At the End of Ambition
“Just a little farther, Tirek.” Cozy Glow mashed her body against the bars of her cage, reaching out for Tirek’s horns as he forced his head through the bars of his own.
“I’m running out of neck.” Tirek growled, arching his head downward.
“Maybe if you didn’t spend so much time on your traps you’d have one.” Chrysalis sniped as she watched from her own glassine prison.
“Forgive me for not being a scrawny, little bug!” Tirek barked.
“Gotcha!” Cozy Glow cheered as she grasped his horns.
“Good, now pull!” Tirek ordered.
Flying backwards, Cozy Glow yanked on Tirek as he pushed against his cell; the cage slowly began to topple and inevitably fell from the ledge on which they sat. Upon impact, the frame warped and the door was sent flying. Tirek crawled from the mangled metal and stood tall. “Finally!” He rolled his shoulder.
“My turn!” Cozy Glow buzzed around her cell like captured moth.
“Alright, alright… keep your wings on.” Tirek scaled the ledge and roughly kicked her cage off the side. Like his own, it clanged to the rocky ground and Cozy Glow flew free once more.
“Yay!” The maniacal filly flew over to Chrysalis’s enchanted cell and knocked on the glass. “How do we get this thing open?”
“The glass is magically charged, keeping me from taking new forms.” Chrysalis explained. “It won’t just shatter like normal.”
“Magic, eh?” Tirek joined them. “Sounds delicious.” With a deep inhale he began to drain the magic from the panes, rendering them no more than windows.
“Perfect.” Chrysalis took the form of a ram and shattered the wall of her cell. With a clean leap she landed before her fellow villains and took her natural form. “I’d hate to admit it, but we’re getting to be professionals at this.”
“Let’s make this the last time.” Tirek grumbled as he began surveying the area. “Come on, we need to find another way out of Tartarus.”
“If there is one.” Chrysalis noted as she and Cozy Glow followed.
“Tartarus is old, older than recorded history.” Tirek folded his arms as he loped along. “If we make our way through we might be able to find some kind of forgotten back door.”
“Worth a shot.” Cozy Glow sighed. “Since they decided to permanently station guards at the entrance, that sure isn’t an option.”
Countless paths led into the deeper reaches of Tartarus and they aimlessly chose one to continue their search. Even the fearsome Chrysalis felt a chill as they walked along the ancient tunnels. “Tirek, you’ve been here longer than anycreature else; do you know what’s back here?”
“Not really.” Tirek shook his head. “To my knowledge, I was of the last prisoners to be brought to Tartarus before the two of you were added to the list.”
“So… there are other prisoners?” Cozy Glow asked, her voice laced with uneasiness.
“I’ve never heard a peep from these old passages… so I can’t believe there would be.” He answered, half trying to convince himself as he too began to feel an unnerving pressure.
“I suppose you’re right.” Chrysalis agreed. “You know those ponies, always working to ‘reform’ those that don’t agree with their ways… more like brainwashing if you ask me.”
“Spoken like one who seeks to stand out yet belong at the same time.” A low voice echoed around them.
“Ahh!” Cozy Glow flew behind Tirek’s head, peeking between his horns into the darkness.
“Who is there?!” Tirek challenged.
The walls of the tunnel began to glow a dull blue, the light taking a right turn at the next junction. The trio were compelled to follow and traced the light through a myriad of chambers and passages until finally reaching the end.
“Golly… no way.” Cozy Glow whispered as they found themselves before an Alicorn.
“A male Alicorn?” Tirek’s unease was replaced by sheer fascination.
“I thought there was no such thing?” Chrysalis quickly looked up to him.
“I was the first.” The creature spoke once more. “I am likely also the last.”
“Who are you?” Cozy Glow asked.
“Aurelian.” He answered.
“Are you a prisoner like us?” Chrysalis inquired.
“Not like you.” The silhouette shook its head.
“Hmph.” Chrysalis turned her nose up. “Already looking down on us? Just like an Alicorn.”
