V: Lust
~BlackRoseRaven
Ardent Desire felt good: at first, things had been rough with Morning Glory... but after a few days, she had calmed down, and Radiant Beacon was almost the same as before, still calling him big brother, still spending time with him, which had greatly surprised him. It didn't surprise either Helena or Cupidus, however: Morning Glory and Ardent Desire were both so distracted they had both forgotten to check whether or not Radiant Beacon was still under Ardent's allure. And the youngest sibling most definitely was still feeling that draw.
Ardent Desire had been forced to release a little over half his harem, but Morning Glory had let him keep some of the mares... the ones who seemed closest to him and the ones who had nowhere to return to. Or, in Rhubarb's case, who Morning Glory was forced to recognize they might actually need the assistance of, whether she liked it or not.
The servants she had no problem with on the other hoof, especially since Ardent continued to pay them handsomely, and he had more than enough money to do so. As a matter of fact, the vaults of the estate now seemed to be larger than ever, and filled with more than just bits: there were golden treasures, gemstones, all sorts of pretty things glimmering in the piles upon piles of money now. Morning Glory had insisted that they send a tribute of wealth to their father, however: as a silent apology, and because she felt it was a way for Ardent Desire to start making up for his mistakes.
Morning Glory herself was feeling... strange. Distracted as of late, and she had developed a strange almost-sisterhood with Helena, who regularly gave her those rare, delicious apples she had come to love. She was filled with heavy desires, though, and powerful needs... she felt hot almost all the time, and her eyes lingered on Ardent Desire, and her love for him... felt so strong, felt so deep. Swelled up whenever she saw him... and more than love, there was... oh, no, no, it was wrong, those emotions had all come from that accursed enchantment, she couldn't really desire him that way... could she?
She was confused, and she didn't like being confused. And all her time was spent either with Helena, or with Ardent Desire. She trained hard each and every morning, but instead of tiring her out, they only seemed to fuel her further... her body screamed for a different kind of exercise but no, no, she would not give it that. She would prefer to find a strange stallion, but no other stallion attracted her like her own brother did. It scared her, and that in and of itself seemed to make her longing all the more worse, because Morning Glory had never, ever allowed anything that scared her to go unchallenged for so long, no matter what the consequences were.
Morning Glory trusted Helena enough to even ask her advice on the subject, but Helena always only told her to follow her instincts. The Kelpie couldn't think of anything else to say... or rather, didn't want to. She hated what she was doing, hated how these mortals trusted her and she had allowed herself to become close to them, and hated the way Cupidus was making her twist them towards his own ends as she fed apple after apple tainted with concentrated lust to the pink mare. The mare who trusted her, asked her advice, confided in her like a friend and was fascinated with her because she thought the Kelpie was a demon right out of her mother's old stories... when Helena knew she was just a coward, struggling for self-preservation.
And above it all, looking down on all these players in his complex game, was Cupidus: the greed devil pulled strings and made adjustments as necessary, gave Helena regular reminders of what was within his power to do to her if she disobeyed, and every now and then checked in on Ardent Desire to ensure plans were progressing smoothly. The stage was set and everything was all laid out, moving as quickly as he'd anticipated: Cupidus knew that soon enough, he'd get precisely what he desired to fortify his position in Helheim and expand his influence further.
The devil showed not even the faintest hint of any of his emotions or scheming as he carefully examined Ardent Desire's horn, however, while the orange stallion shifted awkwardly on his hooves. He winced a bit as he felt the devil's thin claws carefully tracing over the black runes that spiraled along the entire length of his horn, the stallion asking nervously: "The pain, that's... that's going to go away, right? It's been weeks and it still hurts..."
"You will not feel this pain forever." Cupidus said calmly, and Ardent Desire smiled at the reassurance, not understanding how much of that statement was left open to interpretation. Then the devil sat back and adjusted his mask, saying softly: "The brand is permanent now. You are marked as one of my assets. You mentioned other business?"
"Uh..." For a moment, Ardent Desire was thrown off by the devil's statement, but then the stallion hurriedly shook his head before he said finally: "Yes. I want... Morning Glory has been talking a lot about my Dad lately, and... I need to know if... there's some way I can make things up to Lord Bonfire. If you could help me... make amends to him, Cupidus."
"The proposal has no relevance to me and you have nothing to further offer, Ardent Desire." Cupidus dismissed it with a shake of his head, and Ardent Desire looked oddly hurt as he reared back a bit, before the devil added in what sounded close to distaste: "Besides, haven't you already begun this process yourself? You sent a tribute of wealth to Lord Bonfire. I am certain that like all things, a father's 'love' can be purchased with gold and jewels. And do not forget that your presence makes all things respect you. Your father will not be immune to this."
"I... no, Cupidus, that's... that's not what I want, to buy his affection or force him to kneel to me!" Ardent Desire blurted, shaking his head quickly before he gestured almost desperately at the devil. "Look... look at Morning Glory, can you understand that? That's what I wanted, her to care about me without... me influencing her at all."
