MLP:FIM Twilight's Kingdom (What if?)

by kahnac

Betrayal on both fronts

Meanwhile, in Ponyville, the mane six were all gathered together, looking over the many houses that were all boarded up, and safely secured. As per Twilight's request, they had warned every pony inside to go back inside, lock their doors and windows, and barricade themselves in their homes. With the threat of Tirek still present, there was no room for mistakes, or risking the safety of the ponies.

"Alright, y'all: ah think we've warned everypony to stay inside."

Hoping to to at lease ease the tension of the moment, Fluttershy said, "I'm sure Discord will catch Tirek, and this will all be over."

Rainbow Dash, in her normal, brash tone said "I'll bet he takes him sweet time!"

"Or perhaps these things just TAKE time!"

Everypony was surprised when they heard, and then saw Discord had suddenly appeared from out of nowhere. But Fluttershy was ever so glad to see him already home, again. So much so, she flew up to him, and embraced him in a nice, pleasant hug, which he returned in kind.

*gasp* "You're back! Did you bring the cucumber sandwiches?"

"I did", Discord said in delight as he conjured up a plate of sandwiches, and held them out in display.

"Though, i imagine they'll be your last decent meal for quite some time" he suddenly said in an ominous tone, as he dropped the plate with the sandwiches, and then suddenly trapped all five of the ponies, and spike, in a giant metal cage. They all hollered, and shouted in outrage, and confusion, demanding to know what he was doing. No sooner had all this happen, did Tirek himself arrive to inspect his partner's work, much to the sudden fright of his now captive audience.

"Ta da!"

"You've gathered up ALL of them?"

"And her little dragon, too!" Discord said chuckling, while he tried brushing a finger under Spikes chin like a puppy, only for the young drake to snap is jaws at Discord.

"Excellent. But just to be sure: Come here, you!" Tirek said, as he conjured up a mystic chain, which he violently tugged at, pulling the still captive Shining Armor to his side, while he pulled at the chain in the hopes of getting Tirek to ease off. Once he did, Shining looked to see the now trapped friends of Twilight, looking at him with shocked expressions.

"Are these really princess Twilight's friends?"

*sigh* "Yes." Shining Armor said, lowering his head in shame.

However, the sudden sound of his voice happened to catch another's attention. And no sooner had he heard Shining Armor's voice, did spike scurry past the others to see him. And he was even more surprised than the others.

"S-Shining? Is that you?"

Seeing the young dragon, Shining's eyes widened with worry, and he ran up to the cage towards his surrogate sibling.

"Spike! Are you alright? Discord didn't hurt you, or the girls, did he?" he asked in concern.

"No, we're alright. But-what about you? What are you doing with....him!" Spike asked, a mix of fear, and concern in his voice as he pointed towards the towering demon standing just a few feet away. But upon hearing the question, Shining turned away from Spike, and answered shamefully.

"I'm sorry, spike. This was the only way i could keep Twily safe."

"Safe?" asked Rainbow Dash. "What does THAT mean?"

Before he could answer, he felt Tirek pull him back by the chain he once more conjured up, moving the prince back to his side while the chains wrapped around his body constricted. Shining gave a choking gasp as he felt the pressure around his chest, and throat build up, again. This went on for a few moments, before the chains loosened enough to let Shining breath again.

"That's quite enough, slave."

The girls had a horrified look at the cruel display they were forced to witness. But that quickly changed to anger as most of them glared at him in disgust, before Rarity addresses the dark centaur.

"You monstrous brute! How dare you treat somepony so terribly? And what are those chains he's wearing? And that garish collar?"

"Consider it a means of ensuring the cooperation of my new.....pet."

"You big Jerk!" yelled Rainbow Dash, as she practically pushed her head into the bars as if she could squeeze her way through, "Ponies aren't pets! And definitely not to some freak like you! So you better let him go, or else!"

"Or else what?" Tirek asked disinterestedly, "Even if you could somehow best me, it would make no difference: the prince here signed a contract."

With a snap of his fingers, the contract appeared from thin air, and unfurled itself before the captive ponies. They then saw Shining Armor's name written at the bottom, though they still weren't sure what it meant.

