Back in Ponyville, Twilight and the rest of the Elements of Harmony enter the Castle of Friendship, crestfallen and with empty hooves, taking their places in the Thrones Room.

Only five of those chairs are occupied, the one with the mark of three butterflies with pink wings being the one without its owner. Fluttershy, the Element of Kindness, along with Discord, having decided to stay in Tartarus to take care of Cerberus once they found her whining, badly injured and sad for having failed again in her task as a keeper of its prisoners.

The moment it was obvious and irrefutable who Pride was referring to by 'Lord of Hell', the Princess of Friendship wanted all of them to get ready and leave as soon as possible for Tartarus and make sure that no one else but them entered or left that place. It wasn't until her friends were able to calm the anxious Twilight that they made her remember that with Discord by their side, they were just a snap of his fingers away.

Even so, when they reached Tartarus, it was quite obvious that they had arrived too late.

The five of them, dejected, shared the state of silence with different levels of uneasiness in the face of a situation that promised to be and was becoming more and more complicated and worrying with each passing moment.

"What do we do now?" Rainbow Dash is the one who takes the initiative to lift the weight of silence.

"We wait," comes the response from the Princess of Friendship after a few seconds of quiet and deep contemplation.

"'We wait'!? What kind of answer is that? That Pride guy and his cronies have broken Tirek out of Tartarus, and 'wait' is the only thing you can think of for us to do!?" shouted Rainbow Dash, hooves slamming on the table.

"Calm down, Rainbow," Twilight replies defensively. "I'm not saying that's all we're going to do, but realistically speaking, there's not much else we can do. We have no clue as to Pride's whereabouts, and the only lead we have to act on depends on how quickly the spell can decipher more of what Pride has written."

She points out, as the paper with the list is placed in plain view, in the middle of the table, the two magical forces cracking, fighting each other for supremacy over the state of what is written on it.

"I don't like this," Rainbow Dash concedes sullenly, hunching back in her seat, her hooves crossed.

"Me neither, but we're tied up," Twilight reasons, sighing wearily.

After that, silence falls again among the friends, that is, until Applejack, who had been pensive since they left Tartarus, spoke up:

"Twilight?"

"Yes, Applejack?"

"I have a question. Pride's list, we now know that by 'Lord of Hell' he was talking about Tirek. But that spell you cast on it translated two items, both referring to Tartarus, so, Who was the other one it was referring to? Who was the 'Hell Spawn'?"

At this question, Twilight sits up straighter in her chair, her face stony, and even so, it's obvious to everyone else around the table that her friend was debating with herself whether to avoid the question or tell the truth. Ultimately honesty wins out:

"It was Cozy Glow."

"What!?" and other expressions of surprise and discontent echo around the room for several seconds.

"Why was Cozy Glow sent to Tartarus?" asks Applejack once the mood has calmed down at this revelation.

"I support this, Twilight, darling. I get that what she did, trying to drain all of the magic from the world, could have had pretty catastrophic consequences if she had succeeded, but still, sending her to Tartarus sounds extremely barbaric. Don't you think so?"

"Yeah! I've done my fair share of questionable actions..."

*Cough* "The cloud factory Incident," *Cough* Applejack clarified in the middle of a coughing fit.

"As I was saying..." Rainbow hisses after giving the wielder of the Element of Honesty a dirty look. "I've done my fair share of questionable actions, but a fine, having my weather control license revoked for a couple of months, and having to attend an educational lecture on the importance of safety measures was the worst thing that's ever happened to me. I know what she did was worse —way worse— and she didn't show any remorse, but I figured that would have land her in Juvenile, not friking Tartarus!"

"Given the circumstances at the time, it was the only place we could put her, for her own good," Twilight replied, sounding like Fluttershy, with clear signs of apprehension and lack of conviction is said decision.

"I'm not trying to be rude, Twilight, but that sounds like a lot of horseapple to me," Applejack countered, unconvinced.

"Please, let's take the reins over ourselves, girls. I'm sure our dear friend Twilight has a better explanation of her own and she's about to share it with us; or at least I really hope so," Rarity chimed in, giving Twilight a look that reaffirmed exactly that.

Twilight closed her eyes and held her breath for several seconds, releasing it once she finished gathering her thoughts and agreeing on how to respond.

"Applejack, did you know that Princess Celestia has to send hundreds of letters every time something wrong happens with the sun?"

"What?"

"Yes. Everypony knows that Celestia has the power to control the sun, but holding all that power also means holding all the responsibility for it. What not many creatures realize is that every time the sun deviates from its set course and schedule, no matter the circumstances, she has to write a letter explaining what happened to all the major rulers around the world and apologize for any and all inconvenience that may have occurred. Yaks, Changelings, Gryphons, Hippogriffs, Dragons, Zebras, Kirins, etc. Most of the time, she gets no responses."

"Wow! That's... big," Rainbow Dash added.

"As big as that is, what does that have to do with Cozy Glow being sent to Tartarus?" Applejack continued.

