The sun’s golden, shimmering face beams down upon Ponyville as it experiences another peaceful era—one that hasn’t been seen in quite some time thanks to the myriad amount of disorder and mayhem popping up every once in a while. Chaos, eternal darkness, and threats of rampaging dragons can be exhilarating events, but not for a certain purple unicorn.

Twilight Sparkle sits in an open field, watching her friend Rainbow Dash perform some graceful and dexterous aerobatic maneuvers, all while jotting down notes on the extreme flyer's capabilities. Although she's not an expert in many things related to pegasi—flight tactics being one of them—the studious unicorn can still take the time to learn up on them. The barrel rolls, corkscrews, and figure-eights mesmerize Twilight enough to make her want to be in the sky with her friend. If only...

The peaceful, slow-paced day is a a great change from all of the near-heart attacks, near-death experiences, and all sorts of mayhem. Nothing like a good study and note-taking session to clear up Twilight’s mind and to get away from all of the madness she’s used to.

"COMIN' IN FOR A LANDING!" Rainbow Dash warns as she circles back and dives towards Twilight.

The unicorn’s face morphs from astonishment to worry as Rainbow begins to pick up speed as she races towards her. The pegasus's wings are tucked into her sides as she hurtles towards the ground like a burning meteor. With her legs paralyzed in fear, Twilight's only instinct is to duck and cover her head until Rainbow either pulls up or crashes into the earth.

*BOOM*

An earsplitting explosion rings in Twilight's head as she can just imagine what her friend's broken body could look like now. Rainbow Dash has always been a headstrong and rambunctious pony and has always gotten up every time she made a crash landing. However, this time, the magnitude of that boom sounded far too severe to result in a mangled wing or a few broken bones.

"T-Twilight?" Rainbow stammers.

The unicorn's eyes pop open in surprise to hear her friend sound alright. She lifts up her head and look up at the pegasus, who hovers above her completely unharmed. Twilight smiles with relief, only to notice, however, that Rainbow's face is filled with shock and petrified fear. Twilight follows her gaze and what she sees terrifies her to her very core.

A strange creature lays within a crater, the green grass around it set aflame. It’s unlike anything she’s seen before in this world and she doubts even a cryptic area such as the Everfree Forest has anything this monstrous.

Its sable limbs have red markings that seem to glow with eldritch energy. Messy red and black hair covers its face, obscuring most of its features. Black ram horns protrude from the sides of its temple, pointing forward. A pair of black, draconic wings sprout from its back and a winding black tail with a spade tip extends from its rear. Its red-tipped claws and talons seem as if they can tear limbs apart like stems.

As the creature picks its head up and looks at the startled ponies, Twilight can see that its face is pale gray with black streaks running up from its clavicles and bridging over its eyes, which are black pools of ink with rings of fire for pupils. Its jaw is lined with razor sharp teeth that could easily crush a pony’s bones and tear apart flesh.

What startles Twilight most is the fact that its body is covered in gaping wounds and fresh, crimson blood. Holes litter its limbs, letting its essence pour out without ceasing. As the creature rises up to its knees, Twilight beholds a massive hollow blown within its chest, exposing its ribs and vital organs.

"Get back...now," the being groans, blood gushing from its mouth.

Twilight and Rainbow Dash remain paralyzed in fear and astonishment until they spot two glowing balls of light appear in the distance. Not wanting to stay in the same spot for what may be an imminent duel, the mares quickly make a run for it, heading over to a distant tree to watch the events unfold.

The two lights land behind the bestial creature, but he doesn't look back immediately to address their presence. Instead, the entity slowly rises from the burning crater and cracks his neck nonchalantly. To Twilight's surprise, the creature’s organs grow back and the holes upon his body seal up as if nothing was wrong with him to begin with. While his limbs are black and leathery, his torso is made of steel-like scales, similar to that of a dragon. An inverted pentagram is then burned onto his chest as if branded by some mystical force.

The orbs of light disperse, revealing two majestic beings clad in gold armor with perpendicular lines branded on their breastplates. They both have smooth, peachy skin but one has shoulder-length, blonde hair, while the other has slick, black hair. They both have glowing halos above their heads and two pairs of feathery wings protrude from their scapulae, similar in elegance to that of an alicorn princess.

