A Demon's Desire

Chapters

Intro
Chapter 01
Chapter 02
Chapter 03
Chapter 04
Chapter 05

Intro

"Oh, hello there, you delicious little morsel. What brings you back down to the dark depths of my prison? Did you finally decide to give yourself up and feed me?" I grimaced as the creature before me licked her lips and shook my head, keeping my eyes on her even through my swishing mane. "No? Well, I suppose I can keep waiting. It isn't like I have a choice, considering my current lodgings." Her chains jingled as she tugged on them, the glowing iron bands around her wrists keeping her secure on the floor with little room to move.

"Speaking of my current predicament, has she made any inquiries regarding my well being?" Again, I shook my head, but this time, I swear that her jovial expression slipped into despair. Just like the last time. "Oh... It can't be helped. Still, if you aren't here to bring me her well wishes, or offer yourself to me, then I'm guessing you want another story?" Perhaps I nodded a bit too eagerly, as, when I stopped, the woman was chuckling. "Of course you do. Ever the scholar, after all.

"Hmmm... But what should I tell you now? You know where I come from, about my early life... What more could a pony like you want to hear from a demon like me? You certainly wouldn't want to hear about all the delicious little fillies and colts I've nibbled on, would you?" I could feel the disgust rising in my throat and frowned as she bit back a fit of laughter. "No, definitely not..." She looked up into the abyss surrounding the solitary platform, looking like she was trying to dig something out of her memories. She knew exactly what I wanted to hear, I'd only asked about it every time I stepped off the luminous rainbow steps and onto the lonely little island, but I wasn’t going to beg for it again. "I am at quite a loss, here. Can you think of something you want to hear about?" I nodded excitedly, a little more eager than I had anticipated, but still remained silent. I guess I’d beg just a little. "Perfect! Why don't you come on over here and whisper it in my ear then? I'll never know if you don't tell me, after all."

I shook my head vehemently, keeping my lips sealed tight, and it finally pulled that withheld laugh from her throat. "Fine. I promise I won't suck your soul through your mouth. Besides..." I sighed heavily, finally expelling the breath I didn’t realized I had been holding, just as she dove to the end of her chains, her metal confinements holding her back mere inches from my face. "It wouldn't taste nearly as sweet as when you give it to me yourself..."

"Stay back!" I screamed, just like I had the first time I had met her and she pulled a similar trick, and I felt a sense deja vu as I lit my horn, building up an impulsive spell to push her away.

"No need for that, my little morsel. I know better than to harm you, lest I invoke her ire... again. However..." She leaned back enough to bring a sharp-nailed hand to her chin in mock thought. "Perhaps that'd be a great way to get her to visit me down in my cold, lonely dungeon. She'd certainly come running in her if she found out you were in trouble." A happy sigh, was all I got as she retreated into her own thoughts and stared almost wistfully up into the nothingness above. "Still, you came for a story, so what do you want? I'm feeling particularly jovial today, so I'll tell you about anything you want."

I’ll admit that I was hesitant to speak, opening and closing my mouth over and over as I’m sure my face contorted between a display of uncertainty and deep thought, until, after several minutes of awkward silence and her very attentive stare, I nodded to myself. "Tell me-" She arched her eyebrow, her face twisting into an unamused glare, and I felt my cheeks flush in embarrassment. "I mean, could you tell me about how you got banished here?"

Her grin, wide and predatory, spread across her face as she stared down at the me. "Now, isn't that quite the story to tell? I certainly hope you have plenty of time, because this story starts way back." Her smile slipped, turning wistful as she laid back and looked up into the black abyss above. "I remember everything so clearly... Almost like it hadn't happened decades ago."

Author's Note

The intro chapter of a hopefully somewhat long and fun story about a demon and her affection for the princess of the sun. Yes, this story will involve many mature themes, as if that warning tag didn't give you enough info ahead of time, and, yes, this story will end in Tragedy (kinda). I'm sure you've got the ending of this story figured out, as I didn't quite hide it with the intro, but I'm sure the impact going in will have the effect I'm looking for.

For now, though, enjoy!

P.S. - Also, I wonder how many of you know who the mare that's talking to her is. I'm sure many of you will figure it out, but I won't be dropping any names for many reasons.

Chapter 01

I groaned as my clawed feet scraped across the lightly packed sand as I took my first step on dry land after over a month at sea. My body was drained, struggling to stay afloat in the ocean of weariness that several weeks of isolation had inflicted upon me. There were simply not enough creatures on a boat to torment to their breaking point keep me sustained that long and the last few days had been a torture far gone from usual enjoyment. Sure, if I had rationed my opportunites properly, I would not be in this sorry state, but you only have so much time to break everybody before some of them realize what was going on and try to do something.

Still, I had made it, feeding on the slim pickings of anguish that I could still siphon from the soulless sea dogs, and was now in a new realm of possibilities. The maps, and that wonderful crew, had been right and now I had so many new subjects to bend under my heel. "Although..." I stared at the bustling port city spread out before me and tilted my head. "Out of all the creatures I had imagined to encounter, tiny horses were not high on my list."

Would they even be enticed by my form enough to follow me to their doom? I certainly didn't want to spoil my chances at a long life here with them this early with a display force, but there was only so much I could to to make myself appealing to a creature I shared no similarities with, and I was no demon of lust-

"You're not a lust demon?"

"Of course not. I thought that was obvious." She scowled down at me as she rose back to sitting. "That's pretty rude, you know. I look nothing like a lust demon. I mean, look at the curves and ridges of my horns! See how beautifully they spiral back and towards my face? Only a demon of torment could have horns as beautiful as mine!"

I flushed again, shaking my head. "I'm sorry! I didn't know it was such a sensitive subject and I just assumed from the way you acted-"

And she laughed, hugging her chest and looking as if she was struggling not to roll on the hot stone. "Psh, as if I would be offended by something so petty. Besides, there are no visible distinguishers between us demons. No two demons of any tier share a matching set of horns. Honestly, I'd have been surprised if you could distinguish any demon from another. We do look quite similar, after all. Still, I'm hurt that you hadn't even thought to ask." For a moment, my face burned brighter at the shame of falling for her ruse, especially when she finally chuckled at my embarrassment. "Now, where was I? Oh, yes..."

I didn't quite have the time to, nor did I feel up to, ponder my situation for any longer, to just stand there, so I quickly made my decision. They may not have any attraction to my shape, but, if worse came to worst, abduction was always a possibility. I'd just have to tough out a few more hours of weakness if it came to that.

I smiled my first genuine smile in days as I dragged myself through the soft sand towards the port town. It was a brand new world filled with new creatures, all of them looking so innocent and delectable, and I was going to take full advantage of it.

It took only a few moments to make the short trek across the beach, avoiding the pier where my way of passage had docked as I was so I had time to hide my pale blue skin and horns with a shimmer of arcane energy, but by the time I had reached the little village the moon was beginning to dip towards the horizon and the ponies mulling about had slipped away towards the east. I had to admit that I was curious, if only to myself, as I found the sudden lack of bustle stranger than most things I had witnessed in my rather long life.

I had thought myself well-adapted to almost any situation in the world, and I certainly was, but that morning brought a surprise that I was far from ready for. As I made my way through the streets, my now pale feet, minus claws, padding softly on the cobbled stone, I soon found the commotion that the earlier morning had brought condensed into an area that seemed like the center of the town. The ponies packed together tightly to fit in a space much too small for the sheer amount of citizens in the town, all of them watching a small stage set up next to a rather plain fountain. I watched from my relative vantage, that being me having several orders of magnitude of height over the much smaller creatures, as another pony, or horse, I should say, made her way to the top of the stand.

Her large, white wings spread out from her back, her head standing tall with her horn facing west where the moon was finally beginning to disappear beneath the ocean. I was mesmerized by her majesty as her wings worked to lift her from the wood, picking her up into the air as the first glimmer of the sun spilled out from the distance. Higher and higher she rose, the sun following suit behind her, until she was hovering motionlessly in the air, her wings spread out behind her in a display of majesty, silhouetted by the light of the giant orange orb illuminating the world.

It was then that I realized the faint glow around her horn and the undisputable tug of immense magickal power flowing from her, seeming without direction. It was then when I realized where all that magic was flowing being directed. It was then that I came to a rather jarring realization as I pressed a hand to my chest. "O-oh... I think I'm in love..."

"You what!?" I stared at the massive demon in front of me, my mouth hanging wide. What else could I say or do? Celestia hadn't said anything even remotely close to those lines.

To my embarrassment, she just shrugged it off with a smirk and popped my jaw closed with a finger. "What? It's it really that strange for a demon to fall in love with a mare as beautiful as she?"

"N-no..., I mean... yes! Of course it's strange! What would you even find attractive about her? I know she's smart, and beautiful, and kind and..." She snickered and my face flushed once more as I clamped my mouth shut. "Still! You're not even a list demon, so why would you...?"

"Oh, that's an easy one." Another one of her smirks flashed across her face as she sat upright. "Power. You've been around her. You know just how much power she has. And to see her raise the sun just like the legends that were told across the ocean of the One That Bends the Stars? I was just flooded with anticipation and need." I flinched as she leaned in closer, but held my ground. "Surely you know what that feels like, and, for a demon that lives on the power she has over others, seeing it first hand was just sublime.

"Needless to say, but say it I shall, I wanted her."

I hardly remember the brief lapse of time between me standing at my place at the back of the crowd and the moment I had pushed through the ponies to stand at the foot of the stage. I'm sure there we plenty of hard stares, sour faces, and looks of shock, but all I was seeing was the mare that had just raised the sun, bending it to her will like it was a mere pawn, a toy. By the time I had crossed the sea of ponies, she had noticed me, her eyes widening for the briefest of seconds before she held that impenetrable impassiveness only a learned leader could maintain.

So enticing, so lovely, so powerful. I was more than a little eager to have her. "Why-"

"I must say that I've never quite seen a creature like you. What brings you to this quaint little town?"

I flinched, overwhelmed by the underlying force in her words, and shuddered as a jolt of electricity fired in my loins. "Well, I had grown rather bored of my previous home and figured I'd come and see this fabled Land to the East. I'd heard there was an immortal being that raised the sun and moon each day and I just couldn't resist coming to see for myself." I flashed my brightest smile, showing off the pearly whiteness of my teeth. It wasn't technically a lie. I had heard of her before and I was very interested in seeing the one that controlled the heavens, but I certainly hadn't come to this land for such a mundane, nigh unbelievable folk tale. "I certainly wasn't disappointed..." I arched my eyebrow as I bowed, lowering my head nearly perpendicular with my waist.

"Celestia. Princess Celestia. And you are?"

"What a beautiful name for a beautiful princess." I smiled widely, straightening back to my full seven feet to stare into her amethyst eyes. "You may call me Amai, from Comal."

"Amai? But that isn't your name, is it? I thought you were-"

"Shush, morsel. Did you think me so foolish as to give out my true name to such a magnificently overwhelming creature such as her?" She laughed at me as I pulled away from the finger she had pressed against my lips. "Of course I wouldn't give her my true name. She was my mortal enemy. Can you even imagine how much control one has over a creature of magic with something as simple as their name?"

I blinked, staring at her as she rolled her eyes. "Mortal enemy? But didn't you fall-?"

"Shush. I was smitten, not stupid. Just because my lust burned to have her doesn't mean that I was dumb enough to throw my ass at her on a golden platter." I grimaced as she bit her lip, her eyes rolling up, and her hands traced her body. "Don't think that I didn't do so later though. I don't even think somebody as prudish as you could have kept your hooves off me if you had seen me served up like I was on that dinner table..."

"Please, don't elaborate. I... I don't need that running through my head." This time, it was my hoof on her lips, and I instantly regretted it as her lips widened so her tongue could trace my frog. "Agh! Gross!"

"What? I thought that's what you wanted. Why else would you keep such a delicious thing so intimate with my mouth?" I shuddered, wiping my hoof off on my coat, and glared. "Fine, fine. No fun."

She pouted, but I kept up my glare until, eventually, she shrugged. "So, what happened next?"

