//------------------------------// // Trial One: Growth (R) // Story: Born In Light, Forged In Darkness // by Jest //------------------------------// Tirek sighed and pinched his brow with two large fingers. He had made Twilight refer to herself as Dog in the third person, but he had quickly grown tired of it. It had been intended to break her down further and remind her of her place, but the foal was so… blank that she had no concept for anything other than being Tirek’s daughter/slave. Something that was so unshakable and so ingrained that any further attempt at reminding her of this fact was a waste of time. Now after several months of her constantly saying it, the word ‘Dog’ had grown strange, meaningless, and annoying in the extreme. He had of course put a stop to it several weeks ago, but the thought still annoyed him to this day, and, looking back, Tirek couldn't help but wonder what the hell he had been thinking. Regardless, he had bigger things to worry about, namely the irritatingly late pride demon that had claimed he would show up an hour ago. Of course, the demon was not so foolish as to actually walk into Tirek’s tower. Still, he had allowed the centaur to construct an aspect of him, allowing Tirek to summon an avatar of the pride demon. This gave them the chance to converse as if they were in the same room without the awkwardness of looking down on the demon from the crystal ball. Not that Tirek didn't look down on the pride demon. The centaur paced the darkly lit, drab stone room in a slow, meandering pace. The walls were covered in thick black curtains, which easily hid the exit and made any attempts to see out of the room through magic or traditional means impossible. Plus they really tied the room together with the obsidian walls, roof, and floor, but that was only an unintended bonus. Resting on the ground across from Tirek was a small statue of the pride demon, standing only a few inches tall and smirking up at the demonic centaur. They had agreed to meet to discuss the transfer of the mystery Equestrian to Tirek’s possession, but still, the demon did not show and with each tick of the clock, Tirek’s patience slipped away. Worse yet, the deal had become muddied since their first interaction and Tirek could tell the pride demon was stalling, trying to weasel as much as he could out of the centaur without agreeing to anything. Usually, this back-and-forth with a fellow demon was an interesting game of chess that he looked forward to. The offers and counter offers as both parties tried to get into each other’s head, using all manner of tricks and underhanded tactics. This particular demon did not play chess so much as he forced his opponents to play fifty-two pick up. Not like this would bother Tirek, after all, he took immense joy in beating lesser-minded beings and enjoyed it when they tried to change the game on him, but this was different. When this demon played his games, he played them like an impudent child would. Constantly demanding they restart right when Tirek thought he had him beat. Simply declaring that negotiation had to begin again when he realized that he had given up more than he wanted. Worse yet, he would suddenly put pieces back on the board and vehemently deny they made any such arrangement to the contrary. Still, this would not usually be enough to get under Tirek’s skin. Playing the fool was an annoying tactic, yes, but it was only ever a matter of time before the other player stopped playing the fool and became the fool. This time Tirek sensed there was more happening under the surface of this foolish demon’s simple game and, not knowing what that was, irked the centaur immensely. He was wasting time, bidding until something would happen, but what? And more importantly, why? Tirek grumbled, continuing to pace back and forth while his well-oiled mind turned, trying to figure out what the pride demon was trying to get at. His train of thought was derailed when smoke began to billow from the small statue and its eyes began to glow. Instantly the centaur shifted into a proper posture, one that showed his dominance, and his annoyance while standing tall and collected. The grey smoke built until it was as tall as the pride demon was, and then it began to fill out, gaining definition. Distinct shapes began to form in the smoke and Tirek could feel the demon peering from within his smokey avatar. He had not gained much definition to his face, yet Tirek knew the smug demon was smirking, a laugh barely contained within his grinning face. Despite his instincts yelling at him to not display any emotion, he couldn't help but feel his lips crinkle into a look of disgust, which only made the demon’s grin widen, gaining enough definition for the rest of his features to be visible as well. “Well well, so nice of you to join me, old friend,” the demon remarked, bending down into a wide, overdramatic bow that sent his garish outfit fluttering. “Why