IV: Gluttony
~BlackRoseRaven
Ardent Desire had never expected things to go this far, to have... this much. He had never expected to become so powerful, to feel the way he did now, after almost a month had passed. He had thought the demon would give him a few pretty mares, and a nice little home... instead, Cupidus' "sample" of power had given him a mansion, wealth beyond measure, and... and so many beautiful things...
The orange stallion smiled as he sat back atop an enormous, comfortable cushion, with no less than three mares all-but-crawling all over him. They fawned over him, touched him, kissed him... to them, he was the most handsome thing in the world, even if he was aware that he'd gotten a little fat with all this decadence and laziness.
His manse had been cleaned, repaired, and expanded: he had more than a dozen 'earth pony' servants, who he treated well and paid generously. He also allowed the ponies to grow crops in the acres and acres of fields he now owned... except for the ones he had given away to Greenmoss in a gesture of friendship, so the 'earth ponies' could have their own land. Greenmoss had been surprised but delighted, even if he seemed unsure of what to think of this strange, strange unicorn who buried himself in beauty and pleasure.
The building also included a large dormitory for his harem: mares who had come under his influence, to one extent or another. He had convinced himself he was doing them a favor: the dormitories were clean and sparkling, they were tended to by both the servants and the Kelpies, he fed them, took care of them, adored them. He lavished gifts upon them, which they just loved him all the more for: he was good to them, and he had made sure that they would care about and love each other, too. He told himself they were his family... family who always listened to him, always did what he asked, always cared for him.
His sisters had their own rooms, but... when he wasn't entertaining a mare... or two... or three... for the night, Ardent Desire often let Morning Glory stay with him in the master bedroom. She would hold him all night long, and he always woke up feeling his very best after the night with her. Ardent Desire reasoned to himself that he was just doing it to make her happy, that she was the weird little sister, he wasn't the big brother who had transformed his sibling into the perfect mother figure for him.
Radiant Beacon spent most of her time following around her big sister, when she wasn't with Ardent Desire. She was the ideal little sister, loyal, loving to a fault, innocent, and was always there to speak for him when... things got complicated. Ardent Desire had no influence over the male side of the species, after all, and while he had developed a lot of power in the city, he still sometimes ran afoul of ponies who strongly, strongly disliked what he was doing.
He didn't think what he was doing was so wrong though, even with him exercising his powers more often, and sometimes wandering into town to find... a strange mare, a mare he could tantalize just for the night, or even just bring to a back alley somewhere, just... to taste something different. To try something different. Ever since he'd accidentally hit Rhubarb with a full blast of his influence, he'd been using his powers more and more... not because he wanted to control mares, of course, just because... he needed to master them or risk... well, doing what he did to Rhubarb again.
The mare-in-question was one of the three currently resting against him, her gray coat almost sparkling as she smiled and nuzzled into him almost hungrily. She had felt all his pent-up desires, his wants, his needs, and how he needed her to listen to him, to give in to him, to obey him... and now she did. Now she his puppet on the local council, much as he hated to think of her like that... but it was true. She only had eyes and ears for him, loved him unconditionally, did and gave over anything he asked for.
So it only made sense for him to use his powers more, right? Because then he could avoid hurting mares like he recognized he hurt her, and instead... help them. Help them experience pleasure alongside him without becoming fully devoted to him, like Lovesong, the violet Pegasus sprawled over his lap. She looked up at him dreamily, but she still had free will... he didn't want to hurt these mares. He just wanted to... help them enjoy their time with him. That was all. There was nothing wrong with that, right?
Ardent Desire smiled as the third mare – bright pink, soft, fleece-white mane, and he always told himself that really, she didn't look anything at all like Morning Glory – leaned in and kissed his cheek. Rosie Heart, one of his favorites of the... oh... twenty or so mares he had in dormitory. Not that he'd tried to accumulate twenty mares, no no no. Some just... followed him home and... well... it would be rude to say no to their offers or send them away, right? "How are you, Lord Desire?"
"Oh, I'm good. I'm very good." Ardent Desire chuckled, then he looked happily down over the mares before his eyes flicked up curiously when Morning Glory strode through the archway and into the room. She looked at him strangely, and he smiled at her before asking kindly: "How are you, sister?"
"I..." Morning Glory reached up and touched her necklace: she always wore it, just like she always wore the golden anklets he had also given her. Her mane was tied back with a pretty bow and adorned with flowers, just like their mother's had often been, and Ardent Desire looked over her dreamily before staring in surprise when Morning Glory glared at him. "I'm confused! Why am I here? Where... why did I follow you here..."
She stopped, frowned as her eyes seemed to glow faintly, and then she shook her head as Ardent Desire shifted uneasily. His eyes flicked nervously back and forth, and then Morning Glory looked across at him before touching her own features and murmuring: "I haven't been training, have I? No, I should do that... I think that's what I meant to ask you about, big brother. And... and... why am I wearing..."
