{Dae}
A week later, Robert, Sunset, and Jasper summoned me to the Castle in Canterlot. They wanted to talk about what was going on between Betty and Norman. I could tell from Betty's thoughts that she had been thinking a lot about Norman lately. I know for a fact if you're thinking about someone a lot, like Betty did with me, that you just might have feelings for them. It seems like she might be having conflicting thoughts. On one end, she thinks Norman's weird and creepy because of how he acts around her. Another thing is that she thinks that if she admits her feelings for him that would be bad because he's her sibling. To tell the truth, it was starting to get on my nerves that those two can't sit down and at least talk about their feelings.
"Man, this is annoying," I said. "I know Betty has feelings for Norman. By listening to Norman's dirty thoughts, he has feelings for her."
Sunset nodded. "Makes sense to me. Norman's been talking about Betty a lot lately. Especially after he saw her fight Mr. Giggles. Not to mention he's been giving her weird looks lately. I don't blame her for being creeped out by it. Trust me, if I got those looks from my brother I'd be freaked out by it too."
"Yeah, and Betty seems to have a problem with not facing her problems head-on," I said.
"Was that what the whole 'you can run but you can't hide' line was about when Betty left family dinner so quickly?" Robert asked.
I nodded. "Yup! "
"You're right about Norman liking Betty," said Jasper. "I can confirm that."
Robert tilted his head. "Say what now?"
Jasper chuckled. "The other night when Norman was talking to Betty, he got turned on right in front of her. He tried to cover it up. That's when Betty high-tailed it out of there and, trust me, I don't blame her. I wondered if she got freaked out at what he was thinking?"
I shrugged. "I don't know. Just as demons can hear people's thoughts, they can shut them out too. I told Betty to listen in at the last family dinner, and she refused."
Jasper nodded. "I see."
I sighed. "So, what do you say we do about them?"
"I say, we lock them in a room until they confess their feelings for each other," Jasper answered quickly. "I think that's a great idea! Right? Sunset? Robert?"
Sunset and Robert didn't respond, instead, their faces turned red as they looked away in embarrassment. I had no idea what that statement was about, and I didn't really want to know, so I chose not to listen in on Jasper's thoughts for the moment.
"Yeah, I don't think that's possible for Betty and Norman," I said. "They're both Death Walkers, so they can escape easily with the snap of a finger. Then they would probably come after us next. Betty's strong enough to take on Equestria's military and three Alicorns at the same time."
Robert whistled. "You got that one right!"
"Not to mention," I said, "Betty and Norman are both worried about Mr. Giggles for the time being. Betty calls Mr. Giggles a rampaging clown!"
That remark made Sunset, Robert, and Jasper laugh and they didn't stop laughing for a while. Robert suddenly looked bright-eyed.
I smiled. "You have an idea, don't you, Robert?"
Robert nodded. "Yup, but since Betty can hear your thoughts, I'm only going to tell Sunset and Jasper about it."
"Makes sense to me."
I rolled my eyes as I saw a blinking light come from above my head. I knew for a fact that it was the black halo used to summon me. Jasper, Sunset, and Robert looked at it in awe.
"It's interesting how you guys are summoned," Jasper said. "I wish I could go visit Hell and see how things work there."
"Yeah, but since you're not a Death Walker, that's not possible. Unless you're dead. But seeing that you're married to someone who is considered part of the royal family in Hell because he's her sister, you'll be able to go there after you die. Only after you die. There's a lot of rules that go into that. Anyway, I'd better go," I said.
Without another word, I went back to Hell to see what I was being summoned for.
* * *
{Norman}
I walked around the castle with no particular destination in mind. I've been having that dream about Betty over and over again. I just can't seem to keep it in the back of my mind. Ever since we both became rulers, we haven't really had much time to spend with each other. Betty's always been special to me. Everything she does is amazing. The way she flies, the way she battles her enemies, along with everything else. The more I thought about it, the more I wanted to be with her as more than just her little brother. I wasn't sure if she felt the same way. If she didn't, I would still want to spend as much time with her as possible because I didn't really get a chance to do that when she was alive, and when she died, I didn't get a chance to do that then. I didn't see her until twelve years later.
Now that Betty's worried about Mr. Giggles terrorizing Equestria, I don't know if I'll be spending any time with her at all. I stopped walking and paused to lean up against a nearby wall, just to think about things. Norman Jr came over and sat down beside me. I groaned. "Can't I get some peace and quiet for a change around here?"
"Oh, sorry, Dad. I've noticed that you've been staring off into space a lot lately," said Norman Jr. “It started happening after the Equestria Day Festival. What's up with that?"
