“Rise and shine, Sweetie Belle. It's time to get up.”

I respond to my sister's cheery voice with a moan.

“Come now, Sweetie Belle. It's the last day of the week and you don't want to be late for school.” I hear more than see her throw open the blinds, letting bright shades of sun flood the room. I groan and then pull the sheets over my head, ready to curse Celestia in my mind.

“Not to mention, your breakfast will go cold if you wait too long.”

That gets me up. I poke my head out of the covers and stare at her with a wounded look. “I thought you said you'd let me help you with breakfast today?”

Rarity rolls her eyes at me. “I know, but today is your last day of school before the Nightmare Night break. So I thought I'd do something a little special for your final day.”

I cock my eye at her. “You just didn't want me to burn the juice again, didn't you?”

“That too.”

Despite my best attempts at giving her a scowl, my expression slips and I chuckle with her. My plans for staying in bed defeated, I climb out of the sheet and drop to the floor. My limbs creek as I stretch them out, each one giving me a small reminder of how they were used last night, bringing a smile to my face. It was a good night.

“Glad to see you’re coming around,” Rarity says. “I'll be waiting for you down stairs, don't take too long.”

I nod to her as she walks out. Now that I'm up it's time to begin the first of my morning rituals.

Number 1: Log in my dream diary.

I sit down at a small desk with a mirror hanging above it. I pull open a drawer and take out a large velvet lined book. The front cover had a silly face of a clown and read, A filly's diary above it. It even had a little blank spot beneath it to draw any design I'd like. I open it up, turning past the many other entries of past nights, and with a quill in hoof I begin writing.

Dear Diary, I had another wonderful dream last night. I was a princess who had three dashing stallions who wanted to marry me. They took me to a grand palace where they fed me lots of candy, and we played lots of fun games. However, I couldn't decide which one I liked the most. So I kissed one on the chest, one on the neck, and one right on the eyes. They agreed that I should marry all of them, and so I played with them a little longer, kissing them all over. It was such a nice dream, I really hope I can have these more often.

The last sentence gives me a sick joy. I place the quill back in the inkwell and close the book. Step one down, on to the next.

Number 2: Recharge the Sigil

I place the book right in front of me and then look at myself in the mirror. For somepony who just fell out of bed, I do look pretty good at the moment. Granted, right now the mirror is reflecting a vicious looking monster with glowing reptilian eyes and goat horns growing out of its head, but I still look ravishing for a sharp toothed demon. 'Ravishing', I'm beginning to sound like my sister, aren't I.

Shaking my head at the thought, I reach down to open a drawer and pull out a pair of sharp styling scissors. I hold out my hoof in front of me, put the blade of the cutters to my skin, and drag it across. There's a deep gash in my hoof now, a little smile comes to my face when I look at it. I moisten the tip of my other hoof in the blood, and then use it to draw a pentacle on the front cover of the diary. Then I slam my hoof down in the middle of the image and channel energy into it. The pages glow with an eerie light that vanishes just as quickly as it comes. I reopen the book, now flipping through a satanic encyclopedia.

The new leathery pages contain a plethora of dark images and sigils, every one of which contains its own form of powers and abilities. If I wanted to I could spend all day experimenting with these symbols, trying out their unique powers, but right now there's only one I'm interested in Lucifer, the demonic sigil for light. I trace the image with my hoof upon seeing it, making sure I've got the shape perfectly. I then take the scissors again, and poke the tip of the blade into my chest, causing a tiny dribble of blood to leak out. I inhale deeply, and then slide the blade slowly across my torso, doing my best to copy the symbol exactly. At first I grunt and cringe at the sharp piercing pain, but after a second or so passes that sick side of my brain kicks in and I begin to moan with pleasure. One down side about being a demon, there's not much that doesn't turn you on.