"In exchange for his eternal servitude, he asked that i spare the lives of the princesses, including the one called Princess Twilight. Now, he is mine to do with as i please, and this contract ensures it stays that way, forever."

In response, Shining's head went even lower, as he felt his shame grow even further than before. As for the ponies, they were still absolutely disgusted by this. But one pony in particular couldn't take anymore, and Fluttershy began crying at the prospect of everything that was happening. She almost fell to the ground crying, when Applejack came to her, and began comforting her as best she could. As her tears fell, Fluttershy's gaze soon fell upon Discord, who actually seemed to be quite pleased with himself.

"Discord, i-i don't understand! How could you be with someone so cruel, and horrible? Why are you doing all this? I thought we were friends!"

"Oh, we were: But Tirek offered me sooo much more than just tea parties. And at least HE doesn't treat me like a nuisance all the time, when we're supposed to be friends. Surely you saw this coming?"

*sobbingly* "I didn't! I really didn't!"

"Now, before we go any further, i'll ask one, simple question: WHERE is Princess Twilight?"

Instead of answering, the ponies, and baby dragon, either looked away, or continued to glare at him in defiance. They were not willing to sell out their best friend, and Tirek could see that for himself.

"So, that's the game, is it? *sigh* You ponies make very little sense to me. You would throw away your lives for something as meaningless as Friendship. Even when you cannot understand that it's just another means of tying you down, and trapping you inside a prison you can never see, but still lies before you. Well, if you truly wish to die for your loyalty......*Grin* Then i'll be happy to oblige you.

This time, the ponies all reacted, and cast a worried glance at Tirek. But Discord was the one who was more worried than anyone else. Because even though he wasn't friends with her anymore, he didn't want anything to happen to Fluttershy. However, he also didn't want to jeopardize his friendship with Tirek, either. He was at an impasse about what to do. Unsurprisingly, Shining Armor beat him to the punch.

"No, wait! Please! They're not a threat, so there's no need to hurt them! And i thought you wanted to use them?"

"Plans change. Since these little nags have no intention of giving me what i want, i have no use for them. Besides, there are plenty of ponies in this village: i can practically smell the magic of each, and every one of them. I can simply feed off of them.....which makes these six expendable. Unless, of course, YOU might have an idea of where she could be?"

The prince opened his mouth to speak, but he couldn't think of anything to say. He honestly had no idea where Twilight could be, so he had no leverage to keep her friends safe. Tirek saw this, and simply shook his head in annoyance.

"Didn't think so. Now, let's see: which of you should i obliterate first?" Tirek said, as one of his hands suddenly began glowing, and forming an energy sphere similar to his magical-aura. He then pointed it in the direction of the six, letting it's energy build up as the now terrified ponies, and dragon, began huddling. At least hoping to stay together before the end. All the while, Shining Armor was horrified, as he was fearful for the lives of his sister's friends. If they died now, and he wasn't able to stop it: she'd never forgive him. And that would hurt worse than any torture Tirek put him through so far. But just before Tirek could finish them off-

"Hold on a sec! I think i know where she is!" Discord quickly said, catching Tirek's attention. Having also heard him speak, the other ponies looked to him in dread. Aside from them, he also knew where Twilight could be. Which means that now, she was in greater danger than before. Nevertheless, Tirek cut off his attack, and turned to Discord.

"Is that so? Then if she's not here: where else would she be?"

Discord prepared to speak, until Fluttershy ran up to the cage bars, desperation in her voice, as she pleaded: "Discord, please! Don't do it!"

He gave her a short glance, which may have been one of sadness, but it was hard to say. He turned back to Tirek before anypony could process it, with his usually jovial demeanor.

"The Castle of the Two Sisters. She often likes to hang around there sometimes. So i imagine that's were she'd be. It's in the everfree forest, due north in a straight line. Ya can't miss it!"

Tirek raised an eyebrow in curiosity, while the captive ponies had a defeated look which revealed he was telling the truth. Satisfied with this answer, he quickly grew another fiendish grin, and said, "I see. So the old castle still remains? Then it seems that that's where i need to go. But first........."

