Songs of Innocence

Chapter 66: Three Evils

The throne room of the Castle of Friendship

Death Drive sat in the throne that belonged to Twilight. She couldn't forget that it was Twilight's, and that was only one of three things that currently irked her. The second of these evils was a clock that broke the silence every second with a monotonous ticking sound. It served to punctuate the deafening silence as the third evil quite literally stared her in the face: the Mane Five.

"You okay there, Sugarcube?" Applejack asked.

"No, no! I'm fine." Death Drive stammered.

"Darling, you aren't being interrogated. Just act like we're your friends." Rarity told her. "We just want to get to know you, since you're living with Sun."

"And coming to our school..." Rainbow added, before falling back asleep.

"That too. So... What are your interests, Death Drive? What are your interests, hobbies, possible murderous thoughts, you know. Standard icebreakers."

"And can ya just tell us yer real name?" Applejack chimed in.

Death Drive sighed, "You figured it out too? Well, good for you, but my name is Death Drive. The pony I was before just isn't the same pony I am now. I'm a disgrace to who I was."

Fluttershy spoke up, "But if 'Death Drive' is just a persona, why would you want to keep it up when you know you made it specifically for something horrible? If you're not the pony you were before, and you're not 'Death Drive', then why not make a new name for yourself? You came up with something as unique as 'Death Drive' - I'm sure you can make something even better."

Pinkie's face lit up, smiling ear to ear. "We can give you a new name!"

"Please don't." Death Drive sighed.

"Noir Nocturne!"

"That's not as catchy as my current name."

"Uh... White Moonlight! No, Margaret! Wait, did I say 'Moonlight' already? Margaret Moonlight! ...Actually, that's way too on the nose. What about Whitney? You seem to like black and darkness, so what about Black Lotus? Wicked Wiccan! No... Wicked Willow! Midnight Mare! Moonlight Serenade! Blood Moon! Nevermare! Pinkie Pie 2!"

"Um, Pinkie Pie... I like those, but if I had to change my name, it would be to something I could have on a job application. It's already painful enough to have someone call you 'Death Drive' in public. You were on to something with that 'Whitney' idea, though. I'd like a cuter name like that."

Applejack chuckled. "Yer serious? You, Little Miss 'Blood and Darkness and Evil and Death', want a cuter name? It's not like ah don't believe ya, but..." She stopped and snickered at the idea again. "Whatcha gonna change it to? Death Parade?"

"I can't even tell if you're genuinely trying to give me ideas or if you're just joking." 

"Bit of both. Hey, why don't we just call you by yer initials fer now? Ah think it'd be easier to get t'know ya over some cider."

Rainbow seemed to wake up with the mention of cider, and she was wide awake. "Yeah, I'd love some cider!" she exclaimed. "...I did hear you right, right?"

Applejack grinned at her pegasus friend. "Ya heard me right enough. C'mon, DD. We're goin' to Sweet Apple Acres!"

Death Drive reacted by burying her face in her hooves. She would probably need to tell them her real name just so she wouldn't be stuck with the nickname she was just given.

A few minutes later, at Sweet Apple Acres

Applejack poured the pale unicorn a mug of cider, and placed it in front of her. She and the other ponies sat there at a table that stood just outside the Apple family's farmhouse. She could still hear the ticking sound of the clock, but it was only in her mind to exaggerate how awkward she felt as everypony's eyes seemed to be on her.