Beyond Equestria: Hell's Mercenary

by Fluttersnake31

Rating: mature
Tags: My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Dark, Alternate Universe, Romance, Original Character, Adventure, Princess Celestia, Sex
Length: 6088

A pegasus named Vanilla is sent on a quest to kill a half unicorn-half pegasus, leading her into the depths of Tartarus and her own chaotic past.

Vanilla Spectrum was Celestia's personal mercenary until after killing an innocent pony caused Celestia to take away her rank. Now, Celestia begrudgingly sends Vanilla on a quest to kill a mysterious pony who is two-thirds of an alicorn. Leading her deep inside of Tartarus, Vanilla will face not only her target, but also her own sense of right and wrong and the consequences of her past and future.

Pic by renathesnakecharmers

Published 2014-06-06 04:00:05 UTC
Last updated 2014-06-06 04:00:05 UTC

Chapter 1 - Prologue and Meeting

Prologue

Nightfall came quickly for the ponies locked in cold cells deep within Canterlot Castle. A young mare laid on her bed, focused on the ceiling. Angry thoughts floated through her mind as her head rested on a hard pillow. Nothing she’s been through has ever upset her more than the loss of her rank as Princess Celestia’s only mercenary with a free licence to kill as she deemed fit. She knows that she deserved this punishment though. Her emotions have been getting out of hoof. The duties she performs have been lessening more and more as she had been eliminating the minor threats to Equestria. Now, her personal dungeon kept separate from the castle has been empty for months. It had come to the point where she needed to feel it, a victim’s blood running down her knife, the rush from a kill. This mare killed an innocent pony, and now she’s paying for her sins.

A warm brush of the wind rustling the mare’s curly pink and light blue-tipped mane signaled that it was time for her to get up. “Finally, dinner. I hope it’s better than last night’s.” she thought to herself, slowly pulling herself up against the wall.

Light flooded the room quickly as Princess Celestia herself trotted over to the cell. Silently, she gazed down to the significantly younger mare. She seemed to be weighing two sides of a dark situation in her mind. Speaking with a stern, bitter tone, she addressed the mare. “How are you today, Vanilla?”

Vanilla sat there unmoving as she coldly replied. “I’m fine. Are you here for a therapy lesson? I don’t need therapy, Princess.”

Celestia replied calmly, ignoring the mare’s comment. “Are you sorry for what you’ve done?”

“Yes. I was just having a bad day. I didn’t mean to actually kill him, just maim him.” she replied angrily.

The Princess let out a disappointed sigh. “We can’t afford for you to have a bad day. You killed one of the few guards who wasn’t afraid of you. Do you know how serious that is?”

Vanilla stood, coming over to face Celestia through the iron bars. “They all are afraid of me. I see it in all of their eyes. What is their problem Princess? Why is it so hard for you all to accept what I do? I may not be of the same Equestria, but this is what I do. It’s my destiny and talent to kill.

“Vanilla, I barely accept that your killing is beneficial to Equestria. My level of forgiveness is much higher than your peers. I made a promise to your mentor to take care of you the best I could.” Celestia sat onto the cold ground in front of Vanilla, who was now more irritated.

Attempting to shake the bars, Vanilla spat back harshly, “My mentor is the pony who brought me to this Equestria! He’d have let me off fine. This is my talent, my cutie mark. I might be my mother’s child but I’m not evil!”

Unexpectedly, Celestia raised her voice slightly. “Your mother was a murderer and betrayed the rest of the elements of harmony enough to cause a separation between your world and this one. She and your father are not to be mentioned in this castle, you know this. You know what you are allowed to do and not allowed to do. Innocent ponies are not free game for murder, despite any miscommunication there may have been. I cannot and will not tolerate one more outburst. If you kill one more innocent pony without my orders, your killing days will be over. Is that understood Vanilla Spectrum?”

At the scolding, Vanilla felt as small as an ant. Tears brimmed her eyes and she backed away from the bars. Her voice now was quiet and small. “I’m sorry.”

The Princess sighed and opened the cell door, coming over to put a hoof on Vanilla’s shoulder. “I know you are. There is another reason why I am down here however. If you take this job and are successful, I will reinstate your rank. I believe you are the only pony I can trust for this important task.” With a flash, a scroll appeared before the two ponies. Celestia levitated it over to the pink pegasus.

Hiding her joyfulness of having a new job, she read the letter, feeling even more happy what the job entailed. “So, what am I hunting this time and where at?”