Before anyone could react, Tirek's magic quickly gripped the cage the helpless prisoners were contained in, and much to their worry, being lifting up into the air, just a few feet above Tirek's head. The demon then proceeded to drain their magic, while a pained Shining Armor was forced to look on. And almost surprisingly enough, Discord turned his gaze away from the display, looking sad. A few moments later, and Tirek was finished with his magical appetizer. He then ungraciously dropped the cage to the ground, with the now weakened ponies falling down, getting Discord to jump in surprise. After taking in their magic, Tirek's body glowed fiery red once again, symbolizing another transformation was occurring. Like with the other ponies, Tirek's body grew twice the size it already was, but this time with some physical changes added: his horns grew longer as they straightened out, pointing upwards, as a white mane of hair formed right between his horns while his beard grew a few inches taller. When he stopped growing, this cuffs he wore around his wrists actually snapped off, since his body had seemed to grow too large for them now. But what was on his mind was the power - the immense power that these five ponies had contained inside them. True, there were ponies whose magic was great, but this? This was on another level entirely. Like their magic was laced with a force that was part of the universe itself. And it made his own strength even greater than he anticipated. After taking a moment to adjust, Tirek asked:

"Do you really think she'd do ANYTHING for them?"

"If twilight has magic to give", Discord said in a confident tone , as he extended his lion paw towards Discord, then said: "It will be yours. Soon there won't be a pegaus, earth pony, or unicorn who will be able to stand up against us."

"US?!" exclaimed Tirek, causing Discord to lose his triumphant demeanor, and look a bit perplexed. "Who said anything about "us"?"

"Y-you did." Discord answered nervously, before Tirek's magic enveloped him, as well. He tried to break free, or teleport out of his grip, but it he couldn't. Somehow, Tirek's own power surpassed his, and as such he was able to hold onto the Draconequus with ease, as he spoke, much to the surprise of spike, the mane five, and even Shining Armor.

"I said nothing of the sort. All i said was by helping me, you'd be given both freedom, and a chance to reclaim your greatness! I never mentioned how long that would last, now did i?"

Hearing that, Discord's heart skipped a beat as his eyes widened into saucers.

"Wh-b-b-but, i thought-you said- but i thought we were friends! I thought you appreciated everything i did! You promised me something BETTER than friends! I believed in you! I TRUSTED YOU!"

"Then you are an even greater idiot than i took you for. Don't misunderstand: i truly am grateful for your contributions to my rise to power, and i did enjoy some of your mischief......but how could you not expect this after you yourself were so willing to turn against the ponies you "befriended"?"

"But i-"

"You are the spirit of Chaos: an UNPREDICTABLE being who grew soft from his time with these weak, pathetic nags! Did you actually believe i would trust the likes of you? Or at least trust you NOT to have second thoughts, and go back to those filthy ponies?"

"W-what?"

"Do not mock me, Discord. You thought you could deceive me all this time? Well, i'm afraid you were mistaken. Ever since you joined me, i've kept my eye on you: an ever watchful gaze that kept you in my sight all along. And in that time, there hasn't been an expression, or movement - the expression of your eye, the tilt of your head, the way you were quick to keep any harm from befalling them - that escaped my notice. All of those were my spies, and they told me everything i needed about you. That's even why i feigned wanting to kill the captive ones: to see how you would react, and if in some way you would stop me. And i must say, i'm relieved you proved me right."

"You....weren't going to kill them?"

"A good gambler never plays his hand until all the cards are displayed. A something you've seemed to forget since these ponies tamed you. But at least it made it all the easier for me to control - to play you like a misshapen fiddle."

Hearing this, Discord couldn't help but shake his head in disbelief. A look of sudden realization, and shame appeared, as he put all of the pieces together.

"It was all a lie. You never cared about me, at all! You were just using me! All you've ever done was use me!"

"I suppose that's true. But tell me how it was any different from what these ponies did? How long have they kept you trapped within their false promises of something they doubtlessly never had? How long did they hold the cards against you, and kept you a slave to their whims? It only made sense that you would wish for an opportunity to gain revenge upon your jailers.....by ANY means necessary."

