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“Huh?” was all Rarity could say.

Fleur De Lis just sat there, staring at Rarity in disgust. They just don’t get it, she thought by herself. They keep making the same mistakes over and over again. Just like Celestia, they never got the message right. They never understood how this is supposed to end.

“Now you are just confirming me. You have no idea what I am talking about. How can something so noble and so positive as the Canterlot Elite be something worth despising, even when you are already a member of it? How can you hate the princesses, even though they do so much good for us? You keepers of harmony claim to know the truth. But as a matter of fact, you are all still blind to what is truly going on. Equestria has been in slavery ever since the alicorns came to Equestria without even realizing it. We traded one tyrant for, by now, three,” the top model explained.

“That’s so typical for you cultists. The few things the princesses did wrong are no excuse for all the horrible things you do and nothing you come up with can justify the actions of the cult. Princess Celestia’s actions may sometimes be questionable, but they are all for a good reason and cause. You are just being irrational and ridiculous. What do you think will happen to all of you if you succeed and the demons come to power? Have you ever even wasted a thought on that?” Twilight asked.

Instantly, Fleur’s expression switched to a sinister smile. Her eyes briefly wandered across the room before she refocused Twilight.

“Once again, you are completely underestimating us. We are well aware of what will happen. The alicorns will get killed and all ponies in Equestria will be slain. Nightmare Moon will rise and finally, revenge will be achieved. This is as it has to be and why I won’t fight back if you want to kill me now. We all have to die. This is the destiny of this land, maybe even this entire world. Celestia the tyrant has to finally pay for what she had done,” she replied.

“What has she ever done so wrong that you want to see her dead so badly?” Fluttershy wondered.

The eyes of the high priestess went wide open for a moment, only to let them roll and tilt her head in disappointment moments later.

“Really? You know so much. You have come this far, and you don’t even know how it all started? I expected you would not be able to see much, but this is serious blindness you display here,” she stated.

“Would you quit this act for one second and speak clearly?” Twilight insisted with an angered tone in her voice. “We give you the opportunity to explain yourself now, so put it to use or just be quiet and accept your end.”

Again, Fleur could only smile sinisterly in amusement. She slowly got up and took a bold step towards the ice, knowing Fluttershy would instantly raise her scythe and get ready to strike. But she also knew that this ice wall was just starting to melt, so the yellow mare would not be able to hit her, yet.

“Alright. I will try to explain this to you, but I doubt you will believe it anyway. I suppose you know that Princess Luna was the one who created Nightmare Moon and therefore created demon-kind? Well, have you ever asked yourself how it could have come so far that she fell so deep into desperation and insanity that her feelings took a physical form?” Fleur wondered.

“What are you driving at?” Rarity asked back.

“A demi-goddess does not just randomly become insane and violent for no reason. Somepony drove her into isolation and madness. Somepony with so much power and authority, she actually had control over the Princess of the Night. The very same pony who fought my lords for over one thousand years is also their very origin. This is the reason why she has such a strong motivation to defeat Nightmare Moon and her children. Because it is her fault it ever even came this far. Your very own beloved Princess Celestia was the one who started the war and doomed this land to total destruction,” the high priestess explained.

After she finished speaking, Fleur observed the reactions of the group. Just as she expected, their expressions did not change. They still looked determined and serious.

“You are right, Fleur. I do not believe it. You cultists are just making up any story you like to justify your actions. If all you got to share now are lies, I think I have had enough of your talking,” Twilight started, then turned over to Rarity. “Can you do something to make the ice melt faster? The sooner we can kill their leader, the better.”

“I think I still have a few rubies left. Let me check,” Rarity requested and turned around to her saddlebag.

Suddenly, Fleur started laughing mildly. She even had to cover her mouth with her right front leg to suppress it.

“What’s so funny?” Twilight wondered.

“Oh, nothing. You are so very right, as always. Nevermind this insane mare trapped in here, making up stories just to confuse you. Of course I am the leader. Because you understand so very much of how the cult works,” Fleur responded in an ironic tone.

“Wait, you are not the one leading the cult? Hasn’t it all started with you?” Fluttershy wondered.

“Oh no, no. Of course you are right! I obviously uncovered all this by myself and built up the cult on my own! Obviously, it is the task of the high priestess to lead the cult instead of holding sermons, training disciples, maintaining the cult’s perspectives and being the only direct connection between the true leader and the cult! What are you thinking to ever doubt your omniscience? Shame on you!” the top model responded mockingly.

“Rarity, stop,” Twilight ordered instantly, then focused Fleur in fury. “Alright. Then who is it? Who is the one behind all this?”