"It's nothing, Junior," I lied. "And it's really none of your business, okay?"
Norman Jr frowned. "It doesn't look like nothing. But if you don't want to talk about it, then fine."
I looked down as I heard my alarm clock go off. Time for me to lower the sun.
* * *
{Betty}
I was still worried about how many people and ponies Mr. Giggles had already taken to their early graves. Norman wasn't helping my nerves, summoning me to Death Walker battles more often lately. But at the same time, it was adorable that he kept wanting to outdo me. I wasn't about to tell Norman how I've been feeling about him because it would be way too weird for us to have that kind of relationship. I've told Dae that several times now.
Norman summoned me to the Castle in Canterlot again, giving me another big bear hug. I still didn't want to listen to his supposed dirty thoughts that Dae had told me about, so I kept them shut out of my mind. Although I did think it was cute that he was summoning me again for another Death Walker battle.
I smirked when we got to the training arena. "You really think you're going to win this time, don't you? You feel like getting thrown against the wall again today?"
Norman surprised me with what he said next. "Actually, I wasn't thinking about a Death Walker battle today."
I titled my head. "Come again?"
"I was thinking about a hand-to-hand combat battle today," Norman said.
I looked at him in shock. I opened my mouth and shut it. He grinned.
"Did I give you brain damage? If I did, I'm sorry, I won't do it anymore. No more Death Walker battles, okay?" I said.
"I'm fine, sis," Norman chuckled. "I just want to see how well I could do going up against you."
"Yeah," I said, "I think you need therapy! A CT scan, just to make sure you're okay."
Norman was practically on the ground, rolling in laughter. When he stood up, he looked like he could fall back into laughing at a moment's notice. "No, sis, I'm being serious!"
"Okay, then," I said, giving him a wary look.
As Norman readied his fighting stance, I took the rope I carried with me for situations like this and tied my wings down.
I hope he's ready for this, I thought. But I still think he needs therapy and tests run on him to make sure his brain is intact.
Norman came at me and tried to land a punch. I rolled my eyes and caught his fist, no problem. To me, this stupid fight was nothing but child's play. I blocked his following blows with ease. When he tried to land a kick to the stomach, I caught it and sent him flying towards a nearby wall. Only this time, before he crashed, he caught himself. At first, we didn't notice Sunset and the others. Norman was too focused, but as we fought, I caught sight of Sunset and the others gathering to watch. I acted like I didn't care, but I could still hear their words.
"Has Norman lost his mind?" Robert asked with concern.
"I don't think so," said Dae. "Of course, it's no surprise to me that Norman would take on Betty. Who wouldn't want to take a Legend? If you win, that would give someone serious bragging rights. I'm the King of Hell, and I can't win a fight against her, so I doubt Norman will. Although he is a Death Walker too, so maybe he could? But from what I'm sensing, Betty's holding back."
"It sure doesn't look like it," Sunset said.
Cozy Glow laughed. "I know that look on Aunt Betty's face. She's getting ready to end the fight."
Cozy Glow didn't know how right she was. The fight with Norman was getting annoying. I finally ended it when he tried to land a kick to my stomach. I caught it and, just like during our previous battles, I used the opportunity to send him flying into a nearby wall. He crashed and landed face-first on the ground.
I helped Norman get to his feet and he dusted himself. He shook my hand, smiling in good sport. I looked up at the bleachers in the training arena when I heard clapping and saw the royal family were watching us.
I pointed up at them. "Good job, Norman, you just made a spectacle of yourself."
Norman looked at the royal family watching us and laughed. "Hmm, let's see here, I'm the ruler of Equestria, and you're the Queen of Hell and a Legend. We're doing hand-to-hand combat, so who wouldn't want to watch that?"
"That was nothing but child's play to me," I said. "Did you really think you were going to win? Not even Dae can win a hand-to-hand fight against me!"
"Well, at least you didn't try to land a hit on my back like Jasper did when I first met him," Norman laughed.
"Did he realize that's a death wish?" I asked. "Even I know not to do that!"
"Yeah, he was an idiot," said Norman. "But I still fell for him in the end."
I untied my wings and smiled at him. It kind of bugged me that I was starting to have some sort of feelings for him. Of course, I still don't want to know why Norman's been acting like he wants to get closer and closer to me. For some strange and odd reason, everyone that knows about this situation seems to think it's funny.
I pretty much rolled my eyes when I saw Norman giving me that look again.
"Okay first of all why have you been giving that weird look?" I asked.
I laughed because Norman's face turned red. He looked away. "What look? I'm not giving you a look! Or at least I don't think I am."