She seemed to wrestle with herself as she clutched at her necklace, then shook her head quickly before clenching her eyes shut and muttering: "This last month feels so dreamlike, so... impossible... why..."
"Why don't you go talk to Greenmoss, he... he can probably come up with something and... girls, girls go with her!" Ardent Desire said hurriedly, and the three mares looked up with smiles as they stood. Morning Glory frowned across at Ardent Desire, but when he forced himself to smile at her, she sighed and nodded moodily.
She lingered for a moment even as the other mares passed around her, and then she shook her head slowly before turning around, murmuring: "It feels like something is happening to me, Ardent Desire... I don't like this feeling. Like someone's playing with my head..."
Morning Glory muttered to herself as she strode away, leaving Ardent Desire sitting back in his plush comfort room alone, breathing hard. He stared down at himself, then looked back and forth wildly, counting the days in his mind before he opened his mouth... but before he could even call on the devil, Cupidus' voice came softly: "Yes, Ardent Desire?"
"What's happening?" Ardent Desire leapt to his hooves, spinning around to see Cupidus standing in a corner nearby. Then the stallion frowned as he realized the devil was holding a pocketwatch, asking uncertainly: "N-No, no... no. I haven't... I mean..."
"No, not yet. You still have several hours... but the enchantment is beginning to fade. It will fade first from those you first influenced, Ardent Desire, and then from everything else." Cupidus explained calmly, and the masked creature slipped his watch back into his cloak. "You will soon be left with only what you have strictly earned. I feel I should warn you that unfortunately, most of what you have earned is debt."
Ardent Desire blinked slowly, and Cupidus calmly rose a thin claw, gesturing at him. "All the money you used to pay for things, came from the sample. It was not earned: had you invested those bits wisely, you could have earned generous returns. Likewise, you have used your allure to influence mares, but you have brought them into your home, which was paid for by the coins that shortly will become dust. You have made promises to them that you will be unable to keep."
"No, no, no! I... can't I fix this? And Morning Glory, oh no, no, if Morning Glory... are you saying that... she's... she's going to go back to her old self?" Ardent Desire looked terrified at this thought, looking over his shoulder at the archway as he thought of the flash of her he'd seen just moments ago. "If... if she goes back to how she was before, if she stops loving me, I... oh no, no, no, no... she'll kill me! She'll literally kill me!"
"If she returned to the way she was before, then yes. She very likely would." Cupidus agreed, and Ardent Desire whimpered, then stared as the devil said quietly: "But I do have a method by which you can continue to enjoy both wealth and pleasure, paying not only your debts but buying even more. This sample I gave you, after all, was by necessity only a limited example of what I can offer you, speaking in terms of both time and subject."
"What... what are you... are you saying... a contract? We can make a deal, I... I can make a trade to you for something?" Ardent Desire whispered, stepping forwards and looking hopeful... and then he stared when Cupidus calmly pulled a scroll out from the sleeve of his cloak, holding it out towards the stallion.
Ardent Desire stepped forwards, trembling, and Cupidus said quietly: "I can give you back everything you had... and more. I can expand your influence and charisma so your presence will make other males respect you, as well as delight females. I can reshape your weak and spoiled body into something stronger and more fitting for a stallion of your caliber and station."
The orange stallion shifted at this, looking down at himself: paunchy, rotund... he shivered a little, his trust in the devil so complete that he believed his words without hesitation, about both his virtues and his faults. "I... I just have to sign? What... what can I offer you, Cupidus?"
"In return I would ask that after your death, you will serve me in Helheim for a period of time. How long that period of time is depends on the expense of the gifts I will give you... in essence, I merely ask that in return for the time and effort I put into making your mortal life better now, in the future you will pay off your debt to me by working for me." Cupidus half-bowed politely, still holding the scroll up as Ardent Desire shifted nervously, but his eyes stared longingly at the scroll. "You will be in Helheim, but safe under my care, and as you believe, not all demons are 'evil,' to use a mortal word. And after you have repaid your debt to me, you will be permitted to go about your way."
"So... to Heaven? Or... I don't know, is Helheim... I guess Helheim can't be all bad, since not all demons are bad, right?" Ardent Desire looked almost desperately across at the demon, but his orange eyes were unblinking and emotionless, and the stallion shivered a bit before he asked finally: "What... I mean... what kind of tasks would I be doing, though?"
"You were trained as a scholar. I have many accounts to keep informed of in Helheim, and your main task would be to assist me in keeping track of balances, debts owed, other crucial information. Perhaps I might also employ you to deliver messages or take dictation." Cupidus gestured absently, and Ardent Desire nodded a few times before the devil added calmly: "If you agree, I will also need to place a special mark on you. Something that will differentiate you from other souls and mark you as having entered into a contract with me."
The orange stallion licked his lips nervously, and then he winced and looked up as a mare's voice shouted angrily: "What are you talking about? No, I'm going to go and see Ardent Desire right now about this!"
