//------------------------------//
// Stewe Lind 
// Story: Crossroad/The Last Crusade 
// by the frank 
//------------------------------//

The night sky was covered with stars, and not a single cloud was blocking the moon. That didn't mean that the night wasn't scary, especially not for a lone filly. 
Sweetie Belle trotted as smooth as she could down the road. She decided not to think about what kind of scary creatures that were hiding in the bushes, and she definitely wasn't keeping her ears up for strange sounds from the woods.
Not at all.

She had been close to just heel turn and gallop back to Ponyville five times now, but she had persisted every time. She was no scared filly. She was going to do this. She was going to get to the crossroad.

She was going to get her cutie mark.
...

It was a year and a half ago this day that Apple Bloom got her cutie mark. Carpentry, as expected, and she almost instantly started a business in cabinetmaking. Sweetie and Scootaloo was happy for her, of course. Then Scootaloo got her mark just two weeks after. She had been working on yet another Rainbow Dash-fanfic, when she got the idea of an original character, changed the plot to a more thriller-ish one, and boom. She got a cutie mark as a novelist, and a best-seller as well. 

And since then, Scootaloo had written another two books, as successful as the first, and Apple Bloom had received an order to furnish both the new Grand Hôtel Ponyvillé and a nursery in the crystal palace. Both very honorary and very well-paid.

She was happy for her friends. She was. And she was doing ok, she had a small career. She was the lead singer of the Ponytones (now a sextet), she had been doing some background vocals for Sapphire Shores, and she had been doing the vocals for the Swedish Horse Mafias last single. 

BUT.

She still had no cutie mark, and she wasn't a success. Sweetie hated to admit that she was as shallow as her Sister could be at times, but there was no point in denying that she was jealous of her friends. She wanted money, she wanted fame, she wanted... recognition as the best singer in Equestria. 

...

She kept her eyes on the path. Since it was a clear moon light, she had no trouble orientating herself. She was glad that she didn't have to light her horn, because that would make her an easy target for all those scary creatures that not at all were hiding in the woods.
On the other hand, she was clearly visible in the moonlight as well…

She decided, scared or not, that she had to take a break and consult her map.

...

Itbegun on a pretty normal day, she had been helping her dragonfriend reshelving the library. It had been quite boring, and because the princess had been there, they couldn't take as many make-out breaks they wanted. So she had to do actual work. But, nothing bad that doesn't has some good in it. During the reshelving of the music section,  she had found a book about Trotbert Johnson, the legendary blues-guitarist. Sweetie Belle wasn't that into blues, and she had only heard briefly about this stallion, but she knew one thing.

He had sold his soul to a demon of Tartarus to become the best blues-guitarist ever.

She didn't have that thought right then, but she read the book, and slowly, the idea grew on her. If he could, why couldn't she do the same thing? She didn't tell Spike or the princess, but she borrowed the book and read it cover to cover. Nothing much about the details, he just went down to the crossroad where he met the demon. But she learned that he had been born in Ponyville... Then the crossroad couldn't be far away from home.

She searched for more books, this time in the dark magic section. She had to wait for another reshelving not to raise suspicion, and though Spike was a bit surprised,  he was more than happy for the company. It took another day of work, but she did find what she was looking for in a novelty book called "the Curious Guide To Witchcraft And Dark Magic". The book was mostly an example of the "look how stupid ponies where before"-genre, but it did have the story of the crossroad. It was simple.  Find the crossroad. Go there at midnight on a night of full moon. Place a sample of your own blood in the middle and wait. 

Now the question, how to find the crossroad. The help came, a bit surprisingly from Granny Smith. She had been visiting Apple Bloom, and decided to accompany her on a delivery to Hooveston. Just before they left, Granny had shouted to them "Take it easy when  yer get to tha crossroad! Remember poor Buck Johnson!"

"What was that all about?" She had asked Apple Bloom.

"Oh, just an old ponytale. Some stallion sold his soul to Tartarus to play the guitar. Sounds like horse talk to me, but Granny sure believes it."

