//------------------------------// // A Purple Princess, the Most Beautiful Mare in the Universe, and the Darkness? // Story: The Devil Went Down To Ponyville // by TerraZeal //------------------------------// Chapter 2: A Purple Princess, The Most Beautiful Mare In The Universe, and the Darkness? Lucifer...no, Morning Star, he kept reminding himself, was beyond humiliated and felt very invaded! This purple winged pony with a horn wouldn’t stop prodding him with strange instruments! She even stuck a helmet on his head, showed him a mirror, and asked him to write something in a notebook. Grudgingly, just wanting his magic back, he did all she asked. According to the pink thing, Pinkie Pie, this was Twilight Sparkle. She was some kind of...pony princess, which was why she had a horn and wings. Lucifer wondered...if he got his magic back, would he grow a horn? Or could he just channel it the way he had as an angel? With simple thought, a wave of a hand...er, hoof…a wink...or just a horn? He liked it better the other way, of course. Here, a horn more or less told everyone that a pony was a witch, or rather, a...mage? What was the right word? Either way, he wanted his magic to SHOCK people-er, ponies. With a horn, his magic wouldn’t be shocking. Wouldn’t be a surprise. Morning Star let out a frustrated sigh and fluffed his large red wings in irritation, a snort unintentionally escaping his pony-mouth. “O-oh! I’m so sorry. I was caught up reading! I’ve just never seen anything like you before! You’re a pegasus, but you have so much latent magic! More than any other unicorn or even alicorn I’ve ever seen!” the purple princess pony gasped, running back and forth between various machines, hooves making clopping noises on the crystalline floor of the...castle-house-thing, “Why, only the princesses have magic even close to this! My own magic...I don’t think it’s anything like this! I don’t even know WHAT this is! Oh my, I need to write to Celestia, right now! Spiiiiike!” If he weren’t tied down with leather straps, he would have stuffed his hooves into his ears. Well, his wings weren’t tied down. Stuffing his ears with some fluffy red feathers, Morning Star relaxed and watched the purple pony have some type of panic attack while screaming for someone called Spike. Closing his eyes, he relaxed. The purple pony’s screeches had vanished, as had she, out the door, looking for a “Spike”. Lucifer relaxed his wings and looked at the leather straps. As a former human, it was easy to find a way to undo them. He’d realized very early on that his wings more or less replaced hands for the winged ponies, pegasi. Manipulating his wings, the brand-new muscles aching slightly as he stretched them and contorted them into a shape most closely resembling a hand, he squeezed the end of the strap with a wing and pulled. The leather unraveled easily, the simple belt-like contraption holding it in place fell to the side of the chair. Lucifer grinned and immediately undid the other strap. He stepped out of the chair and stretched, paying careful attention to his sore wings, stretching them and giving them a few good flaps. Hovering a few feet in the air, he glanced around. Shiny crystals. At least it was better than the pastel-painted homes in the town...ah, a door, right there. The Morning Star’s eyes widened as he heard a voice coming down the hall, a feminine, tinkling voice, a soft, strange accent. He didn’t want to be strapped down again! He shot into the air and landed on a crystal chandelier thingy, crouching down to see what pony came through the door this time. Huh. She didn’t sound like the purple one, but she was still calling out for that “Spike” character. “Spiiike! Spikey-wikey! Darling, where are you? Twilight’s looked everywhere! Please come out, sweetie! It’s Rarity!” A unicorn mare with alabaster white fur and a cutie mark of diamond-shaped purple/blue gems walked in, she had amazing, stylish violet hair..or was it called a mane? And she wore a necklace with a gem of firey red in the center. Like the sweet fires of hell it burned! Lucifer couldn’t find his voice. She was literally. The. Most. Gorgeous. Thing. EVER! Oh shit! The pegasus-angel lost his grip on the chandelier and plummeted to the ground, faceplanting in front of the gorgeous unicorn mare. “Ow. That was embarrassing,” Lucifer rubbed his head, wincing. The white mare giggled a