“Three days, it’s been three days since the wolves,” Malcanus said in his rumbling baritone. “Mustard is still recovering, but he’s alive, and his wife, Coffee Cake, hopefully will have the courage to meet with you. She’s skittish, that one.” The big stallion stood near the fire, talking while warming his backside. “I need you to be a good girl… no chaos magic, no pranks, no being silly, no pulling your head off and popping it back on like you did with Glitter when she said you needed your head examined. Poor Coffee would probably faint and not get up ever again.”

Looking up from where she was reclining on the bed, the she-demon looked at her companion with wide, mischievous eyes. She adored the sound of his voice and listened intently, not out of a desire to do good, but more from a need to hear his voice. Her tail slashed from side to side and for a moment, it distracted her. Her claws flexed and she almost pounced upon it so that she might savage it. Her tail needed a lesson in manners and respect. Fed up, she hissed and took a swipe at it, but her tail, having a mind of its own, darted out of the way with almost supernatural speed. She heard a chuckle from Malcanus and returned her attention to him while her tail continued to taunt her.

“Coffee Cake is a good mare,” Malcanus said, talking so that he might hold on to the she-demon’s attention. “She doesn’t have to be here. She chose to follow her husband here to this place. Every week or so, she writes a letter to one of the princesses, begging for her husband’s release, and telling them that he’s changed. And truth be told, he has changed. I think he’d do just fine back in society. Love changes a pony… it’s funny but it’s true. Mustard might have loved his wife, but after she’s stuck by his side during the very worst parts of his life, he really loves her. I mean, really really loves her, and this love has changed him. He has a powerful desire to do good.”

She blinked and looked into Malcanus’ eyes. She did not understand love, but the idea of it intrigued her. Malcanus intrigued her. His voice, his scent, the way he moved, they way he stood, everything about him piqued her curiousity. He was gruff, but kind. Sometimes, when looking at him, she was almost overwhelmed by a confusing flood of emotions that she did not understand.

“Your book is getting full of interesting entries,” Malcanus said, changing the conversation. “You’ve made friends, gained trust, and it mentions that you would do anything for those peanut butter and caramel treats that Freckle makes. There’s a few entries that are kinda weird, but hey, magic book, right?”

At the mention of the treats, she began drooling. A long ribbon of slobber dribbled down from her lip and she gave Malcanus a hopeful look, wondering if he had perhaps stashed one of those treats with the plan of using it to bribe her for good behaviour. Just as the ribbon of slobber almost reached the bed, it vanished as she slurped it up. She heard more chuckling from Malcanus and wondered what was so funny.

“Fix your wing so you look tidy,” Malcanus said.

Without effort, the she-demon willed her one feathered wing to be clean and neat. Magic rippled along the feathers, a faint glow, and there were little wisps of magical yellow-pink flames as bits of debris burned away. In mere seconds, her wing was fit for military grade inspection, all without effort and discipline. As the last of the flames flickered out, there was a knock upon the door.

Most of Mustard was still bandaged and he stank of some kind of healing salve. He stood just inside the door and his wife, a small, chubby mare, stood beside him. The little mare was scared out of her mind, and the she-demon could smell it. The scent of fear did awful things to her, it made her hungry, it filled her with the need to hunt, to stalk prey, but she squashed down these feelings—she did not want a scolding from Malcanus—and there was the fact that she liked these ponies a great deal.

She did not move from the bed, but continued to lounge in an almost feline fashion, her tail swishing from side to side. She watched as the little chubby mare stood beside her husband, squirming, fearful, her eyes wide and glassy with terror. The sight of the scared little mare filled the she-demon with pity and she gained a glimmer of understanding about Malcanus. Such pitiful little things had to be protected, as the fear was overwhelming for the small, pleasantly plump mare.

All the more reason to be on her best behaviour.

“Hi,” Mustard said in a quavering voice. As he moved, his bandages crinkled. He gave his wife a reassuring nudge with one gauze covered leg and then just stood there, not knowing what to do or what to say.

“We wanted to thank you,” Coffee said in a voice that was squeaky with fear.

