Upon reaching the Palace, the six Bearers of Harmony, having treated their injuries, along with Spike and Forthright Verdict were quickly ushered into the Throne Room where Princess Celestia awaited them, the squad of guardsponies having remained behind to secure Donut Steel’s estate and servants. Twilight threw herself forward to embrace her mentor as she rose from her bow, while Spike and the other mares quickly crowded around their divine sovereign, leaving a flummoxed Forthright to slowly follow behind. “I’m grateful that you are all well,” Celestia said as she reached out to gently grasp Fluttershy’s shoulder, “I’ve sent a servant to summon Luna, she’ll be here shortly.”
“I am already here, Sister,” the lunar diarch said as she entered the room, “And most thankful that none of you hath suffered great injury,” she added warmly, before her lips turned in a small frown, “However, I do not see the accused, has he already been detained in the dungeons?”
“I’m afraid Count Steel was slain while resisting arrest, Princess,” Forthright explained, “Although I am not currently aware of the details of his demise.”
“I see,” Celestia sighed, “That is … unfortunate.”
Luna sniffed at her sister’s comment, “I fail to see how. Even if brought to trial, Donut Steel’s many offenses already merited a sentence of execution.”
“I always hold out the hope for redemption, Luna, as you well know,” the solar alicorn replied, “But I think that is a discussion for another time. Now, my little ponies, tell us what happened.”
The group quickly related their tales to the Princesses, albeit with frequent interruptions and side commentary:
“Spike!” an aghast Twilight scolded her assistant, “You promised you’d stay out of any fighting!”
“I know,” the drake admitted guiltily, before drawing himself up to meet Twilight's eyes, “But those demon-things were trying to get at the servants and Mister Verdict, what was I supposed to do? Besides,” he added, scuffing his foot against the floor, “All I really did was keep them back with my fire until the guards could deal with them.”
“Ah understand, sugarcube, Ah do,” Applejack said as she ruffled Spike's frill and Fluttershy wrapped the now blushing drake in a hug, “Yer brave an’ smart an’ ya want ta help ponies, but yer still jus’ a youngin’, an’ we worry about ya, is all.”
*****
“Donut murdered a foal?!” Rarity demanded, bring a hand to her mouth, “I think I might be sick ….”
“That’s what HellCaller told me,” Fluttershy confirmed, “She seemed rather … peeved … about it,” the gentle-natured pegasus added, blushing at her own strong language.
*****
“So, you are saying Count Steel was killed by his own demon?” Forthright asked skeptically, “The demon Miss Fluttershy claims he had bound with a blood sacrifice?”
“Considering his ill-advised final command, I find it most credible,” Luna replied, “Demons do not generally enjoy being called to our Realm and enslaved to the will of another, so I suspect that this HellCaller had been scheming to turn on Count Steel from the moment she was summoned, and any of the cannier demons would quickly seize upon such a poorly worded order to betray their erstwhile masters,” the Princess of the Moon chuckled darkly, “I find it most fitting that Donut Steel’s demise was at the hands of the very demon he bound to assist him with his foul deeds.”
“Fluttershy thinks that HellCaller was deliberately limiting herself during the fight,” Twilight added, “And considering the apparent strength of whatever spell it was that she used on the Count, I’m inclined to agree with her. Perhaps HellCaller was hoping to provoke him into making such a mistake for her to exploit?”
“It wasn’t jus’ tha magic that she was holdin’ back on,” Applejack said as she rubbed at her bandaged side, “Ah didn’t see it at tha time, but thinkin’ back, Ah’m pretty sure that she wasn’t goin’ at me all out, neither.”
“It still wasn’t very nice of her to assume Fluttershy’s attempt to be friends was because she was under a spell,” Pinkie grumbled, “And I’m going to tell her that when I see her again.”
Rainbow blinked at her hyper friend, “Why would we see her again? Wait, is your Pinkie Sense telling you stuff again?”
“Noperoonie, that’s just how our lives seem to go.”
The other five mares exchanged rueful looks, “She ain’t wrong,” Applejack admitted with a shrug.
“So … yeah, Count Steel was killed by his own demon, who … sort of apologized to Fluttershy for foalnapping her before we arrived, and then left peacefully once Steel was defeated,” Twilight chewed on her lip for a moment, “And that’s pretty much everything. Oh, and we recovered the Discordian Scrolls from Steel’s study,” she added, holding out the documents to the Princesses.
“You forgot about this, egghead,” Rainbow chided the academic as she held up a rune-inscribed amulet, “That HellCaller filly dropped this like it’d bit her, but she did take a book off Donut’s belt when she left.”
Celestia took the offered amulet from the pegasus as she passed the Scrolls to Luna, “Well I’ll be … the Jewel of Hekate, this disappeared over a millennium ago.”
Rarity leaned forward for a better look at the talisman, “What is it, Princess?”
