Chapters Money is Everything (Greed's Manifestation)
Our first story begins with a Mr. Golden Rich. He is the proud owner of a successful company in Manehattan but is still humble. So he keeps telling himself.
Golden Rich punched out his card and stepped out of his office.
"Another fine day of work." he said to himself.
He began walking to his home, an extravagant apartment building in Upper Manehattan. Unfortunately, he'd have to walk through the less extravagant Hooflyn, to get to it. Golden Rich didn't hate the town, far from it. He just hated being around the ponies in the town. Every time he walked through, the ponies stared at him as if they'd seen an alien. However, Golden Rich would never stoop so low as to call them 'Commoners'. He was just as common as them, but with a bit more money. Ok, a lot more money. Rich didn't know why but, for some reason, he loved money. He was never vocal about it though, he wanted to be humble so ponies won't view all rich ponies as stuck up jerks. As he was making his usual route, he happened upon a ragged and frail old pony. They were dressed in a worn out brown jacket and a matching hat. Their pants were full of holes and their shoes ripped open in some areas. Their eyes were sunken and miserable. The pony was waving a cup around.
"Bits? Ya got spare bits, sir?" the pony asked Golden Rich.
Golden Rich didn't know what to do. Of course he had bits on him, they were in his bit pouch. However, he wasn't in the mood to just throw them out.
"I'm sorry, I don't seem to have any on me." he lied.
"Are you sure?" the homeless pony asked, their voice sounding like they had just gotten over a terrible cold.
"Positive, now I must be on my way." Golden Rich responded, turning to trot away.
"I'd watch out Golden Rich" the homeless pony said, their rasp gone.
"What do you mean?" Golden Rich asked. "How do you know my name?"
"I know many things about you." the pony replied. "The most important thing I now is this, your Greed is growing stronger every day. Abandon it or be consumed by it."
"That's ridiculous." Golden Rich scoffed. "I'm not greedy." With that he set off for his home.
Golden Rich walked into the door of his home and soaked it in. The floors were cobblestone and the stairs marble with iron rails.
Truly a home befitting of someone as rich as me Golden Rich thought. Wait, where did that come from? I don't think I'm entitled to things.
i'm not greedy Golden Rich's words echoed in his mind.
"I must be going nuts." Golden Rich reassured himself. "I need to get my mind off of things." With that, Golden Rich played Ponyopoly with himself, ate some dinner, and went to bed.
That night, Golden Rich dreamt a strange dream. He was in a black void and he thought he saw something in the distance, but is was too hard to see. All he could see were two blotches of something red.
When Golden Rich woke up the next morning, he was feeling refreshed and ready to go. He quickly got dressed in his suit and began his walk to work. While on his way, he passed by the homeless pony again.
"Spare bits? Spare bits?" the pony begged, their regular, raspy voice back.
"Sorry, I don't have any spare bits at the moment." Golden Rich lied again
"You and I both know that you do, Golden Rich." the homeless pony said, their voice once again changing.
"I don't know what you mean." Golden Rich said, trotting faster to get away from the pony.
"Abandon your greed or be consumed by it." the pony shouted to him.
Golden Riches was running now. I'm not greedy, I'm not greedy, I'M NOT GREEDY! he repeated to himself over and over again.
When Golden Rich arrived at his office, he decided he would prove that he can be charitable. He personally gave an employee the day off and assured them he'd file their papers for them. Sure it was hard, but it was worth it to see his employees happy. Suddenly, a pony came into the cubicle he was occupying and told him he had to be present for a meeting. He hated to to leave his work undone, but his employees needed him.
"As you can see, our company has made 900 bits in the past month alone." an employee reported.
"This is preposterous! We need to make more! We're way behind!" Golden Rich blurted out.
"Uh, sir?" another employee interjected. "We're actually 400 bits above our quota for the month."
Golden Rich blinked. "Right, of course." he said sheepishly. "I must of done the math wrong."
"No problem, sir." the employee reporting said. "We all screw up math every once in a while. Anyways..."
After the meeting, Golden Rich returned to his desk and started working once more.
What's going on?! Golden Rich thought to himself as he was walking home. I'm usually not like this. Sure, I have money, but, I never want more of it. I don't even know how to spend what I do earn!
"Your greed is consuming you." the homeless pony said, somehow reading Golden Rich's thoughts.
Golden Rich didn't think about that though. This was the third time that this stupid homeless pony had stopped him to call him greedy and he'd had enough!
"Listen here you washed up piece of trash!" Golden Rich yelled, getting up in the pony's face. "I won't give you a single bit for all grief you've given me! I don't even care if your homeless or not, leave me alone !"
"My word! Such greed!" a mare who happened to be walking by commented.
Golden Rich stepped back while the homeless pony smiled triumphantly. Other ponies were staring at him and murmuring to each other.
No he thought No! I'm not greedy!!! With that, he ran the rest of the way to his home, slammed the door, and locked it shut.
"I gotta get some sleep!" Golden Rich said. He took off his suit, washed his face, and went to bed, even though it was only 7:30
That night, Golden Rich had the same dream. Only this time, it was different. The red blotches now became clear. As soon as they were though, Golden Rich wished they weren't. The shapes formed two blood red eyes with tiny black slits for irises. It was like a dragon had just woken up and was glaring at him for entering its cave. Then, something white appeared beneath the eyes. It was a smile. A hideous and evil smile. The kind of smile that meant bad things are going to happen to you. The teeth the smile were made of looked sharper than a dragon's scales. Then, the face laughed. It's laughter echoed off of the imaginary walls of Golden Rich's subconscious. The most terrifying thing about the dream though?The face laughing had Golden Rich's voice.
Golden Rich woke up in a cold sweat. What was that face? What was it laughing about? Why did it have his voice? He had so many questions. He didn't have time to answer them however as he had to get to work. As he was putting on his suit, he noticed something strange in his peripheral vision. Looking at his hoof, he saw that it had lime green spots on it!
Am I coming down with the Pony Pox? Golden Rich worried. Still, he had promised the employee he'd get their work done. Instead of calling in sick, he simply put on a extra long-sleeved suit and began his commute.
