Pinkie Pie

How had she gotten under his skin in the last twenty minutes with only her voice? He sent up a small prayer of desperation that someone or something would end his misery. She had been the first pony in two decades to annoy the man by stating the obvious. You're really tall and skinny, but maybe that is how you are. I don't know. I've never seen a furless Minotaur with long, white hair and a bunch of scars all over his back. He should have ignored her voice, a simple detune of the world around him would suffice.

"Pinkie Pie, I think you're going a little too far." Cadance said apprehensively.

"Why did you have your fur shaved off?" He remembered how she rudely poked at his scars and giggled at him again. She felt her hoof brush along the largest scar in the middle of his chest. "Wow that is really big. How did you get that doozy of a scar?"

Her question brought him pain, not the usual pleasure surviving such a wound. A small clench of his fist was nearly unnoticed, but Spitfire caught it with her keen observation. The clench ran as a current through his muscles from the tip of his fingers to the top of his shoulder, tightening every fiber of his right arm. She could see something besides annoyance, and wouldn't you know it would be displeasure?

It seemed unthreatening to the Pegasus that Sin would react this way to Pinkie Pie's curiosity. She just wanted to know more about him.

Sin continued to ignore the pink pony's words and read through another chapter, his eyes skimming each sentence, yet his mind was retaining every word like a computer with endless memory. He was not at all a genius with vast intellect or determination to push himself to better knowledge, although it would have been nice to attain such traits. It was very simple as to how he could memorize things so well and not strain himself in the slightest. Being immortal has given him plenty of time to harness his gain of knowledge. To counter his average IQ by sustaining a daily routine of collection random information. Whether it was from personal experience with others, reading a book, or watching how something works, he used that growth of knowledge to make himself seem like a genius. But, to be completely honest, he was just a man who knows a great deal about many things.

Still left with the inability to understand a man and his personal space, Pinkie Pie continued to flood him with a barrage of silly questions that seem to have a redundant answer to them already. She dashed and zipped around Sin with every small detail about him becoming another mystery that she could not comprehend—not entirely that is. It did not seem to take long for Cadance and Spitfire to see the trouble this was causing as he started to look up from his book with a dark atmosphere. As Sin placed the bookmark the page and set it on the table to his left, Pinkie Pie took it upon herself to touch and examine his hair.

His hands clenched for a moment, and then loosened while Skyla and Rose Spark watched from behind the couch. They knew he was not enjoying this; just the look in his eyes said that.

"Wow, you're mane is really soft and warm." Pinkie Pie moaned as she rubbed the silky white strands across her cheek, her body shivering in delight of the warmth she strangely felt from this. "What kind of shampoo do you use? Or do hairless Minotaurs not use shampoo?"

"I use regular shampoo and comb it twice a day," Sin exasperated, his voice piercing the Alicorn and Pegasus' worry, making them retreat a little. Turning on his heels he kneeled to the giggling pony and wore his best smile, her hooves slowly denied another feel for his hair when he gently pulled away. "But I think my hair is not important here. The important thing is for me to know your reason for being here. Are you here because you are friends with Cadance or Spitfire?"

"Oh, I'm friends everypony in Ponyville." Pinkie Pie chirped, absolutely enjoying this conversation with Sin, since he is not acting like stuck-ups that need to put on a smile. Sin raised an eyebrow as he evaluated the mare through her personality. His majestic eyes filled Pinkie Pie with an awkward feeling, something she only felt during her reunion with her sister, Maud Pie.

Wow, he seems really friendly for a weird thingy. But. . . why do I feel warm and tingly like Maud makes me feel when we spend time together?

"Okay, then I suppose I am the reason you are here?" Sin inquired, never taking his eyes off the pony, not for a second.

"Yup, yup, yup. I came here because Rainbow Dash told me a new face has come to Ponyville, so I just had to see for myself who she was talking about." Pinkie Pie bounced endlessly in front of the immortal human, her cheery attitude practically touching him as the fillies came out of hiding. "She told me that you're some kind of superhero that's been travelling across the world to get strong and protect others from big meanie monsters. She also said that you're a former champion from some huge tournament that happens every year in Jaypan. But is that really true?"

"It would seem your friend knows me better than I know myself." Sin said in a monotone, losing all humor in an instant. He stood up and turned to the window that had some visibility to the outside world, his mind focused on the blue Pegasus known as Rainbow Dash. "Just how much does that filly know about me?"

