For Want of a Dawn

by Ciroton

Fake Wings of Hope

Everything was serene and still in the darkness of the new night. Only the fast-paced clipping of hooves on the cobbles in the street could be heard as the city of Canterlot began to wind down for the day. Several ponies still going about their evenings gave her odd looks as she rushed past, yet none of the guard paid her any attention, as they were focused on other, more important matters.

Rarity wove through the streets in an attempt to shake any ponies off of her tail, running at full clip unless she came across one of the guards. What was Twilight playing at? Surely she did not think she could get outside the town gates without getting the third degree from the guards, especially at night! Of course, there were several tunnels dug by the Crusaders to get in and out, but the white unicorn had no idea which were discovered or not in her time away, never mind the idea of dragging herself through the muck!

Then again, she realized that Twilight probably did not like lying and pretending to be such a cruel and hate-filled pony, even if it was to save her flank. This was a war and war required sacrifice. After all, it had been her obsession with staying clean that had brought her into her present situation in the first place. "It looks like you are going to have to bite the bullet, Rarity," she said to herself.

So, reluctantly, the mare trotted over to the great stone edifice that was the town wall and started walking around the side, listening for a subtle thump to signify the trapdoor leading into a tunnel she knew. Thankfully, she found it sooner rather than later under a fake layer of grass and dirt. Peering inside, it was obvious the guard had not found the tunnel, but that did not make it any less dirty and unappealing.

The very notion of dragging her body through such a cramped, dark, damp, and filthy little hole made bile rise into her throat. However, she knew that it would be the only way to get free of the tyrannical Queen Eos. So, with a deep breath, she plunged head-first into the cesspool. To put it succinctly, it was exactly as she imagined, except it was unfortunately smaller then she anticipated. In fact, she had to press her body into the mud, staining her beautiful underbelly. Even then, her head still grazed the top, but beggars could not be choosers and it was already too late to turn back.

For what felt like hours, there was only the sensation of cool earth against her underside and the occasional rock hitting her horn from above, yielding a yelp of surprise from the mare every time. With every long slide, Rarity grimaced as she felt more of her hair tangle up in a mess from stray roots and rocks. "When this is over," she grunted with another pull, "I'm registering for a medal." Minor complaints aside, the metaphorical light at the end of the tunnel came into view when she felt her head hit the end.

With a nudge of her muzzle, the trapdoor opened, beckoning wisps of fresh air that finally allowed her to breathe. She stuck her head out of the hole, much like an under-sized Diamond Dog, and surveyed her surroundings. A fair distance behind her was the tall wall of the city and in front of her the forest and safety. It was maybe a forty yard gallop into the trees, but it was forty yards where the guards could spot her. By now, the news of her escape by Twilight's hooves must have been known, but every second she delayed gave them the advantage.

Taking in another deep breath, she made her move and bound from the decrepit little hole in the ground, galloping into the forest as fast as she could. The movement of the drying mud against her coat made her feel woozy as it constantly reminded her of how dirty she had become. Thankfully, she would never again have to endure the agony of becoming that disheveled on purpose. She did not dare look back as she finally passed the shadowed threshold of the canopy, into the woods at last.

Finally, she was free! No more overbearing tyrant to trample her feelings into the dust! No more insane deadlines or verbal assaults! Nor would she be catering to the rich and social elite of Canterlot, or having her name known by anypony who was anypony. "No, Rarity!" she scolded herself. "It just wasn't worth it not to have any friends! We need to be strong. For Twilight's sake, if not our own!"

"I guess time really does change some ponies," spoke a familiar voice in the darkness. "Here I was thinking you'd never come." Trixie stepped out of the shadow of a tree with the not-so-little dragon assistant in tow. He was a little taller than she remembered, but he was still the Spike she knew with that poorly hidden love-struck look upon his face. It was adorable that he still harboured a crush on her after so long. Meanwhile, the blue unicorn did not look nearly as pleased, a scowl of distrust out in the open.

"Listen, Trixie I just wanted to sa-"

"The Great and Powerful Trixie does not want to hear it, Rarity," she snapped. "It is FAR too late for any sort of apology. If you REALLY want to make up for DITCHING us and KILLING Rainbow Dash, then do so with your actions!" The white unicorn was taken aback by her stinging reply. She had heard about Rainbow Dash, but she did not know that the others really blamed her for her death! After all, it was not her who had driven her to attack Eos.

"Trixie, that's not very fair!" Spike cried in her defence. "Even the queen admitted she was drugged when she told her about the Crusaders. So please, just lay off on her? Besides, Twilight said we need her to help talk with Fluttershy! We need all the help we can get, so please at least PRETEND to play nice with her? I don't know about you, but I missed her!"

"Oh... Spike!" Rarity gasped, surprised that he would ride to her rescue so swiftly, even after all that had happened over the years. Trixie merely snorted at the baby dragon and threw her head to the side in defeat. Without another word, she started deeper into the woods. "Twilight told me to tell you all that she fell behind, whatever it is that means," she added as she followed the azure unicorn.

"Yeah, that figures," Trixie replied as they ventured deeper into the woods. "Trixie expected as much when she let Vinyl Scratch capture her. She COULD have left a note telling Trixie her plan, but NO." The unicorn sighed and continued into the woods silently. It really upset her that Twilight would just do things like that without consulting her first so they could plan it out properly.

It made her feel as if she did not trust her; after all she had done for her! Was she scared that she would betray her, or try to use her like all the others? No matter what, she only knew one thing: it hurt to think her own sister, albeit a golem, could possibly not trust her. Still, she had to have faith that she knew what she was doing. Even if Twilight did not trust her, she had to trust in HER. The fate of Equestria depended upon it! Being sisters is harder than I thought.

~*/\/\/\*/\/\/\*/\/\/\*~

In her moment of panic, she had overshot her target of the Canterlot town square by a wide margin; she knew it when she happened across the decaying ruins of Fluttershy's cottage. She had never tried to teleport such a distance before, so it was not surprising that it had drained her magical and physical abilities. Too tired to carry on with her journey, Twilight decided to spend the remainder of the night in the abandoned domicile.