Golden Rich was working on filing the papers when an employee came in.
"Mr. Rich, sir?" they said.
"What is it?" Golden Rich asked.
"Are you feeling ok?" the employee asked.
"Of course I am. Why wouldn't I be?" he said, wondering if the employee had seen his hooves.
"Well, it's just that you have those green spots on your face and..."
"What do you mean?!" Golden Rich shouted.
"See for yourself." the employee said, holding up a hand mirror she kept in her purse.
The employee had spoken the truth. The green spots on Golden Rich's hooves had spread to his chest and to his face!
"I have no idea what could be causing this." Golden Rich said trying to maintain his composure. "I'll go home for the day and get some bed rest just in case." he assured the employee.
"Ok, sir. I hope you get better." she said as he was walking out of the office.
"Thank you." he called back.
As Golden Rich was walking home, he tried his best to cover his face, but ponies still stared at him and avoided close quarters with him.
"It's happening." the homeless pony said as Golden Rich passed by him.
"I don't have time for you. I'm sick!" Golden Rich replied. Yeah, I'm sick. he assured himself. I'll go home, lie in bed, make a hopefully quick recovery, and go back to business as usual.
Golden Rich got home after what felt like the longest walk of his life. He took off the suit to see his entire body was covered in the green spots.
Yikes! Golden Rich thought, unusually calm. I'd better see if I can borrow that book Super Naturals so I can see what the cure for whatever this is. Still under the illusion that this was a simple ailment, Golden Rich started for the stairs. However, all of a sudden he felt an extraordinarily stabbing pain. It felt like a Bug Bear was trying to rip out his spine and pull out his teeth at the same time! He needed help! Gathering what little strength he had, he made his way over to the phone.
"Manehattan Emergency Operators, what's your emergency?" the pony on the other line said.
"Hello." Golden Rich said, his voice reflecting the pain he was in. "I need a doctor over here now."
"Ok sir, we'll send one right away." the pony responded. "What's your address?"
Fighting through another wave of pain, Golden Rich managed to choke out "555 Golden Oats Road"
"Don't worry sir, help is on the way." the operator assured him before hanging up.
Just then, another shockwave of pain coursed through him. His body just couldn't take it anymore and, in an instant, the world went dark.
There was a knock on the door.
"Hello? Mr. Rich?" the doctor called. "Are you in there?"
No answer.
Taking drastic measures, the doctor busted down the door to find Golden Rich on the floor.
"Boys, come in here and look at this!" the doctor called for two ponies carrying a stretcher.
"What's the problem, doctor?" one of the ponies asked.
"I think the better question is what is that ?" the other pony said, pointing to Golden Rich.
"It's a patient in need!" the doctor said in a commanding voice. "Stop horsing around and get him in the ambulance!"
Complying with the doctor's order, the medics loaded Golden Rich onto the stretcher and took him to the hospital.
Golden Rich woke up expecting another wave of pain but, to his surprise, nothing happened.
Ha! I knew I would get over that illness eventually! he thought to himself triumphantly. Opening his eyes, he found himself on a hospital bed connected to a heart monitor.
Yikes, I must've been more sick than I thought! . Looking around the room, he spotted a pony in a doctor's gown.
"Excuse me doctor." he asked. "What happened to me?"
The doctor turned around revealing their face. They were a frail and ragged pony with sunken eyes and tattered clothes. "See for yourself." the homeless pony said, holding up a mirror.
What Golden Rich saw would haunt his memory forever. His coat had become entirely lime green. His mane had gone from a short fluffy mane on top of his head to a straight and sleek mane on the side of his head. The color had turned from brown to lime green, like his coat. He noticed his teeth, sharp as nails and pure white. His eyes had turned into pools of color with thin black slits for irises. The worst thing of all,there were two dragon-like wings protruding from his back.
"What happened to me?!! " Golden Rich yelled at the homeless pony for answers.
"It's as I said." the homeless pony smirked. "Your greed will consume you."
"Please! I'm sorry I didn't spare you some bits! I promise I'll be generous! I promise!!! " Golden Rich yelled in desperation.
"It's too late for you." the homeless pony said. "It's already happening."
The last thing Golden Rich noticed were his eyes, if he could even call them his eyes anymore, turning blood red. Just like the ones in his dream. One eye turned, and then the other.
Golden Rich was no more.
"So." the homeless pony said, unfazed by the horrific transformation that had just taken place. "Do you feel like donating some bits to a poor old homeless pony?"
The creature eyed the homeless pony and blinked.
"No." its voice bearing no resemblance to the pony it used to be. "If ponies don't have money, that's there fault."
"And why is that?" the homeless pony asked with fake interest.
The creature got out of the hospital bed, landed on the ground, and folded its new wings to its sides.
"Because money is everything." the creature said.
An Issue of Charity (Greed's Victim)
Despite the pony that they had come from no longer existed, it makes sense that Greed's first target would be a successful businesspony like Mr. Fruit Basket.
Mr. Fruit Basket was an ordinary pony living in the ordinary town of Ponyville. He ran The Fruit Basket , a fruit and veggie stall located in the town's market. With a name like his, you'd think he was destined for the marketplace, but that wasn't the case. Many moons ago when he was just a foal, his parents were preparing for a picnic when they found him in the fruit basket having eaten all of the fruit! They were understandably upset, but they couldn't stay mad at him.
The Fruit Basket was one of the more popular stalls in the marketplace. One reason, besides the kind-hearted stallion running it, was the stall's return policy. Mr. Fruit Basket promises his customers that if they purchase something and it goes bad within 24 hours, they can bring it back to him and he'll replace it free of charge. Fruit Basket takes his promises very seriously. He hasn't broken a single one in all of his days.
One day, while he was working at his stall, an adorable little filly came up and asked his attention. Fruit Basket, wanting to treat all ponies equally, always had a hoofstool outside of the stall in case little fillies and colts wanted to buy anything.
"Excuse me, sir." the filly said after climbing up on the hoofstool.
"What can I do for you little one?" Fruit Basket asked.
"I'm trying to help the Bowls for Foals charity." she explained. "It's a charity that will give food to little ponies in need."