do you feel the need to waste my time?” Tirek replied tersely. The other demon chuckled. “I assure you it was not my intent, please accept my humblest apologies, I had merely found myself caught up with a more pressing matter," the pride demon remarked idly. The obvious barb was not lost on the centaur and his jaw clenched tight as he tried to not show any more signs of his anger. “What, pray tell, was that?” Tirek pressed. “Just playing with a new toy, I’m sure you know what I’m talking about,” the demon replied flippantly. “No, I do not. Now, are we going to get down to business or are you going to waste even more of my time with your incessant dithering?” Tirek demanded. The smokey demon grabbed the spot where its heart would be and took a dramatic step back. “Me, waste your time? Surely you have me confused with someone else, my dear friend! I was merely curious as to what your plans were," the pride demon exclaimed. “And what did you find out?” Tirek snarled. The smokey demon chuckled and threw up his hands. "Very little, you are much better at the game than I. There was one, teensy thing I did find out, though," the pride demon teased. Tirek gritted his teeth, barely holding back his rage. “Dog," he spat. “Precisely. Your little pet Equestrian is the talk of Tartarus, but I can't figure out why you need another one. The suffering of an Equestrian is unlike anything imaginable but you don't seem the type to…” the demon ran a thin, serpentine tongue across his dagger-like teeth. "Indulge.” The centaur’s grip lessened and despite the anger still thundering through his veins, he managed to relax slightly, knowledge of Dog would do little to help his demonic enemies for they were not her target. “Does it matter why? All you need to know is how much I’m willing to pay," Tirek replied. “Normally yes, but you intrigued me, Tirek, and I find myself asking questions like; is the centaur just into that type of thing? Or perhaps he's trying to start his own herd over there. So many questions that I do not know the answer to," the pride demon mused aloud. Tirek rolled his eyes. “Again, does it matter?” Tirek pressed. The demon of pride shrugged nonchalantly. “Good, now about payment-” Tirek began. The demon’s smug expression fell away. “No, I don't think our little agreement will work, I want more," the pride demon declared. “More?” Tirek asked incrediously. “Yes, more," the pride demon retorted. "The Equestrian’s suffering is potent and I couldn't help but have a taste and I admit, I don't think I can go back.” The demon smirked and took a step towards the centaur. “I could be persuaded though…” Tirek’s eyes narrowed. “What would it take?” Tirek demanded. “Oh, not much, you see I’ve realized that I haven’t broadened my tastes in a while and-” the pride demon began. “Get to the point,” Tirek snapped. “Fine," the pride demon muttered. "I want to taste the suffering of your pet Equestrian, introduce a little variance into my diet. I heard yours is innocent and mine is tainted by evil and grows more foul by the day.” Tirek paused, confused by the oddly benign request. He entertained the idea for only a moment before his mind caught up with him and outright refused such a demand. He was not in the habit of showing such weakness to a fellow demon. In addition, the mere thought of harming Dog made a spike of anger rise within him for some reason. “No, I don't think I’ll do that," Tirek retorted. "Her compliance is necessary for my plan and I will not put that in danger just because you have grown fat.” The demon gasped and looked down at its midsection. “Now that's just mean. But seriously, how about this,” the pride demon began again, his hands clasping together. “Instead of giving her to me, why don't you extract her suffering, bottle it, and then send it over?” Now that was an offer worth considering, but again as soon as he imagined hurting Dog, he felt a spike of shame ram into his brain. “No, I don't think I will," Tirek stated. "Memory magic isn't perfect and any disruption in loyalty will be potentially disastrous to my plans.” The other demon laughed once more, doubling over and slapping his knee. After a few seconds, he slowly got back up, only to catch a glimpse of the rage in Tirek’s eyes. “You are serious, aren't you? The old Tirek wouldn't have hesitated to jump on that bargain, I didn't even ask for anything else," the pride demon exclaimed. “The old Tirek got locked in Tartarus for his arrogant assumptions, I will not allow such a thing to happen again," Tirek stated firmly. With a wave of his hand, the smokey demon began to dissipate, with his irritating smirk being the last thing to go. The centaur stomped hard enough to send a tremor through through the room and he desperately felt the urge to throw something breakable against something that wasn't. With nothing other than the statue in the room with him, he simply stomped out the door. After ducking under the curtain