Chapters Shin Megami Tensei: Equestria
“My faithful student something bad is happening in Equestria. My sister and I have noticed strange spikes of magical energy in the Everfree forest. I know that many of your friends aren’t with you at the moment, so I would like to ask that you simply investigate what is happening in the Everfree avoid making a confrontation with the spell caster at all costs.”
Princess Celestia
Ever since receiving that letter Twilight Sparkle had been running through the Everfree forest looking for clues as to the source of the mysterious magic that had the princess so worried. She did wish that she had the full elements of harmony with her but unfortunately that wasn’t the case. Applejack had been called out to Appaloosa to deal with a small disagreement that had erupted between the settlers and wouldn’t be back for another week. Pinkie Pie was off visiting her family at the rock farm where she grew up, and Fluttershy was also visiting her family. Rainbow Dash was off at a tryout for the Wonderbolts and therefore may not be back for a month depending on how the trials go. Rarity on the other hand was still around Ponyville and despite Twilight’s urgings that it was to dangerous had decided to come along keeping Twilight’s ridiculous running pace and keeping her complaining about the damages being done to her coat to a minimum at the moment. The lavender unicorn had been following a small trail of magical residue throughout the forest believing it to be the source of the Princess’ distress and will lead them straight to the caster.
Rarity spoke up “Twilight dear, the princess told us not to engage the caster of this spell, you don’t want to Disobey the princess’ orders.” Rarity hated to resort to such low tactics as playing upon Twilight’s perfect student attitude to get them out of this forest but it was necessary, they had been in their for three hours and Twilight had analyzed the spells trail and confirmed that it was a summoning spell of sorts and clearly a very powerful one if she could tell what it was without even being nearby.
“Rarity we need to find out who is doing this, whoever they are they’re at least as strong as me in magic, the princess needs to know this, besides it will be fine, we won’t ‘engage’ them we’ll just find out who it is and report back.” Rarity wondered if what Twilight said was true or not but continued to walk with her, she wasn’t about to let some horrible wizard get the drop on Twilight and hurt her, Rarity looked up and saw that the had arrived at their destination, she recognized it as the Castle of the two Princesses.
Twilight looked over their destination to make sure that she was right, her horn glowed as she analyzed the magic in the surrounding area and found that it was in fact being drawn into the castle. “Whoever this spell caster is they’re drawing power from the Everfree itself.” Twilight marveled at the spell, absorbing the natural chaotic energies of the Everfree was difficult enough, but then simultaneously harnessing that energy and converting it into a spell, marvelous. Twilight began walking towards the castle only to be pulled back by her tail.
She turned around and saw Rarity spit her tail out “No” Twilight stepped back as Rarity raised her voice to Canterlot levels. “If this unicorn is powerful enough to use the magic of the Everfree Forest, one of the most dangerous places in all of Equestria, the two of us aren’t going to do much, lets go back have Spike send a letter to the Princess get our friends back and come back here Elements of Harmony blazing” Rarity stopped as she realized her language choices and coughed slightly before saying “Please Darling.”
Twilight simply turned and continued walking towards the castle, “I can’t go back without knowing who did this” Rarity followed behind her shouting about how they needed to go home but stopped once they reached the door to the castle and looked inside.
On the ground in the middle of the room were some etchings in the shape of a star but with lines. Around the star were lines of an arcane dialect that Twilight couldn’t quite understand and they were all locked within a circle surrounded by candles at each of the stars points, in the middle of the circle was Trixie Lulamoon speaking in a strange language. Before Twilight or Rarity could call out to Trixie she finished the spell. The lines of the star lit up with a dangerous looking red glow Trixie stepped out of the circle and shouted “Yes, give the Great and Powerful Trixie her power” as she said that the ground underneath the circle crumbled and gave way to an empty black void, which began pouring out a strange red mist seemingly in the shape of different creatures. Twilight and Rarity both could hear strange voices in their heads speaking incoherently but continued to stare forward at Trixie who found one of the red misty creatures she wanted as she reached out and said “Yes contract with me demon” as she said this she stood on her back hooves and raised her others in the air in a grand gesture as the red mist surrounded her left fore hoof and the strange star appeared on it along with some of the arcane writing. That was when Trixie turned to see her unwitting audience.
Princess Celestia was pacing nervously around the throne room, mentally beating herself for sending her apprentice into the Everfree forest to investigate the source of the mysterious magic. The door opened to reveal Chrysalis being escorted by the royal guards including Shining Armor and Princess Cadence. Celestia put her inner flogging on hold until she finished with the royal business she currently had to attend to. This was the reason that she could not go and visit the Everfree herself even though she wished she could have, Chrysalis of the changelings had wished for an audience with the two Princesses and she had decided to oblige her request. Luna entered the room at around the same time. “So Chrysalis what is it that you wished to speak to me about.” Celestia attempted to keep herself cordial even though worry for her student was causing a great deal of pain.
“Celestia," Chrysalis sneered, "I’m sure you’ve noticed that lately there has been a great deal of magical activity from the blasted forest of Everfree.” Celestia’s eyes if others had noticed this as well then the situation was far direr that she first expected.
Luna was the next to speak, “So even the changeling queen has noticed the magical flux” her voice downcast, this wasn’t going to end well.
“Yes, and I assure you it worries my people just as much as yours” Chrysalis sighed before continuing a slight tone of apprehension in her voice. “We believe that the… energy is well… Demonic.” The word hung over the Palace as the three leaders finally realized the danger that was to befall them. Celestia didn’t want to believe that Chrysalis was right however she was. Celestia began to prepare a teleportation spell so she could help her student only to feel a sharp pain through her horn as she tried.
“Argh” the pain of the attempted spell wracked Celestia’s body as she nearly collapsed on herself.
“Sister” Luna ran to her sister’s side as the look on Chrysalis face changed to one of horror. “No, its begun”
Shining Armor’s eyes darted from his fallen princess to her sister to his wife and finally asked “What has begun.”
The alicorns and Chrysalis simply responded “The Shin Megami Tensei; Reincarnation of the True Goddess.”
Trixie could barely believe her eyes, and couldn’t contain her laughter. “Bwahahaha,” she called out, “so Twilight Sparkle and one of her miserable friends shall be my first opponent, life is good to the Great and Powerful Trixie sometimes.”
Twilight called out in the nicest way possible at the time “What did you Do? What in Celestia’s name have you done!”
Trixie’s laughter stopped and she frowned a little. “This little setup isn’t completely because of me you know” Trixie adjusted hat before continuing “A mysterious pony gave Trixie and several others the details of this spell and told us where to cast it, said it would give us immeasurable power, enough to crush our greatest enemies.” She hissed those last words sneering at Twilight and Rarity all the while as she giggled to herself. “Now feel the wrath of the great demon Ose” the symbol on her hoof began to glow as the small star in the center disappeared and a creature appeared in front of Trixie.
The creature appeared in the form of a Leopard standing on it’s hind legs and wearing a green cape around it’s neck and in it’s paws it holds two large blades as long as it’s arms. Twilight could barely believe what she was seeing Trixie summoned some kind of creature, but her horn didn’t glow; she summoned this thing without unicorn magic. Trixie cried out “now kill Twilight Sparkle Ose” she pointed her hoof at Twilight and the creature darted towards her Twilight threw up as powerful a barrier as she could possibly manage as the creature brought it’s sword down upon her shield. The creature’s blade bounced off but at no small cost to Twilight who nearly collapsed from the wave of pain that came with the blow, the creature was so powerful it nearly broke through the barrier of the Element of Magic in a single hit. “Impressive Twilight Sparkle” Trixie gloated “To block a demon’s blade, I’m glad that you’re my rival.” Suddenly a blot of magic shot out at the creature, Rarity stood tall and fired more bolts at the monster, barely phasing the creature. “Please, no simple unicorn magic could really harm Ose” Trixie burst into fits of laughter, she was about to have her revenge and had a powerful demon at her disposal, yeah life is good.
Sweetie Bell, Scootaloo, and Applebloom had been playing in the area near Fluttershy’s cottage ever since Rarity and Twilight had left. Oh sure, they had been told to stay in the Boutique but how could they find their cutie marks in there. They were playing around near the entrance to the Everfree when Sweetie Bell felt something. “Hey girls I don’t think this is a good idea anymore.” She backed away, whatever the feeling in her horn was it wasn’t good.
“Aww come on we’ve barely started” cried Applebloom.
“Yeah totally just started” mimicked Scootaloo.
“I have a bad feeling, it’s like something bad is here.” Sweetie Bell was starting to get scared now.
“Look I’ll show you” Applebloom walked further despite Sweetie Bell flailing in protest.
“Stop," Urged Sweetie Bell, "really something is happening here.”
“Don’t be such a chicken, we have Scootaloo for that” Applebloom joked, her two friends eyes widened Applebloom gulped loudly and looked behind her to see a large creature that looked like a wolf standing on it’s hind legs with a large club over it’s head “Grwar” Applebloom could only look in terror, the others screamed
Ose’s blades came down once again on Twilight’s shield, Twilight cried in pain but still didn’t falter, something that was beginning to annoy the Great and Powerful Trixie. “Give up Sparkle you’ll never make it out of here alive” she parroted, she had lost interest in taunting her rival around the fifth time her shield blocked Ose. “Alright Ose Gale Slash” Ose clasped its hands and its swords together and wind began to encircle it two blades Ose then swung and the wind rushed forward off of his blades and against Twilight’s shield.
Twilight’s shield dissipated as she fell to the ground. “No!” Rarity cried and rushed forward blasting energy at the creature. Ose simply kicked her out the way slamming her against the wall. Twilight looked over at Rarity’s body as she tried to get up to blast the monster again, she looked over at Trixie whose face bore a wide smile as she witnessed what would surely be the end of greatest nemesis, that was when Twilight heard the voice.
“I wish for you to make a contract with me”
Twilight didn’t understand what the voice meant, “What do you mean?” she asked groggily.
“I mean I’m going to kill you” Trixie yelled, clearly she had been performing a monologue about her plans and Twilight hadn’t been listening.
“I wish for you to become my master, I wish for you to live through this ordeal”
Twilight knew there was only one answer to the voices request; she was going to die if she didn’t. “I’ll make a contract with you” She saw Trixie’s eyes widen.
“So it shall be, I’m Virtue, of the clan Divine, I am yours Twilight Sparkle”
A brilliant light flashed and the same symbol which had been on Trixie’s hoof now appeared on Twilight’s only now she could read what it said Divine Virtue. The star symbol disappeared from Twilight and in front of her appeared a creature. The creature had wings as white and as big as the princess, its body was seemingly made of jade with a glowing red heart at its center. The creature let loose massive blasts of lightning blowing Ose back several feet.
“Simply Marvelous” Rarity whispered as Virtue hovered in place in front of Twilight.
“So what of you have a demon of your own, Ose her shield is down use Heat wave” Ose held its blades in an X in front of itself as they began to glow Orange.
Twilight was told by Virtue telepathically “Command me” Twilight didn’t understand, “My abilities are Zionga, Diarama, and Mahama, command me.”
Twilight looked at it “I don’t know what those words mean!” she shouted.
She didn’t get a response this time as Ose swung its blades out blasting her and Virtue back and slightly wounding her with a cut along her side. “I don’t care how just defeat that thing” Twilight screamed.
“Zionga it is” the creature blasted out more lightning all of which connected with Ose making it stumble as it rushed forward to attack the demon, its blade connected but Virtue simply blasted it with lightning again. Ose collapsed on the ground defeated as it disappeared into red mist, which swirled around Trixie’s leg. The star symbol reappeared there and it glowed a deep red. Trixie’s face blanched as she looked at Virtue, “Shall I kill her master, or would thine like to deal the finishing blow” Trixie started backing off looking over to a small hole in the back of the castle she could use to escape.
“No, you can’t kill her," Twilight remarked, "there is no killing.”
Trixie ran for the hole as Virtue spoke again “I assumed that for hurting your friend you would be angrier at her.”
“What are you talking…” she looked over at Rarity who was lying in a pool of blood with a gash across her side. “RARITY.” Twilight screamed.
“APPLEBLOOM” Sweetie Bell and Scootaloo rushed to their friend who had been knocked out by the wolf creature. She was bleeding slightly from her head but seemed as though she would be ok.
Sweetie Bell and Scootaloo heard voices in their heads. “Hee-ho, you all seem really fun”
“Yes, Ho-hee perhaps we could contract with you and help you defeat the Kobold.”
Sweetie Bell hesitated and asked “You could help us?”
Scootaloo wasn’t in the mood for thought “Sure whatever you want just Help.”