He gave an almost contented sigh as the energetic pony approached with an envelope she removed from her fluffy mane. His eyes rose to the snowy clouds, a glimmer of his shadowy past reflecting as it descended through the snowfall at lightning speed. Shifting his sensory to magic and emotion into overdrive, he sensed the wild and insanely fast luring of said shadow coming his way, but it was without a very important source for him determine if the intentions are good or evil. Without this source, Sin was able to determine the shadows reason for approaching at high speed, which gave him a very uneasy feeling as Pinkie Pie held out the envelope for him to take.

Sin blinked a couple of times, and the figure was gone again, locked away in the back of his mind. He grimaced when this happened, knowing how foolish it was of him to overreact. It was just a flashback of him, nothing more.

"I almost forgot," Pinkie Pie said, and then giggled at her own bubbly moment. Her words, however, were unheard by the immortal, for his mind was completely locked on the shadow in the distance. "This is your invitation to the party I am setting up at Sugarcube Corner right now. Be sure to come by with your filly, because it will be really FUN!"

Sin, at this point, seemed lost in his own little world of mystery and confusion before snapping out of the trance he put himself under, but Pinkie Pie's words drew him out as the invitation was placed in his shaking hand. He jerked up to her words, and his mind latched onto them with great mental strength, something only Cadance could see through the sudden change of eye color. His left eye twitched, and the world ceased to exist during his slow descent into remembrance.

"Fun. . ." he paused at the word, his heart pounding out of his scarred chest.

"Yeah," Pinkie Pie nodded. "It will be lots of fun!"

The immortal went still, yet his breath shook with trepidation. He blinked once, twice, thrice while following the rabbit into the deepest hole of his traumatized memory. He followed without thinking twice, and the rabbit only stopped when the broken corners of his psyche lurched to said memory.

Sin gazed at his reflection and gasped, his eyes swimming with terror at the monster he knew to be dead. His mind, however, never let go of the horrific past this beast created for its own amusement. Sin was not the kind of man to dwell on the past, but this was no mere memory. No, it was a night terror only he could personally understand, for it was through his blood, his magic— the CORE of his soul—that a monster so disgusting once existed in this world.

It will be lots of fun. . . father. He could still hear the beast talking to him, its long robe as wide as the ocean of HIS evil. There was no forgetting the stallion inside the mask. All those Dragons destroyed. All the hatchlings crushed before they could hatch and take their first breath of life. The loss of his first true friend—the same Gryphon that took the sword to her chest when he was supposed to die. Sin would remember the vile creature as the mortifying, indescribable, and abomination of his own flesh and blood his captors created during their second making of gods and demons.

It will be lots of fun. . . father.

"Monster. . ." he paused again, before snapping out of the memory and back into the real world. He blinked in uncertainty and slowly spun around to the three mares staring at him while Skyla and Rose Spark tilted their heads in curiosity.

Cadance, being the kind and gentle mare she is, approached him with genuine concern and comfort should he need it. This was bizarre to the pink Alicorn, to see the highly praised man suddenly appear as though he just experienced unimaginable pain. She was starting to feel concerned for him in a more than friendly way, as did her Pegasus friend behind her. Spitfire was probably the toughest Pegasus there is in all of Equestria, but even she has a soft side that very few know about; Even Princess Celestia had no clue of the soft spot that makes up for the Admiral's stone cold attitude, which is very little unless touched by someone she considers a friend or is attractive to her.

Both mares split apart and joined the human's sides as he took a seat on the couch, his face buried in his hands before the white hair mulled over to cover to hide him from their stares. He was not ashamed to feel this way or to have someone worry over his well-being. But to have his new roommates see him like this, especially the very two that he finds to be extremely attractive, made it difficult to not feel pathetic and embarrassed. He just wanted to kick himself in the head at this point.

"Did I say something wrong?" Pinkie Pie asked worriedly, her fluffy mane starting to deflate. Sin peeked between right index and middle finger to her and faked a chuckle, albeit very poorly.

"No, not at all." he replied, causing her mane to stay as it should before the audible 'pop' happened. "I'm just remembering some things about my past. You did nothing wrong."

Pulling one of his hands away from his face, Cadance braved past the demonic gaze he gained from lack of emotional control. She was still nervous by those eyes, but, deep down, she knew there was a gentle stallion misunderstood by his looks. Eyes of unholy appearance and fangs surely indicate darkness, but she—and surprisingly, Spitfire—saw past that darkness and found a glimmer of his true nature sparkling in the corner of his shifting colors. It hurt everyone in the house to see the human like this; even Rose Spark felt a little sad for him.

