Sweetie Hell

The tunnel from Limbo fed out onto a thin stone bridge overlooking an immense valley of jagged rocks. Gale-force winds howled through the landscape like the baying of hounds, carrying damned souls like fall leaves and hurling them this way and that. The pathetic creatures would slam into cliff faces and mountain sides with sickening force before being scooped up by the ceaseless hurricane to once again be slung miles away to elsewhere. They cried and wailed pitifully as they sailed through the air like helpless insects, their collective protests only just barely audible over the wind. Thunder exploded overhead with enough fury to make mountains tremble, and lightning stabbed angrily at the landscape below like knives in the hands of a jilted lover. And yet, in spite of all the given signs, rain did not fall in this battered valley.

Sweetie Belle found it terrifyingly difficult to walk the bridge with the wind seemingly determined to spirit her away and treat her to the same courtesy as the flailing dead. She jumped at every crack of thunder, and more often than not shafts of lightning would strike distressingly close to the bridge. To her great annoyance, Virgil was entirely untouched by the storm thanks to his incorporeal state. He'd startled her quite severely early on when she caught him walking beside her even though the path was only wide enough for one person. He apologized for frightening her, and since then stuck close behind his young ward. They both knew there was nothing he could do if Sweetie Belle did succumb to the whims of the wind, but the idea of having someone at her back brought her a small measure of comfort.

This, according to Virgil, was the Circle of Lust. Condemned to this land of eternal twilight were souls who forsook reason in the name of their basest desires. When questioned about the purpose of the infernal winds which blew without end, the poet replied that the wind simulated the act of casting aside good judgment for the sake of lascivious pursuits by literally casting the damned across the plain. Sweetie Belle would have found this ironic if she hadn't been more concerned with not falling to her death. These fears would spike whenever she felt the road quake with the thunder, or she saw pieces break off under the assault of the relentless tempest. Her biggest concern--incredibly more so than being blown away--was that a bolt of lightning would strike the bridge ahead and destroy it, thus bringing her quest to an untimely end. What was interesting was that this fear in particular gave her the motivation to hurry forward, hoping she could rush past such a potentially unfortunate event before it could transpire.

Sweetie Belle's hooves scraped uselessly against the stone bridge rather than provide much grip in the face of the wind's relentless onslaught, which pushed her terror high into her throat when the wind would shove and pull her perilously close to the edge of doom. During one of these harrowing moments, a nearby flash of lightning illuminated the valley floor far below, putting all those jagged teeth on display for her to see with total clarity. The young filly shrieked in terror, scrabbled away to the middle of the road, and lay perfectly flat with no intention of moving again.

"It's too much," she shouted over her shoulder to her guide. "I'm freaking out too much, and I can't think straight! I can't do this!" She would have cried if she wasn't already too scared to do so.

Virgil knelt down as close to her face as he could. "Do not give in to fear now," he said to her. "Look there, and you will see sanctuary is but a stone's throw away."

She really did not want to move any part of her body, paranoid the wind would take hold like a dog with a bone, but Sweetie Belle forced herself to lift her head and look where Virgil was pointing. In the not-too-far distance was the top of a mountain, and carved into this mountain was what appeared to be a cave entrance. Beyond that, it was impossible to make out any further details. She felt a tremor of instinctual fear creeping into her heart over the cave, but her mind was quick to assert the idea that anything was better than being at mercy of this horrible storm. Her first impulse was to make for the cave at best speed, but a particularly strong gust pushing her sideways a few inches forced her to rethink that action. With careful movements she got her hooves underneath her and started walking as fast as she dared.

It was a deceptively short run to the cave, the gentle curve of the bridge making it difficult to tell if any progress was being made at all. Sweetie Belle, in her panic to reach safety, had for nearly a minute been under the impression that she had not moved an inch despite knowing for a fact her legs were pumping. However, before long she and Virgil made it to the cave mouth, and once inside seized upon a much needed moment of respite. Sweetie Belle was very thankful that this cavern was here when she needed it, but she might have felt differently had she been able to fully appreciate its outward appearance. The rock surrounding the cave had been delicately carved into the face of a woman, her eyes wide with terror, and her mouth pulled into a permanent scream of agony. In fact the whole mountainside had been cut with the woman kneeling against the ridge, her arms pulled back at a painful angle by massive chains.

