Sunset set Twilight down against a wall and turned to look down the long tunnel. “I dunno who did what to keep that thing back there, but should I meet her I’ll give her a big hug.”

Twilight didn’t answer. She merely leaned against the wall, her breathing slow and her mind numb. Tazel’s words kept echoing in her mind over and over and over again. She tried to stay positive, to tell herself that everything was going to be alright, but her thoughts would always circle back to one terrible question: what if she was right? What if, after all these trials, Twilight never made it home? Her wing was broken, there was no telling the condition of her legs, and there were still three more Lords to get past. Worst of all, Celestia thought she was a changeling!

How was she ever going to overcome so many hurdles?

“Alright.” Sunset dropped to her knees at Twilight’s side. “Let’s take a look at those hooves.”

Twilight went from her sitting position to laying on her side, legs out so her companion could get a look at the bottom. Sunset peered, her lips pulling back in an unpleasant frown. “Ow, that looks like it hurts. I hope they don’t go too deep…”

Twilight watched from the corner of her eye, biting her lip in anticipation. “What is it? Can you get them out?”

Sunset glanced at each hoof in turn, rubbing her chin. “I think so, but it’s probably gonna hurt. Like, really hurt.”

Compared to what Twilight was feeling in her heart, she was about ready for a distraction. She turned her face away and closed her eyes… then jerked them open again at the image the act produced. “J-just get it over with.”

“Okay. Three, two… one.”

A gasp burst from Twilight’s throat as a fire burned through one of her legs. Her entire body went tense as she felt something sliding out, a barely-contained cry making its way through her teeth.

There was the sound of something going thunk on the floor, and the pain receded to a small burning.

“Three to go. Ready? Three, two…”

Each one was a fresh torture, and when it was over Twilight was sobbing. She remained still as Sunset inspected her hooves, working to compose herself against the sting that refused to go away.

“You’re lucky they didn’t go through your bones.” Sunset petted Twilight’s mane, her voice soft. “I’m sorry. I wish we had something to tend to the wounds.”

At last Twilight looked. Arranged in a neat row were four thin stone spikes, ranging from six inches to a foot in length, each covered in her blood. Good Goddess, those had been inside her legs? No wonder it hurt so much. She raised her trembling forehooves up to inspect them, eyes going wide at the holes she found.

“I th-thought there would be more blood.”

Sunset nodded. “Either Tazel’s got incredible aim or you’re one damn lucky pony.”

“I don’t know if I have any luck left.” Twilight gazed up at her companion, mind filled with doubts. “Sunset… how am I going to make it out like this?”

Face set in a worried frown, Sunset considered her for a few seconds. “Well… I can help you a bit, but I can’t just carry you out of here. You’ll have to at least try to walk.”

The thought made Twilight suck in an alarmed breath. She took another look at her stinging hooves, imagining the pain of trying to walk on them. Worse, what if they didn’t heal right? She could be crippled for life.

Sunset dropped down to nuzzle her friend. “Come on, Twilight. You made it this far, so you can’t give up now. I don’t know what Tazel did to you back there, but you’ve got to rise above it.”

Twilight took some comfort in Sunset’s warmth. After all, she would never see her friends again if she didn’t keep going. Her legs might never be the same, but that was okay; so long as she escaped and made it home, nothing else mattered.

“Help me up.”

Tenderly, Twilight rolled to her belly and set her hooves to the floor. Intense pain like a thousand needles ran up each of her legs as she tried to stand. She collapsed several times even with Sunset’s help. At last she was standing properly, though sweat poured down her face and her breath was coming in quick gasps. She stood for several seconds, trembling like a leaf and waiting for the fire to subside to a mere tingling.

Sunset was ever encouraging. “You’re doing good, Twilight. Don’t worry, I’ve got you. Whenever you’re ready…”

The first step nearly dropped Twilight, but Sunset was there to keep her on her hooves. A pathetic whimper escaped her lips each time a hoof touched the ground, but gradually Twilight began to move with less and less help. At last she was walking without Sunset, but her pace was slow and limping.

She winced as a particularly sharp stab of pain ran up her hind leg. “Th-this is going to… to take f-forever…”

“But you can do it.” Sunset, walking backwards and offering an encouraging smile, seemed like an entirely different pony. “Just believe it, Twilight. I know you can make it.”

Twilight studied her guide for a couple steps, wincing with each one. “W-what… what happened to you?”

Sunset’s smile didn’t falter. “You did. You helped me understand that there is hope.”

A few more steps as Twilight thought on this. Why did she feel so… hesitant? “I don’t r-really think I did anything.”

Sunset stepped aside and waited for Twilight to catch up, watching the pony approach with hopeful eyes. “You didn’t give up on me, Twilight. Though I was the worst kind of pony ever, you kept encouraging me. Now it’s my turn.”

Despite the pain, Twilight was able to smile. “I knew there was still a h-heart in there.”

Her legs continued to sting with every step. Twilight was forced to take the latest of a great many rests. They had to have been moving for hours – or perhaps even days – continuously slowed down by her limping gait. Sunset never complained, though there were times Twilight was certain she wanted to.

She longed for some way to relieve the pain and had hoped that maybe one of the unusual environments would spawn something useful, like bandages. To her dismay, it appeared the draconequus magic had greatly weakened, for the entire path thus far had been plain, uninteresting tunnels and caverns.

She took a few moments to rest and let the pain subside. Sunset stood watch, her head held high as she sniffed the air.

“Do you smell that?”

Twilight lifted her muzzle to try and get a whiff of whatever her companion had detected. It took a few seconds to notice the scent: a hot, acrid smell that burned her nostrils. “What is it?”

Sunset peered at the darkness ahead with a grim frown. “Blood. We’re almost to the next Lord’s domain.”

A shimmer of fear crept up on Twilight, causing her to shudder, but she pushed it back down. “As long as it’s not another monster like Tazel.” Then her ears lowered at a terrible thought. “D-did you say blood?”

Her companion nodded, turning to help her up. There was a lot of effort involved in that simple act, but Twilight was learning how to shift her body as she stood to minimize the pain. “We’re approaching the Phlegethon, the last river of Tartarus. We’ll have to cross it to continue, and there’s only one bridge.”

Finally on four hooves, Twilight waited until the pain subsided a bit so that she could unclench her jaw. “And it… it just so happens… we have to get by the… next Lord of Tartarus to cross it?”

“Naturally.” Sunset waited for Twilight to lean on her for support before they resumed the long trek. “It’s even trickier than that, though; we have to get by without being seen. If anypony spots us, it’ll mean trouble.”

Twilight sucked in a sharp breath with every step, slowly building her way towards being able to walk without Sunset’s help. She kept talking; it distracted from the pain. “S-so this pony or whatever has followers? How many, a few dozen?”

There was a fretful sound from Sunset’s throat. “More like… a few hundred.”

“Great.” At last Twilight managed to stand on her own, though she couldn’t keep from hobbling. “How are we supposed to sneak past that?”

“I have no idea.”

Twilight glowered at her companion. “Well, how’d you do it the first time?”

Sunset averted her eyes and sank just a little lower. “I had to cut a deal. When the Lord finds out I never intended to keep my part of it… Let’s just not get caught, okay?”

