A Demon's Second Chance

There were so many things I should have been feeling in that moment.

Anxiety.

Crippling trepidation.

Or maybe just a dread so potent it was rendering my legs useless.

But, even as I stared into the face of Celestia, who held the trinket that nearly turned me into Frisk, I only felt relief.

Of course, there was this lingering burning sensation in my right arm that I knew wasn’t there. Hovering anxiety forced me to keep my free hand on my right forearm, having to constantly scratch it just to keep some sort of sensation.

Double checking it wasn’t charred.

That it was still there.

That I wasn’t burning.

That I wasn’t in hell.

My throat felt just a bit dry.

“Chara,” Celestia snapped me out of it, that usual polite tone of hers absent. “I would like you to start at when you arrived in Ponyville.”

I looked at Luna, who drank heavily from a thermos with steam coming out of it.

“Didn’t Luna tell you what happened?”

“She did,” Celestia and her sister exchanged a very brief look. “As well as Shining, who gave me an entire report starting from when his hooves hit the ground to when he was back here in Canterlot. And now,” she peered back down at the amulet, staring at it like she could melt it with her very eyes.

Speaking from personal experience, maybe she could.

“I’d like to hear your side of the story. First, how did you know of this changeling invasion taking place under the nose of my student, all while being confined to Canterlot?”

Starting off with the easy questions, I see.

Luna already knew the answer to this, and likely all of the ones Celestia had for me. Of course, because of our contract, I couldn’t tell her all of that. It really seems like every time I make things just a bit easier on myself, something in the future becomes that much harder.

The good thing was, I’d already lied about this before. I was a tad better at reusing a lie than coming up with a new one.

“I can see a future.”

“A future?” Celestia’s chin raised just a little. “Not the future. Interesting choice of wording.”

“There is no ‘the’ future, just many; it’s never set in stone.Or maybe its many futures. It changes every time I look at it..” my tone was so clinical Twilight would have been proud. I’d had this exact conversation with Gaster so many times it was like reading a script off the back of my mind. When you keep talking about the same things, you always circle back to the same points and same conclusions.

After a while, it felt more like we were going through the motions of a conversation than actually talking.

“You speak as if you are an expert on the subject.” Luna spoke up, an odd haughtiness to her voice that gave her words a distinct shallowness. “Do you claim to be some kind of clairvoyant like Laughter?”

“Something like that, I suppose.” I couldn’t help but narrow my eyes, trying to put together the puzzle of where Luna was going with this. “It’s a bit different from Pinkie sense.”

“I see. Then, can you prove that you have this ability? Can you, say, predict what I’m going to say next?”

“Uhm, no. I’m not,” I knew what I wanted to say, but I hated it. I really wish there was a better term, this one felt rancid on my lips. “A prophet, please don’t treat me like one. I see a version of the future, and I try to change it from what I saw. With this, I saw that the changelings were invading Ponyville and…told Luna.”

True enough to not be a lie. Of course, I left the part out where I had to die to reset. Outside of Luna and Fluttershy, I didn’t have to tell anyone that.

At least, I hope not.

“Yes, instead of me.” I couldn’t tell if Celestia was upset as she said that. Somehow, that was more terrifying. “Which, to my understanding, you did because you believed you didn’t have enough time. Hard to say if that’s true or not.”

She let her words settle in the air for a moment, before curling her wing and gesturing at me with it.

“Go on.”

“Well, after we landed,” My lips were dry, why were they so dry? “Luna decided to split us up so she could protect the others. Shining, two nightguards and I went into the woods to find the hive. We did, and saved a bunch of animals and two ponies. The two nightguards took them to Ponyville, and Shining and I—”

“That’s all that happened with the captured ponies?” Celestia cut in, her words as sharp and cold as shards of ice. “Nothing else?”

She knew.

Of course she knew, why wouldn’t Shining tell her?

Why’d I even try?

“I…” I gulped. “Made a contract with Trixie to get the amulet away from her. If I hadn’t, she would have used it against Twilight.”

For a fraction of a second, Celestia scowled.

“And you know this how?”

“She…” It was becoming far too common for me to become uncomfortable in this exact chair. “Told me. It was part of her conditions that if I didn’t carry through with my side of the agreement, that I’d have to help her take revenge against Twilight.”

