To Tartarus and Back: Chapter I

~To Tartarus and Back~
[Chapter I]
|The Crimson Sun Over Congress|
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

>At first, it seemed like slight changes in her day to day personality
>But then the changes in her mood, and sway became more erratic
>Soon she would spiral into an abyss of power lust
>Soon she would devour the Sun and obtain it's incandescent might
>You'll never forget the first time you laid eyes on your Princess, now writhed with power and madness
>Nor will you forget the sudden spring of emotion that overtook your body and mind
>For an unexplainable reason you were the first to kneel before the pinnacle of both beauty and horrot
>You could feel her influence claw at the back of your id
>You easily gave in
>Why wouldn't you?
>You promised you'd serve your princess for as long as your mortal body was able to wield a sword and shield in her glorious name
>You did just that
>You laid waste to her enemies and practically brought about a new age in Equestria
>The age of the Sun and it's mighty incarnation, making sure that your princess would never have to raise a hoof
>For years you felt lost, ever since arriving in this strange land
>You missed home, friends, and family
>But you never felt more at home then on her battlefields, cutting down her enemies
>All for her
>Only for her
"Sol Aeterna!"

[Canterlot Spire]

>"General Anonymous, sir! Queen Celestia request your presence in her chambers!"
>The marble and gold guards pony stands at attention in the threshold of your planning room
>Your latest military conquest will take you as far as the griffon kingdoms
>You've only been back for a few weeks and you were already being deployed further into the feild
>Not that you minded though, as long as you had her Sun on your back, you could brave hell and slay it's hordes without fear or hesitation
>She says you've done so much for her
>But you never felt like it was enough
>You wanted to give her more, everything
>But for now, you'd have to slowly crawl through endless battles until you found something worthy of her majesty
>You walk down the halls of Canterlot
>It's skyblue banners replaced with deep reds of crimson
>As you make your way, ponies keep their eyes glued to the floor, taking caution not to ever look a lord in the eye
>Before long you stand in front of Celestia's chambers
>The smell of burning incense creep into your nose from under the massive double doors before you
>You awkwardly rap your fingers on the doors five times and within the next few seconds they groan to life and slide open, revealing your princess

>Your princess rests upon a lavish bed, surrounded by various pillows and silken sheets
>Instantly the heat of the room hits you with full force and you feel a bead a sweat roll off your brow
>She liked her room hotter nowadays
>You step into the sauna-like room and kneel before Celestia, avoiding eye contact anticipating her words
>"Greetings Anonymous. How goes the war?"
>The same question as always
"It's going just as planned. The use of weather manipulation worked just as you planned your majesty."
>You rise to your feet now that greetings have been exchanged
>She hints at a smile, which can be seen in a red glow around her muzzle
>The room was incredibly dark, the only source of light was her fiery tail and mane
>Her coat was light singed darker than her pure alabaster white
>She also seemed to move very slowly, almost other worldly
>You swear you could see different copies of her as she rose from her bed and approached you
>"That is very good to hear. I trust that you'll be giving me another gift come this month?"
>Her intensely warm hoof finds itself under your chin
>You'll never get used to being this close to her
"Yes, your majesty. I estimate that wither a month or so we will drive the griffons into submission, and bring you new empire."
>"Oh Anon. You know just what to say~"
>Her voice sounds like the slow crackle of a fire, and it pleases you so whenever she calls you Anon
>You'd like to think that the two of you were on a more, personal level than most

>Her hoof leaves your chin, leaving a singe of soot
>You brush over it lightly to retain the feeling of her touch longer
>She turns her back on you and motions you to follow her to the open air balcony
>It'd be nice to get out of this heat, so you follow
>The sudden drop of temperature sends a tiny shock through your body as you join her, over looking the scorched valley
>The sky was no longer the deep blue it used to be
>Instead it was a romantic shade of red, complimented by dark clouds
>Even the rain that fell from those clouds boiled before they ever hit surface
>"Look at it all Anon. You've painted Equestria into a beautiful image of my power. All just for me. You really are my most precious toy~"
>She nuzzles your cheek with her red hot muzzle
>The pain isn't anything you can't handle though
>Living in a world almost completely engulfed in fire would make you more tolerable to the heat
>But it didn't stop your skin from burning
"I do it because it's my duty Princess. That's all really."
>That was a lie
>Although it had some truth, it wasn't the only reason you scarred the earth with her fire
>You did it because you thought it'd make her happy
>And how right you were
>"Look at it Anon..."
>She directs your attention to the gigantic ball of gas in the sky
>Now grown larger than it ever was, and burning brighter
>It was the second most beautiful thing you'd ever lay eyes on
>Though you could not look long, as though it was a forbidden beauty
>"It's power is incredible. I can feel it. It's warmth coursing through my veins~"
>You notice her slight quiver as she speaks
>"The raw power of the Sun is magnificent. To feel it in sync with your entire being is pure ecstacy!"
>She wraps her hooves around her body as her breath hitches
>She got like this all the time
>She would calm down sooner or later
>You never mentioned it to her, feeling like you'd be imposing
>"Anon." She says suddenly
>"Promise me you'll eliminate anything that threatens my power