The sound of running water caught their ears. It was a very relieving sound; Twilight was eager to wash her wounds. Even a quick rinse would be better than nothing.

But there was to be no cleansing in the Phlegethon. They stood at its side, Twilight gaping as it flowed down into a low-ceiling tunnel. The water was dark red, all of it. That now-familiar scent filled her nostrils and made her stomach churn. She could feel the heat radiating from river and was sure to keep her distance. “Is… Is that a river of boiling blood?”

“That’s what it is.” Sunset turned away from the river with a hoof over her muzzle. “And the bridge is up there.”

Twilight had to tear her eyes away from the foul liquid, but when she did she almost forgot all about the Phlegethon and the pain in her hooves. Her jaw dropped and her eyes turned to saucers; a large cavern gaped before them and a massive cliff in the distance rose hundreds of feet. A city – an actual, honest-to-Celestia city! – was nestled into the very rock of the cliffside and rising in a sharp slope of towers, gates and walls. The Phlegethon cut the city neatly in two, falling in a series of tall red waterfalls. Some areas had visible flames in the darkness, making the city almost seem alive.

Twilight fell to her haunches. “What is this place?”

“Dis, the city of Tartarus.” Sunset shifted and turned her head away from the sight. “The City of Torments.”

Twilight struggled back to her hooves and the two began their approach. Her head lowered as she gazed up at the white ramparts. “You expect us to sneak through that? I don’t know about this...”

“We’ll find a way,” Sunset assured her, despite gazing up at the city with visible fear. “Somehow, we’ll pull it off.”

There were no boulders or other things to hide behind, and that made Twilight very nervous. “Shouldn’t we try to hide our approach?”

Sunset glanced around with ears tucked. “I don’t know how we could. We’ll just have to bank on nopony expecting anypony to come from the tunnels below.”

Twilight disapproved, but said nothing. The mares kept close, moving slow due to Twilight’s limping gait. The city gradually grew larger, towering over their heads like a pale giant. They were approaching what Twilight realized was a sloped roadway that ran along the side of the cliff. She spotted a tall statue, the bust of a unicorn, and had to do a double-take.

“Is that Prince Blueblood?”

Sunset raised an eyebrow at her. “Prince Blueblood? If only.”

Confusion filled Twilight’s mind… then profound disbelief. She looked to Sunset, then to the statue, then to Sunset again. At last she pointed at the thing. “You mean he’s the next Lord of Tartarus?”

“You sound surprised.”

“I am!” Twilight studied the statue for a couple seconds, trying to imagine that smug, smiling face as a villain. “That royal ignoramus couldn’t buck his way out of a wet paper bag without having some maid rip a hole in it first. How does somepony as pathetic as him rise to the rank of a Lord of Tartarus?”

Sunset’s expression grew grim. Twilight had the distinct impression that she’d said something… inappropriate. She leaned back with ears low and wondered if she shouldn’t apologize, though she had no idea why.

At last Sunset turned to walk up the slope. “Come and see.”

With a hesitant glance at the statue, Twilight followed. They didn’t have to go far before she saw something in the distance that had her averting her gaze in horror.

All along the white stone walls were thick carvings that looked like trees. Ponies were hanging from those carvings, all four hooves somehow embedded within the stone… and each pony had horrible wounds. The very first one they saw literally had his intestines hanging from his opened belly, and the sickening sight almost overwhelmed Twilight’s senses. There were dozens of ponies – and other creatures, too – hanging from those stone trees, all in various states of disfigurement.

But nothing was so terrible as the understanding that each and every one of them was still alive; though not a scream was heard, the steady motions of their breathing were obvious. Twilight turned to hide her face in Sunset’s mane, shaking from a renewed fear. “S-sweet Celestia. Did Blueblood actually do this?”

Sunset made no attempt to comfort her. “No, but he definitely gave the order. He uses fear to keep his ponies in line.”

Twilight glanced at the scene from the corner of her eye and felt her stomach churn. Her mind swimming with horrible possibilities, she pulled away from Sunset and trudged on with her head turned away. “Let’s just go, p-please.”

They did, keeping their eyes averted as they passed the long line of victims. Every now and then the line would be broken by the charming smile of another Blueblood statue. Twilight had never liked that narcissistic wimp, but to think he could be responsible for something like this…

“Here.” Sunset brought them to a stop at a thin doorway. “We can enter here.”

The dark passage was so small they had to enter one at a time, Twilight following behind. “You would think they’d have a bigger entrance for a place this big,” she noted.

“They do,” Sunset replied as they approached a series of windows. “This was a path for servants and peasants. Dis was originally a city made for the ponies who came to Tartarus seeking eternal life. You know, back before the Draconeqii realized what was going on… before everypony started going mad.”

“I see.” Suddenly the city didn’t seem so awkwardly placed.

A foul stench touched Twilight's nostrils, but when she moved to cover her muzzle the pain in her legs grew, so she forced herself to tolerate it. “It only makes sense that Blueblood would choose to live here. He always was a lover of big-city luxury.”

Sunset, who was covering her own muzzle as the odor grew stronger, replied, “There is no luxury in Dis.”

Twilight felt her stomach roiling as the miasma filled the air. “What in the wide world of Equestria is that?”

They came upon some windows, from whence a fresh blast of foulness hit them. It was so strong that Twilight was willing to tolerate the extra pain in her hooves to cover her face. She chanced a cursory glance out one of those windows and came to an abrupt pause at the sight of what appeared to be a wide courtyard covered in brown… stuff. Inside were ponies, all of them covered in the muck and looking decidedly miserable.

Understanding dawned upon her, and once again she nearly vomited. “Oh my Goddess… w-why are they covered in feces?”

She looked to find that Sunset hadn’t stopped and hurriedly caught up, holding her breath in a desperate attempt to save herself from the stench. Only after they’d left the terrible odor behind and could breathe safely did her guide respond. “It’s another of Blueblood’s punishments, that’s all.”

Twilight shuddered, then began to cough. She had to stop and wait, for the fit proved long and even a little painful. When it was over she still had an itch in her throat and spent a few seconds trying to cough it away.

Sunset had paused to watch from over her shoulder, there not being enough room to turn around. “You haven’t done that in a while. I thought you were getting over what Ne’er did to you.”

At last the tickle in Twilight's throat faded. “I thought so, too. I hope this doesn’t cause any problems…”

“I think we’ll be okay,” her companion remarked as they proceeded through the dark passage. “Most ponies in Dis have their own health to worry about.”

They reached the end of the passage, Sunset poking her head out and looking around. After a few seconds she stepped out and gestured for Twilight to follow. They found themselves on a small street of white stones, which was deserted.

As Sunset began to move along the street, Twilight found herself wondering. “For a city, there sure doesn’t seem to be anypony around.”

“The city was built to hold tens of thousands of ponies,” Sunset replied. “Blueblood’s followers only amount in the hundreds. The vast majority of the city is abandoned… or repurposed for torture.”

Twilight grimaced as they turned up another street, one that followed the great cliff and sloped upwards. “Why does Blueblood do such things? What did they ever do to him?”

