Chapters I: Sloth
“Demons, demons, demons... demonic artifacts, demonic... baubles... ah, here we are, demonic contracts...” mumbled the orange unicorn, smiling to himself before he settled comfortably back under the tree, not caring in the slightest that he was wrinkling up the expensive silk garments covering his body, almost hiding his cutie mark of a scroll. He rose the book in front of himself, bright red eyes roving back and forth over the text, long and messy crimson mane half-falling over his face as he happily shut out the world around him.
That was, until he heard hoofsteps approaching across the courtyard, and the orange stallion slowly looked up from his book, expression turning sour as a voice called mockingly: “Oh look, Ardent Desire has his face buried in fairy tales again!”
“Oh shut up, Shieldhoof, you're just jealous that I can read.” retorted the orange stallion as he snapped the heavy tome closed and hugged it protectively against his chest. He glowered up at the quartet of other stallions, as they all grinned down at him, led by an enormous unicorn with a flowing golden mane, baby blue eyes, and a perfectly-toned ivory body that looked like it was sculpted from marble. “Why don't you go back to beating up small foals?”
“Like you?” the statuesque unicorn leaned down with a wide grin, and Ardent Desire winced despite himself before Shieldhoof laughed and straightened, tossing his mane and looking down at the orange unicorn with entertainment. “Don't worry, Ardent, you're not worth my time. No, I merely came to see just what little fantasies you were exploring today. Oh, fairies? Magical alicorns who are supposed to save us all? Or Kelpies again?”
“Kelpies exist!” Ardent Desire snapped, and Shieldhoof and his friends laughed, the orange unicorn blushing even as he continued defensively: “Down by the river, I've seen them myself! And there are all kinds of records and stories and prophecies-”
“Anyone can make up a story.” Shieldhoof scoffed, then he shook his head and said kindly: “Look, Ardent. I'm trying to do you a service here. All these musty books and foal's fables that you believe in... you wonder why you can't find a single mare willing to so much as look sideways at you, and it's because of this. I hear even the slaves don't respect your eccentricities, Ardent, and that's just sad. One would think that at the very least you'd be able to control your own servants, even if poor little Ardent couldn't even compel a slave hoof into bed with him.”
That got another round of laughter, and Ardent Desire glared up at the larger unicorn as he stumbled to his hooves: and as often happened, his mouth got the better of his brain, and he snapped before he could stop himself: “Well I suppose that unlike you, Shieldhoof, I don't particularly enjoy the thought of abusing helpless mares.”
Shieldhoof favored Ardent Desire with an ill look, then he reached up and pushed a hoof against the orange pony's face, shoving him backwards and making the smaller stallion wince. “As if I need to sink so low as to sully myself with a slave. I have plenty of more-than-willing mares of the most elite class very eager to indulge whatever I desire... but you should know, Ardent Desire, why, I have bedded both your younger sisters.”
Ardent Desire looked sourly at Shieldhoof, as Shieldhoof smiled mockingly back, and then the orange unicorn said grumpily before he could stop himself: “And I heard that you took up sleeping with your mother, too, since your father doesn't anymore. Or can't.”
“Why you foul-mouthed little-” Shieldhoof leapt forwards, and Ardent Desire hurriedly skittered backwards, almost tripping over his book as he dropped it. The enormous white unicorn simply slapped this aside, snarling as he chased Ardent Desire around the tree, while his unicorn friends were content to sit back, laugh, and enjoy the show. “If your father wasn't a Baron, I'd cut you in twain, Ardent! Stay still, answer me for this insult!”
“I'd rather not!” Ardent Desire called over his shoulder hurriedly, and then he tried to scamper away from the tree... only to end up being caught by two of the other unicorns when they decided to intervene. He was caught by either foreleg and slung down on his back, the orange unicorn wincing as Shieldhoof loomed over him and glared furiously, and Ardent Desire grinned lamely as he asked: “Can't we just... you know... say that you said some things, I said some things, oh, we both regret it now and we should just... move on?”
“I challenge you on the field of honor, Ardent Desire! Horn foiling: the loser is the first to bleed or submit.” Shieldhoof said sharply, and Ardent Desire winced a bit. “Your noble blood compels you answer this call to fight!”
“Actually, my noble blood wishes very much to stay in my noble body.” Ardent Desire said mildly, and then he sighed tiredly when Shieldhoof stepped back and the trio of other unicorns all glared at him pointedly, the orange stallion mumbling as he rolled onto his stomach, carefully pushed himself up... then gave a series of badly-faked exclamations, holding up a front hoof. “Oh, ow, ow, hey, wait, I think I sprained something. Oh, darn, the rules state that in event of injury-”
Shieldhoof's front hoof smashed across Ardent Desire's face, knocking him staggering as blood flew from his nose, and Ardent yelled in pain and shock as he grabbed at his features. He glared furiously up at the larger unicorn, but Shieldhoof only grinned, saying mildly: “Looks like your hoof is working just fine to me, Ardent Desire.”
The orange unicorn stared, then opened his mouth, but in a moment Shieldhoof had leapt towards him, slashing his horn down across the orange stallion's face and tearing a shallow wound over his scalp before a hoof smashed down into his cheek and knocked him to the ground. And then all Ardent Desire could do was cover his head and try not to cry as Shieldhoof slammed blow after blow down into his head and shoulders.
Ardent Desire was saved by a loud call, but when the orange, bloody and bruised unicorn looked up with his teary eyes, he found himself immediately wishing miserably that Shieldhoof had just killed him even as the ivory unicorn stepped backwards and bowed his head politely. Two other unicorns were approaching, both much older: one had a long, gray beard and a mane of the same color, his coat a ghostly white and mostly hidden by a long cloak... the other was large and crimson, dressed in heavy silver plate mail and with a golden mane cut into a short mohawk.
The latter looked down in distaste at Ardent Desire as he carefully dragged himself to his hooves, glancing over him with a look of contempt in his eyes... and what hurt more, shame. Ardent Desire kept his eyes down, trying not to look up into the aureate irises of the large stallion, before the crimson unicorn simply glanced towards Shieldhoof and asked calmly: “Don't you have a better use of your time, Shieldhoof?”
“I... sorry, sir. But I had no choice but to respond to your son, he started it.” Shieldhoof said quickly, and Ardent Desire looked up, opening his mouth... and then clenching his jaw when the crimson unicorn didn't even look up, only held up a hoof as he met Shieldhoof's gaze with his own. “I was just. Defending my family's honor, sir.”
“Shieldhoof, apologize to the Baron.” ordered the elderly ivory unicorn, and Shieldhoof dropped his head quickly as the aging male added: “And I apologize on my son's behalf as well, Lord Bonfire, we know that your son is-”
“There is no need to apologize and no need to make excuses for Ardent Desire.” the crimson unicorn replied calmly, and then he looked moodily towards the orange unicorn, who shrank a bit under his father's cold gaze. “Go inside.”
Ardent Desire nodded and looked down with a mumble, turning and striding towards the doors leading out of the courtyard and into the keep: before he could reach them, however, his father's voice called to him, and Ardent Desire turned around just in time for the book he'd been reading to hit him squarely in the face, almost knocking him over as he stumbled backwards and Lord Bonfire added irritably: “And stop taking these nonsense books out of the library!”
“Yes, father.” Ardent Desire mumbled, lifting the book with telekinesis and trembling a little as he turned around, then hurried towards the open doors as fast as he could walk. He knew better than to run, even if he was burning with humiliation that far, far outweighed the pain of his bludgeoned and bloodied features. Running would just get him scolded like a foal again later, and give Shieldhoof and his cronies more things to laugh about.
But once Ardent Desire was inside the stone halls of the sprawling keep and around the corner, then he ran: he sprinted past slaves and servants and soldiers, all of whom were all so used to this by now they barely noticed. He ran all the way to the old quarters of the building, where his room sat near the library, the slave housing, and all the other parts of the building that his father considered 'necessary evils.'
The orange unicorn tore through the door and slammed it behind him, stumbling into his large room and over to the bed to fling himself onto it, book falling from his telekinetic grasp. He buried his bloody face into a pillow and screamed almost silently into it, then simply lay there, trembling, as trails of tears leaked from his eyes.
After a few minutes, he got himself under control enough to sit up on his plush bed and sigh a little, looking silently up at the painting of his mother on the wall above his bed. She smiled down at him, a beautiful emerald unicorn with the softest, most vibrant eyes he had ever seen even in a painting... eyes he only vaguely remembered looking up into as a foal, as he reached out and silently straightened the framed image.
Then he shook his head slowly before looking miserably around the room: shelves full of parchment and books near a table where he did a lot of his reading and writing, a sword hanging on one wall with a shield that was gathering rust and dust, a large chest that contained some of his valuables and an enormous fireplace. The orange unicorn's eyes roved towards the mostly-empty tinderbox nearby, and he sighed before slipping out of bed, mumbling: “Oh fine.”
The servants were supposed to take care of tasks like this: the slave hoofs, who didn't have neither horn nor wings. They had ten slaves, who all had lodgings in the servant's barracks along with the two foals that were too young to work. But while the servants were utterly terrified of his father, the Baron Amadeus Bonfire, they all-but-ignored Ardent Desire, and the orange unicorn didn't have the heart to complain about it. After all, if Lord Bonfire found out that the servants skimped their duties or ignored him, Ardent Desire would find himself punished, and the slaves would probably all end up being publicly whipped.
Ardent Desire mumbled as he left his room, heading down the hall quietly to one of the storage rooms and shoving it open: it was filled with cut logs, tinder, coal, and a few barrels of lantern oil. The orange unicorn helped himself to a load of tinder and logs, then left and sulked his way back to his room to drop most of the load in the box and toss the rest into the fireplace.
He concentrated for a moment, his horn glowing before he flicked it to send a spark of flame bursting over the logs, spreading rapidly into a cheery fire. Well, it looked cheery, anyway, and the warmth was nice as Ardent Desire sat back and sighed a little. He rubbed at his bruised features, then closed his eyes with a mumble as he felt around until he managed to grab the book from where it had fallen and hug it up against his chest.
For a few moments, there was silence... and then the door banged loudly open, and Ardent Desire almost fell over before he winced at the sight of the Baron, his father, standing in the doorway. The large crimson unicorn scowled down at him, and Ardent Desire shrank a bit before Lord Bonfire asked icily: “Were you trying to cause a rift between our house and Sir Windsong's? Or was this another 'accident,' Ardent Desire?”
“He... he started it, Dad! I was just reading, minding my own business-” Ardent Desire started hurriedly, and then he winced when Lord Bonfire's eyes flicked to the fireplace before narrowing.
“And you're wasting firewood again. Ridiculous, it's only autumn, not winter.” Lord Bonfire's horn glowed, and a moment later, the flames in the fireplace burst upwards and vanished, the welcome heat disappearing with the fire. “When are you going to learn you are no longer a foal? When are you going to become serious in your studies?”
“I am serious! I can read and write, I... I went to school, I have a scholarship! You heard for yourself, Abbot Clearwater offered me a job!” Ardent Desire said pleadingly, looking up at his father with desperation for some kind of acknowledgment, validation, anything. “Come on, Dad, just listen-”
“Your three sisters are all adults. One even became a shieldmaiden, you know what a rare honor that is.” Lord Bonfire continued coldly, as if he hadn't even heard his son's pleas. “Your other two sisters are younger than you and yet all the same honor the family name. One is to be married in the spring, the other is to be trained as a diplomat. And what about you, Ardent Desire? My only son, my supposed heir. You are nothing but a child still, burying his head all day in... in nonsense books!”
Lord Bonfire's eyes narrowed, then his horn glowed brightly, and the book Ardent Desire was clinging to was yanked out of his hooves before it glowed brightly, then burst into flames. It burned so hot and bright that it was like a miniature star, the orange unicorn yelping and falling backwards in shock: but in moments it was over, and the book was nothing but ashes that scattered to the ground.
The orange unicorn trembled, looking up weakly before Lord Bonfire said quietly: “In a few days you will resume learning to horn foil. You will train until you are on par with Shieldhoof, who has graciously agreed to spar with you once every week, for an hour. And yes, Ardent Desire, you spend that entire hour on your hooves, showing a little backbone and effort. For every minute you spend crying or puling or on your back, I will have you lashed ten times, do I make myself clear?”
“Yes, father.” Ardent Desire whispered, looking down and closing his eyes tightly as he trembled, and Lord Bonfire shook his head slowly and contemptibly.
“When I was your age, I was already a veteran during the war. I was much more concerned with real-world problems, than I was with fairy tales like... demons and ghosts.” Lord Bonfire replied coldly, shaking his head in slow disgust. “And I am still more concerned with the real world than I am with your nonsense.
“When I return from my meeting with the other Barons, we will begin your training, and you will not disappoint me.” Lord Bonfire said calmly, straightening and shaking his head slowly. “Until then, Morning Glory is in charge of the keep, and you will answer to her as you would answer to me, is this understood?”
“Yes, father.” Ardent Desire mumbled, humiliation burning in his cheeks: he was the eldest son, and yet even with how unusual it was, Lord Bonfire always put his second-born daughter in charge when he was gone: but all throughout the barony, Morning Glory was toted as Lord Bonfire's pride and joy, while Ardent Desire, on the other hoof...
For a few moments, Lord Bonfire looked down at him, and Ardent Desire finally opened his eyes and dared to look back up, but all he saw as contempt and shame and disappointment. It hurt. It hurt worse than the bruises on his face, the cut on his scalp that was still oozing blood, or the fact his whole life was nothing but failure after failure...
Lord Bonfire grunted, then turned and strode out, leaving Ardent Desire to sit silently for a few minutes before he looked down miserably at the pile of ashes on the floor that had once been a book. He reached out and scuffed at them, spreading smears of gray over the floor, before he finally forced himself to his hooves and headed to the door.
He breathed slowly in and out, taking a moment, waiting until he knew that his father was gone, and then he pushed the door open and turned down the hall... and almost ran right into a slender, tall unicorn mare with a golden mane and pale pink body. They looked at each other for a few moments as Ardent Desire automatically shrank back a bit, and then the mare leaned down and grinned widely, asking contritely: “Coming to beg for mercy, little brother?”
“Yes, Morning Glory, that's precisely what I was about to do.” Ardent Desire mumbled, looking awkwardly up over his sister as he swallowed a little. Morning Glory scared him more than his father did: her eyes were ruthless, and her cutie mark was of the sun just coming over the horizon. Her special talent was manipulating light magic, a power she used to devastating effect in combat.
She didn't care about much of anything apart from earning daddy's favor and beating the crap out of whatever was unlucky enough to get in her way. One of her favorite hobbies was picking on her big brother, Ardent, and making him look like even more of a failure than he already was: Morning Glory had big goals, after all. Among others was her dream to take her father's place when he was ready to pass down the barony, and become the first mare to assume the title of Baroness.
For the moment, however, she seemed to be in a good mood, so Ardent Desire only carefully skittered out of the way, and Morning Glory looked pleased with this before she tossed her mane and said mildly: “I'm having guests over for dinner tonight, and I'd like to make a good impression. Stay in your room and I'll have one of the servants bring you your meal. And if you keep nice and quiet, I won't tell Daddy about the whores.”
Ardent Desire flushed deep red, then he only nodded, knowing it would be useless to deny anything, and this seemed to please Morning Glory further as she laughed loudly, then smiled and strode past, calling over her shoulder: “You wouldn't have to pay for sex if you weren't so determined to be such a freak, brother. Daddy might even like you better if you would just do what you were supposed to do.”
The orange unicorn didn't respond, only looking away, humiliated, and he skittered quickly down the hall. He tried not to think about it, but now the memory was coming back: the smell of sweat and staleness and bodies, moaning, the feeling of... flesh, soft and rubbery. The slave hoof whore had looked better with her clothes on than with them off, but it was humiliating to still be a virgin at his age, and when she'd sprawled back on the bed, he'd... he'd...
It had been less than a minute, and over. Ten bits paid. She called him 'cute' in a mocking way and he'd hurried out of the brothel and out of the village still reeking of the place and his shame. He'd bathed in a nearby river and that hadn't done anything but made him feel wet, and even now he still smelled her, but it had helped him understand there were worse things than being a virgin.
He was so distracted that he went right past the servant's quarters, past the closet where the cleaning supplies were kept, and his hooves found their way to the library. He shoved himself through the doors and into this room that smelled of books and was like a comforting womb, where he was safe and secure and surrounded by the tight walls of shelves and books and paper.
Ardent Desire breathed slowly in and out, looking back and forth, feeling... comforted, like he always did, and he closed his eyes as the faintest scent of lavender touched his nose, and blurry memories came to mind. Of his mother reading to him, and holding him, and how everything had used to been before she had passed away.
He touched his forehead, then shook himself out before sighing, his eyes lingering along the shelves. His mother had told him all sorts of stories when he was younger, and the stallion quietly strode towards a set of shelves near the back of the room. He looked back and forth carefully, then reached up and grasped what looked like a warp in the wooden shelving before grunting and tugging on it firmly, and a small section of shelving swung open as he murmured: “And Mom only ever showed me where all the good books were. She trusted me with them... she trusted me more than she trusted anypony else. She loved me more than she loved anypony else...”
He shivered a little, and he saw his mother's smile, his mother's eyes, heard her voice as she explained kindly: Demons aren't all evil, Ardent Desire. Just like you and me, they can choose to be who they want to be... your mother was rescued by a demon when she was very young, you know...
“And that's why Mom collected all this...” Ardent Desire murmured, looking back and forth as he entered the small room hidden by the shelves: a room filled with more books, all of them much older, tomes that detailed both stories of both great good and terrible evil about the supernatural. Stories that Ardent Desire firmly believed in, as he traced his hoof over several of the books and smiled to himself. “I wish I knew where Mom found all these.”
He quieted, then shook his head and sighed as he turned to face the back shelves. Parts of the collection were missing: destroyed by Lord Bonfire or Morning Glory, for the most part. Other books simply seemed to vanish on occasion, and Ardent Desire quietly paged through the shelves before he finally grasped a heavy, leather-bound tome to read. It would calm him down and keep him entertained, he thought, as he pulled it free... and then he dropped the book and stumbled backwards in surprise as a second, much-smaller notebook fell out from behind the tome.
Ardent Desire picked the notebook up and examined it curiously: it was badly bent and a little beaten up, some of the shoved-together parchment torn and the stitched-together spine coming undone. The orange pony tilted it back and forth, then he finally shrugged a little and opened it before frowning at the ink-splotched pages, muttering: “Who wrote this...”
Then his eyes widened slightly as he flipped to the middle of the book and found not just notes, or smudged writing, but what he recognized as a diagram for some kind of ritual. He leaned down intently, and he realized after a few moments... it was a summoning ritual. He couldn't entirely make out the words, but the diagram of what was required, it was all very clear...
Ardent Desire looked back and forth, then he quickly turned and hurried out of the secret room, flicking his horn to slam the hidden door shut behind him, not caring that several books were rattled out of place. He hurried across the library as he breathed harder, his eyes bright: his mother had told him all kinds of stories about demons being called upon, said that they could be convinced to do favors or make deals with mortals... said that there were even some demons who would help ponies of their own volition.
All his life, Ardent Desire had looked for demonic magic: he had even tried to develop some on his own, but he had never been able to contact demons, never glimpsed more than a Kelpie in the river nearby. He had studied up and down rituals, summoning circles, everything that could be related to demons by even the wildest leap of imagination, but he had never seen anything concrete, never found anything like this...
It could be what he'd been looking for, the answer to all his problems, a way for him to finally prove that he wasn't just some lazy failure. To become more than a disappointment, to get all the things that had been denied him his entire life. And with these thoughts in mind, Ardent Desire hurried back to his room to eagerly begin reading, forgetting all the warnings and cautionary tales his mother had told him alongside the good and happy stories, forgetting that what demon loved to punish most was hubris and good intentions.
It was late that night, and Ardent Desire had only eaten a small meal: he was fairly sure the servant that had brought him his dinner had stolen a good amount of it, but he was too excited and anxious to be hungry anyway.
He had waited until the deep, deep darkness had settled in, when he could be sure that the rest of the keep was asleep. And now, flames danced in the fireplace as he carefully traced a circle in the floor, following the diagrams and illustrations he'd found in the book. He'd read it back and forth, studied everything that remained: many of the pages were frayed, and a few had been torn out, but there had been more than enough to explain the basic concepts and he'd been able to get his hooves on what he needed earlier in the evening, while his siblings had been occupied with dinner guests and the servants were more concerned with keeping Morning Glory happy than whatever the eccentric Ardent Desire was doing.
The orange stallion finished drawing the last symbol in the circle with chalk, then he glanced quickly at the notebook floating beside him before nodding once to himself. He hesitated only a moment longer, then tossed the book back onto his bed and took a slow breath: now came the hard part.
Ardent Desire closed his eyes and bowed his head forwards, concentrating his magic. He had gone over and over the spell in the book, memorized every part of it, but it seemed almost too simple, too easy: he had the strangest feeling that he was missing something important, and yet... yet...
No, there was no turning back now. Ardent Desire gritted his teeth, his horn glowing brighter, dark swirls rumbling through the red aura that surrounded the spire as he began to murmur the words that had been on the page, the language guttural, dissonant, stumbling. He spoke quickly as the magic poured out of him, began to sap his strength as the air around him rumbled and hummed with the call he was putting out, before his eyes snapped open as a voice said softly: “You are not Illuminia.”
Ardent Desire's head snapped up, words cutting off and the magic fading from the air as he stared across at the entity that had appeared only a few feet away. A golden mask hid its face from view, but orange eyes with slit-like pupils stared out at from beneath the strangely skull-like, gemstone-ornamented metal, and a heavy cloak hid the rest of it from view, billowing like smoke around the entity. Only a pink, rat-like tail was visible, the tip of this swaying slowly as the creature murmured softly: “And a protective ward. A powerful one... who are you, unicorn?”
“I... my name is Ardent Desire. Are... are you a... a demon?” Ardent Desire whispered, his eyes lighting up as he stared almost desperately across at the being, who looked back with calm curiosity.
After a few moments, the masked entity nodded slowly, bowing its head courteously. “That is what your kind calls mine, as we call all yours 'mortals.' I take it you have called upon me for a reason, Ardent Desire? Why don't you step outside that protective circle, so we can discuss this more amiably?”
“I... I...” Ardent Desire, faced with a real demon, licked his lips hesitantly before he said carefully: “I would... like to know more about you first. You... you said Illuminia... my mother's name. Did you know her?”
“No.” the demon said calmly, and when Ardent Desire's head raised slightly, the demon gave a quiet chuckle behind its mask. “Yes, I cannot read your mind while you are inside that protective ward, but I can see your thoughts clearly all the same. If I said yes, true or not, you would have been quicker to trust me. But demons do not lie, only twist the truth. Now step out of that circle. I have no desire to harm you.”
Ardent Desire hesitated, shifted uncomfortably... and then he finally nodded and stepped nervously forwards, leaving the safety of the ward. He stood apprehensively across from the demon, which he realized was even smaller than him... and yet all the same, both scared and enthralled him, before he felt a shiver run through his body as the demon said softly: “Yes. You seek to do business with me. Perhaps you are worth my time after all, Illuminia or not.”
“Wait, wait... I... how do you know about my mother?” Ardent Desire asked finally, and the masked demon studied him curiously. “Are... I mean, my mother always told me stories about... demons, good and bad, and...”
“There is a pecking order in the demon world, especially amongst devils: the more-proper name for those of our kind who are more inclined to order, whilst demons are of... baser instincts.” The entity sniffed almost disdainfully, and then said quietly: “I was a... business associate to a demon lord, who has... passed on, as I believe mortals colloquially phrase it. He was very fond of your mother. I have now taken over his accounts and manage his former assets: when you tried to call upon him tonight with your crude summoning, I heard you instead.”
Ardent Desire stared in disbelief for a few moments, then swallowed thickly before leaning forwards and whispering: “My mother... knew a demon lord?”
“Yes. She was saved by him as a small child. Some our kind takes pleasure in being invoked by ponies – even the insane – when they attempt to perform a ritual sacrifice, others... do not. Some of our kind views mortals as only meat and food. Others have developed a fondness for them. But none of this is important.” The demon made an almost-irritated gesture, revealing a skeletal claw covered in stretched white skin from one long sleeve of its cloak, and Ardent Desire shivered a bit. “What do you wish to bargain for?”
“I... wait. No, no, I... I mean... I just wanted...” Ardent Desire shook his head hurriedly, looking awkwardly at the demon. “I don't even know your name. I only wanted to prove that this magic... works, exists. I want to show the world that-”
“Demons and my kind are not toys, Ardent Desire, nor are we creations of magic to be called at whim and fancy.” the demon said quietly, and Ardent Desire shrank back a bit before he looked nervously over his shoulder at the protective circle. Slowly, he began to back towards it... but then the demon caught his attention when it said softly: “Besides, why bother with the long road, when I can take you directly to your desired destination?”
“What?” Ardent Desire looked up hesitantly, and the demon's eyes seemed to smile as it hid its claws back inside the sleeves of its robes, bowing its head towards him politely.
“Pleasures of the flesh. Mares. Servants. Wealth. I can and will give you these things, with ease.” the demon said calmly, and then it continued in that same gentle, alluring tone: “And out of respect to my former associate, and the fact that your mother was special to him, I am willing to share my gifts with you for a full month, without cost or obligation. After that, you may keep what you have earned... or we may discuss a new deal.”
“Wait... for... for free? You're saying you'll just give me... everything I've ever wanted, for a month, for free?” Ardent Desire stared in disbelief, and then he shook his head, adding hurriedly: “I don't... I don't even know your name...”
“Names... why are names so important to your kind?” The demon sighed, shaking its head before bowing again and replying politely: “If you must refer to me as something, then you may call me Cupidus. But yes: as I stated before, demons do not lie... and I will not even tender a contract, nor bind you to any other form of written nor verbal agreement. I only ask you to remember that it will be the duration of precisely thirty days, and that during the last few days, the enchantment will weaken until you are left with only what you have earned.”
Ardent Desire hesitated for a few long moments, and he began to open his mouth, but found himself cut off when Cupidus answered his unspoken question calmly: “I already told you. I have taken over my former associate's accounts, and I must seek to honor his alliances as well as repair his grievances. Besides, what you're asking is a very simple matter, Ardent Desire. To ask for something in return for this sampling would reflect badly on my business ethics.”
The stallion swallowed a bit, and then he bowed his head forwards and whispered: “My mother told me demons could be generous, Cupidus but... but I'm truly humbled, and...”
“This is only the beginning, Ardent Desire, of what I hope will prove a profitable relationship for us both. But please do not call me in the future unless absolutely necessary, although I will check in over the month to ensure you are enjoying your new life.” Cupidus replied, and then the demon glanced back and forth before asking: “Where do you keep your money? I require a change-purse, or something similar.”
“I... I think I have one right over here.” Ardent Desire hurried eagerly over to his trunk, yanking it open and looking back and forth before his horn glowed as he lifted out a small violet sack. He began to turn, and yelped when he found himself face-to-face with Cupidus, the demon easily catching the purple cloth bag when Ardent Desire accidentally flung it into the air. “I uh... I... sorry, I mean, I...”
“It is done.” Cupidus held out the bag, and Ardent Desire blinked in surprise as he looked at it, then gingerly took the sack as he realized that it did now feel heavier, and was bulging like it was filled with coins. The stallion shifted it in his hooves as Cupidus explained in his same cordial tones: “The sack will fill with your mortal currency every hour, until the month is up. Enjoy your wealth, Ardent Desire.”
Ardent Desire lamely took the bag, looking down at it before he opened his mouth and looked up... and saw the demon had simply vanished. He frowned in surprise, then shifted and patted all over himself, mumbling nervously: “I... I don't feel any different...”
He looked at the bag after a moment, then hesitantly opened it and looked inside... and yes, it did seem much fuller. For a few moments, he only stared, then bit his lip before hurrying across the room and simply upending the sack, pouring all the coins inside out over the table and leaving a sizable pile: in fact, it looked like more than would fit inside the bag. Much more.
Ardent Desire stared over this pile of money, and then he looked eagerly down at the bag... but now it was empty, and he winced a bit as he returned his eyes to the pile of money. Oh, sure, it was a handsome start, and to have real spending money of his own instead of taking from the Baron's coffers and hope he didn't notice, well, that was wonderful in and of itself. But... this wasn't exactly a grand amount of wealth...
The stallion reminded himself of what Cupidus had said, however, and so he instead put the bag aside, then simply sat and stared at it, waiting for some sign that it was going to start filling up. He still felt elated... but part of him was beginning to wonder whether or not he had just been the butt of some demonic prank, too. Joyous as it was to have so many questions answered, so many thoughts confirmed... he had been left with all kinds of other thoughts and... and...
Ardent Desire felt his eyes getting heavy, and he frowned a little to himself as tiredness washed over him. He shifted awkwardly, then cursed under his breath before he found his head bowing forwards, his eyes closing...
No! He snapped his head up, forcing away the tiredness, sitting hurriedly up in... in bed? “How... how did I get...”
The orange stallion looked dumbly back and forth: now there were only embers in the fireplace, and the protective ward of chalk had vanished. The orange stallion wondered for a moment if it was all a dream, as he slowly turned his head... and gaped, dumbfounded by what he saw.
His purple changepurse was sitting on the edge of the chair... and beneath it, spread almost halfway across the room, was a pile of coins and bits. Ardent Desire stared, then twitched when the bag trembled visibly before another hoof-full of bits poured out of its open mouth to tinkle along the enormous pile below, one of these slowly rolling all the way to the bedside as Ardent Desire looked down... then giggled childishly and grabbed at his face in delight.
He leapt to his hooves, seizing the changepurse and shaking it as he laughed loudly, then looked quickly back and forth before his eyes locked on the large trunk. A moment later, he was flinging all his knickknacks and other silly things he kept in there out of it, and then scooping up as many coins as he could carry with telekinesis, flinging them into the wooden box as he sang: “Oh I'm a happy stallion, I'm a happy stallion, I'm a happy stallion, as happy as can be!”
The trunk was only half-filled with coins by the time he had scooped everything in easy view up, and judging by the light coming in through the thin slits near the top of the wall that served as this room's 'windows,' he had slept for a good six hours. So he dropped the change purse inside, careful to leave it so the mouth of the magic bag was open, before grinning and happily flinging his door open to step out into the hall... and the first thing he did was run directly into Morning Glory.
He bounced off her, then winced and staggered backwards as she glared down at him, snapping: “And why weren't you at breakfast today, and... and who took care of your wounds? You look... you... look...”
A strange frown spread over Morning Glory's face, and she breathed a bit harder for a moment before shaking her head out hurriedly, her eyes flickering as Ardent Desire stared up at her. And then the stallion cleared his throat a bit as he straightened, before wincing when Morning Glory said irritably: “Well, I'm waiting for an answer!”
“What do you mean? I... no one healed me...” The orange stallion reached up, touching over his face gingerly... and then pressing a bit harder as he realized that he could no longer feel any swelling or cuts from yesterday, and his eyes widened a bit before he muttered before he could stop himself: “Thank you Cupidus...”
“What?” Morning Glory asked with a frown, leaning down over him threateningly, and Ardent Desire winced before the mare reached up and grabbed him by the horn. He yelped as his head was jerked forcefully up so she could glare at him menacingly, leaning down... and then her features twitched again, her mouth fell a little open, her eyes almost shimmered as she simply stared at him, and he stared back nervously, wondering if after all these years, her mind had finally snapped.
But then she only shook her head quickly and shoved him backwards with a disturbed look on her face, shivering once before she muttered: “Get out of my sight, Ardent Desire. In fact, do me a favor and leave completely. I have guests to entertain, including Shieldhoof, and I do not want today's diplomacy marred by another silly fight.”