“Whoever you are.” Tirek began. “Don’t take us lightly. We may be in Tartarus now, but each of us have nearly brought the pony world to its knees. So you…”
Aurelian began to laugh, silencing Tirek. “The arrogance of those who ‘almost’ accomplish things never ceases to amuse me.”
“Hey!” Cozy Glow said sourly. “If I were you…”
“You are not.” Aurelian said shortly, cutting her off a well. “Spare me the bravado, child. You are no threat to me. If I wished it, you would have fallen before even reaching this chamber.” He finally stood, spreading his wings and rolling his neck. “I led you here for a different purpose.”
“And what might that be?” Chrysalis asked.
“To tell you that you waste your time.” He stepped from the shadows; his body an elegant swirl of blue and white. His calm, violet eyes were slightly obscured by his mane which had grown quite long during his stay.
“We appreciate the concern.” Tirek scoffed. “But we will find a way out of Tartarus.”
“I refer not to your planned escape.” Aurelian clarified. “I am speaking of your ambitions.”
“What is that supposed to mean?” Chrysalis narrowed her eyes.
“If you are here then you are considered villains.” Aurelian stepped closer to them. “I trust you have spent the bulk of your lives endeavoring to bend the world to your will in the name of whatever warped cause you call your own. Only to be defeated time and time again by those who value friendship, family and love above all else.”
“Speaking from experience?” Cozy Glow mocked.
“More than you could possibly imagine.” Aurelian sat and ran his eyes across them. “I have been you, been more than you and have seen countless versions of you come and go in similar fashion. I can tell you that no matter what you intend, how devious your plan or how powerful your magic, it always ends the same.” A thoughtful smile crossed him. “Even if by some miracle you were to win, it still ends the same.”
The three villains sat silent for a moment. Tirek eventually cocked his head and retorted. “Who are you to say such things are set in stone?”
“Not stone, a natural pattern that governs all things.” Aurelian stated. “They say that light cannot exist without dark, but that is utter nonsense. Darkness always exists… if you strip the world of life, time and space you are left with only dark. Light is a creation that stems the dark and makes way for itself to grow; and darkness has no innate power to quell light. As long as those exist who can create light, darkness will ever be relegated to the cracks and corners of the world.” He shrugged. “It may seep out time and again, but it will always be sent scurrying back in the end.”
Chrysalis contemplated his words. “You suggest that we have no place in the world? That we should just cease to be?”
“What you are is your own choice, girl.” Aurelian responded. “You choose to be of the dark and hence condemn yourself to the misery of that pattern.
“And what are you?” Tirek asked in response. “Alicorns are supposed to be the embodiment of magic and good.”
“What am I?” Aurelian repeated the question. “Tired.” He laughed. “I am over ten thousand years old.”
“Ten… thousand?” Cozy Glow tried to comprehend the number.
“How long have you been here?” Tirek asked in shock.
“I forget.” Aurelian admitted. “Time is meaningless in this place… even more so to an immortal.” He looked up at the ceiling in contemplation. “I have been good and evil. I have seen species come to life and go extinct. I’ve watched nations rise and fall.” He looked back to his three guests. “I have conquered the known world on three separate occasions only to watch it always return to a natural peace that is beyond anycreature’s power to interfere with. Which is the point I am trying to instill in you.” His horn lit and images of ponies, dragon, griffons and wild animals began to appear on the walls. “I have seen the end of your ambition more than once, with my own eyes. There is no meaning to it, no end other than failure and emptiness. The light that exists in the hearts of creatures will always shine when they need it to in order to stay whatever shadow you attempt to cast over them.” He looked about at his magical creations. “Even in victory, I found no peace or fulfillment in what I had done; for in those moments of dark victory I was alone. Invariably, a group of those filled with light stood to defy me each time and always clutched a victory of their own from the jaws of defeat. It was a different group each time, with different stories and different magic, but the pattern never swayed from repeating itself.”
“So they finally managed to put you in Tartarus?” Cozy Glow asked.
“At the time, yes.” He nodded. “I was the first creature to be labeled so great a threat that a special prison was required. What you have come to know as Tartarus, was constructed to contain me.”
