The Many Forms of Lord Tirek/Tirathos (LOHH) (spoilers)

Meme Template: Blazblue Cross Tag Battle 7 Characters Template

Meme Made By @:iconscott910

All Images Found on Deviantart, and are made either by me, TeaNorthLight, @light262 and @lummh with help from friendly company, :melSpyRose: and me, as a co-artist.

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This meme was depicted for battle royale/tag team battles between different characters. But recently, I saw that other folks were using it for different reasons. That reason being to display the many different forms a key character of theirs has taken throughout the duration of their respective series. And in this case, I felt it only appropriate that I do this for the Main Villain of my My Little Pony season 9 rewrite series "The Light of Harmony's Hope", as well as who should have been the true Main Villain of the Friendship is Magic series.

Lord Tirek, who inevitably goes by the name of Tirathos, for which his ancestor had once used when he became a God.

And in my series, Tirek has gone through quite the metamorphosis, hasn't he? Now we're here to see the most substantial forms he's taken in the series history. And what's more, how he obtained them, and what they mean for him. I'll try not to make this too spoiler-ridden, so i'll mostly be going with what I feel is substantial info. Though you might like what you learn, either way.

Middle

• Tirathos

The Supreme Lord of Darkness in the Realm of Equestria. And the culmination of Lord Tirek's Darkness being harnessed, and channeled in a single form. Though this could only be accomplished thanks to the acclimation of magical power gathered from the Relics of Equestria, The Jinsei of his treacherous master Apophis which stole this power, and an armored suit formed from The Realm of Darkness, which came to him in his weakest, and lowest point to give him the might to become the true Lord of Anarchy and Darkness his former master, who had betrayed him, failed to truly live up to. Now, with his lifeforce giving the demonic armor unimaginable power, along with the Mystical Artifacts of Equestria he siphoned from his foolishly discarded apprentice. Now, Tirek has ascended beyond any gods, or spirits, or archangels/baphomet the Harmoniaverse had left to offer.

He is now Tirathos, The Primordial Outer God of Anarchy and Darkness.

In this form, he is even more ruthless, cruel, heartless, unfeeling, and malicious than when he was just Tirek. Part of this may be due to the being having literally separated the only shred of Light in himself from his soul, and severing himself from good entirely (a process which gave life to Torak, the centaur). He is pure evil, augmented by his universe's Kuroi Yoroi, and with the minds of Tirek and Apophis merged into one, he is a truly terrifying force. Reality is his to control on a whim, and he is an engine of infinite magical, cosmic power that is seemingly without limit. He has no inhibitions in this state, and will lash out at any who anger, or fail him. Whatever sense of loyalty he had for his forces, Tirathos now has none. All are expendable tools for his ascension as The Supreme Lord of Darkness: not just in the Multiverse of Equestria......but ALL of existence. And with the Primordials of Harmony and Light, both Laurana and Lignum Harmonia dead by his claws, his ambitions are now closer to coming to fruition. First, he wants to watch the world which held him captive, and humiliated him time, and again scorched to cinders in the shadow of his Night of Eternal Darkness now that the Guardians of Light and Harmony are crippled beyond recovery, and many others they know are now gone.

This will be the Twilight of Equestria, as Ragnarok comes again.

Left downward

• Prince Tirek

The lost prince of the desolate kingdom known as The Neatherlands, Tirek was once the first born son to the centaur, King Vorak, and the gargoyle, Queen Haydon. Sadly, he wasn't the ideal son they imagined due to his rebellious, teenage nature, and the fact he was the rare member of the few centaurs gifted with magic. Only Scorpan felt no real terror from Tirek's skill.....though an evil hermit wizard named Sendak capitalized on the Prince's need for attention and understanding, and taught him as much as he knew-then one night, everything went to Hades when Tirek tried and failed to drain a unicorn Sendak caged, and foalnapped of its magic, and destroyed his mentor's lair. Sendak was sent to the mines while Tirek would be questioned regarding his suspected involvement in the Sendak affair. The questioning soon became a heated argument between father and son that lead to the stressed, overworked, and frustrated having enough and striking his own son, and frightening him into using his magic offensively for the first time. Fearing the consequences, he took his bow, arrows, and quiver and ran away, with the remorseful father leading a rescue party to recover him: even making the king desperate enough to call on Discord for aid. The search lead to an abandoned refinery that had once belonged to the Dark Lord, Tirac, and was being used to produce numerous forms of Daemon Stone essence (Soul power, in other words). A group of maddened satyrs made things worse, as Tirek feared for his life both from the beasts and his own father. A face-to-face with Discord led to the centaur prince attacking him, only for the chaos spirit to send him plummeting into a vat of Daemon Essence filled with dark magic. Despite his attempts to save him, even with the malignant energy radiating in the cave, Discord failed and the Neatherlands lost its heir. The former was banished, and the Kingdom and royal family was left to mourn - not knowing that the lost prince was alive and well. But not the same as he once was, or ever will be again

After all, it only takes One Bad Day.

• Lord Tirek

The vat of Dark Daemon Essence had transformed Tirek into something more monstrous than anything seen before, or after. The mere sight of himself breaking his sanity, and turning him into a cold-hearted demon who only cares for himself. Yet he was not alone as the remnant of Apophis, posing as his ancestor, Tirac, brought him into a pocket realm of darkness where he then began training the centaur to use his magic to degrees the old fool Sendak never could: he even taught him how to wield the might of The Darkside of The Source itself, The Vashtar. And as theirs was a tutelage reminiscent of the ancient Source-wielders who referred to it as "The Force", known as The Sith, had a philosophy of there only being two in their malevolent union: that being the Master, and the Apprentice. With Tirek now fully trained, Apophis offered his own life to awaken the centaur's true potential, and become The Dark Lord he was meant to be. His first step was ensuring his existence would not be easily ended. And with the gleeful murder of his mother and father, created a living retainer for part of his own soul: Dismay. He then framed the Equestrians for the loss of their rulers, and recruited his younger brother to avenge them by conquering Equestria.

Scorpan being unaware that Dismay, with the power to change form, would not only set the lost Changeling King, Metamorphos, free: together they would destroy the entirety of the Neatherlands under Lord Tirek's instruction so that his thirst for vengeance, and hate could be quelled - the homunculus and changeling hitting it off rather well.