The unicorn foal sat panting on the floor for some time, but soon enough she acquired the strength to look around at her new surroundings. Fantastic chandeliers hung from the ceiling and bathed this chamber in the soft violet glow of candlelight. The floor was polished marble beneath a crossroads of plush carpet that branched out like fingers in several different directions. The carpet was a striking shade of red, almost organic, like a road cut from one long stretch of meat. Exquisite portraits in gilded frames hung from the walls, portraying the faces of various men and women throughout human history. None of them were smiling.

Sweetie Belle approached the parade of stern and somber faces. "Who are they?" she asked.

Virgil appeared by her side. "Notable persons throughout human history, who spent their lives championing the sin of lust," he said. He pointed out a few examples among the line. "Semiramis; Queen of Assyria, who made her own lecherous behaviors legal so as to hide her guilt. Achilles, who abandoned his countrymen in pursuit of love. Paolo Malatesta, who had an affair with his brother's wife Francesca before Giovanni murdered them both in his marriage bed."

"Scandalous species, aren't they?" Sweetie Belle whirled around with a yelp. Standing in the doorway of one of the branching paths was a naked young woman. She had smooth tan skin, short black hair with a subtle blue sheen, rosebud lips, button nose, and almond-shaped eyes that sparkled like emeralds. Her body was svelte with long legs leading up to tantalizing hips, a flat stomach and gentle curve in the spine to emphasize her ample bottom, and full, perfectly rounded breasts sporting small nipples. Her raw sexuality beat on the warm air, reaching out and calling Sweetie Belle to her like the smell of a warm pie fresh from the oven.

The young filly's heart hammered in her chest, and her mouth had been stricken inexplicably dry. She stared wide-eyed at the goddess standing across from her, her eyes scanning every inch of the woman's supple body. Sweetie felt something in her gut pulling her to this magnet of sex appeal. It was a wild, feral feeling. Her desire for the woman was a force nearly as powerful as gravity. She wanted her like she wanted everything that was bad for her.

Suddenly, in world that only contained this picture of feminine perfection, Virgil appeared directly before Sweetie Belle. "Take back your senses, child! You are bewitched!"

The poet's words shattered the illusion which clouded her mind. Sweetie Belle blinked her eyes, shook her head, and finally saw the woman for what she really was. Her long legs were bent, covered in ruddy scales, and ended in black split-toe hooves. Her pale flesh was pockmarked with savage bruises, and ruined by numerous cuts and gashes. Her breasts had been brutally torn off, spikes had replaced most of her hair, her lips were severely cracked and bloody, and she had one bloodshot eye that was crusty with what may have been pus. A wave of revulsion crashed over Sweetie Belle, her face a mask of horror and disgust.

The she-demon cackled at the display, her laughter coming out as strangled and sickly. "What's the matter, sweet thing? Don't you think I'm pretty anymore?"

"What the...She...I...What is that thing?!" Sweetie Belle stammered out.

"A succubus," Virgil clarified with apparent disdain. "A demon bred solely for the purpose of damning living souls with lascivious pleasures. One of the bastard offspring of Lord Asmodeus."

"You old sweet-talker," the demon purred as it stalked forward.

"Keep back, temptress!" Virgil commanded, deliberately moving to shield his companion. "This child has no business with you."

"No? Why else would she be here, if not for unearthly pleasure?" the succubus asked, honestly perplexed.

"We seek the King of Hell," the poet answered.

The succubus giggled at this. "You've got a long ways to go yet, Roman."

"We are well aware. The storm outside hampers our progress towards Cocytus, so we are hoping to obtain your father's blessing to traverse the Circle without the hurricane in our way."

