To Be Human

by Bastinator

Chapter 14: A Simple Race

No soul passes so you proceed, swift of feet, ensuring your trail lingers not. While they may not smell or see as the living might, see and smell they do. Rather similar to yourself, a proposal that does not set well within your stomach in some strange fashion. How similar might you be to them? Your form itself differs, but should your skin pale and limbs shift, you might pass off as one of them with an ease that could be described as uncanny.

As your companions begin to cross you hold them back with a furrowed brow, the both slinking behind you as a sole Stitcher peeks its head out from the labyrinth of boulders you navigate. Its movement are animalistic in nature as its head sways to… and fro… You force yourself to look away as you find yourself drifting away. Of all the places to sleep, this is not one you would recommend. “Anon.”

You have to force your mind elsewhere, anywhere but the present. No, you must stand alert here and now, despite the danger. “It’s gone.” If the danger overtakes you again- “Anon.” Your head lifts to see Rainbow Dash, a look of concern crossing those cyan cheeks of hers, “It’s gone.” True enough, you inspect the scene in case her own eyes have malfunctioned. “You’re here, right?” An absurd question.

“Where else might I be?”

“That’s a good point,” her smile bringing one to yourself. “So you’re just taking a break then, is that it?”

“I require no rest.” It is strange that she asks these questions, knowing what you are. Unless- “Do you feel well?”

“Of course I do, never better.” You’re unsure of the validity of that statement, but her answer does have a certain truth. Still, you look further into her eyes at the chance, however small it might be that her words are false. False... not today. You stand up fully and look out once more finding the path safe. As safe as it can be that is.

“It is clear.” Dodging between rocks is a tiring process but with the aid of Miss Dash, Twilight is able to persevere. If her fatigue grows you did grab one ash fruit to help… rejuvenate her. By the sound of her harsh breathes she might need it sooner than one could expect. It would appear that physical fitness is not one of the many subjects she has read in her books. They can only help so much. “Calm your heart,” you instruct her, not stopping however. Time is a factor in your search and it waits for no soul. “Should they hear you…”

Perhaps the details needn’t be said. One’s imagination is more than enough to piece together the scene that would befall her. “I’m just- tired.”

“When we get out of here I’ll show you what tired is.” You chuckle at her threat, a flimsy thing it is as it holds no true malice within. Banter, it is, and nothing more. As you move between another set of stone you hear something, a commotion. The ponies hear this as well, “What is that?” You move closer still despite the possible danger that is found at its source, your curiosity getting the better of you. That, and Twilight could make do with a rest. You recall a griffon who stalked his prey for days, his job you believe it was, some sort of investigator. He was very relaxed the whole time, able to sit and watch in leisure. Shame…

“Do not approach what we find, and keep your voice hushed.” They nod in agreement as they follow you closer to the ‘fuss’ that lies beyond your sight. Keeping their presence hidden, you move ahead, the others doing a strange slinking motion as they approach, much like the cheetahs of Zebrica. You do hope your friends have no intention of lunging at what they might find. It would end poorly in this place you’re afraid. Hmm, not afraid. Interesting choice of words. With a final warning you look around the corner, finding only a road before you.

The dirt sits a faded brown, a shard of grass peeking up from its depths every few yards away. Left and right you look but find no being on either end, the noise you had heard found silent. “Didn’t-”

“Yes,” you interrupt Miss Twilight, “I heard it as well… Stay put.”

The shuffle of hooves behind you is clear on the wind, “But if they’re-”

“Stay, Miss Dash. I will be but a moment.” Walking out onto the dirt road you wait, ear turned high and your sight cast to your surroundings. The road leads upwards, obstructed for the most part. The road might lead to Frostbite and if- One by one you look to each stone obelisk and the silent companions that linger behind them… waiting. You do not have time to linger as the noise of conflict returns and from the increasing pitch it would appear to be heading in your direction.

With haste you return to your ponies and wait. “What’d you see?”

“I did not see it, but trouble is on the horizon… so to speak.” The first steps hit your ears as they approach, quickened paces as they sprint down the road, harsh rough gasps coming from its host. It stumbles in the dirt. You hear it grasp the dirt in an effort to pull it along, the legs it had been running along all but useless now. Another set of steps joins the retreating soul, a pair if your ears do you justice. They slow on approach. Why run when their target cannot?

”Prease! Not I- We swears it!”

“There’s no use begging. We saw the whole thing.”

A Diamond Dog on the run. Does this place have but an ounce of creativity to its name? “Sir, there were half a dozen of them out there…”

“Yes. Dozens. Hundreds! Couldn’t be me. He wrong.”

Twilight’s head slowly moves around the corner. “Twilight-”

“I just want to look.” You sigh, quietly but allow her interest to take hold. “What are they?” Surely she knows her own kind, and the dog is not an uncommon species in Equestria.

“Souls. One a canine, the other equine.”

“I can see the dog, but that- that can’t be a pony. They’re so-”

“Different, yes. Tartarus is not Equestria after all.”

“Why are they all black? They look like members of the Night Guard, but worse.”

Rainbow Dash too takes a look, “They’re in armor, Twilight.” Ahh, the armor is blackened. That makes more sense.

“I know they’re wearing armor, I’m not a total dingbat.” A Dingbat? You’re unsure you have ever encountered one of those. “What are they doing…”

“They are doing their job,” you speak up, grabbing their attention. “Guarding Tartarus from those that would wish others harm.”

“Look at him!” one of the guards shout, “He’s already fallen to the hunger. You can see it in his eyes.”

“No! He lies. He only wishes me hurt. No guard he is!”

“Look away,” you instruct, “This is something you do not wish to see.”

Twilight doesn’t understand, but when she hears the grind of metal and the shine of his blade she knows what is to come. “They can’t-”

“They will. It is their job.”

Twilight’s eyes harden but do not leave, “I won’t let them.” No she doesn’t. Twilight makes it two steps before you drag her back by the tail and force your hand over her mouth as she attempts to yell at you.

“Don’t! I begs you!”

“We can’t stop them,” Rainbow tries to convince Twilight who bucks away in your grasp, even going so far as to bite at your fingers. “Calm down.”

”HENGHFNF!”

“Did you hear something?”

You hear the guard’s sword swing true, a whimper escaping before silence, “Not a thing.” Twilight’s struggling finally weakens in your arms, a moisture rolling down your arms. “Let’s get back to the others. I hate it here.”

Her muffled sobs fill your hand until you release, the mare crying for the fallen. As a pony, raised as she was, she cannot stand idly by while acts that must appear as atrocities to her go by unpunished. You stopped her from helping, from sparing a life that had already been lost. “Miss Twilight, there is nothing you-”

“I hate you… I hate you…” Words leave you. What is there to say to that? They are but words and yet they sting with such ferocity.

Perhaps Rainbow Dash has some of these words to spare, but when you look to her she avoids you and sits beside her friend. “It’s okay. It’s okay I’m here.”

More hoofsteps… Reinforcements that had trailed behind, “Are you two alright?”

“Never better.” A lie. “Let’s get the buck out of here.”

There’s a pause before another guards speaks up, “Should we take the body?”

“No, let the stitchers have it. It’ll appease them a while longer.”

Twilight’s sobs only get louder at their conversation, reminding her of what she failed to stop. It was not a wise move. The shift of their armor is audible and you can only imagine their eyes are fixed to what lies behind the rocks. Death and two ponies living, but they should be more worried about what lies the opposite direction. “Inkblot, check it out.” He moves closer… closer… and so do the stitchers. But when they strike, it is too late. All you hear is a gasp… then a scream. How rude, we have a crying mare here.

“Stitchers! To arms fellow guards!” a guard pulls out his sword and so they begin the dance. You are not invited this time. Clicks and gags rain from your rear as the two forces do battle. The Guard has armor, a crystal mesh turned black by the air of Tartarus that has no equal. The stitchers claw at their shield and armor without reward, only scratching the surface to reveal the shimmering underbelly that had long hidden from the world. However, while The Guard’s armor protects them, the stitchers have sheer numbers, a swarm that never seems to end. A thousand swipes tear at the squad of guards, all it takes is one well-placed strike to finish them entirely and finish them it does.

Twilight’s sobs intensify at the sounds of battle and despite her best effort Miss Dash is unable to cease them. “Fall back and regroup! Find Cerber- guh-” A terrible way to go, claw through the neck, speared like a fish in its evening swim. Still the fighting goes on. Too long… You turn back to Rainbow Dash. She’s shaking, not as much as Twilight but her fear is beyond evident.

“Stay here and keep Miss Sparkle safe. I shall return.”

“Don’t go! Please.” You pause but shake your head.

“Our actions led to this squad’s slaughter. I will not allow the rest to share this fate.” In truth, this end is fated to come regardless. It was their choice to come to Tartarus. They knew how things would end but… You are tired. Tired of your actions leading to these conclusions. It is unfair, as is life. You shake your head, pain returning to its abysmal form. “To hell with these creatures.”

With clenched fist you exit your place of hiding, tired too of living in the shadows. Equestria was your home as much as Tartarus was. This is your home and you will not be a prisoner within it. “Begone creatures!” Your voice echoes in the sky, all eyes and lack of them turning to your in that moment. “I shall not command it again.” Only a few guardsman remain, each standing flank to flank in defense, the stitchers merely seeing a new form to envy over. You do quite like the green of your skin.

The first stitcher runs towards you, leaping over those of its kin as well as the guards that have fallen. It is a foolish move, to attack without principle. The owner is nothing more than an animal, but these are not them. Han and Chewie are animals. Stitchers are less than them. Its claws shoot out from its hooves as it leaps your arm meeting it at the neck. The daggers meant for your neck now sweep at your arms and chest, the creature dangling like an ornament from a tree. A holiday… Your mind twists at the forgotten memory, only serving to tighten your grip.

The chill that spreads up your arm runs deep into the stitcher’s throat. It is undeserving of a quick death but there are many more to be dealt with. All limbs go lax at your will, the soul now drifting away forever, lost in the waves of black. You toss it away, the remaining stitchers looking to one another before returning to you, their toothy grins of dagger-like teeth a symbol of how far-gone these souls have fallen. The fighting continues as you grab another, the guard ‘playing’ a defensive ‘game’ while you make do with those foolish enough to fight.A haze falls over your eyes as you move to the next, all thought lost to you as, anger, leads your movements.

By what right do they attack the guard, those pure souls who serve after death? They have no right… and so they die once more. You’re unsure how many fall at your touch, but as you’re left standing over the pale remains of those thoughtless enough to defy you, a sickness grows in your stomach. The stitchers that remain linger around the obelisks they hide themselves behind but pursue you they do not. Your fist clenches at the sight of them and in turn they retreat back into the labyrinth they call home. “May their sins damn them for eternity,” you mutter, words not your own by you speak them as if they were.

“Who-” Your head snaps to the remaining guards, one foolish enough to raise his sword . The one who spoke is quick enough to force it down, “Put your sword away fool. This soul just saved our lives.”

“Only you can save yourself, no other.”

“On behalf of the guard I thank you. I won’t forget this,” the pony steps forward, the edges of his armor shifting with each step. You can only make out the caramel of his skin and the green eyes behind it, the rest guarded from the elements. “You’re not like the others.”

“No, I am not.” You reply as you overlook the four survivors. “Where is your Cerberus? You must not-” You spend time conversing when you should be attending to the task at hand.

“We got separated at the Ruined Fork. Mut ran off for some bouncy ball.” Hehe, dogs and wolves have a certain fascination with those. You wonder- The mares, Anon, return to them.

“Return to your duty guardsmen, it shall not carry out itself.” He nods and barks orders at his men, an alpha of the pack if they were to be wolves. Guardians, but they do have order of a sort. “It is safe,” you turn to where your friends lie, “You may-”

”Behind you!”

