Chapter 4: Pledge
October 18 and 19, 1998

Author's note: just to not get in trouble, I should remind everyone that I don't own anything that has to do with WWE.

October 18, 1998

Now looking like she was nine years old, Pandora was getting ready to hang out with her friends. After she ended her search, a few demonesses from her school started to want to spend more time with her since she was the only one brave enough to venture up to the human world. As she searched her closet, she heard Lacti yelling at the TV. Pandora rolled her eyes; Lacti had moved her viewing of wrestling to her home to be near Pandora. Ignoring the yells, the young demoness finally settled on a black shirt and dark jeans. Once dressed, Pandora went down to the kitchen, wrote a note for Lacti, letting her know when she return, and left.

A teen demon with bright red wings and an equally red tail was waiting for her, dressed in a black cloak and black pants. "Hey."

Pandora was surprised. "What are you doing here, Black Mamba?"

Black Mamba raised his eyebrow. "Is that what you say to the one getting you in?"

Pandora was confused by this. "Get me in? Where's Hornesta?"

Black Mamba grabbed her wrist and started to fly. Pandora flapped her wings to take some stress off her wrist. "Where are you taking me?"

Black Mamba ignored her and continued to fly. Pandora groaned with frustration until she looked down. They were heading to a bad part of Hell. She whimpered and Black Mamba heard her. "Buck up."

Pandora growled. "Shut up! I've never been here before."

Black Mamba laughed as they landed. "You're been up to the human world and yet have never been here before?"

Pandora blushed, seeing his point. The human world was, in many ways, the most dangerous world in existence. Her thoughts were interrupted by the sounds of cheers coming from the bar in front of them. "What the hell? What's going on in there?"

Black Mamba smirked. "His match is next." Seeing her blank stare made his eyes grow. "Don't you watch wrestling?"

Pandora shook her head. "Mom doesn't let me."

Black Mamba was shocked at this. "Pandora is a mama's girl?"

Pandora hissed at this. "I am not!"

Black Mamba pointed to the door. "Then get in there!"

Pandora walked in with her nose up; she was determined to shut her up. Once inside, however, she started to get scared. The bar was packed with demons of all shape, size, and gender; everyone was drinking or yelling about something. All the TVs were tuned to the same channel, evident by them showing the same image. Black Mamba slipped off, leaving the demons alone. Her wings started to tremble and she would have started to cry if she had not heard a familiar voice ring out: "Pandora?"

She looked and saw Venom standing there with a bottle of rat poison in his hand. Pandora sighed in relief. "Thank the devil."

Venom pushed his way through the crowd until he was in front of her. "What are you doing here?"

Pandora blushed a little. "Um…meeting…my friend…Hornesta."

Venom pointed to a corner table, where Hornesta and two other demonesses sat with drinks. As Pandora started to head towards the table, she heard Venom say, "Enjoy the match!"

Pandora blushed a little as she came up to the table. Hornesta saw her blush and grinned, her burgundy wings fluttering. "Does someone have a crush on an older demon?"

Pandora glared as she sat down in the free chair. "Shut up! He's just a friend of my mom's."

Hornesta chuckled. "Uh huh, sure." She yelped as Pandora gave her teal ponytail a tug. "What was that for?"

Pandora smirked as her twin friends, Lock and Shock, both pointed to the screen. Their brown wings were fluttering with excitement as Lock exclaimed, "There he is!"

Pandora looked up at the screen and froze. She recognized the man that was currently walking to the ring; she remembered seeing him when she was about five. This time, he was clean and was dressed in an outfit that both made him look like a conqueror and a samurai. There was also something different in his eyes; Pandora could see that but she could not put her finger on what she saw. Hornesta looked at Pandora. "Your first match?"

Pandora nodded. "Yes. Who is who?"

Hornesta pointed out Undertaker and Kane and briefly explained that they were demonic brothers as Undertaker met Kane in the ring and shook his hand. Hornesta then blushed a little when a new wrestler came out. "And that's Stone Cold Steve Austin…the referee of this match."

