Family bonding

It had been an. . . interesting week in Canterlot, to say the least. When the Nobles had learned of Celestia and Luna literally being sent to Tartarus, they had rioted, something Twilight thought the Nobles thought to be "too much of a commoner thing" to do, but with Twilight reassuring them that all of Luna and Celestia's duties, including the sun and moon, were going to be taken care of as if nothing had happened, they calmed down. Except Blueblood, who Hades had thrown in the dungeons. That was probably the only thing he and the rest of his family agreed upon.

After that was the other five Elements coming to save Twilight, along with Shining, because they thought she was either being mind controlled, or threatened. This took a little more on Twilight's part, as well as a lot of bribing in a few cases form the rest of Celestia and Luna's family, but they eventually let up, and, though they had pestered Twilight to come with them, she said it was probably best for her ot stay in Canterlot and help the others.

Well, that, and the fact that, beyond a certain distance from Hades, given his relatively low power, her grandmother would crumble to dust, and Ponyville was beyond that range.

Speaking of Starburst, she and Twilight had been catching up on what the other had done. When Starburst had heard her granddaughter was an Element, she nearly fainted form the excitement. Right now, though, Twilight was in the Royal Archives, studying ancient history. More specifically, form when Hades and the others were the well known gods, and she had found quite a bit.

Just about everything from that time that she found praised most of them, but condemned Hades as a monster, who would take a ponies soul for fun, and turn it into a soldier in his army, and that he ate foals and fillies. Yeah, they all had strange eating habits, that was to be expected with their age, but even they said Hades didn't do that, much as they hate him.

Another thing was that Hades liked to rape mares. Twilight had questioned Hades, and he himself, with a bit of sadness in his eyes, said, "No, those are only fear-born rumors started from a taste my mare friend had. One of the ponies who worshiped my siblings thought I was raping her, that no mare would willingly have sex with me. The news spread like wildfire, and before I knew it, ponies called me rapists, and even petitioned, yes, those existed back then, my siblings to remove me form my throne. I was able to convince them it was simply because of a taste my mare friend had, and somepony saw us accidentally, and I kept my throne. Though, it was barely."

This is what had made Twilight skeptical about research, a first in her life. It was clear that just about everything written about Hades was biased, so she went for the next best thing. Her grandmother.

Starburst was staying in a guest room next to Twilight's, which was away from the other rooms. She nervously knocked on the door, and waited. "Coming," Starburst said, and the door opened. "Oh, Twily, I didn't expect to see you again. Come in, come in," she said, ushering her granddaughter in.

"Thanks, Grandma," Twilight said as she walked in. "I've actually wanted to ask you something."

"What is it, Twily?"

"I've been doing research in the archives about Hades and the others, and most of what I've found on Hades is biased, and, well, I was hoping you could help me out there."

"You want an unbiased source, don't you," Starburst asked with a smile. "You always did like to research. I won't be able to help you, Twily, and I doubt most of Celestia and Luna's family would give you an unbiased point. They do hate him, after all. If anything the least biased source would be Lord Hades himself. I am aware of how that sounds, but trust me when I say he understands honesty, having been lied to many a time, and always tells the truth."

"How do you know," Twilight asked.

"Because I was one of his aides, actually," Starburst said. "I've gotten to know Lord Hades quite well."

"So if I asked him, he'd tell me?"

"No, he only answers questions like that if he trusts you not to use it against him," the elder unicorn mare said. "In fact, there is only one person he trusts more than his aides, and that was his old marefriend."

"Do you know what happened to her," Twilight asked. "I asked him that once, and he didn't answer."

"Not even his most trusted aides know the full story, Twilight," Starburst said. "Of what I know, though, he was separated from her when was sent to Tartarus, and that he was never able to see even her spirit again."

Twilight gasped a little. "His family was that cruel?"

"Of what I do know, yes," Starburst said. "As everypony know, Twily, when ponies die, their soul is sent to one of the areas of Tartarus, but Lord Hades' family cursed his marefriends soul to never leave, and to be constantly reincarnated. I don't know what happened to her, and neither does he, as he wasn't allowed to at least watch her soul."

"That's. . . sad," Twilight said.

"Yes, it is," Starburst said, sighing. "And on what I guess to be the anniversary of his separation from her, he always locks himself in his room, and when ever I walk by, all I hear is crying."

"Oh," Twilight said. "I guess that explains the crying I heard last night."

"Ah, I had forgotten that was yesterday," Starburst said. "If you want to get on his good side, Twily, I'd recommend being a friend to him."