A light materialized around Scootaloo and a creature appeared in front of her it was a pumpkin floating in midair with a cape and a hat and a lantern “Now let’s asphalt this asshole” the pumpkin waved its lantern and a blast of fire burst from it enveloping the Kobold it and it fell to the ground and burst into mist.
“Hee-Ho so how about miss Bell”
“Ok," Sweetie Bell responded "but can you help Applebloom?”
“Hee-ho course” the light appeared around Sweetie Bell as well and a small snowman with arms and legs appeared in front of her who waved its arms and a small light appeared over Applebloom and somehow sealed the wound on her head.
“Hey guys what happened” Applebloom woke up as both of friends hugged her.
“So who are you two?” Scootaloo asked.
“I’m Hee-ho Jack Frost!” the snowman responded.
“Ho-hee I’m Pyro Jack!” the pumpkin-headed creature responded.
“we’re both demons Hee-ho”.
The girls couldn’t believe their ears, these two were demons, creatures from bedtime stories and nightmares and they served Sweetie Bell and Scootaloo. “Wow so that must make us…”
“CUTIE MARK CRUSADER DEMON TAMERS YAY!”
Princess Celestia looked out over the balcony the allowed her to see most of her kingdom. Her eyes fixed on the Everfree where the demons would first arrive, and where her student was.
“Princess the castles been locked down as you ordered.” Shining Armor reported to her.
“Good, we can’t allow any demons in the castle, I want Canterlot sealed off as well and make sure that night guards are doing their jobs, another summoning circle could be placed here as well.”
Shining Armor nodded and went off to do his duties. Celestia went back to overlooking her kingdom. “I’m so sorry, to all of you.” She whispered, “I should’ve been more prepared for this inevitability.” Celestia left the balcony back to her room and closed the window behind her as Shining Armor’s shield went up once again, Celestia simply laid in her bed and looked at the pentagrams on her hooves that her usual royal garb covered. “Nothing lasts forever” she allowed the demons to come forth into her room she would be prepared now, the Shin Megami Tensei was upon them and she wasn’t about to be counted out now.
Author's Note
Demon Compendium
Attacks: Heat Wave: Medium physical damage to all foes
Gale Slash: Light physical damage to all foes
Divine Virtue
Attacks: Zionga: Medium electric damage, one foe
Mahama: low expel to all foes
Diarama: Heal medium, one ally
Fairy Jack Frost
Attacks: Bufu: Low ice damage, one foe
Mabufu: Low ice damage, all foes
Fairy Pyro Jack
Attack: Agi: Low fire damage, one foe
Maragi: low fire damage, all foes
Shin Megami Tensei: Equestria
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
Attacks: ???
Shin Megami Tensei: Equestria
Celestia paced back in forth in the royal burial chamber underneath the castle at Canterlot. Her demon companions spoke little until the three felt a disturbance, the same as the one that she had felt in the Everfree forest. “Other portals are being opened” Metatron stated.
“So it has begun anew, I suppose there would be no other reason why you have summoned us.” Izanagi was probably still bitter about being contained for so long, a little over a thousand years, but it was all for the best.
“I wished to create an Equestria where my little ponies could live without the threat of demons or Tamers, clearly I was idealistic when I thought it would last forever.” She bitterly choked on those last words; she believed that she could save the ponies of Equestria from the strife and pain caused by the Sumners and the demons.
Luna approached her with her demons, Astaroth a bipedal creature that rode upon a giant snake, and Izanami a large creature made seemingly of darkness with a dress draped over it. “Sister we have unfortunate news.” Celestia smiled, her sister had always used the term ‘we’ even when referring to herself because she had always taken council with her companions, she valued their opinions and wasn’t pleased when a thousand years ago she had been told that summoning had been made illegal by her sister.
“I’ve…" Celestia coughed and corrected herself, "We’ve noticed as well, more portals are opening all over the place, Equestria will soon go back to the way things were, and I must prepare us for that.”
Celestia motioned for Metatron to join her in front of three coffins she had prepared in front of her. She walked over to the first one which bore the image of a two clouds each firing a lightning bolt that were positioned on top of one another as if they were reflections. “Cloud Mirror, the fastest Pegasus Equestria had ever seen, you promised me that your body may die but your Loyalty to my cause never would, it appears that this claim must be tested.” She opened the coffin and revealed the magically preserved body of Cloud Mirror, a Pegasus with a dull white mane and grey coat; her cutie mark was the image on the coffin. Celestia’s horn glowed with magic, which flowed into her demonic companion who began casting the spell. A beautiful white light surrounded the body and began to pour into it.
The eyes of the previously dead Pegasus blinked open as she opened her eyes. “Princess Celestia?” she was taking coming back to life better than Celestia had dared hope.
“My child I apologize for interrupting your time in the eternal sleep," Celestia cooed softly, "however the Shin Megami Tensei has begun anew and I need the help of my old generals.” The pegasus smile as she stretched her legs and her wings, symbols began to take form on her hooves as millennia old contracts were reinstated, she allowed the magic to course through her hooves as she summoned her old demons. The first was a large bipedal bird-like creature coated in golden armor, “Garuda, it's good to see you." She turned to the other, a large dragon made of metal, "and you as well Fafnir, its been too long my old friends.”
Celestia turned her attention to the next coffin it held the image of the pony inside’s cutie mark, namely that of an apple cut down the middle so the seed inside was visible. “Apple Seed, I’m in dire need of your Honesty and strength.” She once again performed the spell and Metatron summoned the pony from death itself.
The crème colored farm pony with a short red mane blinked her eyes open and looked upon her former leader, and her mare friend/comrade. “Well shucks Cloud, wasn’t expecting to see you all ready for war.” She said this as she motioned at the two demons that sat before their master.
“Our contract was only nullified when miss Cloud Mirror died now that she has returned so have we,” Garuda had always been the more talkative one as the metallic dragon Fafnir simply nodded in agreement. Apple Seed looked at her hooves and sure as day her contract pentagrams were there almost as if she hadn’t died.
Celestia spoke up “I’m sorry to wake you…”
Apple Seed put a hoof to Celestia’s mouth “Think nuthin of it Tia’ I’m glad to be back and ready to do what you need, you wouldn’t have just raised the dead for tea and crumpets, something bad is or has happened.” Celestia smiled at her friend, the years had truly been lonely without her three closest friends by her side.
Cloud Mirror sidled over to Apple Seed, “Well how do I look?” she asked to her up until now dead marefriend.
“Considering ya’ll had been dead for a thousand years pretty good.” The two laughed and continued to chat as Apple Tart decided to summon her demons as well. Atavaka, a blue human with eight arms, each clutching a large spear, Girimehkala, a large bipedal elephant with a huge sword also arose to meet his master and both stood to the side as Celestia began her final spell.
“Starswirl the Bearded, your Magic was a great boon to aiding me in my quest and now I must ask for your help in maintaining my kingdom.” She opened the coffin to reveal the body of Starswirl, he was the one of her generals to live to old age and would therefore be the most difficult to restore. She gave as much magic as she could to Metatron who used it to summon forth the spirit of Starswirl the Bearded from beyond the Eternal Sleep. Starswirl opened his eyes and saw Celestia standing before him, he looked down at his body it looked as if it were in its midyears once again, and clearly something bad had happened to force him back to Equestria. “Starswirl my loyal friend and companion, I’m afraid that I must ask for your help once again in keeping the land of Equestria safe.”
He raised his hoof, and noticed that the pentagrams once again adorned his front two hooves. He released his magic and summoned forth the two creatures that had once helped to give Celestia and Luna the crowns of Equestria. The first was the giant fly, much taller and larger than Celestia, who held a large staff in it's hand, known as Beelzebub. “Beelzebub it has been quite a long time my faithful demon.”
The fly buzzed its wings and looked over at its master “Indeed Starswirl, a thousand years have passed since our last battle together.” He remembered, he also remembered having been told by the Princess after the throne had been won that no demons were to be summoned in Equestria ever again, and he had vowed never to do so. He summoned his other faithful friend a massive eight-headed snake called Yamata-no-Orochi.
With her three generals assembled Celestia had the perfect defense force and thusly proceeded “Alright so now that everypony is present, the reason I brought you all here.”
Sweetie Bell trekked through the Everfree forest looking for a sign of her sister’s attempted murderer. Spike bobbed along on her back also looking for any sign of the mysterious Trixie. “This would be easier Hee-ho if we had asked where they fought.”
Sweetie Bell shook her head, ‘then they would know what we plan to do.’ Spike looked quizzically at Sweetie, “Jack Frost can talk to me in my head.”
Spike nodded in understanding, “I get it, that way in a fight you guys could strategize without the enemy hearing you.” Spike caught a glimpse of a fire in the distance, “that way” he pointed in the fire’s direction.
“Finally, we’ve found her” Sweetie rushed in the direction of the fire, her revenge was at hand.
Trixie was beyond upset. She was devastated by the utter defeat that she had suffered at Twilight’s hooves. ‘Me get beaten by Twilight, gasp, what are the odds.’ She sarcastically bemoaned her predictable defeat and went back to her foraged berries and what small warmth could be gotten from the fire.
“Well, next time we see her I’ll crush her.” Trixie chuckled at the go-getter attitude of her newest companion, Forneus.
“Yes, because she’ll really come after me again, that do-gooder wouldn’t deal the finishing blow to me even after I had wounded her non-tamer friend, she mocks me with her mercy.” Twilight had to have some knowledge of the demons and tamers of lore, and yet she still allowed Trixie her life, all it meant was insult to injury, as her still recovering Ose spoke up
“Perhaps you could use that to your advantage, continue to challenge her and perhaps eventually you will succeed if she refuses to finish you off.” Trixie thought about it; it felt dirty to play on Twilight’s natural peacefulness as a way of defeating her but it seemed to be the only way.
“So there you are!” called a voice. Trixie turned to face the noise only to see a small filly and a baby dragon staring down at her.
Sweetie Bell had finally made it to the campsite that Trixie had made for herself. She was staring down the mare that almost killed her sister, without her demon, ‘fighting her when she can’t use her demon seems cheap.’ Sweetie mentally shook away those thoughts, ‘No we have to kill her now, she may hurt others like she did Rarity and those people may not be so lucky.’ Sweetie summoned Jack Frost and prepared for her assault.
“What do you want with the Great and Powerful Trixie, tamer, a fight?” She stood up and Sweetie noticed that while the pentagram on her left leg was indeed out of commission and glowing a dull red, there was another pentagram on her right leg.
“You have TWO demons?” Sweetie Bell asked.
Trixie scoffed and stomped her hoof summoning forth a demon that looked like a floating manta ray with a crown on its head, “Forneus shall be your opponent.”
Sweetie Bell stood her ground and began the fight ‘Jack Frost, use bufu’ the snowman summoned a piece of ice and tossed it at the giant manta, which didn’t even seem fazed by the attack. “Oh no!”
Trixie laughed heartily, “Ice doesn’t harm Forneus. Forneus, stun bite.” Forneus flew at Jack Frost and bit into him with its large muscled jaw before tossing it into a nearby tree bark.
“Jack Frost attack!”
“No Sweetie Bell it’s outmatched lets run for it.” Spike pleaded for his friend to give up the chase.
“NO SHE ALMOST KILLED MY SISTER!” Jack Frost flung himself at Forneus punching it in the mouth, this barely shook the mighty sea beast as it grabbed Jack Frost in its jaws once again and bit down, turning Frost into mist and forcing him back into Sweetie’s containment spell. Sweetie Bell rushed forward to continue the attack herself but was struck by a large chunk of ice from Forneus and passed out.
“Let’s kill her!” Forneus licked its lips in anticipation, its first killing in nearly a millennia.
Trixie looked at the unconscious form of the filly before her, Twilight’s friend must be the sister she talked about, it was true she had almost killed her despite her not even being a tamer. “Allow me to think on it.”
Forneus growled at his master, “she ambushed us, no mercy!” he opened his jaws to attack but was stopped by Trixie’s containment spell which pulled him back into the pentagram on her hoof. Spike looked over at the pentagram, it glowed a bright green; they hadn’t even scratched it. He looked over at Trixie and took a standing position in front of Sweetie Bell’s body with his arms outstretched. “Ha” Trixie was amused by the dragons posturing, any other day she might have been frightened of a dragon but now she had demons, she could take on a full-grown dragon if she wanted to. She began to walk away.
“Hey” Spike nervously asked, “Where are you going?”
“I’m allowing the little brat to live, tell Sparkle that my debt is paid, next time there will be no mercy when I beat her.” Trixie walked away and further into the forest leaving Spike and the unconscious Sweetie Bell alone with her fire.
