Taking place three months after the events of From the Gates, the Elements of Harmony and the former homunculi were enjoying their new lives and what has been laid in front of them. But after a large accident at the Grand Galloping Gala, all sorts of chaos will unfold. Will the Elements succeed a third time with the help of the homunculi, and will Greed finally know the meaning of Generosity? Stay tuned for more!
It was nightfall at the city of Canterlot, and the same night for the Grand Galloping Gala. Many carriages arrived and unveiled several ponies of high-class as they strutted haughtily into the castle. It seemed like any other regular party for the nobles of Canterlot until the most bizarre carriage showed up, being pulled by four stallions in tuxedos and a small purple dragon in a tuxedo of his own.
Spike was seen with the same Apple Carriage he had pulled since the last Grand Galloping Gala and stopped in front of the castle gates as he smiled down to the door "Okay, everypony! We're here!"
The door to the carriage opened to reveal the element bearers and four out of the six former homunculi in their own respective outfits for the gala. Greed was wearing a dashing white tuxedo and his favorite sunglasses as he flashed an eager grin "So this is what the Grand Galloping Gala is, huh? Must be quite the party inside for all these stuck-up nobles to show up!"
Twilight showed up behind Greed in a newly-crafted glimmering blue dress courtesy of Rarity. Her hair was done up in a bun style as she trotted up next to Greed with a frown on her face "Please, Greed. For our sake, try to behave or at least show some respect around here. This is a very rare occasion!" She urged the avaricious pony.
Greed chuckled "What? Can't I not enjoy myself once in a while? It's a party! I'll bet your favorite princess is just waiting for us to go in there and spice things up! We already arrived in a carriage made out of an apple, for God's sake!" The avaricious pony could not fathom why Twilight would even go so far as to doing such a thing in order to arrive.
Twilight sighed "This whole time we've been together and you haven't changed a bit..."
Greed frowned "Hey! I've learned plenty from you, and I plan on putting it to good use! And in case you haven't noticed, I've done well on the other elements when learning the Magic of Friendship!"
Twilight smiled "Everything except 'Generosity'. But we'll work on that eventually. Let's go inside!"
Greed smirked as he inched his face near Twilight's "Shall we?" The two unicorns trotted in side-by-side with their tails wrapped together.
Rarity and Lust were the next ones to follow after the two unicorns. Rarity insisted that she wanted to make Lust more presentable to the party, but she chose to only wear a ruby-encrusted onyx tiara to compliment her black dress. Rarity was wearing an emerald chiffon dress with a yellow-feathered hat of the same color. The fashionista smiled "Oh, this is simply marvelous! Your first time at the Grand Galloping Gala! Lust, you're going to love it here!!"
Lust smiled "I'm sure that the folks here shall be most entertaining..." Her smile faltered at the thought 'Hopefully Greed nor Envy don't decide to make fools of themselves...'
The aforementioned pegasus trotted with Rainbow Dash while wearing a regal red masculine coat that draped down over its flank. Its mane was done up into a feminine ponytail "I know she's the princess and stuff, but do I really have to wear this crap??" The jealous pony spoke while examining itself with contempt.
Rainbow Dash was wearing a Pegasopolitan toga lined with her signature colors with a golden leaf crown adorned on her head to compliment her attire. Her mane was straightened into a regal ponytail. She sighed at Envy's question "Yeah, I'm not really a fan of getting all gussied up for these sort of things myself, but it's Princess Celestia throwing this party! We gotta respect her somehow! And besides, we all know how Rarity gets with fashion...Your sister lucked out with that tiara on her head!"
Envy growled bitterly "Don't remind me. I can't believe Lust gets special treatment out of the rest of us..." It then turned to Rainbow Dash "What should we do first in there anyways? We're gonna be up to our asses in snobs!"
Rainbow Dash smiled "That's why we're going directly to the Wonderbolts! THIS time, they'll be sure to recognize me! And maybe they can get a piece of you, too, with all the tricks you learned from me!"
Envy smirked "Oh sure, because you taught me EVERY trick I need to know..."
Rainbow Dash narrowed her eyes "Yeah, I did!"
Envy scoffed and rolled its eyes "I've learned better tricks on my own!"
Rainbow Dash got in Envy's face with a glare "Yeah, with MY help! Face it, palm tree head! Even with flying tricks, you need me!"
Envy pushed its face up at Rainbow Dash's with its own glare "I think can fly pretty damn well without your guidance, prismatic prick!"
A hoof on their heads ceased their arguing as Applejack came up with a look of exasperation on her face. She was wearing a brown leather vest and a beige skirt that went well with her Stetson hat "C'mon, y'all! Don't be bickerin' like a married couple out here! We're here t' have fun, remember?"
Envy and Rainbow Dash looked at Applejack before staring back at each other and smiling afterwards with narrowed eyes. Rainbow Dash grinned "Race you inside, Envy!"
The jealous pony grinned back "You're on!" The two then flew inside the building at a good speed.
Applejack sighed "Those two can be serious trouble sometimes..."
Pinkie smiled as she wore a purple dress with a black fur collar and a long-brimmed purple hat "Aw, come on, Applejack! This'll be the perfect chance to see Dashie having fun with Envy inside! Right, Gluttony?"
Gluttony hopped up and down as he wore his black tuxedo "Yes! And Princess Celestia probably has the most delicious food inside waiting for me!"
Pinkie smirked at the voracious pony "For US!"
Gluttony stopped and smiled at Pinkie "Oh, right! For us! Thank you for reminding me, Pinkie!" The two hungry earth ponies hopped onward and awaited the banquet that rested inside of the castle.
Fluttershy trotted up next to Applejack while wearing an ice blue gown while her mane was straightened and adorned with white butterfly hairpins "Well, I'm sure this will be another night to remember since the homunculi are with us now..."
Applejack nodded with a smile "Yeah. An' it's a good thing Princess Celestia sent a personal carriage fer Sloth!" She looked over the horizon and noticed four fit stallions pulling a carriage "Speak o' th' devil..."
Approaching behind the apple carriage was Sloth resting on a steel carriage while the four stallions dutifully stopped. The indolent pony was wearing a tuxedo that was meant for his size only. It was absolutely tiring for Rarity to gather the large amount of fabric needed to get Sloth's tuxedo firm to the letter. Sloth woke up from his nap when he noticed the carriage stopped "What a pain..." He rose from his spot and hopped off of his carriage to get a better look at his surroundings "Canterlot..."
Applejack trotted up to Sloth with a chuckle "That's right, Sloth! Come along now! We gotta meet up with th' Princess and yer baby brother!" Applejack, Fluttershy, and Sloth then made their way inside the castle as well.
Awaiting at the castle's vestibule were the three princesses on top of the stairs along with Shining Armor and Wrath. Shining Armor was wearing his uncle's red suit while Wrath was wearing a equine-styled replica of his old militaristic attire worn in Amestris, courtesy of the royal seamstresses. The element bearers and former homunculi approached them for a proper greeting. Twilight shared a hug with Celestia, whereas Greed and Wrath only acknowledged each other with neutral stares "Wrath..." The avaricious said in a leveled tone.
Wrath returned the gesture himself "Greed..."
Shining Armor approached Greed and held out his hoof "Nice to see you again, Greed. I trust that you're doing well with my sister?"
Greed chuckled and shook Shining Armor's hoof "Have I ever done anything wrong? I should ask the same thing with you and Wrath!"
Shining Armor sighed and looked away "He still manages to get the best of me no matter how many times I've sparred with him. I think its a whole lot harder with that Ultimate Eye of his..."
Greed grinned "Nopony said it was gonna be easy! The only advice I can give you is keep trying! His age will catch up with him eventually! Then you'll get the upper hoof!"
Shining Armor raised an eyebrow "You'd honestly give me a hint to beat him?"
Greed shrugged "I still gotta practice the 'G' word with your sister, so I have to start off small somehow. And besides..." He grinned over at Wrath "I'd like to see the next match myself..." Greed spoke in a taunting tone.
Wrath smirked "I guarantee that you will not be entertained, Greed. But now is the time for merriment, not conflict."
Twilight trotted up to Greed "He's right you know. I don't even know how you two enjoy fighting so much."
Greed smirked "You wouldn't understand. It's a homunculus thing! Let's just move on inside and see what Celestia has for us!"
Twilight smiled at her coltfriend "Here's hoping you actually behave yourself..." The two then trotted further inside the castle and looked for a good spot to settle in.
Shining Armor watched them leave with a frown "...No offense, Bradley, but I still don't trust your brother around my sister..." He muttered to the furious pony.
Wrath nodded "None taken. You have every right not to. But Greed is a stallion of his word to the end. He'll see to the safety of Twilight Sparkle if it means his own life." He then smiled "Besides, at least they get to enjoy themselves while we stand on guard duty..."
Celestia turned to Wrath after greeting another noble "You realize I can let you do the same as well, Wrath?"
Wrath shook his head "There is nothing there of interest for an old man like me, your majesty. Besides..." He looked away "I'm pretty sure I would just be in the way for what may transpire further inside..." He muttered to himself warily. _____
Gluttony earned several faces of shock and disgust with how he helped himself at the snack table. Lust and Pinkie lightly pulled him away with stern looks on her faces, easily ceasing him from eating without any manners. Pinkie noticed there was a snack left and popped one in her mouth before she turned to Lust and Gluttony "Hey! Why don't we dance? Any of you ready to shake your groove thang?" She said as she wiggled her flank.
Lust looked around to see several nobles not even moving a muscle while they talk with one another "I'm not sure that the other partygoers would agree to such a thing...Besides, I don't really have nopony to dance with."
Gluttony smiled up at Lust "You can dance with me, Lusty! Can you dance with me? Please? Pretty please?" He said as he looked up with a pleading grin.
Lust stared before she chuckled "Very well. I'll dance with you for a little, Gluttony..." The voracious pony cheered and hopped his way to the dance floor. Pinkie followed after with a giggle.
Rarity was seen conversing with Fancy Pants and Fleur de lis. The sophisticated unicorn smiled "I must say I adore the new outfits you have created for yourself and your friends, Miss Rarity! Another splendid demonstration of your skills as a fashionista!"
Rarity giggled with a light blush "Well, I had to make something extra special since this is for the Grand Galloping Gala and all! I'm just glad that everypony was willing to cooperate, save for Envy..." She muttered her last three words before she sighed "Sloth's outfit was the most challenging out of all of them!"
Fancy Pants looked around "Say, could you lead me to the one called Sloth? We haven't really spoken much, and I'd like to know more about him!"
Rarity frowned "Fancy Pants, trust me when I say that Sloth is not really the talkative type."
The sophisticated unicorn chuckled as he polished his monocle "If he is much like your friend Fluttershy, then I'm sure all that is needed are the right words! Where could he possibly be around here?"
Rarity looked up in thought "I do believe he was outside with Applejack and Fluttershy the last time I've seen him..." _____
Sloth laid in the grass and gave a low moan as the animals stared at his large mass. Fluttershy giggled "I think the animals like you ever since your last time in Canterlot, Sloth."
The indolent pony moaned again What a pain..."
Applejack scoffed "Ah'm beginnin' t' think bringin' ya along with us t' th' Grand Gallopin' Gala was a big mistake with how y'all choose t' act, Sloth! Would it kill ya t' be more active in yer life once in a while?"
Sloth paused before he muttered "Maybe..." Applejack facehoofed at his remark.
Fluttershy trotted up to Sloth and examined him "How could a pony like Sloth be born so lethargic? Do you think it was a deficiency that was inside of his father?"
Applejack shuddered "Let's not talk 'bout the homunculi's father, sugarcube. S'been so long since he left Equestria, an' Ah don't feel like rememberin' him!"
Fluttershy cringed and looked away "I'm sorry...I was just so curious about Sloth's behavior, I couldn't help myself."
Sloth slowly shifted his head to the two mares "Memory is a pain..." He then rose from his resting position, easily startling the animals around him "...Hungry..."
Applejack smiled "Yeah, Ah feel a bit peckish myself! Let's move on inside an' find th' snack table! Hopefully we'll have more t' eat than them hoity toity 'Or derves' they keep servin'...Them things 're th' size o' my hoof as a filly!" The trio of ponies trotted into the castle in search of food. _____
Rainbow Dash and Envy trotted along the sea of ponies in search of the Wonderbolts, though the jealous pony showed no enthusiasm over them. Rainbow Dash searched high and low until she spotted the group in their own section with a smile "There they are!! C'mon, Envy!" She lightly tugged Envy for it to follow her.
When they reached the entrance, they were stopped by two security ponies "Names please?" The one on the right spoke.
Envy sneered at the security ponies "Don't you two know us already? Her especially?" It pointed to Rainbow Dash.
The one on the left spoke "Not exactly. Names please?"
From inside the section, the Wonderbolts stood and mingled amongst themselves until their leader, Spitfire, noticed Rainbow Dash at the entrance "Well well! What do we have here?" She trotted over with a friendly smile "Hey there, Rainbow Dash! Long time no see!"
Rainbow Dash smiled "Hey, Spitfire!! How's it hanging?"
Spitfire waved a hoof "It's all good. I've managed to get Soarin to lay off pies on a dare. It's not a pretty sight unless I give him some tarts as a good substitute." The two mares shared a laugh while Envy only watched. When they stopped, Spitfire glanced over at Envy and hummed in intrigue "Say, Dash. Who's your friend over there? She seems to be quite the looker."
Rainbow Dash perked up "Oh, right!" She draped a hoof over Envy's back "Spitfire, I'd like you to meet my..." She stared at Envy for a moment before continuing after the awkward pause "...partner Envy!" The cyan pegasus was still undecided about Envy's gender.
Envy gave an apathetic wave "Hey."
Spitfire raised an eyebrow as she examined Envy "You really know where to look...Where are you from, Envy?"
Envy looked at Spitfire "I live with Rainbow Dash in Ponyville. Not a bad place."
Spitfire nodded "Anywhere else before that?"
Envy rolled its eyes "Nothing that matters to you. Just a distant memory."
Rainbow Dash, feeling miffed about Envy's reply, hissed a whisper at the jealous pony through gritted teeth "Envy! This is the captain of the Wonderbolts you're talking to!!"
Envy gave an apathetic look at Rainbow Dash "It's as if you're Twilight and she's Celestia. I'm sure she doesn't mind us talking."
Rainbow Dash drew herself back and went to snap at Envy before she heard a laugh escape Spitfire's lips "You know, Envy's right, Dash. We haven't really talked so much way back when. What say I push aside the other fans so we can bond some more? You and Envy can come on inside the VIP section so we can hang out for old times sake!" She nodded to the security guards and they granted them access.
Envy turned to Rainbow Dash with a sly smirk, and the cyan pegasus looked angry before a smile crept onto her own lips. The two pegasi then trotted inside where they could mingle with the Wonderbolts. Rainbow Dash could hardly wait to catch up on lost time with her most favored idols. Envy would only enjoy the moment with its marefriend and hope something exciting happens. _____
Greed and Twilight stood on a balcony alone and gazed at the stars by themselves. The lavender bookworm looked over at Greed with a smile "I'm surprised, Greed. Here was a chance to hang out with our friends and yet you wanted to come all the way up here alone with me..."
Greed shrugged with a smirk "As cool as I am, I don't think the party needs me any more than the people inside of it. And besides, I know how much you enjoy stargazing, so I figured I spend some quality time with you!"
Twilight faced Greed with a playful smile "You mean aside from all the magic I've been teaching you while we've been together?"
Greed nodded "That was just a school session with a little romance on the side! Here, we can have our moment not as teacher and student, but as two unicorns with a thing going on!"
Twilight giggled "I guess you're right. I'm glad that you're here with me at the Gala tonight, Greed." The two shared a small kiss before they went to go look back at the stars "The sky looks so beautiful tonight..."
Greed scoffed "It's small potatoes compared to you! But it's okay..." He then sighed to himself as he looked down in thought.
Twilight looked over at her coltfriend with mild concern "Is something wrong, Greed?"
The avaricious pony sighed before he spoke up "I can't believe it's been three months since I first got here with my family. Never thought we'd have it made like this neither!" He looked up at the stars with a smile "I'm surprised everything turned out for the better ever since we got rid of that old bastard back then..."
Twilight frowned "You're still on about your father?"
Greed shook his head "Nah, just thinking out loud about myself is all." He turned to Twilight with a smile "And let me say that I'm happy to have met you and your friends, Twi! Yeah, it sounds too cheesy, even for me, but thanks..."
Twilight smiled as she looked into Greed's eyes "I should be thanking you for showing me your capabilities and becoming a better pony, Greed. Sure, you're not exactly the most giving pony, but you've done so much for me back then. You're the best pony I've met..." The two stared at each other lovingly before they slowly leaned their faces closer...
"Hey, lovebirds!"
The two instantly stopped and looked over to see Spike watching the two unicorns from the entrance with a smile. Twilight scowled at her assistant "Spike! Do you mind?"
Spike rolled his eyes "You mean with what you and Greed have been doing for some time now? I only came up here because they brought out some more amazing food downstairs! The others are enjoying it, too, and I wondered if any of you felt like joining us!"
The two stared before Greed chuckled "Sounds good. I forgot how amazing Celestia's food was when I first arrived! Let's go, Twi!"
Twilight sighed before she smiled "Sure. Some food does sounds good tonight, and we can't just spend the entire night alone." The trio then went downstairs to have some food to go with the amazing night.
Outside, the same statue Greed fell on three months ago stood idly by in the royal gardens.
"Ugh! Gag! I can feel it from here! The disgust! It won't come off!!"
The weird statue remained motionless while it stood by itself under the pale moonlight in the Royal gardens.
"This sucks!! It's already been long since I've been imprisoned by the Elements of Harmony again, and even THAT sucked!! Now I'm missing out on so much fun while I'm stuck here, dealing with these STUPID PIDGEONS!! What makes things worse was having to feel that lovey-dovey nonsense from a good distance! And by the same unicorn that crashed into me way back when...But there's something special about that little whelp...something...chaotic..."
Another pidgeon flew by and cooed before laying a drop that landed directly on the statue's forehead.
Inside of the castle, Greed and Twilight followed Spike as he led them into the banquet hall, where Pinkie and Gluttony were seen dancing recklessly while Lust mildly joined with them. Sloth was seen digging into some of the food while most of the noble ponies distanced themselves out of disgust and fear. The only ones that chose to stay by him were Applejack, Fluttershy (who hid behind her friend when everypony was watching), Rarity, and an intrigued Fancy Pants as he examined Sloth "I say, Sloth! You must have been cared for to have grown so large in your life! Can you tell me what your exercise consists of?" The sophisticated unicorn asked nonchalantly.
Sloth swallowed his portion and groaned "Exercise is a pain..." He went back to eating without another word.
Fancy Pant smiled "Well, it's as the saying goes: No pain, no gain!" He chuckled as he straightened his monocle.
Rarity fumed and hissed "Sloth! For Celestia's sake, show some manners around Fancy Pants!"
Applejack smiled at Rarity "Ah got this, Rarity!" She trotted over to Sloth and gave him a buck on his hip "C'mon, Sloth! Ah know it's askin' too much from ya, but try t' socialize fer once!"
Sloth finished eating again and slowly turned to Applejack "Hungry..."
Applejack scoffed "Ain't we all? Jus' try an' be more active here! It's a party!"
Greed chuckled at what was going on as he looked around "Looks like everypony's here!"
Spike looked around as well "I think you're wrong! Where's Rainbow Dash and Envy?"
Twilight smiled "I think they're still at the Wonderbolts' VIP section! We all know how Rainbow Dash wanted to be there!"
Greed held a taunting smile "I'll bet Envy's bored to death! I think I might swing by there to see what's going on!"
Twilight gave a brief nuzzle to Greed "Be sure to come back, okay? I'll try and calm the other ponies down with how they're eyeing Sloth..." She said with a small wince as she noticed how Sloth went back to eating.
Spike smiled at Greed "We'll save you a slice of cake when you get back!"
Greed gave a mock salute before he trotted off into the castle in search of the two rowdy pegasi.
Pinkie, Gluttony, and Lust continued dancing, though both Pinkie's and Gluttony's moves grew more erratic, much to Lust's slight annoyance.
"Mind if I cut in?"
Lust turned around to see Prince Blueblood attempting to both ignore Sloth's gathered attention and appear more charming in front of the lascivious mare. He held a winning grin and a lidded stare when he asked his question.
Lust only stifled a fit of laughter before she smirked "I'm afraid I'll have to decline, Prince Blueblood..." She shifted her eyes to Gluttony, her smile failing to leave "I think you know why..."
Gluttony ceased his dancing and leered at Blueblood while growling like a provoked dog, easily causing the ignorant prince to take a few steps back "S-Some other time then?" He asked with slight fear in his voice.
Lust nodded mockingly "Maybe..." She then proceeded to pat Gluttony's head, the voracious pony instantly smiling and nuzzling into her hoof.
Pinkie hopped up to Blueblood with a chipper smile "You can dance with me if you like!"
Blueblood craned his head back with a frown "No thank you, I'll just grab some hors d'ouerves..." He turned to see Sloth eating while Twilight and Applejack urged him to stop 'If there are any left...' With a fake smile, he made his way over towards the food table.
Pinkie tilted her head and heard hoofsteps before noticing Shining Armor trotting into the banquet hall with Cadence at his side "Hey, Shining Armor! Hey, Princess Cadence! You here to grab some food, too?"
Shining Armor smiled "Just some punch for the lady!" He looked over at the food table and held an incredulous expression "Whoa...I'd expect that sort of thing from Gluttony."
Pinkie giggled "He learned self-control thanks to me! Also, he had his fill earlier, so it's no trouble!"
Cadence examined the scene before tilting her head "Say, where's Greed? Normally, I'd expect him around Twilight with how inseparable they've been in the past!"
Pinkie waved a dismissive hoof "Don't mind Greedy! He's just gonna check up on Dashie and Envy before he comes back to her!" _____
Rainbow Dash was engrossed in chatting with Spitfire, she couldn't be happier. They swapped stories and flight tricks while they bonded through their conversation. The cyan pegasus felt that this night made up for her last time at the gala with how she was finally able to talk with her childhood idol on an equal standard.
Spitfire chuckled after hearing the story of Pinkie devouring the cake she made for the bake-off in Canterlot and spoke "Dash, if your stories are that good, then I'll bet your partner's would have the same quality!" She looked around with a confused frown "Where'd she go, anyway?"
Rainbow Dash perked up and looked around "Huh!?" She held back her anxiety and anger upon seeing Envy gone 'Envy better not be making trouble around here, or so help me I'll cut back on the love!'
While the two mares were looking around, Soarin trotted up with a frown "Hey, Spitfire! Some fans over on the east end wanna have a photo shoot with you! They're pretty antsy about it, let me tell you!"
Spitfire sighed, but smiled afterwards "Another one, huh? I suppose our work's never done..." She turned to Rainbow Dash "I'd gladly keep talking, Dash, but I gotta take this. You know how fans are, right?"
Rainbow Dash gave a nervous chuckle as she looked back "Yeah, don't I know it?"
Spitfire nodded "Cool. I'll be right back!" She trotted off, leaving Soarin and Rainbow Dash behind.
The cyan pegasus tried to ignore her anxiety by breaking the ice with the pie-loving Wonderbolt "So I heard about you avoiding pies on a dare! How's that helping you anyway?" Rainbow Dash noticed how Soarin only watched Spitfire leave before he began to snicker. Her confusion grew before she held an irritated look "Not funny..." She said in a low tone.
Soarin ceased his laughter with a smirk "Oh come on, it was only a small prank!" He looked around "Say, no one's watching, right?" Taking the slim opportunity, a green aura surrounded Soarin before it dissolved to reveal Envy in his place. The jealous pony turned to Rainbow Dash "Besides, it's a party! No use in standing around and talking all night!"
Rainbo Dash glared at Envy "Not everypony here knows you're a changeling, Envy! Could you just please try and be cool for once? Like me? FOR me?"
Envy scoffed with a scowl "For you, alright! You've been talking to Spitfire like she was next in line to be your special somepony! If anything, I could've been considered a ninja with how you chose to ignore me like that!"
Rainbow Dash was slightly taken aback by Envy's rash statement before she spat back "Hey, just because I idolize Spitfire doesn't mean that I'm just gonna leave you behind like that! We're together and you know it!"
Envy spat back "If only I'd believe you if you hadn't noticed me leave UNTIL Spitfire brought it up! Face it! If it weren't for the fact that the Wonderbolts were here, we'd probably have more fun around this place!"
Rainbow Dash glared "Look, Envy! I'm sorry for ignoring you back there, but I don't wanna play babysitter the whole night! This is the one chance I actually get to talk with the Wonderbolts like we're friends! They could even let us in their ranks soon enough!"
Envy glared back "Do you honestly think I'd want to join them? Sure, maybe for you, but I don't really intend on spending my life performing tricks in front of an audience like a little monkey!"
Rainbow Dash got in Envy's face "You talking bad about the Wonderbolts!? Take that back!"
Envy pushed back with the same force "Or what?! You're just gonna defend them and forget about me? I'd honestly expect that out of you with what you got in your room!"
Rainbow Dash growled "Fine! You want a fun time so bad, why don't we go a few rounds!?" She said, obviously antagonized by Envy's harsh words.
Envy grinned "That's more like it! At least now I can take your mind of those dopes for a bit!" The two pegasi assumed their stances. _____
Greed shoved through the crowd, barely paying attention to his manners while looking for Rainbow Dash and Envy 'Should've just asked where they would be in this place...I forgot how huge this castle is!' As he traveled, he noticed a section separated by velvet rope dividers.
Looking past the given boundaries, he spotted the pegasi he was looking for. He grinned when he noticed the tension between them 'Looks like things got interesting before I arrived! Time to step inside!' Ignoring the front entrance, Greed leapt over the velvet rope divider in front of him and sifted through the VIP section. When he finally reached the scene, he called to Rainbow Dash and Envy "Hey, you two! What's up?"
Both the pegasi were caught off-guard and turned to see Greed come their way. Rainbow Dash was the first to speak with an incredulous expression "Greed? How'd you get in here? This is the VIP section!"
Greed looked behind him "Just made my way inside from the edge. Not that it matters anyways. What's going on with you two?" He asked with an amused smirk.
Envy scowled and pointed at Rainbow Dash "Little Ms. Fangirl over here talked with her childhood hero and somehow left me in the dust! For once, I'm actually happy to see you with how boring it is here!"
Rainbow Dash fumed "For the last time, I'm sorry! Get over yourself, palm-tree head!"
Greed laughed at this "Spoken like a true relationship! I'm kind of glad I haven't reached that point with Twilight yet!"
Rainbow Dash held a wry smile "With how you two are, I envy you. And I'm standing right next to the pony!"
Envy jerked its head towards the cyan pegasus and bared its teeth "Oh, ha-ha!"
Greed chuckled at the small joke "Well, anyways, I kinda felt like stopping by and seeing what you're up to. Maybe even bring you back to the banquet hall for some food! Sloth's helping himself over there so badly, it's like him and Gluttony switched roles!"
Rainbow Dash blinked in disbelief "That is something I wanna see! Then again, Sloth is a big boy after all!"
Greed turned to Envy "How about you, Envy? I'd say you're bored enough to be hungry!"
Envy huffed "You're telling me...I could use a little snack." It turned to Rainbow Dash with a passive frown "Hey, you coming or what?"
Before Rainbow Dash could speak, Spitfire and Soarin trotted up with a smile "Hey, I'm back. And I brought back Soarin here with me."
Soarin cast a skeptical glance at Spitfire "The hay's that supposed to mean?" He asked with genuine confusion. He then remembered Rainbow Dash and waved with a smile "Hey, Rainbow Dash? How's it hangin'!"
Rainbow Dash grinned and turned to the two former homunculi "Don't worry, you two! I'll catch up with you later!" The cyan pegasus then went back to chatting with the Wonderbolts.
Envy stared at Rainbow Dash before its face contorted in a toothy scowl as it growled at the Wonderbolts.
Greed placed a hoof on Envy's shoulder with a smirk "No need to get all worked up, Envy! I'd say you could last a few minutes without her!"
Envy swatted Greed's hoof away "Let's just get some damn food..." The jealous pony muttered bitterly as it trotted towards the VIP entrance with Greed following close behind. _____
Twilight and Applejack managed to move Sloth away from the food table after he had enough to eat and decided to sleep in the middle of the room. The lavender bookworm groaned "I can't believe Sloth would even misbehave like that! I'm just glad Princess Celestia isn't around to see this..." She said as she looked around anxiously.
Applejack scowled at Sloth "Ain't no point in wakin' this big lug up now, seein' as how we'll only make more o' a scene!"
Greed and a bitter Envy trotted into the banquet hall, and the avaricious pony laughed at the scene in front of him "Looks like Sloth's got his fill!" He looked over to see the remnants of what was devoured being replaced by more of the castle's chefs, though they held looks of contempt towards the sleeping mass in the middle of the room.
Twilight noticed Greed and smiled as she trotted over to his side and gave him a small peck on the cheek "Welcome back. And you're correct about Sloth." She looked over at Envy and tilted her head when she noticed that the jealous pony was staring at the floor "Envy? What's the matter?"
Envy only scoffed and lightly shoved Twilight aside as it trotted towards the food table "Out of my way..." It muttered sourly.
Pinkie and Gluttony were busy dancing, but when Envy caught her eye, Pinkie stopped and waved over at Envy "Hiya, Envy!"
Gluttony followed suit out of childish instinct "Hello, Envy? Isn't this party fun?" When his answer came in the form of an angered grunt as Envy passed by, the voracious pony frowned at his older sibling.
Twilight was slightly agitated by the rude gesture, but then turned to Greed with an inquisitive stare "What's with him? Did you mess with Envy, Greed?" She asked with a light sternness in her voice.
Greed rolled his eyes "Please, as much as I'd love to poke fun at my siblings, this wasn't me. The poor pony's being shunned by Rainbow Dash while she's busy chatting with the Wonderbolts!"
Twilight frowned at this "He's being ignored? Shouldn't he at least be happy for Rainbow Dash instead of holding a foul mood?"
Greed laughed "Twilight, you're missing the concept!" He pointed a hoof at Envy eating a small sandwich "You're looking at Envy the jealous! I think the answer's pretty obvious, don't you?"
Twilight looked down in embarrassment before looking back up at the avaricious pony "Be that as it may, Envy shouldn't be acting this way at the Grand Galloping Gala!"
Spike waddled up to the two unicorns with an arched eyebrow "You mean the same way you and your friends did at the last Grand Galloping Gala? I even acted that way until I found you all at Donut Joe's shop!"
Twilight looked over at Envy and sighed "I suppose I should feel bad for Envy. Granted, him and Rainbow Dash bicker like it's nopony's business, but deep down they share a very strong connection!"
Greed gave an amused smirk "And along came the Wonderbolts..." Twilight glared at her coltfriend, to which Greed shrugged "What? It's true! You honestly expect to pay attention to anypony else when talking to somepony you look up to?" Twilight went to speak, only to be interrupted by the avaricious pony "Somepony BESIDES the princesses?"
Shining Armor chuckled as he joined the group with Cadence "You're asking too much from my sister to look up to somepony else, Greed!"
Greed grinned "I suppose so, but who else would be a good role model? I already filled that position for a good while since I got here!"
Twilight narrowed her eyes with a smile "Are you going by teaching me how to use your Ultimate Shield spell?"
Greed inched near Twilight's face, the grin on his face refusing to leave "Maybe..."
Cadence looked over at Envy and frowned "That poor changeling..." She turned to Greed "Greed, you should probably go cheer Envy up. Nopony should be sad at a party!"
Greed blinked "What?"
Cadence held up a hoof "You're Envy's older brother, right? Shouldn't you at least go and comfort your younger sibling out of the goodness of your heart?"
Greed frowned "You're kidding right? That's like asking me to give up all of my possessions!"
Shining Armor looked disappointed "That seems pretty harsh coming out of you..."
Twilight nodded "I agree." An idea came into her head "And yet...your analogy can be considered similar to generosity!" She beamed "That's a great idea! This could be a good way for you to actually start learning generosity without having to turn to Rarity!"
Greed cringed at the mention of the 'G' word and the thought of actually having to be taken under Rarity's wing. He gave a small groan "You know how Envy is, Twi. Can't we have somepony else to do it? Like Lust? Or Fluttershy maybe?"
Twilight frowned "No need to come up with excuses, Greed. Besides, looking at it from a rational point of view, if you don't do it, then Pinkie will the moment she notices Envy feeling down, and I think we both know how he is around her..." She said as she looked over at Pinkie, who already made her way towards the jealous pony and began to ramble on.
Greed already imagined how bad it would be if Pinkie were to push Envy even further than where it stood with its attitude, but was still reluctant "Just give Envy some time, I'm sure the pony'll come around!"
Twilight inched her face near Greed's with a smile "Please? For me?" She asked in a cute tone.
Greed kept silent and tried to hold a stalwart stare towards Twilight's attempt at making him submit to her request. He narrowed his eyes for a moment while his marefriend tilted her head slightly as she blinked, her smile refusing to leave. His pupils trembled for a moment as he continued to stare at Twilight, who then drew her head back as her lower lip quivered in a small pout, looking sad. Greed only paused before he squinted his eyes 'God, that's cute...' He then sighed "Fine! I'll try and cheer Envy up!"
With that, Twilight kissed Greed on the nose with a triumphant, but grateful smile "Thank you very much, Greed. I'm sure you'll get Envy back on his feet!"
Greed looked away with a frown "I think you're giving me too much credit, Twi..." He then noticed Pinkie continuing on as Envy looked more aggravated by the minute "But I'll give it a shot for you!" He said as he made his way over towards Envy and Pinkie.
Cadence smiled "Good luck, Greed!"
Greed scowled as he trotted away from the others 'Sure, make it seem harder than it actually looks, why don't you?' When he reached the food table, Greed waved a hoof "Hey, Pinkie, I can take it from here! Why don't you go dance with Gluttony some more?"
Pinkie looked over at Greed and smiled "Okie Dokie Loki! Make sure to turn Envy's frown upside down, okay?" She then hopped away and left Greed and Envy alone.
Greed cleared his throat before he smiled at Envy "Hey there. Good thing I saved you the trouble of actually wanting to kill somepony, huh?"
Envy leered at Greed, still in its bitter mood "What do you want, Greed? I'm in no mood to talk right now."
Greed nodded "I can see that, and trust me when I said I felt like leaving you alone to get over this thing. But the way I see it, this is basically a relationship problem, and you obviously need some comfort!"
Envy bared its teeth at Greed "I don't need your pity, dumbass!"
Greed scoffed "Who said I was pitying you? I'm trying to cheer you up! Apparently everypony else is bothered by how you're choosing to act like someone just spat in your coffee!"
Envy narrowed its eyes "Go try somewhere else! The only way I'll even cheer up is if something exciting actually happens around here!"
Greed chuckled "What, like when you and Rainbow were about to throw down? If that's the case, then I can empathize with being bored!"
Envy growled "That's a load of crap and you know it! You don't even seem it with how you and Twilight are doing alright!"
Greed shook his head "Well that's because I'm cool like that. No point in letting anything get me down like this! So what say I take your mind off of Rainbow for a moment and try to lift your spirits?"
Envy paused before it smiled "I'd say you wouldn't have the balls since it would involve pissing off the princesses AND Twilight. Not to mention, you look like you're out of practice..."
Greed laughed "Look at you go! At least I did well in cheering you up a little, but I'd say that you're far from besting me in a fight! Besides, I'd figure you would-" His face was met with a green hoof as a hard punch connected with his jaw. The others, save for Blueblood and the nobles noticed and gasped.
Envy grinned as it drew back a hoof "You were saying?" It asked in a taunting tone.
Greed drew his head back to face Envy as he held a toothy grin that reeked of a desire to fight "Let's go..."
Greed and Envy rolled across the ballroom floor, trading punches and kicks as they grappled one another while doing so. When they tumbled past Twilight, Shining Armor, and Cadence, Envy found itself under Greed and managed to launch the avaricious pony away with a good kick. Greed recovered onto his feet and grinned despite his suit being ruined "Nice shot, Envy! But I'm still up!" He activated his horn and went into his Ultimate Shield form as he shouted in his metallic voice "You're mine!" He galloped towards Envy with his horn pointed.
Envy grinned defiantly and flew into the air, passing over Greed "You'll have to catch me first, dumbass!" The jealous pony taunted as it soared into the next room over a crowd of nobles.
Normally, Greed would be well-mannered with passing by other ponies be they noble or not, but he was riled up after Envy decided to provoke him into fighting. He dove into the crowd and stormed past each pony in front of him without hesitation or even excusing himself, wanting to find Envy and settle the score.
Twilight galloped after the two former homunculi, fearing that their sibling rivalry would disrupt the gala "Greed, come back here!! This isn't what we meant by cheering Envy up!!" _____
Meanwhile, Rainbow Dash was enjoying her conversation with the Wonderbolts, sharing a hearty laugh with her soon-to-be fellow members "This is so great being with you guys like this! I know we only hung out for a small time back then, but this is SO much better!"
Soarin grinned "I hear ya! Sometimes, it's good to cut back and enjoy ourselves for once, minus all of this celebrity work!"
Spitfire rubbed her chin with a raised eyebrow "Say, Dash...Who was that unicorn that was with you and Envy earlier? He seemed like he knew Envy."
Soarin blinked "Come to think of it, how'd he get into the VIP section?"
Rainbow Dash turned to Spitfire "Oh, that's just Envy's older brother Greed! He tends to live up to his name sometimes, but he's a cool stallion. He's been dating my friend Twilight, too!"
Soarin looked around "Speaking of Envy, how come you haven't introduced her to me? I would've talked to her with you, seeing as how you two are together!"
With that statement, the cyan pegasus felt a lump in her throat as she thought about how angry Envy was when it was being ignored. Rainbow Dash gradually felt guilty after realizing the error of her ways 'Oh geez...Envy's a jerk sometimes, but I think I just reached that level myself...' She looked at the Wonderbolts with a smile "Hey, guys? If it's not too much trouble, I could just go look for Envy and we can all talk together. How's that sound?"
Spitfire smiled at Rainbow Dash, then looked up as she heard flapping "Say, isn't that Envy right now?" She asked as the rest of the trio turned to the ceiling.
Rainbow Dash's eyes widened when she noticed Envy flying around with a mischievous grin on its face 'Oh no...what is that changeling up to this time!?' Her answer came in the form of a line of shoved ponies in the crowd below Envy "What the-?" She flew up to get a better look at what was happening.
Greed was busy sifting through the crowd in his Ultimate Shield form and Twilight was following after him while carefully moving past the ponies rammed in his path. Rainbow Dash was confused as to why this was happening, but she knew that if Envy was involved, it was not something good; especially since she remembered how badly she had treated the jealous pony. The cyan pegasus looked down to the Wonderbolts and called out "I'm gonna go after Envy! Be back in a flash!" She then soared away and joined in the chase.
In the crowd, Greed pushed past more noble ponies while keeping his piercing red eyes up at his target in the air "C'mon, Envy! You started this fight, so you may as well finish it! You're not gonna keep this chase up, are you?"
Envy looked back down at Greed and scoffed "Well, there's no point in fighting with all these ponies here, so why don't we take it outside?"
Greed chuckled as it chased the jealous pony "Sounds like a plan!! At least you're not acting cowardly!"
Envy looked around for a good exit, and then noticed a hall to its right leading towards the castle's vestibule. It grinned triumphantly as it made a course through the air and soared to the entrance, ignoring the fact that Celestia, Luna, and Wrath were watching.
Greed noticed this and followed close behind as he squinted his eyes. He galloped along the red carpet and made a hard turn left away from the staircase after Envy out of the opened entrance.
Celestia, Luna, and Wrath were all surprised about this, and even moreso when they noticed Twilight and Rainbow Dash chase after them as well. Wrath turned to the princesses with a hardened gaze "Princesses, if you'll excuse me, please..." He said as he rushed down the stairs and followed the two couples out the door. _____
The statue in the royal gardens continued to sit idly by, now decorated with several droppings on its head.
"Okay, so it's decided then! First order of business if I DO get free...Pidgeons are the first to go! Hm, then again, where's the fun in that? I know! I'll turn them into oranges! That would be fun! Or what if I take away their wings and replace them with buttered toast? Hmmm, decisions, decisions..."
An invisible wave was felt by the statue.
"Whoa...That was invigorating! Where is it coming from exactly?"
A few feet away from the statue, Envy was flying by with Greed closing in as they were near the hedge maze. The avaricious pony felt that his sibling had dragged this chase on long enough and decided to leap onto the statue and launch himself into the air as he pounced on Envy "Gotcha!" He brought the jealous pony down as the two continued their little scuffle in front of the strange statue.
"Amazing! So THAT'S where it came from!! Say...isn't that the same unicorn I noticed with Twilight Sparkle earlier? He looks as if Celestia tossed him into the sun! Oh, but what am I saying? Those two must have more energy inside of them than those fillies from last time I came out! I can just feel the chaos flow!!"
"Greed! Envy!"
The two former homunculi ceased their fighting and looked over to see Twilight and Rainbow Dash catch up to them; Twilight holding a stern glare while Rainbow Dash looked both curious and wary. Rainbow Dash landed and glared at the two "What's going on here? Why are you two fighting??"
Envy shoved Greed off and glared back at Rainbow Dash "Wouldn't you like to know! Shouldn't you be chatting with the Wonderbolts or something!?" It snapped at the cyan pegasus
Twilight sighed and turned to Rainbow Dash with a mixture of disappointment and pity "That's part of the reason he's fighting Greed..." She then turned back to her coltfriend with a glare "And apparently this was his way of cheering Envy up!"
Greed cancelled out of his Ultimate Shield form and huffed at Twilight "Envy started it!" He pointed at Envy "And besides, you think there would've been a better way knowing the pony's mood! I told you we should've just left Envy be, but you and the others decided that I practiced generosity! Well, here it is! This is my act of generosity!"
Twilight scowled "Be that as it may, you two caused a disturbance in the Gala! If Princess Celestia saw what happened in the castle, she wouldn't be happy!"
Envy sneered at Twilight while it brushed its ruined coat "Keep your skirt on, Twilight! It wasn't a big deal!"
Rainbow Dash approached Envy with a glare "Anything's a big deal with you, Envy! All this because I ignored you back there?"
The four ponies were oblivious to the statue next to them as they argued.
"Ooooooh~...Relationship troubles? This is new! Especially from the Elements of Harmony themselves! Hm...I wonder how Rarity is doing without Tom at her side *chuckle*"
"Everypony!"
The group turned to see Wrath approach in a gallop and stopping in front of them "What is the meaning of all this?" He asked in an authoritive tone.
Greed scoffed at Wrath's tendency to act like he ran the castle "Quit playing dutiful guard, Wrath! Me and Envy stopped fighting and I'm already being scolded by Twilight!"
Wrath glared at Greed "I don't know of your's or Envy's intentions on acting like misbehaved children, but this behavior is unacceptable. You'll have to come back and pardon yourselves for your actions."
Twilight looked at Greed and Envy "Before we do, though, you two should apologize! That whole brawl just came out of left field!"
Rainbow Dash chimed in "I'm with Twilight! C'mon and make up so we can enjoy the rest of the night!"
Greed and Envy looked at each other and narrowed their eyes as they held out one of their forelegs and gave a hoofshake; it was forceful between the two as they leered at each other, dark grins plastered on their faces.
Twilight scowled "Come on, you two! Like you mean it!"
Wrath sighed in disappointment "I'm afraid that's the best you can get between the two of them, Twilight Sparkle...It will be easier towards other ponies, but if it is a matter between us as a family, there can only be so much we can actually apologize for..."
Rainbow Dash frowned at Wrath "Seems pretty sad, if you asked me..."
Greed retracted his hoof and smirked "Sad for you maybe! If anything, I enjoyed our little fight together!" He turned to Envy with a snarky grin "I managed to show Envy here who's boss!"
Envy glared back with a grin of its own as it got into Greed's face "Oh, sure you did!" It snapped back. The two were surprised when they were separated while being covered in a magenta aura.
Twilight deactivated her horn with a frown "Enough already! Let's go back inside and sort things out!" The group of ponies left, while the statue stood in the grass.
What was different about the statue after they left was the shades that it was wearing with a face of confidence rather than fear. A serpentine shadow hovered quietly in the sky over the castle, watching the five ponies go inside before winking out of existence after the sound of snapping was heard.
Afterwards, some pigeons flew by, but their wings were instantly turned into pieces of freshly buttered toast as they dropped down. _____
Pinkie and Gluttony hopped over to the snack table to have a second helping after they exhausted their energy through dancing. Lust ate an hors d'ouerve she levitated with her magic, then looked over at the two hungry earth ponies "I hope you two won't act like Sloth earlier with the food..."
Pinkie giggled at Lust "Good one, Lusty! We're just hungry after all that dancing! Right, Gluttony?"
Gluttony, who had his mouth full, nodded and muffled in agreement as he swallowed his portion and went back for more.
Lust looked around to see many nobles murmuring with nasty looks towards her and the others. She stared back with a neutral expression 'It seems we've yet to be accepted by everypony in Canterlot with how my siblings are acting...' The lascivious mare turned to see an embarrassed Rarity talking with Fancy Pants while Applejack and Fluttershy talked amongst themselves around Sloth while he slept. She chuckled to herself "This seems to be quite the party..."
Pinkie swallowed a bite of her food with a grin "I'll say! If only we could get everypony in the castle to dance, then it would be a blast!"
Gluttony turned to Pinkie with a smile "Like your exploding cupcakes?"
Lust blinked at Pinkie and Gluttony "Excuse me?"
Pinkie smiled at Lust "Oh, just one of my many super-duper secret recipes!" She inched towards Lust "The secret's in the frosting!" The party pony leaned in forward with her eyes squinted, a mischievous smirk on her muzzle "But I'll never tell..." She uttered in a sly tone.
Lust stared back at Pinkie and wondered why she hasn't looked into her with how long she has stayed in Ponyville. She remembered back to when Twilight mentioned to refrain from doing so, but with each passing antic from Pinkie, Lust grew more curious to study the party pony's full capabilities.
Spike waddled up to Lust and looked away, trying to act suave "So, Lust...I see you've been by yourself on the dance floor. That can't be right for any mare if they're dancing alone..." He looked up at her with a smile "So I was wondering if you'd like to-"
Lust interrupted Spike with a smile "Sure..."
Spike blinked incredulously "R-R-R-Really!?"
Lust closed her eyes and flicked her mane with a hoof "Rather you than Blueblood, I suppose...You're one of the few individuals on Gluttony's good side, so it's an added bonus for you."
Gluttony looked at Spike with a kind smile "Go ahead, Spike! You can dance with Lusty if you want!" He piped up cheerfully.
Spike stammered as he gradually lost his composure, sweating bullets as he contemplated how far he had gotten with a beautiful mare 'If only it were Rarity...Oh, but Lust is just as beautiful as her! I'm so confused!'
Lust smiled teasingly at Spike as she held out a hoof "Well? Aren't you going to escort this mare onto the dance floor?"
Spike perked up and quickly took Lust's hoof "U-Uh, yeah! Right! Shall we?" He held a shaky grin as the two made their way onto the dance floor.
Pinkie watched and playfully nudged Gluttony "Rarity's gonna be soooo jealous!"
Gluttony turned to Pinkie with a quizzical glance "Really? Why?"
Pinkie got into Gluttony's face with a smile "Because Spike's dancing with Lust, silly! You know that!"
Gluttony looked at the nervous dragon dancing with Lust "Is that bad?" He asked with a frown.
Pinkie shrugged "Well, that depends on how Rarity takes it! Who knows, though? Maybe they could take turns dancing with Spike! Speaking of...I think it's time we danced, too! C'mon, Gluttony!" Pinkie hopped out on the dance floor with Gluttony following suit.
Applejack and Fluttershy looked around at the many nobles that seemed miffed about what was going on in the room. Applejack frowned "Looks like we've made another scene again! Hopefully we can go through the rest o' this night without any more problems!"
Fluttershy cringed "Oh, I feel awful to see everypony upset because of what we've done..."
Applejack sighed "Well, t' be fair, an' Ah hate t' admit it, but it was more o' th' homunculi's doin' in this night! 'Cept fer Wrath an' Lust, of course, seein' as how they're th' most mature outta them all..."
Fluttershy blinked "But haven't we acted rashly last year?"
Applejack gave a wry and nostalgic chuckle "Touche, sugarcube." She turned to Sloth and scowled "If anythin', it'd be a high point if Sloth actually manages t' move his flank!"
"Wish granted!"
Before anypony could make out the sudden voice, Sloth grunted as he slowly rose himself up, much to everypony's surprise, and he continued to grunt as began to buck around like a bronco, causing small tremors in the room.
Pinkie gasped "Hey! Sloth's dancing! How cool is that!?" She grinned at how Sloth was moving, despite the problems he was causing.
Applejack yelled as she and the others were being shaken "Sloth, fer th' love o' Celestia, stop that right now!"
Sloth spoke as he moved "It's...not...me..." He strained as he continued to partake in an imaginary rodeo.
Applejack blinked "What?"
Fluttershy squeaked in fright at Sloth's sudden action "Sloth, please stop this! You're scaring us!" She mewled as she backed away.
Lust and Spike watched in confusion, and Lust's gaze grew more serious 'What could be manipulating Sloth? We heard a voice, but where did it come from?'
Spike reeled back and fell on his rump when he could not take more of the tremors being made by Sloth "What's going on!? Why's Sloth acting like this?"
"Hahahahaaaa~! Dance, puppet, dance! It's a party!"
Everypony gasped and looked around the ceiling for the voice's source, murmuring to themselves in terror.
Rarity looked up and glared as she hissed to herself "There's only one despicable cur who would be able to do such a thing..." _____
As Twilight and company made their way inside of the castle, they felt tremors and tried to maintain their leggings. Greed broke the silence as he looked around "What the hell!?"
Celestia and Luna felt the tremors as well and looked around "Where is this coming from!?" Luna asked.
Greed, Wrath, and Envy looked at each other before giving a simultaneous nod, reaching a silent and unanimous agreement. Greed turned to the others "Everypony to the ballroom! I think something's up with Sloth!" With that, the group, now numbering seven, made their way towards the ballroom. Celestia, Luna, Rainbow Dash, Envy, and Wrath took flight with how badly the ground was shaking.
When they reached the ballroom, their eyes widened to see Sloth bucking around against his will. Rainbow Dash twitched an eye "I'm not the only one that's seeing this right!?"
Twilight tried to stand while the shaking grew worse "Why is Sloth moving so rambunctiously!?"
Wrath saw this and was baffled himself "Sloth would only move that way if he were actually pushing himself in a fight...This doesn't make any sense!"
"Oh, don't make me say it again! I know you're new here and all, but I shouldn't repeat myself, should I?"
The group looked up as Greed shouted "Who's there!?"
Twilight was breathless "It...It can't be..."
Celestia's face was that of rage as she looked up "Discord! Show yourself!"
"Well, normally I would, but you'd expect that...So why don't you find me, hm? I'll give you a hint...Your's is but a 'door' of opportunity..."
Greed blinked "Door? Door..." He perked up "The front door! This guy's at the front door!"
"Good boy, Greed! As a reward, Sloth will stop dancing! Poor little guy's probably wasted too much of his precious energy acting against his will..."
A snap was heard, and Sloth managed to freeze while he stood on his hindlegs. He was about to fall forward, over a group of gasping noble ponies that dashed away as the indolent pony lumbered forward. Sloth managed to get on all fours, though he caused one last tremor when doing so.
"Weeeell? What are you waiting for?"
Greed turned to the element bearers and his siblings "You heard him! Let's get moving!"
Shining Armor and Cadence held determined glares "We're coming, too!" The guard captain stated firmly.
Greed gave a curt nod "Good enough for me! C'mon!" The group galloped towards the castle's vestibule without another word.
Blueblood looked around and instantly felt his security had been abandoned with the appearance of Discord and the element bearers away. He shrieked as he galloped after the group "Everypony! Wait for me!" _____
The group had gathered to see that the front door had been sealed shut, much to Greed's annoyance. He looked around "So where is this jackass? He told us to meet him here, didn't he?"
Celestia shifted her eyes around "Discord can work in mysterious ways, Greed...He could be anywhere..." She darted her eyes to the front gates as they began to rumble "There!" The group took their own stances, save for Blueblood, who managed to arrive only to hide behind Sloth as he stared at the door.
After the rumbling grew worse, it opened to reveal a tall and serpentine figure that held several different parts on its body: An eagle's claw, a lion's paw, a dragon's tail and leg, a pony's leg and head with different antlers and misshapen red eyes, along with a large snaggletooth. He hovered with a set of mismatched wings; one bat and the other eagle. He grinned maliciously at the anticipating group...
Until he spread out his arms and legs as he held a comical smile "Celly~! I'm home~!" He shouted in a singsong tone. Surprisingly, there was the sound of canned laughter followed by applause, much to the former homunculi's confusion.
Envy blinked incredulously before it glared "Who the hell are you!?"
The guests in the vestibule instantly went pale at the arrival of the strange monster "It's Discord!! He's free again!" One male guest shouted as the rest began to scream and run in a panic.
Gluttony watched the guests run away to the different halls of the castle before turning back to the monster with a blink "Discord?" He parroted in confusion.
Greed examined the monster's features "Wait a second..." He perked up in realization "You're just like that statue I saw three months ago!"
Twilight turned to Greed in shock "You've seen Discord before, Greed?"
Discord crossed his mismatched arms with a smile "Of course this one has seen me! Our meeting could've gone better, though..."
Greed sneered "So you ARE the statue?"
Discord shrugged "Well, more or less I was trapped inside of a statue, but I digress..." He placed an eagle claw on his chest "My name is indeed Discord, Spirit of Chaos and proud of it!" He grinned jubilantly at the group "So nice to see your faces again, my little ponies! Except foooor...." He pointed a talon at each of the former homunculi "You, you, you, you, aaaand you."
Gluttony smiled innocently at Discord "Are you a chimera?"
Discord shook his head "No, my pudgy little friend, I'm actually what you would call a draconequus! Hopefully you'll remember the term, given your obvious simplicity..."
Pinkie glowered at Discord "Hey! Don't pick on Gluttony like that! He's still learning!"
