Grogar had been very impressed with Twilight's progress in the last few weeks.

He knew little of cutie marks, but from what little he did know, they had something to do with talent. Grogar was certain that had Twilight been allowed her own mark, she would've received something representing her remarkable aptitude for magic.

It had taken some time for Twilight to retrieve the Black Compendium, but once she'd finally managed to complete the spell successfully, that was all she needed. At Grogar's insistence, the filly repeated the spell a few more times with the same successful result with seemingly no problem.

With that done, Twilight's studies continued forward, overseen as always by the demonic ram. Things however, still hadn't gone as smoothly as Grogar would've liked, even with all of Twilight's progress. She was prodigious when it came to the study and application of magic, but the filly had yet to grasp the proper mindset for a necromancer.

She had her moments to be sure, but as a whole, the remnants of the naïve life she'd lived and her childish tendencies were hindering her true potential and growth. It slowed things down by a considerable amount, and the only time the filly's pace picked up seemed to be when she was on the verge of becoming an emotionless husk.

It had only happened once before, but Grogar had made note of it, and when he sensed that the time was nearing for Twilight to devour yet another soul, the ram was prepared. Over the course of three weeks or so, the filly had once again spent all her time in the study, and the ram had decided it was time for a temporary change of scenery while she finished her studies.

In fact, it would be necessary for a couple of reasons, including the lesson she was to learn next. She'd also be able to find more souls to feed on—the destination he had in mind the only other place aside from his own kingdom rife with them.

So far, aside from the retrieval spell she'd learned initially, Grogar had allowed the filly to learn two of the most fundamental spells for a necromancer to know—that of Soul Projection, and Soul Conjuring. Though both were some of the most basic spells a necromancer could learn, they were still far from easy to master, and proper study could take months for the average mage.

Twilight however, had managed to learn and fully memorize the process in a little over two weeks, and a few more days after that, she'd managed to pull it off splendidly. Under Grogar's careful observation, the filly proceeded to pull her own soul from its current home within the confines of the silver bell around her neck.

She'd even gone the extra mile and projected an image of her own form in lieu of floating around as an ethereal orb of soulstuff. It wasn't a perfect projection, but the separation was solid and Twilight mantained full control over her own soul.

That was no easy feat, as a slip in concentration could cause one to lose their grip and the soul could float away into the darkness of oblivion. Still, it was highly amusing to see the filly's reaction to becoming a spiritual being, as well as seeing the empty, lifeless shell she'd left behind lying sprawled on the floor.

While it was true that Twilight's soul hadn't resided in the body to begin with, the same wasn't true of her consciousness. Up until she'd cast the Soul Projection spell, her mind and soul had been separate, but now, with neither the mind nor the soul present, the body could not act.

When Twilight had asked about the mare who's soul she'd eaten, Grogar revealed that the mare's mind had already been thoroughly broken and rendered useless to the point that she may as well have not even had one.

With that spell mastered, it was time to move on to Soul Conjuration, and that meant the filly needed the proper environment to practice. When he'd told Twilight as much, she'd asked why she couldn't just use the souls here in Tambelon. The ram had replied that there was a far more suitable place to continue her studies.

And so it was that the two set out into the dark wasteland beyond Tambelon's borders. As they left Grogar's kingdom behind, the ram revealed to Twilight what he'd only recently discovered about the world they were both stuck in.

"You see, child," he began as they moved further away from Tambelon, "while you've been hard at work mastering what I've taught you so far, I myself haven't been idle," he stopped suddenly and swept a thoughtful gaze around him, as though looking for something, "I've been doing a bit more research of my own."

"Really?" Twilight asked, following behind the ram, "what kind of research? Are there still spells even you haven't learned yet?"

"Indeed there are," Grogar replied honestly, "but that's not the kind of research I was referring to," he shook his head, "no, I've been studying the lay of the land, seeking out anything I may have missed during my past travels."

"You mean you left the city again while I was learning the Soul Projection spell?" Twilight asked with a surprised raise of her brows, "when was that? How long were you gone?"

