One...Two...
Sombra stood outside the door counting to ten in his head. Just moments ago, he had asked Princess Starshine what she would ask of him. Her reply had simply been "Step outside that door and count to ten in your head for me. When you reach ten, re-enter that door."
Eight...such a strange request...Nine...Ten. The door swung open as soon as he reached ten and he stepped through to a very confusing sight. Chrysalis sat at the stone table sipping a cup of steaming tea. Sombra looked behind him at the door. The only door. How did she get here? I was only gone for ten seconds. Chrysalis laughed and looked at Starshine. "You were right! It did take him fifteen minutes for him to finally get here!"
Sombra began to object. "I was only-"
However the glint in the alicorn's amethyst eyes immediately made him backtrack hesitantly. "I mean, I'm sorry I'm late Princess."
Starshine smiled in amusement as she took a sip of tea. "Mmmm, yes, time in Tartarus can get away from you if you aren't careful. However, you are here now, so let us begin."
Chrysalis sat in silence, mulling over what just occurred in her mind.
***
"This isn't Tartarus, Chrysalis."
Chrysalis just stared at Starshine. The princess sat before her a half-thestral, half-alicorn hybrid calmly sipping some tea. "I don't understand, what are you talking about daughter of-"
Chrysalis halted mid-sentence. A sense of imminent doom suddenly traveled down her spine as Starshine's eyes narrowed. She quickly corrected herself. "Er forgive me, Starshine. Starshine what do you mean this is not Tartarus?"
Starshine's voice was cold as ice and yet warm as a hearth's fire. "Don't misunderstand me, this place we reside in is indeed called Tartarus by the ponies and creatures of Equestria, but this-"
Gesturing around herself, she continued. "Is not the eternal punishment you believe it to be. This Tartarus is nothing more than a prison for the lost. Those who lost their way but have not yet committed to either the path of harmony or the path of malice. All this place is, is a gateway to the next destination. Be it the Otherside or the Underworld. Where the lost soul goes however, is the convicts choice. The key that sends them there, however, is me. Understood?"
***
Chrysalis took a sip of the special tea she had watched Starshine brew for her. She could taste the exquisite taste of Cadence's crystallized love magic. Delicious, but why go through such trouble for us? That can't have been easy to obtain. Her musings were interrupted by Starshine's voice. She was sitting in her alicorn form, and her voice was so lovely, Chrysalis could almost taste it. "You are probably wondering why you are both here rather than my typical Realm of Recall. The answer is simply I have decided to try another way to reach you. You see, I am here to judge you, no not your actions but your literal soul. Or rather I would be-"
Starshine shrugged and continued. "But neither of you possess one. Normally that would conclude this lovely tea time. The problem is I am as stubborn as I am patient. I have decided to show you where you; your bodies as well as souls, currently in my partner's possession, will be sent should your path of self torment continue."
As she continued speaking, Chrysalis noticed the room slowly changing and growing dimmer as the horn on the alicorn's head began to glow. As the eternally burning candles in the walls went out one by one, the sound of crashing thunder was heard. Afterwards, a rather unsettling laughter issued from within the complete darkness, followed by a voice that caused Chrysalis and Sombra to shake uncontrollably. "HAHAHAHA! Come, follow me as we descend into the real Tartarus!"
***
Chrysalis blinked at the scene before her eyes. Shadowy forms were on all sides of her. She seemed to be at some sort of concert judging by the stage in front of the massive crowd. "Where am I?"
That smell. It's as if a supply of love had been tainted and left to fester in it's own malice. Her nostrils were aflame with the scent of rotting meat. It made her want to vomit. There was no sky and looking down, she saw no floor. Just an endless void. Excuse me can you-"
Chrysalis shouted at the strange figures around her.It was no use, no matter how hard she tried she could not get the attention of any of the strange creatures. A silky, sultry voice whispered in her ear, causing her to jump. "This way sweetie."
Chrysalis turned and found herself staring into the crimson eyes of Starshine's thestral form. The princess seemed to be enjoying herself as she said. "Watch the stage. I've made sure none of these...things...can see us."