“I need you to track down an enemy of Equestria. This monster wishes to dispose of me and name himself the King of Equestria. The beast lives in a hut just outside the gate of Tartarus at the far western edge of Equestria. I want you to fly over there and end his life. Do this quickly, for I wish for him to be gone without a fuss.” Celestia said informatively.

Vanilla smiled to herself. “Simple enough. I just need my knife back. My cupcake knife you took from me before putting me up in here. I can’t leave without it.”

Shivering slightly, Celestia stepped back a little. “I was afraid you would ask that.” With another flash of magic the blade appeared. Approximately five inches long, the knife had a serrated blade that had a rainbow tint to it. The handle itself was pink and decorated with a swirl. Begrudgingly, Celestia handed Vanilla the knife and summoned a picture. “This is your target.” The picture revealed a pegasus that is covered in white fur and feathers that turn black at the tips and hooves that are black and cloven. Making this picture stand out even more so, was the unicorn horn on the pony, making it look almost like an alicorn.

“A stallion alicorn? Or is that a mare? It’s hard to tell from this picture. When did we get a fifth alicorn?” the pegasus asked as she studied the photo.

Celestia put the photo away. “The bastard taint is not an alicorn, but a mutation that is a cross between the unicorn and pegasus. I have no clue where it is from or whether it is male or female. I can assure you it is no member of the royal lineage. Princess Twilight hasn’t even come across anything in her books either.”

Vanilla nodded, putting the knife in the empty sheath at her side. “Alright, anything else I need to know before I head out?”

“You have no limits on this one. You may do whatever you wish with it so long as it dies. This is of the utmost importance that it is killed.” the Princess said seriously.

Vanilla bounced gleefully. “Great! I’ll get my kitchen cannon. I haven’t tried it out yet, but maybe it might actually work. Last time it turned cookies into confetti.”

Celestia cringed at the thought of Vanilla’s ‘methods’ and led the pegasus out of the room. Once Vanilla had been out on her own, she went to the elevator to her personal dungeon. Lowering deep into the mountain and under the castle, the elevator stopped, leading into a large kitchen. Past the kitchen, the scene changed dramatically as it lead into Vanilla’s execution room. Blood stained the walls and floor and the light was dim. She passed the table of saws and knives and proceeded into the prisoner hold. Not as dreary, the prison hold was a single hallway with cells on either side of the walkway. At max, it would hold about ten ponies, however it had been quite empty for over four months.

The final room was quite large and housed a small exercise area and a workshop. In the middle of the workshop sat a bloodstained cannon with a fading blue paint. It was originally owned by her deranged mother, back when she was alive in the alternate Equestria that Vanilla barely could call a home. Saved from a life of death and destruction by her mentor, she was brought into a safer dimension to learn the ways of friendship. However, being removed from that alternate world upset her parents, Pinkamina Pie and a transexual form of Rainbow Dash. The two, seeking revenge on Vanilla’s mentor, had found a way into the more peaceful dimension and plotted an elaborate attack on the young filly using a copy of her. After the death of her mentor, she ultimately was the one to save herself, murdering her parents and copy in a gruesome fight in Cloudsdale.

As memories had filled Vanilla’s mind, she pushed the cannon back up through the elevator, wondering what she’ll make out of her new prey, but other more serious things came to her mind. “Celestia doesn’t accept what I do? I can’t help what I am. Where i’m from. Maybe if my mentor never figured out how to jump between dimensions, I wouldn’t be here to mess up Equestria. . . Ugh, what am I saying? I’d probably be insane if he hadn’t." Once she had prepared her cannon for flight and retrieved her saddlebags, she set for her course to Tartarus.

Meeting

Vanilla’s flight is a long and arduous one. Equestria is a large nation, but it’s borders go much farther than most ponies are willing to live. After a few days travel, stopping to rest as necessary, she arrived at a dark ashy plain that stretched for miles. It is rumored that once there were numerous dragons living there that had fallen into such a slumber that their smog had overpowered the sky and rained down onto them, suffocating them in their sleep. As such, no vegetation grows there, the only sign that life ever existed here being the thousands of dragon skeletons that poked out of the plain. Vanilla tiredly landed onto the ground, setting down her cannon and leaning back against it. The smoky air was difficult to see through, despite it being mid day. Through the darkness, a faint fire could be seen in the distance. Giving a heavy sigh, Vanilla picked herself up and wandered towards the firelight.