“I see.” I expected some sort of concern that Trixie had a plan against Celestia’s star pupil, but there was hardly even a flicker of her eye. She must have had that much faith in her. “And what, per se, was your side of this contract?”

I dipped my head, lowering it so far down that the bottom of my jaw scraped against the amulet.

“It was,” I tried really hard not to stare at Luna, my pupils dragging in her direction once or twice before I forced them straight again. “To arrange a meeting between Luna and Trixie and…try to convince Luna to take her in as her student so she could get good enough to beat Twilight.”

My voice got so low that I didn’t even feel the vibrations in my throat anymore, only a thudding that left me wanting to clear my throat for the next minute. Celestia leaned forward, and Luna just…closed her eyes.

“So, let me parse this correctly: under Luna’s authority, you went with The Night Guard to save Ponyville from a changeling invasion, and during which, you promised tutelage from my sister in order to defeat my personal student in a duel?”

I raised my legs to the chair, leaving my shoes dangling off the edge.

“I…promised to try?”

“I had hoped that my nephew-in-law was wrong in this regard. I have never done that before.”

I glanced at Shining, who was closer to Cadance than I’d ever seen them before. His arm wrapped around her shoulder, which was under a wing she had wrapped around herself. She was shaking again, but she wasn’t looking at me at all. Instead, it was like someone had taken a photo of her transfixedly staring at the amulet, so entranced by its presence that it was like nothing else existed.

“And where is this Trixie now?” Luna said in a much louder voice, like she was in a shouting match with the tension in the room. “Is she still in Ponyville?”

“No, she’s,” Shining shifted in his chair, his body freezing in place. “After Chara informed me of the contract she’d made, I knew one way or another she would make her way here, so I had one of the night guard bring her to Canterlot and assign her to a guest room. She’s waiting for further notice.”

“I see.” Luna’s nostrils briefly flared, her chin dropping to her chest. She took a deep breath, then placed her hands on the edges of the table, pushing the chair back and getting to her hooves. “Then, I should handle this with haste. We have greater things to worry about than a stray unicorn with ambitions, don’t we?”

“That we do. However,” for the first time since I’d entered the room, Celestia’s attention shifted to someone else. “Do you not wish to hear the entirety of what Chara has to say? After all, you are entitled to the truth behind why she made a contract under her authority, are you not?”

I could tell by the way Celestia narrowed her eyes she was saying something else under her words. What that was, I had no idea. All I could do was try to keep it from crushing me as Luna made her way to the door, stopping only when it was half open.

“Perhaps I am, and I assure you I’ll be hearing it at a later time when this climax has reached its recourse. However, I trust that Chara did everything in my best interest while under my authority. After all,” most of her body dived behind the door, leaving only a fraction of her night-sky mane and a single, half-lidded eye visible. “I did have enough faith in her to form a contract.”

She said that in a half sing song voice, putting an emphasis on it that I didn’t quite understand. Whatever it was, it caused Shining to wince and Cadance to gasp.

“A contract?” Celestia stared at the spot where Luna just was, raising her chin high and briefly forgetting the amulet below her even existed. “You made a contract with my sister?”

Celestia’s voice went down an entire octave, and I found myself not wanting to utter a word.

Not that I had a choice in the matter.

“Well?”

If it was possible, I shrunk even more into myself.

“I did. That’s…why she helped me.” I tried counting my heartbeats, like Fluttershy suggested as a ‘grounding technique’. It didn’t take me very long to get to double digits.

“And what did you offer in return?”

“I…can’t say.”

“You can’t say? Is this a restriction of the contract, or are you choosing not to say?”

I made a squeaking noise Angel would have been proud of, and nodded.

“That wasn’t a yes or not question.”

I flinched, the sterness of her words like a rope getting tighter around my throat.

Or maybe, more appropriately, a fire getting just a little closer to my skin.

“both.”

“The first contract with an alicorn in over a millennia, with my sister after her return, which resulted in the obtainment of an amulet just as old, the capturing of a just as dangerous foe, and the saving of The Element Bearers, and I can only hear half of which?” Celestia laughed. It was the first time someone else’s laugh was as painful to me as my own. “What a week this has been.”

