Equestria Girls: Friendship Souls

by thatguyvex


Episode 133: What the Hell?

Episode 133: What the Hell?

It wasn’t until she landed in the front drive of her family’s manor that the full weight of bone deep exhaustion from the day’s events truly hit Twilight like a steam roller. Looking at the familiar front doors of the ivory white manor, doors she’d walked in and out of for countless days of normal drudgery only now emphasized how much had happened since she’d been a relatively carefree teenager. 

She beat back the soul sapping tiredness with a deep breath and marched up the steps towards the manor doors. Behind her she was followed by a procession of her allies, from Sugarcoat and the rest of Twilight’s field team, to Filthy Rich and Cadence still dragging along their prisoners. With Sapphire Shores unable to fully return to a human form, Twilight had led the group on a wide, circular route to get to the manor, hopefully avoiding being seen by anyone. From what she’d seen, most in the rich residential manor district had remained in their homes during the attack on Canterlot City, and few had ventured out even after things had settled down. That suited Twilight just fine. 

She halted, surprised as the front door opened before she got to it, and an elderly man she knew well stepped out. His narrow features and well trimmed white moustache matched his slim eyes and straight, professional haircut. His black and white butler suit was immaculate as ever. The man bowed to her as Twilight halted in front of him.

“Milady.”

“Robert, is something the matter? I mean, besides the obvious?” Twilight asked, making a vague gesture at herself and those that followed her. Given that almost none of them were unscathed from the battles at Everfree, Twilight wouldn’t be surprised if Robert was alarmed to some degree, but he came out to greet them before he’d seen their state, so something else had to be amiss.

This much was confirmed by the way he gave the group a distressed, if well hidden, look of worry but then glanced back to the manor’s interior, his voice a forced kind of calm, “You have a guest, milady. He told me to inform you to meet him in your father’s parlor as soon as you arrived.”

“A guest? How long has he been here, and who is he?” Twilight asked, already probing with her spiritual senses to see if she could pick up the guest’s reiatsu. She found it, a thick dark ocean of patient, if boiling spirit energy that she knew quite well by this point, so Robert’s response did not catch her off guard.

“It is His Majesty,” Robert said, keeping his tone level, but one could see he was a tad out of sorts to have the King here, “He only arrived minutes before you did.”

He must already have some idea of what’s happened, Twilight knew. After all, to a degree, they had planned things out together. Not to the detail of knowing how everything would occur, or even if everything would occur, but Sombra had known that while Twilight and her research team were deployed to Canterlot City that there was a chance the assassins would strike again. That was why he’d authorized Cadence’s posting at the Hueco Mundo side of the Silburn alongside Shining Armor, and approved Twilight’s use of Adagio’s minions to facilitate travel without using the Quincy’s artificial Garganta portal. 

He would have known something had triggered the moment Cadence departed the Silburn, and furthermore Sombra likely would have guessed what was happening the moment he felt Hoity Toity’s soul being absorbed after the Sternritter had been killed by Rarity. So it wasn’t surprising he knew, only that he’d made a point of coming here himself. Wasn’t this risky? If the Soul Reapers realized Sombra was in town, wouldn’t that simply raise tensions?

Then again, Sombra was concealing his reiatsu to a degree, Twilight could tell. It was there for someone in close proximity to find if they were looking for it, but chances were a Soul Reaper would need to be all but on top of the manor to realize the Quincy King was here. 

And in some ways, this was more convenient than having to return all the way to the Silburn. Until Quincy developed more convenient portal technology of their own, moving around the living world still required relatively slow moving vehicles, unless it was in a local area where Hirenkyau served better. Now that Sombra was here, she could get this ugly business with Sapphire Shores and her fellow conspirators over and done with. Depending on how that went, she’d then sort out the best way to bring the notion of peace talks with Soul Society up with him.

But first...

“Thank you, Robert,” she said with a nod, “Why don’t you brew us up several pots of tea, or better yet, some coffee? I have more than a few things I need to discuss with Sombra.”

“I gathered as much, milady,” Robert said, giving those behind Twilight an insightful stare before bowing once more and turning to stand aside and hold the door open for her, “At any rate, welcome home.”

“Yes, it’s... good to be back.”

For however long it lasted. 

----------

Sunset stared at Discord expectantly, and when he didn’t immediately follow up his ominous words with further explanation she gave him an impatient glower and held out a hand, “Well?”

“Well what?” he said, and she groaned.

“Do I actually have to ask!? Are you going to explain what  you mean by ‘That’s not all Hell does’?”

“Yeah,” said Applejack, her voice containing an uneasy waver, “That ain’t the kind o’ line ya just leave people hangin’ on.”

Discord’s mouth twitched in what might have been a darkly humored grin, but he suppressed it and made a gesture towards the holographic display of Hell, “I just wanted to see you girls’ immediate reactions and assumptions, first. I understand that for most of you there’s elements to spiritual mechanics and the way the spirit realms are set up that are still vague and esoteric, at best. Each of you probably has a preconceived notion of what ‘Hell’ is and what it exists for. Since we’re diving elbow deep into this sphincter of cosmology, I really do want to know what you all think of Hell before I delve further.”

It was a broad question, to say the least.

For Sunset, well... Hell was a relatively new concept. In Equestria there really was no such thing. Tartaros sort of filled a similar role as a place where the various worst evils of the world were kept locked up, but that was a real, physical prison. Given how little Equestrian culture even dealt with the notion of the afterlife, the idea of an eternal prison where souls were tormented for all time due to their misdeeds in life was a tad much for Sunset to get her head wrapped around. In Equestria the idea of torture as a punishment was antithetical to a culture that largely cherished peace, life, and the ideal that any creature deserved a chance to better itself. Not that this meant that those who consistently demonstrated an unwillingness to even try to change, or simply went too far down the path of evil wouldn’t be punished; again usually by incarceration in Tartaros. But Tartaros wasn’t a place of torture. Boredom, mostly, but it’s prisoners were not tormented by lakes of fire or red hot pokers or any number of other things Sunset recalled reading concerning the human concept of Hell. Really, Tartaros wasn’t even meant as a punishment so much as just the only safe place to keep those who consistently showed themselves to be a threat to society at large, and equal lack of desire to change.

She wondered, sometimes, if she hadn’t been stopped by Princess Twilight and managed to get anywhere with her asinine plan to invade Equestria with demonic teenagers if she would have been banished to Tartaros after getting defeated by Celestia and Luna. Sunset assumed the alicorn Princesses would have beaten her, at any rate, and some part of Sunset still felt her mentor wouldn’t have been very forgiving of her. She still might not...