and through the hidden door, he stepped into the brightly lit hallway, one hand leaning against the wall. The cold stone seemed to add some sort of reassurance to the angry centaur and he felt his rage slowly begin to cool. He would have to think of some other way to get his prize, though, after all this, he was hesitant to even bother. Backing down now would be another sign of weakness and Tirek refused to allow such a slight to go unanswered. Besides, maybe forcing Dog to kill a fellow pony would finally break her of her foolish naivete and end her insufferable optimism. He shook his head, that irritating demon had annoyed him more than he cared to admit and it was coloring his perception. Tirek waved off the golem standing nearby with a serving tray stacked with the food he had wanted. He didn't feel hungry anymore, there were too many thoughts circling in his head and he needed time to sort them out before he could enjoy a nice meal. More than that, he also needed to reassess Dog’s progress, if his enemies knew of her existence, one may try something and he had to know if she was ready for that eventuality. In the past few months, she had read through numerous other texts, passed all her tests, and had even begun to show progress in her physical development. It wasn't much yet, but the rate of her advancement intrigued the centaur and if what his seer had said was correct, she may very well become as physically strong as him. The thought left the demon feeling oddly emasculated, but he brushed that thought aside, fear demons did not need to be strong, but then again, neither did a keeper, and yet here they were. The ensuing stomping Tirek did was childish, petty, and utterly enjoyable to the still-annoyed centaur. In the library, Dog sat at her usual table, a small mountain of books spread out before her. She didn't really feel like reading though, as she had spent most of the day studying and had started to grow antsy. She didn't know why, but this hunger felt different than the other times, even after taking her medicine she still felt restless and achy, her body needing something, but she wasn't sure what that was. She knew her father would be by soon and she knew that he would know what was wrong with her, so in the meantime, she had allowed herself to be distracted by her cleaver. “Come on, kiddo, think about it! You could become the super strong demon your old man wants you to be," it mocked. Dog frowned, looking down at the seething, green-tinted cleaver that rested on the table before her. “I don't know, daddy always says never to agree to something that isn't on paper," Dog remarked. “I don't have any hands, kid!" The demon blade retorted. "Besides, just imagine how proud he'd be to see you become a full-fledged demon instead of the worthless imp you are now.” “Father says I’m the strongest kind of demon around! Don't be a meanie head or I’m going to put you back in the box when we go back to my room," Dog warned. “Chill out, kiddo. Just remember, the offer is always open,” the blade offered once more. Dog snorted as the cleaver dulled, its voice growing distant. “What offer?” Asked the deep baritone voice of her father. “Bwah!” Dog shouted, jerking and nearly falling from her chair. “You weren't in your chambers,” he remarked. Dog quickly righted herself and smiled up at her father. “Master! I was just doing some studying," Dog hastily exclaimed. Tirek glanced at the small mountain of books and raised an eyebrow. “So it seems, something tells me you got distracted again," Tirek pointed out. Dog blushed and scratched the bandages over the back of her neck. “Uh, maybe a little? I studied all morning, honest!” Dog proclaimed. The centaur chuckled. “I believe you,” he replied. The fear demon sunk into the seat across from her and placed a vial of medicine before her. “What did he promise you this time?” Tirek asked. “To make me into a real demon," the filly answered, pouting all the while. Tirek’s eyebrow slowly raised. “And you said?” Tirek prompted. “I told him he was stupid,” Dog spat, crossing her forehooves over her chest. “I’m going to be a real demon just like you someday without his stupid help.” “Good dog," Tirek beamed. "Now take your medicine, I have some tests I want to run before you can get back to your studies.” He pushed the vial a little closer to the filly, motioning for her to take it. She grabbed the bottle in both hooves, popped open the stopper, and downed it in one gulp, careful to not let the vile liquid touch her tongue. She had grown rather good at the act of gulping down the foul medicine after tasting it a few times. Even her hooves had become more dexterous over time and she no longer looked like she had never used them for anything other than walking. The filly shivered briefly and shook her head, a drop or two having touched her tongue, leaving the foul taste in her mouth. Tirek waited for a few seconds to pass before reaching down