The two beings each hold a weapon in their right hands; the blonde creature holds a majestic sword of fire, while the black haired being holds a chained morning star. Their eyes are cool blue but seem to burn with anger and malice as they glare at the horned beast.

“Lavey, son of Satan!” the blonde haired being shouts with booming authority as he points his sword at the beast's backside. “There is nowhere to run. Accept your fate and perish by our holy wrath.”

The creature known as Lavey looks to Twilight and Rainbow Dash as they hide behind the tree. Though he says nothing, Twilight can tell he’s trying to warn them to flee. Unfortunately, her body refuses to move and Rainbow Dash seems to be in the same boat.

“Holy my ass,” Lavey spits back as he turns to face the celestial individuals. “You defied God and the Pact of Armageddon and you consider your actions to be holy?”

The armored beings scowl at the creature, grinding their teeth and clenching their weapons in their grasps.

"Don't you dare tell angels what is holy and what is not, you worthless mongrel!" the black haired being barks back. "It is your fault we can no longer righteously slaughter demons. Their presence is a wretched stain on the face of the universe. If God won't act like the judge He's supposed to, then we will!"

Twilight can't believe what she's hearing. She could've sworn these strange creatures said something about angels, demons, and gods. Though, the prospect of something transcendental such as deities and the like is ludicrous to the young unicorn, whose ideals are based solidly on the sciences, natural laws, and magics of the known world. And yet, there are three of these unfathomably powerful creatures right before her, about to clash in this very field!

The blonde angel charges at Lavey, his sword reared back for a decapitating strike. Despite the oncoming attack, the demonic creature stands his ground until the angel swings. In the blink of an eye, Lavey ducks beneath the incoming blade, letting it swipe over his head, consequently allowing the blade to drool embers and light the grass around the warriors aflame. The beast unsheathes his claws and swings an uppercut, lacerating the angel's abdomen and thorax; his blood paints the green grass with crimson, slightly dousing the growing flames.

The angel reels back, clutching his gushing chest as the wounds burn in agonizing pain. Fortunately for him, they seal up almost instantly, leaving no sign of the lacerations. His partner takes the lead, raising the morning star over his head to bring it crashing down on the demon's skull. However, similar to how he dealt with the first angel, Lavey sidesteps, letting the heavy weapon miss and dig into the earth.

With his assailant's weapon buried into the ground, the bestial creature takes this window of opportunity to rear his hand back and plunge his claws deep into the angel's skull. Twilight watches in horror as the beast gouges out the gelatinous, blood-soaked brain from its shell, disconnecting it from its host's body. Somehow, the angel continues to move like a mangled puppet, drunkenly lunging for its organ. Lavey releases the torn brain from his grasp and lets it fall to the ground, where it bounces a few times before being squashed under his heel. The angel freezes as if frozen in time and its body evaporates into particles of light, disappearing into the atmosphere and from existence.

Twilight and Rainbow Dash gasp in horror at the demon's barbaric actions, though not too surprised, considering it's kind’s nature. Their attention is dragged over to the blonde-haired angel, whose face contorts with grief and shock. His mouth quivers as tears stream down his cheeks at the sight of his comrade's body fading away.

"Y-you...bastard..." the angel stammers in sorrow. He clenches his blade until the weapon trembles in his grasp and his eyes burn with unrelenting rage. "I'LL FUCKING KILL YOU!"

The ponies watch in astonishment as the angel swings his sword barbarically, just missing its target as the beast ducks and weaves through every incoming strike with grace. The demon moves like the wind, easily weaving through every attack with such fluidity and dexterity. Lavey leaps back to put some space between him and his assailant, leaving the angel to huff and pant in rage and frustration.

“Why...?” the angel pants. “Why can’t I hit you!?”

Lavey straightens up and faces the angel with a calm ambience enveloping him. His glowing, red eyes are cool and calm while the angel’s blue eyes burn with hate.

“Angels are supposed to be holy, pure, and righteous,” the demon explains. “You are none of those things. You’ve disobeyed God, lost your temper, and are trying to kill me for trivial reasons that have already been settled. Your brother was no different.”

The angel seethes with rage as he scowls at the demon. His eyes wander from his target until landing on Twilight and Rainbow Dash hiding behind the tree. The ponies wince in fear but can’t move back behind the tree out of petrifying terror.