"Well, she took me back to her room, of course." She beamed widely at my scowl, nearly breaking out into laughter again.

It only took a few minutes for us to reach the inn that she was staying at for the day's festivities, the Summer Sun Celebration she had called it, and even less time for me to be staring blankly at the wall as a small troop of armored ponies to point their spears at me. I can't say that I was surprised, though. "Wow, this has to be the warmest reception I've received since my birth! Why all the formalities, Princess?"

"As the princess of Equestria, I have to be keenly aware of the goings-on around me and take careful note of oddities amongst my ponies." She paced around me, leaning in close to stare into my eyes. "And I must say that I see nothing but deceit in you. I cannot tell why you seem off, but I know that there is something strange about you. Why did you really come here, Amai?"

"Aww, Princess, you'll make a demon blush if you keep praising me like that. And to think that I'm not even a being of deceit! I might just cry..." I mocked a sniffle, wiping at my eye to brush away an invisible tear, and earned a sharp jab from one of the soldiers encircling me. "Ouch... Do that again and you'll be my first, little morsel." I could feel him shudder through the spear in his hooves and would have laughed if not for the very serious glare I received from a very powerful princess.

"You shall not harm a single one of my ponies." This time it was my turn to shudder, an act that likely would have been seen as out of fear had it not been for the look of absolute bliss I just knew was plastered on my face. "What are you-?"

"Wow, you are one spectacular creature, Princess. I don't think I've ever wanted anything as much as I want you now." I grinned, hugging my body, leaned towards her. "Have you ever wondered what it feels like to be at the complete mercy of something more powerful than you?" My hand slipped past the spears, brushing them aside with ease and snapping the flimsy wooden shafts like they were twigs. "Because I have, and I've never had the chance to experience something so wonderful until now." I stretched my hand out towards her face, my smile growing ever wider as she just watched with her impassive stare. "Perhaps you'd like to indulge me in my desi-aaAAUGH!?"

My scream as I wrenched my blistering hand away from the princess shattered the glass lamps sitting on the tables around us, making all but Celestia herself cringe away and try to cover their ears. I stared incredulously at my blackened, bubbling skin where, seconds ago, there had been nothing but pale blue flesh and fire. I wailed in agony, clenching my arm tight enough to kill the circulation to anything past my wrist, until the cries of pain choked away into maniacal laughter, replacing the looks of shock on the ponies' faces with a hint of fear. "HAHAHA! Oh, Princess, you are wonderful! To think that I could feel a fire so painfully pure!"

I squealed as the mare remained unmoving, unblinking, and I reached for her again, touching my glamourless hands to her face and grinning as the fires that had ignited me before swallowed my arms up to my elbows. "I really am in love! It burns so wonderfully! Look, Princess! Look at how you torture me so! And you do it with such lack of concern for my health! You're perfect!" I tilted my head back and laughed, keeping my hands planted firmly on her cheeks as her soldiers watched on, too shaken to even try to pry me off of her, even as my skin began to melt from the muscle. "Be mine, Celestia! Be mine and I shall be yours forever!"

Chapter 02

"So... what did she say? Why didn't she stop you from hurting yourself?"

"You would know that if you were a bit more patient. I was just about to tell you."

She grinned that irksome, sly little grin of hers, making my fur stand on its end, and it was all I could do not to yell at her. I don't know how she got under my skin so easily, but she just knew how to push my buttons. "You paused for nearly a minute! How was I supposed to know you were going to continue?"

"Well, I was a bit distracted. It's difficult for me to keep my hands playing nice when I've got such an exciting memory playing in my head, you see, and that's just the absolute worst diversion for one's attention." She thrust her hand out to me and it was only a quick step back that saved me from a facefull of wetness. "Would you like to share with me?"

"No! Definitely not! Please, just continue and... don't... keep your hands to yourself. Please." I swallowed the shame welling in my chest and turned away from her to stare intently at the ground.

She just laughed, her mad cackling filling the void just long enough for it to be swallowed up without the slightest echo. "You would do well to learn from her, you know. There isn't much that can break down her little facade of calm." A hum sounded from behind me and I could easily picture her with her hand to her chin, staring up into the nothingness with a thoughtful look on her face, even without having to tear my vision away from the barren ground. "Well, regardless, after that stunt... Let's just say that I didn't quite endear myself to her like I thought I would."

There was a slight hitch in her voice, and I raised my head, ears swivelling back, to try and catch more of the tone, but none came. She had paused again. "What do you mean? What happened next?"

"Well..."

I fell back on the floor, holding my arms out in front of me and admiring the gruesome sight of charred muscle and shrivelled skin, all while laughing madly into the air. Still, I never took my eyes off the princess, watching her reaction, waiting for her response. There was no disgust, no fear, no anger. There was nothing in her face but pity and, for a moment, I felt a flash of anger, but it was quickly hidden just as well as she hid her emotions. "So what do you say, Princess? Hahaha... I could serve you oh-so-well, and I just know you'll enjoy how well we can take care of each other."

"Silence, vermin! Don't think you can just speak to our princess like that!"

The soldier that had spoken raised his spear in a shimmer of magic, readying to bring it down upon what I'd assume would be my skull, and likely would have followed through were it not for the sudden change in angle one of his forelegs performed for the crowd. He screamed, almost reaching the ecstatic level of my own howl of pain, before crashing to the ground in a heap of whimpering, blubbering weakness. "Fool. Do not think yourself powerful enough to talk down to me like I'm some-"

In an instant, just as I was rising back to my feet, I was devoured by the burning rage of the sun, this time in the form of a shimmering golden aura about my body, and thrown to the ceiling. I wailed in pain, in between the cries and moans of ecstasy, and writhed in the magical grasp of that gorgeous titan. I did not fear the mare below me, but the gleam of fury in her eyes quickly brought silence to my intended provocations as she bore through me with a glare that could have turned diamonds into slag.

"Lieutenant Steel Heart, take Sargeant Butterscotch to the infirmary and have his legs set. The rest of you will leave as well and secure the town."

"But what about-?"

"I will take care of her. You're dismissed." Almost as one, the ponies saluted their princess, gathered their fallen comrade, and fled the scene, presumably to follow Celestia's orders just like the good little pets they were, and finally leaving me alone with Her Majesty herself. "Now that there are no more liabilities, we shall get straight to the matter at hoof." A rush of air whistled past me as I was pulled to the floor with a mighty crash, splintering the wood. I would have laughed had it not been for the air being crushed from my lungs. "I do not care what you do to me, demon, for I have faced far worse than anything you could ever inflict upon this body, but I will not tolerate any harm to my subjects!"

"Ohh... P-Princess... This force is so... invigorating!" I coughed, spitting out a mess of black blood and wood chips, and pushed against the golden aura, slowly rising to my feet. My whole body ached, covered with cuts and littered with wood fragments as it was, and it was superb. "I was... definitely not wrong..."

I reached out for her face again, this time receiving resistance in the form of her magical output pushing me harder away with a fiery glare from the mare, but when my fingers lit upon her cheeks it was over. I pulled her face towards me, breaking her concentration, and pressed the smaller girl's lips to my own. It was awkward, mashing my mouth against that of the equine's, but I had taken creatures with much stranger muzzles and it was only a matter seconds until I was melting, screaming, moaning into her mouth. The way she struggled after the first few moments, how she wrenched herself away from me, how body flushed with a mixture of disgust and unwelcome pleasure... It was all divine and I soaked up every bit of it like a sponge.

"You're delicious... I can't wait to have a taste of your soul... You will give it to me, won't you?" I beamed, licking up the stray strands of saliva on my blackened lips, and giggled when Celestia visibly shuddered.

"Wh-what did you do to me?"

"What do you mean? We kissed, of course. And, let me tell you, it was quite something. I've never had an embrace that was quite as torturous as that. The way your fury ate at my face, threatening to swallow me whole... mmm... I could do it forever and never get bored."

The mare took several deep breaths, straightening her feathers and smoothing her coat with a flash of magic, and stood back up to her full height. "I... Clearly I'm going at this the wrong way." I arched my eyebrow, keeping my wide smile even through my over-baked face. "What do you want with my ponies?"

"Nothing, now. After all, what else could I need when I have you?"

"Then why are you here? I very much doubt the truth of your earlier tale." She fell back to her haunches, slumping over with a sigh. "What even are you?"

"Why, this must be a scandal. Such informalities from a princess." I chuckled, rubbing the slowly healing skin on my face. "Not that I mind, after all. A demon of torment has little need for formalities. After all, the only thing I care about is the suffering of my prey... or myself, if the desire arises." I chuckled as her face fell, her lips twisting up into a grimace, and seated myself just in front of her. "Such a beautiful look, Princess. Such anguish in those eyes of yours. Do I truly repulse you that much? Surely you can see things from my point of view. Besides, it's not like I chose my life... I can't say I don't enjoy it, though."

"Then you came here to enslave my ponies? If that is so, then I cannot-"

"I did, in a way. All I really wanted was a few playthings here and there, a few offered souls, but now... Now all I want is you." I slid closer to her and leaned forward until our faces were a hair's width apart. "Will you give that to me? I can't say what will happen if you don't. Just imagine all of those ponies, twisted and tortured until they're just begging for me to devour them. Such a wonderful thought..."

"You will do no such thing!" In a flash, she was standing, her mane roiling in whatever aetheric storm she had imbued it with, her nostrils flaring. "And you will not be leaving this room unshackled."

"What? Do you think your magic can hold me? Do you think you have it in yourself to destroy me?" When I laughed this time, it was dark, menacing, and dripping with malice. "You cannot bind me. You cannot control me. Nothing short of tearing me asunder could stop me from taking what I want and you don't have the will to do so." I rose to my full seven and a half feet, standing several heads taller than Celestia, and whipped my serpentine tail back and forth in agitation. "You have three choices, Princess. You can obliterate me, removing my threat forever; you can try and restrain me, but I will escape and your subjects will face my delicate touch; or you can accept my offer and we can become one." The grin-like sneer I flashed her way sent another shudder up her spine. Yes, she was powerful, much more powerful than I, but unlike her, I wasn't bound by a sense of morality. I knew the answer she was going to give me before it had even formed in her thoughts.

"Very well... I am not thrilled with these choices and... I will not allow either of the two former paths to play out. Not without reason." She sighed, closing her eyes in an immense display of either trust or foolishness, and rubbed her forehead with a hoof. "We shall set terms for our agreement, ones that we both need agree upon, or else I will be forced to take drastic measures against your continued stay here."

"Why, of course!" My anger faded and I slowly sank back to the floor, resting my hands on my knees as I puffed out my chest. "It should be obvious that life partners need settle all of their disputes..."

"I don't believe that she just agreed like that! Celestia would never bow down to threats like yours!"

"Believe me or not, I wouldn't be here today if she hadn't, now would I?" I frowned at the demon's smug grin and, reluctantly, conceded defeat with a nod. If those had been the options presented, then she definitely wouldn't have survived the encounter otherwise. "Still, despite my rather high amount of... excitement, I'm still unsure of whether that was the best or worst day of my life. I did find a... master... as it were, but, well..." I could hear her lift her shackles up, the metal jingling noisily, before she dropped her arms back down to her sides. "I also never did get her soul. Such a shame, that, but it can't be helped. It really is difficult to break the spirits of a millennia old being, after all."

I perked my ears up, and, carefully, peeked back over my shoulder to find the demon leaning back on her hands and kicking her feet playfully in the air. "You didn't try to steal it with that kiss?"

"Of course not! Do you really think I could drain your soul with a mere smooch?" She laughed and my ears burnt. Of course I had believed her! "Oh no, morsel, that kind of magic is reserved for only the highest tiers of lust demons. I can only take your soul if you give it to me willingly. Or as willingly as you can be when I've crushed you beneath my heel long enough for you to wish for the only reprieve you can get. Either one is fine with me." My face grew ever redder, although whether it was from anger or embarrassment, I could no longer tell. "Did Celestia not tell you anything about me? Ho-hum... that mare is slacking in her duties. I'll have to thank her for the laughs when I see her next, I suppose."