"You misunderstand, child," Grogar answered, "I myself did not leave Tambelon, but sent Bray out into the wastes in my stead. Through his eyes, I was able to see the lands beyond my borders, and it was during one of these expeditions that I discovered something, or rather someplace I hadn't seen before."

Through the return of the Black Compendium, Twilight had learned more about shades, and was aware that they could be used as an extended pair of eyes and ears. Though it fascinated the filly, she still wasn't sure she wanted to subject anypony to such a cursed existence.

"What did you find?" Twilight asked, "and is that where we're headed now?"

"It is," Grogar confirmed with a nod, "our destination lies near the eastern edge of a rocky desert far to the northeast," he paused in apparent contemplation for a moment before speaking again, "if you'll recall when you first arrived here, I told you that this place was far older than Tartarus."

"I remember that," Twilight said, "you said something about how this world made Tartarus look like some kind of amusement park."

"I did," Grogar nodded, "but after what I've learned about my recent discovery, I may have to revise my earlier statement somewhat," he glanced down towards the little dark lavender filly who'd trotted up next to him, "it appears that, while this world might be far older than the Land of Light you and I come from originally, it is not older than Tartarus, because in this world, a gate to the realm of Tartarus does in fact, exist."

"Wait," Twilight replied, slowing her pace and furrowing her brow in thought, "so... if the door to Tartarus exists here... then that means..." her eyes widened and her mouth dropped open in disbelief, "that means this place really was Equestria!" her expression, ecstatic at the discovery initally, turned to horror, "a-and that's where we're going?!"

"While it is a strong possibility, the fact that a door to Tartarus exists here in this world is not necessarily indicative of it being an alternate Equestria," Grogar responded, "I'm not sure if you know this child, but while Equestria is tangentially tied to Tartarus, Tartarus itself is not altogether tied to Equestria. It is its own plane of existence, and still seems to teem with life because of it."

"So that's why we're going there," Twilight surmised, "since there's still life, there might still be souls to summon for the other soul based spell I'm trying to learn," she shook her head and returned her fearful gaze back to Grogar, "but what about all the demons and monsters that are supposed to live in Tartarus?"

"Ah, but that's just it, child," Grogar replied, his frown deepening slightly, "from what my underling has observed upon entry, there are no sapient demons left in Tartarus so far as I can tell. It could be that, like this world before it—or perhaps after it—something erased them from existence, leaving only lost souls and wild beasts of that damnable plane to wander about freely."

"There's still beasts there though!" Twilight argued, her fear not abating in the slightest, "that means its still dangerous, and I don't know any kind of magic to defend myself! If a monster wants to eat me, I wouldn't be able to do anything about it!"

"Calm yourself, Twilight Sparkle," Grogar commanded, his stern tone making the filly flinch, "do not forgot that you are an undead being, and a powerful one at that, despite your small stature. So long as your phylactery remains intact, you will suffer nothing that cannot be shrugged off or mended with ease.

"The only thing you need to be mindful of for now is being eaten, as it would be troublesome if I had to tear you out of some hapless, mindless animal," Grogar huffed and turned away from the filly, focusing his gaze back on the dark and dusty road before them, "that aside, you will learn what you need to defend yourself during your studies."

Twilight didn't respond right away, her thoughts consumed with what she'd find in a place like Tartarus. Images of horrible twisted monstrosities danced about in her mind, and she couldn't help but give a small shudder at the thought.

The fact that she was already dead and couldn't be permanently harmed was somewhat comforting, but she still didn't want to put her relatively newfound immortality to the test if she could help it.

"W-What about you, Father?" Twilight asked, trying to take her mind off her thoughts, "what are you gonna do? I mean, I know you're gonna teach me some more things, but..." she paused a moment as another thought came to her, "are you gonna try to find out what happened to the world?"

"An admirable guess, child," Grogar answered, "and yes, you are correct. Unlike the spirits of this world, the lost souls of Tartarus either could not or would not move on, and the beasts were let alone. I want to find out why that is and what wiped out the sapient demon population in the first place.

"Perhaps it was the same thing that destroyed this world. Perhaps it originated from Tartarus and was simply removing all obstacles in its way as it escaped into this realm. I cannot know for certain unless I investigate, so this trip has more than one purpose."

