Rarity sped up to keep pace as her host, Form as he said to call him, walked down the hall. They entered into the main hall, and both sighed. Sitting atop his throne, a plain unadulterated thing, was Discord. Discord sat straight for once, with a furred purple cape, an overly decorative large crown on his head, and a scepter with a miniature of his crowned head on the end.
Shaking his head, Form raised his hand, throwing Discord across the massive hall. He sat on his obsidian throne, Rarity noting again the harrowing appearance it gave him. His pale features and stark white three piece suit was such a contrast to the black throne, most ponies would tremble in fear. She had when she first entered the hall and met the man. "Please quit sitting on my throne dear brother. You already cause enough of a rip in my kingdom just being here. What do you want."
Discord's hands appeared on Form's shoulders as he kissed him on the cheek. "Aww, can't I just come say hi to family?"
"No." Form gripped his hand into a fist and Discord appeared in front of the throne. "My power exceeds yours in my kingdom. Speak your peace and leave."
Discord crossed his arms and rolled his eyes. "Spoilsport. Fine, I'm here to give grave news blah blah blah." He turned and actually gave a serious look to them both. "Spike is coming here. Nothing can detour or stop him. What's more, Sombra is on his way as well. He's been gathering stragglers and remnants of Shadowfang's army. The end is coming, and soon. This prison will be a battlefield, winner takes all."
Form stroked his beard and closed his eyes. "Tell Celestia I will give her an answer soon. For now, delay the host and send me regular reports."
"What do I look like, your errand boy?"
"For now, yes."
Sighing and dropping his arms, Discord shook his head. He sighed again as he looked back up at Form, almost longingly. "Is there any possible way to be brothers again?"
Form's stare was hard and unforgiving. "There was at one time, but no longer."
Discord made no acknowledgment, he just snapped and was gone. Rarity went to ask Form just what that whole ordeal was about, but he stopped her with a raise of his hand.
"Please do not ask. I know you are the kind to be concerned for others, but leave this matter alone. If you refuse, you will share a cell with Terik. Please, I must get to work, leave us."
Rarity glared at him as ghostly apparitions of various species appeared in the hall. She stomped her hoof down on the floor, gaining the attention of all there. "I most certainly will not leave this alone, but you do seemed distressed so I will not press for details. I will however try and ease your burdens here."
He went to refute her but her glare was so fierce, it died in his throat. "You will not deter me. You need help, I can give it. Plus as you said, I will be here quite awhile, so I might as well keep busy. Ideal hooves and all."
Form laughed, it had been two thousand years since he laughed but he laughed. His servants and advisers stood stunned at the sight. He wiped the tears from his eyes as he stared at her in amazement. "It has been too long since a woman of fire has graced my hall. Very well. Cerberus needs a new dog house, I feel you may be more than up for the challenge. My stewards will give you the details and regulations. Now stay and listen so you can get a better understanding of just what this place is and why."
Rarity smiled sweetly as she sat next to his throne, taking note of everything going on in Tartarus
Spike glared at Big Mac, who glared right back. "I'm not asking you to come, just telling you I am going, and that you can't stop me."
Mac raised an eyebrow as he puffed on his cigarette. They sat outside of Sweet Apple Acres, as per their morning ritual. They use to smoke off of Spike's balcony in the castle, going thru all the trouble to keep Apple Bloom from catching his bad habit. They quit trying to hide when they found out she was preaching to Sweetie Bell, who recently picked up the habit, just how bad it was.
"I'd rather you stay here anyway, AJ's got a lot on her plate so it's pretty much you handling Bloom and the farm. This could go badly anyway. She may not be there, and we'll have gone to the worst prison imaginable for nothing. Not to mention, we'll be going to Tartarus to begin with."
Macintosh shook his head and reached under his yoke. He pulled out a shining green orb, just about the size of his hoof. "Nope."
Spike frowned. "Right, that's a good argument. You know this means we have to bring the other two, right."
It was Big Mac's turn to frown. "Eeyep."
"He's not that bad, I mean, he's loads of fun." Spike gave an awkward smile as Macintosh shook his head.