"Why that's a pure cause if I ever heard one." Fruit Basket said. He checked his bit pouch to see how much he had. "I'm sorry, I don't seem to have the spare bits right now." he said shamefully.
"Oh...OK." the filly sighed.
"Chin up little one." said Fruit Basket. "I promise you I'll donate as soon as I get my finances in order."
"What are fine-dances?" she asked.
"Nevermind, just look for me in a few days and I'll be sure to hand you some bits."
The filly's face lit up like the morning sun. "Ok, mister." she said, then she trotted away.
What a nice filly Fruit Basket thought to himself.
After he closed up the stall, Fruit Basket started heading home. It wasn't much, a simple cottage on Stirrup Street, but it was enough.
I don't want a big house anyway. Fruit Basket thought to himself. It would be nice though. After some dinner, he trotted upstairs and went to bed.
Wake up a voice whispered to Fruit Basket. Open your eyes it insisted.
"Give me a second, I'm tired." Fruit Basket explained, blinking his eyes open.
How can you be tired? You are in a dream. The voice said.
"I'm...dreaming?" Fruit Basket said, looking around his dream. It was a sunny field filled with grape vines, pineapple plants, and apple trees. After taking in the scenery he looked for the source of the voice.
"I'm over here." the voice said, it's whisper gone.
Fruit Basket looked in the direction of the voice and his eyes fell upon a frightening sight. Standing in front of him was a lime green creature with dragon-like wings. Their eyes were red and reptilian and their teeth sharp as knives.
"Wh-Who are you?" Fruit Basket asked, his voice quivering with fear.
"I don't necessarily have a name." the creature said. "All you need to know is that I am of no danger to you."
"How can I be so sure?" Fruit Basket countered.
"Think of it this way." the creature said. "If I was going to hurt you, I would have done it already."
The creature made a good point, so Fruit Basket lowered his guard.
"You know, you were right in not donating." the creature said, purposefully being vague. "You have more important things to spend your bits on."
Fruit Basket couldn't remember what the creature was talking about. He only remembered one small detail. "I do have to pay my bills before spending any more bits." he said. "If I don't, Mayor Mare's gonna have my head on a platter."
"Indeed." the creature said, not caring about Fruit Baskets financial stability. The sun started going down in the field.
"I'm waking up." Fruit Basket said. "Bye...ummm...what was your name?"
"You can just call me Deerg." the creature said. After that, the field became a sea of nothingness and Fruit Basket woke up.
Fruit Basket woke up and stepped out of his house. He was feeling oddly eager to get to work today.
"Another day of selling fruits." he said to himself while trotting up to his stall.
The day was relatively slow with only a few ponies stopping by. Nothing real interesting happened except that, for some reason Fruit Basket kept sneaking glances at the crate he kept his bits in. Odder still, was the fact that they looked shinier then they normally looked. Fruit Basket wrote it off as simple boredom, finished the work day, and trotted home.
That night, he awoke in the same field, except it seemed off now. The grape vines were a bit dry, the apple trees a bit yellow-leaved, and the pineapple plants' leaves drooped a little.
"What's going on?" Fruit Basket wondered out loud.
"Your guess is as good as mine." a familiar hiss-like voice responded. Fruit Basket turned around to see the creature from last night standing four leg-lengths from him.
"Ok, who are you?!" Fruit Basket demanded.
"I told you, call me Deerg." the creature replied.
"Ok, what are you?!" Fruit Basket said.
"I am a mere fortune spirit here to help your riches swell." Deerg said, poorly mimicking an eloquent voice.
"Well, more bits would help me with my bills." Fruit Basket reasoned. "What did you have in mind?"
"You and I both know about the slow business day you had today. You need a way to make more bits faster." Deerg insisted. "I suggest that you enforce a 'No Refunds' policy."
"I couldn't possibly do that." Fruit Basket argued. "It's my duty to give ponies what they deserve if my products are not up to par."
"But you are simply too modest." Deerg said. "Your products are already up to par."
"You think so?" Fruit Basket asked.
"I know so." Deerg replied. "If they aren't, then it's the fault of the pony handling it, not you."
This obvious flattery somehow worked on Fruit Basket. "Ok, I'll give it a shot." he replied. Fruit Basket woke up right after that. He didn't have time to notice that the plants in the field became more withered; or that his coat had turned green for a split second.
After stopping by Town Hall to pay his bills, Fruit Basket trotted to his stall and waited for ponies to come. A mare came trotting up to the stall holding something in her hooves
"Excuse me, sir." she said.
"What is it ma'am?" Fruit Basket asked.
"Well, I bought this tomato yesterday, but it's gone rotten." she replied, holding up the rotten tomato for Fruit Basket to see.
"So it did." Fruit Basket said.
"Would it be too much trouble to ask for another one?" the mare asked politely.
For some reason, Fruit Basket was angered by this request. "Sure, but you'll have to pay for it." he said.
"I'm sorry to be rude, but don't you normally have a return policy." the mare said, shrinking away from Fruit Basket.
"I said you have to pay!" Fruit Basket insisted. "No payment, no tomatoes."
The mare was very afraid at this point and complied with his orders. "When did he get so greedy ?" she asked herself.
At the word, Fruit Basket snapped back to reality. "Ma'am?" he called to the mare.
"Yes?" she asked, cautiously trotting back to the stall.
"I'm sorry for that, I don't know what came over me." he apologized. "Here's your bits back and an extra tomato for the inconvenience."
The mare took the items and lit up. "Thank you so much!" she smiled. "You know, for a second, I thought I was talking to a completely different pony."
I felt like a completely different pony. Fruit Basket thought to himself.
"Thanks again!" the mare called as she was trotting away.
"It was nothing!" Fruit Basket called back. "What was that about?" he thought out loud. "What happened to me?" In his pondering, he noticed that the bits in his crate were no longer shining as they had been yesterday. "I'm going to get to the bottom of this." he declared to himself.
As Fruit Basket entered the field in his dream, he expected the plants to look wilted like last night. Surprisingly, they looked healthier than normal. The creature who called themselves 'Deerg' was stomping towards Fruit Basket when he showed up.
"What were you thinking?!" they blasted at him. "Did we not make an agreement about getting rid of that stupid return policy?!"