Sweetie Belle found it hard to hide her excitement, and Apple Bloom had given her a curious eye. But she knew where the crossroad was, and showed her. It was a good one hour walk from Ponyville. She was so eager that she had to restrain herself not to abandon Bloom right there and then. But there was stuff to prepare, and she had to wait for a full moon. 

...

It took three moons, the first try was a failure because Spike awoke when she tried to sneak out. The second, she fell asleep herself. But this night, he was in Canterlot. Nopony knew she was here, and that way it should stay. Not far to go now. Ok, she wasn't keen of letting anypony know, but just at this moment, it would have been nice not to be alone, though... It was a bit scary in the woods.

"Hi there, mate! What's a filly your age doin' in these woods at this hour? Got lost?" She tilted her head a bit. "Hey, I know you! Sweetie Belle, innit?"

She had been scared out of her mane first, but she pretty soon recognized the voice, and she saw the shades before she saw the pony's face.

"V...vinyl Scratch?"

Anypony would have been surprised meeting... Well, anypony at all in the woods at this hour. Vinyl Scratch seemed more like they had met in the supermarket or something.

"The one and only! You know what, I heard you on the SHM single. Pretty good."

"...t-thanks"

Sweetie Belle, however, was very aware that they met in the woods in the middle of the night. And suddenly, so was Vinyl.

"Hey, by the way, what are you doing in these woods? And at this hour?"

Sweeties mind went blank. She couldn't come up with any good explanation for her being here, so out of pure desperation, she told the truth. But Vinyl's reaction was not anything she expected. 

"Wow! I didn't think ponies did those things nowadays. I'll walk with you, I'm going the same way, and you shouldn't be alone in the woods at this hour anyway."

At first, Sweetie was too shocked to say anything, and then she was grateful for the company, but she couldn't help the feeling that it was downright insanely strange to meet a star DJ in the forest in the middle of the night. They walked in silence for a while, Vinyl was humming something, but no words were spoken. When they reached the crossroad, Vinyl said "Well, here we are. You go first, I'm not in a hurry."

Sweetie couldn't hide her surprise. "You mean... Are...are you here for the same reason?"

Vinyl frowned, and with a bit of irritation in her voice, she answered.

"Well...sort of. It's more like... something that's demanded of me. I am not that eager to do it actually, but... I have to. It's necessary. "

With that, she sat down, and pulled an iPony from her saddlebags. She put her headphones on, and dozed off into her own world. She had another bag in her magical grip as well, but she kept it floating in the air.

Sweetie didn't know how to react. Why in the world would she be... And what was it in the... 

She decided not to think about that now. And besides, Vinyl's strange behaviour at least seemed to imply that this thing with the crossroad actually was working. That was, at least, something of a relief. So she walked to the middle of the crossroad. There, she used her magic to pierce her right hoof. She let some blood pour down,  and then she waited. 

At first, nothing happened for several minutes. She was about to ask Vinyl what was supposed to happen, when she saw a green mist evaporating from the ground. Then a low sound could be heard, it sounded like a scream from a soul in pain, loud like thunder and silent as a mouse at the same time. The mist started to spin around, faster and faster, as the sound got louder. Soon the road was lit up in a strange green light and the scream was as loud as if hundred ponies were screaming in her ear. She wanted to run, but she was nailed to the spot. She threw a glance on Vinyl. She was still sitting on the ground, muzzle in hoof, looking bored. 

Then, it all was over, and in the middle of the crossroad was a huge big white/grey blob, with seven limbs stretching out on the top. There was no visible eyes or mouth on the thing, and yet it spoke. It was a voice, but it was mixed with a sound of a roaring elephant and a sewer.

"WHO DARES TO DISTURB THE GREAT SHUB-NIGGURATH, THE GOAT WITH SEVEN HEADS?"

Sweetie decided that was he cue, and she spoke. "it... It's me."

Even without eyes, it felt like the demon entity was looking at her.

