//------------------------------//
// Fourpony's He's Not the Only One (Viking ZX's "Tirek is Doomed") 
// Story: Never the Final Word (Vol. 2) 
// by FanOfMostEverything 
//------------------------------//

"Now Twilight, do you think we can find our friend who saved us from Tirek?"

"Yes, of course Princess."

Twilight slowly strode behind her old mentor as they walked down the long cave leading to the entrance to Tartarus. Next to her she could hear the strong hoof beats of Luna, the alicorn clad in her armor despite being  assured by her sister nothing could happen. It had been many years since Tirek had been banished again but the moon princess was not going to  assume Equestria's old enemy had been idle.

A deep red glow could be seen in the distance, filling the rocky tunnel with a eerie light. The trio of ponies stopped a short ways from the large, ornate double doors barring their path; there was also a massive three headed beast.

"Be pleased," Celestia spoke, slightly bowing her head to Cerberus. "May we pass into the domain of Tartarus? We have business with a creature locked there many years ago."

The large dog turned one of its heads in curiosity, thinking over Celestia's request. For a moment, Twilight thought they would not be allowed entry. However, just as a frown of worry started to tug at her lips the Guardian of Tartarus stepped aside and sat by the tunnel wall.

"Thank you," Celestia said with another slight bow. She strode forward, the depictions upon the doors becoming more clear. The sound of steel sliding over steel caused Twilight to look up to her right where Luna had just pulled two swords from her sides, the moon princess's mouth set with a grim frown. Looking back to Celestia and the door, Twilight let out a slight gasp as her eyes followed the scenes depicted on the relief carved into the large, obsidian doors.

Images of all sorts of creatures in the middle of debased acts sprung out at her, some of the horrors depicted before her not even thought about by pony kind for millennia.

"Steady yourself Twilight, our trip will be brief. We must not tarry, for even though weakened, the beasts locked here are still most dangerous. Be prepared for our friend to not have survived." As Luna spoke, she stared directly at the door; loud resounding booms and clicks telling of massive locks that had not been touched in centuries coming undone.

With a quick deep breath, Celestia looked back at her companions having finished unsealing the gate to Tartarus. "Well, here we go."

The cavern filled with the sound of stone grinding, what little gravel in the opening doors path being crushed to dust. The red glow increased in brightness as the doors opened towards the small party. Twilight squinted away from the increasing light, her ears pinned back from the noise.

Shplip

Ears perking up at the strange noise hidden within the tumultuous rumble of the doors, Twilight looked forward. A gasped of surprise came from all three alicorns; the doors also halting, partially open.

On the ground before them was some body, it had fallen forward onto its chest as the doors supporting it swung away. The creature's body was covered in thick, reddish hued hide. Its broad shoulders led to to powerfully muscled arms that ended in massive claws. If standing, the demon would have been eye level with Celestia; that was if it still had a head for eyes to rest in. Where the neck ended was a bloody mess, shreds of skin holding bits of bone and muscle to the corpse.

Twilight gaped in horror at the sight, though her eyes still traveled to the backside of the door wanting to find the rest of the beast's head. In the red light, she spotted chunks of flesh hanging from skull fragments imbedded in obsidian. Cracks emanated out from the bits of tissue. Looking between the door and the lifeless, mangled corpse, Twilight could see that the creature had to have been on its knees, clawing at the door when something had shattered its head from behind.

"This... this is not what I had imagined..."

At her mentor's hushed words, Twilight looked past Celestia. A sea of bodies, limbs, and organs spread out before them, each body ripped apart with brutal efficiency. Twilight had to avert her eyes down as she felt what little she should eat earlier fight its way back up her throat. But it didn't help, the pool of blood that the doors had been holding back slowly spreading and encircling Celestia's front hooves was the last convincing Twilight's snack needed to decide it wanted out.

After spitting out what bile was left in her mouth, Twilight looked to Luna to see her reaction. The Lunar Princess just stared forward, a frown on her face and... and sadness in her eyes. Twilight could only guess at how Luna felt at all the death before her. However, Luna's features quickly morphed into that of anger.

"Damned! And here we thought we would have a refreshing battle!"