Chapter 9
“Give me that bastard!” Louie yelled as he and the others stomped towards Scamp as she held onto Frederic. “I’m going to fucking kill him!”
The others yelled their own threats as they neared.
“Back,” Scamp ordered as she jerked Frederic around as he continued to cry.
“He said he was behind all the rapes!” Cody snapped, his eyes ablaze.
“He did,” Scamp confirmed as she yanked the crying Frederic back behind her. “And we will deal with him,” she said as she got between him and Louie. “The right way.”
“The right way?” Louie growled. “He deserves to-”
Frederic suddenly twisted and broke from Scamp, taking off at a dead sprint away from the group.
“Fucking idiot,” Scamp muttered as everyone ran around her, chasing down the fleeing man child.
“Get back here!” Zorrow yelled as they gained on Frederic.
Suddenly, Lance flashed into existence right in front of him, Twilight’s magic flickering around him as he stared down the approaching Frederic.
“Lance!” Frederic cried out, running straight for him. “It wasn’t me! I swear! Lilith made me do-”
He was cut off as Lance suddenly launched forward, hitting him right in the face with a burning hoof. Frederic was sent flying backwards, getting caught by Louie. With a roar, the dogman lifted the panicking pony into the air and slammed him into the ground, then with a yell of anger flung him into the air.
Lacy was there to meet him, flying right into him and kicking him straight back to the ground.
“I got ya fucker!” Zorrow yelled as he jumped up and performed a perfect flying roundhouse, catching Frederic in the side and sending him skidding across the ground.
Before he could come to a stop, Jun rocketed into him, hitting him so hard Jun broke his own hoof. This caused Frederic to fly upward in an arch, landing hard on the ground. He coughed as he tried to stand, but Cody tackled him. He laid into Frederic, hitting him over and over again in the face. Finally he stood up, spitting on the coughing and crying stallion.
Frederic rolled over and began to crawl away, hiccuping loudly as he sobbed. But the wheel of a wheelchair rolled up in front of him, blocking his path. He looked up to see Greg glaring down at him.
Without a word, Greg let out a grunt as he stood up, turning to Frederic. Despite being weak, he jumped into the air and brought his back hoof down onto Frederic’s groin, causing everyone in the area to wince.
As for Frederic, he let out a silent scream as he curled into himself, finally out of the fight.
With that task done, Greg fell back into his wheelchair and casually rolled away from the sobbing wreck of a ‘God’.
Scamp walked over, shaking her head. “Shouldn’t have run, you were safer with me.” She got no response as she grabbed his tail and began to drag him across the ground. “Nova,” she said as she neared the Mellowed Pie, where Nova and a few others had been, watching the entire thing take place. “Are you able to be the judge for a little trial?”
“For him?” she asked with a frown. “Gladly.”
“Fuck you, you monster!” Jero yelled as he ran out of the crowd and punched Frederic while he was down.
“Okay, that’s enough,” Scamp said as the man stood up and gave one more kick before backing up into the crowd. “We need to do this the right way. No vigilante justice.”
“A trial?” the costumed Alicorn asked with a growl. “It happens today, or not at all.”
“Are you able to set it up now?” Scamp asked, getting a nod from Nova.
“I don’t think anyone will object,” Nova said, casting a disgusted look at the downed stallion. “I wouldn’t want to wait anyways. This needs to end. Today.”
“Nova, please,” Frederic choked out, his jaw clearly broken.
“Drag him to the courthouse, I’ll prepare everything,” Nova said as she spun around and walked away, not giving her father any more attention.
ooo000<^>000ooo
Later that night
“Do we really need to do a whole court thing?” Lance asked as he watched Scamp go over her notes.
“It’s the best way to handle this,” she answered.
“And the TV crew are necessary?” he asked, looking into the gallery where a few ponies were finishing setting up their cameras.
“Nova wants the world to know what he did,” Scamp said as she finished sorting her paperwork.
“Okay, sure sure,” he said, glancing at Frederic. “But is that necessary?”
Scamp turned her head to the front where Frederic was set up, strapped to a chair with a metal mask secured to his face. “... I think it's appropriate.”
“And it’s a funny reference,” Greg added as he leaned on the railing behind their table.
“I just think we should skip all this and just go straight to punishment,” Lance said with a sigh.
“Lance,” Scamp said, turning to face him. “Once you hear everything I discovered when going through his memories, you’ll understand why we need to do it this way.” He frowned at this, but didn’t protest anymore. “Now, get into the audience. And try not to have too big of a reaction to anything you hear. Okay?”
“I can't promise anything, you know that,” he said as he hopped the railing and joined Greg and the others.
Now that she was alone, Scamp took a moment to look around the courtroom. Nova sat at the front, in the Judge’s seat, looking stressed as she read over some notes. Next to her, standing stock still was the masked Alicorn, their eyes locked onto Frederic, who was sitting on the opposite side of the Judge’s seat. He had been healed, for the only purpose of having him presentable to the public. And so he could be mentally present for the trial ahead.
Her attention drifted back to her table, a frown on her face. She’d gone through his memories and compiled a list of evidence. But at this point they were more just talking points, since the only thing left to do was reveal everything Frederic had done. He’d basically already admitted to everything during his outburst.
Finally, after a long wait, Nova slammed her gavel a few times, getting everyone's attention.
“If everyone is ready, we may begin,” she said in a formal tone, turning her gaze to Scamp. “Has all evidence been compiled?”
“It has, Princess,” she confirmed, staying professional and using Nova’s title.
“News crews?” she asked, looking into the camera as it pointed directly at her.
The Griffin working it gave a thumbs up to her.
“Very well then,” she said as she sat up straighter. “It is very unfortunate that this trial must happen,” she said in a practiced regal tone, he’s locked on the camera. “But it has come to light recently that one of our own, of the Royal Family, has committed atrocities so grim that I hesitate to allow them to be broadcasted on Live Television.
“Yet, I feel this is necessary,” she said as her eyes flickered momentarily to the disgraced Frederic, who was looking at her with pleading eyes. “The former Prince of Equestria, once thought to be deceased, has returned. We once thought of him as a hero, due to his many acts of bravery and selfish sacrifices.” Her eyes narrowed as she leaned forward in her seat, “and it has come to light that all of it was fake. Manufactured by him and the Witch Lilith.”
“Your Highness,” Scamp suddenly interrupted. “If I may add something to that last part.”
“You may.”
Scamp cleared her throat as the camera shifted to her. “After going through his memories, I have determined that the Witch Lilith only provided him with the means, not the motivation. Everything I will show today was done by Frederic, and only Frederic. Lilith herself was not involved in any of his actions.”
“I see,” Nova said with a shake of her head. “The Prince we all mourned and loved was false. An act. Today, we are going to reveal all of his deeds, and then we will sentence him appropriately.” Leaning back in her seat, she looked back to Scamp, “you may begin when ready.”
“I have thought of the best way to handle this,” Scamp announced as she walked into the middle of the room, all eyes on her. “Starting from the beginning would be the best way to handle this. For that, I require my first victim to take the stand.”