Sunset shook the thought off, and glanced at her friends. These girls had grown up in a world where ‘Hell’ was a fairly normal part of their culture, to one degree or another. Most religions had some variation of it, and in Sunset’s experience even the least religious among humans still had a wider range of ideas of what might be considered acceptable punishment for evildoers. Equestria didn’t even have a death penalty, by comparison. 

Out of all of them, it was Fluttershy who spoke first, her light soprano voice casting a soothing balm on the grim topic, “I can’t say I’ve ever really liked the idea of, um... that place. Every soul is on it’s own journey of growth and discovery, and while yes there are those who end up on dark and harmful paths, I’ve always thought that even the worst among them do as much harm to themselves as they do others. I feel pity for them, and feel it’s best to help guide them back to a better path. That doesn’t mean letting them do as they please, of course, but to just abandon a soul to a place of eternal misery, forever? It’s just so... wasteful, and cruel, even if it’s being done to cruel souls.”

Applejack made a grunting noise, her hand tugging her stetson hat over her eyes a bit as she looked at the display of Hell with seeking eyes, as if she was trying to spot some hidden truth amid the dark spiral, “I git what yer tryin’ ta say, hun, but ain’t so sure if I feel the same. Some folk deserve a second crack at betterin’ themselves, sure. Heck we got Sunset standin’ here as livin’ proof o’ that. But... there’s gotta be a line ya just can’t cross, where there ain’t no more chances. Grandfisher? Ain’t losin’ no sleep at the thought o’ him takin’ a burnin’ dip in this Hell or any other fer that matter.”

Fluttershy’s serene features didn’t crack, but she did close her eyes and nod, “I understand why you feel that way, I just don’t think I hold the same feelings.”

“Would ya if it’d been yer parents that’d been murdered?” Applejack said heatedly, but Rainbow Dash stepped up and put a hand between then.

“Hey now, Fluttershy isn’t saying anything other than she’s got a bit of pity for just about anyone, and we all know that’s how she is. It’s cool, right?”

Applejack blew out a sigh, nodding, “I git it. Just... hot button topic.”

“Which is precisely my point,” Discord interjected, “We’re talking about something fundamental to all cultures, everywhere. The fate of souls, both good and evil, or anywhere in between. Indeed, the very notion of what constitutes a soul that can still be saved, versus one that is beyond salvaging and hence ‘deserves’ eternal damnation. This is not a light topic to discuss over Sunday brunch, ladies. Everyone, regardless of background, religion, creed, or experience has a very different notion of where they stand on this topic. I wanted you all to understand each other’s feelings on this before I blew the lid off of what Hell really is.”

“Don’t have much of an opinion,” Rainbow Dash said, shrugging, “I mean, I’ve never had time to even think about it. Universe kind of handles itself, you know, and all I do is be my awesome self and kick butt where I need to. Punch ‘em all and let the people getting paid to sort out the afterlife mess. But, uh, I guess Hell kinda sounds like a crumby place, but that’s kind of the point of it?”

“I’ve certainly heard my fair share with the few times I’ve been to church,” said Rarity, her expression pensive as she too gazed at the projection, “But like you, Rainbow, I’ve never given the matter any serious thought. Theology is not part of my day to day routine. At any rate, Discord, you’ve implied that Hell doesn’t solely serve as a prison for damned souls. I don’t think you’re likely to get much more insight into our thoughts without telling us more.”

“You definitely won’t get insight out of me!” said Pinkie Pie, tapping her head with a knuckle, “This whole thing goes waaaaaay over my head.”

A shadow rose from her and formed into a Pinkamena clone, who leaned on Pinkie Pie with a shark-like smile, but an affectionate one, “I think if you ended up in Hell for even five minutes, Pinks, you have the place converted into a rave in no time.”

“There’s a lot of grumpy souls there that’d need cheering up, that’s for sure.”

Finally, Clover stepped around to the other side of the table, eyes glued to the display with a more analytical eye than the other girls, “It’s strange. Looking at this... you said these are blueprints?”

“Indeed,” confirmed Discord, his fingers smoothly flying over a few keys at his computer, “This is the smallest, most ‘zoomed out’ the display can show, but I can show significantly more detail at specific areas, if you like. Something caught your eye?”

“Not in any specific area, but more the broader style of what I’m seeing,” said Clover, flickers of deep thought sparking in her eyes as she leaned over the table, peering at the spiral of Hell, “It’s as if this system was designed as a... filter? No, not a filter... more like a refinery.”

Sunset tried to see whatever Clover was talking about, but to her eyes the image of Hell that was currently being displayed only resembled a ominously dark and uneven spiral. Sure, if she looked closely she could pick out strange layers within the spiral, along with images of unusual and jagged formations the purpose of which she couldn’t begin to decipher, but that was it. Then again, Clover had trained extensively with the spiritual mechanics upon which the spirit realms operated, and was a member of the Twelfth Division which dealt specifically with this kind of “spirit science”. Clover was clearly able to see meaning amid this that Sunset couldn’t, no more than someone who’d never studied computer science wouldn’t be able to make sense of code just by looking at the symbols. 

“Could you guys try to put this in basic layman terms for those of us here who don’t have backgrounds in this kind of stuff?” she asked, and Clover’s cheeks heated up as she glanced at Discord, who in turn took on a formal tone that would’ve only been complete if he’d been standing in front of a blackboard with a piece of chalk to begin a class lecture.

“Clover is correct in her basic assertion that what you’re looking at here is a refinery of sorts. A processing plant, if you will, whose main function is the gradual breakdown and refining of the basic energy of the soul; reishi particles.”

“Okay...” Sunset said, her mind churning, “How? Why? I thought Hell was a prison, not a factory. What would they be making there?”

“Ah, you’re not quite understanding,” Discord said, and he pressed a few buttons. The image of Hell changed, zooming in to the upper-most layer of the spiral. Suddenly the display shifted, revealing a vast, seeming infinite landscape of what looked like a forest of enormous, square shaped pillars. The pillars were interested by stone pathways and bridges, some as wide as several highways, others as narrow as a back city alley or catwalk. There seemed no obvious bottom to the space the pillars occupied, and the “sky” was a voluminous black with no features. 

“This is the first layer of Hell. The first place any damned soul arrives at after deemed unfit for the reincarnation cycle,” Discord said, “It is here that they are hunted.”

A shift in the image showed figures appearing in the landscape. Humanoid figures that Sunset guessed represented “damned souls'', which ran about the place, seeming at random. Only soon she realized it wasn’t random at all. They were fleeing. Fleeing from the images of massive giants that stalked among the pillars and walkways with robotic efficiency. These things had brawny, human-like builds, but only their arms and legs were filled out with thick ropes of gray muscle. Their torso’s were instead bleached bones, leading up to elongated, inhuman skulls were cold yellow lights burned in their otherwise black eye sockets. The only other notable aspect of them were the banded layers of armor on their right shoulders, akin to the pauldron of a samurai’s armor. The giants wielded vast, curved blades, very akin to tree-sized cleavers, and wore chains around their thick arms. These giants stalked and smashed the souls they chased, relentlessly.

