Title:           Evil always finds a way: pt7 Passion
Author:          Kurgash
Pastebin link:   http://pastebin.com/pfNbwWkB
First Edit:      Tuesday 27th of January 2015 11:40:25 PM CDT
Last Edit:       Last edit on: Thursday 29th of January 2015 11:59:38 PM CDT

>You oversaw the Tower repairs as the minions rushed about with cleaning supplies and moving new slaves down into the furnaces to fuel the Forge.
>Krum quickly went to work forging a chain that would hold the now large dragon steady in place, using some of the dragon teeth you brought back as base material.
"Sire, I know that you are busy making sure your industry is well maintained but there is the matter of mistress Rarity to attend to."
>Gnarl shuffled next to you, looking on as the minions dragged away the burnt bodies and carried away wheel barrels of treasure back to your hoard room.
"The poor thing hasn't come out of her room for some time now. Not since this whole nasty incident. Maybe you should pay her a visit?"
>Having to treat these women was growing to be a chore but your master minion did have a point.
>You took one last look at the dragon as some Reds and Greens crawled over his frame, attaching a choker to his neck so he would become more obedient.
>He was submissive for now but you'd rather not have him get any ideas. You've also ordered the builders to expand on the chamber, give the dragon some leg room. Also decrease the chance of Krum getting caught in the inferno that was the creature's breath.
>Rarity's room was quite the mess as you came in. Pillows thrown about, curtains ripped, even her desk was out of sorts as her tools were carelessly laid about.
>She was on her bed, choking back some sniffles as she looked up to see you come in.
>Her familiar pony mane was now replaced by hair, still retaining the purple coloring. She had pale, peach skin and had rich, sapphire eyes.
>The minions had given her a bathrobe to dress herself in for now while they worked to make her something fit to wear.
"Oh. It's you."
>She gets up and cleans herself up a bit.
"How can I be of assistance?"
>She chokes on the last word.
"My lord..."
>You picked up a pillow off the floor and threw it at her, she seemed to think this was a place where she could just freely vent her frustrations.
"I needed some time to get used to my new...way of life."
>She got off the bed and came over to you. Her hair was disheveled and unkempt. She followed your gaze.
"It's a work in progress, have to find a way to tame this savage beast."
>She fusses with her hair to prove her point to you as you further inspected the damage she caused, calculating the time and patience it would take to repair this.
>Rarity reached out to you momentarily to get your attention, pulling back when you turned to her.
"I've, I've been wondering. About Spike. You're not going to keep him like that are you? I mean, you can bring him back to his adorable, pudgy little self?"
>If the matter came up, you'd think about it. Having a large dragon sitting at the bottom of your Tower was just asking for a disaster but the possibility of speeding up production was too great to pass up.
>You walked past her, stopping at her desk. There was some purple cloth set about with furs on the shoulder pieces. On the other side, a coal black hue thick in fabric. It almost looked like a cloak.
"It was something I was working on. Thought it would make you look more striking than just a simple walking suit of armor."
>She ran a hand over your second skin, fumbling with the little spikes and minion carvings engraved in the suit.
>She took it from you and held it up, eying up the size and contours of your frame to that of her work.
"I guess I should get back to it. I mean, going to be here for a while now right? Might as well keep myself busy."
>She folds it in her arms and tries to smile, clutching it tightly.
"It's going to take some time to get adjusted here. How Fluttershy puts up with you I'll never know."
>Her face perks up slightly.
"You're different from what I expected. Normally in the stories the villain locks the lady away to never be seen."
>She smirks at you, amused at her little anecdote.
"But here you're acting the brave knight, coming to rescue the damsel away from her moment of despair."
>She starts to giggle, her mood improving.
"Now, in order to work properly I can't have prying eyes constantly looking over my shoulder. A lady needs to work in peace."
>She notes the simple robe around her body.
"And I'll have to do something about this. I can't be walking around letting these just flop about, I'm not some simple harlot."
>She pulled the robe tight around her breasts to prove her point, the fabric hugging them nicely. These women know all the ways to torment you.
>She wiped some tears out of her eyes.
"Thank you, for stopping him at least. It's happened before where his greed got the better of him and he became a wild beast."
>She hugged the cloak tightly.
"I know it's asking alot but if you find a way to restore him, please consider it. I miss having my little knight at my side."