"Sin, what's wrong?" Cadance asked, holding the man's hand so he does not try to hide away a second time. Her eyes spoke fear as he faked a warm smile and threw back his air. But little did he know what she and Spitfire were seeing while he came out of hiding.

"Nothing, I'm fine." Sin uttered, leaning back to pretend that he was relaxing. No one was being fooled, though. Not even the fillies were falling for it.

"No. you're not," Spitfire said curtly, pointing at the problem as it trickled. "You're crying your eyes out."

"What are you talking about?" Sin asked as calmly as he could, until the impact of her words forced his sense of touch to come back to him. He removed his other hand from his face and lightly gasped at the warmth descending his cheeks. His eyes shifted color a third time but remained to the emotion he was feeling.

Shock. Pure. Undeniable. Such an emotion did not register to the immortal as he saw through the reflections of Cadance' eyes the look he had on his face.

I am. . . crying. he wiped a single tear with his finger and observed in disbelief. When did I start to cry to that memory? He shook his head at the question. No, when was the last time I shed a single tear? Fifteen years ago, maybe?

"Dude, you got something you need to get off your wings?" Spitfire asked with a much lower tone this time around. She looked behind him, cocking an eyebrow at his back. "That is if you have wings at all."

"There are some things about my life only I need to know about, but your concern is appreciated; and I thank you for that." Sin nodded with a apologetic smile, although it would not be a bad idea to talk. Spitfire and Cadance frowned in dislike of his answer, yet they respected his decision and followed up by not prying any information out of him. "I know everyone loves to share gossip, news, or stuff about their past. Mine, however, is rather too much for most ponies to understand; and everyone in this house would not understand if I spoke of it."

"Are you sure?" Pinkie Pie rested her chin on his leg and performed the ultimate attack in cuteness. She was not going to let her new friend keep any secrets from her, not a single one. Her eyes began to water, and the lower lip started to quiver as she made an adorable whimpering sound for effectiveness. "You might feel better if you talk about it."

"You certainly are adorable when you want to be," Sin moved his hand over Pinkie's head, petting her slowly while Cadance and Spitfire glared at her, jealously. "But I cannot tell you anything about my past, because it is not for others to know. But the cute puppy look was a good try."

"I try," she chirped, her smile returning in an instant. Spitfire coughed into her hoof to break apart the moment between Pinkie and Sin, and then stepped forward with a growing look of mischief and lust, her eyes fluttering naturally whilst forcing the rosy flush from his depression to ignite as embarrassment.

"Well you're certainly not going to keep dwell on whatever has you acting like a Wonderbolt that's been demoted." the fiery Pegasus punctuated with hoof-imagery of someone removing the badge on her jacket. Cadance glared at her for that one. "Your past is yours to deal with in your own way, but it will not affect you. This house is full of energy, fun, and anything else that makes everypony's day a positive one;" She licked her lips slowly, preparing to change the rest of the morning into a better atmosphere of her own liking as the conflicted human arched an eyebrow at her. "And I know just how to fix you right up."

"You do?" Sin questioned. This was going to be interesting. "How?"

Spitfire would have explained her plan, but that would ruin the idea of Sin getting a better day and her best friend stepping out of her comfort zone to put herself up to him for more than a friendly connection. Mischief but careful with her word play, the yellow Pegasus spun quickly faked a gasp of trepidation for everyone to hear. She looked up to the stairs and pointed a hoof at nothing, but that did not bait the Princess of Love as she anticipated, although it would have been nice to fool her.

"What the hay is that!?" she yelled with dupe terror in her tone.

Pinkie Pie, Rose Spark, and Skyla jerked their gazes to the stairs, thus giving the mare ample opportunity to poorly thought-out move on the unperturbed man. Given one of his abilities is sensing the magic of others, which happens to be directly connected to emotion, he was not fazed by her deception. His keen sense, however, did not mean anything to her, for it was only a moment of deception she wanted to do as she pleases.

Now's my chance.

After Sin leaned up to indulge himself of this lowly plan, Spitfire struck with the speed of a hungry spider, she reared up and forced herself onto his lap, and then aimed for her prize as he was distracted by the sudden closing of personal space. She gently thrust a kiss upon Sin's lips and held it for about three seconds, tasting quickly the inside of his mouth as the pink princess did a double-take. Sin, the poor lad, yelped inside Spitfire's mouth and waved his hands in the air as the twinge of shock from Cadance twisted into a familiar emotion she has already felt with Spitfire.