“Charmin’ lookin’ bunch,” Applejack noted, and Discord let out a laugh without humor.

“Those are the Kushinada. Hell’s jailors. As you can see, they seek out and kill the ‘Sinners’ of Hell without rest or mercy. Over and over again.”

“Uh, waitasec,” Pinkie Pie piped up, “If they ‘kill’ the baddies, what happens to them? Do they go to Double Hell?”

“No. You see, Hell is an interesting place. It regenerates the soul of a Sinner killed by the Kushinada, or even by other Sinners. No matter how badly mangled, burned, or outright pulverized your spirit body is, as a Sinner you’ll always regenerate back to ‘health’. All so the Kushinada can kill you again. And again. And again. You get the idea.”

“Ain’t sure I do, D-man,” Rainbow Dash said, “I mean, sure it sounds pretty sucky, but isn’t it also kinda nice of Hell to just keep giving those dudes new bodies? It’s like a video game with infinite respawns. Painful, I guess, but not the worst thing I can imagine.”

On a surface level Sunset understood what Rainbow Dash meant, but something seemed very wrong here. She thought about what Clover and Discord said about Hell breaking down and refining spirit energy. Where was that energy coming from? There was only one obvious answer, and it left an unsettling feeling in her gut.

“Rainbow,” she said, “I think there’s more to it when a Sinner gets killed by a Kushinada. Discord?”

He gave her a solemn look, “Correct, Sunset Shimmer. You see, every single time a Sinner is killed, a small portion of their spirit body is drained, like a grain of sand. That portion is filtered down to the next layer, weakening the Sinner’s resolve and will. Eventually a Sinner who dies thousands, tens of thousands of times, loses more and more of themselves, until the last iota of their will is gone. They’ll sink further down the spiral, becoming more empty, until finally their spirit loses cohesion completely and the whole of their soul becomes nothing more than base reishi particles, filtered to the very bottom tip of the spiral.”

A weighty silence followed, broken only but Fluttershy’s small gasp as the implications of what Discord said started to work its way through the girls’ minds. Sunset found her lips pressing tight in an attempt to contain a growing sense of sickness inside her.

“What you’re telling me is that Hell is processing it’s prisoners. Breaking down their souls into... just base spirit particles? Isn’t that...” she gulped, swallowing bile, “Isn’t that way worse than just killing them? Or torturing them? Or... anything else?”

“Depending on one’s personal philosophy, it could be seen as the absolute worst thing one could do to a soul,” Discord said, “Especially considering it’s other implications.”

“What other implications would that be?” Rarity asked, very quietly, her eyes having a haunted look about them. 

“Well, for one, this is rather similar to the supposed threat the Quincy represent by destroying Hollow souls,” said Discord, “One of the reasons Hell doesn’t supposedly imbalance the reincarnation cycle is because the souls imprisoned there still exist, and hence Hell can be counter-weighted by the souls in Soul Society. But if the souls of Sinners are being gradually destroyed, that rather shoots a giant hole in that presumption, and is something I’d think more than a few would want to question Central 46 about. However, the other, much larger implication is a different question altogether...”

He pointed towards the bottom of Hell’s spiral, “If Hell has been destroying souls to their base component particles for thousands of years, filtering endless reishi towards it’s bottom... just what is the intent behind gathering all of that energy? Because with a few simple calculations I can give a rough estimate on how much spirit energy has been getting stored down there over the millennia, and let me tell you, it’s a lot. Enough to do mind boggling things with, if someone was so inclined. Now, who can we guess might have a use for a, as I said, mind boggling amount of power, squeeze out of the Sinners for thousands of years?”

“Zero Division,” Sunset said with a dry  mouth, “But why? They’re already so powerful, and effectively run the show! What do they need to do this for!? It doesn’t make sense.”

“It does if you know Glory like I do,” Discord replied, his eyes gaining a hazy, distant look, “Talk to the woman for ten minutes and you’ll understand; she believes in making the world into what she thinks it should be, and is willing to go to any length to do so. I never realized just how far she’d go, but after seeing this, I can see her fingerprints all over Hell’s design. Remember girls, there was a time before Soul Society. A time when even Hell didn’t exist. The system as it stands was all built by Zero Division. Even the Soul Reapers themselves, and the methods through which they curate the reincarnation cycle. It’s all connected to this.”

He gestured again at the display, sinking into his chair, “Zanpaktou, as well, were designed as a part of this system. Let me show you.”

After a few more seconds the display shifted to show an image that Sunset was familiar with. It was the eerie, massive doors that she’d seen appear when she and the girls had defeated the snake-like Hollow in the early days of their training. The Gates of Hell, bordered by two grim, giant skeletons with horns rising from their grinning skulls. Discord pressed some keys and the Gates of Hell displayed lines of kanji script along their sides.

“There’s a coded system for entering and even exiting Hell,” Discord said, “And Zanpaktou are designed to transmit these codes under certain conditions. Specifically during the Konso ritual, a Zanpaktou will scan the soul that Konso is being performed on to seek out certain groupings of reishi particles. These groupings generally only exist in souls that have committed horrible acts of evil, which have a direct affect on the soul’s basic configuration. You can’t perform an act like murder without it affecting your soul, and Zanpaktou look for those marks. Upon finding them, the code is transmitted, summoning the Gates of Hell to acquire the soul.”

“We’ve seen that go down,” Rainbow Dash said, crossing her arms, “Not a pretty sight, but... well, it’s Hell, so that figures.”

“Indeed, but consider this,” Discord said, “What if those reishi groupings weren’t the only thing a Zanpaktou was designed to look for?”

“What do you mean?” Flutteshy asked, “What else could anyone want to look for...” she trailed off as her eyes widened, “Wait, you don’t mean-!?”

“Sunburst,” Sunset said, “Why was he sent to Hell?”

Discord’s face gained a stony look as he pointed out several lines of kanji script within the Gates, “Deciphering these markings has told me this much; Zanpaktou look for signs within souls other than acts of evil. I’m still working out the meaning of these other groupings, but at least one of them contains the symbol of a former Noble Families amid Seireitei’s social strata.”

“Former Noble Family?” Sunset said, thinking back, “I remember Platinum was part of one. So was Blueblood... that Daring Doo lady, too, right?”

“And Hurricane,” mentioned Rainbow Dash.

“Right. Ditzy Doo is from Daring’s Family of Doo. There were five Noble Families that helped found Seireitei, and from which other lesser noble families branched; Blood, Storm, Platinum, Doo, and Star.”

