I stare at the wide expanse of sky, tears falling down my face. I know now that it was worth it, the joy of friendship, was worth the eons of agony I have endured. But why must I wander this endless landscape, forever alone, never to find another life?
I run a claw across my seat. I smile sadly as I brush away the ash to read the words I know lie underneath. Home is where the heart is. She was the one who put those on there, that wonderful little pegasus. She put that there for me, to let me know she would always welcome me.
Where can she welcome me now? She is gone, and I can do nothing to reach her. Immortality is not a blessing, but a curse, and I was given that curse. I hated it, staying the same while those around me faded one after another. I gave in eventually, to the voices. They whispered to me, offering me anything I could dream of. I took their offer, and took Equestria. I forsook friendship, and instead took power and wealth.
I was defeated more than once, but I kept trying. Those voices, they kept whispering to me, freeing me and threatening me, giving strength, pulling me deeper into their net. It took a friend to free me, to pull me from that web of darkness and evil. She pulled me away from them, breaking their hold on me.
I never expected them to come back, the voices. They returned that fateful day, with all the forces of Tartarus at their beck and call. I ran from them, and they let me run. I believe that they wanted it to be this way, for me to have the pain of guilt and shame weighing down on me for years. They wanted me to pay for forsaking them, to pay for abandoning them. They wished not for death, but for victory. Maybe that is what made them so formidable. They looked past simply killing, past death, and sought something worse for their foes.
I stand slowly, my arms hanging limply. Will I ever see my friends again? I sigh, letting out a breath I did not know I was holding. My friends showed me the light; they brought me out of the darkness, out of bondage, and saved me from evil. What they did for me cannot be repaid, no matter how hard I try.
I stare into the distance, my gaze wandering the land. Where did the land end and the sky begin? That is something that I do not know. The land is as barren as the sky; the land is nothing but rubble and wreckage, an empty battlefield. The world was a battleground that day; the land a battlefield, the water a sea of blood, and the sky a black void.
I turn my gaze back to the plaque of Fluttershy’s. “Home is where the heart is,” I murmur softly. Where is my heart? Where is my home? That is something I do not know anymore. I do not even know if I even have a heart anymore. Agony wears away at ones heart, and I have suffered more than any soul.
The world was never meant to be eternal, I know that now. Why it came to be is not something I can know. I care not if it was a created out of nowhere or if it had some greater purpose, all I care is that it is over and I am lost on what is left. The end came and passed, leaving behind an empty shell.
I turn away from the plaque towards the north. What lies beyond those mountains? An ending? The end of all things? I know not, nor can I pass them, for I have tried, and the living cannot pass them. A barrier lies erected on those mountains, a wall to stop those who do not belong there. I sigh and turn towards the plaque once more. “My heart is where you are my friends. There also lies my home.”
“Friends. You are a fool, Discord.” I hear the voice behind me, and I know the voice like my own. It seems I was wrong in my belief that all life had vanished, but the life that still remains is not the kind I would seek. I turn around to see Tirek, his size larger than when I had last seen him.
“Since when have I been a fool?” I ask quietly. I have no strength to fight Tirek, and I would not do so even if I could. I truly pity him, for I have something to hold onto, but what does he have? Nothing. He is truly alone, and I pity him for that fact.
“Since you made friends. I have told you before that friendship is another form of imprisonment, but you would not listen. I could not even befriend you, for even that is a form of imprisonment. You betrayed yourself when you befriended those ponies, and you did the same by joining me. You are nothing but a turncoat and a traitor.”
I shake my head sadly. “That may be, but you are the one who is the fool. Friendship is not imprisonment, but freedom. I have my friends waiting for me should I pass on. Who is waiting for you?”
“My allies and warriors. I took them from you, your friends, didn’t I? You must hate me for that. I expect your rage is like an inferno wishing to consume me. That will make me all the stronger.”
I wave my paw around the empty landscape. “What is it worth to you, to have power? There is nothing here for either of us. Nothing. There is no inferno, no fire. Why do you want power? There is no use for it here.” I find myself shouting at the centaur in my frustration. “There is nothing here but pain and anguish. You may see yourself as ruler of this land, but there is nothing to rule. The land is gone, and so are those you fought for.”
The centaur snarls, his arms seeming to pulse with anger. “I am ruler here! I am king of this land, and none shall take it from me. I have magic, magic greater than yours, the magic of all the land. You think that defiance will get you anywhere with me, Lord Tirek, ruler of this land?”
“No. It will not get me anywhere, but it will get you nowhere as well. You are ruler of nothing. This land is gone, consumed, destroyed. Why do you want this land? It is a wasteland.” I stand up straight, my eyes blazing with anger. “You are a fool Tirek. What awaits you after death? Joy? Peace? Happiness? When have you ever found joy in others? When?”
Tirek growls in anger. I wait for the inevitable blow, the attack that will end it for me. The centaur opens his mouth, that void, and I feel my magic leaving me. I welcome it. There are many things I have experienced, but death is not one. As it leaves me, I feel another sensation, one that I have not felt in a long time: peace. As I collapse on the ground, as my vision fades, I see Tirek growing in size, his eyes glowing with triumph. I care not. Let him have it. I have no need for it where I am going.
When my eyes open I smile. I know where I am. As I stand and brush myself off I gaze around the familiar cottage. Animals fill the room, their little snouts and noses nosing around. I look around for that face I long to see, but I do not see it. It does not matter. As I walk out of the cottage I gaze at my surroundings. That wonderful little cake shop, the library, the schoolhouse, just a few of the places that I remember. Spike waves to me as I pass by the library, a book clutched in his claw.
Tears well in my eyes as I stare at the wonderful surroundings. I have never been happier. A rainbow streak passes over my head and I follow it. When I reach the end of the path I smile. There at the bottom of the hill those six are sitting, their pets having their weekly playdate. I grin and wave, and they smile back. As I run down the hill to join them I smile. I am home. And home is where the heart is.