Fire, Brimstone and Pony Hooves

Chapters

1 - Welcome to Hell
2 - A New World
3 - Trial by Blood
4 - Old Blood
5 - New Blood... or The End?

1 - Welcome to Hell

Author's Note

This was a little idea I got some time back. I've only gotten the first part of it figured out, but I think this'll be a fun story to write. Since this story was spurred on by the feat of reaching over 500 readers for my first story, I'd like to have this as a bit of a milestone project. :pinkiehappy:

Enjoy the read guys. :)

1 - Welcome to Hell

Silence… it is all I have known for longer than I care to recall. I have been trapped here, forced to stand in a sightless, soundless tomb for eternity. It was my punishment. My lord knew it would be the greatest way to break me. I would have gladly taken any other fate, yet here I stand in this empty stone room – not even a shadow of my former self. I was meant to suffer like this for the rest of time until the fabric that made up reality came undone.

My lord’s word was absolute. So imagine my surprise when I heard the first sound to ever grace my resting place in an eon’s age. It was faint, at first, but as time went on the sound grew louder… the ping of metal against stone. I know not how long I waited there, listening, but it felt like years to my shattered mind. After some time, I started to think that this was just a new form of torture. The pang against the tomb wall had become so loud and grating against my nerves that I felt that I would break once more if it were possible.

Then, without warning, a final strike against the stone signaled a cascade of crumbling rubble. It was such a sweet sound, one that I had become familiar with long ago before I was imprisoned. Ah, such fond memories… I had almost forgotten. Days of old, where I was once feared for my ruthlessness – revered even. I stood as one of the pinnacles of perfection among my demonic brethren. Even the sons of our lord showed me some degree of respect, which was worthy of praise among our kind.

I was pulled from my moment of reverie when a new sound made itself known. Were it possible, I think my heart would have skipped a beat at the lovely tune of voices as they carried to my ears. I only saw darkness, but I could feel the movement of fresh air as it forced its way into the stale chamber I resided in. I eagerly awaited the arrival of those who had been foolish enough to enter into my cell… my stone body must have even begun to hum and vibrate I was so pleased.

“What is this place?” I heard a soft whisper. A woman…

“Ah’m not sure. Ah ain’t never seen anythin’ like it,” spoke another woman, her voice laced with a drawl I could nearly remember the name for.

“Well, one thing’s for sure, this place is creepy. I don’t even see any treasure in here…”

“Hmm… this place might be a bust. What’s that over yonder? Looks like a statue of some kind.”

As I listened to their approach, something sent up a red flag in my mind. I vaguely remembered the unique sound of their footfalls, but that could not have been right. It sounded as if they were hoofed beings. Aside from horses on that mud ball called Earth, the only other creatures I knew of that walked on four hooves were Centaurs and the occasional horse demon hybrids. Surely that could not have been the case. Neither race would have broken our lord’s law in order to free me. Not after learning of what I had done.

“Well ain’t this an odd sight.”

“What IS that?”

“Not sure… it looks like some kinda hybrid or somethin’ – kinda like that Draconequus thing in Canterlot.”

“Now that you mention it… doesn’t this look like one of the Thestrals of Luna’s night guard?”

Were these creatures referring to me? I grew curious about what else my punishment entailed, now that these things had spotted me. If they were not talking about me, then there must have been another statue beside me… but I doubted that. They did mention just one in this room. What did my lord do to me? For all I knew, he had turned me to stone in this place…

“Well, whatever this thing is, it’s giving me the willies! Can we go now?”

“Now hold on a tick… can’t ya feel that?”

“Feel what? That weird sinking feeling in my gut that’s telling me there’s no treasure here and that if we don’t leave it’ll turn out badly? You referring to that feeling, Mem?”

“Awe, now don’t go gettin’ weak in the knees, Crystal. It’s just a statue.”

If only I could have chuckled. There was far more to the statue than either of them could know. Still, I found their names to be slightly odd. I doubt any demon would want such soft sounding names, so that ruled out my brethren. It also excluded the Centaurs for similar reasons. I was left curious as to who and what had entered my prison. As fate would have it, I was to gain my answer very soon.

I heard the soft clops of hoofsteps as one of the ponies stepped right up to my stone form. Then I heard the one known as Crystal whisper something harshly to the one known as Mem. The next thing I knew, I felt the soft touch of something warm against my chest… and then something echoed throughout the room – the sound of something cracking.

“Mem… what did you do?”

“Uh…”

“Why is it cracking?”

“Um…”

“Why is it glowing!?”

“Ah think now’s a good time to run?” Mem suggested nervously.

I would have paid them more attention, were it not for the heat building up within my body. I recognized the swell of my demonic powers. It was a feeling I had longed for, for decades. The rush of my old powers returning to me after so long filled me with such elation that I actually felt the stone on my face crumble as my lips curled up. I felt my fangs brush against my bottom lip and my smile grew. I opened my mouth to cheer in victory, but my cheer swiftly became a yell of pain as the first wards to keep me from escaping my stone prison activated.

Massive chains of flame summoned themselves around my body, searing into my flesh. A bellow of agony ripped through my throat and my body collapsed to the floor. It hurt… were it not for the nostalgia of it, I may have fainted from the pain alone. I had felt these chains upon my form once before. They were meant to suppress the power of a demon and make them know only pain and suffering.

Something was different about these chains, though. In my memory, they had been heavier, hotter. These ones were light and their flame only burned my flesh. They were weak… I could break them. I summoned as much of my power that I could. Though the chains had not been as intense as they used to be, they still drained away my powers. If I did not act in time, I would lose all hope of tasting freedom. Having felt the touch of another, after being condemned for so long in solitude, I was not about to let up without a fight.

I pushed as hard as I possibly could, digging deep within myself to my hidden stores of power, and I unleashed everything I possessed against the binding chains. The chains roared to life as they fought against me, their heat and weight intensifying with each ounce of energy I released. Then, just as the last drop of my power pushed against the chains… they shattered and fell to the ground.

My body collapsed to the stone floor as a panting mess of sweat, blood and molten metal. I lay there for some time, long enough for the metal to cool, before I dared to open my eyes for the first time in ages. The room was as barren as I remembered, save for the scorch marks around me and a hole in the wall that was illuminated my some kind of stick with a glowing gem on the tip of it. I groaned as I went to get up. My body refused to cooperate with the act.

Though I had finally managed to open them, I decided it was fine if I closed my eyes to rest for a short time. I would have done so, too, were it not for the sounds of the other two occupants of my prison getting up. I had almost forgotten about them… hell, I was surprised they had survived the heat of my escape. I opened my eyes once more and lifted my head up, turning it in their direction.

I lifted a curious brow as I laid eyes upon them. Two small horses stood against the far wall, though one of them was a unicorn by the looks of the horn on its forehead. They were still a strange sight to me, for I had never seen any of their kind that looked quite like them. The biggest difference, aside from their bright colors and large eyes, was that their faces could mold to form expressions. That was a new one to me. I wondered if the two of them were the owners of the voices I had heard or if those two had burned or run off. My question was soon answered as the unicorn rubbed at her head.

“Ugh… Mem… can we not do that again?” Crystal said with a wince as she rubbed a forming knot on her head.

Mem, the other small horse, slowly rose to her hooves and shook the dust from her coat. “Heh, ah suppose. That was a lil’ bit more than ah was expectin’ to be honest.”

I eyed them silently as my eyes adjusted to the low light of the prison. The one known as Mem was just a normal-ish looking horse. Her coat was a creamy beige with a short brown mane and I noticed a small mark on her flank. The mark seemed to be a depiction of a treasure chest with smoke cradling it from beneath.

My eyes shifted over and I took in the unicorn’s appearance. She was a pearly white color with a flowing sky blue mane. Her flank also had a mark, a prismatic cluster of gems.

I stared at them for a long time as they stood up and dusted themselves off. It was curious that they failed to look in my direction, as if the very thought of there being anything dangerous just slipped their mind. Then again, it wasn’t like I was in any position to pose a real threat to anything at the moment. I had exhausted my energy reserves and my body still ached from where the chains had burned me. At least my body still held onto its healing ability. The sting of my injuries had been fading steadily enough while I watched the odd little horses.

Once they had dusted each other off, Crystal’s horn lit up with a light blue glow and she levitated a few items from a set of saddlebags on her hips. From what I could guess, it looked like a few rolls of bandages and some ointments. The instant she opened one of them, the smell of herbs hit my sinuses like a steam engine. I recoiled from the odor and groaned as I placed my hoof over my face. Wait a minute…

I pulled the hoof away from my face and stared at it in disbelief. It then occurred to me that I had also been staring down a muzzle. I slowly placed my hoof down and gulped as I prepared to look over the rest of my body. With a steady turn of my head, I came to see more of my current form. It did not take a genius to put together what I looked like. Much like the other two occupants of my prison, my body was equine. On my back were two leathery bat-like wings, tipped with small claws. My tail was like that of my old draconic self, though.

Without a mirror, I had no way to know what my head looked like, but I was not pleased by the current changes to my form. From what I could tell thus far, I was an ice blue bat pony with a lizard tail. I sighed, regretting the act immediately.

“Um… did you hear something, Mem?” Crystal asked with an audible gulp.

“Ah think it came from over there,” Mem replied, pointing her hoof in my direction.

I watched as Crystal lit up her horn once more and illuminated the room. Her eyes met with mine and we stared at each other for a long time. Either there was something on my face or it was my face, but once she found her voice, Crystal let loose a scream and ran from the room, towing a very surprised Mem in her levitation.

I could not resist. I started to chuckle. It hurt to do so, but the sight I had just witnessed was too funny. I figured now was a good time to get up and I rolled onto my stomach. I lifted myself up on four unsteady legs, but collapsed again when they gave out. I must have used up far more energy than I thought. My meeting with the floor left me with a hoof digging into my chest and an aching jaw from my latest connection to the stone beneath me.

With a heavy sigh I opted to just lie there uncomfortably for a while longer. I silently worked my jaw a few times to make sure the impact had not left me with a loose tooth or something. After some time had passed, I decided to move my back leg to get the annoying hoof out of my chest. With the offending appendage out of the way I was finally able to relax. Well… then again maybe not. There is such a thing as speaking too soon.

My ears rotated atop my head, a sensation that nearly freaked me out were it not for the fact that it felt perfectly natural for this form of mine, and I heard the soft steps of hooves outside of the tunnel opening. I turned my head toward the sounds and waited for the owners to appear. The steps stopped just beyond the opening in the wall and I could just barely make out the forms of the two horses from before.

They were watching me, just as I watched them. When a repeat of our previous staring contest failed to happen, I decided it was time I tried to communicate with the creatures. “What do you want?” I asked, my voice deep and intimidating as it echoed through the room.

Mem and Crystal ducked away from the opening and started whispering between each other. I allowed them enough of my patience to let them figure out how they would approach me, which wasn’t much. “If you have no business with me then leave. This is a prison. You’ll find no treasure here. Be gone… unless you wish to answer to me for breaking into my cell.”

Though I doubted I had the strength to kill them, I figured they were afraid of me enough that they would heed my warning. I was, again, surprised when they stepped through the hole and looked at me with steel in their spines. For mere cowards who ran from me before, they had balls to show such determined expressions now.

Mem stepped forward and swallowed nervously. “Just who, and what, are you?” she asked.

I lifted a brow at her and felt my left ear twitch. “Why do you want to know? Better yet, what made the two of you come back? From the way you ran, I would have sworn that you two had seen a monster,” I said with a sly smirk.

Mem’s ears pinned back against her head and she looked down. I guess she felt ashamed of her previous encounter with me. “Ah apologize for that,” she said and looked back to me. “The thing is, you look pretty scary fer… whatever you are. We ain’t never seen anythin’ like ya before. Plus, ya did kinda come out of a statue…”

“As was part of my punishment,” I said solemnly. “I was imprisoned here for my crime against my lord. Still, you haven’t answered my question. Why did you two come back?” I asked again.

Crystal stepped forward and bowed her head regretfully. “We came back because you looked like you were hurt. I didn’t feel right just running away because you scared me. We came back to help you.”