Once I finish the symbol I look at it in the mirror. It comes up almost to my neck and goes all the way down to the bottom edge of my stomach, with blood pouring out of it at every crevice. I double check it to make sure the image is exact with the page, and then I prepare myself. My mind goes blank, my attention strictly enforced. I conjure up dark energy from the depths of my soul. My whole figure darkens and my wounds begin to glow. Silent grunts run from my mouth, out of both pain and pleasure. There's a slight jolt in my lungs as the sigil begins to take effect. The design sinks into my frame, latching to my spirit and pumping me full of its ancient power.

When all is said and done, I look into the mirror and smile at the cute young filly who has taken the place of the demon. There's no scars on her body, no indication of a darker presence. She's pure and innocent. Not even Celestia could find a fault with her.

Moving on from the darkest business of the day, it was time for more mundane matters. Namely...

Number 3: Eat breakfast

I trod out of my room with a slight skip in my steps. Entering the kitchen, I see Rarity seated at the table starting on a large stack of flapjacks. She smiles at me as I take my seat, pulling up my own plate of pancakes as I do.

“Good of you to you to join me, now hurry and eat up or you'll be late.”

I have no arguments with that. I'm still a little annoyed at not being able to cook, but I can't deny the fact that my sister is an excellent chef. Sure, I technically don’t even need food to survive, but whatever. I enjoy it.

I finish the meal before my sister does and then spend the little free time I have to take a look in the paper. My sister takes notice of this. “Reading the comics dear?”

“Yeah, these Family Carnival shorts are always funny.”

Her gaze hardens. “You are reading the comics right?”

I make a noticeable fidget. “Well, yes. What else would I be reading?”

She scowls at me, right before lifting up another section of the paper, the entirety of the newspaper's comics. I make a shriveled smile and shrink down in my chair. She rips the paper out of my hooves and glares daggers at me. “Sweetie Belle, I thought I told you to stop reading those dreadful stories in the paper.”

“But they're not just stories, Rarity, they're news. Stuff that's happening in Equestria right now even as we speak.”

“Yes, and I both understand and admire your desire to be well informed dear. But there are simply some things that are printed in this paper that young fillies like you shouldn't hear about. Honestly Sweetie Belle, sometimes even I'm disturbed by what I see making headlines.”

My eyes shift from giving her an agitated glare to a devilish beam. “Yeah, I can understand that. There are some pretty nasty things that get published in here.”

“I'm glad you agree with me.”

“I mean seriously, did you see that one on the bottom there?” I jump out of my seat and slide in next to my sister. “'Three stallions found dead in Manehatten. Murder victims Emerald Ruby, Gold Cane, and Penny Pincher were found ripped shreds in their private apartment downtown'.”

She chuckled nervously. “Now see, this is the kind of story I don't want you reading. So I'm just going to put this away and-”

“'The victims fell prey to a currently unidentified assailant who attacked them in an animalistic manner. Flesh was stripped away and bones were removed. One victim died after having his tongue ripped out, and several internal organs were also missing from the bodies. 'There were barely even corpses left for us to find.' Guard Captain Stone Crusher commented'.”

Rarity's expression is beginning to twist in disgust, and she puts a hoof to her mouth. “Okay, Sweetie I think you've read enough.”

She gets up taking the paper out of my reach, but I continue to list off details. “There was more, too. Something about the murderer being young and crazed, oh and that reminds me. What does it mean if the killer is a possible cannibal and necrophiliac?”

My sister's body stiffens and comes to a halt. Her head starts to tilt in odd directions and her face turns a pale green. She struggles to hold it in for a few more seconds before realizing it's a lost cause. She races to the sink, and manages to thrust her head in just before she vomits.

I almost die laughing. Shortly after wiping the tears from my eyes, and Rarity finishes expelling her barely digested breakfast, she turns to me with a sickly voice. “Sweetie Belle, if I see you reading that paper again you are grounded!” She groans out again. Despite her best efforts she still got some on her, and shudders at the sight. “Ugh, now I'll have to take a shower to get this disgusting bile off me. Sweetie, do be a dear and clean up for me.”

