Overcomplicating the Complicated.by DinoChaptersCh. 1. The problem...Ch. 2. A bad DemonCh. 3. Get off my property!Ch. 1. The problem..."Kergan?" "A little busy right now Kairos." A small creature, its hide colored like that of the darkest night and clad in a hooded robe gazed over to the corner of the current space. He saw Kergan crouching, his tail swishing from side to side indicating the interest that he had for his current victim. He was holding a male pony, with a hide of maroon and a golden mane, by its neck. It was alive but remained still, it's eyes, full of fear, darting to the messenger and back to his torturer. Striding over to him in a haughty manner, Kairos cleared his throat and spoke. "She wishes to speak with you." "Tell her I'm a little busy at the moment." He said as he slowly brushed the side his claw down the side of the pony's neck, enticing a pitiful whimper. "Now." "Yes, and I am busy now." he responded, clearly agitated. "You know she does not like to be kept waiting." Kergan sharply spun his head around to the messenger and, with an expression of anger and frustration etched on his face, stood and raised himself up, spreading his wings to show his anger. The messenger instantly cowered underneath his shadow. "And I do not like to be interrupted!" he boomed, the pony still in his clawed hand struggling to gain breath as he tightened his grip. "Tell her I am busy, and I will see her as soon as I am done." The little demon calculated that he did not wish to incite his anger any further. Dargon was almost thrice his size, and a messenger of his status would not be sorely missed if he was to meet an unfortunate end. Again he cleared his throat to speak. "V-very well then. Be sure to hurry." With those words, he spun around and mumbled curses to himself. It was subtle, but the larger demon managed to hear him clear enough. He stomped on the messengers tail, making him yelp in pain and scurry off quickly, muttering curses all the way down the hall he had come from. Kergan chuckled to himself. I think I like this one. He provides me with entertainment. "Now..." he said as he brought the pony up to his eye level. Its blue eyes were pinpricks of fear. "Where were we?" "I am so sorry for that." Kergan lowered the stallion down onto his haunches and released the grip on his neck. The pony was frozen in fear, not moving as he was placed onto the black stone. The monster knelt down in front of him and reached out with his clawed hand, attempting to comfort him. The pony immediately scrabbled away, searching for an escape. He saw one, a hallway leading to an unknown destination, but the monster was currently blocking it. "Don't worry, I'm not going to hurt you." For a moment, the stallion was taken aback at the comment, but it soon exited his mind, moved out of the way for a more pressing matter. "Where am I!? What are you!?" the stallion roared. "We went over this when you first arrived!" Kergan answered, covering his face with his hand. Judging by the stallion's expression, he'd have to explain again. "You're in Tartarus for starters." he then pointed to himself. "And I am Dargon the 'Unmerciful.' He then made a gesture with his hands, moving his index and middle claws up and down. "I am your current demon." The pony was completely dumbfounded. He looked around him at everything. It was a cavern of sorts, ringed by fire. It offered enough light for the place to be completely visible. "What is going on here!" the pony roared at him. Seeing as it was always a bit hard to go into detail, Kergan kept it short. "Sorry to say, but you're kinda dead." The pony took a few moments to register the words. Even as his mind understood what was said, he shook his head. "No... No, no. How can I be dead!?" the pony screamed. "There's no way I'm dead!" Kergan clicked his fingers and a scroll appeared in his other hand. "Lorewriter, correct?" he read. "Cause of death: bookshelf. Seems to have fallen on you. Ouch." The pony's jaw hung open. It eyes were wide. "N-No..." Dargon stood up and shrugged. "Hey, it's not all that bad. look on th-" Lorewriter's expression shifted. He looked at Kergan with anger. "SHUT UP! SHUT UP SHUT UP!" Kergan went quiet. "Stage one. Denial." he thought to himself. He continued to yell, although now not to anyone in particular. "What about my family?! My wife, my kid!?" "Don't worry, they'll be fi..." "This is all just a bad dream! I'm not dead, I'm not in... I'm not in Tartarus! You're not real, none of this is!" he begun to hit himslef in the side of his head with a hoof. "Wake up, wake up!" The demon winced as the pony inflicted several blows to the side of his head. Instead of watching, he opted to turn his back and give him space. Nopony usually takes their deaths well. Lorewriter continued to scream and yell, denying any possibility that he was deceased. This one is gonna be a while. . Ch. 2. A bad DemonLorewriter had curled himself up as best he could. He was silently sobbing to himself. He had no clue as to how long he had been there. He did not care. He heard a grumble, but ignored it. He'd been keeping away from that... thing. He'd tried screaming for help, but nopony came for him. He was all alone. All alone in this monstrously horrible place. "Can we please just talk?" the demon piped up. "I can sit here forever, but that doesn't imply that I want to. I have somewhere to be." No answer. Dargon sighed. "Look, either