The query brought a sneer to Sunset’s lips. “Blueblood is a narcissist, as you seem to be aware, but he became a Lord by being paranoid. He perceives insults and enemies from the most innocent of acts and reacts on a whim. As for the tortures… well, he seems to think that the more pain and suffering he can dish out, the fewer threats he’ll have. Like I said, a rule of fear.”

Twilight soon learned that ‘pain and suffering’ was an understatement of the tallest order. As they proceeded through dim backways and alleys, gradually climbing the city, they came upon more atrocities the likes of which she’d never imagined.

They passed what appeared to be a games arena situated over the Phlegethon, which had been repurposed as a massive free-roaming prison. The ponies and other creatures inside were constantly screaming and running about, the stones beneath them red hot from the heat of the river.

In another area they came upon a series of columns, atop which were pegasi and griffons who wore metal shackles on their wings. Chains extended from those shackles, dangling far below and weighed down by great boulders. Most were forced to lay flat on their stomachs, their weights too heavy to permit any movement.

The travelers snuck upon one long corridor where ponies marched in two lines, being whipped along by minotaurs as they went. Twilight found that one particularly confusing, for none of the ponies were chained or appeared to be forced into the march in any way, and as soon as they reached the front they dispersed as if nothing were wrong, albeit limping. Sunset explained that this was a regular ritual for all the citizens of Dis; a blessing of pain to show that they’d paid their dues and were worthy to be in Blueblood’s shadow.

Twilight, hiding with Sunset behind a series of columns, watched the scene with a disturbing curiosity. “But why go through with it? Why not just refuse?”

Sunset was already moving on. “Because refusal comes with punishment, and you’ve seen what the punishments could be.”

“So they trade a lot of pain for a little pain.” Twilight followed, trying to keep low despite the sting in her hooves. “Why would anypony want to stay here?”

“Because this is where they belong,” Sunset replied, voice quiet and solemn. “They will suffer no matter where they go, for this is Tartarus.”

“But that doesn’t make any sense.”

Sunset helped her climb through a window, which provided a shortcut past the crowds gathering for their routine whippings. “Again, this is Tartarus. There’s no point in trying to make sense of things.”

Twilight sighed and dropped to the floor, needing a break from the pain. “I keep forgetting that little rule.” She broke into another brief coughing fit.

She gave herself a moment to recover before asking the question that had been on her mind for the past few minutes. “What happened to the unicorns?”

Her companion winced. “I was wondering if you’d noticed…”

A terrible and uncomfortably recent memory came to the fore of Twilight’s mind, leading her to reach up and touch her horn. Every time she did, she couldn’t help but shudder. “Why don’t they have their horns? Is it some sort of method Blueblood uses to keep magic from being used against him?”

Sunset began to help her stand, face set in a grim frown. “At least that would be practical, but no. The horns are tribute.”

“Tr-tribute?” Twilight’s breath came in sharp gasps as she worked through the pain to stand. “Tribute to w-who?”

Sunset waited until Twilight was up and stably leaning against her to reply. “Celestia sent Blueblood here for being party to an attempted coup with the sixth Lord of Tartarus, who came at the same time. Blueblood’s entire reason for joining up was to be with the other Lord, but she rejected him in favor of a companion who could provide her greater… ‘satisfaction’. So Blueblood came here, took over Dis and continuously looks for ways to regain her favor. Aside from himself, it’s all he cares about.”

Twilight rubbed her head as she fought to make sense of this. “But his tribute to her is in unicorn horns? Does he really think that will win her over?”

They began to walk, making their way to the building’s exit. They slipped through the street and into a back alley to hide from the ponies gathering for the line. Only when they were safely away did Sunset answer. “Unicorn horns are the only tribute the next Lord will accept. She’s a pegasus, but she wants to be an alicorn.”

Twilight paused to stare with wide eyes at her guide. “And she actually believes that she can just take one and put it on her head?”

“The only thing Blueblood cares about is that she won’t accept anything except unicorn horns.” Sunset led her through another thin servant’s passage, which snaked up a steep stairwell. “So now he gathers as many as he can get his dainty white hoof on.”

Twilight shivered, once more imagining herself with a hole in her skull. The agony of Tazel ripping hers out, even if it were only a dream, was something she never wanted to experience again. “Now I get why you want to stay hidden. I bet the spoiled brat still has his own horn.”

At that the tiniest of smirks reached Sunset’s lips. “Nope. His rival ripped it off his head as a sign of his undying love.”

Sunset’s way of saying it made Twilight wince and touch her horn once more. “Goddess, let us not be caught.”

They came out of the stairwell before a long, black metal fence. They were in the city proper now; creatures lined the streets, most sitting on the roadside and looking miserable. Some talked, a few moved about as if they had things to do, but there was no real spirit in any of them. Twilight watched through the metal bars and wondered if Tartarus had a way of sucking out the souls from the ponies trapped inside, for every last one of these poor creatures moved as though in a perpetual malaise.

The mares walked along the fence, which was covered in shadow. The spikes that formed the top of the fence rose and fell in random waves, and after a curious inspection Twilight noticed that the cross bars were covered in serpent-themed etchings. “What is this fence for?”

Sunset glanced at the metal bars with a half-interest before waving a hoof at the wall to their side. “There used to be a monument, a carving in the likes of a draconequus in honor of the source of the eternal life that is granted in Tartarus. A peace offering that failed; the statue was defaced ages ago by the draconeqii. The fence was just decorative lining.”

“That doesn’t really explain the serpentine designs,” Twilight mused, “but I guess that’s just another Tartarus—” She came to an abrupt pause; up ahead the spikes at the top of the fence had been bent towards the street, and a pony was impaled at the shoulders. “Oh…”

“The new use,” Sunset muttered, moving closer to the rocky wall and deeper into the shadows. “This is a favorite for Blueblood; ponies who show a certain level of self-identity and pride are put here to be defamed and have their identities removed.”

Twilight followed, ears low as she stared at the body. “W-what do you mean, ‘identities removed?’”

Sunset paused to give Twilight a dark look. She seemed to be thinking on a proper answer. At last she gestured with a nod to the body and kept walking. “Check his flank.”

Twilight blinked curiously, then took a closer look at the impaled pony. She couldn’t see well in the shadows, so she dared to move a little closer. What she saw made her cover her mouth to prevent being given away by her gasp.

The pony had no cutie mark.

In its place was a hideous mass of scar tissue, as if somepony had taken a blade to the pony’s flank over and over again, leaving a grotesque mess of cuts and bumps and jagged lines. Next to the holes in so many unicorns’ heads, it was one of the most disturbing sights Twilight had ever laid eyes on.

She hurried to catch up to her companion, trembling and hiding her flank with her tail. “In the name of all things holy, is there no end to the depravity of this place?”

“Tartarus is depravity,” Sunset replied, face set in a bitter frown. “Probably took his eye, too; Blueblood’s always looking for a new one.”

Twilight shuddered and decided not to question that last bit.

They continued to make their way through the city, gradually moving higher and higher up the cliff. The further they went, the more creatures they were forced to hide from, and they were nearly caught on more than one occasion. Twilight was a nervous wreck, for she just knew their luck couldn’t possibly last forever. Sunset, on the other hoof, was approaching the task with steadfast focus and determination, which made Twilight marvel at the complete transformation her guide had gone through since they’d first met in Limbo.

