Cadance hummed a cheeky lullaby as the unicorn slid to the floor with a limp thump. She regarded the badly dented brass trashcan held in one solidified tendril of her shadow. Unicorns rarely ever considered the utility of a good bludgeon! The rest of the inky mass spread slowly out across the floor, except for one tendril, which writhed and shook, hissing and foaming as it bled from around the glowing silver dagger that pierced it.

The Archdemon gritted her fangs as the sharp biting pain of the wound assaulted her. The silver eating hungrily at her demonic flesh. Her shadow, solid as it was at the moment, counted as an extension of her own body, including the sensation of pain from an injury. She studied the pierced tendril… wondering how to remove the hateful spike of pain when it would burn and injure any part of her that touched it. Lowering the injured mass of shadowstuff to the stone floor she smashed the trashcan in the other tendril against the hilt of the blade with a dull thud. Giving a twisting wrench, she tore the tendril free of the smoking length of the now pinned weapon.

Inky ichor oozed from the injured tentacle as it melded slowly back into the shadows from whence it came. The demon giving a little shiver as she shook off the residual agony. Yes, it was better than a dagger in the eye, but… not by all that much. She glared at the spike of gleaming pain-metal, still sizzling and sputtering with heat from contact with demon flesh. With a snort she put it from her mind for now, tossing aside the now ruined and misshapen lump of brass that had once been a wastebasket. It gave a dissonant clank as if protesting it’s abuse.

Cadance took a soft breath, her ears pricking forward as she listened hard. Two strong heartbeats, one slowed with the loss of consciousness, the other all a pitter-pat from pain and terror. Nothing else in the range of her generally superior hearing. From the feel of the stone all around them, they were deep... a basement or sub-basement of a large structure. Considering what Mr. I-Like-To-Feed-Mares-To-Demons had been up to it was most likely nopony knew this room even existed.

Perfect.

Her shadow rose to engulf the now still form of the unicorn as she paced by, back to the edge of the now powerless circle. Slitted eyes taking in the sobbing form that lay huddled within. She winced at the blackened, charred marks which marred the earth pony’s soft peach coat.

Oof, Twilight, I know you never like leaving things to chance, but... harsh!

She’d have to fix this immediately. Slowly she approached her, weighing the riskiness of using magic. But considering the illicit demon summoning that had been practiced here to put her in this position, it was most likely that the chamber was well warded against outside discovery. Narrowing her eyes she lit her horn, emerald fire flaring to life along the bladed pike.

“Shhhhh, it’s alright.” She soothed, her magic tugging at the straps holding the blindfold in place. “I’m getting you free. Just keep still for me. There’s a good filly.” She schooled her expression to softness as the padded blindfold came free and she tossed it aside. She held very still as the young mare blinked bleary green eyes, slowly focussing, to view her rescuer. Any second now…

A sharp muffled squall and the panicked writhing of a still bound body rewarded her patience. She smiled thinly, still carefully keeping threat out of her expression. “Yes, I know I’m scary looking. But do keep still, dear. It’s hard to undo the ropes while you’re thrashing about.” Her tone was honed from decades as a foalsitter, and while the mare’s pupils were still shrunk tightly in terror, her struggles did slow.

The ropes that held the Earth Pony flared with verdant radiance before beginning to dissolve into dust with a mute sizzle. They vanished in a wave from neck to tail, and Cadance carefully eased the mare into a more natural position, taking it slow to keep the stiff muscles from cramping. She kept a weak field around the mare, a gentle, hopefully reassuring presence, which also allowed her to very gently assess her burns.

Ugly looking, and certainly painful, but more superficial than deep. Bless you Twilight, I should have had more faith in you.

“These burns should heal up alright, I’m sorry about them.” She murmured, letting a pulse of healing warmth flow through the mare’s body. Taking it slow and gentle, careful to soothe the pain, not aggravate it. “This will take a minute or so, what’s your name, dear?”

“Mmmmph!”

“Oh! I’m so sorry dear, let me get that!” Carefully she undid the gag and pulled it free of the mare’s gasping lips. Setting the knotted cloth aside she heard the mare’s hitching breaths and began to stroke her shoulder with a tender hoof, gently smoothing away the creases in her pelt from the rope.

“It’s alright dear, take your time.” She soothed softly, her voice silken with gentle concern. The sudden shock and pain of recent events could very well be too much for the poor thing. “You’re safe now.” She murmured, risking giving her a nuzzle.

She stiffened as a sobbing Earth Pony wrapped strong forelegs around her neck as she broke down. The sudden trembling press of a strong young mare to her chest bringing a heated flush to her cheeks.

Oooooh.

Cadance sternly pressed down the sudden keen hunger that lit deep in her core. Focussing instead on the wracking sobs of the poor thing wailing against her neck. Nevertheless, the shiver of desire trailing down her spine would not be entirely repressed and she found herself burying her snoot in that soft green mane and inhaling deeply. Embracing the mare softly, rubbing her back as she cried.