A tremor crosses your body for only a second and a sensation of fullness stems from your gut. You look down to see a set of claws jutting from side, in one side and out the other, much like those fruit kebabs Fluttershy made you try. Of course you are not quite are so delicious. Shame that. You lock your gaze with the stitcher’s and you are fairly certain should blood still run in his veins they would have left its face by now. Before you can act the beast is thrown to its side, fresh air filling the small gaps in your torso, your savior resting her hooves beside you. “Are you alright?”

Once again you respond with the blank expression. She knows who you are and yet when she sees your wound, she seems concerned or is it a reaction to the grotesque? No bleed seeps from it, so it must be the incision itself or might it be from the many slashes that now gouge your chest and suit. Rarity will not be pleased. Before the stitcher can flee one of the guards had already approached and imbedded it upon his sword. “Damn things.”

“Let us be on our way, Miss Dash. The threat has passed.” No rebuttal from her as she joins you, the guard cleaning up and being on their way. No time wasted for them. As you return, you cannot help but notice the hushed breathing of Twilight. Scootaloo’s breathe sounded the same, short patches over a low volume, and at that thought you quicken your pace. She is not alone.

As you turn around the boulder, you find yourself at an interesting sight. Twilight, the mare, with a stitcher, the corrupted. A pairing that brings you no joy. Its head brushes against hers, rubbing up along her cheek and down across her neck. Rainbow Dash too sees this, but no sound escapes her throat. You approach, slowly and with great care to go unnoticed. A hoof caresses the hair of her mane, its talons protruding so that each hair runs cleanly through the trio. It almost smiles…

Her eyes meet you as you continue, the claws moving to her face and run lightly down her face, spreading the tears she had shed. You clench your fist at the mere sight of it, teasing, mocking, terrorizing your friend for the joy of it. “A-anon.” Its head meets your fist, the beast falling to its side before scrambling back up only to be knocked further away with a powered kick and gritted teeth.

Miss Dash joins Twilight, holding her once more as you move to pursue the beast, “Anon no!” Your fist is already raised , arm shaking from a force unknown to you and despite your efforts it does not cease. “Let it go.” Let it- let it go? This beast deserves no mercy. Look at it, it is a monster, caring only for itself and not- not for others. You lower your fist, hand still trembling, and allow it to crawl away. You must care for your own, not let the rage overtake you.

You… do not want to hurt anyone. That is not your goal, but- Why was the act so satisfying… Monsters are closer than you- I am not. Right? Sure. Kneeling beside Twilight you look her over yet find no wounds or scars. The stitcher had not the time to cut her as you had feared. “How do you far-”

”Don’t touch me,” she pulls away from you and further into Rainbow’s arms, “Don’t…” She cannot harm you yet she asks your retreat. It is not herself she fears, but you. Quaint.

“As you wish.” Standing back up you address Miss Dash, “When she is ready for travel you will take the road left. Ensure her eyes stay closed.” You look around, stitchers pulling away at your gaze, their fear of your presence absolute at last. “I grow tired of this place.”

You take the dirt path to the top of the hill, Rainbow Dash and Twilight trailing behind you. When you attempt to look at the unicorn she is quick to stare elsewhere. From here you can make out the town in the distance as well as the watchtower that guards it. The obsidian mass stretches high towards the heavens, but no more than the tower of Frostbite. If you stood atop Frostbite Tower you could almost touch the clouds above, but you would never recommend the action. They are twisted with perversion and would find no greater joy than a soul’s fall, it is a long fall. “What’s that?” Rainbow points to the tower as you continue along. “Is that a tree?”

“A tree? No. That is a tower of the guard. Hundreds of them can be found in the plains of Tartarus, though they are worked no longer.”

“Why?” You smirk at the questioning mare, sounding more like Twilight than herself. Perhaps that is her goal, to stir her interest in hopes of establishing a dialogue, like two actors in a play. You do not believe yourself to be good at improv, but, if this works, you will try.

“The guard is not as large a force as it once was. There is an honor in serving, to act as part of a greater good even if it means you sacrifice all you had gained.”

“I’m- not sure I understand.” A reasonable situation to be placed in. How does one know that in which they cannot know? Books on Tartarus are not as detailed as those on Equestria, and for good reason.

“Only two souls might join the guard. One are those of purity in the land above. They take the steps of ascension down to Tartarus, forgoing the rewards their actions in life led to in order to keep the peace in Tartarus.” Twilight huffs at your words but does not deviate from her sulking strides. A broken friendship over a misunderstanding… She should be glad you stopped her. She is not ready. When are they? Never. “The second are the Lost Souls, but they are few and far between in the ranks of the guards. A damned soul must prove themselves and repent. Only then will the guard call them brother. How different this place was…”

No more do you speak of this, finding the thoughts… disheartening to the emptiness that rests in your chest. If they were to cut you open, what would they find there? You are but a husk of man. A hum- Ugh, of course. How did you forget?

By the time you have reached the outskirts of the town you had begun to notice the dimming of the sky. Light is short now, not long will it remain for your viewing pleasure. The wet squelch of your steps against the soppy dirt resonates throughout what remains of this town. You gaze amongst the ruins of rotten wood and shattered glass, roofs collapsed in as their foundation crumbled leaving only the uppermost planks untarnished. “Scootaloo!” Rainbow Dash calls out as she runs through the town, Twilight lingering behind her, “Apple Bloom! Sweetie Belle?”

They are not here, you answer her calls to your own mind, long gone if they had stayed. Too much time has passed now. Had they not found shelter it would already be too late, the corruption would have taken them. Even if you found them they would never be the same. Still, as to be expected from the aspect of loyalty, Rainbow Dash does not cease her efforts, “Scootaloo! It’s me, Rainbow Dash! Come on, I know you’re out here! Where are you?” You open your mouth to answer her but come to a different solution, let her be. Your words will not aid her or her heart.

Twilight calls out as well though her throat is harsh, voice strained. Neither of their calls will bring them back here. Returning to your search you kneel to one of the buckled dwellings, peering over the base that had once held its form high, a strange residue still clung to its structure. You rub the goo between your fingers finding the lack of grains rather odd as mud still has this texture despite its half-liquid state. Even then if it were a full liquid, there is a degree of solidarity to this that confounds you. Smell? Nothing, the murky material has no distinguishing odor at all. Very strange.

As you try to flick it off you find it rather attached to yourself, your company most welcome to it it would appear. It wipes off easily enough on a stray beam and this is good luck as you have no use for this slime… Looking back you inspect it closer and in the darkness you find a new color, a violet, just like the ocean. The earth, you heard its squelch when you arrived upon the town. The Smooze- Impossible, it is contained to the ocean and nothing more. A perfect prison… Nothing is perfect.

“I believe we should part-” you pause when you no longer find your friends in sight. “Rainbow Dash? Miss Sparkle?!” They’re- Not a word. You shuffle from one street to the next, no sign or trail of them, even their calls beyond your ears reach. Peering into one of the buildings you find a darkness, unnatural, even for Tartarus. A closer look shows a shimmer, light striking the black bundle of fur and feathers that surrounds the mass, swelling and retreating in breath. Asleep it might be, but when night falls the ooze will sleep no longer, the dreams it hungers in will no longer sate its belly. You must find the others now, before the town’s residents awake. “Miss Sparkle! Rainbow Dash!” you cup your hands together, a tool used to boost your volume by some science you do not understand. Perhaps later, but first- “Hello? Answer my call!”

“…on!” Your head snaps to, her voice only barely reaching yours and at such a volume. Trouble. You focus as you run, wind once again finding Tartarus as you find yourself in another place, the shore. The waves of smoo lump together like that jelly substance of Pinkie’s and that strange stallion, an obsession that will lead you to him one day, but it is not that day. A couple hundred hooves away lies a pier jutting out to the open sea, ocean being the correct term of course. On the end of that pier are two ponies you know all too well, their recklessness due to be their downfall.

Still, it is a- a relief, to see them alive and well. No abominations or stitchers at their back, no dragons or winged terrors sweeping upon them, just them… Standing too close to the Ocean of Smoo. Not a good sight after all. Quickly, as not to waste time, you speed-walk across the wooden platform, the occasional step a tad more wobbly than an engineer would allow. “How far does it go?” Rainbow Dash asks, her eyes widened by the seemingly endless ripples of lavender gunk.

“We must depart this town of ghosts and ghouls. No fillies find it home.”

“We’ve only just started our search,” Rainbow protests. “They could be-”

“Hiding? Playing? Running perhaps and frolicking in a field of kittens?” your voice far sharper than you had intended. The ooze, you almost forgot its effect. “They did answer our calls. They are not here.”

“What if they took a boat?” A boat… you could almost laugh and you do admit a puff forms in your chest at the thought.

“If they took a boat as you suggest then it is too late. They are as good as-”

“Dead?” Twilight’s first words are filled with rage, the smooze acting on her as well. “How can you say such a thing? We’re going to find them you- Gah…”

“I did not say such a thing. The words were your own.”

“Blame it on me is that it?” she yells back, no thought to yourself. “I can’t believe you. You don’t care about us at all do you? You just play innocent like a child.”

“Twilight, are you-”

“Don’t start ‘Rainbow Dash.’ You’re so quick to take his side and apologize for him, regardless of your ‘relationship.’”

Dash’s cheeks redden, though the drop of her brow makes you ponder whether from embarrassment or anger. “What are you talking about? Twilight, I’m your friend.”

“Her words are not her own,” you attempt to explain only to be cut off once more.

“So you’re going to analyze me now too, huh? Go on. Call me a heartless horse,” where’s your soap, “who could care less about other ponies, Anon. Do it, I dare you.”

“Twilight,” you keep your voice down as not to provoke her once more, “We can discuss this at a later date.”

“Yeah, just the two of you alone and all kissy kissy.” That makes no sense. Twilight pretends to vomit only to glare back at you, “You. Why you? Why’d -you- stop me? I just wanted to help.” You try to listen but two dots appear on the horizon, soon to be four. Now eight, each time doubling and each time growing ever closer. “I could’ve saved that Diamond Dog. No pony-” her eyes water with a sniff of her nose. “No pony deserves what they did to him. You could have saved him too but you didn’t! Why?” They continue to multiply at her speech, only growing closer as the waves begin to quicken and become violent at their owners approach.

“Let us move this lesson to another time, it is not-”

“You’d like that wouldn’t you?” half tears and half forced loathing by the Smooze’s touch, “You’re just like everything else in this place. A monster.”

A twitch befalls your eye at that word and you slowly look back down to her, Rainbow attempting to mend this wound, “Anon, she didn’t mean that. She-”

“Yes she did,” your hand clenches and releases, bones cracking as you hiss the words, forcing yourself to hold them back. “No word fits better than that, you know that better than most Miss Dash.”

“Anon-” You silence her with a gaze. There is no more room for apologies, the Smooze approaches.

“I may be a monster, but this monster wants to save your lives. So, with that in mind, I will chase you to the ends of Equestria and beyond the darkest veils of mortality itself if you do not run off this bridge at once!” You point to the ocean behind them, both turning at once to see the eyes on approach, the waves morphing into the mouths of the Smooze, hungry and heading this way.
“Now!”

Even in her anger, Miss Sparkle realizes her safety is in danger at the rapidly approaching mass of slime. You keep behind them as they rush down the pier, the first waves causing the pillars below to buckle and sway, bending the boards above. So consumed by the Smooze that she had ignored its approach… The very dangers that would have torn their group apart in a matter of minutes. A plank beneath you snaps, the piers entirety swaying in response before balancing back out, more waves crashing beneath it. “Where are we going?” Twilight cries out, fear overwhelming anger as it so often does. “Rainbow Dash?!”

