//------------------------------//
// The Meeting of Shadows 
// Story: The Equestrian Wind Mage Season 2.5 
// by LordSiravant 
//------------------------------//

The Meeting of Shadows

Manehattan, nightfall…

A lone unicorn stallion made his way down the alleyway, carrying a bucket of oranges with his magic. A light mist hung ominously on the ground, and the air was deathly still. The pony couldn't help but gulp in apprehension. Manehattan certainly had its fair share of unscrupulous folks willing to take their chances with the law in order to rob loners like him in the dead of night. It was with these thoughts in mind that the pony suddenly heard the sound of a tin can clattering against the ground. He sharply turned his head towards the noise, his heart leaping to his throat. The empty can rolled into the moonlight, but there was only a can. Sighing in relief, the stallion turned back to continue on his way.

And nearly crashed into a hooded figure standing right in front of him. The stallion stepped back warily, but the figure only stood there, breathing heavily. The only facial feature the pony could see under the hood was a tuft of white hair, possibly from a beard. Deciding to be polite, the stallion chuckled nervously. "V-very sorry, heheh, you came outta nowhere."

At this, the hooded figure finally spoke, his voice an elderly rasp. "Is he friend, or is he foe, the pony wonders…"

The stallion wanted to flee, but something rooted him to the spot as the sinister voice continued. "I can assure you, I am no friend."

Oh Faust, oh Faust, oh Faust, the stallion panicked in his mind, fearing that he had encountered a robber. But he had found himself in the path of something worse than a common burglar. Much, much worse.

"I," the figure spoke, raising a thin, red-skinned arm and clenching his fist, "am Lord Tirek. And I will take what should have been mine long ago."

Before the stallion could react, the figure opened his mouth, and a sharp pain wracked his body as he could feel his magic being forcibly drawn out of his body. As soon as this terrible deed was done, the stallion fell to the ground, so weakened that he could barely move. All he could do was watch in horror as the figure suddenly grew a little larger to the sickening sound of bones cracking and expanding. The figure chuckled ominously at this, two yellow pinpricks glowing where his eyes were.

"Well, well, well. I see the years you spent in Tartarus have not been kind to you, Tirek."

Tirek blinked suddenly and whirled around towards the unexpected voice, peering into the shadows. "Who goes there?" Tirek demanded. "Show yourself!"

Suddenly two glowing red eyes opened up in the darkness, with just a hint of blue fur behind them. "What, don't you remember me, my old friend?"

Tirek's eyes narrowed, and then widened in shock as the figure stepped forth from the shadows, revealing themselves to be a tall blue demonic ram, which smirked knowingly at Tirek.

"Grogar?" Tirek exclaimed. "You're free?"

Grogar's grin widened. "How long has it been, Tirek? Thirteen, fourteen hundred years since we last met?"

"Nearly fifteen," Tirek corrected warily. "When did you get free?"

"A few weeks ago," Grogar answered. "It seems I have acquired a number of new…friends. Benefactors who have taken an interest in the Children of Krastos."

Tirek removed his hood, revealing himself to be an elderly centaur with a bull-like face, yet possessing some monkeyish features. His eyes were black, with yellow pupils. Seeing these two demonic entities, the weakened stallion tried to be as quiet and inconspicuous as possible, in order not to draw attention to himself.

"What sort of…interest?" Tirek asked suspiciously.

"War is coming to Equestria, Tirek," Grogar proclaimed. "It seems this land has caught the attention of another world's forces of darkness. They too see the many ways the Children of Faust have desecrated our father's corpse and wish to correct it, and they have asked for our help."

Tirek folded his withered arms. "If you're here, then you must have already accepted their offer, and are now approaching me with a similar one, correct?"

Grogar smirked. "I see that Tartarus at least has not dulled your senses. Yes, they indeed sent me to persuade you to join the cause."

Tirek scoffed. "Sorry, not interested. I had a partner once, and he betrayed me for these equine scum."

"Ah," Grogar replied. "So that's what became of Scorpan. That's rather disturbing, knowing that yet another of our brothers has betrayed us for our enemies."

Tirek's eyes narrowed. "What do you mean?"

Grogar looked away and said with a disappointed sigh, "Two others have chosen the Equestrians over their own flesh and blood, and let the so-called 'magic of friendship' into their weak-minded hearts."

"Who?" Tirek growled, offended that his brother was not the only one.

Grogar looked back at him and answered, "Discord and Ahuizotl."

Tirek scoffed derisively. "That figures. Those two, apart from Scorpan, always were the weakest-minded of all of us."

"Perhaps weakest in mind, but certainly not weakest in power," Grogar reminded him. "At least in Discord's case. Do not forget his powers over chaos magic."

"I know what Discord is capable of!" Tirek snapped. "What I didn't know was that he has been freed."

"He's been free for some time, Tirek," Grogar said. "The Equestrians chose to reform him rather than imprison him again. With that in mind, I advise you to reconsider your decision."

"Why should I?" Tirek challenged.

"Because," Grogar smoothly replied, "now that Discord has become the ponies' errand boy, he can sense your activities and track you down on their behalf. Even you know you are no match for Discord at your current level of power. Certainly you don't want to be sent back to Tartarus right after you managed to free yourself, correct?"

Tirek growled; Grogar had a point.

"Perhaps there is a way to turn him back," Tirek suggested.

Grogar shook his head. "Unlikely. The fool has come to value his 'friends' too much. And Ahuizotl has taken it even a step further, and has begun romancing an Equestrian, one who used to be his enemy, no less."

Tirek gritted his teeth. "That's repulsive."

