Slow shuffling footsteps tracked down the long hall from Luna's suite towards the throne room. Cadance rather glad noone was currently present, her solitude allowed her to deal with Luna's barbed words without distraction. She could articulate a half dozen reasons to dismiss the insults, all of them worthy and reasonable. But she didn't want to be reasonable right now. She wanted to employ concussive sleep aids to Luna until SHE felt better. But those terrible bloodshot eyes, the haggard frayed raggedness... Luna was suffering badly from the events of her return, suffering in ways that Celestia didn't seem to be.
With a sigh, the Archdemon turned down the narrow hall to the broad external balcony where in better times Celestia and Luna had met in affectionate accord to handle their celestial duties. In older, less grand times, Celestia had come here to do what Cadance was now going to do. She knew she could move the sun and moon, but her efforts were never pleasant. Yet there was none other to try nor to share the duty with her. And the day was wearing old. It was time to return the night and let Canterlot rest once more during its slow transformation.
She gazed up at the reddening sun, her horn lighting first demonic green, and then slowly shading into pink as she magically reached out to caress the burning orb. Teeth gritting as her fel-iron spike began to smoke faintly, the tip growing warmly red as the sun communicated its displeasure at her tainted touch. She acknowledged its reticence, but gently urged it along anyway. The stubborn, balky sphere slipping jerkily towards the horizon as her teeth clenched harder, more of her metallic horn heating from the pressure.
Twin trails of tears seeping down her cheeks as it finally slipped passed the horizon, spreading it's orange brilliance along the far horizon as she turned her attentions to the opposite direction, once more casting her touch out, searching for a paler sphere. Her horn giving a few pings as it began to cool, before heating again as she made contact with the moon. In her initial attempt she had rather feared the moon would drown her in ice and frost and shatter her heat brittle horn. This proved to not be the case, the moon was silent and impassive, it refused to even acknowledge her, forcing her to drag it passed the terminator of the eastern horizon before it would continue along its path. By the time she had managed to lift the bitter moon into sight, her horn was glowing like wrought iron in a furnace all the way to the base.
The archdemoness gave a soft sob as she broke the connection and folded into a miserable ball on the floor of the balcony. More sobs wracked her as she let vent to the sorrow and pain that assailed her. Until a thin stream of water began to dribble over her horn, sizzling lustily but beginning to slowly leech the incredible heat from the fel-iron. She gave a sobbing whimper and extended the steaming and spitting pike further out, letting more water be poured along its length from a bucket. The holder of which watched her with gentle, caring eyes as he manipulated it with teeth and hooves to soothe her discomfort. The first time Quiet Step had done this, Cadance had a bucket set by to dunk her horn in when she could finally stand. To have the Earth Pony pick it up and carefully cool her horn turned out to be much less painful than quenching the pike as she had planned.
He made no comment as he emptied the last few drops over her still lightly steaming horn before gently setting the bucket aside. A moment later and his velvet nose was rubbing against the base of the pike. A tender tongue beginning to lap against it. Cadance let out a soft whimper and leaned into the gentle loving caress.
How long she let herself wilt into that soothing touch she never remembered nor did Quiet Step say. He simply nestled to his mistress and gave her what pleasure he could, anything to make her feel better. Eventually she stirred and he let her up immediately. Slowly gaining her feet as she sighed and nuzzled into his mane softly. “Thank you my dear. I don’t know what I’d do without you.” He nickered softly in reply and smiled. “You’d have smitten another, Mistress.” He murmured softly, brushing his lips to her muzzle. “There are thousands to pick from after all, if you found a unicorn to your liking perhaps he could help shoulder this burden, instead of just hold you through its aftermath.”
Cadance snorted and wrapped a wing around the rascal. “Enough of that, pet. I could have thousands, it’s true. But it was a beautiful, talented earth pony that was stallion enough to satisfy me when I required. And your care and tenderness are all I require to shift the sun and moon.” She sighed again softly. “I think… I think I shall go see Aunt Celestia.” She bit her lower lip pensively. “Maybe she won’t k-kick me out.” She winced again at Luna’s scathing comments… ah well, the sting would fade in time.