Twilight needed a rest, so Sunset found another one of those thin servant’s tunnels. While the wounded mare took a few minutes to recover and let the pain of her hooves subside, Sunset decided to scout the tunnel to see if it might provide a shortcut to a higher level.

The soreness had become little more than a nuisance, and the weariness Twilight saw as just one more delay. She still had enough determination in her to pull through those issues. What really bothered her now was the darkness. As she lay there in that small passage, breath coming in a long, slow rhythm, she kept looking around and feeling like she would be found at any second. Not by the creatures that lived in this place…

…but by Tazel.

She knew it was a stupid idea; Tazel was trapped within the confines of the Acheron. Yet even as she told herself that, her ears twitched and her body shook from the perceived sound of a faint scream that sounded far too much like Rainbow Dash. She could force her eyes to stay open, but it didn’t matter in this dark place. She kept imagining Pinkie in the corridor ahead, staring with half-dead eyes, and every now and again she would feel at her forehead for the blood she thought was still dripping from Spike’s dangling body.

Twilight was a wreck, and knew it. Even if she was able to reunite with her friends, she didn’t think she would ever recover from what that monster had shown her. The slightest sound made her jump and she had the distinct impression that the darkness was closing in, watching, prepping for an attack. She wanted to flee, to escape these narrow confines and get out into whatever open air Tartarus would permit.

She held her ground. Though trembling, though her breath came in quick, shaky intakes, Twilight refused to move. She wouldn’t last two seconds without Sunset. Even ignoring her, Twilight was supposed to be a princess now; she could not let her fears get the better of her!

Her ears twitched once more, this time to the very alarming sound of hoofsteps. She raised her head and tried to see beyond the terrible hallucinations that seemed determined to creep up on her. It was no use; the corridor was too dark.

“S… S-Sunset?”

No response, but then her voice had come out hoarse. She started to hack, silently cursing Ne’er-Do-Well for whatever was wrong with her. It took several seconds to recover, during which time she couldn’t hear the hoofsteps. She prayed it was Sunset, or that her mind was playing tricks on her. When she was at last able to breathe properly, she raised her head and tried to listen.

The hoofsteps were still coming… and they were coming from behind.

A deep terror hit Twilight; she couldn’t be discovered here, not in her state. She would have to move before the strangers bumped into her. If she was caught now the entire city might come down on them!

Bracing for the pain, Twilight began to stand. Her fear drove her to move as quickly as she could, but that only made a fire in her legs. She clenched her teeth and struggled, gradually getting her back legs to straighten before working on her forelegs.

The hoofteps sounded like thunderclaps in her frantic mind. “Come on, Twilight… j-just push th-through this…” Something bumped into her from behind, but in her nerve-wracked state it might as well have been a jolt of electricity. She let out a shout and jumped to her hooves, legs screaming in protest.

It happened on instinct, a knee-jerk reaction that she regretted immediately: her horn sparked and shone in the darkness. There was a pair of gasps, and her heart became stuck in her throat. Slowly, Twilight looked over her shoulder to find two ponies gaping at her.

No… not at her.

“She… She has a horn.”

The air burst out of Twilight. “Keep away from me!” She fired a spell and an instant later a clear wall was between her and the two stallions. The one in the lead lunged at her and smacked the invisible barrier, making her step away with a fretful whimper. “P-please, just leave me alone…”

But there was a frightening light in the lead pony’s eyes, a light that spoke of anticipation and determination. He looked back over his shoulder even as he reared back to kick at the barrier. “What are you doing? She’s got a horn. Go, sound the alarm!” His companion was already backpedaling.

Oh no…

“Sunset!”

Twilight tried to run, but the sudden jump had left her forelegs burning and all she could manage was a hobble. Fear and panic drove her to press on even as her traumatized mind kept up with the terrible illusions. She saw Rarity hanging lifelessly out of the corner of her eye, but a glance saw it was just a crack in the wall. She nearly fell as she confused a crumbling pile of debris for the broken and battered form of Applejack. She climbed over the low stonework, tears in her eyes as she recalled all the tortures she’d witnessed in this hellish city.

“S-Sunset, where are you?”

“I’m here!” Sunset appeared around a corner in the darkness, her face a mask of worry as she walked backwards in the thin passage. “What’s wrong? Why is your horn lit?”

“They found me!” Twilight stumbled her way to her companion, who at that moment seemed almost like a beacon of light. “We h-have to get out, now!”

“Crap, let’s go!” Sunset started to flee.

“W-wait.” Twilight nearly fell as a sharp sting ran up on of her legs, but when she looked up she was relieved to see that her guide had stopped. “I… I can’t run. H-help me!”

Sunset winced and glanced about as if for inspiration. “Okay… umm… Crap, just… just climb on my back.” She knelt to the ground and Twilight obligingly crawled on. It took a few precious seconds, her legs having difficulty, but at last she was on and Sunset was bolting.

They charged through the darkness, Twilight holding on for dear life. “Are you sure this isn’t t-too fast?”

“It’s this or be caught by those bastards,” Sunset snapped. “Don’t worry, Twilight. I’ll get us through this, I promise!”

Twilight held fast, pressing her face against her companion’s back. “I believe you.”

They barreled through the thin corridor, Sunset struggling to keep from banging into the walls as the sharp corners and tall stairs appeared. A horn was heard, the deep sound muffled by their stone surroundings, and at times Twilight could hear shouts and echoing hoofsteps. Her heart thudded like the beat of a hummingbird’s wings, her legs ached from working to hold on. Were they being followed? Surrounded? There was no way to tell.

Seconds stretched into eternity, but at last there was a dim light ahead. “Th-the exit,” Sunset huffed. “We’ll be out… and… and exposed…”

Twilight looked back, but saw nothing in their wake. “How far is the bridge?”

She barely heard Sunset’s reply: “I don’t know.”

The mare’s tone was hardly reassuring, but Twilight refused to let her doubts get in the way. “We’ll make it, Sunset. We’ll just have to make a break for it. M-maybe I can use my magic to—”

They broke out of the tunnel, Sunset toppling with a surprised shout. Twilight flew through the air, ponies and stone and air flying by her vision in a blur. She landed on her side and let out a scream as her broken wing shifted back out of place with a snap.

“Twilight! Twilight, ru—” Sunset’s shouts came to an abrupt stop.

Tears streaming down her cheeks, Twilight fought the pain and tried to stand only to have her legs give out on her. She looked up just in time to get an up-close view of a minotaur’s fist.

Consciousness came in a groggy molasses of churning comprehension and confusion.

“…unicorns, my…”

Goddess, did her head hurt.

“…esh horns…”

Twilight’s legs shifted. They couldn't touch the ground. Something was holding her up.

“…say purple? I don’t think I have…”

She shook her head, her upper body leaning a little from the motion.

“…tirring. Hurry, before she…”

Somepony was holding her head, pawing at her face. What in Equestria…

“…if she’d open her eyes.”

“Let me.”