"You seem happy."

Grogar stopped in his tracks and turned to look at the filly, a bushy eyebrow raised in bemusement. Twilight shuffled awkwardly for a moment before placing a hoof on the bell around her neck.

"I... I can feel it, kind of," she explained, "maybe not happy, but... I don't know... eager? Its kind of like how I used to feel whenever my... mom used to get me new books for Hearth's Warming. Well, I don't think you're as excited as that, but it's the best way I can describe it."

Grogar eyed her for another moment, silently working his jaw as he mulled her words over. After a few more moments he gave a thoughtful hum and continued his trot forward, once again acknowledging the filly's insight and remembering to keep the connection they now shared in mind more often.

"That may be the case," Grogar finally conceded, "I admit, I haven't fully rid myself of my curiosity regarding the fate of this place, and Tartarus may hold the key I've been searching for. I also admit that my knowledge of Tartarus itself is somewhat lacking. Oh, I know a few things to be sure, but I have never once set hoof in such a place myself. The prospect is... intriguing."

When put that way, the filly could certainly understand Grogar's point of view, and even share it somewhat. After the conversation they'd had all those days ago about what had become of this place, she had to admit she also found it curious, and if she could learn how to conjure souls, maybe she could even help Grogar find out more.

She found herself smiling at the idea of making herself useful, and despite her initial worry of what she might encounter in Tartarus, there was a slight spring in her step and a happy swish in her tail. Grogar noted the odd display, but didn't comment, opting instead to focus on the road ahead.

He knew the filly would begin to lose her enthusiasm before long, and then the hunger would set in. It wasn't something she'd had to worry about before due to never having eaten a soul, but now that she'd partaken, she would eventually and undoubtedly desire more, and that desire would only get stronger the longer she went without.

Like a vampire that had gone far too long without the taste of blood, Twilight would begin to seek out any souls she could find. At her most starved, she'd relentlessly hunt them down like an emotionless automaton, her one and only purpose to feed.

The filly had learned of this once she retrieved the Black Compendium, and it had driven her to a panic the likes of which Grogar had yet to see from the filly. It took a fair bit of time for Grogar to convince her that he would teach her how to avoid that situation once the time came.

There was still some time before things got that bad, but once they were actually within the confines of that hellscape, it wouldn't matter. As he'd seen through Bray, the realm of Tartarus—or at least this realm of Tartarus, he wasn't sure if there was more than one—was filled to the brim with demonic souls to sate the filly's hunger should it come to that.

He may not have known the reason behind the current state of this world and Tartarus, but he would soon have his answers. He may not have known why so many souls yet remained in Tartarus, but it was all better for him and his apprentice. He may not have known why the vicious wildlife of that realm were left to roam free, but even they would have their use.

What's more, devouring the strong soul of a demon would only hasten the filly's development into a more powerful lich. Yes, there were all sorts of benefits to this trip, and Grogar couldn't help but crack a small smile of his own at the unexpected treasure trove he'd stumbled across.

He planned on spending quite a bit of time in Tartarus with his protégé, and he fully expected the filly to truly become something to fear by the time they left. The Mourning Moon might rise again in their absence, and with it, the dead of Tambelon, but that didn't matter to Grogar in the face of such an opportunity.

The dead would rage and howl for a time, but eventually they would return to the mud, no worse off than they were before. He'd called Bray back and informed him to watch over the kingdom in his absence, and in the extremely unlikely event that something did decide to invade Tambelon, he would know in an instant.

His connection to his own kingdom would allow him to be there as soon as he sensed something was amiss, but as of now, he had nothing to worry about. As the two continued northeast across the dark and desolate land, Twilight's mind was filled with all kinds of expectations, both great and terrible.

Whatever the case may have been, the undead filly couldn't help but feel she wouldn't come out of Tartarus the same pony she was when she went in. That, more than anything—more than even the monsters she would undoubtedly encounter—scared her the most.

Still, she'd be lying if she said she wasn't at least a little excited to see what awaited her beyond that gate.

I told you guys I wasn't done with the lore of this world, and I meant it. We're going to be learning some interesting things here in the near future...