Celestia stared down Discord, and the draconequus stared back with a wicked smile "How did you manage to escape!?" Celestia was caught off-guard when she noticed Discord mimic her words in a mocking tone the moment she spoke.
Discord snickered to himself and spoke "You see, that's the best part!" He swooped down and picked up Greed to show the group while the avaricious pony struggled in his grasp "This one here was the key to my escape! And to think, out of all the ponies in Equestria, it was the Element of Magic's boytoy that managed to do the job!"
The group stared in disbelief before Twilight whispered "Greed, you did this?"
Greed went to speak, but Discord covered his muzzle with a paw "I know, shocking, isn't it? But don't think he's the one to take all the credit! He had help from another!" He spotted the jealous pony hovering next to Rainbow Dash with a grin "Envy, was it? So nice to see you and Greed trying to kill each other. It reminded me of how there are still traces of chaos in this world!"
Rainbow Dash glared at Discord "What makes you think Envy would willingly free the likes of you!?" She snapped indignantly.
Discord rolled his eyes "Sheesh, I've only gotten out of my prison again and everypony's so hostile! Would it hurt to at least be a little friendly once in a while?" He smirked at the group "If I'm not mistaken, it's what you ponies thrive on, correct? The Magic of Friendship?" Discord lightly tossed Greed in front of the group and held up his arms as he turned his back on the group "But I suppose you have every right to discriminate against little old me, I mean, after all..." He shifted his head entirely to face the group, as if imitating an owl "Who could love a monster like myself EXCEPT for myself, hm?" He said with a wide grin.
Greed growled as he stood up "Don't know where you get off making a fool out of me, but if I'm the one who brought you into this world, I can damn well take you out of it!" He said as he tore off and tossed aside his ruined tuxedo, ignoring the cries of Rarity, and went into his Ultimate Shield form. He pawed at the ground "Say your prayers, you damn beast!" He said as he galloped towards Discord without hesitation.
Twilight gasped and held out a hoof "Greed, don't!"
Discord watched Greed with a smug smile before he snapped the fingers of his lion paw. While Greed charged at Discord, the shimmering silver on his body was gradually replaced with a light tan. The draconequus then held out his lion paw the moment Greed aimed his horn, and the avaricious pony instantly bounced away after his head collided with the paw. Discord tittered after the failed attack "That tickles!"
Greed recovered with an incredulous look in his eyes "What!? I was locked onto you!" He examined his hoof "I should-huh!?" He looked at both of his hooves with disbelief.
Lust was just as surprised while she observed the scene "He turned Greed's Ultimate Shield into rubber with a snap of his fingers!"
Sloth groaned "You're a pain..." He said as he burst into a destructive blur towards Discord, who easily teleported before the indolent pony could even reach him. Sloth then crashed into a wall while Discord reappeared and hovered up to him.
Discord watched as Sloth brought himself out of the rubble and shook his head in mock disappointment "Tsk tsk, Sloth! Somepony's really got to bring you down to size! Lucky for you, I can handle that easily!" He laid a talon on Sloth's forehead and began pressing down on it. As he did so, Sloth began to shrink, receding into his enormous tuxedo. When Discord's arm was deep in Sloth's tuxedo, he fished out what appeared to be Sloth in the form of a colt "Tadaaaa~!!"
Greed watched in surprise as he cancelled out of his Ultimate Shield form "Sloth!?"
Rarity gasped "My goodness! Sloth's been reduced to a child now!"
Discord dropped the indolent colt onto the floor, and he picked himself up sounding like a tired child "What happened? I feel weak..." Fluttershy galloped over and brought Sloth into her forelegs while Discord laughed in amusement.
Gluttony growled at Discord "That's not funny! Change Sloth back right now!"
Discord shrugged "Wasn't exactly shooting for comedy, but fine, whatever..." He snapped his fingers nonchalantly, and Sloth was brought back into his regular size, much to Fluttershy's surprise as she struggled with holding the indolent pony before she was crushed under his weight. Discord saw this and snickered loudly "Now THAT'S comedy!" He bursted into raucous laughter at Fluttershy's misfortune.
His laughter was interrupted when he noticed a long and sharp object near him, dodging out of the way to see that it was Lust's extended horn. He poked the end with a claw while he ignored the glare on her face "Intriguing...You're entirely different from the ponies I've seen in my time..." He looked towards the rest of the former homunculi "In fact, you all seem to have some unique features aside from Greed..." He stroked his beard with his lion paw "Mind if I peek inside your heads for a bit?" He smiled mischievously as he snapped his talons and winked out in a flash.
The entire group looked around warily for Discord, until Greed felt a twitch in his head, followed by a clouded feeling that bothered him. He brought his forehooves to his head and grunted, earning the attention of the group "What's going on!?"
"Stay cool, Greed. Just gimme a minute..."
After a short moment, the feeling in Greed's head subsided "Urgh...What did he just-"
A grunt from Lust was heard as the group turned to the lascivious mare holding her head with a hoof "Something's happening to me now..."
Wrath growled "Discord must be going through our minds at a breakneck pace! We have to repel him before-" The furious pony grunted as he now held the same feeling as he tried to stand straight "Damn..."
Celestia went to act as her horn glowed a bright yellow. She aimed for Wrath in hopes of pulling out Discord, but was stopped when he heard an 'eep' escape Gluttony's lips. She turned to see the voracious pony looking around and sniffing the air, trying to locate Discord. She cursed herself as she watched this happen 'What could he be up to this time?'
Envy looked around "Where is he coming from!? There's no way he could-" The jealous pony grunted and clenched its eyes shut as it held brought its forehooves to its head.
"*laugh* It's so much fun to interrupt ponies sometimes! Or should I say, changelings?? ...Wow! You have quite the history behind you, too! Most interesting!"
Envy's eyes shot open the moment the feeling subsided "Where is he now!?" The jealous pony darted its head and looked around.
Sloth was the last to have his mind invaded after he moved himself off of Fluttershy, but he ignored it while he uttered a tired groan "What a pain..."
Twilight glared at the ceiling "Cut it out, Discord!" She shouted.
On cue, the draconequus teleported in front of the group with a laugh "This is amazing! And to think I was the only monster here!!"
Twilight scowled at Discord, and he instantly ceased his laughter and got in Twilight's face with a devious smirk the moment she snapped "What are you talking about?" mimicking her words in the same mocking tone as before.
Discord then distanced himself back with a smug smile "Well, why don't I tell you all?" He waved a claw towards the former homunculi "These six ponies that you've come to accept as your own kind are not exactly who you think they are!"
Applejack frowned "Yer actin' like we don't already know that! Celestia already mentioned they're from another world!"
Discord nodded "Yes, we already know that..." He leaned in with a wicked look in his eyes "But did these ponies ever tell you what they've actually done in their world?"
The element bearers traded glances before looking at the former homunculi. Discord continued while holding up a claw "You see, my little ponies, these ex-homunculi were actually brought into Tartarus for a reason!" He smiled down at the former homunculi "They've committed several acts that would've made you disown them all in a heartbeat! Manipulation, deception, the murder of countless innocent lives, and let's not forget back when they tried to accomplish their father's goal! They were lucky to escape with their super powers, but you're already aware of that..."
Fluttershy was shocked "B-But that can't be! The homunculi are our friends!"
Discord spread his arms out "Well, of course they were for the longest time, but that doesn't mean they don't have skeletons in their closet! Duh~!" He said as he made a stupid face.
Rarity glared at Discord "You're just trying to sway us again like you always have!!"
Discord shot Rarity an unamused glance "Need I remind you of your little scuffle with the changelings in Ponyville?"
Gluttony perked up "But how did you-"
Discord held up his claws with a smile "Mind reading!" He then pointed a learning claw "Anyways, their experience in combat is evidence enough for their crimes!" He turned to Envy with a grin "I must say, I'm practically fond of Envy! Starting a war with nothing but a disguise and a bullet! You've caused as much chaos as I have in my time!!"
Envy felt heavy as it tried to manage a glare at Discord "Sh-Shut up!"
The princesses unfurled their wings and flew up towards the ceiling as Celestia's horn began to glow "Discord, we won't let you have your way with Equestria again! With or without the Elements, we shall stop you a third time!"
Discord watched the princesses try to go on the offensive with a bored glance "Yeah, about that..." With a snap of his fingers, there was a bright flash, and it receded to show that each of the princesses were not only shrunk to miniature size, but were trapped in a flask. It floated down into Discord's lion paw as he looked at them with a taunting smile "Oooooh, look at you three! You're just adorable!"
Twilight glared at Discord as her own horn glowed "Let them go!!"
Discord rolled his eyes with an annoyed groan "You ponies always say that thinking it actually works! Can't you be more ORIGINAL with your lines as I am my acts of chaos?"
Greed stepped up to Twilight's side, sharing a glare at Discord "We'll gladly take them from you if it means beating you down!!"
Discord chuckled "Oh, simple little Greed! Can't you see that you and your little friends are outmatched?"
The group came together and stood tall, save for Blueblood, who was busy hiding behind Sloth again as they looked up at Discord. Twilight snapped "You forget how friendship defeated you before, Discord! We'll use it to beat you again!"
Discord waved a claw "Please, Twilight! Your fellow elements, your brother, and..." he stole a small glance at Blueblood and shrugged it off "him are one thing, but how can you even manage with..." He pointed at Greed "A pack rat..." The draconequus stated different insulting nicknames to each pony.
"A harlot," Lust leered at Discord.
"A cranky old pegasus," Wrath held back wanting to hurt Discord for his remark.
"A lazy mass," Sloth did not react to his insult as he stared blankly.
"Envy," Envy was surprised it had no insult, but it knew that Discord was one to press buttons on the fly.
Discord looked among the group to see that Gluttony was nowhere to be found "Say...Where's fatty fatty two-by-four, can't fit through the kitchen door?" A raging scream from above Discord was heard, and he looked up to see Gluttony soaring down at him with his mouth wide open. With his free eagle claw, he snatched Gluttony from the air and kept him in his grasp "There you are! You're a wily little scamp, aren't you?"
Pinkie looked worried while the voracious pony rested in Discord's paw "Gluttony!!"
Discord smiled "Oh, I wouldn't exactly despair, Pinkie! It wasn't just the princesses I was here for, after all..." He said as he snapped his fingers, causing Lust to wink out of existence before she could notice.
Gluttony gasped and flailed about in Discord's grasp "Lust! Lust! Give her back!!" Before he could further lash out, the voracious pony was teleported out of Discord's paw.
Blueblood peered out and looked around "What's happening!?" He yelped when Sloth instantly vanished, fully revealing the ignorant prince as he shivered in a fashion similar to Fluttershy while staring up at Discord.
Wrath bared his teeth in displeasure "He's capturing us one-by-one!" He turned to Twilight with a serious look in his eyes "Find the elements and stop this madness befor-" The furious pony was teleported away before he could finish.
Rainbow Dash noticed how each of the former homunculi were disappearing and turned to Envy "Envy! Wherever you're going, please just stay strong and don't let Discord get to you!"
Envy stared before it narrowed its eyes at Rainbow Dash "You better stay strong, Rainbow Dash..." The jealous pony was then teleported, leaving the cyan pegasus to be confused. She could not distinguish if Envy's tone was serious, encouraging, or distant.
Greed, knowing that his siblings have been taken, assumed he was next. He leered up at Discord while standing next to Twilight "You take me with them, and we'll only kick your ass from there! You might've read our minds, but you don't know our full capability together!"
Discord tilted his head at Greed before he looked away in disinterest, waving a dismissive claw "Oh, don't flatter yourself, Greed. I don't need you!" He spoke in a flat tone.
Greed was instantly perplexed at the draconequus' statement "What?"
Discord turned to Greed with a look of slight disgust "Remember when I peeked into your mind? Well, what I've dug up turned out to be pretty boring, if you asked me. Aside from your many battles, I've noticed a little tidbit that made me wonder if you'd even be the right candidate on my team for my little game!"
Pinkie piped up "Game? What game?"
Discord held up his free claw in a halting motion at Pinkie "In due time..." He looked back at Greed "Anyways, while I myself consider you freeing me to be your greatest act of generosity yet, you basically disappoint me with how you actually value friendship over whatever you wish to claim for yourself! That's just stupid! I mean, do you even have your priorities straight?"
Greed bared his teeth "Fuck off! I won't let you take my friends away from me for whatever it is you're planning! You don't tell me how to live my life!"
Discord rolled his eyes "As expected coming from your mouth of all ponies..." He shrugged with a frown "I could've given you Equestria and more, but you just had to go soft for these ponies..."
Twilight stood at Greed's side "Don't underestimate him, Discord!"
Discord chuckled "That was also expected! I actually find your little relationship quite humorous! But perhaps I should stop wasting time and explain the rules of my impromptu game I wish to play with all of you!"
Blueblood whimpered "Does your sadism know no bounds!?"
Discord ignored Blueblood and cleared his throat "I shall start out with a simple and possibly typical statement: I have your elements with me along with five of the ex-homunculi! But what makes this fun is you're going to look for both in a race around Equestria!"
Rarity was spooked "You expect us to go around the world with this!?"
Discord smiled as he continued "I've hidden the elements in certain areas around Equestria! Some are near, and others...not so much. And the best part is that you'll have to deal with every single obstacle waiting for you in your travels!"
Pinkie Pie frowned "What about the princesses? And the homunculi?"
Discord patted Pinkie's mane with his lion paw "That will be a secret to be revealed at a later time, and let me tell you, you all might enjoy what awaits you in the near future!"
Greed snarled "Like hell we will! All you'll be doing is screwing with us at every turn!!"
Discord shrugged "Well, them's the breaks! Good luck with your new game to play, my little ponies! You're gonna need it!" He cackled in amusement.
Twilight growled at his laughter, and the draconequus instantly stopped the moment she spoke "You won't get away with this!" She was caught off-guard once more as Discord mimicked and mocked her words before he laughed again, snapping his fingers as he teleported away with the princesses.
Fluttershy whimpered "Not again! Now we have to fight Discord, and he's more scary than ever..."
Rarity grimaced "I can't believe we'll have to scour all of Equestria in order to defeat him this time! It could take months before we finally beat him!"
Rainbow Dash gritted her teeth "I'll pummel that jerk if he tries anything on Envy!" She turned to the rest of the group "C'mon, everypony! We don't have time to waste!"
Twilight frowned "But we don't know where to start! We don't have any leads to go by if he's actually going to make a game out of this!" On cue, a scroll appeared in front of Twilight out of thin air and unraveled itself while it floated, revealing its contents to the group. Twilight read the scroll intently
"The game begins, and to save time, Each clue will be given to you in rhyme. Take the train to find your roots, And be sure to bring some combat boots."
The group, even Twilight, were perplexed at the first clue that paved the way for their newest and most treacherous adventure.
Twilight rubbed her chin with a hoof "Take the train to find your roots? What's Discord getting at?"
Rainbow Dash groaned "I can't believe we're caught up in another twisted game!! Now we're without the princesses, the homunculi, AND the elements!!"
Blueblood whimpered "This is insane!" Remembering who was responsible, he jerked his head over to Greed with a dirty glare "This all wouldn't have happened if you chose to release Discord from his prison!!" He shouted as he pointed an accusing hoof.
Greed glared back "It wasn't intentional!! How was I supposed to know I brought back a beast after one little fight!?"
Applejack got between the two unicorns "Simmer down, both of ya! There ain't no need to be pointin' hooves when there's bigger problems!"
Blueblood sniffed "I'm only stating the obvious! We can't risk going through with this torture while tagging along with the cause of all this!"
Greed snorted "In case you haven't forgotten, this wasn't all my fault! Also, that mismatched jerk's got my family in his claws!! If he's that powerful, then I think we need to act fast if we're gonna get them and the princesses back!! I'll find a way to correct all of this even if I have to do it myself!!"
Twilight stopped her thinking to look at Greed "What!? Greed, you've seen what Discord has done to your family!! Why would you even say that!?" She asked with a worried look in her eyes.
Greed looked serious before he smirked at Twilight "Because while it isn't entirely my fault, it's still my responsibility to correct my mistakes!! But you're right, though. This is your fight as much as it is mine, so we might as well get started!"
Shining Armor nodded "I agree! Let's figure out where to start so we can end all of this!!"
Blueblood turned to Shining Armor with a dumbstruck expression "You cannot be serious about this yourself!!"
Shining Armor approached the ignorant prince with narrowed eyes "I'm as serious as this situation. We have nothing else to act on, and Discord has my wife!" He looked over at Greed with a ghost of a smile "And I hate to admit it, but while I don't trust him with my sister...I can trust him to help us since he's willing..."
Greed looked back at Shining Armor and gave a respectful nod before turning to Twilight "So, Twi, about that clue?"
Twilight looked back at the scroll "Right...Where could he mean for us to take the train to find our roots?"
Pinkie pondered the thought herself before piping up to her friends "Maybe he's talking about Ponyville?" The group turned to Pinkie as she continued "Sure, we're all born from different places, but perhaps he's wanting us to go back home?"
Spike tilted his head "The same place where we took him down before? But why?"
Blueblood winced "You mean we have to trek all the way back to that one-horse town!?" He moaned in disgust.
Rarity turned to glare at Blueblood "It's not like we're asking you to come along, you know!"
Fluttershy pawed at the ground "Well...It worked before, didn't it? But how do we know that we'll find what we need there?"
Greed scoffed "The way I see it, with how he's gonna be giving us trouble, anything goes! We'll head back to Ponyville and see what we can do!"
Twilight nodded "It's decided then! Let's take the train to Ponyville and begin our search!!" She said as she and the others galloped out of the castle doors, but not before discarding their formal attire and leaving it on the marble floor.
Blueblood was the last one behind as he looked down and thought to himself 'Okay, Blueblood, think...Discord is free and is forcing you into doing the impossible...You can either A: Stay behind where you're least affected by his madness or B: Follow the unlikely heroes into possibly ending said madness once and for all...' After a moment of silent contemplation, he finally galloped out and caught up with the others as he whined "Wait for me~!!"
'Why didn't I go with A!? WHY~!?!?!' _____
Envy murmured groggily before it rubbed its forehead. With how it caressed its temple, it felt like there were extra digits attached to its hoof.
Then realization dawned on Envy.
It opened its eyes to see that there was a peach-colored hand instead of a green hoof. Another hand quickly came into view, and Envy examined itself to see that it was somehow a homunculus again, wearing the same clothes it did in its previous life "What the-...!?" All Envy could remember was being teleported away from Rainbow Dash by Discord along with the rest of its family, but it felt surprising to be in a different form. The jealous homunculus shot up to its two feet and continued to examined itself until focusing on its surroundings. It looked as if it were in an alley that seemed familiar 'Is this what I think it is??'
Feeling that it won't get any answers from standing around, Envy decided to sprint out of the alley towards a main street out in broad daylight. The jealous homunculus grunted as it shielded its eyes "Damn, that's bright..." It muttered to itself.
"Envy?"
Envy looked to its left to see a familiar rotund figure approach with pupilless eyes and a large sniffing nose "Gluttony? You're you again!!"
Gluttony smiled and tilted his head "I am?" He replied absentmindedly before he gasped and pointed a finger at Envy "Hey, and you're you as well!!"
Envy darted its head around "But where's everypony-GAH!! Where are the others!?"
"We're right here..."
Out of an alley opposite to the street from the one Envy emerged from, there was a man with a blue military outfit with a bushed moustache and a familiar Ouroboros symbol in his left eye in place of a pupil, followed by an alluring woman wearing a black gown to match her flowing hair. Towering over them was a muscular giant with a pupilless left eye and a red node over its right eye that extended down its right arm. He had chained braces on each of his large hands and wore a black set of pants.
Envy and Gluttony could easily distinguished who they were at first glance. They approached the three newcomers intently as Envy spoke "Wrath? Lust? Sloth? What happened? At one moment, we were at Celestia's castle, but where are we now?"
Lust looked around before she noticed a peculiar sight, pointing a finger at a distant building "I believe that can answer our question..." Their gazes trailed down the road until they noticed a large city, but that was not what they focused on. The others looked to see a large building embroidered with a familiar green banner sitting behind a large set of walls. Lust stared at it with unease, along with the others.
Wrath could not believe his eyes as he stared "We're back in Amestris...And in Central City, no less!" He looked around and noticed the streets were empty "Although, no one is around..."
"Beautiful, isn't it?"
The five homunculi looked up as they heard a voice and noticed Discord lazily floating in the air in a resting position. He held a smile as he looked down at the leerign group "I was able to construct all of this after getting a good look at your memories! I must say that I absolutely adore the creatures you were modeled after! Save for Wrath, of course..."
Wrath looked up "You speak of the humans? Are you saying this because of all the chaos they can cause by themselves?"
Discord grinned at the furious homunculus "Not even that!! They break so many rules and barely fear the consequences!! Anarchy is in their blood!" He sighed in disappointment "But it pains me to realized that you somehow died back then and are now forced to live here..."
Gluttony blinked "What? But we're back in Amestris!"
Lust piped up "So this is all an illusion...You've only given us our forms and made an environment based off of our memories..."
Discord shrugged "Admittedly, I was trying to set your minds at ease. Or more rather, trying to give you comfort before I break some news to you all!" He snapped his fingers and all of Central City began to disintegrate into oblivion. As that happened, the homunculi began changing back into their Equestrian forms one-by-one.
The environment that was once a fake Central City gave way to what appeared to be a living room where everything was upside down. Instead of a fire in the fireplace, there shot out bubbles from the floating logs. There were pictures on the wall showing Discord and some of his past shenanigans with the royal sisters. There were flowers that were wiggling around in their pots on the coffee table, as if they were dancing. The princesses were seen in their flask next to the flower pots.
Discord spread his mismatched claws and flashed a grin "Tada~! Welcome to my humble abode! Your new base of operations for the time being!"
Wrath narrowed his eyes "Base of operations? You expect us to work under you when you've already proven to be powerful?"
Discord crossed his arms as he frowned "Work is such a harsh word...I prefer the term 'Strolling down Memory Lane!' You HAVE acted in such a way in the past, haven't you?" His lion paw slowly transmogrified into the head of Father in his human form "And wasn't this particular individual your supposed boss?" He said as he waved his eagle claw towards the head.
Envy gritted its teeth "He's dead to us..." It growled bitterly.
Discord nodded "Yes, I know, and I'm aware of how he treated you, but don't worry!!" His lion paw instantly changed back in a brief flash of light while he smiled "Just leave it to Daddy Discord to treat you all right!! Well, except for your brother Greed...I can honestly see where your father is coming from with how he's so rebellious in spirit!"
Gluttony grunted "Greed is the best brother we can ask for! And you are not our father!!" He snapped irritably.
Discord rolled his eyes "Well not biologically, but that doesn't mean I can't try to be an appealing father figure!" He snapped his fingers and covered himself in light for a small moment before appearing to have a plaid green vest, makeshift sideburns on his head, and framed glasses "Now, kids! You behave, okay?" He spoke in mock sternness.
Envy stomped a hoof vehemently "Cut the crap and get to the point!! What are you planning!?!"
Discord transformed back into his regular self and nodded "Very well, perhaps we don't have much time knowing how persistent your friends can be..." He swooped down and picked up Envy as if holding a baby "I've made mention of a game to where each proficiently picked pony properly participates to play! You five shall do the honors of helping me orchestrate some of their 'obstacles'! Think of how much fun you'll have together!!"
Sloth groaned "You're making us fight? What a pain..." Discord was nearly surprised that the indolent pony managed to jump to a conclusion.
Envy growled in annoyance while it wriggled out of Discord's grasp and hovered in front of him "You must be thick-headed to think we're gonna fight for you willingly!!"
Discord got in Envy's face with a wicked smile "Did I say such a thing?" He snapped his eagle talons as the five former homunculi found themselves in what looked like a large steel cage "You act like I'm doing a poor job in asking you all to assist me! Not that I'm actually asking...Besides, I did mention your pasts, and trust me when I say I know what you need..." He snapped his fingers again to make Wrath appear in his claws "All I have to do is this..." He snapped his fingers one more time "Aaaaand..." He brought a claw from his lion paw to scratch one of Wrath's forelegs, showing a small wound.
Everypony but Discord were taken by surprise to see red static envelope Wrath's wound and close it up easily "Don't get too surprised, Wrathy, my boy! This was only the first step! Now to make you shine in all of your furious glory!" He said as he brought a claw to Wrath's forehead and gently streaked across as Wrath's expression of shock slowly became neutral.
They all stared, but then noticed Wrath's eyes slowly narrowing to slits as he bared his teeth. The pupil in his regular eye was practically glowing red while staring at Discord, who grinned deviously as he spoke in a matching tone "There we are...Now to get you where you need to be..." He then held a chipper smile "But not before I have a little fun first!" The draconequus spoke in a bright tone. _____
Twilight and company galloped through Canterlot, which had been severely altered by Discord's magic. Some buildings were floating in the air at different angles, and some ponies were seen running around in a panic while avoiding a group of dancing buffaloes in tutus. Greed took in the chaotic scenes and grimaced "So he's capable of all of this? What goes on in his head!?"
Twilight looked ahead and noticed the train station "We're here!! Everypony, hurry up!!" Everypony did as commanded and picked up the pace, save for Blueblood, who had trouble catching up to the rest of the group after his last-minute decision.
Once they reached the train station, they noticed the Friendship Express sitting idly by, waiting for passengers to board on it. They made their way inside, but noticed that neither the conductor nor the engineer were on the train. After Blueblood managed to get inside himself, they looked around before they noticed the doors instantly closing.
"Hello, my little ponies! Time for a little minigame!!"
Twilight looked up with a glare "Discord!! Where are you!?"
"Ah ah ah~, Twilight~! That would be telling! Besides, you have a train to catch!!"
There was a slight shake on the train before it began to move forward. Pinkie poked her head out of one of the windows to see the train picking up speed before it began to raise from the tracks and into the air "Uh oh!!" She brought her head back inside to look at the group "Everypony!! We're flying!!"
"Correct, Pinkie! But now the game can really begin!!"
Greed gave an arrogant smirk as he looked up "Bring it on!! I'm not scared of you!!"
"Always the enthusiastic one, aren't you, Greed? Truthfully, I'd expect that sort of sentence from Rainbow Dash!"
Rainbow Dash snorted angrily "Just what are you planning right now, Discord!?" She shouted as she looked around.
"Why don't you take a look outside for yourself?"
Pinkie blinked before looking back to see some flying projectiles approaching the train. She squinted her eyes and noticed that they were flying pies "Huh? What's that all about?" Her question was answered when one of the pies pelted the train and exploded on impact, shaking the Friendship Express horribly and everypony on it.
Greed regained his footing, then galloped to a nearby window and looked outside "Exploding pies!?"
"That's just incentive for you to play! Defend your precious train as you make for your desired destination! Good luck~!"
Feeling that Discord has left, Greed grunted as he climbed out his window and pulled himself onto the roof of the cart he was in.
Twilight noticed and galloped over, looking up at Greed from his window "What are you doing!?" She called out.
Greed looked down "What does it look like? I'm giving this asshole what he wants!! We're fighting to survive!!" He looked ahead and tried to stand still as he focused his horn and zapped a magic beam at one of the incoming pies, causing it to explode before it hit the train. He repeated the process for every other pie coming his way.
Rainbow Dash looked outside as well, then turned to Twilight "He's crazier than me!! We gotta help him out!!"
Twilight stared up at Greed defending himself before she looked determined "Rainbow, make sure everypony's safe!" She began to climb out of the window herself.
Rainbow Dash watched Twilight and frowned "Oh, no you don't! I'm coming with you!" She flew out the window and lifted Twilight up onto the roof of the cart Greed was on. The avaricious pony paid the two mares no mind while he held his own. Rainbow Dash turned to see a pie come near her and Twilight with widened eyes as she pointed a hoof "Incoming!!"
The pie was zapped before it could reach the two mares, and they turned to see Greed smirk "Come to fight with me?"
Twilight stared before she smiled "You can't do this on your own, you know!!"
Greed nodded and the two unicorns worked together fending off more pies. Rainbow Dash hovered over them and dodged some in the air and cursed herself for not being able to use magic like her friends.
One of the pies hit the train on the side, shaking it furiously to where Greed slipped and veered off to the left side "Crap!!"
Twilight noticed in shock "Greed, no!!" She went to save him until Rainbow Dash swooped down and caught him before he could fall off the train.
The cyan pegasus managed to carry him back onto the roof "I gotcha!! Try and be more careful next time!!"
Greed went back to shooting more pies "It'd be a lot easier if there weren't so many of these things!!" _____
Inside of the train, everypony picked themselves up after the latest hit to the train. Spike moaned as he rubbed his head, then was surprised to see Rarity come to his side and help him up. The fashionista looked around "Is everypony alright?" She asked with concern.
Applejack shook her head "Whoa, nelly!! It's like Discord's mighty sore from being locked up again!!"
Blueblood and Fluttershy huddled together with their forelegs wrapped around each other as the two shivered "How long before we reach Ponyville!?" He mewled feebly.
Pinkie looked out the window, and beamed when she noticed the aforementioned destination come into view "We're almost there!!" She yelped when another pie hit the train along the side, and she, along with the rest of the group, toppled over as the train shook.
Shining Armor picked himself up and looked up "Wait a minute...Twilight and Greed are up there!!"
Spike hopped out of Rarity's grasp and looked around "Rainbow Dash, too!! Have they been hit at all?"
Pinkie picked herself up and poked her head out of her window to see the three ponies hold their own "Don't worry, everypony! They're doing alright!" She held out a hoof and called out to her friends "Keep it up!! We're almost there!" Her eyes widened and she quickly zipped back into the train as a pie flew by and nearly hit her.
Greed and Twilight were slowly losing their stamina with each continuous beam of magic to impede the many explosive dessert; sweat began to pour from their heads as their beams became weaker "Dammit! We shouldn't be having trouble like this!" The avaricious pony grunted as it zapped another pie.
Twilight panted in exhaustion as she fired another beam "Pinkie said that we're almost to Ponyville! If anything, we have to keep it up!"
Rainbow Dash dodged more pies above the two unicorns, growing frustrated at her repetitive process "Easy for you to say! All I can do is dodge and save your flanks if you ever fall off the train!"
Greed zapped another pie, but was not able to see another one come in at his right and go off near him, forcing the avaricious pony to stumble and roll back towards the edge of the cart.
Rainbow Dash noticed and groaned "Not agai-AGH!" She went to save Greed, but was caught off-guard when a pie nicked her right wing and went off, knocking her down onto the roof of the cart and stunning her.
Twilight saw Greed cling to the edge of the cart and began to slip, then galloped towards his side and grabbed hold of his hooves with her own, trying to pull him back up.
Greed grunted as he dangled from the edge and looked down at the distant ground below 'Never thought this would happen in my life!!' He looked up at Twilight "You alright up there, Twi!! Don't strain yourself!!"
Twilight tried to pull Greed up, though her inexperience with heavy lifting combined with the train's aerial acceleration made it difficult "I can't let you go!! Not like this!" She was gradually losing her grip on the avaricious pony.
Greed looked up at his marefriend "Hang in there!! I know you're stronger than this, even if you do love to study a lot!!" He flashed a smile despite his situation.
Twilight had trouble holding Greed, but she couldn't help but smile back at him. She always found Greed's cocky behavior to be endearing, even if he tends to be macho most of the time.
Rainbow Dash got up and noticed Twilight's struggle. She went to fly, but flinched in pain and noticed her right wing was sore from the pie that hit her. She decided to go to her friends on foot "Hang on, I'm coming!!" The cyan pegasus galloped up next to Twilight and helped her lift Greed up.
They were lucky to have the pies soar overhead after they managed to pull the avaricious pony back onto the roof, and were in fact surprised to see the flying desserts let up in numbers before they were gone entirely.
"Well, well! Look at that! You've managed to not only defend your train, but proved to entertain me while doing so! Looks like you're ready for the first part of your game now! Prepare for landing~!"
The three ponies looked at each other before they felt the train begin to swoop down with increasing speed towards Ponyville. They held on for dear life as it moved faster by the second.
Inside of the train, everypony followed suit as they held onto something and braced for impact upon feeling their speeding descent. Soon, the Friendship Express managed to land onto Ponyville Train Station with a loud crash, and even managed to stay intact while doing so. Greed, Twilight, and Rainbow Dash caught their breath until the avaricious pony managed to speak "I...HATE...Discord..." he growled between breaths as he and the two mares lifted themselves up and prepared to leave the train.
The group got off of what was once a life-threatening ride and made their way into Ponyville. Twilight winced at the unpleasant scenery; everything was just the way Discord had made Ponyville when he was released before. In place of fine Equestrian soil, the ground was entirely shrouded in a checkered pattern with clashing colors; the skies were pink with cotton candy clouds; Buildings inside of town were either floating in the air at different angles or seen as wooden stands ready to fall at any time.
Greed scoffed "Well, we might as well look around for the elements if we're gonna stop this madness." He looked over at Twilight "Where do we begin from here, Twi?"
Twilight rubbed her chin with a hoof "That's a question even I can't answer, Greed. If we're going so far as to treating this like a game, we're going to need another clue at this point. Otherwise we'll have to possibly spread and search through Ponyville!"
Rarity frowned "Well, we certainly cannot stand around and draw constant blanks while we're already stepping on eggshells! Why don't we just converge in town square and see what we can find?"
Blueblood whimpered "I already feel mortified to be prancing about in a more-than-deformed area of Equestria!"
Rainbow Dash looked over at Blueblood "Remind me again why you chose to come with us to begin with?" She hissed when she felt pain in her injured wing, and caressed it with a hoof "That crummy Discord..." Rainbow Dash muttered in contempt.
Greed trotted ahead "We better get moving, everypony! Don't wanna keep the bastard waiting! We'll go with Rarity's idea and start at town square!" The rest of the group followed after the avaricious pony as they carefully trotted into the chaos-infested town.
Twilight caught up to Greed and trotted next to him, examining his look of determination as they went "You really care about them, don't you?"
Greed scoffed "They can be a bunch of pricks, but yeah, of course I do! Besides, I still gotta take down Discord after I somehow set him free!"
Twilight smiled at Greed "I'm glad your mind is in the right place, Greed..." She then frowned "But you have to remember that this is our problem, too. You shouldn't carry this burden on your own!"
Greed smirked "Have you seen how much I've carried, Twi?"
Twilight snorted and shook her head "You still act macho when we have work to do?" She asked with an amused smile.
Spike appeared in between the two unicorns "Are you two done flirting yet?" He asked with an irritated expression.
Twilight realized what Spike was saying and looked away in embarrassment, whereas Greed chuckled in response to Spike's question.
Rainbow Dash watched the two unicorns ahead of her and looked down despondently while she trotted. Pinkie noticed this and approached her friend "What's the matter, Dashie? Normally, you'd be full of pep around this time!"
The cyan pegasus sighed "I look at Twilight and Greed talking and..." She frowned "I already miss Envy..." She muttered sadly.
Pinkie tilted her head "That I can understand, but aren't the two of you not as lovey dovey as Greed and Twilight?"
Rainbow Dash grunted "That's not the point, Pinkie! It's just...I already feel bad for ignoring Envy back at the Gala. I can't help but feel like this is also my fault!"
Pinkie gave Rainbow Dash a comforting smile "Nopony knew this was going to happen! And we're in this to save Equestria, the princesses, AND Greed's family! I don't think Envy would wanna see you act all Mopey McSadpants right now when she knows you're gonna save her!"
Rainbow Dash thought about what Pinkie had said and felt reinvigorated as she looked ahead "You're right! We've only just started this thing after all! Let's keep this up!"
Pinkie grinned at her friends renewed spirit "That's the Dashie I know and love! We got this!"
The group had finally reached town square after avoiding each obscure sight they've stumbled across in their trek. They stopped to looked around and noticed how the statue at town square was now replaced with a statue of Discord wearing a sombrero and a devious grin. Applejack shuddered and continued scouting the area around her "That jus' ain't right..."
Fluttershy kept a keen, if not reluctant eye on her own surroundings, but then stopped when she noticed a familiar sight trotting up to them from the now-dipalidated City Hall "Everypony! Over there!" She gathered her friends' attention and pointed a hoof.
They saw what appeared to be Wrath calmly trotting up to them with a stoic expression on his face; no smile was seen from behind his bushed moustache. His eyes flickered for a short moment until he stopped at a small distance between him and the group.
Shining Armor looked at Wrath cautiously "Bradley? What are you doing here? Did you and the other homunculi manage to escape?"
Greed eyed Wrath as well before he grew tense "Hold it, Shining! Something's different about Wrath!"
Twilight looked at Greed "What do you mean?"
Greed narrowed his eyes as a scowl formed on his face "Trust me...You don't know this pony like I do. In fact, he's usually like this when he's ready to fight!"
"Very observant of you, Greed! You really do care about your family to study their facial features!"
Greed threw his head to the sky with a glare "What the hell's your game here, Discord!?"
"Well, you've managed to make it this far from your starting point, so I suppose it wouldn't hurt to tell you. Right now, you're all looking at Wrath the furious: Version 2.0!"
Twilight eyed Wrath and noticed his face was slowly contorting into one of rage "What did you do to him?" She asked with faint anxiety.
"Oh, nothing really...All I did was add a few alterations to both his body and mind! I've basically drawn out the key aspect to his talent in battle in the form of his towering anger!"
The entire group focused on Wrath as he bared his teeth and flared his wings open while glaring daggers at each pony in front of him.
"That's right! I've saturated the anger in his mind tenfold; He's now angry at anything and everything! And since you're the only one's around, he's angry with you! Have fun~!"
Wrath roared as he broke into a speeding gallop towards the group. Greed tensed himself up easily "Scatter!!" The others complied to his order and barely managed to avoid Wrath's charge. Greed grunted to himself "Looks like I'm gonna take care of this one!" He darted his head over at Twilight, who was recovering with some of her friends "Keep an eye on everypony, Twi! This fight's mine!" He activated his Ultimate Shield form with his horn and looked back at Wrath "C'mon, Wrath! Show me what you got!"
The furious pony leered over at Greed and prepared for another charge. Greed held an invisible smirk behind his teeth and decided to take the initiative and issue the charge before his younger brother. The two clashed and tried to force each other back when their foreheads met. Greed grunted while he struggled with Wrath and nearly felt overwhelmed with his opponent's strength 'What is this!? Wrath can't even phase me in this form! How is he this strong?'
Greed tried to push him back, but Wrath took a few steps forward, causing Greed to skid backwards while holding his own "Dammit!" He grunted while trying to remain at a stalwart position "What do you know, Wrath? You're actually handling me decently when I'm not even going all out yet!" He quipped despite his position.
Wrath growled "I've defeated you once, and I was not even using my full strength...This will be no DIFFERENT!" He raised his tone at the last word as he shoved Greed away with his head and tossed him a few feet away.
Greed landed on his hooves as he stared down Wrath "You're gonna eat those words!!" He said as he galloped towards him and readied his horn. Wrath was ready to counter Greed's attack, but he shifted his eyes to his right and took to the air, barely avoiding a purple magic beam; it shot across from the left in front of Greed, filling him with confusion.
The two former homunculi looked over to see Shining Armor's horn glowing "I'm not gonna sit on the sidelines the whole time, you know!"
Greed was impressed, but at the same time annoyed with Shining Armor intervening in the fight "Are you crazy!? You could barely handle him before! What makes you think you can handle Wrath now!?"
Shining Armor smiled "You forget that I've been fighting with Bradley ever since he became a captain of the Royal Guard! I know a few things about how to approach him!"
Greed stared at Shining Armor before he nodded "Alright, but this fight's not gonna be pretty!" He leered up at Wrath "Hope you don't mind the tide of battle changing!!" He shouted up to the furious pony defiantly.
Wrath merely scoffed in a taunt "Like it would even make a difference for you both..." He swooped down towards Shining Armor, deciding to take him down before going back to engage Greed.
Shining Armor was able to dodge out of the way and prepare a magic beam, but it was easily evaded by Wrath while he flew back into the sky. Shining Armor watched the furious pony hover in the sky and glare down at him, then shifted his eyes to Greed "Hey, Greed. I got a plan...I'll let you know when to attack."
Greed had his hooves planted in the ground "Got it. Try not to get yourself killed out there." He watched Wrath carefully while waiting for the signal.
Shining Armor remained perfectly still to await his opponent's next move. When Wrath swooped down towards him, Shining Armor quickly activated his horn and held the furious pony firmly in place with a magical aura. He gritted his teeth and shifted his eyes at Greed "Now!!"
Greed gave a curt nod and galloped up to Wrath, aiming his horn and jabbing it in one of his wings. Wrath only grunted in pain while he was being held, and did so again when Greed dislodged his horn and repeated the same process with Wrath's other wing. He drew himself back and laughed "There we go! Now we can-HUH!?" Greed's eyes widened when he stared at Wrath's wings.
Wrath leered at the two unicorns while both wounds on his wings healed at a breakneck pace as red static danced over them. Greed knew exactly what was going on "Regeneration!? But that's impossible! Back in Amestris, Wrath couldn't even regenerate! What gives!?"
"Clearly you didn't listen to me when I said that I've added a few alterations to Wrath's body and mind. I've turned him into a full-blooded homunculus!"
Greed growled at the sky "You bastard! That's cheating!!"
"Oh, boo-hoo~! It's not like you to whine so often, Greed...Besides, you have enough numbers on your end, don't you? Try and make the best of things!"
The avaricious pony stomped a hoof "Dammit! This is gonna be a close battle unless we do something!"
Wrath growled while he was being held by Shining Armor and began thrashing around. It appeared as a futile attempt to most ponies, but he was somehow giving Shining Armor more pain with how he struggled to keep Wrath in place. He gritted his teeth and strained himself with maintaining his magical hold to the point where he began to bleed from the nose "I-I can't keep this up! He's too strong!" It was not long before he was exhausted of his mental strength and Wrath broke free to bombard Shining Armor and knock him away, sending him rolling across the ground towards the others as he laid unconscious. Everypony around him held faces of shock.
Twilight gasped "Shining!!" She was saddened to see her brother tossed aside so easily, and it gave way to anger as she stepped into the fray without another word. She galloped up next to Greed and activated her own Ultimate Shield.
Greed noticed and felt just as annoyed "You're gonna follow in your brother's hoofsteps!? Don't do anything stupid, Twilight!"
Twilight leered her glowing violet eyes at Greed "It's not like your decision to fight him alone is a smart choice in itself! Besides, this isn't going to be easy if Wrath could break out of a telekinetic hold!" She said as she focused on Wrath's hovering form. Twilight and Greed waited carefully for the furious pony's next move.
From the sidelines, Spike was nervous seeing both Greed and Twilight on the battlefield "Oh, I hope those two will be fine. Wrath's too strong if he can handle Shining Armor and Greed so easily!"
Rainbow Dash watched the two Ultimate Shields with her friends, then back at her injured wing "Darn it! If only I didn't get hit by that stupid pie, I would've helped, too..."
Prince Blueblood looked over at Rainbow Dash and examined her wing "I could try and make your wing prim and proper again. I just so happened to have done the same with Greed while he was on his last legs!"
Rarity blinked "So YOU were the one responsible for helping Greed?" This was unexpected from a stallion that she loathed entirely in her life.
Blueblood nodded "Of course! And if I can do it with him, I can perform the same treatment for this one!" His horn began to glow and he focused it on Rainbow Dash "Hold still, please!"
Rainbow Dash was skeptical of the ignorant prince's arcane repertoire, but she was willing to resort to any method of getting her wing back and helping her friends. She did as she was told and froze in place for Blueblood to work his magic. Rainbow Dash felt a tingling sensation on her wing, followed by a couple of brief, but painful snaps, and a feeling of warmth that gave her comfort. She examined her wing and gave it a flap to feel it was lightly sore "Wow! You really know your magic!" She spoke in an impressed tone.
Blueblood, flattered by Rainbow Dash's praise, simply looked away with a smug smile "Well, it's not like I've acquired some knowledge in my time..." He said in a failed attempt to sound modest.
Applejack was impressed as well "That'll come in handy fer any more tussles in th' future!"
Rarity looked at Rainbow Dash "Are you sure about wanting to step into this fight yourself after just recovering from your small injury, Rainbow? You'll probably end up getting hurt again!"
Rainbow Dash held a determined glance at Rarity "Of course I am! What kind of pony would I be if I didn't help my friends!" She turned to the fight and flared her wings before flying towards the others.
Fluttershy frowned in fear after she brought over Shining Armor's limp body "Oh no...What if Rainbow Dash does end up hurt again?"
Pinkie smiled despite her friend speeding into battle "Then we'll just have to go in after her! We're all in this together!"
Blueblood stared at Pinkie as if he saw a ghost "Are you mad!? You've seen what he's done to Shining Armor! We'll only be moths to a flame if we choose to follow your friend!"
Rarity was flustered on how to approach the situation "Well we cannot just leave it entirely to Greed, Twilight, and Rainbow Dash! Shouldn't we try something?" She looked around at her friends, then noticed how Pinkie was grinning at her. It took a while for Rarity to register the meaning behind her manic friend's smile before she began to back away "No...No, not that. Anything but that!"
Spike and Blueblood shifted their glances between Pinkie and Rarity before looking at each other with bemused eyes. Fluttershy and Applejack were the only ones that knew what Pinkie had in mind involving Rarity, and she hoped it would work. _____
Wrath felt that his opponents were not going to react until he was going to move first. He went to strike, only to see Rainbow Dash speeding towards him without hesitation. Wrath dodged her and continued to dodge every attempted attack sent his way. He was lucky to dodge, but he was practicaly pinned down with how he was unable to counter Rainbow Dash's onslaught.
Greed - for his part - was thrown off by Rainbow Dash's interruption, but watched how annoyed Wrath was "Hey! He can't do a thing! Maybe we can get a well-aimed hit on him if we're careful enough!"
Twilight watched as well, but squinted her eyes "We can't..."
Greed darted his head to Twilight "Why not? He's only limited to dodging at every turn! There's no hope for him attacking us since Rainbow Dash is all over him!"
Twilight looked back at Greed with a glare "Exactly! Rainbow Dash is moving all around Wrath at an intense speed! We could be as careful as possible with our shots, but with Rainbow's speed, we might end up harming her instead!"
Greed stared at Twilight before looking back up at Rainbow Dash and Wrath "Dammit...What can we do then? She can't keep this up forever!"
Meanwhile in the air, Rainbow Dash continued to try and land a hit on Wrath with more failed results 'Darn it! It's like he's not even trying to predict my every move! I'll get him somehow, though! My friends are counting on me!'
Wrath continued to dodge effortlessly, though grew more infuriated with the fact that he was unable to attack without her coming in for another rush shortly after her earlier attempts. He bared his teeth as he seethed with rage until he finally gained the courage to strike at Rainbow Dash with a hoof. Wrath succeeded, nicking her newly-healed wing and managed to throw the cyan pegasus off-course. While Rainbow Dash was stunned, Wrath flew towards her for another few strikes before bucking her in the chest with his hindlegs, knocking her downwards.
Rainbow Dash felt the air escape her body as she dropped at a fierce velocity, then heaved a pained groan when she collided with the checkered floor 'Wow...Now I know how Shining Armor got his flank handed to him...' Her vision was blurry, but it cleared up to show Wrath bursting down towards her with fire in his eyes. She yelped when she realized she couldn't recover in time, but she was surprised when he ceased his beeline to have a silver blur soar in front of him.
Greed hopped over Rainbow Dash in an attempt to rush at Wrath, but sneered when he knew his effort was in vain "Dammit, Wrath, wake up!" He snapped as he prepared a magic beam and zapped at Wrath. Another dodge was met, eliciting more displeasure from the avaricious pony.
Twilight galloped up to Rainbow Dash and helped her up "Are you hurt at all?"
Rainbow Dash shook herself and gave a wry smirk "Just a little...He's pretty tough for an old guy."
Twilight looked up at Wrath and narrowed her eyes "Strength or not, he's under Discord's power! We need to find a way to weaken him and get him back to normal!"
A clearing of the throat was heard, and Twilight and Rainbow Dash saw Pinkie with a foreleg slung over a reluctant Rarity. Before Twilight could ask, Pinkie brought her close and began whispering in her ear. Twilight's eyes went from curious, to surprised, to amazed before finally speaking "Pinkie Pie, that's brilliant!"
Pinkie shrugged with a smile "It just came to me with Rarity's help!"
Rarity frowned "Now I wish I hadn't thought of it..." She sighed "Then again, if it's anything to bring Wrath to his senses..."
"Hey! What are you girls talking about over there!"
The group of mares looked over at an annoyed Greed "In case you haven't noticed, we're in a fight right now!"
Twilight held an invisible smile as she called out to the avaricious pony "Don't worry, Greed! We've got an idea that's sure to work!"
Wrath caught wind of Twilight's words and leered down at the group of mares before choosing to dive bomb towards them.
Greed noticed and grunted "No you don't!" He galloped towards Wrath and finally managed to land a hit by side checking Wrath before he could touch Twilight "Get back!"
Wrath growled as he recovered in midair and glared at Greed's confident eyes "So you think you've acquired a better chance at winning because you've succeeded in harming me again?"
Greed gave a dry chuckle "That's sort of the point! There's plenty more where that came from!"
Wrath narrowed his eyes to slits "Always the cocky one, aren't you, Greed?" He uttered in a dark tone as he went to strike.
Twilight turned to Greed "Try to keep him busy, Greed! We have a plan!"
Greed nodded "Gotcha! Take all the time you need!" He called out while staring down his younger sibling. The two then clashed with one another, butting their heads without any shred of fatigue.
Twilight watched carefully while the two homunculi clashed and gradually narrowed her eyes "Wait for it..."
Pinkie licked her lips in anticipation for what Twilight had in store, while Rarity and Rainbow Dash tried to maintain calm faces despite the rising tension. While Greed managed to hold his own for a while, he was once again overwhelmed by Wrath's newly-acquired strength and was knocked back after the latest clash. He went to advance for a second strike, but was then held in place by another magic aura "What!?" He looked behind Greed to see Twilight's horn glowing.
Twilight made sure to keep her hold firm before she yelled "Greed! I need your help with this!"
Greed recovered and noticed before complying to Twilight's request and implementing a telekinetic hold of his own, adding more burden to Wrath's captive state.
Pinkie sported a toothy grin, knowing this was her cue. She snagged Rarity and held her in place as her eyes shined with a mischievous glint "Hasta la vista, Wrathy!" She cranked Rarity's tail and her horn began shooting several magic beams in rapid succession.
All of them were aimed directly at Wrath, and each one furiously pelted his chest without end as he roared in a mixture of anger and pain. While he could easily regenerate from each attack, it began to grow more unbearable by the minute. The furious pony already felt his power and focus deteriorating under the weight of Pinkie's barrage.
After Pinkie had exhausted Rarity of her magic supply, Wrath's body trailed with copious amounts of smoke as his body sagged under Twilight and Greed's hold. They noticed that he was knocked out after dealing with so much pain, and they decided to set him down.
Shining Armor managed to regain his senses and noticed that the battle appeared to be over "Huh? Did they do it?" After Applejack and Spike helped him up, Shining Armor gathered with the others to examine Wrath's unconscious form carefully.
They noticed his closed eyes trembled, and everypony grew tense into thinking it wasn't over.
Wrath stirred from his unconscious state, tensing everypony around him up. Twilight canceled out of her Ultimate Shield form and revealed herself having a confident smile as her horn glowed "Don't worry, everypony! I got this!" She leaned her head down and touched Wrath's forehead with her horn. The furious pony grunted while he was covered in an aura before it faded.
They waited for a reaction, and Wrath opened his eyes with a moan "Where...am I?" He looked around at the group "You're all here..." His eyes stopped on Greed "Greed? Where are the others?"
Greed grunted with a frown as he canceled out of his Ultimate Shield form "You kind of stole my question there. You don't remember anything?"
Wrath recovered back on his feet "I remember being apprehended by Discord along with the other homunculi followed by being given the power of regeneration. Everything beyond that point is a blur..." He looked down in thought.
"Oh, fudge! You've managed to take away one of my precious pawns! But as a reward, how about some trivia?"
Greed looked up in the air "Not now, asshole! I'm not in the mood for guessing games!"
"I never said YOU were gonna be guessing! Everypony besides Greed listen up! Do you know about Wrath's past?"
Shining Armor looked up "What about it?"
"Did you know that poor little Bradley was once a human orphan groomed to be a world leader, only to be turned into a homunculi by his so-called 'father'? If that's not enough, he lead an army and enacted massive genocide on a neighboring nation while bashing on their beliefs! He was the textbook definition of a warmonger back then!"
All eyes were on Wrath as he stood with a hardened expression. He then closed his eyes "It's true...After all, he did peer into my mind..." Wrath stated in a distant tone. Everypony but Greed went pale at this.
Shining Armor stared at Wrath "But...why?" He asked, surprised by the gathered knowledge of Wrath's past.
"Don't you get it!?"
Shining Armor turned to a glaring Greed "That was the past! Nothing to do with Equestria OR any of us! Discord's trying to throw us all off!"
"Am I? Or am I just showing Wrath's true nature as a homunculus and not a pegasus pony with a funny eye?"
Twilight looked up with a glare "Whatever you're planning, it's not going to work, Discord! We'll find the elements and the princesses soon enough!"
"Ah, but the game has only begun...You'll be getting more tasty tidbits in the future, let me tell you! It's your decision whether or not you want to leave Wrath behind after I shared my small bit of trivia with you! Discord out!"
Feeling as Discord has left them, the group traded glances with one another. Greed simply trotted up to Wrath "How do you feel?" He asked in an inquisitive tone.
Wrath examined himself, lifting one wing "A little sore...I feel as though I've been taxed of most of my strength. I can still move, though. Hopefully, I can recover with enough time."
Greed smirked "Good enough for me." He turned to Twilight "We got Wrath, now we just have to search Ponyville for the first element!"
Twilight nodded to Greed "That's right. We should get going."
Blueblood frowned "Excuse me? What is our decision involving our new guard captain?" He pointed a hoof at Wrath "Do we still want him coming with us?"
Greed jerked his head towards Blueblood "Of course he is! What, are you just gonna leave him here just because Discord decided to talk about him?" He turned to the others "Are any of you gonna do the same?"
Pinkie shook her head "Uh-Uh! Wrath's our friend to the end! And we're gonna need an extra set of hooves to find those elements!" She smiled "Let's have Wrath join the party and boost his experience!"