The moment she finished speaking, the door behind the Judge’s seat opened and an aged stallion stepped out. He hobbled over to the Witness Stand and took a seat.
Scamp stepped up to him and gave him a nod. “Mr. Tinker, tell the court your relation to Frederic.”
The gray stallion cleared his throat and glanced at Frederic, seeing his furious eyes staring back. “I… was the first pony to find him. Or I at least believed I was. I was his assistant when he became the Royal Blacksmith, then his personal servant when he became the Prince.”
“I’ve gone through his memories, but would you like to tell the court about the ‘incident’?”
“I’d… rather not,” he said in a quiet voice.
“That’s okay,” she assured him as she turned to face the camera across the room. “Tinker here thought of Frederic as his best friend after he first found him, and the two formed a close bond. Or at least he believed they did.”
“I’ll tell it,” Tinker suddenly said from behind her. She gave him a nod as she went silent. “I took Frederic in and made it my life mission to help him achieve his goal of marrying Princess Luna. He spoke about her often, and I was a sucker for true love back then. But one day he told me his plans to get her into his bed… he wanted to find a form of Love Magic that would force her to love him. I told him that that was wrong and he…” he went silent.
“Take your time.”
“He…” Tinker shuddered, not looking at Frederic anymore. “... He punished me. He was furious that I’d speak ill of his glorious plans. Or him in general.”
“What did he do to punish you?” Scamp asked carefully, already knowing the answer.
“He… branded me,” Tinker muttered quietly.
“Where?”
“... He told me if I was to speak badly of him and his plans for ‘true love’ then I’d never have that chance…” Tinker said, his lip trembling. “He branded his cutie mark… onto my groin.”
Everyone in the court let out gasp and shouts of disgust, all directed at the bound Frederic.
“Order!” Nova yelled, slamming her gavel till everyone fell silent again.
“Why didn’t you say anything after this incident?” Scamp asked.
“He used a spell on me to keep me loyal to him,” Tinker answered. “I tried to warn others, but anyone I told he manipulated with magic to believe him.”
“Can you tell the court about the day the Rapture happened? What was Frederic’s reaction?”
“He was angry,” Tinker answered. “But then he became overjoyed when he realized his friend had come as well, and he made her-”
“Let’s not speak about her, she’ll give her testimony next,” Scamp interrupted. “Tell me what he did after learning the Bronies had arrived?”
“He used his friends' magic to manipulate the Princesses to think of him whenever they wanted something done. This caused Princess Celestia to have Princess Luna take him with her to meet the Bronies.”
“What was his reaction to finding out Lance Greenfield had gotten Twilight Sparkle pregnant?”
“He laughed and said ‘deserves her right!’”
“And why did he say that?”
“He hated Twilight Sparkle.”
“And why did he hate her?”
“Can I say this on Live TV?”
“You need to.”
“... He hated that she stopped him from raping a mare two years before the Rapture.”
The entire room gasped at this.
“Why didn’t anyone mention this? And why would Mrs. Sparkle considered him family if she knew of this?” Scamp asked.
“He used an artifact given to him by the Witch Lilith to manipulate her mind and change her opinion of him.”
“How often did he use this artifact?”
“It felt like everyday,” Tinker admitted with a frown. “He used it to do whatever he wanted. I know for a fact he used it on Lance and his family to-”
“That’s enough,” Scamp stopped him, glancing back at Lance and Twilight, seeing their horrified expressions. They didn’t need to know that part. “Thank you, Mr. Tinker, you may step down.”
He gave a nod and quickly climbed down from the stand, moving for the gallery as fast as he could. His eyes never returned to Frederic, as it was clear he didn’t want to make eye contact with the stallion.
“The next victim to take the stand will be able to tell us all of Frederic’s heinous acts,” Scamp announced as she walked along the Judges Bench, stopping before Frederic. The two of them made eye contact, with his eyes filled with hatred and hers bored content. “I’d like Annabel Fletcher to come to the Stand.”
All eyes turned to the back of the room where said mare stood, hiding behind Shayla. Upon having her name called, she nervously stepped out and walked down the aisle, head down. Stepping past the gate, she glanced at Frederic. The moment they made eye contact he began to thrash against his binds, yelling into his gag.
This caused the pink mare to rush forward and get behind the Witness Stand, just out of view of the raging stallion.
“Bailiff,” Nova said, causing the costumed mare to stomp over and press a hoof to Frederic’s chest. A wave of magic washed over him, causing him to go still as he was forced into a calm state.
“Miss Fletcher,” Scamp said as she stepped up in front of her. Would you mind giving the court your full name and previous alias?”
“Um, yes,” Annabel mumbled.
“But you’ll need to speak up,” Scamp added.
“Sorry,” Annabel said in a slightly louder voice. “My name is Annabel Tamara Fletcher. But I used to be known as Anarchy, the Queen of L-Lust while I was under his control.”
“Tell the court about your reunion with Frederic after the Rapture,” Scamp said, standing between Annabel and Frederic so she didn’t have to look at him. “And a little bit about your past.”
“I-I…” she began, but she froze, eyes wide as she began to tremble. “C-can you tell it?”
“I can,” Scamp said in a reassuring voice. She turned to the court and cleared her throat. In as much detail as she could, she recounted the events that had taken place years before the Rapture, telling how Annabel was kidnapped and tormented by a sick individual known as the Lakeside Stalker. She would stop ever so often to allow Annabel to recover, but she was able to retell the entire event.
“After being rescued,” Scamp continued, finishing recounting the horrific events. “Annabel was alone, as she could not bear to be around her friends or family. All except for one person.” Her gaze landed on Frederic, a fury behind her eyes that caused him to shrink. “She placed her trust in Frederic, because he was someone she thought she could trust. Instead, he used her trauma against her and forced her to do things for him. They started small, like stealing things. But eventually he was forcing her to manipulate others for his own gain.” Turning from him she looked back to Annabel. “Would you like to tell the next part?”
“I think I can,” she muttered as she took a deep breath.
“Okay. Can you tell us about your first day in Equestria?”
“My first day…” she repeated. “After the Rapture, I was so excited to be getting a second chance at life. God told me I could be anything, and I chose a Draconequus because the idea sounded fun and comforting. No one could hurt me if I had that much power…” her body shook as she shrank back a bit. “At least I thought so. I chose Equestria because it was the only thing back on Earth that calmed me down. Watching the happy and safe world of MLP brought me so much comfort and made me forget about…
“But then, not even an hour after arriving, Frederic found me. He just seemed to know where I was…” she said, her voice getting quieter as she spoke.
“What did he make you do?”
“He… was overjoyed to see me. But not for the reasons you’d think… He wanted to use my powers to push his agenda, and to get payback for things that had happened since he’d arrived.” She took a deep breath, collecting herself. “The first thing he made me do was affect all the ponies' minds to make them more… susceptible to sexual thoughts. Then he wanted me to make it so their mental wills were… dampened.”
“Can you explain that a bit more?”
Her eyes flickered to the ponies in the stand, shame on her face. “He wanted all of the ponies to be attracted to the Bronies, so I made it so they couldn’t resist them.”