Before she could continue on with her taunts, I stomped my hoof and shot her a glare. "Enough about that. What were the terms you two came up with?"

"Oh, those? Nothing too spectacular, I suppose. I wouldn't abduct random ponies. I wouldn't leave her sight. I would obey her every command. You know, the typical stuff you'd lay down for a creature that you considered dangerous. Now, that last one didn't quite work out all the time, though. A girl has to do something to keep herself from dying of boredom, after all."

She smiled, her lips curling up into a grin that was as much mischievous as it was menacing, and I shuddered to imagine what her words had entailed. I wasn't sure I wanted to know, either. "What about you? Didn't you have anything you wanted from her?"

"Of course I did! I wasn't about to let her make all the demands! We argued forever on what I wanted, but eventually I settled on just four."

"Just four? How many things did you ask for to begin with?"

"Three-hundred and two." The deadpan response nearly had me gawping at her with shock, but I luckily caught my jaw before I let it hit the floor. "Well, most of them were repeats that I was hoping to get by her denials if I kept asking, but the point still stands. If anything, she is a very good haggler. Still, I gained four things from her little deal and everything turned out pretty well."

"And?"

"And what?" I stared at her, my face blank, until she softly chuckled and threw up her hands. "If you really want to know..."

"So, we're agreed on this?"

"I am loathe to say it, but yes." Celestia groaned as I slid up next to her, rubbing my chest against her withers, but didn't shy away. "I ask that you at least keep your... displays out of the public eye, though."

"Hmm? Oh, I'm sorry. I was just distracted by how cute your ears are." She flattened her ears against her head as I traced my finger along the tip. "I suppose I can try to keep my hands to myself when we're not alone, but you'll have to make up for it when we are. Just think of all that embarrassment I'll be missing out on, after all. Why, I can already feel the burning heat coming off your body even if you don't want to show it, and we don't have any company. I can only imagine how much like your namesake you'll glow were I to tease you in front of others.

"Back to the meat of the matter, however, I want you to say it. Tell me what I have demanded of you, or else I will doubt your sincerity."

I backed away and stared into her eyes as my hands cupped her cheeks. "We will join each other in a pact of marriage in lieu the other, more scarring binding."

"Oh yes, a very good decision if I do say so myself. Second only to the brand in my books. How terrible it will be for you to publically marry a woman you've just met, let alone one your subjects will have heard nothing about. Think of your reputation! It'll take years for you to rebuild your image." I chuckled and stroked her mane and, if the fire that flashed in her eyes was any indication, I could tell that it bothered her at least a little. "Next."

"I will provide you with a means with which to sustain yourself."

I frowned and tapped her nose. "Tut-tut, morsel. No need to be so shy. Just say it. It's not like anybody can hear you, after all."

She glanced away, obviously uncomfortable, but I held her still. Sure, she could have broken out of my grasp, but a deal was a deal. "I will subject myself, or perform upon you, whatever acts you so desire in order to keep your health at its peak."

With a cluck of my tongue, I sighed and just shrugged. "No need to be so formal. You could have just said you'll let me torture you whenever I like, but it's done. Next."

"You may have my do what you wish, as long as it doesn't go against my own laws and morals, and I will use you in any way that I see fit, for whatever purpose, if we so desire..." She paused and I tilted my head letting my features twist and bunch with feigned confusion. "I still don't understand this. Why would you ask for this one."

"Perhaps you'll need me one day for something, and you'll hesitate, but remember that I am your servant and you mine." I tilted my head and brought our faces closer. "Or, maybe you'll want to crush my beautiful body into your pillows and take me like some brothel whore. Who knows? The future holds many opportunities, after all... Next."

Now, she visibly stiffened and swallowed, closing her eyes as if her inability to see me would wipe the manic grin from my face and her memory. "Should I ever annul, or attempt to make void, our pact, our marriage, or in any way act in undeserved aggression towards you, the life of one of my ponies will be forfeited to you to... do with as you will."

"Perfect." Our lips met in a passionate kiss, or at least passionate from my side, and did not break until I could feel the sweat building on her brow on my hands as she struggled for air. "Haaah... Honestly, I did not think you would concede to that one, but I'm very glad you did. The things you love serve as great collateral, do they not?

“Of course, fair’s fair, isn’t it. Still, you are quite something, my princessly morsel, to strike a bargain with a demon that you’ve just met. The last being that bargained with me lost her life to a mysterious soul crushing accident.” I laughed and caressed her face, relishing in the softness of her fur. “You really do take your duty to your subjects seriously. Speaking of duties... How was your first kiss as fiance to a devil? I thought it was quite enchanting.”

“If you are finished with your attempts to rile my emotions, then I will return to my ponies and oversee the festivities. If you wish to join me, then I ask that you perform whatever magicks you used before to hide your appearance.” She glanced over her shoulder as she walked to the door of the inn, wearing that same fake smile she had donned when I followed her here at the beginning. I would have been surprised by the rapid transition of emotions had I not been so adept at reading people. “My ponies are surprisingly easily spooked by things they’ve never seen before.”

A fake chuckle. A false grin. Her hidden unease. All played out in a matter of seconds, unnoticeable to the typical passerby. She’d wear her mask for her ponies, playing the infallible, unshaking monarch to keep them at ease, fooling everybody, and I’d be right there next to her, drinking in the subtle twitch of her wings, the sly glance whenever I moved, the tensity in her haunches. Yes, she’ll appear normal, but that underlying torment that my mere presence brings, her thoughts that I would, and could, at any time, go against my word and take her, or her ponies, in front of everybody. It will be the Gods’ ambrosia on my tongue, filling my being with it’s substance. Our times alone, and all the scars she’d wear from them, will be superb, but nothing will ever amount to the sheer terror that the unknown, I, will bring her just by being there.

“Of course.” I beamed, masking the malicious rush of glee behind a facade of obedience. Yes, I’ll play your game, morsel, and so shall you also play mine. “After all, we’re in this together now, are we not?”

She eyed me for the slightest moment, watching the brief transition between pale blue, horned demon to peach-skinned anomaly, before giving me a slight nod. “Yes. I suppose we are.” And I grinned, a wide, sharp-toothed grin.

Chapter 03

I was speechless, my face on fire, but whether it was from anger, shame, or something else, I couldn't tell. I was somewhat busy trying to ignore the demon's mad cackling. "What's the matter, morsel? Aroused? I know I am."

"I'm not... aroused! I-" I didn't quite know what I was at the moment, other than bewildered. Was I upset? Probably. I still couldn't wrap my mind around Celestia's decision. This demon had clearly threatened Equestria, had even made her threat part of the contract's terms, and yet Celestia had gone along with it. What happened to the fire she'd shown during the changeling invasion. If she hadn't underestimated Chrysalis, I know she could have easily destroyed her, so why did she hesitate against this enemy?

"Confused, are we? I was too, for a moment. Here was this all-powerful being, clearly set on defending her ponies even if it cost her life, and yet she bowed down to a lowly demon like myself. Why?" She smiled a quick, rueful grin, and shrugged. "I still don't know, of course. She never did confide in me as much as I may have wanted, but I've got my assumptions. You'll just have to figure it out for yourself, though. Or you could ask her. I have a feeling she'll be much more... receptive to your questions."

The two of us sat in silence after that, neither of us making a move to speak as we each pieced our thoughts together. Or, that's what I assumed she was doing as she wringed her tail in her claws. It was either that, or she received some kind of twisted pleasure from the act. I blinked, thrusting that thought as far from my mind as possible. It was already bad enough that she had been openly moaning in her reminiscing, I didn't need to be imagining her other lewd perversions. "So..."

"Yes, morsel?"

"What happened next?"

She giggled, pushing her hair back behind her horns and lay forward on her stomach. "Not much, I'm afraid. The rest of the day was dreadfully boring. Mingle with the commoners here, answer mundane questions about my origins there, lie without the slightest hint of proof through it all. Boring, boring, boring. Still, it wasn't completely uneventful, I'd say..."

When I stepped over the ponies around my, following Celestia like a towering sentry, I felt powerful, drinking in their fear as all of their eyes turned to the pure white of their leader. And her. She acted as if she was in control, but each step she took was shaky, as if she was struggling to lift her hooves from the sucking grasp of a pit of tar. It was obvious that her demeanor was the one and only thing keeping every pony in the town from bursting out into a frenzy. "I wonder how long this will last."

"How long what will last?" She paused, turning back to me, her head tilted.

"Oh, nothing in particular, Princess. Just a girl thinking out loud." I slid up closer to her and wrapped an arm around her back to slyly run a finger up her neck. "I am curious, though. I thought you were here to mingle. Greet your ponies, Princess. Tell them how much you love them."

I could feel the slightest shiver run down her spine and with it came a much more rigid posture from the mare. "I will, but for now I'm looking for the mayor. There was something I wanted to discuss with him before I joined in the festivities."

For a moment, I let my face slip into a pout, twisting my grin into a frown, and stood to my full height, arms crossed. "That's no fun, Princess. A festival is meant to be festive, yet all I see are a bunch of boring ponies staring at some strange creature in their midst. You should really do something entertaining, or I'll just have to find something to occupy myself with elsewhere. Who knows what mischief I could get up to?"

"You promised-!"

"And so did you. I am bored and demand that you entertain me. Must I get down and whine like a child? It would be quite a sight to see, if I do say so myself. A princess dealing with a petulant child twice her size for all of thee town to see. Why, you may even have to punish-"

"Enough. Please. I thought we agreed to keep everything in the privacy of our own company?"

"Perhaps we did..." I grinned, my eyes flashing to the crowd that had slowly grown around us, come to see the argument between their princess and some stranger, "and perhaps we shall, but I am starved for attention. Will you attend to your partner?"

I could see the hesitation in her eyes, the bright orbs dimming as she cast surreptitious glances between me and the ponies around her. For just a moment, I thought she might actually deny me, but just as I was getting ready to make my command she nodded. "It would be rude to deny a guest under my wing."

The word struck me like an iron peg, stinging like the barb of a bugbear, and, for once, I felt my blood boil. I thought it strange, how such a meaningless word, one said without any thought put into it, could have evoked any emotion in me, but here I was, struggling to maintain my glamour in front of a crowd of almost a hundred. It was petty, pointless even, but I couldn't even imagine letting it go unpunished. "A guest, are We?"

I knew she could practically taste the venom in my voice, I certainly could, and everything on her face was begging for me to stop, pleading that she wasn't ready to announce our contract to the populace, and I couldn't blame her for it. One doesn't just marry somebody out of the blue, let alone a complete stranger, without your character being called into question. No, it would surely besmirch her good name for some time to come, but the terms were set and, for some unknown reason, I was feeling especially spiteful in that moment.

"That's a terrible way to speak of your bride-to-be, isn't it, love?" I spoke just loud enough for those gathered nearest to us to hear, just as she had when she'd inadvertently invoked my ire, but dropped my voice to a whisper as I moved in closer. "You will enjoy this, and you will ensure that everybody around us is assured of your commitment. We wouldn't want anybody spreading any rumours that you're being manipulated, now would we?"

Before she could even respond, I pulled her face to mine and our mouths met, locking together like suctions. She was slow to reciprocate, and I had anticipated it, so I allowed myself the leisure of exploring her mouth, slipping my tongue past her teeth and down her throat. I watched her slowly ease into it, her eyes gradually closing, until her own tongue pressed against mine. The ponies around us would never see the little skirmish we were having, she trying and failing to wrestle me out of her throat, but they definitely heard her moan, saw the way she squirmed. I smiled into the kiss, gave her neck one last caress, and pulled away to stare into quivering magenta eyes of my very put out partner. "I told you that you were mine, didn't I?"

All at once, the silence that had fallen over the crowd broke, bursting into a cacophony of frenzied questions, each more urgently pressed than the last. I couldn't resist the grin that split my face, nor could I suppress the chuckle that shook my body. How could I? The sheer look of disbelief on the princess' face could have brought the sadism out of a butterfly.

"You just-"

"Yes."

"In front of-?"