and gripping the filly’s muzzle in his fingers. Dog was confused but unafraid, allowing the centaur to open her mouth wide and to pull aside her lips so he could gaze within. Just like he had hoped, her old flat teeth had been replaced by a row of razor-sharp ones that could tear the flesh from the most hearty of beast without breaking a sweat. Her tongue had also narrowed slightly, becoming thinner, losing the thick powerful look characterized by a creature who consumes a great amount of plant matter. Her gums hadn't adapted nearly as quickly though and there were small cuts all over where her teeth didn't quite rest properly. Tirek frowned but dismissed his worry, it wouldn't be long for the rest of her body to adapt. Smiling to himself, he pulled his hand from Dog’s mouth and gave her a small nod, which made her smile wide, displaying her sharp teeth for all to see, which Tirek knew was also a good sign. If she had more memories of her past life she might find her new teeth to be unsightly or frightening, but she relished the changes, knowing that with each modification she was becoming closer to the demon her father intended for her to become. “How does it feel, Dog?” Tirek asked. The filly squirmed a little, finding trouble putting her thoughts into words. “It's strange, master, my insides get all squirmy sometimes and my mouth hurts a lot," Dog answered. “Hmm…” Tirek muttered, leaning closer. He waved a glowing hand across Twilight’s muzzle. “Better?” Tirek asked. The filly opened and closed her mouth a few times, looking up at him with increasing wonder. “Yes! Thank you, daddy!” Dog happily proclaimed. He quickly put up a hand to stop the inevitable. “No hugs, please," Tirek intercepted. Dog wilted a little and nodded, sending a small stab of guilt into the centaur’s heart. Those adorable eyes were really starting to get to him no matter how much he tried to ignore them. He shook off the effect of her cuteness, only to notice something odd and he leaned in close once more, peering intently at the filly’s eyes. Her eyes had remained unchanged by the potent mutagen she had been consuming, or at least he had thought so. The sclera had darkened slightly, the iris had also grown darker and… stranger. Tirek couldn't help but feel drawn into their depths and there was a certain regularity to them that demanded contemplation. Her pupil had grown thin, elongating while also becoming less defined like it was ink mixing with the surrounding area. The true meaning of the change was lost on Tirek, but he knew it had to be significant as the eye truly was the window to the soul and changes therein could help identify the nature of her alterations. “Master?” Dog asked cautiously, her eyes beginning to water, the filly unwilling to close her eyes while her father was still peering intently at them. “Ahh, nothing, Dog. You can blink now,” Tirek muttered somewhat guiltily. Dog sighed and did just that, wiping the small tears that had budded in the corners of her eyes. With that strangeness out of the way, he beckoned a hand towards the door and the patient attendant who stood there. Dog smiled as the being approached. “Hiya Pythias!” The filly exclaimed, waving her bandaged hoof towards the creature that approached them. Pythias smiled back, though her stitched lips made any other communication difficult. She reached down, her purple and gold robes flowing over her painfully thin form. Though it would seem difficult for her to do with a black band of cloth tied over her eyes, the seer expertly deposited a large covered tray on the table, her thin, bony fingers having struggled with the load. When it was finally deposited she rose back up to her full height which was just barely taller than Tirek and bowed low to the centaur. “I have one last thing for you to do before you return to your duties,” Tirek remarked, gesturing towards Dog. “I need you to check over Dog and tell me if she is ready for the next step.” The seer nodded and turned towards the filly, extending her long bony fingers. Dog grinned from ear to ear, sitting straight in her chair while just barely holding back the excitement that came with her father’s question. The next step, the next test, the newest lesson, they were all her favorite words, as it meant a new challenge, and another chance to prove herself even if one of those words was still a source of anxiety. For now, she simply remained stock still while the seer reached down towards the filly, her palms glowing a soft gold. Her hands hovered all across the filly’s form, brushing across the filly’s fur only once. From rear to head, the seer scanned until finally she was done and the light from her palms went out. She looked up to her master and merely nodded once. “Excellent," Tirek proclaimed. "Write up a full report of what you found and leave it on my desk.” As the seer turned to leave, Tirek snatched the short chain hanging from the seer’s thick iron collar