Author's Note
You know, if I had actually gone with a different concept other than a Displaced, this might not have been half bad.
...
Meh.
Into the Pit
A staircase descended out of the darkness, seeming endless, as each step formed after the other, in what appeared to be an eternal walk down into the unknown. Each step was seemingly cut out of the grey rock itself, rather than being constructed of any other materials. There was no attempt to make them unique, or to give them an artist’s flair, rather, they were constructed with a single purpose. To do anything further would have been impractical.
Nothing more, nothing less.
Barely ten feet across in width, these steps were the only true defining feature of the vast underground tunnel in which they were built in, sloped to allow the staircase to continue its descent into the dark below.
Dying lights were spread in near perfect alignment along the center of the tunnel’s walls, seated upon small shelves, the candles of ages past continuing to burn, their wax endless in its supply; the magic that continued to keep the candles alight giving the flames a faint green tint, bathing the rock around in an unsettling glow.
Despite the lights ability to illuminate the passageway, it was clear to see that the darkness thrived in this environment, as the light barely managed to touch that of another candle’s shine, only so minimally allowing the steps to be seen, and some of the walls, but that was all.
It was a foreboding environment, the silence unnerving, the only movement the flicker of a candle, its light dimming against the blackness, wavering in its stance against the void.
Then, a sound was heard echoing down the tunnel, its sharp tones that of the strike of metal on stone. It resounded down the steps, continuing forth even after its creator was far behind.
Then, it was heard again. And again.
The sound only increased in its repetition, striking again and again, causing endless echoes into the stairwell and beyond. The light however, could betray nothing, not until the one making the noise was finally able to emerge from the darkness.
Like a beacon, the bipedal form of a pony mare made her way speechlessly down the endless steps, seemingly causing the darkness around her to recede in a haste and the candles around her even seemed to gain new life, growing in strength and power, brightening more then ever before.
The tunnel became much more visible in the area around her, the stairs ahead of the mare easily spot able and she did not waver in her continued pace down the steps.
The mare in question, with an alabaster coat that almost seemed to radiate its own light, was considerably tall, far too tall for that of her relative species. Her long spiraled horn jutted out just below where her ethereal mane weaved across her forehead, only a few feet from touching the tunnel’s rounded roof.
Even her wings, while tucked snuggly against her back, were merely a half-extend away from brushing against each wall. While the small confines might be troublesome to a select few, she was unhindered by the tight space, and had no fear of making contact with any of her surroundings. It was little bother to her in general.
After all, she had the tunnel specifically designed for the cramped quarters, even the placement of the steps only allowing one to pass up or down the steps at a time at only a walk to boot. It would be nearly impossible to move within the confines of the space with a pair, let alone an entire group.
After all, she could not and would not dare risk a massive jailbreak in which the tide could not be halted, and as she walked, a few ideas began to pop into her mind as she examined what little there was to see. Recent events had made her reconsider the jail’s second line of defense, and made her think of adding additional…obstacles for any would be escapees.
Perhaps if we widen the tunnel ever so slightly…we can place a guard on either side, and still have room to spare…
She shook her head, her flowing mane being whipped into the slightest of frenzies before settling once again to its normal movement. No, that wouldn’t do. It would defeat the entire purpose of the tunnel to begin with, and she was thinking of improving security, not diminishing it.
Her magenta eyes quickly drifted down to the package cradled within her arms, finding the brown paper wrapped item to be of some distraction. It was intended to be a gift, whether it was received well was entirely up to the one she was told to give it to.
Letting out a sigh, she continued her decent, noting with a somewhat apologetic smile that her white dress was slightly too long, its ends just barley brushing against each step. She found as well that her golden horseshoes that graced her hooves where managing to catch the ambient dust that lurked along each step, collecting a little bit of dirt with every moment.
While she did not necessarily find the grime an actual problem, she was positive that her maids would find her attires ruined perfection to be a travesty.
She smiled, shaking her head now out of withheld laughter. While she would never force the standards that her staff held for themselves and their work, she could understand their need to please her.
As Equestria’s sole monarch up until just a meager four years ago, Princess Celestia was held with the utmost reverence from her people, the sun alicorn a living goddess of strength and raw power.
Not that she considered herself as such.
She was far from the omnipotent being that many ponies lived their entire lives believing she was, and tried to show that she was just like them, just like anypony else. While she may be immortal, she still had feelings like those of any being bound by the cycle of life.
Celestia, so lost in her own thoughts, do not even realize she had begun to near her destination until she found the land-marker she was looking for directly in front of her face. It was unsettling as the large charcoal grey doors loomed over her, almost appearing out of existence in the blink of an eye. One minute, she had been walking in the cramped stairwell, the next; she stood in a small opening that allowed the doors to reach their full height of over two stories.
She glanced over her shoulder, noting of course that the last steps of the stairwell ended just behind her, the same torches that lit the tunnel now lighting this slightly larger opening.
It was no coincidence that she couldn’t even remember reaching the end, but she did not dwell on the matter. Her attention turned to the thick double doors, the strange, unrecognizable carved runes along their expanse emitting a faint golden glow.
Thick chains with links the size of her torso crossed both sections of doors, sealing them together at the middle, where they connected to a small circular protrusion, with three glowing lines along its surface pulsing and humming softly.