As history states, the brothers would come to Equestria to steal its magic, but Scorpan would come to appreciate the beauty, love and friendship it had to offer. Even befriending a younger Starswirl the Bearded. As such, he tried to convince Tirek to give up their quest, and that he may have been wrong about the ponies murdering the king and queen. Tirek refused, and their division only grew when Dismay moronically appeared and revealed what they had done. Thus Scorpan learned the full truth, barely escaping from Tirek who knew the time was now to begin his incursion on Equestria. Scorpan warned the still learning Princesses, along with their teacher, and they tried to confront the centaur - but the sight of his own brother siding with the enemy awakened hatred even he had been unaware of existing within him, and allowing him to tap into a portion of the might of the demonic Tirathos to crush the protectors of Equestria and blanket the world in The Night That Never Ends. Had it not been for the spirit of Scorpan's own ancestor, and past self coming before him in his mind - revealed to be Courageous Heart, the first Champion of Light - Scorpan would not have found, and fulfilled his destiny by becoming the NEW Champion of Light, gaining a fusion form with the spirit of the alicorn hero that matched Tirek, and summon the weapon of the Sacred Tree of Harmony and Light, The Sword of Light, to defeat his brother, and in the process give him an amnesia surrounding his training and involvement with Apophis. In the end, Tirek was imprisoned in Tartarus for his crimes with Scorpan's medallion being left with him as a reminder of the bond they once shared, while the Gargoyle set off to repair his kingdom.

Sadly, a temporal trap set by Tirek ensured he would never return home, or see the light of day for thousands of years.

40 centuries pass, and eventually his faithful servant, Dismay, now more permanently accompanied by King Metamorphos, broke into Tartarus itself to free Tirek, and prepare form him to reclaim his greatness. But his time Tartarus having weakened him considerably forced him to wait until he was strong enough to strike. The day he did, he sent the shape-shifters away to prepare for his command as he finally began draining Equestrian Magic. And regaining his own strength in the process. The Princesses learned of this, but instead of sending Dusk Shine to handle him, Celestia elected Discord to do the job......arrogantly not anticipating that Tirek could play on Discord's true nature, his thoughts, and his desires to form an alliance that would ensure the draconequus would be free to unleash endless chaos without fear of consequence. Together, they unleashed a reign of terror that threatened the balance of Equestria, itself. But the desperate ploy of having the Three Princess hide their magic in Prince Dusk Shine so the centaur could not gain it would delay his plans for a time: though he certainly took joy in banishing them to Tartarus. He then used Scorpan's medallion to cement the partnership between himself, and Discord, and discover Dusk Shine's existence. With Discord's aid, he gains the idea of using his friends, and dragon brother Spike, as leverage against the prince should the need arise. But now at the height of his natural power, Tirek chose then to cast Discord aside following his being drained like all the others, and making it clear to the chaos spirit that he, and that necklace he had meant as little to him as his brother does.

He tracks Prince Dusk Shine to the Everfree while the latter is training his newfound power. Dusk is only interested in evasion.....until Tirek destroys his home. The prospect that he might have harmed his brother, while he had only been able to save Owlicious, enraged the prince, and gave him the focus he needed to channel the magic inside, and fight Lord Tirek to a stalemate which neither could win OR lose. Thus, it was the demon centaur who chose the path of least resistance, and made an offer that Dusk simply could refuse: The Alicorn Magic, or the lives of his six miserable friends, and despondent Discord. Unknown to him, it was with aid from the powers that be that let Dusk make the choice that would ultimately save Equestria: give up the magic for his friends freedom, along with Discord, which confused Tirek due to the forgiving nature of the prince, concerning the mismatched abomination's betrayal. Still, he relented, and he had what he desired above all else: Power. Absolute POWER! Now, the universe of Equestria was his to command! To control! But...not for him to keep, as his own medallion, given to Dusk Shine as a sign of Discord's genuine friendship, gave the mane six the final key needed to unlock the mysterious chest granted by The Tree of Harmony upon revitalizing her. This act gave them a boost in magical power, and forms to reflect the access bestowed on them, a stronger form of The Rainbow of Harmony. The power which dispelled Tirek's power, and returned him to Tartarus while all his evil deeds had been undone. The Tree, all the while, gifted the Mane Six a harmonious castle from which they could better defend their world while spreading the magic of friendship to all. But would this be the last we see of Lord Tirek?

• Dark Lord Tirek

For little a year, Tirek had remained imprisoned in Tartarus once more. His hatred grew to new lengths, yet also felt familiar for some reason. Enough so that when he declared with such inhumane rage that he would make the ponies pay for their interference, aid had come from the Darkness. In the form of a strange, yet somehow familiar horned figure who granted him an enchanted suit of armor that would give him immense power, and would continue feeding him the more magic was released into the world. It would soak it in like a sponge, and give Tirek all the strength he needed. And apparently it had already been charged: because once the frail old centaur was put in the loose suit, it glowed with purple and deep blue light as it completely fit to his body. Then morphed him into a state of being that was reminiscent of his Prime, yet still not enough to free him. No, the figure told him he would need to wait for that to occur when the time was right - and fortunately, both had nothing but time. He sent himself, and Tirek several months into the future, after Dusk Shine's School of Friendship had opened. The stranger had moved Tirek to an important point in time that would set his freedom into motion, and showed him a deceptively malignant filly named Cozy Glow. A pony who was a runaway that sought power, and rulership over others. The perfect pawn for the Dark Lord to use, as he now had the power to affect outside the cavernous domain that only held him physically prisoner. And his mind had been given a sort of jumpstart that revitalized his more malicious persona that was cruel, uncaring, malevolent, deceptive, and fearfully cunning and strategic. The stranger left the rest up to him, promising to return in due time. So, after some practice in psychic mental magic, Lord Tirek convinced the filly to help him and become his protege' in exchange for the chance to rule Equestria. He told her that she would first need to infiltrate the school of friendship first, then make preparations to deal with Prince Dusk Shine. Planting knowledge, and ideas in her head to make her think and plan in ways serving his benefit. Thanks to a group of multi-cultural friends nicknamed "The Student Six", Cozy found the perfect place to enact her shared plan with her mentor, who also taught her through their link the many ways to use mystic circles to transcend space and time, and how to use artifacts to drain magic from Equestria.

Thus, the plan to force Dusk Shine into freeing him from Tartarus came to pass thanks to Cozy's anticipated treachery, and the alicorn's desperation as Tirek quickly seized control of the situation to force a win-win scenario for both parties.