"Because of how you felt that everything had changed after your mother's death... because you felt that she stopped caring about you, ceased to see you as anything but a worthless nuisance." stated Cupidus patiently, echoing the things that Ardent Desire had inferred or told him a thousand times before, and the stallion nodded slowly, dropping his head forwards... not knowing that just outside the door, Morning Glory herself was listening at the door. But Cupidus could sense her clearly, as his eyes flicked towards it and he continued in a soft but clear voice: "Because you loved her, with all your heart. Because even your father's approval didn't matter nearly as much as hers, am I correct?"
"Yes, and... I have to live with the mistakes I made and the pain I caused and... and the fact that she..." Ardent Desire reached up and silently rubbed at his horn, sending a dull throb through his body before he trembled a little. "I don't understand my own feelings."
"Few mortals do. That's the entire point of being mortal, however... learning to make the right choices with the broken faculties you've been given." Cupidus replied calmly, then he simply bowed his head politely before vanishing in a burst of smoke.
There was silence for a few moments, and then Ardent Desire looked up and mumbled: "Well, goodbye to you too, Cupidus. Still... I... I guess you're right. If... you can hear me. You probably can't. Ardent, you're... you're an idiot."
The stallion hammered his front hooves gently against his forehead as he fell back on his haunches, sighing tiredly. He mumbled disconsolately to himself... then frowned and looked up as the door creaked open before giving a small smile to Morning Glory, beginning: "You just missed Cupidus, he was-"
"I know. I was listening." Morning Glory said quietly, and she trembled a bit as Ardent Desire blushed a little. For a few moments, there was silence between them, and then the mare swallowed thickly before she leaned forwards and whispered: "Ardent... I always loved you as my big brother, and I still do, okay? Don't doubt that. I... you're very handsome and... I don't want to lose you. I'm just scared of how... things..."
She slowly strode forwards, and Ardent Desire swallowed a little as their eyes met. He breathed quietly in and out as she approached, then reached up and touched his shoulder... and for a few long moments, there was nothing between them but all the emotions and turmoil that passed back and forth in their locked gaze.
And then Morning Glory leaned hesitantly forwards, until their lips were almost touching, as tears fell down her cheeks and she whispered: "Why..."
Ardent Desire opened his mouth, knowing he should say something, pull away, resist, stop... but then a faint red light hummed along his horn, and he felt that pulse of desire, saw her not as a sister, but a beautiful mare who was here, who loved him, who he loved and wanted and needed in so many ways, and instead he leaned up so his lips touched hers...
A gentle brush, and then Morning Glory leaned down even as a sob hitched out of her throat, and their mouths met in a kiss that first was soft, and then became passionate. Both siblings gave in, as Morning Glory slipped overtop him and Ardent grasped at her, clinging to her like she was his only safe haven amidst a sea of torment and destruction...
And just down the hall, in one of the side bedrooms, Helena glared at Cupidus with utter hatred as she whispered harshly: "There, it's done! You're going to get what you wanted, Cupidus, and... I'm leaving to find my sisters, and I hope we never, ever cross paths again!"
"There are still a few uncertainties in this investment, adjustments that may have to be made, but yes: Ardent Desire has proven an excellent puppet. I thought that Morning Glory would be more resistant, but... mortals are easily manipulated. She will require some fine-tuning but I foresee her value increasing exponentially after I have acquired her soul." Cupidus replied calmly, and then he simply gave a dismissive flick of his wrist to the Kelpie. "Go."
Helena snarled furiously at him, eyes glowing as she bared her fangs, but the Greed devil looked unfettered before the Kelpie spat a curse at him, then spun around and stormed out. The orange eyes of the devil watched as the door swung closed behind the demon, and then he calmly reached into his cloak to pull out a black, hardcover accounting book.
Next he produced a red ink pot and a simple quill, putting these aside on a bed-table as he opened the book and took his time paging through it. He was in no rush to tie up his business: as Cupidus had learned over the thousands of years he had existed, haste made waste, and looked unprofessional.
Finally, he settled on a page marked with runes, then carefully grasped his quill and pulled it free from the pot. He shook it a few times to clean excess red ink from it before carefully writing a short series of accounting notes along the page, and then he calmly nodded before signing his name under the new transactions to authorize them.
His orange eyes closed as the book slammed shut in his hand... and outside, as Helena strode quickly through the field in broad daylight, cursing and snarling and not caring who saw her, the demon suddenly felt a bolt of coldness and came to a halt. She looked slowly back and forth with a frown, and then glanced over her shoulder... and her face went pale and her jaw fell open as she stared disbelievingly up at a specter clad in a tattered, ripped cloak, silver gauntlets tenderly squeezing the pole of a scythe it almost cradled against itself, a gleaming steel mask in the shape of a deer's skull hiding its features. Only wide, gaping black sockets stared down at her, revealing that this thing was hollow of emotion, of life, of everything but nothingness.