I recoiled when her horn lit up with magic and faced my direction, forgetting how to breathe. For a second, I thought I felt a burning sensation at the end of my fingers.

Instead, it wrapped around a teapot that had been resting in the center of the table.

“Tea, anyone? Shining, Cadance? It’s chamomile.”

Cadance went to open her mouth, raising her head, her eyes constricted, only to close it and nod her head.

Several cups began to hover as Celestia poured them, steaming hot, light brown liquid filling them to the brim. With precision garnered over lifetimes, she floated the cups to herself, me, and Cadance all at the same time and without spilling a drop.

More out of a need to have something in my hand than anything, I picked up the cup and blew on it, getting a whiff of its floral fragrance.

“Please explain something to me, then. Why, despite it being in your best interest not to, did you decide to put on the amulet and help fight Chrysalis? Did you not trust the captain of the royal guard, who had been training rigorously for this exact occasion, to handle it himself?”

Yeah, that was enough to make me take a drawn-out sip.

Beneath the burning of my tastebuds, I could taste the tea. It was almost…applejuice-like? With a honey-like sweetness that almost made me wonder if I was drinking candy, yet there was a silkiness to it that was like putting a curtain in my mouth. It felt almost like drinking a flower.

My hands trembled as a wave of soothing warmth traveled through me. I found it a lot easier to place the cup back on the table before sagging my back against the chair.

“I did. I just, if I left Shining alone and something happened to him,” I couldn’t lie. Well, I couldn’t lie normally, but I especially couldn’t lie here. She knew everything, and even if she didn’t, she was more than perceptive enough to catch me. I thought back to what my reasoning was in that moment, and what part of it I could actually say. “Twilight would never forgive me. And I’d never forgive myself.”

“It was for Twilight, then?”

Shining looked like he wanted to say something, but held his tongue.

“Yes.”

“So you nearly murdered Chrysalis in my student’s name?”

I choked, the second sip of tea not going down nearly as smoothly as the first.

“In Chara’s defense,” it was Shining who spoke up, though he lowered his head as soon as he raised it. “The moment she realized what she’d almost done, she had me take the amulet from her once she took it off. If what’s known about the amulet is accurate, that’s not easy to do.”

“Hmmmm.” Celestia’s pupils scanned something back and forth, drinking a concerning amount of tea despite how hot it still was. “I suppose there’s truth to that. Lest be, that amulet’s corruption can only work off what is already there. Which means, if Chara was truly corrupted by it, some part of her wanted to kill Chrysalis in the first place.”

“I…” as much as I wanted to deny that, I couldn’t. There was this part of me that, ever since she told me she was behind the diamond dogs, hated her. Maybe in the same way I hated humans; it certainly sparked the same kind of anger.

I’d given in again, and look where it got me? Well, at least it wasn’t dead like last time.

“Can’t argue that. You’re right, I wanted Chrysalis dead so she couldn’t hurt them again; hurt me again. Because of the amulet, I almost did. So,” I tried to smile, which was more forced than usual. “Thank you, Shining. It would have been another thing I could never forgive myself for.”

Once again, Shining looked like he wanted to say something, but didn’t bring himself to do so.

“Hurt you? You’re feeling for a future version of yourself? Peculiar.” Celestia paused, stirring her tea with a hovering spoon before glancing down at it.” So you know you would have regretted it if you had followed through? Interesting, then tell me something:” Celestia refilled her cup, arching her back as she sighed. “If you were in the same position, without the power of the amulet, and Shining wasn’t there to stop you, would you have gone through with it?”

I hadn’t thought about that nearly as much as I should have. Or, at all, really.

It was hard to deny how intentional that was.

I tried to picture that image. No weight around my neck or chest, a wall instead of a magical barrier preventing her escape, and no captain of the royal guard to save the crooked queen. In front of me like a wounded animal, unable to flee, unable to fight, alive thanks to my mercy.

The world around me black and white, just like the void.

If I so picked that button.

I felt stuck, arms outstretched and frozen between two impossible choices.

When I stopped thinking about it, I almost found myself relieved to be back in front of Celestia; all the color rushing back into the world. For better or worse.

“I don’t know.”

Celestia blinked.

She lowered her head, peering at me with an evaporating intensity. Then, she let go as her chest rose and fell.