Shocked but furious on this inside, Cadance clenched her teeth and growled at the Pegasus winking in return before pulling away from the flabbergasted human, his lips shortly connected with the saliva she stole from him. If there was ever a moment for the slippers and crown to come off, this was that moment. Cadance wanted nothing more than rip her friend from Sin and throw her out in the cold for the day, just so she learned the hard lesson best friends never do to one another.

"Pretty tasty," Spitfire laid next to him, licking one hoof to enhance the seduction. "But I wonder how you really are—" she leaned up to his ear, her warm breath nipping his lobe. "—in bed."

"Spitfire, what the hay!?" Cadance yelled, startling Pinkie and the fillies as she stomped one of her hooves. Spitfire just shrugged her shoulders and nudged his leg for fun.

"Hey, we're best friends, but I'm not going to wait for you to grow the courage to make a move for the both of us." she shot back, quickly becoming annoyed.

"Well don't you think you're going way too far? You just met Sin yesterday!"

"So, there are very few stallions that fit my taste; and, unlike you, I'm not a big pansy that waits for the guy to make a move, because it will most likely be too late by then!"

"Excuse me!" Cadance barked.

"You heard me, bubblegum butt. I did not stutter." Spitfire mocked, secretly tempting fate. She scooted closer to Sin and rested herself on his leg, before shooting a smug grin at the mare.

"Are you saying I cannot get a good stallion because I'm too cowardly!?" Cadance raised her voice, borderline the Royal Voice she has not used since she was a teenager. She stood her ground with the Pegasus as it became a electrifying staredown, their eyes locking together while the kind mare forced herself on Sin's left side. "Well, little filly, I'll have you know my 'stalling' is not cowardly. I am a princess that has standards, and I expect them to be met."

"Why is your mommy yelling at Miss Spitfire?" Rose Spark asked very cutely.

Skyla leaned close to her new friend but still watched her mother challenge the Pegasus in a showdown of glares. "I don't know, but I think it is because they like your daddy."

"Wow, you sure make things exciting." Pinkie chirped, receiving a flat glare from Sin as he was forced between the fighting ponies in a surprise battle of morning snuggles.

"Oh, you have no idea." he said in a monotone.

"I am dignified!" yelled Cadance, only to have her friend laughing hardy.

"No, you're a chicken!"

"Well at least I don't fooling with every cute stallion I see!"

"Neither do I, but I realize this hunk is going to be off the menu if neither of us snatches him up before the other mares."

"We just met him!"

"Yes, but, thanks to me, we don't have to worry about him being taken by another."

"Maybe I want to know him better first."

"Then you're a moron, but I still love ya."

"How did I get dragged into this?" Sin whined.

After struggling to recover the connection she so desperately needed to track him down, Luna sat in the unharmed meadows of the Gryphon Kingdom. She sat in front of the human as he paid his respects to the freshly made grave of Queen Feather Heart. Rain was pouring across the entire country in reaction of his poorly controlled magic at the time. Blood that once dried onto the ground and rubble inside and outside of the kingdom was now washing away, just like the stains that stick to his body. The kingdom was all but quiet when he approached the gravestone of his friend, his tears drowned with raindrop after raindrop seeping through his torn hair.

Once the area cleared out of any remaining visitors, Sin placed a well-kept picture of him, Talon, and Feather Heart in front of her gravestone and inhaled deeply. He had only the jacket his king had ordered the best seamstress in his kingdom to sew; and that was very little in covering up the many wounds he gained in battle with Black Dust. Bandages practically covered everything but his right eye and arms, while the rest of him slowly healed itself with powerful magic not of his control. It, of course, was no mystery why he was healing like this. His comrades, who currently shed tears inside him, were the source of Gryphonia's victory and his survival.

"Everyone keeps telling that I'm a superhero—maybe even a god— because I have godlike power," Sin said as he stared down at the coffin, his right eye twitching with the urge to close. "But a god does not bleed or feel pain at all. A god does not fail to save everyone from monsters. A god cannot. . .feel the pain of losing someone close to their heart."

Thunder clapped overhead and lightning struck across the castle, but Sin was unfazed by it. He had been touched so many times as an experiment by the all-powerful nature of a lightning storm that it did not invoke any fear whatsoever. His body was perfectly still while Luna flinched.

