//------------------------------//
// Tartarus 
// Story: What Is This Strange Feeling? 
// by PonySage86 
//------------------------------//

Fluttershy zips through the air as fast as she can, her home getting closer with each passing second. The smoke coming from all the windows causes Fluttershy's heart to sink. After all the smoke could damage the lungs of the local animals and the fire could hurt Angel. With these thoughts in mind Fluttershy pushes herself even harder as she nears her house. 

With as mighty a push as she can muster Fluttershy shoves her front door open ready to face the flames. Instead she ends up staring blankly at her living room, her non on fire living room. Fluttershy looks around the room, not a trace of fire or smoke anywhere. Her windows aren't even open so the smoke couldn't have been going out them anyway. Fluttershy blinks a few times in confusion. "What's going on?"

"Wow I can't believe your actually here." Fluttershy flips around to face the voice. There standing in her doorway is Moonlight. 

"Moonlight, but I thought Twilight was-" Fluttershy is interrupted as Moonlight shoves her way past the yellow pegasus. 

"Honestly I was worried you would remember that the fire globe I gave you already exploded." Moonlight walks into the kitchen and starts taking things out of the cabinets. "Or that you'd bring one of your friends,  which would suck, because then I'd have to get rid of her too and thats just more work for me." 

"Get r-rid o-of you don't mean..." Fluttershy looks at Moonlight with wide terrified eyes. Moonlight seems to ignore this comment until she's done arrangeing the dishes she got out on a tray. 

"Don't worry I'm not going to kill you." Moonlight leaves the kitchen, much to Fluttershy's confusion she leaves all the stuff on the counter. "Not if I want my plan to go right."

"What plan?" Fluttershy asks, her mind already making some guesses. 

"I'd love to tell you, but it doesn't really matter if you know or not." Moonlight smirks at Fluttershy. "So why bother telling you anything." 

"You're after Discord aren't you?" Fluttershy asks as defiantly as she can despite her fear. Moonlight seems a bit surprised by this. 

"Excellent guess." Moonlight says with a sarcastic clap of her hooves.

"Why threaten me Moonlight?" Fluttershy narrows her eyes at the glowing mare. "How does getting rid of me help you?" 

"Discord is quite fond of you." Moonlight stares out the window in thought. "Even now in his memory deprived state the mere thought of you is helping him break my spell." 

"M-memory deprived?" Fluttershy's eyes widen. "What do you mean by tha-"

"Oops said to much." Moonlight chuckles to herself as she ignites her horn with shimmering red. "There must be something about dealing with the heroes that makes you want to answer their questions." 

Moonlight fires a blast from her horn, it explodes in mid-air and creates a swirling red and black portal. She shrugs. "Oh well." 

Moonlight turns to look at Fluttershy with a pleasant smile on her face. Moonlight gestures toward the portal with her head. "Alright in you go." 

"I-I'm not going in there." Fluttershy plants her hooves on the floor and glares at Moonlight. 

"Aw that's cute." Moonlight narrows her eyes at Fluttershy as her mouth grows into a devilish smile. "You think you have a choice."

Suddenly multiple metal rings fly out of the swirling vortex and go straight for Fluttershy.  She attempts to evade in the air, but being indoors prevents her from out maneuvering them. The rings catch her easily and clamp down on each of her hooves, while one closes around her belly. The five metal rings all have chains attached to them that extend back through the portal. Fluttershy struggles against the chains, they are clamped on tight but don't hurt when she stands still. "W-what's going on?" 

"This is the getting rid of you part." Moonlight stomps her hoof and the chains begin pulling Fluttershy toward the portal. "I just need you out of this realm of existence for awhile." 

"What is that!?" Fluttershy shouts at the portal. "Where are you sending me!?" 

"Oh nowhere too bad... just Tartarus." Moonlight speaks nonchalantly as she watchs Fluttershy struggle against the chains. 

"T-Tartarus?" Fluttershys eyes go wide. "Why?" 

"Well I would just kill you but I can't risk Discord finding out, he might sense your magic disappear." Moonlight groans in annoyance. "That and my sister would probably stop me anyway." 

"Wait you can't send me to Tartarus." Fluttershy looks between Moonlight and the ever nearing portal. "You just said Discord would notice I'm gone!"

"No I said Discord would notice your magic is gone, but..." Moonlight walks up to Fluttershy and places her hoof on the pegasus's head. "If I do this." 

Both Moonlight and Fluttershy are covered in a red aura. Moonlights hair begins to change from black to pink and starts to grow longer, her skin stops glowing and changes from white to yellow, her horn sinks into her head as wings grow from her back, her blood red eyes turn a calming teal. Fluttershy gasps in surprise at the sight of Moonlights transformation. "H-how did you?" 