As Vanilla neared the light, the smoke gave way to reveal a massive lake of flame that seemed to funnel into a dark pit at the center. The pit itself was nearly a hundred feet across with the lake around it being big enough to fit Ponyville inside, and then some. The thing that really caught Vanilla wasn’t the lake however. Unbelievably, suspended over the abyss on an intricate system of chains is what appears to be a log cabin made of ebony. The wood did not burn, despite the fact it looked like it was on fire as it hung there, chained over the fire pit. Curious, Vanilla set her things down a safe distance from the lake and flew up to view the house. Oddly enough, there were no windows nor even a porch. Vanilla glanced around then knocked on the door.

From inside the house, Vanilla heard some grunting and moaning. Nervously, she hovered in front of the door. A masculine voice spoke after hearing the knock. “Go away, I don’t want any of Satan’s cookies today.”

Confused, Vanilla replied, making up a small lie. “Wh- what? I’m not here to sell anything, I just need some, uh, directions.”

The voice spoke again, sounding like they had come closer to the door. “That doesn’t sound like a devil. I’m not in the mood for a succubus treatment either.”

At the statement, Vanilla became angry. “I’m not a succubus, I’m a pegasus! I’m not that easy, nor am I looking for anything of the sort.”

“A pegasus? A pony? Out here?” the voice laughed, “Yeah right. No pony comes out here.”

“If you don’t believe me, come look for yourself!” Vanilla said, still irritated.

Grumbling, the owner of the voice opened the door. As the door opened, a figure looking more like a mare stood in the doorway compared to the picture Celestia had shown Vanilla. Her feathery wings were white with black at the tips and she had four jet black cloven hooves that matched it’s black mane and tail. Most intriguingly were the creatures eyes, which looked more like a cats in the way the blue pupils dilated and contracted. Seeing Vanilla, it was quite surprised. “Oh my word, it is a pony.”

Upon seeing her target, she hovered backwards a little, also just as surprised, seeing the strange thing apart from the picture. “Y- Yeah, I said I was. What exactly are you? I’ve never seen a pony like you before.”

The strange being replied calmly, “I’m a pony, same as you.”

“Not like any I’ve seen.” Vanilla said, relaxing a bit at the calmness of it’s voice. “And I’ve seen a lot of ponies. Are you an alicorn or something?”

At the mention of an alicorn, it frowned, seeming to be upset. “No. I’m not an alicorn. I’m just a pegasus and a unicorn.”

Confused, Vanilla flew up a little closer. “But, doesn’t that make you an alicorn then? Alicorns can be created and born you know.”

“An alicorn is equal parts unicorn, pegasus, and earth pony. I am only two thirds an alicorn. About as good as a tree with no leaves...” The beast turned back towards the door.

Vanilla now frowned, feeling just a little sorry for it and wanting to know more. “Don’t leave yet, please. Why do you live all the way out here? If you don’t mind me asking.”

Despairingly, it turned around and cried out. “Because Celestia keeps sending ponies out to kill me! There’s literally nowhere else for me to go to escape her.”

Not expecting that answer, Vanilla couldn’t help but to feel upset. This was why she was here. But, she couldn’t kill this creature yet, she had to be sure it was doing what Celestia had said. “D- Did you do something really bad? Something to upset her?”

The creature frowned. “I think she tries to kill me because I’m only a partial alicorn. They treat me like i’m barely even half a pony. I don’t think I’ve ever done anything to them otherwise…” He sighed, shifting his weight to his other leg as he stood in the doorway. “So, what brings you to Tartarus? I don’t get many visitors.”

Quickly making up a lie to cover her mission, she blushed and replied sheepishly. “Well, I’m kind of lost. I was on a delivery mission and forgot my map.”

“A delivery mission? Way out here? From who? Nopony other than me lives here.” It stated.

Unsure of whether to make it a complete lie, she added a little truth. “Well, from Celestia of course. It’s a delivery to the changelings.”

At the mention of changelings, his face screwed up in confusion. “Changelings? The land of the changelings is on the other side of Equestria! Everypony knows that. Are you lying to me?”

Playing her lie to perfection and ignoring the last question, her eyes went wide in imitated shock. “The o- other side of Equestria? But, th- the sun rises in the west and sets in the east right? Right?”

