned on me that we had both somehow failed to notice how close we were to Canterlot, as it only took twenty more minutes to get inside. As we passed the tall outer gates, both Rarity and I turned our heads every which way, marveling at everything. Rarity cast her eyes around more than I did, though. She stared incredulously at the rich ponies as they walked by. She idolized the tall and spacious mansions that lined the cobblestone streets. Everything in town shone, reflecting the sun’s radiance like silver.

"Wow..." I said out loud.

"Isn't Canterlot just fabulous?" Rarity turned to me. "This whole place is like a great living environment!" She let out a blissful sigh.

I looked at the Medallion, floating above her chest in her magical grip. Judging by its rapid flashing and near-constant whine, we seemed to be going in the right direction.

We must be very close.

I shepherded Rarity across town, her head jerking every which way to take in all the beautiful sights. Every so often, I found myself literally dragging her along the street as she stopped to stare at things.

“Um, Rarity... don’t take this the… wrong way, but you’re… not exactly a featherweight,” I puffed after slowly directing her away from a colourful, petite café. “Remember why we’re… here.”

“Yes, yes, of course, darling,” she said for the umpteenth time.

With a sigh, I turned around. I made to continue up the road—

“Oh, yes! That party sure was grand!”

“Indeed. I had a most delightful time. That new fellow in town is a true blessing!”

Curiosity grabbed me. I reached out a hoof and touched Rarity’s shoulder. “Wait.”

“Please make up your mind, Fluttershy. First you urge me on, and now—”

I pressed a hoof to her mouth and inclined my head back toward the café. “I just heard something interesting. Can you… go and ask something for me? I mean, if that’s okay with you.”

I pointed to the two ponies I’d overheard. They looked a smart, well-dressed couple: a blue unicorn in a black top hat and purple vest, and a silver unicorn wearing earrings and a frilly, transparent rosy dress to match her mane. They sat together at a round table, a plate of scones and a pot of tea between them.

“Oh… why, whatever do you wish me to ask them?” Rarity turned her head and leaned in at my beckon, taking in my whispered question. “Yes, okay,” she said. “Leave it all to me. Watch as I deploy my irresistible, sophisticated charm.”

She shrugged her saddlebags off and pointed to them. “Be a dear and watch those for me,” she said. Turning the Medallion over so its jewel faced her barrel, she marched up onto the raised patio and approached the couple’s table. “Excuse me for my rude interruption, Sir and Madame,” she said, prompting them to look up at her with raised eyebrows. “But I could not help overhearing your mention of a grand ‘party’?”

"Young lady, surely you have better manners than to eavesdrop on a mare's conversation? You should be ashamed!" The mare stuck her nose in the air, her beehive mane bouncing slightly.

“But of course,” Rarity said with a small bow. “And I do beg your pardon, but you see, I'm in search of a certain somepony, and I… heard that they might be there. Yes. Could I trouble you to point me in the right direction?" She gave a most polite and sincere smile.

“You don't look like a citizen of Canterlot,” the stallion said. “Hmmm… tell me—” He leaned close to Rarity “—what is your friend’s name?”

“Uh…” Rarity looked around nervously, before she gave the stallion a determined stare. "Well, you see…”

Come on, Rarity.

“... I have no idea, to be quite honest. It's—” her face lit up “—a date. A blind date. He's supposed to be my Prince Charming." She brought a hoof to her cheek and sighed, almost as if she was in her dream world again. "He's supposed to meet me right inside of the party, a single red rose in his mouth..."

Perfect.

The pair stared at Rarity for a few moments, processing what she had just said. Although they retained their sour expressions, the mare finally pointed down the street. “Keep going until you reach the white mansion on your right. Now, please leave us be,” she said as she raised her teacup in her silver glow.

"Thank you most kindly, Madame, Sir!"

While the couple snorted and returned to their tea, Rarity trotted down the café steps. Horn shining, she twisted the Medallion back its proper way and lifted her saddlebags back over her shoulders.

“Nice going, Fluttershy.” She gave me a quick hug and flashed that pearly smile of hers. “Thanks to you, we have a more specific idea of where to search. Now come on!”