Loud hoofsteps, but thankfully they halted, then faded, and the stallion shivered a bit before looking up as Cupidus said quietly: "With every minute that passes, your allure and what you have done fades. You must make your decision quickly."
"I... I..." Ardent Desire's eyes almost rolled in his head, breathing rapidly in and out as he looked wildly back and forth, and then he nodded wildly. "Okay, okay! Yeah, I agree, I'll... I'll work for you as long as you need me... longer, if it's a good job, even, I... I don't... please!"
But Cupidus only calmly held up his free hand even as he allowed the scroll to unroll in the other, revealing a few runes across the top... but nothing else written on the parchment. Ardent Desire's mouth worked, his breathing picking up as he whimpered a little, wondering if this was some kind of sick joke before the devil instructed: "You must speak your exact wish, Ardent Desire. Announce your name, and then tell me what you want, and do not hold back. And you must also use the phrase: 'and I pledge my soul and service to the devil that holds this contract, until such time as my payment is fulfilled.' You must be specific, or the contract will be voided."
"Okay, okay... o-okay..." Ardent Desire took a few shuddering breaths, and then he smiled weakly, whispering: "Thank you, Cupidus, I... you could have really trampled me here, you... could have really twisted things around on me and made me your servant forever or something and... I appreciate that you've been so good to me."
"Business." Cupidus said calmly, and Ardent Desire laughed a little, still looking grateful as the orange eyes of the devil regarded him soullessly, silently from beneath his golden mask. "Speak now. Before your sister returns."
This made Ardent Desire wince and nod, and he closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. Inside, he measured his desires, felt them growing... and heard, in the depths of his heart and soul, the faintest whisper of warning, of fear. He ignored it though, instead looking up and saying calmly: "I, Ardent Desire, I wish... I wish to continue to enjoy what I was given. Allure, wealth and... and power. I want to be loved, and adored, and to feel... needed. I want the control back that I had before, and... to... to be big and strong and to have money... and... I pledge my servitude and my soul to the devil that holds this contract, until... my payment is... paid."
Ardent Desire opened his eyes, and then he stared across at the contract, seeing that his own words had formed in black ink across it... and below, a line drew itself, ending in an X. The unicorn trembled for a moment, looking across at this before Cupidus said quietly: "You must sign your name, or spill your blood upon the contract. Either will suffice as agreement, as long as your blood is given willingly."
"Blood?" Ardent Desire shivered a bit, then he looked back and forth before wincing when Cupidus pulled a fountain pen out of his cloak, with a tip that glinted sharply, dangerously.
"Yes. Blood. Blood is the signature of the soul. To most demons and courts of Helheim, a mark in blood has preference over a signed name, so long as it is placed by the entity that holds legal claim to it." Cupidus replied, and Ardent Desire looked stumped for a moment before the devil shook his head. "Just mark the contract with the pen, Ardent Desire. And your wishes will come true."
"Just... I don't have to sign or poke myself or anything?" Ardent Desire reached out to take the pen in his hoof, then he shrugged a little before placing it to the parchment. Then a bolt of pain shot through his foreleg, and he yelped as he yanked the pen to the side in surprise, leaving a long, red smear over the scroll as he half-threw the pen across the room.
It bounced off the wall and fell to the floor with a clatter as Ardent Desire clutched at his limb, cursing in surprise... and then, slowly, he looked up to stare at the red streak over the paper. It glistened as the orange stallion felt a weight drop into his stomach, felt his breathing quicken as he wondered silently what the hell he had just gotten himself into.
The unicorn breathed roughly in and out, trembling and watching as the devil rolled the contract shut and tucked it calmly away, and then he looked weakly up as Cupidus said softly: "Close your eyes."
Knowing no other choice, Ardent Desire did so, before he felt a single claw touch his horn... and then there was only darkness, and pain. In the shadows that consumed his mind, he saw warped and fragmented memories, heard his mother screaming, and felt old nightmares grabbing him, dragging him down, pinning him as they surged up out of the deepest pits of his mind to remind him of all the things he'd tried to bury in the darkness of himself.
As he writhed in the grip of not-memory, Cupidus calmly stood over the unicorn, studying him meditatively. Then the devil glanced up as Helena quietly approached from the archway, before the Kelpie flushed when the creature remarked calmly: "Your role was complete the moment he believed in your impression of Morning Glory. You are free to go."
"I want to stay with him." Helena said quietly, and the devil surveyed her before the Kelpie whispered, bowing her head: "Please. Besides, I... I can still be of use. I can make sure he..."
She broke off, trembling, and Cupidus shook his head slowly. "Charity. How useless. But very well. I will finish here, and then you may do as you please, so long as you do not interfere with my plans for the mortal and assist me when I ask for it. Do we have a deal?"
"I would never make a deal with your kind, Cupidus. But I suppose we have an agreement." Helena murmured, looking away silently, and the devil only nodded before the Kelpie turned away, trembling a little... and then she suddenly rounded on him, almost shouting: "Why can't you let this one pathetic little mortal go? Just let him go! You're not interested in him anyway!"
