Angels, Demons, Ponies, and Gods

The crisp chill of the night air pelts Lavey’s skin as he flies north with Twilight holding onto his shoulders for dear life. Fortunately, his eldritch body heat provides both travelers with enough warmth to stay comfortable as they approach freezing climates.

“I know you wanted an exquisite date,” Lavey shouts over the rushing wind in his ears, “but is this destination really safe?”

“Of course!” Twilight shouts back. “As long as we find a good cave to stay in, we should be fine! I may not be impervious to the mountains’ climate but that’s why I have you!”

Even though Twilight is wearing as many layers of thick, winter clothing as possible, she can not acclimate to the sharp, freezing temperatures of the Crystal Mountains. Hardly any pony has managed to traverse the range due to the preternatural freezing temperatures and blinding blizzards. But this world has nothing on a hell-spawn; his body simply melts away the piercing winds around him, providing him and his date passage to traverse the land with ease.

"According to my research, the last time this event took place was almost a hundred years ago!" Twilight shouts beyond the wind. "If I'm not mistaken, it should be happening again later tomorrow night!"

Lavey peers back at her with a perplexed expression. One of the only reasons Twilight wanted to visit such a volatile environment was because of the Astral Borealis: a natural phenomenon that occurs similar in fashion to Earth’s Aurora Borealis. He knows it’s a once in a lifetime opportunity, but to dwell in frigid climates longer than needed just to experience it is a little much.

"Excuse me, did you say tomorrow night!?" Lavey asks. "As in another twenty-four hours!? Why the hell did we have to get up so early if it's in the middle of the night!?"

"So we can have some fun while we're there! If we left tomorrow morning and just stayed for the Astral Borealis, it would be boring! We're gonna make some memories—ski, sled, have some fun in the snow, and wait for the event!"

Lavey rolls his eyes at her reasoning but can't help but think that the little egghead has a point.

The hybrid originally didn’t mind the trip as long as his mate took the necessary requirements and paraphernalia for the severe conditions. He had to facepalm himself—for her sake—as he remembered who he was talking to. However, Twilight did end up being a little more or less prepared; her excessive clothing makes her look like a beach ball with pony parts. She hardly has any climbing gear to traverse the perilous range, most likely because she’s expecting Lavey to carry her like a child.

Bits of ice and snow start to peck at Lavey’s skin and, although it tickles somewhat, it doesn’t stagger him in his trajectory. However, only until the small sprinkle of snow becomes a full blanket of white that obscures his vision, does he slow his advancement. He staggers a bit as he tries to fight against the opposing winds while holding onto his mate, eventually landing on a cliff near a cave entrance.

“Does that seem like a suitable spot?” Lavey asks as he points to the opening.

“You know I can barely see anything in this snow, Lavey!” the unicorn responds through the howling winds. “Just see if it’s good enough for us to get out of this blizzard!”

Lavey doesn’t hesitate to move as she gives the command. He wraps his wings around the pudgy luggage holding onto his back as he carefully approaches the cave. Making sure to watch his footing and for snow slipping from the mountain side, he peers in, taking note of the eerie, cool, and damp environment; it’s satisfactory for the time being.

As he ventures deep enough into the cavern to keep Twilight out of the grasp of the cold wind, he kneels down to let the mare off. Unfortunately, instead of being able to land casually on the stone floor, she loses her footing and rolls onto her back like a defenseless turtle. She nudges left and right, to and fro, but she can’t seem to roll herself upright. Taking the opportunity of this rich moment, Lavey summons his cellphone from a small portal and starts recording and taking pictures of her predicament while snickering like a child.

“Can you stop laughing and help me up!?” Twilight barks. “I don’t wanna lay here in front of the entrance and freeze my rump off!”

As much as he wants to help her, moments like this don’t come often and Lavey wants to savor sweet times like this whenever he can. After a few more seconds of watching Twilight try and fail to roll back onto her hooves, Lavey finally adheres to her request and plucks her like the bouncy beach ball she is and turns her over until her hooves are placed firmly on the stone foundation.

“There, happy?” he asks with a cheeky grin.