"Your accounts have been settled and you have been found owing payment." the creature whispered, and Helena stumbled backwards before screaming when the shade suddenly rose its scythe, then slashed downwards even as she tried to throw herself away, but too late.
The blade left no mark when it passed through her... and yet all the same, it was a corpse that hit the ground, not a living body, Helena's eyes staring sightlessly before the corpse began to rapidly rot away. And, dangling from the scythe, screaming silently as she grabbed at the blade pierced through her features, was the ghostly blue outline of the Kelpie's soul. Her lower legs kicked weakly at the air, but the cloaked reaper only calmly held one silver claw out to the side, and the demon's soul turned to blue smoke that was drawn downwards, coalescing into a solid blue sphere.
The specter squeezed this slowly as it hovered silently in the brightness of day, and then as suddenly as it had come, it was gone. All that was left was a corpse that had already decayed into seaweed and brine, staining the rolling fields beneath the careless sky.
Ardent Desire and Morning Glory lay together on the couch in the den, clinging to each other, both breathing softly as tremors ran through their bodies. Morning Glory was curled up against his chest, and even though something gnawed at him, having her here... it felt good. It felt almost right, as he buried his face into her mane and squeezed her silently.
Despite the tears still on her cheeks, the mare laughed a little and stroked her hooves up to his shoulders, and then she hesitantly looked up at him. He gazed back with the faintest of smiles, then licked his lips nervously before leaning down... but she met him in a kiss that lasted for a few long, wonderful moments before they parted.
They smiled again at each other, and Morning Glory dropped her head against his chest as he rested back against the couch with a soft sigh, saying quietly: "I never expected..."
"We'll... figure things out. But there will have to be rules... and secrets, and... we'll have to be careful." Morning Glory said quietly, and then she sighed and closed her eyes, muttering: "Radiant Beacon can never know, and... I'm only glad we're so far from home. If Father found out..."
"Oh don't say that, don't even joke about that." Ardent Desire mumbled, closing his eyes and wincing a little. "And here I was, trying to figure out how to get into Dad's good graces again and now, I've... well... I got into your good graces, at least."
Morning Glory looked up at him flatly, and Ardent Desire grinned lamely, clearing his throat. "That sounded much funnier in my head, little sister."
"Little sister. Calling me that while we're like... this... well, how do you like it, big brother?" Morning Glory asked flatly, and when Ardent Desire blushed, she groaned and shoved at him, pushing herself away from the stallion and muttering: "Oh, so you do like it. What is wrong with you?"
"Shut up!" was all Ardent Desire could manage to squeak in return, and Morning Glory rolled her eyes again before the orange stallion hurriedly climbed to his own hooves and cleared his throat, shaking himself out awkwardly before he glanced nervously over at her. "But... Morning Glory, I do... I do love you, as my little sister, as much as... I care about you in... other ways. I don't want to hurt you. And... I... I hope that I didn't... influence you in any way or..."
"It's okay, Ardent. I've felt... strangely about you for... for a little while. Since... I don't even know when anymore, with how fuzzy my mind has gotten after that month you had me..." Morning Glory reached up and touched her forehead, then shook herself out and glared at him when he smiled faintly at her. "Stop it."
"Okay, okay." Ardent smiled at her then he strode forwards and gave her a gentle kiss on the cheek, and the mare looked at him grumpily before she reached up and flicked his horn. He immediately groaned and grabbed at his head, almost falling over as he whimpered: "What was that for?"
"For being annoying." Morning Glory sighed tiredly, shaking her head before hesitating and then adding grumpily: "Look, you idiot. We have to act like things are normal. And maybe this..."
She couldn't bring herself to say it, despite a large part of her knowing it never should have happened, that she should end things right now... and when Ardent Desire looked up at her and she gazed into those worried eyes of his, she sighed tiredly before saying in a gentler voice: "There have to be rules, and we have to... be careful, and it... it had better not just be about sex. And you have a lot to make up to me still, that doesn't just go away."
"I know. I know, I just..." Ardent Desire smiled a little, and then he stood up and said positively: "At least all the other pretty mares I have serve a better purpose now! You can continue to be a bitch in public and I'll continue to have sex with them, and no one will be the wiser to our secret little relationship. Great, right?"
Morning Glory looked at her sibling for a few moments, then reached up and smacked his horn firmly, and Ardent Desire howled in pain and fell over, clutching at his skull and writhing around on the ground in agony as the mare turned around and muttered: "I don't know why I'm putting myself through this for you."
Except, even as she turned around, she did. She had a longing, a deep, strange, possibly sick desire for him... and that was all mixed up with her natural love for him and... so much else. She was confused and scared, but being with Ardent these days... it helped her feel safe. And he was handsome, and she always felt... her best, when she was with him. She thought that maybe all she needed, really... was a little time with him and maybe... maybe everything could go back to normal...
