Twilight’s fight with Tirek was going nowhere.
Tirek’s strength and spells countered, if not matched her own. And while she held a great agility advantage, what with her wings, his stamina countered it out greatly. If only there was a way to stop this madness!
“It seems we are at an impasse.” Tirek declared as he glared down at Twilight, who in turn glared back at him. “How ‘bout a trade, Princess Twilight.” Tirek snapped his fingers, causing multiple flashes of light that signalled teleportation. What now appeared in front of Twilight was all of her friends in bubbles. Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Spike, and even Discord floated above and around Tirek in bubbles. “Their release, for all the alicorn magic in Equestria.”
Twilight gasped in shock. All of her friends started to object, except for Discord, who was hunched over with a look of resignation and despair floated solemnly.
“What’s it going to be, Princess?” Tirek asked. Immediately after, Twilight’s friends all started conversing, all while still saying ‘Don’t do it, Twi!’ to their friend. “Enough!” Shouted Tirek with a stomp of his front hooves. “I want an answer, and I want it now!”
Twilight looked on at all of her friends for a moment longer before saying, “I will give you my magic. In exchange for my friends.”
“As you wish.” Tirek mocked as he snapped his fingers, releasing all but Discord from their bubbly prisons.
“All of my friends.” Twilight demanded, glaring at Tirek.
“After the way he has betrayed you, you still call him a friend?” Tirek questioned.
“Release him!” Twilight demanded once more.
“If that’s what you want.” Tirek said with venom in his voice as he snapped his fingers once more, releasing the draconequus from his prison.
“Thank you, Twilight.” Discord said, then turned to look at his friend Fluttershy. “I’m sorry.”
“I know…” Fluttershy responded.
“Your turn.” Tirek declared with a dark glee as he ripped the alicorn magic from Twilight’s body. His body began reacting afterwards, growing huge in size and power. When his transformation was complete, he wandered off to wreak havoc on his new ‘playground’.
“Twilight! What were you thinking?” Spike yelled as he ran up to Twilight and gave her a small hug.
“Tirek tricked me into believing that he could offer me something more valuable than friendship.” The well voiced draconequus stated as he began to explain himself. “But there is nothing worth more. I see that now. He lied when he said that this medallion was given as a sign of gratitude and loyalty. But when I say that it is a sign of our true friendship, I am telling the truth.” Discord then took the gold medallion that Tirek had given him off of his neck, only to drape it over Twilight’s own. The medallion shimmered a rainbow colored light for a second.
“Ya think that might be the last one we need?” Applejack spoke up.
“We have to get to the chest.” Twilight stated. She then ran off in the direction of the Tree of Harmony, her friends in tow.
When the group got to the chest, they all huddled around the mystery box presented to them by the Tree of Harmony that currently had five keys in it. Twilight took off the medallion and placed it close to the mystery box, only for some unseen force to take it out of her hoof and turn it into a key before placing it in its proper keyhole. Outside, Tirek stormed about, destroying all that he wished.
“Together! I think we all have to do this, together.” Twilight said.
The group walked up to the box, all putting hooves on their separate keys and turning them as one. With a jolt and a flash of rainbow light, the box popped open to reveal…
A charm. A charm in the shape of a strange sword.
“What in tarnation?” Applejack said. “What are we supposed to do with this little thing?”
“I’m with Applejack on this one.” Rainbow Dash stated, voicing her unhappiness. “I mean, what is this supposed to do? Annoy Tirek into giving back all of the magic while we relentlessly poke him in the ankles?”
“I don’t know, deary.” Rarity said with a sort of disgusted curiosity. “Maybe it’s supposed to be a sign of something. Like, maybe we should craft a fabulous sword… or something.”
“Um, girls?” Fluttershy said, timidly.
“Oh! I know!” Pinkie Pie blurted out. “Maybe Dashie’s right! Maybe we need to poke Tirek in his meanie mean pants a lot until he gives up! Then we can teach him about friendship, and cupcakes, and parties. Oh! I love parties!” Pinkie Pie continued on like this for a while.
Eventually Twilight snapped. “Enough!” She screamed. “I don’t know what this thing is supposed to be, I don’t know why it’s in the box, and I could care less right now! Right now we need to figure out how to beat Tirek, and if the box won’t help us, we’ll need to do it on our own!”
“But Twilight! Look!” Fluttershy said as she pointed to the Tree of Harmony, causing the group to look.
The Tree of Harmony was glowing brightly in different colors on each branch. Those colors bled down to the center of the tree where they converged on the Element of Magic. The colors swirled around the gem, then bled down further to where Celestia and Luna’s cutie marks were chiseled into the tree made of crystal. The area around the cutie marks lit up, and obvious outline appearing around them. All of a sudden, the the Tree of Harmony flashed an intense light. When it faded, the Tree had stopped glowing different colors and a new slot appeared on the Tree, right in between Celestia and Luna’s carved in marks. The shape seemed oddly familiar to the six ponies, dragon, and draconequus that stood in the cave containing the Tree of Harmony.
