//------------------------------//
// Chapter 4: Old Foes New Wounds 
// Story: Equestria V.S Tartarus: Battle Of The Century 
// by Whooves235 
//------------------------------//

12 Years Ago

"Brother, are you sure it is a good idea to go to Equestria?" Tirek said.

"Do not worry brother, I will be successful in my mission, and when the Ali-pegacorn-access," Storm King said.

"Alicorns," Tirek said frustratedly.

"Ya, them," Storm King said. "When they are defeated you can come back and rule Equestria with me. But for now, you must rest. You are weak."

"You don’t say," Tirek said sarcastically.

"Be glad I rescued you from Tartarus," Storm King said. "If it were not for me, you would still be in that cage."

"I would not have been in that cage in the first place if Princess Twilight did not use the Elements of....." Tirek said before getting interrupted.

"I don’t want to hear it," Storm King said. "Now you rest and let me do the rest of the work.

Before The Storm King could walk out the door, Tirek grabbed the Storm King. "Don’t be so Cocky, Brother. Princess Twilight and her friends are not to be messed with," Tirek said. "If you want to defeat them then you need to..."

"Would you chill?" Storm King said. "I know what I’m doing." As Storm King left the room he walked out into the throne room to his first lieutenant. "Tempest, are the airships ready?"

"Yes my king, they are," Tempest said.

"Now, I would usually go with you, but I have some business to attend to. SO DON’T FAIL ME!”

"As you wish, my king," Tempest said.

As the Storm King and Tempest walked out of the throne room, Tirek followed them and would soon see the events about to unfold, and would have a reason to go back to Equestria to have his revenge.

The Present Day

"How did you escape, Tirek?" Celestia demanded.

"My brother helped me," Tirek said.

"Why would Scorpan betray Equestria?" Luna said.

"Oh, Scorpan did not rescue me," Tirek said. "My other brother did."

"You have another brother?" Twilight said.

"I had another brother," Tirek said. "No thanks to you," Tirek said, pointing to Twilight.

"What do you mean?" Twilight said. "I have never met your brother before."

"Yes you have," Discord said.

"What do you mean?" Twilight said.

Discord snapped his fingers and the necklace from the Storm King’s Room appeared in his hand "When Tirek first came here he gave me a necklace just like this," Discord said. "He said it was given to him by his brother."

"But why would the Storm King have it?" Luna said.

"If he had that necklace...then that means," Twilight said, finally putting the clues together.

"The Storm King is my Brother," Tirek said angrily. "And you will pay for destroying him."

"We had no idea he was your brother," Twilight said. "We did not want to destroy him...But he left us no choice."

"Well, maybe you should have thought of the consequences before you turned him into a pile of rubble," Tirek said.

"Well, you’re going to have a hard time stopping us. You are out gunned," Celestia said while secretly casting a spell letting the others know to come quickly.

"It's true that it will take 4 years for my powers to fully develop," Tirek said. "But I brought backup."

"What kind of backup?" Luna said.

Team Appledash

As Applejack and Rainbow Dash ran to find out why Celestia lit the Glowing Cutie Mark signal, they ran into the other group, Sunset and Rarity. "You guys got the signal too?" Sunset said.

"Y’all know what’s going on?" Applejack said.

"I have no idea, but whatever it is, it can’t be good," Sunset said.

"I’m sure Twilight and Celestia can take care of themselves," Rarity said.

"Rainbow, Applejack," Rarity said with a grin on her face. "Why are you all sweaty?"

"Umm," Applejack said, trying to make up an excuse. "We were trapped in a hot room."

"Ugh, let's stop bucking around and go find them," Rainbow said.

"Not if I have anything to say about it," a mysterious voice said.

"Who is that?" asked Rarity.

"I know that voice," Sunset said.

"Well, I should think you would remember me, Sunset," Princess Cinch said. "After all, if it weren't for me, you would not be a princess."

"Cinch," Rainbow snarled.

"Ah, Mrs. Dash. Long time no see," Cinch said. "How's the wing?"

With that Rainbow Dash was up in the air and about to fly into Cinch’s face with all the momentum she could, get but before she could do that she was grabbed by the tail by Applejack.

"It's not worth it, sugarcube," Applejack said.

"How did you find us Cinch?" Sunset said.

"Let's say an old friend of Princess Twilight brought me here," Cinch said. "He gave me a chance when others did not."

"Well, whoever you teamed up with, we will stop him just like we stopped you and Sombra eleven years ago," Rainbow said.

"Good luck trying. He has prepared for everything," Cinch said. "You don’t know it yet, but you have already lost."

"What’s that supposed to mean?" Applejack said.

"You will find out soon enough."

Just then Twilight, Pinkie, Celestia, and Luna came flying towards the wall, and a burst of energy followed them. As they recovered from the hit, Discord and Tirek came and were fighting like the whole of Equestria depended on it, which it did.

"Tirek?!" Rainbow said, "How did he..."

"No time to explain, we need to get out of here right now!" Twilight said.

"But Cinch and Tirek will..." Applejack said.

"They will be dealt with," Celestia said.

"Discord has volunteered to distract them while we escape," Fluttershy said.

"And you let him?" Applejack said.

"Tirek is the worst of the worst, and if Discord trusts me to know he will be fine, then I will trust him," Fluttershy said.

"Come on, less yapping and more getting out of here," Rainbow said while pushing the group to the door.

As the group ran out the door, Fluttershy looked back at Discord and he saw that she was scared for him. "Go, Fluttershy," Discord said. "I will be fine."

"Not if I have anything to say about it," Tirek said.

But before Fluttershy could do something, the wall fell in front of the door, blocking the fight. "It’s ok, sugarcube," Applejack said while comforting Fluttershy. "He can take care of himself."

"Celestia, what do we do?" Sunset said.

"We need to get back to Ponyville and get the Elements Of Harmony," Celestia said. "They are the best chance we have against Tirek and Cinch."

As the group made their way to Mount Aries, they hoped for the meantime Discord could deal with Tirek.

Outskirts of Ponyville

"Do you think Discord will be able to take Cinch and Tirek by himself?" Fluttershy said.

"I’m sure that he will be able to fend them off while we get the Elements," Rainbow said. "He might be a pain, but when it comes to your protection, Fluttershy, he will do anything."

Just then, Princess Cadence appeared out of nowhere using a teleportation spell.

"Celestia, Luna, we have trouble," Cadence said.

"What’s the problem?" Twilight said.

"There was an attack on the Canterlot dungeons and some of the prisoners escaped," Cadence said. "Lightning Dust was one of the first to escape."

"Why would Tirek attack the dungeon only to free Lightning Dust?" Rainbow Dash said.

"Well, Lightning dust does want revenge," Pinkie said.

"There is something else something we are missing," Twilight said. Then something clicked in her mind “Rainbow, where are the Elements?"

"The Elements are safely locked up in your Castle," Rainbow said. "Why do you ask?"

"Oh no," Twilight said with a grim look on her face.

"What’s wrong?" Applejack said.

"If you want to get something from someone and you know where it is, how would you get it?" Twilight said.

"Umm," Fluttershy said, "you ask politely for it?"

"You get all of them away from the location," Twilight said, "and destroy the location until you find what you are looking for."

"Gasp," Applejack said. "PONYVILLE!"