Murmurs filled the room at this.
“So,” Scamp began, knowing this part was going to be a big shock to those present. “You are saying you are the reason for all of the relationships between the ponies and the Bronies?”
“Yes,” she confirmed. “F-Fre… He picked out who got with who, and I made it happen.” Her eyes flickered to Lance and Twilight. “I’m so s-sorry…”
“Every couple was picked out by Frederic himself?”
“All but one,” she confirmed. “He wanted Greg Campbell to be with Berry Punch… but Greg and Pinkie were unaffected by my magic.”
“How did Frederic react to this?”
“He… hurt me. When I failed to get those two together, he began forcing me to do things… Please don’t make me repeat them.”
Scamp nodded at her. “It’s okay. Tell the court about Frederic’s love life. How did he get Princess Luna to fall in love with him?”
“I-I manipulated her mind so that she wanted to be with him,” she answered, shame falling across her face. “Luna was… the nicest mare I’ve ever met… she didn’t deserve the things he did to her.”
“Let’s go back to the beginning. Tell the court about Frederic’s original plan for Lance and Twilight.”
“He wanted to punish Twilight…” she muttered. “I manipulated Rainbow Dash into wanting to harm Twilight by taking her magic, but when Lance ate the cupcake instead, he was overjoyed. Said it was a much better outcome. But when Lance returned to life… He decided he needed to get involved personally…”
“Now, the one thing everyone already knows. The Heats. Why did you make those happen?” Scamp asked, getting a few more murmurs from the gallery.
“H-He is obsessed with r-rape…” she answered, causing Frederic to start to yell into his gag again. “He wanted to force the mares to… violate themselves. And he… wanted a… t-threesome with Princess Celestia and Luna…”
The crowd beyond the railings began to yell, everyone jumping up and throwing insults towards Frederic. The cops who were on standby ran forward to try and calm the crowd, but the revelation that the Heats were caused by the Prince was too much for some of the gathered ponies as they jumped the railing and rushed for Frederic.
Reluctantly, Scamp got between the raging ponies and Frederic, holding them back.
“EVERYONE STOP, NOW!” Nova roared, her voice rocking the entire building and causing everyone to stop in their tracks. “Return to your seats or this trial will become private!”
With the raging glare of the current Princess, the crowd slowly pulled back, returning to their seats.
Letting out a heavy sigh, Nova nodded to Scamp. “Proceed.”
“Thank you,” Scamp said with a bow, sweat dripping down her face as her adrenaline came down. “Annabel,” she said, returning to the business at hand. “We’re now at the part about Richard,” she said, casting a little smirk at Frederic. “Tell the court the REAL reason Frederic was murdered by his father on Earth.”
“Gladly,” Annabel began, a determined look overcoming her face as she sat up straight. This was a topic she clearly wanted to get out in the open. “His original story about his father killing him for going against the family is a lie. On Earth, Richard was a mafia boss, but he was also the only person who was nice to me outside of Frederic. He used his connections to kill the man who hurt me. But Frederic, he misused his family's resources to do whatever he wanted.” She then looked right at Frederic, “but that’s not why he was killed. No. He forced himself on his own mother one night and tried to flee the city when his father found out. The best day of my life was hearing the news that he had been killed. Dying like a crying baby begging for forgiveness.”
“Okay,” Scamp interrupted her, not wanting her to go into too much detail about her hatred for Frederic. “That leads to this next question. If this is true, why did Lance not mention any of this in his book? Surely Richard would have said something referencing this event when he met back up with Frederic.”
“He did,” Annabel confirmed. “But Frederic used my magic and his artifact to change everyone's memories to forget that piece of info.”
More outbursts were heard, but Nova slamming the gavel repeatedly brought order before it got out of hand again.
“Moving forward,” Scamp said as she paced in front of the Witness Stand. “Tell the court about Pleasant Fields.”
“That,” she muttered, shaking her head. “Frederic was working with Val to bring back Nightmare, while pretending to be a victim like everyone else. He was the one who helped them form the town and lure in Bronies. As far as I am aware, only Val and Draco knew of Frederic’s involvement. Most of the town just knew he was a frequent visitor.”
“I can confirm that,” Scamp said as she stopped before the Witness Stand. “Why did he want Nightmare released?”
“He wanted a real villain to fight, to make the world love him even more,” she answered.
“Thank you,” Scamp said with a nod. “In regards to Lance’s book, the first one he wrote during his time in the alternate timeline, how much of it is true?”
“Well,” she began, thinking to herself. “I’ve read it, and it’s mostly spot on. The only problems are anything involving Frederic himself. Or any of the other points of views he tossed in for the villains. All of those were given to him by Frederic, and I can at least confirm a lot of info was changed.”
“Moving to his family life,” Scamp began. “We all know of Star Chaser and how he ended up. Did Frederic have anything to do with that at all?”
“That poor colt,” Annabel muttered. “Frederic was two types of father. To Nova, he ignored her and treated her normally. But to his son, Star Chaser… he wanted his son to be just like him. He forced him from a young age to endure all kinds of mental hardships. He made him watch… horrible things. He forcibly changed his mental state constantly… trying to shape him into the stallion he wanted him to be.
“Even worse,” she continued. “Was the…”
“You can say it,” Scamp said, a frown on her face.
“... he made Star Chaser watch him when he’d go to other countries to… sample the culture.”
“That’s enough,” Nova said sternly, her body shaking in rage. “Move on from my late brother.”
“Yes, Princess,” Scamp said with a bow, turning back to Annabel. “On family affairs. Tell the court about the control Frederic enacted over his wife, Princess Luna.”
“Ah,” she mumbled, shrinking back again. “He forced her to link minds with him so he could see and hear everything she did. He never let her do anything he did not approve of. When she tried to rule, he’d make her take a step back and do it himself. He wanted her to stay in his shadow…”
Nova made a sound, causing Scamp to cough. “Is there anything else you’d like to add before I ask the final question?”
Annabel thought for a moment, before giving a sharp nod. “Yes,” she turned her attention to Lance and Twilight. “Frederic was obsessed with his children marrying Lance’s.”
“Why?”
“Because he’s a creep and wanted to see them together. He talked about the kids they’d make… all the time.” A look overtook her face as she looked away from everyone and looked right at Frederic. “There is one thing that needs to be said. Something he tried to do that was so horrible… it caused him to finally start abusing me to the point he finally had me banished.”
This seemed to surprise Scamp, as she did not know what she was referencing.
“Star Chaser showed zero interest in Fawn, which angered Frederic. But then he… took an interest in Lance’s daughter and tried to make something happen between Star Chaser and her anyway.” She hesitated for a moment before continuing. “Frederic used a spell to turn into a colt and started dating Fawn to try and get her with his son.”
“You fucking-!” Lance roared as he tried to rush forward, but was stopped by his friends.
