Tirek's Shadow

by LiterarySerenity

Chapter Fourteen—Regards Friend-Hunting and Hunting Shadows

From the time the ponies left the council room, Pinkie Pie began to lay a trail of chocolates and other candy she said might “sneakily” lead Discord back across the threshold. For no pony in her right mind would turn down a super delicious trotline of tasty morsels, regardless of where they might go. As Pinkie said this, her mouth watered at the thought, and it soon became apparent to Spike and Fluttershy that just as many sweets (if not more) went down the party thrower’s throat than upon the floor. But both friends, wisely, kept quiet about this.

In truth, Fluttershy remained more worried about finding Discord in general. He had not been himself since confronting the creepy shadow that looked like Tirek, and getting changed into his opposite. Having been afflicted in the same way, in which she had dreamt and been so mean, the kind-hearted pegasus thought just how frightened the draconequus must be now—lost somewhere in the palace that still intimidated her at its sheer size and labyrinthine interior. One corridor seemed to lead to another, and it was so easy to get turned around.

Not to mention—and Fluttershy quailed at the thought—that Tirek might still be hovering nearby.

What if he was after Discord again?

Her anxiety must have shown, as it usually did, because Spike slowed his pace (with Pinkie Pie being in the lead) to walk alongside her.

“Don’t worry, Fluttershy.” The baby dragon said. “I’m sure Discord is fine. Most likely, he just went down to the guest room Twilight gave him. In fact, that’s where we’re going now.”

“Y—Yes. You’re probably right.” Fluttershy managed a brave smile. “Discord is Discord, after all. He should be—okay.” Even then, doubts continued to cling to her like a winter chill.

Still, she had to believe in her friends, and what Spike had said made sound sense.

And sure enough, the ponies reached the wing of the palace where they had gone only the other night, they found Discord. His permanent guestroom was at the end of the hallway, just off to the right. But their friend sat hunched—or more half-curled, really—against the blank wall at the end, facing away from them. He was shivering, arms wrapped around himself.

This was a pose Fluttershy recognized, having done it herself numerous times in the past whenever she had wanted to hide from something particularly scary.

“Oh, you poor thing.” Fluttershy flew over, already making gentle shushing sounds. “It’s all right. Everything is okay. We’re here now.”

“Run.” Discord’s voice was a mere squeak, yet Fluttershy heard it clearly. “It is too dangerous.”

“Come with us.” Pinkie Pie said, either not catching the tension in the air or trying to dispel it in her own fashion. “We have loads of candy for you enjoy, every pony is together, and we’ll party all your troubles away.”

“Please go.” And now they began to discern a darkness creeping around the base of the chaos spirit’s form. Fluttershy also realized with a start her friend was not casting a shadow like every pony else, but that this strange thing was moving all the same.

“Goodness!” The pegasus said. “Discord, we have to leave. Something horrible is here.” She was reaching for his claw when the draconequus whirled about to face her, pupils far smaller than usual and his entire being quivering.

“Get away.” Discord gasped out, pushing her back. “I am the most horrible thing here right now.”

“He truly is.” The darkness receded from Discord and stretched up the blank wall until it loomed above them all. Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, and Spike craned their necks back—staring in unpleasant surprise—as Tirek took shape and spread his clawed fingers. “You ventured here to find him, and now you will pay the price.”

And the shadow came among them.

***

By that point, Twilight had reached her study and pulled the journal from last night off its shelf. The book on Everfree Forest Lore that Zecora brought had required caution while flipping through the worn pages of uncertain content. In comparison, the princess could glide through the present volume and knew exactly where to pause, which saved time and was reassuring. And indeed, Twilight did find the passage she had pondered over before falling asleep, and her thoughts during the period also returned. For a moment, it felt strange to have to read her own work again, as if she had not set quill pen to paper a few hours ago to write the text. Yet, perhaps most scholars who had written the works found at the Canterlot Library and elsewhere had had similar experiences at one point or another, after doing their research and revisiting notes.

Journals like this, and the other Twilight and her friends had kept, would someday join those books for future generations to read.
But now, she had to deal with matters from her own perspective. And this felt kind of limiting.

Perhaps that was what Discord had meant, the other day when Twilight had presented the volumes for their investigation.

Was all that really only yesterday?

