The Storm Of Tartarus

by AleneShazam

5: An Army

A powerful bolt of lightning jolted me back to consciousness. I groaned, the deep rumbling noise in my chest reminding me that I was not sent to the oblivion of the afterlife. My eyes cracked open, and another groan escaped my lips as the damnable sunlight burned my eyes.

“Seth…” I grunted, hoisting myself up to a sitting position. “Remind me to smite the sun out of the sky when I devour Celestia and her ilk.”

“Of course, my lord.” Seth, standing on a slab of rock floating an arm’s length away from my face, bowed.

“You revived me?” I said, a hint of annoyance flickering in my mind. “What creature has the audacity to… Trickster.” The sentence ended in a growl, my eyes narrowed dangerously.

“Trickster, sir?” Seth’s long ears twitched.

“A wretched, silver tongued creature, speaks to me in my mind.” I muttered, loosening my stiff neck and cracking my knuckles. “He has… aided our cause, for the most part. A nuisance, but a valuable one.”

“Now, are the preparations for my assault complete?” I asked, clambering to my feet.

“The army has been ordered, my lord.” Seth remained bowed, though his ears twitched periodically. “Behemoth and Tiamat has been informed of the hierarchy, and we have new titles and ranks to differentiate between foot soldiers and officers. Would you like a demonstration, lord Typhon?”

“The troops are trained? How long was I unconscious for?” I asked, for once at a loss for words. If Trickster was that powerful, that he could overwhelm the mind of a Tartarean, then perhaps it would be wise for me to address him with greater caution.

“You mind is complex, my lord, and without risking permanent damage, it required little over a full day to revive you. I took the liberties to train the troops while you were indisposed.”

I grunted. At least the jackal had initiative. The only thing worse than an incompetent commander was a idle commander. “Very well. Show me.”

I rose to my full height, and saw that I was still on the raised hill where I stood before Trickster struck me down. Seth nodded, and finally straightened up. “Tiamat, if you would.” He spoke softly, but by some sorcery the great mother serpent heard Seth’s words and rose up, over looking the masses of demons and monsters milling about in the impromptu campsite on the plains.

“Phalanx Typhoeus! FORMATION!” Tiamat’s voice rang loud across the army, and immediately the army sprung into action, the seemingly chaotic and unruly creatures organising with surprising speed. Even in my day, when I had a blood connection with my brood, they did not array themselves with such efficiency. I reminded myself to have Seth explain this to me at a later date.

Within minutes, the army was arrayed before me, their hackles raised, sorted into neat sections.

Seth hovered to where I could see. “After our rather shameful display in our first conflict, I have deemed having a strict hierarchy to be more optimal for myself as a strategist and lady Tiamat as commander. Each brood is organised by battlefield purpose: Orthrus’ hounds as for direct confrontation, Fenrir and the reborn timberwolves for hit and run tactics, the Stymphalian bird and Rukh’s flock for aerial support, Chimera’s abominations for holding prolonged formations, Ladon’s brood as artillery, Leviathan and his beasts as sieging vehicles, so on so forth..”

As Seth mentioned the broods, he pointed out the position in the army: indeed, each type of monster was grouped together. “Within the broods themselves I have arranged members of the original prisoners to act as field commanders, coordinating the battle and ensuring the formation is held throughout engagements. This should make issuing commands a matter of telepathically communing with the battlefield commanders during battle.”

“Impressive.” I rumbled, nodding approvingly. “An army worthy of my name, Seth. You have done well.”

“Now that the army is arrayed, my lord, we can march on command.” Seth said, bowing his head.

“Then make it so.” I said, striding forward, following the incessant pull of my mate’s essence. “Warriors! Today we take vengeance on the ones who have banished us away long ago! This day, WE MARCH ON CANTERLOT!”

The roar that issued from the army was almost deafening, the stomping of hooves and feet, clattering of metal, and clapping of hands shaking the very earth with its vehemence. I smiled grimly, knowing that with my horde behind me, the pony lands would be completely razed within a fortnight.

---

The atmosphere in the meeting hall was, to say the least, tense. Celestia looked like she had barely slept in the week, Luna has run herself ragged by monitoring the subconscious world for the duration of the threat, and Twilight Sparkle was exhausted after trawling through any and all records in the libraries for any countermeasures that might apply with Typhon.

