Demonic Dues

by Seamserb

Chapter 5 - Shy Of Sights

Twilight sits on the grass, looking out at the landscape ahead of her. Applejack sits some ways away, diligently scanning the nearby vicinity.

The two have taken periodic breaks in their travels every now and then, mainly for Twilight's sake.

Looking out upon from where she sits, Twilight sees a large and lush plateau stretch out as far as the eye can see, its green shine contrasting well against the bloody sky. A river or two stretches out across the horizon.

The sight is breath-taking. Although to be fair, anything probably would be breath-taking when all you’ve known is the inside of a settlement.

“I’ve read about geography like this, but I’ve never seen it in-person. I never imagined it would be so… amazing.” The unicorn says, still peering out.

Applejack slightly tilts her head over. “You’ never left the Monastery before?” She inquires.

Twilight shakes her head. “Nope. Until you brought me out, that’s all I ever knew.”

The Hunter waves a hoof. “You probably just don't remember.” She says, a bit dismissively.

“Come again?”

“Most ponies who live in Monasteries weren’t actually born there. Most of their inhabitants actually travel there from other Monasteries or Citadels, usually bein’ families with babies or infants. Orphans are sent a lot, as well.” Applejack explains.

Twilight thinks. Guess that explains Abbot Firelight and Starlight being related. He could've brought her when she was a filly.

“What’s the point of them doing that, though?” Twilight inquires.

“Something about bein’ easier to teach ponies or whatever when they’re young and don’t remember the outside all that much.”

“I remember my parents, though.”

“If you remember your parents, but not anywhere outside of the Monastery, then they were likely in there with you. Do you know if they died or not?”

Kind of a blunt question.

“Uh… no. I don’t think so?” Twilight responds, taken aback a bit.

“Well, there you go. They probably lived with you for a few years and then went somewhere else.”

Twilight has a strange feeling. She’s never really minded not having her parents in her life, since the thought never really came up often. But now that Applejack brings them up…

“How can I know what happened to them?” The unicorn asks, perking up a little.

Applejack glances over a bit more, noticing the change in tone.

“No idea. Best case scenario is, well besides them being alive, of course, is that they live at Citadel Raven and you lot' can have a nice reunion when we get there. If not that, then maybe we could scrounge through a few records, if we have time.”

That answer seems to tide over Twilight for now.

Granted, there's nothing else she could do about the matter until they get to the Citadel, anyways.

The unicorn looks back at the plateau. It's quite a bit different from the terrain back at the Monastery outskirts, being much more lively and forested.

“Are we still in the Crest of Light?” Twilight asks.

Applejack quickly shakes her head.

“Noooo. About twenty minutes of straight travel away from Monastery Light takes ya’ out of it. We've been in the Badlands for quite some time now.” She explains.

“Really?"

Twilight peers out at the lively terrain. "Doesn't look like a Badlands to me.”

Applejack sneers.

“Badlands aren't literal badlands. Just because one has some plants, dont mean it ain't one. In fact, I reckon that a lush badlands might be more ominous than a barren one.”

She clicks her tongue.

“One of the most important things to do as a Demon Hunter is to never take somethin' at face value. Anything and everything can hold more than meets the eye.” Applejack adds.

The Hunter looks up towards the sun, nearly beginning to set.

“We should probably get goin’. Don't wanna be out here when it turns night.” Applejack says.

Twilight can relate for obvious reasons, but still looks a bit confused.

“I thought you were fine being out at night, like at the Monastery Light outskirts?”

Applejack looks straight at her. “That was because I had a rough idea of what we were up’ against. Out here, anythin’ can happen. Now let's move.” She says, beginning to walk off, with Twilight quickly following.

---

As the two continue their travels, they occasionally see other groups of ponies going in their own directions.

Applejack steers clear of the strangers, never getting close enough to even feasibly hold a conversation, yet still keeps an eye on them as closely as possible.

Twilight frowns, noticing the extreme vigilance.

“What's the problem? Are they outlaws?” The unicorn inquires.

“Nah. But they ain't with the Order, either.”

“What's wrong if they're not outlaws?”

Applejack looks at her, the earthen still walking.

“Just because they aren't outlaws’ doesn't mean they aren't trouble. The fact that they ain't with the Order is a problem in-of-itself.”

“How come? Surely if they just keep to themselves and don't cause an any trouble they should be okay, right?"

Applejack scoffs. “That's exactly the problem. They keep to themselves. They actively refuse to join The Order, and thus don't have our protection from threats, or knowledge about em'. Most of them are little more than prime targets for any Demon incursion.” The Hunter elaborates.

She stares off into the distance.

“I once saw a village that was entirely infested by Demons. Nearly every family had one disguised among them… sometimes it was the filly. Sometimes' the mother. And the worst part is… nopony knew. They weren't simply oblivious. Something… warped their minds to not know what was really goin’ on.”

Twilight shivers at such a horrid thought. “What happened to them?”

Applejack glances at the unicorn, her eyes somewhat sullen.