>You headed for the door, stopping when you heard her make a noise in her throat. Turning, you see her smile. She looked better.
"Thank you again, I guess hearing a girl just ramble on about her woes must be something a 'lord of evil' doesn't do that often. I'll make it up to you. I promise."
>You started to leave when she got your attention again.
"And about Spike. Please think it over. It would mean alot to me."
>You closed the door behind you.
>Gnarl called you into the war room, fumbling over some maps while Discord looked on with little interest.
>Looking up, Gnarl grimaced as you approached.
"Sire, so kind of you to join us. Discord here was just telling me about some interesting news."
>Discord shrugged as he floated slowly in the air.
"Oh just something about a ruined castle, ancient relics and treasure, probably unspeakably evil artifacts lurking inside like ripe fruit just waiting to be plucked."
>Gnarl was excited.
"Sire, I believe we should show some interest in this endeavor. Pillage this little palace and bring back whatever you can find. I'm sure we can put it to better use than the collections of dust piling on them."
"The only problem is that the castle used to belong to the two little alicorn sisters. Tucked away in the depths of the forest, where no pony will find it."
>Discord looked back at you, a little grin on his face.
"Unless they've been there before."
>Gnarl's ears perked up.
"And just what are you suggesting?"
"Quite simply, bring one of your mistresses. The little dearies have been to the castle before, on several occasions even. I'm sure they wouldn't mind a trip out of the tower."
>Discord started to stroke his goatee.
"Who to bring though, that is the question."
>Gnarl looked up from the map in front of him.
"Why not just go yourself? You obviously know where it is, why involve the master's mistresses?"
>Discord methodically clicked his digits together, giggling.
"Why indeed. A little adventure out to a dark, mysterious castle. You could almost say it's...romantic."
>Gnarl went to protest but he found nothing to use.
"Think about Gnarl. The lady is close to her Overlord, held tight against the shadows in the dark."
>Gnarl tabbed his chin.
"And in such a turn of events, she would soon become enthralled with the master. No doubt being infatuated, she would throw herself at him."
>Discord rubbed Gnarl's head.
"Now you're getting it! But who to pick..."
>The journey to the abandoned castle was easier said than done. Your traveling companion was quite distracted when it came to escorting her through the woods, stopping to look at what random creatures passed through or getting turned around and having to find her.
>The minions weren't much help as they were more interested in following her example and wandering off to attack the fauna.
"The castle of the two sisters, I remember having to find that with Twilight a while back. It was fun, even though I thought Angel got crushed by a falling stone and everypony was running around terrified."
>She looked at you, trying to get you to smile as well.
"Still, fun!."
>Fluttershy stopped again to look at some random plants, picking them up and placing them in a little bag she brought with her.
>The constant delays were beginning to wear on your patience, perhaps you should have taken Rarity. She seemed the kind of girl who would keep pace. You recalled the conversation that led to your decision.
>Gnarl paced the war room as Discord fumbled with odd trinkets left on the table, making them spin about or come to life and duel one another for his amusement.
"If we're going to get the mistresses to court with the master, it'll have to be on their terms. Why not just bring both of them? Should be simple enough to win them over quick enough and be done there."
>Discord started to file a claw as he listened to Gnarl.
"Unfortunately that's just the opposite effect. One on one time is needed to get their little hearts fluttering."
>He picked up a moving trinket and watched it flail about helplessly.
"Fluttering...why not Fluttershy? You said she was having some problems getting close to lord boy over here. Some alone time with him could do wonders."
>He turned to you and made some kissing faces.
>Gnarl waved him off as Discord resumed to entertain himself.
"I would wager my years of evil service on miss Rarity. She's gone through some hardships currently, she needs comfort."
>Discord scoffed.
"Last thing we need is a hazard. Let her calm herself in due time, then hit her with the suave moves."
>Listening to the two go on back and forth grew tiresome. You sat down and forced yourself to be interested in their discussion.
>As if a miracle come to save you from your troubles, Fluttershy came in with her usual tray of tea. A habit she had developed to make herself busy, one Gnarl seemed to encourage.
"Ah, just in time. Fluttershy are you doing anything within the next, oh twenty minutes?"
>Fluttershy stood there confused at Discord's question.
"Um, no not really. I think maybe going to see Rarity about fitting for a dress but..."
>Discord clapped excitedly.
