//------------------------------// // Chapter 1: An Unseen Possibility // Story: Deeper Than Tartarus // by SolarCloak //------------------------------// A cool sea breeze swept through the island prison. There was a constant patrol of guards around the perimeter. The guard patrol consisted of one earth pony, one unicorn and one pegasus. This combination was chosen to ensure victory in any scenario. There was ten patrols in total on the island. The island itself was surrounded by five ships, each containing fourteen crew members. In total there was one hundred ponies guarding the island. The amount of prisoners on the island was one. The prisoner was not a pony. He was a species unfamiliar to the ponies of Equestria. When the prisoner first arrived in Equestria he wreaked chaos and havoc, going from town to town slaughtering ponies that dared to stand against him. By the time Celestia was informed of this menace, he had already killed hundreds of ponies. It was at this time Celestia decided to take action herself. She waited at the next town it was guessed he would attack. Celestia engaged the prisoner in one on one combat, only defeating her foe by a hair. After he was defeated she had the island prison built to hold him and make sure he could never cause such chaos again. The prison itself was the structure of a basic castle. It had four stone pillars at each corner. There was one main gate, which led in or out of the prison. The castle itself was surrounded by a small moat, and then there was the ocean. A two pony operated drawbridge allowed anypony access across the moat. A magical barrier cast by Celestia herself prevented any pegasi flying into the prison or unicorns teleporting. She didn't want to take any chances with this prisoner. When the prisoner was originally captured, Celestia had it announced that it had been executed, so as to veer away any enemies of Equestria that might aim to use the prisoner to their advantage. The prisoner was kept inside a stone structure at the centre of the prison. The structure went down twenty stories. The soldiers had taken to calling it deeper than Tartarus. The prison cell stood at the bottom of those twenty stories. Between the cell and the exit to the prison stood another hundred of Celestia's finest. If there was the slightest chance that the prisoner would escape, it would be extremely hard for it to do so. At surface level, above the prison, was the command centre. This was where the warden resided. He was required to send a letter to Princess Celestia every day to ensure that the prisoner was still in custody. This was truely the highest security prison in all of Equestria. Once a week, an interrogation pony was sent to to speak with the prisoner, to see what information they could extact from it. So far they had gotten the bare minimum. All they had learned was the prisoner's name and where he had come from. His name was Ignatius and he had come through some portal from a place called Earth. This place was unfamiliar to the ponies and thus didn't give them much to go on. They continued to interrogate the prisoner each week to no avail. After a few months Celestia gave up on the interrogation attempts. After the first year the security detail had been cut in half. After ten years the prison was reduced to a mere fifteen guards total, guarding the whole prison. The five ships had been pulled out and called elsewhere. By the end of the first hundred years Celestia had practically forgotten about the prison. Once the guards became too old they sailed back to Equestria. The island became abandoned and the prisoner was left there to die. Four hundreds years passed since the last guard pulled out of the prison. The island had become off limits to the public and ships were not allowed within ten kilometres of it. The prison had gone to ruin, the stone worn away by the elements. There was silence on the island. Nothing stirred. For four hundred years there was silence from the island. Then there was an awakening. *** The prisoner looked out into the darkness of his cell. He felt a cool breeze brush against his face. It was time for him to leave this infernal cell. He walked over to the cell and placed his hand against it. He pushed hard against the metal. It fell out of it's frame. After four hundred years the metal had corroded away, allowing him to push open the cell door. He stepped out into the long narrow corridor. It was pitch black. He felt along the wall until he found an old torch. He placed his hand around. He thought hard of heat and warmth. A few moments later tha torch was lit. He lifted it up to get a better view of his surroundings. The walls were covered in cracks and moss. The prisoner made his way along the corridor in the direction of the exit. He came the the first step of the stairs. He looked above him at the ceiling. He imagined a clear passage straight up to the surface. He raised his hand and closed his eyes. When he opened them a tunnel had appeared above his head. He then looked at the ground below him. He imagined the ground rising to bring him to the surface. He pointed his hand at the ground and closed his eyes. He felt the ground moving upwards. He opened his eyes to see the light at the top of the tunnel getting closer. He eventually reached the surface. He looked around at the abandoned prison. The walls had mostly collapsed and grass was growing through the stone. He realised he had been alone for some time. He walked to the gate. He raised his hand and pictured the gate opening. The drawbridge slowly began to lower until it hit the ground with a thud. The prisoner walked across the bridge. As soon as he stepped of the wooden bridge onto the grass he realised he was now a free man. He looked around to see where the nearest land mass was. There was only ocean as far as the eye could see. He closed his eyes and imagined a map. He saw a large land mass to the east of him. He walked down to the beach of the island. He looked in the direction of the east. It was time for him to return to Equestria, and this time there would be no alicorn princess to stop him. *** Celestia sat upon her golden throne, attending to the requests of her citizens that were in attendace of her morning court. As she was doing so her sister barged in. She had a worried look on her face. Celestia told her subjects that the court was closed and would resume later. All of her subjects left, many grumbling complaints as they left. Once the last citizen left Celestia sat down with her sister. "What is the matter Luna. Why did you barge in to my court?" she asked her sister. The princess of the night gave her sister a dark look. "I have felt his presence." she spoke softly. Her sister looked at her confused. "Felt who's presence?" she asked her sister. "Ignatius." the dark blue alicorn said sternly. Celestia's eyes widened at the mention of the name. She looked at her sister. "But that's impossible, he died hundreds of years ago." she said, slightly flustered. The princess of the night looked at her sister. "We assumed he would die, we never confirmed that he was actually dead." Luna said. The sisters sat in silence. "Do you know where he is?" Celestia asked her sister."We cannot allow him to return to Equestria, too many lives will be at risk." the princess of the sun said. "I only felt his presence, I don't know where he is. He could already be slaughtering ponies for all we know." the lunar princess said. Celestia stopped to think for a moment. "I want all guard counts in every city doubled. I also want patrols out looking for him. If he is in Equestria we will find him. And this time we shall put an end to him." the solar princess said. "I'll alert the captain at once." Luna said getting up to leave."Should we inform Cadence and Twilight also?" she asked. "Yes. If he really is back, then we are going to need all the help we can get." Celestia said. The princess of the night left the throne room, leaving Celestia alone. A single tear fell down the princess's cheek.