Chapter 25: Milk and Money

Graceful and Riffraff brought in a majority of their things with considerable ease, thanks to the balcony of the suite Artemis had been kind (or perhaps desperate) enough to give to the pegasi. The room itself was larger than their previous location, though Graceful had promptly pointed out the smaller size of the bed. Fortunately, in his words, "it just means sex will be more cuddly." Which naturally made everything better, at least in his mind.

They'd already engaged in a thorough testing of the singer's statement, proving the acceptability of the mattress to the dictatorial pony now snoozing away peacefully beneath the sheets they'd wasted almost no time in making damp. Riffraff stumbled over to the patio shortly thereafter, still dazed and somewhat sore as he flopped into a comfortable plastic chair on the open balcony. A cigarette found its way into his muzzle but as he fumbled for his lighter, a muted whisper of movement at his side caused him to halt in the search and instead maneuver the cigarette in his maw wryly to the side.

Amdusias scowled down at the pony, crossing his arms over his bare chest with a sour mutter. "I am not your personal servant, little cricket, nor some household appliance you may summon into use at your whim."

Riffraff only sniffed and gestured at the unlit cylinder, slumping back in the chair. "You want me to die of cancer? You gimme some fire. I'm grumpy. Be nice for once."

The demon rolled his eyes with a grumble, leaning down against his better judgment to briefly exhale a small plume of flame, immediately creating a glow of embers at the tip of the cigarette. Riffraff grunted a quiet thanks, smiling slightly up at the spike-covered entity as he drew in slowly, then exhaled languidly to the side. "It is absolutely bewildering to make any attempt as to understand why your precious, sordid proclivities would not leave your fragile mortal body in the usual quivering, blissful state. I was under the assumption that your lustful activities were a source of enjoyment for yourself and the little one." Amdusias studied the pegasus for a moment before adding warily, "Unless you had little say in the matter, and the tiny harlot is blinded by his hunger for flesh. In which case I will not dare step foot into your newest den of inequity. I do not desire to be left sweaty, heaving and...drained." He made a face as Riffraff chuckled quietly. "I am still convinced that your beguiling little tart is at least in part of vampiric descent."

"He does know how to use his mouth, ain't no two ways about that," the guitarist replied with a snicker, propping his rear hooves onto the balcony rail, gazing out across the dark city. Amdusias grunted in response, glancing into the dimly lit room despite himself as if to ensure Graceful was indeed sleeping and not crouched in a corner, waiting to pounce...and do horrendously unspeakable things to my posterior. His aggression is not relative to his size. "Don't worry, I got him tuckered out, he'll sleep 'til morning."

"Something tells me that he has done all the 'tuckering'," Amdusias muttered, though an amused smile tugged at his features as he looked back to the other equine. "It provides me considerable entertainment to observe that, despite all your mortal brawn and masculinity, your slender maiden can transform you into a slavering thrall with all the effort of blowing a kiss. It would seem I am forced to share the complete sale of your soul."

"You should go back to your musical metaphors," Riff mumbled as he tapped his cigarette to the side and leaned back in the chair. "I don't particularly like being reduced to a piece of merchandise."

"You flatter yourself," the demon replied easily, crossing his arms and relaxing back against the wooden railing. "You are but a single horn in my vast and sonorous orchestra." He paused and held up a finger. "Though I suppose you may be at least an important piece of furniture for your tiny songbird, if this serves to heal your shattered ego."

Riffraff glared up at the reptile with a grumble, his tail flicking a few times. "At least I'm a big horn in your stupid...ensemble," he huffed, tilting his head away disdainfully.

Amdusias rolled his eyes and waved dismissively. "Yes, yes, oh mighty stallion. Enormous and weighty are your genitals, the core focus of you silly mortals." The crimson pony smiled despite himself, blowing out a thick plume of smoke as he rolled his head back against the back of the chair.

"I think you're starting to understand us silly mortals better than you know," he replied seriously. "Penises are everything around here."

"Homosexuality is an anomaly, not a standard," Amdusias shot back. "Your species could not continue its existence were that true."

The pegasus sniffed daintily and tilted his head to the side. "Well, I like penis, Grace loves penis and you don't seem all that loathe to blow a woodwind now and then, yourself."

"Oh, that is dreadfully hilarious, attempting to use a favorable metaphor in order to suggest that you are all-knowing of my own preferences."

"Dude, have you even ever been with a chick?" Riff asked amusedly, a bit of smoke twisting out from his nostrils as he quietly stubbed out the smoldering butt on the railing.

"Yes," Amdusias replied stiffly - and a bit too quickly - as the demon grumbled and slapped Riffraff's foreleg lightly with his long, split tail. "I did not slink through this wasteland of mortal self-aggrandizement in order to discuss sexuality with you." He shivered involuntarily and looked slowly over his shoulder toward the faint outline of Canterlot Castle, towering at the top corner of the elevated city. "I am here to discuss the fact that we tempt fate in the worst possible sense of the word by cozying up to the Dawn Bringer's doorstep. Your fairy-tale history of this land's so-called 'Princess' does her no justice. Believe me when I tell you she is no kind, compassionate champion of diplomacy and harmony. She is fiery wrath and cruel judgment, backed by the deafening roar of the celestial brass itself, ever threatening to bully the other sections into unquestionable submission."

"And you say Graceful's the vampire," the pony remarked idly, though a definite chill still raced down his spine from the sheer nervousness that emanated from the powerful demon lord.

"I am not speaking of any kind of heliophobia," Amdusias snapped, reaching up with the familiar gesture of rubbing apprehensively at one of his curved horns. "You know as well as I do that my kind may not be fond of the sun, but we are not harmed by its presence. It is simply...uncomfortable."

Riffraff smiled faintly and crossed his forelegs across his chest while looking up at the demon, whose amber eyes still gazed at the distant spires with visible trepidation. "It's okay to say you're scared," he murmured, earning a quick but furious glare as Amdusias finally tore his attention away from the castle. "Look, don't get all defensive 'n shit, you know I'm not trying to insult you this time. Whatever...weird link we got between us now," he continued while slowly gesturing between them with a hoof, "it makes it easier for me to pick up on your emotions. And no, I'm not gonna get all uppity just 'cause it makes you more vulnerable or whatever. We...I may be destined for eternal torture at your hands one day, but it don't mean me and Grace don't still c-"

"Enough." The enormous reptile lifted a hand, almost quietly cutting off the pegasus as he silently looked back toward the shadowy spires of Canterlot. "The three of us are...a discordant ensemble. I am hardly any more comfortable with the situation at present than I was the last time we had this unfortunate discussion." He sighed and shook his head, giving a small, ironic smile. "I do not know who between us will more direly need protection upon our glorious return to Helheim."

"It'll be that bad for you?" Riff asked, feeling a bolt of unwelcome guilt. "I..."

"Cease your apologies, silly fool," Amdusias reprimanded almost gently, glancing back at the pegasus for a moment. "I am more than evolved enough to handle the dueling sensations of self-loathing and responsibility. I am not very pleased with myself for allowing my emotions to best me in dealing with the two of you, but I also refuse to give you the satisfaction of sating your mortals' inexplicable need to constantly insert yourselves as the root of the problems belonging to others."