“Star? I don’t recall meeting anyone from that Noble Family,” said Rarity, “Not that we had a lot of chances to mingle with Seireitei’s nobility, but it seemed at least one Captain from each Family was present in the Gotei 13.”

“Correct. It’s been tradition practically from the start that representatives from each Family be part of the Gotei 13, and their talents alone usually guaranteed eventually Captaincy,” said Discord, “Which makes sense when  you also know that each of the original five Noble Families were blood-related to each member of the Zero Division.”

“You’re kidding?” Applejack muttered, “Them jerks have family down in Seireitei, an’ they’re pullin’ crap like this!?”

“The blood relations are distant at this juncture,” said Discord, “Mostly through cousins. I’m not certain any of the Zero Division have surviving children, or even direct descendants.”

“But you said there was a former Noble Family?” Sunset pressed.

“The Star Family. Their record was largely wiped after a failed rebellion in the early days of Soul Society,” Discord replied, “Ditzy and I have only been able to scrape together bits and pieces, but from what we have pulled together, there was a vocal dispute over the formation of Central 46, which the Star Family staunchly opposed. So much so, in fact, that they attempted an armed takeover of Seireitei. It, uh, didn’t end well as I’m sure you can imagine. Far as the records show, none of the Family survived. Most still know they existed, but as a noble family, they’re essentially extinct.”

“But they would’ve reincarnated,” Sunset ventured, “Is this related to Sunburst?”

“That is my current theory,” Discord said, “Because the only reason I can think of for the Star Family’s symbol to be part of the coded registry of souls being sought by Hell would be that the Zero Division wanted to crush the spirit of rebellion entirely. If Sunburst was a reincarnation of one of the Star Family, then that would explain why he was taken to Hell, despite committing no crimes.”

“No different than roundin’ up folk ya don’t like ta toss ‘em into death camps,” Applejack spat, “Now I’m gettin’ on board with havin’ an issue with the way this Hell runs. It ain’t a’ place fer servin’ up justice, it’s a damn self-servin’ affront ta decency!”

“So, what, putting ‘evil’ souls there is just a cover for getting rid of people they don’t like, or think are threats, while also serving double-duty as a place to generate this massive pool of spirit energy?” said Pinkie Pie in a moment of clear thinking, her face making a disgusted grimace as if chewing on something rotten, “That’s just super-duper gross.”

“Yeah, that’s the kind of evil I can’t even make fun of,” said Pinkamena, “And I used to think I was pretty bad, but I’m borderline cuddly compared to this crap.”

Sunset’s thoughts turned towards Starlight Glimmer, and she felt an uncomfortable moment of understanding for the woman who’d played such a large role in turning her and her friends' lives upside down. It cut at her like a barb, because one way or another she still had to face and stop Starlight, but...

“I can see now why Starlight Glimmer did what she did,” Sunset admitted with a small grimace, “If I found this out the way she had, after seeing my best friend dragged to that Hell, I might have gone the same route. If she learned this on her own, she had no reason to trust anyone in Soul Society.”

“She thought ya were in on this giant pile o’ wrong n’ a can, right Discord?” Applejack asked, not disagree with Sunset’s statement at all. Discord had a pained, shamed look shadowing his face.

“Most likely, yes. Not long before Starlight went rogue, I’d been invited to the Soul Palace to meet with Glory. I didn’t divulge any details of that meeting to anyone except Ditzy. Even when Starlight pressed me, I kept her in the dark.”

“Why?” Sunset asked, but Rainbow Dash answered before Discord.

“Same reason my mother flew the coop without a damn word, right? She was protecting me and dad from Zero Division snooping around. I bet you didn’t tell Starlight anything because you didn’t want these Zero Jerkwads suspecting she knew too much and coming after her.”

Discord smiled in a wane, sad manner as he tapped his nose, “On the nose, Miss Dash. While I had no idea the actual extent of what Zero Division was doing, that meeting with Glory did clue me in to the fact that something was dreadfully amiss, and the last thing I wanted was Starlight being targeted. I just failed to predict how far she’d dig into the truth herself, the assumptions she’d make about me as a result, and the spectacularly catastrophic manner in which she’d run amok on her own.”

“An’ good reasons or not, don’t change the fact that we gotta stop her,” said Applejack.

“If only so we can show her we understand, and hopefully convince her to work with us to put an end to what Zero Division is doing,” said Fluttershy with a voice filled with steady conviction. 

“Assuming she’ll listen to reason,” Rarity said, “But that’s a bridge to cross when we get to it. Discord, I’m most curious, just what was your meeting with this ‘Glory’ person about, and what can you tell us about her?”

Discord leaned back in his chair, sucking in a breath, “The first bit is easy enough to answer, but the second question poses a more complicated challenge. There was a time when Zero Division was not quite as reclusive as it is today, and Soul Society would get semi-regular visits from one or more of its members. That was how I met Glory, when she personally inspected the progress of Hitsuyo-Aku’s development. Skipping the details of that for now, fast forward to when Starlight was acting as a Substitute Soul Reaper under Twelfth Division and I was summoned to the Soul Palace. A very rare, if not entirely unheard of event, a Captain being invited ‘up top’ for one reason or another. In my case, Glory invited me to join Zero Division. When I pressed her upon why, she told me she wished me to use my talents at her side to, and I quote her precisely; ‘Provide the architecture of a new universe that will be free of all evil’.”

“That sounds... vaguely ominous and crazy,” Sunset said, and Discord’s snaggle toothed smirk was strained.

“I had similar feelings on the matter. My danger bells further went off when Glory decided not to provide me with further details until after I agreed to join. Given I already had misgivings about Hitsuyo-Aku by then, courtesy of my growing care for you girls’ mothers, I decided to decline Glory’s offer. Honestly I’m somewhat surprised she let me leave the Soul Palace alive after that.”

“Zero Division seems to let a lot of things slide,” Rarity noted, “This information you and Ditzy acquired, for example. Or letting Starlight cause all the ruckus she has. I get the impression they could have wiped out anything they perceived as a threat with relative ease.”

“Just so,” Discord confirmed, his eyes gaining a perturbed light, “You asked what Glory was like, and I’m stumped on how to explain her. Imagine Captain Celestia, but without the compunctions our dear kind hearted Captain has concerning using, or indeed abusing her power. Glory had a way of showing the same kind of... innate motherliness Celestia exudes, but with an added sense that she was judging everything around her and found it wanting.”

“Sounds like a real stick in the mud,” said Pinkie Pie.

“Perhaps the largest stick in the largest pile of mud in the whole of reality,” Discord said with a shrug, “I certainly don’t recall ever getting her to laugh, even with my off brand sense of humor.”

“Don’t take this the wrong way, D-man, but why did she want you for her club of megalomaniacal jerks anyway?” said Rainbow Dash, “Did anybody else ever get an invite?”