"Sorry no time for anymore questions, come on off you go." Moonlight stomps her hoof again causing the chains to pull harder. 


"Wait please you don't have to do this." Fluttershy looks at Moonlights new Fluttershy form with pleading eyes. "You can still stop this you can still be our friend!"

"..." Moonlight looks at Fluttershy in bewilderment. "I burn down your town, threaten your life, assault your princess, give your coltfriend amnesia, and I am currently trying to literally send you to Tartarus... and you think we can still be friends?" 

"Yes." Fluttershy looks at Moonlight hopefully. "It's never to late to turn things around, the others might be angry for awhile but you can always make up for what you'v-"

*SLAP*

Fluttershy falls to the ground from the blow to her cheek, the chains momentarily stop trying to move her. She looks up to see her own face glaring down at her, nostrils flaring, and eyes a vicious blood red. As Fluttershy rubs her cheek she can see something in Moonlights eyes, two thin rings circling her pupils one green and one red. Before Fluttershy can ponder the bare visible rings the shouting begins. 

"I HAVE HAD ENOUGH!" Moonlight screams at Fluttershy. "WHY DO I NEED TO MAKE UP FOR WHAT I'VE DONE!?"

"I'M JUST DOING WHAT I WAS CREATED TO, BUT NO WHATEVER I DO EVERYONE ALWAYS GETS MAD AT ME!"

"SIN, DON'T SHOW THE CHANGELINGS THEY CAN FEED ON LOVE!"

"SIN, DON'T FEED THE DRAGONS GOLD ADDICTION!" 

"EVERYONE ALWAYS DOES THIS! MOTHER NATURE! THE MOON! THE SUN! ALL THE HUMANS AND PONIES... AND.. ANd... And... and..." Moonlights eye fall to the floor and go soft. "My... my... sister..." 

Moonlight turns her eyes to Fluttershy. "...You remind me of her."

"...Moonlight?" Fluttershy raises off the floor and stares at Moonlight with slight concern. Moonlight turns away from Fluttershy. 

"Just go." Moonlight waves her hoof toward the portal and chains begin to pull Fluttershy towards the portal again. As Fluttershy begins to struggle against the sudden pulling of the chains, Moonlight ducks her head to the side as a book fly's past her. She quickly flips around and her eyes ignite like her horn would if she was her normal self. "And take this with you." 

Fluttershy sees something small and fluffy flying toward her, she quickly reaches and catches her little bunny. "Angel?" 

"He'll just get in my way." Because Fluttershy caught Angel she wasn't focused on preventing herself from being pulled into the portal, with her front hooves occupied by Angel she doesn't have enough strength to fight the chains anymore. With one final scream Fluttershy is yanked through the portal. As soon as Fluttershy is pulled through the portal, it vanishes.

Moonlight stares at where the portal was a frown on her face. "Harmony..." A small tear forms in her eyes. 

The familiar sound of teleportation near the door draws Moonlights attention, she quickly wipes her face with her hoof and grins at the door.

??????????????

"AAAAHHHHHH!!!" Fluttershy screams at the top of her lungs as the chains pull her through the air. Everything is a swirling mass of red and black as she is yanked through the portal. Upon emerging through the other side her vision gets even darker, jagged rock formations wiz past, the only light coming from pools of molten magma. Before too long her back collides with a rock, the rock is surprisingly soft, the collision doesn't even hurt. The chains all retract into their holes in the rock, pinning Fluttershy to it and forcing her to drop her bunny. The rock is just big enough to hold Fluttershy so Angel doesn't fall very far, but Fluttershy looks concerned anyway. 

"Angel are you ok?" Angel hops onto his feet and nods. Fluttershy lets out a sigh of relief. "That's good." 

Angel hops up onto one of Fluttershys hooves and begins kicking and pulling on the ring holding it. Fluttershy smiles at her sweet little bunny before looking around area. Stalactites cover the ceiling, not many stalactites though, large pillars are littered throughout connecting the top and bottom of this cave like area. The glow from large rivers of flowing magma can be seen, the rivers are being fed by waterfalls of the molten rock.

"This is Tartarus?" Fluttershy continues to survey the place. "It's a little spooky, but not much worse then the caves in Equestria."

"That's cause you're only on the first floor." 

"First flo-?" Fluttershy freezes mid word, she slowly turns her head in the direction of the voice she heard, not too far away from her is a cave between two of the stone pillars. Inside the cave are two glowing white dots. "Who are you?" 

