Twilight slowly trotted down the stairs, taking her time. Each step stretched out sore muscles, but she didn’t mind too much. It felt good to be moving again. To feel like she was okay. Or, at least, better. The spear and the infection had done a nasty bit of work on her, she was just thankful she COULD still move.
She made it to the bottom of the steps and her eyes fell on Tirek. Then, slowly, they moved to the right where Queen Chrysalis was sleeping on her bed, bound in thick, metal chains and a collar. To her surprise, she didn’t see Iron Will. She wondered if he wasn’t considered a big enough threat for these cells? She gulped and looked back to the centaur. “So… errr… Hello, Tirek. How have you been?”
“Good, for the most part. I do wish you had moved that wind bag somewhere else, however. She will not cease her endless prattling when she is awake.”
“I’m sorry,” Twilight said sheepishly. “I’m sure--”
“That you’ll ask her HER life story as well? Perhaps you can supply her with your famous lists of ‘tropes’? I’m sure she has oh so many methods of corruption she would enjoy to try on you,” Tirek said with a roll of his eyes. “But do be careful. She really won’t cease her prattling.”
Twilight nodded, eyeing him for a few more moments. Finally she sighed. “Tirek...”
“Yes?”
“… Nightmare Moon made me that offer you’d been hinting at.”
“Oh?” he asked. “I hint at a lot of things. You’ll need to be more specific.”
“… She offered to make me an alicorn.”
The centaur snickered, his eyes moving towards her side. “Oh? I see. And when does the ceremony begin? Shall I be required to bring a gift?” he mocked. “I’m afraid I don’t have much to offer you. Perhaps one of my trained spiders?”
“… I turned her down.”
“… Pardon me?”
“I turned her down. I just… I couldn’t. There were so many reasons, but… I just...”
“What?”
“I’m scared she won’t take no for an answer. And so. I...” She sat down and lowered her head. “I just...”
Tirek cocked his head to the side, eyeing her for the longest time. Finally, he sighed. “I… see. Perhaps I was wrong about you, after all. It seems not all ponies welcome power. Some are just fools,” he said with a shake of his head.
Twilight snorted. “Yeah, sometimes I feel that way.”
“So, why did you come here?”
“… I don’t know, honestly. I just… felt bad, I guess. I know you’ve been trapped here and… I almost died. And… I just… sometimes wonder if its worth it.”
“The moon has begun its voyage across the sky, no?” Tirek asked, reaching out to grip the book he had been given by her. “I take it that you had no small part in that.”
“… I mean… you’ve heard of that?”
“Quite. It has been the talk of the castle. Since my arrival here, I have seen quite a few things I… did not expect.”
Twilight blinked a few times, her eyes moving to the book he now held. “So… did you read it?”
“Yes, I did. It is… fair enough, I suppose. A bit more flowery than I expected,” he said flatly, before holding it out to her. She nodded, taking it back. “But I have no objections.”
She nodded, smiling and holding the book. “Thank you.”
He snorted for a moment, before he eyed her. Finally, he spoke up. “Do all of you ponies fear being strong so much?”
“Oh, gosh no,” she said with a laugh, shaking her head. “There are a ton of ponies who would have jumped at the idea of being an alicorn. If things were different? I might have, as well. But… well...”
“But?”
“I’ve seen what power can do to a pony. I’ve seen what its done to Luna. And then what happens? I would like to believe I would only use such great power for good. That I would be able to resist the temptation to pursue my own, selfish goals. But I don’t. What good is it to have power, if I use it to hurt others?”
“With great power you can rule,” he said with a laugh. “You could stop Nightmare Moon, you could--”
“Why would I want to rule?”
He blinked. “Why… would you not?”
“Look at Nightmare Moon. Just… look at her. Why would I want to rule like that? What benefit is there to ruling?”
Tirek frowned. “You can do as you please, without fear of any repercussions.”
“Really?” she asked, flatly. “Do you think Nightmare Moon doesn’t fear the repercussions? If she didn’t, she wouldn’t have me as an adviser. She’s powerful. Incredibly powerful. And there’s nothing we can do about it. And so, so many ponies HATE her. She has all the power she could ever want, and yet… look at her. Half the time she’s furious. Somepony says the wrong word. All she feels is repercussions for the things she does and it makes her live on the knife’s edge. Eventually she snaps and then… then she does terrible things. And then she gets a fallout from that and and she tries again and its just an endless cycle...”
