Malignant

by MemoryLane

Rating: teen
Tags: Adventure, Dark, Romance, Comedy
Length: 51276

(Sequel to Sin) The Seven Sin ponies are living happily in Ponyville. But when something stirs in the depths of Tartarus, drawn to the power of the Medallion, how will they, along with their new friends, protect their new livelihoods?

A sequel to Sin.

(Very much recommended that you read “Sin” first, as it will make much more sense)

At long last, the Seven Sin ponies have finally found happiness and friendship, and are greatly enjoying their new lives in Ponyville. After using the power of the Medallion to crush the Changeling invasion, they all can agree: their lives are no longer controlled by the curse.

But alas, all is too good to be true.

Drawn to the power of the Medallion’s activation, an ancient power awakens in the depths of Tartarus. One that has been thought to be a horror of the past for countless millennia. One that even Princess Celestia herself fears.

As darkness spreads across the lands, can the Seven Sins realize who they are truly meant to be? With the help of their new friends, will they overcome the impossible and free Equestria from a dark and terrifying grip?

Or will they fall, one by one, leaving Equestria defenceless against the shadows?

A collaborative effort between Shanenator and I!

Note: Thanks to my good buddy Belle for creating the coverart! Looks awesome!

Published 1970-01-01 00:00:00 UTC
Last updated 2013-11-19 20:44:50 UTC

Feign

Well. Yesterday was certainly...interesting. After getting, ahem, lectured by Twilight on how there are young eyes about, and that it simply cannot do to let my...things stray to the open floors, I woke up this morning feeling quite refreshed, especially after having found said...toy.

I still really, really want Twilight, but at least I’m able to control my feelings now. Not like before. Back then, I really couldn’t help myself. I was actually quite scared. Somepony could’ve taken advantage of me! And I wouldn’t really have been able to do anything about it. Until I got those drugs. Sad really, that I had to rely on such things to maintain a relatively safe life.

I actually crafted those two bracelets that I used against those guards myself. It was a simple task, and I’m glad I did so. I’ve already had to use them at least a dozen times. It’s really been putting a damper on my savings, drugs like that aren’t cheap nowadays. I’ve had to...work overtime in order to afford them.

But I haven’t had to use them in quite some time. Ponyville is a wonderful town, it’s always shining brightly here! And everypony is so wonderfully kind and welcoming. I haven’t had any...incidents, whether it be a danger for me or...forcing myself onto somepony else. At least, not yet anyways. And I intend to keep it that way. So far, so good! No longer will my life be controlled by lust!

I was, however, forced to go to special...classes. Twilight said that if I didn’t attend, I wouldn’t be allowed to stay in her home anymore. And I didn’t want THAT, obviously. She’s what keeps me going, more than anything else.

Oh, Twilight...maybe someday my hopes and dreams will be realized. Until that day, I’m just going to keep on doing what I do best: seduction. Like right now, for example...

I remembered that I still had my maid outfit from before. After some careful and thought out pondering, I decided to quickly slip into it. After talking to Spike, who wouldn’t stop staring at me, he went and retrieved a feather duster from somewhere around the house.

Twilight Sparkle was sleeping in her bed after one of her usual all-night study sessions. This was going to be too easy. I sat on the edge of her bed, giggling with anticipation. I slowly brought the feather duster to her horn, causing Twilight to utter a slight chuckle. Ha! I knew all about unicorns and their...”special spots.” Remember, I’m a professional.

I began to drag it up and down her horn, making her moan sleepily. I’ll be honest, I was starting to get quite turned on. My fun was cut short, however, when her eyes suddenly fluttered open. They then proceeded to reach about dinner plate-sized as they realized what they were looking at.

“Morning hun~. Don’t mind me...just lie back and enjoy yourself...” I purred sexily. Twilight’s eye twitched.

“APHRODITE!!”

***

“Angel! No! Bad bunny!” I scolded my pesky pet rabbit. Of course I love him very much, but sometimes he can get just a teeny-tiny bit out of hoof. Angel looked up at me with an exasperated look and promptly ceased what he had been doing, muttering to himself as he headed outside. I briefly considered following him, as it was quite a beautiful day out, but my thoughts were suddenly interrupted.

“Does he always act like that?” Warble asked, not taking his eyes off the chaotic bunny rabbit as he headed out the door. I gave him a sincere nod, while biting the inside of my cheek.

“Ok, well,” he continued. “What else needs to be done today?”

“Well...” I began, mentally going over the long list of chores I had to do. One might not believe me, but it takes a lot of effort to feed and care for as many animals as I do. Warble’s been a really great help ever since he showed up. He and I...have a few things in common I suppose.

“Some of the chickens should be fed. It’s almost lunch time for them. Do you remember where the birdseed is?”

Warble stood up and nodded confidently. “Yep! In the shed out back.” He pointed with his hoof in the general direction. Warble didn’t hesitate to take the lead and sprint off to find it.

“Do be careful, it can be a bit...tricky to navigate sometimes.” The stallion nodded again. “Oh, and Warble?” He paused for a moment and looked back at me, his eyes wide in anticipation. “...Try not to snack on any this time. If, um, that’s okay with you.”

Warble blushed and gave a slightly embarrassed sigh before giving me a nod of confirmation. “All right,” he simply conceded, eager to get the duty done and over with. I couldn’t help but giggle at his antics. He was really cute when he was flustered...

I let out a soft sigh as he left. There was still so much that needed to be done! I hovered into the kitchen and began to collect the proper amounts of food for the mice and rabbits. Not five minutes later, there was a sudden knocking at my door. Wow, that was fast. I’m not sure he could’ve done a good job in that amount of time...

“Wow, that sure was-” I began as I opened the door, fully expecting to see Warble and his silly sheepish grin that he often wore. The pony that actually greeted me, however, was the LEAST likely pony  I would expect to see at my front door.

“C-Covette? What...what are you doing here? When did you come to Ponyville?” I looked left and right nervously. This was all very strange. I hadn’t heard anything about her in the past week or so. I thought she actually hated me! All of us, in fact! I hoped she wouldn’t start yelling...or cursing. I don’t like it when ponies yell...or curse.

“Oh, you know. Recently. Nothing very special. What’s up?” she asked, barging her way past me and entering my cottage rather rudely. I had a bad feeling about this...

“Oh...nothing much. I was just...taking care of my animal friends like I always do...” I trailed off, trying to hide behind my mane.

Covette turned and smirked at me. Obviously she was rather amused by my actions. “Well...that’s nice, I suppose.” She took the liberty of plopping down on my couch, stretching her whole body across it. She let out a loud yawn, and brought a hoof to her mouth to cover it up. She glanced uneasily around the room, taking it all in. “Nice place you have,” she said softly. “Way better than mine...”

“Oh...thanks. It isn’t much. You...you have a place to stay?” I hesitantly inquired. I hope she didn’t steal it or something. I also hoped she wouldn’t get jealous. I knew what would happen then...

“Yep!” she proclaimed loudly. “I got some money from...uhm, a friend. Or rather, an acquaintance of mine. It’s nothing, really.“ I really doubted that. She said so herself, she spent her life on the streets alone. I didn’t mean to be rude, but I don’t think she has any friends. Besides me, anyways. Well, I at least hope we’re friends .

“Oh, well that’s...nice.” I trailed off again, unsure of what to say. She also seemed rather uneasy. An awkward silence ensued. “So, Covette...what brings you to my place? I mean, if you don’t mind telling me...”

“Oh, nothing really,” she lied, sitting back on the couch and staring at the ceiling. I noticed that she was having a hard time even looking at me. I was getting more and more nervous by the minute. I hoped she wasn’t trying to tell me something...big...

“R-really?” I stuttered. “Because, well, it certainly doesn’t seem like nothing. At least, that’s what I’ve noticed, I hope you don’t mind...” Covette growled at me as the words left my lips, indicating her frustration. She soon calmed down, though. She seemed to be having an internal struggle of sorts.

Covette opened her mouth, but right at that moment, Warble slammed open the door. “I’m back! And the chickens are all fed!” Apparently he was too, judging by the birdseed on his chin... Warble gasped as he saw Covette lying on the couch. The green mare, for her part, went rigid as her eyes narrowed at him. “Oh...hi, Covette. Fancy seeing you here...” he said unsurely.

Covette said nothing for a moment or two, simply choosing to glare at the portly stallion instead. “Hullo, Warble,” she muttered after a brief silence. Suddenly, her face twisted into a nasty sneer. “Eat any ponies recently?”

Warble’s face flushed bright red as I gasped in horror. “Covette!” I admonished, but she ignored me.

“No, of course not!” he sputtered indignantly. “I’ll have you know that I would never-”

“Oh, shut your trap already! Celestia knows you spend enough time with it open,” Covette said angrily. I gasped again, but this time in anger.

“Covette! That is no way to treat my guest! Now say you’re sorry!”

“Sorry?! He should be the one apologizing to ME! Bastard almost ATE me!”

Warble looked quite visibly upset by this, but valiantly stood his ground. “I did say I’m sorry! I’ll even say it again! I’m sorry! I’m sorry, ok?! I wasn’t myself! Just...just chill!”

Covette blew a strand of mane out of her face and stood up angrily. “Whatever. I was just leaving anyways. See ya ‘round.” And with that, she shoved Warble out of the way, a bit more forcefully than what was necessary, and headed out the door. I fluttered over and checked on Warble.

“Are you alright?” I asked softly. Warble looked right into my eyes. There were tear stains on his cheeks and he was sniffling to himself. I could tell that he was trying to put on a brave face, but he was really hurt on the inside.

“I-I think so...” he muttered softly, sniffing loudly once again. “Why...why must she always be so mean? I didn’t mean to do it...I swear I didn’t...”

“Shhh...” I cooed softly, stroking his mane. “It’s okay. I know you didn’t. If there’s one thing I’ve learned about you this week, it’s that you’re not a monster. I don’t know what her problem is, but we shouldn’t worry about it too much. Give her time.”

Warble nodded slowly, processing what I was saying. “Yeah...I guess you’re right. Thanks, Fluttershy.” I smiled warmly at him. What I did next...I’m not quite sure why I did it. Leaning in, I quickly pecked him on the cheek. The stallion went rigid, and his breathing quickened. I blushed profusely.

“Now, why don’t you go get started on the food for the ferrets. I’ll be right behind you.” The stallion nodded dumbly, clearly at a loss for words before getting to his hooves and heading into my cottage. I was about to follow, but turned to see the receding form of a green mare.

“Oh, Covette...I want to help you, I really do. Why won’t you let me?”

***

The first thing I heard was the birds chirping outside my window. Ahh, what a lovely sound. The birds here in Ponyville sure are lovely. I don’t think I ever heard any birds back in Fillydelphia. Opening my eyes groggily I am greeted by my plain white ceiling. Turning to my side I check the time. ...Wow. I really slept in. Usually I’m up pretty early. Must have been all the stress of yesterday...

Oh my goodness! Ennui!!

I threw the covers off, leaped out of bed, and practically sprinted into the living room. “Ennui?” I called hopefully. Skidding to a halt, I inspected my surroundings. Nothing. The living room looked exactly the same as it did last night. Trotting into the kitchen, I noticed that my saddlebags were still on the counter. Even the hay chips and guacamole were still untouched. Wow, can’t believe I forgot to put them away. I NEVER do that.

But if there’s one fact that was rapidly making itself known to me, it was this: Ennui was now, without hardly any doubt, missing. Oh my goodness! Oh sweet Celestia! What could’ve happened to her? Was she mugged? Foalnapped? Ponyville seems like such a nice town, I struggle to think that something like that would’ve happened. Is she lost? Is she hurt? Is she lying in a ditch somewhere, her life force slowly bleeding out?

No...my only friend...my one true friend that I’ve managed to make...gone...

I’ve started to panic. I’ve never felt this scared before. My heart feels like it’s going crazy. I’m beginning to hyperventilate. I used to do that every now and then, but it hasn’t been a problem recently. I grabbed the paper bag the hay chips are in, tore it open, and breathed in and out of it. I’m sure Ennui won’t mind. That mare will eat food off of the floor. Celestia forbid!

After a moment or two, my breathing returned to normal. But I’m still as scared as a little lost filly. What do I do? I have to find her! I can’t just give up on her! “Ennui!!” I screamed, perhaps a little more shrilly than I would have liked. “I’m going to find you! I promise!” I don’t know why I said that. Maybe it was just that little part of me that still hoped this was all some silly game. After all, she’s my friend right? Surely after hearing the panic in my voice she would have given up? ...Right?

I waited for a few moments, my pounding chest and gasping breaths the only audible noises. Still nothing. Ok then, time for plan B. “TWILIGHT!!” I shrieked loudly before bolting out the door.

***

I’m really getting sick of this mare.

Every day it’s something new with her. She’s always...touching me. Like right now, when I woke up to find her tickling my horn! With a feather duster! Who does that?!

Although, I must admit. She doesn’t look half bad in that maid outfit of hers.

I managed to magically toss her out of the room and lock the door behind her. Letting out a contented sigh, I rested my head back on my pillow. I was still exhausted, and my brain was all over the place after my study session last night.

When I opened my eyes next, Aphrodite was staring directly into my eyes from less than a foot away from my face. I let out a jarred scream and flew out of my bed, landing on the floor in a heap. Again. What is up with ponies always doing this to me? I mean, really! This is the third time within the last two weeks!

I got to my hooves, shaking the grogginess out of my head. I seethed at the mare, who simply lounged on my bed, oblivious to her actions.

“How did you get in here!?” I shouted at her, my eye twitching once again. I only do that when I’m really, really frustrated.

“Your window was open!” She pointed rather giddily at the open window that was perched right next to my bedframe. I found myself growling at her, quite ready to wring her pretty little neck. Somehow, I managed to restrain myself. Why did I ever think that letting her stay in my house would be a good idea?

“Get. Out,” I growled angrily, throwing open the door with my magic and pointing at it. Aphrodite’s giddy expression fell into one of feigned sadness.

“But, Twilight...”

“Downstairs. NOW!!” I screamed, my eye once again twitching in my fury. Aphrodite wisely decided not to piss me off any further and quickly scampered out of the room. But not before turning around, winking, and blowing me a kiss. “Ugh!” I moaned in frustration as I slammed the door closed and leaned against it, slowly sinking to the floor. I brought a hoof up to my face and dragged it downwards. This was going to be another long day.

I wanted so much just to crawl back into my bed and sleep eternally, but I was awake now. Not even ten seconds later, there was a soft knock on my door. I felt my frustration rise again.

“Go away Aphro!” I yelled to the door, barely turning my head.  I double checked to make sure that the door was locked before taking a swift step away from it.

“Twilight! It’s me!” I heard Spike call from the other side of the door. Oops. I quickly unlocked the door with my magic and flung the door open. I was greeted by Spike raising a single eyebrow at me. “Trouble with Aphrodite again?” he questioned, and I gave him a brief shrug.

“Yes...” I sighed rather loudly. I really didn’t want to get into details. “Anyways, what’s up?”

“Uh...” He looked at the ceiling and brought one of his claws up to his chin. “Oh right!” He snapped his fingers as he remembered. “Vanity’s at the door, and she says it’s urgent.” He looked left and right and leaned over to me. “I think she’s lost it...”

Oh boy.

And with that, Spike led me down the stairs. I was increasingly curious as to what’s going on. To be honest, I’m also quite excited. I haven’t seen Vanity in at least a week. Yes, I did learn from Aphrodite that she and Ennui had bought an apartment here in Ponyville, but I just never got around to seeing them. After all, somepony has to do all this important research!

As I began to trot down the stairs, I saw Vanity sitting on a nearby chair. Her eyes were shifting around restlessly, looking at almost everything. There appeared to be tears at the corners of them. For once in her life, her mane was not well-groomed and her coat was messy. She was nervously kneading her front hooves together when she noticed me. “Twilight!” she shouted as her eyes rested on me. Her voice was filled with worry, but her eyes seemed hopeful.

“Vanity? It’s been a while!” I exclaimed, smiling at her as I reached the bottom of the stairs. Vanity was in my face in a matter of seconds.

“Twilight! I...I...” she stuttered. She was trying desperately to get out the words, but she kept choking. Spike was right, she was a total nervous wreck.

“Vanity, darling! So good to see you!” Aphrodite cheered as she trotted into the room from the kitchen. She reached over and gave Vanity a warm hug, who returned it half-heartedly. Much to my surprise, she was no longer wearing that ridiculous maid outfit. Sometimes, it seems that mare has a magic of her own.

“Uh, you too.” She looked away from Aphrodite, obviously not wanting to make small talk at the moment. She suddenly faced me, biting her lip nervously. “Twilight! I need your help!” she shouted, a little too loudly. I furrowed my brow at her.

“What’s going on?” I asked.

“Ennui! She’s missing! I can’t find her!” she cried, a few nervous tears in her eyes. My expression didn’t change much as I gave her a reassuring smile.

“Vanity, I think you’re overreacting. She’s probably just hanging out with Rainbow Dash,” I suggested. Vanity forcefully shook her head, almost cutting me off.

“No! She’s missing Twilight!” she repeated. “She’s been missing since I came home from the market yesterday! The hay-chips and guacamole!” She hung onto me rather dramatically. “She didn’t come running!”

Well, I think Vanity just had a mental breakdown. I’m...sure that she’s just overreacting. I’ll be honest, I haven’t really talked to Vanity very much before, and right now was probably the longest conversation we’ve ever had.

“Vanity...this is Ponyville we’re talking about. I don’t think we’ve had a missing pony case in five years! I’m sure there’s a perfectly logical explanation for all of this.”

“Like what...?” she mumbled sadly, sniffing slightly. I could tell that she was trying really hard not to cry. Wow, I had no idea they had become such good friends. It warmed my heart a bit to see the sins starting to turn their lives around.

“I don’t know, but it sounds like it’s time for an investigation!” I proclaimed proudly, drawing myself up to my full height. “Spike!” I called. The response was immediate. Clearly, he had been waiting in the other room and listening to our every word.

“Yes, Twilight?”

“Bring my investigation kit, stat! Vanity and I will be heading out in just a moment,” I declared confidently. There was a mystery at hoof, and I was the mare to solve it! The Case of the Missing Sleepyhead! Maybe I can use this experience to write my own detective novel...

Unfortunately, my stroke-of-the-moment and brilliant train of thought was derailed by a most obtrusive voice. “What about me, Twilight~”

I thought for a moment, weighing my possibilities. I didn’t want to tell her no, but...oh, who am I kidding? After the stunt she pulled this morning it’s time for a bit of payback. “You,” I began, keeping my voice suspiciously light-hearted, “shall stay RIGHT here, make NO noise, and pretend that you do not exist. Unless guests arrive. You will then do EXACTLY what Spike says and nothing else.”

“But Twiiii~” she complained. I hardened my gaze on her, using nothing but my facial expression to tell her that I meant business. She pouted, of course, but eventually relented. “Oh, fine,” she sighed. “Have it your way.” Even though she’s really, REALLY good at getting on my nerves, I still get the final say in pretty much everything. After all, she still thinks she’s in love with me or something ridiculous. I intend to disillusion her of this notion at some point, but I digress.

“Thank you. I think I will,” I replied, perhaps a hair too smugly. But oh well, she deserved it. I turned back to Vanity, who still had a smidgen of doubt on her face. I smiled at her rather warmly before ushering her towards the door.

“Come on. Twilight Sparkle is on the case!”

***

I stood before Vanity’s apartment and shuffled my hooves rather impatiently as I waited for her to unlock the door. Hey, what can I say? I love solving mysteries! I always know who the criminal is before the end of the book. Always. Anyways, I decided that it was never a bad time to start gathering more data. “So, Vanity. When was the last time you saw Ennui?”

Vanity’s face contorted into a grimace as she attempted to answer the question. “It...it was the night before yesterday. We went to bed at the same time, like we always do. I got up early that morning to do some shopping, and when I got back she was nowhere to be found. I haven’t seen her since,” she finished sadly, holding the door open for me. I strode confidently inside. My eyes almost bugged out my head at what I saw next.

“Vanity! This place is a total mess! It looks like Ennui was foalnapped by force!”

My sudden outburst appeared to have no effect on the cerulean mare, who simply chuckled in amusement. “Oh, Twilight. It always looks like this. Remind yourself who I live with,” she finished, smiling slightly at me.

I paused to think for a moment. And then proceeded to feel rather foalish. “Whoops. Hehe, I suppose that does make sense. Applejack certainly had a few things to say about the state of her house once I got the whole story. But really,” I continued, raising my hoof in slight disgust as I stepped on...something. “How can you stand this? It’s awful.”

Vanity simply shrugged. “It’s not too bad. I don’t spend much time in here anyways. I keep my room, the kitchen, and the bathroom spotless, and that’s good enough for me. Letting Ennui have some space is more than worth it to keep her friendship...” she finished sadly. Wow, I had no idea the two of them were so close. She was really worried. Time to figure out what had happened.

“She doesn’t need space. She hardly moves, right?”

Vanity rolled her eyes. “You know what I mean. Space to be herself. And she’s been getting better recently. Did you know we managed to get her to start exercising? It’s rather amusing, actually.”

My eyes went wide yet again. “Really? How’d you manage to do that?”

Vanity shrugged again. “Like I said, we make sacrifices for each other. That’s her end of the bargain. That’s what friends do, right? If she’s going to be lazy, she’s at least not going to be a slob,” she finished, the corners of her mouth lifting slightly. “Now come on. It’s her room that’s...strange.”

My eyebrows lifted but I said nothing as I followed the blue mare down a hallway. She stopped before a door on the right and turned back to face me, grimacing slightly. I was about to ask why but a moment later I found out myself. There was an awful stench coming from that room! “Ennui’s room?” I asked in a deadpan voice.

“You bet,” she replied, equally unenthused. Carefully, waiting for some sort of mutant monster to jump us, I pushed open the door. I was quite shocked at what I actually saw. The bed was made and the floor was clean. It still reeked, however.

“Her room is...picked up?” I asked in disbelief. After seeing the disaster in the living room, I expected the lazy mare’s personal quarters to look like a tornado hit it.

“I was just as surprised as you...I’ve never seen it like this before,” she stated, also staring into the room. She found the stench to be quite overbearing, and placed a hoof over her snout defensively. I resisted the urge to do the same.

“Okay. So something obviously strange happened in here, right?”

Vanity nodded, unsurely. “I would assume so...”

“Alright then. Stand back.” I entered the danger zone and headed to what I judged to be roughly the center of the room. Closing my eyes, I began to focus. Activating my horn, I reached out with magical energy, searching for anything out of the ordinary.

I gasped audibly at what I found. I sensed something very odd and unfamiliar. Something that definitely should not be in a non-unicorn’s room. I felt a power that nearly caused me to collapse as I tried to discern its nature. Quickly retracting my power, my eyes snapped open. Vanity looked visibly upset. As much as I hated to do so, I gave her a look that clearly did not carry good news.

“There’s something wrong here. Something very, very wrong.”

***

I must say, I was most concerned when a very worried-looking Twilight Sparkle knocked on my door this fine afternoon. Knowing her, there was almost certainly trouble about. “Twilight, my dear! Good heavens, just look at you. You look like you’ve seen a ghost! What ever is the matter?”

Twilight began to speak quickly. “Rarity. There’s something going on. I’m not sure what yet, but it’s nothing good. I have some theories but I need more data. I need you to help me find the rest of the sins. Have them gather at the library.” She turned to leave, but before doing so she looked back at me over her shoulder. “Oh, and bring our friends too.” And with that, she teleported away in a bright purple flash.

I carefully shut the door behind her, musing to myself on what could possibly be going on. What could possibly warrant a meeting of all thirteen of us? The changelings had been defeated, right? My thoughts were cut incredibly short when another knock was heard at my door. “Cooooming~” I called as I strode to answer it.

I must say, I was quite astonished to see a very familiar chartreuse stallion standing before me as I subconsciously flung the door open. “Cashmere!” I said in surprise, all pretense of a formal greeting forgotten in my shock.

Cashmere, for his part, looked rather nervous for some reason. “Um, hello Rarity. How...how do you do this fine afternoon?” Was it just me, or was he avoiding my gaze on purpose?

“I can’t say all is well right now. Twilight showed up earlier, and something has her mane in quite the tangle. And I’m sure you know what that means...” I trailed off, giving him a knowing look.

Cashmere’s eyes darted side to side uncertainly. “Oh, dear. Has something grave occurred?”

“I’m not sure, my dear stallion.” Did he blush slightly at that? “But I intend to find out. As it would happen, it’s most fortunate you stopped by. Twilight wants the six of us and the seven of you to gather in the library.”

The stallion’s eyes widened. “What? Are you serious? This...this doesn’t sound good at all. I should help you. Whom do you still need to fetch?”

I paused for a moment to do a quick mental headcount. “Well, let’s see. There’s Fluttershy and Warble out at the cottage. Kindling and Applejack are on the farm. You and me are here, Aphrodite should already be at the library, and Ennui and Vanity at their apartment. That leaves Pinkie, Rainbow Dash, and...I think that’s everypony. Personally, I was just about to head to Fluttershy’s cottage.”

“Oh. Well, if you’d like I wouldn’t mind assisting you in gathering them all. I’ll go find Ennui and Vanity. I know where they are. After all, I helped them seal the deal on their rent.” He brought his hoof to his mouth and coughed suddenly. His next words were spoken rather hoarsely, as if his throat was dry. “Listen, Rarity...perhaps, maybe...” he paused, shuffling his hooves nervously.

“...Yes?” I asked expectantly when he failed to continue.

“Never mind,” he cut in suddenly. “Now isn’t the best of times. We’d best hurry.” And with that, we were on our way to find our respective quarries.

***

It was some time later that we were all finally gathered in the library. It was slightly crowded, but then again it’s been worse during one of Pinkie’s parties. Suddenly, Twilight appeared in a bright flash in the middle of the room, Kindling and Applejack materializing next to her. Both of the earth ponies looked rather dazed.

“Ok! Quiet, everypony! Quiet please!” Twilight called, trying to get everypony’s attention. The humdrum of voices slowly died down before dying away. She cleared her throat and opened her mouth to speak, but suddenly squeaked and moved violently away from Aphrodite. She shot her a glare, but didn’t say anything. She cleared her throat again, a heavy blush now gracing her features. Aphrodite, for her part, was grinning like a cat. I immediately felt a pang of pity for Twilight.

“Okay, so I have brought you all here to inform everypony of grave news. First of all, is everypony here?” There was another buzz of excitement as everypony tried to do a separate headcount. I could see Twilight’s hoof moving and her face scrunched up in concentration. Suddenly, her eyes shot wide open. “Oh my goodness! Somepony’s missing! Where...where’s Covette?”

The room quieted as everypony scanned the room themselves. I had to resist the urge to slap myself. How could I have possibly forgotten Covette? But then again, I hadn’t seen her since the changeling incident. Was she even in Ponyville?

“Uhm. I know where-”

“Has anypony seen her? Anypony at all?” Twilight called.

“I-I think she moved somewhere-”

“Seriously! This is important!”

“No, really . I talked to her just-

“Ugh! Fine, I guess we’ll have to get a search party. Aphrodite and Kindling, you two go search the-”

“WILL EVERYPONY SHUT UP! FLUTTERSHY IS TRYING TO SPEAK!” Warble screamed over everypony in the room. All eyes turned to him, causing him to immediately regret his very loud and rather obnoxious decision. However, he continued. “She stopped by this morning.”

Twilight whirled on Warble, that tell-tale manic grin gracing her features. “Really? She’s here in Ponyville? Wonderful! Where does she live?”

Warble shifted uncomfortably. “Uh, I...I don’t actually know...”

Fluttershy cleared her throat. “I believe I can explain. Given the direction she chose to depart my humble abode from was west by northwest, and considering that she most likely purchased a rather cheap establishment, I would say it is highly probable that she has taken up residence on Bridle Street.” Everypony in the room had to suppress a cry of surprise. I must say, the dear is very soft-spoken, but she can be quite articulate when given the chance.

Even Twilight was rather stunned. She looked around the room, hesitating a moment as her jaw opened and closed uselessly before speaking again. “Uh, right! We’ll go search there!”

“Although,” Fluttershy continued. “Bridle Street has at least twenty residences on it. If I were you, I’d stop by the Mayor’s office to see if any new purchases have been made recently.”

Twilight’s eye twitched. “Excellent idea, Fluttershy!” she declared. “I’ll go talk to the Mayor. Meet you on Bridle Street, Rarity! Everypony else, stay here and DON’T. GO ANYWHERE. Yes, Pinkie, that means no cupcakes.” And with that, she disappeared in a bright purple flash.

“Or we can just ding-dong ditch houses until she pops out?” Warble spoke up in the silence, grinning mischievously and rubbing his hooves together. Everypony glared at him. Except for Pinkie, who immediately recovered from her cupcake ban and began to giggle madly. “Or not...”

***

It was only a few moments later that I arrived at Bridle Street. Sure enough, Fluttershy’s guess was probably accurate. I hated to say it, but the residences here were...lackluster at best. Unsure of where to go, I simply waited in the middle of the street, scanning for any purple flashes. Sure enough, one soon appeared next to a house on my right. “It’s here~!” Twilight called in an almost sing-song voice. She scanned the road quickly, her eyes soon finding mine. “Ah, Rarity! There you are. Come on, there isn’t much time!” I hurried over to Twilight’s side.

“Let’s see...” she muttered. “3456...Ah! This...one...oh, dear.” I paused next to her, undoubtedly feeling the same sinking feeling as the purple mare next to me.

The door to the house was swinging freely in the breeze.

“Twilight...?” I said uncertainly. The mare in question continued to stare at the door for another moment or two. I could practically hear the gears turning in her head. Suddenly, she shook it off.

“Come on, let’s check it out. Be on your guard.” I nodded, and slowly followed her into the house. I may not be nearly as skilled as Twilight when it comes to magic, but I certainly knew a trick or two to keep myself safe.

“Isn’t this breaking and entering?” I couldn’t help but question. Twilight simply shrugged at my statement.

“We’ll find out soon enough. I don’t think anypony will mind. It’s important.” She stopped in what appeared to be a living room. It was difficult to tell due to the lack of furniture. At least Covette had some things now, but it still wasn’t much. Two sets of eyes, one purple and one blue, carefully scanned the interior. “I’ll check upstairs. You search down here. Meet back in ten,” she said curtly before heading to the stairs. I nodded and trotted into the kitchen.

After five minutes of nosing through empty rooms and scarcely populated cupboards, I heard Twilight’s voice call from upstairs. “Rarity! Come quick! I think you need to see this...”

