“That’s intense,” muttered Rainbow Dash.
“That certainly is not what I would have expected,” Kanathara admitted.
“I was a different person back then,” Tirek bitterly remarked.
“You did seem rather over optimistic,” agreed Kanathara.
“Still. You stuck it to the asshole, and got to be the king or prince whatever of the whole country,” Rainbow Dash excitedly announced. “That's pretty damn cool.”
“That may be true, but I hardly even had time to enjoy it before it was taken from me,” seethed Tirek. “As it turns out word travels fast, but not as fast as rumour.”
“This is where Celestia comes in, isn't it?” Kanathara half asked, half stated.
Tirek nodded. “The alicorn moved quickly, spurred on by the rage she felt after having heard that one of her oldest allies was dead at my hands.”
“But he was a tyrant,” Rainbow Dash pointed out in confusion. “How would she think that he was still a good guy after killing families and babies and whatever.”
“Only Scorpan and I knew the truth,” Tirek corrected. “My uncle was many things, but he was not stupid. Tightly controlling the truth and spreading rumours to help muddy the water did a lot to cement him as the only quote unquote reliable source of information in the country. A position he heavily exploited.”
“Fear, cruelty, power. This uncle of yours sounds more like a demon than a mortal,” Kanathara pointed out.
“Oh, he was both things, and he proved twice as difficult to kill the moment he shed his mask and became that,” Tirek exclaimed with a cruel smirk.
“Wait, he went to Tartarus and you fought him again?” Rainbow Dash asked. “That’s metal.”
Tirek nodded. “It certainly was something, that much is certain.” The centaur shook his head. “Regardless, that is a story for another time. Right now we have a different tale to finish first.”
“You so have to tell us that one sometime,” Rainbow Dash interjected. “I mean that showdown was something the first time, but the second time? Now that musta been epic.”
Tirek snorted irritably. “It was far less glamorous than you might think.”
“Regardless…” Kanathara added, the keeper silently guiding the conversation back towards the topic at hand.
“Right.” Tirek took a deep breath and conjured a shadowy image of Celestia, the alicorn girded for battle and wielding a tower shield on one hoof and a bastard sword in the other. “As you already guessed, this is indeed where Celestia comes in. The alicorn arriving in a suitably unpleasant manner.”
Bits of wall exploded, letting in the harsh glare of an angry sun. “Tirek!” boomed a deep female voice.
The centaur grumbled and brushed the bits of rubble that had landed on his robes. “Hello to you too, Celestia. To what do I owe such a rude interruption?” Tirek asked, turning to the alicorn flying several feet off the ground.
Celestia was tall, imposing, and armed to the teeth, her golden armor covering nearly every inch of her body, and leaving her eyes as little more than twin pinpricks of glowing golden light. Tirek knew he should be scared, terrified even, but he had a quartet of guards with him, and the amulet of dominance lay within reach. That knowledge didn't help his guards, who quailed under the alicorn’s gaze but had enough training to at least remain in place.
“You know why I’m here,” barked the alicorn, who landed across the meeting hall. “I’ve come to take you to Equestria to stand trial for murder.”
“You do not even know what happened, and yet you are still willing to hand down judgement? What kind of farical notion of justice do you ponies have?” Tirek shot back.
“I have faced your kind before, deceiver.” Celestia snarled, her weapon levitating before her as she strode forward. “Just as that zebra sorcerer turned my sister against me, you are trying to turn my other allies against me.”
That made Tirek stop and raise an eyebrow. “What exactly are you talking about? I was just trying to bring my uncle to justice for the crimes he's committed and the many lives he's taken. I know nothing of this zebra sorcerer”
“Don't be coy with me, fool!” Celestia bellowed, the alicorn stomping hard enough to make the stone floor crack. “Your own uncle saw this coming and sent a letter mere hours before you slew him in cold blood.”
Tirek growled. “Of course that old demon would have another card to play.” The centaur straightened himself. “Regardless, you must understand that he wasn't the man you went to war with. He has done dark and terrible things all to defend against his perceived enemies.”
“I have heard the rumours you have spread about his so called crimes and so far I have found no evidence to support such hearsay,” Celestia retorted, the armored alicorn stopping halfway across the room.