little. “I think it was cute, darling. By the way, who are you and why are in Twilight’s experimental magic room? And why haven’t I seen you around? Surely I would remember such a stylish young pegasus stallion!” She giggled again and flipped her hair, the gem that burned like hellfire glittering in the light with each small movement she made. “Buh-uh-I-” Lucifer stammered, the gorgeous white mare...the hellfire gem...it was almost too much. He’d rarely been attracted to...well, anyone, on Earth..but this...it was almost like love-or lust-at first sight. He gulped, noticing the mare, Rarity...what an amazing name...look at him in puzzlement. “I’m...the name is Morning Star. I uh, just got here today. The-that thing..Pinkie whatever...found me outside some forest. I hit my head really hard. I think I fell off a cloud. I can’t remember much,” he lied, since he couldn’t really tell her the truth. Who would believe he was another world’s Devil? Even if she did...he didn’t really want to scare her away. She was far too pretty for that. Rarity put a hoof to her mouth and giggled into it. “You don’t have to be so shy, Morning Star. Twilight will get you all fixed up, promise! And Pinkie Pie isn’t scary, she’s just a little odd, that’s all. You’ll have your memory back in no time! Surely a stallion such as yourself won’t be missing for long. You must have family awaiting your return!” Rarity said quite dramatically, all of this with a hoof to her head, she looked near to fainting. A pain shot through the Devil’s stomach. Family. She had no idea how badly that word hurt him. It was like a knife to the gut. His brothers. His Father. His Aunt. Even...even his vessel. They were all his family. And now, he doubted he would ever see them again. Or get to know Her, the aunt he should have had all those years ago. Satan fought back the tears stinging his eyes. The Prince of Lies did NOT cry. Satan was NOT someone sentimental! Stupid! He had KILLED one of his brothers. He remembered the archangel blade, shoving it into the heart of his little brother, the fun-loving angelic embodiment of chaos and trickery, Gabriel. Those green eyes going dull, his mouth no longer grinning mischievously at the thought of some new trick to play on mortals, but leaking blood and silent as death. And then...an explosion of pure white light, and wings, once golden and beautiful and massive, scorched and torn into the cracked concrete of the illusion of a hotel created by his brother’s ‘friends’. Raphael...she had never tried to intervene. She had never tried to face him. Her support, it was all with Michael. He almost missed it. The way they had been, before his Fall. Her laughter, still stoic and harsh compared to Gabriel’s reckless, mad laughter or Lucifer’s wicked, dark laugh as he watched the monkeys that would become humans try to figure out the use of tools. Michael, not laughing, but watching over his father’s creation proudly, massive wings spread over his little brothers, as if protecting them no matter what, in addition to protecting the monkeys. Michael’s proud, happy smile as he watched his younger brothers laugh and play and watch the monkeys, pointing and taking bets. Looking back, he saw, and he knew. Gabriel’s longing, the look on his face...normally so full of mirth and mischief, but full of sheer emptiness. He had known, even then, that humans had something he didn’t. Even the monkeys, the proto-humans, had it. Raphael...he remembered her confusion. The questions she asked Michael. Why. Their grace...why was it so different? So powerful? Michael’s reassurances. That angels were Father’s first and best. Father’s children. Lucifer’s own dark thoughts as he probed the minds of the increasingly intelligent monkeys. Something that wasn’t grace at all existed within them. Something that caused the longing in Gabriel and the confusion in Raphael. The something that became more powerful than an angel’s grace. More powerful than even Her darkness. Souls. These weak, helpless, magickless monkeys...they had...souls. And souls made angelic grace look feeble in comparison. And now, he saw that the monkeys weren’t the only ones with souls. These ponies, their bodies were lit from the inside with something that could only be a soul. He had seen it in Pinkie Pie, Twilight, and now this beautiful Rarity. Her soul was just as beautiful as her physical form. He