Octavia wandered through the forest looking for the source of the sound she heard. ‘No’ she thought to herself ‘I’m here in this dreadful forest looking for my parents’ but the sound did intrigue her. It was the sound of a lyre and it seemed to be very well played. She stopped and pulled out her cello from its case, she didn’t remember why she brought it with her just that she thought she would need it. She played a few notes joining in with the far off lyre’s playing. She heard the lyre stop and then resume playing as if it wanted to join in with her. She began playing a sad song and the lyre joined her it felt as though it was a song about lost love and heartbreak punctuated by the lyre. It was a soft melody but felt harsh it felt as though the lyre player was putting his soul into the piece and sharing his broken heart with Octavia.
She put the cello away as she finished the melody only to see her parents rush out to meet her. They embraced her and urged her to run the other way but she couldn’t hear them; all she could hear was the lyre’s melody and continued to walk towards the sound deeper into the forest. She eventually stopped in a small clearing and took out her cello once again and began to play. This time the song was meant to be happy, it was a song to be sung and enjoyed in times of great amusement, it reminded her of her dear younger sister Pinkie Pie. The lyre took a little longer to join in this time but when it did it matched her tone and tempo perfectly, even though the two artists were doing this out of nowhere it felt as though they had practiced for years. They would stop and allow the other a solo or a short reprieve and the song was completely devoid of the wrenching heartbreak that the lyre had brought to the last song. This time it was a song of remembrance, of good times long ago still fresh in the mind of the musician playing. Octavia tried to improvise the song while imagining the first time that her sister had thrown her a party. It was her fifteenth birthday and her sister had earned her cutie mark a few days ago and the party was a spectacular event. Octavia poured those emotions into the last few lines of the piece, as her mysterious lyrist played along with her. Octavia put the cello away at the end of the song and sat down on a tree stump. The music that she and the mysterious lyrist played was beyond beautiful and made her feel alive.
“You are one of the best musicians I have ever met.” called a voice in her head. If it wasn’t for the fact she knew it was the lyrist she probably would have scared.
“Is that so, you should know, you were playing in synch with me without any rehearsal or anything, it takes a lot of talent to pull that off.”
“You were also playing along with me, before you came to the clearing.” she thought back to it and realized he, she thinks it’s a he anyway, was correct she had started playing in time with his lyre before her parents found her.
“I wish we could play some more!” she called out.
“Yes, perhaps we could,” it was at that moment that a creature materialized in front of Octavia. The creature seemed to be a mannequin of sorts, made of wood and other materials held together by metallic joints. His limbs were bleach white, as was his hair, although his body was colored a sky blue and he wore a bright red scarf. But what drew Octavia’s attention was the giant lyre on his back.
“You?”
The creature nodded its head, “Yes, would you still like to play a melody with me?” he started to play his lyre before Octavia could join in, the song was sad but not crushingly so, it was interpretable and something told Octavia that was the point, that he wanted her to make it a song about something. She started to play her cello, a song that was sad and yet accepting, it seemed fitting to be the encore for their performance together. When the piece was finished both Octavia and the creature bowed to one another. “You do not seem off put by my appearance, why?”
Octavia scoffed, “Whatever you are, you aren’t a monster, no monster makes music that emotional.”
The creature seemed to laugh at this notion “You believe that a species capable of emotional music is inherently good?”
Octavia shook her head, “No, but your music was different, sad and tragic, but then a song of happiness and elation, followed by a song that sad and regretful but accepting of something that has happened.” The creature seemed intrigued by Octavia’s knowledge and her assumptions of his character.
“I am a demon young miss.” Octavia didn’t bat an eye at this revelation and simply allowed the creature to continue “I wish for you to make a contract with me, I can protect you and perhaps we may compose music together.”
“Protect me?”
“Yes, not all demons are like myself, many are savages wishing nothing but death and destruction in what little life they have, while others wish to allow creatures with plans of treason and tyranny to have their dark wishes granted.”
Octavia looked at the creature she couldn’t imagine anything like it harming anypony perhaps the others didn’t look like him, he looked sad and pitiable. “All right as you wish, my name is Octavia.”
She reached out a hoof to shake. The creature returned the gesture before disappearing and a strange mark appearing on Octavia’s hoof, “Mine is Orpheus.”
Octavia smiled “Well then Orpheus I shall properly introduce you to my family and perhaps we should perform for them.”
“Perhaps if he hasn’t gotten their first.” Octavia stopped cold, “I was hiding here for a reason Octavia, there is a powerful demon making mischief on your property.”
Octavia ran through the woods as fast as she could shouting her sisters name “Pinkie!”
Octavia finally made it out of the forest albeit out of breath. She looked around and saw that the mysterious cotton candy clouds were no longer present and that her sister was no where to be seen. Then off on the horizon she saw one pink outline in the sky and what looked like two ponies playing under it. “Pinkie! Quartz!” she galloped towards them hoping inwardly that Orpheus really could protect her, although he had said that he was hiding from the creature. She made it over to see that her sisters were playing in the chocolate rain and a large black blob was hovering above them swirling the cloud. “Stay away from my sisters!” she shouted at the monster completely out of breath by this point.
“Octavia come on join in its fun.” Pinkie seemed chipper as ever despite a large black blob creature being overhead.
“Yeah it is… kind of fun big sis.” Quartz responded in hushed tones.
“Incredible” Octavia didn’t like the sound of that.
“What are you talking about Orpheus? what’s ‘incredible’?”
“Oh," Pinkie said, "you have a demon too.”
Octavia barely registered it all she heard was Orpheus’ response “Your sister tamed the beast of chaos eternal, Nyarlathotep is your sisters contract.”
Octavia slumped to the ground. Pinkie stood up and introduced her new friend, “This is Narly, well he has a longer name but I can’t really pronounce it so I just call him Narly, anyway he’s like a super cool demon of chaos who can do all the same stuff that Discord did, but he isn’t evil or anything he just wants friends so we became friends and now there’s this thing on my hoof like a tattoo or something, Oh I always wanted a tattoo except I totally wanted mine to be based on Balloons or candy or something like that, something that just screams Party you know?”
Pinkie ended her tirade to see her sister still slumped over and barely moving. “That thing is your contract?”
“Friend," Pinkie corrected, "but yeah he called it something like that.”
“That is Nyarlathotep, he is close to a god in strength, and he is the embodiment of chaos eternal, it would take a great mage to control that beast” Octavia could barely believe what she was seeing a God taking orders from her sister!?
Equestria is doomed.
Author's Note
Demon Compendium
Attack: Megidolaon: Heavy almighty damage, all foes
Fire of Sinai: Massive almighty damage, random
Mahamaon: High-chance Expel, instant kill/expel damage, all foes
Diety Izanagi
Attack: Ten Thousand words of truth: Shatters Illusions, powerful expel damage
Ziodyne: High electric damage
Brave Blade: Severe physical damage
Tyrant Astaroth
Attack: Deathbound: High physical damage, all foes
Mudoon: High dark damage/possible instant kill chance, one foe
Diety Izanami
Attacks: Ten Thousand Curses: Craft an illusionary world, dark damage to one foe
Agidyne: Heavy fire damage to one foe
God's Hand: Severe physical damage, one foe
Avian Garuda
Attacks: Megidolaon: Heavy almighty damage, all foes
Dragon Fafnir
Attack: Garudyne: Heavy wind damage, one foe
Makarakarn: Reflect one magic attack
Diety Atavaka
Attack: Brave Blade: Severe physical damage, one foe
Deathbound: heavy physical damage, all foes
Vile Girimehkala
Attack: Hassohapa: Medium physical damage, all foes
Bufudyne: Heavy Ice damage, one foe
Tyrant Beelzebub
Attack: Death Flies: Severe almighty damage, all foes
Corpse Staff: Severe physical damage, one foe
Yamato-no-Orochi
Attack: Hassohapa: Heavy physical damage, all foes
Fallen Forneus
Attack: Bufula: Medium ice damage, one foe
Stun Bite: Low physical damage, one foe, chance of paralysis
??? Orpheus
Attack: Bash: Light physical damage, one foe
Agi: Light fire damage, one foe
Shin Megami Tensei: Equestria
Twilight paced around the lobby of Ponyville hospital waiting for the go ahead to be able to visit Rarity. Nurse Redheart had come to get her personally to tell her that Rarity was waking up and that she should be able to have visitors soon. Twilight also feared what had become of Sweetie Bell and Spike, whom she had sent Scootaloo after, the two of them hadn’t been seen since they left the hospital with Sweetie’s demon in tow.
“Isn’t it obvious, they went to kill the Sumner that you left alive.”
Twilight mentally hushed her demon, ‘We don’t know that’ she tried to reason ‘they could have just needed some time alone to figure things out, both of them were… are really close to Rarity.’
“Miss Sparkle you may now see your friend” nurse Redheart ushered her to the back of the hospital where the more critical patients were kept.
Twilight slowly entered Rarity’s room and let out a sigh of relief that her friend was still alive and kicking. “Twilight,” Rarity said almost in a whisper.
“Yeah,” she could barely manage a few words, it was her fault.
“But you are also the reason she still lives” Virtue was trying to make his master feel better but she didn’t listen, she had wandered in their without the Elements or a plan of any kind.
“Did you beat Trixie?” Rarity asked, Twilight nodded in response. “Good,” Rarity slumped back a bit, “her demons cape was hideous .” Twilight laughed, it was good to see that she was still in good spirits despite what happened.
Twilight wandered out to see that Big Mac was waiting for her. “What’s wrong Big Mac?”
“Applebloom” he motioned for her to follow him so she did, all the way back to Sweet Apple Acres where Applebloom was nowhere to be found. “She left with Scootaloo,” he stated.
“Where did she go?” Twilight realized that she should have seen this coming and that she should have gone after Sweetie Bell herself.
“To find Sweetie Bell.”
“What’s this about my sister?” the two turned to see a barely awake and heavily bandaged Rarity walking up to them.
“Rarity, you should be resting at the hospital…”
Rarity raised a hoof in protest, “Twilight I understand your concerns but mine still stand, where is my sister?” Twilight recounted the books contents to Rarity and of Sweetie’s complaint that Trixie still lived. Rarity took the news fairly calmly, “All right that’s all I needed to know.” she pulled a large hat from seemingly nowhere and placed it on her head, it was the color of camouflage but quite large and poufy. “I’m coming with you.”
Twilight shook her head “No it’s dangerous!”
“Twilight, dear, listen, you have that magnificent demon with you so if things get dangerous, which I don’t believe they will, then you can simply save us with your new friend, now lets find my sister.” Rarity started walking out of the barn and in the direction of the forest with Twilight and Big Mac following behind her.
Shining Armor wasn’t having a whole lot of fun at his new post. He had lived his life almost exclusively in Canterlot, the sweltering heat of Appaloosa left a lot to be desired in his book. Not to mention his reason for being there. ‘Unearth all the graves and burn the bodies,’ he shivered as he remembered the Princess’ words. His men had been secretly infiltrating the gravesite near Appaloosa for a few days now and had been trying to keep a low profile lest the locals get suspicious of the incredibly suspicious activity being carried out by the royal guard of Canterlot. ‘I’m sure the Princess has a good reason for this’ he tried to reason as he wiped another gallon of sweat from his brow, ‘she just couldn’t explain it to me.’ He tried to get his mind off of that for now as he had a different job to do now. He had promised Twily in his letter that he would get Applejack to go back to Ponyville so that they could round up the elements of harmony and go to Canterlot to see if the Princess would listen to them. Apparently Applejack had been all over Appaloosa the past few days, going between the Bison camp and the settlers and staying at various places to try and get a feel for the recent distrust between two groups of Appaloosan settlers. He finally arrived at the saloon where Applejack was allegedly hanging out. He opened up the doors tentatively and wandered inside thankful to see a big familiar cowboy hat at the bar.
“Well howdy there Shining, how are you?” Applejack shouted to the new arrival. He walked over to the bar and sat down, covered in sweat and out of his Royal guard uniform and dressed in some more casual clothing.
“I’m… doing alright,” Applejack could smell a lie on anypony but decided not to pursue the issue.
“Cadence here with you?” she asked as she took another gulp of cider.
“No, I’m here on business,” he furrowed his brow, clearly whatever this ‘business’ was troubled him, he’s a worse liar than Twilight, AJ guessed it ran in the family.
“What kind…”
“Official business I can’t discuss with anypony.” Applejack backed away from that line of questioning, “But I did have something I needed to talk about Applejack.”
“Well shoot.”
