VII: Wrath

~BlackRoseRaven

Burning Desire had learned that Cupidus only grew tense when there was a particular kind of business deal hanging in the air. The size, the type, the legality or morality of it didn't matter: what made the difference was whether or not Cupidus was dealing with Churlin.

Churlin was the opposite of Cupidus in many ways: he was passionate, he liked to shout, he relied not on cold calculation but a mixture of charm and aggression to get his way. But they had some similarities too: namely, they both loved wealth, wanted more of it, and loathed each other utterly.

What was between them couldn't be describe as rivalry: only hatred. Churlin hated Cupidus because he was more successful, and he'd started off as a pure-blooded noble devil, born and raised in Helheim. Cupidus hated Churlin because he had been a pony in life who had crawled his way out of a muddy ramshackle cabin home to him, his parents and a dozen siblings, and had become a rich, happily-alone miser. Until, of course, he'd died and fallen to Helheim for his excessive greed and the fact he tended to use his wealth to make other people suffer for his entertainment.

The other thing Cupidus hated was that Churlin sometimes beat him: it didn't matter that Cupidus owned twice as much territory and had influence all over Helheim, while Churlin didn't even have a voice. What mattered was that Churlin was savvy and aggressive enough to slip into the cracks in the Greed devil's plans, and mangle all his machinations, then run away with a chunk of what was supposed to be the prize of Cupidus alone.

Apparently, the only other demon who had ever made Cupidus this way had been Magister. Burning Desire still didn't know the story there, still was confused about how his mother factored into all of this, and he often found himself wondering if he'd ever know. All he knew for sure was that after fifty years of working for Cupidus, and sixty-seven in Helheim, he had gotten painfully used to the flow of daily life here... even if he was continuing his rather-foolish plan.

He knew that the reason he hadn't been caught right away was because Cupidus had been distracted by Churlin visiting, to show off some zoning ruling he'd bullied the courts into agreeing to. And after a week of using the 'special' ink Burning Desire had mixed, the Greed devil now seemed to have lost any suspicions he might have had about the red substance.

So now he figured he was stuck with this until he finally worked up the courage to move into the second phase of his master plan... except he was pretty sure that if he tried to do anything without figuring out some kind of backup plan, Cupidus would just have him bludgeoned, beaten, cut into tiny pieces, and then ground into fine powder. And all possibly while still alive, so he could suffer as much as possible before what would likely be a particularly-gruesome death, even by Helheim's high standards.

Burning Desire sighed quietly as he finished sorting contracts, tucking them away in their assigned spaces in the library shelves, before a familiar voice asked him gently: "You look a little sad. You wanna spice up this library?"

The fiery stallion smiled despite himself as he turned around, seeing Polly standing nearby, the pretty stallion gazing at him fondly before the demonic unicorn replied kindly: "Now I'm on duty, Sir Polarity. We don't want to be punished, do we?"

"I certainly do, but I see your point. But guess what? You're not on duty anymore." Polly smiled slightly, and Burning Desire tilted his head curiously before the Lust demon half-lidded his eyes at him. "It's your lucky day. Cupidus needs all the servants setting up the meeting room and tending to a special guest... Churlin is back for another round. And I managed to convince Arlock to let you go handle serving him."

"I... wait, what? Why? And when Cupidus finds out he'll kill you!" Burning Desire stared in disbelief at Polly, but the Lust demon only chuckled and smiled warmly at him.

"No he won't, he needs me still... yes, I'll be punished, but I have a good few ways to protect myself... you just go and talk to Churlin, sweetie. Talk to Churlin." Polly emphasized, and then he glanced back and forth before nodding firmly once and turning to hurry off, and Burning Desire stared after the Lust demon blankly for a few moments before his eyes widened slightly as he began to understand.