The Pegasus looks to you, daring to eye at the tsunami of slime that approaches for a second, only making her run that much faster. Her wings could come in handy at this point. “I- I don’t-”

“The tower,” you don’t need to point out the beacon of black for them. It is rather obvious a landmark. Out of the shore you move to the barren streets, each sickening squish beneath your feet only reminding you of the waves behind you. Chancing a look you find it overtaking the pier, the hundred mouths that once covered Ponyland in a sway of gunk and slime. At least there’s no singing this time.

“Have to keep running,” Twilight gasps to herself between breaths. “Can’t stop. Can’t stop.”

“Do not speak. It fatigues the lungs.” She might live if she takes your advice, though the Smooze was never one to kill.

Drowning, however. That will kill. “We’ll make it, Twi. Just you see.” But death comes not today. Crashing into buildings behind you the Smooze continues to devour the landscape, globs of Smoo thrown afar in hopes of consuming all the more. At least the ooze’s will be in welcome company.

With that thought you reach the base of the tower, Rainbow Dash bucking open the door in a single bound. Twilight pants, collapsing to her knees before her hooves tap along her chest and sides, “My- my pad! Where’s my notepad?”

“Gone, most likely. The Smooze has no prejudice.”

“I have to get it back!” she near tackles you to get to the door, but it is lucky Rainbow Dash blocks for you.

“Forget it Twilight. It’s not worth it.”

“Miss Dash is correct in this assertion. A single notepad does not hold the same value-”

“Everything I had is on that notepad!” she paws out trying to break free of Rainbow’s grip, but cannot. “Everything-”

“It’s gone, Twilight. No pony is going back for it.” Twilight still eyes the door, crazed, a motive behind that you know all too well. She -will- be going back for it. No matter the cost… Sigh…

“Correct. No pony will.”

On that note you open the door, Rainbow Dash snapping back to you, “Anon, don’t. It’s just a bunch of paper.”

“Do not fret,” you smile and look back to Twilight, “Monsters cannot harm monsters.”

“Anon don-” You slam the door behind you, the rumbling from inside revealing the ensuing conflict from Miss Sparkle. It shall keep Dash busy for a spell. Spell? You take to a jog, an unfamiliar motion but one that strikes you as familiar for a reason unknown to you. Purple washes over the village like a flood, smothering all in its path as it once had. A prodigy, it was at destruction, weak of will though.

You retrace your steps, not having to go far to find the pad of paper rumbling on the ground. Strings of slime fall as you lift it up and store it in your suit pocket, another check to add to the list of things Rarity has to fix. You make it a whole two steps, small in the grand scheme of steps you would say, before the tower door opens to find Rainbow staring back at you. “Got it,” is all you manage to grin back at her before the waves hit you, burying you beneath the mass known as the Smooze.

”Smooooze.” Yes yes, you know.

The current spins you about much like the hospital chair, your vision growing hazy and- something else, worming its way through you. You try and grab the- stupid- worthless piles of dirt beneath you but are once again thwarted by the damned elements of this hellhole. No- no… Calm yourself. This is the smooze- Damned Smooze- No. Focus, the tower. Those two ponies will pay for this- Stop it! Just the one will pay- Focus… Focus. “Smooooze.” You are Anonymous. Anon to those that know you. You are Death. The Courier to those that know you. One or the other, both? All the same. Foc- “Smooooze.” Kill it! Kill it dead! Do not, it is a prisoner here, yours. Then- let it live and escape. Kill- Escape.

A pair of eyes bumps into you, your hand swatting it away like mosquitoes in summer. Pesky things, how they stung your- GAH! Tower! Now! Slime travels up the sides of your arms, twirling about stomach and legs alike as you picture the tower’s chamber, stairs, its peak… “Smooo-”

“Yes,” your neck cracks with a simple turn, “I know.” Your limbs feel as steel, cursed beams of metal you’d smolder in the sun and… Stairs, down you must go. Beds stretch towards you as they circle the room, this room serving as their housing when manned so long ago. Thoughts enter your mind, cruel and twisted in nature, but they are not your own. Despite your efforts they fail to cease in flow as you descend, a wet plop sounding off as you take each step.

Both remain safe downstairs, Rainbow Dash having toppled over a shelf so that she might peer out the window, eyes glued to the flood outside. Twilight is shivering, bits of the cloth that bound her hoof tore away leaving her as she was, all knowing of what words she spoke in her anger. She doesn’t make a sound when she sees you approaching, covered in the purple goop that drove her anger to its edge the- Your teeth clench as you continue to fight the swelling anger, finally not stemming from the drea- Of course, pain is the result of those thoughts. “Here,” you retrieve the notepad, flinging it back at the mare’s hooves with a sneer, “Take your precious notes.”

“An-”

“Anon! You’re- You’re here!” Rainbow Dash cheers in a mood you’d rather see on a corp- It is good to see her happy, do not think such things. She approaches quickly in an attempt to embrace you, “When I saw you get buried beneath the waves I-”

“Do not touch me!” Your chest bounces back and forth with each inhalation, the blend of acute irritation and pain one that does not settle well on your current palette. Shock is the best way to describe your cu- cun- your friend’s reaction. Yelling is not one of your primary forms of communication after all.

Still, she takes another step, pausing at your clenched fist. “It’s me, Dash.” She poses a fake smile that weakens just as quick, “You know me.”

“Of course I know you you simpl- Forgive, me. My words are not my own you- Phew…” you take a deep breathe, finding no solace in the act. “Upstairs. Build a fire. There is wood to burn and beds to find slumber. I can- take care of myself.”

Every word is a battle and you slowly begin to wane on that front. “At least let me-” No expression is needed, just your stare, “Okay. Twilight?”

You have depressed her, an act that brings you no comfort but the bitc- she needs to understand. “I’m not tired.”

“Take your bucking notebook and go upstairs before I throw you to the Smooze,” the drop of your brow acting as the final ingredient to get a ‘kick in her step.’ How you’d like to kick something else right now… Without further delay they obey, both exhausted both from their trip as well as their lack of sleep. It is a necessary thing for them but a curse for you. Your shoes stick to the floor with each step as you make it over to the window, happening to be at eye-level with you. Strange…

The Smooze acts as a hurricane outside, waves the sizes of houses crashing against the terrain, but, it appears to reach a block. An invisible wall of sorts, the bounds of its prison still holding true. Whoever built this village was foolish, all souls, damned and pure know not to approach the Smooze. Else, they appear as you, another bout of anger surging forth, “Smoooooze.” You smile when you discover a small pair of eyes on your leg, staring back up at you. “Smooze?”

A chill builds in your chest and stretches to the farthest corners of your body, the liquid grime thickening as it meets a magic of your own, the eyes shaking in search of escape. “There is no escape here, only me, only death.” The purple that coats your suit grows a light gray, soon darkening further as the last remnants of the Smooze upon you has fallen. It comes off in great swathes as you pull it away, revealing the tatters of your suit that it thought to hide. The part that pleases you the most, is you find a new calm amongst this storm, your mind clearing from the haze that had been your plague.

But, you look back down to the cold dead eyes below you, rolling away like the marbles of a school filly, the worst part is the method that brought you this clarity. Death is not a toy for your personal use. It is your charge… You’re just a tool…

Walking back upstairs you dodge the puddles of slime you had left in your descent, noting the growing warmth, a smoky aroma in the air. You see the smoke as it works up the stairs that wrap about the walls, soon to merely pop out the roof like a chimney on a snowy winter morning. Only, the residents will not be the ones in the fire. The next thing you hear, besides the cracks of fire against the books and other pieces of wooden fixtures used as its fuel, is a snore, a loud and utterly skull-rattling noise.

Mares and stallions have been slain for less in your experience. Minotaurs have short tempers after all. When you are allowed sight, you grin again, though it is not of a sadistic pleasure, but instead you find it a comforting view, two ponies found asleep on the beds of the guard. They snuggle the worn blankets, doubling up for warmth, even Miss Sparkle who had so adamantly claimed to not have been fatigued has drifted into slumber. You walk over to each of them, the fire’s heat only doing so much to warm them, and place another blanket atop them.

Miss Sparkle flinches at your touch but remains asleep, dreaming. You can only hope hers remain bright and true. Miss Dash, on the other hand, is found to be source of the vocal slaughtering as her snores nearly shake the walls with its intensity. Carefully you add another layer to her, but when you do her snoring ceases, a tired eye opening to meet you, “Anon?”

“Sleep, you are tired,” you rest a hand atop her head and run it down her mane, the colored hair softer than you had thought. A blanket of it might indeed be an enterprise worth exploring, but that is an idea you may present to her another time.

“Okay, you big lug,” a yawn takes hold of her, followed by a smile, “Don’t go far.”

“I shall not, my little pony. Rest now…” you continue your tender pets as her eyes close once more. You can only hope your touch eases her heart and mind. If she wanted to sleep you can just- What did you say about thinking such things? Still the thoughts arise. Her time will come, but today is not that day. Leaving her side you stand atop the stairs and peer out of the window, watching Tartarus and the Smooze alike, little furry balls bouncing about the waves. Its kin awaken to such a fright, its parent should be proud.