She walked directly up to the connecting joint, her armored hoofs making soft crunches in the light gravel of the tunnel as she set down her small package for the moment in order to place her now outstretched palms directly on the door’s surface.
A sharp tingle arched through up her arms at the contact, her fur standing on end for just a moment before returning to normal just as quickly. The material that the doors where built from was…cold…beyond the word. Ignoring the unnatural feeling, Celestia’s horn began to become aglow with her normal golden halo as she slowly worked to form the spell required. The key to unlock the bastion before her.
The only way passed the sealed structure was a unique spell, the doors actually developed around the spell. Known only to as many ponies as Celestia had fingers; few would ever be able to wield the key to this gate.
Finally, the spell work was completed, a small ball of energy forming at the base of her horn before she lightly pressed the tip directly against the circular protrusion, the ball seeming to phase into the door as its glowing lines increasingly brightened at receiving her spell.
With a groan, the whole structure seemed to shudder, small pebbles falling from the ceiling just above before the mighty chains that sealed it suddenly vanished one by one, shattering into wisps of golden specks to fade into dust.
With its links gone, the doors rumbled with movement, gears and cogs at work as it slowly began to creak open, revealing a blackness that only grew as the gate managed to merge into the adjacent supporting walls, leaving the way clear once more.
Picking up her gift from the ground, the solar alicorn continued forward.
As Celestia passed through the gap the doors had created, she was greeted by what appeared to be a void of absolute darkness. With the walls stretching up and below her her only clue, an expansive cavern stretched on all around her, what little light that managed to push out from the tunnel was summarily crushed by the true daunting scale of darkness that managed to stretch for eternity in all directions.
Honestly, she might have assumed at one point that she had stepped into one of Discord’s pocket dimensions, back when the Draconequus favored less…innocent pranks. Thoughts aside, she was unfazed by the expanse of the cavern she found herself in, the ceiling and ground completely disappearing above and below her into darkness, the only actual visible floor was that which she stood on, extending just barely a few feet in each direction, almost having a half-circle shape.
It was akin to if one had closed their eyes, they would see…nothing.
Absolutely nothing.
But this was of no concern for the alicorn as she stood calmly on her only visible ground, her hands still holding onto the brown wrapped package in her arms.
If she wanted to, Celestia could have easily flown to her needed destination, the memories of her countless journeys here centuries before easily brought about forth from her vast library of knowledge. Even her wings had the simply muscle memory to know the adequate distance to stop.
But she did not, and simply bided her time, in what would seem likes minutes of simply standing in the darkness, movement began to form out of the empty void. At first, it was a flicker here, a light flash there, easily noted to be directly in her line of sight, but seemingly appearing at varying distances.
Then, an orb of energy emerged out of the darkness.
Well, emerged may not have been the closest term to the truth, as the ball of light had simply manifested itself into existence, it swirling green power almost giving it a life of its own.
About the size of a small gem, it radiated an unknown power that she still had yet to fully understand, but she did dwell too much on that particular thought. It was a fruitless path. Many had tried to learn, and they paid the price for their pursuit of knowledge. An entire empire was nearly doomed for the very reason. While the power may have once proved worrisome, the fact that it belonged to a relative ally of sound mind brought her some relief.
The swirling energies continued to move along what was the orbs surface, shifting colors from that of a luminescent green to that of a near pure white, then even having flickers of black creep up, but disappear at the blink of an eye. It was a very hypnotic movement in itself, begging for her eyes to catch its dance.
It burned almost like fire, its circular shape sometimes forming into that of peak of a flame, reaching up just inches above its surface to lick at the darkness around it.
Then, just as it had appeared, another orb spawned into existence, and seemingly spurred on by its new brethren, the original ball of energy grew slightly, its flame becoming somewhat larger.
As if in a pattern, orbs began to appear quicker and quicker, either ahead or behind those that had been born before them. Each addition only added to the power of the originals, the balls now the size of large melons, rather then the small stones they started out as.
And as they appeared, and the sickly light they emitted grew, it would come to a point where Celestia could easily identify all fourteen orbs that had gathered themselves in the dark, floating what would be appear to be just around her shoulder height, or rather, six feet off the ‘ground’.
All the while, she calmly stood where she was, allowing the orbs to go about their process. And go about it they did. When the last ball of energy was collected, each suddenly began to glow even brighter, the energies that swirled within them increasing to a near feverish pace. As this occurred, a slow, creeping tendril began to snake its way out of the bottom of each orb, the energy choosing to move on its own path toward the darkness beneath it.
Then, the tendrils hit something. The energy that they carried seemed to flow across an outline of a surface that was not there, waves of energy crashing along this invisible structure to continue to illuminate a shape unknown.
In simplicity, it was a bridge. The light that washed along its surface seemed to actually construct the onyx black creation, reminiscent of the doors before and seemingly a straight path forward into the darkness. She didn’t so much as flinch as the bridge began to form her way, its construction reaching to perfectly connect with the platform she stood on.
In a flash of light that may have blinded those of lesser strength, the bridge all but appeared in totality, fully constructed of some unknown black material and having runic markings running all along its course, though it left its pathway clear. The stretch of material extended without any support out into the darkness, ending in a circle that was just a slightly larger width then the rest of the bridge.