The smell of decay and death hung in the air, putting her on-edge despite her weariness. Morbid thoughts of animals trapped in the house when Fluttershy abandoned it crested her mind. But surely, she would not allow something so cruel and unfair to happen, right? Memories of her time with the once timid Pegasus caused a knot to form in her throat as her inane worries suddenly became plausible.

However, the pull of sleep was far too strong for her to bear, so, after lying down on a clear section of floor, she drifted off almost immediately. A dreamless sleep later, she awoke to find sweet sunlight pouring in the holes in the ceiling and the uncovered sections of windows. At least Eos was big enough to raise the sun, even in her palpable indignation at her doppelganger.

Or was she? As she pushed herself off of the floor, the memory of that face she gave, the undeniable horror as the ancient tomes were set ablaze, cemented itself in her mind's eye. Up until that point, Twilight thought that the demon had enveloped her completely; it was the only way she could perpetrate such horrors. Yet, somewhere deep inside that tyrant, another Twilight Sparkle still existed, and knowing her, she was probably greatly remorseful, if not willing to die to balance the scales of justice.

Either way, things would only get worse until she was killed or otherwise incapacitated. After all, this was war, and according to her books, lines of good and evil became blurred and sometimes doing the right thing was to do something bad to another. She swiftly shook the thoughts out of her mind and pressed on, unable to afford wasting a second of time. There was something she needed to see in order to make her decision, and time was working against her.

Thus, she found herself days later in the woods just south of Trottingham, having followed rumours and myths of a place the locals feared to tread. According to legend, a cult made up of the city's social elite built an underground complex to the west in order to perform dark and evil rituals. Basically, it was what someone would expect from such a tale, including how they all suddenly vanished one day and all who dare enter never return.

Normally, she would dismiss such a story as a scary campfire tale and promptly ignore it. However, after all she had seen, she was a little more willing to take things like that at face value, especially if they led to furthering her own agenda. She disliked that word in that context, but there was no other way to justify it. Still, she pressed forward, deeper into the woods beyond the farmland on the edge of town.

Eventually, she came across her goal: a simple cinder block box with a heavy, iron door wrapped in chains with numerous warning signs in at least three different languages. Ivy and shrubbery blanketed the top, like the claw of a large dragon, holding the entrance down tight. Even in the noontime sun, darkness encroached the surrounding area, the normally healthy trees becoming twisted and spindly the closer they sat. If there was ever a place for a gateway to the hells themselves, this would be it.

With a casual flex of her magical prowess, the chains keeping the door shut snapped and rattled to the ground in a heap. The twin doors pushed away from each other, allowing a sliver of blackness to show before they swung open before her. However, before she could take a single step, cold, howling wind hit her face like a groaning monster, whipping her mane in the fierce gale. Lesser ponies would have turned away, but she marched on with decision.

As soon as the doors slammed shut behind her, the lavender pony flicked her horn, coaxing a literal ball of sunshine out of the tip. Moss grew on the walls through cracks in the blocks and onto the steep stairs, making them slick. Cautiously putting one hoof in front of the other, she was soon assaulted by one of the worse smells her nose ever had the pleasure of inhaling.

"Ugh!" Twilight gagged as she pressed on. The odour was hard to identify, since she had never smelled anything like it, but if she had to put her hoof on it, she would say it would be a culmination of brimstone, damp hair and what she assumed was the decomposition of biological matter. By the time she reached the bottom of the main stairs, a shiver ran up her spine from the noticeable difference in temperature.

Moth-eaten carpets lined the floor and tattered tapestries hung upon the wall against the green-tinted stones of the room. Tarnished candlesticks lay upon the floor next to rotten wooden tables and chairs, all bearing the insignia of a five-pointed star against an elaborate background of runes in a circle. Three doors on the remaining walls left her with a choice on how to proceed.

Thinking logically, Twilight stepped over to the door directly ahead, taking care to not trip over a felled desk. All the doors were emblazoned with the same symbol, plus vertical bands of black iron to keep them solid. Chunks of wood fell away as she slowly pushed it open, the squeak of the rusty hinges drowning out the patter of feet upon the stone floor beyond.

Her sunlight spilled into the next room, stopped only by the door as it swung. It appeared to be some sort of meeting hall as she manoeuvred the light source into the centre to expose the railing right in front of her. It was about the length of a hoofball court and comprised of three floors; each more degraded then the last as time's hoof ground the structure down to dust. However, a feeling in the back of her mind told her to keep close to the sun, so she recalled it and set out further into the room.

Unfortunately, there was no staircase that she could see, so she would need to find her way down another route. So, along the balcony she chose an arbitrary door and pushed it open with her hoof, as her magic was preoccupied with her tiny sun. The thick smell of mouldy paper met her nose, in addition to the rank stench of the rest of the building, for beyond the door there was a massive shelf of books.

A large library yawned out in all directions, swallowing the bookish pony whole as her inner bibliophile screamed in pure joy at the untold volumes of knowledge contained therein. Throwing caution to the wind, she happily trotted towards one of the books, paying the sinking stone no mind as her hoof made contact. Pulling the book off the shelf with her magic, she was disappointed to find that it crumbled into dust at the very motion. "Shoot!" she cried out in aggravation.

That very instant, a loud click sounded in her ears, making her yelp as the floor suddenly caved in a little. Looking down, a noticeable slit had developed in the floor in between her hooves, gently sloping up before coming flush with the floor. She had failed to notice the trapdoor, but thankfully something stopped it from opening all the way; be it rust, debris in the gears or a root blocking the door. All the same, she gingerly stepped off, keeping in mind to watch out for more traps.

So this must be what Daring Do feels like, she mused, recalling her favourite adventure series. Making note to watch her step from that point on, she pressed further into the library, hoping to find a map of the subterranean lair, or a hint to where the portal could be. At the very least, perhaps the library had some stairs down to a lower floor? It was not like she was extremely pressed for time.