"OH. AND WHO MIGHT YOU BE THEN, MORTAL LITTLE PONY?"

"I am Sweetie Belle, daughter of Pearl." Sweetie Belle was not really sure what to say, the book was very vague on this, but it did mention that one's heritage was important. "  I want to be the best singer in Equestria ever."

"SO, SWEETIE BELLE, DAUGHTER OF PEARL, WHAT MAKES YOU THINK THAT THE GREAT SHUB-NIGGURATH WOULD GRANT YOUR WISH? I DO HAVE THE POWER, BUT WHAT CAN YOU GIVE ME, IN EXCHANGE?"

"I...I will give you my soul..."

"HMMM... YOU ARE INDEED EAGER... THIS IS INDEED SOMETHING YOU WANT DEEPLY." There was silence for a while, and then, so sudden that Sweetie Belle startled:"BUT ARE YOU READY, LITTLE PONY? YOUR SOUL AND BODY WILL ME MINE TIL THE END OF TIME. CONSIDER THIS: WHEN YOUR EXISTENCE IN THIS WORLD IS OVER, YOU WILL BE MINE, AND MINE ALONE TO...PLAY WITH"

This was it. The point of no return. Sweetie Belle steadied her voice, and answered.

"I am ready. I am willingly giving you my body and soul if you make me the greatest singer, and giving me a cutie mark."

"VERY WELL. BUT WORDS ARE CHEAP. SIGN THIS." 

A parchment appeared before Sweetie. The letters where in gold, and it was written as she had assumed it to be. "I am ready" she said. A quill appeared. Its tip was dripping red of Sweeties own blood. She used her magic to sign the paper. The parchment disappeared, and once again all was silence, except for Vinyl, who yawned.

Then, the green mist reappeared. This time, it came from Shub-Niggurath, and it felt more like a living thing this time. It sniffed its way through the air, then it got the scent of Sweetie. It made its way into her nostrils, and it felt like it was poking around inside of her. It was like she had ants crawling inside her. Then a red crystal came floating in the mist. To her dismay, it took the same route as the mist. It was sharp, and it hurt. Every sharp edge of the crystal pushed against her insides. It was extremely painful, and it felt heavenly, when it stopped moving and found its place in her throat. In the same movement, the mist withdrew, with a small blue light in its grasp. So, that was how the soul looked like, she thought.

"IT IS DONE. COME ON. TRY IT."

At first, it felt really scary, and she started to hum, really careful. Then a bit louder. Then, she sang. She sang with her lungs full power, in a perfect pitch. It was beautiful, it was divine and it was the best singing she ever heard.  And a cutie mark, the three-line F appeared on her flank. She was happy. This was the best thing ever. Who gave a rut about consequences, she had HER CUTIE MARK!

"JUST REMEMBER, NO RETURNS, NO REGRETS. WE WILL MEET AGAIN, NEVER FORGET THAT. YOU'RE MINE. AND NOW BLUE HAIRED ONE, IT'S YOUR TURN."

The entity turned its attention towards Vinyl, who stood up, but still looked annoyed. " HOW DARE YOU, HOW DARE YOU COME TO SEE THE GREAT SHUB-NIGGURATH? HOW DARE YOU, WHO HAS AWOKEN HER WRATH SO MANY TIMES, TO COME BACK IN FRONT OF ME?"
The road was lit up by red and green flames, who danced around Vinyl. Sweetie tried to scream, but no sound came out. How ever, Vinyl looked as bored as ever, and she just raised her left hoof. At an instant, the flames were out.

"Show-off."

"ALWAYS THE COCKY ONE, AREN'T YOU, VICENZA? I GUESS YOU'RE NOT HERE TO ASK ME HOW I AM."

"No."

The roar of shrieking ponies came back, and it felt like the whole forest was spinning. However, Vinyl just raised her hoof one more time, and all was still and silent again.

"Shub, this is getting old. And I don't have all night."