The most interesting development however, was the strange statues that now lined the sides of the bridge, their prostrated forms unnerving in the quiet of the cavern. There were fourteen in total, each identical construct bowed before a relative orb, their arms raised with their four fingered hands cupped under each ball of energy, appearing to almost worship each light. With the bridge extending out just enough to hold a statue without blocking the path, each kneeling figure was placed directly facing their companion on the opposite side.
Now was the time for her to move, as she did, taking confident steps across the structure that just moments ago, did not exist.
The pathway was wide enough that two or possibly three ponies could have walked shoulder to shoulder unhindered, and as Celestia was alone, she had plenty of breathing room to stay far away from the edge.
Not that falling was a worry though.
No, there was only one thing to fear here.
The Equestrian diarch let her magenta eyes glance at each statue as she passed, noting with calm indifference that these were not constructed to mirror anything that was native to Albion’s soil. With a stature that managed to meet her impressive height if standing, the large figures appeared to be made of a perfect bust of…something, as the bipedal body style could be hinted out beneath what appeared to be armor, though with how close it was attached to the ‘skin’ of the creature and its uneven ‘plating’, it was fair to assume that this was not the type that was forged. Rather, this was its natural defense, its natural form.
A reinforced hide as armor.
She found the thought just a hair unsettling. But only for a moment.
Even its spiked head seemed to reflect a malicious intent, multiple bony protrusions emerging atop its rounded head, its sloped face with the only defining features to be three holes, which one could assume their eyes once went.
As she walked, she could notice out of the corner of her vision that each orb she passed would detach itself from its position above the kneeling creature’s hands, moving to float directly behind her. The abandoned statues, left without their light source, receded back into the darkness with each orb removal. It was ominous that each orb seemed to move with a life of its own, casually swirling along with her movements.
Soon, it was just a few statues to remain within the now bright green light of the orbs gathered around Celestia, as she neared the end of the bridge, reaching the circular platform.
There was a smaller circle of runic markings embedded in the center of the end, and she effortlessly moved to stand in its center, the last orbs moving away from their holders to join the floating procession.
Then, in perfect sync to the last orb joining its brothers around her, they instantaneously disappeared as quickly as they came, leaving her in nigh impotent light, the runes still glowing at her hoofs the only tide against the dark. Such a drastic change may have frightened some, as was its intent, but Celestia was far from afraid of such tricks.
Movement behind her caused a glance over her shoulder, allowing her to identify the fourteen glowing bipedal figures now standing along where the bridge would be, their bodies consumed in a green flame as their glowing eyes were locked onto her. Each stood ready, their stances indicating they could charge her position at any moment, and with the large two-handed swords now within their grasp, she knew their intent.
The blades were designed to be that of a cleaver, as their tips did not end in points, but rather a flat top. They relied on swings and slashes to achieve their blows, and as Celestia had seen in action, they could easily crush bone with but a single strike.
Each imbued with the same energies as the orbs, their bodies radiated it from whatever gaps in their armor it did not cover, mostly just above their neck area, giving each head an almost flaming appearance. Guttural animalistic growls sounded from some of the creatures, their threatening tones echoing in the expanse, promising harm to those that trespassed.
Undaunted by the sudden animation of the statues, Celestia contently waited as the one closest to her moved what she knew to be its mouth, its jaw moving but failing to match with the words her ears picked up.
“What does one call something so dark and twisted, so vile and cruel, yet despises those that call themselves evil?” It slowly asked, its voice something akin to two sharpened panes of glass scraping against each other.
Celestia couldn’t help but smile softly at the inquiry. While not extremely difficult, its vague question could have millions of different answers and a single incorrect response would earn her a terrible fate.
Yet, she was still collected as ever, as she knew the answer to the given riddle. After all, she was there to hear it told and be recited by its creator.
“Evil,” she responded offhandedly over her shoulder, noting that the creature seemed to growl quietly in response to her answer. Then, the creature relaxed its posture, before slowly kneeling with its sword pointed into the ground, both hands resting on its pommel.
As it bowed before her, so did the others, each one no longer aggressively waiting to attack, now returning to the positions they held before.
“You, may, passsss,” The one that had spoken to her continued, and if simply waiting for the words of the creature, the orbs appeared instantly once more, still surrounding her in the positions they had been in just as they left, each one now slowly beginning to move around her. Their pace picked up continuously, going faster and faster until they were nearly spinning in a blur.
Yet no wind could be felt being generated by their movement, despite seemingly tangible. Celestia did not dare to move, remaining perfectly still even as she began to feel like her body was being tugged in multiple directions, the cause no doubt coming from the now band of green energy surrounding her, its internal energy now that of a bright neon green.
She kept her breathing calm and steeled, her now tense nerves demanding action as the band began to hum ominously. It was low at first, but soon became deafening within just a few seconds.
Her wings twitched in reaction and her brow furrowed. While she had done this many times before, she could never accept how…wrong this feeling felt. Just another difference between Albion’s magic and the Wardens’…
Just as one might assume that the hum would shatter the eardrums of a normal pony, the vast echoes playing into this as well, there was a flash of light, and instantly, the diarch of Equestira was gone, the band around her dissipating into specks of green light.
