Family bonding

Celestia, Sombra, Luna, and Chrysalis were falling, the portal having disoriented them for some time. On the ground were rock spires sharpened to a point, the ground colored like blood. It wasn't until about two hundred feet off the ground were the three with wings able to unfurl them.

Luna and Celestia flew off to an outcropping that didn't have rock skewers pointing from it, while Chrysalis decided to save her husband, narrowly avoiding the spires, before going to the outcropping. "What is with you two?" she yelled once she and Sombra set down.

"What do you mean," Celestia said.

"You left your father to die," Chrysalis snarled. "If I hadn't been able to fly, than both of us would be dead!"

"We knew you were able to fly, mother," Luna said.

"Don't mother me, Luna," Chrysalis said. "You wanted us to die. Why, to protect your ponies?"

"They'd certainly be safer," Celestia said. She wasn't in sight of her subjects, so she let the guise of an ever calm ruler drop entirely. "You did try to take over Canterlot."

"To feed the changelings," Chrysalis said. "I had thought Sombra and I had risen both of you better."

"Maybe you should have tried to negotiate, first," Luna said.

"Oh, I did, but one of your incompetent Guards changed it simply because I put my symbol on it. The original said, "Celestia, I know we don't see eye to eye, but I need help. My subjects are starving, and we can only feed on love, so, much to my shame, I must ask you to allow my citizens to gather enough love so that we can feed. Mother." Honestly, you did not even attempt to ask for a meeting on neutral ground."

"Maybe because we were trying to stay away from you, or did you forget what you did to us?" Celestia yelled.

"I did so so that you and Luna would be able to actually rule. What you two are doing is nothing but appeasement. You send your own student to do the dangerous work!" Chrysalis yelled. "There's a reason why Your father and I have had no threats to our rule, and that's because we show our own strength when our kingdom is threatened, while you two simply hide like the cowards you are!"

Slap

Chrysalis' head snapped to the side, her cheek red. "We can argue and try to kill each other over this later," Sombra said. "Right now, we need to get back to Canterlot and send Hades back here, where he belongs." He looked to his daughters. "That goes for everypony here. Both of you are right, and we can argue as to who was more justified later. Now, we need to determine where in Tartarus we are, quite literally."

"He's right," Luna said. "Much as I hate to admit it." The lunar alicorn crossed her arms. "We must get back and send Hades back, as well as ant other members of our family that helped him, as he couldn't have gotten out alone."

"Thank you, Luna," Sombra said before he put a hand on his chin and observed the landscape. "Given the spires and the coloration of the ground and sky, not to mention the slight smell of sulfur, I would have to guess we're in Pain, which would mean we're deep in Tartarus."

"How far down?" Chrysalis asked.

"Very," Sombra said. "At best speed, which is you three flying while one of you carries me, it would take at least a month to get out, and that's barring any complications."

"Then what are we waiting for," Celestia said, spreading her wings.

"Because if we don't know where we are relative to the others portions of Tartarus, we may very well end up going deeper instead of getting out," Sombra said. "And it will take me some time to ascertain that, as there are no landmarks visible right now, and that will take who knows how long to change."

"What do you mean," Chrysalis said.

"The landscape changes near the borders," Sombra said, "and the landmarks that appear are unique to that area. If the one that shows up is the one I hope it is, we can move towards it. If not, the opposite way. I spent quite some time here, even before the plan to fake my death, and have learned its rules well."

"So it's a waiting game right now," Luna asked.

"Yes, indeed it is."

Canterlot

In the Gala room,the reunion was still going, though there was not a lot of talking. Well, next to Hades, anyway. He was at one end of the room, and all the others near he main doors.

Hades was leaning on one of the windowsills, looking at the gardens, a sad look on his face. "To be expected, I suppose," he said to himself. "No one ever did try to get to know me, even as a kid."

"Why?" he heard a voice behind him.

He turned around, and saw the newest Princess. "I figured you hated me, Princess Sparkle," he said, turning back around to face the gardens. "So, why are you here?"

"You're right, I do hate you for what you did to Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, but still, I'm curious as to why the others are avoiding you when you're the one who planned it."

He sighed. "Suppose you might as well know, so that you're well informed enough to fear me," he said. "Who's your favorite family member who's died?"

"My grandmother, Starburst," she said. "Why?"

"Because," Hades said, snapping his fingers, "I am the alicorn of the dead."

Once the last syllable left his mouth, a small vortex appeared, light purple in color. It didn't spin that fast, but it did make enough of a breeze to make the skirt of Twilight's dress up a little.

When the vortex faded, a purple unicorn mare slightly taller than Twilight, with gray hair with a light blue streak in her hair, wearing a purple shirt and a knee length skirt. Her face was slightly wrinkled, but had a caring look.

Twilight's eyes widened as her brain processed the mare in front of her. "G-grandma?"

Starburst smiled as she walked to and hugged her granddaughter. "Hello, Twily," she said, care in her voice. "I missed you."

Twilight could only look in space as she said, "B-but how?"

"Lord Hades summoned me," she said, pulling back and putting her hands on Twilight's shoulders, a smile on her visage. "I had always wanted to see you and Shiny again, but I was stuck in Tartarus."

"But Tartarus is only for evil ponies!" Twilight yelled.

"Who said that," Hades said. "Celestia? She's wrong, like with so many other things she doesn't control. Yes, Tartarus is where evil doers go, but it has a place for those who have done equal good and bad, a place I call "The fields", and where ponies like Starburst, who are exceptionally good in their lives, go, which I call "Elysium". I should know, I watch over all of them."

"And sometimes, Lord Hades allows us out to see our loved ones in dreams," Starburst said, "but that was before Luna came back, and began policing dreams. She and her predecessor, Hypnos, did not allow him to do so, thinking Lord Hades would do so to control them."

"But Luna wouldn't do that," Twilight said.

"Again, who said so?" Hades said, sighing. "The others always feared me because of my ability, even when I had no control of it. If anything, I was feared more than Luna was before, well, you know. Starburst, you can stay as long as you want. I know you want to spend time with your family, and you'll be able to until I'm inevitably sent back."

"Thank you, Lord Hades," Starburst said, bowing a little.

"Of course," Hades said. "Though I would suggest you take the back door, as the others will probably try to send you back the hard way, given I brought you back."

"Of course," Starburst said. "Come on, Twily. We have some catching up to do."

Whatever was said next, Hades tuned out, but he did hear the door open a few seconds later, and he saw, a few seconds after that, the two mares walking across the garden. A small smile touched Hades' face as he saw this, and he took a small sip of the tea he had in the cup, a normal one, in his left hand. At least I was able to reunite one family, he thought before sighing. Unlike mine.