With yet another sinister smile, Fleur threw a short arrogant pose and turned around, scanning through the shelves.

“There is nothing you could do with your moral perspectives to get that kind of information out of me. But you are not the only one here who is fed up with this pointless conversation,” she responded, then grabbed a potion bottle and opened it. “I perfectly well understand that I won’t get out of here. This is what Nightmare Moon has decided. So, I take this means my time has finally come to ascend. You know, reaper blood is like good wine. The older, the better. This sample here is taken from an elder reaper. Should be quite pleasing to the palate.”

Twilight’s eyes instantly went wide. She tried to concentrate and cast a spell to break through the ice, but she still was in bad shape. She could not focus without quickly starting to cough up some blood again.

There was nothing she could do. Instead, she watched as Fluttershy and Rarity tried everything they could to break through and stop Fleur. But before they could get anywhere, it was already too late. Twilight watched as Fleur De Lis drank the last sip out of the bottle.

Still, Fluttershy kept on beating against the ice, cracking it more and more. If they could not get the informations they required, they at least could still prevent her from giving birth to yet another demon.

Fleur De Lis stood on the other end of the ice wall, grinning widely at the panic she unleashed between these three mares. Then, she lifted her focus to the ceiling.

“Nightmare Moon. Queen of demons. I am ready to leave this mortal shell and become your daughter. By your side, I will…” she started, but suddenly stopped and gained an expression of stun as she slowly started to breathe faster and faster and placed her right front leg on her chest. “What… what is this? This is not how it is supposed to feel. I… I am suffocating! Why… why is this ha-”

Before she could finish her sentence, a set of two small red horns suddenly bursted out through her eyes while she focused the ceiling.

“Oh, just be quiet, honey. You have been babbling for far too long,” a new, female voice suddenly spoke.

Twilight could only stand there with a wide open mouth. She couldn’t believe how fast this demon formed and bursted free.

Just seconds later, a set of two large red demon wings tore out of Fleur’s back and she was ripped apart from the inside more and more. Fluttershy knew they had the best chances to defeat this demon while it was still just a newborn. But suddenly, she realized that Rarity stopped trying to help her and just stared inside the chamber. Twilight as well was just sitting there, doing nothing but stare.

The demon’s head had completely busted free by now. Even Fluttershy had to admit that she had never seen something so beautiful, yet sinister at the same time in her life before. Words completely failed to even begin describing the sensation this demoness gave off. Red and black coat. Long red mane. Small devil horns on top of her head. Glowing red eyes, burning with lust. A long snake tongue. Everything still covered in the blood of her violent birth.

Fluttershy was capable of quickly snapping herself out of it, but both Rarity and Twilight kept staring. So she just continued hitting the ice with her scythe. By the time she finally broke through, the demoness had finished freeing herself and watched her patiently with a soft smile.

Suddenly, Fluttershy felt something grab her and pin her against the wall. She was unable to move and felt teeth digging into her torso. As she looked up, she was staring right at Despair.

The demoness had her usual vicious grin on her face while she held Fluttershy immobilized. But just a moment later, her expression switched to an annoyed one. She tilted her head and focused on the newborn demon in the storage room.

“Finally. There you are, Succubus,” she stated.

The red and black demoness casually walked outside of the storage, next to Despair. She still had that soft, alluring smile on her face.

“So very sorry, sugar. Fleur was a bit more resilient than I anticipated,” Succubus explained in a slow and incredibly seductive voice.

“Have to agree with that. What a fool. She never even considered that the love potion we gave her might be cursed. At least we can go on now,” Despair spoke, then focused Twilight with an angry glance. “You sure took your time to get here. Don’t you know an invitation when you see one? You have no idea how annoying it was to mislead that snow fairy friend of yours to make her keep chasing me for days.”

“If we are expecting company, I guess we should get going,” the red demoness suggested.

“No need to rush. By the time she gets here, we are long gone and these three will have recovered from your abilities. Quite impressive, I have to admit,” Despair stated.

Succubus smiled again. Then she focused Rarity and began to lick her lips.

“In that case, perhaps we could have some fun with them before we go,” she stated, then walked over, stroked through Rarity’s mane and rubbed her nose against it. “Mmh, you smell nice, cutie.”

“Sorry, but that will have to wait. I need you for a few tasks,” Despair explained.

Instantly, Succubus allowed Rarity’s mane to fall back in place and turned around.

“Alright,” she spoke and started walking.

