Tartarus Forged Friendship

by Mystic Sunrise


Memories

Twilight wasn't sure of where she was. But it was quite possibly one of the most beautiful places she had ever seen. It even put Canterlot to shame in some ways.

All around her, a city that seemed to be made entirely of crystal stretched off to the horizon. In front of her, a single palace spire rose high into the sky.

On a balcony near the midpoint, Twilight could just make out a single pony. The details were lost with distance, but the figure radiated warmth and love in a way she had only ever felt from Princess Celestia.

But it was the ponies around her that held most of her attention. Every mare, stallion, and foal shimmered in the same way as the buildings around them. Like they too were made of crystal.

"What is this place?" Twilight finally asked.

"This is the Crystal Empire. As it should have been."

Twilight jumped at the voice that was at her shoulder. Looking over, she found Penumbra giving the scene a melancholy look. Questions of how she was here were pushed aside as her academic brain took over. "What do you mean? How come I've never heard of it?"

Penumbra gave her a sideways look. "You would be better to ask Celestia that. As for what it was. It was once the most beautiful place on Equus. Not even the minotaur capital of Knossos can rival it."

Twilight wished she had a notepad to write all this down. It was incredible. But she felt there was more to it. "So what happened to it?"

Penumbra's gaze fell. "It was lost more than a thousand years ago." She saw Twilight's mouth open to ask a question. ''Do not ask me to speak of those days Twilight. I don't wish to relive them."

Twilight closed her mouth. She could feel there was something there that bit deep for Penumbra. But it wasn't her place to ask about it. Maybe one day. Her gaze though was drawn back to the figure on the balcony. To her surprise, so was Penumbra's. Now though, there was something in that gaze that compelled her to ask. "Who is that? Do you know them?"

Penumbra smiled. "Quite well actually. That is my sister Diamanda."

Twilight's jaw dropped. "Your sister?"

Penumbra chuckled. "Yes. If you want to know more, then you should ask Celestia as well." She rolled her eyes. "They used to be lovers."

Twilight's flank hit the ground with a resounding thump. "They were what?!"

Penumbra chuckled. "Oh yes. They got into a lot of, as Rainbow Dash might say, hanky panky."

Twilight's brain melted. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. About her own mentor for that matter! "She's never said anything about any of this before."

Penumbra raised an eyebrow. "Well of course not. It's not something she shares with everyone. Would you have believed her if she had told you any of this?"

Twilight thought about it for all of three seconds as she looked back at the figure. "Probably not. So what happened to her? I've never seen her before."

Penumbra sighed as her head dropped. "After the empire was stolen away. Dia confronted Celestia and Luna for not doing more to save it. We all knew they could have. She lost more than just her home. She lost her family aside from me."

Twilight raised an eyebrow in confusion, even though a part of her was telling her to leave well enough alone. "What happened to them?"

Penumbra gave her a sorrowful look. "Her daughter was murdered, and her granddaughter," she sniffed as tears fell. "We don't know what happened to her. No one ever saw her again after the empire's fall."

Twilight was aghast. She placed a hoof on Penumbra's shoulder, or as best she could with her smaller size. "What happened to your sister?"

Penumbra smiled darkly. "After her blowup with Celestia and Luna, Dia went into seclusion. No one has seen her since then."

"Not even you?" Twilight asked.

Penumbra shook her head. "Not even me. I know she is alive and well. But I haven't seen her in so long." Her ears fell. "I miss her."

Twilight didn't know what to say after that, so she just remained quiet and did her best to just be there for her.

***

In the Far North, a seal that had held for over a thousand years began to weaken.

In Canterlot, Princess Cadance woke with a start. She felt something calling out to her. Something she had been searching for her entire life, but only now just realized it.

Princess Celestia and Princess Luna too felt it. But it was still too early to do anything. Even so, they began to lay the groundwork.

And plans long in gestation began to turn.