Taking a second long deep breath, ignoring the fading scent of burnt hair to savor the subtleties of her musk beneath it. Fear, panic, sorrow and pain were all strong and recent… not the most appetizing of fragrances, but also unsurprising given the circumstances. Yet beneath the recent trials she… was delicious. The Archdemon let out a soft annoyed huff.

This certainly isn’t helping...

She couldn’t help but admire the loveliness before her. The mare must be in her late teens or early twenties by her size, with a slim build, likely a city pony then, not a farm pony full of muscle from hard labor. Her mane and tail worked into complex braids, a waitress perhaps, or a barmare… some form of service work. Yet the ripple of Earth Pony muscle was there beneath that soft, well-groomed pelt.

Mmmmmh… argh!

She ruthlessly pushed that line of thought from her, focussing singlemindedly on the puckered scars of healing flesh that pocked her body. The glow of her horn intensifying as she began to mend the flesh more firmly. It was easier to think about the injuries while the sweet thing gave vent to her grief.

In time the wracking sobs began to lose force, though considering what she was feeling from the Earth Pony, that was more exhaustion than a lessening of her sorrow. Still, lacking the strength to power it, it was shifting more into sadness. As first the Alicorn of Love and now as an Archdemon; Cadance could read emotions fairly accurately. Slowly she wrapped her wings around her new acquaintance, adding their warmth to try to comfort her.

“Can you tell me your name, my little pony?” The alicorn asked softly.

“G-green Leaves.” She rasped weakly, the hitching of her breaths slowly calming as the warmth of those wings brought some measure of relaxation. Her wounds were now barely more than patches missing fur, though some slight scarring couldn’t be helped.

“Pleased to meet you, I’m Cadance. How do you feel Green Leaves? Do you still hurt at all?” That brought a spike of sick bilious anger, a passion that one so young shouldn’t feel, and it set Cadance’s teeth on edge at its proximity.

“H-he…” Green Leaves choked on the words, shaking in the Archdemon’s embrace. “He k-killed them.” Her body stiffening in horrible rejection of the truth, struggling to free herself from Cadance’ forelegs, straining against her as if somehow that would change what she had just uttered. Cadance didn’t relinquish her grip, eyes flashing as she leaned forward to kiss the struggling mare on the forehead.

Green Leaves let out a gasp and went limp in the alicorn’s embrace. Those soft lips upon her brow urging her to stillness as she felt another presence slip delicately into her head. A tender pressure against her temples, curling about her mind like those warm wings had felt. And she felt, as if it were her own, the concern of the alicorn that held her.

“Show me, Little one.”

It was such a soft command, and yet she found herself unable to disobey, giving a weak creel of dismay as memories she wanted dearly to forget began to pass through her mind.

Waking to the feel of rope wrapped about her, the harshness of the linen gag forced into her mouth. The monster was in her room! She jolted awake and thrashed! He hadn’t been ready for that, nor for a flailing hoof to knock over the nightstand. He had caught the lamp before it smashed, anxious to not have any noise give away the invasion. Yet dealing with the lamp had distracted him, as she kicked her rear hoof through the bedroom wall with a loud crunching thud!

There were sleepy shouts of alarm, and she felt a thrill of hope as she redoubled her struggles. All she had to do was buy time! The monster would not get her this time either! She felt the rope tightened around her legs but she flailed a foreleg loose and managed to work the gag from between her teeth for a precious second.

“HELP M-mmmmph!”

A bellow of alarm and the pounding of hooves down the hall answered her stifled scream. He was coming, daddy was coming! He’d saved her before, when the monster had come for her as a filly. He’d do it again! The blow of powerful hooves against her door, the fragile planks cracking and splintering from the assault

The gag was back in place and the rope tightened cruelly, compressing the breath from her chest in a painful huff. Through her tears and pain she saw the door give way. A blurry shape letting out a furious cry as it flung itself at her attacker.

And then the hateful horn of the monster flared, and her savior was flung back through the splintered remains of the door. Thudding hard against the opposite wall.

“N-not this time, mud pony!” The monster spat, breathing fast in panic, hearing other voices and yells from below and in the street. Hissing a curse as he cinched her bonds again, all but throttling her in the bindings. She hadn’t even breath to cry now.

She saw a staggering shape coming through the ruined door into her room again. Heard through the thudding of her pulse in her ears her father's ragged gasp of pain and the sickening crash as he was flung into her dresser, the carved wood shattering beneath his weight.

“You just don’t k-know when to fucking give up, do you!? F-fine!” And with a flick of his head, the shambles of the dresser burst into flame.

Cadance clutched the mare tightly as she altered the spell, drowning out the memory of her father's agonized screams as he burned. She froze Green Leaves’ thoughts, bringing them to a swift halt. Slowly she drew back to look into those glassy, unseeing eyes with boundless pity.

And then her gaze narrowed and skewed around towards the unconscious lump hidden in her shadows. Maintaining the gentlest of touches upon the mare’s mind she held the mental freeze even as she stood up. Green Leaves continued to stare blankly ahead, breathing slowly. Cadance’s eyes lit with orange fire as she struggled to find restraint with the hateful passions burning in her breast.

