The Heart of Pleasure
By Haunter Rayne
Ch 42 – The Big Reveal

"...Water..." Rayne groaned weakly as he started to come to. As he awoke from using his healing magic Rayne now felt as if his body was sore all the way through to his bones. As he tried to move his hooves his shoulders screamed as if they were burned from the inside out. The last time Rayne was like this it had been intentional that he kept this eyes closed. But now he felt nearly unable to command his eyelids to rise. "I need..." He attempted again to speak but his nausea suddenly compelled him to vomit onto the floor while having no ability to stop it from happening.

Quickly he felt hooves upon him and could hear voices but to his ears they sounded muddled. He was only vaguely aware that he was being dragged somewhere while the voices were calling to him again. Suddenly a cold splash enveloped his body covering him up to his neck. Then he felt a gentle touch as it dripped water down along his face.

'...R-y... R-... ke... Ra-ne... ...up..."

To him it felt as if his ears were underwater. Everything was blurred and slurring. He became aware that some outside force was now holding an eyelid open. But the registration of light was delayed in reaching his mind.

"Said... ...sick, you d-... He... ... move his.... -lid!"

It sounded to him as if somepony might be shouting but he couldn't be sure. Loosely remembering back to when he fainted, Rayne blindly reached out now hoping to find some indication that Maud was there with him. Almost instantly he felt a warm body place itself within the crook of his arm and hold him closely. Rayne leaned forward and inhaled a deep breath against a mane that he felt near his face.

Almost immediately he recognised the scent and smiled. "Maud..." He whispered happily and then felt a hoof stroking his back. All of a sudden his senses returned to him in a jarring fashion. His eyes shot open as adreniline flooded his system. The gentle trickle of the waterfall assaulted his ears like a tremendous roar. Rayne's knees wobbled, causing him to stumble in the shallow pool. There he began to cough violently to catch his staggered breath. "Wh- What?! Ugh, where... what's happening?" He choked out as he looked around.

It took him a moment but he quickly realized that he was safe. He was in Maud's cave sitting waist deep in her bathing pool and she was right there with him holding him close. "It's okay, I'm right here. I haven't left your side Rayne. You're okay now." The gray mare told him while still rubbing his back.

On his otherside there were a stripped set of hooves that were also helping him to stand steady. "A bit unprepared you left us to help you. Maud said you would be sick, but we did not know what this magic would do." Said the other mare beside him.

Chuckling softly Rayne turned to Zecora and told her. "I'm glad to see you're awake. But you're in trouble with me I'll have you know." He grinned to try and show that he was being playful but he did still mean what he was saying though. Rayne saw surprise flicker in her eyes but before she could speak he gestured his head back up to the living area. "Come on, I'm starting to feel better. Let's go back up and we can talk there."

Once they had assisted Rayne with wading through the water he shook himself off and finally seemed able to move again under his own power. He led them back up to where Maud had a love seat and several floor cushions. Rayne could tell where the girls had moved him to rest from the stain that his nausea had just caused him to leave on the floor. “Oh Maud, I’m sorry, I’ll-”

But she stopped him mid sentence as she shook her head. “Don’t worry about it. You think that Pinkie has never left a mess here? This is nothing.” And she then set herself to the task of cleaning up small blemish on the carpet.

Finding her way to one of the floor cushions Zecora looked to Rayne and asked, “So what do you mean that I am in trouble with you. Do you know how much worry you just put Maud and me through?” The zebra asked sounding as if she intended to reprimand him.

However all the gusto was taken from her argument as Rayne just gave her a tender stare and asked, “How are you feeling? Are you doing better Zecora?”

Feeling caught off guard by his audden empathy Zecora could not find the words to continue to argue with him. “Y-es, thank you.” She blushed and fell silent.

“That's good.” He stated simply. But then he began pacing the room in front of her as if he were an angered animal stuck within a cage. “But if you want to talk about worry, let’s start with how I found you!” Zecora’s eyes went wide and her jaw fell as Rayne began to yell. “What did I tell you?! Huh? Did I not specifically say that 'you should have TOLD ME if I had HURT YOU?!'" Zecora’s ears fell shamefully as she did remember him telling her that after the first time he’d transformed with her.