Fluttershy observed this all mutely. She had no idea what to do. Then, Despair’s focus returned to her. One last angry glance was all she could remember before she was tossed into the wall on the other side of the room with such force it knocked her unconscious.

---

Three days later, the group found itself sitting in a hotel room close to Canterlot Castle. By now, they were reunited with Crystal Blossom. But the latest developments were more than disappointing. Twilight, Rarity and Fluttershy stared out of the window, observing the streets of the capital city. As usual, while the two unicorn mares had sad expressions, Fluttershy’s remained blank.

“Nothing changed at all. Black Widow is dead and the cult just keeps spreading as if nothing happened,” Rarity spoke.

“I was so sure we had it this time. It makes no sense. All our sources confirm that Black Widow was the leader of the cult. How could they trick us like that? From the very beginning, we were just doing exactly what Despair wanted us to do,” Twilight stated in a depressed tone.

“It was all set up from the start,” Crystal explained. “The fake assault on you, Twilight. The carefully placed clues to bring us to Manehattan and join up with Babs Seed. The intel of Black Widow being in Fillydelphia. Applejack’s flight back to Ponyville and finally, the attack on the Canterlot BloodClaw church. Despair does not hesitate to sacrifice any number of cultists necessary to achieve her goals. You were right, Twilight. This is the most devious demon I have ever encountered. Even I did not realize she was just stalling me.”

“We can’t just give up like that. We have to do something. I’m surprised they haven’t attacked Canterlot Castle or tried to assassinate the princesses by now. Who knows how much time we have left before they come up with that idea,” Fluttershy stated.

“Well, without knowing who the true leader of the cult is, we can forget about that. Our only chance to find out more is gone now. We are stuck in a dead end... That’s it, girls. The investigation is over… Whatever it was Despair wanted to achieve, she won,” Twilight spoke in depression.

“My goodness, darling! Listen to yourself! It is so not like you to say such a thing!” Rarity commented, lightly shocked.

“Sorry… I’m just at my wits’ end. No matter what I do, Despair always has an answer ready. Unless she decides to, for some reason, just give us the information we need, we won’t be able to go on anymore,” the purple mare responded.

For nearly half an hour, the group did not know what to say anymore. Everything seemed so pointless and useless. With Black Widow’s death, they only cut a cord that could easily be mended by demons again. By now, it was likely that the BloodClaw Cult already appointed a new high priestess. What was the point of their whole infiltration? All it caused was the creation of a new demon.

Suddenly, they heard knocking at the door. Crystal and Fluttershy instantly shot up, summoned their scythes and went into battle stance. Then, they slowly approached the door and opened it, only to be welcomed by a male shriek.

“Ah! Don’t hurt me! I’m sorry! I just wanted to deliver a letter, that’s all!” a stallion pleaded.

Fluttershy was the first to let her scythe vanish and bowed down shortly.

“Sorry about that. We can’t be too careful these days. You said you had mail for us?” the yellow mare asked.

“Eh… yes. Here. From a certain Applejack,” the mailpony spoke and handed over a letter.

“Applejack?!” Twilight and Rarity shouted both at the same time and came rushing over.

After the mailpony said goodbye and they closed the door again, Fluttershy handed the letter to Twilight, who instantly tore it open and started to read out loudly.

“Dear friends,

I hope this letter doesn’t reach you at a bad timing. First of all, I’d like to thank you all for everything you have done for me. I couldn’t imagine any better friends in the entire world. I know we sometimes had our troubles and conflicts, but I value every moment we spent together. Be it in good times or bad times. So, sincerely from the bottom of my heart: Thank you.

Now, I reckon you are very anxious to hear an answer to my condition. Well, I have to say, talking to Derpy was a huge help. With her, I finally came to a conclusion about what to do with my life. I know, this might just about be killing you right now. But give me a moment to express myself, please. This is very serious to me and I am giving my darndest to express this now.

You all know that I am a family pony. Without family, I can’t be. I need my roots, my stemma, my leaves and all those shiny apples hanging from each branch. But Derpy helped me to realize that this apple tree is not entirely burnt to the ground. Babs is still alive and so am I. Some seeds still exist, so a new tree can grow again. I decided to do what I do best. I want to plant and grow apples. Just this time, I will go quite a leap in a whole different direction when I say that.

I won’t let the cult win with its attempt to erase my family. I will keep on living and chase after my little secret dream I never dared to tell anypony before. All my life long, I was so sunken in labor that I forgot to look for other things in life. Like love. I’m a little embarrassed to talk about it like that. But once this all is over, I will start looking for a stallion myself and start a family. Having children on my own was always a dream of me and with all that happened, I kind of forgot about it and saw it as impossible. But now, I made up my mind. Don’t worry, friends. This Apple here will stick around.