“Purged. A few of the pony survivors got recruited to The Order after vigorous purification. Not every pony was willing to be removed from their “family”, though…”

She looks back into the distance, silently.

Twilight quickly decides to try and change the subject.

“Uh. Okay. Besides some horrible incidents like that, does that really mean you need to watch any non-order pony like a hawk?” The unicorn asks.

The Hunter looks back at her, a bit more relaxed now.

“I don't like to be taken off-guard. Especially not when I have you in tow. It's not even a personal thing, I do the same even to other Order members. And if I do it to them, I'll do it to the non-order ponies, too.”

Twilight puts a hoof to her chin.

“Hm. If there was a non-Order pony in danger, would you protect them?” She asks.

Applejack tilts her head down for s second or two, thinking.

“Is said ‘danger' Demon related?”

Twilight looks a bit confused. “Does that matter?”

“It does.” Applejack responds, bluntly. “I'm only obligated to help ponies if they're at threat from a Demon, or a Demons presence is actively harming a situation.”

Twilight looks shocked. “So you would just stand by and let a pony be hurt, just because they weren't apart of The Order?” She exclaims.

Applejack quickly raises a hoof.

“For one, this isn't even a ‘non-Order’ thing. Order citizens are subject to the same precedent, too. Secondly, I'm a Demon Hunter. Not a Pony Hunter. Vanguards and Knights exist to deal with situations like that.”

She looks forward. “Saving a pony from being mugged is an entirely different realm than exorcizing a Demon which gets stronger from eating ponies.”

The Hunter glances back to Twilight, squinting a little. “Like you-know-who.”

Twilight still remembers looking straight into the Devourers maw. She shakes her head.

“Okay. How about this. Would you rather save a hundred ponies from a mundane threat, or one from a Demon?

“What kind of question is this?!” Applejack says, a bit frustrated. “There's no reason to ask a question about something that will never happen.” She states.

“I'm just curious!” Twilight says, lifting her hooves defensively.

Applejack face-hooves.

“Look. This isn't some morality or righteousness thing. Demon Hunters are meant to deal with DEMONS. That's what we are trained and geared to do. I probably wouldn't just stand still and allow an easily preventable death to occur, but I'm just saying that I'm not obligated to step in, nor would I want to step into a very high risk situation without a single Demon involved.”

The Hunter exhales.

“If I was going to sacrifice my life to save another's, it damn well better have been against a Demon.” She coldly says.

Twilight blinks a few times, clearly surprised at where that question went, but also somewhat content with it.

At least Applejack doesn't seem entirely heartless.

As they two continue travelling, they eventually come into a break in the forest, now transitioning into rolling hills that stretch as far as the eye can see. Various cottages, shacks, and other buildings are spread all over the fields, which Applejack makes sure to avoid by a safe distance.

However, at one point she suddenly stops.

Twilight, not paying attention, smacks straight into the backside of the Hunter, feeling like she walked straight into a wall.

The unicorn rubs her face.

“Owch…" She pokes her head around Applejack. "What is it?” She asks.

“I feel… something.”

“You mean me walking into your hind?”

The Hunter quickly looks back, a bit surprised.

“What? No— I mean I feel something in the air.”

“What do you mean ‘feel’.”

“It's hard to explain. Sort of like a hunch that just tells me that something isn't right. It's very sudden.” Applejack explains.

“No offense, but that sounds a bit crazy.” Twilight plainly states.

“Every Demon Hunter is a little crazy. And if they aren't yet, then they eventually will be. Now, follow me.”

The Hunter begins to run towards one building in the distance, Twilight quickly following.

The duo come across what appears to be a large ruined warehouse. Twilight can see the word “BOTTOMLINE” on one side. There appears to be more words below it, but they're deteriorated to the point of being unrecognizable.

“Is this a Bottomline Industries facility?” Twilight asks, looking at the giant wall.

“It probably was one. But it doesn't look like it's being used by em' anymore...” Applejack responds, approaching the building with some caution.

She finds a hole in one part of the wall, smashing it open further to allow access. She gestures for Twilight to follow.

The two creep through some sort of ruined and dark hallway, the only illumination coming from sunlight through holes in the ceiling.

Applejack quickly raises a hoof, signaling Twilight to stop. She peeks through a nearby broken wall, seeing the direct room over. It looks like some sort of storage chamber, however has been turned into a very decorated and ornate... something room. Candles, red markings, and various glyphs adorn the walls and floor.

The two can see and hear various robed figures within the chamber.

“Are you sure it's ready?”

“Of course I’m sure! We got everything we need.”

“Man. After we summon this guy, Cyzer is gonna reward us for sure!”

Applejack furrows her brow and squints her eyes. She puts a hoof on her sword.

“What’s going on?” Twilight whispers.

“Demon summoning.” Applejack responds dryly, without turning away.

The cultists begin to take positions around the room, as a central one pulls out a tome and begins to chant.

A horizontal portal appears from above, slowly beginning to take shape. Twilights’ eyes widen as the portal continues to get larger and larger, eventually almost taking up the entire ceiling.

