Smiting Flames

She walked through the streets with her head down, eyes darting side to side. The robe was soft to the touch but it stood out as a white speck among the dull brown and dirty surroundings of the back alleys. The feeling of being watched followed her as she darted between buildings. The feeling of the cobblestone below her hooves brought a hidden joy as her muscles flexed and moved under her commands. How she wanted to scream in joy at the top of her lungs, but for now she needed somewhere to hide.

A small sign hung above the middle of the alley she choose, it didn’t say anything but had a picture of a purple bottle with a long neck and green fumes coming out the top. If anything she’d guess it was a potion shop. So after looking around to see no one watching she dipped inside and hide away. The contrast from outside to in was almost non exists any as the space was cluttered and small. Hundreds of vials with different color liquid rested on shelves as regents dried from the rafters. It smelled like something had died and was already at the part where the corpse mummified itself.

Dust filtered in the small light given off from lanterns set about the shop. Their smoke making it a bit hazy to see through everything. The girl sighed softly before turning to look at the door and saw a bar beside it, metal rungs on the door itself to lock up. After a quick argument with herself she set the bar up and secured the door before starting to sneak around the shop, holding her robe close.

In the back of the shop, hidden behind a secret bookshelf was a small figure sitting inside of a chalk circle. Their eyes were closed but a soft green glow emitted from them, the same could be said for the antlers atop their head. They weren’t anything special, just a small set of four points pointing straight up. Hands swirled in the air as symbols of pure black floated after their waving, forming a circle across from them on the floor. It was building itself from those black letters, expanding lines and strengthening the seals. Slowly their hands came to a final stop before them and formed fists.

The circle of black letters flowed eerily as green slime began to bubble and ooze from the floor. It kept growing into a large pile before starting to form limbs and a body. Finally with a sickening squeal a head popped out of the torso before the slime began changing color to black. Spikes and scales formed along the top surfaces as organs could be seen arranging themselves inside the torso before skin muscles and skin covered them.

Finally the smoke settled as the demon sat there looking around, thought with it being all of three feet tall it was more cute than intimidating. The summonses couldn’t help but giggle a bit as she looked over her creation. “Seems I need to adjust the size ratio next time.”

A high pitched voice answered. “What do you mean?” The demon hadn’t taken the chance to look over itself but a brow did raise as it sized up its summoner. “Wait are you a kid?”

“No I’m actually fully grown, you’re just the size of a child. But enough of that. I summoned you to ask a single question demon.”

“Wait you made me fucking child size?” They began to look over and feel up their body. It gave out an ear piercing scream as it pulled at the block locks of hair atop its head. “Nooo! You stupid girl! Now when I return to the realm below I will retain this from.”

The summoner couldn’t help but giggle at the demon, shaking her head as she pulled her hood back. “Well I guess you’ll just have to deal with it now. I summoned you to make a deal for the soul of a willing creature.” With a wave of her hand a small glow of her antlers she unveiled a cage, letting the pony inside see the scene before it.

The demon looked over the unicorn, there was barely anything there at all as anyone could see the outline of the skeleton easily and it just gave off a stench of death. “What? The pony that’s barely alive and hanging on by a thread? What do you take me for a fool?”

“I’ll have you know that mind is completely shattered, there will be no resistance to you.” That got the demon to immediately shut up and look towards the woman with big begging eyes, a quivering lower lip, and adding a soft whine to finish the whole ensemble off.

She laughed and snapped her fingers before the circle the demon stood in glowed a harsh black light. There was a flash of light and suddenly the demon’s spirit flew from the small goo doll and into the caged pony’s maw. After a moment the smoke settled and it began coughing and hacking as if something was caught in its throat. Finally with a final lurch a large blob of black ichor came out onto the floor. The pony’s body began suddenly morphing and gaining muscles mass and weight easily. In the span of a few seconds the near death from now was back to perfect health.

“What’s your name deer?”

“Reldena.”

“I owe you one.” The demon easily broke out of the cage before smiling and teleporting away.

“Another satisfied customer.” She waved a hand towards the circles before the black writing flew back into her body. After the last line absorbed itself she walked into the front of her store.

Standing there with a small statue of a jackal with an orb in its mouth was some strange creature wearing the robe of the cathedral. Both females looked at one another before a skeleton walked in from a side door. It wore a pair of glasses and the outfit of a butler. “Mistress, I believe we have rat men and thrives trying to dig into the basement. Shall I deal with them?” He looked around for a moment before nodding his head. “Sorry I did not know you had a guest. I shall go ahead and deal with the rat men.”

The butler snapped his fingers to make the outfit fade away, his bones visible for all to see before the surface of them began to bubble and pop. More and more bone mass came out of the bones before starting to solidify into armor plates along the body. He raised both hands to his head and imitated brushing back hair but instead formed a helm that kept his face free. Next he clapped his hands together only to pull them away with a rapier forming in each. With his form complete he began walking towards the basement and out of sight.

Reldena looked at the girl holding her shop’s merchandise and blinked for a few more moments. “Can I help you miss...”

