Come with me if you want to leave.
“...Can’t you do that thing with your horn?” Wallflower tried squinting, then tried widening her eyes, but the dark halls of Canterlot Palace remained dark. “Y’know, the light thingy.”
With a grumble and a yawn, Sunset shook her head. “Unlike you, I’d draw a whole lot of attention to myself, Blush.” She whispered back. “We need to get this done then head to bed– Preferably without getting arrested for trespassing.”
“Um, nobody’s gonna arrest you, your mom is literally god.” Wallflower snickered quietly.
“They sent a child to hell. I think I’m fair game.” Sunset murmured with a shrug. “Though I’m more concerned with what Celestia would do to whoever actually tried arresting me… Let’s just get this done without being spotted.”
“Sure! Personally, I would like to see her smiting someone.” The human turned pony grinned madly. “Blow them away with her magical powers and stuff.”
“Well, if these past few days have been anything to show for, you just might see her smiting. She’s at the end of her rope, really.” Carefully narrowing her eyes, she read the names on the doors of the offices she passed by. “One more inconvenience away from smiting.”
“Really? She seemed pretty relaxed!” The human turned pony tried gesturing with her front leg, which made her trip and nearly fall– Having to recuperate and play it cool. A common occurrence since she had first started walking as a pony.
“Oh, you don’t know her. She is seething.” Sunset chuckled. “She is much better at hiding her anger than I am– But I guess if I had a thousand years to practice, I’d be good at it too.”
“Better get to work, then.” The gardener teased. As soon as Sunset raised one defiant eyebrow, she folded. “Sorry.”
“I think we’re here.” Incredibly slightly, Sunset illuminated the door they stood before with her horn, as she whispered. “...Yeah. This is the place.”
The plaque on the door had Neighsay’s name and title– Sunset double checked it before leaning next to the door and with her ears twitching, casting a quiet spell– Almost like a radar.
“...What are you doing?” Wallflower whispered in confusion..
“Something that’s easier when I’m not talking. Shush.” Her eyes still closed, her horn continued to detect, until she was satisfied. “We’re clear. No one’s inside– And it’s not boobytrapped, as far as I can tell….”
With a quick try of the doorknob, she sighed. “...And it’s locked. Give me a second.”
Focussing up, she stood directly before the lock with her horn, as an arcane key manifested within the air– And it rapidly switched forms as it glowed alongside the lock– Sunset muttered something unintelligible as she strained.
“...You okay?” The human with no way to discern how magic functioned whispered. “Is it a tough lock or something?”
“That, and I’m fucking sleepy.” Sunset groaned. “Also shush.”
After nearly a minute, a key manifested perfectly, and with tilt of the head, it vanished, and the lock clicked.
Sunset pushed the door open and waved. “Ladies first.”
“So what are we looking for?” She whispered back, as she stepped inside the office.
“Incriminating crap. We’ll know it when we see it.” Sunset closed the door behind them, and locked it for good measure, finally lighting her horn. “...Try not to make any messes we have to clean up in a hurry– Who knows when this guy is coming back.”
The human turned pony cringed. “Who would be twisted enough to go to work at 4 in the morning??”
“You haven’t met him.” She murmured back as she walked over to his desk, and began looking at the papers spread out. “Expect the unexpected.”
His office was large, and it was spacious. There were multiple bookshelves spread out, and even some boxes stacked on the corners, with even more books on top of them. The desk in the middle was incredibly fancy and well carved, clearly commissioned and having cost a fortune. Sunset rifled through more and more paperwork, but her tired eyes weren’t doing any favors– The light of her horn and the moonlight shining through a closed window being the only sources of light.
Clumsily, Wallflower tried opening one of the boxes with her mouth and hooves– Without much luck, nearly toppling an entire book pile before Sunset put it back into place with her magic. “...Watch it. I don’t think it’s a very good idea for you to mess around– You don’t have hands, Blush. Remember that.”
“Sure, sure… But maybe there’s something on these boxes?” Wallflower smiled awkwardly, apologetically. “What's in those papers…?”
“Mostly official notices regarding the suspension of the school of friendship.” She blew raspberries, leaving the paperwork behind and approaching the boxes. “Everything’s official– He filed these weeks ago, maybe even months, but the trial really made them stick, ugh… Nothing Incriminatory.”
“...‘School of Friendship’, huh?” The human turned pony suppressed chuckles. “This colorful magical world gets funnier by the second.”
“To be fair, the school was formed recently. It really isn’t that big of a deal… But Twilight is the Princess of Friendship, so y’know.”
“Meh.” With an uninterested shrug, the human nudged one of the boxes. “C’mon, open them up. Magic them up! Crack these open and let’s find his evil stash of accursed gemstones!”
Choosing not to comment on how she did not appreciate being commanded like a living can opener, Sunset simply channeled her magic and opened a box as stealthily as she could.
She had to take a step back for a moment– But that surprise faded quickly, when she realised what it was, and why it was here… Although it was still cause for surprise that inside the box was a legendary magical artifact– One she knew.
“That's… Holy crap. That’s the Talisman of Mirage.” Sunset’s expression softened, as she studied it under the warm light of her horn. “This shit is history.”
“Um… Should I know what it is?” Wallflower tilted her head.
“Hardly. It’s an ancient changeling artifact.” She quickly walked over to another larger box and opened it. “...Aaaand that’s the Crown of Crover. Griffon history.”
“Griffons? So not ponies?” Wallflower pondered. “Like. Are there more magical creatures I don’t know about around here?”
“A lot more.” Sunset whispered back as she inspected the crown closely, then placed it back down, and opened one more box. “...And this is Clover the Clever’s Cloak. Goddamn.” She had to take a moment to whistle, as she appreciated the craftsmanship and weight of the history.
“Okay. Is this a big deal or a small deal? Walk the dumb human through this.” Wallflower pouted, looking at the artifacts.
“Well, this cloak belonged to the original hero of pre-Equestrian history that fought and allegedly beat the sorceress that created your Memory Stone.” Sunset raised a teasing eyebrow. “So there’s some trivia for you.”
“Oh. Oh, shoot. Awkward.” The human turned pony grimaced. “Um, but like– Is this incriminating or something?”
“...Not exactly.” After studying the cloak, she carefully placed it back in the box and sealed it. “These are all the artifacts that were allegedly used by Cozy Glow to nullify magic region-wide– If not nationwide. I figured they would have been safeguarded already, but… Why by Neighsay…?”
“‘Cause he wants to do evil stuff with them?” Nodding along, Wallflower pondered. “Part of some evil scheme??”
“Or because it’s his job.” Sunset sighed in disappointment. “He was the one that suspended the school and is allegedly investigating it for corruption. It figures that he’d confiscate these– And I bet he’s got the papers to do it legally, too– This isn’t incriminating. In fact…” She closed all the boxes, and placed them back in their places. “We better make sure he doesn’t think anyone’s looked through these.”
“Aww, man…” Wallflower pouted, moving closer to the desk. “I figured this’d be a lot easier…!”
“Maybe if it wasn’t 4am in the fucking morning.” Sunset yawned again, and let out an annoyed groan. “Let’s do another sweep of the desk and then bail– I don’t want to be here any longer than I–”
“Sure thing! Here, let me–” Through clumsy, klutzy inexperienced hoof steps, the human turned pony tripped in one of the tiles and slammed sideways against the desk with a loud THUD. It wasn't the first time she had tripped since she had become a pony, but it was certainly the most painful one yet.
“S-shoot, Wallflower, you okay…!?” Sunset hurriedly came to check on her.