“Not that I know of,” replied Discord, “And as for the ‘why’ of it, I’m honestly not certain. I mean, I am brilliant, obviously, and devilishly handsome to boot, but it caught me off guard when Glory made the request. Brilliant as I am, I didn’t imagine there was anything I could do that Zero Division couldn’t.”

“Surely you must have asked,” inquired Rarity, “I know I certainly would have.”

“True, I did ask why Glory chose me, but on that subject she clammed up even tighter than on the details concerning her plans. She merely insisted she’d tell me once I agreed to join, and assured me I wouldn’t regret doing so.”

At Discord’s words, Sunset gave a helpless shrug, “I don’t think we’ll really know for sure what’s going through the head of someone who thinks a Hell like this is a good idea. Right now it doesn’t actually matter why Zero Division is doing this. I’d say it’s pretty clear they have to be taken down. We all on that same page?”

There were nods all around, each of her friends having varying expressions. Applejack’s brows were scrunched in deep consternation and the farmgirl looked to be wrestling internally with her thoughts. Rainbow Dash’s eyes were sharp and alight with tension and anger, like she was already anticipating the fight to come. Fluttershy’s smooth features bore a concerned shadow in the depths of her eyes, as if even her recently attained state of calm zen couldn’t stay entirely serene with the new information they had. Pinkie Pie and Pinkamena were exchanging meaningful looks, as if the pair were drawing strength from each other, and mutually agreeing that Zero Division had to go down. Rarity looked the most wound up of all of them, but was composing herself remarkably well.

Then Sunset’s eyes rested on Clover, and she blinked to see her Soul Reaper friend standing stock still, staring into the holographic display with her gray hands perched on the table with a white-knuckled grip.

“Clover?” Sunset asked in a quiet voice, realizing Clover had been keeping relatively quiet.

There was a rough shiver in Clover’s shoulders as she closed her eyes, and everyone else looked to her now as well.

“Ya alright, sugarcube?” Applejack said.

“No,” Clover said, “No I’m not. I’m... far from alright...”

Her hands shook on the table, and Clover, in a rather uncharacteristic display, gave a sudden shout and slammed a fist onto the table’s surface, a burst of reiatsu gushing off her as her eyes filled with tears of frustration. 

“They were using us! All this time, we were supposed to be protecting the ‘balance’! We’re supposed to be the ones who guard the natural order of the afterlife, for the safety of everyone, and... and it’s all for this!” 

She threw her hands at the flickering image of Hell, and Clover shook her head, the pain twisting her voice, “I wanted to believe what we were doing was right, you know? That even if Soul Society isn’t perfect, we were still serving as the good and correct custodians of the world’s souls. But we aren’t. We’re just... stooges. Dupes. Zero Division has tricked us into being their private army of soul wranglers, all so this disgusting machine can churn out raw spirit energy like a damned mill grinding grist!”

“Yeaaaah,” Rainbow said, “I guess finding out your whole life is kinda based on a lie sucks the big one, doesn’t it- OW! Applejack, hey!”

“Ya deserved it,” Applejack said, after having given Rainbow’s shin a swift kick, “Don’t go rubbin’ it in her face, ya dolt.”

Sunset came up to Clover quickly, holding her friend around the shoulders in a comforting grip, “Hey, listen to me, whatever Zero Division is responsible for, that doesn’t change that you and other Soul Reapers haven’t had their hearts in the right place. You’ve protected plenty of souls from being devoured by Hollows, don’t forget that.”

“And sent many others, Hollows included, into this very prison designed to break down souls for their raw energy,” Clover replied, her voice evening out as she tried to get a grip on the emotions that had slipped away from her, “I know where the fault lies, Sunset, and I don’t think it’s likely many among Seireitei could have figured this out on their own if the Zero Division was trying to keep a lid on it, but... it hurts. Like I’ve spent my whole life fighting for the wrong things and didn’t even know it.”

Sunset could only hold her friend tighter, but Rarity spoke up suddenly, “This does raise a question, and not to try and take away from what you’re feeling Clover, but how come this information hasn’t been discovered until now? From the conversation earlier with Medley I got the impression she knew that you were aware of this, Discord.”

“In all likelihood, yes, she did,” Discord said, leaning forward and grasping his beard quizzically with one hand, “I’m rather unsure of what game she’s playing at, either. Ditzy’s sojourn into Seireitei was meant to try and retrace Starlight’s steps and find whatever it was that Starlight had found that precipitated her actions, and I’ve no doubt it was these blueprints of Hell that did that. Ditzy found them behind many layers of protection, and I think she was surprised herself that Medley took no action to try and stop her from removing the records. More strange was the fact the records were there to find at all. Why would Glory allow these to sit in one of Seireitei’s archives, even the most restricted and heavily protected ones? Unless she didn’t put them there at all, and Medley did.”

“But why do that?” pressed Rarity, “Given Clovers reaction, I can only assume most Soul Reapers in the Gotei 13 would have a similar response to learning this information.”

“Which is exactly why you want these peace talks,” said Sunset, “Telling Scorpan this, and showing him this evidence to back it up, would be pretty explosive.”

“That is my intent, and Medley would have had to have known that,” Discord said, still tugging on his beard, eyes narrowing, “Which leads me to believe that’s the very result she’s looking for.”

“How does screwing up her boss’ plan benefit her?'' asked Rainbow Dash, still rubbing her shin, “I mean, maybe she’s actually on our side? But then why was she acting like the biggest, smuggest, colossal jerk in the world to us back at the tree?”

“I wouldn’t assume she’s on our ‘side’, Miss Dash,” replied Discord, “Medley would have had plenty of opportunities to turn on Glory if that was her intent, although if she was operating alone then perhaps she was just being cautious. I don’t know Medley well enough to say for certain but my impression is that this is to... well... have something to do.”

“Come again?” said Sunset, and Discord just held his hands out in a hopeless gesture.

“Again, I didn't really get to know her the few times I have met her, but Medley has always reminded me of the Zero Division’s ‘Pinkie Pie’, at least in so much as she’s unpredictable and easily bored. Perhaps the long millennia of their plans advancing unchallenged has caused her to want to throw a wrench into the gears, just to see what happens.”

“Hey, if i get bored, I’m not going to try to get my friends killed by throwing a lit stick of dynamite into the middle of their birthday parties,” said Pinkie Pie, then crossed her arms and declared proudly, “It’s just be a few surprise fireworks to liven things up!”

“Ahem... well, whatever Medley’s motivations, I’m glad she did it,” said Sunset, “It means we have a much clearer idea of who our real enemy is, and there’s a strong chance we might actually get the Soul Reapers and Quincy on the same side for once. I doubt the Quincy are going to be happy to learn about Zero Division’s plans either.”

