Shining Armor approached the princess with a measure of caution, mindful of the creatures known as demons that now protected her. One on her left was a bipedal creature dressed in a large overcoat of some kind wearing a mask that covered its face and wielding a large pole-arm who Celestia called Izanagi. To her right was a large winged creature seemingly made entirely of armor that Celestia called Metatron. “What are your orders Princess Celestia?” Metatron looked over in Celestia’s direction and nodded, and then she nodded back. It was bad enough that these creatures were replacing the royal guards in terms of actually protecting the princess but now they were advising her as well!

“Send out teams of Royal Guards to all the pony cities and towns of Equestria," Celestia ordered, "go to the graveyards, dig up the graves, burn all of the bodies.”

Shining Armor was barely able to keep from shouting, “Why?”

“These demons have more power than you know Shining Armor,” Celestia continued, “they have the power to save those close to death, and it isn’t very farfetched to imagine that combined with a unicorns power they could raise the dead, we need to keep this contained.”

Shining gritted his teeth as he responded, “as you wish your majesty.”

Shining had only been walking for a short period, seething in rage at the Princess request. She wanted two demons as her protectors but not the royal guard, not only that but the request she made of him ‘burn all the bodies’ he shivered to think that all this had happened over the course of one day. He didn’t dare imagine what would happen if this wasn’t solved in a timely fashion. As he was walking towards the barracks to tell the other division leaders of what they were to do in service to the princess he came across his wife. Cadence saw Shining Armor brooding at the prospect of her aunt’s request, she did what any wife would do, she hugged him and tried in vain to comfort his broken faith in the princess of Equestria. “I’m sure that all of this will blow over” she lied, “I’m sure things will be normal again soon enough.”

Shining knew she was lying to him but took comfort knowing that one alicorn still cared; one alicorn was still as he knew them. He continued his walk to the barracks with his wife walking side by side with him. He saw Princess Luna rushing the other way to Celestia’s room, “What’s going on?” Cadence questioned.

Shining Armor simply sighed “Things will have to get worse before better.”

Twilight rushed as fast as she could through the Everfree forest with an unconscious Rarity on her back. The gash on her side slightly healed by Virtue, who used a spell, it called dia, to mend some of the wound, but she would still require medical attention. “Perhaps now you wish that you had punished the Sumner” Virtue had dissipated into the mark on her hoof, which glowed a dull yellow, presumably an indication of the health of the demon, but it still continued to telepathically communicate with its contractor.

“I don’t regret it, no matter what she did killing her would be wrong.”

Virtue seemed to chuckle at this concept. “You allow even evildoers to live, you would create an interesting world indeed” Twilight didn’t know what it was talking about but continued running, deciphering the cryptic ramblings of her new demon companion would come later as soon as she had gotten Rarity to Ponyville Hospital and hopefully warned the princess of the spell.

Once Twilight finally did reach Ponyville Hospital it was dark out and she rushed inside screaming “ER, ER, gravely injured pony coming through” a nurse took Rarity and put her on a stretcher carrying her into the hospital. Twilight finally settled down however began attracting looks from everyone else in the hospital. ‘Why are they looking at me like that?’

“It’s simple, you’re covered in blood” she looked at her back to realize Virtue was right, Virtue had healed her minor wound as well but the blood, both from her and Rarity was still a grim sight for most residents of Ponyville.

“Doesn’t that mark look familiar?” An old voice whispered.

“Eeyup,” a deep gruff voice responded.

Twilight looked over and saw Granny Smith and Big Macintosh sitting in the waiting room and looking at the marking on her hoof. “It’s a long story,” she remarked.

“Why so hesitant to tell it?”

‘I’m not hesitant, I didn’t do anything wrong.’

“If that’s what you think than why not tell them?”

Twilight was beginning to get annoyed at Virtue’s banter especially because it was right on target. She didn’t want to tell them and risk anypony treating her differently.

“Oh, dearie we didn’t mean nothing by it," Granny Smith replied, "but we saw Scootaloo and Sweetie Bell had similar marks on their hooves as well.”

“Eeyup,” Big Mac responded.

Big Mac’s Eeyup barely registered with Twilight as she was already out the door and headed for Rarity’s Boutique, it was bad enough that she and Trixie had demons but little fillies was another story altogether.

