This continues a bad end, leading on from the previous chapter.

"What is this?!" The Lord of the Pit poured magic into his horn and lashed at Courage. The strike had all the attention and care to detail of swatting a fly, but just before the magic should have struck her it halted dead in its tracks.

Nothing stood between Courage and the deadly strike. End held high, Nothing grounded the handle and planted the blade firmly before the power. "Nothing dies without the will of Death. This mare did nothing wrong, yet you punish her for your own misdeeds."

The Lord of the Pit stared at Nothing. Rage, fury, and violence were boiling at the surface of his mind. "There has to be one with a soul, I can smell it." Looking around the assembled host, he reached out to brush his power past each in turn before stopping at Courage's twin.

Empress of Gluttony, succubus, adopted daughter of the Queen of Lust; Corignis held the Lord of the Pit's look and smiled. "Boo, you found me. So you want this door opened, and only a demon with a soul can do it, huh?"

Courage laughed at the turn of events. "Look, are we invading Equestria or not? I don't know about the rest of you, but I have a Circle to take care of…" It was mostly bluster, but she didn't want to appear too reserved. "Well?"

"Focus your will on the gates. Tell them to open for you and they will." The Lord of the Pit gestured to the gates, not too far away. "And do it quickly. The Mistress of Heresy is not the only one here who is impatient."

"Alright, alright." Corignis smiled despite the annoyance she was clearly causing the Lord of the Pit. She smiled wider when her expression inflated his annoyance further. Walking towards the gates, the structure loomed above her and seemed to tremble in anticipation.

"You don't have to. The worst he can do is try to kill us, and I don't think Nothing will let him." Courage kept pace with Corignis as she approached the gates. The huge arched gateway towered high. Carved in runes and patterns that seemed to change constantly, the magic of the door seemed immense even by the standards of the denizens of the Pit.

"Open." Corignis looked up at the immense gateway, and for a moment thought nothing would happen. She prepared to say the word again, when the universe itself tore in half. The two huge gates weren't sealing an opening, they literally ripped one open. Time and space bent, curved, and screamed as more and more runes on the gates flickered into light and opened the rift wider. A kiss on her cheek surprised Corignis.

"Coming?" Courage drew her lips back slowly, then turned and looked at the waiting demons.

Stepping into the portal, Corignis stayed side by side with Courage. The night air of Equestria burned where the portal they had stepped through cut into it, but neither mare minded fire anymore. "Okay, so first problem is Cerberus. Used to be the Hound of Tartarus… sort of still is. He doesn't answer to Lordypants, though.” Around them the open-air practically bubbled with anticipation. They were on the edges of a vast swampland that seemed to go on forever.

The Lord of the Pit strode through the portal, and then skirted around the two mares. "Finally, I am free!" No sooner had the words left his lips, than a piercing howl pierced the air. A second howl met the first, and a third finally joined in. "Hound of Tartarus, come to heel or face your end."

More demons came through the portal. Courage and Corignis moved to make room, but just when they saw Nothing and Alphias leave the Pit, the hammering started. The ground trembled at first, then it shook as if a mountain were angry. The three howls of Cerberus came from closer now, and as all the demons looked ahead, the mighty beast seemed to appear from the gloom around them far too close, and slammed into the Lord of the Pit before any of the demons were prepared to stop him.

Courage had heard stories about Cerberus, but she had never seen the warden of Tartarus herself. At first, he looked like a huge, lean canine with three heads, but what shocked her was when he held down the Lord of the Pit with one mighty paw and drew a knife (sized for Cerberus, so it was like a greatsword to a pony).

"You think this will work any better this time?" The Lord of the Pit twisted side to side, but as the dagger came down he flapped his burning wings and set fire to Cerberus. "This is the part where I am supposed to offer you a place at my side, but no." He kicked upwards, shoving Cerberus off of him.

"I don't want a place at your side, Lapsis!" The middle head of Cerberus seemed the most talkative, or at least it spoke first. Standing upright, he drew another edged weapon from his side.

"He's a diamond dog?" The revelation shocked Courage, and she stared at the beast. "Cerberus is a di—"

"I heard you. He isn't a diamond dog, Courage, he is the first diamond dog." Alphias strode between Courage and Corignis. "And he isn't the greatest foe we have here today."

For an instant the night seemed to fall back from the world, and a beam of light crashed from the sky above to land behind Cerberus. Darkness seemed to mimic the dazzling display, depositing another form. Two more flashes—pink and purple—left the number of enemies for the group at five.