"Oh forget that for now. You're going to escort tall dark and gruesome here on a little trip."
>She turns to you and gets slightly flush in the face.
"Wh-where?"
"Oh nowhere special, just Celestia and Luna's old castle. You remember where it is right?"
>Fluttershy puts down the tray for Gnarl and starts to think.
"I think so. But why go there? It's been abandoned for some time now."
>Gnarl took his cup and slurped loudly.
"Just a little sight seeing trip. Get to know the land before he conquers it, you know that kind of thing."
>Fluttershy looked uneasy but nodded.
"I guess I can help you find it. I just haven't been there in a while so my memory is foggy."
>Discord picked you and Fluttershy up and hurried you out the door.
"It's decided then, you kids go have fun. Be sure to let us know how it goes oh and bring some of your little imp things, I'm sure they'll love it!"
>Discord closed the door behind you as you left alongside a now beat red Fluttershy. He turned back to Gnarl with a little grin.
"This should be fun. Fluttershy isn't the prude type, I highly doubt she'll just throw herself at your armored associate."
>Gnarl sipped his mug slowly.
"Oh I have a feeling they'll become quite close. The master shows a special affection for the girl."
"Care to make a little wager?"
>Fluttershy hummed to herself as you waited for her to finish plucking another handful of flowers. Coming over to you, she placed it neatly in a little pocket of armor by the chest.
"There, I think that looks quite nice. Distracts away from all those spikes and scary decorations."
>Plucking it off your frame, the little flower incinerated at your touch. Fluttershy took the hint that you were getting annoyed.
"Right, we should find that castle. It should be anywhere around here."
>The trees began to clear as into view you found a run down mess. This must be it.
>Your minions excitedly ran forward and smashed on the door with glee as Reds started to light vines and branches on fire.
>Fluttershy ran over to them and tried to put the fires out, only making the minions laugh and inciting them to cause more havoc.
>The door was locked, looking rather ornate despite it's apparent age.
"I guess no one's here. Now what?"
>Motioning for Fluttershy to stand back, you swung your mace in a clean strike knocking the door off it's frame. It was sturdy.
"Oh, I guess that works too."
>She followed in behind you, pushing the door aside as minions squeezed in past her. They immediately set to work grabbing and smashing whatever they could get their hands on.
>Fluttershy hurried after them trying to contain their reckless habits while you watched in amusement. She turned to you, annoyed at your apparent enjoyment of her frustration.
"Can you get them to stop? We worked really hard to rebuild this place. It would be rude to Twilight if we just started to tear it apart, she really poured her heart into this."
>Signalling them to return, you noted her smile as she hurried back down the steps.
"Thank you erm, sire. I would like to leave this place as intact as possible. Twilight always loved coming here, it would be a shame to ruin it."
>Did she now? How useful.
>Checking different rooms, there wasn't much of note outside withered curtains, tattered beds and torn down rooms.
>For the most part, this castle was falling apart and needed alot of work. Work you weren't willing to devote.
>You found Fluttershy sitting on a bed in one of the main bed rooms, fiddling with something.
>Coming over, you found a small stuffed animal barely held together. She looked up you and laughed.
"I guess at one point even Celestia was a little filly. Hard to imagine a great and powerful ruler holding onto a small toy."
>You stood over her, looking at the rest of the room. Part of the wall had fallen away from years of erosion and the forest working to reclaim the land. There also some curtains that would trace around the edge of the bed. You noted to have that feature added to your own bed when you returned.
"Um, sire. I was wondering."
>You look down at her. She seemed fidgety about something.
"Master Gnarl mentioned a little while back, about planting the seed and all. What exactly did he mean?"
>If you could arch an eyebrow, it would be shooting through your helmet into the roof.
"I-I get what it is supposed to mean, it-it's just why? I'm not entirely the nicest looking mistress. Chrysalis seems alot prettier than me, even Rarity always had her share of good looks. Especially now that she's transformed too I'm sure she's quite lovely."
>Resting a hand on her shoulder, she clutched at it offering you a little smile.
"But, it makes me, well, happy that you decided to bring me along. Even if Discord set it up. You could have just left me behind and brought anypony, erm, anyone else."
>She pulls on your arm, motioning you to sit beside her.
"I know I'm not the most assertive, it's actually something I've been working on. I took some lessons a while back."
>You listened as she talked, feeling her hand tighten it's grip on the leather underneath of your gauntlet.