Well that was a surprise. Not in a million years would I have thought a sane creature could overcome fear to help someone in need. I’ll admit that I was weak enough to feel grateful for the aid, but I could not believe that they would have come back with such generosity without wanting something in return. “Why would you want to help me? You know I’m a prisoner here, yet you still wish to offer aid? Why?” I asked, though I might have done so a little too harshly.

Yet again I was surprised when Crystal stepped forward with that look of determination. “Because nopony should have to suffer for so long in this place. Everypony deserves a second chance. How long have you been in this place? Don’t you think it’s time you were forgiven? If you could see yourself maybe you’d understand why I feel… such pity for you…”

To say that caught me off guard would be akin to saying that getting struck by lightning was a little shocking. Just what was with this creature? How could anything feel such compassion – especially toward something like me? I eyed her suspiciously for a long moment as I tried to figure out what her goal might be. I watched as her horn lit up once more. A small mirror floated out of her saddlebags and hovered in front of me.

Empty black eyes looked back at me. The face looked like a malnourished version of these odd horses and its expression was that of something that had seen oblivion and lost all hope. Two small, curved horns crept out of the corners of its forehead, though the one on the left had a crack traveling along its entire length. Its mane was charcoal grey and thin in places. I looked like I was just one step away from crumbling into a soul-less heap.

I stared blankly, even as the mirror left my field of vision. The weight of my punishment finally hit me. I had no idea how long I had been imprisoned, but I know it was long enough to break my mind three times over. One of the downsides to being an ageless entity is that when the mind gives out… it takes ages for it to mend. I could clearly remember each time my mind gave out, the times when my thoughts would just… crumble into nothingness as I dwelled in my world of silent darkness.

I sobbed uncontrollably the first time my mind broke – the act made even more pathetic by the fact that I was a crying statue, unable to move but could still feel the tears fall down my cheeks. The second time it happened I was an insane wreck, I could only babble incoherently and it was as if my mind was spilt into three personalities; all fighting to be the real one in control.

The third time my mind shattered was the worst. Everything came to a halt and I was nothing more than an empty husk. I had no more thoughts. I ceased to be. Everything that made me a conscious being was reduced to nothingness. I truly died that day without being dead. I didn’t even know I had died until I heard the sounds of these two mining their way into my prison. Only a fool would think that having a mind, devoid of all thought, was peaceful… it was agony without tangible form.

Now that I had a body of flesh again, I could feel it as my heart ached and my lungs squeezed while my tears bled from my eyes. Crystal was right. I had suffered enough. No… I had passed that point ages ago. I was nothing more than a broken fragment of my former self. I blinked the tears away and looked at the two creatures before me. “How do you plan to help something that has been ruined beyond repair?” I asked in a hollow voice.

Crystal smiled kindly at me as she walked the last few paces to reach my pitiful form. I was a little surprised that she did not have to kneel down to me. It put things into perspective as I looked at her up close. With me on my stomach, my head came up to her throat. She lowered her head enough to meet my gaze levelly, that smile of hers unwavering, and she gently lifted her body to embrace me.

I stiffened at her touch. I had never been hugged, save for the very few times a demoness had deemed me worthy enough after sharing a bed with me. Never had I felt one in an act of kindness… and never had it felt so pleasant. My body melted under her warmth and the fatigue I felt started to wash away as Crystal gently nuzzled against my cheek. My arms acted on their own and I returned the embrace as fresh tears cascaded down my face.

I bit back a sob and sucked in a breath of air through gritted teeth. I shut my eyes once more and let my sorrow out through a quiet wail of heartfelt pain and loss. The old me would have enjoyed seeing me in such a state of emotional turmoil… while the current me simply allowed myself a moment to vent and accept the warmth of this kind being.

At some point I felt Mem join in the hug. It was a strange feeling, being on the receiving end of such positive emotions from another. The only times a demon felt anything close to this was if they found the rumored ‘true love’ or when they were given slight praise for surviving in combat with the enemy.

Though I felt saddened by it, the hug had to come to an end. Mem and Crystal slowly backed away after releasing me. I then noticed a dark patch on Crystal’s shoulder and was quickly assaulted by the scent of blood. I went to rise, but my legs buckled again, forcing me to stay down. Crystal moved forward with concern on her face. “Your shoulder,” I said weakly.

Crystal looked at herself and only flinched slightly before she looked back to me with a understanding gaze. “That’s not my blood,” she said gently. “Those are your tears.”

I sighed from both relief and annoyance. It was good that Crystal was uninjured, but it was grating to know that I cried blood like some holy statue.

“We should get you washed up,” Mem said as she gently stepped closer to her friend.

Crystal simply shook her head and looked to her friend with a small smile. “I can’t leave him down here like this. Just think of how long he’s been trapped here, all alone. He’s so weak… I have to help him,” she said compassionately.

I groaned as I forced myself to stand, the act bringing both mare’s attentions to my efforts. In the time it took a heart to beat, I found myself being helped up on both sides. My legs complained as they trembled, but they found the strength to keep my body suspended. I huffed a slight chuckle and glanced between Mem and Crystal. “I feel that I must agree with Crystal,” I said tiredly. “I don’t want to be down here anymore. It’s lonely… I hate this place…”

I sniffed pathetically, “I want to go home…”

Fresh tears threatened to escape from my eyes once again, but a warm hoof gingerly touched against my cheek. I blinked sadly and looked at the pearly appendage before following it to Crystal’s sympathetic smile. “Shh… it’ll be alright. We’ll get you out of here. Do you think you can walk?” she asked.

I nodded my head meekly. Man did I feel so useless and weak right about now. I recalled the days when I stood atop the mounds of bodies of those I had slain. I fought against mighty adversaries, some ten times larger than I, and I crushed them as if they were plastic toys. Now I could hardly stand and I would cry at the slightest feeling that passed through me. My lord really did choose the most effective way to punish me.

Crystal’s ears then perked up and she pulled her head back as she realized something. She smiled kindly at me once more. “You know, I just realized that you know my name, but I don’t know what to call you. Still, I think it’s as good a time as any to introduce ourselves. My name is Crystal Seeker.”

Mem smiled and placed a hoof to her chest. “Ah’m Memory Keeper, nice ta meetcha.”

I smiled weakly at them both. “My name is Yerok. I was never given a second title.”

Crystal smiled warmly at me. “Yerok… that’s a nice name. Come on, let’s get you out of here,” she said and she gently rubbed against my side to encourage me forward.

I slowly placed one hoof in front of the other as we moved forth toward the hole they had made in the wall of my prison. Every muscle in my legs screamed at me, but I pushed on all the same. I wanted to leave this place. There was nothing that mattered to me more than escaping the one thing that had crushed me more effectively than a hydraulic press on a light bulb. I was even afraid that if I closed my eyes once more that I’d never open them again if I stayed.

I faintly realized, as we walked, that I towered over the two little horses. It was only truly evident when I started to stumble just how small they were compared to my build. Still, we managed to make progress, slow but steady. The tunnel we traveled through must have only been about three hundred feet in length, but to me it might as well have been as long as my stay in the prison. I was beyond exhausted when we reached the end.

My body collapsed just outside of the tunnel entrance. I think I caught a glimpse of the night sky, or maybe it was just my imagination. The one thing I do know is I had not slept so soundly for a long time.

2 - A New World

The heat of Hell’s eternal flames wafted through my nostrils as I inhaled deeply. I stood atop the platform, the peak of the mountain of bones that had been gathered as a display of our might. Skeletal remains of Hell’s defeated foes, from the agile angels of Heaven, to the cunning humans, to the mighty dragons and the wisest of elves… all of their bones had been ceremoniously placed beneath my feet.

I could only bask in the glory of my battle-born prowess. To stand here was one of the greatest of honors among demons. There were few things grander than this. I had yet to have defeated an Arch Angel and take his six wings as a trophy. I had never once encountered a Prime Dragon and I had yet to have been offered an opportunity to wed any of my lord’s three daughters; thus making me worthy of becoming the equivalent of royalty within Hell.

Though I never wanted to have such recognition, I still found great pleasure in the thought of becoming a member of the Pureblooded Demon Household. No sane demon would look down on such an opportunity. To become one of the most revered of all demons meant that you had overcome the most fearsome of Hell’s foes. For me… gaining a title of that caliber was merely a bonus, for all I truly desired was to fight worthy opponents on the battlefield.

Ah… there was nothing more rewarding than feeling the burn of one’s muscles as you fought with everything you possessed just to live for another day. It was a feeling I had started to miss. Though I had tasted the pain of defeat in the past, lately I had failed to find worthy adversaries to fight.

I cast my gaze down and swept my eyes over the masses of my brethren below me. They were alive with cheering and roars of acknowledgement. I had earned my place upon this mountain of bones. I gripped the handle of my blade and brought it above my head as I let loose a mighty bellow for another victory for Hell’s armies. The chorus of cheers intensified, sending a chill of satisfaction through me. This is what it meant to live the life of a demon!

The cheers suddenly ended, silence and darkness overtaking them swiftly. I looked around in confusion. What had happened to my brothers in arms? I had little time to question anything more, for a beam of light suddenly ripped through the abyss before me. My eyes widened at what the shaft of light revealed and my breath hitched in my throat as I dropped my sword into the void of nothingness around me.

There… illuminated by the brilliance of Earth’s sun, stood three figures. I knew two of them instantly. Standing in an embrace, the third son of my lord, young Dante, and the only daughter of the simply self-entitled God, Lady Ariael, held onto each other passionately. It was such a beautiful sight. Well, it would have been, were it not for the third person’s presence. The figure was of male build, cloaked in darkness and brandishing a blood red great sword that impaled master Dante and his beloved.

I felt that I knew whom the mysterious shadow was, but I failed to connect him to my memory. I was too stricken by the sight of master Dante’s remorseful gaze upon his dying love. I knew that expression well. Dante had worn it many a night as he dwelled on how he could be with Lady Ariael and put an end to the war. I will not pretend to say that I sympathized with him, but I did understand his desire for a better tomorrow.

I could only stand there and stare at the horror that I knew had come to pass. My spine shivered as a soft whisper echoed through the darkness around me and my eyes were drawn to the shadowed form of master Dante’s assailant. Red glowing eyes met mine as pearly white fangs glistened just beneath the shadows. “Murderer…” he whispered to me and he flung Dante and Ariael’s corpses toward me.

~~***~~

My eyes shot open as a hoarse gasp escaped my lungs. I flung my hooves about frantically for a moment as I regained awareness. The sound of shuffling met my ears and I turned my head rapidly to face the sound. My fear slowly subsided as my empty eyes fell upon the concerned face of Crystal Seeker. She slowly approached me, cooing softly to try and ease me. “Shh, shh… it’s alright. It was just a bad dream. You’re alright now.”

My beating heart slowed to normal levels and fatigue claimed me. I broke my gaze from Crystal to observe the sky in an attempt to figure out what time it was. By the soft glow upon the bellies of the scattered clouds, I guessed it to be a short time until dawn. I returned my attention to Crystal and felt my ears pin back as I went to apologize to her. “My deepest apologies, Crystal. I did not mean to wake you…” I whispered, though the depth of my voice was still enough to cause Memory Keeper to stir under her blanket.

Crystal smiled for me, though the tired look in her eyes told me that she was showing me sympathy because she cared for my wellbeing. For some reason, that made me feel worse about the situation. I wondered why I even felt like this to begin with as I normally would not have cared – not in the slightest. Maybe it was a sense of feeling indebted to her for what she had done for me thus far.

“Don’t worry about it,” she said softly. “It’s only about a half hour before I normally wake up, so it’s fine. Besides, I’ve been worried about you. How do you feel?” she asked me.

I sighed gently as my body relaxed. I still did not feel all that well with waking her in such a way, but it was a small relief that she was fine with it. “I’m still feeling fatigued, but that should pass as I recover. Aside from the nightmare, I feel that getting that good night of rest did wonders for me.”

As I said that, I noticed Crystal’s ears move back slightly and she broke eye contact with me to stare at her hooves with an odd intensity. I looked at her, puzzled, but it soon occurred to me that what I had said may not have been accurate. I sighed gently and turned my gaze to the nearby tree line. “I take it I’ve been asleep for more than a night?” I asked.

Crystal let loose a slightly defeated sigh and I turned to look at her with a small understanding smile on my face. “You can tell me, I wont be upset. How long have I been asleep?”

