DemonGate Ponies JCroe

As this is logistics, you don't need to read it. It may help understand the Alternate Universe, but it isn't required.
Logistics and stuff

Very quick disclaimer: I obviously in no way own My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, nor do I own any rights to the Demongate High setting I use here. MLP:FiM is owned by Hasbro, and Demongate High is owned by Sean Boyle as part of the Paragon Universal Roleplaying Game system. Also referenced may be LUCID: Dreamscape Reality, Perfect Horizon 216X, Infinite Vector, Embers of Pyre, and Darkbolt, all owned by Sean Boyle and used in reference to the Paragon Universal Roleplaying Game system.

Characters and their Power Types (Ponified Demongate High Canon characters will receive a pony race)

Twilight Sparkle: ESPer (Twilight’s versatility makes ESPer the only possible power type able to encompass it all, and with the Foundation’s prohibition on Demonic Magic, she would be unable to access her natural talents normally, thus raising her ability to utilize ESP, TK, and various other powerful talents.)

Pinkie Pie: Petitioner (An interesting choice, Pinkie would have to be a petitioner because of her incredible force of personality, allowing her to more easily reach out to extradimensional beings. I chose Petitioner over Summoner because her “Pinkie Sense” is really close to a Guardian Angel.)

Applejack: Spirit Energist (This one was easy: AJ would just be so badass shooting blasts of energy out of her hooves. She’s also incredibly resolute, making her perfect for the Spirit Energist role.)

Rarity: Artificer (Simply put, Rarity makes things, so she has to be good with her hands… hooves… whatever. She makes stuff, so why not have her make magical stuff? That’s exactly what the Artificer does. Wards, Talismans, Circles, Rarity would probably be quite adept at making them.)

Rainbow Dash: Half-Demon (This makes a lot more sense when you take various factors into account, such as RD’s unnatural trait of natural rainbow hair, and the fact that she’s normally at least twice as fast as any other Pegasus, let alone anyone else.)

Fluttershy: Shaman (Due to Fluttershy’s interesting connection to animals, I decided she would be a good choice as a Shaman, one who calls upon various animal spirits to aid her. Her primary Spirit Projection would obviously be Angel.)

Zecora: Mystic (If you can’t make the connection automatically, Celestia help you)

Vinyl Scratch: Songstrel

Octavia: Songstrel (She and Scratch should be absolutely obvious. These two are, in fact roommates, working together on various projects.)

Staff (Instructors, Faculty), Including a brief description so people aren’t confuzzled.

Lucien DeLefeu: Unicorn Artificer, Headmaster

Alexander Stilling: Earth Pony Summoner

DeVille: Unicorn Breath Stealer

Matthew Chadwick: Earth Pony Inheritor

Miranda Chadwick: Unicorn Artificer

Hanna Darrington: Earth Pony ESPer

Shenbo Chen: Earth Pony Inheritor

Mandara Darjiling: Zebra Seer

Robert Delgato: Pegasus Half-Demon

Bernd Gottschalk: Earth Pony Holy Chosen

Patrick “Foxtail” Heffernen: Earth Pony Half-Demon

Niles Standinger: Earth Pony Petitioner

Notes on Ponies in the Paragon System

Earth Ponies represent the status quo, normal “people,” thus they need not spend any background points to be what they are. However, since they receive no special powers like flight or magic, they can gain a stat adjustment of +2 to EITHER Strength or Resolve. Zebras count as Earth Ponies for all intents and purposes.

Unicorns are magically talented, so they may either gain Spark of Magic or Spellgift as the Half-Demon ability inherently, allowing them access to either the full range of magic or the ability to do something special without ever needing to train it extensively. They have a small level of telekinetic power, with an effective rating of 3 in the ESPer skill Telekinesis. Unicorns also have a slightly larger margin of intellect on average, so they receive a +2 stat adjustment to EITHER Reason or Knowledge. Unicorn is a 1-point Background.

Pegasi obviously have wings, gaining 2 additional limbs and flight, as the Half-Demon powers, as well as an inherent +1 Base speed. They effectively have Unlimited for Endurance, Reflexes, and Coordination, as well as receiving a +2 stat adjustment to ONE of those three. Pegasus is a 2-point Background.