“Shall I leave you to it?” Quiet Step asked, arching into the gentle caress of his mistresses wing. Cadance almost agreed before she gave a sly little grin. “Mmmmmh, no my darling. Come with me, but be silent. And we’ll see what Celestia makes of you.” His warm chuckle answered her feminine giggle. “As you command, Mistress.”
*****************
Celestia’s nose was firmly planted in a precious worn journal when the third knock finally managed to get through to her that she had a visitor. Her eyes blinking as she looked out to the brilliant moon in the star spangled sky.
Well… that would explain why the words were getting hard to read.
Narrowing her eyes she focussed, wary of doing too much, silently pleading that Rainbow’s boon with the suppressor was... enough... for… THIS! A soft snap echoed through the dim chamber as candles sprang to light in the sconces about the walls, Celestia smiling gently in accomplishment, something about having just this much control, made her feel civilized again, a much needed recentering for the Princess in her. Her telekinesis catching the door latch and slowly pulling it open. “Yes?”
The doorway was empty. Oh dear, had she ignored someone for too long while engrossed in her book? She really shouldn’t let herself get that wrapped up in things!
“A-auntie T-tia?” Cadance’s voice came from behind the doorframe, sounding very small and uncertain in a way that made Celestia’s ears perk in concern as the Archdemon peeked nervously around the door frame. “P-please d-don’t throwthingsatme!”
Celestia was frozen in place, unable to get her brain to accept what she was seeing. The Archdemon of Lust was… cowering outside her door? She blinked… okay.. that still worked. She did it again. Good, have control of the eyelids. Now if only she could get the rest to turn over properly. She took a slow breath, letting it out. Grand… now maybe the voice?
“Cadance… w-why do you think I’d throw things at you?” Yes, okay, vocal control restored. Goodness what odd things shock would do to your faculties.
Slowly, the archdemoness moved to sit in the doorway, fangs biting her lower lip pensively. “Luna’s having trouble sleeping, I tried to help, she didn’t take it well. She called m-me… well.. she called me hurtful things, and I’m not dealing with it as well as I-I probably should.” She wilted a little bit, tracing a circle on the floor before her with one hoof. “I-I was kind of hoping we could maybe talk for a bit, and… I could maybe g-get a hug.”
Celestia swallowed against a suddenly dry throat. These words, these actions… it was like being transported back in time. When a newly ascended Cadance was still finding her way, and needing so much support and guidance to do so. Support and guidance that Celestia had been more than happy to offer. Yet… her eyes narrowed slightly, could she trust this display of vulnerability.
Her eyes strayed back to the journal, a few scribbled passages coming to her mind.
‘Demonic perfidy is second nature, yet… often unconsciously done?’
‘The binding of a contract can focus demonic intent for good or ill.’
‘Treacherous natures aside, demons seem to respect honesty to an inordinate degree.’
All three concepts paired well with her own hard won knowledge of demonic nature, yet… she had never considered the study of demonic social interactions. When your intent was to put a halberd through a face, you didn’t exchange many pleasantries with it after all.
Well… alright then.
“Speak with me, Demon. Speak without ruse or guile…” The words of the summoning cant were bitter in her mouth, but she couldn’t think of any other method to achieve her goal. “For our time together, let us be honest with one another. I bear you no ill will and shall offer you no harm this night, in return I expect no harm be given, nor beguilement attempted. I offer conversation and one hug as terms.”
Cadance eyes widened, before the smoky orange of her eyes flashed with orange flame. When her lips parted, the voice that issued forth wasn’t the ‘lost filly’ of the passed moments. “I accept your terms, and pledge to abide by them this night.” The voice was deep, seductive, it was the true essence of Lust, before with a blink her eyes ceased glowing and Cadance gave her head a short shake, catching her breath in a soft hiss.
Celestia regarded her gently. “Do you know what I just did?”
Cadance eyed her steadily, eyes searching hers as she nodded silently.
“And do you know why?”
Cadance took a hesitant step into the room, lips pursed. “S-so you could trust me.” She replied in a flat voice. “Because you th-thought I might be trying to play you.”
Celestia nodded with a gentle smile. “Partly, yes. But also so you could trust that I wasn’t going to launch a book at you the moment you cleared the door frame. The contract was specific to my behaviour as well after all.” She gave a short huff of breath. “I regret that such a thing is needed, yet it gives us a way to be at ease at least, don’t you think?”