Rarity hummed "I'll admit, I'm not keen on Wrath's past. In fact, it worries me almost as much as Blueblood..." She took a deep breath before she smiled "But Pinkie is right. He's still our friend!"
Applejack shook her head "What's done is done. Ah don't like what Ah heard, but Wrath's helped us in th' past, too!" She smiled "Besides, there's still the matter of savin' th' rest o' Greed's family from Discord!"
Rainbow Dash remained silent, more worried about what Envy's past contained. She wondered if she could still look at the jealous pony the same way once the twisted game was all over.
Fluttershy smiled "I agree with everypony else."
Spike crossed his arms "Who are we to turn away one of our friends?" He shuddered "Don't know why Discord even did that, though..."
Greed scoffed "I already told you, he's just gonna throw us off..." He looked towards the town "Let's just hurry up and find that first element now!"
Shining Armor remained silent before taking a deep breath "Right. Let's get to it." He turned to Wrath and stared before giving him a thin smile, to which the furious pony returned in kind 'Warmonger or not, we were both soldiers...'
Twilight took point "Alright, everypony! Let's move!" The group took off into Ponyville in search of the first element. _____
It seemed like a wild goose chase wherever they went; All they would find would be more of Discord's abnormalities that he added to Ponyville, whether it is spinning windows, laughing doors, or stairs that raised and lowered with each step; Pinkie had found a black hole that led to other reaches of Ponyville, giggling at each point she ended up in with each jump. Sadly, she had no success in finding the element.
Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, and Wrath searched in the air, but had trouble distinguishing the element's location with flying pigs, pies, and cotton candy clouds. It didn't help that the sun had instantly set and gave way to the moon, darkening their vision as they hovered in the air. They quickly went back to flying when the sun came out again.
Rarity, Applejack, and Spike felt like they were actually going in circles when they chose to look around Sweet Apple Acres. They were certain that they followed a straight trail that led to the farmhouse; Each time they galloped past the front arch, it was as if they exited from the end they came into. Applejack decided to hop the fence and found that it was the better way to enter Sweet Apple Acres. Rarity and Spike followed close behind to help search the area.
Twilight, Shining Armor, Greed, and Blueblood searched around the market square, only to find several residents doing what appeared to be a cossack dance in unison from where they stood against their will. Blueblood was easily unnerved by the scenery, much to the irritation of Greed. They galloped past each pony that continued to dance and searched the stalls for any sign of the element.
The whole group had no luck in their search, each of them feeling their spirits dampen. They looked up in the sky and heard Discord cackle in amusement, leering at the sound of his voice; Blueblood and Fluttershy reacted differently by shivering. _____
Twilight sighed as she took point of the group "This isn't good! We've nearly searched all of Ponyville and we haven't found the slightest clue of the first element's location!"
Greed growled "Something tells me we're being played for fools..."
"Well, that IS part of this game! All of you are serving to be the best entertainment I've ever had!"
Spike frowned "This is getting ridiculous! What if he lied about the first element being in Ponyville?" He jumped when a scroll appeared in front of him.
Twilight took it with her magic, unraveling it and reading its contents aloud
"Your efforts, while futile, have served to be bold So as a reward, you're about to be told The location of the element you're desperate to find. Here's a hint, she's so frightened and kind."
Twilight arched an eyebrow "Frightened and kind? But who would..." She trailed off, remembering who fit both descriptions. The lavender bookworm turned to a fearful Fluttershy, and examined her 'He couldn't have...could he?' She trotted over to her friend with a calculating glance "Fluttershy, can you hold still for a moment?"
Fluttershy was confused at Twilight's request "Um...sure. What's wrong, Twilight?"
Twilight squinted her eyes at Fluttershy before she dug a hoof into her mane, eliciting a squeak from the timid pegasus. Everypony around the two mares were about to question Twilight's methods until she pulled it out; The Element of Kindness. She smiled "We found it!" Twilight proclaimed joyfully.
Greed was dumbfounded "The first element was in Fluttershy's mane the whole time!?" He darted his head at Fluttershy "Why didn't you tell us sooner!?" He asked as Fluttershy cringed and whimpered.
Twilight frowned "Settle down, Greed! None of us knew about this to begin with." She brought the element to her vision with her magic as she rubbed her chin "Though I'm more curious as to why Discord would even pull such a trick...Just giving us the element while it was under our noses."
Rainbow Dash scoffed "This is Discord, remember? We can't expect anything to make sense!" She groaned "It's probably gonna be even tougher to find the next element since it'll probably be someplace else..."
Wrath nodded in agreement "The best game is a challenging one. With Discord's power, he could possibly bend the rules if he so chose to do so."
Applejack frowned "Well, where do we go from here? That's one element down, but where's th' rest o' them?"
On cue, another scroll appeared in front of Twilight. She took it and read the contents.
"You found the first one, good for you! Now here's the next thing you'll have to do. Get back on the train, though the ride's not pretty, And you'll find yourselves in the big city!"
Rarity blinked "Big city? But there's plenty of cities in Equestria!"
Applejack looked down "Ah think Ah know where Discord wants us t' go next..." The group turned to Applejack for an answer as she raised her head with a reluctant frown "Discord's wantin' us t' head t' Manehattan. The next element could be there."
Blueblood shuddered "Ponyville was bad enough, but Manehattan is rife with street crime and untended filth!!"
Shining Armor frowned "That was before Discord was free. We have to be ready for everything now!" He turned to the group "Let's head back to the train and get this over with."
With a nod of agreement from the group, they all trailed back to the train station. _____
Discord watched the events from his mirror with a sigh "Oh, these ponies just love to grouse and gripe when I try to brighten their day with some fun." He turned to the encaged homunculi next to them with a smile "Don't you agree?" The draconequus asked nonchalantly.
Gluttony replied "But that's Pinkie's job! Are you Pinkie now?" He asked absentmindedly.
Discord chortled at Gluttony and patted his head with his lion paw "You really know how to talk, my pudgy little friend! I'm glad I have you here to keep me entertained while the others are doing so from afar!" He looked over to see Lust giving a spiteful glare at him in silence "Oh, don't be so sour, baby doll! You're gonna be the next star after all!"
Lust perked up "What do you mean?"
Discord grinned wickedly "Exactly what I mean...They know where to go next, and they're gonna be expecting company!" He snapped his fingers and Lust teleported into Discord's grasp "It's about time I give them what they want and then some..." He laughed smokily as he streaked an eagle talon across Lust's forehead, causing her expression to go from surprised to blank.
It wasn't long until a familiarly malicious smile slowly spread across her muzzle.
The group, now with Wrath joining them, went back to the train station to depart for Manehattan, where they would find the next element and possibly the next homunculus. Greed scowled as he boarded the train, and Twilight followed him with curiousity "You know, Greed, I'd figure you would be more calm and collected about all of this, but you look ready to buck somepony senseless."
Greed cast a toothy smirk at Twilight as he chuckled dryly "You can read me like a book..." He looked out a window as the train was about to move "I just can't believe I'm actually caring more about my family since they're under Discord's control. We lucked out with getting Wrath back."
Twilight smiled "You can thank Pinkie Pie for that. But I'm sure we'll get everypony back without facing any roadblocks worse than what's presented to us."
Greed scoffed "I'm more worried about YOUR friends accepting MY family. That pansy Blueblood didn't think twice about giving Wrath another chance after Discord brought up his past as Fuhrer."
Twilight looked down and sighed to herself. She was still bothered about what Discord had shared, and could not imagine why he would do such a thing. Twilight approached Greed and nuzzled his cheek "Don't let him get to you. He may be a prince, but he doesn't know how good your family is."
"I can hear you, you know!"
Blueblood scowled at the two unicorns, only to be forcefully pushed away by Rarity "Leave them alone, you! They're sharing a moment as a couple!" She snapped as she pushed the ignorant prince away to give Twilight and Greed time to themselves.
Twilight silently thanked Rarity with a smile before turning back to Greed "As I was saying, I'm not going to let your past bother me since you've turned out to be the best stallion I've ever met. You and your siblings have done so much for us in the past, and it's best to assume that you've all turned a new leaf."
Greed grunted "And then this happens, botching up mine and everypony else's lives..."
Twilight frowned at Greed's excuse and huffed "It's not like you to whine, Greed. Is this whole thing bothering you that much?" Greed looked away with a sour expression, but Twilight could see that she was correct in her assumption. She felt that the avaricious pony was entirely penitent for releasing Discord despite his brash background. She held out her forelegs and hugged Greed, who didn't expect the embrace "Don't worry about it. We can do this..." She said as she nuzzled him with a comforting smile.
Greed wriggled in Twilight's grasp with another grunt until he smiled as well "Hey, cut it out, Twi. Save the sappy moments for later, will ya?"
Twilight broke the embrace and held a teasing smile "Always acting macho..."
Greed flashed a cocky grin "I don't see the problem!" While they stared, the train sped up, knocking off their balance as they tried to recover.
Shining Armor looked outside to see that they were flying again "Look sharp, everypony. Discord might be ready to throw something at us again!"
"Clever boy, clever boy! Can you guess what I'm going to 'throw' at you? I'll give you a hint: All of you are more fun than a barrel full of~..."
Discord's disembodied voice trailed off as it awaited an answer. Pinkie piped up "Laughs?" She asnwered obliviously.
"Mmmmm, close, but no cigar...Take a look."
Wrath looked outside with Shining Armor and noticed an approaching mass in the sky followed by the sound of angry chattering. Wrath was able to scope out both the noise and who it belonged to; He was perplexed upon further inspection of what was headed towards them "Flying monkeys?" He asked in a perplexed tone.
"Bingo. Have fun, everypony~!!"
Fluttershy perked up "Did he say flying monkeys?"
"Don't get any ideas, dear Fluttershy. These aren't the type of animals you can easily communicate with..."
The timid pegasus drooped her ears when she heard Discord's warning. Greed stood up and glanced out one of the open windows "That guy really knows how to piss me off!" He began to climb out of the window, only to be pulled back in by Twilight's magic "Hey! What gives?"
Twilight frowned "I know you've been in a lot of situations, Greed, but I can't let you go through with this again!" She looked sad "I've almost lost you last time..."
"Then leave it to me..."
Twilight and Greed turned to Wrath, who held a hardened stare in his eyes "It's about time I repay the debt I owe to Discord for what he's done to me..."
Shining Armor frowned "Then I'm coming with you." He grunted when he felt a migraine, bringing a hoof to his temple as he caressed his forehead.
Wrath turned to Shining Armor "I'm afraid you'll have to sit this one out, Mustang...I can take it from here."
Rainbow Dash trotted up to Wrath "Hey, Wrath! Can I come? I kinda want to see you in action while I kick some monkey butt myself." She said with a confident smile.
Fluttershy whimpered "We actually have to hurt them?"
Wrath gave Fluttershy a regretful stare "We've no other option, Fluttershy. They're nothing more than an obstacle to our goals..."
Blueblood flailed his legs "If we've all reached an agreement to handle this problem, some filthy winged apes are headed this way!" He complained with fear in his voice.
Wrath turned to Rainbow Dash with a nod, and the two pegasi flew out one of the opened windows. While they flew out, Pinkie thought to herself until she spoke up "Oooooooh~!! I get it! A barrel of monkeys IS fu-Waaagh!" She was interrupted when one of the monkeys collided with the train.
Outside of the train, Rainbow Dash and Wrath flew upward to see the flying monkeys soar towards them while chattering loudly in a primal fashion. Wrath leered as they came close and prepared his wings to fly in and fend off any oncoming attackers. He swooped down when one of them went to strike at him and he flew upward as his wings sliced into the monkey's skin, the winged primate screeching in pain. More of them began to converge around the furious pony, but he simply maneuvered around them while inflicting pain towards each one that came near him.
Rainbow Dash punched one of the monkeys away, and then noticed how they gathered in on Wrath. She was stunned at Wrath's battle prowess after he was beaten in Ponyville 'Seriously...For an old-timer, he's pretty awesome!' She got hit by an approaching monkey and recovered with a glare "Okay, you damn dirty ape, bring it!" She said as she dove in and knocked the monkey away. She performed a series of attacks she remembered as a black belt in karate, defending herself from flying monkeys at different angles. She then looked ahead to see the train moving away "Oh, crud!!" She called out to Wrath "Wrath! The train! We gotta catch up with everypony, or we'll be left behind!"
Wrath noticed and cut his offensive flight pattern short to fly after the train. Rainbow Dash distanced herself from her opponents and followed suit. They both reached the train's caboose, but were starting to feel fatigue the moment they landed. Wrath looked back at the remaining monkeys headed towards them "I suppose this calls for a change in strategy..."
Rainbow Dash frowned "You mean we have to fight them on the train? Lame..."
Wrath shifted his glance towards Rainbow Dash "You realize we're running out of options. We were lucky to take out so many in the air in our current condition." He stated in a matter-of-fact tone.
Rainbow Dash went to present a rebuttal, only to feel more fatigue on her wings. She sighed "Fine, we'll do it your way." The cyan pegasus reared onto her hindlegs and took a stance as she balanced herself on the train. Wrath flared his wings as they made a swordlike sound, ready to use them as weapons. Rainbow Dash squinted her eyes as the battalion of monkeys flew towards them 'I'm coming for you, Envy...Just wait for me, alright?' _____
Back in the train, Blueblood was in the process of mending Shining Armor's pain while he was sitting down. The ignorant prince frowned to himself while healing Shining Armor 'How droll...I'm a prince that has been reduced to a medic in one night...'
Fluttershy whimpered to herself as she sat on a seat, with Rarity, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, and Spike comforting her "We're very sorry about this, Fluttershy, but you heard Wrath. It cannot be helped." Rarity said with a frown.
Spike chimed in "Yeah. I mean, those monkeys could've been created by Discord's magic and might not be real animals."
Applejack nodded "Spike's got a point, sugarcube. T'ain't nothin' we can do about a band o' flyin' monkeys tryin' t' slow us down."
Fluttershy shook her head "But what if they're actual monkeys under Discord's control?"
Pinkie smiled "Well, we don't know that yet, and I don't think those monkeys are real. Spike could be right about this!"
Fluttershy looked down "I hope so..."
Greed and Twilight watched their friends comfort Fluttershy, and the former sighed "There's just no getting to her about this thing, is there?"
Twilight frowned at Greed "She's very caring about animals. If those monkeys are actually real, she would be devastated."
Greed stared at Fluttershy mourning before shaking his head "She really IS the Element of Kindness..."
Twilight smiled "And here I thought you knew that already." She frowned again "Who do you think we might meet in Manehattan?" Twilight asked curiously.
Greed looked out a window "No clue. We have to be ready for anything, though..." He noticed a monkey falling from the window, screeching while its wings were mangled. Greed grinned "Heh...Looks like Wrath and Rainbow are holding their own. I'm almost tempted to go back up there!"
Twilight narrowed her eyes "Do you always have to throw yourself in the middle of a fight?"
Greed shrugged "Wouldn't be fun if I didn't. Besides, they could use some extra help if things get tough."
"I heard that!"
Greed looked out a window to see Rainbow Dash hanging upside down with narrowed eyes, though she was smiling "Clearly you don't know how awesome I am, Greed!" She quipped as she pointed a hoof.
The avaricious pony stared before smirking "Done already? I'm impressed."
Rainbow Dash climbed into the train with Wrath following behind; the latter brushed himself off when he stood on the floor "It was a small feat, since we took out many of them in the air." He stated nonchalantly.
Greed nodded "Cool. So I guess it's smooth sailing from here then."
Rainbow Dash looked over to see Fluttershy looking depressed and frowned "Wow, she's worked up over this..." She turned to Twilight, Greed, and Wrath "I'm gonna go take care of Fluttershy. I'll be sure to cheer her up once the train stops."
Twilight nodded "Good idea. We're all gonna have to be ready once we reach Manehattan." When Rainbow Dash left to tend to Fluttershy, she noticed Blueblood trot up to her "Hello, Blueblood. Is my brother doing okay?" She asked.
Blueblood scoffed "It's PRINCE Blueblood." He then sighed dejectedly, knowing that his status did not matter in a world of chaos "As for Captain Shining Armor, he'll need some time to recover. I was only able to mend his wounds from the magical backlash he suffered in his previous conflict." He said in a serious tone.
Wrath frowned "I believe I should apologize to Mustang. If you all will excuse me..." He trotted away, leaving the three unicorns by themselves.
Greed chuckled "Twi, if your brother wasn't married, I'd say that Wrath has it out for him..."
Twilight smiled "Well, my brother IS a captain of the Royal Guard. I don't see why Wrath wouldn't respect him for it."
Blueblood frowned "And yet he has more experience and a horrid reputation in his time..."
Greed scowled at Blueblood "Your's could be better, pansy."
"Stop calling me a pansy!" Blueblood snapped.
Twilight got between the two stallions "Both of you stop it! We shouldn't fight amongst ourselves when we have work to do!" The train began to slow down, earning the attention of everypony on board. Twilight looked around "I think we've reached our destination."
Greed huffed "Better get on out there once this train stops..."
As the train finally landed, Discord's disembodied voice was heard once again as the group made their way out of the train.
"Attention, passengers! You're now in the city of lights! Or should I say 'darkness'?"
When Twilight stepped outside of the train, she gasped as she looked around to see that Manehattan was turned into a hexed dystopia covered in a pitch black sky; The buildings were clustered with others to form different shapes and there were doors labeled with numbers.
Fluttershy squeaked and hid behind her friends as she shivered "No...Please, no..." She mewled feebly.
Rainbow Dash looked around "This place is darker than night! How are we gonna find the element in here?"
"This is where the game gets interesting. If everypony will please look ahead, you'll find a box resting on a pedestal."
The group did as commanded to see a box with an open hole on the top sitting on a pedestal.
"Each of you will draw a number and find the door that matches said number. One room contains the element, and the rest contain a special surprise for each of you. How you overcome this challenge depends on your conviction. Good luck~!"
Twilight frowned, but looked determined "Let's move, everypony. We have to hurry and find the element we're looking for!" She said as she trotted towards the box, with the rest of the group following after. Twilight went first to draw a number from the box as she lit up her horn and sifted between the boxes contents.
"Remember, everypony: Once a number is drawn, you're to stick with it to the end; No trades, no takebacks, and no excuses."
Twilight silently acknowledged Discord's rules as she brought up a small ball containing the number '3' "Okay, so I'm looking for a door with the number three." She stepped aside to make room for the others as she looked at them "Everypony else ready?"
Rainbow Dash smirked "I'm game." She glided towards the box and dug a hoof inside of it, deciding which ball to pick up. When she found one, she brought it up to see that it was the number '0', causing her to frown.
"What? Zero IS better than one, isn't it?"
The cyan pegasus scoffed "Maybe if I thought like you..." She muttered to Discord's voice as she stepped aside.
Greed was next as he trotted forward and lit up his horn, trying to find a good number. When he pulled his out, Greed's ball contained the number '8' "Eight, huh? Good enough." He trotted towards Twilight and waited for the others to draw their number.
Applejack approached the box and glanced at it hesitantly before dropping a hoof inside of the hole. After sifting through the numbers, she pulled out a ball with the number '11' "Alrighty then..."
Rarity approached the box, and was more quick in pulling out a number as she lit up her horn and pulled out the next ball; the number was '13'
"Oh my~...Looks like somepony's in for a surprise~!"
The fashionista shivered as she stared at her number; Even she knew that the dreaded number thirteen had its history as the 'unlucky' number "Oh dear...Here's hoping things don't end up too gruesome for me..."
Blueblood trotted up "I-I wish to go next. Who knows what might happen if I end up with something worse."
Rarity rolled her eyes and moved aside for Blueblood to approach the box. He lit up his horn and closed his eyes 'Pleasepleasepleasepleasepleeeease let it be good...' When he lifted a ball out of the box, a scream was heard, causing him to open his eyes and look around "Huh!? What's going on? Are we under attack?" He said as he went to duck.
"The unlucky number! It's working it's magic!" Rarity wailed as she pointed at Blueblood's ball. The ignorant prince widened his eyes to see that he had the same exact number as Rarity "Th-...This isn't right!"
"Consider it a mercy rule. You'll thank me for this later..."
Rarity glared up at the pitch black sky "Discord, when I get my hooves on you, I'll-"
"Blah blah strangle me blah blah rue the day blah blah let somepony else pick a number..."
Rarity gritted her teeth as she kept silent, then looked away in a pout. Blueblood cautiously shimmied next to Rarity knowing that he may end up having to follow her around in the city.
Wrath nodded "I shall go next..." He trotted up to the box and pulled out a ball with his hoof. He noticed he had the number '42' "I see...So I'm to find number forty-two then?"
Shining Armor approached the box and lit up his horn, pulling out a ball with the number '6'. He studied the number before he nodded to the rest of the group.
Pinkie hopped up with a smile "Me next!" She stuck a hoof inside the box "Alrighty, lucky number, come to Aunty Pinkie Pie~..." Pinkie uttered in a predatorial tone as she pulled out a ball; The number was '69', causing her to stare blankly before snickering loudly, putting a free hoof over her muzzle.
Fluttershy trotted up to the box and gently stuck a hoof inside. Deciding to go with the first ball she touched, she pulled it out to see that it contained the number '25' "Um...I have my number now..." She said as she looked over at Spike "Are you ready, Spike?"
Spike nodded "Yeah, let's do this." He said as he waddled up to the box and climbed up the pedestal so he could reach a claw into it. When he pulled out the ball, it had the number '7'. Spike grinned to himself "Well, what do you know? Lucky number seven!"
Rarity moaned "Oh, Spike, if only it were possible to switch numbers." She said with a despondent frown.
Spike frowned "You'd know I'd do it in a heartbeat for you..." He said with infatuation laced in his tone.
"Okay, seeing that everypony has their number, I believe it's time for you all to find your designated buildings containing your numbers. Once you've bested what lies behind your door, you're free to come back out and help whoever's struggling in their challenge."
Greed looked up in the sky with a smirk "That's mighty nice of you. Didn't expect this much of a handicap in this challenge..."
"What can I say? I'm a melting pot of friendship! Now, off you go~..."
Twilight turned to her friends "I guess this is where we separate for now. Good luck with your challenges, everypony."
Greed nodded "Everypony stay alive and kicking now matter how hard the challenge! Let's do this!" The group then separated into the city, trying to find the building that matched their drawn numbers.
Twilight traveled by herself as she went down her own path while scoping out the many doors with large numbers hanging over the top frame; many of them were out of order, much like how she and her friends drew their numbers. When she finally reached a door containing the number 3, she took a deep breath "Here goes nothing." Twilight said to herself as she approached the door and opened it with her magic, stepping inside and taking in her new surroundings.
Inside of the room was a vast library that seemed bigger on the inside. as opposed to the small building she went into. Nonetheless, she was instantly swayed by the many shelves of books, until she realized that Discord was behind this. Twilight shook off her brief euphoria and maintained a more alert background as she stepped further inside. She jumped when the door behind her slammed shut, then looked back with a frown 'I better be more careful now that I'm by myself.'
Twilight already missed Greed's company, but she had to be strong since she was on her own at the moment. She trotted further into the library and looked around at the many books on the shelves "Okay...Either Discord has the element hidden in one of these books, or this could be some kind of trap similar to mine and my friends' time at the grass maze..." She muttered to herself as she scanned the area.
"Isn't it fun to talk to yourself once in a while? Honestly, what do other ponies find so troubling about it?"
Twilight looked around "Discord? Where are you?" Discord's voice gave a chuckle.
"Not here, I can assure you. But I'd be hot on my hooves if I were you..."
The lavender bookworm glared "There's a trap in here, isn't it?"
"Well, not exactly, but there's a twist to this little room. As an experienced librarian, are you aware of how libraries are supposed to be predominantly silent facilities?"
Twilight shot a bemused look while she looked up "Well, yeah. That's common fact. Are you gonna try to make this place as noisy as possible?"
"My, my, she catches on fast! Always the know-it-all of the group...Why don't you take a gander at the receptionist desk to your right?"
Twilight did as requested and noticed a plain-looking receptionist desk in her sights; What seemed different to it's structure was a three-digit reel at the front of the desk with 300 as the current number "Mind explaining the meaning of the number?"
"Two words...Think fast!"
A whizzing sound was heard, and Twilight darted her head towards the source of the sound to see a book flying at her. Widening her eyes, she defended herself with a shield, to which the book bounced off of and fell to the floor. Twilight heaved a sigh of relief, but it was short-lived when the book floated upward by itself before making another direct course towards Twilight, who dodged the second time it came at her "What is this!?"
"What does it look like? Apparently a certain piece of literature has a bone to pick with you. A lively read, am I right?"
Twilight would groan at the bad pun, but she continued to avoid the book that chose to fly at her like a bullet "I don't understand! What am I supposed to do?" She said, disoriented that one of her favorite things had a mind of its own.
"I shouldn't have to spell it out for somepony like you, Twilight: You're being attacked. What do you do when you're being attacked?"
After Discord stated the simplicity of the situation, Twiligh grunted 'So I have to defend myself?' She donned a sad expression at the offensive book, reluctant on what she had to do next. She clenched her eyes shut and lit up her horn as she fired a magical beam at the book, incinerating it at point-blank range. It fell to the floor and was burnt to ash as the flames died down. Twilight looked down at the ash pile in sadness, until she heard a click. She turned to the receptionist desk to see that the digit reel had decreased by one number, showing a 299 in place of a 300 "Wait a minute..."
"Now you got it~...Well, I'd say that you have things covered here now. In the meantime, don't lose your energy~!"
More books floated off of the shelves and made a direct course for Twilight, who planted her hooves in a defensive position as she lit up her horn "Discord, I swear you'll pay for this!" She called out before beginning her fight. _____
Greed trotted nonchalantly across the dipalidated city in search of his number, grinning in amusement at the scenery 'Heh...Imagine if Discord ever came to Amestris...' Before he could entertain his thoughts further, Greed noticed a building up ahead containing his number "There we are. Time to see what's waiting for me." He said to himself as he approached the door and opened it up with his magic. What was found inside had Greed's mind reeling with many thoughts.
The interior of the building was exactly like that of his old hangout in Amestris: The Devil's Nest. The only thing off about the area was a gramophone playing an unfamiliar tune. Greed stepped further inside and looked around "What the hell is this? Did Discord actually do all of this for me?"
"But of course, my boy! Too bad it isn't your birthday, though. Otherwise, I would've made this place extra special for you."
Greed looked around with disapproving eyes as he tried locating the source of Discord's voice "And what's off about this place? Surely, there's a catch..."
"I'll leave that part up to you. I believe you'll enjoy what lies within the confines of this little place..."
After Discord's voice had trailed off, Greed heard the sound of many footsteps growing in volume as a group of familiar faces walked into the bar. Greed was surprised beyond belief at who was there.
One of the many faces was a cloaked bipedal figure with spots on his bald head, a long nose, and beady eyes; A lizard tail could be seen from his rags; Next to him was a brown-haired figure that wore white clothing and had a katana strapped to his waist; A female blonde with discernible lips stood wearing a black tank top and green pants. Towering over all three was a muscular figure with flowing silver hair and a hardened gaze wearing a green outfit.
Greed could remember every single face in front of him, and even called them all by their names "Bido...Dolcetto...Martel...Roa! How did you all get here?" He asked, fazed by their very appearance.
Dolcetto arched an eyebrow at the pony in front of him "How the hell did a pony get in here? The boss won't like this..." He said in a weary tone, ignoring the words coming out of Greed's mouth.
Greed flinched at this. Did they actually not hear what he was saying? Could they not understand him? "What are you talking about!? It's me, Greed!" He said as he pointed a hoof to himself "I'm here and-" He stopped as his pupils trembled in realization 'This isn't real...This is all a trick...'
Bido chuckled in amusement "You know, maybe we could make good use of this little pony. Why don't we hogtie it and see what Greed will say?"
Martel shrugged "It'll kill our boredom, and we'll have something at our disposal. Why not?"
Dolcetto smiled and slowly approached Greed as he held his hands out towards the avaricious pony "Come over here, little pony. We won't hurt you..." He spoke in a calm tone "Just be a good pony and don't run off..."
Greed gritted his teeth "Like hell I will!" He lit up his horn and blasted Dolcetto into a wall with a magic beam, catching the other chimeras by surprise.
Martel scowled as she took a stance "Looks like this little pony's got some fight in him." Roa grunted as he readied his hammer, clutching it with both of his large hands as he squinted at Greed.
Bido donned a toothy grin "A magical pony? Greed will be so pleased!" He said as he crouched, ready to pounce on the pony in front of him.
Dolcetto recovered with a pained grunt, then glared at Greed as he drew his katana "Looks like we'll have to do this the hard way..." He said as he took a stance.
Greed grunted as he bared his teeth, until it slowly turned into a grin "Bravo, Discord...I guess I should thank you for letting me look into my past." He said as his horn lit up. Greed activated his Ultimate Shield form and stared down his group of dumbfounded opponents "Looks like I'll have to remind these losers who I really am!" He said as he roared and rushed into the frey, starting with Dolcetto as he caught him off guard. _____
Wrath and Shining Armor traveled together despite their numbers and looked around "For as long as I've been in Equestria, I've never had a proper glimpse of Manehattan. It's a shame that Discord had to alter its former appearance." Wrath stated as he eyed each numbered door.
Shining Armor narrowed his eyes at the twisted scenery "No doubt. The sooner we apprehend him, the better. Maybe you, me, and Cadence can visit here if we have free time." He turned to Wrath with a smile "Sound good?"
Wrath returned the smile "I'd be delighted. But I suppose we'll have to quell this chaotic uprising if we'll ever see to that."
Shining Armor nodded in response to Wrath's statement, then looked behind him to see a door with the number six, stopping and staring cautiously "This is where I make my stop..." He stated in a serious tone.
Wrath noticed the door, then turned back to Shining Armor "So it is...Don't back down from the challenge ahead."
Shining Armor chuckled "You make it sound like I'm having second thoughts." He said as he trotted up to the door, taking a deep breath "Alright, I'm going in. Don't wait up for me, okay, Bradley?"
Wrath smirked while Shining Armor faced away from him "I wouldn't have it any other way. Good luck, Mustang." He said as the two soldiers parted ways.
Shining Armor stepped inside of the door and looked around to see that the room he stepped into was similar to that of a dancing pad, complete with a vibrant disco ball on the ceiling and a floor containing colorful tiles that constantly changed. The only tile that did not change color was the tile Shining Armor was stepping on; it was a yellow tile. The door slammed shut when he was inside completely, and he looked ahead at the many changing tiles. If it weren't for his constitution as a captain of the Royal Guard, those tiles could have given him a seizure if he stared for too long.
"You like? Sometimes, you gotta bring back the classics."
Shining Armor did not wish to respond to Discord and simply took step onto another tile, only to quickly draw it back when he felt a painful jolt. He hissed in pain "What is this?"
"Why, it's your challenge for today. Did you notice the tile you're currently standing on is different from the one you chose to step on?"
Shining Armor contemplated over Discord's question as he stared at the tile in front of him, humming to himself. He went to step again, only to be met with the same painful result as he drew his hoof back.
"It's rude to ignore somepony when they're talking to you, you know..."
Shining Armor glared at the ceiling "I can figure this out on my own. I don't need your help!"
"Such conviction. If only it showed in your sister as well."
Discord's comment nearly set Shining Armor off "You leave her out of this!" He looked back at the tile in front of him 'So the clue is the tile I'm standing on is different from the one I wish to step on...' He watched how the tile continued changing colors, one of which was yellow. His eyes widened when he reached a conclusion, then squinted them as he studied the changing colors diligently as his hoof slowly stretched out. He quickly jabbed it down when it landed on yellow, and the tile stopped changing. Shining Armor smiled at his success.
"I can see why Wrath respects you. You really know how to get yourself out of a jam!"
Shining Armor scoffed "I'm sure he'll do the same to the challenge you gave him." He said as he noticed how the two tiles he stepped on turned green "Huh?"
"This is merely one of two conditions in this challenge. You'll be met with the second condition when you're halfway towards your finishing point."
Shining Armor looked up "And where's the finishing point?" He asked. A clank was heard, and Shining Armor looked to see a door forming on the other side of the room.
"Satisfied? Now get to it, boy scout!"
With his challenge nearly assessed, Shining Armor studied the tiles he crossed and waited to step on the next tile, timing his movement with the changing colors. He managed to get it on a green tile, and his trail had turned from green to blue; This pattern proved that he had to travel with the seven colors of the rainbow. He repeated the process from indigo, all the way to yellow again until he reached what he believed was the halfway mark. The door looked closer to his eyes.
Suddenly, as Shining Armor went to take his next step, the disco ball had begun to spin faster and reflected a light that had brightened up the room and obscured the guard captain's vision as he covered his eyes "Damn it! The light is too intense!" He said as he tried to focus a free hoof on the changing tile in front of him. When he thought he was correct in his timing, he felt another painful jolt as he drew back his hoof while he covered his eyes with the other.
"No whining, now. It's not like you're timed on this challenge. Carry on, brave soldier!"
Shining Armor never expected to be in a predicament like this, but that doesn't mean he was going to back down now. The only drawback to the second condition was that he would need extra time to try and study the tiles in front of him each time he takes another step. He needed to see this one through for the sake of saving Equestria. _____
Wrath trotted through the city by himself and scanned the area around him until he finally found the door containing his number "Here we are. It's time to play along for the sake of finding the element." He said to himself as he entered through the door without fear. He entered what appeared to be a feudal dojo, complete with a rack of katana. Wrath hummed to himself "It appears Discord might have sent me to Xing through this very door." He said in mild amusement as he took in the scenery, ignoring the door behind him shutting itself.
"Not exactly. But you'll be happy to know what kind of challenge this is."
Wrath noticed the door on the other side of the room open to reveal what appeared to be himself in human form walking onto the floor, wearing a white shirt with black slacks while wielding two blades in his hands. He looked ahead with a hardened gaze until he stopped at the center, to which his features turned into what appeared to be a friendly smile as he closed his eyes "Why hello there..." He greeted in a straightforward tone.
The furious pony eyed his doppelganger cautiously before he trotted onto the center of the room as the door shut behind him. He stopped in front of the human version of himself and stared warily before he donned the same expression on his face "A pleasure to meet you..."
"It's a bit eerie, isn't it? Like looking into a cosmic mirror..."
Wrath opened his eyes after hearing Discord's voice "Oh, you're right on that analogy, Discord. But I prefer to speak with myself, if you don't mind."
"Aren't you eager? Fine, you know what to do from here."
The human doppelganger continued to speak "I never would've thought that I would stumble upon a simple winged horse. Though I must admit, your features are quite a sight." He stated in a friendly tone, though his grip on his blades tightened.
Wrath stared before he smiled again "I could say the same for yourself. To think that I would be met with a vision from the past that I have to confront, I figure this ordeal is an intervention of sorts. Perhaps I'm meant to confront my 'inner demons' as it were..." He stated in the same tone as his doppelganger as his wings slowly unfurled halfway.
The doppelganger gave a dry chuckle "A demon, am I? Well then..." He quickly took a stance with his blade as his eyes opened, narrowed to slits "Perhaps you would like to see how much a demon I can be?" He uttered in a bloodthirsty tone as his pupil glew red.
Wrath smirked "Well, there's nothing much to talk about is there?" He said as he quickly unfurled his wings and stared ahead with a furious gaze of his own "Let's make this short and sweet..." He said in a low and dangerous tone before both combatants sped towards one another with their weapons at the ready. _____
Rarity and Blueblood traveled in lavish silence; The awkwardness in the air combined with the former's tension could be cut with a knife. Blueblood shifted his eyes as he tried to stay close to his forced partner as possible, but not within stabbing range. He knew that it wasn't a good idea to talk with Rarity, especially knowing her attitude around her, but he didn't want to stay so quiet that he felt truly alone. Blueblood took a deep breath and opened his mouth to speak-
"Before you even decide to flab those insufferable gums of yours, let me remind you that I have no intention to talk to you." Rarity stated calmly, albeit harshly as she looked ahead "We're only together under the premise that Discord decided to have his fun with this ridiculous challenge of his. Nothing more than that."
Blueblood's mouth was frozen open before it slowly closed with a frown. He looked over at Rarity, who appeared to be neutral in her glance and hummed to himself 'Was I really so harsh to her back then? Has my status as a prince really warped my notion of nobility among the ponies that I represent?' The ignorant prince never thought he would contemplate his own morals while he stared at Rarity and the visible bitterness on her stoic face.
He knew he would be overstepping his boundaries, but Blueblood had to try and speak for the sake of bettering himself around everypony he sees, namely Rarity "Please, Miss Rarity, hear me out...Perhaps I have been acting rather abhorrent in my time, but you have to understand that I was basically groomed for my status." Blueblood did not realize the amount of failure in his attempt to redeem himself around Rarity until she stopped and met his eyes with her own, flinching under her intense glare "Wh-What I meant to say was, would you not act the way I have in the past if you were in my shoes?"
Rarity jerked her head away with her nose in the air as she huffed "It was a blessing from Celestia herself to not go through your contemptible life. Now why don't you do me a favor and keep silent so we may find our door?" She spoke as she resumed her pace, leaving Blueblood behind to stare at her in sadness before he found the strength to carry on and follow her.
The two unicorns finally reached the number containing their door, and Rarity shuddered at the sight "I can't believe I've been met with this tragic fate."
Blueblood turned to Rarity "You mean both of us, right? We both have the same number."
Rarity ignored Blueblood as she sighed to herself "If only it were possible to switch numbers so I could trade with Spike..." She paused before she shook her head "Oh, what am I saying? I shouldn't condemn him to this." Rarity said as she pointed at the door "Nothing left to do but take on this challenge."
Blueblood trotted forward "Please, allow me." He stated chivalrously as he opened the door with his magic and gave Rarity enough room to trot inside.
Rarity rolled her eyes at Blueblood's attempt to appear polite and made her way inside "Thank you." She stated in a hollow tone as she trotted past Blueblood.
When the two made it inside, they noticed how the room was completely vacant, and that the feature was that the side they stood on was aperture, whereas the side up ahead was blanketed in shadow. Blueblood looked around "This room already haunts me with its appearance...What could the challenge be?"
Rarity looked around and was confused herself "Unless he wishes for us to light the other side of the room, I'd say that Discord may have played a prank of sorts." She said as she looked ahead at the shadowed portion of the room "I can't see a blasted thing beyond this point!"
"Well, the thing about darkness is not being able to see. But that doesn't mean that somepony's not lurking inside of it..."
Discord's laughter was heard as the door behind Rarity and Blueblood slammed behind them, earning their attention. They then heard hoofsteps and looked ahead at the shadowed part of the room to see a figure trotting out in plain sight; The stunning features; the black gown; the malicious look in her enticing eyes as she grinned darkly "Well, well...Welcome to my parlor..." She stated in a teasing tone.
Rarity and Blueblood gasped in shock and called out simultaneously "Lust!?"
Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash traveled through Manehattan together; The latter stayed for the sake of comforting her friend and making sure she doesn't travel alone until her door was found. Rainbow Dash looked around at the many buildings in the area, although she had trouble trying to ignore the trailing blackness in the sky "Sheesh, Discord's having a ball with this place. I'd say we're lucky to spot the buildings." She said dryly.
Fluttershy huddled close towards the cyan pegasus while she tried to distinguish her surroundings herself "I know this is only the second challenge, but I just want to go home..."
Rainbow Dash stopped in her pace and finally decided to look up at the pitch black sky as if Celestia's sun could be seen "I don't blame you. Equestria's going to Tartarus thanks to Discord and his dumb tricks..."
"I heard that!"
After hearing Discord's disembodied voice, Rainbow Dash scrunched her nose before sticking her tongue out at the sky "Good! Just be lucky I'm not scoring some good hits on you!" She shouted. After noticing Fluttershy's heightened fear from the corner of her eye, Rainbow Dash turned to her friend with a smile "C'mon, Fluttershy, you're better than this. You were assertive before, right? Well, it's time to be assertive now! If you keep this up, Discord wins. Do you really want that?"
Fluttershy looked down, and her eyes slowly narrowed before she found the courage to face Rainbow Dash with a curt nod "You're right, Rainbow Dash. We need to keep going if we're going to put a stop to this chaos."
"Yeah, good luck with that. Now if you're done with your sentiments, I believe your doors are calling for you."
Rainbow Dash leered at the sky before turning to Fluttershy, the two ponies sharing a nod before trotting further into the city together. After their small trek, they were surprised to see that the two doors containing their numbers were found up ahead; Rainbow Dash's door was found at a building on the left, while Fluttershy's was found on the right.
Fluttershy was curious about the locations of their doors "Do you think there could be some meaning to this?"
Rainbow Dash scoffed "Like Discord would make any sense. I'm pretty sure the others could have their doors next to each other. Let's just get this stupid challenge over with..." She said as she went to her door on the left building. Fluttershy went towards the right and proceeded to open it until Rainbow Dash spoke up "Listen up, Fluttershy!" She called out, earning the timid mare's attention "Don't give up on this no matter what, okay? Can you do that for me?" The cyan pegasus asked with an expectant glance.
Fluttershy stared before she snapped a salute with a determined gaze "I'll do my best. Anything to save Equestria." After getting a satisfied smirk and a nod from her friend, Fluttershy turned to her door and took a deep breath before she opened it up and went inside of the room.
The room she entered happened to be a neon blue, featureless in all aspects except for the glowing pad up ahead and the glass wall containing four colorless dots in a square formation; The pad had a similar formation, but they contained dots with the colors red, yellow, green, and blue. She went further inside to examine the room, but she gasped when the door slammed shut behind her, then gasped again when she felt something leave her back.
After looking back, she confirmed what was lost by shrieking; Fluttershy had lost her wings once more. _____
Rainbow Dash looked around with an unamused frown "Wow, and here I thought this would be interesting." The cyan pegasus stood from her opened door to take in the surroundings of her room: a featureless room coated in neon red; a glass wall with lifeless grey dots and a colored pad on the floor were up ahead. When she trotted further inside, the door slammed shut behind her, and her wings had disappeared, earning her attention "What the-!?"
"Welcome, Rainbow Dash, to your next challenge. This is very simple, so you won't have to complain so much about it."
Rainbow Dash looked around with narrowed eyes "Mind explaining why you took my wings?"
"Oh, that's easy..." _____
"Simply put, it's a little rule for this little game: No wings. You'll see why as you start to play."
Fluttershy looked up at the ceiling, then looked down at the pad in front of her "Then what about this pad?" She switched her gaze to the dotted glass wall "And the wall?"
"That's your challenge." _____
"All you have to do is show the glass wall in front of you who's boss with the help of your pad."
With a confident smirk, Rainbow Dash planted her hooves on the pad "Sounds easy enough."
"Good. And to show you how thoughtful I am, I'll let you press any color of choice to signal the start of this game."
Rainbow Dash observed the four colored dots around her and thought over what color would be fitting for her in starting out her challenge. _____
"Now stay still and wait for the game to start."
Fluttershy gulped, already nervous over what twisted game Discord had planned for her. She flinched when a beep was heard, and she looked up at the glass wall to see the upper left dot briefly glow red before fading back to its lifeless grey. After mulling over the dot and the pad she stood under, she caught on and pressed the red dot under her left foreleg.
"Very good. Now press another color to end your turn."
Fluttershy wordlessly complied to Discord's request and pressed on the yellow pad under her right foreleg. _____
Two flashes; One red and one yellow on the top row of dots. Rainbow Dash arched an eyebrow at the display before she pressed the two colors in the order presented to her. There was a moment of pause before there were three flashes in the order of red, yellow, green. She quickly mimicked the given pattern and waited for the next one with an extra flash to it, groaning impatiently "This is so boring. I never thought this challenge-" _____
"-could be so easy." Fluttershy said with mild surprise. She thought about retracting her statement when she remembered who was orchestrating this very challenge. She watched how the wall had shown the pattern that she had made, then added another step after mimicking it with ease. Over time, Fluttershy was beginning to think that there was some kind of catch towards her actions. _____
Applejack trotted along Manehattan and frowned upon what the city had been reduced to 'Land Sakes...Ah know Ah didn't really like this place so much, but now Ah feel bad for th' ponies inside o' this place.' Amidst the topic of the ponies in Manehattan, a thought had occured to Applejack.
There wasn't a single pony in sight.
She figured that there could be more ponies seen once she ventured deeper into the city, but there hasn't been a trace of any pony whatsoever. The very sight had disturbed Applejack as she trotted in silence. While she had done so, she noticed a horizontal road up ahead. When she came up towards the curb, a stop sign had quickly erupted from the ground in front of her "What in tarnation!?" Applejack blurted out in a startled tone. Shortly after her surprise, a honking sound was heard.
Coming from the left side of the road was what appeared to be a pony, or so Applejack thought. This pegasus mare had a grey coat with a prismatic pattern similar to Rainbow Dash along her lower midsection as well as her mane and tail; She even had her magenta eyes while wearing a pleasant smile. But what really threw Applejack off was the fact that instead of legs, the mare rolled in on wheels. Her confusion doubled when she saw the mare open her mouth to let out another honk as she rolled by nonchalantly until she was out of the farmpony's sights.
Afterwards, the stop sign instantly sunk back down and was replaced with a 'Go' sign rising up. Applejack froze in her position before she shook her head "This is all just too much fer me." She said to herself in a tired tone as she pressed on. A few blocks after the road she passed, Applejack finally came across the building containing her number. She took a deep breath and opened the door, moving inside to see what appeared to be an arena of sorts.
She trotted inside, though was slightly fazed by the door shutting itself, and looked at the corridor on the other side "What's goin' on here?"
"You're in for quite the treat, Applejack. You'll have to break the mold in order to best this challenge..."
The grave tone in Discord's voice had tensed Applejack up a few notches as she heard hoofsteps from the other corridor. Soon enough, she was met with what appeared to be a ponnequin decked out in battle armor. Applejack noticed and pawed at the ground with a fierce look in her eyes "Ah see where y'all 're comin' from now. Tryin' to wear me down through a battle, huh?"
"Not just any battle...You will be fighting not with brute force...but with a dance!"
Applejack froze with a blank stare "Beggin' yer pardon?"
A song began to play as the ponnequin was moving up and down to the beat. As the beat progressed, it broke out into a series of unique break dancing moves until it ended in a pose similar to laying down in boredom.
"Are you gonna take that, Applejack? Show this one how well you can dance! Or can you?"
The taunting question had given Applejack the drive to take on her challenge, although she was embarrassed by the style of it. She decided to tap into her knowledge of square dancing and matched her movement with the beat. After a small series of moves, she ended with a stalwart pose and a confident gaze.
No expression was seen on the opponent's face, but that didn't mean it was deterred. The ponnequin performed more moves, including a wave using its forelegs, followed by what appeared to be a move similar to a wriggling worm. It then ended with a pose on its hindlegs, its forelegs crossed as if trying to intimidate Applejack.
It did not succeed as Applejack turned away to spit before she opened with more square dancing moves. She knew this battle was going to be a tedious one 'This'll be a while...' The farmpony thought with mild tension. ______
Pinkie Pie pronked peacefully in the twisted city despite its current state and looked around for her number, humming a ditty as she passed by each building. While she was aware of Equestria's current state, she didn't let the foreboding scenery get to her. In no time at all, she finally reached her door. However, she had fought a losing battle with bursting out in laughter as she stared at the number on top of her door.
"Ah, Pinkie, your laughter is most endearing through this little ordeal you and your friends are going through."
Pinkie grinned up at the sky "I can't believe you even had that number in the box!" She said between laughs "Maybe your challenge is gonna be loads of fun." Pinkie proclaimed cheerfully.
"Oh, but it is! Step inside, won't you?"
Following Discord's request, Pinkie opened the door and looked inside to see what appeared to be a contraption similar to a merry-go-round, only there was a pod containing a seat behind glass; the pod was attached to a large rod leading towards the center of the room. Pinkie eyed it with wonder "Oooooh, shiny~..."
"Before you get in there, be sure to put on the suit to your right."
Pinkie blinked before glancing to her right to see a small statue of Discord holding a book and a torch; On the torch hung a baggy suit complete with a helmet. Pinkie approached the suit and fished it off of the statue and fussed with wearing it.
"The challenge is easy as your last name. It's nothing more than a little test on your durability. That little doodad will be spinning around faster than Rainbow Dash and all you have to do is hold out until the ride ends. Are you game?"
When Discord finished, Pinkie finally put on the helmet along with the rest of her suit and grinned confidently "Let's do this thang!" She quipped in determination as she pronked towards the pod, the glass opening up to let her get onto the seat. When she made herself comfortable, the glass had closed as the contraption slowly began to spin, gradually picking up speed as Pinkie jittered with excitement.
"Eustace, we have lift-off!"
Pinkie giggled as the contraption had reached a large amount of speed. But as time went by, it continued to speed up to the point where the manic mare was sucked into her seat, nearly stealing the voice from her mouth as her laughing had ceased. However, Pinkie wasn't scared of this challenge, especially since not only did it involved the fate of Equestria, but it was the most fun she had in a while. _____
Spike waddled by himself as he shifted his eyes at the city around him. The more he took in his surroundings, the more he regretted going into Manehattan on his own "Aw, dammit, why didn't I go with Twilight or Greed?" He widened his eyes after his inadvertent profanity and quickly clamped his mouth shut with his claws, but then sighed in relief when he remembered he was alone.
While he had ventured by himself for some time at one point, it wasn't a fleeting experience to explore a vast city that had been turned upside down by a powerful creature that was as old as Celestia. Spike did not enjoy having to partake in being forced to play a twisted game of sorts, but he realized he had no choice when he was one of the only hopes left of stopping Discord.
Much to Spike's annoyance, he had already passed several numbers that weren't the one he had drawn "I know this part of the game is luck of the draw, but why make us go through the trouble of finding the doors on our own?"
"Because it builds character, cripples laziness, and it helps to get you all hyped up for what's yet to come while you're looking."
Spike shot an unamused glance at the pitch black sky above him "Oh, right. You're everywhere. Can't you at least cut me a break and show me where to go?"
"That depends...do you trust me in giving you directions, be it my own way or otherwise?"
Spike stared before pointing a claw upward "Good point. You win this round." He said in a cross tone as he carried on, trying to steel his defenses for the challenge ahead of him, wherever it laid in Manehattan. Or so he thought when he spotted his number from a stone's throw away.
Feeling invigorated to have his search come to an end, Spike broke into a sprint towards his door, catching his breath before he carefully opened it up.
The inside of the room was as pitch black as the sky outside, sending chills through Spike's body as he examined the unending darkness. When he inched further inside of the room, the door slammed shut behind him, eliciting a yelp as he went to pull at the knob. A click, followed by a trace of light out of the corner of his eye had stopped Spike from his futile struggle and turned to see a very important item in the middle of a lone spotlight.
An Element of Harmony. Pinkie's to be precise.
Spike's eyes widened as he laid his eyes on the golden necklace and he grinned "Alright! Luck really is on my side!" He cheered as he ran towards the element.
"Or is it?"
The element, along with the spotlight quickly flew away from Spike as he ran, snapping him out of his cheer as he came to a stop "Huh?" When it was at a far distance, several lights came on to see that Spike's room was what looked like a snazzy game show; The element rested in a glass case sitting on a pedestal and there was a large sign that said 'Not a chance!'. He was teleported in a flash of light and appeared behind a booth with his name on it "What's going on? I thought I could just take the element and leave!"
A few feet away from Spike, Discord appeared in a sky blue tuxedo as a mischievous smile was on his face "Oh, I said the element was in one of the buildings..." His eyes narrowed to slits as he held a toothy grin "I never said it was easy picking..." He uttered maliciously as he rubbed his paw and claw together.
Spike gazed at Discord in surprise before it turned into a glare "What's your game now, Discord?"
Discord laughed "My boy, you're looking at it! You're about to partake in the latest and greatest game show ever to grace Equestria? The title you ask? Let me answer that question with a question." He turned to a shadowed part of the game room with a shady grin "Are we certain that Spike can even grab the element in time to go and help his friends?" He snapped his talons, and ceiling lights had lifted the darkness to show several copies of Discord in different outfits sitting on the bleachers with eager expressions. They lifted their arms in the air and shouted in unison
"Not! A! Chance!"
Spike groaned "Oh great, so you're gonna pick on me through a game show?" He asked unpleasantly.
Discord appeared next to Spike and draped an arm over his shoulders "Come now, Spike. You should be happy! Nopony has ever had the honor of partaking in this wonderful show. Why, I haven't even explained the rules yet." He said with a devious smirk.
Spike turned to Discord with slight anxiety "The rules?"
Discord glided away from Spike and nodded "That's right." He snapped his talons and a deck of pamphlets rested in his lion paw "The game revolves around a trivial pursuit of sorts; You're going to answer a slew of questions and get them right if you want your precious element in your claws. The goal is to get six of them correct in a row." He directed a claw towards the element sitting on a tall pedestal, which had six vertical dots appear; One by one, they lit up starting from the bottom "Once that happens, the element is yours." Two chimes of a bell were heard as all six dots were lit up.
Spike felt a building confidence from viewing the glowing pedestal, only to have it crushed as Discord's expression became neutral "But if you're to get one wrong during your streak..." There was a buzzer as the lights went out starting from the top "You'll have to work your way back up whether you like it or not. Simple as that."
The purple dragon raised an eyebrow "What happens if I lose?"
Discord shook his head "Don't be silly, Spike, there are no losers." Spike sighed in relief "I'll just keep asking you several questions until you'll feel like an impeccable failure!" Discord blurted out as he broke into a raucous laughter. After he let enough out of his system, the draconequus cleared his throat professionally and shuffled his deck of pamphlets "So without further ado, let's get this game started, shall we?" He brought up the first one and silently read through it before he beamed "Ah~! The first category is fun for the whole family: Cooking!" Discord read over the question "I'm a vessel without hinges, lock or lid. Buried inside me, a golden treasure is hid...What am I?"
Spike perked up in confusion "Huh? What does that have to do with cooking!?"
Discord smirked "The only hint I'm giving you is that it's a particular food. I've figured that since you've been living with the most brilliant unicorn mind, that you wouldn't mind dealing with a cryptic metaphor or two."
"You mean a riddle? "Spike deadpanned
Discord shrugged nonchalantly "Potato, potata. Now hurry up with an answer. Did I mention that you have only sixty seconds to answer each question presented to you?"