Each pony also has a special talent, taken at character creation, which effectively mimics the Talent background without the need to spend a background point on it. There are, however, some backgrounds that can change this.

Mark of Aptitude (1-2 BGP) Rather than mimicking Talent for a single skill, a pony with the Mark of Aptitude has a Cutie Mark granting them Aptitude in a skill category. CMB, ESP, and Power Categories cost 2, all others cost 1.

Blank Flank (-1 BGP) A pony with a blank flank has not yet discovered their talent at the time of creation. This can cause some hostility between the blank flank and those who are all discovering their cutie marks around them. This can basically be bought off by purchasing any Talent or Aptitude background.

Ambiguous Cutie Mark (-2 BGP) A pony with Ambiguous Cutie Mark has received their mark, but their special talent is rather ambiguous. While the mark may be distinct, it seems to have no meaning, thus negating any possibility of having a talent in any skill.

Specialized Cutie Mark (1 BGP) Specialized cutie marks represent an individual whose talent lies in a very specific use of a skill, for example baking pastries or making candy, receiving +4 in those specialized checks, but not in any other uses of the skill.

Special Note on Ponies in Demongate High

Each pony type is genetically predisposed to a list of power types, though this in no way binds a character into choosing one of those powers or needing a specific pony to get the desired power.

Earth Pony: Spirit Hunter, Soul Wielder, Summoner, Petitioner, Holy Chosen

Zebra: Mystic, Shaman

Unicorn: Artificer, Alchemist, Songstrel, ESPer, Seer

Pegasus: Half-Demon, True Martial Artist, Breath Stealer, Inheritor, Demon Artist

For some reason, Pegasi seem more in tune with the demonic side of the scale, while Earth Ponies lie more on the holy side, with Unicorns right in the center. Obviously this does not prevent Half-Demon Earth Ponies or Holy Chosen Pegasi.

In any case, now that we’re done with logistics, we can get on with the actual story. Please enjoy. If you like it, you can see more details of the setting at www.tremorworks.com

Prologue: The Assignment

Celestia looked down at the aged unicorn with some level of disdain. “Why in Equestria should I let you take her to this school? She’s getting a perfect education as my student.”

DeLefeu bowed respectfully to the princess before even attempting to make his case. His long years had taught him that any immortal would be far too powerful to even think about disrespecting. “Princess, I know you have ruled for quite some time. I recognize that you are far wiser and more knowledgeable than any teacher we have at our school, but your student is… different.”

“You think I don’t know this? Mr. DeLefeu, she hatched the Dragon Egg. That’s supposed to be an impossible task. Her magic is more powerful than anything I’ve seen since Starswirl.”

“Princess I’m sure that it’s more than just magic. And believe me when I say I know her magic is powerful. I’ve been informed by my Seers. However, the Foundation has also seen a spark of a different kind residing in her. We believe she is a very rare instance: one who carries the sparks of both magic and ESP.”

“ESP, you say? This is something I’ve never heard of. How long has your Foundation been in existence, hiding things like this from me?” She leaned closer to the comparably small unicorn, much to the chagrin of her guards.

“The Demongate Foundation has existed since before you took the throne. Virtually nopony except those with powers are admitted. It’s something our order has regretted not bringing to your attention for so long. However, with you so inextricably linked to one with this magnitude and class of power, we were unable to hide from you any longer.” DeLefeu backed away a step.

“What happens if I say no?” Celestia glared at DeLefeu.

“Should you refuse, we will attempt other methods of persuasion. This is standard procedure for the Foundation.” The guards stepped forward, snarling. DeLefeu turned and looked harshly at one of the guards. “Peaceful methods.” He turned back to Celestia. “At least at first. The Foundation is not known for having infinite patience, nor do they enjoy being denied something, not even from a major world power. Your student is one of the greatest assets within the reach of the Foundation. She is incredibly powerful. She simply needs more balanced training. I will allow her to return to magic school over summer. Shouldn’t be a problem because we already know she is incredibly quick to learn new things. However, ESPer training is also necessary.”

Celestia stood quietly for a moment. “Alright, I’ll allow this. You can take her to this school of yours and train her.”
DeLefeu smiled wryly. “Thank you, Princess. I’m sure you, and she, won’t be disappointed.”

