Tirek's Shadow

by LiterarySerenity


Chapter Eighteen—Reverses Chaos and Begins a Race

“You bring him into Harmony, of course.”

Discord heard Twilight speak these words, which jingled through his head and accompanied the fading strains of the lullaby Fluttershy sang. The chaos spirit recognized the answer for what it was, in response to the riddle Tirek had posed to them earlier. It sounded too simple, echoing out in the open, but something deep inside told Discord this was the right answer—and the implications of that resounded just as Applejack’s comment had only moments before.

These ponies.

Then there was the click of a door opening.

“Aw.” Pinkie Pie said at that point, apparently not having heard the solution or being aware of the events beyond the dreamscape. “He’s so happy, he’s speechless!”

“Twilight unlocked the door.” Discord said, closing his eyes and trying to concentrate on what was happening with his other self. This he had largely avoided doing due to the lack of control, and the intimidation of what he might see or find.

Indeed, even now it was like becoming an observer in some odd story featuring himself. Meanwhile, his other friends chose to remain quiet and allow the draconequus ample opportunity to listen without interruption. Yet he could sense them close by, and that proximity helped a great deal.

The guestroom Twilight had given to Discord was spacy yet empty, without any color except for a smooth white uniformity. There were no chairs or furniture of any kind, pictures hanging on the wall, carpets, or anything else besides the single occupant who sat hunched in depression in the far corner. But the moment the door opened, this husk of a chaos spirit ventured a peek over his shoulder, though it was from the corner of one eye.
Discord could hear a slow, gentle melody playing when Twilight took her first steps into the room. Although, all that the gray version of himself noticed was the rainbow-hued aura encircling her form. The princess wore a calm smile, and stars sparkled in her gaze. The draconequus—from both sides—wondered if Twilight was aware of these occurrences. Her attention seemed more focused on him, though.

“Discord, I solved the riddle.” Twilight said, coming slowly closer. “And we’ve come to set you free.”

“No matter what I do, it does not change what I am.” The gray Discord murmured. “No matter how you treat me, I will remain a spirit of chaos and disharmony. Are you truly fine with having a creature who represents the opposite of peace and cooperation around to ruin things time and again?”

“Who you are is different from what you are, Discord.” Fluttershy glided to the floor. “I’m a pegasus, but that isn’t who I am.”

“Of course not.” The gray Discord returned. “You are a compassionate pony who has a knack for communicating with animals and caring for their needs.”

“You’re kind, too.” Fluttershy said.

“That isn’t true.”

“Yes, it is. You’ve taken so much on yourself, especially over the past week, so as not to cause trouble for our friends. You fought Tirek to protect us.” The pegasus looked so happy then, the gray Discord turned his whole head to face her in outright awe. “That takes a lot of compassion.”

“But I keep hurting every pony, especially you.” The gray Discord protested. “I could never promise to not do it again.”

“You couldn’t.”

The abrupt answer surprised both Discords, and Fluttershy pressed on:

“No pony could promise to be perfect, even to her friends.” Fluttershy said, gaining a certain wistfulness. “A while back, I went to a seminar to learn how to become more assertive. But the techniques learned from there turned me into some pony I didn’t care for at all. I even hurt my friend’s feelings, badly, and shut myself up to keep every pony safe.” She sighed a little sadly, recalling the event. Then she met Discord’s gaze and held it. “But my friends came and made me realize I couldn’t live like that. I just had to be myself, admit when I was wrong, and try to be the best pony I could be—because a true friend will always forgive you for mistakes like that.”
Discord found it hard to imagine Fluttershy hurting any pony, yet she had explained the situation with such emotion he knew her tale must be true.

“I’ve also struggled a lot with who I am, and my role in Equestria.” Twilight said. “Thanks to all my friends, I became the Princess of Friendship, but there is always more to learn. Come with us to the Tree of Harmony.” She extended a hoof. “We’ll find out who are you are together.”

For a long time, Discord wondered if his other self would refuse. There was still some doubt and fear (on both sides), even then. But perhaps this was normal. It just depended on what the draconequus chose to do with that knowledge.

Then, thankfully, the reversed Discord carefully turned around and reached out for Twilight’s proffered hoof with Fluttershy watching—hope was swelling within him.

But that was when the shadow appeared, spiraling through the open doorway in a fog, passing through Fluttershy in half a second.

Twilight started aback, and time slowed down as the glow faded from Flutterhy’s eyes, her smile fell, and she fainted.

Discord and his other half cried out in alarm.

The gray Discord rushed forward.

Discord reached out for Fluttershy—


And Discord caught his friend in that guestroom, cradling her small warm body in his arms.

