A ring of dark purple candles lit around the room, revealing a large, black star with six sharply-drawn points set into the ground in black stone on white marble.

“Alright, now stand over here with me, so that I can summon our other partner.”

“Uh, what do I have to do? Do we need a virgin sacrifice or something?”

Cole looked at her, and she looked back at him with a brow cocked.

“No... why would we need to sacrifice a virgin?”

“I have no idea about magic, I’m just shootin’ the breeze.”

Summer just shakes her head and uses her magic to push him into the center of a circle with a five-pointed star inside bands of gold, the material of the star and bands embedded in the ground.

“Should I really be standing here?”

“Yes, unless you want any mistakes to be almost definitely lethal. Or, at least, embarrassing in the extreme.”

Summer settled into an identical golden star-and-circle next to his.

“Wait, what do you mean embarrassing?”

“Well, if I accidentally summon something I shouldn’t and it isn’t more dangerous than a mild nuisance, then it’ll go after the nearest pony in the room that isn’t protected in a guardian circle. Then, depending on what it is, it’ll likely cause something embarrassing to happen... like dying your wings bright pink for a week, or doodle obscene images all over your coat in glowing ink that won’t wash off for a year or more, or try to mount you, if it’s up to it.”

“Jokes on them, I don’t mind pink!”

Summer giggles at the comment, before becoming serious again.

“Still, that’s assuming I get something from the bottom third of the possibilities. If I get something really bad by accident, and you’re in the room and not in a protective circle, it could kill you... or much, much worse.”

“Have you even had one mount you or re-color you?”

Summer’s ears drooped, and she refused to look Cole in the eye.

“I- I only barely got away from a really nasty Nebulous Demon... It could’ve killed me. As for the lesser things... well, I can cast protective skills on the fly, you can’t.”

Cole walked over to her quickly and hugged her.

“Glad you’re okay, now lets do this right.”

Summer smiles and nuzzles him in return, before he returns to his circle. As soon as she was sure he was safely in his circle, she began to charge her horn, golden light pouring from it as it layered over twice, resembling what Twilight’s had in Trixie’s first appearance.

She lowered her horn, and the bright, almost blinding light poured in a beam towards the black circle, turning it a shining white. Inside the star in the center, a column of black smoke rises, tendrils of purest shadow lashing out from it and curling through the air.

“Who is it who calls me? What mortals dare call me to this realm?”

The voice crackled like electricity, but deep and thunderous, reaching past the bones and into the soul, and nearly made Cole simply run from the room, but the fear rooted him the stone floor.

“Uh, us.”Sum-”

“Shh! Never speak your name aloud near a Demon of any kind!”

“Well, shoot, it almost worked... although I already know your name, don’t I, Summer?”

Solace breathed a sigh of relief as the smoky cloud began to recede towards the floor, no longer a towering column, but condensing down into a form like a pony with cartoony, small bat-wings and a long, whip-like tail with a spade-shaped tip.

“Well, at least I know I got the right demon, Illicita wouldn’t go giving my name around.”

“I’m glad you have such faith in me, Solace. How have things been? And who is this handsome buck you’re found?”

The cloud had formed into the shape of a lithe, shapely mare, small, cute-sey bat-wings on her back and her thin tail resolving itself as solid black, contrasting with the solid, blood-red coat of the mare herself.

“Well you can call me bodybag for the time being.”

“Oh, so he speaks! Goody, I enjoy my... conquests able to think for themselves.”

The demon mare grinned seductively at the colt.

“Hooves off, please, he may be pretending to be shared between us, but he’s his own pony.”

“Not my type anyways Summer.”

The demon mare pouts at him, but it doesn’t laugh.

“That’s alright, I can always get him later. So, Summer, We ready to go wandering now that you have a real stallion to keep you warm at night? Or is that still my job?”

Summer blushed furiously, and looked around, biting her lip in embarrassment.

“Illi! Please, that’s private!”

“Okay, I want to know about that now.”

“Please, honey, I’m a succubus, it’s my duty in my immortal life to kiss and tell. And we came so very close doing a lot more than just ‘kiss’ for me to tell about that one time, didn’t we?”

“Illicita!”

“What’s so bad? I don’t judge.”

