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.

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.

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