“What are they trying to bring in?” Twilight hurriedly whispers.

“I don’t know. But a portal that big can’t be anythin’ good.” Applejack says back.

“Can you stop it???”

“Yes, but interrupting a summoning can be disastrous. I’d rather deal with whatever comes out, even if we need to flee for now.” Applejack explains.

“Belios! Heed our call!” The cultist with the tome exclaims.

As the portal solidifies further, Applejack grabs ahold of Twilight in case they need to make a quick exit, still intently watching the process.

The portal erupts into a red plume, a figure dropping onto the ground below.

The cultists look ecstatic, a few even hollering. But when they look around, they don’t see the giant hulking Demon they were expecting.

“...what?” One of them asks.

Once the dust settles, the figure is revealed.

A Demon lies on the floor, curled up like a cat.

It picks its head up, looking around while being a bit shaken.

They look vaguely pony-like, with similar proportions, a mane, and even some wings. But they’re unnaturally lanky, tall, and have the hallmark sharp teeth, red eyes, and pointed ears. Their pink mane is frazzled somewhat.

It slowly but steadily gets to its hooves, straightening itself out, blinking a few times at the cultists.

“H-hello?” It asks in a light voice.

All the cultists look completely shocked, as does Twilight. Even Applejack looks with some surprise, slowly letting go of her grasp on the unicorn.

“What the hell is this?!” The lead cultist with the tome yells, making the Demon flinching away somewhat.

“Boss, is this… the Demon?” one cultist asks.

The lead cultist snaps at his face. “No this is not ‘the demon’, it was supposed to be a Balrog! I don’t even know what this… thing is! It’s like a... tall Imp!” He yells.

“Maybe we did the ritual wrong?” One chips in.

“I followed it to the letter! Bottomline Red 40 ™ Paint, a pack of Bottomline 200 Piece' Candles ™, and the blood of virgins — thank you guys for your contributions on that last one — but still! Grah!” He yells.

As the group argues, Applejack gestures for Twilight to follow. The two find a ladder to a higher level, eventually crawling into the ceiling. Maybe they can get some worthwhile information.

“Maybe the ritual was just a phony?” A different cultist asks.

“You know, I thought a Balrog summoning spell for only 50000 bits seemed a bit low.” Another says.

“Only 50000 bits?! I had to take out a mortgage' to afford this!” The lead cultist yells.

He puts his hooves to his face, wiping them down with a heavy sigh.

“Okay. Okay! We can make this work. Any Demon is better than no Demon, right?” He says, the other cultists nod and murmur.

He quickly hooves at the Demon. “You! What do you do?” He asks.

The Demon looks back, a bit blankly. “U-uhm… sleep?”

The lead cultist looks like he has to do a double-take, even rubbing his eyes like they’re glass.

“What do you mean ‘sleep’?! Don’t you do something like breathe fire???”

“Am I supposed to..?” The Demon asks, looking down at her own muzzle.

Applejack continues crawling through the ceiling, with Twilight following. However, the unicorn suddenly feels a depressment in the boards below her, making her eyes widen.

The motion makes an audible crack, making both Applejack and the cultists look towards the noise.

“Shit!” Applejack whispers. The Hunter quickly tries to reach out to the unicorn, but the boards give out below Twilight. She screams as she falls through, smacking onto a very conveniently placed mattress.

Twilight is a bit dazed, although regains herself enough to notice quite a few mystery stains on the mattress, making her quickly scamper off and pat herself down.

It takes her only a second or two to realize all the cultists are now staring straight at her, along with the Demon.

Twilight's heart skips a beat, stammering for words.

She needs to say something. Anything!

“Ah-uhm… good… job! I am… an inspector from… the cult! And I’m here to say you guys did a great job at summoning such a…. terrifying Demon!” She sputters out.

Applejack face-hooves.

The cultists look a bit confused, as does the Demon, who even tilts her head.

“Okay, well I need to head out right now, but see you boys back at… the cult base!” Twilight says.

A cultist quickly blocks her exit, making her step back.

“Seize her.” The lead cultist plainly says.

Multiple cultists descend on her, quickly tossing her on the ground, and surrounding her from all angles. A few even brandish jagged blades.

The lead cultist gets straight into her face, staring her down. Twilight leans back as far as she can manage, but he just leans closer.

“Aight, girl. Who are you and why are you here? Who do you work for?” He inquires.

“Ebony Guild? One cultist asks.

“Un-Axis?” Another questions.

“The Order..?” The lead cultist questions, quickly pointing a dagger of his own straight at her throat. Twilight gulps.

“I-Im just… a s-scavenger. I was j-just passing through…” Twilight lies. Thankfully, her fear makes the lie seem real.

The cultists share a few glances.

“Bah. Cyzer doesn’t care about lowly bottomfeeders. We won’t get anythin' for taking her back.” The lead cultist says, walking away a bit.

A devilish smirk cracks over his dirty face.

“Let’s take this opportunity to see what our Demon can do, though…”

He hooves at Twilight. “Bring her to it.”