Quietly interjecting Maud asked, “Rayne, are you hungry?”

He paused to smile at her. He could tell that she was just trying to look out for him as he had just emptied his stomach and there had hardly been much in it to begin with. “Yes, thank you sweetheart.” Maud’s ears perked at that and she blushed as she turned away to make a salad for the three of them.

“Rayne, I-” Zecora began but was quickly cut off by the black stallion who changed like a light switch back into being furious.

“No! Don’t you even! I came back to your hut first after following Twilight and her friends over half of Equestria. Do you realize what I mean by that? I live here with Maud but I went to the forest… to check on YOU…! FIRST…! Because I was worried about you and wanted to make sure you were okay! And what did I find? Two days worth of notes on your door from Applebloom because you wouldn’t answer your door and a mess inside your hut that showed me you had hardly moved around SINCE I LEFT! That was DAYS ago! And me knowing that I was responsible for that!”

Zecora’s head dropped and her ears dropped as well. She did not respond as her embarrassment stripped anything else the zebra had to say from her lips. Maud looked on as she prepared the meal, feeling that she was a welcome member into this ‘conversation’ but not yet having anything direct to contribute.

As Rayne continued he softened his tone and then bent down to lift Zecora’s head with a hoof. “Do you have any idea how sorry I felt? How worried about you I had been? Imaging you alone and in pain, no help, and knowing that I had caused that to happen to a mare that I find so special?”

Turning away from him now Zecora whispered, “You make it sound like I had been mortally wounded. I assure you I was not left as desperate as you have concluded.” Despite her rebuttal though, she had not been able to look him in the eye at the same time. “Do not tease me Rayne, to say such things are cruel. I know many enjoy your affections, but I will never be your true heart's fuel.”

Upon hearing this Maud suddenly looked up. “Wait!” She shouted and then rushed in between the two of them. Kneeling down to look Zecora in the eye Maud asked aloud, “I know you and Rayne have sex. I don’t care about that. But do you have feelings for Rayne?” Zecora looked a little surprised by this outburst but she nodded. “Then answer me one thing. Why don’t you trust him?”

Both Rayne and Zecora looked to her surprised. The zebra blurted out, “Now wait just a minute! I trust Rayne without limit!” Rising to her hooves now she proudly said, “I would help him and support him and care for him whenever he needs it! I would even do things for him… to which I would not openly admit.”

Rayne placed a hoof on Maud’s shoulder thinking that he had caught onto what she had been meaning. “Then Zecora, why can’t you believe that you are special to me too?” The dumbfounded look on the zebra’s face was almost comical as she stood there confused. “You… matter… to… me… Zecora!” Rayne enunciated to her. “Listen to me. I haven’t been around Ponyville for very long but I’ve already come to gather who is important to me and who isn’t. Don’t tell anypony I admitted this but I’ve already slept with Applejack and have gotten pretty emotionally connected to Starlight Glimmer. Also Rainbow I’m pretty sure is just waiting to have her chance with me. And two of those three I’m now supposed to be seriously dating.”

“Oh?” Maud asked, sounding more curious than jealous. He just smirked and waived that he would tell her all about it later.

“But Zecora, no matter who I may find myself connected with it is you and Maud who have become special to me so far. As soon as I returned to Ponyville it was you two that I wanted to see the most. I carried you here on my back because you are worth doing that for to me. I brought you here to Maud because I trust her. Anypony else I would have dropped off at the hospital and hoped for the best. But because it was you I wanted to take care of you myself. I’m sorry if it is an exclusive relationship that you might be wanting from me. Right now I'm just not in a place to give that to you. But you want to know if you can be somepony who I hold in my heart? Well Zecora, you already are!”

Tears gently began to stream down the zebra’s face. Deep in her subconscious the lingering guilt of her family legacy was replaced at that moment in place of the warm glow from Rayne having touched her heart. While the two stared at each other Maud smiled as she reached out pushing the two closer together. Quickly they fell into a soft and delicate embrace. As they kissed each other, Maud sauntered back over to the meal she was making while feeling proud of herself.

