Alitheia

Why did Thysia give Tartaras such a role that would only be met by hatred, suspicion and fear? Did she believe that the ponies would grow to love him? Or was it because pitied him and gave him whatever she could?

The Tribunal ruled this new unified Kingdom for countless more millennia, their primary citadel was a massive kingdom made of pure crystal that rested between an arrange of massive snowy mountains. The members of the Alicorn Tribunal would only be seen within this citadel if Thysia summoned them, many of them lived within or helped in the expansion of the kingdom's territory. Tartaras was the only other member that never left the citadel, with the exception of Thysia. Tartaras would try to walk among the pony citizens, but found that none would approach him, many would even openly flee from him. He was never surprised by any of this, after all, the only ponies that Tartaras ever met with closely, were ones he has been tasked to punished. His mastery of fear allowed him to punish any criminal by having them be trapped within their own worst fears.

"Why did you give me this role?" Was a common question Tartaras would ask Thysia, his tone was always that of concern and sorrow.

"You are the only one I can trust with what i have bestowed upon you." Thysia would just as often reply; her words were always that of kindness and sincerity, but she could sense the growing pain in Tartaras' heart. "The ponies do not remember the fear of the past, but some of them still carry a small darkness in their hearts. I want you to be the one who can brave the darkness, and keep them on the right path." Tartaras would come less and less to seek Thysia's guidance, eventually all together stopped going. Thysia was not surprised, as the Alicorn of Fate and Wisdom, she was able to see all possible futures. But it was her love of Tartaras and all other life stopped her from stopping Tartaras from what he was becoming.

Tartaras' name has been another strange element. He is mentioned as an Alicorn up until his fall from grace. Then few, if any records that mention him mention him as if he was some plague or illness.

For countless years, Tartaras has known and even accepted that the ponies who worship the Tribunal fear him and only worship him out of this fear of his anger. Though nopony has ever seen him angry, as he always had a sad expression. But so long as his fellow Alicorns respected him as he did them, he was content. But over time, Tartaras felt more and more alone among the Tribunal. Even Eris, the only Alicorn to greet him with a smile had slowly become more and more distant from him. Tartaras felt hurt and alone, he was beginning to doubt if his rile in the Tribunal even matter. So he decided to confirm it. Mentioning his plan only to Thysia, Tartaras took off to a remote corner of Alitheia, and entered a deep hibernation. While he slept, another thousand years had passed. Feeling he had spent enough time alone with his thoughts and hopes that the ponies and Tribunal would miss him, Tartaras returned to the kingdom to find that was was not missed. And if anything, the thousand years had caused the ponies to forget him.

"WHAT MOCKERY IS THIS!?" Was shouted through the halls of the Tribunal as Tartaras faced the other members, "I leave for a single millennia and not only do the ponies forget my name and form, but my fellow Alicorns have forsaken me?!" Tartaras did not even bother to hear out his fellow Alicorns, there was no excuse of justification for their betrayal. Tartaras' horn ignited with a magic that seemed to rob all light from the room. "If the ponies have always feared me, then I SHALL GIVE THEM REASON TO FEAR!" And so, just as Thysia had predicted, Tartaras' war had been declared. He would destroy everything that the Tribunal had fought and built.

Tartaras' reason for his anger and hatred was well justified. He felt betrayed by his fellow Alicorns and so retaliated as he felt was the only way he could react. But what followed can not be seen as as evil as the Alicorns or future generations could consider. If Tartaras didn't rebel and war against the Alicorns Tribunal, then the Equestria we know of today would never have come. And with Thysia's power to see all possible futures, she must have seen that Tartaras' actions were needed.

The war that followed was on a scale not seen since the reign of the Ouranos Drakon. Tartaras unleashed the full power of his wrath upon the Alicorn's citadel blasting dark and destructive magics, and drowning the citizens in a flood of endless fear and horror. As for the Tribunal themselves, they were locked in a near endless debate over what was to be done. Despite the rage of some, others saw why Tartaras declared war.