From here you stand watch, hands behind your back, a silent guardian for the ponies as they- *snore* When she wakes, you might make note of this habit, but later… For now, you keep watch. As always.

~~~

The light has returned once more and yet the sun’s absence is still to be noted. A staple of Tartarus, aside from its peculiar fauna and residents. No sun graces this land, nor does a moon appear in the night’s sky. Even should they appear, the clouds of black serves as a canopy, blotting out whatever ball of illumination that wishes to shine. The swathes of purple that had drowned the town in its abundance rest quiet, and you can see the oozes bobbing up and down within it. If you listen close enough you can almost hear the voice, Smooze.

Shameful thing, it is more an animal than most of the creatures here. It did not ask for its being, it simply came to be by… What was her name, hide-something. Strange name, but no more so than those of Equestria. Closer you inch towards using this contraption within your skull and should you wish to express your feelings, you can almost feel the consequences lying in wait. Memories, trivial little things they are, but without them, what do you have left? To not know who you are, to find absent the fondest of moments with those you hold dear, that is a form of Tartarus all in itself.

Perhaps that is why you have never felt the mystical ‘home sickness’ for this land. In fact you hope to be rid of this place soon… so you may return to your duty, watching from afar as you always have. You return and kneel by the fire, a sorry thing it has become, burning low with only the faint streaks of heat about the wood. Turning the fuel about in its bed, the fire kindles once more, the glare that stems from within nearly blinding you from the orange glow that now basks the room in its aura.

Heat… Your hand can feel its warmth as it hovers over the spitting flames, but it feels not the sting of its touch. Every sensation is a lie, a half-truth. So would that make it a half-lie? Is half a lie still not a lie? The ratio- No sense thinking such rot. No good may come of it. Pushing off your knees you gaze upon the wounds of your chest, a red glistening between the cuts of your shirt, the once white material stained gray. No blood seeps from these wounds of course. They are merely for show, but still, your mind experiences a sense of ease knowing that you too have a scarlet core. Rainbow Dash would be-

Soon… After the tide of Smooze recedes you shall be on your way, no further delays. You pluck at the wound in your side, the trio of punctures, filled, in some strange method. Stitchers… Have they no respect? Well… Pulling at stuffing within your side must be what those turkeys felt at Thanks- That hurts worst of all… When you are almost there, but the memory eludes you still. A soft gasp escapes one of the beds, a turn of your head revealing the culprit to be Miss Twilight. Of course, she would wake as you tend to your wounds. Quite a gruesome sight.

You do not give her the satisfaction of a response as you return to these punctures. You would not want to scare her; you are a monster after all. “Good morning?” Once more you give her a shortened glance and then back to your business. She sees Rainbow Dash still sleeping, her snoring thankfully having stopped half-way through the night, and drops quietly from her bed, joining you by the fire. It is fortunate Miss Dash’s snoring had ceased. You had believed your body still afflicted by the Smooze, but it appeared to only be the minstrels of her throat playing their obnoxious tune.

With tired eyes, a pair of rings beneath her eyes, she looks out the window, “It’s morning…” At one time you had considered her to be the master of the minute, but it seems she is also a connoisseur of the obvious, perhaps a captain even. “Anon-”

“Eat,” you reply as you take out your last ash fruit and toss it into her lap, “Your strength has waned.”

She smiles for some reason, “Thank you, but-”

“Eat. It was not a request.”

The mare nods, taking a painful bite of the fruit. Maybe fruit is not an accurate term. It does grow from a tree like a fruit, but is also absent of any and all quality. Hmm, fruit it shall remain. For now. “Anon…” You find her staring at you. Waiting for you to interrupt her? Never, you respect her after all, even if she does not share it. “I wanted to apologize.”

“There is nothing to forgive.” Damn these things. It covers your wound like a seal and your fingers- they can’t quite grab it. Horrid. “The words you spoke were yours, and yours alone.”

“No, they weren’t. The uh, what do you call it? The purple-”

“Smooze, and do not think to blame it. Its properties rids those it touches of their kindness, of their empathy for others and leaves them apathetic in nature, but the words? The words it does not hinder, only surface.” Her will broke so easily with only the subtle touch of Smooze. You were drenched within it… but you are not a pony, only huma- You grimace as you finally grip one of your wounds, fingers locked around the solid mass within it. “I -am- a monster, though not any that you readily know, Miss Sparkle.” Your head pounds as little by little you extract a murky gray shard that never seems to quite end from your side, that fullness you once felt now replaced by its opposite. “I do thank you for pointing it out though.”

“Doesn- Doesn’t that hurt?” You inspect the spike, no longer just a shard, in your hand as it basks in new light, the last remnants of the Smooze bound within it.

“No,” you reply as you cast it into the fire. “Are you going to ask me why? Does your mind not overflow with questions about this oddity? Monster’s rarely reply so this must be an academic achievement for you. Dragons of age find others rather annoying if I recall.”

She shakes her head but has to look away as you remove yet another spike from your side. You would ask her why only now she is incapable of watching. After all, the first is the worst. Second is the best. Third- No, why would a spike have hair? Absurd. Completely and utterly. “I won’t get the answer I want, only more questions. Anonymous… You really do live up to your name.” Live, always the incorrect term in its application towards you, not that you will correct her.

“Some things are best left unknown and unseen.” You nod your head, working the last piece out. “Tartarus is as good a place as any to depart these secrets.”

She sits in silence by the fire before you toss the final piece within it, turning out to be great fuel for the flames. “I do have one question, if you’ll answer it.”

“Ask it and the monster shall reply in truth.”

What expression is that on her face? Pain? Regret? Regret in speaking her heart? Nonsense. “Back in the valley-”

“Sin Valley. Lovely name, terrible reputation. Well deserved all the same. What of it?”

“When we were at the road, and those guard- Gosh, I can’t think those were ponies.”

“Ponies comprise the majority of the Tartarus Guard. Of all races I have encountered, they have always been the most- Hmm, what is the word? To care not for one’s own faculty?”

“Selfless,” a hint of a grin on her lips.

“Yes, my thanks to you. Their selflessness- Your, selflessness, allows you to put the good of others before yourself. Only those that can achieve this feat are allowed into the Guard.”

At that, the smile fades, “But… when they ran that dog down. They- They killed him. He couldn’t defend himself, he just-” It pains her, even you can see this. Just to think of these memories suffocates the heart within her chest. It is similar to yours in a way…

“What is your question, Miss Sparkle?”

She looks back up with red eyes, tears accumulating behind those orbs, “Why did you let them? Why did you stop me? I- We could’ve…”

“That is more than a single question,” you attempt humor though it ‘falls flat’ like an open cider. “A fair question still… When a soul comes to this land, they are either a member of the Guard, or lost amongst the wastes of crimson. Some say this land once held a different purpose than it does to this day, and they are correct.”

You move to the window, the waves beginning to recede back into the ocean. “I find that hard to believe.”

“Not even the damned are beyond redemption. Each soul of the lost had ‘sinned’ as Rarity had explained the term to me. Here, they are given two choices. Atone and take the Steps of Ascension to be judged, or fall to the hunger within them and be vanquished, their soul lost forever in black.”

“That- isn’t what I thought of this place at all. You gave them a choice- Wait, you said they took those Stairs? They’re broken now, what kind of choice is that?” You hold up a hand before her tangent takes a crueler turn. She would not have any Smooze to blame it on now.

“That is as it was, but-” Why does the pain return now? You, you know. “Something changed. I- Why can I not remember?”

It is natural, as Twilight had said, but you are unnatural. Are you? Death is a part of life. It matters not. “But why did you stop me?” Perhaps the best way to explain, is not answer directly? Interesting.

“This tower is one of many in Tartarus, long abandoned by the Guard who had once manned each with a garrison of their brothers. When Tartarus changed, so did its residents. Madness spread amongst these souls, only those bound in cloth were saved.”

You can hear her lift her hooves, “These- Clothes protect us? How?”

“A guess from you is as good as mine, but you can watch it change over time, the corruption turns all it touches black, the armor of the Guard one you know well. Crystal lies beneath the layers and when light struck it-” You are getting off track, and a runaway train is no joke. “What was your question again?” Again she asks and you believe you have explained enough to truly answer. “The dog, he was not wearing cloth, yes?” You do not need her response, you know. “His mind was warped, Miss Sparkle, a permanent curse no magic can cure. Like a virus, the Hunger within him overtook his weakened state and set him upon his canine kin, all the while the corruption continues to spread, chipping away like a mason upon stone.”

When your return to the fire, Twilight’s head lies cast to the floor, “If they didn’t kill- kill him, what would’ve happened?”

“I do not know, but the result is never one I would wish upon a soul. Stitchers, Umbras, Soul Traps, Oozes… One would call it a gamble, but no matter how many rolls you place on the dice, you will always lose.” She soaks this in, every tidbit of information you laid on the line all swelling within like a bad burrito, but without the awful side effects. No pony should eat that many, and you are sure they never will again. “Did you wish to take notes?”

She huffs and shakes her head, a delicate huff, not one of spite and anger. “I still don’t understand how they could just- do what they did.” You cock your head in question. Is that what she truly believes?

“Miss Sparkle,” you sit down next to her, careful not to set your feet aflame, “No soul finds death easy. The guards of Tartarus are here because they placed others before themselves, but they will do what must be done to protect those that still cling to atonement.” Even those without a soul do not take joy, and never does it get easier… No matter how many years you spend attempting to tell yourself otherwise. The truth is a plague that you cannot cure yourself of.

“I never did get to thank you, you know, for saving me.”

“Save you? I did no such thing.”

“Of course you did. -And- you got my notepad after saying you wouldn’t.” A foolish move for the living, but you find the decision easier for one such as you with no life to cling upon.

“Shall I throw it to the wind, as it were? I’m afraid the prospect of a breeze is foreign to Tartarus, much as a sunrise or the wake of your shadow.

”Huh?” she looks behind her, “I- Where is it?”

“Where is what?”

”My shadow! It’s gone.” You flinch and quickly ensure her voice did not raise the sleeping Pegasus.

“Hush your voice, we are indoors with guests. Now, shadows. That is a long and drawn out subject, I must tell you. Have you heard of Arabus?” She shakes her head. “A strange tale it is, Cloud Demons often are. You see…” The metallic shrill of rusted springs creak from your rear, Miss Dash arriving from her slumber at last. “Alas, a story I shall speak later.”

“Later?” You pause at the pitch in her voice. Hope. It brings you no joy to disappoint her.

“A figure of speech.”

Rainbow Dash stretches her wings and hooves before clinging the sheets against her and flipping over. “What’d I expect?”

“Has she not had proper time to sleep? We must be on our way.”

“You’re right. We already stopped to sleep when we should’ve been out there searching.” You are sure the Smooze would have killed that expedition in its crib… In its crib, just a babe… “Well go ahead, wake her up.” You chuckle at the thought, “You’re not scared are you?” You? Fear of yourself, yes, but of Rainbow Dash? How absurd.

“Should you wish a lesson in fear, I know many-” You clutch your ears as an earth-shattering roar sends the tower rumbling.

“GHA- I’m up! I’m up!” is all Miss Dash manages before she falls from her bed. The thunder of its call lasts seconds more, a softer shriek bellowing forth before the creature departs from its roost atop the tower. “Ugh… How much did I drink?”

Twilight uncovers an ear, the flap twitching as it surveys your surroundings before she finds it safe enough to release the other, “What- was that? It sounded like-”

“A dragon,” you barely make out its tail from the window before it hides amongst the clouds. “A menace compared to those of Equestria. Not enough the best of your kind can resist Tartarus.” By the look on her face you can assume that she is having difficulty accepting this. She needn’t work herself into such a rut; it is not her place to accept it.

You help Miss Dash to her feet, the mare, your dear friend, apprehensive of your touch, “Are you, you know?”

“My mind is my own. You are allowed to touch me once more,” you smile, only feeling your wording could have been approved after the fact.

Rainbow Dash does not seem to mind, as seen by her blush. “Good. I was saving this,” she wraps you in a hug; her head nestled into your stomach. Height differential and the like.

It is nice, and you pat her head in turn, “Too cute.”

“Would you like a body clutch as well?”

You move your arm out in invitation only for Dash to grab it back, “She can get her own Anonymous if she wants one.” Twilight does not seem to mind, but you are confused.

“Rainbow Dash, there is only one of me, how can she retrieve a second of that which exists in a singular quantity.”

She shrugs a takes a deep breath, “She can just deal with it.”

“I’m right here you know.”

“Was that not the point?”

“You’re ruining this for me, Anon.” Closing your mouth hole also known as your mouth. It is a hole though…

~~~

You walk out the tower’s entrance, inhaling the stale air of Tartarus as you would Equestria’s but lacking the satisfaction that follows. The road that runs from town heads… that direction, west you do believe. It is a chore to apply traditional directions in a place that has no distinguishing markers. Twilight shivers as she joins you, “Brr, I miss the fire already.”

“Yes, it is a shame a portable version has not been achieved in the form of a spell.”

Her eyes shimmer, an idea striking her, the rude thing. Striking should never occur to a friend. Twilight’s horn glows a hot pink aura as a small sphere begins to take shape before you. ”And… there!” She levitates it closer to herself and you can almost see the chill dissipate from her limbs, “By Celestia that feels nice.”

“Hey! What about us?” Rainbow Dash is rather quick to show her envious side. A jealous mare, but one you do admire. How one can both be admired and envious is a question only the most brilliant of philosophers can answer. That and those taken by Salt or herbal supplements. As long as they keep to their seats, they may continue to question as they like.

“Sorry, I can only make the one.” You have confidence otherwise, but it is best not to stress her further.

“No matter, we shall keep each other warm as two climbers upon the peaks of the Crystal Mountains.”

You do hope it will turn out better for you two. You reach down as Dash backs away, “Anon what are you- Wha- No, Anon. Put me down!” She bucks away in your hands, as strong as she might be for an equine it is rather trivial in your own grasp. When she finally stops her face is best described as a pout, but you are unable to see the change as you lift her upon your shoulders. “What?”

“Did I say something?”

Twilight looks between you both with a chuckle. “So, what are you two doing?”

“Nothing more than the usual, Miss Sparkle. What is it that you are doing?”

Yes, the counter question is a masterful move indeed. “Just… let’s get back on track. Where are we going to search next?”

“We follow the road west to Frostbite Prison.”

“Why not keep going this way?” Rainbow asks from above you.