“Hearsay?” Tirek shouted, the centaur surging to a stand. “I watched him butcher an entire family all because the mother made him a subpar meal. Yeedrick had been a chef in this castle for thirty years, and not once had she ever done anything to earn such suspicion, nevermind murder.”
“Your uncle told me about that. Told me about how you grew jealous after your advances were spurned and how you killed them all in cold blood,” Celestia countered, conjuring a letter which she presented to the centaur. “He chronicled every detail, and informed me of how you might try to twist this against him as he was the only witness to your crimes.”
Tirek stumbled back as if slapped. “Impossible. The bodies were ash. Only his sword, black thorn could do such a thing.”
“If you hadn't stolen it from him in the first place,” Celestia replied, conjuring another letter. “He told me about that too, sent me letters in secret going back over a decade, in case just such a thing were to happen.”
Tirek scoffed. “Preposterous. If he really thought I had done such atrocities, then he would have locked me up ages ago.”
“Unless his love blinded him to your true evil, and was desperate to save you in order to save his bloodline, and what was left of his family,” Celestia countered again. “He confessed to me that you were the closest thing he had left to a son, and told me of how he wanted to redeem you in order to keep his family on the throne.”
Tirek shook his head, noticing that his guards were now looking at him nervously. “Lies, always lies. Thereon lied as easily as he breathed, this much is obvious. Put me under a truth spell, look into my mind, you will find that you have been deceived, not I!”
“There is no such thing as a truth spell, and mind magic would only reveal things from your twisted perspective,” Celestia spat. “Face it, snake. Your uncle was a kind and steadfast ally, one whom spent weeks in the mud and blood, elbow to elbow with his soldiers. Why when the sick tents overflowed he gave up his own tent and gave blood when it was needed of him! Do you really think that is the type of man who would do all these things you accuse him of?”
“Yes!” Tirek shouted. “The war broke him, turned him into a cruel, demented backstabbing demon who killed any who crossed him.”
Celestia shook her head slowly. “You will be brought back to Equestria, where you will stand trial for his murder, after which I will personally oversee your execution.”
“This is a farce! You would string me up on the word of a dead man, with no chance of offering my own defence,” Tirek proclaimed.
“When you stand trial you will have a chance to defend yourself. After we are back in Equestria and away from any potential co-conspirators you may have,” Celestia declared.
The centaur laughed bitterly. “You are not listening to my evidence now, why would I think this trial of yours would be any different? You have already stated that you want me to hang.”
“You will be allowed to defend yourself, of course,” Celestia stated evenly, the alicorn pointing her blade at the centaur. “This trial will happen. The only question is whether or not it will happen posthumously or not.”
“You can't do this,” Tirek declared while gesturing around the room. “Like it or not, I am the king of this land, and I will not be dragged across the country just to satiate your twisted bloodlust!”
“You are no king,” Celestia remarked, the alicorn pulling back her helmet just enough to spit at the centaur’s hooves. “You are just another power-mad lunatic who needs to be put down.”
Tirek didn't have the chance to offer any words to his defence before the alicorn leaped with incredible speed. Forced onto his backfoot before he could even plan his defence, the centaur dipped into his pool of magic and teleported away after grabbing the amulet. From across the room, Tirek watched in horror as the alicorn’s blade reduced his temporary throne into a pile of kindling in a single thrust.
Knowing that he didn't have much time before she turned her attention to him, Tirek hastily donned the amulet, and began to draw on its power. The second he did so Celestia turned on him, her eyes blazing with barely restrained fury. Reacting as quickly as possible, Tirek extended one hand, conjuring a shield, while the other gripped tight about the piece of gold bound to his neck.
The impact of the alicorn’s blade against his shield rattled the centaur’s teeth and nearly broke the barrier entirely. The raw strength and magical ability the pony brought to bear was unlike anything Tirek had ever experienced before in his life. In comparison, his uncle had been strong, but between his amulet and age, that strength had been vastly diminished.
With fear coursing through him, Tirek brought the full weight of the amulet to bear immediately, knowing that any hesitation would spell his end. As the amulet reached out and began to tug at Celestia’s strength, the alicorn brought her blade down repeatedly against Tirek’s shield, hitting the exact same spot every time. Each blow felt like someone was driving a wedge into his brain, making the centaur’s head ache and his body tremble.