“Okay, that’s pretty impressive.” Chrysalis admitted.
“It did not hold me forever.” Aurelian noted. “No prison is perfect. But eventually, I chose to return here of my own accord.”
“What?” Tirek looked at him in disbelief. “Why?”
“As I said, there is no point to the ambition we share.” Aurelian slowly closed his eyes. “In darkness, I found nothing but isolation and emptiness… in both victory and defeat. Even the light, which always reclaims that which is taken by the dark, is trapped within the pattern that guides this endless war.” He sighed with an exhaustion known only to a creature so long lived. “Hence I sit here, waiting for the end of time which is the only thing that can end my long life.” His eyes opened and he gave them a knowing smile. “But it isn’t endless for you; you three are not immortal which is why I am telling you to abandon this meaningless crusade for control and power. Unlike me, you can live a life that is long enough to find enjoyment in but not so long that you see it all and become so cynical that life and death no longer hold meaning to you.” He opened his wing and laid it to his chest. “Take it from one who has walked both sides of the line. Light and dark will ever be in flux, but you don’t have to make yourself a part of that endless battle.” His horn lit and space itself warped around the room, before they realized it the four of them were standing in the lush grass of an Equestrian field.
“Whoa!’ Cozy Glow flew around, breathing in the fresh air.
“Wait, you could have done that the whole time?” Chrysalis looked sharply to Aurelian.
“As I said, I remain there by choice.” Aurelian turned back to his portal. “Live a good life… or don’t, it’s your choice.” He looked back to them. “If you choose not to, then… till we meet again.” With that, the ancient creature stepped back into Tartarus and vanished.
Chrysalis stared at the spot where he stood. “Bah, we should have drained his magic and love.”
“He would have wiped the floor with us.” Tirek laughed to himself. “I can sense magical energy by smell alone and his… just the smell of it overwhelmed my senses. I didn’t think a creature that powerful could exist.”
“Are you serious?” Cozy Glow landed on his shoulder and looked into the distance.
“You just watched him bend space and time like it was nothing.” Tirek’s eyes shifted to her. “I don’t fully understand who or what he is, but to think that a power like that is just sitting in Tartarus for no other reason than choice is frightening. If he wanted to, he could bring this world down single hoofed.”
“Apparently he already has.” Chrysalis stepped up beside them. “Is there anyway to verify his claims?”
“If he’s as old as he says, there is no creature left to ask.” Tirek took a long breath.
Cozy Glow saw the look on his face and laughed. “Don’t tell me you buy all that endless pattern talk.”
“I may not be ten thousand years old, but I’m old enough to hear the truth in his words.” Tirek finally responded.
“So what?” Chrysalis growled. “We just give up everything and play nice with the world?”
“Let’s argue about philosophy later.” Cozy Glow huffed. “Right now, we need to find a place to hole up and regroup.”
“Some crack or corner?” Tirek asked distantly.
“What?” Chrysalis walked in front of him.
“Nothing… Cozy Glow is right.” He turned and headed for the mountains. “Let’s find someplace safe.”
With a contemplative glance between them, Cozy Glow and Chrysalis slowly began to follow after the clearly shaken Tirek. Although, for all their talk, they could not claim they were any less so.”
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This story is amazing! Have an upvote and a fave.
I know this is a one shot, but I kinda wanna see more of Aurelian.
9852840
Thank you. Glad you liked the story.
Excellent story. Aurelian does seem an incredibly jaded individual. I can't help but wonder what the princesses think of him.
Brilliant. I love how open ended it is.
Aurelian. Latin for “Golden One.” That’s some simple and effective symbolism.
Enlightenment is a difficult thing to portray in fiction, since enlightenment itself is a hard concept to grasp. I like how age and experience are key factors to understanding it, with Tirek being most moved by this encounter and Cozy Glow being the least. Single, impactful scenes in the lives of side characters are my favorite types of fics. Makes the MLP mythos feel big and small both at the same time.
I guess what I’m trying to say is this is a good fic. Have an upvote.