Something caught Twilight's wings in a tight grip and pulled back. Her broken bone twisted and sent a jolt of fire coursing through her body. Her eyes snapped open and a shout left her lips—

Then something was in her eye. She screamed, tried to close it, but it was too late; the thin claws had wormed their way between the eyeball and the skull. Something grabbed her horn and forced her head still, but she kept screaming. Her legs kicked frantically at the air, her body shuddered with the pain and horror of what was happening to her. She couldn’t think but for the need to get that thing out of her head! She could hear herself pleading, but couldn’t understand her own words.

Then, with a jerk and a snip, the thing was out. She tried to lift her hooves up to her face, but whatever was holding her prevented such movement, so she just wept and let the blood and tears be.

“Is it intact?”

“Yes sir, it should do nicely. Let me just clean it and cut the extra bits off.”

What had just happened? Why were they doing this to her?

She just wanted to go home!

Twilight’s body shuddered as the pain intensified for a second. She thought her head was going to explode! Yet there was this horrible, horrible emptiness in her head… like… like…

Her eye. They’d taken her eye!

She shifted and struggled, but the grip on her wings tightened and she tensed at the pain. The thing holding her horn pulled back, putting her into an even tighter position. It only just dawned upon her that she could use her magic to…

…what was the point? She’d never defeat so many opponents, not in her wrecked state.

“How long is it going to take?”

“Almost ready, my lord.”

Slowly, cringing at the terrible sensation of only having one eye, she opened it. It was hard, for the motion made her head throb, but at last Twilight was able to see. Everything looked… odd, in a way she had no interest in trying to understand. She was in a cage, her four legs hanging limply through the criss-crossing bottom bars. Her already low heart sank a little further when she saw herself surrounded by creatures; ponies, griffons, nilgiri, minotaur, every type of creature she could think of was present.

She didn’t bother to plead. She knew there was no use; these monsters were going to kill her no matter what she did. The least she could do was try to maintain some level of dignity, so she ignored their leering grins and cruel taunts. She just wished the minotaur holding her wings and horn would ease up…

Something white and purple was brought through the bars to stare at her, held by a thin eagle’s claw. Twilight felt her stomach churn; it was her own eye.

“So, what do you think of my work?”

Twilight said nothing. She merely trembled and stared at the orb with a terrible sense of loss.

“Stop teasing her and give me my eye!”

The eyeball was pulled back, a smirking griffon appearing behind the bars. “Of course, my lord. Just giving her one last look.” He turned and shuffled away, revealing that one of his lion legs had been cut off at the knee. Both his wings hung limply at his sides.

The crowd went silent, all eyes turning to the pale stone throne that rested a couple dozen feet from Twilight’s cage. Its back was to her, so she couldn’t see who was in it, but by the reverence the others were showing there was no question in Twilight’s mind. A deep hatred and fury filled Twilight, but she didn’t dare speak up or move. She never would have thought him capable of all this depravity.

The griffon stood at the throne’s side, displaying Twilight’s eyeball like a trophy. “Here, my lord! You see? This color is not in your collection, I am certain.”

A moment of tense silence. “I believe you are correct. I have always thought violet would look good on me. Let’s find out.”

The griffon bowed. “Right away, my lord.” He waved his free claw, and a moment later a unicorn – a former unicorn, the crater in her head making Twilight flinch – appeared with a plate in her teeth. Slowly, the griffon reached forward and began to work.

Twilight couldn’t see what he was doing, but her imagination did the job just fine. She tried to turn her head away only to have it jerked painfully forward by the minotaur holding her horn. Goddess, she would give anything not to see this! Her jaw clenched tight as she fought down the rising sensation in her stomach. Please let this be over soon…

The griffon leaned back and carefully set an eyeball down in the plate; the unicorn promptly retreated. He leaned forward once more, Twilight’s eye disappearing behind the throne. The prisoner trembled at the horrendous thought of what was happening to her eye. She closed her eyes – eye – and fought to envision herself as being anywhere but here. Her library, Sugarcube Corner, Canterlot Castle, even Limbo!

“Well?”

The griffon’s voice was dripping with adulation. “Glorious, my lord.”

“…glass.”

It was no use. The library was carved of black stones, Sugarcube Corner was covered in blood, Canterlot Castle was alien and threatening. There was no reprieve, even in Twilight’s imaginings. Lips trembling, she forced her eye open once more.

“…good. Yes, I knew violet was a good color.” A pale hoof waved, and the minotaur with the shattered mirror retreated into the crowd. “I would like to thank this mare for providing me with such beauty. Turn me around.”

The griffon clapped his claws with a bow and six ponies rushed in to crawl beneath the beams under the throne. They rose as one, lifting the stonework, and carefully walked a circle.

Twilight’s breath caught in her throat as Blueblood at last came into view. He wasn’t at all the dashing prince she’d once known; a scar ran down his chest, one of his forelegs was bent at an odd angle, half his mane had been replaced with a hideous burn scar, and his once-formidable horn was little more than a shattered, jagged stump. But the thing that had her gasping for breath and wishing she could be anywhere but there was the sight of his eyes, one his natural soft blue and the other a brilliant, dark violet.

Blueblood’s smile was almost fatherly as the throne was at last set to the ground. “Greetings, my little pony. Rejoice, for you have enhanced my glorious image on this day. I thank you for the new eye. I know parting with a thing of such beauty had to be a great challenge.”

Twilight swallowed and said nothing. She couldn’t stop gazing at her own eye in his wretched head. Her mind was numb with the terrible sensation that she was being violated.

“Oh, don’t look so glum.” Blueblood turned to gesture to the griffon at his side, a motion that made Twilight cringe as the violet eye failed to shift like the blue one did. “At least old Frostclaw was able to do it in one go. Sometimes he messes up the extraction and has to take the other eye. So be happy!” He turned back to Twilight with a jovial grin. “At least you have one, which is imperative for basking in my radiance.”

He was insane. Twilight shifted against her captors, that terrible fear continuing to bubble in the back of her mind. “Y-you have what you w-want. C-can I—” Her wings were jerked back and her pitched cry filled the air.

Blueblood’s smile had dropped, his real eye flashing dangerously. “Such arrogance, to speak without permission! I offer you this miraculous opportunity, and you respond with rudeness? You will have to be taught your place, I see.”

Frostclaw leaned close to the Lord of Tartarus, a wicked grin on his beak. “Shall I put her on the fence, my lord?”

But Blueblood waved him away. “No, no. I will deal with her later. First… bring the other.”

Cheers and laughter filled the air, but what had Twilight cringing was the pleading.

She knew that voice.

A moment later the crowd parted, a trio of ponies entering with a cage on their backs. Sunset was trapped inside, eyes wide with panic. Her legs hung through the bottom of the cage much like Twilight’s, kicking frantically. Tears streamed down the pony’s face as the cage was set down before the throne, standing atop long metal legs that just kept her hooves from touching the ground.

Blueblood’s eye was as cold as ice. “Hello again, Sunset Shimmer. I was wondering when you’d grace my city once more.”

The distraught pony squirmed under that gaze. “B-Blueblood, I’m not a traitor, I swear! I worked hard, I had so many unicorns coming, there were so many!”

“Oh?” The Lord peered at Twilight. “And yet you only managed to bring me one?”

