Serenade had never felt so humiliated in her life as she had in the past few weeks. Her, a mighty siren, a demon of legendary proportions, and at one point, ruler of Equestria; reduced to a pathetic weakling dependent on the assistance of her underling. She hated it, she couldn’t stand to be like this, more so to have someone actually see her in such a lowly state.

Her power had been drained significantly when she brought her disciples through the portal and then herself. Due to the failsafe on the mirror portal, pure demons normally could not even travel through it, but she burned through a tremendous amount of power to make it possible by opening a portal of her own. At this point, she was weaker than when she first became a demon centuries ago.

Fortunately for her, her demonic powers would be restored over time, and she would be able to absorb energy again once that happened, such was the nature of her abilities, but in the meantime, she was helpless, a worthless creature unworthy of life or even to be called an immortal.

Given that her body was too weak to perform most tasks, she spent most of her time in the past few weeks laying in a bed, barely lifting a finger as she lay there in misery. She didn't sleep, but she just stayed put, loathing herself for ever allowing herself to become this weak.

With a glass of water in his defined hand, Arax sat down in a nearby chair and sipped from the container as he watched her lay there, her face contorted to one of annoyance and anger, though a different softer kind of anger than what he usually expected from the girl.

Arax had been caring for her for weeks now. He had taken over this small cabin in the woods that appeared to be someone’s holiday home to bring his master back to proper health. He wasn’t tremendously concerned about the owners eventually coming back and finding them there because, in this human world, they all had the unfair advantage of magic. Humans were weak, they relied on guns, fists, and blades to cut down their foes. Magic gave them a distinct advantage over them, not to mention the element of surprise.

Unlike Equestrians, humans focused on technology, and without the existence of magic for most of them, they seldom expected anything out of the ordinary. It was why Serenade was able to overpower a good dozen or so humans with only a fraction of her power. She’d be lying to herself, however, if she said she could take on a large group of them in her weakened state. While her demonic tendrils would rise to protect her, they could only do so much without the power to fuel them, and if a horde of humans were to come at her, she likely wouldn’t be able to do too much about them until she returned to full power.

While she regained her power, she lay in a bed, lazed about the cabin, and found it difficult to perform basic tasks during her first days. Now with enough time passed, she was starting to be able to walk around again and even stay upright for a few hours at a time. She could feel her power slowly returning, but she was impatient, restless, and annoyed. Serenade wanted to check up on her minions to see how well they had fared with the tasks she had sent them to do, but Arax forbid it. He had forcibly kept her there against her will and it pissed her off to no end that her underling was even in a position where he had the power to force her to do anything. Ordinarily, she would have killed him for his insubordination, but she wasn’t in a position to do so, without Arax she would be in an even greater bind, and she knew that Arax was merely trying to preserve her.

Serenade turned away from Arax as she remained motionless on the bed, her eyes narrowed as she allowed her discontent with the entire situation to boil over in her mind.

“You know, you can go fuck off somewhere?” Serenade reminded.

Arax took another sip from his glass and scratched his head. His long silky black hair was a mess but in an oddly fitting way. It was a look that suited him. A single red eye watched Serenade while the other remained covered with a black eyepatch that matched her own.

She could feel him watching her, and just knowing his eye was on her annoyed her more. “I said you can piss off.”

“I heard you,” Arax replied with a sip. He leaned forward and placed his hand on his knee and set the glass on a nearby table before resting his other hand on his other knee. His black strapped pants crinkled lightly as they sat loosely around his short legs. For a male, he wasn’t that tall by human standards, but still stood a good head or so higher than Serenade who was about five foot even.

“Then why are you still here bothering me?” Serenade inquired.

“Why don’t you get some rest?” Arax changed the subject.

Serenade turned over and faced him with a serious glare. “I haven’t slept in almost two millennia and I don’t intend to start now. I’ve surpassed the need for such pointless things, I just need to get my fucking power back.”

“Patience,” Arax reminded.

“I AM DONE FUCKING WAITING!” Serenade sat up weakly and growled.

Arax didn’t seem intimidated by her reaction, and instead just sat there calmly. “You lost a lot of power just getting here, it’ll take time for it to regenerate. After you’re strong enough, we’ll go out and-“

She cut him off. “I AM SICK OF WAITING HERE!”

Maybe it was her lack of ability to reprimand him that had made him so bold, or perhaps it was just the fact that he had heard enough of her over the years that Arax was uncaring toward her attitude and submitted to taking the risk and telling her what was on his mind.

“Knock it off, you’re not going to get anywhere by pushing yourself too hard.” Arax grunted.

Serenade squinted. “I’m not getting anywhere just laying here either!”

“You need to relax.” Arax rolled his eyes.

“How can I relax when I am so... so...” She looked away shamefully. “Useless...”

“You’re not useless,” Arax stated, hoping she would recall that she had an entourage of minions who would do whatever she said without question, even lay down and die at her command without so much as a reason.

“Yes, I fucking am!” She looked at the floor with a dejected expression. “I had Equestria right in my grasp, and I was beaten by that stupid fucking cocksucker, Glitch. And now all I can fucking do is laze about here...”

“It’s not that bad,” Arax attempted to coax her, knowing he was likely fighting a losing battle.

“It is that bad, I may as well roll over and fucking die. Nothing is worse than being this weak” Serenade grumbled.

“I’ve never seen you so overly dramatic...” Arax blinked.

Serenade’s thoughts turned to her other subordinates. Every single one of them brought her more negative thoughts the longer she thought about it. “All of my minions probably wouldn’t care less if I died anyway...”

It was odd to see this side of Serenade for Arax. He had known her for years, and despite him knowing there were parts to her that she kept hidden, he never imagined he would see the side of self-loathing that he knew to exist underneath her tough exterior.

“Well that’s to be expected, it’s strictly a business contract you have with all of them, after all. You said yourself that it’s not as if you’re trying to make friends with them,” Arax reminded.

“Oh fuck no! I could give less than half of a shit about all of those worms, but I know each of those backstabbing pieces of shit would love an opportunity to be in charge by offing me...” Serenade explained.