Sincerely yours, Applejack.”

Moments after Twilight finished reading, she and Rarity started smiling widely and tears of relief began to roll down their faces.

“Oh thank goodness,” was all Rarity could say at that moment, wiping the tears out of her eyes.

“A very admirable goal and quite bold if you consider all the things she had been through and are still to come,” Crystal commented. “You have a very strong friend, Twilight.”

“‘The most dependable pony in Equestria’, as she claims it herself. Now she has proven it,” the purple mare replied happily.

“Sometimes… Well I can’t really say that I am jealous of you, Twilight and Rarity, since I can’t feel jealousy anymore. But sometimes, I really envy you for still being able to feel and express yourselves. Hearing that must have felt so good…” Fluttershy commented.

“It did… But still, what do we do now?” Rarity wanted to know.

“Well… Canterlot is a dead end for us. There is nothing we can do here anymore and the longer we stay, the only thing that will change is that it gets more and more likely cultists will find us. We wiped Ponyville clear of cultists. The reapers, royal guards and police officers are still investigating. Maybe, until we get new information, we should just go home and be with Applejack for a while,” Twilight suggested.

“Ponyville sure would be a lot safer for all of us,” Fluttershy commented.

“I agree,” Crystal spoke. “Even though we can’t bring your friend any good news about the cult, you all at least get to take a breather after this chaos.”

“Well, I guess we should start packing then,” Twilight stated.

---

Ten minutes passed and the group was still busy packing. All of them were running short on supplies, so they would have to restock soon. Suddenly, Crystal Blossom turned towards the door of their hotel room and stared at it.

“Mentor…” Fluttershy spoke.

“You feel it, too?” Crystal asked.

“Yes…” the yellow mare responded.

“Oh no… not again…” Rarity commented.

The two reaper mares charged ahead, Crystal using her magic to open the door. But just as she finished, a long black arm shot inside the hotel room, grabbing Fluttershy and pinning her down.

She expected of the others to act now, but they all just stood perfectly still. Even Crystal Blossom stood idly, focusing the door with dreamy eyes and letting the scythe fall out of her mouth. As Fluttershy turned her head, she could see two demons: Slendermane and the one they had just seen before a few days ago.

Both entered casually, seemingly knowing that there would be no fight. While Slendermane just closed the door and stood in front of it to guard, the red and black demoness approached Fluttershy.

“Sorry for being so rough, sweetie. We just wanted to make sure you don’t instantly jump to your usual behaviour. We are not here to hurt you or your friends. If you promise me to not attack, I will promise you that we won’t do the same. And believe me, sugar. It will be very profitable for all of you,” she offered.

Fluttershy just nodded mutely. Instantly, Slendermane let go of her and she got back up, still maintaining tension in her stance. What choice did she have but to agree? The pale demon alone was so powerful no reaper ever succeeded to defeat him in battle, and he was not alone.

“What have you done with my friends?” Fluttershy asked.

“Nothing, my pretty. I’m not the type of demon to hurt or kill. Allow me to introduce myself. I am Succubus, The Insatiable Lust. I am a demon of temptation, desires and animalic instincts. It is not my style to be crude, but I hope you won’t mind if I have a little… taste of your friends,” the demoness spoke, smiling seductively.

Instantly, Fluttershy summoned her scythe again and went in battle stance.

“Don’t go near them,” she threatened.

But as soon as she finished speaking, she felt the countless arms of Slendermane immobilizing her again.

“That won’t be necessary, sweetheart,” Succubus spoke, looking at Slendermane. “She will get it soon enough.”

Slowly, the pale demon loosened his grip on Fluttershy, who just stood there, unable to even think of what to do now. She just watched as Succubus slowly circled around Twilight and eyed her up, making small pleased noises.

“What is… going on…?” the purple mare wondered in a sleepy tone.

Twilight had a strong blush on her face and constantly had her half-closed eyes glued on Succubus. Somehow, this demon seemed to be able to seduce ponies. Not just that, but reapers too, as Crystal was acting just the same way. But why am I unaffected, Fluttershy wondered. What should she do?

The only thing which came to her mind was using her Stare. She quickly tossed it at the two demons, then started charging over to her friends in order to grab them and escape. But while Slendermane was frozen solid, Succubus could grab the yellow mare, tossed her over and towered over her.

“You can resist my Stare?” Fluttershy wondered.

