Stahl felt the fires burning his body, swirling around him. He screamed into the flames as they consumed him, the only sensation being pure agony. All he heard was the same cruel laughter surging around him, taunting him as he burned under its shadow. His pain suddenly intensified as the laughter stopped and a voice spoke.
“Stahl, I am Gorrog champion of Hell’s wrath, your death is impending but before you die know that I will use you to kill that beloved Princess of yours.” It took Stahl several moments to try to think as the pain overrode any attempt to think almost as if it was trying to become his sole focus.
“And to think that this is only a short taste of the torments that Hell can leverage.” Gorrog said.
Than he heard a roar and the pain ceased, his mind slowly became clear, yet he shuddered and convulsed in pain. He vision changed from a massive raging fire to the cobblestone ground of a Canterlot road.
He slowly raised his head and saw Princess Cadence staring down at him.
“Princess, I..” he stopped and shuddered and stopped and just stared into her eyes which had turned from grim determination to pity.
“Soldier, what happened to you, did you fight Gorrog?” she asked him her voice soft yet stern.
“No, only a black Hell Knight.” He managed the effort while he was physically capable of it was mentally exhaustive.
“That explains why he said his mark had been spread throughout the city. Twilight prepare the army to do a sweep in the region that Gorrog and his Black Hell Knights fought in. We need to halt this pestilence before this is repeated.” Twilight nodded but levitated Spike out the area his large wounds visible to everyone.
Stahl pushed himself up his body armor still in the same condition from the battle. It had scorch marks on it and many claw marks. His plates were slightly dented by the Hell Knights blows yet they weren’t constricting him or were imbedded in him like Commander Spike’s were. Compared to the piles of bodies around him he was considerable better off. He saw several missing faces or other body parts.
He hurried from the site passing several operating tents and doctors working in them on injured ponies all of them were severely maimed or burned. He later found out that this was where the worst cases were sent, many from the front gate where the demon hammer blow fell the hardest. His force had a much easier time fighting the smaller infiltrator force as it lacked the stronger demons to lead the assault. He walked alone towards the end of square and saw hundreds of soldiers milling around doing some sort of reconstruction.
He looked for his unit, but due to the massive number of ponies working on repairing the city from the battle, he couldn’t find it for several hours but when he did he was shocked. Only two hundred of the members of his company survived the assault. He later learned that similar if not worse results were suffered towards the gate, whole regiments butchered. The Diamond Dogs especially were hit hard, their larger more prominent figures coupled with their inferior intellect made them easier targets for the Cacodemons to fire upon.
His troubles did not stop there; the other companies in the regiment were trying to go after his supply of new recruits. They were saying since his company was still the largest thanks to the Diamond Dogs, that it didn’t need the new soldiers as badly. He was still growing accustomed to the new paperwork he had to do, thanks to his new position as company commander.
He was about to finish a form for the delivery for a team of armorers to repair his company’s armor when his vision flashed red. A voice sounded in the chaos, it was dark and yet feminine.
“Mortal, I hope you enjoyed your, taste of Hell Fire. Exquisite isn’t it how sloppy Gorrog can be when he places his mark on a mortal.”
“Who are you, you’re not Gorrog.’ His voice had false bravado in it and he was afraid of what was speaking in his head.
“NO, I am not that dolt, who can’t even control himself and lacks an understanding of Hell’s very nature. All he is an up jumped Hell Knight not worthy to lick my feet.”
He was confused, this was clearly a demon but he had never heard of one like this.
“But now on to the good part, you’re going to help me, Captain Stahl, I need you as you have a direct link to his mind. This might be painful.”
He suddenly felt like a spike was driven into his skull, tearing and twisting into his mind latching into his memories of being inside the demon’s mind. The burning sensation returned nowhere near as powerful as before though. Than a sudden chill fell over him as if his very soul quivered like a flame before a wind.
“Thank you, this will help me very much and don’t worry even if that hulking brute succeeds he won’t live past his victory. He will serve his purpose than I will kill him, can’t have loose ends can we now.”
The way the demon spoke, in such a patronizing tone as if was a pet and couldn’t understand him. He tried to get away from its presence, yet no matter where he fled to in his mind he couldn’t escape.
“Why do you need me, why not somepony else.” He was scared now desperate terror filling him. This was very different from Gorrog’s presence, while his was pain and blind terror; this was concentrated panic, targeting his deeper fears, the mounting sense that he was being watched.
“You my dear know too much now, far too much and I know that the moment that this link between us is severed you will go running off to that princess of yours and tell her about my plans. “ She was about to continue when a rush of burning rage exploded inside his head.
It pulled his mind out the other demons grasp and halted the effects that it was having on him. Shaking he stood up and looked around the room, waiting for a demon to leap at him from the shadows. When none did he relaxed and called for his lieutenants to keep track of everything that the black Hell Knight touched and follow them.