“Whatever, it’s not like that is even going to happen.” Arax shrugged.

“I bet even you’d like me dead so you can be off the hook.” Serenade growled.

“Not really.” He shrugged.

“You’re only saying that because you have no choice.” Serenade barked back.

Arax rose from his seat, standing tall he approached. Serenade found herself instinctively standing herself. He came only inches from her and locked his single eye with her exposed one. His gaze was serious and powerful, even with just one eye. She knew what was under his eye patch, unlike her’s his socket was empty on that side. She had stitched it shut and he kept it covered to prevent awkward looks in his direction. Discretion was of course beneficial to their cause.

Serenade stepped away from the bed and backed up a bit as he came closer, before she knew it, her back was to a wall.

He reached forward and gripped her tiny wrist in his hand and squeezed. She grunted and hissed at him. “GET YOUR FILTHY FUCKING HANDS OFF OF ME, BUG!”

“You make the mistake of assuming that I give a shit what happens to me at this point,” Arax replied.

Serenade blinked and her expression turned to one of surprise. “What?”

“I’ve long since given up on caring about my ultimate fate. If I die tomorrow, it won’t make a difference to me. So if you assume that my loyalty comes from the fear that you’ll kill me, then you’re mistaken...” Arax spoke, his deep voice ringing in Serenade’s ear.

“Y-you liar. Your bullshit reverse psychology doesn’t work on me!” Serenade tried to free her wrist but to no avail. Without her power at full, even that of a lesser impure demon was enough to overpower her. She hated it.

Arax squeezed tighter and narrowed his gaze. “No tricks here. I’m serious. I could kill you now and let you kill me in the process and it wouldn’t make a difference to me. I could care less about your worthless promises now, after all I’ve been through.”

She had a sinking feeling that his words had something to do with that student of Twilight’s, Starlight Glimmer, his personal slave for a good three years as per his request. She had gotten into his head, and Serenade knew it. Starlight was relentless in trying to break him away from her, but in the end, he chose his master over her; though it was clear there were some lasting effects.

“What’re you saying?” Serenade asked, her voice filled with genuine curiosity.

He smirked and kept his grip on her as he spoke. “You’re probably the worst creature I’ve ever met. You’re selfish, angry, and have nothing to offer others but pain. Everything you do is to serve yourself...”

Serenade kept quiet as he lectured her, unable to do anything to make him stop.

“I’ve known for a long time that you’re the embodiment of garbage and you have no soul. Everything inside of you is ugly, perhaps the most hideous of anything to ever live...” Arax continued.

“If I’m so horrible, and you don’t care if I kill you, then why the fuck are you still here? What are you hoping to accomplish by serving me?” Serenade asked.

He shrugged. “I don’t know. I know you’re horrible, I know you’re absolute trash, and yet... I can see past that. I can see inside of you...”

“Don’t you dare analyze me!” Serenade grunted.

“Or you’ll do what? Kill me?” He grinned, clearly confident that she could do nothing in her current state.

She just scowled at him as he continued.

“In actuality, you’re full of self-loathing. You know what kind of garbage you are. You know that you’re worthless without your power to make others do as you want. Maybe I feel bad for you? Maybe I just see that you were made this way from centuries of pain that you don’t want to admit to...” He suggested.

“Fuck you...” Serenade muttered.

“Yet, I care about what happens to you. Maybe I’ve lost my mind.” He chuckled.

“You can’t butter me up so easily.” Serenade shook her head, not buying his act.

“It’s the truth.” Arax smiled deviously.

“Prove it then.”

Without wasting a second, he pushed the girl back to the wall and pinned her wrist above her head. She yelped and looked up with a vicious growl, her teeth bared as she watched him. His other hand slammed the wall next to her head as he held her there. His gaze stayed locked on hers as he held her.

A single demonic tendril exited Serenade’s back and pointed at him like a fierce dagger ready to strike.

He was unfazed, instead, he leaned in and touched his forehead to her’s, his expression neutral, his eyes keeping her in his vision as he took a step closer. “W-what’re you doing?” She said.

Standing so short, she could really see the height difference between them as she was this close to her subordinate, though at that moment he certainly was not behaving very much like a subordinate.

“Proving it,” he replied as he took his hand that wasn’t being used to hold her wrist and ran it across her cheek.

“Don’t touch me...” Serenade nearly whispered.

“Try and stop me.” He challenged.

Another tendril came out and pointed at him before he leaned in, closing the distance between the two, and planted a kiss upon her soft lips. Serenade’s eye remained open as she resisted, she tried to shove him off with her free hand, but his strength was too much for her in her weakened form.

She struggled to break free, grunting and trying to move to escape the kiss before something strange happened to her. She could sense a tingling feeling on her lips, something that felt like enjoyment almost. Closing her eye, she allowed herself to be kissed and her arm to fall to her side while Arax caressed her cheek with his thumb while they deepened the kiss.

His mouth opened slightly, his tongue snaking its way into her mouth. She let it happen, powerless to do anything else. Their appendages danced together momentarily, Serenade could feel his fangs on her lip, it was oddly invigorating. The excitement was something she had never experienced before. What she was allowing to happen was forbidden, it was heresy for a siren to partake in, and yet, she didn’t care.

A soft moan escaped her as she felt Arax’s hand slide down her cheek and rested on her neck. He broke from the kiss and bore his fangs before leaning in and tilting her head so he could expose her neck. The long-haired male moved the chain holding her amulet on her aside and bit down into her neck, black blood dripping out of the fresh punctures. She gasped but didn’t resist, her free hand wrapped around his head, and gripped his hair tightly.

He suckled aggressively, not caring how much of her blood dripped out, knowing that even in a state like this, the wound would heal quickly. She let out a few gentle moans as she viciously played with his hair.

What seemed like forever in bliss for her ended as he released her and stood up again, releasing her wrist.

She stared at him with a serious expression before she reached up and felt her neck where the wound was made. Sure enough, the bleeding had stopped almost instantly, but she could feel the mark left behind.