That didn’t sound good. I hastened to get upstairs. A few moments of searching found Twilight standing alone in a room. She was staring at something on the ground. Upon noticing my entry, she stepped aside to let me get a good look. “Well? What do you think?”

I...I didn’t know what to think. Sitting on the ground was what appeared to be an overturned box and a decent sum of money. Or at least, it had been money. What was left looked rather...charred. “Was she...burning money? But the poor dear is practically penniless!” I said, confusion fighting with worry in my chest.

Twilight’s eyes narrowed. “I know. There’s something strange going on.” She turned to meet

my gaze. “Rarity...in the library. Did you notice that somepony else was missing?”

I thought back. No...everypony seemed to be... “Ennui! Where was she?” I said suddenly, resisting a second urge to slap myself. Wow, I really needed to go back to school or something if counting was this hard.

“Exactly. Vanity’s been in a panic. When I went to investigate...her room was clean.”

I took a moment to think this over. “Clean? Well that doesn’t seem particularly-”

“Ennui’s. Room.”

Oh, right. Laziest mare alive. “Ah.”

“I’m going to scan the house for any signs of life. I want you to join the spell...and tell me what you feel.”

I nodded once before closing my eyes in concentration. I stretched out with my magic. I wasn’t nearly as good at this as Twilight was, but I could still manage. I quickly felt her magic brush up against mine. We acknowledged each other’s presence and then continued our search. Our magic washed over the entirety of the house, but one simple fact became painfully obvious: there was not a living soul but us in that building.

Suddenly, I felt something else. It was...powerful. Terrifying. It reminded me of a snake, sitting in the corner and waiting for the opportune moment to strike. I must’ve gasped audibly, because Twilight quickly retracted the spell. Opening my eyes unsurely, I met her gaze. “Twilight...what was that?”

Twilight stared at me a few moments before responding. “I have no idea.”

Broken

I still couldn’t really believe it. Covette and Ennui...gone. Very suddenly, too. I didn’t even know Covette was in Ponyville! When did that happen? And why? At least I know how Covette got here and bought a house, though. With my money, naturally. It warms my heart to know that I was finally able to do some good for her.

And yet...she burned it. She burned it all. That’s what worried me the most. The Covette I knew would never EVER do a thing like that. It was all so very strange. And it had all of us in a rather somber mood yesterday. I didn’t know it at the time, but I’m still glad I decided not to ask Rarity out to lunch. It would have been most unbecoming of a gentlecolt.

But today? The sky is blue, the sun is shining, and Twilight Sparkle is on the case. Personally, I know that I slept a bit better last night with that information in the back of my mind. I also upped the security at my mansion. That probably had something to do with it as well. I don’t know if the foalnappings of Covette and Ennui are a pattern or not, but it would seem so. We’re being targeted. If they come after me, I at least intend to make some noise and hopefully give Twilight some clues.

But enough of that. It’s a brand new day, and there’s no sign of trouble thus far. It’s now or never, or at least in my mind. I have been rehearsing what I plan on saying to that mare all night. Replaying certain scenarios in my mind. Thinking strategically about what I would tell her and accounting for her predicted responses. I’m going to find out once and for all whether or not she’ll have me.

Taking a deep breath, I throw open my door, lock up my beloved mansion, and head to Carousel Boutique.

***

I must say that I’m rather concerned. Ennui disappears a few days ago, and just yesterday we discovered Covette’s house to be completely barren. I’m not nearly as smart as dear Twilight is, but it certainly seems like somepony else has taken a significant interest in the Seven Sins. Somepony with power. Just thinking about the energy I felt in Covette’s house sends a shiver down my spine. It was so powerful, so alien...and yet so much more. It was...malevolent. It reminded me of a danger lurking in the shadows, just waiting to strike.

I didn’t know what to do with my time, so I did what I do best: worked. I did indeed have a few orders that were due in a few days. Although I will admit, I had been procrastinating on some of them for just a bit. It’s not something that I’d usually do, but a lot of things had come up recently that I really didn’t have any control over. Sweetie Belle had a  performance just the other night for a class skit. Don’t get me wrong, it was a nice showing, but I was just slightly nervous the whole time about when I would be getting home. And then of course, there’s this new mess...

I was idly concentrating on the fabric in front of me, working on my next creation. I had no idea how long that I had actually been sitting there, staring at that single piece of white satin. I probably wouldn’t have known that it was the next day until the sunlight from the window painfully pierced my visage.

As if the beam had brought me back to reality, I took a single hoof off the satin and brought it up to my mouth, letting out a large yawn. I was way more exhausted, and hungry, than I originally thought.

I slowly stood up from the chair that I was sitting in, letting out a slight uncomfortable groan as my spine painfully ached. My body did not agree with me this morning at all. Upon standing, my head began to throb just a little bit.

I needed some coffee.

Believe me, I didn’t like staying up all night. A mare needs her beauty sleep, but sometimes I really don’t have a choice. I have two orders for wedding gowns due by tomorrow, and I still had a long way to go until they were both complete, unfortunately.

I strode into the kitchen, where a pot of coffee was already sitting on the burner for me. Hmm... I must remind myself to thank Sweetie Belle later. That was very kind of her. Sometimes she can be such a...well, sweetie.

I levitated my  coffee cup subconsciously as I groggily made my way to the facilities. It was obvious that my mane was a complete and utter mess, as I could see my bangs in a frenzy in front of my eyes. I brought my cup to my lips, only allowing a few little drops to pass to prevent burning my mouth. Well, that and to preserve the rest of my drink.

I marched into the bathroom and gasped in shock rather loudly at my appearance. My mane was indeed all over the place, and looked like I had just lost a wrestling match with my hairdresser. I set the cup down on the counter and looked around for my necessary items. Sometimes, I felt like getting ready in the morning was like surgery. One wrong move and it’s over. Well, in my mind anyways.

After a few stressful minutes and forceful tugging, I finally got my mane to an acceptable condition. Most ponies think it takes longer than it actually does to get myself ready in the morning. Little do they know that it only takes mere moments with the right kind of hair spray and a little bit of patience.

I was in the middle of putting the last little smidge of blush on my cheeks, being very careful not to add too much or too little...I brought the plump brush to my face slowly. Aaaaand...

KNOCK. KNOCK.

The sharp rap of the door almost caused me to slip and drop my brush, which really would have been a disaster to clean up. I let out a small sigh of relief and put it, along with my other makeup necessities, into the drawer under the sink before hastily trotting to the door, eagerly adjusting my mane and tail as I did so.

“Oh, good morning!” I declared cheerfully before I even opened the door. I have no idea why, but I immediately felt my heart drop at the sight of a certain lime-maned stallion at my doorstep once again. I gave him a kind yet concerned smile. What was he doing at my doorstep so early in the morning?

“Hello!” he shouted rather loudly in my ear. He nervously cleared his throat, looking to and fro. “Uhm, you do know that it’s one in the afternoon, right?” With those words, he took a step out of the way, letting the very bright, and rather stunning, afternoon sun once again pierce my gaze. I winced just slightly, letting my eyes adjust to the sudden radiance.

I felt myself turn a little pink as I chuckled gingerly, rather embarrassed at my own mistake. “Oh, yes. Sorry, I had a long night.” I smiled at him sincerely. I tried to quickly change the conversation before things got more awkward. “So, uhm, what can I help you with?”

I could see that Cashmere was also blushing as well. He was trying to slyly hide it by keeping out of the sunlight, leaving his face in a dim shadow. “Uh...well...” He seemed unsure, and I raised an eyebrow at him. There must be a reason why he visited. Sure, we’re friends. But most of my friends don’t really knock, or come over without a particular reason. “Well...no...well, yes! I mean yes!” He suddenly declared, shaking his head as if to clear out his inner demons. I’m not sure if it was because it was rather warm out, but I could just see a few beads of sweat on his face.

“Oh, poor darling, you seem to be burning up!” I leaned over to him and put a single hoof on his forehead. As I did, he did a double take and blushed immensely, taking a half-step away from me. He began to stammer to himself unclearly. I knew that this wasn’t good at all... “Here! Come inside!” I beckoned to him impulsively. It’s a wonder why ponies come to me and not Fluttershy at times. She’s an expert at making ponies feel better.

I opened the door for him and wandered back inside to go a grab a few things for him: a cold pack, a thermometer...and some cold water will do. Like I said, I wasn’t an expert. When I trotted back into the living room, he was already sitting on the couch, tapping his hoof on the cushion uncomfortably. I could tell that he was feverishly racing inside that one track mind of his. I approached him, a little confused myself. When he noticed the items that I was intending to give him, he quickly shook his head.

“No! I’m not heating up! Rarity, I just came over to speak with you...” He spoke much more calmly, way different than how he was speaking just a moment ago at the door. Once again, I raised my eyebrow before putting the cold pack, glass of water, and thermometer all on the endtable before approaching him. I didn’t mean this in a mean way, but I’d rather not sit next to him. You see, I’m still rather exhausted and thus quite paranoid of falling asleep, say, if we were knee-deep in conversation.

“About what, dearie?” I replied. Upon saying the word “dearie” I could see him turn a slight crimson. The hints were coming slowly, but I think I knew what this was about. I’ve seen this before, no doubt.

“Uhm, look...” He sighed and looked at the ground, trying to collect himself. Part of me just wanted to cut him off and tell him what I’m really thinking, but I can’t. I’m not sure why, but I feel like it’s not the right thing to do. “I came over here to tell you t-that...” Upon his stutter, his buried his face in his hoof, as if he was thinking: come on Cashmere! Get it together!

“Cashmere-” I began, but I was instantly cut off.

“Rarity, I...I can’t stop thinking about you.” He admitted, letting out a peaceful and rather contented sigh. I found myself looking at the ground as well, trying to weigh my options. I should have seen this coming... “Ever since I first met you, something about you just...changed me.”

I looked back up, slightly confused. “Changed you?” I repeated. He gave me a healthy nod along with a triumphant smile.

“Yes. I feel that if it wasn’t for you, I would still be in Canterlot. If it wasn’t for you, then I wouldn’t have made friends. Friends that I would never want to lose...and I really don’t want to lose you most of all.” I could tell that he was trying to be suave, but the charade wasn’t working all too well, as his voice was still shaking just a little bit. I could feel the blood rushing to my cheeks upon hearing his words, but it still didn’t change my answer.

“Cash-”

“Let me finish, please. I’ve been thinking about how I am going to tell you this all night, and it’s been driving me crazy. I...I think...”

Is...is he going to say what I think he’s going to say...?

“I think I’m in love with you.”

Oh...he did. I felt myself frown at the statement, and pondered the words that I could potentially say in my mind. To be honest, I didn’t like him like that in the slightest. When I first met him, I was slightly interested, but not so much after getting to know him. He’s a decent stallion, and he definitely has good looks, but his curse is what kind of breaks the deal for me. We’re completely opposites, in a sense. I represent the Element of Generosity, while he represents Greed, the Sin of...stinginess? No, I can’t.

“Cashmere.” I chuckled just a little bit, trying to lighten up the mood as much as I could before I break the news to him. “That’s very sweet. I appreciate the kind words!” He smirked at me, rather excited for what I was about to say. “But...”

As soon as I uttered the last word, he looked at the ground, defeated. His ears drooped. He already could tell. “I...can’t in good conscience say that I feel the same way, Cashmere. I do apologize if it seemed that I was leading you on...” I explained. I knew about these types of things, and I knew that absolutely crushing him was never a good thing to do, and that it’s best to just be as kind as possible. Nopony likes having their feelings, or heart, hurt.

He suddenly looked up at me with a grand, but fake, smile on his face. “Rarity, I know that it may seem a little sudden, but if you could just please consider...”

I cut him off. I really wasn’t in the mood to debate this. “No, Cashmere.” His smile was beginning to fade once again.

“But what abo-”

“I said ‘no’ Cashmere. I’m not interested in you like that. And frankly, I don’t think I ever will be.” My eyes went wide as I contemplated the last sentence that had just come out of my mouth. My word, that was not what I intended to say at all! Cashmere sighed before standing up. “Cashmere, I didn’t mean...” I was fumbling over my words, wishing that I could take what I said back. Yes, what I said was true, but he didn’t need to know that...

“Don’t worry. I understand. I’m sorry. I won’t bother you anymore...” Before I had a chance to say anything else, he raced for the door, slamming it shut behind him so hard it almost knocked a few things off the walls. I let out a soft, disappointed sigh.

I was all alone.

***

This couldn’t be. No, I refused to let things stand as they were! Absolutely unacceptable! I, despite my years of high-class association, have just committed a social travesty! A faux pas, if you will. Sure I might have been completely exhausted and unable to put together coherent thoughts but still! Poor, dear Cashmere came to me with his heart on the line and what did I do? Throw it at the wall! Stamp it underhoof! Drown it in hopelessness! Ponies ask me why I’m not in a relationship. The truth is...this wouldn’t be the first time.

But that’s not important right now! What’s important is that I recover our friendship! Or, at the very least, ensure that he’s not going to do something stupid. It had taken an hour or two to compose myself and figure out what exactly I was going to say, since I was obviously incapable of coming up with the necessary words on the spot, but despite having a terrible pounding headache and being nearly blinded by the mid-afternoon sun I soon found myself walking on the twisting path leading to Cashmere’s mansion.

As I crested the slight hill, his mansion finally came into full view. And...I had to pause for a moment. It’s simply fabulous. I had no idea such a splendid manor existed within ten miles of Ponyville! It’s certainly a rather nice sight for sore eyes. And I’m sure that its host would be more than willing to share some of its hospitalities nowadays. That is...if he’ll even see me. I hope he doesn’t turn me away at the door...

No! I cannot think like that! I must see him and apologize! I must! I simply MUST! Surely a gentlecolt of his stature wouldn’t turn away a lady in distress? After a few more moments, I found myself striding up to his front door. A pair of security cameras carefully monitored my progress.  Hesitating for only a moment, I stepped forward and rapped on his large door three times in quick succession. I was expecting a response, but I have to admit I was quite surprised when the door swung open at my touch.

Slowly but surely, the door gave way, creaking the entire time. “Cashmere?” I called uncertainly. Where...exactly was he? Most peculiar. I cautiously stepped forward and entered the large entry room. “Cashmere?” I called again. “Where are you? Please, I wish to speak with you!” My voice echoed through the large house, but no other sound came back to my ears. I was starting to get rather worried. My thoughts flicked, unbidden, back to the strangely familiar sensation I’d felt upon entering Covette’s home. That feeling of emptiness and dread. Oh, dear...not him too...

“Cashmere!” I shouted once more, this time with a bit more urgency. I had to find him! Or at least some sign of his departure. Leaving manners at the front door, I hastily trotted up the main staircase. To my left was a long hallway with several doors on each side. Time to start searching...

Most of the rooms were empty. Both of ponies and of objects. It would seem that Cashmere has yet to fully move in. Well, if I had this many rooms at my disposal I don’t know what I would do with them either! I reached the end of the hallway with no sign that anypony had ever lived here. Even his bedroom had been devoid of life or signs!

Sighing in frustration, I leaned against the wall as I began to contemplate how best to search the massive establishment. Suddenly, my hoof slipped slightly and I stumbled backwards into a candlestand. Instead of a loud crashing noise, however, there was a sudden *CLICK!* and I stared in awe as the wall slid away to reveal a secret room.

This was it, then. Either he was here or he wasn’t. I was almost certain this is where he’d keep his safe. Slowly, carefully, I crept into the room. Deciding to give politeness one more chance, I softly called out, “Cashmere? Are you in here? Please, let me explain!” No response. There was some sort of pedestal in the center of the room. Ever so slowly, I crept around to see it from the other side...and gasped in shock.

There was his safe, all right. Wide open. And completely empty.

My mind whirled at the implications. Surely he wouldn’t...? There was only one way to find out. I closed my eyes and focused. I could feel the magic well up inside of me and move into my horn. Slowly I spread my consciousness out...and recoiled almost immediately.

There, once again, was that ominous dark magic. So it was true. Cashmere was definitely gone. Suddenly, I had a thought. What if whoever is responsible for these foalnappings was still here? What if they wanted the Elements as well? What if I was being watched right this very instant, and somepony in the shadows was just waiting to strike? That would simply be the. Worst. Possible! Thing!!

“TWILIGHT!!” I shrieked in a panic as I bolted for the door.

***

“WHAT!?”

I hadn’t quite meant to say that so loud, but Rarity’s news was most unsettling. “It’s true, Twilight! Cashmere’s gone! And that magic...it...it’s back!” I reached out and looped a comforting hoof around the trembling mare’s neck. She was obviously quite frazzled. I myself was starting to get quite worried, but I knew I had to be the one to keep a level head right now.

“It’s alright, Rarity, calm down. You’re fine.”

“Fine? FINE? No, Twilight, I am not fine! It’s all my fault! He came to my Boutique today and confessed his feelings for me! And what did I do? I turned him away! Horribly! I’m an awful ponyyyy!!” she bawled. Whoa, Cashmere had feelings for Rarity? Huh. That’s new. It’s understandable that she turned him away, though. I’m not quite sure if I fully trust him either, even though I would like to call him ‘friend.’ I know Rarity sometimes has a tendency to overreact, but she sounded quite distressed, and honestly I felt it was rather justified.

“Shh. Rarity, it’s okay. It’s not your fault. He would’ve been alone tonight anyways. If they were going to get him, it would have happened. This is getting pretty serious, though. I know I already sent a letter to the Princesses, but maybe another one is in order? I’ll think on it.” I paused. “Actually, I think tomorrow we’re going to get on the first train to Canterlot. This has become an emergency at this point.”

Rarity sniffled and started to get a hold of herself. “I...I suppose it would’ve happened eventually...I still feel awful, though. I never even got to apologize...”

I hugged her close once again in reassurance. “Don’t worry, Rarity. We’ll find him. You’ll get your chance. For right now, though, we need to keep a better eye on the Sins. Nopony should be alone right now. I need you to find Rainbow and Pinkie and help gather everyone up. Meet here in ten minutes. I’m headed to Fluttershy’s.” I gave her one more reassuring nuzzle to calm her blasted nerves. “Can you do that?”

The white mare nodded once, and I closed my eyes and let the magic take over. With a bright purple flash, I was gone.

***

Not ten minutes later, we were all once again crammed into the too-small library. Or at least, all of us minus Cashmere. I should really talk to Celestia about refurbishing and expanding the place, this happens WAY too often for my tastes. “Quiet please, everypony!” I shouted over the humdrum of the room. Instantly everypony hushed.

“Thank you. You have been summoned because we’ve had yet another incident: Cashmere has disappeared.” There were several gasps and quiet mutterings throughout the room at that.

“How do ya know he’s gone fer good?” Applejack spoke up.

“Rarity found his safe. It was open and totally empty.” More shocked gasps. I think everypony is starting to see the pattern here: dark magic, a very uncharacteristic scene, missing Sin pony. Whoever the foalnapper was, they were certainly very formulaic.

“Well, Ah suppose that would do it,” Applejack muttered, her brow furrowing in concentration. “That’s most unlike him. So what do we do now? We can’t let this keep going.”

I shook my head. “No, we certainly can’t. That’s why I think it’s best we implement a buddy system of sorts. Every one of us needs to be with another pony at all times. That includes you, Elements. I have no idea if our foalnapper is after us as well but I wouldn’t place it outside the realm of possibility. So, how’s this going to work? I’m staying here...with Aphrodite...” I grumbled the last part out. I had to resist the urge to facehoof at the excited giggle that emerged from somewhere on my left.

“Kindling and Ah will stay out on th’ farm. We got five ponies and a dog in that house. Ain’t nopony gettin’ in without a rassle.” Kindling nodded enthusiastically.

I nodded in agreement. “Good plan, AJ. Rainbow, what about you?” Rainbow opened her mouth to speak but a sudden pink blur shot out of nowhere and interrupted.

“Ooh! Ooh! I know! Dashie can come and sleep over at my place! It’ll be a PAAARTY!!” Rainbow and I both chuckled slightly.

“Alright, I guess I’m staying with Pinkie for now. But please...no lukewarm bowls of water this time...” she said good-naturedly while giving Pinkie a hard stare. Pinkie smiled mischievously  but caved.

“Okie dokie lokie Dashie!”

“Alright, that’s settled. Fluttershy, I assume you and Warble will stick together?”

The shy pegasus nodded her head demurely. “That sounds good. If, um, that’s okay with you, that is...”

“I’m fine with that!” Warble added quickly.

I rolled my eyes but continued nonetheless. “All right. That just leaves Rarity and Vanity. Are you two alright with sticking together?” I asked. Vanity nodded and opened her mouth to speak, but Rarity cut in.

“Oh it would be simply marvelous, Twilight! I still have some work to do unfortunately, but I’d be more than happy to let a mare of such refined tastes share my humble abode. It will be no trouble at all,” she finished, giving Vanity a happy smile.

“That sounds great, Rarity. I really appreciate it. My place has been pretty lonely recently...” she trailed off.

I felt a pang of sympathy for the cerulean mare, and it only hardened my resolve to keep this from happening again. “Well, everything seems settled then!” I have no idea how, but Aphrodite was suddenly at my side, smiling rather seductively. I shivered as I heard her cackle quietly to herself. I did what I did best these days and simply ignored her.

“We’re going to have the best of times, Twilight Sparkle dear~”

Still ignoring. “Alright everypony. Until the Princesses figure out what’s going on, stick to your buddy at all times! In fact, I think it best that we all take a train to Canterlot as soon as possible tomorrow. This is starting to get ridiculous. But until then, stay together!”

There was a muttering of agreement before we all headed our separate ways. After all, Celestia’s sun was still up, although not by much, and there was plenty to be done. Still, I couldn’t help but shake the feeling that something unusual was going to happen soon...

***

“Rarity!” I heard a voice call from the adjacent room. Vanity’s voice almost seemed to echo throughout the whole house. I couldn’t help but sigh as I put down the thread I was working with and reluctantly shouted back to her. At first I would have thought twice, but luckily Sweetie Belle was spending the night with Scootaloo and Apple Bloom in their little clubhouse, so I didn’t really have anything to worry about.

Vanity had been a pretty great help when it came to assisting me in getting this job done, whether it be fetching needed tools or giving her opinions. Either way, she and I were spending a lot of time together, and I must confess I was rather enjoying myself. We click quite nicely. I was reminded of when I was a filly, and when I would have friends spend the night for the first time. Oh, how great memories were always made on that first night. I hope tonight is the same. Aside from the whole ‘worked to the bone’ part, at least.

“Yes, Vanity?” I waited for a moment for her to respond, rather impatiently.

“Do you think you could bring me a towel?” she howled back at me. Well, more like a mix of yelling and mumbling, as I could tell that she was trying not to get soap in her facial orifices. I groaned, knowing that it couldn’t be helped, but I’m still really busy. These wedding dresses won’t make themselves, and I’m running out of time. Oh well, I’m sure I’ll still be able to get it done on time. Bringing her a towel doesn’t really matter, I guess.

I quickly walked into the bathroom only to be hit with a wave of moist air coming from the shower. “I’m coming in...” I announced, attempting to prevent a potentially embarrassing situation. Vanity didn’t say anything back as she continued to scrub herself.

I tossed the towel on top of the dresser for her. “It’s right here when you get out.” I told her, finally getting a response in the form of a nod and a quick thanks. I stepped out of the bathroom, dead set on getting back to work. I took a seat at my work desk and anxiously picked up the piece of thread. As I did so, I heard the water sputter and soon turn off completely before hearing the curtains slide. I barely paid any mind to it as I slid the fabric under the sewing machine needle. It was time for the...extensive part...

I decided to hold off, however. I will save that part for later. There was a distinct humming noise coming from the bathroom, almost like singing. I could actually hear her rummaging through my drawers. I didn’t mind, of course. I just prefer she asks before using some of my...feminine products.

The humming got increasingly louder, to the point where I was almost getting annoyed. But luckily, the sound suddenly ceased to escalate. I was getting closer to completing my mission, that was for sure. Much to my undying happiness.

The sounds coming from the bathroom had suddenly turned into unintelligible mumbling. Even still, I paid it no mind. Vanity’s voice was low, a little too low...I still couldn’t understand her, but it made me a little uneasy. I had to keep my focus though...

Not a minute later, I jumped in my seat at the sound of glass shattering. “Vanity!?” I called, hopping out of my seat and cantering towards the restroom. The closer I got to the bathroom, the more I began to feel a familiar presence...

Oh no...not again!

I slammed the door open and scanned the bathroom for a good half-second. “Vanity!?” I shouted again, my heart beating a mile a minute in my chest. Don’t tell me she’s gone too? And...once again...it’s all my fault.

I couldn’t help but notice the shattered hand mirror on the ground.

***

SMASH!!

I jerked awake and sat up suddenly in my bed. What in tarnation was that? It’s the middle of the night! I looked out my window just to confirm this simple fact. Sure enough, Luna’s night sky was still stretched out as far as the eye could see. So what in the hay made that noise?

SLAM!!

There it is again! Is it coming from...Kindling’s room? Uh oh. Big fella must be in one of his rage fits AJ’s told me about. That’s not good. Better go see what’s going on before somepony gets hurt. I reluctantly rolled out of bed, exited my room, and started to creep down the hallway towards the guest room at the end.

BAM!! CRUNCH!!

Land’s sakes, he must be destroying every scrap of furniture in that room! Good thing he’s done so much work for us recently, or I’d be more than a might angry with him. Don’t get me wrong, he’s been a decent feller ever since he showed up, and I’ve actually grown to rather like him. But if he hurts one of my family...things are going to get rather heated, and fast. There was a sudden creak behind me and I whirled around, only to find myself face to face with another pair of wide green eyes.

WHAM!!

Both AJ and I jumped at the next sudden noise and turned our attention back to Kindling’s room. I raised my hoof to my lips to call for silence. She nodded and tip-hoofed after me as I continued to creep closer to Kindling’s room. The silence was deafening. Both of us were on the very edge of our nerves waiting for the next destructive noise. Or, even worse, for an irate charcoal stallion to suddenly burst out from behind that door.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, I sidled up to one side of the door and pressed myself against the wall. AJ took up a position on the other side. It was deathly quiet inside the room. I briefly considered calling out to him but decided it would be best to simply take him by surprise if he was indeed consumed by rage. I looked at AJ. She steeled her expression and nodded. I stepped forward and coiled my legs.

CRASH!!

The door to the room didn’t stand a chance against me. As soon as I smashed the door down, I jumped into the room, ready to pounce on the first thing that moved. AJ jumped in right after me. The dust cleared and...my jaw fell to the floor.

Every piece of furniture was whole and unbroken.

I don’t know how long AJ and I stood there, unable to comprehend what our eyes were seeing. It could’ve been five minutes, it could’ve been fifteen. I lost count. I’m really no good at all that fancy mathematics this late at night. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, AJ managed to get a hold of herself and strode over to the window. She opened it and peered outside. “Don’t look like nopony jumped out...” she muttered.

Our gazes met. Neither of us knew what had just happened. We both heard weird noises, but nothing is broken and Kindling is nowhere to be found. We each could see the fear in the other’s eyes.

“Twilight?” I asked.

“Eeyup.”

***

My eyes gently fluttered open. What time was it...oh, it was still dark. So then...why was I awake?

“Eep!”

Quicker than I could even think, I leaped out of my bed and secured myself firmly to the tallest thing in the room. What was that? I...I think I heard something downstairs. It sounded like...dishes rattling? Well that would certainly explain why I was woken up. After living with this many animals, I was well trained to wake up at the tiniest disturbance. After all, you never know when the littlest of noises can be indicative of a grave emergency.

Quietly, I fluttered to my door and opened it. I looked down into the living room and was surprised to see a distinct lack of anypony else in the room. Particularly on the couch.

...There’s that noise again. Is it coming from...the kitchen? I carefully tip-hoofed down the stairs, keeping a sharp eye out for any sudden movements. “Warble? Are you down here?” I softly called out. He was probably just getting a late-night snack. Oh, dear. Despite my best attempts, it truly was proving difficult to get that poor stallion’s eating habits under control. I hope he at least managed to tone it down this time, it was getting difficult to finance his nightly... “adventures”...

I reached the bottom of the stairs and started to trot into the kitchen. “Warble? Are you in here? I hope you’re not sleep-eating agai-EEP!” I was most surprised by what was waiting for me in the kitchen. There was an absolute TOWER of plates, bowls, and silverware on the table. I’d never seen so many dirty dishes in one place, and I’ve been living with Warble for a little over a week now.

But then...where was he? I quickly scanned the room and was most surprised to see that I couldn’t find him. He definitely couldn't be hiding. Not after that much food. Even by his standards, this was something else. Did he leave? He couldn’t have gotten far. It just...it didn’t add up. He should be here, either still eating or passed out on the floor.

I suppose he went for a walk or something, then. Sighing depressedly, I fluttered over to the fridge to inspect the carnage. What I saw after opening that door, however, was not at all what I expected. I gasped in shock, my eyes went wide, and my wings froze up. How...how could this be?

My fridge was exactly how it had been a few hours ago.

***

I was brutally pulled from my dreams by a sudden frenzied knocking on my door. Who in the whole wide world of Equestria would be crazy enough to come to the Library in the MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT?? It’s hard enough to get a good night’s sleep with Ms. Crude and Lewd running rampant around here! I think the world’s out to get me.

I was mere seconds away from unleashing all of Tartarus on whomever was unfortunate enough to be the source of my ire when the rational part of my brain kicked in. There had been some pretty odd things happening in Ponyville recently. Maybe it was an emergency?

Groaning in distress, I willed up my magic and teleported to the front door. I know my friends said not to do stuff like that, and that I should use my hooves more, but frankly I don’t care right now. I’ll go exercise later. I affixed a thoroughly disgruntled glare to my face and opened the door. The expression fell and my heart plummeted into my stomach when I saw who it was.

Fluttershy, Applejack, and Rarity all stood on my doorstep.

“TWILIGHT!! WE NEED TO TALK TO YOU!!” they all shouted at once. And then I was bombarded by their various stories about what had transpired, creating one big jarbled mess of words. I felt my sleep-addled brain shut down temporarily as I attempted to process what had just happened, and what needed to be done.

“Hold on! Just...hold on everypony! One at a time!” I pointed a hoof at Rarity. “You. What happened? Short story, please.”

“Vanity’s gone!” she cried in desperation. She seemed close to tears.

“Kindling too!” Applejack added, her voice tense with concern.

“I can’t find Warble either!” Fluttershy finished, her normally shy voice nowhere to be found.

For my part, I handled the situation pretty well. And by that, I of course mean that I stood there, stock-still, my jaw gaping as I attempted to understand how this was possible. “What...but...how...”