“You’ve been out for a little more than three nights,” she said.

I nodded my head gently. “I see,” I said softly. It was a little amusing to me, as evident by the small grin that I couldn’t help but show. “It’s funny that I’d sleep for so long considering I did nothing but sleep for eons in that prison. Sorry for any inconveniences I may have caused,” I said honestly. Again, I was at a loss as to why I felt sorry for these things.

Crystal smiled warmly for me, an act that seemed to actually lift her own spirits as she stepped closer to me. She placed her hoof against my shoulder, which nearly made me melt at how warm and delightful it felt. I think I could get used to this kind of interaction. “You have nothing to apologize for,” she told me. “You were so weak… if anything I should be apologizing to you for not thinking of lifting you with my magic to get you out of there.”

My ear twitched and my head tilted slightly as I thought about her last phrase. I wanted to clarify things, if only to try and shift the conversation into a more pleasant direction. “So, when your horn lights up with that soft glow, you’re using magic?” I asked her.

“Yes. Most unicorns can use magic. Unlike other ponies, though, I specialize in gem finding,” she replied with a pleased smile.

I smiled as well, having learned something else I had been wondering about. So these creatures call themselves ponies, I thought. “That’s very interesting. I take it that gem finding is a useful skill?”

“Well,” Crystal blushed slightly as her smile turned a little sheepish. I had to admit; I did find the act to be cute. “It’s a useful skill for ponies in my profession. I’m a Treasure Hunter, same as Mem. We teamed up a few years ago and we’ve sought out all kinds of temples and ruins in search of treasure. Since most treasures are gem encrusted, my ability makes locating them easier,” she explained.

I smiled kindly. “That’s worthy of praise. Back before I was imprisoned, I was part of a grand army. My detachment was a mixed group with different specialists. Though others may not see your skill as being useful, I can definitely say that you have your part to play your team. My next question would be how Miss Memory’s skill compliments, or is complimented by yours.”

Crystal looked over to her friend fondly. “Her specialty lies in her body. She has this uncanny ability to just… feel where things are. That’s how we found your… um, your prison. There’s nothing but forest here, but she could just tell there was something here,” she said and looked back to me.

I huffed a weak chuckle. “I’ll have to remember to find a way to thank the two of you properly for finding me. I’m in your debt,” I said and bowed my head, though it was a little awkward since I was still on my side.

Crystal bent forward and nuzzled my cheek softly. I won’t lie; I melted from her soft warmth that time. My eyes, figuratively speaking, rolled back into my head and I turned to putty from her ministrations. I had never experienced such a wondrous sensation and I instinctively returned the gesture, gently rubbing my cheek against her fur.

“You can thank us by getting better quickly,” Crystal whispered next to my ear.

A shiver ran down my spine and I rubbed against her cheek with slightly more pressure. Then it hit me, and I put a stop to my reactions in an instant. I gently pulled away from Crystal’s face and offered her a small smile. I could feel my body complaining as my heart tried to beat faster and my lungs spurred me to breath harder, but I fell back on my old calming techniques to quell the building need within.

“I’ll do my best, Crystal,” I said softly as she pulled her head away from me.

As Crystal returned to a sitting position I noticed she had a slightly confused, if reluctant expression on her face. I knew what it meant, so I coaxed her once more to sidetrack her thoughts and said, “I think I’ll rest a little more for now. Would it be too much to ask to be awoken later on for a meal? I think eating something would help me regain some of my strength faster.”

Crystal’s smile returned and she beamed warmly. “Of course. I’ll wake you when Mem and I are ready for our breakfast,” she said.

As she spoke, I noticed her body tense slightly and her tail seemed to twitch every now and then. I may not have been used to being around ponies, much less having the body of one, but I had a very strong feeling that she was fighting against her own needs. A feeling of guilt surfaced within me and I laid my head down to feign going back to sleep.

Crystal stayed by my side for some time. If I had to take a guess as to why, it must have been due to her slipping into thought about something regarding how she had warmed up to me so quickly. It was the same thing that I pondered myself as I lay there. It had been far too long since the last time I had been this weak, so I nearly forgot about the side effect of such a state. As it seemed, my body had retained some of its demonic heritage.

Eventually, Crystal decided she had stayed by me for long enough and she quietly made her way back to her blanket. Once she had departed, I allowed myself some time to relax and calm my nerves further. It was difficult to remain calm with her nearby. My body yearned for her touch, to inhale her scent… to have her in the most primal of ways.

My body craved her, but not because I wanted to sate my lust. It had been known, back when I was still a part of Hell’s army, that demons were very sexual after battle. For Lucifer’s sake, the humans had depicted us in mass orgies in many of their artistic portrayals. It was something about our kind that sickened other races and made them despise us more for it. Still, it did nothing to change the fact that one of the ways Hell had adapted to the war machine was to learn of ways to replenish our energy faster.

When I fought against the bindings, I used up everything I had. Now it came as no surprise that my body desired to be replenished, and the fastest way to achieve that was to have sex. The intimacy of the act was deeper for demons. Not only were you giving your body to another, never the heart (unless you were romantically involved with your partner), but you were opening your very soul and life essence to them. By offering your power to them, and receiving theirs in return, the resulting combination would double, triple, sometimes quadruple your current level of power; thus making it the most effective way to build up our army’s fighting power.

Though I did desire to gain back my power, there was something in me that made me fight against the need. I would not understand the reason until much later, but to know that it felt wrong of me to take advantage of my saviors was all the incentive I needed for the time being. There was also the fact that… well, let’s face it, I was not in a familiar body – I even managed to confuse myself as to how I would satisfy myself with mere hooves.

While I reminisced about my past experiences with sating my power struggles, the sun had risen above the far horizon. The early light of day roused Crystal from her resting place and she groaned softly as she stood. I listened to her quietly make her way over to Memory and softly murmur to her sleeping companion, gently waking her. It was a little strange, and slightly ironic that I had gone back to listening to them and ‘watching’ them with my ears. I think my ears are what gave away the fact that I was awake…

“Oh, good morning, Yerok.” I heard memory say.

I cursed this new body for its mindless appendages acting on their own, and slowly lifted my head to look in her direction. I spotted her beside a pile of supplies next to a wagon. She seemed to be looking for something. I noticed the bent over position she was in and quickly turned my gaze away. I came almost face to face with Crystal and was alarmed that I had not heard her approach. Floating beside me was a wooden cup.

I glanced between Crystal and the cup for a moment, taking note of the way she tried to avoid staring into my eyes while nibbling at her bottom lip. I cautiously proceeded to right myself into a sitting position, an act that took a little more effort than I was happy with but I managed. Once I was upright, I looked at the floating cup and lifted a hoof only to pause halfway. I looked down at my appendage and sighed as I looked to Crystal.

“This may sound a little weird,” I said slowly, “but this body is new to me. How do I grab things with hooves?”

I heard a slight gasp and the jingle of something over by the wagon. “Wait, you mean you weren’t always a pony?” Memory asked.

I turned my gaze back over to see her holding a few forks in her hooves. I was puzzled by the sight and compared my own hoof to hers as I tried to figure out how she could hold them. The sound of gentle giggling drew my attention back to Crystal, who had covered her mouth with her hoof with a mirthful look in her eyes.

“It’s actually pretty easy, once you get the hang of it. For an earth pony like Mem, they use their body’s unique magic to form a kind of magnetic field under their hoof. A similar thing happens for pegasi as well, while unicorns just use their control over magic to lift things. We unicorns can pick up items like the others, too, but it takes us a little more practice to master,” Crystal explained.

I nodded my head in mild understanding. Magic, where I came from, was more like another form of transferring your body’s energy into something else. I figured that by substituting the word ‘magic’ with ‘energy’, I might gain a better idea of how this world worked. However, before I attempted to try grabbing the cup, I wanted to know how much energy I currently had.

I closed my eyes and focused my senses to a point deep within me. Like feeling around for the beat of a heart, I let my mind drift to old and familiar sensations to map out the inner workings of my body. Though it was tempting to enter a deeper meditative state, I chose to simply brush against the inner streams of power rather than explore myself. I did not like what I found. My energy was barely a flicker within me. Even after three nights, I had gained so little back. No wonder it was hard to fight against my natural urges.

My eyes opened once more to see a slightly confused expression on Crystal’s face. I sighed and looked down at my hoof. “I’m still lacking a lot of my energy. I don’t think I have enough to grab a hold of anything at the moment,” I said sadly.

Though subtle, I noticed Crystal’s eyes look down to my mouth and I think I caught sight of a faint blush on her cheeks. Then she shook her head and gave me a kind smile. “Don’t worry, I’ll hold it for you. Just sip away until you’re satisfied.”

I smiled gratefully with a small nod before I extended my neck forward to drink from the offered cup. Water passed over my lips and into my mouth, which elicited a moan of satisfaction as I felt the rejuvenating liquid enter my throat. Never had such a simple drink been so magnificent. I eagerly gulped down the rest of the cup’s contents. Once I had consumed the last drop of that glorious substance, even letting my tongue slip out to lap away any droplets that wouldn’t fall into my mouth, I sat back with a content sigh.

There was an awkward silence that followed as I looked at the faces of the two ponies. Both seemed to share a blush, though Memory’s face was exceptionally red against her beige coat. I was a little confused as to what had caused them to stare at me with slightly agape mouths, until I caught on to how I had just assaulted the cup of water. Had I not been so engulfed with the act of sating my thirst, I probably would have realized the exact nature of how I licked it and the sounds I made in doing so. I cleared my throat and looked away from them. “Sorry… it’s just been a very long time since I had anything to drink. That water was immensely satisfying. Um… thank you,” I said, doing my best to keep myself composed.

I glanced back to them and saw that Crystal still seemed embarrassed, but memory’s face had taken on a more sly expression. “Well, ah’ll be. Ah ain’t never seen anypony get that enthusiastic about a cup o’ water.” She giggled after that and looked at me with a lidded gaze. “’Course, that’s also the first time ah’ve seen a tongue used like that. You sure did a number on the inside of that glass.”

“Memory!” Crystal gasped and she whirled around to face her friend.

“What, you were thinkin’ it too! Ya can’t deny it, yer still blushin’ over it!” Memory rebuked with a teasing grin.

I cleared my throat, drawing the attention of both ponies. “My deepest apologies. I didn’t intend to display such a lewd thing in front of the two of you. Please forgive me,” I said and bowed my head slightly, glancing between the two of them and the ground.

Sensing that I had done something I regretted, memory coughed into her hoof and looked away from me. “Well, it’s not like ya needed to apologize fer that,” she said, which gained her another glare from Crystal.

“It’s alright,” Crystal assured me. “We understand. Still, I would appreciate it if you could, uh… refrain from letting out such noises again.”

I nodded my head, feeling guilty, and a little embarrassed for being the cause for the current situation. “I’m sorry. I won’t let it happen again,” I said.

Feeling a little out of place, and in need of some distance from the two ponies, I slowly pushed myself to stand. Crystal quickly went to my side with a look of confused concern on her face. I accepted her help, though I had to fight against a new wave of desire as her soft side brushed against mine. All I had to do was move over her and I could have her…

I shook my head and let loose a snort of annoyance through my nose. I then glanced down to see Crystal looking up at me expectantly and curious. I sighed and offered her a small smile. “I think I should try to walk around a little. My body feels a little too stiff from sleeping for the past few days. I think some movement and a little fresh air might help,” I said comfortingly, though I felt my ears wilt slightly.

Crystal probably figured out I was being a little untruthful. Again I cursed my body for letting the ears tell what I was really feeling. I needed to find a way to get them to stop revealing everything. Still, Crystal felt that it would be okay to let me walk for a bit as she gave me a small nod and backed away from me.

I returned her nod and gave one to memory as well before I slowly wandered into the tree line a short distance away. I am unsure as to how far I walked, but I know it was significant enough to make my legs burn uncomfortably by the time I reached a small pool beside a stream. I went to the water’s edge and bent my head down to drink from it. The flavor was a little different from what Crystal had offered me before, but it was still more than welcome to my deprived body.