"I wish to be of assistance to you young miss." The deep voice from the cave is unerving to listen too, it sounds distorted  like Sombra or Queen Chrysalis. "I can free you from your bonds." 

"You can?" Fluttershy asks hopefully, she was not excepted help from anypony. 

"Yes I can." 

"Oh thank you so mu-"

"But I'll need something in return." Fluttershy heart sinks. 

"I don't have anything to give you." Fluttershy says sadly, her eyes go wide as she hears a slurping sound. 

"Oh that is where you are wrong young mare, you have something soft, tender and." The sound of licking lips echoes from the cave. "Deeelicious." 

Fluttershy looks down at the only thing she has with her at the moment, Angel has stopped attacking the chains and is glaring at the creature in the cave. Fluttershy turns to glare at the creature as well. "You can't have my Angel!" 

"Oh you silly fool." The creature steps one of it's limbs into the light, the limb is black and has the structure of a leg but the foot is like the knuckle of a gorilla with long jagged talons. 

"I don't want your rabbit." The creature moves it's upper half out of the shadows, it's body is similar in build to a baboon, while it's size is closer to that of a bear. It's torso is hard like stone but looks like the flesh is hanging off the bone. It's head is like a pony with an elongated mouth, it's mouth has threads of flesh connecting it's top jaw with it's bottom jaw. those jaws are a mess of thin, broken, and jagged teeth. Long sharp ears are misaligned on the sides of it's head, it's eyes are pitch black with tiny glowing white dots for pupils. 

"I'll free your hooves little pony." A long forked tongue flicks out of his mouth and licks its lip-less mouth. The creature steps completely out of the cave revealing it's hairless goat legs and long rat like tail. "The price? I will devour each hoof I FREE!"

The creature extends it's talons at Fluttershy and charges towards her, Fluttershy shuts her eyes and screams as loud as she can, she hears Angel scream as well. 

*BANG*

The creature whines in pain and growls in frustration. "Huh?"

Fluttershy opens her eyes and stares in awe at the sight before her. A large barrier of crystal clear bubble gum surrounds Fluttershy and the rock she's chained too. The creature rubs it's now bleeding nose and continues to whine, it glares at Fluttershy, but as soon it looks in her direction it's eyes go wide and it begins to shake. It falls onto it's back and points its talon at Fluttershy and stammers out. "C-chaos m-magic." 

Fluttershy notices a glow at the bottom of her vision, she looks down and sees that the flower necklace Discord gave her is glowing brightly. The light is warm and comforting and lessens the pain in her limbs from the chains. Fluttershy smiles at the necklace. "Discord."

"Fascinating." Fluttershy looks back at the creature that tried to attack her. It is standing back up and possibly smirking at her, it begins walking backward into it's cave. A sinister chuckle echoes through the air as it begins to vanish. "Devoratrix remember it well..." 

The creature vanishes into the shadows. "We will meet again."

Fluttershy feels Angel cuddle into her neck, she nuzzles her bunny back. "It's okay Angel we're safe now." 

Fluttershy looks at the bubble shield around them. "Because of-"

"DISCORD!?!?!" 

Fluttershy 'jumps' in surprise as a loud booming voice erupts through the air. 

"I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU DECIDED TO SHOW YOUR FACE AROUND HERE!!!"

The ground begins to shake violently Fluttershy and Angel begin frantically looking around. Five giant black spikes erupt out of the ground and wrap around the bubble shield. Angel yelps and dives into Fluttershys hair as the spikes drag the bubble and everything inside it through the ground. Fluttershy watches in horror as the spikes pull her through severals floors of Tartarus. Pools of lava, slime, and what she hopes isn't blood, are all she can see of each floor as they fly past in a blur. 

Suddenly Fluttershys trip through the ground ends as quickly as it began, as her protective bubble is released from the spikes grasp. Fluttershy stares at the spikes as they move away from her, they aren't spikes at all, they're fingers. Fingers that belong to a giant black creature that is currently looking away from her. The creatures spike like fingers are connected to two long muscular arms that lead to a large torso with equally large dragon like wings, its head is bald with two twisted horns going to the sides and then straight up. Its legs are non-existent as the lower part of its torso seems to extend toward the ground but doesn't seem to end. The next thing Fluttershy notices is the room around her the large spherical room her and the giant creature are in, is covered in ice. Before she can think too much about what's going on the giant speaks. 

"YOU KNOW DISCORD I WAS BEGINNING TO THINK I'D NEVER SEE YOU AGAIN." The creatures booming voice echoes throughout the room as the giant shrugs his shoulders. "I WAS WORRIED YOU'D JUST USE MIRROR CALLS FOR THE REST OF ETERNITY!"