“You need to go back to Ponyville, something bad is happening and it’s necessary that the elements of harmony be gathered.”
Applejack swallowed her cider “Princess’ orders?”
“My request.” Applejack was confused by this, the Princess didn’t order this? “This is technically behind the Princess back, it has to do with some things called ‘demons’ who have arrived in Equestria, she’s locked herself and all the other royals and such in Canterlot with a barrier.” Applejack some days cursed the fact that she was so good at spotting lies, she wished that she could have walked away thinking that he was spouting a load of hooey but she knew better.
Shining was telling the truth, and in this case that was worse. “I have business to finish, I’ll leave tomorrow.” Shining nodded and ordered a drink as Applejack left; she needed to be alone for a while to figure this out.
Demons, the word rang in Applejack’s head. She had never heard of these creatures and now apparently they were a problem that not even the Princess wanted to deal with. Applejack started wandering towards the center of town near her cousin Braeburn’s home. However as she started to get closer she noticed ponies running to and fro. She galloped faster towards the town’s center when she arrived she saw many of what she assumed were demons. They were floating pumpkins with hats and lanterns, which were spitting fire as the demons aimed them at the passing ponies. Applejack rushed forward and jumped up bucking one in the pumpkin-face-thing. When she came back down she noticed she was covered in pumpkin guts, she heard what sounded like screams and realized all eyes were on her. The pumpkins started firing at her as she dodged around trying to lead them away from the town center.
“Applejack!” one of the creatures was tied with a lasso and pulled to the ground as Braeburn emerged from his home. “No, Get Back!” but her words didn’t reach him as the lassoed pumpkin shot fire at Braeburn who couldn’t get out of the way and was hit. The fire swiftly consumed him as he screamed and rolled on the ground attempting to extinguish the flame but soon his screams died down.
Applejack rushed backwards as she kicked the creature in the face squishing it as she had the other one. Fire flew near Applejack who almost didn’t dodge the blazing projectile and started sprinting for the next creature only to see a blast of magic destroy it. “Shining!” Applejack yelled out before bucking another one of the pumpkin creatures. Shining readied another bolt of magic and fired three consecutive shots at the next pumpkin destroying it. Applejack looked around, as that should have been all of them only to notice another group of about ten of the creatures floating towards them. “There’s more!” Applejack pointed them out to Shining who prepared more magic.
Octavia sat in one corner of her family’s home with the demon Orpheus floating next to her. She began to play note after note on her cello while Orpheus followed with his lyre. The two played a melody that Octavia had composed as a filly. A melody about her family and how much she loved them, the song was upbeat and fast-paced as she looked around the room at her father and mother, her youngest sister Quartz and of course her sister Pinkie Pie. Pinkie Pie was seated next to her demon Nyarlathotep, or Narly as she insisted on calling it. Orpheus had told her that it was one of the most powerful demons in all of existence, and yet her sister had tamed it without fighting. As Octavia finished her piece her family all applauded and began digging into the party snacks that Pinkie Pie had provided for them.
“That was great sis!" Pinkie squealed, "even better than you normally do, which is awesome!”
“Yes, quite enjoyable.”
Octavia shivered as Narly spoke being a “Tamer” as Orpheus called it she could feel Nyarlathotep’s power, she knew that it would barely have to lift a finger if it wished to wipe her out of existence, even if she had an army of Orpheus’ to defend herself.
She sat on her families couch as her parents danced with her sisters and Orpheus sat next to her. “So what shall we do now master?”
Octavia sipped the tea she had brewed for herself. “My sister believes that she needs to go to Ponyville so we shall accompany her.” Orpheus turned towards the dance floor, where a certain other demon was dancing with her sister.
“If you are worried?”
Octavia stuck out her hoof “I am, but not just about my sister.” She sipped her tea again “I’m worried for myself.” She set the teacup down with shaking hooves “You said that demons and their tamers often fought when you had previously been in Equestria.” She breathed slow and steady trying not to betray her usual calmness, “I’m not a fighter, I’m a musician, if this Nyarlathotep is as powerful as you say then we should stick with my sister, perhaps I’ll learn a thing or two.” She walked over to Pinkie and began a previously rehearsed speech about how as her older sister she would accompany her to Ponyville and make sure no harm befell her sister as all the while Narly watched and giggled.
Shining Armor sunk back, his breathing irregular. How long had he and Applejack been fighting the demons? It seemed like an hour, all around him the bodies of the demons were scattered, they were easy to kill, but numerous. He saw more of the pumpkin demons amassing near the edge of town rushing to replace their fallen comrades. He looked to his fighting partner and saw she was just as tired, this wasn’t going to end well. “Thou art a very righteous pony, perhaps you would form a contract with us to survive?” Shining heard voices in his head, he fired more magic bolts at the pumpkin demons. He looked over to Applejack to see something strange was happening, a white glow was emanating from her and a pentagram appeared on her hoof, she had a contract.
Shining watched as the mysterious new demon joined the fray. It was bipedal, had large horns and seemed to be constructed out of solid rock. The demon rushed forward and met the attackers head on tearing several of the pumpkin demons apart.
“What is your reason pony?”
“Yes, what world do you seek?”
The question was strange to Shining, but nonetheless he wondered himself, why was he doing any of this? He went to Appaloosa because Celestia had ordered the bodies of the dead burned, which he had accomplished, but why was he gathering the elements back in Ponyville. "Because Celestia has betrayed our trust." The response came clear as day, and just as quick. Celestia kept the demons a secret, and now with their return she boards up the castle and hides herself within. She no longer deserves to lead, the Royal Guard are ones who carry her orders out, perhaps we should lead. “I’ll overthrow Celestia.” Applejack looked over at him perplexingly as light began to shine around him, “The Royal Guard will lead Equestria, not one ruler but three, three who understand the people and stand by them in times of crisis, not cower in a castle.”
It was at that moment that two winged demons appeared in front of Shining Armor. One was covered in blood red armor and held a large spear, the other a long silky green dress and held a book in one arm and a large staff with a cross on the top in the other.
“The contract is formed.” The one in armor stated “I am Power, the spear that shall drive thine enemies to death.” the creature stated this as it waded in to the crowd of demons, slicing them up as it went.
“I am Principality, the wisdom that shall help lead your world.” it stamped it’s staff on the ground and a brilliant white light shone forth disintegrating the demons around it, and causing all of the stragglers to retreat.
Shining breathed a sigh of relief as Applejack approached, “Did you mean what you said?” she looked him straight in the eyes as her demon stood by her side.
“Yes, I will use these demons to usurp Celestia and the Royal Guard will stand by the people, not cower in fear in some castle and leave them to die.” he stamped his hoof to the ground and met Applejacks gaze.
“Alright then me and Kin-ki here will accompany ya” he staggered back a bit. “My cousin just died in there Shining, I’m not gonna let that happen again.”
The people began to crowd around them and a gold light surrounded Shining, “Alright listen these are orders from the Royal Guard, the new rulers of Equestria.”
Twilight continued to walk through the Everfree forest with Rarity and Big Macintosh at her side searching for Sweetie Bell. Her demon, Virtue, had also asked her something that she hadn’t been able to answer; 'what was her Reason'? He had explained that all the great tamers had a Reason, something that they would do if they were the ones who ran the world. Twilight had initially waved it off as her demon trying to get her to revolt against the princess but started to consider it as she went on. She had seen the demons do things not even the best of unicorns could accomplish, they had healed her from her wounds in her fight with Trixie, they had stabilized Rarity to the point that the doctors could fix her, they had saved Sweetie Bell and her friends from danger. Why were they kept from the world? Why were they kept from her? Twilight couldn’t believe that there were secrets she didn’t even trust her student with. Her prized student, the element of Magic itself!
Twilight attempted to calm herself as she continued to walk through the path but found it difficult, she was the princess prized student, Celestia had been like a mother to Twilight, she continued to walk until Big Mac stopped her and she looked up not noticing that she had led them into the middle of nowhere by accident.
“We’re… lost?” Rarity piped up groggily.
“Eeyup,” Big Mac confirmed.
Twilight just sighed and sat down as her unknowing idiocy had made them lost. “Twilight… you must tell…” Rarity sat breathing heavily as she winced in pain, “us… what’s wrong.”
“Why didn’t she tell me?” Rarity and Big Mac simply looked at her “Why banish them at all?”
“They… are demons dear.”
“But look at what they can do.” She motioned to herself “Virtue completely healed my wounds after the fight with Trixie, he made you stable enough to survive!” Twilight was yelling by this point as she fully realized now what she wanted, “The demons do more good than harm, the only reason this happened is because she didn’t tell anyone about them.” Twilight looked above and saw storm clouds gathering.
Rarity sighed, “a… storm now of all times.” “
Eeyup” Big Mac’s stoicism elicited a chuckle from Rarity.
“I think we’re close to Zecora’s house," Twilight responded quickly, "I’ll go look, you two stay here, and Big Mac.” Big Macintosh looked her way “Make sure Rarity’s ok.” She turned and ran as Big Mac simply smiled and Rarity sighed as she laid down against a nearby tree.
As time went by neither Rarity nor Big Macintosh said anything simply using the trees as cover from the rain above. The sound of the rain was soothing to Rarity it was a beautiful sound, even if she didn’t want to think of what sitting on the wet dirt was doing to her coat. She heard a slight yell off in the distance as though someone was running from something. She forced herself upwards earning a look from Big Mac who then turned in the direction of the sound. Big Macintosh stood up motioning for Rarity to sit back down, ‘what a gentlecolt’ she mused as she slumped backwards.
“Help!”
She could barely hear the voice but she knew it from somewhere.
“Help!”
There it was again but louder; who was it?
“Help!”
“Spike.” She finally put it together that the voice was Spike’s. She turned to see Spike running through the woods followed by a small snowman both of them were carrying a filly on their shoulders. “Sweetie Bell!”
Rarity got up and ran out to meet Spike and the snowman both of whom dropped Sweetie Bell in front of her and Big Macintosh as the snowman dissipated into mist and surrounded Sweetie Bell. Rarity looked at her sister, bite marks and gashes from claws lined her sister’s body as blood oozed outwards.
“She is alive albeit not for long.”
Rarity turned and spun her head in different directions trying to find the source of the voice to no avail. Big Macintosh also looked ahead of them and saw the pack of Timberwolves that had been following Spike as he readied himself to fight them Rarity held her sister and tried to use her magic, her horn simply sputtered and sparks flew as she panted and continued to scream “Come on, wake up” into her sister’s ear.
“I can save her,” Rarity stopped as the voice continued, “I can help you, if you’ll make a contract with me.”
Rarity shouted back “Whatever it is you want demon I’ll give, my horn, my life, my mane, whatever it is you want just contract with me and save Sweetie Bell!” Rarity screamed as tears rolled down her face.
“Very well, I shall save your sister then, master.” a pentagram appeared on Rarity’s left hoof and out of it came a demon.
The demon seemed mechanical in nature, it floated above the ground and it’s body seemed made of metal. On it’s sides were two large disks that glowed a bright red matching the color of most of the creature’s body and face. “Recarm” the demon clasped its hands together and began to chant a spell that slowly began to envelop Sweetie Bell.
“You don’t really think you can fight them on your own do you?” Big Mac simply shook his head as the Timberwolves approached and he steeled himself to fight them, he would keep Rarity, her sister, and Spike safe. The earth pony gritted his teeth as the Timberwolves attacked, he looked behind him and saw a demon hovering above Rarity and Sweetie Bell and a pentagram on Rarity’s hoof. ‘She’s a Tamer now too, huh’ he grinned and looked forward as the first Timberwolf charged he turned around and bucked it hard in the face. A sick crack could be heard all around as the Timberwolf’s face was crushed by Big Mac mighty strike, ‘that weird voice didn’t know nuthin, I have no problem taking them on my own.’ His self-congratulations didn’t last long however as the second, third, and fourth Timberwolves all found spots on him to chew. Two latched onto his back legs and one his shoulder; he pushed sideways slamming the one on his shoulder into a nearby tree, it grunted but held it grip, he smashed it again, it whined but only bit down harder.
“I could help you.”
‘No thanks crazy voice,’ he slammed it again as he planted his front hooves and tried to buck the two on his legs, he planted a solid kick in stomach of one but the other simply unhinged its jaw from him for a few seconds finding a new spot to bite after he planted his hooves on the ground again.
“You’ll die, or more importantly, they’ll die.”
Big Macintosh stopped as he considered the voices words, it was right, Rarity was hurt and Spike and Sweetie Bell were just kids, one of whom was mortally injured and being helped by the mechanical demon, ‘alright, ya’ll got a deal.’
