Two demons were sitting by big rocks that rested near the exit of the realm known as Tartarus. A bicorn, and a huge white and golden serpent. Both watched the Pegasus, unicorns, and earth ponies do their grounds. The Bicorn sneaked closer and closer to them. The serpent followed with a little less confidence than the bicorn.
"Saraf. Are you crazy?! That door is the way out. It's heavily guarded. You can't expect to leave without a fight!"
"Lilith, Lilith. You seem to forget who you are talking to. I wouldn't have come to the exit without a plan. I am more than a pretty face after all," Saraf replied picking something from his pockets, a small vial filled with a pink fluid.
"D-did you-?!"
"Steal from my father's storeroom? Yes. Yes, I did," Saraf replied holding the snake's mouth. "Now, let's see how much that lady wanted me."
After saying that, Saraf pulled the serpent and pointed towards the main road through Tartarus. A dust cloud lifted from the ash-covered ground, and amidst that cloud, a horrific creature approached the gates. Just as he had planned.
'Those guards are in for a surprise.'
"OHH, SARAF! SARAF, DEAR! I came out to play just for you!" A big orb made out of rotten flesh and a big green eye sang with a voice that was painful just to hear. That was when Saraf tossed the vial right at the exit, right where the guards were standing.
The glass shattered, causing the pink fluid to splatter all around. It didn't take long for the liquid turn into a gas, the small amount contained in that vial produced a huge pink cloud that covered the entire base of the entrance, engulfing the guards within it.
The guards within the pink mist started to moan and grunt. Saraf watched the rotten ball start to sniff the air as some weird fluid came out of its mouth covered in huge yellow teeth. The green eye shifted into a crimson pulsing eye, its body pulsating rhythmically like a heart as it grew larger and larger.
"I really hate these lust types..." The snake spoke before stopping and turning to Saraf. "S-sorry."
"Let's just wait for her to go after the guards," Saraf said with annoyance clear in his voice.
The orb started to turn until it faced the pink mist, then the creature's breathing started to speed up. Then after a few seconds, the monster's eye started to glow and silhouettes sprouted out of it. Different creatures in all sorts of shapes and sizes started to move towards the entrance, it didn't take much time before the moans of pleasure from the guards were the main thing being heard from there.
"Now!" Saraf said to Lilith as he jumped over the rocks and made sprint straight through the front door.
The guards were too busy pleasuring themselves with the illusions to notice Saraf running by them at full speed. The poor soldiers that ran to the front were greeted by Saraf's charge that sent them flying to the sides. At this point, there was only one thing keeping him from getting out. The main door, supposedly created by ponies and guarded by a hellhound known as Cerberus.
'This is where their prison is,' Saraf thought to himself as he hid behind some cages and scanned around for the watchdog. 'Huh, a centaur? I thought they all were outside. Why is she here? Meh, I better focus on fluffy.'
That was when an idea came to him. Saraf looked around the cages and saw a few bones, he reached out for one of them and picked the largest one he could find. Then he stood up and whistled as loudly as he could, the result was a gigantic dog with three heads appeared before him.
"WHO IS A GOOD DOG?" Saraf said waving the bone around.
The monstrous dog started to waggle its tail as it hopped around sideways barking. "THEN GO FETCH, PUP!" He yelled at the top of his lungs as he tossed the bone away from him and the door. The dog let out a happy and deafening bark as it chased the bone, while saraf ran towards the door.
'Okay, this thing needs to be charged with magic. My right horn should have the right type,' Saraf thought as he fired up his right horn, making the door glow as the symbols covering it lit up one by one. Once the final symbol was lit, the door creaked and opened by itself.
From behind him, Saraf heard the dog running back towards him. However, he was already past the gates and he had no reason to stop. He was certain that Lilith was with him, he had all the things he had stolen from his father, and the freedom he wanted was his now. His legs moved faster than he knew they could, his lungs were filled with a clean air free from the ashes and stench of death and putrid flesh. There was no smell of blood, there were no red skies, there were no screams, it was over, he was out.
"I finally broke free of the chains. This is awesome! Isn't that right, Lilith?"
Silence.
"Lilith?" Saraf asked once more.
There was only silence once again, Saraf looked back. There was no trace of her anywhere. 'That can't be right, Lilith was faster than me. She could keep up without a problem. Where is she?'
Saraf started to walk back to see if there were any signs that she had ditched him and ran away. However, as soon as he had taken a few steps back he felt something underneath the part of his tunic that covered half of his torso. There was a scroll placed there, Saraf reached for it and opened it.