Assembled were also Shining Armor and Cadence, with a crystal pony attendant in tow, Nightshade of the night guard, and the remainder of the elements of harmony. All of them looked bedraggled and tired as well.

“The worst case scenario has come true.” Celestia said, very clearly swaying on her hooves from sleep deprivation, her calm tone masking the turmoil of emotions inside her. “Typhon is on the move, and Tirek is in hot pursuit. Their destination appears to be Canterlot.”

There was a moment of silence as the battered brains of the assembled ponies processes this.

“Is this it, then?” Twilight asked, quietly.

Luna sighed. “The elements are gone. Tartarus is broken. The Warden is destroyed, and Discord turned against us. These are dark days indeed, Twilight Sparkle.”

“But it’s not over yet, right?” Pinkie said, hopefully. “What about the journal? Did the journal say anything?”

“It’s a lead from Discord.” Rainbow Dash said, with no small measure of disgust in her voice. “Who knows if it’s even going to work?”

“Discord’s betrayal has indeed cast doubts on the legitimacy of this lead.” Luna said, placing the journal onto the table with her magic. “And even if it were true, I was unable to find anything worthwhile in the bookmarked sections, aside from the fact that the lessons learnt are related to your elements, though I’m sure you are already aware of that.”

Twilight slumped. “Then what can we do?”

To everyone’s surprise, it was Fluttershy who answered. “Um… can I make a suggestion?”

“Anything would be appreciated right now.” Celestia said. “Please, continue.”

“Let them fight.”

“Say what now?” Applejack said, raising an eyebrow.

“I have to agree with Applejack, darling.” Rarity said. “What on Equestria are you talking about, Fluttershy?”

“Um…” Fluttershy shrunk back. “Sorry… I guess that was a bad idea…”

“No, Fluttershy. Do not apologise. I think there is merit in your idea.” Luna said, her dull eyes suddenly gaining a gleam that betrayed her suddenly active mind.

“Luna!” Celestia said, taken aback by Luna’s claim. “Do you even realize what you are suggesting? A single skirmish between their armies, excluding Typhon and Tirek themselves, destroyed a city as large as Baltimare. Equestria would be in ruins by the end of the battle!”

“Land can be reclaimed and rebuilt, sister. If we evacuated battlefields beforehoof, perhaps transferring the refugees to the Crystal Empire, it is precious time that we could use to pursue a concrete way to assuage the situation.” Luna said, placing her hoof her sister’s shoulder. “In the absence of a true solution, a delaying tactic is the best we can hope for.”

“Um, Princess Luna, that’s not really what I meant…” Fluttershy mumbled. “I mean, your idea makes sense too, but…” her voice petered out into silence when she realized that all eyes were on her.

“Go on, Fluttershy.” Twilight urged.

“It’s just a saying that I heard from Zecora, ‘A single mountain cannot hold two tigers’. Both Typhon and Tirek are, in a way, apex predators in the Equestrian ecosystem…”

“You think they’ll rip themselves apart trying to beat each other?” Rainbow Dash grinned. “Like that one time in Daring Do when Ahuizotl and Tauren gave Daring the slip because they were fighting each other for the loot?”

“Um… I guess?” Fluttershy said.

Luna nodded slowly. “And even if they do not manage to kill each other… They’ll be vastly weakened. Perhaps enough for us to overpower them! Fluttershy, you might be a master tactician yet!”

Celestia, too, began to consider this plan of action. “The collateral damage could be contained to a minimum if we make sure to protect the population. Shining, Cadance, and you’re certain you’ll be able to create a shield powerful enough to resist Typhon and Tirek, if push comes to shove?”

“The crystal heart is an infinite magical well, as long as the empire is filled with good cheer and love. I’m certain our empire will be safe.” Cadance assured her.

“If we teleport the citizens to the empire, before Typhon or Tirek could cause too much harm…” Celestia sighed. “I suppose cities can be rebuilt. It is by no means a perfect solution, but…”

“We don’t have much of a choice, do we?” Twilight finished quietly.