“But Fawn didn’t like him and the relationship lasted only a week. So he used my magic and his artifact to make Lance and Twilight… neglect their daughter. He put blocks in their minds so they wouldn’t care about her as much as they really did.” She lowered her head, “I spoke out against this and tried to fix it, but he became enraged and locked me away for a while. Then when I started to try and break away from him, he used his artifact on me and forced me to reveal everything we’d done. But made me say it was all my doing…”
Scamp did not have a response to this as she tried to process it. She had somehow not seen this when going through Frederic’s memories, but she did skip around so it was possible she missed it. His mind was a mess and hard to navigate.
“... Okay then. I have one last question,” Scamp said, forcing herself to continue. “When he came back and took you away, what happened?”
Annabel took a shaky breath. “He… His favorite way to punish me has always been to make me relieve my… ordeal. He gets off to it… He locked me away in another dimension and left me in a… shipping container while he tortured me mentally to join his side again…” She began to cry at this point, tears pouring down her face. “I’m so sorry everyone, I broke and let him use me again. I’m so-”
“It’s okay,” Scamp said, putting a hoof on hers. “No one blames you.”
“Yes they do,” Annabel mumbled. “May I go?”
Scamp seemed reluctant, but she gave a nod. “You’re free to go, Miss Fletcher.”
Without a word, Annabel climbed down from the Witness Stand and rushed out of the courtroom. Shayla stood up to follow, but Scamp stopped her.
“Shayla,” she called out, causing the mare to stop. “Come to the stand, please.”
“What why?” she asked with a frown. “I’m not a part of this shit.”
“Shayla,” Scamp said firmly, causing her daughter to sigh.
“Fine,” she grunted as she walked to the front and sat down roughly behind the Witness Stand.
Stepping up to the Stand, Scamp placed a jar on the table. “Bring out the Watcher.”
“Oh,” Shayla said with a sheepish smile. “I can do that.” Placing her hand on the jar, everyone watched as it slowly filled with a cyan, followed by the face of the Watcher appearing. A displeased look on his face.
“Hello, Watcher,” Scamp said with a hint of disdain.
“It’s Buu,” he corrected her, causing her to narrow her eyes.
“Are you willing to answer the questions I have?” Scamp asked, ignoring him.
“Depends on the questions' contents,” he answered a bit smugly.
“Hm.” Scamp came to a stop before the jar, glaring at the Watcher. “Explain to the court your relationship to Frederic.”
“Relationship?” the Watcher asked with a chuckle. “My only connection to this specimen of a life form is a transactional partnership that ended thirteen years ago.”
“Explain that,” Scamp ordered, getting a smirk from the jarred Watcher.
“I think my current explanation is enough,” he said with a smirk. “Unless I need to dumb it down for you.”
“I ask, as nicely as I can, for you to be cooperative, Buu,” she said, forcing herself to use his new name.
“Better,” he said smugly. “The partnership I once had with this child was brief, and only involved him informing me of the location of someone with an exceedingly high amount of Holy Energy within them. Is that simple enough for you?”
“So, to clarify, Frederic is the one who brought you to Lance?” Scamp asked, remaining as professional as she could.
“I guess it wasn’t simple enough for you,” the Watcher mocked.
“Buu,” Shayla scolded, slapping the back of the jar.
“... Yes. It was the one called Frederic who brought me to Lance,” the Watcher confirmed with a displeased look on his face.
“What happened when Lance and the others attacked you on your ship?” Scamp asked. “It was written that you killed them, and sent Lance to an alternate timeline. How accurate is that?”
“I didn’t kill any of them,” the Watcher admitted. “I only stunned them. It was your Prince who killed them once he recovered.”
All eyes turned to Frederic as people began to get riled up again. HOwever this time, it was the costumed Alicorn who lost her temper as she suddenly slammed a hoof into Frederic’s face. The bound stallion began to squeal in agony as she began to stomp on him, not saying a word.
“Hey, control yourself!” Scamp yelled as she fought to get the Alicorn off of the screaming Frederic.
On her own, the mare stopped her assault of the restrained stallion and took a step back, breathing heavily.
“I need you to leave the courtroom,” Nova said calmly, not seeming upset about what had just happened.
“Yeah, I think that’s best,” the Alicorn grunted as she did an about-face and stalked through the courtroom. Everyone watched her go, not one person surprised by her reaction, just not sure why she had it.
Using her hoof, Scamp stomped on the end of the dolly, causing Frederic to shoot up and return to his upright position.
“Continuing on to my next question,” Scamp said as she returned to the Witness Stand, everyone ignoring the groans coming from Frederic. “Why did he feel the need to kill those you’d stunned?”
“Tying up loose ends, of course,” the Watcher replied with a laugh. “Should I explain every little detail for you? Would that help you follow the course of events?”
“Tell me,” Scamp said as she came down hard on the Witness Stand, scaring her daughter. “If you knew all this, why didn’t you warn any of us when he returned? Why didn’t you speak up, seeing as you’ve had a change of heart and all.”
“He was hibernating, mama,” Shayla answered for him, getting a raised eyebrow from Scamp.
“And when did he start this, ‘hibernating’?” she asked, narrowing her eyes at him.
“... Uh,” Shayla began to look a bit sheepish as she forced a smile. “The moment Frederic appeared…”
“Uh-huh,” Scamp said, snatching the Jar and stepping away from her daughter. “Sounds kind of… suspicious, don’t you think, Buu?”
“More bad timing than anything else,” he laughed.
“Sure,” Scamp said as she opened her pocket dimension and tossed him in.
“Mama!” Shayla yelled, standing up in her chair.
“Shayla, go check on Annabel,” Scamp ordered, keeping her tone even.
“You can’t just take him like-”
“Now,” Scamp interrupted her, staring her daughter down.
Her daughter growled as she seemed to contemplate what to do, but looking around, she saw all the eyes on her. Reluctantly, she stepped down and stomped towards the exit. “This isn’t over,” Shayla said as she passed her mother.
Scamp remained silent as she watched her daughter kick open the doors and step out of the courtroom. A few more loud slams were heard as she made her way through the building.
“Now then,” Scamp said after everything went silent. “That concludes my victims and speakers,” she said as she walked up to the Bench, turning to the gathered ponies. “I planned to list off his remaining crimes, but I was given a different course of action. Will Babel Yarn take the stand.”
A squeal was heard from the back as a mare suddenly barreled through the crowd and jumped over the railing. She quickly ran to the Witness Stand and slammed herself into the chair, causing everyone to cringe.
“Can I just say,” Babel suddenly said, a wide smile on her face. “That it is a HONOR to speak to you Scamp outside of life or death scenarios!”
“Uh, yes, likewise?” Scamp said, a bit taken aback by the energy of the mare. She coughed as she regained her composure. “I understand you have questions compiled from the public?”
“Oh yes yes!” Babel exclaimed as she threw her bag onto the table and dumped it out, covering it and the floor beneath her in paper and other junk. “I asked for questions on the fan site, and went through them for all the best ones!”
Scamp gave a nod as she stepped over to Frederic. “For this next part, we’ve prepared a spell that will force the former Prince to answer any question we ask him truthfully, and nothing more.”
His eyes went wide as Mr. Bleak stepped up behind Nova, handing her a runed object.