"When Cozy began to get rid of all magic, it wasn't just something that affected Equestria. It had ramifications all around the world. When Princess Celestia had to explain what had happened, this time she did receive a response. Several actually. In this case an apology wouldn't be enough. Creatures around the world wanted Cozy Glow's head," Twilight stated in a grim tone.

"Harsh," Rainbow Dash acknowledged, gulping as she rubbed her neck, the rest of the girls cringing in similar discomfort.

"Obviously Princess Celestia would never accept that happening, so she and Luna came up with the next best punishment for Cozy, and sent her to Tartarus. This was not only a way to quell the cries for harsher punishment against ‘the pony who nearly left the world without magic’, but also to keep Cozy safe from those who would take ‘justice’ into their own limbs." Twilight paused, letting the implied threat hang for a while. Then she continued, "It was never our intention to leave Cozy in Tartarus forever. The plan was always to leave her there for a while, and once everyone forgets about her, once the next world-shaking catastrophe takes place, to quietly get her out of Tartarus, and properly and adequately deal with her.

"The only ones with any knowledge of this plan were Princesses Celestia, Luna, Cadance, me, and Cozy's parents."

"And now that she and Tirek have allied themselves with Pride, we'll never be able to throw them a reformation party," Pinkie whines sadly, deflating like a balloon losing its air.

"I wouldn't be so sure about that," Twilight answers quickly, a hint of positivity painting her words.

"What do you mean, dear?" Rarity asks.

"Well, didn't you girls notice?"

"Notice what, Twilight?"

"In Tartarus, both Cozy and Tirek were locked inside cages."

"So, what of that?"

"If Tirek and Cozy had willingly joined forces with Pride, the logical thing would have been for him to break them out of their cages and leave them behind in Tartarus. But the cages weren't there. Tirek and Cozy did not go willingly out of Tartarus with Pride, he kidnapped them," the Princess of Friendship concluded, a great deal of concern spreading through her.

"The question now then is," Applejack spoke up, "if he doesn't want them as allies, For what use would Pride need those two?

"I don't know, Applejack. And for the first time, not knowing something is truly scaring me," Twilight concluded.

That night, once all the girls had left for their respective homes, Twilight was brushing her hair and washing her mouth, preparing to retire to her room to sleep, when purple lights coming from the Thrones Room caught her attention.

It was the translator spell, announcing that it had finally managed to decipher the next item on the list.

"Oh, no!" Twilight exclaimed once she read it, her heart sinking with worry and her blood running cold with fear.

The uncomfortable journey of multiple hours, riddled with jolts that crossed throughout several levels of violence, ended abruptly with the thud of his cage being carelessly dropped. Immediately afterwards, the hundreds of unpleasant images of himself that stared back at him no matter where he looked vanished in a manner similar to a mirage, replaced by the image of the well-known and familiar bars that made up his cage, with everything and all the indentations that he remembered having made on them over more than a thousand years.

The yoke that had been placed on him and that had only allowed him to do nothing but kiss the ground also disappeared with the same speed, finally allowing Lord Tirek to stand on his hooves.

The first thing the old centaur did was to rub the back of his neck to alleviate, even if only a little, the pain he felt at that moment.

The repeated sound of childish *Ouchis* suggested to him that his fellow prisoner, first in Tartarus and now in whatever this damn place was called, was alive, although experiencing a similar feeling of discomfort.

With that done, Tirek concluded that it was time to look around and finally see where they had been taken.

It looked like some kind of temple, if the similarities to those in his home kingdom were any indication.

Illumination within was provided by flames burning in huge copper-like metal censers placed around and on the walls like torches; there was no apparent fuel to the naked eye, giving him the idea that these flames were magical in nature. There were also lava falling from ducts into a deep abyss, bringing more lighting and warmth to the interior of the place. The latter telling him that this construction, wherever it was, was underground, probably some miles below the surface.

Carved directly into the thick stone walls that shaped the massive chamber were what he assumed were holy scriptures in a language he had never seen.

Seven huge statues functioned as pillars that supported the structure. Without a doubt, they were physical representations of what was sought to be worshipped and venerated in this place. Two of them had avian features. For the Centaurs, birds were a symbol of the passing of the seasons and the flow of luck. Horns and other wilder features seen in the other sculptures, such as manes, claws and teeth, were representations of power and wisdom for the Gargoyles, according to the teachings of his mother, Queen Haydon. Scales were the symbol of the enemies, this due to the constant conflicts between Centaurs and the Dracotaurs. From one of them Tirek could only discern hands, mouths with sharp teeth and eyes. A worm, perhaps? Worms meant death and decay, but also rebirth and fortune bringer among the castes dedicated to agriculture and harvests. Of the last two he couldn't make sense of their appearance. In any case, he doubted those were the meanings of those ominous figures. The flickering of the flame grant them an eerie aura, as if he looked at them for more than a fleeting moment, he could feel as if they were looking at him too.

Colorful stained glass windows reminded him of those seen in Canterlot Castle. But while those made by the ponies had depicted moments of triumph, joy, and happiness throughout their history, these were a twisted mirror version of that, depicting terrifying images of winged creatures locked in violent and gory combat, moments of sadness, suffering and hopelessness, glorifying every possible amoral act.