Hands reached for the frilled lacing of her dress, the white lacy top that showed off her moderate cleavage which was held up by laces in the back that were tied into a bow. He gripped the bow in the back and with a simple tug, he undid the bow and loosened her top.

She reached forward and grabbed his hand trying to stop him, but he just looked at her. Their eyes locked for a solid eight seconds before she released his hand.

After her dress was loosened, he undid the straps on her forearms and slipped it off of her, letting it fall to the floor while he stared at her in her tight leggings and heeled short boots. Her top half was completely exposed and while he had seen her for a brief few moments when they first arrived, he had never really looked at her until now.

Her long wild hair draped over her front side, but he reached forward and brushed it behind her to expose her chest to him. He still wasn’t entirely familiar with human biology, but the biological changes that had occurred to all of them when they came to the human world in the first place were definitely kicking in, as he found himself aroused just looking at her.

His eyes and his hands turned to a jagged scar that went from her left armpit down to her breast, stopping a good few inches from where her nipple was. He looked up at her eyes, seeing her turn away in shame. “A mark left by that bastard, Glitch... I don’t know where he got the Siren’s Bane, but there is no way to heal from the wounds it creates...” She explained.

He nodded and placed his large hand over the scar, cupping her breast in his hand. He squeezed with a bit of force, perhaps more than he should have, but after she yelped, she cooed in delight as he fondled it, pulling her close to his body as he did so, locking eyes with her. “It doesn’t make a difference to me,” he spoke in a hushed tone.

She gasped as he gripped her black and white striped leggings, but he gave her a grunt, which made her cease resistance as he pulled them down along with the lacy panties she had liberated from the clothing store in town a few weeks back. She stepped out of her boots voluntarily and let him slip the remaining clothing from her body. Completely naked and exposed she just stared at him for a few seconds, wondering what he would do.

Arax grinned as he gripped the girl’s waist and lifted her off the ground, slamming her against the wall, with great force. She grunted in anger, but he held her there, his muscles twitching as his strength kept her there. He could sense the sweat running down her neck, the nervousness she was going through, a feeling she likely wasn’t that familiar with.

He held her in place as he unzipped himself and unleashed his girth, only inches from her entrance. The threat of his intentions had finally hit her, and both of the demonic tendrils from before came back out and pointed at either side of his head, ready to pierce it should he dare challenge her. Serenade’s eyes were serious, but somehow also filled with fear, something he had never seen in them before.

No words were spoken. Her expression challenged him, suggesting if he tested her, she would kill him there and then. She knew that such a thing was forbidden, that she couldn’t allow this to go any further or she’d be past the point of no return. If he attempted to go further, she would have to kill him.

He eyed her tendril for a brief second before looking back at her with a grunt. Rising to her challenge, he thrusted forward and thrusted himself into her dry, as if to say “go ahead” to her tendrils. She gasped and yelped as she felt his girth expand inside of her, stretching her inner walls. “Fuck!” She yelled.

With a grin, he began to slide back and forth, and after a few seconds, he found himself feeling quite smug as he could feel her body resist less and less, as her vaginal opening began to gain moisture, making each thrust easier, though she was still insanely tight, which was to be expected for a virgin.

“Stop it!” Serenade demanded her tendrils an inch from his temples. “Stop it, now!”

“Go ahead, kill me if you want me to stop...” Arax challenged as he kept thrusting.

Eventually, she began to release moans as he went in and out of her, the tendrils retracting and going back inside of her. What was happening? Was she enjoying it? It wasn’t possible, was it? That’s what she wanted to believe, but each thrust filled her with pleasure, she eventually wrapped her arms around him and dug her nails into his back as he had his way with her. She moaned and screamed in delight as his length penetrated her, forcing her to be pounded against the wall again and again.

“FUCK FUCK FUCK!” She hissed in pure bliss. “That feels... Amazing...” She cooed as he continued.

His mouth opened as he leaned in and planted a kiss upon her lip, which she raised her arms to wrap around his neck as he kissed and fucked her. She wanted more, it was wrong, but she didn’t care at that moment. She had never felt anything so pleasuring in her entire life. It had reminded her of the rush she got from her first-ever kill, but different, this feeling, it was beyond that, something she couldn’t describe, ethereal even.

When their lips parted a small trail of saliva kept the two connected as she moaned while he thrusted into her, keeping his gaze on her eyes as her mouth hung upon while she moaned. “Shit! That... feels... so g-good!”

Serenade’s toes curled as she could feel her inner walls convulse around him, a feeling she had never felt as her body reached a breaking point and she felt a sudden rush of pleasure shoot through her entirety. “FUUUUUUUUUCK!” She screamed at maximum volume as she orgasmed, dripping down his length. Droplets of her excrement dripped onto the floor as he kept pushing into her.

He was far from done, but the high of her orgasm was only making it faster for her to build toward another one. Her nails dug into him as he had his way with her, lust had taken over her mind, and she allowed herself to be controlled, to be dominated, to be used, it didn’t matter at that moment.

Serenade knew little of sex beyond what she had heard from mortals, so she couldn’t gauge whether or not his stamina would be considered excessive or not, but she was thankful for some reason that it wasn’t ending quickly. Shifting, he allowed her legs to touch the floor and turned her around, pressing her front side to the wall while he gripped her rear. Serenade placed her hands on the wall while he thrusted upward back into her from behind this time. A yelp escaped her at first, but she relaxed herself back into it, closing her eyes and allowing herself to enjoy it.

“FUCK, HOW MUCH ENERGY DO YOU HAVE!?” Serenade managed to shout between moans.

Arax didn’t even answer, between grunts and huffing, he was focused entirely on satisfying himself, his hands unconsciously squeezing his prey’s supple cheeks as he slid in and out of her, the moisture of her recent orgasm making it a much easier endeavor, though still far from loose.

“Shit... You’re fucking tight...” He commented as he leaned forward and bit down into her neck.