I never got to finish my sentence. “Twilight!” a voice called from behind me.

I spun around, eager to talk to someone not currently assaulting my poor brain with scenarios that made no sense whatsoever. “Spike? What is it?” He must have also been woken by the late-night knocking.

“Something’s wrong with Aphrodite! Come quick!”

Okay, scratch that. Yup, the world’s DEFINITELY out to get me. When this mess is over and done with, I’m going to take a vacation. A LONG one. Away from Aphrodite. However, it would seem that we finally had a chance to see what was happening to the Sins. After all, she was the only one left. I quickly galloped up the stairs after Spike, Fluttershy, Rarity, and Applejack hot on my hooves.

Spike directed me to the guest room, and I wasted no time in throwing the door open and galloping inside. “Aphrodite? Are you i-YIPE!” I couldn’t believe what I saw. I skidded to a halt, my three friends plowing into me in rapid succession. The three of them poked their heads out from behind me while Spike peeked around the doorframe, and our jaws all fell in unison.

Aphrodite...she was so...different. I think the first thing I noticed was the dark purple glow that surrounded her. It shimmered and flickered, and radiated...well, pure evil. I tested the air with my magic. Sure enough, that same tell-tale magical trace I found in Ennui and Covette’s rooms was thick in the air.

Without warning, Aphrodite’s eyes fluttered open. We all gasped and instinctively backed away. They were a solid purple. Upon seeing me, her face twisted into a  seductive leer. She batted her eyelashes outrageously and took a single step towards me. “Ohhh, hello Twilight...I must say, you look simply ravishing tonight...”

Oh, horseapples. “A-Aphro? Are you okay?” I stuttered weakly. She took another step. If before she was annoying, now she was downright terrifying. This was even worse than when she gave into her sin in the changeling nest...

“I’m just fine, Twilight~” she cooed. Another step. “And I’m about to be a whole lot better...” She finished that sentence by sensually licking her lips. I felt Fluttershy tremble behind me. Or maybe it was just me. I really couldn’t tell at this point, such was my fear.

Suddenly, without warning, her eyes closed and reopened. This time, they looked perfectly normal as they locked with mine.

And they were filled with fear.

“Twilight! Please! Help meeeeeeeEEEEE!!” Her scream escalated into nothingness as a bright flash filled the room. I hated to do so, but I had to shield my eyes and look away. As suddenly as it began, the room was plunged into darkness. As soon as my eyesight adjusted, I stood up shakily and looked around. One thing was for dead certain: Aphrodite was nowhere to be found.

I turned back to my friends, who all looked equally terrified. Fluttershy was hiding behind Rarity, whimpering fiercely. Said unicorn mare was gazing off into the distance in some sort of stupor. Applejack was wringing her hat nervously. Spike was gnawing fearfully on his claws.

“Twilight...” AJ began. “What in the HAY was that all about?”

I slowly shook my head. “I have no idea. But I do know this: something really, really serious is going on.” I looked around at my friends, and slowly began to realize what we needed to do. “Come on, everypony. Let’s go get Pinkie and Rainbow. We need to get to Canterlot immediately.”

Suddenly, without warning, a new voice spoke up from the doorway.

“That won’t be necessary.”

Pestilence

“P-Princess Luna?!” several voices chorused in shock. The Goddess of the Night simply smiled, albeit with a concerned expression. Her eyes were tinged with sorrow, and I must say, she was doing a rather good job at hiding it. One wouldn’t be able to notice unless they’d known her for some time like I have.

“Hello, Twilight...” She turned to Applejack, Fluttershy, Rarity, and Spike, “...and friends.” It had sure been a while since I’d seen Celestia’s sister. I think the last time I actually spoke with her was at the wedding for Princess Cadence and Shining Armor. Don’t get me wrong, I was happy for them...but I’m still being chuckled at for the way I was dancing. But one must admit, reading and doing are two completely different things!

“Princess Luna...” I mustered, slightly taken aback by her sudden appearance. Not to mention that she also scared me half to death. “What’s going on?”

Luna simply shook her head restlessly, turning her gaze to Applejack and Rarity. “Please, go fetch the other two. I will explain when everypony is here...” she commanded, completely disregarding my question. Applejack and Rarity glanced at each other once before slowly stepping past the Princess and out the door. I resisted the urge to let out a sigh. I don’t like it when there are unanswered questions, but I had no choice but to wait.

The only ponies in the room now were Fluttershy, Luna, and I. Spike was still standing at the door, twiddling his claws absent-mindedly. Fluttershy wasn’t too thrilled at the moment, however. I actually think that she’s still a little afraid of the Princess after the whole Nightmare Moon incident. But Luna’s changed, and almost everypony has gotten over that now. Still, she meekly sat in a nearby chair, hoping to become one with the shadow.

“Luna...the Sins-” I tried to explain, unwittingly not giving myself enough time to think before speaking. The Princess simply lifted a hoof to her mouth, as if to tell me to hush.

“I know...how many are left?” Luna questioned, her wise yet clearly worried glare not once removing itself from my form. I pondered her question, but replied within mere seconds.

“How many? ...Well...none,” I said bluntly. The way she phrased that kind of put me off. What did she mean by ‘how many are left’? Did she know that they are all disappearing? I’d assume so, she’s a Princess. They know everything that’s going on in Equestria. I almost felt a little nervous.

“It is as I feared, then,” she said quietly, letting out a sigh as she did so. “Time is shorter than ever. I do hope the others arrive soon...”

After what seemed like an eternity, the awkward silence finally came to a halt when Applejack peered in through the bedroom door once again. She gave me a crooked grin before she actually stepped in the doorway.

“Ah, uhm, found Pinkie,” she announced. Not even a second later, Pinkie Pie graciously honored us with her presence.

“Yep! Good thing Applejack came to visit! I was so bored!” Pinkie giggled, trotting up to Twilight and rather rudely ignoring Princess Luna.

Applejack put a hoof in front of her snout so no one would overhear her. “Ah don’t think she sleeps...”

Pinkie simply laughed. “Of course I sleep, you silly filly! But sleep is like, booooring! Except for when I dream! Then it’s really fun! Especially the ones about parties! And Gummy! And parties! And cupcakes and pie and punch and parties and balloons and pickle barrels and streamers and candy and parties and kumquats and chimicherrychangas...”

“Pinkie,” the princess simply said. She looked more than a tad miffed, probably both because Pinkie was being...well, Pinkie, and because she had just called sleep “boring.” Honestly, I sometimes wonder about that mare...

“Where’s Rainbow Dash?” I found myself asking, partially because I noticed the lack of multi-colored rainbows in the room and partially to break the awkward silence that had invaded.

Like clockwork, Rarity then limped into the room, looking rather worse for the wear. She was huffing excessively, and her mane was a little messy in just a few places. She sat her rump down on the floor, not even caring to think about the sanitation for once. That was a first.

“She...she’s...busy...” Rarity wheezed, before collapsing onto her back dramatically.

“Busy?” I turned to look at a nearby clock: 12:45 am. “It’s almost one in the morning!”

Rarity quickly gathered her bearings before speaking again. It was obvious that she had been giving chase. One where the end result was inevitable. Trying to catch up with Rainbow Dash during one of her practice sessions was like trying to catch fish by running on the ocean floor.

“I know...I ran over to her home, but she kept shouting ‘I’ll be there in a minute!’” Rarity explained. Oh. Apparently she wasn’t trying to keep up with Rainbow. Just a quick run to her house. HAH! And they said I was out of shape! I saw Applejack visibly roll her eyes, along with Luna. Despite my minor boost in self-esteem, I felt myself fuming at the pegasus as well. This was no matter to be putting off! Also, Luna wasn’t going to explain anything until she gets here. And I hate not having answers!

However, true to her word, only one or two minutes later Rainbow Dash showed up. For once, she actually walked through the door. I completely expected her to fly in through the window. “Heh. Sorry I’m late.” She then ruffled her feathers and gave everyone a crooked smile. “I was...getting ready.”

Everypony in the room, save for Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie, glared at her. “Hey! I apologized, didn’t I?!” I didn’t believe her excuse one bit. The glares continued unabated. “Ok, fine. I was getting out of bed. I’m not exactly a light sleeper, ya know. Cut a mare some slack, would ya?”

It was at this moment that Rainbow Dash had finally noticed the presence of the Princess. She blushed and tried to cover up her outburst. “Uh...I mean...hello! Luna! Wow, you’re like, HERE here. Hehe. So nice to see you!” She chuckled, trying to act as if nothing happened. Luna simply shook her head, once again.

“Rainbow Dash, this is of the utmost importance. Tardiness is unacceptable,” she said calmly. Rainbow’s ears drooped to her skull and she looked away apologetically.

“B-But...I didn’t even know it was that import-”

“It is alright, Rainbow. It was only a few moments.” Luna stood up to her full height and cast her gaze around the room expectantly. Her midnight blue eyes settled on Pinkie Pie, who still wasn’t moving in the middle of the room. She still continued to stare at the wall, refusing to blink, or apparently breathe for that matter. I was starting to get a little concerned.

“I’m sure she’s listening...” I muttered, glancing at the Princess. The Princess smiled ever so slightly and continued to survey the room, passing her gaze over the six ponies and one dragon present.

“My little ponies...” she began. “...Equestria is in peril once again. Celestia is sick.”

At this, everypony in the room gasped out loud and all started to talk at once. After all, our benevolent rulers NEVER got sick. It was completely unheard of!

“Oh my goodness!”

“Yer kiddin’!”

“Oh, good heavens!”

“Is she alright?”

“This can’t be happening!”

Luna raised a hoof for silence. At once, we all quieted down. “As I’m sure you’re all aware,” she continued, “recently the seven Sin ponies disappeared without a trace.” We all nodded in affirmation. “Do you all remember the story Celestia told you about how the Sins were initially created?” We all nodded again.

“I’m afraid that wasn’t the whole story. You see, there was one other part of herself that she removed. This part...this fragment of her soul...was none other than her will to do evil.” There was a long silence as the Lunar Princess’s words sank in.

“E-evil?” I finally managed to squeak out. Luna frowned and nodded sadly

“Yes, Twilight. Evil. Once it took on a physical form, it became a deity so repugnant, so dastardly, so downright malicious that it could not be simply constrained by pony flesh like Celestia’s other flaws. It claimed three lives as it attempted to possess innocents and bend them to its will. None of them could hold such power within them, and eventually killed themselves to be rid of their evil thoughts...” Luna trailed off sadly, reminiscing on times long past gone.

“Of course, this was unacceptable. Thus, Tia and I tracked it down. It would not respond to reason. By then, it had collapsed on itself, becoming an entity of its own. A being that called itself Malignant. We did the only thing we could: seal it away in Tartarus. In the deepest, darkest reaches of that fiery hell, Malignant dwelled for a millenia. Until now.”

I felt sheer terror begin to take hold of me. I looked about the room and saw that all of my friends were also experiencing similar feelings of dread. Fluttershy was trembling. Rarity looked about to faint. Rainbow stared off into space while Applejack wrung her hat. Spike looked at his feet and fumbled with his tail. Pinkie, however, continued to sit, unmoving. There was one question, however, that I felt I had to ask. “Luna...” I said quietly. “How could Celestia generate so much evil? She’s such a wonderful ruler...” I trailed off, fearful of the answer.

The Princess of the Night smiled sadly. “We are but ponies, Twilight. Powerful, yes, but still ponies. We feel all the same things you do, although arguably even stronger. Celestia’s drive to become the perfect ruler was strong. She had made some...mistakes that she regretted deeply. It is because of this separation that the perfect ruler you all know and love has come to be.”

“What about you, Princess?” Spike suddenly asked from the corner. “Did you do the same?”

Luna’s sad smile deepened into a grimace. “No, Spike. I have learned to live with my faults. It is easier having a perfect example to follow, but I myself am not perfect. Why do you think Nightmare Moon came to be?” There was only silence in response to that. It all made so much sense. I could only imagine how it must have felt for Celestia to rip her very essence into pieces. And it was all for us...I felt my love for her grow significantly. There was still one more question, however...

“How did he get free?” I asked quietly.

Luna’s eyes flashed, and she suddenly seemed angrier. “Do not mistake this entity for a living being, Twilight. It is neither he or she. It is an entity of pure malice, existing only to torment others. To wreak havoc, chaos, and despair on all that it sees.” She seemed to calm down a bit. “As for how...we believe that using the Medallion triggered its release somehow.”

My eyes widened. “So...we set it free?” I asked timidly.

That serene gaze was back on her face. “Do not fret, Twilight Sparkle. Not even Celestia herself foresaw this.” Her expression turned serious once again. “And it is the Medallion that Malignant undoubtedly seeks. If it can corrupt the Seven Sins, forcing them to give in and succumb to darkness once and for all, the Medallion will become an unstoppable weapon of evil.” Everypony in the room trembled at the thought.

Suddenly, however, Luna broke into a smile. “Fortunately for us, I have it right here.” Sure enough, she was currently holding up the Medallion, its strap hanging from around her hoof. We all breathed out a sigh of relief we didn’t realize we’d been holding in. Well, except for Pinkie. I still have no idea what she thinks she’s doing.

“So...what about the Sins, then?” I asked. It seemed I was the only one capable of speaking at the moment.

“Simple,” Luna answered. “We must find them and prevent them from giving in to their lesser natures. As long as Malignant does not have all of the Sins in its possession, it has not won.”

“Well then that’s it, then!” Rainbow Dash suddenly spoke up. “All we gotta do is track ‘em down! We did it once and we can do it again. Fire up that Medallion thingy, Twi!” she said, turning her excited gaze to me.

However, Luna shook her head sadly. “I’m afraid that’s not possible, Rainbow Dash.” Everypony turned to look at Luna, shock visible on their faces. “After firing the Medallion once, the Sins were released from the absolute hold the curse once possessed. The Medallion can no longer track them unless they were to pass on. We must find them ourselves.”

‘Pass on?’ What in the hay was that supposed to mean? “Princess...” I said slowly, my insides twisting themselves up in worry. “Are they in danger?”

Luna said nothing for a moment or two, contemplating how best to answer. “They are in danger of losing themselves. As of right now, however, it is not in Malignant’s interests to kill them. He needs them. There is one other complication, however...” She trailed off. All of us leaned closer expectantly, but nopony had the courage to ask what it was.

“Our time is limited,” she finally said. “Malignant and Celestia are linked. The stronger it grows, and trust me it is growing stronger, the weaker Celestia gets. If the Medallion were to be fired by it...I fear my sister would perish.” We all gasped out loud. “And if that were to happen,” she continued, “there would be nothing left to stop Malignant. The fields would shrivel and die. The rivers and lakes would run dry. The skies would grow dark and stormy. The very magic of the earth would fail. Tartarus would be unleashed, and pony civilization as we know it would burn. My little ponies, this is a race against time we cannot afford to lose.”

I could literally see Fluttershy shaking vigorously, trying to take in everything she had just heard. Honestly, I wouldn’t be surprised if I was too, such was the extent of my fear. “Do you know exactly how long we have?” I couldn’t help but ask.

“No. It will take Malignant time to corrupt the Sins. They are strong ponies on their own, and the friendships you have made with them will harden their resolves. However, nopony can last forever against such power. It could take months, but at this rate I am afraid that we do not have long, for Malignant already has removed the Sins from our grasp.”

“So...so it has them?” I asked quietly, trying to hold back tears at the thought of my new friends bound in some basement, being tortured slowly. I even felt bad for Aphrodite. I doubt I’ll ever forget the look of pure fear she wore on her face before being dragged away...

Luna stood and paced to the window. Sitting before it, she closed her eyes and sighed. “I do not think so. He has them mentally, but not physically. Malignant has been weakened by a millennia of torture and binding spells. Given that Tia is only showing signs of a common cold, it is safe to assume it is not yet very strong. And to move all the Sins in such short time, such great distances...no, I don’t think it has them. It has moved them, however. To places where the Sins may succumb to their...inner demons. Places where Malignant itself isn’t necessarily capable of providing the required stimuli.”

“Then where are they?!” Applejack gritted her teeth, possibly thinking about Kindling, who had basically become family to her.

Silence for another moment or two. “I do not know, Applejack,” Luna stated, giving her a hard glare. “But we must find at least one of them immediately.” With that, Luna stood back up, but continued to stare at the night sky just beyond her reach out the window. “I have a few ideas...but I am curious to hear your thoughts, my little ponies. Tell me, where do you think the Sins might be? Remember, they are not in Ponyville, but they will have as much exposure to their sin as possible. Malignant is trying to move quickly...”

Silence descended on the small room. Nopony had anything to say. I myself wracked my brain, desperate to think of something, anything! Where was there a bunch of food? Or money? Or beds? I slowly raised my eyes as Rarity decided to speak up. “I...think I may have a good idea...” All eyes turned towards the alabaster mare.

“Well?” the Princess of the Night inquired gently. Rarity sighed, most likely regretting that she even spoke up.

“Well...alright, here it is. As I’m sure most of my friends know, I’ve been rather busy recently between a couple of weddings and a few interspersed orders for an event of...particular interest that will be occurring soon.” She paused, waiting for any responses. There was none. “I just so happen to know that there is a big fashion show in Manehattan that is coming up soon. Anypony who is ANYPONY in the fashion world knows about it.”

Something finally clicked in my head. Yes! It was perfect! One of the Sins HAD to be there! It would only make sense, after all. I really wouldn’t be surprised to see Aphrodite or Vanity there. After all, they were both models weren’t they? “That sounds...probable,” Luna relented, looking up at the ceiling in deep thought.

“Yes! It totally does!” I chimed in excitedly. “Aphrodite and Vanity are both models, right? They might be present!”

Rarity was suddenly shooting me a funny look. “Twilight, dear, Vanity’s an artist. However, she IS the Sin of pride. I suppose a chance to show off her admittedly good looks might...cater to her sin...” I felt myself reddening. Of course Vanity was an artist! How could I have forgotten that! I really need to get out more...

“Ehehe. Right. I totally knew that. Of course.”

I couldn’t help but notice that Spike, who knew the actual truth, rolled his eyes and let out a fairly disappointed sigh. Luckily, nopony else seemed to notice.

“Well, what are we waiting for?” Rainbow Dash spoke up, always the first to cut to the chase. “It sounds like there’s a really good chance of finding one of our friends there! We gotta snag at least one of them before Malignant converts them all or whatever, right?”

Luna turned a troubled gaze back to us. “That is correct, Rainbow Dash. It would indeed seem that this fashion show might be an event of some interest. When does the show begin, Rarity?”

“The show is...well, technically it’s tomorrow. Tomorrow at seven o’clock to be precise.”

“TOMORROW??” Everypony in the room literally jumped out of their skins as Pinkie Pie suddenly ceased...whatever it was that she had been doing and started rocketing around the room and yammering a mile a minute. “Rarity! When you say tomorrow, do you mean tomorrow tomorrow or today tomorrow? Because TECHNICALLY since it’s after midnight tomorrow is today and today is yesterday, so when you said tomorrow you actually meant today because today isn’t today any more! It’s tomorrow! You silly filly, you!” I saw Rarity’s eye twitch. Mine swiftly followed suit.

“Perhaps...” Rarity began slowly, directing a glare at a certain obliviously grinning pink pony. “I should clarify. The show begins at the seven in the evening that is closest to this current moment,” she said, very carefully and placing emphasis on several words.

“Okie dokie lokie! Glad we got that figured out!” Pinkie said happily. “After all, we wouldn’t want to have a miscommunication on such an important...thing!” I think everypony in the room rolled their eyes. I made a mental note to make sure she was filled in later.

“So what do we do until then?” I asked hesitantly. “After all, it’s still very early in the morning...” As if to emphasize my point, a large yawn escaped my lips.

“I think it’s best that you rest for now, my little ponies. We have a long ordeal ahead of us, and the show does not start until late tomorrow. It is pointless to search the entire city in the middle of the night,” Princess Luna replied serenely. “We must be ready for anything if we are to best what lies ahead.” Everypony in the room nodded, relieved that they would get at least some sleep that night. Some more than others, undoubtedly, and certainly not as much as usual. Rarity didn’t look so good, and I know for one felt sick to my stomach with fear and worry...

A sudden thought struck me. “What about you Princess? Don’t you normally sleep during the day?”

The princess of the night turned a kind smile to me. “Worry not for my sake, Twilight. Equestria has fallen to troubled times before, and I am no stranger to times of hardship and stress. I have the strength of an Alicorn running in my veins. One day will not do me in.” Reassured, I nodded again.

“Alright, it’s settled then. Tomorrow, we make for Manehattan!”

***

It’s really quite drab in here. Dark and musty, too. It is simply playing havoc with my stylish mane. I mean, really. I get that evil forces capable of taking over all the known world want to look the part. Doesn’t mean I have to like it. So very predictable. What’s the fun in that?

How did I get dragged into this against my will again? Oh, right. It. The most terrifying presence to ever walk this miserable little heap of a planet. One might find it amusing to see a being of my power stooped so low, but they have no idea what it is capable of.

Oh, yes. I was there. More than one thousand years ago when our dear pony Princess decided to rip herself apart to better serve ponykind. Well. She saw how that turned out. And what did she create? The most monstrous abomination ever I’ve ever had the displeasure of laying my eyes on. There are precious few moments in my lengthy lifespan that I’ve known pure fear.

That time was one of them.

It was only natural for it to call on me. We share a common enemy, after all. Common goals, too. Or at least, that’s what it thinks. Personally I’m not one for wiping out swaths of life. Maybe I can talk some sense into it. But even if I wanted to, I dare not resist. Even though it’s not yet at full power, the best I could do is fight it to a standstill. In only a matter of days, it will be capable of destroying me outright should it see reason to do so.

I intend to not give it that reason.

So, here I am, sitting in this droll, dimly lit room deep underground. Looking around, I’m not particularly surprised to see five other beings of power. Hmph. Freshly released from Tartarus I’ll bet. Old Celestia sure has her hooves full now. Still, they are all petty things compared to me. Minor demons looking for a quick rise to power. Fools, all of them. They do not know it like I do. My lips curled in distaste at my company.

Suddenly, a pair of large double doors opened. Ah, yes. It seemed our gracious host had finally seen fit to acknowledge us. How very hospitable. From the gloomy depths even my gaze could not pierce emerged two ponies. Or at least, what appeared to be two ponies. Anypony foolish enough to mistake them for ponies is as good as dead.

I recognized both immediately. How could one possibly NOT feel the immense power radiating from the first one? Its coat was a blood red, and its mane was charcoal black. It was disguised as a simple earth pony. No wings. No horn. Not even a...what was it called again? Cutie Mark? Whatever. It didn’t need such meaningless things to wreak terrible destruction. What frightened me the most were those eyes. Pure black. No pupils. No irises. Nothing. Just murky, inky darkness, the last thing you’ll ever see before your final glimmer of hope fades away...

The second I also knew, but only because we’d met before. He had decided to occupy the form of a tan-furred, brown-maned stallion. Again, just a simple earth pony. And no Cutie Mark. I scoffed in disdain once again. Though he did not measure up to my own power, he was still a force to be reckoned with. One that had taken the Royal Sisters quite some time to contain. It surprised me that it had released him so soon. Clearly, it had plans. Big plans. It also didn’t surprise me that he had immediately started sucking up to it, so much so that he was clearly the second-in-command. I didn’t much like the thought of taking orders from him, but again, to be blown up, or not to be blown up? That’s not much of a question.

He moved to take a seat with the rest of us while it moved to the front of the room. Its malevolent gaze, if you could call it that, passed over each and every one of us, choosing to finally rest on my own devilishly handsome face. I had to resist the urge to shudder. That...thing...is just downright uncanny!

“A most heartfelt welcome to all of you...” it purred maliciously. I had to suppress the urge to gag or giggle. Heartfelt? Yeah, right. I don’t even think it’s capable of feeling emotions of any kind. Except for maybe hate. “So glad you could join me for this most...momentous of occasions.

“As I’m sure you’re all aware,” it continued. “It has been such a long time since our dear friend Celestia sealed me away in that prison of fire and stone...” It trailed off. I had to actually crane my head forward in surprise. Did it actually just sigh? Oh, dear. When did it become so cynical? This was bad. Well and truly very, VERY bad. “I’m sure you all know the place. That wonderful part of the neighborhood.” The assembled deities chuckled darkly. “Well...almost all of us.” I gulped. Even one as powerful as I is not comfortable with that many malevolent stares focused on you.

“Ah, yes...our latest arrival. Our dear amalgamated acquaintance...how have you been?”

I cleared my throat. Showtime. “Not too much better than your own dastardly self, I’m afraid,” I said rather sadly. “Although it pains me to say so, stone prisons are not unfamiliar to me.”

It smirked malevolently. “Indeed. Oh, what a shame. Truly. At least you got to endure the sheer joy of feeling the sun and reveling in the cheerfulness of the ponies’ innocent presences...” The assembled creatures chuckled once again. I stiffened.

“Hmph. I assure you, it was not all ‘sunshine and rainbows,’ as the ponies might say. I’m just as eager to exact revenge as you are.” Insult cleverly averted.

“Revenge?” it cooed softly. Is it just me, or did the lights in the room seem to suddenly grow a bit dimmer? Is the air just a bit colder and stiller? “Oh, this isn’t about revenge, dear comrade, although it surprises me not that one as simple-minded as yourself would think that,” it continued, malice dripping from every word it spoke. “This is about fulfilling a long-delayed duty. My true calling in life, one could say. Revenge is just an...unintended side effect.” The creatures chuckled yet again. Was this crowd easy to please or what? I hesitantly joined in.

“Well, that’s very nice and all, but I’m afraid my reasons are just a tad personal. I’m sure it won’t be an issue in the end.”

“Indeed.” There was that stare again. It was analyzing me, I could tell. There were very, very, very few who ever experienced such an event and lived for more than ten minutes to tell the tale. Just another reason why I’m special, I suppose. “I’m most sure that it will not.” It straightened up. “Enough of this mindless drivel with an underling such as yourself,” it said with a sneer. I resisted the urge to let out an aggravated sigh. I was going to hate every moment of this, wasn’t I? Even once it won, which was inevitable at this point, I doubted I was really going to be free. Oh well. Better than Celestia’s imminent fate I supposed.

The crowd of goons snickered one final time. “QUIET!” it barked. The room immediately fell silent. I refused to let myself grin smugly. “Do not be so foolish as to think this is a partnership.” It practically spit those final words out. “This is a hierarchy. I am at the top. Delwin here is second in command. Then there’s you maggots. And finally, there’s the dirt on which we stand,” it finished coldly. It paused for a moment, however. “And then there’s the riff raff currently being held in Tartarus...I suppose they exist beneath the dirt. I guess I’ll let them live. For a while at least...” It trailed off in thought. I almost rolled my eyes. This being...it was so simple, yet so powerful. I had no idea Celestia had it in her.

“As for those of you who believe I forgot the ponies, and their precious ways of life...” Was it just me, or did I see a glint in those inky depths? Not good. Really not good. “They will soon be no more. Not after my plan comes to fruition. Which is why...” It gestured around the room. “I have gathered you all here. You will notice that there are seven of you. As it just so happens, the key to my plan involves seven veeery specific ponies. I have tasked each of you with the simple act of keeping an eye on them for me, as I am far too busy...”

“Busy doing what?” a gruff voice interrupted. Uh oh. Bad move, ‘friend.’ There was a sudden strangled choking noise from somewhere in the room.

“Tsk, tsk...” it muttered darkly. “Speaking out of place? What HAS that hellhole done to you fools? You used to be so well-mannered...” I felt beads of sweat starting to form on my brow. I thought I would never again have to witness this being’s terrible power. Yet here it was, standing perfectly still, not making a single movement and somehow currently destroying one of the strongest lesser spirits imprisoned in Tartarus. A feat that not even Celestia and Luna were capable of. Well, yes they were capable. Simply too weak-willed. But still! Does this abomination’s powers know no end? At least it can’t read minds. This I know to be true, at least.

The sudden choking noise ended abruptly, only to be quickly replaced by coughing, heaving gasps, and angry sputtering. “I would’ve destroyed you where you sit...” it cooed calmly, “but I really do have need of your services. So I will be generous and give you one extra chance to live. Do not,” the eyes glinted again, “fail me again.”

The voice did not ring out again, having clearly learned its lesson. The other assorted spirits shifted uncomfortably, myself included. “As I was saying, I need you all to keep an eye on my special guests. I will inform you all shortly of who you will be tracking, and of their current locations. And I expect each of you to help, oh how shall I say this?” The being actually smiled. But it was not one of joy, or even a shred of happiness. It was one of pure evil. “Convince them, if you will, to embrace our way of life.”

And at that, the being finally began to laugh. It started as a low chuckle that soon climbed into a full-blown bout of sheer terror. The other creatures quickly joined it in its raucous uproar, and it did not complain. Out of a desire to seem comradely, and not get blown to bits, I humored the crowd and reluctantly added my own melodic voice to the harsh chorus.

At one point I swear it stopped laughing, licked its lips, and uttered one fateful sentence:

“Fear me, Celestia. Malignant rises.”

Astray

The next morning, I woke up unintentionally early. That being said, I barely got any sort of sleep. How could I? Things had been hectic recently, and I couldn’t help but worry about my new friends. What if they were tortured? What if they were imprisoned and starving? What if...

No. Don’t go there.

My friends, as well as the Princess of the Night, agreed to meet at the library at around seven anyways, so I guess sleep was never an option. Well, when you’re Celestia’s student, it’s not really expected.

Pinkie Pie was the first pony to appear at the door. And to be quite honest, I am not very surprised considering we just learned that she ‘doesn’t sleep.’ I heard that was extremely unhealthy for ponies. ESPECIALLY those who eat sugar as much as the cotton candy pony does. As if on cue, Pinkie suddenly whipped a cupcake out of nowhere and took a gratuitous bite into it. “Cupcake?” she asked with her mouth full, holding out the other half to me.

“Er...no thanks, Pinkie. I’m good.”

“Suit yourself,” she said with a shrug. CHOMP. Ancient history.

Much to my surprise, by the time that Pinkie had even walked through the door, I had already packed all my things that I would need in my saddle bags, which were still visibly worn from my last excursion. A delightfully non-sugary breakfast followed, which somehow Pinkie had the appetite to also partake of. Spike was always a pretty handy chef.

Next to arrive was Fluttershy. Celestia above, Pinkie must’ve eaten one too many cupcakes this morning, as she was chatting a mile a minute. Again. Fluttershy was yawning excessively. I’m sure she had to get up earlier than everyone else considering that she had to feed her animals before she would even consider leaving.