The guitarist only shrugged a bit, shifting his lower legs quietly against the rail as he gazed past Amdusias and Canterlot to the clear nightscape blanketing Equestria. "No arguing that. Call it the tragic case of the mortal condition."

"It is hardly tragic," scoffed the demon even as his eyes unwittingly traced across to gaze at the same serene constellations and barely-visible auroras drifting across the velvety navy curtain of night. "I would call it...one of many minor annoyances that seem to define the endlessly frustrating mortal races."

Riffraff grunted quietly and rubbed one of his shoulders, content to watch the skies with the moody reptile. "Yeah, yeah. You don't like us, we're stupid, we're unevolved animals, I get it. You know what I mean."

Amdusias rolled his powerful shoulders and barely managed to hide the somewhat-guilty expression on his features as he tapped one of the sharp horns curving back from the top of his muzzle. "Do not place words into my maw. I am simply uncomfortable. The mere act of standing in this...stone nest of self-important mortals, I can feel her presence, and it is not unlike the sharp claws of inevitability slowly dragging through my very mind, digging purified furrows through the fertile soils of my fantastical subconscious and rending asunder those delicate strands of unfiltered genius responsible for my unapologetically brilliant compositions."

"You make it sound like you have semen in your brain," Riffraff remarked, sitting up in the chair as his rear hooves dropped back to the balcony. Amdusias favored the stallion with a sour look, grumbling and turning away with an irritable flick of his long tail. The pegasus smiled slightly and leaned forward to rest against the balcony, crossing his forelegs along the railing. His demonic companion glanced down at him for a moment, seeming to gauge whether or not he wanted to give the pony any more of his attention. But Riff's expression softened as he studied the sprawling fields rolling out from the base of the mountainside, a smooth sea of darkness that now felt unnaturally threatening thanks to Amdusias's tangible anxieties. "But...well, let's look at it this way - better her than that Hunter mare, right?"

Amdusias scowled and glared down at the pegasus, his slitted pupils narrowing even further. "A poor choice of comparisons, peddler." His pronged tail nervously curled around one of his legs as he rubbed a muscular arm slowly. "I would prefer with great prejudice to avoid all you wretched beasts outright. Too many of you have darkened hearts that seek only cacophonous aggrandizement; a tone-deaf crescendo announcing the brief arrival upon the peak by yet another selfish fool too blinded by his own ambitions to recognize that his section has been omitted from the final movement." The demon continued to mutter under his breath as the bone-tipped ends of his tail tapped anxiously against the balcony flooring.

Riffraff smiled a bit despite himself, pushing away from the rail a moment later and lightly headbutting the reptile's side. "C'mon inside, Deuce. You spend too much time thinking up those musical metaphors. And you know Grace 'n me aren't like that."

The demon glanced over his shoulder, amber irises glinting unnaturally in the pale moonlight as they examined the mortal creature for a moment. "An interesting sentiment coming from the likes of you," he replied softly, turning nonetheless to follow the pegasus into the room. "You are guilty of the same selfish actions as any power-hungry insect who sold his soul for a whisper of prestige."

The guitarist made a face as he hopped carefully onto the bed, glancing at Graceful's snoozing form long enough to ensure the slender stallion wouldn't awaken. "Hey...I didn't ask for fame or fortune. I did it for...you know. Love and stuff." He rubbed the back of his head lamely as Amdusias lifted a hand, a yellowish glow surrounding the handle of the sliding door before it moved smoothly along the tracks to secure into the frame with a soft snick. "How the hell can you even compare me to somebody like that?"

"Because someone like me holds their soul in escrow," Amdusias replied almost kindly, reaching up to absently unwind the scarf that he left around his neck more often than not these days. "I will not argue that your intentions were certainly not as self-centered as most, but even you cannot deny that your desire to gain musical ability was for the selfish purpose of winning over the heart of your feminine obsession. Who, I might add, had not even the slightest clue of your very existence, yet invited you in and gave you the equivalent of an entire brothel worth of service upon meeting you for the first time. That should tell you something about his standards."

Riffraff refused to allow himself to be pulled into the inevitable bickering, however, and merely shimmied across the mattress until he could wrap his forelegs around his sleeping companion and hug him close to his broad chest. "There's a difference between letting somebody share a bed with you, and letting somebody share your heart. You should know that by now." He glanced over his shoulder to see the demon studying him silently from beside the bed, his expression muted. "Gracie trusts you, but that sure as hell didn't happen as fast as he woulda had you on your back, given the chance."

The reptile bit his tongue before he could fire off the usual sarcastic retort, instead taking the stallion's words into consideration. He knew in the back of his mind that he valued the trust he'd earned from the mortals, silly as that was to his demonic instincts. He sighed after a moment, giving an almost imperceptible nod before slipping into the bed behind Riffraff, wrapping a muscular arm around both mortals and closing his eyes. There was no point in looking to the past, and he had no one but himself to blame if he disagreed with the situation. No tether bound him to the two ponies, physical or otherwise, and it was of his own volition to traipse around Midgard with the mortal idiots. And regardless of his complaining, Amdusias had no inclination of changing the way he choose to spend his time. I am a demon lord of Sloth. It is expected of me to be eccentric.

"This is not at all what I meant by eccentric," Amdusias muttered irritably as he paced nervously behind Riffraff, continuously glancing up at the towering castle walls before them. The pegasus looked up at the demon curiously while trying to keep an eye on his smaller companion, who was waving idiotically at a trio of Royal Guards on the other side of the tall fencing.

"Um...what?"

Amdusias blinked, not having realized he'd even spoken aloud. He scowled at the crimson pony and then gestured to the enormous edifice before them. "This! What...what would encourage you moronic insects to bring us to the maw of the beast?"

Riffraff rolled his eyes and looked pointedly up at the demon. "You know you don't have to be here, right? You could. You know. Go away if you're afraid of her seeing you in all of your invisible glory."

"Please back away from the royal gates," one of the Guards ordered as they approached the excited singer. "This is a restricted zone." The armored unicorn paused before squinting past a bouncing Graceful Melody to peer at the larger pegasus, engaged in an animated conversation with a lamp post. "Do you know that pony?"

"Yeah, he's totally nuts," Graceful replied dismissively, waving a hoof before leaping forward and clinging to the fence with a bright grin. "He's just talkin' to a demon." The feminine pony paid no heed to the fact that all three guards had stiffened up and taken a more defensive stance across from him. "Hey, we're here to apply for the royal band!"

Both Riffraff and Amdusias paused in their conversation as they creakily shifted their eyes toward the periwinkle pony, the lizard's jaw hanging open stupidly. One of the unicorns soured, slowly tilting his head to the side. "There is no royal band," he said dryly, eying the slender pegasus suspiciously.

"Were you party to these intentions?" Amdusias hissed in a panic, long tail flicking rapidly and causing several leaves to swirl in a nervous whirlwind behind his hunched, hidden form.

Riffraff's only response was to glare briefly up at the demon before turning his eyes back to the smaller pony, still hanging from the tall fence to the dismay of the Royal Guards. "Weeell, then we are here to apply to be Princess Celestia's personal band!" Graceful declared cheerfully, throwing a slender foreleg out as his wings beat lightly to keep his feminine body pressed against the gleaming fence posts.