Coffee Cake was coffee coloured, she was a plain, unremarkable brown all over, with a lighter brown mane and bright brown eyes. For a moment, she overcame her fear and a warm, sincere smile appeared upon her face, but then the fear returned and she pressed up against her husband, cowering.

The she-demon could not help but notice that she wasn’t the only source of fear, the little mare seemed scared of Malcanus as well, and her whole body jerked when he moved a step closer. It must be difficult to be so small and so helpless, the she-demon thought, reflecting upon the situation. To have no defenses, to have to live under the protection of another, and to be afraid of your own protectors.

In the she-demon’s book, another entry wrote itself, unnoticed.

There was a meep of fear from Coffee, who then broke from her husband’s side. She crossed the room in a few steps, coming over to the bed, and after a moment of shuddering hesitation, she reared up and threw her forelegs around the she-demon’s neck, embracing her. Eyes closed, Coffee squeezed, her whole body trembling with fear.

The she-demon did not move. She feared Malcanus’ displeasure far more than she feared iron. She remained as still as a statue as the little mare hugged her neck. She could feel Coffee’s heart thudding inside of her, Coffee’s whole body reverberated like a drum.

It was at this moment that the she-demon had an insight about courage; being absolutely terrified, but doing what must be done. The little mare, while timid, had courage. She was terrified, but she had somehow managed to cross the room and offer up a hug. Moving with slow caution, the she-demon wrapped just one foreleg around the small mare’s middle and returned the embrace, all too aware of Malcanus’ watchful gaze upon her.

“Thank you,” the little mare whispered, “thank you so much.”

Something changed. The fear was gone. Little Coffee was now clinging to her neck and not letting go. Much of her trembling had subsided, and it took the she-demon a moment to realise that the little pony clinging to her was crying. She looked at Malcanus, then pulled her other foreleg free so that she might fully embrace Coffee.

“I’ve already been scared straight, so to speak,” Mustard said in a soft voice, “but this has me thinking. I caused this to happen. My actions brought me here, to this place, and… and… it has made me think…” His words trailed off into nothingness and he just stood there with a blank stare.

Coffee let go, dropped down on three legs, and then wiped her eyes with her foreleg before she put it down upon the wooden floor as well. The fire crackled in the grate as the mare stood there, sniffling, her eyes red and puffy. She took a step backwards, then looked up at the she-demon.

“I am glad that our little village has two dedicated protectors now,” Coffee said. She shuffled on her hooves, then offered up a soggy smile. “I don’t know why I am so afraid of you. You seem very nice. I’m sorry if I snotted on you.”

“I’m sure she doesn’t mind.” Malcanus, standing in the corner so he was out of the way, looked down upon Coffee with a fond smile. His wings extended from his sides, but only just half way, so that he might stretch them a little, and then he refolded them. He glanced over at Mustard and then said, “I don’t think he’s feeling well.”

“The pain medication makes him woozy,” Coffee replied. “We should be going. Again, I wanted to tell you thank you.”

“Come by and visit.” Malcanus returned his gaze to Coffee.

“We shall.” Coffee turned her head and looked over at the she-demon lounging on the bed. “I understand that you like cookies. I’ll try to bring some by. Supplies are short during the winter.”

The conversation was interrupted by the ringing of a bell. It tolled once and then no more. Malcanus, who had tensed upon hearing it, now relaxed a little, but the thick hairs along his spine remained standing and his tail flicked in an excited manner.

“We have a guest coming in,” Coffee said as she shuffled over to her husband. “I heard Princess Cadance is coming. Do you think it might be her?”

“It might,” Malcanus replied, “if the weather has cleared enough for travel.”

Alone in the cabin, the she-demon squirmed in the bed where she had been lounging. She had been told to stay put and to behave, so she was, but it was difficult. She felt something that concerned her, worried her, and made her afraid. She felt a presence. A terrible, dreadful presence. Something that made her skin crawl.

She made a mewling sound as the panic in her body became a living thing that writhed inside of her like a mass of snakes. Malcanus was gone to check on the visitor, whomever they might be. She wished that he was here, or Freckle, or Glitter, or anypony really. The sensation of fear was almost overwhelming, and it grew stronger by the second.