He snorted. “Yes, because she cares. It’s useless.”
“And what would you do?” Twilight asked.
“If I was to rule, why I would do whatever I desired.”
“And what was it you could do as a ruler, that you couldn’t do before you attacked ponies?” she asked.
“Excuse me?”
“What was it you couldn’t do? What was it you needed to absorb magic for? Was there a great spell?”
“… No...”
“Then what? What purpose was there to having all that ‘power’?”
Tirek frowned. “Then nothing could stand in my way.”
“What was in your way? WHAT was controlling you? What did you NEED that power for? To overthrow your father? Then what?” she asked, glaring at him. “Were you going to protect others? Take over kingdoms? Why? Or is that it? Did you want to rule, solely for the fact that you could say ‘I rule these areas’? To have power for nothing more than the sake of saying ‘I have power’? Why?”
Tirek’s mouth fell open. Finally, his gaze shifted. To her surprise, he was looking away from her, towards her book. “… Yes. And as much as I am… loathe to admit it. Perhaps… I was wrong.”
Twilight’s eyes widened. “What? Really?”
“Yes. I have watched… and you are right. There is power in your ruler. There is power in your kingdom. And yet, Nightmare Moon is not happy. She rules all before her and… and she is miserable. She places rules on herself, forces others to kneel before her. But it doesn’t bring her what she desires, does it?”
The earth pony stared at him, her eyes wide. “No, it doesn’t. I… you… understand?”
“I am not blind,” he said flatly. “I admit, I desire power. To destroy and rule. But… I… can acknowledge that there is little I can gain from it. I was a prince in my homeland… and… were it not for my ambition… perhaps I would have enjoyed my life there, eventually. Instead, I longed to rule. To overthrow my father. To have a kingdom of my own, glorious and powerful. But...” His gaze shifted towards a small box, a few scant crumbs of chocolate inside. “I’ve seen different things, here. Things you cannot see when you are powerful. When you rule. When you force everything to bend to your will… regardless of the consequences.”
Twilight stared, a hoof moving to her mouth. “Oh, Tirek...” she whispered.
The centaur was quiet for a long, long time, staring at the box. Finally, he closed his eyes. “And though it pains me to say… Though you are obnoxious, annoying and, frankly, the most mentally damaged creature I have ever met, I… was… quite saddened to hear you had gotten hurt. And… I am… quite pleased that you are better.”
The earth pony snickered, before sighing. “I… believe you.”
“Oh? Are you sure? I could be trying to manipulate you and twist you again. Perhaps this is just another means for me to gain your trust and turn you to my side.”
“Maybe. But… you know what? Sometimes you just have to trust your friends,” she said, smiling up at him. “Besides… you’ve been locked away for a long time. Far too long. And I… I really do wish I could free you...” she mumbled.
Tirek sighed and closed his eyes. “… And I wish I could free you,” he mumbled. He then slowly reached up to his neck, taking a small, golden triangle amulet off it. He stared at it for the longest time, before turning to her and offering it. “Here.”
“What? What’s this?” she asked, reaching a hoof and taking the golden amulet. “It’s… beautiful.”
“… It’s a gift.”
“A gift?”
“Yes. It was something that held no value to me, once… but...” He sighed and closed his eyes. “It used to belong to someone who… I think he would have liked you. And I think I’m beginning to understand why.”
Twilight couldn’t help but smile, slowly sliding the amulet up and around her neck. “Thank you. I’ll treasure it, always.”
“Just don’t let your ruler see it,” he said flatly.
“… Fair. She might try to destroy it. Thank you, Tirek.”
“Now go. I, like my… unwanted guest, need my rest. Welcome back to the castle, young pony.”
She nodded and turned, trotting up the steps. He watched her go and then, slowly, began to grin once she was out of sight. “Oh ponies… you really are so easily manipulated, aren’t you?” he asked, before laying down on his cot. “As if one ever needs more than power...”