>Suddenly shoving you down, she climbed on top, her face close to yours.
"I'm not, I don't normally do this. But..."
>Her face suddenly gets determined.
"I don't want Chrysalis to have you all to herself."
>She started to undo the cuffs on your gauntlets, letting your now free hands run through her hair. It was like silk.
>She put her hand inside your now revealed human hand, pink flesh contacting slightly pale skin. Constant concealment in armor did you no favors for a color complexion.
>Using her other free hand, she undid the latches on your front armor fumbling with the the straps as the intricate designs confused her. Letting go of your hand she sat on your waist, confusion overcoming her.
"So how do I? Do we? Well, you know."
>Clicking your belt buckle, your armored pants went limp suddenly, shifting tension below her.
"Oh, I guess that works."
>She watched as you undid your chest armor, pulling it off to reveal your muscular torso.
>Flushing beat red, some muffled noises came from her mouth as you reached up to stroke her cheek, slowly moving your hand down to her shoulders and pulling down her dress straps.
>Grabbing your hand, she starts to shake slightly as she moves your hand back onto the bed and pulls the dress strap down herself.
"I've got to learn to do this..."
>She lifts up her dress, revealing her supple assets.
"If I'm going to be doing this more often."
>You could have sworn you heard a purr escape her mouth as she suddenly lunged at you, attacking your neck with her lips while tossing your helmet clean away from the bed.
>Gnarl and Discord watched the scene play out from the view of the Tower Heart, the swirling orb showing Fluttershy take charge of the intimate exchange.
>Gnarl was awestruck at what he saw.
"I must admit, I didn't think she had it in her."
>Discord laughed as the Overlord pulled Fluttershy's hair causing her to go wild with passion.
>He sighed in defeat.
"Ok. You win."
>You slowly opened your eyes only to be greeted by a sea of pink clouding your vision. Running a hand through them, you savored the sensation of the silky threads a little longer before parting them away from your face.
>Your face.
>It wasn't often you would remove your suit of armor, a magical side effect of binding yourself to the Tower Heart.
>Looking over, you found your mistress sleeping soundly after having conjoined with you in some dark deeds.
>Slowly moving to the side to climb out, you found yourself trapped in a steel grip. Looking over, you saw her eyelids half open, a smirk on her face.
"You're not getting away that easy."
>She slowly got up, wrapping herself around your chest taking a soft nibble of your ear.
"I think I can get used to this."
>You pulled yourself away and started to redress yourself. Fluttershy let out a sigh as she did the same.
>Clasping your armor tight, you went to leave the room when you found your arm interlocked in hers.
>Deciding to not fight the inevitable, you let her savor her small victory.
>Your minions were hard at work climbing every surface and inspecting every corner for anything worthwhile to bring to the master.
>Small piles of treasure and looted items could be seen dotting the floor as they worked unceasingly, looking for apparent powerful artifacts.
>You summoned them to you as Fluttershy let go and ran to the nearest pile, looking through it.
"Now minions, you can't just run about unsupervised. Look at this mess, who's going to clean it up? I remember how hard Twilight worked with us to clean up this castle. Now put back everything where you found it. Come on now."
>The minions looked to you for guidance, unsure whether to listen to the mistress or the master. You cocked your head in her direction, signaling that for this time, she was calling the shots.
>A small book sat at the bottom of one of the piles, it's golden embroidery catching Fluttershy's attention.
>Brushing some items aside, she picked it up.
"I remember this. It was the old journal used by the sisters."
>Walking over, you took it from her and flipped through it quickly. The pages had imagery of the royals on various journeys throughout the land.
>One such page caught your interest. It was of a crystalline crown of purple and black color. Showing it to Fluttershy, she thumbed through the chapter.
"This? It says it's the crown of the Fallen King. An old symbol used by the ruler of a forgotten land."
>The minions gathered round and starting gibbering for 'storytime'
"Legend has it that there was a king who was loved by all the ponies. A leader from the Unicorn tribe, he ruled with kindness and devotion to his subjects."
>Flipping through the page, you saw scenes of happiness and prosperity turn to ones of darkness and hardship.
"But one day, a blight swallowed the land. The great king journeyed with his most trusted knights to find the source and vanquish it but only he returned."
>The last page showed a unicorn wielding terrible magic against all pony kind.