“Excellent, let me just clear a path.”
A white light enveloped Big Macintosh and a strong gust of wind swirled around him, sucking the three Timberwolves into a vortex and spitting them out in a pile in front of him. The demon appeared in front of him, “my name is Fuu-Ki, pleasure to meet you.” Fuu-Ki was a strange sight to Big Macintosh, his skin was blue like the sky, his armor was coated in a darker shade of the same color and in his hand he held a metal rod with two blades on either side. But the strangest thing was it’s head, it had two short horns and where its face should be was an indentation and a small hole. Big Mac ignored the pain wracking his body and stood alongside his new demon companion to fight the remaining Timberwolves. Fuu-Ki rushed forward and attacked before they could all get up and collect themselves after the whirlwind had sent them flying, he twirled his blade in his hands so fast that the wind gathered around it, he stopped and thrust his free palm outwards at one other Timber wolf and a gust of wind blew forth blowing the wolf back and impaling it through a tree branch. The wolf that Fuu-Ki had been charging at leapt at its prey however Fuu-Ki simply twirled around and slashed at the wolf as it was leaping through the air, splitting it in two. Big Macintosh ran at the final Timberwolf punching it with one front hoof and then stomping at its head with both once it was grounded. He breathed in and out slowly as the creature’s crushed head bled outwards. Big Macintosh stepped off of the dead wolf and tried to wipe his hoof against the ground to clear the blood. “You fight well master, I shall enjoy serving you” the creature disappeared as Twilight rushed into the clearing shouting, “What happened?”
Twilight sat with her friends in Zecora’s home after they had walked there from the clearing. Sweetie Bell was still unconscious, however Rarity’s new demon, Kikuri-Hime, had healed Big Macintosh so they were all in relatively good health. Twilight still pondered the question, what was her Reason, what would she create? What would she do if she were ruler of Equestria? Would she do anything all that different than Celestia?
‘I would allow the demons to stay’ she thought to herself ‘The breakthrough’s in magic are to numerous, I would allow the demons connected to tamers stay and study them and their magic and attempt to replicate it.’
Virtue chuckled in her head “So that is your Reason, Understanding, I see that I was right to choose you to be my Tamer.”
Twilight stood up drawing the attention of all others in the room “It’s settled then, I’ll go to Canterlot and convince the Princess to allow the demons that have tamers to stay so we can study them.”
Rarity looked over at her sisters still unconscious form, that Spike had been attending to ever since they had arrived, “I’m coming with you dear.” Twilight looked over at her friend “Kikuri-Hime saved my dear Sweetie Bell’s life, if the princess wishes to banish her I will fight back, she is a friend to me now.”
Kikuri-Hime smiled and bowed in the air next to her master “As you say master Rarity, your battles and the battles of your friend are mine.”
Twilight looked to Big Macintosh. Big Macintosh hadn’t really given any thought to what he should do, he contracted with Fuu-Ki to stay alive, there wasn’t any alternative motive to it, and he didn’t want to rule Equestria. ‘Just because they’re demons they were banished, that don’t sit right.’
He mulled it over as Twilight walked over to him and bowed slightly, “Will you lend me your strength Big Macintosh?”
He looked down towards Twilight and thought of how she claimed that demons and their magic could save the world, he thought before responding “Eeyup.”
“And I’m coming too!” they trio looked over at the bed that Zecora had made before leaving again to pick more herbs, Sweetie Bell stood upright with her head in the air and her demon Jack Frost floated next to her head posing with it’s thumb up while the rest of its hand was in a fist.
“Sweetie Bell, this is extremely dangerous,” Rarity began.
“Exactly!” her younger sister butted in. “I’m a Tamer so ponies may try and hurt me because of it, doesn’t it make more sense for me to be in a group that could protect me.” Rarity opened her mouth to interject but closed it once she realized that Sweetie was right, after all Trixie had attacked both her and Twilight when they didn’t have any demons at all, Equestria was becoming a dangerous place and as the big sister she needed to protect Sweetie Bell.
“Alright then," Rarity conceded, "but you will not join us in battle.”
“Eeyup,” Big Mac confirmed.
“Then it’s settled.” Twilight said as a golden glow surrounded her pentagram, and above it more symbols appeared.
“They mark you as the leader of a Reason, a contestant in the Shin Megami Tensei.” Virtue said aloud.
“The Shin what?” Sweetie Bell questioned.
“The Shin Megami Tensei, the god reincarnation, the one who defeats the previous winner is granted power beyond their wildest dreams, immortality, and they rule this land,” Virtue remarked.
Twilight’s eyes widened “Then Princess Celestia…”
“Was the previous winner," Virtue confirmed, "she chose to make a world where the demons and the corruption she believed came with them wouldn’t be something her subjects had to deal with.”
Rarity was the first to speak, “a land built on a lack of knowledge.”
Spike was the next to speak, “rather than let her subjects make the decisions between right and wrong she gave them only one option.”
Twilight’s eyes burned, “not for long, come on then we’ll recruit more ponies to our cause and defeat the Princess, we’ll have to leave our old lives behind; tomorrow we’ll go back to Ponyville, and we’ll see if anypony else feels the same.” Twilight laid her head back against the wall, ‘this is the right choice, I’m sure of it.’
The Mysterious Mare stood atop a skyscraper in Manehatten looking down across the city. This was the last one, the last place she had to convince some other ponies to open the portals for her. She could have done it herself, but she was unaware of the Princess’ reaction, she believed that she would attempt to stop at least one summoning but instead she created a wall around Canterlot, and locked herself and her nobles inside. She had felt a rush earlier, which was the sign that somepony had created a Reason, she smiled at this, the Shin Megami Tensei would begin. Another rush hit her, another Reason was made and so soon. She looked down at the city, filled with the weak little ponies that Celestia had raised, unable to help themselves, the demons would cleanse that. She looked at her own hoof adorned with a pentagram and the Praetor symbol above; the praetor symbol being that which showed that she also led a Reason. She released her demon from its cage and it sat upon the building with her. The demon had the body of a great beast and the tail of a serpent with a four-pronged claw on its end, it had ten heads all in the shape of a dragon’s head, it fur and scales were coated black like ash, and it’s eyes glowed a menacing red.
“You called, master.” the demon seemed to choke on those words, no matter it would soon realize that despite all the masters the demon had, she was the greatest.
“Satan, I thought you would like to see the beginning of downfall of Celestia’s perfect world.” she waved her hoof over at a small fire in the distance. Satan stepped its four massive paws closer to the edge and looked over where its master pointed, demons had begun to pour out of a summoning circle that one of the ponies she had given the spell to had created. She tried to find ponies that were both powerful and easily moldable, she wanted chaos to wreak across Equestria so that when she killed Celestia and unleashed the demons upon the world and allowed them to claim it as their own, it would already feel like home to them. She looked over to the large cliff face upon which stood Canterlot. A grin crept across the mare’s face, this had been generations in the making, and she would be the one to see it happen.
Shin Megami Tensei: Equestria
Chapter 5: Heroes and Villains
“We love you Daring Do!” The crowd cried out as the celebrity walked into the bookstore, a false smile plastered on her face. She sat down at the usual spot, a table set up near the end of the store so that the line could move inside. Inwardly Daring Do sighed as she took her position. As the pegasus started signing autographs she lamented about her current situation and job title, author and Ex-archeologist. A fan trotted up in a costume of her old nemesis Ahuitzotl, ah how she missed him, he had fallen into a volcano mouth at the end of her last adventure; one of the ones she hadn’t written yet. As she signed his book collection she reminisced on the adventures she had, the adrenaline pumping through her veins, the wind in her mane as she flew through jungles and temples and various other places. She even enjoyed the actual archeological parts as well to a certain extent; she was more a fan of avoiding death traps, but one cannot deny the impact that her findings have had on Equestria’s knowledge of their own history. She continued to sign books for the people of Los Pegasus until the pegasus on a megaphone told everyone to leave momentarily as it was Daring’s lunch break, and after she was finished she’d start signing again.
Daring unraveled the simple sandwich and started eating it. She really did miss adventuring, however the publishing company didn’t want her out there adventuring when she was, in their words, ‘older.’ She was only 35 for Celestia’s sake; she could still raid a temple or a tomb. However she settled instead into a celebrity lifestyle, guaranteed paycheck, adoring fans, smaller chance of death, it was consistent, it was normal. Daring nearly choked on the words in her head, normal. She was just a normal mare now, almost nothing like the adventurous no-nonsense adventurer that used to be, the one that fillies and colts around Equestria worshipped through her novels. She sighed as she went back to the sandwich, readying herself for another barrage of fans that would be coming through the doors in a few minutes. A scream pierced the air causing Daring to perk up.
“Help!”
Daring Do rushed outside tossing her sandwich aside and ignoring the protests of her publisher, something was happening, something that may require Daring Do, the old adventurous Daring Do.
When Daring exited the bookstore she looked to her right and saw something standing in a café. The creature appeared as that of a leopard standing on its hind legs and adorned with a pair of large cannons on its back and spiked gauntlets on its claws. The creature was standing over a small orange filly with small wings that also seemed to have a monster at her side, a winged goat but with a strange looking body.
“None can defeat the mighty Flauros,” announced the standing demon, he pointed at the other demon “Not even you Baphomet,” he pulled back and punched the demon with his spiked gauntlet. With that the creature disappeared and seemed to fade into the filly’s hoof. “Now for the little Tamer” he reared back another punch as Daring rushed in.
As Flauros readied another blow Daring swooped in ducking in front of him and kicking hard in his abdomen with her back hooves causing Flauros to stumble backwards. Daring took her signature hat and placed it on the small orange filly’s head “Hold this for a sec would you” as she darted off to the side to avoid another blow by Flauros.
Daring stood face to face with the creature as it snarled at her “You believe you can fight a demon by yourself, little pony.”
Daring rushed towards him “You really like to hear yourself talk huh” just as she reached in front of him she flopped on her belly sliding under the demon with her previous momentum before straightening up and bucking him again in the back, causing him to stumble forward and fall over.
Flauros righted himself as his opponent rushed him again leaping over his still prone form to kick his face. Flauros shot upright but managed to stay upright and a harsh red glow began to surround the cannons on his back. He watched as Daring began circling him staring intently at him with raspberry red eyes. She darted off to the left side, Flauros leapt ninety degrees to the left and lands on all fours and lets loose a blast from his cannon. Daring notices this and leaps on top of a table of the small café and leaps again as the blast of fire hits and blows the tables and chairs sky high also shattering the windows of the establishment. Daring looked from side to side trying to find something, anything that she could use to turn the tables of the fight in progress, there was the café that Flauros just attacked, the bookstore she just left, a massage spa to her south west, and a fruit cart to the north. Daring stood in place waiting for Flauros’ follow up attack. Sure enough the creature lunged at her growling through the air as Daring leapt out of the way and started dashing for the fruit cart. Flauros readied another blast in its cannon and took aim at the sandy brown pegasus who rushed forward and bucked the cart and took aim with a cantaloupe as her ammunition she waited, one, two, and bucked it hard sending it hurtling towards one of Flauros’ cannons.
The fruit made contact with the cannon and sunk itself inward lodging itself in the cannon to the point only an inch or so of the large fruit was visible. Flauros let another blast loose this time causing two things to happen; the unclogged cannon shot out straight at the fruit stand blowing it up and sending his opponent flying; the other cannon backfired and blew fire and metal out of Flauros’ back causing him to screech in pain and collapse to the ground. Daring pushed herself up off of the ground and surveyed the destruction around her. The fruit cart was completely totaled as was all the merchandise that once adorned it; the café windows were shattered and the outer area was mostly destroyed but the inside seemed to be alright, but most importantly the demon she had been fighting lay on the ground howling and screeching in agony at its blown out backside. The ponies cheered as Daring Do simply slumped back down, while she Wasn’t too ‘old’ to be an adventurer or a fighter, she was terribly out of practice.
“Hey he’s getting away.” One pony yelled as the creature did in fact try to get up and start moving.
“Hey!” Daring righted herself and after a few shaky steps she started after the demon, he then stopped and lied on his back with his paws clasped in front of her.
“Please don’t kill me, Please.” Daring looked at him with caution, while she wasn’t a killer this thing had been planning on killing a little filly and had almost killed several others in its wake. “I know, I’ll contract with you, yes I’ll be your guardian demon, I’ll be helpful once I’m healed promise.”
The demon kept rattling off apologies and promises until Daring shushed him “What do you mean contract?”