This pony was beyond any mere mortal, that much was certain and Tirek hastily abandoned any pretense of fighting in an honorable manner. This was a fight to the death, be it his or hers, though the centaur prayed that would change, and such an eventuality could be avoided. Meanwhile, the amulet’s effects were not unnoticed by the alicorn, whose strikes slowed for a moment as her gaze rested on the artifact.
“Have you no honor?” Celestia balked. “You will find your dark magic has no effect on me, snake!”
Tirek was about to refute the alicorn’s claim, but the stream of strength he thought was coming never arrived, even as the amulet blazed with life. “Impossible!” Tirek declared in shock.
The centaur stumbled back, temporarily caught off guard by his only real weapon being rendered useless. “I have battled demons and monsters for long enough to know how best to defend myself against your tricks,” Celestia replied before rearing back and unleashing a torrent of flame from her blazing horn.
Forced onto the backfoot once again, Tirek conjured a heat impervious shield all around him, regretting the fact that he could do little to truly defend himself. He hardly even had a chance to recover from the flame wave before Celestia’s sword drove itself through his shield, shattering it. Raising his hands above him, Tirek prepared to cast yet another shield in order to block the next sword strike, only for a wave of force to send him flying through the air.
The crunch of breaking bones was accompanied by an eruption of pain from one of his no doubt shattered legs, a plethora of bruises erupting after he slammed back into the ground. Wincing in pain, Tirek forced himself to stand despite the agony he felt coursing through his body, the centaur raising a shield on reflex. A response that saved his life, as the alicorn was on him in moments, her sword slamming into his barrier with enough force to cause a spiderweb of cracks to open up all across it.
“You are better at shield magic than you are at the darker arts,” Celestia quipped as she bashed the pommel of her blade against Tirek’s red wall of force.
Tirek couldn't offer any kind of retort, as it took every last bit of focus just to keep the alicorn from gutting him. A hand gripped the amulet tighter, willing the artifact to work harder and pierce whatever manner of defences the alicorn had raised to keep out its influence.
“You know you cannot win. Surrender and I swear to bring you to the trial unharmed,” Celestia shouted between pommel strikes.
“Your trial is as farcical as your offer for mercy,” Tirek spat. “Just as you did not bring justice to my uncle for the murder of my father so too shall I avoid your so called justice.”
The alicorn paused. “Your father died of an arrow fired by an enemy archer. I saw the blow myself.”
Tirek scowled. “My uncle admitted to the murder with his dying breathe. Whether he did the deed or not, I know he had a hand in his death.”
“Then you are lost,” Celestia whispered before bringing her metal shield down against Tirek’s magical one, shattering the centaur’s defences.
The crunch of bones breaking under the impact was barely audible over the metallic thump of the alicorn’s shield meeting his face. Blood pouring out of his nose, Tirek had little time to concoct a plan before Celestia pulled back her shield and struck him dead. Without an opportunity to even think, the centaur merely reacted in the only way he knew how, by pouring everything he had into the amulet.
Immediately the red glow of the artifact increased tenfold, and though the alicorn seemed unaffected by it, Tirek could feel himself grow stronger. In his staggered state, he knew not where the strength was coming from, but he wasn't about to look a gift horse in the mouth. Throwing some of that newfound strength into another spell, Tirek unleashed a rolling wave of lightning that caused Celestia to stop her attack and hide behind her shield.
Though the spell did little to actually harm the alicorn, it had given Tirek the breathing room he needed to look around and find where this new strength was coming from. The clatter of a fallen weapon drew his attention to his former guards who were now lying on the ground, unable to move. Horrified, Tirek quickly stopped the amulet, focusing it back on Celestia and Celestia alone.
The alicorn noticed the look on her opponent’s face and followed his gaze. “So, the charade has been dropped,” she remarked bitterly. “A pity. I really had thought this may have been a mistake.”
“It is, I didn't mean to. The amulet-” Tirek stuttered.
“Silence, snake!” Celestia bellowed. “You have attacked your own citizens and those who served you honorably. Do not even pretend to have the moral high ground.”