As I drank from the pool, I noticed that my face had filled in a little since the last time I saw its reflection. My cheeks were no longer sunken in. I actually looked better, which contradicted how I felt, but at least I resembled the living instead of a mummified pony. In addition, it seemed that the pools of darkness that comprised my eyes had gained a faint red coloring. Whether it was coloration from my tears had yet to be confirmed.

Once I had satisfied my thirst, I lifted my head to inspect my surroundings. This world was so… peaceful. It reminded me of the elven forests from long ago. I had been part of a small scouting party a few years before open war engulfed their homelands. Their forests held a similar peace within as this world did. It was enough to make one feel calm and content… if they were not a demon.

I felt dirty standing there. The serenity of the land made my skin crawl with how quiet and peaceful it seemed. I suddenly felt myself wanting to set the forest alight in hellfire, if only to make the obnoxiousness of it’s calming nature wash away in something that brought true peace to my nerves. I then found myself missing the fires of Hell… of home.

My ears pinned back and I felt a frown etch into my face. I hated this place a little more now. I turned my back on the stream and walked away from it. I could bare it no longer and I let a few of my tears slip down my cheeks as I accepted just how much I had lost. Maybe there was a way back home… it was a pleasant enough thought, if you ignored the reason for my imprisonment. A part of me wondered if anyone would even remember me after being gone for so long… why would they, though? I had done something unforgiveable. If I were to be remembered, it would be to make sure that if I was ever seen again that I’d be strung up atop the great wall and whipped until I was nothing more than a mangled mess of fleshy tissues – indistinguishable from the many smears of blood that decorated its surface.

I sighed deeply as I walked. I really missed the old days, at least back then I had nothing like this to weigh on my mind. My biggest concern used to be how I would decide the best way to dismember my opponent. My mood sunk further down as I walked. I think I would have preferred talking about my other needs with Crystal over feeling as broken as I felt now.

Author's Note

This chapter was spurred on from having over 1000 total story views. :pinkiehappy:

Seriously, you guys rock. I've had quite a few people favorite my work and I kinda wish the site let me keep a record of that. Still, my work has been seen that many times and it's just awesome. I'm really putting my all into this project to make it the best piece I possibly can. I can't decide on whether I want to keep this story as a strictly original piece, where it only has OC's, or if I should throw in some canon characters. :rainbowhuh:

Look forward to the next chapter. It'll be a marker for the over 5000 total views I've gained thus far!

3 - Trial by Blood

Author's Note

Be warned, this chapter has... a bit of an exciting section. It's not explicit, not like what I had originally intended for the hot and heavy scene, but it may be stimulating. I kept it as teen friendly as I could without going overboard. If, by any chance, the sex scene is too risque then I might have to gut this chapter or adjust the rating to Mature. I hope it's not too much...
(Edit: Came back and reworked this chapter after I wrote chapter 5. Made it flow a little better and reworded parts to adapt the sex scene to a more teen friendly format.)

In any case, here's the 3rd installment of this little project! Celebrating over 5000 total views of my work, I give you Yerok as he learns to live his new life with Crystal and Memory's help! :pinkiehappy:

Also, the next chapter will come out for the 10,000 total views (or maybe for my next story that hits 500 views... which ever comes first).

3 - Trial by Blood

Though the walk back to the small camp had not been a long one, I was still very tired when I arrived. My thoughts had been an annoyance and they had left me aggravated. Not only that, but I had started feeling depressed with my longing of home. The more time I spent in the forest the more I wanted to feel the flames of my home brush against my flesh.

As I entered the clearing of Crystal and Memory’s camp the atmosphere around the two had changed. When I left there had been a slight awkwardness, which was the reason for my desire to leave… but now they held looks of deep and sullen thought. So absorbed were they that neither of them noticed my approach until I had nearly entered their little camp proper. Memory was the first to greet me.

“Oh, yer back. How was the walk, Yerok?” Memory asked me, though it was clear she had something on her mind as she did so.

“Welcome back, Yerok,” Crystal said from beside a small fire.

I looked between the two mares, wondering what had caused them to become so… for lack of a better description, reserved and withdrawn. Crystal seemed to have been busy preparing a meal over a small cook fire, where Memory was just idling by the wagon. It then dawned on me that they had taken up positions at near opposite sides of the campsite.

“Is everything alright?” I asked as I drew nearer.

Crystal’s ears and tail twitched, but she offered me a small smile with a nod of her head. Memory, on the other hand… or as the case had become, hoof, seemed to divert her attention to a bag of trinkets as she nibbled on her lower lip. I found the reaction to be less than comforting. Something had transpired while I had been gone, but neither pony wanted to explain things to me. I sighed silently. There was little any male could do to convince a female to reveal certain details, so I simply left things alone. I had tried many times in my younger years to understand women… at least with men all you had to do was ask, shrug, and pretend to not care and they would reveal what was on their mind in a roundabout fashion if they wanted to talk about it. Such was not the case with the female sex. If they wanted to keep quiet, there was nothing you could do to get them to talk; they’d have to be pinned down and forced to say what was on their mind – and even then it was a fifty-fifty chance. It was annoying because while they'd be sending you subtle hints that there was something they wanted to tell you, they would also deny that anything was worth talking about.

With little hope of getting an answer from either pony, I figured I would resume my position on the little blanket that I had awoken on earlier. I laid myself down slowly, my legs eagerly complaining to me for making them work so hard. Once I found a comfortable position, one where my legs were simply folded beneath my body, I let out a relaxed sigh.

“You were gone for quite some time,” Crystal said softly from the nearby fire.

I turned my gaze toward her with a small frown on my face. Crystal had yet to look in my direction and I was starting to feel… angry? Annoyed? No… if anything I think it was more like I felt I was being ignored in a way and my emotions couldn’t make up their mind on how to feel about it. I sighed and lowered my head to rest it on the ground. “I found a small pool beside a little stream, some ways off. Sadly, the walk did little for me… other than give me time to think. All I accomplished was to make myself tired and depressed,” I said tiredly.

Crystal finally looked in my direction with a look of mild concern. We held each other’s gaze for a short time as she licked her lip in thought. For the first time since I had opened mine, I noticed the color of Crystal’s eyes. I found it slightly strange that I had not noticed the pretty shade of aquamarine until just then. I suddenly found myself staring at her. It was faint, but I could have sworn I saw something deeper within those crystalline pools of hers… something familiar yet foreign.

After some time, I forced my focus away from her. There was something almost hypnotizing about her face, but I was not about to forget about what my body wanted. I had to be careful, lest I lose control of myself. The temptation to take her had been very strong before. Still… it got me thinking about my body once more. Why had I been changed to look like this? Was this part of what my lord had intended? Or was there something more to it?

I lifted my head to examine my wings, an act that took considerable effort, but I managed to pry my skull from its resting place. With a little bit of concentration I managed to extend my wing. I had once been gifted with a pair of wings as part of a raid on a dragon’s nest near the peak of a steep mountain range. The group of wyverns had dug themselves in and were preparing to ambush one of our portals. The experience helped me in figuring out how to maneuver my wing the way I wanted, but the sensation was still a little alien to me.

I closely examined my wing from the base to the tips of the finger-like supports. I knew very little about wings, aside from the fact that they were used for flight and could also make useful additions to my combat potential. The last time I had them had been an invigorating experience. By arming them with wing blades, I had gained a new and entertaining method for fighting that had yet to be surpassed. Of course, getting a wing caught in the jaws of one of the larger wyverns had not been a pleasant event. Even for conjured wings, it still hurt like a rampaging Hell Knight’s left hook to the spine.

Though my wings did resemble those of a bat, there was a slight difference. The joints in my wing’s digits were more defined. It was as if I had stretched hands with wing membranes between the fingers. These wings were powerful, but that left me questioning if they were even meant for flight. From what I had heard, too much muscle in ones wings would weigh down the flyer. I would have to check at some point to see the limitations of my new form, but that had to wait until I had more stamina.

I relaxed my wing and let it rest against my side as I returned my attention to Crystal. To my slight surprise, she had been watching me, or that was my assumption. I doubt she’d have let herself be too absorbed with my actions when she had food over the fire. Now that I think about it, I had no idea what she was even preparing, but the aroma was starting to become very enticing.

“Was there something wrong with your wing?” Crystal asked me.

I shook my head and sighed with a small smile. “I was just looking at it. I’m still getting used to this new form of mine,” I answered. There was a part of me that thought I’d never grow accustomed to my body. I already missed my hands and walking on all fours made me feel far too self conscious. Half the time it seemed that my body was on autopilot.

“That reminds me,” Memory chimed in as she stopped polishing some little trinket, “ya said somethin’ about not bein’ a pony before. If ya don’t mind me askin’, what were ya?” she asked.

I paused for a moment to consider my response. I could answer honestly, or I could try and bend the truth… though I was less inclined to do the latter. There didn’t seem to be any problems with sharing the truth, so I went with a more open approach. “I was once a demon. I’ve yet to determine what I am now, but back before I was sealed away within that prison I was one of Hell’s greatest fighters. I stood on two legs and resembled a dragon in my appearance, my horns were much like the ones I have now but they curved forward instead of back. Like many of my brethren, my body was very muscular, but my power didn’t lie in just my physical strength. I was also red in color… this pale blue shade is far from what I used to look like. Oh, and I did not possess wings.”

“Wait… you were a demon?” Memory asked with a dubious look about her. “Does that mean yer like Tirek? Or Scorpan, his brother?”

I lifted a curious brow at her. If those were demon names, they sounded like they were either from an outside clan, ones who had been cast aside for being of weaker bloodlines but still devoted to Hell, or they were renegades. Still, it was not enough to simply go off of a name. “Could you explain what they are? I haven’t heard of such names before, but knowing their species might help,” I inquired.

“Well, the older brother, Lord Tirek is a Centaur. He escaped from Tartarus not long ago, but was defeated and imprisoned again. When he was free, he managed to absorb almost all of the magic throughout Equestria,” Crystal explained as she stirred the contents of the frying pan.

“Yeah, and his younger brother, Scorpan was a… ah think he was a Gargoyle? Somethin’ like that. He’s been rumored to have been friends with the princesses,” Memory finished.

“Hmm…” I nodded slowly as I thought about their individual races. The Centaurs were known for being more of a warrior-like people. Most of their traditions were bound by honor and the drive to find noble sparring partners to improve themselves throughout their lives. The Gargoyles, though… those were different by far. Were the positions reversed, I would not have been surprised. The Gargoyles were fickle creatures. So long as it suited their interests, they’d do as they pleased unless you proved to be stronger than them. Hell had used them in the past as easily replenish-able fodder for large battles.

“That’s interesting. It would seem that much has changed while I was imprisoned. Though I am familiar with their races, the behavior doesn’t match up to my knowledge,” I explained calmly with a slight shrug of my shoulders. “With that in mind, I can’t say for sure if I have anything in common with them. Your version of demons just might be unrelated to what I used to be.”

Memory hummed softly and went back to polishing her trinket. “Well, so long as ya don’t try taking over Equestria, I think you’ll be fine,” she said, though it was difficult for me to tell if she was joking or not.

I sighed and lowered my head tiredly. “I have no desire for such a trivial matter,” I said. “I’ve never been one for domination or grand schemes. I’m just a warrior at heart. Though… from what I’ve seen of your world so far, it would seem things are quite peaceful here. I wonder where someone like me might fit…”

It was a sizable thought to consider. Just what would I do now that I had been given this new chance at living? Sure, I owed Crystal and Memory a great deal, but at some point I felt that they would deem my debt repaid. What would I do after that? I had much to learn about this new world I had awoken in, but I still had time to formulate a better idea so I did not linger on the subject for long.

“You could join us as a treasure hunter…” I heard Crystal say softly.

I looked over to her and offered a small smile. “That might be fun, but I don’t know if it’d be something I could do as a career.” I sighed and readjusted my legs a little to get more comfortable as I continued to rest. “I’ve always been at home on the field of battle. The only reason I’m not training myself now is because I learned long ago not to push myself if my body couldn’t handle the strain.”

Crystal seemed to ponder my words carefully for a long time as she went between tending to the food and looking in my direction with a concerned expression. Though I noticed her gaze each time, I chose to ignore it. There was little I could do to change my outlook, at least not for some time. One didn’t change at the drop of a hat. I needed time and knowledge before I could try and adapt to my new situation.