Cadance mirrored that gentle huff as she moved towards one of the chairs in the room. “I suppose so, it… well… I never expected a contract binding from you of all ponies.” The pink archdemon flopped gracelessly onto the soft cushions. “Is this how we’re going to be from now on? Will I be ‘Demon’ in the first breath of every conversation we have?” The mournful tone of her voice as she asked the question was at least trustworthy, the contract was specific after all.
“Don’t you want your hug?” Celestia asked, rather amazed at the teasing she could infuse into her tone now. “Please don’t be angry with me, grant me that I need a little sense of control, given what’s happened recently.”
Cadance waved a listless hoof, “I’ll collect it before I go… since it’s now payment.” She frowned softly, her eyes sad. “I understand Auntie. In your shoes I could think of little else that would let you relax your guard. It… hurts a little that you expect treachery from me first and foremost… I don’t think I’ve earned that.”
With a soft sigh Celestia rose from her chair, her chain rattling upon the tiles as she moved to sit before her niece. “Cadance, I’m chained to my bed, bereft of most of my magic, in a world that feels as if it rejects my presence from all sides. And I get no do-overs on making the right choices. Like it or not, you are one of my jailers, and while I am… trying to be understanding… It’s hard when one is caged.”
“It’s just until Twilight is better Auntie. She will be able to convince you to side with us. If I thought for a second that you’d stay in your bedroom if I asked nicely, I’d allow that option. Until Twilight recovers it’s the only way we can keep you from getting rebanished.”
“Re-rebanished? But Twilight destroyed the construct?!” The thought of that awful grasp, the slow, merciless tug pulling her apart, to scatter her back into the sun… she couldn’t help but swallow against the lump in her throat.
Cadance sighed and rolled onto her back. “They’ve tried twice Auntie. For you. And once for Luna. We warded the hell out of your rooms the instant we detected the magic. We might not be able to break the banishment ritual conventionally, but anti-magic wards at archdemon strength are keeping them from reacquiring you.” She offered the response with a breezy indifference that almost made the impact of the subject matter worse.
“Th-they can d-do that again?” Celestia grimaced at how small her voice had become. “N-no… h-how.. it’s ancient magic.. h-how could they.. where did they f-find duplicates?” No.. not again.. never again…
“Shhhh.” A soft hoof brushed her cheek, wiping a tear from it. “If nothing else Auntie. Whatever else you may think. Please believe me… we aren’t going to let them take you.” Celestia gave a soft whimper before being drawn into a gentle embrace. "Shhhh... no more time in the sun. Not ever." Those forelegs clutching her tight. "We won't allow it." Cadance hissed through clenched fangs. The sound fierce, possessive, and yet, oddly comforting.
Slowly she lifted her head, drawing a soft, shuddering breath. "Th-thank you Cad-mmmph!" Eyes widening in shock as she found herself being kissed forcefully by the archdemon. A deep, needful.. p-passionate coupling of mouth to mouth as she sat frozen in shock again.
G-goddesses her tongue w-was long!
She was just beginning to stiffen when Cadance's eyes flew open and she jerked back, a look of horror on her face. "I-I'm sorry! Sorrysorry.. oh p-please.. Auntie please believe me.. I didn't mean to.. I-I.. wasn't going..." She bit her lower lip hard and whined in deep distress as she recoiled from Celestia's rail stiff body. Hooves covering her eyes as she drew in a ragged breath. "I... I can't h-help it Auntie." She whispered hoarsely.
Celestia meanwhile had lifted a trembling hoof to her lips, eyes wide and staring. And if her cheeks got any pinker she might just light on fire for true. "I-it's.. it's your n-nature?" She whispered hoarsely. The pink former alicorn giving a short jerky nod, still hiding her face from her aunt's gaze. "I... d-don't get to just feel affection any more." She mumbled harshly. "Wh-when I look at you... nnnph.. I love you s-so much... y-you're irresistible. The things... I w-want us to do." She flinched as that slipped out, jerking tearful, worried eyes up to look at Celestia. "B-but not if y-you didn't w-want to! I w-would never try to f-force..." She groaned, flopping back onto the chair cushion and buried her head in her forelegs. "I've made a mess of things now."