Tirek didn't have time to point out that the guards hadn't served him honorably, considering they hadn't helped defend him, but Tirek could hardly blame them for that. Still, they had given him enough extra strength and power to at least not die immediately, so in the end they had helped him, at least indirectly anyway.
Now on a slightly more even footing with the alicorn, Tirek conjured another shield before throwing a lightning bolt at his opponent. The actual attack did little to slow the pony, who deflected it with a casual flick of her sword, sending it into the wall behind her. The shield lasted only a little bit longer, before Celestia brought her hooves down on it, crushing his defences before launching a lightning bolt of her own.
Tirek had hoped the barrier would last a little longer than it did, and only just barely got out of the way of his opponent’s attack, the bolt of lightning exploding into the wall behind him and causing it to collapse. A glance over his shoulder told Tirek that he was very nearly standing in the sunlight left behind by Celestia’s dramatic entrance but he didn't have long to think about that as she was already on the attack.
A slash here, an offencive bit of magic there, and Tirek was stuck, perpetually giving ground to the more experienced combatant. Always giving ground and trapped without an opportunity to strike back, Tirek found himself on the verge of panicking once more. The alicorn had clearly been holding back, and his amulet was completely useless against his armored opponent. The only potential avenue of gaining ground would be to drain more of the strength from his unconscious guards, but Tirek refused to go down such a path.
As he tried to think of a way out of this situation, he felt the heat of the sun settle on his back, and a second later over his entire body. Then, with a triumphant look in her eye, Celestia lit her horn, and cast an unknown spell, an action that made Tirek throw up a shield on instinct. The attack he thought was coming never arrived though, or at least the one he thought had been on its way.
Heat bloomed across his body, and in a terrifying moment he found himself trapped out in the open, the power of the sun focused like a beam on his defenceless body. He tried to hastily trot backwards, but found the act difficult to accomplish as every inch of his body was lit on fire in the same instant. Pain blossomed from all directions and he found himself unable to see or hear or even sense where he was.
The scream that tore from his throat was drowned out by the intensity of the flames, and Tirek found himself lost in an ocean of agony. Even his newly empowered body could do little to defend against the sun’s wrath, and he quickly found himself on the ground, unable to stand. The second that happened, the sun’s power dissipated, though the heat remained, his flaming body continuing to burn even in the absence of the star’s hatred.
A cool breeze washed over him, causing the pain to fade, but not completely disappear, his sight returning a second later, allowing him to look up at a disappointed Celestia. Her glowing orbs boring into the fallen centaur, her sword ready to pierce his heart, and end him once and for all. “Have you any last words, villain?” Celestia asked.
“History may remember you as the hero and I the villain, but in time you will realize the truth and when you do, you will regret this moment forever more,” Tirek stated tiredly.
Celestia’s features strained, though her blade did not lower. “Even in the face of oblivion, still you lie. Pathetic.”
Tirek would have laughed, but the alicorn’s blade had already plunged forward, piercing the amulet he wore around his neck, as well as his heart. The weapon exploded out of the back of his body, causing a fresh wave of agony to cascade through the centaur. That pain didn't last though, as the crushing weight of his own mortality quickly settled over him, his heart destroyed and his life all but over.
Only for a spark to catch him off guard, his amulet spewing out a sudden stream of red electricity. Shock and confusion was felt by both pony and centaur alike, and Celestia hastily abandoned her weapon before stumbling backward. Tirek could feel his life ebb, and just as he was about to slip away, he noticed that every point of his body that the lightning touched became darker, more twisted in a way.
Even still, it was hard for the dying centaur to care about changes to a body he was seconds from leaving behind and so he quietly resigned himself to oblivion. Until a particularly large bolt of lightning made Celestia’s sword crack, and fall apart, having been split in half straight down the middle. A second after that, and Tirek felt his heart beat, some unnatural force pulling him from death’s doorstep and back into the realm of the living.
Looking up, he expected to find that Celestia had healed him for whatever reason, only for her horn to be unlit, and a horrified expression visible on what little of her face he could see. Looking down, Tirek found that the hole that should have been visible in his chest was now gone, his flesh having miraculously knitted itself back together. The amulet wasn't done yet though, and it continued to throw off red electricity, each bolt sending a jolt of strength through his body.