Ardent Desire mumbled a little, then he nodded and said awkwardly: “Then... I'll just grab some things and-”
“No, you'll leave, right now.” Morning Glory stomped a front hoof firmly, and Ardent Desire yelped and nodded as the unicorn mare breathed hard and glared down at him, a flush rising in her cheeks and her eyes burning holes in him, making the stallion skitter backwards before he turned to run away. But before he could, she reached up and seized the end of his long tail, holding him in place for a moment and making him wince before she blurted: “But they'll be gone by supper. Be home for supper... I... don't waste... food.”
Ardent Desire slowly stared over his shoulder at her, and then Morning Glory let go of his tail and snarled at him, and the stallion decided it was a better idea to simply run away than argue or question whatever was wrong with her. He hurried down the halls, and bolted out through the rear entrance of the keep, used mostly by the servants.
Ardent only tossed one look back at the large, rounded stone structure as he hurried away from it: the keep was shaped like a mushroom laying on its side, with a rounded, almost dome-like back and a rectangular, walled-in front. It was built on a hill, with the back facing down the steep slope that towards a steep embankment, and the stallion slowed as he approached this before finally halting at the edge of a cliff with a sigh to gaze moodily down into the ravine below.
The river they got fresh water from flowed as peacefully as ever, and there were several buildings that sat comfortably in the shelter of the cliff and keep above: farms, mostly, and a barracks for soldiers. But everything else past this point was mostly wilds: most of the barony's population lived in the opposite direction.
The orange unicorn shook his head a little, then turned around to follow the curving path that followed a slope leading down from the wide mountaintop the keep was situated upon, and follow it towards the village in the distance. That was, until he saw the banners and cadre of ponies approaching, and the stallion winced and hurried off into the forest that lined the path, not slowing down as he pushed his way through the trees. The last thing he needed was to be caught out on the road by Shieldhoof while Lord Bonfire wasn't around...
Besides, this was where Ardent Desire had planned to head anyway... he'd just hoped to take the path through the forest, not shove his way through the messy underbrush. But after a few minutes, the unicorn managed to find the path all the same, and he sighed in relief as he looked back and forth. Birds sang in the trees, and animals rustled through the woods, and everything felt well and good as he shook himself out before turning his eyes down the well-trod trail and smiling a bit as he began to follow it while letting his mind... think.
He had money now. It was left to be seen if he was... different in other ways, but for now, he thought he had enough bits to do the one thing he'd always wanted to: leave. After all, the time he'd spent out earning his scholarship had been wonderful, and freeing. Sure, he'd still been more miss than hit with people, but just being out from under his father's eyes had been... redemptive, he thought.
Ardent Desire chuckled quietly as emerged from the forest and into a small clearing in front of a quietly-burbling river, where he spent a lot of his time. He smiled as he strode over to a flat rock and sat down on it, sighing in relief... and then staring when only moments later, a head poked itself up out of the water and looked at him with surprise.
He gaped in shock, his mouth working stupidly as the head rose higher, revealing part of a smooth, strong body: it looked like a sea-green pony, but the sharp teeth, the glowing eyes, and the fact her mane was made of seaweed revealed all too clearly it was a very different creature indeed. And even though he'd caught glimpses of them, had once even been teased by one from the other side of the bank before it had dived back into the river... he'd never actually seen...
“A Kelpie...” Ardent Desire whispered, and then he watched with amazement as the creature slowly swam forwards, then put a cloven hoof up on the bank and climbed sinuously out of the river, continuing to study him almost raptly. The stallion didn't even know what to do, what to say, as it approached him, and then he yelped when the slick mare grabbed him and shoved him down on his back.
The Kelpie grinned down at him widely, licking her lips... and Ardent Desire winced in sudden fear as he saw those sharp teeth, reminding himself of what he was dealing with. He shivered, but the creature held him easily down before she leaned over him and cooed in his ear, in a sonorous, ringing voice: “I smell demonic essence... and I feel a magnetism that could only come from powers well beyond a simple unicorn's magic. Have you been a naughty colt?”
“I... I...” Ardent Desire grinned weakly, and then the Kelpie drew back, her eyes locking with his before they glowed faintly, and the stallion shivered before he felt the truth being compelled out of him, as he whispered: “I... made a deal with a demon... he... gave me wealth and power for a month... for nothing...”
“Oh, the cost is never nothing, darling. Never nothing at all... Greed demons are tricky bastards. Not like my kind... we only want two things...” The Kelpie rubbed her hooves slowly over Ardent Desire's chest, and he breathed unevenly, shivering and staring up at her before she leaned down with a grin. “And you'll do well enough for one, handsome.”
Ardent Desire's mouth worked stupidly, and then the Kelpie leaned down and kissed him firmly, and the stallion's eyes rolled up in his head as he almost whimpered in delight before her hooves pressed against him, and she asked softly: “Virgin?”
“I... I only... once... it was... a prostitute and...” He was silenced as she touched her hoof to his lips, licking her own slowly as her eyes half-lidded and she gave a growl of delight.
“Close enough. Just relax, sweetie. I'll make you a real stallion...” purred the Kelpie, and Ardent Desire stared up at her hungrily, adoringly, as she sat back against him and slid her hooves over his chest, pressing down against him, feeling him as she tilted her head back as she shifted... and then the stallion's eyes closed as there was bliss.
II: Pride
Ardent Desire strode back home, feeling lightheaded and gleeful as he swayed almost woozily on his hooves. Evening was setting in, and he felt warm and happy and bright and a lot of other words that he usually didn't apply to himself.
The Kelpie had been... fantastic . He had promised to come back again tomorrow... and it wasn't just about the sex. The sex was magnificent, yes. The sex was beyond incredible. But when she had used him up, he had rested his head on her and she had cooed to him and she had held him, and oh, oh, oh, the comfort, the pleasure, and they had talked like they were old friends. And then had more sex, yes. But the talking had been... had warmed his heart.
Pleasure. Happiness. He could have both in spades now, with the Kelpie alone... but the Kelpie herself had urged him eagerly to pursue his desires, to indulge, to do... everything he'd ever wanted. And he certainly was not going to deny her advice... especially because she promised to become his guide, in a sense. He already thought of her as... as a friend, even if he didn't even know her name.
Ardent Desire strode through the open gates into the courtyard, humming to himself and not thinking about where he was going until he was already through the front doors of the keep. And then he turned and stared when a voice shouted at him with wordless anger, and the orange stallion quailed as Shieldhoof stormed towards him with a flunky on either side, the enormous white stallion snapping: “And after Morning Glory makes us search high and low, here you come, trotting in through the front door looking like a dog that's just robbed the master's table!”
The orange stallion began to open his mouth... and a punch from Shieldhoof smashed directly into his jaw, knocking him sprawling in the entrance hall with a howl of agony as Shieldhoof snarled down at him and leaned over the orange unicorn, saying disgustedly: “I do not enjoy taking orders from mares. I do not enjoy that my time here all turned out to be a waste. I do not enjoyed being volunteered by my father to help find an idiot colt because his sister is worried about him. And most of all I hate you, Ardent Desire!”
Ardent Desire grimaced as he slowly sat up, only to be punched again and knocked back down with a cry of pain, feeling his muzzle almost break. He turned to try and scramble away, but Shieldhoof jumped on him and slammed his face down into the stone floor, making him cry out again. “You are nothing but an insult to the unicorn race, a slur upon the species, a-”
“What are you doing?” snapped Morning Glory's voice, and Ardent Desire looked stupidly up to see his big sister striding towards them, snarling. He instinctively curled up a bit, wincing as she stopped in front of him and rose a hoof... and then he stared when she slammed it not into his face, but savagely struck Shieldhoof instead, knocking him staggering with a cry of pain.
“You stupid whore!” Shieldhoof shouted, looking up... and Morning Glory's eyes widened as the unicorns on either side of Shieldhoof immediately quailed, before the enormous white stallion realized what he'd said and hurriedly retracted: “Wait, wait, no, I-”
There was a blinding flash of light, making Ardent Desire wince as Morning Glory leapt over him, followed by screams and thuds... and when the orange stallion hesitantly looked up and over his shoulder, he stared at the sight of two unnamed unicorns laying against either wall in unconscious heaps, and Morning Glory slowly pressing a hoof down into Shieldhoof's throat. His skull was cracked and his eyes were rolling in his head, blood dripping from one ear as he shivered on the ground, and the mare leaned slowly down as she whispered: “Do not ever let me see you again. The next time I catch sight of you, worm, I will kill you. And I will ensure that the last thing you see is my hoof before I crush the life out of you like the bug that you are.”
With that, Morning Glory straightened and then slapped Shieldhoof across the face, knocking him half-rolling onto his side with a broken whimper. Then the mare sniffed disdainfully before glaring over her shoulder at Ardent Desire, snapping: “Get up! Why weren't you at dinner?”
“I... I... forgot.” Ardent Desire said lamely, and he looked nervously over his sibling as he carefully climbed to his hooves and she approached him. Once more, her eyes seemed strange as they locked on him, and he swallowed thickly before asking awkwardly: “Is there anything... I mean, Morning Glory, are... are you feeling okay?”
“Of... of course I am.” Morning Glory looked at him for a few moments, then she sighed tiredly and gestured at him irritably. “Let's get you cleaned up, Ardent.”
Ardent Desire smiled lamely, then he turned around, deciding it was better not to question his sibling as Morning Glory followed closely behind him. She half-guided him to her own quarters, he was surprised to see, and he sat awkwardly down on a cushion as she fetched a wet cloth.
She guided his face back and forth as she cleaned it off, and his eyes lingered over her room: it was almost barren, apart from the large bed he was sitting back against, and chest resting against the wall opposite. On top of the latter there were a few medical supplies laid out, and a bucket of clean water... and Ardent Desire couldn't help but laugh a bit before he asked finally: “You... expected me to come back hurt, didn't you?”
“You always get beaten up. Even when we were kids... you were always the one getting beaten up. And while Mother was alive, I was the one protecting you.” Morning Glory murmured quietly, and Ardent Desire looked at her sharply, but she only forcefully turned his head back away to scrub at a cheek... except he thought he saw a flicker of shame in her eyes.
There was silence between them for a few long moments, and then, before he could stop himself, Ardent Desire murmured: “When Mom was alive... everything was different.”
“Yes, it was.” Morning Glory almost whispered, and she sighed softly before she finally flung the cloth across the room with telekinesis, moodily watching it hit the wall and crumple to the ground. Ardent Desire followed it as well, and then he felt her hoof against his face, stroking his cheek and then brushing back his mane, felt her eyes on him, and she leaned forwards, lips parting-
Ardent Desire yanked his head back at the last moment, shoving at her, and Morning Glory grunted as she fell backwards and he breathed hard, looking at her with something like horror. “What are you doing?”
“I... I don't know!” Morning Glory shouted angrily back, and then she kicked him hard in the stomach with a rear hoof, knocking the wind out of him and sending him falling on his side with a whimper before the mare winced and grabbed at her face, then cursed and shivered violently. “I... I'm sorry, Ardent... no, why am I apologizing to you? What have... I... this...”
Morning Glory cursed again, then she leaned forwards and grabbed him, rolling him onto his back and pinning him as he yelped. He stared up at her disbelievingly, and she stared back, trembling hard. “Look at you, weak, pathetic, stupid, nothing like Father ever wanted, and yet my own blood and brother so why... why do I... why do I... oh... oh Ardent...”
She breathed harder, beginning to lean down, and Ardent struggled wildly before he managed to yank himself out from under her and bolt for the door. She shouted angrily after him, but the stallion simply kept running, keeping his eyes forwards as he shot through the castle towards his room, the only safe place he could think of.
He bolted inside and slammed the door shut behind himself, then squealed in terror as a voice asked calmly: “Having fun?”
“Cupidus!” Ardent Desire wheezed for breath, staring as the masked, cloaked demon calmly rolled up a pile of bits in a piece of paper. “Oh god, my... my... my s-sister... how could you-”
“I gave you the ability to compel and control all those of the opposite gender. They respond based upon your commands and desires, that's all.” Cupidus replied calmly, and Ardent Desire stared as the demon twisted the end of the roll closed and put it on top of an enormous stack of identical paper cylinders piled into a rectangle beside the trunk.
“Is... that... my money?” Ardent Desire asked lamely, and Cupidus nodded calmly, the orange stallion giving a dumb giggle for a moment before he clenched his eyes shut and shook his head hurriedly, forcing himself to get back on topic as he said hurriedly: “Well, I can't... she's my sister! My scary little sister who-”
“Who is a mare like any other mare. Clearly you desire her, otherwise she would not be attracted to you... but if you do not wish for her to initiate such contact with you, then give her a clear order. Females that are drawn to you are also compelled to obey you... the stronger their draw, the harder it is for them to disobey an order. Harder still when the female-in-question actually cares for you, whether it is on a platonic or sexual level.” Cupidus explained rationally, as if they were talking about the best way to walk to the village, not how Ardent Desire could now apparently twist mares to his will.
The orange stallion's mouth worked stupidly, and then Cupidus glanced at the pile of coins remaining on the trunk before he shrugged a little and turned towards Ardent Desire. “Still confused? Disgusted, but also aroused and excited at the possibilities? All understandable reactions in a mortal like yourself. But the formula is simple and based on principles I can almost call mathematical: the more you desire a subject, and the more this subject cares for you, the stronger your power over it. If you show more care and desire for this subject, it will respond positively, and your power over it will grow... over her, I should say, as you specifically desired control and pleasure with females. If you respond negatively to the female subject, your control and power over her will weaken. Understood?”
“Sort of. But... but if I... I mean, if I tell Morning Glory what's going on, she'll kill me. Probably literally.” Ardent Desire said weakly, and Cupidus only shrugged again. “She's my sister! Can't you just-”
“This was a freely given gift, not a precise and commissioned wish. You should be as grateful for the drawbacks as you are for the successes. Besides, I have already explained it to you: she will listen to your commands to a point. Keep your love with her platonic if that is what you wish, giving her praise and spending time with her will still increase your power over her until she is so loyal she will do whatever you please.”
“That's not what I wanted! That's...” Ardent Desire started, and then he yelped when there was a banging on the door behind him, looking hurriedly over his shoulder before he hissed: “Cupidus, help me!”
But when he looked forwards, the demon was gone... and Ardent Desire clenched his eyes shut before he took a slow breath, then stepped forwards and turned around, yanking the door open. Morning Glory was on the other side, breathing hard, glaring at him... and she had tears in her eyes. Tears, for the first time he had ever seen, and it made the orange stallion's breath catch in his throat as she whispered: “What the hell did you do to me...”
“I... Morning Glory... you're my sister. I...” Ardent Desire trembled, and then he pleaded: “Can't we be like old times? Like when we were kids! You... you took care of me... and I tried my best to be a good brother to you...”
Morning Glory stared at him for a few moments, and then she shivered a bit as her eyes seemed to pulse faintly... before silently, she nodded, and the orange stallion relaxed little-by-little, sighing in relief. There was silence between them, and then the mare stepped forwards and hugged him, and Ardent Desire smiled faintly as he hugged her tightly back. It was just... affection now, that he hadn't shared with his siblings since before his mother had died, and... and there was nothing wrong with this. After all, he hadn't ordered her to do anything, really... he had just... asked her to be his sister. There was nothing wrong with that, right?
When Morning Glory drew back, she was smiling down at him, and then she leaned forwards and kissed his forehead. For a moment it made him nervous, but then the mare chuckled quietly and reached up to brush his mane out of his eyes, murmuring: “Look at you, you ran away as scared as when I told you there were trolls in the closet, remember that?”
“Yeah, I do. And... then you stayed with me the whole night afterwards. It's... it's funny, when I think about it. We used to be really close, and Dad used to... disapprove of how often you took up a stallion's roles. But after Mom died...” Ardent Desire looked down quietly, then he closed his eyes. “Everything changed. I wish...”
He didn't speak it, but Morning Glory seemed to hear it all the same, nodding slowly herself as she silently, lovingly stroked the back of his neck, then pulled him closer against her body. And Ardent Desire settled against her as she looked down at him, soothing softly: “I know you've never gotten over losing her, Ardent Desire. But I'm here for you now. I can never replace Mother, but... I don't know. I feel strange... I feel like I should be... taking care of you... like we should be the family we were meant to be. Father used to cherish you, in the old days...”
“Before Mom died...” the orange stallion settled against her, hugging her tightly, and Morning Glory nodded quietly. And then there was only silence as Ardent Desire clung to his younger sister for the warmth and comfort that he'd always longed for and craved, trying to piece together everything he'd always imagined that a family should be in those passing minutes of warmth and affection.
Ardent Desire yawned and then smiled as he opened his eyes the next morning before glancing down and noting the pair of forelegs locked around him, and felt the body holding him close. He frowned curiously, then looked over his shoulder... and slowly paled when he saw Morning Glory, still asleep, half-curled around him protectively.
But thankfully, last night's events filtered back through his mind, and the stallion relaxed with a wheeze before he closed his eyes. He shook himself out briskly before carefully beginning to pull himself free, but then Morning Glory murmured: “Good morning, Ardent Desire.”
He looked back at her with surprise, and she smiled at him as her eyes opened, reaching up to brush his mane back in a maternal gesture before saying softly: “It's funny. I was supposed to be up two hours ago, to begin my training regimen. But... it felt so good to be here with you.”
Ardent Desire smiled despite himself, pushing back any worries or fears that nibbled at his mind as he replied honestly: “And I do like having you here, Morning Glory. Funny as I'm sure this must probably look.”
“Ardent.” Morning Glory rolled her eyes, then she sat up and shoved him gently, and the stallion laughed before rolling out of bed and looking at her fondly. She looked back curiously, sitting up and tilting her head, and the stallion blushed, hurriedly dropping his gaze.
“I... it's just so funny. To... see you like this. To be here with you like this, I mean... to... oh, I don't know what I'm saying.” The stallion looked up almost shyly, and Morning Glory rolled her eyes as he said lamely: “Well, it's true! Usually these days if I came across you in a bad mood, you'd break my head open for fun.”
“Yes, and that was wrong of me, Ardent.” Morning Glory said softly, and the orange stallion looked up in surprise as she smiled gently. “I understand now what we can share if... we work together, and give to one another. And I think you wouldn't have so many problems making friends if you'd... just have the courage to reach out more. You're funny, and smart, Ardent Desire. Those are strong tools in the hooves of those who know how to use them.”
“I guess I don't really know how to use them, then.” the orange stallion said finally, and Morning Glory sighed tiredly and favored him with a sour look, making him wince a little.
After a moment longer, she finally nodded moodily before climbing out of bed and standing up, looking down at him softly. “Then perhaps we should teach you, big brother. How would you like to spend today doing that?”
“I... well, for a little while, but then I have to go out and visit... a friend.” Ardent Desire said awkwardly, shifting a little, and Morning Glory frowned before studying him intently when he blushed. “I'm not lying, I swear, I... she's just-”
“She?” Morning Glory cocked her head curiously, leaning further forwards and smiling slightly. “What do you mean, 'she,' Ardent Desire? And I can tell you're not lying. When you lie, you try to look very serious and try to maintain eye contact, even though you rarely ever can.”
“I... what?” Ardent Desire looked up at her lamely, and Morning Glory looked into his eyes for a moment before drawing her gaze back and forth as if nervous, apparently mimicking his tell. The stallion huffed at her grumpily, and then he shook his head and mumbled awkwardly: “Anyway, I... promised to visit again today.”
“Where?” Morning Glory asked curiously, and the stallion looked hesitantly up. He studied her, the way she looked... so intent, like she was more than just curious... and then the mare gave him a flat look and cleared her throat, and the stallion winced as he realized he'd been staring for too long, immediately drawing his head back.
But after a moment, Morning Glory sighed before hesitantly sliding forwards and off the bed. She slipped a foreleg around him quietly, and he looked up at her as she reassured softly: “I'm not... going to hurt you, Ardent, that is all in the past. I'm here for you now... and I wish to see you as safe as possible. That is all.”
Ardent Desire nodded a bit, looking up at her, trusting her... and as tended to happen at the worst of times, his mouth decided to talk before his brain finished processing what he was about to say: “She's a Kelpie.”
“I... what?” Morning Glory stared at him, and Ardent Desire grinned awkwardly as he blushed deep red before the mare rolled her eyes with a sigh. “Oh here we go. Ardent Desire, there are no such things as Kelpies, or demons, or evil spirits. I'm now starting to wonder again if your friend is real or imaginary...”
“She is real, she... felt... really real!” Ardent retorted, then he reached up and covered his mouth with a hoof as Morning slowly narrowed her eyes at him and leaned forwards suspiciously. The stallion did his absolute best not to say anything, even as he quailed away from her... and then, as happened all too often, he blurted: “She made me do it! Her! It! Not her! That! It wasn't sex!”
“Oh for the love of...” Morning Glory groaned and rolled her eyes, then glared furiously down at him, making him shrink further. “You... sowed some strange mare pretending to be a fish-demon? Next you'll tell me she wasn't even a unicorn!”
“She wasn't a unicorn, she was a Kelpie!” Ardent Desire retorted, and Morning Glory favored him with a dour look before he said pleadingly: “Why won't you believe me? Just believe me!”
“I...” Morning Glory winced, her eyes flickering as she wrestled with herself, breathing harshly... and then she clenched her jaw before slumping and saying quietly: “I... I know you're not a liar, Ardent Desire. But... a Kelpie... it's hard to... wrap my head around... next you'll tell me that all of Mother's old stories were true...”
“They were!” Ardent Desire said encouragingly, brightening at the fact that she believed him, she believed him because... he had told her to. And his smile froze on his features as his blood drained from his face and he realized what he had just done. Without even really meaning to... he had just forced her to believe anything he said.
He looked across at her, and Morning Glory only looked back for a few moments before a slow frown spread over her features, and she asked quietly: “Ardent Desire? Are you alright?”
“I... yeah. I am. I just...” For a few moments, the orange stallion hesitated, and then he forced a faint smile. “I just think this is all going to take some adjustment.”
Morning Glory looked at him curiously, and then she sighed and shook her head quickly, muttering: “Well, just keep in mind that some of Mother's stories were warnings, too. She said that we could all be what we wanted to be... but many of us become victims of our natures. If you really are meeting with a Kelpie... maybe I should come with you.”
“No, no. She... she's nice.” Ardent Desire said hurriedly, shaking his head quickly, and when Morning Glory gave him an amused look, he grumbled a bit. “I'm not an idiot, Morning Glory, and I'm not letting myself get led around by my... you know.”
“Most stallions let themselves get led around by that. Especially ones as inexperienced as you in matters of sex and partnership.” Morning Glory replied mildly, and Ardent sighed before the tall mare slid out of bed and tossed her golden mane, saying calmly: “Now come, let's head to breakfast. The presence of the lord of the household is a necessity.”
“You mean lordess.” But when Ardent Desire looked at his sister curiously, she only shook her head and smiled at him, and he shifted in surprise, blushing a bit and stammering: “Well... but... while Dad's away, you're in charge...”
“And I am passing that on to you, Lord Desire.” Morning Glory said calmly, bowing her head slightly, and there was just enough mockery in her tone to make Ardent feel oddly comforted. “You're the big brother here, Ardent Desire, not me. Even if I am larger and stronger than you are.”
“Oh. Oh. Thank you, sister. You have a wonderful way of making me feel wonderful.” Ardent Desire said moodily, but he was smiling a little all the same, blushing the faintest bit before he nodded hesitantly and turned around. Morning Glory followed closely after him, almost pressing their sides together as she smiled softly back at him.
Ardent Desire couldn't help but find some slightly-malicious amusement in the expressions on the servants' faces they passed, and how even some of the elite soldiers and bodyguards that patrolled the halls couldn't help but stop and stare in disbelief at the sight of brother and sister walking so pleasantly together. Not since before Illuminia had died, had anypony seen Morning Glory and Ardent Desire do anything but harass each other... which translated, of course, to Morning Glory regularly beating Ardent Desire to a pulp or chasing him around the keep.
They arrived in the dining hall to find the table already occupied by their two younger sisters: Lucenta, who was less than a year younger than Morning Glory, and their youngest sibling, Radiant Beacon. Both they and the slave hoof servants around the table stared, before Morning Glory announced calmly and seriously, glaring back and forth: “Ardent Desire is now the acting lord of the keep, and will be treated with respect, is this understood? We are siblings. Love and respect him as younger siblings should, sisters.”
“Is this some kind of joke?” Lucenta asked, looking up incredulously. She was a dark blue unicorn, with a deep black mane and navy, night-sky eyes. She was adorned with a gorgeous pearl necklace and a golden ring around her horn: both gifts from the stallion she was engaged to. Her cutie mark was of blue fire: Lucenta was able to manipulate the properties of fire, making it become 'cold,' or burn forever without consuming a single log.
Radiant Beacon only frowned nervously, biting at her hoof as she looked across at Morning Glory disbelievingly. She was the youngest by several years, with a gentle white coat and a long red mane. Her horn was a little short, and the emblem on her flank was that of a crystal ball: despite being only fifteen years of age, she was already being trained as a diplomat, and she had a talent for negotiation and debate... or rather, getting her way.
She seemed to recognize something was off, as Ardent Desire smiled lamely back and forth. And even as Lucenta continued to look perplexed, Radiant Beacon frowned a little at Ardent, then shook her head a bit, grasping at her skull and mumbling: “Well... I... I suppose you... know what's best, Morning Glory...”
“I do. Let's sit down, Ardent Desire. Servants! Bring breakfast!” Morning Glory shouted at the slave hoofs, and the ponies hurriedly nodded and turned to bolt away, as Ardent Desire smiled despite himself and slipped into his seat across from Radiant Beacon. The young mare was staring at him, shifting a bit back and forth as she studied him almost intently, and Ardent Desire cleared his throat a little as Lucenta continued to simply look disbelieving.
Unbidden, Ardent Desire couldn't help but think of Shieldhoof, and he glanced awkwardly back and forth between his younger siblings: everyone knew that the big stallion was usually the first to steal any mare's virginity, after all. More than his fighting skills, his size, his handsomeness... that was why Ardent Desire had always envied him. Shieldhoof could get anything he wanted... any mare he wanted...
But now, things were different, right? He smiled as he felt Morning Glory's hoof rest on his shoulder, and then he looked up in surprise as Radiant Beacon pulled herself a little closer to the table, blushing as she stammered: “S-So how are you... big brother? You... you look... you look really handsome...”
Ardent Desire stared across at his youngest sibling, saw her flush, her breathing... and when he looked dumbly down the table, he saw Lucenta gaping, while Morning Glory only looked... pleased? Did she really look happy? Ardent Desire hurriedly shook his head out, then turned his eyes back towards Radiant Beacon and said before he even knew what he was saying: “I feel good... little sister. It's nice to have my sisters here. Even if we don't always agree, you know I love you all... as family. As my sisters.”
Radiant Beacon smiled at this, settling slightly, releasing a soft sigh as her bright magenta eyes flickered... and then she nodded calmly and leaned forwards, reaching her hooves across the table to take one of Ardent Desire's. He smiled back at her, and Lucenta only spluttered stupidly before Radiant Beacon said warmly: “Me too... big brother. I've... it's funny, but... before now, I never... I never felt like we were actually family. I always wanted to be, I think, but... I was scared that you blamed me because Mom died... and... and... well, Morning Glory and Lucenta were always so hard on you... I didn't know what else to do except...”
“It's okay. It's perfectly okay.” Ardent Desire whispered, but he was smiling with warm happiness before he looked eagerly down the table at Lucenta, unable to stop himself from asking: “It's all okay, right sister?”
“I...” Lucenta frowned at him, gritted her teeth, trembled... then suddenly shoved herself back from the table, to Ardent Desire's surprise, before she shouted: “I don't know what's going on, Ardent, Morning Glory, but I will not take part in this sick game! Ardent Desire is a failure and a flunky and ever since we were foals I've never liked him, and I still don't! We all hate the whelp, how can all of you have forgotten that overnight?”
“How dare you, Lucenta!” Morning Glory leapt to her hooves with a snarl as Radiant Beacon dropped back in her chair, covering her mouth and looking shocked. “Conniving witch! Get, get out of here, hide in your room and do not show your face until you are ready to treat our big brother, heir to our father, with respect!”
“What madness are you talking about? Morning Glory, you are heir to father! Lord Bonfire was going to nominate you for the position of Baroness... did the gods curse you? Have devil sprites possessed your mind? Have you simply gone insane?” Lucenta shook her head in disbelief, then she stumbled backwards in shock when Morning Glory stormed around the table, the dark blue unicorn saying hurriedly: “Don't you lay a hoof on me, get back, get away, or I swear I'll tell father-”
Morning Glory slapped Lucenta hard with the back of one hoof, and the dark blue mare was knocked sprawling with a cry of pain. Ardent Desire leapt to his hooves and shouted a denial, feeling shocked, and the pale pink mare glanced sharply over her shoulder at him before grimacing and nodding, stepping back as Lucenta trembled on the ground, touching her bruised face and looking horrified. “Go to your room, witch. And if you cry to father, then tell Lord Bonfire that I support my big brother here and now and forever. I see clearly now. I adore him. And I will protect him, even from you. Even from father.”
Morning Glory's eyes burned with zealotry as Lucenta shook her head in disbelief, then snarled and yanked herself up to her hooves. She looked back and forth, trembling, her eyes filling with tears, and then she let out a short hiss of disgust before spinning around and storming quickly out of the room.
Ardent Desire stared after her stupidly, and then he looked back and forth weakly as Radiant Beacon scurried around the table and Morning Glory calmly approached,his siblings embracing him from either side as Radiant Beacon murmured: “It's okay, Ardent... Lucenta always was a little strange... always did bear a grudge.”
Ardent Desire only nodded weakly, even as his mind raced, and he reached a hoof up to silently stroke through Beacon's mane as he wondered... why his powers had been effective over her, but not Lucenta. Why if anything, Lucenta seemed to have reacted so much more violently...
Even as they ate breakfast – and both his sisters lovingly fed him pieces of cut-up fruit – he barely could keep track of the world around him. He was disturbed... by his power over females, and by the backlash from Lucenta. By... by a lot of things, including his own thoughts, now that so much was possible... by the fact that even if a voice whimpered he should stop, he should pull away, everything else just wanted to experience this comfort, as he rested his head against Morning Glory.
And they seemed to enjoy it, right? His little sister hugged him around the body and rested against him, and Morning Glory held him close, and stroked his mane... like a mother. Maternal, and more than that, protective and strong. Encompassing. Loving. Tender... but ready to leap in front of him at the first sign of danger. Just like his mother had always protected him...
Ardent Desire's sense didn't really return until more than an hour had passed, and he realized he was still at the table after being lost in thought for most of that time. He carefully extracted himself from his sisters, then said, without thinking: “Morning Glory, uh... why don't you tell Radiant Beacon all about everything while I go and meet my friend? And maybe you two can try and convince Lucenta that... I don't mean any harm. I don't want Lucenta to go tattling to Dad... I... and I don't want to become Baron, Morning Glory. I actually... I actually was hoping to move out, find my own place, start my own life. Maybe in the village, maybe further than that.”
“I'll come with you.” Morning Glory said in a rush, and Radiant Beacon nodded rapidly, as Ardent Desire stared at them with surprise. The larger pink mare leaned forwards as he tried to process their reaction, looking almost desperate as she whispered: “Don't leave us here. Don't leave us alone. We want to be with our brother. We love you.”
“We love you.” echoed Radiant Beacon, and Ardent Desire licked his lips nervously, looking back and forth between the two mares, not knowing what to say before his younger sibling threw herself forwards and hugged him fiercely, and then Morning Glory did the same.
He stood stupidly, feeling them clinging so fiercely, so tightly to him, and a tremble ran through him before he closed his eyes. He thought for a moment about... telling them to sit here, and wait, then leaving. He knew somehow, in his heart, that if he simply left... his presence would fade, his power over them would weaken, they would... remember who they were, and who he had really been to them. But instead, what came out of his mouth was a single whispered word: “Okay.”