“Sure thing sis.”

I hear her moan one last time before walking out of the room. I continue laughing long after she leaves. I'm still chuckling to myself by the time I finish cleaning. With the preparatory steps done it's now time for the final ritual of the morning.

Number 4: Go to school

I trod upstairs and back into my room. Grabbing my saddle bags from the corner, I load it up with all my books, pencils, and supplies. There's a slight bulge in the bags once I'm done, but I hardly feel the weight as I slide them on. Demonic strength has always been a favorite perk of mine. With vigor for the day I make my way to the door, when I stop at the sound of a familiar sound. Running water hitting tile, and an angelic voice humming a blissful tune. Rarity's shower voice can be heard clearly through the walls.

I look to the direction it comes from, and sigh. Come on Sweetie Belle, you promised yourself you weren't going to do that anymore. I clamp my hooves down over my ears, but the voice of my sister is stuck in my head like some annoying children's song. My resolve lasts for another few seconds, before I finally cave and give in to temptation.

My head hits the floor I droop it so low. Weakly taking off the saddle bags I trudge over to my bed and climb on top of the covers. I prop up several pillows and lay my head down to face the opposing wall. With a deeply anguished sigh, I pull up my demonic power once more. My bright filly eyes fade away, replaced by dark, lizard-like ones with slits for irises. The wall I look towards begins to go transparent, allowing me to see straight through it. My sister is standing up on two hooves in the shower, rubbing the soapy water all over herself.

I feel the blood run to my cheeks. I push my fore hoof down in between my legs and release a guilty moan. I'll admit, there are moments in my life when being a demon has its perks. Being able to lift heavy objects and manipulate the minds of others has always been sort of cool, but then there's moments like these that just make me ashamed.

I've always been able to limit my need for violence. Even when I do slip up I always try to seek out somepony deserving of such a fate. But try as I might, I've never been able to control my lust. If there's a situation that even remotely promises sexual release for me, I can't help but give in. It's truly like I'm a foal left alone with a jar of cookies, you can't expect me to behave.

Even now I only feel slightly guilty about getting off to my own sister. Well, okay, so technically she's my half-sister, but it's still pretty fucked up. My senses however know neither etiquette nor taboo.

Rarity runs a hoof full of shampoo through her long wet mane, the smooth strands of hair brushing against her well kempt coat. The sight numbs my sense of morality and drives me further into lust. I release short quiet breaths in rhythm with my stroking. My legs tense up and sweat forms on the rim of my forehead. Pressure builds up within me, like a balloon ready to burst. I shudder as the heat between my legs increases, and then moan as I get nearer to a climax. My voice squeaks a little when I cum. Pure liquid bliss runs down my thighs, and my body ascends into a temporary nirvana.

My breath is heavy when it's over. I relax for a moment, allowing myself time to recover while I wipe off the mess. While I dispose of the evidence, I notice a clock on the wall and realize a troubling fact.

“I'm late for school!”

Fuck me and my perverted habits! In a panicked frenzy I leap out of bed and grab my saddle bags. I'll never get there in time if I go on hoof; luckily I have a back plan for situations just like this.

I peek out my bedroom door and shout. “Rarity, I'm leaving for school! Running late, gotta run! Bye!”

If she replied I didn't hear her, because I'm now running for my closet. I enter and shut the door behind me, making sure no one is in my room. Then I turn to a ring of candles I have sprawled out on the floor. I stand in the center, and concentrating my energy I stomp my hoof on the ground. In a bright flash of red they blaze to life. I sit down, and without hesitation, put my hoof in my mouth and bite down hard. Droplets of blood fall to the floor, igniting the etching I inscribed into it long ago, which forms a perfect inverted pentagram within the candle circle. Then I close my eyes and rub my hooves against each other. My mind goes blank and I slip into a deep trance. I concentrate on the school house, picturing the building and the area around it too the best of my abilities. My soul falls loose. I feel a sensation like the room is spinning, and I'm moving at rapid speeds. It lasts for a few moments, and then it comes to a violent stop. I open my eyes again, blinking at the bright morning sunlight.