“Fallwood Forest lies north of us. No matter how brave they might seem, the fillies will not have ventured there.” Plunderseed vines are not gracious hosts, nor the undead creatures that call the woods home. “We shall take the road west. Too much time has passed, our only hope resides in the knowledge that a patrol had discovered them.” Twilight appears hesitant given her disposition towards the Tartarus Guard, but you assure her that they will not harm the fillies. If anything, they will protect them with their lives. They cherish all living things, the dead however…

The road is much easier to traverse than the plains of Tartarus you soon find out, the lack of grass clutching at your legs allows you a much easier flow between steps. That and you needn’t hear Twilight’s insistent whinnying and squirming at every interval. Entertaining the first few times, you will not deny, but soon turned to a mere annoyance. Dash, sitting upon your shoulder with her legs dangling out before you, takes in her surroundings, serving as your watcher as well. You can almost feel the soft warmth of her underbelly through the fabric as it runs across the back of your head and neck. “Is Tartarus always this… barren?”

That is not the word you would use to describe it. Dead is far more accurate if she were to ask you. “We have only ‘scratched the surface’ of Tartarus. Beyond the mountains behind the Steps lies the swamplands, the smell beyond putrid from what I have heard. The swamp itself is almost as large as Equestria, but lacking the company. To think it is one of the smaller regions of Tartarus opens one’s perspective.”

“…could’ve just said yes.”

“I could have, but precision is how I prefer to answer my queries.”

She leans forward, forehooves swaying before your face, “Has anyone said you’d make a great bed?”

Hmm, you do not believe so. “Are you really tired again? You just slept.”

“Only to get thrown off my bed. I just got comfortable too.” The bickering of mortals… Perhaps you may still eavesdrop from time to time, but never again shall you be able to experience it firsthand. Neither will you be able to ask why a word such as ‘firsthand’ come into existence. Neither is first. You peer back, the village only just sitting on the horizon’s edge, mere seconds from falling off the edge of the world. Wonderful view… horrid place. May those that called it home find peace.

And so on you walk to Frostbite Prison, though its appearance more suits the term ‘fortress.’ It is one of the few safe places in Tartarus, that and the gate itself which is guarded by- by… What is that creature’s name? It is a dog, yes, but not Cerberus. He guards the outer gate. Cr- crunk? No, that’s not right. Confound it, you do know this one’s name and yet you cannot remember. It is at the ‘tip of your tongue.’

You are torn away from your thoughts at a howl as you enter the Burrowed Hills, Rainbow Dash’s sight unable to view past the mounds that roll through the earth. Twilight bumps into you on accident, the mare finding it safer beside you, “What was that?” Another howl sends her almost to the brink as she clings to your leg, severely hindering your movement.

“They are known as abominations. That Diamond Dog we met would likely have turned to one in time. Unsavory characters, though they find themselves not in a book. Now, if you would…” you lift your leg, Twilight dismounting with a nervous smile.

“Sorry?” She must know that for an apology- Of course she knows. Do you lecture the living on their own dialect?

“Forgiven, but we must quicken our pace. Abominations have all but succumbed to their hunger and will not tease you as the stitchers have. Be wary.” Twilight doesn’t deny you and you stick close to her in a trot. It is Rainbow Dash however, that is not so brave, your proximity giving you a clear passage to hear her swallow hard, a gulp.

You rest a hand upon her back for comfort, the rapid strokes of her heart mirroring Twilights. “I’m fine.”

“And you will remain so as long as you stay beside me.”

Her chin rest atop your skull, mane swaying against your ear, “I know…” You- are unsure of why but you hold her hoof, clasping it tight but not enough to cause pain. It just felt… natural. Natural to cling to another in times of turmoil, when all in the world seems to be spiraling down to the pits of Tartarus… An act for the living, a human re- “Oww.”

“Apologies,” you reply in haste, a single thought harming her. You must leave her, it is not your choice.

“It’s okay. You have a nice grip.” She pushes back upright as best she can. “I’m glad I’ve got such a beefcake backing me up.”

“Beefcake?”

“It’s a compliment, you big dork.” Dork, an insult used in a humorous fashion. How quaint.

“Then I thank you, right?”

“Right.” Good, you would hate to be wrong. You continue your passage, Dash perking as she spies the tower off in the distance, “Did we just go in a circle?” Twilight pokes her head up at the tower as well. “It looks exactly like the other one.”

“I don’t think so, Rainbow Dash. Anon said there are dozens of these around Tartarus. That’s not the same one… Right?” It takes you a minute to find out they were referring to you. “Who else would we be asking?”

“Ponies are quite the mystery to me, mares most of all. You defend your actions with logic and yet act on emotion in a singular fashion. If I may say so-”

“Anon?” Rainbow Dash interrupts you, an action which would normal instill anger but not this day.

“Yes?”

“Stop digging yourself a hole or you’re going to pop out the other side of Tartarus.” Why would she say such a thing? You look about but see nothing of the sort.

“I see no shovel to dig nor a hole. This is a perfect-”

Another howl, all three of you stop and turn your heads northward. “Is it just me,” Twilight asks, “or was that one really close?”

Their chests beat with fervor once more, “Anon, please tell me we’re getting close.”

“Our distance is closing upon Frostbite, the tower of its own make. Let us not linger.”

“No complaints her,” Twilight extinguishes her ball of heat as you continue onward, ears perked and ready.

“I’m going to take a gamble and second that.” That would not be gambling as it is the only reasonable- Language, when has it ever taken the advice of rationality. You barely make it another step before a third howl descends upon you, even closer than the second.

“How do they know we’re here?” Twilight whispers as you continue to accelerate towards down the path.

“Smell. A fresh baked cake has a sweeter scent than that of one which has grown stale.”

“Oh…”

“Oh indeed.” As the road overtakes the final hill you can spot the prison off in the distance propped atop the plateau of stone, the stairs carved along its side. If the cutie mark crusaders had reached the black walls then they are safe yet, now it is your duty to ensure your friends reach them as well.

“Is that it?” Twilight takes deep breathes, an unwelcome sign should she need to continue to run.

“Looks like it,” Dash responds as she leaps off you, “Better yet, the road takes us straight to it. We’re almost there. Deep breathes, Twi, in through your nose, out through your mouth.” You can spot multiple bands of souls across the plains as well, drifting along like leaves upon the sea. “In through the nose. Out through the mouth. Got it.” Perhaps she should look to be a trainer should she rethink her teaming with the Wonderbolts. She could help many a pony. You motion them along when the fourth and final howl strikes, but instead of silence following there is a growl, low as it is.

In unison the three turn behind you, a single wolf-like creature sulking from a nearby hill, its teeth bore with its blooded eyes staring at the three of you. “At least there’s just one of them,” Twilight’s voice trembles as she speaks, two more joining the abomination. “N-nevermind.” The ebony scales atop their back flare up at the sight of you, their heads lowering as though they are stalking their prey. Which they are…

“I would start running.” You back away, the abominations increasing pace as they follow, “Now.” Rainbow throws Twilight forward as they take to a gallop down the road. You linger a second longer as the creatures disappear from sight for a second, but when they return they are at full speed. Perhaps you should take your own advice. Yes, very good idea. With a twist you sprint after your friends, your suit having suffered enough travesties without the gnawing you are sure these corrupted souls would give them. You’d rather not ruin this gift more than you have to.

You struggle to keep up with Twilight and Rainbow Dash, your legs not quite suited to these speeds. You are more used to simply drifting along and walking. At least the prison seems to be moving closer rather than further, a most cruel joke that would be. You are not in the mood for jokes. Once more the wolves of Tartarus howl in the sky but do not cease the chase, their actions one to instill terror. They shall find a difficult time with you. Other souls turn to this new commotion and are quick enough to flee at the sight of the abominations in full sprint. They too make the route for Frostbite, though they will be turned away without prejudice.

It is good that your work has brought you here before. They might not know this form however. Ah yes, the chase, that is still occurring isn’t it? So much easier if you could simply transport you three to the entrance, but that… Twilight mustn’t learn more of you. Only in the case of death will she learn. You take a look backwards finding them still in pursuit, saliva dripping from between their teeth as they make the charge, claws digging into the dirt with each step. They are almost designed to run down their prey, every part of them trained and tested in the art of death. Twilight looks back as well, slowing down in the process, “We- we’re not going to make it.”

“No speaking Miss Sparkle!” you shout as you begin to gain ground upon her. “Focus on the road, we are not far now.”

“In and out!” Rainbow tries to help her, but still she slows, her muscles taxed with the brief but intense exertion.

“I…” her eyes redden between pants, “I can’t…”

“Yes you can! We know you can!”

You watch as she bursts forward for a fleeting second, her speed suffering that much more upon its end. Miss Dash says she can, you know that she cannot. “Continue and do not look back.”

Your heels dig into the dirt as you slide to a halt, Rainbow Dash stopping once more, “Anon don’t.”

“Please,” you smile, “Take a number for me. We are not the first in line.”

Twilight stops beside her out of breath, “Where- is he going?”

Dash stomps a hoof in frustration but complies nonetheless, “Come on, Twilight, we’re almost there.”

There you stand half-way between a hunter and its prey, or are you the new prey? You hope not. “Stop,” is all you say as you raise a hand, the abominations grinding to a halt before you. Huh. You did not expect that to work. With each drawn-out breath another puff of steam rises from their nostrils and yet their breathes never slow as they wait. One’s claws bear into the dirt, the hunger within them enflaming each nerve until it is sated, an act never to come. “Turn back and return to whence you came. No harm shall come of you if you comply.” They respond with a primal stare, a mess of drool building beneath them.

A manticore does not listen to reason because it has no concept of it. Abominations do not listen because they lack will. The leader takes a step forward, his height standing a head above the others, but many below yours. “Speak, before you waste more of my time.”

Another attempts to move in only to be bit by their leader who licks the curdled blood from his fangs. You are about to speak again, but the Abomination does so first. “You have no scent.”

“What a relief I do not share the pungent odor of your kind. Do you bathe in the sulfur springs?”

He keeps his head low as he circles you, sniffing at your shoes before his eyes flutter, “I smell them. So strong.” The ridges of his scales scrape against your pants before he turns away, “You will bring them to us.”

“Why?”

“Why?” the monster chuckles, “Or else you will take their place.”

“Take their place? Am I to be your guest at a gathering of some kind. If so, I would like to change first.” You smile, patting away at your suit. “I have gotten rather dirty.”

“You speak too much, and I’m getting hungry.”

“Your kind is always hungry,” you reply plainly, “and I shall speak as I like.” His eyes stay locked upon you as a growl escapes his throat. So be it. As the first of his underlings leaps at your form he also falls, claws grasping his neck at the unseen force that is choking what life he has left out of him. The second backs off but does not retreat quite yet, not until their leader takes the first step. You twist your hand just a bit tighter, the beast writhing against the earth at your hidden grasp. “What is this?” You kneel down to the creature, his eyes bulged and bloody, more than usual that is, “He does not appear hungry at all? Dare I say, I believe he has had his fill?”

Surely the two of them would agree, their stance slowly adopting one of retreat. You are disappointed, you had thought they lacked reason. Being wrong is not something you wish to get used to. “So… Shall we dispense with the pleasantries? Leave now, and I will allow you to do so.” He turns to his last member, then back to you with a snarl as he too leaps at you. You hadn’t expected that, you think as you fall to your back, the abominations fangs attempting to tear at your throat. You merely grab him by the snout and squeeze. “I take no pleasure in death, but I will perform my duty if I must.”

The creature yelps as you crush his nose and jaw together, a shattering noise sending the last member of his pack scampering back. You release the other from death’s grip who sure enough joins the other in retreat, leaving only the leader in your hands. Lifting him by the head you toss him away, shards of teeth falling from his bloody maw, the monster likely in an indescribable amount of pain. “I gift your soul with continued existence, a fate more than you deserve. Should you prey upon the weak once more, I will throw you to the Black Ooze. They keep their food alive for months I have heard. Go!”