sensed...generosity. Giving of herself, willingness to help others, no matter the cost to herself. Was this REALLY a different world, where Eden hadn’t been corrupted? Where ponies had not ate the forbidden fruit, and lived in eternal peace and harmony? Sweet Father, he wished it were so. Tears welled in his eyes. If only...if only the others...his family...if they could just see...and be here. Together. Family again. Brothers. Sisters. Father. Aunt. The emptiness he felt ever since being expelled from Heaven, away from his family...it was as if this beautiful world of these beautiful creatures, these powerful ponies with souls like humans...the emptiness was starting to fade. Something else was taking it’s place, but what? Lucifer’s lips curled. No. No. He would NOT let his brother Michael’s sappy ‘we must love them more than us because he they’re better’ words ruin this. Lucifer would get back to Earth. He would find Michael. He would kill him. And then, he would begin his reign over Earth, as he should have, before whoever intervened and sent him to this world did so. He would find a way to travel back to that world, or alter time. Anything to get away from this saccharine world that forced him to feel happy. That forced sentiments on him. He was the Devil. The Devil felt nothing of the sort! He was evil! “Darling? Are you alright? You look a bit feverish. Perhaps you need to lie down?” It was Rarity, the one who had first made him think these thoughts. If he’d had his magic, he would destroy her where she stood. No one made the Prince of Lies into a simpering, love-sick moron! He felt nothing for her. Nothing. And yet...part of him still felt that he was lying to himself. He was the Father of Lies...so he knew lying. And this was a lie. The attraction to Rarity was far more than physical. She was the embodiment of generosity, her soul almost reaching out to his, as if willing to help him, even though she knew nothing of his past as a monster. That horn that gave magic seemed to pulse magic out on it’s own, perhaps unknown even to the unicorn. The magic from the horn was powerful selflessness. Powerful “I will help you, no matter the cost” feelings. Lucifer licked his lips...muzzle...whatever. “I...guess I could lie down. Before Twilight finds this Spike person and subjects me to more tests,” Lucifer sighed in defeat. Maybe a nap would just solve all his problems. Maybe this was a mere nightmare. Maybe the fight hadn’t even happened yet. Hell, maybe his vessel still hadn’t agreed to hold him. Rarity smiled and lit her horn. A soft blue aura emanated from it, and a soft-looking sofa appeared in front of her. “There you are, dear. I’ve become quite adept at summoning comfortable couches over the years. A lady can’t simply faint and fall to the ground. Why, she’ll muss her mane!” Rarity flipped her own stylish, violet mane and gestured for Lucifer to come closer. “Thank you, Miss Rarity. I honestly didn’t realize just how tired I am. Maybe when I wake, I’ll feel better, too. Could you please ask Twilight, the purple one, not to wake me? I just...want to sleep awhile.” Lucifer settled on the couch, which was indeed quite soft, lying on his stomach and fluffing his red wings a few times in contentment. He closed his eyes. “I will, Morning Star. You are a very strapping stallion, if I must say. Good luck. I hope you have sweet dreams, dear,” Rarity leaned over the couch and gave Morning Star a tiny peck on the cheek, using her magic to brush aside some of his curly pink hair, “Maybe you’re a pegasi relative of Pinkie. Twilight will figure everything out. You’ll be back with your family in no time at all!” Lucifer felt himself drifting off into sleep, but he’d felt the soft kiss Rarity had given him. His face burned, and would probably show embarrassment if he weren’t already a dark red. Hooves clacked on the crystal as Rarity left the room. Silence lulled Morning Star to sleep. Darkness enveloped him. Comfort embraced him. Opening his eyes, Satan knew he was still asleep. This was a dream. It was so vivid, however. He looked at his surroundings. It wasn’t as most dreams were. No gleaming gates of Heaven. No family. No brilliant Light waiting for him, beckoning him home. Just darkness and a smattering of stars in every direction. If it weren’t for his wings, he would have been afraid of plummeting into all the nothingness that