Spike looked outraged "No!"
Discord blinked before he stroked his goatee "So I haven't...Well then, consider this a freebie; a head start, if you will." He snapped his talons, and a clock being held in the jaws of a floating Discord head was ticking away, troubling Spike before he could think of an answer.
Spike gritted his teeth as he tried to come up with a good answer 'Okay, think...A vessel without hinges...so this food's like a breakable ship or something. A golden treasure buried inside...' As the clock began to tick away at its last five seconds, Spike's eyes shot open in realization "An egg! The answer is egg!" He shouted at last minute. There was a moment of silence before a ding sound was heard as the first light at the bottom of the pedestal was shown.
Discord gave an impressed hum "And here I thought you were stupid..." He said as he shuffled through his pamphlets.
Spike leered at Discord "Gee, thanks..." He remarked sarcastically.
Discord nodded as he pulled up and read another pamphlet "No problem, child." He frowned deeply after he finished reading "Oh great, this next category's a bore: Royalty."
Spike smirked "Oh, this one's in the bag!" He said confidently, remembering the time he spent with Twilight in Canterlot.
Discord read the contents aloud "The most common way people know me is through my affiliation with royalty. I am also used to receive the most needed of amenities. With all of the new technology, I can make your mouth right, although painfully, and if you hit me you will see stars." He tittered "Figuratively, of course...What am I?" After Discord ended his question, the timer started back up again.
While the timer ticked away, Spike was disoriented by the pamphlet's contents "ANOTHER riddle?" He groaned as he poked at his head while deep in thought "Okay, royalty...C'mon, think..." Spike poked harder in an effort to block out the unnerving sound of the timer. However, no matter how hard he tried, it continued to grate at his mind and filling it with tension.
Feeling that he was at his wits end, he gritted his teeth and growled in frustration "Oh, what is it!?" He said as he smacked his temple with more force than he intended, sending him into a small daze. For the moment, he thought he had seen stars dancing around him, and he shook his head "Wait a minute...I saw stars when I hit my head, and another word for head is..." He perked up and pointed a claw "Crown!" Spike was rewarded with another ding sound as a second light was seen on the pedestal.
Discord gave Spike an unamused frown "That one was too easy, even for you."
Spike arched an eyebrow "Try walking a mile in my shoes, why doncha?"
Discord rolled his eyes "Don't exactly plan on it, little guy." He drew another pamphlet and read it "Aaaah, nature..." He said as he cleared his throat "Name this particular thing commonly seen in nature: While voiceless, it cries, and while wingless, it flutters. While toothless, it bites, and while mouthless, it mutters." He said as he peered at Spike expectantly as the timer began to count down.
Spike tapped a claw to his chin as he looked up in thought "Hmm...wingless, flutters..." He thought over what he would usually see in nature until he came up with an answer "Is it a bush?" There was a pause, and instead of a ding, a buzzer was heard, causing Spike to dart his head towards the pedestal with widened eyes, fear gripping at his heart as he watched the two lights go out.
"You know, they usually say that 'Third time's the charm'..." Discord smiled maliciously at Spike "Looks like you've disproven that saying with your answer." He chuckled before extending his head towards Spike with his eyes closed smugly "By the way, the answer is wind. Before you ask how it's possible to see wind, pay attention to tornadoes." He said with defiant laughter as he drew his head back and shuffled his pamphlets. Discord picked up and read another, a playful look in his eyes after viewing the contents "Oh-ho~, now this one's a doozy: Physics." He grinned widely at the troubled dragon standing at the booth "Looks like you've got a long way to go..." He uttered in a darkly amused tone before turning to the audience with a vigorous expression "Well, folks, this game has only just begun! But can our little dragon go for broke and get the gold?" He leaned towards the audience with his paw cupped by his ear for an answer.
"Not! A! Chance!" _____
Lust eyed the two pieces of prey in front of her with a predatory glance, licking her lips in anticipation "So who will approach me first? Or will I have to take you both on?"
Rarity and Blueblood backed up near the door behind them, which slammed shut when they got close. Rarity gasped while Blueblood scrapped at it frantically "Let us out at once!" The ignorant prince yelled in fear.
"No can do, Little Boy Blue. This is your's and Rarity's challenge after all..."
Rarity eyed Lust cautiously as she slowly approached them "What have you done to Lust, Discord? Is this similar to what was done with Wrath?"
"Well, yes and no. You see, I merely intensified the inner mechanisms of Lust's mind. I focused more on her bloodlust to avoid the chances of a raunchy moment between the three of you, but I cannot make any promises on its success. But I can guarantee you'll overcome this challenge as long as you both - dare I say it - work together?"
Rarity gritted her teeth 'That's just like that Discord! Always placing me and my friends in the worst of situations!'
Blueblood cringed feebly after he had finished trying to open the door and eyed Lust in terror "We're to be disemboweled if we don't act quickly? But what can we do?"
Rarity felt the tension rise until she looked at the shadowed portion of the room behind Lust "Perhaps we can use this room to our advantage."
Blueblood turned to Rarity in shock "We?" He asked, not expecting Rarity to acknowledge him as a partner.
Rarity deadpanned "Yes, we. As much as I despise you, we're still in this together." She turned to Blueblood with a serious gaze as she whispered "Now listen carefully, Blueblood. On my mark, we're going to separate and make for the darkened area behind Lust. I have a plan."
Blueblood hissed urgently "But how can you possibly be able to use that void to your advantage?"
Rarity narrowed her eyes "Just listen to me for once!" She hissed back before noticing Lust closing in as her horn began to glow "Okay, ready...now!" Rarity quickly moved to the right side and galloped away from Lust. Blueblood followed along and made for the left, galloping himself, only to be instantly stopped by a llong and sharp horn stabbing into the wall next to him.
He skidded to a halt with widened eyes and he followed the horn to see that it belonged to Lust, who retracted it as he smiled at Blueblood "And where do you think you're going? Don't think I'm finished with you after your pathetic attempts at courting me back then..." She sauntered over towards him "Perhaps its about time I give you something for your efforts..."
Rarity was about to enter the darkened portion of the room until she noticed Blueblood being cornered, cursing under her breath as she watched. She then took a firm position as she lit up her horn 'I'm very sorry for this, Lust...'
Lust looked down at the cowering prince in front of her with a dark grin "What's this? Lacking charisma? Normally you would be so forward about our encounters..." She said as she readied her horn, only to feel a large blast on her back and sending her forward towards Blueblood, who leaped out of the way and distanced himself from her.
Blueblood turned to see Rarity, who was preparing for another shot "Focus, Blueblood! We still have time!"
Lust recovered from her blow as a scorch mark was seen on her back, some of her mane even burnt from the blast. Her body was coated in red static as her wounds began to heal, turning around to face Rarity with a scowl that turned into a playful smirk "Now this is a surprise. You actually care for him, don't you?"
Rarity tried to maintain a firm gaze as her horn glowed "Lust, we both know the answer to that question, but that doesn't matter now!"
"It doesn't?" Blueblood whimpered pitifully.
The fasionist took a step forward "Think about what you're doing! How would the rest of your family react to your current behavior?"
Lust laughed as she watched Rarity with a condescending gaze "We both know the answer to that question, but that doesn't matter now..." She said mockingly as she galloped towards Rarity with her own horn glowing. The two unicorn mares clashed their horns, though Rarity was caught off-guard by Lust's strength. She tried to hold her own against the lascivious mare, only to be pushed back a few feet before Lust quickly spun around and bucked her at a wall.
Rarity felt the air escape her lungs as her back made impact against the wall, then bounced off of it, landing on her hooves harshly 'Those homunculi are very strong indeed...' She looked ahead to see Lust's horn soaring near her, and yelped before jumping to the left as it pierced into the wall. Using it as an opportunity for attack, Rarity galloped towards Lust before she could retract her horn in time and landed a swift hindleg kick onto her chest, sending her back along with her horn. Before Lust could recover, Rarity quickly launched another magic beam into her chest, scorching it along with her dress, which appeared to regenerate along with her body after being coated by red static.
Blueblood watched in terror as he rose to his legs "Rarity! I'm coming!"
Rarity quickly turned to Blueblood "No, you're going! Over to the dark side immediately!"
Blueblood thought he was being brushed off at first until he remembered Rarity's plan "Of course!" He said to himself as he galloped towards the shadowed area. Rarity followed suit after distancing herself from Lust.
Lust snarled for a moment until she saw both Rarity and Blueblood immerse themselves in the darkness, unseen by her eyes. She stared before smirking "Well-played. Using the very darkness I walked out of to your advantage. Very well then..." She said as she nonchalantly trotted towards the shadow "I'll play along for now. After all, I've already been doing so thus far in this little conflict, haven't I?"
Her answer came in the form of a blue magic beam that shot out of the shadows. Lust moved her head to the right as the blast grazed her cheek and collided with the door behind her, leaving a scorch mark. Her cheek regenerated from the small wound inflicted as she watched the darkness carefully "Maybe I don't give you two enough credit...But do you honestly believe that the darkness will aid you for so long?" Another beam flew and hit Lust directly in her left eye, the force rearing her head back as she showed no reaction. She brought her head back to face the darkness, and the area around her eye was singed until it was restored to normal via her regeneration "Now you're just getting cocky..." She said dryly as she turned her head to the left of the room and extended her horn.
In the shadowed portion of the room, Rarity and Blueblood were in the middle, unable to see what Lust was planning on the other side. Blueblood turned to Rarity and whispered "Are you alright?"
Rarity stared firmly ahead "If you're referring to my little scuffle with Lust, I'll be fine. I just so happen to have been through worse before this." She whispered back.
Blueblood stared at Rarity, wanting to ask about her answer to caring about him, but his ears perked up when he heard a whooshing sound, and he noticed an oncoming force approaching Rarity from the right "Get down!" He shouted as he tackled Rarity and sent both him and her to the ground. What seemed like a slicing wind had severed some of Blueblood's golden locks as they narrowly avoided the lethal swipe.
Rarity noticed both the swipe and the hair that was cut off before looking up at Blueblood "Y-You saved me..." She whispered incredulously.
Blueblood frowned before donning a thin smile "Well, we are in this together, are we not?" He asked hopefully.
Rarity stared before she nodded "Yes, that's right. Can you get off of me now, please?"
Blueblood flinched when he realized he was smothering Rarity and scrambled to his feet "So what now? Apparently she's taking measures of her own, and we cannot anticipate when she'll strike next forever."
Rarity squinted her eyes as she looked ahead in the darkness "Au contraire, Blueblood. I was careless at first, but now we can perform better than expected. I'll be the eyes whilst you be the firepower." She turned to Blueblood "I'm counting on you, you know."
Blueblood stared before he nodded "Of course, milady..." He said as he turned to look ahead, lighting up his horn.
Rarity kept her eyes peeled, looking around in the darkness, and she felt a light breeze left of her before piping up "Blueblood, move left and strike!"
A sharp indigo horn extended into the darkness as Blueblood followed Rarity's directions, narrowly missing Lust's horn as he fired a magic beam out at her. A connecting sound and a grunt was rewarded as the horn retracted.
Rarity smirked "Now you know that I distinguish proper attention to detail even in the dark."
She got no response, but she felt another breeze, this time in front of her as she gasped and moved away in time for the horn to pass her, although it had grazed her cheek as she barely dodged "Blueblood, now!"
Blueblood wordlessly complied and quickly shot another beam that had connected as the horn retracted once more. The ignorant prince smiled cheerfully as he felt a boost in morale over Rarity's plan. He looked over and noticed how she was bleeding, instantly filling him with concern "Oh dear, Rarity you're-"
"I'll be fine!" Rarity hissed "Just focus on the plan." She said as she kept her eyes open.
Blueblood nodded "Right..." He said as he waited for Lust's next move. However, instead of a horn shooting into the darkness, Blueblood was covered by an indigo aura and lifted two feet into the air "H-Huh!?" He was then launched towards Rarity, who widened her eyes before she was forcefully sidechecked by Blueblood.
When they both laid in a stunned heap, they were both lifted in the same colored aura before they were pulled out of the darkness and in front of Lust, who smiled down at them "I'll admit, your plan was good, only you've forgotten one flaw." She leaned down as her smile widened "I'm a unicorn as well..." Her horn lit up and she prepared to fire a magic beam at them.
Rarity acted quickly and got up, facing away from Lust as she kicked her and caused her to stumble and fire the beam upward into one of the ceiling's lights, further darkening the room. She then went to kick again, only to be swooped off of her feet in another magic hold and flung towards the left wall. Before she could recover, a horn shot out and she remained still when she noticed it was aimed for her wounded cheek, grazing the area under it.
While Rarity was fazed by Lust's tactic, the lascivious mare trotted towards her while her horn retracted, her smile not leaving her face as she breached Rarity's space and pinned her to the wall. Rarity stared with an angered glance while Lust taunted her with her smile, only to lean in and lick the blood from Rarity's cheek before facing her again "You're indeed an excellent fighter, Rarity." Lust commended genuinely despite her murderous vibe "I can see how far you've gotten in your previous battles..."
Rarity grunted at the force Lust was placing on her as she was immobilized "Even a lady like myself must be ready to take up arms if need be..." She briefly flashed a sympathetic glance towards Lust "Have you no idea what you're doing?"
Lust's eyes narrowed "That depends...How long do you wish to keep this going? I have all the time in the world..." She uttered in a calm but bloodthirsty tone.
Rarity now realized that trying to talk some sense into Lust was not worth it. She mustered some strength and used her hindlegs to kick the lascivious mare away a few feet, although she was still winded from both colliding with the wall and being forced against it.
Lust huffed "I suppose your answer's final then? Understood." She readied her horn "It was nice knowing you, Rarity..." She said as her horn shot out towards the fashionista, who clenched her eyes shut.
A skewering sound was heard, followed by a scream that didn't belong to Rarity or Lust. Rarity opened her eyes and inspected herself before noticing a mass in front of her that was leaking blood from behind his shoulder, gasping in shock.
Blueblood stood with tear-ridden eyes as Lust's horn penetrated his left shoulder as he stood on his hindlegs, his forelegs stretched out. He gritted his teeth and grunted in pain "I-" He said, trying to form coherent words in the midst of his pain "I won't let you harm Miss Rarity!" He shouted while enduring his pain.
Wrath was busy fighting head-to-head with his human double, the two of them executing deft movement and swift strikes at different directions which resulted in either harsh clashes or expert dodging.
The former grunted with each strike that was either given by him or taken through his defense while his opponent had barely registered any reactions of his own 'Discord must've searched my mind well to get my previous form firm to the letter. He isn't showing any sign of fatigue or hesitation.' He thought to himself as he tried coming up with a strategy for countering the other Wrath's moves. Nothing came to mind in the heat of battle so far, since this was a battle with himself and no one else.
When he spotted an opening in his doppelganger's chest region, he went to strike there, only to find it was easily blocked and countered with a blade towards his face. Wrath's reflexes kicked in and moved back to dodge before the two went back to their heavy clashing 'It really is like looking into a cosmic mirror. And this is without a doubt my greatest challenge yet.' He thought as he got a better look at his opponent's hardened gaze through his fight 'All of that turmoil...All of the tribulations I've faced before turning into the first human homunculus...' His own eyes narrowed 'It's about time I conquer my past in order to move on...'
Wrath jumped back and flared his wings before he lunged in a swift gliding motion to slash his opponent on his right side as he landed a few feet behind him. When he looked back, his eyes widened when he spotted no blood in the deep cut that was made. What made it more unnerving was the fact that his opponent looked like he hadn't felt a thing; He slowly turned around with his unchanged expression before running at Wrath with his blades drawn as if he were some kind of puppet.
Before the furious pony could avoid it, he was back to clashing at another part of the room 'This is inconceivable...It's as if I'm fighting some kind of spirit!' He said as he continued to defend himself, though was slightly deterred by his opponent's invulnerability. As he continued to fight, he was met with a leg sweep from his opponent, to which he jumped in the air, followed by banking to the right and narrowly dodging a stab from one of the doppelganger's blades. He swooped down and managed to score another hit on his opponent's left side, though no reaction of pain was noted as Wrath made his pass.
He landed in the center of the room and quickly turned to face the other Wrath and waited for him to rush at him in a somnambulistic fashion. The furious pony gritted his teeth before he commenced with matching his opponent with another onslaught of strikes and dodges.
The doppelganger growled before he broke away from the clash and instantly lunged in to stab Wrath in the chest, the blade going through his body. The furious pony snarled in pain as it went through his back and was forcibly yanked out as he fell to the ground, but not before getting kicked aside by his opponent, landing on his back. Wrath wondered if it was finally over for him as he laid down...
Until he felt it.
A familiar sound reached his ears, and he looked down at his stomach to see the deep stab wound patching itself up while being coated in red static, staring at it incredulously 'It cannot be...I still have some of Discord's power left in me?'
Not wishing to question good fortune, Wrath instantly jumped up on his feet and charged at his doppelganger with newfound resolve. He swiftly clashed with him once more and allowed his opponent to stab at his right foreleg in order to grant him an opening to attack at his Ultimate Eye while he was distracted.
The other Wrath pulled his blade away from the furious pony's impaled foreleg and distanced himself as he covered his eye while leering at his attacker, who smirked triumphantly 'Now let's see how far he goes without his own eye...' Wrath thought as he galloped towards his doppelganger and clashed once more. He was met with more of the intense strength from their earlier clash, but when he chose to move to the right, an advantage was found from when he damaged the doppelganger's eye; his obstructed vision rendered him open to more attacks unless he were to swiftly turn his body to defend.
Wrath continuously circled around his opponent, scoring available hits whenever they presented themselves while dodging any oncoming retaliation. When the doppelganger stood while decorated in injuries, he gave out labored breaths while maintaining a vicious glare at the hovering pony. Wrath squinted his eyes at the imposter and merely uttered "This battle is mine..." He flared out his wings and flew in to slash at the other Wrath's neck, landing behind him after he made his hit.
The doppelganger's head soared in the air with an expression of shock before bouncing onto the floor. Wrath knew that no blood was seen, but he hoped that the battle was over.
After a moment of silence, a party blower was heard as copious amounts of confetti shot out of the doppelganger's neck before the body fell down in a sprawled position on the ground. Wrath looked back at his fallen foe in silence, then his ears perked up when he noticed the door he entered open up by itself, revealing the dipalidated city of Manehattan outside "Ah...So after emerging victorious, I've managed to complete my challenge." He said to himself as he trotted outside, leaving behind the feudal room and the chaotic corpse inside of it.
He stretched his limbs when he was back outside and looked around 'I wonder if Mustang has completed his challenge yet...' Wrath thought to himself as he decided to gallop back to where he parted ways with Shining Armor. _____
The four chimeras all laid in a daze, piled up by one another as their bodies were severely injured. Greed stood in front of them while remaining in his Ultimate Shield form, catching his breath as he stared them down 'I have to admit, those idiots were as fierce as I remembered...' An invisible smirk was seen behind his teeth 'At least now they know why I was the boss of them...' A click was heard, and Greed looked back at the door he entered, seeing that it was opening by itself. His eyes widened slightly "It's over? Sweet!" He said as he galloped out of the room without hesitation.
Once he was out in the darkened city, he canceled out of his form and darted his head around, contemplating on his next stop with slight anxiety on his mind over the thought of his friends' challenges "Where to go now...?" He said to himself as he decided to go what he perceived to be north of his current destination, galloping as he looked for each number.
He thought back to the numbers that his friends have drawn while he carefully scanned each number that was passed 'I had 8...Spike had 7...Rarity and that pansy both got 13...Twilight had...' Greed squinted his eyes at each number he passed, until he noticed a door containing the number 3. He skidded to a halt and looked up with a grin "What luck I have!" He cheered before looking serious 'I better go inside and see if she needs help...'
Steeling himself for the trial ahead, Greed opened the door in front of him without hesitation. He noticed a large flurry of books big and small converging at the center of the room "What the hell?" He muttered to himself at the obscurity of the scene. Following their trail towards the center, a certain unicorn was seen struggling the books that flew at her at projectile speed; She was seen blasting each one that got in her range, but was sweating from exhaustion. Greed perked up and activated his Ultimate Shield once more "Twilight!" He called out as he made a beeline for his marefriend, knocking away the books in his path as the door behind him shut itself.
Twilight blasted another book before she heard a metallic voice "Greed?" She looked over at an oncoming force, but yelped when one book was flying at her, quickly shooting a beam to incinerate the hostile piece of literature. The force revealed itself to be the mentioned stallion, who turned to stand by her side while fighting off more books that came their way. Twilight fought off more of her own before focusing on Greed "You've completed your challenge already?" She shot another beam when she spotted a book at the corner of her eye.
Greed grinned "Sure did! I'd say Discord whipped me into shape by making me look at my past." He quipped as he knocked away more books, then shifted his glance at Twilight "But I don't know why you're having it rough with this challenge here. Are you even trying?" He asked, still bothered by Twilight's challenge.
Twilight groaned at Greed's question while defending herself, not facing the avaricious pony while doing so "You have no idea how much I despise this challenge, or Discord for even making me go through with this!" She answered irritably.
Greed chuckled despite the situation, then scouted the area until his eyes landed on the ominous receptionist desk nearby, with the digit reel currently at 176 and decreasing at a steady pace "Wait...Is that thing connected with these books?"
Twilight grunted as she magically held one book coming her way and used it as an instrument of defense towards more "Yes. I have to conquer each book until the reel hits zero, otherwise I'm stuck here!" She said, the disdain over the conditions clear in her voice.
Greed shook his head at Twilight's misfortune "You poor girl..." He muttered to himself before turning to Twilight "Activate your shield, Twi." Greed requested nonchalantly as he squinted his eyes "We're gonna end this thing together!"
Twilight finished defending another small group of books before donning a smile and wordlessly activating her own Ultimate Shield, bracing herself for impact on all angles as Greed stayed right at her side. The two nodded to each other before they worked together in destroying every book that closed in on them, either through physical or magical means; The digit reel - now at 158 - began to decrease drastically due to the doubled efforts of both unicorns.
Greed roared as he tore through more of the projectiles in his direction with ferocity greater than that of the mare next to him. He impaled one book before magically prying it off and using it to thrash more books that came his way, knocking back each wave one mighty swing at a time.
Twilight held her own and continued shooting precisely-aimed magic beams and absorbing the impact from the books that have gotten close to her before smashing them into the ground with her hooves. When she felt that her magic supply was running low, she relied on her enchanced physical prowess to fend off the remaining books.
Through their combined efforts, the books that were left to fight had fallen in droves until the digit reel on the receptionist desk had finally decreased to 1. Greed and Twilight caught their breath as they surveyed the area and tried to spot the last book needed. Greed was still tensed up from having to treat what was once boring literature as a sizeable threat to him and his loved ones. When he turned to look at Twilight, he noticed a large encyclopedia that flew towards her, his eyes widening "Twilight, behind you!" He blurted out as he quickly assumed a defensive stance and lit up his horn to shoot a magic beam of his own at the massive book past Twilight, only to see that he had slowed its flying speed. He was taken by surprise when he spotted a magic beam larger than his own pierce through the encyclopedia before it had bursted into flames and instantly fell into ashes.
Greed looked over to see the pony responsible cancel out her form to take a deep breath. He then darted his head over at the receptionist desk to see the third reel finally go from 1 to 0, leaving only three 0's altogether. Greed canceled out of his Ultimate Shield form and heaved a content sigh of his own "Talk about intense reading." He chuckled at his own joke "This challenge was much harder than my own." Greed looked over at Twilight "Hey, are you oka-"
He didn't anticipate a purple blur dive at him and constrict him in a hug. He saw how Twilight wrapped her hooves around his neck as she held him close, then smiled as he gingerly returned the embrace with a hoof over your back "Sorry to keep you waiting."
"It wasn't your fault, and you know it." Twilight said as she brought her head up to face Greed, a grateful smile and a loving gaze seen as her current features "Thank you so much for coming at my time of need, Greed. I didn't think I could last any longer." She said as she gave him a peck on the cheek.
Greed chuckled "Well, one of us had to take the reins and show these books who's boss." He looked away with a smug smirk "I'd say my work here is done..." A strike to his chest snapped him out of his boasting and he saw Twilight with narrowed eyes, to which he laughed "Okay, I'm sorry. All in all, at least we took down this challenge together..."
Twilight smiled "Right." A click was heard and the two unicorns saw the door they entered open by itself. They shared a glance before exiting the twisted library and going outside. Twilight frowned in frustration "This city's huge and no doubt everypony's struggling with their own challenges at different parts of this place. Where should we go from here?"
Greed rubbed his chin as he thought to himself before saying "Something tells me we should go help your little assistant out of his jam."
Twilight turned to Greed, starting to feel worried after bringing up Spike's safety "Good idea. For all we know, Spike could have the worst challenge yet despite having lucky number 7."
Their destination set, Twilight and Greed galloped in search of Spike's door, the former fearing the worst for her number one assistant. _____
Shining Armor gritted his teeth as he tried to cope with both the intense light looming over him and the pain in his forelegs from his many errors in crossing the tiles he stood on.
So far, he was a good distance from his halfway point - his trail only consisting of a long straight path followed by a left turn, then a right turn after a few steps - but from what he had endured throughout his challenge, he was close to standing still and waiting for his strength to return, but his mind refused to yield. After noticing his current path was green, he tried to distinguish the next blinking tile and waiting to step on it when it landed on the desired color.
Shining Armor took a step, but was met with more pain as he grunted and drew back his hoof from his wrong move 'I have to keep moving. Everypony's lives depend on it!' He thought to himself as he waited patiently for his next step, managing to get it right. The trail he made then switched to blue, and the guard captain bided his time for his next move.
He couldn't make out how close he was to his goal, but he was confident that his challenge was almost over. Shining Armor stepped down on another tile and managed to touch the right color; the trail made had now switched to indigo. He squinted his eyes and noticed how close he was to the other end of the room; from where he had stood, it was only another five steps.
Shining Armor felt a surge of adrenaline from noticing that his goal was nearly complete and instantly shifted his attention back to the changing tile below him. He brought a hoof up and took a deep breath before he slammed it down and caused the tile's color to land on indigo. When the trail had changed to violet, Shining Armor repeated the strategy of his last move and was met with another successful step.
The trail was now red, and only three steps remained. He raised a hoof and took another deep breath before slamming it down on the tile, only to be met with a surge of pain that was lightly cushioned from his adrenaline 'Damn, too early. I just have to focus...' Shining Armor closed his eyes and slowly raised his hoof before he brought it down on the tile, getting the correct color as it changed his trail to orange. He performed the same tactic for the next tile with the same results. Only one tile was left before the challenge was complete.
He gritted his teeth and clenched his eyes shut while the last tile in front of him changed constantly, and with a growl, Shining Armor brought his hoof down as if he were striking an opponent on the ground, and he felt a jolt of pain, to which he quickly switched hooves and struck at the tile again, only this time getting the correct color of yellow.
There was a pause, and the intense light from the disco ball had died down while a small victory theme had played in the room. Shining Armor caught his breath and rubbed his eyes along with his forehead as he looked at the path he had made, then noticed the door at the opposite end disappear "Huh? What is this!?" He snarled in outrage. A whooshing sound was heard next to him, and he spotted an identical door, to which he calmed himself "Oh..." After he felt relieved of his burdened challenge, he opened the door and stepped outside to see that not only was he in the exact area he had entered from, but a certain pegasus was about to enter himself "Bradley?" He said in a puzzled tone before he smirked "I see you've bested your challenge without a hitch." Shining Armor said in a respecting tone.
Wrath shared a smile himself "You'd be surprised what I've discovered through my own trail..." He said as he looked serious "I still hold some of Discord's magical traits inside of me..."
Shining Armor widened his eyes "You mean...?"
Wrath nodded "Yes, I can still regenerate my wounds at an ample rate." He looked away as his eyes narrowed "And if my theory is correct, one of my family may be residing in this city with a healing factor of their own. We should hurry to their aid and quickly."
Shining Armor frowned "But where do we go from here? What door could the next homunculus be inside of?"
Wrath pondered over Shining Armor's question until an idea had formed "The unlucky number..." He muttered to himself in a grave tone. Before Shining Armor could question him, the furious pony darted his head towards him "We must find door number 13 immediately!"
Shining Armor noted the urgency in Wrath's voice and gave a curt nod before they galloped to their own destination. _____
Pinkie was moving around in a circle at the fastest velocity imaginable, watching only the swirling blurs in front of her past the front window while she was stuck in her seat. She was unable to laugh to her hearts content due to her vocal chords feeling restrained from how fast she was going, but that didn't stop her from enjoying this challenge.
Many thoughts had crossed her mind as she continued to move around in a circle: What could Discord be planning next? Which homunculus could be in Manehattan since Wrath was found in Ponyville? When would this story end? But while her questions were unanswered, she felt herself beginning to grow dizzy and queasy from how long she had spun around.
She almost felt as if she were about to fail, but Pinkie felt the contraption begin to slow down. While it had done so, she was able to get herself out of the seat after being stuck inside for so long. When the contraption had finally slowed to a stop, the glass opened for her, and Pinkie practically slinked her way out of it and picked herself up to walk in a haphazardly fashion, still dizzy and sickened from her challenge "Looks like..." She said as she paused in her daze "Looks like Pinkie wins this round..." The party pony laughed halfheartedly while she felt her face turn green.
The door she entered had opened by itself, and Pinkie Pie took her time in exiting the building as she swayed about in her daze. Once outside, she set off at a random direction and moaned to herself while swaying about in the city "Houston...We have a problem..." She muttered to herself as she went further inside the city.
Rainbow Dash was getting bored with her challenge already, having to put up with memorizing easy patterns before entering them in herself. She had already repeated this process more than ten times without any mistakes so far. A part of her felt that her challenge was rigged or that there was a hidden booby trap in the room, but she felt that she should at least acknowledge her current objective knowing the severity of her situation "This is so lame. When do I win this thing? What would happen if I lose?" She asked herself while she continued her repetitive actions.
Another pattern had come up, and it had been easily memorized and solved once again. Through her boredom, she began to wonder if the entire challenge had been a ruse to stall for time. Sure, she had lost her wings, but she was beginning to lose focus over the triviality of what she was going through.
One more pattern had came up with an extra color, and Rainbow Dash lazily began to enter it in through her pad. However, a slip up was made through her indolence when she entered the wrong color in the middle of her pattern after carelessly pressing the green pad with her foreleg instead of the yellow. There was a slight shake on her pad before she felt herself quickly fall dow a few feet with her pad, yelping in surprise. She saw that she was brought down to view a haunting pattern of changing colors below her.
"Oh-ho~...So the mighty Rainbow Dash thought this would be an easy task? Perhaps you'd prefer something more advanced, wouldn't you?"
Rainbow Dash was nearly through off by the constantly changing colors beneath the pad she stood on and quickly darted her head up to look at the glass pad "What happened here? Is this what happens if I lose?"
"Well, pretty much. You see, there's a three-strike rule with this challenge, and you just used up one of them. Now you must earn your space back on the surface by focusing on each pattern given to you. With time, your effort will be rewarded. By the way, be sure not to look down, my dear~..."
The cyan pegasus cursed herself when she reflexively done so, the sound of Discord's laughing flooding her ears while she stared down at the rapidly changing colors of red, yellow, green, and blue; the sight almost began to play with her mind. She frantically shook her head before looking back up at the glass, her eyes narrowing as she awaited the next pattern shown, which happened to be the one she had failed earlier. As she stared at the oncoming colors, she broke into a small sweat over noting the hidden edge in her challenge 'This was just a small slip-up...I gotta get the lead out...' _____
Fluttershy stood in confusion over two things that had happened in the span of two seconds; the first moment, she was startled when the pad she stood on ascended a few feet, while in the next moment, the glass wall in front of her had the words 'Please wait...' in pure white while no other patterns were active.
She remained silent with the knowledge that this was indeed part of the challenge, but a part of her had felt troubled as the events in front of her had unfolded so abruptly just to leave her in a temporary hold. While she enjoyed being quiet with the rest of her surroundings, she couldn't shake the feeling that something sinister was happening. She looked up at the ceiling and cautiously voiced herself "Um...Is there something going on that I should know about, Discord?" She asked in her usual demeanor.
"It's right in front of you, isn't it? Just be patient; the challenge isn't over..."
Fluttershy stared up for a moment before focusing her attention back on the glass screen and waiting until the hold came to an end. Much to her reward, the words disappeared before another long pattern had emerged. Luckily for her, it was the same one that she had memorized with an extra move prior to the last one entered. She re-entered it with ease, donning a small smile for her success 'Maybe this isn't so bad...I could try and win this challenge and actually catch up with my friends; wherever they are...'
She waited for the next pattern, but was instantly flustered when it had come up twice as fast than it normally would "Wh-What? What's going on?" She whimpered after the pattern had concluded. _____
Rainbow Dash heaved a sigh after she re-entered the second pattern from her earlier mistake and looked up to see no pattern showing yet "Huh? What's going on? Is this some kind of trick-" A beep interrupted her, and the cyan pegasus looked up to see the red dot flash momentarily before going out. The yellow dot followed shortly after a brief pause, followed by the green. Her pattern was coming slower than how she had entered it, as if the game were taunting her.
She dared not show any sign of weakness, nor curiosity towards the madness-inducing sight below her; Rainbow Dash kept a keen eye on her pattern, no matter how slow it had moved thus far. She knew her new strategy for beating the challenge: Go as fast as possible and make sure Discord would let her go once she had bested him at his own game.
When the pattern had finished, Rainbow Dash grinned fiercely "Alright, Discord...Let's do this!" Without another word, she quickly inputted her pattern according to her memory, making sure not to slip up or make a mistake. After she entered her pattern, a sign that read 'Please wait...' came up on the glass wall, causing her to narrow her eyes "Seriously? I know this challenge is weird and all, but Rainbow Dash doesn't-WHOA!" The pad below her had quickly lifted back up to its regular level, causing the cyan pegasus to look around before grinning to herself "Awesome!" _____
Applejack was sweating profusely as she tried tapping deeper into her knowledge of square dancing in order to counter the lifeless armor clad in front of her that continued to execute flawless freestyle moves "Dagnabbit, what'll it take t' get through this stupid challenge?" She groaned in frustration as she concluded her latest dance combo.
The armored ponnequin trotted in place rapidly before strutting forward and stopping in front of Applejack to rear onto its hindlegs and perform a series of hoof kicks with its forelegs; it looked as if it were trying to cause pain to the farmpony's face, but both forelegs only stopped one centimeter towards, followed by quickly stepping back to its spot and pointing both forelegs at Applejack in boastful and defiant silence.
Applejack steamed from her nostrils, having a mind to buck her opponent senseless instead of partaking in a dance contest. With a sigh, she performed another square dancing routine, running out of plausible combinations to use. After she finished, the farmpony was met with the armored ponnequin walking forward, only it was moving backwards, making her jaw drop "What in the-that's cheatin'!" She shouted as she pointed an accusing hoof "Ah ain't never seen anypony do a move like that before!"
Sadly, her complaints fell on deaf ears when the armor clad did three quick spins on his hindlegs followed by performing what appeared to be a pelvic thrust, pointing one foreleg at Applejack while placing one behind his head, causing her to glare daggers. When it finished with a fexing pose, Applejack hesitated and thought to herself on what dance to use 'Consarnit, Ah don't know what t' do next...It's gonna take a miracle t' beat this darn thing...'
As if somepony answered her prayers, Applejack heard a door open behind her, and she saw what appeared to be a swaying and stumbling clad in a weird suit entering the arena, its face covered behind a helmet. It accidentally shut the door as it unconsciously moved forward near Applejack, and began to inadvertently dance with random finesse, performing a perfect wave motion with its forelegs as it stood up on its hindlegs, then fell forward to perform a slinking dance while moving backwards before standing back on its hindlegs and staying frozen in position.
The armored ponnequin flinched in surprise, not expecting this turn of events and quickly retaliated with a gesture similar to a bucking bronco, followed by flopping onto its back and crouching into a ball as it spun around; it then ended with a laying pose.
Applejack stared at her opponent, then the new challenger next to her as she continued to sway as if it had too much salt. The moving suit began to perform cartwheels from left to right with relative ease before stopping on its head and spinning rapidly, then leaning back onto its hindlegs. Applejack was surprised, and turned to her opponent to see how it would counter the move.
The lifeless armor clad only stood until it began to shake profusely, then it exploded, the fragments of its armor scattering across the arena. Applejack shielded herself from the pieces that came her way with a foreleg before examining the damage done by the new challenger. She noticed the door behind her open again and stared before examining the suit next to her "Alright, Ah dunno what this is, but it's time t' find out who ya really are." The farmpony said as she reached for the suit's helmet and pulling it off, revealing a familiar pink pony who appeared to be nauseated.
Applejack widened her eyes "Pinkie?" She then beamed "Well ain't ya a sight fer sore eyes? Y'all really saved my flank back there! Ah never would've thought I'd last in that dance-off til ya came in and sa-" She was silenced when a torrent of questionable liquid sprayed onto her face. Applejack was frozen in place while Pinkie groaned to herself.
Pinkie rubbed her mouth before she shook her head frantically and took a deep breath "Wow...I really needed that." She looked in front of her to see Applejack, who was silent "Oh hey, Applejack! Did you win your challenge?"
Applejack remained still "...Eeyup..." She replied in a dull tone "Why don't we get cleaned up before we find our friends?"
Pinkie nodded "I couldn't agree more." She tilted her head at Applejack and winced "Wow, your challenge must've been pretty messy back there." The pink pony was oblivious to her friend's motive to possibly strangle her after she was finished cleaning herself. _____
Rarity's pupils trembled at the sight in front of her; standing in the way of what could have been her own demise was the last pony she ever expected to defend her in her time of need. She drew out a shaky hoof near the bleeding stallion "B-Blueblood, I-..."
Lust merely scoffed as she stared at Blueblood "Typical...Playing hero in times of great chaos." She smirked "You really are as foolish as I've thought..." Lust taunted as she lifted Blueblood while her horn was stuck in his left shoulder, and jerked her head to the left as she tossed him aside.
Blueblood grunted as he rolled a couple of times, then landed on his back as he cried out in pain. He brought a foreleg to his front wound and covered it, clenching his teeth as he stared at the blood staining his hoof. Normally, he would complain over such a thing happening to him, but his mind was reeling with thoughts of Rarity's safety.
Rarity watched Blueblood writhe in pain and turned back to face Lust "I can't believe it would come to this..."
Lust held a dark grin after Rarity's comment "Don't despair, my dear Rarity...this little thing has only just begun, after all." She readied her horn "If you think what Blueblood endured was bad, just wait until you've experienced that and more yourself."
Rarity could not comprehend the fact that she was staring death in the face again after Blueblood had sacrificed himself for her brief safety. She felt herself gain a burst of adrenaline when she was faced with incentive for her survival. Rarity quickly got on her hooves and bolted away from Lust when her horn shot at her, the lascivious mare's Ultimate Spear piercing the wall from where she once sat.
After dodging the attack, the fashionista dashed towards Blueblood's side, looking down at him as his wound continued to bleed out from under his hoof. Tears began to stream from her eyes "Blueblood...I never thought you would do this for me."
Blueblood grunted, but looked up "I couldn't just let you expire like that...I-I'm aware of my past misdeeds towards you now, and your bitterness was proof of that as we walked into this challenge. If I do not make it out of here alive, all I ask is that..." During his brief pause, new tears formed in his eyes as well "I ask that you would forgive me for what I've put you through and give my regards to the others, namely my aunts." He clenched his eyes shut with a grunt and tried to cancel out his pain by breathing deeply.
Rarity's lip quivered "Blueblood..." She whispered. Her sadness was interrupted by a condescending laugh.
Lust retracted her horn and began to saunter up towards the two unicorns with a dark smile "Touching. I've dealt with a scenario similar to this one, only your precious knight doesn't have a prayer now..." Her eyes narrowed "I think I've had my fun with you both after witnessing your display of emotions."
Rarity found Lust's words to be unbearable. Was she really like this before the alabaster unicorn had met her? She clenched her eyes shut and gritted her teeth as her tears fell down on Blueblood's chest. A low growl was heard as Rarity's horn began to glow, and she let out a cry of desperation as she began to shoot magic beams at Lust, each one piercing her skin as she staggered and regenerated.
Lust only smiled at Rarity's last resort while she took each blow; this was her encounter with Riza Hawkeye all over again.
As Rarity exhausted most of her magic reserve, she fell to her knees as she began to sob "How can this happen? This is all too maddening..." She muttered to herself as she looked down at the ground.
Lust chuckled at Rarity's despair as she resumed her advance, red static dancing all over her body "What else would you expect in a world of chaos? If you're not fond of it, I can gladly put you and your ignorant friend out of your misery..." Her ears perked up when she heard a door fly open, looking back to see who would dare interrupt her.
Wrath and Shining Armor leered at the lascivious mare and what she had done to her victims "It would seem I was correct in finding the number where two ponies are forced to endure the same challenge." He uttered in a grave tone.
Lust stared before smiling "Perceptive as always, Wrath. Father made no mistake in making you the Ultimate Eye." She said mockingly.
Wrath narrowed his eyes to slits, his wings flaring "He has no place in this situation. This is between us now."
Lust gave a small frown "Honestly, Wrath, would you raise arms against one of your own?"
Wrath snorted "It wouldn't be the first time I've done such a thing..." He looked back at Shining Armor "Go tend to Rarity and Prince Blueblood; I'll handle this fight myself."
Shining Armor nodded curtly "Be careful, Wrath..." He said before he made a gallop towards Rarity and Blueblood.
Lust shifted her glance towards the approaching stallion and went to use her Ultimate Spear on him, only to grunt in pain when she felt her left side getting slashed deeply by Wrath. As her wound regenerated, she sneered at the furious pony "You really are serious...Perhaps I should get rid of that petulant eye of yours."
Wrath matched her glare with his own, and it intensified as he faced her "By all means, try..." He hissed before he bolted at her with his wings flared.
Lust shot out her Ultimate Spear, to which Wrath was able to dodge from the right. He quickly shot up into the air when she swung her sharp horn at him horizontally and continued his advance, gliding left as his right wing slashed across Lust's face, eliciting a snarl as she quickly jerked her head to have her horn swipe at him.
Wrath landed and ducked down as the horn swung over him, then dove in to turn around and land a hard buck onto her chest, launching her at a wall as her back collided harshly with it. Lust recovered and shook herself before she galloped at Wrath with her horn extending again.
Meanwhile, Shining Armor was examining Blueblood's injuries and clenched his teeth "Dammit, he's been hit hard." He murmured as he turned to Rarity "Don't worry, I've learned some useful medical skills during my time as a knight." He said reassuringly closed his eyes and lit up his horn. As Blueblood laid down, his wound began to close up, although it was clear on his face that he was still in pain. He looked down at Blueblood taking deep breaths as he kept his wound covered "That should do it for now..."
He was surprised when Rarity locked him in an embrace "Thank you so much, Shining Armor. You're a real hero." She said as she dampened his neck with her tears.
Blueblood opened his eyes at Shining Armor and gave a weak smile "I could say the same. Thank you very much..."
Shining Armor didn't expect to hear words of gratitude from one such as Blueblood, but he smiled and nodded back "No problem..." After a brief pause, he looked upon the battling ponies with a serious frown "But we're not out of the woods yet."
Rarity and Blueblood looked at the battling ponies as well, anxious as to who would emerge the victor. Knowing their combined ferocity and experience, this battle could possibly take a while. _____
Discord laughed to himself in amusement at the look of exhaustion and panic etched on Spike's face, his head sweating bullets as he stared at the pedestal with six unlit bulbs with the Element of Laughter sitting atop of it "This is delicious! I know that these games are shorter than this, but you're really making this more enjoyable than it should be!" He shed a tear from his laughter "Tell you what I'm gonna do, since you're being such a good sport for me." Discord snapped a talon as a light appeared on the bottom of the pedestal "One light on the house." He grinned deviously "Try not to lose it, now..." He mocked.
Spike tried to keep calm by taking deep breaths and maintaining a cool atmosphere. But from dealing with question after question in the form of a hard riddle, he was close to giving up hope as anxiety and despair continued to plagued his mind.
Discord observed Spike's expression and smirked playfully "What's the matter, Spike ol' chum? Feeling a little grey, are we?" He chuckled before he fished out another pamphlet and read it casually "Why don't we move onto the next question for our sole competitor?"
Before he could read his pamphlet aloud, the building's door quickly flew open and slammed against the wall, revealing a grinning Greed and an angry Twilight. The avaricious strode inside as his toothy grin widened.
Discord stared at the two intruders before scowling "Excuse me, but I don't recall saying competitor in plural form." He stated firmly.
Twilight leered at Discord "We're not gonna let you have your way with Spike, Discord!"
Discord recoiled with an expression of shock "Oh my~! I know I'm stringing you all on this gauntlet of games, but even I have standards, Twilight~!" He said mockingly.
It took a while for Greed to catch onto Discord's words before he snickered in amusement. He quickly stopped to focus on the matter at hoof "Alright, Discord. Why don't you make us a couple of booths next to Spike so we can hurry this along?"
Discord sighed in defeat "So be it." He snapped his talons and Twilight and Greed disappeared before reappearing next to Spike, behind named booths of their own; all three booths came with a pressable buzzer on the top. The draconequus turned to his fake audience with a smile "It seems that some challengers have appeared! Looks like they're in it to win it as well! But do they have what it takes to best what's yet to come in this game?" He cupped a paw to his ear at the audience with an expectant smile.
"Not! A! Chance!"
Discord chuckled in amusement as he decided to read the pamphlet he drew "Alright, let's see which one of you dumb-dumbs actually get this riddle..." He cleared his throat before reading the contents aloud "I have one, you have one. If you remove the first letter, a bit remains. If you remove the second, bit still remains. After much trying, you might be able to remove the third one also, but it remains. It dies hard!" A buzz quickly sounded, catching Discord by surprise. He looked over at a smug Twilight "I didn't even set the timer yet. You got an answer for me?"
"Oh, yes..." Twilight said before she held her nose high, as if imitating a posh noble "The answer is habit. By removing the h, a bit - or abit - remains, and by removing the a, the word bit remains. And much like YOUR habits, Discord, they die hard."
Greed stared in awe at Twilight while Spike pumped his fists up in a cheer "Yeah! That's our librarian!" He proclaimed. He watched as the first light on the pedestal lit up, and noticed how Discord frowned in disapproval. The audience of Discord look-alikes booed and hissed after Twilight gave the correct answer.
The draconequus pulled out another pamphlet and smirked after reading it to himself. He then focused his mismatched eyes towards the competitors "What king can you make if you take the head of a lamb, the middle of a pig, the hind of a buffalo, and the tail of a dragon?"
Greed stared into space after listening to the question and was almost certain he thought that the answer was a chimera, but before he could press onto his buzzer, Twilight pressed hers first and spoke "The answer is lion! The head of the lamb refers to the head letter 'l', 'i' for the middle of the word pig, 'o' for the hind of a buffalo, and 'n' for the tail of a dragon!" Another light graced the pedestal above the first one, earning the lavender bookworm another chorus of boos and hisses.
Spike stared before grinning at Greed "I think we can get the element faster if we leave this to Twilight, Greed. What do you say?"
Greed chuckled "As long as we take care of this challenge sooner, I'm not complaining." He then grinned nervously to himself 'Glad her answer was right. I could've screwed us over if I went first...'
Discord scoffed as he sifted through his pamphlets and drew out another one, hastily reading it with irritation in his voice "I've been drawn by the artists these days, and of old; yet I'm seen only when all around me is cold. For most of the time you just live and ignore me; then you gasp for me, stop for me, mutter below me. You might say, in surprise, I've been taken away, but it's true I've been with you, at least 'til today. When I leave you, you leave too! Who am I?"
A buzz quickly sounded before Discord could start his timer, and he stared at Twilight smiling at him, making him bristle with disdain "The answer...is breath." Another light showed up on the pedestal while she tuned out the disapproving jeers of the audience.
Discord bared his teeth and pulled out another pamphlet, quickly reading it off angrily "My first is in riddle, but not in little. My second is in think, but not in brink. My third is in thyme, but not in time. My fourth is in mother, but not in brother. My last is in time, but not in climb. What am I?"
He growled as he noticed how Twilight expectedly pressed her buzzer with a confident smile "Rhyme!" More boos filled the room as a fourth light showed itself on the pedestal.
Discord instantly drew another pamphlet without shuffling his deck "What's black, blue, and red all over!?" He nearly shouted, snarling as Twilight buzzed once more.
"An embarrassed zebra." Twilight said with a superior tone to her answer. She easily ignored the jeering while the fifth light shined on the pedestal.
Greed grinned triumphantly as he watched Discord nearly blow a fuse "Looks like that element's as good as ours. This challenge was more easier than I thought!"
Spike took in Discord's ire for himself and rested his chin on his claws as he leaned forward on the booth with a look of entertainment on his face "I'll say. Who doesn't know more about riddles than Twilight?"
Discord fumed before drawing another pamphlet. After looking at its contents, his anger was instantly replaced with a devious smile "Alright, Twilight. Since you're so well-minded around my little questions, why not try this one on for size?" His eyes focused on the card in his grasp as he read it off "I am an empty void; throw all the gold in the world and not a single inch of me will be filled. I resound in everything, everyone... release me, if you can, and you will reach peace." Twilight widened her eyes after what was read, much to Discord's satisfaction; Spike followed suit once he noticed her pause "What's that? No swift answer with that smug little smile of yours? Splendid! That means I can start the timer!" He said as he snapped his talons and conjured his twisted timer that began to tick away after the 60 second mark.
Twilight took a deep breath and looked down in deep thought 'Okay...void...gold...everything and everyone...What could it be!?' She said as she slowly lost her composure, a light sweat on her head.
Spike looked at Twilight in worry and balled his claws into fists "C'mon, Twilight, I'm sure you know this!" He hissed in encouragement, though was growing nervous when he saw the timer reach 30.
Discord squinted his eyes with a malicious grin at Twilight losing her focus and poked a claw on a watch that appeared on his eagle arm "Tick tock, Twilight; time's a wastin'~." He taunted with a laugh, eager to feed on the despair of his contestants.
His laughter ceased when a buzzer sounded.
Twilight and Spike perked up and searched their booths to make sure they didn't accidentally press their buzzers. They then remembered the stallion next to them, who happened to do so with a smile more confident than anypony in the room could manage.
Discord watched with a dumbstruck look in his eyes before pointing a claw "You? YOU know the answer?"
Greed showed a toothy grin to Discord "Who else? It's me..." He placed a hoof on his chest "An empty void that cannot be satisfied no matter how much gold or valuables you can put inside. Anypony and everypony can have what you're talking about, but who the hell said it could bring peace if you get rid of it? The answer to your question? You're looking right at him!" His grin widened "It's greed!"
A sixth light showed itself on the pedestal while the entire room went silent. Discord's pamphlets disappeared as he kept his stare on Greed "I should've known you would know yourself so well that you can be answered in a riddle."
Greed laughed defiantly "What can you do?" He looked over at Twilight with an arched eyebrow "I'm surprised somepony didn't recognize it sooner..." The avaricious pony smirked at Twilight and Spike.
Spike rubbed his chin before a look of realization was seen on his face "Ooooooh, I get it. I should've just thought back to my birthday a while back..." He smiled at Greed "Way to go!" Twilight scratched the back of her head in embarrassment, laughing nervously.
Discord sighed before he snapped his talons and made the audience disappeared, then picked up the Element of Laughter and lazily tossed it to Twilight, earning her attention as she caught it with her magic "Here. You win." He looked away with a ghost of a smile "For now, anyways..." He added suspiciously.
Twilight looked over at Discord "What? What do you mean?"
Spike himself was confused by what had been said "Yeah. Aren't you angry about losing another element?"
Discord waved a dismissive claw "Oh, not in the slightest. After all, the game has only just begun!" He then grinned at the trio "Speaking of, I'm sure your friends could use all the help they can get with their own challenges before you can get out of Manehattan without any problems. Ta-ta for now~!" He waved mockingly and laughed before winking out of existence in a flash of light.
Greed grunted "He's right. We might've gotten off easy, but who knows what the others are going through right now!"
Twilight shifted her gaze between Spike and Greed "We gotta go look for our friends and fast. Let's just hope they're doing as well us."
Spike waddled to the door "What are we waiting for? Let's hurry up and find them before things get worse!" He said as he reached for the knob, only to see the door open itself. Spike yelped and jumped back, and he noticed another unexpected sight behind the door.
"Well ain't this a peach? Glad we found y'all in one piece!" Applejack said as she had a hoof off as if she reached for the knob as well.
Pinkie, who stood next to Applejack, leaned her head in with a grin "Hi there! Did you guys win?"
Twilight smiled as she exited the building with Greed and Spike, Pinkie and Applejack giving them space to leave "We sure did, thanks to Greed." She said as she levitated the newly acquired element towards Pinkie "We were lucky to win your element in a fake game show."
Pinkie grabbed and wore it on her neck "Sweet! Now we can get out of this dark and horrible place!"
Applejack frowned "After we round up our friends, that is. But that could take ages if we don't find their numbers soon." She tilted her head at the group "Anypony remember the numbers that were drawn?"
Twilight rubbed her chin "Well, we know Rainbow Dash has the number zero, though she wasn't happy about that. Wrath said he got number forty-two..."
Spike raised an arm "I remember seeing Fluttershy getting the number twenty five before we all split up."
Pinkie waved a hoof "Oh yeah! Shining Armor got six, then Rarity and that mean old Blueblood got the number thirteen!" She said as she darted her head to look around the clustered buildings "Where do we go from here?"
Twilight hummed "The best we can do is split up and look around. You two can continue while me, Spike, and Greed will go our own way as a group. It's best we don't wander Manehattan by ourselves again."
Applejack nodded curtly "And how! Let's get movin', y'all!" Everyone split up into their own groups and sped around the city as they searched for their friends. _____
Wrath and Lust continued their furious battle, unaware of the onlookers that watched them from a safe distance in the darkened room. Rarity and Shining Armor were both astounded by the overwhelming ferocity that was displayed between the two former homunculi. Wrath was able to dodge and block each attack that was sent by Lust and counter it with ease, while the lascivious mare snarled from each blow she had received.
Blueblood was easily frightened by the ensuing battle "Those two...They're like monsters..." He uttered in terror.