"Celestia! Luna!" Courage's eyes narrowed down to pin pricks. The plans to invade had been so simple to discuss and formulate, but to actually stand against the princesses of Equestria made her blood chill. "W-W-What now?"

"We fight them, Courage." Corignis smiled to her sister and then turned back to face the alicorns of Equestria. "Well, I already know who I want to fight. Love is lust is hunger, and I know hunger." She took a step towards Princess Cadance.

"I heard tell that one pony in particular played a large part in my son's demise." Alphias turned to the other end of the line of Princesses. "Princess Twilight Sparkle of Equestria, you will not be killed this day." His voice dripped in malice, and everything civilized about Alphias in Sara Kin ark ti Fin Diablus fell from him. "Come and face me."

A roar nearly deafened all present when the Wyrm of Violence entered a dive. The Master of Violence slammed into the ground between Celestia and Luna, snapping and flailing at each of them in turn. All the alicorns had been engaged, which left Courage to choose her own preference.

Before she could make her decision, she watched Alphias get gobbled up by a huge white beam. Shock filled her, and she realized that this fight was more real than anything that had gone before it. The serpent army swarmed at Twilight Sparkle, which left Courage the choice between the diarchs or Princess Cadance. But it wasn't a choice at all.

"Why are you doing this? I don't want to have to fight you!" Cadance took a defensive stance and readied her most potent magic.

"I am doing this because it is what we do. Demons corrupt, and you look absolutely delicious." Corignis didn't stop in her approach. She paused her advance a mere body length from the alicorn. "Do you have any loved ones?"

Cadance's thoughts turned to Shining Armor and Flurry Heart. She felt love and adoration grow inside her, as well as a touch of worry. "I do. They are safe from you so long as we stand here." Her resolve firmed by thoughts of her greatest loves, Cadance prepared to unleash her power. Focusing down on all her love and screwing her eyes closed, she built it to an immense blast of power.

A kiss on Cadance's lips stunned her from her focus. Her eyes snapped open to see the demon looking very happy with herself. The lips felt like liquid silk on her own. Corignis was soft and insisting, however, and despite herself Cadance was getting aroused.

Running her tongue along Cadance's lips, Corignis left behind power where she had touched the alicorn. "Don't you want more?" She stole another kiss against the mare's cheek, then another. "Your family will be safe. Your ponies too. Let me have you and I promise everything will be just as you desire it."

"S-S-Safe?" Cadance's thoughts clouded with lust, but she drove through them to the core of what Corignis said. "You can't promise that."

"I can and I do. Love me, Princess of Love, and I assure you and yours will be forever in my care." Corignis nuzzled the alicorn's lips again, feeding her a little more. Cadance moved first this time, her body aching for more of Corignis' power. Their lips were joined in both kiss and promise.

Twilight Sparkle looked at the demon. He seemed familiar, like she knew him. When he spoke of her destroying his son, she could think of only one pony who could live up to the title. "Sombra's father?"

"Yes." Alphias strode closer and closer, finally stopping when he felt a magical barrier just before him. Powerful was such a small word to describe the force of the magic between Alphias and Princess Twilight. "You killed Sombra with your magic, but do not worry…" He summoned the darkest powers he could, calling into being a bridle and tack that stank of black magic. "… I have a plan for you. Lower your defenses, come to me and swear you will be my servant forever, and I will not force you to wear these."

Having experienced shadow magic before, Twilight fully expected Alphias to use it, but she didn't expect the tidal wave of force he used to make the foul items. The controlling magics and enchantments on the bridle frightened her right to her core. "I won't let you. There is no way I am going to—"

Alphias didn't wait for the mare to finish. Tendrils of force sliced into her magic shield and started to pierce through it. As more and more of her shield was invaded, the threads of magic worked together to force a hole to appear. Alphias rushed through, and used his magic to send the bridle and gear ahead of him.

Twilight had a moment to think. The demon had left himself somewhat open, but she had the bridle coming at her. She didn't have much time, she had to choose between the demon and his creation. Aiming her power, Twilight Sparkle sent a blast of pure magic at Alphias. Her power was pure and unsullied, and was forged by the friendships she had built with nearly every pony she had ever met.

Alphias, like his son, was no match for such a concentrated blast of power. He felt it search his body and mind, hunting for the diseases that it usually targeted. But in this case the demon was the disease. White hot power burned and melted, it ripped the demon apart and left nothing behind.