"Most definitely. It was delightful." She rolled over onto her back, her chains clinking noisily, and grinned up at me, likely drinking in the shock that I knew was apparent on my face. "She looked just like that, you know? Celestia, that is, and a lot of the ponies in attendance that day, too. It didn't win any favor from her, but it certainly showed her how serious I was. Thinking back on it, I realize now why I had acted like that, but I don't regret it. I think it was that moment that I realized how serious I was as well."

"I still can't..." I shook my head and stared down at the stone. "Why?"

"I wasn't sure back then, probably did it on instinct, but I figure the answer should be obvious." She sighed, and clutched her chest. "I did fall in love with her, although at that time it was probably just infatuation pushed by the desire for power. As I said, she was much more awesome than I and I wanted to lord what little dominance I could over her. Petty. Stupid. Worth it."

I nodded slightly. I understood what she was saying and, while I didn't agree with anything she was doing, I could somewhat empathize with her. I'd known power and wished to hold what little I could over those that I loved. I did it all the time when I knew something that others didn't. I didn't like that part of myself, just as I'm sure most ponies didn't, but it was there. "So... why didn't she burn you?"

"What do you think would have happened if she had immolated my face in front of all of those innocent eyes?" She shook her head, absentmindedly tapping the sparkling iron around her wrists. It wasn't exactly my choice, nor did I think she could stop it. From the moment I first burst into flames, I was dreaming of the moment she would shove her horn into my-"

"Stop! I get it! you like it when you are hurt and when you hurt others! I don't... I don't need details. Especially not..." I shuddered, much to her delight if her cackling was any hint. "Just continue, please?"

After that, we didn't stay in one place for too long, moving through the crowds and greeting each pony we met. No longer were the questions focused on where I had come from, instead turning to inquiries of our meeting, when we had grown close, how long until our marriage. In those few, short hours, I learned quite well how magnificent of a manipulator my bride-to-be was as she wove falsehoods over fiction to make our arrangement seem as legitimate as she could. I could have broken the web of deceit, as it surely would have brought even more stress falling down upon her shoulders, but seeing her squirm under the scrutiny of hundreds of curious, fearful peasants was more than enough for me. I'd already slaked my hunger; drove away my boredom.

By the time midday came, the sun reaching its apex above us, the carriages that would carry us to my new home had arrived. They hadn't been due until past sunfall, as I had gleaned from the nearly incessant whining of the town's leaders, but here they were, almost as if summoned by the princess herself. "Well, Princess, I'd say it is time we made our leave, yes? After all, we do have a wedding to plan and invitations to send."

"Of course, Amai. I'm truly sorry, Mayor Hat, but I wasn't expecting my fiance to arrive quite as early as she did and plans had to change. I hope it didn't ruin your plans too much." Celestia smiled brightly, a gesture that the old stallion hastily returned. Politics always bored me, but it was always fun watching each person scramble to keep up with another.

"Of course not, Your Highness. I understand completely. I just hope that you and your lovely marefriend enjoy the rest of the night. Have a safe trip!"

The mayor bowed deeply, almost losing the top hat that sat upon his head to the momentum, as we nodded our formalities before stepping onto the gold-trimmed carriage. It was hysterical how he fumbled over himself, his nerves showing through as clearly as the sun on a cloudless day, and it wasn't until we were seated upon the plush, velvet cushions that I expressed my mirth to the princess. "You know, morsel, I do quite love when somebody hides something from the thing they fear the most, don't you?"

"Everybody has something to hide. It's part of being alive, one of the burdens of consciousness."

"Of course, but he wasn't hiding something you'd expect from just anybody. Did you not see how nervous he was?" I slipped my hand across her back and traced my fingers along her withers. "He was talking so quickly. Almost like he was counting down the seconds until you left."

"Most ponies are nervous when I'm around. It's bothersome, and something I wish I could work through, but I'm used to it." She shook as I dug my nails through her fur, gently tracing circles down her back. "Plus, I'm pretty sure you being there wasn't helping much at all."

I chuckled under my breath, and instinctively slid closer to the mare as the chariot began to move. "Oh, certainly. I saw how your ponies acted around you, practically falling over themselves in their anticipation, but surely you could tell the difference. He's hiding something terrible, or at least terrible by whatever standards you ponies hold, and I'm so very eager to know what it was."

She slumped forward as my fingers slipped lower, drawing abstract designs into her flank and across the bright little sun emblazoned on her ass. "Why are you telling me this? Is it another attempt to get under my skin and make me doubt my ponies?"

"Now, Princess... How could you think that of me? Haven't we been the best of friends since we met? We even kissed!" Her glare sent pleasant little shivers down my spine as I smiled and hugged her closer. "I'm teasing, morsel. I'm telling you because we're partners now. You may belong to me, but that doesn't mean I won't help where I'm needed. We have a contract, you know..." I slid my hand down to her tail, wringing my fingers around her dock, and ever so slyly graced the tight pucker below with little caresses. "Besides. If I was trying to manipulate you as such, do you really think I would make it known?"

"Not in public, Amai." I shrugged, pointing at myself as if accused of some grand wrongdoing that I hadn't committed, and continued to tease under her tail.

"We're far from in public, morsel. I doubt that anybody could see the way you twitch when I do this..." I gently slipped a finger down and into her folds, snorting with laughter as she yelped and shook the chariot, much to the guardstallions' dismay. "Well, they wouldn't see unless you made some rather embarrassing noises and used binoculars to see what happened. But what are the chances of that?"

"You are already making me regret my decision." She sighed, keeping as straight of a face as she could with my knuckles buried deep into her hindquarters, and regarded me with a hint of confusion on her face. "If I were to believe you, and I find it difficult to do so, what would my guards find if I pursued the subject with the mayor?"

A shake of my head was all I offered for a moment, still working my fingers, much to Celestia's increasing pleasure, or displeasure if the glare shot in my direction was any indication. "I haven't the slightest clue, Celestia. I cannot read minds, nor can I predict the future, but I am beyond capable at reading others. Believe me or not, it's your choice, but I would suggest having somebody look into that old horse's affairs. I'm sure something quite juicy will turn up." I grinned as the princess finally shuddered, a soft moan escaping her lips, barely audible over the rushing of wind around us, and clenched on my fingers in pre-release, and silently withdrew my hand back to my own lap.

The fury in her stare made my blood run cold and my smile split my face as I tried to feign a look of pure innocence. "What? Did you forget what I am? Besides, I thought you didn't want me to touch you."

"I... Why?"

"Because she was just burning up in that chariot. I thought I'd cool her off."

I buried my face in my hooves, hiding my blood-tinged cheeks. "I-I didn't want to know-" She barked with laughter, slapping her thigh with a sharp crack and wiped a tear from her eyes as I turned my frustration into an angry glare. "I'm serious! You don't have to tell me every time y-you..."

"Fuck the princess of Equestria with my slim, powerful fingers?" I groaned at the smug look on her face, but it only served to incite more glibness. "Do you know what she did after I stopped?" Shaking my head, I opened my mouth to decline an answer, but she interrupted a hand on my muzzle. "She gave me her first order. Can you guess what it was?" Again I wanted to refuse an answer, but only had enough range of motion to slightly shake my head. "Rhetorical question, morsel. She demanded I finish her. It had been mere hours and I already had a hold of the monarch of your lovely land, first with our contract and then with this small act of dominance. And believe me, she did not last long after I had stopped." Her grin broke out across her face as she held her free hand out to admire her fingers. "Let's just say that I have very magical appendages." Her eyes turned back towards me, a devious smile plastered on her face as she massaged my muzzle.

It took me a few moments for the smell to hit me, the scent of arousal freshly dried, and my eyes widened as one of her digits surreptitiously slipped between my lips. I panicked and pulled away, wrenching my face out of her grasp and nearly biting her finger in the process as the demon howled with laughter. "Y-you! Don-! Agh! That was in-!" I shuddered, trying to suppress my urge to freak out and blast her with magic, desperately trying to wipe my tongue off on my coat all while the woman rolled on the floor, cackling.

Several minutes passed before both of us calmed down enough, her laughter dying out and my desire to strangle her with her own tail simmering down into a niggling urge. I didn't relent my glare, however. "You could learn from Celestia, morsel. It'd serve you well to learn some composure, especially with how the ponies act when things don't go as planned."

I held her gaze for several moments, biting back the rising anger in my stomach, before finally sighing and hanging my head. "You're right. She is a monument to aspire to, and a pretty daunting one at that. I don't appreciate what you did, but I could have handled it better."

"There you go! Now..." She leaned in close, her voice dropping down to a whisper as if she didn't want the crowd of nothing around us to overhear. "Do you want a real taste? I've been told I remind a certain somebody of pomegranate."

I growled and shoved her away, only serving to elicit more laughter."Just tell me what happened when you got back! What happened with the mayor!?"

"So touchy. The offer still stands, though."

I stepped off the chariot, a wide grin on my face, followed by Celestia, her once calm, flowing mane roiling erratically and fur matted by sweat and copious sexual fluids. "I'd say they probably heard you all the way in my homeland with how you screamed, Princess. If you want to keep our bedroom acts private, I'd suggest working on some exercises in restraint."

"I would not have screamed so loud if you had simply stopped at the-" She paused, shaking her head, and nodded to the pair of guards who, despite the past hour of the flight's activities, had kept their demeanor surprisingly stoic. Or they would have had their flagposts not been at full mast, proudly displaying their true colors. "No, I won't give you the satisfaction."

"And we're already bickering like old codgers! My, Celestia, you sure do like to take your relationships seriously. Although, maybe we're moving a little too fast. I still have my whole life ahead of me. I'd prefer not to be a haggard crone so early." I skipped ahead, my feet padding softly on the smooth stone beneath them, and turned to face her, my expression hardened. "So, are you going to take my advice?"

She glanced back to the two guards and motioned them away, leaving just the two of us alone in the vast courtyard when they flew the chariot away. "I will... have some of my ponies look into it. If they find something, and I truly hope that they don't, then..." She hesitated, and, from the way her eyes unfocused for just a moment, I knew she was trying to phrase her words quite particularly. "Then, perhaps, I may think more on this contract. As it stands, I fear I don't quite gain as much of a benefit from our arrangement as you do, outside of my subjects' safety. If your assumption proves true, then I may find some purpose for you."

"A purpose? For me?" I pressed my hand to my chest, mocking awe, and bowed deeply. "Why, thank you, Princess. I'm sure I'll be a wonderful ass...et." I chuckled, spinning on my heel, and skipped on ahead as the white mare followed slowly behind, quite obviously less eager to be back home than I was. "You don't need to worry, morsel. I'm always right about these things."

"And that's what worries me." She sped up her pace, catching up to me at a brisk trot, matched my stride with surprising agility, and gently nudged me with a wing. "Before we have another debacle like before, I need to set some ground rules, Amai."

I slowed slightly, hooking my arm around her barrel, and lifted her off her hooves, chuckling as she gasped and momentarily flailed like an abducted cat. "Ground rules? I suppose, but we both know how well I listen to those."

"Then consider them an order! And put me down. I'd prefer it if we could reason this out like proper adults, but I will abuse my command if you don't with to cooperate."

"Oh, please abuse it, Celestia. Abuse me as well. I really would appreciate it."

"Enough! I like to think I am a patient mare, I've had many, many centuries to work on it, but I need you to be serious. I'm sure you want this to work just as much as I would prefer it to. I do not want to invoke my power upon you, nor do I want you to run rampant through my streets." She stared at me, eyes full of weakness, face lined with weariness, and, for a moment, I thought I was staring at a completely different mare. A mare devoid of that indomitable strength that had seduced me at first contact, incapable of sending me to my doom even if she wished to. I watched her trudging behind me to close the distance, and I shivered. Had I been mistaken? Was this mare, this mere pony, worth my desire? So many thoughts, doubts, and questions flashed by in a matter of seconds, and then she straightened her back, standing to her full, regal height, and stared into my eyes, her magenta orbs glowing fiercely in the light of the sun. "No, I do not want that and I will do everything in my power to prevent it. I will play along with this little game you've thought up, but you will do as I say or come to regret it."