“Somewhat,” his mate replies in a stone-cold tone, though she flashes him a small smirk as she attempts to take off her stuffy clothing with her magic. All that’s left is a turquoise down jacket, a set of lavender earmuffs, navy blue ski pants, and rose-red boots. “What do you wanna do while we wait, by the way?”

“Should we just rest for now?” the hybrid suggests as he releases a contagious yawn. “As much as I want to have some fun while we’re here, I doubt we can go out in this blizzard. Plus, I’m pretty exhausted from having to wake up at twelve in the morning for the trip.”

He sits against a cool wall with his legs crossed and arms and wings open to accept his lover, which the mare delicately enters. Within the small space of his lap, Twilight circles around like a cat judging its bed before finally laying down to rest. Lavey covers the resting mare in his wings and arms as he manually raises his body temperature to a nice, warm-enough level so as to not burn the unicorn.

“I guess sleep is a good idea,” Twilight mumbles as she too lets out a loud yawn. “Just....set an alarm for...” She doesn’t get to finish her sentence before finally drifting off into a much needed slumber.

Luckily, Lavey proceeds to set an alarm on his cellphone for an hour after sunrise, right before he too falls into the land of dreams.

Lavey doesn’t know how long he and Twilight had been out but it feels like a couple of days. Checking his lap for the purple pony, he’s relieved to see her still within his clutches. She breathes heavily but doesn't snore, which is a blessing for him. Her warm breath washes over his legs and groin but doesn't stimulate him in anyway, which should be a bessing for her.

Precariously reaching for his phone so as to not wake his mate, he checks the remaining time until the alarm goes off. He glowers at the screen as it displays only one more hour before the alarm rings its sonorous, irritating song.

With his eyes fully open and his body somewhat awake, Lavey doesn’t see a point in going back to sleep any time soon. With Twilight still slumbering away, there’s no one to talk to. All he can do is bask in the silence of the cave or watch the blinding blizzard outside. He can’t use his phone to entertain himself out of fear of prematurely waking Twilight, which is a real letdown.

Basking in the silence, he pays attention to the dripping of cave water and the howling of the wind outside. It feels like he’s in a deep meditation and his senses have been heightened to pick up even the faintest of sounds like the small sound of water dripping on the stone floor, the gentle heartbeats of his paramour, and the quaint sound of crackling wood.

Lavey’s ears perk up and he slowly sits up straight. Panning his ears, he listens intently to the silence to verify what he heard; sure enough, the sound of a campfire’s crackling, dry wood resonates through his ears. Turning his head over to the dark descent of the cave, he notices a small, orange glow illuminating a dark wall.

His hearts skip a beat as he looks between the light, Twilight, and the outdoors. Wondering if he should flee for Twilight’s safety, the stranger’s privacy, or even for his own safety, he can’t seem to come up with a good decision.

“Lavey?” Twilight wearily whispers, dragging the prince’s attention back down to his number one priority. “You're awake already?”

He doesn't respond. Adrenaline runs through his veins as he tries to think of a way out without having to endanger Twilight. However, with the circumstances...

“Hey, what’s that light down there?”

Lavey can feel his hearts drop into his stomach as he looks back to the light glow of the fire down the corridor. Peering back down at Twilight, he notices her face slowly morphs from malaise and confusion to terror and petrifying fear.

“What is that?” she whispers. “Do you think it could be another pony?”

Lavey slowly rises from his spot, reintroducing Twilight to the freezing elements, but she doesn't attempt to latch onto him for warmth. He cautiously makes his way down the corridor with Twilight just on his tail; however, the clacking of her hooves upon the stone floor cause too much noise, forcing him to hold her against his chest as he continues down the chamber.

As they near the source of the light, the prince plasters his back against the wall, disregarding the jagged protrusions that may scratch and wound his posterior. The stench of iron and rotting meat sting the hybrid’s nostrils, verifying that there may be a carnivorous creature just around the corner, but he pushes on. Peeking around the corner, he and Twilight lay eyes upon scraps of flesh and bone and a single creature laying on its back in front of a warm fire.

It’s another demon, but this one is an imp—bald head, small nubs for horns, a goblin nose, tattered, draconic wings, and a grotesquely slim figure that reveals its bones beneath it’s anorexic body.