The statues, still kneeling, lost their own glow as well, allowing the cavern to be swallowed by the darkness once more.
Author's Note
The Heresy Continues.
He Who is a God
Celestia reappeared on a cliff top or a plateau possibly, stumbling with slight disorientation, falling to a knee before she was able to regain her equilibrium. Nausea quietly crept up, and she distastefully swallowed some of the bile that managed to come up her esophagus.
She would surely never get over that. That was something on a level all its own.
It was several moments of calm, steady breathing before she was able to gather her normally unfazeable demeanor, the shock of the teleportation still managing to bother her after all this time.
Rising from her stooped position, she checked on the package held in her arms, noting it looked to be unharmed. Releasing a sigh of relief, she looked out toward the land she now found herself in.
It was like nothing that could possibly exist in her world, and of course, it didn’t. The sky was the first indication of lacking anything of her home planet. It was a sickly green mixed with an onyx black, flowing and moving almost like an ocean, endless in its expanse. A giant orb, which she might have once found similarities between itself and her sun, hung above her, dominating her entire view above, its black core surrounded by what looked like the remains of landmasses, a shattered planet perhaps?
It was certainly a disturbing thought, but she could not dwell on it, how the Warden designed his prison was up to him and she would not interfere on such matters.
The ground she stood on faired no better in this nightmarish realm, as it lacked any type of vegetation, life, or anything that would indicate a living creature. There was only grey rock that stretched on for miles, only broken apart by the canyons that lined the plateaus like the one she stood on, and if she looked down, she would notice the glow of the luminescent green rivers that flowed in-between each of the valleys.
Each raised landmass was clearly formed around a central structure, as she could spy just the edge of grey disc shape jutting out around one of the canyon’s walls. It was incredibly far off, as she was well aware of its comparative size in reality.
This realm had a name, and while many knew of it, only the damned knew of its appearance. This was the prison of Tartarus, where all creatures who threatened the world were sealed away. Its only gateway being accessible by those who descended into the bowels of the Canterlot Horn, getting past the various royal guards that protected the many passageways to the tunnel.
And to Celestia, it was an easy task to arrive here, but she could not dwell on these thoughts now.
She had much flying to do.
Without a moment’s hesitation, she unfurled her large wings, taking a running leap before plummeting into the abyss below her. Celestia let herself fall for but a second before using her wings to fly with an unmatched speed in between the expanse of rock, her destination the disk in the distance.
As she flew, she couldn’t help but have the unsettling feeling of being watched. Nor could she spot the hundreds of eyes slowly tracking her, even as she looked over her shoulder to confirm her suspicions. Only rock greeted her. She moved along, as the eyes did not break their gaze.
Watching.
Waiting.
Hunting.
Princess Celestia walked along the large bank that bordered one of the flowing rivers of the realm, the strange water casting dancing shadows along the cliff-face on her opposite side. The dark illusions moved and bended along the rocky surface of the canyon wall, the moving shadows quickly falling into the numerous large dark holes that were imbedded into the rock.
While it might have been simpler to fly the entire way, she could not help but attempt to alleviate her fears on the prison’s security, glancing at the large holes in the canyon side with a critical eye.
Because, rather then just empty crevices, these small room sized indentations served another purpose.
If one glanced at the protruding, flaming green bars that crisscrossed the entrances of each hole, the answer to their purpose would be quite obvious.
They were cells.
They were prisons.
And there were hundreds of them, on this wall alone. Each she knew holding a prisoner of that had been sealed away from the world of the living, to be imprisoned here for eternity.
To those that actually stood near their bars, she could make out the various maleficent, gleefully insane, or just generally malicious looks of the creatures that dwelled here.
She could remember many faces. She and Luna had battled many personally. So many threats to her ponies snuffed out over her lifetime. Though, she noticed, there were some creatures here that were completely unfamiliar to her, ones she had never seen before. Though, if they were jailed here, she trusted the judgment of the one that brought them.
While she could feel the eyes of those here track her movement, it wasn’t the looks of the prisoners that concerned her. There were others much worse to fear.
“Oh my, it seems the most gracious sun princess has decided to bless us with her blinding presence,” The familiar voice suddenly caught Celestia’s attention, her right ear swiveling in the direction of the speaker. She knew that voice, and the rather prideful tone that it once had. It was still there, but far faded to be directly relatable in any way.
She turned to look into the cell she just passed, finding a mare of near equal height to herself slumped against the wall of her cell, her bowed head still allowing her reptilian green pupils to glare at the alicorn with an undying intensity.
At first glance, it would appear to be a pony with a rather dark coat, but Celestia could easily identify that this was not fur, but rather that of sleek, black chitin, the skin of that of a changeling.
A rather specific changeling to be exact.
“Chrysalis,” Celestia replied evenly, shifting the package in her arms in the equivalent of crossing them.
The pony look alike smiled, showing off dual fangs along the top teeth of her mouth, as she raised a hand to her breast.
“Well well, her majesty remembers my name?” She seemed to ask in genuine surprise, before her face became utterly unamused, her brow furrowed.
“I’m honored,” the changeling deadpanned.