Pinkie Pie was bored, she was really bored. It wasn’t that she didn’t like visiting her family, her mom and dad, her older sister Octavia, her younger sister Quartz, she was fine with seeing them again and talking about old times, but then there was her Pinkie Sense. Earlier that day she had gotten a super duper doozy, which meant that there was adventure to be had, but she knew that it was happening in Ponyville, she just did. “My friends get to go on another adventure” she sighed wishing that she was there.

“Sis,” called a voice.

Pinkie looked over and saw Quartz quaking at the door. “Oh Quartz come here” she wrapped her in a patented Pinkie Pie hug “What are you afraid of me for?”

“Not you," Quartz whispered, "outside.” Pinkie raised an eyebrow and looked outside her window and saw nothing but felt her sister tugging to follow her. Pinkie decided that she had nothing better to do and walked outside where Quartz led her only to find the bestest thing to happen all day.

The clouds, the cotton candy clouds, were raining chocolate rain.

She dove under a cloud and started slurping, was Discord the super doozy, if so she should probably get back to Ponyville, but wouldn’t they have sent for her already? She looked around to see if anything else tasty had happened this time around. She saw one of the rocks her family farmed and bit into it. It was Rock Candy! The rocks were candy now too! She ate as many of the rocks as she could before seeing her sister Octavia walking over with an umbrella her face wearing a frown at the image of her younger sister, an element of harmony, rolling in the mud eating rocks and drinking from a cloud, Pinkie blushed and got up, “Yep definitely something funny going on.”

Octavia sighed and offered her sister another umbrella, which she refused. “All this chocolate rain will go to waste then” Octavia raised an eyebrow, but moved her umbrella slightly and tasted the rain, chocolate, definitely chocolate.

“Father and Mother are missing, I’m going to look for them, try and find a way to stop this madness while I’m gone Pinkie,” Octavia reasoned with her sister. Pinkie nodded in response, “good and that doesn’t just mean eating the rocks and drinking the clouds.”

Pinkie pouted a little “I’ll find out what all this is about, just leave it to Detective Pinks!” she pulled a detective uniform and hat out of nowhere and a pipe filled with bubbles and began darting around the farm. Octavia laughed and began her walk towards the nearby forest, glad to know that time had not changed her sisters pleasant attitude towards life, she steeled herself and began walking into the forest and began to hear the sounds of a lyre playing in the distance.

Sweetie Bell and Scootaloo paced around the boutique nervously, when Rarity came home and found out that they had been playing around near the Everfree she wasn’t going to be happy. They were surprised to see Twilight burst in looking ragged and out of breath and covered in blood along her back. “Twilight,” Sweetie Bell screamed and backed away from the blood-covered mare.

“Your… hooves” Twilight panted in-between large gaping breaths.

The two fillies looked quizzically at her and each other as Twilight rushed forward and grabbed their front hooves examining the marks. “Oh those” Sweetie responded, “A monster attacked and then some things called demons came and saved us.” She proudly announced, she and Scootaloo looked at each other and nodded before stepping back and yelling “CUTIE MARK CRUSADER DEMON TAMERS, JACK FROST AND PYRO JACK” the marks on their hooves disappeared and a floating pumpkin, Pyro Jack came out of Scootaloo’s hoof; and a snowman named Jack Frost came out of Sweetie Bell.

“These two saved us from a terrible monster Twilight," Scootaloo said motioning to the two demons, "they’re good, right guys?” Frost and Pyro both nodded their heads. Twilight admitted she wasn’t expecting that, the demons she had met so far had been Virtue and Ose neither one of which could be described like Jack Frost and Pyro Jack, both of whom just looked to ‘cute’ to be demons.

“Looks can be deceiving” Virtue commented.

‘Those things, a threat?’ Twilight mentally commented, ‘they look like plushies come to life’.

She sighed as the two kids poked at her hoof. “What’s your demon like Twilight?” Sweetie Bell asked.

“Yeah yours has to be awesome to right?” Scootaloo added.

Twilight stopped the two from going any further. “Call them off and lets go to the library, we need to find out what these things are and if they’re dangerous.”

Sweetie Bell was confused “Where’s my sister?”

Twilight winced she knew that the question would come up eventually. “She’s been hurt really bad, by another demon.”

Pinkie Pie was on the case of the mysterious Discord like weather and rocks. But by 'on the case' she was mostly just rolling around and enjoying herself. She hadn’t received a pinkie sense that made her think Discord was back so whatever this was it was at least not that. “I wonder why I’m the only one who thinks this is actually cool?”

“Well at least someone is appreciative of my genius,” called a voice.

Pinkie’s eyes darted around trying to find the source of the noise. “Hold on,” the creature responded.