That was what she told herself, as the days passed... while Ardent Desire, on the other hoof, gave in completely to urges he didn't even recognize weren't completely his own. He rationalized that it was already done, after all, and Morning Glory was beautiful and made him feel safe, and there was so much about her that enthralled him... that made him happy. He had her in a way he'd never imagined having her... he could relive old memories with her now, but even better, as they curled up each and every night together...
And Morning Glory couldn't say no, felt herself surrendering as well, beginning to rationalize, beginning to simply... give in, and go with the flow of things. It was easier that way, after all... and there was no one left to tell her otherwise or give her advice, because she didn't dare trust Radiant Beacon with this secret and her best friend, Helena, had simply... vanished.
Ardent and Morning were both a little concerned over the fact the Kelpie was simply gone, but they told themselves and each other that she had perhaps gone to see her sisters, as she had in the past. Ardent Desire thought about asking Cupidus, but Morning Glory preferred the idea of waiting for a little while over trying to talk to the Greed devil... something about the creature made her cringe, no matter what Ardent Desire said or how generous Cupidus had been to her brother.
Neither sibling knew that their secret wasn't a very well kept one: the servants were already gossiping about it, and Rhubarb had gone to her beloved Lord Desire's room one restless night to get some of the tender affection she so craved from him, and instead heard sounds of passion from the room. So she had peeked inside, and then stared at the sight of Ardent Desire and Morning Glory on the bed together, the mare moaning, Ardent breathing hard and with his eyes half-lidded...
To Rhubarb, it didn't matter: she was so enthralled with her precious Lord Desire that all she wanted was to see him happy, and with how she had been so twisted and broken by her passion for him, to her it seemed like a natural evolution. But she spread word, as all of the harem would whenever Lord Desire was 'entertaining,' that the master of the household wasn't to be disturbed... and several of the other mares were shocked to learn just who he was 'entertaining' that night.
And the harem mares whispered to Radiant Beacon what was going on, and Radiant Beacon was overcome not just with shock and anger... but a strange, deep, terrible jealousy. Her siblings who had always had one another, one of whom she looked up to as an idol and the other who she was still under the influence of... it was no wonder both of them had been ignoring her, cutting her out. And after all the time she had been lectured on just being a sister, but Ardent Desire and Morning Glory were clearly more... had likely been more for all this time without her knowing...
She wanted it too: she was old enough, she had experienced a stallion's touch before, and she was the one who was trying so hard. She modeled herself off Morning Glory, and she put everything she had into pleasing her big brother. She loved them both direly, but if it came down to it... she would be more than willing to slide herself between the two and make it clear that she was just as capable and beautiful a mare as Morning Glory was. She would not allow herself to be relegated to the status of lonely hag alone in the manse, while every other mare got to love and be loved by her big brother...
When the next day came, Radiant Beacon prepared a wonderful breakfast for her big brother, and she slipped herself up beside him, helped to feed him, while Morning Glory sat nearby and watched uncomfortably... and perhaps a bit jealously. Radiant Beacon relished it... and she glared almost challengingly at Morning Glory as she leaned in and slowly licked a stream of syrup from the side of Ardent Desire's muzzle, then gently bit his lower lip.
Ardent Desire was well-used to even awkward physical affection by now: to him, not being touched was strange now, with the hedonism and mares he buried himself in day in and out, even while Morning Glory lectured him. Morning Glory, on the other hoof, saw far more than a simple 'affection' in that gesture.
This was the subject the two were arguing about as she and Ardent Desire strode side-by-side through the fields of berry crops on their land, the pink unicorn looking frustrated as she snapped: "That is not how a little sister treats her big brother!"
"Yes, you would know all about that." Ardent Desire said before he could stop himself, and then he offered a lame grin when she stumbled to a halt and stared at him, before yelping loudly when Morning Glory smacked his sensitive horn. "Sorry, sorry!"
"Would you please learn to get your mouth under control?" Morning Glory asked crankily, and then she shook her head before turning her eyes back down the dirt path leading through the crops, the mare muttering: "I can't believe you sometimes."
Ardent Desire only mumbled a little, then he carefully pushed himself up to his hooves and shook his head out, looking over at her awkwardly. "Well... I... I'd feel a little stupid telling her she needs to... calm down, when... well, you know..."
"This is different, between us it's... it's different!" Morning Glory shouted almost desperately, and Ardent Desire leaned back in surprise, staring at her before the pink unicorn flushed deeply and then dropped her head forwards, whispering: "It's just different, okay?"
"Okay. Okay, I'm sorry." Ardent Desire said softly, stepping towards her and reaching a hoof hesitantly up to touch her shoulder, and Morning Glory closed her eyes before she nodded silently a few times. The stallion hesitated, and then he smiled a little as he glanced quickly back and forth before leaning in and kissing her forehead, and Morning Glory sighed tiredly... but didn't shove him, didn't hit him, didn't say anything.