Dear Saraf,
As you know I am duty bound to care for you as long as you were within your father's territory. However, your plans to leave Tartarus gave me the means to finally be free from your despicable parent. I am grateful for the freedom you gave me. And I am sorry for leaving you. However, I want my freedom. I want a place to call my own, so if I go with you...I would probably just stay by your side and never find it.
This letter was hidden in your garments and would only manifest once you were out of your father's reach. So congratulations. You broke out of this place and got what you wanted.
Don't waste this chance.
Your friend Lilith.
"You slithering little bitch," Saraf muttered to himself as he folded the scroll and then set it on fire. "I wanted us both to get out. You stupid snake...You were the only one I had left in there," Saraf continued in a very low voice. "You better enjoy your life as well, you stupid, dorky, annoying, and reliable snake."
After saying that, Saraf turned away from the path he had walked up to that point and ran towards a huge green forest that he could see on the horizon. Halfway there, the blue skies above him were suddenly filled with gray clouds. There were thunder and lightning strikes as the rain poured down on Saraf.
Instead of running for cover, Saraf stood there with his arms opened. Letting the rain soak his dark blue coat and white mane, he simply stood there enjoying the sensation of cool water drops hitting his body. Washing away the ash and coal that covered him before. His nostrils picking up the scent of wet grass, he let himself fall backward on the ground and stared into the gray sky.
"Everything here is so colorful," He said to himself as he reached for the sky with his right hand as if trying to grab something. "I guess we both broke our shackles. But now...now I think its time that I take this wonderful jewel box as my own."
The world of Equos did not know, but a new and powerful being had just broken free. And he was ready to break every rule he wanted and take on the world.
(Six days later)
Deep in the Ever Free forest, a zebra lived on her own. Zecora, a huntress and herbalist who managed to scrape by with the resources she had. The forest was peaceful enough for her to get around with ease, the local beasts tended to keep near the roads that were closer to the towns, more prey meant more movement for them.
"The creatures are way too agitated. Something must have entered the forest," Zecora said as she hid on top of some trees and watched a pack of Timberwolves ran pass underneath her. "They should not be here, they usually hide by the village," She said muttered as she watched a chimera run by, then small creatures, then birds.
The creatures wouldn't stop coming, more and more of them would run past her, almost as if running away from something. They were coming from the nearby village, or maybe from the ruins that were a bit further in the forest.
'That place has been abandoned for a long time. This one does not remember if any of the locals ever got close to those ruins. However, this behavior is odd, an investigation of this is past due,' Zecora thought as she hopped from tree to tree as to avoid the creatures that kept running underneath her.
After a good amount of time hopping from tree to tree had passed, Zecora could see the outside of the ruins. Or to be more precise, what used to be the ruins of a castle. A good portion of that place was standing tall for some reason, the tower was halfway fixed, some walls were completely raised with the roof completely covering some spots.
'What is happening there?' Zecora thought right before she saw the pieces of stone and glass float up in the air and rest in their particular spots before a wall with a stained glass window was reformed. 'A unicorn? Why would a local even visit this place?'
It was then that Zecora saw a different creature roaming around the castle, it had two horns twisted pointing backward. His eyes red as blood, his mane white as snow, his coat navy blue. There was a considerable amount of cloth around of his waist, and his pants looked like they were made of cloth as well.
'Two horns? What is that creature?' Zecora thought right before she heard a lot of noises coming from behind her, looking down she saw a pack of timberwolves being led by much larger Timberwolf. 'An alfa? They usually stay at the den. Why is it here?'
"Huh?" Zecora heard from the creature scratching the back of its neck. "You guys again? Are you going to submit? If not, just scram already. I'm reforming my home now."
'Is he talking to the Timberwolves?'
"What? Are you serious? You are all really annoying, you know that?" The alfa growled and shook its head sideways. "Alright then, you asked for it," The two-horned creature said before his left horn started to glow with a malicious and dark aura, then he took a deep breath. And the next thing Zecora saw was a pitch black darkness.
"And that's how you make a wonderful imitation of a banshee scream," Saraf said smiling as he watched the wolves made out of wood run away in terror. "That ought to make them think twice before asking for another dance."
Saraf turned around and started to walk back to his work, however, the sound of an object hitting the ground made him stop and turn around. On the ground completely unconscious laid a female looking creature, her coat was white with some black stripes all over her body. She had a leather battle skirt all the way down to her knees, a leather chest plate that kept her abdomen exposed.
Her neck, wrists, and right leg had some sort of golden rings that seem to perfectly adjust to their placements. A pair of big golden earrings were on her ears. Saraf walked up to her, crouched down and lifted her skirt to look underneath it.