I stand up, now just a short walk away from the school house. I look around to make sure no one is watching, and then gather up the black candles that came with me, incase I need them again.

My mind jumps when I hear the school bell ring. I rush to get to class. When I enter in Cheerilee is already at the front, drawing math equations on the chalkboard.

I stutter an excuse. “Sorry I'm late Miss Cheerilee, I got...caught up in something else on my way here.”

Thankfully, she's been known to be lenient on late students, if they haven't made a habit out of it. “That's alright Sweetie Belle, we were just getting started anyway. Take your seat.”

I smile nervously and then walk to my desk, only to see my usual spot next to my friends taken by some nerdy looking earth pony with a frizzled red mane. Her eyes are magnified by her large round glasses when she looks at me. “Oh, I'm sorry, am I in your spot?”

I notice Applebloom giving me an apologetic face. Not wanting to be rude, I smile back at her friend in response. “That's okay, I can sit somewhere else.”

Of course it's only after I say this that I notice where the last open desk is. Right between Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon. Again, and I mean it this time, fuck me! My chest deflates and I trudge over to my seat, ignoring the two wolves leering at me on both sides.

Cheerilee starts drawing equations on the board again. The second she turns her back it begins. Diamond Tiara is at my ear, her voice hissing like a snake. “Welcome to the back row, blank flank. We're so happy to have you here.”

Her accomplice is quick to parrot her every action. “Yeah, we're so used to seeing cutie marks on everyone here that we sometimes forget what a blank flank even looks like.”

They snicker to themselves and I only give a disgruntled glance to validate the comment. “It's like an alien almost,” Tiara continues, “If it were any more blank I could probably see my face in it.”

Usually I try to be a good girl and ignore snide remarks like that, but the opportunity here is just too much. I snort out a laugh, trying my best not to be heard by Cheerilee.

“What are you laughing about, blank flank?” Diamond Tiara chides.

“Oh nothing,” I state. “It just seems odd to me how both of you are paying so much attention to my butt right now. Is there something down there you like?”

The blush that creeps on to their faces is priceless. I have to burry my face in the desk to muffle the laugh.

“I...we never-you-we didn't mean...” Diamond Tiara fumes for a few seconds before spitting out. “Only a dumb blank flank like you would ever think of something like that.”

“Hey, I'm not the one ogling another filly's bum.”

“We were just pointing out how far behind you are with everyone else. I almost feel sorry for you, having to walk around with nothing to show like a toddler. Well, almost anyway.” She grins maliciously at me.

“Now you see, comments like that is why it's so easy for me to turn your words into something perverted. Don't get me wrong though, I actually do like your cutie mark, all three of them.”

“Three? What?”

“Oh I'm sorry, are those two marks on your face a bruise?” Diamond Tiara gingerly reaches her hoof to the two spots beneath her eyes that were drowning in make-up. Anypony else might have been fooled, but not me.

Enhanced vision. Yet another perk of being a demon.

“Don't be so embarrassed Tiara. It's not like your daddy got angry and slapped you upside the head is it?”

Her faces freezes like a pale statue, and her entire body goes stiff. She looks at me as if I had just made a cutie mark pop up on me out of thin air. I smile and raise my eyebrows mockingly; I love doing that to ponies.

Her shock quickly melts into anger. “You...you shut up about my dad you stupid blank flank. I should slug you for saying something like that.”

Our eyes lock: mine filled with smugness, hers burning with hatred. I stand my ground in this mental battle for almost a minute, completely oblivious to what's happening around me.

“Girls!” Cheerilee's sharp voice snaps me from my trance. “Do I need to have the three of you stay after class?”

