//------------------------------// // Chapter 1 // Story: Adopting Hellhounds // by Lord Shadow Eclipse //------------------------------// The Underworld It was a dark and gloomy day in the Underworld. But every day was dark and gloomy in the Underworld. The black clouds always covered the sky, blocking a red sun. The ground always looked charred and black. The trees and other plants were dark, twisted, and thorny. The air permanently smelled like rot and blood. Water in the Underworld was more akin to stagnant slime. The Underworld was home to many of its own dark and dangerous lifeforms, but the ones who took the role of dominant species were the Hellhounds. Hellhounds played an important role in not only the Underworld's ecosystem, but an important role in the world of the ponies. Every now and then, Hellhounds would be sent to the mortal world to hunt for the souls of sinners. Those who committed horrible acts or lived their lives in perpetual sin were hunted relentlessly by Hellhounds. Their souls would be dragged to the Underworld, where they're hunted by Hellhounds and the other fell beasts of the Underworld. Hellhounds came in a variety of different forms, with some looking more terrifying than others. They all had canine forms, dark coloration, and glowing red eyes. They either lived and hunted alone or in packs. Despite their nature, they are capable of forming loving relationships. One example of a loving relationship was that of a bright young Hellhound pup, his siblings, and other pups from other litters. This pup was named Frightfang. Frightfang was playfighting with the other pups like he did every other day. Usually, he won most mock-battles he fought. But there was only one pup he seemed to consistently lose to: a female by the name of Blight. She was currently pinning Frightfang to the ground. "Ha-ha! Looks like you lose again, Fright!" Blight declared with friendly bravado. "Huh. Sure. You won this time, but I swear, I'll defeat you one of these days!" Frightfang declared with his muzzle muffled by the ground. "Really? I've beaten you time and time again. You'll never beat me!" Blight declared. Blight let Frightfang stand up on his own four paws. He stretched his back and popped a few vertebrae. He looked at Blight with a confident smirk. "How about this, if I beat you when we're adults, you have to admit that I'm the best fighter in the Underworld!" he exclaimed. "Heh. I'll do you one better, if you manage to miraculously defeat me when we're adults, I'll be your mate," Blight said. "Sure, it doesn't matter to me. All that matters now is that I have to train," Frightfang said. A howl came from a short distance away. The two pups looked over to see Blight's mother howling for her. Blight smiled at Frightfang. "Gotta go back home. See ya later, Fright!" Blight called. "Bye, Blight!" Frightfang called out. Frightfang spent the rest of the day playing with his brothers and sisters. He would be the most famous Hellhound in the Underworld. The Next Dark Day in the Underworld Frightfang woke up to his mother, Pestilla, shaking him with her nose. She looked at him with kind red eyes. "Dear, wake up. We have a bizarre presence in the Underworld," she said. That made Frightfang wake right up. There usually wasn't a bizarre presence in the Underworld unless a mortal was somehow able to enter the Underworld from the mortal world. And the last time that happened was well over two thousand years ago. And that was only a one-time occurrence. "Where are these mortals, mom? What are we going to do?" Frightfang asked. "We'll found out once we make it to the Lord Hound's mountain," she replied. "I'm getting to meet the Lord Hound?" Frightfang asked. "Indeed. Now, come with me. We mustn't keep the Lord Hound waiting," Pestilla replied. The Lord Hound was the quintessential leader of all Hellhounds. He is very old, very wise, and very powerful. It has been said that he has a deep connection to the Underworld. If there were mortals in the Underworld, the Lord Hound would know about it. Getting an audience with him is quite a high honor. Frightfang got up and followed his mother to the mountain the Lord Hound called home. The mountain was made of black stone and the summit was in the shape of a Hellhound's head. Once they exited their den, Pestilla and Frightfang began to run at full speed towards the mountain. Hellhounds can run at speeds that far surpass any creature in both the mortal world and the Underworld. Where it would take most creatures a few days to travel from Frightfang's den it took them only a few hours. Pretty soon, the pair arrived at the Lord Hound's mountain. It was just like how Pestilla had described it to him and his siblings. But it was somehow more imposing than she had described. There were no trees or vegetation at all. It was simply a tall mass of dark rock. But the summit was in the shape of a Hellhound's head, just like the stories said. They both walked up the mountain's slopes in tandem with a few other Hellhounds that made it to the mountain as well. It was quite a nice