As she traversed the rows of shelves, a weird sound tickled her ears. It sounded like a choir singing softly from all around her. It was a curious melody: calming, but eerie at the same time. Occasionally, one creature would start a higher-pitched complement to the melody that would send a shiver running down her spine. It would be short lived, however, before returning to the main melody.

Deciding the library was a dead end, Twilight returned to the main room, where the song would not let up. In fact, it only began to build in volume and intensity. Twilight could feel the hairs on her back beginning to prickle as she trotted to the door directly opposite. Quietly and cautiously opening the door, she saw a long, narrow hallway with doors on both sides and a set of double doors at the end.

Trotting down the hall, the music got a little quieter, but that did not help the atmosphere, or the smell. A section of the ceiling had collapsed and buckled the trap door underneath into a pit of spikes. At the bottom of which, she could see several skeletons of ponies, mostly earth, and a couple of unicorns. Teleporting across the gap after sending her light ahead, she saw more signs of age and destruction as scorch marks of fire and holes in the walls reminded her of the Coltsberg Crusader base.

Opening the door at the end of the hall, the singing suddenly became much louder, doors beyond slamming shut as she only had a brief glance of a speck of green light. Twilight felt her heart jump into her throat from surprise, but the idea of demons stalking her was not what was causing her to worry. She felt confident that she could take a single demon on, or maybe even a small pack, depending. The only thing that scared her was the possibility of what KIND of demonic manifestation was hunting her.

Thankfully, the room she just entered contained a staircase leading downward, so she carefully descended, taking the small ball of sunlight down with her. Sure, she could have teleported down to the bottom level in the main room, but she would have been too far from her light for comfort. Taking the unknown creatures roaming in the dark into account, it would not be worth the risk. Even golems could be destroyed if broken down into enough pieces, or assaulted via magical means.

The set of stairs leading to the lowest level was broken, pieces of railing twisted and distorted as the stone below lay in a heap. Carefully jumping down, the mare took stock of her surroundings as her light rushed to meet her. During her descent, the music had become louder and far more aggressive, as if the creatures making it were hiding in any available shadow or dark corner, waiting for the moment to pounce on her. Different doors on every wall rested against the dirty stone, some of them rotting away in their frames to give hints of what lay beyond.

Curious, Twilight picked a door at random and stepped through. On the other side, she found a long hall with bars for walls on both sides, leading to different cells. She expected to find the remains of ponies in at least one of them, but from what she could see, there were only pools of dried blood on the dirty cobbles. Did they really take care to take the bodies out after bleeding them dry? However, towards the end of the hall, outside any cell, she could see another patch with a ruined cloak lying nearby.

Like the Coltsberg base, something sudden and drastic happened here, and she had a suspicion as to why. If they really did possess a gate into the Sorrel Hells, it was no stretch of the imagination to suspect something, or some THINGS had escaped, only to be sealed in by the fearful townsfolk shortly thereafter. They were probably hungry and she was fresh meat. But what creature serenaded their prey to scare the living daylights out of them? It was times like this that she regretted not studying the occult more seriously.

It was then she realized that she had lingered too long. By now, the creatures were well aware of her presence, and now actively sought her. She should have arrived, decided, and executed whatever plan she had in mind immediately , given the circumstance. Pushing her miniature sun ahead, she exited back into the landing and went through the right-hoof door. Logically speaking, it should have yielded a hallway leading back to the main chamber, but instead it went into a large torture chamber.

Her eyes narrowed as memories from her internment resurfaced, causing the maniacal creatures in the shadows to softly cackle with the music. It contained many pieces of equipment she recognized, so the facility could not have been that old. Still, cold sweat ran in beads down her body as the stench of death overpowered her nose. She had to get out! Risking the loss of her light, Twilight charged her horn and ran towards the wall, crying out despite herself with her eyes welded shut.

When she next opened them, she was standing in the corner of the main chamber, dozens of specks of green light bobbing in the pitch darkness. Before they could register her presence, she summoned her guiding light, silencing the music as hissing screams filled the empty hall instead. With several slams of different doors, she was alone once more with herself, panting as magical exhaustion was beginning to set in. The accidental long-range teleport earlier plus everything else was draining her daily reserve. The intangibility spell to walk through the wall did not help either.

Looking down the chamber, she could see a large, stone door at the very end. Twilight hoped that behind it was what she sought, even if it was not very pleasant. More robes and bloodstains lay upon the floor as she approached, the music returning, sticking to the staccato harmony with the melody. It was less peaceful than it had been: more forceful and angry now. Green specks of light would float in the darkness and move away as the edge of her light came near. It was becoming clear what was stalking her now.

"Better luck next time!" Twilight called back to the monsters as she swung open the door. Slamming it behind her, she jumped when torches hanging on the wall suddenly burst into life, bathing the room in torchlight. With a flick of her horn, large stone pillars sprung from the ceiling and floor to bar the door shut as the light from her tiny sun faded out of existence. The monsters beyond probably realized they lost their meal as the song ceased.

A large arch made of black stone shone dully in the flickering orange glow of the torches. It sat on top of a plinth that gently rose from the surrounding floor, culminating in a set of stairs leading to the gate's maw. At last, she could do what she sought to do with this gate. Using the magical power she had left, she used her horn to feel out the magic of the room and the gate itself. She knew, of every option given to her by Genesis, the idea of going into hell was the least savoury of the bunch. Hell, she'd sooner march up to her alter ego and kiss her!

Nauseating thoughts aside, she cautiously stepped up onto the dais in order to get a better reading from the gate. It was cold and crushing, filled with pain and sorrow as her magic gently felt the blackened arch. In many ways, it reminded her of the Pool of Midnight, but distinctly sinister in intent. Twinges of fear and wrath shot through her body as the imprints of those who once entered this room became clear: they were hurled into the depths of hell as sacrifice.