Flauros stopped his sniveling and composed himself. “What I mean is that I’ll be your servant like the demon that serves that young pony” he pointed to the small filly still wearing Daring’s hat and still lying on the ground near the café, “I’ll serve you and help you fight your battles, there are few demons in the demon realm that are as loyal and trustworthy as me!”
Daring could barely hear that last groaning lie though as she leaned in to ask “What is this about a ‘Demon Realm’.”
The mysterious mare watched silently over the bustling metropolis of Manehatten with her demon Satan at her side. She looked at a small jewel case that lay next to her on the building she sat upon and opened it. Inside there were slots for four jewels however inside there were only one.
“The horsemen” her companion stated in a low grave tone.
“Yes, I already gave Famine, Pestilence, and Death to a few ponies in order to sow a little more chaos and disorder amongst Celestia’s subjects.” She looked at the red jewel that still sat inside the box, on it was the symbol of a pentagram, and inside it a misty presence swirled waiting to be let out into the world. She looked down towards the city streets were a unicorn stallion was running; the stallion’s coat was white as snow and his blonde mane waved behind him as he ran. “Perfect” the mare got up and grabbed the stone with her magic.
A dragon’s head blocked her path its red eyes staring at her intently “Are thou sure, he seems, cowardly.”
The mare cleared her throat and explained “He’s perfect; he’s the kind of pony who expects everything on a royal platter but only barely has the power for it, when he receives war he’ll be easy to manipulate into thinking he’s better then everypony else and deserves more than he has."
Blueblood ran through the streets of Manehatten as fast as he could as several monsters ran after him. The monsters were red skinned and wielded large clubs and had two horns on either side of their heads. Blueblood continued running until a mare in a large cloak that covered her entirely stood in his way. “Move peasant!” he cried out but the mare simply flipped back her hood back revealing her features to the prince. She had a dark violet coat and a long flowing blood red mane and also a large sharp horn. She began charging a magic spell and still refused to move out of the prince’s way! He continued to run hoping he could charge through her, however she simply caught him in a levitation field. “Let me go peasant there are monsters chasing me!” he shouted at the mare that seemed to ignore his pleadings.
“Do you wish for the power to destroy them?” she asked in a syrupy voice. Blueblood looked quizzically at the mare that seemed to have lost her mind, they were monsters! Something that seemed to jump out of a filly’s bedtime story and were chasing him through Manehatten! “I could give you power, so that none such as they could stand against you.” A grin crossed her face as, without putting him down first, she levitated a small stone out in front of him.
“What’s the catch?" Blueblood asked tentatively, "what do I have to give you for this power?”
She smiled brighter “You must simply use it.” She pressed the stone against his hoof and it glowed softly before he heard a voice echo in his head.
“Hello ‘master’ I am the Red Rider, horseman of War.” A creature appeared before blueblood, a creature even more monstrous than the demons chasing him. The creature was a skeleton, a skeleton wrapped in a red cloak and wielding a large sword, the size of Blueblood at least in his bony hand. He also seemed to be riding on a very large pony with an elongated snout and covered in red armor. The pony he rode on whinnied as the creature dove into battle with the demons that had been chasing Blueblood. Now that he could stop to look he could see that there were twelve of the red-skinned monsters approaching him that the Red Rider began to attack, the odds weren’t in his favor even if he did have a big sword. The Rider rose his blade into the air and a red glow began to encircle it, as he brought the sword down a red wave of heat burst forward from it and sliced through all of the demons, cutting them in two down the middle. His captor and savior finally dropped blueblood as she began to trot away.
“Wait!" Blueblood cried, "what do I do now?”
She didn’t even look back as she said “Use his power; for what is up to you,” as she teleported away to continue to watch and wait for the time of her war to begin.
Rainbow Dash flew as fast as she could in the clouds above Los Pegasus. She had been in Cloudsdale for the past few days auditioning for the Wonderbolts but she had boarded the first train to Los Pegasus as soon as she could. Daring Do, her second idol (nothing beats the Wonderbolts), was signing books in Los Pegasus; there was no way that she would miss this. She spotted the bookstore from the clouds above and dashed downwards towards the entrance, nopony was there and she could be first in line! She barreled through the door and just barely managed to stop herself in front of the table at the back where Daring would be signing books. Its at this point that Rainbow stopped to look around and realize that Daring Do and her publisher weren’t the only ponies in the room, nor were there only ponies in the room. A strange Leopard looking creature and a winged goat bookended the table one sitting next to Daring and the other… “Rainbow Dash!” Scootaloo jumped up from her seat as she pointed to Rainbow, who was still in shock. “See Rainbow Dash is the fastest flyer in all of Equestria, and she’s a huge fan of yours Daring Do!”
“Scootaloo, what are you doing in Los Pegasus? Do your parents know you’re here?” Rainbow tried to sound stern but could barely contain the squeal forming from being in the presence, of the real, live, in the flesh.
Daring Do! Daring looked over at Rainbow Dash, “So you know this filly?”
Rainbow looked back and gulped back her squeal, “Uh… Yeah, I’m a friend of hers…”
“She’s my idol, I want to be just like Rainbow Dash!” Scoots answered.
Rainbow smiled a little at the praise and attention, “If my mistress believes thee to be good then I believe this as well, I am Baphomet,” the winged goat reached a hand out for Rainbow Dash to shake, which she tentatively returned.
“So Flauros you were telling me about the Demon World!” Daring quickly changed the subject away from the domestic child worship and back to the interesting part.
“Of course mistress!” Flauros cleared his throat for effect, “The demon world is a kind of clone world to your own that had been sealed away many years ago by Princess Celestia.” He growled at the mention of her name, “She sealed all the entrances to the demon world, only recently were portals opened to allow some of us through.”
“So ponies can enter the Demon Realm now!” Daring was nearly jumping out of her seat at this point, a whole new world to explore, one that ponies hadn’t been near in centuries or even millennia!
“Unfortunately no; the portals only allow demons through, since Celestia’s magic still pervades the land.” Daring slumped back in her chair, defeated. “However,” Daring looked up, “with all the portals opening the Shin Megami Tensei must be beginning anew, that is how your princess received her immortality and boundless power to begin with, if mistress were to defeat her then you could gain the power to reopen the portals yourself.”
Daring put a hoof to her chin, it sounded to good to be true, as much as she dreaded having to fight the Princess of the Sun a good adventure such as this would get her back in shape to explore this demon realm. Whatever shiny priceless artifacts this world possessed they belonged in a pony museum. “Ahh” a cry from outside shook Daring Do from her pondering as she rushed out to see what was happening; again.
Once Daring Do, and Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo, had gotten outside they noticed a pony in the middle of the road surrounded by runic writing and symbols that matched the symbols on Scootaloo’s hoof. “The same symbols.” Daring pondered as she looked between the strange pony casting magic and Scootaloo.
“Oh yeah these things," Scootaloo said nonchalantly, "they're like a container for demons.” She smiled proudly, she gasped and looked over to Rainbow Dash, “Hey Rainbow you want to know how I got Baphomet!”
“Uh… sure squirt just…”
“OK so I was walking through the Everfree Forest with my previous demon Pyro Jack!”
Scootaloo and Pyro Jack wondered through the Everfree forest, she and Applebloom had decided to split up and meet back at the clubhouse tomorrow so they could cover more ground in the search for Sweetie Bell. She and Pyro came across a group of the monsters that had attacked Applebloom earlier, called Kobolds. Pyro fought them back as well as he could but was eventually defeated and called out “Help lord of fire, save my Tamer.” As the Kobolds finished him off the symbols on Scootaloo changed to read Vile Baphomet. Then Baphomet appeared and summoned a wave of fire and killed all of the Kobolds. Then she just kept walking and talking with Baphomet not realizing that she had reached Los Pegasus.
Scootaloo held her head proud after she finished telling the story, as if she was proud of getting profoundly lost and somehow finishing a several daylong trek in an afternoon. “Well maybe he can help now.” Daring pointed towards the mass of red-skinned demons walking towards them.
“Oni," Flauros muttered, "if I wasn’t so beat up I could kill em’ all in a heartbeat,” Flauros puffed out his chest and beat against it like an ape.
“Um," Scootaloo piped in, "Baphomet can’t fight, he’s still beat up from the fight with Flauros.” Daring shot Flauros a look, as Rainbow walked back and flexed her wings.
“My turn then.” Rainbow shot out like cannon and smacked straight into one of the Oni. The Oni was sent flying by Rainbow’s headbutt and crashed into the pony that stood in the circle of runes. The Oni got up and started after the civilians in the area as the pony in the circle of runes summoned two demons, which looked to be made of paper. “Shika-Ouji, kill that Pegasus!” The two paper demons started after Rainbow as one began blowing fire from its mouth. Daring rushed towards the Oni and began attacking herself since her new demon acquaintance couldn’t help.
“Why were you so interested in the Demon World master?” Daring looked over to see that Flauros was standing there and holding back one of the Oni.
“I was just thinking of all the great adventures that I could have in your world, or anypony could for that matter!” She bucked an Oni in the abdomen causing it to stumble backwards and get smashed by one of its brethren. “The tombs and temples, the death traps, the thrills! Who wouldn’t want to experience that!”
Flauros nodded as he punched another Oni into oblivion, “then contract with me.” Daring looked over and saw that the summoner was well in hand as apparently this Rainbow Dash had summoned a demon of her own, a large man with grey armor and grey hair wielding a large spear. Daring looked back to her own predicament and kicked another of the Oni.
“Alright then," Daring conceded, "but no hurting ponies,” she scolded at Flauros.
“As thou wishes Master.” Flauros fought off another Oni as a mark appeared on Daring Do’s hoof marking her as another leader in the Shin Megami Tensei.
Applebloom had been walking through the Everfree forest for a while now ever since she and Scootaloo had split up she had felt like somepony, or something, was following her. However she persevered and continued forward as finding Sweetie Bell was more important than feeling mildly put off by the Everfree forest. “This friend of yours is very important?” a voice called out, Applebloom stopped and looked around for the voice but found nothing there.
“Who’s there?” she called out.
“I am called Black Frost,” the voice responded.
“Oh boy are you a demon, so I can have my own demon contract just like Sweetie Bell and Scootaloo!” The little filly hopped up and down in place in the middle of the forest.
The demon giggled at the display. “Perhaps, I am very strong young filly, it takes one of great power to wield my strength.”
Applebloom continued to hop in place, “I’m strong, I’m strong enough honest!” The demon continued to giggle at the filly and her antics as he materialized in front of her. Black Frost looked very much like Sweetie Bell’s Jack Frost however a lot bigger. Also where Jack Frost was white like snow Black Frost was well Black. The creature assumed a fighting stance when he saw somepony else arrive in the clearing.
Trixie had been wandering, testing her demons might against the various creatures that took up residence in the Everfree forest. However she heard the sounds of another pony and went to investigate. When she came across the small yellow filly that was playing in the forest she saw the demon that was with her. ‘Does every blasted filly in Ponyville have a demon now?’ she walked forward and summoned Forneus to the spot. “Young filly you are now challenged by the Great and Powerful Trixie to a duel between demons.” She raised her fore hoofs in the air seemingly forgetting that she didn’t have her fireworks with her. The large snowman stood beside the yellow filly and readied himself.
Forneus rushed forward at the large snowman and fired a large chunk of ice from its mouth towards Black Frost. The chunk simply bounced off of the large snowman that then punched Forneus in the snout knocking him back. “What is your Reason miss Tamer, what purpose does attacking me serve?”
Trixie raised her head up high “To prove that the great and powerful Trixie is the best, I wish to create a world where the strong are served and no one tries to take advantage of them, because they Fear them.” As the battle continued Applebloom sat back and thought on Trixie’s words, how many times had ponies tried to take advantage of her family because they were weaker than them? The Apple’s were a respected farmer family they provided a considerable amount of the food for ponies all across Equestria. Her thoughts drifted to Diamond Tiara who constantly made fun of her and her friends; did she do that because she was scared of Applebloom? Should she be afraid? Applebloom would eventually inherit her family’s farm and thus the crops that were used to feed Diamond Tiara and her family. So she should be afraid; Applebloom could just refuse to give food to her, Applebloom had the power, not Diamond Tiara.
Applebloom’s thoughts drifted further to the brothers Flim and Flam. They had tried to take advantage of the Apple’s as well and had tried to run them out of town! In Trixie’s world that wouldn’t have happened, that couldn’t have happened!
“Stop!” Applebloom called out.
Black Frost backed off and Forneus did the same. “What is it child?” Trixie responded in an annoyed tone.
“I want to join you,” Applebloom responded.
Trixie could barely believe what she was hearing “huh?”
