Songs of Innocence

Chapter 87: I'm Not Smiling, Friends

Fluttershy's cottage, many moons later

Fluttershy came back to the filly, holding two cups of tea, one of which she then offered to Avalonia. She took it quickly and sipped from it, leaning in closer to Fluttershy, eager to hear more of Sun's tale.

Fluttershy placed her cup down on the table, and flipped through the age-worn book again, finding an illustration of a strange creature. Avalonia could easily guess that it was drawn by Sun, in some desperate attempt to recall a horror she once had witnessed. The rambling scribbles that made up the creature's chaotic black body indicated that Sun certainly rushed through this depiction, and that was probably because even she shuddered to remember the creature's disturbing reason for being.

Strangely, though, it wasn't initially clear why the creature would supposedly stir such a tempest of primal fear-thoughts in Sun's already disturbed mind. The form of the depicted monster was a seemingly simple thing, easily classified as a creature of darkness. It was almost like a hydra, having multiple heads composed of scaly skin. The rest was like a dragon created from an unwholesome viscous black substance.

"This creature..." Fluttershy began, "is the Temptress. She has no true name, because she is not a person. She is a force of the mind, digging her psychical claws deep into the souls of everything sapient. She is what drives us to succumb - to doubt, to fear, to act only for ourselves. She preys on our insecurities and weaknesses, drawing us away from the light, and welcoming us into the dark. Now, if you ask me, or if you asked Sun or Death Drive, they would say add that there's nothing wrong with welcoming the dark, so long as you don't forget the light. Then, you will use what you have learned in the dark while you're in the light... Um, I think I've started rambling... Sorry. What was I talking about again...?"

Avalonia grinned, and pointed to the illustration of the Temptress, which successfully jogged Fluttershy's memory.

"Oh, yes. The Temptress. Wait a second..."

Fluttershy's eyes widened. She'd suddenly realized something.

"Um... I'm sorry, Avalonia. I think I got a bit ahead of myself here. The Temptress comes in just a little later... I have another story to tell first."

Avalonia crossed her hooves and huffed in annoyance.

"Oh, don't worry. The story I have to tell you is one that... I honestly still don't really believe actually happened. It's not like Death Drive to lie, but when she told me about this one adventure she had with Cozy, I genuinely had no clue if they were joking, because if they were... it wasn't exactly funny. They were telling it so vividly, and with the straightest faces imaginable. Here's what they told me..."

Twilight's throne room, Canterlot castle, many moons ago

Twilight looked at Death Drive and Cozy with a smile on her face. "Thanks for coming, you two." she said, almost patronizingly. "I have a friendship problem for you to solve."

Death Drive and Cozy stood right at the door, having not gotten any closer to Twilight since they got in the room. They just stood there, unbothered by the deafening silence that filled in the sound whenever there wasn't any.

"What is it? Why did we need to come to Canterlot for it?" Cozy curiously asked.

"Yeah, I don't trust Sun being home alone." Death Drive added. "Cozy, remember that time she ate that beef without cooking it while we were out getting groceries?"

"I-I don't remember that. Was that when... Um, actually, never mind... It probably did happen- I believe you and all, it's just that we're getting off-topic. What's the reason why we're here, Ms. Twilight?"