'Yup, it's a female. Those Mancubus tend to keep you on the tip of your hooves after you see them for the first time. What is she though?' Saraf thought as he reached out to her hips and turned to the side. 'What is up with this tattoo? A whirlwind? A sun?'
Saraf felt her tights, she had a very strong built. 'A kick from these and you're off for the dreamland,' He thought as he let go of the skirt and went to look at the upper part of her body. 'She can probably withstand a solid punch to the gut with abs like these. The chest armor is carefully crafted, her skirt seems to be the same quality. Her arms seem to quite strong as well. Not bad...she looks very capable.'
Saraf then moved up to her head, her mane was the same pattern as the rest of her body. A strange fashion, but appealing nonetheless. 'I wonder, what is her name? What is the color of her eyes?' He thought as he reached out and touched her cheek. 'Heh, she is warm. Most of the demons have cold skin. It's nice. Her expression though...she looks like she's in pain.'
Saraf then felt a scent, it was different from the grass, it was different from the earth, it wasn't like the stench of blood or rotten flesh. It was refreshing and very pleasant, it smelled like...like...Saraf couldn't even recognize it.
'Well, I can't just leave her here...given how far we are in...she must have a place nearby. Time to use some mind control curse and mindread,' Saraf thought as he fired up his left horn and made her remember where she lived amongst some other things. 'Zecora, huh? A zebra, that's the name of her species? She has a little hut not far from here. I want to mess around with that place but first,'
Saraf fired up his right horn, causing her body to be enveloped by a white aura. Then she started to float, Saraf made her spin around as he scanned for injuries. She was clean, however...
'She passed out because of the scream. Her mind might have some minor mental damage. Better clear her mind then.'
Casting a new spell, Saraf made Zecora flinch for a second before the pained expression was gone. Saraf then walked into the forest carrying her with his magic.
"This is ought to be fun. The very first house I visit in this new world."
"Uuuuuuuurgh..." Zecora grunted as her eyes opened.
She couldn't remember what had happened before, and her vision was too blurry. All she could see was a dark blue blur in front of her.
"The sky? Is it going to rain?" Zecora asked slowly sitting up straight.
"I don't know," A muffled voice answered. "I hope it does. Rain is the best."
"What-?!" Zecora couldn't finish her question before something was forced against her lips.
The sudden shock caused her to regain her senses. In front of her, Zecora could see the blue creature from the old castle. His crimson eyes locked on hers, a smile on his muzzle as he pressed his lips against hers. Zecora felt her blood rush to her head as her eyes widened and her heart started to race. Zecora then pushed the stallion away with all she had, when his lips moved away from hers, she felt a jolt. Like some sort of energy had passed from him to her.
"WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU WERE DOING?!!" Zecora shouted rubbing her forearm against her mouth as she scrambled away.
"Me? I was greeting you," The creature said tilting its head. "That's common courtesy, right?"
"You can't simply force yourself on others! This one didn't give you permission. This one doesn't even know you!"
"What do you mean, Zecora?"
"Don't ask that as if you don't understand what this one meant!" Zecora said before realizing he had called her by name. "H-how do you know this one's name?"
"I read your mind after forcing you to remember where you lived," He replied making her back herself against a wall. "You're scared of me? Why?"
"A-are you being serious right now?" Zecora asked pressing herself even harder against the wall as her eyes darted around her home trying to find one of her weapons.
"Sure," The stallion replied getting up and turning his back on her. "I fairly new around here so...you can say I'm not the smoothest when it comes to interacting," He continued while walking around and touching the things around the walls and picking up some books.
Zecora was at a loss, that...thing talked to Timberwolves. That thing had caused her to collapse with some unknown method. He violated her mind while she was vulnerable, he forced a kiss on her. And now he was asking why she was scared? That thing was all over the place while keeping a calm and kind smile. It was unsettling.
Suddenly, Zecora felt the world starting to spin. She couldn't control her body, it kept shaking and shaking. Her eyes were darting around without rest, she couldn't breathe. Her mind started to blank, the world around her started to dissolve as it kept moving like a carousel.
"Shit, I guess I didn't finish the mark," A weirdly pitched voice assaulted her ears. "Okay, I'm going to kiss you now."
Zecora didn't even react, she felt the touch of his lips again. The strange feelings that were taking over started to disappear, she felt pleasure, her eyes closed, and she calmed down. When she opened her eyes again he was sitting down and staring at her attentively with a discreet smirk on his face.
Zecora shook her head once more and backed away, she felt cold and a nagging feeling that she was exposed somehow. That was when Zecora looked down on herself and saw that she wasn't wearing any clothes, Zecora's eyes widened as she desperately tried to cover herself. Tears formed on her eyes as she tried to hide her body.