"Look, I... I don't know why Radiant Beacon did all that this morning, okay? Maybe... maybe she knows about us, I don't know, my girls did seem to be acting a little funny." Ardent Desire paused, then frowned at the sourly-amused expression Morning Glory favored him with. "What?"
"Your girls?" she asked wryly, and Ardent Desire cleared his throat, then simply gave a lame shrug and looked at her almost pleadingly. "You're disgusting."
"And a coward, and a jerk, and filthy and stupid and blah-blah-blah, yes, I know, I know." Ardent Desire said tiredly, sighing and shaking his head with a small smile. "But come, you've seen worse for yourself, I know you have. And I strive to take good care of my mares... they... just... are my mares, too. Don't tell me that's jealousy, though, Morning Glory?"
"Imply that again and I'll rip your horn out of your head." Morning Glory said threateningly, and Ardent Desire winced and cleared his throat, nodding once before the mare looked up and became both serious and softer, murmuring: "We have to find out if she knows or not... and we have to tell her if she doesn't, Ardent Desire. But there's no way you can sleep with her, you understand this, yes?"
Ardent Desire gave her a grouchy look as he nodded moodily, replying quietly: "I'm not... you know me better than that, Morning Glory-"
"No, I don't. What I know is that you've pursued many mares, sought to give yourself all manner of pleasure, bragged about it and even... done things with me. Your morals are questionable." Morning Glory said quietly, and Ardent Desire looked away, her words making him ache before she closed her eyes and murmured: "And I question you, Ardent Desire, because I question myself. Like you've always said... I'm the one that's always taken care of you, been mature and responsible, even with you supposed to be my big brother... and yet look where we are now."
There was silence for a few moments before Ardent Desire opened his mouth... then immediately winced when she glared at him and held up a hoof. "Don't say anything. Don't say it wasn't my fault... because it was. You have your share of guilt but I have mine, too, and if I don't take responsibility for it, I don't... set a good example for you."
"I'm the older... okay, nevermind." Ardent Desire held up his hooves when she continued to glare, and then he dropped back to a sitting position and shook his head slowly, murmuring: "I agree, though, I do... we do... have to tell Radiant Beacon. I guess I'm just scared of how she's going to react, I mean... what if she doesn't know? And I'm sure that was just a.. a silly little sisterly thing, you know? It wasn't anything-"
"She was almost sucking on your lip. Are you really that thick?" asked the mare sourly, and Ardent Desire cleared his throat and shrugged a bit, which made her roll her eyes with a sigh. "You need to stop objectifying mares. And thinking that all of this is normal."
"Hey, I know none of it is normal, just as much as I know that... you know, you mares are still... mares. People. Shouldn't the fact I like mares so much point to the fact that... you know, I must... like... mares and... respect them?" Ardent Desire half-argued, and when Morning Glory looked at him meditatively, he sighed tiredly, then reached up and banged his own horn lightly with a hoof, making himself whimper and flinch.
Morning Glory simply shook her head, then she turned to stride on down the path, and the subject was dropped when they came across a few earth ponies working out here, harvesting berries. As always, they looked on Ardent Desire a little awkwardly, still not quite knowing what to think of him, but Morning Glory they welcomed: she was strict, and she demanded respect, but she also wasn't afraid to work alongside them.
She offered both herself and Ardent Desire's help to the berry pickers, who accepted readily enough, and even though Ardent complained he was admittedly glad for the distraction. While they worked alongside the earth ponies, it helped him get his mind off things, and it seemed to soothe Morning Glory as well, which he was very glad to see.
They worked for two hours, and when they were done, Ardent Desire felt... a little lighter. He didn't usually spend this much time working and getting sweaty, unless he was... well... engaged in a different kind of exercise. That thought made him chuckle quietly, as he shrugged off the barrels that contained all the berries he had picked by one of the storage sheds. Two months ago, he wouldn't have been used to any exercise at all, period... but then again, two months ago had been an entirely different lifetime for him, too, and on top of that he now had the advantage of the strong physical body the devil had gifted him with.
He thought of Cupidus for a moment, and then his thoughts turned to Helena, and he frowned a little as he looked down. He believed, firmly, that the Kelpie wouldn't just get up and leave... and more than that, he had always been able to call to her in the past, and she would hurry to his side. He had tried calling her several times, and nothing had happened, and it worried him.
Ardent Desire shook himself out of his thoughts as hoofsteps approached, and then he smiled a bit as his eyes settled on Morning Glory and a young earth pony stallion who was hurrying along beside her, looking embarrassed as she carried what was very likely his barrel over her back, on top of the two hanging at her sides.
She looked mildly across at Ardent Desire, then jerked her head at the youthful male, saying dryly: "Young Chestnut here reminds me of you."