"Because he is simplest method to attain what I do desire. Besides, he may be of use to me in the future, and I have invested time and effort into him. Now, my investment has begun producing a profit. It would be a financial misstep to simply abandon this asset." Cupidus explained with derisive calm, as if speaking to a child. "Your advice has been noted and dismissed. Now please leave."
For a few moments, Helena glared angrily at the devil... and then she finally spat to the side and turned around, storming away and trembling, leaving Cupidus to survey his current prize: the stepping stone to a very valuable soul.
When Ardent Desire awoke, it was with an awful headache, a parched throat, and... pain, in a word. He felt like his body was filled with broken glass, and moving not only made all those shards jingle around his veins and everywhere else they were stuffed into, it stabbed and cudgeled his brain.
He coughed a few times, then moaned low in his throat as his eyes opened tiredly. The room was dark, and he couldn't focus... couldn't manage anything, except to moan piteously again. But as he shivered on the ground, the pain slowly began to fade out, and Ardent Desire let his eyes slip closed as his muscles shivered and his brain carefully pieced itself back together inside his skull.
After ten minutes of trying not to move, he finally felt well enough to carefully raise his head... and when only a few pieces of his brain seemed to fall out of place, he carefully made his way up to his hooves. His body throbbed slowly, and Ardent Desire shivered once, then reached up to touch his horn... and immediately cursed in pain, twitching from the agony that went through him from just a gentle tap against the spire.
His whole body shook from the flinch, and his vision swam for a moment before settling: more than enough to make it very clear he should no longer make any sudden movements. Instead, he took a slow breath before straightening carefully and turning around in a circle, looking moodily down the hall at the faintly-burning lanterns in the distance.
It had to be night, from how dark it was: even if this room was windowless, light usually filtered in from... somewhere. He couldn't think properly, as he gritted his teeth and then rose his head, calling weakly: "Helena!"
His horn pulsed, casting a flash of red light for a moment, and Ardent Desire almost screamed at the hellish pain that ripped through him as he collapsed forwards, grabbing at his skull and moaning. The throbbing agony in his body had been nothing compared to the pain of trying to concentrate magic... and he hadn't even been trying to cast a spell! Some instinct had just kicked in and... and...
But thankfully, he no longer needed to think when he heard hooves hurrying towards him, and Helena ran into the room to skid to a halt in front of him, leaning down over him and cursing under her breath. "Oh, Ardent Desire, look at you... Cupidus... that..."
He looked blearily up at her, confused, but the Kelpie caught herself and shook her head, leaning down and kissing his temple tenderly as she murmured: "Stay still. Stay still. Look up into my eyes... we demons have our own powers, and I'm going to put you to sleep for a little while, to work through the worst of this pain."
Ardent Desire nodded naively, looking up at her with a tremble, and she met his eyes... and even as her own glowed, and he felt himself descending into comfortable darkness, he felt a bolt of shame. He didn't know if it was his own, or if it came from the Kelpie, but nor did he have the time to think about it as everything once more went black.
He was aware of the darkness, in a strange way: of sleeping, not dreaming but not completely without sense, until he lapsed into a state of... he didn't know. It felt like curtains being drawn back to reveal moving images, like he was living out things that had been hardwired into his subconscious, but he had been too young to know, or remember...
He was looking up at his mother and his father, and they were both smiling down at him... and there was something else there, too. Behind his mother, this lurking, enormous presence. It leaned over her, and it grasped her... but it did not loom, and he stared at it, but he wasn't afraid. It was behemoth, but gentle, not frightening... and he saw the way that his mother responded to it, reaching a hoof up to touch the claw on her shoulder even as a young Lord Bonfire – who was happy in a way he had never imagined his father to have ever been – didn't seem to sense the creature was there at all.
Next, he was on his mother's back, in a carrier of thatch and straw. He could taste it in his mouth, and smell his mother's hair, and hear indistinguishable words as she walked through the forest, fearless... because she was never alone. He was beside her... the enormous presence, the welcome thing. They were talking and laughing, like old friends... no, like family.
Family... he was a young foal, trying to burble out his first words as he laid on the floor with his wooden toys, looking up with a smile at his mother as she sat in her rocking chair and gazed radiantly down at a cloth-wrapped bundle. Her first daughter, Morning Glory... held tight and close in her forelegs. And the way she smiled... the way she kept looking from one to the other, before she whispered words he couldn't hear, but now he could read on her lips: I love you both. And you and her... you're going to be the best of friends, just wait and see. You and your sister are both very special...
Illuminia shifted as Ardent Desire sat up, and the mare carefully slipped the cloth-wrapped bundle down to the colt, who looked down at it with adoring eyes. He touched the baby gingerly, and Morning Glory looked up at him with a baby's solemn eyes, measuring him even then, studying him, before she smiled, and he touched her face softly. And when Ardent Desire's eyes rose, he saw his mother was smiling at something outside of the room, past the doorway... and for what felt like the first time, he saw her cutie mark, which he'd only seen the edges of in both memory and portraits.