“Ow ow ow…!! I-I’m good, I think, b-but… Did you hear that…?” She turned to the desk, ears twitching instinctively. “...Did I just…?”
“I heard it.” With newfound urgency and anticipation, Sunset walked towards the desk, and crouched down, leaning below it. “There was a weird rattling sound when you hit it– And this desk has no drawers so… Aha!”
With a grin standing once more with her horn alight, She tried fiddling with it.
“W-what is it??” Her friend rubbed her injured forehead, trying to take a peek.
“Secret compartment– it’s locked by magic, too. This one is even tougher than the door, damn.” She strained as her magic channeled into it once more. “Ugh, if I wasn’t so tired, this’d be easy–”
They both froze, and she stopped talking, even shushing her friend as their ears twitched.
Even muffled, even at a distance, the dead silence of the Canterlot halls echoed with the hoofsteps of a single pony approaching.
“S-shit. It’s probably him– Guards patrol in pairs!” Sunset whispered, as she opened the window with her magic, and gazed out. “Here’s our exit, we’ve gotta go–”
“W-wait! Open this thing first! Let’s find out what’s inside, c’mon!!” Wallflower pointed desperately at the hidden compartment under the table. “Isn’t this why we’re here?!”
“We can’t afford to be caught–”
“--Let’s not leave empty handed, c’mon, aren’t you curious–”
“--Agh, fuck it–”
Sunset charged ahead, and much aggressively with her magic, forced the lock open, certainly not gently, but careful not to leave marks.
Both of them stared in surprise at the contents of the secret compartment– One they recognized incredibly clearly, but the rest, they couldn’t inspect as carefully. A fancy whistle, an ancient runestone, and…
The footsteps were getting closer– And the lock on the door was being fiddled with.
“Time to go. Don’t scream!” Sunset commanded, picking Wallflower up with her magic, closing the compartment under her table, and leaping through the window.
The human turned pony tried her best not to shriek as she was thrusted two floors below, even if Sunset’s magic kept her from whiplash or a rough landing.
With an agile use of softer falling spells, and the help of adrenaline, they ran through the gardens until they couldn’t possibly be in sight of that open window.
“Okay. Okay. I’m going to my goddamn room now, and you are too, Blush. This is it for tonight, okay?” She panted, placing her friend down, leaning against a wall, breathing haggardly. “I forgot how fucking… Fucky spellcasting while sleep deprived is. I almost broke my legs back there…!”
“B-but… You saw it too, right…? You saw what was in that drawer thing?? Even I recognized it…!” Wallflower took a nervous glance behind them, peeking past a wall, then leaning back. “Tell me that’s incriminating. Please!”
“Incriminating? Not sure. Suspicious? Absolutely. After all…Why would a chancellor have a Tartarian Key hidden in his office?”
The descent was quiet, but it was not relaxing. Far from it.
This time, any misstep could cost them everything. Starlight Glimmer was the only one capable of saving whoever took the wrong jump with her magic, and even then, it was a long shot in more ways than one.
Gravity being weaker made it easier to climb down the enormous chains– They had to take frequent leaps of faith onto the next segment, as a proper orderly line. Only two ponies at a time could stand in half a segment at a time– And they couldn’t risk all jumping simultaneously, and sliding down wasn’t nearly as safe of an idea.
The chains did not shudder. They did not creak or bend with their weight– They were perfectly elongated, extended as far as they possibly could.
Their steps were uneasy. As if constantly prodding a minefield, wondering when the steel would cave under them.
And anytime a sound would reverberate over the metal, anytime there was the lightest twitch, it would make them freeze– And wonder how stable this was.
And yet, they continued.
Starlight led the way, with her horn alight, with Tempest close behind– Trixie came after, also illuminating as best she could with her horn, and Maud came in last, each leaping slowly through the air.
“I wonder if this is how pegasi feel.” The earth pony muttered with a smile, taking another leap. “...Weightless.”
Tempest grumbled, as she jumped down skillfully. “If we were pegasi, we could gain altitude. This is barely a glide.”
“I wish I knew spells to make gravity go like this during one of my shows!” Trixie snickered as she flapped her cape dramatically on her way down, landing with questionable agility. “I could really surprise the audience, heheh…!”
“Twilight knows a few. I could ask her to show you once we make it back!” Starlight replied with a semi-confident smile.
“Hah! If the nerd is obliged to share!” The magician giggled, before her expression turned to fright, looking down.
Below them at a long distance were lakes upon lakes of lava, all sprawling as far as they could see– But before them, where the chain was headed, was… Nothing.
The abyss.
“Um, so, we’ll have to hop out of these chains before we go there, right? Um, y’know, in the whole… Pit of despair thingy?”
“I didn’t even know there was a layer lower than this…!” Starlight murmured in awe and worry, transfixed by the pitch black sea below them, where dozens of chains like this one led to. “B-but yes, we’ll have to jump when we’re closer to the ground– preferably not in lava. I’m fairly sure taking the chain back up will be the right call too…”
Maud, however, wasn’t as worried. “...You have to admit, it’s pretty cool. We’ve gone lower than any caver has ever been…. This is extraordinary.”
“You’re going to be a legend among cavers up there, Maud!” The leader gave her an encouraging smile. “You should write a study about this expedition or something!”
“Oh, I’ll write a whole book when I get the chance.” The Pie sister was smiling more than usual– Which was notable to anyone that knew her. “A cave expanse so massive, that it is as if you could have entirely new biomes down here– No walls for miles in any direction. A journey to the heart of Equestria… To the center of our world itself.”
“If there is a heart of Equestria, I don’t believe it's here.” Tempest murmured cautiously, taking a moment to glare at the abyss. “This realm holds a contempt for the living.”
“And yet, here we are.” Maud smiled still, taking another jump. “Making history.”
“I’d settle for just saving Cozy over making history right now, haha…!” Starlight wiped sweat off her forehead. “Oh gosh– it’s getting hotter…!”
“We’re getting closer.” Tempest noted stoically, looking down– The rivers of lava were expansive, and now they could hear them, the slow, but perpetual seismic rumble in the distance.
And so, they proceeded quietly.
In that quiet, Tempest stared at their leader. At the strange mare that had been guiding this expedition. She wondered just why she was the one chosen to lead this– She knew her stakes in it already, but still wondered…
“...Why you?” The broken unicorn muttered out loud pensively.
With ears twitching, Starlight looked back at her, tilting her head. “...Hm?”
“Trixie is unqualified, that much I know. She is here to support you emotionally– The earth pony is here because of her experience with caving, Celestia’s first pupil was a part of this because of her access to canterlot’s inner workings and this realm, while her small green friend is a part of this because of her… Stealth, it seems. And finally, I’m here for when things inevitably go wrong. …But why you?” Tempest asked genuinely.
“...Um, Twilight asked me?” The leader did not understand the question. “Also I told you, I want to set things right with Cozy…!”
“But why you?” She repeated, almost only to herself. “No offense, but you don’t seem like the leader type.”
“Gee. Thanks.” Starlight frowned.
“Hey, big guy!!” Trixie complained above her. “Can you stop undermining my girlfriend?? She saved your ass back there from being a sobbing mess, and you should show some respe–”
Tempest glared back at her, silencing the magician swiftly. “I am not DONE.” She snarled, then turned to Starlight once more, speaking more respectfully. “I am not trying to discredit you. You’ve gotten us this far, and I trust you’ll get us out. But you have second guessed most of your decisions and nearly caved under the pressure a few times already. I’m merely speculating as to why you were chosen, among infinite options.”