I leave you for the other demons, or we talk. And they are a lot less lenient than me." Still no answer from the ball of fur. "Fine, you wanna spend the rest of eternity here, or do you want out?" Lorewriter sniffed. Some of those words got through to him, and the thought of being out of here was sounding great. He slowly lifted himself to sit on his haunches. He did not raise his head, however, preferring to not look at his conversational partner. "S-so I'm really d-d-dead?" he managed to choke out. Kergan stood up. "Unfortunately, yes. And for the third time, you're in Tartarus. The Black Pit. Whatever you wish to call it, there's a few hundred names for it." The pony's blank expression showed no emotion, like it had been drained of all life. "I-I dont get it." he said, shaking his head. "You're in something like the afterlife." Kergan pointed out casually. Lorewriter kept his head down, eyes fixated on the ground. It seemed as though he was trying to fit the pieces together. "Look, I'm sorry that this happened to you. But everypony has to meet their end eventually. Yours was just in the form of a rather large bookshelf." He walked over to the maroon pony and crouched. The stallion finally looked up and locked eyes with the Demon. His eyes were red from crying, the area around them darkened. It was then he noticed the yellow eyes of his captor. They were large and yellow, with reptilian irises that cut down the middle. Oddly enough, the look he was giving was rather comforting. "Why am I in Tartarus?" he questioned. Dargon rubbed the back of his neck. "Uh, well, you see.... Um.... you bucked up." "This pony must have an endless supply of confused faces" thought Kergan. "W-What...?" Dargon cleared his throat for a lengthy explanation. "Well, when you die, some scales are weighed. Now, these scales weigh how bad or how good of a person you were in life. If you're bad, you get sent here. If you're good, you go up there." he pointed upwards. Lorewriter looked up, but only saw rock. It took a couple of moments for the pieces to fall into place. "B-But I'm a good pony!" Dargon sighed. "You obviously aren't, seeing as you're down here. Try to think about something you've done when you were alive." Lorewriter looked to the ground for the moment. He began to murmur to himself, recollecting moments in his life. His eyes suddenly widened in realization. "Oh...." "Yeah, that." "That... That was just one night! One night!" "Someone must have hit the cider. And sorry, but it still counts." "So I'm stuck down here!? I-In Tartarus!?" He yelled. His eyes began to water. Oh buck. "NO! Nonono. O-Only for a certain amount of time. Eventually, you'll move on. "To where?" Whew! Crisis averted. "Up there." he nodded upwards. "Way above the surface." Lorewriter looked up. After a few seconds, his head snapped back to Dargon. "Hold on. We're underground?" "Well, yes. Very, very far underground." he looked skeptically at Lorewriter. "Do you know nothing of these things?" The pony gave an uncertain nod. "My mother told me of Tartarus when I was small. I thought It was just an old foals tale!" "Old foal tale my hide. As you can see, it's pretty damned real." A silence began to grow after those words. Dargon began to open his mouth, but Lorewriter interrupted him. "What are you?" The demon cocked an eyebrow. "Sorry? I thought I explained this." "It's just, I've never seen one of you before." Dargon snorted. "Of course you haven't. We never go to the surface." "Huh... So, " The two continued on their conversation. As more time began to pass, Lorewriter began to relax, feeling more and more comfortable around the demon. It was all idle chatter, mainly with the pony asking the questions. He was intrigued by this creature, including as to how he required no sustenance whatsoever, and did not age. "If only I had my notebook..." he thought. "Why are you down here?" "Well..." Dargon gestured with both of his arms, "...this is were I live, in short." Lorewriter was utterly shocked. "You live here?" For a pony named Lorewriter, he's a bit slow. Dargon nodded. "I am a demon and Tartarus is where all demons reside. We begin and remain here, for all eternity..." He seemed to trail off with those words, and looked into space for a moment. He shook his head and came back into focus. "I don't necessarily live, just exist. And I exist to torture." Lorewriter gulped nervously. "Torture...?" "Ease up, I'm not going to... and besides, if I was going to, I would have already." The pony visibly relaxed. "Oh. That's good." "Heh." Dargon sat back down on a large rock. "Yeah, it is..." Lorewriter saw an uncertain look on Dargon's face. "Is something wrong?" Dargon sighed. "Sort of... it's just..." he buried his face in his hands. "I'm not such a good Demon." "I have tortured ponies before. And I hated it." "You have?" "Demons exist to torture. It was all I knew! It came to me as breathing may come to you!" "I.. tortured ponies. Males, females, young, old... and I continued on for some time. I'd torture until it was deemed that they had suffered enough. They would move on, and I would do the same." He looked directly at Lorewriter. His eyes were full of untold sorrow. "I stopped after a while. I'm not sure if I felt bad or I simply became bored. But I stopped. And for once, it felt right. I didn't torture them, I helped them move on. You didn't have to make them suffer." His expression shifted to one of frustration. "Most anyway. Some ponies are just too evil to go untouched..." There was a short silence. "But most were fine. Hay, I'd even get a good few hours of talking with some. But I had to keep it all discreet. If I was to be found out, I would suffer unimaginable damnation. Imagine that, the damned being damned! The irony of it would be enough torture!" Lorewriter chuckled. 