"NO! I didn't want to hurt any pony! I just wanted the freedom to have as much fun as i wanted!"

"Is that so? Yet you had no qualms about when i tortured the prince in order to learn of Princess Twilight."

"I didn't know! I had no idea you did something like that!"

"And yet, would it have mattered? Though you deny it, now, you know some part of you enjoyed seeing the ponies suffer. To know what it feels like to be helpless, and captive as a mortal - like you no doubt felt in your 1000 year stone prison, and then your forced commitment to these ponies. Like it, or not: we're the same. We simply work on opposite sides of the coin."

He so desperately wanted to argue. To deny the truth in Tirek's words. But for the life of him, Discord could think of anything: because the demon was right. Part of him DID want the ponies to pay. First, for trapping him twice in stone, and then for basically forcing him to hold back his chaotic tendencies. And worse of all, for never giving him a chance to be friends, like he was with Fluttershy. She was the only one who gave him a chance.....and he resented the others for that. But now, as he stood helpless, and in the iron grip of one he assumed was his friend: he realized he may have been wrong. Maybe it was HE who never gave THEM a chance. That's what he began to think as he looked from Tirek, to Fluttershy, and his friends. A strong sense of guilt in his heart. Tirek, on the other hand, grinned with malicious glee at seeing how Discord's spirit may have actually been broken.

"Seeing the truth, are we? Good. Because it's time we ended this charade. Still, i suppose i should thank you one last time: you helped me grow strong, then you provided the means by which i can obtain princess Twilight's magic! And now, you are no longer of any use to me."

His eyes then narrowed, and glowed brightly as his dark spell was about to take hold. He opened his maw wide, ready to take Discord's magic as well. But before that could happen, he felt a sharp pain going into his right hoof that made him growl in anger. When he looked down, he saw Shining Armor, with blood on his horn, and struggling to stand against the chains that constricted around his body. Just before Tirek could take Discord's magic, he made a move to stop him. The spell that bound him tried stopping him, but he ignored it as long as he could in order to stab his "master" with his horn - the only real weapon he had left. But now, he was paying the price as the chains, and collar threatened to strangle the life out of him. Thankfully, the chains released their hold on him, and gave him time to breath. Unfortunately, that time was cut off quickly as he was suddenly gripped in the gigantic hand of Tirek, who was fuming at this act of defiance.

"You insolent worm!" he snarled. "Have you already forgotten who is master, and who is SLAVE?!"

"No," Shining Grunted. "Because i don't belong to anyone!"

This earned a loud grunt from Shining, as Tirek tightened his grip on the white-furred pony in his grip.

"It seems that i need to discipline you to make you remember your place! After all what did you think to accomplish with that little paper-cut of an attack?!"

Gritting his teeth, Shining still managed to deliver a small smirk, along with a determined look of defiance.

"Making you lose your concentration."

This made Tirek cease his actions for a moment, as he took in Shining's words, and briefly pondered on what he meant. Suddenly, his eyes widened, and he turned to see someone he neglected to deal with. And as Discord slowly rose back up, something was off about him: the air around him seemed to fill with red, and black pl-add patterns of aura (literally), and when Tirek saw his face, he saw something he never expected to see from Discord: anger. His eyes glowing bright yellow, and his teeth snarling with rage. It seemed quite clear that Discord's sadness turned to anger: and he was going to take it out on his so-called "friend".

"You back-stabbing moron! You think that you can cross the lord of chaos like that, and get AWAY with it?! THEN YOU'VE GOT ANOTHER THING COMING?!"

Tirek, actually intrigued by Discord, looked to him, then Shining, who was also surprised to see Discord like this. But he was then hurled away towards the cage, slamming directly into the bars. Despite getting the wind knocked out of him, he was alright. And he, along with the others, were now watching this now frightening display. But Tirek, on the other hand, wasn't intimidated in the slightest. Quite the opposite, actually: he was laughing in anticipation. Like he wanted to see this happen, or something like that.