"Handsome, intelligent, charming?" Ardent Desire asked with a grin despite himself, giving a wink across at the two, and the brown earth pony gave a bit of a laugh as Morning Glory rolled her eyes.
"Small, annoying, and a little lazy." the pale pink mare retorted, and Ardent Desire straightened, opening his mouth to argue before he realized dumbly that Morning Glory actually was still taller than him. So instead he huffed and closed his mouth, as the female unicorn glanced at the earth pony and added: "But the slave hoof is less annoying and burdensome than you are so... there's hope for him yet."
"Earth ponies, little sister, we call them earth ponies now. It was part of our agreement with Greenmoss, remember?" Ardent Desire replied, and Morning Glory grunted as she tossed the barrels off in front of the shed, while Chestnut blushed. Ardent Desire returned his eyes to the younger stallion, and he felt a moment of hesitation before almost blurting out: "And Chestnut, don't be shy! Come now, come, you're not a slave, you're a paid worker here, with the same rights as... why, as any other pony here. Speak up now, friend."
Morning Glory looked with surprise at Ardent Desire, and Chestnut rose his own head awkwardly before he nodded lamely a few times, saying finally: "Yes, sir, it's just... strange, sir. I mean no disrespect, sir, but... the last unicorns I worked for, sir, they were awful strict... sir."
"Sir? My pretty mares may call me Lord Desire, but they rarely ever refer to me as 'sir,' young stallion." Ardent Desire smiled after a moment, as Morning Glory simply looked at him dryly, but she seemed to be approving all the same of at least what her big brother was attempting to do. "Just talk like you would normally, that's all I ask.
"Now, I am curious about one thing, though... how is life going for you and your... clan, if that's the right word? Are you comfortable in your shelters?" asked Ardent Desire, and Chestnut seemed almost shocked by the question, looking up blankly, and the stallion cleared his throat and added lamely: "If it's... not imposing, of course, I... Greenmoss isn't always the most forthcoming person, that's all, I just... want to make sure things are... okay."
Ardent Desire halted, and Chestnut shook his head quickly before the young, brown-coated pony smiled faintly, looking up with an unexpected warmth in his eyes. "No, sir, I... I just... we're doing very well, sir, since you've been doing so much for us. There are no more Pegasi or unicorns trying to bully us around, and we've felt... safe, sir. I think I can speak for all the earth ponies when I say we're very happy here, sir, very happy."
"Good." Morning Glory grunted, and then she glanced over at Ardent Desire, saying softly: "My big brother... is an idiot, yes. But you may be surprised, slave... I mean, earth pony. He has... a great depth of compassion. And I think that he has a great mind, when he is not... being an idiot."
Ardent Desire smiled warmly at this, and Chestnut nodded quickly a few times before the orange stallion suggested on a whim: "Why don't you come to the Estate later tonight, Chestnut? You look like a smart young lad, and I could use somepony to help me keep my affairs in order. I can teach you how to read and write and some other basic skills."
"Really?" Chestnut looked up in surprise, and then he nodded rapidly a few times, saying quickly: "Thank you, sir! I'll speak to Chief Greenmoss right away about it, sir, right away!"
"Go on then, and find out. And after the sun sets, report to my manse, and we'll give you a nice dinner and see about training you as my assistant." replied Ardent Desire warmly, and Chestnut nodded rapidly before he turned and hurried off, the orange unicorn chuckling quietly and shaking his head slowly. "Cute kid."
"I... I'm surprised, Ardent Desire. Not just that you would be so generous to a slave hoof... that you would... be so thoughtful at all." Morning Glory murmured softly, and the stallion looked across at her curiously before the mare smiled a little and shook her head slowly. "It's nice to see you're not as stupid as you seem at times. That... in spite of your flaws, in some ways you are perhaps a better unicorn than most I've met."
Ardent Desire looked absurdly touched by this, and the two looked at each other before Morning Glory suddenly strode forwards, then leaned up and kissed him firmly. His eyes bulged in shock, but then slipped closed as he returned it, and when their mouths parted, she lowered her head so their horns quietly touched, the mare murmuring: "It drives me insane when you act like this. Because it makes me realized that I could do... worse than you. Brother or not."
The stallion only blushed, and then Morning Glory sighed before shaking her head, adding moodily: "But come then, Ardent. We need to go and speak to Radiant Beacon."
"Oh. Yes. I'm very eager for this." Ardent Desire mumbled, and Morning Glory sighed and shook her head slowly before the stallion cleared his throat and asked lamely: "Can we just... you know. Kiss again, and put it off for... ever?"
"No, but I can hurt you in a wide variety of ways and then drag you by your precious malehood back to the manse." Morning Glory replied dryly, and Ardent Desire nodded thoughtfully before clearing his throat and bowing to her politely. "That's what I thought. Let's get going."