'I would help them on there path. Some were easier than others. But I would guide them. Until they accepted it all. Until they were at peace." "But..." he hung his head. "I did those things. All of it, All of the atrocities I committed in the name of Tartarus. They will haunt me for eternity and beyond." Dargon felt a hoof rest on his right shoulder. He looked over at Lorwriter, who was smiling. Not a smile of joy, or excitement, but comfort. "It's okay. You are a good pon... uh, Demon. You may have committed horrible acts, but you have done what you can to make things right. It was all you knew, and yet you swayed from that path. You acted with kindness and compassion. You did all that you could, and that's good in my books." Dargon was astounded. "Wow. That was... I mean, before you seemed like you were too slow to understand the concept of being dead, and now you seem wiser than me!" Lorewriter yelped as he was enveloped by two massive arms. He was being hugged. "Thank you." Lorewriter smiled. He began to feel his eyes water Dargon put the pony back down. He noticed the pony was becoming emotional. "Hehe, you got me welling up" Lorewriter noticed Dargon's eyes suddenly widen in astonishment. "It's happening." "Huh? What are you..." A light just below Lorwriter caught his attention. He looked down, to see that the light wasn't coming from below him, it was coming from him. "What's going on?" He looked over, to see the demon with a big smile across his face. "You did it. You're moving on." "Woah, I am?" Dargon chuckled. "Last time I checked, this is what normally happens. You're on your way to the top." Lorewriter began to rise off the ground. His legs waved around beneath him. He was studying himself, as new sources of light began to appear all across his body. "Wait, what's it like up there?" "No idea, you're the one going." The light emanating from the pony began to intensify. "W-Will I see you again?" "Maybe. I hope to see you again, because you were probably the best pony I had talked to. Anyway, I need somepony to keep me entertained." Lorewriter smiled. "Thank you, for everything." "All you Lorewriter, all you. Better get a move on, you don't want to keep them waiting." Lorwriter gave one last, solemn smile to him, then, in a blinding flash of light... He was gone. Dargon moved his hand away from his face. There was no trace left, as if the pony had never existed. He sighed through the smile he still had across his face, crossed his arms, and stood in space for a moment. As he thought, his face soon changed to one of horror. Better get a move on, you don't want to keep them waiting. Don't want to keep them waiting. Keep them waiting. "Oh buck." Ch. 3. Get off my property!"Oh buck oh buck oh buck..." Dargon swerved around pillars of black stone that connected the roof to the ground, flapping his wings furiously to gain speed. He passed over streams of molten rock, and infernos of such intensity that he could feel the heat radiating off them, even at his height. Screams echoed through the vast cavern. He saw other demons walking along the ground, most carrying one or more ponies. Some glanced upwards at him, but most did not even spare a look. They were busy doing there jobs, after all. Dargon flew around another stone column, and saw his destination. An enourmous, crude castle carved from the rock that was this place dominated the wall. Waterfalls of magma streamed down the sides and flowed between the architecture, and braziers were lit across it's vastness. It was hard to miss, seeing as it was the only organised structure in this hole. He spied the bridge that lef to the entrance. Two guards stood watch, stoically guarding the front gates. He quickly reformed his flight pattern and descended towards them. He landed rather awkwardly on the bridge in his haste, almost tripping over his own tail. He recovered his posture, and walked briskly towards the doors. He stopped just before the guards, as if he had hit an invisible wall. He then looked at both of the guards, who were both staring outwards. "Nothing? No 'Halt'? Not even the crossed spears?" he asked confusedly. Both of them remained silent. "Haha! Seriously guys, I think you are both becoming soft." he jested. The guard on the left glanced his away for a moment, and they both locked eyes. The guard quickly broke the lock, and stared back out over yonder. He shuffled uneasily on the spot, as if his armor was uncomfortable. "Okaaaayy then. I'll leave you both to it..." Dargon moved on and heaved at the large iron doors. They scraped open, and he moved inwards. The two guards quickly grabbed the gate behind him, and closed it as soon as he was within, almost catching his tail as it was slammed shut. He spun around, and shouted at them through the iron. "Watch it, you lot! Yeesh..." He walked down the hall towards the gates that led to the inner sanctum. It was a relatively bear hall, with only braziers that lit the path on the walls. As he passed other corridors on the side, he