Two cultists quickly seize the unicorn and drag her only a few feet away from the Demon, tossing her near it. Twilight quickly tries to scamper away, but the cultists block her path.

“Demon! Kill her!” The lead cultist barks. Twilight feels pure terror.

“That would be mean, though…” The Demon says, looking sadly at the lead cultist.

He looks utterly flabbergasted, simply staring both the Demon and Twilight. “Did you just say—”

Suddenly, Twilight's horn glows extremely bright. She casts Illuminate with as much power as she can, straight into the lead cultists face.

"aGHHHHHHH!!!" He screams, blinded by the light, and covering his face with a hoof.

His bloodshot eyes snap open, facing the unicorn. "YOU LITTLE—"

CRASH

Applejack bursts through the ceiling, landing atop of and smashing a nearby cultist to the ground. She quickly hooves at the Demon.

“MOVE!” She roars.

Twilight scampers away as fast as she can, barely evading a jet of fire coming her way. The stream immediately envelops the Demon, completely destroying it.

After some brief shock, the cultists regain their bearings.

“DEMON HUNTER!” The lead cultists yells, hoofing at Applejack. “KILL THEM!”

The cultists draw their weapons, but Applejack is already upon them. Bucking and punching, she easily dispatches most of them within seconds.

A particularly unlucky one gets thrown straight into a wall, breaking through it and having half of his body dangle outwards. Notably, she isn’t using her sword.

The lead cultist, now alone, grits his teeth. His horn glows, but Applejack closes the gap in seconds.

His strained eyes widen as she tackles him to the ground, proceeding to pummel his face until he stops moving. When she’s done, his face looks more akin to a whoopie cushion than a pony.

Twilight breathes heavily, barely escaping all of that unharmed.

“Are you hurt? Applejack asks.

The unicorn gulps and quickly shakes her head. “N-no. Are you?” She replies.

Applejack looks back at the finely tenderized lead cultist, slightly shaking off her hoof.

“No.” She deftly says.

The Hunter quickly begins to gather the unconscious bodies of the cultists into one small area, before tying them up using ropes and various fixtures around the room.

"Are you... going to kill them?" Twilight asks with a mixture of fear and confusion.

Applejack shakes her head. "As much as I'd want to, protocol is to never kill another pony — even cultists or known criminals, — unless there's no other way to de-escalate the situation. I’m gonna' call for a squad of Knights to pick up these jokers, eventually. Hopefully they won’t be able to worm their way out until then.”

Twilight sees Applejack mess with her tablet a bit, her hoof interacting with some kind of magical display.

“I normally don’t bother doin’ this, but considering these guys were able to summon a Demon, they’re probably a cut or two above the average cultist. Hopefully we can get some info out of em’ back at the Citadel, too.”

Twilight glances towards the burn marks at where the Demon previously was standing. "Do you recognize what type of Demon that was? It looked sort of strange..."

“Don’t know. One of them said it looked like an Imp, which is as close as I could guess too. Certainly seemed to be as weak as one.” She says, also looking at the Demon no longer existing.

Twilight frowns a little. “Did that Demon seem… I don't know, off to you?”

“It’s a Demon. Of course it’s ‘off’.” Applejack bluntly responds.

“I mean like, it just didn’t appear very… threatening? When they asked it what it ‘did’, it just said ‘sleep’. And when they told it to attack me, it said it didn’t want to because that would be ‘mean’. Also, it looked a lot like a pony—”

Applejack suddenly turns over, looking at the unicorn with some focused intensity. She puts a hoof on her shoulder. Twilight quickly stops talking, simply staring at the hoof and then back to Applejack with some minor confusion.

“There is no such thing as a good Demon.” Applejack simply states.

“I didn’t say—”

“You didn’t say it. Maybe you didn’t even think about it, yet. But it was somewhere in the back of your mind.”

The Hunter turns away.

“It’s a question that most, if not every Demon Hunter has in their life. There are no ‘good’ Demons. Simply ones pretending, or tryin' to get you to lower your guard. Don’t mistake weakness or fear for kindness, either.” She elaborates.

Twilight frowns, knowing she probably would have gotten to asking that at one point or another.

Applejack gestures with her head, as she begins to walk away.

As Twilight goes to follow, she hears a small skitter behind her, somewhere.

She turns around, seeing nothing except an empty chamber.

The unicorn quickly goes to catch up with Applejack.

---

It’s the evening. The two have made relatively good progress on their way to the Citadel, being more than halfway there. At their current rate, it’ll probably be night by the time they reach it, but the closer they get, the safer their surroundings become, in theory.

They take another rest, sitting in a small forest clearing.

Applejack, a bit more relaxed than before, proceeds to tap at the same tablet from before.

Intrigue begins to gnaw at Twilight, who slowly but surely approaches the Hunter. The earthen easily notices her approach, glancing upwards a little.

“May I know what that is?” Twilight asks, a bit nervously.

Applejack clicks her tongue.

