Unexpected Meetings
In all the vast lands of Equestria, there was a place none ever spoke of. Or if they did, they did so in hushed whispers, in fear of something they could not name.
The Walls of Night.
For those of a superstitious nature, the mountains marked where the sun went to die each night, to be reborn again the next morning in the Gates of Dawn beyond the eastern seas. Of course, Princess Celestia and Princess Luna both knew that to be a load of horseapples, but even for them, it was a place they avoided if at all possible.
For under them lay the Gates of Tartarus. In a way she refused to explain to all but her sister, Luna was the only one who had free reign to pass the shadow of the gates unhindered. All others had either been condemned to an eternity in its depths or had been allowed inside by whatever or whoever was lord of the realm. Luna, of course, knew who the power was, for they had been more than just friends of old. But even she knew that it was a power that was not to be trifled with.
But for the first time in uncounted years, a new part was about to be added to the equation.
Twilight Sparkle found herself stuck in a dilemma she had not taken into account back in Ponyville when she had started on this crazy journey.
For several days now she had been taking Cerberus back to his place guarding Tartarus. It was not the most glamorous of jobs, but somepony had to do it. And to avoid whatever disaster Future Twilight had tried to warn her about. And now she had come to the last place she ever expected to be.
The Walls of Night had been growing larger and larger in front of her for some time now. Twilight could see why they were called that too. The mountains, even in broad daylight, drank up light like a sponge and were blacker than even the most moonless nights. Cerberus had grown more excited as they had grown closer to where the gates were said to be. Twilight took that to mean she was on the right track at least.
Now they stood before the tallest peak. In its shadow, Twilight felt cold. Instinctively, she knew that this was a place no mortal pony had any right to be. But she a task to finish and finish it she would.
In front of her was a cleft in the rock. Figuring it was a good place to start, Twilight lead Cerberus into it. To her surprise, the cleft soon widened into a tunnel that was just barely over Cerberus's head. As she walked down the path, Twilight got the uncomfortable feeling that she was being watched. But there was nothing around her but the cold stone.
The tunnel went on for quite a distance before ending rather suddenly.
Twilight had never really thought about what the Gates of Tartarus looked like. She had never thought she would see them herself. But now that she could, she could see why none had ever escaped.
The gates were the same black color as the surrounding rock but cast in metal. Her magic began acting odd as soon as she came in sight of them. On a hunch, Twilight cast a Detection Spell on them. The spell slid off like water, confirming her suspicions.
The gates were cast in Pure Cold Iron.
Twilight admitted she was jealous she couldn't study them. Cold Iron was rarer than Orhicalcum or even Mithral and just as valuable. Very few in Equestria even knew how to craft with Cold Iron. But those who did were amongst the very best blacksmiths in the world. One thing made it invaluable above all other metals. Done correctly, anything made from Cold Iron was forever immune to any and all magic. Even alicorn magic was all but useless against it.
Twilight pushed her inner scholar down for the moment as she looked again at the gates. There were no locks or latches upon them. It made sense, but how did they even open then? At the top was a pony's head, at the spot where the keystone of the arch would normally be. Twilight at first thought it might be Princess Celestia or Princess Luna. But the shape didn't fit either of them, leaving Twilight even more confused.
And she swore the head was glaring at her.
Walking up to the gates, she was not exactly sure what she was supposed to do. Feeling sheepish, but not knowing what else to do, she knocked. Nothing happened. "Um. Hello?" She called out. "I brought back Cerberus. Should I just leave him here or?"
Still, no response came. She sighed. What had she expected when she came here? A thank you maybe? Something? Turning around, she found Cerberus smiling at her. She smiled back. For all his outward ferocity, he really was just an overgrown dog.
Just as she was about to bid him farewell, there came an almighty clang that made jump her out of her fur and left her ears ringing. Turning around, Twilight watched in awe as the gates opened with a screech of hinges not used to be used much. For the rest of time, Twilight could never really explain what overtook her at that moment. Maybe it was the desire to see what no other had or maybe she followed some call she could not hear, but Twilight did it.
She crossed the threshold and entered the Realm of the Damned.
As she did and saw that Cerberus was following her, she noticed several things. The cold was severe, as the worst days of winter. It was a chill that went right through her coat and into her bones. Thankfully the path ahead looked clear, so Twilight began to follow it. As she did, she took in her surroundings.
Mountains and cliffs surrounded her. At various points, other paths branched off the main path. Looking down one, Twilight could see a circle of mountains in the distance, and in their center was a cage with a form she could not make out.