“Well, I’m a member of the Apple family," Applebloom explained, "we make a lot of the food that everypony eats to stay healthy and survive.” Trixie listened to the child’s story “But ponies keep trying to take advantage of us, they try to hurt us and take what’s ours from us, but in your world, in the world you want to create, that couldn’t happen because since we make so much of the food for the ponies of Equestria we’re some of the strongest out there, ponies couldn’t live without us!” Trixie called Forneus back to the containment spell and noticed that his health was low; the child could have defeated Trixie in a few moments. “Alright, if you wish to aid the Great and Powerful Trixie’s conquest of Equestria then come along.” Black frost finished the contract with Applebloom and she trotted up to Trixie’s side.
“Alrighty then lets go!” The two set off back towards Ponyville.
Pinkie Pie was dreaming about a place made of cotton candy where she and her friends were having a tea party when she was awoken by the smell of smoke. She pulled herself out of bed and sniffed to try and locate the source of the smell, only to notice that it was all around her. She opened her eyes and noticed that her house was on fire.
“Mistress!” Narly floated to her side and picked her up in its claws floating outside placing her down. A large lyre broke through part of the house and next to it was Octavia carrying the limp body of Quartz on her back.
“Narly, help my family.”
“I’ve got them Pinkie.” Octavia ran over and Pinkie noticed that on Orpheus’ back were her mother and father also lying limp on their sides. “What happened…?”
Octavia’s question was drowned out by the sound of a fireball hitting the house and causing it to explode in a fiery cloud. “Tamer’s are here huh, well I guess that changes things.”
Pinkie looked up to see a large dragon seemingly made of metal hovering overhead with a Pegasus riding on its back. A dull orange glow surrounded the creature’s mouth signaling that it was the one who destroyed their home. Narly jumped up into the air and began attacking the creature stretching one of its claws outwards and smashing the dragon in the side. Pinkie tended to her family as her sister laid them out on the ground.
Nyarlathotep’s attack knocked the dragon off balance and the Pegasus that was on it’s back jumped off, “The only way to really kill a demon that has performed a contract is to kill the tamer,” Orpheus mentally communicated with Octavia.
Octavia didn’t miss a beat, “Orpheus attack the tamer.” Orpheus summoned fire from his hands and shot it at the dazed tamer who simply dodged out of the way.
“Please that was nothing,” the Pegasus began circling around and around and seemed to create copies of herself with each rotation. She shot downwards and bashed into Orpheus who was blasted back with the force of the hit. Nyarlathotep was still busy beating the dragon to death and so the tamer went back to join her comrade.
Pinkie Pie wasn’t paying attention; all she could see in front of her were the bodies of her family, her dead family. She pushed and prodded, she administered every form of first aid she knew but it was no use, her mom, her dad, and her youngest sister Quartz, a filly of only ten years old, they were dead.
Nyarlathotep floated down next to his master “The tamer has fled, she had a strong demon but didn’t know how to use it, she seems to be heading towards Canterlot.”
“They’re dead.” Pinkie’s mane lost its natural luster and flattened against her. Octavia ran over to her sister with Orpheus back in her containment spell and a soft red glow coming from it. Octavia began to cry as she wrapped her hooves around her sister.
Nyarlathotep piped in, “It doesn’t have to be this way.” Pinkie raised her head, “You could fight and defeat Celestia and become the new ruler of Equestria, create a land without death, a world of eternal chaos.”
Octavia backed off and fumed. “Leave her be, death isn’t something that you can just casually fix…”
“Of Course” Octavia looked over to her sister and saw that the poof was back in her mane. “Yes Narly I can create a world of chaos, of laughter, where nopony is sad because they’re always laughing and smiling.” As the symbol of the praetor surrounded Pinkie Pie Octavia looked back at her smoldering home, at the very least that Pegasus needed to be taught a lesson.
Shin Megami Tensei: Equestria
Chapter 6: The politics of War
Princess Celestia hated the demons. She hated what they did to ponies; giving them power that allowed them to hurt others and take what they believed was rightfully theirs. Unfortunately the only way to be rid of them, when she first learned of them was to use their power. She thought that would be the end of it, she learned that she was wrong. She sat at a small table in a forgotten wing of the castle, the war room, and began to plan how to win this Shin Megami Tensei.
Beside her sat Luna, her dear sister and supporter, who helped her through her countless battles over a thousand years ago and now swore to aid her once again through the darkness. On her other side sat Starswirl the Bearded one of the greatest conjurers of the pre-classical era and one of her dearest friends. There was also Apple Seed, the progenitor of the great Apple family and a great warrior. Apple Seed’s marefriend Cloud Mirror was also present; she was the original captain of the Pegasus royal guard and a loyal friend to Celestia and Luna. Even the Queen of the changelings, Chrysalis, was present.
Starswirl levitated a bunch of different papers to each of the present generals and the princesses. That done he began to speak “Tamer’s have been sighted in essentially every province in Equestria, possible Praetor sightings in Los Pegasus, Manehatten, and Appaloosa.”
“There’s one more.” Cloud Mirror spoke up, “I left yesterday to do a little target practice and found a pony that somehow tamed Nyarlathotep.”
Luna slammed her hoof to the table “You hurt innocent ponies!” Luna’s royal Canterlot voice pierced the small room.
“They weren’t innocent,” Cloud Mirror shot back, “I’m telling you Nyarlathotep was among them.” Celestia sighed deeply; Nyarlathotep was an insanely powerful demon that stood side by side in power level to most of the demons in the room, the others he simply outclassed.
“Princess Luna this is a war, casualties are inescapable.” Chrysalis spoke with a slight laugh.
Starswirl continued, “Clearly it is advancing faster than it did in our time, it’s only a matter of time before the real fighting breaks out.”
Apple Seed was the next to speak, “what do we do?”
Celestia furrowed her brow in thought. It was a simple question that was far too difficult to answer. “Suggestions?” the sun princess asked.
“We could tell the people about demons.” Her sister began “Get them on our side, tell them we want to return things to normal.”
“That won’t work.” Chrysalis rebutted, “Your subjects are scared, they won’t differentiate friend and foe, simply them vs. everypony else.”
Cloud Mirror chuckled, “pessimistic outlook miss changeling queen.”
Chrysalis scoffed, “and I suppose you have an idea then.”
Cloud Mirror stood, “yes I do, we hand out a reward to any towns that can tell us that a praetor has arrived there and we just go get them.” Celestia sat back; this was probably the reason that she had never heard of a Shin Megami Tensei where the previous winner succeeded.
“Perhaps that won’t work but something similar might.” Starswirl continued once everypony’s eyes were on him “Scare tactics; we stage massive Tamer attacks in major cities make them think that all tamers are trash.”
“Swirly, beg pardon but Tia’ here is a Tamer” Apple Seed interjected.
Starswirl smiled, “nopony but us knows that though.”
“I can’t believe you would even consider such a barbaric option.” Luna screamed at Starswirl, her rage consuming her, “you would harm innocents just to turn them away from the Tamers!”
“Yes, and I believe that if you want to restore order you’ll listen and help me.” Starswirl responded.
Luna stormed out of the room, her demons following behind. “Luna!” Celestia called back at her sister. She stopped as Luna teleported away, Celestia sighed and sat back down. “Aright, we’ll attempt your plan, on a small scale at first so that as few innocents are harmed as possible.”
Starswirl nodded and he looked to Apple Seed, Cloud Mirror, and Chrysalis. “You three will be our terrorists, Apple Seed go to Appaloosa, Cloud Mirror to Manehatten, Chrysalis to Ponyville.” The three generals bowed and left for their posts. Celestia looked to Starswirl “They will be hitting a frontier, a small border community, and a major metropolitan city so as to show that nowhere is safe, no further attacks beyond that unless authorized by you.”
Starswirl started to leave when Celestia stopped him, “Do you think I’m right in doing this?” Starswirl looked at Celestia, her eyes were sad and downcast, her normally motherly visage was melting away and she began to look tired and pitiable.
“Only you can answer that, you know this world more than I do.” He walked out and headed for his quarters as Celestia sat alone in the war room, the full realization of her actions hitting her as she sobbed softly to herself.
Sweetie Bell ran to the clubhouse before anything else once she was back in Ponyville. She heard from Big Macintosh and Twilight that Applebloom and Scootaloo were looking for her, if she knew them they’d return to the clubhouse to report their findings to one another, so she would meet them there and see them one last time before she left with Twilight for Canterlot. Once she got to the clubhouse memories flooded her mind, memories of searching for their special talents, something she wouldn’t be doing for a while. Scootaloo walked in behind her with Rainbow Dash after about an hour of Sweetie Bell sitting there. “Sweetie Bell!” Scootaloo ran up and gave her a hug; she must’ve been worried.
“Hey Scootaloo, I’m sorry for running off.”
“As long as you’re safe.” The two were interrupted by another knock at the door as Applebloom entered.
“Oh good, Scoots found ya.” Applebloom let out a sigh of relief and entered the group hug as well.
“Hey your hoof.” Sweetie Bell pointed at Applebloom’s hoof and saw it now had a pentagram on it. “Yep, my own demon, and that’s actually what I came to tell ya’ll about, see I’m leaving Ponyville for a while.”
“Yeah me too,” Scootaloo yelled, “I’m going to join Rainbow Dash and Daring Do in their journey.” Applebloom settled into a chair and so did Sweetie Bell both of whom were looking nervously at their friend. “Daring Do is going to become like a queen or something and she’s going to make it so that ponies can enter the demon world!”
Sweetie’s mouth gaped, “That’s horrible, what of somepony accidently stepped in there!”
Scootaloo scoffed and waved a hoof in protest. “Please then Rainbow Dash or Daring Do will just rescue them or something.”
Sweetie Bell shook her head, “They can’t always be there, that’s why I’m joining Twilight, she wants to use the demon tamers to study demons to learn how to use their magic to help ponies.”
“No way.” Both Sweetie Bell and Scootaloo looked over at Applebloom who had spoken up.
“Oh yeah well who are you joining.” Scootaloo fired back.
“Trixie.”
Twilight returned to her home in Ponyville, worn out from the previous night. Spike made her, Rarity, and Big Macintosh some tea to soothe their nerves. Sweetie Bell had asked that before the three of them went to Canterlot to meet with the Princess that she stop by the clubhouse to say goodbye to the other members of the Cutie Mark Crusaders. Twilight sipped her tea and looked to Rarity, demons had saved her life, brought her back from the brink of certain death and then helped her save her sisters life, surely if Celestia heard of this then she would allow the demons to stay in some capacity.
“I believe my praetor that you wish for the impossible” the voice in her head chimed.
‘She’ll listen I know she will,’ Twilight thought back, ‘and why are you calling me praetor?’
“The mark above your containment spell is called a praetor’s mark it shows that you are a leader of the Shin Megami Tensei, that you are one of the select few who have a Reason strong enough to lead Equestria.”
“Twilight,” Rarity’s voice brought Twilight out of her internal conversation with her demon.
“Yeah, sorry.”
“You should summon Virtue so that we can all be part of the conversation.” Big Mac added.
Twilight blushed, forgetting that she now had a team that she had to coordinate with. She summoned Virtue to the spot and he was joined by Kikuri-Hime and Fuu-Ki.
“So,” Rarity continued, “what’s the plan Twilight?”
Twilight looked to her dear friend and sat back in her chair; her demon simply floated back content and aloof, “We use our power to help as many ponies in Ponyville as possible, then once we have them on our side, we go to Canterlot and make our case to Princess Celestia.”
“I do hope that you aren’t planning to go in there, guns blazing, at your current power level.” Fuu-Ki chuckled as Big Macintosh shot him a dirty look.
“He’s correct, none of us have a prayer against the demons that serve Celestia.” Kikuri-Hime said as she floated over to Fuu-Ki, “Even the three of us against one of hers would end in tragedy, Metatron, one of the most powerful of the Divine, serves her eternally”
“One of the strongest of the Divine.” Everypony and demon in the room turned to Virtue “There is one other Divine who is on Metatron’s level.”
Twilight bolted up “Well who is it?”
Virtue looked with his red-jeweled eyes at Twilight and in her eyes he saw a devotion to a cause, a devotion that he felt maybe… just maybe, could calm him and he would lend Twilight his power. “He is called Trumpeter, he is one who ushers the dead and will signal the end.”
Fuu-Ki simply burst out laughing, “You honestly believe that the Trumpeter who has never, in any of the Shin Megami Tensei’s, been taken in by a tamer will simply allow Twilight Sparkle to be his master.”
Kikuri-Hime had a slightly more dignified response to the matter, “It’s certainly possible, improbable, but possible.” She looked at Virtue “So tell us where is he hiding?”