"AHahahah, yes! Now, you're beginning to understand! Power is everything! Power is what is more valuable than friendship! The true freedom you desire! Now, do you see? You finally accomplished what you set out to do! Just as i promised, your greatness has been restored! .......For a few fleeting moments!"

"Then let me thank you: BY SENDING YOU INTO OBLIVION!!!"

"Careful, Discord! It wouldn't serve you well to underestimate me, no matter how much power you have! But please, by all means: show me what you can truly do! I'm sure it'll be good for a laugh!"

"OH, YEAH?!" yelled Discord. And immediately after, he began firing immense beams of powerful chaos magic from his hands. And he wasn't holding back either, as he poured as much power as he could into his attacks. He didn't simply want to defeat Tirek: he wanted him to be DESTROYED. And it seemed like that was the case, as the beams collided with his body, and made great explosions which rocked the whole town. When the smoke from the blasts cleared, Tirek was nowhere to be seen. Only a rather large crater where he once stood. Just to make sure, Shining Armor came close to the crater, to inspect the spot himself. Discord, however, was busy catching his breath from the usage of so much power. But when he was done, his arrogant, and confident expression returned, as he began floating in the air as he chortled in delight over his victory.

"HEHEHHAHAHAHAH! So, who's laughing now, eh?"

But a sudden, deep voiced laugh echoing from seemingly everywhere threw him off his high horse, and startled him. A beam of volcanic energy shot out of the crater,, making Shining jump back next to Discord, which then exploded into black smoke, before revealing Tirek. Still intact, and uninjured from Discord's assault. And with an even wider, sinister smile than before.

"Why i believe it's ME."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jhj25HnpSRU

On instinct, Shining Armor adopted a defensive pose, ready to defend himself from what might come. Discord, however, seemed to have lost a bit of his confidence, seeing as how Tirek had survived his strongest attacks. It seemed that the dark lord had surpassed the Master of Chaos.

~I must admit, your parlor tricks are amusing
I bet you've got a bunny under your hat!~

A beam of magic suddenly shot out of Tirek's finger, and struck Discord: putting him in a familiar looking violet-starry cape, and top hat. His head was stuck, and he struggled to get the thing off with no success. It only came off when Tirek pulled at it, but then made a gigantic rabbit slip out of it, squashing Discord beneath its weight before a swirl of red smoke made them both Disappear.

~Now, here's your chance to get the best of me
hope your hand is hot!~

A magician's hat suddenly appeared, and a whole deck of cards began flying up to the disembodied head of Tirek, showing Discord as the Joker, and Shining as the Jack. His body reappeared, and he brought the cards together before bending them out, causing the cards to scatter, and for the two to pop out while still in their card outfits.

~Come on, Clown! Let's see what you've got~

Discord had enough, and in a flash, his outfit vanished, and he was back to his old self. With a fierce look, he summoned a whole group of storm clouds, laced with chaos magic. And upon pointing his finger at Tirek, several bolts joined together to form a rather large bolt.

~You can try to slam me with your hardest stuff
But your double whammy isn't up to snuff~

Instead of harming him, the bolt simply washed over Tirek's torso like it was nothing. But before it stopped, he put his arm up in front of the bolt, and sent it hurling towards Discord, much to his surprise. The bolt sent him flying backwards, and crashing into the floor. He wasn't really hurt, but it was still an unpleasant experience. He quickly shook his head to shake off the dizziness that hit him, and looked to see Tirek appear before him in a red, and black spiral.

~I'll set the record straight: you're simply out of date
You're only second rate~

In a flash, Discord transformed into a ferocious manticore, and charged at Tirek with the intent of mauling the centaur to bits. But Tirek, in a flash of fire, dressed up like a circus ringmaster, with a lion tamer's whip, and hoop. Discord passed through the hoop, and was changed into a small, little, white house cat. Falling down onto what appeared to be a stool, with Tirek now dressed in a traditional college professor's black cloak, and square hat, standing in front of a chalkboard, and covering Discord with a dunce hat.

