Luna and Twilight scanned page after page, trading stacks of papers between each other’s magic. Journals, guides, translation crystals, ciphers, all hovered between various documents, jumping from hoof to table, to document as each of them gazed over the various written recordings. Shadow Seeker and Dusty tome sat before their own papers, running their hooves through their manes.

“Please correct me if I’m wrong, Your Majesties. Celestia knowingly imprisoned a creature of unknown origin who was innocent?” the aged archivist asked, cleaning her lenses.

Twilight nodded, her brow furrowed in one of a series of books. “The creature, referred to as ‘False Repentant’ by the guards in Tartarus, seems to be able to pass the enchantments made as part of the Accord of the Lights detailed here.” Twilight gestured to a thick scroll sitting across from her. “The journals you acquired from Lunar Breeze have helped give us an idea of what it is, but....”

“Celestia either disregarded this information from her closest informant, or was acting in the interest of some future she wanted to acquire, as evidenced by the burned reports.” Luna’s gaze flicked back and forth over the page before her, before tossing the page back to the desk to rest her eyes in her hooves. “MY dearest sister, why dost thou fight me even now?”

“Your Majesties, I might have found something.” Shadow Seeker spoke up, running his hoof over his chin. The ashen pegasus hovered over to Twilight, his hoof circling an entry from a journal. “Lunar Breeze has a diary entry here, mentioning meeting a strange creature who stood on two feet and had little to no fur. I’m surprised it took this long to get a hold of these.”

Luna’s gaze rose from her hooves, lined with exhaustion and frustration. “Remember, she’s been in the service of the crown for a long time. Retrieving journals once hidden for years takes time.” Luna stood and moved over next to Twilight. “Depending on the information present, would you be able to review and recompile those reports for us?”

“Gladly. For now, shall I read it aloud?”

“Please, Seeker. I’ll keep looking over these reports, and see if we can fill any holes while we’re at it.” Twilight replied, flipping another page of the thin dossier.

“Ahem… Year 55 of Service, Entry 97. Celestia instructed me to speak to this creature in question. She said it would be in the dungeons, and that based on the reports, has not eaten anything since we have captured it. That was 3 days ago. Despite her grief, it is surprising she is being compassionate to the murderer of the Crystal Empire’s Empress.” Seeker paused, putting his hoof to his lip, eyes scanning ahead. “Being frank, it seems as if Lunar Breeze had already convicted this creature. There’s a section about how she comforted Celestia at this time, and it's a bit graphic.”

Twilight grimaced in unison with Luna. “Yes, we would prefer to skip the detailing of my late sister’s love life.”

“Very well… The creature is most definitely sentient, and has a very clear speech pattern and tone indicating that of a young adult mare. She prefers to be called Awnry(Anri? Ahnree?) and has made it clear she can’t eat the food we’ve been providing. While she wasn’t exactly willing to share much information, she did explain that grass and hay are inedible to her, but fruits, vegetables, and meats are. She seems willing to work with me, although that may be under the assumption that I’m nothing more than a maid.”

Luna fixed her eyes on Seeker. “So we may have a source of information that wasn’t destroyed… This is good. Continue.”

“Entry 98. Anri was in tears when I arrived with a meal for her. Apparently, one of the guards was terrorizing her with possible punishments and some uncouth suggestions that I must resolve later. Be sure to pack some hydrochloric acid and your knives for tonight, Breeze. Oh… Oh dear. That would explain that incident report…” Seeker crossed his hind legs in a sudden flinch.

Twilight groaned. “Seeker, please? Breakfast is on it's way and I'd like to be hungry, not queasy.”

"Sorry, Your Majesty, I'll refrain from further deviation. Anri explained she had encountered a strange creature made of a variety of parts, akin to a Chimera, except slender and tall, and a penchant for teleporting. She was in the middle of a jungle on some temple when she encountered the being in question. They offered a trip to civilization, escaping from creatures she described as bug horses. The being snapped their fingers, and the next thing she knew she was covered in blood.”

The two queens gaze snapped up, looking at each other before looking at Shadow Seeker. “Luna, Discord had taken a trip to the southern jungles a few years ago, shortly before Cadence’s death.” Twilight's hooves rested on either side of her head, as her mind began to go into overdrive. "Discord led the expedition to the southern jungles to establish a forward base at that time, which is how we found Chrysalis' hive, revealing not only a sprawling civilization but also how fractured it really is, which means--" Twilight groaned as her mane disheveled itself. "-- Discord now is directly involved in this case, and there's nothing to show for it!"

Luna frowned as her love's face met the desk in violent fashion. "I'm not going to assume our friendly Lord of Chaos is our perpetrator, but perhaps he can shed some light on the situation in question."

Twilight sighed. “Do you think Discord would have intentionally done something like this?” She looked up at Luna, whose wings were now around her smaller lover.

Luna hummed as she set her head atop the smaller alicorn’s. “Why don't we go ask then? We do know exactly where he is right now. Seeker, send a message to Captian Ligios, let him know we will be visiting again later today.”

Innocence yawned, nuzzling into Grogar’s side. “Mmh. Grogar.”

“Good morning, Innocence. Hungry?” Tirek asked, curled over his wide cooking stone with an improvised bone spatula. Bright oranges, deep greens, and pale red chunks sizzled on the greasy surface, filling the den with its scent. Innocence nodded eagerly, crawling onto Tirek’s back and peering over his shoulder. “Go get your plate.”