Shining Armor narrowed his eyes at the battling ponies "It's because of Discord that they're acting like this now." His frowned deepened "Although, he was just reviving their natures as homunculi...They really are monstrous."
Rarity watched as Lust received more hits from Wrath while he tactically maneuvered around her with finesse. Each hit was easily patched up while Lust was practically wearing red static all over her body due to Wrath's superequine movement.
Wrath hopped away from Lust while she was catching her breath and glaring daggers at her younger brother "You...Do you have any idea what you're doing, you fool!?"
The furious pony scoffed "I can ask you the same thing, but considering your condition, the question would prove to be moot."
Lust shot her horn at bullet speed towards Wrath, who easily dodged and countered with another slash, only this time he used his wing to chop off Lust's horn before moving in for another slash to her face. He moved behind her and skidded to a halt as he faced the lascivious pony and see her patch up her wounds, the cut on her face making her disfigured for a short moment; her horn was next to regenerate after retracting to normal length.
Wrath grunted to himself while Lust glared at him 'This may end up being a stalemate until Twilight arrives, if she's anypony to bring Lust to her senses...'
Lust continued to leer at her younger brother until a smile crept onto her face "You're frustrated..." Wrath did not waver in his hardened gaze as she took one step forward "You don't show it entirely, but I can see it in your eyes that you're finding this battle to be nothing more than a bid for time, if not a petty struggle to keep us both occupied." She said condescendingly.
Wrath remained silent until he smiled back at the lascivious mare "You always were the most intelligent out of all of us, Lust...However, that doesn't mean I'm ready to bow out at moment's notice." His look of resolve came back "I'll do whatever it takes to free you from Discord's control, even if it means wearing you out entirely!"
Lust scoffed "Enough of this..." She muttered as she bolted at Wrath and resumed the battle between them.
Rarity stared at the battle and hung her head "She's right...Looking at their battle, it's naught but a distraction for what's to come." She brought up her head to watch Wrath "We don't know who will go down first, and the rest of our friends are dealing with similar fates as well."
Blueblood rested a hoof on his patched wound "Are we really pushed in a corner when this twisted game has only begun?"
Shining Armor gritted his teeth, not wanting to admit to the current circumstances himself. He was confident that his little sister and Greed could find their way out of their own troubles and help out their friends in their time of need. He kept a firm gaze on the battle in front of him "We can't give up hope; not when this whole thing has just begun." The other two unicorns turned to Shining Armor "It might've been easier back at Ponyville, but things will only get harder by the passing day. The challenge we're in is proof of that."
Rarity stared at Shining Armor before she nodded to him with a determined smile "You're right, Shining Armor. Maybe we need to have more faith that our friends will come to us in our time of need." _____
Pinkie opened a door to see a brick wall just behind it "Nope!" She slammed the door and went to the next one with the number zero over it. After opening it, she noticed an oncoming train, to which she shrieked and slammed the door shut, her back against it "That wasn't it either!"
Applejack growled "Consarnit! Of course Discord would put up th' same number over different doors jus' t' distract us!" She opened a door with the number twenty-five over it, only to find what appeared to be an odd-looking clown grinning at her.
"Excuse me." The clown asked politely "Do you have Prince Albert in a can? You do? Well you better let the poor guy out! Wa-HA! Wa-HA! Wa-HA!" He flexed his left foreleg up and down while he opened his mouth to perform his creepy laugh.
Applejack stared before she slammed the door on his face and shuddered in disgust "Ah always didn't like them clowns..."
At a different building, Pinkie opened up another door with the number zero, that revealed a zebracorn with a top hat, who heaved a sigh of relief "Oh, thank Celestia! Now I can finally get ou-"
"Nope!" Pinkie shut the door absentmindedly, shaking her head "That's not the one either..." She said while she ignored the muffled 'Hey!' behind the door. The party pony frowned despondently "What'll we do now? They could be anywhere!"
Applejack lightly stomped at the ground "Maybe we just ain't lookin' hard enough." She stated as she looked around the several doors with twenty-fives and zeroes all around at different angles "If we were Rainbow Dash an' Fluttershy, where would we be?" She asked pensively while she scanned her surroundings.
Pinkie hummed to herself before she looked down a street with numbers different from the ones they were looking for. Squinting her eyes, she noticed two doors with the desired numbers in the distance at opposite sides "Hey! Let's try those doors over there!" She said as she pointed a hoof.
Applejack followed Pinkie's outstretched hoof and hummed "Well, we ain't got much t' work with, but it's worth a shot." She said as the two mares galloped towards the two doors; Applejack had her eye on the number zero on the left side, while Pinkie eyed the number twenty five on the left. The former examined the door in front of her "Ya really think they'll be in these doors, Pinkie?"
Pinkie smiled "It's like you said, Applejack; we ain't got much t' work with, but it's worth a shot." She said as she mimicked the farmpony's drawl.
Applejack shot Pinkie an unamused glance "Try not t' do that again, sugarcube..." She looked back at her door and took a deep breath "Alrighty then. It's now or never." She said as she cautiously pushed the door open and looked inside. Applejack gasped when she saw a sweating Rainbow Dash constantly pressing her hooves on a pad "Ah found Rainbow!"
Pinkie grinned over at Applejack and the small image of Rainbow Dash behind the opened door "Goodie! That must mean Fluttershy's behind the other door." She said as she opened the door and bolted inside without another word while Applejack did the same to her own. _____
Fluttershy was getting exhausted over having to constantly memorize and input several patterns with mixed results over the entirety of her challenge, feeling as if she were caught up in an endless loop. Despite her current status, she was easily discouraged over the times she had failed certain patterns. What troubled her further was Discord's taunting voice being heard in the room.
"Fluttershy...Are you certain you can trust Rainbow Dash?"
She did not know why Discord began to ask these questions, but she was more than certain about the answer to the latest one "Of course I do. She's my friend. Nothing can change that."
"Fluttershy! I'm here!"
Fluttershy looked behind to see a pink glimmer of hope galloping towards her "Pinkie?" Her eyes widened when she got a better look at her friend "You have your element?" _____
Rainbow Dash was working up a sweat and growling in frustration as she held her own on her challenge. Sadly, she was in a standstill over her equal amounts of successions and failures throughout the duration of her challenge. What made it more taxing was Discord taunting her as she tried to maintain her pace.
"Rainbow Dash...Are you sure you're not jealous of Fluttershy?"
The cyan pegasus brushed off the question and continued to enter her patterns. She wasn't going to give Discord any of her time, even if she was in the middle of a grueling challenge.
"Rainbow Dash!"
Rainbow Dash perked up at the familiar sound behind her and looked back "Applejack?" While she was distracted by the sight of her friend, she accidentally stepped on a different color that was no part of her current pattern and heard a buzz, followed by the floor around her descending a level, much to Applejack's surprise "Darn it!" She turned away and focused on the glass panel "Look, AJ, I don't know how you're gonna help me out, but I'm kind of busy here."
Applejack galloped through the arch leading to Rainbow Dash's pad and looked down at her and the colorful abyss below "Land sakes! What're ya tryin' t' accomplish here?" She said as she looked up at the glass panel giving off more colors, to which Rainbow Dash quickly memorized.
Rainbow Dash kept her focus on the challenge while she answered Applejack "I'm just doing this stupid game, and I gotta make my way to the top, otherwise I'm gonna be stuck here and somepony will have to take my place! I gotta show that glass panel who's boss!"
Applejack tried taking in Rainbow Dash's explanation while simultaneously observing the glass panel and its blinking colorful. What could she mean by 'showing the glass panel who's boss'? More importantly, how could she win if all she's doing is constantly entering patterns. Applejack hummed to herself in deep thought until she hatched an idea that was befitting to the currently chaotic situation "Rainbow Dash, stop."
Rainbow Dash ignored Applejack as she licked her lips and entered more colors "Not gonna happen, AJ. I gotta keep moving or else I'm doomed!"
Applejack frowned at the response she received until she spoke up "Did Discord mention anythin' about ya losin' if ya just stand still?"
As Rainbow Dash finished her latest pattern, she took in Applejack's question and silently contemplated while she stood still. She looked up at the glass pad to see it stopped blinking colors as well "Huh? What is this?" _____
"I'll tell you what it is!" Pinkie said jubilantly to a confused Fluttershy "It's a joke. This whole challenge you and Dashie are in is a joke. Me and Applejack came here to save you, but we don't know how right now."
Fluttershy stared until she simply stood on the pad and looked down "Umm...But I don't know how to win this challenge either. All I remembered Discord saying was to..." _____
"Show the glass panel who's boss..." Rainbow Dash uttered as she glared at the panel "...I'll bet this stupid panel's the reason why me and Fluttershy are stuck here!"
Applejack smirked "If that's th' case, then why don't we put a stop t' this dumb game and take Discord's words t' heart?"
Rainbow Dash grinned deviously at the glass panel in front of her "I couldn't agree more." She went to jump, but remembered that she didn't have her wings. The cyan pegasus then looked back at Applejack "AJ, I need you to give me a boost!"
Applejack nodded and hopped down onto the pad Rainbow Dash stood on "Ya got it, sugarcube." She faced away from Rainbow Dash and lifted her hindlegs while the former hopped onto them with her own, her eyes locked onto the glass panel above her. _____
Fluttershy shivered as she stared at the glass panel while she stood on her pad "A-Are you sure about this, Pinkie?"
Pinkie shrugged "Not really. But something tells me that you and Dashie are dealing with the same thing involving that glass window thingy, so maybe she's about to do the same thing."
Fluttershy stared before clenching her eyes shut "I don't know if I can do this..." She said nervously.
Pinkie patted Fluttershy's back with a chipper smile "Then we'll do it together!" The two mares faced away from the mirror with their hindlegs lifted "Okay, on three." She squinted her eyes "One...Two...Three!" Pinkie and Fluttershy shot their hindlegs outwards towards the glass panel. _____
Rainbow Dash easily shattered the panel with a foreleg after Applejack had launched her upward towards it. When it fell to reflective pieces onto the ground, the platform containing the pad moved back up to its base level as soon as Rainbow Dash landed.
The two mares looked around until they noticed two things: Rainbow Dash's wings returning and the door opening on its own. They both smiled at each other before they galloped outside and away from the challenge.
When they got outside, they were greeted by Pinkie and Fluttershy, who managed to exit their own door without any problems; the latter had her wings back as well. Rainbow Dash rubbed her head as she gave off a sigh of relief "Finally, we're out of that crummy place. But where do we go from here?" She noticed Pinkie with her element and gasped "Hey! Where'd you get that?" She asked inquisitively.
Pinkie smiled "Greed, Twilight, and Spike won it from Spike's challenge!' "They're busy finding Rarity and Blueblood right now."
Fluttershy frowned in concern "Oh my...I wonder if Rarity and Blueblood are doing alright."
Applejack narrowed her eyes "Th' way Ah see it, they probably have th' worst challenge outta all o' us. We should meet up with them quick iffin' they're strugglin', too."
"But what about Shining Armor and Wrath? Shouldn't they need our help as well?" Fluttershy asked.
Rainbow Dash waved a dismissive hoof "I doubt they need our help. Those two can handle themselves easily! Let's just hurry and focus on finding Rarity and Blueblood."
After they reached an agreement, the group took off in search of the door with the unlucky number; Rainbow Dash took to the skies while the rest broke into a swift gallop. It was going to be an endeavor to make it out of Manehattan so that they can get back on track to find the remaining elements to defeat Discord.
Greed, Twilight, and Spike had finally managed to reach a door with the number 13 and braced themselves for whatever was looming within. Spike gulped nervously as he sat on Twilight's back "Do you think they'll be okay in there?"
Twilight took a deep breath before she stared at the door with unease "No point in thinking about it when we have a job to do." She said calmly.
Greed grinned his sharp teeth "That's the spirit, Twi. Time to crash this little party." He said as he turned around and bucked the door open. The trio looked inside at the ensuing battle and Greed scowled when he noticed two particular stallions with Rarity and Blueblood "Freaking figures! Wrath and your brother beat us to the punch!" He complained as he watched the furious pony battling Lust while the other unicorns stood on the sidelines.
Shining Armor heard Greed's voice and noticed the group, smiling at the sight of his sister "You're all safe! Thank Celestia..."
Rarity noticed the others as well "Twilight? Spike and Greed, too?" Her eyes filled with hope "We just might make it out of Manehattan soon enough."
Blueblood grunted as he felt sore "But where are the other elements? Could they be on their way?"
Lust and Wrath ceased their battle upon the trio's entrance, and the former sneered "This is becoming a nuisance...You mean to tell me that every single one of you have managed to complete your trials?"
Greed flashed a cocky grin towards the lascivious mare "You are supposed to be the smart one, Lust. Don't you think it's time to face the music?"
Lust narrowed her eyes at Greed "You deluded fool. Are you so shortsighted that you'd think I would back down?" She noticed Wrath going to attack before she clashed with the furious pony "And you just cannot wait for another opportunity to strike, can't you?"
Wrath's hardened gaze wasn't lost to Lust as he added more force to his push "We're in the middle of a fight, and Greed's intrusion was a minor distraction..."
Lust gave off a smoky laugh "And you think your's is any better?"
Greed looked over at Wrath and noticed how he was continuing his struggle with Lust. He activated his horn and went into his Ultimate Shield form as his piercing red eyes stared down the lascivious mare.
Twilight looked over at Greed "You're not actually going to intervene like this, are you?"
Greed shifted his eyes at Twilight "Lust got a boost of strength courtesy of Discord, and Wrath's been fighting her for God knows how long. Besides, we're all in this shitty game, so of course I'm gonna jump into the fray." He said matter-of-factly before he bolted towards Wrath and Lust with his horn pointed.
Lust was about to score a hit on Wrath until she noticed the avaricious pony lunging towards her, causing her to back away from her two brothers and bracing herself for more combat. She growled before she readied her Ultimate Spear and confronted the two at the same time.
Spike grimaced as he watched Greed join the fight "What do you see in him, Twilight?" He asked in befuddlement.
Twilight stared at the three former homunculi fighting before she smiled "I see somepony who's willing to make a change for the better along with his siblings." She looked down with a frown "The homunculi might've had their own horrific stories, but we can't let that bother us while we're dealing with Discord; He's the reason they're acting like monsters right now."
Spike stared at the fight and sighed "I guess you're right. Greed's got a lot on his plate since he and Envy set Discord free again, but I'm sure he can pull through in a jam." He said hopefully with a smile to match. The purple dragon noticed Blueblood laying on the floor and flinched "Wh-What happened to him?"
Twilight spotted the wounded prince as well "Blueblood?" She then looked over at Lust with dread in her eyes "It must've been Lust who did this. Discord's going too far to just let the homunculi harm innocent ponies." She said angrily.
Greed and Wrath were gaining an advantage on Lust as she was pushed back. The former quickly shot forward after spotting an opening on the lascivious mare's neck and impaled her with his horn. Meanwhile, Wrath quickly turned around and bucked Lust out of her wound as she coughed during her regeneration. Greed sneered "That doesn't surprise me, but it really pisses me off."
Wrath looked back and smirked "Don't worry, Greed. Discord had a small flaw in his little plan..." Greed looked over at Wrath as his smile remained unchanged "You may not have noticed, but I still have my own regeneration despite being free from Discord's control. We just need to bring Lust to her senses and the odds shall be in our favor."
Greed perked up before he flashed a nonexistent grin "Then let's wrap this up." He looked over at Twilight "You better get that horn ready, Twi! I promise you this'll be quick!" The avaricious pony called out to her. Him and Wrath shared a nod before they took a stance and sped towards Lust for another onslaught; Greed went first as he scored a few hits while taking some of Lust's swipes, then fell back when Wrath moved in to land some hits of his own, most of them being cuts that used up more of Lust's power. The process repeated itself twice until she knocked away Wrath, only to notice Greed ready himself to buck Lust square in the face.
The wall behind her was instantly adorned with winding cracks after the intense hit, and much to Greed's pleasure, it had managed to knock out Lust as she slumped onto the ground. Greed and Wrath caught their breath as the former canceled out of his Ultimate Shield form and turned to his right to smirk at Twilight "Hey, you're up."
Twilight nodded and trotted towards Lust's unconscious body while Spike hopped off and went to comfort Rarity and examine Blueblood's condition for himself. She lit up her horn and leaned down towards Lust's forehead and tapped her once as the magic coursed through her body "That should do it. Now we just have to wake her up, find the rest of our friends, and get out of here." She smiled at Greed "Another victory for us!"
Greed grinned "Hell yeah! I'll bet Discord's shaking in his boots right now." He said in amusement.
"You talk as if I actually wear boots. Clearly you're unaware of my taste in fashion."
Twilight scowled at the ceiling "Speak of the devil..."
"What? No 'Hello, Discord.'? No 'How was your day, Discord?'?"
"How about you show yourself so you can receive a proper greeting?" Greed said threateningly as he narrowed his eyes at the ceiling.
"As much as I'd love to meet you all face-to-face, it's time for a little trivia before I see you off to your next point..." _____
Rainbow Dash flew over her friends as she diligently scanned each building and door she passed "You sure you remember the door number, AJ? I don't seen any thirteens around here."
"Trust me, Rainbow, Manehattan's a big place an' there can be plenty o' doors t' choose from." Applejack replied as she galloped ahead of Fluttershy and a pronking Pinkie "We should be happy we ain't dealin' with no fake doors right now."
Rainbow Dash looked down in shock "Fake doors? So there's a chance we won't make it in time?" She groaned "That Discord really knows how to tick me off!"
"Attention, ladies~! It's time for some more trivia~!"
Discord's singsong voice managed to stop the group in their tracks as they looked up at the blackened sky "Trivia?" Rainbow Dash asked as she looked down at her friends "Are we already done with this challenge?"
Applejack, feeling slightly invigorated on the possibility remained calm "We don't know fer sure. Let's jus' hear what th' big galoot has t' say." She said as she looked up with her friends.
"You know your friend Lust, don't you? Beauty and brains in a wondrous combination? Funny enough, those were her exact tools in her previous life that led to all sorts of misery for weak-minded individuals that eventually trailed to their unexpected ends. Needless to say, she enjoyed every moment of her job."
"So it's Lust this time, huh?" Rainbow Dash asked "And she's more of a monster than we already know?"
Fluttershy frowned "But why would she do such a thing other than helping her father? What did she hope to accomplish?"
"She enjoyed instigating and manipulating the humans of her old life just because she considered them to be frail and predictable, much like you ponies. Who knows? Could she be thinking of a way to manipulate you all despite being your 'friend'?"
"Of course not!" Pinkie piped up "How can she call herself a friend if she was even acting that way around us, especially since she helped us save Equestria way back when? You can't expect us to fall for a trick question, you know." She said with a confident smile. The other mares shared her confidence as they stared defiantly into the sky.
"Meh, feel free to think what you like, but you should be more careful from here on out. You realize there are more trials and tragic trivia to come."
After they felt Discord was gone, Rainbow Dash snorted "What an idiot! Like whatever he says is gonna make us think about the homunculi differently! Lust couldn't possibly be plotting against right now..." She paused before she cast an unsure glance towards her friends "...right?" The cyan pegasus uttered with faint anxiety.
Applejack appeared as stalwart as her older brother "Th' only time we can see Lust act that way is iffin Discord messed with her mind, too. Pinkie's right about one thing: Lust an' th' rest o' her family are our friends no matter what." She smiled "It's about time we mean that by catchin' up with th' others and freein' her from Discord's control."
Rainbow Dash, motivated by Applejack's speech, grinned brightly as she shot a foreleg in the air "And how! Let's get a move on!" She said vigorously as she resumed her flight while the others followed on the roads below. _____
After Discord had concluded his explanation on Lust's backstory, Twilight and the others took the time to regroup and check on one another while they waited for Lust to wake up. Shining Armor and Spike helped Blueblood up while Twilight looked over at the lascivious mare's unconscious body and shuddered to herself "I can't believe she was like that before we met her..." She looked over at Rarity and Blueblood with a concerned frown "I'm sorry you two were affected by this the most."
Rarity took a deep breath as she appeared stoic "We were bound to find out about her sadistic nature eventually, darling. Thanks to you all, we can live to see tomorrow." She paused before looking annoyed "Whenever that might be in this now-chaotic world."
Greed scanned Rarity's body "I'm surprised you're not severely hurt at all after dealing with Lust before we got here in time."
Twilight shot a look at Greed, but softened when Rarity spoke up "That's because I was defended..." She looked over at Blueblood with a grateful smile "...and by a valiant prince, no less."
Greed turned to Blueblood, then pointed a hoof at him while staring at Rarity as if she grew a second head "Him?" After he received a nod of confirmation, the avaricious pony turned to Blueblood and smirked proudly "Once again, I was wrong about you. Whenever it's least expected, you actually pull through in the end. I think you're making a big change here." He said respectfully.
Blueblood stumbled in his stance due to the pain in his patched wound, but he managed to keep a straight face "I couldn't stand idly by and watch Miss Rarity get harmed by that monster of a mare." He looked at Greed "No offense to you, of course."
"None taken. Lust can be a real bitch sometimes." Greed said nonchalantly.
Spike huffed, but donned a smile of his own "I might not have been there to do it myself, but thanks for protecting Rarity, Blueblood." He said genuinely. Between Blueblood and Rarity's challenge and who they wound up fighting against, he was happy to see his unrequited crush safe and sound.
Blueblood managed to keep his smile, until his mouth twitched before his facial features instantly contorted to that of a helpless colt in pain "Ouch!" He squealed as he brought a hoof to wear his wound was patched "I should've worn body armor before I left from home; it still hurts!" He whined loudly.
Greed stared at Blueblood with a dull expression '...Maybe I was wrong about him changing...'
Rarity placed a hoof on his shoulder with a look of concern "I cannot exactly fathom your pain, but you've done a great service nonetheless. Let's get you back on the train so you can rest there."
Shining Armor nodded "Yeah. We're done here already, so we should make our leave." He heard a tired moan and looked over at Lust stirring from her coma, the rest of the group following suit.
Lust managed to get on her hooves and rubbed her temple "Where...am I?" She murmured before she looked around. When her eyes landed on the group, she perked up "What happened? Where are we? The last thing I remembered was being trapped in Discord's clutches..."
Greed held up a hoof "Manehattan. We were just about to get out of here, too."
After making a head count of the ponies and dragon present, Lust looked around the half-lit room "Where are Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, and Fluttershy?"
"Currently looking for us, no doubt. But considering this is a large city that has been swarmed with chaotic magic, they would have a tough time deducing our exact whereabouts." Wrath said with his eyes closed before opening them "If anything, we should find them first before we make our departure."
Rarity stared at Lust in silence before she nodded in agreement with Wrath "Of course. We should probably get moving now..." She said abruptly after her pause.
Twilight looked over at Rarity after her response "Are you okay, Rarity?" She asked curiously.
Rarity regarded the lavender unicorn with a thin smile "As I'll ever be, darling. I believe it's time to say goodbye to Manehattan now, don't you?"
Spike fidgeted his claws with a look of unease "I'll say. I've had about enough of this city for one day."
Greed pointed at the door "So what are we doing standing around then? We got a game to play." He said with a mixture of vigor and impatience as he made for the door with the rest of the group following suit.
Before Greed could open it, the door instantly swung open to reveal a grinning Pinkie standing on her hindlegs and Rainbow Dash hovering over her "We're here to save you, Rarity and Blueblood!" She proclaimed heroically. Her bravado vanished when she got a better look at her friends, and Pinkie dropped back to all fours with a pout "Aw, bummer! We were too late."
Applejack and Fluttershy were seen behind Pinkie and Rainbow Dash. The former smiled upon seeing Lust appearing tame "At least everypony's accounted fer. Saves us th' trouble o' searching th' place."
Rainbow Dash crossed her forelegs bitterly before she sighed in relief "Yeah, but I wanted in on the action, too..." She looked over at Lust and flinched "I-I mean, are you alright, Lust?" She asked.
Lust waved a hoof with a small smile "You've nothing to worry about at the moment, Rainbow Dash, I'm perfectly fine. She got a better look at the darkened scenery outside of the building "So this is Manehattan?"
Wrath nodded to Lust "In Discord's image. Our next destination won't be any better, so to speak."
Twilight rubbed her chin with a hoof "Speaking of new destination, shouldn't we be expecting another clue to appear in front of us?" On cue, there was a flash of light before it subsided and gave way to a scroll floating in the air. Taking it with her magic, Twilight unraveled the parchment and read the contents.
"The city of darkness proved to be no fun, So the next destination shall contain Celestia's sun. Though on barren land, there are fruits laid bare, And many buffalo roam without a care."
Rainbow Dash snickered "Okay, that's too easy, doncha think? There's only one place with buffalo we know about!"
Applejack nodded "Darn tootin'. Saddle up, y'all; we're headed fer Appleloosa." She said as she trotted with the group to the train station. Her heart skipped a beat at the thought of her distant relatives being terrorized by Discord's chaotic magic, but Applejack steeled herself knowing that she will be able to save them with the help of her friends.
Rarity was also silent throughout the trek despite being next to Blueblood and Spike. She looked ahead at Lust trotting with Greed and Wrath and supressed a piercing feeling in her heart as she continued on. All she could do was focus on the matter at hoof. _____
Discord watched from his mirror as the group made it to the train station and smirked "Oh, this shall be quite the interesting game..." He said as he looked upon Rarity and donned a devilish toothy grin "Interesting indeed..."
"What are you blabbering about now?"
The draconequus looked back at the three remaining ponies trapped in his cage, namely Envy, and shrugged "Oh you know, just talking to myself since you lot barely wish to talk."
Gluttony tilted his head innocently "What were you talking about just now? Were you talking about our friends winning in your game?"
Discord busted out laughing before he snaked his eagle claw past the bars and patted Gluttony on the head "Simple little Gluttony, always the optimistic one. I can see how much Pinkie adores you..." He instantly drew back his claw and smiled condescendingly "But no, what I'm talking about is what measures I have to take to make sure that both them and myself remain entertained." He stroked his goatee and hummed before a rubber duck appeared over his head with a barking sound as inspiration filled his eyes "Of course! Since I have to raise the stakes..." He squinted his eyes at Sloth "I'm going to need more muscle for the job..." Discord muttered deviously.
Sloth merely brought up his head and moaned in question while he sat down, completely unaware of the current situation and his eventual involvement forthwith. It only took the image of Discord's advancing lion paw for him to slowly process what was going on "...What a pain..."
The train ride to Appleloosa, much to everypony's expectancy, was a bumpy flight that prompted the group to sit tightly in an effort to avoid any tumbling. Thankfully, there were no airborne obstacles seen at the moment, and the sun was seen in the sky as if there were no chaos happening in the expanding desert below them. As they held on, the group talked amongst themselves over the dangers that were soon to come.
"Ah can't believe we're gonna meet th' next homunculus in Appleloosa of all places. Th' thought o' my relatives dealin' with whoever Discord left with 'em jus' sets me off." Applejack said in frustration. A hoof was felt on her right shoulder, and she noticed Rainbow Dash sitting next to her.
"Don't worry, AJ. We're here for you. And if anything, your family's tough as nails! I'm sure they'll pull through while we get there." Rainbow Dash said encouragingly, with a smile to match.
"Does anypony else find it odd that Discord hasn't made our flight more uncomfortable than last time?" Shining Armor asked the others as he looked out one of the windows warily.
"I dunno. Maybe he was exhausted and needed a break?" Pinkie replied innocently. Her response earned a laugh from Greed.
"If that's the case, then I'd say we got him on the ropes when the game's only begun." Greed said with a cocky smirk. Twilight shook her head at the avaricious pony's words before looking his way.
"It's good that you're optimistic, but we can't just assume that Discord's going easy on us. There could be a more tedious challenge up ahead that would require a good strategy." Twilight said in a matter-of-fact tone.
"You think he might've put quicksand in the town so we could get sucked in easily?" Pinkie asked with a grin, despite her question.
"Q-Q-Quicksand?" Blueblood and Fluttershy squeaked in unison.
"Yeah! Or maybe they could've turned all of the buffalo into fighting ballerinas! Or he could make the apples explosive, or maybe he'll make us all sing the Pony Pokey and dance for our lives! Or maybe-"
"Pinkie, perhaps you're over-thinking the possibilities too much?" Rarity said with a forced smile. There was a brief moment before Pinkie got the message and smiled sheepishly at the group, namely Applejack.
"Sorry. I'm just a little excited is all. Besides, it's not like we're gonna be surprised when we get there, right?" Pinkie asked.
"Be that as it may, it all boils down to the next element and which homunculus is next to be seen. It's the only notable pattern in each of the trials presented to us thus far." Wrath said calmly.
"If I were to venture a guess..." Lust voiced herself with a pensive glance out the window "We could be met with Envy in this town..."
"Envy?" Rainbow Dash said as she perked up and looked towards Lust "You're saying Envy could be in Appleloosa?"
"It's only a guess, nothing more than that." Lust said pointedly, albeit politely "We cannot be certain if Discord is designating each of our remaining family members in order of their power. For all we know, he could very well be mixing things up with whom we meet next or possibly bring up Envy, Sloth, and Gluttony in Appleloosa all at once. He is the spirit of chaos, after all."
"That's good, right? We all wanna see the rest of the homunculi, don't we?" Pinkie piped up cheerfully.
"I wouldn't want that kind of scenario in our current condition, myself." Rarity said with a reluctant frown "Speaking of condition..." She looked over at Blueblood, resting a hoof softly on his patched area "Are you going to be fine, Blueblood?" She asked in concern. Blueblood only smiled at the touch even though he still felt sore.
"Worry not, Miss Rarity. I only wish that you remain in good health yourself. This may seem like a deep wound, but it is far from labeling myself as deadweight." He said politely, entirely different from his former attitude. Meanwhile, Spike watched the two with crossed arms and an angry stare.
"Are you sure? I hope this injury won't prove to be a burden..." Rarity said before she stole a glance at Lust, who looked at the prince herself.
"Considering your stature and your injury, it would be wise for you to stay behind while the rest of us take on this challenge." Lust proposed neutrally "Something tells me we're going to be running around for this next challenge." She noticed how Blueblood seemed frightened when the two locked eyes.
"As much as I hate her, Lust has a point." Greed said as he held up a hoof "I don't think Blueblood here is gonna be cut out for this next challenge. We're gonna have to go on without him."
"But that can't be fair to Blueblood." Twilight protested "We're all in this together, aren't we?"
"Twi, we might not have seen it, but I'm pretty sure Lust got Blueblood good back there. It's a miracle he can even walk." Greed said with a hardened gaze "He'll need more rest if he's gonna do more challenges with us."
"I agree." Rarity said as she looked at her friends "I cannot allow Blueblood to come with us on this next challenge in his injured state..." She paused before she took a deep breath "Which is why I volunteer to stay behind and supervise his recovery." Rarity expected the looks of surprise amongst her friends, namely Spike, who held a look of determination.
"Well, if Rarity's gonna stay behind, then so am I! Somepony's gotta look out for her after all." Spike said valiantly as he puffed his chest out, only to be rocked by the train's flight pattern.
"I, too, wish to stay behind myself." Lust said as she looked at Rarity and Blueblood "I owe you both for what I've put you through. Allow me to guarantee your safety for any possible threats once we reach our destination." She noticed how Rarity shifted closer to Blueblood.
"You don't need to worry about us, Lust. It's best that you aid the others with what's to come." Rarity said in a neutral tone.
"I insist. Wrath and Greed can fare much better than myself, and if there are any rampant threats in and out of the next challenge, it would leave the two of you-" She caught herself before she smiled at Spike "The three of you...open for attack."
"You make it sound as if we're defenseless..." Rarity said with her eyebrows slightly narrowed. Twilight and her friends felt uncomfortable at Rarity's change of behavior and intervened.
"Rarity, you know Lust didn't mean anything like that. She means that if you're serious about watching over and taking care of Blueblood, she'll protect you while you're doing so." Twilight pointed out.
"I could stay with them, too." Fluttershy said, grabbing the attention of her friends "Umm...All I need is some medical supplies and maybe I can help out in making sure Blueblood is okay."
"That sounds good." Rainbow Dash said "Rarity and Fluttershy can be on medical duty while Lust can provide cover."
"Hey! I can help, too, you know." Spike said, offended that he was left out, much to Rainbow Dash's embarrassment.
"Then it's settled." Greed said with a smirk "The five of them stay behind while the rest of us take on this challenge." There was a harsh rock that shook everypony on board before they felt the train descend. Greed looked outside to see a shoddy train station coming into view "And we're right on schedule! Look sharp, everypony!" He called to the others.
While Rarity held Blueblood close, Lust gave the former a calculating stare as the train descended towards the station.
_____
Greed was the first to step out of the train as he stretched his limbs, rewarded with several pops and cracks as he let out a content sigh. Afterwards, he took in his surroundings and took a deep whiff of the air.
"Not a bad scent. Rather homely if you asked me." Greed said nonchalantly.
"Well, that's Appleloosa fer ya." Applejack said as she approached Greed with a thin smile "It's a fine town much like Ponyville. My cousin Braeburn lives here." She looked around, her eyes becoming wary "If Equestria weren't flipped upside-down, he'd be here right now givin' us a hearty welcome."
The others stepped out and looked at the town themselves, seeing that nothing was amiss at the moment save for the empty streets and the giant counter atop a large building a few feet away from them, currently at three zeros. After confirmation that a single soul wasn't in sight, Appleloosa currently resembled that of a ghost town.
"Where is everypony?" Twilight asked, unnerved by the scenery.
"The better question is why hasn't this place been redecorated yet." Greed said as he scratched his head as he looked up at the counter "I know that thing's up there, but wouldn't he, I dunno, turn this place into something different?"
"I'm sure you're aware of the saying 'More than meets the eye,' aren't you, Greed?"
"And there it is." Greed said coolly "Why not show us what you have planned here in this cozy little town, Discord?"
"Oh, you'll get your's eventually. In fact, wait for it..."
The group stood in silence, looking around on high alert for any sudden disturbances.
"Wait for it~..."
There was more silence, until the sound of several hoofbeats and screaming was heard. The group looked ahead and tensed up when they noticed the many residents of Appleloosa, pony and buffalo alike, galloping and screaming in terror.
"A group stampede?" Pinkie asked quizzically "But why are they all screaming?"
"You see, my little ponies, the game right now is called 'Herd the Sheep to Safety'. The game is simple, herd the sheep - that's those peons over yonder - away from the big bad wolves that are hunting them down."
"Wolves!?" Applejack exclaimed before she leered up at the sky "Oh, if you actually have my kin runnin' from timberwolves..." She said in a low tone.
"Oh, don't be like that, Applejack, that's not my style. But I do have something better..."
A low and tired moan echoed in the town before a blur was seen, to which some ponies and buffalo were lucky to avoid as it crashed into a building. When the dust and debris cleared, a certain indolent stallion lifted his head up and stared at the running citizens with one blank eye; worn on his neck was a chain that contained one of the elements. The apple-shaped topaz gem that was seen in it shined in the sunlight.
"Sloth?" Twilight said before she gasped "And he's got Applejack's necklace!"
"Now I wouldn't say that..."
The group was confused before another collision was heard. They looked to their right and noticed that from another wrecked building emerged another Sloth wearing the same necklace as the first one. He took a step forward to reveal one of his forelegs having a steel brace with a chain attached to it, leading to the conclusion that both Sloths had their own sets.
"TWO Sloths!? That's just dirty!" Rainbow Dash snapped as she felt nervous at the sight of two overly muscular earth ponies.
"Is it? Or could I be raising the bar for our little game? The past challenges have been rather easy, don't you agree?"
"Judging by their appearance, only one of them has the real Element of Honesty while the other is a fake, correct? Then we might have to split up for this one." Twilight looked at the two Sloths as they slowly got into a ramming position.
"Always on the ball, Twilight Sparkle; very admirable indeed! Now to explain the rules. The sheep you see must be herded into different buildings, otherwise known as their safety pens, to not only guarantee their safety, but to score points while doing so. Considering Appleloosa's population, it'll take 100 points to win."
"So it'll take half th' town t' win this thing?" Applejack asked as she squinted her eyes at the sky "Then we got this!"
"Did I forget to mention what happens when either 'wolf' manages to harm one or more of the 'sheeps'?"
The group felt a rush of wind as both Sloths rammed into some of the townsfolk, sending them flying as they did so, and each of them fell before they began to glow purple as they writhed in pain while the two Sloths crashed into another building. Applejack was aghast at the sight.
"Don't worry, they might've gotten hurt, but they're still fine. However, they're now tagged, and thus excluded from the challenge, rendering your chances of scoring points stymied."
"I get it now." Greed said as he activated his Ultimate Shield "We gotta hurry or else we fail this thing!" He said as he galloped into town, towards the right Sloth "Whoever's going with me, come on! The rest will stay behind and take on the other Sloth!" Twilight instinctively followed Greed, activating her own Ultimate Shield while Applejack hummed to herself. She then turned to the remaining ponies with narrowed eyes.
"Y'all can handle Sloth while Ah follow Twi and Greed. Sound good?" She asked, to which Rainbow Dash snapped a mock salute.
"Got it. Be careful out there, AJ." She said as she looked down at Pinkie, Shining Armor, and Wrath "C'mon, everypony! Time's a wastin’!"
The two stallions shared a nod while Pinkie let off a whooping cheer before they galloped towards another part of Appleloosa together. Applejack darted after Twilight and Greed, her eyes narrowed as she easily caught up to them.
"Listen, y'all! Ah got a plan, but ya gotta keep that there Sloth at bay!" Applejack said as the three galloped.
"Sure, Applejack, let's hear it." Twilight replied as she kept her eyes on Sloth, who bolted into another building and knocked away more townsfolk, causing them to be tagged and injured. She suppressed a wince as she focused on Sloth appearing out of the wreckage.
"Ah'm gonna get us a head start on our challenge an' head deeper int' town t' find more o' my family so we can make this a whole lot easier on ourselves! Chief Thunderhooves an' his buffalo tribe might be willin' t' help out, too!"
"So you're on herding duty while we take down Sloth, right?" Greed asked as he skidded to a stop near the latest wrecked building "I guess you got the advantage here, what with your farm work and all. Alright, AJ, you do your thing! Twi and I can take it from here!" Applejack flashed Greed a confident smile.
"Thank ya kindly!" She said as she galloped away from the others and followed after the panicking ponies and buffalo.
"I have to admit..." Twilight said as she watched Sloth slowly trudge out of the wreckage and rubbing his head "Even though we have our respective shields, I'm anxious as to how strong Sloth is."
"Don't worry. If Father couldn't touch us, then what hope does Sloth have? Let's go!" He said as he rushed in and lunged at Sloth, throwing a punch square in his face. Sadly, he only succeeded in giving the indolent pony pause.
"Urgh...What was that?" Sloth asked as he scratched his head "What a pain..." Greed grunted before he leapt back towards Twilight, his eyes narrowed to slits.
"Damn. Maybe I got ahead of myself there. I guess we should try something else if it means actually landing a hit..." He looked over at Twilight "Twi, you can lift large objects with your magic, right?"
"Yes, I can manage a few things, but what's your plan for harming Sloth? He's got the fortitude of a full-grown dragon." She said as she watched the indolent pony slowly rearing onto his hind legs, the chains attached to his foreleg braces jingling as they were lifted.
"I'm gonna keep him busy while you find some effective items to toss his way. The thing is to focus on one spot with all of your ammo. Our only option is trying to find one area and hitting him hard there." Greed said as he darted his head to Twilight "Just get going. I already took the first swing, so he'll be focused on me for the time being."
"Got it." She said as she moved away and scanned her surroundings for any suitable objects.
Greed noticed Sloth reel back his right foreleg and quickly jumped up when he swung it across, lashing his chain across a building behind the avaricious pony. Twilight heard the noise and noticed the chain, to which she yelped and shielded her face with a hoof as the chain connected with her and knocked her a couple of feet away. Greed wanted to shake his head when he landed, but chose to jump again when Sloth swung his left foreleg at him.
Sloth continued to try and harm Greed with his chains, and was getting frustrated despite his sluggish pace, moaning in contempt with every failed swing.
"You move too much...Moving is a pain..." The indolent pony rumbled.
"I'd say you could use a little exercise, but then this would be even harder!" Greed quipped as he lunged at Sloth again and struck him in the face once more, this time making a noticeable dent and causing the indolent pony to stagger and fall onto his back. Sadly, Sloth's face was coated in red static before the wound healed instantaneously. Greed jumped back and took a defensive stance while Sloth was recovering "Anything, Twi? I think you're gonna have to hit him in the face with whatever you have!"
"If only it were that easy..." Twilight said as she made an inventory check over her items. The only things in her arsenal included a wheelbarrow, a small boulder, and some salt barrels "We don't have much to work with around here!"
"We'll just have to make due then!" He said as he used his horn to grab the boulder and bring it to his side "All we can do is improvise once we've used up our ammo!" He said as he watched Sloth face him as he got on all fours. Greed let out a yell as he launched the boulder, and while it connected, it split in two after it had collided with Sloth's face.
Twilight was next to attack as she launched the wheelbarrow in her possession and hit Sloth in the face as well, causing the behemoth to groan in pain as it staggered while the wheelbarrow shattered.
Greed and Twilight then levitated two salt barrels respectively and took turns launching their own at Sloth. When they were finished, Greed lunged forward.
"Now we improvise!" He said as he eyed Sloth's face carefully before spotting a vulnerable area around his uncovered eye. Greed then leaned his head down so that his sharp horn was aimed at Sloth, and easily stabbed him in the eye, eliciting a roar of pain from the indolent pony as blood splattered from his wound.
Twilight wasn't happy about the sight, looking away as Greed jammed his horn further into Sloth's eye until he pulled it out and jumped away, stopping at Twilight's side while Sloth covered his face with his forelegs.
"Aaaaaugh...It hurts..." Sloth rumbled as his head was coated with red static "What a pain..." He moaned until the static subsided. He then slowly brought down his forelegs revealed that his eye was glowing a threatening red "Going all out...is a bigger pain..." Sloth said as he slowly got on all fours.
"Looks like we got his full attention..." Greed said coolly as he and Twilight planted their hooves in the ground, taking a defensive stance "I hope Applejack's got the other part of the challenge covered."
"Trust me when I say that Applejack can handle herself in a dangerous situation." Twilight said confidently "In the meantime, we'll have to hold out for her sake." Despite her confidence, Twilight was inwardly nervous about confronting Sloth at his strongest, let alone a possible fake. She only hoped that the others were doing well on their own.
_____
Back at the train, Rarity, Fluttershy, Spike, and Blueblood sat comfortably in the train. Spike stood next to Rarity while Fluttershy was busy tending to Blueblood's wound with a convenient medikit she found in one of the cabins. The injured prince whimpered when Fluttershy was dabbing a cotton ball drenched in peroxide over his wound before carefully applying some ointment and patching it up with medical tape.
"Don't worry, Blueblood. It'll be a while until you recover completely, but this will stop the pain you’re in for the time being." Fluttershy said reassuringly.
"If only you were correct..." Blueblood said morosely "If what Greed said was true, then it may be long before I can even be of assistance to you all."
"Don't say that." Rarity interjected as she sat beside Blueblood "Granted, you haven't been exposed to such extreme circumstances in the past, but you're stronger than you think. I'm certain you'll pull through soon enough. What you've been through was just..." She paused, a frown clear on her face before she slammed her eyes shut. Blueblood, Fluttershy, and Spike stared at Rarity in concern before she opened her eyes, which seemed more calm and collected "I shan't bring up any unpleasant memories, even if they're recent."
"You're talking about Lust, right?" Spike said in a serious tone, albeit anxious "Is that why you're like this?"
"Like what, Spike?" Rarity asked inquisitively.
"Ever since we left Manehattan, you've been acting...different." Spike said with a frown "I mean, I know you're caring for Blueblood and all, but..." The purple dragon had trouble finishing his sentence as he hung his head and fidgeted his claws. A gentle hoof on his head made him look up at a smiling Rarity.
"Now, Spike, I don't need you to worry about me. How can you protect me, let alone the rest of us while you're doing so?" She asked playfully. Spike scratched his head with a bashful smile.
Fluttershy smiled warmly at the sentiment, though shared Spike's curiosity over Rarity's behavior. The sound of a sliding door grabbed her attention as she noticed the cart's door open to reveal Lust trotting in.
"Oh, Lust. Is everything alright outside?" Fluttershy asked as she had finished up bandaging Blueblood's chest.
"Indeed. We're safe for now." Lust answered evenly "And yourselves?"
"We're doing just fine." Spike said with a chipper smile, though it vanished when a lingering thought plagued his mind "Umm...Lust? Is it okay if I ask you a question?" He could feel Rarity staring at him while he looked up at Lust "I-In private, please?"
"Of course. Lead the way." Lust gestured a hoof to Spike, allowing him to waddle towards the door leading to the leftmost cart, Lust following behind. When the door closed, Rarity sighed.
"I suppose there's no end to curiosity, is there?" Rarity asked herself aloud. Blueblood looked away with a lidded gaze of melancholy.
"For what it's worth, he's only concerned about you." Fluttershy voiced herself "I mean...I'm just as worried myself. Won't you tell us what's on your mind, Rarity? About Lust?" She asked softly.
"I'm sorry, darling. I just don't feel right to say anything at the moment. Please understand." Rarity said in a leveled tone. She looked out the window at the endless desert and the distant chaotic images shown under the sun; she could've sworn she had seen a mouse wearing a hat and a blue bird, both running as fast as Rainbow Dash pass by in her vision "It's just awful that everypony in Equestria has to go through all of this. Discord has taken this a step too far, and we've only imprisoned him months ago."
"He has been more extreme in his chaos since last time." Fluttershy said before she curled up into a ball "I just wanna go home myself..."
As the two mares talked amongst themselves, Blueblood remained silent as he looked down at his wound.
_____
Spike and Lust were at a bench in the second cart, sitting opposite from one another as they looked each other in the eye. The former gulped before he decided to press on with his question.
"What happened back there?" Spike asked briefly. To his fortune, Lust was quick to understand his question.
"I was merely unaware of my actions, which had led to Blueblood's injury, and undoubtedly Rarity's distrust towards me. I would not put it past her that she had to go through her trial with such a frightening image." Lust said with her eyes closed.
"But you're gonna do something about it...right?" Spike said as he inched his head forward as he sat down "You can make things good between the two of you, right?"
"I'll cross that bridge when I come to it." Lust said nonchalantly, watching Spike's jaw drop "There isn't much I can do right now in my current situation other than keeping an eye out for any dangers that may come our way. Not to mention we'll have to take care of Discord before we can accomplish anything less than what he has thrown us into."
"How are you so calm about this!?" Spike snapped, much to Lust's surprise "Don't you know that Rarity thinks you're some kind of monster!? Aren't you gonna try anything at all to make things right!? I'm not happy she's feeling this way and I don't wanna see her act like this the whole step of the way! How is it you can even act this way when so much is happening!?" Spike hyperventilated after his tirade, his eyes boring into Lust's for an answer. The lascivious mare took a deep breath.
"I'm aware. As for how I'm acting, I'm lucky to even be doing so..." Spike gradually calmed himself while Lust continued, a serious expression on her face "I can't go back and expect Rarity to just look at me the same way before I was under Discord's control, not after what I've done to her and Blueblood. Of course, I owe him my regards for his selfless act in protecting Rarity from myself. Even I didn't expect that from the likes of him.
"As for your first question, I wouldn't put it past her. You've seen me and the rest of my family during our skirmish with the changelings. I wouldn't be surprised if Rarity would label me as a monster, let alone treat me like one. I was unaware of the trauma I've put into her head, and it's up to her on how to view myself after acquiescing her previous tribulation. If she chooses to shun me for my unruly actions, then so be it." Lust hung her head as she closed her eyes.
"It's not in my best interest to control how she thinks. Back then, I would've had fun toying with her, but after the time I've spent in Equestria, it's as if my previous sins had never happened..." She looked at Spike "I'll even admit that I'm still trying to adjust to living in this world, though it doesn't appear as such."
"But how? You've seemed like an entirely different homunculus while you and the other homunculi lived with us." Spike said "How could you be having a hard time? Why would you have a hard time being our friend?" Lust stared at Spike, before hanging her head, an uncharacteristically lamentful gaze covered by her bangs.
"...Because Discord reminded us of what we are..."
"Wait...what?" Spike asked after a period of pause "What are you talking about?" He cocked his head to the side, hoping for a coherent answer.
"I'm referring to the fact that no matter how hard it is I try, I just can't seem to run away from my past as a homunculus despite my change in form. When I was reborn as a pony and taken in by you all, I felt as if I could start anew, but I realized that old habits die hard..." Lust said, her remorseful gaze tugging at Spike "It is as Discord has said before this game began: Who could love a monster?"
"But that's just it, though; it's in the past!" Spike said "I know you made Rarity upset, but you can't just let that bother you now; not while we have to save Equestria."
"You don't understand, Spike." Lust said with her eyes closed "As easy as it is to merely forget what has been done and move on, it can take a serious toll on one's self when more disheartening parts of their past has been brought back for them to see." She turned away and looked out the window at Appleloosa "It takes more of an effect on one who wishes to turn from such ways." Spike stared before the realization dawned on him, causing him to hang his head pensively.
"Wow...I never thought about it that way." He muttered to himself. The purple dragon felt a hoof caressing his head, and he looked up to see Lust giving him a wry smile.
"You've yet to experience it for yourself, since you're just a child and all." She stated, to which Spike furrowed his brow.
"I hate it when everypony tells me that." He gently took Lust's hoof with both claws and stared up at her with a determined gaze "Look, maybe you're right about that, and maybe I do have a lot to learn myself, but I can't just sit here and wait for you and Rarity to give up on each other. Wrath and Greed came to terms with their pasts, and they're doing just fine."
"That's because the both of them were content with their lives before coming here. Not to mention Greed is more attuned to friendship than myself and the rest of our family..." Lust gave a dry chuckle "I commend Greed for even developing a better outlook before any of us."
"Well, I'm sure he wouldn't let you hear the end of it if he saw you like this." Spike quipped as he kept his gaze and tightened his grip "You gotta remember that Discord did this to you. If you asked me, I'd say you were doing just fine as our friend before he mucked it all up. I may sound crazy, but that's just me. Heck, even Twilight would say the same thing!"
Lust stared at Spike while he stood his ground with her hoof in his grasp. It was expected to hear someone akin to a child say something like this to her, but after hearing him out, it wasn't anything similar to the naivete that it was laced with. She noted the seriousness in his eyes, and how he simply would not let go of her hoof.
It almost distracted her from a certain wetness trailing down her left cheek.
"Lust?" Spike blinked as his gaze softened. He watched the lascivious mare rub her eyes before she gently withdrew her outstretched hoof. When she finished, Lust leaned down to Spike and gave him a small peck on his forehead, startling the purple dragon as he stared up at her with widened eyes while she donned a smile devoid of sadness.
"Thank you, Spike. Perhaps you're more mature than I thought." Lust said gratefully. Spike was locked in his stare before smiling bashfully, a shade of red gracing his facial features.
"H-Hey, we're all friends, right?" Spike asked, then looked up with a hopeful glance "Right?" His hopefulness diminished when Lust took a deep breath.
"We have to remember that it is up to Rarity to decide what she thinks of me." She said before she grew thin smile "But that doesn't mean that I cannot have someone vouch for me."
Spike grinned at Lust's words and gave a knowing nod before the two went back to the other cart to join their friends. _____
"Get along, everypony!"
Applejack was galloping with her own crowd of ponies and buffalo, their hooves thundering on the ground in their stride. She felt energized that she was partaking in a challenge she had an edge in. To her right was a yellow earth pony wearing a brown vest and a stetson hat of his own; a cutie mark of a big red apple was seen on his body.
"So glad that y'all came here when we needed ya most, cuz!" The pony said cheerfully "We were jus' enjoyin' another peaceful day when that large doodad showed up at the top of the largest buildin' in town, then those large ponies appeared and knocked us around like bowlin' pins!"
"Those aren't ordinary ponies, Braeburn." Applejack corrected "In fact, they're clones of one that's pretty strange once ya get t' know 'im. It's a long story, but fer now, y'all jus' have t' trust me on this situation!"
"We're with ya all the way!" Braeburn replied with a confident smirk "Jus' tell us where t' go, an' we'll get to it!"
"All Ah needed t' here. This is gonna sound mighty weird, but we gotta lead the townsfolk int' different homes an' places so we can put an end t' all this. We gotta spot th' biggest ones we see and finish quickly."
"Yer in luck! We're near the Salt Lick, so we'll just pool some o' th' townsfolk there." Braeburn said as he pointed forward.
"Great!" Applejack chirped brightly, only to see the path ahead of them get clouded with dust as a large crash sounded, causing the entire crowd to skid to a halt. The dust settled to show Sloth slowly emerging from a wrecked building from the left, with Rainbow Dash and Wrath flying in from the right while Shining Armor and Pinkie Pie galloped in shortly after, the latter wielding her party cannon. The party pony noticed Applejack's group and waved frantically at them while the other three engaged Sloth in combat.
"Hi, AJ! Hey, Braeburn! How goes the Appleloosa roundup?" Pinkie greeted, as if she weren't fighting off Sloth.
"Howdy, Pinkie Pie!" Braeburn greeted back "Ah'd love t' chat with ya an' all, but we gotta skedaddle!" He looked over at Sloth obstructing their path towards the Salt Lick and frowned "Shoot...We might have t' make a detour." Braeburn said morosely.
"Well, let's leave 'em to it then." Applejack replied, snapping her head towards the crowd behind her "Listen, folks! We gotta shy away from them ponies over there! Let's go another route!" The large crowd of ponies and buffalo turned to the rightmost street and resumed their pace, leaving the fight that took place behind.
"This really does put a damper on our chances o' stoppin' all this. We haven't even rounded up all o' our friends yet!" Braeburn said as he glanced back at the galloping crowd.
"Ain't nothing t' worry about." Applejack said as she looked around, noticing how there are several buildings untouched by both Sloths "We still got plenty o' places t' choose from b'fore we find th' others and hit the Salt Lick. Let's scatter fer now and look around!" She called to her crowd, to which they complied as they temporarily disbanded to take refuge in nearby places.
Applejack and Braeburn watched how they were gradually flocking in their own buildings, and both felt rewarded upon hearing the sound of a bell for each entry.