"I simply couldn't." Fruit Basket protested. "I don't want to be greedy...like you !" he shot at Deerg
Deerg's eyes widened at this. "What did you say?! " they demanded.
"You heard me!" Fruit Basket shouted back. "You're greedy! Try looking in the mirror for once!"
As if the fields were listening, a mirror popped up in front of Deerg. Only, that wasn't their name. Reflected in the mirror was the creature's true name: Greed
"So that's what you are." Fruit Basket declared, remembering hearing stories about this creature from his parents.
"Fine! You've found me out. So what?!" Greed spat back. "I can still make you oodles of money!"
"Even if I wanted the money, I wouldn't trust someone as evil as you!" Fruit Basket shouted.
"Then you leave me no choice ." Greed said. Their voice had gone low and their teeth were curled into a feindish smile. In an instant, Greed lunged at Fruit Basket and knocked him on the ground. The fields around them withered in an instant. The grapes turned sour, the pineapples were infested with maggots, and the apples trees dropped rotten apples onto the now dead grass. The last thing Fruit Basket saw before blacking out was Greed's red eyes staring into his...
Fruit Basket woke up in a strange place. The floor was metal and the ceiling was so high, it faded into darkness. Behind him was a lone door surrounded by a dark nothingness. The only source of light in this entire place seemed to be coming from two gigantic oval-shaped windows that stood in front of him. Outside of the windows was an image of a Ponyville road.
Wait a second! Fruit Basket said, his voice echoing off the nonexistent walls. This is Stirrup Street!
He ran up to the windows to see what was going on. Just in front of the windows lay a control panel of sorts. Most of the lights on it were off. Things like 'Movement', 'Thoughts', and 'Vocals' were unable to be tampered with. What was on were different displays of Fruit Baskets organs and body parts.
I guess this must be here to make sure everything's in working order Fruit Basket said aloud, knowing nopony could here him. He looked at the displays and saw terrifying things. His teeth had become sharp and his eyes a red-tinted version of their usual color. His coat had a greenish hue to it and he noticed tiny stubs growing out of the sides of his body.
What has this thing done to me?! Fruit Basket shouted. Looking through the windows, he noticed how ponies weren't taking notice of him. Pressing a button labeled 'Third-Pony View', he saw that, on the surface, he looked like he always did, ponies couldn't see what had become of him.
My body must know that something isn't right, which is why these displays are messed up. Fruit Basket deduced. But what use is it anyhow? I'm trapped here. Knowing he had nothing better to do, he looked out the windows, which he assumed were meant to be his eyes. Then, he bolted to the windows to make sure what he was seeing were true. Walking up to the stall his possessed self was running, baskets on her sides, was the charity filly Fruit Basket had met a few days ago.
Oh no!! Fruit Basket shouted. What's going to happen to her?! He couldn't even bear to imagine the horrible things Greed might do if they got their claws on her.
The filly walked up to the creature that looked like Fruit Basket. "Hello sir, are your fine-dances all better?"
The possessed Fruit Basket did nothing except stare at the filly menacingly.
"Because, you promised you'd donate as soon as you in order" she reminded them
She is so adorable Fruit Basket thought to himself. He snapped out of it and realized that His possessed body was moving closer to the filly.
DONT YOU LAY A HOOF ON HER!!! Fruit Basket shouted as he smashed through the oval-shaped windows.
Fruit Basket lay on the ground in a crumpled heap. He couldn't move.
"Mister?" a sweet little voice called to him. "Are you ok?" Blinking his eyes open, Fruit Basket saw the little filly leaning over the counter with a look of concern in her eyes.
"Yes, I'm fine." Fruit Basket replied. "Probably just a fainting spell."
The filly just stood there awkwardly.
Fruit Basket remembering he was in his stall, reached into his crate, pulled out some bits, and threw them into the filly's baskets.
"Thank you sir!" she beamed. "This'll help a lot!"
Fruit Basket was happy, but then he remembered what recently transpired. "Here you go." he said, extending an apple to the filly. "It's the least I can do for delaying my donation."
"Thank you sir!" the filly repeated, her face lighting up even more. She then trotted, or more bounced, away.
Such a nice filly. I'm glad I could save her. Fruit Basket thought to himself.
After work, Fruit Basket went home. He intentionally put off going to sleep for a while, but knew he'd have to face Greed sooner or later. At night, he laid down in his bed and closed his eyes, ready for his encounter.
Fruit Basket barely had time to notice that the fields were more vivid than they ever were before he saw Greed lunging at him. As if he'd gained some sort of power, Fruit Basket easily dodged the attack. Greed landed with a skid and charged at Fruit Basket again. Once more, he easily dodged the attack.
"You're hopeless!" Greed spat at Fruit Basket. "I try to make you rich, yet you take no heed to my advice!" They paused, and then evil smile began forming across their face. "If you don't want money," they began. "I suppose you don't want your life either!!! " In an instant, Greed lunged straight at Fruit Basket, their teeth bared and ready to chomp down on his skull.
Fruit Basket tried to run, but it was too late. Greed was upon him.
At least, that's what would've happened had Greed not suddenly bounced back about 30 leg-lengths. Fruit Basket opened his tightly-closed eyes to see a forcefield surrounding him. At first he was confused, then he thought back to past encounters. Whenever Greed was influencing him he broke free of it when his kindness shone through.
Helping that little filly was the kindest thing any pony could have done Fruit Basket thought to himself.
Greed was undeterred by the unexpected assault and gave another charge. Once more, they were knocked back, unable to lay a claw on Fruit Basket. They got back up a third time and started desperately clawing at the forcefield. Fruit Basket was worried at first, but saw that their claws weren't doing any damage and, in fact, were getting chipped away with every strike.
They're getting weaker Fruit Basket thought.
"Why?! Why can't I maim you?" Greed shouted when their claws were all but completely destroyed.
"Because I radiate what you fear most, Greed. " Fruit Basket said, edging closer to the creature. "Charity and Kindness."
"Impossible! You should be trapped in your own subconscious right now! I possessed you!" they shouted.