- A Short Time Later -

The three sat cuddled together in Maud’s cushions as the stallion laid back with each of the mares lying against his sides. A wild assortment of kissing and giggling had transpired between them after they had finished their meal. But none attempted for anything more than their smooching, all settling for the tranquil relaxation they now shared.

“So Maud, how can it be true the jealously does not get to you?” Zecora asked from over Rayne’s shoulder.

“Well I mean in the beginning it did. Or at least I thought it would have. But Rayne has helped me realize that I might be open to more things in life than I would have previously considered. Right now, just seeing him happy is enough for me… and it makes me feel special that I’m the mare he comes home to and not any mare else. That might be a little prideful of me but knowing Rayne is going to sleep with others and not stay with them, while knowing he is going to sleep with me and stay with me… that brings a smile to my face.”

However this caused the zebra to laugh as she nodded along. “I just wish to know how things will be now. Are both Maud and I to both be your lovers somehow?”

Rayne spoke intimately as he made it clear that he was addressing them both. “I would like for you to be. No matter who I might date, I would very much like to know that I have two mares I can rely on whose connection I have is special with them. Other mares might come and go. But I need to know that I’m not alone. I need someone in my life who I can trust. Someponies to run to if I am scared, or hurt, or in danger.”

“In danger?” Maud asked, looking up at him concerned. “Why would you be-” But then she stopped when she saw Zecora look saddened.

Rayne continued by saying, “Part of the reason why I wanted you both here together is because I want to share something with you. It will be a secret connection, a special bond that I will never share with anypony else. But first I want to make sure the two of you understand. You mean so much to me that I would choose just the two of you for this over anypony else.” They were both staring at him very seriously now and each quietly nodded.

“It’s time for me to come clean. You both know some things about me that the other does not. And I have secrets that I haven’t told to anypony, not even to you. But I want someone… to share my burden with. Someone I can open up to so that I do not feel isolated in the weight of my decisions. Whether those decisions be good or bad.”

“I’m here for you Rayne.” Maud assured him.

“Already I have offered to shield you, even when life turns your fate to blue.” Zecora added in.

“Alright, so please try to not overreact to this. It will make sense if you allow me to explain myself.” Rayne stated and waited for them both to nod again. “My secret master plan is to one day kidnap, torture, and murder Fluttershy.” Their eyes went wide and Rayne remained silent for several seconds. He looked around the cave for a moment but then turned back to them saying, “No, I’m sorry. That isn’t true at all, I adore Fluttershy. I just needed to make sure that a certain invisible sarcastic character wasn’t secretly eavesdropping on our conversation." The girls both sighed with relief and it didn’t take much effort on Rayne’s part to then figure out how to cast a sound barrier around them.

He continued by asking a question to them both. “There is something that I want to know. If I turned bad… If I made questionable decisions or if my actions turned ponies, even the leaders of Equestria against me… would you still support me if I said that my feelings for you have not changed? That even if I had hurt others, that I would never do anything to hurt the two of you?”

Now there was a silence from the mares. Zecora went first as she agitatedly gave a shove to his shoulder with a hoof. “You make me ashamed of myself Rayne. I hope you can appreciate that.” She declared to him. At first he looked at her with concern but he listed as she added, “But I knew as soon as I saw this pleasure pony that you would cause my morals to wane. Even if you are at fault between guards, princesses, or even our friends… between you and them I will be at.”

The stallion hadn’t been prepared for such a powerful answer from her. However the apologetic look in her eyes told him that she had indeed originally felt like she owed him a family debt for their past. But now it was her heart that would keep her by his side instead.

“I just want to know one thing.” Maud said aloud, drawing his attention back to her. “You say you will never hurt us. But what about my Pinkie? She is an Element of Harmony. It is her job to go after ponies who go bad. And I have family who don’t live in Ponyville.”

Immediately Rayne raised a hoof and told her, “I would never do anything to harm them. In fact, it is not my plan to hurt anypony. I have a… goal of sorts, to gather power to help protect those who I care about. Think of Stygian, the little stallion who became the Pony of Shadows. He had a plan and it had been a harmless one if all had gone the way he wanted it to. His goal was to help his friends protect Equestria. My goals fall along the lines of something similar. But the means in which I intend to use are… not as harmless.”