Ah. Here was the passage Twilight had wanted to find—where she had recounted the conversation between Starswirl the Bearded and Clover the Clever before the Tree of Harmony. There were even phrases or terms she, nodding off, had underlined and tried to note for reference purposes. These included the “second star to the right” and “balance.”

Balance. Twilight had heard that concept so often of late, from Starswirl and Discord. Even Tirek seemed wrapped up in the idea, which brought the princess back to the issue of the stagnancy throughout the Everfree Forest, and now Ponyville.

Starswirl himself had mentioned the importance of the wilderness to Clover, going so far as to say:
“This wilderness contains a great deal of magic. That constant change and sense of individual will are as much a part of harmony and this land as the tree—neither can be without the other. It is important to maintain a balance between the two.”

And the ponies had journeyed to the Tree of Harmony in the first place because Starswirl had wanted to collect Prism Flowers from the “original source.” He had also made a mention to the second star, where the magic had apparently left ages ago.

The book Zecora had brought had discussed the Everfree Forest being the oldest to date, which Twilight had quickly discerned must relate to the Tree of Harmony.

These notes flickered through her mind’s eye, and Twilight had to close her physical eyes to string them together. There was a connection, and she knew it.

If what Starswirl said was right, then perhaps the magic that had left the second star had also caused the wilderness to pervade the landscape. Such a thing would have happened many, many years prior to when the great wizard arrived at the Tree of Harmony. There was always a disorder to the Everfree Forest most ponies found disturbing, because they couldn’t control it. That was because the woods kept changing, whereas Twilight and the other ponies in Equestria usually tried to stay in control of their surroundings and the seasons.

Twilight had used to fear the Everfree Forest, because she did not understand and could not manipulate it as well with her usual magic. But ever since Discord had shared the vision of his time in ancient Equestria, the princess could not help but see them a bit differently. Apparently, so had Starswirl.

The Everfree Forest was not so much terrible as different—like the night and day—and if it had come from the Tree of Harmony, the force involved had helped to balance the land.

So to figure out what magic lay behind the Everfree Forest, it was a simple matter of asking herself what balanced out harmony and order.

What lay at the opposite end of the scale—and, if Twilight and her other pony friends embodied the elements, who represented—?

Twilight stopped there. The princess didn’t need to go on, because a possibility so disruptive and chaotic had occurred to her. Even the ground itself seemed to tremble beneath her hooves, or perhaps that was simply her imagination.

If she was right, then therein might reside the solution they desperately needed right now.

It really was all about balance and flow.

So Twilight grabbed up the journal and raced with all due speed out of her study. However, she did find herself slowing down at moments, since the idea coursing through her head was so absorbing.

The princess was moving along the same hallway Princess Celestia had guided the ponies right after the palace had emerged now, where there were several glassy-green windows along its length.

Within a short time, Twilight would be back in the council room, sharing her theories. If Spike, Pinkie Pie, and Fluttershy were there with Discord, it would be even better.

Yes. Twilight believed she had the solution at last.

“I think I even understand what Tirek meant with his silly riddle!” She hopped once, clicking her hooves together.

“Silly, was it?”

The dark tone took Twilight by surprise and echoed throughout the corridor. Screeching to a halt, Twilight darted a look around, trying to find the source. And at last, there was a noticeable flash off to her left—and appearing from behind one of the branch imprints on the green windows came the shadowy form of Tirek himself.

“The windows in this hallway are so empty.” Tirek mused aloud, though the centaur was clearly just mocking her. “You might follow in the footsteps of that other princess, who showed off all of Equestrian history for me to find in her castle, including you, during your fruitless struggle a week ago.”

“What do you want, Tirek?” Twilight said, her swell of joy burst apart. She kept the journal under one wing, along with the card, where the shadow hopefully would not notice them. “How dare you enter my castle. You are unwelcome here.”

“’Unwelcome’?” Tirek laughed. “You should understand that I now have the freedom to go wherever I please, and to do almost whatever I like. The scales are in my favor.”

“They are not.”

“Such confidence! Then perhaps I should tally what friends I have claimed?” Then Tirek waved a hand, and in several of the windows, stained-glass depictions of Rainbow Dash, Applejack, and now—Twilight saw—Pinkie Pie appeared. Each one was well-illustrated, despite it all, to exemplify her element. Somehow, the centaur had reached Pinkie Pie but not Fluttershy.
Had they gotten separated, somewhere in the castle?