With barely a moment to celebrate, Twilight Sparkle felt the bridle slap against her face. Writhing tentacles of dark magic pulled themselves around her head, pulled a barbed bit into her mouth and latched on. She screamed as the sharp hooks on the bit sank into her tongue, but Twilight Sparkle couldn't get away from the pain, and through that pain the bridle sank into her mind.

Luna and Celestia were battling the great wyrm. Tag teaming, they blasted at it over and over with successive blasts. So focused were they on the beast that neither saw Courage sneak up to them.

Celestia was Courage's first target, and she moved up behind the Princess of the Day, and growing four extra legs she rushed up and sank her teeth into Princess Celestia's cutie mark.

Screaming in shock, Celestia tried to turn on the spider pony attacking her, but lethargy and weakness spread from the bite. She managed to shake Courage free only with Luna's help. "Courage Fire, cease your aggression!" Despite her resolve, Celestia felt the poison at work in her system.

Dancing away from a beam of power sent from Luna, Courage cast out her magic webs at Celestia. She watched the alicorn struggle within the bonds, and felt as an immortal alicorn's essence drained into her. Courage moaned happily and jumped at Celestia.

Nuzzling at the white mare's neck, Courage brushed one foreleg up and over Celestia's face. "Relax. Calm yourself, you don't need to fight anymore." She felt again, and couldn't find eyes, mouth, or nose anymore.

"Stop this, Courage!" Luna dodged between the wyrm's blasts of fire, calling out to the demon that had just defeated her sister. The latest bolt of fire was her undoing. Princess Luna took her eyes off Courage for a fraction of a second to track it, and when she looked back she couldn't see Courage Fire anymore.

Courage cast her net at Princess Luna. The sticky spell sank down around the cobalt mare and started to work immediately. Skittering up to her prey, Courage leaned down to nuzzle Luna's snout.

"It is time to stop, Courage Fire." Luna looked up at the demon on top of her, and though her mouth moved, her words flowed to Courage's ears and mind equally. She ignored the sting of the webbing, even a fireball that rained down and engulfed Celestia. "Courage," Luna held the mare's eyes, "we are done here. Look at yourself, Courage Fire."

The semblance of Courage that was unaware of the dream snapped away and let the real pony out. The hidden piece of Courage's pony soul was no longer just a terrified observer. She was again in full control of her twisted body. Courage was a demon, a foul one capable of stealing that which every pony is entitled to—destiny. She lifted her head to see the Wyrm of Violence tear Princess Celestia's sightless head from her body.

"What have I done?" She backed away from Luna and looked further afield. Corignis was being serviced by Cadance. The Princess of Love was wrapped in runes of power as she compromised herself to feed on Gluttony. Alphias was no more than a memory, but she could see a panicking Twilight Sparkle—her reins grabbed by one of the snake ponies from Treachery. The Princess of Friendship stared at the snake, terror mixed with devotion in her eyes. "This needs to stop. I don't want this!"

"Then you are still a pony." Luna flashed with blue energy and dispelled the webbing around herself. "This will happen again and again. You cannot stop this fate when you turn to darkness, Courage Fire."

"Then what do I do? Let it take me? Let myself be completely eaten away and become nothing but some demon's pet?" Courage's legs folded under her. "I just want to be…" Words stuck in her throat.

"Say it." Luna smiled.

"I just want to be a pony…" The words held such power as Courage had never known before. She felt lightness rush into her being, banishing all the demonic energy that she had gathered. Lifting her head, she looked up to see a smiling Princess Luna. "Thank—"

Author's Notes:

Not the end, not even an end... yet. The voice in Courage's head has been revealed, but has everything been for naught? This is the end of this arc, but as a bad ending is reached, a new hope can bloom.

---

Princess Luna: what is the nature of your grudge with the Lord of the Pit?

"He is not one I would hold a grudge with. He is not worth it." Princess Luna's face twisted in distaste. "That monster does not deserve to be, plain and simple. If we could have ended him by now, we surely would have."

---

So I do this "Ask x" thing, x can be any pony within the story. You can ask them anything and I they will definitely hopefully reply. Keep the questions appropriate to the age-rating of the stories and of course, I they will answer the best question(s) in the author notes of the next chapter. The more votes a comment has the more likely I will get it to the right pony to answer, try and keep it to one answer per post! I They will pick one question per chapter. (note, the commissioner will answer questions in the comments, since this is their OC)

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And special thanks to the following, for careful eyes and friendly words:
Airy Words
Cross Lament
Vutava