The image on his mother's hip was of a spiral of flames, filled with ornate details... except as Ardent Desire stared at it, he realized that the details were runes, hidden writing amongst the fire. Something he saw instinctively formed not just a name, but an entire contract with a demon, a brand hidden in her cutie mark.
And in the not-quite-memory, Illuminia looked towards him and smiled softly, before the silence of these visions was obliterated by her voice, a voice that was beautiful, and strong, and tender as she soothed: "Don't worry, Ardent Desire... Mommy will always be here for you. Mommy has faith that you and your sister will take care of each other... that our family will be happy for a long, long time. Because there's someone special watching out for us..."
Ardent Desire leaned up, knowing it was so important, this was so important... and then everything shattered like glass, and his eyes snapped awake as he felt a tremor of pain shoot through his body before he looked wildly back and forth, then slumped and sighed as he realized he was in bed, safe and sound, and Helena was sitting nearby, gazing at him tenderly.
He looked back, then managed a small smile, and the Kelpie bowed her head to him before she murmured: "I'm glad to see you're awake, Lord Desire. Are you feeling better?"
"I... yes, I am." He hesitantly began to reach up, but Helena quickly reached out and caught his hoof before it could go near his horn, and instead the orange unicorn only glanced awkwardly up as he felt something rustle around the spire. "What's... what..."
"Your horn has been branded by Cupidus. It... is in a softened, tender state right now, and will take time to harden anew and your nerves to adjust. I've applied a salve and bandages used by my kind to mend bone damage, it should... help." Helena didn't sound very sure of herself, and also like she disapproved of whatever the devil had done. But the orange stallion only nodded slowly, too confused right now to make heads or tails of anything before the demon mare forced a smile, and reached up to touch his shoulder gently. "But you look good otherwise."
"Do I?" Ardent Desire touched his stomach, and frowned in surprise: what he touched felt solid, not paunchy. He shifted the blankets off, glancing down at himself, but only dim light was filtering in through the door and it made it hard to tell what was different, as he asked nervously: "How long has it been? Morning Glory, is she... does she hate me?"
"What? Of course not, Lord Desire." Helena sounded almost shocked, but her eyes flicked away: it was only the mix of confusion and naivety that made Ardent Desire miss the guilt that radiated from her. "And... it's only been three hours. Why don't you let yourself sleep?"
"I want to see Morning Glory. I... I want Morning Glory." Ardent Desire shook his head hurriedly, looking across at the Kelpie almost desperately, and the demon looked surprised before the stallion smiled weakly. "I'm sorry. I... I just... would really like to see her. I need her."
Helena shivered again and closed her eyes, and this time, Ardent Desire saw it clearly. He began to open his mouth, but then the Kelpie pushed herself to her hooves and forced a smile, murmuring: "Then I'll go and get her. I apologize, Lord Desire, I... I guess I just want you all to myself. Your influence has grown... far stronger."
Ardent Desire smiled back at her after a moment, then he reached up and gingerly touched his horn through the kelp bandages, and he cursed at the throb of agony he immediately felt. Helena sighed softly at this, but her eyes lingered on him with pity for a different reason before she finally dragged herself away.
While she was gone, Ardent Desire managed to make himself get up to his hooves in his spacious bedroom, and then light the oil lamps mounted on either wall to give himself some light. He stretched out a bit, then finally wandered over to a mirror... and simply stared at what he saw.
He looked larger, and stronger; his features were much more handsome, and his eyes were brighter; when he grinned, he saw his teeth were perfect and straight and sparkling white. His mane fell naturally around his shoulders and he looked... well... he looked goddamned amazing, to say the least.
Ardent Desire spent the ten minutes or so it took Morning Glory to show up examining himself in the mirror, and then, when she all-but-ran into the room, he turned with a bright smile to her and she gazed at him with relief, and amazement, and envy, and most of all, with love. They looked at each other... and inside him, Ardent Desire felt that twist, that compulsion, that need for her...
But then his horn gave a twinge, and he winced a little before glancing up at the seaweed-wrapped spire as Morning Glory stepped forwards, asking softly: "You didn't... trade your horn to become more handsome, did you?"
"What? No, no, never. I might not be the greatest magician around, Morning Glory, but... I'm not about to give up my horn, either. No, Cupidus just... branded it, apparently." Ardent Desire stopped, then he hesitated before looking across at her silently, and he felt... something inside him twist, when he saw the way she was looking at him. He looked back, and then closed his eyes, before smiling faintly when he felt her embrace him.
He hugged her tightly back, resting against her, inhaling her scent as he buried his face into her mane. She stroked soothingly along his back, and his throat went dry as he clenched his eyes tighter shut before whispering: "Morning Glory... I'm... I'm so sorry..."