That was all she needed to seal the deal. Not only would entering the hells to obtain some stupid shoes be a tactical blunder on her part, it would also be suicidal. She would just have to fall back on her Plan B: reunite her friends and march on Eos. Just because she was given three options did not mean they were the only ones, after all! He might be a creator, but Genesis did not know the true scope of the situation: he hinted as much when he said he did not know her reason for seeing him.

Satisfied with her decision, she turned to leave only to hear the sound of grinding stone behind her. Twilight quickly turned on the spot to see what sinister trap awaited her this time. Somehow, given the intact state of the chamber, she did not think this one would fail, or already be sprung. A section of ceiling slid open above her at an angle, pointed towards the gate.

Before she could react, a flaming arrow shot out from the opening and into the middle of the portal. An invisible wind seemed to make the flame flare and dance as it whirled into the centre of the arch before expanding. The gate was a torrent of swirling flame that belched noxious fumes of brimstone and death in tandem with a heat that made her feel like was about to combust. Her legs refused to move, paralyzed with fear as the evil magic overwhelmed her senses. Move, legs! MOVE!!!

However, she did not have to worry for long: black, slimy tendrils snaked out from the wall of fire, making a beeline straight for her. While her legs were paralysed, her magic was not. Without thinking, she fired upon the dimensional invaders; severing them all in short order. The creature seemed to get the message, since after a number had been slain, the rest pulled back into the portal, leaving only green blood splattered upon the floor. Realizing she was in the clear, her legs finally released, allowing her to bolt towards the door.

Unseen by the fleeing unicorn, a large, yellow clawed hand reached out from the portal, barely squeezing past the seven hoof wide gap. It seized her just as her magic had broken the barricade on the door, squeezing the terrified pony. Notions of her organs spewing from her mouth and eyes filled her mind as she shot magic at the beast frantically, drawing purple blood. "No!" she cried in futility as it dragged her closer. "Somepony, help me!!!"

~*/\/\/\*/\/\/\*/\/\/\*~

I've read enough books to know where this is going, Twilight thought bitterly to herself what felt like moments later. She was hot, sweaty and ached all over, unable to recall anything that had happened to her since she activated that stupid portal by accident. The sound of heavy breathing nearby told her that whatever had pulled her in had fallen asleep. Slowly, the memories started to come back to her as she calmed herself down and opened her eyes.

The creature, which she had identified as an Abyssal Giant, had snatched her through the portal and carried her across a vast lake of fire and magma before settling on its nest on the hillside. After snapping her horn, it tossed her into a cage where she later passed out from the pain. It must have fallen asleep shortly afterward, but that did not matter to her. It was obviously accustomed to ponies, if it disarmed her immediately... but she was no pony. She subconsciously ran a hoof through her mane to feel that her horn had repaired itself and breathed a quiet sigh of relief.

Taking stock of her surroundings, she could see the wide mouth of the cave beyond the jaundiced rump of the giant. Bones littered the grey floor of the cave as the noxious odour of brimstone threatened to overcome her. It was unlikely that the portal bringing her in was still active, so she would need to find another way out of... Oh, sweet Celestia! I really AM in the Sorrel Hells!

Just as she was about to damn her curiosity once more, the giant groaned and rolled over his sleep, alerting her to the situation she found herself in. Golem or not, if the giant ate her, which would likely be when he woke, then it would be the end of her. She needed to put as much distance between herself and the monster as possible before the inevitable, so that ruled out breaking the cage or teleportation.

Seeing the hinges on the cage door, an idea suddenly struck her. Using mundane telekinesis, and a little force, she quietly disassembled the door and lifted it from place. Taking great care in her steps, she navigated the minefield of discarded remains and moving body parts from the occupant of the cave. Every breath the sleeping creature gave made a shiver run up her spine as she imagined it slowly waking to see that its meal had somehow given it the slip while she was near its foot. It was not a pretty picture.

A couple of heart-stopping moments later, she finally reached the mouth of the cave. There was no ledge for her to traverse, or anything but magma at the bottom of the cliff. The sky seemed to burn as it pummelled the land with dozens of small burning pieces of rock. Even if she could suddenly sprout wings, they would be struck and burned before she could get anywhere.

Wiping the sweat off of her brow, she could see a figure loom in the distance. It looked artificial which, for better or worse, meant it was inhabited. In fact, it kind of looked like a castle! Memories of a book, about a pony that had trotted through the hells themselves, came to mind. If it was the place she pictured, they probably had a portal back to Equestria! It had to be a few miles off, just visible in the haze rising from the sea of lava, but she had to chance it. Summoning the power in her horn, she cast her teleportation spell.

The next thing she knew, she was falling through the heat with shades of red, grey and black flashing before her. She reached out and grabbed at the rocks with her hooves, stopping in an instant. Because she did not properly visualize her target, she teleported short of it and almost fell into the sea of lava. As she thanked her quick reaction time, the smell of burning hair filled her nostrils. "Ack!" she cried when she looked down to see her tail aflame. A quick flick of the appendage and a beating from her back hooves later, she started to scramble up the cliff face.

Reaching a small ledge, she lay on her back to rest and survey the damage. The once orderly ends of her tail had become frayed and blacked from the close proximity to the molten rock. While she felt upset that her careful and precise trimming had been ruined, she conceded that she had bigger worries that needed immediate addressing. Turing back to the cliff, she lunged at it and resumed her climb up the steep face.

"If I live through this," Twilight grunted as she pulled herself up onto another ledge, "I will never be too curious about anything ever again!" A quiet groan escaped her lips at what she saw next. It was a perfectly smooth and vertical wall leading up to what looked like a small tower of the castle. There was no way she could climb it normally, so she pondered on a spell she could use when an idea struck her.

With a bit of imagination, she used her magic to pull out slabs of solid stone from the wall in order to make a staircase. She could only handle a few stairs at a time, or else risk her reserve of magic in case of an altercation, but it would serve her purposes. Carefully, she ascended the narrow, makeshift stairs. Although not normally afraid of heights, having been raised on a castle hanging over a cliff, the view was enough to make her a temporary acrophobe.