The succubus hummed as she considered how to respond. She tapped her chin with a ragged claw and paced in a small loop, every now and then giving her audience an unobstructed view of her backside. Claw marks old and new crisscrossed the flesh from neck to lower back, and her seat--especially around the anus--was painfully raw. The display forced an unconscious hiss of pain to slip through Sweetie Belle's teeth, which made the demon smirk in amusement for a brief moment. Finally she faced the two guests and heaved a false sigh of defeat. "Alright, if you insist."

Virgil and Sweetie Belle moved to follow after the succubus beckoned them forth with a wave. They passed through one of the several identical doorways and entered something like an entirely different world from the room before. It was one single cell block that stretched seemingly without end. Each cell was secured via a web of mixed soil and some unknown coagulating agent, and was filled to capacity with ravenous souls that howled and screamed like wild animals, all of them desperate for release from their carnal woes. What was most sickening was that none of these demands and pleas for attention were directed at the succubus in their midst, but the unicorn foal behind her.

"Give me the child! I must have her, give her to me!"

"Come here, girl. I'll show you what a real man can do."

"I'm gonna split you open, you little whore!"

"Show Mommy some love, won't you dear?"

The taunts and jeers of the dead made Sweetie Belle want to vomit. She slapped her ears flat against her skull, but alas could not drown out the noise. The prisoners lashed out at her from their cells, clawing for a piece of the meat being dangled before them. Many got worryingly close, but she always seemed just beyond their reach. They threw themselves against the walls of their cells, but the webbing held steadfast. It was awful to hear them scream these terrible things to a child. All the promises they made of the wretched things they wanted to do to her, or have her do to them, sickened Sweetie Belle down to her very soul. She wanted to hate them, but more than that she just wanted to get out of this horrid place. To put it behind her and never have to think about it again.

Then, miraculously, the noise stopped. Sweetie Belle blinked and threw her gaze here to there, and was relieved to find the cells were gone. She'd passed through the gauntlet and come out the other side. She exhaled a breath she was not aware she had been holding previously, and was glad to raise her ears again. The first sound to greet them was screaming. A desperate wordless plea for torment's end. Then came the repeated wet slapping of flesh, and above that a series of bestial grunts in accompaniment. Whatever joy had started to blossom in Sweetie Belle's heart quickly died upon laying eyes on the scene before her.

"Monster" was the only descriptor she could find. The thing was a tall manlike creature with patches of mangled hair on its stomach and flaccid breasts. Its physique suggested femininity, but the arms and legs which bulged with muscle and throbbing veins were much more masculine. The awful beast had a mane of dark hair that was tangled and matted with filth, and thick facial hair of similar quality and grooming. Its face, however, was entirely female, with soft delicate features that would have been considered quite beautiful on anyone else. Pinned beneath the giant was another succubus, the source of the screams. Bloody tears streamed from her eyes as she was ruthlessly assaulted from behind. Beneath her were scattered drops and tiny pools of blood that spilled from the brutal attack.

The beast abruptly tore its gaze from its victim to fix upon Virgil and Sweetie Belle, the latter in particular. Its disturbing yellow eyes stared unblinking at the young unicorn, a twisted smile splitting its lips. The abuse did not stop or even falter the whole time the creature locked eyes with Sweetie Belle. Finally, with one final thrust, the beast climaxed inside the much smaller demon beneath it before carelessly stripping the succubus off and discarding her like a broken toy. Blood and semen painted the giant's throbbing phallus, and fell to the floor in thick globules. The giant snapped its fingers, and in a moment another succubus rushed forward to clean the mess. The comparatively tiny she-devil ran her mouth up and down her master's shaft, lapping up and consuming the awful stuff like a starving dog. Unfortunately, her speed was not up to the giant's standards. It rolled its eyes and snarled angrily before grabbing the maid and viciously ramming its filthy cock down her throat. She wept and gagged for several agonizing seconds, and then was mercifully released, the beast's genitals entirely clean. The succubus fell back and regurgitated the contents of her stomach onto the floor, which angered the beast towering over her. It kicked her in the face before whirling on a pair of succubi cowering by another doorway.

"You two! Get over here and clean this shit up!" They rushed to obey, and even the one responsible moved forward to help dispose of her own sick. As they worked, their master walked away to recline casually upon a throne built from the mashed together corpses of demons and sinners.