As we ran down the street, I noticed that the Medallion flashed faster and faster. Our target had to be at that party.

“You know, Fluttershy,” Rarity said during our gallop, “come to think of it, we could have just caught the train here all along.”

“Um…” I looked away, blushing. “Well, we didn’t know we’d end up here exactly.”

“Oh, I suppose you’re right. Forget it, then.”

To my amazement, it didn't take long to reach the party at all. It was hosted in a huge mansion, three stories high. Its silver and white exterior gleamed in the sunlight, casting short shadows over the lawns on either side of the great front doors. Judging by the amount of windows lining the front walls, it had many rooms. Near the door, seven stone pillars stood up out of the ground in a circle.

"We get to attend a Canterlot party, too? What could be better?" Rarity and I both laughed. I was glad to see that, though she still had her moments, Rarity was capable of controlling herself in Canterlot since our arrival.

We walked through the doors, and our ears were immediately caressed by the sweet sound of a symphony orchestra. There were ponies everywhere we looked, all dressed up in fancy getups and jewelry, and chatting amongst themselves. The foyer’s interior walls matched the outside of the building, sharing the silvery-white finish. The tiled floor glistened a clear sky-blue.

"How do we know who to look for?" I asked.

Rarity just shook her head. She eyed the Medallion, flashing like crazy. "I… I don't know..."

At that moment, I was shoved aside by a large, musclebound stallion as he made his way to the exit. I fell to the floor, spilling the contents of my saddlebag.

“Ough! What rudeness!” Rarity huffed as the stallion exited the foyer. She shook her head, tut-tutting about what happened, then offered a hoof to help me up. “Are you all right, Fluttershy?”

“Yes, I think so,” I said as I hastily repacked my supplies, Rarity aiding with her magic. It was then I remembered—

“Goodness!” A hoof shot to my mouth.

“What is it?”

“Rarity…” My eyes widened. “I never took Mister Toad back home!”

"Oh, good heavens..."

Not far away, one of the party guests let out a blood-curling scream. Everypony turned to look at the mare, pointing in horror at the green toad on the floor. As soon as all the partygoers caught sight of the toad, they started barreling toward the exit; I almost spilled my bags again, and Rarity suffered many minor bumps back and forth. The music stopped.

One little toad had cleared out a high-class party in a matter of seconds.

Rarity shot me a shameful glare, and I blushed.

"Sorry..."

"What the?"

A voice boomed behind me. I turned around to see a chartreuse-coated stallion, his grass colored eyes burning into my own. His short, light green mane was strewn crazily about his head, and his long, similarly colored tail hung expectantly. I couldn't help but notice that for a cutie mark, he had a bag full of green paper money.

The Medallion’s flashing and beeping ceased, its glow fading completely.

"What have you done?" the stallion wailed.

"I...I..." I tried to look for the right words, but nothing came out.

"How dare you ruin my party! Everything's wrecked because of you!" He fixed a steely glare on me; I shrank back, lowering my head.

"Don't yell at her like that!" Rarity stepped out from behind me. "It was an accident!"

The atmosphere immediately changed as soon as Rarity entered the stallion’s clear line of sight. He slowed his breathing, relaxed his eyebrows, tucked his teeth back in, and stood straighter.

“Ah, yes, of course. I can see that now. Please forgive me for my outburst.”

Walking past me, he approached Rarity, still looking at him with narrowed eyes. He picked up her hoof and kissed it, making Rarity's cheek burn a dark crimson. I could see a vein protrude from her forehead.

“What do you think you’re doing?” she squealed, pulling her hoof away.

“Treating a beautiful mare such as yourself how you should be treated.” The stallion realigned himself, and huffed. But soon, that gentlecoltly smile was plastered back on his face.

“Excuse me?”

"You're simply stunning," he murmured, staring into her eyes. “Why, I swear by the Princesses themselves that I’ve not seen any mare so elegant, so… perfect.”

Rarity looked away and blushed; I could almost hear her heart pounding. "Oh... um, thank you?"