The unicorn's eyes narrowed, slowly enunciating each of his following words: "The Princess. Has. No. Personal. Band."

Riffraff took a hesitant step forward to perhaps coax the overeager singer down as Amdusias muttered something darkly about "brainless creatures" before disappearing in an invisible puff of dark smoke. But before the muscular pegasus could open his muzzle, Graceful lunged upward and somersaulted neatly over the tall fence to land in front of all three shocked guards. He leaned forward with a toothy grin, wiggling his eyebrows and asking loudly: "You want sucky sucky!?"

The crimson pegasus smoked his third cigarette slowly, stony gaze still affixed to the moldy wall across from him. He was seated on a cold bench, his lower legs calmly crossed as he leaned forward with his chin propped onto a front hoof. An awkward cough came from beside him, followed by the shuffling of feathers and the shifting of hide along the smooth, wooden planks. Riff felt Graceful Melody's warm body pressing against his side but he pointedly ignored the wide-eyed stallion, pursing his lips and exhaling steadily through his nostrils as a high-pitched whine began to rise from the periwinkle pony like the cry of a teakettle mere seconds from filling a kitchen with its unearthly shriek. His steely irises remained locked on the dank cell wall, however, slowly grinding his teeth against the cigarette and rolling it from side to side, shutting out the crescendo of whimpering with more ease than he expected.

"Riiiiiiff!"

Riffraff shifted ever so slightly away, one ear flicking as his wings unfurled and then folded tightly against his spine once more. Grace continued to pout beside him but the larger stallion tuned him out as he mulled over their current situation.

Graceful Melody's cheery outburst had resulted in their being arrested rather summarily, one of the unicorns having bound Riff's forelegs before the guitarist could doggedly attempt fleeing while hollering that he had no idea whatsoever who the insane pegasus was and why exactly he was trying to elicit sexual favors from Canterlot's finest. Any and all of Riff's half-calm, half-frenetic attempts to throw lawyerspeak at the guards fell upon deaf ears, thus leading to his imprisonment in the cells beneath the castle as a collaborator to a blatant conspiracy to obtain entrance into a restricted area by means of sexual favors. The charges against Graceful were even more ridiculous, though there was no arguing with the Guards once they'd muzzled the smaller pegasus and led the duo directly to the holding cells. Apparently some new piece of legislature gave the Royal Guards authority to immediately detain anybody who threatened the Princess's safety or sovereignty.

"Sovereignty. That's just...retarded," Riffraff finally muttered, breaking the awkward mix of whimpering and pleading that filled the air of the damp cell. Graceful brightened next to him but the larger pony grunted and waved a foreleg gently. "Shush. I'm still kinda pissed that you got us put in prison for offering sex that you didn't even plan on following through with."

"That's not true, I woulda totally had sex with them!" Graceful protested as he hopped off the bench and began to flit around the small cell, nearly bouncing off the walls and rubbing his front hooves together as he idly turned loops just beneath the low ceiling. "It's not my fault they're boring huff-buckets who probably had to get neutered in order to join the Royal Guard! Hey, you didn't talk for like an hour, are you mad at me or somethin'?"

"I just said I was," Riff replied in a mumble, tapping his cigarette to the side and automatically moving his head back to avoid being clipped by the manic singer as he circled above. "At what point did you think it'd be a good idea to try and get a job IN the castle? When we couldn't even land a gig in Canterlot aside from that club that Dusey nearly killed me for playing?"

Graceful shrugged, hanging in the air as his wings flapped slowly, tapping a hoof against the metal bars to send a gentle tinkle echoing through the dark basement. "I 'unno, I just thought that maybe we should try to look somewhere different, somewhere nobody else is lookin'."

"Because you'd somehow forgotten that Amdusias is petrified of the very mention of the Princess's name, or the fact that we have no ties to anybody who lives within the upper echelons of society that could vouch for us so that they don't think we're a couple of nut-bags or scam artists."

"Yep." Graceful Melody nodded several times as he finally dropped back to the stone floor, poking the cell door a few more times before making a face at the narrow gaps between the bars - far too tightly-spaced to allow for any of his previous cage-related acrobatics. "I think it'd be fun! Be a nice change of pace if nothin' else."

"Sure, it'd be a blast. If Her Royal Highness's Personal Band even existed. Even for you, that idea was a little silly," Riffraff grumbled as he shifted slightly on the bench.

The smaller pegasus huffed and glared over at the muscular stallion before gripping into the bars and pushing his snout through. "Don't be a sourpuss. S'not my fault I think outside the box." He stomped a hoof loudly and hollered at the wood-and-steel door separating the cells from the rest of the lower levels: "Heeeey, guuuuuys! Don't we like...get a lawyer or...like. Get to have conjugal visits or something?"

Riffraff sighed exasperatedly, flicking his spent cigarette away and favoring the singer with a moody look. "I already tried to tell them I used to be a lawyer. These guys don't seem quite as...bureaucratic as your friends in Manehattan. And what sucks is that there apparently do exist real laws that make what you did a jailable offense." He grumbled to himself for a moment, leaning back and crossing his forelegs in irritation. "Not that we were even read our Mill Grande Rights..."

"Grande means big," Graceful announced, pulling his muzzle free of the bars and nodding firmly before sneezing loudly. His partner cringed backward as the lithe male peered up at him. "You are grande. But so am I. And so is Dusey."

"Very good, sweetie," Riffraff replied in a tired voice. He played quietly with the silver harmonica around his neck, letting his eyes wander their dark surroundings and purposefully avoiding Graceful's far-too-well-practiced puppy-dog stare. "Before you ask, yes I am wondering myself where he is, except I'm also not surprised he hasn't shown up. This is kind of like a den of evil to him."

"But he's a deeeemon," the periwinkle pony responded, drawing out the word and twisting it into a whine as he stomped childishly again and then simply flopped over onto the cold stone floor with a pout. "I don't get why he's so scared of everything. He's all big and muscular and...has spikes and a deadly saxophone and a huge penis and he even has hands to hold things with. How can he be afraid of ponies?"

"Please don't hit me, but...you know penis size has nothing to do with the level of your bravery," Riffraff replied delicately. Graceful's expression seemed to show that the smaller pony disagreed, but the guitarist held up a hoof before he could interrupt. "Also, you remember what I've rambled about before. There are all sorts of different kinds of demons. Some demons look just like ponies. Some look like nothing we could even imagine, and don't forget that he's a Sloth demon." He glanced at his companion, awaiting the usual response.

But Graceful Melody only gazed back at him intently, apparently more interested in listening to the larger pegasus than informing him how "Dusey isn't slow in bed at all!" It was a pleasant change of pace and Riffraff smiled despite himself as he nodded slowly. "Sloth demons weren't exactly written about a lot in the books I used to study, but most everybody agreed that they tended to be the least aggressive, least greedy and most...I dunno. Lackadaisical of all the demons. Sometimes in a bad way, but not always. They are often depicted as being creative. But not fighters, and rarely skilled in any great feats of magic. Now your Wrath demons or Envy demons, or even Pride demons...those guys could be a lot scarier. They were rumored to possess some pretty scary magic, said to rival even Celestia herself. And they ain't afraid to throw around their weight, either. So some of those guys could probably take on the Princess, sure. But Dusey's not that kind of demon. He's...he can be hurt pretty easily by a powerful pony." He shrugged and looked wryly amused as he tapped his harmonica idly. "I fucked him up decently enough the first time we met, after all, and I'm no powerhouse. And I certainly ain't no fighter."