Both his sisters drew back and smiled at him, their eyes shining... and even as Ardent Desire strode miserably half an hour later through the forest by himself, he couldn't shake that look in their eyes. Morning Glory had promised to find a wagon, and Radiant Beacon was going to fetch some things together... and the orange stallion shivered before he whispered: “I'm not doing anything wrong. They love me, and I love them, and... and Dad's a bastard! Why should... why do I feel so bad...”
He knew, though: it was because his father wasn't a bastard, at least not to them. He might be a failure in Lord Bonfire's eyes, but the Baron had always cherished his daughters... and Ardent Desire knew that he was taking Morning Glory away from something good. But no, no... it was her choice. Right? He was sure she still had a choice, of some kind, he... he wasn't trying to control her... was he?
Ardent Desire shook his head slowly as he emerged into the field, then looked up in surprise to see the Kelpie was already waiting for him. She smiled at him softly as he approached, then tilted her head, asking gently: “What's wrong, my sweet? Are things not going as well as planned?”
“I... no.” Ardent Desire admitted, and he sat across from her as she studied him... almost eagerly. He licked his lips nervously, looking back at her before saying finally: “I think I did something to my sisters. Well, two of them... but... one of them seems immune to my... my magnetism, I guess it is.”
“It's more than magnetism, darling, I can feel that clearly... you can command, too, can you not?” The Kelpie slipped forwards, nuzzling the side of his neck before sliding her slick body teasingly against him, and Ardent Desire shivered a little as she curled past him and strutted back along his other side to murmur into his ear: “Maybe the problem is that you're not taking advantage of your newfound power... maybe the problem is that you're hiding back at home, when you should be out on the town, learning to use your abilities to their fullest...”
“I... I don't know...” Ardent Desire shifted nervously, looking back and forth as he bit his lower lip apprehensively. “That doesn't sound... I mean...”
“Think about it, darling. If you don't learn to control and vent your abilities, who knows what might happen back at home?” The Kelpie stepped in front of him, reaching up to slowly stroke under his chin with a hoof. “And you've always wanted to go out like the other stallions, find yourself a pretty mare, make her yours for the night, haven't you? Now you can do that.”
“I... I...” Ardent Desire shifted back and forth apprehensively, his eyes flicking everywhere except the Kelpie as he breathed a little harder, and then he flushed when the demon grasped the back of his head and pulled him into a firm kiss for a few long, delicious moments. It washed away everything else in his mind as his knees buckled, and then the Kelpie grinned as their lips parted and she pushed him down onto his back...
When it was over, Ardent Desire found himself laying back in the grass, looking up at the sky, his mind hazy. The Kelpie was resting over his chest, almost purring as she played her hooves against his body, and he smiled despite himself when she murmured: “You're getting better... or your influence is getting stronger... or both. It doesn't matter: what does is that you're learning to find more pleasure in the experience... and make it oh so much more pleasurable for those you share it with. Pleasure's always good, isn't it? Go on out there, Ardent Desire... share pleasure.”
Ardent Desire nodded a little, and then he closed his eyes and murmured softly: “Okay. Soon... but... right now, my sisters and I are going to find a new place for me to live...”
“Oh, I know the perfect location, Ardent.” The Kelpie smiled at him delightedly, and Ardent Desire looked up at her curiously before she reached a hoof up and brushed his mane slowly back. “There's a gorgeous house near the end of this river... it has a pretty little pond and everything. It looks like a nice size for a mortal home, so I'm sure it would be very suiting to your tastes and wealth... you should go there tomorrow. My sisters and I will make sure it's all ready for you.”
“You... wait, what do you mean?” Ardent Desire asked curiously, and the Kelpie laughed quietly as she reached up and tenderly stroked his features.
“As if Greed devils are the only ones who can help you get what you want, my sweet. No, no, leave it to me... my kind has their own... persuasions.” The Kelpie's eyes gleamed, and then she hesitated before grasping the back of Ardent Desire's neck, pulling him down and pushing her muzzle to his ear to whisper: “I never told you my name, but it's Helena. Think of me and speak my name, and I shall do my very best to reach you, wherever you may be.”
Ardent Desire looked up at her dumbly, and then the Kelpie smiled slightly as she half-lidded her eyes and slipped slowly backwards towards the stream. She blew him a kiss as she gently pushed herself off the bank to slip into the water, sinking little-by-little beneath the surface before her eyes glowed, and he clearly heard her voice whisper in his mind: Don't be afraid of pursuing your desires. No matter what they are: you bless us with a gift of happiness.
And yet all the same, Ardent Desire thought he caught... a flash of teeth, an almost-hungry grin, as Helena vanished beneath the waves. But a moment later, she was gone completely, and the stallion shook his head out a little before he swallowed and turned around, hesitantly glancing up at the darkening sky and murmuring: “I'd... better go home. And...”
The orange unicorn clenched his eyes shut, shivered once... then nodded to himself. He could check on his family, too... his true family. His beloved sisters, who were going to come with him, and who he was going to ask to help him figure everything out. Who he promised himself he was going to be honest with and give everything he could to, and not make another silly slip with.
And as Ardent Desire strode into the woods, he was unaware that Cupidus was now standing calmly in the field, watching him with his emotionless orange eyes and judging the worth of the stallion. Dark specters of smoke wafted eagerly around the devil, an the cloaked entity held up a thin-skinned claw, saying calmly: “Keep an eye on him. Ensure no other demons attempt to sour his experiences or intervene. Helena can handle the rest.”
With that, the shadowy demons dispersed, flying rapidly off towards the skies as Cupidus reached into his cloak and pulled out a pocketwatch, looking calmly down at it and murmuring: “Forty thousand, nine hundred and twenty nine minutes left in our agreement, young Ardent Desire.”
III: Greed
It felt like one day, Ardent Desire closed his eyes: when he opened them the next, he was living on his own, in a beautiful manse with both his sisters, and a vault filled with riches. It felt like one day he was trapped beneath Lord Bonfire, never to be his own stallion, only ever a failure and frail and weak... the next, he was the richest stallion in the village of Ashaven, and rapidly becoming more and more popular with the citizenry... or at least, the female population.
Ardent Desire smiled dreamily as he sat comfortably back in an enormous oak throne at a wide table, sighing in contentment as Morning Glory and Radiant Beacon both looked at him warmly from their seats of honor on either side of him. And the orange stallion couldn't help but marvel back and forth as not simply mares, but several Kelpies bustled throughout the building, serving food for them happily: Helena had moved in with her sisters from the river.
The Kelpies had somehow gotten the old owners out of the house, and Ardent Desire had been able to all but walk right in, with the deeds and everything in his name. The demons had also modified one of the lower rooms of the sprawling manse into an enormous pool, using... well, Ardent didn't dare to guess what kind of magic and resources demons had at their disposal. And Cupidus had stopped in and outfitted him with a gorgeous library, that included all the literature taken from the secret room in the library back at the castle.
He was happy. He was free. And over the last few days, he had begun exercising his abilities a little more with Helena's aid and guidance, bringing home pretty mares and... well, he didn't want to say he 'had his way' with them. He made sure they both enjoyed the experience, after all.
The stallion also employed a variety of servants, and he had to admit, it was nice to have slave hoofs who actually listened to him. And he had even hired a few Pegasus soldiers to keep an eye on the grounds: his manse was quite a sprawling estate, after all, with fields around it, the beautiful pond, the river that served like a natural moat. The only easy way onto his property from the village, after all, was over the footbridge: the river was wide enough to keep most other unicorns and slave hoofs from finding an easy way across... and sometimes the Kelpies patrolled the waters, giving him another layer of security.
Yes, everything was wonderful. Ardent Desire sighed in delight as he opened his mouth, and Morning Glory – adorned with a beautiful gemstone necklace he had bought for her, and the sight of her almost crying with joy when he had put it on her neck, oh, how happy it had made him! – gently fed him a slice of apple. He smiled and closed his eyes as Radiant Beacon rested against his other side happily, and then she murmured: “Look, big brother. Real demons, just like you and big sister told me Mother always spoke of. These last few days... everything's been so wonderful.”
“So freeing.” agreed Ardent Desire, and then he cocked his head curiously as Helena strode quickly into the dining hall from the archway, a nervous look on her features. “What's wrong?”
“A herald just arrived, my lord...” Even worried as he felt, Ardent Desire had to admit that he adored being referred to as a 'lord.' It almost made him smile, but then his blood froze when Helena continued worriedly: “Lord Bonfire is on his way, and he's not alone.”
“What?” Ardent Desire almost jumped out of his chair, going pale, and then he winced and looked back and forth, grabbing at his features. “Oh no oh no oh no oh no...”
Morning Glory frowned at this, and then Helena bowed her head forwards, saying quietly: “We cannot allow ourselves to be seen, of course... we take enough risks as it is striding in full view of your servants, even if they are sworn to silence and loyalty, and they never leave the grounds.”
“That is fine, I will face my father beside my brother.” Morning Glory said firmly, and Radiant Beacon nodded encouragingly, smiling brightly. She glanced at her brother, but Ardent Desire was almost hyperventilating, and both mares winced a bit before Morning Glory shook her head and asked quickly: “Where is Lord Bonfire now?”
“Approaching through the fields. He will be here shortly.” the Kelpie replied, and then she looked directly at Ardent Desire before her eyes flashed, and the orange stallion winced a bit as he felt like a wrecking ball hit his mind, knocking him back to a state of semi-sanity as her voice half-ordered, half-soothed: Be strong and brave, Lord Desire. This is your home, not his.
“I... I... yes.” Ardent Desire murmured after a moment, shivering once before he shook his head slowly and rubbed at his face. He looked up uneasily, but Helena was already gone, catching only a flick of her seaweed tail before she vanished through the archway, and the stallion looked back and forth before asking almost desperately: “And you'll... be there for me, both of you?”
Morning Glory nodded, and Radiant Beacon smiled faintly, hugging him fiercely. He wrapped a foreleg around either sibling, trembling once, and then he looked up as a slave hoof hurried in through the archway that Helena had left through. “Honorable Lord Desire, the mighty Lord Amadeus Bonfire has arrived and wishes for your presence, sir.”
Ardent Desire closed his eyes, took a slow breath... then he nodded once and pushed himself away from the table, almost whispering: “Take me to him.”
The servant bowed deeply as Morning Glory and Radiant Beacon awkwardly helped their trembling brother to his hooves, and he leaned heavily against the larger mare once he was standing. He thought that once they were walking, it would get easier... but instead, it only seemed to get harder, as dread filled his veins and he felt himself wanting to whimper, a few pathetic squeaks escaping with his breathing.
The only thing that reassured him was that even now, Morning Glory was supporting him, as did Radiant Beacon. He had family; he had sisters; he always had his mother's love. And finally, they emerged into the beautiful foyer of the manse, gorgeous tapestries on the walls and expensive carpet underhoof, and Ardent Desire forced himself to straighten as he looked across at a snarling Lord Bonfire, flanked by Shieldhoof, Lucenta, Lord Windsong, and another unicorn that Ardent Desire didn't recognize, likely the stallion who had been arranged to be Lucenta's husband. And they didn't come alone: behind them, to Ardent Desire's terror, there were not only servants with flags and banners and carrying equipment, but armored and armed Pegasi and unicorn soldiers.
“What have you done, Ardent Desire? How much money did you steal from my vault, or from the barony's vaults? Did you really think you could get away with this?” Lord Bonfire shouted furiously, and then he shook his head wildly before snapping: “Morning Glory, Radiant Beacon, I have no idea what is wrong with either of you, but return to your senses immediately and step forwards. I have brought a healer with me, he will mend your minds or fix whatever enchantment ails you.”
“Nothing is wrong with me, Father! I stand proudly at my big brother's side... your rightful heir's side!” Morning Glory snapped, and Ardent Desire stared at her incredulously: part of it was terror, as he realized what kind of control he must have over his older sibling... the rest of it, awe that whether she was being influenced by him or not, she still dared to raise her voice to their father.
“I... I won't abandon him. Do whatever you must, Father, but bear in mind that your actions now... against your children, one of whom is now on his way to achieving greatness... our entire unicorn nation will hear of it. And will reflect upon it... and upon you.” added Radiant Beacon in a softer voice.
Lord Bonfire looked... hurt. Shocked, and angry... and hurt. Not even when Ardent Desire had seen his father take an arrow to the chest while repelling an attack on the keep, had the orange stallion ever witnessed that expression on his father's face, or seen it in his eyes. His mouth worked wordlessly, and then Lucenta stepped forwards, shouting angrily: “That is your father and patriarch, our father and patriarch, Morning Glory! The stallion you used to idolize, a stallion of great and noble rank, to whom we owe life and servitude!”
“I have greater idols now.” Morning Glory snapped, wrapping a foreleg around Ardent Desire, and the orange stallion looked at her with surprise and a deep blush, before the pale-pink mare added icily: “And at least I do not bring unwanted company and an army to speak to my own blood. To make threats and use shows of strength and force against those who have done no wrong. To accuse my own family of being twisted by evil solely because they have learned to put aside past grudges, and find the value in each other!”
Shieldhoof spat to the side at this, and then Morning Glory's eyes locked him, and she added softly: “And you. I warned you, that if I ever saw you again, I would kill you, Shieldhoof. After you attacked my brother in his own home, and after you dared to speak down to me... did you not think I was serious? Hide all you like, but you are marked now, Shieldhoof. I will kill you.”
“Do you hear her? Clearly she's gone insane!” shouted the large ivory stallion, gesturing at her wildly, and then he stared in disbelief when the elderly Windsong shushed him hurriedly. “Father, you can't be serious, that demented harlot is-”
Lord Bonfire spun to the side and smashed a front hoof into Shieldhoof's face, striking with so much force that it not only snapped his cheekbone but made his handsome features all-but-crumple. Shieldhoof was knocked to the floor and sent skidding on his side almost into the wall, mouth working as blood burst from his jaws... and then what had happened seemed to set in with a tsunami of pain, and the ivory stallion screamed and grabbed at his broken features as Lord Bonfire shook his hoof out and said moodily: “Drag him out of here. All of you, get out of here, now. I must have a word with my son. And that includes you as well, daughters.”
Morning Glory and Radiant Beacon didn't flinch, didn't move, but Ardent Desire bit his tongue, trembled... and then he nodded and whispered: “Go on, sisters. I'll... I'll call you.”
“Alright, big brother.” Morning Glory said softly, and Radiant Desire leaned up to hug him tightly for a moment, the orange stallion returning the embrace before both mares turned and strode towards the door at the back of the room. Meanwhile, two Pegasi were dragging Shieldhoof's sobbing body out, and Windsong had his head lowered, quailing away from Bonfire even as he hurried out of the room with the rest of the group.
Only Ardent Desire and Lord Bonfire were left in the foyer after less than a minute had passed, and they were silent, some ten feet of space between them before the orange stallion managed a weak grin, and he said finally: “Nice uh... punch, Dad.”
Lord Bonfire gave him a dark look, and Ardent winced and dropped his head before the large, imposing unicorn approached. Ardent Desire shrank further under the glare locked on him, and there was silence for a few long moments before the large crimson stallion finally sighed quietly, then murmured: “So is this your revenge on me, Ardent Desire? Turning Morning Glory against me, somehow... taking over this place? Leaving me without a heir?”
The orange stallion shifted slowly at this, looking up and opening his mouth... then simply closing it as he carefully stood back up. Lord Bonfire looked across at him silently, shaking his head slowly before he said quietly: “Well congratulations if it is... Lord Desire. I can't say I'm disappointed... shocked, cut to the quick, but... you finally did something right, at least. Did something impressive. Not even I was ever able to bend your sister's will but you, oh, it looks like you found a way to take my daughter away from me... and... take yourself away from me, too. So congratulations. You should be proud of yourself.”
“Dad, it's... it's not like that.” Ardent Desire almost pleaded, feeling his own burst of pain as he stepped forwards, and then he winced when Lord Bonfire reached up a hoof... but a moment later, it only gently settled on his shoulder, and the larger stallion lowered his head quietly as Ardent looked up at him, whispering: “It's not about that, I... I just... I... want to be my own stallion. I just wanted to... I wanted you to...”
“I don't have time for your feelings, Ardent Desire.” Lord Bonfire straightened, his voice cold... but his eyes were still hurt. For all the strength he showed, there was something in his eyes, in the smallest, faintest tremors that ran through his body, that made him look wounded. “Take Morning Glory and Radiant Beacon, then. I don't know what you've done to my daughters and... I don't care. I still have an heir in Lucenta and her husband-to-be, and... you can finally have what you've always wanted, Ardent Desire. Your precious freedom. You are not my son, and I am not your father.”
“You're... you're disowning me for... for... what?” Ardent Desire stared up at him in disbelief, then he shook his head before shouting desperately: “Father, I didn't steal anyone or anything! I'm... I don't hate you! I just want you to-”
“Enough!” the crimson unicorn snapped, his voice echoing through the foyer and making Ardent Desire shrink backwards. “If you ever wanted to make me proud you wouldn't have spent every single moment of your life reminding me of your dead mother, and how I failed her! If you ever wanted to be a stallion, Ardent Desire, you would have... have tried to be a stallion, instead of burying your head in books and stories and lies, like she did, which is why she died!”
Lord Bonfire breathed hard in and out, snarling down at Ardent Desire as he stared uselessly upwards, and then the crimson stallion leaned down and said harshly: “Infection took hold after she gave birth to Radiant Beacon, and her blood turned to poison in her veins, and instead of trusting in me, and doctors, and the real world, she prayed to her pathetic fairytales and fallen idols. And I sat back and let her until it was too late, because when she told me the demons had promised our first child would be a son, I trusted in them. And I never should have trusted in her madness and her lies, because whether or not she told the truth what she gave birth to first was you .”
The orange stallion stumbled backwards, whimpering in his throat, shaking his head in disbelief before Lord Bonfire spat to the side, then he turned around and stormed towards the door, the snarl of anger not entirely hiding the tears in his eyes as he said roughly: “I believe in what's real, Ardent Desire. I believe in what is proven, not what is theory and lies and myth. And the only thing you've proven is that you are a disgrace to our family and I should have cast you out long ago.”
Lord Bonfire halted in front of the doors leading out of the manse, and Ardent Desire trembled as tears spilled down his cheeks, slowly beginning to stride after the crimson unicorn before Lord Bonfire said quietly over his shoulder: “You are hereby exiled from my barony, Ardent Desire, and... and if my daughters leave with you, then they are no longer welcome within these borders either. You have until sunrise tomorrow to be gone from this place... or I will have you executed.”
“Father!” Ardent Desire shouted, but without looking back, Lord Bonfire smashed the double doors open with a flick of his horn and left his disowned child standing in the middle of his beautiful foyer, tears rolling down his cheek as the orange stallion collapsed forwards and screamed: “Father! Please!”
But Amadeus Bonfire did not look back.
Ardent Desire wasn't even aware of what was going on around him. He was just curled up under a blanket, and his sisters were looking after him and taking care of him, reassuring him that everything would be okay. All he was aware of was a faint rumbling and whispering, and his sisters were so focused on him that not even they cared what was going on.
Outside, dark shadows whispered back and forth around the manse, as Cupidus stood on the front lawn and calmly watched. Helena had asked for his assistance, and while the devil thought that perhaps Ardent Desire's influence was getting even to the demon mare, he also understood her reasoning. If Ardent Desire died, it would reflect poorly on him, and everything he had promised: practicality demanded a small feat of power. And besides, Helena also noted there was an easy source of additional payment, right under their noses.
Electricity crackled over the walls of the structure, as vibrations ran through the inside of the house: soon, the building was rising into the sky, towards a dark, rumbling cloud through which violet lightning was streaking back and forth, as rubble and pieces of sod floated silently up in the reversal of gravity that had gripped the structure. Cupidus watched as gradually, the manse vanished into the cloud before there was a bright purple flash... and then everything was simply gone, the only sign the building had ever stood in this empty field the crater of dirt left behind.
The devil glanced coldly back and forth, then nodded once to himself: he trusted that Helena would oversee the rest of the process. For now, he had assets to attend to, as his orange eyes meditatively roved over the dead and prone bodies of slave hoof servants and Pegasi that had been sacrificed by the Kelpies as payment, their bodies slain, their blood drained, their souls... taken. Cupidus thought it was a fair exchange, but to him, life and death were both matters of economic exchange, and the values of the living, their corpses, and even their very souls could be determined the same way he would a gemstone. The clarity, the cut, the rarity, the quality, and weight.
Ardent Desire didn't understand what he had gotten into, though... any more than he understood what was happening as the house shook around him violently, and he looked wildly up as he clung to his sisters, shouting worriedly: “What's going on? Is... is Father attacking? No, no, I... no!”
The rumbles increased for a moment, and Ardent Desire cried out in terror and misery and buried himself in the blankets as Radiant Beacon clung to him and Morning Glory leapt to her hooves... but a moment later, the tremors settled into a dull vibration, and Helena hurried into the room, saying soothingly: “Lord Desire, it's okay, it's okay! We were just finishing up moving the household... surely you remember what we talked about before, moving the house to a better place?”
“I... I...” Ardent Desire poked his head nervously out from under the blanket, trembling a little, and then he nodded after a moment and sat up. Morning Glory relaxed a little when she saw her big brother looking naively across at Helena, and it was like his trust and his emotions were beginning to affect her: like more and more, she was reflecting him. “Yes, but... I didn't... think that... what about the servants?”
“We had to let them go, darling. I told you before, we couldn't take them all with us... it would have been asking too much of Cupidus.” Helena smiled,and Ardent Desire nodded hesitantly. “I'm glad you told me about him, Ardent Desire, and that you have such a generous, powerful ally. And I'm sure if you asked... he would be glad to help you get over the pain of your father...”
“I... that's... not important right now.” Ardent Desire shifted, feeling suddenly uncomfortable as he breathed unevenly, then shook his head hurriedly. “So... so where are we then? How... how did you move this place?”
“Oh, I didn't do it. Cupidus has many friends, though, who all... pitched in. Devils don't usually come to this world by themselves, but you created an opening... a way for Cupidus to travel back and forth, and he was able to bring a few... loyal followers through as well.” Helena explained gently, and Ardent Desire nodded trustingly before the Kelpie looked back and forth, softening. “You should concentrate on feeling better for tonight, my darling. We will attend to the... minor details, and help everything settle.”
“No, no... I... I want to see where we are.” Ardent Desire said after a moment, shaking his head, and both his sisters stood as they looked curiously over at Helena. The Kelpie only smiled in response, nodding after a moment before she turned and gestured for them to follow.
The group was silent as they made their way through the dim halls of the house: there were a few overturned furnishings, some paintings had fallen off the walls, and most of the lanterns and torches had gone out. But Ardent Desire thought all-in-all, there was very little to show that an entire household had just been magically moved... well... quite a distance, he was somehow sure.
They exited through the main doors – a hinge had snapped on one and left the door listing awkwardly, but that was the worst damage they had seen so far – and Ardent Desire's eyes widened in surprise as he strode into soft, tall grasses. The moon and stars shone down from above, lighting up their surroundings, and after a moment, Morning Glory whispered: “Wait, I recognize this place... from... from the paintings in the library...”
“That's... the ocean!” Ardent Desire almost shouted, stumbling forwards and staring with awe: past a dirt road and several small shacks still lit up with light in the far distance, he could see the sparkling, endless reaches of water he had always dreamed of seeing. He laughed in delight, all his cares and worries leaving him for a moment... and both his sisters soon joined his laughter, smiling just as brightly as they felt and mirrored his joy. “Look, look, the ocean!”
He leapt up and down, then looked back and forth in delight: they were positioned high atop a slope, and the stallion took off at a run to do a quick circle of the house as Helena only smiled and sat calmly back.
Ardent Desire ran around the structure, taking in everything that was nearby with wide, child-like eyes at the wonderment of it all: of being in a new, safe place, where he'd always dreamed of being, where there was not only an ocean across from his front door but a river that flowed past the side of his home and sprawling fields everywhere else. He grinned in amazement as he passed back to the front, and then his sisters tackled him from behind and knocked him sprawling, but it only increased his joy as he rolled over and gazed up at them, then hugged them fiercely as they lay piled together. “It's everything I ever dreamed of!”
He looked happily up at the stars... and then, slowly, gradually, his smile faded, and both his siblings straightened and looked down at him with concern as he murmured after a moment: “I mean... almost... everything. It's almost everything...”
He closed his eyes... but a moment later, a hoof brushed back his mane, and Helena said softly: “Now come. You are a strong, handsome stallion, with fortunes truly beyond measure. Nothing is out of your reach yet, not even what seems impossible.”
Ardent Desire glanced up at her quietly, and then he nodded slowly to the Kelpie before allowing her and Morning Glory to help him to his hooves. He looked back and forth, opened his mouth, then didn't quite know what to say before Morning Glory and Radiant Beacon both gently pushed him forwards, and Helena smiled kindly at the stallion. “I'll help you relax.”
Ardent Desire only nodded a little, then closed his eyes when she leaned forwards and kissed him, but he returned it slowly, feeling it... soothing him. And when she gently tugged on him, he gladly followed her to a quiet, private room, where she pulled him overtop her and he felt his body more naturally falling into the motions, pushing down, feeling their forms moving in tandem as he felt her clutching into him, pulling him down, wanting him, needing him, loving him...
When it was over, they lay curled together until Ardent Desire fell asleep, and then the Kelpie slipped quietly away and headed out into the hall. She smiled dreamily to herself, then frowned before shaking her head hurriedly... but as she did so, she caught something in the corner of her eye. A movement... and the demon smiled knowingly to herself before she called gently: “Morning Glory, is that you?”
There was silence... and then Morning Glory flushed as she stepped carefully around the corner, looking up nervously. But the demon only smiled at her before pushing the door behind her back open, saying tenderly: “Go ahead. He's asleep... but he always sleeps better with another body beside him.”
She paused as Morning Glory smiled and approached, and the Kelpie hesitated... then she thought of Cupidus and his orders, and she forced herself to be sly, to be cunning, and not to care for the handsome, tender stallion snoozing helplessly in bed as she leaned up and whispered in the mare's ear: “He loves you especially, you know.”
The mare froze, then frowned a little, and for a moment, she shivered: it made Helena wince, not exactly wanting to see what would happen if Morning Glory shook off the enchantment. The unicorn was not a pony to be underestimated or trifled with, not even by your average demon.
But thankfully, a moment later Morning Glory settled and closed her eyes, and the Kelpie felt both relief and the faintest hint of guilt. After all... this was a mare who must have honestly cared about her sibling at one point, and now they were abusing that, warping that... “I... does he? I get so... angry... and jealous... and he is my brother, I... I...”
“I think your mortal worries are silly. I think you should tell him, show him how much you care for him.” Helena urged gently, and the mare looked at her curiously before Helena smiled kindly at her, even as she felt another twist go through her gut. “I will even help you. I will help him see your value, shall I?”
“Oh... Helena, I owe you so much...” Morning Glory whispered, but Helena only smiled before turning away... and as the mare eagerly hurried into the bedroom, the Kelpie's smile faded and her eyes dimmed as they turned slowly down to the floor.
Mortals... they were so easy to play with. So easy to confuse, and Ardent Desire was so... gullible. And with the way his influence worked, it made those close to him gullible too. Oh, yes, demons couldn't lie, and there were many good demons, and many of the stories Ardent Desire repeated to her were true... but he forgot that there were bad demons, too. That demons, good or bad, were often driven by their primal drives... and most important of all, that there was a difference between a demon and a devil.
Or maybe he was just too naïve, too uninitiated, to have truly understood the difference yet. But one day, and one day all too soon, Ardent Desire would. Everything he was being given was free, but he had never listened to the careful phrasings of Cupidus: that he would only keep what he had earned. And so far, all Ardent Desire had truly earned himself was pain, and suffering, and heartache. The poor stallion didn't understand that he had just become a tool in a devil's plan to further expand his influence, and that he had created a loophole in the rules that usually bound Cupidus' kind to Helheim. Something Cupidus was gladly using to exploit and claim more victims, in the short window he knew he had.
And none of it was because 'demons were evil,' or 'Hell was full of monsters,' even if the latter was all too true: it was because Cupidus saw a business opportunity, and that was what he was doing... business. Mortal souls were like shiny gemstones in Helheim, to be traded, sought after, and in rare cases to act as powerful tools in their own right. And to the Kelpie, who was driven by the primal drives of lust and hunger, that awful, sociopathic purpose made what Cupidus was doing all the more terrible to her.
Not that Helena could or would stand up against the devil, of course: Cupidus was powerful, and knew what strings to pull, and precisely how to pluck them for the best effect. Helena was a wild demon, who lived with her brethren among nature, outside of Helheim. Safe from the ice... but not from other demons who thought that Kelpies made excellent slaves, delightful toys, or tasty meat.
Helena lowered her head as she strode quietly into the kitchen, then glanced back and forth at her sisters, who were currently using the stove to cook some fish they had caught. She smiled at them, and they smiled back before one asked softly: “Sister, you can't be upset over the mortals still, can you? They're only mortals... most of them were slaves.”
“No, their lives do not bother me, my siblings. I'm thinking of the handsome stallion again... perhaps it's just his influence, but I've grown very attached to him. I don't like the idea of corrupting and twisting him and his entire family into something like us.” Helena replied softly, and her sisters nodded sympathetically. They sat for a few moments as the fish steamed and fried, and then one of the demons turned towards the spice rack, and Helena cautioned: “Be wary, mortals use many purifiers as flavoring. Too much and we will grow ill.”
“We know, sister.” said another one of the Kelpies tiredly, and Helena couldn't help but smile a bit before the same Kelpie softened and murmured: “You are too attached to things. A caretaker. You must distance yourself more, sister, for your own sake.”
“I... will try.” Helena said finally, lowering her head and looking away... and yet all the same, she didn't think she would. She liked Ardent Desire, after all... and she thought what truly scared her wasn't the idea of hurting him, or even helping him on the way to becoming a demon... it was the thought that Ardent Desire would never forgive her for what she had to do.
Ardent Desire awoke to the smell of flowers, and sweat, and... soap, he thought. He wasn't sure of the last, but the lingering perfume... it was somehow familiar. Even the fact he couldn't place it properly was somehow familiar.
A hoof stroked down his back, and he smiled, keeping his eyes closed as another stroked through his mane, soothing him, settling him. He felt like he'd lapsed into a beautiful dream after a long and awful nightmare, and he curled a little closer to the large but gentle body holding him close. It was a mare's body, and he felt a mare's lips kiss his forehead, before he whispered: “Mom... I love you...”
“I love you too, Ardent Desire.” murmured a mare's voice, and Ardent Desire's smile grew wider as he snuggled happily closer, making himself little. This all felt like a wonderful dream, until he finally opened his eyes... and stared at the familiar pink coloration of a unicorn he knew was not his mother.
He looked up in surprise, and Morning Glory blushed as she looked down at him. Neither of them spoke as their eyes locked, and Ardent Desire swallowed thickly, feeling himself leaning up as she leaned down... then he shivered and hurriedly dropped his head forwards, making her wheeze when he almost rammed his forehead into her chest and his horn painfully ground against the side of her neck, Morning Glory groaning and shoving at him with one hoof. “Brother!”
“Sister!” Ardent Desire almost shouted, and he felt that tremble run through her before he hurriedly pushed away, wheezing as he sat up and looked down at her. She glared up at him, and he flinched a little, but then relaxed when she sat up and softened, still mumbling a little but settling down... and thankfully, once more what was between them felt like a sibling bond, not... anything else.
The two looked at each other for a few moments, and then Morning Glory cleared her throat a little before saying hesitantly: “Ardent Desire, it is... not my place to give you orders, but I do think we need to find out where precisely we are. We should go for a walk, take in the territory... perhaps bring Radiant Beacon with us. Her talent for diplomacy would be very useful.”