“No shit...” Serenade panted, feeling her body well up for another orgasm which came quickly, causing her to shout once more as she felt her legs lower and her hands slide down the wall as she tried to stay upright.

Sensing that her legs were about to give out, Arax pulled her away from the wall and threw her back toward the bed she had left. The girl fell onto her stomach with a thud and a minor bounce on the spring mattress before he quickly took position over her, flipping her over to face him. His eye focused on her as he tugged his shirt over his head and tossed it aside. Without warning, he split her leg apart and forced himself back inside of her.

She screeched in ecstasy and reached up to grip his backside, her short arms were barely able to wrap all the way around him as he growled and hissed going in and out of her. The siren could sense the delight in him, he was enjoying himself, he was enjoying using her for his pleasure, he was enjoying having this kind of power over her, a feeling he likely had never felt when it came to her, but she allowed it.

His energy didn’t seem to end, he would go in and out of her, increasing in intensity for several minutes, unrelenting as he could feel her reach multiple orgasms again and again.

Serenade was going crazy, she had never felt an orgasm before, let alone five in a row, and with no sign of stopping. Arax clearly was too pent up for a virgin like her to handle, as much as she hated to admit it. It was hard to say if he had had sex prior, while she never considered it before, at that moment she wondered if he had made that slave of his, Starlight quiver like she was at that moment.

“H-how much longer are you g-going to fucking go!?” Serenade managed to get out.

It felt like forever, not that she was complaining, but she was genuinely curious how much longer this boy could last and it definitely made her vocalize her questions about his status with Starlight. “Fuck! Did you do this with that slave of yours!?” Serenade asked between pants and moans.

Arax rolled his eyes before pinning Serenade’s hands down and going at her hard, gripping her wrists, he grunted and growled. She was annoyed that he wouldn’t answer her, but at the same time, she was distracted by his actions. The demon siren was so used to being in control, to having power over others, to being the one who commanded that there was a strange pleasure in being controlled for a change. The vulnerability was not something she had experienced for millenniums.

It wouldn’t take much longer for Serenade to reach yet another orgasm as she twitched and convulsed, screaming louder than she had before. Arax could tell that the girl was likely reaching her limit, and likely wouldn’t be able to take much more. Being merciful, he decided it was time to focus on himself. Getting his rhythm just right, he moved with haste and purpose, growling as he did.

Feeling himself get close to his breaking point, he pulled himself out of her at the last moment and spilled his seed across her stomach, hissing in delight as he did so. He panted lightly and smirked as he saw the girl’s chest rise and fall. She could barely breathe as she looked up at him with an open mouth trying to take in air. Their eyes locked as she took a few seconds to come back down to earth. The high of her afterglow still strongly influencing her thoughts, she just stared at him in silence.

For eight long minutes it stayed like that, neither of them speaking, just panting and staring until finally, Arax broke the silence. “I told you, I’m not going anywhere.”

Serenade grew her usual scowl and swatted at him, but her arms were too weak to do any real damage. “What the fuck have you done?”

He raised a brow. “Made you quiver apparently.”

“Fuck you! Sirens aren’t supposed to...” She bit her lip and looked away with a blush. “Do these kinds of things... Bad shit can happen if we do.”

“Can’t get much worse than it’s already been for the both of us, right?” He asked.

He had a point there. Losing her power, being beaten by Glitch, her body getting scarred permanently, losing her eye and being thrown in a prison cell for four years was all humiliating and debilitating as it was. She had survived and endured all of that, what could possibly be worse? The more that she thought about it, the more she realized there was little that the siren’s curse could do to lower her quality of life at this point.

“I... I didn’t want to do that though...” Serenade responded quietly.

“What’s done is done.” Arax chuckled, making light of the situation.

Looking down, she grumbled. “You got your nasty fucking shit all over me...”

“Deal with it,” he responded.

She blushed and looked away once more. “What now?”

“What do you mean?” Arax asked.

“You don’t want to cuddle or some stupid shit like that?” Serenade grunted.

“With you? Fuck no.” He smirked.

She smirked back and nodded. “Thank the gods for that. I thought you were going to get all fucking weird on me.”

“Let’s get you cleaned up.” Arax yawned as he came to a stand and zipped himself back up. Reaching forward, he grabbed her hand and helped her up. She quivered and shook as her legs almost gave out. He caught her and assisted her to the bathroom. “I think a bath is in order for you...”

She blushed and spoke quietly. “Thank you... Arax...”

“What for?” He raised a brow as the two approached the bathroom.

“I don’t like to admit it, but I sort of needed the motivation right now. I’m not used to being weak and powerless, it’s a feeling I’ve spent my whole life avoiding...” She admitted.

“You’ve never cried before, right?” He asked as he got her into the bathroom. Turning the tub on, he sat her down on the toilet.

She shook her head. “No... Never. I don’t intend on starting anytime soon either.”

“What about you?” She asked.

“Once.” He shrugged.

She smirked, amused to think that something could actually make someone as macho and commanding as Arax cry, something she wasn’t even able to do. “Big strong bug boy crying? What got to you?”

Arax adjusted the water and splashed some soap in as he spoke, not facing her. “My mate died.”

She blinked and tilted her head. “I didn’t know you had one.”

“You never asked, and you didn’t seem that particularly interested in my problems either.” He shrugged.

“What happened to her?” She raised a brow.

“Same thing that happened to you and your sister: mortals.”

“What’d they do?” Serenade asked.

He bit his lip, not enjoying the memories that came with the thoughts of his old mate. “After I was exiled, she came with me. At one point she went to save some kids trapped in a fire...”

“Mortals tend to burn everything they touch,” Serenade commented.

He nodded in agreement. “She got them out, but she died in the process. The ponies... They didn’t even bother going in to retrieve her body, to them she was just a bug that got roasted. They couldn’t care less...”

Serenade’s expression turned more serene as she took in his words. He looked over with serious eyes and lifted her up, assisting her into the tub. Her long golden locks dipped into the water and rested around her. The warm water was soothing and relaxing after so much activity. She counted eight orgasms total.