“Well, at least you're honest.” Another sip of her tea. This one was so quiet, if I hadn’t seen her do it I wouldn’t have known she had. “One last question regarding this, then; did you truly order Shining Armor to take your amulet and ensure that ‘no one ever touch it again’?”

“I didn’t order him to,” I scratched the top of my right hand, unable to get the glove to fit better no matter how much I pulled at it. “But yes.”

“Then, in my nephew’s stead, I will oblige your request: this amulet is going to the vault where it should have stayed. I will say Chara, I must thank you for inadvertently tracking down one of the most dangerous trinkets that ever escaped my grasp. It’s the slightest bit of ease off my shoulders.”

I waited for her to continue, expecting some kind of punishment or scolding. When nothing came, I awkwardly picked up the cup again, tracing the edges with my middle finger.

“So, I’m not in trouble?”

“Not per se. After all, you were under Luna’s authority when all of this occurred. What you did was for the best of almost all parties involved; heroic, one could eve—” her eyebrows drew together as she stopped for a moment, tilting her head and keeping her eyes in my direction. “Are you alright?”

“Yeah.” I unclenched my jaw. Strange, I don’t remember clenching it. “I’m fine.”

“Hmmm.” Her face scrunched together a little more, before taking another sip from her tea. “Very well. To cut to the chase, you are forbidden from making any more contracts with any individual without consulting me first. This is non-negotiable. Tell me, are you on speaking terms with my faithful student again? Have you outstretched the metaphorical branch?”

Cadence’s ears perked up.

“We’re…on talking terms, I think.”

“Excellent, then inform Twilight when needed that you have permission to send me letters. That being said, please do not send me a letter unless it is an absolute emergency or a contract has been offered to you by a third party. Of which, inform me of the circumstances and conditions of such so I have no questions, and I will inform you if you have my permission in such a case.”

“Uhm, okay.”

I didn’t plan on making any more contracts, anyway.

I watched as Celestia focused her magic on the glass encasing the amulet, picking it up with the same ease she did the teacups and floating it behind her. Once it got a certain distance, I heard Cadance take a deep breath, her wings fluttering as she shuddered.

“So,” a tingling in my throat was telling me that I shouldn’t ask this question, but if I didn’t know, the ignorance would eat away at me. “What would happen if I made a contract without consulting you?”

“Well, then you’d have broken my trust. Over the course of my life, many have done so. Very few have earned it back. And, until you do, you’d be spending a lot of time in Canterlot under constant watch.”

“Oh.”

“This time around, there is something I need of you while you’re here. Then, you’ll be free to explore Canterlot City itself to your heart's content; the guest room is yours until your business here is finished.”

“Y—you need me to do something?” I rubbed my throat, realizing that drinking hot tea in an already warm room might not have been very good. “What is it?”

“Do you recall when I mentioned we had a zealot in Canterlot?”

I hummed, tapping my fingers against the table.

“Vaguely.”

“Well, they requested you.”

My heart stopped beating.

“They requested me?”

“They did. By name.” Celestia flexed her wings, pouring herself a third cup. “I’m not particularly concerned with whether it’s the first thing you do after leaving this room, or the last thing you do before you leave Canterlot, as long as you do so. You will be provided an escort there and as long as you are in the castle. This time, however, you have my permission to leave and explore the city itself should you so wish.”

“Why did they…” Why would a zealot request me by name? I didn’t know any of them, and I’d prefer to keep it that way. The timing couldn’t be worse, it certainly didn’t help Celestia’s trust in me.

“Why did they ask for you by name? That would have been my next question, though your expression answers it for me.” She stood up, stretching her wings and using her magic to gather up everything on the table. “That was all I was interested in discussing. Judging from the letter you sent my sister, I assume you have other business to attend to. You are free to go, Chara.”

“I am?”

“You are. You as well, Cadence. Though, Shining?”

“Yes, princess?” Shining slowly stood up, still keeping a consoling hand on Cadance’s shoulder.

“I’d like to speak with you privately regarding the amulet. I am trusting you in escorting the amulet to the vault, but I feel there’s more we should discuss regarding it.”

“Of course.”

He leaned down to Cadance’s ear, whispering something far too quiet for anyone but her to hear before giving her a silent kiss on the cheek.