“I… ahem… I didn’t th-think you were into m-mares.” Celestia blinked, having said the first thing that came to mind, only after the fact did she realize how stupid it sounded. Yet the distraught archdemon began to chuckle. The chuckle turning into an infectious little giggle that had Celestia’s lips twitching in seconds, before Cadance lifted her head to howl a Luna style cackle, beating the cushion before her with a hoof as she tried to catch her breath between peals of laughter.
“Oh… snrk… ooooh… heeeee… nnnngh, hahahahaha… hhhhph.. hnnngh... “ Wiping a fetlock to clear the tears from her eyes as she gasped raggedly for breath. “Y-you don’t get m-much more openminded th-than Lust, Auntie.” She broke into a snicker at the end, dissolving into laughter for a few moments more. “Hmmhmmmheeeee. I-if it can bring pleasure in s-some way, a-at some time.. then I cannot h-help but be a fan.” She slowly managed to haul herself back into a sitting position, still having the odd giggle fit now and then. “I s-suppose my orientation is best described as, Omnisexual?”
Celestia, still grinning a little embarrassedly, couldn’t help herself. “Stallions, mares, fish, pineapples?”
Cadance roared in laughter again, holding her barrel as the spasms became somewhat painful. Alternating between giggles and grunts as she tried to pull herself back into some semblance of control, more tears trickling down her cheeks. Struggling with not falling off her chair with her hysterical flailings.
And Celestia felt herself slowly relaxing, she couldn’t help herself. This was Cadance. This was her dearly missed niece. Regardless of the strange trappings and disturbing behaviours, she felt a swell of love for the Archdemon at that moment. Biting her lower lip as she struggled to figure out how to express it without experiencing t-that tongue a second time.
Cadance quieted, face becoming a little solemn for a moment, a soft smile spreading across her lips, before she blushed and looked away. “I.. uh… I can still feel that, Auntie. You don’t need to say anything.” Her forelegs curling around her barrel, hugging herself as she gave a soft sniffle. “Thank you.” She murmured softly.
**************************
Clink!
Celestia glared at her fourth cup of tea, sitting there so treacherously before her. It was not the contents of the cup that was rife with lies and betrayal. It was the manner in which it arrived!
After they had both recovered their poise somewhat, Cadance had suggested some tea to help them get back into the swing of things. No sooner had she mentioned it when clink! Her first cup had arrived. And barely a breath later, clink! a steaming cup was before the Solar Alicorn as well. A soft click of fine porcelain and the rest of the tea service paraphernalia was sitting on the low table between them save for the teapot itself. Cadance lifting the cream in her pink telekinesis. “Cream, Auntie?” The look in her eyes gleefully challenging. A puzzle was it? To figure out how she was doing this with seemingly no magic? Very well!
Now, with her latest refill steaming mockingly before her, Celestia was close to admitting she hadn’t the foggiest idea how Cadance was managing it. She had been using what magic she had to passively sense for spells or portals or illusions. She had scanned for teleportation residue and left over twisting of physical space if a portal tunnel was in use. Seeing Cadance smugly watching her through every step she thought through was maddening! She had watched Cadance’s cup like a hawk, yet between one eye blink and the next, it just vanished, and returned with a soft clink just as abruptly, full once more.
Celestia chewed on her lower lip a bit, eyes narrowed in thought. What was she missing?
“I see Rainbow still had Twilight’s journal for you. I’m glad.” Cadance spoke lightly, simply making conversation, and smugly distracting from the real task at hand!
“Mmmm, yes… it has been quite interesting. She focussed so much on behaviour patterns, much moreso than any other scholar and at closer range.” Celestia murmured in reply, eyes still locked on the table, trying to keep track of every piece of crockery at once.
“Fluttershy is making a survey of the near wilds, to give us a better idea of where the natural things sit nowadays.” Cadance murmured as she added sugar to her cup.
“That’s… interesting.. and I certainly wish her luck. But back to Twilight’s journal. I’ve barely scratched the surface, Twilight used a very odd cypher for it. Do you happen to know where the original key might be?” She glanced up at Cadance. clink! A plate of biscuits. Damn it!
“Applejack is working on trying to grow a fel-garden on the slopes outside of Canterlot. It’s being more challenging than we had hoped. We’re going to need the food badly I think.”