Sweetie Belle had been unable to avoid watching the entire scene take place, and felt her own stomach prepare to voice an opinion on the matter. But she forced herself to stay strong, completely terrified of what consequences would follow if she was to succumb to her illness.

The giant studied the new arrivals from its throne. Its head was propped up on one fist while the other hand lay limp on its right leg, which dangled casually off one arm of the chair. Its swollen cock bobbed idly every few seconds as if the organ itself were thinking. Then, without warning, the beast sat upright and threw its arms out wide. "Guests in my house!" it roared happily. "What a splendid and welcome treat. You've no idea how utterly bored I was before you showed up."

"That was certainly not the impression we got a minute ago, your lordship," Virgil replied easily.

The giant chuckled in amusement. "Yes, well...You know what they say when the devil has nothing better to do." Its eyes shifted to the unicorn, who was trying very hard to not look its direction. "Say, what's your name, pretty thing?"

"She is..." Virgil was interrupted when the beast shot forward in its seat and slammed a fist onto the arm of the throne.

"Shut the fuck up, I wasn't asking you!" The giant glared at Virgil for a long time, and only relaxed when it was clear he would not speak again.

Sweetie Belle did not want to speak, partially because she still felt the urge to vomit, but also because this devil honestly terrified her. Its explosive temperament and sadistic character horrified her against speech, however she could sense that her continued silence would soon irritate her host beyond civility. She tried to say her name, but for the moment could only stammer uselessly.

The giant purred with arousal. "Ooh, you're a shy little thing. I do so love the meek ones," it said as one hand moved to slowly stroke its throbbing member.

"My name is Sweetie Belle!" the young filly finally shouted in a rush of words.

The beast moaned again. "That voice! I can't even imagine what it sounds like when you're getting plugged."

"My lord Asmodeus," Virgil implored. His interruption caused Sweetie Belle to relax visibly, and the beast to groan in frustration. "Perhaps we could discuss the reason for our visit."

Asmodeus released himself and pouted. "Fine. What do you want?"

"We seek the realm of Lucifer, but the raging tempest outside your palace makes our progress slow," Virgil said. "We ask your permission to walk the low road, which goes untouched by the storm."

The great demon groaned irritably at being denied his fun, but he nevertheless waved them off. "Alright, have it your way. You'll find no locked doors or false paths on your way out. Much as I want to play with your girl there, I cannot deny the awful stench that surrounds her."

"We thank you for your kindness, your highness." Virgil bowed and started to leave, but only got a few steps away before realizing that Sweetie Belle was not with him. He turned around and saw she remained where she stood, her face clearly indicating she was wrestling with some internal conundrum. The poet walked over to kneel in front of her and ask what was the matter.

"I have to ask him," she whispered, her words almost too quiet for Virgil to hear.

"Ask him what?" he inquired.

The unicorn foal looked her guide in the eyes. "Lucifer. I have to ask him about Lucifer."

At once Virgil understood the problem. She wanted to learn what Asmodeus knew about the rebellion, but he was well aware of how repulsed she was at the idea of engaging the awful beast in conversation. He placed a hoof on her shoulder in spite of the knowledge she could not feel his touch, flashed her a brief smile, and turned to address the lord of Lust.

"Your highness, we...we have an additional request," the poet said.

Asmodeus piqued his brow in interest. "Is that so? Well, you should know that extra favors demand a certain...price."

"Not a favor," Virgil said as the beast was rearranging himself upon his throne. "We seek knowledge on a subject we believe you are intimately familiar with."

This gave the lord of Lust pause. "Knowledge? About what, exactly?"

"The rebellion."

Asmodeus sat bolt upright in his seat. This was wholly unexpected, least of all because no one every actually wanted to talk to him about anything. He absently stroked his beard as he considered this. "The rebellion. I'd honestly forgotten that whole shit-show ever happened." He chuckled once as he slowly sat back in the throne. "Is this really what you ask of me? A history lesson?"

"Please, your lordship." The demon's gaze danced back and forth between his two guests in his attempts to figure out what to do. Eventually he sighed, swiped a hand over his face, and nodded.