In seemingly no time at all the food finished cooking and Crystal placed separate portions in a few wooden bowls. She then used her magic to set a bowl in front of both Memory and myself. As the dish arrived in front of me, I eyed it with interest. The meal seemed to have been a collection of different vegetables; some carrots, diced potatoes, and a few other things I did not recognize, but was sure it was meant for an herbivorous diet.

Though the idea of eating plants was unappealing to me, I had to remind myself that I was no longer a flesh devouring Dragon Knight. I offered my thanks to Crystal for the food before I tentatively dipped my muzzle down to nibble at the carrots. Much to my surprise, it was delicious. For the longest time I had been certain that plants tasted like dirt and toe fungus. The soft texture that coated my tongue was, dare I say it, divine. I soon dug into the bowl with gusto, devouring its contents in a matter of moments.

I cleaned the bowl with my tongue, savoring every morsel of food. Once I had licked everything from the dish at least three times over, I lifted my head with a pleased grin and looked toward Crystal. “Thank you. That was… despite it being the first time I’ve had anything grown, it was delightfully flavorful,” I said.

Crystal smiled kindly and nodded her head gently. “You are very welcome. I’m glad you enjoyed it. I thought it would be better for you if I softened the foods. Since this is the first thing you’ve had to eat for so long, I didn’t want you to have an upset stomach after eating normal foods. If you start feeling ill please let me know,” she said with caring eyes. Seriously… those aqua pools were so pretty to look at.

I nodded my head. “I will,” I assured her before I let my body lean over to lay on my side. It may have been midday, but I had little trouble letting sleep take me shortly after closing my eyes.

~~***~~

My sleep had been a little restless, but at least I had not suffered another nightmare. Of course that is not to say that the alternative was much better. I opened my eyes to a peculiar sound that night. The moon was high in the sky, indicating that I had been out for some time, but it was the shadow of something nearby that drew my attention the most. Heavy breathing came from the figure as it slowly approached me.

I calmly waited for my eyes to adjust to the nearing creature, but I was not prepared for what I would see. Memory was approaching me and she looked to be half asleep. Her face was calm but I could just spot the darkened patches of her cheeks, which told me she was blushing fiercely. Her eyes were glazed over and partially focused on me… or rather on a part of me.

Being as quiet as possible, I rolled onto my feet and slowly stood. As I got halfway up, my nostrils took in a very enthralling scent… it was sweet and musky, but more than that, it turned me on in a way I had never experienced before. My body reacted almost violently as my muscles tensed and I felt a particular part of me stiffen. That was not good. Having been distracted by my own body’s needs made my situation worse as I had been unaware of just how close Memory had gotten. I caught another whiff of her as she came right up to my face, her breath brushing against my neck hotly.

“Yerok…” she moaned softly, “ah feel so strange… but ah like this feeling for some reason. Please… help me ease this need – this desire burning between my legs. Ah beg you…” she pleaded as she rubbed her face against my chest and inhaled deeply, a shudder running through her body.

I swallowed hard as I fought against my own desires. I was so close to losing myself to this drive that if she begged me just once more… there would be nothing to stop what I would do to her next. Thinking as quickly as my addled mind was capable of, I did the only thing that I thought might work. I drove my fang into my lip, drawing a considerable amount of blood into my mouth, then I moved my head around to look Memory in the eyes. In an instant I found my lips pressed firmly to hers and I opened her mouth with my oddly powerful tongue, pouring my blood into her eager cavity.

She pressed into the kiss at first, even going so far as to savor the taste of my blood. However, as our hearts beat away in the heat of the moment she slowly started to pull away. Our lips parted and I looked into her eyes as she regained her senses. “Memory,” I said firmly, “how are you feeling? Are you back in control of yourself?” I asked with slight caution.

Memory blinked a few times as realization dawned on her, but before she could scream I placed my hoof against her lips gently. “Please stay calm. I need you to speak to me. Are you feeling like yourself again?”

Her eyes darted between my hoof and my eyes for a few moments before she gave a hesitant nod. I sighed with a mild sense of relief. At least she could think on her own again. I knew she had many questions for what had just happened, but before either of us could address the matter, I heard another soft moan that sounded like my name being muttered.

Both Memory and I looked over to see the slowly approaching form of Crystal. Like Memory she had glazed over eyes, but her face was not similar in appearance. Crystal held a look of blissful satisfaction as she neared me. “Yerok… have I told you how handsome you are?” Crystal said as she walked closer to me.

“Crystal? What’s gotten into ya?” Memory asked, but I placed a hoof on her to stop her from trying to approach her friend.

“Nothing we say will get through to her, not while she’s in this state,” I said quietly.

“Why? What’s happening?” Memory asked as she turned a suspicious eye to me.

“I’ll explain in a minute… right now I need to stop her. I’m struggling to stay in control of myself. If I don’t keep her from making an offer my body can’t refuse then this is going to end badly,” I said and swiftly moved forward. Again I punctured my lip, which stung more than the first time but it was a small blessing since it distracted me from my own problem. I wasted no time in pressing my lips against Crystal’s and I was greeted to an overly excited response to the action.

Crystal’s tongue forced its way into my mouth and we fought against each other in an oddly passionate fashion. I had to admit; things started to get fuzzy for me while her scent assaulted me and she vigorously played with the inside of my mouth. It was surprising seeing such ferocity from her, but I did find it appealing in a way. However, just like with Memory, Crystal slowly started to get her senses back. Unlike with Memory, even after she had gained her mind back she continued to press into the kiss, making things become more… sensual.

Having realized that I was now kissing a willing partner, my body pulsed with renewed need and I lunged away from her as my heart started to race. I backed away from her, doing everything in my power to avoid looking at her. Unfortunately, this was a poor decision on my part as I soon found myself watching the world spin. My rump hit the ground and my upper body followed suit until I felt the back of my head connect with what I assumed to be the frying pan from earlier.

Pain blossomed from the impact and I clutched at the back of my skull, wincing as I found the point of impact. I gently rubbed the injury for a moment before I remembered why I had wound up in that position to begin with. I quickly rolled over and looked at Memory and Crystal as they stared at me. Aside from my panting, there was silence between everyone present.

Memory was the first to break the encompassing quiet. “What in the blazes was that?” she asked angrily.

I sighed, fighting off another wave of lust as I spotted Crystal licking her lip slowly while bringing a hoof up to her face. I could sense that she had not been opposed to the idea of being kissed by me. Her body language and the look in her eyes as she gazed at me screamed that she was more than fine with what had happened. Memory stomped her hoof firmly and asked me again, snapping me out of my trance.

I turned my head to the angry earth pony and met her gaze as calmly as I could. “It was a reaction to my body’s needs,” I answered.

“And what does that mean?” Memory demanded.

“It means that you were placed under the influence of my demonic aura, effectively enslaving you so that I could sate one of my most basic needs.”

“Basic need? Ya mean we were bein’ controlled by you so that you could just rut with us?” Memory asked with rising aggression.

“No!” I replied firmly. “It was to replenish my body’s energy. When you freed me it triggered the failsafe for the prison. Abyssal Chains were summoned and they entrapped me to prevent my escape. I used up every ounce of my power to break them… and I’ve not been gaining any of it back like I normally would. One of the things that my generation of demons was known for was our ability to combine our energies with others and increase our power. The act required to increase our energy… to put it simply, is sex. Since I’ve been unable to regain my power, my body has been trying to do so on instinct,” I explained.

Part of me was thankful that Memory was upset about the ordeal. The resulting argument had been a welcome distraction that had started to allow my body to return to a more normal state. Fate however, had decided it was time my good fortune was put back in check. Crystal stared at me for a long time before she slowly started to approach me again, a look of purpose in her eyes.

My stomach started to tighten as she drew nearer and I backed away from her when I caught her scent again. “Yerok… stop,” she said softly.

I shook my head. “No, stay back, Crystal. I don’t want to force you into this – I can’t. My honor as a demon won’t permit me to take advantage of you while my aura has any influence over you… you saved me from a fate worse than death. I won’t commit any wrong against you or Memory,” I said almost pleadingly to her. I truly wanted to avoid hurting her in any way, shape, or form.

My plea fell on unwilling ears, for Crystal continued to close the distance. My heart started to race as my breathing became ragged. I tried to keep backing away, but my body’s need began to override my ability to move. Eventually I came to a halt against the trunk of a tree and much to my relief, however short lived it might have been, Crystal also stopped. She looked at me with a sad and sympathetic expression as I battled with myself internally.

“Yerok… you need this. Please… you promised to get better faster. I can’t stand to watch you suffer like this. It’s alright, you can use my body if it’ll help you recover,” she said gently.

Memory was not about to let the act come to pass, though. The beige mare stomped right up to her friend and poked her with a hoof firmly. “Crystal, what in tarnation do ya think yer doin’? Ya seriously gunna let him rut ya? Are ya even thinkin’ clearly – this can’t be somethin’ yer actually considerin’!”

“I’m thinking as clearly as I ever have, Memory,” Crystal said firmly as she gave Memory a soft glare. “You know just as well as I do that I’m doing this because I want to help him. Yes, it’s a little outside of what would normally be acceptable-”

“Normally acceptable?”

“… but I’ve made my decision. I’m not in estrus, so there’s no worry for having a foal. Besides… it’s not like I’m against the idea. I’ve… well… I seem to have grown fond of him for some reason. I find him handsome, charming, and more than good company. His eyes are filled with such a mysteriousness that… I find it hard to not stare,” Crystal said with a small smile on her face.

“So he’s hypnotized ya! Are ya even listening to yerself?” Memory asked hotly, though it seemed that the flame of her argument had started to die.

Crystal shook her head before she glanced back to look in my eyes. “I can’t say that you’re wrong… but I don’t feel like he’s controlling me. Look at him, Mem… he’s terrified of what he might do. Does that really make him so scary? You teased me before about him being fetching. I didn’t admit it before because I thought he might overhear our conversation, but I can say it now, yes I find him to be a most desirable stallion.”

Memory groaned and sat down with a huff. “Ah know I was pokin’ fun earlier. It wasn’t fair, but ah couldn’t help it… I’ve been a lil jealous of how ya been lookin’ at him.”

I watched as Crystal’s expression turned to one of recognition. She then turned her head to face Memory and saw the look of regret on her face. It suddenly made sense to me as well why Memory had been so upset with me before. There was more to the relationship between these two ponies than I had been aware.

“Mem… we were drunk that night. Yes it was an interesting night we had back then, but we both knew we couldn’t love each other in that way. I thought we were past this…”

Memory sighed softly as she looked my way. “Ah thought so, too… but when ya started tending to him, ah dunno, it just started gettin’ to me.”

I bowed my head slowly, still fighting against my body. It really did not help that the two females were having their little heart to heart so close to me. “I’m sorry,” I whispered hoarsely. “I never meant to cause a rift between you two. I’ve been too dense…”

“Naw… ya been a right kind stallion. Ah’m the one at fault. Ah shoulda been more honest with myself. Just… just promise me ya ain’t gunna do anythin’ bad. Ah can live with that…” Memory said softly to me.

I closed my eyes and nodded my head. “I promise.”

When I opened my eyes, my heart nearly stopped as I came face to face with Crystal. I could really smell her now and I felt her breath as it passed over the hairs of my muzzle. I stared into her beautiful eyes as time seemed to come to a stop. She smiled kindly before she nuzzled against my cheek softly. “Don’t fight it, Yerok. I… I want this. Let me help you… I want you...” she whispered into my ear.

That was it. There was nothing else I could do to stop myself. My eyes lost focus and my body stiffly rose up to full height. I was barely aware of it, but I was just conscious enough to see Memory slowly back away from us. Then all I saw was Crystal. Everything in my world revolved around her body, her scent… her longing eyes as she gazed at me her over her shoulder with her flank pointed toward me and her tail lifted to expose herself to me.

I felt my lust swell from deep within me and my body displayed the reaction promptly. Crystal glanced down to see it as well, and her eyes widened. Unfortunately, any second thoughts she might have had were snuffed out in the next moment as I felt myself rise over her from behind. I was so lost in my lust that I don’t think I could have heard her had she voiced her concern or refusal.