“No, Miss Cheerilee,” I say in unison with Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon.

“Then pay attention.”

She returns to the chalkboard and the rest of the class goes by uneventful. Unlike many foals my age, I actually sort of enjoy school. Each subject we study manages to keep my interest in some way or another. Math is hard, but it's the kind of challenge I like. Science is more my style and I breeze through that. Language is a stumbling block, but I can get over it. Then there's history, my favorite subject, which I eat up like reading a good book. Once we finish everything though, it feels like class had gone by quicker for some reason.

Cheerilee steps in front of us. “Okay kids, now we still have about fifteen minutes before school is out, and I have something special planned for today. As you know, this is our last day before Nightmare Night. So I thought it would be fun to have a spooky subject matter for me to give a lesson on. It could be anything any of you want to hear about, as long as it's dark, creepy, or just plain scary. Don't be shy now, give me any suggestions you have.”

“Oh, oh, werewolves, werewolves!” I hear one student blurt. “Werewolves are always awesome!”

“But I wanted to hear about those cockatrices we had in the forest!”

Applebloom laughs. “If you want to hear about that then me and my friends could tell you a mouth full. Besides I've always wanted to hear about dragons.”

“Dragons are stupid, we should have one on Cyclopses instead!”

Cheerilee looks up at the clock. “Foals, we only have a little time for me to give this lesson.”

“Hey, hey, I've got one!” Scootaloo proclaims. “How about a lesson on Tartarus.”

That gets everyone's attention, mine especially. “Yeah, that sounds awesome!”

“It'll totally fit the Nightmare Night spirit. Lets go with that one, Miss Cheerilee.”

I hold my breath to keep myself from laughing. Our teacher is clearly not comfortable talking about that subject matter. “Um, I know I said we were going to do something dark, but maybe Tartarus is a bit too much class.”

Groans of disappointment flood the air. “Oh, come on, Miss Cheerilee! This might be the only one all of us will agree on.”

“Yeah, and it's not like some of us weren't already going to dress as demons for Nightmare Night.”

I view all my classmates egging the teacher on and decide that all that's needed is a little nudge to get her to break. I start it at first, but I'm soon joined by the entire class in my chant “Tartarus! Tartarus! Tartarus! Tartarus! Tartarus! Tartarus! Tartarus!”

“Okay, okay!” Cheerilee decrees, attempting to remain calm. “Just settle down and I'll give the lecture.”

Cheers erupt in the classroom, and I see Cheerilee move to a bookshelf in the back. She scans the contents for one moment and then smiles as she pulls out the correct book, 'A Reference Guide to Monsters, Demons, and Other Terrors.' She places the book down on her desk and flips through the pages until she finds the right spot. “Now, not too much is known for certain about the Tartarus, but we do have a rough history and the names of the most powerful demons who run the underworld. How about we all gather in closer so you can all see the pictures in this book.”

No one argues with that. We all get up from our desks and form a group around Cheerilee at the front of the class. She pulls up a stool to sit on and begins to read.

“Now as you know, Tartarus has been here for a long, long time. It was here before ponies or even the princesses existed. The majority of the tales we have on its creation and purpose, have to do with its involvement in a war waged on an ancient race, countless ages ago.”

“What was the ancient race?” one student asks.

“Not much is known about them. Just the fact that for some reason these creatures angered the forces of Tartarus enough that they would fight a war just to try and destroy them entirely. However, the stories of this war say that there was another force of equal power fighting to protect this race, simply called the forces of Paradise. So for thousands of years these two groups fought over this race, fighting in endless battle to secure their fates.”

Cheerilee turns the book towards us, showing us a painting of a full force of creatures -Some feathered winged and beautiful, some bat winged and monstrous- battling each other to the death. My eyes are drawn to the demonic figures in particular, a possible ancestor?

“So what happened with this war?” somepony asks.