The door opened and a gust of wind rushed into the cabin. Stray snowflakes swirled about and the fire flickered in the grate. A cup sitting on the table rattled a bit and that was when the she-demon saw the very stuff of nightmares. In her mind, one terrible word formed, and that word was the sum of all of her fears…

Alicorn!

The creature of pure harmonic order stood in the doorway, she was a radiant, beautiful creature with fine features and a long, regal neck. Slender legs moved with an impossible perfection. She was flawless symmetrical beauty, a representation of harmony given life and form.

The she-demon let out a fearful howl of panic, pissed the bed, then in a near fluid, almost boneless motion, she slithered out of the bed and scurried beneath it, somehow fitting her entire bulk in the dark, shadowy place below the mattress. She cowered in the dark with her eyes squeezed shut, mewling with fear, wishing the radiant creature would go away.

“What’s got into her?” Malcanus asked as he stood beside Princess Cadance. He looked at Prince Shining Armor, who looked just as confused as Malcanus felt. He sniffed, smelling both urine and fear, and let out a snort. “What in the lower depths is going on here?”

“We are opposites, she and I,” Cadance replied. “Most demons are filled with too much hatred, loathing, and defiance of order to succumb to their natural fear of me.” The pink alicorn moved with exquisite caution as she approached the bed where the whimpering tiufel spawn now cowered. “Do come out, I won’t hurt you… I’ve come to see you and learn about you.” Cadance spoke as if she was speaking to a foal, her voice was soft and patient.

“Glitter Glammer has sent several reports.” Shining Armor looked up at Malcanus and gave a nod. “Cadance wanted to come right away, but we were buried under a blizzard. If you don’t mind me saying, some of the reports are a little hard to believe.”

“Yet the proof lies in front of you, beneath the bed.” Malcanus had a worried expression upon his face and he dropped his head, trying to get a better view of where the she-demon was hiding.

Shining Armor moved over to the fire and as he did so, he said, “Indeed.”

“I’ve dealt with demons before.” Cadance’s ears drooped down and she shook her head. “I’ve never seen anything like this.”

“Well, other than trying to eat Freckle, she’s mostly harmless. But trying to eat Freckle was a misunderstanding.” Malcanus, moving with a grace that seemed impossible for his size, went over to the cupboard and began to rummage around. He pulled out a container, then set it upon the table.

Sniffing, both Cadance and Shining Armor had crinkled noses when Malcanus pulled the cover off of the container of dried meat. Shining took a step backwards and looked disgusted, but Cadance kept her composure.

“Lure her out with one of these,” Malcanus suggested as he picked up a wad of jerky, pinching it between the thumb and central knuckle of his wing.

Upon seeing the hunk of dried meat, Cadance’s composure broke. Her lip curled back from her teeth and she let out a faint whine of disgust as her wings fluttered at her sides. Malcanus rolled his eyes and gave an impatient stomp of his hoof upon the wooden floor.

“Look, forgive me, but I am positive that at some point, you’ve had meat in your mouth—”

“Yes, but it was still alive and attached to Shining!” Cadance snapped as she backed away. “I’m not like Luna, I’ve never been comfortable around your kind and the sight of meat makes me queasy!”

A squeal beneath the bed interrupted the exchange, causing both Cadance and Malcanus to return their attention to the problem at hoof. Shining Armor let out a nervous laugh, then fell silent when Cadance turned to glare at him.

“Just take this and offer her a treat,” Malcanus said.

“Ugh, I don’t want to touch it.” Cadance backed away, shaking her head. “Besides, she’s not a dog or a pet. This feels wrong.”

“She’s about half feral and is more beast than anything else. Just try it… what do you have to lose?” Malcanus’ voice was both soft and cajoling. “Now that you mention it though, she can be both remarkably dog-like and cat-like—”

“Malcanus, you are not helping the matter.” Cadance took a bold step forwards and then snatched up the dried meat chunk in her magic. She cringed, then gagged, and after a moment of intense struggle, Cadance restored herself to a state of princessly calm.

She turned to face the beast beneath the bed…

Author's Note

Much will be revealed in the next chapter.