Turning her head to glance at Sombra, she saw him standing wide-eyed, mouth open in astonishment staring at the stage. Slowly she too turned to look at the stage, and what she saw startled her. There on the stage stood an alicorn. Her alabaster colored hide bore the mark of an inkwell, her wings were fully flared wide, reaching an impressive seven feet in length. Her mane and tail were a rich burgundy, and her eyes were an opaque teal. "Faust"
The crowd spoke her name in unison, not in anger but in a tone of absolute sorrow. As the alicorn stood there before a strange creature upon the stage, Hazel appeared and stood beside her. It was a strange sight to see but as Faust began speaking, suddenly Chrysalis understood. "My child, you have committed the most atrocious of sins. For the thousands of years since your death, I have tried to reason with you. I have begged for you to repent, pleaded for you to feel remorse. Sadly though, you insisted upon your being in the right. Now it has come to this. I can no longer help you-"
Her words were soft, yet boomed across the sea of figures. Tears slowly fell from Faust's eyes as she wrapped the strange creature before her in a motherly hug and concluded her statement. "You are no longer my child; you have been Forsaken."
Her words conveyed her judgement and her tone conveyed her sorrow. As she turned to leave however, a voice sounded from the crowd. "Please Faust forgive me!"
It was then that Hazel who had wrapped a supportive draconic wing across her sister's back, stepped forward and showed why she was known as the Queen of Destruction. "HOW DARE YOU!"
Her voice was so loud and filled with venom that figures in front of the stage were knocked down by it. Quickly, every figure tried to move away from the speaker. "YOU, WHO REFUSED MY SISTER'S KINDNESS. YOU, WHO COMMITTED CRIMES AGAINST NOT THE MORTAL REALM BUT AGAINST MY SISTER AND I! YOU ARE NOT HERE TO LEARN A LESSON; YOU SCUM! EVERY SINGLE ONE OF YOU IS HERE BECAUSE YOUR VERY EXISTENCE HAS BEEN DEEMED A BLOT ON THE PAGES OF THE MORTAL REALM ITSELF! "
Chrysalis turned to ask Starshine a question but stayed silent as the light of adoration sparkled in those crimson eyes. What Hazel said next really stunned the former ruler of the changlings. Her voice was like a whip and every word she blasted throughout the scene felt like being slashed with thorns. "YOUR TIME FOR REPENTING AND REMORSE HAVE PASSED. YOU HEATHENS FAILED TO HEED HER WORDS AND NOW THAT THE CONSEQUENCES FOR YOUR DISPLAYS OF CELESTIAL TREASON HAVE BEGUN YOU WANT FORGIVENESS? IT'S TOO LATE! YOU LOST YOUR CHANCE, NOW YOU WILL SUFFER FOR IT! THIS IS THE END OF YOUR STORY! NOW REAP WHAT YOU HAVE SEWN!"
Chrysalis felt a stinging pain with each word spoken. A warm feeling spread from where the pain was felt. Raising a hoof to her cheek, she pulled it away and discovered it was covered with a dark crimson hue. Quickly she turned her head to look at Sombra. The shadowmancer had been eviscerated and was bleeding from many cuts upon his hide. Screams of agony arose from the crowd confirming to Chrysalis that it wasn't just them. Meanwhile, a glance at Starshine revealed her smiling with genuine happiness, not a single cut upon her thestral hide.
Starshine spoke softly, the flush on her cheeks showing her pleasure. "That felt sooo good."
The thestral quickly took note of Chrysalis and Sombra's wounds. "Oh right. Well, I think you understand now."
Her horn began to glow and the three were suddenly sitting at the stone table once more. Chrysalis looked around and noticed Sombra staring at her. "Stop staring at me!"
"You aren't bleeding."
Sombra's words sounded so surprised for something so obvious. Well of course I'm not...Wait a minute I'm not bleeding! Neither is he! It was true, as Chrysalis stared at Sombra, she recalled the wounds he had suffered, and yet there wasn't a mark on his hide. Quickly she examined her own self. All the pain and cuts were gone, as if they never happened. That's when the sound of wincing caught her attention from beside her. The ex-queen turned her head, and what she saw took her breath away.
Starshine sat in her alicorn form, completely eviscerated from muzzle to hooves, smiling weakly as her wounds dripped a dark crimson onto the table and floor. Her horn was glowing as she winced and tears fell. Her voice was a bit weaker and unsteady as well. "She really...got you...both...didn't she?"
With a groan, Starshine's eyes closed. A small smile of warmth and love appeared upon her muzzle, as her head fell onto the table unmoving. As the two at the table watched in frozen shock, the surface of the table slowly began to turn a much darker red from the blood oozing from the still form. Strangely enough however, the horn was still aglow.