I smiled, the grin stretching widely across my face as it wiped any semblance of distaste from my visage, threatening to send me into a fit of laughter as she continued to burn her glare deep into my soul, and bent forward to press our lips into a quick, chaste embrace. "Of course, Princess. I am your servant, pledged to follow your commands to the letter, or did you forget our pact?" I pulled away, bowing deeply enough that my horns nearly scraped the stone at her hooves. "Demand it and it shall be done. Bend me to your will."

Author's Note

So, the next chapter will get pretty bad (where the dark and shit comes into play), but it's nothing overtly terrible. If you've seen a horror movie, then this shouldn't be anything overtly new. Still, just a forewarning.

Chapter 04

"You are a strange creature."

The demon shrugged and lazily draped herself over my barrel, almost making me collapse as she rested her considerable weight on my back. "And you are just as strange to me, morsel, as are any other beings I come across. Each country, each race, each group of peoples carry their own sense of what's right and wrong. Some beliefs may overlap, but no two are generally exact copies of each other. Still, you and Celestia and the others... You all share a strange quality... Generally."

I arched a brow, turning back to look at her from over my shoulder. "And what would that be?"

"Well, aside from some of your, let's say, bad apples, you all share this disgusting idea of friendship. It boils my blood and brings bile to my throat just thinking about it."

With a roll of my eyes, I nudged the girl off my back, flexing my wings to help guide her away. "And what's wrong with that? Friendship has saved me countless times."

She pointed her finger at her mouth, tongue extended, and mimicked a retching sound. "Gag. Your silly notions of camaraderie really do rile me up. I mean, how am I supposed to torment you if I care about you? It's tough!"

For once, I actually returned the demon's wicked grin and flicked my tail in her face. "So you admit that you cared about Celestia? No wonder you didn't do much more than tease her like you do me."

In an instant, her joviality was gone, replaced with a dark scowl that turned my blood to ice, and I regretted the words I had just spoke. "Do you think I hold a heart? Do you think my playful demeanor more than just a facade? I have done far worse than you could ever imagine. No foe you've faced will ever match up to the sinister deeds I have performed." She stood to her full height, towering over me like a monolith to some unholy god, and I instinctively cowered back, my fur standing on end. "Perhaps you need to hear it for yourself? How long will you doubt me, worm, when I tell you of our first night? How long until you recover from what I'm about to show you, hmm? I doubt even Celestia has rid herself of the night terrors I have inflicted upon her, so let's see how well a bug like you can hope to cope."

She made to lunge at me, but, just as before, the chains dragged her back down to the ground, just out of arms' reach. I shook terribly, too fearful to look up from the ground and into the eyes I knew were going to be burning with anger, but even that didn't last long. She had gone quiet, her breathing slowing until I couldn't even hear it, and not even the rattle of her chains from her half-hearted struggles seemed to break the silence. Ever so slowly, inch by inch, I dragged my eyes away from the stone, up her naked legs and muscle-strained arms, to her face and froze as her eyes, devoid of light, ate at my mind.

Celestia walked briskly through the halls, occasionally glancing back in my direction to ensure I was following and behaving. I could feel her trepidation in the way she moved, smell her fear in each bead of sweat she released. I did as I was told, however. I followed without a sound, doing nothing but watching her tail as it twitched with each step. It was torturous, being bound by my own magic, held to my path by our pact, and I revelled in it. I had been made to bend to her command and now I was suffering, moistening, boiling in my submission, but it would not last.

No, tonight I planned on showing her how things were going to be. I was going to show her who was really in control.

She stopped outside a pair of grand double doors, decorated with wreaths of gilded fire in the shape of a sun. The designs were extravagant, reminding me quite aptly of the actual celestial body in the sky. Yes, the doors were magnificent, but they were not her doors. "This is where you'll be staying while thing settled down and we-"

"No. We will lay together, in your bed, under your canopy. A wife does not sleep without her spouse." For once, I let my anger show and allowed my words to drip with the venom that had clouded my mind. "Or you will lay here with me. Either way, I will take you tonight and every night henceforth."

"I have an image to uphold! We have traditions and-"

It took everything in me to ignore the fire burning in my muscles as I struggled against my own spells and reached for the white mare. My hands clasped around her stomach, easily lifting her into the air, and pulled her to my breast as I shouldered through the gilded portal. The wood cracked loudly against the walls before swinging closed with a noisome click. As if hitting a switch, the strain on my mind and body disappeared, no longer binding me as we stepped out of the public eye, and I grinned as I tossed the mare onto the bed.

She flailed in midair, caught off guard by the rough treatment, and tried to recover her composure, but I was already on her, my hands gripping her forehooves and tail wrapping tightly around one of her hind legs. "Now, Celestia, for my turn. You are going to submit to me tonight and offer your body up for my pleasure." I stared into her eyes, the onyxian orbs reflecting clearly in the bright-eyed mare's, and crushed our mouths together, pressing my dextrous tongue past her teeth to coil down her throat.

She shuddered, moving hers against mine in what I assumed was a feeble attempt to show she was willing if I'd let up, and I smiled. I allowed her muscled to push back against me, to slip past my lips and probe my mouth, hopefully tasting the remnants of her fluids on my breath. And then I closed my teeth.

Razor sharp canines dug into Celestia's tongue, holding it prisoner in my mouth as her blood oozed down my throat. Her eyes widened, and she tried to pull away, tried to scream, but I held her fast against me, drinking in her terror just as I was the sanguine liquid draining into gullet. Minutes passed, punctuated by her terrified moans as she tried to force my mouth open, to blast me with magic, to beg for her release, and I responded in kind with another dip into her tongue, sinking my teeth further and further until I could almost feel the two rows meet.

I chuckled, the sound garbled by the blood in my mouth, and let go of the mare. She fell back, tongue hanging out, dripping her life's liquid onto the bed, and tried to work some form of magic on the muscle all while keeping her fearful eyes locked on me. "What's the matter, morsel? Did you think me docile? Did I not tell you that I live for the torment of others? It's in the name, after all." My laugh, deep and scratchy, overpowered the princess' whimpers as I reached forward and cracked my knuckles against her horn. A loud snap echoed in the room as she bounced back, sporting a fresh, new fracture along the bony protrusion, and I took that moment to pounce on her.

She screamed as well as she could with a mouth full of blood while I traced my red-tinged tongue up her neck, staining her coat crimson with the remnants of our little kiss. She tried to pull her hooves from my hands in an attempt I assumed was to feel at her horn, but I had greater leverage, using all of my upper body to hold her legs down and out of the way. Her hind legs flailed, trying to get under me, kick me off, or perhaps just injure me to distract me from her, but it didn't take much effort to constrict those as well as I crushed them between my thighs. "My, you're such a naughty mare, Celestia. You should know better than to try and hurt your wife. I have feelings too, you know."

I mimicked a pout, sticking out my bottom lips for just a moment, before flinging my head back and laughing. "Ohh... I'm too funny for my own good, aren't I?" I shook my head, still smiling, and rubbed my face against my wife-to-be's blood-stained neck. "I can feel your heart beating through your neck. It's running so heavily, pounding like the machinery at a steel mill. Why, if I didn't know any better, I'd say you were scared. How about we assuage some of those fears?" It took all of my effort to affect the most sincere smile I could as I planted small, soft kisses on the mare's neck, trailing up her jawline before falling back down the other side until I reached her stomach.

Very slowly, my tongue slipped past my lips, its pointed tip meeting with the mare's fur, before dragging a long, broad swipe up her chest. I could taste the sweat of the day, and likely the past few minutes, in the stroke, and almost purred when her muscles tensed underneath her skin. Gently, I pulled one of her hooves down to my chest, pressing it against my right breast and crushing the dusky nipple against her frog. More and more, I felt the exhilaration of power flow through my veins, the adrenaline that came with dominance spurring me forward, and with it I pushed myself even further down her body.

I relinquished my hold on her hooves, warning her against any kind of struggle with a very fierce glare, and smiled when she made no move to act. Of course, I wanted her to struggle. I wanted the opportunity to show her who was in control, to put her thoughts into the proper perspective, but this was fine as well. So easily made docile, this ruler of ponies. So easy to control.

My horns brushed against Celestia's quivering thighs, bone scraping against tender flesh so closely that she had to struggle to keep her legs parted so they didn't chafe against the rough protrusions. A struggle don in vain, however, as I made an extra effort to press my face against the small mounds of her teats and drag the jagged ridges of my pride through the valley hard enough to break the skin.

She whimpered.

I laughed.

"Come now, Celestia. You can't deny that this pleasurable. I mean, just look at how swollen you've become down here!" My fingers pressed against the light pink of her folds, slipping just barely past the barrier of flesh with a wet slurp. "Don't tell me that you secretly enjoy being tormented. Why, that'd be no fun at all."

I didn't need an answer, even if she could through the swollen, bloody mess that was her tongue. She was far from enjoying my favorite parts of the experience, but it was just too much fun to play with her emotions. Besides, I wasn't anywhere near done with her yet. "Now, love, I'm going to give you a choice. A choice that you can make anywhere between now and the time that I finish with you tonight. Your tongue will be the least of your worries by the time I'm through with our little get together, as I plan on doing things most people would find detestably heinous, even in the... kinkiest of relationships.

"But, I am a generous demon..." I grinned, chuckling to myself at the little slip. "Or, I will be tonight, at the least. I'll let you stop me tonight, if you want it to end, however..." I traced the sharp tip of my tail up the mare's thighs, dragging it along the tender, raw skin my horns had exposed, before pressing it hard against the little nub that splashed my face with wetness. To my surprise, Celestia didn't even let loose a yelp. "However, you must give up one of your servants to me. Only one, and only for a night. A girl does need to relieve some stress, after all."

I let a smirk lift one side of my lips before replacing my tail on her mound with them to suck on the bloodied nub beneath. "I know you won't, though, and that's fine, too. I've already gotten what I wanted." I nipped at the red pearl, my teeth grazing the sensitive flesh, and slipped my tongue deep inside of her folds, drawing out a much unwanted moan to mingle with her whimper as I proved just how dextrous the prehensile organ could be before pulling away. "I could see it in your eyes, that little spark of consideration. You may not accept my offer, but the guilt you'll feel for the rest of your life, the strain on your conscience, from your moment of weakness..." I sucked upon Celestia's marehood, laughing as the lips puffed up in response, then moved over to nibble at her haunches. "You thought to yourself, maybe just one wouldn't be too bad, didn't you?" I laughed as she tensed up before biting hard into the thick flesh of her thigh to savor the sweetness of that succulently thick limb. "That moment will burn in your chest for the rest of your life, won't it? These wounds will heal, your fur will grow over the scars, but you'll never forget the moment you considered saving yourself at the cost of one innocent soul."

My teeth sunk back into her leg, this time biting deep enough to tear off a piece of the fatty meat. She screamed, and I moved up further, swallowing the small piece of flesh. Another bite, this time from the left side of her stomach, just above her teat, more screams, and another mouthful of pony to settle in my stomach. I tore at the flesh of her barrel, on the verge of madness as I laughed while she wailed and struggled to break free, before moving up to her neck.

I could see tears pouring down her face, true fear and anger burning in her eyes, as I bared my teeth around the quivering muscles of her throat. She was on the verge of breaking down, her horn sparking as she tried to cast magic only to have it sputter from the cracks in bright flashes. My teeth began to sink into her fur, poking into the soft tissue beneath, drawing fresh founts of crimson, before the mare's eyes began glowing with a blinding white light.

"Enough!"

I was thrown back onto the floor behind me, laughing maniacally as Celestia frantically patted her body down, eyes wide and burning bright, only for her hooves to come back clean and her body free of blemishes.

"W-what did you-?"

I screamed, tearing myself away from the demon and frantically pressing against the burning agony where I was missing chunks of skin, only to find that my body was whole and intact and the pains nothing but phantoms on the winds of... whatever had just happened. My heart raced in my chest, thundering so loudly that I thought it might literally burst, and every fiber of my being screamed at me to run from the softly smiling creature before me. "Wh-what..."

