Secrets of the Everfree

by PaisleyPerson

Chapter 50: Lord Tirek

Chapter 50
Lord Tirek

I got no sleep that night. The house was unnaturally quiet. Bandit’s snores, Heckley’s hiss and Charcoal’s rhythmic breathing were not enough to fill the void of our two missing members. I felt like I would be swallowed up by the bed’s enormousy. Was it really always this big? It was hard to remember a time when Torchwood hadn’t been slumbering soundly beside me.

His absence was affecting Charcoal, too. Neither of us got a good night’s sleep, between his crying and my spinning mind. I tried to settle him down, but it seemed that all he wanted was to be held by his father. That was the one thing I couldn’t give him.

The troubles weighing on my mind and the baby’s wailing equated to a long night for both of us. Literally. Perhaps it was just because I was so tired, but it seemed as though the sun was taking longer to rise than usual. I had no reason to complain- I needed all the sleep I could get, but I still couldn’t force my body to shut down. Even after the sun finally did seep in through the blinds, I didn’t have the heart to make myself get out of bed. Not until a knock finally drew me out of the sheets, that is.

I was just reaching for the handle when I stopped. I’d planned to go see Torchwood today. What if he had come to see me first? I anxiously glanced out the window so I wouldn’t be caught unprepared. I was both relieved and disappointed to find it was only Fluttershy.

“Good morning Acr- oh! Goodness, are you feeling okay?” Her gaze was drawn to my obnoxious bedhead and the deep bags under my eyes.

“As good as can be expected,” I yawned, only half awake. “What is it, Flutters?”

“Oh, Twilight went off to the Castle of the Two Sisters, and just asked the rest of us to go around and make sure everyone knows to stay inside. I think we’ve warned everypony else already... I’ll let you get back to sleep,” she lightly excused herself. My eyes popped open.

“Wait, stay inside? Why?”

“She said that Tirek is still on the loose, and wants everypony to be safe indoors.”

“What happened with Discord, then?”

“I don’t know, but he hasn’t come back yet.” She worriedly rubbed her chin. “I hope he’s okay.”

“He’s the Lord of Chaos, one of the most powerful beings in Equestria,” I rolled my eyes. “Nothing can hurt him.”

“I guess you’re right.”

“Thanks for the warning, Fluttershy, but I really have to go to Baltimare today.”

“Oh, no, no, no! Twilight said for everyone to stay at home! You of all ponies need to stay and keep little Charcoal safe!”

“I know what she said, Flutters, but I have to do this. I have to put things right. You know Blaze is so upset he refused to come home? He stayed at the Dragon Craters overnight!”

“Oh my!” she gasped.

“I just hope that he’ll come home after I set things straight with Torchwood. Don’t you see why this can’t wait any longer? It has to stop now.”

“Yes, yes, I do understand, but... couldn’t ‘now’ wait until Twilight gets back?”

“Gah!” I began pacing. I needed a new tactic. “Does anyone even know where Tirek is?”

“Well... no...” she confessed. “That’s kind of the whole reason we’re supposed to stay inside.”

“Then who’s to say he’s even anywhere near Ponyville?”

“Well...”

“For all we know, he could be on the other side of Equestria, and I’d be wasting precious time!”

“I suppose that is a fair point...”

“Please, Fluttershy, could you watch Charcoal until I get back?”

“Me?”

“I trust you girls to watch him more than anypony else. I know he’ll be safe if Tirek does end up showing his ugly face. Please, Fluttershy, I’m begging you.”

“I guess between the six of us, we’ll be able to keep an eye on him,” she finally sighed.

“Thank you,” I exhaled with relief. “Be good, Char,” I called back, taking off then and there.

My friends had indeed gotten word out, for the streets were deserted. That made things all the easier for me. I had a clear runway and no traffic in the skies to watch out for. It was free sailing until I hit the edge of town.

“Where do you think you’re going?” I suddenly found myself accompanied by Rainbow.

“Not now, Dash.” I tried to swivel around her, but she again blocked my path.

“Didn’t Fluttershy tell you that we’re under lockdown?”

“She did, but I really need to talk to Torchwood.”

“Right now we really need to stay inside. Twilight’s orders.”