“Especially considering the Zero Division has, through this Hell, been doing the very same thing the Soul Reapers have been accusing the Quincy of doing for centuries,” said Clover, shaking her head, still in a state of pale shock, “I don’t even know how the reincarnation cycle is staying in balance right now.”

“What do you mean?” asked Sunset, and Clover composed herself further, running a hand through her dark green hair.

“Think about it, Sunset. If Hell isn’t allowing souls out of it and back into the reincarnation cycle at any point, and is instead breaking them down, then even if it’s trying to act as a counterweight on the cosmic scale, that weight is just going to keep getting heavier and heavier isn’t it?”

“Ain’t followin’ ya, hun,” said Applejack, “Why would it keep gettin’ heavier?”

Sunset’s mind rolled the idea over a few times, and suddenly her eyes flashed, both in understanding, and an instant of further anger at Hell’s design features, “Crap, you’re right Clover.”

“Mind enlightening the rest of us?” Rarity said, and Sunset nodded swiftly.

“Alright, thus far we know Hell takes in two kinds of souls; ones that have committed evil acts such as murder, and those that are specifically marked by Zero Division, like the Star Family. The specific marks don’t make much difference in the long run, but evil acts? Normally a soul is reincarnated, right? First in Soul Society, then back into the living world. First, let me confirm this with Clover and Discord, do souls living in Soul Society end up in Hell if they commit evil acts there, or does it only apply to souls in human bodies in the living world?”

Discord gestured for Clover to answer, and she did in a halting tone, “J-just the living world. Evil actions in Soul Society are either punished by Central 46, usually with a severe prison sentence in Seireitei’s own 'Great Underground Prison'. Those who are killed simply move on to reincarnation, presumably with the hope that they’ll atone for their sins in their human life. But...”

“But that’s where Hell comes in, if they don’t,” Sunset said, and Applejack interjected.

“An’ honestly if Hell weren’t just some giant ol’ factory fer grindin’ up souls, I might not even have a problem with this system. Seems fair ‘nough on the surface, if evil souls’ r’ just bein’ made ta pay their dues.”

“But that’s not what’s happening,” Sunset said, “And if you think ahead, a problem emerges. Reincarnated, over and over again, what are the odds someone is eventually going to cross the line? I mean, I came real close to going full-on evil she demon not so long ago. If I hadn’t been stopped, I might have ended up seriously hurting, or even killing people. If I did that, and died here, then my soul would be right there in Hell along with all it’s other prisoners too, right?”

Clover gulped, but nodded, “Most likely. I mean, I don’t know if things would have been different since your soul isn’t originally from our world, but if you were fully human, then yes, you probably would have been sent to Hell if your actions had resulted in people being killed.”

“And that could apply to anyone,” said Sunset, “If you live enough lives, over and over again, eventually it stands to reason in one of them you’ll end up making some bad choices. Even if you don’t end up doing something horrible enough to land you in Hell one or two times, statistically speaking eventually you probably will...”

“What’re ya tryin' ta say, Sunset, that we’d all turn out evil if given enough goes at life?” Applejack said, frowning deeply, “I don’t buy it. A good soul is a good soul, an’ it ain’t that easy ta turn out as a bad apple.”

“Applejack, I’m not trying to say people are inherently inclined towards doing the wrong thing,” said Sunset, “I believe the opposite is true, in fact, that every soul probably has some inclination towards good, but that things can just get easily twisted up depending on the circumstances and experiences one has in life. And if you live life over and over again, dozens, even hundreds of times, then eventually you’ll probably end up having the wrong circumstances and experiences that will push you over the edge.” 

“Oooo, I get it,” said Pinkie Pie, snapping her fingers so a balloon appeared in front of her, “It’s like you can float through a whole bunch of lives, but that doesn’t mean at some point you won’t run into a needle or something else sharp.”

Pinkamena snapped her fingers then, and a small switchblade appeared and poked the balloon, which popped and flew about in a spiral that took it straight down into the display of Hell.

“And then whooooosh, it’s right down to the hot place, where there’s no getting out,” finished Pinkamena.

The girls all slowly digested that, with Applejack finally giving a begrudging nod of understanding, “So... what yer sayin’ is that with the current system, most souls r’ gonna end up in Hell. Might take a long time ta happen, but one by one, all o’ us would make a mistake at some point, then get tossed inta Zero Division’s soul refinery.”

“Yeah,” said Sunset, her voice sober at hearing her own thoughts told back to her. It really was a grisly situation. It was almost beyond fathoming, really. What could Glory and the Zero Division desire so much that they’d be willing to sacrifice almost every other soul in the world to do it? Her head hurt at trying to work over that particular puzzle, and she felt a fresh wave of exhaustion at what she and her friends had learned today.

And if she felt this way, she could only guess how Clover was feeling. She could tell just from a glance that Clover was struggling to look outwardly calm after her earlier outburst, but the troubled tension in her eyes told the truth of things. Seeing Sunset watching her, Clover smiled weakly and said, “I’ll be fine, Sunset. This is just a shock to the system for me.”

“I understand,” said Sunset, “I think all of us are pretty shook up by this.”

“It’s grade-A creepiness, that’s for sure,” said Rainbow Dash, “I’m totally getting why my mom sided with Starlight on this. Just wish they’d freakin’ told us!”

“Yeah, why didn’t they?” asked Pinkie Pie, “They could have totally told everyone, right?”

“No,” said Clover, shaking her head, “As much as I agree it would have been convenient to have known this much sooner, I doubt Starlight Glimmer or Rainbow Dash’s mother could have tried to come out with the truth on their own.”

“Awww, why not?” said Pinkie Pie.

“Proof,” Clover replied, “This blueprint, while damming in it’s own way, isn’t actually sufficient proof. It shows what Hell’s function is, yes, but there’s nothing in the details of its construction that conclusively prove who designed or built it. It’s not as if there’s a signature of any Zero Division member on it.”

“Very true,” confirmed Discord, “For all anybody could tell from looking at this the Soul Queen herself could have commissioned this Hell to be built, or done the deed herself. In fact I suspect that to be one of the very points Scorpan will bring up to me when I reveal this at the peace talks. That said, I think I can plant enough doubt in the Captain Commander’s mind to make him want to question Zero Division. The blueprints do at least prove that Hell was built with features no Soul Reaper has been told about, which is suspicious in and of itself, but combine that with the mysterious silence of the Soul Queen for so many long centuries and it paints an altogether more sinister picture.”

“Do you know what’s happened to the Soul Queen?” asked Sunset, “I mean, has anyone outside of Zero Division ever heard from her?”

“Sadly, no, I’m as in the dark as anyone in that regard. The Soul Queen has not been seen outside the Soul Palace since the inception of Soul Society. Even the few times people have been invited to the Soul Palace like I was, the Queen herself never made an appearance.”