It didn't all lock together at once for him... but by the time he reached the foyer, he had the basics of a plan in mind. He had stopped in long enough to find out where he was supposed to take the Greed demon from the master of staff, Arlock, and was pleased when he found out they were specifically supposed to head to a waiting room in the western wing: it was the furthest from Cupidus, and he had no doubt that a crafty demon like Churlin would have a way to outwit any methods Cupidus had to try and listen in on his hated enemy.

Burning Desire was surprised to find that Churlin had only brought four guards with him... but then again, said guards were all massive and covered from head to claws in armor; even more than that, was the challenging, arrogant grin on Churlin's features, as if he wanted Cupidus to try and attack him. Not that Churlin looked like he was all that capable of defending himself: he was a unicorn, sallow and ugly in color, with a tattered black mane and several gold teeth glimmering in his jaws. His eyes were sunken, and he was wearing a rumpled, ugly suit: he looked less like a demon, and more like a corpse that had wandered down to Hell in search of the spirit that had formerly inhabited it.

"Well, look at this. The contract-maker. Don't you look like you've grown up nice?" Churlin said mildly, and Burning Desire looked at him with surprise before the Greed demon chuckled. "Oh, I keep my ear to the ground, boy. You would too, if you were me... tell me, does Cupidus know you're here?"

Burning Desire decided to be honest and simply shrugged, and Churlin grinned widely at this. "Good. I like that. I like that a lot, as a matter of fact. Walk with me, kid, you got a look I recognize all too well in your eyes. Looks like revenge mixed with an offer you think I can't refuse."

The fiery stallion didn't even know what to say, only nodding nervously before he gestured towards the open archway leading into the western hall, but the Greed demon only chuckled in response. "Now don't you worry none, boy. I always get sent to the same damn room every time I'm here. Walk over here by me."

The fiery stallion nodded a bit, falling into step beside Churlin, and he soon found himself surprised by how animated the unicorn was, in spite of the fact he looked like a living corpse. He also couldn't help but notice all the differences between him and Cupidus; there was little logical and sensible about Churlin, and he was as offensive and brash and straightforward as Cupidus was careful and cold and calculating.

Churlin seemed at first like the kind of pony with no plan whatsoever, who just kind of flung ideas in every direction until he came up with something good. But when the subject came to messing with Cupidus, on the other hoof, it became clear there was a ruthless and intelligent mind hidden beneath all the chaos, even if Churlin still demanded action first, thinking later.

And once they reached the waiting room and Churlin's bodyguards had smashed any suspicious trinkets and rudely cut wards into the walls, Churlin had simply flicked a hoof and produced a contract with a grin, his eyes glowing as he said easily: "I don't usually get the pleasure of offering one of these to a fellow demon like yourself."

Burning Desire looked at Churlin, then down at the contract before he picked it up and read quickly over the text already laid out for him. All he had to do was sign... and it was simple enough, except...

But when he looked up, Churlin grinned wider at him, raising his head and saying calmly: "You gotta be ready to pay the piper, boy. See, I'm not like Cupidus, buttering you up, leading you sideways. I'm up front and honest as the day is long. So I'm not going to change that, and you're just gonna have to live with it. The price for freedom is high, boy. Those people who think it just costs lives? They ain't begun to reckon what's really on the sales tag yet."

The two demonic stallions studied each other... and then Burning Desire nodded slowly, then lowered his horn and rose his foreleg. A moment later, there was a splatter of blood over the contract, and Churlin chuckled as he said softly: "I like you, boy. You and me... we're going to get along just fine together."

Burning Desire looked up silently, and then he closed his eyes and nodded once before taking a slow breath. And as he turned to leave, Churlin's loud laughter followed him out, and the demon only hoped that this time, he'd made the right choice.

When Cupidus found out that Burning Desire had spoken to Churlin, the fiery stallion was dragged off by Mildred from his usual duties to go through an exceptional round of punishments and pains. The only saving grace was that Burning Desire had picked up several very useful transformation spells from Polly after many years of study, although he had only really mastered one... but one was enough.