Graceful nodded thoughtfully, looking pacified as he sat up a bit on the dungeon floor. "I guess that makes sense. So..." He eyed the muscular pegasus for a moment, tilting his head somewhat. "What...got you so into demons? I mean...why the hell did you decide to start researching them?" he prompted.

"You know why, hon," Riff replied softly, a smile teasing across his muzzle once more as he gazed affectionately at the singer. "One thing I learned from those years of law school and practicing as Equestria's least-favorite prosecutor was that you don't leap into something without doing as much research as you can. I wasn't gonna go out to a random intersection in Hoofston with a bunch of jars filled with fake shit from a cheesy voodoo shop and try to summon up any old demon I read up about. I wanted to get it right."

"Well, I like to jump right into stuff. I jumped right into you without any research, after all," Graceful replied matter-of-factly, nodding firmly and earning a chuckle from his muscular companion.

"Actually, I'm pretty sure I was the one getting into you that night," the crimson pegasus shot back playfully, winking down at the grinning singer. "That was before I found out you were a total power-bottom-slash-sadistic-dominatrix."

"Quite possibly my finest attributes," the slender stallion commented cheerfully, hopping up to his hooves and trotting back toward his partner. He opened his muzzle to add something equally awkward, but was interrupted by a sour voice from outside the cell.

"That is incredibly arguable. You should be ashamed of yourself, not proudly proclaiming your sexual deviancy and pinning it to your breast for the world to gaze upon, only to reel back in horror moments later."

Riffraff blinked in surprise as Graceful gasped excitedly and ran back to the front of the cage, leaping up and clinging to the metal bars. "Dusey! Dusey, you came!"

The reptile's voice muttered something in demonic as Riff heard the distinctive sound of his long tail scraping nervously against the opposite wall. "Not so loud, you moronic little cricket," Amdusias grumbled, his form slowly becoming visible as his muscular body rippled into view, glancing toward the door with more than a hint of trepidation. "I have no idea as to what possessed me to set foot within these walls. Were I not such an incredibly powerful lord of my realm, I do not believe I could have made this journey."

"It's cute how you so vividly brag about yourself when you're afraid," Riffraff remarked with a slight smile, sitting up somewhat and giving the anxious demon a once-over. The two tips of his dexterous tail were all but tapping out a harried melody against the damp stones and his amber eyes were unnaturally wide, pupils flitting to the door every few seconds. "But we appreciate it," he added softly when the lizard scowled at him horribly. "Let's get the hell outta here."

"Agreed," Amdusias muttered, ignoring Graceful's attempts to lick his face through the narrowly-spaced bars. "Will you please control your beast before we attract unwanted attention? I am already unsure of whether or not my mere presence here will arouse the senses of the Radiant One above." He looked upward nervously, grimacing at the ceiling. "Fortunately these bars are not made of iron, but even a mild show of my powers will certainly raise the hackles of your precious Sun Princess, and do not think I am above fleeing most hastily to leave you all in her capable hooves. By which I mean hooves capable of slaughtering even the cruelest of demons by the score."

"You're an honorable knight among knights," Riff grumbled as he reached out to grasp Graceful Melody's overeager tail, yanking the squirming pegasus down from the bars. "Just get us out of here before somebody hears us."

The demon scowled irritably at the larger pony but nodded with a grunt. He shifted into a writhing mass of black smoke briefly to slip between the metal bars, reforming afterward and automatically flicking his long tail forward to prevent the exuberant singer from clinging to his legs. Graceful gave a squawk as he was flung toward one of the walls and Amdusias grumbled, quickly holding out a massive arm to halt the slender male's movement with telekinesis. "Grasp into me, soul-seller. The aura of the Princess wreaks havoc upon my mind."

"You heard 'im!" Graceful called out cheerfully as he clung to the demon's long tail near its fork. "Grasp into him!"

Riffraff looked awkward but slowly reached up to grip the reptile's outstretched hand as Amdusias sighed and rolled his eyes. The enormous male concentrated for a moment, glancing between the two mortals as an amber glow slowly built up around the trio. Graceful had closed his eyes tightly, grinning brightly while his counterpart looked torn between amusement and agitation, sliding forward off the bench as the glow intensified around them. "I cannot wait to be free of this-"

A muffled whip-crack-like snap echoed through the dungeon, accompanied by a brief flash of yellowish light and the nauseating sensation of vertigo for both mortals as reality twisted and warped around them for a moment. "-despicable den of purity and mortal affluence."

Graceful nodded agreeably, taking a dazed step away from the demon with a giggle. "Yeah, purity ponies suck!"

The guitarist shook his head with mild amusement, glancing around as his eyes fell upon the massive golden throne a few feet behind them before he rubbed the back of his head. "Dusey, you really gotta work on making that smoooo—oh holy shit where the hell did you drop us?"

He stared morbidly around the massive room, jaw slack as his eyes slowly widened. Amdusias had already found himself stunned, frozen in place on the flowing velvet carpet beneath them. "I...this..." He visibly trembled on the spot, pupils dilated as he began to hyperventilate. "No...oh frozen, merciless Hel, no, no..."

Graceful Melody looked back at them curiously, having taken to the air to avoid stumbling in the lingering dazedness of the teleport. "What're you guys so freaked out about? This is like...a really pretty room'n like. Where are we?" He giggled stupidly, swaying slightly in mid-air.

Amdusias could only breathe rapidly, shaking his head numbly while Riffraff licked his lips nervously and glanced around anxiously. "Sweetie, we...we gotta go. Right...now. Right now." He grit his teeth and then looked up desperately at Amdusias. "Dusey, you gotta...you gotta zip us or...magic us out, do whatever it is...you do, like right now."

The demon worked his maw stupidly a few times, managing only a hesitant step backward before he turned fear-filled eyes down to the larger pony. "I...cann-"

A loud thud rang through the room as the massive double doors at the front of the room were thrown open. Riffraff and Amdusias immediately jumped backward with matching yelps as an exceptionally distinctive winged unicorn narrowed cold amethyst eyes at the trio, her domineering presence seeming to fill the entire threshold.

Graceful Melody slowly dropped down to his hooves as his wings furled against his feminine frame, a puzzled expression crossing his features. He frowned a bit as it dawned upon him the pony standing in the doorway of the enormous throne room was the princess of Equestria, standing tall over even his muscular companion as her emblematic golden peytral and diadem glinted with a strange harshness across their trembling forms.

"And precisely what is a demon doing here with his disciples?" asked the intimidating mare in an even voice, her cold eyes tracing from the two mortals to the normally-towering reptile, currently crouching somewhat behind the pale guitarist.