It was at this point that she noticed that Cerberus had stopped following her. Looking back, she saw his distant form back near the gates. For some reason though, Twilight did not feel afraid to be going alone. She still knew where she was, but she felt no fear. Maybe because she had no reason forever end up here again. She hoped.
It was as this thought crossed her mind that she began to notice the shadows begin to lengthen and grow darker. As she continued to walk, she swore that she saw shapes and forms out of the corner of her eyes, but they vanished as soon as she looked at them.
This went on for some time before she finally grew tired of it and shouted "All right. Show yourselves!"
At that moment, a gust of freezing wind blew through her mane. Instantly, Twilight was shivering even worse. She had never felt anything so cold. A rock clattered down a cliff next to her and instantly she spun around to face it.
A pair of black eyes looked back at her a moment before vanishing into the gloom.
Now Twilight knew for sure. She was being followed.
Far away, another watched the pony continue her journey. Her presence intrigued her, for only one other had ever entered her domain that had no business being there.
"My lady. What shall we do with her? She does not belong here," a voice hissed at her side.
"Bring her to me."
Twilight was not sure how long she had walked the winding road. There was no sun or moon to help her gauge how much time had passed. But it felt like hours. Or maybe it could've been a few minutes. Twilight did not know, and it worried her. None of her books had prepared her for this. Very little had ever been written about Tartarus. For a good reason, she assumed. Twilight herself would not be adding much once she left.
She hadn't brought any writing supplies.
What little had been written had mentioned something about a citadel that sat in the middle of the realm, where the one who ruled here dwelled. It was said she could see all that happened in her realm from there. She didn't know how much stock she should put into it for the book was over a thousand years old, written by someone named Luuwa
Twilight had not been able to find anything else out about the author. And she had even asked Princess Celestia about it. But the princess had been even more mysterious than usual. She had even asked Princess Luna. But all she had gotten out of that was a roaring blush followed by a quick teleport away. So, Twilight had nothing else to go on.
Even as the thought crossed her mind, Twilight saw forms flit through the shadows all around her and frowned. She knew she was being followed. But now they were becoming bolder.
Just as she was about to say something, a voice as cold as a winter's night called out. "Halt pony. You do not belong here."
Twilight spun to face the voice. But all she found was a vague shadowy shape in an indistinct form before her. It's cold eyes bored into her, making her shiver. "I. I brought back Cerberus," she squeaked.
"And our mistress thanks you for that," it responded.
Twilight tilted her head. "Your mistress?" She asked before she could stop herself, and then slapped herself upside the head for asking in the first place.
The shadow nodded. "She wishes to see you. And she does not like to be kept waiting." It turned and beckoned her to follow. "Come." And glided away.
Despite thinking this was a bad idea, Twilight followed.
From her palace, Penumbra watched as one of her shadows brought the newcomer to her. There were several reasons why she wanted to see her up close. That she had brought back Cerberus was one. But as she watched, she realized something more.
She was lonely.
It was a shock to be sure to admit that. Her "staff" (as best she could think to call them) were slavishly loyal, but that only did so much. Her relationship with Luna had turned sour long ago, and her family? She had not seen her sister Diamanda in ages. For all she thought her sister was a bit quirky (spending so much time in Equestria as she had), she still loved her and wished she would visit.
Which was more than she could say for herself. She would never be able to leave Tartarus on anything like an extended period of time. It was the condition she had accepted when she took over its rulership. Except, there was one way she could. But Penumbra had long ago accepted it would never happen to her. Really, who would ever be willing to do that with her?
No. She was always bound to be like this. No one would ever have the heart to change that.
As she followed her guide, Twilight took in more and more of the scenery around her. It was hard to do so though as darkness seemed to be a constant here. But that did not explain how she had been able to see so much when she had first entered and still did. It only reinforced her thought that something was allowing her to see so much, and it wasn't her guide.
But something stood out as well, even as a bead of sweat fell down her snout. "When did it get so hot?" She grumbled. Her guide ignored her. It did not make sense. Under the mountains like this, she would have thought it would be much colder. Another thing on her long list of questions she had no answer to.
Even as the thought crossed her mind though, she noticed her guide had come to a stop. Looking up. Twilight felt her jaw drop. They had reached what looked like a castle carved from solid darkness. The doors to the main structure were carved from obsidian and towers stood at various intervals around it. As she registered that, Twilight thought she saw something in a window. A deeper darkness amongst the shadows moved for a split second before it vanished.