"You make two, morsel. You are the second person to survive that mentally unscathed..." She brought her hand to her chin, stroking it for a moment, before continuing. "Or, mostly unscathed, I'd assume. Not even dear Celestia truly recovered from that first night.

"Still, maybe now you won't think to doubt my prowess?"

I gasped for air, my body never stopping in its attempt to vibrate through the stone. "I... I have to..."

"Go? Yes, I suppose you would. Perhaps you could tell Celestia about what I showed you today? I'm certain she'd come and visit me after that. I do so miss her."

Very carefully, slowly, agonizingly slowly, I crept back towards the edge of the island, never once taking my eyes off the solitary figure sitting languidly in the center. My whole being shook, replaying each second of that torturous... vision over and over as if it wanted me to suffer every moment until eternity. Still, even with the blurred vision as I blinked through tears, the phantom pains clouding what thoughts weren't occupied by refreshing my recent memories, I could almost swear I saw a look of equal despair etched into the pale blue face of the demon sitting alone and bound in her personal level of Tartarus.

Chapter 05

I returned to that secluded little pit in Tartarus, eventually. I had to, after all, or I’d never get the answers I was looking for. It had been Celestia that had offered me this opportunity, and, despite the closeness of our relationship, I very much doubted that she would weave the full truth of the story for me like the demon would… If I could even work up the courage to ask her myself.

Still, as I stepped onto the lonely island that held the a single occupant, I couldn’t ignore the gnawing fear that ate at the back of my mind. The vision, like she had said, always seemed to linger in the back of my mind, surfacing whenever I wasn’t actively trying to ignore it. My friends were worried for me, and I hated having to lie to them and tell them that I was fine, but I couldn’t risk letting them know for fear of them telling Celestia. I couldn’t risk losing these visits.

So, when I came upon the demon stretched languidly out across the center of the platform, her predatory grin stretched across her face as if she was the cat that had caught the canary, I swallowed my trepidation and stared her in the eye with all the resolve I could muster.

“I knew you would come back, morsel. The devotion you have towards learning shows no bounds, my little snack, and it seems that not even the terror of what I could do to you if you let me could keep you away.” Her chuckle was deep and throaty, a far cry from her typical chuckle of innocence. “My, though, am I disappointed that my Dear Celestia didn’t come to visit her wrath upon me while you were away. I was quite certain that she’d never let that little slip-up slide… unless…” Her smile widened inexplicably and, for a moment, I feared she was twisting into something even more sinister than the evil beauty that she held herself as. “You didn’t tell her, did you?”

“No, I didn’t.”

Her barking laughter rattled me despite the multitudinous times I had experienced it and I couldn’t help the shudder that ran through me. “You truly wish to know about our little… falling out, don’t you? To think that you wouldn’t immediately run off to our darling little Celestia like a scared puppy. You’re much more like her than I gave you credit, morsel... “ She licked her lips, her hands cupping her breasts. “If you could make me yours as easily as she could, then maybe I could even fall for you instead. Goodness knows how much more I’m going to be dreaming about taking your soul now.”

I sighed, and fell to my haunches, too tired to even flinch when she crawled over to me and draped herself across my body. “Could we please pick up where we left off?”

“Tch… You’re so much less fun than before. What’s the matter? Was it too much for you after all?” She traced a finger across my jaw and I shuddered as my tail swished. “If you want… I can tone it down for you. All you have to do is give in.”

“Please stop and just continue. I’m not in the mood for your teasing today.” I looked into her eyes, mere inches from the side of my face, and grimaced at the flash of indignation that flared in them. “Look, I’m tired. I’ve been having nightmares about what happened. I can still feel it sometimes and… I just don’t have the energy today, but I’d really like to continue.”

“Well, I don’t think I’m in the mood for any storytelling today!” She growled and slithered off me, uncoiling the tail that I hadn’t even realized was wrapped around my leg until it was gone. “Maybe you should just crawl back to your quaint little town and pretend to be a princess like the one you so admire instead of wasting my time like this! Besides, it’s not like I get anything in return for this outside of the little trickle of power that my restraints will allow me.”

The sneer she gave me could have curdled milk, and I felt my skin crawl, but, after the memory, after the nightmares, there was, hopefully, little she could do save for another trip into the past that would phase me anymore. Still, she did have a point. “Then how about I make a promise to you? I could tell you all about my time with Celestia in exchange for your stories about your past.” A thought occurred to me as she turned her head in my direction, and I couldn’t stop the smile that crept its way across my muzzle. “Plus, you can’t deny that you missed me. Why, I remember just how much you were fawning over me last time I was here!”

Her chuckle was dark, but it was a step in the right direction, as she turned fully back towards me and tapped a sharp nail against her chin. Hmm, yes… An intriguing offer, indeed, and one I certainly couldn’t deny interest in.” She grinned and crawled over to me, sidling up against my barrel. “Very well, I shall accept your offer. A story for a story seems fair enough, and I’m certain you’re well aware of how desperate I am to be with my dearest Celestia again.” She laughed, the deep sound making my ear twitch, and cupped my jaw. “So, how about we seal our pact with a kiss, just like how Celestia and I sealed ours?”

My face ignited as her lips drew closer to my face, and lit my horn to knock her off me, but her sharp laugh and patting of my twitching haunches drew out a growl instead of my spell. “For somebody that so vehemently denies being a demon of lust, you sure act like how I’d imagine one!”

“Oh, dearest morsel, I only do this because it flusters you, just like how it rattled her. You princesses are so easy to rile up, it’s almost as much fun as peeling somebody’s skin from their body.” She grinned, slipping away, and stretched across the floor. “So, where were we? Ah, yes…”

“Did you like it, morsel? How did it feel to be completely at my mercy, a slave to my whim, to know that I could end you so easily if that was what I chose?” My hand traced lines on her chest as I slid my tongue across her lips, wetting them where they had gone dry from the assault on her mind.

“What did you do?”

“Oh, that?” I snickered, my fingers teasing across my body as it tingled from the outpour of magic from the bedraggled princess. “I suppose you could call it magic, but it’s more of a… suggestion. It felt so real, didn’t it? It hurt, made you burn in agony, and flared up that delicious little pearl you’re flashing there.” I licked my lips as she glared at me and made a poor effort to cover her flagging arousal. It was fading, but there was no doubt that it had been there. “There’s no need to hide from me, morsel, I know just much you wanted… most of that.”

Celestia very obviously didn’t appreciate the humor I found in her predicament, if the flaring of her nostrils and rage swimming in her eyes was any clue to go by, but, as she spoke, her voice was calm and practiced if you ignored that shakiness of each breath she took. “I do not know how you forced that vision upon me, demon, but it will not happen again. I underestimated you once, and that shall be the last occurrence.” Her eyes hardened further as I snickered and made to climb off the bed, soiled with her sweat and desire, before I pounced and pinned her again, this time beginning to feel the fires of her magic starting to eat at my flesh once more. “Remove yourself. We are finished here, since you’ve obviously gotten what you wanted.”

“Tut tut, Celestia, that’s so cold of you, to shun your fiance’s advances like that.” I grinned even as the skin on my fingers began to blacken the further down her stomach they glided. “Don’t tell me that you don’t want this, even after all the build up from just now.” My fingers dipped into her folds, sliding in easier and easier with each time I rubbed my palm against her flashing sex. “Besides…” I pressed my nose to her muzzle, delighting in the fire that lit her cheeks. “You belong to me when we’re alone, and we’re not done until I say we are.”

“I’d very much appreciate it if you didn’t pleasure yourself in front of me.” I pointedly looked everywhere but where the demon was, very determinedly ignoring her as she dipped into herself while recounting the memory. It was decidedly less embarrassing than it had been the many other times she’d worked herself up around me, having personally experienced a portion of her current story by her hands, but it still made me uncomfortable, especially when paired with thoughts of her doing these same things to Celestia.

“Just like her.” I could practically hear the smirk on her face even as the sounds of her masturbation continued, before she eventually gave up and just crawled up next to me, reeking of arousal. “I did tell you that it was hard not to, right? Besides, you can’t truthfully tell me that you aren’t excited by my smell. Even stoic, old Celestia couldn’t ignore my… potency.” She chuckled as I stiffened, but, other than a few light touches against my withers, kept her hands to herself. “Not for long, at least. So delicious, you shy little morsel. I do so wish to see the look on her face when she finds out you’ve fallen for my irresistible wiles. It’s only a matter of time, after all.

“Still, the story must go on, and, just for you, I’ll skip the rest of that night.” She cupped my chin and I had to hold my breath just so I wouldn’t breathe in too much of her. “If you ever want to know how our first night together went, though… All you have to do is ask.”

Although I was well aware, now, of her status of controller of the heavens, I was more than marginally surprised when Celestia was the first one to stir after the night’s vigorous activities, and couldn’t even stifle my groan as her movements roused me from my own slumber. Could you truly blame me for being well and truly tired, though, after having my desires well and truly sated throughout the majority of the previous night? Sure, I may have gorged myself on the sweet little bouts of torture I had made her endure, and there were oh, so many opportunities to make her suffer while we copulated, but there is a vast difference between feeding your need to live and replenishing your used stamina through rest… And there was most definitely very little rest that had been had.

I snickered even as a yawn began to split my dry lips, and admired the way my sun princess embraced the morning with surprising ease. “Admirable, my sweet morsel.” She stiffened for just a moment, just now realizing I had awoken with her, but quickly returned to the little workout that was quite obviously part of her morning routine. “I wouldn’t have thought that you’d have any energy left after last night, but I’m pleasantly surprised that that’s not the case.” I slinked off the bed and crawled towards her, one of my hands trailing across her rump.

“While I will admit that last night was… tiring, to say the least, I’m the princess of my people and must always be prepared to greet the day. I cannot risk worrying my beloved subjects, especially with news of our union being made open without so much as a warning.” She shook me off, her tail raised, and strode to what looked like a palatial bath through an open door on the left side of the room. “Now, I must prepare to raise the sun and need a bath. Do as you will until I am finished.”

“Oh, dear Celestia, still you spurn your lover. How cruel of you to deny your future spouse the chance to bathe with you, and so rudely at that.” I stuck out my lip into a pout, knowing that, even if she couldn’t see me with her back turned as she filled the tub with hot water and scented oils, she would most certainly know I was doing it. “Why, I’d much rather join you.” I stood and strode up next to her, ducking through the door that was much too small for me, and lifted her in my arms like a newborn imp. “After all, we may as well become accustomed to each other if we’re ever going to live together. Why, who knows?” My grin as her baleful frown marred her beautiful face widened enough to show the pearly razors that were my teeth. “You may even come to enjoy my presence.”

She sighed as I slipped into the basin, clearly made large enough for a creature bigger than celestia yet was barely enough to fit my intimidating stature, and held her in my lap. She was uncomfortable, I could very clearly taste it, but she didn’t voice her displeasure, even as my hands leisurely began to clean, and explore, her shapely body. “You know, I may have said this before, but, for a horse, you are quite the sight to see.”

“You have, and I thank you for the compliment, but I find it hard to believe your sincerity when you quite explicitly stated that you wanted me for my power.”

I laughed and ran my hand through her mane, marvelling at how the flowing auroral mass still felt like the silky strands of hair you’d expect from normal creature. “Oh, but I’m always sincere, my sweet morsel.” My nails scraped against her scalp, light enough to not break the skin yet still firm enough to make her squirm in discomfort. “I mean everything that I ever say, ever. After all, what sort of daemon would I be if I didn’t keep to my words?”

“I cannot answer that question.” Her magenta eyes turned up to me, trying her best to look unfazed by the slightly rough treatment I was giving her head. “I don’t know enough about your kind to pass any sort of judgement.” She paused, staring into me as if she was trying to read my soul, then returned her gaze upon the opposite end of the bath. “The last being that could have matched your sadism and threatened my ponies was turned to stone for all of eternity.”

I shuddered, relishing in the goosepimples her icy tone sent crawling up my spine. “Oh my, Celestia. Such poorly veiled threats will do nothing more than make me desire you more… And we both know how far into madness that path will take you.”