“Princess, if you would,” Scamp said, taking a step back.
“Certainly,” she said as she crushed the object, causing her horn to ignite as a spell transferred itself to her. Tilting her head down, she shot a beam of magic at Frederic, causing him to squeal in panic.
Once she finished, the stallion went limp in his restraints, a distant look on his face.
“Perfect,” Scamp said as she stepped back up to him and unclasped the mask from his face, removing the gag from his mouth. “Now then,” she began, locking eyes with the dazed stallion. “What is your full name?”
“Frederic Darlington Bourdages,” he answered in a clear voice.
“Good. Has everything said here today been true in regards to your actions?”
“Yes.”
“We’re ready,” Scamp said as she walked over to Babel and gave her a nod. “You may begin.”
“Awesomesauce!” she exclaimed as she dug around in her empty bag. “Eh… lost my phone again… But no worries! I memorized everything!” she said as she grabbed a notebook and began to write very rapidly onto it. “Alrighty then! First question! Frederic, the fans of LTD must know: How did you become an Alicorn when you married Princess Luna? Because as we all have seen, you’re the only one to do it! No other has ever become an Alicorn in the same way!”
“I used magic to make the transformation happen, but it’s forbidden so I made the world believe true love was behind the transformation,” Frederic answered, his face twisting as he tried to not speak, but the magic easily overpowered him and kept him talking.
“Interesting!” Babel said excitedly as she continued to write. “What about Princess Luna’s pregnancy? Not only did she have twins, but she had them months earlier than she should have! Did you use even more magic to make that happen?”
“I wanted twins, but her first pregnancy was just a single foal. So we tried again and again till we got it right. Then I used a spell to speed it up because I wanted them to be born before Lance’s kid,” Frederic answered, foam forming in the corners of his mouth as he struggled to not speak.
“Wait,” Scamp interrupted, a hard look on her face. “You forced Luna to abort her pregnancies till you got what you wanted?”
“Yes,” he answered simply.
“How… many?” Scamp asked.
“I did not keep count. It took a full week to get the twins. I used Magic to speed up her pregnancies so we could see if it was twins or not. When it wasn’t what I wanted, I used forbidden magic to kill the fetus and started over.”
Scamp seethed with rage as she struggled to keep her composure.
“Scamp, do you need to step out?” Nova asked, but Scamp took a deep breath and shook her head.
“Continue, Babel,” she said as she held eye contact with Frederic.
“Okay!” Babel said as she looked over her fresh notes. “Ah! Fun one next! Where were you during the Violent Inferno fight?”
“I was watching from a distance, waiting to see if Inferno could do what I needed him to do.”
“What was he supposed to do?” Babel asked.
“Kill one of the bronies,” Frederic answered.
“So does that mean you are behind Violent Inferno?!” Babel asked with an excited expression.
“He was my creation, yes,” Frederic confirmed, causing her to squeal in delight. “I used Lilith’s magic to bring it out of him, just like she did for me with Darksteel Edge, but it was a failed experiment. Violent Inferno was useless, and died too easily.”
“Ooo, I have a lot of questions about that then!” Babel said, but Scamp held up a hoof.
“Move to the next question, please.”
“Yes, ma’am!” Babel said with a salute, turning her attention back to her notes. “So! Another major lore question the fans want to know involves Omnious! How did you fool him?”
“It was simple,” Frederic began. “When he arrived, I used Princess Celestia to call him to the Palace, then I used Annabel and my artifact to bring him under my control. He was too trusting and didn’t even try to stop me. After that I never had to worry about him again.”
“Interesting!” Babel said with a wide smile. “Ooo, can you tell me about your father? Richard?!”
“What do you want to know?”
“Babel, keep the questions to Frederic,” Nova said sternly.
“Sorry,” she said sheepishly, flipping through her notes. “Hmm…. AH! So, why didn’t you just clap your father? You had no qualms with killing Cody, but you just wanted to imprison him instead?”
“I wanted him dead, but Lilith was very insistent on him being alive. So I had to do things her way, because I was scared of her.” His eyes went wide as he admitted that.
“Babel, move to a different line of questions,” Scamp ordered.
“Okay, because I do got some fun ones lined up!” she said happily. “According to Nova, you were on the Eternal Plains for the last thirteen or so years. What were you doing?”
“I was hunting down all the alternate Frederic’s,” he said. “There can only be one of me, and I am the Frederic Prime.”
“Jesus,” Greg groaned from the gallery.
“Did you get them all?” she asked.
“Yes,” he confirmed.
“Good,” Lance growled, causing Nova to hit her gavel twice.
“Now for the fun questions!” Babel said as she began to shake in excitement. “These are ones I came up with! First question! Keeping it safe for work, what happened to the Elements of Harmony?!”
“I used a horn from the Biblical Devil to corrupt them to change them into something completely different. But now they’re in the hands of Lilith, and I do not know what her plans are.”
“Well that’s not good at all,” she mumbled, making a note. “Guess that will be handled by Scamp, won’t it?”
Scamp raised an eyebrow at the excited mare, giving her a shrug.
“She’s got this!” Babel chuckled. Then an overly excited look appeared on her face, “OOOO! Frederic, for my shipping charts, how big are you?!”
“In human form or Alicorn? Because I am rather tall.”
“No! Not height! I mean your hog!”
“Hell yeah! Answer it, fag!” Jun yelled out, causing everyone to laugh as Nova slammed her gavel over and over again.
“Which form?” he asked as Nova continued to slam her gavel.
“Do not continue this line of questioning!” she demanded, but Babel didn’t seem to hear her, or just didn’t care.
“Both forms! I need to confirm if my fan art is accurate!”
“Human form two inches. Alicorn form, I made myself have a twenty eight inch one.”
“I was way off!” Babel laughed as everyone joined her, but Nova slammed the gavel so hard the Bench shattered, silencing everyone.
“Enough,” she said simply, standing up. “We’re moving to sentencing.”
“Wait!” Babel yelled, flipping through her notes. “EH! UH! Why are you so homophobic?!”
“Because gay men disgust me and I wish they were all dead. Lesbians are fine, because they’re hot and I enjoy the concept of them getting together. Plus I like the idea of fucking them straight.”
“SILENCE!” Nova bellowed.
“Why do you-” Babel tried to continue, but her mouth was suddenly zipped shut with magic as she was lifted and forcibly carried across the room by Nova’s magic.
“We are done here,” Nova declared, plopping Babel down next to Roxxy and the others. “Scamp, begin the sentencing process.”
“Very well,” Scamp said as she cleared her throat, moving for her table. She’d spoken with the others and come up with the perfect plan. Bronwyn and Balgore had come up with a punishment, one that none of the others would have thought possible. One that Scamp was not looking forward to carrying out.
Turning back to the Bench and Frederic, she looked to Nova. “If you want, we can allow him to have a moment to share his thoughts, unaffected by magic.”
Nova leaned over the Bench to stare at Frederic, a hard look on her face, devoid of emotion. “I’m interested in hearing what he could possibly say after all this. You have the floor. But I will cut you off when I deem you unworthy of being allowed to speak.” With that, her horn flashed as she leaned back, an annoyed look on her face. “Speak.”