The creature seems to grab something before turning around toward Fluttershy. "BUT NOW THAT YOUR HERE WE CAN CATCH... up?"

Fluttershy and the creature stare at each other in silence. Fluttershy can now see the creatures face and more detail about its body. Its eyes are bright pools of lava, the same with the inside if its mouth. Its teeth are shark like and seem almost metallic. With the creature being closer Fluttershy can see a pattern on his skin, cracks run all over his body with the dim glow of lava beneath them. The creature is holding two cups of bubbling purple sludge, which vanish as he places his hands on the platform her bubble is on.

"A pony?" One of the creatures long black nails tap on the bubble protecting Fluttershy. "With Chaos magic?"

"U-um... I d-don't actually have c-chaos magic, i-it's my n-necklace." Much to Fluttershys surprise the creature seems to hear her, despite her stammering and low volume. 

"Hmm..."  The creature scratches its chin in thought, with a low growl it leans in filling Fluttershy's vision with its right eye. Fluttershy beings to sweat nervously as the creature seems to examine her. With a familiar snap of its fingers the creature removes the chains from her hooves and the bubble from around her, as soon as the bubble is gone Fluttershy suddenly feels a heavy pressure push down on her entire body, she begins gasping for air and clutching her body in pain. Her necklace begins to try and form a barrier around her once more but the creature pushes the barrier away seeming to want as close of a look at her as it can get. "Why look like someone I've heard about before, what's your name?"

Fluttershy can barely hear the question as the incredible pressure around her as popped her eardrums, she squeezes her eyes shut as it begins to hurt to keep them open. The pressure begins to sting so bad that tears begin leaking out of her  eyes.  "H-help..."

"Hmm..." The Large Black Being raises an eyebrow at the tiny pony in its hand. "What's wrong with you?

"I-it h-hurts..." Fluttershy whimpers, the creature looks around its spherical chamber for anything that could be causing the tiny yellow pony any harm. Before it can find anything its attention is drawn back to the pink haired pegasus in its hand. She seems to glow for a spilt second, then after a moment she does it again. The creature watches as the petite pegasus begins to flash a bright white over and over, each time quicker then the last. 

"What is thi-?" Suddenly a blinding light erupts from Fluttershy, searing pain jolts through the giants body from the palm of its hand. Despite the pain the creature does not move its hand. 

Fluttershy pants heavily as the terrible pressure on her body lessens to that of a mild headache. She opens her eyes and finds that the giant black creature has leaned back away from her. She is a bit surprised to see that the creature is smiling at her. 

"Pink mane, yellow skin, teal eyes, and a powered up form." The creatures eyes flick to each thing on its mental list as it says them. "That seals it you are defiantly Fluttershy."

Fluttershy blinks in confusion. "...Huh?"

Canterlot Castle: Throne Room

Princess Celestia calmly sits upon her throne going over some documents, occasionally taking a sip of her tea or nibbling on a selection of small cakes. She seems disinterested in her work, as if shes waiting for something. There is a loud bang as Flash Sentry comes bursting into the room, Celestia doesn't seem to notice. Flash Sentry runs up to the throne and bows quickly. 

"Your Majesty I bring urgent news from-" 

"Iron Sprocket." Celestia finishes for the guardsmen, Flash Sentry blinks in surprise. 

"Yes ma'am he says that-"

"He can't find Twilight or the others." Celestias interruption gives Flash Sentry pause before he continues. 

"Yes and it seems Ponyville has been-" 

"Set ablaze." Celestia stands up from her throne and walks over to an open window. "Fear not Flash Sentry the fire is already out by now." 

"Huh?" Flash Sentry stares at the Princess in disbelief. "How do you-"

"I am heading out now." Celestia spreads her wings and places her hooves on the window sill. "Please inform Iron Sprocket that he has done a wonderful job and may return home now." 

Without another word Celestia flys off into sky, leaving behind a very confused Pegasus.

Tartarus?

"You know who I am?" Fluttershy asks as she examines her harmony form, she checks in her mane Angel seems to be unaffected by the intense pressure while inside her hair. 

"Yes." The giant seems to roll its eyes. "My son talks about you every time he calls, I'm just disappointed I didn't recognize you sooner."

"Your son?" Fluttershy stares wide eyed at the giant, before she can ask who it's talking about she remembers the first thing the giant said as it was pulling down here. "...Discord...Discord, You're Discords Father!"

"Huh, you are as clever as he said."  Discords Father says with a smirk. "I must apologize I forgot that mortals can not be around beings such as myself without harm." 