----

“Twilight? Are you there?” Celestia called, knocking gently on her faithful student’s door.

“Oh, yes, Princess. I’m here,” Twilight called out. Celestia opened the door and entered, seeing her ever-studious disciple pouring over a book. “I’ve been doing a bit of light research on Teleportation and I think I can get the spell down by later tonight.” She used her magic to place a bookmark, close the book, and place it in a small stack on her desk. She looked up at the princess. “What can I do for you?”

“I’m afraid I have some… mildly bad news for you,” Celestia began. Twilight’s face contorted in near-abject terror. “Don’t worry, you didn’t fail at anything and you’ve been keeping all your appointments.” Celestia chuckled a bit. This girl was a bit of a handful when not properly dealt with. Being an exceptional student, she was always timely and efficient, but sometimes she was a little too preoccupied with being on time. “I’m sorry, but you’ll be leaving Canterlot Academy next week to be sent to… a different kind of place.”

“Wh-what kind of place do you mean, Princess?” Twilight began shuddering. This did sound like expulsion, no matter how kindly the Princess phrased it.

“Well, you won’t be studying magic for a little while… Instead you’ll be studying at a place called Demongate Academy, sort of a school for young ponies with talents… beyond what might be expected. I was approached by the headmaster of the school earlier today. He wanted you to attend, seemed quite adamant about it. So, while you are leaving this place, you’ll still be at a very prestigious school. I’m just sorry I can’t go with you and continue to teach you magic.” Celestia looked over at Spike, who had grown quite a bit since Twilight miraculously hatched him.

“Are you… are you sure I have to go, Princess?” Twilight asked.

Celestia knew that Twilight loved studying here in Canterlot and being the Princess’ star pupil more than anything else, and it did pain her to force Twilight to go, but she’d made a deal with that DeLefeu. “I’m sorry, Twilight, but everything has already been set, and you are scheduled for the transport next week to get to the Island. I can’t change this now.”

Tears began welling in Twilight’s eyes. She looked up to Princess Celestia so much. She didn’t want to part with her idol. “B-but I…”

“Don’t be too sad, Twilight. You’ll be going somewhere new and exciting, and you’ll meet lots of new friends,” Celestia said with a smile. “And you’ll see me every once in a while. Now that I know about this entire Demongate thing, I need to keep a close eye on it to see what exactly it’s doing.”

Twilight looked at Celestia quizzically. “What do you mean, now that you know? Don’t you know about everything under the sun and moon in Equestria?”

Celestia sighed. “I thought I did, but this DeLefeu character comes from out of nowhere and- oh, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to trouble you with things you need not be concerned with. In any case, you’ll at least be coming back here every time you have a vacation, and I hope you bring your best back with you because you’ll have a lot of lost magic studying to make up, since you’re not allowed to do anything aside from innate magic on Demongate Island.”

Twilight looked at Celestia with dismay. “I’m…. not allowed to do magic? At all? What am I supposed to do?! I’m useless without my magic!”

“Now, Twilight, that’s not true. You’re still a wonderful filly even without your magic. And I’ve received word that you’re a very special case.” Celestia smiled and nudged Twilight. “Now go ahead and finish up your teleportation spell. Even though you won’t be able to use it much over the next few months, I’m sure you’ll still be able to find a use for it. And you should start packing. The day you leave is sooner than either of us want it to be, but you have to be completely ready.” She turned to leave the room.

Twilight ran up and brushed against Celestia’s leg. “Thank you for everything you’ve done for me, Princess. I’ll never forget the lessons you have taught me.”

An idea clicked in Celestia’s mind. “Twilight, I know you’re not allowed to use magic on the campus, but I don’t think I’m done teaching you yet. In fact, I think life will throw a few lessons your way when you reach your destination. I’d like you to catalog the things you learn, not about theory or powers or magic, but about what you learn about life, friendship, and yourself. You don’t have to be formal, but tell me everything you learn. That way, we’ll be able to stay in touch all the time, and you’ll continue to learn about what makes the magic that is you, a kind of magic that no organization can take away from you.”

“But, Princess, how will I be able to get mail to you?” Twilight asked. “You’re saying this place is on an island somewhere, and I don’t think Pegasus Mail will get that far out.”