The creature laughed and smiled a feminine smile. “No, it’s the other way around. I’m actually a little glad you goofed up like that then. I haven’t spoken to another pony in forever. All I ever deal with are demons trying to crawl out of the pit and sell me stuff. Would you like to come in?” He backed from the doorway, beckoning her to enter the house.

“I’d love to. It was quite a long trip as it is.” Smiling, slightly relieved that he had believed her performance, she followed into the house. While from the outside, the house looked like a mass of black timber, the inside was quite a contrast. The inside of the house was outrageously pink with drapes and cushions and blankets everywhere. Beyond the pink foyer is one room that Vanilla can only assume is the kitchen. That seemed like it was the extent of the small house.

Behind Vanilla, the pony shut the door. “Please, make yourself at home. Would you like something to drink?”

Taking in the abundance of pink slowly, she sat down on a couch. Realizing she was just asked a question, she nodded and replied. “Uhh, yeah, what do you have to drink?”

Walking towards the center of the room, he replied informatively. “Well, there’s this nectar that they squeeze out of the tormented souls down under. It’s actually pretty sweet, like honey, but thicker and it’s dark red. I like to mix it with water to make a juice. Would you like some?”

“That sounds a lot like blood.” Vanilla replied, giggling a little. She was no stranger to the taste of blood.

Now at the doorway of the kitchen, he stood waiting for an answer. “They insist that it’s not, but they never answer me clearly when I press the issue. Do you want some?” Vanilla nodded and he went into the kitchen, returning with two glasses full of dark red drinks. He handed one to Vanilla and sat onto the other side of the couch. “I hope you like it. It’s sweet but also a little spicy.”

Still admiring the house, she took a sip then turned to the creature. “Did you design the house yourself?”

He smiled and nodded. “I did. It’s made out of the rib cages of dragons fused together in hellfire. Surprisingly, it keeps the heat out pretty well, and it’s cozy.”

Vanilla nodded and picked up a pillow to rest her head on. “So, I’m guessing you like pink a lot?”

At the question, the creature smiled wide and giggled like a young mare. “It’s my favorite color! I brought all this in after I built my home. I love being nestled in. I never have to go out because the demons take care of me. I guess exile could be a lot worse than this.”

“I got most of my mane and coat color from my mom, but she was completely pink.” Vanilla gestured at her light-pink coat. “But, I don’t really have a favorite color. I guess they all are cool. I do like white though. It’s all of the colors, mixed together.”

Finishing his drink, he set his glass onto a small end table, becoming more curious about why Vanilla was here. “Why would a pretty mare like yourself be looking for changelings anyways? What are you delivering?”

As Vanilla had used the changeling delivery cover before, it being an actual task given to her just a few weeks prior to her demotion, she replied informatively. “I’m delivering a peace treaty of sorts. Princess Celestia has heard word that something bad might happen between changelings and ponies, so she’s taking actions to prevent it.”

Quite interested in the task, the creature leaned in to listen. “Wow, so are you some sort of diplomat then? A treaty sounds pretty important, especially since it’s from the Princess. What exactly is your title?”

Vanilla chuckled, “I guess my title would be ‘Diplomat’. I really don’t know, this would be my first real job.” she lied.

“First real job? What is your talent?” He asked curiously, seeing as her cutie mark was a red cupcake with rainbow colored icing, diplomat didn’t quite make sense for what her flank showed.

Nervously sitting back up, she looked away hoping not to mess up her lie. “Well, my talent is baking…”

Even more intrigued by the young mare, he pressed on. “You went from being a baker to a diplomat? How did that happen?”

Vanilla shrugged. “I never really did too well as a baker on my own. I needed something that paid a bit better.” Vanilla knew that was a massive lie. She was given everything she needed by the Princess. Money was never an issue in her life.

“I guess that makes sense. I have two talents, neither of which I’m good at surprisingly.” It pointed at it’s left flank, showing a swirl of dull, silver stars. “This one represents my talent for magic.” He then shifted his body to show his other flank, a dark grey wing with a lightning bolt of a lighter shade of grey overlapping the wing. “And this represents my talent for masterful flying acrobatics. The irony of it though, is that I have very little magic ability and I can’t hardly fly.”

Never before has Vanilla seen a pony with two different talents and cutie marks. Nor has she seen one with talents that they aren’t good at anyways. “That’s terrible. I can’t imagine how it must be to not be good at your talents. What do you mean by very little magic ability?”