Celestia took a moment to reply, her eyes simply looking over the now defeated changeling queen, the tattered remains of a dress still clinging to her body, and the crown she had once pridefully worn now nowhere to be found. Her physical appearance seemed to betray a state of malnourishment, her skinny stature relaying her health. Though, the alicorn could understand the reason for that easily.
There was no love to be found here.
“It would do well for me to remember those that attack my country, let alone my capital city.”
A mocking laugh was her only response, Chrysalis clutching her sides as Celestia glared at her. What she said was nothing to laugh at, but perhaps Chrysalis was just as mad as she once thought?
“I will admit…haha” the ex-queen started, wiping a fake tear from her eye, “That attack was possibly a little too bold even for my tastes but” She looked Celestia in the eyes, a grin forming along her muzzle. “Seeing you fall was well worth the loss.”
“Is that all you have to say?” the alicorn shook her head, not bothering to rise to the bait of the changeling. “I would hope your time here would give you time to think about your actions.”
“Oh yes, I’ve had plenty of time to think about how horrible I was acting in the interests of my own people, oh for shame of me thinking such heinous thoughts!” Chrysalis brought her hand to her head while slouching just a bit, faking a near faint.
The switch between the mocking and sarcasm transitioned once more as the changeling glared at her pony rival.
“You would have done the same Celestia. You have done the same if this place is any indication. Especially if everypony knew about the monster that their precious princess kept in the closet, as it would ruin the glorious image they have of you. Oh gods’ forbid!”
“Even if my ponies were suffering as your changelings were, I wouldn’t dare try an attempt to help them if it meant enslaving another race in the process.” The alicorn spoke, referring to of course the mad queen’s idea to harvest all the love Equestria held by draining its citizens directly.
“Small details” the changeling mused, only to receive an even more intense glare from the dairch, something that most would wilt under its strength. Chrysalis in her defiance however, did not yield.
“Are you thoroughly finished Chrysalis? I didn’t take you as the sort for small talk. More…evil monologing.” Celestia couldn’t help but smile at her own joke, while the changeling behind the bars didn’t take to it so well, it referring to the main cause of her defeat at the hands of Princess Cadence all those years ago. In a fit of rage, she rushed at her cell bars.
Only for them to alight in intense bursts of green flames, licking at the changeling that now stumbled back in panic, fear evident across her face. She recovered quickly however, and met Celestia’s gaze once more as she looked back from her now farther position inside her cell.
“I will get out of here Celestia. I promise you this. I will be free. And considering I have all the time in…I don’t know…eternity? I will get out of here. And I will come for you.”
Her words were spoken with every fiber of an enraged being, making it an unbreakable promise.
Feeling her mood suddenly begin to plummet, Celestia began to continued her walk toward the disc platform in the distance, a staircase rising from the rock to allow passage onto the elevated platform. Ignoring the changeling’s angry outbursts and threats of death, the alicorn continued on, with the queen’s last words occupying her thoughts.
And she had a rebuttal for the promise that was made.
Then he will come for you as well.
The massive sword hung suspended in the air, easily the length of her entire body, floating horizontally inside the center of the disc, the runic markings around the circle allowing the weapon to maintain its suspension through the strange magic that existed here.
She stood on the large central structure of the prison, a main point that connected all the flowing rivers, which easily allowed access to the several other canyon passages of this place.
Literally put, it was the center of this place, the prison built around it only afterwards.
And as Celestia knew, directly built underneath her hooves was the single cell that housed the most dangerous inhabitant of this place.
Tirek, the magic draining centaur that had nearly destroyed the Equestria she had built twice now, that had been defeated once, only to escape, and to be summarily defeated again.
She knew his cell hung from the bottom of this disc, suspended in a small cavern directly underneath this plate, its only access from the top, and consequently, through its Warden.
‘To speak of the devil, and he shall appear’, Celestia remembering the line well, the small thumps that had begun to catch her attention had been steadily rising, and she quickly found her attention grabbed at the figure making its way along one of the rivers banks, its towering form causing the prisoners nearby to cower in their cells at of pure instinctual fear.
With easily notable similarities to the gatekeepers she encountered before, it was no trouble to surmise that this newcomer and the other creatures were one in the same.
Only, this one was stronger. Much, much stronger.
With a height nearly three times her own, with the body mass in addition, it literally radiated the luminescent green energy that flowed from the rivers, from the orbs, from the knights.
It, was the source of the power that resided here.
With a skeletal body structure that was ablaze with the dark energy, it’s spiked head a crown of thorns, it seemed to bleed the energy continually, the magic flowing off of him in green flames.
In quick order, the creature reached the platform she was on, ascending the smaller steps for it without trouble, and stomping toward her with a clear directive.
Even still, at the face of this behemoth approaching her, Celestia did not fear, for she knew this being well.
“Ahhhhhhhhhhh” The giant seemed to whisper out, yet with it’s larger size made it almost sound like a shout. “Uuuullllllll shawwww lllleeee mmeeeewwwwssss Celestiaaa” Its spoke again, the only discernible word being that of her name. As hearing its own speech, the giant slowly moved a hand to its throat, its head rolling as if trying to pop its neck or joints. Guttural sounds were heard as it placed its hand along its throat, and garbled words began to leak out of its mouth. Incomprehensible at first, but improving within seconds.