Fruit Basket started walking towards Greed. "Do you honestly think that anything would stand in the way of me saving a little filly from your evil clutches?!"
Greed tried to fly away but their wings weren't working, they started frantically crawling away from Fruit Basket. "How could money not have worked? Money is everything. Money is everything." They kept repeating to themselves.
"That's where you're wrong." Fruit Basket said, overhearing their mantra. "Money can give you a lot of things, but it can never give you what everypony big and small wants."
"And what...would that be?" Greed said in between attempts to open the gate to the field and get out of there.
"A happy life!" Fruit Basket proclaimed. At that, he jumped onto Greed and forced them onto the ground.
"Get off me!" Greed struggled underneath Fruit Basket's weight.
"Well, you wanted me." Fruit Basket said. "Here I am!"
Greed struggled and struggled but couldn't make Fruit Basket so much as budge. Then, out of nowhere, a massive hole formed in the ground. Fire was burning at the bottom of it. Out of the hole stretched a giant red hoof with black markings on it. Fruit Basket jumped back instinctively, unintentionally freeing Greed from his grasp.
Greed was grabbed by the hoof and started getting pulled down the hole. "This isn't over!" they cried. "I'll come back stronger than before! I'll wear your skin as a coat! My claws will be the last thing you see before you die!"
"Good luck with that." Fruit Basket said, not even batting an eye at the outlandish threats they were throwing at him.
The hoof and Greed disappeared down the hole as it closed up.
Fruit Basket didn't know what to do now, so he found a shady spot underneath an apple tree, closed his eyes, and prepared to wake up.
Tomorrow is another day he thought.
"That was truly disappointing." the pony said to Greed as they got back.
"You try dealing with him! He wasn't tempted by money at all!" they protested.
"I've heard enough of your excuses!" the pony quieted Greed. "Clearly, your not qualified for this job."
"So what?" Greed asked. "You going to send someone else after that Fruit Basket cretin?"
"No. Fruit Basket is of no concern to me." the pony said. "We must find another pony to corrupt."
An image of a pink and purple unicorn selling flowers popped up on one of the screens that hung in front of them.
The pony called another creature's name. "Get in here!" they commanded.
The creature complied and entered through one of 7 doors.
"I have a job for you." the pony said to the creature.
Greed looked from the screen of the unicorn to the creature and back again.
She has no idea what she's in for! they thought
Author's Note
Who is that pony?
Nopony knows...
Dangerous Desire (Lust's Manifestation)
Truly, the fate of Golden Rich is a tragic one. Unfortunately, Golden Rich is only the first in a long line of ponies who will suffer the same horrifying experience. Follow me and learn the story of Loving Heart, a pony who loved everypony and everything.
Loving Heart was a young and shy mare who lived in Neighagara Falls. It was a quaint little tourist town that sat next to the legendary falls themselves. Loving Heart worked at a candy store downtown called "Carrie's Sweet Shoppe". Unfortunately, the titular Carrie passed on a few years back, but her spirit lived on in the store. Loving Heart worked hard making candy all day. Her specialty were chewy candy hearts that tasted like cherries. She loved watching couples come into the store and get the candy hearts. She loved love in general. Using her magic, she had the ability to gaze into other ponies' hearts and see how much they love other ponies and how strong their hearts are. She never abused this power and only did it when asked to. She didn't want to spy. Yet, with all the love she gave to everypony and everything, she never seemed to receive any in return. That is, until today...
Loving Heart was working at the store, same as always. She had a lot of candies to make for the upcoming "Famous Figures of the Falls" event that was going on tomorrow. It was a celebration of the most important people in the town's history. Among them were Mr. Neighagara, the discoverer of the falls, Maid Misty, the town's founder, and even Carrie herself, who put the town back on the map with her outstanding sweets. Loving Heart couldn't wait to see all the customers flocking to the store to get a taste of the legendary confections that saved the town. Alongside her was her friend Butterscotch Candies. He was a goldish orange pony with a dirty blond mane and blue eyes. In front of his blue eyes, were a big pair of glasses. His specialty was butterscotch, as to be expected, but he also liked making sour candies. As Loving Heart was busy making some saltwater taffy, the bell above the door rang, signifying a customer.
"I got it!" Loving Heart called to Butterscotch. She went up to the counter to greet the pony who had come in. He was a turquoise-colored stallion with a blue and white mane, making him look like a walking river.
"Welcome to 'Carrie's Sweet Shoppe', how can I help you?" Loving Heart greeted him.
The stallion seemed distracted for a bit, then snapped out of it. "I'd like some gummy sharks, please." he requested.
"Sure thing." said Loving Heart. "One order of gummy sharks please!" she called to Butterscotch. She and the stallion just stood there waiting for the candy to be made.
"I'm River Rapids by the way." he said, extending his hoof.
"I'm Loving Heart." she said, shaking it.
"With a name like that, I assume you must be pretty nice."
"Well, with a name like River Rapids, I can assume you like water."
"Actually, I have a talent for white-water rafting."
"Interesting. I shower everything I see with kindness; at least, that's what my parents said when I asked them about my name."
"Here's your Gummy Sharks." Butterscotch Candies said, handing the bag to Loving Heart then walking back into the Candy Room.
"Here you go, sir." Loving Heart said, handing the bag to River Rapids.
"Thanks." he said. "Would you mind meeting me at the café when you're done working?" he asked suddenly.
Loving Heart tried her best not to blush. "Sure." she said.
"Great, see you there." said River Rapids as he headed out the door.
"OooOOoooo!" Butterscotch said when River Rapids had left. "Looks like somepony's got a date."
"It's not a date!" Loving Heart insisted.
"Sure it's not."
"If we weren't at work right now I'd beat your plot into the ground!"
"I know you would. I know better than to cheese you off."
"Awww." Loving Heart made puppy dog eyes at Butterscotch. "You really do care about me." she said in the schmaltziest voice she could muster.
"Whatever." Butterscotch said, his cheeks becoming red. "I gotta get back to making candy." he said, trotting back into the Candy Room.
Loving Heart's horn lit up and she gazed into Butterscotch's soul before he could leave. His heart was purple, indicating Shy Love
After work, Loving Heart went to the café downtown. There, she saw River Rapids waiting for her and sat down.