“When I was a child...” She began.

He blinked and looked over at her as he sat next to the tub. “Hm?”

“My mother... They burned her alive. They said she was a monster, that she had manipulated my father into loving her, that they needed to burn her to free him from her snare...” Serenade closed her eyes remembering it like it was yesterday. The image was clear in her mind, she could see the fire rising, the flames glowing as flesh began to ignite. Her mother though, she was strong, strong enough to not give them the satisfaction to even beg them to stop. She allowed herself to be destroyed.

She didn’t even cry then, she held it in. She wanted to be strong like her mother was. What she had become though, what she was now was a creature that was nothing like her mother. She was a demon, but maybe that was okay. Her mother was naive, foolish even to believe that mortals could be trusted when you didn’t have some kind of squeeze over them. With all of her subordinates, she had power over them, a way to control them should they step out of line and that was how she liked it. No one could get the jump on her.

“You’ve held it in all this time...” Arax spoke, his words sounding more like a question though.

She nodded. “I promised I would never let mortals get the better of me... I’ll never cry because of mortals, I’ll never give them the satisfaction of seeing me like that...”

Arax reached over and placed a hand on her shoulder. Serenade turned and looked at him with intrigue. “Maybe we’re more alike than either of us want to admit...”

“So you’re saying you’re garbage too?” She grinned at the chance to return his earlier snark to him.

He nodded. “Definitely, but trash has to stick together, right?”

She chuckled. “That’s true, I suppose. We’ve come this far, we may as well keep going.”

“We’re in it until the end,” he agreed.

“So... Out of curiosity... Did you ever get it on with that Starlight girl?” Serenade changed the subject.

He laughed and rolled his eyes. “That’s my secret.”

“You can’t even tell me after all of that?” She complained.

“Some things are better left a mystery, right?”

“Do you ever cease to be aggravating?” She grumbled.

“Right back at ya.” He winked.

At that moment while she looked at him, his messy dark hair draping over part of his face, his single eye watching her while his other was covered by that white medical eyepatch, she could swear he looked... Handsome? It may have just been the afterglow though.

A young Serenade had made her way all the way to the harsh sands of Dragon Scar. She had wanted a change from Equestria, and was hoping to learn much in the way of combat and fighting from the dragon kind, who were said to be excellent combatants. While they were still mortals, they were more tolerable than ponies, albeit generally more stupid.

She had heard only stories spoken in whisper of ponies who had grown strong enough to slay dragons, she was hoping to add her name to the list of creatures who were capable of such a feat at some point.

Unfortunately for the young siren, most dragons weren’t interested in conversing with anything that wasn’t a dragon, even a siren.

Getting to Dragon Scar back then was far easier than it would eventually become, but it was still a harsh place where the law was limited. Most dragons there didn’t listen to anything spoken in the Dragon Lands, and didn’t even recognize the dragon lord. They were unique breeds, far more vicious, more violent, and more self-interested.

It was a land of lawlessness, low-quality alcohol, and tests of brutish strength.

One such test presented itself to the young siren during a cold evening when she was simply trekking her way to the nearest town to find an inn to sleep in. She hadn’t fed in days, and she was starting to feel the effects of it. She needed to either find food or energy that she could devour or she was going to collapse.

It was almost as if the gods were playing tricks on her, as in her weakened and dazed state, she found herself threatened by two smaller (by dragon standards) dragons. A red one with more points on his body than Serenade could count chuckled as he eyed her up and down, his gold eyes shining as he looked her over. “Not bad, you look absolutely delicious.”

Whether or not his statement was intended to speak his intentions toward his hunger or of a more perverse nature was difficult to tell, but Serenade decided it was wiser to assume the first and he was under the impression that she was on the menu.

“And you look like a fucking moron,” Serenade replied, her voice not even quivering. While she had little experience in dealing with dragons, she was far from afraid of them and given their size, these two were adolescents, so likely not as strong as a full-sized dragon.

“Watch yourself, meat creature.” The other hissed at her. He was a pale green and had what Serenade could only describe as a “lumpy” texture to his skin, along with a chubby physique. She imagined he was even unattractive by dragon standards.

She had heard the term “meat creature” a few times in Dragon Scar. She had come to understand it was a racist term to refer to ponies as. The origins were fairly evident.

“Could you both kindly piss off?” Serenade asked.

“I like ‘em feisty... Gives me a reason to play before I sink my teeth in...” The red one spoke.

“I would criticize, but I too enjoy playing with my food, the only difference is you two are about to go hungry.” Serenade smirked.

Their conversation was soon interrupted by a raspy feminine voice that called in their direction. “Leave her alone.”

The entire group turned to see a pink dragon standing with her claws gripping a blade sheathed on her back. It looked like some kind of katana, but the hilt was well decorated, a single emerald reflected the light as she tightened her grip upon it. Bladed weapons were common among dragons of Dragon Scar. Before a dragon reached full size they needed to learn to defend themselves and the life of a dragon in such a hellish place was difficult. From birth, they were trained to fight, trained to kill or be killed.

This dragon’s orange eyes narrowed as she gripped the sword. She stood about a head or so taller than Serenade, so no doubt she was young. Her wings extended to an impressive wingspan as she bore her fangs.

“Why don’t you stay out of it?” The green one hissed back.

Taking a step forward, they both blinked as they noticed her neck, a thick corded necklace baring a tooth dangled from it. “Yo, she’s a TorXel.”

“That’s right, now which of you wants to die first?” She smirked.

Serenade hadn’t a clue what was going down, but she imagined it was juicy if you were a dragon that was privy to what was happening.

The green lumpy-looking one drew his claw ready to fight, but the red one placed a claw on his shoulder. “Don’t man, I told you, she’s a TorXel...”

The young pink dragon removed her blade from the sheath, demonstrating its black blade with the silver edge by twirling it skillfully in her right claw before holding it at her side, ready to attack the moment it was necessary. “Backing down like a couple of pussies now?”