However, when they spotted a mare headed towards a different building, they noticed how the doorframe suddenly widened and gained a set of fangs, snarling like a provoked animal. She screamed before the rogue building extended its maw and ensnared the mare, to which a buzzer sounded shortly after.
"What in the-...!?" Applejack said to herself before looking around and seeing the same thing happen to three more ponies, much to the shock of her and Braeburn. Thankfully, the rest of the crowd noticed the deranged oddity occurring and quickly distanced themselves from the buildings they were about to enter.
"Jus' what in th' name o' apples is goin' on?" Braeburn said before turning to Applejack "Ah thought y'all said that we needed t' go inside t' be safe, not eaten!"
"Ah swear Ah didn't know about this!" Applejack shot back before she paused, then glared up at the sky "Discord..."
"That's my name, don't wear it out! Anyways, I'll bet you're miffed about what's happened right? Well, I figured it'd be too boring to just let you herd your cattle easily, so I rigged this town with what I like to call 'Trap Houses'."
"Trap Houses?" Applejack parroted curiously.
"They not only capture anypony that gets too close, but they also deduct points from your score, making your challenge all the more fun! Be careful now~..."
After Discord's singsong voice had faded, the crowd instantly gathered once more, only they were more anxious on where to go next, constantly darting their eyes towards any and every building in sight. Meanwhile, Braeburn gritted his teeth and stomped a hoof in the dirt.
"T'ain't fair! That Discord's a no-good cheater, that's fer sure." He said bitterly.
"No doubt about that. We gotta rethink our strategy on this'un. Fer all we know, the Salt Lick could be a trap." Applejack said cautiously. She rubbed her chin and thought to herself as she scanned each house "It's gonna be a tall order t' rely on instinct here..."
"Well, instinct's all we got at this point, right? We can't jus' sit here an' twiddle our hooves. We're pressed fer time!" Braeburn said in a near-panicked tone.
"Ah know that, Braeburn, but Ah can't risk our friends an' family jumpin' int' th' jaws o' some monster house, then gettin' them int' more trouble than before!" Applejack shot back with narrowed eyes before scanning her surroundings, urgency building inside of her. She was happy to have come so far and catch up with her family, even if it wasn't under the best circumstances.
A nearby building crumbled into splinters as a blue blur was seen passing through and ramming into the first trap house, smacking into it as it somehow remained intact. Sloth was seen moaning tiredly as he leaned against the building while it showed what appeared to be a blue patch on the wooden wall. The building was heard whimpering.
"Sorry about that, AJ!" A rainbow blur flew towards the crowd as Rainbow Dash hovered in the air, staring down Sloth intently as he got up "This Sloth's just so destructive without even noticing."
"Ah'm surprised that trap house is still standin', what with Sloth's bulky body an' all."Applejack commented as she stared at the house.
"We heard about them during our battle" Wrath said as he flew in, while Shining Armor and Pinkie Pie followed suit "So this isn't just a simple herding challenge while we're fending off these clones of Sloth. What do you propose we do, Applejack?" He asked inquisitively while hovering in a stance, ready to pounce at Sloth.
"Ah ain't too sure." She replied with unease, though looked back at the house and its current condition, squinting at the blue patch on the wall "Wait a minute...Did that house actually bruise?"
"Say what now?" Braeburn asked as he observed the house as well "Well, shoot, it is bruised. Ah'm surprised th' windows are still up after that giant pony slammed int' it."
"Windows..." Applejack hummed to herself, then gasped as an idea crept into her head. Thinking quickly, she scooped up a pebble from the ground and aimed at the building sitting to the right of the trap house, tossing it at a window and watching it break.
"Whoa! What's th' big idea, Applejack?" Braeburn asked, thrown off by Applejack's random action.
"That one's fine! Any pony or buffalo, get inside quick!" Applejack barked, to which a group of four ponies and two buffalo hesitantly went over. When absolutely no hostility was detected, they quickly scampered inside in a single file line, to which the sound of a bell was heard. Applejack smirked triumphantly at the sound while Braeburn's jaw gaped before he beamed at his cousin.
"Now Ah get it!" Braeburn said as he picked up a pebble. "Them trap houses' are almost like actual monsters with their windows not breakin', so we jus' gotta see which house is good by hittin' one, right?" He watched Applejack scoop up and toss another pebble up and down.
"Darn tootin'. We'll get Appleloosa safe in no time." Applejack proclaimed vigorously, then looked over at the rest of the crowd "Alright, folks, y'all know the drill! Grab yerselves a rock or two an' let's get a move on!" She grinned as the ponies and buffalo scoured the ground for any available rocks and raised them like soldiers with weaponry.
"What a pain..." Sloth rumbled as he looked over at the large group of townsfolk, slowly turning to face them "Obstacles are a pain..."
"Oh, no you don't!" Rainbow Dash said as swooped down and landed a kick in Sloth's face with her hindleg, though she only succeeded in making Sloth stagger as she yelped in pain. She descended towards the ground and inspected her leg while the lazy behemoth scratched his head, as if he were confused "What do you homunculi eat!?" Rainbow Dash asked in shock.
Sloth reeled back a foreleg and swung a chain at the cyan pegasus, but it only succeeded in colliding with a magic shield.
"Applejack, hurry and get the civilians out of here! We'll do what we can with Sloth!" Shining Armor commanded, though grunted when he felt another chain collide with his shield.
"Thank y'all kindly. We can still win this!" Applejack replied as she and Braeburn galloped away and led their group, feeling reinvigorated.
While Sloth was busy clashing with Shining Armor's shield protecting himself and Rainbow Dash, he got struck in the face once again, but this time by a pie that obstructed his vision and caused him to moan in complaint.
"Easy as pie!" Pinkie quipped as she stood with her party cannon, resting a foreleg on her trusty weapon "Speaking of, how is it? I had trouble deciding between blueberry or cherry before I left Canterlot, so I went with coconut meringue." She chirped happily, oblivious to Sloth wiping at his face.
"Blindness is a pain...Pie is a pain..." Sloth moaned as he tried regaining his sight. Meanwhile, he was unaware of Pinkie looking insulted as she placed both forelegs on her party cannon and aimed at Sloth.
"Oh, it is on!" She snapped as she activated her cannon and launched more pies. Wrath stared down at Pinkie Pie and managed to smile at her gesture.
'It's somewhat humorous to realize that she's making this little battle entertaining.' Wrath thought to himself before he swooped down and knocked Sloth at his right side, knocking him into the same trap house as before and eliciting another whimper from it. _____
The group averted themselves from the battle against the lazy behemoth and galloped away towards any other available building and took turns tossing a rock or pebble at each window. If glass were to shatter, a smaller group would instantly flock to their sanctuary; if a snarl or whimper was heard, the larger group would instantly flee to the next building. They repeated the process until Applejack and Braeburn remained.
The two Apple family members made their way towards the counter found near the station, seeing that the remaining number was at one. While she was happy with the fact that the worst was almost over, Applejack was still troubled at the fact that she had missed more townsfolk to save and that there were two Sloths that were far from defeated and holding duplicates of her element.
"Alright, Braeburn. We jus' gotta find a place fer you to hide in an' we'll take care o' th' rest." Applejack said with a smile "Ah'm glad we were able t' work together like this."
"Me, too, cuz!" Braeburn grinned "That was some smart thinkin' back there with them houses." He scratched his head with an embarrassed smile "Gonna have t' dip int' our savings an' then some t' pay fer all them windows once this is over."
"Small price t' pay an' all that. But Ah'm sure th' princesses can lend ya some money to cover damages." Applejack said as she began trotting back into town with her cousin at a leisurely pace "Gonna be tough t' figure out what other place hasn't been touched yet." She said as she looked at how Appleloosa and its streets were deserted save for her friends fighting off the two Sloths.
"Well, at least we got everypony t' safety, even th' ones that got hurt. That counts fer somethin'." Braeburn said encouragingly. He rubbed his chin in thought before he perked up "Hey, wait a minute! We still haven't hit th' Salt Lick yet!" Applejack looked over at Braeburn.
"Hey, yer right. But we'll have t' be quick iffin' we won't be met with any trouble." Applejack said cautiously. The two began to gallop along the barren streets in search of the desired establishment. But as they went along, they noticed an oncoming blur, to which Applejack quickly pushed Braeburn out of the way before she was sent flying into a window belonging to a nearby trap house while the blur slammed into another one, revealing itself to be another Sloth.
Applejack fell to the ground while Braeburn got up after getting pushed and noticed his cousin doing the same.
"Applejack! Are ya alright?" He asked in concern.
"Agh! Consarnit..." Applejack said as she picked herself up and rubbed her right foreleg "Felt like Ah hoof wrestled with Big Mac five times in a row." She looked over at the recovering Sloth and galloped towards Braeburn "We gotta get away from 'im. One touch an' yer outta th' game!"
"Right!" Braeburn replied as they went to gallop away, only to see Twilight and Greed - both in their Ultimate Shield forms - headed their way. While Applejack could recognize them, Braeburn was intimidated by their appearance.
"Whoa! What in tarnation are they?" Braeburn asked as he pointed a hoof.
"Relax, Braeburn, it's jus' Twilight." Applejack said as she pointed at Greed "That one over's her coltfriend, Greed." She then looked back at Sloth turning to face them, his uncovered eye making the farmpony tense. "But now we have t' worry about not gettin' hit."
As Sloth slowly got into a stance, Greed and Twilight joined Applejack's side, staring down the lazy pony, though they were catching their breath.
"Picked a hell of a time to show up, Applejack." Greed quipped with an invisible smirk "We were having so much fun with Sloth while you were out and about. Is that pony the last one needed for this game to end?" He asked, looking over at Braeburn.
"Yeah, we were in a hurry until Sloth came breezin' by." Applejack said as she stared at Sloth. When his knees bent, Greed's eyes widened.
"Scatter!" He shouted as the four quickly separated and avoided Sloth speeding past them and hitting a building, making it crumble. Applejack and Braeburn were stricken with fear until they noticed it was an empty building. Twilight picked herself up and regrouped with the others.
"Sloth's too strong for Greed and I no matter how many times we land enough hits on him. Not to mention it's even harder to grab the element considering how many times we tried taking it off." Twilight explained as Sloth got up.
"It's sorta th' same way with the other Sloth." Applejack said "Imagine if the two would end up hittin' each other..." Greed and Twilight instantly turned to Applejack.
"That's it!" They both chorused brightly.
"Divided, we're lucky to even stand up against Sloth due to his massive strength and size..." Twilight said, while Greed looked over at Twilight.
"Meaning that it's gonna take Sloth to beat Sloth! We just have to find our friends and lure the two into one spot." Greed finished eagerly.
"But we still gotta get Braeburn to th' Salt Lick pronto!" Applejack piped up "Th' game's not over without 'im."
"Then it looks like we'll have to lead this Sloth to our friends. Come on!" Greed said as the four galloped away from Sloth, who grumbled at their retreat.
"Running away...What a pain..." He said as he burst into a gallop, easily catching up with his incredible speed. Twilight looked back and gasped.
"Everypony, look out!" She shouted as the four ponies quickly moved towards the left, narrowly avoiding Sloth as he slammed into another trap house. While they turned a corner, the lazy pony picked himself up and rubbed his head.
"Stubborn..." Sloth looked over at the fleeing ponies and slammed a hoof into the dirt "Stop running...You have to be stopped..."
Sloth was lashing his chains left and right in sluggish, but powerful swings, to which Shining Armor and Pinkie kept their distance and dodged while Rainbow Dash and Wrath maneuvered in the air.
"What do we do now?" Rainbow Dash asked while she narrowly avoided another chain "None of us can't even get within range without getting smacked around by Sloth."
"I never recalled Sloth to be this focused during combat." Rainbow Dash and Wrath soared higher to avoid any more attacks and looked down at Sloth "Then again, knowing Discord was behind this, I'm certain he may have altered his thinking process." Wrath said as he squinted his eyes at Sloth "I'll try to dive in and relieve Sloth of his element if you're willing to take this risk with me, Rainbow Dash."
"You mean you're actually gonna go for it? I thought you knew how strong Sloth is!" Rainbow Dash said, looking towards Wrath.
"That may be, but that doesn't mean this battle can be won by standing around. Mind you, I still carry my regeneration ability given to me by Discord. That will be my ace in the hole." Wrath explained, to which the cyan pegasus shook her head before smirking.
"And I thought I was the only pony to do crazy stunts. Alright, Wrath, I'm behind you all the way!" She stated with a mock salute, making Wrath smile in amusement.
"Then let's make this short and sweet." The two pegasi kept a keen eye on Sloth, making sure he was distracted by Shining Armor and Pinkie Pie moving about, and they both dove down and flew around Sloth, halting his advance and confusing him.
"Flying is a pain..." Sloth said as he brought up a foreleg and swung a chain upward, catching Wrath and knocking him upward as she spun about. Meanwhile, Rainbow Dash managed to get an opening and landed on Sloth's back, taking the necklace by her teeth before lifting his head and flying forward, swiftly recovering the element as she flew off. Sloth looked up and moaned.
"You got it...What a pain..." Sloth said as he watched Rainbow Dash fly. Pinkie hopped up and down with glee while Shining Armor smiled respectfully.
"Woohoo! Alright, Dashie!" Pinkie cheered "Now we just have to wait until AJ comes!" Rainbow Dash landed near her friends and spat out the chain, rubbing her muzzle and trying to get the taste of metal out of her mouth.
"It's thanks to Wrath that I even got this." She said as she looked up at his seemingly prone form "He's more nuts than me." Shining Armor chuckled.
"That's what makes him an experienced soldier..." He said as he looked up at the furious pony's body covered in red static "He'll lay his life down in the field of battle."
Sloth grumbled and reared onto his hindlegs, readying himself for another volley of swing towards, but paid no attention to a sudden push he felt on his back before he was forced back down on all fours. He noticed Wrath quickly fly towards the others and groaned in complaint.
"Not good...Need to stop you..." Sloth said as he got in a stance "You cannot go further..."
"Yeah? Just try and stop us!" Rainbow Dash said with a hoof pointed at Sloth, though ignored the serious looks on Wrath and Shining Armor respectively.
"Your bravado is admirable, Rainbow Dash, but we're not enough for this Sloth alone. We were lucky to subjugate the element from him before any major damage had been dealt." Wrath explained matter-of-factly.
"Yeah...Looking back on it, I wonder if Twilight and Greed are faring any better than us..." Shining Armor said as he gritted his teeth in worry, mentally kicking himself for bringing up his sister 'Twilight, please be okay...'
The ponies watched Sloth getting ready to attack, only to have their attention diverted by a loud crash heard behind them.
"Gang way!"
Sloth halted his attack and turned around upon hearing Greed's voice. He saw him running with Twilight, Applejack, and Braeburn tailing behind him. Rainbow Dash grinned at their arrival and flew upward, waving at them.
"Hey, everypony! We got the Element of Honesty!" She called out to them ecstatically.
"That's good and all, but you guys might wanna move!" Greed warned as he galloped. Before he could answer further, Greed's group quickly dispersed as an intense blur came from behind. Sloth moaned in question before the blur instantly collided with him and sent him flying as he bellowed in a mixture of surprise and pain.
Shining Armor, Pinkie, and Wrath instinctively cleared out of the lazy behemoth's path as his back slammed into an empty house, wrecking it in the process. The dust had settled to reveal it was the other Sloth with his own necklace, groaning as he rubbed his head.
"It worked!" Greed said triumphantly "We just need one Sloth to beat the other." He looked over at the other Sloth shaking his head while he caressed his temple.
"That hurt...More than before..." Sloth rumbled as he looked up at the other group of ponies "Oh...over there..."
"Wait, what?" Rainbow Dash said as she hovered "Why'd you bring this Sloth here?"
"It was the only way we can them both down at the same time." Twilight explained "We already know how strong Sloth is, so it's only wise we use his own strength against him!" Wrath flew upward and smiled down at Twilight.
"Impressive. We should have drawn towards the same conclusion during our own fight." He complimented.
"Yeah, we can definitely use this to our advantage." Greed said enthusiastically before turning to Applejack and Braeburn "AJ, you should probably get Braeburn to that Salt Lick place you're talking about. Applejack perked up before she nodded.
"And how! C'mon, Braeburn!" Applejack said as she and her cousin turned the other way and galloped off.
From where he stood, Shining Armor donned a relieved sigh at the sight of his sister unharmed. He then heard a groan and noticed Sloth about to attack him, getting ready to shield himself.
Pinkie was about to stand beside him, until she heard the sound of lumber shifting. She looked over at the wrecked house and noticed the second Sloth already out of the building's remains, ready to tackle his opponents. A glint was seen in Pinkie's eyes, and she quickly assessed the location of the first Sloth before hopping near him, shaking her flank tauntingly at the second homunculus from afar.
Pinkie easily got the second Sloth's attention as he grumbled and got in a stance.
"Taunting is a pain..." Sloth groaned before he sped towards Pinkie Pie. Sadly for him, the party pony easily hopped out of the way and near Shining Armor the moment the first Sloth attacked; Shining Armor made a barrier protecting himself and Pinkie while the second Sloth slammed into the first one, sending him flying.
Applejack and Braeburn noticed the Salt Lick up ahead, thankful that it still remained intact while they were running away from Sloth.
"Thank goodness! Now we can finally put a stop t' this thing!" Applejack rejoiced.
Braeburn went to share his cousin's sentiments, until he looked back and noticed a large pony-shaped object closing in on her. He gasped and called out Applejack's name before nudging her away in his gallop and getting crushed.
Applejack tumbled across the dirt until she stopped and noticed that the second Sloth had sat upon Braeburn, her eyes widening.
"NO! BRAEBURN!" She said as she galloped over and bucked Sloth off in a fit of adrenaline before the lazy behemoth could recover. Applejack looked down at where he once stood to find Braeburn not only badly injured, but glowing purple.
"S-Sorry 'bout that, cuz. Ah couldn't warn ya sooner..." He said weakly, hacking in pain "Ah know Ah'm a pawn in this game, but Ah can't just sit by an' watch ya get hurt."
"Consarnit, Braeburn..." Applejack whispered as she stared at his battered form and sniffled "Pawn or not, ya didn't have t' do that. Ya know Ah'm tougher than Ah look." She said with a sniffle.
"Doesn't stop th' fact that yer still precious t' me. Besides, Discord's after ya, remember?" Braeburn hacked again "Doncha worry, Ah'll be right as rain once Ah get enough rest, but ya got a game t' win." Braeburn said reassuringly despite his condition.
"But y'all were th' last pony we needed! How can we win without ya!?" Applejack snapped out of frustration and sadness.
"Ah may be th' last pony, but that don't mean th' game's over. Ya know that, doncha, cuz?" Braeburn said, leading Applejack to pause "We both know ya gotta fight th' good fight. Jus' don't worry about me too much." Applejack took a deep breath and looked down at Braeburn.
"Alright...But Ah gotta get ya outta here first." She looked over at Sloth getting up with a moan and narrowed her eyes "Right after Ah teach this dang stallion some manners!" She carefully hopped over Braeburn and got in a stance as steam flared from her nostrils.
Sloth reared onto his hindlegs and prepared to swing one of his chains, only to see Applejack quickly close in on him and turn away, bucking him square in the stomach as he groaned in pain. His body bent down from the hit, and his head was near Applejack's hindlegs as she reared them back and bucked Sloth in the face, sending him teetering backward.
While Sloth was stumbling, Applejack instantly turned around and leaped at him with a foreleg reeled back. From there, she hit Sloth in the chest again, making him fall on his back with a loud thud. Before he could get up, the lazy behemoth noticed Applejack from above in his vision before he felt another painful sensation in his chest. He groaned before red static coated his body.
"What a pain..." Sloth said in sluggish agony.
"Trust me, there's gonna be more where that came from once we figure out another plan to win this thing!" Applejack snarled before she hopped off of Sloth's back and went to Braeburn's side, carefully lifting him up onto her back.
"Ah don't give a rat's tail about what Discord says, Ah'm gettin' my cousin t' safety!" She declared as she galloped towards the Salt Lick. From a distance, Greed and Twilight noticed the scene, the former grunting.
"You're kidding me. Now what are we gonna do?" Greed asked in frustration.
"There hasn't been any indication of loss in this challenge, so we'll have to work with that for now." Twilight replied as she looked back at the other Sloth "We got more problems to deal with..."
"Yeah." Greed muttered "I'll bring that Sloth AJ beat up back here. You think you can keep this one busy?" If Twilight had a mouth, she would be smiling.
"We still have this, don't we? Just be quick." She said to Greed as he gave a curt nod and galloped back over to the distant Sloth.
"What is this?" The first Sloth asked "...Why am I hitting myself?" He looked on at his identical counterpart while Greed rushed towards him. His confusion lasted until he glanced at Twilight standing in front of him, to which she received his undivided attention.
"Foolish...You cannot win..." Sloth raised a foreleg over Twilight "Discord cannot be beaten..."
"I beg to differ." Twilight responded before she teleported, leaving Sloth's foreleg to smack into the ground, leaving noticeable cracks. He grumbled to himself before looking behind him and seeing Twilight gathered with her friends.
"Stop moving...Resistance is a pain..." Sloth groaned.
"Darn it..." Shining Armor growled in frustration. He then looked behind Sloth, noticing something approaching him "Greed?"
Sloth paused before turning around and seeing Greed running from the other Sloth, who got in position for a tackle. For the first time in the challenge, Sloth was ready to anticipate the next blow, unbeknownst to the group of ponies that he was fighting. He saw Greed move out of the way the moment the other Sloth became a blur and held out his forelegs.
Everypony gasped when Sloth only skidded a few feet towards them as he caught his clone, though he still ended up getting hurt in the process as traces of red static was seen on his body while he growled.
"Wait...You're my enemy?" The second Sloth asked while resting in the first's grasp "What a pain..."
"This is confusing...Do we fight each other?" The first Sloth asked genuinely.
"No...Discord said that they were the enemy..." The second Sloth managed to respond after a small pause. While they talked, the group of ponies stared blankly at the exchange, save for Wrath.
"...Is your brother really that dumb?" Rainbow Dash asked Greed.
"Compared to Gluttony? Yes." The avaricious pony answered flatly.
The group's blankness was short-lived when both Sloths turned to face them side-by-side, staring them down with their uncovered blank eyes. Everypony was uneasy in the presence of the two until they heard thundering hoofbeats from behind. They turned around and noticed what appeared to be a small group of buffalo stampeding towards them.
Two of them were leading the stampede; a stronger looking buffalo with a feathered headdress with a young female calf at his right side with a bandanna containing one feather. Both of them had looks of determination on their face as they approached the group. The very sight was comforting to their eyes, especially Twilight.
"Chief Thunderhooves is here!" She proclaimed joyously.
"And Little Strongheart's here, too! We're in the clear!" Rainbow Dash chimed jubilantly. Both Sloths looked upon the stampede settling just behind their opponents and noticed several eyes glaring at them with contempt.
"We arrived when we've noticed many a disturbance during our stampede." Chief Thunderhooves stated in a deep voice "Are these two responsible for the unrest caused around Appleloosa?"
"Lucky guess. We were just about to take them down." Greed replied "I'd let you join us, but they're tougher than they look."
"We'll do so without you telling us." Chief Thunderhooves shot back as he took a stance "They must be punished for their crimes. Some of our brethren were in this very town while those two were around. This is our fight as much as it is yours."
"Guess we can't convince you otherwise, huh?" Greed sighed as he looked over at Little Strongheart, pointing a foreleg at her "I'd recommend getting her to the Salt Lick, though. No offense to you, but I don't think she can handle this fight." He noticed the young calf look taken aback before narrowing her eyes at Greed.
"What Greed means is that we're caught in this twisted game, and we need Little Strongheart's cooperation." Twilight added "It's difficult to explain, but it's imperative she gets to the Salt Lick while we're fighting these Sloths." As happy as she was to broaden the explanation, Twilight was not too fond of Greed's bluntness towards others in the face of danger.
"I see..." Chief Thunderhooves murmured, eyeing his new opponents carefully before looking down at Little Strongheart "I'm afraid they raise a valid point, Little Strongheart. Make haste to the Salt Lick, and we shall meet you there. We won't be long, I assure you." Little Strongheart looked up at Chief Thunderhooves before she nodded to him politely.
"Understood, father." She said before squinting her eyes at the Sloth clones, scanning for any possible openings for her to dash through. She chose to deftly move towards the leftmost gap, nearing the left Sloth as he looked upon her.
"You shall not pass..." Sloth went to hit Little Strongheart, only to be rammed in the chest by a buffalo and toppled over. He grunted as his attack was halted and watched the young calf run off.
"What a pain..." The second Sloth moaned as he turned around and went to tackle Little Strongheart. Before he could get into position, he felt two weights on his back in the form of Twilight and Greed. He was then rammed from behind by another buffalo as the two unicorns hopped off.
"Keep them at bay! Do not yield, my brethren!" Chief Thunderhooves called to his fellow buffalo charismatically, to which they replied with battle cries before charging towards both Sloths. Shining Armor and Pinkie quickly moved out of their way while Rainbow Dash and Wrath stayed in the air.
The buffalo crowded themselves amongst both Sloths and rammed into them from different angles, landing hits that managed to scathe their bodies to the point of regeneration. However, either Sloth managed to land a hit of their own on certain buffalo and knocking them away, causing their bodies to glow purple as they laid on the ground in pain.
Little Strongheart glanced at the distant battle from behind and managed to reach the Salt Lick's doors, only instead of walking in, she was greeted by a familiar presence trotting out.
"Applejack?" She said before smiling warmly "It has been a while, has it not?" Needless to say, the farmpony was surprised before she spoke.
"Little Strongheart? Yer father here, too?" Little Strongheart nodded to Applejack's question.
"What remained of our tribe outside of Appleloosa were enjoying a stampede before we've noticed the sudden pandemonium overtaking the desert. We've came here as soon as we could." The young calf looked behind Applejack "In fact, they said I was to come into this very building for the reasons of a...game?"
"Y'all wouldn't be wrong. Discord's playin' us all fer dang fools." She gritted her teeth "Even got my cousin hurt in th' mix..." Little Strongheart gasped.
"Braeburn is injured!? Is he safe, at least?" She asked in concern.
"Yeah, he's inside." Applejack answered before a relieved smile was on her face "Ah'm just glad y'all came here b'fore things got worse. Ah gotta go back there an' help my friends!"
"Of course. The best of luck to you and your friends, Applejack." Little Strongheart said before she made her way inside while Applejack galloped away from the building, feeling energy build up inside of her after hearing a satisfying ring of a bell when she left.
While she felt herself ready for battle, Applejack was surprised to see both Sloth clones bombarded by the buffalo despite their gradually dwindling numbers.
"Well Ah'll be...Ah better get on over there an help 'em!" She said as she resumed her gallop.
Both Sloths were down to five buffalo left, with Chief Thunderhooves as part of the remaining group. They were lucky to wear the lazy behemoths out with their onslaught, but they, too, felt some fatigue from the strong exterior of the homunculi.
"It appears we've underestimated the physical prowess of these ponies..." Chief Thunderhooves grunted "Are they even fazed by our endeavors?"
"Nopony can tell with Sloth, I know that much." Greed said as he trotted up to his side "But I'd say you've done some damage on both of them. All we have to do now is give it our all and make sure they stay down!" He said as he squinted his eyes "Let's make it a good one."
"Then Ah'm joinin', too!"
The group noticed Applejack gallop to her friends' side and stared down the Sloth clones as well. Pinkie looked over at the farmpony shyly, a look of penitence on her face.
"Applejack...I-"
"We can worry about that another time, Pinkie; t'ain't your fault." Applejack narrowed her eyes to slits "There's a fight we gotta win." She said with determination.
"Then let us win this battle for Appleloosa!" Chief Thunderhooves boomed before he charged with his small group of buffalo, with the ponies following suit.
The four buffalo took on the first Sloth, surrounding him before taking turns before ramming him from different angles as he was being tossed around. Pinkie was a few feet away from them, firing well-aimed pies from her party cannon whenever Sloth was open for attack.
Meanwhile, the second Sloth was engaged by the combined efforts of Applejack's bucking and Chief Thunderhooves' charging, both of which were inflicting noticeable damage onto Sloth's body as he keeps getting knocked away a few feet by each attack. Greed and Twilight doubled their efforts by striking Sloth's face, knowing that they could deal the most damage there, with Shining Armor shooting magic beams in any open wound.
While he was stunned, Wrath swooped in and grabbed the other chain necklace containing the Element of Honesty from the second Sloth before he could retaliate. Both pegasi with the elements in their grasp chose to stay back and keep them safe for their friends.
After what felt like an eternity, the entire group halted their attacks and noticed how the two Sloths remained immobile in their stance. After a moment of silence, one of them took a step forward...
...only to fall face-first into the dirt.
The second Sloth had done the same seconds after the first had collapsed. As they stared at their fallen forms, the whole group felt the tension leave their bodies as they congratulated each other on their efforts. In a surprising turn of events, the buffalos that were glowing purple were suddenly relieved of their color, and felt as if a weight had been lifted off of their shoulders.
"It fills me with joy to have triumphed in this ordeal with your help, my friends." Chief Thunderhooves said as the buffalo gathered at his side "This shall be a battle to remembered for all that reside in this town."
"Heh, I'll bet." Greed said as he canceled out of his Ultimate Shield form, Twilight doing the same "Wouldn't mind a good reputation around these parts."
"It's hard to understand completely, but one of those two is our friend, who is being controlled by Discord." Twilight explained politely "I hope you're not too troubled by this." Chief Thunderhooves closed his eyes and raised a hoof to Twilight.
"If an outside influence is responsible for all of this, then I shall hold no ill will towards the one you would call Sloth." He stated calmly before looking towards the two Sloths "Especially when you peer into his gaze and see nothing but indolence. Whomever or whatever had drove him to cause all of this must be stopped."
"That's our job." Greed replied with a serious expression "This guy named Discord is bad news."
"I'm glad you understand, Chief." Twilight said with a smile before looking over at the collapsed masses "In the meantime, I better bring either one to their senses." She said before she noticed their bodies being coated in red static. The static then faded before the two Sloths began to disintegrate and vanish into thin air, surprising the group altogether.
"What the hell? They're both dying!" Greed said as he watched what remained of the two Sloths get carried by the wind before fading into nothingness "Did we overdo it somehow?"
"Oh no...What if we have?" Twilight asked anxiously "We were so caught up in bringing them down, that we forgot to realize that one of them could be the real one."
"Considering they had both died out so quickly leads me to believe that the two of them may both be fakes..." Wrath stated as he looked down at the element in his hooves "We shouldn't lose ourselves while we're partaking in an unpredictable battle."
"Well, at least we have the elements, right?" Rainbow Dash said as she looked down at her own "We'll figure out which one's the real one, and maybe we can find the real Sloth afterwards." She noticed the gem encrusted inside the element began to lose its color, fading into a lifeless gray "Huh?" She noticed the gold necklace crack like a brittle piece of glass before shattering to pieces, startling her with a yelp before she calmed herself.
"Guess that one's the fake..." She muttered irritably.
Wrath inspected his own element, and noticed how the gold necklace began to move flexibly on its own, the sides moving up and down like a pair of wings as it flew out of both the chain it was attached to and Wrath's grasp, flying off into the sky. Wrath merely looked up with a neutral gaze.
"Apparently, mine is, too..." He said flatly.
"Wait a minute." Pinkie said with her head tilted "If both Sloths and the elements were fakes, does this mean that this whole challenge was just one big joke?"
"Well now, I wouldn't say that~..."
"Discord!" Twilight snapped upon hearing Discord's coy voice, glaring at the sky "What's going on?"
"What's going on is that you're all not looking hard enough for the genuine articles. Did you honestly think I would just flash a delicious cupcake in front of your eyes for you to grab it just like that?"
Pinkie stared up at the sky blankly.
"...Maybe?" Pinkie pouted when she heard a hearty laugh echo in the skies.
"Typical Pinkie. But the thing is, my little ponies, I never exactly stated the exact amount of Sloths in this current challenge, and I'm fully aware of the fact that all of you divvied yourselves up before coming here. Perhaps you should put your heads together for what's missing?"
The group of ponies stood for a moment before their eyes had widened. Without giving Chief Thunderhooves a proper goodbye, they galloped towards the train station. _____
The train was quiet, even with the five occupants that chose to stay behind. Rarity kept to herself while staying at Blueblood's side, much to Spike's disappointment. Fluttershy chose to sit with Spike and Lust at a bench on the side opposite of the two unicorns, curious about their talk despite her taking solace in the peaceful silence.
"Spike? Lust? I don't mean to intrude, but..." Fluttershy whispered "Is everything alright with you both?" Spike gave the timid pegasus a reassuring smile.
"Nothing to worry about. Lust and I were just talking back there." Spike said, looking over at Lust "We were on the topic of second chances." Fluttershy blinked before she got the message, sharing Spike's smile with one of her own.
"I have faith in you both. We can't let Discord pull the same trick twice, or else everypony will be in danger." She said softly before stealing a sideways glance at Rarity, her smile vanishing "I just hope Rarity won't hold anything against Lust..."
Blueblood looked over at the three at the other bench, noticing the forlorn expression on Fluttershy's face and hopefulness in Spike's, while Lust remained stoic as ever. He sighed to himself before gathering resolve and facing Rarity.
"Rarity...Would you grant this fool your time to talk?" He asked in a serious tone, to which Rarity gasped.
"Now why would you go and label yourself as a fool, Blueblood? You know full well that what you've done for me is far from foolish." She chided.
"Because what I'm about to say may change your perspective of me depending on how you take this..." He took a deep breath and faced Rarity again "Rarity, I-...I ask that you find it in your heart to forgive Lust for her actions." As expected, the fashionista went silent, staring at Blueblood as if he were an endless abyss. His words earned the rapt attention of Fluttershy, Spike, and Lust as they watched in silence.
"...What are your reasons? Mind you, she was the one that did this to you." She stated, to which Blueblood looked down at his patched wound.
"Yes, I'm aware..." He said before looking at Rarity "But I'm also aware that the two of you were nearly inseparable before this whole thing had escalated. I'm not one to defend myself in my condition, but you mustn't hold any further contempt towards Lust because of my own actions."
"But..." Rarity hesitated "You would actually forgive her for causing that much pain towards you?"
"Wounds like this heal eventually." Blueblood stated before looking towards Fluttershy "Besides, this doesn't affect me much as it does the rest of your friends. Was Discord not responsible for Lust's savage behavior back in Manehattan?"
"As true as that may be, he even brought up how she had enjoyed such a thing before coming to Equestria." Rarity shot back, to which Blueblood did not yield.
"Be that as it may, we can't afford any distrust amongst ourselves as allies." He placed a hoof on his chest "Back then, you despised me for what I've put you through, and you've every reason to be, but I've somehow managed to change in your eyes. Who's to say that Lust hasn't done the same?" Spike and Fluttershy were dumbfounded by Blueblood's sudden defense while Lust stared at him from her seat.
Rarity herself stared at Blueblood before she hung her head pensively, albeit irritably. At one point, she did not expect Blueblood defending Lust after she had caused so much trouble for the two unicorns, nor how he even brought up his own past misdeeds to validate his request. Though despite the mild dispute, Blueblood had a point: Equestria was in danger, and if it's last hope were to remain fragmented, who would save everypony from unending chaos.
She took a deep breath and faced her friends, all of whom had their eyes on her and anticipating whatever words would come out of her mouth. But before she could speak, the cart had rumbled violently as a loud crash was heard in the next cart before the engine.
"Wh-Wh-What was that?" Fluttershy whimpered. Lust instantly jumped from her seat and braced herself for whatever rested behind the door. The cart's entire wall, door included was destroyed. What was seen behind was none other than Sloth, who was found wearing the Element of Honesty on a chain necklace. His presence easily shocked the group.
"What a pain..." Sloth rumbled "All I want is to take a nap...But I have to work on exterminating you all first..."
Rarity and Blueblood backed up next to Fluttershy and Spike while Lust in front, her hooves planted onto the floor as Sloth's imposing figure slowly loomed towards the group. The lazy behemoth let off a low and tired growl before he rubbed his head.
"What a pain...I don't feel like doing this, but I have to anyways." Sloth rumbled as he looked back at the group "Don't resist...I'll make this quick...I'm the fastest homunculus..."
"We will not yield, Sloth." Lust replied icily "You're aware that we have to cull the chaos before the entire world is affected by it." Her horn began to glow "If it means having to stop you, I'll do just that." Sloth groaned after Lust's brief speech.
"You're a pain, Lust..." Sloth said as he took another step "I'll take you down first...Then it'll all be easier, and I can nap again..." Lust narrowed her eyes to slits after Sloth's remark.
"I'd like to see you try." She hissed before her horn extended all the way into Sloth's chest, impaling him with ease as he stumbled back with a pained grunt. Her eyes shifted back to her friends.
"Hurry out of the train! I'll handle Sloth myself!" Lust commanded as she retracted her horn while Sloth's wound healed instantaneously.
"But we can't just leave you behind!" Spike said "Sloth's too big and strong for you!"
"Which is exactly why I want you all to remain safe! Now go!" Lust shot back as she duck and narrowly missed a chain. The chain had rended through the windows on the right side of the cart. Lust shot her horn into another part of Sloth's chest while Spike led the other ponies towards the nearest exit door.
As they went outside, they noticed that the carts ahead of the one they had exited were torn up beyond repair, including the engine, much to the groups dismay. Spike looked over at the cart Lust and Sloth were in, seeing the former struggle behind the window.
"Aw, man. Sloth's gonna wreck the Friendship Express before he tears Lust apart!" Spike said as he watched their fight in anxiety.
"What do we do?" Fluttershy whimpered as she looked at her friends "We can't just leave Lust alone like this."
"Certainly not." Blueblood replied "We'll need the aid of the others if we're to stand a chance against Sloth."
"You rang!?"
The group looked over towards the town to see Greed and company making their way back at a breakneck pace. When they gathered, Greed held a hardened gaze towards the train.
"That's Sloth, alright. Only he'd cause that much damage without even trying." Greed said as his horn began to glow "And here I thought we've gone through the worst of it." He went back into his Ultimate Shield form and narrowed his eyes "Alright, guys. We're gonna have to decide on who goes in and who stays behind." He looked over at Twilight "I don't wanna single you out, Twi, but you'll have to sit back so you have enough energy to bring Sloth to his senses."
"I suppose that's best. We've been through enough as it is." Twilight said as she looked over at Fluttershy, Spike, Rarity, and Blueblood "Are you all alright?"
"Lust wanted us to escape while she took on Sloth alone." Rarity explained, looking back at the damaged cart getting worse in silence 'Lust...'
"This isn't good. We gotta move in and help her!" Greed looked over at Applejack "You got some fight left in you, AJ?" He noticed the farmpony nod with conviction in her eyes.
"About as sure as Ah am wantin' t' save th' world!" Applejack pawed at the ground "Let's go help Lust!"
"I'm going, too!" Rainbow Dash said "I can't just sit back and watch Lust struggle against Sloth, even if he is big and strong!"
"You're aware of my own answer on the matter." Wrath quipped with a serious expression.
"Shining and I will be cheering you on from here!" Pinkie said as she slung a foreleg over the unicorn's neck "We were pretty winded back there when we dealt with two Sloths, and I don't have much ammo left for my party cannon." She said with a frown.
"As much as it leaves a bad taste in my mouth, Pinkie has a point." Shining Armor murmured "That last battle drained my magic reserves in both offense and defense."
"Then I guess it's just us four, then." Greed looked at Applejack, Rainbow Dash, and Wrath. "Let's get in the fight, shall we?"
After a simultaneous reply in agreement, the four ponies made for the cart, only to have a chunk of the wall slam into Greed and knocking him back a little. The wall crumbled to reveal an injured Lust, whose body danced with red static as her wounds healed. Meanwhile, Greed stared angrily at the cart.
"So much for going into battle. Sloth decided to bring the battle to us!" Greed said as he noticed the lazy behemoth slowly exit the hole he made, wrecking more of the cart and causing it to collapse.
"You all showed up...What a pain..." Sloth rumbled. He looked at all of the ponies and dragon staring back at him and groaned in complaint "I want to take a nap...What a pain..." Fluttershy perked up upon hearing Sloth.
'A nap...' She thought to herself before she looked to her friends "Everypony, I have an idea."
"Wait, really?" Greed said, looking at Fluttershy in surprise "Well, let's hear it." Fluttershy smiled warmly before clearing her throat and facing Sloth.
"Sloth...You said you wanted to go to sleep, right?" Fluttershy asked, to which Sloth slowly nodded. Her smile widened as she took a deep breath before uttering a soft and melodious aria towards Sloth.
"Hush now, quiet now It's time to lay your sleepy head. Hush now, quiet now It's time to go to bed~. Drifting off to sleep, Leave the day behind you Drifting off to sleep, Let the joy of Dreamland find you~."
As Fluttershy sang her melody, Sloth remained immobile. The others thought that he was merely pausing before he would attack. Meanwhile, Sloth was having his biggest inner struggle yet: Discord's orders or his own desire? He knew in his mind that he had a job to do, but he wasn't all too enthusiastic about it.
Fluttershy's melody wasn't helping his case, as her song was so soothing that he felt his vast reserves of strength escape him, leaving only his aspect as a homunculus to be carried off by the same song. It wasn't long until the group noticed that Sloth began to slowly descend to the ground before curling up and snoring, a nose bubble forming from his muzzle. Greed, for his part, was surprised.
"Well I'll be damned..." He muttered "All it took was a lullaby to beat Sloth, huh?"
"Of course." Twilight said with a smile "While Sloth might've been controlled by Discord, he's still a slacker at heart. All he needed was something to push him away from his mind control."
"Alright, Fluttershy!" Rainbow Dash cheered, to which she was instantly shushed by the others, grinning sheepishly "Hehe, sorry..." She whispered.
Applejack and Twilight both trotted up to Sloth and inspected his sleeping form, the former humming to herself while the latter's horn began to glow.
"Guess Ah shouldn't contempt Sloth fer what happened after all this. It was Discord's fault in th' long run, right?" She said to Twilight as she placed her horn on Sloth's forehead and cast her memory spell.
"That's the gist of it. I mean, we weren't so lucky the first time, remember?" Twilight giggled to herself "It was a good thing Princess Celestia helped us out before it all blew out of proportion."
As Twilight and Applejack talked with one another, Rarity stared at them and sighed to herself before stealing a glance towards Lust. After a small period of time, Twilight lifted her head away from Sloth with a content sigh.
"Okay, so Sloth should be back to his normal self once he wakes up." Twilight wiped her forehead with a worn look on her face "That was a tough challenge, if I do say so myself."
"I'll say! I must admit that you surprised me with Fluttershy using music to soothe the savage beast. Most impressive!"
"Spare us your garbage, Discord!" Rainbow Dash snarled as she looked up "We both know you don't mean what you say!"
"You wound me, Rainbow Dash. But then again, you're only half-right. But I digress. Trivia Time~!"
Discord's singsong voice earned the attention of the entire group, save for Sloth.
"Looking at their respective pasts, I cannot tell if Sloth had it the best or the worst. Did you know that he dug the longest underground circular tunnel for over one hundred years? Honestly, I never expected somepony as lazy as him work for that long!"
"Land Sakes" Applejack uttered as she looked over at Sloth with eyes wide as dinner plates.
"It gets better. The tunnel acted as what humans called a transmutation circle needed for Father's ambition! Sloth laid the very foundation for his plans by making that tunnel!"
"I thought you said you couldn't tell if Sloth had it the best or the worst." Pinkie said matter-of-factly.
"I know, right? These homunculi are too much fun! But I shouldn't gush for too long. I couldn't help but notice that your poor Friendship Express has been torn asunder has it not?"
"Yeah, we kind of need it for our next location!" Greed spat angrily as he reverted into his regular form.
"Well, you'll all be happy to know that you're half-way finished with our little game. Heretofore, I'll let you part with two gifts for your efforts thus far."
When Discord's voice faded, there was a brief flash that had covered what remained of the Friendship Express before a much larger train was in its place. Coincidentally enough, it was modeled to look as if Discord had transformed into a train. His head acted as the engine; his wings were found on top of the middle cart; his tail acted as a caboose. The group was not pleased by the train's redesign, even if it was big enough to carry Sloth now.
"Okay, so that's one gift. So where's the other?" Greed asked, to which a scroll appeared in front of him, making him flinch "Son of a..." He murmured irritably. Twilight levitated the scroll towards herself and unraveled it to read its contents.
"You've reached a checkpoint, whoop-de-doo! And now another clue for you: From barren lands to darkened woods Hurry now and collect the goods."
"Darkened woods, huh? Where do you think that'll be?" Greed asked, only to be met with Pinkie raised a hoof, frantically waving it with an ecstatic grin on her face. Greed arched an eyebrow at her "You got something, Pinks?"
"It's the Everfree Forest! You'll never find a darker and more woody area!" Pinkie said jubilantly.
"Seems plausible enough." Lust replied "Do we not know of any other place?"
"I guess this is all we can go by, then." Twilight sighed as she rolled up the scroll. She then looked over at Sloth "We should probably wake Sloth up before we go."
"Leave that t' me, sugarcube!" Applejack said as she climbed atop of Sloth and began hopping up and down his back. To her satisfaction, she heard several disapproved moans from her landings. She hopped off of Sloth and patted him on the head "Good t' have ya back, Sloth. Up an' at 'em now. We gotta get movin'!"
"Moving...What a pain..." Sloth said as he slowly rose up. As he got up, the group noticed Chief Thunderhooves and his small group of buffalo approach the station. They simultaneously bowed their heads in respect.
"We've come to thank you for your efforts in Appleloosa, and wish you the best of luck on your journey." Chief Thunderhooves said as he raised his head "I hope that you may restore balance to this world soon enough."
"No problem." Greed replied "You think you can give Braeburn our regards? We sort of owe him for what we've put him through."
"Of course. May your travels be safe." Chief Thunderhooves replied, to which Greed snorted before laughing, making the buffalo confused.
"Your concern's appreciated, but I'm pretty sure safety's out of the question where we're headed!" He said after his laughing fit, while Twilight shot a look before smiling politely at the buffalo.
"Thank you for your help as well, Chief Thunderhooves. Don't worry, we'll take care of all of this soon enough." Twilight stated calmly. After the group exchanged their goodbyes, the buffalo roamed back into town while Greed and Twilight watched.
"You really should work on your social skills..." Twilight chided with a frown.
"Says the mare with her nose in the book. Besides, I'm not exactly lying, am I?" Greed asked with a smirk. Twilight sighed before smiling at Greed.
"You'll never change, will you?" She asked playfully.
"Guess not." Greed said before looking over at the train, his smirk disappearing "Who do you think they'll send in the Everfree Forest? We're down to Gluttony and Envy now..."
"I'm not sure myself, but I'd hate to see what Discord would actually do to them." Twilight replied, shuddering at the thought of both encounters.
"Well, we'll never know until we get there, right? Let's move." Greed said.
"Right." Twilight replied curtly as she followed Greed and her friends into the new and improved train. Looking inside, they've noticed that while the cart itself was more spacious than before, several things were out of place in the cart's interior, namely the seats, some of which hanging sideways on the walls or upside-down on the ceiling. Needless to say, the entire group was not pleased with the design.
"What is this? The Chaos Express?" Rainbow Dash quipped as she looked around.
"Rather fitting, if I do say so myself." Wrath responded as he surveyed the area as well "We cannot be certain if Discord has any traps placed on this very train to serve as a hindrance to our goals, if not for his own amusement."
"As if I wasn't troubled already..." Shining Armor muttered as he sat down on one of the floor seats.
"Alright, everypony. I'm not as fond of the redesign of the Friendship Express as the rest of you are, but it's all we have to see this whole thing through." Twilight lectured "Our past challenges were hard enough, but the road ahead of us is bound to be worse. It'll be tough, but we have to endure and press on if we're to have any chance of undoing all of this chaos." Wrath sat down on the floor as she smiled at Twilight.
"Spoken like a true leader. Perhaps Princess Celestia saw more in you that I would think of..." He said, to which Twilight blushed in embarrassment.
Before anypony else would decide to talk, the cart's door closed as the train began to move, the wings on the exterior flapping haphazardly. Soon enough, the train was lifted into the air and on a direct course back to Ponyville.
During the flight, Rarity sat with Blueblood on one of the floor seats in silence, the latter looking towards the former in concern.
"Rarity, are you still troubled?" Blueblood asked in concern as he looked upon the fashionista's bereft expression.
"I-..." Rarity paused, before shaking her head "I am. Your words ring true, Blueblood, but it's still hard for me to just pretend this never happened."
"You needn't bring that to my attention, you know." Blueblood said with a wry smile "I only wish for you to remain strong for your friends, Lust included. I, myself, am lucky to even move with this wound in my body." He let off a sigh "If only there were a better way to convince you about this whole ordeal."
"What a pain..."
Blueblood and Rarity noticed Sloth laying next to their seat on the floor, not directly facing them.
"Grudges are a pain...Thinking is a pain..." Sloth nestled his head into his hooves "Too much work...A waste of time..." As they stared upon the lazy behemoth, Rarity and Blueblood smiled to themselves.
"I really do envy Sloth's indolent behavior amidst this crisis, even if it is unbecoming at times." Rarity said "And yet..." She paused, thinking over Sloth's simple words. After a brief moment, she held a look of realization. While it was a traumatizing experience dealing with Lust's sadistic nature, Rarity was reminded that it wasn't right to dwell upon it for too long, especially when somepony else was affected by it more than her.
She had to admit how surprising it was that the very situation was all it took for Blueblood to act more differently than before.
'Can chaos really bring us together?' Rarity thought to herself as she looked at Blueblood, then over at Lust, who sat with Fluttershy and Spike on the floor a couple of feet away from her and Blueblood. Looking back on her previous thoughts, she does remember that despite what had happened, Lust was still a friend to her. Rarity rose from her seat, trotting over to Lust with a look of resolve. The lascivious mare, along with Spike and Fluttershy, noticed her approach.
"Lust..." Rarity began, to which the trio anticipated what would be said next. The fashionista took a deep breath before she continued "As far as our little...episode back in Manehattan, I'm still a little shaken over what has happened between us." She looked away with a penitent face "But in the end, I happened to let that get to me without realizing that you weren't in control at the time..."
"Rarity..." Lust said, her stoic face slowly deteriorating.
"I mustn't let such a thing come between our friendship." Rarity said as she drew out a hoof towards Lust with a hopeful smile "Which is why I wish to not only forgive you, but apologize for how I've acted. I know it'll be rough, especially with Equestria hanging in the balance at the moment, but in time, I'm certain we'll heal any broken bonds between us."
Lust stared at the hoof stretched out to her in disbelief. Here she was, having someone apologize to her and simultaneously forgiving her for misdeeds that were inherently not your fault. Was this what it meant to have friends who cared about you? Lust slowly and reluctantly reached out her own hoof before it touched Rarity's, and just like with Spike, she could feel wetness trickling down from her left eye as she smiled.
"Thank you, Rarity..." She said softly, to which Spike, Fluttershy, and Blueblood were equally touched by the exchange between Rarity and Lust. The others had their own respective expressions of warmth upon noticing the scene for themselves. Meanwhile, Sloth and Rainbow Dash tried looking away from the scene, the latter sneering to herself over the supposed sappiness.
"...What a pain..." They chorused with disapproval.
The train ride back to Ponyville was going smoothly, much to the group's satisfaction. They sat patiently as they were being guided to their destination, and those with window seats gazed outside at the orange sky. Needless to say, the train ride was quiet; enough to make Pinkie see fit to break the silence.
"Hey, everypony! While we're waiting to get back to Ponyville, how about a game?" She offered brightly, with a grin to match. Rainbow Dash, who was peering out of a window seat of her own frowned at Pinkie Pie.
"Sorry, Pinkie, I'm not in the mood right now..." The cyan pegasus replied before going back to looking outside. She was slightly irritated when she actually saw Pinkie behind her through the window's reflection.
"Aww, c'mon, Dashie! We gotta lighten the mood somehow. Besides, it's kinda boring that we don't have at least some fun while we're in the middle of a worldly crisis." Pinkie stated persuasively. Her smile wavered upon hearing Rainbow Dash letting off a quiet growl.
"Look, Pinkie, I know you're trying to lift our spirits and junk, but we gotta focus on this next challenge. I don't wanna play any games right now since we're already in one." Rainbow Dash said without facing Pinkie Pie, her eyes narrowed. She noticed Pinkie's ears fold back in the reflection, the party pony frowning upon the response.
"I only wanted to pass the time is all..." Pinkie mumbled, to which Rainbow Dash sighed and softened her features as she faced her friend again.
"Sorry...It's just...I'm kinda nervous over who we're gonna be seeing next as far as the challenge ahead of us. The fact that there are only two homunculi left makes me wonder if there's something more to this whole thing than anypony could think of." Rainbow Dash explained with faint sadness. Luckily, Pinkie's mood improved after hearing the cyan pegasus out, and she offered both a smile and a hug, comforting her friend.
"It's okay, Dashie. I know how you feel about this whole thing, but we know that being sad doesn't get you anywhere, not even in the train we're riding." Pinkie comforted. She let up on her hug to face Rainbow Dash "We got this. We always have!" Rainbow Dash stared before she shared a smile with Pinkie.
"Yeah...you're right." She looked away as her smile vanished "I'm still worried about fighting Envy, though..." She then grimaced "Not to mention Discord revealing Envy's past..."
"Who cares?" Pinkie said, easily earning Rainbow Dash's attention "Sure, the homunculi might've been all sorts of nasty then, but they're our friends now. If anything, Discord's just doing that to drive a wedge into our friendship with each other, like last time when he hypnotized us.You know that." Pinkie finished with a chipper smile. Rainbow Dash paused, then looked down.
"I don't know, Pinkie...I'm not too keen on listening to whatever it is Envy's done..." She said warily.
"So don't. If Rarity can forgive Lust, then you can pretty much do the same for Envy, right?" Pinkie smiled. Rainbow Dash looked back up at Pinkie Pie after her question.
There wasn't a doubt in her mind that Envy could have possibly done something worse than all of the other homunculi combined. And yet, Pinkie touched on a vital issue: How can Rainbow Dash even consider herself a friend, let alone Envy's partner, if she cannot forgive the jealous pony's actions? She looked back at Pinkie with a more determined gaze and nodded with a smirk.