"What... what is it? What did you do to yourself?" Morning Glory leaned back worriedly, and Ardent Desire looked across at her silently. They stared at each other, and then sister smiled faintly, reaching her hooves up to cup his cheeks as she said quietly: "Don't be upset. I'm here for you. I love you, and I'm going to help you fix anything that's happened. You're my big brother. You are Lord Ardent Desire. You... are my king."
"I... I'm none of those things. I don't deserve to be any of those things." Ardent Desire whispered, as he reached up and gently pulled her hooves away, and when Morning Glory frowned at him, the stallion trembled and looked up. He felt so many emotions rollicking around inside him, but he kept seeing his mother's eyes, his mother's smile, and something else. Something that was still in the undertow of his subconscious, but screaming so loud at him he knew what it wanted... he knew what his mother would have wanted him to do. "Morning Glory... I... I told you about Cupidus, and about the demons. But you never questioned why... so many mares suddenly were attracted to me, and I never told you about more than the wealth that Cupidus lavished on me, and... I need to tell you the truth."
"Why would I question that? You're handsome, charming, a good stallion. A stallion any mare would be fortunate to have as a friend, much less a lover... and I hear that you are... very talented... very... skilled..." Morning Glory's hooves stroked slowly down his chest as she leaned in close, and oh, the desires Ardent felt, the sick, hot, needy, hungry desire! The want, for her, even if... because, maybe... she was... forbidden, his sister, his mother-figure, his... his...
He could feel her reflecting him, saw her rising heat, felt her sliding closer, and Ardent Desire clenched his teeth before shaking his head wildly and reaching up to seize her shoulders, staring across at her and knowing that no matter what it cost him, no matter what happened, he had no choice but to tell the truth. He looked at her, squeezing almost painfully into her before he shouted: "I did this to you, Morning Glory! I... I didn't just ask for wealth! I asked for... mares to... to want me, to desire me! And... and it included... you..."
Morning Glory stared at him, before her eyes flickered strangely... and then she shoved him hard backwards, and Ardent Desire fell heavily on his back as she all-but-threw herself away. They looked at each other, both breathing hard, and tears spilled down Ardent's cheeks before he whispered: "I'm sorry, I'm... I'm s-s-sorry... I'm sorry..."
"I... Ardent... no, no, you're..." Morning Glory trembled, shaking her head vehemently, and then she snarled down at him and rose her hoof, and Ardent Desire didn't flinch, didn't turn away, didn't even try to plead as he looked up at her.
Her hoof shivered in the air, and then she slammed it down into the floor in front of her, cracking the hardwood just in front of Ardent Desire's hooves before she shouted down at him: "It was all a lie? You... you were trying to seduce me, like I was some cheap whore? Your own flesh and blood, and you just wanted to crawl on top of me and have your way with me?"
"No, that wasn't it! I didn't think it would affect you and Radiant Beacon!" Ardent Desire shouted in return, and he stared across at her, trying his best to hold in his sobs as he stepped towards her... only for her to shove him back, looking at him with disgust, with fury, with... with hate, and he cried out before he could stop himself: "Listen to me!"
Morning Glory's eyes widened, and then she gasped and shivered, dropping her head forwards as she dragged her hooves against the ground, trying to resist... but then she only clenched her eyes shut and fell still and docile. And Ardent Desire whimpered as he reached up and covered his mouth with a hoof, watching with a shiver as tears spilled down her own pale pink cheeks and he whispered: "No, no, no... I... I'm sorry... I... no, don't listen to... no, I mean... I... I mean..."
He halted, then dropped his head forwards, shivering and staring at the cracked floor before he whispered: "I just wanted things between us to be like they used to, Morning Glory. But... you were more than that. You reminded me of Mom and I... clung to that... even though I'm supposed to be the big brother. But you've always been... stronger, and b-better... and... so much... so much more than me. I'm sorry... I... I'm sorry... I just love you so much and... I don't want to lose you, and... I finally... finally had you... with me... you finally... cared about me, even if... everything went wrong..."
Slowly, he looked up, trembling violently as he looked across at her, and Morning Glory looked back silently before she reached slowly up and grasped his shoulders. The two siblings stared at one another, as tears flowed down their faces, and then the pink mare shook her head slowly and whispered: "You stupid bastard. You've always been my big brother... I just wanted... but after Mother died... Father pushed me... so hard and... I got lost and... you... I hated you because I could never say no to Father but you, the weakling, the coward, the runt, never stopped... being... you..."
Their eyes met, and then Ardent Desire whimpered a little before he tried to lean forwards, but she closed her eyes and shook her head slowly, holding him away from her. He dropped his head... and then, to his surprise, Morning Glory slipped forwards and silently curled herself against him, burying her face in his neck as she whispered: "You're the big brother and I'm your little sister. I've held you long enough. Now you take a turn... keeping me safe. And y-you... you make up... everything you did to me... you're going to apologize and you're going to... to make up for everything you've done..."
"I... I will... I will." Ardent Desire hugged her fiercely close, trembling violently as he held her tightly against his body, and the two siblings clung to each other like the foals they had once been, like they had in the nights after their mother had died, but before they had ceased to be one-another's guardian.