“Yeah... but I'm just glad you'll be there too, Morning Glory. Your talent for beating things up is just as welcome, after all.” Ardent Desire murmured, and then he smiled despite himself at how much his younger sister seemed to brighten with just that silly compliment. His eyes lingered on the necklace he had given her, and he thought of how attached she'd become to him over the last few days... and... how much he liked it. Liked having her around... and part of him whispered that he had only just started developing his control over her...
He shivered and shook his head quickly, throwing those thoughts away, and before Morning Glory could look too concerned, the orange stallion said with a lame smile: “It's okay, just... thinking bad thoughts. I... after last night and all... it's hard to...”
He stopped, then shook his head and cleared his throat as Morning Glory studied him silently. “No, let's... let's just figure out what to do from here. You're right, we need to go out, get our bearings... I mean, I've always dreamed of living in a place like this, but... I don't know anything else about it apart from what I've fantasized. And I suppose that I can ask the Kelpies to 'scout' too... that's the word you military types use, yes?”
“Yes, Ardent.” Morning Glory smiled after a moment, giving a small sigh before standing and looking down at him tenderly. “Don't start panicking before we even know what's out there, little brother. Just look at you... just look at where we are. Everything's going to be okay, I promise.”
Ardent Desire looked up at her trustingly, then he finally nodded slowly, believing her... believing in her, even though he was the one who supposedly held the power over her. And when she stepped forwards, he eagerly fell in step at her side, looking up at her almost like a loving, meek child to adored mother, letting her be the one to lead, to take control.
Morning Glory did so with ease: whether it was because it was natural for her or because of Ardent Desire's subconscious influence, the orange stallion didn't know nor care. All he cared about was that he and Morning Glory were closer than they had ever been, that she was giving him the love he needed... that she was becoming the maternal figure he had always wanted.
Soon, the male unicorn lost himself in thought, becoming distant and distracted from the world even as Radiant Beacon joined them to head outside. Instead, all he could concentrate on was the past... the thoughts of what had once been, when his mother had been alive, and life had been so good and happy.
His faded memories were his most important possessions; things handled so gently and so often he knew the shape and texture of each and every one by heart, and he knew precisely how to summon each and every one to mind. The thought and feel of the sandbox, the smell of lilacs and lavender, the murmur of the wind and creak of the old rocking chair...
He heard laughter, and thought of when he and Morning Glory had been foals: when Shieldhoof had picked on him, and she was always there afterwards to give him and hug and call him the bestest big brother ever. When Lord Bonfire had looked at him with pride and his mother's love had been enough to drive him forwards, when he had stayed up all night with his little sister while Lucenta was just a baby, and he and Morning Glory curled up in a fortress of blankets and pillows...
“Ardent.” Morning Glory's voice brought him back to reality, and the orange stallion looked up with surprise, then glanced dumbly back and forth as he realized they were standing on a wide dirt road, and several ponies were heading up towards them, apparently from the small shacks in the distance.
He looked across at them awkwardly as Morning Glory stood tall and Radiant Beacon smiled kindly: the ponies approaching them were slave hoofs, dressed in rags, smelling faintly of fish oil. And from the way they were glaring, they were probably the few rare slaves that had escaped the dominion of unicorn or Pegasus masters.
Ardent Desire looked hurriedly between his sisters, and it was Radiant Beacon who nodded and quickly stepped forwards as the group of wingless, hornless ponies approached, the young unicorn mare all the same speaking as cordially to them as she did to the nobles of the barony they had once been a part of: “Greetings, neighbors. My siblings and I are new to the area, and just started settling in, in the manse recently constructed atop the hill... I hope that you'll find us pleasant company, once we're able to get to know each other a little.”
Some of the slave hoofs looked back and forth between themselves with surprise, although the leader – a grizzled, green earth pony – still looked suspicious, before he straightened and said roughly: “This is free earth pony land in the Saltwater Barony. What are three proud horns doing living amongst the rabble? Or are you some new hoof of the Baron, here to make sure the slave hoofs don't stir up any trouble, even though our families were rewarded this measly two hundred acres of territory to share amongst all our clans?”
Morning Glory growled, but Radiant Beacon was unfettered, bowing her head politely. “Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Radiant Beacon, and my big sister is Morning Glory. My big brother is the master of the estate, Lord Ardent Desire.”
“You don't have to call me a Lord though, no one ever did, not even the slave hoofs back home.” Ardent Desire added hurriedly, and then he winced when the group of ponies glared at him, wincing and dropping his head as he babbled: “Not that there's anything wrong with being a s... a... pony like... like you are! I mean, I really always respected and... I think that-”
Radiant Beacon firmly stomped on one of his front hooves, and Ardent Desire flinched and fell silent as the grizzled earth pony grumbled, then said moodily: “Well, I ain't no lord, but I suppose I'm looked at as the chief of our rabble out here. Name's Greenmoss. And I don't much care for being called a 'slave hoof...' I ain't no slave, and nor are any of these ponies. We call ourselves earth ponies, because that's what we do. We care for the earth.”
Ardent Desire nodded a few times lamely, and Radiant Beacon studied him before she asked softly: “But you also spend your time fishing, I assume? Blubber, oil, or animal feed?”
Now Greenmoss frowned a little, looking up in surprise, and then he nodded slowly: “All three. It's rough work, and I don't like it, but we don't have near enough land to farm, and you unicorns are always pressuring us for food and everything else in the whole wide world.”
“Well, we're not like that.” Radiant Beacon said softly, and there was silence for a moment, the young mare letting her words sink in before she smiled and said quietly: “My siblings and I are used to having... help, around our home. It would not be slavery, and my brother can pay handsomely. Perhaps we can also offer the use of our land.”
“Your land? You mean you got the deeds for that land that your pretty house is on from the unicorns in town?” Greenmoss frowned, but he looked intrigued all the same, as a few of the slave hoofs – earth ponies, they called themselves earth ponies... Ardent Desire reminded himself – mumbled to each other.
Radiant Beacon only smiled even as Ardent Desire shifted apprehensively, and Greenmoss hesitated before he grunted and said finally: “I'll think about it. But don't think I'm stupid enough to do work for any of your lot without a promise, in the form of a hefty advance. That goes for everypony here, too.”
Ardent Desire only nodded quickly, however, clearing his throat as he straightened and said maybe a little too quickly: “Of course, of course! Once we go into town, take a look around, talk to the ponies about that land that my house landed on and all that, definitely, I'll gladly pay you s- I mean, ponies up front. We'll get all the everything sorted out, Greenmoss, sir, free pony who is not under unicorn rule and I certainly don't intend to enslave-”
Radiant Beacon stomped on her brother's hoof again, and he winced as Greenmoss looked at him suspiciously before the young mare said kindly: “If you'll excuse us, we do have to go to town. What my brother means to say is we want to inquire about purchasing more land, and of course we'll need to purchase all the tools and seed necessary to grow crops, as well.”
Greenmoss relaxed a little, then grunted and bowed his head politely, and the three siblings bowed back before Radiant Beacon turned down the road. Morning Glory bulled Ardent Desire into following their younger sister, and the orange stallion grinned lamely as he looked off into the distance, where a wall and a few structures were faintly visible. “Well... that... went better than expected.”
“Just shut up for now, big brother.” Radiant Beacon said kindly, smiling wryly over her shoulder at him, and Ardent Desire cleared his throat and nodded lamely as Morning Glory shook her own head with a sigh... but she was smiling too, looking at Ardent Desire with tenderness more than exasperation.
The walk to what they realized shortly was a city was short and sweet: it was guarded by low walls and lazy-looking soldiers, apparently used to a comfortable, almost-carefree life out here by the beautiful ocean. They passed through the gates without any problem, and Ardent Desire gazed raptly around at the squat buildings and busy streets, passing stallions and mares of every shape and size and species, filling the air with the music of hooves and conversation.
Street vendors added to this chorus with their shouts and calls, and it was all like music to Ardent Desire, who stared back and forth in awe: he had spent so much of his time either alone or in the keep, that it was all exotic to him. The only time he'd ever really been away from home had been during his schooling, after all... and even then, he had spent almost all his time studying and working in the library and transcribing. His sisters were much better-versed in the outside world than he was.
Radiant Beacon was able to easily navigate her way to town hall: she was used to cities and knew what she was looking for, thanks to all the time she had spent as a diplomat. Ardent Desire was impressed by how well the young, small mare wended her way through the crowd as easily as he could find a path through the forest back home...
Except that thought made him remember that wasn't his home anymore, and he felt a tinge of bitterness run through him, as he looked down a little. Both his sisters picked up on it, and Morning Glory stepped closer to him as Radiant Beacon looked over her own shoulder softly, before saying soothingly: “Let's get this dealt with, big brother, and then everything will be okay. I promise.”
Ardent Desire nodded a little, and let himself be distracted by the hustle and bustle of the government building, as they walked through doors guarded by more relaxed soldiers. The orange unicorn looked back and forth with a bit of a whistle at the size and beauty of the place: sculpted stone, kept clean and polished despite how many ponies were sitting around in just the lobby.
He kept quiet and let Radiant Beacon do the talking, trusting in her: she seemed to naturally know who to approach, when to be quiet, and when to push a little. It wasn't long before a tall gray mare with a long blue mane approached, her sharp eyes studying them from behind thick glasses. She was richly adorned with jewelry and gemstones, and she was beautiful, and Ardent Desire couldn't stop himself from studying her as she asked imperiously: “What is this about a land claim issue I've been hearing? Don't tell me you unicorns are actually here to make a dispute over our right to land. The property given to the slave hoofs was generous enough as it is by the Baron, and we have plans for the rest of that land for future expansion.”
Ardent Desire blinked, and then Radiant Beacon began to speak... but it was like a buzz in his ears as he studied the mare. She didn't seem to be swayed at all by Radiant's words, unlike the other ponies they had spoken to, but then again, she looked more mature, sharper... harder. She clearly had been playing politics for a long time, but her eyes were... almost predatory. She wanted things, and she was used to getting what she wanted, by one means or another.
And in his mind, a voice whispered softly: You know that Radiant Beacon won't be able to convince her. But you can... not just because you desire her. Because you need to convince her... and that will make your allure all the stronger... need her, and she will need you, and this mare's strength will become her defeat...
Ardent Desire shivered, then winced as the mare only shook her head, her voice cutting through the static in the stallion's mind as she looked down at Radiant Beacon and said distastefully: “Nonsense. There's no building out there, and if there is, it's illegal and I'll have it and all assets seized. That property is far too valuable to give away or sell for less than a fortune...”
“What would you do with a fortune? Your beauty's worth more than any treasure.” Ardent Desire said before he could stop himself, and the mare looked at him sharply. Her lip began to curl in derision, and the orange stallion felt desperation, felt longing, felt need, felt... so many damn things as he stared across at her, tried to focus that magnetism and allure on her without even knowing what the hell he was really doing. He'd never tried to use his ability consciously, after all...
She only looked at him with contempt, and how it hurt, and how it made him all the more desperate. His voice sounded reedy, weak, as he added hurriedly: “I would... how could any unicorn not... want to lavish all the attention he could on you, though? Look at how... gorgeous you are, and...”
The mare glared at him, opening her mouth as their eyes met, and Ardent Desire felt something inside him lunge desperately, cry out silently. It was like his mind swung a mental sledgehammer, and he felt it smash into something that shattered like glass under the full, wild force of his assault.
The administrator twitched, and her eyes widened before her legs shivered, then buckled slightly; her mouth fell open, saliva gathering at the corners of her gaping jaw, as her breath hitched and her features flushed. She shivered... then slowly licked her lips before her mouth closed as her eyes stared into his.
Morning Glory and Radiant Beacon both stared at their brother, and Ardent Desire looked dumbly across at the administrator as she gave another shiver before stepping towards him. One of her hooves reached up and touched his chest as her breathing grew harder, hotter, and then she almost snarled at him as she grabbed him with a firm telekinetic grip before spinning and almost running through the crowd with the orange stallion dragged along behind her. Ponies stopped and stared as Ardent Desire yelped in shock, and the mare shouted: “No appointments, no calls, important meeting!”
Ardent Desire was all-but-flung into a cluttered office before the mare stormed in after him, then kicked the door closed and tackled him backwards onto the desk. He yelped in shock as she began to kiss over his chest and grabbed at his body, the stallion writhing and squawking before he said in a strangled voice: “I just want the deeds to-”
“Oh, I'll give you everything you want, everything, anything, a-anything, but oh, oh, give me what I want, what I need...” the mare almost rasped, then she shoved herself up over him and kissed him almost viciously, Ardent Desire's eyes rolling in his head before her hooves slid down his body, down his stomach, and grasped into him, and his head fell backwards as he gave a weak wheeze. But his body responded all-too-eagerly, and there was soon nothing he could do but give in to greed and lust and primal desire.
IV: Gluttony
Ardent Desire had never expected things to go this far, to have... this much. He had never expected to become so powerful, to feel the way he did now, after almost a month had passed. He had thought the demon would give him a few pretty mares, and a nice little home... instead, Cupidus' “sample” of power had given him a mansion, wealth beyond measure, and... and so many beautiful things...
The orange stallion smiled as he sat back atop an enormous, comfortable cushion, with no less than three mares all-but-crawling all over him. They fawned over him, touched him, kissed him... to them, he was the most handsome thing in the world, even if he was aware that he'd gotten a little fat with all this decadence and laziness.
His manse had been cleaned, repaired, and expanded: he had more than a dozen 'earth pony' servants, who he treated well and paid generously. He also allowed the ponies to grow crops in the acres and acres of fields he now owned... except for the ones he had given away to Greenmoss in a gesture of friendship, so the 'earth ponies' could have their own land. Greenmoss had been surprised but delighted, even if he seemed unsure of what to think of this strange, strange unicorn who buried himself in beauty and pleasure.
The building also included a large dormitory for his harem: mares who had come under his influence, to one extent or another. He had convinced himself he was doing them a favor: the dormitories were clean and sparkling, they were tended to by both the servants and the Kelpies, he fed them, took care of them, adored them. He lavished gifts upon them, which they just loved him all the more for: he was good to them, and he had made sure that they would care about and love each other, too. He told himself they were his family... family who always listened to him, always did what he asked, always cared for him.
His sisters had their own rooms, but... when he wasn't entertaining a mare... or two... or three... for the night, Ardent Desire often let Morning Glory stay with him in the master bedroom. She would hold him all night long, and he always woke up feeling his very best after the night with her. Ardent Desire reasoned to himself that he was just doing it to make her happy, that she was the weird little sister, he wasn't the big brother who had transformed his sibling into the perfect mother figure for him.
Radiant Beacon spent most of her time following around her big sister, when she wasn't with Ardent Desire. She was the ideal little sister, loyal, loving to a fault, innocent, and was always there to speak for him when... things got complicated. Ardent Desire had no influence over the male side of the species, after all, and while he had developed a lot of power in the city, he still sometimes ran afoul of ponies who strongly, strongly disliked what he was doing.
He didn't think what he was doing was so wrong though, even with him exercising his powers more often, and sometimes wandering into town to find... a strange mare, a mare he could tantalize just for the night, or even just bring to a back alley somewhere, just... to taste something different. To try something different. Ever since he'd accidentally hit Rhubarb with a full blast of his influence, he'd been using his powers more and more... not because he wanted to control mares, of course, just because... he needed to master them or risk... well, doing what he did to Rhubarb again.
The mare-in-question was one of the three currently resting against him, her gray coat almost sparkling as she smiled and nuzzled into him almost hungrily. She had felt all his pent-up desires, his wants, his needs, and how he needed her to listen to him, to give in to him, to obey him... and now she did. Now she his puppet on the local council, much as he hated to think of her like that... but it was true. She only had eyes and ears for him, loved him unconditionally, did and gave over anything he asked for.
So it only made sense for him to use his powers more, right? Because then he could avoid hurting mares like he recognized he hurt her, and instead... help them. Help them experience pleasure alongside him without becoming fully devoted to him, like Lovesong, the violet Pegasus sprawled over his lap. She looked up at him dreamily, but she still had free will... he didn't want to hurt these mares. He just wanted to... help them enjoy their time with him. That was all. There was nothing wrong with that, right?
Ardent Desire smiled as the third mare – bright pink, soft, fleece-white mane, and he always told himself that really, she didn't look anything at all like Morning Glory – leaned in and kissed his cheek. Rosie Heart, one of his favorites of the... oh... twenty or so mares he had in dormitory. Not that he'd tried to accumulate twenty mares, no no no. Some just... followed him home and... well... it would be rude to say no to their offers or send them away, right? “How are you, Lord Desire?”
“Oh, I'm good. I'm very good.” Ardent Desire chuckled, then he looked happily down over the mares before his eyes flicked up curiously when Morning Glory strode through the archway and into the room. She looked at him strangely, and he smiled at her before asking kindly: “How are you, sister?”
“I...” Morning Glory reached up and touched her necklace: she always wore it, just like she always wore the golden anklets he had also given her. Her mane was tied back with a pretty bow and adorned with flowers, just like their mother's had often been, and Ardent Desire looked over her dreamily before staring in surprise when Morning Glory glared at him. “I'm confused! Why am I here? Where... why did I follow you here...”
She stopped, frowned as her eyes seemed to glow faintly, and then she shook her head as Ardent Desire shifted uneasily. His eyes flicked nervously back and forth, and then Morning Glory looked across at him before touching her own features and murmuring: “I haven't been training, have I? No, I should do that... I think that's what I meant to ask you about, big brother. And... and... why am I wearing...”
She seemed to wrestle with herself as she clutched at her necklace, then shook her head quickly before clenching her eyes shut and muttering: “This last month feels so dreamlike, so... impossible... why...”
“Why don't you go talk to Greenmoss, he... he can probably come up with something and... girls, girls go with her!” Ardent Desire said hurriedly, and the three mares looked up with smiles as they stood. Morning Glory frowned across at Ardent Desire, but when he forced himself to smile at her, she sighed and nodded moodily.
She lingered for a moment even as the other mares passed around her, and then she shook her head slowly before turning around, murmuring: “It feels like something is happening to me, Ardent Desire... I don't like this feeling. Like someone's playing with my head...”
Morning Glory muttered to herself as she strode away, leaving Ardent Desire sitting back in his plush comfort room alone, breathing hard. He stared down at himself, then looked back and forth wildly, counting the days in his mind before he opened his mouth... but before he could even call on the devil, Cupidus' voice came softly: “Yes, Ardent Desire?”
“What's happening?” Ardent Desire leapt to his hooves, spinning around to see Cupidus standing in a corner nearby. Then the stallion frowned as he realized the devil was holding a pocketwatch, asking uncertainly: “N-No, no... no. I haven't... I mean...”
“No, not yet. You still have several hours... but the enchantment is beginning to fade. It will fade first from those you first influenced, Ardent Desire, and then from everything else.” Cupidus explained calmly, and the masked creature slipped his watch back into his cloak. “You will soon be left with only what you have strictly earned. I feel I should warn you that unfortunately, most of what you have earned is debt.”
Ardent Desire blinked slowly, and Cupidus calmly rose a thin claw, gesturing at him. “All the money you used to pay for things, came from the sample. It was not earned: had you invested those bits wisely, you could have earned generous returns. Likewise, you have used your allure to influence mares, but you have brought them into your home, which was paid for by the coins that shortly will become dust. You have made promises to them that you will be unable to keep.”
“No, no, no! I... can't I fix this? And Morning Glory, oh no, no, if Morning Glory... are you saying that... she's... she's going to go back to her old self?” Ardent Desire looked terrified at this thought, looking over his shoulder at the archway as he thought of the flash of her he'd seen just moments ago. “If... if she goes back to how she was before, if she stops loving me, I... oh no, no, no, no... she'll kill me! She'll literally kill me!”
“If she returned to the way she was before, then yes. She very likely would.” Cupidus agreed, and Ardent Desire whimpered, then stared as the devil said quietly: “But I do have a method by which you can continue to enjoy both wealth and pleasure, paying not only your debts but buying even more. This sample I gave you, after all, was by necessity only a limited example of what I can offer you, speaking in terms of both time and subject.”
“What... what are you... are you saying... a contract? We can make a deal, I... I can make a trade to you for something?” Ardent Desire whispered, stepping forwards and looking hopeful... and then he stared when Cupidus calmly pulled a scroll out from the sleeve of his cloak, holding it out towards the stallion.
Ardent Desire stepped forwards, trembling, and Cupidus said quietly: “I can give you back everything you had... and more. I can expand your influence and charisma so your presence will make other males respect you, as well as delight females. I can reshape your weak and spoiled body into something stronger and more fitting for a stallion of your caliber and station.”
The orange stallion shifted at this, looking down at himself: paunchy, rotund... he shivered a little, his trust in the devil so complete that he believed his words without hesitation, about both his virtues and his faults. “I... I just have to sign? What... what can I offer you, Cupidus?”
“In return I would ask that after your death, you will serve me in Helheim for a period of time. How long that period of time is depends on the expense of the gifts I will give you... in essence, I merely ask that in return for the time and effort I put into making your mortal life better now, in the future you will pay off your debt to me by working for me.” Cupidus half-bowed politely, still holding the scroll up as Ardent Desire shifted nervously, but his eyes stared longingly at the scroll. “You will be in Helheim, but safe under my care, and as you believe, not all demons are 'evil,' to use a mortal word. And after you have repaid your debt to me, you will be permitted to go about your way.”
“So... to Heaven? Or... I don't know, is Helheim... I guess Helheim can't be all bad, since not all demons are bad, right?” Ardent Desire looked almost desperately across at the demon, but his orange eyes were unblinking and emotionless, and the stallion shivered a bit before he asked finally: “What... I mean... what kind of tasks would I be doing, though?”
“You were trained as a scholar. I have many accounts to keep informed of in Helheim, and your main task would be to assist me in keeping track of balances, debts owed, other crucial information. Perhaps I might also employ you to deliver messages or take dictation.” Cupidus gestured absently, and Ardent Desire nodded a few times before the devil added calmly: “If you agree, I will also need to place a special mark on you. Something that will differentiate you from other souls and mark you as having entered into a contract with me.”
The orange stallion licked his lips nervously, and then he winced and looked up as a mare's voice shouted angrily: “What are you talking about? No, I'm going to go and see Ardent Desire right now about this!”
Loud hoofsteps, but thankfully they halted, then faded, and the stallion shivered a bit before looking up as Cupidus said quietly: “With every minute that passes, your allure and what you have done fades. You must make your decision quickly.”
“I... I...” Ardent Desire's eyes almost rolled in his head, breathing rapidly in and out as he looked wildly back and forth, and then he nodded wildly. “Okay, okay! Yeah, I agree, I'll... I'll work for you as long as you need me... longer, if it's a good job, even, I... I don't... please!”
But Cupidus only calmly held up his free hand even as he allowed the scroll to unroll in the other, revealing a few runes across the top... but nothing else written on the parchment. Ardent Desire's mouth worked, his breathing picking up as he whimpered a little, wondering if this was some kind of sick joke before the devil instructed: “You must speak your exact wish, Ardent Desire. Announce your name, and then tell me what you want, and do not hold back. And you must also use the phrase: 'and I pledge my soul and service to the devil that holds this contract, until such time as my payment is fulfilled.' You must be specific, or the contract will be voided.”
“Okay, okay... o-okay...” Ardent Desire took a few shuddering breaths, and then he smiled weakly, whispering: “Thank you, Cupidus, I... you could have really trampled me here, you... could have really twisted things around on me and made me your servant forever or something and... I appreciate that you've been so good to me.”
“Business.” Cupidus said calmly, and Ardent Desire laughed a little, still looking grateful as the orange eyes of the devil regarded him soullessly, silently from beneath his golden mask. “Speak now. Before your sister returns.”
This made Ardent Desire wince and nod, and he closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. Inside, he measured his desires, felt them growing... and heard, in the depths of his heart and soul, the faintest whisper of warning, of fear. He ignored it though, instead looking up and saying calmly: “I, Ardent Desire, I wish... I wish to continue to enjoy what I was given. Allure, wealth and... and power. I want to be loved, and adored, and to feel... needed. I want the control back that I had before, and... to... to be big and strong and to have money... and... I pledge my servitude and my soul to the devil that holds this contract, until... my payment is... paid.”
Ardent Desire opened his eyes, and then he stared across at the contract, seeing that his own words had formed in black ink across it... and below, a line drew itself, ending in an X. The unicorn trembled for a moment, looking across at this before Cupidus said quietly: “You must sign your name, or spill your blood upon the contract. Either will suffice as agreement, as long as your blood is given willingly.”
“Blood?” Ardent Desire shivered a bit, then he looked back and forth before wincing when Cupidus pulled a fountain pen out of his cloak, with a tip that glinted sharply, dangerously.
“Yes. Blood. Blood is the signature of the soul. To most demons and courts of Helheim, a mark in blood has preference over a signed name, so long as it is placed by the entity that holds legal claim to it.” Cupidus replied, and Ardent Desire looked stumped for a moment before the devil shook his head. “Just mark the contract with the pen, Ardent Desire. And your wishes will come true.”
“Just... I don't have to sign or poke myself or anything?” Ardent Desire reached out to take the pen in his hoof, then he shrugged a little before placing it to the parchment. Then a bolt of pain shot through his foreleg, and he yelped as he yanked the pen to the side in surprise, leaving a long, red smear over the scroll as he half-threw the pen across the room.
It bounced off the wall and fell to the floor with a clatter as Ardent Desire clutched at his limb, cursing in surprise... and then, slowly, he looked up to stare at the red streak over the paper. It glistened as the orange stallion felt a weight drop into his stomach, felt his breathing quicken as he wondered silently what the hell he had just gotten himself into.
The unicorn breathed roughly in and out, trembling and watching as the devil rolled the contract shut and tucked it calmly away, and then he looked weakly up as Cupidus said softly: “Close your eyes.”
Knowing no other choice, Ardent Desire did so, before he felt a single claw touch his horn... and then there was only darkness, and pain. In the shadows that consumed his mind, he saw warped and fragmented memories, heard his mother screaming, and felt old nightmares grabbing him, dragging him down, pinning him as they surged up out of the deepest pits of his mind to remind him of all the things he'd tried to bury in the darkness of himself.
As he writhed in the grip of not-memory, Cupidus calmly stood over the unicorn, studying him meditatively. Then the devil glanced up as Helena quietly approached from the archway, before the Kelpie flushed when the creature remarked calmly: “Your role was complete the moment he believed in your impression of Morning Glory. You are free to go.”
“I want to stay with him.” Helena said quietly, and the devil surveyed her before the Kelpie whispered, bowing her head: “Please. Besides, I... I can still be of use. I can make sure he...”
She broke off, trembling, and Cupidus shook his head slowly. “Charity. How useless. But very well. I will finish here, and then you may do as you please, so long as you do not interfere with my plans for the mortal and assist me when I ask for it. Do we have a deal?”
“I would never make a deal with your kind, Cupidus. But I suppose we have an agreement.” Helena murmured, looking away silently, and the devil only nodded before the Kelpie turned away, trembling a little... and then she suddenly rounded on him, almost shouting: “Why can't you let this one pathetic little mortal go? Just let him go! You're not interested in him anyway!”
“Because he is simplest method to attain what I do desire. Besides, he may be of use to me in the future, and I have invested time and effort into him. Now, my investment has begun producing a profit. It would be a financial misstep to simply abandon this asset.” Cupidus explained with derisive calm, as if speaking to a child. “Your advice has been noted and dismissed. Now please leave.”
For a few moments, Helena glared angrily at the devil... and then she finally spat to the side and turned around, storming away and trembling, leaving Cupidus to survey his current prize: the stepping stone to a very valuable soul.
When Ardent Desire awoke, it was with an awful headache, a parched throat, and... pain, in a word. He felt like his body was filled with broken glass, and moving not only made all those shards jingle around his veins and everywhere else they were stuffed into, it stabbed and cudgeled his brain.
He coughed a few times, then moaned low in his throat as his eyes opened tiredly. The room was dark, and he couldn't focus... couldn't manage anything, except to moan piteously again. But as he shivered on the ground, the pain slowly began to fade out, and Ardent Desire let his eyes slip closed as his muscles shivered and his brain carefully pieced itself back together inside his skull.
After ten minutes of trying not to move, he finally felt well enough to carefully raise his head... and when only a few pieces of his brain seemed to fall out of place, he carefully made his way up to his hooves. His body throbbed slowly, and Ardent Desire shivered once, then reached up to touch his horn... and immediately cursed in pain, twitching from the agony that went through him from just a gentle tap against the spire.
His whole body shook from the flinch, and his vision swam for a moment before settling: more than enough to make it very clear he should no longer make any sudden movements. Instead, he took a slow breath before straightening carefully and turning around in a circle, looking moodily down the hall at the faintly-burning lanterns in the distance.
It had to be night, from how dark it was: even if this room was windowless, light usually filtered in from... somewhere. He couldn't think properly, as he gritted his teeth and then rose his head, calling weakly: “Helena!”
His horn pulsed, casting a flash of red light for a moment, and Ardent Desire almost screamed at the hellish pain that ripped through him as he collapsed forwards, grabbing at his skull and moaning. The throbbing agony in his body had been nothing compared to the pain of trying to concentrate magic... and he hadn't even been trying to cast a spell! Some instinct had just kicked in and... and...
But thankfully, he no longer needed to think when he heard hooves hurrying towards him, and Helena ran into the room to skid to a halt in front of him, leaning down over him and cursing under her breath. “Oh, Ardent Desire, look at you... Cupidus... that...”
He looked blearily up at her, confused, but the Kelpie caught herself and shook her head, leaning down and kissing his temple tenderly as she murmured: “Stay still. Stay still. Look up into my eyes... we demons have our own powers, and I'm going to put you to sleep for a little while, to work through the worst of this pain.”
Ardent Desire nodded naively, looking up at her with a tremble, and she met his eyes... and even as her own glowed, and he felt himself descending into comfortable darkness, he felt a bolt of shame. He didn't know if it was his own, or if it came from the Kelpie, but nor did he have the time to think about it as everything once more went black.
He was aware of the darkness, in a strange way: of sleeping, not dreaming but not completely without sense, until he lapsed into a state of... he didn't know. It felt like curtains being drawn back to reveal moving images, like he was living out things that had been hardwired into his subconscious, but he had been too young to know, or remember...
He was looking up at his mother and his father, and they were both smiling down at him... and there was something else there, too. Behind his mother, this lurking, enormous presence. It leaned over her, and it grasped her... but it did not loom, and he stared at it, but he wasn't afraid. It was behemoth, but gentle, not frightening... and he saw the way that his mother responded to it, reaching a hoof up to touch the claw on her shoulder even as a young Lord Bonfire – who was happy in a way he had never imagined his father to have ever been – didn't seem to sense the creature was there at all.
Next, he was on his mother's back, in a carrier of thatch and straw. He could taste it in his mouth, and smell his mother's hair, and hear indistinguishable words as she walked through the forest, fearless... because she was never alone. He was beside her... the enormous presence, the welcome thing. They were talking and laughing, like old friends... no, like family.
Family... he was a young foal, trying to burble out his first words as he laid on the floor with his wooden toys, looking up with a smile at his mother as she sat in her rocking chair and gazed radiantly down at a cloth-wrapped bundle. Her first daughter, Morning Glory... held tight and close in her forelegs. And the way she smiled... the way she kept looking from one to the other, before she whispered words he couldn't hear, but now he could read on her lips: I love you both. And you and her... you're going to be the best of friends, just wait and see. You and your sister are both very special...
Illuminia shifted as Ardent Desire sat up, and the mare carefully slipped the cloth-wrapped bundle down to the colt, who looked down at it with adoring eyes. He touched the baby gingerly, and Morning Glory looked up at him with a baby's solemn eyes, measuring him even then, studying him, before she smiled, and he touched her face softly. And when Ardent Desire's eyes rose, he saw his mother was smiling at something outside of the room, past the doorway... and for what felt like the first time, he saw her cutie mark, which he'd only seen the edges of in both memory and portraits.