You force yourself to unclench your fist as it limps away, cradling its jaw all the way. What is that Miss Dash said? In through the nose. Fmmm… Out through the mouth. Fweee… No effect, of course. You shall try even so, perhaps it is the effort of a thing that brings such ease. You stroll down the road and to the jagged stairs where a good dozen souls have taken refuge. They part as you continue to flex your hand, the tendons seemingly locked in place, a true aggravation.

The black walls loom over you like an Ursa over a simple house, only, no ill wishes are cast between you and the wall. It does make you wonder who would win, you or it. Perhaps you shall out one day. A guard peers over the edge and blows into this horn, a soft hum added to the air. Up ahead the gate creaks open, the slatted metal bars raising with a heavy clank against the ceiling. An outfit of guards pours from the entrance, you count twelve in total, a mix of races between them, half pony as you would expect.

The minotaur bears a warhammer, the griffon standing by his side with a bow and you even spot a Diamond Dog with a sickle, each outfitted with their customary armor, stained black. You nod and attempt to enter the gates, each guard drawing their weapons in turn, enticing only a smirk from yourself. “You would allow entry to two foreign equines, but you bear your weapons upon me?” No response? To be expected. “Must you frisk me for weapons first? I dare say, you shall find none other than myself, deadly, I have been described.”

“At ease,” a griffon commands on approach, his armor smaller than most of his race, shorter as well as he closes in. “Our patrol owes this soul their lives. Welcome to Frostbite.” In this place there still exists some form of etiquette. Rarity would be proud. “Allow him through. He is no threat to us.” You wonder what gave that away? “Come,” he waves a talon beside him, “Your equine companions came this way.” You lock your hands behind you back and join him through the courtyard, a hundred souls in training, new recruits gaining the first cuts of their armor.

The prison itself lies in the furthest corner of the courtyard, tattered banners hanging above the doors. “The purple one said you came to visit the prison. May I ask who you wish to visit?”

“We seek none of your captives, Mister…” you ‘fish’ for a name.

“Captain Avia,” he takes a second to respond, your stare telling him to elaborate. “My birth name huh? Big Bird.” He lacks the color you think to yourself.

“Were your parents blind when they named you?”

“Careful, now. Don’t want to be insulting the captain of the Tartarus Guard now. I never caught your name as well.”

“Anonymous, though I prefer Anon myself. Much shorter and to the point.” He gives the same stare to you. “I lack a birth name, myself.”

“You don’t say?” You just did. “So you’re not looking for one of your prisoners then? You wouldn’t- You’re looking for those three fillies aren’t you?” He knows? He knows. Grand! Stupendous! Another word that illustrates a feeling of joy! Each and every one!

“Yes, I am in fact in search of them. Have you found them?”

Despite his helmet you can see the roll of his eyes, “Found them? Afraid not. They came skipping up to the gate in their capes and what have you, calling themselves the cutie something or another.’ You laugh at the thought of it. Deep in the depths of Tartarus and they are as pure as the souls that guard it. “The guards were speechless.”

“And they still seem to have lost it,” you gaze back before Captain Avia… Big Bird, how cruel of them... holds open a door for you.

“We tell them as much. The souls need to fear us as well as need us. We don’t want an assault on our claws.” You stop just outside, knowing your way in from her, “Tell the receptionist I sent you, she’ll sort it all out for you.” He extends a talon and you shake it, his grip strong despite his looks.

“I thank you, but that will not be necessary. Miss Pennies Worth knows me… My voice that is.”

“Your- voice?” he takes another look at you and releases your hand, a quiver added to his talon, “You’re-”

“Please, no autographs,” you mimic Miss Dash in her response to a fan. One who admires her, not the device that- Yes yes you know the difference.

“I didn’t recognize you at all. Please accept my apologies. I didn’t mean that you insulted me earlier. It was just a joke.” Does he think you lack knowledge of this? Well, to be fair, you did for quite a long time.

“I understand, and if you were to make it up to me, then you would prepare a, what do your guards call it, a patrol?”

“To get your companions to the gate?” You nod, “I’ll have one prepped in ten. I can’t believe I got to meet you like this.”