Suddenly Zecora’s eyes went wide and she reached up, pulling both of Rayne’s ears back searching for a small blue vial. After seeing that it was not there Rayne spoke again as she looked to him nervously. “My plan will involve things… some things that I have already done and some things I yet intend to do... that would be frowned upon if others found out.”

Suddenly a gray hoof took a very firm hold upon Rayne’s arm. “I am here for you even if I don’t like what you have to say. I don't promise that I won’t get mad. But I will never turn away from you as long as you continue to care for me the way that you have and do not hurt those I care about. Now tell me… what things.”

“Well for starters...” Rayne began and spoke light heatedly as if he were discussing the weather. “I broke into Tartarus and murdered the villain once named Lord Tirek.” Maud’s eyes almost burst out of her head and Zecora leapt to her feet in fright but Rayne didn’t take it personally.

“W-wait! You-… not defeated? Murdered as in...” Zecora stammered, “like dead as in dead?”

Rayne nodded. “In the very form that I last slept with you in. I broke him out of prison for the privacy of not having Cerebus watching over my back. And I used the potion you gave me to make Applejack forget that I had done so, or partially anyways. Then I hunted him down in the wilds and I ate him alive.”

Dread seemed to fill the zebra’s face as her bottom collapsed to the carpeted floor. But that was the extent of her reaction, merely seeming shocked but not fleeing in disgust from him or anything of that nature. Maud however just seemed confused. “You ate him? How does a pony eat a goat?” She asked while sounding logical and practical about all of this.

Rayne chuckled and repeated, “I mentioned that you both have secrets of mine. Maud, you know precisely who the two loves of my life are that my cutie mark represent and you are the only pony I’ve told. Where as Zecora is aware that I don't always take the form of a pony. Your see, just before arriving in town I had the pleasure of making friends with Discord. Through some fast talking on my part he unintentionally bestowed upon me the power to shapeshift into a large and quite lethal beast. If I had to call it anything then I would describe it as a were-panther because I promise it is much more monstrous than any normal panther in Equestria.”

Maud turned to Zecora who nodded in agreement with him. But that was when Zecora asked the next obvious question. “Why? Why do this? He had been defeated so why kill when his danger was stilled?”

Now Rayne chuckled again. “How many times in Equestria is a villain defeated only to later be freed? …After five years? Ten years? A thousand years? Seeing as the princesses are obviously not fans of the death penalty I was able to deduce that there is something magical about Tartarus which keeps prisoners alive. I saw no food or water while I was there. Only those held captive... captive and bored and resentful forever. It would have only been a matter of time before Tirek escaped and attacked Equestria again. I have now protected our friends and loved ones from that ever reoccurring.”

Maud spoke next with an air of realization about her. “Something that would be frowned upon… You technically did a good thing for good reasons… in a way that everypony would find horrible if they found out about.” Rayne nodded, happy that her practical kind of mind could understand the logic he was going by.

“But that isn’t all.” He said simply.

The two mares now looked to each other and stood up. The walked around in front of him and sat side by side each other to face him properly. Rayne wondered how much they might have talked and already bonded with each other while he slept but he was left with no time to think about it as Maud encouraged him onward. “Go on.”

“That was just a single benefit of me hunting Tirek. In truth, I wanted his power. He was just one step of six for a magical equation that I have come up with. I have three main targets and three supportive targets that I am after. And I already have what I need from half of them. After convincing Tirek that I would free him if he gave his magic up to me, I traveled to the Crystal Empire where I hunted down King Sombra.”

Now the girls gasped but it seemed to be more in fright for Rayne’s sake than for the horror in which he was sharing with them. “My ears did not believe that your plan could get stranger. But please Rayne, tell me you did not put yourself in that kind of danger!”

Rayne smirked and just reached out to hold Zecora's hoof with his own. “Don't worry. As a matter of fact, I managed to discover Sombra’s secret hiding place only moments before another could succeed in reviving him. Sombra was in a weakened state. It wasn’t easy but...” The girls gasped as Rayne disappeared into a puff of shadow and materialized behind them. “All of his powers now belong to me.” Then he shifted himself back in front of them where he had been before.