Frederic remained silent for a long moment, just looking around at the ponies gathered in the room. He seemed to be picking his words carefully, working his swollen jaw.
“Well,” he began in a calm voice. “I heard I am going to have a grandchild. So I am excited for that, because he will be just like his father, and me, and my father.” A few murmurs filled the room, but he continued, “speaking of sons. Greg, how well did you know your boy?”
“Don’t you fucking talk about Dude,” Greg growled as people moved to hold him down.
“Did you know,” Frederic began, a smug smirk on his face. “That your beloved son was a fag? A dick sucker if you will.”
“Fuck you, Fred,” Greg roared, fighting against his friends. “I knew everything about my son! YOu think that’s news to me?! You think that would upset me?! I’m not like you! I’m not scared of the gays, you retarded faggot!”
“Oh,” Frederic muttered, taken aback by that reaction, as it was not what he had expected.
“Yeah! OH!” Greg yelled as Pinkie grabbed his chair and quickly moved him out of the courtroom as he continued to yell insults back at Frederic.
“Guess I win!” Frederic called after him. “My son killed your little fag. I’m proud of my son!”
“Oh fuck this!” Greg said as he jumped up and sprinted across the room, diving over anyone who tried to stop him, even getting around Scamp, and tackled Frederic. People moved to stop him, but the screams of Frederic echoed through the room. Scamp quickly pulled Greg off of him and threw him to the side, trying to prevent anything from happening. But as she looked down at Frederic, she couldn’t help but cringe.
“Oh fuck,” Lance gasped as he looked at Greg.
“Holy orchiectomy!” Babel exclaimed, eyes wide. “Now that REALLY messes with my fanart!”
“Damn it, Greg,” Scamp groaned as she stepped away from the screaming Frederic and grabbed the bloody parts from Greg. “Did you have to do this?”
“He deserves it and worse,” Greg spat out.
“Can someone heal this dumbass before he bleeds out,” Scamp ordered as she helped Greg get back to his wheelchair, leaving the genitals of Frederic on the floor.
“Greg,” Nova groaned, an exhausted look on her face.
“Get him home,” Scamp said to Pinkie, turning back to the chaos behind her. “Great…” she muttered as she moved back in, seeing Calypso using some items to heal the wounds on Frederic.
“Scamp,” Nova said over everyone. “Finish this.”
“Yes, Princess,” she said with a bow, turning back to the camera that was currently pointed at the crying Frederic. “Put that thing on me, now,” she ordered sternly. The camera quickly moved back to her as she stood up tall. “We have already decided on the punishment for the former Prince, Frederic Darlington Bourdages.”
Everyone not involved in handling Frederic turned their attention to Scamp, taking an interest in her next words.
ooo000<^>000ooo
“Please!” Frederic screamed as he was wheeled down a long walkway with Louie pushing him and Scamp walking next to him. “This… THIS IS EVIL!”
“Sometimes the only way to deal with evil is to take a step above it,” Scamp said back, using her wing to push the gag back into his mouth.
“No!” he roared, getting the gag out of his mouth. “Listen to me! Just listen! Just do anything else to me! ANYTHING!”
But Scamp ignored him as she checked her Dimensional Dagger, seeing that it was glowing red. This made her very uncomfortable, as it had been doing that ever since they’d arrived in this… realm.
“I have a lot of money and items buried in Equestria! Just take me back and I’ll show you!” he continued to beg.
“Even if I was tempted,” Scamp said with a smirk. “We’re not on the same Equestria that you were in.”
“I know things! About Lilith! I can tell you-”
“I already got all your information about Lilith from your memories,” Scamp interrupted. “None of it was useful, you spend too much time thinking about yourself and not paying attention to the world around you. No wonder you were so blind to her using you.”
“But my grandchild! He’ll benefit from having me around!”
“Yeah, not happening,” Scamp laughed as the path began to get narrow, seeming to shrink the further they went.
“Okay, but what if-”
“If you don’t shut the fuck up, I will tear that tongue out of your mouth and heal you so you can only scream from now on,” she said coldly, her eye twitching.
“I don’t think he’ll be doing anything else other than screaming going forward,” Louie mocked, giving Frederic a hard shake.
“Please, you two are supposed to be heroes! HEROES DO NOT DO THINGS LIKE THIS!”
“I ain’t a hero,” Scamp chuckled. “I do good shit for the sake of it, but I don’t play the ‘can only do good’ hero, like Lance used to be like. I do whatever needs to be done.”
“Scamp, you’re a good mare, you wouldn’t be able to live with yourself!”
“You clearly do not know me,” she said with a smirk. “Or my body count.”
“Louie! You’d never be able to-”
“I personally think this is the funniest shit ever, Freddy, so I’d be quiet if I were you. I’m not as… reserved as Scamp is.”
“If you let me go, Louie, I’ll make sure you-”
“Shut it,” Louie growled, reaching around and clamping his large paw over Frederic’s snout. “It’s your fault my girlfriend's father died, because you wanted to be the hero at the last second. You’re so damn LUCKY I don’t take a few moments to thank you for your actions.”
As he released his snout, Frederic let out a whimper. “Luke please…”
“Let’s speed this up,” Louie said as he began to push the dolly faster, the ground around them starting to glow red.
Frederic continued to beg for his life as they continued forward, a bright light ahead showing the end of the tunnel they were walking down.
“Are… we good to be here?” Louie asked. “Because this is risky, isn’t it?”
“It is,” Scamp said as she stood on her hindlegs and grabbed the dolly’s handles from Louie. “Which is why you are going back. Now.”
“I’m not letting you do this alone,” he said as the sounds of distant screams began to reach their ears. “... are you sure you can do this alone?”
She chuckled at this, giving him a nod, “I’ll be fine. I can mentally handle this better than you can. Go back, I’ll be done soon.”
Louie looked conflicted, but the wailing in the distance unsettled him, causing him to take a step back. “Good luck, Scamp.”
Pushing forward, Frederic began to sob loudly, causing her to roll her eyes. Soon they walked through the opening in the tunnel and found themselves in a massive cavern, with a large door on the other side. To her surprise, a forest stood all around them, with a path leading towards the doors ahead
“Please please please,” Frederic began to repeat, fighting against his restraints.
Continuing to ignore him she pushed forward, a heavy pressure coming down on her mind. She shook her head, barely able to shake it off. But Frederic wasn’t as resilient as he began to scream in horror.
The sounds of birds singing could be heard as they pushed forward, which just felt unsettling with the current setting. Whispers were mixed in with the birds, as well as some kind of low droning sound.
“Scamp please, take me back,” Frederic cried, no longer fighting as he trembled in his restraints.
Scamp pressed forward, her ears perking up as she was assaulted with all kinds of voices, all repeating the same warning over and over again. They were all in a language she did not understand, but the moment they reached the large door, everything went silent.
