Part One

The light of a thousand prsims' flew around me, swirling the multicolored hem of my skirt about softly.

"Hello?!" I yelled as a chaotic wind threw me about nowhere.

Yet everywhere...

"Am I not deceased?!"

The vortex paused almost as if it were trying to get a rise out of me. As the bright pastel lights continued I ran a hoof through my mane hoping to snag one of its short tangles to toy with in my uncertainty. To my horror the bobbed cut which I had died with was elongated and swept to one side in an even more matted mess bound only by a small brown tie.

The mane of my youth, my dread, and my fear.

I swept around, no longer grounded by the ailments of age to see my lovely dress and apron had been shifted into a familiar rough cape with its itchy hood settled about my neck waiting to hide my gray eyes once more.

"No! Stop it! I'm a bloody atheist this shouldn't be happening!"

I screwed my eyes shut and stomped my hoof until the gusty tugs of this unearthly wind quieted into a nipping spring gust which better suited my tastes.

"I don't believe in a freaking afterlife! This shouldn't be happening all this light and rainbow bursting! Make it stop!"

With an almost sorrowful silence the wind lessened even further, down to an autumn whistle and I felt my hooves settle on solid ground.

"Mayhap you should start believing in us, Dear Little Miss Clever-was-I, for we sure as the misery of a thousand souls do exist, whether you like it or not." growled a rough masculine voice, almost brimming with unspoken snark and coarse notions.

"Of course I knew god-immortals existed! I merely chose to ignore them and shun their worship. The other tribesponies of course were sincere atheists. On the side: Why did I need to meet anymore?"

I peeled my eyes open faster then this stunned being could come up with a reply.

A gasp escaped my lips for I was no longer in the plain flourish deprived Canterlote but a magnificent pavilion with architectures even I did not know. Pilliars with ivy patterns carved out of silk! A pond with water the color of starbursts! And lo, the pavilion I was in was floating above a place half bathed in a moon's shine and a sun's rays! Two thrones sat at the far end an hourglass betwixt them, sands flying about like a demon-mad pony.

On this hourglass was a thick mangled gray talon, connected to a garish red-feathered limb which was attached to a griffion...

But not just any griffion but a hideous being with the same garish red feathers all about and front feathers composed entirely out of flame. The same was true of the tail's tip and the goat-beard adorning his crooked black maw of a beak. Deep black lines that made my own eye-bags appear faint in comparison framed thick inferno eyebrowed orange eyes. Large red wings were spread wide thier silver and gold tipped feathers gleaming with iridescent light.

Smoke from his 'hair' was pouring everywhere and aiding in the tarnishing process of his silver-bone crown with blood rubies wedged on top. Thick gray chains encircled his neck adding nothing to 'subtly' of the GIANT onyx the size of my head around his neck. A waxy blue cape torn and bloodied with pale blue fur trim did nothing to conceal the fact that just like a pony...he had a marking?

The skull of an indeterminable species coupled with a sprig of black holly berries was present on his hindquarters.

"You? Know gods," he bellowed. "What are you going to spout next Lie-fountain? That they walk among you on Midgard? Do you perhaps have tea with them? Cream or sugar dearie?"

He wiped a phony tear away from his eye.

"Liars go to Tartarus you know. Now let me see here...how have you sinned Misstress Clover Felicia Magnus Laurelsdaughter-Tanglemane?"

He fluttered up onto the headrest of one of the splendid twin crystal thrones surrounding the hourglass. The skeletons of seven pegasai with eyes like leaden coffins washed to a gray-scale appeared each bearing a amount of fiery orbs depicting something in my life they began to juggle. The griffion laughed heartily and snapped his digits causing a ghostly guise of flesh to encircle them. All were identical implying that these were mere conjurations rather then damned souls.

"Oh what have we here?" cackled this strange fellow. "Assisting the wicked? Turning a blind eye to the plight of others? Sinful, sinful Mistress Clover. Tartarus could be your future. Now would like to be broiled or scorched by the flames there?"

While he was snickering a memory orb, of events during my apprenticeship caught his eye.

Instantaneously, all but that orb vanished as his eyes caught fire and with a flash or inferno his griffion form grew and melted, sculpting itself into a matching guise of the 'Alicorn' variety long red horn producing the very aura that held my memory.

I looked around quickly, out of the corner of my eyes for a path away but all possibilities led to the unexplored edge. the only probable advantages I might have would be in how quick I could move, alas I had not been well versed in physical combats in life and despite the facts that the ailments of age no longer plagued my body I still had the gritty pacifist soul of myself and not the violent attitudes of a god-immortal.

Trying for subtle movements I inched closer to the strange pond for perhaps it could be a vortex and at the very least I would be able to swim. This movement was noted and quicker then a sugar-mad foal in summer I was pinned to one of the columns by this fuming being.

"Who are they?!" bellowed he, bringing the lighted sphere to my face as if I needed to nit-pick my own knowledge. "Where are these goddesses? How much do you know?!"

I gulped and struggled harder against his telekinetic grip, for all I knew this stallion had the intent of harm and after all that happened I could die again, if such a thing were possible.

I closed my eyes and tried to ignite some kind of flare only to wrench them closed even further as another powerful light presence made itself known and a authoritative female voice bellowed:

"HARGO, END YOUR TORMENT OF THIS HERE SOUL AND RETURN TO YOUR REALM OF TARTARUS TO AIDE IN PUNISHING THE DAMNED AND EVIL!"