Sequel to The Legend of a Shadowmare. Seven years have passed and Daemon has a daughter to protect.
(Sequel to The Legend of a Shadowmare. You should read it first before reading this.) Seven years after General Lux has been defeated, Daemon now has a family. The most important thing to him right now is his daughters safety, but when his old enemy attacks, will he be able to save that which has given him so much joy? A perilous journey awaits and Daemon is going to give it his all, along with the help of a few he comes across on the way, to save his little Shadowmare!
Please read the prequel before you resume. This story is the continuation of The Legend of a Shadowmare and is meant to be read in order. The links provided are meant to enhance the experience of reading. Please right-click and select open in new tab to listen to or view the content. Thank you and enjoy!
It was dark... no, more than dark, it was pitch black. Nothing to see or to hear in the silent void surrounding him. No light, no sound, no warmth... no hope. Just as the thick shroud of nothingness was about to consume the stallion with inescapable depression, a light came on. It was like a spotlight that originated from nowhere. It was shining on a familiar figure. Ashy red coat; bat-like wings, five pointed horns, a crimson mane and tail... and two of the most startling red eyes you could ever see. The form before the stallion was a mirror image of himself, except this being was restrained by locks and chains, suspending him in midair.
“Wh-who are you?” the stallion asked as he approached the dark, mysterious copy of himself.
His doppelganger had his head hung down, shadows fell upon his face, making him seem almost dead. “Who am I? I am you... the part you sealed away.” His voice was deep, vicious, and dark.
“What do you want with me?” the stallion asked, hoping for a way out of the emptiness that surrounded the two.
A sinister chuckle escaped the copy’s mouth. “What do I want with you? You are the one who came here. You know HE is coming back and you are afraid. But if you really wish to know what I want, I’ll tell you...”. His head snapped up and he yelled with glowing, rage filled eyes.
“I WANT YOU TO LET ME OUT!”
Daemon awoke with a gasp, trembling from the recurring nightmare. It was the sixth time in two weeks that he had been awoken by the horrible dream. He was losing his sleep over what he believed it meant. He thought that his rage that had been sealed away seven years ago was getting restless and deep within the recesses of his mind, it was screaming to get back out. That wasn’t what terrified him though. What was really getting under his skin was what it said... ‘HE is coming back’. Daemon could only think of one who was able to even come back, the one who had nearly driven the Shadowmares to extinction and wanted to destroy all those who he believed to be weaker than him... General Lux. Daemon had told Princess Celestia about his concerns but she assured that he wasn’t going to escape from his prison anytime soon. This didn’t stop Daemon from worrying however. The funny thing was that Daemon had a chance to send Lux to his death for his deeds, but Daemon said that he wouldn’t send anypony to their execution, no matter what they had done.
As Daemon sat up in bed, trying to calm himself, he heard a small yawn. “Daemon? Is there something wrong? Did you have the nightmare again?”.
“Yeah, but I’m fine Shy. It’s about time to get up anyway.”, Daemon responded. He looked at his beautiful wife and smiled. His heart always melted when he looked at her. She made him the happiest guy in the world and it was all because he lost his memory all those years ago. Daemon gave Fluttershy a small kiss and got up to wake his most precious jewel. He tiptoed out into the hall and stopped right outside the room that once was his. He cracked it open ever so gently to find a small form snoring softly under the bed sheets. Daemon gave a pleasant sigh at the sight before him, before noticing the pair of gleaming yellow eyes in the corner. Suddenly the great beast pounced on Daemon, driving him to the ground. It’s fangs were as large as kitchen knives, its claws were razor sharp, and it’s barbed tail was swishing back and forth in the air. The monster opened it’s mouth, neared Daemon’s face and then... he licked him three times in rapid succession.
“Yeah yeah, I love you too Sting. Now be a good manticore and wake Firefly up, will you?”
The manticore known as ‘Sting’ was Firefly’s faithful companion and loving pet. Daemon found him in the chicken coop when he was just a baby and decided to give him to Firefly as her first birthday present. Normally manticores are vicious, but if they are raised from a young age, they are the most loyal and dependable creature you can come across. They make guard dogs look like lazy slackers. Firefly loved Sting like her best friend... since she had few others who she could actually call friend. She wasn’t the most popular at school, being a Shadowmare and all, but she wasn’t despised. To most she was just sorta in between being loved and hated. However, her inability to make many friends didn’t bother her. In fact she often said that it helped her find ‘TRUE’ friends who like you for who you are. She had the same positive outlook on things like her father. That was another thing about her... Firefly was determined to be just like her dad. She acted like him (even if she was smarter), she loved music like him, and she even wanted to get a cutie mark just like he did. That was going to be the biggest problem for her. Daemon was only able to get his cutie mark because he was the foretold ‘Warrior of Peace’. He was special and unlike other Shadowmares because it was his fate... which meant that the odds of Firefly gaining her cutie mark were nearly non-existent. Firefly didn’t care though and she even joined the new generation of ‘Cutie Mark Crusaders’ along with Pumpkin and Pound, the Cake twins. Yes, life right now was pure bliss.
“Sting! Knock it off! It’s too early to be up on a Saturday! He he he!”, Firefly giggled as her manticore friend licked her out of her slumber.
“Well good morning my little Shadowmare!”, Daemon said, snickering in the doorway.
Firefly smiled and responded, “Good morning daddy!”.
“What do think about getting breakfast at Sugarcube Corner?”, Daemon asked with a devilish grin.
Firefly gasped and bounced with glee, “Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes!”.
“Well come on then!” Daemon hollered from downstairs, putting his trademark black jacket and shoes on. Firefly started to rush downstairs and tripped. Daemon quickly flew under her and caught her before she slammed against the hard wood floor.
“You need to be more careful! If you got hurt I would never forgive myself!”, Daemon said while checking for any injuries. Firefly sniffled, her face told the whole story. She was never happy with scaring her parents, but her sadness also stemmed from her being less than earthpony, pegasus, and unicorn. She didn't possess great strength or endurance like Applejack, she couldn’t fly like Rainbow Dash and she had no horn to perform magic like Twilight Sparkle. That was the thing about Shadowmares, they weren’t exceptionally gifted unless they went through ‘The Ritual’. Daemon and Fluttershy decided that they would let Firefly choose if she ever wanted to go through with it. So far Fluttershy had mostly been against it, not because she was afraid of her baby changing and looking like a whole new pony. No, Fluttershy was completely fine with the striking Shadowmare appearance... it was everypony else that she was worried about. They could tease her, or worse, shun her for being different. At least this way she was mostly normal. Daemon on the other hand was just waiting for the day when she would finally ask to go through the magical Shadowmare rite of passage. He was eager to teach her all kinds of things about flying and casting spells, but until the words flowed from her mouth, he would just have to wait.
On the way to Sugarcube Corner, Firefly cheered up as she saw Pumpkin and Pound Cake. They were bickering over some random thing like they always did, when they caught eye of the two Shadowmares approaching them. Pound flew at Firefly and tackled her.
“Squirt! How have you been?! Are you going somewhere?! Where are you going?! Are you excited for your-”
*SLAM!*
Pumpkin used her magic to shove Pounds face into the dirt. The twins took on some of Pinkies traits. Pound Cake was hyperactive and loved to talk at insanely fast speeds. Pumpkin Cake had the mysterious ‘Pinkie Sense’ and was able to seemingly bend the laws of reality. Both were like older siblings to the little filly (even if they were only two years older).
“Hey sweetie. How are you doing?” Pumpkin asked as she trotted over to Firefly.
“Great! We were just about to go to Sugarcube corner!”
Pound pulled his head from the ground and asked, “Do you know why?! Oh man, I am so excited!”.
Firefly just looked at him awkwardly and shook her head in confusion. The pegasus raised a hoof and inhaled deeply to tell her what he was going on about, but a zipper magically appeared and sealed his mouth shut.
“Oh no you don’t! You are not going to ruin it this time!” Pumpkin barked.
“What are you guys talking about?!” Firefly squealed in frustration.
Daemon knelt by her and asked, “Don’t you know what day it is?”
“Uh... Saturday?”, she replied. Her cluelessness made Daemon laugh. She certainly was a chip off the old block.
“Better... think about it. What were you too excited about to fall asleep last night?”
Firefly plopped on the ground and held a hoof to her lips, thinking deeply. The three ponies surrounded her with big grins, waiting for it to come to her. After a few moments her eyes glistened and a huge adorable smile stretched across her face.
“MY BIRTHDAY! IT’S TODAY!”
“That’s right... now lets go to the party! Everypony is waiting for us!”.
Firefly bounced all the way to Sugarcube Corner, unable to contain her joy. Daemon and the twins just followed her happy to see her in such a wonderful mood. She was positively beaming with glee as she opened the door.
Everypony popped out from their respective hiding places and yelled, “Surprise!”, but they noticed that she didn’t seem as surprised as they expected her to be. After Daemon walked in he felt a hoof smack against the back of his head. It was none other than Desdemona, upset with him once again
“How did you blow it this time?”, she asked Daemon, who was still rubbing the spot where she hit him.
“What makes you think I told her?!”
“I seriously doubt that Pumpkin would have told her, and after what happened last year I know Pound wouldn't... so that leaves you numbskull!”
Daemon giggled in a sprightly manner and replied, “Okay, you caught me, but I think it’s better this way! I mean it’s not right to forget about such a great day!”.