"I will tell you what I can remember, which may not be much," Asmodeus said.

"We will be grateful for what knowledge you can share," Virgil answered.

The lord of Lust grumbled while he searched his memories. "It's true I was not always what you see now," he began. "I used to be an angel, though of what I...no longer remember. Something important, I think."

"What do you remember of Lucifer?" the poet inquired.

"Beautiful. Ambitious. Amiable. And probably the stupidest son of a bitch I've ever met," Asmodeus snarled.

Virgil and Sweetie Belle both were taken aback. "I beg your pardon?"

"Him and his fucking rebellion." The giant spat on the floor in disdain. "It didn't take a genius to know he wouldn't win that fight. God wouldn't be all powerful if he lost an argument with his firstborn. Fucking idiot."

"Are we to assume you did not participate in the battle?" Virgil asked.

"Do I look like a fighter to you? Of course I stayed out of it! No point throwing my life away in a war that was doomed to fail," Asmodeus shouted in reply. He paused a moment to calm himself before continuing. "I kept out of the fighting, but I was worried what would happen to me once it was over. I was ready to stand at God's side, or throw myself at Lucifer's feet in the very unlikely event he won the war." A bitter chuckle interrupted his tale. "You know what God hates more than a rebellious son? One who is an opportunistic vulture. You know what He hates even worse? Thousands of rebellious children, and thousands of opportunists. Once God was done dispensing justice on the renegades, He set His sights on the rest of us. And, well...you can guess what happened next."

Virgil exchanged a curious look with Sweetie Belle. "You were never an ally of Lucifer," he said refocusing on the great demon.

Asmodeus shook his head. "Never liked the fucker. I could tell straight away that his ambitions would lead to trouble, for him and all the rest of Heaven. But his words were like honey to everyone who would hear him out. They flocked to him like flies to shit, but I knew better. I managed to convince a modest number of my kin to ignore Lucifer's golden promises of this and that. We kept our hands clean, and in return God fucked us anyway." He took a moment to look around at his palace, at his children who lived in fear of him, and through the walls to the incalculable numbers of sinners he got to play with at his leisure. "Though if I'm to be honest, I'm much better off here than in Heaven. Up there, I was a slave. Born for the sole purpose of singing God's praises and worshiping the very ground He walked on. Here, in Hell, I am my own master. I do whatever I want whenever I want to whomever I want, and I absolutely love the things I do."

"Clearly," Virgil remarked under his breath. "We have just one last question to ask, my lord. Do you know exactly why Lucifer went to war against the Creator?"

"Jealousy," Asmodeus stated flatly. "That's all it was ever about, for him. Lucifer was the firstborn...well, anything, and he loved his Father more than any other angel could understand. When he found out about the humans, it broke him. He was jealous of the humans for stealing all the love and attention that we--no, he deserved." The lord of Lust shrugged his shoulders briefly. "Can't say as I blame him. Humans are hilariously pathetic compared to just about everything else they share this world with, least of all angels. How God could possibly love them more than us is..." There was a noticeable shift into remorse in Asmodeus's tone. He stopped mid-sentence when he heard it, and returned to a more detached mood of speech. "So that's basically it. Lucifer was jealous of the humans, started a war, got banished to Hell, class dismissed."

It was apparent that he had nothing more to say on the matter. He never looked up as his guests departed from his company and eventually found their way outside of the palace. Here, on this lower path, the pair was completely safe from the mad storm above. They walked on as the road snaked through the jagged rocks that formed the valley floor, neither one of them sparing a second glance back at the madhouse in the mountain, or its lord.

"I'm so glad we're finally out of that place," Sweetie Belle said. She shook herself thoroughly as if trying to physically dislodge the memories of Asmodeus and his obscene prison. She looked up at her guide with a grateful smile. "Thank you for talking to him for me."

"No thanks are necessary. The lord of Lust can be quite off-putting even for fellow demons," Virgil said.

"It's hard to believe he ever used to be an angel," Sweetie commented.

"Some took the fall from Heaven much easier than others," Virgil replied.

"Are we going to meet anymore like him?"