Hot lava burned a relatively short distance below, not more than a few hundred hooves at best. Sharp, jagged rocks marred the side of the cliff, offering a painful death to anypony unlucky enough to meet them. Walking upon narrow slabs of rock, not more than a hoof thick, above such a fall did not help either. Nor did the occasional scream or panicked ramblings of a pony somewhere above her. At least, she hoped it was a pony.

Eventually, she made it to the top of the wall and poked her head over the top of the ledge. Beyond was a flat stone platform level with an archway similar to the one she was pulled through. Directly opposite was an exposed staircase rising sharply up towards a massive castle perched upon the top of the steep island. Thankfully, there was no pony or any other creature around, so she vaulted over the wall. Her time in the Sorrel Hells was all too long for her liking and she was not willing to extend it any more.

In fact, it could have lead directly to Eos' court and she would still be happy to go through, if only to give her the slip again and piss her off even more! Of course, that was her worst-case scenario. Shaking the thoughts from her mind, the purple mare galloped forward with determination carved into her face. She refused to slow down for anything as she approached the swirling torrent of flame. However, as she made contact with the surface, she was painfully flung back, landing at the base of the stairs in a heap.

"Oooh," she moaned in pain. "That hurt!" Experience had told her that, although admirable to do so, trying it again would be foalish unless she knew a spell to activate it. The thing that now troubled her, however, was not when she was going to get back to Equestria, but rather HOW she was going to find the way back! If her suspicions were correct, then that gate was one-way only for damned souls...and thus, useless for escape.

"I hope that castle doesn't belong to whom I think," she gulped while hoping everything she read about the hells was wrong. The constant, droning whirl of the gate suddenly picked up speed as she slowly pushed herself off the ground. Inside the arch, the flames of the gate spun faster and the centre burned hotter. Suddenly, there came a shout as a pony was launched from the gate before the spinning slowed to a crawl again.

Curious, Twilight trotted up to the pony; a grey stallion with a pitch black mane who smouldered from the flaming portal. He groggily raised his head to the mare, a look of bewilderment on his face. "Who the buck are you and where am I!?" he spoke in spite with a gruff, but soothing voice.

"Uh..." she trailed, wondering how softly she could put it. "You're in the Sorrel Hells."

He looked around in mild interest despite his confusion. "Huh. About time," he spoke before trotting off. "You look hot, filly." He smiled before continuing, leaving the mare with a blush on her face. Despite her better judgment, she raced up the stairs after the strange stallion. Unlike the expected reaction of denial and horror, he seemed quite neutral and detached from the situation. Was he so bad in life that he actually embraced the idea of being trapped for an eternity of suffering?

"E-excuse me, sir?" she followed with minimal delay. "But... um... do you know where you are going?" The strange stallion did not flinch, or even react to her in the slightest. It was as if he traveled in a haze towards the menacing castle ahead.

The castle rose above the rock like a massive clawed hand, reaching to pierce the overcast sky. The lava sea cast an eerie red light upon most surfaces, throwing the rest into absolute pitch blackness similar to the void itself. Large, flying pterodactyl-like creatures wove between the sharp towers, honking and groaning as a thick, black substance slopped from their mouths as they went. Although she had seen more horrible things since arriving in the strange Equestria, it was the first time she felt nothing but terror.

Before she knew it, Twilight and the stallion were upon the massive double doors leading into the castle. Red-skinned, upright bulls wore armour of black and gold over every inch of their body and carried weapons she identified as halberds, based on her books. They looked on with blank stares, reminding the mare of the royal guard in Canterlot.

Thankfully, she had no time to look at the scenery as the strange stallion had lead her into what she assumed was the throne room. For, sitting upon the massive, high-backed chair was an alicorn, yet it was not like any she had ever seen before. Her coat was a mix of blood red fur and red scales that shimmered in the low light. Her horn was long, but twisted into a point sharp enough to cleave flesh from bone. Her mane and tail burned as flames upon her head and backside, her eyes without pupils, seas of glowing yellow.

"Welcome to my court, Blackjack," the demoness spoke to the stallion with a curt smile, razor-sharp teeth put on full display. With a flash of her horn, a scroll appeared before her in a flaming aura of magic. "You are charged with two hundred counts murder, five hundred counts of extortion, three hundred and seventy-two counts of torture and seventeen counts of rape. How do you plead?" Twilight cautiously took a step to the side, away from the stallion, when the last charge was read.

"I'm not stupid," he replied with a smirk. "I'm guilty no matter what. Why else would I be here?"

"Disappointing," she replied with a frown and a twinge of sincerity in her silky voice. "It is no fun when they do not want to fight. Very well, I hereby sentence you to an eternity in Jonihiva." With a stamp of her hoof, a swirling purple portal appeared under his hoofs and slowly sucked him in. A spell erupted from the alicorn's horn and stuck the pony, leaving him gasping for breath. There was no expression upon his face before it disappeared into the void, probably resigned to his fate. "And you," the alicorn spoke, turning her attention to the purple mare. "You are not dead... yet. What are you doing here?"

"Uh... well," Twilight stammered, knowing everyone was paying her full attention. "I, uh... It was actually a big mistake, really. But, I am more than willing to leave here and let you be because I never meant to intrude. So, if you'll just point me to the exit, I will be on my way!" She smiled, and rubbed the back of her head, hoping she would see eye-to-eye with her.

"You deluded young filly," the alicorn spoke. "Just because you are here by accident does not mean I need to assist you on your way out. Give me one good reason why I, Her Magnificent Highness, Queen Sarish of the Sorrel Hells, should allow you safe passage?" She stood to full height and descended from her throne, large bat-like wings extending from her body. If Celestia was the epitome of beauty to equines, the matron of the hells was like an eldritch horror.

"Well... I..." she hesitated. Could she really tell her? Moreover, would it make a difference? If the legend was true, then it would just make her angry. As she advanced on her, she decided to go for broke. "I'm a descendant of the royal bloodline of Equestria. My mother was Princess Celestia, whom was daughter to Queen Notia whom was daughte-"

"Enough!" Sarish shouted with all the power of a god. "I know well the lineage of my siblings. You must be Eos," she added with a toothy smirk.