More than just life, he felt power surge through him, giving him the strength to stumble into a stand, sending Celestia back even further. As Celestia quailed under his shadow, Tirek felt himself grow more powerful still, the centaur rapidly approaching the point he had been at only a minute earlier. Balling his fists, Tirek flexed his arm, feeling the thick corded muscles ripple in response to his intentions.
Celestia shook her head and raised her shield. “I don't know how you disguised yourself as a mortal, but I will send you back to Tartarus, demon!”
Tirek was so confused by the accusation that he didn't even see Celestia’s shield coming until it was an inch away. Then there was only darkness, and the sweet release of unconsciousness.
“And when I awoke, I was trapped within the spire,” Tirek concluded. “My jailor had been set, and a deal struck. She no doubt expected me to perish in Tartarus, but I persevered, spending my time planning for the time when I could return to the mortal world and exact my revenge.” His gaze lingered on Kanathara for a moment. “Or at least, that’s what I thought would happen. Now though? Now I am not so sure what I should do.”
“How can you not be sure about it?” Rainbow Dash scoffed. “She killed you, all on the word of an evil tyrant no less!”
“Yeah, father. This seems pretty cut and dry in my opinion,” Kanathara added.
Tirek shook his head slowly while he looked down upon the slumbering wrath demon. “My uncle had indeed been a good man at one point, and his madness was something he did his best to never reveal. Only I saw him at his worst, and this I found, was by design, and meant to incriminate me rather than himself.”
“Yeah, but he did it,” Rainbow Dash declared.
Tirek snorted. “There were no witnesses, no possible evidence that I could have brought up save for my own testimony which was by then suspect at best.”
“But what about that truth circle that Scorpan talked about?” Kanathara inquired.
“Yeah, that would have totally proved you right,” Rainbow Dash pointed out.
“If it wasn't the only one of its kind. The spell faded by the time Scorpan heard of my defeat and subsequent death,” Tirek explained. “In his haste he hadn't created any back ups, and the wandering mystic that had given it to him had already vanished. Even today truth circles are relatively unreliable, and are basically inadmissible in any real court of law.”
Kanathara frowned. “Still. This seems… wrong.”
“Oh, it was. But I don't think it's a fate that could be avoided,” Tirek remarked tiredly. “My uncle had built a mountain of barely relevant evidence, and compared to my testimony it was far weighteir.”
Rainbow Dash stomped her hoof and snorted. “That doesn't mean you should just resign yourself to defeat. You deserve vengeance!”
“You are young, so I will excuse your outburst,” Tirek muttered, the fear demon turning to Rainbow Dash and forcing her to sit with only the intensity of his gaze. “But you will restrain yourself while in this room.”
Rainbow Dash glanced to Pear Butter only to grumble and sit back down, her mane and tail shrinking as her rage subsided.
“She is right though, father,” Kanathara remarked in a more respectful tone.
“I’ve had nearly two thousand years to consider it, and I can say with confidence that I would have likely done the same. Had I been in her place,” confided Tirek. “One day you will understand that the world is messy and grey. Anyone who says otherwise is just trying to get something out of you.”
Kanathara shook her head. “I know the world is more grey than I realize, but that cannot be true about Celestia. You deserve justice.”
“Justice,” Tirek scoffed. “There is no justice in our first lives, or our second ones for that matter. Revenge too, is a hollow notion. I should know.”
“But-” Rainbow Dash began, only to be cut off by Tirek who raised his hand.
“I know what you are going to say and I don't want to hear it. I am tired, and though I want to tell you about your origin, young Kanathara, I need to sleep as I have not done so in some time,” Tirek muttered sadly.
The keeper of secrets watched as her father wiped his eyes and rested his head on the edge of Pear Butter’s bed, the fear demon looking much older than he had been a few minutes ago.
Rainbow Dash moved to speak again, only for her mistress to shake her head. “Come on, Rainbow. Father needs his rest,” Kanathara quietly remarked.
The vengant grumbled under her breath, but got up anyway. “Fine. But I still don't agree with him.”
“You don't have to,” Kanathara chided, before motioning towards the door.
The vengant gave Tirek one final look before turning and walking away, following close behind her mistress as they slipped out of the room.