“Rainbow, if Tirek really is a threat, I have to make sure he’s okay. And Blaze,” I added.

“Wait, isn’t Blaze at your place?”

“No! I went to check on him at the Dragon Craters last night like I said, but he said he was too sick of the fighting. He wants to stay with his brother.” The heartbreaking account and my pitiful expression finally got through to her.

“Well, what are we waiting for? Let’s hurry before anyone notices we’re gone!”

“Thanks, Dash.” We both started off again, but no sooner had we turned around than we ran into another rogue flyer.

“Why, hello, girls. Where ever are you going in such a rush?” Discord asked as we both kerplunked into his stomach.

“Out of the way, Dipcord,” Rainbow hissed. “We’re on an urgent rescue mission.”

“Ooh, how important that sounds!” he giddily chuckled.

“Discord! You’re back!” Fluttershy gleefully cried. She had evidently trailed more slowly behind me with Charcoal to meet up with the rest of our friends, who had finally tracked us down from below. She quickly but gently passed Charcoal on to Pinkie Pie before tackling Discord in a bear hug.

“Acrylic? Rainbow Dash? Where in tarnation do ya think you’re goin’?”

“Please, AJ,” I sighed, fluttering down to try and explain my position to her. “I have to talk to Torch.”

“But Twilight said to stay here!”

“Yes, I know, Pinkie,” I ground my teeth, tired of receiving the same answer over and over.

“I know you want to settle things, darling, but I do think you should wait until Twilight gets back.”

“Discord just came back. That means Tirek isn’t a threat anymore. Right, Discord?”

“Hmm, yes, yes,” he answered all too quickly. “But why not stick around, chum? Fluttershy promised us a picnic upon my return.”

“Did you bring the cucumber sandwiches?” Fluttershy hopefully asked.

“I did!” He triumphantly displayed a plate. “Would you girls like one?”

“No! Really, I have to go-”

“I really think you should take one, Acrylic,” Discord pressed, shoving the plate in my face and blocking my way. “After all, I imagine they’ll be your last decent meal for quite some time.” He let the entire platter splatter to the ground.

“What?” We were surrounded by bright light as a cage suddenly materialized around us.

“HEY!”

“What’s goin’ on?”

“What’re you doin’?!”

“CHARCOAL?!” While everypony else hollered complaints or demands of freedom, I wriggled through the rioting ponies to find Pinkie, who still held Charcoal. She barely seemed to notice when I took him back; she just used her second free hoof to become even more animated.

“Ta da!” Discord proudly proclaimed. Heavy hoofbeats shook the ground, and we turned into the face of a terrifying centaur-like creature, with horrid horns, glowing eyes and silver bands clasped around his wrists and neck.

“You’ve gathered all of them?” the beast growled. He was working with Discord? That couldn’t be right... he was our friend! What was going on?

“Even one of her little dragon friends,” Discord crouched down and attempted to tickle Spike’s chin. The purple hatchling snapped at his paw in response. I hadn’t seen him like this for a long time. My heart filled with rage. I trusted him. The mere sight of the flip-flop draconequus almost made me sick. I turned away and focused solely on rocking Charcoal, keeping him as calm and safe as circumstances would allow.

“One?” Tirek snarled.

“Well, I’m not really sure where Acrylic’s assistant is. Would you like to share, dearie?” He looked expectantly at me from perched across the cage. I’d have knocked him into next week if it hadn’t been for the bars.

“Like I’d tell you, filthy traitor,” I spat, intentionally allowing a bit of spittle to fly. He shut his eyes before the droplets splattered on him, and irritably wiped the fluid away with a window wiper.

“I wonder if she’d be a little more cooperative if we took the young one from her,” the beast I assumed to be Tirek snickered.

“DON’T YOU DARE TOUCH HIM!” I bellowed, stomping hard on the metal base of the cage. Discord’s metal absorbed the earth-shattering effect, and reverberations rocked the whole structure. All our ears rang.

“I don’t see how it matters,” Discord casually shrugged. “We already have more than enough of her friends to bargain with.” Relieved for the moment, I tenderly readjusted Charcoal in a makeshift cradle formed from my own curled wings.

“Why are you doing this?” Fluttershy cried, tears streaming down her face. The terrified mare had found refuge in Applejack’s reassuring grip. “I thought we were friends!”