"D-d-disciples? Oh, n-no, Your...Your Highness," Riffraff stammered, holding out a hoof and laughing nervously as he shook his head rapidly. "We're...accidentally! Yeah, we were trying to...go somewhere, out of somewhere, I mean, and like...came. Into here, it isn't Amdusias's fault! He's really kinda scared and I think..." His rambling faded out as the Princess's eyes focused on the crimson pegasus for a moment. He could feel her critical gaze locking onto the crossroads that had been burnt into his flank and, by design, had completely replaced his original mark. One of the initial payments to the demonic entity with whom he'd entered a mortal pact. Most ponies didn't seem to notice, but he somehow knew her sharp eyes would pick apart the difference.

"I see now. You are the demon's minion and the two of you are seeking to persuade this helpless pony to sell his soul as well." The imposing female stepped toward them as her horn took on a golden aura, eyes narrowed further as the heavy doors slammed shut behind her. "You will not bring the chaotic darkness to my kingdom, not to a single pony."

Amdusias cringed further, tripping over his own long tail as he attempted to backpedal and falling with a squeak onto his rear. Riffraff winced and quickly jumped in front of the cowering demon as he stared at the massive mare with a pitiful whimper. "No, no, wait, we're not trying to-"

"You are no better than the filth that holds your leash," she cut him off coldly, raising her head as her eyes gleamed for a moment.

"Hey, hey, heeeey!" Graceful interrupted, looking half-meek and half-desperate, a weak smile on his muzzle as he leaped into the air and flew between the advancing princess and the two males now clutching into one another with horrified expressions. "We...we are only here 'cause we wanna apply for the royal band!"

Celestia wrinkled her muzzle as her eyes flicked toward the feminine pony for a moment, halting her measured strides forward even as the glow remained around her long horn. She briefly studied the slender pegasus before replying icily: "My patience has long since worn thin. There is no royal band, nor is the presence of demons allowed in this harmonious kingdom!"

The enormous mare swung her head up as her ivory horn gleamed with visibly gathered energy, taking a stride toward them. Graceful Melody whimpered but landed on his hind legs, throwing his wings out wide in an attempt to protect the cowering pair behind him. "Wait!" But Celestia only snarled and slung her head forward to unleash a blinding golden fireball at the wide-eyed singer, apparently intent on simply blasting directly through the slender pegasus. Searing aureate light filled the expansive room with a vehement gleam, all three males feeling as if the sun itself had dropped a few million miles closer for the express purpose of boiling their flesh in this singular moment.

Graceful screamed and flinched backward, covering his eyes uselessly with a tattooed foreleg as his partner stared past Graceful Melody's outstretched wings in horror, barely registering the muscular arm that thrust past his shoulder, surrounded by an amber glow. Scales rippled with power and muscles twisted beneath the taut hide even as Riff perceived the fearful twitches of the demon, his perception of the world feeling somehow slowed in the tortuous instant before their all-but-assured destruction.

With a snarl of effort, Amdusias created a curved shield of his energy directly in front of the periwinkle pony and the powerful spell from the winged unicorn smashed violently against it. It shattered almost instantly, waves of golden flames dispersing around the trio as the heat from the fireball licked at the tips of Graceful's wings. Shards of demonic energy blasted backward but bounced harmlessly off of the frightened pegasus's feminine frame, the shockwave of the collision ruffling his crimson-tinged feathers as Riffraff's cry of denial became strangled in his throat; the strange, muted silence afterward was filled only with the tinkling of porcelain from a nearby vase that had all but exploded from the reverberations of their combined spells.

Graceful managed a weak laugh a moment later as his lower hooves landed shakily on the plush carpet before he half-stumbled backward. He felt a trembling palm gently catch the back of his skull before he could topple onto his companion as Amdusias's warm energy pulsed against his mane, the familiar aura suddenly a welcome sensation. His tongue ran over his lips languidly, eyes fluttering as he struggled to maintain consciousness. "But I don't like fillies, Momma," he murmured in stupefaction as the demon grimaced and eased his slender body down to the cold floor. "Tell Daddy that beatin's ain't gonna get it outta me..."

An uncomfortable wave of anger rolled through the muscular reptile as his lips curled into a snarl, staring down at the dazed pegasus. Retribution was an emotion he rarely felt, save for those far-flung occasions when his narrow dominion of musical prowess was tested or taunted in any way. It was to him a maelstrom of nausea that buffeted his innards as viciously as any tempest, accompanied by such a torrent of unease and...fear. No longer of the glaring winged unicorn that slowly advanced on the trio, her horn again throwing golden rays of deadly admonition across their cowering bundle; that trepidation made sense to him, had purpose and clear-cut logic to it. The Bringer of Light did not flinch at hordes of infuriated dragons, would not blink at the sight of an entire army comprised of bloodthirsty First Tiers barreling toward her, claws outstretched and fangs bared. Surely two mortal ponies and one mewling Sloth demon – lord or otherwise - would not even be considered a warm-up. He had reason to fear her. But what reason did he have to fear the senseless emotions roiling inside him from the mere utterance of a few choice words? Why be so petrified of the sensation of...family?

Probably because those senseless emotions were going to inspire the most insipid act of his long, quiet life.

"These two are under my care!" he suddenly snapped, glaring up at the imposing mare that now stood a breath or two away from them, her narrowed eyes betraying only the smallest tics of surprise at his outburst. "The one willingly entered into a pact with me, but this one has done nothing wrong!" His tail flicked nervously, all but screaming a proclamation of his poorly-repressed terror at facing down the ivory female.

His hand nonetheless clenched into a fist and a globe of amber energy nonetheless began to form, crackling with an unnatural ferocity that was alien to the demon. Riff watched, frozen in place with one worried hoof reaching out to his companion as Graceful breathed shallowly in the shadow of the demon's protective crouch above him. "Theirs are not your fates to decide!" he bellowed as he launched himself at the enormous equine in a mad rush of lost common sense.

His speed was almost laughable, even for a demon, and his size certainly bore no real advantage over the winged unicorn. The moment he lunged, Celestia's eyes darkened and she quickly back-stepped to avoid the wild swing of his left hand as it clawed through the air without as much as glancing her ephemeral multicolored mane. His own bulk worked against him as his momentum caused him to stumble and his eyes were too focused on the rapidly-approaching plates of metal below to notice the hoof that struck him squarely in the jaw before he could topple forward.

The impact was enough to crack bone – he was lucky her golden-clad hoof hadn't connected with the spikes lining his muzzle, as her strength would have caused her little damage while most assuredly bringing a nauseating destruction to his lower jaw. Amdusias rocked back with a groan of pain, saved this time from falling by slapping his tail against the hard flooring and stabilizing himself long enough to fling the ball of concentrated energy at the mare's face as she sprung toward his off-balance figure.

Riffraff didn't know what he wished to see: certainly he wanted no harm to come to his demonic companion, yet the thought of striking down the unquestioned leader of Equestria seemed far more insidious than he felt comfortable with, even if every ounce of his body knew the reptile had little to no chance against somebody so universally adored, admired...worshiped, really.

