A methodical clip-clopping reached Twilight's ears where she was hiding. It was coming towards her from the direction of the cages and reminded her of that time only a week ago, when she had hidden from the sound of the same hooves as they threatened to discover her hiding behind the secretary's desk. She shrank back in fear, praying that Celestia wouldn’t see her and pass on by.
The hoofsteps got closer; clip, clop, clip, clop.
Then they stopped.
“You can get up now, Twilight.”
Twilight shivered in shock and refused to admit she could have been seen. It must be a bad dream! This couldn’t be happening!
"Wake up, Twilight! Wake up!" she screamed inwardly, desperate for this nightmare to end.
“I’m waiting” came the calm voice in front of her.
Twilight peered up through the fringe of her mane and saw two forelegs right in front of her. They were white, but badged in blood.
The further she looked up, the more she feared what she would see.
Heart pounding wildly, she looked up into a pair of gleaming bright red eyes, yet these were not the most shocking features; moreover it was the blood soaked muzzle and the large carnivore fangs! This wasn’t Celestia – this mare sounded like her, but was a twisted and nightmarish effigy of that most beautiful mare!
“You might as well get up. You can’t escape.”
“But, how … why …?
“Come with me” said the mare, turning back the way she had come.
Twilight had no choice and she knew it. She feared what she would see; she feared what Celestia would do. She had already seen what she was capable of.
The scared lilac mare staggered to her hooves, the acrid taste of her vomit still lingering in her mouth as she lowered her head and her stomach convulsed again.
“Why?” she shouted when she had finished coughing, sticky streams of foul tasting liquid still hanging from her mouth.
Celestia did not answer but kept walking slowly away.
Twilight knew she was being summoned and wiped her mouth, then trotted after the white mare, as Celestia knew she would; obedient, inquisitive, doomed.
They stopped by the cages, all the creatures cowering as Twilight had seen before. Celestia stopped by the bugbear’s cage and Twilight forced herself to follow her mentor’s eyes. There it was, pressed into the corner of the cage, whimpering in fear, but otherwise untouched.
“But …” began Twilight, uncomprehending.
Celestia sat, and Twilight knew she was expected to comply, the constant wailing of the creatures around them providing an eerie backdrop.
“I can only guess you read my diary, Twilight.”
The lilac pony flushed bright red and looked down at the ground.
“You shouldn’t read other ponies’ diaries; you never know what you may find.”
Twilight couldn’t speak. She knew she had betrayed Celestia’s trust and had been caught. It was a horrible feeling and it knocked the fight out of her.
“What do you know about Tartarus, Twilight?”
“It ... it’s where creatures are banished if they present a threat to society" ventured the lilac pony, then adding as an afterthought, "And they stay here until they either reform or end their days …”
“Partly. The cave of Tartarus has a magic that only I fully understand. Deep under the ground is a sentient source of great power known only as The Guardian that provides all the magic in Equestria. It reaches upwards and emerges in the Cave of Harmony, where it provides sustenance to the Tree and the Elements of Harmony; it also emerges here and provides immortality. Any creature that stays in here cannot die.
These creatures have been taken out of society for their past actions as you concluded correctly, but will neither be released, nor die. No, they provide a far greater role than you could have ever imagined. Each dreams of receiving the sweet kiss of death, but they are all cursed with immortality.”
“Cursed?” queried Twilight hesitantly.
“Yes. My immortality was not inherited as ponies widely believe, but it comes from in here. When I entered adulthood many years ago, I made a pact with the Guardian. It allows me to take the gift of immortality beyond the threshold of the cave, but only if I return every week to eat the living heart from a creature that remains here.
To this end, it gifts me a set of predatory teeth strong enough to break through an animal’s rib cage. It also gives me its eyes to look through, so it can see what I see, and savour every feeling and every emotion I have whilst I am in here.
For the last thousand years, I have been sustained at the peak of my physical prowess and have used this gift to lead my little ponies and keep them safe. If I were to stop, my body would fail and Equestria would soon fall."
Twilight was numbed by the shocking truth revealed to her and took time for the awfulness to sink in before replying, “So these creatures are cursed to feel the pain of death over and over again without ever being able to die, just to keep you in power? That’s inhumane!”
“That” replied Celestia simply, “Is their punishment.”
“What … what about me?” Twilight asked quietly, dreading the answer.
“You have uncovered a truth you were never meant to know. I should have thought the answer was obvious to somepony with your intelligence.”
“But, my friends – my family, they’ll all miss me and come asking questions.”
“Nopony asked any questions when my previous prized student, Sunset Shimmer went missing; even you hadn’t heard of her until she reappeared through the crystal mirror. I will choose another personal student and life will go on.”
Twilight suddenly felt very vulnerable.
“I could fight you” she suggested, hoping Celestia didn’t hear the tremor in her voice.
The white mare laughed.
“You have no magic. As soon as you crossed the threshold of the doors, it was all neutralised; only my magic prevails in this realm. I confess I had a sixth sense that I was being followed, but couldn’t be sure until your little invisibility spell was stripped off you. You’ve been in plain sight all this time!”
Twilight felt sick again.
“Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to return to Canterlot. And by the way, VT stands for ‘Visit Tartarus’, in case you wanted to know.”
“Princess! No! You can’t do this” she pleaded, “Surely our friendship counts for something?”
“Yes, that’s why I’m not putting you in a cage like the others, Twilight.”
“Can’t you cast a memory erasing spell on me?” she begged, “Anything but this! Please!”
“No, Twilight, what you have seen can never be unseen. Even the strongest spell could not keep such knowledge hidden forever.”
“You … you wouldn’t eat my heart out, would you?”
“Goodbye Twilight Sparkle” said Celestia as she walked slowly through the big double doors and did not look back.