Pandora looked at Steve Austin. This man was bald but had a mustache and a goatee. He was wearing a black shirt that had the red words "Austin 3:16" and jean shorts. Hornesta giggled a little at Steve Austin and Lock and Shock rolled their eyes at their friend. Pandora, on the other hand, raised her eyebrow; she sensed that this Steve Austin was not to be trusted. She did not understand her feelings but she decided to listen to them.

The match began and it was an intense one. Both brothers were fighting each other, with the intent of killing the other. Pandora joined the rest of the bar in cheering for the Undertaker. She did not just cheer for him to fit in; there was something about Undertaker that drew her in.

As the match continued, something unexpected happened. Paul Bearer came to the ring and brought with him a steel chair, asking Kane if he could hit Undertaker. Pandora hissed viciously at Paul, remembering how cruel he was verbally to her, but her hiss was interrupted by what she saw; when Kane turned his back on his Father, Paul hit Kane with the chair. Kane was surprised by this but that distraction gave Undertaker the opening to hit Kane in the head with the same chair. Pandora cheered for Undertaker the loudest of her friends as Undertaker pinned Kane. Undertaker then waited for the count-out…but Steve Austin stood still. Pandora stood up in the booth, startling her three friends. "What the hell…?"

Undertaker looked at Steve Austin and yelled at him to do the count-out. Steve Austin answered…with two middle fingers. Pandora's eyes grew extra wide, as did the Undertaker's. In response, Pandora went crazy. "What? How dare you!"

Her friends were stunned by her reactions. They had never seen her like this, especially since this was her first match. On the screen, Steve Austin gave Undertaker the Stunner and then hit him in the head with the steel chair. He then counted out both brothers and celebrated in his victory. Pandora hit the table in anger and frustration. "How dare he! He had no right to do that!"

Lock took her drink from the table to save it. "Pandora, what's wrong with you?"

Pandora growled. "That man cost the Undertaker his match! He wasn't fair to him!"

Lock was about to talk to Pandora about not taking the match personally when Shock shushed them. "There's the chairman."

The demonesses looked up and saw that the chairman was behind the giant screen and had just fired Steve Austin. Pandora smirked. "That's just what he deserves."

As the show ended, Shock looked at Pandora. "So did you like what you saw?"

Pandora nodded. "Yeah! I want to see more!"

Hornesta smirked. "Well…they do show wrestling matches throughout the week. We can keep coming here and watching."

Pandora started to nod but she then realized, "How will I get past my mom? She won't let me watch this stuff."

Hornesta opened her mouth to answer when Venom came up to them, having heard their conversation. "Sneak out. Pandora, you know how absorbed Lacti gets. Besides, if she does try to see you, just leave a note on your door, saying you're with friends."

Pandora smirked. She liked the sound of that.

October 19, 1998

Pandora left a note on her door saying that she was out with friends and ran out of the house. She did not want to miss a chance to see the Undertaker. Once at the bar, she made a beeline for her friend's table. Hornesta, Lock, and Shock were already there and had ordered a round of drinks. Pandora took the available seat and looked at the TV. "What did I miss?"

Hornesta shook her head. "Nothing. It's just about to start."

Pandora nodded and watched the screen, not wanting to miss the Undertaker. Until he showed up, Pandora zoned out and barely watched. Because of this, Lock told her each event as they unfolded, including Steve Austin kidnapping Vince McMahon because McMahon fired him. Pandora rolled her eyes and fiddled with her fingernails. As she started to think that Undertaker would be there that night, the three demonesses straightened up and Shock whispered, "The dead man…"

Pandora looked at the screen and saw the Undertaker and Paul Bearer walking to the ring. Undertaker was in a similar outfit as the night before but, this time, he wore a cloak like made him look like a king of darkness. She straightened up out of respect as well. She felt a different kind of strength building up inside her as she watched him. Now in the ring, Undertaker started to talk…and what he said made all but Pandora shiver in terror. He spoke of rejoining Paul Bearer because of the evil in the human's mind and of unleashing his Ministry of Darkness on the WWF, which he described as a plague. Paul then admitted that he only took care of Kane in the past so that he could use him later on and then said that Kane would never be of any more use because of his lack of knowledge in the darkness. Undertaker then shamelessly admitted that it was he who burned down the funeral home instead of Kane, as he had said in the past. He admitted that he did so because Kane was weak and because he needed spilt blood to be reborn as a demon. Hornesta shivered. "Damn…that's brutal, even for a demon."

