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Lilith stood at the doors to the rundown cabin in the Everfree, she pushed open the door on its creaking hinges.

"Oh, a visitor? For little old m-" The mare stopped dead upon seeing Lilith, her eyes opened wide. "You returned?"

"Yes, Sloth... We have some unsettled business."

The old mare slowly retreated, humming a tune that resonated in the air.

'You must stop her. Sloth's ability saps the will and strength.'

"I know, but she also has envy, this won't be difficult." Lilith responded to Wrath.

Lilith swiftly walked to the mare, who continued to retreat while humming her lullaby.

"I'm younger, I'm prettier... I'm changeling royalty. Envy... I know you want me, at least more than the old hag."

The humming paused. "No, you will obey me!" The old crone stated, humming again, but this time the magic did not flow along with the notes.

"What have you done child? Envy has silenced Sloth."

"Sin is fickle..." Lilith plunged her dagger into the mare's chest. "But I need every advantage I can get."

~

: You have taken me from my comfortable host... I was content to slumber away the years in solitude... :

-You're better off here Sloth, can you not sense how nimble this new form is? She is perfection.-

. Quickly, did the old mare have any material possessions of worth? .

• Greed? It has been some time, but it seems you are still as simpleminded as ever. So you are this lovely mare's original sin? -

'No, that would be me you worthless peon.'

: Wrath? *sigh. This is going to be a long possession... :

/Don't forget about me my lovelies./

-Lust? You too? Well, this certainly is an eventful host. It's been many a millennia since so many of us have shared one form. Does she intend to collect the last two?-

'Yes, the others will soon be joining, one way or another...'

• Very eventful indeed, it seems the time has finally come to pass... Continue on my lovely host, bring all to conclusion. -

"All this talk of conclusion. The end... What do you mean."

• You will know soon enough my dear, soon enough... -

All of the voices inside of Lilith's mind urged her to forget her worries about this End, pushing it from her mind with relative ease. With so many of them gathered in one place it would only be a matter of time before they had the power to erase Lilith, regardless of how strong her mind was.

~

Lilith spent the night in the forsaken cabin, sleeping in the same bed as her last stay.

The strange magics woven around the house no longer effected her, even though Sloth was mentally pushing her to take a break and stay in the cabin for another decade or two.

Actually all of them were pushing thoughts around, restlessly sorting through her mind. Lilith found it hard to discern what thoughts were her own and if they had been altered of not. There was one thought they hadn't touched though, her self promise to end the life of Drauth.

Lilith yawned, her eyes closing as she drifted into convoluted dreams of memories that weren't hers. Of lives lived in debauchery, of lives lived at war, of long days past. Every sin had a history of hosts, remembering each. But despite the individual history they each shared an ancient connection. A yearning to join together as one, a need that was finally surfacing after several millennia.

"Seven" A chorus of whispers spoke in Lilith's sleeping mind.

: For the darkest shadow is forged by light. :

• A light that cast us down, cast us away. -

"Seven"

/ Sins of the dark urging to be made one. /

"Seven"

' To open wide the gates of destruction. '

. Bound together seven shall bring the End .

~

Lilith woke with a start, one of the sleepless Sins waking her. She listened intently, hearing a crash downstairs.

Lilith slipped out silently, grabbing a knife on her way to the door.

"Dammit!" Lilith heard another smash to accompany the words.

Lilith continued down, the magical illusion of the house silencing the creak of the old half-rotted steps.

"After a years worth of searching this gods forsaken slime pit this is what I get? This fool mare was rumored to have the secrets of immortality and she allowed herself to be slain? The Great and Powerful Tanner; Exalt of the Third Pillar, Vanquisher of Impunity, Heir of the Divines thrice curses her failure!

"It was one month, and perhaps she kept a record?" A mare spoke.

Whoever these two were they had no knowledge of the truth behind Sloth's apparent immortality, or the cost.

"Silence servant, Your almighty is deliberating a plan. Perhaps you shall search for research notes on the immortality process."

"That was my plan in the fir-"

"Or I could attempt to summon her angry spirit by cursing her and her ancestors."

"I don't know why I even try..." The mare sighed.

Lilith looked upon the pair, the white unicorn currently shouting must be the self proclaimed Tanner. The other poked at the remains of Sloth, which had somehow crumbled to dust and bones in just a few hours, the rate of decay astounding.

"You, yes you. You worthless pile of ash, listen up. The great and powerful Tanner is here to prove how unworthy you are.

"I really don't believe that is going to wo-" the mare began.

"Fool! You must engrave any objections upon the scales of a dragon you have personally slain before I will deign to ignore them!"

"Yes sire," the brown earth pony sighed out.

Lilith shook her head at the antics, despite the sword belt and blade that looked too heavy to lift without magic this Tanner seemed too big an oaf to be of any harm. Lilith's eyes caught on the chain wrapped around the hilt that bore an amulet. The silver and black amulet in the shape of an Alicorn bore a perfect ruby in the center that nearly made Greed drool.

"Now, you dusty bones, prepare to be smitten by my biting insults!"

Lilith, taking the mental distraction of his shouting to pull her thoughts away from Greed's influence slipped back up the stairs, gathering her things. The two intruders were innocent, and Lilith knew it was only a mater of time before the Sins would be able to convince her otherwise.

"Why are you falling asleep standing fool?" The voice of Tanner rang out as he began to berate his subject for falling sway to the magic in the house.

: The unicorn is quite unique, he is resisting the magic bound to this place:

"Can you lift the enchantment anyways? I don't want any travelers to get stuck here

: If I must. : Sloth grumbled.

Lilith felt a surge of power leave her as the walls shimmered, giving her one last glimpse of what the cabin must have looked like freshly constricted. A cry of panic came from downstairs as one of the two was startled by the change.

The laughter of a mare rang out, "It is just a falling enchantment, no need for fear."

"Fear? The great Tanner does not fear. Ha, that was simply my magic cry of destruction. See that crumbling portion of wall? Even old spooky buildings shall fear my name!"

"I'm sure it was... sure it was." The mare spoke skeptically as Lilith flew from a rotting window, leaving the two to whatever strange adventure they were on.

Author's Note:

Yes; from Tanner's lineage will eventually spring Trixie, who thankfully inherited only a small fraction of her ancestor's hubris.

By slaying Sloth Lilith likely saved his life, yet another event where the future was forged through her actions.

But many of you are probably still questioning who the hay this Tanner character really is and what importance he holds.

He is simply (at this point) a character concept for a possible story.

I know I shouldn't be doing this to myself but Hybrid was born out of a small little idea.

And if things go well another story might just be born from this little idea.

Yes, at this rate I know I will build some deranged web of stories that all have some connection to one another...

But who knows, I may write it I may not. (<--same thing I told myself about Hybrid)