“I think it wants us to put the little thing in that there slot.” Applejack said.
“Well, it’s not like we have any other options.” Twilight said with a sigh. She levitated the charm out of the box and placed it into the sword shaped slot on the Tree.
There was another flash of light as the slot accepted the strange sword charm into it. Right afterwards, bits of crystal started to protrude from the tree around the charm, forming into digits of some sort. They extended outwards, with more crystal emerging, the palm of what appeared to be a hand pushing the sword out of it’s slot and the digits curling around and gripping it tightly as it continued to protrude out. More crystal pushed out from the Tree of Harmony, now forming an arm… part of a torso… another arm and hand… legs and strange feet… a strange, monkey-like head. At last, a being of crystal stood before them. It stood still for a moment longer as more crystal emerged from the tree, wrapping around the creature’s and forming what appeared to be simple clothing.
“Um, hello? A-are you-” Twilight tried to say as another flash of light occurred, this time centered around the being.
When the light settled, no longer stood a crystalline being made from the same gem as the Tree of Harmony. No, now stood a fleshy, light skinned being with dark brown hair and equally dark brown eyes. The being was not the only thing to have changed, however. The charm it once held had changed into a massive sword that might have reached up to the being’s broad shoulders from tip to pommel.
“H-hello?” Twilight said timidly to the fleshy creature before her. She was experiencing true fear now, not like the fear of screwing up earlier, or of Tirek. Now she felt true fear, xenophobia, the fear of the unknown. This being could be friend or foe, and it was armed. The look in its eyes betrayed no emotion, save anger as it glared forward….
At Discord.
“You.” Came a deep voice from the being. “You solidified my body in crystallized mana, you psychopathic freak of nature!” The being strode up to Discord, raising the sword in its arm in preparation to strike.
“Don’t hurt him!” Fluttershy yelled at the creature and ran to get in the way, only stopping when she was directly in between the creature and Discord. “I don’t care what he did to you in the past, he’s a different person now!”
“Move aside, pony. I know you mean well, but he’s had this a long time coming.” The creature said menacingly, not lowering the sword. “I will not stand aside as he walks this planet without getting the punishment he deserves.”
“No! I said I-” Fluttershy started to say, only to get silenced by a paw from Discord.
“It’s alright, Fluttershy. He’s right, I have this coming to me.” Discord said in acceptance as he moved Fluttershy to the side. “Do with me what you will, but please, do not harm my friends.” Discord closed his eyes and held his arms out wide, preparing himself for whatever abuse this being had in mind for him.
But it never came. Instead, Discord opened an eye to see the tip of the strange sword in his face, but not moving.
“I-I don’t under-”
“Don’t. You don’t need to understand.” The being said. “I know what you did to me, and I know how you were. You were correct pony, he is different. He even remembered me after all these years and accepted what’s coming to him. It looks like someone already gave it to you, however. And if my guess is any bit right, my hunch is that my release from the crystal tree that grew from my ‘tomb’ involves whoever did it. Tell me, who did this?”
“T-t-tirek.” Came the meek reply from Fluttershy.
“Yeah! He’s a real meanie pants!” Said Pinkie Pie.
“Pinkie! How are you not scared?” Rainbow Dash asked.
“Well, remember my little Giggle at the Ghosties thing?”
“Yeah? What’s that got to do with this?” Rainbow Dash asked in reply.
“Absolutely nothing!” Pinkie Pie said as her happy ‘mask’ broke down. “I’m absolutely terrified right now. I even peed myself.” Everyone in the immediate area of her backed away slightly.
“Ew.” Came the being’s voice. “In any case, thank you for telling me who deserves Discord’s punishment, instead, and I can see where they are. Tirek, you cheeky bastard, while I may not be at full strength right now, I know I can take you. Thank you ponies, drake, and Discord. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have a centaur to kill. I suggest you stay here unless you want to be caught in the blows.”
“W-wait!” Came a yell from Twilight. But it was too late, the being had run off into the forest to go fight Tirek. She attempted to give chase, but was stopped by Discord. “Let me go! I have more things to ask it and I can’t risk it getting killed! I just met it!”
“Him, Twilight. He doesn’t like being called an ‘it’.” Discord deadpanned. “I don’t think you realize who he is. Trust me, his suggestion is more of an order. When he starts fighting with Tirek, it’s going to be just like your little duel with him, just more… deadly. Just listen to me when I say he’ll come out alive.”
“I hope you’re right…” Twilight said solemnly.