"I'm so sorry about getting angry. You understand, since you're probably invited to all the social gatherings—it's never fun when the party comes to a halt.” He widened his grin. “Please, won't you tell me your name?” he whispered to her. “I hope it is a beautiful as your face…”

Rarity stifled a laugh. I didn't know if what she thought the gentlecolt was saying was funny, or if she was just flabbergasted.

"Rarity." She turned to me. "This is Fluttershy—” I nodded as an agreement “—who I think you owe an apology. Other than that, it’s nice to meet you."

"Likewise." He gave a slight bow, then turned to me. “Fluttershy, my sincerest apologies.”

“Oh, it’s okay. It was my toad that scared your guests, after all.”

He gave a chuckle. “Forget about it. Now please allow me to introduce myself. My name is Cashmere, and welcome—” he waved his hoof around and behind him “—to my mansion.”

***

"Pinkie..." I muttered, as the day began to get just a little bit brighter. After spending the night in the cheapest motel we could find, and getting very minimal sleep, I wasn’t in the mood for any of Pinkie’s shenanigans. "I don't think we're going the right way..."

"Sure we are!" Pinkie bounced along beside me, the Medallion around her neck as we walked down one of Las Pegasus' more popular streets. There were ponies everywhere around us, their collective cacophony doing nothing to help my headache.

"Pinkie, the Medallion is flashing slower the further we walk in this direction. That means we're getting farther away from who were looking for."

“Oh. Whoopsie.” She stopped bouncing. “Well at least we can take in some of the sights! I wonder if maybe we can find an amusement park! Or a ice cream shop! Maybe a cupcake factory!"

I shook my head. It seemed like Pinkie wanted to find everything besides what we were there for. I contemplated taking the Medallion and trying to find the pony myself, but the idea was not feasible; we'd have to start another wild goose chase for another pony that lived somewhere else, potentially crazy far away from Las Pegasus. I had no choice but to let Pinkie hold it, at least for the time being.

"Pinkie, please take this seriously," I told her. “At this rate, we aren't going to find anyone. It'll take us a year to find these ponies. We don’t have a year—we have a week if we’re lucky, maybe even just days!”

Pinkie stopped walking immediately, her face downcast. “I’m sorry, Twilight. It’s just that this place is so exciting, and I’ve always wanted to come—”

She gasped and grabbed the Medallion, suddenly flashing bright again. She pointed it at me.

"Oh! Oh! Oh! This way!" she hollered, walking past me back in the direction we had come from.

I knew we were walking in the wrong direction the whole time, I thought. Lovely. I laughed and followed as Pinkie resumed her bouncing, picking up speed.

After about thirty more minutes of walking, Pinkie stopped again.

"What's wrong?" I asked her, looking at the Medallion.

"We're going the wrong way again. Dumb Medallion." She shook it and frowned, giving me a sad look after noticing her mistake.

I smiled at her warmly. Normally it was the other way around; usually Pinkie Pie was always trying to cheer somepony else up, so I found it odd to see her looking so upset.

"Don't worry, Pinkie. Mistakes happen to everypony," I replied. That seemed to cheer her up a little bit. "We must have just passed them. Come on, let's turn around." With a smile and nod, she immediately complied.

Our second reversal of direction took us about twenty minutes down the way. Various ponies gave us us weird looks as they ate their lunch and mingled while we made our way down the street for the third time. I ignored them, however.

"We passed them again!"

“Waaah!” I jumped a foot in the air and leaned back as Pinkie screeched, looking ready to throw the Medallion at the ground in frustration.

"Pinkie, calm down! It's not your fault.” I trotted next to her and pulled her into a hug. “The pony we're looking for is obviously in one of the buildings we passed."

“But…” Pinkie closed her eyes and took a few deep breaths. “Okay, Twilight. Sure. That must be it. Silly pony, hiding in their silly building.” She hiccupped.

As reluctant as I was to start knocking on other ponies doors, I knew that it was better than walking aimlessly up and down the street.

"Come on—time to go knocking," I said, separating. “We’ll find them.”