“...Well…!”
Maud cut her off, speaking flatly as she always did. “She used to run a cult.”
Tempest had to double take to make sure the earth pony was serious, and she seemed to be.
Maud shrugged. “She ran a cult. Northeast of Equestria, small village– Convinced everypony to give up their cutie marks to be ‘equal’. Well. She didn’t give up hers. Because it was a cult. That’s some leading experience, though.”
“That’s not leading, that ruling. Not to mention deceiving, controlling– It’s not what I mean.” Tempest corrected, shaking her head dismissively. “So, cult leader–”
“CAN WE STOP WITH THE CULT THING??!” Starlight barked into the air angrily, gritting her teeth as she looked at them enraged. “That is NOT who I am anymore, okay? I don’t want to talk about it, so let’s not go there!!! Look, Twilight asked me to do this, so here I am– No, I don’t think I’m qualified to lead, but I’m saving Cozy Glow even if it kills me, because it’s the right thing to do, because I owe her, and because a child should not be in a place like this!! Are you SATISFIED?”
And that’s when Tempest grinned. There it was– Just a hint of why Starlight belonged here, on this mission. Only a hint– But she could see it clearly. She was quite interested in seeing who this unicorn really was under that mask… Who Starlight Glimmer really was. But for now…
“...Yes.” The broken unicorn smiled confidently. “I am.” The group was quiet, for only a moment– Before Tempest added an important note. “...And for what is worth… I am glad you are the one leading us, Starlight Glimmer.”
She was acknowledged silently, with a thankful nod from the unicorn.
The group was nearly there. Starlight stopped, scanning the environment below them, and the others followed her lead.
“...If we keep going down the chain, we’ll overshoot it and fall into the abyss…” Starlight murmured, scanning the landscape below them. “I see several cages in those plateaus over there…They’re as good of a place to start as any…?”
“Sounds good to me!” Trixie squinted, surveying the horizon. “Hm. We should check the biggest cage piles–– There, on that big island over there– There’s a long bridge!”
“Hm. Ancient pathways are bound to be treacherous.” Tempest murmured, carefully memorizing the environment below. “...But we have no other options. Let us simply avoid falling into lava.”
Maud could barely contain her excitement– And yet, spoke as calmly as she always did. “...Look at all those rivers of lava, flowing into that dark abyss– We must be incredibly close to the center of our world for there to be this much volcanic activity– This place is incredibly beautiful. And also very very dangerous. It’s going to get hotter from here.”
“R-right…! I know some fire resistance spells– Twilight shared them before I came here, everypony huddle up!” The quartet clumsily gathered around the same chains, as Starlight channeled a magic spell for each of them, herself included. “Now, obviously this spell won’t stop you from dying if you fall into lava, and if any of it sprays on you, even just a drop, you should absolutely still get it off of you as soon as possible, lava is no joke– But there you go…!”
The chill aura enveloped each of them, and runes adorning their hides glowed, then vanished.
“...This will last us a few hours. Hopefully more than enough to get the kid out of here…!” Starlight took another fearful look below them, onto the depths, and the canyons below. “...Ready?”
She received three determined nods as a response.
And together, coordinated by her magic, they leapt below onto the nearest platform they could reach.
The landing was soft, but still dangerous– Lower gravity didn’t bring them much comfort, as they skidded and rolled clumsily, getting their bearings.
They were now on the lowest charted layer of Tartarus.
“W-well, Maud… You wanted fire and brimstone…!” Starlight chuckled nervously, as she surveyed the environment.
“Doesn't get more fire and brimstone than this.” Trixie added, mesmerized by the rivers of lava. “G-gosh, it’s hot…!” She fanned herself with her hat, huffing out.
There was an oppressive heat wave that came from below, as the ground rumbled with the many rivers of lava that moved serpentine across the environment, bathing the entire region in an orange hue.
It was only now from this angle that they could see the many origins of these lava rivers, coming from what seemed to be holes in the ceilings and walls of the distant depths of this cavern that might still hold Tartarian structures– They were on a sprawling canyon formed by these rivers.
And there were already a few cages around them– All unoccupied or long broken.
Maud was transfixed by a pile of rocks, as she crouched down and inspected them closely, even touching them with her hooves. “...Incredible…!”
“What’s the scoop on these rocks, Maud?” Trixie smirked, coming closer.
“Fascinating. Volcanic stone, sedimented, and yet solid. This is quite special, we’re on stable ground. I think I see traces of an ore vein, too– One unlike anything I’ve ever seen.” She gave a confident, simple nod, as she pocketed some of the unrefined ores. “This is where Tartarian steel was mined originally. This layer of Tartarus, all around us.”
Tempest, who was circling the plateau they stood on, narrowed her eyes, and waved at them to come closer. “I think I see the kid– Maybe…”
“Where?”
“There.”
The entire team huddled at the edge of the plateau, and observed one of the elevated islands, right in the middle of a quite deep river of lava.
On that island, was a great collection of cages– Many that seemed to be in functioning shape– And some of them were occupied.
“...Shoot, I should have brought binoculars…!” Starlight chastised herself.
“You couldn’t have foreseen a landscape this expansive– Much less one actually lit enough for binoculars to be of use.” Tempest assured with a nod. “C’mon. We can get a better look if we’re closer. Let’s stick to higher ground.”
“R-right!”
Trixie flared her cape dramatically. “At last, we shall rescue the innocent child, and remove her from this treacherous realm!! It took us–” She stopped, scratching herself in confusion. “...How long have we been here?”
“Hours.” Maud noted. “The sun hasn’t risen in Equestria yet. But nearly a whole night.”
“Let’s not waste any more time than we have to!” Starlight let out a nervous sigh. “...Maybe we’ll be able to get some sleep on the upper levels.”
“I don’t really feel sleepy…” Trixie noted, blinking in surprise. “Do any of you?”
All of them agreed at once, and Tempest grunted cautiously. “Must be a side effect of the realm, or maybe the lower gravity… Let’s not take any chances. Exhaustion is soon to follow if we waste our time thinking we have energy in endless supply.”
“Right! Through here!” Starlight led the way, hopping through the rocky elevated terrain.
They found themselves on a rhythm of slow descent towards their objective, sometimes having to take detours to leap over smaller rivers– With the lower gravity, it wasn’t as difficult, and there were still some short functioning wooden bridges.
It was more uneasy, now. A misstep would mean a plunge– Starlight steeled herself for needing to safeguard her friends with her magic at any moment, to stop her or any of them from falling in lava.
Sometimes, they would pass cages that were inhabited. Strange, ancient monsters would growl at them, creatures with multiple faces, colorful scales, teeths and claws in abundance, and eyes in strange places. Trixie cautiously walked closer to her girlfriend.
Tempest was fiercely prepared, anytime they would approach one of these creatures– Wary of any potential attack, while Maud was mostly distracted with the environment.
“...Glimms? Do you recognize any of these things…?” Trixie whispered as they passed by what seemed to be a coffin that was chained shut with monstrous arms perturbing out of its sides– The arms held the edges of the cage, the coffin was upright, twitching in the proximity of the ponies.
“...None! Maybe Twilight would, but…! These monsters are ancient…” The leader noted, as she carefully stepped around what seemed to be a monstrous goat homunculus that had horns covering its entire head, and most of its body– Unseen eyes, and terrible teeth.
The entire group gasped and recoiled, at the sight of the next monstrosity.
“I’ll admit.” Maud sneered at the sight, face contorting slightly. “Even I’m grossed out.”