“And the stranger? The one who was trying to revive Sombra?” Maud asked.

Now Rayne sighed. “I had never heard of her before. I would rather not share her name, but she was a mare looking to revive the dark king so she had to be stopped. She actually happened to be who I stole the ability to heal from.”

“A mare? Wait, the stranger was another pony? Rayne, tell me you didn’t...” Maud asked with worry.

But now Rayne reached out to hold her hoof for support. “No, I didn’t. We fought, I hurt her… When she was at my mercy I was going to kill her as I had Tirek. It would have been wise of me to leave no witnesses… But I couldn’t do it. I’m not stealing magic to hurt ponies. I intend to be a villain… but only to other villains. Not to Equestrians. From now on whenever a bad guy shows up in Equestria, I plan to be a worse bad guy who hunts them down. Murdering a mare goes against everything I am trying to achieve. So I backed out at the last second. I cursed her with a sleeping spell I got from Sombra’s magic. I didn’t know what else to do with her. She rests now in Sombra’s pit where I hope she will never be found.”

“Well…” Zecora said. “That is at least partially reassuring. Knowing that you feel so strongly for good makes it easier to stomach what you’re doing.”

“Anything else?” Maud asked and Zecora looked up nervously hoping there would not be more.

“Yes...” The stallion stated to which Zecora’s ears fell. “Recently in Canterlot it is believed that remnants of the Storm King’s army broke into the castle to assassinate the petrified remains of their former leader. An assassination that was successful. But there was nopony who knew, until the two of you now, that I was the one responsible. I wanted the secret of his smoke grenades that can turn even the most powerful of alicorns to obsidian. And that is knowledge that I also now possess.”

“So that is three?” Zecora asked him. “You mentioned there were three primary targets to be?”

But at this Rayne shook his head. “Tirek’s power was my only primary target I’ve acquired so far. Sombra was just a power boost, and quite useful. Which the same could be said for the Storm King. There are a few other minor targets which aren’t really important enough to note. But my other two primary goals lay right here in Ponyville.”

Maud now looked up in surprise. “It isn’t Zecora and I, is it?”

Rayne immediately laughed and said, “No, no. It isn’t you. It’s my heart that desires to keep you two in my company, not my lust for power.” At this both mares blushed. “But, I will admit that both of you are in a position to help me, if you choose to.” Now with renewed interest they listened as he continued. “I have taken time to consider my plan carefully. I intend to combine Tirek’s power along with two others. One of which is somewhere here in these tunnels that you live in Maud.”

“Here?” She asked as she looked around in confusion.

“Well, further on down the line somewhere. I believe that quite a few years ago your sister found an underground pool of water that let her make fractioned copies of herself. I intend to use Tirek’s ability to cleanse that pool by ripping the magic out of it for myself.”

“Rayne...” Zecora called to him in a deep and grave voice. “The danger in attempting such a thing, I do not have to be a unicorn to know. If you attempt it and fail then who knows what calamity could grow.”

“I know that Zecora. So that is why it is so important that I get your help first.” Rayne pleaded which greatly surprised her. “Even with all of Sombra’s power I don’t feel confident yet. I don’t know how, uh, ‘strong’ the magic of the pool might be. So I need to gain more magic on my own first. But I don’t want to attack Equestrians like Tirek did. I want you to help me find monsters. I plan to hunt down Timberwolves, Chimera, Hydras, Manticores… They all have magical properties themselves. And let’s face it, it’s a dog eat dog world in the Everfree forest. Furthermore, nopony knows those woods like you do.”

“I see. And what-” Zecora began but then Maud raised a hoof interrupting her.

“And the last thing? You need Tirek’s power, you need to be strong enough to strip the Mirror Pool of magic… and what is the last primary thing you need?”

Now Rayne sighed once again as he had been hesitating to reveal this last part. “I need… Starlight Glimmer’s magic.” He didn’t like how Maud’s eyes went wide at that.

The gray earth pony didn’t exactly stand up but she raised upon her hooves a bit saying, “I can support you for everything else. But Starlight is my friend. I won’t allow you to do anything to hurt her.”