We spent the rest of the afternoon gingerly knocking on doors, and holding the Medallion up to the buildings’ inhabitants; most of them simply gave a curt shake of the head before they slammed their apartment door on us. This happened many times, to the point that we reached the end of the block where the signal was barely noticeable.

The shadows had lengthened when we returned to the streets. Not a single pony had made the Medallion react in over two hundred attempts… and Las Pegasus’ population was said to be in the tens of thousands…

“They have to be around here somewhere,” I said. “Do you have any other ideas?”

“Pinkie?”

It was unusual of Pinkie to not answer a friend’s question. I looked at her, noting that she seemed engrossed in something further down the street. "Hello? Equestria to Pinkie Pie?"

She didn't look toward me. She just continued to stare down the street. I followed her gaze.

The mare down the street had a pink body—similar to Pinkie's hue, actually— and a long, curly blonde mane that made me think of both Rarity and Cadance at the same time. She walked with the air of one that thought a lot of themselves, seeming to strut with every movement she made. Yet there was something almost… shady about her gait.

But that mane… it’s beautiful.

I saw her look around cautiously before slipping through an alleyway in a full-on sprint.

The Medallion flashed rapidly around Pinkie’s neck.

Wait...

"That must be her! Good eye, Pinkie!" I told her as I sprinted after the blonde pony. We finally had her; I knew from walking past it three times that the alleyway came to naught but a dead end. Next to me, Pinkie wore one of the biggest smiles I’d ever seen on her face as she bounced after me.

I ran into the alleyway, expecting to find our target resting against one of the far walls—

“Huh?”

The alley was deserted, save for a few cats lingering around an old dumpster. It was like she had never entered at all.

But… she can’t have just disappeared. She’s an Earth pony!

"Now what...?" I muttered to myself in anguish, just as Pinkie appeared next to me.

***

I yawned as I awoke from what seemed like an endless sleep. The early morning chill leaked into the train car through our windows, which sent a shiver down my back. I opened my eyes, seeing the wooden slats of the bunk above me. There was a window right near our bunk, through which I could see the heavily overcast sky.

Great. What a beautiful morning.

With a groan, I stretched out my leg and reached into my bag, which was right next to my bed on a strategically placed hook. Finding my prize, I grabbed out a Red Delicious and munched on it.

"Mmmm," I moaned to myself, savoring its sweet crispness. I did my best to keep my chewing quiet, careful not to wake Rainbow Dash. As soon as the thought entered my head, I chuckled softly. Heh, I shouldn't have to worry about that. That pegasus could sleep through an apocalypse.

When I finished my light breakfast, I got out of bed and took aim. With a flick of my hoof, I tossed the core into a nearby garbage can on the other side of the car.

Crack shot, A.J.. If only Rainbow coulda seen that.

I hopped quietly back onto the bed. I considered going back to sleep, but getting up at the crack of dawn every morning to run around doing chores on the farm had gotten me used to early rises. In fact, I was pretty sure I’d slept in later than usual. No, more sleep was out of the question; all I could do was wait out the rest of the trip.

I seriously had nothing to do, so I just sat back, staring out the window at the countryside, the continuous clack of the train’s wheels and gentle rumble coming from below.

***

The pink pony cackled madly, her cyan eyes piercing the darkness of the locomotive engineer’s room. She stared menacingly at the stallion in front of her as she held a thick, metal rod. She crept up on the pony, too late in turning around to confront his assailant. About to cry out, he was cut short as the pink pony brought the rod down on his forehead.

As the engineer collapsed, unconscious, Pinkie Pie took over the controls and slammed on the brakes as hard as she could.

***

I had no idea what happened. One minute I was staring out the window; the next, Rainbow Dash and I went flying as the train came to an abrupt, screeching halt. I smacked hard into one of the railings inside the car.

The next thing I saw when I opened my eyes was Rainbow Dash standing over me, her eyes huge and glistening, Medallion flashing.

"Applejack! Wake up!" she screamed, shoving me as if I were simply taking a nap. "A.J.!"

"What happened?" I mumbled as I rubbed my head. I noticed that my hat was missing.

