Tartarus
The eternal realm of darkness and ultimate evil never brought hope to the ponies who had no choice but to pass through. When the Gates broke open 2 years before Twilight arrived in Ponyville, hundreds of monsters and prisoners escaped. While some were caught immediately, the thought that many more had escaped festered in Princess Celestia's mind for some time.
Deep within the eternal cavern, a large stone castle stood unrivaled in the realm. With two fiendish dragons standing guard outside, the castle was 3,000 feet tall and as red as blood. Etchings of destruction were carved into the castle with many blank spots available.
Every 20 seconds, however, a new image of the apocalypse revealed itself from another dimension.
Inside the castle, a meeting had taken place. Two humanoids, one pacing the room with a freshly lit cigarette and another on a knee, occupied the space. "My Lord, Kraos has failed in capturing the Time Lord," a female voice echoed in the castle. "What are my orders?"
A male voice growled. "Kraos' failure was expected. Time Lords are slippery and crafty, especially this special one. I've dispatched Hypnos to retrieve him from the pocket universe. At best, the Time Lord knows of our existence."
The female agreed. "Your orders, dear sister, is as follows: the mirror is ready to shatter. Magic between dimensions is leaking and Creation will do whatever it takes to keep them from merging. I want that magic mirror destroyed as soon as possible," the male voice said. "The Royals of Canterlot will try to stop you."
"Let them try, dear brother. The fires of your beauty will cleanse Creation, and all will know your name," the female said.
The male revealed a toothy grin. "Hail Armageddon!" the female cried out.
Canterlot Castle was always a sight to behold when the celestial bodies of the Sun and Moon rose above the planet. Dawn was the beautiful moment where the Sun and Moon appeared to be in perfect balance with each other. Ponies watching the event unfolding were reminded that magic was natural and unyielding.
And as tradition, Luna always skipped watching the Sun rise.
Bidding her sister a fond morning, Luna trotted to her chambers with her sleeping cap nestled on top of her head. While Celestia pleaded with her sister to sleep during the night instead of meditating, the lunar princess voiced her fondness of the warmth of the day in her sleep over the chilling night air.
The night before, Twilight and her friends had arrived for a formal summit in the next two days. Delegates from Trottingham and Stallionsberg had begun settling in the capital city, and as delegates from the Kingdom of Friendship, the 7 were invited. As such, Twilight and Spike were among the first to awaken that morning and traveled to the kitchen where Princess Celestia was due for her morning tea.
As the duo walked through the halls, Spike jotted down everything Twilight was relaying to him. "...Rainbow Dash agreed?" she asked.
"Yeah, just mentioning the Wonderbolts performing tomorrow got her fired up," Spike said.
"But she's not going to make it to the meeting! The girls all agreed and she has to come," Twilight protested. "How did she know?"
Spike chuckled. "Say 'Wonderbolts' three times, and she'll come flying. Besides, she wants to skip the meeting. She says it's not cool enough," he said.
Twilight rolled her eyes and continued walking. "Sounds like her. What do we have after the meeting?"
Spike scrolled through the list. "King Livingston has a private meeting with Celestia at that time, so we can go for a picnic in the Garden of Statues during that time," he said. "Starlight said she'll lead the preparations for it," he said.
Twilight beamed with pride. "Excellent. She's adapting to this summits," she said, praising her student.
With it being one year since her reformation, Starlight had progressed from her studies of friendship and continued to be part of the council of friendship. She spent more time in the Crystal Empire, however, strengthening the bond between her and Starburst. With Trixie in Ponyville, however, Twilight had to rely on silencing spells and medicine for her migraines.
Whenever Twilight and Trixie butted heads over many things (like magic), Starlight was never far away to witness it all.
The two arrived to the kitchen doors, where a lone unicorn guard stood. Unlike the others, whom were focused on the task at hoof, this guard was about ready to pass out. His spear, sharpened to a point, was the only thing holding him up. Once Twilight and Spike appeared, the guard straightened up and did his best to hide the fact he was about ready to pass out.
As Twilight neared the door, the guard did his best to not meet her eye. The two paused in front of him before entering. "Hey Spike, why not go on ahead?" she asked her dragon friend.
Spike eyed the gears turning in Twilight's head. "Sure, I hope the pastry rolls are fresh," he said before walking through the door.
The guard gulped lightly. "I-is something wrong, princess?"
Twilight raised a brow. "I was about to ask you the same thing. You don't look like you slept well last night," she observed.
"Oh no, Princess Twilight, I am fine," he defended.
There was silence for a moment between the two ponies before Twilight responded. "You have bags under your eyes and your fur is standing. You need sleep," she said.
The guard sighed. "I apologize, Princess Twilight. I promise to perform my duties to the best of my ability," he said.
Twilight sighed. "You should just return home to rest. You're not rested enough, and I should know how performance while fatigued is not a good idea. I will explain the situation to Princess Celestia and have somepony replace you for the day," she said.
"But..."
"No, you need to sleep. You may return tomorrow once you have gotten a goodnight's sleep," Twilight declared.
The guard was about ready to protest, however he sighed in defeat. "Thank you, Your Highness," he said as he bowed.
Twilight chuckled nervously as the guard rose. He let out a small yawn before trotting past the Princess of Friendship. A simply thought echoed through his head before disappearing down the hall: I'm sorry.
Tea with Princess Celestia proved to a good thing for the Princess of Friendship and Spike. The three sat and discussed many topics, including the report regarding Sunset Shimmer's time in the human world.
Princess Celestia, since the imprisonment of Tangled Minds some months ago, oversaw the repopulation of the dangerous super-prison of Tartarus. Criminals of the pony nature, as well as beasts of unknown origins, found their way back to their prisons once the girls discovered who they were. With the escapee list shrinking by the hour, it was only a matter of time before all the escaped criminals of Tartarus found their way back.
However, what the three discussed was not the status of Sunset's mission, but her well-being.
Twilight and Spike were eager to share more information regarding the human world, and even amazed Princess Celestia with the computer tablet that Sunset had given her. It had taken time before Celestia realized that the tablet didn't respond to royal decrees.
It wasn't even intimidated when Celestia threatened to arrest it if it didn't comply.
Once they were done with their tea, the princesses went off ahead while Spike went to join Starlight and one of the guards for a game of Blackjack (a game Twilight was eager to bring back through the portal). The two princesses arrived in the Garden of Statues and began socializing as though they weren't royalty.
"...it took seven hours to get Luna's head out of the pot, and once she was out, she banished it to Yakyakastan," Celestia said through her laughter.
Twilight imagined a young Princess Luna running around the castle with a pot on her head, screaming for assistance. "W-what happened?" she wheezed through her own laughter.
"They sent the pot back in a post box. The note read If you wanted to start a prank war, do better from their prince. He even sent a spring-loaded pie and nailed me in the face," Celestia said through her tears. "T-that was the year of the Great Prank War."
Twilight chuckled. "Who won?"
"My treacherous little sister with the confetti-filled whoopi cushions during the treaty. She placed them on my seat and the prince's, making everypony believe that the two of us farted to seal the deal," Celestia beamed. "It was glorious."
Twilight smiled as they navigated through the garden. She hardly ever seen Celestia in such a casual light. For a moment, she forgot that she was the Princess of the Sun.
The two stopped at one particular statue in the middle of the garden. The statue was of a pony raised on her hind legs and in tattered battle armor. Her left hoof was chiseled to appear that the mare was an amputee victim with a metal appendage. The plaque on the bottom read The Sole Survivor.
Once Celestia eyed the statue, her beaming smile and light spirit faded away. Replacing her smile and beaming eyes was a look of shock and horror. She took a cautious step backwards, confusing Twilight. "Princess?"
"Twilight, get the guards and your friends and bring them here," she said in a hushed tone.
Twilight followed her gaze to the statue. "W-why? Is something wrong?"
"Twilight, I inspect and authorize ever single statue in this garden to a point where I can locate any statue I choose without a second thought," she reminded her.
"And?"
"I've never seen this one before. Get your friends and the guards now," she said hastily.
Twilight didn't say another word before running back to the castle. Princess Celestia then began to inspect the suspicious statue. Unless it was a prank from Discord, there was no reason for the statue to be where it was.
Acting on a hunch, Princess Celestia began to cast a spell on the statue. Small waves of magic passed through the statue, and the sound of a heartbeat reverberated back. Filled with relief, the Solar Princess began to life the stone prison from the pony inside.
A gentle glow enveloped the statue as the stone began to crack. As Princess Celestia began to pour more of her magic into the spell, the heartbeat within started to accelerate. The pony inside knew that she was close to being released.
The statue crumbled away as the pony inside fell to the ground, but not before Celestia caught her. She gently laid the mare onto a soft patch of grass, and that was when the Solar Princess got a better look at the mare in front of her.
Her fur was a bright shade of violet, much like Twilight's, however her black and purple mane was curled slightly around her horn. She wore a black suit collar with a black bow tie. Her cutie mark was of a small galaxy with several stars shimmering brighter than the rest. While Celestia wished that the metal hoof was merely a work of the spell, it wasn't. The mare's entire left hoof was completely made of metal, and some of the parts were moving inside.
After a moment, the mare began showing signs of life. She groaned and her metal hoof immediately went to her head to calm her raging headache. "Ooww," she muttered as her vision returned.
Princess Celestia gasped. Her eyes were identical to Twilight's however there was more fear than scientific curiosity. "Easy young mare, you're safe," Princess Celestia said to calm the mare.
Slowly, the mare began to pick herself up. Her metal hoof was the primary focus of the Solar Princess's attention. Never before had she ever thought that one of her subjects could have a metallic appendage. "W-where am I?" the mare asked.
"You're in the Canterlot Royal Garden," Celestia said. "Please, can you tell me your name?"
The mare had finally gotten on all her hooves, however her eyes were sealed shut. "H-how do I know y-you're not a trick. W-who are you?"
Princess Celestia gave a motherly smile. "I am Princess Celestia. You're safe young one," she assured her.
The mare slowly opened her eyes. The warmth of the Sun and the cool breeze were already warning signs for the mare, however her suspicions were confirmed when she stared at the face of the Solar Princess. Immediately she began taking in the scene around her. Her heart racing, and Celestia began to feel guilt. The poor mare probably had not felt peace for a long time.
The mare, without warning, pressed herself onto the grass beneath her and began to cry. She hugged the earth beneath her and Celestia only felt confusion as well. "I-it's real! The grass, the Sun, the crisp cool air! By Celestia's light, it's all real," she cried out.
Celestia only blushed as she coughed slightly. "Excuse me, young mare?"
The mare's eyes widened as she bolted upright. Her eyes met Celestia's once again. "Y-you're her. You're really her! Princess Celestia of Everfree, guardian of the Sun and former ruler of Equestria's Golden Age!" the mare exclaimed.
"Former?"
The mare bowed before her. "Dear Princess, I am so happy to see you alive and well! You have no idea how long I've wanted to speak to you," she said.
Again, "Former?"
The mare rose. "Princess Celestia, I have crucial information regarding the future of yourself and the future of the land of Equis. I must speak to you and Princess Luna immediately," she exclaimed. "This is a matter of life and death."
"Dear mare, it sounds as though you have traveled through time. Who are you?" Celestia asked.
The mare puffed her chest out. "I am First Lieutenant Midnight of the 441st battalion of the rebellion force known as Harmony. I come from the year 3656 with information that concerns the future of Equestria and to stop the rise of a great and dark ruler," she said.
Princess Celestia looked over Midnight once more. Indeed she had the strength of a first lieutenant and a soldier under her own battalion. Deep scars ran across Midnight's chest. Her eyes were weary and filled with enough dread to suggest she had survived a war. The Solar Princess extended her wings and stood stall. "I will awaken my sister at once, however you should also speak to Princess Cadence and Princess Twilight as well to ensure you are assisted," she said.
The mare froze. "Miss...did you say, Princess Twilight?"
Celestia nodded. "My princess, what year is it?"
"1,046, why do you ask?"
Before Midnight could answer, Princess Twilight and her friends had arrived to the garden with several guards behind them. "Princess Celestia, what is going on h--"
A purple magic blast erupted behind Princess Celestia and impacted the ground in front of Twilight. She and Rainbow Dash flew out of the way as the princess turned to find Midnight's horn charged. "Traitor! Vile betrayer!" she shouted as she fired more magic blasts into the air.
Rainbow Dash flew in an arc and dive-bombed toward Midnight, however the focus was on her. Twilight had conjured a shield over herself as more magic blasts impacted her. She touched down on the ground and began countering her magic blasts.
Midnight deflected numerous magic blasts before being tackled by Rainbow Dash and Applejack. "What in tarnation got yer tail in a twist?" she demanded as she pinned Midnight down.
"Yeah, you don't mess with any of our friends!" Rainbow continued.
Starlight jumped in front of Twilight in hopes of discouraging them from fighting another duel. "Damn you Twilight Sparkle! How dare you carry the wings of the alicorns! Those wings are for the protectors of our society!" Midnight shouted.
"First Lieutenant Midnight, you will stand down immediately!" Princess Celestia ordered.
"Princess Celestia, you cannot trust her. She will bring chaos in her wake and claim to be a force of good," Midnight retorted.
"Darling, you cannot possibly suggest-"
"That's her, Your Highness." Midnight glared at Twilight. "She's the mare who destroys Equestria!"