surrounded him. All the starry darkness of this weird dream world. Lucifer had no idea how long the dream world stayed nothing but darkness. Eventually, however, one of the stars in the distance grew brighter than the others and came closer, coming upon him before a being stepped out. Fear twisted Lucifer’s stomach and brain. Her. She was here. It was over. It was all over. The Darkness was back. There was no escape. The Light couldn’t defeat her, not without the help of the others! He flapped his wings and tried to fly, or run, or anything. Instead, he felt a soft hand on his head. A hand. Not a hoof. Not a pony. Of course not a pony. The Darkness wasn’t a pony. She wasn’t human either. The Darkness was Darkness. She was everything Dark and Destruction. She was everything her sibling was not. She was not the beloved Light, Creation, and Being. She was the dark sister. The embodiment of all things dark and all things that brought nightmares. “Please. Do not be afraid. I mean you no harm...Lucifer Morning Star, sweet nephew,” said a soft, yet deep and echoing female voice, “I know you helped imprison me, all those years ago. It doesn’t matter anymore. Thanks to them, I am free. We are harmony again. We are one. The love we shared has returned.” Lucifer risked it and looked up. A woman. A human woman. Or rather, human-like. She was tall, taller than most human females, had long, dark, wavy hair filled with glittery stars and eyes as dark as what she represented. Her skin was pale and shimmering, like moonlight. Her face...that was what shocked him most of all. Last time he had seen her, she had been snarling with rage, yelling that they could not defeat her, they would never imprison her, she would kill them all, she would bring eternal darkness...but now, her face was sad and soft-looking, tears trailing from those dark eyes, down that luminescent skin. She was hurting. The Dark Sister was hurting. Why? What was so she sad about? She leaned over and pressed Her lips to his curly pink mane, giving him a soft kiss. So kind, affectionate, loving. Far from the snarling, wicked, nightmare queen of darkness that they had imprisoned so long ago. If She could change so much, did...did that mean that he could too? “Yes. Lucifer, sweet nephew I should have loved, change is unavoidable. If we do not change, we end up lost, or imprisoned,” She let out a soft, sad laugh, “It was my inability to cope with change, to understand how greatly He loved His Creations. Even when I understood, at last, I was fraught with jealousy and anger. How dare He love someone that isn’t me? How dare OTHERS love someone like Him, rather than myself? I hated it. I hated the universe. Existence. I wanted nothing more than to return to the way things had been, before He had changed them.” The Dark Lady sobbed freely, pulling Lucifer close and pressing her luminous face into his soft mane. Her hands went down, to the shackles around his legs. She stroked them a few times, sighing sadly. “These are my fault. I can’t remove them. It is part of your imprisonment. Part of your being given a second chance. Learn to change. Learn to love, Lucifer. Without mind control. Without magic. Learn to love what I so long ago hated. Please. It’s your only chance. And please, when you see me in this human form, you may call me Amara, not Darkness. I am...not the Darkness anymore, not really. I am not the same person I was when I was simply the Darkness or the Dark Lady. I am Amara. Just Amara. In other forms, I have other names, but when you see me like this, call me Amara,” She ran a hand over his wings, gently stroking the feathers. The Darkness...no, AMARA, he corrected himself. How was it possible that She was here? She hadn’t been free when he had ‘died’ at the hands of his brother. Was She from another timeline? No. He remembered something Father had said. He and Sister surpassed all of time and space. They were everywhere, all the time. From the moment of Her release in any timeline, She was free to traverse any universe. “Yes. Please, nephew, speak with your lips, not your thoughts. I...would much appreciate it. There are many worlds. Many universes. Many world-lines. I am free in several. Just one alone would be enough to make this possible. Yes, in this universe, this world, I am free. I am not...Darkness...anymore. I am just a sister. And you...you want so badly to