Virtue used one jeweled arm to point out a spot to the map opened on Twilights desk at the other end of the room. “In a world above this one, the Ascended, the second plane of Elysiia that is where we will find Trumpeter.”
Twilight looked over the point on the map that Virtue pointed at, he pointed at the gardens of Canterlot. “Why?” Rarity looked at the map “Why would we find Elysiia in the Canterlot gardens?”
Twilight perked her head up in a sudden realization “If Elysiia is the opposite of Tartarus which is the demons world, then logically the entrance to it would be in the opposite of the entrance to Tartarus!” Rarity suddenly saw the link,
“The Everfree forest, to the gardens of Canterlot.”
“Eeyup.” Big Mac sidled up and nodded at the spot on the map. “But that means we have to get to Canterlot first.”
Twilight sighed “Eeyup.”
Shining Armor stood in the center of a group of farmers, builders, and other workers. Beside him Applejack and her demon were riling up the crowd. “The Princess doesn’t want to help us!” she shouted, “Princess Celestia has shut off Canterlot from the rest of Equestria, she stays there with the nobles and upper-class and she refuses to help us in our time of need.” Voices decried the Princess, they screamed of rebellion and the destruction of Canterlot.
Shining Armor cleared his throat, drawing all eyes to him. “We have reached an impasse,” he began, “the royal sisters of Canterlot have abandoned us.”
“What about Princess Cadence?” voices called out, “can she be trusted?”
“My wife was helping me with my first plan, to try and gather the elements in Ponyville to convince Celestia, but it has come to my attention that this plan will not work.” He cleared his throat, “the problem is that the sisters had hidden the existence of demons from all of us, because Celestia herself is a demon tamer.” The crowd began to yell, shouting down the names of Celestia and Luna. “It is because of this, that I, and the leaders of the Pegasus and Earth pony divisions of the Royal Guard will rule in their place.”
“Down with the sisters!” voices from the crowd proclaimed, “the guard will rule,” more chimed in. Soon the entire crowd was joined together in denouncing the princesses.
Shining Armor smiled, the rebellion had begun.
Applebloom clenched her jaw as Sweetie Bell punched her. For such a sweet little unicorn she packed a decent right hook when she needed it. “How could you?” she screamed, “Why her?”
“Because I’m tired of being taken advantage of,” Applebloom responded dryly. “The Apple family is constantly the victims of all kinds of stuff.” She pointed to the map of Ponyville on the clubhouse wall, “do you girls know why we only sell to Ponyville, or why we only sell outside of Ponyville during certain times of the year?” Scootaloo, now holding back a blood-crazed Sweetie Bell, shook her head. “I asked Applejack once, she told me that ponies would charge us something called ‘export fees’ cause they wanted to make money off of our hard work.”
“What does this have to do with the bastard who almost killed my sister?” Sweetie asked through clenched teeth.
“Sweetie! What does ‘bastard’ mean?” Scootaloo asked sheepishly.
Sweetie shrugged “I don’t know, I’ve heard Rarity call a few of her boyfriends that though.”
“Like I was saying,” Applebloom interrupted, “Trixie wants to win this thing too, she wants to create a world where the strong, those who everypony depends on for example, are treated like they should.” Sweetie was still seething, and if it weren’t for Scootaloo holding her back she probably would have busted Applebloom’s head by now. “Think about it, what about Flim and Flam, they preyed on my sister’s kindness, and tried to kick us out of town!” Applebloom screamed, “or what about Diamond Tiara, bullying me, insulting me, all because I’m a blank flank; but I have the power, not just my demon, the Apple family provides most of the food supply for the town, what if I just refused to sell to her family?”
“Applebloom, that’s going a bit far dontcha think?” Scootaloo asked sheepishly.
“Why? Why is it ‘too far’ I’m the one with the power here! I’ll inherit the farm someday!”
“You’re just as evil as she is,” Sweetie Bell said quietly.
“What?” Applebloom asked.
“I said,” Sweetie Bell said slowly, as she wrenched herself from Scootaloo’s grasp, “You Are Just As Evil…” that was as far as she got before Applebloom jumped her. The two started to punch and kick each other; Sweetie Bell started the fight by biting Applebloom at the tip of her ear. Applebloom countered with a swift kick to the midsection, unfortunately causing Sweetie Bell to bite harder. A tearing noise softly sounded off, followed by a horrifying deep-throated scream of agony. In response to the injury of their respective summoner, both Jack Frost and Black Frost popped out of their containment spells.
“Sweetie Bell!” Scootaloo shouted.
“You...!” Applebloom screamed back through tears.
“Just go,” Sweetie Bell muttered, “consider this the end of the Cutie Mark Crusaders.”
Black Frost stood at the ready, a fireball forming in one hand, and a large icicle in the other. “Don’t,” Applebloom stammered out. Black Frost still stood at the ready, “I mean it,” Applebloom muttered softly, “Black Frost, listen to me, we’re leaving.”
“I could easily defeat this Tamer, just give me one attack…”
“No,” Applebloom responded, “fighting her now wouldn’t be fair.”
“What?” Sweetie screamed, “Jack Frost, attack.” Jack Frost launched an icicle at Black Frost, only for the icicle to be absorbed into Black’s stomach. The bigger frost then summoned a fireball and launched it at the smaller snowman, instantly disintegrating it. The smoking remains of the demon retreated into the containment spell on Sweetie’s hoof.
Black Frost picked up his master in his hands and began carrying her out of the clubhouse; Applebloom shouted back, “Now we can consider this the end of the Cutie Mark Crusaders.”
Getting to Canterlot was going to enough of a problem for Twilight and friends; the getting out part was going to be near impossible. The lavender unicorn had been staring at the map of Canterlot that Virtue had used, searching for the easiest way to the gardens, or more importantly, how to get back out. Best case scenario, they would be getting out with Trumpeter in tow, and would be able to fight their way out, but that was assuming that nopony noticed them going in, and therefore Celestia and her guards wouldn’t be waiting for them when they got out.
“You’re worrying over nothing, ” Virtue said, “You won’t be where she focuses her attention.”
“Why do say that?” questioned Twilight.
“She is a previous winner, throughout the history of the Shin Megami Tensei, on many of the worlds that the battle has occurred, the previous winners have almost never won a second time. She will most likely make all of the same mistakes of the other winners, she will lock herself away, hoping that the other Praetors will defeat one another until few are left.”
“But she has the royal guard as well, she could send them after us!”
“It depends on how many ponies that she knows that have demons, considering the circumstances, I would assume that number is very few.”
Twilight continued to stare at the map, and the gardens that lay in the center. She somehow needed to reach that, despite Celestia, and more than likely Luna, being in the castle and armed with much better demons than her. She continued to mull over entry points in her head until Virtue again interrupted her. “Perhaps you could have one of your friends be a decoy, draw her attention while we go and get Trumpeter.”
Twilight shook her head furiously, “No, I’ll never abandon my friends, we’re in this together. Besides, they’ll probably be killed if I leave them alone with Celestia.” Twilight stopped, the gears in her head turning. “But, if I were a previous winner, with friends with higher level demons, than the idea of using them as a way of drawing attention away from me…”
“Or trying to get the public on your side…”
The two’s internal back and forth was interrupted by screams and shouts from outside. Twilight ran outside, running into Big Macintosh and Rarity, running away from changelings.
The changelings wings filled the air with a buzzing noise, joined by the screams of terrified ponies running away from the insect-like creatures. The panic of the ponies permeated the atmosphere, as well as a cloud of smoke billowing from the town square.
“What’s going on?” Twilight screamed.
“Changelings, what does it look like?” Rarity screamed back.
“Yeah, but then why is the Town Hall on fire?” the lavender unicorn shot back.
“I don’t know? Why do you...” Rarity’s voice trailed off. “No.”
“Yes, I think that the changelings are being led by a Tamer.”
“Perhaps a Tamer conscripted by your Princess, in order to instigate public distrust in Tamers.” Virtue chimed in, “we should approach with caution, considering that she may have been given powerful demons in order to combat other Tamers.”
Big Macintosh summoned Fuu-Ki forth and started to head towards the Town Hall. “Don’t matter, we can’t let some demons walk all over this place.” Rarity swiftly joined him in summoning Kikuri-Hime and heading towards the Town Hall, forcing Twilight and Virtue along for the ride. The trio managed to make it to the Town Hall where Chrysalis was waiting for them. By her side were two demons, both dressed in revealing black leather, and sporting bat wings and a long ropey tail. The one on the left was a man, and the one on the right was a woman.
“Ah, I see that the wedding crasher has found herself a demon to help her interfere with my plans,” Chrysalis mocked, “then again leave it to Celestia’s prized student to get wrapped up in the Shin Megami Tensei within days of its beginning.”
Twilight stepped forward, “let me ask you something Chrysalis.”
“Why?” the Changeling Queen mused.
“Are you working with Celestia?” the question caused murmurs among the crowd of ponies and changelings. Chrysalis was taken aback, but started laughing maniacally. Twilight’s face fell, “I suppose... that that’s a yes.”
“Well this makes things more fun, I was just supposed to terrorize Ponyville here for a bit, but if you’re a threat than I suppose that I can convince Celestia that killing you was necessary.” The two demons on Chrysalis’ sides stood at the ready, “Incubus” she spoke to the one on the left, “Succubus” to the one on the right, “burn these ponies to ash.”
Succubus threw a ball of flame at Virtue, which landed in his center. The crystal demon fired back a large bolt of lightning at Succubus, managing to zap her. Incubus also charged a fireball and fired it towards Virtue, only for Big Macintosh to jump in front of it, getting blasted to the ground. Incubus charged another blast, but was interrupted by Fuu-Ki who smashed him over the head with his club.
Rarity pointed towards Big Macintosh, ordering Kikuri-Hime to heal him. The healing light of the demon washed over Big Macintosh, repairing the burnt skin, and regrowing the singed hair. Virtue attempted to launch another lightning bolt at Succubus, who counted with another blast of fire.
Fuu-Ki continued fighting with Incubus, blocking the fire demon’s attacks with gusts of wind. Big Macintosh rushed forward at Chrysalis, only for Incubus to adjust his aim and send a fireball at the red earth pony. The fireball slammed into Big Macintosh, sending him skidding to the side. Incubus readjusted his focus to Big Mac’s demon, but too late. Fuu-Ki shot a gale of wind at Incubus knocking him back into the Town Hall. The silvery demon charged at the Incubus slamming his club into the leather-clad demon’s stomach, and prying him off of the wall and throwing him to the ground below, kicking off the side of the building Fuu-Ki somersaulted through the air and slammed his club down on Incubus’ face, annihilating him.
Chrysalis growled and charged at Twilight, “our demons may be evenly matched, but I’m still better than you!” The Changeling Queen swiveled around and slammed Twilight in the face with her hooves, sending the unicorn reeling back. Virtue charged another bolt of lightning and shot it at Chrysalis, only for Succubus to dash in front and get hit by the blast. The leather-clad demon charged another fireball to launch at Virtue and fired. But the healing light from Kikuri-Hime engulfed Virtue first, allowing him to shake off the fiery blast. The crystalline demon charged another bolt of lightning and fire it towards Succubus, finishing her off.
Chrysalis stared at her hooves, dumbfounded. Both of her containment spells glowed a bright red, indicating the defeat of both of demons. She dumbly stared at Twilight, who now stood over her. The Changeling Queen began to prime her horn, but dispelled the magic, lying back on the grass, a single tear slowly making its way down her face.
“You must kill her,” Virtue remarked, “she works for...”
“I know,” Twilight quickly muttered, “but it-its difficult.” The lavender unicorn looked at Chrysalis, who lay perfectly still on the grass, only her chest moving up and down indicating any sign of life. “I’ve never killed, never even thought about killing, I-I’m scared.”
“If one wishes to reshape the world,” Virtue reassured, “than one must be willing to sacrifice, one must sacrifice everything that makes them normal.”
Twilight swallowed her fear, charged her horn and stood over Chrysalis. Changelings in the area started to move towards their fallen master, before backing off and running out of the town. “Why?” Twilight muttered.
“Because I lost,” Chrysalis spoke, trying to hold the tears in her throat back. “It would be unfair of me to use my position as Queen to live another day, my life is in your hooves Twilight Sparkle.”
Twilight moved her horn, pulsing with magic, further towards Chrysalis before unleashing the spell. A bolt of dark energy arced from Twilight’s horn and blasted into Chrysalis. The Changeling Queen screeched and clutched her sides in pain, before soon going silent. The containment spells on her hooves disappeared, and Twilight’s first battle was won.