>Her eyes meet yours and they almost burn a hole through your soul
>It doesn't take you long before you snap to attention and salute your princess
>Her loyal little soldier
"I haven't proved otherwise."
>You haven't. In the beginning, others opposed your princess and you brought her sovereign wrath upon them
>Even her own sister, and her treacherous student
>A wicked smile breaks onto her face
>Her murky, golden eyes glazing over you
>"Just what I wanted to hear. You're so good to me Anon."
"Well, that's kinda my only reason to live nowadays."
>You chuckle a little, to which she confides in your commitment
>You know it does her heart wonders to know that someone like you are so loyal
>"Indeed." She says
>She turns from you, her burning tail sliding up your breast plate to flick you in the face, again leaving it's mark
>You don't think you'll ever -not- enjoy the pain
>"I want you to make me proud out there Anon. Not only that but I want you to brake the griffon's pride. Show them the pride I have for you."
>She references the sword securely strapped to your waist
>A gift from her
>Your most prized possession
>It was an ordinary sword, a standard issue guards man long sword
>But now it was enchanted with the power of the sun
>Able to harness a fraction of the her power, so that it may be used to smite her foes
>This was not only her pride
>But your pride

>Your meeting with her was over
>And you are saddened by that
>You now mill around your planning room
>Ever so focused on conquest
>Soon you will once again face the horrors of war
>But before that, you take time to relax
>You've long since abandoned any sort of friends you once had, so the only relaxation you could have was with you and your books
>Or in your brief meetings with the princess
>You read almost as much as your late purple friend
>Almost
>You never figured you'd ever take to reading as she did, but here you are with books lining the side wall
>This novel in particular was about a young man thrown into another world
>Unaware of who he was or where he came from
>You loved this story because you could especially relate to it
>You remembered nothing from "Earth"
>All you remember is the your very first meeting with the princess
>Back then were more or less, happier times
>She took you into her home, fed you, clothed you, practically treated you like family and for that, you could never repay her enough
>The clock tower bells rang for twelve
>It was night, without the moon or stars
>Only the red sun and the asteroids that once shaped the pale moon
>You close your book and place it down on the large table that displayed your campaign
>Many holds and keeps had fallen to her armies
>And many more will follow
>You find in your self a tinge of pity for those who still tried to resist
>You didn't enjoy taking lives
>But you did enjoy claiming their lives in the name of your ruler
>Nevertheless, you wished others could see the way you saw things
>No one would have to die
>No one would suffer
>It would be absolute world peace

>You awaken hunched over your table
>The soot on your face smeared onto the large map
>Today was the day you leave for the front
>And here you are, unkept and dirty
>And you call yourself the pride of Celestia?
>You immediately bathe and polish your armor, lastly attaching your sword to your waist
>Your legion stood inside Canterlot square
>Never moving, not even for an itch, sneeze, or cough
>Years of discipline and love for their princess
>You were unsure if they were loyal to you
>You all worked towards the same goal so it hardly mattered to you
>With a few drills and routines later the massive Canterlot gates open and the blazoned path to war continues into the distance
>It would be week's long march

[Outskirts of the Fifth Griffon Regime]

>The red sky now started to blend into the familiar blue it once was
>You were officially out of Equestrian territory and were in the enemy's striking distance
>You road atop a familiar stallion
>Another gift given to you by the princess
>The older brother of your nerdy friend
>He was friendly enough, considering that he has every right to despise the state
>But he would never dare raise a hoof to his superior
>He was still a soldier after all
>"Anonym- General Anonymous, what exactly is your plan of action?"
>The stallion under you spoke to you without much formality, which you liked
>You hated being called sir all the time
"It's the same as it's always been. We establish a foothold and simply spearhead our way to their capital."
>"But we are just an army of a thousand. We don't have enough men for a campaign of that scale."
>You forget that he has never fought on the front lines
>He doesn't know that the largest army you ever had was a little over three thousand
>But they still carried you all the way to victory, thanks to the power bestowed upon you

>You found the thought of the griffon king's face as you stormed his castle and plunging your sword into his heart, only having a single legion to back you amusing
"Don't worry about it. I know what I'm doing, and so does the princess. Have faith in her."
>The stallion goes silent, only the sound of hooves and light drizzle accompanying you
>You were in rural lands on the outskirts of Congress Mountain, the birthplace of their kings
>The tall gray mountain loomed in the distance, surrounded by even grayer clouds circling
>The clouds sprawled over the sky, reflecting the sun's fractured rays to give the illusion of a rainy day
>Your army marched in silence
>You didn't bother making camp, you wanted to take Congress as soon as possible
>You went on for miles, drawing closer and closer to it's base
>You now waited for a scout to return
>You tried to make conversation with the ponies, but they never held so you took to your own silence
>Then the patter of horse-shoes on hard ground crossed your ears
>It was the scout
>He returned with a frighting look on his face
>Before he could call to you, and arrow broke it's way to the back of his head, and peeked out between his eyes
>Bringing him to a limp halt as he bit the dust
>It was a trap.