"Is this after that battle?" she referred to the first memory, and then pondered it while he continued to make his speech to the deceased Gryphon.

"You once told me that a superhero is what this kingdom needs, but it was never the case." Sin began to cringe in disgust of himself. He could not fight back the unbearable feeling of failing his friend. "I will admit, after discovering what those scientists did to me, I thought myself to be a superhero, someone can do almost anything if he tries hard enough. But a superhero was never what this kingdom needed, just a brave one; and you showed that by stepping in the way of the blade."

Luna did not say a word, she was too choked up by his heartache. All she could do was cry with the image of her lover as he kneeled to the coffin and slid his hand across the bronze engraving.

This is all my fault. None of this would have happened if I hadn't become Nightmare Moon.

"Goodbye, my old friend—" he rest his head against the oak finish, clenching his teeth. "— I can only hope that your daughter will forgive me when she is old enough to understand why you are gone."

With his final words. . . Sin walked away, never to set foot at her grave again. Luna, still trapped in her own endeavor of finding the real Sin, followed the memory while she still could.

. . .

After a long walk through the broken walls of his beloved home, Sin entered the silent halls of the throne room. Many black bags were zipped up and tagged by the soldiers that still live. Friends and family stood over some and mourned while others were left to the empty clutches of loneliness—not that it hurt at all since they already gone. Still, it hurt the once-worshipped man to see those he trained so hard lay to rest with no one but him to mourn their sacrifice. His heart felt as if it were about to stop for the first time in hundreds of years, and he clenched it with a hand over his chest as the tears fell fast.

I'm supposed to protect everyone, but all I have done is fail.

As he made his way to the throne, a sudden clack of talons caught his hearing. Two guards to his left suddenly pursued a small Gryphon that's been on the hunt for his father for hours, hoping he did not fall in the war. Unfortunately, the two guards behind were very young and fresh out of the academy; and they had no idea that the child was more than what most would know.

"Hey, stop right there!" the younger Gryphon barked, his claws just within reach of the crying child.

Sin turned to them and realized he had forgotten his greatest gift from fate was still without the knowledge of his survival. He looked down to the barely flying Gryphon and felt his chest blowup with some joy. Some, that is, but it was still a depressing evening for him. He had already lost so much thanks to his ignorance and fear. What more could be given to make him feel any better than he does now? Nothing. Absolutely nothing. The only joy he could get out of this day is seeing his—

"Soft Claw," he whispered, his smile weak but enough for the child to see.

"Daddy!" the little Gryphon cried as he leapt into his father's arms.

"Daddy!?" Luna gasped. "He's a father to—"

"Daddy," Soft Claw sobbed in his father's chest. Sin went to shush his little one with gentle strokes, but the young guards in front of him drew his attention. They stopped before him and saluted, but their respect to the man was completely ignored due to their inability to show compassion to the kid.

"Captain Firestorm," the younger guard said sternly, although his wings were ruffling uncontrollably when he received a deep glare from the bemused man. "We apologize for bothering you, but that Gryphon darted out of the third bunker and—"

"—Is my adopted son," Sin interrupted in a very cold tone, his eye narrowing on the guards as he pat his son's back. "So you had best remember his face and name. Otherwise, harming the son of the Gryphon Captain is punishable by expulsion or ten years in the dungeon. Is that clear, soldier?"

"Y—Yes, sir!" the Gryphons saluted.

He adopted a Gryphon, Luna pondered the thought. It was not until the past they shared together she concluded to a theory behind Sin having no biological children so far. "So this means he has not tried to have a little one with anypony; at least I hope so."

"Good," Sin nodded, before planting his gaze on his traumatized son. Taking a moment to calm Soft Claw, Sin rocked him back and forth and pat his back while Talon appeared behind him. "Now return to the citizens that need help. I want all the injured, homeless, women and children brought to the castle for food, medicine, and shelter; and make sure to have every available man—soldier or citizen—is brought into account before we begin rebuilding and fortifying the kingdom."

"Yes, Captain!" they took their leave, which left Sin to deal with his son. Thanking the almighty for his son's safety, he pecked Soft Claw's head and tuned his voice to an Irish verse that became the first lullaby when adopted the boy. King Talon, at the time, with his newborn in his wings, listened with the growing crowd as his most trusted friend washed away their sorrow, unknowingly. But little did he know what Sin's talent was doing when the whimpering princess heard him.