“Officially, this is called a Magi-Resonated Network Slate. But nopony bothers calling it that, so I just say ‘panel’. It’s a very nice tool to let us do stuff like catalog incidents and sightings, make warnings about specific locations, share crucial info, and all that jazz.” The Hunter explains.

“Can I see?” The unicorn asks, now very intrigued.

The Hunter grimaces somewhat. “Welllll… we’re not really supposed to show non-Hunters…” She thinks for a moment. “Don’t tell anypony I let ya'.”

Twilight swipes a hoof over her mouth, like a zipper.

Applejack gestures for Twilight to come over, before tilting her panel at an angle to allow both of them to see.

The moment the unicorn does so, she immediately gets something akin to a head-ache.

Looking at the panel feels… off. She’s seen magical interfaces before, but this one is different.

It appears to be a map, but it’s almost like the area she’s able to see is much larger than what could feasibly fit onto the physical dimensions of the panel, as if it's directly beaming a mental image into her head.

“Guh…” she says, rocking slightly.

“Yeah. First time lookin’ at one of these is strange for most.” Applejack assures.

Eventually, her view stabilizes enough to start actually seeing things clearly, she can start to make out some words and shapes.

She sees a wide view of the entire immediate region, with labels here and there. Firelight Monastery lies within the Crest of Hope, which itself is a part of a larger collection of regions and Badlands. Citadel Raven is relatively close to their current position on the map.

All over the place are various markings and symbols which Twilight doesn’t recognize, but she sees one at roughly the same location as the encounter from last night. It looks like a skull with an X through it.

“Is that symbol near the Firelight Outskirts about the Devourer?” She asks.

Applejack nods. “Ayup.”

Twilight unintentionally manages to enlarge the symbol, now showing a profile of the incident. There’s a low-quality capture of the Devourer's face, along with a brief description about the specific event and the Devourer itself.

“Devourers are a type of Middling Demon, characterized by its intense drive for Anima—”

Applejack quickly snatches away the panel, severing Twilights connection instantly.

The unicorn blinks a few times, re-adjusting back to normal sight.

“We’ll have to wait until you become a full Demon Hunter to start actually seein’ that kinda stuff.” Applejack explains.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to do that.” She thinks for a moment. “That did remind me, though. Can you explain what Anima is? I remember the Devourer saying how you had more than me, or something like that?”

Applejack takes a deep breath.

“What?” The unicorn asks.

“It’s just a lot.”

The Hunter rubs her face a little, shifting her sitting position.

“Okay. So. Anima is a sort of life energy that every animate thing has. Not just things that are alive or even just organic, stuff like Golems and Undead have Anima just like we do. If you take out all the Anima from something organic, it dies. Take out all the energy from something inorganic yet animate, and it stops being animate. Understand so far?”

Twilight nods.

“While everything has Anima, it don't mean that it's equal between things. Anima is like the sum of somethins’ parts. Their capabilities, histories, life, knowledge. I’ve lived longer, have had more experiences, and am just simply more powerful than you, so my Anima is higher than yours. But things like high-end Demons, higher ranked members of the Order, or particularly strong Monsters have more Anima than' me.”

“How did the Devourer know that, though? Did it just guess from our appearances?”

Applejack shakes her head.

“All Demons have an innate attunement to Anima itself and how it flows, since they come from the Ether, a realm of pure Anima. The exact specifics vary between individual Demons and their types, but most can do things such as sense it, and also have an inherent drive to feed on it.”

“Ohhhhhhhhh.” Twilight blinks a few times. “Is that why we were just wandering around the Monastery Outskirts until it came to us?”

“Yeah. I even tried to get it to come after only me by leaving you alone. But, ya know, that kinda' backfired...”

Twilight puts a hoof to her chin. “What if it came to me because of my magic? Unicorn and all.”

“Probably not. If it was lookin’ for magic it probably still would eve come to me.”

“But you’re not a unicorn. Is it cause of the panel?” Twilight suddenly leans in, a bit interested. “Can you use magic?”

Applejack gently pushes the unicorn away.

“I’m not a mage, but I can ‘use’ magic.”

She shows Twilight the bottom of one of her hooves, revealing some sort of strange marking.

“Is that a tattoo..?” The unicorn asks.

“Close. This is called a 'Rune'. They’re magical glyphs which can allow ponies to perform specific abilities or grant them new capabilities. This one in particular lets me utilize some fire.”

To punctuate her point she creates a small stream of fire, nowhere near the level of the previous jets or even the fire she used to light the kindle, but just enough to show it off.

Twilight is impressed, but more at the idea of Runes themselves rather than the fire she’s already seen quite a bit.

“Does the Glyph need to be on the hoof for you to use it like that?” Twilight asks.

“Oh, no. I have mine there because it feels the most natural to have it in the same place it's actually being used. Most ponies put their runes on their hooves for that reason, but they do sometimes change the position every now and then.”

“‘Change the position’? Is it not a permanent marking?”

The Glyph suddenly appears to detach itself from Applejacks hoof, floating into the air freely like a bubble. It shines with a brilliant magical aura.

Twilight looks in awe, having never seen anything close to it.