As she tried to see it again, Twilight heard the doors open. Contrary to what she had expected, they opened rather quietly. Her guide entered first before turning and beckoning her inside. Gulping down her sudden fear, Twilight crossed the threshold. The first thing she noticed was that the Foyer was much more lit than anywhere else so far. Braziers filled with purple flames lined the walls while doors lead off into who knew where.
Twilight took all this in as she was led to a door at the far end. It resembled the one at the front gates of the castle but now bore stylized images of what Twilight swore was an alicorn. But that couldn't be right. Could it?
Her guide turned back to her. "The mistress is waiting for you. It is best not to keep her waiting. She is not the patient kind."
Twilight nodded as she pushed the door open and entered. It closed with a soft click behind her, but she did not hear it. Her gaze was on who sat on the throne before her.
The first thing she felt was the overwhelming sense of fear the mare radiated. it flowed off her like a wave, much like how the darkness around cloaked her. But this was not normal fear. This was on a primal level, harkening back to an age when ponies had been nothing but dumb heard beasts on the plains and valleys of prehistoric Equus.
Twilight found she was shaking like a leaf, but she couldn't help it. She had never been this afraid in her entire life. Not even in the darkest hours of facing down Nightmare Moon or Discord had she been this afraid. Now Twilight understood. Ponies had once feared the dark and the horrors it held. But that had been nothing. She was the darkness. In the flesh and in all of its glory.
Twilight forced herself to look at the mare though. Her first thought was "Nightmare Moon?" But on looking closer, she realized that she was not her.
Her coat was a deep shade of purple, almost black, while her mane was a lighter shade of the same. A horn protruded from her forehead while at her side large dragon-shaped wings lay folded. Her eyes were also draconic in nature. Now, Twilight had never been particular about her sexual preferences since moving to Ponyville. She had been caught staring at stallions several times, even a few mares. But she could outright say that the mare before her was one of the most beautiful she had ever seen.
She must have been caught staring for the mare rose a single delicate eyebrow. "I do believe that it is impolite to stare at somepony like that."
Twilight blushed sheepishly. "Sorry. It is just that..."
"You do not know who I am?" The mare replied while Twilight nodded. "Very well then. I am Penumbra. Alicorn of Tartarus, Darkness Incarnate, and Mother of Monsters."
Penumbra gave the pony credit. Usually, when beings heard her titles, they turned into sniveling cowards and ran away or begged for her mercy. But she had none to give. Only those who had done truly heinous crimes ever saw her personally. She would then drag them (kicking and screaming) down into the very lowest levels of her realm.
The Catacombs were none but herself went voluntarily, and even she made a habit of never going down there unless she was taking a condemned soul there. They were truly the Lost and the Damned, as she called them.
Twilight held her breath. She had so many questions running around her brain but said nothing as Penumbra refocused on her. There was an odd look in her eyes now. "Does that mean anything to you?" She asked.
"Um. No?" Twilight replied.
Penumbra's eyes narrowed. "The Crystal Empire, Queen Diamanda, changelings. None of these ring a bell?"
Twilight shook her head, very confused. "Should they?"
Penumbra was angry now, Twilight could feel it. "We were erased from history like we didn't belong. Why?" Twilight heard her mumble before she turned her gaze back to her. "How much of history do you know, miss..."
"Twilight Sparkle. And I know about Hearth's Warming Eve, Discord, and Nightmare Moon if that's what you mean. Why?" Twilight replied.
Penumbra stood up and stepped down from her throne. "Then Twilight Sparkle, you have been lied to. All of Equestria has been lied to. Hearth's Warming, Discord, and Nightmare Moon I will give you."
"Then what is the lie?" Twilight asked, annoyed her mentor was being called a liar, but interested in what she had to say.
"The idea that the Three Tribes were the first here, that Celestia and Luna were the first alicorns. They were not," Penumbra replied before her voice softened. "But that is a tale that can wait. I want to thank you for bringing Cerberus back. Not many would do that."
Twilight blushed at the praise. "I was just doing the right thing."
"Indeed. For that you have my eternal thanks," Penumbra replied as she looked down at Twilight's body, which she just realized was a mess. "And you are welcome to stay and recover from your travels."
Twilight wanted to; she really did. But. "I can't. I have to get back and prevent-"
"Prevent what? There is no looming threat. I would have heard of it," Penumbra replied.
"But my future self said-" Twilight tried again.
Penumbra held up a hoof. "What exactly did she say was looming? Or did you not allow her to say anything at all before the spell ran out?" She asked with a raised eyebrow. She had heard this story before.
Twilight raised a hoof to argue with her but stopped and really thought about it for a moment. Her hoof dropped as she sunk to the floor. "Ah, ponyfeathers." She grumbled as she looked back at Penumbra sheepishly. "I think I will take you up on that offer."
Penumbra watched as her guest left the Throne Room. In some way, she was actually glad Twilight had decided to stay for a time. Her palace had been empty for far too long. But in another way, she was conflicted. The way Twilight had looked at her after overcoming her fear had been the same way Luna had at one time looked at her.
She shook her head. Those memories had been buried long ago. It would do her no good to remember them now. Her mind focused on another thing Twilight had mentioned.
And a talk she felt was long overdue.
Sometime later, having seen Twilight to her room and her heart heavy with the revelations she had given her, Penumbra watched the Surface Orb hum to life, establishing a connection she hadn't used for a millennium. Soon the Throne Room of Canterlot Castle swam into view. But she was only focused on one aspect in particular. Namely, the face of Princess Celestia.
Celestia hid her shock well on seeing the globe swim into view in front of her and put on her best diplomatic smile. "This is a surprise. To what do I owe the honor Penumbra?"
Penumbra smiled, remembering how much they had once been on first-name terms. "This is a day for surprises Celestia. One of your ponies was found outside the Gates having just returned Cerberus to his post."
Celestia's brows shot up. She had received a letter from Spike to that effect several days before but had never really considered it. "Did she give a name?"
Penumbra nodded. "She did. Twilight Sparkle." She saw Celestia's concern deepen. "Do not worry. She is safe with me. I have offered to let her rest here for a time before returning to Equestria." Her brows creased as her thoughts darkened. "However, she has told me several things. Things that both concern and anger me at the same time."
Celestia wilted a little. "If this is about Luna-"
"This has nothing to do with your sister. What we had is dead. She made that clear when she spat on her oaths in her arrogance and pride and almost ended this world," Penumbra snapped before reigning in her emotions. "Do not mistake me, Celestia. I cherish what she and I had. But in all that, I never once allowed our love to blind me to my duties. Luna should count herself lucky she is not wasting away eternity in my realm right now. Twice over in fact," she continued.
Now Celestia really blanched. Penumbra took some satisfaction in seeing the normally unflappable Solar Princess out of sorts. "You would not have?" She tried to retort.
Penumbra arched an eyebrow. "Would I? I take my vows very seriously Celestia. You know this. You make me excuses for it, but you and I both know the truth. Every action Luna took was her own. No other force controlled her."
Celestia wanted to argue, she really did. But she could not hide behind her lies forever. "Then how long would she have been down there?"
Penumbra shrugged. "Until she either repented or showed no signs of ever-changing. If she had not, then I would throw her into the Catacombs and let rot. Or until the other damned ripped her to shreds."
Celestia was aghast. "They would not have."
"You do not know what lies forgotten down there Celestia. There are things that make us alicorns look like ants. You do not know what Dia and I had to go through to wrest this land away from them long before we met," Penumbra replied. And by their mother, she hoped her sister had never told Celestia some of those stories. Eve now ages later, some still haunted her.
In those days, she and Dia had only had each other for comfort. She had long ago lost count of the number of times Dia had comforted her, her wings holding her close. Sometimes she wished for those long-ago days when it was just her and her big sister against the world. Before the burdens of their rule began.
Penumbra shook her head and pushed the memories aside. It did her no good to go there now, even though they had a bearing on what she and Celestia were talking about. "No Celestia. It is what Twilight did not tell me that has me wondering. She did not know that I existed, nor did she know of my children or the Crystal Empire. Or for that matter, the four of us. Why?"
Celestia gulped. She had hoped that this would never come up. Luna had once asked the same question.
Penumbra saw her hesitation. "Well?"
Celestia sighed, unable to lie anymore. "After Luna fell, I was torn up inside. You know how Sombra stole the empire when he was defeated."
Penumbra nodded. "Yes, and I had to talk Dia down from giving you an even bigger tongue lashing than she did. She lost more than her home. Her family was lost besides me, and there was little I could do to ease her pain."
Celestia let her ears drop. "And then came Luna's fall. I could not take the pain of losing two that I loved, and so I erased any and all records of us. I demonized my own sister to hide my guilt."