Ardent Desire mumbled a little, but followed when the mare began to stride back through the rows of berry bushes, knowing his sibling was probably right... but all the same wishing he could just hide away somewhere and put off dealing with being a responsible adult forever.
Late that night, Ardent Desire sat with Morning Glory resting against him silently. He had a foreleg around her, and she was silently holding his hoof, her head resting on his shoulder and her eyes closed. It had ended up being a long, difficult day, and Ardent had been yelled at a lot by both his siblings... actually, Radiant Beacon had berated Morning Glory pretty viciously as well. That, then spending an hour working with Chestnut, and then several hours after that dealing with other issues around the manse... it left Ardent feeling emotionally drained, and he knew that Morning Glory felt the same.
They just wanted to be together right now, and not in the sense of anything except... two ponies, who needed the comfort of each other. Who needed to feel close to each other, physically and emotionally. Who needed to still the pain... any way they could.
Finally, Morning Glory sighed softly and murmured: "I've never been yelled at by our baby sister before, and... the way she looked at me. The way she looked at you... something seems wrong, Ardent Desire. And no, I'm not... I'm not blaming you..."
"But you should, because it's my fault. I know it is, but... I don't understand. I mean, she doesn't seem under my control, right? We didn't... we made sure I released her from my influence, right?" Ardent Desire said uncertainly, and Morning Glory only shook her head before the stallion grimaced and looked up at the ceiling. "I was sure we did... what if we didn't, though..."
"Then would she really have called you... well, I'd rather not repeat all those words she used. Stop flattering yourself, Ardent Desire, I think she was even more disgusted by you than me." Yet at the same time, something gnawed at Morning Glory: the way Radiant had acted, it was like... she had maybe been trying too hard. Maybe trying to... no, no. That's insane. "I don't want to think about it either way, I don't... I can't care right now, Ardent. I can't care about anything, except..."
The two found their gazes drawing slowly to one another's, and they studied each other for a few long moments before Ardent Desire smiled faintly, and Morning Glory looked up into his eyes quietly. "I love you, big brother."
"I love you too, little sister. I always will, and... I know... I've never done a good job of it in the past, and that I maybe spent too much time... depending on everyone else, but... I promise to protect you from here on out, like a big brother should. Even if I'm not very good at it." Ardent Desire murmured softly in return, and Morning Glory gave a small smile back to him.
There was silence between the two, and then they shifted slowly, pulling each other closer, bodies pressing together as tight as they dared. Eventually, both slipped into sleep, with their forms still curled together, and both were unaware of when Radiant Beacon silently slipped into the room to lean over the couch and glare down at them with jealousy and fury.
They were hypocrites, and liars, and traitors... yet still she felt an intense, severe need for Ardent Desire. But her compulsion had transformed, too: she recognized that he was forbidden, that he was something she wasn't supposed to have, and that only made her want him all the more. And she knew he was attracted to her: she was young and beautiful and always said the right things and oh, she would let him do anything he wanted to her, not like bossy Morning Glory...
Radiant Beacon glared furiously at her older sister, her hatred so intense that it seemed to make the older sister writhe a bit in her sleep, as if the poisonous thoughts of the younger mare were seeping into her dreams. Her big sister had been her idol, her own maternal figure, since she had never known their mother... and now, that same pony had stolen away what was rightfully hers to experience and enjoy, and banned her from it. And for all her reasons, there the whore herself lay in her own brother's embrace...
Her eyes flashed as she looked back at Ardent Desire, longing for him, lusting for him, and feeling like... like he should belong to her. Oh yes, she would do anything for him, she wanted him happy, but she would not share him with her traitor big sister... and she would make it clear that he was hers, all hers, even if she let him continue to play with others.
Her thoughts were confused as emotion rippled through her and overrode logic and sense, and the unicorn didn't even recognize how alien some of these thoughts were to her sweet nature. All her former personality was being stripped away, dissolving in a mix of Ardent Desire's influence and raw greed.
Radiant Beacon left after a few minutes, still fuming, to head to her room and plot and curse. When she eventually fell asleep on her bed, muttering through dark dreams even in her rest, she was unaware of the devil that calmly let itself into her room, and laid a single thin claw on her temple, amplifying her greed and slowly killing what little conscience and morality remained inside her. The devil's golden mask gleamed as its orange eyes studied the pony, and then it nodded calmly once as it drew away from her and said softly: "Treasures cannot be shared. They must be claimed and hidden away... or they must be destroyed."
The next day, Radiant Beacon felt sick to her stomach, worsened by the relentless migraine throbbing in her temples. Morning Glory came to visit her and give her some tea, but the sight of her older sibling only made the younger unicorn feel angry and frustrated and bitter, so she rolled over in bed and stayed that way until Morning Glory left.
