//-------------------------------------------------------// When the Belle tolls... -by Tehmustachedbiscuit- //-------------------------------------------------------// //-------------------------------------------------------// Chapter 1: Prologue //-------------------------------------------------------// Chapter 1: Prologue A/N: This story will go on for a long time. I hope you all like it! Chapter 1 It was morning in Ponyville, a beautiful morning at that. The birds were singing their morning chorus, the trees were slowly rustling in the wind and Celestia's magnificent sun beamed down on it all as a blessing. Sweetie Belle lazily woke to the smell of slowly cooking batter that would most surely come to be breakfast, following was the sweet scent of apples and raspberries. The welcoming scent easily brought Sweetie' out of her stupor. As Sweetie Belle walked over to her mirror and make-up table she happily hummed a tune, something she had been working on for a long time now. Everyday I wake to see my flank is bare... I look in hope as I wonder if my cutie mark is there... As usual its not, so I dare and dare and dare... Myself to do acts that will bring my cutie mark from hiding and to there... As Sweetie Belle looked up into her mirror so she could proceed to brushing herself she giggled slightly at the sight that met her that was envisioned in the mirror. Her mane was almost completely straight aside from a couple of stray curls receding from the long wave of natural fibres that went down her neck and she seemed to have a long black wave of glossy eyeshadow. She also seemed to be wearing lipstick that shined as a lavender-ish purpley colour, something close to the purple curls that were usually harboured in her curly mane. As she proceeded to brush her mane and wipe away the make-up with a cloth and manebrush rapped in a dim white aura she recalled all of yesterdays' activities. The night before the Cutie Mark Crusaders had been practicing their comedy act which they were hoping to put on later that month. They had mostly been experimenting with costume designs and new jokes, nothing different from any other practice they did. Afterwards they had gone to Sugarcube corner as a small token of there success to themselves. Also earlier that day they had been talking with the new town mechanic, Ember Cogwork to see if he could help them with their act. Sadly all he had been able to supply them with was a couple of safety fireworks and a couple of books on old (but still rather) funny jokes. And after that Sweetie and the others just went home so they could finish preparing their presentations for the recent assignment Cheerilee had given them on the old myth's of Equestria which Rarity had typically helped her with by telling Sweetie about vamponies. A horrible topic which Sweetie didn't even care about so instead she had gone with the myth of 'the timepony' which always seemed to fascinate her. When Sweetie Belle finished cleaning up her appearance she cheerily trotted down the stairs and into the kitchen where a large stack of pancakes and apple and raspberry syrup were sat and accompanied by her sister, Rarity who was slowly eating a portion of pancakes that rested on her plate with her usual amount of ettiquette and politeness that she managed to uphold every single day. How Rarity did it was daunting to Sweetie but she still loved her big sister just as much. "Morning Sis'!" Sweetie Belle greeted in her usual cheerful fashion before sitting down on the other side of the table and helping herself to a portion of what was now her breakfast. "Good morning Sweetie!" Rarity replied happily before slowly dabbing her lips with a telekinetically held napkin. As Sweetie sat down she noticed something was wrong with her sister, more importantly her eyes. Under the large shining pools of white, black and purple her coat had become matted in some places and the normal pearly white was now the colour of aged paper. "Rarity?" Sweetie Belle asked to get her sisters attention which succeeded. "Yes Sweetie?" Rarity asked with an inquisitive and worried look. "H-have you been, crying?" Sweetie asked before recieving exactly what she expected. "Whatever do you mean Sweetie Belle? Why would I have a reason to cry? I mean surely you wouldn't think your big sister would be keeping something from you? I mean why w--" Rarity was cut off before she could finish her long stream of pointless questions. "Rarity." Sweetie said with a more serious look now. Instead of replying, a thick, sandy coloured parchment floated over to Sweetie, the envelope was stamped with the seal of the royal court. The letter read out; Dear Ms. Rarity, Element of Generosity We are sorry to say that your parents were found dead in 'The 3 Hooves' inn, Galloptown. There cause of death was loss of blood which came from the gashes spread across their bodies. The Galloptown guards were not able to find the murderer. We are sorry for your loss. We have found that your parents wrote a will, all of there money and possesions fall to you and your sister, Sweetie Belle. Your parents funeral will be held at the Canterlot graveyard on tuesday 26th of September. Signed, Princess Celestia Before Sweetie had finished reading the formal parchment streams of tears had started pouring down her cheeks and by the end of it she had been reduced to a bawling foal before Rarity paced over to Sweetie Belle and held in a long, loving embrace in an attempt to help the filly control her tears. The embrace lasted for what seemed to be hours before Sweetie finally started to lessen the amount of tears. Slowly Rarity moved away slightly before Sweetie Belle the quiet chime of metal tapping together, soon