Applejack soon followed suit. Not surprisingly, she arrived precisely on time. Always dependable, that one. She also brought some much appreciated apples with her. We all munched appreciatively as we waited for our party to finish gathering.

Rarity showed up very soon afterwards. This time, she actually packed accordingly, unlike most times. She gave everypony an ecstatic hug. It seemed like the early morning had no effect on her, unlike Fluttershy.

Almost moments after Rarity trotted through the door, I felt an unmistakable feeling of power within me, almost like a draft.  I smiled as I turned my head to find that Luna was standing mere feet away from me, grinning at the sight before her. I could tell she was rather eager to begin. Understandable, considering that Celestia’s only getting sicker by the minute.

I made a quick count of the ponies (and dragon) in the room. Unfortunately, we were still one pony short. Unsurprisingly, that one pony just so happened to be a certain rainbow-maned, athletic, lazy pegasus.

“Did anypony tell her what time we were meeting here?” I inquired, glancing at all the ponies in the room.

“She was here when we discussed that last night...” Fluttershy whispered, barely at an audible level. Well, that’s great. Once again, Rainbow Dash was late.

“Ugh. We don’t have time for this!” I said exasperatedly.

“I must concur. Time is of the essence,” Luna added worriedly.

“Right. Don’t worry, Princess. I’ll only be a minute.” I exited the building and stood just outside my front door. Closing my eyes, I concentrated and willed my magic forth. I thought carefully of Rainbow’s house. With a bright purple flash, I teleported.

Ah, yes. Rainbow’s front porch. A familiar sight...wait, why is it getting farther away? Oh, right. Clouds. I forgot about that. Quickly casting the cloud-walking spell on myself, I teleported yet again. Much better.

I barged right through the front door and walked hurriedly towards her bedroom. Unsurprisingly, there was no trace of Rainbow anywhere. Upon entering her bedroom, I was not surprised in the slightest to see her still sleeping, snoring quite loudly in fact. Suppressing a snicker, I threw off her sheets, levitated her onto my back, and loudly shouted: “up and at ‘em, sunshine!” And with that, I teleported straight back to the library.

The ensuing hilarity was quite amusing. As soon as I arrived back in the center of the library, Rainbow Dash finally appeared to realize that she was no longer in bed. She also must’ve thought she was being foalnapped or something. In a panic, she jolted awake, shot off of my back, slammed straight into the ceiling, cursed loudly, nearly took off Fluttershy’s head, did a barrel roll, and then careened into the wall rather firmly and probably painfully. She slowly slid down the wall, a slight squeaking noise accompanying her movement.

Of course, such a commotion immediately drew everypony’s attention, and at once we all begin to snicker. “Hehe...y’all right there RD? Heh...looks like somepony slept in a wee bit...” Applejack managed, trying to restrain her laughter.

“Mrrflgrlk.”

“Ah’m sorry, what was that? Ah can’t hear ya over th’ sound o’ yer face makin’ pretty with th’ wall.” That was the straw that broke the proverbial pony’s back. We all burst out into full-blown laughter and started rolling on the floor. Well, except for the Princess. She definitely smirked in amusement, though.

Rainbow finally managed to dislodge her face from the wall with a soft *pop*, but the brilliant red flush across it only made us laugh harder. “Sorry...overslept...” she mumbled quietly, still flushed brighter than a tomato.

Luna, after remembering that this was the second time that Rainbow Dash had been late in the last ten hours, immediately changed her facial expression after catching Rainbow’s glance at her to a rather unamused one. “Rainbow Dash, this is no small matter. I would appreciate it if you handled the situation with the severity it warrants.”

“Sorry, Princess,” she mumbled, clearly still thoroughly embarrassed. “Won’t happen again.”

“See to it that it does not.” The Princess turned her gaze back to the rest of us, waiting calmly for our laughter to die down. Which it quickly did. “Are we prepared, then?” she asked.

I nodded my head determinedly. “It would seem so.” My friends replied in a similar manner. The Night Princess gave an amused smirk as her horn slowly turned a dark azure. The shining glow almost blinded all of us in the room as we were fully enveloped. I felt a very cool sensation make it’s way down my spine. I shivered as I was forced to hold up a single hoof to cover my eyes.

There was a bright flash, and then nothing.

A few moments later, I felt another chill. Instead of it being that of a chill, it was more of a balmy sensation. I was instantly taking much fresher breaths of air. Before I even opened my eyes, I felt the atmosphere around me change.

The silence of the Library was also substituted with the clamor of hooves on a stone surface. In my excitement, I quickly opened my eyes. The buildings that almost seemed to shine in the sunlight met my gaze, and I suddenly felt the cement pavement under my hooves. Obviously, we must be in one of the more developed parts of Manehatten. I’m sure that Covette knew all about this area, as we all knew about her habits as a filly.

“Just as lovely as I remembered!” Rarity exclaimed, her eyes literally shimmering as she gazed upon everything. Pinkie was more concerned with the amount of shiny things than the actual architecture and culture. Rarity proceeded to admire some of the more classy ponies who began to walk past us, their noses rudely in the air. Upon spying the Princess, however, they quickly paid their respects before hastily continuing on their way.

I wasn’t in the mood to sightsee. We had a mission, and frankly the more time we wasted, the more nervous I became. Who knew where the Sins were now? What if they were potentially in danger?

“Where is the objective, Rarity?” Luna abruptly asked, and everypony turned face her. Rarity wasn’t expecting her name to be called so suddenly, so she hesitated slightly before answering.

“Uh...I believe it is at L'endroit Qui en Jette, a local fashion boutique and frequent host of such events. It is...this way I believe,” the unicorn stated rather meekly as she pointed in a seemingly random direction before trotting down the street deeper into the heart of Manehatten. With nothing better to do, the rest of us followed.

“Yo, Rares,” Rainbow Dash spoke up from her position hovering above us.

“Yes, dear, what is it?” she replied somewhat absent-mindedly, still busy navigating the rather busy streets from memory.

“What time is this fancy-shmancy dealio going down at?”

Rarity rolled her eyes and huffed. “The fashion show,” she replied, putting extra emphasis on her words, “will be at seven o’clock sharp. However, I imagine the setup for such an exquisite event will take considerable time and effort. If Vanity is there, we should be able to find her just by sticking around all day.”

“Ooh! Are we going to be super secret spies?” Pinkie asked excitedly.

“That’s a good point. How do we plan on gettin’ in?” Applejack asked, looking down at herself. She wore a telltale frown on her visage.

“Darlings, please. It will hardly be difficult. It’s a public event in a public location!” Rarity replied exasperatedly.

“Perhaps Pinkie Pie has the correct idea,” Princess Luna spoke up from the back. Our group paused and all turned to listen. “We do not know what Malignant has done to Pride. It is possible she may see us as enemies now.”

I frowned in concentration as I pondered this new development. “Is that actually a possibility, Princess? Vanity was our friend before this whole mess happened. What could possibly change that?”

Luna’s features darkened and her gaze took on a faraway look. “The thing known as Malignant has many powers. Manipulating ponies’ minds is one of its favorites. It took us a long time to find the ponies we needed so we could cure them of its poison and locate it. It delights in turning friends into foes, families into squabblers, spouses into murderers... We need to be cautious. We need a plan.”

“I agree,” I spoke up quickly. After all, plans were my specialty! “What if only a few of us snuck in? Obviously we couldn’t all waltz in without making a scene,” I thought out loud.

“And what will the rest of us be doing while you guys get all the fun? Huh?” Rainbow Dash spoke up.

“I concur with Rainbow Dash,” Luna added. “The more sets of eyes we have, the better.”

“We could always pretend to-” Fluttershy began to whisper but was cut off.

“But we’re the Elements of Harmony! We’ll draw attention to ourselves! Malignant could be watching!” I protested vehemently.

“Ah agree with Twilight,” Applejack spoke up. “We need ta do this slowly an’ carefully.”

“BOOORING!” Rainbow interjected. “I say we bust down the doors, snag Vanity, and high-tail it out of there! Malignant won’t even know what hit it!”

“Rainbow Dash!” Rarity protested. “You couldn’t possibly-”

“Well maybe I am!”

“We could still-” Fluttershy was cut off again.

“Of all the ruffian suggestions to make-”

“Rainbow, that there’s th’ craziest idea Ah ever heard.”

“Well I think it would be fun! Fun fun fun!”

“Girls!” I attempted to restore order. “This isn’t helping!”

“Oh yeah? Well who cares? We’ll be in and out before you know it! Or at least, I will.”

“No really, we could-”

“That don’t matter none-”

“Brute! You can’t just do something like that!”

“STOP IT! ALL OF YOU!” Luna boomed, causing everypony to slink back, slightly ashamed. Suddenly, her tone and gaze lightened considerably. “I believe dear Fluttershy was attempting to speak.”

We all meekly turned to face Fluttershy. How is it that this always happens? She really needs to speak up more. “I think it would be best if we all wore disguises. After all, it is a fashion show...”

“We think this is a marvelous idea,” the Night Princess affirmed with a nod.

Suddenly, Rarity’s face lit up. “Ideeaaaa!”

Rainbow, Applejack, and I all groaned and facehoofed.

“Hmm...well unfortunately I had limited supplies and I’ll admit it was a bit of a rush job but it will have to do,” Rarity muttered thoughtfully to herself, looking us all over.

‘Rush job’ was an understatement. We looked like we were headed to the Grand Galloping Gala! I surveyed the room, spotting Pinkie and Fluttershy talking amiably to each other, Rainbow and AJ standing about shuffling their hooves and looking decidedly uncomfortable in their respective garments, and Luna, who had reverted to a dark blue unicorn in order to look inconspicuous, eyeing her garment appreciatively. As for myself, I was rather impartial to fancy garb. I had to admit though, Rarity really outdid herself this time.

“What about you, Rarity?” Rainbow asked with a slight edge to her voice. “How come you aren’t wearing all this frou-frou junk?”

Rarity smiled and tossed her mane. “Because I, dear Rainbow Dash, am going to run intelligence.”

“What does THAT mean?” Pinkie asked excitedly, popping up out of nowhere. Rarity hardly batted an eyelash, though.

“Darlings, please. Somepony has to be able to ask around without attracting too much attention. As a regular among the fashion community, it shall come as no surprise that I would be in attendance. I can ask away without any problems at all!”

Luna nodded appreciatively. “A sharp mind as always, Rarity. This is indeed a good suggestion. As for the rest of us, we need to act like we’re a part of the show so we may examine the areas closed off to the general public.”

“But Princess,” I began. “Isn’t there a list of attendees? We’d be caught for sure!”

The Night Princess simply smiled. “Leave that to me.”

“Great,” Rainbow moaned. “Not only do we have to wear these ridiculous outfits, but we also have to pretend to be in a fashion show,” she complained, finishing her statement in an amusingly nasally voice. Rarity glared at her but said nothing. “How could this possibly get any worse?”

“This isn’t funny. At. All,” Rainbow intoned in a dangerously low voice. We all did our best to hold in our snickers, but it was difficult. The wolf whistles weren’t helping either.

“Hey there, you colorful beauty!” a voice called from across the street. “You got plans tonight?”

Rainbow’s cheeks flushed even more and she hung her head, falling into step next to Applejack in an effort to hide herself. The clopping of our hooves on the pavement mixed in with that of several rather snooty ponies that were also on their way to the show.

We stepped into the surprisingly well-lit and spacious boutique to see a veritable horde of ponies milling about. In the middle of the room a large catwalk was currently being assembled. Lights were being set up, wires run, speakers dragged about, and almost everywhere I looked there were mares wearing exquisite dresses. I could’ve sworn I spotted DJ-Pon3 somewhere in the crowd.

Off to the side I spotted a very official-looking table with a few stylishly dressed ponies seated at it. There was also an impressively long line of mares wearing the finest in fashion before it. I suddenly felt a tad underdressed. Nudging Rarity, I pointed it out. “That looks like the sign-in table.”

“Indeed,” she replied. “Better get in line.”

“You really expect them to just let us in?” I asked Rarity, swishing my dark lavender dress cutely. I have to admit, I looked quite stylish. It was quite plain, but was still laced with some sort of golden fabric that felt somewhat like silk. On the end of the dress itself were actual rubies. It amazed me that she either had all the materials beforehoof or was able to acquire them quickly and cheaply. Rarity is quite the talent.

Suddenly, Luna spoke up to my right. “I already said, leave this to me.” I looked at Rarity in confusion but she simply shrugged. We decided to let the Princess handle things as she saw fit. “Fair Rarity,” she continued. “I think it best if you begin your task. I shall handle the entrance of the others.”

“Of course Princess,” Rarity replied. Suddenly, her eyes lit up. “Oooh! I spy Hoity Toity over there! Let the snooping begin!” Quick as a flash, she was gone. Applejack rolled her eyes and Rainbow facehoofed. Fluttershy looked like she wanted to melt into the floor. Pinkie was nowhere to be found. I wasn’t worried about that though. She’d turn up.

In what seemed like no time at all, it was our turn to step up to the table. Luna cleared her throat and stepped forward, an air of importance about her. “Apologies my good sir, but you will not find our names on your roster this evening.”

The attendant raised an eyebrow. “Oh? So why should I admit you and your group?”

Luna’s horn glowed, and a piece of parchment suddenly materialized out of nowhere. “Because myself and my comrades are members of the palace staff, and very much wished to participate in the events this evening. Unfortunately, due to some...bureaucracy, we were unable to register before the deadline. However, I’m sure you could make a small exception, just this once.”

The attendant’s eyes quickly scanned the sheet, finally alighting upon Luna’s own royal signature. “You and which comrades?”

Luna gestured to us. “Why, these fine girls, of course! Strike a pose ladies!” As one, the five of us posed in our new dresses, Pinkie popping up out of nowhere with a huge grin, as usual.

He broke into an easy smile. “Of course we can. Anything for her Royal Highnesses’ personal staff. Developed an interest in fashion, have we?”

“Indeed. After so much interaction with the nobles, it’s hard not to get an eye for such things,” Luna replied easily.

“There’s just one more detail, I’m afraid. The matter of the, ah, entrance fee?” the attendant continued hesitantly.

Luna simply floated out a small sack of bits. “I believe that should do. Anything else?”

The attendant smiled again. “Nope, that will do it! Please feel free to head backstage, and have a wonderful evening ladies! Oh, and send the Princesses my regards!”

“Will do!” Luna replied cheerily, stepping into the hallway that would lead to the backstage areas. We all hastened to catch up. “Alright girls,” she began. “Time to begin! Everypony split up and keep an eye out for anything suspicious.”

“Right!”

The interior of the building was pounding with some sort of electronic beat that the models on stage trotted to perfectly, practicing their routines for the big show. Everypony seemed to be simply minding their own business as we followed the Princess, although I’m not sure to where, exactly. The mares on stage shook their hips provocatively as they began to show off their accessories and clothing. The way a few of them moved actually reminded me a little bit of Aphrodite.

I tried to think about where any of the Sins might be. Vanity would be backstage, undoubtedly preparing for her performance. Chances are, she’d doing something that pertains to her looks. Maybe one of them actually might be watching the show? Covette, maybe. Aphrodite...I had no idea where to look for her if she was here. One never knows with that mare.

I weighed our different options. We would have to split up in order to maximize the effectiveness of our search. We’d have to check the dressing rooms, backstage, and the seats for the audience at the very least. Princess Luna halted at an intersection of hallways and turned to face us. “We must now begin our search.”

“I agree, Princess. If I may...” Luna nodded her head approvingly. I cleared my throat. “We need to check all the major areas first. Remember, we don’t know who exactly we’re looking for. I think it would be best if we split up and searched the dressing rooms, the backstage area, and the area around the stage where the audience will be.”

“A sound plan, Twilight Sparkle,” Luna agreed. “I shall search the backstage areas. I will be able to get past any security issues we might encounter.”

“Um...I’ll go with you, if that’s okay,” Fluttershy mumbled quietly. “I really don’t feel comfortable being close to a...stage.” We all winced as we remembered her experiences as a model.

“Very well, fair Fluttershy! We shall be a team.”

Applejack quickly volunteered. “Ah guess I’ll search the dressin’ rooms,” she said, raising a single hoof into the air.

“I’ll search the bathrooms!” Pinkie stated before eagerly speeding off down the hallway.

“Meet up with Applejack when you’re done!” I called after her, rolling my eyes as I did so. “I guess that leaves Rainbow and I to check out the busiest area. Maybe we’ll spot Rarity and see if she’s learned anything.

“Aww yeah!” Rainbow crowed. “This’ll be a breeze!”

“Let’s meet back here in an hour to report our findings. If any of us spots any Sins, have one of your group follow them and send the other to find the rest of us. Understood?” My friends and the Princess all stated their affirmations. I hoped Pinkie would have the good sense to talk to Applejack.

With that, we all disbanded and went our separate ways. The hunt was on!

Wow! The bathrooms in this place are so awesome! They’re all shiny and clean! Oh! It reminds me of my grandparent’s house where I used to spend the weekends as a filly! Needless to say, I was rather ecstatic when I wandered out of the bathroom after I finished...ahem, relieving myself. Immediately upon exiting, I looked at my surroundings. Everything was excessively bland to me, the hallway walls and the floor were a dull white that almost made me want to get to painting.

What was I supposed to do when I was done? Twilight had yelled something to me...something involving Applejack? Oh, right! I needed to find her!  OOH! I love treasure hunts! Especially when the prize is one of my bestest friends! I eagerly set off. After all, I had to get a new high score! I’m a level eighty-four paladin, you know.

It was easy for me to find the dressing rooms. There were tons of signs plastered all over the place! High score, here I come! After knocking on multiple doors, and getting very angry responses from managers and a few of the models themselves, I started to wonder where exactly Applejack was. The dressing rooms were only hallways and doors. Maybe she disappeared inside one of them?

Eh, I don’t know!

It was rather noisy, but I didn’t pay too much attention to the ponies who were causing it all. They seemed busy, since they were running up and down the halls as if they were in a great hurry. I’m not too sure, but I felt as if I walked around that place forever! I was actually starting to get a little nervous for Applejack’s sake.

I spent what seemed to be a few minutes just wandering around, looking for anypony that I happened to know. Eventually, I came to the end of the hall, where I had the option to go right, where even more dressing rooms resided, or left, towards the stage. “Hmm...” I pondered, bringing a hoof up to my chin. Well, Applejack said she’d be in the dressing room areas. It might not be a good idea to leave unless I check where she said she’d be first. With a small giggle, I eagerly headed right.

Although, everything seemed quite the same. I even saw some of the same mares from before. A bright yellow one was magically levitating a lavender dress down the hall, an orange pegasus was talking to someone on some sort of walkie talkie, an azure mare was checking herself out in the mirror-

...Wait.

“Oh, wow!” Vanity said to herself, swishing her long, salmon dress from side to side as if she was doing a little dance. The dress was lined with rubies that sparkled every time the lights happened to catch it. Her tail was curled dazzlingly, although her mane still looked the same as usual. “This dress compliments me perfectly!” she announced as she talked to herself. I couldn’t contain my excitement.

“VANITYYYYYY~” I screeched as I almost jumped on top of one of my bestest friends. I must’ve accidentally scared the wits out of her, as she let out a loud shriek. For some reason, the rest of the ponies in the hall seemed to ignore our loud antics.

I continue to stare endlessly at the blue mare admiring herself in the mirror. Wow, this is getting boring. She’s been doing this for the last hour. She’ll try on a simple dress and talk to herself about how gorgeous it looks, before changing into another one and repeating. Oh well, fine by me. My only instructions are to keep an eye on her, and to keep her out of trouble. So far, so good.

Wait, who is that? Some...overly hyperactive pink mare? Huh. Well, I’m sure she won’t do much. Might as well just let things be. I flip a few of the snakes on my head behind my shoulder, as they were getting a little rambunctious. After double checking to make sure I can’t be seen, I coo to my snakes, before going back to idly watching the two converse.

I wrapped my forehooves around her as she cursed and squirmed, trying as hard as she could to get out of my grasp. “Oh, it’s so great to see you again! After you disappeared and all! We were all really scared!”

“Let go of me!” Vanity hollered, before forcefully shoving the puffy pony off of her. Vanity fixed her dress and cleared her throat, regaining her composure before once again speaking. “Anyways, ‘see me’? What the hay are you talking about?” she asked, raising an eyebrow. I did exactly the same thing.

“Well, you just disappeared along with the rest of the Sins. We had a feeling that one of you would be here. Princess Luna is even here as well!”

...W...what? What is this pink mare talking about? S-She brought the Princess to speak with Vanity? Why would she do that? It only makes my job much more difficult. That’s it. I need to figure out who this mare is, and who else she brought along. I guess the best thing I could do right about now is sit back and listen...

“Luna? No offense, but I never took her as one that had an eye for modeling. Either way, leave me alone. I’m busy,” Vanity grunted, waving a hoof at me. Huh? Whoa, she sure is acting weird today...

“Are you kidding? We’re good friends! Along with Twilight and the rest of the Elements of Harmony! We’ve been searching for you and the rest of the Sins! Hold on, I’m going to go get them!” I said. I must’ve said it rather fast, as Vanity just tilted her head, before shrugging and turning back to the mirror as I swiftly ran back the way I came, getting ready to round up my friends along with the Princess.

Oh boy! I was so excited!

No...

No! There’s no possible way! Malignant lied! I didn’t sign up for this! I was told that I’d be doing some babysitting, I was never told that I’d have to go up against some sort of magical force that could deteriorate me in a matter of minutes!

The pink pony...she brought the elements, along with the Princess, just to look for Vanity? Along with the other Sins? Why? Ugh, this isn’t right. I was told that if Vanity was in danger, that I was to eliminate all threats immediately, but I’m hesitant. If I go up against all seven of them, I’ll surely be exterminated myself!

I have no choice. With a screech, along with a poof, I go to deliver the news to Malignant.

It took me a little while, but I had finally managed to round everyone up. I ended up running around the whole place a few times, but after finding my friends, along with Luna, we all made our way for the area where I last saw Vanity.

“You’re sure you saw Vanity around here somewhere?” Twilight asked, looking left and right at her surroundings, taking in the exact same sights that I did earlier. I gave her a heavy nod and a grin.

“Of course! She looked exactly like her! She looked very pretty too in the dress she was wearing! It might’ve just been the lighting, but I don’t think she remembered me.” I admitted. Okay, I’ll say it, it disappointed me just a little bit, but maybe she was just having one of those forgetful moments. Yeah! Of course! Psh, I’m silly, thinking like that. Twilight looked up at the ceiling thoughtfully.

“What do you mean she didn’t recognize you, Pinkie Pie?” Luna asked, furrowing her brow at me.

“Well, she didn’t seem to know who I was, or what I was talking about. She was just being weird, I guess.”

Rainbow Dash mumbled something to herself, resulting in Applejack punching her in the shoulder. Dashie let out a sharp cry before glaring at the apple farmer.

Eventually, we reached the corner where I saw Vanity the last time, and to my unrelenting glee, she still happened to be there. This time, her dress was a oceanic blue with wavelike embroidery near the end of it. She was giggling madly to herself. “Oh yes! This is the one!” She mused as she posed in front of the mirror, getting different angles of herself.

Everypony cantered over to her, calling her name and expressing their concerns. Although Luna stayed back, actually giving Vanity some breathing space. The rest of us forgot, and I think we all scared her a bit.

“Gah!” she shrieked, taking a few steps back. “Don’t touch me! What do you all want!?” Vanity proceeded to fix her dress, as it had dragged across the ground for a split second. After wiping the dirt off, she turned to us.

“Vanity?” Rarity said, a slight frown appearing on her face. “We’ve all been looking for you everywhere. Do you not remember? You disappeared from my house just the other night.” The amount of  confusion and annoyance on the mare’s face was staggering. Vanity lifted up her nose prudefully.

“I...I have no idea what you’re talking about! I have no idea who you ponies are! Now please go away! I have a few more dresses to try on,” she huffed, turning around to look back at herself in the mirror, completely ignoring our saddened faces that reflected off of it.

Rarity was crestfallen, and more than a little confused, and I was SO VERY tempted to run over and give her a hug. But since now really wasn’t the time, I decided that I would save it for later. And to make it up to her, I’m going to give her one of my world famous “Super-Duper-Deluxe Hugs.” Patent pending.

“I was afraid of this.” Luna suddenly sighed, causing every single one of us to turn to her. I had a bad feeling about this. Nopony noticed, but my leg twitched four times, which meant that we were about to get bad news. I kept the fact to myself, however. No need to bum everypony out. I’m sure that Luna was about to spill the beans anyways.

“What? What is it? Why doesn’t she remember us? What the heck is going on here?” Rainbow Dash asked in rapid succession. Luna simply stared disapprovingly at Rainbow, while I could see Twilight visibly roll her eyes. Maybe she didn’t like Rainbow’s tone?

“Princess Luna, can you please explain what’s going on with Vanity?” Twilight asked. With a brief nod, Luna obliged. The news must be really bad, but she continued to stare at us directly as she spoke.

“She is not herself. Surely you all notice?” There was a collection of nods. I felt three shivers on my left hoof. Without wasting a moment, I quickly hopped to my right. Just as the same orange pegasus from earlier almost narrowly missed me. She almost smacked right into Fluttershy, but luckily she saw the pony coming before I even felt the shivers.

Luna continued. “Malignant must have cast a spell on the Sins. To me, it seems like she has been put into a trance. Since she is considered to be Pride, she is required to be...” Luna paused mid-sentence as she thought. “Prideful...of herself. It seems there’s also some sort of memory spell that is preventing her from accessing her memories.” I could almost see the gears inside of Twilight’s mind turning before she smacked her forehead.

“How do we snap her out of it?” Rarity eagerly asked, turning back towards the Sin, who was still daintily looking herself up and down in the mirror.

“I...I am not sure. Malignant is a force that does not like to be reckoned with. The spell is going to be very difficult to break,” she replied. I could detect a hint of sadness in her voice. Well, time to step up!

“I have an idea~!” I sang. I already had the song lyrics in my head. I heard a groan come from just one of my friends. Probably Dashie. She was in a pretty bad mood today. I took a deep breath.

“We can get through this, if you truly wish

All we need to do is sit down and think!

We do a little dance and turn our thinking caps on

And then we find a solution by the end of this song!”

I grinned to myself, as I had just finished jumping around the room as I sang. I still had the jumping tune in my head that had been playing in the background. Everypony seemed to take my advice, except for Rainbow Dash, who was currently rubbing her temples.

“Well...what if we simply snap her out of the trance?” Fluttershy commented. I saw a few light bulbs go off amongst our group. I’ll be quite honest, I was more than clueless at this point.

“Like Luna said, the trance prevents her from accessing her memories. So, what if we have her regain her memories? Maybe that’ll just snap her out of the trance entirely,” Rarity added to Fluttershy’s suggestion, which was apparently where she was heading with that anyways.

“That could work. But...how do we have her remember what we went through?” Twilight asked, deep in thought. Luna simply shook her head.

“The actions of what happened in the past do not matter, only the feelings of which were had,” she replied, staring distractedly at Vanity. Luna squinted her eyes just barely.

“We could try dumping water on her,” Rainbow suggested. Nopony deigned to give that a proper response.

Twilight’s face suddenly lit up. Clearing her throat, she trotted up to Vanity confidently, a small and friendly smile plastered on her face. She tapped Vanity on the shoulder, who irritably turned around. “What? What do you want!?” Vanity almost shouted.

“Vanity, look, I know you don’t know us, but you have to listen to us. You’re one of our best friends, you helped us save all of Equestria-”

“Let me stop you right there,” Vanity said, holding up her hoof bemusedly. “I don’t have any friends, nor do I want any.”

“Well, we’re your friends whether you like it or not, and we all care about you. You helped us save Equestria from the recent changeling invasion, you were the first to sacrifice yourself inside the castle and give into your pride. Come on, you have to remember!” Twilight almost begged. For a split second, I think I saw Vanity frown, but she quickly closed her eyes and shook her head, before that same prideful smirk appeared on her face.

“Psh. Friends with the likes of YOU all? As if! You have the wrong mare, now why won’t you just leave me alone!?” she screamed, her anger only seeming to rise. Vanity’s eyes skimmed us, and when they landed on me, I gave her a caring smile. It may not always seem like it, but even a simple smile at the right time can do wonders.

Twilight sighed, her head dipping. Surely she was not giving up this easily. Rarity’s eyes suddenly widened as she appeared to remember something. She took out what seemed to be a scrap of paper and slyly put it in Twilight’s view. She eagerly whispered something in her ear, and I saw Twilight’s head vigorously pop up not even a second later.

A determined smile returned to her face as she stepped back up to Vanity, who was a little confused as to what was currently going on. “Vanity, I’d like you to take a look at something,” Twilight said, handing the little paper over to her. It took me a moment to realize that it wasn’t paper at all, but a photograph.

Vanity furrowed her eyebrow as she stared down at the picture in utter confusion. The picture was of her, and her best friend, standing shoulder to shoulder, outside of their apartment building in Ponyville. Ennui rested a hoof on Vanity’s shoulder, as they both smiled grandly at the camera. “W...What is this?” She trembled.

“That is your best friend, Ennui. You and her currently share a place in Ponyville. Don’t you remember the times you had with her? The changeling nest? Moving into the apartment? She was your best and most likely only friend, at least for a time. She cares for you, and you have to remember her,” Twilight pleaded. I could tell that she meant it from the heart.

“More importantly,” Rarity pressed on, sensing that Vanity’s defenses were on the verge of crumbling. “Ennui is the one who finally helped you release your pride. She was your first friend. And you even allowed her to pull the occasional prank on you, since it was all in good-natured fun. A truly prideful pony would never allow another to demean them in even the most juvenile of ways.”

That had a visible effect. I smiled at Rarity’s excellent choice of words. Luna nodded proudly. The others leaned forward in anticipation.

“I...” Vanity’s eyes almost seemed to water. “...Ennui?” Upon uttering those words, a dark purple mist oozed from her facial orifices. Her nose, mouth, ears, you name it. The mist gradually drifted upwards and began to collect. In a flash, Luna sprang forward, her horn aglow.

“You shall not have this mare any longer Malignant! Be gone, I say!” There was a blinding flash of light followed by a sharp crack, and when I opened my eyes the mist was nowhere to be found. Luna stood off to the side, looking slightly tired and also a bit worried. But my attention quickly returned to the cerulean mare.

Vanity shook her head, and I began to smile just a little bit wider. “Twilight? Guys? What’s going on?”

I let out a low groan of agony as I slowly sank to my knees. I made no effort to resist, it would be the epitome of an exercise in futility.