“Are they harboring you?” the heavenly being asks, looking back to Lavey with scorn.

The demon looks to the tree where the ponies remain, his eyes widening in shock to see them still behind their exposed hiding spot.

“What are you two doing!?” he shouts. “I said get the hell out of here! NOW!”

“It would seem they are harboring you, mongrel,” the angel answers, growing a maniacal grin. “Anyone found sheltering or defending you or demon-kind will be judged and executed on the spot!”

The angel raises his hand into the air, palm up, and conjures a small ball of light. Twilight watches in awe and fear as the ball elongates and morphs like clay, creating a glowing javelin. The angel takes aim and, with a deranged grin, throws the projectile at the ponies.

Twilight doesn’t get to hide behind the tree as the javelin seems to travel faster than light. She only manages to close her eyes and brace for the oncoming projectile, knowing she can’t do anything to stop it in time. Even with Rainbow Dash’s extreme speed, there is no way to escape their hiding spot fast enough and escape death.

The sound of tearing flesh and cracking bones flood Twilight’s ears, much to her surprise, since she should be dead with no sense of perception in her body. The stench of iron plagues her nostrils and she can feel something wet and slimy splatter upon her cheek. She's definitely not dead. The oddity of these physical sensations prompt her to open her eyes to see the gut-wrenching scene before her.

The demon stands right in front of the tree, his arms splayed out in a defending position. The glowing javelin crackles with power as it lays motionless in the creature's chest cavity, sending strange, glowing energy flooding through his veins. Blood gushes from the hollow like a waterfall, carrying along bits of torn organs and bone. Flesh and bone fragments litter the tree the two ponies are hiding behind, flooding the field with the fetor of iron and meat.

As she wipes off the bits of gore off her face, Twilight can feel her lunch beginning to crawl back up her gullet, but forces it back down into her stomach. She just wanted a peaceful day for once. Now, she's in the middle of a fight between angels and demons, of all things! She'd rather trade this day with another battle against Discord or with Nightmare Moon!

“Trying to play the hero,” the angel snarls. “You're just like your whore mother. I can’t believe I called Lutfana my sister, the wretch. But, at least this way, I will be able to finish you off; and then I shall dispose of those two.”

The heavenly being raises his hand to summon another weapon of death but pauses as Lavey struggles to pull the weapon lodged in his gaping chest. The demon’s hands burn and blister with searing pain as he attempts to pull the javelin free but he doesn't yield to the suffering.

"What are you doing?" the angel asks. "That spear is comprised of holy energy. Even if you're a hybrid, you can not—"

Lavey disregards the angel's words and the harrowing pain in his hands; forcibly yanking the rod from his chest, splatting the green grass in front of him with red essence. He staggers forward a bit before raising a knee and bringing the javelin crashing down onto his thigh, shattering it like a branch; the weapon withers away into ash as it dissolves into the atmosphere.

Though Twilight can't see his face, she can feel something burning inside the creature. The calm atmosphere that once enveloped him is burned away by the flames of wrath and violence, causing the unicorn to hide once more—but not before noticing the angel taking a few steps back in fear.

"Holy this, holy that. You're nothing but a hypocritical, heretical bastard," Lavey hisses, his voice growing deeper and more sinister. "You bring in the innocent into your quarrels like their lives mean nothing to you!"

"I-innocent!?" the angel questions in fear. "T-they were trying to—ACK!"

In a split second, Lavey appears in front of the angel with his claws clutching his throat and lifts him into the air. The demon’s grip remains tight on his victim's larynx, constricting the airway ever so slightly with every passing second. He doesn't seem to take pride in himself or grin maniacally as he slowly chokes out the angel, but instead, lets rage fuel his actions. The angel kicks the demon in the face and tries to wrench his claws apart, but nothing he does loosens the beast's grip.

"They. Are. Innocent," Lavey growls as he tightens his grip, causing the angel to finally struggle for air. "Those of you who go on your 'holy crusades' and harm an innocent soul just to get to me, I. Will. Not. Forgive!"

Lavey rears his arm back and unsheathes his claws, ready to execute his victim.

“And you keep my mother’s name out of your fucking mouth.”

He mercilessly plunging his claws deep into the angel's chest, breaking through the sternum and ribs. The sound of crunching bones and torn flesh fill the air along with the angel’s bloodcurdling screams of agony. As Lavey sifts through the angel’s body, he latches onto something and yanks three beating hearts out of the angel's gushing thorax; they are still attached to their owner by the thin, tattered veins and arteries.