So instead of hanging by his horn above a steaming cauldron of acid, Burning Desire transformed into a firebird and flew calmly down to the dungeon floor to meditate quietly until he heard the booming steps of Mildred approaching. Then it was just a matter of transforming back into a firebird, flying up to the chain, and once more taking on his stallion shape to seize the chain and drop down to hurriedly slip the ring loosely around his horn.

He howled and flailed wildly as Mildred stormed in, holding onto the chain for dear life with his hooves as the ring jingled around his horn: mindless Mildred couldn't tell the difference, however, and Burning Desire was shortly yanked down from the 'torture' and dragged off to the next punishment session.

There was simply no way to avoid a lot of the other tortures: the rack stretched him, Mildred crushed his bones and body, and Cupidus' sadistic disciplinarians performed other horrific punishments on him. And when it was all over, Burning Desire was dragged in front of Cupidus himself so the Greed devil could interrogate him in sharp, almost-nervous tones.

But even though Burning Desire found it intensely difficult to lie, he stuck to two simple truths: Arlock had told him what to do, and he didn't like Churlin. Cupidus clearly didn't believe this was the whole truth, but eventually sent Burning Desire away.

For the next few months, the fiery stallion was aware of eyes always on him, watching him... but he made no attempt to contact Churlin, and Churlin was far too sly to try and urge Burning Desire's plans along. Burning Desire simply continued to do as he always did... and he continued to drip his own blood into the ink mixture as well, although he took many, many precautions when doing so. He only ever needed to mix in a few drops, but if Cupidus ever figured out what he was up to...

Eventually, he felt the attention on him relaxing slightly, as Cupidus himself settled back into his usual calm and put his latest meeting with Churlin behind him. Burning Desire made sure to stay as careful as possible, however, feeling like he was waiting for some sign, some event, that had yet to make itself clear, and gradually, months slipped into years that spilled away like sand as he continued his neverending duty as ink-fetcher, document-sorter, and math-checker.

After ninety seven years of working for Cupidus, Burning Desire headed back to his unfurnished, glittery room, only to find that someone had left a book for him on his bed. He frowned at the cover as he saw it was some old, dusty genealogy book, then realized that something was stuck between the pages, and he opened it... to discover a lock of golden mane he recognized instantly as his sister's.

And then, slowly, he looked down at the page: he glanced almost absently over the title before his eyes automatically fell on the picture in the top corner, and then he froze, staring at the image of a massive demon as it smiled warmly... and cradled in its arms, only a foal but with nothing more telling of her identity than the spiral of flames that already contained the hidden contract, was his mother.

His eyes tore over the page, taking in everything in a blur as trembles ran through him, before he took a deep breath and forced himself to straighten, looking down at the page. Images of his mother flashed through his mind, with this thing always over her, guarding her, watching her and them... he saw her cutie mark, he saw her contract... except no. No, it wasn't a contract that she had made with a demon. It was a contract that a demon had made with her.

"In only rare instances... are mortals adopted into a demon's family... but one remarkable occasion is when Duke Magister adopted a mortal unicorn whose parents had been murdered and brought her to Helheim..." Burning Desire read in a trembling voice, staring down at the picture. "He named her Illuminia... and she was raised as his only daughter until she was old enough to be sent back to the mortal world. But it is well known that even then, Duke Magister spent much of his time watching over her.

"In order to protect her... Magister had made a special contract with Illuminia when she was only a child. In return for agreeing to be his daughter and heir, he pledged his loyalty to her and forged a blood pact.." Burning Desire trembled, slowly stroking the lock of his sister's hair against the page before he straightened, unable to read any further as his head swam... but he had already seen the rest of the page, already knew what it all added up to, as he whispered: "He was her guardian. He felt her pain... he protected her. He loved her... and Mom..."