and pulled it hard. “And next time you will not touch her, understood?” Tirek demanded. The seer nodded eagerly, her hands raised in supplication. Tirek held her there for a moment longer, staring angrily into the space where her eyes should be. Finally, he released her and pushed her towards the door. “What was she scanning for, master?” Dog asked eagerly. “I needed to find out if you were ready for real food and the next phase of your training," Tirek answered. "You have gotten stronger, smarter, faster, and more adept with a blade, but there are other things you must learn and parts of you that must change.” Dog cocked her head slightly. “You mean like my teeth, right?” Dog asked. “Kind of, there are many more physical changes, but not every change is going to be skin deep,” Tirek replied, the centaur chuckling at the joke that was utterly lost on the filly. “Regardless, you need to eat something solid in order to build up your strength for what comes next.” He pushed the tray a little closer, moving aside the books before pulling the top from the tray and letting the curious filly see what lay beneath. Dog gasped and recoiled slightly, shocked by the pile of meat that had been revealed. She couldn't tell what animal the meat was from, but there were clearly several different kinds, most had large and obvious bones but others did not, she made a note to eat slowly just in case. “Go on, eat up. You will need it,” Tirek commanded. Dog gulped and picked up a large slab of meat with her bandaged hooves, slowly inching the meat closer to her lips. She hesitated, looking up at her father for guidance, only to receive a glare in return, causing her to gulp and sink her sharp teeth into the meat. For a few seconds nothing happened, and Tirek was tempted to reach out and poke the filly, a little concerned by the blank expression on her face. Then all of a sudden she lurched forward and took a huge bite from the cooked flesh, sinking her teeth deep into the meat and causing a small spurt of juice to shoot from it. Some primal part of the filly burst forth and she quickly devoured the first chunk with all the gusto of a starving animal. Tirek stifled a laugh at the filly’s enthusiasm, clearly a liquid diet had left her wanting more and she was making up for the lost time. It wouldn't be long before she picked clean the second piece and moved on to the third, her pace finally slowing enough for her brain to catch up with her. “Ack!” Cried the young demon. The filly pulled the meat away from her face, just now realizing that in her mad consumption, she had stained some of her books with meat juice. Tirek pulled the books away, wiping away any liquid with a hand and gesturing the filly towards her food once more. Dog reluctantly continued her feast at a much more sedate pace, her mournful gaze lingering over the books she had besmirched. In truth the books were more or less worthless, Tirek had been careful to use only duplicates after he found the filly face down in her textbook, a large drool stain forming around her face. “Do you remember why you should never accept a deal from a demon?” Tirek asked. The filly swallowed her food a little too quickly, nearly choking on the chunk of meat that was briefly lodged in her throat. “I didn't agree, honest!” She protested. Tirek chuckled and shook his head. “And I do believe you. This is just a good time for another lesson," Tirek explained. Dog’s shoulders slumped and she tapped her bloody chin. “Hmm. Is it because we always lie about what the deal entails?” Dog asked back. The centaur frowned. “That is not always the case, sometimes you could understand fully what the deal entails and still get the short end of the stick," Tirek explained. "A smart demon hides the things they don't want you to find in plain sight. That's a little off topic though. The right answer to my question is that a demon always gets more than they give. If a demon ever offers you something, you know he is getting more out of the deal than you are.” Dog’s eyes seemed to light up. “I think I get it. But what if he offered you like whole lot of stuff and he only wanted a little thing?” Dog replied. “Then you can bet your hooves that one little thing is actually worth more than everything else,” Tirek answered, gesturing back towards the last of the meat pile. “Finish quickly and think about what I have said. Also, remember. Smart demons make offers, dumb demons accept them.” The elder demon tapped his nose twice. The filly nodded and eagerly dove into the last piece of meat, hardly caring that this one was far less cooked than the rest. Her sharp teeth tore through the tender flesh with brutal efficiency and slurped down the blood without a care in the world. All the while she made happy little noises, squealing with delight as she felt her belly fill with succulent meat, the empty hole in her stomach gradually being filled with flesh. When every last scrap was consumed