"So, how long have you lived here?" he asked her.
"My whole life. I just love it here." she replied.
"I moved here a few days ago."
"How do you like it so far?"
"It seems nice enough. It's gotten a lot better today though "
Loving Heart blushed. "I heard that."
"Heard what?"
"Nothing." Loving Heart said coyly.
"So, do you know about the 'Famous Figures of the Falls' event tomorrow?"
"Yes?" Loving Heart's eyes started to glow.
"Do you want to go with me?"
Inside her mind, Loving Heart tackled River Rapids in a giant hug and screamed Yes! at the top of her lungs. In reality, she gave a polite nod and a modest "I would love to."
"Great, see you there." River Rapids said before dashing away.
Loving Heart had just enough time to peek at his heart before he was out of reach. It was a pink color, signifying Infatuation.
Loving Heart could barely think straight that day. She was too anxious for the upcoming evening.
What if he doesn't like me? What if I don't like him? What's going to happen?! she asked herself.
"Get a hold of yourself Loving Heart." she told herself. She went back to the Candy Room to handle an order of Carrie's Cherries, a cherry shaped chewy candy that had a chocolate flavored pit on the inside. They were originally called Choco-Cherries, but Loving Heart decided to change the name the day Carrie passed away as a way of remembering her. Loving Heart thought back to the day she first met Carrie. She was but a little filly, still in elementary school.
"How do you put the chocolate in the cherries?" she'd asked the snow-white mare behind the counter.
Carrie had looked around to make sure no one was watching. "Come here." she said. She then led Loving Heart into the back room.
"After making the cherry, we slice it in half and cut out a hole for the pit." Carrie said, well into her explanation. "Then, we take the chocolate, mold it into a ball, and let it harden in the freezer." she then did exactly that and waited a while for the chocolate ball to freeze. "Then, you put the chocolate into the pit hole, seal the cherry together with this red candy-paste, and Voilá!" she declared, presenting the finished Choco-Cherry like a trophy.
"Wow! But how do you make so many?" Loving Heart asked.
"You certainly are a curious filly aren't you?" Carrie asked Loving Heart. "Don't tell anypony, but I do this." Carrie's horn began to glow with a pastel red magic and the single Choco-Cherry turned into a dozen identical copies.
"Wow! I wish I could do that." she said.
"Well my little pony, if you ever see me round town when you're older, you can work here and I'll teach you everything I know."
"Really?!" Loving Hear's eyes sparkled like stars
"I promise or my name isn't Carrie Marshmallow Creame."
"Is Marshmallow really your middle name?"
"No, that's just what the townsfolk call me." Carrie said as she began to laugh.
Loving Heart laughed with her. It had been a sweet day .
At the end of the day, Loving Heart hung up her apron and waited outside for River Rapids. He arrived at around 7:30 and the two walked to the park where the festivities were about to take place. Pretty much everypony in town was gathered at the park, waiting for the show to start. At precisely 8:00, a unicorn stepped out onto a stage and their horn lit up. Suddenly, the air filled with differently-colored clouds of smoke. The smoke began swirling in a circle before splitting off into three separate clouds. The cloud that was a light-grey color formed itself into Mr. Neighagara, a bulky stallion with a handlebar mustache and a blue captain's uniform.
In 1604 I happened upon these great falls. he began.
"What's happening?" River Rapids whispered to Loving Heart
"The unicorns use their magic to bring the ponies' ghosts back for a short while." she replied.
"Spooky."
And that is how these great falls were discovered. Mr. Neighagara finished. Now I shall go back to rest. He then turned back into a light-grey cloud of smoke and flew off to where he was buried.
When the smoke had left, the bright blue cloud of smoke settled itself on the stage. The smoke formed itself into Maid Misty, a pretty, cerulean mare in a sailor suit.
"I was on an expedition with a few friends, including my coltfriend when we arrived at the falls. " she began her tale. "Seeing the beauty of their rushing waters, I never wanted to leave, so me and a couple others set up camp and waited for the others to send ponies over from our motherland. While we waited, my coltfriend asked me up to the falls. When we were up there, he pulled out a diamond ring and asked for my hoof in marriage. It is because of this momentous occasion for me that I founded the town with an aura of love. she finished. Now, I return to my place in the falls' mist. Maid Misty then turned back into smoke and flew to the falls.
The final cloud, a pure white mist, settled onto the stage and morphed into Carrie Creame. Loving Heart expected her to be the frail old mare she had worked for for the past few years but, to her surprise, Carrie looked to be about the same age as she was.
I was a plucky young mare just out of college when I moved to Neighagara Falls. she began. I took a job at the local confectionary shop. The sweets were okay, but I began experimenting to make them even better. Word spread fast and soon ponies from all over Equestria came flocking to the store, putting our sweet little town back on the maps. I inherited the shop when the owner passed away and worked there till my last breath was drawn. Carrie paused and suddenly her horn lit up with its cherry-colored magic and she dragged Loving Heart and Butterscotch onto the stage.
It is thanks to these young ponies that my sweets shall live on in our beloved town. Everypony cheered for Loving Heart and Butterscotch Candies while Carrie sat there beaming with pride. I'll be away for a while, but I'll be back next year.
Loving Heart jumped off the stage and went to rejoin River Rapids. She looked back to see Carrie. Was it her, or did she look like she was afraid for split second? Before Loving Heart could get a better look, Carrie turned to mist and returned to the cemetery to rest.
After the party, River Rapids walked Loving Heart home.
"I had a great time." he said
"Me too."
"Well, bye." River Rapids waved as he started walking away. Suddenly, he turned around, kissed Loving Heart on her lips and bolted away before she could react. Loving Heart swooned, but had the foresight to conjure a cloud so she didn't hit her head on the sidewalk. The cloud floated her up to her room and dropped her into her bed before poofing out of existence.
Loving Heart woke up the next morning and her eyes shot open. The sun was high in the sky. She'd overslept! She quickly put on her apron and teleported herself to work.
"Where have you been?!" Butterscotch Candies demanded.
"I overslept. I'm sorry!" Loving Heart replied.