He clenched his eyes shut, touching his forehead and shivering once before he picked up the lock of mane, then squeezed it tightly before gritting his teeth and looking down at it. He thought of Morning Glory, thought of Radiant Beacon, thought of his father and Lucenta and everything that had happened... and he thought of Magister, rumored to have been assassinated by the orders of Cupidus, and the demonic stallion breathed harshly in and out before he shoved the lock of hair back into the book, slammed the text shut, and spun around.

He ran out into the hall, and never noticed the gleaming animal eyes eagerly watching him from around a corner, as if delighting in his self-destructive fury. Instead, the stallion charged down the staircase, then ran through the twisting and turning passages of the mansion until he smashed his way into the Accounting Hall. And even Cupidus seemed startled by the entrance of the fiery demon, raising himself up higher in his throne as Burning Desire shouted furiously: "What did you do? What did you do to Magister? Why? And where is my sister!"

"Mildred, punish!" Cupidus ordered sharply, and the minotaur leapt into the center of the aisle before charging forwards, hooves smashing against the ground and chains clanking against its body. But all fear had been blasted out of Burning Desire as he charged forwards, roaring as well as his eyes and horn glowed before he flung the book aside and leapt into the air as he burst into red flames.

And a moment later there was an explosion of light and sound as the red flames wafted and warped into a new and terrible shape, and even Mildred was knocked backwards as Burning Desire lunged forwards in a new, monstrous form. His upper body and head were that of a pony, but more bestial, maw filled with vicious fangs and his upper limbs ending now in claws instead of hooves. And his lower half, meanwhile, had transformed into an immense serpentine body that propelled him forwards as his claws tore against the ground to keep his balance, before he lunged towards the minotaur he was now easily twice the size of.

Mildred tried to reach up, and Burning Desire caught the minotaur around the waist and hefted him into the air with a vicious grin as demons yelled and shrieked and fled in terror from their desks. And Cupidus only stared, leaning over his own in disbelief as Burning Desire squeezed as viciously as he could, and the minotaur whined in his throat as the claws of the now-monstrous demon tore into his body as his pelvis and torso were both crushed like fragile tin.

Then Burning Desire flung the minotaur dismissively away as he hissed loudly, eyes locking on Cupidus, and the Greed devil shook his head slowly in disbelief before the now-monstrous Passion snarled: "Now it's your turn to pay the price of what you've earned, Cupidus!"

Burning Desire lunged forwards, claws seizing into the front of the desk, and the Greed devil shouted an order as he hurriedly rose a hand. Burning Desire roared, a claw reaching forwards... and then a cloaked, silver-masked specter appeared in midair beside the demon before slashing its scythe down into his arm, sending up a burst of blood.

More of the reapers appeared all around Burning Desire, slamming scythes into him that sent up thick spurts of crimson and sapped his spirit and strength, the demon arching his back with a howl of misery as the flames of his mane stuttered... and then a moment later the massive, serpentine shape of the demon turned to embers and smoke as he returned to his normal shape.

Before he could fall, the reapers shot in all around the stallion, slamming the poles of their weapons across his limbs and body to catch him in midair, leaving him pinned in the sky. He could feel his bones creaking and his body being crushed as he looked slowly, weakly up, the flames of his mane and tail stuttering as he trembled violently.

Cupidus was leaning over his desk, looking down at Burning Desire with shock before the devil reached up and slowly adjusted his golden mask. The creature took a slow breath, seeming to shudder for a moment before he whispered: "Impossible... your soul is mine, you are loyal to me. You shouldn't have been able to..."

"I owe no loyalty to you! You betrayed me, you... you have done nothing but lie and cheat me, again and again, Cupidus! And it all started with Magister, didn't it? Who was he to you? What have you done?" Burning Desire tried to shout, but his voice was broken rasp, his entire body aching horrendously, bleeding from ugly wounds torn across his form as the reapers only floated silently around him.