The creature appeared in front of Pinkie, it was jet black stood on it’s hind legs and had seemingly no facial features or any features for that matter aside from it’s claws, wings, and a large spiked crown. “Wow, who are you, or rather what are you, I’ve never seen anything like you before, I should throw you a party, oh though I’ve never thrown a party for another species that I’ve only just met before although that sounds like fun, and besides what creature doesn’t like to party!”

“You aren’t frightened of my appearance?”

“Nope," Pinkie responded enthusiastically, "by the way what’s your name?”

“Nyarlathotep, the smiling chaos.”

Pinkie looked at the creature and simply blinked, “wow that’s a neat name but I don’t think I can pronounce it so I’ll call you Narly.”

The creature bellowed laughter, “Yes I like that name indeed.”

Pinkie laughed with him, well she thinks it’s a him, “So why did you think I’d be scared?”

“Because I’m a demon.”

Pinkie just smiled “But demons are supposed to be super-duper scary and mean and want to hurt people, you said you’re smiling.”

Her logic was impenetrable “The smiling Chaos.”

She simply scoffed “Doesn’t matter why you’re smiling, you’re smiling. I think kind of hard to tell since you don’t have a face and all, but you’re just having fun like pulling pranks.”

“I love to pull pranks!” the creature clapped it’s hand-claws together and laughed heartily again.

“But still you shouldn’t do pranks that hurt people and making all the rocks around here candy could hurt my family, so do you think you could undo that and we’ll do some fun pranks Narly?”

Pinkie stared with pleading eyes at the black blob, “Perhaps, hmm?” the creature looked as though it was in deep thought and stared at Pinkie who just stared right back. “Yes, you seem very powerful.”

Pinkie smiled harder “Well I am one of the Elements of Harmony you know” if the creature had eyebrows it would have raised one.

“Really now?”

“Yep, the element of Laughter,” she stood tall with a triumphant pose.

“That’s perfect, then make a contract with me and I’ll be your demon.”

Pinkie looked confused, “My demon? Contract?”

Narly continued to float in the air and began his explanation “Well the simplest way to put it would be that I would be your slave, I would fight your battles and create chaos at your command.”

“But I don’t want you to be my slave silly, I want to be your friend!”

Narly looked shocked at the proposal but proceeded to laugh. “I suppose that is a more pleasing title, well then form a contract with me and I shall be your ‘friend’ for life, fight for you and I will dissolve my little spell of chaos here, until you order it again that is, you seemed to enjoy my chocolate clouds.”

Pinkie nodded furiously in agreement, “Okie Dokie Lokie Narly, contract is a go!” Narly would have smiled had he mouth to smile with, but then again he would probably always be smiling.

Twilight searched high and low for some kind of book on demons while she waited for a response from the princess regarding her discovery at the castle. Spike the two Jack brothers and Scootaloo were all playing together and enjoying themselves while Sweetie Bell simply paced in the corner as she had done ever since she heard the news about her sister. “Why would a demon do that?” she finally asked.

Twilight hesitated to respond but Jack Frost rushed to his master’s side “Hee-ho, a bad master makes demons do bad things.” Sweetie’s head shot up as Twilight winced realizing she would have to share the full details far sooner than expected.

“Who was controlling the demon Twilight?” Sweetie asked.

Suddenly all eyes in the room were on her, interrupted by a voice in her head, “third book to you’re right.”

“Huh,” Twilight looked where Virtue pointed out and saw a dusty tome that had the symbol they all shared on it’s spine. “Ah-Ha demon book finally.” Twilight rashly yanked out the book with her magic and fanned through the pages trying to find some kind of info on the demons they all carried as well as the symbols on their legs. Thankfully most ponies in the room seemed ok with changing the subject as Scootaloo and Pyro Jack rushed over to the book to get some answers while Jack Frost simply stayed in the corner with his mistress. Twilight finally found something she was looking for in the book. “A pentagram” she looked at her hoof, “That’s what these things are apparently, the spells on our legs are summoning and containment spells, that allow us to summon the demons without issue or magic, and when the demons are in the spells again they heal their injuries, even really lethal ones as long as enough time has past.” She dreaded the next line “The only way to really defeat a demon, is to kill it’s tamer.”

Scootaloo shivered at this new information but Sweetie took it as her queue. “So who hurt my sister?”

Twilight hesitated “It was Trixie who made the summoning circle, and it was her demon, Ose, who injured Rarity.”

“But you killed her right?” Sweetie Bell asked.