The strange pony sighed and it’s horn began to glow. It shimmered and flickered violently until a few beams of light shot out, hitting various objects. The few things that the red beams hit left splotches of purple, staining the pink like spilt grape juice. Shortly after the magic spittled and faltered, the horn loosing it’s glow. “I can project magic, but I have no control over it. I have no idea what will happen every time I use my horn.” he said sadly.

“Well, maybe you have a different talent? What do you love to do? Sometimes a cutie mark doesn’t specifically show what your talent is.” Vanilla said optimistically.

Smiling from Vanilla’s optimism, he giggled. “I love going to parties, though it’s been a while since anypony invited me anywhere. I love sleeping and snuggling and being comfortable. I especially just love sitting with a friend and chatting.”

Vanilla returned a smile. “Parties are pretty fun. I don’t get invited to very many though unless the Princess invites me. I like talking too, but I don’t really get to talk to many ponies…” The only ponies that Vanilla ever really talks to are Celestia and her own prisoners. Most ponies are too afraid of Vanilla to speak to her on their own, not to mention that she keeps to herself most of the time anyways.

Seeing Vanilla’s drink was empty he set it next to his own empty glass. “What do you like to do for fun?”

Resting back against the pillow again, Vanilla replied contently. “I like taking walks alone at night. During the day, I usually read a book or admire flowers in the castle garden. But even more than that, I love baking. Cupcakes especially, but I can bake anything.” she giggled.

“Oooh! I love cupcakes. Never really take many walks myself. Not much in the way of sightseeing around here. That is, unless you go down below. There’s a lot to see down there.” he said, pointing downward, meaning the fiery pit the house floated above.

Getting an idea, Vanilla sat back up. “I could make some if you’d like? I even have a portable kitchen with me.”

Confused at the mention of the kitchen, but not questioning it, he stood from the couch. “I don’t think I have any baking ingredients at all. At least, not for cupcakes.”

Vanilla giggled aloud, standing up as well. “I always have baking ingredients with me. Would you like to show me your kitchen?”

“Sure, I’d love some cupcakes if you have what you need.” he said, leading Vanilla to the kitchen. The kitchen itself is quite cozy and compact. An oven, refrigerator, counter, sink, and a few cupboards are all there is. Taking out a mixing bowl, the creature curiously asked, “Do you need eggs?”

Already pulling ingredients out of her saddlebags and setting them on the table, she took out a bag of some sort of thick, pink fluid. “Nope, I have a substitute that I developed. My mom had originally come up with the idea, but I made it much more practical. I was a baking genius as a young filly.” she giggled. “It’s a secret recipe, so don’t even ask.”

Smiling, he stepped back a little to give her more space to work. “That sounds yummy.”

Speaking proudly, she began working. “I make the best cupcakes in Equestria. I’ve won three awards saying so.”

The creature leaned against the entrance to the kitchen, watching. “Well aren’t you a little angel from heaven. How did I get so lucky that you would come by today?”

At the statement, Vanilla went into a fit of laughter. “Me? An angel from heaven? That’s quite a funny joke. I guess we’re just lucky today, that’s all.” Thoughts of her home world came into her mind. “Heaven? My home was hell. My mother and father both insane, homicidal maniacs. I’m far from an angel. I’m supposed to be killing you right now.”

As Vanilla worked, the creature sat watching, curious how the mare made her treats. Soon a quick realization entered his mind. “I just realized, I haven’t told you my name yet!”

“What is your name then?” she said, giggling.

“My name is Moloch.” the pony said, smiling.

Vanilla turned around to face Moloch and smiled back. “It’s nice to meet you Moloch. My name is Vanilla Spectrum.”

Moloch nodded, thinking of how her name sounded. “That’s such a pretty name. We don’t hear pretty names around here very often.” His words caused Vanilla to blush. She turned quietly back to her work to hide her face. Curious, Moloch brought the topic back to Vanilla’s job. “What is it like working with Princess Celestia?”

Feeling more relaxed talking to Moloch now, she was less inclined to hide anything about her relationship with Celestia. “Sometimes it’s pretty fun, getting to go to really cool places with her. Other times it can be quite scary, like when we visit more dangerous parts of Equestria. She acts like she thinks she’s my mom though. Asking questions, making sure I’m okay and happy. It gets annoying at times, but I kinda need it. I don’t know where I’d be if she wasn’t there to take care of me.”

Confused, Moloch came a little closer to lean on a part of the counter that wasn’t being used. “Don’t you have parents of your own?”