"You like him, ah get that, we all do. He's just too much for the rest uh us."
Discord's head popped out of the end of Big Mac's cigarette. "Aww, you're too kind Big Red. I can show you too much if you like." Discord winked at him as he dropped his cigarette. "So, have the two of you started the party yet?"
Spike rolled his eyes and smiled. "I leave in the morning, and again no. You can not change my mind."
Discord leaned against the barn, smoking Mac's cigarette. A pair of sunglasses and a fedora on. "No, but I know a guy." Macintosh glared up at the cigarette stealer.
"Could somepony please tell where to find this big purple buffoon of mine. He seems to think it is his job to save the whole damn world. Like some hero in a fantasy novel."
Spike smiled as he turned to the new addition. "Can I have a butterscotch old geezer?"
Fancy Pants rolled his eyes as he pulled a candy out. "Young people today, so rude. How are you my boy?"
"Better then before. I know what to do now, and not just brooding."
"Why do you have to do anything? Everypony, including Lady Rarity seems content with the arrangement."
Spike frowned deeply. "I'm not, you're not, none of her friends are, her sister and mother most definitely not. I can't leave her trapped there for my sake, it's my fault, my burden."
"Nothing can change though. You still can never see her again."
"It changes everything. Her life can go on, and I can sleep happier."
Fancy Pants smiled as he huffed. "Well that leaves us one choice then. Discord, it seems we are taking a road trip."
Discord's jaw literally dropped to the ground. He picked it back up and held it on. "But you were supposed to talk him out of it!"
"I know this boy better than most. Nothing, not even Celestia, could convince him otherwise. The best option left to us is to follow along and keep anything bad from happening."
Discord grumbled as he glared at the defiant drakos and held up a glowing red orb, just like Big Macintosh's green one. "Fine, but we have to bring one more."
With a snap, Shining Armor appeared. A blue orb appeared above his head, which then fell on it. He rubbed his head and glared at Discord. "You could have just waited, I was just at Twilight's castle. So when do we leave?"
Discord threw up his arms and hissed. "Does nopony care that we may be waking the most terrifying evil ever from it's exile!"
Big Macintosh raised his hoof, as did Shining Armor. Discord sighed. "Thank you."
Fancy Pants shook his head. "I have no such qualms. I do believe that our young king, prince, friend, and hero here can in fact do this. That he and Lady Rarity can beat these monsters."
Discord stared at him with anger and sympathy. "Only because you have yet to meet these monsters. Let me put it simple for you. He kills gods, and is a god of monsters. The drakos went from servant dragons to the most feared species because of him. He will rally all of the known and unknown monsters against Celestia and Equestria. I expect for a massacre within a day. From there, nopony or otherwise will survive."
"I believe in the hero." They all turned and looked at Spike. "This is the Rising, and if not today, it will happen. I feel him, he's stronger. Within a year at most, I will lose and he will be free. If the legend is true, a hero will arise to defeat this monster."
Discord shook his head. "The hero had the blessing of the old gods, as well as the combined blessings and gifts of all ten living gods. We all fought and most of us died in the struggle. Not to mention he now has Sombra and Nightmare. Oh yeah, we go, Rarity will be lost as well. Can you live with that Spike?"
Spike shook his head. "She won't lose. I have faith in her."
"She's not Twilight, she doesn't have the magical capacity to win."
"She has the heart to win."
"And if we get there and you both turn?"
Spike nodded at the red orb Discord held. "They can hold it off right? Just long enough to lock me away and throw away the key."
"Yes but-"
"Rarity, the softest, most selfless soul I know gets to spend an eternity away from her whole world, her whole life. Or I, a greedy, terrifying monster of breeding and a product of war, we all know just how dark I am, gets to spend eternity in a cage. Honestly though, I would rather the cage then have her locked away. That's all this is, locking away the worst of evils, and saving the damsel. What's there to argue."
Discord sighed. "Fine, you win. But I have an ultimatum, two to be exact."
Spike smiled sadly. "Name them."
Discord smiled wickedly in reply.