Celestia sighed and levitated a vial embossed with golden letters that, had I been able to read it, would have likely named off an expensive brand of soap. “Since you are so keen on keeping me confined to your persons, would you be so kind as to lather this into my coat? I’d prefer not to have to fight against you with my magic to get myself cleaned for the day.”

“Kind? Truly?” I scoffed, slapping a palm against her flank that, had it not been for her hair, would have likely left a glowing mark for all to see.

“Please? Amai, I do not want to have to constantly battle against you to have things done or to work towards a mutual understanding. If you want this to work, I cannot be seen constantly demanding things of you.”

I smirked, noting just how tense her body had gotten, and snatched the floating bottle from the golden aura. “If you insist, Celestia. Besides, we both know just how much you desire my hands on your body.” A thick glob of the scented gel, reminiscent of the flowery meadows from the last country that I had left in ruins, oozed over her sun-emblazoned haunch and, having set the bottle aside, ran my free hand across the soap, working it, and her flank, into a foaming lather. “Your kind surprises me, Celestia. In other countries, even before I had my way with them, structures like this would have been nigh impossible to build. An entire city built on a mountainside, seemingly hanging on by its own sheer determination, with its citizens going about their daily lives with nary a worry.” My hand roamed up her barrel, scratching the suds into her coat and digging into the muscles beneath hair and skin. “Not many places can boast such feats, especially not the citizens’ satisfaction, assuming the rest of your wonderful nation is anything like that little seaside town. Why, my previous home, Caldora… Well, let’s just say that they never did play all that nice with their neighbors, and my meddling in their affairs definitely didn’t help with that at all.” Her chest tightened as my nails dragged across her neck, but whether it was from anticipation of something she’d expected me to do, or in response to what I had said I was uncertain. All that mattered was that she was bothered.

“That’s unfortunate. It pains me to know that there are countries that haven’t come as far as we have.” A soft sigh, almost passable for just an exaggerated breath, slipped from her breast. “We have our fair share of troubles in Equestria, some more worrying than others…” She cracked an eye open as I rolled her onto her back, my soap-slathered hand running across her chest. “but I won’t lie and say that we have all that much to worry over. We have the Everfree Forest, but the creatures there tend to keep to themselves, and not all of our bordering allies are on the best of terms, but we are a content people. Every being that comes to Equestria knows that I will stop at nothing to keep my ponies safe.”

“Mmm… Yes, and our little arrangement certainly proves that.” I snickered and she frowned, but only slightly as if to admonish me for making light of her efforts. Still, as I worked the colorfully scented soap into her stomach, the look passed and slipped back into comfort. “Tell me, Celestia. What was it that persuaded you to take my little offer?” I smirked and pulled away to run my hands across my body, making sure to emphasize my plump breasts and shapely thighs. “Was it my beauty? My assets?” She watched every motion I made, mostly indifferently, but behind that mask I could almost feel her desire spike, and if I were a demon of Lust I don’t doubt I’d have been drowning in euphoria. I had certainly worked wonders on her body before my little power play. “No, however much you may find me physically appealing now, it wasn’t that.

“No, it wasn’t that. I’ve heard stories, Celestia, whispers of goings-on about the world and the monsters that have come and vanished. Why, I don’t doubt that the Holder of the Sun has faced her fair share of evil and dealt with them accordingly.” I sat next to her once more and carefully guided her back into the water, allowing the grime-trapping suds to float away towards the little drain that constantly heated and filtered the water, until she was stiffly laying in my lap. She was no longer comfortable and the muscles under her skin tensed each time I moved my hands over her stomach and along her inner thighs. For a moment, I thought her mask would slip as the heavy silence lingered on and she would say something that would clue me into her inner machinations, but as the seconds turned to minutes it was I that broke the lapse. “You’re so delightful when you squirm, little morsel. I merely tease. I have an inkling idea of why and that will suffice for now. You simply did not wish to resort to such heavy-handed actions, and, while I certainly envy those poor souls that fell beneath your might, I appreciate your bountiful generosity.”

Her tightened jaw fell slack as her passive stare turned into a genuine smile. “You are very welcome, Amai. I must applaud you for your insight, even if I disapprove of that little quip you slipped in there towards the end.” She sank into my grasp, once more relaxing in my arms, and loosed a heavy sigh. “I do not enjoy throwing my weight around, and most others do not find much appeal in being on the receiving end, which makes you even more of an oddity in these lands beyond just your foreign looks.”

“That’s such a roundabout way of saying I’m beautiful.”

She laughed and shook her head. “I admit that you are appealing in a way. Like the fae creatures that my ponies like to dream up in their little stories.” Her eyes opened, the magenta orbs turned up towards me, and she grinned. “This has been surprisingly pleasant. After last night, I expected more of the same, but it’s good to know that you have a side like this to you. I know that our situation will bring with it more events like yesterday, and while that does leave me uncertain for the future, perhaps these little moments will be enough to make your presence tolerable.”

I scoffed, hand raised to my breast, then turned my nose up. “Such a sharp barb to throw my way, Celestia! And here I was thinking that you’d show your beloved fiance a modicum of respect! Tolerate, she says…”

Once more, she laughed that full-throated, hearty bellow that I quickly grew to love, and smiled at me as I took a surreptitious glance down to watch her mirth. “We shall see, Amai, but for now tolerance is the most I can promise. After all, I still don’t have a great read on your… character.”

“I suppose that’s the best a demon can hope for.” I grinned down at her then slid down to fit as much of my body into the pool of water as I could. “Now, I don’t suppose you’d be willing to return the favor… Unless you’d prefer my presence with you today to be pronounced by your most pungent aroma?”

“I’m surprised you two were able to get along so amiably after… what happened.”

The demon beamed and scratched at a horn with a nail, scraping a flake of what I assumed was molting from it’s length . “Why, you clearly underestimate our dear Celestia and her boundless generosity… But…” She sighed, her smile slipping just a touch. “I speak fondly, but aside from those couple bouts of mirth, it was quite tense. At the time, I found it to be quite entertaining, but now…?” She shrugged. “Now it doesn't matter.”

I watched her while she sat in silence, seemingly ruminating on her words, and felt a flash of pity for this debatably vile being before her grin broke out again as if it had never been anywhere else but on her lips. “So, where were we? Ah, yes, I know exactly where to continue.”

Our little experience in the bath, while interesting in many ways and somewhat relaxing in others, only truly served to rile up my blood and set me on edge. Maybe it was the way I was aching to make her writhe and squirm that was making my loins burn, or perhaps it was the strained, pleading smile she had turned my way when we finally arrived at the ornate, sun embossed doors that led to her throne room. I grinned, my lips spreading across my pale, glamoured face. “Is something the matter, darling?”

Her eyes flicked to the doors, then immediately settled back on me, her apprehension shining clearly in the lilac orbs. “I know we have our agreement, but I cannot help my wariness. We may have only had a night's worth of time to become acquainted with each other, but I know enough about your nature to suspect… rule bending.” It was child's play to pick up on just how much she didn't want this day to continue, and that made me want it even more. “Please, be on your best behaviour while I'm addressing my subjects and performing my duties.”

My grin on response was nothing short of predatory. “Oh, my beloved fiance… How you wound me with such accusatory words. Why, I have half a mind to just stride through these doors…” Her eyes widened as I placed my hands on the golden portal and leaned into it. “...And tell everybody inside just how much…” I gave a mighty heave, the surprisingly light doors flying open with nary a sound save for the thunderous crash of splintering wood and cracking marble as they collided with wall, and cringed as every pony gathered in the room beyond spun around to stare at me and the gaping alicorn. “I adore you? Hah… To be fair, I was expecting those to weigh much more than they quite obviously do.”

Celestia was speechless for only a moment, and even though her stunned silence was delicious, I'll admit that I was somewhat remorseful for the display. “That's quite all right, dearest. I should have given you warning knowing your… strength…” The way she said it through clenched teeth, with her face as impassive as every despite the slight twitch in her eye, implied that perhaps strength wasn't the word she had wanted to say, but I didn't press the subject. “That said, Amai, I ask that you exercise more caution in the future. I don't wish for my little ponies to form the wrong assumptions about my fiance.”

As soon as the word escaped her lips, the whispers began to circulate around the room, and I think that's when our situation truly settled into place for her. Regret flashed across her face before she could mask it with a warm smile, and though nobody else may have seen it, I did. It, like many other things hidden behind her little facade, would be mine alone to see and experience.

“Thank you, everypony, for coming today. I apologize for the surprise, and hope that you can forgive Amai for the outburst.” There was a round of murmuring as she strode into the room, smiling and nodding as I fell in line beside her, only for everything to fall silent as she took her seat upon the throne at the head of the grand hall. “Now, I know you all have questions about my fiance and myself, but I ask that you please remember that this is an opportunity to bring forth grievances and requests to the crown directly and to please save all questions and concerns surrounding our relationship until we publicly announce it later in the evening.”

Her smile was radiant, and though she was hiding her own nerves, the warmth of her words seemed to wash over the congregation and calm the restlessness of the creatures she loved more than anything. And it churned my stomach. It took every ounce of my strength to keep a sneer off my face, and I couldn't quite figure out why, but what little time I may have had to figure it out was quickly swallowed up by the first petitioner.

The pony, a pegasus in a simple coat that looked far too large on his slight frame, adjusted his glasses with a wing as he came out of his bow. “Your Highness, my name is Silver Standard and I've come on behalf of the investigative squad you sent out to Hurdle Beach following your visit for the Summer Sun Celebration.”

A smirk slipped across my lips as I glanced at Celestia, and her brows creased just slightly in response. “My, that was rather swift, Mister Standard. I take it things progressed smoothly and without incident?”

The stallion nodded, but not without a slight grimace. “Here it comes, morsel.” The words were barely a whisper, but the tensity that grew in Celestia’s shoulders told me she had heard it perfectly well.

“Yes, Your Majesty, the inquiry progressed without any problems. We did, however, find traces of embezzlement when looking into the late mayor’s accounts.”

“Late mayor? He didn’t-?”

The stallion’s eyes widened, and the vigorous shaking of his head nearly send his glasses soaring. “Oh, goodness no, Princess! He’s perfectly fine, but the people quite vehemently demanded his resignation. I… I apologize for wording that so poorly.” He sighed, straightening his spectacles with a wingtip, then produced a slip of parchment from the pocket of his jacket with his other. “He quite readily confessed to siphoning off tax and grant funds for personal use in the hopes that it would lessen the severity of his punishment, but…”

Celestia’s eye twitched as I leaned against her and traced my fingers along her haunch. “What is it, Mister Standard?”

“You see, Your Majesty, Black Hat had been mayor for quite some time, quite favored by the people until recently, and with it being such a small town despite its surprising amount of naval commerce and grants from the crown, he’s had an ample amount of time to-”

“How many bits are we talking about, Mister Standard?”

The stallion’s ears drooped as he looked at the slip of paper. “S-seven and a half million, your majesty.”

“Horseapples.”

I snorted, and it looked like it took all of Celestia’s considerable willpower not to glare at me and shirk away from my touch. I decided not to comment on her little outburst. “I’m not sure how your commerce and governance works, darling, but I’d say that’s quite the sum for one pony to steal and spend. Where could he have hidden it all?”

“W-wow.”

“Mmm, yes. I dare say you should have seen the look on our dear little princess’ face when the sum was given. It was… breathtaking.”

“What happened to the mayor? I mean, even now seven million bits isn’t something to just scoff at, but back then?”

“He spent many a year in the canterlot dungeon, I’d say. I’m not quite sure, exactly. After the gossip died down around it, the incident just faded away into memory, but you can be assured that sweet little Celestia found his private little abode and… reacquired the people’s misspent wealth. It should be safe to say that the little fishing town grew into something not quite as… quaint as it was before, no?”

“Wow, I knew that Hurdle Beach used to be just a fishing town before it became the huge tourist spot it is now, but I didn’t know this was what caused the sudden change.”