“So...let me get this straight...” the figure before me muttered darkly. There were many terrifying aspects of the...thing known as Malignant, but probably the most frightening of them all was how it never, ever raised its voice. At this point, being shouted at would be preferable to the venomous undertones it was currently using.

“Not only did you fail the simplest task you’ve been handed in a millennia, but you also did so without offering the slightest bit of resistance?” it hissed darkly.

I trembled slightly as I prepared my response. If it was not to its liking, I would no doubt not see the sunrise tomorrow.

Hmph. As if I watch sunrises.

“My lord...the Elements of Harmony were there. They knew that Vanity was there. I know not how. And, more than that...Princess Luna was accompanying them.”

There was a silence. It seemed to stretch on for an eternity. I hardly dared to breathe as I awaited my potentially final judgement. I decided to continue my case. “My lord, you know that I would never actively oppose your will. But if I had stayed in an attempt to defy her, I would not be standing before you now. This you know; we of the lesser circles stand no chance against the Princesses themselves. I felt it best to inform you of the dire circumstances before I could be found out.”

I heard it scoff. “You think you are so clever...”

I gasped as the pain suddenly intensified. Where before it had dwindled to a low, burning sensation, now it spiked through my very core, threatening to shatter my being into a thousand pieces.

So this was it, then. I was to die. Right here, right now.

I heard it release a long-suffering sigh. If I could have, I would have rolled my eyes. “You have no idea how difficult it is to find competent subordinates these days...a pity the Royal Sisters were so brutal those many millennia ago...” I failed to repress a scream as the grip tightened, threatening to crush my essence. I couldn’t breathe. I couldn’t see. I couldn’t even think straight. The light was fading...

And then, like the sudden lifting of a blindfold, the pain was gone. I collapsed on the ground, gasping in agony. I almost couldn’t believe the sudden change of events.

I was to be spared.

“As such, I will simply let you off with a warning. This time...” it added ominously.

I struggled to stagger to an upright position as quickly as I could, desperate to show my gratitude. “Th-thank you, my lord...” I panted out, my body still occasionally spasming as the pain died away.

I looked up to see it smirk slightly. “You are to find her. Follow her. Stay out of sight. I expect a report on her whereabouts every evening, as well as your observations on those who accompany her. Do this until I contact you with further directives.” It leaned forward to look me in the eyes. I shuddered as I stared into those inky black pits. “Do I make myself clear?” it whispered.

I nodded frantically. “Yes, my lord! Clear as crystal!”

“Good,” it cooed, turning away. “You may go now.”

Something stayed my body, though. One final question that I dared to ask. “My lord...what of the Princess?”

It paused. At first I thought I had angered it, but when it turned around it was smiling malevolently. “You are correct. You do not stand a chance against her, pathetic as you are.” The smile dwindled slightly. “She suspects something. But then again...” The smile returned as it chuckled mirthlessly. “She always suspects something...”

“Leave the Princess to me. Avoid her at all costs. That is all. Leave before I change my mind.”

This time, there was nothing preventing me from hurrying out of that wretched place. When I was finally away, I allowed a smirk to cross my features. The Elements, and their Princesses, wouldn’t even know what hit them.

Tartarus was unleashed.

Melody

“WHAT!?” Vanity almost shouted, her mouth agape as we all explained to her what was going on. We told her about Malignant, the fact that she and the other sins simply vanished, and everything else that had happened. I honestly felt bad for her, almost immediately afterwards she began to ask about Ennui. Their friendship really impressed me sometimes. Vanity was practically kidnapped, but Ennui was the first thing on her mind.

We were in a rather big hurry, so we had to explain everything to Vanity as we left the fashion show. I’ll admit, part of me never wanted to leave. It was really nice in there, and the outfits were rather intriguing as well...

It had actually started to get dark outside. Apparently, we had been in there for a little longer than I originally thought. There was a crisp breeze that strode through the city, as Luna’s moon began to slowly rise in the distance. I felt a shiver run up my spine.

Speaking of Luna, she had managed to change out of her “unicorn” disguise back into her her royal self. She gave us a gleeful sigh upon doing so. I must admit, if I was a princess, I would've be excited too. I mean, it can’t be too fun when you’re so used to, you know, being a princess. I’ve always wondered what it was like to be a princess. Sometimes when I was younger I had dreamt of being one.

But that probably won’t happen in a million years, sadly.

“What do you remember before you disappeared?” I couldn't help but ask. Rarity’s ears peaked, and she looked as if she wanted to say something. However, she stayed rather silent. Ever since we found Vanity, she’s been acting extremely strange.

“Not much. I remember I was just getting out of the shower, looking in a hoof-mirror. When...” She paused as she lightly cringed. “I don’t know, but it really hurt...”

I couldn’t help but wonder if Vanity went through the same exact thing that Aphrodite did. I didn’t want to admit it, but Aphrodite seemed to be in a lot of pain before she disappeared. Well, now we’re one step closer to figuring this out.

“Princess!” A very familiar voice shouted from behind us. Immediately, our little group stopped and turned around. In the distance, a lime green stallion was chasing us, his armor clanking with every step he took. Even though he was as far as he was, he was sweating like a pig. Jeez, in a hurry much? Wait...he looks kind of familiar...

“Odysseus?” Luna asked as the stallion finally approached her. He took a few seconds to simply catch his breath. I felt a slight anger build up inside of me. I remember the last time we came in contact with him! Turned out he was a changeling, and proceeded to kidnap Ennui. "What are-?"

Suddenly, there was a rainbow blur, along with a yell, and Odysseus was gone. Or so it seemed. About ten feet away, Odysseus was on the ground with a fuming Rainbow Dash on top of him. “You’re not fooling me this time, changeling-scum!” She shouted as she began to pound on Odysseus’ armor with all of her might.  The armor of the royal guards were extremely durable and strong, but Rainbow had quite the punch.

“What the-*GUGH* Hey! *OUCH* KNOCK IT OFF OR I’LL HAVE YOU ARREST-*OOMPH*” Odysseus threatened, however, Rainbow did not appear to care. She continued to pound on his armor relentlessly.

“You’re not fooling me this time!” She shouted, before delivering her last punch straight to Odysseus’ groin, one of the only places that the armor did not cover. My friends and I let out a unanimous groan of discomfort upon witnessing the act take place. I'm, obviously, not a stallion, but even I had to cringe a little bit. I could also see a vein protruding from Luna’s forehead. Oh boy, Rainbow really did it now...

“RAINBOW DASH! STOP IT AT ONCE!” Luna shouted, using the famous "Royal Canterlot Voice" to get her tone across. Almost instantaneously, Rainbow Dash poked her head up. Odysseus, no longer needing his hooves to protect his face, brought them down to his crotch in order to soothe his aching genitalia. He let out a pained groan, and I think I saw tears in his eyes.

“But Princess!” Rainbow interjected. “He’s a changeling! Didn’t Celestia mention what happened last time?” Wow, Rainbow was actually QUESTIONING Luna now? Did she hit her head or something? What was going through her head!?

“Yes! She did!” Luna seethed. “We found the real Odysseus a little while after the changelings disappeared!”

Rainbow’s mouth was agape as she realized what she had just done. She turned from the princess, to Odysseus, and then to me, as if I would give her assistance. Sorry, Rainbow, you’ve dug your own grave on this one. “Uh...well, you see...eheh...”

“One more physical outburst, and I will be forced to detain you, Rainbow Dash!” Luna grunted, staring daggers at the pegasus. Rainbow blushed, before turning her gaze back to the guard writhing in agony on the ground, who still happened to be comforting his crotch.

“Eheh...sorry...” Rainbow said, kicking her hoof through the dirt. Instead of a proper response, Odysseus simply let out a guttural groan.

After a very lengthy scolding from Luna, Rainbow Dash decided to stay as far away from the princess as possible. As I helped Odysseus to his hooves, Rainbow Dash lingered in the back of the group, refusing to make eye contact.

Odysseus groaned, shaking his white mane to and fro. “Ugh.”

“Are you alright?” Fluttershy asked, peeking her head out from behind Rarity.

“Yes,” he said sullenly. “But I do not matter. Princess, I have news from the castle. Your sister, Princess Celestia, summons you and the Elements of Harmony. She says it’s very urgent,”

Luna’s eyes squinted as she appeared to be lost in thought. She let out a troubled sigh. “We must hold off on our search,” She said as she turned to us.

“But...but Ennui-” Vanity started, but was immediately cut off.

“But nothing!” Luna hollered, before enveloping her horn in a dark blue hue. I wonder what was getting to her. She seemed extremely on edge, or was it that Rainbow put her in a bad mood? “Let us go to the castle.”

Given that it’s only been around a week since the changeling invasion, the castle looked as good as new. The walls were as white and as shiny as ever, and the many previously shattered windows were now completely redone. It’s actually quite impressive. It totally looks like a changeling invasion didn’t happen less than a week ago, to be blunt.

“What do you think is going on, Twilight?” Rarity asked in a hushed tone. Luna was still nearby, and I don’t think she wanted the Princess of the Night to hear. I simply shook my head.

“No idea, but it must not be much of a laughing matter...” I replied, turning to look over at Pinkie Pie, who was quietly giggling to herself as she literally bounced through the castle to her own strange beat. I couldn’t keep myself from rolling my eyes.

The farther we walked, the more the sound of...something...became apparent.  The closer we got, I finally deciphered what it was. It was...arguing? It was strange, because both of the voices sounded extremely familiar. I just couldn't put my hoof on it.

“Gah! Why won’t you just leave me alone!?” A masculine voice asked, his voice practically screeching, as if his voice was beginning to wear out. Soon enough, every one of us opened the large purple door to the throne room. My mouth immediately dropped. It was my elder brother, practically backed up against a wall, as if he was a lab rat trapped in a cage with a snake. “I’m married, you know!”

Right infront of him, inching her way closer, was a pink mare.

“Oh, hun. No need to worry, she can join too!~” She purred, staring luciously into Shining Armor’s eyes. His eyes were practically ginormous at this point. He tried to use his magic to keep her at bay, but all that came out were small sparks, accompanied by a distressed groan. I squinted my eyes to get a better look at who the mare was at the end of the room, and gasped loudly upon realization.

...Aphrodite!?

Uhm, well, this is rather awkward.

We walk into the castle, and the first thing we see is Aphrodite practically on top of Twilight’s older brother. She was nonchalantly whispering sweet nothings in his ear. “Could someone give me a hoof?” he asked, looking over at us. Before I could even move my hoof, Twilight was by his side, practically throwing Aphrodite off of Shining Armor. For some reason, she used her hooves rather than her magic.

“What the hay are you doing!?” Twilight screamed at Aphrodite, who did not seem to be phased in the slightest.

Aphrodite suddenly turned her attention from Shining, to Twilight. “Ooh, you’re pretty cute too.” Twilight stood her ground as she continued to glare at the horny pony, although I’m pretty sure I saw her slightly blush. “Why don’t you join me and my friend here, if you know what I mean.”

Twilight and Shining both looked at each other horrifically, and then back at Aphrodite, before they both proceeded to dry heave. “No! Ugh! Gross!” Twilight shouted, as Shining could not seem to stop his incessant coughing.

Oh, right. Aphrodite doesn’t remember us.

Aphrodite was going to make another advancement towards Shining, but Applejack held her back. “Hey! Come on! What gives?” she whined, cutely sticking out her bottom lip as she stared at the farm pony in front of her.

“Just hold on, lil’ missy! Ya gotta be crazy if yer tryin’ to go after Twilight’s brother like that! He’s married!”  Applejack stated, taking a step back after Aphrodite had finished trying to get passed her. Aphrodite simply cocked her head, unable to comprehend or understand what we were trying to explain to her.

“Aphrodite, come on! We’re buds! Don’t ya remember that one night at your house when you and Twilight shared a-” Pinkie was suddenly interrupted when a lavender hoof was shoved in her mouth. Shining Armor stared at his sister, raising an eyebrow.

“Not the time, Pinkie!”

“Uhm, is there a problem here?” Aphrodite asked, looking directly as Luna, who had been shaking her head in frustration this whole time.

“Shining Armor, where is my beloved sister? She was the one who summoned us, no?” The princess asked, as she brought her irritated motions to a minimum. Shining Armor was not paying attention, as his focus was mainly on the horny mare who was only a farmer's distance away from him.

“Huh?” He asked, until the question clicked in his head. “Oh! Yes,” Shining Armor stood up, fixing his tone so that he would seem to speak with some sort of class that the Princess would appreciate. “Princess Celestia is dealing with other matters with the sun. Apparently she’s having issues rising it this morning, I believe.”

A few of us cocked our heads. Shining was going to explain, I could tell, although he was cut off when Aphrodite trailed a hoof down his neck. Slowly. I saw his left eye vigorously twitch. Huh, I guess that trait runs in the family. Meanwhile, Applejack was completely bewildered at the fact that Aphrodite had somehow snuck passed her.

“I’m good at rising things too. I’m especially looking forward to rising your di-”

“THAT’S IT!” Twilight shouted, throwing her hooves in the air. Luckily, Aphrodite was unable to finish her sentence, although I cannot, for the life of me, figure out what she was going to say. I’m, uh, pretty bad with that kind of stuff. Of course, I know about that kind of thing when it comes to animals, although I’ve never actually seen them do it...even still, I don’t know much. “We have to get her to snap out of it, NOW. Aphrodite, you’re coming with us!” Twilight stamped her hoof on the ground as she practically seethed at Aphrodite.

Aphrodite seemed to be extremely amused... or aroused... by Twilight’s ranting. She put a hoof up to her mouth and began to cutely giggle, like a schoolfilly.

What happened next will continue to scar me for the the rest of my life.

“She’s not going anywhere!” A loud voice screeched all around us, almost causing me to faint from the initial shock. Everyone else, minus Aphrodite and Luna, proceeded to jump as well. Although Rainbow Dash tried her absolute best to shake it off.

“What was that?!” Rarity asked, joining the rest of us in turning our heads left and right, desperate to figure out where the voice was coming from. The walls of the castle had begun to slowly shake, like an earthquake, but luckily, when we all fixed up the Castle after the Changeling invasion, we really reinforced it this time. Well, save for some of the pillars. Luckily, no one was hit as a few of them tumbled over.

“Be on your guard!” Luna hollared over the incessant rattling of the castle. I had no idea what to do. Everything was shaking, and…I’m so scared! I was actually beginning to lose my balance after a little bit.

I managed to turn my head, brushing away some of my pink mane, to get a look at Aphrodite. She was just as confused as everyone else, and she had managed to back herself into the corner of the room, nearest Celestia’s throne. Her eyes were wide with horror as she clung to the walls for dear life.

After a few minutes, the shaking abruptly stopped. Everyone was visibly panicked, including me. I…I don’t do well with these types of situations. I want to go home now. I wonder how my animals are doing? Maybe if I just…sneak away. Yeah! No one will even notice! I just need to...slowly...

My very selfish throughts were cut off as a new noise filled the room. It was…some sort of singing? The singing was very feminine, and it felt very divine when it penetrated my ears. To be honest, it was some of the best singing I have ever heard. It was a very whispery singing too, almost…eery.

“Look!” Twilight shouted, pointing behind us. For the second time in five minutes, I felt like fainting. Behind us stood some sort of hairless monkey. She was absolutely nude, although her long, brown hair managed to cover her breasts expertly. Her cerulean eyes stared at all of us willingly, as if her eyes were trying to convey something to us themselves. Her skin was very peachy and smooth, not one blemish to be found. She gave all of us a kind smile, one a mother would give her child.

She was the most gorgeous thing that I had ever seen.

Shining Armor and Twilight both backed away knowingly. The youngest put her hooves over her ears, while Shining purposefully waited. “Everyone! Cover your ears, now!” He bellowed, following his sisters example. I couldn’t help but tilt my head.

“What is that thing!?” Applejack screamed at Shining Armor, who had already clovered his mouth. Scared for my life, I followed everyone else’s example. Everyone quickly put their hooves over their ears, although I could still faintly hear the…things…song.

The song of the angels set fire by day,

Leaves a feeling inside, refuses to go away.

And when she returns that evening to pay,

She finds her past swallowed near-whole by decay.

The...creature, levitated into the air, opening her arms wide as she continued. I felt myself getting a little lightheaded, like something was swirling above me. I peeked my eyes open for a brief moment to reluctantly survey my surroundings.

Oh boy, I wish I didn’t.

No one was covering their ears anymore, except for a few ponies who I really couldn’t make out at this point. My head was throbbing like no other. All of my friends were standing at attention, as if they were puppets. Each and every one of their eyes were extensively bloodshot, and their mouths were twisted into lustful grins.

I let out a scream, or what I thought was one. What was going on!? What happened to my friends? Was…the singing creature doing this to them? Is it kind of like a spell? I felt a tear run down my cheek as I tried to process all of this brand new information. I cringed as the creature continued her song. Her voice was getting more and more titilating by the minute, and…I liked it. It was…attracting me, in a sense.

The sins of the broken, their never-ending cries.

Sends the pained struggling as life whisks on by.

“Fluttershy!” A heard a voice behind me shout. I let one of my hooves go of my ear and turned to look at whoever yelled towards me. “Get down!”

Get down? But…but I couldn’t! My entire being was frozen. I couldn’t move an inch, my legs refused to cooperate. I...I was stuck!

I let out a small squeal as I felt a sudden sensation on my side, like that of hooves, pull me behind a pillar that had managed to fall during the shaking. It was a white blur, what I had presumed to be Shining Armor. Wait, he wasn’t under the spell either? I know my friends had went under, I even think I saw Luna. I felt another presence on the other side of me.

I looked over to take note that it was, indeed, Vanity. Both her and Shining Armor kept their heads down, while I curiously peeked over the top of the pillar, attempting to make myself as small as physically possible.

She knelt down in sorrow, and let out a sigh,

I heard Shining yell something next to me, but I was rather mesmerized by the creature on the other side of the room.

I realized what he had said just a little too late.

When she realized it was her turn to *DIE*!

Upon the word “die” the creature went through the most disturbing transformation that I think I had ever witnessed. Her beautiful teeth shifted into that of a piranha, reminding me of Warble when he gave into his sin. Her head was thrown back and her neck contorted to a very disgusting angle. Her skin was no longer pure, it was now covered in various bruises and blemishes, kind of like a witch, and her hair was very much russled, now exposing her mammories fully.

As well as transforming during the last word, she let out the most painful, agonizing scream I have ever heard in my life. It struck in my ears like razor blades as I once again brought my hooves to my ears, desperately trying to block out the sound before I begin to bleed out of my ears. The creature didn’t even need to breathe. The sound just kept coming.

Vanity was screaming like crazy right next to me, and I’m pretty sure that my friends, and Luna, were still out there, spellbound, watching the creature.

“WHAT IS THAT THING!?” Vanity had to practically scream in our ears so that we were able to hear what she was saying. Somehow, Shining was able to understand.

“IT’S A SIREN!” Shining Armor explained over the roaring of the creature. An idea clicked in my head as I moved my mane out of the way of my face once again. I gingerly placed my mane over my ears. It may not seem like it, but my hair can also double as ear plugs, although they weren’t as effective as I’d like them to be. The screaming was still painfully vibrating my ears. “HER SONG PUTS YOU UNDER A SPELL.”

“HOW DO YOU KNOW THIS?” Vanity shouted, causing Shining to shrug.

“BEDTIME STORIES.”

I knew that I wasn’t very loud, so I had to lean in just to make sure that they could hear me as I spoke. “What kind of spell is it?” I asked as loudly as I could. Somehow, they both managed to hear me. At that moment, the siren’s screaming began to dim as her voice slowly dropped down in volume. She hadn’t been able to see us, as her head had been tilted towards the ceiling the entire time. Shining Armor used this moment to his advantage.

“Stand up and pretend to be in a trance! We can take her by surprise.” He shouted. He quickly mimicked the rest of the ponies in the room, parting his mouth slightly and staring directly at the siren, who was quickly transforming back into her beautiful self. Her hair was combed and styled within seconds, and her body was blemish-free once again. Vanity and I quicly stood up and did our best “Under-A-Spell” impression.

Aphrodite, however, appeared to be going crazy. Her mane was visibly frazzled, and a little bit of blood was slithering down her left ear. I felt a little bad. She must have had a worse experience, since she was way closer to the beast than we were. “What the hell!? What was that for!?” She screamed as she tried to slowlyget to her hooves. She appeared to be very weak, as if she was on the verge of passing out. She fell back to the ground, painfully.

The siren gently set her feet on the ground and knelt down towards the pony. She brought a hand to Aphrodite’s cheek caringly, although the pony flinched upon being touched by it. “No need to be afraid, my dear. Soon, you’ll be safe. I’m here to protect you.”

“I…”

The siren’s lips parting in a loving smile, which quickly became crooked as she tilt her head. “It’s so strange…you didn’t surcumb to the song…is there somepony in your life that you’re not sharing with me?”

Aphrodite was shaking in fear at this point, as if she was a damsel in distress. Although she kind of was. I honestly felt very bad for her. “No…what are you talking abo-“ Aphrodite was cut off by a sharp slap to her left cheek. She let out a soft sob, while the siren’s loving grin refused to move.

“Do not lie to me. I’ve been watching you this whole time. You have a special somepony, do you not?” She asked. Something seemed to click in Vanity’s, Shining Armor’s, and my own head at the same time. I could tell in their case, as they both seemed to snap to attention

Love.

Love is what must be putting everypony under the spell. Shining Armor is married, and is already in love. I’m currently dating Warble, and I think it’s safe to say that I am in love with him. Although, I don’t know if I would admit it or not. But…Vanity? She’s in love? But with whom? I suppose that that does not really matter at this moment.

I saw Shining Armor struggle, desperately trying to use his magic while the siren’s back was turned. However, all that came out from his horn was a few blue sparks. Well, that doesn’t look good at all. In my mind, I was egging him on.

“No…I…I don’t recall…” Aphrodite whimpered, which brought another question in my mind. Aphrodite was in love with someone, but whom? If anything, it was probably Twilight. She’s been trying to get in my best friend’s bed since…I’ve known her, really. But with her memory gone, I assume she is telling the truth when she say she doesn’t know. If she did, the siren would most likely go after Twilight…I don’t really like to think things like that.

Shining leaned over to Vanity and I. “We need to destroy her.” He whispered, so low that I almost didn’t catch what he said.

“H-How are we going to do that?” I asked. I was completely against destroying the siren. It seemed a little mean in my eyes, but I really did not have any better ideas.

“If you two can distract her long enough, I might be able to kill her by toppling over a pillar.” Shining said, gesturing over to a very cracked and unstable pillar directly to the siren’s right. I had a bad feeling about this. I was terrible when it came to distractions. I mean, practically everypony knows that I’m not one for unnecessary attention. Even the thought of it makes my head spin.

“But…but I…I can’t!” I stuttered, a few tears coming to my eyes. Suddenly, the siren’s head twisted towards us, and we all snapped back to attention. The siren seethed, and my heart pounded at the thought of us being found out. She quickly turned back towards Aphrodite, who was still cowering in the corner.

“Who is it? Whom have you fallen for? You can tell me.” The siren cooed. Aphrodite gaze turned to the crowd of frozen ponies, including Shining, Vanity and I. Aphrodite’s gaze lasted for a brief second before she looked back at the siren, although she had already caught on.

“I see. So, is it one of these ponies that you are in love with?” The siren asked. Aphrodite shook her head.

“No! I have no idea who they are! Well, except for the princess,” Aphrodite mumbled that last part. The siren stood up and put her hands on her hips, pursing her lips impatiently. Her hair seemed to effortlessly flow. Sigh, I wish my mane was like that sometimes, most of the time it’s an absolute mess.

“I see.  Well, how about this, dear. For every sixty seconds that passes by, I’ll kill one of the ponies in this room,” Aphrodite gasped. “You don’t want to be responsible for the deaths of these presumably innocent ponies, correct?”

She…she was going to kill us? One by one? But…but that’s horrible! I didn’t want to die! There are so many things in life that I’ve never gotten to do! Part of me was hoping that she would kill me first. I’d much rather that then see my friends suffer. I tried to hold back my tears, as they would definitely give away the façade that I had been maintaining.

The next few seconds were filled with Aphrodite’s pleading, begging for mercy on all of us and swearing that she was not in love with anypony, which was technically a lie, although she didn’t know. While they were quarreling, Shining Armor leaned over to Vanity and I and muttered under his breath.

“Here’s the deal. Vanity and I will distract it, if you can’t do it. You’ll have to be the one to topple the pillar on top of her.” He stated, causing me to shiver just a little bit. I…I had to kill it? I don’t want to kill anything! That’s not me!

“Are…are you sure we can’t just try talking to it?” I asked.

“No way. We have about forty-three seconds until it starts killing us. We don’t have time.” Shining explained. I felt my shoulders droop just a little bit upon realizing that he was probably correct. Vanity leaned a little bit closer to us.

“You really think she, of all ponies, could knock over a pillar?” Vanity said. “No offense.”

“None taken.”

Shining Armor shook his head, having already explained this once before. “Yes, I do. It is very unstable, a sharp push should be able to topple it.” He was correct, like before, it was mere inches from falling over. I felt butterflies crawl into my stomach, and not the good kind either. Why me? “Fluttershy, go hide behind the fallen pillar behind us, and steadily make your way towards the other one. In ten seconds Vanity and I are going to begin phase two.”

With a small whimper, and a passing glance at Vanity, I slipped back under the fallen pillar of which we were hiding behind just a moment ago. To my misfortune, I accidently kicked a rock as I was getting into position, causing it to loudly echo throughout the throne room. I ducked down milliseconds before the siren turned her head.

The siren stared intently at all of us, before she floated back into the air, disregarding Aphrodite entirely. “We are missing one. Perhaps it is your lover, hm?”

I couldn’t help but shudder, although the siren’s reasoning made perfect sense.

Shining and Vanity both jumped forward, causing the siren to double back a little bit out of shock. “Stop this! We’re not under your spell evil, you witch! If you want us, then come and get it!” He threatened, which brought a sick smile to the siren’s face. Before Vanity or Shining Armor had any chance to move, three of the siren’s “puppets” turned towards them, grinning obliviously.

“Take care of them, my minions,” She spat.

Pinkie Pie stomped quickly towards Vanity, who was slowly beginning to panic. She backed up slightly, as Pinkie Pie’s happy smile was replaced with a grimace. Her mane and tail were extraordinarily sleek. As far as I can remember, that has only happened once to her, and that was when she was genuinely upset. Uh oh.

Meanwhile, Shining Armor was up a much bigger threat: Princess Luna. Luna was taking advantage of the fact that she still had her magic, while Shining Armor did not. She picked him up in a dark blue aura and slammed him into the wall behind him, causing a large hole to appear. “Are…are you kidding me!?” He said as he stood up, effortlessly. I was going to question how he could possibly stand up after that, but then I remembered that he was wearing the exact same, fairly durable, armor that we saw Odysseus wearing earlier. However, Rainbow Dash proved the armor to be rather faulty.

Behind me, Aphrodite was facing problems of her own. The last minion was slowly stepping up to her. The minion was facing away from me, but I knew exactly who it was after seeing the lavender coat. Aphrodite was not resisting as Twilight put a hoof to her chest, her horn slowly lighting up. “I…I…” Aphrodite bawled on the ground.

I had to end this, quickly! Things could get really bad if I don’t. I set my beliefs aside as I slowly made my way towards the teetering pillar. The siren was cackling madly, as well as insanely loud. I’m sure I would have passed out by now if it wasn’t for my mane in my ears. It also appeared that the sirens “puppets” were not affected one bit by the siren’s loud screaming and laughing.

Shining Armor was having a very tough time the next time I looked, although I don’t blame him. Being attacked by a princess would not be a very easy fight to win.  He was taking very many magical blasts to the chest, and it was apparent that his armor was beginning to fail him. He ducked a single beam, giving him just the opportunity he needed to grab a rather large, and sharp, rock. While Luna was recharging, Shining spun around with the rock in his hooves, and launched it like a discus towards her. I let out a small gasp. “Forgive me, Princess!” Shining hollered as the rock left his hooves. Luna did not have enough time to react before the discus flew right passed her, leaving a nasty cut on her right cheek. The Princess brought a hoof to her wound, and stared at the red liquid on it, before narrowing her eyes at him.

“Uh oh.” He said, seconds before he was yet again struck with another blast to the chest.

Vanity was having a very difficult time as well. What I didn’t know about her was that she was doing a very good job fighting. She was sending various punches as kicks towards Pinkie that were extremely impressive. Maybe she was a black belt or something, I wasn’t sure. Her body twisted and turned as she launched attack after attack at Pinkie, but somehow, she dodged EVERY. SINGLE. ONE. Not one of Vanity’s expertly placed attacks hit her. Pinkie’s grin remained plastered on her face as she effortlessly dodged. I knew exactly how she was doing it too: Pinkie Sense. She could tell when and where each attack would be sent moments before Vanity could even get ready to launch it.

I wanted to desperately scream to her, to tell her how Pinkie was doing it. Maybe if Pinkie couldn’t sense what attack Vanity was going to do next, maybe Vanity would win, although I don’t condone violence in the slightest. If Vanity attacked instinctively rather than tactically, maybe she could...uhm...win.

Vanity was getting visibly tired, and her attacks were getting slower. At one point, she left too large of an opening for Pinkie, who utilized it by punching Vanity straight in the stomach, sending her flying back.

I wanted to help, I really did. I…I don’t like seeing my friends get hurt…why was this all happening?

When I turned back to Twilight and Aphrodite, they seemed to be…speaking? I could not exactly tell what they were saying, but Twilight was definitely hollering at her. Degrading her, as Aphrodite continued to sob into her hooves, not looking at Twilight in the least, trying to get all the sounds that were cascading around her out of her head.

She was praying for it all to stop.

And it was my job to do just that.

With a speed that I had not yet reached before, I trotted for the pillar roughly ten feet away; not caring in the slightest if the siren saw me. Unfortunately, she did. “You!” She shouted as she finally noticed me.

I jumped behind the pillar and pushed it with all of my might. “YOU WILL PERISH FOR THIS!” she screamed, causing Shining Armor and Vanity to stop their attacks and clutch their ears. Luna used this opportunity to blast Shining in the neck, while Pinkie socked Vanity under her chin.

“Not…on…my…WATCH!” I shouted, as I used every single ounce of my strength to push the pillar over. The siren let out a blood curling scream as she realized that she did not have enough time to move out of the way of the half ton piece of stone. With a loud crash, the pillar slammed into the siren, as she was inevitably crushed to death. Much to my undying happiness, the debris managed to miss Twilight and Aphrodite.