He'd spent enough time with a demon to understand the mortal world and Hell shared many things - one commonality was that power tended to rule all. Charisma helped...but power was king. The Princess of Equestria had always appeared as a beacon of kindness and warmth to all, but he had also seen her at what he considered her worst. That day remained burned into his memory, although he didn't have adequate time to continue pondering the morality of Amdusias's choices as Celestia's horn batted aside the enormous yellowish sphere with no more effort than drawing the blinds before bedtime. It smashed into a table that stood perilously close to the two pegasi and Riffraff couldn't restrain his whimper of fear as he half-curled around his barely-conscious partner.

To say that Amdusias lacked confidence in himself was an understatement. Spell after spell from the enormous female smashed into his muscular form, physical blows woven into the onslaught of attacks as seamlessly as the demon might slip a contrapuntal harmony into one of his compositions. He could barely maintain enough focus to try and throw up an amber shield whenever a particularly nasty fireball or blast of multi-colored energy raced toward his scaled body, and the only other thing he could keep in mind was to attempt drawing the furious mare away from the two pegasi. Words had long since been forgotten as the Princess drove him back without even a sign of exertion, showing only a cold assurance in the absolute inevitability of the one-sided confrontation.

The reptile couldn't even muster a return offensive against her, feeling his energy quickly tapering off as he shielded himself again and again. Bruises covered his battered torso, two of the bone spikes along his muzzle cracked and one broken completely off at the base as several trickles of blood ran down from his features. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Riffraff holding Graceful's head to his chest, staring at the other two with a look of broken helplessness on his features. Amdusias poured the last of his strength into the cracked half-globe of translucent energy that left him trapped in a corner of the room – he knew his two companions likely wouldn't be spared once he fell, and no matter how fast he attempted to process every possible decision, they all shared a similar outcome. The guitarist's despair was filling his thoughts, clashing with his own as blood ran from his nostrils - not from Celestia's attacks, but from his own exertion as he struggled to hold his ground as long as he could.

But the massive mare saw only a demon straining to cling to the last strains of its cowardly life as she raised a hoof to simply smash through the weakened shield. Celestia swung down once, twice, three times with increasing strength as the cracks in Amdusias's energy spiderwebbed and grew deeper before the fourth blow caused the amber crystal to shatter into a thousand motes of light that disappeared as quickly as they formed. Cold satisfaction crossed her muzzle for a moment before the ivory equine made a face and tilted her head back slightly, the tip of her spired horn gleaming briefly. The bloodied demon looked up at her weakly as he panted hard and simply dropped his muscular arms. His slit pupils, already wide from fear and exhaustion, dilated a bit more as his shoulders slumped.

Before she could thrust her horn down into the demon's chest, however, a hoof grasped into her shoulder. It was weak, a touch another pony might not have even registered. But battle – even against a pitiful opponent - made her already-impressive reactions only faster, and she immediately threw her foreleg back into the offender. A fearful yelp sounded out but she bore down anyway, shoving a massive hoof into the pony's chest and snarling into the face of the crimson pegasus.

Riffraff whimpered as he felt ribs creak with a mere inch or two of extra pressure from the massive winged unicorn, attempting to curl up submissively beneath her icy glare. It couldn't have taken more than a small shove downward to simply crush his chest as he figured any attempt was better than none as he managed to wheeze desperately: "P-please stop! Don't kill him, w-we don't mean any h-"

"It doesn't matter," she replied stonily, bearing down steadily on the pegasus as tears began to fill his eyes.

Her eyes flicked briefly over to the smallest member of the strange trio when the periwinkle pony gave her one of the most heartbroken expressions she'd ever seen, his cracked voice just above a whisper: "Why do you see monsters?" His eyes fluttered shut a moment later as his head dropped to the cracked floor beneath him, his shallow breaths fading at last into unconsciousness.

Celestia narrowed her eyes but eased up ever-so-slightly on the muscular pegasus beneath her. She remained completely aware of the demon to her side, expecting fully that the dark creature would assume it had an opportunity to land a free shot to her blindspot. She was therefore somewhat surprised when the spiked reptile just remained huddled in the corner, his head dropped as if wanting to avoid witnessing the decision of whatever mental judgment Celestia had paused to consider.

An unreadable expression flashed across her features, Riffraff almost afraid to imagine the kind of thought or memory that would cause the icy mare's hesitation. If a better comparison to a speeding locomotive existed, he couldn't think of one at the moment. This should not have happened so easily. He relaxed somewhat under the heavy hoof and the slight shift made Celestia immediately shove him into the ground again but when his only response was to release another pathetic squeal, her expression shifted slightly again and she glanced measuringly between the three.

The smallest look of solace crossed Amdusias's muzzle, mixing easily with his expression of unmasked disbelief. Graceful Melody was unconscious, his mortal beneficiary remained pinned under the Dawn Bringer and his own body had been nearly smashed into pulp in a battle that should have killed him. And yet he felt the tickle of something different from the terrifying mare, despite her emotions being all but impossible for even a demon of his caliber to perceive. It was more that simple hesitation. She was...questioning. Questioning what, the reptile refused to guess. But something had changed, nonetheless, and he could only hope that it would give them the chance to perhaps survive this encounter and escape with their lives – something he hadn't been sure of counting on mere minutes before.

A silence once more settled across the throne room, though it was less threatening than the previous pause, a sense of calm finality woven into the muted moment. Two or three emotional shades darker and the silence might have been fatal.

Amdusias may have been unable to read her mental state, but her eyes nonetheless failed to hide every secret that gleamed from behind her indeterminable mask. He watched silently as her cold irises flicked between judgmental, hesitant and perhaps a moment of recollection. Not quite lost in thought, no...but as if she's...comparing this to something else. A thin smile passed his lips as he avoided shifting his position – the last thing he wanted was to arouse her fury once more – but he instead glanced down before her cold gaze shifted again to him, grimacing to himself. And here I imagined no situation could inspire the level of numbing discomfort as when these two set themselves upon me…

Riffraff trembled again beneath her golden-clad hoof and he risked turning his head to gaze at his unconscious companion. "G-Graceful...can you hear me?" he rasped out, wheezing when the pressure briefly increased upon his chest. He winced and closed his eyes, expecting the worst as he reached a foreleg up to weakly grasp the mare's metal shoe.

Celestia frowned slightly but lifted her leg after a few seconds before stepping back slowly. The crimson pegasus looked at her in surprise, then immediately rolled over with a quiet groan and stumbled back to his partner. Her amethyst eyes locked onto him, observing the muscular stallion as he half-fell into a seated position and gently cradled the smaller male's head in his lap. He avoided the enormous female's eyes as he instead looked worriedly at the still-bleeding demon. "Dusey…"

The muscular reptile sighed and finally sat up somewhat, unable to avoid flinching when Celestia looked up sharply at the small movement. "Please do not set your holiest of holy flames upon us," he grumbled, feeling far less irreverent than his mild sarcasm suggested. "We have no desire to spread any dark evils or dissonant chords across your sun-kissed kingdom," he added in a mumble, lifting his eyes for only a moment but almost instantly dropping them again when she locked gazes with him. "And cricket. Your maiden will live to croon another dusk. Spare him the theatrics and consider casting your lines of anxiety toward your benefactor. I have done battle for you. This I have done for no prior soul, mortal or not. Appreciation may be in order."