"N-no. My name is Twilight Sparkle."

"Ah, the denial stage," she chortled, growing more sinister with each passing second. "While I will not grant you safe passage, I will tell you of the only portal a mortal can use to reach the Living World. Nor will I give you any hints on how to get there. As you entered my realm, willingly or otherwise, you must abide by the laws of this hole of a world!" One could nearly see the spite dripping off her muzzle with that last sentence, her hatred almost palatable.

"The exit you seek is near the fortress Edophious and is used by the creature known as Nightmare. The only way I will assist is by sending you to a hell. I think Atoris will do nicely, since you failed your friends so thoroughly!"

Edophious? As in the place she had to go to in order to get those stupid shoes anyway!? Twilight was not normally prone to outbursts of anger, but the idea that fate had blindsided her into, more or less, taking the most dangerous option of the three was enough to make her furious. "ARGH! FU-" The monster birds perched outside took flight in fear of the sudden, loud noise coming from inside the castle.

Sarish stood with her jaw ever so slightly opened behind her lips. "Congratulations, Eos. That was the single loudest expletive that I have ever heard."

Twilight looked to the floor in shame, her face beet-red for using such a word, not normally one to use real curses. "S-sorry." However, before she could say anymore, the same purple portal appeared under her hooves, bringing her eyes back to the yellow orbs of the grinning demonic alicorn. She struggled in vain, causing tendrils to arise around her and wrap across her body, pulling in faster. The last thing she saw of her was the whites of her teeth, gleaming in the low light.

~*/\/\/\*/\/\/\*/\/\/\*~

"I hate it when that happens," Twilight spoke aloud as she slowly regained consciousness. The smell of sweat hung in the air as the sensation of being wet hit her mind. Strangely, wherever she was had no sound, or was at least extremely quiet: probably supernaturally so. That was when she remembered what had happened, causing her to spring to her hooves and open her eyes.

She looked around wildly in case she was in the den of another creature, or some demon. Instead, all she saw were ashen grey trees and matching earth. That was when confusion began to set in her mind. The world 'Sorrel' meant that something was red, so literally translated it was "The Red Hells." If that were the case, then how come everything around her was without any colour? Maybe it was just an expression, and nothing more? She shook her head again, getting off-track once more.

Little slivers of black magic slowly seeped from the ground and floated lazily into the air, almost like a slow, reverse rain. The clouds above (or was that the sky?) took on the same grey tinge. If it were not for shading from an invisible overhead light source, everything would have blended together. Looking around in a more controlled manner, she saw she was alone in the peculiar wood. So, picking an arbitrary direction, she set out in search of clues.

Although lacking in colour and sound, the forest possessed all the same traits as one she would find in Equestria, even the Everfree. The trees were large and tall, telling her it was old growth. Strewn in between the trees were the odd bush or patch of grass, but beyond that, nothing out of the ordinary. Naturally, this left Twilight with a lot of time to herself and her thoughts as she pressed forward. In fact, she became so lost in thought that she failed to notice the thick bank of fog pressing in from all around her.

Wandering the woods for some time, the ground began to slope upward at a sharp angle until she was above the fog. Looking back, she saw a sea of clouds with an occasional break, exceptionally tall patches of trees providing grey islands in the grey sea below the grey sky. Everything was so bland and depressing to her; she could easily see how 'Atoris' translated into 'sorrow'. A sigh escaped her lips as she pressed forward, hoping to run into another pony or a town, forgetting she was in the depth of the Hells.

Climbing the mountain was an effortless endeavour, but now that she could see above the fog banks, Twilight could see the forest was endless, strewn in between huge mountain ranges on the horizon. However, once she reached the top, she could see a town nestled in between a couple of mountains right below her. Perhaps there was somepony in that town who could tell her how to get to that cursed fortress? Obviously, it would be a well-known location, if only so everypony could avoid it.

Taking a deep breath, Twilight summoned the magic into her horn and locked her gaze upon the most discernible spot in the town. It was amazing to her just how easily she could teleport now. Sure, it was a drain on her magic to do it too often, but the actual casting now took little to no effort. Before she even knew it happened, she was standing inside the town square and back in the enveloping fog.

Ponies would weave in and out of sight, heads hanging low as they went, moaning and weeping the whole way. It was strange, to say the least, to see a grown stallion bawling like a little foal and cry out for a mare. In the back of her head, she wondered if it was his mate or his mother he pined for as she made her way through the infernally hot streets. Stopping to wipe the sweat off her forehead once more, she lost track of the stallion she was chasing down. "Hey! Wait a minute!" she cried out to her new target, a mare who passed her by.

When she did not stop to say hello, the purple mare gave chase, determined not to let this opportunity pass her by. It was not a hard task, since she trudged at a lacklustre pace. "Hey, miss? Or ma'am? Please, stop me when I hit a socially acceptable address for your era, whatever that might be." Yet, she kept on walking, tears silently dripping down her face. Twilight wanted to identify her further, but even the ponies down in the valley seemed to be shades of grey.

"Please? Talk to me? I kind of need help here. You see... I'm not sure how to put this..." Her ears drooped a little when the mare's expression did not change. Going for broke, she decided to press on. "I'M LOOKING FOR EDOPHIOUS!" However, her plea fell on deaf ears, stopping to let her go by in silence. Twilight gritted her teeth and pounded at the cobblestone street in frustration. "It's okay, Twilight. The first pony you asked would not have known anyway."

With a heavy sigh, Twilight pressed on through the fog to find another pony that hopefully would pay her attention, any attention, be it good or bad. So long as they talked to her, she could then ask where on Celestia's green earth Edophious was! Filled with resolve, she straightened herself out and trotted on down the stuffy streets of the strange settlement.

Although it had not struck her until that moment, it was amazing how she had never seen another unicorn or a Pegasus wandering about. They were ALL earth ponies, not that she ever had a problem with them. But it was strange seeing only the one race where, even in unicorn-dominated Canterlot, one could see the odd Pegasus outside of the royal guard. It only raised more questions in her mind as she gave up pursuit of a well-dressed stallion.