A few moments later, everypony in the room under the siren’s spell shook their heads knowingly. “W…What happened?” Applejack asked, rubbing her head and wincing at the sudden headache.

After making sure that everypony was okay, Vanity, Shining Armor and I all explained what the creature was, and what had happened. Needless to say, Luna and Twilight were not very pleased.

“I…I attacked you, Shining Armor?” Luna sighed sadly, looking  at the ground in disappointment as Shining Armor simply nodded. Twilight crestfallenly looked over at Aphrodite, who was still in the corner of the room. “I whole-heartedly apologize, Shining. And I plan on fully reimbursing you and your armor,” she declared. Little had I known, Shining Armor’s armor was completely destroyed, and it was very much burnt by Luna’s magical blasts. Once again, Shining simply nodded.

“Heh, sorry about hurting you…” Pinkie said sheepishly as she turned towards the prideful pony of which she fought. Vanity simply waved her hoof at her.

“No worries. You really expect a beautiful mare like me to not be able to protect herself? I’m a second degree black belt, you know,” She said, smugly. Shining Armor rolled his eyes, while the rest of us, minus Luna, giggled a little bit.

“That reminds me,” Twilight started. “The siren’s song only puts you under if you are not in love. Vanity, if you didn’t go under, who are you in love with?” She asked. Every single one of us turned towards the mare, who slowly started to back away, her cheeks flaring.

“Uh…nopony! I’m just as confused as you all are! Heh, heh…” She replied. Vanity was either a terrible liar, or a horrible truth-teller. Although I beckoned that we shouldn’t interrogate her because of this. If she has a thing for somepony, then it’s really none of our business to know. Vanity, who was eager to change to conversation, pointed over at Aphrodite.

“Oh heyyy! It’s Aphrodite!” she said, dramatically.

Oh, right. Aphrodite was the initial reason why we were here in the first place.

All seven of us walked over to the mare, while Luna and Shining Armor chatted for a bit. Luna was still excessively embarrassed about what she had done. Upon noticing of our presence, Aphrodite stood up, absolutely infuriated.

“Is this what you all do!? You come here and have some weird she-witch come and attack us!?” she screamed. I couldn’t help but flinch as I saw her ears, which were still leaking a little blood and tinting her mane a little red. To be honest, I was really surprised that we all still had our hearing, especially Aphrodite.

“Aphrodite, we came here for a reason. We’re your friends and you’re under Malignant’s spell!” Rainbow Dash interjected. Meanwhile, Pinkie seemed lost in thought next to me.

“Do you think that girl made any albums? Her voice was pretty!” She grinned.

Everyone shot her a glare, which she failed to notice. I sighed.

“What? Ugh! Go away! I have to go home and clean myself up! Everything’s a mess!” Aphrodite said uncooperatively. Well, this wasn’t working. But then, something else clicked in my mind.

“Remember how we used Ennui to snap Vanity out of it back at the show?” I said, causing everypony to turn to me. I shivered a little bit. Still don’t like attention. “Well, if Ennui is the most important pony to Vanity, then maybe the most important pony to Aphrodite can snap her out of it,” I explained. I couldn’t help but notice that Vanity was once again turning a little pink. I promptly shrugged it off.

“But, that leaves another question,” Twilight interjected. “who’s the most important pony to Aphrodite?” She asked. Every single one of us stared at Twilight knowingly until she got the message, to which her hopes suddenly dropped.

“Oh,”

“Twilight…I know you’re not into that, but you have to, for the sake of Aphrodite.” Rarity explained. Wait, do what? Am I missing something here? I thought Twilight was just going to talk to her or something?

“There has to be another way, girls. Come on, we just need to think,” Twilight said desperately. Rarity, Applejack and Vanity all shook their heads.

“Come ahn, Twi. Only a few seconds and it’ll be over with,” Applejack said, resting a hoof on Twilight’s shoulder.

Aphrodite was just as confused as I am. “Over with what? What are you all talking about!?” Aphrodite was quickly losing her patience again. I wouldn’t blame her either. She was indeed a hot mess.

Twilight sighed. “Fine,” she reluctantly walked over to Aphrodite, causing me to tilt my head in confusion. What was going to happen? I was completely lost at this point. “Ugh…I’m just going to get this over with…”

“What are-“ Aphrodite tried to asked, before Twilight leaned in, closed her eyes…

And…and KISSED her.

It wasn’t a short one either. It was one filled with love, passion, right from the heart. It honestly made me a little happy seeing it. Uh…I hope that doesn’t sound creepy. Aphrodite was completely caught off guard, before she closed her eyes as well, feeling the never-ending bliss course through her body like water.

I smiled at the scene, as I saw some sort of purple gas emit from her facial orifices, minus her mouth. It all floated into the air, and almost seemed to disippate. When the gas was completely gone, I was really wishing that Twilight had her eyes open to see it. Aphrodite opened her eyes, blushing slightly as she realized what was happening.

Twilight…open your eyes…

Aphrodite’s eyes were half-lidded, as a tiny smile graced her lips. Somehow, Twilight didn't feel Aphrodite's lip movements.

Come on, Twilight…

Aaaaand too late.

Aphrodite raised her hooves and grasped the sides of Twilight face, pulling them both into a very…heated, embrace. Their mouths locked together as Twilight realized what was actually going on. She tried as hard as she could, mumbling into Aphrodite’s mouth while doing so, to split their lips, although it was in vain.

It took the combined forces of Applejack and Rainbow Dash to actually break the two apart.

Aphrodite grinned at Twilight, who was almost hacking and coughing. I wasn’t sure if it was because of the fact that she just kissed a mare, or the fact that it must’ve been really difficult to breathe.

“You don’t know how long I’ve been waiting for that…” Aphrodite squee’d in a state of absolute bliss. Twilight stopped her coughing to wipe her lips with her hoof.

We all cheered as we hugged Aphrodite, happy to have her back. Twilight opted out of the group hug. “Oh come on, I could definitely tell that you enjoyed it too,” She purred as the hug quickly broke up.

“Ugh!” Twilight shouted, before she turned around, only to come face to face with her brother. She stopped dead in her tracks, as Shining Armor broke out into a mischievous- yet sly- grin.

“Uh…wow, Twiley. I uh, didn’t know you rolled like that,” He said, giving his kid sister a slight noogie. Twilight’s eye twitched. “Don’t worry. We don’t think of you any different!” Shining finished with a grin, standing up tall, as if he was proud of his joke. No one laughed, but I did find it funny.

Twilight fumed, as he stared her brother up and down. She broke out into a sick smile as a light bulb went off in her head as she stared at Shining's armor. Apparently, she remembered something.

*SMACK*

“AGH! MY CROTCH!”

Given

It was a little while later when everything started to calm down. We informed Aphrodite on what had happened while she was under the trance, or whatever you would call it at this point. To which she, surprisingly, apologized to my brother. Speaking of which, he was just getting over the pain in his groin. I must have hit him a little harder than I had originally planned, as he writhed in a pain longer than what was necessary. Good.

What I had to do for Aphrodite to come back to us was not an option for me. I didn’t do it because I wanted to. I would have easily done anything else if there was another way. Ugh, I can still taste her lipstick. I really hope no one else noticed, but she actually stuck her whole tongue in my mouth! Who does that!? I hope to never have to do anything like that again. I like stallions, enough said.

        Aphrodite was beaming ever since the kiss, really. I’d never seen her so excited ever since I’d met her. By ‘excited’, I didn’t mean in the lustful way, either. I mean… happy. I didn’t really know how to feel about it. Did I really make her feel that euphoric? I decided not to think about it more than I really should. There’s no way Aphrodite and I will EVER be together. EVER. EVER EVER EVER.

        Anyways, I had so many questions that needed to be answered. Luckily, Shining Armor, Vanity and Fluttershy were able to stop that Siren before she could actually kill one of us. To be honest, I was very proud of Fluttershy for what she did. Surely killing that thing was not something she wanted to do, and went against almost every single one of her morals. But she did it anyways to save us all. Fluttershy is a good friend, nonetheless. Everyone really owes her their lives because of what just happened.

Princess Luna was conversing with Aphrodite, her inner motherly instinct taking over as she tried to calm down the mare. She may have gotten that kiss, but she had been excessively jittery after that siren, and after my attack… note to self, apologize for that. After breaking off my conversation with Applejack about the next course of action, I wandered over to youngest Princess.

        “Princess Luna?” I asked, as I made my way past a few of my lingering friends. The Princess of the Night finished her sentence with Aphrodite before turning to me. Aphrodite must have decided to listen in, as she didn’t move from her spot. Well, besides for a few sidesteps in my direction. Ugh. It’s hard to feel bad for her and all that happened when she keeps doing stuff like that.

        “Yes, Twilight?” she cooed. She had a small bandage on her face. Did… did she get hurt during the Siren’s attack? Well, I guess the answer was obvious. So that’s what Shining Armor was talking about earlier...

        “I was just wondering, what was that all about? The Siren? Why was it here of all places?” Previously, I was taught that Siren’s were just ancient folklore. There are stories that Shining used to read to me that stated that they used to reside on rocky coasts and sing their evil song. The music was so beautiful and serene that it would enchant the mind of anyone who was unfortunate enough to listen, including sailors. They would hear the songs, and change the course of the ship, imminently becoming one with the rocks. They were never heard from again, to say the least.

        Princess Luna frowned, prompting Aphrodite to butt in. “I was wondering the same thing. It took forever to comb my mane back to its natural self…” Her baby blue eyes turned to inspect her mane as she ran a single hoof through it, pitifully. To be honest, it looked fine to me. She could wake up and have her mane looking spectacular.

        Upon hearing said mentioning of the Siren, the rest of my friends -- save for Shining Armor -- huddled around Princess Luna, eager to learn a little more as well. I was not sure exactly where Shining Armor went, but I was sure we’d find him later. A few of my friends began to clamor in unison in an extremely rude manner. I guess the pressure was getting to all of us. Earlier we were just looking for ponies, but now it’s some kind of malevolent being from Tartarus, as well as these weird beasts. I couldn’t blame them.

        “Please, calm down.” Luna stated, her eyes hardening just a little bit. The few ponies in particular quieted themselves as to be able to hear Luna’s explanation. “This is much worse than I thought, and it is troubling me so.”

        “What’s going on? What was that thing?” Rainbow Dash asked, kindly. It found it very strange for her to speak nicely for once, but then I remembered that she had already gotten on Luna’s bad side about three times that day. Trust me, having Rainbow Dash detained would not be our biggest problem, but it would most certainly be an inconvenience. It would take days just to get her out.

        “My head is still killing me…” Vanity sighed, holding a hoof up to her forehead in dismay. Princess Luna took a deep breathe, as if what was about to be said was going to hurt her as much as it was going to hurt us. Oh, I forgot. Vanity also aided Fluttershy and Shining. I owe her a thank you as well. She took out a hoof mirror and began to prod at her mane. Luna continued.

        “Malignant is not alone.”

        There was a chilling silence in the castle as everyone seeped in just exactly what the princess had just said. What is that supposed to mean? So that Siren was Malignant’s doing? Princess Luna took one look at my face and instantly knew what I was about to ask, so she simply went on.

        “There are many other beings that reign deep down in the bowels of Tartarus. Demons and such that are down there for reasons that am not able to speak of. Such as the Siren. Malignant must be using them for help-”

        “What do ya mean ‘help’?” Applejack raised up a hoof to ask her question. Luna did not seem fazed by the fact that she was interrupted, yet again. I never realized how much patient Luna actually had.

        “I am almost positive that the Siren was guarding Aphrodite. The Siren didn’t make her move until we brought up the fact that we would take the dear with us. Malignant must be using these spawns as some sort of guards,” she answered, uttering a low, guttural sigh. I could see a restless vein protrude on her forehead.

        “We must be extensively careful. Chances are that there is a guard watching every single one of the seven.” Luna said. The room was dead silent as we tried to get this fact through our skulls. I had a very bad feeling that this is going to be more difficult than I have originally planned. We destroyed one, only six more to go? Wait…

        “But what about Vanity?” I said, pointing over to the pony in question. Vanity seemed rather startled at the motion in general, reeling back just slightly and lowering her mirror. Surely, she had been paying attention. “We took her peacefully, there was no demon watching her. Even you must agree!” I said. She must have known that. She was there when we snapped Vanity out of her trance, there was no demon, no pain, no anything! Vanity cocked her head, as if she was highly intrigued herself.

        “I am almost positive there was, however, what I cannot fathom is why it did not come after us. Chances are, it became spooked.” Luna said, her words trailing off a little bit. Well, this could not get any worse. We were running out of time, and we were still missing five ponies. With that in mind, we have to keep a close eye on Vanity. If there is a demon running around, and it wants Vanity, then we might have another issue here.

        “So, what is our course of action now?” Rarity asked from somewhere behind me. Her body movements were uncomfortable, as if she couldn’t stand simply sitting there anymore. I think that she’s rather eager to find Cashmere, if I had to take a guess. The last I remembered, they were actually on rough ground before he disappeared.

        “Our first-” Luna started, however another similar voice loudly protruded into the room, followed the clanking of Odysseus’s gear as they all entered. I noticed Rainbow Dash silently scoff at the guard, still a little peeved at almost getting her in trouble. Not entirely remembering that it was her fault in the first place.

        “Hello, dear sister!” Princess Celestia said, bringing a hoof to her mouth so she could lightly cough. It wasn’t much, but you could definately tell that she was not feeling well. However, she managed to keep the same motherly smile on her face. The bags under her eyes were very much noticeable, but no one decided to mention her looks of condition. All in all, it was a little depressing. “How is,” Celestia paused as she, for the second time in two weeks, gazed upon the tattered and destroyed throne room. “uh, excuse me. How is everything going?”

        “Oh, sister!” Luna looked around at the destruction before turning to look back at her elder kin, blushing a little bit. “Uhm, I suppose things could be better. The real question is, how are you feeling?”

        Celestia has disregarded any formalities, seeing as everypony in the room knew her rather well. Either that, or she really wasn’t feeling well. She raised a hoof and smiled, chuckling a bit to herself. “Do not fret. I feel fine. I see you found Lust and Pride?” Princess Celestia said, upon taking notice of the two ponies that was not in my original friend group. Aphrodite still had not washed the blood off the sides of her face, and Celestia cocked her head.

        “Just...what happened here?” she asked, taking another look around. The throne room was absolutely thrashed, but at it was nowhere near as bad as what it was like about a week or so ago.

        For the next ten minutes, we all explained to her what happened, the Siren, mainly. As well as what Malignant might be up to. Believe you me when I say that practically every pony in the room had something to say, especially Pinkie. She was still wondering if that Siren made her own CD’s or something. After a few minutes of nopony answering her question, she stopped asking.

        “Wow, that certainly,” Princess Celestia coughed once again, lightly. “Ahem, sounds unfortunate. I am sorry to hear that that has happened to you all.”

        “It’s quite alright, sister. We were just on our way to locate the next sin. We are leaving momentarily. Trust me, your illness will be upon you not much longer.” Luna said, a determined grin lingering on her face. However, the frown on Celestia’s face made me a little confused. Is something else bothering her?

        “That...was exactly what I came down here to ask.” The Princess of the Night furrowed her brow. “I need you to stay here and aid me for a bit.” she said. A few of my friends turned to look at each other.

        “Dear sister-” Luna started, beginning to plead her case. Celestia shook her head, not intent on listen to her younger sister’s reasonings.

        “Luna, please, I am sure Twilight and friends can handle this. Right now, I could really use your assistance.” said Celestia, as Odysseus walked over to Luna to guide her away from us. This was all strange. Why did Celestia need Luna so urgently? Odysseus was also acting slightly funny too. Not like when he was secretly a changeling, but his movements were hesitant and his face was emotionless.

        “Uh, Luna?” I asked, however, I received no response in return besides for a reassuring smile as Odysseus, Luna and Celestia walked back through the throne room doors. My friends and I all stared in disbelief the one, and only pony that actually could have helped us practically walked out. So much, so badly I wanted to protest. Even though I knew I couldn’t. I could never go against Princess Celestia’s wishes. Obviously, whatever Luna was needed for was important anyways.

        “Well, that sucks…” Aphrodite said, biting the inside of her cheek and potentially breaking the silence among us. I sighed, rubbing my temples a little bit as I tried to ponder just what would be our next course of action. Aphrodite rested a hoof on Fluttershy, who was still slightly shaking after her terrifying experience earlier. I took a look outside, and I saw that the sun was no longer. How inexplicably weird, I was positive that it was morning when we had first entered the castle. Surely we had not been there all day?

        “So!” Pinkie Pie said, reappearing somewhere to my immediate right, making me jump a little bit. “What’s next on the to do list?” she asked, I looked upwards, pondering that exact thought.

        “I have a good idea…” Aphrodite said, appearing just to my left. Her eyes were full of her trademark sensuality that made me internally sigh, again. I physically pushed both of the pink mares away. I was not in the mood for this. Also, I needed my personal space.

        “I’m kind of tired, you think we could just call it a night?” Rainbow Dash asked. Now that Luna was gone, she was free to say whatever she liked. I was about to reply with a no, but after a moment of thinking, I thought that perhaps it may be a pretty good idea. After all, it was getting late, and I must say that I was pretty tired myself. We’ve all been through enough.

        “Maybe… no worries. I’ll just teleport us back to the library and we can all sleep there.” I said, readying my magic. Teleportation was definately not easy, but I was highly confused when all that occurred was a few strange purple sparks that omitted from my horn.

        “Uh… Twiley?” A muscular voice said. Apparently, Shining Armor had returned from wherever he was. He was holding an ice pack in his hoof, but didn’t place it on his groin, taking into consideration the vast amount of mares in the room. I tried to teleport all of us again, but unfortunately, the same thing happened. “That’s not going to work…”

        “What? Why...what’s going on, why can’t I use my magic?” I looked over at Rarity, who was having the exact same problem with her magic. All that came out of her horn was blue sparks, before her magic puttered out entirely. She stared at the ground, downtrodden.

        “Not sure. Must be some kind of spell that the Siren gave off. That explains why I couldn’t get Aphrodite off of me before you all arrived.” Shining explained. So hard. It was so hard to keep from smacking my face into the nearest wall.

        “Don’t worry. While I was getting an --ahem--ice pack, I saw Celestia and got her permission for you all to stay here the night. I am sure you all know the layout of the castle and where the rooms are?” Shining asked. Most of us nodded, however Aphrodite and Vanity stayed motionless. Aphrodite turned to me, and I knew exactly what she was going to say as soon as she opened her mouth.

        “Twilight? Would you mind-”

        “No. I am not rooming with you. We can figure that out later.” I said, monotonously. I stomped a hoof down, and I think I saw Shining giggle a little bit. “What we need to do is figure out what we are going to do tomorrow!” I announced. We needed to hurry up and find the rest of the sins. We didn’t have time to waste, not anymore. At this rate, it will be too late before we find them all.

        “C-Can I-I stay h-here?” Fluttershy stuttered, still shaking with shock. There were still tears welled up in her eyes. I never noticed, but she looked absolutely horrendous. She had small scars across her face from what I presumed was from falling rocks. Her mane and tail were all over the place, like she a tornado came and swept her up. She looked downwards, unable to look any of us in the eyes.

        “‘Course ya can.” Applejack said, resting a hoof on Fluttershy’s shivering shoulder. “You’ve been through a lot t’day. Rest will do ya some good, sugar.” Fluttershy lifted up her head, and smiled at the farmer.

        “Thank you.” she whispered. From somewhere behind Fluttershy, Vanity stepped up.

        “If you wouldn’t mind, I would love to keep you company. I think a day off would be splendid for me.” she said. If there were ever red flags that would wave everything a bad idea came around, I’d be seeing millions at this point.

        “Vanity, I don’t think that’s a good idea. Remember what Princess Luna said? There was some kind of demon that was supposed to be guarding you. You need as many ponies around you as possible tomorrow, as well as tonight. Being on the move would entirely benefit you.” I explained. Vanity raised a hoof, but after taking a second to take into consideration what I had said, she set it down. With a huff, she sat on her haunches and presumable began to pout. I looked around the circle. Someone needed to stay with Fluttershy. I was going to recommend my brother, but considering that he would be doing his duties most of the time, that would be entirely pointless.

        “Don’t worry, darling. I’ll stay with you.” Rarity stated from the other side of the circle that we had made.

        “So it’s settled, then?” I asked. Once again, I got a few nods in response. The group seemed a little… depressed. Maybe it was because we were forced to kill a siren, or maybe it was just because everyone was overtired. It was hard to pinpoint these types of things.

        “Where are we going to next?” Rainbow Dash asked, continuing our conversation from earlier, only just with more ponies. Right, location. I kind of forgot about that. Almost everypony brought a hoof to their chins in an effort to think. Even Rarity and Fluttershy. Vanity was more than eager, however.

        “Ennui could be anywhere… she could be asleep in some field for all we know…” Vanity said. Obviously, she was still dead-set on finding her best friend. I had to admit, I had no idea where Ennui would be. She’s a mystery to me, and her sin is so vague that she could literally be anywhere in Equestria that was peaceful or relaxing. Needless to say, that’s practically everywhere.

        “I think we should search for sins that are easier to find. If we search for her -- even if we teleported from place to place -- it would most likely take days. Also, we’d still have four more to search for. We’d be out of time by then.” Rainbow Dash rebuttled. I always knew Rainbow was more strategic than I thought, which is kind of ridiculous since earlier she just wanted to ‘fly headfirst into a fashion show’. “We’ll have to search for her later.”

        “What about Covette?” said Fluttershy. “She’d most likely be anywhere where there are bound to be ponies or things that are high in value.” Everypony looked at her, before Fluttershy realized how badly that sounded. “No! I wasn’t saying she’s a thief, but if someone was looking to be envious, they’d go to a place where there are things that they don’t have.”

        “We know what ya meant,” Applejack said. Fluttershy meekly blushed. “But Kindlin’ would be much easier. There aren’t many places where one can be angry ‘round ‘ere. I’ve been thinking about where he is, and-”

        “I think Cashmere should be at the top of the list. He’s probably at his old mansion, if you think about it. Truth be told, it’s right around the corner from here.” I wasn’t too sure about that. Only I knew the real reason why she wanted to find Cashmere so quickly. I was 98% sure that Cashmere was not at his old mansion. Surely those guards were not that stupid as to let them go somewhere so downright obvious.

        “We all know where Warble would be…” Aphrodite said. At first I wanted to scold her for her insult. However, since Warble wasn’t there, and what she said was entirely true, I just shrugged. No doubt Warble was at some restaurant, or another eating competition. However it wouldn’t be easy to find him if he was eating somewhere. There are hundreds of eating facilities around Equestria, and having to search through every single one would be time consuming. I did some calculations in my head for who to search for next, and for what location they would be in…

        “Ah already know where Kindlin’ would be! Darnit, is anypony listenin’?” Applejack suddenly exploded. Everyone turned their heads in her direction, abruptly. I almost forgot, wasn’t Applejack going to say something? Applejack wiped the grimace from her face and recomposed herself before speaking. Out from behind her, she pulled out a large flyer and showed it to everyone in the circle.

        “Silly Applejack! Kindlin’ can’t be on that piece of paper!” Pinkie said, speaking up after an unusually long silence. “If he was, we would have found him already! Duh!” Applejack smacked her forehead before putting Pinkie’s words behind her.

        “No...Pinkie...what’s on the paper is what matters.” Applejack sighed. Everypony gathered around her so that we could get a better look at what it says. It’s a flyer for some kind of tournament. It appeared to be...fighting!? The silhouettes of two stallions on each side of the flyer holding up hooves seemed to confirm my thoughts. I read the rather tiny text at the bottom to myself:

Come one, come all to one of the most grand events to ever come to the Manehatten Sports Dome!

Come join us next week Saturday, the 12th, for the fifth annual Iron Hoof Competition! Where competitors from all around the globe come to showcase their skills in martial arts to win the grand prize of 10,000 bits and the crown of “Iron Hoof Champion”!

Want to sign up? Come to the Manehatten Sports Dome at 7 o’clock sharp! Hurry, because slots are going to close fast!

        I didn’t even bother to read the rest. From those few sentences I already knew what Applejack was going to get at. There was no doubt that Kindling would compete. From what he showed earlier when he took down all those changelings by himself, surely he knew how to fight. I had a terrible feeling about this.

        “Ah found this flyer at the fashion show, and put the pieces together. There ain’t a doubt in mah mind that Kindling is there.” Applejack said. A few of us looked at each other, but with varying emotions.

        “So, that’s it. We head to Manehatten tomorrow…” I said. A few of us nodded, while a few others were a little more than leery. Vanity was just a little peeved, but she seemed to get over it quickly. I was ready to get some sleep. I needed the mental rest. We had to go and search for Kindling among the chaos of a sports competition, and possibly fight whomever, or whatever, was guarding him. I had a feeling that tomorrow was going to be an exhausting day.

        We dispersed after that. Most of us knew where the guest rooms where, and showed around those who were uneducated in the royal castle. Luckily enough, we all got our own beds and suites. Obviously, I was more than happy about that.

        Maybe it was just the peace that rang, or the comfort of the bed. Maybe it was just the lack of a certain horny mare. But what scared me the most was how easily I slept that night.

***

        Our entirely group, save for Fluttershy and Rarity, all woke up terribly early the next morning. A few of us were very chipper after getting such a good nights sleep, like me. Others… well, not so much. I think it’s pretty apparent  who that one was, but I won’t give out any names. Something else that I learned this morning was that the Siren’s ‘magic’, or whatever it was, wore off. I guess it just needed some time. I was rather ecstatic when I tried to lift up my manebrush and I didn’t see little sparks come out of my horn again.

        Rainbow Dash was the first one to get hyped after she had finally shaken off her sleepiness. “Oh man! This is going to be AWESOME. A bunch of ponies getting their flank handed to them! The punching, and kicking, the gloriousness of it all!” Rainbow Dash was so enthused that she was actually flying around in the air, showing off a few lackluster punches on her own. “I just might sign up myself!”

        “Please, Rainbow. Ya don’t even know karate. Applebloom told meh that she saw the ‘how-to” guide fall from yer backpack when you were trying to help ‘er get that cutie mark.” Applejack replied. Rainbow Dash’s face flushed red, and I wasn’t sure if it was from frustration or embarrassment.

        “Psh, please. That was the new Daring Doo book.” Rainbow Dash said, still in midair. She crossed her hooves and turned her head away from the farmer. “Besides, I still think I’d do awesome. I might even win!”

        “Girls, we’re not going to enter the tournament…” I sighed. As if it was like clockwork, Pinkie Pie finally emerged from behind me wearing some sort of white karate uniform with a black belt.

        “Wait what? Aw….” she cried, before saundering off to go and remove her outfit. Where did she even find that? I don’t even- no. You know what? I’m not going to even ask how, or why, or where, or WHEN…

        After Vanity and Aphrodite finally met up with the rest of us twenty minutes later, I was a little more than angry. At that point we only had about ten minutes before it as 7 o’clock. I asked them what in the world took them so long, and their answer really didn’t surprise me. “We had to fix our manes! They were a mess this morning!”

        Ugh.

        We made sure that all six of us were ready to go after Pinkie returned only a few seconds later. It was going to be extremely weird going out to do this without Fluttershy and Rarity, but part of me believes that they wouldn’t be a fan of martial arts anyways. Part of me was slightly curious of this entire competition too. I never researched different fighting styles before. Maybe I should take some notes, you know, just in case we came across another demon or something, or even self protection.

        Mustering all of my strength after realizing that everypony was more than ready, I sneered as the magic grasped onto the other five in my vicinity and transported us. Luckily, I’ve been to this sports dome before when I was younger, so I was able to teleport us directly to the arena, and not the place nearest to it that I would know of.

        Let me tell you, teleporting one pony is alright, three is pretty straining. Now, six is a number that I do not like. When we appeared at the doors of the arena, I had more than a headache. I wobbled around for a bit, trying to gain my footing before Aphrodite had to grab me to keep me from falling over.

        I think she may have enjoyed it a little too much.

        The Manehatten Sports Dome was a building that was very similar in shape to that of a hoofball stadium, just a little more round, really.  It was gray and stood impressively tall, about half the height of the entire royal castle. The outside was completely plastered with flyers similar to the one that Applejack showed me yesterday. Some of them showed off specific recurring fighters who were signing up. I had no idea who any of them were, however. I looked around, and saw that there were two lines: The one on the left was very small, and only had about twenty or so ponies in line. I didn’t see Kindling, so chances were he was already inside. Obviously, that was the fighters sign up line. The other one of the right had a line that was tremendously long, and I wasn’t going to guess how many ponies were in line… so I guessed that’s where you go when you want to watch.

        “Whoa! This place is packed! I never knew martial arts were so popular!” Vanity exclaimed once she look at good look at her surroundings. I must admit, neither did I. I thought martial arts were used for simple enjoyment purposes, as well as self-protection, of course.

        “My older brother’s a big fan of this kind of stuff,” Aphrodite said. “He comes here every year just to see the different types of fighters and fighting styles. Maybe I’ll even see him! I can introduce you all!” Aphrodite’s face lit up at the meager thought. I didn’t know Aphrodite had a brother, but then again I guess there’s a lot of things I didn’t know about any of the sins yet.

        “Ooooh! Sounds like fun!” Pinkie said, immediately on board with her idea. I looked over at Rainbow Dash, who was completely starstruck staring at all that there was to take in.

        “It’s…It’s going to be impossible to find Kindling in this crowd…” I muttered to myself.

        “So, uh. I guess I should get in the left line. Alrighty, catch ya guys later!” Rainbow Dash said, before jumping in the air and making a mad… well, dash for the line on the left. I do not condone using magic on others except for times of emergency, however my instinct took over when I magically grabbed Rainbow Dash keeping her from moving. “Hey! Come on!”

        “We’re here to find Kindling! Remember?” I hollered over the clamor of the ponies in the area. I had to admit, it was rather loud around there. Rainbow Dash sighed, and folded in her wings as her way of showing that she conceded to me. With a small grin, I set her back down on the ground.

        “Twilight, I’ve been thinkin’... how’re we even going to get the chance to talk to Kindling? Ah mean… we’ll all be in the audience, and he’ll be in the arena. It’ll be chaos when everything’s done and over with also,” said Applejack. She kicked at the dirt. I think I know what she was saying, and she had a point. There was no way that we would be able to get backstage to talk to him, especially if we didn’t have royal authority like last time.

        “So… you think entering the tournament would be the best course of action when it comes to speaking to him? What are you going to do, fight and talk at the same time?” I replied.