sight, seeing others of their own kind all gathered in one spot. There were quite a few of the more terrifying Hellhounds that usually hunted mortals in the mortal world. They joined the others and made their smooth trek up the mountain. The Hellhounds saw the Lord Hound's den come up over a short barrier of stone spikes. The den itself was simply a dark void amongst the already-dark stone of the mountain. The bones of various Underworld creatures littered the ground around the den's entrance. "Welcome to my den! Thank you for gathering at my call," a deep resonating voice called out from the den. The assembled Hellhounds all bowed in respect for the Lord Hound as he began to emerge from the den. He was far bigger than any other Hellhound in existence. He had eyes that were simple orbs of red light, with no eyelids to be seen. His face was a bare skull with bleached bone and teeth. The rest of his body was covered in fur so dark, it could absorb all light. Despite his age, the Lord Hound had the body of a male in his prime. The Lord Hound was indeed a frightening, yet regal sight to behold. He stood before the gathered Hellhounds with his ears perked and his head held high. "I assume you've all felt the same presence I did?" the Lord Hound asked. "We have, Your Imminence," one female replied. "Are there mortals in the Underworld?" "Indeed, there are," the Lord Hound replied back. "If there are, what do you wish for us to do about them?" Pestilla asked. The Lord Hound turned to Pestilla and saw that Frightfang was there with her. In some weird way, it looked like he was smiling at Frightfang. Despite his immense power, the Lord Hound was said to have a soft spot for pups. "I see that you've brought your son. It would serve as a good educational experience for the lad. You will lead the others to the place where the mortals entered our realm," the Lord Hound said. Frightfang raised one of his paws. "My lord, if there are mortals in the Underworld, why don't we just destroy them?" "That is a very good question. We can't simply kill them. Not only can mortals not die in the Underworld, but they're not souls filled with evil," the Lord Hound replied. "We simply must chase them away from the Underworld." "Where are they, my lord?" a random male asked. "They are near the River Styx just south of the mountain. Head there and chase them back to the mortal world!" the Lord Hound commanded. The gathered Hellhounds took off down the southern part of the mountain and made their way to the River Styx. The river provided the Underworld with all the water they needed to survive. With their speed, the pack, including Frightfang, made it to the river in an hour. At the River Styx The pack the Lord Hound had sent to the river finally arrived. Upon arrival, the pack spread out to catch the scent of the mortal intruders. Frightfang stuck close to his mother just in case these mortals put up a fight. "Mom, why would mortals seek to come to the Underworld in the first place?" Frightfang asked. "That's an interesting question, son. Maybe the mortals are curious and want to learn about our realm. Maybe they wish to find a way to make sure our kind never make journeys to the mortal world and take the souls of sinners," she replied. "But if the innocent are doing this, why would they attempt to seal off the Underworld if they themselves have nothing to worry about?" "Perhaps it's the fear of the dark and unknown. Fear can make the mortals do stupid and often humorous things". Frightfang gave a small chuckle. "Mortals must be really stupid, huh, mom?" "Agreed, son. Now, we must get back to the task at paw," Pestilla replied. Frightfang and Pestilla put their noses to the ground and started sniffing. Pestilla once told Frightfang that mortals smelled really sweet, a sign of their life and vitality. But for now, all Frightfang could smell was the permanent smell of rot and blood. The subtle scent of sugar shot through Frightfang's nose. It was such a stark contrast to the usual smells of the Underworld that it startled Frightfang. Pestilla noticed her son's reaction and ran to him. "Did you find the scent, dear?" she asked. "Oh, yeah! My nose is telling me that the scent is coming from our side of the river, too!" Frightfang replied. "Which direction are the mortals at?" "Coming from the west!" "Then let's go!" Frightfang and Pestilla took of in the western direction of the scent. The river ran through the middle of a tall hill. The two crested the hill and stopped once they reached the top of the hill and saw what the Lord Hound had sent them after. It looked like there were only two mortals. These two were pretty colorful in contrast to the gloomy colors of their current environment. One of them was a light purple color and sported a pair of feathery wings and a horn. The other one was a light pink, had a horn, and had a streak of minty green running through her light purple hair. They seemed to be speaking to each other about something. They seemed fascinated with the different plants they found by the river. One of them was