Vanilla frowned, her voice becoming quieter and she slowed down a little. “They’re both dead. The only thing that remains of their spirits is my knife.”

“Your knife?” Moloch questioned.

Nodding, she pulled out the pink handled blade which shined like a prism in the light. “Yeah. I almost can’t function without it. It’s all I have left of my parents. It used to just be a regular knife, but it holds just a small essence of them in it. That’s what gives it its color.”

Moloch looked at it in wonder from it’s strange eerie beauty. “Wow. That’s incredible. It looks like it’d have some sort of special power or something.”

“It does. I’m still unsure of all that it can do, that’s why Celestia hates that I have it. I know that I can make it appear out of nowhere when I need it to. That’s about it.” she sheathed the knife, returning to work on the cupcakes, putting them into the oven.

Nervously tapping his hooves together, Moloch stood from leaning on the counter. “I hate to ask because I’m afraid of the answer, but how long are you going to visit me? I do hope that you can at least stay the night.”

Vanilla turned, looking at Moloch, considering what to do in her head. It was a bit late for her to leave today anyways, and having a couch to sleep on wouldn’t be a bad thing. “I guess I could. The journey back is going to be quite a long one. I don’t want to be a burden though.”

He smiled wide. “No burden at all. I couldn’t be happier! Come on, let’s go sit down again while we wait. I’m afraid I don’t have much to entertain with other than words.” Leading Vanilla back to the couch he picked up the empty glasses, putting them in the kitchen before coming back to sit by the pegasus mare again.

“So what else do you do here?” Vanilla asked curiously, watching the interesting creature clean up and sit next to her, a little closer than before but not too close.

Moloch happily replied. “I spend a lot of time with the demons. They don’t usually like to leave Tartarus, but they are a nice bunch. And really, they are always happy to have visitors. Almost as much as me.”

At the numerous mention of demons, Vanilla was eager to learn more about the creatures Moloch spent his time with. “You’ve mentioned them a lot, what are they like exactly?”

Pondering the thought for a moment, Moloch replied. “Well, they are kind of hard to explain really. I’d think you would have to see them for yourself.”

“But how would I be able to go see them, with all that fire down there?” Vanilla questioned.

Moloch smiled, “Oh, the fire doesn’t burn the living, it only burns the dead. We would be fine. Would you like for me to take you down there?”

Taking a glance into the kitchen to check the timer, Vanilla replied happily. “Sure, I think that’d be quite interesting. We’ll have to wait until the cupcakes are done though.”

Moloch nodded. “When Tartarus gets visitors, the demons usually like for them to stay for a while. I was thinking we could bring a few cupcakes for the demons. It’d be a nice gift for them. At least it should guarantee that they’ll show us around.” After a quick glance into the kitchen himself, he turned back to Vanilla. There was still a little while before the cupcakes would be finished. “While we wait, tell me about your friends. I’m sure a beautiful mare such as yourself must have many. Even a coltfriend perhaps?”

At the question, Vanilla replied distantly. “Friends? Oh, well there’s the princess I guess. And my mentor, but he’s been gone for years. I don’t really talk to many ponies, like I said earlier.” She sighed, looking away. “I’ve never really had a coltfriend, per se. Well, nothing that lasted more than a few hours.”

Moloch was slightly shocked and a bit confused. “Hours? Don’t you mean days or weeks?”

“No, I mean hours. I usually only ever have short affairs I guess…” She replied guiltily.

Moloch frowned. “How can you have a relationship that short? They must’ve been crummy ponies if you lost interest that quickly.”

Vanilla replied stoically. “I don’t know. I guess I just pitied them.”

Now more intrigued, Moloch shifted a bit closer to Vanilla. “Pitied them? What do you mean?”

Abruptly, she stood up from the couch, facing Moloch. “I can’t explain it. It’s not something I’m comfortable talking about. If you’ll excuse me, I have to check the cupcakes.” she said, turning to enter the kitchen. Thoughts of why she was actually there returned to her distracted mind. “Why haven’t I killed him yet like I’m supposed to do? I don’t think he’s what Celestia says he is. Maybe it’s just a test? My duty versus my sense of right and wrong? I don’t know.” she thought to herself as she pulled out some containers for the cupcakes.

Still in the living room, Moloch watched Vanilla as she worked again. It had been a long time since he’d been with anypony as pleasant and kind as Vanilla. No pony has ever made cupcakes for him before, not even his mother, of the few memories he had of her. The creature laid onto a pile of pillows in the middle of the room, waiting for Vanilla to finish.