"You're lucky it's a slow day." Butterscotch then went to the back to whip up some fudge.
"I need to focus." Loving Heart told herself. Her horn then lit up with a hot pink aura and a sparkle of magic lit up on her forehead. She had cast a Focus Spell to clear her mind of any invasive thoughts. "Let's do this!" she said.
After work, she locked up the shop and started heading home. Then, all of a sudden, she crashed into somepony and fell to the ground. Looking up, she saw River Rapids standing there with a concerned look on his face.
"Are you ok?" he asked. "That was a pretty hard fall."
"Yeah, I'm fine." Loving Heart reassured him.
"That's good."
"I have nothing going on. You wanna come back to my place?"
"Sure." The two ponies then walked to Loving Heart's house. When they arrived, Loving Heart hung up her apron and sat down on the couch while River stood by the door.
"Are you gonna stand there the whole time or are you going to join me?" Loving Heart said with an unexpected sultriness in her voice. Where did that come from? she wondered to herself.
"I don't know." River responded with a coy smile. "I've been told that mares can't keep their hooves off me."
"Listen. I don't know what I just said, but I'm not looking for anything intimate right now."
"Oh, sorry."
"It's ok, just, no sweet talk yet."
"That's ok." River then joined her on the couch.
"Do you want to kiss me?"
"Yes."
"Then what are you waiting for?" Loving Heart then closed her eyes and puckered her lips. River was confused at first, but decided to go along with it. The two ponies sat there, kissing each other repeatedly until it was almost 8 PM. River Rapids pulled away from Loving Heart and headed home.
"I had a nice time." he said.
"Mmmmmmm" was all Loving Heart could get out. River Rapids then waved goodbye and headed home. Loving Heart got up and realized how hungry she was. She went to the bathroom and washed her hooves to start preparing for dinner. When she finished she looked in the mirror and saw a troubling sight. Her mane had become a darker shade of red and her coat was salmon-colored instead of its usual creamy pink. Worried, she took her temperature, which came out to be 98.6°.
"Weird..." she said to herself. She would have thought on it more, but her grumbling stomach took her mind off of it. "Right, time for dinner!"
After her dinner, Loving Heart went upstairs and went to bed. In her dream she was swimming in the Neighagra River, which was made of candy hearts instead of water. In her dream, she thought about how great the visit with River Rapids was. It was exhilarating to say the least. Suddenly, the soft candy hearts of the river turned into shards of hard, red candy. The points of the shards tore into Loving Hearts hide and sliced her all over. Loving Heart, in a panic, frantically swam for the river's edge, but it was too late. Loving Heart, still in immense pain went over the Falls and fell into the ravine below...
Loving Heart's eyes shot open and she catapulted herself out of bed. She clutched her heart as if it was about to fall out of her. Her sweat was ice cold and her breathing fast and shallow. She went downstairs and brewed herself some tea to calm down. On her way to work, she purposefully avoided seeing the river, not wanting to relive her nightmare. While at work River Rapids came to see her.
"Hi." he said. At the sight of him, Loving Heart's coat and mane started turning red again. "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine." Loving Heart assured him. "I'm just a little under the weather."
"Ok, one order of peanut butter fudge to go, please." Loving Heart grabbed a bag, reached into the display, and gave River his peanut butter fudge. "Bye!"
"See ya!" Loving Heart replied. If I'm getting sick, I should take some precautionary measures she thought to herself. She went to the back and put on a pair of gloves and a surgical mask. Then, she cast a spell to make them invisible so ponies wouldn't get the wrong idea. She worked hard the rest of the day and left Butterscotch to close up while she went to the doctor.
"There doesn't appear to be anything wrong with you." the doctor said. "What did you say your symptoms were again?"
"For some reason, my coat and mane colors start turning red anytime I'm around this stallion I'm seeing." said Loving Heart.
"And this hasn't happened at any point before meeting this stallion?"
"Not that I know of."
"Well, I'll run some tests and see what we can find." the doctor then reached over and took a lollipop from a cup of them he had on his desk. "I normally give these to foals, but here's one for your troubles." Loving Heart graciously took the candy and put it in her apron pocket.
"Thank you." she said.
"No problem." the doctor said before pausing. "Do get some rest, though. Sleep never hurts."
"Ok, I will." Loving Heart then exited the doctor's office and went home.
While reading a book, Loving Heart heard a knock at her door. I wonder who it could be? she thought. She opened the door to see River Rapids standing there. She suddenly felt hot and energized at his presence and hastily let him in.
"Your eyes are contracting." River Rapids said
"Good..." Loving Heart said with a smooth and slightly promiscuous voice.
I think we can just skip this next bit...
River Rapids and Loving Heart were laying down on her couch, content and restful.
"I have to go." said River, glancing at the clock.
"Do you have to?" Loving Heart whined as if she'd just been woken up.
"It's getting late, and I won't be able to find my way home if it's too dark to see."
"Fine!" Loving Heart begrudgingly agreed. River then kissed her goodbye and headed home.
Loving Heart pushed herself off the couch and went to the bathroom to wash up.
"I wish he could've stayed longer." she said to nopony in particular. She splashed some water on her muzzle and looked in the mirror. Her reflection was even more red than normal and had eyes the size of peas.
"I think you should go all the way with that stallion! " her reflection said with a whispering voice that only sounded vaguely like the pony it was supposed to be.
"I don't think that's a good idea." she said "It's all too much too fast."
"Stallions love a mare who knows what she wants. " the reflection argued. "I'm sure he's all too eager to do the same with you. "
"You think so?"
"I know so. " Loving Heart thought over this for a second before snapping back to reality and remembering who she was.
"No! I won't do it! It's too early!" she shouted.
"You're going to do it wether you like it or not! " her reflection screamed back in a voice that no longer resembled Loving Heart. "It is your destiny! "
"Leave me alone!" Loving Heart screamed before running out of the bathroom and slamming the door behind her.
Loving Heart made herself some dinner and went to bed early, remembering the doctor's suggestion. Sleep took its time getting to her after what had happened earlier with the mirror, but she eventually felt herself drift off to the world of dreams. Her dream tonight wasn't as terrifying as the one she'd had the night prior, but it was very peculiar. All that Loving Heart could see were two red, lizard-like eyes staring blankly at her in an infinite blackness. Suddenly, a mouth full of sharp teeth opened and said in a whispering voice: It's happening...