“Again no one is sure exactly, but it's believed that Tartarus wound up losing. The nightmarish forces were fended off, and the remaining members of the race were able to escape into the Paradise realm. Some believe the race still exists, living on in that mythical realm to this day.”

She shows us another picture, This one of an army of hellish legions being driven back by some divine white light. I fiddle with my hooves and can't help but wonder if I'm the only one in the class who's cringing at the image.

“After the war was over the inhabitants of Paradise seemed to lose interest in the affairs of Tartarus, and neither did they care about the world which they had spent so long fighting in. The land was left devoid of its former inhabitants, the ancient race's towns and cities were left to fade away, and Tartarus was left to rage against their victorious enemies.”

“But the land didn't stay empty forever, right?”

“Yes, that's true. Because after the lost race was gone there were still many animals and other creatures that were left behind to continue living and evolving, and it was these animals who became our ancestors.”

“Of course, while Paradise was fine with never coming back to this world again, Tartarus remains fairly active within it. While believed to be no where near as dangerous as it was during the war, there are still times when the demons of the underworld crawl out to wreck havoc on Equestria.”

Cheerilee shows another picture of a legion of monstrous figures emerging from a maelstrom of flames and brimstone. I witness every foal in the room shudder, all I want to do is laugh. While I can't say that I've ever broken out of hell, from what I've heard, it's no where near that easy.

“These violent creatures are known as some of the most evil beings in existence, and are thought to be completely incapable of any good.” Fuck you, too, Cheerilee. “They range from their weakest versions, such as the Harpies and Gargoyles, to the more feared Doppelgangers and Soul Eaters. The most famous demons of course, are the ones who rule Tartarus, known as the Seven Crown Princess of Hell.”

“Wait, I thought Satan was the one who ruled hell.”

“That's a common misconception.” Cheerilee explains. “Satan is not an individual like some believe, rather a title that is given to the rulers of hell. In some texts it's believed to mean 'adversary' or 'enemy', which is why it's still commonly used to refer to the rulers today. In fact, they are sometimes referred to as the Seven Satans."

She flips through the pages again, finding images of each one of the rulers. "These seven rulers are known as Lucifer, The Prince of Pride. Mammon, The Prince of Greed. Leviathan, The Prince of Envy. Beelzebub, The Prince of Gluttony. Astaroth, The Prince of Sloth. And then finally Abaddon, the Prince of wrath, and who is believed to be the most powerful of all the rulers. These seven devils are basically the same thing to the demons of Tartarus, that the Princesses are to the citizens of Equestria. Unlike our Princesses though, they rule to bring absolute chaos and misery to the world. And so that is what we know on Tartarus young foals. Now, we do have a bit of time left, so are there any questions anypony has to ask?"

I raise my hoof.

"Yes, Sweetie Belle?"

"You missed one."

"Pardon?"

"One of the Princes. You said there were seven right? I only counted six."

Her face twists with discomfort. "Um, yes, good of you for noticing Sweetie Belle," she flips through the book again until she finds the page. "Here he is, Asmodeus, the final Prince of Hell. Now any other questions?"

"Wait, what's he the prince of? Every other demon was the prince of some sin or evil, what does he rule over?"

Miss Cheerilee laughs nervously. "He is the Prince of...Deceit. Lies, falsehoods, and things like that. Anything else?"

My jaw is hanging wide open. If Asmodeus is the Prince of Deceit then Miss Cheerilee should be his right hand mare. In all honesty, I wouldn't even care that she's lying if it wasn't for the fact that she was lying about this demon. Out of all the demons she could've neglected, why Asmodeus? My head is filling with steam and I can only barely stop it from whistling out my mouth. I'm tempted to throw it in her face, tempted to rat her out in front of everypony. There's nothing I'd want more than to shout out-

"Actually, he is the Crown Prince of Lust."