“She’s just embarrassed we didn’t go any further. I’m a delicious piece of diabolic meat, and she wanted to taste of the forbidden fish between my legs. I’m sure I’ll get to you eventually, Dark-Watcher.”

“Thanks for the offer, but I’ll have to decline.”

The succubus pony just laughs uproariously, stamping a hoof and ending with a giggle.

“So, a challenge it is. This is a trip I’m going to enjoy a lot, and for all sorts of reasons! Ooh, I just love it!”

The demon mare is grinning broadly and flapping her adorably small wings, causing her to lift by the shoulders only, her limbs tucked up like she was just picked up by her neck.

“You’re coming with us? How can we trust you?”

“Well, since, technically, Summer’s bindings can’t work on me anyways, as I know her true name, you don’t have much of a choice. I’m only leaving if I want to, dark-watcher.”

Illicita’s voice was earnest, if very full of giggles.

“How is she your friend exactly Summer? No offense, but I don’t see it.”

Summer, still blushing horribly, starts to explain, her voice oddly level, in spite of her brilliant red blush.

“Well, when I accidentally let her loose the first time, she didn’t try to harm me... just, ah, ‘play’ a little. I re-summoned her several times after that, and she’s been really nice every time. And when I accidentally let slip my true name, she never once used it against me or traded it to others.”

“And my da- I’m not even going there... Just keep an eye on her.”

“Oh, I’m sure she’ll be keeping more than her eyes on me, and I’m hoping you will, too, hunk.”

“Once again, no thank you...How clear do I have to be?”

Illicita’s voice was still full of laughter as she replied, and there’s a twinkle in her crimson eyes as she spoke.

“As I said, I certainly hope for it... and I figure I can get you to try for me eventually, because I’d love to try you in for size.”

She fluttered her eyelashes at him to emphasize her statement, and even playfully winked before a full-sized and fluffy pony tail replaced her demonic one, and she landed and the wings vaporized as well. Wrapping her tail around Summer’s, she nuzzles the blushing pony.

“I have a feeling I will want to do horrible things by the end of this journey.”

“Oh goody, I love it when males do horrible things to me. So, what sort of buck are you? Military? You look like it.”

“Even if it involves homicide? And no, I prefer not to associate myself with certain people. I’m a scientist.”

“Mmm... good ol’ murder... As long as it isn’t my precious Solace here, that sounds like fun. Now, hmm... a scientist, you say? I love getting the tough cases, you adorable little nerd!”

“Illicita, please, stop teasing him, even if he is very adorable.”

“You both act like me being adorable is a bad thing, and Summer is safe, I just wish they had semi-trucks here.”

Illicita just huffs and rolls her eyes.

“Well, that explains the Wandering traces on you, sweet buck, though I suppose you’ll leave me to wonder where you traipsed in from, hmm?”

“Earth, bipedal apes, you know ‘em?”

“Well, Yes I should say I know it well, or at least a few dozen iterations of it.”

“W-wait, wait, wait! what are you two talking about?!”

“I doubt she’d believe me about where I come from, given you’ve known her longer care to take a crack at explaining it?”

“Well, he’s been dragged by something with rather impressive power here. Most things that can do that can’t keep it too focused, though... Usually you end up with twisty bits of metal or meat, along with similar effects on nearby life. I think a bunch of his kind thought it was some kind of monster going after the cows, and I never did have the heart to the dears it was just a bunch of Olympians trying to see how far they could pull from.”

“Did you get that Summer?”

“I- I have no idea, Cole. I have no training in interdimensional dynamics..”

Cole facehoofed at Summer’s apparent slip.

“So much for not using my name Summer, anyways, could you simplify the explanation for her?”

“Nah, she won’t get it. She never could understand most of the stuff I had to teach, unless I could give it ‘hooves on’, if you get my drift.”

Summer sunk to the ground, feeling useless and left out. Illicita’s laughing demeanor faded quickly at the sight, and she reached down to the unicorn hiding under her own hooves.

“I- I’m sorry, Solace. I didn’t mean to hurt you. C’mon, gimme a smile, please?”

The demon mare gave a razor-toothed grin, which Summer slowly returned, receiving a hug in for the effort.

“Long story short, I’m not from this world as she said, Illicita, can you show her what humans look like?”