“My collection is already impressive, Princess Twilight.” Tirek pressed onwards. “All of them are resting peacefully under my sway, thanks to a certain draconequus. You can do something against such power. The magic is being drained from this land, and such a state will spread throughout Equestria.”

“You underestimate us, Tirek.” Twilight returned. “You treat magic as a weapon and think the friendship my friends and I have cannot overcome it.”

“What a sappy little statement.” Tirek tut-tutted. “In any case, I have effectively severed the connections to your friends. They lay around, doing nothing and unable to contribute anything to your cause. What can you hope to do now?”

“Much.”

This made Tirek pause. Twilight could see he was eyeing her with a mixture of suspicion and distaste.

“Who are you?” Twilight asked, seriousness pressed hard into every word.

“I have had enough of these pleasantries.” Tirek said, instead. “My actions will make such a thing apparent. Besides, I have work to do. Next up is a certain white unicorn.” He laughed and swept along the hallway as a shadow.

“Come back here.” Twilight shouted, chasing after the centaur.

Tirek was headed for the council room, which meant if Twilight reached the door first, she could cut him off.

So Twilight teleported to the front of the council room, flinging open the doors to warn of Tirek’s approach—

To find Rarity already asleep upon the floor, and Tirek looming over the room. Zecora was shouting something in her native language, standing protectively in front of Rarity. Then she called out:

“Be gone foul lingering shade, before your cruelties are paid.” The zebra reached into her mane and tossed out a haze of dust.
Tirek hissed and disappeared.

“I was too late again.” Twilight sat down beside Rarity, who appeared to have swooned backwards upon the floor, with one hoof laid across her brow. This might have been comedic if the princess had known this was not a pretend faint but a real one. “Tirek keeps picking off my friends, one by one. I feel closer to an answer, but I’m still not entirely sure who he is, actually, or how he could be here.”

“Princess Twilight, do not blame your slow state.” Zecora said, consolingly. “That shadow made the mistake. You will no doubt set things to right, if you concentrate with all of your might.”

“Thanks, Zecora.” Twilight replied. “I guess I almost let Tirek rattle me again, but I do have an idea of how to defeat him and make everything better.”

The pair exchanged smiles.

“Oh, no. Rarity!” Spike had arrived back at the council room, and now he pushed past Twilight and Zecora to Rarity’s side. He dropped to his knees, took Rarity’s hoof in his claws, and wept. “I can’t believe any pony would do such a cruel thing to some pony so beautiful.”

Twilight came over and patted her assistant on the back.

“I know, Spike. She’s asleep, but Rarity will be okay.” It was her turn to be the consoler, and Spike leaned hard against Twilight. She could already feel some wetness coming from the dragon’s snout, so the princess took out a handkerchief and give it to him.

Spike blew his nose.

“Thank you, Twilight.” Spike said, offering it back. But Twilight ignored it and instead asked:

“What happened?”

“The shadow ambushed us downstairs.” Spike explained.

“Pinkie Pie tried to fight back.” This was Fluttershy now, carrying the downed Pinkie into the room. “But Tirek put her to sleep.”

“And Discord?” Twilight asked.

“Discord went into his guest room and locked the door.” Fluttershy said, laying Pinkie beside Rarity on the floor. “He refuses to come out, saying he is too dangerous to be around. You have to help me, Twilight.”

“I will.” Twilight said.

“Oh, dear.” Fluttershy took in the room, and Rarity upon the floor. “Poor Rarity.”

But Twilight was headed for the door. She had an idea what needed to be done now, and they had to act fast before Tirek (or whoever he was) intervened again.

“We have to get Discord out of that guestroom, and go to the Everfree Forest.” Twilight said, definite. Fluttershy fluttered along behind her, while Zecora and Spike chose to stay in the council room.

“You should stay with Rarity and Pinkie Pie.” Twilight told Spike, when the dragon looked uncertainly at her. Then he smiled and nodded his young head.

“This is your duty to fulfill.” Zecora simply stated. “I will stay and ensure there is not further ill.”

“Right.” Twilight said. “Let’s go, Fluttershy.”

“All right.” Fluttershy agreed.

And off they went.

Author's Note:

Revelations and Decisions are being made, and the end is drawing near!

Comments

[Spiritofchaos227]

Oh boy!~ Much excitement for the next chapter!

[LiterarySerenity]

5386562 Yay! I'm already getting ready to write the next chapter (and thanks again for the encouragement ^_^).