"HE HAS TURNED ON US!" Solaris shouted, his roar nearly shaking the room. "I SHALL END HIS CAMPAIGN WITHIN MOMENTS!"

"Hold Solaris, we must do this sensibly." Artemis interjected.

"SENSIBLY?!" Solaris continued venting his rage, Celestia nearly quiet and cowering besides him. "The traitor has made his position clear and now the ponies, OUR ponies suffer under hm. He is no match for even myself, I can end his threat with but a single burn of my spells."

"And at what cost to the land around it?" Hekon spoke up. "Your rage blinds you and it'll destroy not only Tartaras but it will scorch the land."

"As well as MY SKY!" Valhalla snapped at Solaris. "We must move the battle elsewhere and then we can go at him full force."

"No." The room was immediately silenced by the voice of Thysia.

"Master Thysia?" Solaris asked, his tone immediately changed from anger to that of endless respect. "Have you seen the outcome?"

"Tartaras has made his choice and it is to a future that cannot be changed." Thysia answered. "Solaris, even with your might, your fate is not to defeat Tartaras." She then looked around the room, the look of sorrow and regret painted her cosmic-like face. "Hekon, you will face Tartaras directly and I shall trust you will do what is right. Eris, Iris, and Eros, you three will act as supports, shielding the populated regions and keeping them safe while Hekon battles. And finally, Celestia, you and Luna will go and find a way to free those afflicted by Tartaras' fear magic to break them free to weaken his grip."

"But what of us Master?" Artemis asked, seeing the frustration in Solaris' and Valhalla's eyes.

"You three will assist me in maintaining the citadel and protection something far more important from Tartaras." Every Alicorn's eyes looked among each other, then to Thysia in confusion. Thysia was speaking of the Pinnacle, but did not want to reveal more than she had to. The less anyone knew of the Pinnacle the better. But she had to be sure. "I know you are all not in agreement over my words. But I cannot force you to do anything, nor can I truly stop you. I only ask that you put your faith in me as you always have."

"I must ask but one thing Master." Artemis broke the awkward silence.  "I shall not speak for the others, but I must know, will we all be able to walk away from all of this? If we can defeat Tartaras, will things ever be the same?"

"No." Thysia said almost immediately but her sad tone remained the same. "When this is over, we shall all experience a change that will remain with us for the rest of our lives. But knowing all this, weill you still believe in me."

"Without a doubt!" All the Alicorn announced before the meeting was adjourned.

As Eros, Eris, and Iris all but exhausted their magic to teleport then shield every major city with the near planet spanning kingdom, and Celestia with Luna traveled the endless planes of illusion to break Tartaras' hold of them, Hekon was battling with the fallen Alicorn. Unlike Valhalla, who would send endless storms and blade-like winds, or Solaris, who would all but slam the Sun against his foe, Hekon use his own physical strength to fight, and with his deep connection to the planet's physical body, any damages he caused could be repaired. But that did not mean the battle was easy. Tartaras unleashed tendrils of black dyed magic, slashing at Hekon's crystal-like body. Hekon's hoof would slam down, shattering the spells as soon as they reached him.

"You were our brother Tartaras! How could you betray us?" Hekon called to his fallen comrade, back hoofing Tartaras' current torrent of black lightning, destroying clouds and igniting the sky in flashes of dark light.

"You've never considered me a brother!" Tartaras responded, closing the distance between the two Alicorns. Tartaras' talon, curled in a fist, smashed against Hekon's crystal hard face, knocking the Alicorn into the high mountain that held Valhalla's kingdom. Before Hekon could react, he felt the impact of Tartaras' body slamming against him. "You all feared me!" Tartaras' talon repeatedly punched against Hekon's body and face, his crystal body chipping and cracking under the strain. "You all rejected me!" Tartaras then brought his twin talons up and tensed his arm's muscles. "YOU...BETRAYED...ME!"