“Lllleeee mmeeewwwwsss…saaannnncceee….I….uaaaasseed….Equestriaaaan” It finally was able to get out an actual understandable word, though the whole process sounded as if a minotaur had dragged one of its horns along a chalkboard.
“Ahhhhh, beeaaaatttter” It readjusted the grip on its neck once more.
“Beetter” It finished, letting its hand drop to its side again.
Celestia had watched this process with her neutral stare, nodding to the giant when he had returned to the common tongue between the two, as she could not understand his own language after all this time.
“Crota” she stated plainly, receiving what many would look like an unsettling smile from the giant, its boney teeth on display.
“Celestia…it has been too long since you visited me…” He spoke, causing an eyebrow raise from her highness.
“I was there to escort Chrysalis to her cell. That was only two years ago Crota” She told him, finding his head to turn slightly in the general direction she arrived from, and possibly looking for a particular cell in the canyon walls.
“You of all people should be aware time is irrelevant here, Celestia. Seconds, minutes, hours, days, years” he seemed to stress his last words, “All are the same and nothing at all in this place.”
“Is that why you have been going off on your, journeys again?”
The question seemed to catch Crota off guard, the giant tensing enough for her to notice.
“I see you spotted my new additions” he replied, to which Celestia shook her head.
“No, I didn’t need to see them to know you have been leaving your post again Crota. I cannot place my faith in a warden who abandons his duty to go off even I don’t know where.” Celestia’s eyebrow rose just barely.
“Unless you wish to finally tell me?” A growl was her only response.
“My guards are sufficient in preventing any escape. None shall leave this place without my knowing,” He spoke, conviction laced into his words.
The alicorn sighed, knowing that she would be forced to get to the heart of the problem.
“Then you should be aware of Tirek’s escape. And his subsequent reimprisonment.”
This brought a chuckle out of the giant, surprising Celestia somewhat.
“Ah yes…your student defeated him did she not? Such power from that one. To wield all the strength of four alicorns and to selflessly return it…” He trailed off.
This brought Celestia pause.
“How did you know I gave my student my magic? As well as Luna’s and Cadences’? One of your visions again, I assume Crota?”
The giant chuckled again, not directly answering her, but doing so in a way that allowed her to confirm her suspicions.
The giant, with his strange magic, had the ability as he said it to ‘peer into the void’ allowing him to see fragments of the future. Since she had first encountered him before allying him to Equestria’s cause, something she had always found far too easy, the giant had been able to see visions of the nation’s future, or certain events that would come to pass.
Most notably would be the prediction of Nightmare Moon, supposedly ‘seen’ ever since he had first met the two alicorns, though only told to Celestia after she had already banished her sister, after it was already too late.
She still remembered the ensuing battle in her rage induced state. Relations between herself and Crota had been strained for centuries afterwards. Only the prediction that Luna would return to her had soothed her boiling outrage.
Though most recently, his predictions had begun to speed up in accuracy and detail, noting and identifying key events to occur only years ago.
Twilight becoming her student, her sister’s return, Discord’s return, the changeling invasion, and the return of the Crystal Empire. All predicted. All allowing her to plan accordingly for the coming storms.
Except for one crucial event. One that she was determined to find how it could have possibly occurred.
“I can only tell what I know Celestia. You know I would not betray you so foolishly, unlike that draconequus. Reformed, didn’t you say?”
While it might not have been intended as such, she couldn’t help but feel the jab at her confidence in Discord’s reforming. While she would admit that her decision on the matter had only allowed Tirek to come ever closer on his quest to conquer Equestria, she defended her choice on the matter.
“I didn’t come here to discuss Discord, Crota. I want to know how Tirek escaped, and if I need to reevaluate Tartarus’ security”
The flames that danced on the giant’s body seemed to grow with a new intensity, their brightness increasing with an increasing tempo.
“You question my prison?” It was a challenge more than a question.
Celestia shook her head. “The most dangerous person to be sealed here escaped Crota. I don’t think I need to have any other reason not to.”
A tense silence descended on the two, the giant making a low guttural growling noise, Celestia looking up at his glowing eyes with a steeled resolve.
Finally though, the stalemate was broken when Crota suddenly began to chuckle, a laughter that resonated along the rocky walls of the canyons, that moved with a force of it’s own across the landscape, and a laugh that caused a spine tingling fear to creep up on those who where there to hear it.
For Celestia’s part, she simply had the fur on the back of her neck hackle.
The giant’s chest heaved its skeletal structure bowing and shrinking with the intakes of air. As his chuckles began to die down, he suddenly began to walk toward his floating weapon, reaching it in several quick strides.
“Do you want to know a funny thing about fate Celestia?” Crota asked, his back to Celestia as he ran his thick fingered hands over the sword, the weapon seemingly eager for its masters embrace.
“You cannot change it. You may be able to catch glimpses of what lurks ahead, but any action you take will only result in what you see. That is the beauty of fate, it is unstoppable, undeniable. It is beyond our control, yet it teases us that we have the ability to affect it.”
“I am aware of such things Crota,” Celestia interrupted, finding his train of thought to be stalling the matter at hand.