The image on his mother's hip was of a spiral of flames, filled with ornate details... except as Ardent Desire stared at it, he realized that the details were runes, hidden writing amongst the fire. Something he saw instinctively formed not just a name, but an entire contract with a demon, a brand hidden in her cutie mark.
And in the not-quite-memory, Illuminia looked towards him and smiled softly, before the silence of these visions was obliterated by her voice, a voice that was beautiful, and strong, and tender as she soothed: “Don't worry, Ardent Desire... Mommy will always be here for you. Mommy has faith that you and your sister will take care of each other... that our family will be happy for a long, long time. Because there's someone special watching out for us...”
Ardent Desire leaned up, knowing it was so important, this was so important... and then everything shattered like glass, and his eyes snapped awake as he felt a tremor of pain shoot through his body before he looked wildly back and forth, then slumped and sighed as he realized he was in bed, safe and sound, and Helena was sitting nearby, gazing at him tenderly.
He looked back, then managed a small smile, and the Kelpie bowed her head to him before she murmured: “I'm glad to see you're awake, Lord Desire. Are you feeling better?”
“I... yes, I am.” He hesitantly began to reach up, but Helena quickly reached out and caught his hoof before it could go near his horn, and instead the orange unicorn only glanced awkwardly up as he felt something rustle around the spire. “What's... what...”
“Your horn has been branded by Cupidus. It... is in a softened, tender state right now, and will take time to harden anew and your nerves to adjust. I've applied a salve and bandages used by my kind to mend bone damage, it should... help.” Helena didn't sound very sure of herself, and also like she disapproved of whatever the devil had done. But the orange stallion only nodded slowly, too confused right now to make heads or tails of anything before the demon mare forced a smile, and reached up to touch his shoulder gently. “But you look good otherwise.”
“Do I?” Ardent Desire touched his stomach, and frowned in surprise: what he touched felt solid, not paunchy. He shifted the blankets off, glancing down at himself, but only dim light was filtering in through the door and it made it hard to tell what was different, as he asked nervously: “How long has it been? Morning Glory, is she... does she hate me?”
“What? Of course not, Lord Desire.” Helena sounded almost shocked, but her eyes flicked away: it was only the mix of confusion and naivety that made Ardent Desire miss the guilt that radiated from her. “And... it's only been three hours. Why don't you let yourself sleep?”
“I want to see Morning Glory. I... I want Morning Glory.” Ardent Desire shook his head hurriedly, looking across at the Kelpie almost desperately, and the demon looked surprised before the stallion smiled weakly. “I'm sorry. I... I just... would really like to see her. I need her.”
Helena shivered again and closed her eyes, and this time, Ardent Desire saw it clearly. He began to open his mouth, but then the Kelpie pushed herself to her hooves and forced a smile, murmuring: “Then I'll go and get her. I apologize, Lord Desire, I... I guess I just want you all to myself. Your influence has grown... far stronger.”
Ardent Desire smiled back at her after a moment, then he reached up and gingerly touched his horn through the kelp bandages, and he cursed at the throb of agony he immediately felt. Helena sighed softly at this, but her eyes lingered on him with pity for a different reason before she finally dragged herself away.
While she was gone, Ardent Desire managed to make himself get up to his hooves in his spacious bedroom, and then light the oil lamps mounted on either wall to give himself some light. He stretched out a bit, then finally wandered over to a mirror... and simply stared at what he saw.
He looked larger, and stronger; his features were much more handsome, and his eyes were brighter; when he grinned, he saw his teeth were perfect and straight and sparkling white. His mane fell naturally around his shoulders and he looked... well... he looked goddamned amazing, to say the least.
Ardent Desire spent the ten minutes or so it took Morning Glory to show up examining himself in the mirror, and then, when she all-but-ran into the room, he turned with a bright smile to her and she gazed at him with relief, and amazement, and envy, and most of all, with love. They looked at each other... and inside him, Ardent Desire felt that twist, that compulsion, that need for her...
But then his horn gave a twinge, and he winced a little before glancing up at the seaweed-wrapped spire as Morning Glory stepped forwards, asking softly: “You didn't... trade your horn to become more handsome, did you?”
“What? No, no, never. I might not be the greatest magician around, Morning Glory, but... I'm not about to give up my horn, either. No, Cupidus just... branded it, apparently.” Ardent Desire stopped, then he hesitated before looking across at her silently, and he felt... something inside him twist, when he saw the way she was looking at him. He looked back, and then closed his eyes, before smiling faintly when he felt her embrace him.
He hugged her tightly back, resting against her, inhaling her scent as he buried his face into her mane. She stroked soothingly along his back, and his throat went dry as he clenched his eyes tighter shut before whispering: “Morning Glory... I'm... I'm so sorry...”
“What... what is it? What did you do to yourself?” Morning Glory leaned back worriedly, and Ardent Desire looked across at her silently. They stared at each other, and then sister smiled faintly, reaching her hooves up to cup his cheeks as she said quietly: “Don't be upset. I'm here for you. I love you, and I'm going to help you fix anything that's happened. You're my big brother. You are Lord Ardent Desire. You... are my king.”
“I... I'm none of those things. I don't deserve to be any of those things.” Ardent Desire whispered, as he reached up and gently pulled her hooves away, and when Morning Glory frowned at him, the stallion trembled and looked up. He felt so many emotions rollicking around inside him, but he kept seeing his mother's eyes, his mother's smile, and something else. Something that was still in the undertow of his subconscious, but screaming so loud at him he knew what it wanted... he knew what his mother would have wanted him to do. “Morning Glory... I... I told you about Cupidus, and about the demons. But you never questioned why... so many mares suddenly were attracted to me, and I never told you about more than the wealth that Cupidus lavished on me, and... I need to tell you the truth.”
“Why would I question that? You're handsome, charming, a good stallion. A stallion any mare would be fortunate to have as a friend, much less a lover... and I hear that you are... very talented... very... skilled...” Morning Glory's hooves stroked slowly down his chest as she leaned in close, and oh, the desires Ardent felt, the sick, hot, needy, hungry desire! The want, for her, even if... because , maybe... she was... forbidden, his sister, his mother-figure, his... his...
He could feel her reflecting him, saw her rising heat, felt her sliding closer, and Ardent Desire clenched his teeth before shaking his head wildly and reaching up to seize her shoulders, staring across at her and knowing that no matter what it cost him, no matter what happened, he had no choice but to tell the truth. He looked at her, squeezing almost painfully into her before he shouted: “I did this to you, Morning Glory! I... I didn't just ask for wealth! I asked for... mares to... to want me, to desire me! And... and it included... you...”
Morning Glory stared at him, before her eyes flickered strangely... and then she shoved him hard backwards, and Ardent Desire fell heavily on his back as she all-but-threw herself away. They looked at each other, both breathing hard, and tears spilled down Ardent's cheeks before he whispered: “I'm sorry, I'm... I'm s-s-sorry... I'm sorry...”
“I... Ardent... no, no, you're...” Morning Glory trembled, shaking her head vehemently, and then she snarled down at him and rose her hoof, and Ardent Desire didn't flinch, didn't turn away, didn't even try to plead as he looked up at her.
Her hoof shivered in the air, and then she slammed it down into the floor in front of her, cracking the hardwood just in front of Ardent Desire's hooves before she shouted down at him: “It was all a lie? You... you were trying to seduce me, like I was some cheap whore? Your own flesh and blood, and you just wanted to crawl on top of me and have your way with me?”
“No, that wasn't it! I didn't think it would affect you and Radiant Beacon!” Ardent Desire shouted in return, and he stared across at her, trying his best to hold in his sobs as he stepped towards her... only for her to shove him back, looking at him with disgust, with fury, with... with hate, and he cried out before he could stop himself: “Listen to me!”
Morning Glory's eyes widened, and then she gasped and shivered, dropping her head forwards as she dragged her hooves against the ground, trying to resist... but then she only clenched her eyes shut and fell still and docile. And Ardent Desire whimpered as he reached up and covered his mouth with a hoof, watching with a shiver as tears spilled down her own pale pink cheeks and he whispered: “No, no, no... I... I'm sorry... I... no, don't listen to... no, I mean... I... I mean...”
He halted, then dropped his head forwards, shivering and staring at the cracked floor before he whispered: “I just wanted things between us to be like they used to, Morning Glory. But... you were more than that. You reminded me of Mom and I... clung to that... even though I'm supposed to be the big brother. But you've always been... stronger, and b-better... and... so much... so much more than me. I'm sorry... I... I'm sorry... I just love you so much and... I don't want to lose you, and... I finally... finally had you... with me... you finally... cared about me, even if... everything went wrong...”
Slowly, he looked up, trembling violently as he looked across at her, and Morning Glory looked back silently before she reached slowly up and grasped his shoulders. The two siblings stared at one another, as tears flowed down their faces, and then the pink mare shook her head slowly and whispered: “You stupid bastard. You've always been my big brother... I just wanted... but after Mother died... Father pushed me... so hard and... I got lost and... you... I hated you because I could never say no to Father but you, the weakling, the coward, the runt, never stopped... being... you...”
Their eyes met, and then Ardent Desire whimpered a little before he tried to lean forwards, but she closed her eyes and shook her head slowly, holding him away from her. He dropped his head... and then, to his surprise, Morning Glory slipped forwards and silently curled herself against him, burying her face in his neck as she whispered: “You're the big brother and I'm your little sister. I've held you long enough. Now you take a turn... keeping me safe. And y-you... you make up... everything you did to me... you're going to apologize and you're going to... to make up for everything you've done...”
“I... I will... I will.” Ardent Desire hugged her fiercely close, trembling violently as he held her tightly against his body, and the two siblings clung to each other like the foals they had once been, like they had in the nights after their mother had died, but before they had ceased to be one-another's guardian.
And outside, Cupidus calmly checked his pocketwatch, then tucked it back into his cloak as his orange eyes all but glowed in the darkness, studying the light pouring out of the master bedroom and feeling the emotions of the ponies inside. Beside him, Helena shivered violently before she looked at the devil and whispered: “Please. Please let them go.”
“No. Things are proceeding ahead of schedule. But if you continue to assist me, I may be more inclined to take your pleas into consideration.” Cupidus said quietly. Helena only bowed her head, but the devil seemed to take her silence as agreement, nodding once. “Good. I will leave it in your hooves, Helena. You understand the lusts of mortals better than I do.”
“I understand many things better than you do, Cupidus.” Helena murmured, and the devil slowly turned his cold gaze on her, before the Kelpie asked quietly: “Is this truly about your greed? Or do I smell the reek of wounded pride, and the desire for revenge as well?”
“My goal is success and profit: my motives are financial and economic. And there is no pleasure of revenge involved, Helena... Illuminia and her demonic patriarch are both long dead, and his fiscal ventures have been absorbed by my own.” Cupidus replied calmly, and then he reached up and carefully adjusted the golden mask hiding his features from view. “One cannot take revenge on someone they have already annihilated.”
The Kelpie kept her mouth shut, and instead she finally bowed her head and strode towards the entrance to the manse. Cupidus studied her, measuring her worth and value... and then a moment later, he was simply gone, as if he had never been there in the first place.
The next morning found Morning Glory and Ardent Desire sitting across from each other at the table in the kitchen. Morning Glory was studying him warily, and Ardent Desire was blushing and embarrassed, horn still wrapped in kelp, but... feeling good.
He had done the right thing, he felt: he had been terrified out of his wits about doing it, and he wasn't even entirely sure why it had all blurted out of him, after the bargain he'd struck with Cupidus purely because he had been scared of losing her... except, he thought, maybe that in and of itself was why. He realized that he truly wanted things to be like old times, and he didn't want his influence... hurting her. Corrupting her. Making anything that was experienced between them false, even if... it had also brought such pleasure, and he knew that he had betrayed her trust in a way that might leave it fractured forever.
Once Morning Glory had begun to honestly process everything Ardent Desire had told her, and the last of the enchantment he'd held over her had worn off, she had smacked his horn – making him scream and roll around on the floor in agony that he knew all the same he probably well-deserved – and then ordered him to start releasing all the poor mares he had under his power. They had argued about this and gotten nowhere on the subject, so finally they had come down here.
Yet all the same, Morning Glory was still here, even if he had claimed it was only because he had gotten them all exiled and there was no way Lord Bonfire was going to believe that 'demons made her fall in love with her brother.' She said she didn't see herself as having any other choice... but Ardent Desire only smiled across at her before he winced when Morning Glory said irritably: “There is no possible way I'm having sex with you.”
“No, no, no! Shut up!” Ardent Desire almost squeaked, and then he shook his head vehemently before moaning and grabbing at his skull when another bolt of pain tore through through his horn. Then he cursed under his breath and smiled faintly up at her as she looked across at him tiredly. “I... you're just... you're here, that's all.”
“Yeah. I'm here.” Morning Glory reached up and silently touched her necklace, and then she closed her eyes and sighed, murmuring: “Maybe I'm still feeling your... allure, as you called it. Or maybe I'm just stupid and naïve and desperate. Or maybe I'm scared of what you'll do if I turn my back on you. You're disgusting and a coward, you know that?”
“It's... it's funny how relieved I am to hear you say things like that. I missed... you.” Ardent Desire said quietly, and Morning Glory gave him an ill look even as a faint smile tugged at her lips. Then the stallion cleared his throat and sat up, and he studied her for a few moments before rubbing his hooves against the table and looking down quietly. “I...”
“Don't start. I don't want to hear this anymore. I... can't hear this anymore, Ardent, you're... you've gotten in way over your head, and I personally find what you did revolting and contemptible, but...” Morning Glory sighed a little, rubbing slowly at her face. “Every time you talk about it, a little voice says that we were the ones who pushed you there in the first place.”
“Maybe, but... I don't see why you're so worried, Morning Glory. What... what I asked for was selfish, but the demons gave me power, and wealth, and... they're things I've been using to spread pleasure and happiness to others! I'm not hurting anyone, and they haven't hurt me.” Ardent Desire replied almost defensively, and when Morning Glory only looked sourly at him and then flicked her eyes upwards to gesture at his horn, he winced and touched gingerly around his scalp, muttering: “Okay, this doesn't count. Besides... Helena helped me, and I'm... I'm sure Cupidus means well, and spared me everything he could.”
“Cupidus... Helena... things that you made all of us just accept as fact with your powers. While you had sex with mare after mare.” Morning Glory said moodily, and Ardent Desire shrank his head a bit before the pale pink unicorn sighed tiredly. “And made me into... Mom.”
“Yeah.” Ardent Desire barely whispered it, feeling another blast of shame as he shrank a little further into his seat. But strangely, Morning Glory seemed to soften a little, studying her brother with pity more than anger.
They were both saved from trying to force more conversation by Helena striding into the kitchen, the Kelpie glancing over at them curiously before smiling a little when Morning Glory glared at her. “I see the enchantment has been lifted from you... I must admit, I'm surprised that Lord Desire... had the courage to do so.”
“Oh, so you can sense that, demon? And how do I know you didn't encourage him to put me under a spell in the first place?” Morning Glory asked moodily, and when Helena only gave her a faintly-entertained look, the unicorn mare shook her head before reaching up and rubbing at one temple slowly, muttering: “I don't know what was real and what was not anymore... this entire past month is a blur, and all my emotions are in turmoil and... as much as part of me hates my stupid, stupid big brother...” She glared at Ardent, who shrank back a little. “I still... feel...”
Morning Glory broke off, then shook her head quickly, closing her eyes and muttering to herself before wincing a little when Helena reached up and touched her shoulder gently. “It's alright. Ardent Desire's powers took such hold on you because you already loved him. Only as a sibling, I am not implying anything... it's just that his abilities took hold of that and... enhanced it.”
“Enhanced it.” Morning Glory repeated flatly, and then she sighed and grumbled, looking grouchily back over at Ardent Desire as he looked silently down at the table, but after a few moments the pink mare softened ever-so-slightly. She didn't speak, but she didn't have to: Helena could clearly see the way that Morning Glory was still wrestling with trying to decide what had been real, what hadn't, and if everything had been a lie... or maybe her true feelings...
Helena turned silently away, forcing her smile to mask her face even as she felt her heart twist in her chest. Both ponies glanced towards her, and she said easily, as she headed across the kitchen towards the pantry: “You look as if you need to eat something, Morning Glory. Ardent Desire, I'll fetch you some water first, I know you were feeling a little sick earlier.”
“You're good to me, Helena.” Ardent Desire called to her, and how thankful he was... it made her tremble as she pushed through the pantry door and clenched her eyes shut, repressing her pain as much as possible, but... all the same, how it hurt...
The Kelpie breathed nervously in and out, looking slowly back and forth over the shelves before reaching up and carefully grasping a luscious red apple out of an open box on one shelf. She studied it for a few moments, then closed her eyes before taking it in both her front hooves, whispering: “Please forgive me.”
The apple plumped up slightly as she concentrated her own brand of magic into it. The skin stretched, the fruit became firmer, more luscious, as the Kelpie looked silently down at this... then forced a smile before turning and carrying the apple back into the room. Morning Glory looked grouchy, and Ardent Desire was poking at the bandaging around his horn, but Helena didn't speak even as she put the apple down in front of the pink unicorn.
Morning Glory frowned at Helena, and the demon looked back, for a moment thinking about... warning her. Saying something. Doing something... but instead, the Kelpie only reached up and touched the mare reassuringly, saying quietly: “It should be enough. I'll... get your water, Ardent Desire.”
The Kelpie turned away, putting her back to them, and Morning Glory frowned after the demon moodily before she picked up the apple. She studied it, then shrugged a little before raising the fruit to her mouth and biting into it. Teeth severed skin, tore into the flesh of the apple, and sweet juices trickled down her chin and flooded her jaws. Her eyes closed in surprise as she stiffened slightly at how good it was... like it had been years since she had eaten, and then she had come across this delicious treasure...
She ate ravenously, and Ardent Desire stared at how quickly Morning Glory devoured the fruit, until only the thin core was left. And even this, Morning Glory licked slowly, dragging her tongue along it, not seeming to care as she scraped up a few loose seeds, her breathing a little hard as her eyes flicked up and stared at him and Ardent Desire stared back...
Then Morning Glory cleared her throat and hurriedly tossed the core away, a shiver going through her body as she rubbed a hoof wildly at her reddened features. Drool had mixed with the apple juice spilling down her chin and lips, and a shiver rolled through her body as gave an uncertain smile before turning her eyes quickly to the Kelpie, who was just approaching with a clay cup of water. “A-Another, perhaps? I... I still feel... hungry.”
Helena looked across at her, and Morning Glory thought she saw hollow eyes and sadness for a moment, the unicorn frowning even through the strange... fuzzy... pleasantness that had overtaken her, mixed with hunger and... and heat... sweet, delicious heat ...
Then Morning Glory shook herself quickly, trying to throw off the feelings in her body as her form shivered once and she felt her lower legs scrape together and... that warmth... and when she looked up, the Kelpie was smiling at her kindly, Helena nodding as she murmured: “Of course, Morning Glory.”
The demon slipped Ardent Desire his glass of water as the stallion only continued to sit back, looking confused more than anything else, while Morning Glory's eyes were slowly drawn to her brother as she licked her lips and rubbed slowly at her flushed features... and as Helena strode away towards the pantry again, she closed her eyes, swallowed her pain, and prayed for forgiveness for the role she knew she had no choice but to play.
V: Lust
Ardent Desire felt good: at first, things had been rough with Morning Glory... but after a few days, she had calmed down, and Radiant Beacon was almost the same as before, still calling him big brother, still spending time with him, which had greatly surprised him. It didn't surprise either Helena or Cupidus, however: Morning Glory and Ardent Desire were both so distracted they had both forgotten to check whether or not Radiant Beacon was still under Ardent's allure. And the youngest sibling most definitely was still feeling that draw.
Ardent Desire had been forced to release a little over half his harem, but Morning Glory had let him keep some of the mares... the ones who seemed closest to him and the ones who had nowhere to return to. Or, in Rhubarb's case, who Morning Glory was forced to recognize they might actually need the assistance of, whether she liked it or not.
The servants she had no problem with on the other hoof, especially since Ardent continued to pay them handsomely, and he had more than enough money to do so. As a matter of fact, the vaults of the estate now seemed to be larger than ever, and filled with more than just bits: there were golden treasures, gemstones, all sorts of pretty things glimmering in the piles upon piles of money now. Morning Glory had insisted that they send a tribute of wealth to their father, however: as a silent apology, and because she felt it was a way for Ardent Desire to start making up for his mistakes.
Morning Glory herself was feeling... strange. Distracted as of late, and she had developed a strange almost-sisterhood with Helena, who regularly gave her those rare, delicious apples she had come to love. She was filled with heavy desires, though, and powerful needs... she felt hot almost all the time, and her eyes lingered on Ardent Desire, and her love for him... felt so strong, felt so deep. Swelled up whenever she saw him... and more than love, there was... oh, no, no, it was wrong, those emotions had all come from that accursed enchantment, she couldn't really desire him that way... could she?
She was confused, and she didn't like being confused. And all her time was spent either with Helena, or with Ardent Desire. She trained hard each and every morning, but instead of tiring her out, they only seemed to fuel her further... her body screamed for a different kind of exercise but no, no, she would not give it that . She would prefer to find a strange stallion, but no other stallion attracted her like her own brother did. It scared her, and that in and of itself seemed to make her longing all the more worse, because Morning Glory had never, ever allowed anything that scared her to go unchallenged for so long, no matter what the consequences were.
Morning Glory trusted Helena enough to even ask her advice on the subject, but Helena always only told her to follow her instincts. The Kelpie couldn't think of anything else to say... or rather, didn't want to. She hated what she was doing, hated how these mortals trusted her and she had allowed herself to become close to them, and hated the way Cupidus was making her twist them towards his own ends as she fed apple after apple tainted with concentrated lust to the pink mare. The mare who trusted her, asked her advice, confided in her like a friend and was fascinated with her because she thought the Kelpie was a demon right out of her mother's old stories... when Helena knew she was just a coward, struggling for self-preservation.
And above it all, looking down on all these players in his complex game, was Cupidus: the greed devil pulled strings and made adjustments as necessary, gave Helena regular reminders of what was within his power to do to her if she disobeyed, and every now and then checked in on Ardent Desire to ensure plans were progressing smoothly. The stage was set and everything was all laid out, moving as quickly as he'd anticipated: Cupidus knew that soon enough, he'd get precisely what he desired to fortify his position in Helheim and expand his influence further.
The devil showed not even the faintest hint of any of his emotions or scheming as he carefully examined Ardent Desire's horn, however, while the orange stallion shifted awkwardly on his hooves. He winced a bit as he felt the devil's thin claws carefully tracing over the black runes that spiraled along the entire length of his horn, the stallion asking nervously: “The pain, that's... that's going to go away, right? It's been weeks and it still hurts...”
“You will not feel this pain forever.” Cupidus said calmly, and Ardent Desire smiled at the reassurance, not understanding how much of that statement was left open to interpretation. Then the devil sat back and adjusted his mask, saying softly: “The brand is permanent now. You are marked as one of my assets. You mentioned other business?”
“Uh...” For a moment, Ardent Desire was thrown off by the devil's statement, but then the stallion hurriedly shook his head before he said finally: “Yes. I want... Morning Glory has been talking a lot about my Dad lately, and... I need to know if... there's some way I can make things up to Lord Bonfire. If you could help me... make amends to him, Cupidus.”
“The proposal has no relevance to me and you have nothing to further offer, Ardent Desire.” Cupidus dismissed it with a shake of his head, and Ardent Desire looked oddly hurt as he reared back a bit, before the devil added in what sounded close to distaste: “Besides, haven't you already begun this process yourself? You sent a tribute of wealth to Lord Bonfire. I am certain that like all things, a father's 'love' can be purchased with gold and jewels. And do not forget that your presence makes all things respect you. Your father will not be immune to this.”
“I... no, Cupidus, that's... that's not what I want, to buy his affection or force him to kneel to me!” Ardent Desire blurted, shaking his head quickly before he gestured almost desperately at the devil. “Look... look at Morning Glory, can you understand that? That's what I wanted, her to care about me without... me influencing her at all.”
“Because of how you felt that everything had changed after your mother's death... because you felt that she stopped caring about you, ceased to see you as anything but a worthless nuisance.” stated Cupidus patiently, echoing the things that Ardent Desire had inferred or told him a thousand times before, and the stallion nodded slowly, dropping his head forwards... not knowing that just outside the door, Morning Glory herself was listening at the door. But Cupidus could sense her clearly, as his eyes flicked towards it and he continued in a soft but clear voice: “Because you loved her, with all your heart. Because even your father's approval didn't matter nearly as much as hers, am I correct?”
“Yes, and... I have to live with the mistakes I made and the pain I caused and... and the fact that she...” Ardent Desire reached up and silently rubbed at his horn, sending a dull throb through his body before he trembled a little. “I don't understand my own feelings.”
“Few mortals do. That's the entire point of being mortal, however... learning to make the right choices with the broken faculties you've been given.” Cupidus replied calmly, then he simply bowed his head politely before vanishing in a burst of smoke.
There was silence for a few moments, and then Ardent Desire looked up and mumbled: “Well, goodbye to you too, Cupidus. Still... I... I guess you're right. If... you can hear me. You probably can't. Ardent, you're... you're an idiot.”
The stallion hammered his front hooves gently against his forehead as he fell back on his haunches, sighing tiredly. He mumbled disconsolately to himself... then frowned and looked up as the door creaked open before giving a small smile to Morning Glory, beginning: “You just missed Cupidus, he was-”
“I know. I was listening.” Morning Glory said quietly, and she trembled a bit as Ardent Desire blushed a little. For a few moments, there was silence between them, and then the mare swallowed thickly before she leaned forwards and whispered: “Ardent... I always loved you as my big brother, and I still do, okay? Don't doubt that. I... you're very handsome and... I don't want to lose you. I'm just scared of how... things...”
She slowly strode forwards, and Ardent Desire swallowed a little as their eyes met. He breathed quietly in and out as she approached, then reached up and touched his shoulder... and for a few long moments, there was nothing between them but all the emotions and turmoil that passed back and forth in their locked gaze.
And then Morning Glory leaned hesitantly forwards, until their lips were almost touching, as tears fell down her cheeks and she whispered: “Why...”
Ardent Desire opened his mouth, knowing he should say something, pull away, resist, stop... but then a faint red light hummed along his horn, and he felt that pulse of desire, saw her not as a sister, but a beautiful mare who was here, who loved him, who he loved and wanted and needed in so many ways, and instead he leaned up so his lips touched hers...
A gentle brush, and then Morning Glory leaned down even as a sob hitched out of her throat, and their mouths met in a kiss that first was soft, and then became passionate. Both siblings gave in, as Morning Glory slipped overtop him and Ardent grasped at her, clinging to her like she was his only safe haven amidst a sea of torment and destruction...
And just down the hall, in one of the side bedrooms, Helena glared at Cupidus with utter hatred as she whispered harshly: “There, it's done! You're going to get what you wanted, Cupidus, and... I'm leaving to find my sisters, and I hope we never, ever cross paths again!”
“There are still a few uncertainties in this investment, adjustments that may have to be made, but yes: Ardent Desire has proven an excellent puppet. I thought that Morning Glory would be more resistant, but... mortals are easily manipulated. She will require some fine-tuning but I foresee her value increasing exponentially after I have acquired her soul.” Cupidus replied calmly, and then he simply gave a dismissive flick of his wrist to the Kelpie. “Go.”
Helena snarled furiously at him, eyes glowing as she bared her fangs, but the Greed devil looked unfettered before the Kelpie spat a curse at him, then spun around and stormed out. The orange eyes of the devil watched as the door swung closed behind the demon, and then he calmly reached into his cloak to pull out a black, hardcover accounting book.
Next he produced a red ink pot and a simple quill, putting these aside on a bed-table as he opened the book and took his time paging through it. He was in no rush to tie up his business: as Cupidus had learned over the thousands of years he had existed, haste made waste, and looked unprofessional.
Finally, he settled on a page marked with runes, then carefully grasped his quill and pulled it free from the pot. He shook it a few times to clean excess red ink from it before carefully writing a short series of accounting notes along the page, and then he calmly nodded before signing his name under the new transactions to authorize them.
His orange eyes closed as the book slammed shut in his hand... and outside, as Helena strode quickly through the field in broad daylight, cursing and snarling and not caring who saw her, the demon suddenly felt a bolt of coldness and came to a halt. She looked slowly back and forth with a frown, and then glanced over her shoulder... and her face went pale and her jaw fell open as she stared disbelievingly up at a specter clad in a tattered, ripped cloak, silver gauntlets tenderly squeezing the pole of a scythe it almost cradled against itself, a gleaming steel mask in the shape of a deer's skull hiding its features. Only wide, gaping black sockets stared down at her, revealing that this thing was hollow of emotion, of life, of everything but nothingness.
“Your accounts have been settled and you have been found owing payment.” the creature whispered, and Helena stumbled backwards before screaming when the shade suddenly rose its scythe, then slashed downwards even as she tried to throw herself away, but too late.
The blade left no mark when it passed through her... and yet all the same, it was a corpse that hit the ground, not a living body, Helena's eyes staring sightlessly before the corpse began to rapidly rot away. And, dangling from the scythe, screaming silently as she grabbed at the blade pierced through her features, was the ghostly blue outline of the Kelpie's soul. Her lower legs kicked weakly at the air, but the cloaked reaper only calmly held one silver claw out to the side, and the demon's soul turned to blue smoke that was drawn downwards, coalescing into a solid blue sphere.
The specter squeezed this slowly as it hovered silently in the brightness of day, and then as suddenly as it had come, it was gone. All that was left was a corpse that had already decayed into seaweed and brine, staining the rolling fields beneath the careless sky.
Ardent Desire and Morning Glory lay together on the couch in the den, clinging to each other, both breathing softly as tremors ran through their bodies. Morning Glory was curled up against his chest, and even though something gnawed at him, having her here... it felt good. It felt almost right, as he buried his face into her mane and squeezed her silently.
Despite the tears still on her cheeks, the mare laughed a little and stroked her hooves up to his shoulders, and then she hesitantly looked up at him. He gazed back with the faintest of smiles, then licked his lips nervously before leaning down... but she met him in a kiss that lasted for a few long, wonderful moments before they parted.
They smiled again at each other, and Morning Glory dropped her head against his chest as he rested back against the couch with a soft sigh, saying quietly: “I never expected...”
“We'll... figure things out. But there will have to be rules... and secrets, and... we'll have to be careful.” Morning Glory said quietly, and then she sighed and closed her eyes, muttering: “Radiant Beacon can never know, and... I'm only glad we're so far from home. If Father found out...”
“Oh don't say that, don't even joke about that.” Ardent Desire mumbled, closing his eyes and wincing a little. “And here I was, trying to figure out how to get into Dad's good graces again and now, I've... well... I got into your good graces, at least.”
Morning Glory looked up at him flatly, and Ardent Desire grinned lamely, clearing his throat. “That sounded much funnier in my head, little sister.”
“Little sister. Calling me that while we're like... this... well, how do you like it, big brother?” Morning Glory asked flatly, and when Ardent Desire blushed, she groaned and shoved at him, pushing herself away from the stallion and muttering: “Oh, so you do like it. What is wrong with you?”
“Shut up!” was all Ardent Desire could manage to squeak in return, and Morning Glory rolled her eyes again before the orange stallion hurriedly climbed to his own hooves and cleared his throat, shaking himself out awkwardly before he glanced nervously over at her. “But... Morning Glory, I do... I do love you, as my little sister, as much as... I care about you in... other ways. I don't want to hurt you. And... I... I hope that I didn't... influence you in any way or...”