The orange eyes of the devil looked across at the demon, and then he shook his head slowly before saying quietly: "Duke Magister and I did not see eye-to-eye on things. I desire wealth and power... and he insisted on getting in my way every step of the path I had planned out for myself. He was foolish and weak, and he was the first soul I had the reapers seize after I bought their loyalty. They cost many souls to upkeep but... thanks to mortals like yourself, I never have to fear a shortage."

Cupidus was silent for a moment, then continued calmly: "I took over Magister's territory in the hopes to attain something... very valuable. But I am unable to access it. Magister's heir, Illuminia, was the key, and I was very eager when I heard a plea for help. I thought it would be Illuminia, but instead, it was you. You, who I quickly understood would be of no use to me whatsoever, except as a stepping stone to other souls. And now your use has passed, and even if I am... surprised... you have been able to turn against me and show such promise, you are not an asset worth holding onto. Instead, I will offer your soul to the reapers to ensure their loyalty for another few years."

Cupidus began to raise his claw, but then he halted and his orange eyes narrowed slightly as Burning Desire chuckle quietly, mumbling: "Go ahead, but... you'll be liquidating a lot more than me if you do that."

"What are you talking about?" Cupidus frowned a bit, and then Burning Desire grinned weakly as he looked up, his horn glowing red. The devil immediately began to raise a hand, and a reaper drew its scythe back to deliver a decapitating slice... before Cupidus froze when the ink in the pot on his desk burst into flames.

"Demonic... contract law. Whoever owns... the soul of a demon, can sign with their name... or in their blood. You've been signing your name... but in my blood, for the last hundred years, on every contract and document that passed over your desk. Guess that makes us co-owners, right?" Burning Desire asked, unable to stop himself from grinning... and in spite of the agony, the horror and the growing fury in Cupidus' eyes made all the pain in the world worth it.

Then the devil visibly pulled himself back under control, the creature taking a slow breath before asking in a voice only a little harsher than normal: "And what is to stop me from having you killed and once more resuming my status as full owner?"

"In the event of my death... all my assets go to your best friend, Churlin. Or is that your worst enemy?" Burning Desire looked up, meeting the eyes of the Greed devil as Cupidus trembled visibly, his orange eyes filled with anger, and hatred, and disbelief... and somehow, the last was the sweetest emotion of all, as the fiery stallion rose his head. "So what do you think, Cupidus? Am I worth it?"

Cupidus trembled violently, and then the Greed devil hissed slowly, his orange eyes blazing as he reached a claw up. Bony digits shrieked against the golden metal of his mask as he tore at it compulsively, before the entity finally snarled: "What do you want?"

"Where's my sister?" Burning Desire asked roughly, and Cupidus snorted before making a dismissive gesture, and the fiery stallion was flung to the ground by the group of reapers, bouncing once on his chest with a groan as the hollow specters vanished.

"I don't know at this moment. Yes, she is dead, and she is in Hell. But it is not under my watch." Cupidus said contemptibly, and Burning Desire smiled grimly before the devil leaned forwards over his desk and whispered: "You had best hope that the moment you leave here, Churlin betrays you and kills you quickly, because if he does not I will find a way to. And I will not make it fast."

"Yeah, so, okay. That's going to be the first thing on my list... once our deal's done, you are never allowed to ever screw with me ever again, understood? No coming after me, no revenge, no nothing like that." Burning Desire said sharply, and Cupidus growled at him again before the fiery stallion added coldly: "And I want to be free. I want you to acknowledge that my debt to you is paid in full. That we're even."

"Very well. In return I demand full ownership of all your current assets, and that you allow me to exile you from my home so that I never have to deal with you ever again." Cupidus retorted, and then the Greed devil snapped his claws, a contract appearing and runes burning themselves quickly into being over it. "Are we agreed?"