could swear he heard chattering and laughing. The sound of claws scraping against the bare stone floors echoed throughout the halls, and he managed to catch a glimpse of a tail before it passed around a corner. Dargon would never admit it but, secretly, something didn't feel right. He reached the next set of doors and attempted to calm himself. "Okay calm down, you're not that late. It's not like your going to talk to your ruler or anything." He gulped. "Let's get this done." He placed his hands on the door and pushed at them. They opened wide, and he stepped inside. He walked casually until something at the end of the room caught his attention. He suddenly stopped in his tracks, and stared. There she was. She was there, on her throne at the end of the room. It was upon a rise, so that She could survey all beneath her. She did not sit formally, however, instead lounging across the throne. More guards were stationed throughout the room, two at the entrance and two flanking her throne. He had seen her many a time, but each time he was enthralled by her magnificence. They had spoken casually to her as if they were equal, yet he would always struggle to find the proper words to address her. He stared at her, and She smiled back devilishly. "Ah, Dargon!" She exclaimed, with a mocking enthusiasm. "Please, do come in." He snapped out of his trance and quickly dropped to one knee. "M-My Queen." "Oh, do get up Dargon. You do not have to kneel before me." "Y-Yes, yes. O-Of course my Queen." He quickly rose back up, and tried to keep a formal manner. As he rose, he spied Kairos on one of the many balconies that encircled the room. He was grinning evilly at him. Something was obviously pleasing him, and that couldn't mean anything good. He turned his attention back to her. "F-Forgive me for being late. The p-pony's acts were indeed sinful, and he had to be tortured for quite some time." "Of course! I do not wish to keep you from your duties." She laughed. "Y-Yes, what is it you wished to speak of?" he looked over to a stand on one of the walls. There was a large cello, made of brass. "Or perhaps you wished for me to play music?" "Sorry? Oh yes, that! I had almost forgotten!" She laughed again. It echoed off the walls, and seemed to persist after it should have faded out. "And don't bother playing your music, there will be no need." "Anyway..." she rose up from her throne, and began to walk down towards him. "What I wished to converse about was the ponies." "Why? "Well, no ponies are ever pure, am I correct Dargon?" "D-Definitely not, my queen." he stuttered out. He was failing in his composure. Being so close to her made him feel so inferior, so weak. Around her he was akin to a messenger. Almost worthless. She continued to walk towards him, eyeing him as if he were being hunted. "All ponies, no matter how atrocious their sin, come here to atone by the hands of my children, yes?" Dargon nodded. "There are, however a few that are indeed pure. Some that do not need to be tortured, either because they have not committed any sin, or have not had a chance to..." "They do not suffer whatsoever, and are able to move on." "Truly?" Dargon inquired. "Yes truly." At this point she was now circling him. She ran a finger across his neck, which caused him to shudder. "Now, answer me this Dargon. I am unmatched in power, right?" "Yes, my queen. You are almighty in status. You know all, and see all. You are indeed unmatched in your power." All of these questions were beginning to make him feel uncomfortable, although he would never show it in the presence of his queen. "How flattering!" She giggled. "However, there Is one thing I do not know Dargon." "And what would that be, my queen?" "What I do not know..." She whispered into his ear. The guards behind him slammed the doors closed. The messengers atop the balconies stopped their actions, and all eyes were trained on the two. "Is why you grant these ponies the gift that only the pure should receive." A chorus of chittering and mocking laughter erupted from above. "W-What? I-I do not understand..." He stared ahead, and was visibly shaking. She backed away from him. "Do not play me for a fool, Dargon!" She shouted from in front of him. "You were always an atrocious liar." Dargon had resigned himself. It was impossible to hide it any longer. He had resigned himself. His fate would be decided by Her now, and Her alone. He had always knew that his actions would not go entirely unnoticed, but he chose to ignore it. From the endless thoughts raging inside him, he managed to choke out the words, "I am sorry." She snorted. "You are sorry? For what? Allowing yourself to be caught? Or for not fulfilling the purpose you brought into existence for?" She seemed frustrated with him, but not nearly as wrathful as would be expected. "For everything, my queen." "Ha! You never cease to entertain me my child, even in your darkest hour." She turned her back on him, and began walking back to her throne. She waved her hand over her shoulder, and within a moment the guards behind Dargon had their spears trained on him. She stopped midway on her walk. "Why Dargon?" She inquired, her back still facing him. "Why what?" He had lost all formalities by this point. No one was a queen or a demon now. Only a victim, a crowd, and an executioner. "Why have you done this? It is confusing why you would not perform your service. I am interested." Dargon was astounded. She was interested? "I do not know.
