//------------------------------// // Hel: Generosity’s Gift // Story: Monster's Debt Paid // by Jaycren //------------------------------// Sapphire Blue awoke as two bodies shifted away from him, opening his eyes he beheld his Mistress and his ward rising from the bed. Realizing that neither knew he woke, he watched as the two quietly started getting ready for their day. Aradinee often would crawl into bed to snuggle, so he had a number of mare brushes and other things at his mirror. The only joy he had most days, was sitting and brushing his young niece's hair, as she told him what she would be doing around the mansion. Cautiously, he watched the two, ashamed to admit that he had no idea how his Mistress would treat the young mare. Surprisingly, Hel was gentle with Aradinee, The Dark Queen treating the blind filly as her own child. "You know Sapphire, it really is rude to stare." Hel snarked as Aradinee giggled. Blue smiled, "I apologize Mistress, I couldn't help but be mesmerized by the two most beautiful mares in all of Equestria." Glancing over her shoulder, holding Aradinee in her lap, Hel ran a brush through the young one's mane, then replied "Then I can hardly fault you, though I believe you have some business to attend to?" Sapphire's smile grew to something seen only on sharks. "That I do, Mistress, but how'd you know of this?" To his surprise both Aradinee and Hel giggled, "I have seen into your heart, I know your deeds, and I know what they add up too." Hel gave her own predatory grin, dragonlike and terrible. "I also know your reasons, and I approve, however I must insist on you being home for supper, after all, that will be about when Aradinee and I will be back from our errands." "E-E-Errands Mistress?" "Well, Aradinee is going to need to have some new dresses for her introduction to society," Blue's breath stopped, he wondered if this was what a heart attack felt like, Hel continued, "and I am going to need some clothes as well. Aradinee has much to say about a Seamstress named Rarity Belle, so we may stop at her Ponyville location." Hel's smile was directed purely at Saphire now. "Yep, this is what a heart attack feels like." He thought. "Auntie Hel, that's kinda cruel." Aradinee said, a spiderly smile upon her own lips. "You're supposed to wait until after Rarity over charges him for the dresses." Hel's laughter rang through the room, hugging Aradinee tight, "Oh, Bless you child, I'll make a proper lady of you yet." Sapphire's eye began to twitch, "P-P-Proper Lady?" "Oh, Yes, from her descriptions of the one's you've encountered, Ms. Belle seems to have been the only one qualified to call herself such, minus the breeding of course. So I'll be giving Aradinee lessons on the proper behavior of a lady." turning back to Aradinee she asked. "Tell me child, do you favor a Dagger, or a mace to wear at court?" Sapphire was unconscious before he heard his ward's answer. ######################################################################################### Rarity had just brewed her first cup of tea, as she heard the bell ring, signifying her first costumer of the day. Setting down her cup she moved to the front of her Boutique. "Welcome to Carousel Boutique where everything is chic, unique and manifique" Rarity exclaimed. "Quite, both me and my niece would like to order some clothing. I am going to need things for every occasion and my darling one here needs to commission a dress for both her cutesenara and her introduction to the nobility." The mare before her said. Rarity paused a moment, the Unicorn stood in shadow and held her niece in both her arms. Something was off though, a chill crept over the Element of Generosity. Rarity shivered, goosebumps upon her skin, however a customer was a customer, and from the sound of it, the mare had been through some recent distress. Rarity could identify breeding and the older Unicorn oozed with it. Such a Mare didn't just commission an entire wardrobe, at least not from her, without something very wrong happening. Shaking herself, she smiled kindly on the shadowed pair, "Of course, Darlings, its what I am here for. Let me take a look at you both. Once I get your measurements, why don't I get the two of you a cup of tea? From the sound of things it may be just what you need." The Mare Chuckled, "Very well, Ms. Belle, But my appearance may be a bit startling." Stepping forward into the light, they were revealed. The mare was short, but commanded the room, the one half of her face was blonde maned and blue eyed, and was breathtakingly gorgeous, the other half was withered and corpselike, flesh the blue of decomposition, the mane on that side, grey and sparse. She wore, Rarity noted, what appeared to be armor, a leather corset, studded in metal with a leather and metal banded skirt. An odd looking sword hung at her hip, it had a blade on the wrong side and the usual cutting edge held crenelations from top to bottom. The guard was bound in steel and Iron, with a leather grip and a gold eged pommel. The little filly came up to the mare's, quite impressive, chest and wore a lovely little dress that fit her perfectly, Rarity couldn't even see the stitches. The filly also had a band of silk around her eyes, embroidered with the unlidded eye of the old gods. The Young one was slender, like her aunt, and her horn barely peeked out from her blond hair. Rarity smirked, "Honestly, such theatrics. Might I inquire of your names, Lady.....?" Rarity let the question drag out for a moment when her brain shouted what she had seen as wrong. The older Mare was an Alicorn. The Alicorn Chuckled. "Indeed you may, Ms Belle. I am Lady Hel, Former Queen of the Underworld, and this is Lady Aradinee of House Blue. It is so nice to meet a proper Lady at last."