"Wait." Ardent Desire glared up at the devil, gesturing with a hoof, and Cupidus cursed before flicking his wrist to send the contract down to him. The unicorn quickly read through this, then he shook his head slowly. "Current assets. Not future."

Cupidus grumbled at being caught in this attempt to twist things in his favor, then he flicked his wrist, and the stallion quickly read over the contract again before wincing and rubbing a wounded foreleg against the paper, smearing blood over the contract. Then the stallion threw the contract back up to the Greed devil, saying dryly: "Sign it."

Cupidus hissed again, then reached for his quill before freezing and staring at the inkwell. After a moment, he grasped this instead, and then Burning Desire said mildly: "Don't worry, friend. It's not that important... not if you don't have any internal or external organs, that is."

"Shut up!" The Greed devil flung the inkpot to the side, and Burning Desire smiled grimly at this before Cupidus held a hand out, and a black inkpot was yanked a little too quickly though the air towards him, splattering dark ink over his desk when it slammed itself down. Then the devil picked up his quill, swirled it quickly, and signed his name sloppily, looking furious before he glared venomously at Burning Desire. "There. We are agreed, Ardent. Congratulations."

"Burning Desire now... I am a demon... like my grandfather. But I am nothing like you." Burning Desire said quietly, and then the crimson stallion smiled wryly. "If you'll excuse me, I have to go and find my sister."

"No, you won't find her." Cupidus said quietly, and Burning Desire frowned before slowly looking up, as the devil coldly looked back down. "You see, Ardent, you were worthless. Scraps, with little potential... even if you have surprised me by becoming a powerful first-tier demon, and in so short a time... shorter than I expected. But that is no surprise... that fool Magister was a victim of his own sins, as we all are. His Pride in his daughter... in wanting to give her the very best... he offered up his own life force through the pact he held with Illuminia to ensure she would give birth to two foals.

"You were the first, the son desired by the father. Morning Glory was the second, the daughter wanted by the mother... and who, unlike you, could give me what I was after." Cupidus rasped, leaning forwards, tearing his claws into the desk as he glared out from behind his golden mask with absolute hatred. "So I twisted you, until you twisted her, and made her into a whore with a broken spirit. And when she fell to Hell, I had the reapers catch her soul. And now a powerful ally of mine is ensuring that your sister becomes what I desire. Unlike you, her ascent to demonhood will not be crude, and quick, and bludgeoned. It will be careful, and scientific, and every day she will be adjusted and taught and reshaped into my perfect warlord. The warlord with her mother's eyes, and her mother's blood, and her grandfather's lineage.

"Do you know why Magister was respected? Because he had true power, in the form of endless luxury and wealth. Because his property, which I fought tooth and claw for, sits on top of a prison into which, for ten thousand years, souls were poured until no more could be stored in its depths. And Magister was the only demon lord left who could open it... but he passed that power down to his heir, a filthy, pathetic mortal. And she unwittingly passed it down to her daughter." Cupidus loomed slowly forwards, and his orange eyes burned with triumph as Burning Desire stared up at the creature with horror in his eyes. "Now I will have limitless wealth, and infinite power. So take your pathetic victory, and leave my home, and go back to your own, little Ardent! You are exiled from Helheim, banished forever to the mortal world!"

Burning Desire cried out in shock, stumbling backwards as awful, painful radiance surrounded him before he tried to leap forwards... but then he was blinded by a flash, deafened by laughter, and a moment later all he knew was vertigo and confusion and nausea as he flailed wildly at the air...

A moment later, the stallion crashed down with a grunt, bouncing several times before skidding to a halt as he felt faint pain tickle at his body and smelled the reek of steam. He hurriedly shoved himself up to his hooves... but then nausea tore through the demon, and he couldn't stop himself from leaning forwards and vomiting painfully.

His stomach cramped, his body ached... and then, slowly, Burning Desire looked weakly up at the world around him. It was the dead of winter, and there was snow all around him, and he was seated on a clifftop in front of the ruins of a keep...