A cobblestone path led to a carved image on the floor, below him. It reminded him of the pictorial representations of the so-called Tree of Harmony, but while in that one, the elements of harmony were found hanging from its branches, like its fruits, here the symbols were found in its roots, signifying being the origin of something. He had been placed on a platform which symbol resemble a scale. In all his studies of multiple cultures, the scale was a symbol of fairness or justice, but this one was uneven. He didn't want to bother finding out what this might mean for him. The ones closest to him had a throne and he could make out a pair of crossed swords on the other, of the rest, three were too far away to make a meaning of them and the last one he couldn't see since it was where Cozy Glow had been placed on it.

"What is this place?" he heard Cozy ask, fear and awe mixed in equal measure within the little filly.

"Welcome to Pandemonium!" Making his presence known, Pride replied from behind them. "Or it will be in due time! During your stay, I hope you find the facilities comfortable."

*Cough* Cough* Tirek goes into a suddenly coughing fit. "I don't think I'm feeling well. I guess the exhausting of the trip didn't sit well with my old, fragile heart," he says, looking feeble.

"Is that so?" Pride asked, tilting his head to the side, oozing disbelief.

"Oh, yes! Being locked up for over a thousand years in that old cave did a number on his health. He got better once he got out, but once he was hit by the power of friendship, his health got a lot worse once he was locked back in Tartarus." Cozy chimes in from her cage, innocence, sweetness, and a hint of concern in her performance.

Trying to hide a sneer by coughing a little more, a little louder, Tirek made a mental note to praise Cozy for her guile and cleverness, having understood what he had planned without any effort.

"Oh, well, something has to be done about that. After all that's been planned, we can't have you die on us just like that."

Tirek proceeds to let himself fall onto his barrel, bringing one hand to his mouth to hide a devilish grin, pitifully trying to get up by holding onto one of the bars with the other.

"Please, Mister Pride! You have to hurry up and help him!" the little pegasus shouts in alarm, with her words pushing her captor to get closer to the centaur.

As she finish her plea, Pride then calmly approached him, apparently unassuming of Cozy and Tirek's ruse.

I got you! Lord Tirek thought once he deemed Pride close enough. Opening his mouth, ready and eager to wipe the smile off of whom he considered a disrespectful buffoon, absorbing every ounce of power he could possibly have.

But before he could even begin, the centaur quickly felt a pressure around his neck, stopping his plan dead in its tracks.

"Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh! I wouldn't recommend following with that plan, Mister Tirek," Pride warned, his hand having moved terrifyingly fast as it gripped the Centaur's throat. "Our essence, even that within these bodies, could be very dangerous, even for one like you."

Tirek began to struggle to free himself from Pride's hand, first trying to push himself back out of his grasp and then attempted to bend open the Sin's fingers, but the hold on him was ironclad. As the need for oxygen set in, he shuddered uncontrollably, pressure building in his muscles as he desperately fought against the grip. Suddenly and overwhelmingly, Tirek froze as he could feel a powerful and inexplicable presence descend upon him as the Sin slowly closes the distance between them, holding the old terror of Equestria in place with just the power of his fingers, and nothing more.

"Tirek!" cried little Cozy from behind the bars of her cage, standing on her hind legs, all pretense of feigned innocence and sweetness displayed not even ten seconds ago gone, watching her mentor's punishment with fear and worry.

"I want to make this perfectly clear," Pride continued loading the words with such menacing force that it hit Tirek like a hammer to the head and loud enough to make it clear he was speaking to the two of them; his handsome, friendly features slowly twisting into a hideous and threatening rictus as he wrapped his fingers around Tirek's windpipe. "We need you alive, not healthy.

"But if you tempt us, we will gladly show you how much we can narrow the definition of alive."

A sick, wet crack could be heard. Tirek's eyes rolled back in his head, one of them having bloomed red as a blood vessel burst in his sclera. His hands and legs followed suit, falling victim to gravity as he lost all his strength, the tone of his face turning magenta.

"We'll be good, we'll be good!" Cozy Glow squeaked hastily, fearing for Tirek's well-being, wishing for nothing more than for Pride to free him.

And Pride did. Once he unclenched the fingers of his palm, Tirek fell to the floor of his cage. The face of the Avatar of the Sin of Pride becoming beautiful and radiant once more.

"Breathe, Tirek! Just breathe!" Turning his back and walking away, Pride hear Cozy say with concern as the Centaur took in labored gasp of air.

He stop close to the chamber's exit when suddenly a dark shadow rose in front of him.

"I found it," Greed stated gravely once it had finished taking shape. "It's in the frozen mountains of the Northwest."

"Good. Gather the rest. Today I'll inform you of the plan to follow and tomorrow we'll set out in search of our next target."

Author's Note

It never left a good taste in my mouth that the so-called "Good Guys" would put someone like Cozy Glow in Tartarus. So, I went with this as my best reasoning for such an action.