the filly belched loudly, blushing at her rude display of poor manners. “Excuse me,” she whispered. Far from offended, the old centaur just chuckled. “Looks like someone was hungry. I’ll have to leave the bones here so you have something to chew on while you study. I find it helps with concentration," Tirek remarked. “Thank you," Dog replied, blushing hard all the while. The centaur shook his head and stood up. “Now that is done, let us go take the next step in your ascension," Tirek proclaimed. Tirek walked towards the door, noting the tiny pitter-patter of hooves close behind him. The seer stood just outside, waiting for them, her head bent in supplication with a note held aloft in her upturned hands. “Why did you bring me this? I told you to leave it on my desk," Tirek demanded. The seer shivered in fear and raised the parchment higher. The centaur sighed and reached for the paper, leaving the filly to look up at the pair curiously. When neither adult would look her in the eye or fill her in as to what her father was reading, she grew bored and slipped in close to the seer, grinning up at the scarred creature. Smiling was a painful experience for Pythias, but she couldn't resist doing just that, the adorable smile of the filly was too much, even with her sharp teeth visible beneath her smile. The seer reached down subtly, noting the centaur’s attention was completely devoted to the scroll he was reading. Her long slender fingers slipped lower until they caressed Dog’s bandaged ears, gently petting the filly. Dog let out a small sigh of relief, enjoying the feeling of the seer’s delicate fingers so much she felt her back left leg begin to twitch. The seer, emboldened by the centaur’s lack of attention, continued to pet the demonic filly, reaching down a little further and scratching that one spot under her chin that Dog liked so much. A deep chuckle broke the moment they shared and the seer quickly pulled her hand up, trying to ignore Dog’s adorable, pouting face. “This is better than I could have hoped. Again you have bested my expectations, Dog,” Tirek announced. Dog spun around and beamed up at her father, her wide smile faltering after a few seconds. “Wait, what did I do this time?” She asked. Tirek chuckled and dismissed the seer with a wave of his hand. “You, my pet, have taken quite well to the medicine, so well that it should be only a month before you can be grafted,” He announced. He tapped his chin, his gaze suddenly becoming distant. “Although that will change our time table…” He muttered idly. “Father, what does ‘grafted’ in this context mean?” Dog asked inquisitively. Tirek suddenly shook his head. “You will find out soon, for now you have a test to complete," Tirek stated. The filly shivered unconsciously, though not as bad as she had all those months ago, the word test still making her tense up. The centaur continued trotting down the hall, followed by his diligent pet who kept a respectful distance from the pleased demon. Together they trotted down the now-familiar set of halls that led towards the gym. In the time since Dog’s introduction to her weapon, she had received several more lessons from the enigmatic creature named Cervantes. His teachings had been much more difficult than Tirek’s but ultimately were just as rewarding. The creature either could not speak frequently or simply chose not to do so, leaving Dog to merely guess as to what she was being taught. As such there was quite the learning curve that came with figuring out the small non-verbal cues he gave off. Dog was nothing if not a fast learner and after a few weeks, they had come to understand one another to the point that neither had to speak for the filly to fully understand the lesson. Tirek was baffled by this, Cervantes was not a creature designed with conversation in mind and he had hoped it would force more of the anger and frustration to bubble to the surface of Dog’s mind. Yet the two had come to an understanding, even after Tirek had expressly forbid the monster from even attempting communication with the filly after the first time. Though the outcome had not been expected, it had been somewhat anticipated. The old centaur had long since given up traditional expectations with the filly. She was smarter than he had thought, faster, more loyal, and generally shattered his expectations and Tirek had grown used to being surprised by her advancement. Which was why they were here now. Tirek had raised his expectations considerably and had high hopes this next challenge would be difficult without being impossible. Something the demon was finding increasingly hard to do after Dog effortlessly aced his early tests. Together the pair had stepped into the gym, Dog took the chance to stretch and yawn while Tirek relayed orders to an awaiting Cervantes. The filly knew what a visit to the gym meant and had begun going through the various stretches and activities that would ensure she was