“It’s just an imp, nothing to be afraid of,” Lavey whispers ever so cautiously. “They don’t act unless commanded by those higher than them, so it’s most likely here to assassinate me but I can take it down in a split second.”

“We should just find another cave, just to be on the safe side,” Twilight suggests. “What if there’s more than this one?”

“Well, they are know to hunt and attack in legions. Still, I’d be able to slaught—“

The sound of an eldritch hiss drags the couple’s attention back to the entrance of the cave. Fear begins to fester in Lavey's hearts as a pair of shimmering, yellow eyes pierce through the darkness, followed by a bloodthirsty growl. Lavey quickly turns to face the predatory imp while setting Twilight behind him, however, that wouldn’t be a wise option, considering the beast right around the corner; unfortunately, Lavey doesn’t have many options to choose from.

“Do you think you can protect yourself?” he softly asks.

“You take this one and I take the one back here?” Twilight questions back. “No problem.”

Lavey nods, hoping his mate saw his response to the plan. He gets into a defensive position—claws unsheathed and teeth barred to rip and tear his enemy apart.

Although his stance is strong and firm, his spirit slowly wavers as he notices another imp slowly appearing from a small crevice in the wall. Soon, another one emerges, and then another one, and another until the entrance to the cavern is sealed by ravenous little imps.

Adrenaline courses through the Satan-spawn’s body, forcing him to choose between the only two options available. He could snatch Twilight and get the hell out of here but that would mean these monsters will give chase and eventually slaughter more innocent bystanders in their path. If he were to stay and fight, he has no idea how long Twilight will be able to last against these hellish creatures. With no other options laid out before him, he lets demonic bloodlust guide his actions to fight back.

One of the imps before him charges, releasing a bloodcurdling screech. Once it closes the gap about halfway, it leaps into the air with its claws outstretched, ready to tear into its prey. Timing his movements, Lavey grabs the little creature by the throat, causing it to squirm and writhe for air. The Satan-spawn grabs the little bastard by the back of the head with his free hand and slams its skull into the stone floor. Blood, brain matter, and bone fragments fly as its head is pancaked into the floor and the body burns away, leaving a pool of fresh, crimson essence.

Lavey looks back up at the other imps, noticing their resolve faltering, if only just, before they recover their spirits and charge towards him.

He can hear the imp behind him groan in agony as the sharp sound of arcane magic strikes it. The scent of charred flesh fills the cave system but so do the creatures screams, signifying it hasn’t been properly killed.

“You have to destroy all three of its hearts or its brain,” he explains. “Otherwise, it won’t die.”

“What do you think I’m trying to do!?” Twilight barks back.

She exerts more grunts as she fires off blast after blast of offensive spells, trying her best to kill her assailant, but the imp sounds tenacious and may be smarter than Lavey had originally thought.

The hybrid isn’t having it so easy on his end, despite the unfathomable power difference. Although he could eviscerate every single creature in this cave system with a wave of his hand, he can’t risk having the walls collapse on him and Twilight. The only thing he can do is mow down the horde with his bare hands as it approaches.

As he rips out hearts from their cages and brains from skulls, Lavey doesn't notice the few imps scale the walls and ceiling, until it’s too late. They tear into his flesh with their teeth and claws—biting, swiping, and lacerating—but never going for his hearts or brain as if they want to torture him, and it seems to be working. Despite his regeneration, every hole or burning laceration that gets sown up is replaced by another somewhere else, just as searingly painful.

A sharp pain strikes his ankle, forcing him down to one knee and limiting his movements. Looking back, one imp is gnawing away at the sensitive tendon as it eyes him with sadistic glee. Using his tail, the hybrid jabs it through the monster’s cranium and through the brain, allowing him to throw the creature back into the horde.

The tendon heals up in no time but the pain manages to linger a bit as he continues to fight. Surprisingly, arcane, magenta beams strike a few of the imps, splattering gore upon the walls. Looking back, Lavey is surprised to see Twilight covered in dripping, crimson essence as she manifests spell after spell to fire at the incoming demons. Each magenta beam doesn’t destroy the creatures instantly; their bodies expand until they pop like organ-filled balloons like in a twisted, circus horror flick.

