The Taste of Pomegranate
The sound of ponies clopping back and forth on the stage filled the theater with excitement and charisma in the air. It was the night that every pony was waiting for, it was the premier of a famous myth know throughout all of equestrian in the history books, the story of Persephone the pony goddess of the spring and Hades, the stallion of the underworld who kidnapped the young filly from an act of love. Twilight held up a clipboard and pen with her magic looking over at every pony actor in the play and checking off her check list being production manager it was her job to make sure every actor is ready. She walks over to Rarity who was sewing in the last pieces of a costume on her work table.
"How is the costume, Rarity?" Twilight smiles.
"Absolutely gorgeous!" she exclaims pulling out the finish gown "It took forever but I made it perfect!"
"Wow, it's beautiful Rarity I know Fluttershy would love it" Twilight smiles.
"oh of course she will, it just screams spring" she said with pride and let out a scoff looking left to right. "But where in all of Equestria is she? She needs to put on her costume"
"Uh girls?..." they both turn to see Applejack, who had her hat in her hoof close to her chest "We seem to have a problem with our star"
"oh dear" Twilight groans, the trio swiftly made their way to Fluttershy's dressing room to find Rainbow Dash furiously banging on the door while Pinkie Pie hopped up and down in place.
"Come on Fluttershy!" Rainbow Dash says putting her shoulder to the door trying to force her way in. "The show is going to start in five! Minutes!" she grunts trying to open the door.
"No!" Fluttershy protests. "I can't do it, there are too many ponies out there! You can't make me!"
"ugh! Fluttershy! Open this door!" Rainbow Dash shouts impatiently. Twilight places a hoof on Rainbow's shoulders pushing her gently back.
"Let me handle this" Twilight says, she puts out her hoof and knocks on the door three times. "Fluttershy?...you shouldn't feel scared, you practice your lines so many times that you know them by memory"
"Yeah…. but it was only in front of you girls and the other pony actors" Fluttershy starts "Can't you get another pony to do it?"
"No Fluttershy, you were the only pony that fit Persephone the most, you have to do it….what if you imagine that the crowd isn't there and say your lines like your still practicing in front of us"
"Well…." The ponies stood in silence waiting for a response and heard the click of a lock turning; they both saw Fluttershy as she opens the door her hoof rubbing her arm slightly her answer in a shaky audible whisper.
"Okay"
"Great! We have five minutes, Rarity you know what to do" Twilight said with authority.
"Of course" she replies with her head up high "Come now Fluttershy, let's make you a star!"
"o-oh okay" Fluttershy quietly says as she was lead back inside the dressing room "But not too much right?...right?...Rarity?" the door closes behind her making Twilight turn to her remaining ponies with an excited smile.
"All right girls, go get ready, we have a show to put on"
The theater was filled with ponies of all parts of Equestria with every single seat filled with excited ponies, the lights in front of the stage dimmed following with hushes and whispers. A spotlight shines to the end of the theater where Spike walks out wearing a suit and red bow tie, the light follows him to the middle of the stage as he addresses the crowd with a microphone.
"Good evening fillies, mares and gentlecolts! Tonight we will see the story of a beautiful filly taken by an evil stallion intent on marrying the fair maiden!...but first, we start from the beginning" With a wave of his claw the curtains separate revealing a lush field an illusion created by unicorn magic.
A young Persephone stood in the field full of flowers picking them from the ground and placing them together in a bouquet. Her white silk dress grazing across the grass leaving behind new sets of flowers growing behind her a common occurrence to the spring goddess, on top of her pink mane was a daisy crown that she made for herself. She turns hearing a set of clopping coming up to her to see her two Nymph pony friends.
"Howdy Lady Persephone" her orange friend smiles, her pink mare friend hopped alongside her.
"Hiya Persephone!" her pink mare friend said excitedly her poofy mane filled with different color flowers, Persephone smiles at her noticing her mane.
"I like your mane" she said.
"Thanks! I like your flower crown thingy!"
"Pickin' flowers I see" her orange friend inquires towards Persephone.
"oh yes, I'm making something for my mother Demeter"
"Well we be happy to help, we'll go out in the field to get as many flowers as we can" she turns away as the pink hopping nymph followed picking flowers as they possibly can. Persephone smiled sweetly at her friends and turns back into finding flowers of her own. She strays away from her friends going the edge of the forest. She heard a set of rustling in front of her and looks up to find a lone flower that had a yellow petal in the middle with white petals around it. She had never seen a flower like that in her field, it was beautiful. She trots into the dark forest not gaining the attention of hey nymph friends, the flower was being showered by a lone ray of sunlight being bathed with its warm light. Persephone gently takes the stem in her mouth plucking it and placing it in the middle of her bouquet. She sniffs the sweet scent of the mysterious flower letting out a small sigh.
"it's beautiful, isn't it?"