Lord Tirek was free again, and headed to the School of Friendship to deal with a certain little filly for betraying him. However, he was in for a surprise when The Student Six - the very same creatures representing the nations of Equestria - confronted him with what could still be described as Elements of Harmony in a 'larval stage', better referred to as the Neo Elements. And they proved potent enough to return Tirek to his state of being before he forced Dusk Shine into The Unbreakable Oath: meaning that they could do no worse as they were now. Nevertheless, he let this be the point in which he upheld his end of the bargain, and left Equestria alone as payment for his freedom - Cozy Glow was exempt from this contract due to her actions nearly bringing it to ruin. A few days later, and he summoned King Metamorphos and Dismay to him to discuss matters, starting with him coming back to recruit Cozy Glow now that his display at the school had put the Equestrians in a sense of security that would keep their guard lowered until he was ready. It was here they were actually met by the most unlikely gathering of what Tirek could sense were malevolent individuals. He recognized the leader as the horned figure who had given him his Dark Armor, and sent him forward in time to speed up the plans for his freedom from Tartarus. A better look, and a sense of the devil's essence made him shocked to find that it was him: but not him now. It was what Tirek would become some day, and with both Metamorphos and Dismay, he was now leader of a temporal faction of villains calling themselves "The Order of the Midnight Masters". And this was a meeting to ready the Present Tirek for what was to be his future. He would learn what that was, in time, but for now he had a singular task of importance: and that was to act as their correspondent to this point in history, so that events will occur as they are meant to, but in ways that will benefit them soon enough. He would receive details soon enough: but for now, he needed to recover his proxy pony, soon to be minion, and prepare for a gathering of other villainous forces known to the world of Equestria. In that time, he needed to seek out "The Heartstone", informing him that King Sombra would lead him to it - for it held the key to truly restoring the centaur to his true potential as The Dark Lord. Though he was surprised, he complied with the Order, since he knew they were his future, and he had a feeling such a future revolved around his own conquest of Equestria. Both of the shape-shifters disappeared in a torrent of flame, no doubt to where the Order resides, and Lord Tirek went on his way.

Cozy Glow's freedom would ultimately set a dark chain of events into motion that would cause the cycle to turn once more.

As The Order of Midnight had predicted, a few weeks after breaking Cozy Glow out of Tartarus, a gathering of familiar foes of Equestria had been summoned to a mysterious cavern shaped like a ram's skull by an unknown force. He, Cozy, Queen Chrysalis, Erebus (so named by Tirek) The Pony of Shadow, and then a later revived Storm King were brought together by none other than Grogar, the first emperor of equestria, and the Father of Monsters. He had apparently planned to unite these villains together in an alliance to overcome The Prince of Friendship, Dusk Shine, and his friends: the ponies who defeated all of them and thwarted their conquests. He claimed that it would be using the Prince's own strategy against them, and only by working together could they dominate their enemies and rule Equestria. The only one not onboard was King Sombra, who went rogue to conquer the Crystal Empire alone. While Grogar was eager to send him on his way to prove his point, Lord Tirek refused to let things settle. First he did so by covertly upending Grogar by inspiring the villains to go along with this plan - minus Sombra. The Umbrum, he followed to the frozen north, where as the Order of Midnight predicted, he would lead the centaur to a malevolent crystal known as The Heartstone. Contact restored his whole, entire memory of his master, Apophis, and restored his darker powers. He then concocted an insidious plan with Sombra that would be a contingency should the Shadow King fail to conquer Equestria.

First, with Erebus' loyalty bought, Tirek created a Black Arrow laced with an unholy concoction of the strongest venoms and poisons known to Equestria, and laced with the essence of The Vashtar to create what he named "The Darkening", after the malicious, corruptive venom made by the Primordial Outer God of Pestilence, Nekark, which was fired into the Tree of Harmony once the Mane Six had removed The Elements, leaving it vulnerable to an unexpected strike from afar that left the tree poisoned, and fighting for its existence, much to the painful sensation of ALL tied to The Elements and The Tree.

And finally, following his unfortunate defeat in the empire, King Sombra would personally see to the destruction of The Tree of Harmony: and the Elements, themselves.

Despite several factors, including Dusk Shine and his friends calling upon Harmony's power to slay Sombra, then the rebirth of the tree through the fortress now known as The Harmony Sanctum, none of these things deterred Lord Tirek. Without the original tree in place, the Darkening was now free to corrupt, corrode, and desecrate all of Equestria into an evil, and desolate waste. All of its magic slowly being drained into the centaur as time passes. To earn an even better standing with Grogar - or as he had sensed from the ram, what he began suspecting to be an imposter - he found a suitable host to revive the formidable Nightmare Moon, but reborn into an even stronger incarnation simply named Nocturnus. Thanks to him, as well as Dismay, and even Erebus, Lord Tirek had reclaimed his birthright in the form of his ancestors seat of power, where Tirac reigned supreme for centuries before his destruction, and the fortress' imprisonment within the earth: The Midnight Mountain. Once he and the other villains recovered Grogar's Bell from Mt. Everhoof and then came to the decision to betray, and overthrow the ram, Lord Tirek decided to bring them into the fold by bringing them to The Midnight Mountain, itself, and form a covenant formed of vengeance, and power - giving rise to "The Legion of Doom", with the centaur as their true leader, while they kept their so-called leader out of the loop on everything including his own bell. From there, it was a slow, but steady construction of an empire that would soon bring Equestria back to the dark ages that The Master of Midnight Mountain had wrought before his end came. From the awakening of monstrous forces of evil either imprisoned in certain locations in Equestria, hunting magical relics that still remained, or turning those with a hunger for conquest and power over to their side. The Empire of Midnight was growing as steadily as the approach of Dusk Shine's coronation as King of Equestria. Though no empire was complete without its army, and the products of Science, Alchemy and Dark Magic known as The Tiracians filled the role perfectly as the ultimate engines of destruction. All the while, The Order of The Midnight Masters guided Lord Tirek along his way, as did Apophis himself, though there were moments that could have ruined their plans. However, during the final Summer Sun Celebration hosted by Dusk, The Legion infiltrated Canterlot to recover the final tools needed to aid in their quest, as well as mastering the Bewitching Bell: all while the so-called Grogar went on his own journey for a powerful artifact.