"Yeah you've been giving me that 'I'm undressing you with my eyes look' lately." I said. "And it's kind of weird. It's one thing when I get it from my husband. It's weird now that I'm getting it from my brother."
Norman looked at me as if I hadn't mentioned anything about the look he had just given me. "You know something I'm glad you let me do hand-to-hand combat with you today. You're… You're an awesome fighter!"
"Uh… Thanks?" I said. There was an awkward silence between us. I broke it by saying. "Yeah, I'm out of here."
As I walked away, I felt Norman watching me. I still didn't know what he was thinking about me.
* * *
The next day, Dae challenged me to hand-to-hand combat. This time I didn't bother to hide my annoyance.
"You know I love you, right?" Dae said. "I completely understand your annoyance because you're worried about that rampaging clown. But since you can't relax, I figured this is the next best thing, besides sex."
Dae and I paused the fight so he could catch his breath. I flicked my tail in annoyance. He noticed my tail movements and chuckled. He composed himself and we readied our fighting stances and went at it again.
When we started fighting again, to my surprise, Dae was able to trip me. I landed flat on my back. He helped me get to my feet. Before the fight could start again, I put up my hands to show I surrendered.
Dae looked confused. "I don't think I'm going to count that as a win, Betty."
"Why not? I surrendered, didn't I?" I said.
"That's not like you," Dae noted. "Normally, you keep going until the enemy is disabled." He narrowed his eyes, reading my thoughts. I looked away, but I couldn't shut my mind off in time. He nodded in understanding.
"You got more on your mind than just the clown, yeah?"
"I don't know what you're referring to," I growled. I could hear Dae's thoughts, and he was up to something. He was trying to figure out a way to get me and Norman to confess our feelings for each other. Although I don't think I have feelings for my little brother.
"That's not happening, Dae," I said. "So, I wouldn't even try anything if I were you. And I don't have feelings for my little brother."
"Uh yeah you do have feelings for him. You're just in denial."
"You're wrong on that and either way it's not happening!"
Dae grinned. "Yeah, sorry, but I'm still going to try anyway."
"Well good luck with that," I said. I didn't say anything else, just turned around and walked away.
* * *
{Mr. Giggles}
I smiled as I felt daring enough to look for my next meal by the river outside of Canterlot. I used my magic to summon my balloon son, Johnny.
"Yes, Father?" Johnny asked.
"I need you to go deliver some food for me," I said. "Hmm, let me see…"
As part of my magic, I can see over twenty feet away. I spotted two people that looked like they might work at the castle. I pointed in their direction.
"See where I'm pointing at? Go in that direction, okay?" I instructed.
Johnny nodded. "Yes, Father."
He gave the toothy grin that I always adore. When he got to where I had told him to go, I just sat down and watched the scene take place. The guards smiled as they saw Johnny in front of them, looking as if he were a lost human child. Although, I wondered if I should've made his shape a pony instead because there are more ponies here than humans. But the guards were humans, so giving Johnny a human this time was a good idea.
"Hey there, kid," one of the guards said. "Are you lost? Cause we can help you find your parents."
Johnny smiled and shook his head. "No, I'm not lost. I have something I want to show you over by the river."
I laughed to myself as the guards followed Johnny to the river, about a mile away from town. The guards looked very curious as to what Johnny wanted to show them. I thought, Wow, it seems that people here in Equestria are complete suckers, aren't they?
The guards stopped when they saw me standing by the river, waving at them. I had a couple of black balloons for them to take so I could eat their souls. "The child that was with you a minute ago was my son. I have a very simple question for you. Do you want to see my circus?"
I used my Comedy Mask to put on my best convincing smile. As I thought before, who doesn't like a clown? One of the guards looked skeptical of me, which I could understand because I did just pop up out of nowhere. The skeptical one shook his head. "Nah, I don't feel like seeing a circus today. If you want to go, Lewis, knock yourself out."
"Oh, come on, Hank. Why not? Circuses are fun!" Lewis said. "Look, he's already putting on a show for us! Just look at that mask he's got on. That's pretty cool, dude!"
Hank groaned. "I don't care how cool that mask looks, Lewis! I don't feel like going to a circus today. "
Lewis shrugged. "Okay, fine, then, but you're missing out."
I smiled as I floated a black balloon over to Lewis, who took the balloon with no idea what was going to happen next. He grabbed the black balloon and it dragged him over towards me. Once I had him standing in front of me, I popped the balloon and black ink showered over him. Hank spun around only to watch in horror as the black ink dissolved Lewis' body. Lewis stopped screaming once I sucked out his soul. I laughed as I watched Hank pass out in fear. I used my magic to summon a small tornado and left as quickly as I had arrived.