Ch. 1. The problem..."Kergan?" "A little busy right now Kairos." A small creature, its hide colored like that of the darkest night and clad in a hooded robe gazed over to the corner of the current space. He saw Kergan crouching, his tail swishing from side to side indicating the interest that he had for his current victim. He was holding a male pony, with a hide of maroon and a golden mane, by its neck. It was alive but remained still, it's eyes, full of fear, darting to the messenger and back to his torturer. Striding over to him in a haughty manner, Kairos cleared his throat and spoke. "She wishes to speak with you." "Tell her I'm a little busy at the moment." He said as he slowly brushed the side his claw down the side of the pony's neck, enticing a pitiful whimper. "Now." "Yes, and I am busy now." he responded, clearly agitated. "You know she does not like to be kept waiting." Kergan sharply spun his head around to the messenger and, with an expression of anger and frustration etched on his face, stood and raised himself up, spreading his wings to show his anger. The messenger instantly cowered underneath his shadow. "And I do not like to be interrupted!" he boomed, the pony still in his clawed hand struggling to gain breath as he tightened his grip. "Tell her I am busy, and I will see her as soon as I am done." The little demon calculated that he did not wish to incite his anger any further. Dargon was almost thrice his size, and a messenger of his status would not be sorely missed if he was to meet an unfortunate end. Again he cleared his throat to speak. "V-very well then. Be sure to hurry." With those words, he spun around and mumbled curses to himself. It was subtle, but the larger demon managed to hear him clear enough. He stomped on the messengers tail, making him yelp in pain and scurry off quickly, muttering curses all the way down the hall he had come from. Kergan chuckled to himself. I think I like this one. He provides me with entertainment. "Now..." he said as he brought the pony up to his eye level. Its blue eyes were pinpricks of fear. "Where were we?" "I am so sorry for that." Kergan lowered the stallion down onto his haunches and released the grip on his neck. The pony was frozen in fear, not moving as he was placed onto the black stone. The monster knelt down in front of him and reached out with his clawed hand, attempting to comfort him. The pony immediately scrabbled away, searching for an escape. He saw one, a hallway leading to an unknown destination, but the monster was currently blocking it. "Don't worry, I'm not going to hurt you." For a moment, the stallion was taken aback at the comment, but it soon exited his mind, moved out of the way for a more pressing matter. "Where am I!? What are you!?" the stallion roared. "We went over this when you first arrived!" Kergan answered, covering his face with his hand. Judging by the stallion's expression, he'd have to explain again. "You're in Tartarus for starters." he then pointed to himself. "And I am Dargon the 'Unmerciful.' He then made a gesture with his hands, moving his index and middle claws up and down. "I am your current demon." The pony was completely dumbfounded. He looked around him at everything. It was a cavern of sorts, ringed by fire. It offered enough light for the place to be completely visible. "What is going on here!" the pony roared at him. Seeing as it was always a bit hard to go into detail, Kergan kept it short. "Sorry to say, but you're kinda dead." The pony took a few moments to register the words. Even as his mind understood what was said, he shook his head. "No... No, no. How can I be dead!?" the pony screamed. "There's no way I'm dead!" Kergan clicked his fingers and a scroll appeared in his other hand. "Lorewriter, correct?" he read. "Cause of death: bookshelf. Seems to have fallen on you. Ouch." The pony's jaw hung open. It eyes were wide. "N-No..." Dargon stood up and shrugged. "Hey, it's not all that bad. look on th-" Lorewriter's expression shifted. He looked at Kergan with anger. "SHUT UP! SHUT UP SHUT UP!" Kergan went quiet. "Stage one. Denial." he thought to himself. He continued to yell, although now not to anyone in particular. "What about my family?! My wife, my kid!?" "Don't worry, they'll be fi..." "This is all just a bad dream! I'm not dead, I'm not in... I'm not in Tartarus! You're not real, none of this is!" he begun to hit himslef in the side of his head with a hoof. "Wake up, wake up!" The demon winced as the pony inflicted several blows to the side of his head. Instead of watching, he opted to turn his back and give him space. Nopony usually takes their deaths well. Lorewriter continued to scream and yell, denying any possibility that he was deceased. This one is gonna be a while. .