"Thanks for the pep talk, Pinks." She said cooly.
"It's what I do." Pinkie replied with a grin.
"Hey, I can see Ponyville up ahead." Shining Armor said as he spotted the growing image of the town coming up out of the window. He looked at his friends with a serious expression "We should get ready, everypony. Who knows what we're bound to run into..."
"Indeed." Wrath nodded "Ponyville is one thing, but the Everfree Forest could be even more dangerous than before..."
As the train neared Ponyville, the group looked upon the train station, only to see that the train was veering to the left and moving towards the outskirts before stopping to a complete halt in the air. There was a brief pause as the group looked around.
"What just happened?" Greed asked "Weren't we supposed to go to Pony-"
Greed was unable to finish his sentence as he and the others found themselves dropping with the train quickly, feeling the train crash into many things during its rapid descent. When they reached the bottom, the group recovered and rubbed any sore areas.
"Is everypony alright?" Twilight called to her friends.
"Blueblood and I okay." Rarity stated as she helped the prince up from his seat.
"As am I." Lust said as she rose from the floor.
"What a pain..." Sloth rumbled as he slowly ascended from the floor after dealing with such a harsh drop.
"Man, what was that all about?" Spike said as he rubbed his head "I know we're dealing with chaos, but can't we at least have a safe landing?" He looked at Greed trotting towards the cart's side door and opening it to peer out at his surroundings outside of the train.
"Safe or not, we've reached our destination." Greed looked back at the others "He dropped us in the Everfree Forest, probably in the thick of it, too."
Twilight galloped over and surveyed the area for herself. She could definitely note how there were nothing but trees in her vision, some of which unrooted and tipped from the train's landing. There was a skylight that shined over the train and what remained of the clearing that covered it.
"Well, there's no use in standing around now." Twilight said as she looked back at the group "Judging by our last challenge, it's best that we all stay together no matter what." She looked over at Blueblood "Meaning that Blueblood's gonna need some extra protection while we wander into the forest."
"You would actually take me with you?" Blueblood asked curiously. He wasn't sure what Twilight was planning, seeing as how he can only do so much with his wound still bothering him.
"I'm sorry, Blueblood, but we can't take any chances now." She looked up at the sky "Discord could prey on us easily if we were split apart, so all we can do now is move as one large group. Wherever we go, we stay together, no matter what."
"Can't argue with that. We just might need everypony depending on who we're up against." Greed said.
"Sloth and I will give Blueblood the protection he needs." Lust offered "We're more than capable with our regenerative powers."
"That's good." Twilight said with a smile before facing the unwinding forest ahead "But now we have to wait for the terms of the next challenge."
"I'm glad that you ponies are actually showing some rapt enthusiasm for this game of ours. It fills me with joy!"
None of the group dignified Discord's quip with a response, leaving the disembodied voice to clear his throat.
"And here I was actually praising you...Anyways, you'll find that this next challenge is going to be even riskier than the last. As incentive, there will be not one, but two elements to go after!"
"Two elements?" Greed parroted "Something tells me you're wanting the game to end. Either that or you're bored."
"Trust me when I say that I'm thoroughly entertained by your futile struggle. Now the theme of this challenge is simple: A scavenger hunt. However, if you're to come into contact with the homunculus dwelling inside of the Everfree Forest..."
The group remained hushed in anticipation for the words to follow.
"You cannot fight them, otherwise the elements you've collected shall be forfeit to me."
"What!?" Rainbow Dash blurted out "That's not fair! How are we gonna win if we can't fight!?"
"You'll figure it out eventually. Until then, I'll let you part with hints as where to find both elements; one each. The first can be found by studying history, while the second can be found in the belly of a beast...Have fun!"
"History...beast..." Rainbow Dash murmured pensively as she looked down in thought before she growled "I'm gonna be so mad if I have to pull my element out of a manticore's mouth. It'll be so gross!"
"I share your sentiments wholesale!" Rarity moaned "As much as I wish to save the world, it's just so unsanitary to do such a thing!"
"Women..." Greed muttered to himself as he rolled his eyes.
"But what about the hint involving studying history?" Shining Armor asked as he stepped out of the cart "Riddles aren't exactly my strong suit, and I don't remember anything historical about the Everfree Forest other than the unnatural magic force surrounding it." Twilight thought to herself until she gasped, before grinning widely.
"Nothing except the Castle of the Two Sisters!" Twilight said joyfully "Maybe we'll find the first one there if we move fast enough."
"Nice thinking, Twi!" Spike said with an impressed smile, until it vanished "But what about the whole 'belly of a beast' deal?"
"That will have to come later for now." Twilight said as she shook her head "Until then, we have to make for the Castle of the Two Sisters."
"Then our path is set." Greed nodded in agreement "Wanna lead the way, Twi?"
"Of course. So long as Discord hasn't touched the Everfree Forest, I think we'll be fine here." Twilight began to trot into the woods "Stay close, everypony. Remember, we're in this together." The rest of the group followed after her, with Sloth and Blueblood lagging behind.
The Everfree Forest was just as the element bearers remembered it; nearly confusing if one didn't know their way around. Thankfully, for as long as they've known each other, they were lucky to veer through the woods with minimal effort. Fluttershy stayed right beside her friends, darting her head and looking around for any possible. Greed and Twilight remained close together while they took point in their journey. Spike merely rode atop Twilight's back.
"Say, Twilight...Even though the forest seems normal, you think that Discord might've altered the castle a bit?" Greed asked "We all know how that bastard is with surprises..."
"Good question, and I think you may be right." Twilight replied warily as she narrowed her eyes "If anything, Discord would go great lengths to make this game of his as arduous as possible."
"What do you think he might've done to the castle?" Spike asked Twilight and Greed "You don't think he'd set up some kind of guards powered by chaos magic to keep the place secured, right?"
"Who knows?" Greed said "All that matters is getting our elements and getting out of there, plain and simple."
"If only this game was simple." Spike muttered bitterly.
"Hey, we're almost done with it all, aren't we?" Greed reminded Spike with a smirk "Just keep your head held high, kiddo."
"Anypony find it weird we haven't ran into any animals yet?" Pinkie asked as she kept a watchful eye while pronking about "After walking for this long, I'm surprised we haven't had a random encountered yet."
"Fate would grant your wish in a heartbeat if you were to continue talking." Wrath quipped while he glided "It's best not to question good fortune."
"I'm with Wrath..." Fluttershy murmured as she trotted beside Sloth.
"What could possibly be waiting for us ahead?" Blueblood asked curiously, albeit anxiously "Would it not be wise to survey the forest first instead of rushing into the castle?"
"And get lost easily?" Rainbow Dash - who glided beside Wrath - piped up before shaking her head "No thanks! I'd rather stick to Twilight's suggestion rather than go on a wild goose chase." She looked down and noticed Blueblood narrow his eyes.
"All I'm saying is that we could be led on into yet another trap. We're aware that Discord has a penchant for mischief similar to that of a delinquent, so who's to say he wouldn't be playing us all for foals?" He shot back.
"If you wanna go into the forest so badly rather than towards the castle, be my guest." Rainbow Dash said "I just wanna finish this whole thing ASAP."
"Rainbow!" Twilight called as she looked back "I already told you that we're staying together. The last thing we need is to fight amongst ourselves." Rainbow Dash grunted before looking away in shame.
"Blueblood, as much as you raise a valid point, we cannot simply ignore a destination that has been decided." Rarity said with a frown "We're lucky to work with this as a possible hint." Blueblood sighed while looking down.
"I just cannot bear the sight of what's to come if we find ourselves on the receiving end." Blueblood said morosely "What are we to do about the second hint?"
"Even I'm not certain, darling. We'll have to trust Twilight in the meantime. Besides, we're bound to go back into the forest somehow." Rarity said with a thin smile "You already have friends who are willing to protect you."
"What a pain..."
"Hush, you..." Rarity instantly turned to Sloth with a sour face.
The group managed to make it to a clearing that gave way to a massive fog that covered the path up ahead. It had let up to reveal that the sun was shining in the sky as if there were no chaos to be found. In front of them was a long wooden bridge that led to the large remains of a castle on the other side of a cliff.
"Well, here we are: The Castle of the Two Sisters." Twilight stated with a calm voice "All we have to do is cross and we'll search out the element from there." Greed trotted forward and inspected the bridge before frowning.
"That's good and all, but what about Sloth?" Greed pointed over at the indolent pony next to Blueblood, who decided to sit down upon the group stopping "Not only is he too big for the bridge, he might break it, too." Twilight winced upon the realization.
"Good point...Unless..." Twilight rubbed her chin "I could levitate him over the bridge so we won't have to worry about leaving him behind."
"You're kidding, right?" Greed said "I know you're good with magic, but don't you think Sloth might be too heavy for you?"
"Ah wouldn't think Twi's weak with her magic, sugarcube." Applejack interjected with a smile "Yer talkin' to th' same pony that lifted an Ursa Minor all th' way back to its cave."
"Oh yeah, that was awesome!" Rainbow Dash chimed in with a grin "That was a while ago, but you should've been there!"
"It's true." Twilight said bashfully before regaining her composure "It was a bit taxing before then, but I think I can handle carrying Sloth with ease."
"If you're really gonna go with it, I won't stop you. But what if we end up running into the next homunculus there and possibly have to retreat from the castle?" Greed asked "If there's anything I've learned from you, it's that your magic reserves take some time to recharge, especially after heavy lifting."
"Like I said, Greed: that was then; this is now. I've gotten a lot of practice in before I've met you and your family, you know." Twilight said before turning to Sloth "I just have to guide him over the gap, and I'll be sure to follow after he lands safely." Greed sighed before he nodded.
"Alright, but if you're gonna be sticking around, I'm staying by your side to make sure there's no ambush." Greed said, to which Twilight smiled warmly. She then focused her attention back on Sloth before shutting her eyes and lighting up her horn, her aura flaring more than usual. Meanwhile, Sloth found himself covered in a magical aura and lifted upward, groaning in surprise and sluggishly flailing.
"I'm flying..." He rumbled blankly.
"Just give her a minute, Sloth. You'll be fine." Greed said before facing the rest of the group "We'll catch up with you all on the other side.
"Got it." Rainbow Dash said before she and the others crossed the bridge leading to the castle ruins. Sloth was following them in the air while he was being moved.
Back at the bridge's start, Greed stood close to Twilight, remaining vigilant for any and all forms of attack that would possibly catch them off-guard. A deep exhale tore him from his focus, looking over to see Twilight catching her breath with her head hung down.
"That was quick. You feeling okay?" Greed asked Twilight, placing a comforting hoof on her back. He was met with the lavender unicorn meeting his hoof with one of her own while she looked up at him with a smile.
"I'll be fine. Thanks for your concern." Twilight and Greed smiled at each other before they decided to meet with the others across the bridge. As Twilight and Greed crossed the bridge, they noticed that the sun was gradually setting before giving way to the moon sitting in the sky after they both reached the other side.
The group got a better look at the castle's vast ruins; how majestic it had appeared despite its worn architecture. Greed gave a low whistle at the display as he looked around.
"Not a bad place. It'd probably be better back in its prime." Greed said before turning to Twilight "So...If you're still adamant on us staying together, where do we start, Twi?" Twilight looked towards the rightmost building with a smile.
"I remember the Elements of Harmony being found in that building. Maybe we can start our search there." Twilight said, beckoning for the group to follow her inside. After opening the double doors, they entered what remained of a chamber looked up at a vine-covered statue in the center of the room. Sitting at the spherical top was the Element of Generosity, which glistened in the moonlight. Rarity gasped with a smile.
"There it is! Oh, it's nice to see my element in one piece!" Rarity cheered.
"I'll get it!" Rainbow Dash said as she flew over and easily snatched the element from the statue.
"That was far too easy..." Lust said warily, beginning to look around.
"Well, yeah. That's good, isn't it?" Rainbow Dash said as she reached Rarity and gave her her element. After doing so, a chuckle echoed in the room. Wrath's features hardened as he planted his hooves in the ground.
"I'm afraid that Blueblood might have been correct in his theory of a trap placed in this castle..." He shifted his eyes until they rested in one of the chamber's distant corners, shrounded in darkness. Two red eyes glowed until they faded into white while a short and rotund figure revealed itself to the others, grinning madly. Pinkie gasped before she beamed with joy.
"Gluttony! You're here!" Pinkie blurted out before she went to gallop, only to be yanked back by her tail, courtesy of Applejack.
"Pinkie, I don't think you'd wanna celebrate just yet..." Greed warned in a grave tone as he glared at Gluttony, who nibbled on his left forehoof while eyeing his prey "In fact, we should probably get out of here right now and search for the other element." Everyone, save for Sloth, grew tense when Gluttony advanced further towards them, giggling childishly as he licked his lips.
"You all...look so tasty. I haven't eaten in a while, and I can't wait no longer." Gluttony sported a ravenous grin, saliva trailing past his teeth and dripping down from his lips as the droplets seered the floor below him "I'm so hungry...I wanna eat you all!"
Gluttony continued giggling as he advanced on the group, to which they drew themselves back. They tensed up upon seeing his acidic saliva continuously seer into the ground below him, and Greed grunted.
"If it weren't for the damn restriction, I would've kicked his ass sooner..." He murmured before turning to the others "We gotta get outta here! We'll lose Gluttony while searching for the other element!"
The group instantly turned away and retreated, to which Gluttony gave chase, laughing as he followed. He was able to catch up to them with ease, and noticed how Sloth was the only one that was behind at his sluggish pace. He grinned before he lunged at Sloth and opened his mouth, sinking his teeth into his left hindleg, to which the indolent pony gave a light grunt. Fluttershy looked back in fear.
"Oh no! Sloth!" She gasped.
"What a pain..." Sloth groaned as he looked back at Gluttony latched onto his hindleg "I'm not food...Get off, Gluttony..."
"Dammit. If we can't attack, we should at least be able to defend ourselves!" Greed snarled. He watched Gluttony bite down on Sloth's leg before tearing off his flesh, leaving a deep gash that instantly regenerated. Thankfully, the group did not get a good look at the gory image.
"Sloth, run!" Twilight called out "You can't be attacked by Gluttony forever!"
"Running...What a pain..." Sloth said as he took a step forward.
"Jus' do what she says, ya idjit!" Applejack snapped. She watched how Sloth got into position, to which the group instinctively moved out of the way as Sloth turned into a blur that breezed through the door, though caused some more damage along the way before crashing into a tree outside.
"Don't run! I want a taste first!" Gluttony pounced at the group, only to be pinned down by Greed and Wrath respectively.
"Discord mentioned that we weren't to fight Gluttony, but that does not mean we're unable to immobilize him." Wrath said as he leered down at the struggling homunculus.
"Good enough for me!" Greed said as he forced his weight on Gluttony, looking at Twilight and the others "Grab Sloth and get outta here! We'll catch up!"
"Right!" Twilight said as she galloped outside and stood near the bridge, looking over at Sloth as she narrowed her eyes "Alright. I have to make this quick..." She clenched her eyes and grunted as she lit up her horn once again, lifting Sloth from where he had crashed and led him over the gap while the others ran across the bridge.
"Hurry, Twi! Gluttony here's getting hard to keep down!" Greed said as he felt Gluttony struggle harder under his and Wrath's weight, growling as he did so.
Twilight exhaled hoarsely as she set Sloth down on the other side and rubbed her head with a groan.
"Gotta be more careful with my magic output..." Twilight said before looking over at Greed and Wrath "We're all set over here!"
"Good, then we should get a headstart of our own!" Greed said as he looked around. He then noticed the tree Gluttony crashed into and grinned in inspiration. Using his magic, he pried the ruined tree after snapping off the bark and carefully set it atop of Gluttony as he struggled under it "It won't hold him for long, but it'll give us some time!"
"Excellent thinking. We should move now." Wrath said, to which the two stallions galloped towards the bridge, Twilight following them.
Meanwhile, Gluttony struggled under the tree more until he decided to sink his teeth into it, instinctively eating what remained of it voraciously before he rubbed his muzzle.
"That was good, but I wasn't really hungry for that..." He said darkly before noticing the three ponies crossing the bridge, holding out a hoof with a look of distress "Hey, wait! I'm supposed to eat you!"
As the three ponies made it to the other side of the bridge, Wrath instantly saw fit to use one of his wings to sever the ropes holding up the bridge. The group watched as the torn bridge swing down and collide with the other cliff, then looked over at Gluttony staring at them from the other side.
"Wow. That makes this whole thing even easier." Spike said before beaming at Wrath, who stared at Gluttony with a serious gaze "Way to go, Wrath!"
"That should keep him away from us for now." Wrath said before looking over at Twilight "In the meantime, we must find the second element quickly."
"That's right." Shining Armor nodded solemnly.
"Let's get a move on." Twilight said as she and the others retreated into the forest while Gluttony behind as he stared morosely at the supposed morsels leaving his vision. _____
Trudging through the forest, the group scanned high and low for any possible leads on their second hint. They had trouble properly discerning what Discord had meant by 'belly of the beast', and were reluctant to find any roaming creatures, only to end up being wrong in the end. Everywhere they went, they ended up drawing blanks. Upon entering the latest clearing, they decided to take a small break to regain their energy.
"Darn it." Rainbow Dash growled "We've been at this for hours, and still no element!"
"Ya know it hasn't really been that long, right?" Applejack said before sighing and sitting down in the grass "That's not t' say Ah'm just as bugged about this whole thing."
"We all are." Greed said before scratching his head, a tired look on his face "This is getting really old, having to do so much running around. We haven't got any good leads on where to look next."
"Maybe we can find Zecora?" Fluttershy offered "I'll bet she could help us."
"Who is this 'Zecora'?" Blueblood asked with a tilted head.
"A talented apothecary who takes residence in this very forest." Lust explained "She happens to be a zebra, and she keeps the finest teas in her home."
"Would she really be of service to us?" Blueblood asked.
"Considering the severity of this challenge and the state of chaos we're in, I'm certain she's fighting her own battles, if not trying her hardest to remain safe." Wrath said, looking up at the moonlit sky "We cannot risk involving her in our struggle, especially since Gluttony's involved in our current challenge. We would only endanger her life."
"Oh..." Fluttershy said as she looked down, her ears folding back.
"Y-Yes, good point..." Blueblood murmured before looking down at the grass, wincing at it out of reluctance. He flinched when he felt a hoof on his back, looking to his left to see Rarity giving a comforting smile.
"You don't have to sit if you don't want to. If it makes you feel better, I feel the same way about sitting around this place." She said, to which Blueblood shared her smile with one of his own.
"Say...I just realized something." Pinkie said as she rubbed her chin, earning the glances of the others "If we can't exactly fight Gluttony, and since he's very important to us..." Pinkie looked at her friends "Do you think he might be involved with the second element?"
"Where are you going with this, Pinkie?" Rainbow Dash asked as she cocked her head to the side.
"What I mean is..." Pinkie tapped her chin before pointing a hoof upward "What if the second element is inside Gluttony? I mean, he is a bit of a piggy sometimes."
"Pinkie Pie, please don't give us such a gruesome mental image." Rarity pleaded "I cannot bear the thought of finding the next element inside of him, especially since he's out to eat all of us."
"What a pain..." Sloth rumbled as he laid down beside a tree "...We need help..."
"Wish granted~!"
Everyone but Sloth jumped at the jovial voice. Meanwhile, the lazy pony yawned, only to have a familiar face pop out of his mouth. The group gasped at the sight of Discord wearing a construction hat, who grinned at the bewildered ponies and dragon.
"Did somepony ask for a helping claw? Because this is basically the last time you'll ever get any assistance from me in this game." Discord explained mockingly, earning glares left and right. He proceeded to slither out of Sloth's open jaw and stretched himself the moment his body was free. He was seen wearing a polka-dotted construction vest "Whoa...Cramped in there!" He said as he stretched his arms, rewarded with a satisfying crack.
"What are you doing here, Discord?" Twilight demanded warily.
"Exactly as I intended." Discord responded innocently as a sledgehammer appeared in his lion paw "I couldn't help but noticed you poor ponies (and dragon) are suffering the biggest kerfuffle, so I decided to be lenient and hold your hoof for a small minute." He smirked as he slung the sledgehammer over his shoulders "No need to thank me; anything to keep you all going."
"And how exactly did ya help us?" Applejack spat venomously, leering at Discord, who rolled his eyes playfully.
"Well, while you all were out and about, getting gradually flustered and whatnot, I decided to get a little busy myself with a little...repairs..." Discord added the last part darkly with a wicked grin.
"Repairs?" Greed parroted "What are you talking about?" As if his question had been instantly answered, a familiar growl echoed in the woods, causing Greed to grit his teeth "You bastard..." He murmured, to which Discord's grin widened. Everyone else tensed up with their own reactions while the draconequus chortled.
"You repaired the bridge!? But we were trying to avoid Gluttony!!" Twilight shouted in panic.
"You're welcome!" Discord chirped "But you should probably go back to finding that element now. I'd recommend scattering to lower your chances at becoming an all-you-can-eat buffet. Toodles~!" He waved before snapping his talons and vanishing in a flash of light.
"What do we do now?" Rainbow Dash said "He could be anywhere, waiting to pounce!" She darted her head around the clearing.
"Don't be too alarmed..." Lust said, looking forward at the pitch black woods in front of her "Notice how it's currently nighttime. If we're to go into the forest now, it would be more dark than before."
"Leaving Gluttony to rely on his sense of smell alone." Twilight finished, to which she nodded in understanding "So we have to act upon that, but who will be going with who? As bad as it is, we do have to split ourselves into two groups."
'Damn...I wish Ling were here right now...' Greed growled "Alright, if we're going into two groups, we'll have to have two homunculi each." Another roar was heard, and before anypony could suggest team placement, a vacuum of wind engulfed a good chunk of the trees near their location had been instantly ravaged, leaving nothing but stumps and razed land. As the wind settled, Sloth was nowhere to be found.
Greed looked over and widened his eyes "You gotta be shitting me right now..."
"Wha-..." Rainbow Dash sputtered as she pointed a hoof "What is that!?"
Approaching from the blackness was Gluttony, but with an entirely different appearance. With anger in his pupilless eyes, he stood on his hindlegs while his mouth was wide open, and his teeth - now appearing as sharpened fangs - extended down to his stomach, which was vertically open for all to see; his ribs acted as moving fangs. Inside of his stomach was an ominous grey eye surrounded by unending darkness.
The ponies backed up from the frightening image, easily threatened by Gluttony's gaping maw waiting to devour them.
"Scatter!!" Greed commanded as the group dispersed, taking any available direction into the woods, leaving Gluttony to roar in anger.
"I want to eat!!" Gluttony shouted in a warped voice.
Inside of the woods, Greed, Twilight, and Spike were together, running for their lives as they maneuvered through the woods with their adrenaline.
"Since when was Gluttony able to do that!?" Spike shouted in fright as he clung to Twilight's neck.
"No time for talking; just run!" Greed replied as he continued galloping with Twilight. As they moved, they felt a vacuum of air behind them moving horizontally before subsiding.
Gluttony walked on his hindlegs after causing his destruction and noticed Greed, Twilight, and Spike retreating into the dark woods.
"Stop running..." He sniffed at the air, catching their scent instantly "I cannot eat you if you do!" He began running after them, following their scent since they were the closest.
Meanwhile, the others kept their distance in their own divided groups. Rarity, Lust, and Blueblood stuck together, running around in their own part of the Everfree Forest.
"What do we do now?" Rarity whimpered "This is madness!"
"We'll have to aid whomever Gluttony is pursuing at the moment. We cannot search for the second element now that our lives are on the line." Lust explained calmly, though was distressed by the sudden turn of events.
"But how can we be of any assistance if we cannot directly confront Gluttony?" Blueblood said with widened eyes as he held himself and shivered "We're going to die if we go anywhere near him." He said as he turned pale.
"We're already at risk, and we have the advantage on Gluttony since all he can do is rely on his sense of smell." Lust replied as her brow furrowed "As difficult as it may be, we cannot alert our presence by relying on light."
"But where do we go?" Rarity asked "We haven't really kept track of our path since we had to distance ourselves from Gluttony post haste."
"We'll have to be careful while moving around...Who knows where the others may be right now." Lust said as she looked back "Perhaps the clearing is safe now that we've cleared out so quickly. If we backtrack, we'll consider it a checkpoint to find the others."
"I suppose that's our only option at this point, isn't it?" Rarity said as the three unicorns began to pace back from their path "This game is becoming too extreme..." She stated morosely.
"And we've yet to finish it completely..." Lust finished with melancholy in her voice. _____
Applejack, Shining Armor, and Wrath ran a small distance from the clearing until they noticed they weren't being followed. Shining Armor looked back warily at the clearing illuminated by the moonlight.
"What now? We can't expect to win with Gluttony coming after us like this..." Shining Armor said as he narrowed his eyes "This cripples our chances with this whole challenge."
"Indeed." Wrath said "And considering Gluttony is in his true form, we cannot hope to immobilize him without having to resort to drastic measures. And if I've noticed correctly, Gluttony has already devoured Sloth..."
"Ah-...Ah know..." Applejack said, her heart sinking upon remembering Sloth vanishing in the vacuum "That's jus' plain sick. Not only are we stuck between a rock an' a hard place, we're gonna be eaten alive until we think o' somethin'."
'Could Discord have truly forced us into a corner?' Wrath thought to himself with a grave expression on his face. He then looked back at the clearing "We have to go back..."
"What?" Shining Armor asked incredulously.
"Have ya spit yer bit or somethin'!?" Applejack hissed upon Wrath's suggestion, not wanting to draw attention by shouting "If ya haven't already noticed, we're bein' chased by our friend, who wants nothin' more than t' make meals outta us!"
"I'm aware, but we're in enough danger just standing around. Besides, it wouldn't help to get lost in this forest during nightfall..." Wrath stated, to which Applejack paused before sighing.
"There's gotta be a way t' win this." Applejack said in a sorrowful tone as she followed Wrath and Shining Armor. _____
Rainbow Dash had never been so conflicted in her life. Every part of her body wished to make a Sonic Rainboom if it meant keeping herself away from Gluttony for the longest time, but she remembered that her friends were in just as much peril as she was. She currently flew in the forest with Fluttershy and Pinkie galloping under her. After they've covered enough distance, they stopped to catch their breath over the panic they have endured.
"Okay...I think we lost them..." Rainbow Dash breathed as he held her chest with a hoof "Can't believe what we're dealing with right now." She looked down at Fluttershy tearing up and descended down towards her.
"Don't worry, Fluttershy. We'll make it through this somehow." Rainbow Dash said.
"But what about Sloth?" Pinkie mentioned sadly "He got eaten by Gluttony; his own brother..." The trio folded their ears in unison as Fluttershy wiped her eyes.
"He didn't deserve that..." Fluttershy sniffled "Why is Discord doing all of this?"
"Because he gets off on it." Rainbow Dash sneered "He's history when we finally get to him."
They heard rustling in the bushes in front of them and tensed up before they noticed two figures leaping through the brush, one of which carrying another on their back. All three were instantly relieved when they spotted horns on their heads and didn't hesitate to smother them in a group hug.
"Twilight! Greed! Spike! I'm so glad you're safe!" Rainbow Dash shouted with joy, only to have a charcoal hoof in her mouth.
"Quiet!" Greed hissed "We're on the run from Gluttony, and we were lucky to get far enough from him. We need to move and find a way to get him out of our hair."
"But what about the second element?" Spike whispered "We still haven't searched all of the forest yet."
"We'll get to that once everypony's safe. Until then, we need a plan." Greed replied. A rumbling was heard before a portion of trees and bushes behind the group had been enveloped by a gust of wind. Everyone carried a feeling of dread when they spotted an ominous eye in the distance.
"Let me eat you!!" Gluttony roared.
The group instantly ran off without a word, wanting to distance themselves from Gluttony as much as possible. Twilight felt as if the whole ordeal with Gluttony could be endless while she and her friends were trying to find the second element. She thought back to what she had gathered prior to her situation.
"The first can be found by studying history, while the second can be found in the belly of a beast..."
"What if the second element is inside Gluttony? I mean, he is a bit of a piggy sometimes."
As far as the presented leads go, Twilight was at her wits' end. With the severity of the challenge, she had nothing left to lose except her life. But knowing who was running the challenge, a part of Twilight wondered if it would be much like her previous trial with Discord and the elements before she had met the homunculi. Even she knew that one must expect the unexpected. Mustering her calm, she looked up at Rainbow Dash.
"Rainbow! I need you to hold onto Spike for me for a moment!" She called up to the cyan pegasus.
"What?" Spike asked "Why, Twilight?" Rainbow Dash looked down and nodded.
"You got a plan or something?" Rainbow Dash replied as she carefully descended and scooped up Spike while the group ran "What is it?"
"Just keep running! Trust me on this!" Twilight called to her friends, to which they wordlessly complied. They were picking up speed and easily losing Gluttony...
Until Twilight skidded to a halt and turned around with a stalwart stance.
"Twilight!!" It didn't take long for the others to notice until they looked back at Twilight staying behind, where Gluttony came into view. Greed widened his eyes and instantly bolted back to the lavender unicorn.
"Don't do it, you idiot! Think of the others!!" Greed shouted as he galloped back. When he was in range, he dove for Twilight, feeling as if he were frozen in time by her side. Gluttony merely leaned back before he instantly swallowed the two unicorns. The others watched with eyes wide as dinner plates and each of them felt their hearts sink, Spike especially.
"No..." Spike uttered as his pupils trembled "No..."
Rainbow Dash was at a loss for words herself, but remembering who she was running from, she bit back any tears she felt welling up and turned away, holding Spike tight in her grasp.
"Keep running! That was her plan; just keep running!" She took comfort in noticing that Pinkie and Fluttershy complied to her request, though they all felt as if they couldn't go on any longer after what had just been witnessed. They had no choice but to run in order to avoid the grim fate that had befallen both Greed and Twilight. Gluttony had let off a burp as he stood behind in a brief moment of satisfaction.
"I'm still hungry..." Gluttony groaned before he resumed his chase. He would not rest until his perpetual appetite had been properly sated. _____
Blackness. It was almost a nostalgic feeling for Greed as he felt so tired. When he regained feeling in his body, he tried to move, only to notice that he was laying in some kind of liquid. He sniffed at the air, only to weakly wrinkle his nose in disgust.
'Blood...Did I fall or something? It freaking reeks here...' He shifted his body to where he sat up an noticed that he stared off into what appeared to be an endless void. There were several ancient ruins, some of which lit with flames while the floor of the area was flooded with blood that went up to Greed's ankles. After regaining his energy and sight, he rose form his sitting position and looked around.
"Dear God...What is this place?" Greed asked himself before the memories before his arrival came back to him "Wait a minute...Am I inside Gluttony!?" He asked himself aloud, both surprised and repulsed at the fact that he was swallowed whole. He perked up when he remembered that he wasn't alone.
'Twilight! I gotta find her quickly! I might even be able to find Sloth, too, since he got eaten first...' The avaricious unicorn wasted no time in taking a deep breath before shouting "Hey! Is anypony there!? Answer me!" His voice echoed in the darkness, and was sadly met with no response. He grunted to himself before he decided to gallop at a random direction, the blood splashing beneath his hooves.
"Anypony! Can you hear me!?" Greed shouted again, hoping for a response. After galloping for what felt like ten minutes, he caught his breath, feeling the energy drained from his body. He growled to himself in frustration before he brought his head to the heavens, or lack thereof.
"Somepony answer me! Twilight! Sloth! Come on!!" Greed shouted with the last of his might. He paused, but hung his head when he heard nothing "Dammit..." The avaricious pony muttered. He thought that all hope was lost until he heard a distant and familiar voice that made his right ear twitch as he instantly drew his head up.
"Is somepony there!?" Greed said, darting his head before he heard the same distant voice, albeit higher in volume. He instantly turned to the left and noticed a glowing light, to which he broke into a fierce gallop towards it "Hey!" He called out, then noticed how the glowing light was moving towards him along with the voice.
"...is that you?" He heard the voice call back to him.
"If it's who I think it is, you're damn right!" Greed called out with vigor and hope. He was happy to see Twilight's familiar face galloping towards him with her horn acting as a light.
"Greed!" Twilight beamed as she approached him "You're okay!"
When they reached each other, they did not hesitate to embrace each other in a tight hug despite them standing in blood. After their moment, Greed instantly donned a stern look.
"I don't know what you were thinking, but I'm pretty sure the others are freaking out right about now." Greed said, to which Twilight folded her ears back and looked down shamefully.
"I-...I know what I did was risky, but a part of me wondered if Pinkie was onto something. Not to mention our efforts in the Everfree Forest didn't pay off at all." She then looked up "But after noticing this place, I know without a doubt that Discord may have hid the second element inside here..." She looked up at the blackness above with slight uncertainty in her eyes "Wherever this place is. It's pretty disturbing, to say the least. I don't even think we're in Equestria anymore."
"I'm pretty sure we're inside Gluttony's stomach. Then again, I don't see any organs of his laying around." Greed said as he looked up as well "In fact, I think this place seems too weird to be his stomach." He then widened his eyes "Wait a minute..." He looked over at Twilight "How the hell are we gonna get out!?" Greed felt a hoof on his chest and looked at Twilight, who smiled confidently.
"We'll find a way once we figure out where the element is." Twilight looked around "Knowing how big this place is, we have a lot of ground to cover."
"Yeah..." Greed said as he spotted a worn plateau far behind Twilight "In the meantime, why don't we go someplace dry? I'm pretty sure you wouldn't be caught dead trudging in so much blood." The two unicorns broke the embrace as Twilight grimaced to herself.
"Don't remind me. It was hard for me to take it in at first." Twilight looked at Greed with a loving smile "I'm...glad you're here with me right now, Greed." Greed merely smirked back.
"I'm pretty sure your brother would chase me to the ends of the earth if I just stood there and watched you go." He quipped before trotting past Twilight "Come on."
The two unicorns trekked across the vast abyss until they finally reached the plateau Greed had his eyes on; there were large remains of columns seen on the edges of it. As they got on top of it, they shook their limbs in an attempt to dry themselves, though noticed traits of blood lingered on their hooves. They took a moment to collect themselves until Twilight looked up at one of the columns and gasped.
"Hey! There it is!" Twilight said as she pointed a hoof up at the column, spotting her tiara at the top, glistening with a pristine appearance in contrast to the morbid atmosphere. She used her magic to levitate it downward until it landed on her head, grinning in delight "Alright, now all that remains is to find Sloth and leave this place!" She looked over at Greed sitting on his haunches and staring down at the floor in silence, facing away from the lavender unicorn.
"Greed?" She asked cautiously, though she didn't receive a reply. A part of her wondered if the guilt Greed had bottled up inside of him had finally taken hold and drained his spirit. She took a deep breath and trotted over to his side. Twilight sat next to Greed as he looked down at the blood-stained stone floor with a hardened gaze, frowning at his silence "...Greed, this isn't your-"
"Just shut it, Twilight." Greed interrupted cooly, albeit irritably "You know you're just telling lies, and you know how I feel about lying..." He said without facing Twilight. Meanwhile, she didn't give up as she placed a hoof on his back, gently rubbing him with it.
"Think what you want, my point still stands. It might look bad now, but I know we can find a way out of here." She said as she pointed at the golden tiara on her head "We wouldn't have found this if we hadn't come in here sooner, so I know there's a way for us to leave this place."
"Don't you get it!?" Greed snapped as he leered at Twilight, who recoiled at his voice "This isn't something you can just easily escape from! We're stuck here! We're stuck here and-....and..." He bared his sharp teeth and hung his head "Dammit...I can't even keep my cool here..." As he paused, he didn't noticed the purple hoof that gently touched his chin and lifted his head towards a serious looking Twilight.
"You're not yourself right now, and I get where you're coming from, but far be it from me to watch your bravado crumble away like this." The lavender unicorn said firmly "We've come so far to just give up like this, even if we're in some lost point of reality. You were strong enough to go on an adventure with us to stop Discord and save your family." Her features softened as she smiled warmly.
"And not only have you kept your head held high, you've managed to keep us all in good spirits while doing so." She wrapped her forelegs around Greed's neck as they locked eyes "I'll ignore wounding your pride by saying this isn't your fault, but I will say that you're the best friend anypony could ask for. You're my special somepony..." She whispered her last sentence lovingly.
"Twi..." Greed said before returning the embrace and sharing a kiss with Twilight. Despite the grim scenery around them, they managed to share their little moment.
The sound of approaching stomps and splashing had caused the two unicorns to break their embrace as they looked into the darkness, instantly standing up and bracing themselves for what was trudging through the reddened waters. They were surprised to find a certain pony towering over them before tilting his head at their shock.
Lust, Rarity, and Blueblood had trekked towards the clearing where they and the others had dispersed from upon Gluttony's ambush. Their path was erratic, given the many trees in their way, but they were thankfully able to make it back, though Rarity still had to help Blueblood with his trotting. When they came back, they noticed that nothing was out of place, save for large mounds of the forest replaced with razed soil.
"And I thought this place was dreadful before..." Rarity said to herself while shaking her head at the sight.
"A-Are we safe? We don't know who will be next to arrive." Blueblood said as he darted his head around.
"It is wise to remain on your guard, but we may have to move again depending on what happens..." Lust replied. The three unicorns instantly turned their heads to the left as they heard rustling and approaching hoofsteps. They tensed up until they had noticed Applejack, Shining Armor, and Wrath reveal themselves from within the woods.
"Ah, so you're safe as well." Wrath said before looking around "That only leaves the other element bearers, Greed, and Spike." His eyes narrowed as he looked towards the damage caused by Gluttony "This whole ordeal has escalated to astonishing levels."
"We have to find them quickly." Shining Armor said with a serious tone "The remaining element might be important, but our safety comes first."
"Agreed." Lust replied with a curt nod "Let us-"
"Run!"
"That sounded like..." Rarity said before she heard a brief rustle. From another edge of the clearing, Rainbow Dash had bolted into view with Spike in her grasp, with Pinkie and Fluttershy following close behind.
"Hurry up and run already!" Rainbow Dash shouted "Don't stop!" She flew over her friends and across one of the barren trails, to which the others followed after. Spike appeared catatonic as he was curled up in the cyan pegasus' forelegs. When they were a good distance away, yet another edge of the clearing and most of the trees had been instantly engulfed by Gluttony as he looked around, sniffing at the air.
"I know you're around here..." The voracious pony turned to his left after picking up a scent and perked up "There! Come back!" He then resumed his chase, following down the same path the others had followed.
Rainbow Dash could not stop herself as she headed the group while carrying Spike. She noticed how the dragon was still in shock, and she couldn't blame him. They both had that image of their two best friends swallowed whole in the blink of an eye burned into their heads. Sloth was one thing, but Twilight and Greed as well. It wouldn't be long until Gluttony actually devours her along with all of her friends.
It had dawned on the rest of the group that Twilight and Greed were not present, and their hearts had sunk upon the realization; Shining Armor especially. Every part of his being wanted to go back there and teach Gluttony some manners, but he knew that he would compromise Equestria's safety. He was lucky to press on despite his contained anger and sadness.
Lust and Wrath were faring differently, more suited to losing lives, but not without sympathy for who had been lost. Lust looked back at the distant image of Gluttony, narrowing her eyes, then perking up before looking up at Wrath.
"Wrath! I have a plan to immobilize Gluttony!" She called up to him as she began moving towards the right, away from the group as her horn lit up. Wrath looked down before smirking knowingly.
"Say no more..." He said before flexing his wings while he flew and eyeing the trees towards his right. With precision and agility, Lust and Wrath both sliced at the trees; Lust cut at the bottom near the stumps while Wrath had split the falling timber in half.
While they were doing so, Blueblood - who was lucky to keep up with the others for so long - was lagging behind and was close to being crushed by the severed trees. He let off a shriek before he was quickly swept up by Lust after she had finished cutting the trees. While he was thankful, he wasn't happy with feeling more pain in his chest while being bounced on her back.
The large logs behind the group had all fallen and stacked themselves into a pile, causing Gluttony to skid to a halt with an annoyed growl. He inhaled and swallowed up the obstacle in his path, only to see that his prey was now further away from him than before. He stomped angrily before he resumed his chase.
Everypony ran for what felt like an eternity until the group had spotted a light up ahead. They could only assume it was the entrance to Everfree Forest. As they neared it, they all skidded to a halt with dreaded expressions on their faces.
The light that took up the entrance was glowing with a velvet-colored magic aura that appeared in a checkered pattern. There was a wooden sign in front of the barricade that resembled a stern Discord with a whistle in his mouth, holding a stop sign in his eagle claw while holding out his lion paw in a halting gesture.
"You gotta be kidding me! He's trapped us like rats!" Rainbow Dash shouted in outrage as she leered at the barrier in front of her. She looked down at Spike to see that he still had not reacted since he witnessed Twilight's and Greed's grim fate. She and the others looked back to see Gluttony slowly closing in on them as his ribs danced like the legs of a spider.
"I finally found you...Now I can eat you all at once!" Gluttony proclaimed cheerfully, though was unable to express himself in his current form "So tasty..." The group all huddled together as the voracious abomination closed the distance between them, feeling as if it were actually over. Up until Gluttony instantly stopped and sniffed at the air.
"There's another..." He hissed despite his open mouth and moved his head left and right "Where? Where is it? Who's missing?" He continued sniffing at the air, trying to locate the source. As he turned to his left once more, he noticed a blue mist invade both his vision and his nose. Upon catching the foreign scent, it was so strong that he felt lightheaded and began to sway before finally falling over, blacking out from the powerful mist. He slowly reverted to his regular form while he was unconscious.
Everypony else caught on and instantly covered their mouths and noses. Rainbow Dash made sure to do the same for Spike. Wrath made sure to flap his wings and create a gust of wind that carried the mist off further into the forest. They all instantly turned to their right upon hearing hoofsteps.
The one that stepped into their sight was not a pony, but a zebra mare wearing golden earrings and bands on her neck and left foreleg. Her eyes were turquoise and full of knowledge. She had a cutie mark, though it resembled a tribal drawing of the sun. She heaved a sigh of relief as she looked towards the group as she carried her saddlebag.
"Thank goodness you're all safe and sound. I figured that you would come around."
"Zecora!" Pinkie chirped with a grin as she hopped over and hugged the zebra "Boy are we glad to see you!"
"That's the one known as Zecora?" Blueblood examined her and turned to Rarity "How does a zebra take residence in one of Equestria's dangerous areas?"
"She has her ways." Rarity replied with a smile. Wrath trotted over to Zecora and gave a curt and polite bow.
"We're in your debt for your assistance. This was a battle that we were close to losing altogether." He said, to which Zecora nodded to Wrath after breaking her embrace with Pinkie.
"It was no problem in the least. But why has Gluttony become a beast?"
"Discord's th' one who did all o' this." Applejack responded bitterly "He's done taken this game o' his too far!" She took off her hat and placed it on her chest with a sorrowful glance towards Gluttony "He already took away three o' our friends...Twi, Greed, an' Sloth; all three o' them are just restin' in his belly." Zecora's eyes widened.
"I am certain of his appetite, But what you've told me is not right."
Before Applejack could explain further, she noticed how Shining Armor silently trotted up to Gluttony, a look of pure rage in his eyes. He gritted his teeth as his horn lit up intensely, directing it onto the unconscious homunculus.
"Shining!" Wrath's voice halted his advance as he slowly turned to face the furious pony, who had a hardened gaze of his own "I tell you this as one who represents the very emotion you're portraying: Do not do it. You'll compromise our safety in doing so." He said firmly "I know what he has done to your sister and my brothers, but you shouldn't act so rashly about this."
He expected an angry retort, but he noticed how the aura surrounding Shining's horn began to fade before the magic had been cancelled out. Shining Armor's legs shook before he collapsed at Gluttony's side, looking down at him with his as he still grit his teeth, his eyes hidden under his mane as his body trembled. A tear went down his cheek.
"Twilight..." He uttered "Why? Why did it have to be like this?" Shining got choked up as he continued "Why did this pony have to eat you!?" Fluttershy trotted to his side and rubbed his back, feeling his sadness as well. Pinkie was close to doing the same until she shook her head and puffed her cheeks.
'No! I can't just accept that Twilight, Greed, and Sloth are just gone like that!' She thought to herself 'This game would've been over already...right?'
"I can't believe she just chose to stay back and let it happen..." Rainbow Dash muttered. She noticed how her hooves felt wet and noticed how Spike was shedding tears at the moment, curling himself more as he held onto the cyan pegasus' chest. As they mourned the passing of their friends, Wrath noticed Gluttony's body twitch.
"Everypony, at attention! Gluttony's moving!" He noticed how everypony tensed up and watched the voracious pony's body move more. He trembled even more until he jolted awake, though he was clutching his stomach as he screamed in pain.
This sudden gesture threw the group in confusion. He tried to keep his balance, though he ended up stumbling to his knees and hacked up some blood from his mouth, much to the disgust of the group, save for the homunculi. His stomach ended up expanding and opening as he reared onto his hindlegs, showing the ominous opening from his grotesque form.
Before everypony could consider it Gluttony preparing to attack, the eye in his stomach had opened up slit in its pupil that showed redness from inside while red static had danced around his body. His stomach grew even more until a large blue hoof had appeared from it, followed by another, until a familiar pony finally exited from it, with two more in his wake.
Gluttony stumbled backward on his hind legs as his wounds began to heal, though ended up falling onto his back. Meanwhile, the group gasped at the ponies that have exited the voracious pony's stomach, Spike included.
"Oh...What a pain..." Sloth said as he laid on the ground "...Never again..."
"Took the words right out of my mouth..." Greed muttered as he regained his footing and rubbed his head "You guys alright?"
"I'm fine." Twilight piped up as she stood up herself "What happened? Are we-" When Twilight looked around, she gasped and darted her head "We made it!" Her gaze fell onto the group, and she grinned brightly at them.
"They're back!" Pinkie proclaimed jubilantly before pointing at Twilight's tiara, her smile widening "And Twilight's got the element!"
Spike and Shining Armor stared with widened eyes before they saw fit to approach Twilight and latch onto her, the former bawling as he buried his face into Twilight's chest.
"Twilight! Y-You're okay!" Spike cried as he held onto his sister figure tightly.
"Don't scare us like that again! Do you hear me?" Shining Armor snapped, to which Twilight looked down sadly before nodding to her older brother with a thin smile.
"Promise. It's good to see you again, Shining." Twilight said happily.
"You, too..." Shining Armor said as he hugged Twilight with Spike, tears of joy streaming down his face. The rest of her friends quickly huddled up as well with the exception of Blueblood, Lust, Wrath, Greed, and Sloth. Wrath looked over at Greed.
"However did you manage to escape from Gluttony's stomach?" Wrath asked inquisitively. Greed smirked and pointed at Sloth.
"We got Sloth to thank for that one. You see, when we were inside..." _____
Greed and Twilight trotted through the bloodied floor with their horns acting as lanterns while Sloth slowly followed them from behind.
"You're saying you actually found something? And here I thought you were lazy." Greed quipped as he moved on.
"It was right next to me when I woke up..." Sloth rumbled as he tried catching up to the two unicorns "There were too many trees...Trees are a pain..."
"But do you know what it is?" Twilight asked as she looked back at Sloth "What did it look like?"
"...A stick..."
"A stick?" Greed parroted before looking disappointed "Kind of a common thing with trees, big guy..." He deadpanned.
"No...This stick was different..." Sloth explained "Very different..."
"I hope you're right." Greed said "Last thing we want is another wild goose chase."
"Greed, we should at least trust Sloth on this one." Twilight chided lightly "Besides, our last kerfuffle didn't last long."
"That's because you decided to scare us by getting eaten." Greed shot back "But you're right. We gotta expect the unexpected sooner or later. It's like I always say..." Twilight smiled as she knew the next phrase, deciding to join Greed.
"There's no such thing as no such thing." The two unicorns chorused before sharing a chuckle.
"What a pain..." Sloth moaned in complaint. He looked up ahead and noticed a display of fallen trees "We're here..."
"Good. Let's get to it, then." Greed said in determination as he galloped towards the trees, Twilight following suit. Sloth merely continued his sluggish pace without a care.
"Hmm..." Greed diligently scanned around the wading trees and scratched his head when nothing had turned up "Hey, Sloth. Do you remember where you saw this stick you were talking about?"
"It was around here...That's all I know...I don't remember..." Sloth rumbled.
"What do you mean you don't remember?" Greed asked in outrage "Something like what you were talking about shouldn't be hard to miss!"
"You were noisy...I followed your voice...Memory is a pain..." Sloth replied, to which Greed groaned.
"Of course; you have a one-track mind. You were more focused on Twilight and I, and you just forgot where your so-called stick was..." Greed shook his head "This could be a problem."
"Umm, Greed?" Twilight said, earning his attention as she stared at something interesting "I think I found what Sloth was talking about."
"Really?" Greed galloped over to Twilight's side and noticed her staring at an orange pole that stuck out in the water with a small sign on the top that said 'Pull me'. Greed stared at it before pointing a hoof "How long as that been there? I don't remember seeing it in the forest."
"I think I have a good idea who placed it there..." Twilight said suspiciously with a frown "Looks like the game's not over until he says so..." It wasn't long until Greed understood Twilight's comment and nodded.
"Yeah...You're right." Greed looked over at Sloth slowly approaching the two and waved a hoof "Come on, Sloth! We found your stick!"
"What a pain..." Sloth finally reached them and stared at it "Oh...over there..."
"Alright. Is everypony ready?" Twilight asked, to which Greed nodded while Sloth stood still "Okay, here we go..." Using her magic, she got a grasp on the pole and tugged it towards herself. The pole surprisingly leaned forward easily as if it were some kind of lever. After a large clank was heard, a small ball of light appeared in front of the three ponies. They stared at it until it suddenly expanded, turning their world white... _____
"And here we are." Greed concluded with a smile "Guess this game's more important to Discord than we thought."
"Indeed..." Wrath replied as he looked down pensively "Normally, I'd expect him to just eliminate us with relative ease, but he really is enjoying himself too much to have us lose so quickly."
"Well, we're not exactly familiar with this guy. He's nothing like our old man." Greed frowned "And oddly enough, I don't even like it..." He looked at the group of ponies huddled together, then over at Gluttony, who was getting up with a ravenous look in his eyes "Shit!" The others caught on as well as they backed away.
Before Gluttony could think to pounce, he was met with another blue mist sent his way, instantly knocking him out as he accidentally sniffed at it. The group then let off sighs of relief as Twilight chose to approach Gluttony's unconscious form and cast her spell. Greed looked over at the zebra mare with his interest piqued.
"Hey, how did you do that? Never seen a trick like that for as long as I've known you!" Greed complimented, to which Zecora smirked and fished out a blue powdered substance in her saddlebag.
"My sleeping powder is a trusted item. I use it on creatures, rather than fight them."
"I see." Greed said as he eyed the hoof ful of powder before looking at Zecora "Speaking of beasts. You wonder why there aren't any at the moment?" the zebra's smile vanished as she shook her head.
"I believe it has something to do with this air. This ominous feeling that acts without care."
"Oh! Are you talking about me, perhaps?"
"Discord..." Greed hissed as he glared at the sky. Meanwhile, Zecora was both curious and troubled by the voice that echoed in the sky.
"I must say, you've taken quite a while to finally understand the second hint. At least you already acted upon it and got the element. Since you've finally triumphed, I believe it's time for some trivia, including why Gluttony looked so monstrous."
"Ah don't even know if I wanna hear this..." Applejack said as she looked at the sleeping pony with a frown.
"Gluttony's appetite knows no bounds. In fact, like you've just seen, he'll actually eat living beings. But the reason behind his voracious nature was because his dear little daddy wanted to turn him into what he called a 'Gate of Truth'."
'Gate of Truth?' Greed's eyes widened 'The old man must've lost it thinking he would accomplish that on his own!'
"Of course, the poor man failed, thus leaving Gluttony to send anything he eats in his other form into some realm that exists between reality and fiction. Kind of like a darker purgatory, if anything. So as you can see, this little walking butterball is doomed to insatiable hunger, making sure to go leaps and bounds to make sure that he gets a good meal whenever possible."
"A Gate of Truth?" Twilight wondered "What do you suppose that was all about?"
"You know how Father wanted to become one with God?" Greed asked "Well, he needed a gate in order to reach him, even if it meant manipulating Gluttony or making a giant transmutation circle. Of course, the old man acted on the second option the moment he failed..." Greed shook his head "I wanted that power for myself, but I obviously was dumb enough to know what I really wanted."
"Friendship." Twilight said, approaching Greed and pecking his cheek with a smile "I think you made the right choice back then." The avaricious pony smirked.
"I'll wake Gluttony up!" Pinkie said as she dug into her mane and fished out a cupcake, to which Blueblood grimaced at the gesture.
"How long was that resting in her mane!?" He asked in disgust.
"It's a habit of hers, as unsanitary as it is." Rarity said with a roll of her eyes. Meanwhile, Pinkie waved the cupcake over Gluttony's nose, which twitched and inhaled the luscious scent before he woke up and opened his mouth wide. Pinkie instantly retracted her hoof as Gluttony sunk his teeth and chewed on the cupcake before swallowing it and blinking.
"Huh? Where am I?" He looked over at Pinkie and grinned "Pinkie, it's you!" He then noticed Lust approach him with a smile and gasped "Lust! Lust, you're here!" Gluttony hugged both mares tightly, happy to see them again.
Shining Armor looked at Gluttony before he took a deep breath and shook his head. He had to remember that Discord was the reason Gluttony was acting so monstrous before.
"I'm so glad to see you all! All I remembered was being held by Discord with Envy." Gluttony said as he looked around, then noticed Blueblood and glared "What is he doing here?" Blueblood whimpered and backed away.
"Now now, Gluttony..." Lust said as she patted Gluttony's head "Blueblood will not be a bother to you or anypony else. In fact, he's a lot nicer than you last seen him."
"Listen to Lust, darling. She's telling the truth, you know." Rarity said with a reassuring smile. Gluttony only huffed with a scrunchy face directed at the prince.
"I just realized something..." Spike said as he rubbed his chin "So far, we have five elements." He looked up at the group with a glimmer in his eyes "We're almost done with this thing! All we gotta do is find-"
"Envy..." Rainbow Dash interrupted grimly as she looked down at the ground "Which means this is gonna be even tougher than this challenge." She murmured in melancholy.