“You said it!”, Pinkie Pie chimed in from the back. Everypony was there to celebrate. Twilight, Rarity, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Aura Flash, Ezreal Lightmane... even the original Cutie Mark Crusaders! The only one who wasn’t there was Flara... since she was in charge of guarding Princess Celestia and containing General Lux, she spent very little time away from her post. Even though she wasn’t there personally, she still sent a gift... another spear. For some reason she believed that the best way to keep Firefly safe was to teach her how to use deadly weaponry. The others gave her gifts that also matched their personalities. Twilight’s gift was a book; Rarity gave a dress; Ezreal thought it would be funny to give her a spring-loaded can filled with fake snakes... he was punched by Desdemona. The greatest gift came from her parents though. Since Daemon had been playing in his own band with Ezreal and Aura, he had become quite famous across Equestria. He had earned a small fortune from the many concerts he put on and was easily able to buy anything that they wanted, so when he asked Firefly what she wanted most in the world and told her that he would make it happen, everypony knew he wasn’t just blowing smoke... that was left to Spike.
“Sun Shine! You can bring out the cake!” Pinkie yelled towards the kitchen. A Lightmare came out and was holding a yellow cake with pink letters that said ‘Happy 5th Birthday Firefly!’. The Lightmare known as Sun Shine was the same Lightmare that had been designated to serve the Cake family. After she was informed that she was free of her community service, she did what many other Lightmares decided to do... she asked to help of her own free will. The Lightmares that spanned across Equestria became attached to the families that they were assigned to and desired to stay close to those who taught them things of the outside world.
Daemon asked what Firefly greatest wish was right as she was about to blow out the candles on her cake. The crowd gathered close, listening intently as the little filly focused on what she desired most. Her expression grew determined as she mentally made her final choice.
“I... I want... I want to do ‘The Ritual’ and be just like you!”, she exclaimed, blowing out her candles right after making her wish. A hush came over the room as nopony new what to say. The silence was broken by Daemon.
“WOO! THAT’S MY GIRL!”, he shouted as he lept into the air.
Fluttershy brought him back down and whispered, “Meet me in the kitchen.”.
After Daemon entered the kitchen, Fluttershy was found pacing with a worried look.
“What’s wrong?”
Fluttershy stared at him in disbelief. “What’s wrong? WHAT’S WRONG?! Didn’t you hear her?! She wants to go through that ritual! What if something happens?! What if she isn’t the same sweet filly when she changes?!”, She bawled. Daemon went over to comfort her, wrapping his arms around her and embracing her in a tight hug.
“She will be just fine, I promise. There’s nothing to worry about. Besides we always told her that it was her choice... we can’t say no to her now. Trust me when I say it’s completely safe.”, Daemon said, wiping a tear from Fluttershy’s eye.
“Now let’s get back to the party. I’m sure they are having fun without me- US! I meant us!”. Fluttershy laughed and followed Daemon back to the celebration.
The games were beginning and Daemon had just barely managed to get a turn on ‘pin the tail on the pony’. he somehow managed to completely miss and end up pinning a second tail on Desdemona. It was a good thing it stuck with the use of tape and not a pin or else Desdemona would have threw his head into a toilet instead of laughing. Okay, maybe she wouldn’t have gave Daemon a swirly but that was only for Firefly’s sake. Firefly was like her niece and she would often call Desdemona ‘Auntie D. Monica’ (yes, young Shadowmare picked up the nickname that Daemon used). Desdemonas attitude since Lux was locked away had greatly improved. She still had that mean streak in her, she just didn’t show it as often, especially around Firefly. Ezreal was still a slacker at heart, but he was starting to grow fond of Pinkie Pie. Even though Rainbow Dash was a better match for him, something about her quirky, silly attitude attracted him... not to mention how he loved her curly bouncing mane. Aura was currently still dating Applejack. They didn’t always agree and sometimes hit a few arguments that ended up with them not talking to each other... Aura wasn’t much of a talker in the first place but when he was doing it on purpose it felt very different. They always managed to bounce back and apologize though.
When the party games were over, then came the finale. Aura sat on a stool behind some drums, Ezreal strapped on a bass... and Daemon took a small device from his jacket. With a press of a button the small rectangular box converted into his newly upgraded guitar. The only difference was he could carry it around in his pocket. Other than that it was exactly the same. The band hadn’t played a concert in two years, but they often played for the amusement of others in Ponyville, especially Daemon. The crimson maned stallion would go around town daily and just play for those he happened to spot. He liked bringing smiles to the faces of random ponies... but he loved playing for his daughter. He started out playing a few notes, but messed up and had to start over. When he gave it a second try, it sounded no different and cursed under his breath. He gave it one last shot and nailed it. He started singing a gentle melody of life and hoped that those listening would have ‘the time of their life’. Daemon sang of the unpredictability of everything and how you were led by fate. It was a beautiful song and when he looked into the eyes of his little filly she was tearing up... it was a priceless moment in time that everypony wished would last forever.
After the party was over and the sun had set, a question still roamed through the mind of the precious birthday girl. When she was tucked in she had to ask.
“Mommy? Daddy? Am I really going to do ‘The Ritual’?”.
Firefly looked to her mother, who simply smiled.
“Well we talked it over and if it’s what you really want...”. Firefly’s eyes lit up and she gave her parents the biggest hug she could muster.
“Thank you! I promise I’ll be the best Shadowmare ever! I’ll fly and learn magic and-”
“Whoa there!”, Daemon interrupted. “You still have to wait till tomorrow before we can do it! It’s not exactly easy to pull off and I’ll need Auntie D.’s help to make it work.”. Hearing her father’s words made her ears fall.
“Think of it this way... the sooner you fall asleep, the sooner you will wake up tomorrow.” Fluttershy reminded her, before kissing her goodnight.
Once they had left the room, Daemon was hesitant to go to sleep himself. He knew that he would be haunted by the same nightmare. Even after ridding himself of his flaw, the rage inside him had found another way to torment him in his dreams. Firefly didn’t have a flaw as far as they could tell. She was unique, gifted... miraculous to behold. As he drifted off into his inevitable slumber, he swore to himself that he would never let any harm come to his beloved daughter... even at the cost of his life.
Daemon felt a small weight land on his stomach, awaking him from a peaceful sleep that was so rare for him these days. Groggy and still very tired, he checked the clock. 5:24... in the morning! He looked down to see a bubblegum pink mane attached to a mustard yellow face. Firefly looked back at him with a smile that stretched from ear to ear. Apparently she was ready to get the day started, but Daemon wished that she would have just slept a little longer. Her practically glowing sky blue eyes told Daemon her every intention when she woke him up. He believed that the reason why she desired to go through the ritual wasn’t just because she wanted to be like him. Firefly had been having trouble with two of her classmates in particular and it was mostly because she was a Shadowmare who had no wings or magic, where as her tormentors had both. Gold Rush was a unicorn colt and Jade Charm was a pegasus filly. They were nearly carbon copies of Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon, bullies down to their core. They teased Firefly mercilessly, taunting every flaw they could see. Permanent blank flank, wingless, useless, freak, nobody... these were a few of the names they would call her. Daemon wanted to straighten them out but they would easily be able to accuse him of being cruel to them. With the reputation of the Shadowmare race just beginning to earn redemption from the thousands of years of lies and slander, Daemon could not afford to step between them.
“Firefly... its 5:30. I’m pretty sure everypony besides you is still asleep.” Daemon told her with dark circles under his eyes.
“Yeah, but I can’t sleep! I’m too excited!”
“Well I guess we could go to Twilights and get everything ready...” Firefly squealed in delight and ran out the door.
‘I swear she gets that from hanging around Pinkie’, Daemon thought as he followed her downstairs.
The preparations for ‘The Ritual’ were very important and time consuming. Everything had to be done just right. It wasn’t at all dangerous if you got it wrong, it was just something you didn’t want to start over. The energy it took from the casters was vast. It left you completely drained as you poured your power into the host, in this case... Firefly. If you got something wrong the spell would fail and nothing would happen, then you would have to wait a full day to recuperate and try again. It was a whole lot more risky a few years ago when you had to worry about lightmares detecting it and hunting you down, but it still wasn’t going to be pleasant. Daemon knocked on Twilights door and to his surprise she answered quickly. She didn’t seem to be tired at all.
“Yes! You are finally here! Come in!” Twilight said, full of energy. Daemon was confused how she could be so wide awake at such an early hour. He opened his mouth to ask her a question but it was as if she read his mind and answered while gathering a note pad and quill.
“I couldn’t sleep! This is the event of a lifetime! I mean to actually see a legendary being go through a mysterious and powerful rite of passage that nopony else has ever witnessed is amazing! It’s the sort of thing somepony like me dreams of discovering! To actually be the first one to see the culture of a Shadowmare unravel before you is just... just... AMAZING!”. Daemon looked at the expression on Twilights face after she was done and laughed slightly. He knew this look in her eyes. It was the look she gave when she was about to learn something new. She was overjoyed with discovering new things about his race, she was, as many would say, ‘adorkable’. For a while, Daemon and Firefly just sat in front of Twilight. She was ready to jot down everything in the notepad levitating in front of her. Daemon scratched the end of his nose and Twilight eagerly wrote it down. This caused Daemon and Firefly to look at each other briefly and flash sly smiles. The two Shadowmares started to bounce around and do cartwheels only to make Twilight write everything down in a rapid pace. She struggled to keep up as the duo continued to perform random acts that meant nothing. Desdemona walked in and found Daemon drinking lemonade upside down, Firefly walking backwards up the stairs, and Twilight writing notes feverishly. She was totally baffled as to what was possessing them to act weirder than normal.
“What the bu- uh, I mean ‘hay’ are you all doing?” Desdemona asked, making sure not to swear with the filly present.