The small area where the last imp was resting seems to lead down deeper into the cave and may provide the couple with a viable means of escape. If Lavey can just get him and Twilight in there, he can bring the cave system crashing down onto the remaining legion of demons and they'll be home free.

However, before he can even move an inch into the cave, a heavy pressure seems to fill the area they are currently in. A loud series of crackles and pops drag his attention back to Twilight, who manifests a heavy concentration of mana within her horn, creating a dense atmosphere around them. Her face is contorted with pain and fury while a few veins pop up around her temple, seeming as if they are about to burst. Sweat dribbles down her face as she does her best to concentrate on her spell, groaning in agony as if her skull is about to split.

Surprisingly, the imps stop their advance, frozen in fear by the overwhelming concentration of power within the chamber. This would be the perfect opportunity to grab Twilight and run but something tells the prince to stay and watch the spectacle.

Her horn is filled to the brim with violent, arcane power, yet it continues to bubble over. The magenta glow grows brighter and, similar to their fight with Nahemoth, it seems to be blended with a darker aura. She parts her hooves, giving herself a stable stance as she prepares to fire off her devastating attack.

“Leave him ALONE!” she roars as she lets her spell loose.

The magenta and black beam tears through the cavern, eviscerating everything in its path. The imps scream and squeal in terror as they are caught within its etherial power and end up being charred like timber. The cave system crumbles and quakes from the overwhelming power surge, showing threatening signs of collapsing soon, but no one can move as Twilight releases every ounce of her magic to destroy the imp army.

As the last few drops of magic spurt from her horn and the beam dies out into the atmosphere, the unicorn collapses onto the stone foundation, looking on at her work with a weak smile. The walls around them are charred and glistening with molten rock. The cave entrance has been enlarged and broken down, allowing the snow to venture deeper into the system. The bodies of the preying imps have been burned to a crisp, causing their corpses to flake into the wind—flesh, organs, and all. Blood remains slathered onto the couple’s bodies and the walls, drenching the small enclosure with the stench of iron.

Blinking a few times to bring himself back to reality, Lavey looks back at the drained unicorn and quickly rushes down to her. He holds her head up into his hand as he cautiously gauges her health. Her eyes are shut tight and she remains unresponsive to his touch, allowing worry to fester in his heart. He gently shakes her, hoping to get a response, but nothing. He places two fingers just under her jaw and beside her windpipe to check her pulse—still at a normal level, thank God.

“Twilight...hey, Twi, wake up,” he chokes. “C’mon, I know you’re still here. Don’t fuck with me!”

"One down. One to go," a deep, raspy voice says.

Lavey glances behind his shoulder towards the wide mouth of the cave to see a horrifying abomination before him. The white head of the creature is open vertically to reveal a set of sharp teeth and three pairs of red eyes on either side. It's body is malformed, revealing protruding ribs, tattered crow feathers, and stitched gashes. Four, robust arms help it to crawl its way into the cave, where it stands upon the scaled legs of a dragon. Its silver wings are tattered, yet have eyes along every inch that track Lavey's every movements.

"Child of Abomination," the beast growls. "Wretched spawn of Satan. God shall receive me if I bring him your corpse on a pike."

The hell-spawn stands, making sure to place himself in front of Twilight to ensure her protection. He has no clue as to what this demon wants but if he lays a claw on Twilight, Lavey won't have a reason hold back.

"Who the hell are you," he asks, his temper slowly building.

"God's holiest angel. He Who Sees the Name. The Infamous Rebellion. Surely you have heard of Samyaza, leader of the Grigori?"

"God's holiest angel, huh?" Lavey asks with a smirk. "Pretty sure that title belongs to Chris Kyle, American Sniper and war hero."

"SILENCE!" the fallen angel roars, causing the cave to tremble. "I am Samyaza! I am God's holiest angel! I will gain redemption for my sins and the love of my Father by bringing Him your head!"

"So the imps...were yours?"

"They were weaker than I expected," Samyaza replies. "Especially considering they fell victim to that mortal. I will slay her just as I will sl—GHK!"