On that day, Dusk came face-to-face with The Legion of Doom, and learned of the new danger awaiting Equestria.......all while The Order of the Midnight Masters had fully assembled without the need for temporal psychic communication, ready to continue their own plans to conquer Equestria, with The Legion of Doom as their patsies, so that their order could proceed unopposed - and the shadows of Midnight would bring Order to the new world, in the iron claws of its true masters.

Left Downward

• Supreme Lord Tirek

After weeks of researching, and per Chrysalis and Cozy's suggestion of creating disharmony, and breaking trust between the three pony races, Lord Tirek and his Legion of Doom were ready to initiate their plan. The first part was enhancing themselves with the might of the real Grogar's Bell, which holds the power to harness, as well as copy the original magical source, and then transfer it to others: meaning it steals magic, adds to itself like a conductor, and when bidden will actually transfer a copy of the magic it either stole, or has as a whole. Meaning, it could be used for its other desired purpose: resurrecting the original Grogar. With a hand and hoof-crafted draconequus body made by members of both The Legion and The Order, The Primordial of Shadow rose again to the world of the living: while under the control of Lord Tirek, himself, albeit subliminally. He was told of why he was revived, and was eager to aid in usurping the pretender. So when the so-called Grogar returned, The Legion of Doom confronted him, and with the Bewitching Bell, exposed him as none other than..........Discord. The chaos spirit later having revealed that he brought back these villains as a means of giving Dusk Shine a final test to boost his confidence as leader of Equestria, with the intent of attacking on coronation day, which had long since come.

But now, his plans had backfired, and Equestria was on the verge of a war he had no idea was even being prepared.

And though Tirek tricked the others into thinking Discord's chaos magic was unusable, he refused to let any other than him hold it. Even Grogar, who was desperate to get ahold of it again. But he was kept at bay, and Lord Tirek rallied their forces. With battalions of Tiracians at their sides, The Legion of Doom did as Neighpoleon, and went to Divide and Conquer - unaware that they were being watched by another pair identical to Tirek and Grogar, before being met by the horned devil still concealed in shadow, yet having been proven to be Tirek's future self. In addition to finally adding their last member to The Order of The Midnight Masters, Grogar, it was now time for the present Tirek to complete his own destiny, and enter the next stage of his own evolution. This meant going with his future self to differing points in time to recruit the future members of The Order, even before they would officially join. Not only that, but this time quest was to recover the artifacts that were still required for their plans, but had been destroyed: The Elements of Harmony, The Memory Stone, and The Siren Hearts. Each were taken from the moment of their destruction, and replaced with duplicates so history would still say they were shattered. Dismay and Metamorphosis were especially crucial in recruiting the members of their order. For this, he required 3 things: The Gems of Chronos, the Primordial of Time, The Dark Crucible that was the superior version of the first from Tirac's era, and finally The Human-world Magic stolen from their counterworld's element-wielders, and from the magical mirror that forms the portal between both worlds. It was in the Midnight Mountain where The Order of the Midnight Masters, holding the artifacts Lord Tirek required as they prepared to watch destiny unfold. Even the time scroll used by Starlight Glimmer was required for this, and it had fallen into the centaur's grasp weeks ago - but now, per his future self's instruction, he would have to physically absorb it through consumption similar to magic to gain knowledge over time, and wield The Eye of Destiny, The Fist of Might, and of Ability without consequence. But he needed to "Unleash the magic" as Dusk's human counterpart did in the human world, both from the Magic Spectrometer II, and The Dark Heart that made up the crucible to complete his transformation. As a time window showed, now was the perfect time to do so.

The Legion had launched attacks not only on Canterlot, and Dusk's school: but all of Ponyville, Yakyakistan, The Dragonlands, The Changeling Kingdom, Mt. Aeris/Seaquestria, and Griffonstone were under siege from these villains, and their unholy demons. Though they mostly stayed to have a little fun while their monsters do all the work, there came a point where Tirek ordered them all to converge on the Canterlot Throneroom at once, but leave the Tiracians to hold the other nations at bay. Even Cloudsdale, and the western region where towns like Dodge Junction and Appleloosa were assailed. Yet the creatures all held strong against the opposition, even with the Tiracians numbers, and physical advantages: all had been warned of their weaknesses, or vulnerable spots by which they could be killed. Though sadly, it wouldn't matter much in the long run as, back in Canterlot, just when it seemed that Dusk and his friends had gotten the better of "Tirek" and Cozy Glow, the tables turned when the entire Legion of Doom gathered. After an exchange of cliched hero, and villain banter, it was here that the villains revealed what they've been doing all this time. Ponykind was once again divided, and the essence of friendship and harmony was dead. A prospect that broke Dusk's heart......but would only get worse as the TRUE Tirek arrived in a flaming portal. His cohorts were confused at first until he reminded them that they have cloning technology, and that cloning himself......as well as Grogar was easy enough. Once that was done, Lord Tirek revealed that he had also coordinated a massive siege on the other five nations of Equestria, and other pony locations outside the Everfree's borders: all to keep their diverse comrades from sending in reinforcements once word reaches them of their pony allies endangerment. But also so that The Prince of Friendship, and all who stood by his side, could bear witness as he achieved his final evolution. Dusk recognized the spectrometer from Sunset Shimmer's letters, and warned Tirek it was too dangerous to use because it was too much power. But with a sneer, he not only opened the flesh sack holding the Crucible, but also the pseudo watch while striking Grogar's Bell with the empowerment spell. He then gave his nemesis a single, focused look, and proclaimed for all in his presence one thing.

"I AM Power!"