“I’m taking notes! Why are Shadowmares so complicated?!” Twilight shouted, her mane a mess and sweat dripping from her brow.
“You guys are jerks...” Desdemona said as Daemon and Firefly started to snicker.
Since Desdemona had arrived, both she and Daemon set to work on setting up the area. Flara had taught them both what was needed to perform ‘The Ritual’ when Firefly was born, just incase they had to do it. First the floor of the library was cleared of all clutter, the area had to be clean and have a good sized spot where Firefly would be away from any others that were going to watch. Next came the sigil. It was a mark that was drawn on the floor with a special red liquid that looked a lot like blood at first glance. The ingredients to make it were ash from a volcano, hair of a manticore, a ground up scale of a dragon, water from a pond at midnight under the full moon, and lastly a drop of blood from the participants. The ash and water were provided by Zecora because they were a little more difficult to acquire. The red paste-like substance was painted on the floor near one side of the room. It looked ominous, kind of like something a crazy cult would draw to worship ‘Beelzepony’. It was a star, within a triangle, within a circle. On the outside of the circle and triangle were strange and mysterious runic symbols. From what Desdemona and Daemon were told, they were a prayer to some ancient entity that was long forgotten... specifically a prayer to be saved with by being granted the might of the shadows. It sounded like something evil but what Daemon had to explain was that darkness wasn’t bad, it was only interpreted as being sinister by those who weren’t comfortable in it... and Shadowmares were ironically more comfortable in the shade than direct sunlight, that’s why Daemon and Desdemona would often spend their days off in the shadow of a tree. It wasn’t that the light hurt them per se, they just liked the dark more. Once everyone had arrived and the sigil was painted to perfection, it was time to begin. everypony except Daemon and Desdemona were to stay against the far wall opposite of the ancient magic symbol where Firefly was going to be standing. The two grown Shadowmares had closed all the shutters and curtains, making it relatively dark in the library. Desdemona said said it was necessary for a shaded atmosphere to be present, but she didn’t say why... instead she told everypony that the reason would present itself soon enough. Firefly sat in the center of the circle, waiting for it to begin. She was getting frightened by the conditions and nearly asked to have it stop, but she tried to remain brave and remind herself that it would be over shortly. Then without warning... it started. Daemon and Desdemona were seated in front of the little filly and began to chant in an unknown language. The words filled the air with an ominous feel. The sigil on the floor was responding to the chorus by glowing with a vibrant shade of fluorescent red, startling Firefly a bit. The group of closely knit friends jumped at the sight of what happened next. Swirling ribbons of pink energy lifted Firefly into the air and the center of the demonic emblem emitted light blue streams of light, shooting a few off occasionally. As the the spell went on, the effects grew and dark flames began to engulf the small Shadowmare. Daemon’s and Desdemona’s horns were shining with great intensity. Once Firefly was completely wrapped in the black fires consuming her, they bursted into a roaring inferno, sending her scruffy mane upwards toward the ceiling. When the spell reached this climax, Firefly gasped and opened her eyes wide, staring off into space as if she was peering into the face of a god. Her eyes were glowing with the same blue light that streaked past her. Much to the crowds surprise, the flames didn’t burn her. Just when things seemingly couldn’t get anymore terrifying, the shadows of the room danced and came to life. They flowed around her and condensed into a black orb of darkness, concealing her from the sight of all onlookers. The chanting of Daemon and Desdemona had come to an end. When they opened their eyes, the spell died down and the orb formed to a more familiar shape... but this time, it had horns and wings. The blackness that covered the filly faded and released her. She was curled up in a ball, wings were blocking anypony from seeing her. Daemon moved up to the miniscule figure and nudged her with his hoof.
“Wake up sweetie... it’s done.”
Firefly groaned a little and muttered, “But I don’t wanna go to school.”
She moved a bit and began to stand up. Her wings fell to the floor as she got to her hooves. Everypony could now see that she had three horns like Desdemona. Her eyes were still closed and it appeared as if she just woke from a nap by the way she stumbled around.
“Firefly, open your eyes... and get ready to see things in a whole new light.” Daemon said in a gentle loving manner, like he often did when he spoke to her.
Slowly but surely, she opened her eyes. The room went into an anxious silence, watching in anticipation as her eyes cracked open. They were a gorgeous bright sky blue with the traditional elongated pupil and striped iris that all Shadowmares shared. Her eyes were the same shade of cyan, but now they almost seemed to glow in the dark. Twilight and the others ‘ooh’ and ‘awed’ at the reborn filly in front of them. Firefly still was pretty out of it and was looking at them with a sense of confusion and disorientation. When she recalled what she was doing in the treehouse, Firefly looked at her dad with those striking, devilish eyes as if to ask ‘am I really a full Shadowmare?!’. When Daemon nodded proudly, she ran upstairs to the bathroom and a high pitched squeal was heard. The piercing shriek was followed by the sound of breaking glass... her new unfocused magical power had broken the mirror along with several windows.
She nervously walked down the stairs and softly said, “Um Twilight, I might have made your mirror explode...”.
“Oh that’s quite alright, you’ll get used to using your magic soon enough.” Twilight responded, waving off the situation like it was an everyday occurrence.
“So how do ya feel sugarcube?”, Applejack asked.
Firefly thought about it a second and replied, “Not too different really... my back and head feel a little funny.”
“That would be your new wings and horns you’re feeling.” Desdemona laughed.
“Does this mean I can fly now?!” Firefly shouted, filled with excitement.
“You’ll need a teacher... luckily I know just the mare to help.” Fluttershy told her.
* * * * * *
Meanwhile, in a looming building right outside the city walls of Canterlot, a certain pony was awakened by a strong wave of energy that washed over him. His time to return was nearly here...
“Good morning”, he heard a mare say outside the confines of his cell.
“Good morning, Lieutenant Flara, or should I say ‘traitor’?”, the once powerful stallion answered back.
“If you must label me as such, go ahead! I know I did the right thing when I helped him grow strong enough to beat you!”
Her remark made Lux laugh madly. “I was saving us from the filth of this world! Scum like them are weak and as we all know, only the strong should survive! Not only have you stopped us from sitting upon thrones like we deserve, you are letting the abominations breed!”
Flara sat there a moment, wondering how he could possibly know about Firefly. When she saw the smile on his face she assumed he was bluffing and merely guessed about her existence. Infuriated by his games, Flara began to storm out, but she heard him say something she really didn’t wish to...
“See you soon... granddaughter.”
That last word, ‘granddaughter’, made her feel sick and ashamed. To know she was so closely related to him made her physically ill. Only Princess Celestia, who had read all her files, knew about how she was his descendant... and she wanted it to stay that way.
* * * * * *
Rainbow Dash wasn’t able to attend Firefly’s transformation since she had work to do up in Cloudsdale. Being a Wonderbolt was full of challenges, but the cyan pegasus was always able to accomplish her assigned job with ‘flying colors’... literally. She didn’t want to miss the awesomeness that when down this day, however her unique talents were needed for this specific task. While rainbow cursed her rotten luck to miss out on such a remarkable scene, she saw Fluttershy make her way up to the cloud layer. It looked like she was guiding somepony up with her. The rainbow maned mare couldn’t see who it was but had a guess. She walked up to Fluttershy and tried to peer around her so she could catch a glimpse of the ‘new and improved’ filly. Firefly was often shy around Rainbow Dash because her radical and extreme attitude normally ended up in some sort of ‘sporting accident’. She did look up to the cooler than cool daredevil though, and often enjoyed watching her stunts.
“Say hello dear.” Fluttershy said, looking back at her hidden daughter.
Firefly crept out into plain view and stared at Rainbow. “H-hi...”.
Rainbow Dash grinned. “Well, well, well! It looks like somepony just got twenty percent cooler!”. This statement caused Firefly to blush and give a small smile of her own.
“Rainbow Dash, I came to ask a favor. Would it be okay if you taught Firefly how to fly? You are the best in Equestria and we would love you to be her instructor... if that’s okay with you.”, Fluttershy requested.
“Would it be okay?! I would love to teach the munchkin how to fly! It won’t be easy, but I ask you this one thing...”. Rainbow knelt down to Firefly’s eye level and yelled. “DO YOU WANT TO BE THE BEST?!”
“Yeah...” Firefly said meekly.
“WHAT WAS THAT?!”
“Yeah!” the filly started to shout back.
“I CAN’T HEAR YOU!”
“YEAH!!!”
Rainbow Dash went over the basics first. Wing control and aerodynamics. Firefly felt like she was in school a day too early by the middle of the instructions. She didn’t get to do anything for a full hour. When Dash proceeded to step two; basic hovering, Firefly was overjoyed. Being new to having wings it was difficult for her to control their movements. Each wing seemed to have a mind of its own as she flapped them spastically. All the crazy flailing by her new apprentice was too much for the pegasus and she facehoofed in frustration.
“Listen kid, you can’t overthink it too much. Just let it come to you. It’s like walking... if you simply wish to go somewhere, before you know it you will be moving in that direction.” Rainbow dash explained. Firefly took the words upon herself and tried to focus on the tip of a nearby tree. ‘I want to go there...’ she mentally told herself. Rainbows jaw dropped as Firefly stopped her thrashing about and zipped over to a tree. For a second Dash thought the young pony was simply pranking her by acting like she didn’t know how to fly, but when Firefly noticed that she got to the top of the oak, she fell. Rainbow Dash feared that she wasn’t going to make it in time, but she had no reason to worry because Firefly was now gifted with dense bones almost like an earth pony. Instinctively Firefly aimed a sole hoof at the ground and when she struck it made a cloud of dust and debris fly up from the shockwave. The earth cracked from the force of impact and a hoofprint marked the ground where she hit. Stunned from what she did, she looked at her hoofs dumbfounded and afraid. She was shaking slightly, looking from Rainbow to her hooves and back again.