"Steal away, let's steal away~" he continued to rock his son, never letting up as the few Gryphons in the throne room circled him. They needed a lifting of their hopes, a brighter tomorrow to be seen before it comes; and what better way than to have the Gryphon Captain soothe their pain with the one talent that he can call his own. "No reason left to stay~"

Luna smiled through her own pain and watched as the shadow she is, her eyes brim with tears of joy. After enduring so much, you still sing to others.

"For me and you, let's start anew; and make a new beginning~" he looked up to the crowd and saw their smiles growing; even just a little, it was still heartwarming to see there was still hope in their eyes. As much as it embarrassed him, Sin continued his singing for his son and his citizens. He knew that Feather Heart would have wanted this. To keep the spirit of Gryphonia alive. "We have to chose: to win or lose; and it's time we started winning~"

"Steal away, lets steal away. No reason left to stay~" Luna sang to herself, before sighing contently. "How I miss hearing you sing to me when the night was lonely."

. . .

Finally, the memory faded away in the distance. Luna was dragged back to the reality of being in bed as her grandfather clock rang in her ears that it was noon, her mind still holding said memory as she allowed herself to balance out the dizziness that comes with deep dream traveling. Her room was still the same mess she made of it after seeing the first memory, books and scrolls thrown across the room or into the fire, her crown stuck in the wall. The Night Goddess could not care any less about the consequences of her sister lecturing her over a messy room. She was too distracted by her own intentions to give a damn.

"Sin is still alive, I can feel it. " Luna thought as the connection of their bond came completely into the light, a silver lining that struck from her horn to the world beyond her window. As always, even when she was just a filly learning to be a monarch, Luna opulently dressed in her crown, chest piece, and slippers before hopping out of bed to follow the silver lining. . .a simple phenomenon that gave her hope and joy as it pulsed in recognition of the distance between him and her. It was no mystery that the closer she got the faster the pulse would be, just like it always did when they teenagers.

"He is very close," she opened the window and let the cold chill of winter nip at her fur for a brief second. Her hooves were already buried in two feet of accumulated snow, which should have been cleared out days ago by the guards. Why was that not done?

"I have fur but I am already freezing." the Lunar Princess shivered, but a harsh winter was not going to stop her. She was determined to find her mate, even if it meant freezing her wings off. She shook her head furiously, and then protected herself with a simple barrier of her power.

"Nevertheless, I will not allow this chance to slip by," she said determinedly. "I lost him to an ill fate of my own doing, but not this time." She flared her wings, preparing for the long road of recovery. "No, this time, I will be the mare you saw me as. And when we are together again I will reunite our family, because our little one lives."

With that mouthful out of her, Luna took to the sky. However, what she did not know is a certain alabaster alicorn heard every word she said and was now sitting at window with her wedding ring firmly grasped in magic. Said alicorn stared at the ring with trepidation as her sister disappeared in the next gust of snow, tears descending onto the only picture him asking for their hooves in holy matrimony.

"Luna, why must you pursue a ghost of a chance?" Celestia questioned, but her words were thrown right back at her faster than she could realize.

Sensing a familiar pressure of magic, the Sun Goddess looked up from the picture and gasped at the twitch in her heart. She breathed heavily for air and looked around the world through the window to direct the pull on her body. Her tears started to overflow and every fiber of her being felt as if fire engulfed her in a deep passion she clearly remembered.

"It can't be," he eyes flashed a clear white, and then the room shifted in the blink an eye to an exact copy of Ponyville. At first the princess thought of it to be a hallucination built by her secret desperation to have their lover back, but she was so very wrong. Though quiet and barren in the blizzard, two shadows appeared before the deity and walked past her.

Celestia's eyes widened at the tall figure walking next to the bouncing Element of Laughter. Her pupils dilated and reflected the face behind the cloak, who happened to be carrying a filly in warm clothing he shrunk to fit her size. His warm smile came into the alicorn's view, and it made her disbelief melt away.

"Come on, Sin." a very enthusiastic Pinkie Pie chirped. "I want you to meet all of my friends."

"All of her friends?" Celestia rested her chin on her hoof and dwelled on the idea of Sin meeting all the elements. But, suddenly, her common sense exploded with realization of the pink pony sending her long lost mate to the last place he should go. Her heart began to throb out of her chest.

"Fluttershy's cottage," she began to tremble with absolute fear. ". . .DISCORD!"