He then hurled the orbs to his feet as they rose to swallow him whole. And the Bell's full power infused the Dark Lord with the Alicorn, Chaos, and Shadow magic held within. The result was something beyond imagining, and that caused the very castle itself to shatter into rubble from the sheer might of his transformation as the fiery magic erupted like an exploding volcano at full fury. Even the Legion of Doom was shaken, or tossed to the side from this display of power. But as the smoke cleared, all stood in awe of the figure hovering before them, who then stood in the impact crater his transformation caused. The figure standing before them was indeed Lord Tirek, of which there could be no doubt. But now, he had evolved from the centaurian form he once had. Gone was his horse/bovine hybrid lower half, replaced with merely two legs of the same cross-bred nature, but with a human element to them. A long, elegant, spear-tipped tail swerved behind him, as a pair of demon wings flapped in the air. An even more imposing version of the Dark Armor covered his bipedal form, with his Crucible now in the middle of his chest. The Gems all remained attached to his Gauntlets, and on his brow via the crest-like headband he wore. He even now had a more humanoid head and face, that may have been precisely what he'd look like had he not been cursed into his beastly form: the only difference being his perfectly straight, black hair and sideburns that almost resembled horns. His horns remained the same as ever, but now stood above a pair of pointed, elvish ears. The fur on his body was completely gone, and he was now completely changed. He was now a god on earth, who was perfect in every way. And he even proved that when he forced Dusk Shine to fight him in a bladed dual with The Dark Crucible and The Sword of Light, to defend the honor of Friendship, Harmony and Equestria. But while the Sword was strong, and gave Dusk considerable strength, too, in the end it was not enough against The Supreme Dark Lord.

And he proved this efficiently when he cut off the right wing of The Prince of Friendship.

• Grand Emperor Tirek

With Dusk now lying bleeding, and injured, Tirek was free to gloat on how he'd been a step ahead of him all this time. Not only with this Legion of Doom that Discord had so kindly assembled. Thanks to his illogical mindset, Lord Tirek had figured out the perfect way to truly break all of Equestria, and take it without a struggle. That was when he summoned forth what could best be described as an alien warship that filled the whole sky. Tirek named it "The Darksyde", his metaphorical "Chariot of Midnight", which had been reverse-engineered and enhanced by his scientific, and magically gifted minds to repair and revive the warship for what he had been planning along with his master, Apophis, and his future self and The Midnight Masters. Now, before he would be finished off, Dusk would have the honor of spending the last few moments of life with his friends........watching as all he had built suddenly came undone, and went up in shadow and flame. As the rest of the assailed locations kept up the fighting, with their military forces pushing the Tiracians back as best as possible, the tide of battle changed when specific creatures in different locations suddenly received a holographic display from a communication crystal, with The Supreme Dark Lord on the other end. His next words sent horror down the heroes spines as they watched Tirek commune with twelve creatures through his scrying crystal, summoned from Midnight Mountain.

"Masters of Midnight! The Time has come. Execute Order 666."

As soon as that command came, the ponies, dragons, hippogryphs, griffins, changelings, and yakes on the HUB shed their disguises, and revealed themselves to be The Order of The Midnight Masters, themselves, with some others exposed as robotic humanoids that could disguise as organic lifeforms called "Life Model Replicas". With a single command, advanced battleships resembling the Darksyde, but based more on Helicarriers, opened fire on the nations while the Midnight Masters themselves laid waste to everything in their path, along with their LMD's, and killing many creatures, including the attacking Tiracians. No place was spared, and the Midnight Masters showed no mercy to their prey as they used their powers, skills, and abilities to slaughter their adversaries while their ships destroyed their homes. The real Grogar himself dealt with The Harmony Sanctum, donning his Bell from the future in which he received it: and this time, making sure Laurana herself was no more. To make it all the worse, Tirek had ordered his ship to fire a devastating super-laser at The Castle AND School of Friendship, since the artifacts from both locations had long since been secured. Both structures went up in massive, chaotic explosions that reminded Dusk of his home of the past, The Golden Oaks Library, being destroyed. And sensing all of the Harmony, and Light of Equestria slowly dying, along with receiving PTSD from his very first battle with Tirek, Dusk could do nothing but grasp at his heart, and fall back down in sobbing tears. Even as Scorpan had healed the wound, he simply couldn't repair it completely: not when his wing had been lost in this decimation surrounding them. It didn't matter, though. Nothing mattered now. Tirek had won. Equestria was his, as he had always wished, and all opposition had been seemingly removed. Now all that was left was to finish off the former Prince of Friendship. However, since he considered it beneath him now, Tirek insead opted to leave the task to his clone, and Grogars, along with The Legion of Doom. Infusing it with his newfound power, he infused the clones with an augmented burst of Bewitching Bell magic, to transform the duo into more demonic versions of themselves, with even more power than they had before - and with magic, golden bells of power laced with Daemon Stones, to trade the clone, Tirogar's dark armor out in turn. With that done, The Supreme Lord of Darkness vanished into the shadows with the Bell, leaving Dusk and his friends at the mercy of his servants.

Were it not for his friends loyalty, then Dusk may very well have died at the hands of the Legion.

As Dusk went with Scorpan and Flash Sentry to the only safe haven left in Equestria, Supreme Lord Tirek returned to the Midnight Mountain, with the rest of The Order of The Midnight Masters following shortly after. His future self had been observing through The Heartstone atop the Black Throne, and was impressed to actually see his own past actions take place from a viewer's perspective. The Order convened to confirm the success of their infiltration attacks, to which they each confirmed to have slain as many as possible before the rest managed to escape. Their military forces were quite persistent. Either way, the present Tirek finally gave Grogar his bell back, and restored him to his full power - though now, he was further in Tirek's service after he infused his power into it to create Tirogar and The Grogar Baphomet. This infuriated the fallen Primordial, but he sucked it up, knowing there were more important matters to deal with. Now all of the pieces were in place, which was confirmed as they watched the Legion place the incapacitated heroes in prison cells aboard The Darksyde, while the Dark Hunter ships remained stationed above each region awaiting commands, their targets laying in cindered ruin, and Dusk Shine now with his Three friends in The Crystal Empire - what was to be their final resting place for the final battle to come. Then, to the Order's surprise, Future Tirek and Present Tirek had this small, but noticable exchange.

"Isn't it time for you to go?"

"I was just about to."

"Are you certain you know what to do?"

"I should: I watched YOU do it, after all."