"Beings like you." Fluttershy looks at Discords Father with a raised eyebrow. "Who are you?" 

"You can call me Father Tartarus."  He stares down at her with a sad smile. "Chaos, destruction, manipulation these are the gifts I gave my son... thank you for giving him more purpose then I did." 

"What purpose?" Fluttershy says with a slight blush, Father Tartarus smiles gently at the Element of Kindness. 

"The same one his mother gave me millennium ago." Father Tartarus shrugs off his previous statement and attempts to change the subject. "So Miss Fluttershy what are you doing here?"

Fluttershy tries to understand Father Tartarus's words, but he succeeds in changing the subject. Fluttershy tells Father Tartarus the tale of Discord meeting Moonlight, her and Twilight's discovery of the tea, and Moonlights attack. Father Tartarus nods along with the story. 

"Hmm... seems like Sin is losing it." Father Tartarus lets out a sigh. "Well let's check and see how things are going then."

Father Tartarus swipes his right hand against the wall and the ice turns clear  and shows a large crater with a coffee table in the middle of it. Within the crater are a spotted green Discord and Princess Luna. Just then the other five elements of harmony run onto the mirror followed shortly by Moonlight from the other direction. Fluttershy immediately notices that Moonlight has a massive hole in her face, and that the coffee table is hers. Her eyes go wide as she watches the fight between Moonlight and the elements of harmony unfold. 

"W-what's going on? What happened to Discord!? Why is everyone fighting? Where's my house!?" Fluttershy's eyes go as wide as possible, she begins frantically looking from the mirror to Father Tartarus and back again. 

"Huh this is kinda cool, I haven't seen a brawl like this in centuries." Father Tartarus smiles at the battle going on in the mirror. Fluttershy turns to face him again. 

"Can you send me home!?" Fluttershy shouts at the giant. 

"Huh?" Father Tartarus turns to face the element of Kindness.

"My friends need me." Fluttershy puts her hooves to her chest and adverts her eyes. "Discord needs me."

Father Tartarus's gaze turns stern as he stares down at the tiny yellow Pegasus. "Young lady do you realize what asking me that means?" 

"Huh?" Fluttershy turns her gaze to meet Father Tartarus's.

"To send you home I would need to violate the ancient agreement between Tartarus and Equestria."  Fluttershy blinks in confusion. 

"What agreement?" Father Tartarus sighs deeply. 

"To preserve the balance of the worlds me and Mother Nature are no longer allowed to traverse to other worlds or even open portals to them." He taps the mirror with his hand. "The barrier is designed to repel my power, so unless you can open portals your stuck here with me."

Fluttershy looks sadly at the dark abyss below her, she looks over to the mirror and watches as her friends battle against Moonlight. The mirror momentarily focuses on Discord as he watches the battle helplessly. Fluttershy narrows her eyes and clenches her hooves. "That's your excuse?"

"Huh?" Father Tartarus turns and is surprised to find Fluttershy glaring at him. 

"That's your excuse your not allowed to that's why you won't do it!?" Fluttershy flys up to be eye level with Father Tartarus, who does not flinch at her approach.  "What happened to Chaos, Destruction, and Manipulation! You're the core of Tartarus realm of evil! Why are you letting somepony tell you what you can or can not do!?" 

Father Tartarus looks at Fluttershy with a neutral expression...

"BWA HA HA HA HA!!!" Father Tartarus erupts into a deep hardy laugh as he clutches his side with his right hand. "SO THAT'S THE MOXIE DISCORD WAS TALKING ABOUT!! I KNEW THAT BOY WOULD FIND A GOOD WOMAN ONE OF THESE EONS!!"

"I-I um... uh... um." Fluttershy's face turns bright red at Father Tartarus's comment. 

"ALRIGHT GIRLY YOU'VE CONVINCED ME!! AGREEMENTS BE DAMNED LET'S GET YOU HOME!!" Father Tartarus closes his hand around Fluttershy, tight enough to keep her still but not tight enough to hurt her. 

"R-really?" Fluttershy stammers out as Father Tartarus winds his fist back. 

"YEP THIS WILL TAKE A FEW SWINGS...If it works at all." 

"Huh?" 

"NOTHING TINY HORSE!!"

Fluttershy feels each blow as Father Tartarus strikes the wall with his fist.

Once.

Twice.

Three times.

Four times.

Five times.

Six times. 

When Father Tartarus strikes the wall for the seventh time it gives way, the next thing Fluttershy knows the fist has hit ground and opens up to reveal the brightly lit world of Equestria. Her eyes immediately find Discords, her heart soars as she sees the joy on his face, her mouth moves words barely leaving her lips. 

"...Discord..."