“I would hope so Celestia. Your world is formed by fate itself, events predestined since its very creation. Events even I must adhere to, despite not even being of this world...”
Celestia could feel that Crota was leading to something, but held her breath, letting the giant continue.
“Even I am a puppet of fate itself…”
“You wish to know how Tirek escaped? I can offer you an answer,” He grasped his sword, his own magic flowing across the blade at his touch, the weapon now a flaming incarnate of death.
He turned back to her, a cruel, bony smile on his face.
“I freed him.”
Somewhere, Discord was enjoying a record on a phonograph, simply humming along to the tunes of the device, when the record decided to scratch at that exact moment.
Celestia did not need any time to process his words. Instantly, any remnant of a peaceful or calm demeanor was gone, instead replaced with the unbreakable will and anger of the past warrior princess of Equestria.
“You, did, WHAT?!”
Her Royal Canterlot Voice blasted through the canyons, seemingly shaking the entirety of the pocket world.
The Princess of Equestria took a step back when the giant stepped forward, her stance shifted to prepare for an attack as she tried to search Crota’s facial expression for any sign of his intent. However, the alien’s unusual face offered no answers except for his tooth filled smile.
“Crota, explain yourself. Now.” Her tone was not a suggestion, it was a demand. Thoughts were swirling in her head, dots were being connected, and she was quickly beginning to realize that the statement by the giant might be completely true. If so, things were very, very bad.
“I told you, I am a puppet of fate Celestia.” He advanced again, causing the alicorn to bring forth power untold into her horn. She did not hesitate to prepare extremely powerful attacks as it would be needed if Crota continued his threatening advancement. With her horn suddenly encased in its golden aura, his press forward was suddenly halted, giving the mare time to gather her thoughts.
That was until she heard the shrill screams of dozens of creatures behind her, her head moving so quickly to access the new threat many might have thought she had snapped her neck.
Somehow managing to encroach on her without making a sound, the closest being just several feet away, were dozens upon dozens of pony, griffon, minotaur and various other species that inhabited Albion’s soil.
Except that these were no longer anything that was their kind. They might have the same body structure yes, but the beings that now surrounded her from the rear were literally ablaze with the energy of Crota’s magic.
Their eyes, open mouths, and even much of their skin was alight with the illuminant sickly green power, it completely consuming every creature utterly. Pained faces greeted her with eyes of pure energy while a low whine was heard from each cursed being, the sound reminiscent of a scream; one that seemed to have been uttered for eternity.
These were the guards of Tartuarus. Beings that had once had the opportunity to live and prosper on Albion’s soil, but had selfishly squandered that to commit atrocities.
Celestia recognized many of the faces of these beings, noting among the cursed ponies several prominent faces. An earth pony stallion that was missing his left ear was once known as Soft Spoken, a seemingly innocent stallion that had been a serial killer, generally his victims being that of a unicorn or pegasi, committing the heinous acts out of apparent jealousy. Only after he had killed dozens did he finally slip up, attacking an ex-royal guard and having his ear removed in the attempt. He was subsequently captured and faced judgment for his crimes by Celestia herself. For his deeds, he was sentenced to death.
But not the one he expected.
Much like the other cursed here, he was brought under the will of Crota, bound by his magic to serve a greater purpose as well as protecting those that he had once preyed on.
Whether he wanted to or not.
Now though, the diarch was greatly displeased to note that the guards seemed to be turning on her, obeying their master’s will without question. They seemed to be halted for the moment, but Celestia refused to let her guard down for even a moment.
She turned back to Crota, the anger plain on her face.
“What is the meaning of this.”
For his part, the giant had his blade held at his side, non-threatening for the moment, though she knew from experience that he was far spryer then his body would indicate. And his sword was far from his only weapon.
“I am a puppet. I am bound by strings that I couldn’t predict exist. From the moment I was born, my destiny was sealed. What I once thought was pointless, what I once believed worthless. What I once was, I am no longer.”
“I was never human-“
Celestia caught his use of that word again, noting it for later.
“-I, am, and always will be, Crota” In response to saying his name, he raised his arms into the air, his right hand still clutching his sword while he held out his arms in an almost religious reverence. The alicorn readied herself at his movement, not willing to risk a possible lightning attack.
“You still haven’t answered me.”
He snapped his head at her, his smile returning as he tilted his head.
“What would you like me to say Tia? That I wished to see Equestria burn? That I wanted to enjoy all the misery and suffering? Was it my plan to conquer the world for myself?”
He laughed, shaking his head.
“No…it was for fate.”
Celestia waited as he continued, noting that the guards still do not moved from their positions, still effectively pinning her to face Crota.
“Tirek was destined to escape. Your student was destined to defeat him, unlocking power even you could not wield. I simply moved things into their proper places.”
“By releasing the most dangerous being that I have ever faced!? A being that could care less about the lives he would destroy to achieve his goals!?” The alicorn did not hesitate to vent her outrage.
“It was fated to be. I could not deny it. Neither should you.”
“You knew about this,” Celestia said through clenched teeth. “You are supposed to reveal any visions you have to me Crota.”
“You would have done everything in your power to stop it, much like what would have happened with Luna.”