“It's okay, Ardent. I've felt... strangely about you for... for a little while. Since... I don't even know when anymore, with how fuzzy my mind has gotten after that month you had me...” Morning Glory reached up and touched her forehead, then shook herself out and glared at him when he smiled faintly at her. “Stop it.”
“Okay, okay.” Ardent smiled at her then he strode forwards and gave her a gentle kiss on the cheek, and the mare looked at him grumpily before she reached up and flicked his horn. He immediately groaned and grabbed at his head, almost falling over as he whimpered: “What was that for?”
“For being annoying.” Morning Glory sighed tiredly, shaking her head before hesitating and then adding grumpily: “Look, you idiot. We have to act like things are normal. And maybe this...”
She couldn't bring herself to say it, despite a large part of her knowing it never should have happened, that she should end things right now... and when Ardent Desire looked up at her and she gazed into those worried eyes of his, she sighed tiredly before saying in a gentler voice: “There have to be rules, and we have to... be careful, and it... it had better not just be about sex. And you have a lot to make up to me still, that doesn't just go away.”
“I know. I know, I just...” Ardent Desire smiled a little, and then he stood up and said positively: “At least all the other pretty mares I have serve a better purpose now! You can continue to be a bitch in public and I'll continue to have sex with them, and no one will be the wiser to our secret little relationship. Great, right?”
Morning Glory looked at her sibling for a few moments, then reached up and smacked his horn firmly, and Ardent Desire howled in pain and fell over, clutching at his skull and writhing around on the ground in agony as the mare turned around and muttered: “I don't know why I'm putting myself through this for you.”
Except, even as she turned around, she did. She had a longing, a deep, strange, possibly sick desire for him... and that was all mixed up with her natural love for him and... so much else. She was confused and scared, but being with Ardent these days... it helped her feel safe. And he was handsome, and she always felt... her best, when she was with him. She thought that maybe all she needed, really... was a little time with him and maybe... maybe everything could go back to normal...
That was what she told herself, as the days passed... while Ardent Desire, on the other hoof, gave in completely to urges he didn't even recognize weren't completely his own. He rationalized that it was already done, after all, and Morning Glory was beautiful and made him feel safe, and there was so much about her that enthralled him... that made him happy. He had her in a way he'd never imagined having her... he could relive old memories with her now, but even better, as they curled up each and every night together...
And Morning Glory couldn't say no, felt herself surrendering as well, beginning to rationalize, beginning to simply... give in, and go with the flow of things. It was easier that way, after all... and there was no one left to tell her otherwise or give her advice, because she didn't dare trust Radiant Beacon with this secret and her best friend, Helena, had simply... vanished.
Ardent and Morning were both a little concerned over the fact the Kelpie was simply gone, but they told themselves and each other that she had perhaps gone to see her sisters, as she had in the past. Ardent Desire thought about asking Cupidus, but Morning Glory preferred the idea of waiting for a little while over trying to talk to the Greed devil... something about the creature made her cringe, no matter what Ardent Desire said or how generous Cupidus had been to her brother.
Neither sibling knew that their secret wasn't a very well kept one: the servants were already gossiping about it, and Rhubarb had gone to her beloved Lord Desire's room one restless night to get some of the tender affection she so craved from him, and instead heard sounds of passion from the room. So she had peeked inside, and then stared at the sight of Ardent Desire and Morning Glory on the bed together, the mare moaning, Ardent breathing hard and with his eyes half-lidded...
To Rhubarb, it didn't matter: she was so enthralled with her precious Lord Desire that all she wanted was to see him happy, and with how she had been so twisted and broken by her passion for him, to her it seemed like a natural evolution. But she spread word, as all of the harem would whenever Lord Desire was 'entertaining,' that the master of the household wasn't to be disturbed... and several of the other mares were shocked to learn just who he was 'entertaining' that night.
And the harem mares whispered to Radiant Beacon what was going on, and Radiant Beacon was overcome not just with shock and anger... but a strange, deep, terrible jealousy. Her siblings who had always had one another, one of whom she looked up to as an idol and the other who she was still under the influence of... it was no wonder both of them had been ignoring her, cutting her out. And after all the time she had been lectured on just being a sister, but Ardent Desire and Morning Glory were clearly more... had likely been more for all this time without her knowing...
She wanted it too: she was old enough, she had experienced a stallion's touch before, and she was the one who was trying so hard. She modeled herself off Morning Glory, and she put everything she had into pleasing her big brother. She loved them both direly, but if it came down to it... she would be more than willing to slide herself between the two and make it clear that she was just as capable and beautiful a mare as Morning Glory was. She would not allow herself to be relegated to the status of lonely hag alone in the manse, while every other mare got to love and be loved by her big brother...
When the next day came, Radiant Beacon prepared a wonderful breakfast for her big brother, and she slipped herself up beside him, helped to feed him, while Morning Glory sat nearby and watched uncomfortably... and perhaps a bit jealously. Radiant Beacon relished it... and she glared almost challengingly at Morning Glory as she leaned in and slowly licked a stream of syrup from the side of Ardent Desire's muzzle, then gently bit his lower lip.
Ardent Desire was well-used to even awkward physical affection by now: to him, not being touched was strange now, with the hedonism and mares he buried himself in day in and out, even while Morning Glory lectured him. Morning Glory, on the other hoof, saw far more than a simple 'affection' in that gesture.
This was the subject the two were arguing about as she and Ardent Desire strode side-by-side through the fields of berry crops on their land, the pink unicorn looking frustrated as she snapped: “That is not how a little sister treats her big brother!”
“Yes, you would know all about that.” Ardent Desire said before he could stop himself, and then he offered a lame grin when she stumbled to a halt and stared at him, before yelping loudly when Morning Glory smacked his sensitive horn. “Sorry, sorry!”
“Would you please learn to get your mouth under control?” Morning Glory asked crankily, and then she shook her head before turning her eyes back down the dirt path leading through the crops, the mare muttering: “I can't believe you sometimes.”
Ardent Desire only mumbled a little, then he carefully pushed himself up to his hooves and shook his head out, looking over at her awkwardly. “Well... I... I'd feel a little stupid telling her she needs to... calm down, when... well, you know...”
“This is different, between us it's... it's different!” Morning Glory shouted almost desperately, and Ardent Desire leaned back in surprise, staring at her before the pink unicorn flushed deeply and then dropped her head forwards, whispering: “It's just different, okay?”
“Okay. Okay, I'm sorry.” Ardent Desire said softly, stepping towards her and reaching a hoof hesitantly up to touch her shoulder, and Morning Glory closed her eyes before she nodded silently a few times. The stallion hesitated, and then he smiled a little as he glanced quickly back and forth before leaning in and kissing her forehead, and Morning Glory sighed tiredly... but didn't shove him, didn't hit him, didn't say anything.
“Look, I... I don't know why Radiant Beacon did all that this morning, okay? Maybe... maybe she knows about us, I don't know, my girls did seem to be acting a little funny.” Ardent Desire paused, then frowned at the sourly-amused expression Morning Glory favored him with. “What?”
“Your girls?” she asked wryly, and Ardent Desire cleared his throat, then simply gave a lame shrug and looked at her almost pleadingly. “You're disgusting.”
“And a coward, and a jerk, and filthy and stupid and blah-blah-blah, yes, I know, I know.” Ardent Desire said tiredly, sighing and shaking his head with a small smile. “But come, you've seen worse for yourself, I know you have. And I strive to take good care of my mares... they... just... are my mares, too. Don't tell me that's jealousy, though, Morning Glory?”
“Imply that again and I'll rip your horn out of your head.” Morning Glory said threateningly, and Ardent Desire winced and cleared his throat, nodding once before the mare looked up and became both serious and softer, murmuring: “We have to find out if she knows or not... and we have to tell her if she doesn't, Ardent Desire. But there's no way you can sleep with her, you understand this, yes?”
Ardent Desire gave her a grouchy look as he nodded moodily, replying quietly: “I'm not... you know me better than that, Morning Glory-”
“No, I don't. What I know is that you've pursued many mares, sought to give yourself all manner of pleasure, bragged about it and even... done things with me. Your morals are questionable.” Morning Glory said quietly, and Ardent Desire looked away, her words making him ache before she closed her eyes and murmured: “And I question you, Ardent Desire, because I question myself. Like you've always said... I'm the one that's always taken care of you, been mature and responsible, even with you supposed to be my big brother... and yet look where we are now.”
There was silence for a few moments before Ardent Desire opened his mouth... then immediately winced when she glared at him and held up a hoof. “Don't say anything. Don't say it wasn't my fault... because it was. You have your share of guilt but I have mine, too, and if I don't take responsibility for it, I don't... set a good example for you.”
“I'm the older... okay, nevermind.” Ardent Desire held up his hooves when she continued to glare, and then he dropped back to a sitting position and shook his head slowly, murmuring: “I agree, though, I do... we do... have to tell Radiant Beacon. I guess I'm just scared of how she's going to react, I mean... what if she doesn't know? And I'm sure that was just a.. a silly little sisterly thing, you know? It wasn't anything-”
“She was almost sucking on your lip. Are you really that thick?” asked the mare sourly, and Ardent Desire cleared his throat and shrugged a bit, which made her roll her eyes with a sigh. “You need to stop objectifying mares. And thinking that all of this is normal.”
“Hey, I know none of it is normal, just as much as I know that... you know, you mares are still... mares. People. Shouldn't the fact I like mares so much point to the fact that... you know, I must... like... mares and... respect them?” Ardent Desire half-argued, and when Morning Glory looked at him meditatively, he sighed tiredly, then reached up and banged his own horn lightly with a hoof, making himself whimper and flinch.
Morning Glory simply shook her head, then she turned to stride on down the path, and the subject was dropped when they came across a few earth ponies working out here, harvesting berries. As always, they looked on Ardent Desire a little awkwardly, still not quite knowing what to think of him, but Morning Glory they welcomed: she was strict, and she demanded respect, but she also wasn't afraid to work alongside them.
She offered both herself and Ardent Desire's help to the berry pickers, who accepted readily enough, and even though Ardent complained he was admittedly glad for the distraction. While they worked alongside the earth ponies, it helped him get his mind off things, and it seemed to soothe Morning Glory as well, which he was very glad to see.
They worked for two hours, and when they were done, Ardent Desire felt... a little lighter. He didn't usually spend this much time working and getting sweaty, unless he was... well... engaged in a different kind of exercise. That thought made him chuckle quietly, as he shrugged off the barrels that contained all the berries he had picked by one of the storage sheds. Two months ago, he wouldn't have been used to any exercise at all, period... but then again, two months ago had been an entirely different lifetime for him, too, and on top of that he now had the advantage of the strong physical body the devil had gifted him with.
He thought of Cupidus for a moment, and then his thoughts turned to Helena, and he frowned a little as he looked down. He believed, firmly, that the Kelpie wouldn't just get up and leave... and more than that, he had always been able to call to her in the past, and she would hurry to his side. He had tried calling her several times, and nothing had happened, and it worried him.
Ardent Desire shook himself out of his thoughts as hoofsteps approached, and then he smiled a bit as his eyes settled on Morning Glory and a young earth pony stallion who was hurrying along beside her, looking embarrassed as she carried what was very likely his barrel over her back, on top of the two hanging at her sides.
She looked mildly across at Ardent Desire, then jerked her head at the youthful male, saying dryly: “Young Chestnut here reminds me of you.”
“Handsome, intelligent, charming?” Ardent Desire asked with a grin despite himself, giving a wink across at the two, and the brown earth pony gave a bit of a laugh as Morning Glory rolled her eyes.
“Small, annoying, and a little lazy.” the pale pink mare retorted, and Ardent Desire straightened, opening his mouth to argue before he realized dumbly that Morning Glory actually was still taller than him. So instead he huffed and closed his mouth, as the female unicorn glanced at the earth pony and added: “But the slave hoof is less annoying and burdensome than you are so... there's hope for him yet.”
“Earth ponies, little sister, we call them earth ponies now. It was part of our agreement with Greenmoss, remember?” Ardent Desire replied, and Morning Glory grunted as she tossed the barrels off in front of the shed, while Chestnut blushed. Ardent Desire returned his eyes to the younger stallion, and he felt a moment of hesitation before almost blurting out: “And Chestnut, don't be shy! Come now, come, you're not a slave, you're a paid worker here, with the same rights as... why, as any other pony here. Speak up now, friend.”
Morning Glory looked with surprise at Ardent Desire, and Chestnut rose his own head awkwardly before he nodded lamely a few times, saying finally: “Yes, sir, it's just... strange, sir. I mean no disrespect, sir, but... the last unicorns I worked for, sir, they were awful strict... sir.”
“Sir? My pretty mares may call me Lord Desire, but they rarely ever refer to me as 'sir,' young stallion.” Ardent Desire smiled after a moment, as Morning Glory simply looked at him dryly, but she seemed to be approving all the same of at least what her big brother was attempting to do. “Just talk like you would normally, that's all I ask.
“Now, I am curious about one thing, though... how is life going for you and your... clan, if that's the right word? Are you comfortable in your shelters?” asked Ardent Desire, and Chestnut seemed almost shocked by the question, looking up blankly, and the stallion cleared his throat and added lamely: “If it's... not imposing, of course, I... Greenmoss isn't always the most forthcoming person, that's all, I just... want to make sure things are... okay.”
Ardent Desire halted, and Chestnut shook his head quickly before the young, brown-coated pony smiled faintly, looking up with an unexpected warmth in his eyes. “No, sir, I... I just... we're doing very well, sir, since you've been doing so much for us. There are no more Pegasi or unicorns trying to bully us around, and we've felt... safe, sir. I think I can speak for all the earth ponies when I say we're very happy here, sir, very happy.”
“Good.” Morning Glory grunted, and then she glanced over at Ardent Desire, saying softly: “My big brother... is an idiot, yes. But you may be surprised, slave... I mean, earth pony. He has... a great depth of compassion. And I think that he has a great mind, when he is not... being an idiot.”
Ardent Desire smiled warmly at this, and Chestnut nodded quickly a few times before the orange stallion suggested on a whim: “Why don't you come to the Estate later tonight, Chestnut? You look like a smart young lad, and I could use somepony to help me keep my affairs in order. I can teach you how to read and write and some other basic skills.”
“Really?” Chestnut looked up in surprise, and then he nodded rapidly a few times, saying quickly: “Thank you, sir! I'll speak to Chief Greenmoss right away about it, sir, right away!”
“Go on then, and find out. And after the sun sets, report to my manse, and we'll give you a nice dinner and see about training you as my assistant.” replied Ardent Desire warmly, and Chestnut nodded rapidly before he turned and hurried off, the orange unicorn chuckling quietly and shaking his head slowly. “Cute kid.”
“I... I'm surprised, Ardent Desire. Not just that you would be so generous to a slave hoof... that you would... be so thoughtful at all.” Morning Glory murmured softly, and the stallion looked across at her curiously before the mare smiled a little and shook her head slowly. “It's nice to see you're not as stupid as you seem at times. That... in spite of your flaws, in some ways you are perhaps a better unicorn than most I've met.”
Ardent Desire looked absurdly touched by this, and the two looked at each other before Morning Glory suddenly strode forwards, then leaned up and kissed him firmly. His eyes bulged in shock, but then slipped closed as he returned it, and when their mouths parted, she lowered her head so their horns quietly touched, the mare murmuring: “It drives me insane when you act like this. Because it makes me realized that I could do... worse than you. Brother or not.”
The stallion only blushed, and then Morning Glory sighed before shaking her head, adding moodily: “But come then, Ardent. We need to go and speak to Radiant Beacon.”
“Oh. Yes. I'm very eager for this.” Ardent Desire mumbled, and Morning Glory sighed and shook her head slowly before the stallion cleared his throat and asked lamely: “Can we just... you know. Kiss again, and put it off for... ever?”
“No, but I can hurt you in a wide variety of ways and then drag you by your precious malehood back to the manse.” Morning Glory replied dryly, and Ardent Desire nodded thoughtfully before clearing his throat and bowing to her politely. “That's what I thought. Let's get going.”
Ardent Desire mumbled a little, but followed when the mare began to stride back through the rows of berry bushes, knowing his sibling was probably right... but all the same wishing he could just hide away somewhere and put off dealing with being a responsible adult forever.
Late that night, Ardent Desire sat with Morning Glory resting against him silently. He had a foreleg around her, and she was silently holding his hoof, her head resting on his shoulder and her eyes closed. It had ended up being a long, difficult day, and Ardent had been yelled at a lot by both his siblings... actually, Radiant Beacon had berated Morning Glory pretty viciously as well. That, then spending an hour working with Chestnut, and then several hours after that dealing with other issues around the manse... it left Ardent feeling emotionally drained, and he knew that Morning Glory felt the same.
They just wanted to be together right now, and not in the sense of anything except... two ponies, who needed the comfort of each other. Who needed to feel close to each other, physically and emotionally. Who needed to still the pain... any way they could.
Finally, Morning Glory sighed softly and murmured: “I've never been yelled at by our baby sister before, and... the way she looked at me. The way she looked at you... something seems wrong, Ardent Desire. And no, I'm not... I'm not blaming you...”
“But you should, because it's my fault. I know it is, but... I don't understand. I mean, she doesn't seem under my control, right? We didn't... we made sure I released her from my influence, right?” Ardent Desire said uncertainly, and Morning Glory only shook her head before the stallion grimaced and looked up at the ceiling. “I was sure we did... what if we didn't, though...”
“Then would she really have called you... well, I'd rather not repeat all those words she used. Stop flattering yourself, Ardent Desire, I think she was even more disgusted by you than me.” Yet at the same time, something gnawed at Morning Glory: the way Radiant had acted, it was like... she had maybe been trying too hard. Maybe trying to... no, no. That's insane. “I don't want to think about it either way, I don't... I can't care right now, Ardent. I can't care about anything, except...”
The two found their gazes drawing slowly to one another's, and they studied each other for a few long moments before Ardent Desire smiled faintly, and Morning Glory looked up into his eyes quietly. “I love you, big brother.”
“I love you too, little sister. I always will, and... I know... I've never done a good job of it in the past, and that I maybe spent too much time... depending on everyone else, but... I promise to protect you from here on out, like a big brother should. Even if I'm not very good at it.” Ardent Desire murmured softly in return, and Morning Glory gave a small smile back to him.
There was silence between the two, and then they shifted slowly, pulling each other closer, bodies pressing together as tight as they dared. Eventually, both slipped into sleep, with their forms still curled together, and both were unaware of when Radiant Beacon silently slipped into the room to lean over the couch and glare down at them with jealousy and fury.
They were hypocrites, and liars, and traitors... yet still she felt an intense, severe need for Ardent Desire. But her compulsion had transformed, too: she recognized that he was forbidden, that he was something she wasn't supposed to have, and that only made her want him all the more. And she knew he was attracted to her: she was young and beautiful and always said the right things and oh, she would let him do anything he wanted to her, not like bossy Morning Glory...
Radiant Beacon glared furiously at her older sister, her hatred so intense that it seemed to make the older sister writhe a bit in her sleep, as if the poisonous thoughts of the younger mare were seeping into her dreams. Her big sister had been her idol, her own maternal figure, since she had never known their mother... and now, that same pony had stolen away what was rightfully hers to experience and enjoy, and banned her from it. And for all her reasons, there the whore herself lay in her own brother's embrace...
Her eyes flashed as she looked back at Ardent Desire, longing for him, lusting for him, and feeling like... like he should belong to her. Oh yes, she would do anything for him, she wanted him happy, but she would not share him with her traitor big sister... and she would make it clear that he was hers, all hers, even if she let him continue to play with others.
Her thoughts were confused as emotion rippled through her and overrode logic and sense, and the unicorn didn't even recognize how alien some of these thoughts were to her sweet nature. All her former personality was being stripped away, dissolving in a mix of Ardent Desire's influence and raw greed.
Radiant Beacon left after a few minutes, still fuming, to head to her room and plot and curse. When she eventually fell asleep on her bed, muttering through dark dreams even in her rest, she was unaware of the devil that calmly let itself into her room, and laid a single thin claw on her temple, amplifying her greed and slowly killing what little conscience and morality remained inside her. The devil's golden mask gleamed as its orange eyes studied the pony, and then it nodded calmly once as it drew away from her and said softly: “Treasures cannot be shared. They must be claimed and hidden away... or they must be destroyed.”
The next day, Radiant Beacon felt sick to her stomach, worsened by the relentless migraine throbbing in her temples. Morning Glory came to visit her and give her some tea, but the sight of her older sibling only made the younger unicorn feel angry and frustrated and bitter, so she rolled over in bed and stayed that way until Morning Glory left.
Even feeling sick, late that night she dragged herself through the mansion to once more silently slip into the master bedroom... the room Ardent Desire and Morning Glory shared almost every night .She looked at them with hate and disgust and fury given crueler fangs from the pain that ached in her head and stomach and heart. Her judgment was suffering more and more, and wild imaginings and delusions had begun to rise up through her mind as sanity crumbled away like brittle brick turning to rubble and dust.
Radiant Beacon dragged herself off after more than an hour of simply staring at the two, while her rampant emotions tried to sort themselves out. But love made hate stronger and longing fueled bitterness and rage: the little positive she tried to cling to transformed in her warped mind into negative, and when she retreated to her room, she buried her face in her forelegs and sobbed until she fell asleep with tears spilling down her cheeks.
Depression claimed her for the day, made her illness worse: when Ardent Desire came to visit her alone, she whispered for him to come closer, come closer, and when he finally did, she lunged and grabbed him and tried to kiss him. When he shoved at her wildly, she screamed at him, raving between threats and promises until he finally fled from the room. And no longer would she accept visits from anypony else: not healers, not servants, and especially not Morning Glory.
And scared, trembling Ardent sought the only source of comfort he could: Morning Glory. And, not wanting to admit how afraid she was herself, Morning Glory held her big brother close and soothed him and pretended she was doing this all for him, even though by now she had completely given in herself.
This rhythm continued for weeks, a vicious stalemate between the siblings, distracting them from the world around them until Ardent Desire finally suggested asking Cupidus for help. Morning Glory hesitantly agreed, and the orange stallion had called to his patron. He hadn't been expecting much: Cupidus had been mostly absent these last few weeks, even though he'd said he would help look for Helena and assist in other matters. So he was surprised when Cupidus said calmly that he would go to Radiant Beacon, and settle her mind.
Ardent Desire and Morning Glory had followed Cupidus to Radiant Beacon's room, where she had been in a crying fit: she didn't even respond to any of them when they opened the door, nor did she react when Cupidus gently grasped her forehead. But suddenly, she had gone still, and Cupidus had paused for a few moments before saying quietly: “Her mind has been altered by another entity. I will make an adjustment.”
It was very much the truth: Cupidus simply didn't state that the other entity was him. And when Radiant Beacon settled and looked up silently, when her sanity seemed to return all at once, Cupidus didn't even have to look over his shoulder to sense the thankfulness, the trust, now radiating from both siblings behind him. But he only ignored it, stepping out of the way so Radiant Beacon could lunge towards her family and share a hug with them and start crying again, but different tears, softer tears, as she apologized over and over and they soothed her...
That night, Ardent Desire and Morning Glory curled up in the master bedroom, sleeping heavily, their guard lowered, the entire manse quiet and relaxed. Everyone thought everything was back to normal, that all their problems had been solved. So it was easy for Radiant Beacon to leave her room, and calmly make her way to the kitchen. It was easy for her to find the heavy cutting knife, and carry it silently through the peaceful household. And it was easy for her to slip into her sibling's room.
Cupidus sat calmly in the corner, checking his pocketwatch as Radiant Beacon stared hollowly at the bed, the knife held in her mouth, gleaming in the pale moonlight spilling in through the windows. It was Ardent Desire her eyes locked coldly on, and she slowly made her way towards the bed, standing over her siblings, staring down at them without emotion, with only cruel purpose. She believed that Ardent Desire was the most valuable pony in the world... but that he would never care about her. Her mind was fragmented and her memories altered, believing that they were lovers, not siblings, and he had abandoned her. And she believed firmly that if you could not possess a treasure yourself, then it should be destroyed, so no one else could enjoy it either.
Under the clinical eyes of the devil, she rose the knife, then brought it down. And Cupidus only watched with detached interest as the knife rose and fell and slashed, and red liquid painted the walls and floor and ceiling: the screaming bothered him no more than the sights, and nor did the pleas, or the gore, or the desperation. They struggled with each other, but soon, the stallion's body fell to the ground, fighting to remain alive, Ardent Desire's desperate eyes staring at Cupidus as his mouth worked uselessly... but the devil only continued to watch, unmoved by the howls or pleas or the stallion's miserable, slow death. He only continued to study his 'investments,' until the second corpse hit the ground.
Servants and mares came running in, and shortly there was more screaming, more struggling, howls and cries of betrayal and desperation, and Cupidus decided to take his leave. The devil was invisible to the other ponies, but he had seen what he needed to see, and there was no point wasting time in watching mortal dramas play out. Not when he had business to attend to in Helheim.
After all, he had assets to manage, investments to monitor... and soon enough, a brand new slew of business opportunities. He had to make sure he properly thanked Ardent Desire... he wouldn't want to appear unprofessional.
Cupidus vanished, heading back to the dark place he called home to have his servants prepare for the imminent arrival of a new soul. A soul that he would have his serfs punish, reshape, and polish until it was worthy of being part of his vast empire, and another testament to the fact that nothing stood in the way of the Greed devil getting whatever he set his eyes upon.
VI: Envy
Ardent Desire slowly opened his eyes, then he groaned quietly as he sat up... and shivered. He trembled as he looked back and forth, and any hope that what he so clearly, horribly remembered had been a nightmare quickly faded away with both the biting cold and the fact that all around him, all he could see was ice, and snow, and looming black fangs of stone.
“You're awake.” said a soft voice, and Ardent Desire yelled and scurried backwards in shock, looking up... before his mouth fell open and his eyes widened in disbelief. A beautiful Pegasus mare was approaching him, seeming almost to glow with how immaculate she was. She had wings as white as snow but a coat of gorgeous gold, while her mane and tail both shimmered and swayed like pure ivory energy. Just from looking at her, he felt soothed, he felt all his pain wash away, he felt... such incredible longing and desire and servitude...
But slowly, his eyes dared to rove up from her gorgeous body to her eyes, and his enthrallment with her stuttered as he saw they were a glowing, pale yellow, with thick slits for pupils. She smiled at him, and Ardent Desire swallowed thickly as he looked back and forth, whispering: “You're not an angel... and this... this is...”
“Welcome to Helheim. You're fortunate, though... Lord Cupidus has told me to take care of you. To accelerate your evolution into a demon.” said the mare, and Ardent Desire trembled a bit as he looked back and forth before the creature continued softly: “If it's all the same to you, I would appreciate it if we could move forwards, and you spare me the crying, the screaming, the denials, and attempts to bargain your way out of Helheim. That is far beyond my power, and you have doubtlessly earned your place here yourself. We have to get on the carriage.”
Ardent Desire shivered a little, and then he looked up and whispered: “Why... why didn't Cupidus save me, though? I... why did Radiant Beacon... no, no, no, these... these can't be real memories, this can't be real, I-”
The angelic Pegasus smiled before her eyes flashed, and then Ardent Desire screamed and grabbed at his features as a blast of psychic agony ripped through his mind, before the mare said gently: “Follow me quietly, and don't open your mouth until we reach the carriage, and the pain will end.”
Ardent Desire writhed in the snow, howling and convulsing as it felt like eager blades twisted viciously through his mind, and then he finally managed to half-fling himself forwards. The pain ended, and he breathed rapidly in and out before looking weakly up and staring at the sight of the mare striding calmly away.
Not knowing what else to do, he forced himself to his hooves, trembling violently as he hurried after her and looked back and forth. Tears froze on his cheeks almost instantly, but his body felt numb: he knew it was cold, but apparently he couldn't process just how cold it actually was. He began to open his mouth... and the demon in front of him simply glanced over her shoulder, and Ardent Desire fell to the ground, screaming and grabbing at his skull again, as her soft voice echoed in both his ears and mind: “The first lesson all damned souls learn is obedience. We teach this through pain and fear.”
Ardent howled in misery, blood beginning to run from his eyes and ears as his mind writhed and twisted like a rabid animal inside his skull. It felt like hours before the pain finally ended, and he dropped flat to the ground on his stomach, a weak sob hitching out of his throat before he looked pleadingly, brokenly up, and the demon simply smiled at him before she said gently: “Don't speak, and follow me.”
The stallion nodded weakly, rasping for air before he forced himself to his hooves, looking brokenly towards the sky... and above, he saw a ceiling of darkness and stone, a solid roof that stretched to the horizon. He whimpered weakly, then forced himself onwards, shivering as they strode through the wasteland and he pleaded silently to Cupidus for help.
After a few minutes, they came to the edge of a cliff, and Ardent Desire stared as they stepped up onto a strange, natural stone platform. Sitting in midair, hooked by what looked like metal claws to a rusting, suspended railing, was a massive black carriage of some kind. It was empty and lonely, and in this world that was otherwise without landmarks, it was as ominous and striking as a curse totem to the unicorn, before the demon instructed gently: “Get inside, and then we may speak.”
Ardent Desire looked at the demon for a moment, and when she rose her head just slightly, he rushed forwards through the open, gaping doors into the metallic car. The demon smiled at this, then followed him inside, and the doors screamed shut behind her as the carriage rumbled.
There was only silence between them, as Ardent looked slowly back and forth: shattered windows and emptiness and rusty walls greeted him in return, before he looked up... and winced a little as electricity sparked over the railing above, visible through a gaping hole in the ceiling. The lightning seemed to snatch at him, sparked and danced over the rooftop like it was alive before the carriage rumbled, and then slowly began to move forwards, propelled by a magic that Ardent Desire didn't understand... and right now, couldn't even bring himself to care about, as he asked desperately: “What's going on?”
“You are here in Helheim to serve Lord Cupidus, as your contract stated. You will serve him until he is satisfied that you have paid him back for the services he has rendered you.” the demon answered gently, and then she smiled again. “You should feel fortunate that he has taken enough of an interest in you to accelerate your transformation into one of us.”
“I'm... I'm going to become a demon?” Ardent Desire felt a strange tremor run through him: he still believed in his mother's stories, he knew that becoming a demon would make him strong... and yet somehow... “Why... I mean, is it...”
“You will serve Cupidus much more effectively as a demon than as a mortal prisoner of Helheim, as you are now. Do not fear, there will be many advantages to being a demon, whatever you may become...” The angelic mare gave him an appraising look, then added: “I am to guardian and train you, and I will be in charge of ensuring both your survival, and that your evolution goes as smoothly as possible, Ardent Desire. We will enjoy many things together.”
“Enjoy... things? Like... what, sex? How do I become a demon?” Ardent Desire gave a half-hysterical laugh, shivering once as he stared at her disbelievingly.
The demon smiled softly, her animal eyes studying him as she answered in a gentle voice: “You have fallen to Helheim for your lusts, your cowardice, and your weakness, more than crimes against others... but do not fear. We have an account of the many ways you've hurt others in blind pursuit of pleasure as well, and we shall ensure you suffer your just rewards for those actions, too. But... we will also amplify your nature, and we will share not only pain with you, but pleasure. Many pleasures. I'm sure we will enjoy our time together.”
Ardent Desire shivered a little, opening his mouth before he winced and looked up as darkness surrounded them, as they passed into a tunnel. He gazed towards the ceiling as lightning sparked along the rail, casting flashes of light through the hole in the roof into the carriage, and then he turned his eyes back to the demon, opening his mouth... except what he had meant to say died in his throat.
In each and every flash of light that illuminated her, he saw not a beautiful angel, but a hideous, decaying monstrosity, covered in peeling, burnt skin that revealed rotting purple flesh beneath. Cruel, yellowed teeth were bare in greenish gums, left naked by the lack of skin over her stretched and distorted face, and her mane and tail had vanished completely as skeletal, leathery wings twitched at her sides. Only her eyes remained the same: abysmal, awful, animal, and studying him with cold fascination.