“I’m g-going to cut this out of any show I write about this adventure–” Trixie cringed, unable to look away, horrified. “T-this is too graphic.”
In a cage uncomfortably close to the path they had to take, was a spider-like creature with a lot more limbs than it needed to– But instead of a body, it had heads. Pony heads.
Four heads, to be precise. The heads of Starlight, Trixie, Tempest and Maud, who grinned madly at the ponies outside the cage, unblinking.
“Second most disturbing thing I’ve ever seen.” Tempest stated simply, eyes slightly widened. “Shall we keep moving?”
“Y-yep! Don’t look at the copycat-arachne-polycephalus thingy!!” Starlight hid her nerves poorly as she walked extra farther from the cage, avoiding the stares of the creature.
“Good luck sleeping at night, haha!!” Forcing laughter, Trixie walked right behind her, and flinched as one spider appendage slowly extended through the bars of the cage, trying to reach for her– To no avail.
Leaving that bizarre monstrosity behind, they were closer than ever.
A lava river raged below them, and a small, rickety bridge extended all the way to the elevated islet– Longer than any they had crossed. They were surprisingly close to the abyss– Just nearby, the river led to a sheer drop into nothing, into the unknown dark.
“...That’s her, isn’t it?” Tempest narrowed her eyes, as her ears twitched, inspecting the islet before them. There was a tiny blur of a pegasus waving at them from inside a cage, hard to distinguish. “Is she yelling something…?”
“I can’t hear squat over the lava.” Trixie complained, blowing raspberries. “But I do think that’s her…? There is something small flapping around in that cage, I think?”
“I can’t see anything over the heatwave.” Maud murmured, shrugging, then crouched down dug into the stones below them. “This is incredible…”
“W-well… Gravity is lower, so even if the cage is rickety, we’re all fine to cross, I think! We shouldn’t weigh too much!” Starlight nodded semi confidently. “A-alright. Let’s go!”
“Roger.”
“Let’s go!”
“Right behind you.”
The quartet began walking over the bridge carefully– No rush, all of them took cautious steps.
Starlight led the way as usual, cautiously looking below and in front of her.
“She’s definitely yelling something.” Trixie murmured right behind her. “But the good news is, that’s definitely Cozy!”
”THERE’S A MONSTER IN THE LAVA!!!!”
“I-I think it is!!” The leader let out a breathless shudder of relief. “T-thank goodness…!”
“I told you we got this.” Trixie gave her a confident nudge from behind. “What did I tell ya?”
”BELOW YOU!! LOOK BELOW YOU!!!!”
“Can any of you make out what she’s saying?” Tempest’s ears twitched, focussed on the child in the cage in the distance.
“No clue.” Maud mulled over behind her. “Maybe she’s excited to be rescued.”
”IT’S RIGHT BELOW YOU!!!”
“I think she’s…” Starlight’s heart began beating faster– A shiver ran down her spine. “...O-oh, s-shoot–”
“THERE’S A MONSTE–”
But they did not hear her soon enough. Starlight had a split second to look between the boards of the bridge she walked on, as some sort of river leviathan emerged from the waters leapt towards the quartet with voracious intent.
There was no bite, no lunge– It was an explosion of lava from below, and the impact of the bridge being blown apart so viciously sent all four into the air, even further, given the unstable gravity.
Starlight yelled in horror as the world spun, and all of her surroundings felt unbearably hot. She heard Trixie scream near her as she flew, but not much else. There was a noise akin to a tidal wave hitting a cliff– And she finally landed on stable ground.
She was winded, but hadn’t lost consciousness– She could feel burning, and yet, was numb to it.
Trixie shrieking her name was enough to wake her up properly– As she could see her girlfriend desperately patting out fires on her own hide that were only barely being held back by her spell– The pain, however, was undeniable.
“S-STARLIGHT!! G-GET UP!! T-TEMPEST NEEDS YOU!!” Trixie pleaded, shaking her, helping her stand.
“T-Trix–Trixie, w-what hit us??” The leader frantically looked around– They were on a beachfront for the enormous lava river they had nearly plunged into.
“IT WAS BIG AND IT WAS HUNGRY, OTHERWISE I DON’T KNOW–”
The clap of thunder shook the ground and drew their attention– Something emerged from the lava with another heatwave.
Tempest yelled out into the air, as she shot fierce thunderbolts at the whale–looking monster, that seemed to approach the beach they resided in at an alarming rate.
A lava spray was shot at her, and she took cover behind a long since broken cage’s slab– Using it as protection, and still hissing at a few lava sprays reaching her armor.
The whale shuddered at the lightning bolts Tempest shot at her, recoiling– But only switched course– Seemingly swimming to the side.
“T-Tempest! A-are you okay??” Starlight ran to her side, with Trixie quickly in tow.
“No!” She bellowed, keeping an eye on the monster, letting go of her cover briefly. “It will be back– And we can’t cross the river while its–”
The whale leapt out of the river, and descended upon it just as fiercely, spraying lava all around them.
Starlight swiftly cast a barrier spell around them, as the surrounding area was bathed with a shower of molten rock.
“We need to end this swiftly, or else this entire area will be another river!!” Tempest gritted her teeth fiercely, as she stepped out of the barrier and cast another lightning bolt at the monster, narrowly missing it as the electricity flowed randomly.
“Dude, you missed.” Trixie pouted– And was swiftly silenced by a glare. “G-Glimms, what are you thinking? Any plans?”
The leader had no ideas– The danger and the pressure and having to keep the barrier up was stressful enough. Her eyes frantically darted around the lava, as her brain held static.
And the monster began swimming towards them again. The molten creature’s roar could be heard even under water, a low drone.
Tempest snarled and cast another set of lightning bolts and missed again– They went wild on the lava around the monster, barely keeping it at bay.
“O-okay, I don’t wanna downplay your contributions–” Tixie cringed, already holding two hooves up in surrender. “But your thunder thingy clearly has crappy aim. –Not saying it’s your fault–”
“If you won’t help, then SHUT IT!” Tempest yelled in anger, eyes still fixed on the monster. “I can’t control it, it’s easier when the enemy is closer, but that’s not an option with this monster–”
“--That’s it!!” Starlight smiled, as she stepped forward. “T-Tempest! You’re the sun, and I’m a lens!”
“...What?” She tilted her head in confusion. “What…??”
“You know– When in a sunny day, you aim a lens down to the ground to focus sunlight you can burn leaves–”
The monster roared again, and the ground shook. It was fast approaching, as it breached out of the water– Coming fast.
“SUM IT UP, GLIMMS!!” Trixie pleaded.
“Y-Your magic is unfocussed!! B-But I can focus it!! H-here–” The leader stepped forward, crouching down, her horn alight, aimed at the monster. “Lean closer and let my horn have it!!”
Tempest looked at Starlight analytically, then at her horn, then the monster– Then back at the horn.
No time to hesitate or second guess.
Yelling out, she united her broken horn with starlights, and fired out all she could.
The resulting blast shot all three unicorns back, and an enormous clap of thunder resounded through the canyons…
And a perfectly aimed beam of direct lightning shot towards the monster, piercing its hide and blowing away half of its body in a single strike.
The three unicorns watched in disbelief as the molten carcass’s fleshy exterior was exposed– And the monster was no more, simply floating away slowly, taken by the current.
“W-WOO!! NICE SHOT, YOU TWO!! THAT WAS AMAZING!!” Trixie cheered, and began prancing around, and with that, accidentally stepped on a small puddle of still molten rock, then yelped and rolled around before Starlight could help her out. “Y-your fireproof spell is doing wonders, Glimms!! Ow ow ow ow ow…!”