Ch. 2. A bad DemonLorewriter had curled himself up as best he could. He was silently sobbing to himself. He had no clue as to how long he had been there. He did not care. He heard a grumble, but ignored it. He'd been keeping away from that... thing. He'd tried screaming for help, but nopony came for him. He was all alone. All alone in this monstrously horrible place. "Can we please just talk?" the demon piped up. "I can sit here forever, but that doesn't imply that I want to. I have somewhere to be." No answer. Dargon sighed. "Look, either I leave you for the other demons, or we talk. And they are a lot less lenient than me." Still no answer from the ball of fur. "Fine, you wanna spend the rest of eternity here, or do you want out?" Lorewriter sniffed. Some of those words got through to him, and the thought of being out of here was sounding great. He slowly lifted himself to sit on his haunches. He did not raise his head, however, preferring to not look at his conversational partner. "S-so I'm really d-d-dead?" he managed to choke out. Kergan stood up. "Unfortunately, yes. And for the third time, you're in Tartarus. The Black Pit. Whatever you wish to call it, there's a few hundred names for it." The pony's blank expression showed no emotion, like it had been drained of all life. "I-I dont get it." he said, shaking his head. "You're in something like the afterlife." Kergan pointed out casually. Lorewriter kept his head down, eyes fixated on the ground. It seemed as though he was trying to fit the pieces together. "Look, I'm sorry that this happened to you. But everypony has to meet their end eventually. Yours was just in the form of a rather large bookshelf." He walked over to the maroon pony and crouched. The stallion finally looked up and locked eyes with the Demon. His eyes were red from crying, the area around them darkened. It was then he noticed the yellow eyes of his captor. They were large and yellow, with reptilian irises that cut down the middle. Oddly enough, the look he was giving was rather comforting. "Why am I in Tartarus?" he questioned. Dargon rubbed the back of his neck. "Uh, well, you see.... Um.... you bucked up." "This pony must have an endless supply of confused faces" thought Kergan. "W-What...?" Dargon cleared his throat for a lengthy explanation. "Well, when you die, some scales are weighed. Now, these scales weigh how bad or how good of a person you were in life. If you're bad, you get sent here. If you're good, you go up there." he pointed upwards. Lorewriter looked up, but only saw rock. It took a couple of moments for the pieces to fall into place. "B-But I'm a good pony!" Dargon sighed. "You obviously aren't, seeing as you're down here. Try to think about something you've done when you were alive." Lorewriter looked to the ground for the moment. He began to murmur to himself, recollecting moments in his life. His eyes suddenly widened in realization. "Oh...." "Yeah, that." "That... That was just one night! One night!" "Someone must have hit the cider. And sorry, but it still counts." "So I'm stuck down here!? I-In Tartarus!?" He yelled. His eyes began to water. Oh buck. "NO! Nonono. O-Only for a certain amount of time. Eventually, you'll move on. "To where?" Whew! Crisis averted. "Up there." he nodded upwards. "Way above the surface." Lorewriter looked up. After a few seconds, his head snapped back to Dargon. "Hold on. We're underground?" "Well, yes. Very, very far underground." he looked skeptically at Lorewriter. "Do you know nothing of these things?" The pony gave an uncertain nod. "My mother told me of Tartarus when I was small. I thought It was just an old foals tale!" "Old foal tale my hide. As you can see, it's pretty damned real." A silence began to grow after those words. Dargon began to open his mouth, but Lorewriter interrupted him. "What are you?" The demon cocked an eyebrow. "Sorry? I thought I explained this." "It's just, I've never seen one of you before." Dargon snorted. "Of course you haven't. We never go to the surface." "Huh... So, " The two continued on their conversation. As more time began to pass, Lorewriter began to relax, feeling more and more comfortable around the demon. It was all idle chatter, mainly with the pony asking the questions. He was intrigued by this creature, including as to how he required no sustenance whatsoever, and did not age. "If only I had my notebook..." he thought. "Why are you down here?" "Well..." Dargon gestured with both of his arms, "...this is were I live, in short." Lorewriter was utterly shocked. "You live here?" For a pony named Lorewriter, he's a bit slow. Dargon nodded. "I am a demon and Tartarus is where all demons reside. We begin and remain here, for all eternity..." He seemed to trail off with those words, and looked into space for a moment. He shook his head and came back into focus. "I don't necessarily live, just exist. And I exist to torture." Lorewriter gulped nervously. "Torture...?" "Ease up, I'm not going to... and besides, if I was going to, I would have already." The pony visibly relaxed. "Oh. That's good." "Heh." Dargon sat back down on a large rock. "Yeah, it is..." Lorewriter saw an uncertain look on Dargon's face. "Is something wrong?" Dargon sighed. "Sort of... it's just..." he buried his face in his hands. "I'm not such a good Demon." "I have tortured ponies before. And I hated it." "You have?" "Demons exist to torture. It was all I knew! It came to me as breathing may come to you!" "I.. tortured ponies. Males, females, young, old... and I continued on for some time. I'd torture until it was deemed that they had suffered enough. They would move on, and I would do the same." He looked directly at Lorewriter. His eyes were full of untold sorrow. "I stopped after a while. I'm not sure if I felt bad or I simply became bored. But I stopped. And for once, it felt right. I didn't torture them, I helped them move on. You didn't have to make them suffer." His expression shifted to one of frustration. "Most anyway. Some ponies are just too evil to go untouched..." There was a short silence. "But most were fine. Hay, I'd even get a good few hours of talking with some. But I had to keep it all discreet. If I was to be found out, I would suffer unimaginable damnation. Imagine that, the damned being damned! The irony of it would be enough torture!" Lorewriter chuckled. 