Pandora said nothing; she did not even cringe at Undertaker's admission. The three demonesses looked at Pandora in shock as Kane came to the ring, bringing with him an enormous casket, verbally challenging Undertaker to a casket match. Everyone, including Pandora, cringed at Kane's voice; Kane sounded like the demon that haunts children in their dreams. Undertaker agreed to the match and Pandora said, "Kane will be in there."

The three looked at Pandora in surprise as the show continued. Eventually, Undertaker and Kane faced each other in the casket match. Her friends were quiet during the match because of Undertaker's calm admission; Pandora, on the other hand, continued to cheer on the Undertaker during the brutal match. Eventually, the match spilled into the casket. Undertaker ordered the casket to be closed and the referees agreed, though they were confused. Within seconds, the brothers broke the casket apart and Undertaker continued to battle his brother. As Kane got in a shot to Undertaker, he tried to go after Paul but Undertaker went after Kane with a chair. After a few more blows, Undertaker left with Paul. Pandora smiled stiffly until Kane got up and went after them with the chair. Pandora hissed at Kane. "Why can't he stay down?"

Hornesta looked at Pandora in shock. "What is wrong with you?"

Pandora looked at Hornesta. "What do you mean? I feel fine…better than ever."

Lock agreed with Pandora. "I feel…refreshed."

Shock nodded. "That admission was freaky…but we all know that humans need to spill blood to be reborn as one of us."

Hornesta had to agree; she knew that what Shock said was true. "Yeah…but don't you feel weird about what just happened?"

The three demonesses shook their heads. Pandora was the first to announce, "In fact…I'm pledging."

The three looked at her in shock. Lock was the first to speak. "Are you nuts? You're just a kid! There's no way that you would be able to join the Ministry!"

Pandora glared at Lock as Shock agreed. "Besides, why so dedicated to him? You've never even seen him in action before last night."

Pandora nodded and Hornesta turned to the twins. "Don't worry. I'm sure she's not serious."

Pandora shot out of her seat and stormed out of the bar. Hornesta pointed to her. "See? There's no way she's mature enough to pledge into the Ministry."

Shock looked at Hornesta. "Well, don't you want to pledge yourself?"

Hornesta nodded. "Absolutely and I'm sure you two want to as well." The twins nodded and Hornesta continued, "But Pandora is too young and immature to understand how dark this is. We're at least of the right age. We'll tell her that if she finds out."

The twins agreed and continued to watch the show. They kept their eye out for Pandora but she never came back. Hornesta was worried about her young friend; she thought it was odd that someone who was physically nine would want to be pledged into something so adult and would become so dedicated to someone she just witnessed. Hornesta decided to hunt down Pandora after the show and try to talk some sense into her.

Once the show ended, everyone but the three demonesses left the bar. Shock sighed. "We need to find her. What if something happened to her?"

Lock agreed. "Let's go."

The three left and immediately ran into Pandora…but there was something different about her. She wore a floor-length, backless black dress that was snug on her upper body and flowing from the waist down. She wore black gloves on her arms that reached up to her shoulders and had a chain in her right hand. She wore a cloak and hood that covered her head and shoulders but had holes that allowed her wings to be free. The three looked at her, stunned by this change, as she asked, "Did I miss anything?"

Hornesta found her voice first. "Pandora, what the hell happened to you?"

Pandora smiled stiffly and removed her hood, shocking her friends even more. With the exception of two long strands on either sides of her face, she cut her hair to the base of her neck. Seeing their faces made Pandora giggle, which earned her a slap from Hornesta. "This is no laughing matter! What the hell is wrong with you?"

Pandora calmly looked at Hornesta. "You didn't think I was serious…and I proved you wrong."

