Chapter 1: New Opportunities
Adagio Dazzle didn't know what was worse: The fact that she lost everything in a rainbow blaze, prompting her and her sisters to flee into the next town over and work actual jobs in order to sustain themselves, or the humiliation of wearing a cheeseburger on her head while listening to fat blobs shouting their order at her and she had to take it if she was going to be able to survive. Perhaps it was the need to hide her face at all times, lest a CHS student was somehow here and was going to take pictures for the added embarrassment of it all. With work over, she clocked out and snuck a bag full of food out the back door, running headlong into the woods. The petty thievery for food was also quite frustrating. If she'd have her voice, she wouldn't need to steal the food, they'd give it to her. Then again, if she had her voice, she wouldn't need food in the first place. With her swiftness, it wouldn't be long before she arrived at a rusted warehouse, long abandoned to time. Approaching the door, she banged on it three times. A hole slid open and a cute, slightly childish voice spoke.
"Password?"
She rolled her eyes. "Let me in or you're not eating today."
"Correct!" The door swung open. There Sonata was, smiling brightly in a dirty tank top and skirt with her hair down. Despite the squalor they lived in, she nonetheless seemed like her ditzy, bubbly self. Aria, meanwhile, was leaning back in her chair until she reached the wall behind her. Her scowl was definitely more pronounced and she fidgeted more, looking around and occasionally punching the walls.
"It's about damn time, Adagio!" She spat out, getting out of the chair and holding out a hand. "What the hell took you so long??"
"Well forgive me for being the only productive one for you sorry sacks of wasted breath," she retorted, handing over a smaller bag. "But I was pushing extra hours so we can try for proper food, not to mention not smelling awful."
"Well, you could've MMFH! warned ush!" She chomped down on the burger, wolfing it down in no time as she slurped the soda down. Adagio handed Sonata the bag full of tacos, the one thing neither she nor Aria would've touched, but Sonata herself ate with just as much intensity as Aria. As Adagio dug into her meal, she looked down at the ground, pondering her life. She was so close to victory and she let it all slip away. She hated those Rainbooms for taking what should've been hers. Her grip tightened around the burger, her nails lengthening into claws that dug into the meaty flesh and her teeth getting sharper as she thought of all the things she would do to them if only she had her power back...
"D-Dagi..." A hand on her shoulder snapped her out of her trance, a very frightened Sonata looking at her. She sighed, her more bestial features sinking back. "If only we had another chance... I just want one more opportunity to take everything back and turn those accursed Rainbooms to MINCEMEAT!!"
"I-I know, but..." Sonata's words were cut off by a tremor, causing everyone to wobble a bit. It wasn't the tremor, but the energy behind it, that made all three stood up and looked around.
"Shit, what was that??" Aria bared her claws immediately, her eyes becoming catlike slits as she prepared for a fight, Adagio looking around and listening in for any noises Sonata hiding behind the two in fear. There were a few moments of stillness as they waited for something to happen. A few minutes more. The slowly stood up.
"Okay, I couldn't have been the only one to have felt that!"
"No, you're right... I felt it too," Adagio confirmed as she reached down to touch the ground. "It was almost... Nostalgic in a way. It's hard to describe."
Sonata shook a bit, trying to steel her nerves as she looked at the door. "M-Maybe it's hiding...! Someone should go out and check..."
"Good plan," Aria said with a thumbs up. "Sonata, go out and check."
"W-What?? No! I'm not going out there with who-knows-what roaming around!"
"Awww, what's the matter, chicken?~"
"I'm not chicken!! You should go since you're stronger!!"
"QUIET!!!" Adagio shouted, silencing the bickering. "Look, let's all go out together. If it kills us, we can all take it down together. Got it?"
They both nodded, and Adagio walked out, opening the door. The sun was slowly starting to set on the industrial yard, the trees of the nearby forest stabbing at the sun. The searched around as a group, careful not to break up the group. When all immediate areas were searched through, Adagio spoke first. "It looks like it was some natural tremor... Or if it was unnatural, it was nowhere near us."
"You think some other beast from Equestria got sent here?" Aria stretched her arms over her head. "If that's the case, glad it's gonna cause some havoc to these chumps..."