after she saw a small, heart-shaped ruby pass her eyes and then she felt it rest on her neck. "Thi-this was your m-mother's..." Rarity said as she sniffed away the tears forming in her eyes."She would w-want you t-to have it..." She said before letting a warm smile show. As Sweetie Belle levitated the ruby up infront of her she examined it. The ruby was rose red and glistened in the light. In the center of the ruby was a small cut out where a picture rested, the picture of her family. As Sweetie pulled out the picture slowly from the ruby she noticed a small streak of black on the back of the photo. As she turned the picture round to identify the streak she noticed that it led to an 'y' which was contained in a small message. It read; To my beloved daughter, From your mother. Sweetie Belle smiled slightly at the comment before a few more tears streamed from her eyes. "I loved you too mother." "Sweetie Belle! Where were you? We thought you were sick!" Scootaloo said as she started to bombard Sweetie with questions before simply being muffled by Applebloom's hoof. "Sweetie'? Is somethin' tha' matter?" Applebloom asked with a consolling voice. Sweetie Belle just lowered her head further and let a tear run down her cheek before she continued into the door of her school building, catching rather alot of concerned glances from all of her classmates and Cheerilee, even some concerned glances from Silver Spoon and Diamond Tiara. "Sweetie Be--" Cheerilee was cut off by Rarity anxiously prodding at her shoulder. "Yes Rarity...What happened?...Her parents...T-thats terrible...But...Yes...Of course...Should I try and?...She can't just be...If you think thats best...I'll tell the others...Yes..." Cheerilee said as she was engulfed in coversation with Rarity. Before Sweetie Belle even heard the two finish there conversation she broke down into tears at the reminder of what she had been told earlier that morning and layed against the desk to proceed in another large fit of crying before Applebloom and Scootaloo galloped over and tried to console and calm her to no avail. "Sweetie? What's wrong?" Scootaloo said, a high pitched tune of fear in her voice before Cheerilee called her and Applebloom over. As the other 2 crusaders were briefed on what had happened Sweetie Belle managed to turn her head onto its side and stare through the window at the beautiful castle of Canterlot sat on its familiar mountain, always looking over the land. As Sweetie watched it her train of thought drifted off-course and travelled through her tunnel of memories, Sweetie remebering every single good time she had with her parents. The rest of Sweetie's day went silently and undisturbed with only a few failing attempts of people trying to cheer her up. Scootaloo and Applebloom had offered to cheer her up by taking her to Sugarcube Corner but she had just wanted to be left alone for a while so she could reflect and have silence. As the sun went down over the horizon behind Canterlot and the moon rose behind her, Sweetie thought over her life, how it had taken a terrifying and unsettling toll. There were still many loved ones left in her life but a life without parents did not seem right, She now realized what it felt like for Scootaloo to have no parents and be adopted. There now was 2 less lights in her life to guide her through the black abyss of her childhood, 2 less helping hoofs, 2 less loved ones. It was definetly different. As Sweetie turned around to walk back home she could of sweared she saw something, an abnormal being but she just dismissed it as a forest creature and continued to walk back home. A/N: I hope you all liked this Fic and it will continue thoroughly! And don't worry, demons come next chapter! //-------------------------------------------------------// Chapter 2: Nightmare Night... //-------------------------------------------------------// Chapter 2: Nightmare Night... A/N: If anyone is weak to gore, extreme sadness, more gore, demons and every hell related thing ever; I suggest you leave now. Hope anyone can handle it! 2 years and 5 months after 'the happening'... As Sweetie impatiently waited for her friends, the Cutie Mark Crusaders to turn up she proceeded to think about what they were doing tonight. Tonight, Sweetie's favorite night of the year was pretty obvious; especially after last years events. Tonight was 'Nightmare Night' which Sweetie and her friends considered to be the best night of the year. Getting tons of sweets, throwing up after eating said sweets, wearing costumes, scaring ponies, playing tricks etc. To the Cutie Mark Crusaders there was no end to the fun that could be had on Nightmare Night. This year as usual Rarity had offered to make a costume for Sweetie so they could match since they were sisters, the costume was of course, without a doubt a... Vampony costume. Celestia how Sweetie despised Vamponies and all that came with them. But Sweetie had simply declined and negotiated, the rather mature, 11-year old filly she was. Rarity had agreed to make the 3 crusaders matching Marewolf costumes. "This is going to be the best Nightmare Night ever!" Sweetie shouted, which was followed by a very loud and high pitched squeal, before covering her mouth in embarresment. "Sweetie? Your friends are here!" Rarity shouted in chorus up the stairs. "Coming!" Sweetie called back down before following her voice's path. At the bottom of the stairs were her patiently waiting friends. The 3 had changed alot in the past 2 and a half years; Applebloom was now much taller and muscular than she had been 2 and a half years ago. Also she had started to grow her mane like Applejack which hung closely to the ground in a loose ended ponytail that was tied