Celestia's eyes narrowed slightly at the demon's choice of words, taking a step toward him. Riff only gave a small smile, however, despite everything else that had come to pass. The scaled creature was...sulking. "Still a jerk," he murmured before squeezing his companion slightly closer. "Don't...don't mind him, Your...Your Highness," he added in a cautious voice. He felt the smallest boost of comfort at the demon's behavior and he at least no longer feared that their lives were in immediate danger. Celestia hadn't exactly said much to them since she halted what had certainly felt like an attempt to crush his ribcage, and Riff still worried that a single wrong word would spark her volatile temper once more. At least she's not actively trying to kill us anymore. "He's...an idiot and we're...we're honestly just...musicians," he said lamely. "We really were looking to apply to the royal band. Even...well. Even if it doesn't exist. We didn't know that. We figured, you know. That. There would be one."

She blinked once and studied the weak grin on the stallion's features, realizing with some surprise that their earlier explanation had been honest. Lying seemed pointless at this juncture and she felt no suspicious influence from the demon. In fact, the only thing she sensed from the large bipedal reptile was a mixture of fear and unease. Trepidation wasn't exactly something uncommon in the eyes of other demons she had confronted, but she could not recall a single creature from the underworld that hadn't expressed at least some sliver of blind rage or hostility toward her. It hadn't quite dawned on the winged unicorn during the intense – even if one-sided - confrontation that the demon never attempted to strike her out of anger or retaliation. Even if a particularly weak creature, the enormous male apparently believed his fruitless combat would offer a modicum of protection for his...companions. It was a situation she could both appreciate and yet not understand, not fathom as to how a demon could extend this kind of compassion.

Amdusias sensed a hint of her disbelief and confusion but ignored it for the moment, knowing well enough to give the all-too-awkward atmosphere a chance to settle. He instead turned a scowl onto the larger pegasus, rubbing idly at one of his muscular arms. "Oh, cease your prattling, shallow peddler. I would prefer you did not give the Dawn Bringer another reason to call upon my immolation."

"Well then maybe you should act like less of a butt and more of the knight in shining armor that you seem so intent on-"

"Why are you here?" Celestia interrupted, tersely cutting off Riffraff's retort with an emphatic stomp.

Both guitarist and demon flinched at the sharp sound, sharing an awkward glance before the pegasus sighed and dropped his head. One hoof stroked gently through Graceful Melody's messy mane while the other reached into his small sidepack for a cigarette. He lifted it to his lips before pausing and then paling a bit at the Princess's icy glare. "Um. It's. I. Sort of...have to, if...I can…" His voice trailed off sheepishly, the thin cylinder trembling just shy of his muzzle.

Amdusias had every intention of removing himself from the situation as much as possible at that point, but he could sense his beneficiary's physical distress quickly rising. It sent a strange twist down his own spine – one with which he was becoming more familiar, though one he was also beginning to loathe rather than anticipate. What had started as the payment for his services had begun to represent a tax on his own mental state. This is why one does not participate in soirees with the damn mortal insects. He sighed and then grudgingly shifted his eyes up to the menacing female for a moment. "Dawn-Bringer. I...understand I have no...right to ask," he struggled to speak, despising himself for the words he choked out, for the self-imposed degradation of his superiority. "However, as it appears you have...kindly...decided to spare us, it would be unwise to not allow the guitarist to partake in his disgusting behavior. He is...compelled. Required by the bounds of our...ah…"

"I'm well aware of the mechanics behind a demonic contract," the winged unicorn interrupted acerbically. "Wouldn't it please you, anyway, to watch the coward suffer as he fails to fulfill his obligation?"

The demon frowned slightly - the answer should have been an unequivocal "Yes, of course", but he knew that was no longer the case. Only because now the weak creature causes harm to me as well… It felt uncomfortable revealing this to the massive mare and the reptile shifted beneath her cold gaze to turn his own glance away. The last thing he wanted to do was to betray an even greater weakness to the powerful equine. Although… He grumbled and rubbed the back of his head before muttering in a voice just loud enough for her to hear: "Things are not as they were a millennia ago, Bringer of the Sun. Perhaps my intention is not to mindlessly gather souls for some petty squabble for power amongst Helheim's ranks."

"No, things are exactly the same," Celestia replied coldly. "You despicable creatures know nothing beyond your own selfish gain, and you have no qualms whatsoever of abusing the minds of simple mortals in order to reach your goals. You're incapable of cooperation, you seek only chaos and destruction and the few who can eliminate your kind should not hesitate to do so. This is a mistake…"

Amdusias caught just enough of a break in her mental defenses that he could not help interjecting: "But not one you need to rectify. Please. We are not even asking for quarter - only mercy. You understand demons better than most, and I would not be bold enough to insist that the majority of my brethren are any different from what you perceive. But I am...I have changed. I am not like the others. We have no mission to spread some...unholy message, or to gain more followers." The demon grumbled and added sourly before he could think better, "The last thing I require is another damned ward. These two are far beyond for what I could have ever bargained, and the little one does not even owe me a debt. In fact, if you desire one of them for yourself, please, by all means. Take one."

Celestia narrowed her eyes darkly at the interruption, only to find herself less enraged about having a sliver of her thoughts read and more incredulous at the strange demon's words. She blinked and fought to catch herself and regain her unreadable poise. "I have no reason to believe you. You only still breathe because -"

"I...hate to interrupt," Riffraff mumbled as he struggled to light a cigarette with one hoof, keeping the other foreleg secured around his slender partner's chest, "but. I gotta burn one. If you're not cool with that, then...I dunno, kick us out or set us on fire but I'd rather not pass out and start bleeding everywhere."

"Speak for yourself, cricket," Amdusias shot back before clearing his throat and looking awkwardly away when Celestia glared at him again; the enormous mare, however, continued to look more and more confused, visibly straining to maintain her composure. The demon rubbed nervously at his chest before looking toward Riffraff once more as the muscular pegasus took a ragged draw from his cigarette. Celestia made no move to stop the winged male, only moving her own cold eyes back to the pegasi as her stony features shifted ever so slightly.

A strange but almost welcome silence fell over the four as what might have been described as a stalemate seeped into place. The bold, stinging scent of smoke tickled across their nostrils, Riff's cigarette providing the only real source of stimulus for several seconds until Celestia made a face of disgust and jerked her head to the side to violently fling open a window with telekinesis. Amdusias winced instinctively before sighing as he began to poke gingerly at his damaged jaw spikes. The first few drags alone were enough to bring Riffraff some much-needed strength and the demon felt his own quickened pace slowing as the guitarist visibly calmed. "You are lucky I am not a creature of vanity," he muttered without thinking to stop himself. "These will take forever to grow back properly, by Hel's frozen peaks."

Celestia twitched at the mere sound of his voice again, but rapidly felt herself becoming less enraged and suspicious, instead finding...irritation at the demon's behavior. She glared at him and took some solace in the way he flinched back again, yet found herself helpless from eventually grimacing and grudgingly asking, "By what right do you claim you are unlike the other demons?"