levitating small glass vials with magic and took a certain amount of water from the river and bits of the soil and plants. "What are they doing, mom?" Frightfang asked. "I don't know. But we need to get them to leave. We should do a mock-attack," Pestilla said. They intended to scare off these mortals back to their own world. Pretending to attack them would certainly do the trick. Both of them took off running down the hill and let out a cacophony of barks and snarls at the two mortals. The two mortals looked at the two Hellhounds charging towards them and their faces switched from curiosity to horror. They scrambled to activate their magic. Finally, they were able to actually create a portal to the mortal world before Frightfang's very eyes. They stepped through the portal and out of sight of the approaching Hellhounds. Pestilla managed to slow to a stop, but Frightfang made the mistake of placing his paw onto a large patch of mud. The slippery mud sent him flying toward the portal the mortals used. "Frightfang!!" Pestilla cried in anguish. "Mom!!" Frightfang called out. The portal closed before Pestilla could get to her son. In a flash of magic light, the portal closed and Frightfang was gone. The Mortal World- Ponyville Frightfang landed in what felt like a pile of grass. He opened his eyes and saw that he was inside some kind of structure made of wood. It was obviously built by mortals, and resembled mortal structures described by his mother. There were long rafters, a tall ceiling, and hay all over the dirt floor. He stood up and examined the rest of his surroundings. Their was a sweet smell in the air. It wasn't the smell of mortals, but it was a sweet smell nonetheless. There were large amounts of hay tied up in a rectangular shape. There was a window that gave Frightfang a view of the sky. A bright blue sky with white fluffy clouds was clearly visible through the open window. "I... I'm in the mortal world!" he cried out. The doors opened and the sound of hooves clopping against the dirt-and-hay floor. A female pony walked into the structure with a basket full of weird red and green fruit. She was orange in color with what looked like images of three red fruit coating her flanks. She had a golden mane and tail and wore something on her head. Her bright green eyes locked onto his own red glowing ones. Crap. She might get scared and try to attack me. I should try to show myself as an alpha, Frightfang thought. Frightfang lowered his ears, pulled back his lips, lowered his head, and slowly walked towards the mortal creature with loud growls. However, instead of scaring off the pony like he wanted, she started throwing the red fruit and trying to kick him. "I don't know what you are, but you're not going to eat my family's crop, ya mangy varmint!" the orange pony cried. Frightfang had to admit that he was having a pretty hard time dodging the pony's onslaught of fruit and kicks. He had to get past her to get out of here. Maybe she didn't know that he was a Hellhound. I hope she's a sinner. I'll really enjoy eating her for all eternity! he thought in anger. At some point, the orange pony ran out of apples to throw. Seeing the opening, Frightfang lunged over her completely and ran out of the building at full speed. Everywhere he looked, there seemed to be nothing but rows and rows of the trees growing red and green fruit. It seemed to stretch on for miles and miles. Up ahead of him, a white barrier of some kind was in his sight. Frightfang jumped over the barrier and instinctively ran down a dirt path and didn't stop. Frightfang soon found himself near a large collection of mortal buildings with ponies milling about. He remembered his mom calling these things "towns". As he tried to stop, a pony suddenly appeared in his line of sight. Frightfang tried to stop, but he ended up colliding with the pony and spun with her on the ground until they stopped with him looking down at her. It was female from what he could smell. She had a bright pink mane, creamy yellow fur, a pair of feathery wings, and was looking at him with teal green eyes. Frightfang started to relax from looking into her eyes. He felt like he was... safe around her, somehow. It was like his mom was looking back at him. An ear-piercing scream broke his trance. "Help! A monster is attacking Fluttershy!" a mare screamed. More screams and running ponies filled Frightfang's vision. Some were trying to simply get away from him. Others were looking for anything they could use as a weapon. Out of the chaotic stampede of mortals came a coordinated and armed mob ready to attack him. One stallion threw a rock that hit Frightfang in the right foreleg, earning a sharp whimper. That was Frightfang's cue to leave. He got off the mare he was on top of and ran off in the opposite direction of the mob, which was the interior of the town. The further into the town he went, the more scared or angry ponies he saw. There were some flying ponies throwing stuff at him from the safety of the sky. Others were trying to throw or drop stuff on him through the