Celestia shook herself free of her preoccupation with their magical tea service puzzle to gaze across at her niece. “Cadance?” The Archdemon looked up, seemingly quite at ease. “Yes, Auntie?”
“Why are you changing the subject?” Celestia asked with narrowed eyes, “You mentioned Twilight’s journal, and now act like you do not wish to discuss it at all.”
Cadance blinked, seemingly confused for a moment before her eyes widened in realization. “Oh… oh… you’ve been talking about it.” She giggled softly and nodding excitedly. “Riiiiight, okay, now I get it. Ummm.. well… I can’t actually hear anything specific about the contents of the journal. None of us can, even Twilight. See, when Twi started writing it, she apparently didn’t want it falling into the wrong hooves in Tartarus. So well… you know Twilight, adequate isn’t enough.” Cadance shrugged and giggled softly. “She made the contents of the book Unreadable by demons, Unmentionable to demons, and Unknowable by anything with demonic blood in its veins. She’s such an insufferable bitch when it comes to security! As soon as any one of us crossed the threshold into actual demonhood instead of just demonic taint, we forgot all knowledge of the contents, and it looks like a book full of blank pages to us!”
Celestia just sat blinking for a moment, trying to assimilate the ramifications of this revelation. Each one of the effects Cadance mentioned was the product of an incredibly powerful spell array, hundreds of individual enchantments woven together to make the item in question secure in some fashion from a particular type of creature. In this case, denizens of Tartarus. To make an item all three at the same time was the work of years, the patient crafting and interlacing of three fully formed spell arrays, easily hundreds if not over a thousand individual spells… on a.. book?
“H-her journal is an Artifact?” She asked the question in a hushed voice, not knowing if Cadance could answer.
“Mmmhmmm, Twilight created an Artifact tome, layered harmonious enchantments so deep that demons can’t even find a niche to start undoing them. Our attempts just slid off any time we tried.” Cadance beamed at the plain insignificant looking volume on Celestia’s reading desk. “I can hope whatever's in there is useful, but it could be six thousand pages of how much Twilight likes eclairs and I’d not even be able to know.”
clink! A plate of eclairs.
A plate of bucking eclairs.
“Okay fine! I give! How in the name of Faust are you DOING that?!”
Cadance gave a little crow of victory, clapping her hooves together as she rocked back and forth in her chair. “We got her! We totally got you Auntie!” She laughed raucously. “Come on out and take a bow you sneaky little bastard!”
A soft cough, like that of a well trained servant prompting politely for attention….
And before her stood a simple commonplace earth pony. Tan coat and soft brown mane, only the very slight slitting of his eyes marking him as something more than what he initially seemed. “As you wish, mistress.” He gave a gentle bow towards Celestia. “Good evening to you, Celestia. I am Lady Cadance’s hoof servant (and personal sex toy!) Q-quiet Step. It’s a pleasure to (I mean it, god he’s hung!) Ahem! A pleasure to meet you!”
“I’m totally cool if you want to borrow him tonight, y’know. Just.. well, in case you need some… unf unf unf..”
“Cadance you will cease this instant!” Celestia shouted, her voice rising to her high octave in her distress, cheeks burning up as she cast a scandalized glare across the table at her cheekily grinning niece. Only to hear a soft chuckle from the earth pony in question, his cheeks quite red himself, though he seemed more amused by Cadance’s behaviour than put off by it. His tail swishing back and forth as he cast a fond, patiently adoring look upon his mistress.
“And I’d do it to, at her whim.” He murmured in her direction, eyes falling half closed, giving the archdemon the warmest bedroom eyes Celestia had ever seen. Celestia turning woodenly to look back at the mare in question, only to see the same teasing, smoldering gaze coming back the other way.
“Or we could both stay… share her?”
Oh Faust, they were talking about her.
“Mmmmmh, if we do, we should decide on who gets heads or tails.
This was NOT happening.
“Well, I’m sure we can have all kinds of fun, regardless which end we get.”
Oooookay.. no. nope… nuh uh…
“I was extolling your virtues a minute ago though. So maybe you should get tails just for truth in advertising.”
“Well, maybe we should let her have a say. She might prefer having a-”
“AND WE ARE DONE WITH THIS CONVERSATION!” Celestia flushed at the aggressive sound of her own voice as the two demons burst out laughing together.