“Scamp…” Frederic begged as she looked around, glancing back the way they’d come. An unsettling feeling washed over her as she saw many emaciated people staring back at them, all sitting among the rocks and trees. She hadn’t seen them as they’d approached, and this caused her heart rate to increase.
Then a single voice spoke up, in perfect english, causing her fur to stand on ends. It seemed to be repeating the same warning that all the other voices had been whispering.
“Abandon all hope, ye who enter here.”
“Turn us back, please!” Frederic yelled, but she ignored him as she pushed forward, using the Dolly to open the gates, which despite their size, opened with ease. The wails they’d heard previously increased in volume as distant drum-like sounds could be heard, but she just gritted her teeth and pushed through the entrance. The item Balgore had given her humming faintly as it hung around her neck.
The pressure around them only increased as they entered a completely dark area, with no sounds but the distant dripping of water. Each drop echoing around them, acting as if they were in another massive cavern.
“It’s not to late, we can-”
“If you say another word, I’m going to silence you myself,” Scamp hissed, her heart rate increasing even more as she carefully moved forward. The ground was becoming uneven, making it hard to move the dolly’s wheels without having to use all her strength to keep it upright.
A distant lantern flared to life, seeming to be over a lake of some kind as its light was reflected in the water below it.
“What the fuck is that?!” Frederic yelped, but Scamp lifted the gag and forced it into his mouth, tightening it down till he was squealing in pain.
The lantern was slowly coming towards them as she kept moving forward. Suddenly the wheels hit water and fell forward. She barely caught a hold of the handle as the dolly sank all the way up to Frederic’s chest. His screams of horror did not help as she struggled to pull him back up.
Luckily for him, she got him back up and onto the stone floor. She didn’t say a word to him as she sat him back up and turned her attention to the slowly approaching light. As it drew closer, she saw that it was attached to a boat, with a single person within it.
She set her jaw, not sure what to expect as the boat neared. Silently, it came to a stop right along the edge of the water, the figure within turning their cloaked head towards the two of them.
“You’re not my normal passengers,” the man said in an old gravely voice. “More lively than I’m used to seeing.” The figure turned his attention to Frederic, a toothy smile barely visible inside the dark hood. “We were expecting you at some point, Mr. Bourdages. Just not like this.”
“I need to take him to the end,” Scamp said firmly, getting a rough chuckle from the man.
“There were easier ways to get him here,” the man said in an amused tone.
“We want him here. Alive,” Scamp said, narrowing her eye. “He doesn’t deserve the easy way out.”
“Very well,” the man said as he waved a hand for the boat. “But I must warn you. He’ll never leave here, and there’s a chance you won’t either, if you fail to listen to me.”
“I’ll take the risk,” Scamp grunted as she pushed the dolly over, sending Frederic tumbling into the boat with a scream. She jumped in after him, taking a seat on the other side of the boat from the man.
“I’m afraid I do not know your name,” the man said with a smile, the light revealing some of his decrepit face. “We don’t make it a habit of learning the names of those we’ll never see, after all.”
“Scamp,” she answered, keeping her last name out of it.
“Well, I am Virgil, your guide,” he answered as the boat took off, heading into the darkness.
“How long till we get to the end?” Scamp asked, a feeling of uneasiness passing over her as she saw faces in the water staring back at her.
“Depends,” he said, his eyes on Frederic. “Sometimes it’s a few minutes. Sometimes it’s a few millennia.”
“I can’t be here that long,” Scamp said with a frown.
“Then it is best to hope he deems it so,” Virgil answered, reaching up and running a hand over the lantern. It brightened slightly, pushing away the darkness. All this did was reveal even more faces in the water, all of them watching them as they went.
Scamp had questions, but decided to keep them to herself as she forced her eyes to rest on the man ahead of her.
Hours passed in silence, with just the sounds of the water hitting the boat filling the air. Scamp remained patient, staring at the smiling man ahead of her. No one spoke, except for Frederic who just sobbed into his gag.
After even more time passed, Virgil moved a bit. “Is this worth it?” he asked suddenly. “This journey could take the rest of your life to complete.”
“I’m immortal,” Scamp answered gruffly. “But I don’t plan to be here that long.”
“Ah an immortal,” he laughed. “This place is not for you then. Getting stuck here… there are no worse fates.”
“I know, that’s why he’s here, alive,” she said, kicking Frederic’s hoof.
“We’re currently in Limbo,” he said, looking over the edge of the boat. “Tossing him overboard here would be a terrible fate in of itself.”
“Not good enough,” Scamp muttered, seeing the panic on Frederic’s face. “Straight to the bottom.”
“Very well,” he said as the boat suddenly jerked and rocketed down a tunnel that seemed to appear out of nowhere. The boat navigated the many twists and turns as Scamp held on tightly to the side of the boat, dread washing over her as she heard the sounds of voices calling out all kinds of names.
They violently exploded out into an open sea of sorts, with sharp rocks all around them and a blank sky above. But what really caught her eye was the massive man with serpents body wrapped around himself, his massive eyes locked onto them.
“Confess your sins for judgment,” the large man bellowed, causing Scamp to flatten her ears to her head.
“These two will not be judged by you, Minos,” Virgil said sharply, moving the boat towards the massive man. “Now aside, let us pass.”
A loud snort of hot air was blown onto them as he moved aside, water pouring off of him as he did so. His eyes remained locked on Frederic, a sinister smile sliding onto his face. “I was looking forward to your confessions. I knew exactly where you would have gone.”
Virgil moved them forward, entering into a rough sea with people screaming for help as they were tossed around by the waves.
“Hold tight,” he warned as the boat rocked with the waves. “Falling out here is not ideal.”
Scamp did as she was told as she watched people and creatures of all kinds trying to grab onto the boat, but were unable to get a grip on it as they were ripped away by the currents. The boat pushed forward, seeming to take hours to reach the end of the rough seas.
Her biological foreleg was sore from holding onto the boat for so long, but she remained strong as they finally broke from the endless storm and began to enter another tunnel.
“Scamp!” a voice suddenly called out from the open sea, but looking back she couldn't see the owner of the voice, but it was vaguely familiar. Then an object flew from a distant wave and landed in the boat. It was a simple necklace, but she didn’t recognize it from anywhere.
“What is that?” she asked, but Virgil just shrugged at her.
Carefully, she picked it up, not seeing anything abnormal about it. It was a simple chain with a heart pendant attached to it.
“Careful taking anything from here,” he warned as they entered the tunnel.
“What should I do with this?” she asked, staring at the little pendant.
“Anything you’d like,” he answered. “Someone wanted you to have it. Risked everything to get it to you as well. Toss it over board, or keep it. The choice is yours.”
“How much further?” she asked, opening her pocket dimension and tossing the pendant into it.
“We’re progressing much faster than I’d expected,” Virgil said cheerfully. “You must be a welcome guest after all.”
“Great,” Scamp muttered, not liking the sound of that.
As they moved along, the water began to turn to a foul smelling sludge, causing her to gag and vomit over the edge. Frederic did the same, but she didn’t bother removing his gag.
“I would avert your eyes for this one,” Virgil warned. “This circle is… putrid.”