Vanilla took the cupcakes out to cool off. With her conflicted thoughts, she hadn’t realized that a small tear came to her eye as she thought to herself. “If this was a test, wouldn’t Celestia have somepony watching me? I can’t kill him, he’s too nice. So what he lives on the edge of Tartarus. Why would Celestia hunt him just for being different? I’m different. She doesn’t hunt me.” After a sniffle, she wiped her eyes and returned to the living room to be greeted with a smile that soon turned into a frown.

“You’ve been crying.” Moloch pointed out.

Vanilla replied coldly. “So? It’s not a big deal.”

Sadly, Moloch faced the ground. “I- is it me?”

Frowning with a sigh, Vanilla came to sit next to Moloch, gazing at his white wings with their black tips, a rare sight for pegasai, despite Moloch being part unicorn as well. “No, it’s not you. I just have, uh, some personal issues that I can’t really sort out right now.” Lightening the mood, she smiled. “The cupcakes are almost done though. I’m letting them cool a little before I finish them.”

Returning the smile, Moloch replied. “I mean, it makes me sad to see you sad. Is there something bothering you? Maybe I can do something to help?”

“I don’t know if you can help with this problem. It’s complicated.” she replied, glancing over Moloch. While it’s body looked masculine, she could see how feminine it’s mane, tail, and face were.

“Well, I’m complicated too, but it’s not that hard to get to know me. Just because it’s not easy doesn’t mean that it can’t be made better by talking about it.” it said, turning to face Vanilla with an optimistic smile.

Vanilla smiled again, looking Moloch in the eyes. “Well maybe we can talk about it later.”

A few moments of silence passed as they sat, Vanilla still admiring Moloch’s strange body. “I’m both, you know.” it said, breaking the silence.

Somewhat confused from the statement, Vanilla giggled and looked back to Moloch. “Both what?”

“I can tell you’ve been wondering, ‘Am I a he or a she?’. Well, the truth is that I’m both. I’m both a stallion and a mare, so you can call me whichever you like.” Moloch replied.

Curious, Vanilla wanted to know more. “Well, that’s something I’ve never heard of before. How does that even work?”

Moloch’s cheeks turned from white to pink. “I could show you but I don’t think we’re that friendly yet.”

Vanilla had also blushed at the statement. “Oh- I didn’t mean like that.” She giggled, “Well, I’m just a mare.”

“Well, I have the parts of a mare, but also the parts of a stallion. While I don’t make for a very good unicorn or pegasus, I do make for a pretty decent stallion and mare.” Moloch replied.

Giggling, Vanilla stood. “Well, I think the cupcakes are cooled enough. Would you like to come try one? After I put the frosting on?”

Eagerly, Moloch nodded and followed her into the kitchen. She pulled out her frosting from the fridge and began putting them on the cupcakes. The frosting itself was perfectly rainbow colored as she squeezed it onto them. She handed one to Moloch who eagerly took a quick bite into the cupcake, which was still quite warm. Moloch moaned as it tasted the cupcake. “Wow, that is so good! I can’t tell what flavor that is though. What is that taste?”

Vanilla smiled proudly. “Well, it’s actually it’s own unique flavor. It’s like you’re tasting a rainbow. Literally. You see, rainbow juice, sometimes called spectra, has a very spicy taste that makes a pony unable to really taste it in it’s raw form. I’ve figured out a way to eliminate the spiciness and spruce up it’s bitterness to create something that perfectly melds with my batter recipe.”

“It’s made from rainbows?” Moloch asked, astonished.

Vanilla smiled wide, happy that Moloch enjoyed it. She spoke while packing the rest of the cupcakes into a pink box. “Yep! It took forever for me to figure out how to process it into a frosting. At first it didn’t work very well as frosting. The ponies I tried first on kinda’ got poisoned and died…”

Relishing his cupcake, Moloch ate slowly to make the flavor last. “You didn’t poison me did you?” it asked jokingly.

Giggling and picking up one for herself and taking a bite, Vanilla replied playfully. “Of course not silly!” As she finished packing, she thought to herself. “But I should’ve. End all of this confliction before I actually start liking him… Celestia, why did you send me here?”

Shortly, Moloch finished her cupcake and beckoned to Vanilla. “Well, let’s go visit the demons then.”