She let out a yelp, jumping back staring into the trees in all directions to find the source of the voice.
"W-who's there?" she stammers "Show yourself!"
Suddenly a figure appears in front of her, becoming visible as he takes off his helmet revealing his black slick hair, his eyes were yellow with red pupils and his coat was a dark blue color. He gave her a toothy smile revealing his canine teeth as he sets his helmet under his arm. He was a foreboding stallion, from the other stallion gods she met he was the most intimidating, she took a step back making him take a step forward to her.
"I am sorry to frighten you, Lady Persephone" he said smoothly.
"H-how do you know my name? do I know you?" she asks gaining a small amount of courage.
"I think not, this is the first time we exchange a conversation but I known you since you were a newborn foal" he bows his head slightly to her. "I am Hades, King of the Underworld"
"Hades?...my mother told me about you"
"Did she now?" he smiles. Persephone nods.
"She told me to stay away from you, you are a dangerous god"
"Dangerous I'm I?" he chuckles throatily, he puts out his hoof holding a bouquet of beautiful flowers making her eyes light up like a filly to a new birthday present. She trots up to his taking the bouquet in her hoof grazing his hoof slightly as she takes the bouquet adding it to her own.
"What type of flower is this?" she asks with a smile, touching its petals with a mother's touch. Hades let out a smirk.
"It's called a Narcissus and they only grow in my kingdom" he bends his head down at her as she was preoccupied with the flowers the tip of his nose to her mane taking in the sweet smell of vanilla. "Yet it pales in comparison in your own beauty"
She staggers back from how close her came to her but felt her cheeks go warm. He let out a soft chuckle walking up to her with each step he took she took the same backwards.
"I watch you time to time in your fields" he starts "How you smile when you feel a warm breeze go by, how you laugh that wonderful sweet laugh of yours when you find a creature go across your way, only now I had the courage to finally meet you, my dear Persephone" he growls playfully trapping her to a trunk of a tree. Persephone felt the cold bark on her back putting the bouquet of flowers in front of her chest. He takes a stand of her mane taking it to his lips pressing lightly on the strands of hair as he let them fall lazily into place. She felt herself becoming flustered she bit her lip feeling his hoof stroke her cheek gently he moved his hoof under her chin caressing her she wanted to pull away but feel herself under his spell when she gazes into his yellow eyes.
"You are even lovelier when your cheeks turn red" he grins. Persephone slaps his hoof away getting out of his trance.
"I-I'm must be getting back to my friends" she nervously began to trot towards her fields only to have her arm pulled back turning her completely around into the chest of the stallion.
"I'm afraid that you are going to have to miss them" he said sternly. Persephone began to have a sense of panic, she tries to pull away from the death god only for him to tighten his grip.
"L-let me go!" she shouts. "Somebody help! Somebody help me!" she shrieks.
Her nymph friends heard the call of their maiden and began to rush to her aid entering into the forest, Hades took the chance to put the struggling goddess over his shoulder as he began to run towards his chariot.
"Persephone! We're coming!" yells the orange nymph gaining momentum in speed, Persephone put out her hoof towards her desperately.
"Help me, please! Don't let him take me!"
"Hold on! I'm almost there!" Her friend was mere inches away from grabbing her hoof, Hades let out a growl increasing his speed in sheer determination, in the distance he sees his black chariot and his bat-ponies waiting for him. The orange nymph ran as fast as she could her hoof almost reaching her frighten friend until she tumbles forward by a tree root.
"No!" Persephone screams being put in the chariot struggling desperately. "Let me go! Let go of me!"
Hades ignored her pleas slapping the reins onto the ponies making them rear up kicking their front legs causing a dark abyss to open in the earth, the orange nymph looks up to see the young maiden be taken into the dark crater disappearing into the earth as it closes behind her, leaving a scorch ground in its wake.
"No! she's been taken! By Hades!" she yells angrily stomping her hoof to the ground, she turns to the pink nymph who staggered behind her panting in exhaustion.
"What…..should….we….do? whew! I need some water, stat!" she announces. Her friend stomp her hooves down to her.
"There's no time! We hafta tell Demeter, come on!" she takes off running in the opposite direction, making her friend groan.
"Can't we rest for one minute! Oh!" she takes off running following her. "I better get some water after this! Or some apple cider!...or some punch!...I really like punch!"
Hades pulls the reins back stopping the ponies into a halt as they fly into a dark and wet cave, their only source of light was candles standing at a wooden pier where stood Charon the ferryman of Hades, his face covered in a dark hood. Hades turns to his prize his arm holding her side close to him to find her clutching her withering flowers, most of its petals lost in the chase and their stems broken, her hair filled with leaves and twigs from grazing the trees but keeping her flower crown intact. She began crying once they went through the door of the Underworld knowing full well that she was now trapped in the realm of Hades and by her captor no less. Her tears stained her cheeks crying uncontrollably as she began to hiccup. Hades felt a sense of guilt go through him knowing that he should feel pain from seeing his maiden cry before him but even in her state, she looked even more beautiful to his eyes as he felt his lips turn to a small smile. He pulls her closer to him to get hit in the nose by the broken bouquet being slapped at him startling him by losing hold on her.