Then they were out of the tunnel, and the carriage was filled with the pale light that shone down from an unseen source around them, and Ardent Desire staggered hurriedly to the other side of the car as he stared at her with terror. Yet once more, she looked beautiful and radiant and gorgeous... but the thought of what was beneath this illusion made his stomach turn, scarred his mind, even as she said softly: “Lord Cupidus has many plans for you, Ardent Desire... but I want you to know that I have nothing personal against you. You and I are very similar... both flies, caught in the spider's web. What other choice do we have but to play our roles?”
“Please... please, can't... isn't there any way out? What did I do... why... why is he doing this to me... I thought that... I believed in him...” Ardent Desire whispered, trembling violently, and then he stared weakly as the demon slowly strode forwards and leaned down over him.
Up close, he could smell her: beauty cloaked her true form, but it couldn't hide the putrid reek of rot and infection. She smiled at him even as he retched, then flinched and bit back a scream when her hoof touched his face almost tenderly, pushing himself back against the wall, eyes rolling in his head as she whispered: “You're still mortal, and naïve. But soon... everything will become unimportant, Ardent Desire. When you start to become like us, after we mold you into a new shape... by forcing you to experience punishment, and to suffer, and we drown you in your own sins. Then all of this... will cease to be so important. You'll understand what you must do to survive, and even begin to take pleasure in the game of finding other victims to take your place on the torture racks. It's not so bad, mortal. It's the closest thing we have to redemption.”
“No! I won't become like you... I won't! I believe in what my mother told me!” Ardent Desire shouted desperately, but the demon only smiled down at him, unfettered, her hoof still against his features.
“Believe in your fairy tales, but all of us are destined to become incarnations of the disease and weakness that brought us down to Helheim in the first place. Why fight our primal nature? Let it consume you. But struggle if you want... I'll still do my job either way, and make sure you become a demon. If anything, fighting it so hard, torturing yourself so much, will further accelerate the process.” The mare paused, then she stood back and said kindly: “I haven't given you my name. You may refer to me as Mistress Jaundice.”
Ardent Desire looked up at her silently, and Jaundice smiled down at him lovingly, reaching out to touch his face again... and then he whimpered as they passed into another tunnel, and again the flashes of light from the electricity sparking over the railing above revealed her true form, the stallion rasping for breath as she said softly: “Yes. You and I... are going to be very happy together.”
Ardent Desire fully expected Cupidus to come and save him, to tell him there had been some mistake, to at least... see him, and for things to be explained to him. He remembered agreeing to work for Cupidus, what had sounded like... simple jobs, maybe even easy jobs. He had expected desk work, and that he would be protected from the darker corners of Helheim, where he knew those who did evil in life were sent to be punished, by what he had thought were demons who were essentially good.
He didn't expect to be tortured each and every day, while Jaundice watched over him like a hawk. He didn't expect that he'd be forced to drink the blood and ichors of other demons, or the agony of being 'quickly' transformed into a demon himself. And he didn't expect that 'quickly' would be a relative term, where it meant years instead of centuries. Years of living metaphorical hell in literal Hell, where all the suffering, torment, violation, and rituals that were usually spaced out over centuries of misery were packed into day after day after day...
He didn't expect that for an entire decade, he'd live in a filthy hut with three other servants, who seemed to hate him unconditionally. Who were animal and vicious, who did... unspeakable things to him as he cried and screamed for mercy until he learned to fight back, until the day came when he pinned one of them down, snarling, raising a hoof... and then he saw the demon grinning up at him, eagerness and not fear in his eyes, and Ardent Desire realized what he was on the road to becoming. He was becoming like them.
For ten years, he was mutilated in body and spirit, until the day finally came when Jaundice brought him not to the dungeons where he was used to being tortured, but a massive, sprawling mansion amidst the icy cliffs of northern Helheim. It was beautiful: the sprawling acres of yard inside the enormous, heavily-guarded stone walls looked picturesque and gorgeous, the snow smooth and flat, ice sculptures lining paths of magical stone that exuded a warmth that was enough to melt the snow and heat the bodies of those who strode along them.
The interior was even more splendorous, but Ardent barely paid any attention to the world around him until they reached an enormous hall lined with desks and demons working hurriedly, counting money, assembling accounting books, signing contracts and arguing with each other. And at the very end of the hall was a massive, U-shaped desk that stood halfway to the ceiling, with a black platinum throne behind it inset with a crest at the very top that had become all too familiar to Ardent Desire over his years here: the crest of Cupidus.
The devil himself sat in the throne, surveying them calmly: his claws rested on his desk, which had several pots of red ink, scrolls neatly placed in a little rack, and accounting books held in place by two crystalline skulls that served as bookends. His orange eyes looked calmly down at Ardent Desire as the stallion dragged himself forwards, looking up with a snarl as he shivered once, and then cursed in pain when his charred mane burst into flames for a moment before they whiffed out.
Ardent Desire's body twisted back and forth as he fought down his emotions and felt the parts of him that had already been transformed writhe in agony and fury. The unicorn had grown larger, and his cutie mark had faded completely away. His coat was darker, but the colors shifted now and then, so gradually that it was almost unnoticeable. He was burning hot to the touch, and his body ached with it: he always felt feverish and weak, and worst of all was when his mane or tail would simply light up with fire, like dry kindling touched by a spark. But worse than his body changing was that his mind was changing... he could feel himself becoming more like the demons around him.
Finally he forced himself to look up, and he asked the only question that he could think of: “Why?”
Cupidus looked back down at him calmly, tapping one claw slowly against the desk before the Greed devil answered quietly: “Because this is what you agreed to, Ardent Desire. You agreed to repay me for the services I rendered you... and I gave you enough resources to live many lifetimes of bliss. You may have ultimately destroyed yourself-”
“Don't lie to me, Cupidus! You betrayed me!” Ardent Desire shouted furiously, his eyes flashing, baring his teeth before he snarled as his mane and tail burst into flames, but he ignored the pain as he leaned up and howled: “I've heard the stories! I've put up with the mockery! This was all nothing but a game to you!”
“Game? No, I do not play games, and I never once lied to you, Ardent Desire. My kind cannot tell lies, and you made the contract with me of your own free will and gave your own terms.” Cupidus replied calmly, not disturbed in the slightest by the rage of the stallion. “Perhaps I glossed some facts over, but none of the costs were ever hidden. It was your own lack of due diligence that is to blame for your current situation... if anything, you should be thankful. You all-but-worshiped demons, did you not? And now I am making you one.”
“For your own benefit! I'm not stupid, Cupidus, not naïve enough anymore to think that you're doing this out of generosity.” Ardent Desire retorted, and then he trembled and grabbed at his head with one hoof as the fires died out from his mane and tail, cursing under his breath. “You left me in that hole for ten years without a word to me-”
“Your role is now that of servant to me, not the other way around, Ardent Desire. And I have been receiving regular reports on your welfare.” Cupidus replied dismissively, and the devil calmly pulled one of his account books free, opening it and paging through it slowly. “Your value has increased less than projected over the last decade overall, but there is still promise... your material value has begun to climb faster, and within several years I estimate that you will make up the distance, or perhaps even surpass current projections.”
“What are you talking about?” Ardent Desire shouted, and Cupidus closed his book before the stallion snarled, his horn glowing and eyes blazing as he began to step forwards... but then he fell to the ground, hissing through his grit teeth, as he felt the all-too-familiar sensation of Jaundice's psychic claws ripping into his mind.
The half-demon stallion forced himself to relax, trembling on the ground but not screaming, and he felt the psionic pressure slowly lift as Cupidus looked down at him. The devil's orange eyes seemed thoughtful at most before he sat back in his throne, tapping his claws against the arm of the chair in silent meditation.
Jaundice looked up worriedly as Ardent Desire forced himself slowly to his hooves, and then Cupidus said softly: “I am willing to negotiate with you, Ardent Desire. All you have to do is stop fighting what you long to become anyway, and I'll put you to work today as my servant, to begin repaying your debt.”
“I'm not an idiot. There's no way I'm going to make a deal with you Cupidus, just like I know that I'm never going to escape being your slave... because to you demons, time is meaningless and all that, right?” Ardent Desire snarled up at the golden-masked devil. “I won't let you break me, and... and I'll never become a demon like you! I still believe in my mother's words!”
“Illuminia died, and demons like Magister died out a long time ago.” Cupidus responded in a colder voice, and Ardent Desire frowned at this name before the Greed devil sat up and waved a hand calmly. “Jaundice, take Ardent Desire out to his torture session. Make it twice as long as usual, and afterwards, treat him to a drink.”
“You won't break me.” Ardent Desire whispered, but Cupidus only calmly returned to his papers. The stallion snarled, but then he quickly spun away and stormed down the aisle without looking back the moment he felt Jaundice's eyes lock on him.
The demoness followed beside him, but the two were silent until they emerged from the manse... and then Ardent Desire threw his head back and simply screamed at the stone sky above. Jaundice only studied him quietly until the stallion finally slumped and panted hard, and then the demoness said softly: “You should just give in. You will become powerful. Look at how strong you are already...”
“I'm not like you. I'm not vanity and envy, and I don't want power. I feel these sick urges, these needs, these... hungers...” Ardent Desire shivered and clenched his jaw, then he looked over at her and shouted angrily: “I won't become scum like you!”
Jaundice only smiled at him sympathetically, and Ardent flushed after a moment, dropping his head forwards as he whispered: “I'm sorry. I didn't mean it.”
“I know. It's because you are fighting your nature so hard, Ardent Desire... your emotions are becoming confused, your pain is never-ending, because you deny who and what you are.” Jaundice said gently, and then she studied him for a few moments before smiling at him in her strange, tender way. “I do not think of you as an enemy... does that help?”
“That's strange, Jaundice. For the last decade you've put me through utter agony every single day. You've done horrific things to me, physically, mentally, emotionally. You've locked me in cells with succubi, humiliated me in public, watched as I was... as other demons...” He bit his lip, shivering violently, unable to speak of it. “And you... tried to make me... take my urges out on weaker souls. Weaker prisoners... do you know what I've learned about demons? They're not evil, no... they're disgusting, perverted animals. And I won't become like that.”
“You said that you still believe your mother's words, though, and I heard truth in your voice. You're losing your ability to lie, like most of us do.” Jaundice replied curiously, and Ardent Desire closed his eyes... then nodded faintly once. For a few moments, the envy demon looked across at him before she leaned slowly in and whispered in his ear: “Then maybe your goal to not become a demon is wrong, Ardent Desire... maybe your goal should be to become a demon like your mother knew.”
Ardent Desire looked up sharply at her, trembling, as Jaundice leaned back, but he didn't even have to ask the question as she smiled at him. “Yes, I expect that I will be rewarded by Cupidus when you finally become a demon. But I thought I'd said this often enough for it to be clear, Ardent Desire... we are both flies, trapped in the web of a spider. Seeing Cupidus fail would bring me more pleasure than seeing Cupidus succeed.
“Of course, I would turn on you, if I thought I saw your success. It is in my nature.” Jaundice continued conversationally, as if they were talking about the weather. “But until that point of no return I may be compelled to assist you... if you agree to make me feel beautiful, Ardent Desire... and to help me earn some of what I deserve.”
“Envy demons.” Ardent Desire muttered, and then he grimaced and shook his head slowly before looking up silently. “If you want Cupidus to fail so much, Jaundice, because you hate everything that's more important than you... why don't you try and challenge your nature? Because I'm sure the reason Cupidus assigned you to me isn't just because of how miserable you make me... because he depends on what a pathetic slave you are to your weakest drives.”
Ardent Desire turned to begin striding across the snowy lawn, and Jaundice's glammer vanished from around her body, revealing her true, hideous form as she snarled and leaned forwards, eyes blazing. Immediately, the stallion was driven to the ground as telekinesis crushed him and savage mental claws ripped voraciously at his mind, but he only gasped before clenching his teeth, refusing to scream. He didn't cry out even as the pressure increased, even as he grabbed automatically at his head and felt bones creaking and threatening to break, felt blood bursting from his ears and nose and eyes as he convulsed violently beneath her psychic barrage...
And then, as suddenly as it came, it was over, and Ardent Desire gasped for air as he glared over his shoulder at the Envy demon. But once more, she was cloaked in her illusion of beauty... except unlike the smile that usually masked her face, she was frowning at him curiously.
“You didn't cry out.” she said softly, and Ardent Desire shivered as he slowly forced himself to his hooves, looking across at her silently. “Ten years ago, and my gentlest mental touch could reduce you to broken tears. And you have not changed much since then... you have always been easily broken, the easiest of all the many serfs and slaves and prisoners I have tortured. You are still a coward, and weak... so why did you not cry out?”
“Because...” Ardent Desire shook his head slowly, then he looked up and said firmly: “Because... I can be what I want to be. I'm weak but... if I keep trying my best, one day maybe I'll be strong, like the demons my mother told me stories about, who... who fought their primal instincts and won, who made their sins, their powers... into good. No, I'll do better than that... I'll... I'll laugh, and I'll smile, and I'll make people happy, happy for real! I'll make my weakness into strength, and I'll use my power to give to others, and... I will become a demon, but not like you, or Cupidus. I'll... I'll never forget who I truly am, no matter what you do to me. No matter what I even do to myself.”
There was silence for a few moments, and Jaundice shifted uneasily... before Ardent Desire cursed when his mane and tail burst into flames, wincing over his shoulder. And then he cried out and arched his back as the fires roared higher, twisting and roaring backwards before settling slowly and swaying silently in the air, the stallion trembling and breathing hard as he leaned forwards and shivered once, then shook his head out slowly.
He could feel the flames roiling and writhing in place of his mane, but slowly, the pain was fading and the fire began to feel... almost natural. It was hard to phrase, as he let his head hang forwards, his eyes closed.
Then he winced when a hoof gently touched his features, looking awkwardly up as Jaundice looked down at him before the demon said softly: “Let's see how true your words are, Ardent Desire. When you become a demon and take a new name for yourself... you may find you sing a different song.”
But Ardent Desire only forced a faint smile in return, straightening slowly and shaking his head out before he turned to follow when the envy demon strode past, promising himself silently that this time, he wouldn't betray everything his mother had taught him.
After seventeen years spent in Helheim, Ardent Desire strode for the second time into the grand hall of the manse owned by Cupidus. Except this was no longer the Ardent Desire who had once been: it was an enormous and proud demon with a mane and tail of brightly-glowing flames, the runes over his horn seeming to pulse and the coat that covered his powerful body constantly shifting between reds, oranges, and yellows. He looked like he was made of fire and magma, and his red eyes glowed with resolve and power.
Jaundice followed behind him with a proud smile on her features, head proudly raised as they approached the desk at the end of the aisle of scribbling demons, and Cupidus slowly looked up from his throne. His orange eyes seemed pleased behind his mask as he leaned forwards, murmuring quietly: “It seems you've had a change of heart since our last conversation, Ardent Desire.”
“That is no longer my name... I am Burning Desire.” announced the stallion, and then he gave a wide grin as his eyes glowed, raising his head high. “And I suppose I've come to understand myself better, that's all.”
“Yes, I suppose you have.” Cupidus looked thoughtfully down at the demonic stallion, seemed to hesitate... and then the Greed devil sat back and pulled one of his account books free, scanning it over before he made a few notes. Burning Desire shifted impatiently, but the Greed demon paid him no heed before he signed something in red ink and said calmly: “Very well. Everything is in order, and your potential worth has exceeded my expectations. Jaundice, I will have you reassigned, and tomorrow, Burning Desire, you will begin work in the archives. Mildred will bring you to your new quarters, and I will assign another demon to take over your training.”
“I... that's it?” Burning Desire said finally, and Cupidus simply nodded and closed the book as Jaundice bowed her head and turned around, striding away... but tossing a single, almost-longing look over her shoulder as a minotaur strode past her. “Wait, who's Mildred?”
Something grabbed Burning Desire by the back of the neck and hauled him into the air, and the stallion yelped before he was hefted to head level with a ten foot, bull-headed behemoth. Burning Desire quailed a bit on instinct at the sight of the muzzle and mask locked tightly over the minotaur's features, and then he winced as he slowly drew his eyes down the rubber-like, blackened skin of the goliath, noting the torture implements, chains, and plates of metal fused all over the creature's body. “Oh. Uh. Hello there.”
Cupidus didn't bother with either a goodbye or even a verbal order, simply flicking his wrist, and Mildred calmly threw Burning Desire over one shoulder before carrying him easily away, the demonic stallion wincing and muttering to himself: “Well, that went smoother than planned, at least...”
Truthfully, Burning Desire hadn't known what to expect from this meeting: his entire plan had consisted of swaggering in, pretending to have completely given in to his demonic nature and convincing Cupidus that he was a loyal pawn. Instead, Cupidus had given him a cursory glance and then apparently been satisfied enough to send him on his way via the large, scary monster he was currently being carried by.
Burning Desire made a face as he crossed his forelegs moodily, figuring it was pointless to try and struggle at all in Mildred's grip. Besides, it gave him time to think about things, as his eyes roved back and forth and took in the luxury and beauty of the mansion, feeling the faintest hint of envy for the wealth and splendor that Cupidus lived in.
But he quickly forced these emotions down, reminding himself of everything he had learned about the Greed devil after more than seventeen years in Helheim. Cupidus was apparently a major player in Helheim, who held influence over vast territories and had his claws in almost every business deal across the icy abyss. He was a broker, a banker, and an investor, with a knack for always finding the right business opportunity to pour his wealth into.
He had also learned that years ago, Cupidus had been involved in a dispute with a powerful demon named Magister... a name that Burning had only heard the devil mention once before, and he thought even then it had been a rare slip of the devil's tongue. Magister had been a Pride demon who had refused to do business with Cupidus, and made a point of always choosing other Greed entities to help manage his assets. This had apparently caused Cupidus considerable frustration and even started to bite into his bottom line... until the day Magister had vanished, that was, and Cupidus had seized Magister's assets through bribery, blackmail, and abusing Hell's legal system.
It still struck Burning as funny that Helheim actually had its own court system for solving both criminal and civil disputes. And the courts here were probably more fair and less corrupt than the ones on the mortal plane, as a matter of fact... but like any system, it had its flaws, too, and there were always loopholes to be exploited, and people to be twisted. Both things Cupidus was clearly skilled at doing.
Burning Desire didn't know the whole truth yet behind what had happened: since he had spent ninety percent of his time being tortured or abused or reshaped, it made it hard to pursue leads or do research. But as his transformation into a demon had neared completion, Jaundice had allowed him a little more freedom, and Burning Desire had been able to do research in the ruins of what he supposed had once been some kind of school near the set of hovels where he and a bevy of Cupidus' other prisoners and servants lived.
In life, Burning had never been much for magic, but that was partly because what he had always insisted on studying was demonic magic. But as a mortal, he'd never been able to fully replicate the effects of any spells, and after making his deal, well... he'd fallen out of practice thanks to all the physical delights that had come to occupy his time and attention. But now that he was a demon, the magic came to him naturally, and he was learning to use his clear affinity with fire for more and more complex work as well. And one particular trick he'd picked up was scrying though flames, letting him peek at events going on around Helheim... although he couldn't take full credit for it. Jaundice had actually helped him quite a bit, even if they had always kept each other at leg's length and neither considered the other more than an uneasy ally.
One thing he'd learned only yesterday, while randomly scanning the territories he knew Cupidus owned for any important-looking demons. He had accidentally come across two of the Greed devil's lieutenants having a nervous conversation about a demon named Churlin, who was apparently another Greed demon and a loathed enemy of Cupidus. He had also heard them mention 'the Duke,' which he had learned by now was code for Magister: apparently Cupidus had hated this Pride demon so much that even now speaking his name was a punishable offense.
Before Burning could contemplate any further, he was brought back to reality by Mildred kicking open a door before the minotaur simply flung him into the room beyond. The fiery stallion yelped as he bounced across the floor on his back until he crashed into the foot of the bed, and then he glared out at the minotaur, shouting: “Well thanks for the warning!”
Mildred only looked at him darkly, the minotaur rumbling behind the steel muzzle before it turned and strode away, and Burning Desire muttered under his breath before he looked up in surprise when a voice said kindly: “Oh, don't worry about Milly. Poor brainwashed oaf doesn't even know where he is anymore, like all the other minotaurs Cupidus lured in years ago.”
Slowly, Burning Desire looked up to see a cerulean earth pony smiling over the frame of the bed, with his head across his forelegs and a cheerful look in his gemstone green eyes. Long, flowing blue locks spilled around features that could only be described as pretty, although when he smiled, it revealed teeth like needles. “Hey, handsome. I'm Polly.”
“Like... Polly want a cracker?” Burning Desire asked before he could stop himself, looking lamely up at the stallion... at least, he was about ninety percent sure it was a stallion.
Polly looked less-than-thrilled at this, rolling his eyes before replying in a wry voice: “No, more like Polly-morph.”
The stallion smiled as electricity sparked over his body... and a moment later, a monstrous, blue-scaled drake was leaning over the bed, roaring loudly in Burning Desire's face and making the stallion yelp and skitter towards the doorway. But a moment later, Polly was back in stallion shape, laughing loudly as he stood up on the bed and grinning brightly across at the fiery male as he declared cheerfully: “Oh, you are a cutie after all, aren't you?”
“So what precisely is a Lust demon doing in my bed?” Burning Desire asked grouchily as he straightened, and then he winced when Polly leapt forwards as electricity crackled over the earth pony's body before it burst apart into a swarm of bluebirds that shot forwards and swarmed past the fiery unicorn, then suddenly reunited into the shape of an earth pony again that happily pushed Burning Desire back into the room.
“Cupidus just assigned me to you, as a matter of fact... I'm supposed to keep an eye on you, train you, get you acquainted with how things work around here.” Polly replied happily, then he grinned before winking, electricity sparking over his body... before Burning Desire's eyes widened slowly as he realized that Polly had just transformed into a mare. “Is this better?”
“Uh. I. Uh.” Burning Desire continued to stare, then he shook his head hurriedly before asking quickly again: “What's a Lust demon doing here? Are you a slave like me?”
Polly sulked at this, then the now-she tossed her mane and sighed loudly, replying moodily: “I wouldn't call me a slave unless you've got some rope to tie me down with, babe. Let's just say that I owe Cupidus a favor or two.
“But hey, sometimes I get lucky!” Polly grinned widely, then slid forwards and sniffed delicately at Burning Desire, who winced a little before the now-mare licked her lips slowly. “Ooh, you're going to grow up big and strong... I see why Cupidus wants me to train you. You've got a lot of hunger, all that bottled up longing, helping fuel your nature... you're Passion.”
“Are you male or female? Because I'm not sure how attracted I'm supposed to be to you right now.” Burning Desire said finally, and Polly rolled her eyes even as she laughed and shook her head.
“Maybe I'm both.” Polly said roguishly, earning another awkward half-wince, half-leer from Burning Desire before the Lust demon clicked her tongue quietly and smiled softly. “To be honest... I don't know anymore. You must understand a little by now, even if you're young... the constant craving, the need to get attention, to be touched, to be loved in the physical sense. It's been like that for me for centuries, and believe me, the needs just get worse and worse over time. I've done awful things to get what I need, and honey, I'll do more awful things in the future... but a little bird whispered to me that you... you want to be different.”
Burning Desire flinched in surprise, biting his lip, and then Polly leaned in and smiled softly, saying gently: “Don't think Cupidus doesn't know what you're up to. But that don't matter, sweetie, it shouldn't stop you from tryin'. Just remember, he has eyes and ears everywhere... but you... you understand me, while even after all the years I've spent working for him, Cupidus thinks he can still get through to me with wealth and influence. You scratch my itch, Burning Desire... I'll help you. Because you're a big handsome stud, and on top of that, oh, sweetie, there's nothing sexier than a stallion determined to change his fate.”
The fiery stallion shifted awkwardly... and then he looked slowly up, asking hesitantly: “How can I trust you?”
Polly only smiled at this, however, closing her eyes and shrugging before she replied gently: “Because sweetie, what can Cupidus offer me that you can't top? And I do mean... top.”
Polly licked her lips slowly, and Burning Desire cleared his throat a few times before Polly chuckled, then closed her eyes... and in a flash of electricity, there was once more a pretty stallion standing across from him instead of a pretty mare. Slowly, Polly's eyes half-opened, his gaze sultry and his smile coy before he said softly: “Let's get down to business now, sweetie. I got a schedule to keep... handsome as you are, there are a few other servants I'm in charge of keeping in line, too.”
Burning Desire nodded, feeling a little relieved as the pretty stallion became more professional. The fiery stallion studied him closely all the same as he talked, knowing by now how fond many demons became of hiding their true feelings: it was like even if many of them felt they were nothing but slaves to their primal drives, on some instinctive level they were ashamed of themselves, too. They still tried to follow social order, still shaped their responses based on who they were talking to, often hid the worst of their habits unless they had lost their minds to madness or become drones slaving solely under the will of a more-powerful demon.
Polly did the same: for all his teasing at first, he was lucid and brisk in explaining Burning's duties, and even when he had been coy it had been in a way that had been... playful and sensual, but not... sexual. It had been a game, like he had made a game of his own desires and needs, and vented it by acting the way he did without giving in.
Burning was admittedly not pleased with the position he was given: he would no longer be tortured, but he would still be considered a slave. His room was very beautiful, but that was a reflection not on Cupidus' generosity, but his greed and his desire to show of his wealth and power: besides which, the bed was almost a solid slab of metal and the 'furnishings' were all decorative statues. What glittered was certainly gold, but none of it had any real purpose. And he probably would only have an hour or two of alone time here every day.
His duties almost made him wish he was still being tortured: since he could read and write and had picked up the basics of demonic runes from Jaundice, he would be in charge of sorting contracts, watching over old accounts, and keeping everyone in the Accounting Hall supplied with ink. Cupidus was extremely strict about the last, and there was one firm rule that Burning Desire was never to forget: the accountants and bankers and lawyers and legal aides all got black ink, but Cupidus always used carmine red.
Burning Desire couldn't help but ask why, and Polly had looked back and forth, then flicked his head at the doors, and they had slammed firmly shut. Then the pretty stallion had leaned in close, whispering into Burning Desire's ear: “Because traditionally, all important documents are signed in blood. But Cupidus doesn't have any blood. So he overcompensates.”
The fiery stallion stared at Polly, not believing him, but the pretty stallion nodded quickly a few times, saying seriously: “It's one of the two subjects that Cupidus is oh-so-very sensitive about. I've seen him order demons killed just for mentioning it! The other... well, I'm sure you know all about the Duke by now, honey.”
Burning Desire nodded hesitantly, feeling a few questions rising to mind... but before he could ask anything, Polly smiled and looked up, saying firmly: “Now let's talk about something else, and jump right on into teaching while I have a few minutes left to spare.”
The fiery stallion's questions faded away as he nodded in return, smiling a little, feeling like he could trust the Lust demon in spite of his apprehension. And as days passed, his anxieties faded and trust and fondness of the eccentric demon grew, even if Polly could sometimes be insistent about getting his – or her, in some cases – 'itches scratched,' as the Lust demon phrased it.
Burning Desire also began to memorize the layout of the mansion, and he learned about the demons and other creatures that inhabited it. Mildred, for example, was a bodyguard of Cupidus, and had been lured into Helheim and servitude by one of the Greed demon's lackeys. He had no real mind of his own, he was just a large, burly set of fists and muscles that did whatever Cupidus ordered.
The fiery stallion also learned that Cupidus was neither forgiving nor lenient: during Burning Desire's first day of work, he had gotten lost on the way to the Accounting Hall from the Archives, and shown up late. Without hesitation, Cupidus had calmly ordered Mildred to 'chastise,' and a moment later the fiery stallion had most of his ribs broken from a single kick.
When he'd screwed up again by letting an accountant's ink run dry, Mildred had been ordered to 'punish:' Burning Desire vaguely remembered a large fist hitting him before he'd woken up in some kind of steel crate, but he was distracted from trying to figure out what had happened when the box had been electrified, and he'd realized a little late that the sides and ceiling were all spiked as he'd thrown himself around inside the cramped prison in agony and terror and panic.
After more than an hour, he'd been dragged out of the punishment box by Mildred and thrown in front of Cupidus, who told him in that awful, calm way of his that next time, he would receive more than a warning. And Burning Desire, flayed and still twitching from electricity and with half-melted hooves, direly did not want to discover what Cupidus thought of as actual punishment if that was just a 'warning.'
Thankfully, as a demon, Burning Desire healed fast and recovered from his ordeal within a day: unfortunately, as a demon who longed constantly for affection, excitement, and simply more , sitting in the dusty archives was hell, and spending hours mixing ink, replenishing ink, pouring ink, and checking ink levels was not much better. In fact, it was probably worse.
His only escape was his time with Polly... and the few other friendly servants and demons Polly introduced him to. Burning Desire found himself beginning to mimic Polly's behavior after a few weeks with the cheery Lust demon as well, acting more extroverted and flirtatious and even simply silly, and he found that... it actually did help keep his urges in check, like venting steam out of a covered cauldron.
But what hurt him all the same was his powerlessness: Cupidus was in control of the situation, and Burning Desire knew there was nothing he could do. The Greed devil always had an escort, always had bodyguards around, and never seemed to make a mistake or misstep. As a matter of fact, it was almost like he had forgotten about Burning Desire completely and moved on to some new subject, although Burning knew that the devil kept a strict record of each and every thing that he did. It drove him utterly insane to think that maybe, in spite of everything he was doing, he might end up trapped here for all eternity... demonic stock-boy to a glorified number-cruncher and his bean-counters.
Days became weeks, weeks became months... soon, months became years. And it was strange, as at first Burning Desire found it both incredible and terrifying that so many years had passed since he'd fallen to Helheim... and then a year to him became nothing more than another measurement of time, and it was more bittersweet than it was scary. What was scary was how fast things seemed to go... how used he had gotten to the routine of work, work, work, train, with the occasional fling or punishment thrown in to spice up the monotony.
He wondered some days what had happened to Morning Glory, and hoped she was... somewhere better. He'd tried to search for her through his scrying techniques, but he'd never seen her, and he hoped that was a good sign. He still loved her, probably more than he knew he should... just like he still cared about his father, even Radiant Beacon. It hadn't been her fault, after all...
But he didn't know anything about what was going on in the mortal world. Information about what the demons called Midgard was hard to acquire... the demon lords and nobles liked to keep that to themselves unless they were sending servants out on a job. Burning Desire thought it was probably because so many new demons and prisoners missed their mortal lives... the suspense of not knowing if your family was alive, if anyone remembered your name, if your city, country, world even still existed... it was awful.
This was the subject on Burning Desire's mind as he grumbled under his breath, using a hammer to smash rubies into tiny pieces. The glittering red rubble was then fed into the ugly machine sitting a short distance down the table: a long metal tube full of grinding teeth that would reduce the rubble to almost-invisible dust. This dust was then poured back out of the tube and added to the mixture of crushed flower petals and berry juice, then all swirled together with a smelly substance that was used to give it the right consistency.
Making the stupid red ink for Cupidus was one of his most frustrating jobs, because he had to hurriedly do it in between all his other work, and Cupidus had the barrel of red ink checked every single day. If the barrel ever dropped below a certain level, Burning Desire was severely punished. And he was not really in the mood to have the lower parts of his legs cut off again today, then forced to experience the oh-so-wonderful sensation of those severed body parts being reattached.
Burning Desire shivered and shook his head, and then he swung the hammer down... and yelled in frustration as he smashed his own hoof, cursing and raising it quickly. He growled at the deep impression the spiked hammer had left, and the red blood dripping slowly down his foreleg...
The demon frowned as something whispered in memory... and then his eyes slowly widened before he turned to look at the mixture. And before he could convince himself this was a horrible idea, he hurriedly stuck his hoof over the glass and let his blood spill into the mixture.