She took his advice and hunkered down in the boat, her nostrils getting assaulted with all kinds of smells. Thankfully, they were not in this area long as they entered a tunnel. However she stayed down, not wanting to see any more than she had too. They pushed into a new area, one that was filled with the sounds of grunting and the sounds of coins giggling in sacks.
Yet she stayed down, and was very thankful when they passed through this area much quicker than the last one. The next area they entered was filled with the shouts of angry voices, and the sounds of fighting.
Pushing herself up, she saw they were in a swamp, with people fighting on top of the sludge, stepping on the bodies of those who seemed to just be laying in the mud. No one paid them any mind as they continued to violently attack each other, endlessly.
“I have a feeling if you were to come here,” Virgil began with a smirk. “That this is where you would be sent to, Lady Scamp.”
“Eh…” she muttered, not sure how to feel about that as she watched the raging people around them.
In the distance, she saw a few high towers, but Virgil turned the boat from them, heading in a different direction.
“Pray you never earn this fate,” he said as they carried on.
Like before, they made their way through this area in only an hour, much to her relief. But upon entering into the next area, she was met with the smell of burning flesh. A scent she knew all too well due to her time served in the military.
She sat back down in the boat, staring down at Frederic as they passed by tombs filled with flames and screams.
At the end of this area, the boat came to a stop next to some rocks.
“Now we walk,” Virgil said as he climbed from the boat.
“Oh great,” she complained as she hefted Frederic up and out of the boat. Before them was a massive cliff side. With a frown she opened her pocket dimension and pulled out a syringe.
Frederic began to panic as she injected it into his side, causing him to go limp. She removed his restraints and threw him over her back, a look of displeasure on her face as she began to follow Virgil up the rocky cliff.
“You can dump him anywhere and his fate would be sealed,” Virgil commented as they moved upward.
“I want him to get exactly what he deserves,” she answered simply.
“You’ve gone far above most who have walked a similar path.”
“It has to be done.”
He cackled as they reached the top of the cliff and entered the next layer. But then he stopped, turning his gaze upward. “I must leave you here,” he suddenly said.
“Why?” she asked with an annoyed grunt.
Virgil turned and walked past her, moving faster than he had before.
“Hey, Virgil!” she called after him as he basically ran away from her. “What am I supposed to do?!”
The sound of a thousand screams behind her caused her to freeze. The sounds increased in volume as she started to make out individual voices among the cacophony of chaos.
Sweat began to run down her body as a different pressure began to beat down on her, one she’d never experienced before and could not even begin to understand. Without warning, she blinked and found herself in a completely different area, no longer on the top of a cliff.
A deep chill ran down her spin as the atmosphere changed from muggy to impossibly cold. The sounds of crying people could be heard all around them as she slowly turned, seeing people embedded in the ice, their features impossible to make sense of.
“Those who make the journey to see me usually bring gifts,” a large man said as he leaned against an icy pillar, a wide smile on his face. His massive and naked body caused great discomfort in Scamp, but she ignored it as she flipped Frederic over her shoulder and onto the ground.
“You the devil?” she asked, glaring at the imposing man.
“Satan, Lucifer,” he said with a laugh, shaking his hands. “The devil. All the fun little names mortals have given me.”
“Good,” she said flatly, kicking Frederic’s side and causing him to groan as the sedatives seemed to be wearing off much faster than they were supposed to. “I brought you this guy, as a gift.”
“By gift,” he said as he strolled towards her, towering above her, “I meant your soul.”
“Too bad,” Scamp said with a smirk. “You’re gonna have to settle with this guys.”
The man stood stalk still, just staring at her. A grin slowly spread across his face. But then it was wiped from his face as he saw the item around her neck, a sour look overtaking his features. “Someone came prepared.”
With that he grabbed Frederic by the hindleg and lifted him up, looking him over. “You could have killed him. He’d have come here on his own.”
“Yes, but I know him being here while still alive is much worse for him,” she countered, getting a genuine grin from the beast of a man.
“That it is,” he laughed as he shook Frederic, causing him to wake up. He looked around in a daze, then when his eyes met the man holding him, he began to scream. “Ah, music.”
“Scamp! SCAMP!” Frederic screamed, jerking his head to her. “Please, do something!”
“So you're going to deal with him?” Scamp asked, ignoring Frederic.
“There are few in life who get the pleasure of being with me,” the man said in a sinister voice. “And Freddy boy, you are among those rare few.”
“W-What’s that mean?” Frederic asked, getting a large smile in return.
“It means very good things,” the man assured him as a groan was heard behind him.
Looking behind him, Scamp saw a man drag himself out from behind a pillar, his body looking absolutely wrecked.
“Oh, mein arschloch,” the man exclaimed in a German accent, pulling himself along the ground. He came to a stop near the man and Frederic, tilting his head up to look at them.
“... oh fuck…” Frederic muttered, his eyes wide.
“Remove that necklace,” the large man said with a smile, locking eyes with Scamp. “It’s the only way you’ll be able to leave here.”
“Yeah, not falling for that,” Scamp said as she flipped her dimensional dagger around her claws.
“Worth a try,” he laughed as Frederic suddenly turned back into a human, completely nude.
“Whoa whoa WHOA!” Frederic screamed, fighting against the man's grip. “This is NOT going to happen.”
“Perfect,” the massive man laughed as Scamp watched in disgust as a large and barbed penis rose from between his legs. Screams filled the air as Frederic was violated, his screams almost being drowned out by the laughs of those around them.
The man on the ground was laughing like a maniac, clapping his hands as the massive man went feral.
“Eh…” Scamp said, raising an eyebrow as she tore open a portal between her and the scene before her and stepped through it. The screams of Frederic were cut off as the portal snapped shut, leaving him there for the rest of eternity.
A horrified look sat on her face as she stood there, processing the scene she’d just witnessed. After a few moments, she shook her head, putting those memories away in her vault and forced herself to move forward. Just like she’d done with all her past trauma.
“Scamp?! You’re back!” Lance exclaimed as he rushed towards her, pulling her into a hug.
“Yeah, I am,” she said, still slightly dazed.
“Why are you back already?!” he asked, leaning back as a few others ran towards them, as they were standing in the middle of the street.
“... How long have I been gone?” she asked, a confused look on her face.
“Barely ten minutes!” he exclaimed, causing her to raise an eyebrow.
“That’s weird,” she muttered, not sure how only ten minutes had passed for them, but decided to not think about it. For her own sake.
“Did you…” he started to ask, but she gave him a sharp nod.
“He’s where he deserves to be,” Scamp confirmed. “Without going into details, he’s going to have a very bad time there.”
“Good,” Lance said with a shake of his head. “I still can’t believe…”
“I know,” she said, patting his back.
“Mama!” Shayla yelled in the distance as she and Mallogory rushed towards her.
“Scamp!” Mallogory yelled, clearly upset.
“Oh, Mallo is pissed you left without telling her, and that you sent Louie back,” Lance warned as Scamp put on a brave smile.
“Oh, wonderful,” she turned to face her family, holding up a hoof to wave to them. “Hey you two…”