“It’s once in a lifetime,” you joke and bow, entering the hallway to Frostbite Prison. Smell that? That’s the smell of victory, if it had a smell.

~~~

You enter the door down the hall, finding yourself back in reception, a delightful room that reminds you more of Ponyville’s hospital now that you take a closer look. Pale white walls, florescent lighting that you are fairly certain is powered by magic. You are uncertain whether the guard purchases these bulbs from a domestic supplier or an interplanar one. “You’re back!” a force hits you in the leg, Rainbow Dash scrunching her lips in what you think is anger, “Finally!”

“Of course I have returned, did you think me gone forever?”

Twilight joins her, having been sitting on one of the many sofas that line either wall. “Are you hurt at all?”

“Next!” You watch as two guards enter the room, a leather variation of the armor upon them, still black of course. They wait as one of the lost souls stands and approaches, taking him to the prisoner of his choice. When they leave a final guard stands beside the guard, ever wary.

“She’s been doing that for a while. How are you though, I don’t see anymore cuts. Celestia… You’re going to a hospital the first thing you do when we get back.”

Twilight’s care is welcome but unneeded. “First things first, Twilight.”

“I know what things come first. Special characters, numbers and then letters, followed by-”

“The Cutie Mark Crusaders, Twi, they come first.”

“Oh… right,” the mare failing to minimize her awkward answer. You found it quite funny to be honest.

“They are here,” you assure them which earns their attention in almost no time, but you would half a second if asked, “Captain Avia had told me as such.”

“They are?!” Both shout in unison. The creepiness of the act still jarring to you. “Where?” Okay, the first time you could understand, but the second? Surely they are coordinating this tactic as psychics.

“One at a time, if you would be so kind,” you hush them down after earning a few glances from the others. “He assured me that Miss Pennies Worth knows of their location.”

Dash lets out a sigh of relief, “Good. Scootaloo’s gonna be in deep trouble for this.” Both of them seem to be far more relaxed now. It is a sight for ‘sore eyes.’ You don’t mind it either.

“Allow me to speak to the receptionist. We shall travel together.” You approach the unicorn behind the glass, the mare having tied her turquoise mane into a braid that rests over her shoulder. Her skin rests an illuminated purple, a powerful aura around her also strangely subtle as she looks down at her papers, checking away with a quill. Reminds you of Miss Sparkle in a way. “Acheem.”

“One second please, verifying time sheets is a trivial thing that it seems I -must- finish.”

“Understood,” you reply patiently as you twiddle your thumbs. There is no longer a rush after all.

She doesn’t look up from her papers, but her ear does a little twitch at your voice. “You sound familiar. Do you visit often?”

“Not in quite a while.” You admit to your absence, one part of your duty that was as dull as it was… dull. It was as exciting as watching paint dry, a torturous occasion. You could imagine Pinkie’s frustration should she encounter such a phenomenon. She makes a final mark and tosses the quill back in its ink bottle with a single swift thrust as she looks back up to you with those ocean blue eyes you hadn’t seen in an age.

Her smile is customary but there is a curiosity within it as the end of her lip curls, “Do I know you?”

“Do you not?” You thought yourself to be most recognizable. Ahh, it must be the form itself. She is unaccustomed to it unlike your friends have become. “I had hoped you would.”

“Are you-” she cuts herself off with a gasp, her hoof unable to hide the smile behind it, “Warden? Is that you?!”

“Ahh,” you return the expression, “I have not acted as warden is in a long while.”

With a bite of her lip she undoes the latch of her door and gallops through, all eyes turning to you as the door bursts open and she leaps into your arms. “I’m so glad you’re back!”

“I had hoped under different circumstances,” you force a smile, Rainbow Dash not at all pleased that a mare had seemingly attacked you.

Friendly instincts that you count on. What a wonderful one she is. Miss Pennies Worth lets go, still smiling all the while, “I’ve been wanting to do that ever since that escape attempt. Oh Tartarus, how long ago was that?” Yes, you remember the event. Cornered and alone with Tartarus’s most dangerous souls at her throat with not even the guards to save her? She called you a hero that day, all the while never having seen your face, only the sound of your voice.

“Too long.”

“So why’re you back Warden? Here to stay I hope.”

“Ehh, not precisely,” you hush your voice, “Might you refer to me as Anonymous for the time being. My companions, they do not know.”

She doesn’t ask any questions before she accepts. “Anonymous, you look so different. Got a little something on your shirt I see.”

“This? No as you can see-” you stop yourself midsentence, “That was a joke.”

“I have to find a way to keep you here after all.” You find her company genuinely humorous, finding it strange you never conversed with her more in the past.

“Hey Anon,” Rainbow Dash moves next to you and standing a bit ahead of you, “Aren’t you going to introduce me to your… friend?”

“Of course, where are my manners?” Did you leave them in the library? “This is Miss Pennies Worth. Receptionist of Frostbite Prison and honorary member of the Tartarus Guard.”

“I’m not nearly as prude as the others though?” she smiles in what you recognize as a curtsy.

“And this is Miss Rainbow Dash. The grandest flier in Ponyville and, more importantly, my good friend.”

“And I’m tougher than I look,” she locks eyes with your receptionist. Quite the comedian she is.

“Don’t forget me,” Twilight speaks up from the back.

“Ah, that is Twilight Sparkle.”

…

“That’s all?” the unicorn pipes back up.

“That is your name, no?”

She sulks a bit at the back of the group, “I guess.”

“Forgive her, she has had quite the trip. Despite her looks she is one of the most talented unicorns I have come across, a true princess in the making.”

She blushes and looks to her feet, “I wouldn’t go that fa- What was that first part?” Once again you enjoy a chuckle at the flustered mare’s expense. “Seriously what did you say?” Even the others take part in your joy at that point, but you are not heartless and you keep it to a polite snigger. Well, perhaps you are a bit heartless.

“So why are you here?” Pennies Worth asks again after the pleasantries have ended. “Come to see the madpony himself?”

“Nothing so tremendous a task, all those stairs.” She nods along with great extravagance, having been tasked to climb the tower on numerous occasions. “No, I was told by Captain Avia that you knew the whereabouts of three fillies. We are here to bring them home.”

“And Big Bird couldn’t fetch them himself, huh? If I plucked a feather from his back every time… He’d have a different name.”

“But you do know where they are?” Twilight asks.

“Of course I know where those little bundles of fun are. They’re out in the cafeteria now I think, what time is it?”

“Lunch time, ma’am,” the guard answers without hesitation.

“Yep, cafeteria. I should probably head down there now that I think about it, those girls have been so hard to feed this past week.”

“Week?!” Okay, they really need to stop saying the same things at the same time. It is hard to distinguish one from the other.

“This must be your first visit to Tartarus,” she giggles and has the guard open the door, “Follow me, I think they’ll be happy to see you two.” Without a doubt. Miss Pennies Worth leads the group, you standing at the flank, eyeing each cell as you pass. Sealed by powerful magic these cells are almost impossible to break through, but they do open to allow entrance. Otherwise they are shut tight, save for the iron bars that serve as fortified windows for the guards. “Would you like the tour as well? If you look to your right you can see the prison courtyard. Here our guests can get leisure time all in the view of our considerable staff. Lifting weights, taking a jog, spreading your wings if you have them, all safe indoor sports.”

“Aren’t you worried about them escaping?” Twilight’s curiosity getting the better of her as you continue down the hall.

“Of course, that is why we go to great lengths to keep them as docile as possible. We keep them fed regularly to stave off the Hunger, dreadful thing. We try and make the food accommodating but… well…”

“They have tried the Ash Fruit.”

“Oooh, that’s one of our delicacies. We save those for special occasions.”

Dash huffs at the notion, “They call that a delicacy.”

“It is delicious in comparison.”

“I can’t even imagine.”

You peer into one of the cells as you pass, an old ram inside, his cobalt mane and red eyes visible despite the lack of light. “Shh,” Miss Worth stops for you, “You don’t want to wake him. He’s a bit coocoo in the head. Mad, the poor thing.” You’re not sure ‘poor’ is the proper term. She leads you downstairs, leaving the ram to his nap. “We use stickers from old ash trees for those coots.” Her head turns to Twilight with a grin, “But I see somepony’s already had a run-in.”

“What?” You all ignore her and move down the hall, the walls twisting at obvious signs of damage, the more dangerous prisoners hard to contain. You can even see where he punched the wall. It shattered his fist, but the minotaur did some damage himself.

“To the left is our ‘infirmary’ and down to the right is our kitchen.”

“Not all Pure Souls that join the guard were made for fighting, but there are other ways they might serve.” Everyone seems to nod along at the explanation, Twilight once again bringing out her pad and quill. Predictable but a welcome thing in such a place.

“If you’d like I can take you to the tower’s peak. You can get a wonderful view of Tartarus, if you like the brutal horrid sort of views that is.”

Rainbow speaks up first, “I think we’ll just grab the girls and be on our way.”

“Alright alright, I’m not going to steal- what did you say your name is now? Anonymous?” You nod. “Anyways, I’m not after him so just keep calm, honey.”

You snicker at her teasing but… “What are you laughing at?”

“Laughing?” Come now, stop this chuckling, “I do not know what you speak of.”

“Sure you don’t. I’m keeping my eye on you,” you still make out a smile when she turns away. You will miss that smile… and the boasting… the flying… her mane… her smell… her…

“Here we are, now I have to warn you, don’t inhale. You’ll regret it.”

“Why must we-” the door opens and- OH by the seven hells of Tartarus and the strange liquid in the stallion’s stall, that is horrid!

“That’s why.” Twilight covers her mouth as her chest convulses. “You get used to it.”

Rainbow Dash takes a deep whiff and moves in, “Meh.” Show off. After getting over the scent of you hope to be merely the scent of rotting socks and a wet Ursa’s backside after having been lit ablaze, you look inside.

Tables are laid out like one would expect in a cafeteria, rows and columns aligned in unison with about a dozen souls scattered about. Another half dozen line against the wall as they are scooted along, their food scooped upon trays like bags of wheat upon a wagon. But in the corner, with at least two dozen guards standing watch are three fillies, an earth pony, a unicorn and a Pegasus, and they are as safe as can be. “My little crusaders,” Miss Worth calls out with a wave, “You have some visitors.”

Their trio of eyes nearly plop out of their skulls when they see you all, Rainbow Dash and Twilight already leaping over tables towards them. No, that is not a hyperbole, they are indeed leaping across tables, plural, as in multiple. You did not know Twilight had that type of athleticism after her run. Miss Dash could easily have made three- and she does. Very good. Even from her you can hear their cheers and joyous cries as they embrace, asking if they are alright, seeing that they have been well-fed, questions like that. You? You stay put. Because the second you go to join them, you will never want to leave them again.

“Not going to join in on the reunion, Warden?”

“No, Miss Pennies Worth, I am not.”

“Please, call me Penny. No one calls me -that-.” You do. “Sure you don’t want to go? I can get the cooks to make you a molten lava cake, straight from the pits.”

“I still enjoy the ability to taste, thank you,” she laughs, Scootaloo waving over to you.

You reciprocate but stay put. “So… Rainbow Dash, huh?” Interested in the origin? Of course.

“A soul I came to collect. I did not.”

“You should have told me you had a special somepony before I tackled you like that.” A special- She believes her to be- How silly of her.

“We are good friends. We have not copulated as you have insinuated.”

Penny shrugs her shoulders, “That’s not what she thinks.” You had once asked if mares were psychic? Did something change? Of course not, that would require several millennia before such an ability could develop, do not be foolish.

“Souls are quite confusing.”

“Tell me about it.” You join her as you walk back to the front desk, Penny leaving orders with her guard to lead them to the gate for departure when they are through. “I really have missed you around these parts. The prisoners have been a bit… I don’t know how to put it, restless maybe.”

“Like a caged beast they grow irritated by the tightness of their quarters.”

“It’s not that,” you walk up the stairs beside her as she explains, “It’s something else. The Tartarus Guard has been talking about it too. Something’s different, not just here but out there.” This is most disturbing, once you have finished your leave you must return and investigate this matter.

“How long has it been?”

“Past hundred years or so, they come in, in chunks. Everything can be going alright and then- It’s as if Tartarus loses its mind.” You stop in your tracks, a pair of guards unlocking one of the cells before you. “We’ve had dragons attack the tower, Warden.”

“Dragons?” That is a league beyond any mere irritation. “Are you sure?”

“I know a dragon when I hear one. The guard was able to hold it off, but the scorch marks are still there. Crunch has had his hands full at the gate keeping out the corrupted.” AHA! That was that mongrel’s name, Crunch. Rather stone cold he was, but that is to be expected when one is made of rock.

“What has changed that could cause such an outbreak of chaos?”

“You tell me,” she shrugs, “You’re the one out there in the realm of the living.” What could cause such a change? Souls still fall at the same rate, no wars or celestial beings have escaped, save for Nightmare Moon, but her presence should not hold as much sway as Penny claims.

“I shall look into this matter when I return, I swear-”

“Where’s my bell!”

“Easy there, Grogar, let’s calm down.”

“The bell! I can hear it in my dreams!”

Penny steps behind you as the first guard is thrown out against the bars, the prisoners of the courtyard confused by the racket. “Stand back! I’m warning-” a thud cuts him off, the second guard unconscious on the floor. Speaking of disturbances…

You stand in the doorway to find the ram knocking his head against the wall, the tips of his horns already broken long ago. “It shines like a beacon in the sky.” He manages to say between knocks, “Brighter than the sun. Darker than the moon. It’s in all of us, it’s in none of us. Who? WHO HAS MY BELL?!”

“Your bell?”

His eyes cut to you, “The bell? I hear it! Carve it from your stomach!” That- yes, Grogar the mad. Not even Starswirl can-

He dives under your guard and slams you against the bars, a horn digging into your gut. “Warden! Guards! Guards!”

“You took it away!” the mad ram continues spouting from the fog of insanity, “I want it back!”

“You are not following proper procedure,” you reply calmly and with a quick thrust, throw your knee into his face. The ram falters and drops to a knee, but you are unfinished, grabbing him by the throat it is your turn to pin him against the bars.

Penny cheers, clapping her hooves at your victory, “Well done.”

“Surely you wish to apologize, ram. This suit was a gift.”

His eyes drift to the ceiling as he spouts madness from his lips, “Your warden told you to apologize.”

“I want my bell back you dirty ape!” An ape? How clever of him. A pair of guards come by, thankfully one knowing how to use magic as he is dragged down the hall. “You will pay for this human! I swear it!” What did he-

You fall against the bars at the sudden pain, worse than ever before. “Nicely done, Ward- Are you alright?”

“I will be fine, I just- he said something, a word.”

“He’s been a hoofful for as long as I can remember. I don’t even hear what he says anymore.” You force yourself to nod as you move along, the cries from this ‘Grogar’ echoing through the halls of Frostbite. He had to- No, he’s mad. A simple combination of letters his mind pieced together… Yes, that is all it was. Right? Right… Then why are you still thinking about it?

Penny leads you outside and to the door, never stepping outside however, “I’d love to join you, but I prefer to stay inside where I won’t turn into one of those monsters out there.”

“I am not so sure,” you reply with a pained smile, your headache still prevalent, “Dragons do have a sort of majesty about them.”

She laughs at the thought, “Tell me you’ll come back and visit. I don’t want to wait another millennium for you to show up again.” Though you know she exaggerates in an attempt at humor, you find none in the facts before you.

“You need not wait. When I deliver my companions back home I will return and sort out all of this,” you gesture to the gloom of Frostbite. “I do believe it could use a mare’s touch as well.”

“I’ll get to sketching then.” She smiles and leans up for a hug, “Come back soon.”

With that you close the door and walk towards the gate, Captain Avia briefing his platoon. “…a single slip and you’re cleaning the south wall with your tooth brush. Understood?”

“Yes sir.” Okay now the whole platoon is doing it, how are they achieving this? It is maddening. A snarl comes from your rear, your hand growing cold in response to such a threat, “Whoa there boy.”

You turn, coming face to face with the colossal terror of Tartarus himself, Cerberus, and his three heads each staring at you with yellow eyes and a fierce red center. “Animals… they seldom enjoy my company,” you extend your arm after ensuring its safety, “But I believe Cerberus is one such exception.” The middle head pokes forward, the black fur of its ear held against your fingertips and when you scratch? It becomes another beast entirely. Its massive hind leg kicks away at the ground as you continue your assault on the back of its ear, each head’s tongue lolling out of its mouth. “Who is a good boy? Who is a good boy?” never ending your pet, “You are the good boy.”

“Acheem?” Rainbow Dash clears her throat, Twilight and the Cutie Mark Crusaders watching as you play with the 1500 pound ball of death. It’s as if you are playing with yourself, if you were a large three-headed dog. “Having fun?”

“Merely bonding with a pup of Tartarus is all.” You take a knee as Scootaloo approaches, “Must you always get into trouble?”

“Well you’re always there to save me.”

“No,” you shake your head and point her to the two mares before you, “They saved you. I just helped.” By Tartarus below and the heavens above, you are going to miss this filly. “Do you wish to ride Cerberus?”

Not one word later and Rainbow Dash is already sweeping in to take her away, “You two can do that later, and by later, I mean never.” You understood… Soon.

~~~

Frostbite is but a distant memory for the fillies as your caravan of armor travels by the northern road to the gates of Tartarus. Apple Bloom is anxious to get back to her sister, the life on the farm not one she craved but one she appears to miss. Sweetie Belle also wants to return home, but it would appear by their tale that she just needs a good bath. What better place than Rarity’s boutique? It is a haven for the prim and proper. Now Scootaloo, she is the only one who wishes to stay. She talks about Wild Hoof and how nice he was to them, warning them to take care and better yet, not speak to strange buffalo.

They did not heed that advice upon their arrival after all. Afterwards they had found their way to a road and onwards to Frostbite where Captain Avia took them in. It is good that they did, their lack of protection would surely have doomed them otherwise. “Are you sure we have to go,” Scootaloo pouts and drags her hooves, “We were having so much fun.”

“What part of this has been fun,” Apple Bloom responds.

“The food was awful.”

“Well yeah, but still…” They bicker back and forth as much as they had in Equestria, no more, no less. Just as they were and will be. You look ahead to the Labyrinth of Stone as your distance to the gate closes, your party receiving a full view of the portal. The curves cut into the mountain, symbols etched about the walls where a mist of lavender drifts outwards, swirling to the center in a dense cloud. Before that lies the Labyrinth itself, the souls of the dead who had attempted to escape, forever petrified in the cold prison by the hands of its protector, Crunch.

The dog’s several times larger than Cerberus and with hands instead of paws at its forelegs it is very formidable, even without the magic within those stone hands. Any creature it touches is immediately turned to stone, leaving a welcome marker to those who wish to follow in its steps. “That’s a big dog,” Rainbow mutters beside you, never leaving your side since your departure from Frostbite.

“Do not let him hear you. He is crankier than most when awakened.”

“Hard to believe…” You know. Rainbow Dash is the crankiest. “I can’t believe we found them after all. I hate to say it, heck, I hate to think it-”

“But you were losing faith?” She nods. “I understand. If we are spouting things in honesty, I did not expect their luck to bring them this far.”

“That’s horrible.” And she believe you not know this? She does, but she is speaking with honesty as you had deduced.

“You are not the first to travel to the land of the dead. Few make it to Frostbite, fewer return.”

“Well we’re not just some travelers,” Dash nudging you from the side. She knows not how true her word are.