“Nope. These things can be taken off, repositioned, and exchanged freely. They're basically like jewelry." She gazes up at the Glyph. "This one was actually a hand-me-down from an friend."

"You have friends?"

Applejack raises an eyebrow, looking unimpressed.

Twilights eyes widen, the unicorn quickly raising her hooves.

"U-uh! That's not what I meant! I was just surprised that—"

The Hunter holds out a hoof.

"It's fine. I get it. 'Friend' probably wasn't the right word, more like an 'acquaintance'. But, anyways..."

A sly smirk forms across the Hunters face, now looking straight at Twilight. The Glyph suddenly begins to float towards the unicorn.

“Want to have a go at it? I’m sure I can put it on ya’.”

The Twilight backs away a bit, surprised. “U-uh… no thank you. I'm good…” She says, stammering a little.

Truthfully, she is dying to try it out, having always wanted to get a feel of casting more powerful magic than the simple stuff. But honestly, she doesn't feel ready right now.

Applejack shrugs. “Suit yourself.” She puts the Glyph back onto her hoof, with a small smile.

The two retire back to their own spots, Applejack looking out into the distance on more.

Twilight glances at her.

Honestly, the Hunter seemed so... cold before. But now, she really seems like she's—

Crick.

“Oop.” A quiet voice says from the nearby trees.

Both ponies quickly look over towards the noise.

Applejack squints, slowly drawing her sword.

“Who’s there?!” She yells. A few birds fly away from the sound.

After a few seconds, they see some sort of hidden figure begin to emerge from behind one of the trees. Applejack grips her sword tighter, while Twilight backs away.

The figure approaches closer, now clearly visible. It’s the same Demon from the warehouse, yellow fur, pink mane, and all.

Twilight’s and Applejack’s eyes both widen.

“U-uhm… Hello… I don’t mean—”

FWOOOOSH

A jet of fire erupts straight into the Demon, blasting off into the trees behind it.

The two stare at the now burning tree-line with some confusion.

“I thought you said you exorcized it!” Twilight says from behind the Hunter.

“I thought I did, too.” Applejack says, narrowing her gaze. “If this thing is either fast enough to avoid, or strong enough to tank that blast, then it’s somethin' worse than an Imp.”

“I don’t mean to be worse… or bad.” The same voice says.

The two quickly turn to see the Demon now coming from a different tree. She looks completely unharmed.

FWOOOOOOOOSH!

Another jet of fire blasts that direction.

“Twilight! Get behind me!” Applejack orders. The unicorn quickly does so.

The two slowly rotate around, with Twilight watching the rear, up against the Hunters hind.

“There!” Twilight says, pointing at a new angle.

“Can you—”

FWOOOOSH

The demon is cut off by another jet of fire.

Applejack pants a few times, starting to get visibly tired from her magic usage.

“What exactly is the plan???” Twilight asks, noticing the Hunter's fatigue.

“This thing is not an Imp. We might need to run.” Applejack says.

“Can you stop, please?” The Demon asks, plainly appearing from some trees in front of the two.

Applejack quickly backs up, pushing Twilight away as well.

“What do you want.” Applejack hisses, staring intently at the Demon.

“I don’t know! I don’t know what’s going on!” The Demon says, almost… whining?

The Hunter says nothing, just keeping her eyes on the Demon.

“I was just relaxing and sleeping and then I appeared here and… I don’t know! All I’ve seen is being yelled at by that weird guy and you’re shooting fire at me… but I saw that unicorn talking about something like a Demon who doesn’t want to hurt people..? And—”

The Demon continues to blabber and stammer.

“What is it trying to say? That it doesn't want to hurt us?” Twilight whispers.

“I don’t know. But either way, its definitely trying to deceive us.”

Twilight peeks out at the Demon rapidly and nervously trying to explain things, somewhat incoherently.

“Are you sure?” Twilight asks.

Applejack barely glances back, eyes wide. “Are you serious, Twilight?” She whispers harshly.

“Just look at it! This thing doesn’t look all there…” Twilight says, the two looking back again at the nervous Demon.

Applejack takes a deep breath.

“Hey.” She says, towards the Demon. The Demon stops their babbling and looks at the Hunter.

“Y-yes?” It asks.

“I believe you.” Applejack says, with some unusual kindness.

“R-really?!” The Demon asks, elated.

“Yes. I do.” Applejack suddenly hooves across the horizon. “Wait, what’s that over there!”

The Demon turns around, looking at where Applejack hooved at.

FWOOOOOSH

The Hunter quickly grabs Twilight and begins to sprint away, nearly dragging the unicorn behind her.

“We need to get somewhere more clear. Now!” She yells. Twilight does her best to keep up.

As the two run, they occasionally hear noises and voices around them. At some points the Demon appears around them or even in-front of them, but Applejack simply swerves out of the way or bashes it aside.

Eventually, they reach a dead-end, some kind of sheer rock wall. Applejack curses under her breath.

The Demon approaches from behind, popping out of some bushes.

