//------------------------------// // Chapter Nineteen—Delights in Twists and Turns // Story: Tirek's Shadow // by LiterarySerenity //------------------------------// Once the shadowy draconequus left, the darkness began to seep across the guestroom walls, and its tendrils branched toward the ceiling and floor. In this way, Twilight and Discord faced a writhing mass of corrupted chaos while a stone labyrinth filled with unknown perils stretched behind them. They had been thrown into a puzzle game of a more serious nature than Twilight could ever have imagined, especially when she had first made the decision to spend quality time with the chaos spirit. “I could try using my magic to alter the chaos, like before.” The princess suggested. “No good.” Discord remarked, cradling Fluttershy’s sleeping form. “It would take too long, and you might only manage to change a comparatively tiny portion before the shadows became overwhelming or cut off our means of exit.” “So we’ll have to go through the labyrinth after all.” “Yes. Looks like there is no getting around that journey, although I do so wish my shadow had chosen a better location.” “What’s wrong with the castle ruins?” Twilight asked, carefully proceeding across the threshold into the hallway beyond while scanning the area. But the corridor itself appeared the same as ever, and she closed the door after them—in the hopes this might delay the progression of the magic in even the smallest way. “Because, my dear Twilight, I feel uncomfortable here to say the least.” Discord explained, walking alongside and examining the ancient architecture as if they might trigger a trap at any moment (which was a real possibility). “Stonework doesn’t suit me, particularly given my past experiences. It is like one massive prison, which might be one reason for its selection. That is why I have always given the place a wide berth. However, the shadow would apparently seek out any opportunity to torment its creator.” “It’s weird, actually.” Twilight threw a glance over her shoulder. The darkness was creeping through the cracks in the doorframe and sweeping outwards. At a walking pace, they could keep ahead of it by many hoof lengths. “I know we need to stay vigilant, and that your shadow probably has some malicious trick planned just ahead, but right now everything is so calm.” “My shadow wants to put us at ease.” Discord stated. “It would be just like me, or him, to catch us off-guard.” “Well, at least these castle ruins are not unfamiliar to me.” Twilight said. “Princess Celestia asked me and our friends to start renovations here a while after the Tree of Harmony produced the chest.” “Oh?” This sounded like news to Discord. “I suppose Celestia assigned the task to you while I was away, as well. In fact, I seemed to have missed a number of surprising events, from what the other ponies have mentioned.” “So, where are they, exactly? You said a dreamscape, but is that—?” In answer, Discord tapped his brow again. “Can you speak to them?” Twilight yearned to know, despite the encroaching danger. “I could interact with them while I was, well, divided.” Discord explained. “Ever since what occurred in the guestroom, however, my consciousness is mostly here—although I can still feel our friends’ presences. They might even understand what is happening right now.” He paused, and mused aloud to no pony in particular. “I wonder what Fluttershy thinks of my dream forest?” Then is when the shadows began to progress faster. Twilight heard them rushing forward like a hissing ocean wave before the pair had reached the end of the corridor. Both Twilight and Discord turned and fled at the same time, although the princess noticed the draconequus ran a bit slower than she could gallop. Twilight recognized the collection of portraits on the wall of the hallway they were about to reach, and she strove to remember where the main hall was from this point. She was sure if they turned left here and went straight, they would reach the chamber where—once upon a time—Twilight and her then newfound friends had transformed Nightmare Moon back into Princess Luna. Twilight’s hooves hit the carpet of the adjoining corridor— And the princess sprang upwards with a noticeable twanging sound. Twilight’s wings went out, but she flailed awkwardly for a moment before Discord used his tail to right her. “Hmm. Rubber.” Discord noted, easing onto the rubber. Even then, he bounced a little. “With pink polka dots along the way.” The corridor had seemed normal while they approached it, yet now that Twilight could see the way had many new and chaotic details. The rubber floor was one. However, there were also polka dots everywhere, bits of what looked like flying candy, and—it hurt her eyes a bit—the walls appeared to bend in on themselves. Although, this could have been an optical illusion. Despite this, the shadows behind were speeding up as in reaction to their hesitation, and from Twilight could tell Discord still couldn’t fly. “Grab ahold.” Twilight said. Discord wrapped his tail about her neck, and they were off. Thankfully, as the princess had discovered once when the draconequus had leapt upon her to escape a giant Tatzlwurm, he was pretty light despite his size—and this fact had failed to change even when drained of most of his magic. The heaviest pony she carried was actually Fluttershy, but a small margin. Yet together, they weighed somewhat more than Spike, even when he stuffed himself with ice cream. Racing through the