Even feeling sick, late that night she dragged herself through the mansion to once more silently slip into the master bedroom... the room Ardent Desire and Morning Glory shared almost every night .She looked at them with hate and disgust and fury given crueler fangs from the pain that ached in her head and stomach and heart. Her judgment was suffering more and more, and wild imaginings and delusions had begun to rise up through her mind as sanity crumbled away like brittle brick turning to rubble and dust.
Radiant Beacon dragged herself off after more than an hour of simply staring at the two, while her rampant emotions tried to sort themselves out. But love made hate stronger and longing fueled bitterness and rage: the little positive she tried to cling to transformed in her warped mind into negative, and when she retreated to her room, she buried her face in her forelegs and sobbed until she fell asleep with tears spilling down her cheeks.
Depression claimed her for the day, made her illness worse: when Ardent Desire came to visit her alone, she whispered for him to come closer, come closer, and when he finally did, she lunged and grabbed him and tried to kiss him. When he shoved at her wildly, she screamed at him, raving between threats and promises until he finally fled from the room. And no longer would she accept visits from anypony else: not healers, not servants, and especially not Morning Glory.
And scared, trembling Ardent sought the only source of comfort he could: Morning Glory. And, not wanting to admit how afraid she was herself, Morning Glory held her big brother close and soothed him and pretended she was doing this all for him, even though by now she had completely given in herself.
This rhythm continued for weeks, a vicious stalemate between the siblings, distracting them from the world around them until Ardent Desire finally suggested asking Cupidus for help. Morning Glory hesitantly agreed, and the orange stallion had called to his patron. He hadn't been expecting much: Cupidus had been mostly absent these last few weeks, even though he'd said he would help look for Helena and assist in other matters. So he was surprised when Cupidus said calmly that he would go to Radiant Beacon, and settle her mind.
Ardent Desire and Morning Glory had followed Cupidus to Radiant Beacon's room, where she had been in a crying fit: she didn't even respond to any of them when they opened the door, nor did she react when Cupidus gently grasped her forehead. But suddenly, she had gone still, and Cupidus had paused for a few moments before saying quietly: "Her mind has been altered by another entity. I will make an adjustment."
It was very much the truth: Cupidus simply didn't state that the other entity was him. And when Radiant Beacon settled and looked up silently, when her sanity seemed to return all at once, Cupidus didn't even have to look over his shoulder to sense the thankfulness, the trust, now radiating from both siblings behind him. But he only ignored it, stepping out of the way so Radiant Beacon could lunge towards her family and share a hug with them and start crying again, but different tears, softer tears, as she apologized over and over and they soothed her...
That night, Ardent Desire and Morning Glory curled up in the master bedroom, sleeping heavily, their guard lowered, the entire manse quiet and relaxed. Everyone thought everything was back to normal, that all their problems had been solved. So it was easy for Radiant Beacon to leave her room, and calmly make her way to the kitchen. It was easy for her to find the heavy cutting knife, and carry it silently through the peaceful household. And it was easy for her to slip into her sibling's room.
Cupidus sat calmly in the corner, checking his pocketwatch as Radiant Beacon stared hollowly at the bed, the knife held in her mouth, gleaming in the pale moonlight spilling in through the windows. It was Ardent Desire her eyes locked coldly on, and she slowly made her way towards the bed, standing over her siblings, staring down at them without emotion, with only cruel purpose. She believed that Ardent Desire was the most valuable pony in the world... but that he would never care about her. Her mind was fragmented and her memories altered, believing that they were lovers, not siblings, and he had abandoned her. And she believed firmly that if you could not possess a treasure yourself, then it should be destroyed, so no one else could enjoy it either.
Under the clinical eyes of the devil, she rose the knife, then brought it down. And Cupidus only watched with detached interest as the knife rose and fell and slashed, and red liquid painted the walls and floor and ceiling: the screaming bothered him no more than the sights, and nor did the pleas, or the gore, or the desperation. They struggled with each other, but soon, the stallion's body fell to the ground, fighting to remain alive, Ardent Desire's desperate eyes staring at Cupidus as his mouth worked uselessly... but the devil only continued to watch, unmoved by the howls or pleas or the stallion's miserable, slow death. He only continued to study his 'investments,' until the second corpse hit the ground.
Servants and mares came running in, and shortly there was more screaming, more struggling, howls and cries of betrayal and desperation, and Cupidus decided to take his leave. The devil was invisible to the other ponies, but he had seen what he needed to see, and there was no point wasting time in watching mortal dramas play out. Not when he had business to attend to in Helheim.
After all, he had assets to manage, investments to monitor... and soon enough, a brand new slew of business opportunities. He had to make sure he properly thanked Ardent Desire... he wouldn't want to appear unprofessional.
Cupidus vanished, heading back to the dark place he called home to have his servants prepare for the imminent arrival of a new soul. A soul that he would have his serfs punish, reshape, and polish until it was worthy of being part of his vast empire, and another testament to the fact that nothing stood in the way of the Greed devil getting whatever he set his eyes upon.