"Release me!" she shouts, going to the far end of the chariot. He looks up at her finding her eyes glaring hatefully at him, the once upset mare gone and replaced by a furious one. "Why have you taken me? Do you not know who my mother is?!"
"Of course I do" he sniffs rubbing his nose slightly, the scent of the narcissist overpowering. "She's the mother that kept you inside most of your life, never letting you go alone, always having an escort by your side" he inquires. "Never letting you have a moment of peace?"
It was true that her mother had always been over protective when she was born, her mother always told her that her beauty will bring in the wrong type of suitors the solution was always keeping an eye on her or have someone else keep an eye on her, her thought went to the nymphs who were only there to watch her and protect her, now they must be feeling terrible.
"With good reason!" she says loudly stomping her hoof, making him blink at her in intrest. "because now I have been kidnapped against my own free will!...I want to go home, now!"
He nibbles his lip slightly, eyeing her carefully before responding gently.
"I'm afraid not" her eyes widen. "You see, I waited for a chance to have you and now I do, I can't risk losing you again"
"What?..." she gasps, her voice shaky. "Why?...why have you taken me!? What have I ever done to you?!" she demands, he tilts his head at her confusingly.
"Nothing of course"
"Than why have you taken me?!"
"To be my wife" he said bluntly, she reels back away from him.
"Y-your wife?"
"Oh yes" he nods with a smile going up to her quickly trapping her against the chariot. She press herself against the cold steel looking down to the side trying to avoid his touch. "You see….my dear, Persephone" he starts taking her hooves into his own, she looks up at him to find a tint of red across his face. "I love you more than life itself" he proclaims.
"….what?" she whispers in shock.
"I want you to be my queen!" he grins "I want you by my side as the Queen of the Underworld, you will have anything you desire, riches, status, servants, clothes, and anything you wish! As long as you are by my side"
She pulls away from him jumping out of the chariot facing him.
"Never! I will never be your wife!" she proclaims defiantly. Hades kept a calm face stepping down from the chariot as he turns towards Charon and the river Styx.
"You don't have must of a choice, because you will be my wife and you really don't have a say in this matter"
She let out a huff "I will never be you wife, you will receive no love from me! Because I am just your prisoner"
"You are not my prisoner" he argues gently, turning towards her. "You will have free reign where ever you go"
"will you let me go to the surface, back to my flowering fields, back to my friends and back to my mother?"
"Well…..no, of course not"
"Than I am a prisoner" she says grimly, walking past him towards Charon. Hades follows silently behind her as they made their way towards the narrow boat. He stood besides her leading out his hoof.
"Let me help you"
"I do not need any help" she snaps, she takes her seat into the boat wobbling slightly, Charon swiftly put out his paddle stabilizing it. Hades let out a small sigh taking out a gold coin to the boat master, who politely shook his head.
"No need my lord" He said gruffly. "The Queen does not need to pay"
Hades nods in understanding as he makes his way in the seat behind his wife who cross her hooves avoiding any source of eye contact with him, staring down the river as Charon nervously try to focus on his rowing, the tension in the air becoming unbearable for him knowing that the boat ride will be the longest he had ever been from an eternity of bringing souls.
The nymphs broke open the door, startling a white unicorn pony dressed in a purple silk dress matching her mane, the top of her head holding a golden leaf crown making her set down the jar full of seeds for the next harvest.
"Now, what's all this?" she demands with annoyance "Does 'ant any pony knock?"
"Demeter" pant the orange nymph out of breath "It's Persephone!"
"Persephone!" she said alarmed "Well what is it?! Where is my beautiful child?!"
"She was taken!"
"Taken!? By whom?! Who would dare take my child away from me?!" she demands.
"It was mean old Hades!" yells out the wild hair pink nymph, she let out a raspy cough "Do you have any water?"
"Hades!" Demeter shrieks in horror "Not him! Anyone but him! That horrid God of Death taking my beautiful Persephone away from me!" she cries, collapsing on her couch crying into the cushions, immediately a cold chill overtook the nymphs making them shiver, they turn behind them towards the field to find the flowers beginning to wilt as a cold chill overtook the plant life making them whither away.
"Oh no" the orange nymph said "Without Demeter bringin' in the warm seasons, the earth is becoming cold and if it gets cold-!"
"We get snowballs!" the pink nymph hopped happily.
"No! we won't have harvest and if we don't have harvest…..there be no food"
I DO NOT OWN MY LITTLE PONY.
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