The present Tirek then disappeared in a blue orb, with the remaining Tirek muttering, "Finally. I thought he'd never leave." It was then revealed that Tirek's Journey had been part of the Bootstrap Effect: where he was destined to ultimately set history into motion, and create himself until they had reached this point, so the original could then go back in time to fulfill the endless loop. Now, the future was in the hands of The Supreme Lord Tirek as he then initiated his final plan, which only now had truly come to be brought up: that in several hours, two travelling stars would align with their sun to form a Great Conjunction, which happens only once every ten centuries. His ancestor tried to use this cosmic event of change to make himself a Primordial Elder God, and nearly succeeded. Now, Lord Tirek intended to use it to not only give him that power - but to use that power to strengthen The Heartstone he was bonded to so that he may absorb the endless power of the stolen Relics of Equestria to control the most powerful artifact they had stolen, to exist in any and every dimension: The Chronosphere, which was an hourglass that controlled the very timestream of the universe it was stationed in, along with the other timelines that existed alongside it. Tirek, The Supreme Lord of Darkness, would use the Great Conjunction to power himself to the point he can wield the full might of The Chronos Gems, and then manipulate and bend the hourglass to his will. In that instance, he will rewrite history to ensure that the multiverse they existed in would be a corrupt, and desolate ruin consumed by Anarchy, Darkness and Evil. Neither Lignum Harmonia, nor Laurana would exist to hold the corruption at bay, as this change in balance would also allow The Darkening to completely spread throughout the planet, and corrupt it from the inside out until Equestria was the Realm of Midnight.

And Tirek was truly The Supreme Overlord of Darkness, with The Midnight Masters as his generals in the new world.

All that was left was to deal with Dusk Shine, and the friends who escaped the Darksyde thanks to Discord's trickery - though he was still held captive, not that any would care after he initially caused all of this to happen. The Legion was given the Bewitching Bell, to Grogar's annoyance, and they went with the Armada and their Tiracian army to The Crystal Empire. All while Lord Tirek constructed a malignant new castle out of the remains of The Friendship Castle where the Heartstone would be housed. As that was the exact spot the conjunction would take place. Six of the Balrogs were left to guard the crystal, while also awaiting the opportunity to draw on The Heartstone's power so they may ascend to Primordial status. All while Tirek remained at the Midnight Mountain to perform the ceremony. The Legion of Doom assailed the Empire, with Dusk and his brothers leading the armies of the Empire against the Onslaught standing against them. A fierce battle was waged for possession of The Bell, as Dusk knew it was he deciding factor in this conflict. But in the end, The Legion proved too strong, as did their demons. And the threat on Spike's life forced them to surrender, leaving them ready to face death at the hands or horns of their enemies. What they faced, they faced together. But they would NOT all perish on this day, no. For upon a hill to the East, there stood a sight the heroes of Equestria were amazed, and bewildered to see: all of the nations of Equestria beyond the six, including the Sacred Dragons, had joined the fray and answered the call of their comrades. This was no gathering of warriors: it was all the creatures of every species the mane six helped learn the true meaning of friendship come to return the favor. While the Sacred Dragons held off the Battleships and the airborne Tiracians, some would aid the others in fighting the ground forces, and the Legion of Doom. All of it culminated when Dusk learned that The Student Six, and the CMC, and even Emerald Wonder had reminded their fellow creatures of what was important, and that it was time to answer the call.

The power of Friendship burned in the alicorn Prince's Heart as he also found his way once more, in time to face The Legion of Doom. In that moment, as he spoke of the value of Friendship, and how it had spread to so many others beyond ponykind, the mystic essence of Light and Harmony sparked the fire of hope within The Pillars, The Mane Six with Starlight in Dusk's place, The Student Six, The Princesses, Shining Armor, Flash Sentry, Scorpan, Spike, and Dusk Shine himself all shined with the power noone had seen since the first generation of Equestria: The Rainbow of Light. The result was a fusion that was a dragon/baphomet version of the Avatar of Harmony, who wielded a new sword appropriately named The Crucible of Light. With the power of all those inside it united as one, being known now as Harmony's Hope unleashed the Rainbow of Light upon the Legion of Doom, and restored all but Tirogar and The Grogar Baphomet to their true forms, only because the two had dodged at the last minute. Harmony's Hope then began slicing down ships upon the Tiracian Hordes once by one before the modified clones finally took action by growing to the Fusion's size to fight him. With sword in hand, he clashed with the devils in a godly battle that shook the very earth itself, and saw many of the Dark Hunter Ships destroyed, along with most of the Tiracians. In the end, however, the united forces of Equestria lent Harmony's Hope their inner strength, and gave him the power to finish the clones - just as Tirek the Supreme came to pick up The Bell, Erebus and Sombra while leaving the other three behind, informing them their assistance was no longer required, and their usefulness was over. So they were left to experience the climactic finish of Harmony's Hope carving through Tirogar and The Grogar Baphomet with The Crucible of Light: making sure their bells were struck specifically.

And in the end, the demonic duo went out with the biggest bang the world has never seen.

But even as they defused, Harmony's Hope had shown Dusk Shine, whose wing had been replaced with a beautiful, metallic wing of silver feathers, that their fight was not over. Something their allies were soon told, and we eager to help sort out. All the while, the Midnight Fleet retreated to the Midnight Mountain to inform Lord Tirek of what transpired. Though an irritant, it was of no consequence to him. Not when the Great Conjunction was fast approaching. Of course, the Alliance of Harmony, as it was soon dubbed, was way ahead of him, and already making their way to what once was Ponyville, but now the den of evil for The Tiracian Hordes. Even so, with The Crystal Empire, and The Sacred Dragons at their side, their chances for victory were strong. While the armies fought the remainder of the Tiracians, Dusk's Friends would infiltrate the castle with the one pony who could destroy The Heartstone that Lignum Harmonia warned Harmony's Hope was in the Midnight Castle: Emerald Wonder, himself. Only with a pure crystal shard from The Tree of Harmony, infused with the essence of all those connected to the Tree, and to The Light could be used by a pony whose heart was as pure as light, and filled with the magic of friendship and harmony, could The Heartstone be destroyed during the Great Conjunction: to sever Tirek's greatest source of power, and weaken the essence of The Darkening that was still poisoning their world. All the while, Dusk would find Tirek at The Midnight Mountain, and confront him with Scorpan and his brothers, as he felt they had the best chance to defeat The Supreme Lord of Darkness.