"Consumed by the very darkness he sought to rid his kingdom of, the land twisted and transformed to his dark heart's desires. Celestia and Luna traveled to the kingdom, hoping to appeal to what sense of hope dwindled in the dark king. But they were forced to banish him to save the land."
>"Sire, I believe this may have something to do with what Chrysalis found in that 'Crystal Empire'. When you return from your little excursion with mistress Fluttershy, you should pay a visit to this new kingdom. It could be quite worthwhile."
>Closing the book, you took it from Fluttershy and handed it to the minions who ran about fighting over it.
>A sharp gasp caught your attention as you looked up to see the familiar purple unicorn from before. Little princess Twilight.
"You again?!"
>Glaring at the purple eyesore, you failed to notice Fluttershy's ecstatic expression as she was reunited with her lost friend.
>You left your weapon in the bedroom so all you had were your fists and some spells. The latter being not as useful against her.
>Twilight grabbed the book away from the minions with her magic, sending them scurrying back to you.
"This journal is an important part of Equestrian history, I'm not surprised to see your little gremlins throwing it around like some common trash magazine."
>She walked down the steps approaching you. There wasn't any sort of noted aggression in her movements, more so aggravation.
"It would almost seem like you're hitting places of magical properties, looking for something. Well you won't find anything here, because GAHH!"
>Fluttershy interrupted the little monologue with a forceful hug on the princess.
"Twilight! It's been so long, how have you been? I missed you so much!"
>Twilight tried to escape the vice grip that was Fluttershy's embrace. Knowing first hand, she was doomed.
"Wha-who are you? Let go of me this instant!"
>Fluttershy let go of her friend, confused at what she meant.
"Twilight, it's me. Fluttershy. Don't you recognize me?"
>Pulling herself away, Twilight looks Fluttershy over unsure what to make of it.
"This is a trick. A dumb little spell. You're trying to confuse me, have me lower my guard."
>She starts to nervously backpedal away from you.
"I haven't seen Fluttershy in a very long time, not since Ponyville. She followed that armored monster, she never came back."
>A few tear drops started to fall to the floor.
"You can't be her. Standing side by side with this..this thing!"
>She shoved an accusing hoof in your direction. You enjoyed the little spectacle of watching her mind slowly unravel at the truth.
>Fluttershy slowly wrapped her arms around Twilight again, gently shushing her.
"Twilight, it's ok. Alot of things have happened but trust me, it's your friend Fluttershy."
>Twilight slowly got control of herself as it sunk in.
"What happened to you?"
>Fluttershy looked over to you, a little smile on her face.
"Well, basically I'm staying with him now. Oh Twilight you have to come visit sometime, it's not as dark and dreary as you expect. Rarity is working on upgrading some of the decor so it'll look more..."
>Twilight held up a hoof.
"Wait, Rarity is there too?"
>Fluttershy realized what she said.
"Oh yes, well the master found her in the woods with Spike so he brought her back."
"Spike too?!"
>She started to pull on her dress now, unsure how to answer the barrage of questions.
"Well, he's ok. I guess. He turned into a giant dragon though because he got a little greedy but the master took care of things."
>Twilight eyed you with contempt.
"Master? Really now. Since when is the embodiment of villainy your 'master'?"
>Fluttershy looked surprise.
"It's not like that. He's actually not as terrible as you think! You just need to give him a chance and.."
"He destroyed half of Ponyville and left on a whim! He set fire to my entire personal library because it suited him just fine!"
>Fluttershy started to get agitated as her friend raising her voice in anger.
"And he didn't hurt you anymore when I asked him not to!"
>Twilight stopped cold, shock overcoming her face.
"Wha-what do you mean?"
"When he was going to keep hurting you in your castle, I pleaded with him not to. He listened to me, deep down there is a heart somewhere, I just know it."
>Twilight sat on the ground, choking back something about to burst at the seams.
"He's gotten to you. He's twisted your head around and filled it with lies. She's gone."
>Twilight disappeared in a flash of light, the last you saw of her was a look of hate directed at you, a spark of purple and black flickering around her eyes.
>Fluttershy sat there watching her friend refuse to believe she still existed, sighing to herself as she stood up and clung to your arm.
"I want to go home..."
>Home. That was new.
>Calling your minions from their hiding places, you picked up the tossed aside journal and headed for your Tower.
>Your home.