“Oh, Twilight, you didn’t think you’d be leaving your trusty assistant Spike here, did you? Spike can send and receive messages from me at any time, you know. All he has to do to send one is shoot it with his flames, and it will always reach me, no matter where I am, no matter where you are.” Celestia rubbed Spike’s head. The baby dragon was still learning much, but he was nonetheless an intelligent creature capable of civil, if not slightly childlike conversation. He was the perfect assistant for Twilight.

“Does that mean I’m going too, Twi?” Spike asked.

Twilight nodded. “Yes, Spike. We’re going to Demongate Academy together,” she said with a smile.

Chapter 1: The Boat

The week passed far too quickly for both Twilight and Celestia. Neither wanted to part with the other, but the boat was leaving soon and Twilight had to hurry off. “I’ll see you again soon, right, Princess?”

“Of course you will, Twilight, and I’ll make sure to write you whenever I get the opportunity to do so,” Celestia said, helping Twilight with a relatively small stack of books she was taking, numbering around 20. “Also, remember my assignment for you. I especially want you to make some friends, and tell me all about them. It would be a shame if you got too homesick, going from one school to another. Don’t overextend yourself, and I’m sure everything will be fine.”

“I will, Princess. I’ll make you proud,” Twilight said with a smile.

“I know you will, my faithful student, Twilight Sparkle.” Celestia turned away, trying to hide a tear. “You’ll be amazing. Now go on, you have a ship to catch,” she said, walking away slowly.

Twilight looked ahead at the airship that would be taking her to her destination. It was bigger than any airship Twilight had ever seen before, even larger than the transports that took ponies between the continents. She saw ponies dragging huge boxes of cargo onto the airship. Apparently this Demongate Island was too small to support itself without consistent shipments from the mainland. She took a breath and stepped forward toward the airship. Spike hopped up on her back.

“Isn’t this gonna be so cool, Twi? I mean, so many ponies are going to be there. We’ll have lots of opportunities for making friends.” He smiled and laughed happily.

“Right, making friends,” Twilight said gloomily. Being such a bookworm really did have a poor impact on her social life. Even at Canterlot Academy, she had never really made friends with anypony. She could easily predict that this would be the single most difficult task Princess Celestia had ever given her. She laughed hollowly. Steeling her nerves, she strode forward to the airship, full of determination.

-----

That feeling of determination Twilight had felt dissipated very soon after the airship took off. Despite being a rather smooth ride, Twilight rather quickly discovered her stomach had quite an aversion to air travel. Spike had left to go find some help for Twilight when a bespectacled young earth pony mare with a deep orange mane and a cream-colored coat trotted over to her.

“You don’t look so good,” the ginger earth pony said sympathetically.

“Don’t feel so good,” Twilight groaned. “Can I help you with something?”

The other pony stepped closer. “Actually I heard about you from your dragon friend. He’s really concerned about you. Seems like a good friend,” she said with a smile. “Anyway, I wanted to see if I could do something to help you. If you don’t mind, that is.”

“No, by all means, if you want to help me, I’d be glad to accept your assistance.” Twilight smiled at this new arrival. Maybe making friends would be easier than she had thought.

The earth pony stepped over and placed a hoof on Twilight’s back, pressing gently. “Geez, you’re incredibly tense. Looks like somepony needs to loosen up a bit,” she said, continuing to apply pressure. After a certain point, something snapped in Twilight’s back. She yelped, startled, jumping up off the floor. “Are you alright?” the earth pony asked as Twilight crashed under the influence of gravity.

Twilight stood and brushed herself off, then paused for a moment. “Yeah, I’m… I’m absolutely fine. That even got rid of my airsickness! That’s incredible!”

The earth pony smiled gently. “It’s amazing what a little pressure can do to your body. It can cause all sorts of things to go crazy, but just the right amount in the right spot will fix it all. You can’t let your body rack up too much tension or it’ll lash out like that.”

“Wow, you sure know a lot about this kind of thing. So… ummm…. Thanks,” Twilight began, slightly unsure as to how to proceed. “I’m Twilight Sparkle.”

