Those Who Seek Death

The Voices were in a rage, but Twilight ignored them all, opting instead to take in what should've been familiar surroundings.

From within a large cage made entirely of some type of jet black metal, the blank-eyed avatar looked out and puzzled at what she saw. The Twilight Sparkle from this timeline had intended to imprison her within Tartarus, the avatar was certain she'd heard at least that much. With that being said, this was nothing like the Tartarus she knew—the Tartarus she'd suffered through.

There was no magma, there were no precarious pathways with death waiting below, no pitch-black sky, no perilous caves or cliffs... nothing of the sort. The Tartarus that Twilight had risked and lost her life multiple times to traverse through was essentially an entirely different world. This place was more like a cavern than anything else.

Granted it was positively massive in scale, but it was still a cavern nonetheless. The aesthetic was similar and there were monstrous creatures about, but they were all in the same predicament as Twilight herself—locked inside a metallic cage. Each of the cages varied in size based on the creature within and there didn't seem to be a rhyme or reason to the placement of said cages.

There were clear paths leading to different areas of the cavern and the cages themselves were at the very least placed out of the way. Other than that, Twilight couldn't really see any evidence that any kind of thought was put into this infernal prison—at least, not from where she was imprisoned. Twilight frowned slightly and turned her attention back to her own cage.

It was large enough that she had room to move around a bit and the bars were thick but not so much that they impaired her view of the outside. A quick once over of her lavender coat was enough to reveal that she was still bound by brilliant golden chains of magic. She could still move freely, but the weight of those chains felt like they were pulling at her own magic, trying to sap her dry.

"A spell powered and kept in place by Celestia's magic and made stronger by the very magic it drains from its victim," she mused aloud as she examined the golden cuff placed upon one of her hooves, "did the Celestia of my own time ever use such a devious spell?"

She couldn't imagine it, and at the very least she'd never seen her mentor use or even mention it in the time she'd known her. She couldn't ask either given that her Celestia's Voice had disappeared along with all the others of that timeline when she crossed over. What was more curious was that although she could feel a noticeable drain on her magic, it hadn't weakened her in the slightest.

"Like it's pulling from a wellspring that has no end," she observed, "another result of my transformation I suppose... yet another change that shows I'm not a pony anymore."

She continued to reflect on the nature of her transformation for a bit longer before focusing on the bars of her prison. Curious, she reached out with her raised hoof and pressed it against one of the black bars. Her frown deepened as she pulled it away a moment later, a wisp of smoke rising from where her hoof and the bar had made contact.

Her fur and flesh had become less an actual part of her and more a simple vessel that held her true self within. The same could be said of the now melted keratin that made up the hoof she'd used to touch the evidently enchanted bars of her cage. She watched as the keratin reformed in mere seconds, with nary a burn or dent to be found.

Enchanted? Or is it just an effect of this place on the metal? Too many possibilities, not enough information to know for sure, but it doesn't seem like it will hinder an escape.

She gave the idea a moment's thought, but before she could act, a weary feminine voice from somewhere nearby reached her ears.

"Trixie wouldn't if she were you."

The familiar voice and name brought Twilight's thoughts screeching to a complete halt. She'd heard that name and voice only once in her life some time ago. It had been back in her own time and it was nothing more than a vague and distant memory now, but the unicorn had been so distinctive that a face quickly rose to match the name.

As she turned to face the one who'd spoken to her, the memory came flooding back in full. A memory of a haughty unicorn mare who'd traveled to Ponyville positing herself as a great magician. Her attitude had grated on many, but nopony could deny that her prestidigitation and presentation skills were impeccable.

Most of what she'd accomplished didn't use true magic sure, but what was utilized was utilized with a certain finesse Twilight had only seen from Rarity up until that point. There'd clearly been a lot of time, dedication, and care put into the act. Yes, the mare had a disposition that would put most off, but at the end of the day, she was an entertainer.