“Please! I don’t want to hurt you, or anypony!” It pleads.

“What are we going to do?!” Twilight whispers.

Applejack's sharp gaze softens. She droops down.

“We… apologize.” She looks at the Demon with sorrowful eyes. “I’m… sorry.” She says.

The Demon looks a bit hesitant after the ‘turn around’ trick, but doesn’t try to run or do anything else. Applejack begins to approach her.

“Applejack?” Twilight calls, genuinely confused.

Applejack turns around, still walking towards the Demon.

“I was wrong, Twilight! This is a good demon! It’s possible!” Applejack says, with some unusual enthusiasm.

The Demon looks with a bit of glee as Applejack continues to approach them.

The Hunter looks sorry. “I need to say, that I’m—”

With surprising speed, Applejack lunges at the Demon, tackling them to the ground in a bear-hug. The Demon immediately proceeds to scream in fear and shock, trying to get away from the Hunter, but she holds it tight.

The Demon’s limbs flail with an unnatural amount of speed, the movements barely being visible, but Applejack still manages to keep it pinned, the motions having little strength to them. Clearly, this thing was avoiding the fire instead of tanking it.

“GET MY SWORD, TWILIGHT! CHOP ITS HEAD OFF!” Applejack roars, the Demon screaming back in fear.

Twilight quickly scampers to the Hunters side, sheathing the sword and raising it up as fast as possible.

She and the Demon share a brief moment of eye contact. The Demon looks incredibly afraid.

The unicorn hesitates.

Twilight swings anyways, but the brief lapse she gave was just enough for the Demon to squirm out of Applejacks grasp.

It proceeds to run away with blinding speed. At the last second, Applejack shoots some sort of spell at the Demon, briefly making it flinch, but not stopping its escape.

Applejack quickly takes her sword away from the unicorn, before running once more. She either didn’t notice or doesn’t care about Twilights' hesitation, now focused on chasing the Demon down.

“We can’t catch that thing! It’s way too fast!” Twilight exclaims, trying to keep up.

“It won’t get far.” Applejack firmly states.

After a few minutes of chasing, they see the Demon come back into view. Its movements look slower and sluggish than before, gradually slowing down.

The trees around them begin to thin out, eventually becoming bushes, and then just grass. Eventually, they come across the edge of a cliff, looking out over the vast landscape below.

The Demon visibly comes to a stop, their wings trying to move, but getting no significant motion. They turn around, quaking with fear.

“P-please don’t hurt me…” It whimpers.

Applejack slowly approaches, holding her sword tightly. She stares with a silent intensity.

Twilight just watches as the Demon collapses, groaning.

Applejack doesn’t stop her approach whatsoever.

Twilight watches as the Demon looks like its beginning to cry, and Applejack lifts her sword.

The unicorn face-hooves.

This is so stupid, but…

She runs up and dives in between the Demon and Hunter, splaying her fore-legs out.

“WAIT!” She cries.

Applejack has a brief moment of shock, but quickly furrows her brow. Without saying a word, she immediately tries to grab and throw Twilight out the way, but the unicorn resists.

“Wait! Wait! Listen! If it was really trying to kill us, why didn’t it do it when we didn’t even know it was following us? Or when you reached out to grab it? Or attack me right now?!” Twilight exclaims.

Applejack briefly looks behind Twilight, seeing the Demon cowering in fear. It isn’t even looking at either of them, let alone preparing to attack.

Every instinct in her body is telling her to just throw Twilight aside and exorcize the Demon right now... but Twilight’s logic pierces through her.

"You said don't take things at face value, right??? Well, I'm telling you this Demon might be different!" Twilight pleads.

After a few seconds, the Demon still makes no attempts to escape or attack the two.

With a heavy groan, Applejack sheathes her sword.

Twilight lights up. Before she can even say anything, the Hunter grabs her and tosses her aside, although relatively gently compared to what she was going to do before.

She removes her weakening spell from the Demon. The creature slowly gets to their hooves, looking at Applejack with a mixture of fear and surprise.

Its freedom is cut short by Applejack using another spell, one which causes the Demon to become quickly ensnared by magical chains. The now balled-up Demon flops onto their side, uselessly. They squirm a little but there's no possible escape from this one.

“Applejack! Don’t—”

Applejack simply raises a hoof. Twilight pauses.

The Hunter takes a seat on the grass near the chained Demon. She pulls out her sword once more, pointing it mere inches away from the Demon’s face, making its sharp pupils shrink.

“Start talking. Who are you? Why and how are you here?” Applejack questions.

The Demon looks nervous for obvious reasons, afraid to talk. Applejack responds by holding her sword even closer.

“Okay! Okay…” It takes a breath. “M-my name is Fluttershy... I was summoned by those robed guys...”

“I know you got' summoned by those cultists. I’m askin' how.” Applejack growls.

Fluttershy gulps. “W-well! I was just sleeping, when that big portal appeared in-front of me and then I popped out into that big place!" She hastily explains.

Applejack raises an eyebrow. “You didn’t make a plan with anypony beforehand? Or arrangement?”