The next thing I registered was a feeling of intense warmth as I felt Crystal envelope me. She had wanted me, that much was clear by how easily her body had accepted me. My senses barely registered the gasp and groan that Crystal let out as I drove into her.

My mind was devoid of all thought as my body went to work, until a sudden heat began to simmer within my chest and groin. As the heat built up, I began to grow aware of myself. I was thrusting hard into Crystal’s flank, as if I were being driven by some unseen force. The groans that she had been letting out through clenched teeth had slowly started turning into moans that would accompany my thrusts.

I could feel my heart hammering in my chest as my breaths came in near tandem with my efforts. The thought of having Crystal to myself crossed my mind as I worked her and it was… intoxicating. So much so that I felt myself pick up speed, much to the delight of my partner as evident by the way she started to whimper with my ministrations.

“Yes, yes, YES! Rut me! Oh please, don’t stop… I’m so close to – oh stars!” Crystal said between each powerful blow I delivered into her.

Spurred on by her approval of my actions, I gave her everything I could muster. I dug my back hooves into the ground and moved as vigorously as I dared, making her cry out in ecstasy. Then, with little warning, I felt a churning within my entire being. The next thing I knew, I felt myself reaching my climax. Feeling it as well, Crystal teetered over the edge, her body shaking and trembling as an orgasm rocked through her.

I was no stranger to having sex with another… but to compare the euphoric sensations I was feeling with Crystal to my past experiences seemed like an insult. I had never felt this good being with someone. This was the pinnacle of satisfaction, bar none, and I was disinclined to let my bliss end as I gripped Crystal’s hips firmly to resume my actions again. Though she started to protest to being rutted so soon after climaxing, her voice quickly melted into a deep moan of satisfaction.

It took longer for me to reach climax the second time, though Crystal had experienced at least three more of her own by then. As the last jolts of my orgasm coursed through me, I felt Crystal tremble beneath me. I could tell Crystal was exhausted since she was panting heavily as she fought to stay upright. I was a panting sweaty mess as well and I did what I could to keep my weight off of her. Though I had gained quite a bit of energy from the ordeal, I was far from full… but I knew that Crystal could not continue.

Knowing that we could not continue, I pulled myself from Crystal gently. Without me weighing down on her, Crystal slowly wobbled forward and plopped down a few feet away as she looked back at me with the warmest smile I had ever witnessed. There was affection in her eyes… and I found myself growing warm and fuzzy inside the longer I gazed into her beautiful aqua orbs.

Someone gently cleared their throat to my right and I turned to see a blushing Memory walking toward me. For a moment I was unsure as to what she wanted, but I started to get an idea as I caught her scent again. She came to a stop just beside Crystal and nibbled on her lower lip. “Hey, um… Crystal? Would it be alright if ah, uh… well…” Memory started to say but trailed off as she glanced at me a few times, her blush growing more prominent.

Crystal eyed her friend with mild surprise as a baffled grin made its way across her face. “I thought you weren’t into stallions? You always said you’d be a mare’s mare…”

“Yeah, well… it ain’t exactly easy to just sit over yonder and hear how good a time ya’ll have been havin’. Even a mare like me can… reconsider. ‘Sides, I think yer coltfriend is still eager ta get more energy. He’s still hard enough,” Memory said as she eyed my endowment.

She was not far from the truth. I was still in need of more energy and I found the exercise I was getting from the act to be a bonus for improving my stamina. I had already built up a good sweat and it had taken almost all of my muscles to have sex with Crystal. It seemed that I could actually consider intercourse as a legitimate way to work out given my new body's anatomy.

“Memory is correct. I’ve gained a surprising amount of my energy back so far, but I estimate it to have only been roughly a tenth of what I could possess,” I said as I glanced between the two mares. “If neither of you mind, I have no qualm with resuming gathering energy. I don’t mean to sound crude, but the more energy I recover the better off I’ll be. It would also allow my body to become healthier than it currently is,” I said.

“Well…” Crystal said as she thought on the matter. It was difficult to tell, but from the small grin on her face, she seemed to have something in mind, but I had no clue as to what she might have been thinking. “I suppose it would be fine. It’s not like he and I are married. This was more of a fling than anything serious, and even then I was mainly doing this to help Yerok. So… sure, go for it girl,” Crystal said with an encouraging smile.

I turned my attention to Memory and looked into her tangerine eyes. Though not as striking to me, I still found her eye color to be pretty. I could also see a slight tremble in her gaze… she was nervous about something. I offered her a small smile as I bowed my head slightly. “If you are alright with having me, then I will gladly have sex with you. Don’t force yourself for my sake, though,” I said gently.

Memory looked at me with a growing smile before she slowly turned herself away from me to present her backside. She hesitated for a moment before she lowered her front a little and lifted her tail to show me how aroused she had become. Having control over myself, I allowed my eyes to inspect her carefully. Though the anatomy was new to me, it was very clear that Memory was a woman in need. She glistened in the moonlight with the dew that happily formed from her flower.

I inhaled slowly, taking in memory’s scent as I approached her. I pried my gaze away from her silken petals to watch her expression when I drew near. She stared back at me with a wanting look, but the telltale traces of her nervousness increased as my chest brushed against her rump. I stopped and looked at her deeply. “If you’re afraid, I will stop,” I whispered to her.

Memory simply shook her head slowly before she looked into my eyes. “It’s just… ah’ve never been with a stallion before. Ah heard that it’s kinda painful the first time. Ah’m just a little nervous about it. Ya did start off rough with Crystal…”

“Don’t worry,” I said kindly while offering Memory a warm smile. “I’ll be gentle. I wasn’t able to control myself with Crystal… now that I have some energy, I’m aware of myself again. Just relax…” I said softly and slowly lifted myself to mount her.

Memory’s body stiffened slightly as I got on her, but she slowly relaxed as I took my time to gently line myself up. On the outside I looked like I was calm and caring of her situation, but on the inside… oh, on the inside I was far more nervous than she was. I had been told to be wary of virgins. They were sought after by many a demon, but only the foolish ones were excited by them. The more skilled and experienced of us knew that a virgin could supply an incredible amount of power during their first sexual experience. If you weren’t paying attention to what you did with them, you could find yourself ruining the chance of a lifetime or getting slammed with immense waves of energy and get thrown into a coma.

With such thoughts at the forefront of my mind, I cautiously pressed into Memory. I made sure to pay close attention to the few times that I heard the poor mare hiss from my entry. I was in no rush to gain more energy, and I wanted this experience to be as smooth as possible for her. After a couple times of pressing further into Memory, I reached her limit. It became apparent that she was not as capable of handling my girth as Crystal, but that was fine by me. At least I knew where to stop to keep from harming her.

I let Memory’s body slowly adjust to me before I started to work my hips in a slow motion. As time passed, my speed slowly picked up as I caught onto the subtle changes to Memory’s reactions to being invaded by me. As she grew more comfortable, I increased my pace. It took a while, but eventually we were enjoying each other. By the time Memory’s first climax was reaching its peak we were both moving our bodies into the other to stimulate our partner.

As her first orgasm took hold of her, Memory spun her head around and locked her lips to mine in a moment of heated passion. Her warm lips pressed against me stirred something within my body, something deep and hot. I pressed my tongue to her mouth and she opened up to receive me. I found myself craving more of her as my tongue danced with hers, her saliva seemingly becoming an addictive substance that I never wanted to part with.

With renewed vigor I resumed my ministrations to her lower half, passionately entering her once more. As the moon slowly traveled across the night sky, I found myself having the most rewarding and pleasurable experience in all my life. Our lovemaking lasted until the early light of dawn greeted us before my two saviors could no longer muster the strength to supply me with energy.

As the sun rose above the horizon’s edge, I looked down to see the forms of both Crystal and Memory curled up on each side of me. My body felt renewed in ways that I could barely describe, and I was confident that I could take on the world. A small smile tugged at the corners of my mouth as I gazed upon their sleeping faces. I really owed them a lot now… not only had they rescued me from my prison, but they had given themselves to me in such an intimate way that I was actually humbled, all for the sake of helping me – a stranger whom they knew so little about and I wasn’t even a pony.

I smiled warmly as I realized how selfless they had been for my sake. Though a part of me felt that what I had given them that night was grand, it was not sufficient for me to think that I had done enough to repay them. I made the decision, right then and there, that I would devote myself to them for as long as they lived. They were my mistresses… and I would serve them forever. I slowly bent my head down to place a gentle kiss to each of their heads, a small ring of my demonic power lighting up each time. I was now bound to them… until they told me to leave or I was released under pain of death.

I let them continue to sleep as the sun rose higher into the sky, and for the first time since I had awoken… I felt at peace with the world.

4 - Old Blood

Author's Note

This chapter is dedicated to reaching over 10,000 total views *woot!* :yay:

I never thought I'd get this many. You guys rock and thank you for liking so much of my work, it's made me smile like an idiot many times since I started releasing chapters. Look forward to the next chapter of this little tale. I'll be writing/releasing it for the 20k mark or for the next story that reaches 500 views. Enjoy the read guys. :twilightsmile:

4 - Old Blood

“Hmm…” I hummed as I examined the ancient hieroglyphs carved into the wall. I recognized a few symbols here and there, but most of it was simply old gibberish to me – and even then, I doubted what I could comprehend was accurate. My gaze traveled down and to my left as I looked to Crystal. “So… from what I can gather of these texts, this is supposed to be an old tomb to contain an ancient relic of dark magic, right?” I asked. Though it had taken me a few weeks, learning the written language of the equines had brought me far in my understanding of their history. The symbols on the wall, though old, still held some similarities to their current writings.

A pretty little giggle escaped from Crystal’s lips and she brought a hoof up to try and stay composed. “Well, you’re not too far off. The glyphs actually say that this was a shrine dedicated to Princess Luna. It was one of her vaults where she kept some of her more dangerous weapons, which I find slightly odd. This is the first time I’ve heard about the princesses having used any form of weaponry. I mean the Elements of Harmony aren’t really considered anything more than ancient magical artifacts capable of banishing evil. What would have required either princess to have a need for something more… lethal?” she wondered.

I also found myself wondering what such powerful beings would require weapons for in such a peaceful world. I looked back to the obsidian wall. “Another thing to consider is what buried this place so far beneath the ground. This is almost as deep as my prison was. Unless they purposely dug this far down, it would have taken considerable magic to cover this place – and we don’t know how large it is, either. I’m leaning toward this place being buried through. I can feel the power that moved the earth in the soil around us,” I said while I looked around once more.

There really must have been a tremendous amount of magic used on this place. I had no way of knowing how long ago it had happened, but I did know that if you gathered the residual remains you could cause a large enough explosion to decimate two angelic battalions (or an army of humans three thousand strong). I found myself smiling at the thought.

“What’s so funny?” I heard Crystal ask.

“Heh, nothing really,” I replied with a gentle shake of my head. “I was just remembering something from my past. It was related to how much magic is saturated in the soil here. We should be careful not to use too much of our own power. There’s a chance all this left over magic might react to a spark… though it would seem that telekinesis is still safe.”

Crystal smiled mischievously as she looked my way. “You’re such a worry wart sometimes. It would take a more powerful spell, one strong enough to blow open a hole in the wall, in order to set off that much magic,” she said.

I let a playful sigh slip through my nostrils as I looked to her. “It doesn’t hurt to be cautious when you’re the bodyguard, Lady Crystal. Besides, you can’t blame me for feeling a little on edge… this is the first time I’ve been around this much powerful magic.”

Well… that was only partly true, but I had tried to forget that one experience when I encountered the ponies back in Ponyville. Given what I had currently encountered in this world, that one purple Alicorn had been the strongest creature I’ve had the misfortune of meeting. Though the magic currently surrounding us was on a large scale, as far as destructive potential went, that Alicorn’s power vastly outweighed it. I had little doubt that if she used her magic for anything else, Twilight Sparkle would be capable of mass destruction that would make any demon cry with envy.

In any case, that was in the past. I set my attention back to the task at hand and lifted a pick in my magic. I eyed the red aura around the handle again. That blood red hue was such a wonderful color. My mind shifted slightly as I recalled the days spent getting used to using my magic. It had come as a shock one day when I had sneezed. I still curse that damn flower for what it did to me after Lady Memory used it to tickle my nose in her attempt to wake me up that morning. That fluffy pink flower was one of the things that I learned did not agree with my new body, and the resulting reaction left me sneezing up a storm for about an hour. Each sneeze sent sparks of my magic flying out which gave random effects to whatever the magic hit. I will admit that when a tree came to life and started a song and dance about a knotty pine falling in love with a beaver it made me laugh a bit.