"Well, at the very least we can say that we're all fine and we'll be easier to rest another d-AAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!" Sonata let out a loud scream as she pointed to an object in the distance. Previously looking like a ray of sun, it was getting brighter. And closer. And it was moving fast. All three dove to the sides from the path of the flaming object, allowing it to make a beeline past them before stopping a few feet away. They bore witness to one of the first truly magical things they'd seen since their exile: Two blackened, flaming steeds letting out an ethereal whinny while pulling a golden chariot ridden by a youthful, yet clearly adult man. His skin was bronzed and, while devoid of hair, he wore it well. He wore a white two-piece suit, reminiscent of either a high-roller from a casino or some drug dealer from a couple of decades ago. Once the chariot stopped, he looked towards the three with a smile, hopping off and walking towards them.
"Ah, the infamous Dazzlings. It's a pleasure to finally meet-" He couldn't even finish a sentence before he was met with a fist directly to the face, sending him flying back into a wall.
"Aria!!"
"Quick, let's jump in the thing and make a run for it!" She rushed to the chariot, only for the horses to stomp at her, breathing flames from their nostrils right at the depowered Dazzling. She backed off, gritting her teeth as if she was prepared to rip these horses apart, but a hearty laugh broke her focus. Turning towards where she knocked the man, he was standing perfectly fine, a massive dent in the locomotive behind him and nothing but dust on his suit, which he was quickly disposing of.
"Very good, a nice, solid punch there Aria," he quipped as he slowly walked over to her. "However, if you think that was going to be enough, then you're really overestimating your debilitated form."
Adagio stepped in, glaring at the man. "Just who are you, and why do you know who we are?"
"Ah! Good thing you mentioned that..." He bowed his head a bit, keeping that confident smile plastered on his face. "Call me Oz. I'm a representative of Hell, from which I was tasked with offering you a deal."
"Hell?" Sonata tilted her head as she peeked from behind Adagio.
"Ah, right. You're still not familiar with this world's planes of the afterlife." Clearing his throat and cracking his knuckles, Oz began producing a fiery magic from his fingertips, weaving it into a sort of window by which a greyed out, barren landscape with a mountain breaching into bright clouds surrounding a gate. "You see, when we die here, our souls are placed in judgment, and we may end up in heaven if we're virtuous and good-natured, in purgatory, if we're flawed but can be redeemed, or..." He moved down the image, revealing scenery of truly disturbing imagery. Corpses mounting high, demons torturing those still living and haunting images of dismemberment that shook all three to their core. "Hell, for the wicked."
Adagio looked up from the picture, doing her best to maintain her strong composure despite what she'd just witnessed. "And you're to tell me that Hell is offering us a chance at...?"
"Revenge! A chance to take back the power stolen from you! Dominance once more! Isn't this what you wanted?"
The three looked at each other. The offer was good, but it was almost... Too convenient. Adagio especially was thinking hard about it. This man was carrying himself like a natural-born leader, something she could pick up at an instant. There'ss no way someone like him would be willingly going out and doing this job himself... She thought as she heard Sonata and Aria talking about whether or not to take him up on it. He'd have sent someone else, especially if he was from his... Hell. That's when Oz pulled out a small satchel strapped to his belt. "Here. As an offering."
He tossed the bag to them, Adagio catching it. They looked at the bag as she reached out to pull the drawstring open, then stopped. She looked towards Sonata and handed it to her. "Open it."
"What?? Why meee??" She whined, stopping to rub the back a bit. "Oooo, silky..."
"Because if it has anything to do something bad, we can restrain you and stop you from doing anything. It's not the same if either of us did so."
The blue lass pouted a bit but sighed in resignation. She has a point... She thought as she held out the back, flinching a bit. The bag opened up, and nothing happened. She opened it up a bit more and peeked in and burst into a squeal of delight as she pulled out a chocker with a small hexagonal gem on it. She then took a better look at it. "Hey... This just kinda looks like the middle of our gems! And why are they blue?"
Oz motioned towards the gems. "These aren't your regular Equestrian ones. These come from the Mother of Desire, the Queen of Lust herself. Even though it's only a fraction of the whole piece, it's just as powerful as the previous ones you owned."