In a split second, the fallen angel falls to his hands and knees as the ground beneath him slowly crumbles and is pummeled by the increased magnitude of gravity. He can't move his body, let alone look up to see the Satanic prince towering over him. Rage burns within Lavey's eyes as he glowers at the subdued demon. He raises his foot and stomps on Samyaza's skull, forcing him to lay powerless on the stone floor.

"YOU DARE!?" the hell-spawn growls. "COMING AFTER ME IS ONE THING. GOING AFTER THE ONES I CHERISH, HOWEVER, IS AN UNFORGIVABLE SIN!!!"

Lavey grabs the demon by the throat and raises him above his head, tightening his grip on the monster's larynx to make him suffer. Sharpened bones emerge from his thorax and begin to constrict the writhing demon, hindering his movements. He takes in the fallen Watcher's fearful look with a smile before penetrating his body with branching ivory, piercing all three hearts in one fell swoop. The fallen angel's corpse is engulfed in flames, providing Lavey with a small scrap of heat, before disappearing into nothingness.

A small groan grabs the hell-spawn's attention, prompting him to mellow out his temper and dash over to his mate. He drops down to his knees and gently taps Twilight's cheek, hoping to get some sort of reaction, but nothing so far. His hearts begin to race with fear as he tries to think of any possible way to wake her up until he looks back outside at the slowly dying blizzard. It’s a rather inappropriate way to check for life but if Twilight's faking her coma, she only has herself to blame.

Gently setting her head back onto the stone floor, Lavey marches over to the cave opening and collects a large clump of mushy, chilling snow into his hands. He makes sure to lower his body temperature to a suitable level to ensure the snow doesn’t melt within his grasp as he lumbers back over to Twilight’s body. Lifting up the front collar of her jacket by a bit, he stuffs the snow into it and watches the show.

Immediately, the unicorn leaps into the air with life, screaming her bloody head off. She runs around in circles as if her rump is on fire, which she’d probably enjoy right about now. Tearing off her jacket, she lets the snow fall from its confines into a mushy puddle on the cave floor.

“I knew that’d do the trick,” Lavey snickers.

Twilight shoots him a menacing glare which doesn’t waver his cheeky smile. However, the hybrid is taken aback as she jumps him, pinning him to the floor as she proceeds to glare daggers at him. Even as she scowls at him, he continues to smile at the unicorn with a shit-eating grin.

“You thought shoving snow down my jacket would be a good idea!?” she bellows. “Are you crazy!?”

Lavey stays silent as he simply shrugs his shoulders. “How about a warm hug to make up for it?”

Twilight releases a disgruntled sigh and collapses onto his chest, grateful for his warmth, though not satisfied with his treatment of her. He immediately embraces her but wipes off the bits of crusting blood on her face and mane before planting a gentle kiss on her lips.

“Sorry our date went off with a terrible start,” he sighs.

“What are you talking about?” she asks. Lavey looks down at her with confusion as she stares back up at him with a weak smile. “I actually enjoyed that little fight. It’s a nice change from reading and studying all the time.

“I used to try and avoid situations like these that can cause me to stress out. But then I realized, situations like these are unavoidable and they can actually be exhilarating sometimes. Being with you, you make things more interesting; you bring exhilaration to my boring, monotonous life—not saying life with my friends is boring or anything. I’ve come face to face with ancient evils before but those events can’t compare to the action I’ve had ever since you came along.”

“So...you actually don’t mind fighting even the most powerful of creatures?”

Twilight nuzzles her head under the hybrid’s chin, making sure to watch her horn. “I’d fight as many demons and angels as I have to if it means I get to do it by your side.”

Appreciative of her devotion and fighting spirit, Lavey can’t help but feel she might be a little in over her head about her abilities. She’s always been a little stubborn and hardly takes no for an answer, so it would be impossible to persuade her in the opposite direction.

As he holds her into his pectorals, letting his warmth envelop them both, the sun peeks over the horizon, igniting the snow-white landscape in its blazing, orange glow. With his energy drained from battle and worrying over Twilight, Lavey releases one last yawn before slumbering off.