An hour later, Burning Desire brought a new jar of red ink to Cupidus, who ignored him as always. The demon felt nervous as he carefully used telekinesis to switch the mostly-empty jar with the new one while the devil checked numbers in his accounting book, and then he began to turn away... and winced, shrinking his head between his shoulders, when the Greed devil said quietly: “Wait.”
Burning Desire looked lamely over his shoulder as Cupidus leaned forwards, orange eyes studying him intently... and then the stallion watched in what felt like slow motion as the Greed devil dipped his quill into the ink, gave a practiced swirl of the instrument as it withdrew, and then touched it to the notebook in front of him. And then everything resumed its normal rhythm, and Cupidus said quietly: “I have an important meeting tomorrow. Finish your duties for today, and then find Polarity and help him and the others set up the meeting room. It must be perfect.”
Burning Desire nodded awkwardly, beginning to turn away... and then he halted with a wince when Cupidus spoke his name again. This time, there was something sharp in the tone, something almost accusatory, and Burning Desire looked nervously over his shoulder again as Cupidus picked up the ink well, turning it slowly back and forth as his orange eyes studied it.
Then the devil gave a sound of contempt and slammed the inkwell down, returning his sharp gaze to Burning Desire as the stallion wilted. “This is five inches in height, not five and a half. Do not make this mistake again... you are only saved by the grace that I cannot risk your productivity being hindered by punishment today.”
“Touchy, touchy.” Burning muttered before he could stop himself, and when Cupidus glared at him, the stallion spun and bolted out of the Accounting Hall, and he didn't stop running until he reached the supplies storeroom. But the moment the door slammed behind him, Burning Desire fell back against the wooden frame, and couldn't stop himself from laughing in stupid amazement.
Maybe he had just found a way to get out of here after all. It would require patience and time and effort... but... if he was lucky and careful, he might just be able to strike back at Cupidus for everything the bastard had done to him
VII: Wrath
Burning Desire had learned that Cupidus only grew tense when there was a particular kind of business deal hanging in the air. The size, the type, the legality or morality of it didn't matter: what made the difference was whether or not Cupidus was dealing with Churlin.
Churlin was the opposite of Cupidus in many ways: he was passionate, he liked to shout, he relied not on cold calculation but a mixture of charm and aggression to get his way. But they had some similarities too: namely, they both loved wealth, wanted more of it, and loathed each other utterly.
What was between them couldn't be describe as rivalry: only hatred. Churlin hated Cupidus because he was more successful, and he'd started off as a pure-blooded noble devil, born and raised in Helheim. Cupidus hated Churlin because he had been a pony in life who had crawled his way out of a muddy ramshackle cabin home to him, his parents and a dozen siblings, and had become a rich, happily-alone miser. Until, of course, he'd died and fallen to Helheim for his excessive greed and the fact he tended to use his wealth to make other people suffer for his entertainment.
The other thing Cupidus hated was that Churlin sometimes beat him: it didn't matter that Cupidus owned twice as much territory and had influence all over Helheim, while Churlin didn't even have a voice. What mattered was that Churlin was savvy and aggressive enough to slip into the cracks in the Greed devil's plans, and mangle all his machinations, then run away with a chunk of what was supposed to be the prize of Cupidus alone.
Apparently, the only other demon who had ever made Cupidus this way had been Magister. Burning Desire still didn't know the story there, still was confused about how his mother factored into all of this, and he often found himself wondering if he'd ever know. All he knew for sure was that after fifty years of working for Cupidus, and sixty-seven in Helheim, he had gotten painfully used to the flow of daily life here... even if he was continuing his rather-foolish plan.
He knew that the reason he hadn't been caught right away was because Cupidus had been distracted by Churlin visiting, to show off some zoning ruling he'd bullied the courts into agreeing to. And after a week of using the 'special' ink Burning Desire had mixed, the Greed devil now seemed to have lost any suspicions he might have had about the red substance.
So now he figured he was stuck with this until he finally worked up the courage to move into the second phase of his master plan... except he was pretty sure that if he tried to do anything without figuring out some kind of backup plan, Cupidus would just have him bludgeoned, beaten, cut into tiny pieces, and then ground into fine powder. And all possibly while still alive, so he could suffer as much as possible before what would likely be a particularly-gruesome death, even by Helheim's high standards.
Burning Desire sighed quietly as he finished sorting contracts, tucking them away in their assigned spaces in the library shelves, before a familiar voice asked him gently: “You look a little sad. You wanna spice up this library?”
The fiery stallion smiled despite himself as he turned around, seeing Polly standing nearby, the pretty stallion gazing at him fondly before the demonic unicorn replied kindly: “Now I'm on duty, Sir Polarity. We don't want to be punished, do we?”
“I certainly do, but I see your point. But guess what? You're not on duty anymore.” Polly smiled slightly, and Burning Desire tilted his head curiously before the Lust demon half-lidded his eyes at him. “It's your lucky day. Cupidus needs all the servants setting up the meeting room and tending to a special guest... Churlin is back for another round. And I managed to convince Arlock to let you go handle serving him.”
“I... wait, what? Why? And when Cupidus finds out he'll kill you!” Burning Desire stared in disbelief at Polly, but the Lust demon only chuckled and smiled warmly at him.
“No he won't, he needs me still... yes, I'll be punished, but I have a good few ways to protect myself... you just go and talk to Churlin, sweetie. Talk to Churlin.” Polly emphasized, and then he glanced back and forth before nodding firmly once and turning to hurry off, and Burning Desire stared after the Lust demon blankly for a few moments before his eyes widened slightly as he began to understand.
It didn't all lock together at once for him... but by the time he reached the foyer, he had the basics of a plan in mind. He had stopped in long enough to find out where he was supposed to take the Greed demon from the master of staff, Arlock, and was pleased when he found out they were specifically supposed to head to a waiting room in the western wing: it was the furthest from Cupidus, and he had no doubt that a crafty demon like Churlin would have a way to outwit any methods Cupidus had to try and listen in on his hated enemy.
Burning Desire was surprised to find that Churlin had only brought four guards with him... but then again, said guards were all massive and covered from head to claws in armor; even more than that, was the challenging, arrogant grin on Churlin's features, as if he wanted Cupidus to try and attack him. Not that Churlin looked like he was all that capable of defending himself: he was a unicorn, sallow and ugly in color, with a tattered black mane and several gold teeth glimmering in his jaws. His eyes were sunken, and he was wearing a rumpled, ugly suit: he looked less like a demon, and more like a corpse that had wandered down to Hell in search of the spirit that had formerly inhabited it.
“Well, look at this. The contract-maker. Don't you look like you've grown up nice?” Churlin said mildly, and Burning Desire looked at him with surprise before the Greed demon chuckled. “Oh, I keep my ear to the ground, boy. You would too, if you were me... tell me, does Cupidus know you're here?”
Burning Desire decided to be honest and simply shrugged, and Churlin grinned widely at this. “Good. I like that. I like that a lot, as a matter of fact. Walk with me, kid, you got a look I recognize all too well in your eyes. Looks like revenge mixed with an offer you think I can't refuse.”
The fiery stallion didn't even know what to say, only nodding nervously before he gestured towards the open archway leading into the western hall, but the Greed demon only chuckled in response. “Now don't you worry none, boy. I always get sent to the same damn room every time I'm here. Walk over here by me.”
The fiery stallion nodded a bit, falling into step beside Churlin, and he soon found himself surprised by how animated the unicorn was, in spite of the fact he looked like a living corpse. He also couldn't help but notice all the differences between him and Cupidus; there was little logical and sensible about Churlin, and he was as offensive and brash and straightforward as Cupidus was careful and cold and calculating.
Churlin seemed at first like the kind of pony with no plan whatsoever, who just kind of flung ideas in every direction until he came up with something good. But when the subject came to messing with Cupidus, on the other hoof, it became clear there was a ruthless and intelligent mind hidden beneath all the chaos, even if Churlin still demanded action first, thinking later.
And once they reached the waiting room and Churlin's bodyguards had smashed any suspicious trinkets and rudely cut wards into the walls, Churlin had simply flicked a hoof and produced a contract with a grin, his eyes glowing as he said easily: “I don't usually get the pleasure of offering one of these to a fellow demon like yourself.”
Burning Desire looked at Churlin, then down at the contract before he picked it up and read quickly over the text already laid out for him. All he had to do was sign... and it was simple enough, except...
But when he looked up, Churlin grinned wider at him, raising his head and saying calmly: “You gotta be ready to pay the piper, boy. See, I'm not like Cupidus, buttering you up, leading you sideways. I'm up front and honest as the day is long. So I'm not going to change that, and you're just gonna have to live with it. The price for freedom is high, boy. Those people who think it just costs lives? They ain't begun to reckon what's really on the sales tag yet.”
The two demonic stallions studied each other... and then Burning Desire nodded slowly, then lowered his horn and rose his foreleg. A moment later, there was a splatter of blood over the contract, and Churlin chuckled as he said softly: “I like you, boy. You and me... we're going to get along just fine together.”
Burning Desire looked up silently, and then he closed his eyes and nodded once before taking a slow breath. And as he turned to leave, Churlin's loud laughter followed him out, and the demon only hoped that this time, he'd made the right choice.
When Cupidus found out that Burning Desire had spoken to Churlin, the fiery stallion was dragged off by Mildred from his usual duties to go through an exceptional round of punishments and pains. The only saving grace was that Burning Desire had picked up several very useful transformation spells from Polly after many years of study, although he had only really mastered one... but one was enough.
So instead of hanging by his horn above a steaming cauldron of acid, Burning Desire transformed into a firebird and flew calmly down to the dungeon floor to meditate quietly until he heard the booming steps of Mildred approaching. Then it was just a matter of transforming back into a firebird, flying up to the chain, and once more taking on his stallion shape to seize the chain and drop down to hurriedly slip the ring loosely around his horn.
He howled and flailed wildly as Mildred stormed in, holding onto the chain for dear life with his hooves as the ring jingled around his horn: mindless Mildred couldn't tell the difference, however, and Burning Desire was shortly yanked down from the 'torture' and dragged off to the next punishment session.
There was simply no way to avoid a lot of the other tortures: the rack stretched him, Mildred crushed his bones and body, and Cupidus' sadistic disciplinarians performed other horrific punishments on him. And when it was all over, Burning Desire was dragged in front of Cupidus himself so the Greed devil could interrogate him in sharp, almost-nervous tones.
But even though Burning Desire found it intensely difficult to lie, he stuck to two simple truths: Arlock had told him what to do, and he didn't like Churlin. Cupidus clearly didn't believe this was the whole truth, but eventually sent Burning Desire away.
For the next few months, the fiery stallion was aware of eyes always on him, watching him... but he made no attempt to contact Churlin, and Churlin was far too sly to try and urge Burning Desire's plans along. Burning Desire simply continued to do as he always did... and he continued to drip his own blood into the ink mixture as well, although he took many, many precautions when doing so. He only ever needed to mix in a few drops, but if Cupidus ever figured out what he was up to...
Eventually, he felt the attention on him relaxing slightly, as Cupidus himself settled back into his usual calm and put his latest meeting with Churlin behind him. Burning Desire made sure to stay as careful as possible, however, feeling like he was waiting for some sign, some event, that had yet to make itself clear, and gradually, months slipped into years that spilled away like sand as he continued his neverending duty as ink-fetcher, document-sorter, and math-checker.
After ninety seven years of working for Cupidus, Burning Desire headed back to his unfurnished, glittery room, only to find that someone had left a book for him on his bed. He frowned at the cover as he saw it was some old, dusty genealogy book, then realized that something was stuck between the pages, and he opened it... to discover a lock of golden mane he recognized instantly as his sister's.
And then, slowly, he looked down at the page: he glanced almost absently over the title before his eyes automatically fell on the picture in the top corner, and then he froze, staring at the image of a massive demon as it smiled warmly... and cradled in its arms, only a foal but with nothing more telling of her identity than the spiral of flames that already contained the hidden contract, was his mother.
His eyes tore over the page, taking in everything in a blur as trembles ran through him, before he took a deep breath and forced himself to straighten, looking down at the page. Images of his mother flashed through his mind, with this thing always over her, guarding her, watching her and them... he saw her cutie mark, he saw her contract... except no. No, it wasn't a contract that she had made with a demon. It was a contract that a demon had made with her .
“In only rare instances... are mortals adopted into a demon's family... but one remarkable occasion is when Duke Magister adopted a mortal unicorn whose parents had been murdered and brought her to Helheim...” Burning Desire read in a trembling voice, staring down at the picture. “He named her Illuminia... and she was raised as his only daughter until she was old enough to be sent back to the mortal world. But it is well known that even then, Duke Magister spent much of his time watching over her.
“In order to protect her... Magister had made a special contract with Illuminia when she was only a child. In return for agreeing to be his daughter and heir, he pledged his loyalty to her and forged a blood pact..” Burning Desire trembled, slowly stroking the lock of his sister's hair against the page before he straightened, unable to read any further as his head swam... but he had already seen the rest of the page, already knew what it all added up to, as he whispered: “He was her guardian. He felt her pain... he protected her. He loved her... and Mom...”
He clenched his eyes shut, touching his forehead and shivering once before he picked up the lock of mane, then squeezed it tightly before gritting his teeth and looking down at it. He thought of Morning Glory, thought of Radiant Beacon, thought of his father and Lucenta and everything that had happened... and he thought of Magister, rumored to have been assassinated by the orders of Cupidus, and the demonic stallion breathed harshly in and out before he shoved the lock of hair back into the book, slammed the text shut, and spun around.
He ran out into the hall, and never noticed the gleaming animal eyes eagerly watching him from around a corner, as if delighting in his self-destructive fury. Instead, the stallion charged down the staircase, then ran through the twisting and turning passages of the mansion until he smashed his way into the Accounting Hall. And even Cupidus seemed startled by the entrance of the fiery demon, raising himself up higher in his throne as Burning Desire shouted furiously: “What did you do? What did you do to Magister? Why? And where is my sister!”
“Mildred, punish!” Cupidus ordered sharply, and the minotaur leapt into the center of the aisle before charging forwards, hooves smashing against the ground and chains clanking against its body. But all fear had been blasted out of Burning Desire as he charged forwards, roaring as well as his eyes and horn glowed before he flung the book aside and leapt into the air as he burst into red flames.
And a moment later there was an explosion of light and sound as the red flames wafted and warped into a new and terrible shape, and even Mildred was knocked backwards as Burning Desire lunged forwards in a new, monstrous form. His upper body and head were that of a pony, but more bestial, maw filled with vicious fangs and his upper limbs ending now in claws instead of hooves. And his lower half, meanwhile, had transformed into an immense serpentine body that propelled him forwards as his claws tore against the ground to keep his balance, before he lunged towards the minotaur he was now easily twice the size of.
Mildred tried to reach up, and Burning Desire caught the minotaur around the waist and hefted him into the air with a vicious grin as demons yelled and shrieked and fled in terror from their desks. And Cupidus only stared, leaning over his own in disbelief as Burning Desire squeezed as viciously as he could, and the minotaur whined in his throat as the claws of the now-monstrous demon tore into his body as his pelvis and torso were both crushed like fragile tin.
Then Burning Desire flung the minotaur dismissively away as he hissed loudly, eyes locking on Cupidus, and the Greed devil shook his head slowly in disbelief before the now-monstrous Passion snarled: “Now it's your turn to pay the price of what you've earned, Cupidus!”
Burning Desire lunged forwards, claws seizing into the front of the desk, and the Greed devil shouted an order as he hurriedly rose a hand. Burning Desire roared, a claw reaching forwards... and then a cloaked, silver-masked specter appeared in midair beside the demon before slashing its scythe down into his arm, sending up a burst of blood.
More of the reapers appeared all around Burning Desire, slamming scythes into him that sent up thick spurts of crimson and sapped his spirit and strength, the demon arching his back with a howl of misery as the flames of his mane stuttered... and then a moment later the massive, serpentine shape of the demon turned to embers and smoke as he returned to his normal shape.
Before he could fall, the reapers shot in all around the stallion, slamming the poles of their weapons across his limbs and body to catch him in midair, leaving him pinned in the sky. He could feel his bones creaking and his body being crushed as he looked slowly, weakly up, the flames of his mane and tail stuttering as he trembled violently.
Cupidus was leaning over his desk, looking down at Burning Desire with shock before the devil reached up and slowly adjusted his golden mask. The creature took a slow breath, seeming to shudder for a moment before he whispered: “Impossible... your soul is mine, you are loyal to me. You shouldn't have been able to...”
“I owe no loyalty to you! You betrayed me, you... you have done nothing but lie and cheat me, again and again, Cupidus! And it all started with Magister, didn't it? Who was he to you? What have you done?” Burning Desire tried to shout, but his voice was broken rasp, his entire body aching horrendously, bleeding from ugly wounds torn across his form as the reapers only floated silently around him.
The orange eyes of the devil looked across at the demon, and then he shook his head slowly before saying quietly: “Duke Magister and I did not see eye-to-eye on things. I desire wealth and power... and he insisted on getting in my way every step of the path I had planned out for myself. He was foolish and weak, and he was the first soul I had the reapers seize after I bought their loyalty. They cost many souls to upkeep but... thanks to mortals like yourself, I never have to fear a shortage.”
Cupidus was silent for a moment, then continued calmly: “I took over Magister's territory in the hopes to attain something... very valuable. But I am unable to access it. Magister's heir, Illuminia, was the key, and I was very eager when I heard a plea for help. I thought it would be Illuminia, but instead, it was you. You, who I quickly understood would be of no use to me whatsoever, except as a stepping stone to other souls. And now your use has passed, and even if I am... surprised... you have been able to turn against me and show such promise, you are not an asset worth holding onto. Instead, I will offer your soul to the reapers to ensure their loyalty for another few years.”
Cupidus began to raise his claw, but then he halted and his orange eyes narrowed slightly as Burning Desire chuckle quietly, mumbling: “Go ahead, but... you'll be liquidating a lot more than me if you do that.”
“What are you talking about?” Cupidus frowned a bit, and then Burning Desire grinned weakly as he looked up, his horn glowing red. The devil immediately began to raise a hand, and a reaper drew its scythe back to deliver a decapitating slice... before Cupidus froze when the ink in the pot on his desk burst into flames.
“Demonic... contract law. Whoever owns... the soul of a demon, can sign with their name... or in their blood. You've been signing your name... but in my blood , for the last hundred years, on every contract and document that passed over your desk. Guess that makes us co-owners, right?” Burning Desire asked, unable to stop himself from grinning... and in spite of the agony, the horror and the growing fury in Cupidus' eyes made all the pain in the world worth it.
Then the devil visibly pulled himself back under control, the creature taking a slow breath before asking in a voice only a little harsher than normal: “And what is to stop me from having you killed and once more resuming my status as full owner?”
“In the event of my death... all my assets go to your best friend, Churlin. Or is that your worst enemy?” Burning Desire looked up, meeting the eyes of the Greed devil as Cupidus trembled visibly, his orange eyes filled with anger, and hatred, and disbelief... and somehow, the last was the sweetest emotion of all, as the fiery stallion rose his head. “So what do you think, Cupidus? Am I worth it?”
Cupidus trembled violently, and then the Greed devil hissed slowly, his orange eyes blazing as he reached a claw up. Bony digits shrieked against the golden metal of his mask as he tore at it compulsively, before the entity finally snarled: “What do you want?”
“Where's my sister?” Burning Desire asked roughly, and Cupidus snorted before making a dismissive gesture, and the fiery stallion was flung to the ground by the group of reapers, bouncing once on his chest with a groan as the hollow specters vanished.
“I don't know at this moment. Yes, she is dead, and she is in Hell. But it is not under my watch.” Cupidus said contemptibly, and Burning Desire smiled grimly before the devil leaned forwards over his desk and whispered: “You had best hope that the moment you leave here, Churlin betrays you and kills you quickly, because if he does not I will find a way to. And I will not make it fast.”
“Yeah, so, okay. That's going to be the first thing on my list... once our deal's done, you are never allowed to ever screw with me ever again, understood? No coming after me, no revenge, no nothing like that.” Burning Desire said sharply, and Cupidus growled at him again before the fiery stallion added coldly: “And I want to be free. I want you to acknowledge that my debt to you is paid in full. That we're even.”
“Very well. In return I demand full ownership of all your current assets, and that you allow me to exile you from my home so that I never have to deal with you ever again.” Cupidus retorted, and then the Greed devil snapped his claws, a contract appearing and runes burning themselves quickly into being over it. “Are we agreed?”
“Wait.” Ardent Desire glared up at the devil, gesturing with a hoof, and Cupidus cursed before flicking his wrist to send the contract down to him. The unicorn quickly read through this, then he shook his head slowly. “Current assets. Not future.”
Cupidus grumbled at being caught in this attempt to twist things in his favor, then he flicked his wrist, and the stallion quickly read over the contract again before wincing and rubbing a wounded foreleg against the paper, smearing blood over the contract. Then the stallion threw the contract back up to the Greed devil, saying dryly: “Sign it.”
Cupidus hissed again, then reached for his quill before freezing and staring at the inkwell. After a moment, he grasped this instead, and then Burning Desire said mildly: “Don't worry, friend. It's not that important... not if you don't have any internal or external organs, that is.”
“Shut up!” The Greed devil flung the inkpot to the side, and Burning Desire smiled grimly at this before Cupidus held a hand out, and a black inkpot was yanked a little too quickly though the air towards him, splattering dark ink over his desk when it slammed itself down. Then the devil picked up his quill, swirled it quickly, and signed his name sloppily, looking furious before he glared venomously at Burning Desire. “There. We are agreed, Ardent. Congratulations.”
“Burning Desire now... I am a demon... like my grandfather. But I am nothing like you.” Burning Desire said quietly, and then the crimson stallion smiled wryly. “If you'll excuse me, I have to go and find my sister.”
“No, you won't find her.” Cupidus said quietly, and Burning Desire frowned before slowly looking up, as the devil coldly looked back down. “You see, Ardent , you were worthless. Scraps, with little potential... even if you have surprised me by becoming a powerful first-tier demon, and in so short a time... shorter than I expected. But that is no surprise... that fool Magister was a victim of his own sins, as we all are. His Pride in his daughter... in wanting to give her the very best... he offered up his own life force through the pact he held with Illuminia to ensure she would give birth to two foals.
“You were the first, the son desired by the father. Morning Glory was the second, the daughter wanted by the mother... and who, unlike you, could give me what I was after.” Cupidus rasped, leaning forwards, tearing his claws into the desk as he glared out from behind his golden mask with absolute hatred. “So I twisted you, until you twisted her, and made her into a whore with a broken spirit. And when she fell to Hell, I had the reapers catch her soul. And now a powerful ally of mine is ensuring that your sister becomes what I desire. Unlike you, her ascent to demonhood will not be crude, and quick, and bludgeoned. It will be careful, and scientific, and every day she will be adjusted and taught and reshaped into my perfect warlord. The warlord with her mother's eyes, and her mother's blood, and her grandfather's lineage.
“Do you know why Magister was respected? Because he had true power, in the form of endless luxury and wealth. Because his property, which I fought tooth and claw for, sits on top of a prison into which, for ten thousand years, souls were poured until no more could be stored in its depths. And Magister was the only demon lord left who could open it... but he passed that power down to his heir, a filthy, pathetic mortal. And she unwittingly passed it down to her daughter.” Cupidus loomed slowly forwards, and his orange eyes burned with triumph as Burning Desire stared up at the creature with horror in his eyes. “Now I will have limitless wealth, and infinite power. So take your pathetic victory, and leave my home, and go back to your own, little Ardent! You are exiled from Helheim, banished forever to the mortal world!”
Burning Desire cried out in shock, stumbling backwards as awful, painful radiance surrounded him before he tried to leap forwards... but then he was blinded by a flash, deafened by laughter, and a moment later all he knew was vertigo and confusion and nausea as he flailed wildly at the air...
A moment later, the stallion crashed down with a grunt, bouncing several times before skidding to a halt as he felt faint pain tickle at his body and smelled the reek of steam. He hurriedly shoved himself up to his hooves... but then nausea tore through the demon, and he couldn't stop himself from leaning forwards and vomiting painfully.
His stomach cramped, his body ached... and then, slowly, Burning Desire looked weakly up at the world around him. It was the dead of winter, and there was snow all around him, and he was seated on a clifftop in front of the ruins of a keep...
Slowly, his eyes widened as he stared up at this, and then he trembled as he strode slowly forwards. He walked into the courtyard, breathing hard as he passed the ruins of a gallows, and approached the entrance doors... but he didn't even have to go inside to feel his stomach clench, to feel his mind revolt as he stared through the open doors with a moan of horror.
The broken skeleton of a unicorn sat silently against the back wall of the entrance hall, clad in rusting armor, its bony forelegs wrapped around an old painting and an ancient tapestry draped silently around its shoulders. And tears fell from Burning Desire's eyes as he forced himself to stride inside as snow and cold whipped after him, following through the ajar, broken doors of the entranceway.
He looked down at the painting, and let out a weak sob, reaching up and touching his lips as a tremor ran through his body. It was of his father and mother, smiling in happier times, and Illuminia held Morning Glory while Lord Bonfire cradled Ardent Desire... and the demon clenched his eyes shut, then he fell forwards beside the ancient skeleton of the baron, reaching a hoof out to silently touch the corpse. “I... I'm sorry... I'm so sorry, Dad...”
There was nothing else he could say. Nothing else he could do, as the demon laid by his father's corpse for the entire night, and the day that followed. And even when Burning Desire finally managed to get to his hooves, finally managed to drag himself out of the ruins... what he strode out into was an empty world.
At first he thought that the unicorn kingdom had fallen from an uprising... but as the demon traveled far and wide, he came across both spirits and other demons that helped him to put together what had happened, little-by-little. There had been a great war, and a great divide... and earth ponies, Pegasi, and unicorns had all turned on each other like savage animals. Many had gone to war... many others had simply tried to flee. And they had all been hunted down and destroyed, fed upon by ravenous creatures that had harvested too greedily for too long.
He was alone in the world with only the company of other demons that all too often didn't understand him, and he had no way to return to Helheim. He was free... but free in a world that was broken and empty. But this time, even if he'd made another mistake, he refused to give up. The Passion wandered around the world, seeing all the sights he had never seen, longing always for someone to share his time with but all the same, refusing to break. Refusing both insanity and to give in to his own instincts, as he thought of the legacy he had to honor, and the choices he had made in the past that had brought him here. As he remembered successes, and not defeats, and everything he had learned on his journey.
And he knew that one day, he would find his sister, and make things right: perhaps one day, even the ponies would return, or he could find the companion he longed for. And until that day, he was determined to practice being the person he wanted to be... not the demon that Helheim had tried to transform him into.
XXXXX:
Cupidus lay on his back, rasping and whimpering in the graveyard, shaking his head in denial. He was broken, his body crushed, and black ink spilled out of his cloak from the shattered inkpot like blood, dripping to the ground.
His golden mask stared hollowly at the cavern wall, bent and crumpled and worthless now. And as she looked down at him, she couldn't help but think of how pathetic he looked: like a skinned rat, raw and ugly flesh torn like paper to reveal broken bone as his orange eyes stared up at her and he pleaded: “I... we can split it! P-Please... it took us so long to get here, d-d-don't... don't... I am a valuable asset!”
She replied by stomping down on his features, and his skull was crushed to dust beneath her metal hoof. She twisted it slowly, and relished the sound of the crunch as his body spasmed once... then slowly began to char, beginning to burn away to nothing but dust and ash. He had been arrogant and stupid to believe that she had actually been brainwashed and broken. She already fallen for that trick once already, and no one was going to fool her twice.
She closed her eyes and remembered for a moment her life... and her death. No, not when her little sister had charged her. Radiant Beacon had come in with the knife, she had been strong, so much stronger than the young mare should have been, and managed to leave ugly wounds... but when Morning Glory saw Ardent, bleeding, dying... the rage that had taken her over...
Ardent's body had fallen and hit the ground. Radiant Beacon had fallen shortly after with the knife buried through her forehead. And only then had Morning Glory realized what she'd done, at the same time she saw her beloved brother... was dead.
Morning Glory had done the only thing she could do at that point. She had seen to quiet funerals for them both, simply handed over the estate and all the wealth in the vaults to Chestnut, and then left. She wandered for a week, until eventually she ended up in her father's barony, and once there, she felt there was only one place she could go. One place that called to her, no matter what it would cost.
She was brought before her father, Lord Bonfire, and she dryly, calmly confessed everything that had happened before he'd even asked. By the end of it, her father was trembling, and her remaining sibling, Lucenta, was trying not to throw up in the corner as her husband held her safe and close. Then everything was a blur... but she remembered being thrown in a prison. Remembered her father... not yelling at her, but crying and pleading with her. Remembered that he had given her a choice... public execution, or... something quieter.
She had chosen the latter, and her father had returned the next day and silently given her a poison. A poison that she drank without flinching, that she felt... relieved to take. She remembered smiling even as the pain started, even as she felt heat and sickness fill her body... she remembered being happy, even as her father cried and clung to her until he was dragged away... and then... then she was dead, and a reaper was dragging her soul through Helheim.
She remembered more than a hundred years of being tortured and hardened. She remembered their clumsy and pathetic, ineffective attempts to brainwash her... but her own brother had forced her under a spell of such hunger and allure that it made their attempts to make her loyal to Cupidus seem like a joke. Especially since she remembered oh all too clearly who was at the root of all this... not just Ardent, no, Ardent had been a stupid puppet, no matter what else he'd done to her. It had been Cupidus all along.
So she had played along with the brainwashing... and when it came to them trying to make her stronger, she didn't just accept it. She worked with them. When they gave her prey, she killed; when they offered her meat, she ate; when they told her pain would accelerate the process, she didn't scream for them to stop the torture... she screamed for them to do worse to her.
The hardest part was playing loyal servant to Cupidus... but that got easier, too. When she got to kill, to hurt, to hunt. When she fought in the wars he started. When she tracked down his enemies. She made him more powerful, but the Greed devil's idea of power was pathetic: wealth and souls and worthless trinkets and property. She was only interested in real power. And the whole reason she had played along was to reach this point, here and now... when Cupidus, who had crushed all his enemies, had finally decided to open Magister's prison. And he had brought her alone, because he wanted no one else to know where this place was.
She had been able to easily pass through the barrier they had found, and break the seal on the other side. She had let him in, to feast his eyes on what Magister had guarded: not a prison, but a necropolis. A prison of souls, certainly, but ones long dead and gone. She was certain the tombs and mausoleums would probably hold some pretty trinkets, but that didn't matter to her. What had mattered was seeing the shock and disbelief and stupid confusion on Cupidus' face... right before she had made her pleasure a thousand times better by taking her-long awaited revenge on the defenseless Greed devil, robbing him all at once of his plans, his hopes, his wealth and his life.
Cupidus was dead. She would let his pathetic apprentices fight out what to do next, who got to claim what territory and sit on top of the pile of vermin... while she, on the other hoof, had someone she wanted to find. Her brother, who had much to answer for to his darling sister. Ardent Desire... except he was no more Ardent Desire now than she was Morning Glory. And if he was still alive, eight hundred years after his exile from Helheim, she was certain that one day she would find him, and she would make him answer for everything he had caused. They would compare who they had become, and see who was the better demon... Burning Desire, the Passion, or Hollow Star, the Destroyer.
Her metallic hooves clanked against the ground as she strode slowly back towards the entrance, her eyes blazing with unnatural fire through the steel skin armoring her face. She would take her time. She would hunt him down. But she would do it at her own pace, and she would continue to grow stronger, and make sure it was a nice little surprise for her big brother...
After all, what else were little sisters for?
Don't fear to pursue your passions: Only remember to watch your step as you climb.
December 11th – December 17th, 2012