I contemplated what to do, breathing heavier with every inhale. My chest felt just a bit tighter, as I realized this was a bit more complicated than a checklist. I closed my eyes, and while I saw darkness, that was all I saw.

It reminded me of The Void, oddly enough. If I really pretended, maybe I could even vaguely see the outline of Gaster, practically shaking in excitement to tell me about a new universe he’d stumbled across.

It was comforting, in its own way.

“I’ll see the zealot; I wanna get it over with.”

“Wise choice.”

“Chara,” I was a bit startled by how quietly Cadance had gotten out of her chair and made her way to my side. “Can I talk to you before you go? Privately.”

“...yeah, sure. Uhm, Celestia? Can you,” I sat the half-empty cup on the table, pushing it towards the center. “Send some of that to my room? I kinda like it.”

“Oh? Have a taste for tea, do you?” Celestia grabbed my cup in her magic and put it with the rest. “I’d happily do so. In fact, should you wish to participate in breakfast with me once again, I’d be content to offer you a new type of tea.”

I’m not sure my nerves could handle that.

“I’ll…think about it.”

Celestia nodded, and watched as I made my way to the door; Cadance was already opening the door and left it open once she left.

As soon as I was on the other side, I set my back against it and let all of the pressure on my chest through my mouth. It was tempting to let my knees give out and just fall to the floor and take everything in for a bit, if I didn’t have someone standing right beside me.

“What did yo—”

She hugged me.

Out of everyone I’d met in this new world, Cadance was the last person I ever expected to hug me. Because of how uncomfortable being around me was for her.

Because I was wrong.

And yet, she hugged me.

“Thank you.”

I barely registered the whisper in my ear, my body having gone as stiff as a tree in her grip. It was over as soon as it started; I didn’t even have time to close my eyes or respond before she pulled away.

Cadence was the one with tears in her eyes.

“Sorry to hug you like that, I just don’t know how else to show how thankful I am.”

“T—thankful?” I coughed, rubbing the center of my throat. “Thankful?”

“Yes.” she extended the tip of her wing to her face, wiping the tears away as she smiled at me. “Thankful that you did all of this to save Twilight and her friends, and, intentionally or not, you saved my husband too. You helped Shining get over something I never could. So, thank you.”

‘Something he never could?’

I wanted to ask her what she meant by that, but I decided to pocket it for later.

“You don’t have to be thankful.”

“No, but it’d be rude if I wasn’t.” she said with an awkward chuckle. “Though, we’re both busy po—people, and that’s not the only reason I wanted to talk to you.”

Oh, this was about the jackalope.

I didn’t think she’d bring that up until I was about to leave, but I guess that was just me making assumptions again. I didn’t have the vigor to pretend to be surprised about it, plus she was in the room when I mentioned being able to see a future, there wouldn’t be a point.

I took a deep breathe, steeling myself for the reaction that would follow.

“I know about Lumi.”

“I need to ask another favor of—” Her eyes widened, then compressed as she squinted. “What?”

“I…” I raised my hands up in front of my chest, tapping my fingers together. “You need a favor?”

“You know about Lumi?” her nostrils flared as she extended her wings, crossing them. “Who told you?”

“Well, technically Luna did. But I alread—” I managed to catch myself, clenching my teeth like a beartrap. “Luna did.”

“You already…what? You already knew because,” her eyes widened as quickly as they narrowed.” You can see the future. Of course, that ruins the whole thing.” Cadence rolled her eyes, her lips flattening as she shook her head. “Nevermind, that’s not what I was going to ask. The thing is…” she peered over her shoulder, spotting two distant figures that were getting closer at the end of the hallway. “Oh, you’re escort’s here; that was quick. I’m, listen, I just…” she stepped forward, getting so close I could hear her breathing. “I need you to talk to Shining before you leave, okay? He’s the type who feels like he owes anyone who helps him with anything, especially when it's a life or death thing. If he doesn’t pay you back somehow, it's going to eat away at him. Can you do that?”

“Uhm, sure?” I wasn’t even entirely sure what she was asking, but it just sounded like she wanted me to talk to him about something. “Talk to him about what?”

“Well, just try to convince him he doesn’t owe you anything. Or, if you can’t, just let him help somehow?”