“Then how does anyone even know she’s still around?” asked Rarity, “Surely someone must have wondered!”

“Myself included. The only answer anyone has ever gotten from Zero Division is that the Soul Queen is not to be bothered by public appearances. And to be fair, even in the distant past, most historical information confirms she has never been one for making her presence known. For most in Soul Society, her existence is simply accepted as fact, and rarely thought of beyond that.”

At Discord’s reply, Sunset considered the situation. It seemed obvious enough to her, from the evidence presented, that Zero Division was the group calling the shots. If the Soul Queen was still active, she might be commanding them from behind the scenes, but the description Discord gave of this Glory woman didn’t make her sound like someone inclined to take orders from a puppet master. Ultimately it didn’t change what they had to do. Put a stop to the war, deal with Starlight Glimmer and hopefully get her on their side, then go to the Soul Palace itself to confront the Zero Division. One way or another, the truth would come out. What happened then, she couldn’t guess. The idea of fighting the Zero Division was daunting to put it mildly. The overwhelmingly crushing force of Medley’s reiatsu was a fresh memory still, and a part of Sunset balked at the notion of facing five opponents on that level...

But then not so long ago the idea of facing and defeating someone as powerful as Gaia Everfree would have seemed crazy, too. And another, larger part of Sunset’s soul actually burned brighter at the challenge ahead. It didn’t hurt that she was genuinely angry about what Zero Division had done, and there were few motivations like a bit of righteous fury to put a kibosh on fear. 

“Near as I can tell,” she said, “Whether it’s the Soul Queen or Zero Division, our world has been manipulated by people who don’t care about the harm they’re causing to countless souls. Soul Reapers, Quincy, Hollows, and innocent humans have all been caught up in an eons old conspiracy meant to benefit a handful of god-like schemers who seem to think that being ancient and powerful gives them a right to do whatever they want with the souls of everyone else in the world. Well, I say they’re about to find out how wrong they are, and we’re the ones who are going to show them.”

“Succinctly said,'' Discord smiled, slowly standing up from his seat and leaning on his cane, “And now that you girls are briefed on just what’s at stake, I hope that means you’ll be better prepared for what comes next. There’s still quite a few matters we must attend to before we make our next move, not the least of which is speaking to your families and deciding to what degree they will be involved in things moving forward.”

“Involved?” Applejack said, her right eyebrow doing a slow climb up her forehead. 

“Yes, well it should be obvious at this point that keeping the secret of what’s occurring from them would be impossible,” Discord said, “That being the case, I think all of you need to have a serious talk with your loved ones concerning what’s to come. Not only are your siblings developing Fullbrings of their own, but your mothers may wish to have the powers and memories of their time in Xcution restored. Then there’s the matter of Rarity’s present state of disembodiment to consider...”

“Now hold up a darn second,” Applejack said, “Ain’t this all comin’ a bit too fast? What’dya mean yer gonna give back the memories n’ powers ta my friend’s ma’s!?”

“Didn’t say I would, only that they’d have the option if they so chose. Given your siblings are developing the same powers, it seems only fair to allow the parents a chance to regain what was lost,” Discord replied firmly, and Fluttershy spoke up with a concerned look.

“By all of our siblings, do you mean Zephyr Breeze too?”

“Oh, not him yet, but it’s very likely,” Discord said, then glanced at Pinkie Pie, “As it happens, your sister Maud has already awakened to her own Fullbring, and I wouldn’t be surprised if Marble and Limestone were soon to follow.”

“Great! I mean, uh... not-so-great?” Pinkie Pie scratched her head, “I actually don’t know how I should feel about this. It’s good, but at the same time, scary? I don’t want my sisters to get hurt fighting, but then maybe that’s why they should have cool powers too? Oooow, my head’s starting to hurt. Mena, what’s your take?”

“My take is that the more of the family that can super-murder any bastards that come after us, the happier I’ll be,” said Pinkamena with a toothy grin, “So if we can have some mutual Pie-Sister-Murder-Spree time, then that sounds like an absolute blast.”

“Huh, well it would give me an excuse to throw some more parties. I wonder what Fullbring Maud’s got? Has to be rock-based.”

Rarity took  in a deep breath, “I was already prepared for this when I learned Sweetie Belle had obtained a Fullbring. If my mother regains hers, at least that means she can help train Sweetie Belle. It’s a sensible choice to make. But, Discord, about my current... condition.”

“Yes, I imagine you’ve been anxious ever since you realized you had shuffled off the mortal coil,” Discord said, his expression turning serious as an oncoming freight train, “You want to know if I can give you a new body, correct?”

“I want to know what my options are,” Rarity replied in a soft, tense tone. 

“The short answer is yes, I could make a gigai tailored for your use,” Discord replied, but he hadn’t lost the severe look on his face, “I’ve made a similar offer to Adagio, if she ever wanted to moonlight as human at some point. I’ll tell you up front that such a gigai won’t have all the functions your human body did. Most notably, you won’t be able to use your Fullbring at one hundred percent power while using it. You’ll have to exit your gigai the same way Sunset must exit her human body to use her Soul Reaper powers. There would always be some sensation of disconnect between you and your gigai. Ultimately the body you were born with, Rarity, is gone, along with all of the many years of familiarity your soul and that body had with one another. It’s a link that can’t be completely simulated via an artificial body, so your gigai would always feel a bit like a pair of pants that don’t quite fit right. That said, you’d still be able to live like a human again, more or less.” 

Everyone else was silent as they listened, while Rarity mulled over what she was being told. After a few moments she asked, “And assuming I choose to not take a gigai, and continue on as a soul, what happens then?”

“Hmm, in that instance you’d have to eventually cross over to Soul Society. Your soul chain will continue to degrade over time if you remain in the living world for too long, and you’d risk becoming a Hollow. That said, crossing on to Soul Society has a risk factor of its own.” Discord eyed the projection of Hell, “We don’t know for certain if Zero Division does or doesn’t have you girls listed among those slated to be taken to Hell upon being subjected to the Konso ritual.”

“Wait, why would they want us?” asked Rainbow Dash, “I mean, sure we’re set to fight them now, but back when we were born there’s no way anybody could’ve guessed how all this would shake out!”

“Don’t put anything past Zero Division, Miss Dash. They could have considered the possibility that you children would constitute an eventual threat based upon your mother’s actions, and made adjustments accordingly,” Discord said, but he then shrugged, “Although I admit it’s only a possibility. The fact that Sweet Cider passed on without incident suggests it’s equally possible Zero Division didn’t consider your mothers or you a threat at the time. That said, things could have changed between now and then. It’s a risk, regardless.”