"SO, THAT'S THE WAY YOU TREAT ME, HUH? ONLY WHEN IT SUITS HER HIGHNESS SHE COMES TO VISIT. ONLY WHEN SHE WANTS SOMETHING. IS THAT ALL I AM TO YOU?"

"Ok, ok... If it makes you shut up... Hi mom. How are you?"

Mom? Sweetie could do nothing but stare with her jaw down her knees.

"NOW WAS THAT SO HARD? I AM WELL, THANK YOU. TARTARUS IS A BIT LONELY WITHOUT MY LITTLE GIRL. CAN'T YOU COME TO VISIT? WE WILL HAVE A BLOOD FEAST NEXT MONTH. YOU CAN BRING YOUR WIFE TOO."

VInyl frowned. "Yeah yeah... We'll come. But no asking about grandkids, ok?"


"OK, I PROMISE. SO, WHAT CAN I DO FOR MY PRECIOUS LITTLE DEMON?"

"I need everypony to forget about a DI Buckem. Octy had some problems with him, and we don't want any more problems with any of his colleagues either. They don't have to die this time, though. "

"HMPF. WELL, IT WILL BE DONE. AFTER TONIGHT, NOPONY WILL EVER REMEMBER HIS NAME. IN RETURN...DO YOU...HAVE SOMETHING FOR ME?"

"Ah, so you saw the bag. Of course mom, I don't visit without presents." She levitated the bag over to the entity, who took it in its green magical grasp. Something inside was moving, and screaming.

"AH...AND FRESH FROM THE WOMB I SEE..."

"Still bloody, just the way you want them"

"CAN'T YOU STAY? I CAN MAKE ESPRESSO."

"Mom..."

"OK, OK. JUST GIVE YOUR MOTHER A KISS BEFORE YOU LEAVE.  AND PLEASE, TAKE OF THAT STUPID SHAPE JUST ONCE, SO I CAN SEE MY GIRL AS I REMEMBER HER."

Vinyl sighed, and in a flash, another creature stood in her place. It was three times as big as Vinyl, with three huge, twisted horns. It had seven pitch black eyes, one under each horn,  and two on each side of the skull. The fur was ragged and long, and when it opened its mouth, the face split into six parts, and the edges were filled with sharp teeth. It burrowed the teeth in the flesh of the entity, so deep that a black goo started to pour out. Then it released, and in another flash, Vinyl was standing there again, looking annoyed.

"GOOD BYE DARLING. AND GOOD RIDDANCE, MORTAL. ENJOY YOUR EXISTENCE, UNTIL WE MEET AGAIN. "

"Yeah, yeah...by mom."

In an instant, the crossroad was empty. Vinyl started to trot back, while Sweetie was still nailed to the ground.

"Hey, Sweetie Belle" Vinyl shouted at her. That broke the spell, and she galloped over to her.
"That's really a cool voice you got there. Wanna sing on my next single? It's going to be a smash, I tell you."

Wow. An offer to work with DJ PON-3. Yesterday, she would have jumped at those prospects, now... It felt a bit...empty. Sweetie just nodded, and they trotted along in silence, but suddenly Vinyl stopped. She turned her head to Sweetie. 

"Oh, one thing though. If you tell anypony, and I mean ANYPONY about what you just saw, I'm going to ask mom to get you as my personal toy for the next 10000 years, capish?"

Vinyl had lowered her glasses and Sweetie was looking right into a pair of eyes burning red. There were no pupils,  just a deep red well, like a hole straight to Tartarus. She gulped, and nodded.

"Good" Vinyl said, and put her shades back on. "Come to Canterlot tomorrow,  Brooklands Road 54, twelve o'clock. We have a lot of business to talk about.
Sweetie trotted on, next to Vinyl. She tried to be calm on the surface, but on her inside burned and screamed the question that would follow her day and night her whole life, that no collaboration with DJ PON-3, no screaming audience and no heavy drug abuse could ever silence.

"WHAT THE BUCK HAVE I DONE?"