“Oh, we were,” Discord shrugged. “But Tirek offered me so much more than just tea parties. Surely you saw this coming?”

“I didn’t. I really didn’t!” she sobbed. Applejack stroked her back in an effort to calm her down.

“I never should have trusted you,” I seethed in a voice like venom. He rolled his eyes and nonchalantly turned away.

A glowing orb of energy welled up between Tirek’s massive horns, and the cage was lifted, as were all of us inside. Charcoal finally began to wail. I pressed him close to my chest, still protectively wrapped in my wings.

“It’s okay, I’m here. Mommy’s got you. Everything will be okay.” But I knew in my heart he really wanted his Daddy there. And frankly, I wasn’t sure if everything would be okay.

I felt more energy being drained from my body than even the little sleep I did get could’ve provided me with. Well... ‘drained’ is a mild term. Ripped would be a more appropriate word. Tirek was feeding off our power like a vampire, sucking up every last ounce of energy we had. Charcoal cried at the top of his lungs, but I felt my world going black. I thought for sure that he would keep feeding until there was nothing left but empty husks. I shut my eyes and prepared for the worse.

The siphoning process didn’t kill us, but it came pretty close. Once Tirek had absorbed all our usable energy, he dropped his hold on us, and the entire cage dropped like a stone. Those of us inside roughly thudded to the ground. I barely had the energy to open my eyes, but I forced myself to do so upon realizing Charcoal had stopped crying.

“Char?” I wheezed. The baby lay motionless on the floor beside me. I put all my strenth into reaching out with a wing and drawing him back to me. Even if Tirek’s feast hadn’t completely drained him, he could’ve hit his head in the fall! Luckily, he was still breathing. Relieved by the fact, I tucked him protectively under me. I wanted more than anything to shut my eyes again and conserve what energy I had left, but our other friends caught my eye. They looked... different. Their eyes were foggy and colorless- I could only assume mine looked the same. But there was something else...

Their flanks.

All of them were missing their cutie marks. No more butterflies, apples, balloons, gems or rainbows adorned their hides any longer. I slowly raised the strength to turn around and examine my own flank. I was no exception to the circumstance- my flaming paintbrush was also gone. Again.

“You’re sure she’ll do anything for them?” Tirek asked Discord.

“If Twilight has magic to give, it will be yours,” the draconequus took a proud bow for this accomplishment. “Soon, there won’t be a pegasus, earth pony, thestral or unicorn who can stand up against us.”

“Us?” Tirek cackled. “Who said anything about ‘us’?”

“Y-you did,” Discord nervously reminded. The rest of us just look on as Tirek picked up our former friend with his telekinesis powers.

“You’ve helped me grow strong; you’ve provided me with the means by which I can obtain Princess Twilight’s magic,” Tirek spoke. Discord guiltily looked back at us. “And now you are no longer of any use to me.” Discord’s remorseful expression turned to one of terror as his own powerful, chaotic magic was drawn out of him. Discord’s power alone caused Tirek to nearly double in size, while the draconequus himself was unceremoniously dumped to the ground.

“B-but... you said this was a sign of your gratitude and loyalty... a gift from someone close to you,” Discord weakly pleaded, indicating an amulet I hadn’t noticed he was wearing until now.

“My brother, who betrayed me,” Tirek flatly answered. “It is as worthless as he is.” Discord’s face filled with confusion and pain as the centaur marched off.

“Surely you saw this comin’?” Applejack threw Discord’s own words back at him.

“I didn’t. I truly didn’t.”

“HEY, YOU! MONKEY FACE!”

“Torchwood?”

---

“So? After a good night’s rest away from home, have you got everything figured out yet?” Cedar asked as he walked in. Cedar had always been an early riser, and even having company didn’t deter him from an early morning stroll. Torchwood, meanwhile, had slept in quite a while- it was nearly noon!- and was just now sitting down to a breakfast of cold cereal. Part of the reason for his getting up so late that he’d had a long night to think things over.

He thought about the fights, yes, and how he just wished sometimes Acrylic would be a good wife and just shut up long enough to listen to him. She could get so stuck in her own way... but so could he. That was the reason their arguments always went around in circles, after all. Neither of them had really been listening. They’d been far too busy yelling for that. And there was merit to some of what she said. He’d been out a lot more lately. Even though he’d been using the time to plan a surprise for her, he supposed she had a right to know where he’d been going night after night.