“You d-don’t understand. I had to bring them past your inferiors.” Sunset’s voice cracked, her pitch increasing as his good eye locked on her once more. “I… Sombra, Chrysalis, Tazel! I c-couldn’t sneak them all through, you must realize this.”

“Just one horn?” Blueblood grimaced and turned his head away from her with classy disdain. “You promised me a vast collection. I gave you the opportunity of a lifetime; do you know how rare it is for anypony to be permitted to leave Dis with their horn intact?”

“Y-you have been very kind.” Sunset made a clumsy attempt at a bow. “B-but you must realize the ch-challenges I faced. I couldn’t get so m-many—”

“Be silent.”

Sunset whimpered, her entire body shaking. Twilight couldn’t see her guide’s face, but she could imagine the pony’s terror. She wanted to help… but what was she going to do? She couldn’t fight her way through this, neither of them could.

But if she didn’t do something…

Blueblood turned to Sunset, lips set in a dire frown. “You have disappointed me, Sunset.”

“My lord—!”

“Be silent!”

At the lord’s nod, Frostbeak moved close and reached through the bars. Sunset squirmed and shrieked, but received only a scratch across the face. Frostbeak stepped aside, and Twilight thought she saw blood dripping from his claw.

Blueblood sat to his tallest height, glaring down at his captive. “You are a very aggressive pony, aren’t you, Sunset? You actions and words speak of independence, of free thought… of individuality.”

Sunset’s head jerked up, her entire body going stiff. “P-please… no…”

“I don’t believe your story.” Blueblood gestured to Twilight with his good hoof. “I believe you and this other unicorn were plotting to slip through Dis unnoticed… or maybe even to dethrone me.”

“I… I w-would never… Blueblood…”

“Wouldn’t you?” Blueblood leaned forward to peer, his lips curled up in a sneer. “Former protégé of Celestia? You claim to have learned from the most corrupt, evil pony in history, and you expect me to trust your word?”

“Why do you think I’m here?” Sunset’s voice was abruptly filled with fury, her legs kicking in defiance of her small cell. “I failed her lessons, Blueblood! She thought I wasn’t cruel enough and had me replaced.”

Blueblood rolled his eye, an act that looked particularly disturbing since the violet one remained aimed forward. “So you’re a failure whom I should not have trusted in the first place. Either way, you have failed, and shall be appropriately punished.”

“No!” Sunset rocked so much that some ponies had to move in to keep her cage from tipping over. “Please, give me another chance!”

At that Blueblood’s gaze grew still more ominous. “You think you deserve another one?”

“Yes!”

His chin rose as he rubbed it. He averted his gaze and sneered. “You really do consider yourself special.”

“No! That’s not what I—”

“I am the only pony to be seen here!” Blueblood stood and glared down at his captive. “Nopony is worthy of more attention, nopony deserves to be seen like I do. You want to steal my attention, you little brat? Well, we shall see how much of it you have when your identity is erased. The blades!”

Sunset let out a pitched scream and her horn began to flash. Lasers fired from it, but her aim was wild in her panic and she only hit a few bystanders. Two minotaurs rushed to the cage, lifted it up and turned it away from the Lord of Tartarus, who hadn’t even flinched at the desperate attack.

Sunset was only able to act for a few shots before she stopped, horn smoking and red and her bleeding face contorted with pain. Twilight knew that look; it was a magic migraine. She must have used quite a bit in the initial fight…

Their eyes met, Sunset’s going wide at the sight of Twilight. “Oh, Twi… what did they do to you?”

Twilight winced at that guilty face. She wanted to look away, but she was still being held tightly by the minotaurs, so she merely closed her eyes... eye.

The crowd was chanting at this point, the word ‘blades’ echoing over and over again in Twilight's ears. She didn’t know what the blades were, but she did know that she didn’t want to see her friend subjected to them.

Sunset was shouting over the din. “T-Twilight, you have your horn. You’ve been conserving your magic all this time. Use it!”

What good would it do? There was simply too many of them. Twilight knew their time was probably up. Even if they did escape, they’d never get past the next two lords.

“Twilight, come on. Please, you’re our only hope!”

She wasn’t sure she had any hope left. She couldn’t believe how naïve she’d been…

“Behold!” Frostclaw’s voice rose above the chanting. “The blades!”

Twilight dared to open her eye, just in time to see a pair of thestrals set down a short plinth. Atop it was a bowl that was glowing red with heat, and in the bowl were two short daggers. Sunset leaned back as best she could, tears in her eyes. “Twilight, please, don’t just let them win!”

Frostclaw approached the plinth and lifted one of the blades. He raised it high above his head, the crowd cheering at its red glow. Twilight suspected that she knew exactly what was coming and closed her eye once more. A shiver ran down her back and she braced for the screams. Goddess… what were they going to do to her once they were finished with Sunset?

“Twilight…”

She wished she could help… If only fighting wasn’t delaying the inevitable.

“T-Twilight, open your eyes!”

No, she wasn’t going to watch.

“Twilight!”

The scream that pierced the air wasn’t Sunset’s.

It seemed like an eternity before Twilight realized that the horrifying sound in her ears was her own voice. Tears ran down her cheeks, her legs kicked wildly, her mind went numb from the agony in her flank. She tried to defend herself, to cast some kind of spell, but it was impossible to concentrate through the searing pain. She felt the blade stab into her soft flesh again, and again, on both sides with wild abandon. At one point the griffon stabbed to the bone and began twisting the blade in random directions.

Twilight’s mind reeled. She thought she would faint…

“Enough!”

The blade was removed. Twilight’s jaw hit the bars and she wept, unable to move for the mind-shattering agony. She whispered a desperate prayer to Celestia to let it end…

The crowd was cheering, Sunset was calling her name. Slowly, as if it were the hardest task in the world, Twilight opened her eye. Her vision was blurred, her breath came in shaky gasps. She watched the griffon prance about with the weapon held high, blood dripping from its sharp edge as the demented creatures stomped their excitement.

They thought it was entertaining. How could so many creatures descend to such… depravity?

They would never let her go. This was where she would spend the rest of eternity, as a plaything to these wretches...

“Frostclaw, what are you doing?”

Twilight barely registered Blueblood’s ominous voice, her mind far too focused on pain and defeat. Even so, she could see the griffon turning to his lord.

“Why, celebrating, of course.”

The blurry Blueblood stood. “Why did you do that to the other pony? It was Sunset I was condemning.”

Frostclaw spoke with confidence. “You were going to punish this one too, were you not? I merely saved you the breath.”

“Punish her?” Blueblood’s voice was kind. “For giving me an eye for my collection? No, Frostclaw. I had yet to decide what to do with her.”

The griffon hesitated. “W-well, I was… just… trying to be efficient, my Lord.”

“Efficient?” The Lord’s voice grew dark once more. “It looked more like… initiative.”

The crowd went silent. The blade clattered to the floor.

“No! No, no. You misunderstand, my Lord. I was merely—”

“Don’t bother, beast! You act without my orders, then parade the fact around like you own the place? This is my city, Frostclaw.”

The griffon made a sound somewhere between a whimper and a shout. “M-my lord, I only live to serve. You must believe me!”