“I’d prefer having the little magic demonstration explained better than more attention put on hypothetical sex practices at the moment.”
“Oooooh, did you hear that? We get to talk sex later!”
Celestia’s head thumped off the table with an aggravated rattle of chain and clinking of crockery as the two demons descended into mutual laughter all over again. Note to self, lust demons just feed off each other and you will completely lose control of the conversation… love, Celestia.
In the end, this was a fairly good way to end the evening. Quiet Step had taken pity upon her and politely taken himself off to handle a few things, enabling Celestia to get Cadance to calm down a bit. She’d finally asked shyly for her hug, and so she was now laying with Celestia on the bed, nestled back against Celestia’s barrel, wrapped in her soft wings. It was the only position in which she didn’t feel automatically obliged to attempt to make out with the Solar Alicorn.
Celestia let out a soft, contented, if tired sigh. This evening had been ridiculous in ways she hadn’t even known were possible… and yet.. her forelegs tightened gently around Cadance, and she felt the archdemon sigh happily from the warm clutch. This was indeed a nice way to wrap it up.
“Is this what you wanted Cadance?” She murmured softly in a dark pink ear.
“Mmmmhm! Thank you Auntie. It feels so nice, and I was so sore from moving the sun and moon. I don’t know how you handled that for so long. My stupid horn burns me when I have to do it.” Cadance had regressed many levels back from the smoldering sex pot that close association with Quiet Step had brought out in her, and was more fillyish in her attitude again. It was a strange behaviour, and yet Celestia appreciated having at least that much control over her seemingly labile moods. Yet… her offhanded comment finally made it into Celestia’s sleepy brain.
“You moved them?”
“Mmmhmmm, the sun spends the entire time chanting ‘Not Celestia Not Celestia’ and makes me do all the work. The Moon won’t even acknowledge my presence, and sags like a sack of potatoes until I get it over the horizon.” Cadance snorted softly. “I dunno if it’s me, or just them pouting because you’ve both been gone so long, or what.”
“C-can I look at your horn more closely?”
“Hmmmm? Sure, go ahead.. here.. lemme just…” She lifted a hoof to the base, a soft click unsealing the little silver shield around it, letting her telekinesis slip it off, leaving Celestia horrified at the sight. She lifted a hoof to gently brush Cadance’s mane back, to fully view the ragged puckered scarring surrounding the bitter spike that replaced her lost natural spire.
Biting back a soft mournful sob, she stiffened her resolve to look it over clinically. Fel-iron make, none too sophisticated. Most likely a base component for some larger construction repurposed for this. The surface was pitted and worn, the dull red-grey metal sullen in its refusal to take any sort of sheen from its use. “H-how did this happen?” She hissed in horror and pity.
Hearing Cadance’s terse explanation for the substitution only sickened her further. That it was the singular act that permitted her to slay Lust, saving her friends and inadvertently claiming the mantle for herself, only made their standing in regards to one another even more complex than before. Well, that would wait for now.
“How did you move the heavenly bodies with… this? Fel-iron channels demonic power easily enough… but harmony magic slides off it like ice on a griddle. There shouldn’t be any way for you to-” She fell silent, eyes wide as Cadance stiffened in her grasp with effort. The Archdemon gave a soft grunt, straining thereafter in silence. A wisp of smoke rising from the tip of her macabre horn, a soft, unpleasant sizzle following before a faint pink glow surrounded the tip, which began to heat as if returning to the forges of its creation. “You… mean… I… sh-shouldn’t… be able… t-to do… this?” The archdemon hissed, as with a pop, tiny pink hearts blossomed from the tip of her horn, swirling down around it before flitting out to brush Celestia’s cheek in passing.
Celestia was once more rooted in shock, her cheek warm and tingly. "That was love magic." She murmured softly. "You can still channel true harmonic love magic?"
"Ya-huh! Though it's super not easy as you may have noticed. My horn gets hot, and I have to use Love to move the sun and moon, so I'm a bit crispy before I'm done." Cadance explained cheerfully, waggling her horn to dispel the smoke rising from the tip. "I can't wait until you two can take over again, it really wears me out!"
Celestia stayed silent as she simply held Cadance closer, making the archdemon purrr quietly, and tried to assimilate everything she had learned tonight, and wished she could speak to Luna.