“No, we don’t.” Celestia closed her eyes. After a few moments of silence, she opened them again, her expression grim but firm. “Begin the evacuation. Everypony between Baltimare and Rambling Rock Ridge is to be collected and brought to Canterlot. Shining Armor, oversee the collection process. Twilight, Luna, help me weave the teleportation spell in the palace grounds. The rest of the elements and Cadance, make sure the evacuation is as swift and efficient as possible. Everypony, the fate of Equestria rests in our hooves.”

As the ponies sprung into action, Celestia muttered to herself, “Faust have mercy on us all…”

---

Discord roared in pain as he was blasted through a cluster of boulders, his body trailing smoke as he exploded through the stone and crashing into the ground, where he bounced and rolled to a stop in a charred and blackened heap. His world darkened for a moment, slipping away into nothingness, before his immortal spirit drew him back from death’s door and healed his body.

Tirek simply walked through the rocks, his gargantuan form exuding so much magical energy that the earth itself crumbled before him. “You lost.” His eyes were bloodshot, and his lips were turned up in a fierce snarl, fiery red magic pouring out of his maw uncontrollably. Though it was a waste of magic, Tirek did not care.

“You promised me an army. You promised me victory.” Tirek strode over to Discord, his massive form blocking out the sun and casting a long shadow on the limp draconequus. Raising an armored hoof, the centaur slammed the hoof down onto Discord. There was a sickening crunch, accompanied by a thunderous crack, as the hoof first crushed Discord’s body, then shattered the ground under him, the hard packed earth cratering underhoof and creating fractures stretching outwards for at least a hundred feet.

“A bit…” A lion’s paw clawed its way out of the earth. “Feisty there, Tirek?”

Tirek growled, and reached down, clawing up a handful of dirt, along side the quickly regenerating body of Discord. “What do you have to say for yourself?”

“You know, if you weren’t so trigger happy and didn’t force me to waste my magic healing, I might have enough power to win your fights.” Discord said, glaring at the giant centaur.

“So the mighty chaos spirit has limits after all.” Tirek growls, letting of Discord. “Perhaps you overstated your worth?”

“Look, buddy, you want me to make you an army, maybe you give me some of your ‘mighty magic’ and I’ll actually do something productive with it instead of using it to abuse my underlings.” Discord said, huffing. “Typhon’s a cheater who can pull monsters out of his behind, I’m just an all powerful chaos spirit. I need some more juice, okay?”

“Forget it, Discord. You’re either going to make me an army, or you’re getting drained of your magic.” Tirek said, turning away from the spirit. “I’m not giving you my magic just for you to squander it on worthless tricks.”

Discord scowled. “Well then, don’t blame me if your army turns out completely worthless in combat.”

“For you own sake,” Tirek held up a hand, and created a scarlet ball of magical flame in his palm. Even hovering a safe distance away, Discord felt the waves of heat coming off of the orb. “I hope not.”

Discord grimaced as Tirek strode off. He stared down at his lion paw, and his eyebrows furrowed when he noticed a few speckles of grey among the yellow fur. “That’s one thing I’ll agree with…”

He slowly descended, landing softly in the ruined earth, his dragon foot digging into the dirt as his toes flexed unconsciously. He held up a claw, and snapped.

“Having trouble, Discord?” Discord whipped around, his claws outstretched and his magic primed, and found himself face to face with a pale, vaguely translucent image of Seth. The jackal headed god chuckled, unfazed by Discord’s display. “I see that your master does not treat you with kindness.”

“How long have you been watching?” Discord scowled, eyeing the projection warily.

“Long enough.” Seth said, smirking.

“Stop that.” Discord snarled.

“What, this?” Seth’s smirk grew into a taunting grin. “You know, I don’t think you’re in the position to be making demands. I, however, am in the perfect position to be making demands. Now, you’re going to listen to me, or I’m going to crush your army, and Typhon will eviscerate you and devour your essence.”

Discord narrowed his eyes. “…Let’s talk business.”

Comments

[Semi-AutomagicCupcake]

Muahahahaha!

[Doctor REDACTED]

The crystal heart is an infinite magical well, as long as the empire is filled with good cheer and love. I’m certain our empire will be safe.” Cadance assured her.

So... It's an infinite food source to Tirek?