Twilight sighed, feeling an encompassing hopelessness begin to crush in all around her. If no pony here would talk to her, how could she find out what she needed to do, or where she needed to go? She doubted she could guilt, swindle, or blackmail a demon in order to aid her cause, but without a guide she was like a foal groping in the dark. Perhaps she would just have to rely on blind luck once more?

Just when she was about to abandon all hope of finding somepony in the mess of fog and buildings, a voice cried out in anguish? Pain? She could not really tell, but there was a talker amongst the muted ponies, and she was intent on finding out who, or what, was making that noise. Closing her eyes to get her bearings, the lavender mare set off in the direction of the cry and into the unknown.

~*/\/\/\*/\/\/\*/\/\/\*~

Trudging into the vast unknown, Twilight had to keep her heart from leaping out of her chest. The majority of her mind told her she still trudged through the Sorrel Hells. Meanwhile a small, rebellious corner told her to just give in to the dank hopelessness around her and wallow in self-pity over her situation. It was easy to banish the notions, but every now and then she could feel them gaining in strength.

Still, she kept her ears erect while listening to the occasional groan or shout, using the noise to guide her through the unfamiliar wood. It was difficult to maintain a true path, despite the oppressing silence inside the rolling banks of fog. Her profuse sweating was not helping the issue either, as she could have sworn any pony looking at her would think she had just climbed out of a river. It was a worrying issue, but one she had no control over.

After all, it was only to be expected that a living creature within the Sorrel Hells would feel some sort of effect with prolonged exposure. She just silently prayed that she could find a source of water to replace any liquids she had lost, although she had a feeling that a body of water would be hard to find. I just hope that it is not a symptom of some sort of disease, Twilight thought as she pushed past a thick patch of bushes.

Drawing nearer to the source of the voice, it became apparent to the mare that she could recognize it. However, she was still too far to have a serious guess as to whom. Judging from the pitch and volume, there was a good chance it was a mare, or a particularly feminine stallion, although none came to mind, immediately. For a brief second, she thought she heard a trace of Zecora in the voice, but quickly dismissed it as the zebra was not known for speaking at volume for extended lengths of time.

Thankfully, the thickness of the fog began to lift, allowing more of the mare's voice to filter through. ".. Bunch of good for nothing.... makes me sick!" The voice cried out indignantly. Obviously, they were not crying out for help as she originally anticipated, but more like they were giving a speech of some kind? Just as she began to ponder, she stumbled on a root and rolled into a clearing.

Dozens, if not a hundred ponies were crammed into the small clearing in the woods. The fog was kept at bay somehow, allowing her to see the entire scene without moving her head. All the ponies in the clearing were just as grey and introverted as everypony else in town had been, except for one. She stood upon a makeshift platform of grey boxes, at a podium of stone. Occasionally, she would pound her hoof on the rock to emphasize a point, only for it to fall upon the deaf ears of the masses. At least she was not the only one who had problems getting ponies to listen to her.

But then it hit her. The scene had felt so natural at first that she had been lulled in by the moment, yet it could not possibly be! Twilight had to do a double take and then rub her lavender eyes. Then, as a final measure, she scanned the area to make sure her eyes were not cheated by some spell. Yet, the more she tried to deny it, the more it made sense! She had to get closer, just a little bit closer, for absolute confirmation.

She weaved like a snake between the sobbing and distraught ponies, trying not to draw attention to herself. Keeping to the edge of the clearing, she easily avoided the focused gaze of the mare upon the wooden platform. At first, she could see no wings upon her, meaning she was an Earth Pony like the others. Yet... with that coat and mane, there could only be one logical conclusion. The clincher came when Twilight snuck around the back of the podium and got a good look at her flank.

Rainbow Dash was giving a lecture to the other damned ponies!

Pride, happiness and a flurry of several different emotions swelled inside of her chest, as well as tears of joy in her tired, purple eyes. "Well, I hear you out there asking 'why should I?' and to that, I just have to say this: why not?" her lecture continued. "Sure, this is Hell and it sucks, but none of you are doing yourselves any favours by being mopey, whiny BABIES either! Well, I'll have you know I was like you guys once, but by CELESTIA, I was able to pick myself up, and so can you!"

Another chorus of moans and groans filled the air, making the chromatic Pegasus apply a hoof to her face. "Ugh! It's not that hard, you bucking featherbrains! Just grow some stones and admit what you did was STUPID!!! Sweet Celestia, you're morons!" Seeing her aggravation and frustration, the unicorn wiped the smile off of her face and lightly trotted up behind her.

"Is... is that REALLY you, Rainbow Dash?" Never in her life had she seen the normally cool and collected mare jump out of her skin in surprise. She quickly spun on the spot and faced her addresser, only for the rosy eyes to widen in shock. A small gurgling noise sounded in her throat as she gathered the presence of mind to ask the obvious question.

"T-TWILIGHT!?"

"Yeah..." she trailed. "It's... it's me, Rainbow. I... didn't think I would see YOU here. I mean... you were always so..."

"L-likewise," she stammered in reply. "W-well... n-not HERE exactly. I mean... you did do a lot of pretty bad things, but... I always thought you were nice enough that it wouldn't really matter and... I... I'm only here because I'm technically a suicide and..." The phantom of a blush developed on her cheeks, much to the lavender pony's amusement. She quickly quelled the rebellious blood vessels though.

"Wait... Do you think...? Oh, my Celestia, you do." A smile crested upon her face despite herself, since the only other reaction would have been for her to weep. Rainbow did not need to deal with another snivelling idiot. "I'm not Eos, Rainbow!" With that, she launched into her story, right from being summoned by Princess Luna. She explained the differences between the timelines and that she was completely separate from the usurper queen.

For her part, Dash sat there and drank it all in, a blush developing again on her cheeks when she realized she was just a second from kissing her again before she opened her mouth. 'W-wow," was all she uttered once her friend finished her story.