The impact from Tartaras' talon's nearly shattered Hekon's chest, exposing the solid hoof sized gem that made up his heart. Tartaras then flew back a few meters, looking upon the nearly destroyed Alicorn. His body was limp and almost all life and color was leaving his face. Tartaras looked on for a few more minutes, his mind and senses blind to all around him as his mind raced and knowing that there was no turning back at that point. But in that moment of distraction and contemplation, Tartaras failed to notice not only the presence of two Alicorns soaring towards him at a near impossible speed. Within fractions of seconds, both Eris and Iris had not only flew from where they were previously, but their horns both burned with intense magic and fiery emotions exploded from them. Because of his momentary distraction, Tartaras failed to notice the two Alicorns' magic be cast and fire at him. Tartaras' body was send flying down to the ground below, forming a large impact crater.

"Tartaras!" Eris called down to the fallen Alicorn, while Iris checked on Hekon. "Regardless of your reasons, this is NOT justice, NOT order! You shall down and face the consequences of your actions!"

"Justice? Order?" Tartaras composed himself and slowly rose to face Eris. "You seek to judge me? But who are you to punish?" Eris looked as though she was about to speak, but Tartaras continued. "You have always been the judge of the Kingdom, but it was I who have always punished the guilty." He took a step forward, as if the air was solid ground, Eris' face was losing it's composure and was becoming slightly intimidated. "You did not achieve any justice, only preserved a failing order by passing the responsibility to another. And it is I who have suffered from your injustices. WHERE IS MY JUSTICE?"

"You...are right..." Eris' face lost its previous vigor and emotion. Only sorrow and regret painted her. "I was to ensure that all those who existed had their justice and were to live in peace and order. But in doing so, I broke the very thing I swore to uphold by forcing all the Kingdom's darkness and rot upon you." She looked back towards Tartaras, his body now mere inches away and her face was now streaming tears of grief. "I am so, so sorry."

"Begone from my sight...hypocrite." Tartaras aimed his horn and blasted at Eris, not destroying her, but sending her body soaring through the air like a comet towards the crater below. "You're punishment will be to live with the guilt of what you helped create." Tartaras then brought his attention towards Hekon, who was still nearing death, but Iris' sudden burst of magic grabbed at Tartaras' attention.

"YOU MONSTER!" Iris send torrent after torrent, bolt after bolt of arcane and emotion drive spellcraft at her target. But her rage had weakened her aim, more attacking missing Tartaras than striking as he slowly made his way towards her. "Stay back, stay back, STAY BACK!" Tartaras said nothing as he was within only meters of the Alicorn, before blasting her with the same force that drove Eris away; but this time, it sent Iris screaming through the sky to the far north, farther than the Tribunal Citadel, and crashed into the frozen mountains.

"We have to go NOW!" Solaris roared, ready to leave the Tribunal halls, only to feel Artemis' hoof stop him.

"We must stay brother, whatever Thysia has here that needs protection NEEDS us here." Artemis' words almost sounded as if he was uncertain by Thysia's motives but trusted her nonetheless.

"Please Solaris." Thysia asked, tears raining from her eyes. "I felt Eris and Iris both fade from my mind. I felt their fear and pain. Please, I need you to stay."

"Fine." Solaris growled, before sitting down in frustration. "But the moment Tartaras gets within a hundred leagues of this place, I shall kill him!"

"It will end soon." Thysia commented in a sorrow no one has ever heard. "Hekon has made his choice how this will end."

After defeating Eris and Iris, Tartaras looked back to Hekon. A strangely rising surge of magic was bleeding out from him. Tartaras readied himself for whatever Hekon was planning, Tartaras only blinked, for one fraction of a moment, Hekon was still in the position he was in, and the moment Tartaras' eyes opened from their blink, Hekon was gone, his large arm pressed against Tartaras' throat and the high mountain was nearly destroyed. The only noise that filled the air was a low but ear breaking roar as Hekon continued his assault. His arm nearly breaking Tartaras' body from the impact alone. But he was not done. Continuing his momentum, Hekon moved forwards, himself and Tartaras moving towards the ground. The impact of Tartaras' body against the ground nearly shook the planet's mantle. Hekon, still running on magic fumes, continued moving, his body cracking but his strength only increasing as he pushed Tartaras again.