Grogar sneered. "Isn't it, though? And with the knowledge that Scorpan is no longer an option, the Sirens having long been banished to parts unknown, and of course the Smooze being the mindless devourer it is, that leaves only you and I to carry on the legacy of our father's hatred. And I have resources and allies to further that cause. You do not. Join us, Tirek. Join forces with Majora. It would be wise, my friend."

Tirek pursed his lips. "If I were indeed to…join this little alliance of yours, what are you willing to offer in exchange for my services? I will not provide such service without recompense, and since I know you are not the charitable type either, can I assume they are hanging some kind of reward over your head as well?"

Grogar smirked. "You could say that. As it so happens, Majora has designs that span not just our world or his own, but every world in every universe. Majora is not a mere conqueror; he is not interested in the sort of dominion you and I crave. Majora is a god, and what he wants is worship. As long as we worship him, and spread the power of darkness across all realms beyond this one, he is willing to give those who serve him anything they desire."

"And what has he promised you?" Tirek asked, rather curious despite himself.

"A world parallel to Equis, an alternate version of it where all its inhabitants are instead a race of monkey-like creatures called 'humans'. As long as I ensure that Majora Worship is strictly enforced amongst them all, I can rule this world in any manner I please. And as it so happens, Majora indeed has a similar offer for you as well."

Admittedly intrigued, Tirek growled, "I'm listening."

Grogar grinned, revealing a row of sharp, glistening white teeth behind the four fangs issuing from his underbite. "Majora claims that a world exists parallel to his home universe, similarly to the world I have been promised. It too contains humans and several other bipedal races. All yours to lord over forever, if you agree to join us, not as a servant, but an ally. Majora will even restore you to your former strength so that you may better aid him. It is a generous offer, and certainly better than taking your chances with the Equestrians and Discord all on your own."

Tirek seemed to consider all this, scratching his chin pensively. "Perhaps I shall give this…alliance of yours a chance."

Grogar chuckled. "I knew you would see reason, my friend. Come; let us leave this wretched place so that you may meet the God of Evil personally."

The demon ram's horns glowed as he seemed to open up some kind of portal. "Right this way," he bade.

As Tirek warily strode past him and into the vortex, Grogar turned towards the helpless stallion still lying there where Tirek had left him, who began shivering violently when he realized that he had not been forgotten. Grogar sneered as he approached the unicorn.

"Consider yourself honored," the necromancer said, "that you bore witness to the beginning of the end of Equestria. A pity you won't live to enjoy it."

Grogar's horns glowed with evil magic, and the unicorn tried to scream, but no sound came. Then a flash of light, a brief moment of indescribable pain, and then…nothing.

Grogar's horns dimmed as he looked up towards the moon. "Hopefully the Demon King will keep this little exchange of ours out of the Princesses' sight and mind. No good having our plans betrayed by their prophetic dreams, after all."

Then he too stepped through the portal to the Dark World, sealing it behind him, and all was silent and normal once more in that Manehattan alley.

Save for the smoldering corpse of a unicorn stallion, who would not be discovered until morning.

XXXXXX

Tirek found himself in what appeared to be some kind of church. A dim glow of violet and red light shone through stained-glass windows depicting a strange heart-shaped thing with evil-looking eyes and green spikes poking out of its top and sides. Two-legged beings clad in black robes sat in several rows of benches, their heads bowed in prayer. Tirek could barely hear them murmuring, but the words escaped him. At the far end of the enormous chapel was an altar of some kind, with a fifteen-foot-tall bust of what he assumed to be Majora looming over everyone like the all-seeing god himself, its hands folded in prayer. His eyes narrowed at the statue; something about it wasn't…right. He couldn't exactly place it, but somehow he knew that that was no ordinary chiseled hunk of rock.

"There's a certain…mystique, in the air here, wouldn't you agree?"

Tirek sharply looked over his shoulder to see Grogar joining him, having just closed the portal between worlds.

"It's just a stifling, dust-coated church full of stifling, dust-coated peons," Tirek haughtily retorted.

Grogar chuckled. "Peons indeed. Our kind are meant to rise above that. Now follow me; the Divine Darkness is waiting."

The demon centaur followed the demon ram up to the looming bust of Majora, and Tirek could have sworn the statue's heart-shaped head tilted downward ever so slightly to stare down at him. Once Tirek positioned himself directly in front of the bust, Grogar took several steps back; he knew the dark god would want some space to conduct business with this new recruit.

Tirek glared defiantly into the round, bulbous eyes staring emptily into him, waiting for…well, he wasn't exactly sure what.

And then the eyes blazed to life, burning like fire, with dilated pupils green like poison. Tirek found himself rooted to the spot, unable to tear his eyes away from that haunting gaze.

Tirek, son of Krastos. I have been waiting for you. Step forward, and I shall know you better.

Tirek involuntarily took a step forward, his mind seemingly consumed by those large, piercing eyes that penetrated every inch of his soul. And then the old centaur let out a sharp gasp as he felt…something, wash over his body and seep into his mind. An unexplainable pressure against his very mind, probing every inch of his being. Every single one of his weaknesses were laid bare before the Unmaker, every secret, every desire.

"Such…power," Tirek managed to breathe. "What…are you?"

Deep, eldritch laughter rang in his mind as the Bringer of Darkness replied, I am many things, child. I am the truth that the bringers of light hide in the unreachable shadows. I am the Bringer of Darkness, the Unmaker, He who laid bare the empires of science and magic that ruled the stars before the time of Hyrule. I am Majora, and I will bring glory back to the children of my fallen Equestrian counterpart.

Tirek could not deny how humbled he felt by this power; it was like being in the presence of his father once again. The old centaur grinned maniacally. He would rise again; he would rise once more as a conqueror, a dictator. He would rise as a champion of Majora.