The girl seemed stuck for a moment before setting the statue down and looking herself over for a moment. “Well you might as well call me by a virtue. So Umbra will do.” Umbra smiled before picking up the statue again before sitting down. Her legs folded back then forward as she settled comfortably with the statue in her lap, sword scabbard and robe pillowed out on the floor behind her.

Reldena looked at the girl now and got a proper look at her before raising a brow. “What the hell are you? I know you ain’t a pony.”

“I’m a Tiefling.”

“A what?”

Umbra sighed as she set the statue down. “I am a Tiefling, a being created of human and devil. But this isn’t my original from, no I was reincarnated as this. Though I think the church believe me to be a fallen angel cast out by heaven for a sin against Celestia and Luna.”

Reldena blinked for a moment and raised a finger while opening her mouth before shutting it again. “Huh... okay and why would the church be after you or know of you?”

“Oh that’s because when I was reincarnated I crash landed in the middle of the cathedral.”

“Oh is that all.” Reldena moved to pick up a bit off trash from a table before looking at the stranger. “Bullshit.”

“You can believe me or you can not. I don’t care either way.” She began working something out of the statues maw, using a small knife to wiggle and scrape excess stone away to let the orb slip out. She didn’t really notice Reldena picking up a small dagger she kept hidden for unruly customers. Umbra kept trying before she helped as a the knife slipped.

She managed to fumble and slice her hand, smearing blood all over the seed and statue. “Fucking damn it!”

“You stupid bitch, you got blood all over my merchandise!” Reldena held the knife high as she stalked towards the girl.

Both were stopped, one knife held in the air while the other was preparing to throw a dagger. A loud crash came from the door like someone trying to kick it in. The bar and iron held fast though and stopped the intruder in their tracks.

The next words angered both women. “By order of The Royal Guard open this door! By order twelve dash two of the council of ponies no mongrel door shall be locked during the day.”

Reldena growled as she moved her dagger to a different grip and grabbed a staff in her other hand. “Oh that arrogant.”

There was a crash against the door that sounded metallic followed by a loud grunt. This was repeated a few more times over the coming minutes.

“How the fuck do they get off talking like that?” Umbra started searching through her bag and ripped off a piece of cloth to wrap around her hand. Then she drew her sword and stood with Reldena beside her.

“That’s how it's always been since the time of endless night faded away. Ponies have looked down upon the other races of the world. They claim we should serve them for the raising and lowering of both the sun and the moon.”

“What about the princesses?”

“Pha those pathetic excuses for life disappeared at the same time and haven’t been seen since. Most ponies don’t believe they were ever alive and are just stories to embody the sun and moon.” Reldena tapped her staff on the floor as black rings from around her, the dagger she held in the other aimed itself at the door.

“Well that explains the racism and the whole religion thing. But what are we gonna do now?” Umbra watched as the door buckled and the bolts holding the locking bar came out from the walls a few inches.

“Well I’m going to make these idiots wish they never destroyed my front door.” Reldena started chanting softly as lines drew themselves on the floor. Umbra watched in curiosity.

Both women didn’t notice the statue from before drop the orb in its mouth and it slipped down to the floor and began softly growing. The blood fusing itself with the seed as roots took hold of the floor.

“I summon theee oh hound of flame and brimstone. I command you to destroy those that dare oppose me!” With a final call Reldena slammed her staff down before her as the door burst open into splinters. A gout of flame erupted from the floor and out into the alley as a dog cane out the floorboards. It was no steroid in appearance and from.

A beast of pure black flesh and fur standing easily five feet at the shoulder, an orange glow blighting it’s chest and maw as wisps of smoke escaped out its nostrils. Standing there was a hell hound, razor claws digging into the floorboards as the muscles tensed before it lunges forward. The guard who rushed in was tackled backwards into the alley, smoke obscuring the scene outside.

Umbra whistled softly before looking at Reldena. “Soo now what?”

“It kills them then we run.”

“But what if it loses?”

“That is a hellhound, the guard can’t beat it and any paladin will be a while before getting here.”

There was a flash of golden light outside as they heard the hound bay in pay and then growl in anger. The smoke cleared for a moment to reveal a holy paladin with their sword holt deep in its shoulder. The hounds jaws locked onto the shoulders before inhaling. It took the paladin a second to realize what was happening but it was already too late. A gout of infernal flame erupted from the beasts stomach and into the holy warrior, it seemed out around it’s teeth and began melting flesh, bone, and metal alike. The stallions screams filled the alley and the shop as he was melted alive.

“You were saying?” Umbra yelled over the screaming as the sound of boots came down the alley. “We need someone safe now!”

“I don’t know what to do! That was my best shot. It’s not like we could teleport to the Everfree or something!”

Little did they know that something else was listening to their conversation. An entity that was weeding its way into all the wood of the shop itself. So when it heard they wished for someone safe it focused what magic it had already absorbed from a few artifacts that were fading away.

In a flash of black and red light the whole building disappeared.