with her now rather small bow. Not to forget that she had also gained her Cutie Mark a couple of months back while doing art for a competition she won. Her Cutie Mark was rather large compared to the average Cutie Mark, it was an Apple engraved brush that painted a Rainbow that extened all the way down her right hind-leg. Scootaloo had also changed; She now had a sunset orange coloured coat and her originally plum coloured mane was now the length that allowed it to hang beneath her neck and had the colour of Scarlet with a few midnight purple streaks and tips. Also Scootaloo's wings had grown out to almost their full size and she could easily fly these days. Scootaloo's Cutie Mark was a orange and plum lightning bolt connected to a pair of white pegasi wings. Sweetie Belle had grown also with her horn following suit. Also her mane had gained length and become slightly straighter. Sweetie's Cutie mark was a large silver bell with a series of purple and pink patterns engraved into it and accompanying the Belle streaming from one side was a flowing river of musical notes rested on a lined band. The Cutie Mark ran the length of her hind leg and stopped on the bottom of her left hind hoof with a large singular musical note. As the Cutie Mark Crusaders emerged out into the streets of Ponyville they were amazed at how the town looked tonight, no house had gone un-decorated. Here and there were various different ponies going from house to house in search of as many sweets as possible. "Come on! I wanna go an' have ah couple a' rounds of apple dunkin'!" Applebloom moaned. "And I wanna go and get some sweeties!" Scootaloo exclaimed. So Sweetie just followed suit with them first stopping off at a couple of houses and getting a good amount of candy and a good amount of compliments on the apparently 'brilliant' costumes. Afterwards they proceeded towards the Nightmare Night games which as usual Applejack had set up and got successful gaining a couple of apples and applauses. Afterwards the 3 crusaders went to the mayor's announcement ceremony-thing. "Welcome everpony to this years' Nightmare Night!" Mayor mare announced before drawing on about the various activities that happened every year. "Come on girls. Let's go an' play some more games!" Applebloom cheered after the mayor's speech was over. As the girls proceeded through town to the area where the games had been set up Sweetie noticed alot more hooded figures than usual, all the robes bland and torn in some places. "Hey! It's Pinkie! She usually stashes a load of sweets!" Scootaloo exclaimed before rushing over to Pinkie who was talking with one of the hooded figures. "Pinkie! Can you spare us-- Pinkie?" Scootaloo said with a note of curiousity as she saw that Pinkie wasn't moving an inch. "Pinkie?" Scootaloo said before she tapped Pinkie on the hoof. As she did Pinkie collapsed to the ground, her skin had turned extremely pale and she wore a shocked expression on her face. "Pinkie!" Applebloom cried before rushing over to what she presumed to be a unconscious pink party pony. "What did you do to her!" Scootaloo cried before staring at the hooded figure. Almost immediately after Scootaloo had proceeded to look at the hooded figure the tips of her hooves started to turn pale and a thin pale blue aura connected with her face and the figures snout before the paleness proceeded until her whole body was an extremely pale orange. "I graced them with the opportunity to be... Harvested." The hooded figure said with an unworldly voice that sounded as if it was comprised of millions souls, screaming for release. After the figure said its words, Sweetie Belle and Applebloom did the thing anypony would of done. They ran. "Come on Applebloom!" Sweetie shouted as she ran through the door of the Cutie Mark Crusaders clubhouse. As soon as Applebloom entered the Crusaders' clubhouse Sweetie slammed the door shut and pulled close the shutters on the windows and locked them both aswell, causing the Clubhouse to seem alot more eerie and unsettling compared to its usual happy and homely looks. The crusaders hunkered down for hours; they waited through hundreds of screams that featured notes of pain and shock. Also they occasionally heard more of the unworldly voices before they acted and attempted anything. Sweetie Belle motioned towards the door with her head and recieved a immediate nod from Applebloom. As Sweetie cautiously nudged the door open after quickly removing the lock, the first thing that took her immediate attention was a large blazing inferno which she once remebered as Ponyville. The whole sight was simply overwhelming to her, probally everpony she new was dead or dying horribly and the fact that she couldn't do anything made it worse. "Applebl--" Sweetie Belle stopped instantly. Applebloom was stood on her hind legs, her face showing absolute horror towards what was happening. The farm-filly was help in a tight grasp by a large pegasi mare. The pony holding Applebloom had a black coat and featured pulsing red eyes. The mare's mane and tail were a deep gray with orange highlights dotted through it. What defied the mare from normal ponies was her large, black wings that resembled that of a dragon's and her long fangs that extended from the roof of her mouth and hung over her lip. As Sweetie Belle just gazed at the sight before her she noticed Applebloom, she was moving her eyes slightly in a fashion to point at something. Then she mouthed the words 'Behind you.'