“Does Rarity have to go through Konso to pass on to Soul Society?” asked Sunset, her mouth dry, and her tone strained. She didn’t like the idea of her friend leaving, even if it didn’t mean she wouldn’t see Rarity again or anything like that. “Couldn’t she just be escorted there via a Senkaimon Gate?”

“It’s not the same thing,” Discord said, “Konso is more than just sending a soul to Soul Society. It’s a cleansing ritual in which a Zanpaktou partial heals the soul chain and prevents its degradation. Now, a similar ritual could be performed in Soul Society, but that still runs a risk of triggering the Gates of Hell.”

“Couldn’t you do somethin’ fer Rarity’s soul chain?” asked Applejack, “I mean, weren’t ya doin’ the same kind o’ thing fer Adagio back when she was in that floatin’ doll?”

“Yes,” said Discord, “But that was because I still had Adagio’s original body to work with. Again, the bond between a soul and the body it was born in is special. Even altered as Adagio’s body was by being sent to this world from Equestria, it was still her body, so her soul was designed to fit inside it. It meant that even with a damaged soul chain, she could have been reintegrated. In Rarity’s case, we don’t have her original body to work with, so while I can slow down the degradation process, actually healing her soul chain is a more difficult matter. Not impossible, but it would take me time, and Rarity might have to be benched for the time it’d take. I’m not saying it isn’t an option, but it’s important to make clear what the drawbacks are to that option as well.”

“So in short, I can either take on a gigai that won’t quite work like my old body, risk Konso to go to Soul Society quickly, or spend my time here in your lab being prodded by you until you figure out a way to heal my soul chain naturally so I can cross to Soul Society without risking Hell,” Rarity said, rubbing her chin, “Not the greatest set of options a girl was ever faced with, but I was the one who got herself killed, so I have no room to complain. I... wonder what my parents might say about all this? Oh dear, I really am out of time to avoid telling them, aren’t I?”

“I was going to suggest that it was time for you girls to go meet with your families, yes,” said Discord, his expression softening with a weary half-smile, “I am sorry I can’t offer better options for you Rarity, but at the same time it’s more options than most who die are ever afforded.”

“That is true, isn’t it?” Rarity said, letting out a self-deprecating chuckle, “Here I am, wallowing about having choices, when most people don’t get the luxury of even having choices when this happens to them. At any rate, you’re right Mr. Discord, we’ve dilly-dallied long enough. Come girls, let’s go see our families, and... say whatever needs to be said.”

----------

Twilight had never thought her father’s “parlor” was really suited to the term. After all, “parlor” had something of a cozy connotation to it, evoking the image of a small room where a handful of people might go for a quiet spot to relax or chat. Given the size of Twilight’s family manor, it shouldn’t have been too surprising that the parlor her father used was in fact much more akin to a massive lounge and study, with a huge fireplace dominating one wall, while the others were lined with tower bookshelves with sliding ladders to accommodate their higher shelves. The room had always felt a bit foreboding to her as a child, partially due to its size, and partially due to the dark colors of deep blues and violets her father had chosen for it, with thick carpets and wood panel walls. Of course that never stopped her from perusing the books. 

A set of shining black leather couches hugged a sitting table near the parlor’s entrance, while a larger desk of imposing size filled up the space closer to the fireplace, which Twilight noted already had a fire lit within it. Had Sombra done that, or Robert? Either way it cast the room in flickers of shadow from the bright fire, the room otherwise only lit by a few electric lights encased in older-fashioned lantern fixtures. 

Sombra himself stood before the fireplace with his coal black features cast into an iron mask of intense thought. To those who didn’t know him well enough to know what to look for he’d appear like a storm front, brooding and ready to unleash violence. To Twilight, she saw the anxiety behind his red eyes, which flicked quickly towards her as she entered. She saw a moment of relief there as he saw her alive, but he also saw his mood darken as he took in her wounded, tattered state.

His expression only grew more thunderous as the others entered behind Twilight, becoming knowing disgust upon spotting Gladmane and Spoiled Rich in their bindings, and then shifting to an instance of shock as Sapphire Shores entered last, having to duck to get her tall, silvery form through the doorway.

To his credit he didn’t make any outburst, and got his expression swiftly back to it’s mask of judgment as he strode around to the front of Twilight’s father’s desk. His voice was still rich and smooth, if tainted by a hint of the emotions that lay beneath.

“Sternritter Twilight Sparkle, you return from the field of battle alive and well, and my heart is gladdened by the fact. Tell me, has the plot against you been exposed and the ones I see before me the responsible parties?”

By now Spoiled Rich had awoken from having passed out, and her look was that of a wild-eyes, terrified and cornered animal as she saw where she was, and who was standing before her. She whipped her head toward Gladmane and Filthy Rich in turn, already trembling in place. Twilight was glad of the fact she’d had Robert escort Silver Spoon and Diamond Tiara to guest quarters before coming to the parlor. She didn’t think either child needed to be present for whatever was to come.

Gladmane, for his part, was trying very hard to look unflappable, but the sweat starting to run down his face told of his own fear at facing his King.

Twilight sucked in a breath and stood forward ahead of the group, and she, along with the other Sternritter, prisoner or otherwise, sank to one knee in formal bow to Sombra. Sapphire Shores, even as complete as the Lust’s control over her was, still knelt, as if drawn to do so by instincts too ingrained to be overridden. Spoiled Rich didn’t so much kneel as prostrate herself, shaking like a leaf in a cold wind. Normally Twilight wasn’t fond of the Quincy formalities, but she’d grown to accept them in their time and place. 

“I am well, Sombra, and... yes, those who sought to assassinate me have been apprehended, with the exception of one conspirator who perished during the battles that have taken place this day.”

Sombra didn’t look surprised, but there was a note of questioning speculation in his voice, “Hoity Toity, yes. I felt his soul return to me, hence why I have come here. Was it you who slew him?”

“No, that honor belongs to my friend and ally, Rarity, who came to my defense, and...” Twilight swallowed, “Who lost her own life in the process.”

The Quincy King’s eyes closed for a moment, and he gave the barest of nods, “Then we owe her a debt not easily repaid. I shall not forget the fact. That, however, is a matter that will have to wait. I see traitors before me, but I would know exactly what happened and precisely what motives drove their actions before I render... judgment.”

That last word he let hand in the air like the blade of a guillotine. There was no satisfaction or anticipation in his voice, only cold, hard resolve. His eyes lingered questioningly and even disbelievingly on Sapphire Shores, and Twilight almost thought she could feel the way Sombra was being cut by his most trusted Sternritter’s presence. She wondered what he would think of Sapphire’s motivations? She didn’t want Sombra to be hurt by the truth, but the truth was the only thing she could possibly deliver.

What came after that, she had no idea, but she took a steadying breath and began the long and detailed recounting of events, while Sombra continued to look on silently.