“My, my, my… For such a diligent student such as yourself to be so uninformed of your country’s past. Why, I’d consider that to be a scandal in and of itself.” My face flushed as I looked away. It wasn’t my fault that Equestria was such a large country with such a diverse history. It’d take me hundreds of years to even cover a fraction of our expansive past. I didn’t voice my excuse, however, because I didn’t want to give her the satisfaction of seeing me stumble over my words. “Still, I won’t hold that one against you, morsel. Until you were told about me, I doubt Celestia would have told you exactly why such a change came about until.”

Her grin was predatory, but I found that I wasn’t quite as bothered by it anymore. Was I finally growing used to her presence, or was I growing complacent? Both, perhaps? I pushed the thought away before shivers could try to creep their way up my spine. “I suppose so, especially since I likely would have asked as a filly, and subjects regarding crimes and punishments tend to be glossed over when dealing with children.”

“Aye, you silly ponies and your sheltering of the young.” She chuckled darkly. “At least you don’t repress your nature as sexual creatures.” She paused, looked at the flush on my face, then gave me the most lascivious grin I’d seen in my life. “Well, most of you…”

“Well! Pony nature aside, what happened next?”

“Miss Inkwell, could you be a dear and clear my schedule for the next hour? I’m afraid this matter is of great importance and cannot be pushed off till another time.”

The mare at her side, a sprightly looking pony of beige coat and greying black mane, nodded and stepped away from the throne to disappear through a side door all while marking notes on an extensive list held before her in a twinkling blue aura. With what I assumed was her aide departed, Celestia turned back to the gathered ponies, a practiced look of remorse on her features. “I must apologize, my little ponies, but an important matter has come up that needs attending to. While I may not be able to personally see to your questions and concerns today, do not hesitate to inquire with my aide, Miss Inkwell, when she returns. I wish you all a wonderful day and hope that, if you feel your matters can be postponed, you will return on the morrow.”

She smiled brightly, this one genuine and bright as if she was trying to lift the spirits of the disappointed, and assuage the frustrations of the upset, then rose from her throne and inclined her head towards me as if I wouldn’t already be right on her tail.

It only took us a few moments to escape the sight, and hearing, of the ponies gathered in the audience hall through the same door Inkwell had disappeared behind, and as soon as the door shut, the alicorn turned on me, her eyes burning. “How did you know?”

I gave a non-committal shrug and glanced about the surprisingly spacious side room. I guess I shouldn’t have been surprised by the splendor of the little resting area with it’s golden trim, opulent, cushy-looking pillows, and grand mahogany table, but it was easily one of the most extravagant, cosy chamber I’d seen in some time.

“I need an answer, Amai. You told me he was hiding something, and the day after my seneschal has an investigator lined up at the start of my court?” She huffed cutely, her brows furrowed and eyes sharp. “This reeks of manipulation, and if I find out that you’ve somehow meddled in my ponies’ affairs-”

“I told you before, did I not? I’m excellent at reading people whether they be sapien, reptilian… or equine.” I rolled my eyes around the room again, settled myself onto the nearest pillow right next to the furiously scribbling, and conspicuously glancing, Inkwell, then looked back up into Celestia’s lilac glare. “Last night was my first time on this lovely little continent of yours, and my first time coming across that dastardly little stallion, but it didn’t take much to sniff out deceit on the naughty child.” I grinned, tracing a sharp nail up the little unicorn’s back until it drew a little shudder out of her and glanced up at the furious alicorn. “So, love, what do you say? What do you think of our little arrangement?”

Her anger lasted for several long minutes, roiling behind her eyes like a tempest all while the adorable little seneschal tried to hide her unease behind the quivering of quill on paper in a poor attempt at pretending to work, but eventually it all washed away like the falling of the tide as she slumped into a cushion at my side, opposite her aide. “I do not like the precedent that this little discovery seems to set, but I do know that letting opportunities like this to slip away will do more harm than I can ever hope to prevent on my own.” She looked towards me, her gaze solemn. “Can you promise me that you’ll not use this trust I’m putting in you to manipulate my decisions?”

“Why, my darling Celestia, of course I promise. What kind of woman do you take me for that you’d expect your very own fiance to try and twist you about her finger?” I smiled, trailing my fingers across her sun-emblazoned flank, then cupped her cheek with the other. “Why, that’d just make me quite the demon wouldn’t it?” I pressed our lips together, and though she was initially reluctant with Inkwell casting furtive glances at us she quickly melted into the kiss as my tongue once more probed into her throat before breaking it off with a hearty smack of lips. “Oh dear, it seems like our little display has gotten miss Inkwell here quite bothered.”

“Amai! Please do not-”

“I’m sorry, Princess! I’ll try not to be a bother and just finish up here so I can-”

“Hush, Inkwell. There’s no need to be to flustered. How long have we known each other?”

“Fifteen years, Celestia.”

Celestia smiled, unaware of the glistening of my saliva on her lips. “And how long have you been my seneschal?”

“Twelve, Celestia.” She chuckled, finally relaxing her shoulders despite the lewd grin I was giving her. “Twelve wonderful years even if they’ve had their moments of stress.” Celestia tittered as well, a genuine laugh shared between friends. As their mirth died down, Ink motioned towards me. “So, when were you planning on telling your loyal servant that you had been promised to wed?”

My alicorn let out the heaviest of sighs and fixed the little unicorn with the most tired look I’d seen yet. “The moment I found out as well, I’m afraid. I know you won’t speak a word of this outside of these walls, but I must insist that you maintain absolute secrecy. I’d never quite planned to marry anytime soon, but certain things came up and others were brought to light, so I here I find myself in this current situation.”

“And, my, what an interesting situation you’ve gotten into.” I chuckled and ran my hand along her flank, pale white skin tracing circles in snow white hair. “I’m certainly not complaining, though. I’ve found myself a wonderful wife and indebted myself to her as well. Why, what girl wouldn’t dream of wedding the ruler of a nation? Especially one as formidable as Celestia.”

Inkwell nodded hesitantly, her thoughts on the matter showing clearly through the slight reddening of her cheeks. “Yes, and as she very well knows, Celestia has many admirers, and thought I don’t doubt her decisions, I’m still wondering about you.

“Where did you come from?”

“My, wouldn’t you just love to know, little morsel?” Maybe it was the inflection of my voice, or the deep rumbling in it that bespoke great power, but at my words she shivered and looked away, questions forgotten. I glanced at Celestia, and grinned at the deep frown creasing her brow. “I know, I know. Promises. We… shook on it, did we not?”

“I’m terribly sorry, Inkwell. She means well, but as you saw in the throne room, Amai clearly does not understand the most basic social norms.” She glared at me and I feigned a shiver. “Please, do not mind her. I’m sure she’ll grow up some time.”

“O-of course, Celestia.” She groaned as the sounds of voices started to carry through the doors despite their thickness. “I guess I better go out there and take over. I can only imagine the chaos you’ve left for me today.” She rolled her eyes to the princess and a flare of irritation rose in my breast as she smiled at her. “You owe me for this, you know.”

Celestia chuckled, inching my ire further, then nodded. “Yes, I know. I’ll make it up to you soon. Thank you for this.”

“Any time, Princess. It’s what I’m here for, right?”

They shared another smile before the little unicorn trotted off through the doors and closing them with a soft click behind her. “My, you’re awfully close with that one, aren’t you?”

“We’re friends, Amai. Of course I’m close to Inkwell. She might not remember, but I’ve known her since she was a filly.”

I rolled my eyes. “She adores you.”

“And I her. As I said-” My pointed, fiery glare gave her pause enough for my words to sink in. “Ah. Is this another of your feelings?” My silence apparently spoke volumes. “I see.” She sighed and regarded the closed door thoughtfully, as if setting through it and to the subject beyond like the door didn't even exist. “I suppose I should have noticed sooner, but age tends to blind you to things such as this. What once was foalish admiration can easily turn to affection and when you’ve become accustomed to the former, the latter just…”

I sighed then leaned against her, curling my fingers under her muzzle. “What a predicament you seem to be in, now. I, for one, find it quite interesting how today just seems to be getting more and more complex. Why, just imagine if she found out you knew.” My smile was venom, my show of teeth unfriendly, and maybe she picked up on my poorly veiled undertones, or maybe she saw through the facade of humor in my features, but the tired, warning glance she offered told me very clearly that at least some part of my message had been received.

“Wait, Inkwell? I’ve read about her and how she-”

“Disappeared? Yes.” I frowned, ice filling my veins until the demon offered a nonchalant wave. “I didn’t have anything to do with her disappearing. I may be her for many crimes, but I’d have never done something as incredibly, dumbfoundingly idiotic as killing Celestia’s closest friend.” She grinned as I took deep breaths to calm my thoughts. “Besides, she’s probably the only pony that I ever… Well, I can’t say we got along, per se, but we had an understanding and didn’t mutually hate each other.”

“What happened to her?”

She closed her eyes, hands resting on her cheeks as she sat, tapered tail undulating behind her. “That would be quite the story, wouldn’t it?” Her smirk set my hairs bristling and I knew before the words even left her lips that I wouldn’t be pleased with her response. “Sadly, we aren’t quite there in our little story yet, are we? And, what a shame it is, but I find myself growing weary.”

I shot to my hooves, eyes wide and ears alert. “What!? No, you can't stop there! What were you and Princess Celestia going to discuss!? You can't just-!”

She laughed, soft and sinister, and I pinned my ears to my head. “Oh, I very well can, little morsel…” Her grin, terrible canines and all, dropped my heart into my stomach. She smirked and trailed a finger across my nose. “But I suppose I could continue.”

“Really!?” I coughed, splaying my ears back again, and chuckled as heat rushed into my cheeks. “I mean, uhm… What did you and Celestia talk about when Inkwell left?”

“Well, our future, I suppose.” She tilted her head, lips pursed, and tapped her chin. “I suppose. Hah… as if I wouldn’t remember one of Celestia’s lowest points.”

“Lowest…?”

“Oh, innocent little Twilight… You must understand, Celestia holds her little ponies in the highest regards, especially those holding power, and thus she has expectations. Until then, barring a few obvious misdemeanors, she’d not faced an issue quite as troublesome from within her own subjects in quite some time.”She tilted her head up, eyes staring into the nothingness above, as her thoughts seemed to whirl, before focusing back on me. “I’d say that she hadn’t truly had to judge her ponies like that since after Nightmare Moon’s rebellion and the divide that had created. Poor, naive little Celestia thought that her ponies had become… not perfect, but as good as a free-thinking creature could be.

“Sure, there were quarrels. Ponies were selfish, and sometimes they had a bit too much to drink, but following her suppression of the Moon Guard, that was as far as she’d seen, so she’d thought the acts gone.” The demon’s thoughtful expression shifted sinisterly, her grin making my skin crawl. “No, even you know better now, I suppose. They just got better at hiding it. The stories had been told of her wrath, as rarely displayed as it was, and so they learned to not bring attention to themselves. Well, until I came into the picture, at least.

“Still, it crushed Celestia… and did wonders for me. Not only could I feed off of her anguish, but all this deceit and secrecy opened Celestia’s mind to accepting my assistance more and more. Tip her off to a lying dignitary, I bask in her pain, and she trusts me that little bit more. Expose a thief, she mourns, and I profit. It was working perfectly for me until…”

She trailed off, looking away into the darkness, and I nearly fell on my face as I leaned in to try and catch the words that she muttered. As I steadied myself, I pried. “Until what?”

“No, that’s all for now. I grow weary and you still owe me your end of the bargain.”

“But-!” Her sharp, piercing eyes bore into me and my mouth went dry. “I, uhm… Okay. I suppose fair is fair… and it is getting late.” I swallowed, trying to bring some moisture back into my throat, before starting off into a shaky retelling of the first time I met Princess Celestia.

Author's Note

Author’s Notes: Whew, it sure has been quite a while hasn’t it? Sorry for all you fools interested in this garbage. Had life shit all over my face and other projects that needed completing. That and procrastination. Always procrastination. Either way, hope you all enjoy. For those that follow my other stuff, I’m trying to think of a way to continue the Sweet Surprise storyline and also a same universe one-shot of the menage a public involving Twilight and her disregard for Human World’s decency laws. Plus something else super secret that I’ve been wanting to do for a while. Enjoy.