There was a tense silence, a silence that stretched long in Twilight mind as she struggled to recover from the agony in her flanks. Even if she was no longer being held still, she didn’t dare look at her cutie mark… so instead she watched the scene unfolding before her, her vision gradually clearing in the lingering quiet.

Frostbeak stood with his back to her, gazing up at Blueblood. The Lord of Tartarus was studying his assistant with the face of a god preparing to squash a bug; even Twilight’s violet eye had a strange sense of darkness to it. At last Blueblood sat down, his face as hard stone.

“I don’t believe you. To the bridge.”

Frostbeak let out a horrible scream and turned to flee, only to be ambushed by the veritable army surrounding them. Cheers rang out as the griffon struggled. Soon he was being carried away. Twilight lost track of him and Sunset, but after a few seconds her cage was lifted. She was being carried, but she had no idea where to. She thought she could hear Sunset crying out for her, but made no attempt to return the calls. She merely lay in wait for the next torture that Blueblood had planned for his own follower.

What had happened? Twilight used to be a princess, and now she was reduced to this. Her wing was useless, she had watched her friends be brutally murdered – even as a dream, she counted that hideous torment – she had holes in her hooves, one of her eyes was stuck inside the head of a paranoid psychopath, and there was no telling if she even had a cutie mark anymore.

Why had Celestia sent her here? Why had she sent any of them? Tartarus wasn’t fit even as a prison. This all seemed too cruel, even for Equestria’s worst offenders.

Sombra had been better off a boogey pony of the frozen wastes.

Twilight knew Starswirl should have gone on to do great things.

Chrysalis might have been an enemy, but she’d been an enemy warranting respect. Now she was just a… no, ‘monster’ wasn’t indignant enough.

Twilight had no prior knowledge of Tazel, but it didn’t matter; by now she was convinced that this hell destroyed the minds of all who entered.

Perhaps that included herself. Maybe her weary wish to surrender to the inevitable was an effect of this terrible place. Maybe—

Twilight was jarred from her rambling stupor when the cage dropped with a loud clang. She winced as a scream punctuated the air, and after a few seconds the crowds cleared.

True to Blueblood’s word, they were at the center of a wide bridge. The blood of the Phlegethon poured down in a massive waterfall just to the side of the structure, making the pale stones steam from the boiling heat. She peered out and saw a long line of trap doors built in the rock. A nearby set of doors were left open, and Twilight could see the cage within that was just a couple short feet above the boiling red river.

Sunset’s cage was set down right next to Twilight’s. Sunset’s eyes were as wide as saucers, her pupils reduced to pinpricks and she struggled to move. A few moments later Blueblood’s throne was carried forward, set to the side and a few feet ahead of the cages. The crowds cheered and jeered as Frostclaw, bloodied and bruised, was dragged out by his one good hind leg. He clawed at the stones, illegible cries babbling from his beak.

“T-Twilight.”

She looked to Sunset, whose eyes were locked with hers. There was terror there, but her companion hadn’t been reduced to panic, not yet. Her words were hurried and strained, a clear attempt to keep from shouting. “This is th-the bridge I told you about. If we can cross it, we’ll be free. Use your magic, while you st-still can.”

Twilight turned her head away and rested her chin on the metal. “We won’t make it, Sunset…”

“Twilight!”

“Citizens of Dis!” Blueblood, his throne set sideways from the crowd, raised his good hoof for silence. Obedience quickly followed. The hoof lowered to indicate Frostbeak, who was being held down by a pair of minotaur. “Behold this wretched creature, who dares to show initiative. I ask you, citizens, what is the law?”

The reply came in a single ear-ringing cry: “Blueblood is all!”

The response made the foul lord smile. “Yes, Blueblood is all. Blueblood gives, Blueblood is generous, Blueblood is everything you all long to be, but never will. I see your plight, my little ponies, and I grace you with my beautiful mind and body. What have I asked in return?”

Once more, the crowd replied: “Stand aside!”

“Yes!” Blueblood stood on his throne to face the creatures, his good eye alive with a feverish intensity that would have had Twilight sinking lower, were it possible. Very suddenly she could see his dementia vividly, and deep down she felt she understood how he had descended to such a low state.

“Yes,” the lord repeated, “stand aside! Do not block the light of my magnificence, of my glory, of my uniqueness. Be dim so that I might shine and so all may freely bask. Look out there.” He gestured to the dark cavern below the city. “See the drudgery, the plainness, the ugliness of Tartarus. I grant you an alternative, a beautiful idol to worship above all others, and all I ask is that you stand aside so that others might gaze upon me just as freely as you do.”

He turned to Frostclaw, his expression growing hard. “But this, this wretched creature has violated our sacred laws. He dares to grab your attention, to distract from the magnificence that is Lord Blueblood! He shows independence, individuality, ambition, initiative! It saddens me to think that he was once so loyal, so good, so close to even me. There can be only one explanation for such behavior after such long and honorable service: a coup!”

The crowds shouted obscenities. Some began throwing rocks at the distraught griffon, who spoke frantically even as he struggled to free himself from the clutches of the minotaurs. Twilight watched the scene with a sick feeling in her gut; what was wrong with these creatures?

Blueblood raised his hoof high. The noise slowly died down.

“Normally I would delight in erasing this foul beast’s identity. The Fence is a suitable punishment for such sins, but this level of dedication, this quiet and determined act to infiltrate my order and gain my trust… this, my friends, is a sign of treachery, of clear and malicious intent! This is treason, and what punishment do we have for treason?”

The crowd erupted in a chant that chilled Twilight to the bone: “The Pits, the Pits, the Pits!”

Blueblood basked in the clamor, his eyes closing and a euphoric smile on his lips. Twilight gazed at the creatures all around her, a distinct terror filling her. She caught Sunset’s eye and saw that she was no less disturbed.

Blueblood flung his hoof towards the open hole in the bridge. “The Pits!”

Frostclaw let out a pathetic screech as the minotaurs dragged him to the open hole. He begged, he cried, he pleaded… and the crowd cheered. A disturbed calm came over Twilight as she watched the minotaurs swing him back and forth like a bag of flour, the crowd gleefully counting down from five.

And then he was dropped into the pit, his screams becoming pitched wails as the thick stone doors were swiftly slammed shut and sealed with a long, thick bar. Twilight tried to cover her ears, but couldn’t get her forehooves to her head. She listened to the muffled screeching, revulsion and fear filling her very being as the crowd stomped their hooves in lively approval.

It felt like an eternity before the noise subsided, the stomping and laughter and chatter steadily abating as Blueblood stood tall in his seat. The silence was punctuated by the hideous pleas that continued through the closed trap door. Twilight wished she could put the poor creature out of his misery…

Twilight listened intently as Blueblood began to speak once more, if only for the sake of drowning out those horrible cries. “My friends,” he began, “one traitor has been dealt with, but I am not satisfied. Who else here knows of a traitor in our midst?”

The creatures all began shouting… and they were crying Sunset’s name.

“Twilight!”

Horror contracting her chest, Twilight turned to her companion and saw the abject terror Sunset’s eyes.

“Twilight, please, use your magic!”