With the plan set, the final battle began. The Mane and Student Six snuck into the castle to protect Emerald while The Pillars, and the Princesses lead the charge with their magic restored thanks to the power Harmony's Hope had given them. All the while Dusk and his other 3 companions returned to the cursed mountain for what he hoped would be the last time, and found Tirek in the chamber of The Chronosphere. Some banter was exchanged, and Dusk fused with his friends and family to face Lord Tirek, as Harmony and Light combined were still The Dark Lord's bane. Tirek only laughed at this, and prepared to use his growing powers to simply snap the fusion named Guardian Flame-Shield out of existence, the voice of his master Apophis advised him not to. In fact, the serpent encouraged Tirek to draw on the Magic Relics power to grow his own power, and put these fools in their place. And because he was growing drunk on the power he held, Tirek heeded his master's advice, and drew more power than before. The result was a massive, Ultimate Tirek form that dwarfed the power Guardian Flame-Shield had. But he didn't care how outmatched he was - all four of the creatures inside him all agreed that it was time to end this. A sentiment Ultimate Tirek shared greatly as he and the fusion dueled. All the while, the mane and student six encountered the Order of the Midnight Masters, who split them up until only Emerald Wonder was left. He reached The Heartstone's chamber, and found the Balrog-guarded crystal hovering where he could leap to it. Unfortunately, they spotted him as the Conjunction reached its Zenith and nearly killed him. He almost dropped the shard during the leaps he made, but he eventually made it atop the Heartstone. Just as the forces of good were beginning to lose ground, and hope seemed lost as the Three suns shined upon the Crystal.

But Emerald Wonder finally understood what was required of him to save everyone - and with an anguished scream, he plunged the shard into the Crystal, and was caught in the explosion of energy that erupted from it.

All the forces of evil were anguished by this, and The Order of Midnight made a full retreat to The Darksyde in desperation - save for Dismay, who was badly beaten by Gallus and Starlight Glimmer. A wave of energy swept across the land, causing every last Tiracian to fall to pieces like suits of armor, while the Midnight castle began to come crashing down. The explosion from the Heartstone caused a rift to open that dragged all six balrogs inside ......... just as the spirit of Apophis seemed to enter it from his own end. The end result was that the Heartstone's demise wounded Tirek, and caused him to lose control of the Influx of Magic his body couldn't hold while trying to channel the Gems of Chronos. This left him vulnerable to Guardian Shield-Flames attacks, and he began to weaken, until he blasted the fusion so hard, he split back into four. Even then, realizing there was only a short window for them, Dusk summoned the Sword of Light, as Tirek called on The Dark Crucible: both preparing for a final strike to end the others life. The two flapped hard into the air with their blades poised. And with a single swing, and a bright flash, they struck and landed with their backs turned to each other. Dusk received a nasty gash on his right torso. And as the malevolent demon stood still, it was soon made clear what HE received from The Prince of Friendship..........as his head fell from his shoulders, and he fell front first to the ground. A few moments later, and both the Chronos gems and Chronosphere vanished, to return from whence they came. The enemies body began billowing in blue and purple smoke until only his outline remained. The outcome was all too crystal clear.

Lord Tirek was finally finished.

The complete collapse of the Midnight Mountain certainly saw to that, further cementing their victory. And much like The Mane and Student Six with their prisoner, Dusk and his group safely escaped the mountain before it erupted, and collapsed in on itself. The seat of power for what was the Empire of Midnight had fallen, and The Alliance of Harmony could at last celebrate in victory. Yes, The Order of the Midnight Master were still at large, and so were three of the Legion of Doom members, but that mattered little right now. They had triumphed over a great evil this day. And now, they could rest easy knowing their greatest foe was fone. But none but Dismay noticed the Cobra of Shadow and Flame making its way towards them until it was too late. It forced its way into them orally, and the next thing anycreature knew, Dismay was being forcefully transformed into something massive, and otherworldly against their will. It eventually became too much, and Dismay exploded in a plume of fire as Apophis, The Primordial of Anarchy had returned. Apparently using Dismay as his means of resurrection, with The Heartstone's destruction freedom from the spirit realm, the now Dragonian Serpent had returned to cleanse the world in Anarchy as he claimed The Empire of Midnight as his own, and readied to unleash chaos upon the world.

A shame he was too arrogant to let his apprentice stay dead - as it would cost him greatly.

• Tirathos The Ascended

Through his fight with Dusk Shine, and Scorpan, Ultimate Tirathos would come to be thanks to the might of the Heartstone and the artifacts, which gave Apophis strength without end. His death, however........was only a hinderance. Because when the rift opened, it breached the very walls of reality, itself. And after passing through, he took possession of his living contingency, Dismay, in order for them to fulfill the purpose for which they were ACTUALLY made: to make the Embodiment of Anarchy and Darkness a new, physical form that matches his newfound power, and combines the elements of all the bodies he's taken before his fall. So it came to be that Aphophis was reborn, at last.

Lord Tirek had at last served his purpose to the Outer God, which ensured he was even stronger than he was in the days of The War of Light and Dark. However, he was at least gracious enough to make his apprentice whole, and then put him on life support aboard his own ship, because of the damage his body received from being unable to control the influx of power that the Heartstone, and the Magical Relics poured into him during the conjunction. He was nothing more than a liability to the Outer God, now. But his army? That would still serve him well in his bid to dominate Equestria. And at the height of his power, no living being on this earth - not even Discord OR Grogar or even Laurana - can stand up to him. With his power, Apophis may yet bring forth a new Ragnarok to Equestria, and feed on the despair, misery and fear of the calamity to befall them all. Little does he know that his apprentice, who isn't fond of being cast aside for any reason, was already making preparations to return the status quo, and repay the snake for his treachery.

The devil, now stuck on life support, was hard pressed to figure out what to do. With the powers of the Mystical Relics of Equestria gone from his body, and inside that serpent now, and both the gems and hourglass of Chronos lost to him, he was at a loss as to what he would do. He was on the verge of losing everything HE had accomplished in spite of his defeats. He cared not that Apophis had been manipulating him, only that he still did everything he did. He controlled Equestria from the shadows. HE played its most conniving minds like puppets, and orchestrated history, itself. He used time itself to bring himself into being, so to speak, by completing his own glorious evolution. And he was the supreme ruler of the most foul empire in the universe! He did not spend thousands of years imprisoned to let that snake take what was his! He would see him ripped to shreds, and forever dead before that happened. The fates seemed to answer his pleas, as the answer had been literally presented to him in the form of a harrowing suit of demonic armor that rose out of the Darkness, and actually said its name: the Kuroi Yoroi.