“A most ancient and puzzling magic, gracious Rarity,” Luna responded, “None seem to know of its origins, but the Jewel’s ability to enhance the conjuring and compelling of beings from other Realms was often used to cause strife and turmoil.”
“The Scrolls will be returned to the Restricted Archives, and the Jewel transferred to the Sanctuary Vaults,” Celestia declared, “Although, it seems we need to update the wards,” she added under her breath, “And while I’m sure that Magistrate Verdict has a few more questions for you, you all should go home soon and get some rest. You’ve had a trying day, after all.”
“Vhat in Nine Hells and Seven Heavens is going on here?!” ‘Caller snarled as yet another Planeshift spell only moved her a few hundred miles instead of returning her back to her home reality.
“Maybe there is something vrong vith connection between this plane and Astral?” Kragor suggested, “Maybe that is vhy natives haven’t developed greater teleportation spells?”
“Their Summoning seem to vork just fine,” the demoness grumbled in disagreement, “Fine, time to stop pussyfooting around and pull out big invocations! Gate,” a circular window, five feet in diameter, appeared as soon as the incantation was finished, floating in the air and showing a well-appointed bedroom, “Ha! Take that, pony vorld! Come on, Kragor, let’s go home.”
But as ‘Caller stepped into the portal, she rebounded as if she had walked into a stone wall, “Are you shitting me?!” she yelled in frustration, pounding her fist on the invisible barrier that kept her in this world, “And vhat are you laughing at?” 'Caller snapped at her chortling sword.
“Sorry, ‘Caller,” Kragor managed to get out between snickers, “But vatching you lose it like this is hilarious! Aw, don’t be like that, I bet Fluttershy vould let us stay vith her vhile you’re figuring out vhat’s vrong vith magic.”
“Fluttershy? Vhat does she have to do vith …,” 'Caller trailed off as she finally noticed that Ponyville was sitting behind her, “Of course,” she sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose, before turning and striding into the shadowed forest rising nearby, “And you really think all her friends, including a paladin, vould be just fine vith having a half-demon hanging around?”
“You could at least give it a chance,” the soulblade pouted, “Fluttershy’s soul probably tastes all varm and cuddly … she vouldn’t turn us away.”
‘Caller cocked an eyebrow at her sword, “I don’t think most people vould understand that you mean that as a compliment,” she observed, still headed resolutely into the trees.
A few days later saw HellCaller comfortably ensconced in a mountainside cave; once again, Mage’s Magnificent Mansion saw to her comforts, while an Alarm spell on the cave mouth provided forewarning against any intruders (the smell of dragon that lingered in the cavern would keep most wild animals away), and the few healing potions she carried had served to ease the worst of her injuries and accelerated the recovery of the rest (although she would have a few new scars), while she spent her time studying the tome she had taken from Donut Steel.
“You vere right, Kragor,” she commended her bonded blade, “Donut got my Name from this book, it managed to resist ritual somehow … although I’ll be buggered if I can figure out how, or vhy my Name is in it in first place!”
The sword giggled, “Like you ever needed excuse for a bit of buggery.”
“Brat,” ‘Caller replied pleasantly, “Vell, this should be easy enough to fix. Erase,” she smiled contentedly as the words to her Name evaporated from the page as she ran her finger along it. After a moment, the demoness shrugged and deleted the rest of the entry as well, leaving only a blank area in the book where the information on her had once been.
“Oh, damn it to Heaven!”
The demoness’ profound profanity roused Kragor from her nap, “Vhat is it, ‘Caller, vhat’s vrong?” the soulblade asked groggily.
“I found out vhy ve can’t leave this thrice-damned Realm,” ‘Caller snarled, “Here, listen to this, ‘as my vill compels thee, blood of innocent binds thee to this vorld, thee must do my bidding until thy art released’.”
“Vell that’s annoying,” Kragor grumbled, “And how do these pony-people have such strong binding magic vhen they seem to know so little about dimensional travel? Still, ve just need to grab Donut’s body and bring him back as a ghoul or something and then … oh, oh gods, I’m so sorry, ‘Caller, I didn’t mean to –”
“Shh,” the demoness gently hushed her distraught soulblade, stroking its hilt, “It’s fine, Kragor, you did nothing vrong.”
“But ve’re trapped here because of me!” Kragor moaned, “Ve can’t go home because I ate Donut’s soul!”
“It’s not your fault,” ‘Caller declared firmly as she gathered Kragor into her arms, “I drove you into that pointy-headed bastard’s heart, you just did vhat you’re supposed to do. If anyone fucked up, it vas me, understand?” ‘All this time together, and Kragor can still be so oddly innocent,’ the demoness mused as she continued to comfort the distraught soulblade, ‘Even I still occasionally forget that there is more to her than just gleeful bloodlust ….’