“What’d you say!?” The green one hissed, but his red friend gripped his shoulder tighter and shook his head.

“Don’t listen to her, man, she’s trying to goad you in, it’s not worth it,” he told his friend.

The pink dragon chuckled and spoke in a language that was foreign to Serenade, she assumed it was Draconian, as it was a common language among older dragons in Dragon Scar. She couldn’t make out most of the words except the last one which she made sure to state with extra clarity compared to the rest. “Drugun.”

That word seemed to piss the two off more as now even the more rational of the two drew his claws. “THE FUCK YOU JUST SAY!?”

She nodded her head lightly. “You heard what I said.”

“Alright, fuck this bitch. She can’t take us both!” The red one hissed.

Without warning, they both charged her, claws drawn to slash at her, but her right claw was far faster. Serenade barely saw her move as she sliced her sword. The red dragon blinked and looked at his claw. All of his talons had been sliced clean off. He wasn’t injured, but he was definitely shocked. The pink dragon stood still as the green one charged her.

The moment he came inches from her though, she knelt down and jabbed him with the hilt of her blade in his stomach, knocking the wind out of him. When he kneeled in pain, she jumped and kicked him in the face, sending him onto his back. She didn’t waste the opportunity, as she stepped atop his chest and pointed her blade downward at his groin. “You probably weren’t expecting to lose your balls today, were you?” She asked.

He panicked and shook his head. “P-please! We didn’t mean nothing by it! We’ll leave the meat creature alone! Swear it!”

She removed her sword and put it away before stepping off of him. “Both of you have eight seconds to get out of my sight, or you’ll be leaving this place much lighter than when you arrived.”

The green dragon nodded in understanding as he shambled to his feet. He and his red friend bolted out of sight at lightning speeds. Serenade just watched in amusement. She admitted, she was somewhat impressed by the pink drake’s skill with a blade and her ability to intimidate.

After the two dragons had left, she turned to Serenade and approached carefully before smirking as she offered a claw. “Don’t see too many of your kind out here.”

Serenade just stared at the claw before looking up at the dragon. “I’m not from around here,” Serenade replied.

She kept the extended claw out, determined to get her to accept the gesture. “It ain’t safe to wander around unprotected out here, don’t you know?”

“What was that word you called them?” Serenade changed the subject.

The pink dragon chuckled and rolled her eyes. “Drugun, you mean?”

Serenade nodded.

“It’s a play on the word Draken which means dragon. It’s more or less the equivalent of calling someone a half-breed. Huge insult in Draconian,” she explained.

“I see.” Serenade nodded in understanding. Hurting a foe’s pride was often the key to getting them to get sloppy.

“Now are you going to shake my fucking claw or what? You’re leaving me hanging here.” The girl chuckled.

Looking back at the claw, Serenade reached forward and placed her hoof in it, which the pink dragon squeezed tightly and shook. She had an impressive grip for such a young thing.

“My name is Cinder, Cinder Razorclaw.” She smiled, her fangs on full display as she did.

Serenade studied her face as she replied, “Serenade. Serenade Dazzle.”

“That’s a cute name, don’t see many ponies out here, what brings you to Dragon Scar?” Cinder asked as she released Serenade’s hoof.

Serenade didn’t feel the need to correct her as she shrugged. “I’m looking for training, I want to get stronger.”

Cinder placed her claws upon her waist and smirked, tilting her head to form a confident look about her. “You’re in luck then, you just so happened to have stumbled across probably the most competent dragon to train you in all of Dragon Scar.”

“No offense, but you don’t look that impressive to me.” Serenade raised a brow, doubting the validity of her claims.

Cinder rolled her eyes and laughed before placing a claw upon her necklace. “Proof is right here. I’m a TorXel, like those idiots said.”

“I have no idea what that means,” Serenade responded plainly.

“It means I’m part of one of the oldest and most skilled dragon clans in the country. Most of our bloodline is gone, but our secrets and techniques have been passed down through the clan. Our family is the last of our kind,” Cinder explained.

It didn’t make much sense to Serenade, but all she took away from the conversation was what she needed to: this girl was strong.

“How many of your kind are there left?” Serenade asked.

“Four, including myself. My parents and my brother are the other three, but regardless, the TorXel name is still feared and respected out here. So, you’re looking for a trainer then?” Cinder grinned.

Serenade nodded. “Are you offering?”

Cinder winked. “You get right to the point don’t you?”

“Yes.”

She let out a prominent laugh before reaching forward and patting the mare on the shoulder. “You’re not much of a talker are you?”

“No.”

“Fair enough, and it’d be an honor to train you.” Cinder bowed.

“Just like that?” Serenade raised a suspicious brow at the offer.

“The way I see it, you had the guts to even come this far, so you must be serious about getting stronger.” Cinder nodded.

“Where do we begin then?” Serenade asked.

Cinder grinned and patted the pony again before gesturing to follow her. “Come on little one, I’ll show you everything I know...”

Months of training with Cinder had proven effective for Serenade. She was a fast learner and was able to pick up on techniques quickly. Her grasp on magic made maneuvers simple, and Cinder’s brutal teaching style that held nothing back had pushed her to truly test herself. There was nothing more thrilling than that moment when Cinder gave her all she had, and the two would clash, their spirits challenging each other.

One of the few times where Serenade felt she was truly alive was during the thrill of a fight, the glory of those moments leading to the kill, a feeling she was certain that Cinder could enjoy as well.

Over time, Serenade was to learn the TorXel along with her combat training, as per the tradition of their clan. Most of it was stuff that she wasn’t terribly familiar with, but they focused heavily on honor and bravery. Unlike a lot of the other clans in Dragon Scar, the TorXel clan were far from murdering psychopaths, and instead, they only killed for specific reasons. They believed in preserving displays of power for when it was called for and that flaunting one’s power was a sign of weakness.

After a particularly long eight straight hours of training, Cinder lowered her blade, not even showing a single sign of tiring out as Serenade panted. She was exhausted, she had never been pushed so far in her life. At a little over a hundred years old, she had a good century over the seventeen-year-old dragon, yet Cinder fought with such valor that she could best even a siren.