"Rainbow..." Twilight frowned at Rainbow Dash's visible sadness. Before she could comfort her, she noticed a scroll appear in front of her. Catching it with her magic, she unraveled it and read its contents aloud for everypony.
"Isn't it grand? You've done so well! Now here's another hint I'll tell: Canyons so tall, with space so wide. Beware of what may lurk inside."
"Canyons? But does that mean we'll have to go back to the desert?" Greed asked as he cocked his head to the side.
"Far from it." Wrath said "Perhaps we'll have to head for the badlands."
"It's neither of those places..." Rainbow Dash said neutrally as Greed and Wrath looked at her "I've already been there; it's Ghastly Gorge. I can't think of another dangerous place."
"What, you mean you haven't been to Tartarus?" Greed asked with a grin "Because let me tell you, that place is dangerous..."
"Isn't that the place where you held that race with all the animals?" Fluttershy asked before she fidgeted her hooves "I hope we won't have to run into any quarry eels..."
"Guess this means we'll have to backtrack into the forest and look for our train, won't we?" Spike asked. A rumbling shook the group until a train horn was heard. They all turned down the path to see something come towards them while plowing through the trees. To avoid getting caught in the destructive path, they moved out of the way to see that it was the train that rolled their way, stopping right in front of the barricade. The engine then kissed the sign in front of the barricade, and caused the both of them to disappear.
"Sheesh..." Greed said as he got up and stared at the train "That was too weird, even for me..."
"Tell me about it." Rainbow Dash said as she flew down and landed beside the door "Well, we better get moving now, since our train is here."
"She's right." Twilight said "We're almost done, and we can't afford to waste any time now." She looked over at Zecora with a smile "Thank you so much for your help, Zecora. We couldn't have done all of this without you." Zecora only waved a dismissive hoof with a warm smile.
"It was indeed my pleasure to assist. But, you must press on and end all this."
"Believe me, we will." Twilight said in determination before trotting next to Greed "Shall we?"
"You got it." Greed replied as he trotted into the train with the others, but not without waving goodbye to Zecora.
When everyone had boarded, the train proceeded to ride out of the forest's entrance before setting off into the sky. Zecora watched the train disappear into the distance before she narrowed her eyes with conviction.
"My friends, do what needs to be done. See to it that this battle is won..."
At Discord's secret base, the draconequus lounged on his upside-down couch as he watched his new and improved Discord Express fly into the sky from his mirror with a bored frown on his face.
"Well, they're off." Discord said unenthusiastically before a smile graced his features. He shifted his eyes towards a nearby cage containing a certain pegasus "Are you ready for your big debut, Envy?"
"So I'm next, huh? You realize you're out of ammo after this, right?" Envy snarked "I don't know what kind of idiot you are, thinking you would actually entertain yourself by having all of us do some running around."
"Oh, but it's more fun than you realize. Of course, you'll have to wait until the grand finale..." Discord said deviously as he snapped his talons and caused Envy to appear in his eagle claw, also upside-down "Now...What say we get you prepped up for the next challenge?"
"What are you gonna do? Saturate my jealousy or something? Make more clones of me? Either way, it's gonna end up biting you in the ass!" Envy snarled defiantly, to which Discord tittered.
"You're so adorable sometimes, you know that?" He advanced a lion paw towards Envy's forehead and streaked it across "Anger is too easy...bloodlust even moreso...Clones? Child's play! I'm just going to give you an extra boost of power, but it's going to cost you dearly..."
Envy could feel it as Discord worked his magic. The memories were somehow slipping away as if they never happened. All of the times Envy had spent with their friends, namely Rainbow Dash. Even the escape from Tartarus with the jealous pony's family was slipping away. While Envy tried to struggle, it had felt powerless as the magic was growing stronger.
"R-Rainbow..." Envy uttered before it had felt blank.
"Yes, that's it...Forget who you considered your friends...It's better that way, since you'll have your own fun again..." Discord cackled as he watched Envy's blank expression slowly change into a dark glare. _____
The train flew into the sky like an aerial snake, piercing through the clouds as the sun began to rise. Inside of it, everypony occupied themselves as they waited patiently for the train to arrive at Ghastly Gorge. Twilight found herself sitting by not only Greed, but Shining Armor and Spike as well, the latter two still shaken from their previous challenge.
Pinkie and Gluttony played patty cake together while Lust and Rarity watched them in amusement. Blueblood sat beside Rarity, though made sure to stay out of Gluttony's view, feeling threatened despite him being free of Discord's control.
Wrath and Applejack merely sat with stoic expressions on their face while Sloth was sleeping contently beside them.
Rainbow Dash sat at a window seat near the back of the cart with a melancholic expression on her face. As happy as she was that she was going to see Envy again, she was also aware that they would possibly have to fight each other. She was anxious over what Envy had committed before arriving in Equestria, despite Pinkie's advice to just ignore it.
"Rainbow Dash?" Fluttershy's voice snapped her out of her thoughts as she felt a wing draped over her back. She looked to her right to see Fluttershy looking at her in concern "Are you alright?"
"I'm-..." Rainbow Dash looked back at the window "I'm fine, Fluttershy. You don't have to worry about me. All we have to do now is fight..." Rainbow Dash paused before hanging her head "...Envy..." She whispered. Fluttershy frowned at her friend's despair and nuzzled her.
"Oh, Rainbow Dash, you know the rest of us feel the same way, don't you? We're not happy to fight against one of our own friends." Fluttershy comforted.
"But you don't understand." Rainbow Dash interjected "Envy's more than that to me, and now I have to deal with taking on my own partner, and after how horribly I acted back then!" She shook her head before taking a deep breath "I'm sorry..."
"It's okay." Fluttershy replied softly, not deterred from Rainbow Dash's venting "We'll get through this somehow, no matter what. In the end, Envy will come back to you, and I'm sure she'll forgive you for what happened between you two."
"Y-Yeah..." Rainbow Dash muttered as she remained slouched on her seat in the comfort of her best friend. From her own seat, Twilight stole a glance back at Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy, then looked over at Greed.
"Rainbow Dash must be really worked up about this next challenge..." Twilight stated to Greed morosely.
"Wouldn't put it past her." Greed replied nonchalantly "Envy's not one to be trifled with, shapeshifting abilities and whatnot."
"Is there anything we should know about as far as Envy's abilities?" Twilight asked.
"Hey, yeah. If Gluttony had that false 'Gate of Truth' thingy as a hidden ability, what could we know about Envy?" Spike inquired. Greed's features hardened upon both questions.
"I'm not gonna beat around the bush. Chances are that if Discord's triggering abilities that most of us carried in the past, then no doubt he's turned Envy into a large monster."
"A monster?" Shining Armor asked with a raised eyebrow "Anything we should be aware of?"
"Only that Envy's just as strong as Sloth in that former; possibly even stronger." Greed replied "Also, the form Envy takes is pretty gross, so you might wanna be careful not to lose your lunch during battle." He then donned a thin smile "Knowing the team we have on our side, I think we'll manage unless Discord happens to screw us over with more restrictions."
"I hope you're right, Greed..." Shining Armor said in a grave tone, taking in the information passed on to him. He had to make sure to be ready for anything, much like his time in the Royal Guard.
The sun began to set as the train was nearing the threatening canyon that was Ghastly Gorge, where Envy was waiting for them. The train spiraled down into the widest area and landed carefully at the bottom of the ravine. The group then carefully exited the train to take in their surroundings.
There were rocks, large holes, and thorned bushes that resided within the canyon. They noticed that they stood next to a peaceful looking stream of water that extended along the area. Pinkie looked around and smiled, oblivious to the intimidating atmosphere.
"Wow! This place hasn't changed at all, either! Maybe Discord's fine with some of Equestria's landmarks?" Pinkie wondered aloud as she continued sightseeing. Wrath kept a keen eye out himself.
"Either that, or our next challenge may be more forward than we think..." He added in a grave tone as he tensed up from hearing the sound of breezing wind. Wrath instantly looked up and widened his eyes at an approaching figure in the sky "Up there!"
The group looked up and saw a certain green pegasus descending into the same wide area of the gorge on the other side of the stream. The pony stared at them with a neutral and bored expression, which turned into intrigue as it spotted some of the ponies in the group. Rainbow Dash stared ahead with a tough look in her eyes that hid her true feelings.
"Envy..." Rainbow Dash uttered, to which the jealous pony blinked in what appeared to be surprise.
"Huh? Who the hell are you? And how did you know my name?" Envy asked rudely, to which the cyan pegasus' jaw dropped. The rest of the group - save for Sloth - followed suit with their own respective shocks.
"Wh-...What the hay are you talking about!? It's me! Rainbow Dash!" Rainbow Dash called out, to which Envy snickered before roaring in laughter.
"That's such a stupid and silly name! Rainbow Dash? Gimme a break!" Envy regained its composure before studying the group. When it spotted the former homunculi, Envy's eyes widened on them "Wait a minute...You're all alive?" Envy rubbed its chin as it looked down "So that weird chimera was telling the truth after all..."
"What are you getting at, Envy? More importantly, what's with the stupid act?" Greed asked. Envy shot a dirty look at Greed before shrugging.
"If you're talking about this whole situation, I'm just as confused as you are. But some chimera named Discord said that I have to destroy you guys if it means going back to Amestris." Envy said nonchalantly. Fluttershy looked hurt from Envy's remark.
"Envy, don't you remember us? We're your friends!" She called out.
"Friends?" Envy parroted in disgust before scoffing "What the hell would I want with friends? I don't even know you stupid horses except for my family!" After Envy's abrasive questions, Rainbow Dash hung her head as her mane hid her eyes.
"Discord must have robbed Envy of his memories..." Twilight muttered morosely before she called out to her "Envy! Is it really worth it to go through with harming your own family for a goal that doesn't exist?" Envy gave Twilight a bored look before shrugging again.
"Doesn't really matter to me what happens to them. Besides..." Envy flashed a dark grin "I'll never really know until I try. I was having plenty of fun before I was brought here, and if I can get back and help out with Father's goals after I'm through with you, that's just an added bonus!" Rainbow Dash began to tremble after Envy's words.
"Wait a minute..." Greed said "How much memories did Discord take from your head? Father's dead, Envy! We killed him! You were there!"
"That's a load of crap coming from you. I thought you were against lying, Greed." Envy said with a sneer. Rainbow Dash gritted her teeth as she trembled.
"It's true!" Gluttony chimed in "We were in Canterlot! Father was about to devour everything until we finally stopped him!"
"I think it's safe to assume that Envy's memories are indeed gone..." Wrath narrowed his eyes "In fact, with the mention of Father..."
"Envy thinks she's in her previous life as a homunculus? Before she even met us?" Fluttershy asked sadly.
"I'm afraid so..." Wrath concluded in a low tone "And since Discord has motivated Envy to confront us, it's only wise we return the gesture in kind..."
"Envy must be dense to believe that there would be success from trying to eliminate us." Lust said as her horn began to glow while staring down Envy "In fact, it's best we get this over with, since this game of Discord's is nearly complete."
"Fluttershy, you might wanna take Blueblood and Spike inside the train while we take care of this." Greed said without facing Fluttershy, shifting into his Ultimate Shield form with his magic "We're probably gonna be a while depending on how this goes..."
Fluttershy nodded and wordlessly guided Blueblood and Spike back into the train, though looked back in concern and fear over what was soon to transpire between Envy and the other ponies. Meanwhile, the jealous pony laughed defiantly at the group preparing for battle.
"Are you serious? What chance do all of you have against me?" Envy said with a sadistic grin "Then again, I dare you to try. I doubt any of you have a chance against me..." Greed squinted his eyes and readied himself for the first strike...
"ENVY!!"
A prismatic blur breezed past a stupefied Greed as Rainbow Dash zipped towards Envy, surprising it with a strike to the face that pushed the homunculus back a couple of feet. Envy's hooves razed the earth terribly as it skidded back before Rainbow Dash followed up with a flurry of punches assaulting Envy's face and chest. The group watched in awe over the cyan pegasus' explosive combination of anger and desparation in each of her strikes.
"Rainbow Dash..." Twilight uttered, not even remembering to change into her Ultimate Shield form.
"She must really want Envy back." Applejack said with a solemn frown before she narrowed her eyes "Well, we can't let 'er do all th' work!"
"AJ's right! We gotta get moving!" Greed said as he leaped over the stream and broke into a gallop towards the seemingly one-sided fight, the others following suit.
As Rainbow Dash blindly channeled her fury, she felt her right hoof get caught by Envy's left, and the jealous pony did not hesitate in striking back in Rainbow's face as well before pouncing on her, the two tumbling across the ground. Greed and the others hesitated as they had done so, but when Rainbow Dash and Envy stopped, they felt impeded upon seeing two Rainbow Dashes tussling on the ground.
"Dammit! Of course Envy would pull that kind of trick..." Greed snapped as he looked at the two of them fighting for control over each other as one was pinned down on her back before kicking the other off. When they both stood up, they turned to see the group staring directly at them and instantly donned the same look of anxiety.
"Hold it! Don't do anything hasty!" The left one said in a panic.
"Yeah! The last thing you want is to make the wrong choice!" The right one added in the same tone.
"We've only just started and I'm already pissed off..." Greed snarled as he pawed at the ground "Guess we'll have to let luck decide..." He said as he got ready for a charge, until Twilight stood in front of him.
"Or maybe we won't!" Twilight interjected, irritating Greed until he noticed the confident smile on her face. She turned to look back at the two Rainbow Dashes with the same smile "It's true that Envy can copy Rainbow Dash's form, but he can't copy her abilities either." She narrowed her eyes with a knowing smirk "Like how Rainbow's the fastest flier there is!"
It wasn't long until the Rainbow Dash on the right grinned brightly and instantly took off into the sky, leaving a prismatic trail, leaving the other pegasus dumbstruck.
"Alright! Way to go, Twilight!" Rainbow Dash cheered from above. Meanwhile, Greed saw his chance and charged at the fake while it was shocked by Rainbow Dash's feat, knocking Envy back a few feet and back to its original form. As it had landed, Envy crashed horribly into the ground as if it had fallen from a higher altitude. Shining Armor studied Envy's fall carefully with interest.
'Wait a minute...' He thought to himself as he noticed the wide indentation Envy left on the ground.
"Now I see. Nice work, Twi!" Greed said triumphantly. Twilight walked up to his side with a smile.
"It's a lot easier if this Envy doesn't know anything about us." Twilight stated matter-of-factly. The two watched Envy get up, growling at the group as it had done so.
"You bastards are lucky...But I'm just getting started!" Envy quickly lunged forward and pounced at Twilight, causing the two to roll before they stopped to reveal two Twilight Sparkles standing with each other.
"Again?" Rarity griped "This isn't going to be a repetitive process, will it?" She asked distastefully.
"Don't worry, Rarity." The left Twilight said smugly "I'm pretty sure we know who's the real one..."
"Yeah, how funny, right?" The right Twilight replied with the same air of smugness before her horn lit up. There was a flash before she was seen in her Ultimate Shield form, staring at the shocked copy in front of her "You're making this too easy for us."
The other Twilight didn't have time to respond before she was met with a sidecheck courtesy of Greed, who pierced his horn into the fake's right side as she growled in pain. She pulled away and distanced herself from the unicorns as her body was covered in red static, patching up the wound before revealing herself as Envy.
"What the hell? You ponies are nothing like the humans back in my world!" Envy snarled.
"If you're the Envy we remember, that would've been obvious." Shining Armor shot as he stared down the jealous pony "Right now, you're just a misguided changeling with no knowledge of our capabilities." Envy growled at how arrogant Shining Armor had sounded until it let off a scoff.
"Maybe you're right..." Envy said as its body was gradually enveloped in red static "Perhaps I might not know about this shitty world I'm in, but I do know one thing..." Envy grinned darkly at the expectant glances of the group, the sclera in its right eye darkening as the iris glowed ominously "You don't know how powerful I can be!!" As the static around Envy grew brighter, the jealous pony began to grow in size, its features becoming more grotesque as more limbs jutted out of its body. The newly-acquired limbs grew digits as Envy's coat was ripping and fading away along with its tail, which also grew in size; its mane also grew with its body.
The group reflexively backpedaled as Envy continued to grow until it finally took up nearly half of the ravine. In place of Envy was a giant, green, lizard-like beast with two sets of arms, two sets of legs, and an enormous tail. On its head was a triangular symbol similar to what was seen on Envy's headband, partially covered by a large black mane. Its right eye contained a purple iris inside black sclera, while the left eye contained six red pupils that huddled together.
It gave off a roar as a feature added to the revolting display of the monster: Several faces and arms resembling humans in agony emerged around the upper region of the beast's chest, letting off moans of anguish; some faces were even seen on its monstrous tongue and one sprouted from the beast's temple, just in the middle of the triangular symbol. Rarity especially found the sight to be both frightening and repugnant, yet she was unable to faint since she was paralyzed out of fear.
"No..." Rainbow Dash whispered, eyes wide as dinner plates as she took in the sight of the monster "E-Envy?"
"Guess this is what Greed meant about Envy turning into a large monster." Shining Armor concluded before he planted his hooves in the ground, a look of resolve on his face "But I'm not backing down from this! We've come too far to let something like this stand in our way!" He proclaimed as he looked up at the pony-turned-monster.
"Great..." Greed muttered as he stared up at the giant monster "Guess this means we'll have to give it all we've got this time."
The monster that was once Envy simply roared again in response before taking a tremor-inducing step forward, its tail slowly swaying in anticipation.
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.
The train sailed through the sky as the sun and moon bounced up and down in tandem, making it seem as if several days were passing by at a rapid pace. Inside the train, the group, with all the former homunculi accounted for, awaited the final confrontation over the horizon.
Envy tried getting used to the haphazardous flight pattern the train was showing while coping with the continuous change of scenery outside, but to no avail. It grunted in frustration while trying to remain planted in its seat.
"Geez, somehow I'm glad I was the last to be saved. This ride sucks." Envy complained openly.
"Tell me about it." Rainbow Dash said wryly "It wasn't easy at first, and Discord had this thing remodeled ever since we picked up Sloth."
"That explains how roomy this thing is." Envy said before turning to Rainbow Dash "Hey...I never thought I'd say this despite us being together for so long, but...thanks, Dash." Envy muttered before looking down "I can't believe this place actually has me feeling guilty." A light smack on Envy's forehead made it focus on the cyan pegasus smirking.
"Come on, palm tree head. You're better than that. I'm not letting that bother me, and neither should you. Let's just put Discord in his place and we'll go back to our thing in Ponyville. Sound cool?" Rainbow Dash offered. Envy stared before giving a friendly scoff.
"You're still a prismatic prick sometimes, but you're right." Envy smiled before showing an eager grin "This is gonna be interesting if we play our cards right." Rainbow Dash placed a hoof on her chest with a look of confidence.
"Just you wait. We're gonna get my element, and me and the girls will set things straight!" She proclaimed proudly.
"Looking forward to it." Envy said before its smile dropped "I gotta ask though. Was it just as hard to grab the rest of my family as it was me?"
"Oh, definitely. Lust almost lost her friendship with Rarity after Blueblood got hurt, and Twilight, Greed, and Sloth got swallowed by Gluttony." Rainbow Dash explained, earning Envy's rapt attention.
"Seriously? But how did they get out? Does Twilight know alchemy or something?" Envy asked, drawing a quizzical glance from the cyan pegasus.
"What? No. Discord somehow put a lever inside Gluttony's stomach that helped them get out." Rainbow Dash said, to which Envy stared before looking away bitterly.
"Lucky..." Envy murmured irritably.
At another seat away from the two pegasi, Twilight, Greed, Rarity, and Lust were watching them bond and catching up on lost time. Rarity sighed contently at the sight.
"I know this is nothing short of a calm before the storm, but it's so nice to see those two together again..." Rarity said with a touched smile.
"Yes, but we must first see to the peace of Equestria before they can actually take comfort in their relationship." Lust said with her eyes closed.
"Well, I'm ready to go." Greed said proudly "I'm gonna make that bastard Discord regret ever messing with us!"
"Greed, you shouldn't be so headstrong about this." Twilight chided "Discord still has Rainbow Dash's element in his grasp, and there's no doubt he'll put us through another treacherous trial."
"Well excuse me for being optimistic." Greed replied while rolling his eyes "We're almost done with this thing, and if we play our cards right, we'll curbstomp his scaly ass." He laid back against his seat with a smug look in his eyes "This is WAY better than learning about generosity."
"Don't think you're getting away from that once this is all over..." Twilight said with a devious smile, to which Greed's smugness was replaced with mild dread.
"Crap..." He muttered to himself.
"Hey, everypony! We're almost near Canterlot!" Applejack said with her head outside of a window. She brought it in with a frown "But let me tell ya, it's not pretty like it used to be."
Curious of Applejack's words, Greed and Twilight looked outside their own window to view Canterlot, only to gawk at an entirely different sight.
What was once a luxurious and ornate city was turned into what appeared to be a disturbing amusement park with several Discord-themed rides and buildings. The castle was the only thing that hadn't changed entirely, only representing a swirled tower. Ponies were seen on the ground running away in fear from what appeared to be mascots that resembled Discord, only with soulless eyes and opened mouths while a jovial, yet unsettling melody was playing.
"And here I thought Tartarus was bad..." Greed uttered.
"This is awful." Twilight added sadly "Everypony in Canterlot has had it the worst while we were away." She then shook her head and narrowed her eyes "Well, it's time for us to do what we can and make things right!"
"I think it looks pretty fun!" Pinkie said, viewing the city-turned-park with interest despite its dark scenery, only to draw the attention of her friends "What?"
"Stand clear, everypony. We're nearing the castle gates." Shining Armor warned as he looked out as well. The train swooped down and had cruised through the opening entrance, with the engine nearly in front of the castle gates. The engine slowly opened its mouth and rolled out a tongue for the group to walk out of.
They made their way inside of the castle to see that the vestibule was like that of a set of crazy stairs winding into different directions. Everyone but Pinkie Pie had been thrown off by the very sight as they stood on the platform.
"Wow, I'm so dizzy..." Gluttony said as he swayed left and right in a daze "Too many stairs." He gently leaned against Lust while he held his head.
"It's probably gonna take a miracle to find the right path." Envy said while looking around.
"Dammit." Greed growled "I don't know if we can risk splitting up again..."
"Hey, everypony!" The group looked to their left to see Pinkie Pie standing next to a lone door that said 'Throne Room' "I think I found the path we're looking for!" Pinkie held a chipper smile. They were baffled, to say the least, but were just as cautious with the random door the pink pony stood next to.
"Pinkie, I don't think we can actually trust that door, even if Discord has completely redecorated the castle." Twilight said pointedly.
"Well, we're surrounded by chaos, aren't we?" Pinkie asked "Besides, as funny as those stairs look, I think this is a whole lot easier!"
"Can't argue with that." Greed nodded in agreement "Either way, we're gonna be met with trouble. I guess we'll follow Pinkie's suggestion first."
"Yay!" Pinkie cheered as she opened the door, which led to blackness when she looked inside "Huh...Pretty dark for a throne room. Oh hey! There's a staircase leading downstairs!" She said as she pronked her way through the door.
The group looked among themselves warily before traveling single file into the door leading into the dark room, descending down a spiraling staircase with Pinkie taking point. Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Wrath, and Envy made sure to fly while the others walked further down as the door shut behind them, with Sloth being the last to enter.
"Everypony...I'm starting to have second thoughts about this path." Fluttershy said anxiously after the door shut behind them.
"Yer not alone, sugarcube." Applejack said as she trailed down "But we gotta press on either way; no turnin' back now."
"It can be noted that we're to expect something on our way down." Lust said as she looked around the abyss surrounding her "We'll have to be more than careful."
"I hope it isn't any more obscure projectiles or animals being thrown our way like our time on the train." Blueblood said as he darted his eyes around "We were lucky to have been met with either only once on our adventure."
"I'm more worried about this staircase myself." Spike said as he rode on Twilight's back "How long is it anyways? It looks endless from up here." A loud clunk was heard, causing everyone to cease in their tracks, and the stairs below their hooves suddenly receded until the staircase resembled a slide. The group, save for the pegasi, began to slide down further into the dark room.
"Everypony hold on!" Twilight called out to her friends hastily before clinging to one another in a chain. The pegasi quickly gathered with their friends as they picked up speed from their sliding.
After what felt like minutes, the group found themselves at the end of the staircase, though their momentum carried them off and broke their grasp with one another as they fell down into darkness. The element bearers, Spike, and Blueblood were screaming while Shining Armor and the former homunculi attempted to brace themselves as they noticed what appeared to be a large white floor coming into view.
They all fell, expecting a harsh landing, only to bounce from the supposedly plush floor. The pegasi descended as they examined their friends were unharmed.
"Hey, this is fun!" Gluttony chirped as he bounced up and down the plush floor.
"Yeah, this would be super awesome for a birthday party!" Pinkie said jovially as she bounced with Gluttony.
"Soft..." Sloth said with invisible comfort as he laid on the floor.
"Is everypony alright?" Rainbow Dash asked.
"Yeah, we're fine." Greed said as he got up and stretched "This is pretty weird, though. I figured Discord would've wanted us out of the picture."
"Au contraire, mon capitan!"
Lights flashed on the floor as it turned into solid concrete, showing the group that they were trapped in a large arena. Behind the group on the audience seats were the princesses, who were trapped in a barrier that covered the entire area. around them. They looked down below with eyes of concern.
"Princess Celestia!" Twilight said "Princess Luna, too!"
"Cadence!" Shining Armor called out to his wife as he looked up, but was distracted by a maniacal cackling courtesy of Discord, who was seen on the other side of the arena.
"So glad you finally made it to my throne room! Do you like it?" Discord asked with a smirk.
"I dunno." Pinkie said with a pensive frown "If this is your throne room, where's your throne?" Discord snapped his talons and made his signature throne appear behind him for the group to see "Oooooh, there it is!" Pinkie said in realization.
"Alright, Discord! Where's the last element?" Twilight called out vehemently "We've been playing your game for far too long!"
"Oh, I concur, Twilight." Discord said in a melancholic tone as he rested his arms behind his back, striding across his platform above the others "I've grown quite tired of this cat and mouse chase I've set up for you all. It felt as if nearly two years had passed since I first started my little game."
The draconequus smiled as he snapped his talons as Rainbow Dash's element appeared in his eagle claw "To show you how serious I am, I have your precious element right here...among the rest, that is." He added deviously as he revealed the five remaining elements in his lion paw, laughing at the shocked reactions from the element bearers.
"Enough screwing around, Discord!" Greed barked "What say we settle this here and now?"
"I couldn't agree more, Greed. But why not make it more interesting for a final confrontation?" Discord said as he made the elements disappear in his grasp. They reappeared next to his throne in a large glass bottle "I'll just put these here for safe keeping while I get on with our final duel!" He snapped his talons as a large flash covered the area.
Greed shielded his eyes until the flash subsided, and he looked around to see that the arena around him was barren, save for Twilight, who was nearby.
"What the hell!?" He instantly looked up at the audience seats to see that his friends were trapped with the princesses, who were openly voicing their displeasure with their current position. The only one who wasn't entirely enraged was Shining Armor, who instantly saw comfort in being near his wife again. Twilight was just as nervous, but looked over at Greed.
"Why are Greed and I the only ones on the field? What's going on?" Twilight asked.
"Oh, Twilight, I said I would get on with our final duel..." Discord explained before narrowing his eyes with a gleeful grin "I never said you were going to fight me to save Equestria."
"Y-You mean...?" Twilight asked with dread before looking at Greed, who shared her same reaction before glaring up at Discord.
"You sick bastard! You want me to fight Twilight!?" Greed roared.
"Splendid! He can be taught!" Discord cheered sarcastically before rubbing his claws together "You're right on the marker for my intention. You two are just perfect for my entertainment." He pointed a claw at Greed "You're the only homunculus left that I haven't exploited in this game."
"But I remember you saying that my past was too boring!" Greed countered angrily.
"Doesn't mean your combat experience isn't. And now you'll have the option to duke it out with your beloved bookworm while I have the luxury of watching it." Discord said as he floated back to his throne and lounged on it "Now, before I begin, allow me to go over the terms of your decisive battle." He shifted his gaze between the two unicorns "The rules are simple: Last one standing wins, no attacking Yours Truly, and of course, no lollygagging." He tented his talons as he donned a wide smirk "I cannot have you two following Sloth's example when you have your precious Equestria hanging in the balance..."
"You can't make us do this, Discord!" Twilight shouted "This is wrong, even for you!"
"Is it, Twilight? Is it wrong of me to plot my well-deserved revenge on you all in the form of a fun activity?" Discord asked with faint irritation before looking cheerful "Now for the terms! If Greed wins, I'll free your friends AND the princesses, but I'll keep the elements for myself and make another game where all of you will participate in." Discord then grinned "If Twilight wins, I'll simply let you use the elements on me, but..." His grin became more evil "The homunculi will be trapped in stone with me..."
Greed and Twilight widened their eyes at that last part before looking amongst themselves. The others in the audience seats were speechless with what had been presented.
"That jus' ain't right..." Applejack uttered sadly "Greed an' Twilight fightin' against each other?"
"That and the stakes are beyond messed up!" Rainbow Dash vented "What good would come of this!?"
"I don't even know who to cheer for at this point..." Spike murmured as he curled up in his seat, feeling helpless that his surrogate mother was in the worst circumstance yet "Twilight..."
"Greed!" Gluttony shouted as he placed his forehooves against the barrier "You can't do this! You just can't!" He pleaded innocently "You love Twilight! This is wrong!"
Greed grunted to himself as he looked down. Here he was, presented with a battle he was unable to walk away from if he felt up to it. The future of his home hinged on not only his actions, but his loved one as well. If he were to attack Discord, he would possibly jeopardize his entire quest and plunge Equestria deeper into pandemonioum. He gritted his teeth as he struggled with his inner conflict.
Twilight was faring no better, thinking about what Discord had presented to her, her current situation, and the future of her friends and herself. If she were to stand idly by with Greed and refuse to fight, more innocent lives would succumb to Discord's chaos. She was nearly about to break down before she took a deep breath. It was clear what she had to do as she looked over at Greed, who raised his head to glance back at her.
"Greed..." Twilight said morosely "As much as it pains me to do this..." She slowly got into a stance.
"Yeah..." Greed said as he got into a stance of his own, a fixed smile on his face "No other option. It's now or never." He replied calmly "Whatever happens, it's up to you to decide whether or not to forgive me."
"I do." Twilight said as she held a small smile of her own "Because I know you'd do the same for me. My feelings for you will never change despite this chaotic setup."
"Good to hear..." He said as he cracked his neck left and right "Time to see if all that time learning magic under you has paid off."
"Finally, some agreement!" Discord said happily before snapping his talons once more "To make sure this battle will be both interesting and fair, I sealed access to your respective Ultimate Shield spells." he clenched his claws as he squealed in delight "I'm just bristling with excitement!"
"They wouldn't." Rarity watched in fear.
"This is messed up on so many levels." Shining Armor said as he held Cadence close, the two staring down at Greed and Twilight with mournful eyes.
"That Discord is a monster!" Luna proclaimed irately with a hateful glare towards the draconequus.
"As much as I agree with the rest of you, I'm afraid we've no choice in the matter." Celestia stated calmly, albeit sadly as she looked down at the arena "Between Twilight and Greed, the fate of Equestria is in their hooves. All we can do is watch them and see who will triumph in the end."
Everyone in the audience awaited the dreading confrontation between two lovers as they prepared for battle. Discord, who was trembling with anticipation, conjured a kazoo and blew into it, producing a baritone horn sound as he smiled.
"Greed...Twilight...You may begin!" He said as he spread his arms and cackled in delight at the match that was about to ensue.
Greed and Twilight circled each other as they steeled their resolve for their tragic battle, staring each other down. Discord and the trapped audience watched the two unicorns intently as they finished circling and pawed at the ground.
"You better be ready, Twilight! I'm not going easy!" Greed warned harshly.
"I don't expect you to!" Twilight shot back before they galloped towards each other, easily closing the distance before they lunged into combat.
Greed took the initiative and shot out a forehoof towards Twilight's face, easily connecting with her jaw as she was sent tumbling back before skidding to a halt on her side. Greed quickly ran in to deliver another hit, but before he could, he was wrapped in a magic aura, noticing that Twilight was recovering from his hit before hurling him into a nearby wall. Twilight rubbed the corner of her lips with a forehoof while glaring at Greed.
The avaricious pony recovered and steamed from his nostrils before lighting up his horn and firing some magic bolts, to which Twilight deflected with a small frontal shield she instantly casted for herself. After defending herself from Greed's attack, she made her shield disappear, only to have Greed in her vision as he knocked her away with another punch in the face.
Enraged that she was caught off-guard twice, she fired a magic beam from her horn, to which Greed instantly countered as their beams collided and pushed against each other. While Greed had the edge on Twilight with physical strength, he found himself struggling as his opponent was gradually toppling his magic. It wasn't long until Greed was blown back by the combined intensity of his and Twilight's magic, flying back before he recovered in the air and skidded to a halt upon reaching the ground. Despite the tension in the air, Greed allowed himself a grin.
"Never thought I'd still be on the receiving end of your magic, Twi! Not bad!" Greed called out. Twilight managed a small smirk back at her opponent.
"You still have a lot to learn, and I'm not holding back!" Twilight replied as her horn remained lit up.
Greed scoffed before he decided to gallop towards Twilight with his own horn aglow. Twilight decidedly followed suit as they glared at each other. Both unicorns' horns brightened as they neared each other, and Greed saw fit to attack with a point-blank magic beam.
Only to have Twilight disappear the moment she got close enough.
Greed's eyes widened as he skidded to a halt and darted his head around before he felt a magic beam strike him from behind, knocking him forward as he staggered. He quickly turned around to see a purple hoof connect with his muzzle as he stumbled back again.
Twilight felt victorious that her surprise attack was a success, but she was rewarded with an irate Greed closing in on her. She instantly lit up a magic shield in front of her, but noticed how the avaricious pony leaped into the air and over her, landing directly behind her. He reared his hindlegs back before delivering a swift and painful buck that had Twilight flying forward before she landed unceremoniously on the ground.
"You're not the only one with a brain!" Greed quipped before pursuing Twilight while she got up.
After she recovered, Twilight turned around to see Greed nearing her and hopped away when he attempted to deliver a hook, and ducked when he followed up with another before firing a magic beam at his chest, sending him back a couple of feet as his coat was scorched.
It felt weird for Greed to fight without the use of his Ultimate Shield, even if his or Twilight's were restricted for the sake of fairness. He never thought he'd be met with so much pain without being able to regenerate from it. Greed, shaking off his mild distress, chose to brave another encounter with Twilight, who attempted to strike at him, only to have her hoof blocked and easily countered with a black hoof across her face.
Before she could recover, Twilight felt another hoof against her face that sent her stumbling back, and she found herself flying backwards until landing painfully on her back after Greed delivered another buck, this time aimed at her chest. Discord guffawed with dark glee as he watched Greed and Twilight fighting against each other as he ate some popcorn and drank the glass from a glass of chocolate milk. Meanwhile, the ponies and Spike in the audience seat watched the sight with burdening sorrow.
"This is insane! Is there really nothing we can do?" Rarity mourned as she laid eyes on her two friends fighting each other.
"As maddening as this battle and its terms are, it's out of our hooves at this point." Wrath said as he viewed the battle with a hardened gaze "Greed and Twilight have no other alternative to this final tribulation. The outcome is theirs to decide and theirs alone..."
"I hate this so much...Why does this have to be so complicated?" Spike asked as he balled his claws into fists before burying his face in them.
"This sucks! I can't believe our fate depends on whoever wins this stupid fight!" Envy complained angrily as it gritted its teeth "Win or lose, Discord will get his in spades!" Envy snarled.
"I can't believe it's come to this." A teary-eyed Fluttershy said as she was being comforted by Applejack "This is just awful."
"I couldn't agree more." Cadence said morosely while watching Greed and Twilight "This goes against everything I stand for."
"The scene before us is troubling indeed." Luna said solemnly "I cannot lie that I'm torn between which pony should be the victor, considering that the scale of either loss is large." She looked over at Celestia "Tell me, sister...Who do you wish to succeed?"
"That is a question I cannot bring myself to answer, Luna." Celestia replied as she shook her head "It's as Wrath said: The outcome is theirs to decide and theirs alone." She watched the battle with a heavy heart; perhaps the heaviest of all. Her own student was locked in a fight with her beloved partner, and there was nothing she could do to save her from this peril. All she could do was watch.
Twilight recovered and leered at Greed before galloping towards him with her forehooves ready, her opponent mimicking her actions. They clashed their hooves as they threw and blocked punches that were aimed at either their chest or face. Greed toppled Twilight with ease as he knocked her back with a left hook. He went to strike again, only to be met with a blinding light in his eyes, causing him to reel back his hoof and rub his eyes before he noticed Twilight throw a punch directly on his muzzle.
Greed was quick to recover and retaliated with a more intense blow to Twilight's chest, making her eyes bulge as she gagged. Before she could find relief, she was thrown back, landing on her side as she coughed from the heavy hit. Greed, while full of energy, felt his heart buckle as he watched Twilight laying down in pain, but shook it off as he narrowed his eyes and waited patiently for the lavender unicorn to get back up.
Greed and Twilight stared each other down while catching their breath. Both unicorns had a good amount of scars and bruises on their body, namely their face.
Discord clapped with mirthful fervor before he snapped his talons. Random weaponry from rubber chickens to large mallets rained on the field and surrounded Greed and Twilight, easily distracting them from their fight. The avaricious pony glared up at Discord.
"We don't need your help, asshole! Stay out of this!" He shouted, to which Discord frowned.
"Rude much? Fine..." With a roll of his eyes and a snap of his talons, Discord made the random weaponry vanish in an instant before Greed and Twilight resumed their fight. From the seats, Pinkie let out a small giggle.
"I think that lightened the mood a bit for me." She said with a hint of happiness before she sighed again, her ears folding back "Too bad it's not enough for this."
"Greed...Twilight..." Gluttony whimpered as he held onto Lust for comfort, to which the lascivious mare caressed his head with a hoof as she closed her eyes.
"Fighting is a pain..." Sloth rumbled as he watched with disinterest "Conflict is a pain..." He slowly rose his head to get a glimpse of a giddy Discord "Discord...is the biggest pain of all..."
"Couldn't o' said it better myself, Sloth." Applejack said with a dirty glare directed towards Discord.
"To think that we're met with a battle that is as dire as it is complex." Blueblood murmured "Discord's treachery is legendary. How can one even find enjoyment in something so horrid?"
"You forget that chaos is Discord's idea of fun." Shining Armor replied to Blueblood while watching the battle with narrowed eyes "Nothing else matters to him but that." He felt his heart sink whenever he saw his sister met with pain, seeing how the fatigue was slowly getting to her.
After they spared each other a moment of breathing, Greed and Twilight went back to their fight with aggressive abandon, delving back to their same tactics of close combat. The only difference was that Twilight snuck in some magical attacks to match Greed's physical strength. As they fought, Greed caught one of Twilight's forehooves as she struggled to reel it back. She glared at the avaricious pony, only to catch him grinning at her.
"This kinda takes me back...Remember when we took out those changelings that were swarming in Ponyville? That was a cakewalk compared to this..." Greed said nonchalantly despite his current condition. Twilight was about to retort, thinking he was trying to dissuade her, but she ended up smiling back at Greed.
"You and your family went overboard, but you all meant well. I don't see a reason to reminisce while we're fighting..." Twilight replied as she struggled.
"Guess not..." Greed said as he tossed Twilight's hoof back and went to strike again, only to be knocked back by a magic beam that connected with his chest.
Greed was beginning to feel more worn out, and it was giving him a minute sense of anxiety that he never thought to have felt at a time like this. He looked over to see Twilight faring no better despite charging towards him as the two continued to fight. He was beginning to think there was more to this fight than what was on the line for both parties.
Loathe as he was to admit, Greed hated to lose, be it a fight or some of his possessions. He was happy with how he was born and how he lived his life despite its rough turns. Even in his passing, he had no regrets for his actions.
The avaricious pony, and some of his family, had been welcomed into a new life for the reason of finding their own truth and had managed to represent something other than their respective sins. They had been given a better purpose than what was presented by their creator.
Greed was content with everything, and now here he stood as a victim of circumstance, fighting against someone that he held dear more than any friend he had made in his new life; the one who reminded him how much friendship meant to many; that friendship was magical.
More and more, Greed was starting to see the bigger picture as he traded blows with Twilight, and beneath his battered exterior, he found a warmth that had never been felt before. After knocking Twilight back with a strong punch, she saw her get up with her horn glowing brighter than before. Greed allowed himself a smirk, knowing that she was on her last legs.
It was all he needed now.
Greed feigned a casual stroll before breaking into a gallop towards Twilight, paying her brilliant horn no mind. It was time for him to finish this. When he got close, he brought up a hoof to strike Twilight in the face once more, but was blown away by the strongest magic beam that Twilight had ever cast in her life. The avaricious pony was sent far back into a distant wall as his entire body was scorched, making him look blacker than his own coat. Everyone but Twilight gasped, including Discord.
Twilight was catching her breath as she fell on one knee and looked over at Greed sticking on the wall he was on before falling on his stomach, his body producing smoke as he laid worn down.
"Greed?" Rainbow Dash said with her mouth agape "Greed actually lost to Twilight?"
"But how!? Greed might be an idiot, but he isn't that weak!" Envy said as it looked at Greed's worn figure laying on the ground.
"It's true." Celestia added "Greed is one of the most capable fighters I know under Wrath. The only way for him to actually lose was..." A roar of outrage courtesy of Discord was what interrupted Celestia as the draconequus leered down at Greed, pointing a lion claw at him.
"I saw that! I saw what you did there, and that is not funny!!" Discord shouted. Twilight, for her part, was confused by Discord's sudden mood shift.
"What..." Twilight paused as she caught her breath "What are you talking about, Discord?" She asked in a strained tone.
"You know what I mean!" Discord spat before looking back at Greed "You and your precious marefriend managed to plan this behind my back, haven't you!? Admit it!" Twilight had never been so confused in her life until her ears picked up a weak fit of laughter from the other side of the arena.
From where he laid, a triumphant grin was seen on Greed's face despite the fact that he was close to passing out.
"Nope...It was all me..." Greed wheezed as he laid down, laughing again before he went into a coughing fit.
"You can't do that! You knew the terms! You knew the rules! You know exactly who you are and what you're after! This isn't like you at all!" Discord vented as his claws gripped the armrests of his throne tightly.
Twilight didn't know what to make of Discord's anger and Greed's laughter until she pieced it together for herself. Her eyes widened as she stood stunned, then her body trembled before she rushed towards Greed with a surge of adrenaline, completely ignoring the injuries she had sustained. Not even the pain in her body kept her from reaching Greed as skidded to a halt at his side and knelt down to get a better look at his grinning face.
"Hey...Twi..." Greed said dryly upon seeing the broken look on Twilight's face.
"Why..." She whispered with her newfound energy "Why did you do this? That wasn't necessary at all..." Twilight said as her eyes welled up
"Sure it was..." Greed hacked as he tried keeping his eyes open "You were gonna teach me generosity one way or another once this was over...I just wanted to take initiative..." He coughed as he noticed tears streaming down Twilight's eyes "Don't look at me like that...I know it makes me sick to my stomach, but it's for a good cause, right?"
"TRAPPING YOU AND YOUR FAMILY IN STONE WITH DISCORD IS NOT A GOOD CAUSE!!" Twilight managed to shout at the top of her lungs with her eyes clenched shut. She cried as she leaned down and laid her forelegs on Greed, burying her face in his back.
"Damn, you're loud...Suck it up..." Greed wheezed "If I actually decided to keep fighting, we'd only be wasting precious time...You deserve better than this, Twi..." He explained, even though Twilight was crying her eyes out.
"No...I don't deserve this and neither should you..." Twilight choked as she rose her head and wiped her eyes "But, even though I'm sad...I'm also proud of you, Greed." Greed's grin widened.
"That's good to hear..." His eyes were beginning to close "Take care, Twi...Be happy..." Greed's eyes were closed as his consciousness faded. Twilight felt more tears coming on, but she gently pecked Greed's head before she brought herself up. The others in the audience seats now knew full well what was going on.
"I don't believe it..." Spike's eyes were wide as dinner plates as he stared at Greed.
"Me neither." Blueblood whispered in awe "The impossible has happened at last..."
"He threw the fight?" Shining Armor said in shock "Greed actually went out of his way to take the fall just like that?"
"Incredible..." Lust said as she looked at Greed "It seems that even one such as Greed can be generous now and then." She frowned "I'm not entirely happy with what he has done, but it was his decision in the end."
"Neither am I." Wrath said with a wistful smile "But at least he managed to actually learn something in the end. Too bad we're going to suffer for it." He said with a hollow chuckle.
"You mean..." Fluttershy whimpered "All of you will be trapped with Discord?"
"Mhm..." Gluttony nodded sadly "I don't like it, but Greed's the one who decides for us. I guess he really wants to save the world." He hung his head "I wanna stay, but that'd only mean more trouble for us and everypony.
"Ah can't believe Greed actually went fer this...This ain't like 'im at all." Applejack said as she removed her hat and held it to her chest.
"He's a real hero, isn't he?" Pinkie said with a sad smile "But that means he and the other homunculi won't be there for the 'We saved Equestria' party..." She said as she sniffled, shedding a tear.
"No..." Rainbow Dash said as she looked at Greed before darting her heat towards Envy, whose expression was unreadable "I don't want to lose you again!" Rainbow Dash quickly embraced Envy in desparation "Do you hear me!? I don't wanna lose you again!"
"Let it go, you idiot..." Rainbow Dash instantly paused her hug as she noticed Envy's head raise up with an indifferent expression "There's nothing I can do now but figure out how to beat the shit out of Greed with my mind. He wanted it to end this way, and I'm super pissed, but I guess he went with the better choice..."
"But what about us?" The cyan pegasus asked "We made a promise to go back together. You know that!" Envy looked over at Rainbow Dash and gently placed a hoof on her cheek before pulling her in for a deep kiss, wrapping its forehooves around her neck as Rainbow Dash managed to return the kiss. When they broke, Envy was seen with a small smile.
"Maybe next time. Don't worry, Greed's not getting off easy for this..." Envy said in an uncharacteristically soothing voice as Rainbow Dash tried fighting back her own tears.
"Stone? What a pain..." Sloth yawned "At least I get to nap..."
Celestia and the other princesses looked upon the other homunculi coming to terms with their fate while the other ponies mourned their eventual imprisonment. They all shared looks of sadness for what is to come before Celestia closed her eyes for a moment. Her eyes then shot open with a look of anger directed towards an angry draconequus.
"Discord!!" She shouted, managing to grab his attention "You know full well of the terms you made for yourself! You are obligated to abide by them no matter the outcome! Release us and face your punishment with dignity!" She was undeterred by the glare that was sent back at her.
"Believe me, I know...I'm a draconequus of my word, after all." Discord said as he begrudingly snapped his talons and not only released the prisoners, but stationed the elements to their respective owners. Twilight was also relieved of their battle scars. Sadly, he also gathered the six homunculi at his side. He rounded them all up together as he sighed to himself, his anger leaving rather instantly.
"Well, it was fun while it lasted. But at least I'm met with a consolation prize." Discord flashed a hollowly cheerful smile towards the homunculi "You're going to love it inside the confines of your minds! You can do almost anything in there once you put your mind to it!"
"Don't talk to me, you bastard..." Envy snarled without facing Discord.
"Alright, girls. Let's do it..." Twilight said with a deep breath as she and her friends got into place.
"Yeah. It's time we put this whole thing behind us." Rainbow Dash replied with as much bravado as she could muster as she rose up, her element beginning to glow.
"Goodbye, Gluttony. I'll miss you and your appetite." Pinkie said as she channeled her element.
"I'll miss all of you!" Fluttershy called out in sadness as she focused.
"I hope we'll actually meet each other again!" Rarity said as her element shined brightly.
"We'll be sure t' visit ya sometime, ya here!?" Applejack said as she and her friends were in sync with one another.
The princesses, Shining Armor, Spike, and Blueblood watched with saddened eyes as the Elements of Harmony were at full power, and blasted Discord and the former homunculi with a rainbow of light, encasing the draconequus and his captive ponies in stone. Each homunculus, save for Greed and Sloth, had a gentle look on their faces directed towards their friends as they were petrified, while Discord merely grinned as if posing for a photo with the homunculi in his arms.
From there, the rainbow of light shot up into the abyss and pierced the endless darkness above, shooting up out of the castle and into the sky before encompassing all of Equestria in a giant rainbow wave that cleansed everything that had been wronged by Discord.
The battle had been won; all thanks to a pony of avarice embracing generosity in his heart.
Princess Celestia and Luna were sitting on their throne, feeling content with themselves, albeit crestfallen over the sacrifice they had witnessed the other day. Celestia looked up at the ceiling, thinking to herself on how her subjects would manage to go about their days without the homunculi at their side. What also crossed her mind was how Discord brought up the homunculi's dark pasts despite them making their big change in Equestria. It made her wonder about Discord himself...
"Majesties." Came a familiar voice that snapped Celestia out of her thought. Luna and herself noticed Shining Armor and Cadence making their way inside with sad smiles on their face "We have visitors who wish to go out into the royal gardens. We also hoped if you'd like to join us as well." Celestia and Luna held knowing smiles as the former nodded.
"Of course." Celestia responded as she and Luna rose from the throne "Let's go, shall we?" The four ponies made their way out of the throne room to see the element bearers and Spike standing outside, waiting patiently for the others.
"Thank you for allowing us to visit, Princess Celestia." Twilight said politely, though it was clear in her eyes she wasn't entirely happy despite the smile on her face.
"You know you and your friends are always welcome here, my faithful student." Celestia responded warmly to Twilight "I can already tell your reasons for arriving here."
"Heh, that obvious, huh?" Rainbow Dash asked in a wistful tone.
"We owe 'em a lot o' visits fer all they've done. Especially..." Applejack trailed off before she noticed how Twilight was hanging her head.
"A visit is the least we can do for them." Luna piped up "Let us make for the gardens." They were trotting along the halls, until they noticed a guard approach them, bowing in reverence to the princesses.
"Princesses, you have another visitor to also wishes to see the gardens." The guard informed.
"But who else would have a reason to join us?" Rarity asked. A pony was approaching from the stairs behind the guard, and she gasped when she recognized Blueblood, only he was seen with a soft smile and a patch on his chest.
"Greetings, everypony." Blueblood greeted with a curt bow "I wished to pay my respects as well. I hope you do not mind my company." He said in a tone entirely different from his formerly haughty self.
"Not at all." Rarity replied with a kind smile "You were just as involved as the rest of us. The more the merrier." She said as she trotted up to his side and gave him a brief nuzzle on the cheek. Spike watched the scene indifferently, though was somewhat happy himself.
"Thank you." Blueblood nuzzled Rarity back. With the group together they made their way out of the castle.
Outside in the royal gardens near the grass maze, the group looked upon the statue of Discord and the six homunculi that he held in his arms. They were revolted by that victorious grin on his face while he held their friends tightly. Twilight and Rainbow Dash neared Envy and Greed.
Greed, despite the many injuries he sustained, was seen with a smile of contentment as his eyes closed. Twilight noticed how he was satisfied beneath his injuries that she herself had inflicted upon him. She caressed his left cheek with a hoof as she stared with a look of longing, a tear streaming down her right eye.
Rainbow Dash was looking at Envy's gentle smile, as if it were waiting patiently for something. The cyan pegasus held back a laugh at the thought of Envy actually being patient, let alone gentle. She then sighed when she remembered that amazing kiss that Envy sent her off with before its petrification.
Rarity's ears drooped as she stood next to Blueblood, who closed his eyes and hung his head. Spike stood on Rarity's opposite side as he watched Twilight get a closer look at Greed. Applejack took off her hat and held it to her chest as she held a mournful look. Pinkie and Fluttershy sniffled as she looked at the statue.
Shining Armor and the princesses held their own solemn gazes towards the statue as they gave their imprisoned friends a moment of silence.
After enough time had passed, Twilight and Rainbow Dash moved away from the statue and back towards the others.
"Thank you for your time, princess." Twilight said as she rubbed her eyes "This was all we needed before getting back to our lives. We'll be back to see them again in the near future."
"Yeah, thanks." Rainbow Dash added as she landed next to Twilight.
"The pleasure is ours, my little ponies. You're always welcome to visit the homunculi at your leisure." Celestia responded before she and Twilight shared a hug. The element bearers and Spike then took their leave, trying to lift their spirits as they walked away. Blueblood watched them leave before turning to the princesses.
"I, too, should take my leave. I have several tasks to attend to that require my presence." Blueblood said before he smiled "You'll be happy to know that I shall make a difference in Equestria from here on out. I will do my part and make it a better place for everypony."
"See to it that you do, dear nephew." Luna said with a smile as they shared a nuzzle before the prince left as well, leaving Shining Armor and the princesses to look upon the statue.
"You know, even if the homunculi were monsters at one point, they were the greatest heroes anypony could ask for." Cadence said.
"They were more than that..." Celestia said as she looked at the distant image of the ponies and dragon leaving the gardens "They were their friends. They taught us that even the most despicable being can make a change for the better."
"Indeed." Luna said "If only there was a way to reverse their horrible predicament." Celestia listened to Luna before she had an idea. A small smile was seen on her face as she looked ahead at Discord and his manic grin.
'Perhaps there is, Luna.' Celestia thought to herself as she rubbed her chin 'Perhaps there is...' _____
5 months later
"You're certain about this, sister? Think about what you're doing!" Luna said.
"I already have, Luna. And I know for a fact that the Elements of Harmony are what we need to set things straight..."
"But...You're going to free him as well. You know that, right?"
"Luna..." Celestia said with a confident smile "That is the intention." Luna stared dumbfounded before she sighed in defeat.
"This may be the craziest plan you've ever thought of. I'll notify your guards to get the chariots ready. I hope you know the danger that lies ahead if you go through with this."
"I'm aware, but I also know to be prepared. After all, Discord, much like the homunculi, was a monster himself..."