As it turned out, my horns, though not the same as a unicorn’s, were capable of gathering and channeling my inner energies. I later found out that, although it appeared to be the same kind of magic as Crystal’s, my magic was vastly different in its properties… you could say that that was the only good thing that came from visiting one Twilight Sparkle. The young Princess of Magic helped me to learn that my ‘magic’ was actually an entirely new and fascinating form of magical energy – still capable of spell casting, but also not connected to their world in any way.

That news had come as a double-edged knife; I could use magic/energy like the ponies of Equestria, but it was at a larger cost than for them. Where ponies would absorb and replenish their own magical pools by absorbing it from their surroundings or eating, I had to do so in my own unique way. Turns out that since I was not a native entity to their world, I was not able to naturally assimilate with their world’s magical energies. So yes, as you might have already guessed, I refueled by boning one (or more) of the natives. On the plus side, at least my two partners were more enthusiastic about the idea than I had initially expected.

I lifted the pick above my head and looked to Crystal. “So where shall I begin excavating?”

Crystal looked around the wall for a moment. She took her time inspecting our surroundings before looking to me with an answer. “We should probably try to lengthen this tunnel. I know that you’re strong enough to power your way through this wall, but I think it would be wasted effort. Let’s try to uncover a door. Try digging further down the right side, if you don’t mind.”

I smiled. “I’ll never mind anything you request of me,” I replied smoothly.

A faint blush filled Crystal’s cheeks before she nuzzled into my neck, inhaling my scent. “You shouldn’t say things like that… you know how easily I get flushed when you do that,” she whispered.

A gentle laugh sent vibrations through my neck as I returned her nuzzling. “I know, but I can’t apologize for it. You’ve grown on me in a way I never expected… and I can’t help but cherish every moment of it. It is my duty, after all, to ensure your happiness in any way I am able.”

A slow sigh escaped Crystal’s lips before she kissed my neck softly. “Maybe later… you might feel invigorated afterwards, but it leaves us feeling so drained that I fear I’d be stuck down here with an irresistibly ravishing stallion and I’d never want to leave again. Do you want me to stay and lend you a hoof with this, though?”

“That’s alright,” I chuckled as I pulled away to smile for her. “I’m sure that Lady Memory would like your company up top. Besides, I’d hate to let you get covered in dirt… not that I mind the idea of bathing with you.”

“Oh, you’re such a tease!” she said as she swatted at me with her hoof playfully.

“Only for the two of you,” I replied and leaned in to peck her cheek. Crystal swiftly turned her head so that our lips met instead.

Once our little parting kiss had reached its end, Crystal was on her way out while I was left to resume digging. I watched as she went, until she turned to follow the tunnel up toward the exit. With her tantalizing figure out of sight, I was finally able to resume a calmer demeanor. I refused to show it, but things had been getting harder for me to absorb energy from Memory and Crystal as of late. I suspected it might have had something to do with the magic in the soil around this place, or maybe it was from the thing that called out to me from the heart of the buried shrine.

I wasn’t entirely sure, but I did have a feeling that there was something familiar waiting for me in this place. One might call it a gut feeling… but in any case, I had a job to do. I lifted the pick just a pinch higher and drove it into the soil as I began another bout of digging.

~~***~~

Some time later, roughly two hours if my estimation was anything to go by, I finally came across something. A section of the wall seemed to sink inward and, as I dug further, it became apparent that it was the beginnings of an archway. I smiled triumphantly. Lady Crystal had been right about it being easier to locate a doorway. With a few more swings of my pick, the remaining packed dirt gave way and fell into the rest of the structure.

A familiar chill surged forth from within the building, rushing past me and out through the tunnel. I inhaled deeply, taking in the scent of the air. “Blood?” I whispered curiously.

I slowly walked forth, my hooves gently clopping on the stone floor, while my eyes adjusted to the darkness within that was hardly even touched by the luminescent crystals that lined the tunnel walls behind me. As I stepped into the shrine, I couldn’t help but feel that I was being watched. There’s something in here… I thought as I looked around.

The entrance to the shrine was barren, with only a pair of pots standing atop pedestals on either side of me. The rest of the hallway looked like it was carved from the same kind of obsidian as the wall outside, but some of the markings reflected light to form strange patterns. In a mere instant, my mind froze as realization dawned on me. I could read those symbols… they were written in Hell’s language.

Needless to say, I was shocked. It took a few long seconds, but I eventually managed to pull my mind back into sufficient functionality and I began to read the words upon the walls…

Damned is He, the one whose blade stained our great legacy. Be warned, all who proceed further into the shadow. His weapon, Blood Thirst, rests in this tomb. Only the worthy shall be allowed to witness its glory… and only the chosen shall live to tell the tale. Turn back now, or suffer a fate worse than death.

My eyes widened as my heart beat relentlessly within my chest. My weapon was here. It finally made sense. The call, Blood Thirst’s beckoning… it was drawing me in. The eyes I felt upon me were that of the sword’s… it was too late for me to turn back, my own weapon was hunting me. Every fiber of my being focused on what was coming. The hairs of my mane began to stand on end as I let my energy prime in my horns. I steadied my breathing to slow my heartbeat… and I waited.

Seconds passed. The air grew slowly colder and before long I could see the mist of my breath on each exhale. My blade was hungry… thirsty, it had probably been sealed away down here for nearly as long as I had been imprisoned. A fear the likes of which I had not felt in a very long time began to snake its slimy tendrils around my heart. Though I was only partially aware of it, I started to grin in anticipation of the impending attack.

For a brief moment, I recalled the first day I had made my bond with Blood Thirst. Unlike the weapons of Earth, forged metals that had been enchanted with powerful magic, or the heavenly blades of holy light crafted by the Angels, a demon’s weapon was born. In order to gain your own weapon, you had to fight and defeat an opponent that far exceeded your own power and strength. Once your foe had been beaten into submission or killed, you would then proceed with a ritual as old as Hell itself and bind their soul to you. From that moment on… their very essence would be yours to command and their body would change into a weapon that matched you on the deepest of levels. Blood Thirst was my weapon… the embodiment of my battle-born desires made manifest. A blade made from my own blood and the blood of my enemies.

My moment of reverie came to a swift end as I heard the first sound come from within the darkness… the dripping of liquid, of blood. My eyes then locked onto the floating orb of crimson as it slowly moved into the opening at the end of the hallway. I became instantly aware of just how hungry my old weapon had become when I noticed how dark and dull it looked. Under normal conditions, the blood that made up my weapon would have been bright and vibrant – signifying just how fresh my latest kill had been. The near black coloration of Blood Thirst told me that I was about to go head to head with something on its last leg. Blood Thirst was dying and desperate for anything to save its own existence.

Pity filled my heart for the briefest of moments. I knew how it had suffered down here for I had endured the same fate, but I thought that maybe our old bond would let it recognize me. My focus on my magic wavered… and Blood thirst instantly shifted into the form of a long sword as it lunged for me. I barely managed to dodge the swing, the blade’s tip slicing right through my shoulder.

The serrated edge of Blood Thirst ripped through my flesh, sending an intense pain into the wound as my blood gushed forth. I grit my teeth to stifle my yell as I continued to move around. Like its owner, Blood Thirst did not stop just because it landed a successful hit. It followed through with another swing that nearly tore open my face as I jumped away from it. I was reminded just how lucky I was as I felt the spray of my own blood splatter across my muzzle.

Any doubt I had about fighting against my old battle companion died in an instant and I backpedaled swiftly to put space between Blood Thirst and me. My opponent moved quickly to close in for another strike just as I lit my horns with a charge of power. There was no way I could fight such a fierce weapon on my own, but I still had enough energy stored up for a fight. Blood Thirst recognized the movements of a caster and reacted by splitting into three blades.

Just as I had expected, the separate swords moved around me to hit me in my blind and weak spots, and I used the movement to my advantage. I had a fifty-fifty chance at success as I let loose my stored power to attack the blade coming from behind me. Lightning sparked off of my horns and lashed out at the rear blade, landing an impressively accurate hit – one of the benefits of how magic works in this world, I suppose.

The blade exploded in a burst of slick dark blood, coating me with its cold gooey substance. I cursed under my breath as I dodged the remaining two blades. The one from my side cut into my left hind leg as I tried to escape, though I managed to avoid the real blade from the front. I should have known better that to assume my weapon would treat me like any other foe.

Pain burst from my leg as I landed a few feet away. The second blade started to coarse through my blood stream to kill me from within. My sword had managed to beat me… but I was not about to let it continue to exist if I could not live to stop it. I lunged forward and bit down on the bloody blade as I unleashed as much of my power as possible into my very being. I didn’t care where the power went, only that it built up uncontrollably. Blood Thirst instantly recognized the method and I finally heard its eerie voice whisper, “Ye…rok…”

I growled and bit down on the blade harder and the room lit up from something. “Blood Thirst… do you still honor our bond?” I asked with amplified thought. For the briefest of moments I was surprised that I could still do that. It had been one of the more amusing things to do when you first encountered humans. They would revere you instantly for being able to speak through power alone. It must have been due to the simple fact that something terrifying could speak without the need to move its mouth.

The blood between my clenched teeth quivered and rippled as it slowly lost its blade-like shape. The icy blood within me stopped moving toward my heart as well, which caused a distinctly unpleasant sensation as the flow of blood slowed down, but did not stop completely. I knew that there was still a chance to save both of us, but only if Blood Thirst was able and willing to listen.

“You know what I am willing to do. We’ve been in this exact situation before… the only difference is that I’m not doing this to appease my lord for glory. We’ve also suffered for far longer than what was acceptable. We were once partners, inseparable and unstoppable… So tell me, do you still honor that bond?”

5 - New Blood... or The End?

Author's Note

Well... it's been quite some time since I did any writing for this little project. So, here's a little more to keep it alive and well! :pinkiehappy:

However, I am sorry to say that with the changes that have taken place since the last time I updated this story I'm no longer able to see my personal statistics on the sight. The system I was using in the past is kind of no longer here, so I can't use the same numbers from this chapter onward.

Instead, I'll simply be treating this story as a side project for when I'm not doing anything for any of my other stories. This one is for fun... which contradicts what I originally said, but hey, things change all the time in the world. :pinkiecrazy:

Also... I wound up rereading the previous chapters and... well... let's just say that I found myself feeling annoyed with how Chapter 3 turned out. Overall it wasn't a bad chapter, but there were a few spots that I had to tinker with. Seriously though, I can't believe I hadn't noticed how poorly I had chosen some of my wording for the intimate scene. I just had to go over it again and reword some spots... otherwise it would have bugged the hell out of me forever! :rainbowlaugh:

So, picking up where we left off, I give you the next step in Yerok's tale! Hope you all enjoy it. :twilightsmile:

5 - New Blood... or The End?

Crystal and Memory sat within the perimeter of the small camp that they had set up, with Yerok’s help. The pearl-white unicorn was busy making the last adjustments to add just the right amount of flavoring to their simple dinner while Memory finally sat down beside the fire and huffed. The earth pony mare had been restless for the past half hour. She was unsure why, but something had made her whole body tremble with a nearly indescribable sensation – like combining a mild panic attack with that feeling you get when you touch a plasma ball, only stronger.

Crystal took a spoonful of the soup and blew on it gently to cool it before she looked to her friend. “Mem, you’ve been on edge for a while now… What’s bothering you? I’m a little worried.”

Memory sighed and looked to the tunnel opening that led down to their latest dig project. Something was wrong… and she was worried about Yerok. By her estimates, her stallion should have come up with another load of dirt some time ago. She looked back to Crystal. “Ah don’t rightly know what it is… but somethin’ ain’t right. Ah can feel it all over my body.”