~You think your cat's a meany, but your tiger's tame
You've got alot to learn about the magic game~

When the hat lifted, Discord was reverted to normal. And even Shinng Armor appeared next to him. That's when the stool flipped upside down, and surprisingly caused Discord to fall down to another place. This time with some added company.

~So for your education, i reiterate:
You're only second rate!~

The two landed, and found themselves literally in the palm of Tirek's hand. His fingers had paintings of himself, in his withered form. The pinkie made both of them backed up into what they saw was Tirek's thumb, made to resemble his current form, horns and all. It suddenly sprouted arms, and then smacked both Discord, and Shining together, making them spin together in a complete circle, with something pale brown wrapping itself around them.

~Mares cower at the power in my pinkie
My thumb is number one on EVERY list~

They only stopped when a finger belonging to a familiar, red centaur touched the top of Discord's head. Both saw they were wrapped up in a literal "list", and unable to move, as they glanced worriedly at Tirek.

~But if you're not convinced that i'm invincible
Put me to the test!~

He then pulled back his hand, and then slashed in the duo's direction. But instead of aiming for them, he dug into the ground beneath. Carving a rather large hole that both Shining, and Discord fell into after they jumped into the air to dodge Tirek. Once they were in, the hole close up, revealing itself to be a grave.

~I'd love to lay this rivalry to rest~

This time, when Discord got out, he let loose what he could on Tirek: firing another chaos bolt (which was blocked), tying him up in a gigantic string of chewing gum, locking him into a treasure chest, and then making two giant axes chop it to pieces.

~So go ahead, and zap me with a big surprise,
Slap me in a chest, cut me down to Size!~

But then, the whole thing exploded into red smoke, and summoned a pitch black, giant cake. Which grew ow after row, with red candles popping around the whole thing, until one last candle came out the top. Out of the Candle appeared Tirek, only with massive, black bat wings, which he spread out along with his arms, and made the candles shoot out hellish streams of fire.

~I'll make a great escape. It's just a piece of cake.
You're only Second Rate!~

This display only made the two more worried, and they tried to flee. But just as they turned around, a monstrous head-statue blocked their path. Suddenly, the ground opened up beneath them, and sent them falling into a savage inferno. They landed on a flight of stairs that was actually elevating upwards: to a titanic throne seating Tirek, wearing a black suit of armor, a small satchel around his neck, and the same demonic staff he used a while back.

~You know, your hocus pocus isn't tough enough
And your mumbo Jumbo doesn't measure up!~

Afraid of what was going to happen, the duo ran down the stairs as fast as they could. And Tirek, with a devilish expression, fired a beam of his own magic from the staff at the two, nearly hitting Discord after he tripped going down those stairs.

~Let me pontificate upon our sorry state
You're only second rate!~

Both continued to run (Or in Discord's case fly) to safety as fast as they could. Suddenly, a wall of fire appeared with Tirek's image within, halting their advance, and making them turn back.

~Zabba-Cabba-Dabra!~

Strangely, they then came across an old mare in a rocking chair, silhouetted, and bearing a triking resemblance to Granny Smith. But as Discord, and Shining found, it was actually Tirek in an old, pony form "wearing" a wig. Just as they jumped backwards in fright, he reached out a hoof, which changed into a hand, and grabbed hold of them both.

~Granny's gonna grab ya!~

While trapped in his grasp, the two watched as the demonic centaur began growing in size as the atmosphere turned flaming red. In a matter of moments, he was even bigger than an Ursa Major.

~Alakazam-damus! And this thing's BIGGER THAN THE BOTH OF US!~

Then a beam of light shot out of Tirek's eyes, hitting Discord, and dressing him up once again. This time, it was a simple, blue business suit, which struck the Draconequus as odd. But then a pair of hands suddenly appeared, and in a display of simple mishief, pulled down his pants to reveal some whitey-tighteys underneath, which he covered with his hands in embarrassment, even when being hung by giant claws.