Fluttershy rapidly shakes her head. “It just sucked me up! I didn’t notice it! I didn't even want to be summoned” She bawls.

“What are you talking about??” Twilight asks, very confused.

Applejack glances over, trying not to take the Demon out of her sight.

“Demon summoning isn’t as easy as just pulling them out of the Ether. The portal appears somewhere in the Ether, and the Demon has to find it. Usually the cultists and Demons arrange a portal location beforehand, or somethin' aids them in finding it after its' created."

She puts a hoof to her chin.

“Demons stealin' each other's portals is pretty common… but the chances of a portal appearing right in-front of a Demon and ‘accidentally’ sucking them up… unheard of.” The Hunter says, looking back at the Demon with some mild skepticism.

Although, it would explain why the Demon appeared to be dormant when it first was summoned... also the size discrepancy between the portal and the Demon itself. A portal as large as that one was likely intended for a Greater Demon.

Applejack frowns. “What are you?” she asks, inspecting the Demons gangly body.

“A-a Sequen.” Fluttershy squeaks.

The Hunter looks like she has a moment of realization, smacking her forehead with a small groan.

Twilight looks at Applejack. "What—"

“Sequen’s are a type of Demon that prefer to avoid direct fightin' and instead strike you when you don't expect em'. They're unnaturally skilled at stuff like stealth, evasion, and whatnot. This one's the smallest I've ever seen before, though... the fastest, too.” Applejack explains.

She crouches down next to the Demons hooves, inspecting an extremely large pair of claws. “If this thing wanted, it probably could've torn us apart in seconds.”

'U-uhm... I don't want to tear anything apart..." Fluttershy croaks.

Twilight scratches her head.

“So… if it doesn't want to hurt us, and it isn't malicious..." The unicorn blinks a few times. "Now what?"

Applejack’s glance switches between the Demon and Twilight a few times.

“Assumin' this is actually a…” She seems to struggle with the word for a moment. “...good Demon…” She coughs. “Then… I don’t know, honestly. I’ve never had to deal with somethin' like this before.”

“Do we take her back to the Citadel?”

“If you want it to be tortured and experimented to death, then sure.” Applejack dryly responds.

Fluttershy gulps.

“Never mind.” Twilight says with a sigh.

“But we can’t just let it go, either.” Applejack says, looking back at the Demon.

She puts a hoof to her chin, furrowing her brow. Suddenly, her eyes light up with an idea.

“There is… one other option.” Both Twilight and the Demon look with curiosity.

Applejack goes walks close to the Demon’s face, crouching down to be at its eye level.

“My name is Applejack. Tell me your name. Your true name.” She orders.

Fluttershy’s eyes widen. She looks away, a bit worried.

“You said you were a good Demon, right? Then cough it up.” Applejack orders again.

“Y-you promise to not hurt me if I tell you?” Fluttershy says, unable to look fully at the Hunter.

Applejack says nothing, simply continuing to stare.

Fluttershy sighs. “Applejack… I am Timiditas.”

Immediately, a cold chill fills the surrounding area. All three of them feel it, Fluttershy especially, shivering.

Applejack looks a bit surprised. She didn't expect it to actually do it.

“What in the world was that???” Twilight says, a bit spooked by the sudden feeling.

“That's what happens when a Demon gives you their true name. Nopony really knows what it actually is, but its pretty convenient to know if they actually gave you the real deal or not."

"...true name?"

"Every Demon has a true name, and it's somethin' that only they know. That is, of course, unless they decide to tell a pony for whatever reason. Any pony who knows a Demons true name can control them absolutely."

“What does that actually entail, though?”

“Well... with a true name, skilled mages can do stuff like being able to control Demons like puppets, or even possess them. I don’t know how to do anything like' that, so…”

Applejack releases her restricting Rune, the Demon’s limbs splaying out at their normal angles.

“Timiditas. I order you to stay here in this forest. Do your best to hide from anythin’ and anypony, never hurt anythin’ or anypony, and only show yourself if I come here and explicitly call for you." She leans in. "Do you understand?” Applejack asks.

"Y-yes..." Fluttershy says, slightly bowing.

“Now. Get lost.” She orders.

The two watch as Sequen disappears into the foliage with blinding speed, nearly a blur.

“Is that really going to work?” Twilight asks.

“Guaranteed. Demons are unable to break an order given with their true name. That Demon will be doing that for the next thousand years if I don’t tell it to stop.”

Before Twilight can feel any relief about finding a relatively nice resolution to this, Applejack suddenly grabs her, hard.

“I only did that because of you. Now listen to me... If anypony finds out about what we did, we’re both going to be subject to a short life of torture, interrogations, and death... Do you understand?”

Twilight quickly nods, eyes wide with fear.

Applejack lets the unicorn go, before wiping her face, the skin stretching somewhat.

“We need to get going. This whole little' detour has costed us time. Night’s comin.”

The two quickly begin to head out once more.

From the tree-line, Fluttershy watches the two leave.

She simply waves her hoof, with a small smile on her face.

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