With her blade still in her claw, she chuckled and cracked her neck. “I think a break might be a good idea.”

“One more go...” Serenade panted, taking a battle stance.

Cinder shook her head and put her sword away. Approaching Serenade, she tapped the mare’s nose. “A true warrior knows when they’re at their limit. If you push yourself too hard, you’ll incapacitate yourself, and then how will you train to get stronger?”

“Just one more...” Serenade spoke again.

“The answer is no, hatchling. It took me eight years to master these arts, you need to pace yourself. You’re a fast learner, but that won’t mean anything if you kill yourself in the process.” Cinder giggled before gesturing for the mare to follow her.

“It’ll take more than that to kill me...” Serenade responded.

“Maybe so, but we’re not risking it, now come on.” She gestured again, this time with her talon.

Sighing, Serenade nodded and followed as the two sat down on a set of rocks that they had fashioned into a pair of benches across from each other. Cinder blew gently and flames ignited from an old campfire that they had made the night before. Her fire breathing was quite skillful and made Serenade contemplate the usefulness of such a talent.

“Alright, hatchling, let’s review.” Cinder narrowed her eyes as she leaned forward.

Serenade hated tests.

“This is stupid...” Serenade looked away.

“No it isn’t, it’s important. Once you understand the ways of the TorXel, you will be stronger than you ever imagined,” Cinder raised a talon as she reminded her of something that she had repeated many times. While Serenade was an excellent combatant she was remarkably stubborn.

“Fine, shoot.” Serenade rolled her eyes.

“What is the way of The TorXel?” Cinder asked.

An easy first question. “To live with honor, and only through discipline can we achieve that.”

“Correct, a dragon without discipline will break when the pressure is on.” Cinder nodded. “Next, what is the Trial of Telfor?”

“An ancient rite of passage that all TorXel warriors must pass. The trial was originally started by Telfor, the founder of the TorXel clan,” Serenade answered.

“Correct, a trial that you will have to pass in order to complete your training. A pony has never passed the trials before, but at the rate, you’re growing... You may be the first.” Cinder smiled. She leaned back and nodded contently. “You’re doing much better now. Discipline of the mind is just as important as that of the body, and you’re starting to get that.”

“Why did you become a warrior, Cinder?” Serenade changed the subject.

Cinder blinked and tilted her head. For the months that they had spent together, Serenade had never really asked much about her and didn’t seem too interested in offering details about herself either. She was definitely a very “strictly business” type, but Cinder didn’t mind.

“Me? What do you mean?” Cinder asked.

Serenade looked off into the distance, observing the red sunset over the red sands. “Your brother Ash is a warrior, meaning you didn’t have to become one too, yet you did. Why? You said yourself he’s better than you in every way.”

Cinder laughed and nodded. “It’s true, Ash is definitely stronger, faster, and more powerful than me, but I became a warrior because I wanted to aspire to be better. Being in Ash’s shadow doesn’t bother me, it means I always have something to aspire to, and that motivates me.”

“I see...” Serenade nodded, not making eye contact.

“What about you, Serenade? Why do you fight?” Cinder asked curiously.

Serenade bit her lip. Thousands of words traveled through her mind, but none of them came to the surface. “I wish I had a good answer to that...”

“Not having a reason to fight won’t end well, you need something that motivates you,” Cinder explained.

Serenade shrugged. “The will to survive?”

“No, I mean like someone to protect, someone you care about.” Cinder raised a talon.

“No one cares about me.” Serenade grunted.

“I do.” Cinder smiled.

“You’re just my teacher...” Serenade replied quietly.

“There is a unique bond between student and master in our clan. It is said that they are fated to dance in combat forever. The simple act of teaching means we will fight together, we will strive for greatness together, we will become greater together.” Cinder’s voice echoed with pride as she recited the philosophy of her kind. It was a touching sentiment, but one that Serenade had a hard time wrapping her head around. The concept of such loyalty was lost upon her.

“You really think our relationship is special like that?” Serenade raised a brow.

“Definitely. I knew the moment I met you that you were special, Serenade. I could tell you’re not like most of your kind.” Cinder grinned.

She at least had a point there.

Serenade found herself smiling at the recognition. “Thank you... Seldom does anyone notice anything about me, to be honest...”

“You need to work on your confidence,” Cinder chuckled.

“Perhaps you’re right...” Serenade nodded.

Remarkably after only two years, Serenade had managed to not only excel at her training, but her study of the ways of the TorXel and even learn Draconian in such a short time. Cinder’s words of motivation over those two years pushed her to greater lengths, to achieve greatness she had never thought imaginable.

After meeting with the dragon’s parents, they were convinced by Cinder (though they resisted) to allow Serenade to partake in the Trial of Telfor, and more remarkably, she had managed to make history as the first non-dragon to ever pass them.

When the trial was over, Cinder had offered to take her to a nearby town to celebrate. The night was filled with drink, dance, and excitement as Cinder showed her how dragons had a good time outside of fighting. For only nineteen, Cinder held her liquor well, though Serenade suspected their kind had a high tolerance.

By the time the night had grown old, Serenade found herself retiring to a room in their inn that they had rented so they didn’t have to travel back to her family’s cave. Serenade found herself in the lavatory brushing her long wild mane as she sang to herself.

It had been so long since she sang that she almost forgot how heavenly her voice sounded. Most of her time was spent training, and on top of that, she seldom had a reason to sing anymore. She would use her voice to lure and feed on unsuspecting dragons and the occasional griffon when Cinder’s back was turned, but for the most part, she avoided singing.

She nearly jumped when she heard a familiar raspy voice call out to her from the bedroom. “I never knew you had such a lovely singing voice.”