A cursed demon armor of many others that comes to only the most desperate of souls to give its power to the ones who unknowingly summoned it. The last time a Kuroi Yoroi had been summoned, that suit had taken human host Oroku Saki, and transformed him into The Shredder, who became a dark legend in the universe he originated. But a great battle saw The Shredder slain, and Oroku Saki's soul free. That was the catch to this potential power being offered: only the blackest of hearts could actually control the Kuroi Yoroi without succumbing to its Darkness. For if its host holds no fear of Darkness, then that Darkness can never control or destroy them. And Tirek has proven a master of Darkness in the past, with his indomitable will giving him the strength to persevere. The other price, of course, would be that he could NEVER take off the armor once it was donned, as it bonds to its host forever, until death take them both. The devil cared little for this, as he was on the verge of death, anyway, despite his ex-master's mercy in reattaching his head to his shoulders, and providing him this crude life-support. If he had to trade, he would prefer mobile life support that granted him unimaginable power, then so be it. Of course, the Kuroi Yoroi warned him that it requires a suitable source of life energy to fully charge the armor's power, and perhaps exceed it.

The end result would lead to the former centaur's former master performing a final service to him.

During the siege on the Onyx Citadel, the stronghold of Apophis, which had his armies of Tiracians, and his armada of warships, clashing with the united forces of Equestria. The champions of Harmony, and Light challenged him personally, but found he was far more dangerous than even Tirek was in his last incarnation. Which prompted the dragon serpent to dismiss Tirek as a weak willed fool who could not see beyond his own ambitions to realize when he was being manipulated by the one he called master. But as he explained, the first rule of the Vashtarans, adopted by that ancient race known as The Sith, decreed there can only ever be two: Master and Apprentice. And in his useless state, Tirek would soon be replaced as the Outer God's apprentice. Together, they would finally end Lignum Harmonia, and bring the reign of Anarchy to bear. Imagine his surprise when Tirek appeared before him in an apparatus that served as his temporary life-support system, declaring Apophis the fool for saving him. Now, with this "explosive weapon" he had brought with him, alongside Professor N. Shroud, and Morpheus, he would make Apophis pay for his betrayal. The snake scoffed at this pathetic display, and said he would remind the former centaur why HE is master by first destroying Tirek's weapon, and then put the devil through eternal torment. Tirek only goaded him into doing it, saying he was too weak to do such a simple task. That got him fired up, and Apophis unleashed his power on what he still thought was a bomb. He never counted on the Kuroi Yoroi being used for a Trojan Horse ploy by hiding inside the pod being claimed to be a bomb, only for the armor to blow it open as its chest cavity swung wide open to swallow the dragon serpent's energy.

Apophis was horrified when he realized what was happening. Especially when he couldn't stop releasing more, and more energy. It was here Tirek threw Apophis own words of insult regarding his former apprentice, then went on to explain how the Kuroi Yoroi is a Malzalam of its own calibur, as all of these demon armors were. Once they have a handle on pure life energy, they will not stop until they consume and convert it into the power it needs to waken its true potential, and pass on to a worthy wielder. When Apophis stated that he was nothing but pure energy, the armor itself stated how unfortunate for him that was, as it soon enough dragged him completely into its being, and converted him into not only raw primordial energy, but also left his Jinsei Core to empower the Kuroi Yoroi - and Tirek in turn, now that it was ready to merge with him. Dusk pleaded for The Midnight Masters to stop Tirek before he goes through with this: or he would become Apophis' literal successor, and be unstoppable with such power. They dismissed him when they made it clear that this was the idea, and helped hasten the ceremony. The bonding process began, and in that moment, Lord Tirek ceased to be. Without a shred of light in his being, he was pure evil incarnate. Now, amplified by the power of a Kuroi Yoroi, his own master's Primordial power, and all of the magical power the dragon snake had stolen from him upon his death. He had become the equivalent of Tirek, AND Apophis, melded together as one with the successor as the dominant persona in control of this demonic fusion. The Dark Lords of old were gone.

Now there was only Tirathos, The Supreme Lord of Darkness, and Anarchy. The Primordial of Midnight. And the doom of Equestria and beyond.

The heroes fell all too easily to him, as his power was beyond anything of the mortal realm. And it would give Tirathos time to abduct Scorpan, and bring him to the inner recesses of HIS Citadel, where there was fresh Daemon Essence flowing: the Key to harvesting souls from others. And although he was an entity of pure evil, whose power was fueled by Darkness, the absence of Light made it possible for him to harvest the soul of The Champion of Light aka Courageous Heart so that he could wield both sides of the spectrum that unites The Source. As Supreme Overlord of Light AND Darkness, Tirathos would be invincible: and even the other Primordials hidden among the vastness of the Aetherium would fall to his will. Of course, Dusk Shine, his friends, siblings AND Students would have something to say about that. As the ceremony to harvest Courageous Heart and Scorpan's soul continued, Tirathos faced his adversaries once more, ready to end this farce for good. He underestimated them, as somehow, they were managing to hold their own and keep up with him. Even using powers they shouldn't without The Elements of Harmony, or the connection to Lignum Harmonia he had severed, himself in the mindscape. They simply argued that he can't cut the ties of Friendship, and Harmony that easily, no matter how hard he tried.

Sadly, he still bested them, and was now ready to harvest the Champion of Light's soul, which would see Scorpan reduced to dust in the process - something his brother was not keen on letting happen. Neither he, nor the last survivors of the Legion of Doom whom he had rallied to his side, and who were still effected by Scorpan's wisdom to them. Chrysalis, Cozy Glow and Storm King with his Sacanas Staff did what no villain in their right minds would do, and saved Scorpans life while challenging Tirathos. He and Courageous both returned the favor by giving Tirathos a straight-up soul punch off of the sacrificial altar this all took place on. The others recovered, and had their happy reunion with Scorpan. But Tirathos was far from finished. Now, he was consumed by rage, and hatred for these mortal, meddling fools! And now, he would see them all slain by his own claws! The Guardians of Harmony and Light, as well as friends, joined their power together to summon The Crucible of Light in the hopes of finishing Tirathos with one last strike. But it was this moment where he had chosen to reveal his true, final form. Which made him more than worthy of being referred to as a Primordial, as he easily held back the Crucible of Light with but a single clawed hand.

This nightmarish mesh of armor, fire, and darkness was the final stage of Lord Tirek's evolution.

Tirathos the Apoetheosis would now bring the world of Equestria, and all other to ground before he fulfilled his destiny to rule creation.

Survival of the fittest would win out as it always has, does, and always will.

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Courageous Heart is owned by :Courageous-0f-Light:
The Kuroi Yoroi is owned by Nickelodeon, as is The Shredder and Rise of the TMNT
Prince Torak is owned by :MelSpyRose: