Spitefic: Not me this time

[pan2000]

Celestia can't forget Raven.

While she got her revenge on the assassin, she couldn't fully get over what she had done.

Raven's poisoned blades nearly killed her, and Shining Armor also nearly died because of her. But the worst thing was how she lost her daughter.

Twilight fell chasing after Raven. While nobody else had dared to do under orders. Even Lightning only went to stop Twilight and take her to courtroom, not to eliminate Raven's threat.

Almost if someone in Starfleet was on Raven's side.

So, she secretly asked Luna to find if someone was in league with Raven. Maybe even hired her, because it doesn't make sense for her to hold such a grudge against Celestia for something her guards accidentally did, even killing her husband.

And Luna had a little problem with her first suspect. Namely, that he was dead with no body left behind. So she had to travel to the Underworld.

The moment she gets inside, Stygians greet her. They all draw Razor Swords. Then they charge fearlessly at the Princess.

"Oh, no big speech? Interesting!" Luna draws her dark purple straight sword, which is infused with the power of Shadow. "You know, I didn't ask for this type of Engarde."

And with a fierce battlecry, she leaps at the first Stygian, who parries the blade with its sword and retaliates with two slashes. Luna blocks both of them and slashes the Stygian mortally. Then she uses her sword to parry an attack from behind, turns and lands a roundhouse kick to the face of the lesser demon.

Luna mortally stabs the Stygian in the chest, drawing black ooze. Then she flies using her wings and lands a double dropkick to the face of a third weak fiend, and parries the Razor Sword of a fourth one before dealing a lethal riposte.

The final Stygian jumps at her and performs a vertical strike, but Luna dodges it and lands three fast jabs, killing it.

The Princess, happy she got rid of the monsters, flies towards the gate for the lower layers. Ten more Stygians charge at her, but she darkens the surroundings and nobody but her can see. She dashes at full speed and easily cuts them down one by one.

However, as she sneaks past the rest of the defenses, a certain dog smells her.

And so, she faces Cerberus. Who looks hungry and lunges to bite her with all of his three mouths.

She dodges the first bite by jumping sideways, then the second one misses her by inches. However, the third head comes too close and would have chopped her in half if she didn't become a shadow and escape through his sharp teeth.

She dashes backwards, avoiding several more hard bites, and becomes physical again to fire a triple Shadow Beam from her horn, aiming at all three heads of the beast at once.

But Cerberus is not just a rabid pit bull ten times bigger and with two more heads. He also breathes a jet of lethal acid from each mouth, all of them overpowering Luna's powerful beams.

The alicorn, seeing she is losing the clash, flies upwards and avoids the jets of acid. However, Cerberus fires red beams from all six of his crimson eyes, forcing Luna to use her shadow form. She gets physical at one point and prepares a lightning bolt, but a beam pierces her left wing, making her fall to the ground.

Cerberus lunges at her and is ready for a bite, but she slashes his mouth with her sword, drawing blood. Then the other heads fire a couple of beams each, but Luna has another trick.

She raises the Moon Mirror and reflects all the beams, like the way the Moon deflects the sunlight. "I guess I am too used to beams and barrages."

Cerberus growls in anger and whips her hard with his tail, which is like that of a snake. This draws blood and knocks Luna down. Then a jet of acid melts part of her armor.

She swings her sword for a Shadow Blade, but the massive canine jumps sideways and avoids the attack. Then it breathes flames that light through Luna's shadows, hitting her again.

Cerberus breathes ice too, but Luna avoids it and changes her tactics. "You might be stronger than me, Cerberus, but you are not smarter than me." She casts a sleep spell and the dog closes all of his eyes. Then Luna turns him into stone.

Before the guardian wakes up and breaks free, the alicorn gets to the second layer, where King Minos spots her with his smell.

"I smell a living being, who sinned a lot in the past but now has atoned. What's your purpose in the land of the wicked dead, Princess Luna?" Minos asks.

"I seek a tormented soul for the Greater Good. Tell me, o wise Judge of the Dead, where is Matt Engarde?" the princess asks.