Even though he’d been upset with his wife, he really didn’t want his son to grow up without a father. Their little spouts weren’t worth splitting up for good. He didn’t want to leave Blaze or Charcoal, their friends, or even Heckley and Bandit. Bandit... he guessed that was another reasonable cause for Acrylic to be upset. He had brought the little guy home without consulting her. Though he’d meant well and Fluttershy had assured him that they could get along, Bandit had taken over Heckley’s turf. As fond as he’d grown of the ferret, he would just have to accept the fact that things might not work out for the fellow in his home.

True, he’d have to make a few sacrifices, but as a father and husband, such was his duty. And besides- his family was worth it.

“Yeah, I think I know what I have to do,” Torchwood admitted. “It turns out you were right, Cedar. Everyone fights, but that doesn’t mean Acrylic’s not still the girl for me. I’m going back. Thanks for everything, pal.”

“What are brothers for?” Cedar shrugged with a toothy grin. “Well, what are you waiting for? Get on after her!”

What started out as a friendly clap on the back turned into a playful beating as Cedar chased his friend out of the house. With a wild grin, Torchwood darted to the safety of the sky, forgetting his luggage entirely. All he could think about was returning to his wife and sons.

Torchwood soared over the Everfree, using his fire to create warm thermals and speed up the process. From this height, he could already see the blur of Ponyville in the distance. Home was quite literally on the horizon. Smiling even wider, Torch flew on, faster and faster. It was times like this when he was grateful he’d become a mailpony- all the time he spent shuttling heavy packages across Equestria made this journey seem like a walk in the park.

His spirits were soaring as high as he was as the quaint town appeared beneath him. The rolling countryside, familiar buildings, bustling streets...

Bustling streets?

Torchwood realized with a start that the town appeared empty. Where was everypony?

Oh, the giant, enormously scary centaur might have something to do with it.

Torchwood’s first inclination was to swoop in and see what was going on. The creature was obviously dangerous if he’d scared the entire town into hiding. But surely Princess Twilight would already have a handle on things? And his first priority should be to make sure his family was okay, not go charging off into danger.

Acrylic must have really been weighing on his mind, because he could’ve sworn he spotted his wife down in the clutches of the centaur. In fact, that looked a LOT like Acrylic... and Rarity... and Pinkie Pie...

ACRYLIC WAS DOWN IN THE CLUTCHES OF THE CENTAUR!

His friends, wife, and even his son were all trapped in a gleaming silver cage, deposited at the centaur’s hooves. Even Discord was there, but the Lord of Chaos appeared weak and frail at present. Anger and hatred broiled within Torchwood’s chest.

‘If that thing lays a hoof on any of them, I’ll-’ It was probably a good thing Torchwood didn’t get to finish the thought. Instead, he found himself diving headfirst for the gargantuan monster.

“HEY, YOU! MONKEY FACE!”

---

“Torchwood?” Every pony, dragon and draconequus turned to pinpoint the source of the voice. A very ferocious brown thestral was swooping downwards at great speeds. He pulled up from the ground at the last second, not just dust billowing out from beneath his great wings but also orange and green fire as well. A raging pyre soon crackled at his disposal, which temporarily blinded Tirek.

“GRAAAH!” the monster howled, shielding his eyes from the blazing flames.

“Torchwood! It’s Torchwood!” I gleefully cried, still partially supported by Rainbow. I sagged against her due to lack of energy, but I would have melted anyway from the relief that washed over me. “Wait, it’s Torchwood!” My heart suddenly pounded in my chest. “No, no, get out of here!”

“Not without you.” Still fueling the main inferno, Torchwood sparked a second flame around our cage, meant to melt the bars. But Discord hadn’t made this an easy task as it was magically reinforced, not that it wasn’t hard enough to concentrate on maintaining both fires at once anyway.

“Hurry!” Rainbow urged, fretfully looking back to check on Tirek. He was finally recovering despite Torchwood’s relentless fire.

“There!” Enough of the bars had been dissolved for us to make it through. I leapt through first, directly into Torchwood’s arms.

