//------------------------------// // Long Ago // Story: From Oaths to Vows // by Partizanne //------------------------------// Long ago in a place far far away from the land of Equestria, there lived a dying race known as the Centaurs. The Centaurs were neither benign or malignant. They were only what they chose to be. Their race fell victim to a terrible plague, which killed them in droves, as their kind slowly returned to the elements one by one. One Centaur refused to be a victim of the terrible disease, and so he fled from his home in search of place to take residence. Soon, this centaur came across a gargoyle, who also fled from the plague which afflicted their homelands. The two traveled together, bonding with each other as they overcame all the obstacles which stood in their way. Soon, they considered each other not friends, but brothers. The two brothers soon came across Equestria. They saw potential in the land before them, a place to call home, but a certain race stood in the way. In the eyes of the centaur, the resident ponies were but obstacle, something that was to be exterminated as one would to any other pest. The gargoyle however, was bewitched by the beauty of the lands, he could not bring himself to eradicate the ponies. He begged his brother to reconsider and at least give the ponies a chance, but the brother would not have any of it. Unwilling to let the ponies fall victim to his brother, the gargoyle told the two rulers of Equestria of his brothers plans and left for his homeland. The two rulers cast the centaur into the darkest parts of Tartarus for his crimes against their kingdom, and Equestria was saved. However, the same could not be said for one of Equestria's newest residents. A second centaur, much younger than the first, had also fled from his home. He too was enchanted by Equestria's beauty, how he wished to make this place his new home. But news of his existence within the Equestrian borders frightened the ruler's. They tracked him down and cast him into Tartarus, right beside the first. There were no questions, no chances, only fear as they cast the innocent centaur into what many considered a fate worse than death. Unbeknownst to them, they would eventually reap the hate they've sown "You can't do this to me! I've done nothing wrong!" A young centaur was cast through a portal onto the rocky ground of Tartarus. The stones dug into his back as a cage slammed down around him, the portal closing with the fizzly sound of magic. The young centaur was so scared, so confused, what had he done to end up here? He stood up on shaky hooves, lacking strength from the one sided battle he had just endured. He grasped the bars of his cage in his dusty blue hands, steadying himself as he attempted to gain the strength to stand unassisted. He looked out past his prison bars, gazing out onto the monsters and villains who had been cast away, and he shuddered in fear, stepping away form the edge of his cage before collapsing from fatigue. How he tried to stay strong, he tried to keep himself together, but it was all to much for him. The tears began to flow and all those around him heard the cries of a centaur who was far too overwhelmed. However, what this Centaur didn't know was that his cries of anguish would awaken his new neighbor. "Why would someone so young be here in Tartarus?" A deep gravelly voice resonated through the bars. The young centaur's eyes snapped open as he scurried away from the source. He hadn't noticed the cage beside his own, too overtaken by his sorrow to notice. From the shadows of the cage roof emerged another centaur. Dusty red in color with yellow eyes, much like his own. However this centaurs horn curved upwards much like a bulls, while the younger ones curled around the side of his head like a rams. The younger one panted as he gripped the bars behind him and pulled himself back up. "H-Hello. I-I'm Asmund." "Lord Tirek" "Lord? L-Lord of what? I-If I may ask of course." "It is rude to avoid one's question. Why are you here?" "I-I mean no offense but aren't you also avoiding the question b-by asking me the question I avoid-" "Answer the question!" Tirek growled. Asmund quickly cowered away from the older centaur, covering his face with his arms and pressing himself against the far wall, quivering. Tirek gazed upon the dusty blue centaur who whimpered in fear. He let out an aggravated sigh. "Well answer." Tirek said in lower tone. The younger one had lowered one of his arms, so only one of his eyes peeked through. "I-I don't know... I hadn't done anything wrong, b-but two ponies showed up and attacked me." Tirek instantly knew the rest of the story. He hadn't spent much time in Equestria, but it was enough time to see how flighty ponies could be. Sure they were a prey species and thus evolved to be fearful, but not even the minotaurs, cows, donkeys,and zebras combined were as absolutely insane as the ponies. "Well child, I am truly sorry for your plight, but I'm afraid that there's nothing I or anyone here can do. Not a single person whose been imprisoned here has ever escaped." Asmund had stopped cowering and was now simply contemplating what he had done to get himself locked up. He approached Tirek's cage on shaky legs, grabbing the bars that separated the two of them