Crystal’s attention turned fully to Memory as she put the spoon in her mouth to taste the results of her cooking, the flavor taking a backseat to her growing concern. She had learned a number of years ago that when Memory started feeling something it always held meaning. If she was worried over a strong enough reaction from something nearby, it could mean trouble. The writing from the buried structure wall quickly came to mind and a sinking feeling of dread began to creep up from deep within Crystal. Though slightly afraid to do so, she still steeled herself enough to ask, “What kind of feeling is it?”

Memory’s face hardened as she recalled a past event that now rivaled what she currently felt. “You remember that day when they said Discord and Tirek had taken over?”

Crystal’s eyes widened and she nearly opened her mouth in disbelief, swallowing instead so that the soup and spoon would not drop from her mouth. She slowly reached up to remove the utensil when the ground beneath them shook from a deep, thunderous boom. Birds took to the skies, shrieking in terror. The brush came alive as the woodland critters all scattered. The two mares instantly bolted to their hooves and looked to the tunnel opening to see a rush of dust surge forth just moments after the ominous boom.

The unpleasant feeling within Memory’s body came to a sickeningly swift halt and her back legs gave out. Her heart ached deeply, as a sudden rush of adrenaline swept through her and tears formed in her eyes. She barely registered the thud as Crystal also collapsed beside her. Memory spared a brief glance to her friend to see if she was alright, only to stare when she took notice of the glowing mark on her forehead; a glowing circle with an upside-down triangle inside of it that held a dragon’s eye in the very center. She was stunned by the image, but before any thoughts of asking about it could cross her mind, the ground shook again, this time more steadily and for at least five seconds. Her head whipped to the tunnel once more as the faint echoes of a roar cried from the depths.

Crystal struggled in vain to get back up on all four hooves as the pain-filled cry faded. Their protector… their friend and lover… he was in trouble!

~~***~~

Pain, hot and brutally searing, coursed through my leg, abdomen, and face as Blood Thirst exploded into hundreds of narrow spikes. My old partner, the very thing that had once been an extension of my own blood and had been bound to me by its very soul, had chosen to reject me – to attempt to succeed where it had failed in the arena so long ago.

That day flashed before my eyes once more. I stood near the center of our battlefield, my impaled hand barely keeping the rest of the massive spike that was once my opponent’s arm from driving deeper into my chest. My other hand held his throat, my claws firmly imbedded into his neck, gently kissing the delicate arteries within. It was a deadlock between the shape-shifting hulk above me and my battered draconic form as I held onto the fleeting remnants of my strength to stay alive. My mind raced as I tried to think of a way to get his arm out of my chest, or to get my claws just a little deeper into his thick neck. Neither option bore survivable results, though not for a lack of trying. He was just too powerful for me. I had been aware of the possibility of being killed in the arena long ago. Hell, I’d watched plenty of others be brutally ripped apart in the very spot I was fighting for my life. Still, I could not let myself die without giving my all, and if I was going to die, I was going to do everything in my power to take that repulsive, oversized mutant with me!

Just as I had done in the past, I clenched my teeth and flexed my body as I reached deep within my core, pushing past the pain as Blood Thirst’s form shifted again to send a thick spike strait through my heart.

~~***~~

That odd feeling… déjà vu I believe it was called, swept through my consciousness as I felt my body die once more. It was such a strange thing to feel yourself die. There really were no words to describe the experience. In fact, the only thing that came to mind in regards to explaining death was to give an understanding of how life worked.

In order to experience life, three things must come together to form it. A body, a soul, and a mind… those are what made life possible. The body contains the other two parts while the mind controls it, but the soul… that was the most precious of the three. Souls were created by a being of great power, even greater than God and far more so than even my lord. It was a bitter pill to swallow for some of the firm believers, but it was a truth they learned eventually in death when the soul returned to her. By taking the essences of a swirling vortex of pure energy, what some have described as a Well of Eternity, or the Font of Life, the entity most commonly known as Gaia brought life into existence by shaping the essences into fresh souls.

Many had tried to replicate her work, none ever succeeded, but all had shown her respect. Without her precious souls, life would never have been possible in the way we knew it. Though a being could experience existence without a soul or tangible form, it was not truly living… it was merely existing.

A body was easy to make; it was simply matter that formed into a container of some nature that could be stagnant and immobile or controlled. The mind was easy to form as all that was required was a link between at least three points of a substance, thus a network was formed and thought could begin. No matter what the Humans might have thought near the beginning of their medical advancements in exploring their brains, a brain was nothing more than a material form where the mind appeared to be housed. The reality was that the mind did not reside in just their heads. It spanned their entire body. If they took any time to actually pay attention to those who could still feel a limb, even after it had been severed from the rest of their body, then maybe they could have started to understand things better.

But in the end, everything boiled down to the soul. Just like every body was fundamentally different, every mind unique in its own way, a soul was never the same as another soul. Gaia made every soul special. If you wanted to be philosophical about it, you could even go as far as to say that the only way to truly measure someone or something would be by their soul.

With the three parts combined, an entity could truly learn what it meant to live; to interact with the world around it and experience everything that the fabric of reality had to offer in all shapes and forms. To lose that life… to lose that gift, that ability to be a part of the universe and influence the world around you directly. That was what it meant to know death. But as I said before, existence was still possible after death.

Just as each fingerprint was unique to a human, each soul was a miracle. Mine… my soul… that was what made me one of the best in Hell's army. It was about time I reminded Blood Thirst of that fact.

~~***~~

Whatever pain I had previously felt faded away until it was merely a warm pressure within me. As the body dies, the brain stops most of its active functions as it tries to compensate. This can have its advantages, but it can also come around to bite you in the ass if you’re too foolish. In that moment, however, it mattered little to me. Though my body had ceased to function, my mind and soul still remained for the moment, and all I needed was that single sliver of time to finish what I had started in that battle with Blood Thirst. With the last remnants of the connection I still had with my body, I unleashed all of the stored up power that had collected in me. In that same instant I also unlocked the limitations of my soul, effectively releasing twin bombs; one being in the form of unbridled energy while the other was an inferno of spiritual rage.

As the two energies tore at my body from the inside out, I could faintly hear Blood Thirst’s dying scream. It was a grating noise, much like scraping your claws along a chalkboard in a narrow hallway. His death cry brought a small smile of victory to my muzzle as I reveled in his defeat once more. The last time I had narrowly escaped death by sending everything I had into my hand to decapitate him and twisting my body so that his dead weight would not trap me beneath his carcass. It was only thanks to the last traces of my energy that my heart had healed after I removed the spike from my chest, ensuring my slim victory back then.

As my body fell to the cold obsidian floor, I let my mind wander to how I had received my old partner. Though I cannot remember what his name was before I killed him, Blood Thirst’s body was left where it fell. The imps had run over swiftly to recover his head and place it beside me before they scampered away. In the next few moments, the most powerful of demonic sorcerers conjured the sealing circle around both of our bodies and I began to hear my lord’s voice echo in my mind. His commanding voice told me of the ritual and the words I must say to invoke Hell’s power so that I might gain my reward for defeating my opponent.

I found it strange at first, as the ancient tongue of the demon race was not one to be spoken easily, but nevertheless I repeated the words my lord spoke to me.

“Lorintak’nogar foren tograkt’nerop, ren Yerok, tilgrok shopon’grelk”

(Through pain of death your life shall end, I Yerok, take your life to prolong my own)

Before I was even aware that I had spoken the words aloud, the floor around me glowed with the vibrant red of the same demonic binding circle that had united Blood Thirst and I so long ago. In the next moment, my body was violently yanked into the air and my limbs and head were pulled to the five points of a glowing pentagram that formed around me. My eyes opened wide as I felt the pain return to my body in full force. Try as I might, I could do nothing to suppress the roar of agony as I felt Blood Thirst’s lifeless, formless substance rapidly surge through the rest of my body.

Then, without any warning, the glow of the demonic circle vanished and my body dropped to the floor. My entire body ached as I lay on the steaming hot floor that was now shrouded in darkness. It was true that I had endured far worse in my time at war with our enemies, but the pain I felt at the moment would have been akin to having your blood flash-boiled without gracing you with the ability to die from it. Every beat of my heart sent another pulse of pain through me, forcing my muscles to twitch and flex randomly as the seconds passed. I stared blankly with only one eye at a time, which ever one didn’t hurt the most at the moment, as I did my best to wait for the pain to lower to more tolerable levels. As I rested upon the cooling surface in the room, I started to see faint wisps of light. Given how much it hurt, I almost wondered if my consciousness was fading and I was hallucinating.

Mercifully, fate seemed to show me a degree of pity for once, as it did not take long for my agony to melt away to merely a dull ache. Once my senses were no longer consumed by pain, I finally began to take stock of my situation and what had just transpired. I gingerly lifted my head from the floor, wincing from the soreness in my muscles. Another spike of pain shot through my head and I instinctively brought my hoof to my head, gripping at my cracked left horn and running a finger over the damage to make sure it had not broken any further. A soft sigh of relief slipped from me as I confirmed that my horn was still in one piece.

My eyes suddenly widened as I realized something out of place with what I had just done. I slowly pulled the appendage in question away to examine it. Despite the low light of the room, my eyes did not lie when they caught sight of the end of my arm. There was a familiar red, clawed hand resting where my hoof had been. Turning my head around painfully, I looked over the rest of my body. Nothing else had changed… for the most part. My body was still equine, same wings, same tail, same blue coat. However, there were two notable additions to my body now.

Both of my front hooves now ended in red draconic hands, with three fingers and a thumb each. Said hands were connected by what appeared to be a spiderweb of black, metallic armor that spread up my arms. The armor thickened as it rose up my arms, forming into plates at the shoulders. The shoulder plates then connected to a small breastplate on my chest that seemed to hold a triangular bloodstone in its center. The armor continued onto my back, though instead of solid plates of armor, it became more reminiscent of my old dragon scales.

As I continued to observe the new addition to my person, it slowly dawned upon me that this was no standard issue armor. No, this armor was connected to me as if it had seeped out of my body. Not only could I hardly feel the weight of it, there was no give as my body moved. The armor did not shift on my skin or coat, nor did it pinch or impeded my movement in any way. It was… too perfectly formed, too smooth to move around in, for it to have been real and removable armor.

I had seen other demons before who had natural armors. A small part of me was envious of them for having such convenient defenses, but the more sadistic part of me smirked at them. True, having a naturally formed and replenish-able armor was advantageous to a degree, but when such an armor was damaged… it caused injury to the wearer as well. I groaned as I remembered that fact and I took back what I felt about fate giving me a break. Now I just had another thing to be mindful of in combat and a hell of a lot more to explain once I got out of this place.

Speaking of which… if I could ever meet with the being that was rumored to be the one responsible for controlling the events of all in existence I would make their next following moments very unpleasant ones. You see, when one frowns upon fate openly, fate tends to take offence to it. As a result, things then transpire in a less than favorable way for the one that fate affects. I bring this to your attention because, yet again, I feel that I had spoken too soon in regards to explaining myself to my mistresses…

My ears swiveled around as I heard the quickly growing sound of hooves clopping against soil. For the first time in my life, I felt a lump form in my throat and I became fearful of seeing Crystal and Memory. So strong was my fear that I tried to stand so that I might run deeper into the shadows of the room. Unfortunately for me, my efforts were not fated to be rewarded and I hissed in pain as my legs gave out beneath me and I flopped back to the floor. I turned my head back to the entrance just as my mistresses charged through it.

Crystal and memory both slid to a stop as their eyes fell upon me. For the briefest of moments, I could feel my heart as it sank when I saw their fear of me. It was yet another odd situation when I look back on how I used to be. In the past, my old self would have smiled maliciously at seeing fearful eyes turned upon me. Now though… now I only felt hurt. My heart felt as if it had become filled with lead and was slowly pumping poison into my body as I watched them continue to stare at me in shock and fear.

I tried to stand once more, to approach them and tell them that they had nothing to fear from me, but as soon as I moved they both took a step back from me. My body froze as I saw my demonic seal of servitude appear on their foreheads. The seals were beginning to crack down the middle, a sign that they were about to break the contract with me… to reject me. But why? Why would they fear me so? What was it about me now that had changed how they looked at me? I know I had not told them about the binding contract that I had placed upon them, but why would it be breaking while they were looking at me like that? Why did I feel like some… monster… in front of them?

They… they wouldn’t destroy the bonds we shared because I looked different… would they?