Twilight could respect that and her skill within her chosen career, and she'd convinced her friends to look past the mare's attitude for that reason. Ultimately, despite her faults, the wandering magician had gained quite a few fans that day performing in that podunk little town south of Canterlot. And that mare who left an impression with her performance and illeistic tendencies called herself...

"...Trixie Lulamoon."

"Twilight Sparkle," came Trixie's dull reply in kind, "somehow Trixie isn't surprised to find you here on the other side of that cage, though your new... look is a bit unexpected," she chuckled and turned to the avatar with a small smirk, "what? Did you finally follow in your precious Queen's hoofsteps and go mad with power? Use some forbidden ritual to make yourself an alicorn, perhaps?"

Twilight blinked at Trixie's words and appearance. The mare reclined idly next to her in a black cage much like her own. Generally speaking, Trixie looked just as Twilight remembered, but at the same time far removed from what she once was. There was the same azure coat and silver mane and tail, but the similarities stopped there for the most part.

Where there was once brilliant violet eyes brimming with a confidence bordering on arrogance, there was now only a burning scarlet gaze devoid of any vigor or passion. The magician looked haggard, tired, old beyond her years. It was clear to Twilight that Trixie had suffered greatly, and with a quick once over of the mare, the avatar understood why.

"Well, judging by our matching jewelry Trixie takes it your vie for power didn't go so well," Trixie raised a hoof to show she was bound by the very same golden chains, though hers had a noticeably dimmer glow about them, "that makes two of us, but you'd know all about Trixie's failure, wouldn't you, little miss Perfect Soldier?"

"If you mean to imply that I was the one who imprisoned you, then you have me mistaken," Twilight replied, "I was detained and placed here by the Twilight that you speak of."

For a moment, it looked like the other mare was about to protest. She opened her mouth, most likely to snap at Twilight, but then paused as if to reconsider. Quietly and with some difficulty, she struggled to her hooves and leaned closer within her cage to get a better look at the blank-eyed alicorn. Her scarlet eyes narrowed and flashed with an eerie red glow.

The avatar's attention, meanwhile, was taken up by the shining object affixed to Trixie's chest just below her neck. She hadn't seen it before, but now that the unicorn had fully turned to face her, she could make out some kind of large diamond-shaped ruby seemingly embedded directly into the mare's azure coat. The gem radiated a deep crimson light, matching that of the glow in Trixie's eyes.

Something about the ruby and its rather ominous aura stirred another memory in Twilight, but she couldn't place where she'd seen it before. Curious, Twilight listened, and before long she could make out Trixie's 'Voice'. She could hear a desire for vengeance against a mare that had taken everything from her—a desire warped by a malevolent power into something beyond Trixie's control.

"You really aren't the Twilight Trixie knows, are you?" Trixie muttered, snapping Twilight out of her thoughts. The glow in her red eyes faded and she retreated a step back with a bemused and slightly unnerved frown, "you're... who—no, what in Equestria are you?"

"A question first," Twilight began with a nod towards Trixie, "that ruby... what is it? I feel like I've seen it somewhere before."

"This?" Trixie placed a cuffed hoof over the gem before giving Twilight a suspicious scowl, "what does it matter to you?"

Twilight blinked.

"If you'd rather not tell me, that's fine," she said after a moment, "but just be aware that the ruby in your chest is corrupting your mind. There's no telling what will happen if you leave it as it is."

"You think Trixie doesn't know that?" the unicorn snapped, her scarlet eyes once again blazing to life, "Trixie is aware of the consequences and she has it all under control! Who are you to—"

Trixie winced suddenly, the angry flare in her eyes cutting out as she pressed a hoof to her temple. She paused and took a deep, calming breath before lowering herself back into the resting position she'd been in before. She looked away from Twilight, keeping her eyes closed as she spoke again in a far more patient tone.

"It's... it was the Alicorn Amulet once upon a time," Trixie explained, "it still is technically, but now it might be more accurate to say that Trixie herself is the Alicorn Amulet."