'I would help them on there path. Some were easier than others. But I would guide them. Until they accepted it all. Until they were at peace." "But..." he hung his head. "I did those things. All of it, All of the atrocities I committed in the name of Tartarus. They will haunt me for eternity and beyond." Dargon felt a hoof rest on his right shoulder. He looked over at Lorwriter, who was smiling. Not a smile of joy, or excitement, but comfort. "It's okay. You are a good pon... uh, Demon. You may have committed horrible acts, but you have done what you can to make things right. It was all you knew, and yet you swayed from that path. You acted with kindness and compassion. You did all that you could, and that's good in my books." Dargon was astounded. "Wow. That was... I mean, before you seemed like you were too slow to understand the concept of being dead, and now you seem wiser than me!" Lorewriter yelped as he was enveloped by two massive arms. He was being hugged. "Thank you." Lorewriter smiled. He began to feel his eyes water Dargon put the pony back down. He noticed the pony was becoming emotional. "Hehe, you got me welling up" Lorewriter noticed Dargon's eyes suddenly widen in astonishment. "It's happening." "Huh? What are you..." A light just below Lorwriter caught his attention. He looked down, to see that the light wasn't coming from below him, it was coming from him. "What's going on?" He looked over, to see the demon with a big smile across his face. "You did it. You're moving on." "Woah, I am?" Dargon chuckled. "Last time I checked, this is what normally happens. You're on your way to the top." Lorewriter began to rise off the ground. His legs waved around beneath him. He was studying himself, as new sources of light began to appear all across his body. "Wait, what's it like up there?" "No idea, you're the one going." The light emanating from the pony began to intensify. "W-Will I see you again?" "Maybe. I hope to see you again, because you were probably the best pony I had talked to. Anyway, I need somepony to keep me entertained." Lorewriter smiled. "Thank you, for everything." "All you Lorewriter, all you. Better get a move on, you don't want to keep them waiting." Lorwriter gave one last, solemn smile to him, then, in a blinding flash of light... He was gone. Dargon moved his hand away from his face. There was no trace left, as if the pony had never existed. He sighed through the smile he still had across his face, crossed his arms, and stood in space for a moment. As he thought, his face soon changed to one of horror. Better get a move on, you don't want to keep them waiting. Don't want to keep them waiting. Keep them waiting. "Oh buck."
Ch. 3. Get off my property!"Oh buck oh buck oh buck..." Dargon swerved around pillars of black stone that connected the roof to the ground, flapping his wings furiously to gain speed. He passed over streams of molten rock, and infernos of such intensity that he could feel the heat radiating off them, even at his height. Screams echoed through the vast cavern. He saw other demons walking along the ground, most carrying one or more ponies. Some glanced upwards at him, but most did not even spare a look. They were busy doing there jobs, after all. Dargon flew around another stone column, and saw his destination. An enourmous, crude castle carved from the rock that was this place dominated the wall. Waterfalls of magma streamed down the sides and flowed between the architecture, and braziers were lit across it's vastness. It was hard to miss, seeing as it was the only organised structure in this hole. He spied the bridge that lef to the entrance. Two guards stood watch, stoically guarding the front gates. He quickly reformed his flight pattern and descended towards them. He landed rather awkwardly on the bridge in his haste, almost tripping over his own tail. He recovered his posture, and walked briskly towards the doors. He stopped just before the guards, as if he had hit an invisible wall. He then looked at both of the guards, who were both staring outwards. "Nothing? No 'Halt'? Not even the crossed spears?" he asked confusedly. Both of them remained silent. "Haha! Seriously guys, I think you are both becoming soft." he jested. The guard on the left glanced his away for a moment, and they both locked eyes. The guard quickly broke the lock, and stared back out over yonder. He shuffled uneasily on the spot, as if his armor was uncomfortable. "Okaaaayy then. I'll leave you both to it..." Dargon moved on and heaved at the large iron doors. They scraped open, and he moved inwards. The two guards quickly grabbed the gate behind him, and closed it as soon as he was within, almost catching his tail as it was slammed shut. He spun around, and shouted at them through the iron. "Watch it, you lot! Yeesh..." He walked down the hall towards the gates that led to the inner sanctum. It was a relatively bear hall, with only braziers that lit the path on the walls. As he passed other corridors on the side, he could swear he heard chattering and laughing. The sound