        “I know fer most sporting events like these, there are break periods where the contenders can rest backstage before their next match. I can chat with ‘im then. Also, I’ll get the chance to beat some sense into that thick-skulled stallion,” Applejack grinned, grabbing the top of her hat and bringing it to her chest.

        “Great idea!” Rainbow Dash yelled, wrapping a hoof around Applejack’s neck. “I’ll help her out! You know, what if AJ loses before she can fight Kindling? Then there’s me to help her out! No doubt I’ll make it to the finals!” she boasted. I wasn’t too sure about that. Applejack turned to Vanity, who looked a little surprised that she was being included in this altogether.

        “Vanity, I need yer help on this. Join the tournament with Rainbow and I-”

        “No way!” Vanity said, reeling back quite a ways. “I fought enough yesterday! I’m lucky I didn’t get a bruise on my perfect face!” Well, there she was, going back to her old ways.

        Applejack was not fazed by her illogical reasoning. “Vanity, please. Ahm not the best fighter myself, and Rainbow-” Rainbow Dash glared at her, waiting for her to say something she didn’t want to hear.. “-uh, there’s no telling is Rainbow Dash could actually win this thing...if some sort of fluke happened. But ya actually have trainin’! You know more about this stuff than any of us! Vanity, we really need ya right now…” Applejack bit the inside of her cheek. Vanity looked at the rest of the group, and my face, then Aphrodite’s, then Pinkie’s, and so forth before she let out a large sigh.

        “I… I guess it wouldn’t hurt to show off just how good I really am…”

Cooperation

        So many thoughts were running through my head. I knew he was there, this was right up his alley. Fighting is an excuse for him to be angry, and to lose his cool. Surely he could embrace his explosive tendencies there. I had just entered the locker rooms, but I had failed to see him. What if he was just in the bathroom, or in the large crowd of competitors scrambling around trying to ready themselves for their matches? If he wasn’t there, It’d definitely damper my spirits, and I’d feel like a gigantic fool.

        “Applejack?”

        The locker rooms where not entirely what you would expect. There were actually very few lockers, as it was more of a training ground. There were small red circles all over the place that resembled the actual arena that the competitors would fight on later. It was roughly fifteen feet from one side of the circle to the other. I was pretty sure that there was some kind of math-y term for that, but I didn’t dwell on it.. To be honest, the room was rather bland and pale. It was almost like a hospital, but with just a little less pain.

        “Applejack?”

        I was not alone, there were many other ponies in the training grounds with me. Most of them were actually practicing. I had observed a few ponies earlier, in fact. Some of them I would hate to be paired up against. So many foreign ponies, and strange and off-putting styles of martial arts. It was a little more than interesting. There was a large television screen that had the brackets for the tournament. It would also broadcast the fights to us backstage. All in all, there were sixteen fighters. I guess I had as much of a shot as anypony else.

        My mind kept wandering. I was there for Kindling, not to win this silly tournament. I guess that’s just my competitive edge returning. It’s been a while since I’d actually competed in… well, anything really. Like I said, the only reason I joined was so that I could get backstage, but to do that, I would have to compete.

        “Applejack!” I heard a voice next to me scream. I jumped just slightly when the massive amount of noise finally filtered through my ears. It was truly loud in the grounds, and I guess I got lost in my own head again. Apparently, Rainbow Dash had been trying to get my attention for the last five minutes.

        “Oops. Sorry, sugarcube,” I replied, smiling a little bit. Rainbow Dash sighed, and dipped her head, which allowed me to notice that Vanity was just on the other side of her. She was also staring at the board, looking for her name. Rainbow Dash scooted a little closer and punched my shoulder harder than I would have prefered.

        “Are you ready for this? First match starts in five!” she said. I looked over at the clock nearest the television, which strictly stated it was 10 am.

        “Where’s Kindlin’? Aren’t all competitors supposed ta be in this room?” I asked. Vanity poked her head out from behind Rainbow Dash, and shook her head.

        “I don’t think so. As long as they’re on the grounds and are present when their match begins,” I let out a genuine sigh. Vanity noticed my displeasure and bore a smile. “Don’t worry, he’s here all right. Look, his match is third in the first round,” With a start, I stuck my eyes back on the board, scanning desperately for the third match. Believe it or not, Vanity was right. Kindling’s name was right there in the third bracket. He was going up against some pony named Guru. Judging from his name, I can already assume that Kindling’s going up against somepony with a decent amount of training.

        “And look at that! I’m up first!” Rainbow Dash said, pointing to the screen. In the first round, Rainbow Dash was up first against somepony named Black Belt. Well, I look forward to seeing just how well Rainbow Dash will do in her match. I hoped she didn’t make that much of a fool of herself. I unstuck my eyes from the television after that. I really didn’t care who I went against, honestly.

        “Good luck, Rainbow!” Vanity cheered. The show started in two minutes, so Rainbow Dash began to wander over to the doors leading to the arena. I could hear the audience screaming from backstage, and that said something. I wished Rainbow good luck as the official caught up with her, and readied her to go onstage.

***

        “So…”

        “No, this is not a date,”

        “But Twilight, it almost is! We’re sitting here… watching a show, with popcorn and other treats, having a good time…”

        Well, this is going swimmingly so far. It’s been five minutes since Pinkie Pie, Aphrodite, and I sat down in our seats. I should have chosen my seat a little bit more carefully, in hindsight. Pinkie and I both sat on the outside, while Aphrodite sat right between us. She habitually munched on my popcorn and made sure that every time I reached for some, our hooves would touch. Then she would proceed to give me those… those eyes.

        We managed to get pretty good seats, really. We had a clear view of the arena in front of us, which was slightly impressive. The arena was square, and elevated at around five feet. There was a spotlight that lit it up entirely, and practically blacked out the audience surrounding it. There was a bunch of commotion to the right of the arena near a bunch of equipment, but I was unable to see over it. Probably just the workers behind the scene’s making sure everything is set up properly. Truthfully, I was actually a little excited. Who knows? This might be a little more fun than I originally thought. But that still doesn’t take away the fact that we were there for Kindling, and Kindling only. Luckily, I got to peek at the bracket and competitors list, and it didn’t take me long to confirm that he was indeed competing. I hope Applejack, Vanity and Rainbow Dash can get through to him backstage…

        “Oooh! This is so exciting!” Pinkie Pie said. It was then that I realized that I made another humongous mistake, and forgot to monitor Pinkie at the concession stand. When she peeked over Aphrodite, I saw at least four sodas, two gigantic bowls of popcorn, cotton candy, and some taffy on her lap and in her hooves. Being a baker must pay exceptionally well. I give it fifteen minutes before she’s bouncing off the walls. “This is going to be just like that one kung-fu movie I saw the other night!”

        “Maybe this was a bad idea…” I muttered to myself. Aphrodite turned to me abruptly, almost making me spill my popcorn in surprise.

        “Twilight, loosen up! Kindling is here, and I’m sure that the other three are talking to him right now,” she raved, smiling at me torridly.

        “But Equestria is at stake here! Malignant could be doing who-knows-what and we’re just sitting here watching a sho-” I was interrupted when a flailing pink hoof wafted in front of my face.

        “Shhh! It’s starting!” Pinkie Pie shouted, before loudly sipping on one of her many sodas. Oh boy, let’s see how well this turns out. A yellow, well-dressed unicorn walked up the steps to the arena, magically carrying a microphone with him. He bore a large grin, as if he was more than happy to be hosting this event.

        “Ladies and gentlecolts!” he announced. “Welcome to the fifth annual Iron Hoof Competition!” At this point, most of the crowd -- including Aphrodite and Pinkie -- exploded into some strange bout of cheering. It actually took a minute to quiet the crowd back down to where the announcer could speak without having to yell into the microphone. “We have so many talented and skilled fighters here today for three reasons! For the cash prize of 10,000 bits, the championship title, but most importantly,” he pointed at the audience with vigor. “To give you all a mighty fine show!”

        Once again, everyone began to cheer and stamp their hooves in excitement. Was I the only one getting slightly annoyed at the fact that everypony’s cheering is only prolonging the show? “Without another moment to waste, let’s get this party started!” Wait, that seemed a little familiar. I looked over at Pinkie, who bit her lip upon hearing the announcer say her self-made catchphrase. “Let’s introduce our first two fighters! From Ponyville, we have the speed-demon! The epitome of awesomeness! The multi-colored fiend! Rainbow Dash!” The announcer practically screamed into the microphone. Jumping into fights already, good. Hopefully this won’t take as long as I originally thought.

        “I think it’s pretty obvious that Rainbow Dash set him up for that…” Aphrodite muttered upon hearing all of her nicknames, most of which I’d never heard of. The only response Aphrodite got was two hearty nods. A cyan blur appeared as Rainbow sped onto the stage, creating a wonderful trail of different colors behind her. Rainbow Dash wiped some dirt off her shoulder, and threw her hooves in the air. A few ponies in the crowd cheered, but others -- such as the stallion behind me -- booed her loudly.

        “GO RAINBOW DASH, WOOT!” Pinkie cheered, actually jumping out of her seat for a brief moment.

        While Rainbow began to give out butterfly kisses to the crowd, the announcer continued. “Versus one of our newest competitors this year. He may be small, but he can pack a punch! From the small town on Dodge Junction, say hello to Black Belt!”

        The look of Rainbow Dash’s face when a dark brown colt entered the arena was priceless. She bursted out into a fit of laughter upon the sight. Black Belt was only half of Rainbow’s size, and literally came up to her chest. He had a short, black mane that matched his name. His legs were terribly scrawny, and part of me wondered if this was going to be considered foal abuse. Rainbow Dash isn’t actually going to punch a foal, is she!? What kind of competition is this!? Isn’t there some sort of age requirement for competitions where the direct goal is to punch somepony in the face? “If the contestants could ready themselves?”

        Rainbow Dash stood on one side of the arena, flaring her wings to intimidate the poor colt. He didn’t bat an eyelash. Using her legs, and her wings, she balanced herself on her hind legs. It was strange, Rainbow was never very good at that. She’s good at balance in the air, but if she bats her wings even once, she’s disqualified according to the rules. The ground and balance isn’t really her forte.  Black Belt jumped onto his hind legs with absolutely no problem, and took some kind of battle stance with both of his arms stretched out in front of him. This was slightly embarrassing. I’m an adult and I still can’t balance on my hind legs for more than a few seconds. What am I doing with my life…

        “Begin!”

        The gong sounded, but no one made a move, save for Rainbow Dash going back down on all fours. Rainbow Dash said something, and I tried to lip read. I believe she said something like: “You sure you’re up for this kid? I’ll have you know I’m the best!”

        Sigh.

        With a steady charge, the pegasus charged the foal, running at an alarming speed towards the child. Black Belt didn’t move until the last second, when he ducked and extended his tiny hind leg into Rainbow Dash’s line of fire. Rainbow hollered when she toppled head over heels over him, smacking her head on the rough ground below. To save face, she refused to wallow on the ground longer than she needed to. She was up within moments. She did, however, have a small purple lump on the top of her forehead. Ouch. Rainbow Dash closed her eyes for a half second, and brought a hoof up to her chest.

        “Hah! You think that’ll be enough to beat ne me- POMPF” Rainbow Dash was cut off when Black Belt slammed his hoof into Rainbow Dash’s chest. The three of us in the audience let out an exasperated “Ohh!” upon witnessing her getting her butt handed to her by a little kid. Rainbow Dash went flying backward so far that she actually soared out of the arena. When Rainbow hit the floor, the gong sounded again.

        “The winner is Black Belt!” the announcer said.

        “Wow… uh,” Aphrodite faltered, trying to process just what exactly happened. She inserted a few more pieces of popcorn into her mouth. “That was… very quick,”

        “Hey, she didn’t do that bad! I counted, and that was a whole SEVEN seconds! That’s a pretty big number if you think about it,” Pinkie countered, wildly waving an exceptionally large foam-hoof in the air

        With a loud, tired, and frustrated groan, I slammed my head into the seat in front of me.

***

        “Wow,” Vanity said, completely dumbstruck as to what just happened. I was trying so hard  to contain my laughter, but it was completely impossible at this point. I bursted into another fit of uncontrollable chuckles, clutching my hat for dear life as Vanity glared at me. “Hey! She was on our team, remember?”

        “Ah-Ahm sorry-PFFFT!” I tried to say, but the giggles were just too much. Oh boy, that was rich! Not only did she get her competitive flank kicked by a kid no older than Applebloom, but in front of an entire stadium full of ponies! It took me way longer than it should have to calm down.

        “What are we going to do…? I mean, do you really think that one of us could fight Kindling? That is what we’re back here to do, right?” Vanity inquired. She twitched her tail seconds before she actually turned her head to look at me.

        “Well, ah wanted to talk to him. But mah plan b is to beat the snot out of him until he remembers just who ah am!” I preached, sticking my stetson hat back onto the top of my head. There was a rather awkward silence between us, before Vanity decided to speak up again.

        “How were you and Kindling doing?” I noticed that she said ‘were’, but instead of questioning just what she meant, I let it slide. Behind me, some kind of commotion was forming. Not in the mood to pay attention, I thought about a response for Vanity.

        “Uh, pretty good, ah reckon. The knucklehead’s taken ah pretty good liking to farm life, not to mention giving my brother, Big MacIntosh, and ah the much needed help,” I recalled, “He still has to take his pills every now and then, but all in all, he’s been gettin’ better. I just gotta make sure that him and my little sister Applebloom stay away from each other when Kindling’s workin’,” Vanity stifled a small giggle.

        “What do you mean by that?”

        The commotion behind me was getting a little louder, so much that it nabbed Vanity’s attention. She peered over me so that she could actually get a look at what it was. “Well, ya see, Applebloom and her friends are obsessed with gettin’ their cutie marks. So the other day they were tryin’ to get one ‘n archery-”

        “Wait… is that Kindling over there?” she said. With a new sense of urgency that I hadn’t had in a long while, I threw my eyes over into the direction of which her head was facing. Standing in the corner of the room, facing away from me, was a charcoal colored stallion. His hair was like an inferno that almost seemed to wave in the air. Unsurprisingly, the stallion was hollering at another competitor.

        “Kindlin’? Kindling!” I announced before I ran over to him with Vanity in tow. I couldn’t believe it! He was actually here! I just hoped that he could remember just who I was. I wanted the old Kindling back, the one who had a heart and yearned to be good.

        “This is MY area! I’M sparring here! Go somewhere else, if you know what’s good for you!” Kindling yelled at a much smaller, scarlet contestant who just refused to back down. Kindling’s eyes were clouded with fiery purpose. His mouth was in a permanent scowl that attacked those of whom he happened to face. When you didn’t know the guy, he had a tendency to be downright terrifying.

        “I was here first! I’ve been sparring here for the last ten minutes! You can’t just come and take it!” he snapped, exasperated. Upon closer inspection, it seemed that a fight was the last thing that he wanted. Kindling was the complete opposite. Some mare named Whimsy, who had won her match just recently, wandered behind the scarlet stallion. Apparently, she had been sparring with him. The beige earth pony frowned, but refused to interrupt.

        “Who says I can’t, shrimp? Now get out of here before I flatten you!” Kindling replied, raising a hoof towards the smaller stallion. With a sigh, the scarlet stallion turned around, and sauntered off. The mare known as Whimsy rolled her eyes, and flipped her green and chestnut mane out from her view.

        “You know, I’ve seen ponies like you,” she huffed. Kindling paid her no proper attention, but he knew she was talking to him. “You think you can use your size and voice to prove your dominance in this world, but you can’t,” The mare turned around, and spoke over her shoulder. “Good luck in your match, jerk.” Kindling growled upon swallowing her insult, he started forward, as if he was going to blindside her. Knowing that the timing could not be more perfect, I stepped in front of him.

        “Kindling! Is that you?” I asked as soon as soon as I had taken that dreaded step. The stallion in question stumbled back to keep from barreling over me. At first, he had his eyebrow raised, but when he laid his eyes on Vanity and I, he scowled.

        “Yeah, what of it?” he grumbled, the same growl in his voice that I had come to forget. My heart dropped a little bit as the realization set upon me. But I thrusted it back up when I made it my mission to help him remember us, and just who he is.

        “I need to talk to you,” I whispered. I hoped that if I spoke to him calmly, that maybe he would get his anger under control so that I could actually speak with him on a different level. “Do ya happen to know who ah ahm?”

        Kindling scoffed, and threw his head back as if he was mocking me. “Hell no, I don’t know who you are. Why would I give a damn anyways?” Kindling leaned a little closer to me, and poked my chest roughly, poking the sensitive part of my rib cage. I did not appreciate that, and I showed that my glaring straight into Kindling’s burning eyes. “I think this little farmgirl needs to learn how to mind her own business!” he growled. His voice was involuntarily gruff, and sounded like sandpaper. Did he just call me a ‘little’ farmgirl? It was taking all of my strength not to turn into the raging lunatic like him, and pounce on him. Vanity flattened her ears and took a few steps back.

        “Ah think ya need to calm down fer a second and talk ta me. Ahm Applejack, and yer Kindlin’,” Now, normally, I was a pony that kept her cool when talking to Kindling. I had a lot of respect for the guy, but… oooh, he knew how to push my buttons. “The stallion who lives all the way over in the Crystal Mountains,” Kindling slightly backpedaled, before his temper flared. He flicked his tail roughly, almost like it was a whip.

“How do you know that!?” Kindling hollered. A few ponies turned their heads to look in our direction. Kindling really knew how to attract attention, didn’t he? I grinned towards the stallion triumphantly.

“Because I know ya, and ya gotta remember just who ah am!” I replied. Vanity nodded

behind me. She had been surprisingly quiet this entire time. I never really heard of Vanity and Kindling actually getting along, for that matter. Back at the farm, Kindling told me that she found Vanity’s boasting to be rather obnoxious.

“Or what about me? Remember? Pride? Mare with a tendency to be a little full of herself here? The most glamorous of us seven? One of the most prettiest and dazz-”

“VANITY!” I rest my case.

“Heh...still working on it…” Vanity flushed, before realizing her mistake and strolling off

somewhere near the television. She was acting strange recently, and I didn’t notice it until now. For a while, she appeared to be getting her constant prideful rants under control. Before this, I hadn’t heard her say one thing about herself. But when Ennui disappeared, she took a turn for the worse.

        “You better hope that we don’t see each other in the arena. You may be a mare, but in this competition, stuff like that doesn’t matter. I’ll pound you so hard, you’ll start speaking proper english!”  I held back the blush that was forming rather quickly. I wasn’t a dirty minded mare, but he really needed to learn to word what he’s saying better. But I had no right to be a hypocrite, I had a horrid southern drawl myself.

        Before I had any time to retaliate, Kindling stormed off. Boy, was he steaming. I think I could have handled that a little better, honestly. With a sigh, I stared at the ground, before going back to watch the next fight over the television screen with Vanity.

***

        “He cheated,” Rainbow Dash huffed. She sat slouched in the seat on the other side of me. Her cheeks have been red ever since she took her seat, and it was rather difficult to contain my laughter. “That little brat! The next time I see him-”

        “You’ll get your flank kicked a second time?” Aphrodite interjected with a laugh, as she brought a hoof up to her mouth. Rainbow Dash bit her lip to keep herself from saying something that she would regret. Instead of insulting the mare back, she continued to mumble to herself. I almost felt bad for her. She must be thoroughly embarrassed after what had just happened.

        “If I was able to fly, I woulda won. Stupid rules,” she grumbled. I looked over at her, and she seemed to have noticed that I heard her. From then on, her mumbling continued at a much quieter volume. I turned my gaze back to the scoreboard, where something caught my attention.

        “Wait a second, the board says that we’re just starting the second round! How come we didn’t see Kindling, or Vanity for that matter?” I questioned, breaking the silence and not wasting any time asking about the task at hoof. Seriously, was I the only one that couldn’t stop thinking about Kindling, here? There are still a decent amount of fighters left in the competition, and only two are on our side looking for Kindling. Say that Kindling and Applejack or Vanity make it to the final round, well, that’s not a very likely chance!

        “Yeah, but you do know there’s a second arena, right?” Aphrodite said, pointing a ways to our right. On the other side of the stadium was an arena very similar to the one in front of us, spotlight and all.

        “Are you kidding me!? We missed Kindling AND Vanity?” I groaned. For the umpteenth time that day, I attempted to slam my head into the chair in front of me. Aphrodite noticed this and wrapped an fore leg around me.

        “Aw, don’t worry. They both won! They’re actually starting the semi-finals now! It’s on the scoreboard, hun~” Aphrodite purred. I nodded just a little bit as I gazed over to the tournament bracket on the large screen. I felt extremely stupid. How did I not see that there was a second arena. Granted, it was impossible to spot in with the vast amount of speakers, curtains, and workers in the way. I needed to pay a little more attention. Maybe I didn’t get as good of sleep as I had originally thought. I nodded slightly before Aphrodite tightened her grip, bringing me just a little bit closer to me.

        I felt a shiver run up my spine as she breathed onto the side of my neck. I did a double take, and there was a moment of absolute bewilderment before I forcefully pushed her away. By Celestia, is she good as what she did. I wasn’t even bisexual, and her breath made me completely stop in my tracks. She got all those ponies in bed somehow, but now I think I had a better understanding. Wait. I don’t think these thoughts are helping me out in any way. I felt something burn deep inside my stomach.

        Aphrodite sat back in her seat, and dug her hoof deep into my popcorn. She plopped some on her tongue with a satisfactory grin on her face. “You hesitated,”

        “Shut up, Aphrodite,” I grumbled.

***

        I hope you all saw that. I really, truly hope you all noticed that. She hesitated! She actually didn’t resist when I decided to make my move! She does feel something towards me, and I think I may have just proved it. She showed all the signs that she did. Her face was redder than a rose, and her eyes were wider than ever. Not entirely from surprise, but from embarrassment.

        I will cherish that kiss for the rest of my life. When I snapped out of… whatever it was, and I noticed that I was kissing the mare of my dreams? I tingled with ecstasy, and I could feel the intense pressure build up inside of me. I had to keep my hind legs shut for quite some time after that for… obvious reasons. I’ve kissed many of ponies throughout my life, but that was definitely the best. She actually slipped her tongue into my mouth! How great is that!?

        I told myself that I would try to control my lust for others, specifically a certain lavender mare, but after that kiss I was finding it more and more difficult. I mean, we’re getting to spend so much quality time together! Also, I was on a horrendous sexual dry spell. It’s been about two weeks, and I felt terrible. I need some kind of nourishment. Toys can only do so much. Besides, Twilight took most of mine away after I had… ahem, lost my other one earlier. But it’s okay, I always kept a few spared. I may or may not have one of me right now.

        After about fifteen more minutes of butt kicking, angry grumbling, and sensual flirting, Twilight finally managed to shush me. She thrusted the popcorn in her lap into mine, causing me to frown. Diving to the bottom of that popcorn box was the closest I’ve been to touching that sweet...succulent-

Ahem, nevermind.

        “Shh! Vanity’s on next!” Twilight hissed. I looked over at the scoreboard to confirm that she was actually correct. For once today, she was actually becoming observant. She did seem rather off today, but I didn’t pay much attention to it. I was more interested in Vanity’s match. I had seen her fight Pinkie Pie during the fight with the siren, albeit it was extremely brief. From what I had seen, this mare knew her stuff.

        I never really knew what to think about Vanity. She was always kind of the fly on the wall to me. I never really took out the time to actually get to know her. I know her as that one pony with the most pride. She was very pretty, but she wasn’t my type. I guess it wouldn’t hurt to get to know her a little better, considering that she helped save my life, along with that gorgeous white stallion from the castle.

        “Please, everypony! Let’s all give a warm welcome to the eight ponies who had managed to make it to the second round!” I let out a squeal of excitement, while Rainbow and Twilight seemed less than enthusiastic.

        “That should be me up there. If it wasn’t for that no-good, spoiled, piece of-”

        “Oh boy, this is getting intense. I hope that Applejack and Vanity actually got through to Kindling! Maybe they made amends are there is a party being thrown in the back RIGHT NOW!” Pinkie squeaked, just a little too loudly.

        “Probably, Pinkie. Why don’t you go and see?” Rainbow Dash replied, a smug smile on her face. Pinkie Pie readied herself to follow the pegasus’ orders, but Twilight reached over me to grab her.

        “No! Pinkie, she was kidding!” she huffed. I enjoyed the most while it lasted. She was practically on my lap! Ugh! It was so hard to contain myself! Before the fantasies began to slowly creep into my head again, the harsh voice of the announcer brought me back to reality.

        “For the first match of the second round, I’d like to present our first fighter!” I let out another squeal. This was so exciting! “One of the most...uh,” the announcer took out a notecard, and stared down at it as he spoke. “wonderful, and beautiful mares in all of Equestria, heh,” the announcer seemed flustered. Hopefully his wife wasn’t in the audience. He lifted the card a little higher, presumably so that everyone could see that he was reading it word for word.

        “Hey… I thought I was the most beautiful…” I sulked. No one seemed to pay attention. I was hoping Twilight would have a rebuttal.

        “From Ponyville, we have miss Vain Von Glory!” There was a loud smack as Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie simultaneously dropped their jaws. Twilight did a spit take, and sprayed soda over the strawberry-colored mare in front of us, who proceed to exclaim with disgust and wander from the stands to clean herself up. Well, not without sharing some unkind words first.

        “Vain Von Glory?” I repeated. So… that was her real name? Well, makes sense that a prideful pony like herself wanted a better nickname to compensate for a rather lackluster birth one. Oh boy, she was not going to hear the end of this one. Vanity’s face was the same color as her mane as she strode up the stairs and into the arena. She didn’t wave or anything, just awkwardly smiled.

        The announcer continued. “She flew all the way from Neighsia just to be here! This is her fourth year and this time she’s determined to make a name for herself, say hello to Mousha!” Ooh, this should be good. A very tall and foreign looking mare wandered up to the arena. I could tell that she was definitely not from around here just by looking at her eyes, which were almost almond shaped. She was dark cerulean, and had a very long and thick brown mane. It almost reached the floor, and ran down both sides of her body. Part of me wondered how she managed not to trip over it. Her legs and body were exceptionally sleek… it was needless to say that I was more or less interested.

        The announcer stepped off the stage. As both of the mares faced each other. They eyed each other up, and the foreign mare flipped all of her hair over to one side. “Begin!”

        Almost instantly, the mares sprinted to each other. Mousha was fast, and she reached Vanity, ahem -- I mean -- Vain Von Glory, on her side of the circle. As soon as the mares were within touching distance, they pushed off with their hooves so they could stand on their hind legs.

        Vanity was the first one to throw punches, expertly and harshly throwing her hooves in the direction of Mousha’s body. Mousha, however, did not waste any time ducking or weaving. She did it so flawlessly. Her body swayed like a coconut tree as she moved out of the way of Vanity’s strikes and jabs.

        Almost every punch that Vanity sent, Mousha deflected them with a flick of her hoof or foreleg. When a punch came her way, she smacked Vanity’s hoof foreleg away, sending the punch flying behind her. It was such a beautiful presentation. It was like she was barely even trying, even though she was. I wasn’t sure, but I think she was doing some kind of wu-shu. I wasn’t surprised, as wu-shu was a fighting style native to Neighsia. At one point, Mousha twirled her body, catching Vanity off guard when Mousha’s exceptionally long mane created a large blanket of dancing hair. Before Vanity knew it, she was sprawled on the ground from a rather rough punch to the chest. She didn’t back down, and was back on her hooves in seconds.

        “Wow, this Mousha mare is good. It’s like she’s dancing out there!” Twilight marveled. She was absolutely awestruck, and it was slightly amusing.

        “Yeah, she’s doing wu-shu. That’s what it’s supposed to be like. Look at how flexible and quick she is. I mean, I’m still in my days where I can be incredibly flexible so-” Twilight shushed me. I really should have seen that coming. I hoped that Vanity would actually win, however it didn’t appear to me like that was happening. Hey, at least she lasted longer than Rainbow Dash.

        I turned back to the arena to see Vanity slam her hoof into the Neighsian pony’s stomach. Mousha stumbled back onto all fours. Obviously, Vanity had hit her in a very soft part of her gut. Vanity jumped into the air, ready to finish this match with a strong kick to the mare’s well-exposed back. But something caught my attention, something that I wish I didn’t see: Mousha was grinning.

        “Uh oh…” I said out loud. Twilight opened her mouth, but closed when she realized that she’d much rather watch the match then ask questions. At almost the last second, Mousha tumbled out from under Vanity’s awaiting kick. Vanity landed on all fours on the ground. It was very dangerous for ponies to jump like that, and land on only two legs. It was very easy to break something like that. Before Vanity had a chance to turn around, Mousha jumped and twisted her body. She extended her leg as a loud smack echoed through the arena, as it connected with Vanity’s spine. Vanity screamed in both surprise, and discomfort at what I could assume was the immense pain of having a rock hard hoof collide with her. Vanity slid to the ground, with one hoof clutching her back.

        “Vanity! Oh my gosh!” Twilight stood out of her seat for a moment. A gong rang out, signalling that the match was over. There was a wet spot on the arena floor that I assumed was Vanity’s tears.

        “That looked like it hurt…”

        “Ouch…”

        “The winner is Mousha!” exclaimed the announcer. He tried to hold Mousha’s hoof in the air, but she jerked away. The announcer cocked his head as she lolled over to Vanity’s writhing body. I let out a soft smile as Vanity was thrown onto her back, and was taken backstage. What do you know, the foreign mare actually cared. That, or she didn’t want to look back in front of an audience by letting a poor, injured mare suffer on the ground. Hm, well. Is it me, or are these matches going by very quick? Maybe it’s just because the fighters that are there for Kindling are lackluster in general.

        “It’s…it’s all up to Applejack now…” Twilight murmured, slouching back into her seat.

***

        It was a little while later when Vanity was escorted from backstage to her seat, resting on the opposite side of Rainbow Dash. She had a small band aid on her back, right over the bones of her spine, but she appeared to be okay. She could actually walk, and she wouldn’t be a vegetable, so I guess things worked out rather well. Twilight was more than concerned, however.

        “Are you sure you’re okay?” Twilight asked, looking over me. “You got struck pretty hard…” Vanity wiped a few tears off of her face.

        “Yeah, just hurts a little bit. I’ll be fine, don’t worry about it. At least I got to the second round!” a small glimmer of a smile braced itself on her face as she held a hoof to her chest.

        “Did you manage to talk to Kindling?” Twilight asked. Well, okay then, let’s talk for two seconds about her brush with almost being hospitalized so we can chat about Kindling. Makes perfect sense to me, Twilight.