Starlight’s horn was still smoldering and releasing smoke as she helped her girlfriend cool off, and then turned to Tempest. “...N-not bad, right?” She suppressed a headache.
“Not bad at all!” The broken unicorn grinned confidently, nodding to the leader. “We should remember that move. I have a feeling it won’t be the last time we’ll need to use it.”
“I-I hope it’s the last time…!” Starlight chuckled nervously. “...So, no lava monster anymore… We should look for a way up to Cozy before any more show up…!”
“I have an idea!” Proclaiming confidently, Trixie pointed at the remains of the bridge. “But first, we have to get back up there!”
Together, the trio went all the way back to the same ridge– And this time, kept a close eye on the river. There was no evidence of another lava monster of the same caliber swimming below them, but they still kept a close eye.
Starlight looked at the broken, charred remains of the bridge dangling entirely by the cliffside below them. “...Right…” She pondered.
“Where’s the earth pony?” Tempest looked around them, surveying their surroundings.
Trixie blinked rapidly, then tried looking at the path behind them. “...She was right behind us on the bridge, wasn’t she?”
“O-oh no…!” Starlight eyed the river below them in horror. “Y-you don’t think…!”
“It would have been a fast death, at least. Painful, but fast.” Tempest noted pensively. “We probably wouldn’t have heard her screaming due to the monster’s roars either.”
“B-but she was just here.” Trixie glanced around herself one more time, spinning, glancing at every corner. “S-she was just here!!”
“No no no no no…!” Starlight gritted her teeth, getting close to the edge, frantically looking around the river. “I-it’s my fault, if I had seen this–”
With a strategic glance, Tempest beheld the plateau island, still distant, but closer than ever. “Our target is right there. We should formulate a plan on getting to her, and moving back– This layer is clearly less safe than the others.”
Trixie was speaking nearly incoherently. “S-she was right behind us, w-we all fell on that general area, she couldn’t have gone far, maybe she just fell further away– Maud can’t die. She’s unkillable! And if she did die, she would get better after, and it would be okay–”
“It’s my fault. It’s my fault.” Starlight repeated with a shudder, looking down– Too close to the edge. “I should have seen this coming– I should have known there would be monsters here, I-I– I should have walked on that bridge alone–”
“GET A GRIP, BOTH OF YOU!” Tempest commanded, stomping a hoof on the floor– Stopping them just long enough for them to look at her. “Casualties happen. She knew what she was signing up for. Now, we can organize a search party after we’ve secured the child– I consider it a waste of our time, but still– We won’t gain anything from making an eulogy in hell. Now–”
Trixie had had enough. She walked right over to Tempest, gritting her teeth– Still, the broken unicorn towered over her. “Read the fucking ROOM, you dumb bag of muscles!!! MAUD IS OUR FRIEND!” Then she feigned mockery. “Oh, that’s right– You don't get how it is to care about even the most basic friends, you only got eyes from one mare, and you draw a line between her and the rest of the world– WELL HERE’S A LESSON FOR YA, WHEN YOUR FRIENDS DIE, YOU GET SAD!!”
Her lips twitched– But she just sighed, and nodded. “...Are you done?” She muttered. “I am sorry for your loss. But we’ll die too, if we stay here. We have to keep moving.”
“You are unbelievable. You’re the most stubborn, hard headed, stoic, unfeeling mare I’ve ever met– AND I WAS FRIENDS WITH MAUD!” Trixie sputtered out.
“S-STOP!” Starlight cried out at both of them. “S-stop fighting!!”
“G-Glimms– This isn’t–”
“--It is.” Starlight sat, defeated, watching the lava below her. “It’s my fault. It is. Twilight wouldn’t have lost Maud like this. She wouldn’t have lost anypony.”
“Twilight’s not here… You’re doing all you can!” Coming closer, Trixie tried comforting her as best you could, pulling her away from the edge. “I-it’s not your fault…!”
Shaking her head, Starlight breathed unsteadily. “W-what will I tell Pinkie…?”
As calmly as she could, Trixie nuzzled her, speaking softly. “She probably just fell around the canyons and maybe… Got knocked out or something?” She tried assuring. “We’ll find her! I’m sure she didn’t, well…” Her stomach twisted, looking below them.
“She also could have fallen into the abyss.” Tempest noted coldly, watching the corpse of the monster slowly float towards the waterfall into nothing. “It isn't that far, and the blast was fierce…”
“Let’s rule out our friend falling into the pit of despair at the end of the world for now.” Trixie pouted angrily. “Because that would be a bummer.”
“Suit yourself.” Tempest shrugged. “She knew what she was signing up for. This happens all the time– Sometimes you can’t plan for casualties, they just–”
“Tempest, stop.” Trixie commanded as strongly as she could, holding Starlight. “Look– Me and Glimms are going to figure out a way to cross over and get Cozy– Can you go around looking for Maud… Please?”
The broken unicorn’s expression softened slightly, as she watched their leader try to recompose herself. “...I’ll sweep the area. Sorry, I… I suppose…” She looked down bitterly, shaking her head. “...I suppose you’re right. I’m too used to things like this.”
The two ponies watched Tempest walk away, searching on the surrounding canyon by herself. Only after she was out of sight did Trixie speak. “...Talk to me Glimms.”
“Three sisters. She had three sisters. A-and her parents, too…!” The unicorn shuddered, suppressing tears.
“C-c’mon… Maud’s tough! Tempest is probably going to find her distracted by some rocks in a minute. We have no proof that she, well…!” Cringing, she cast a worried glance at the river of lava below them.
“It wouldn’t leave a trace if she did…” Starlight murmured somberly.
“Okay. Okay. Happy thoughts.” Trixie tried sounding confident, with questionable results. “Can you focus on me? Can you be Great and Powerful for me…?”
“T-Trix…!” Starlight let out quiet chuckles between her shudders.
“We’re going to get the kid, and together we’re walking out of this place, okay?” The magician affirmed as strongly as she could. “You gotta hold on strong. There should only be one of us freaking out, and I would rather it be me.” She joked, putting on a smile.
Starlight chuckled weakly, while wiping away a tear, maybe close eye contact. “S-sorry, I… Tempest is right. I wasn’t fit for this. Twilight is–”
“Who cares if you’re fit for anything???” The magician stated defiantly. “Do you think the Great and Powerful Trixie should be down here? No! But I came anyway, because nopony else would– And because I’m needed.”
Starlight sniffled– Admiring how much her girlfriend shined.
“If you can’t believe in yourself, that’s okay– Because I will, all the way, Glimms.” She reaffirmed strongly. “So breathe in, get up, and let’s get back on stage.”
“R-right…! Right…!” She nodded weakly, trying her best to compose herself. “O-okay. Okay. One step at a time…!”
“Attagirl! Best assistant ever…! Ready for our next trick?” Tempest spoke kindly, holding her still. “I… I have an idea of how you could get to Cozy– But um… I can’t join you.”
Taking a sharp inhale, wiping her tears, Starlight’s ears twitched. “...What’s your idea…?”
With her magic, Trixie began pulling on the rope of the remains of the broken bridge– Straining, she even took a plank or two. “So… Remember that trick we did back on Saddle Arabia?”
“The… Rope walking? Where I… Oh…!” Starlight helped her take the rope out fully, and some planks as well. “I kept the rope afloat strongly enough so you could balance on it…!”