Once the door was closed behind them, Kanatahra let out a deep sigh. “I don't think he's truly slept since the attack.”
“Why would you say that?” countered Rainbow Dash.
“Demons barely need to sleep, and he was tired, no, exhausted,” Kanathara replied, as she trotted down the hall, seeking out an empty room.
“Do you think he was waiting for us to come back?” Rainbow Dash asked as they rounded a corner and trotted down a new hall.
“Probably,” Kanathara answered with a slight chuckle. “That would be like him to say he doesn't care, and then stay up for days agonizing over it.”
Rainbow Dash smirked. “I’m pretty sure he only does that over you.”
Kanathara shook her head and peeked into a room only to find it was full of random supplies, and no beds. “I wouldn't say that. I think he's gotten that way about you, Pear Butter and maybe even Pythias.”
The vengant planted a hoof against her forehead. “We should have asked about her! I bet if he's willing to open up about this stuff, that he would finally tell us about how they met.”
Kanathara chuckled. “I doubt that is a very happy story, but I admit I am curious. He never told us how he and Pear Butter met either.”
“Tomorrow we are so asking about all that stuff. We should make a list or something,” Rainbow Dash added as Kanathara peered into another room.
The keeper grinned and pushed open the door the rest of the way, revealing a large bed covered with a white sheet. “Finally. For a while there I thought there weren’t going to be any real beds in this place.”
“Now that would be stupid,” Rainbow Dash added with a smirk.
“Agreed,” Kanathara replied before using her magic to toss aside the sheet as well as the ones that covered the other various pieces of furniture in the room.
Rainbow Dash whistled appreciatively. “Whoowee, these are some fancy digs. You think the boss man was going to use this as his personal room?”
Kanathara glanced across the many very expensive and very beautiful pieces of furniture, as well as the paintings that dotted the walls. “I don't know. But something tells me he isn't about to use it anytime soon,” Kanathara remarked.
“I’m amazed he's comfortable sleeping half on, half off that bed,” Rainbow Dash muttered before jumping into the bed and unleashing an explosion of dust.
Lighting her horn, Kanathara conjured a breeze which dismissed the irritant. “I don't think it's about comfort,” she pointed out.
Rainbow Dash grunted and sprawled out in the bed. “So is all that stuff he said true? I’m not calling the boss a liar, but you gotta admit that some of that dialogue sounded a bit like something you would hear in a play.”
“True,” Kanathara admitted, the keeper slipping into the bed next to her familiar and looking up at the stone ceiling. “Though I think his subconscious bias has changed some minor parts of his story, everything he says sounds true.”
“How could you know though?” Rainbow Dash pressed, turning onto her side and staring down at the keeper. “I mean, the whole point of his story seemed to be that everyone lies.”
“I know because I found a history book that retold the events of that fateful day, though it was a pony who told the tale,” Kanathara answered. “His bias was obvious, but the key features were the same. The only thing that doesn't quite fit is what happened after.”
“What, like how Tirek ended up in Tartarus?” Rainbow Dash asked.
Kanathara shook her head. “No. A year after it all happened someone put up a statue of Tirek’s uncle, but Celestia personally destroyed it, claiming that the past was better off buried. It’s one reason there are so few statues nowadays. Or so the book claimed anyway.”
“Huh.” Rainbow Dash shrugged. “So, other than that, how do we know that he didn't do all that stuff that he said his uncle did?”
Kanathara gritted her teeth. “I just know.”
“How though?” Rainbow Dash pressed. “I know evidence is like not a thing we could go get. Not at this point, but you seem so certain.”
“I’ve never seen father cry. Not once. Until today,” Kanatahara whispered, the keeper of secrets imagining the fear demon’s tear-strewn face which she had glimpsed for but a moment.
“Woah, that’s intense,” Rainbow Dash muttered, flopping onto her back. “So what do we do now?”
“I don't know,” Kanathara admitted. “We’re stuck on this plane for a while and are potentially being hunted by two different groups for unknown reasons so it’s not like we can really do much.”
Rainbow Dash pouted and joined her mistress in staring at the ceiling aimlessly. “You wanna read a book and cuddle or something?”
“Gods yes.”