Cadance’s shadows heaved up from the floor to slam hard into the stone wall, depositing the still insensate unicorn against it as the dark mass writhed and flowed, spreading out on the surface like some terrible sentient spiderweb.

It took a lot to make a demon feel sick. And it took less, far far less to justify what this demon was going to do to this filly’s foalnapper for such a hideous crime. And twice over again for giving a gentle young mare that memory. Her bladed fangs bared as her shadows clutched about his throat, one swift jerk was all it would take… like popping the top off a soda bottle. She forced her grip to relax, but it wasn’t restraint that stayed her hoof, only the cold calculation of pragmatism.

You’re more useful to me breathing…

Instead she ensured he was so secured as to not be able to twitch when he woke. With a thick tendril coiled tightly around his horn, she’d be able to snuff any magic he tried. More liqueous shadow smothered his face, tightening around his muzzle, parting his jaws around a swiftly hardening sphere of shadowstuff. Tendrils clutching behind his head and neck, circling his eyes but not covering them. Tiny holes opened in the new matte black muzzle mask he wore, there’d be no difficulty breathing, but he wouldn’t even be able to squeak unless she allowed it.

“I remember you, Nebby.” She hissed the nickname from the thankfully brief experience she’d had as his foalsitter. Her trademark careful soothing tonality and softness lost along with her composure. “You could never stand not being the focus of attention as the obnoxious foal you were. And I doubt you’ve changed that considering what you were trying to do here.” She spat the words at the unmoving lump of pathetic stallion.

Her eyes narrowed further at a centuries-old memory of his leering grin and glittering eyes as he had crouched at the edge of the banishment circle as she struggled against the archmage, trying to do something, anything to halt what he was doing. “You were there when the archmage banished us. And unlike the others, I’m sure you knew what had happened. You liked your secrets, it made you so insufferably smug to think you knew something no one else did…”

Her shadows squeezed tight about his body, pinning him to the wall as they went rigid. “So you’ll just hang around for now, ignored and unimportant. When the adults have dealt with other matters, we’ll get around to dealing with you.” She turned away from her captive, and banished him from her thoughts, she’d feel when he regained consciousness.

Pooling about her hooves, the rest of her shadowstuff swirled about her like a loyal puppy as she returned to the still frozen mare. Her horn flaring green to lift her from the hard stone floor. The swirling shadows heaving up into a low dais couch. Cadance sighed as she flopped gracelessly upon it, pleased with the little bit of comfort as her forelegs reached out to clutch the pony held in her emerald magic, drawing the mare in against her barrel as the glow faded. “Oh my deary… what am I to do with you.” She murmured sadly, gazing into Green Leaves blank eyes.

A hoof traced along the helpless thing’s softly plush cheek, down the pleasing curve of her neck. She had buried her nose in her mane again almost before she realized she was doing so, breathing deep of her warm mortal scent. And again she felt the deep shivery thrill of hungry desire for this darling young thing. This time she didn’t reject the prompt, relaxing as ruby red light began to drip from the feathers of her wings, outlining her body and ethereal mane in a ruddy glow.

Slowly she brought her wings forward to embrace the mare wrapped in her forelegs, and as she finally canceled the mind freeze spell she had placed upon her, she darted her muzzle forward to cover her lips with her own. The mare squeaked, disoriented, still reeling from her recently relived traumatic memories. Her struggles beginning again. But this time she was safely cocooned, tangled in forelegs and wings that shared her earth pony strength and would not yield.

Green Leaves meeped against the warm mouth of her rescuer as she jolted awake. Her initial squirming got her nowhere, even as the warmth of the wings about her seemed to soak into her body, unknotting her muscles. Her body growing heavy and slow, weighing down her panic, beginning to erode her urgency to break free.

She felt the beat of the alicorn’s heart against her own chest, the rhythm of it transfixing her attention. It was deep and slow and strong, seeming to pulse through her. The strong essential rhythm washed at the edges of her hurts like the tide, as if offering comfort. Resting a trembling forehoof upon the alicorn’s chest to better feel that soothing beat, she let herself relax a little, pawing lightly at that sinfully soft chest fluff.

As her struggles weakened, Cadance began to advance. Always slowly, and with a gentleness that made Green Leaves blush to be receiving it. The kiss deepened, a hot tongue flicked teasingly across her gasping mouth when she pulled halfheartedly away for air before being recaptured with almost shameful ease.

The last of her resistance melted away under the sensual heat of the alicorn’s desire for her. Trembling hooves wrapped about the demon’s neck as she pressed up into that searing kiss. The rest of the world falling away as she sought to drown herself in the heady rush of desire that washed over her.

The archdemon purring in satisfaction as she at long last began to feed.

Author's Notes:

Yeah, get used to chapters ending on build up to clop and beginning after the sexy times. Prolly gonna happen a lot this time around. :3

Ashinda