Minos flinches hearing the name. "The actor who tricked everyone here into getting to Limbo but my smell of his sins? His loopholes work on many, but not me. He is in Cocytus, as the likes of him deserve.

What would you want to do with him? Bring him back to life?"

"No. I want to interrogate him for a crime." Luna replies sternly.

"Then I will send you straight to him. If someone asks, tell them King Minos sent you."

And Princess Luna ends on the frozen lake, the deepest layer. Knowing she won't have to fight the demons there, who made Cerberus look like a sick but cute puppy, she finds Matt frozen up his waist, swirling a glass of wine as always when he hides nothing.

"Ok" Luna tells him "I have several questions. First of all, how did you summon this glass in this place where they give you but beatings? Second, I heard you drink tears. There are many suffering people there, how come your glass has no tears? Third, do you know who is behind the murder of Princess Twilight Sparkle?"

Matt chuckles, then swirls his drink faster. "Oh, we are getting straight to the point, Lulu? Still mad that I got your world eating from my hand by capitalizing on Celesto's ideals?

First of all, summoning these glasses is the only spell I know, Your Highness."

Luna smiles and punches his face once. "I am glad you don't know combat magic. One Chrysalis is enough."

Matt continues. "As for your second question, of course I get to see the suffering and tears of the other criminals. And to be honest, other bad people are better targets than innocents.

But if they let me drink a single tear, it would be Heaven. Which I don't really deserve."

"I know you don't, but am waiting for the answer to the third question!" Luna replies.

Matt pauses for a second. "Hehehehehe... hahahahaha... HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Wow, ever since my trial, I must have gained a fearsome reputation.

But I got nearly ruined because I planned to betray an assassin in the past, Princess. So, I became more cautious. I made sure I made a bond of trust with Rhymey. He was the only man I ever considered a true friend. While I didn't like Celesto much, I never planned anything against him... why provoke a strong ruler?

It is much better to be the model citizen of his values. It set my acting career back for a long time, and my sister got understandably pissed, but it was worth it. Similarly, what did I have against Twilight?"

"Twilight called you out when you only gave those money to "charity" to spite your sister, undermining yourself too. From someone as petty as Talon, I expected something like hiring an assassin." Luna replies.

Matt chuckles again, still swirling his chalice. "Yeah, she called out my act. What a terrible shame. I pretended to be mad and throw a tantrum for my cover.

But yeah, giving money to charity just to spite a caring sister with some questionable means is not a way to show you are not selfish and a sloth. The real me would do anything to win. Talon would happily lose to spite those he doesn't like, and also is a sloth unable to hurt a fly. I am not completely what I pretended to be, Luna.

Anyway, no, I had nothing against Twilight. And why would I provoke a princess? Twilight was actually more popular than Grand Ruler for Equestrians. Paying to kill her would be destructive, especially with King Sombra about to conquer everything. I would lose the prestiges I got under Celesto's nose.

Also, Celesto wanted a scapegoat for Twilight's assassination to take heat away from the fact that his orders held the others back and got Twilight killed. If Raven had a client and the client was found out, then they would also be beaten as part of Celestia's revenge.

And do you really think I want to fight Celestia? No, I preferred to lay low, unlike Sombra, Chrysalis or Titan. So, in short, I am not behind Raven, ok?"

Luna grabs him by the collar of his shirt. "How should I know you are not lying?"

Matt is still calm. "Because then I had a lot to lose, and now I have nothing, Luna."

Luna has one last question. "Then tell me, whom do you suspect to be behind Raven? I doubt she had so much hate and malice herself..."

"You know, as I had to delay my acting dream to be the model citizen and get the influence I needed, I need to get some revenge for all those baseball bat strikes I got keeping that stupid act. So, I will tell you the truth... with a question.

Why do you think Celesto thought so little of Twilight when she died?"

And Luna gasps in surprise. What Matt didn't have in physical strength, he had in his words and influence. "It was always suspicious... but no. It can't be."

Notes: I wanted to start the battle with Tan Shi and her minions too, but that will be next update of the story.