The speed of their movement, along with the pressure of the very air shattering against his back, Tartaras was rammed through everything that Hekon could smash him against as he galloped Tartaras around the surface of the planet. Hills were flattened, trees were splintered, mountains were given new tunnel-like caves, the very oceans cracked and the waves rose to nearly the height of the clouds. Within the span of perhaps an hour, Hekon had brought Tartaras fully around the planet, and with the collected momentum, his magic near exhausted, but his will remained undying. The final moment of Hekon's attack ended with the final impact of Tartaras' body against the opposite end of the high mountain, breaking it half from the shock and any rock above the massive split was nearly obliterated. Tartaras screamed in a primal sound that froze the blood of every living thing that heard it. Hekon was nearly down, his magic all but spent, and his body was barely holding together.

"I banish you brother!" Hekon roared, as he raised his two forehooves above the nearly destroyed body of Tartaras. "To the darkest depths of Alitheia!"

Hekon's hooves slammed down, the force not only turned the surrounding mountain side to dust, but Tartaras' body was bare through the mountain, deeper and deeper, the impact sent the fallen and broken Alicorn. Until finally, the effect of the attack soon wore down, but by that time, Tartaras' body had been physically sent deep below the planet's mantle. But rather to an empty void of space that lay between the mantle and the outer core. Tartaras, too weak to ever fully recover from this new plane, would have to lay in wait for his chance at revenge. But at the same time, he felt a feeling of satisfaction; the Tribunal was now all but destroyed, and what ever they would recover, Tartaras would make it his very reason for existing was to be the constant rot that would eat away and destroy the Tribunal, even if he had to spend the rest of time destroying every Alicorn left.

This victory came at no little cost, Hekon's body was dying, his weak state prevented him from even maintaining his wings. His body fell down to where Eris had been knocked down. Eris, her own body was nearly broken from the impact and her will all but lost, looked upon the dying Alicorn. Through great pain, she dragged herself to her hooves, and limped over to Hekon.

"I'm so sorry." Eris cried, tears nearly slurring her speech. "If only I saw what he was becoming, I could've-"

"There is nothing that could be done now." Hekon interrupted, his breath was too heavy, his face seemed at peace. Turning his gaze towards the Tribunal's Citadel, he seemed to smile. "This was one of the possible futures, wasn't it?" Reaching into his broken chest, Hekon pulled free his gem heart. Raising it to the air, Hekon ignited his horn, to what would be his last spell. "I declare, that my heart shall be a testament to the strength of my kind, and it shall serve as a source of power and beacon of strength and courage." With a flash of green and brown light, the heart was gone, vanished to a location that only Hekon knew. "It is done."

With his dying breath, Hekon's body fully collapsed on itself, turning into a fine green dust. Eris galloped as fast as her injuries would allow her, her tears soaking against the crystal dust under her. As her tears soaked into the powdered remains of Hekon, Eris looked back towards the sky and the surrounding area. All she could see were trees and death. Finally, after several minutes of thoughts racing through her, Eris finally said one statement. "There is no justice."

After making her statement, Eris turned and hobbled away from the remains of Hekon. She could not return to the other Alicorns, and even if she could, she wouldn't want to. She no longer felt like she could stand with them. What was to become of Eris, the now former Alicorn of Order and Justice, only was left to wander this new region. But it was in her blind grief, that she failed to see that her tears, the final tears she shed as a being of Order and Harmony, had imprinted on Hekon's dust, sprouting a tiny sapling made of a pure crystal plant.

The death of Hekon seemed to echoed throughout the halls of the Tribunal, be it some instinctive feeling, or maybe a unified emotion, but every Alicorn shed tears over the loss of their fellow kin. No tears were greater than that of Thysia, she had long seen that this was to come, but even so, the sight of it all brought her to weep. But there was more to come, more that would lead to the loss of not only the Citadel, but Thysia herself.