Taking a good look at it, Sonata slipped the choker around her neck. She was hit with a rush of energy, just as she had when she had her old gem. She began to sing, and Adagio and Aria watched as she sang as beautifully as she did before. The other two grabbed the other chokers and placed them around their necks, joining in the melodious harmony as they felt the nostalgic grip of power once lost to them. Oz simply watched their performance and clapped once it was all over.
"Wonderful job, you three. I'm quite pleased to hear your work in person," he said with a smile as he walked over to one of the hellish horses, patting it on the snout. "However, if you go out with just the core, expect a repeat failure. Those girls have gotten a lot stronger, and any single one of them could take you down."
They looked over at the man, looking more offended by that prospect. Aria snapped out first. "Like hell, we'd lose! We just have to be smarter with how we go after them and they won't stand a chance!"
Adagio stared at Oz as he tended to the horses, thinking about what he said. She thought about how much was needed in order to get everything down the first time, and how just jumping into it the same way they did before wouldn't work. This could be our only chance... she thought, walking towards him. I can't take such a big gamble like this.
"Adagio, what are you doing??"
She turned to her sisters. "I'm going to hell."
"What?!? So you're just gonna trust what this guy is saying and risk going through that... Place in order to get stronger???"
"Look, he's right. We were smart and lucky enough to trick everyone the first time. It's not going to work again, even if we tried to go at it a bit smarter. Plus, if we don't play it safe..." She took a step onto the chariot. "It's back to the warehouse."
The two stared at Adagio as she found a spot to relax while not singing her hair. After a bit, Sonata took a few steps forward.
"S-Sonata, you two??"
She turned with a slightly upset decision. "I-I don't like the idea that much either, Ari... But if Dagi is going, then... I think she's got a good idea." She took Oz's hand as he offered help onto the chariot. Aria, witnessing the two putting trust in this guy which she had bad vibes from this whole time, clenched her fists tighter, feeling her claws dig into her palms, and causing blood to drip from them. Eventually, she stomped over and pointed a bloodstained finger in Oz's face. "If you try to pull some kind of shady shit on us, I'll rip your guts out and strangle you with them, got it?"
Oz stared at her, unphased as he nodded. "Noted," He muttered as he stepped into the chariot with her and grabbed the reigns. "Now, hold on tightly. This is going to be a fast ride. Hyaaah!" With a demonic whinny, the horses turned and dashed the way they came, going from 0 to 60 in a matter of seconds. The girls were definitely not prepared for such a rapid acceleration, gripping the sides as they dashed out of the forest and onto the streets. Cars blared their horns and drivers rubbernecked as they witnessed an unbelievable sight, most driving away from them out of fear of what this thing would do. Even the police were too afraid of apprehending them.
"J-Jeez, does this thing always move so fast or you just showing off??" Adagio said as she tried straightening up, adjusting her hoodie.
Oz simply smirked. "Oh, I'm being modest. This thing can go faster. I just don't wanna launch you guys off."
Adagio smirked right back, leaning a bit. "Oh?~ Think we can't handle a little speed?"
"Uhhh, Dagi...?"
"Oh, I know you can't handle the kinda speed this thing has."
"D-Dagi...?"
"Prove it...~" Adagio leaned in a bit, a sultry look on her face as she stared at Oz, who gave a side glance and a smile.
"Dagi!"
She snapped her head. "What?!?"
"S-Someone is following us!"
The group darted their heads behind them to see a blue motorcycle quickly picking up speed from behind. The rider had a leather jacket and matching blue helmet, both with an all too familiar emblem of a rainbow lightning bolt emerging from a cloud. "Dammit!!" The three tightened their hoods a bit to try and hide their face, but Oz was stoic, staring forward as he lashed the reigns out. The chariot burst into a great dash, much faster than before, quickly creating a distance between the two that Rainbow Dash was slowly regaining. He looked back, then at an abandoned highway exit. He turned straight onto the path, shocking everyone but himself.
"Are you insane???" Adagio shouted as she tried not to fall from the sheer force of momentum. "This highway's been under construction for weeks!!! It leads to a giant hole in the ground!!"
"I know," He said, looking over at them. "How do you think I managed to break out so easily?"