        “Yeah, we did,” Twilight’s ears perked up. I looked over at Pinkie, who seemed to be thoroughly enjoying the fight that was going on in the arena at the moment. I wasn’t paying too much attention to it anymore.“Kindling doesn’t remember either of us. It’s all up to Applejack now. Maybe they’ll be lucky enough to get paired up, or something. Or they’ll both make it to the finals?” Vanity sighed and turned to look at Rainbow. “I wish Rainbow and I were still in the match, although most of us told you it was a bad idea to sign up in the first place…” Rainbow Dash waved a hoof.

        “Yeah, yeah, whatever. Miss Vain Von Glory.”Vanity snarled at the cyan pegasus, who managed to hold back just a little bit of laughter. I had to admit myself, it was a pretty odd name. No wonder she came up with a nickname for herself.

        “They made me give them my birth name! If I told them ‘Vanity’ then they wouldn’t let me sign up! Gosh, well now you know…” Vanity rested her cheek on her hoof in dismay.

        “Don’t worry, surely Ennui will get a kick out of it!”

        “That’s it!” Even with Vanity’s injury, it didn’t stop her from pouncing on top of the still-laughing Rainbow Dash. Everyone in our seating area spent less attention on the fight in the arena, and more so on the brawl in the stands as Vanity threw a torrent of kicks, elbows, and punches. I stared with amusement as my mind began to wander.

        Now, all this situation needed was a small kiddie pool of whipped cream…

        Hmm…

Awaken

Time…time is an eternal thing. It will always be. The ponies will eventually be no more. The universe will eventually cease to exist. Even I will eventually be gone, crumbled into nothing but ash and dust. When all else is lost, time will remain. Always it will move forward, blind to everything around it. It is the inevitable truth.

Even as I think this, time still goes on. The ponies live their futile little lives. The planet moves through the great vastness of space. The sun and the moon rise and fall each day. Creatures are born and creatures die. Such is the nature of this universe. This pathetically ordered universe.

But I? I burn. I suffer. It is all I know. There is no light. There is no company. There is nothing to ease the pain. That’s all there is: suffering and darkness. And during all this time, one further inevitable fact has made itself known to me: there is no escape.

Time has long since lost meaning to me. I struggle to remember how long it has been. How long ago it was that Celestia banished me to this fate. Abandoned me here, alone. How could she? My anger boiled over just thinking about her.

As if on cue, a sudden bolt of pain lanced through my essence. At first, I cried out. That must have been millennia ago. Now, I hardly even grunt. It’s no surprise what comes when I think of such things. My essence is numb. I can hardly feel anything anymore. Celestia thinks she is so clever, trapping me here and constantly subjecting me to these “tortures,” but they have only made me stronger. If ever I were to escape, I could crush her easily.

But as I said before, there is no escape. Another bolt of pain jars its way into my consciousness. Typical. Thinking about the beginning of this “torture” has helped me remember. It was indeed several millennia ago that Celestia cast that fateful spell. I did not understand then. I could not conceive of what had happened. But now, it is clear as crystal. I have had time, so much time, to reflect on it. And now, I know exactly what it is that transpired. And if ever I were to be freed, I would know exactly how to beat her.

But alas, such a time will surely never come. I don’t think anything has ever escaped from the depths of Tartarus, and the spells binding the lesser spirits here are child’s play compared to that which holds me. Again, I have had countless amounts of time to spend searching for a weakness. Searching desperately for a way out. Alas, there is none. Celestia is far too wise for such mistakes.

Time and I have a strange relationship. One moment it’s like an old friend of mine, while others it is my worst enemy. I imagine most everyone thinks the same way. It is such a fickle thing. Though it may seem to change from our simple perspectives, the ultimate truth is that it is unwavering.

Look at me…reduced to pathetic philosophical thoughts. I used to be something. I used to be terrifying. Those were the days. Then was a time where time itself held meaning for me. When I cherished it. Now, it too, has abandoned me. I am trapped here, doomed to wait until I cease to exist, broken down by the ever-present waves of time…

There is a stirring in the earth…

Something has happened. Despite my imprisonment, the magic of this land is strong, and I am a being of immense magical capabilities. As such, I have always been able to sense the major events of this world. I watched Nightmare Moon get banished, and watched again as she was defeated by the Elements of Harmony. I have witnessed the countless battles between Celestia and Discord. I have seen it all. And yet…this feels different somehow.

A cracking sound.

Well, that’s certainly something. In all my time spent slowly dying off in this hellhole, never have I heard a sound such as that. Something is definitely happening right now. I tune my senses into the magical lines surrounding me. Surely there must be something I can detect.

There it is… I let out an audible gasp as I feel the power surge through me. What has just been done…I almost cannot believe it. Can it really be true? A slight glimmer of hope flutters to life deep inside of me. Suddenly, the power intensifies as another source is added to the first. The second I recognize immediately, for I have felt it before. It is the firing of the Elements of Harmony.

As for the first…the Medallion has at long last been activated. There is another cracking noise, this one much louder and longer than the first. I know what is happening. Summoning up every last reserve of strength in my essence, I press outwards. Immediately, I am rewarded with pure agony as pain that I have not felt for centuries comes pouring into me. But I am strong now. The numbness is still there. I battle through the pain, continuing to strain my constraints to the maximum.

There is a rumbling noise now. More cracks and hissing noises. A very small glimmer of light reaches my senses. It has been so long… Of course, the light is a dull, flickering red, but even that is better than eternal murkiness.

There is a rumbling now. More cracks. More hissing. More trembling. The faint sound of metal creaking and splitting. The pain grows stronger, and I am now groaning in agony and exertion, but still I press on. This could be my only chance. With one final scream, I push outwards with everything I have. Either it breaks, or I do.

There is a massive explosion. Tons of rock and debris erupt from my ex-prison. The pain stops coursing through my essence abruptly, and slowly begins to fade away into nothingness. Have I done it? Am I…free?

I take a moment to examine my surroundings for the first time. The dust starts to clear and I can begin to see clearly. There is an unruly heap of stone beneath me. In the immediate area lie several broken pieces of stone and littered lengths of rusty chains. Sweeping away the rocks contemptuously, I am greeted by what used to be a great rune of power carved into the ground. It no longer glows with energy. Instead, it is a scar carved into the ground, stripped of its power and still steaming slightly from its abrupt fracture. Casually, I push away the remaining dust so I may look around.

I am in a pit, surrounded by sheer cliff walls on some sides and sharp drops on the others. There is an omnipresent red light that flickers in intensity. Despite it being quite dim compared to Celestia’s sun, it is still blinding after being in darkness for so long. Peering over the precipice, I see nothing but a pool of lava far below, bubbling and steaming intensely. The lava is even more blinding, and I quickly look away. As I take all of this in, I can still hear the soft sound of pebbles plinking off of the nearby walls and the echoing boom that is fading into the distance.

At last, at long, long last…I am free.

A slow, steady chuckle emits from my being. I cannot help myself. After so many years of darkness and pain, so many years of scheming and hoping, all of my hopes and dreams have finally come true. My chuckle quickly escalates into a full-blown laugh. One that is filled with hatred and a thirst for revenge. The very earth itself quakes in fear at the sound. As it should.

O, most joyous day. Time once again has meaning for me. It welcomes me back into its embrace like an old friend. I can once again scheme and plan deadlines. I flex my power, testing to see what I am capable of after so long. I am rather dismayed to find that I am quite weak. It will take time to recover before I can confront Celestia directly. Funny how time so quickly became my most hated enemy. Hmph. Now that I am free, I simply must cease this philosophical nonsense. It isn’t becoming of one such as myself.

But in the end, this is no real obstacle. I will feed. Soon I will be back at full strength. For the first time in millennia, I find myself genuinely smiling. Smiling maliciously. Malevolently. “So, Celestia…” I coo quietly to myself. “Your strength has failed you. You were forced to call upon the power of the Medallion. Little do you know what you have just done. But then again, you were never one for foresight…” My smirk widens.

“Prepare yourself, ‘my little pony.’ I am coming for you…

“For I am free.”

Memoirs

“Oh, Twilight~” I heard an alluring voice call from the other side of the Library. I sighed, resisting the urge to facehoof, and levitated my book to a safe height. “Could you give me a hoof please?” the voice cooed. I stood up, rolling my eyes just slightly. To be honest, I was a just a little leery about heading towards the voice. I knew where this was going to end up anyways. The same way it has been for the past week. Somehow, I had managed to survive with my sanity intact.

I reluctantly walked towards the voice, which appeared to be coming from the kitchen. The moment I walked in, I immediately wished I hadn’t. My hooves scrabbled desperately against the floor as I almost came face to face with Aphrodite’s rump, which was currently high in the air, that luxuriant tail swishing sensually from side to side. I did a double take before taking a cautionary step backwards.

Aphrodite was glancing under the table. My first guess was that she was looking for something. What else is new? The mare was constantly losing things left and right. At some points, I felt like I was taking care of her rather than rooming with her.

“Uh, what do you need? I was in the middle of my studies...” I sighed, hinting that I really didn’t have the time. She jumped just a little bit, almost hitting her head on the table. She slowly shuffled out from under the table, raising her head at me and frowning playfully.

“Have you seen my...toy?” she asked me nonchalantly. I furrowed my brow at the mare.

“Toy? What do you mean?” Aphrodite batted her eyes playfully as she giggled.

“It’s my special toy. I appear to have...misplaced it.” A part of me was genuinely curious about what she was referring to while another just wanted to leave. I eventually decided, perhaps unwisely, to inquire.

“Well, I can’t help you find it if you don’t describe it. Is there any particular reason it would be in the kitchen?” Aphrodite blushed and looked away just slightly before turning back to me.

“Uhm. No, it’s just that I can’t find it anywhere else,” she told me. I noticed that she didn’t answer my initial question.

“Well? What does it look like?” Aphrodite chuckled just a little bit, her eyes adopting that sensual look she wore so well.

“Well...it’s about...you know what? Never mind. If you happen to see anything...er, odd, just let me know.” Aphrodite nervously shook her head and turned to investigate a few of the cabinets.

“Fine. Whatever,” I huffed, exiting the kitchen and returning to my books. Ahhh, peace at last. There’s nothing in the world like settling down with a good book. Just as I was starting to get comfortable, I got a sudden cramp in my back leg. Stretching it out, I was surprised to come into contact with...something. I spun around, and my eyes grew wide at what I saw.

“APHRODITE!!”

***

Well, to my surprise, things have been going pretty steady between Fluttershy and I. We’ve actually been dating for a week straight! That’s a record! For me, at least. I’ve even managed to lose like five pounds! Sure it isn’t much, but to me it’s still a victory. I’ll show them that I’m in control of my life, not some stupid curse!

Recently, I have been struggling with my inner thoughts. I like my relationship with Fluttershy, for it’s my first, and I hope it lasts for an eternity. But I really want a little more. That may just be ‘crazy, gluttonous, starved Warble’ again, but I’m serious.

I’m not happy that I’m admitting this, but I’ve never kissed a mare before. And I’ve been thinking about it a lot over the last few days. I want her to be my first kiss. My first special somepony.

So, I’ve spent most of my recent free time watching helpful videos to teach myself how to do it when the time comes. I’ve been practicing the only way I know how: with my pillow. Hey, it wasn’t the exact same thing, but surely it’s close enough, right?

Recently, Fluttershy has been keeping me in check when it comes to my eating. She tells me that portions are everything. She’s like my own personal dietician.  She helps me make salads, which even though they taste like dirt, I still eat. For her, of course. It’s the most healthy food I could eat, really. Well, according to her anyways. Still, what I wouldn’t give for a cheese pizza right about now...

Oh yeah, I definitely miss some of my old food. Sometimes, I dream about fields and fields of cake, with a chocolate fudge river that runs for miles. The clouds are made out of cotton candy, and the ground was chocolate-flavored  ice cream...mmm...

My stomach reminds me of my hunger with a slight groan. “Oh, hush you,” I murmur to myself. It’s been difficult to keep my hunger in check recently, but I’ve been getting better at it. I’ve always had an issue, however. I’ve been known to sleep eat. I will wake up at night lying on my kitchen table, surrounded by the remains of some of my most precious snacks  and with a full belly to boot. That was how it was before, and unfortunately it hasn’t quite stopped. Maybe I should go talk to Cashmere...

Despite this...occasional problem, Fluttershy has been kind enough to let me stay in her cottage, which I was more than grateful for. I never really thought about my living arrangements before making the trek over here to Ponyville. For now I have to sleep on the couch, but only until we have enough money to get me an actual bed. I’m just fine with that, though. Anything to be around Fluttershy some more...

As a gesture of kindness and appreciation, I took her out on a date (Hehe! I had a date~) to the concert that was playing in town one night. Some very talented and well-known mare was playing her cello. Unfortunately, I didn’t really catch her name. I had other things on my mind.

We had pretty bad seats, to be blunt. I was a little slow in getting the tickets. Fluttershy didn’t seem to mind though, and I know I shouldn’t either. All we really needed to do was sit back and listen to the music; there wasn’t much to see anyways. Although the mare on stage was kind of pretty. But she was nothing compared to the one sitting next to me.

I put my plan into action. I yawned, putting my hooves into the air as if to stretch, and slowly reaching around before resting my hoof on her opposite shoulder. Fluttershy turned to me and smiled obliviously. While she did, I made my move. My heart was beating a mile a minute, and I honestly felt like fainting.

Unfortunately, this was right as the song ended. Fluttershy quietly cheered and clapped for the mare on stage. I jumped at the sudden noise, sending me face first into the popcorn that was placed on her lap.

I will admit that I did stick a few in my mouth before sitting up, slightly defeated. I childishly crossed my forehooves in front of me and pouted. Little did I realize that there was still a piece of popcorn stuck to the end of my muzzle. Fluttershy giggled cutely and blushed at my antics before reaching up to remove the offending kernel. Well, I guess it wasn’t a total loss.

Yeah, sometimes life is good. But for now, I need to come up with another strategy. I will get that kiss someday. One way or another...

***

Haha! It’s finally done!

It took forever, but my new mansion is finally completed! And it’s bigger and better than ever! Sure it's a bit distant from the town proper, but I can't really complain. The best part is, this time I made sure to include all of the essentials. An indoor swimming pool, a dance floor, and to top it all off, a little something I like to call the ‘sleepover rooms.’ Two massive bedrooms filled with several beds, all the comforts of home, and of course the most luxurious fabrics a pony can buy. This time, my mansion isn’t just for myself. I can have all my new friends over whenever I like.

That’s right: friends. I never thought I’d be able to say the words ‘my’ and ‘friends’ in the same sentence, but right now I can. Initially I didn’t want to go. I just wanted to stay with my things. But in the end...I’m glad I did. That journey changed me for the better. I’m no longer consumed by my greed. And for the first time in my life, I’m truly happy.

Lucky enough for me, I landed a job working at Ponyville’s hospital. It’s much smaller than the one in Canterlot, but it’ll have to do for now. I didn’t have anything to do my first day; not many ponies actually get hurt in this town. But then, something often happens where dozens of ponies get admitted at the exact same time, making the job very stressful. I’m used to more steady entries of patients, but I don’t really have a say, now do I? Crises waits for nopony, that’s what us doctors say.

It’s been a week, and I still can’t stop thinking about her. A picture of her is always somewhere in my subconscious, popping out at random intervals. Her alabaster coat down to her curly royal purple mane...everything about her is to die for! Not to mention her etiquette. For a pony who hails from what I previously considered to be a bit of a ‘hick town,’ she’s so impeccably...refined. And mature as well! Unlike some ponies I may or may not have met recently, but I digress. That’s what I’ve always wanted in a mare. The way her accent just slips off her tongue like melted butter, it’s so charming and alluring that it almost makes me shiver with delight every time I hear her!

Yes, I will just out and say it: I think I’m in love. It’s a strange feeling, one that I’m not at all accustomed to. And one that I’m even less sure how to act on. But recent times have bolstered my confidence. I’m not a monster. Some ponies have been able to see through that, and it genuinely warms my heart. Maybe I should just go and ask her on a date...

Maybe...I should buy a boat...and we could go sailing. Watching the sea reflect off of her majestic and rather slim figure amidst a glorious sunset would be quite the sight to behold.

Oh, look at me. Fantasizing the day away. That’s it, then. No more ‘but’s. Tomorrow, I am going to ask Rarity on a date.

***

Ha. So, I’m back in Ponyville. It took forever to haul this big box of cash down here. I eventually ended up taking the train, which had finally started running again. Dumb changelings.

Well, I did at least manage to buy a decent-sized home. It’s fairly small by most standards but plenty large enough for me to live in quite happily. I still can’t believe that Cashmere gave me all that money. And I even have quite a bit left. He’s still a dumbass though. Like all that money is going to make me suddenly forget what he did to me. Making me live life as if I was a rat. Well, it didn’t work.

...Maybe I could say thanks though. Maybe.

I signed the last of the paperwork and the salespony walked off, wishing me the best of luck with my new home. I mumbled a quiet thanks. With my newly acquired cash, I also bought a quite a bit of furniture such as a pullout couch, some cooking essentials, and a few dressers and shelves. Heaving a sigh, I looked my new house over and slowly stepped up to the door. Time to see what it was like to finally have a home...

To myself, I was ecstatic. Finally, I have a place to live on my own! I can finally have a warm place to sleep, and it’s exhilarating. I pushed the door open and inhaled deeply. It smelled great. Now time to examine what I got for myself.

Two stories. A decent-sized kitchen.  A nice living room. Plenty of empty rooms I have no idea what I’m going to do with yet. Again, it isn’t much, but it’s home. And that’s more than I’ve ever been able to say before. Storing the box of money in one of the empty closets, I headed back downstairs and flopped down on the couch. It’s pretty comfortable, honestly.

...Now what? Why did I come here, again? I could’ve bought a house anywhere with Cashmere’s money. I could be living in Canterlot right now if I wanted. What is it that drew me here? It couldn’t have been those losers, could it?

Could it be that I actually feel some sort of...attachment to them? I...I guess it’s true. It’s strange, really. I’ve never felt attached to anypony before. It’s always been me versus the world. Those other ponies. They could afford things. They looked good. They had traits that everypony loved about them. But me? I never had anything. And I was jealous. Always jealous.

Truth be told, life sucked back then. I don’t know where I would be if I hadn’t run into Rarity and Fluttershy and...yelled at them, but I probably wouldn’t have a house in Ponyville right now. That whole adventure made me realize that being around others isn’t always so bad. Sometimes. Ponies can still really piss me off, though.

Like Warble. Crazy bastard tried to eat me. Who the hell does that? Sin or no, it was pretty creepy.  I mean, he lost his mind back there. He would have easily bit me, or even killed me! His teeth were like a shark’s! Well, whatever. What’s past is past. I’ll just avoid him like the plague.

Maybe I could go talk to Fluttershy. She actually listened to me. As much as I hate to say it, nopony’s ever done that before. And...it would be nice to have somepony to talk to again. As long as they’re not pissing me off.

Yeah. Tomorrow I’ll go pay her a visit.

***

I’m very glad I made this decision. Life has really been taking a turn for the better after moving to Ponyville. For starters, all the hard work I do on the orchard has done wonders for my heart. I almost never have to take my pills anymore! Almost never. There are still those times...particularly when Apple Bloom and her friends get into mischief. Don’t get me wrong, I love the little darling. But sometimes, I just wish those fillies would think with their brains instead of their flanks...

Just yesterday, she and her friends came up to me while I was working the fields.

“Heya Kindlin’!” Apple Bloom called to me, her friends in tow. I think the unicorn’s name is Sweetie Belle, and the pegasus is Scootaloo. I think.

“Uh, hey,” I replied. Apple Bloom still reminded me of my son, and so I was very hesitant every time I spoke with her. “What’s new?”

Before I could say anything, some sort of blur flew through the air, headed straight towards my face. I had just enough time to hit the dirt as it soared right over my head, embedding itself in the apple tree behind me.

“Yeah. Ah was going to tell ya that ya may wanna move.” Apple Bloom blushed as she spoke. My jaw hung limply as I lay rooted to the spot for a few seconds, trying to process what exactly had just happened. After a moment or two, I could feel my anger rising. I felt like I was going to have a nervous breakdown on the ground. I was almost bucking SHOT!?

“Did I hit the apple!?” a softer voice called from about twenty yards away.

Apple Bloom cupped a hoof around her mouth before she shouted back to her unicorn friend. “No! Try it again!”

“NO!” I shouted, finally bringing myself to my hooves. I noticed that all my apples that I had collected had slipped onto the ground as I fell. Great. “Rrrrr...” I started to growl. I’m sure my face contorted into all manner of terrifying expressions as I audibly ground my teeth together.

“Uh...Kindlin’? Y’all alright?” Apple Bloom asked meekly, taking a nervous step backwards. I hastily grabbed my bottle of pills and downed a couple. A few moments later I felt much better, and I released an exasperated sigh.

“Yes. I’m fine. You and your...friends go and play somewhere else!” I said gruffly, not at all interested in being placed in peril once again. Yes, they were just fillies, but still...I don’t like being reminded of those rough times.

Applejack and I have become great friends, and that’s something that I will forever cherish. She understands me like almost nopony else can. Everypony has had a hero in their lives, and I find Applejack to be mine. It’s heartwarming, really. Sometimes when I get a bit angry, her hoof on my shoulder is enough to calm me down. My reliance on the pills is slowly fading away. With every passing day I feel more and more like a new stallion.

Granny Smith welcomed me with open hooves, and she, along with Big Mac, make the best dinners. One night it’ll be fried veggies, and another night will be mashed potatoes! All of them taste heavenly, if I do say so myself. And of course, there’s always several helpings of delicious apple pie.

I’m truly happy here. For all I care, life can go on like this for the rest of my days, however many more I may have. My only regret is that I may not ever see my son and wife again. Celestia willing, someday I might find the strength to go and search for them. To tell them that I’m sorry. To show them the stallion I’ve become.

Maybe one day. But for now, I’m happy right where I am.

***

I hummed a happy tune as I strolled through the Ponyville markets. Such a beautiful day for such a beautiful mare to enjoy! I mean, um, fairly well-looking mare. I’m still working on that. If there’s one thing I’ve learned from my time in Ponyville, it’s that true friends already appreciate your talents. There’s really no need to talk about it yourself. Still, it’s...hard. All my life all I’ve ever had to rely on was myself. My own talents, my own looks...

But no more! I’m a new mare! Who can still look fabulous. At least there are some ponies in this town who can sympathize. Rarity and I have become rather good friends thanks to our mutual interests. She’s even inviting me to join her and Fluttershy on their weekly spa dates! Which, I must say, are absolutely luxurious. I’ve only been to one so far but Aloe and Lotus really know what they’re doing. They also complimented my looks! That was nice. Everypony in this town are really nice like that. I almost don’t have to talk about myself anymore!

I tried to convince Ennui to come with me to the spa, but of course that didn’t work out. I doubt I could get her to come short of dragging her flank there myself. Seriously, that mare is one lazy pony. I don’t understand how she does it. But we’re still very good friends nonetheless. I’m almost glad she and I got kidnapped by the changelings. I doubt we would be such good friends today.

Still, she’s getting better. Rainbow Dash and I managed to convince her to get on a bit of an exercise regime with us, so at least she won’t sit around our flat all day and get fat. I have no idea how she stayed so skinny before us. I don’t even want to try and imagine her at Warble’s size...

She doesn’t want to be lazy all the time anymore. I would know, she’s told me herself several times. There are some nights when neither of us can sleep, too wrapped up in our thoughts. So instead, we just talk. Talk about how our lives used to be. About how we want to change. It’s been really good for the both of us, honestly. It’s nice having a good friend. She’s the first I’ve ever had, and we’ve really bonded. Despite a few...bumps in the road.

My mind flashes back to the other day, when I was taking my daily shower. Naturally, a mare of my composure necessitates a daily cleaning to stay...um, looking nice. Anyways, I was just reaching for the shampoo bottle, enjoying the warm streams of water , when WHAT should suddenly appear in front of my very eyes but a LIZARD! A REAL LIVE LIZARD! ON MY FACE! IN MY MANE!

“AAAAIIIIEEEE!!!” I shrieked in utter horror, shaking myself violently in order to get it off. Unfortunately, I slipped in the shower, causing me to painfully tumble to the floor and hit my head on the rack that we had inside of the shower. Naturally, my shriek of anguish was quickly followed by bouts of maniacal laughter from the other side of the sliding glass door. Ennui. That featherbrained, no-good, half-witted...

“HAHA! Mr. Bumbles scared the crap out of you!” she said, picking up her blood-colored lizard that somehow had gotten out of the tub. I instinctively covered myself before remembering that we’re all naked anyways. But I was still seeing stars. That had hurt!

“Uuunnnhh...” was all I managed to say. Ow, my head...

The laughter slowly died away. “Uh, Vanity? You okay? Vaaanityyyy?”

“Urgh. I’ll be fine...” I finally mumbled, slowly getting to my hooves. I cracked the door open and shot her my best death glare. I was surprised to see a rather apologetic and worried smile on her face.

“Hehe...sorry about that. Didn’t mean to hurt ya.”

My gaze softened. She really was a good friend, and cared about my well being. Still, I wasn’t going to let her off that easily...

“Your stupid lizard came out of the bottle!” I said, my expression hardening into one of playful anger as I forcefully threw the shampoo bottle in her direction. My aim was awful, however, and she didn’t have to move a muscle in order to dodge.

“Hey! He’s not a lizard! He’s a salamander!” she barked defensively back at me, her natural easy-going manner returning. She cupped the salamander in her hoof, whom now refused to stop staring at me evilly.

“Whatever,” I grunted, closing the door and returning to my shower. My hip was killing me, I had hit it harder than I originally thought I did... Still, all the pain cleared up that night and I woke up feeling much refreshed the next morning. Which was quickly replaced by frustration at discovering my favorite hair gel had been replaced by my very own toothpaste. But that’s a different story. Oh well, at least I love showers.

Anyways, although life with Ennui can be a bit...taxing at times, I honestly wouldn’t trade it for anything. In the end, we’ve both been having a great time. The best of our lives. And I am most grateful for that. Trotting up to our shared apartment, I dug my set of keys out of my saddlebags and unlocked the door. “Ennui! I’m back from the market!” I called. I stepped into the kitchen and began to unload my purchases. Suddenly, I became aware of a rather odd noise.

Or rather, the startling lack of noise.

Huh. That’s odd. Ennui is almost ALWAYS playing those video games of hers. Normally I’d be mad at her for sitting around and doing nothing all day but for some reason she actually gets PAID to play them, so I don’t complain. Perhaps she was taking a nap? Completely possible, but she usually sticks to a very strict nap schedule. One that I have memorized quite accurately in an effort to dodge potential pranks. And right now, it was definitely not nap time.

“Ennui! Are you here? I bought your favorite, hay chips and fresh guacamole! Come and get it!” I waited for a moment or two. Still nothing. That was odd. Normally she’d come running at her favorite food. Seriously, I don’t think I’ve ever seen something make that mare move so fast. I started to get a little nervous. I set my bags down on the counter, making sure that they wouldn’t accidently tip over before leaving them and stepping out of the kitchen.

“Ennui?” I called as I walked into the living room. The place was a mess, of course. Controllers, wires, and food remnants were scattered all over the place. I tried not to mind. I let her have her domain. But it was still eerily silent. I walked up behind the couch, hoping to catch her napping or just blatantly ignoring me. No such luck. I couldn’t find that sandy-colored mare anywhere!

“Ennui! Come on out, this isn’t funny!” Maybe this was just another one of her pranks? I really hoped so, I was starting to worry. This was most unlike her. And I hate being scared. Frightened I can deal with. Startled I can laugh off. But this wasn’t either of those things. This was downright nerve-wracking.

I trotted down the hallway, a little more slowly than usual. I made sure to carefully look around each corner. Maybe she was going to jump me? I really didn’t want that at the moment, I don’t think my rapidly beating heart could take it.

I could smell Ennui’s room even before I had actually entered it. It reeked of...everything, really. Stale food, sweaty socks, body odor...everything. Of course it made me sick to my stomach, but she couldn’t stop me from spraying the hallways with air freshener. Let bygones be bygones. It’s worth putting up with for her friendship.

I peeked inside of the bedroom door before calling out to her softly. “E-Ennui?” I suddenly gasped as I realized what exactly I was looking at. The room was...clean. What in Equestria...?

The bed was made. The carpet was picked up. There were no stains or discarded articles of clothing as far as I could see. The room still reeked unfortunately, but still... Okay, now I was officially freaked out. Ennui? Cleaning? That made no sense whatsoever. I sent up a silent prayer to Celestia, hoping that this was all just a clever joke. Even I would admit at this point that it would be pretty funny if she suddenly jumped out of the closet and yelled “surprise!”

But she didn’t. Ten seconds...thirty seconds...one minute...nothing. I made up my mind to investigate. I slowly creeped into the room, stepping carefully towards the closet. I’ve only ever entered Ennui’s room once before, and I had nightmares about the crackling sounds for days afterwards. But now? Nothing.

Closer...closer...I moved slowly, my heart beating a mile a minute. I just knew she was going to come leaping out of that closet any second now. Bracing myself and squeezing one eye shut, I raised a hoof and threw open the closet door.

I screamed. Loudly. Everything was...folded. And hanging neatly on hangars! And...and...organized by color!! It was too much. I believe I fainted on the spot.

***

It was quite some time later that I awoke. Crinkling my nose, I immediately knew where I was: Ennui’s room. How the hay did I fall asleep in here? Was I trying to kill myself? Suddenly, the events of a few hours past came flooding back to me. Ennui! Where the hay was she? I bet this was all just a prank. I’m going to walk into the living room and there she’ll be...just lounging on the couch eating her hay chips and guacamole. I bet it will all be gone, too. Lazy sloth obviously didn’t want to share.

Yeah, that’s it. It’s all just a prank, all just a prank... Shakily, I get to my hooves and exit the foul-smelling room. I was most thankful for the fresh air. Trotting out into the living room, I once again called out. “Ennui?”

Still nothing. Okay, I was officially freaked out by now. Looking out the window, I could see that it was now dark. Ennui wasn’t home by dark? That NEVER happened. NEVER EVER EVER. Resisting the urge to scream, I attempting to analyze the situation. What could possibly be going on? I had no idea. Maybe she slept over at somepony else’s place and forgot to tell me? I wouldn’t put it past her. Alright, fine. I’ll go to sleep. But if she doesn’t show up tomorrow, I’m going straight to Twilight.

“Ennui...where are you?”