//------------------------------// // Subject 153: Into Tartarus // Story: Interviews With Equestrians // by Jmaster49 //------------------------------// At last, we were granted an audience with Twilight. Though it took a while since she had to speak to a lot of individuals from all over Equestria. Some griffons, batponies, even her friend Rainbow Dash stopped by. How adorable. When it was our turn, we went inside the throne room without delay. We explained the situation to the purple alicorn, and she responded accordingly. “...Ah. So you think that her entire threat is a bluff?” she asked, “And that Tartarus is the main key to all of this?” “Er, somewhat. I got a tip from a friend that some individuals imprisoned there have met an untimely end. I want to see for myself.” Twilight paused, then blinked in order to process what I said as she looked at me. “...Untimely end? You have reason to believe more prisoners have been murdered?” I nodded. “Indeed. Although Tartarus is far more unpredictable. While absolutely anything could be the source of this issue, I have reason to believe a pattern has formed in order to bait me.” “Wait a second!” her wings poofed outwards from a slight amount of panic, “You know there’s a chance of you being drawn into a nasty situation, yet you’re taking the risk anyway?” Obviously. I wouldn’t be doing this for absolutely no reason or for the chance of potentially dying. I wasn’t foolish. There were higher powers in play here that needed to be dealt with according to the law. And if all went well, one of those laws could be facing a change very soon. I pointed a hoof at Quick and Cork. “My companions are here to help me. They’re arguably smarter than I am when it comes to certain things when it comes to operating in the field, so you have nothing to fear.” From behind me, I heard Quick whisper, “‘Arguably’?” Corkscrew snickered at her expense. I nudged him with one of my hind legs to silence his laughter, and flashed Twilight with a giant smile to ward off any doubts she may have had. She raised a brow, then sighed. I had no idea if it was due to the fact that she was annoyed at her duties and tired, or had little faith in us. Probably both. “Alright. I’ll grant you access to Tartarus. Under one condition?” I put away the fake grin for a more natural, inquisitive stare. “And what will that be?” “You are not allowed to disclose the methods to get there, or the location itself. Understood?” “Absolutely. No issue from me on the subject,” I replied with the support of my crewmates. Twilight nodded, and prepared to cast a powerful magic spell. After a moment or two, her horn lit up with a brilliant purple flash which consumed us all. ZAP! It was so bright that we had to shut our eyes. Borderline dangerous even. Once the effect wore off, we opened our eyes to find a dull stone floor beneath our hooves and a massive wooden gate before us. The opening to the underworld was here. “Here we are,” Twilight pointed a hoof up at the gates, “When you’re ready to return, just come back to this spot and I’ll be ready to bring you back--” Corkscrew interrupted her with a squeal as he flew into the air. “Hot damn! This place is cooler than I thought it’d be!” “...out,” the princess finished her sentence with an annoyed huff. “Any questions?” “Don’t mind him,” Quick Draw commented and stepped forward, “He hasn’t been here before, so he’s taking in the scenery.” I suppose I never mentioned it. But I had actually been in this place before. Once. A long time ago. For an assignment, to be precise. Quick Draw was also with me on that assignment but Corkscrew’s rank simply wasn’t high enough to join us at the time. In all fairness, it wasn’t anything major. It was a simple mission to watch over a specific creature, but I couldn’t exactly remember what it was called. All I knew was that this was a bit familiar. “It’s no trouble at all,” Twilight shook her head, “But do your best and try and come back within two hours. If nothing turns up, then it’s absolutely important that you return since we don’t want any of you to become corrupted from the dark magic that’s sealed away down here.” I put a hoof on my chest, and bowed my head once. “Not a problem. As the leader of this little group, I’ll make sure that we all come back in one piece.” “Good. I leave the rest in your hooves, Pale. We’re all putting a lot of faith in you,” she returned with a smile before she used her magic to teleport away. “Alright, then. Quick Draw,” I turned to her, “Set a timer for two hours. That’s our maximum.” She set the device on her watch for one-hundred and twenty minutes. “On it, Pale.” “Cork!” I called out to the young pegasus, “Stay by us no matter what. Don’t you dare fly off on your own. Got it?” After his fit of excitement, he landed back down next to me. “Understood, boss. But before we get in there, any idea what we’re looking for exactly?” That was a question I simply couldn’t answer. The warning I gained from Babs wasn’t simply something I could ignore. After all, I knew her since we were both little, and she was absolutely not the type of pony to lie or fabricate information. If she had a contact that knew about shady business in Tartarus, then there was shady business in Tartarus. Pure and simple. “I’ll know when I find it,” was all I said before I stepped forward, and pushed those gates open. The sheer power and mass of dark magic already began to weigh down upon me as soon as I stepped hoof in there. But now wasn’t the time for weakness. The creatures of the underworld thrived upon such fear. “Now let’s go.” “Right,” said Cork. “I’m with you,” said Quick. Our descent into madness begins.