They stared, stunned, as he pushed his horses faster. Dash was struggling to make up the lost ground but saw where exactly they were headed and hit the brakes hard, ripping off her helmet and shouting, "Stooop!!! You're not going to make it!!" Oz didn't stop, even as he felt Aria trying to pry away the reigns and slash at his back and arms. He was dead set on making it. On fulfilling his mission. He would center himself in the middle of the road, waiting until the perfect moment to command his horses to jump. They leaped forward, soaring across the sky as his passengers simply clung for dear life as they saw the black void that was the hole in the Earth.
And then they began to dive straight down.
Their screams echoed as they were swallowed by the endless abyss, Rainbow running forward and trying to pony up to try and reach them, but any attempt to do so had only lead to her magic fizzling out. She peeked down the hole. The chariot was gone. She felt a shiver down her spine. Something about this place was unnerving...
"I think I should tell the others..." She muttered, getting back on her motorcycle and driving back to the main roads.
Prologue: Affairs In Order
Below the planes of existence, wherever there is humanity willing to shove its nose in any form, there lie that place so foul that its only purpose could be to punish the wicked and take from them that which they valued most.
Hell.
Split across what deemed to be the roots of all evil, the souls of the damn cried out as they were broken by the vices they clung to in life. Nothing could prepare one for the torment of everything they deemed wonderful breaking their bodies and wills until they remained husks. And yet, in the heart of the Kingdom of Lust, there was one such soul barely clinging to hope in the face of great adversity.
"Ahhhh~ Harder! Hardeeer!" Within the highest tower of a castle surrounded by husks mindlessly stumbling about with a sex-driven gaze, a beast of a woman, 8 feet tall with breasts larger than her head and colorful scales across her arms and legs, bounced atop a comparatively minuscule man, who gripped the sheets as he clenched his teeth harder and harder. His mind was fogged by exhaustion; Asmodeus had been riding him for what seemed like days, making his muscles ache through nonstop coitus. He needed to stop, to rest or at least to take a break. However, he knew that doing so meant losing the one chance he had. He flared his nostrils and thrust upwards, surprising even the Queen of Lust herself as he pushed her legs over her head and pounded away at her with a look of maddened determination.
"H-Hey! Where was this vigor 40 climaxes ago~? Were you holdi-EEEEE~!" Her snicker was cut off by the slamming of her G-spot. He found what he was looking for. He didn't stop even as she began to squirt, her eyes rolling up as her long, stretched out tongue slithered out, wrapping around his neck. He kept going. He was so close...
"OHHHHHHHH!!!"
The Kingdom shook from Asmodeus's climax, going so far as to cause the Earth itself to shake in some points, though to something as minor as a slight tremor. The man unleashed his seed in sync with her before collapsing, feeling his mind drifting. He did his best to keep his eyes open, refusing to allow himself to go unconscious now. He had not even started. Although he couldn't see it, he could hear the beastly queen reaching over and pouring something.
"Hehehe~ No wonder you're considered one of Luci's favorites... That was some wonderful work there." He felt something placed to his lips and felt the familiar acidity of wine pour into his mouth. He instinctively started gulping down the liquid, feeling his vigor return to him. Rising up from the bed, his body crackled and ached, even with the aid of Vino dell'Anima. He reached for his clothing, apparel unfamiliar to him but was assured that this was the preferred clothing of modern times. As he put on the clothing, he felt a tap at his shoulder. Asmodeus held out a small blue satchel.
"Don't forget these~! I'd say you more than earned them~" She giggled as he took the bag, attaching it to his belt before turning and bowing before her.
"Thank you again, Your Majesty. I will begin my quest at once."
"Oh! But before you do, I do have one more request..." He tensed up, holding back the number of swears he had built up. "Once you return with the girls, stop back here. I want to give them a proper warm welcome! You can then go out and handle your little mission."
He breathed out of his nose in relief, nodding. "Very well. I will see to it that this will be our first stop." With that, he rose from his knee, walking out the door and through the castle. He made sure to avoid the tentacles, groping arms and various objects attempting to mate with him as he reached his form of transportation: A golden chariot with flaming horses. Stepping onto the chariot, he secretly longed for the days where one would ride for him, but this did not deter him from grabbing the reigns firmly and lashing out, sending the steeds forth to his next destination.
Earth.