before he fell down again. "But why? What have I done?" "My child, so naive." Tirek said as he reached through the bars and booped Asmund's nose. The dusty blue centaur recoiled slightly before crossing his arms and huffing in annoyance. "I am hundred seventy-six years old. I haven't been a child for a hundred twenty-six years." "Really? with such a baby face like yours, I'm surprised you aren't twenty-five." Tirek reached for Asmund's face and pinched his cheeks. Asmund pulled his hands away from his face as he stepped back. "Listen child, because I will only say this once." Tirek continued. "Do you want to know why they imprisoned you?" Asmund nodded, rubbing one of his wrists with the opposite hand nervously. "It's not because of something you did, it's not because of the way you act. It's because they were scared." "What?" "Those ponies only care for themselves, haven't you heard about how they were at each other's throats because they didn't even trust each other. If they are so willing to freeze each other just so they can win an argument, what makes you think they would treat us with any kindness what so ever?" Asmund looked down the ground. He couldn't help but wonder if Tirek was right. "B-But, I didn't do anything wrong." "Child, don't you see? Ponies hate anything different, I fell victim to that hatred as well." Tirek said as he held a hand up to his heart. "The sooner you realize that, the sooner you can move on... In fact why don't we make a little arrangement?" Tirek asked as he stroked his beard. "What are you g-getting at?" Asmund questioned. "Well, surely you want to get back at those ponies, right? I'm sure that if we worked together, we could easily make those ponies pay for what they've done. Come on, what do you say?" An orb of orange magic appeared above Tirek's head as he extended his hand through the bars of his cage towards the dusty blue centaur. Asmund looked at the hand before turning his back towards Tirek. "Um, t-that agreement a little too vague for my t-taste." The orb above Tirek's head dissipated. "Well credit where credit is due, I can't tell you how many ponies would have fallen for that." Tirek said as he turned away from Asmund and walked back into the shadows. "W-wait." Asmund said. Tirek stopped and turned back around. The younger centaur had turned back towards him with determination in his eyes. "I'm... I'm willing to make a deal, but I have my own terms." "Fine, present them." Tirek crossed his arms over his strong chest. "O-one: I will only take my revenge on the ponies who attacked me. I don't care what you do, but I-I won't help you with anyone else besides those two. Two: You have too take me with you w-when you escape. Three: After I get revenge on those two ponies, I am not going to h-help you anymore. I'm going out on my own." "Pretty demanding for such a young centaur. What exactly do I get out of this?" Asmund gives it a moments thought. "My... my magic." Tirek took on a look of shock. All centaurs had the potential to absorb magic, but very few actually put the skill into practice, and even fewer bothered to master it. "You're really willing to part with your magic for a chance at revenge?" As much as Asmund hated to admit it, being imprisoned without any other reason besides fear had left him with hate in his heart, so he solemnly nodded to Tirek. "Such an offer is tempting, but I'm not sure." Tirek once again stroked his beard. "How about, i-if your plan fails and I manage to escape, I-I'll... I'll... I'll enact my own plan! So you know that even if you fail, the ponies will still suffer." Tirek thought it over. A plan was only as good as it's plan B after all, and this centaur did leave plenty of grey area in his terms. "Fine, you have a deal." Again, Tirek extended his hand and again Asmund refused. "No, I-I know better than to agree to a magical contract." Tirek lowered his hand and his other clenched around the bars of his cage. "You irk me child. What more could you possibly want?" He growled, causing Asmund to flinch. Asmund looked down at his hand. He quickly brought it up to his mouth before sinking his sharp teeth into his palm. He whimpered in pain as the crimson liquid began to seep out of his new wound. Pulling his hand out of his mouth, he extended it out to Tirek. Tirek pulled his hand back, surprised at the gesture. Blood oaths were sacred amongst centaurs, their version of a "Pinkie Promise". Tirek looked down at his own hand, and quickly bit into it, his own blood staining his teeth and hand. He released it from his maw and grabbed Asmund's hand. As they shook, both of their eyes briefly changed from yellow to green before returning back to yellow. They quickly wiped off their hands on their black furred torsos. "T-There, you will get my m-magic and a back up plan, a-and I'll get my revenge." Asmund said. "Excellent, now all we must do is wait for an opportunity of escape to present it self." Tirek said as he rubbed his hands together. "It's going to be a long wait, isn't it?" Asmund asked as he looked downwards. "No one said it would happened instantly. In the meantime, let's hear this plan of yours, then we'll be able to work out the kinks and make it fool proof." Tirek laid down along with Asmund as they conjured up the perfect plan.