Illicita nodded, and put down Summer. Boiling away into a cloud of smoke, the column swirled for a few second, before withdrawing into the shape of a shapely, tanned human girl wearing nothing but overalls, cowboy boots, and a stetson hat.

“This is about what they look like, at least when I last visited an Earth. I think this was at someplace in some new country, amora-co or something. It was only a few decades old then, and I got summoned by accident. It was a nice decade, I faked being a farmer for most of it, lotsa exercise.”

“S-so you looked like that?”

Summer is looking up at the curvey human in stereotypical ‘sexy farmer’ clothes with awe, especially the slim, callused fingers of the succubus’ hands.

“W-wow...”

“Well I was a much more masculine version of that, being I am a male, but that shows the general idea.”

Summer kept staring at the form the succubus had taken, until the demon turned back into gas and shifted back to her earth-pony form.

“Hey, brainiac, out of the clouds.”

Summer snapped out of the trance she was in, and looked down at Cole and Illicita again.

“W-wow... That is so amazing! How did you end up here?”

“Wait up, Solace, I doubt he’ll be able to remember. Most of the things that can do stuff like that don’t like being noticed or remembered.”

Summer pouted, and Illicita patted her on the back.

“Yeah, I’m confused as hell-”

Illicita winced slightly at the word.

“-about it, I’m not sure if I want to go back though, no idea if this place is any better. I’m sure you know of humanity’s mass genocides right?”

Illicita just glared at Cole, hugging a suddenly trembling Summer tightly.

“You actually have the gall to go bringing up that sort of thing in front of her? I may be a literally heartless demon, but that’s just cruel.”

“Sorry, I’m not used to having to censor that kind of stuff. I really am sorry Summer, back there it’s common knowledge.”

“Well, learn to zip it! There’s a point where you have to learn to draw a line, and I had forever to learn it, and got it quickly anyways! You’ve only got around seventy years, if you’re lucky!”

“I’m sorry, I really am Summer, you okay?”

“I- I guess that... that explains that music... earlier...”

Illicita glared even harder at Cole at the mention of music.

“I didn’t know anything about this place! I’m really sorry!”

Illicita stroked Summer’s mane some more, muttering soothing words to the distraught unicorn. Cole stood awkwardly, unsure of what to do, for a while until Summer finally calmed down.

Those once bright and cheery eyes held no sparkle as the met Cole’s and he felt a spike of incredible sadness, as he realized that he’d crushed something inside her, entirely by accident.

“I’m... Sorry, I’m so sorry Summer.”

The mare just turns away, and Illicita guides her out. Cole, not sure of what to do, follows, mildly depressed. Illicita, oddly, turned to the same room Cole had been in before, opening it with a small pulse of purple magic. Stopping at the door and unsure of what to do, Cole shuffled awkwardly, until Illicita spoke up from inside.

“Well? Get in here, I’m not going to comfort her on my own, it was your mistake.”

Illi’s voice wasn’t quite as pleasant to his ears anymore, and Cole dreaded the possible repercussions of accidentally pissing off the edrich being. Stepping into the unlit room, he cautiously glanced at the bed, a bright orange and red spot marking on it where Summer was curled up.

“Summer? You okay?”

Nothing but a sniffle answered him. His heart nearly broke in half at that, he really hadn’t meant to cause this kind of damage with his off-handed comment. He hadn’t even realized it would possible to do this.

He stepped towards the bed, crawling onto it towards the form of Summer, curled up near the headboard.

She flinched away from his touch when he reached out to place a hoof on her shoulder. Illicita, however, would not be deterred, and dragged him and the crying Summer together, wrapping them in a hug from a pony the size of a small car.

Summer actively cried into his chest after that, weeping about injustice or about the loss of her innocence, he couldn’t tell, but he held her all the same. Patting and rubbing her back as they lay together, she slowly hiccuped and coughed herself to sleep, and Cole found himself doing the same.

The last thing he heard before falling asleep sounded like Illi’s voice, but much softer and kinder.

“I hate it when my friends cry...”

Author's Note

Well, that was something!

Oh, and if anyone's wondering, my co-author for this one asked to remain anonymous.
Just saying.

THANK HYU BYUTEEFULL PEEPUL