be nothing more than a brother again. I feel it. It broke your heart, killing Gabriel.” Amara’s tear streaked cheeks were red. She had been sobbing heavily. Lucifer found his voice. It was hard, but he managed it. In the face of Darkness Herself, talking was difficult. “A-aunt Amara. Is he...please, tell me. Is Gabriel alive here? In this world or universe? I didn’t want to kill him. It hurt more than anything in the world. I LOVED my little brother. LOVED him! He forced me to kill him. He practically asked for it! Please tell me he is here and he is okay!” Lucifer reached out and grabbed Amara’s shimmering hand with his hooves. Amara smiled, once again stroking his mane and wings. “Fear not. Gabriel is alive. He said it once himself, after all. You can’t out trick the Trickster. And your brother is, above all things, a mischievous trickster! Gabriel is alive. I’m sure as soon as he feels your presence, he will come to you. Gabriel was also given a second chance. As you might know, he longed for humanity, but he had no qualms about playing with humans, as long as it was funny or amusing to him. This world is his second chance.” Amara sighed wistfully, “He still doesn’t understand completely that ponies aren’t just there for his amusement...either way, I’m just glad he didn’t pull another Mystery Spot or TV Land shenanigan. Turning Equestria into a giant television studio would be something he would do in a heartbeat. It’s a good thing his favorite member of Team Free Will is still here to make sure he doesn’t do such a thing.” The Darkness laughed. Apparently Gabriel had done something really dumb in the other world that involved ‘Mystery Spots’ and ‘TV Worlds’. And Gabriel’s favorite member of Team Free Will...it could only be Sam. Lucifer’s true vessel. Sam was shy, gentle, and yet so full of anger and rage when pushed to the breaking point. And so ready to love. If anyone could and would give the silly trickster a second chance, it would be Sam. Lucifer knew Sam better than Sam knew himself. Gabriel was Sam’s. Castiel was Dean’s. And...Crowley was Bobby’s. They had their angels, or demons. “So this...it’s just an alternate universe? I didn’t even know such things were real. I thought there was just one timeline, or world-line, whatever.” Lucifer said, his voice catching a few times. Talking to the woman he had helped imprison so long ago, had thought a monster, was hard. But then, what was he, if not also a monster? “Yes, nephew. This is indeed an alternate universe. I wish I could say that Eden remained uncorrupted, unchanged, in this universe, but some things do not change, no matter how we wish they would. Even I became corrupted and jealous in this universe, too. I was jealous of the love and worship your Father received. I hated it. I was jealous. And so I was imprisoned in darkness, just like in your universe.” Amara smiled, “At least be happy you’re not in the Bad Place or Apocalypse World.” She gave a soft laugh. Lucifer wondered what she was talking about. Other universes? “Yes. And please, once again, use your voice. The Bad Place...it’s more or less a universe where the dinosaurs survived destruction and rose up more powerful and more intelligent than humans. Apocalypse World...it’s where you and your brother fought. And he won. And he turned the world into a living nightmare, making angels into his own personal servants of his desire to rule all things. You don’t have to worry about these worlds. They are unimportant here. Equestria is important. Living here, taking the second chance you’ve been given...that is important.” Amara leaned down and kissed him again. “For now...goodbye, Lucifer. My sweet nephew. I will see you again, and quite soon, if I’m correct,” Amara gave him a soft smile and vanished in a spiral of starlight and darkness. Lucifer’s eyes opened the moment Amara vanished. The crystal castle again. It was real. This WAS a second chance. The Dark Sister confirmed it. She was so powerful that she would not lie about something like this. This was real, this was true. Lucifer could be a brother again. He could have family again. Tears stung his eyes. Instead of fighting them, he let them flow freely. He wasn’t Lucifer the Prince of Lies, a monster, or a fallen angel anymore. He was just...a pegasus pony living in a world called Equestria. That’s all he was. Hopefully, that’s all he would ever be.