Slowly, his eyes widened as he stared up at this, and then he trembled as he strode slowly forwards. He walked into the courtyard, breathing hard as he passed the ruins of a gallows, and approached the entrance doors... but he didn't even have to go inside to feel his stomach clench, to feel his mind revolt as he stared through the open doors with a moan of horror.

The broken skeleton of a unicorn sat silently against the back wall of the entrance hall, clad in rusting armor, its bony forelegs wrapped around an old painting and an ancient tapestry draped silently around its shoulders. And tears fell from Burning Desire's eyes as he forced himself to stride inside as snow and cold whipped after him, following through the ajar, broken doors of the entranceway.

He looked down at the painting, and let out a weak sob, reaching up and touching his lips as a tremor ran through his body. It was of his father and mother, smiling in happier times, and Illuminia held Morning Glory while Lord Bonfire cradled Ardent Desire... and the demon clenched his eyes shut, then he fell forwards beside the ancient skeleton of the baron, reaching a hoof out to silently touch the corpse. "I... I'm sorry... I'm so sorry, Dad..."

There was nothing else he could say. Nothing else he could do, as the demon laid by his father's corpse for the entire night, and the day that followed. And even when Burning Desire finally managed to get to his hooves, finally managed to drag himself out of the ruins... what he strode out into was an empty world.

At first he thought that the unicorn kingdom had fallen from an uprising... but as the demon traveled far and wide, he came across both spirits and other demons that helped him to put together what had happened, little-by-little. There had been a great war, and a great divide... and earth ponies, Pegasi, and unicorns had all turned on each other like savage animals. Many had gone to war... many others had simply tried to flee. And they had all been hunted down and destroyed, fed upon by ravenous creatures that had harvested too greedily for too long.

He was alone in the world with only the company of other demons that all too often didn't understand him, and he had no way to return to Helheim. He was free... but free in a world that was broken and empty. But this time, even if he'd made another mistake, he refused to give up. The Passion wandered around the world, seeing all the sights he had never seen, longing always for someone to share his time with but all the same, refusing to break. Refusing both insanity and to give in to his own instincts, as he thought of the legacy he had to honor, and the choices he had made in the past that had brought him here. As he remembered successes, and not defeats, and everything he had learned on his journey.

And he knew that one day, he would find his sister, and make things right: perhaps one day, even the ponies would return, or he could find the companion he longed for. And until that day, he was determined to practice being the person he wanted to be... not the demon that Helheim had tried to transform him into.

XXXXX:

Cupidus lay on his back, rasping and whimpering in the graveyard, shaking his head in denial. He was broken, his body crushed, and black ink spilled out of his cloak from the shattered inkpot like blood, dripping to the ground.

His golden mask stared hollowly at the cavern wall, bent and crumpled and worthless now. And as she looked down at him, she couldn't help but think of how pathetic he looked: like a skinned rat, raw and ugly flesh torn like paper to reveal broken bone as his orange eyes stared up at her and he pleaded: "I... we can split it! P-Please... it took us so long to get here, d-d-don't... don't... I am a valuable asset!"

She replied by stomping down on his features, and his skull was crushed to dust beneath her metal hoof. She twisted it slowly, and relished the sound of the crunch as his body spasmed once... then slowly began to char, beginning to burn away to nothing but dust and ash. He had been arrogant and stupid to believe that she had actually been brainwashed and broken. She already fallen for that trick once already, and no one was going to fool her twice.

She closed her eyes and remembered for a moment her life... and her death. No, not when her little sister had charged her. Radiant Beacon had come in with the knife, she had been strong, so much stronger than the young mare should have been, and managed to leave ugly wounds... but when Morning Glory saw Ardent, bleeding, dying... the rage that had taken her over...

Ardent's body had fallen and hit the ground. Radiant Beacon had fallen shortly after with the knife buried through her forehead. And only then had Morning Glory realized what she'd done, at the same time she saw her beloved brother... was dead.