Scootaloo looked at Sweetie Bell with horror “How could you even ask that?”

“Did you?” Sweetie Bell pressed. Twilight could only shake her head. “She almost Killed MY SISTER”

“Sweetie Bell…” Twilight tried to reach out a hoof to apologize but Sweetie ran out of the library with Jack Frost in tow. Spike coughed out a letter and ran after her “Spike.”

“I’m going to see if she’s ok and try to make sure nopony sees Jack Frost.” Spike ran out after Sweetie Bell as Twilight read the letter he left behind.

“Twily, the princess has ordered a lockdown for Canterlot because of the demons. She’s ordered the royal guard to round up all the bodies in all the graveyards and burn them to prevent anypony from using the demons to raise the dead. I have to admit I don’t trust this; she’s using demons herself and has locked herself in the grand burial chambers. Cadence has decided to fly out to Ponyville and Pinkie Pie’s families rock farm and is going to try and gather the Elements back in Ponyville and try to get you all into Canterlot. Me I’m off to Appaloosa so I’ll get your friend Applejack, and Storm Cloud of the Pegasus division is going to inform Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash of the coming danger. This is bigger than anything we’ve faced before; it even has the Changeling queen scared and hiding in the palace. Be safe Twily, watch your back.

Love Shining Armor

Sweetie Bell galloped as fast as she could towards the Ponyville hospital, she didn’t know why Twilight didn’t just have them go there first, learning about the demons was less important than being there for her sister when she woke up right? Spike was trying to keep up with Sweetie Bell and once she noticed that he was following her she slowed down and let him catch up. “I’m not going back there Spike.”

“I know but I want to see that Rarity’s ok too you know.” She let Spike hop on her back as they raced over to Ponyville Hospital with Jack Frost still in tow. Once she arrived at the hospital she noticed Applebloom with her family and a bandage on her head she stopped head hung low that she didn’t react faster to the Kobold.

“Sweetie, there you are, is that your demon thingie?” Applebloom looked quizzically at Jack Frost, Sweetie Bell reddened when she realized that she hadn’t had Jack Frost go back into the containment spell. The hospital’s staff and visitors looked shocked and started backing away as Big Mac shortened the distance between him and Applebloom.

“Help someone broke into the organ storeroom!” somepony shouted after a thief.

Sweetie Bell and Jack Frost ran towards the storeroom and saw that the cold air had been turned off and the organs weren’t going to be kept in proper stasis if it did. Sweetie Bell looked over to jack frost and nodded. “Hee-ho you’ve got it boss” Frost saluted and went to work blowing cold air into the room re-cooling the room much to the (pleasant) surprise of the hospital staff. Sweetie Bell was patted on the back,

“Thanks for that,” nurse Redheart said.

“Can I see my sister?” she looked over towards the ER and Redheart grimaced.

“Alright,” Nurse Redheart whispered.

Sweetie Bell and Spike were escorted to Rarity’s room. The room smelled sterilized as the scents of various medicines and ointments, the sheets Rarity lay on were stained with blood, Sweetie’s eyes flooded with tears as her heart filled with anger. Trixie, she nearly killed her sister, the words from Twilight’s book rang in head “A demon that has made a contract can only be killed if the tamer is killed.”

“Sweetie Bell?” she looked over at Spike, he didn’t deserve to be caught up in this.

Sweetie turned to leave she stomped her hoof and called Jack Frost back into the spell “Hee-ho what’s the matter boss”

“We have a demon tamer to…” she could barely finish the sentence, she pictured her sister lying there on the hospital bed barely alive, “…Kill.”

“Hee-ho, sounds like fun to me!” She snickered at the prospect but she did have to admit, after what this Trixie had done to her sister she would be lying if she said she wouldn’t enjoy it a little.

“Wait,” Spike ran over to her.

“I’m going after Trixie Spike, don’t try to stop…”

He hopped on top of her “I’m coming with you, and that’s that” he huffed trying to look tough while sitting on her back. She sighed and walked out of the hospital ignoring the questions from her friend and her family, she had a demon tamer to kill “She can’t be allowed to hurt anyone else, its for the greater good, and if Twilight won’t do it, then its up to me.”

She had convinced herself fully now, she set off; to kill Trixie Lulamoon.

Author's Note

Demon Compendium
Nyarlathotep
Resists: Fire, Ice, Wind, Electric, Expel, Death
Weak: None
Nulls: None
Reflects: None
Absorbs: None

Attacks: ???