“Yep! But I’m thinking since gravity’s all wonky, we can simplify it. You take a big LEAP, and you take these planks with you, and whenever you start losing altitude, you leap again out of these planks mid air!” She presented the idea as visually as she could, with a confident smile.
“...Trixie, that’s brilliant…!” Starlight’s eyes widened, as she considered her path.
“Is it?” Trixie blinked. “It is! Because I am brilliant. A-anyways, I think you should get a headstart and take at least three planks with you– I’m pretty sure you can teleport to make up the difference!”
“Y-yes! Don’t wanna overshoot this…!” Starlight grabbed three planks with her magic. “T-teleportation and levitation will make up the difference…!”
“Kiss for good luck?” Trixie grinned.
Starlight kissed her so hard she toppled over.
Without taking time to hesitate or second guess, Starlight took a single breath and galloped, following with a jump, directly off the edge.
She used her magic to propel herself as much as possible, and her stomach sank as she began losing elevation. Even the slight feeling of the lava river approaching was frightening.
Rearranging the placements of the planks she had taken with her, she placed one before her path, trying to keep it as still as possible, and leapt off of it with her low gravity momentum, gaining some altitude, at the price of speed.
Her objective was closer than ever– She could even see Cozy, and Cozy could see her.
Taking one more leap off another plank, she managed to propel herself even further– And with a close range teleport, she landed safely, but rolled clumsily for good measure, a few of her planks scattering about.
“I… I made it!” She proclaimed with a relieved smile, finally standing before the cage where Cozy resided– Even giving a dry, wary glance at Tirek, who was beholding the sight with great interest, holding the bars of his cage.
“...Cozy! We’re here to rescue you!!” She approached the cage that housed the child with a breathless smile. “I’m so sorry…!”
The foal, who had been watching her approach the entire time flabbergasted, finally managed to speak. “...C-counsellor Starlight?? What the heck are you doing here?!”
“I’m… Here to rescue you!” She repeated. “...Did I not say that?”
Tirek, who was trapped as a neighbour of Cozy Glow, violently rattled the bars of his cage in anger. “WHERE IS TWILIGHT SPARKLE?!?!?!?!?!?”
Any shock at the outburst soon turned to anger for the unicorn, as she glared back at him. “...This is Tirek, isn’t he?” She asked the foal.
“Yep. The biggest sourpuss in Tartarus.” She replied with a bitter pout.
“WHO ARE YOU AND WHERE IS THE PRINCESS?! DID SHE NOT COME TO RESCUE THE CHILD??!” The ancient Centaur pleaded, enraged.
Starlight was not intimidated. “The Princess is not here– I am. But I’ll gladly put you in your place, you… You fiend!!” She gritted her teeth.
“...That line’s not you.” Cozy muttered, shaking her head in frustration.
“You indignant little nothing. All this, and the alicorn Princess does not even bother to come all the way down here to rescue the damned child– You little wretched filthy insolent insignificant–” No more sound emitted from the centaur, no matter how much he blabbered on– Starlight cast a muting spell around his cage with a glare.
She turned gently to the foal, speaking as friendly as she could. “...Are you okay? I hope this place hasn’t been too rough on you…!”
First, there was resentment on the little pegasus’s face, then exhausted resignation, then a frown. “...Princess Twilight didn’t come to rescue me, then. She sent her… Assistant? Secretary? School counselor?” She pouted.
“She’s sorry she couldn’t come– She was worried sick, otherwise she wouldn’t have sent me…!” She exhaled, shaking her head. “I know. I know I’m not Twilight. But… but I’m here now. And what happened to you isn’t fair, Cozy…!”
“Story of my life.” The child murmured in frustration. “The precious and powerful Princess of Friendship fails to defend me in court and then she sends a secretary to come get me… Couldn’t even come here herself!! I– This stinks! This whole THING stinks!! I hate it!”
“I know. I know. Chancellor Neighsay was making you be the fall guy for some kind of ploy– I know what you did wasn’t right, but this isn’t the right punishment.”
“Oh, really.” She turned away inside the cage. “And what would be the right punishment, counselor? What would you rather have happened to me for what I did?”
“...Nothing.” Starlight said simply.
Cozy froze, beholding her with surprise.
“...You’re just a kid. You’re still growing. We’ve all done dumb things when we were young– And we failed you. We should have noticed something was wrong– Us adults, we… We owed you better, and we couldn’t deliver, and I’m so, so sorry, Cozy.”
The foal was pursing her lips– Trying not to let the words get to her, crossing her forelegs, looking away.
“Obviously you could use better counseling. ...And I know that there was foul play involved.” Starlight continued. “Be it Tirek or the Chancellor, you weren’t working alone, were you…?” She spoke incredibly softly.
“I…” Her eyes frantically searched the floor of her cage, as she thought a mile per second. “...I wasn’t. …And if you get me out of Tartarus, I’ll tell you everything.”
Tirek rattled the cage ferociously, the sound dull and barely unintelligible, clearly yelling at them.
“Can it, you six-limbed grumpy pants!!” Cozy stuck her tongue out. “...So Counselor… Get me out of this hell safely, and I’ll snitch. I don’t care.”
With a kind nod, Starlight fiddled with the lock with her magic, until it clicked open.
Cozy Glow took the chance to stretch her wings, and due to gravity, nearly floated away with a little yelp.
“E-easy!! Gravity is pretty wonky down here!” Starlight pulled her down with magic. “Little flaps, okay? Get adjusted before you start flying off.”
“O-okay. Yikes!!” She tried flapping again, and accidentally began doing pirouettes.
“...So, Tirek.” Starlight glared at him, putting a hoof down. “I’m going to undo the silencing spell now, so you can say your peace– And if you play nice, I won’t move your cage somewhere unpleasant. Nod if you understand.”
Bitterly, gritting his teeth, he nodded.
With a tilt of her head, the spell was undone.
“I have only one peace in my mind, unicorn. The pleasure of knowing that this treacherous whelp won’t live to see sunlight. Tartarus is not as friendly to visitors as it is to escapees– You'll see soon enough. And when you draw your last breath, you inferior unicorn, you’ll wish you had set me free and given your life force, for–”
Starlight muted him again.
“Meanie!” Cozy blew raspberries at him and kicked his cage for good measure– Recoiling before he could claw at her. “Oh, and by the way? With the way you talk about him, your brother seemed like a decent guy!!!”
That comment only served to make the ancient centaur angrier, as he rattled the cage to no avail.
“...Okay! Let’s get going. The sooner we leave this layer, the better.” Starlight let out a relieved exhale. “...Were you two the only ones on this island?”
“Oh, nah. We have a neighbour right there. He doesn’t talk though.” Cozy grumbled, waddling a little closer to the cage holding the monster. “...Another beastie, I guess.”
Starlight cringed at the sight of the faceless fuzzy creature, and how it twitched with her proximity. “...Right. Okay. Let’s go back to the others. Hop on my back, Cozy.”
“Why would I? I can fly– Eep!!” While attempting to demonstrate she could fly, her wings flipped her over and caused to crash back down on the ground lightly, squeaking in annoyance.
“You’ll get the hang of flying with this gravity as we walk out of here– On more stable ground, preferably…!”
“Fiiiiiine.” The pegasus pouted, as she hopped on the counselor's back. “But if you fall on lava, I’m ditching.”
“Hold tight…!” Starlight assured, while preparing herself to do the same technique as before, holding onto the planks with magic.
Trixie waved with her hat on the other side– Welcoming her return.