"Are you okay?" The strange creature asked tilting its head. "Why are you crying?"
"W-what d-did you do to this one?" Zecora stuttered.
"Oh, you kinda passed out when I marked you. I prefer to sleep without clothes so I took yours off, it's more comfortable. You can see that I am right since you slept until it became dark outside," It replied pulling out the curtains, it was true. Night had descended upon the forest. However, another thing was on Zecora's mind specifically the word...
"M-marked?" Zecora stuttered as the very idea of what that could mean made her shiver.
"Yeah. Although I didn't expect to make you collapse for as long as you did," He replied Getting up. "I better be more careful when branding the next one," As soon as Zecora heard those words, the shame she was feeling dissolved and she ran to place herself in front of him.
"I won't let you violate other beings!" Zecora shouted assuming a fighting stance. The fact that she was naked didn't bother her, the damage had already been done. But she could prevent others from going through the same thing.
What happened after, however, surprised Zecora. The creature who was keeping its cool through the entire situation, shifted its smiling face into a scowl, his eyes letting out an aggressive and frightening aura. He gritted his teeth and clenched its fists as he stepped forth.
Zecora threw a punch as soon as he was within range, she was confident her attack would connect. After, all she was yet to meet a being who could match her attacks speed. However, the horned being stopped her attack with ease. He then twisted her arm as he got closer and closer to her.
"I will not violate any being," It said with an angry resolute tone. "The kiss I gave you is a common courtesy from where I come from when you meet a being you like. You seemed strong and capable, so I chose you to be my bride. Or at least one of them."
"W-what?" Zecora stuttered as she continued to twist her arm.
"I am here to rule this world of yours. And you are the very first mare that I will make my bride. However, I will not force you to love me or marry me without love. No...I will make you fall for me and chose to be my bride of your own volition," His tone changed again, it sounded gallant, confident. "Therefore, I will protect you. I will also assist you in any way shape or form that you need. Such is my duty as your future husband."
After saying that, the stallion winked at her and walked out of the hut. Zecora simply stood there in shock.
'What is happening? This one thought he was going to kill this one just now,' She thought as she turned around to see only the open door, he had disappeared. 'Bride? What in Tartarus just happened?'
Zecora recollected herself and tried to see if there were any traces of physical violence against her after a while, there were none. The stallion had told her the truth, which was somehow more unsettling to her than the idea that he had violated her. If he didn't have his way...what could have he done to her?
Those questions continued to plague Zecora's mind as she went to sleep, there was no end to the possibilities she created in her mind. Curses, mind control, hexes, poison, and the list kept going. All the different scenarios usually came back to one scene, him kissing her with those ruby red eyes locked on to hers and the following words:
"I will make you fall for me and chose to be my bride of your own volition."
Those words irritated Zecora to a point she wished that her punch had connected with the blasted male.
'Who does he think he is? This one is not about to fall for such a brute and impolite creature!'
Then the promise he made echoed in her dreams.
"I will protect you. I will also assist you in any way shape or form that you need. Such is my duty as your future husband."
The way he looked at her when he said those words played on a loop during her attempt to sleep. Zecora found herself hugging her pillow and punching it in frustration as his image kept plaguing her dreams. Although, she probably wished to call these 'nightmares' instead of dreams.
'That being must believe to be the strongest creature alive to be so confident. Such an inflated ego will only cause it to fall like the weakling that he truly is!'
The morning came without giving Zecora a chance to actually sleep, her constant fight with her brain to stop recollecting about the unwanted visitor caused her to stay half awake the entire night. Once the sun shone through the windows, Zecora forced herself to get up and dress herself up to give another try to the guild back in the local village.
She had put that errand on hold because of the unusual movement of the wildlife, however, now that the source had been uncovered, she could go back to her attempt to register as an adventurer. Completely geared up, Zecora headed out the front door only to be greeted by a group of Timberwolves.
'Because of that blasted deformed stallion, these creatures lost their den. Therefore, they must have come here seeking a new place to hide. Even now that idiot causes this one nothing but trouble.'
Readying her spear Zecora leaped at the group, the fight was simple. Although Timberwolves bear a semblance to regular wolves, they lack the ability to organize and coordinate like a pack. Meaning that their usual assault was a mess that ended up causing more trouble to them than to the prey. Their biggest asset was their numbers, not their strategy.
In a matter of minutes, Zecora managed to get rid of them. However, she found herself exhausted. She had just sat down on a log that was near her home when Zecora heard something behind her. Quickly turning around, Zecora found herself caught by a net. From the forest, two ponies walked out with weird grins on their faces.