“I… I…”

“That’s right, everypony, that overworld hussy, Sunset Shimmer! Bring her forward.”

Sunset’s cage rocked as ponies filed underneath and began carrying it forward. Her legs kicked frantically, her head shook violently. “No, please! Twilight, you have to do it! Do it now!”

Blueblood was grinning like a child on Hearth’s Warming Eve. “Yes, beg, plead for help! Let’s see what your precious Celestia taught you.”

Celestia. Twilight would have given anything to see her right at that moment. Her breath was coming in short gasps as she watched, knowing that her only friend in this horrible, bastardized world was about to be cooked alive.

Sunset’s head turned about to stare pleadingly into Twilight’s eyes – eye. “Twilight, you are Celestia’s protégé now! You surpassed me, you passed all the tests, you became a princess! You must have powers I can’t even imagine!”

One of the traps was opened, and Frostclaw’s howls rose up from somewhere below. Yet Twilight was staring at her companion, who had somehow managed to attain all her attention.

Sunset was sweating, but she didn’t break eye contact. “I know it seems hopeless. I know you think Celestia’s abandoned you, but I have watched you work, Twilight Sparkle, and I understand. Your words have been true, you can still be the princess you claim to be!”

But she wasn’t. If she were, she wouldn’t have made all these mistakes. She wouldn’t even be here.

Twilight had failed…

The cage was set down next to the pit, which Sunset gazed at with horrified eyes. “T-Twilight, listen to me, please! You were not meant to die here, do you hear me? You don’t belong in Tartarus, it cannot claim you! Your Celestia was good, was generous, was wise. P-please, think about what she would want you to do right now!”

What Celestia wanted? Celestia… would want Twilight to be the best she could be at all times, no matter how dark things seemed. Celestia had named her the Princess of Friendship, had groomed her for that position.

What would Celestia think if she saw Twilight now?

The cage was tipped sideways so that Sunset was face-down over the pit. The new angle let her free her legs and she promptly climbed to the top of the cage. Sweat poured off her from the heat as her eyes locked on the river below. “You don’t have to save me, Twilight. You d-don’t. But please, please, get out of Tartarus. Please!”

A pair of ponies began to buck the cage, trying to shake Sunset loose as one of them pulled open the cage door. Sunset screamed, her horn fizzed and puffed in a last desperate attempt at some kind of magical defense. Twilight gazed with a wide eye at her guide, her companion…

…her friend.

The fire came suddenly, boiling up within the princess until it filled her to bursting. She looked about at the leering, cheering crowds, then at Blueblood’s smug face and thought she was going to explode.

She was the Princess of Friendship. Her friend was in mortal peril.

She would not let Sunset endure this.

Energy erupted from her horn, the violent shockwave shattering the cage. Metal bits flew into the crowd, knocking down some and impaling others. Twilight dropped, not even noticing the sting in her hooves for the sheer energy coursing through her veins. An instant later two thick beams darted through the air and sent the two ponies around Sunset’s cage flying.

Blueblood was on his hooves and cowering behind his throne in an instant. “G-get her, stop her! I want that horn!”

The crowd surged forward, but Twilight turned to them and stomped a lone hoof. The resulting shockwave sent the creatures flying high, many of them screaming as they fell over the bridge’s side and into the Phlegethon.

The princess let out a furious scream that shook the very foundations of Dis. The bridge before her began to crumble, creatures fleeing in terror as the stonework collapsed under their hooves. Many weren’t fast enough, their shrieks filling Twilight with a hideous satisfaction.

She turned around just as the two minotaurs were in her face. A violet circle filled the air with a sound akin to a single strong wingbeat; the two minotaurs stopped in their tracks and began to float upwards as if suspended in water, their eyes wide with alarm. A second later she sent them flying right at Blueblood’s throne. The Lord dove out of the way just in time, his seat and the minotaurs colliding with a loud crash that sent all three flying into the boiling waterfall.

Twilight approached Blueblood, her mane floating high as her entire body was encased in purple light.

The lord crawled backwards from her, his one good eye wide with terror. “W-wait, I can offer you a deal, w-we can both see you’re very… I m-mean… p-please don’t kill me!”

Twilight sneered as she gazed upon the pathetic pony, the creature who tortured so many souls, who nearly burned her friend alive, who was staring back at her with her own eye.

“No, Blueblood, you aren’t deserving of something so lenient.”

“Oh, thank you!” The despicable thing was on his knees and crawling forward. “Thank you, oh merciful one! I swear, I will obey, I will—”

A vicious snarl escaped Twilight’s lips, the sound almost like a thunderclap in the vast cavern. She jerked her head to Sunset’s cage, which promptly fell away from the pit. Sunset, still inside, was too busy gaping at the unfolding scene to even cry out.

Blueblood’s tail shined bright and began to drag him backwards towards the pit. He clawed at the stones, screaming as he realized Twilight’s intentions. “No, p-please! You c-can’t put me in there, there’s nopony to get me out. Y-you can’t do this, I am the Lord of Dis! I am Blueblood! Stop, stop, for the love of all that is beautiful, stop!”

Twilight ignored his begging. She walked just before him, her hooves scarcely touching the ground for all the power she was wielding, and stared right into his desperate eyes. She listened to every cry, observed every plea, but she didn’t register any of the words. She only thought one thing:

This was a monster that needed culling.

Blueblood’s tail passed over the pit and was pulled down. His hind legs soon followed, and when they entered the cage below his cries became screeches. Soon only his upper torso was exposed, his forelegs tearing at the stones wildly. He gazed up at his punisher with one wet eye, his lips worked frantically against his wails.

Twilight gazed into her own eye and felt no pity; with a final jerk of his tail, Blueblood dropped into the pit, landing on the hot metal cage below. He howled and squirmed against the heat, his coat shriveling from the radiating temperatures.

Twilight watched, enduring the heat and the screams. Her heart pounded, her breath came in long gasps, her horn began to sting…

The trap doors slammed closed, the bar slid into place.

Twilight collapsed, the aura fading from her body and the power seeping out as if a drainpipe had been opened. Her white-hot horn smoked as she began to weep, an incredible sense of loss and misery coming over her.

What had she just done?

Sunset was at her side, her touch sending a jolt similar to static electricity through the princess. Twilight jerked her head up to stare... and saw appreciation. Sunset petted her mane and held her close.

Though she didn’t understand the terrible feeling within her, Twilight clutched her companion and sobbed. Sobbed for what she’d done, for what she might have just become. Yet for all her horrors, both at her internal battle and the screams that still echoed through that trap door, Twilight was able to find one small element of comfort.

Sunset was safe. She was there, she was alive, she was…

She was Twilight’s friend.

Author's Notes:

And so we pass the City of Torments. This is still one of my favorite chapters, particularly in my depiction of Blueblood. I found writing him as a villain very satisfying.

All of the punishments that are depicted in Dis were reimagined from those from the original Dante's Inferno, repurposed to accommodate the concepts behind the city, the advantages of different races and the fact that we're dealing (mostly) with ponies instead of humans.

So Twilight finally does her 'badass' thing. Don't get used to it, though.

...

And now for a warning: the next chapter is the one that really makes this a 'mature' story. Kiddies should stay home.