air, Twilight tried to keep her goal clear. If they could just make it all the way down this hallway and into the main room, the entrance (or exit for them) should be in sight. They just had to get pass the candy, which Twilight could do easily enough, and thanks to her wings they were able to avoid the bouncy floors. It seemed so easy. Too easy. Something about that fact unnerved her. “Remember, Twilight.” Discord said, as if he had guessed her thoughts. “This shadow likes to cheat, and he may have distorted or changed around the usual way out.” “Right. Honestly, I’m kind of surprised your shadow didn’t lose all of his power or disappear once you unveiled him. Ah—!?” “Dodge right.” Discord interrupted, turning Twilight’s wings so she avoided colliding with a section of the rubber floor that suddenly shot up as if to slam the pair against the ceiling. “My shadow is a great imbalance.” The chaos spirit replied, in-between instructions to move left, right, up, and down to avoid additional projecting stones. “He is too powerful to get disempowered in such a way. Our best bet is probably to free TOH somehow, although even then we would need the ladies to activate the Elements.” “I do have a plan involving a part of the Tree of Harmony the shadow didn’t think of touching.” Because, Twilight considered, neither Discord nor herself had taken note of it throughout their investigation of the Tree of Harmony. “There was a second star to the right of the main tree, which Starswirl the Bearded noted in the vision. He told Clover the Clever it was part of the tree, but the magic had left there a long time ago.” “So your plan is to pin all our hopes for survival on imbuing magic into a part so detached from TOH even most ponies who know about the tree have forgotten it?” “Yes.” “How chaotic, my dear Twilight.” Discord sounded impressed, and incredulous. “I didn’t think you would try something that reckless without a backup plan or two.” Twilight was going to shoot back a comment about Discord and recklessness when the hissing noises from the shadows shifted into a peculiar whip-like whooshing—almost like many lassos getting thrown hard through the air at once. She ventured a glance over the shoulder and saw the darkness beginning to spiral around like a vortex, with the tendrils stretching out and growing sharp and thorny as the vines the draconequus had once caused to overrun Ponyville. And deeper in that vortex, flying toward them, Twilight could see the shadow with his glowing yellow eyes. “Focus on the path ahead, Twilight!” Discord shouted, and the princess twisted her head around just in time to narrowly escape from an avalanche of hard candy off to their left. How close they had come to getting buried underneath rattled the princess, admittedly. “If something comes up from behind we need to worry about, I will let you know. Okay? So concentrate on getting us out of here.” “Okay.” Twilight said, allowing Discord to concentrate on the corridor behind them, and instead restricting her attention to all the little distractions and obstacles up ahead. It was easier to go forward in this way, trusting the chaos spirit to keep an eye on matters in the opposite direction, including the shadow still in pursuit. The pair could hear him laughing all the while. At last, they had almost reach the end of the hallway. And just beyond it should be the opening to chamber where the ponies had confronted Nightmare Moon. Then the unexpected happened. The hallway began to bend upwards, forcing Twilight to make a sudden vertical turn, still aiming for the door way. This happened a few times, with the princess having to make sharp turns. The opening even began to close up, yet the princess struggled to put on more speed and sail through at the last minute. Now they should be— In another hallway. “Argh!” Twilight continued along, sweat pouring from her brow. She did recognize this hallway as well. In fact, she had once read about this particular corridor in the journal kept by Princess Celestia and Princess Luna when while growing up in the castle more than a thousand years ago. Disembodied stone pony hooves held burnt out torches along its length. There was also something about the mechanics here, or the secret passages. Secret passages. That was it! “Discord? Do you know anything about secret passages in these ruins?” Twilight asked. “I must confess I don’t, Twilight.” “That’s all I needed to hear.” There was one passage here in particular that, if intact or overlooked by the shadow, might save them. The shadow should only know what Discord did regarding the castle, and one of the main reasons he seemed to have chosen the ruins had been to torture Twilight’s friend just a little more before trying to get rid of them both. But the shadow might not know about one small loophole in his labyrinth game. The stone hoof they needed was around the middle of the hallway. “All right, Twilight. Don’t let this alarm you, but the shadows are closing in behind us.” Discord warned. Twilight could see them beginning to tower over them in a wave out of the corner of her eyes. Furthermore, at the other end of the corridor, she could see shadows sweeping towards them. It seemed the shadow was attempting to catch them between two crushing waves of darkness. The shadow’s laughter grew shriller and louder. It was now or never. Twilight shot ahead, straining to go faster than she ever had before. “Discord.” She gasped out. “Yank down the hoof just ahead of us.” Discord didn’t ask questions. He stretched out, grabbed the hoof, and yanked downwards just as the shadows came crashing in from both directions. The wall Twilight and Discord were against flipped, pushing the pair down a stone slide. In the next, another wall opened in this—much more natural—darkness and sent them spinning onto the stone courtyard outside. For a second, both of them sat there, dirty and disheveled from the drop down, and facing each other in awe. Amazement yet gratefulness filled Twilight since they had actually escaped from the palace. But more incredible still was the expression the princess saw on Discord’s face. He was watching her as Princess Celestia sometimes did whenever Twilight had mastered a difficult spell, and more recently each time Twilight and her friends had taken down a great threat to Equestria. Pride. Then a fresh commotion erupted from within the castle ruins, and a very deep, snarling version of the shadow’s voice echoed throughout the area: “YOU CHEATED!” The top of the castle ruins burst apart in a hailstorm of debris, and a tall dark form snaked out from the top, spreading its great claws and wings. Then the shadow roared, spewing a great burst of green flame into the skies. Against the white and grayish surroundings, he stood out, and now the shadow was scanning the area for them. Twilight and Discord made a dash for the ravine. They were so close. If she could glide down with Discord on her back, they would have a straight shot to the cavern where the Tree of Harmony stood. “I SEE YOU!” The giant shadow raged. Gray and distorted vines sailed up from the otherwise petrified Everfree Forest and started toward them in a tangle. Twilight managed to teleport out of their hold, but she couldn’t go too far. She had strained her magic and herself so hard over this day, and everything was crying out in agony. More vines came shooting to her right. Then claws slashed them to pieces. The shadow cried out in agitation. “What?” Discord asked, looking at Twilight with his lion paw upheld. His claws were large, sharp, and extended. “You didn’t think these were just for show, did you?” If Twilight wasn’t so exhausted, she might have managed a chuckle at this off-beat observation amid the chaos surrounding them. Even so, the cavern lay right ahead. Twilight dived toward it. But the shadows were already there, spreading out to engulf the pair. Twilight should have known the shadow would have figured on trying to use the shadows about the Tree of Harmony to capture them. And now they went shooting into the darkness. *** Twilight awoke laying in the darkness, silent and unable to see any pony. She well-remembered the escape from the castle ruins, and her hopes of reaching the cavern where the Tree of Harmony stood—and also of activating the second star. These were things the alicorn had strove towards with the same faith and determination that had carried her friends and her so far in the past. But this time Twilight had failed. The shadow had cheated using Discord’s reality-altering powers, and he had never planned on giving them the opportunity to win in the first place. He had allowed them to get as far as the cave before plunging them into this place where it was impossible to do anything else. She placed a hoof across her eyes, haunted by such thoughts. There had to be something Twilight had forgotten or could still do. But what? A chime sounded, but Twilight didn’t care to look at that moment. “What’s the matter?” Some pony asked, though since the tone was faint and echoing it might as well have been her own thoughts. In truth, Twilight had this impression. If this darkness was part of a dreamscape of sorts, perhaps she was hearing self-posed questions. So Twilight explained, as best she could, what her day had been like, ending with: “I thought if I could make it to the Tree of Harmony, and get the second star to start working, then perhaps that would help to fix the imbalance and save every pony. But, I failed.” “Oh, my dear Twilight.” A slow, kind chuckle followed. “You have not failed, and you are close to your goal.” “How can I be? The shadow won the game, and he must be stronger than ever now.” “But don’t you remember? You have something the shadow cannot fathom, which is more valuable and powerful than any magic.” This sounded so inspiring, prefixed by the sound of jingling, a thought occurred to Twilight. She dared to remove her hoof and raise her head— To find Discord standing before her, holding a tiny, rounded bell. Twilight saw him for a moment in astonishment, and then smiled. “I found this on the ground.” Discord explained. “It looks sort of familiar, but that’s not important right now, is it?” “No, I suppose not. But I know something that is.” For seeing Discord, and hearing his advice, had reminded Twilight of what was truly important. And in the heat of their struggle, the princess had momentarily forgotten it. But now Twilight did remember, and familiar voices echoed through the darkness: “Don’t give up, Twi!” “Indeed, darling. We’re counting on you.” “Smile, Twilight! Afterwards, I’ll throw the biggest bash ever.” “You can’t let some dumb shadow take you down, Twilight. At least, not before I show you my latest daredevil techniques for the Wonderbolts Air Show.” “Please do your best, Twilight. We believe in you, and Discord too. Stay safe.” “Our friends.” Twilight could sense them close at hoof, even though she was not able to see them. They had been with her through the journey to the cavern, and no force in Equestria could tear them apart. This energy was filling and rejuvenating her. A brightness appeared in the darkness then, in the form of the Tree of Harmony. Tendrils still hung about it, but the star at the center—representing her cutie mark—shone brightly. And further back, she caught sight of another star, laying on the ground. Silently, Twilight and Discord ventured over to it. “Well, here is the second star to the right.” The draconequus said. “Now what?”” “We have to activate it, somehow.” Twilight recalled how Princess Celestia had once opened the star on the Tree of Harmony and removed the Element of Magic from within. And this is what she did now. But as suspected, there was nothing inside. “No Element.” Discord murmured. “Perhaps it was an unwanted growth on TOH’s part after all. The Tree of Harmony does fine by itself.” “That isn’t true, though.” Twilight said. “Starswirl said so in the vision, and it makes sense to me as well. The Tree of Harmony helps to maintain balance in Equestria. The Elements on the tree represent aspects of that order, centered on my Element of magic, which also symbolizes friendship. But there is more to magic than order. For it to work, there must be a balance between different forces. Actually, like you said, it’s all about balance and flow. And we had to return to the original source to save the Everfree Forest, which possesses the opposite kind of magic that balances out Equestria. Yet it’s just as essential and belongs in Harmony just as much.” At this, Discord froze. Twilight could see the draconequus had caught onto the implications of her statement, and what she intended to do—although then he looked down at the star again. “But that would take chaos magic, and as you can see, my shadow has drained that all away.” Discord said. “Unless—” Twilight pulled out the card Discord had given to her, so they might communicate. Wordlessly, the princess stuck the card into the empty space. She could sense that same energy from when she had attempted to open the locked door filling her now, and Twilight touched her horn to card and allowed that rainbow-hued power to radiate throughout the star. Then she thought of the solution to the riddle. “Bring him into Harmony.” The card began to transform, and Twilight caught sight of a strange swirling gemstone that kept shifting its shape before the star closed up and produced a bright purplish glow. There was such warmth coming from the stone, and behind her hooves, she noticed small flowers sprouting and blooming, catching the rays of light. Prism flowers. Twilight could see the dark tendrils on the Tree of Harmony beginning to get tugged into the second star, and she thought she could hear her friends crying out for joy. Then the star hung, as if awaiting for one last vital detail. She turned to Discord, who had a wondrous look on his face. “This is like a dream I had a long time ago.” Discord mused aloud. “It is so familiar.” He came forward and laid a paw on the very center of the star. “Though the memory is starting to come back to me.” “Can you show me?” Twilight asked, drawing close. At last: “Yes. I will.” And a story played in Twilight’s mind, filtered through Discord once more. *** Everything began with the Tree of Harmony, of course, born from the magic in the land that would become Equestria—like the drop of ink splashed upon a blank page. The mystic entity grew from deep in the earth, thriving on the source of its creation until reaching the surface. What light the Tree of Harmony produced filled all who would draw near with great joy and peace, for therein resided the perfect balance between the forceful flow of magic and the guiding shaping of it to benefit the creatures found throughout this realm. However, given shape in such a way, the Tree of Harmony was still quite young, and its influence was weak amid the harsh, dry landscape. For there was little actual magic except that found in the inhabitants’ hearts, but it was from this latter she grew the most. The Elements, like fruits, even appeared on it for the use of those with the appropriate traits to go out and spread its light through the world. Unfortunately, few knew of the tree’s existence. It was largely unknown and might have remained this way for ages. Until a portion of the Tree of Harmony broke off and ventured into the world, which was a flexible magic and the counterpoint to its order. It had to move, and as this magic journeyed forth, it imbued energy into the land, grew the vast tracks of wilderness, and spread powers about based in the Tree of Harmony that would become a valuable part of whoever resided there long enough. It kept the flow of magic moving along through these various actions, making sure it never became stagnant or too concentrated in the hooves of the few like tyrants, and slowly strengthened the Tree of Harmony as a result. However, the farther the free-wheeling magic flew away from the Tree of Harmony, the less it remembered or kept to the task in Equestria. In truth, by the time this magic left Equestria, the land was as rich landscape as any pony could have desired. But the magic was lost, searching for home but continuing to change and develop all the while due to its nature. Still, because it was the counterbalance to the Tree of Harmony, even if it failed to recall that connection, this magic started to assume a peculiar order of its own and identity. And a chaos lord was born.