Stalwart Shield approached him at the officers mess informed him that Princess Twilight had called for him. So he went walking towards the castle, he noticed the larger number of security around it. He walked past them and head towards the west wing of the castle to where her audience chamber was. He was followed by ten soldiers of the princesses’ personal guard. They all carried swords and wore plate armor similar to what the Ft Shock Battalion wore but theirs was more ornate with a bit of gold inlay here and there. It was especially concentrated on their helmet, which had a more fashionable than functional plume on it. A visor shielded their eyes yet he had the suspicion that they were worried that he might have another demonic visit near them.
He walked into her small room, as she was still a princess merely by formality and Alicorn status and lack of lands prevented her from needing a larger room. She was sitting on a small throne clad in a suit of armor; it resembled a mixture of unicorn and pegasus armor. It had a wide silt for her wings too come out of, and a hole in her helmet for her horn to protrude from. It had to be of high quality since a princess wore it and, he saw the steel looking like it twisted and folded into shape. On her head was her Element of Harmony.
“Captain, you are here so that I can gain a better understanding of exactly how much of an effect the demons have had on you to make sure that, this infection is curable.”
“What do you mean infection?”
“In your head there is a five edged star, it glowed when you were possessed and is very similar to the one on Gorrog’s head. It was a full possession, he had full control over your body and if any other ponies out there have we need to find a way to stop him without the intervention of Princess Cadence, saving you was a larger drain on her than she expected.”
“What do you mean a larger drain than she expected.”
“She had to drive out a being that consisted of nothing but pure, unadulterated rage and hate. That kind of effort to drive him out drained her of quite a bit of her strength.”
“So… how will this begin?”
“I will have to probe your mind to try to find a trace of the magic that Gorrog used and attempt to find a counter to it.”
Her horn glowed and he felt the familiar feeling of another being in his mind. Yet this lacked the burning sensation and malice. Instead he felt a bit of tenderness and shortly she withdrew from his mind.
“That kind of pain must have been unbearable, I am impressed Captain but I couldn’t find any trace of demonic magic in your mind or body”
“So I take it I am dismissed?”
“No, I have to observe you for the next few days unless a more pressing matter arises, I also have to see if anyone with more experience with Gorrog can help me pin point how he possessed you the lack of a trace worries me greatly.”
She left the room and was flanked by the ten guards who had followed him down the hallway. He sat down and wondered why he was the one to be caught up all this. He was just an up jumped lieutenant, he continued on this train of thought until he heard the sound of hoof steps on stone as two ponies walked down the hall towards him. He stood up and readied himself to see whoever Twilight was bringing to see him. He was surprised to see Princess Luna walk thru the door her mane flowing in a none existent breeze. She too was in a suit of armor the only difference being size and that hers was bluish in tint.
“Captain, I will examine your mind to make sure that the demonic taint is gone.”
“So you don’t believe that Princess Cadence removed Gorrog’s magic from me.”
“I watched that demon preform a teleportation spell in the dungeons of this very castle, where there are extremely powerful spells to prevent that from happening, so I wouldn’t be surprised if he can still touch your mind.”
“How did he pull that off” he said his jaw dropping.
“He has shown himself to the most dangerous opponent Equestria has ever fought so I am not surprised he did, it took the combined efforts several regiments to even slow him down and only after he was heavily wounded did I dare engage him. Imagine what he could do to a single pony that he could infiltrate his mind.”
He knew that it had taken a lot of sacrifices to stop Gorrog but that many. His feeling of dread slowly deepened until he felt Luna’s presence inside his mind despite its nearly imperceptible appearance.
“I can’t find anything yet, wait what is this?” Her scream filled the air and she back pedaled away from him wrenching herself from his mind. Her eyes narrowed and her mind flung itself at him , he inwardly braced himself for it and expected her to tear his mind apart. He felt it slam into him directed at one set of memories he was just now seeing himself.
He saw fields of lava and felt the earth itself shake beneath his footsteps. Turning at what for him was an unnatural speed he saw a spider like creature charging him. His hand curled into a fist and he roared loud and guttural.
This was not his memory, he was in this Hell, and he was experiencing Gorrog’s memories.
He breathed heavily and rushed forward. Swinging his fist he caught the spider demon with a quick punch to the chest sending it sprawling conjuring a fireball he brought it down on the demon, blasting out some of the rock around it but doing very little damage to it. As he raised his arm for another blow something slammed into his back, it was sharp and painful. Turing he saw a large jagged rock protruded from his back. He was going to die the sense of fear rising over him until something deep inside him stirred, dark and full of rage. He felt strength surge through him rage pouring throughout his body giving him immense strength. Bring his fist down he smashed a rock face and picked up the largest piece of it. He turned and red light lite up his surroundings, he brought the boulder down upon the demon crushing it in one savage blow. He raised his hand and directed at the sky a swirling mass of clouds and something else and shot a column of fire into it.
Around him appeared Hell Knights, Imps, Maggots and other demons turning to them he roared with renewed strength and force.
“How did you get that memory Captain, he did mark you, for what I don’t know.