“D-did you see that?!” she asked, still trembling. Rainbow Dash nodded.
“Th-that... was... AWESOME! CAN WE DO THAT AGAIN?!” Firefly begged, looking up at the Wonderbolt before her.
“Well as much as I’d love to see you split the planet in two... I think you should be going home. It’s gonna be dark soon.” Rainbow said, looking at the setting sun. “But I had fun... what do you say we do this every day after you get out of school?”. Firefly grinned and nodded happily. It was funny how much Firefly reminded Dash about Scootaloo when she was about the same age.
Fluttershy was pacing in the living room, looking out the window every few seconds. Damon was watching her frantic behavior from the couch. Fluttershy was getting more and more uneasy with every passing moment.
“If you keep this up, you’re going to worry yourself sick...” Daemon said, hoping she would calm down.
“But what if she’s hurt herself?! What if she flew to high?! What if-” Daemon grabbed hold of her and shook her a little.
“Listen! She is with Dash! NOTHING will happen to her!” Daemon shouted.
Just at that moment Firefly ran through the door and was immediately embraced (rather tightly) by Fluttershy.
“Oh my sweet baby! What happened?! Do we need to go to the hospital?! What’s broken?!” Fluttershy cried.
“Mom! I’m fine! I might even be indestructible!” Firefly said, desperately trying to break free from the hold.
Daemon raised an eyebrow. “‘Indestructible’? What makes you think that you are indestructible?”
Firefly explained what had happened. Fluttershy fainted, but Daemon was impressed. The fact that Firefly was able to instinctively come up with a way to save herself from a fall was good news. However, she was not ready to stop learning and just wanted to figure out how to use her magic since she was back home.
“Oh no you don’t missy. You chose to learn how to fly first. Music now, magic later... you know the rules.” Fluttershy commanded.
It was the agreement they went over a year ago. Firefly promised to play her instrument every night if they got it for her. She had gotten very good at it and was able to play intricate songs without the use of magic. Her tutor was Octavia. The musically gifted earth pony agreed to teach the little filly because Daemon had become a good friend of her best friend, Vinyl Scratch. Firefly was able to play a few instruments, but one stood out in particular... the harp. It was strange to see a Shadowmare play such an angelic instrument, but what she produced from its strings was worth the odd sight of her playing. Firefly found that her new strength helped in carrying the large object. It was actually four times bigger than her, but she managed to reach far enough to play it. Once it was in position, she began to play. It was a happy, cheerful tune that fit her perfectly. Her playing always caused her proud parents to almost shed tears of joy. To them she was as beautiful as her song. The notes that flew through the air were serene, filling the cottage with a feeling of not only love, but also peace. She continued to play and make the melody her own. When she was finally finished she was nearly ready for bed. The look upon her face told Daemon that she was exhausted. Flying for the first time tends to do that to you. Daemon used his magic to place the sleepy pony on his back and proceeded to carry her to her room. After tucking her in he gave her a kiss on the forehead. As he walked to leave the room, he heard, “Thanks daddy... for everything”. He teared up as he remembered how he said something similar to Fluttershy the night they met.
The sun had risen and started to peek its way through the window of Fireflys room. The golden ray of light roused her from her peaceful slumber. Today was going to be the first day back to school since getting her new appendages. She was excited to say the least. When she rolled out of bed she noticed that her body was sore all over and it hurt to move her wings.
‘I guess I overdid it yesterday. Ow! There is no way I can fly to school with them feeling like this... oh well, I’ll still be able to show them off.’ She thought to herself as her dad made his entrance by bursting in the door like a young colt on Hearths Warming.
Daemon was thrilled with the idea that he could fly with her today and drop her off. He had been waiting for this day for so long that he even borrowed Pinkies Party Cannon and shot it off, covering the filly in confetti and streamers. Firefly always saw her dad as not only her idol, but also as a friend because of his sometimes childlike behavior. He would play with her just like any other child her age would and tell her stories of his past adventures and the like. The two were inseparable and loved each other with all their heart. Right now Firefly was just confused about why her father was firing the celebration weapon in the house.
“Are you ready for your first FLIGHT to school?!” Daemon shouted.
Firefly flexed her wings slightly and cringed from the bolt of pain she received. Daemon's gleeful smile deflated into a disappointed frown as his ears flopped down. He knew her muscles were overworked from the previous day and she wouldn’t even be able to get airborne. There was nothing he could do and he accepted that fact with a sigh.
“Okay, I get it. I will just have to wait till tomorrow then. You still need to go to school though.” He said, rubbing her mess of a mane.
“I know! There is no way I would even think of missing school today! Man, when I show everypony what I have now, they will-”
“Firefly...”, Daemon interrupted. “I know you will want to strut your new abilities, but please don’t. I would like it if you lay low for a while...”
“Aww... okay, I’ll try.”, the filly said reluctantly, kicking the floor with her hoof.
Later while she was setting off to school with her parents waving goodbye, Fluttershy couldn’t help but feel that something bad would happen today... something that was going to crush her daughter's heart.
“Daemon, if she comes home crying today...” Fluttershy said, still waving while Firefly was nearly out of sight.
“...I will handle it. Don’t worry.” Daemon replied, already knowing that her feelings about today were probably correct.
Firefly was told to go behind the school today, which struck her as weird. However when she got there she found Cheerilee in the shadow of the building, apparently waiting for her. The day before, while the little Shadowmare was learning to fly with Rainbow Dash, Daemon had a talk with the dedicated teacher. He told her that Firefly went through a few changes and it would probably be better if Firefly was introduced to the class in a way to make them less prone to screaming in terror. When Cheerilee saw the filly, she was surprised but not scared. After a few moments, the instructor let out a small laugh. The way Firefly moved and behaved was no different from usual. She had her head low to the ground, making her look timid. A timid Shadowmare... for some reason Cheerilee found this concept adorable.
The two ponies talked for a while to pass the time. They needed to wait until every colt and filly was inside before making the reveal since they certainly didn’t want a tardy student to faint upon seeing a demonic pony in the classroom. Cheerilee asked a few basic questions like ‘can you see any better with your new eyes’ or ‘have you learned any magic yet’. Firefly answered everything to the best of her knowledge and smiled from her teacher's interest in her. Cheerilee knew all of her students very well, but since Firefly's transformation, it felt like she could learn about this particular student a second time. When she was sure that everypony was in class, she guided Firefly to the door, stopping in front of it to hide the Shadowmare from the rest of the children.
“Everypony... I have an announcement to make!” Cheerilee said, causing the class to go into an uproar from hearing that there was some important news. “As you know, our very own Firefly has always been a Shadowmare, even though she never had wings, horns, or reptilian eyes. I am telling you this because something wonderful has happened! She has decided to become a fully-fledged Shadowmare as of yesterday! Class... I would like to reintroduce... Firefly.”
When Cheerilee finished her speech she moved from the doorway allowing Firefly to enter. The rambunctious class went dead silent when she walked inside. Suddenly the mustard yellow filly didn’t feel so good. All eyes were on her like in her fantasy, but they weren’t impressed... they were scared. Well, all but two. Gold Rush and Jade Charm, the biggest bullies of this generation, saw this as a great opportunity to destroy the shy filly’s self esteem. Firefly was always their biggest target because it was so easy to find a flaw and use it to rip her to shreds. They delighted in seeing the small Shadowmare cry. It made them feel powerful to wreak a honest-to-goodness legendary fairytale villain. The dastardly duo were told multiple times that the stories were not true and they should be nicer to Firefly, but they didn’t really DO nice. The thick tension in the room caused Firefly to feel unwanted and awkward.
‘I don’t think keeping myself from showing off is going to be a problem anymore...’ She sadly thought while making her way to her desk near the window.
Firefly was caught in an unshakable daze during class. She had no idea that her change would be so distracting to her classmates. For hours she noticed the others glancing in her direction. She tried waving back once but it ended up scaring the filly and causing her to frantically get back to work with a fearful expression. Was this how things were going to be from now on? Were there no ponies that saw her the way she saw herself? Why didn’t they see that she was just a regular filly? These questions, and many more, buzzed in her head like a hive of angry hornets. At recess, Firefly was avoided like she had some deadly virus. She would move over to the swings and then everypony would instantly flee to the other side of the playground. She would attempt to play ball with them but they would then relinquish their game and go do something else, leaving the ball with Firefly... alone. What was wrong with her?
* * * * * *
While Firefly was having her troubles at school, Daemon was hanging around the house, helping Fluttershy tend to the animals. Over the years he got the hang of handling most of them, except ducks for some odd reason... ducks just hated Daemon and would attack him mercilessly. As he was feeding the chickens, he spotted Derpy delivering some mail. It had been a while since he had talked to her so he rushed over to chat.
“Hey Derpy! How is everything?”, Daemon shouted to the cross-eyed mare.
“Oh everything is great! The Doctor finally took me to the muffin planet! It was everything I dreamed and more...” Derpy said, sighing blissfully and salivating at whatever she was daydreaming about.
“Uh-huh...? Well that’s... nice. I’ve been having a pretty good week too. Firefly finally went through ‘The Ritual’!”
Derpy gasped and a tear formed in her eye. She walked over to Daemon and gave him an apologetic hug. Daemon wondered what had brought on this sorrowful display and asked, “Derpy? Is there something wrong? You're acting like I just told you somepony died...”.