“What? Help me with what? I don—”

“Oh, Chara, you’re the one we’re escorting to Shadow? I should have guessed.” Brash cut in, flying over to me and turning to Cadance. “Princess! I didn’t see you there.”

“You never do, Brash.” Luster wasn’t very far behind, moving to my side but keeping distance like she always had before. “Can we help you with anything, Princess Cadance? There’s no rush on when we need to get Chara to the zealot; it’s not like they’re going anywhere.”

She chuckled, backing away and pulling her wings inward.

“No, I was just leaving.” she made it a few feet before glancing over at me, saying something with her lips without any sound.

I think it was ‘please’.

“You’ve been busy, huh?”

I shook off the familiarity of those words as Brash asked them, turning towards Luster and opening my mouth to say something, only to find she’d already started her trek and was barely waiting for us to catch up.

“I guess so.”

“So how did you know about the chan—”

“What can you tell me about this zealot?”

I cut Brash off, much to her disappointment. I really didn’t want to broach that topic again, because it only branched out two ways: I lie, or I tell the version of truth I gave Celestia that I’ve repeated again and again. Both of which are exhausting.

Brash was about to continue, but was cut off by the distinct sound of Luster clearing her throat.

“His name is Shadow Lock, he is a unicorn of unknown age and origin; he claims its unknown to even himself. The reason behind that is because he knows a spell to wipe books and the memory of which from anyone who’s read them. Which, ironically, includes himself. He claims to not even know why he’s doing it himself, but he’s being driven by such purpose regardless. It's almost poetically sad.”

“He…” my eyebrows contorted uncomfortably as I stopped for just a moment. “Erases books? Why?”

“Weren’t you listening? He doesn’t even know why.” Brash landed on the ground alongside Luster as we turned the umpteenth corner, eventually hitting a flight of stairs. “Anyway, yeah. It’s why we can’t transcribe any of the interviews done with him. Well, that, and he doesn’t really say anything new. Just that he won’t talk until ‘the angel who’s seen the surface’ shows up. Whatever that means.”

My heart actually stopped.

Once I got to the bottom of the stairs, I had noticed I was out of breath despite it being relatively short.

I placed both my hands on the wall, clinging to it like letting go would send me into a chasm of my demise. I slid down to the floor, knees hitting the ground with what felt like the weight of the world.

“Chara?”

Ringing. So intense it was shredding the inside of my ears, I wanted to shove my fingers in them until there was anything else.

“He said that? Those exact words?”

At least, thats what I think I said. I felt my mouth move, and that’s what I wanted to say, but I wasn’t sure what actually came out.

All I could tell was that Luster nodded to whatever I had said, as they both waited for me.

Neither of them tried to strike up a conversation once we started moving again.

We eventually made it to what looked like a medieval dungeon, where at the end was a steel door that was bolted shut to the wall and the ground; a small, barred window that I had to stand on the tip of my toes just to see through.

There was a figure in there that I could only make out a handful of details. A horn sticking out with some kind of ring around the base, all their limbs were cuffed to the table with mandables, and the clothes he was wearing were as black as the raggedy mane sticking out.

“How…am I supposed to—”

With a flash of magic, Luster began unscrewing the bolts from the door, floating them away to the side and placing them in a container attached to the wall.

“He requested you to speak with him in private. The room is silent proofed with a spell from Princess Luna herself, so we’re unable to hear anything spoken of in there. That being said,” with a creak that echoed in the hallway, the door opened. The figure inside raised his head ever so slightly. “We can see and will be watching the entire time. He has also stated he doesn’t particularly care if you share whatever is discussed in here, so Princess Celestia has requested that you provide all details immediately after coming out.”

I stayed in the hallway, rubbing my necklace through my shirt. Even without seeing his eyes, I could tell he was staring at me.

With a gulp, I walked in and sat on the chair across from him, which made a grating noise almost as loud as the door as it shut behind me.

“H—how do you know who I am?”

I questioned if he heard me as minutes passed, then I realized that was in my mind.

“Before I answer any questions, I’ve been ordered to deliver a message to you.”

He leaned forward, placing his arms on the table. His face poked out from his mane, revealing green eyes and a scar across his face cheek to cheek.

“Can you feel your sins crawling on your back?”