"I'm really sorry about the confusion. It... It must have hurt a lot for you to... to have to do that to her, knowing she was me all along."

"Ye-yeah. I mean... you're one of my best friends and I AM... was... the Element of Loyalty." She hung her head in shame, doing her best to keep the water works from flowing. Damn it, Dash, whatever you do, don't let her see you cry! Suddenly, she felt calming warmth spread across her front and up around her neck, opening her eyes to see a mass of lavender blocking her vision. "Aw, Twi," she spoke as she returned her hug.

Sniffles met Rainbow's ears, but they were not her own, coming from her dear friend instead. "You did what you had to do and... I forgive you," she sniffled, her voice growing a little hoarse. "You... You're the first pony to be open with me and... and just be there. All of our friends are so... so cold, cruel and distant." Full-on sobs escaped from her muzzle, tears leaking from her eyes. "Heh... now that I'm in hell, I've found somepony warm."

"Funny how that works out, huh?" Rainbow spoke as she patted her friend reassuringly on the back. "I kinda figured something like that would happen if I kicked it, so... I'm sorry for leaving Equestria hanging, Twilight. After all, I AM the mare everypony relies on!" They reluctantly parted from their embrace, a small smile creeping on the unicorn's face.

"Yes, Rainbow. Without you, Equestria falls apart," she replied with some well-deserved sarcasm. "So... I need to become as awesome as you are to save it. Can you help me?"

"Sure!" she chirped. "If you're looking to borrow some awesome, you came to the right place! Although, in order to be really, truly awesome, you'll need to grow some wings like mi-" However, a quick glance to her side made her remember that horrible day. As with the other Pegasus ponies, before her sentence to her hell when she died, that prick of an alicorn had her wings chopped off, not even stumps remaining of her once glorious wings.

"I think I can help you out, Rainbow Dash. I did not die to come here, so I think..." Screwing up her face in concentration, her horn ignited in magic. Looking down, Rainbow could see light take the shape of her old wings, a tingling sensation coming across her whole body as they gleamed and faded into existence. Blue feathers and all! "Th-there!" Twilight panted and looked upon her work with a satisfied smile.

Spreading her wings to their full length, she took to the air like a bullet, weaving around the trees and mountains of the valley like it was nopony's business! She shed tears of joy away from the prying eyes of her friend, practicing her barrel rolls and loop-de-loops as if it were only yesterday. The speed, the sound, the wind in her mane... even if she was in Hell, it felt more like Heaven! Turning around, she made a beeline for Twilight Sparkle, her hooves extended.

Like the first time they met, the poor pony had no idea what hit her as Rainbow Dash came in for a flying tackle-hug, rolling clear across the clearing with her in a tight embrace. All Twilight could hear was the crunching of the flora and the giddy laughter of her friend in between a never-ending stream of thanks. "It was the... least I could do!" She choked as the Pegasus refused to let go.

"Wait a minute..." Rainbow started. "If you're alive... then why are you here!?"

"I was investigating one of the options given to me by the creator Genesis when I was pulled through the gate by some insipid giant with a tentacle beard. I was just about to leave and try one of the other options first but... well..."

"So... how are you going to get out of here? You also look hot! I... I mean not hot as in HOT hot but as in temperature hot because you are sweating so much and it must not be helping that I am lying on you either," she spoke quickly, given her awkward position.

Twilight, for her part, did not know or understand what had gotten into her, but attributed it to the euphoria of having wings again. "The only way out is through some fortress called 'Edophious' and while I'm there, I might as well go through with the option and steal some stupid bucking shoes from there."

"Edophious?" Rainbow questioned. "Well, I don't know where it is EXACTLY, but I do have an idea on how to get there. If you want, I can be your guide."

"Really!? You'd do that for me!? Oh thank you, Rainbow!" Twilight smiled as she got back to her hooves.

"It's the least I could do, Twi." With that, after giving her 'followers' a small goodbye, the two friends set off into the Forest of Suicides en route to the wastes Edophious called home. For the first time in her entire experience, she felt safe and happy and it was all because of one energetic, brazen and unstoppable Pegasus. It was not as strong as it would have been with all her friends at her side, but she felt like she could easily handle whatever the Sorrel Hells would throw at her!

Comments

[NotATree]

... Seeing this update here immediately makes me go check your DA page.dl.dropbox.com/u/31471793/FiMFiction/emoticons/misc_Fluttershy.png

[Tyler799]

Erm...
Wasn't that picture used in another fanfic?
If so, which?

[katosen27]

Awesome, waiting for this to completely be updated with you're DA page, and its almost there :)

759432

And the fic you are looking for is 'Sunset', which was also written by Ciroton and its the prequel to this story.

[Xaldon Ajide]

woot RD back in action! but i wonder is it possible for rainbow to return to the living world? if not then thats fine aswell.

[ThunderDash]

why is dash on hell!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! not fair just not fair

[Innate Enigma]

"Ah, the denial stage," Ah I love the that line

[Astarea]

I certainly do hope those wings will not turn out to be fake...

[Starcat5]

Rarity has been recruited.
Rainbow Dash is... Pending. Hopefully Twi can get the Element of Awesome (and Loyalty) out of there.

[Dragonwaz]

So when I first read Sorrel Hells. Back in Sunset, I think, I found it odd. I mean Tartarus is a cannon thing and all. But I chalked it up to alternative universes and such and the possibility it was written before the show made Tartarus cannon.

There wasn't an explanation that I saw though for what or why the sorrel hells were a thing. I figured there was a decent reason for the name so I didn't look it up.

But finally you explain that the reason they're called the Sorrel Hells is because Sorrel means red. With such a simple reason for the name I decided to Google it.

Definition of sorrel
1
: a sorrel-colored animal; especially : a light bright chestnut horse often with white mane and tail
2
: a brownish orange to light brown

It's also a green plant but largely means reddish brown. Might as well called them the Crimson Hells

[Satto Kez]

"Yes, Rainbow. Without you, Equestria falls apart,"
Huh... how accurate...