limber and ready for whatever her father had planned. After she had finished her warm-up routine she looked over to her father who had directed a large obsidian golem carrying an enormous cage beneath a thick black cover. The centaur gestured toward the center of the room and the golem obliged, dropping the iron cage where Tirek had indicated before standing a respectful distance away. Dog trotted up to her father, smiling up at him. “What's in the cage, father?” She asked. Tirek waved Cervantes away before leaning down. “Don't worry about that right now, Dog, first I have to ask you something," Tirek began. Dog nodded, plunking her butt down and staring up at her father, waiting for him to speak. “Do you know why I’m trapped in this tower?” Tirek asked, gesturing around them. Dog shook her head. “Long ago I wanted to take the magic of the evil person who ruled my home and after I succeeded, she saw me as a threat," Tirek began. “She?” Dog asked. “Celestia,” Tirek hissed, his hands curling into fists. “That fool alicorn thought I would come for her next and rather than discuss the matter, she struck in the dead of night like a coward. Even with the element of surprise on her side, she could not defeat me and was forced to banish me here, hoping I would die of old age.” Dog blinked, confused. “But demons can't die of old age," Dog remarked. Tirek smirked. “She did not know that, for in her hatred of demons she had inadvertently made knowledge of us scarce.” Dog growled and stomped her hooves. “I hate her, if she were here, I would bite her!” Dog proclaimed, gnashing her teeth in emphasis. The centaur chuckled and patted Dog’s head, not sure if the implied book burning or the slight against himself had more enraged the filly. “Good girl, but she is strong, and an alicorn is not to be trifled with," Tirek warned. "First you must defeat an enemy more your size and eventually you will become strong enough to exact revenge on our enemies.” “Just tell me what to do, father! I will kill them all!” Dog declared boldly. “Today you will face your first real foe and when it lies broken at your hooves, you shall consume his soul and become stronger.” Tirek proclaimed grandly. Tirek waved his hand toward the obscured cage, prompting Cervantes to toss aside the blanket and reveal what lay beneath. Dog gasped, startled by the appearance of a strange four-legged imp sitting inside the cage. It wasn't much larger than her but had three long claws at the end of each foot and its deep scarlet skin had a hard, leathery appearance to it. Its eyes were narrow and slitted and its features more wolflike than the average imp. Dog knew this creature was a simple feral imp, a mass of Tartarus energy that had only recently congealed into its own sentience. It was only semi-intelligent and was barely capable of anything more than mindlessly consuming souls until it would eventually grow powerful enough to evolve into a regular imp. Its only defenses were its leathery skin, its sharp teeth, and clawed feet. Not a problem, Dog thought, reaching for her trusty cleaver. She blinked and looked to the slot of bandages it usually rested only to realize she had left it back in the library. “Looking for something?” Tirek asked. Dog spun around to see her father holding her cleaver, which was angrily trying to get to its owner only for the centaur to completely ignore the annoying cries of the trapped demon along with the magical assaults said trapped demon attempted. The filly smiled and reached her hoof up. “Thank you, father," she proclaimed. The centaur pulled the cleaver away at the last second. “This task would be far too easy if you had help, this test must be completed alone,” Tirek exclaimed. The filly blanched, glancing over at the pacing imp nervously. “A-alone? R-r-right," she stuttered. "I can do this.” “Go on,” Tirek urged. The centaur gently pushed the filly closer to the cage, gesturing towards the door of the cage. Cervantes stood silently next to it, one hand around the door to the cage, the other on the sword at his hip. The imp inside the cage stopped its slow pacing and stood ready, its lips curled back and a low, unearthly growl emanating from deep within its throat. Dog took a deep breath and straightened her spine, her father was watching and she would not slink along the ground like some lowly beast. She would charge in there with all the pride of a conqueror. Every step closer bled that bravado though and by the time she neared the door, she was seriously considering begging her father for help or to at least push back the test a few days, until she received more training in unarmed combat. He had faith in her though and after one last glance back at her increasingly impatient father, Dog stepped into the cage. The heavy iron door slammed shut behind her with a resounding clang, leaving her alone with the imp, trapped in a narrow space with little on her side save for her wits. Dog gulped.