She moved her bangs out of the way. On her forehead was a glowing tattoo, the type of tattoo that could be seen under special lights, like the lights that the bar provided. But that was only part of what shocked her friends: the tattoo she had…was the Undertaker's symbol. Lock shook her head in disbelief. "What have you done?"

Pandora covered her forehead again. "I pledged myself…one of many."

Shock asked, "Why did you do that?"

Pandora smiled softly. "Because…when I saw him…I felt a connection. I can't explain it but he made me feel warm…accepted…and I want more of that feeling. So I joined his Ministry so I can continue to watch and support him."

Hornesta was overwhelmed by this. "Even…after what he admitted?" Pandora nodded and Hornesta sighed at this. "Well…you need someone to watch over you."

Lock blurted out, "And all of us want to join as well."

Hornesta glared at Lock before turning back to Pandora. "We'll pledge…but I want you to promise that you won't go to the meetings without me."

Pandora nodded. "That sounds fair. Come." She turned around and led them to a nearby abandoned building. She knocked on the door and a gruff voice peeked out. "Proof?"

Pandora revealed her tattoo and then stated, "I have three friends who want to pledge themselves to the darkness."

The door opened and a demon that looked like a bodybuilder with gray wings and hair looked down at the group. "Who are these demonesses, Sister Pandora?"

Pandora looked at them. "Brother Battle, these are school-mates of mine. They expressed interest in joining."

Battle looked at the three demonesses and nodded. "Very well. Bring them in."

Pandora nodded and put her hood back on before leading her friends inside. In the middle of the building was a group of about twenty demons who had similar cloaks as Pandora's; they were circled around a black fire and chanting. The three demonesses started to get nervous as Pandora hit the ground with her chain, getting the attention of the group. "Brothers and sisters, we have three demonesses who would like to join the Ministry of Darkness."

The twins started to get nervous as the group looked at the three and nodded in unison. Pandora looked at her friends. "We are ready to begin." She gesture for them to go towards the group and the three did, nervous about what would happen if they didn't agree. Pandora followed them and looked at Battle. "Let us begin."

Battle nodded and went to the fire. He got behind it and stared at the three demonesses. "Join us…" All of a sudden, Undertaker's music started to play as those in the Ministry started to chant. The three demonesses felt the power go through them and shuddered with delight. Battle held up a knife and gestured to the demonesses to give them their hands. They hesitated, since giving him their hands meant sticking their hands through the black fire. Battle glared at them so Lock quickly stuck her hand through the fire. To her surprise, the fire did not burn her. Battle grabbed her wrist and cut her arm, making her cry out. At Battle's nod, Pandora got behind Lock and covered her mouth. "The blood oath…we all took it."

Lock struggled to get free but Pandora and Battle held her tight. Shock and Hornesta would have helped her but two demons held them back. Pandora chanted in Lock's ear, "Accept the Lord of Darkness as your savior…allow the purity of evil to guide you."

Lock's eyes rolled in the back of her head and she collapsed in Pandora's arms. Shock panicked, thinking there was something wrong with her sister, but Pandora smiled stiffly. "Sister Sally…"

A demoness with blue wings came forward and touched Lock's forehead. Lock's forehead glowed for a moment. When Sally pulled her hand back, Lock had the glowing tattoo of Undertaker's mark on her forehead. Pandora lowered them down to their knees and held Lock close. "Let it in."

Lock suddenly gasped, as if she was not breathing since Pandora first covered her mouth. Sally took Lock's arm and put the dripping blood into a chalice. Lock moaned and looked at her sister, who asked, "Lock? Are you okay?"

Lock just said two words: "Join us."

Shock was now scared and wanted to leave. But she did not want to leave her sister alone in the Ministry. Hornesta stiffened at what she saw, especially with how Pandora was an active part in the ritual. Hornesta then nodded. "Very well…if I get to watch over Pandora whenever we're here."

Battle nodded. "Very well."

Pandora smiled at Hornesta and helped Lock up. She then smiled at Shock and Hornesta. "Let it begin."