"That is rather bigoted and uninformed of you, O Gracious Morning Star," the reptile muttered, promptly earning first a look of surprise from the princess before it changed to a dark glare. He recoiled slightly away from her but his expression remained almost disappointed in her remark. She seemed once again confused by his demeanor, though was even more thrown by the crimson pony's response.

"Oh, shut the hell up, Dusey, you...pouty sourpuss," he mumbled, tapping the cigarette quietly to the side while glancing down at his unconscious companion. "She didn't kill us. She didn't kill YOU. Try and be nice, I kinda don't wanna die today. Besides…" Riff grinned crookedly for a moment, looking up as he wiped a bit of blood from his chin. "If she kills me, don't you...you know...forfeit my soul or what-"

"Ah, ah, you should close those flapping jaws," Amdusias interrupted hurriedly, scowling at the amused pegasus. "I am most sure that the kind Princess does not wish to be bored with your prattling of that which you do not even understand."

Celestia blinked at this exchange, unsure of how to perceive their interactions. She was fairly confident she had correctly analyzed their strange relationship by now: the demon held a pact for the larger male's soul, yet somehow seemed to be tied to the pony's well-being; the smaller stallion was most certainly romantically linked with the crimson pegasus, but held some great affection for the towering reptile as well, despite most likely knowing the infernal bond that had been forged between the two. In every predicted scenario, the smoking pegasus should have been all but groveling at the demon's claws, begging for whatever small addition to his life he could gain. The demon should have been unwaveringly cruel and prompt in punishing either of the mortal ponies for any transgressions against him, verbal or otherwise. And the tiny male, well...he simply didn't make sense within any of her simulations. She almost missed the telltale mental prodding of the demon during her moment of confusion, immediately baring her teeth and nearly flinging a telekinetic blast at him.

Amdusias yelped and uselessly covered his head with his muscled arms, shrinking back from her once more. "I apologize! I am a master of the subconscious, I do not mean to intrude, even if I would greatly appreciate you ceasing to try and categorize us in such generic ways, although I did not intend to browse your terrifying mind, it simply happens as a result of my incredibly acute abilities!" It came out as one long, hurried ramble, only adding to the entirely silly appearance of this enormous, muscle-bound reptile cowering behind his own arms as a foal might try to fend off the monsters beneath its bed.

The towering mare made a face as the glow from her horn faded, repressing the urge to simply sigh with exasperation. These three are...they are...less a threat as much as they are simply...moronic. She nonetheless carefully sealed her mind from any further "exploration", accidental or otherwise, and settled her gaze onto the one named Riffraff. A brief scan with her magic informed her that the smaller male, who had foolishly made the useless attempt to shield the other two, was stable enough after his ordeal. Riffraff himself no doubt had a few sprained or broken ribs, but he too was in no direct danger of a worsened condition. She had no intention of healing them – a feat she could easily handle – and she did not trust the trio simply because they had proven themselves to be full-blooded idiots in their own right. But she was willing to listen, at the very least, and gain whatever information she could that might be used to fortify her kingdom further against the forces of darkness.

It hardly took much effort for her to resume her stately facade, a false smile that both encouraged and reassured spreading across her features. "I apologize for my assumptions," she said, using just enough hesitance to sound genuine. "It is simply that...darkness looms upon the not-so-distant horizon. And this is my kingdom, these are my ponies to protect. You can understand my caution."

Riff smiled somewhat, feeling a brief moment of hope at the mare's changed personality. However, Amdusias's silent mental whisper warned him of deception before he could automatically respond with a reassurance to her. His smile faded slightly, but he felt determined to at least attempt to extend an honest hoof of friendship. He exhaled slowly before glancing around awkwardly for something he could use as an ashtray. Celestia pursed her lips but forced her kind expression to remain as she flicked her horn and guided over a larger shard from one of the shattered vases, placing it down at the stallion's side.

He nodded gratefully, tapping the ashes into it and trying to pretend like he hadn't already been littering the smooth marble floor with them. "Well, uh...of course, Your Majesty. Er. Highness. Um." He looked lame for a moment, clearing his throat. "We get that. We just want you to know that we...really are just musicians. We. Er. Well, Grace here might be an idiot, but...I think he was kind of serious when he asked about joining the royal band," the pegasus added awkwardly, motioning with his head toward the periwinkle male cradled in his other foreleg. "I promise we're not here to cause trouble. Amdusias is an asshole but the only real danger you have to worry about from him is a temper tantrum at a concert."

The demon gave him a sour look as Celestia frowned somewhat, Riffraff feeling like he had little choice but to continue. "You know, if somebody misses a note or something. And he sucks at gathering souls. I'm probably his first deal in a few centuries. And me, I seriously just play guitar. And. I smoke. So...I guess I could make a few ponies unhappy in outdoor areas. Maybe. Slowly kill someone with second-hand smoke. And. Uh. Well, my little Gracie here is just a passionate singer who...really likes to have...um…" Amdusias's expression had slowly shifted from one of annoyance to one of horror. The muscular pony cleared his throat, awkwardly reminding himself that he was in the presence of the Princess, after all. "Er. He really likes colts. So. I guess he's the biggest threat, if you're worried about a whole bunch of stallions suddenly turning...really gay." Riffraff sheepishly pat Graceful's slender chest a few times. He really didn't know why he was trying to be amusing, but he figured Celestia's wrath might at least be delayed if he was honest. I just hate how the honest truth sounds like a damn joke…

Celestia was less than pleased with the male's explanations. She hid it easily behind the royal mask of benevolence, but she was nonetheless irked. Even if these three were idiots, she had assumed she'd be able to extract at least some useful information to help with a more aggressive defense against the inevitable chaos that laid before her kingdom's future. "Not that I don't believe you," she began carefully, allowing herself to cautiously sit back on her haunches. "However, I must understandably try and learn as much information as I can to protect my kingdom, and my people." She favored Riffraff with a kind smile that would have been reassuring had the large pegasus not felt Amdusias's voice whispering the same words of warning into his mind.

The guitarist did his best to maintain his own neutral expression as he quietly stroked through Graceful's messy mane, meeting Celestia's eyes for as long as he could muster the strength. "Therefore while I would love to hear more of your...quest for musical employment, I just want to ensure that I've done all that I can to uphold my responsibility to the ponies of this land." The Sun Princess motioned gently toward the windows overlooking Canterlot before shifting her gaze briefly to the demon to calmly survey his battered form. "I wouldn't want to be remiss in my duties of protecting those who cannot protect themselves."

Amdusias scowled and leaned forward to rest his arms on his bent legs. "I find your implications rude and uncouth. But..." He hesitated, already well-aware that no matter how carefully he crafted his words, how artfully he dodged around the Princess's verbal jousting, he would be outmatched. Celestia was no regular mortal, and Amdusias had already siphoned enough from her before the impenetrable mental defenses were locked into place. He knew she would not be direct, and mask her intentions. He knew she would be thinking only of how to extract from them every drop of knowledge necessary to further her own personal agenda. And although the demon did not fault her for the very fastidious dedication she had for her kingdom, he could certainly fault her for extreme methods. And she has a history of extreme methods... He forced a smile nonetheless and glanced at his two pegasi companions before looking at Celestia pointedly. "Let us tell you all we know. And perhaps you can then spare us our lives. So...where to begin?"