The grey mare let out a quick sob, but quickly caught it in her throat. ‘I didn’t think it was going to be this hard! Why now?! Why the hay did it have to happen now?!’ Derpy thought as she struggled to regain composure.
“I’m sorry... I-I just remembered something sad and needed a hug. Oh... and you got this letter.” Derpy said sounding depressed.
After Daemon took the letter, Derpy walked off with her head hung low, and at one point he thought he saw a teardrop hit the ground. He wanted to know what had her so upset, but instead he found his attention was drawn more to the letter than anything else... and with good reason. It was a letter from the Princess! Fluttershy made her way over to Daemon and asked about Derpy. Daemon had nothing he could say besides, ‘I don’t know’. The letter intrigued Daemon. Normally he would get a visit from Twilight who would bring the letter. Not once had he ever received one in the mail. Curious of what Celestia wanted from him this time, he tore open the envelope and read it.
Dear Daemon,
As you know, the anniversary of General Lux’s defeat is right around the corner. I know this is no surprise, but I grow concerned for Flara. She has been acting rather irritable as of late and is obsessing over her captive far more than usual. I fear that if this keeps up she will slowly lose herself in her hate of him. The General hasn’t been helping the situation either. He keeps picking at her mind and is breaking her mental stability down more each day. I suggest we turn the day of his capture into something brighter. If it’s not too much trouble, I would like you to hold a concert for the Lightmares every year on the same day he fell in battle. Please tell Flara that you wish for her to join you on this momentous day. It would certainly help if she were to take a day off to relax with you. Please don’t reply, I want Flara to be surprised.
Sincerely,
Princess Celestia
A concert? On the day of his enemies defeat? That was only five days away! He didn’t want to do it, but it was not just for the thousands of free Lightmares, it was also for the good of the one he looked up to like a mother. She was there for him more times than he cared to count, and this was a chance to pay her back.
* * * * * *
School had just let out and Firefly was glad she could finally go home. She felt so alienated now. Nopony treated her the same. All she felt like doing was going home to lay in her bed and just stay there for the rest of her life. However her loneliness was going to be the least of her problems in a moment. Jade Charm flew over Firefly's head and landed in front of her, purposely blocking her path. Gold Rush waltzed his way up behind her. Firefly knew they were up to no good by the way they circled her, glaring maliciously.
“Well... it looks like the freak just got freakier. Growing horns and wings overnight? That's just not natural...” Jade taunted.
“Actually, it only took a few minutes and it’s perfectly natural for Sha-” Firefly began to explain but got cut off by Gold Rush.
“Come on Jade, we shouldn’t be calling her a freak anymore...” the unicorn colt said, making Firefly feel a little better... until he finished his statement. “She’s not a freak, she’s a MONSTER!”
Just like that her heart shattered. Monster? Was that how they saw her?
“I... I’m not a monster. I...”
Seeing the weakness in the filly's eyes, Gold decided to finish her. “Face it! Nopony can like a monster like you! You should just surrender yourself to Princess Celestia and meet your fate! Shadowmares are evil, so you are never going to be any good to anypony! Everypony will always hate you so you’d be better off giving up now!”
These words devastated the young Shadowmare. Nopony liked her? She was an evil monster? All of what they said struck her like a bolt of lightning, crushing the fragile organ in her chest. Everything that she thought would come of her change blew up in her face. Her world seemed to fall apart around her as her throat tightened and vision began to blur from the warm liquid streaming from her eyes. Home... she wanted to go home. Her wings were still in pain from the stress of the day before but she didn’t care. Firefly took off, flapping her wings with an unstable motion that made her efforts to get truly airborn go in vain, but she did manage to go faster than running alone. As the tears flowed from her face, the two bullies grinned, feeling triumphant.
* * * * * *
Fluttershy was making a snack for Firefly. Her daughter sometimes would have a bad day of teasing from her bullies or get her feelings hurt in some other way and Fluttershy made sure that something was always waiting for her to cheer her up. Today was a special though... it was either going to be great and she would finally be looked up to by her fellow classmates, or it was going to be horrible and she would be heartbroken.
*SLAM*
Firefly ran inside bawling her head off and ran into a closet, shutting the door behind her. ‘Of course! Nopony wants to look at her as the same sweet filly she has always been!’, Fluttershy thought, furious at the idea that other ponies could be so heartless. She started to make her way to the closet but was stopped by Daemon.
“No... I said I would handle it.”, he sighed.
Sting was whimpering outside the door. The loyal manticore knew when Firefly was sad and it always bothered him. Daemon told him that it would be alright in a little while and to wait upstairs for her. Sting grudgingly complied. When Daemon opened the door, at first all he could see was a few boxes in the dark, but as his eyes adjusted he could make out a small quivering lump behind them. The struggled sobs were almost too much to bare. He sat beside Firefly and closed the door just enough to allow a crack of light to shine through.
“Wh-what’s wro-wro-wrong with me?!”, the filly bleated in despair.
“Well for one you shut yourself into the closet...” Daemon said, trying to make the situation a little lighter with a joke.
“No! I m-mean why do they h-ha-HATE me?!” Firefly shouted, turning to her father with a tear soaked face.
“Who said they hate you?” Daemon asked calmly, causing his daughter to cringe from the overwhelming lack of a reaction.
“J-jade and G-g-gold Rush said that e-everypony h-hates me-e, and they do-o!” Firefly said, still hyperventilating a bit from her weeping sobs.
Daemon sighed and reached out with his arms for a hug, “Come here...”
Firefly sniffled, coughed and wiped her running nose before stepping into her fathers embrace. He held her tight and started to sing...
“Come stop your crying It will be alright Just take my hand Hold it tight
I will protect you From all around you I will be here Don't you cry
For one so small, You seem so strong My arms will hold you, Keep you safe and warm This bond between us Can't be broken I will be here Don't you cry
'Cause you'll be in my heart Yes, you'll be in my heart From this day on Now and forever more
You'll be in my heart No matter what they say You'll be here in my heart, always
Why can't they understand the way we feel? They just don't trust what they can't explain I know we're different but deep inside us We're not that different at all
And you'll be in my heart Yes, you'll be in my heart From this day on Now and forever more
Don't listen to them 'Cause what do they know? We need each other To have, to hold. They'll see in time I know
When destiny calls you You must be strong I may not be with you But you've got to hold on They'll see in time I know We'll show them together
'Cause you'll be in my heart Yes, you'll be in my heart I'll be there from this day on, Now and forever more”
The song managed to do the trick this time. Firefly stopped crying, but still looked rather down in the dumps. He had one last thing to tell her to show her what it meant to be a Shadowmare in this day in age.
“Listen sweetie, I know it’s hard, but not everypony will like you right away. We are Shadowmares and even though we’ve never done anything wrong, there are ponies out there that just don’t understand that. When you grow up you will meet a lot of ponies... some will want to be your friends, some will be afraid of you, and some will be so scared that they will try to hurt you. Just remember that when you are bigger, all those fillies and colts that were mean to you, will regret not wanting to be friends with such an amazing little Shadowmare.”
Daemons speech caused Firefly to crack a small smile. He knew that he was getting her hopes up, but he also knew that all she needed was a little motivation to get back in gear. In time she would find somepony who would like her and then that friend would tell all of his or her friends and so on. She just needed to stay strong until that day. He wouldn’t always be able to be there for her... which reminded him that he was going to leave for the concert in a few days. ‘Eh, I’ll tell her later’, he thought as he pushed open the door.
For Firefly, the past four days were the hardest of her young life. Not only was she friendless, with the exception of Pumpkin and Pound, her dad was spending most of his time practicing with uncle Ez and Aura. School was excruciating, not because it was difficult... she was actually very smart for her age and had no problem acing any test or quiz. Her problem with school was her loneliness. Recess had just become depressing since nopony wanted to play with her. Firefly decided to pass the time by hanging around under a tree... for some odd reason the shade made her feel nice recently. Daemon was almost set to get the show on the road. He told Flara that he needed her ASAP. He didn’t tell her why because of the orders he was sent, but Daemon made sure she was coming. Ezreal was napping in the chariot and let Aura carry all of the equipment. Daemon told the smaller than average Lightmare that he can’t simply expect Aura to do all the work while he slacks off. His response was, “Come on, he loves doing everything... don’tcha big guy?”. Aura didn’t reply, he just gave a low grunt and a hard glare towards Ez. Aura and Ezreal were best friends even if they didn’t always see eye to eye. They were actually polar opposites in nearly every way. Ezreal was loud, aggressive, rude, and energetic (most of the time). Aura on the other hand was soft spoken (or nearly mute to be more precise), passive to a fault, polite, and had a deep calmness about him. How they managed to stay friends while being so different was anypony’s guess. Daemon was somewhere in the middle of the two and yet he was completely different altogether. It was hard to describe who he was, but Fluttershy could sum it up in one word... Daemon. Just when you thought you knew him, Daemon would surprise you by doing something astounding and unbelievable. One minute you would believe him to be a total moron who never saw anything coming. The next minute he would be facing off against a hydra, dodging it’s every move, practically playing with it... just to defend one pony. His unconditional caring heart made him completely unpredictable and his natural physical ability caused him to be a marvel to behold. He had so much power held within him, but he rarely used it.
While Daemon was heading through town that day he noticed a mare was following him. He had seen this mare before, but she only arrived recently. In the few days that she had been in Ponyville, Daemon had seen her staring at him with more speechlessness than fear. She would just stare at him with her mouth slightly open as he walked by. She was a unicorn with a black coat, a teal mane and tail that looked like it was made of some sort of webbing, and she had vibrant green eyes. Daemon had just about enough of her gawking at him and decided to end it. He walked down an alleyway then took a few turns at random. Before the mare knew what happened, she lost him after turning around a corner. Once again her efforts to talk to him were in vain... or at least that was what she thought until Daemon dropped down from behind her. He had propped himself up against the walls of the narrow alleyway after making that last turn. The mare didn’t seem shocked at all. Infact she looked like she was about to say ‘well done, that was clever’ by her expression.