Loving Heart woke with a start and checked the clock on her wall which read 3:45
"I need to go." she said, crossing her hind legs before sprinting downstairs to the bathroom. Knowing what might await her, she lit up the room with her magic and stared intently at the mirror. Her reflection had her normal coat colors, same-sized eyes, and mimicked her every motion. At ease, Loving Heart relieved herself, washed her hooves, and got a glass of water. When she'd finished drinking, she took a last look into the mirror and saw something that chilled her very soul. In the mirror was a blood-red creature with the same lizard-like eyes and sharp teeth from her dream. Its mane and tail were short and sleek and matched its coat's coloring. Out of its back were two dragon wings that flapped violently as the creature scraped it claws against its side of the mirror, as if it were trying to break it and gouge Loving Heart's eyes out. In the second she had to process all of this, Loving Heart instinctively grabbed her manebrush, turned the singular mirror into countless shards, and ran out of the bathroom in terror. She then teleported her blanket from her bed and sat on the couch shivering as if she'd just been thrown in the river during winter. She then conjured up a mirror she knew she could trust and saw her same pink coat and her same pink and red mane. Her pink-colored eyes were ablaze with fear.
"Get it together, Loving Heart." she reassured herself. "Whatever it was, it can't hurt you now." She looked over at the pile of broken glass in the now darkened bathroom. It can't hurt you now. her mind echoed her words to her.
Loving Heart knew she wouldn't be able to go back to sleep, so she read some books to pass the time until morning. She went to the Shoppe just as Butterscotch was opening up.
"Do you think you can run the store by yourself today?" she asked.
"Why?"
"I think I'm coming down with something and I don't want to get other ponies sick."
"I should be able to handle it, but you owe me one."
"Duly noted. Thank you." she then gave him a hug
"Hey, it's what I do." Butterscotch said, trying to hide his embarrassment. He then went inside while Loving Heart made her way back home. Loving Heart wasn't used to having the day off and didn't know what to do. She took a quick nap to make up for the sleep she'd lost, read some books, and made some candy to pass the time. At about 4 in the afternoon, she heard a knock on her door. She opened it to see River Rapids standing there.
"Are you ok?" he asked. "I went to the Sweet Shoppe to see you, but the stallion behind the counter said you were feeling sick and took the day off."
"I'm fine." she replied. "I'm just feeling a little off today."
"That's a relief. So what do you want to do?" Loving Heart knew that whatever was happening only happened when she was around River Rapids, so she stopped him before he kissed her.
"I think we should lay off the intimacy for today." she said. "I wouldn't want you getting sick."
"Right, sorry."
"How about we play a board game?"
"I guess that sounds fun." So the two previously promiscuous ponies passed the time by playing different board and card games. Night began to fall and Loving Heart began feeling weird.
"I think you should go." she said, remembering what happened last night.
"I can't. It's too dark out. Can I crash here for the night?" Loving Heart knew she needed to act fast.
"Of-course-you-can-sleep-in-the-spare-bedroom-upsatirs. Excuse-me-I-gotta-go-to-the-bathroom." she blurted before sprinting into the bathroom. Inside she teleported a quill and ink to her and began writing a letter to Butterscotch.
Dear Butterscotch Candies,
I can't shake the feeling that something bad is going to happen tonight. I don't know why, but I know I'm not feeling like myself right now. Please come to my house tomorrow morning and check to see if I'm ok. I'll owe you two solids if I have to, but PLEASE do it! I'm kind of freaking out!
Your Friend Forever,
Loving Heart
Loving Heart's coat was beginning to turn red again so, with the last of her consciousness, she sent the letter to his house. She then stepped out of the bathroom to greet River Rapids. Her coat was back to the salmon color it had been before and her mane and tail were blood red.
"Oh my goodness! Are you alright?!" River Rapids shouted, running to her side.
"I'm fine." Loving Heart said in a faraway voice, as if she was talking to somepony else. "I think I need some bedrest."
"Of course. I'll take you upstairs."
"Carry me please?"
"Ok." So River Rapids picked her up and hauled her to her room. He got her a blanket and tucked her in before giving her a peck on her forehead. "Get well soon." he said.
"Thank you..." Loving Heart said before sprouting fiendish smile. In a moment's notice, she teleported to and locked the door and shut and barred the windows.
"What are you doing?!" River Rapids demanded.
"I'm making sure you don't try to escape." Loving Heart said, her voice turning whispery and reptilian in nature. She began edging towards River, who was frantically trying to leap out the window. Loving Heart's horn evaporated and her coat became the same color as her now short and straightened mane. Her teeth began to sharpen and her eyes turned into pools of bright red with black slits for irises. Finally, a pair of dragon's wings sprouted from her back and fluttered to her side. The creature that was once Loving Heart then dashed towards River Rapids, picked him up with one hoof and slammed him down onto the bed.
"You're mine now!" it declared.
An interesting fact about Neighagra Falls: The houses are sound-proofed so that ponies can't hear the roar of the falls outside if they're trying to sleep. Because of these implementations, nopony could hear River Rapids' scream of terror.
The next morning, Butterscotch hurried to Loving Heart's house like her letter said to. He walked into the living room to find board games strewn about everywhere.
"Loving Heart! Are you home?!" He called into the house. Not getting a response, he decided to go upstairs to see if she was still sleeping. Her bedroom door was locked, so he knocked.
"Loving! You in there?" After a while, he grew impatient and kicked the door in.
"I'll fix it later, I just want to know if you're okay." he said, expecting to see Loving Heart in her bed. But Loving Heart was nowhere to be found. Instead, River Rapids' body was on her bed, cold and stiff. It wore an expression of absolute fear. Butterscotch immediately ran outside to call for the police. After that, he went back inside to look at the body once more to make sure all of this was really happening. He noticed light was shining on it and looked up to see a hole in the ceiling.
"Loving Heart..." he said to himself, holding back tears. "What in Equestria happened to you?"