“As a matter of fact, you are the very reason why I was created in the first place. Your Stare is too potent. We needed a counter plan for it. So, with Despair’s help, Queen Nightmare Moon created me, a demon with immense seductive abilities. You have to admit yourself that I look and smell otherworldly good,” Succubus spoke slowly, then approached her left ear and started to whisper. “Just consider my seduction the demon-version of your Stare.”

Immediately, Fluttershy punched her hard and got back on her legs. But, as usual, demons can not be harmed physically. Succubus just took it with a twisted sense of pleasure and smiled at her.

“I am unique and high ranked from birth. If you think you stand even the smallest chance against both of us at once, I can make the stakes even higher for you,” Succubus spoke, then focused Twilight, Rarity and Crystal. “Ladies. Would you be so kind as to teach her what I mean by that?”

Surprisingly, they obeyed to the demoness’ request. All three charged Fluttershy at once, pinning her against a wall by magic and Crystal even went so far as to hold her own scythe against Fluttershy’s neck.

“Apprentice…? What am I doing? I can’t tell…” Crystal commented.

“Is that finally enough demonstration for you? Or do I need to tell them to hurt themselves?” Succubus threatened in a tempting tone.

This was mindblowing. How could she do that? Her very presence alone was enough for others to fall under her seduction and do her bidding. The yellow mare finally came to realize that there was nothing she could do and hung her head.

“I surrender. What do you want?” she asked.

“There we go. You can let go of her now, my sweeties,” Succubus ordered.

Moments later, Fluttershy fell to the ground and all three mares returned to the demoness. Then, Succubus sat to the ground, turned to Twilight and started caressing her chin while she stared deep into her eyes.

“Now that we got that settled, it is about time we get to business,” Succubus explained.

“What business?” Fluttershy wondered.

“We all have desires. Things we crave. Your gorgeous little friend here desires nothing more than to find the leader of the BloodClaw Cult. But the only pony who knew where this leader could have been found is dead now. Well, as chance would have it, I was born out that very same mare who had said knowledge, which means I know everything she knew,” the demoness responded.

“Yes… the leader… I need… to find…” Twilight commented dreamily.

By now, Succubus made Twilight embrace her and the demoness had her front legs running down her back while she kept sniffing her mane. Fluttershy had to fight a lot against her instincts to protect her friends, but there really was nothing she could do.

“What do you demand in return?” the yellow mare wondered. This caused Succubus to chuckle lightly.

“Nothing, honey. That is the beauty of lust and desires. Giving without expecting to receive. Receiving without expecting to give. I’m already taking everything I want right now,” the demoness replied with an erotic undertone.

“But you are a demon. Why would you help us? What is your advantage in all this?” Fluttershy wondered.

“Now let that be our concerns, precious. I just happen to have solid evidence about the cult leader’s location with me,” Succubus spoke, then slowly licked down Twilight’s neck with her long snake tongue before turning her focus to Slendermane. “Darling. Would you be so good as to give her the letter, please?”

The suited demon nodded and pulled a scroll out of his pocket. As he placed it in Fluttershy’s front legs, she came to realize something that shocked her so much, even she became wide-eyed.

“The… royal seal? Only the royal family has access to it and it can not be copied,” she commented.

“Exactly, sugar,” Succubus responded.

Fluttershy swiftly broke the seal, unrolled the scroll and started reading. The letter seemed to be addressed to Black Widow.

“I am more than pleased to see you successfully spread the influence of the cult across the entirety of Equestria. I just received some intel confirming your work. Recruiting you has got to be the best decision I ever made. At this rate, it won’t be long before our work will be complete. Your next goal will be to start turning minds around on a massive scale. I want the BloodClaw Cult advertised from its best side. By the end of the month, I hope to see at least one third of Equestria’s population as disciples. You never failed me so far, so I expect you will be able to accomplish this as well.”

“The royal family… that means…” Rarity spoke, still unable to think clearly.

“Yes, I think you are right, my dear,” Succubus started while caressing Rarity’s cheek. “One of your beloved princesses is the leader. Cadence, Luna, maybe even Celestia in one of her brilliant plans of mass manipulation. One of those three is the one behind all the massacre.”

“That can’t be…” Fluttershy commented.

“You hold the evidence in your very hooves, sweet heart. There is no doubt this seal is real. Even the paper and ink is from Canterlot Castle. Go analyze it if you wish. You will only find me confirmed,” the demoness added.

While this realisation slowly sank in, Succubus got on her legs again and walked back to Slendermane.

“Our task is done here. I told you she would understand,” she spoke to the pale demon.

With a nod, they both left the hotel room again, leaving behind four stunned mares, slowly coming back to their senses.