“Torch, I’m so, so sorry,” I wept, thankful to be with him again. “I was wrong about everything. Please forgive me?”

“Yes, yes, but can we do this later? I’ve got to get you somewhere safe.”

“Here here,” Rarity hurriedly concurred.

“Can you take a passenger?” Torchwood asked.

“I think so,” I resolutely decided. Just seeing my husband again had restored my strength.

“Come on, Pinkie.” I turned to the nearest wingless pony.

“Yippee!” she cried, leaping aboard.

“Hold Char.” I passed the baby back so my wings were free. I crouched to take off, leapt into the air... and dropped dead like a stone.

“Oof!”

“What in the hay?” Applejack scratched her head.

“What’s wrong?” Torchwood lifted me back to my hooves.

“I-I don’t know,” I shook my head in an attempt to clear it.

“It won’t work,” Discord hung his head. “Tirek has absorbed all of your power. That includes strength, flight, fire, magic, everything.”

“You mean we can’t fly?!” Rainbow crazily looked back at her wings. The words sunk in with a heavy heart. No flight and no cutie mark. This sounded familiar.

“Look out!” Rarity cried. Tirek had rebounded from Torchwood’s fire, and was summoning another power surge. Torchwood was about to light him up again when he was lifted from the ground.

“You’re awfully troublesome,” Tirek snarled. “But admirably powerful.” Torchwood futilely wriggled and writhed, but couldn’t escape his grasp. Tirek prepared to take in his power.

“TORCHWOOD!” Like something as disposable as a candy wrapper, my husband was carelessly tossed to the side. Skidding across the dirt, he lay motionless, and I tearfully bolted to join him.

“Torchwood?” The brown stallion I so dearly loved groaned, and looked up at me through fogged, glassy eyes. “Oh, Torch. Your cutie mark.”

“My-?” I helped him raise his head high enough so he could see. He looked as perturbed as I when I first lost my mark, but quickly got over it. “No matter. The important thing is that we’re together. Right?”

“Torchwood... I love you.” I quickly pressed my lips to his. He hadn’t been expecting the motion; this was hardly the time or place! But I didn’t care. And evidently, neither did he, for he soon joined in the passionately intimate moment.

“Aww!” Happy tears promptly flooded from Pinkie’s eyes.

“How sweet,” Tirek sarcastically sneered. “Sickeningly so.” With another of his magic surges, Torchwood and I were thrown apart once more, separated by some magical barrier as we were all given our own individual bubble. Even Charcoal was pried from Pinkie’s iron grip. He started crying again, but I’d never been so glad to hear that sound. That meant he would probably be okay.

“Hey!”

“Let us go!”

“Leave my son alone!”

“That should hold you,” Tirek huffed, dutifully stomping off one last time in search of Twilight.

“What’re we going to do?”

“We h-have to warn Twilight,” Fluttershy sniffled, still traumatized by Discord’s recent betrayal.

“How? We ain’t goin’ noywhere stuck in these bubble whatchamacallits,” Applejack pointed out, demonstrating by charging at full speed and succeeding only in spinning the barrier.

“No thestral strength either,” Torchwood reported, kicking and thrashing in his own prison. “I can’t send letters without fire...” he looked around for another solution. Our one remaining dragon caught his eye. “Spike! I don’t guess you retained your ability?”

“I don’t know,” Spike confessed, “but even if I did, I don’t have a quill or scroll.”

“What? But you always have quills and scrolls!”

“Nevermind. How about you, Blaze? Blaze?” Torchwood realized for the first time that our assistant wasn’t here. “Where’s Blaze?”

“He went to see Garble after you left,” I admitted. “Hasn’t come back since.”

“What?! Didn’t you go after him?”

“Of course I went after him. But he refused to come back because of all the ‘drama’ at him, and said he wanted to live with Garble now. Bran chased me off before I could get through to him.”

“Oh, my,” Rarity pressed a hoof to her mouth.

“He’s leaving?!” Spike exclaimed, both horrified and heartbroken.

“I guess this is our fault,” Torchwood sagged.

“I hoped that if he saw us back together, he might come back,” I looked back to him. “If we can show him that we’re really a family again.” He smiled.

“I’d like that.”