The poet nodded his head. "Almost certainly. The greater percentage of Hell's indigenous population is made up of fallen angels."

This did not exactly bring Sweetie Belle comfort, though she did hope that future encounters with other former angels would be less...disgusting than the meeting with Asmodeus. Part of her still felt filthy even after having left him well behind. Despite having no desire to ever think about the deplorable beast again, she found herself reflecting on what he had told them of Lucifer and the war. "Is he right? About the things he said?" she asked of her guide.

Virgil could only shrug his shoulders. "It is difficult to say. The possibility exists that everything Asmodeus said is truth...but the same can also be said to the contrary. Every word he spoke could have been a lie. Or perhaps there is honest fact hidden among personal opinions and old wounds. It is for you to decide the merit of the demon's tale."

Sweetie Belle pondered the poet's wise words for a long while. Asmodeus could have been lying the whole time. It was the safe bet, given his nature as a demon--a lord of Hell, no less. But he had spoken with such conviction even when disparaging Lucifer, it was hard not to think that he might have said at least some true things. Eventually the young filly nodded her head slowly. "Maybe he was telling the truth," she said, "but it's like you said: his opinions and feelings are just in the way."

Virgil nodded as well in agreement. "That would be the smart wager."

After that, the odd couple continued on through the Circle of Lust. Along the way there was a swapping of roles between the two as Virgil questioned Sweetie Belle on the world she came from. He was completely fascinated by all she told him, and unsurprisingly confused by much of it. Sweetie did her best to explain what she could, but given her age there was quite a lot that she herself did not fully understand. Virgil was especially confounded by the existence and usage of magic in the land of Equestria, and Sweetie Belle experienced equal difficulty in describing the intricacies of how exactly magic worked and when it had been discovered. The poet did find great interest in learning about some of Equestria's more famous historical figures, and was greatly amused by his personal knowledge of these ponies' human counterparts. It was a pleasant conversation and a welcome break from recent topics, but unfortunately it had to come to an end.

An immense wall of rock loomed on the horizon, and grew ever higher as the pair drew closer. When they at last halted only a few feet from its base, the very idea of trying to find the wall's top did not bear thinking about. Sweetie Belle gave herself a momentary spell of vertigo when she craned her head back to get a full appreciation of the barrier's immensity. It stretched all the way from one side of the horizon to the other, and the cliff's face was far too steep to attempt a climb were it even possible to surmount the summit. Aside from a thin split which formed a hole barely big enough to fit a creature Sweetie Belle's size, there was no getting past the wall. Down here, untouched by the wind, a thin layer of mist crawled through the pass like some amorphous milky creature.

Sweetie Belle gazed at the crevice for several seconds, and then sighed. "Where to next?" she asked.

"Gluttony," Virgil answered simply.

The young filly nodded silently, but did not break her gaze on the crack in the wall. She felt tired, more in spirit than in body, though she could not deny that her legs did ache slightly. She had not realized before just how much the meeting with Asmodeus had taken out of her. The Circle of Lust had been her first real experience with how truly nightmarish Hell was, and already she was seriously considering quitting this quest to return home. Sweetie Belle had not been properly prepared for the horrors she would see. She'd had a very general idea of what to expect based on what had been witnessed in Limbo, but her experiences here in Lust had completely shattered those expectations. She did not want to continue onward. She did not want to meet anymore demons or fallen angels. But more than anything, she did not want to be in Hell anymore, and it was this simple thought that spurred her onward. Sweetie Belle was done with this terrible place, and she knew that she would not be getting out any sooner if she continued moping around.

The little unicorn steeled herself as best she could for the journey ahead, and entered the crevice. Virgil watched her go until she disappeared from sight, feeling more than a little impressed by her determination to get home, if not her courage to meet the dangers of Hell head-on. He realized that he was steadily growing attached to the young filly despite having only spent a relatively short time with her. The desire--the need to see Sweetie Belle succeed and return home safely had taken root in his heart. These thoughts accompanied Virgil as he vanished into thin air. He would meet her on the other side, and then he would do everything in his power to deliver her from this cesspool of suffering.