The glow on the alicorn’s horn spiked to a new intensity.
“Do. Not. Talk about that.” That was his only warning.
While the bad blood had dried, the wounds had remained, still cutting deep for the mare even after all these years.
The giant growled at her own stance becoming that much more aggressive. “If you persist on making threats based on loose assumptions Celestia, then our conversation is over. And you may leave”.
He suddenly turned away from her, giving his back to her before stopping just as abruptly. He looked over his shoulder, still finding the diarch poised for combat, the brown wrapped package still held in one arm.
“Oh, and do not stress over another escape like Tireks’. Considering he is dead.”
The fire that was her anger had almost been snuffed out, replaced by confusion and creeping realization in seconds.
“What?” she asked stunned.
He smiled again, that cruel bony smile.
“I killed him. Split him in half like cheese. You don’t need to worry about him any longer. I believe his sentence was complete anyways…”
It was several seconds for her to absorb his words before she once again burst out in anger.
“Crota! You had no right to do that! Tirek had to pay for his crimes! He-!”
She was unable to finish as he whirled on her, his sword thrust in her direction. She raised a golden shield out of instinct, immediately excepting an attack.
“No right!? You lock creatures away for eternity simply so they cannot taste the sweet embrace of death! My killing him was a mercy. And you claim to hold right over this?” He shook his head.
“No. You hold nothing Celestia. And I am finished with you.”
The guards suddenly began to advance on her position, creeping and crawling with delicate steps forward. She was aware this slow pace was on purpose.
“Leave now. Or face my wrath.” He spoke, marching away from her. He was able to make several quick strides away from the pony, his hearing peaked to listen for any type of fighting or the sound of wings flapping.
Instead, a voice he was thoroughly done talking to cried out again, causing him to whirl on it in anger.
“Crota! I have something for you.”
He paused, noting that the pony was holding out the small brown wrapped package she had with her the whole time, the item garnering little attention from him. Now though, noting that it appeared to be for him, he cautiously advanced back to the alicorn, his guards moving back as he approached.
He stood above the pony, proclaiming dominance as he reached out his left hand to grab the item that was outstretched to him, Celestia’s and his eyes never once leaving each other in the exchange.
Both backing away after the switch was done, Crota gave a final glance at the alicorn before using his magic to burn away the paper wrapping, allowing the relatively small item to fall into the palm of his hand.
Upon closer inspection, it was a simple brown picture frame, the photo held within that of celebration. A pink mare with a mane of a mix of violet, rose, and gold was being held by a white stallion bridal style, her beautiful face practically radiating pure joy as the two laughed at an unknown joke. Most notably was the white bridal dress that the mare wore as well as the military uniform of the white unicorn stallion. Written in eloquent writing at the bottom was a quick message.
-I’m sorry you couldn’t make it. I hope this is some consolation. With Love, Cadence.
The small i’s where instead dotted with hearts.
“She asked me to give that to you. She still has yet to meet the one who informed me that she was in that orphanage all those years ago.” Celestia spoke, even as his attention was solely on the picture. While she wouldn’t dare speak it, this was something that could pierce the giant’s façade, revealing a beating heart still underneath.
“I would have never known she was more then an unusual pegacorn until her alicorn-hood had manifested, but even that would have taken several years.”
If there was one saving grace in the two’s relationship, it was the fact that Crota had revealed Cadence’s alicorn status when she was only four years old, orphaned after her mother passed while in labor, the mare simply unable to survive the strain of giving full birth to an alicorn.
Only Crota’s words had spurred Celestia into action and the alicorn was able to be nurtured in a loving environment free from those that would try to use her, all the while being prepared to fulfill her own destiny.
Cadence would learn of Crota’s involvement in her life over time, and would always attempt to show her gratitude in any way possible.
“She still has yet to meet you. She had hopes that your wedding invitation would be accepted.” The words bothered the behemoth the more he stared at the picture.
Happiness. It seemed so foreign. So far away. The feelings were bothering.
“Will you ever want her to see you?”
He didn’t answer.
There was a silence between the two. “Do I have to worry about any future escapes Crota?” Celestia asked carefully.
The question was not missed by him. He tore his eyes from the picture frame to gaze down at the alicorn.
“No” was the quick reply. It was simple, but it held a definite truth that the Equestrian diarch could pick up.
“Then I will leave.” At these words, the cursed guards backed away from Celestia, clearing a path toward the canyon she had entered from, and subsequently where the portal to return to Equestria would soon be manifesting.
An exact copy of the one she entered from, she would be keeping a close eye on the knights that guarded the gateway this time around. As much as she would wish to have complete assurance that Crota was telling the truth, she would have to settle for what little he had given her.
Making Crota an enemy would be a foolish decision in its entirety, and she would not risk such a thing. She would be back soon though, and she would finish this conversation.
She took to the air, the giant ignoring her movement as his attention was on the picture frame once more, the alicorn giving him an almost pitied look before flying off toward the portal home. The guards, when she looked again, had disappeared, quietly returning to their hiding places once more.
All the while, a creeping thought wormed its way into her mind.
Originally, Tartarus had been designed to hold the most dangerous threat to Equestria, locking him away forever. Now though, the most dangerous threat was not held in the prison;
It controlled it.