Rainbow stared at me for a moment before giving me a great big hug. “A.J.! You’re okay!” She breathed a sigh of relief. "I thought you were hurt real bad!"

"I was, and still am," I said, still rubbing my head. "Again, what happened?"

Rainbow Dash just shrugged. "I have no idea. The train just kinda slid to a stop after a whole lot of screeching. Everypony went flying, even those without wings. Luggage went everywhere too."

I scrambled to my hooves, swaying a little from lingering dizziness. I walked a short way and retrieved my hat and saddlebags when I noticed that Rainbow Dash had already donned her own.

"Come on. Let's go check things out!" she said. I nodded and fell into step beside her as we both headed for the engine.

When we got there, we weren't happy at all by what we found: the train driver was on the floor, a nasty bruise on his forehead. Next to him lay a large metal rod. Rainbow Dash tried to wake the driver while I took a look around the cabin.

"Hello?" Rainbow prodded the guy, somewhat gentler than when she’d shook me awake. When that failed to rouse him, she shook him harder. Eventually, she managed to get a response.

"Ugh..." He groaned, cradling his head in a similar way that I held mine earlier.

"Are you okay?" Rainbow Dash asked him as she helped him get to his hooves.

The driver just shook his head. "Are you kidding me? Some fluffy pony just attacked me!"

He looked at his destroyed workstation. Cables and cords were strewn about, emitting dangerous amounts of sparks. He shielded himself as one came unnervingly close to him. He lowered his eyes and turned away, covering his face. "And now the train is stuck here..."

"What?" we exclaimed in unison.

The driver nodded. "Yes, the train's controls are completely destroyed, ladies. Look." He waved his hoof around, pointing to the obvious.

"But we have to get to Van Hoover! There's somepony we need to find there!" Rainbow said. “There’s gotta be something you can do!”

"I'm really sorry. Truly, I am.” The driver hung his head. “But I’m afraid your only options now are to either walk, or wait for help."

"How long d’you reckon that’ll take?" I asked.

"About three hours to walk, about three hours for help,” he said. “We are in the middle of nowhere, after all, and the closest station to where we are is… Tall Tale.”

My jaw dropped for a second before I sighed and stared at the floor. Well, s’not like we have much of a choice.

"Come on, Rainbow. Let's walk," I said, as I made my way for the cabin’s exit.

“Urgh. Walking. Laaaame.” Rainbow rolled her eyes, but followed me toward the door after placing a hoof on the stallion’s shoulder. “You go and get checked out, yeah? That’s a whopper of a bruise you got there,” she said.

“Sure,” he said, wobbling in place. “Thanks for coming to help me, Miss… er…”

“Rainbow Dash.”

“Applejack. And thank you for the info too. Now go on—get yourself patched up already.”

He waved me off as he stared pitifully at his once-beautiful, ruined control station.

We exited the train, only to see dense woods to my left, and a mountain to my right. I realized that Rainbow was still wearing the Medallion, and as she faced down the tracks, it seemed to be flashing even more. I knew what to do.

"C’mon, Rainbow. Let’s make a gallop out of it. Looks like we're takin' the tracks."

Comments

[cssalpha]

NEED MORE STORY NOW!!!!!!!

[Polygrammar]

I'm loving this story. I eagerly await the next update.

[Cerulean Voice]

5241371
We are pleased. Edits of chapter six will commence in a few days, when my irl (ew, yuck ) schedule isn't so hectic.

[rikusorasephiroth]

'Some fluffy pony'?
Really?
...
Hilarious!

[Nameless cow]

5241623
I'm pretty sure only the time war was time locked, cause they have been to gallifrey after the time war and technicly the doctor would not of been able to leave if it was timelocked but then that would cause a paradox as the doctor locked it himself

Plus, Spike is the lord of badassery

[111segasonic]

5241623 Isn't Gallifrey just lost at this point? I'm fairly sure the events of "Day of the Doctor" prove that it is not time-locked.

[Toonwriter]

Looks like we found the first two Sin Ponies here; one being greed, obviously. The other one- the pink one- is no doubt lust.