~So spare me your tremendous scare!
You'd look horrendous with some underwear!"~

Tirek's hands then lifted both Discord, and Shining in a magical aura. but then in a flash, Discord's whole body was in pieces, like a disassembled toy, before it was reassembled in a crate that had a familiar apple symbol on the side. It then closed shut, with Discord inside, before being spun around on Tirek's finger like some kind of toy. He then crushed it in his hand, and made Discord, and Shining reappear. However, their vision was soon blotted out when Tirek's eyes began flashing again. Only this time, they shined brighter than the sun, and began enveloping this whole void they were in.

~And i can hardly wait to discombobulate
I'll send you back, and packing in a shipping crate
You had a chance for running, now it's far too late
You're only second raaaaate!~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Discord's eyes shot wide open, as they were overtaken by a bright, yellow glow which made him seem like he was possessed. Which was an accurate case, as he began spewing his magic, which was an overflowing miasma of purple, and green, from his own mouth. And all of it went flowing straight into Tirek's maw, as he greedily consumed every last ounce of Chaos magic Discord had, and grew even larger than many of the houses in Ponyville. He soon finished up, and let Discord drop from the air like a dead housefly. A victorious smile was on his face, as he looked down at the weakened, and utterly defeated Draconequus. Not to mention the now downed Shining Armor, who was lying beside the cage looking miserable, with Fluttershy, and even Applejack rubbing his body to help soothe him.

"And that settles that. Now, you see what happens when you challenge your betters - BOTH of you. Now, Discord, you can stay here, and die as a pathetic, and worthless freak like you deserves. From this point on, consider our "friendship" over."

He then proceeded to stomp off in the direction of the Castle of the Two Sisters. But even as weakened as he was, and as miserable as he was feeling, Discord wasn't done yet. There was at least one last thing he wanted to know. Something that burned at his mind since he learned the truth.

"Wait. Stop for....just a moment."

Though his voice was somewhat low, and almost a pathetic whimper of what it was, Tirek was able to hear him. And for whatever reason could have compelled him, he stopped just a few feet away to hear what Discord had to say. But he kept his back turned, as a show of unconcern.

"If...what we've done together really means nothing....then: what about this medallion you gave me? You said this was a sign of your gratitude, and loyalty. A gift...from someone close to you."

For all his talk, Tirek proved uninterested in Discord's point, and simply raised an eyebrow in his direction before replying. Even turning his head back once to glare at Discord with his own feelings of anger, and hatred.

"Indeed: my dear brother, who betrayed me all those years ago. As far as i'm concerned, it is as worthless as HE is. Only serving to remind me of two important things: that in the end, ones loyalty is only to themselves, and their own self-interests. And the only gratitude i've ever felt was for getting rid of that trinket at long last. That thing only served to remind me of the betrayal, and the endless suffering i endured, because of him. And the truth of what Friendship REALLY is: A trap. One that ensnared my brother long before i had a chance to say goodbye to him. Now, he's dead to me. Just like you are.....and soon every pony in Equestria will be."

With that out of the way, Tirek marched his way to the everfree forest, and the prize he seeks. Now, Discord was left alone to wallow in both self pity, and shame for his misdeeds. Even the other ponies felt a little bad for him, despite his betrayal.

"Surely you saw this coming?" Applejack asked ironically. Perhaps thinking Discord had been smart enough to at least suspect Tirek of any deception. But Discord could only whimper one, single sentence as he looked to the medallion one last time, thinking of how he traded a real friendship for a false one.

"I didn't. I truly didn't."

to be continued.

Author's Note:

Pt 4 ready, and at your service. And this one was quite a bit of fun to work on. Especially the inclusion of a certain song i had plans of adding at some point in the story. What better point than when up against Discord? And in case anyone's curious, i made this version of the song a mix of both the original, and this: www.youtube.com/watch?v=gX3ybd… made by Ink Potts on Youtube, which was a great inspiration for this. Also, kudos to anyone who can spot the maybe one, or two references inside.:) And remember: the song is simply a tribute to Tirek's character. Ink Potts had the right idea, so i wanted to capitalize on it.

Anyway, i hope everyone enjoys this chapter, and is eager for the next one. Hopefully it'll be ready soon, and for everyone to enjoy.:D

MLP:FIM owned by Lauren Faust and Hasbro
You're only Second Rate owned by Disney
The Return of Jafar owned by Disney