of claws scraping against the bare stone floors echoed throughout the halls, and he managed to catch a glimpse of a tail before it passed around a corner. Dargon would never admit it but, secretly, something didn't feel right. He reached the next set of doors and attempted to calm himself. "Okay calm down, you're not that late. It's not like your going to talk to your ruler or anything." He gulped. "Let's get this done." He placed his hands on the door and pushed at them. They opened wide, and he stepped inside. He walked casually until something at the end of the room caught his attention. He suddenly stopped in his tracks, and stared. There she was. She was there, on her throne at the end of the room. It was upon a rise, so that She could survey all beneath her. She did not sit formally, however, instead lounging across the throne. More guards were stationed throughout the room, two at the entrance and two flanking her throne. He had seen her many a time, but each time he was enthralled by her magnificence. They had spoken casually to her as if they were equal, yet he would always struggle to find the proper words to address her. He stared at her, and She smiled back devilishly. "Ah, Dargon!" She exclaimed, with a mocking enthusiasm. "Please, do come in." He snapped out of his trance and quickly dropped to one knee. "M-My Queen." "Oh, do get up Dargon. You do not have to kneel before me." "Y-Yes, yes. O-Of course my Queen." He quickly rose back up, and tried to keep a formal manner. As he rose, he spied Kairos on one of the many balconies that encircled the room. He was grinning evilly at him. Something was obviously pleasing him, and that couldn't mean anything good. He turned his attention back to her. "F-Forgive me for being late. The p-pony's acts were indeed sinful, and he had to be tortured for quite some time." "Of course! I do not wish to keep you from your duties." She laughed. "Y-Yes, what is it you wished to speak of?" he looked over to a stand on one of the walls. There was a large cello, made of brass. "Or perhaps you wished for me to play music?" "Sorry? Oh yes, that! I had almost forgotten!" She laughed again. It echoed off the walls, and seemed to persist after it should have faded out. "And don't bother playing your music, there will be no need." "Anyway..." she rose up from her throne, and began to walk down towards him. "What I wished to converse about was the ponies." "Why? "Well, no ponies are ever pure, am I correct Dargon?" "D-Definitely not, my queen." he stuttered out. He was failing in his composure. Being so close to her made him feel so inferior, so weak. Around her he was akin to a messenger. Almost worthless. She continued to walk towards him, eyeing him as if he were being hunted. "All ponies, no matter how atrocious their sin, come here to atone by the hands of my children, yes?" Dargon nodded. "There are, however a few that are indeed pure. Some that do not need to be tortured, either because they have not committed any sin, or have not had a chance to..." "They do not suffer whatsoever, and are able to move on." "Truly?" Dargon inquired. "Yes truly." At this point she was now circling him. She ran a finger across his neck, which caused him to shudder. "Now, answer me this Dargon. I am unmatched in power, right?" "Yes, my queen. You are almighty in status. You know all, and see all. You are indeed unmatched in your power." All of these questions were beginning to make him feel uncomfortable, although he would never show it in the presence of his queen. "How flattering!" She giggled. "However, there Is one thing I do not know Dargon." "And what would that be, my queen?" "What I do not know..." She whispered into his ear. The guards behind him slammed the doors closed. The messengers atop the balconies stopped their actions, and all eyes were trained on the two. "Is why you grant these ponies the gift that only the pure should receive." A chorus of chittering and mocking laughter erupted from above. "W-What? I-I do not understand..." He stared ahead, and was visibly shaking. She backed away from him. "Do not play me for a fool, Dargon!" She shouted from in front of him. "You were always an atrocious liar." Dargon had resigned himself. It was impossible to hide it any longer. He had resigned himself. His fate would be decided by Her now, and Her alone. He had always knew that his actions would not go entirely unnoticed, but he chose to ignore it. From the endless thoughts raging inside him, he managed to choke out the words, "I am sorry." She snorted. "You are sorry? For what? Allowing yourself to be caught? Or for not fulfilling the purpose you brought into existence for?" She seemed frustrated with him, but not nearly as wrathful as would be expected. "For everything, my queen." "Ha! You never cease to entertain me my child, even in your darkest hour." She turned her back on him, and began walking back to her throne. She waved her hand over her shoulder, and within a moment the guards behind Dargon had their spears trained on him. She stopped midway on her walk. "Why Dargon?" She inquired, her back still facing him. "Why what?" He had lost all formalities by this point. No one was a queen or a demon now. Only a victim, a crowd, and an executioner. "Why have you done this? It is confusing why you would not perform your service. I am interested." Dargon was astounded. She was interested? "I do not know.