windows. Damn these tight corners! I can't go full speed in this damn place!, he thought in fury. He ran to what he assumed was the center of the town, where a fountain and a tall important-looking building made of crystal stood as beacons. Frightfang got on top of the fountain and snarled and snapped at the approaching mob. "Looking to cause trouble in our town?!" a snarky and raspy voice called. Frightfang looked up to see a light blue flying pony with a rainbow-colored mane and tail smirking at him with gave him a magenta glare. She landed on the ground and took a stance of defiance and confidence. There was something about her that Frightfang found awfully familiar. It's like this pony is like this world's version of Blight!, he thought. Out of the mob, a few other females broke from the main mob and stood before Frightfang. Each one of them was holding the same stance as the rainbow-maned one. One he recognized as the orange fruit-grower who tried to hurt him when he first arrived in the mortal world. The other he didn't recognize at all. One was bright pink with a fluffy darker pink mane and tail. Another was an elegant pure white horned pony with curly dark purple coloration on her mane and tail. They were all glaring at Frightfang. Well, there's no way they're taking me down without a fight!, Frightfang thought with defiance. As soon as the ponies got ready to attack, the doors to the big crystal building opened up to reveal a sight that Frightfang never expected to see. It was the two mortals that had trespassed into the Underworld! The two of them didn't seem to notice Frightfang's presence yet. "What's going on here?!" the horned and winged one asked. "This vile beast tried to eat Fluttershy!" the rainbow-maned one asked. The two finally looked at Frightfang and their eyes went as wide as a Hellsnake's mouth. They started to whisper to each other in a way that Frightfang couldn't understand. After some more whispering, the two turned to him and started to charge their horns with magic. But before they could do anything, a soft yet authoritative voice spoke up. "Everyone please stop!!" the voice cried from above Frightfang. He looked up to see the flying pony he had crashed into earlier. She was facing the crowd and had her hooves held out to her sides as if to stop the mob. She landed gently next to him and gave him a kind smile. "This poor creature has done nothing wrong! All he did was crash into me!" she cried out to the mob. "Fluttershy! This varmint snuck into my barn and tried to eat my apples!" the orange one shouted. "What did you do in response, Applejack?" Fluttershy asked. "I threw apples at him, and he ran off," she replied. "Were any apples missing?" Fluttershy asked. "No. I chased him off before he could eat any", Applejack replied. "So you scared him into running off and in his confused state, he ran into me?" Fluttershy asked. The stupid fruit-lover lowered her ears. "Oh... I feel mighty foolish now." "Even when he crashed into me, he didn't do anything bad to me," Fluttershy said. The others were looking at Frightfang with softening faces and lowered weapons. Frightfang looked at Fluttershy with nothing but thanks in his eyes. The very pink one spoke up. "So what species is he Fluttershy? I've seen all kinds of dogs before, but I've never seen one like him before!" she asked. "I'm afraid I've never seen a creature like this before. Not even a magical one like him," Fluttershy replied. "This creature is called a 'Hellhound'. A creature from a place even worse than Tartarus. Hellhounds are creatures from the Underworld," the horned and winged pony explained. That response made the mob, save for Fluttershy back off a few steps. They were now only looking at Frightfang with nothing but pure terror. "How did a Hellhound get out of the Underworld?" the white horned pony asked. "Girls, I may know how a Hellhound managed to get to the mortal world," the horned-winged one replied. "But first, everyone must go home!" At that, the mob dispersed and went back to wherever they lived. Once they were gone, only the small bunch of mares were left with Frightfang. The one with the horn and wings gave them a serious look. "Girls come inside. I'll explain everything," she said. "Oh, and Fluttershy? Bring in the Hellhound." The others followed their apparent leader into the crystal building giving Frightfang a wide berth. Fluttershy looked at Frightfang with those big kind eyes of hers. "Come on, dear. It's okay. You'll be safe as long as you're with me," she assured him. Those few words immediately calmed Frightfang's nerves. He made his way off the fountain and stuck close to Fluttershy's side. She seemed to sense his unease and draped her wing over him. Her feathers were so soft and warm and smelled like a mother. They made a steady pace up the stairs to the big crystal building. I hope I can find a way back home, he thought to himself. But after finishing his thought, he looked up at the kind face of Fluttershy. But, I wouldn't mind staying with her until I do, he thought with a mental smile.