Penumbra's own annoyance wilted some at seeing Celestia so vulnerable. "Something must have survived because I have imprisoned more so-called monster hunters than even I care to count. All from the same organization. They should count themselves lucky I let them live."
Celestia nodded. She had never given her full support to S.M.I.L.E. It had only come to light after it had collapsed that they had mind-wiped ponies who had seen them at work. Now that she knew what had happened to most of them, which did not really shock her, she was glad it had before Penumbra had done more.
Penumbra's own annoyance abated after that. "I am not saying that you tell everything Celestia. But ponies have forgotten what they once knew, why they once feared the dark. Your light blinds them to things they must know. You cannot hide them forever. The world will find a way to make them realize that they are not supreme on Equus."
Celestia wanted to glare at her for that, but she couldn't bring herself to. A part of her knew she was right. Equestria lived in blissful ignorance of the wider world and how dangerous it really was. Before she could say more though, a new voice joined them. "Who are you talking to auntie?"
Celestia turned to find her niece Cadance approaching. She smiled slightly. "An old friend of mine and Luna's. One I have not seen in a long time."
Cadance smiled. "Can I meet her? Or is this a bad time?"
Celestia shook her head as she turned the orb. "I do not see why not."
Penumbra nearly fell out of her throne in shock on seeing Cadance. "No. It can't be. She looks just like... But she was lost when the empire fell," she thought.
Cadance must have noticed her hesitation. "Are you alright?" She asked with concern.
Penumbra recovered a second later. "Yes. You just reminded me of someone I lost a long time ago."
Cadance didn't know what that meant, but she could feel there was a deep sense of loss there. But she also felt that she should know this mare. Why she did not know, but it felt like she had seen her before. Putting that aside for the moment, she bowed, for even from a vast distance she felt this was a being deserving of respect. But even with that, Cadance still felt a tinge of fear. "Hello. My name is Cadance, Princess of Love and adopted niece of Princess Celestia and Princess Luna," she intoned formally.
Penumbra nodded. "Cadance. A play on Cadaneza. I am Penumbra, Mistress of Tartarus among many other titles."
Cadance tilted her head. "I did not know Tartarus even had a ruler."
Penumbra rolled her eyes. "Yes. So I have been told. There are probably many things you do not know. Ask Celestia, she will be able to tell you more. Or ask Luna. She and I go back a long time."
Now Cadance was interested. "She's never mentioned you. What did you two mean to each other?"
"We were lovers once. Then she turned on Equestria in her arrogance. What we had is dead," Penumbra replied with a forlorn look on her face.
And for the first time in a long time, Cadance knew she was right. Maybe Aunt Luna still loved Penumbra, but the feeling wasn't returned. That thread has been cut long ago. For all her ability with love, Cadance could do nothing if the feeling of love was not mutual between two ponies.
Not that she had anything against same-sex couples of course. Far from it. More than once, she had helped two stallions or two mares find love with each other. They were not as common as regular couples, but it still happened. "So then, why are you calling? Did something come up?" She asked.
Penumbra nodded. "I have received a visitor. One Twilight Sparkle." She saw Cadance's eyes bulge in shock. "I see you know each other."
Cadance nodded in shock. "What is Twilight doing in Tartarus?"
"She returned Cerberus to his post. I am letting her stay for a time before she returns," Penumbra replied, even as she saw Cadance's concern deepen. "Do not worry. She is as safe as she will ever be. No one enters my realm unless I allow them to. For her time here, Twilight is under my protection and as such, no harm will come to her."
Cadance let out an audible sigh of relief at that. She felt the honesty behind that statement. For all that Penumbra scared her on some level, she knew for sure that Twilight was in safe hooves.
Stats
Page generated in 0.017 seconds
Total duration
1,050 users online
1,905,393 hits today, 2,054,621 yesterday
FIMFiction
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fanfiction
Designed and coded by knighty & Xaquseg - © 2011-2024
Follow & Support Us
Support us
SubStar
Chat!
Discord
Follow us
Twitter
MLP: Friendship is Magic® - © 2024 Hasbro Inc.®
Fimfiction is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by Hasbro Inc.®
You have my attention.
How can a story have a sequel if the original was never finished?
9856581
Did you not read the author's notes? It's a spinoff. The site just doesn't have anything to show that.
9856608
Then put it in the description
I can't wait for more
this looks interesting i can't wait to read more
I really liked "My Glory", you definitely got my attention.
9857459
I think you meant My Glory.
Alright, interest caught.
9857480
That's right MY Glory.