He lets the angel fall to the floor, still gasping for air and struggling to survive. Lavey clasps the trio of bleeding, quaking hearts in both hands and crushes them until they are dried, red sacks within his claws. At last, the angel finally passes and fades away into nothingness.

As the corpse fades away, along with the shattered hearts, Twilight and Rainbow Dash slowly come out of hiding but stay a good distance away from the blood-stained creature. He looks back and gives them a blank stare before his eyes flutter, he drops to his knees, and collapses on the blood-soaked earth. The duo wearily approach him and notice that the gaping hole in his chest hasn't fully healed and blood continues to gush from the exposed veins and arteries.

"W-what do we do?!" Rainbow Dash asks with concern. "We can't just leave him here, can we?"

Twilight studies the wounded figure and notices his body still rising and falling; his lungs are either lightly damaged or have already healed. Either way, to know he's still breathing is a good sign, although...

"I don't know what to do with him," Twilight admits. "He’s a demon, which, if I'm not mistaken, are supposed to be creatures that destroy worlds. But...this one saved us."

"Can't you teleport to Canterlot and have Princess Celestia take a look at him?"

"I would if I could, Rainbow, but the royal capital has been on high alert recently even after Discord was sealed away again. Teleportation spells to the capital are not allowed, so the only way now is by train."

Rainbow Dash kicks the dirt in frustration and curses at the predicament as if it were a stubborn wall. With a creature on the brink of death and no one knowledgeable enough in its anatomy, let alone no way to reach the Princesses, Twilight and Dash are up a creek without a paddle.

Fortunately, a strained, trembling gasp grab the ponies' attentions and ignite some hope in their hearts. Both equines glance back at the entity to see his wound beginning to heal on its own. What's strange about his anatomy—for Twilight's interest—is the fact that he has three beating hearts, all placed in a triangle formation: one behind the sternum and two behind the lungs. Bone, muscle, and skin tissue seal up the cavity, allowing the creature to regain enough strength to rise up to his knees.

"Shit, that was a tough one," the demon mumbles as he rubs his temple with a blood-encrusted hand. He glances over at the small, pastel equines, who stare at him with shock, and stares at them back with some expectancy. "I think a 'thank you' would have been appreciated," he deadpans.

While Twilight remains silent in fear, Rainbow Dash takes the initiative to greet the demon in a more than thrilled tone. "Dude, that was awesome!" she exclaims. "Just who in Equus are you?"

The creature chuckles and sits up straight in the dirt. “The name’s Lavey, and thanks, I guess.”

Twilight snaps out of her fearful daze and glares at the enthusiastic pegasus. "Awesome!?" she asks in bewilderment. "Rainbow, we almost died and we just watched him snuff two creatures right in front of us!"

"But he saved us, Twilight!" Rainbow refutes. "This guy is a total badass!"

“It's not like I had a choice in the matter, you know?” Both mares turn their attention back to him. “It was either kill or be killed and I sure as hell wasn’t going for the latter, nether was I going to let them kill you.”

“Why were those angels after you?” Twilight asks. The demon raises an eyebrow and gestures to his figure, to which the unicorn blushes in embarrassment as she puts two and two together. “Oh, right...”

“What are you doing in Equestria, anyway?” Rainbow asks.

Lavey rubs the back of his head as he recounts the events that led him to this world. “I was just chilling on a distant, barren planet, checking it out and maybe seeing if there was anything worth finding, when those two so-called ‘angels’ tried to hunt me down. I opened a random portal, jumped in, and found myself here. Any more questions?”

“Plenty more,” Twilight replies. “But I think we’d speak to someone who would probably like to study up on this as much as I do.”

Author's Note

Obviously, angels are superior to demons in just about every way. However, Lavey isn’t your average hell-spawn. 😉

Thus begins Angels, Demons, Ponies, and Gods. It’s a pretty brief beginning but more information on Lavey and his heritage will be discussed later in the next chapter—two days from now.

The entire story isn’t complete and I really wanted to touch it up some more and release everything in a planned manner but I’m impatient, so here it is! Some chapters will take a little longer to upload because I’m sprucing them up to be the best they possibly can!