I fall into a stupor when I trace those words to the speaker. It's that same pony who took my seat earlier. She's raising her hoof up and smiling innocently at Cheerilee. "Asmodeus is the Prince of Lust Miss Cheerilee, not deceit. I don't even think there is a Crown Prince of deceit."

Is it bad that I'm enjoying watching my teacher squirm? Probably, but I don't care.

"Is he now? Well, I'm sorry, that was my mistake. Somepony must have told me...well, it doesn't matter. Any other questions?" Instantly another hoof goes into the air. "Yes, Button Mash?"

"What's lust exactly?"

Now I feel bad for her. She's backed into a corner and almost trembling as she tries to find a way to explain it. “Um, well, lust...lust is...well...”

“It's a twisted form of love.” All eyes turn to me. I sweat up a bit under their gaze. “I-It's basically love that only focuses on outward appearance. You know how special someponies are supposed to love each other for who they are? Well lust is just loving somepony for what they look like. Not caring for what they are inside.”

Cheerilee's face is slack jawed to say the least. “That's...that's actually a very good way to describe it, Sweetie Belle.”

“But I don't get it, what's so bad about liking somepony who's beautiful. Isn't that what most ponies do when they first meet someone?”

“Yes, but it goes beyond that,” I continue. “Unlike love, lust doesn't last. So if somepony starts seeing someone when they're in lust with them, the other pony could fall in love with them. And then when the lust leaves that pony they basically just lose interest in their partner, and that other pony is left heartbroken. It's how a lot of bad relationships get started.”

Cheerilee is again surprised, but I think I'm impressing her. “That is one way lust can be bad, very good example Swee-”

“One way? So there's others?”

“Yeah, sometimes the same situation can be done in reverse. Have you ever heard of those demons who lure stallions away with their beauty and charm, before ripping them apart? Lust is a major factor in that, as well.”

“That's pretty stupid,” Diamond Tiara chided. “Being led to your own death just because you like a mare. How dumb can some stallions be anyway?”

“Well there's a lot more to lust than that...it's just...” I rub my hoof against the back of my neck. “Well...how many here know where babies actually come from?”

“And would you look at that, we're out of time!” Cheerilee interrupted, slamming the book shut. “I hope you all enjoyed that special lesson today, fillies and colts! And remember, have a safe and fun Nightmare Night.”

She's practically forcing us all out the door by the time we gather up our things. I can see a scolding glare in her eyes when she looks at me, I just shoot back a sheepish smile. Once I leave the school house I catch up with my friends who are waving me on from the path.

“Sorry about givin' your seat away like that, Sweetie Belle. It's just… you weren't there and Twist is an old friend of mine. I couldn't say no to her.”

“It's all right Applebloom, it's just a seat. So what if I had to sit between Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon?” They both cringe at that reminder, but they seem to calm down when I giggle it off, “Don't worry, if anything I think I did more damage to them than they did to me.”

That gets them to smile, Applebloom especially. “Good, I hope you showed those meanies that we Cutie Mark Crusaders don't get hurt easily.”

I chuckle at the memory. “Believe me, I did.”

“Yeah, yeah, whatever,” Scootaloo says. “How about less focusing on dumb bratty ponies and more focusing on getting our cutie marks!”

“Yeah! I have a great idea that's sure to get us our Cutie Marks! Come on, there's a place just outside the town we can do it at.”

“Alright lets go! Coming Sweetie Belle?”

“Uh, yeah, coming,” I mumble.

I keep pace with my friends if at a downtrodden beat. We arrive at the edge of town, just a few trots away from the Apple farm. “Alright Applebloom, so what's this idea you have for getting our cutie marks?”

“Well, look around you! Isn't it obvious?”

Scootaloo and I scan the area: we're in a wide open field outside of Ponyville, almost empty and devoid of any landmarks, with tall grass swaying in the wind. “Um, Cutie Mark Crusaders... Lawn Mowers?”