“Okay, what do you want?! You have been looking at me like I saved your life since you got here but you never said a word! Out with it! Who are you and what’s your deal?!” Daemon said, wanting to get to the bottom of his ‘stalkers’ reasoning.
The mare looked at him like he was insane but then smacked her forehead, “Oh yes, please forgive me, sometimes I forget that I’m in this form. Perhaps this will jog your memory... just don’t jump to conclusions when I do this, agreed?”.
With that the mare’s horn and eyes started to glow with a bright green color. Flames started to engulf her hoof and travel down the length of it to reveal a sleek and shiny exoskeleton filled with holes!
Daemons face deadpanned. “Yeah... so you haven’t been getting in any trouble, have you... Chrysalis?”.
Chrysalis disguised her hoof once again before sighing sadly. “No. I have been trying to find one who will love me as I am as you suggested, and even though I have managed to make some genuine friends with my current form... nobody is willing to stay once I reveal my true self. After I show who I really am they always react the same way and I must erase their memory.”
Daemon chuckled. “Yeah, I’ve been there... well except for the memory erasing part. So are you still stealing love?”
“I have no need to anymore! That is why I came to this hovel of a town, I wish to thank you! Since gaining friends, I can just absorb the feelings that fall off of them. No one needs to get hurt, and I get a feast. It’s a remarkably efficient way of doing things... I even need to restrain myself from overindulging around the holiday known as Hearth’s Warming! Can you believe it? I need to hold back! Ha ha ha!”
Daemon smiled, “That’s good to know. So what about the other Changelings? Are they doing this well too?”.
As soon as the Shadowmare mentioned the other Changelings, Chrysalis’ happy expression died. “They no longer consider me fit to be queen. They said that my proposal to change our ways was a sign of weakness so they went their separate ways in the delusion that they could become more powerful without me... the fools will all soon die because of their choices. I have already heard of many Changelings that were found dead from starvation. But it was of their own doing that killed them, not mine, so I feel nothing for their passing.”
“Oookaaay... remind me never to cross you. Well this has been fun, but I gotta go and get ready for the concert tonight. See ya later Chrysalis!” Daemon shouted flying off to Raritys to get the bands matching black jackets.
“OH, BEFORE I FORGET, CALL ME CHRYS!”, Chrysalis shouted after Daemon.
* * * * * *
Flara was on her way to see Daemon. He said it was urgent that he see her right away... in his words ‘I need to see you right now! It’s like super mega ultra important!’. His demand was one of the few things that could drag her away from the castle. As a former Lightmare Lieutenant, she took her duty very seriously. The fact that she was the personal guard of Celestia herself made her job all that more important. This was the first time in two years that she had been away from the princess and it felt wrong. She didn’t even get a chance to explain why she had to leave because, well, she didn’t know herself.
‘This had better be good Daemon.’ she thought to herself.
Daemon had been like her son. Her dimwitted, but faithful and pure hearted son. She didn’t like to admit it but Daemon was sometimes a real pain because of the way he thought things through... which was to say, not at all. His heart was always in the right place, but the way he went about things seemed to lack common sense. For instance if your watch fell out a tenth story window, he would dive though the same window to retrieve it instead of using the elevator or stairs. Yes, he was a moron sometimes, but he was her moron and she loved him. After reminiscing about Daemon for a time she found that the royal chariot was coming to a halt. It only took two seconds upon leaving the vehicle before she was tackled by a mustard yellow blur.
“Auntie Flara! You’re here!”, a little voice squeaked.
Flara shook her head and allowed her vision to clear before laying her eyes on the filly that rammed into her. She looked like she had the body type of a young Desdemona, but her coloring was a murky shade of what Fluttershy had. It was like somepony decided to mix the two mares and shrink her down to result in this adorable little Shadowmare.
“Hello Firefly. My goodness you have grown! And I believe there is something else different... let me guess, you got a new mane-cut right? Nooo, that’s not it. Hmm, well I am stumped.” Flara said, playing dumb.
“Aunt Flara! I went through the ‘Ritual’!” Firefly said, giggling.
“Are you sure it isn’t your mane?”, Flara responded, giving Firefly a warm smile while rubbing her messy bubblegum pink hair, causing the filly to smile back.
“So where is your father?” Flara asked, getting back to business.
“Behind you.” Firefly said as if it was common knowledge.
Flara turned around and sure enough, there was Daemon waiting with a huge grin on his face. Before Flara could even ask how he managed to get behind her without her noticing, he gave her a hug so tight it caused her bones to make cracking sounds. Daemon released Flara and let her catch her breath.
“For the love of Celestia, Daemon! Why did you nearly crush me and why in EQUESTRIA did you call me here?!”, the Lightmare shouted.
Daemon stroked his chin in false contemplation before giving a retort, “That’s why!”. He was pointing at the chariot. Flara facehoofed causing Daemon to look at the direction he was pointing.
“Hey guys, move please! You’re in the way!” Daemon said to the royal guards. They walked forward and revealed the black covered wagon behind it. The odd thing about the wagon was that Flara had recently seen it popping up around canterlot. It was powered by machines that moved the wheels, not ponies that pulled it along. It was a newly invented Lightmare contraption that helped ponies go where they wanted without magic, wings, or the use of any manual labor! They called it an ‘automobile’, and this one was top of the line.
“Hopefully you didn’t call me here just so you could show off your new toy...”
“OUR new toy!” Daemon corrected, levitating a pair of drumsticks towards her.
Flara couldn’t believe her ears. Was he really saying what she thought he was saying?
“You aren’t seriously asking me to play in one of your concerts are you?! I’m too busy and you said that you weren’t going to do this anymore because it was getting in between you and the ones you love! Did you forget that already?!” She yelled.
Daemons expression turned to that of worry and sincerity. “No, I didn’t forget, but from what Princess Celestia told me, you need a break. I’ve heard that you’ve been working yourself to death and you need this to unwind! Come on! Loosen up and just go with the flow just this once!”.
Flara thought this over and made up her mind. “Alright, if its an order from the princess I guess I can’t do much about it...”
“That’s the spirit!” Daemon shouted, wrapping his arm around her, pulling her close. He flung his other arm in the air for emphasis as he rejoiced in her settlement.
As they were making their way to the automobile, Ezreal stuck himself halfway out a window and started smacking the door with his hoof while yelling, “Hurry up! Let’s get this show on the road already! Aura is getting bored!”.
His comment caused Aura to stick his head out the window beside Ezreals and reply, ”excuse me, but I’m just fine. You are the one who can’t hold still...” .
“They haven’t changed a bit...” Flara sighed happily.
* * * * * *
Three hours of riding in the black machine took its toll on the Lightmares but Daemon was chipper as ever. They had arrived on the outskirts of the newly rebuilt Manehattan. The Lightmares that had been working to rebuild it were very quick to repair the destroyed city. It still had some run down and ruined buildings but the majority of the city was back. The only problem with the city was that it was mainly inhabited by the ones who rebuilt it... there were only a couple hundred other ponies that dared to step hoof on the once devastated ground. There were enough ponies to start a few gangs and clubs but other than that it was completely Lightmare territory. Daemon decided that since this was a concert to commemorate the day of Lux’s defeat, the Lightmares should be the first to celebrate. After all, they were the ones who were deceived into killing for a false reason. They were told that they were killing to purify the world of evil, but really they were tricked into killing the weak and helpless because, as General Lux put it, ‘only the strong have the right to live’. His belief merged with the lies to his army had demolished cities and caused senseless murder of countless innocent beings. However this was all in the past and it was time to move on and start anew. The band got to work on the stage and set up the lights (along with a few special effects for the finale). The construction of it got some attention and ponies started to recognize Daemon and the others. Before long, there was a massive crowd of cheering fans. Daemon had went backstage to keep the suspense peaked. Once the sun had set the crowd started chanting, “D. A . A.!”. This was short for ‘Daemon Among Angels’. This was it, the time felt right, so in a burst of blinding speed Daemon shot into the air, created a small Sonic Fireboom, then in a flurry of flames he landed in the center of the stage which sent the crowd into a frenzy. The others used a light spell to illuminate themselves as they gracefully descended behind Daemon. Flara was on drums, Aura took the bass position, Ezreal waited eagerly with a guitar, and Daemon snagged the microphone. He looked out at the sea of golden colored ponies and spoke.
“Hello Manehattan! Are you ready to rock your brains out with us?!”. The legion of Lightmares roared at his voice. Their calls did not go unanswered and Daemon started the show off with a rock song that he made up while having the nightmares of Lux returning.
* * * * * *
Meanwhile at home, Fluttershy was busy doing some laundry while Firefly was doing her homework. Fluttershy was always a neat freak and loved keeping things clean around the house. Sometimes it would give Daemon the creeps. To him things were never spotless for more than five minutes and that was just weird because of how messy his antics could get. Once he was covered in jelly, for reasons he never truly explained, and made an absolute mess of the house. Seeing how filthy he was, Daemon jumped in the shower for no more than fifteen minutes, and when he came out it was like he never even made the jelly disaster in the first place! Firefly was used to it being clean so it never bugged her. In fact, nothing really bugged her. The way everything was had been normal to her because it was all she had ever known. When others teased her and said that she was unnatural, it shattered how she saw things. What was normal to her was freaky to everypony else. The bully problem she had died down for the time being and she was getting used to the horrified stares of her classmates, but it was still a hardship she had to endure daily. Her dad told her just to ignore everypony and believe only what she believed. The only thing that troubled her right now was that she couldn’t be at his concert cheering him on. After a few pages of math questions, there was a knock at the door.