The pink haired menace nodded and slipped out silently into the brightening gloom of the Pit, her travel marked by the shrieks of surprised convicts scrambling to give her wide berth. Tirek couldn’t help but chuckle. “Even when she’s behaving, she terrorizes others.”

“So.. how’s the bug, Tirek?” Grogar peeked out from one eye, watching the crimson centaur scraping the morning stir-fry into a pair of bowls, roughly hewn from stone. A slight smile graced his muzzle as Tirek set a bowl beside him.

“She’s dead, dominated, or getting treated by Ahgg. Either way, I don’t care.” A pair of bones held in his thickly calloused fingers pinched at a spear of broccoli. “Have you spoken to the spider recently?”

Grogar swallowed hard, deep lines setting into his muzzle. “No. Last time we spoke, I chose to leave instead of diving into the subject of my family.” Another mouthful kept the two quiet as the second round of shrieks marked her return.

“Food?” Innocence peeked into the den once more, her shoulder blade plate held close to her chest.

Tirek nodded and held his hand out for her plate, which she eagerly gave and bounced in place for. The centaur scooped up the remaining medley for her, her eyes locked on the strips of seared meat. “It’s hot. Use your fork.”

Innocence nodded, pulling out her improvised fork from her scaly pajamas, taking a seat by the old goat. Her eyes widened as she watched the steam, wiggling in place as she waited for it to dissipate. “Hooooot.”

The two tyrants grinned for a moment, before they turned back to each other. “I overheard from the guards that we’re supposed to be getting more convicts today. We’ll have to establish the pecking order again.” Tirek’s jaw set with a grim frown. “The Dragon Lands and Gryphonstone have been sending more recently, so the ponies here have been getting hunted more.”

Grogar grumbled, finishing his meal and picking his bowl up, tossing it to the flame to be sanitized. “Dragons are always so stubborn. It takes too long to put them in their place.” Grogar turned to the scale-clad human. “Usually.”

Innocence had been resting on her hands, hips up in the air wiggling like a cat about to pounce as the meal had finally cooled. Her bone utensil lunged out, gripped a piece of meat, and disappeared into her mouth, eliciting a delightful squeal of joy. “Good foods.~”

Tirek looked between the two of them. “Are you implying what I think you are?” Grogar nodded. Tirek rubbed his chin, crossing his arms over his chest. “Honestly, not a terrible idea. I’m more worried about the Gryphons, in that case, since they all have some military expertise.”

“Ah, right. Gryphons have that mandatory service nonsense, don’t they? Hm. We’ll have to see how they react then. You think Ahgg’s little commune will show up, perhaps reinforce the order?” Grogar called the flame-cleaned bowl from the fireplace to the shelf beside it, his eyes glancing at the now empty plate of Innocence’s. “Full, little one?”

An affirmative nod, a wide smile smeared with sauce confirming for the cantankerous villain. A half-hearted smile escaped Grogar once more. “Need food?” Innocence asked, her head tilting back and forth.

Tirek peeked into the little closet he dug out years ago, before nodding. “Later, yes. You have food for later?” An excited nod. “You bring food, we cook again. Okay?” A squeal of joy and a hug was the giant’s reward. Her delightful reaction was cut short by the slam of the iron drop cage, the clatter of shackles, and groans of new convicts. She immediately tensed up, her eyes whipping to the source of the noise.. “It’s go time, Grogar.”

“I know, I know. Come on Innocence, we have some new people to meet.”

Captain Ligios peered over the new entries to his domain. Guards held their halberds and spears at the ready, while a pair of armored Kirin led the way. Behind them, muzzled dragons and bound gryphons were shooting daggers in various directions. His eyes flicked back down to the list of his new arrivals. Backdraft, Wave Dash, Obtuse Crevasse… Juvenile dragons and bitter, outcast ex-military. All would-be revolutionaries, branded as traitors. Disappointing. The Captain’s cold gaze locked with the kirin’s, waving them on through. “Load them up. Get them into the pit as a whole.”

One of the escorts approached Ligios with a salute, before leaning in and whispering. “Sir, we have one we can’t fit in the cage with the rest.”

“Where are they then?”

“On the freight elevator.”

“Species?”

“Black dragon. Rumored to have been in line to be an elder apprentice.”

“I see. Estimated size?”

“5 meters long at least. He’d need the entire cage for himself.”

“I’ll organize the battlemages. Get this group down, then proceed to organize the containment force. Any additional restraints on them?”

“Muzzle, wing binders, shackles, and they are currently under a drug concocted by the elders to put him to sleep. Once they’re in the pit, it will wear off, just like most external influences.”

“Get moving then, we do not know the time we have currently.” The captain dismissed the escort. He turned to the train of convicts being forced into the cage, all the while the spears jabbed at scaly hide and feather alike. “Good afternoon, convicts. This is the place ubiquitously known as The Pit. Most of you will spend the remainder of your days down here, and will never again see the light of Celestia’s sun, nor your families. There is only one way to leave, and that is through genuine self reflection and personal growth.”

Ligios grinned. “I will only say this once. We will not protect you. We will not help you. Our job is to make sure you receive your punishment accordingly, not to maintain order. Your survival down there is in your hooves. The only thing we provide is food.” Ligios turned and began walking away, pausing only to look over his shoulder. “Good luck. You all will need it.” Ligios turned and walked back to the edge of the pit, leaving the convicts crying out at the injustice and lies they’d been fed.

“Drop them.” He ordered, his voice carrying over the dome.

Author's Note

Please refer to the blog for information.

Merry Christmas everyone.