Morning Glory had done the only thing she could do at that point. She had seen to quiet funerals for them both, simply handed over the estate and all the wealth in the vaults to Chestnut, and then left. She wandered for a week, until eventually she ended up in her father's barony, and once there, she felt there was only one place she could go. One place that called to her, no matter what it would cost.

She was brought before her father, Lord Bonfire, and she dryly, calmly confessed everything that had happened before he'd even asked. By the end of it, her father was trembling, and her remaining sibling, Lucenta, was trying not to throw up in the corner as her husband held her safe and close. Then everything was a blur... but she remembered being thrown in a prison. Remembered her father... not yelling at her, but crying and pleading with her. Remembered that he had given her a choice... public execution, or... something quieter.

She had chosen the latter, and her father had returned the next day and silently given her a poison. A poison that she drank without flinching, that she felt... relieved to take. She remembered smiling even as the pain started, even as she felt heat and sickness fill her body... she remembered being happy, even as her father cried and clung to her until he was dragged away... and then... then she was dead, and a reaper was dragging her soul through Helheim.

She remembered more than a hundred years of being tortured and hardened. She remembered their clumsy and pathetic, ineffective attempts to brainwash her... but her own brother had forced her under a spell of such hunger and allure that it made their attempts to make her loyal to Cupidus seem like a joke. Especially since she remembered oh all too clearly who was at the root of all this... not just Ardent, no, Ardent had been a stupid puppet, no matter what else he'd done to her. It had been Cupidus all along.

So she had played along with the brainwashing... and when it came to them trying to make her stronger, she didn't just accept it. She worked with them. When they gave her prey, she killed; when they offered her meat, she ate; when they told her pain would accelerate the process, she didn't scream for them to stop the torture... she screamed for them to do worse to her.

The hardest part was playing loyal servant to Cupidus... but that got easier, too. When she got to kill, to hurt, to hunt. When she fought in the wars he started. When she tracked down his enemies. She made him more powerful, but the Greed devil's idea of power was pathetic: wealth and souls and worthless trinkets and property. She was only interested in real power. And the whole reason she had played along was to reach this point, here and now... when Cupidus, who had crushed all his enemies, had finally decided to open Magister's prison. And he had brought her alone, because he wanted no one else to know where this place was.

She had been able to easily pass through the barrier they had found, and break the seal on the other side. She had let him in, to feast his eyes on what Magister had guarded: not a prison, but a necropolis. A prison of souls, certainly, but ones long dead and gone. She was certain the tombs and mausoleums would probably hold some pretty trinkets, but that didn't matter to her. What had mattered was seeing the shock and disbelief and stupid confusion on Cupidus' face... right before she had made her pleasure a thousand times better by taking her-long awaited revenge on the defenseless Greed devil, robbing him all at once of his plans, his hopes, his wealth and his life.

Cupidus was dead. She would let his pathetic apprentices fight out what to do next, who got to claim what territory and sit on top of the pile of vermin... while she, on the other hoof, had someone she wanted to find. Her brother, who had much to answer for to his darling sister. Ardent Desire... except he was no more Ardent Desire now than she was Morning Glory. And if he was still alive, eight hundred years after his exile from Helheim, she was certain that one day she would find him, and she would make him answer for everything he had caused. They would compare who they had become, and see who was the better demon... Burning Desire, the Passion, or Hollow Star, the Destroyer.

Her metallic hooves clanked against the ground as she strode slowly back towards the entrance, her eyes blazing with unnatural fire through the steel skin armoring her face. She would take her time. She would hunt him down. But she would do it at her own pace, and she would continue to grow stronger, and make sure it was a nice little surprise for her big brother...

After all, what else were little sisters for?

Don't fear to pursue your passions:

Only remember to watch your step as you climb.

December 11th – December 17th 2012