Blushing, Serenade stepped out of the bathroom and composed herself as she saw the dragon sitting on the bed dangling her feet on the edge. Inns in Dragon Scar often offered obnoxiously large beds to accommodate their usual clientele which were young dragons. A dragon often would take around four or five thousand years to reach full size, but before then they would grow relatively slowly. Cinder had only grown about two inches in the two years that Serenade knew her, but she still was bigger than the average pony. At full height, she was about twice Serenade’s height, but their size was comparable, even though Serenade was small even by pony standards.

“I didn’t know you had made it back yet...” Serenade looked away.

“Hey, why the embarrassment? Your voice is great!” Cinder winked.

“Sorry, I’m just not used to compliments...” Serenade lied.

Cinder shook her head and patted next to herself as she climbed onto the back and rested her back against the headboard. “Come chill with me.”

Serenade sighed and nodded as she climbed into the bed next to the dragon and rested her head on her hooves. “So, what now? I passed the trial, where do we go from here?”

Cinder grinned and placed a claw around the mare, pulling her in closer. “We’re just getting started. You’re no longer a hatchling, you’re the real deal. I have to admit, I’ve never seen a pony as tough as you, but you continue to surprise me.”

“I thought I was just a meat creature to your kind?” Serenade raised a brow.

“Would you stop the whole stoic and mysterious act for even one night? You should be happy, open up a little.” Cinder nudged the girl.

“Happiness... That’s not something I think I have ever really known... Maybe a long time ago...” Serenade thought out loud.

Blinking, Cinder frowned and moved the mare in front of her between her legs. She let Serenade rest her back against her chest as she placed her arms around the mare. Her wings extended and wrapped around to pull the mare closer. “Listen, you can tell me anything. I’m more than just your mentor, I’m your friend.”

Serenade hadn’t been hugged since she was little. It was an odd feeling, but this dragon actually was warm. She gave in to a moment of weakness and closed her eyes. “You’re warm...” She commented.

Cinder nodded and ran a talon along the mare’s cheek. “Full of fire, that’s sort of how it works.”

“Probably convenient as it’s so fucking cold in Dragon Scar at night...” Serenade commented.

“You could have asked for me to hold you like this if that was the case...” Cinder pointed out.

“I guess...” Serenade responded as she kept her eyes closed.

It didn’t take long before the mare fell asleep laying like that. Cinder smiled as she watched the girl breathe gently. She had opened up to Serenade over the past two years, and while Serenade was a difficult one to get to do the same, there were cracks in her armor showing, and occasionally she let out a detail or two about herself. Cinder had figured out long ago that this mare was running from something, something that she was tired of running from and instead wanted to fight back.

Her determination warmed Cinder’s heart, and she felt good that she was helping this girl that others likely didn’t bother giving a chance. Her parents were resistant at first, but she followed her gut feeling and convinced them to allow her to be trained. Her brother continued to remain a skeptic though.

Over those two years, Serenade was softening up if not just a little bit. The fact that she would allow herself to be embraced right now was proof of that.

Cinder petted her cheek with a talon and stared longingly at the girl. The reality was, that she knew this relationship had gone far past teacher-student a few months ago. She didn’t know the exact moment, but she had found herself developing feelings for Serenade. It was odd, a dragon falling for a pony, something unheard of, but she didn’t care. She wanted to be more than Serenade’s teacher, she wanted to be her protector, and she would wait as long as it took for the girl to open up, for her to tell her of all the demons inside of her.

She wanted to tell her how she felt, but it wasn’t time yet. That would have to wait.

Serenade adjusted her dress and sighed as she opened her eyes. After a bath, she felt much better and surprisingly energized, despite her legs still being shaky. Arax walked up behind her and placed a hand on her shoulder causing her to flinch for a second but she relaxed slowly as she turned to face him.

“Fuck, haven’t you had enough!?” Serenade raised a brow.

“I could probably go again, but that’s not what I was trying to do.” He rolled his eyes.

Again!? She gulped.

“Should you really even be standing?” Arax asked.

“I’m fine, and if I’m not then it’s your fucking fault.” She hissed.

He shrugged and looked away rubbing his neck. “Sorry... I guess I got carried away...”

“You’re fucking right you did! Sirens aren’t supposed to...” She paused, not wanting to say it out loud.

“Have sex?” He finished her sentence for her, much to her annoyance.

“Y-yeah...” She blushed.

“What difference does it make? It’s not like you’ve ever followed the rules before...” He pointed out.

He made a strong argument, but she wasn’t sure how she felt about all of this. “You’re lucky I don’t kill you.”

“You could have done so at any moment when I was advancing on you, have you forgotten?” He raised a brow.

“Of course not!” Serenade growled.

“Then why didn’t you?”

That was a question she didn’t want to answer. She hadn’t forgotten that it was easy to kill him. That she didn’t even need her powers to do it, she had told herself originally it was because she needed him while she was weakened, but when he held her down and had his way with her, she should have stopped him right? Was it because she enjoyed it? Because she wanted it? That had to be it, it was the only logical explanation.

“I...” She paused and shook her head, not wanting to say it.

He nodded and stepped forward, wrapping both of his arms around the girl. She flinched again but rested in his grip, her head resting against his chest as he placed his hands around her. “I don’t care anymore...” He began, almost whispering.

Serenade just kept quiet and listened as he spoke, stroking her hair. “It doesn’t matter what you’ve done, or what I’ve done. It doesn’t matter what happens from here, but...”

Serenade could feel the anxiety building up in her as she waited to hear him finish that sentence.

“I love you, Serenade...” He spoke.

That was a phrase she had only heard a handful of times, but most were by ponies she had manipulated with her powers into saying it. This was different though, there was nothing forcing him to say it, instead, he said it on his own. He actually meant it. Arax was in love with her, despite how rotten she treated him, despite how terrible she was, despite the fact that she was a demon. Was he crazy?

She closed her eyes and nuzzled his chest. “Thank you...” She said. They were the only words that came to mind after all. It didn’t matter anymore, all that mattered was that she was enjoying the moment, and didn’t know when the next enjoyable moment would happen in her life.

Next Chapter: Act VII Part II - Chapter CXXV: Mates Estimated time remaining: 8 Hours, 59 Minutes