“What? No, Cutie Mark Crusader Cartographers!” she proclaims, yanking out several pens and sheets of paper from her saddle bag.

Scootaloo looks at her with cocked eyes. “Cartodo... cartogro... car, what?”

“Twilight told me about it a little while ago. Cartographers are ponies who draw maps of mysterious and unexplored places. It's perfect for us.”

This time I join Scootaloo in giving her a half-baked look. “It's a good idea, except for the fact that there's no where in Ponyville that's ‘mysterious and unexplored’.”

“True, but there are places that don't have maps, including these here fields. I checked it out, there's not a single map of these plains no where in the library. We've just got to scout around and draw what we see.”

Scootaloo rolls her eyes. “Honestly Applebloom, this sounds kind of boring.”

Applebloom narrows her eyes. “Oh? and what ideas do you have, Miss Smarty Pony?”

“Well, I thought we could-”

“And don't say nothing about that bungee jumping business either. We tried that, it didn't work.”

“I wasn't going to say anything about that!”

“Then what were you going to say?”

Silence rings out like an off-key note. Scootaloo stares blankly at us for a moment, and then responds. “Okay look, if we just shorten the rope this time around I'm sure things will go off much-”

“We're doing my idea!”

“Who put you in charge anyway?”

“Uh, girls?” My meek attempt at calming them down goes unheard. They continue to argue loudly and I'm left out and alone. I sigh, the weight in my lungs forcing the breath out of me. With nothing to do I sit on my haunches and listen to the immature dialogue. My friends don't fight often, but when they do, they can say some pretty nasty things. Well, nasty by kid's standards anyway. Don't get me wrong though, I love my friends. Not in the love love demonic pervert sort of way; but in the close, tight-knit, best friends I've ever had sort of way. That said, Luna fucking damnit they can be annoying sometimes.

I'm almost ready to just fall asleep listening to this, when suddenly something else catches my attention: it's an old sense, one I had almost forgotten I even had. Something all demons share, an inborn ability to detect another demon wherever they may be, and right now, there's one closing in right behind us.

I turn around and look to the skies in bewilderment. How could there be a demon in Ponyville? This place is way too far away from Tartarus to be in immediate danger, and its small population keeps it from being of any interest to demons who feed off of the sins of others.

Yet as the creature gets closer, not only do I realize that it's a full blooded demon, but a very powerful one, too. I've never felt this kind of energy before, it's unreal.

I suddenly remember I need to breath, taking deep, gulping breaths into my sweating jaw line.

“You just can't admit that I have a good idea and you don't!” Applebloom shouted.

Scootaloo shouts back, “I could've thought this up in my sleep if I wanted to!”

“Girls,” I call quietly.

“You know, it's this kind of attitude that's probably keeping us from getting our cutie marks in the first place. If we spent half as much time crusading as we did arguing we'd be sporting cutie marks yesterday!”

“Girls!” I say more urgently. My breath is becoming short, and my knees are starting wobble.

“Oh please, like that stupid gardening idea was gonna get us anything. This is exactly why we should go with my-”

“Girls!!!”

The two throw dirty looks my way. “What!”

I point a hoof to the sky and there it is. Some massive creature speeding across the skyline on wings of pure hellfire. The anger instantly fades from Applebloom and Scootaloo's faces, replaced by dawning horror. It flies up high, not to far away from us, and floats in mid air. We stare, trying to figure out what it's doing, when it suddenly shrieks out an ungodly wail. It's like every tortured soul in Tartarus has risen from the grave to scream in agony. I clamp my hooves to my ears and I see my friends do the same. I can literally feel the vibration in my eardrums.

When the scream subsides, I see the monster glow with demonic force, until it's shining like a bright day time star. Then it outstretches its wings, and rockets off into the distance with a single flap, causing an explosion of energy to ripple out behind it.

We can only stare petrified at the approaching shockwave of demonic power, and we scream when it makes contact, sweeping us away in a torrent of energy and force.