"The Alicorn Amulet," Twilight replied with a tilt of her head, "I have heard of it. I've read that it was an artifact that granted its wearer unparalleled magical aptitude at the cost of their sanity, but I know little beyond that."

"Yeah well, that's all Trixie knew at first too," Trixie continued with a sardonic smile, "like the stupid little filly she was, she thought that was all she'd need to become as great and powerful as she was truly meant to be. She thought she could handle a little madness if it meant she could accomplish her goal, but..."

She trailed off and raised her head to stare out at the surrounding cavern and the other caged creatures around her with distant eyes. Twilight could see sorrow and anger in equal measure in those eyes, and thanks to her ability, she hardly had to wonder what the mare was thinking about. Still, she remained silent, letting Trixie gather her thoughts. Eventually, the corrupted magician shook her head and continued her explanation.

"...well, a lot of this and that happened and Trixie found out too late that the more you use the amulet, the more the amulet becomes a part of you," she frowned at the ruby in her chest, "this used to be something Trixie could wear and remove but now that's clearly not an option."

"And the captain of the Solar Guard?" Twilight asked, "given her ruthless disposition I imagine she would've tried to kill somepony as dangerous as you."

"Ha!" Trixie scoffed, "oh, she tried alright, but you'll find that Trixie doesn't die so easily, at least not anymore," her prideful smirk quickly fell into a grim scowl, "no, she couldn't kill Trixie so she used the Princess' magic to bind her and tossed her in this infernal place to rot, just like you apparently."

"I see..." Twilight replied, partly to herself, "so those she can't dispose of are sent here to be imprisoned in this cavern she calls Tartarus."

"Pretty much," Trixie responded with a tired sigh, "the only sapient creatures left here are you and Trixie as far as Trixie knows," she grimaced in disgust suddenly, "when Celestia became Daybreaker she rounded up and eliminated all the other villains being held here—said it was her obligation to 'cleanse Equestria of all the infectious filth plaguing it from within' or something."

"And so the only creatures left are mindless beasts that pose no threat to the outside world from within these walls," Twilight surmised, looking around the massive cavern, "monsters that can be easily dealt with at the Queen's leisure."

"Those, and creatures like us who can't be wiped out with a simple stroke of a blade or the wave of a horn," Trixie added. She turned back to Twilight with furrowed brows, "and speaking of, Trixie thinks it's about time we talk about you. What are you and why do you look like Twilight? And for that matter how do you know Trixie?"

Twilight hesitated a moment, then...

"For somepony bound to the Alicorn Amulet, you seem surprisingly... clear-headed."

"Yes well, you have these blasted chains to thank for that," Trixie replied icily, "they are good for something as it turns out, now quit avoiding Trixie's questions. She told you about herself, now it's your turn. What are you and how do you know, Trixie?"

"...I saw one of your performances once, believe it or not," Twilight finally replied after a moment, "it was in another place in another time and you were a different mare then... I suppose we both were now that I think about it."

Trixie blinked.

"You... you came to one of Trixie's shows?" she said as if trying to wrap her head around the notion, "you... don't tell Trixie you were a fan... were you?"

"I was," Twilight replied, her response simple and emotionless, "I respected you quite a bit in fact. Though just as the Twilight you know is literally a different pony entirely, so too is the Trixie that I knew."

"What are you talking about?" Trixie asked, irritation seeping into her voice, "you're not making any sense! How could Trixie be anypony else other than Trixie? There's only one Trixie... unless," Trixie's expression turned wary, "unless you're talking about a changeling. Are you? And for that matter are you a changeling? Is that why you—"

"I'm not a changeling and neither was the Trixie I'm referring to," Twilight interjected, "she and I were ponies from an alternate timeline separate from this one. I am—or rather was—a Twilight from that alternate timeline," she cast another quick glance around her, "...or so I'd like to say, but if this really is supposed to be Tartarus then I have a feeling things may be a bit more complicated than I initially thought."