But Rayne was quick to call out in his defense. “I don’t want to hurt Starlight! I adore her!” At this Maud settled back down and gave Rayne a chance to explain. “I wasn’t expecting to but after dating Starlight for awhile, I’m really starting to have feelings for her like I do for the two of you. But she is too close to Twilight and the others. I can’t trust her with all of this no matter how things develop between us.”

“Then what do you want her for?” Maud asked.

Again Rayne sighed but this time he went uninterrupted. “I need to strip her of her magic. That's the three parts of the equation. It’s Tirek’s power, the ability of the Mirror Pool, and Starlight’s spell to add, remove, and replace cutie marks that I’m after. The rest are just supporting powers. But if I had those three things… then I could gain magic without hurting anypony or any creature.”

“…How so, I would like to know." Zecora asked simply.

“Think of it like this. Let’s say all this happens and then I visit you Zecora. Now I don’t know the first thing about alchemy. But I could, just temporarily, take your magic from you then copy it for myself and finally use Starlight’s power to give you yours back!” Suddenly the eyes of both the girls went wide. “Tirek's power let's me take it, the mirror pool would let me copy it, and Starlight's power would let me return the original. I just need to have enough initial power myself to make the copy potent enough to work. But having Sombra’s magic kind settles that for me already.”

Maud was next to speak as she thought it over. “So you could take the magic of every pony in Equestria and then give it back to them without them being hurt or weakened by it in any way?”

“That’s right. And since I now have the Storm King’s grenades… if I freeze a pony while they’re sleeping lets say, then they never even have to know that I took their magic in the first place. Reviving them from obsidian is no challenge for me. It’s how I assassinated the Storm King in Canterlot. Where I went wrong before was thinking there is no difference between simply reversing the spell or using my healing magic for the revival. Now I know better."

It was then that there was an awkward silence between them. Several minutes passed before Rayne spoke up wanting to clear the air. “So now you know. You both know it all. I’ve been killing villains in Equestria by shapeshifting into a monster. I’ve stolen magic and powers that don’t belong to me and I plan to poach magical creatures for my gain. But only the dangerous ones that could try to eat ponies. And then I plan to rob one of our friends of her magic, but only for a moment. Just a few seconds… but never EVER tell her that I’ve done so. These are things that Celestia would no doubt lock me away for. If anypony found out… the princesses, Fluttershy's protector who's name I am avoiding, anyone… I’d never see the light of day again.”

The other two looked to each other and nodded but did not respond so Rayne continued. “I absolutely refuse to play the card of, ‘if you care about me then help me.’ You both mean SO much more to me than that. Now that you know what I'm doing, you could say anything you want to me here and go report me later when I am not around. I plan to trust the two of you even to my downfall if it comes to that. But… things would go a lot smoother and safer for me with your support. So what do you say?”

The two mares took a breath but did not look away. They both seemed as if they had already decided and Zecora was the first to speak. “To find Timberwolves, the Everfree Forest is not where you should search. Just beyond Appleloosa there is a wood where in far greater numbers they perch.” At this Rayne smiled to her and she smiled back to him with a nod.

Turning to Maud Rayne saw her not even hesitate before saying, “The Mirror Pool is less than a twenty minute walk down that left path right over there. And if there is anything else I can do to help keep you safe then just let me know.” The hairs on Rayne’s neck now began to stand up with excitement. He couldn’t believe that both of them had just agreed to help. Looking deeply into his eyes Maud added in for him, “I agree Rayne that the methods you are seeking are just like that of a villain. But as far as what you are wanting to use this power for, and as far as I’m concerned, you’re a hero.”

At that Rayne could only smirk and he looked to both the girls before saying, “Then I guess that’s it then. Maud, darling, I don’t think you’ve rested and it’s late so you should probably get some sleep. And as for you and I Zecora… I supposed we have some hunting to do.”

Author's Notes:

Kudos to anyone who can piece Zecora's statements together while Rayne was still waking up lol.

So... BAM! There it is. Now you know Rayne's plan that he has been working towards since the start of this story. So... what do you think? More importantly, now knowing what he is after how do you feel about all the efforts he has taken so far?