Just to be sure, she double checked the river– No more lava monsters. The carcass of the one they had killed was still floating downstream slowly– It had nearly reached the end of the waterfall.
She galloped towards the edge, and once again leapt– This time, taking special care to pay attention to Cozy on her back, who occasionally whimpered at the loss of altitude and the sight of lava.
She stuck the landing a bit better– Holding onto Cozy before she could be taken by the momentum. “Got you!”
“U-ugh! I miss flying already!!” She pouted, then turned around, immediately cringing at the sight of Trixie. “...Why is your girlfriend here??”
“You just answered your own question, kid.” Trixie grinned, removing her hat in a showboating manner, bowing for good measure. “This has been a collective effort of the most qualified rescue team, Starlight Glimmer and Trixie Lulamoon, at your service!”
“I already know both your names.” She frowned with disinterest. “And I know you two didn’t make it here by yourselves, there’s no way– Who else is in this rescue party? Tell me Twilight at least sent some of the bearers of the Elements of Harmony down here!”
“She did not!” Trixie continued grinning. “...Buuuut you’re right. There were four of us. Tempest should be–”
“--Here.” Tempest leapt from a crevice above them, and landed skillfully. “...So this is the problem child, huh…?”
“O-okay, you I don’t recognize.” Cozy hid behind Starlight’s mane slightly, intimidated by the broken unicorn. “Who’s this…?”
Tempest narrowed her eyes, studying the foal. “...I’m the hired muscle, who made the mistake of taking this mission pro bono. But I’m alive, so can’t complain yet.”
“Speaking of being alive…!” Trixie grimaced awkwardly. “Any news on Maud…?”
“For the record, I am not a tracker.” She sighed, shaking her head. “But no. I did not see her out there, and I was thorough. She either fell in the lava, or…” Once again, she looked over to the abyss.
The carcass was nearly over the waterfall.
“...Um… Maud? What’s that?” Cozy nudged the leader.
“...There were four of us when we first made it down here…” Starlight replied bitterly. “I… Let’s make our way back to the chain, b-but– Keep an eye out for her just in case.”
“Smart. It’s not worth wasting any more time down here.” Tempest nodded. “You… You shouldn’t feel bad about this.”
“I’m still going to, but thanks.” Starlight groaned in frustration.
“I’m just saying. Casualties–”
“Tempest–” Starlight was going to raise her voice, but stopped herself. “...You’re right. Let’s just go.”
Trixie and Tempest shared worried glances– But there was nothing they could do. Cozy studied the group as analytically as she could, trying to get a good read on them– As good of a read as a foal could.
She also tried flying– Flapping her wings more gently, gaining altitude with the lower gravity, trying to properly manage her coordination with questionable results.
“Don’t wander off…!” Starlight warned with worry.
“D-don’t worry, I won’t–” The foal kept trying to handle her wings with the lower gravity slowly getting the hang of it. “...So. Where is the Princess of Friendship, if not here?”
“Dealing with the political fallout of a child being sent to hell.” Starlight sighed, shaking her head. “I don’t envy her position.”
“Compared to whatever she’s having to do right now, we’re lucky.” Trixie joked. “This entire journey has been a… Mostly uneventful hike so far!”
“Casualties notwithstanding.” Tempest added with a grumble.
“T-the hard part is over. We’ve got you!” Starlight let out a shuddering sigh, trying to smile at the foal. “All we have to do now is go back the way we came…!”
The entire group froze, looking at the river they had just passed by.
A noise akin to rocks being broken, and a tidal wave echoed through the canyon– They could see the carcass of the monster they had killed finally be taken by the waterfall, its fleshy remains falling into the abyss.
The sound echoed, for a moment. As if they could hear the dead creature tumble.
“...That’s that, then.” Tempest noted, looking above them– The chain was near. “We are almost there, aren’t we?”
“You guys climbed down that??” Cozy cringed in surprise. “...That’s nuts! I figured there would be stairs, or an elevator–”
“Oh, they should install an elevator.” Trixie nodded in complete agreement. “We should tell Celestia that when we get back home.”
Starlight chuckled, shaking her head. “We did climb down the chains, yes. They’re how we’re getting back up too! We should just get to the highest ground possible, then I might be able to propel us to it with magic!”
“Heh, I have it easy! I’ll be able to just fly– Eep!” Cozy attempted to demonstrate her flight, but accidentally spun around before Starlight stabilized her with magic.
“Yes, it will be easier for you– But stay close, please. This place is very dangerous…!” The leader spoke gently.
“Psh, I’m not a dummy. I’m not flying away from the only creatures in this place that don’t wanna eat me–”
They all froze. A cold shiver ran down each of their spines.
The ground shook– Much, MUCH more than when near the rivers, or when that whale had roared.
Rocks tumbled from above, monsters around them in the inhabited cages whined and cried out fearfully.
Cozy instinctively hopped on Starlight’s back, clinging to her as things got worse– Trixie walked closer too, while Tempest looked around tensely.
There was a roar. A roar that echoed from the abyss. A multi-voiced, guttural, deep, low droning roar, as if the earth itself was growling at what was above it.
They felt it on their rib cages, they felt it vibrating their skulls– It was not loud, but it was long– And it sent shivers down their bodies.
For nearly an entire minute, the sound persisted– They couldn't move, covering their ears was not enough.
Every instinct they had told them that they were not safe.
…And then the roar stopped.
But the silence that followed was not comforting.
“W-what the heck was that???” Cozy stuttered, beholding the abyss.
“J-jeez…!” Trixie tried laughing it off. “Looks like somepony didn’t like us dropping a dead monster down there, haha…!”
“We should go.” Tempest’s stance was frozen, as she scanned the darkness. The wind started picking up– Something was changing. “Starlight, now.”
“Right! Right, faster!!” She led the way, as the trio ran towards high ground, towards the nearest chain.
The wind was strong, now– And it was cold.
As they reached the closest they could of the chain, one of many that led to the abyss– their hearts sank.
From the bottom, from the unseen darkness below, climbing up the same chain they intended to climb…
Was hundreds upon hundreds of monsters.
It was late. It was late, and it was inconvenient.
Chancellor Neighsay sneered at his open window– What kind of low-rate thief would leave proof of their invasion upon his office at this hour?? And what’s more, what kind of thief would actually be capable of picking his enchanted locks?!
He considered calling the guards. Raising the alarm.
But he didn’t need the scrutiny. Not at a time like this. Besides, if whoever his newfound enemies he had thought he didn’t know they were here, this would make them overconfident.
And it didn’t take much to guess that whoever was interested in his office was a lackey of Celestia.
But all that could wait. At this hour, there was something more important to deal with.
He opened the secret compartment under his desk– Letting out an annoyed grunt as he noticed the compartment had been open– Pretty clumsily, too.
Everything was still where he left it– He let out a sigh of relief, pocketing the whistle, taking out the ancient runestone, and leaving the Tartarian key behind, closing the drawer.
Channeling his horn, he focused, with one hoof on the runestone.
It took a full minute before the connection stabilized, before he could have a stable conversation with the monster on the other side.
“Tirek. Sound off, you wretch.” He stated simply, in a mildly annoyed tone. “Report.”
This chapter wound up WAY longer than I originally intended xD But it is DONE the next ones will be shorter.
Lots to cover on this one! I wanna start briefly referencing Sunset and Wallflower's shenanigans, and say that put it simply, Celestia has a high tolerance for political shenanigans without direct influence, but a line WOULD be drawn. And here's the line.
Scorched earth.