"Told you there was an exotic one out here."
"Color me surprised," The other one replied as he seemed to be searching around his pockets. "I guess that she can sell for a high price. There are a lot of rich folks who want an exotic slave after all," He continued as he pulled out a vial containing a black liquid.
Zecora recognized that concoction, the substance was used in the branding of slaves. Once marked, the only ones that could release the spell were the owners. The branded slave could not fight back or deny requests from its master, a horrid creation that had been created centuries ago.
Zecora continued to fight violently to get free of the net, however, one of the ponies jumped on her and pressed her head against the dirt with his hooves.
"Quit your squirmish, I thought you Zebras liked your lands, so go ahead and kiss it."
"Don't damage the goods! We won't be able to sell her if she is covered in wounds." The one that was holding the vial said as he walked up to her and immobilized her legs. "This ought to be a good spot to place this," He said smiling as he poured the potion into her stomach.
Zecora just closed her eyes and prepared herself to say goodbye to her freedom. She felt the liquid touching her stomach, now it was just a matter of time before they released her and dragged her back to be sold to the highest bidder. However, after a few seconds, nothing. The net was still around her and the slave traders were still holding her.
"Hey, did you let that thing expire?"
"Of course not! This potion is brand new! There was supposed to be smoke and sparks. The potion might have been a fake one though. I'm going to kill that brewer."
"Your potion wasn't a fake," A third voice claimed, Zecora recognized that voice. "But you can't expect that demons, the most free-spirited beings that exist to be bound by the shackles of slavery."
"Back away pal, this ain't a demon. And she is ours," The one with the vial said to the forest.
"Yours?" The stallion asked as he emerged from the vegetation. "You two have no idea how wrong you are. You're messing with my future bride. And I don't take very lightly to those who seek to take what I consider mine," He said finally walking out of the shadows, his horns were completely visible.
"What in Tartarus are you?" One of them asked pulling out a knife.
"You got my birthplace right. Congratulations," He said clapping as he continued to walk towards the armed slaver. "Now, that is a flimsy weapon, why don't we boost it up?" Snapping his fingers, the stallion made the knife start to glow.
The short blade turned red and transformed into a sword. Zecora watched the thug smile before trying to slash his opponent, who caught the blade barehanded. The attacker tried to pull the blade away, however, the red-eyed stallion didn't let it move. He then proceeded to crush the weapon with his hand.
The red blade shifted back into a regular knife and the red part morphed into a liquid. The thug fell to his knees, his face pale as a ghost.
"W-what did you do?"
"I cursed your weapon," The horned one said as he walked past the thug. "I made it stronger, by using your own blood as the blade. However, if the blade is broken or you use it for too long. The hardened blood simply goes back to normal, while outside your body. Quite the handy curse, isn't it?"
The other trader tried to run away, Zecora heard the red-eyed stallion snap his fingers again. Without a warning, chains popped out of each one of the traders' limbs and attached them to the earth. Then Zecora felt the net loosen up.
"There," He said helping her up. "Sorry for the delay, I thought you could handle these guys. Now, you two. I have a question for both of you. Have you ever heard that our lives are made from a bunch of links?" He said walking up to the trader who was originally attempting to escape Zecora saw a grin that caused her fur to stand up.
"Have you ever wondered what would happen if the very first link of the chain was broken? Because I have," He said reaching out to the chain that was attached to the trader's chest, he then yanked it away with enough force to shatter it. The victim's eyes widened as they screamed in agony until it turned into a pile of dust that was blown away by the wind.
"Well, It would seem that breaking the first one kills you! Who would have thought of that?" The horned one said now walking back to the pale stallion. "However, I need to make sure that the effect I just saw wasn't an anomaly. So, thank you very much for allowing me to test this theory."
The same thing happened when the blue stallion ripped the chain off his victim's chest. Zecora just stood there in utter shock at the scene. He actually came for her, he saved her from being turned into a slave. And that infuriated her, why? Why did he come to her rescue?
"Just who are you?!" Zecora screamed at the figure. "Why did you come to this one's rescue?! Because this one is your possession? This mare belongs to nopony."
"For now you don't belong to anypony. Just like I don't belong to anypony," He replied with a charismatic smile that made Zecora even angrier. "However, that will change once you chose to be with me. You'll belong to me, just like I'll belong to you," His gallant tone came forth once more, he seemed so confident in his assertive that Zecora was drawn back by it. "And my name is Saraf, Saraf Serp. Pleasure to meet you, my fiance."