And outside, Cupidus calmly checked his pocketwatch, then tucked it back into his cloak as his orange eyes all but glowed in the darkness, studying the light pouring out of the master bedroom and feeling the emotions of the ponies inside. Beside him, Helena shivered violently before she looked at the devil and whispered: "Please. Please let them go."
"No. Things are proceeding ahead of schedule. But if you continue to assist me, I may be more inclined to take your pleas into consideration." Cupidus said quietly. Helena only bowed her head, but the devil seemed to take her silence as agreement, nodding once. "Good. I will leave it in your hooves, Helena. You understand the lusts of mortals better than I do."
"I understand many things better than you do, Cupidus." Helena murmured, and the devil slowly turned his cold gaze on her, before the Kelpie asked quietly: "Is this truly about your greed? Or do I smell the reek of wounded pride, and the desire for revenge as well?"
"My goal is success and profit: my motives are financial and economic. And there is no pleasure of revenge involved, Helena... Illuminia and her demonic patriarch are both long dead, and his fiscal ventures have been absorbed by my own." Cupidus replied calmly, and then he reached up and carefully adjusted the golden mask hiding his features from view. "One cannot take revenge on someone they have already annihilated."
The Kelpie kept her mouth shut, and instead she finally bowed her head and strode towards the entrance to the manse. Cupidus studied her, measuring her worth and value... and then a moment later, he was simply gone, as if he had never been there in the first place.
The next morning found Morning Glory and Ardent Desire sitting across from each other at the table in the kitchen. Morning Glory was studying him warily, and Ardent Desire was blushing and embarrassed, horn still wrapped in kelp, but... feeling good.
He had done the right thing, he felt: he had been terrified out of his wits about doing it, and he wasn't even entirely sure why it had all blurted out of him, after the bargain he'd struck with Cupidus purely because he had been scared of losing her... except, he thought, maybe that in and of itself was why. He realized that he truly wanted things to be like old times, and he didn't want his influence... hurting her. Corrupting her. Making anything that was experienced between them false, even if... it had also brought such pleasure, and he knew that he had betrayed her trust in a way that might leave it fractured forever.
Once Morning Glory had begun to honestly process everything Ardent Desire had told her, and the last of the enchantment he'd held over her had worn off, she had smacked his horn – making him scream and roll around on the floor in agony that he knew all the same he probably well-deserved – and then ordered him to start releasing all the poor mares he had under his power. They had argued about this and gotten nowhere on the subject, so finally they had come down here.
Yet all the same, Morning Glory was still here, even if he had claimed it was only because he had gotten them all exiled and there was no way Lord Bonfire was going to believe that 'demons made her fall in love with her brother.' She said she didn't see herself as having any other choice... but Ardent Desire only smiled across at her before he winced when Morning Glory said irritably: "There is no possible way I'm having sex with you."
"No, no, no! Shut up!" Ardent Desire almost squeaked, and then he shook his head vehemently before moaning and grabbing at his skull when another bolt of pain tore through through his horn. Then he cursed under his breath and smiled faintly up at her as she looked across at him tiredly. "I... you're just... you're here, that's all."
"Yeah. I'm here." Morning Glory reached up and silently touched her necklace, and then she closed her eyes and sighed, murmuring: "Maybe I'm still feeling your... allure, as you called it. Or maybe I'm just stupid and naïve and desperate. Or maybe I'm scared of what you'll do if I turn my back on you. You're disgusting and a coward, you know that?"
"It's... it's funny how relieved I am to hear you say things like that. I missed... you." Ardent Desire said quietly, and Morning Glory gave him an ill look even as a faint smile tugged at her lips. Then the stallion cleared his throat and sat up, and he studied her for a few moments before rubbing his hooves against the table and looking down quietly. "I..."
"Don't start. I don't want to hear this anymore. I... can't hear this anymore, Ardent, you're... you've gotten in way over your head, and I personally find what you did revolting and contemptible, but..." Morning Glory sighed a little, rubbing slowly at her face. "Every time you talk about it, a little voice says that we were the ones who pushed you there in the first place."
"Maybe, but... I don't see why you're so worried, Morning Glory. What... what I asked for was selfish, but the demons gave me power, and wealth, and... they're things I've been using to spread pleasure and happiness to others! I'm not hurting anyone, and they haven't hurt me." Ardent Desire replied almost defensively, and when Morning Glory only looked sourly at him and then flicked her eyes upwards to gesture at his horn, he winced and touched gingerly around his scalp, muttering: "Okay, this doesn't count. Besides... Helena helped me, and I'm... I'm sure Cupidus means well, and spared me everything he could."
"Cupidus... Helena... things that you made all of us just accept as fact with your powers. While you had sex with mare after mare." Morning Glory said moodily, and Ardent Desire shrank his head a bit before the pale pink unicorn sighed tiredly. "And made me into... Mom."