. Before Sweetie could turn around she felt arms come around her throat before she was lifted off the ground and taken towards the centre of Ponyville through the smoke and ashes of the blazing town. As Sweetie started to grow closer to the ground she noticed something horrible. A long line of ponies that seemed to be chained up were slowly pacing forwards towards a large wall of reds, oranges and blacks that left the area around it strewn with gloomy colours and shadows of weak light. All the ponies in the long line of firey chains showed looks of horror, sadness or hopelessness. This was slavery. A/N: Sorry chapter is a bit short but I just wanted to finish it and get it out to you guys. Hope you like it. //-------------------------------------------------------// Chapter 3: Bloody Hell... //-------------------------------------------------------// Chapter 3: Bloody Hell... A/N: I'm back and not dead if any of you were wondering. This chapter may seem a bit rushed since I realized how old the last chapter is so here is a little treat for you guys! Sweetie Belle shot up from the hard burgandy mud substance she was laying on, glancing around quickly in search of her bearings and location. As she looked round she saw what would make any filly cry; much of her surroundings were made of a different shades of reds and browns featured in the high peaked mountains and oceans of lava but small black buildings stood out in the hellish terrain, managing to look even more demonic than there backgrounds. Sweetie immediately started to try and run, screaming in fright until she was suddenly, brutally yanked back by her neck and fell to the ground and stopped sprawled across the floor on her side. She counldn't fell anything but pain, as if her whole body had been dunked in one of the surrounding oceans and left to burn before having all her joint's disconnected from there sockets; excruciatingly painful to say the least. Sweetie opened her mouth to release another fear filled cream but the only sound that she could here was her ragged breathing. She didn't make a second attempt in fear of suffering another intense pain in her neck. As Sweetie Belle lay on her side in pain she could still pick various sounds of cries filled with pain and sadness matched to the almost rythmic sobbing with the loud crack of whips making the beat that all fitted together to make the chorus of hell. Suddenly Sweetie felt the familiar sensation of being pulled by her tail and she looked down to find a blackish-indigo coloured stallion; his mane was ragged and filled with shades of ichor and stone grey and his eyes were mismatched with one being pure red and the other being an azure iris. His teeth were jagged with one of his front canines extending into a fang. The stallion's face showed an expression of anger and dismay as he dragged her along the burgundy floor. She tried and couldn't escape the stallions clasp on her tail so she just allowed herself to be dragged to whatever destination she would be taken too. (Yes there is a time skip.) Sweetie Belle took notice of the lack of movement and cautioned a look upwards, wincing due to the pain in her neck. She was in an open-aired room with walls and floor coloured in pure black; the walls hardly decorated with only the occasional tapestry envisioning a black flame on a red background. From the ceiling hung silver chandeliers that were severely spaced out and burned with a strong blue flame on each corner of the hexagonal lighting ornament. She slowly worked her way back onto four hooves again and started hyperventilating when she took note of the immortal god of the dead leisurely sitting at the far end of the room. Said god was casually lounging in a throne made of Obsidian with silver engravings. The god took the appearance of a large concrete grey alicorn stallion with giant black demonic wings sprouting from his back. His mane a dark crimson red with white and black mixed in, a matching tail accompanying it. "Come here... Little filly." The stallion said, a velvety voice coming from his lips. Sweetie Belle knew exactly what her choice was but instead she broke down in tears and curled into a futile position on the floor. Her sobs could not be heard either, adding sadness to her immediate emotions. Nearing hoofsteps soon filled her ears before a low grunt was heard and she felt herself be lifted into the air, she gave a futile attempt of resistance but gave up and lied on her courier's back, the courier being the same stallion from earlier. Finally Sweetie Belle felt herself slide back onto the hard floor, summoning a minor amount of courage she looked up. The demon stallion was looking down at her, sympathy in his eyes and a look that said 'i'm sorry' or 'be careful' before he backed away. Just down the hall. Sweetie Belle turned her head and found herself looking at the alicorn. Her heart racing she shakily got to her hooves, waiting for him to say or do something. Suddenly she felt herself be lifted into the air, carried until she was in front of the alicorn's face, held by the scruff of her neck like some sort of pet. He just stared at her for a minute or so before he broke out into deep laughter, menacing laughter at that. He suddenly stopped laughing and looked at her, dead seriously. She could see his horn slowly lighting with a obelisk shaded aura. She hung there for a few moments, before she felt the feeling of herself slipping, going into a deep sleep that she would never wake from. She slipped... Their you go everyone, your appreciated story and apparently also my most popular story is back with as many demons as before, and as much hell as you can fit on a webpage. Hell yeah, that sounded good. Also new cover-art! Awesome. Sorry the chapter was short but I had to get another one out for your guys, but. But, but, but, but there shall be a halloween update coming with blood dripping-muffins. Hope you enjoy! And sorry for the cliffhanger!