“Miss Dash, you must promise me never to come to this place, never to traverse the gates or recite the words in that book.”

“He, you sound worried about Dash. Don’t you know-”

“Promise me, please.”

She swallows hard, “I promise. There’s no reason to come back… Still got a race in you?”

“Race?” Scootaloo pipes up from the back, working her way down and wedging herself between the two of you, “I can race.”

“You’re out of your league, sport,” Dash ruffles the filly’s mane who dodges backwards and whistles.

Scootaloo’s soon joined by the other two crusaders, each standing valiantly, “We came up with another way to get our cutie marks while we were in the can.” Can? Wait- no they’re going to do it. “We’re the-” No stop it! “Cutie Mark Crusader Speedsters!” How do they do this?! This is a mystery of life you must learn, or you may end up as Starswirl in that tower or Grogar in- Not the pain again, you weren’t even thinking- Okay… Breathing…

“And how does that work exactly?”

“Easy, I’m on my scooter all the time, Sweetie’s always running about when she tries to help Rarity and Apple Bloom- Apple Bloom, uh?”

“I’m as fast an apple!” That is not very fast.

Dash rolls her eyes, “Even if you were the fastest fillies in Ponyville you’d be eating my gust like all the others.”

“I know we can do it,” Scootaloo cheers, a few guards cracking smiles at her excitement. “Just give us a chance.”

Twilight, at last, steps in while you are predisposed with this… ache. “This isn’t a very good idea. This place is dangerous, remember those albino things, Dash? Or the wolf things?”

“Yeah, except you also got knocked out by a thorn.”

Miss Sparkle stammers in response, Scootaloo cutting in, “We’ll be like, super careful.”

“Wha- I can’t- Anon, a little help here?”

Why won’t you just die? Leave me and be forever banished! You’re talking to a head ache you idiot. Says who? You. Urrg… Twilight’s speaking. What? “Huh? What?”

“Please talk some sense into these four. They want to go racing when we’re so close to getting home.”

Each of the three fillies cling to your leg and look up at you with those big pleading eyes of theirs, “Pleeeease?”

“We’ll just go to that tree,” Dash points down the road to a tilted tree, not very far at all. “We’re still in sight and there’s not a abomination or dragon in sight.” She is going to kill her- Look at it, Anon, there is no danger here. That s just what you think. It’s what you know.

Twilight waits, judging your next move carefully, “Don’t give into peer pressure.”

“By saying that, would I not be giving into this ‘pressure’ by listening to you?” In that moment, Twilight can see the error of her ways. “We shall watch them from afar. Allow them a final fleeting moment in this land.”

Scrunching her nose, Twilight dejectedly agrees, the four hoof-bumping at their victory. “But be careful.”

“Protect them with my life,” Dash winks as they set up a starting line just ahead of your group.

“Perhaps you should hurry?” you advise. “We might finish the race before it has started.”

“On three?”

“On three.”

“Good luck, all of you.”

“I’ll give the rest to you girls,” Dash bounces on her hooves, “One. Two. THREE!” With an upheaval of dirt behind them they gallop to the finish, the patrol looking on and you believe you hear the murmur of betting in their ranks. Of course, it is all for naught as Miss Dash slides past the tree when the fillies barely make it halfway there. She’s almost done with her erratic victory celebration by the time they finish.

“They do look pretty happy,” Twilight remarks at Dash picking up Scootaloo and galloping circles around with tree with her on her back. “So what happens when we hit that gate?”

“I advise against that. Crunch is very protective of the portal.”

And as intended you drag a lazed sigh from Twilight, “I mean when we reach it. What happens to you?” Will you continue along the road to Ponyville and say your final goodbyes? Will you wait until your friends are content in slumber? Or will you simply vanish as airborne minidirt? So many options…

“When you emerge on the other side, there will be five of you. The sixth will remain in Tartarus. I have business here, matters to attend to.”

“You’re an enigma, you know that?”

“All according to plan,” you grin as Dash sets Scoots down, the four now resorting to a game of tag. “She was not.”

“Will you at least visit?” No answer brings you relief and so you don’t. “So it’s a permanent leave… Don’t worry about Rainbow Dash, we’ll try and help.”

“I do appreciate it. She is a special mare, she deserves the same of her friends.”

Closer you walk, now in earshot of the quad, “Gotcha!”

“You cheated Dash!”

“What? I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

You look away as they laugh, the sight of it hard to take if that makes sense. “Hey! Why do you have one?”

“One what?” They’re happy and you should not feel bad for bringing them back together.

“Narly! It’s like- moving and stuff.” It is a natural thing, for the living to feel joy.

“Seriously what are you talking about?” But you are not living. You are Anonymous, death.

“Look, you’ve got a shadow. Where’s mine?” And you have a job- What?

“Would you look at that. Huh… Hey Anon! What’s up with this?” No. No please no. You try to focus, to close the distance while you can. You can feel the tingle of wind…

And a scream tears it all away.

You don’t look, you don’t move, you don’t think, you just- lose yourself. It’s the only you can keep your sanity. Twilight rushes away from your side but you keep firm and drift. The truth was always the hardest to accept, but what is there to accept? Nothing’s wrong. Nothing- “Dash! Dash look at me! Please!”

It’s your fault. What is? You don’t know- Peek, Anon. Just a little nudge to the left. I will see nothing. You will see only what you’ve caused. Peek. Do it. Your head nudges little by little, the guard closing in on the tree ahead of you. Nothing to see. But what lies in its center, Anon? Nothing. That’s when they part and you see her, trembling in the hooves of Twilight rests Rainbow Dash. Sleep- She isn’t sleeping. Yes, she has to be. She’s just tired.

“She’s not moving…” Silly Scootaloo, she’s just sleeping. You don’t move when you’re… No. Yes. Your feet take each step slower than the last, passing each guard as they look onwards. When the cries hit your ears, you close them. When a pony touches your arm in empathy, you forget the sensation. When you look at Dash… You collapse to your knees for you have no eyes to close.

“We have to get her out of here!” You forget Twilight’s calls as you brush Dash’s mane out of her face. She’s prettier this way. “Anon, help me!”

“It’s my fault,” you smile, though you’re unsure why, “I said it was safe.” You take her into your arms and hold her, the black parasite still attached to her back, fangs- She’s asleep. “All I had to do was say no. I didn’t see anything dangerous,” you try and explain but you find only yourself as your target audience. “Who could’ve known about the Umbra?” You rock her now, back and forth against your chest, “Have I ever told you about the Umbra, Twilight?”

“We have to go-”

“They like to pose as shadows,” you sniff yet have no need to sneeze, “Every pony has a shadow, right? Not in Tartarus. They like to trick ponies… They like to hurt them too…” No one utters a word as your rock hastens still, a wet liquid falling from your face and onto the parasite. “They enjoy it. All of these creatures enjoy it. Stitchers, Abominations, Dragons, Slimes, but Umbras? They like it the most. They’re spiteful little things… They’re the monsters.” Your hand shakes as you place it upon her back, the shadow fiend stabbing at your skin, “I know what to do with monsters.”

The chill is swift and just, a shriek escaping the Umbra as it attempts retreat, but you won’t allow it. You will never allow it. You crave every second that it passes into nothing, nothing more than a rag to be tossed away into the wind and so you do so, the carcass dropping like this rag you speak of. A finger traces the holes running up her spine, paralyzing your star in the night’s sky.

“I hate this place…” you keep going in your speech, plagued it might be with as your find your breath choppy at best. “I’m not going to stand for it. I’m not going to let these- these things hurt the ones I- I won’t let them.” You pull Dash closer and stare into her eyes, a speck of life still hanging in there. “You won’t take Dash from me,” you clench your teeth. “I won’t let her die again…”

“…again?” is all Miss Sparkle can say, and in that moment you remember you are among company. It is polite to address company.

“Take the girls. Take them home. Take them… far from here. Dash isn’t leaving me… I won’t let her.” You focus as the air closes in around you, a new ferocity to its flurry as you picture a castle, the very same you left this night.

“Where-” And like that, you’re gone, Twilight in a different realm and you…

You look down to Rainbow Dash in the torch’s glow… You don’t have much time. With her in your arms you sprint down the castle hall, guards spitting commands as you pass them and each as fruitless as the last. You focus once more, seconds later appearing in Celestia’s chambers, but no Celestia in sight. If she cannot- Luna must do, the princess of night. Again you focus, reappearing atop Luna’s tower, but her telescope lies vacant and her seat, cold. “You’re going to be alright, Dash. You can hear me can’t you? Tell me you can hear me.”

Her eyes darken still and you stare off across the city to the thousand torches of the living, each one you would extinguish if you could save her. You can’t bear to see her like that again… Think, Anon, focus your mind. Celestia is gone, the greatest practitioner of magic in the land. The second, Miss Moon, also gone. Who does that leave to aid you in a matter of life and death… You saw her at the Gala, walking amongst her ilk with a gown of silver and head of roses. Eir.

You find yourself again in another hallway, the living quarters of Canterlot Castle and their guests. Eir, Eir, Eir, each sign you read and each not of- Eir! There! You knock upon the door, slamming your fist against the flimsy hunk of timber. “Eir! Please open your door at once! My name is Anonymous and I require your help!” No reponse, louder then. “Eir!”

The door adjacent to you opens up and a stallion peeks his head out, “Quiet! Some of us are trying-”

“Speak one more word and I promise you will learn the face of death this night!” You knock again, the door beside you closing without another peep. “Eir, I require your assistance at once!”

At last the door opens, two emerald eyes upon milky skin greeting you, “May I help you?” You burst through the open door without second thought, “Excuse me, that’s most unkind.”

“I need your help, please, my friend, Rainbow Dash. She’s been hurt.”

You lay her down on the bed as the pony shuts the door behind you, “I am sure the Canterlot physicians-”

“She will not survive!” You stop all too late, your shout escaping your throat. “I need a powerful healer. Please… I’ll- I’ll do whatever you ask, just save her.”

“I can’t help every pony that…” she slows down as she looks her over, a hoof running along her back, “These puncture marks… Only an Umbra can make these.”

“Can you save her?” You are wasting time here- Silence you abysmal cretin! Eir closes her eyes and places a hoof upon her neck… and nothing. Why does she delay?! “If you cannot-!”

“It is done,” she interrupts and walks away into her bathroom. “She will live.”

“I do not have time for games. She will die if you do not heal her wounds.” you pursue her, Eir shooting her eyes back at you.

“You are the expert of death, how long does she have?” She dare mock you when your dear friend lies at Tartarus’s door? Her time… is up… You wave a hand over the numbers, almost certain the date they speak to be false. Turning her over you find her wounds not healed, but gone, vanished as though they had never appeared. When you look back into her eyes she looks back at you, even going so far as to smile before shutting her eyes in sleep. Eir moves to the opposite side of the bed, layering a sheet upon her, her horn only now glowing.

“I- do not understand.” Laying a hand upon her, you try, and fail, to understand what has just occurred. “How can she be healed, yet your magic not have been used?”

Looking down on Miss Dash, Eir brushes her mane with her golden comb as she hums, turning to you once her song has finished. “And I would ask if a man can bring death with a simple touch,” she rests her hoof atop your hand, “Why can a pony not bring life?” No numbers float across the air above, a mare with not family to speak of, able to heal the gravest of wounds in a single touch. She is either the most miraculous healer in Equestria or… “So, you go by the name Anonymous now?”

Today... has opened your eyes.

Comments

[The Chain Warden]

If we have Death, why not Life? Why not?

I can't believe I missed it again, too. I've gotta lurk Circlejerk General more.

[Mr Skeleton]

Great chapter this story just gets more awesome by the chapter

[Mr Skeleton]

4242470 wut

[Rainbow87dash]

Why hello there Life! mother Nature! Eir!

Seriously didn't see that coming