“Can you get that sweetie? I’m busy folding your fathers vests... I swear he needs to take classes on how to stay clean!” Fluttershy said from the other room.
Firefly gladly did as she was told and opened the door to see who it was. She didn’t recognize him but he looked happy to see her. He was very big and from the looks of it he was a Lightmare.
“Could you go get your mother and tell her that the General will see her now?” He said in a low gravelly voice with a big smile.
Firefly went into the room where Fluttershy was currently pouring detergent into the load of clothes. “Mom, there is a big stallion at the door who said the General was here.” Upon hearing her daughters words, Fluttershy’s jaw dropped and she ended up spilling the bottle of detergent on the floor. Firefly was confused.
“Mommy? Are you okay?” the filly asked concerned.
Fluttershy stood there in silence for a second before speaking. “Go to your room...”, she said, voice trembling.
Firefly was starting to get scared and wanted to know what was going on, “Mommy, what’s-”.
“I SAID GO TO YOUR ROOM NOW!”, Her mother shouted strictly.
Fluttershy had never raised her voice to Firefly in her life. The little Shadowmare ran to her room terrified. The large Lightmare stallion stood in the doorway cutting off the majority of light from entering the room.
“Hello again... Element of Kindness.”
* * * * * *
Back at the concert things were getting ready to come to a close. Daemon had one last song that he wanted to share... a song he had come up with that week while he was watching Firefly practice flying with Rainbow Dash. This song came from his fatherly love towards her... and he was ready to share it.
“Okay everypony! Can I have your attention for a second... I want this final song to be a good one so I’m going to finish things up with a song I wrote while thinking of my daughter. She couldn’t be here tonight, so this one is for her!” Daemon said, cueing Ezreal to start it with his guitar. Flara and Aura followed the lead provided by Ez. Then at just the right moment, Daemon let the lyrics flow.
“She's got a smile it seems to me Reminds me of childhood memories Where everything Was as fresh as the bright blue sky Now and then when I see her face She takes me away to that special place And if I'd stare too long I'd probably break down and cry
Oh, oh, oh Sweet child o' mine Oh, oh, oh, oh Sweet love of mine
She's got eyes of the bluest skies As if they thought of rain I hate to look into those eyes And see an ounce of pain Her hair reminds me of a warm safe place Where as a child I'd hide And pray for the thunder And the rain To quietly pass me by
Oh, oh, oh Sweet child o' mine Oh, oh, oh, oh Sweet love of mine
Oh, oh, oh, oh Sweet child o' mine Oh, oh, oh, oh Sweet love of mine
Oh, oh, oh, oh Sweet child o' mine Oh, Sweet love of mine
Where do we go? Where do we go now? Where do we go? Oh, oh Where do we go? Oh, Where do we go now? Where do we go? Oh, Where do we go now? Oh, Where do we go now? Oh, Where do we go? Oh, Where do we go now? Oh, Where do we go? Where do we go now? Where do we go? Oh, Where do we go now? No, no, no, no, no, no Sweet child, Sweet child of mine.”
The song ended with the crowd going nuts. Celebrations were short lived however as a blinding white light manifested on stage. When the light faded and everypony could see, Princess Celestia was on stage... looking quite upset for some reason.
“Daemon, what reason do you have for taking Flara from the castle?” The alicorn asked, obviohusly furious.
“Uh... y-you asked me to?” Daemon said, unsure of what he did wrong.
Celestias expression went from stern to baffled instantly. “What did you mean ‘I told you to’?”
Daemon gave her the letter from his pocket. The royal pony quickly read it and responded, “I never wrote this... and I certainly think that lara is needed at the castle to guard Lux. If he is left alone too long he is still capable of escape. That's why I never asked her to take a day off like in this letter.”
Now Daemon was really confused. ‘If she didn’t send this, then who...’ at that moment it hit Daemon like a sack of Rarity's gems.
‘HE is coming back’.
The words from his nightmare echoed through his mind. This was too much. He had been the main contributor in his own fear coming true. In a panic, Daemon ran off the stage and rocketed past the crowd, achieving a Sonic Fireboom as soon as he was a safe distance away. As he flew he prayed that he wasn't too late. He tried to tell himself that he was overreacting but deep down he could feel something was wrong. Something was wrong with all of it. The way he got the letter, when he got it, how perfectly everything was set up. Daemon tried to force the dark thoughts from his mind as he raced towards Ponyville.
* * * * * *
When Daemon landed infront of the cottage he noticed something... or rather lack of something. The air was dead. The dusky stallion felt like screaming just to remove the tense silence. The other thing that struck him was how dark the house was. Normally there was at least a little light emanating from the quaint home, but now it was bleak and chilling. It seemed as if he was in a completely other world from the one he left. Daemon moved slowly to the door. Dread was hanging around him like a thick mist as his hoof approached it. He carefully nudged the door... and it fell to the floor, torn completely off its hinges.
After Daemon flew off, a cloud of dark blue energy manifested. When it dissipated, Luna rushed forth with a look mixed with worry and fear.
“Tia! Flara!” She shouted breathlessly. “There has been a breakout at the prison! Most of the convicts are loose in Canterlot! Reports show that all the guards have been incapacitated!”
“Slow down sister! What has happened?!” Celestia asked as if the answer wasn’t obvious.
“It’s Lux... isn’t it?” Flara said darkly, knowing she was correct.
Luna looked to the wooden stage beneath her, ears flopped down in remorse. “Yes... From what we can tell, he managed to escape his cell and release all the other prisoners, bringing a few along with him. We don’t know where he went, but we know that he brought four others with him.”
Four?! Flara prayed that it wasn’t the four she was thinking of, but she had to know for sure. “Which four...?”
Luna cringed at the question before she answered. “Well from what we can discern, #666, the one you know as Lux has taken #619, #008, #911, and...”
At Luna’s pause Flara hoped with all her heart, ‘Please just don’t say...’
“#777”
“MOTHERBUCKER!” Flara swore at the top of her lungs. That last prisoner was contained since she was only six years old because of her powers. She was more dangerous than Lux if she wanted to be. The thing that made her so dangerous wasn't just her power... it was her innocent appearance. She could use her looks to lower your guard and get a chance to use you for her escape. Because of this her cell was made especially for her. It had what was called a ‘blackout’ light. It kept sound and light from penetrating anything it contained, making it impossible for her to make any contact with the guards other than taking the tray of food they brought her and giving it back when she was done. These extreme measures were deemed necessary to keep her from doing anything like escaping to wreak havoc. Now that she was free and with Lux to top it off, the entire planet could be in grave danger.
* * * * * *
Daemon was looking at what he dreaded most... General Lux. His fear interfused with his immense anger froze him in place. He wanted to pound Lux’s smug face in but his body refused to move.
“Someone looks a tad angry. I thought this would be a great surprise. Me, in your home, holding your little hellspawn... ON THE DAY YOU HUMILIATED ME!” Lux shouted, enraged. Daemon looked at the small form cradled in his arm, and as he said, it was indeed Firefly.
“What did you do to her?!” Daemon snarled fiercely.
Lux chuckled, “Don’t worry, I just put her to sleep with a spell. She is going to play an important role in this and I can't have her harmed... at least not yet. By the way, kudos to you on that bodyguard you left for her. The animal was loyal to the bitter end!”
Daemon gasped. The sick bastard was actually saying he murdered Sting!
~Yes... feed your rage...~
What was that? Daemon thought he heard a voice but... it came from inside his head. Passing it off as his imagination, Daemon asked, “What are you planning to do to her?”
“I’m not telling... we wouldn’t want to spoil the surprise, now would we? For now lets just call her encouragement. I can already tell that the power you possessed when we last fought has faded. This may even be the weakest you have ever been! So, to make things a little more fun, I am going to leave, and you will hunt me down for a change. All the while, you will get stronger... or you will perish!”
“You’re not going anywhere with her!” Daemon yelled, lunging at the casually seated Lightmare. Without even blinking, Lux used his magic to slam Daemon hard against the floor, knocking the air out of his lungs. Daemon attempted to stand back up but screamed in pain and fell to the floor as he felt a rib crack.
“Pathetic...” Lux scoffed.
Daemon grunted as he tried to stand one more time. Lux walked over and leaned his head in close.
“What was that? You want to know how I escaped? I’d be delighted to tell you! You see the thing they said was a magic draining field was actually just a dampening field. My magic wasn't being sucked away from me... it was just a little weaker.”
Daemon could only glare at Lux as he continued to explain.
“This gave me an idea. If I could keep my magic stored in something and release it all at once I could probably create a decent spell. So I saved a seed and kept feeding my magic into it. After that, I waited for the right opportunity to escape. The years passed and the energized seed grew in power. Around a week ago I felt something... I felt a wave of Shadowmare energy. I knew that it must have been from that ‘Ritual’ you Shadowmares are so proud of, which meant that there was another one of you born! I couldn’t have you repopulating so I decided that now was the best time to act. I swallowed the seed that I hid and used the stored magical power to cast a hypnotizing spell on a lesser guard. In his mind, I was the princess and he did exactly as he was told... he wrote you a letter. I knew you would follow the letters instructions and take my EX-lieutenant away. After she left, an average dimwitted guard served me my evening gruel. I asked him for a simple toothpick. The fool never saw it coming!” Lux started laughing hysterically.