He dropped to his knees, with head bowed over the kind pegasus.

***

Tirek’s laughter echoed through the room, and the centaur took form on the blank wall. Twilight stood in front of Discord, who was hugging Fluttershy and had his face pressed against her pink mane. He had fallen like a puppet whose strings have been cut, and the princess could only begin to wonder the draconequus was thinking now, if anything.

“At last, I’ve claimed the Element of Kindness. There is only the Element of Magic left now.” Tirek was triumphant. “How does it feel, Discord? To have your friends taken away one-by-one, while being reduced to nothing in the meantime thanks to your magic?”

“You have some nerve.”

A cacophony of bizarre noises drew Twilight’s attention back to her friends, in part because she recognized them as the same sounds she had heard while at the Tree of Harmony yesterday.

Discord had lifted his head, and Twilight couldn’t help gasping in amazement.

For Discord’s eyes were their usual bright yellow, with red irises—though now narrowed at Tirek. And Twilight knew, instinctively, that a portion of the chaos spirit she knew had returned.


“You dare to toy around with my friends for your own amusement.” Discord said, reaching his feet. He did this quietly, yet Twilight could sense anger pulsing behind every word. “Nothing gives you more pleasure than messing with their minds and hearts, out of a petty need for vengeance or self-satisfaction. You use chaos to cause mayhem and tear ponies apart. Just who do you think you are?”

“I am no better than you.” Tirek sneered.

Realization dawned on the draconequus then. Twilight could tell by the way his eyes suddenly widened, and his brows shot up.

“You’re right.” Discord said, and Twilight followed his glance to the floor—which lacked something the pony realized at once held the key to this mystery. “You are no better than me.”

Tirek paused in his mirth.

“Because you are me.” The chaos spirit declared. “At least, you are my shadow and no pony else’s.”


The shadow quivered, and the centaur’s shape grew distorted. It stretched out like a rubber band. The horns went from curved and symmetrical to straight and mismatched. In the end, a serpentine shadow with glowing yellow eyes glared at them.

“You figured it out at last, Discord.” The shadow creature hissed. “It took you long enough.”

“Well, when you spend over a week getting plagued each night by insulting shadows while suffering from an existential crisis, it becomes a bit harder to get your mind in order. Wouldn’t you say so, Twilight?” His smirk was so characteristic to how the draconequus usually acted, Twilight could only return it with a grateful head nod. She truly had missed it, despite everything. “At least I have some ponies to reassert that order when I become my own worst enemy, and they are always quite close.” He tapped the side of his forehead with one talon, which the princess took to mean their friends still locked in the dreamscape.

“We’ve revealed your identity, and Discord is back.” Twilight stated. “So give up now.”

“Oh, really, Princess Twilight!” The shadow said. “You forget that even if his consciousness has returned, the other elements are still gone and the balance of power is in my favor.” He whisked about the room, leaving a smoky trail in his wake. “I may have begun as a manifestation of your weak friend’s deepest fears, yet now I am quite above all that. Discord has little magic remaining, and you, my dear, are still too inexperienced in chaos to be much of a match for me. It took you several minutes just to unlock a door. I could annihilate both of you right now.”

“But you won’t.” Twilight shot back.

“And why not, my little pony?” The shadow draconequus drifted down until he was face-to-face with the princess. However, Twilight refused to flinch.

“Because it would be no fun just to get rid of us.” Twilight responded. “Your game would end too easily.”

“Very good.” The shadow said. “It seems you’ve learned something after all. Well then, how about we enter the final round of our little game? Your goal is to find your way out of the castle to your precious Tree of Harmony before my magic imprisons the two of you forever, when I can then continue to drain the magic from this land until Ponyville and all of Equestria suffers.” He motioned to a dark speck on the wall of the guestroom, from the corner where they had found the gray Discord. This was starting to bubble and spread, at a much faster rate than the dark tendrils around the locked door had.

That might not be too bad. Twilight was still relatively new to her palace, but she knew a few ways to get out without a problem.

“Oh, yes. One more thing.” This villain said, as if it were an afterthought. He snapped his fingers and everything shook. It sounded like some great stone monolith was shifting, while Twilight and Discord huddled together for support until they stopped jerking around so much. An odd musty smell pervaded the room, and Twilight could see corroded and moss-covered stone walls outside the door.

She had only seen these types of settings, and taken in this fragrance of decay in one place.

“Welcome to the castle ruins, with a few modifications for my enjoyment.” The shadow disappeared, beginning from the tail up to his razor-sharp white teeth. “Have a good time.”