“I’m Ginger Snap,” she said with a smile. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Twilight Sparkle.” Ginger trotted over and settled next to Twilight. “I’m actually surprised you’re taking my presence so well. A lot of people get really scared when I’m around, so I don’t have that many friends.”

“Really? Why would anypony be scared of a kind and pretty pony like you?” Twilight asked, confused.

“You see, I’m going to Demongate Academy because I’m what is called a breath stealer. I can forcibly take spirit energy as well as powers from people. Almost everypony is… scared by that.” She looked rather downtrodden.

“I’m not afraid of you. Even if you have this power, you’re still kind. You helped me entirely out of generosity. If anything, I’m indebted to you.”

“Most people aren’t that forgiving once they see this,” she said, baring her teeth. They were long and sharp, very predatory-looking. “Even I admit I occasionally scare myself when I look in the mirror.” She pushed her glasses up as they slid down her nose.

“I can’t judge you for what you look like. Besides, I’m pretty sure you’re not the only one coming into this school that has something unnatural about their appearance. Heck, I saw a pegasus earlier with a rainbow-colored mane and tail. Pretty sure that doesn’t qualify as exactly normal.” Twilight chuckled a bit, trying to make Ginger feel a bit better.

“Yeah, you’re right about that,” Ginger said with a giggle. “I mean, it’s a school called Demongate Academy. I don’t think most ponies on this airship would qualify as normal. Speaking of that, what kind of power do you have?”

“Well, the Princess told me I’m an ESPer,” she began. “I did a little research and—“

“Did you say the Princess?” Ginger asked incredulously, hopping up as quickly as she could. “THE Princess Celestia? What exactly are you to be told about your power by the Princess of the Sun herself?”

“I’m her pupil. She’s been teaching me magic for the past couple years.” Twilight shrugged, but immediately regretted it. She often took for granted the relationship she had with the Princess. Not many ponies ever got as close to her as Twilight had. “S-sorry. I guess that qualifies as not really normal, right?” She laughed hollowly.

“Oh… umm, sorry. I kinda freaked out there. That wasn’t very cool of me. But that is pretty impressive. I’m a little envious of you, getting to be with the Princess all the time. I interrupted you, sorry. Go ahead.”

“Actually, it’s probably a good thing you stopped me. I had done some research into what exactly being an ESPer was, but if I started talking I would bore you with the details for hours, bookworm that I am.” Twilight giggled a bit.

“We have plenty of time. Our destination is still quite a way away, so go ahead and tell me everything you’ve learned about ESPers. I might need to know this someday, if I end up stealing ESPer powers from somepony,” Ginger said, grinning.

“Well, alright. Here goes….” Twilight began telling Ginger everything she had learned from her ‘brief study’ of ESPers and what they could do, from the tell-tale extra-sensory perception to combustion to the multitude of kinesis types to teleportation, as well as the myriad of other abilities ESPers were thought to be capable of.

“So basically, ESPer powers imitate magic on a small scale, right?” Ginger said to summarize what she took from Twilight’s hour-long speech. “They don’t have access to a near infinite number of spells, but they can do practically anything a mage could do.”

“Precisely,” Twilight said. “Although, I would much rather just use magic, but that’s apparently against Foundation protocol.”

“I’ve heard this Foundation mentioned a lot, but I know next to nothing about it. What do you know about them?”

“Actually, nothing except what we’ve been told about them. Pouring through mountains of history books got me two mentions of it and no description whatsoever and I’d be willing to bet they have a contract in place that prevents anyone involved from telling anypony about it.”

“The more I hear about this Demongate Academy and the ponies that run it, the more scared I become of it. Groups like this have a lot of power. I’ll bet the Princess wasn’t too thrilled when she found out about this entire thing. Looks like they had kept it a secret from her as well.”

“Yeah, no pun intended, but she sounded royally pissed off about the entire deal. Seems it took her this long to come to terms with the fact that there was something she didn’t know about, and it must be really hard on her.”

Both of them were quiet for a few moments. The sound of clanging started in the distance, continuing and seeming to get closer every second. Twilight stood up, heading over to the door to investigate. “What in Equestria could that noise be?”

The door burst open loudly and Twilight saw Spike standing outside the door, completely winded. “Twilight!” he blurted out loudly. “Help me!”