“Y-you killed him... with a toothpick?!” Daemon asked in horror.
Lux halted his laughter and wore a huge sadistic grin. “Not just him... I KILLED THEM ALL! HA HA HA HA HA! I killed the guards, released the prisoners, and took a few that were contained on the same floor as me along! EVERY GENERAL NEEDS SOLDIERS AFTER ALL!”
Daemon struggled to his hooves and asked one final question, “What does any of this have to do with me?”
Lux made his way to the door before answering, “A rematch. Nopony from the Shadowmare race could hope to defeat me without some method of bending the rules, so now I’m setting the rules! I want to see you get stronger... as strong as you can be. You can bring any friends you want... hell, make some new friends for all I care, just make sure you are willing to see them die. This time around you will be hunting for me. The journey won’t be short... you will need to travel far and wide. The most important rule of this game is that you must bring the other Shadowmare with you, no exceptions!”
“But she can’t fly! You-” Daemons explanation was cut short.
“Shattered her wings? Yes, I thought I did. That is part of what makes this difficult! Can you keep her alive long enough to reach me? You won’t lose anything from her death, aside from a bit of grief and mourning. However if you refuse to bring her, your daughter won’t be seeing you again, you can be sure of that! Just to give you a sporting chance, I will give you a tip on how to find me... go to the base.”
Daemon couldn't believe what was happening. He was being forced to risk everything in order to save his daughter. It was as if Lux had a royal flush and Daemon was only holding a pair of two’s. What the Lightmare asked of him seemed impossible, but he had to try. Daemon knew he couldn’t stop him now and he would have to go along with whatever Lux said... he was at the General's mercy.
Before Lux took flight, he had one last thing to tell his pain wracked rival. “Oh, before I forget... I left you a present in what I believe is your room”. The gigantic blond stallion then flew off, laughing evilly.
Daemon reached out for Firefly as she was carried up high into the atmosphere. Lux was going to use the Quickstream, which told Daemon that he was indeed going to be hundreds of miles away. Daemon's heart was hurting far more than anything he had ever felt before. His daughter was just kidnapped, his loyal manticore pet was probably lying dead somewhere in the house, and there wasn’t a damn thing he could have done to stop it. After a few moments of struggling with his losses he decided to find out what Lux meant when he said he left a ‘present’ in his room. As he trudged up the stairs he thought that it was probably Sting, but when he got to Fireflys bedroom he saw that the door was shredded to pieces from the inside out. he peered through a hole that was created from one of the large gashes, and there lying in the middle of the room, was Sting. He wasn’t bleeding but Daemon could already tell that he was long gone. The way he was positioned made him look like he was sleeping... if only that was the case. As much as he wanted to stop to mourn his lost friend, he had another mystery to solve. Daemon limped over to his room. The door was open just a crack but otherwise nothing seemed amiss. He nudged at it, making it slowly swing open. It was incredibly dark inside, more so than Firefly's room. It was times like these that he was actually scared of dark. After making his way inside his eyes began to adjust to the low lighting. He saw a mysterious lump against the far wall he couldn’t make out what it was or even the color but his curiosity drew him closer. after getting within two feet of the shape, he stepped in something wet. He lifted his hoof to his face and examined the substance that coated it. It was liquid but it was a bit thicker than water. It was red but definitely not ketchup or jelly. It smelled familiar... very familiar. Unable to place the scent Daemon wearily brought his tongue to it... blood. He stepped in blood! Turning his attention back to the mysterious mass he saw it was breathing. After noticing that, it finally struck him.
“FLUTTERSHY!” Daemon screamed before dashing to wrap his arms around her. In one mighty burst of magic he teleported them both into a hallway at the local hospital. His desperate and hasty teleportation created a violent shockwave that made it look like a bomb went off, cracking the floor, ceiling and walls around them.
“SOMEPONY HELP HER! PLEASE!” Daemon screamed, his voice cracking under the stress.
At least four nurses and two doctors quickly surrounded them and helped Fluttershy to a stretcher. Now that Daemon could fully see her, he was shocked. Bruises covered her body and she had a black eye, not to mention the blood that was seeping from her nose, mouth and a few gashes on her forehead, arms and legs. Her wings were broken only slightly, scraped up and the feathers were out of place and falling out in a few areas. After Fluttershy was rushed into one of the nearby rooms, Daemon was halted by a mare with a name tag that read ‘Nurse Redheart’.
“I’m sorry sir, but you’ll have to wait out here!”.
Daemon wasn’t in the mood for these games. He flashed her a glare so fierce that she shrunk from intimidation and allowed him to pass. All sorts of devices were already hooked up to Fluttershy. alarms were going off from the machines as the ponies in the room worked frantically with needles, fluids, gauze and bandages. They were trying everything to keep her alive.
“Doctor! Her pulse is dropping! Vitals are in the red! We’re losing her!”
Daemon knew that they were unable to do anything at this point. They were only capable of so much. He had no choice... he would not lose another. With adrenaline running through his veins, he shoved a nurse out of the way and leaned over his quickly dying wife. Daemon started to charge his magic. The doctor who had been busy scrounging in a drawer for medical supplies grew aware of Daemons actions.
“What is he doing in here?! He needs to leave now! We can’t have him getting in the...”, the doctor trailed off as Daemon started to glow ever brighter with a white holy light. The building magical energy swirled around Daemon, encompassing him and Fluttershy with a heavenly brilliance. When the spell climaxed, Daemon poured the energy into Fluttershy. The others could only watch in wonder as he put nearly everything he had in his effort to save her. Suddenly the monitors that were screaming warning signs started to die down.
“Oh my gosh! Doctor, her condition! She’s... stabilizing!” One of the many nurses said in astonishment, looking at the screen beside Fluttershy. The doctors jaw steadily dropped. He saw that the cuts and bruises on the battered pegasus began to vanish one by one. Daemon kept the spell going, pushing himself farther than he ever had before.
“Not again... NEVER AGAIN!” he yelled, finishing off the last of his energy.
After he was done, Nurse Redheart walked up to him in complete disbelief. Daemon was breathing heavily, obviously fatigued by his efforts.
“H-how did you do that?!” the white mare asked.
“It was something Celestia taught me... It’s a great spell but... its hard... to...”, unable to finish his sentence Daemon passed out and was caught by Redheart beside him.
* * * * * *
Daemon awoke nearly two hours later. The healing spell was only supposed to be used for extreme emergencies because of the toll it took on the mind and body. Daemons thoughts were cloudy for a few moments and he was unable to remember what happened or where he was. Then in a flash, he recalled everything. The concert, Lux's return, Firefly's kidnapping and...
“Fluttershy!”
“SHH!”
Daemon looked over to see the nurse from before. She was by his bed dropping off what seemed to be orange juice.
“Be quiet. She is still in a fragile condition. Waking her now wouldn’t be healthy.”
“You don’t have to worry about me... I’m leaving.” Daemon said solemnly, scooting over to the side of the bed to get off.
“Are you crazy?! You aren’t in any condition to be going anywhere! We examined you while you were passed out. You have two cracked ribs and a sprained ankle!” Nurse Redheart whispered harshly.
“I had two cracked ribs and a sprained ankle... but not anymore. I heal faster than you can imagine, so if you’re smart, you will let me go.”
As she gazed into his eyes, she saw a fire that was far too intense for her to handle. With a sigh she waved him off and allowed him to leave. Before Daemon headed out the door he gave one last look at Fluttershy. She was hooked up to an IV and put on oxygen. Tears welled up in Daemon's eyes as he stared at her. Unable to take it anymore, he left closing the door behind him. His tears were streaming down his face by the time he made it three feet from the door. His emotions were afflicting him greatly, causing him to stagger and weave. the floor felt like jelly, his eyes burned with sorrow for Fluttershy and rage for Lux. He propped himself against a wall. He had barely made it twenty feet from Fluttershy's room. Images of Luxs wicked grin forced their way into Daemons head. That STUPID arrogant smile!
*BAM!*
Gritting his teeth, Daemon thrusted his front right hoof into the wall, making a sizable hole. Lux was going to pay for what he did this time! No more mercy! Daemon took a few steps back from the wall and turned to continue his way down the hall. His goal was clear.
“When I get ahold of him this time... I’M GOING TO RIP THAT BLACK THING HE CALLS A HEART OUT OF HIS MOTHER BUCKING CHEST!”
Desdemona was rudely awoken by a knocking at her door. She looked over to the clock on her nightstand.
“3:47?! Argh, for the love of... this had better not be another drunk mare who forgot where her house is!” She grumbled, remembering the last few times she ‘got visitors’ at her mansion. Desdemona had actually done quite well for herself since becoming the head chef and owner of the most prestigious restaurant in Canterlot. The only thing she hated about her life at this moment were the stuck up, so-called ‘higher class’. Pfft... what a joke that was. The only thing high class about them was their rude behavior. There was one customer she rather liked serving though, if only because he was the only humble rich guy around. Fancy Pants was not only a pleasure to be around, he was also loaded. One of the richest stallions around was actually one of the nicest. His presence was always welcome since the ponies that thought the food Desdemona served was garbage quickly changed their tune when he complimented it. However he only came around on special occasions, so most of her work was criticized as bland and tasteless.
After a few more knocks at the door, Desemona rushed down stairs hollering, “Shut up! I hear you!”
Having reached the door, she undid the locks and opened it angrily, never expecting to see Daemon on the other side.
Tilting her head, Desemona asked, “Daemon? What are you doing here so late?”
His face was that of grave seriousness, one that Desdemona had never seen before. His bloodshot eyes were overlooked by his rigid and cold demeanor.