Call her a hypocrite if you like. But Celestia will gladly take the gloves off and crucify someone on Canterlot plaza if they threaten her daughter's safety. She's allowed to go a little tyrant over it <3
Also any concern Sunset has over getting caught is primarily over wanting to spare her mom the grief of beating the shit out of someone that dares to proclaim Sunset Shimmer should go to Tartarus lmao.
She will NOT let her baby be punished. Sunset could get away with murder, and she just might. This is what happens when momlestia reconciles nyeh
I saw a lot of comments accusing Celestia of being at fault for anything wrong with Equestria, and I always find that kinda funny. Like. She's not claravoyant or superman. She is a god, yes, but she's also a ruler of a nation. It would be unbecoming and quite awful for her to just. Execute politicians that have politics she disapproves with. I think she exells at being someone with enormous political influence and reach, but ultimately not someone with complete control, on purpose. But hey, that's me! Idgaf about the haters, I will continue writing Celestia as a cool god mom. 
Also I cute out something from this chapter, too-- Originally when Sunset and Wallflower were going to find the legendary treasures of the heroes of different cultures, I was gonna point out the shows colonization and be a cheeky bastard about "Of course ponies have relics that don't belong to them"
but then I realized like. Celestia probably knew these heroes personally. Actually, tehy might have been friends, even. And whose to say she and other pony heroes did not donate artifacts to other cultures? And I just got carried away by the more pleasant takeaway, the idea of cultural exchange, and Celestia having know the heroes these artifacts belonged to personally would be pretty sweet. (Clover the Clever predates her, but I believe he knew Starswirl! Good times.)
So rather than making a very potentially accurate colonialism statement about the show-- Lets face it, the show SEEMS like the kind of story where ponies would steal legendary artifacts from other creatures-- I decided to go the more optimistic route.
Well. The artifacts are on Neighsay's possession now, but still.
ALSO about the initial sequence, god I love writing Sunset, even as a side character. Like, she makes for such a competent ally in a story like this, due to her studious past, magical expertise, and general competence. It's so enjoyable to write her as a leader or even as a participant on subterfuge, and having Wallflower there next to her to not understand anything is a great time, lmao.
The perfect snarky exposition machine that also functions with perfect competence AND biases. Great times.
Either way. Lots of little twists and turns on this chapter!
I'll be honest. Maud is very much not dead, as the map implies at the end of the chapter. But considering where she is, she might wish she was dead.
It was hard to dedicate enough time to her friends dealing with her potential silent demise-- Especially because any average maud writer would just have her appear behind them and go "Whatsup. I'm alive. I died but I got better." And that would be in character too.
I hope I managed to make it realistic enough-- Especially when Starlight needs to be in sound mind for the scenes after.
It's important to state too as I've been writing this, how much I've learned to differ between Twilight, Starlight and Sunset as leaders.
For one, I've come to realise Sunset is easily the most put-together and competent leader of the trio. Like. She rarely falters, and picks herself back up as efficiently as she can when she does. She trusts her friends's capabilities implicitly, and at some point, trusts her own role in the group, too. She faulters, but always gets back up!
Compare that to panic-attack having Twilight, or even OTHER panic attack having starlight, heh. Twilight is constantly plagued with panic and insecurity, and her friends and allies often downplay her woes. It's pretty fucked up. She's still incredibly qualified and capable-- But second guesses herself at the worst moments! It's a darn shame. I strongly believe that she needs a root to keep her steady, preferably one that smooches her on occasion to keep her confident and strong. (But I will not make this about sunlight. Not today)
Starlight does fit for smaller lead roles, I appreciate how her teams are often very small,and she requires all of them to be fans of her to keep her emotionally steady. ESPECIALLY Trixie. I like to see Trixie's enormous, unearned confidence, as a grounding force for Starlight
hell, even when Trixie is the one pissing her off, she still manages to calm Starlight down. That 'all bottled up' episode is a banger, hehe. "The Starlight I love is passionate, lively, and yeah, sometimes angry!" Canon fuckin line!! CANON!! 
Maybe I AM writing Trixie to be a bit too eloquent lmao. She's stepping up bc she sees her girl faulterin'.
All this, and Sunset barely struggles with being a leader. I fucking love her. She's just like
Easy. Bring me the next Equestrian magic possed twerp.
Ok ok. maybe I'm glazing Sunset too much. She's not a paragon of virtue or perfectly put together, she's just very very cool, heheh.
Anyways, the next chapters will focus more on Tartarus only! It is the dead of night, after all.
Cozy herself is an interesting character to write and rewrite because like. her capability and cunning-ness is not something I want to write away, but I also want to emphasize that she IS just a kid. She's never going to be completely in control, no matter how much she manipulates and ploys. And also she should NOT be some kinda maniacal supervillain.
But hey, you know all this, you've read so far, you're hooked on this, after all.
Speaking of changing characters, I have made Starlight less op. Otherwise she would have just floated over to Cozy's island and blown away that whale in 1 hit. Disagree with me if ya want, but I would rather have my characters not be entirely perfectly capable! And she will still have plenty of awesome moments coming up.
Luna is gonna be SO confused when she comes back from her dreamwalking tommorow. Shit has been HAPPENING, lmao.
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Yup! That's our Sunset!
And I'm sure Maud is fine. She's fiiiiiiiine.
I have 3 theories
1.He was one of Tirek's adversarys and wishes to free his master by putting a child in his place.
2.The key is actually a fake and is used as indimidation for other chancelors.
3.HE'S THE DEVIL! THE DEVIL!
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neighsay; equestria’s white devil i mean what
Now here comes the the ultimate question: Is Cozy just bait to entrap Twilight's rescue team?
Like, It's clear Neighsay is covering his ass-ets, Tirek is functionally silent in Tartarus, he probably gave Cozy the tools to contact him and be pen-pals, and probably started this ruse way back when Tirek got locked up for doing some aggressive deforestation of the Ponyville library.
But the question is: what is the endgame? now it might just be raw spite, Twilight's actions have opposed his authority ever since she started that school, and his ego was probably wounded beyond belief that it was thriving despite all logic, and it housed a specist/tribalist/classist unicorn's worst nightmare: cultural exchange as equals.
So what is a corrupt politician to do? make it look like Twilight's school inspired a creature to become the nation's next major villain, discrediting Twilight's credentials as a mentor and likely shutting down the building to boot.
Tirek would be on board, If he's gonna rot in a cell he at least gets to know the pony who put him back there is taking a hit. And low and behold she and her friends show up, he gets to gloat, only to realize he just let loose a pink menace that won't ever shut up, minor misplay.
School raze finishes up, Neighsay needs to silence a child and sends her to her penpal, hides involvement.
But, just like I had opened this comment: was that all?
He might know Twilight suffers from feeble things like empathy, and would send somecreature to save the child he buried, so why not take advantage?
Cozy is already famous for being a liar, so nopony would ever believe her, and If he can catch Twilight overstepping legal boundaries, he can blow the metaphorical whistle and call her a tyrant. hehehe delightfully discordian Neighsay...
Also, Tirek was genuinely infuriated that Twilight wasn't down there to save Cozy, he's a backstabber with no sense of honor, so I doubt he was disappointed in her, makes me wonder if he was expecting her to come as part of a plan.
Also Cozy might be trying to play the long game, but I doubt it, nothing she has said or done really fits that vibe.
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But that's just a theory... A GAAAYYY THEORYYYY
I don't mean to turn Disco Elysium into jjba, but i feel this could be atleast a subconscious reference.
Maybe they want to invite our heros to a barbeque! Plenty of lava whale to go around.
MAUHD