"Yeah." Ardent Desire barely whispered it, feeling another blast of shame as he shrank a little further into his seat. But strangely, Morning Glory seemed to soften a little, studying her brother with pity more than anger.
They were both saved from trying to force more conversation by Helena striding into the kitchen, the Kelpie glancing over at them curiously before smiling a little when Morning Glory glared at her. "I see the enchantment has been lifted from you... I must admit, I'm surprised that Lord Desire... had the courage to do so."
"Oh, so you can sense that, demon? And how do I know you didn't encourage him to put me under a spell in the first place?" Morning Glory asked moodily, and when Helena only gave her a faintly-entertained look, the unicorn mare shook her head before reaching up and rubbing at one temple slowly, muttering: "I don't know what was real and what was not anymore... this entire past month is a blur, and all my emotions are in turmoil and... as much as part of me hates my stupid, stupid big brother..." She glared at Ardent, who shrank back a little. "I still... feel..."
Morning Glory broke off, then shook her head quickly, closing her eyes and muttering to herself before wincing a little when Helena reached up and touched her shoulder gently. "It's alright. Ardent Desire's powers took such hold on you because you already loved him. Only as a sibling, I am not implying anything... it's just that his abilities took hold of that and... enhanced it."
"Enhanced it." Morning Glory repeated flatly, and then she sighed and grumbled, looking grouchily back over at Ardent Desire as he looked silently down at the table, but after a few moments the pink mare softened ever-so-slightly. She didn't speak, but she didn't have to: Helena could clearly see the way that Morning Glory was still wrestling with trying to decide what had been real, what hadn't, and if everything had been a lie... or maybe her true feelings...
Helena turned silently away, forcing her smile to mask her face even as she felt her heart twist in her chest. Both ponies glanced towards her, and she said easily, as she headed across the kitchen towards the pantry: "You look as if you need to eat something, Morning Glory. Ardent Desire, I'll fetch you some water first, I know you were feeling a little sick earlier."
"You're good to me, Helena." Ardent Desire called to her, and how thankful he was... it made her tremble as she pushed through the pantry door and clenched her eyes shut, repressing her pain as much as possible, but... all the same, how it hurt...
The Kelpie breathed nervously in and out, looking slowly back and forth over the shelves before reaching up and carefully grasping a luscious red apple out of an open box on one shelf. She studied it for a few moments, then closed her eyes before taking it in both her front hooves, whispering: "Please forgive me."
The apple plumped up slightly as she concentrated her own brand of magic into it. The skin stretched, the fruit became firmer, more luscious, as the Kelpie looked silently down at this... then forced a smile before turning and carrying the apple back into the room. Morning Glory looked grouchy, and Ardent Desire was poking at the bandaging around his horn, but Helena didn't speak even as she put the apple down in front of the pink unicorn.
Morning Glory frowned at Helena, and the demon looked back, for a moment thinking about... warning her. Saying something. Doing something... but instead, the Kelpie only reached up and touched the mare reassuringly, saying quietly: "It should be enough. I'll... get your water, Ardent Desire."
The Kelpie turned away, putting her back to them, and Morning Glory frowned after the demon moodily before she picked up the apple. She studied it, then shrugged a little before raising the fruit to her mouth and biting into it. Teeth severed skin, tore into the flesh of the apple, and sweet juices trickled down her chin and flooded her jaws. Her eyes closed in surprise as she stiffened slightly at how good it was... like it had been years since she had eaten, and then she had come across this delicious treasure...
She ate ravenously, and Ardent Desire stared at how quickly Morning Glory devoured the fruit, until only the thin core was left. And even this, Morning Glory licked slowly, dragging her tongue along it, not seeming to care as she scraped up a few loose seeds, her breathing a little hard as her eyes flicked up and stared at him and Ardent Desire stared back...
Then Morning Glory cleared her throat and hurriedly tossed the core away, a shiver going through her body as she rubbed a hoof wildly at her reddened features. Drool had mixed with the apple juice spilling down her chin and lips, and a shiver rolled through her body as gave an uncertain smile before turning her eyes quickly to the Kelpie, who was just approaching with a clay cup of water. "A-Another, perhaps? I... I still feel... hungry."
Helena looked across at her, and Morning Glory thought she saw hollow eyes and sadness for a moment, the unicorn frowning even through the strange... fuzzy... pleasantness that had overtaken her, mixed with hunger and... and heat... sweet, delicious heat...
Then Morning Glory shook herself quickly, trying to throw off the feelings in her body as her form shivered once and she felt her lower legs scrape together and... that warmth... and when she looked up, the Kelpie was smiling at her kindly, Helena nodding as she murmured: "Of course, Morning Glory."
The demon slipped Ardent Desire his glass of water as the stallion only continued to sit back, looking confused more than anything else, while Morning Glory's eyes were slowly drawn to her brother as she licked her lips and rubbed slowly at her flushed features... and as Helena strode away towards the pantry again, she closed her eyes, swallowed her pain, and prayed for forgiveness for the role she knew she had no choice but to play.