The Once-ler
9853142
Thank you. When I write short one-shots like this I spend as much time thinking about what I'm not putting in as what I am; as I have to choose what is most important for the reader. I imagine Aurelian being so old that his stay in Tartarus began well before Celestia and Luna were even born; meaning that even the rulers of the modern world are completely unaware of this immense power laying beneath them.
9853220
Thank you. I like my one-shots to not have a true beginning or end to maintain that openness for the reader; although it does make it hard to fight off the sequel bug that invariable starts tapping on my shoulder.
9853272
I appreciate that. I'm really glad all of that still got through given the limited number of words I was working with for the contest. Although, I do tend to enjoy the succinctness that comes along with working on a short leash as these types of works tend to be more impactful on readers.
I think you meant: Although, for all their talk, they could not claim they were any less so.”
9853400
Thanks for the catch. Taken care of. 👍
Hm, fascinating idea. Given how old Equestria is, it's not hard to believe other villains existed and some even more ancient. Plus the pattern he mentioned does make sense. It's like how Peace and War can only last for so long, sure they might regin for a few decades even centuries but eventually everything falls and balances out.
Frankly Cozy, Tirek and Chrysalis could stand to listen to the guy. He's talking sense.
I would love to see a sequel what cozy glow, Tirek, and Chrysalis do. If they take Aurelian‘s advice I think they would have a funny roommate/family situation.
Apparently, the only thing that isn't ever getting boring is giving long-winded villain speeches
Okay seriously... I NEED TO SEE MORE. PLEASE.
I think what maybe truly sad about this is that it IS a pattern.
The Alicorn knows that in the war of light and dark someone will be in the dark corner fighting a ultimately useless fight.
They spout their rhetoric get close or succeed; then something happens to make the light shine through.
What ever happens after this is sad because Tirek could convince the girls to just live their lives outside society and/or go into the light, Or they will repeat the cycle and get destroyed, or sent back to Tartarus. In both cases the cycle will repeat again and again
Ladies & Gentlemen, we need another one.
It reminds me of what the Tree guy in Amulet said,
"I cannot see the future, but I have lived long enough that I have begun to see the patterns that appear." He had created a prophecy about the destruction of the Tyrant that ruled that world.
9853488
I think Equestria's far past is a good playground for writers because we have snippets of canonical information about it but nothing so concrete to say for sure, save for a few instances like the Pillars.
9853529
Cut the man some slack, he hasn't had anyone to talk to for thousands of years. 🙂
9853640
9853810
Although I'm someone who is always extremely weary of making sequels to one-shots like this due to the natural fear of running the risk of ruining it.
I'm getting that sense.
good story, this the kind of story that make me want to read the story. lord tirek is a big dick from that time i fought him but maybe he can reform too with queen crystalis and Co Zyglow.
fun fact: did you know Queen Chrysalis is named Queen Chyrsalis because her favorite band is Queen
I know this is fanfiction, and it's fine to twist some facts to better suit a story, but I can't help myself. In the episode Frienemies, it's shown that Tirek can only drain magic from living beings, not inanimate objects, such as the barrier protecting Grogar's bell in that episode or Chrysalis' cage in this story. =)
That Was Great!
Oooo, I love the concept. I know people complain about villain reformations, but I really like seeing a villain come to realize the futility and emptiness of their ambitions. And it feels right that you left it open-ended; we can make estimations about what they might decide, but it doesn't have the too firm and saccharine an ending. The characters are left thinking, and that leaves the reader thinking. Very nicely done!
I kinda want someone to help poor Aurelian find friendship again, though. Poor guy is trapped in his own cynicism. =(
9853741
But it doesn't have to repeat for THEM, and they can enjoy the positives of living in the light as opposed to the ultimate and personal futility of the dark. I think that was Aurelian's point.
I'd Love To See More of The Group After This Story!
I'd LOVE To See How Their Characters Could Slowly Change After This!
Well done. We'd all certainly appreciate a series after this, but something like that would obviously take a lot of work, as with this kind of setup, it'd be hard to end it with a short story. Well done regardless.
9854378
Hmm, now that would be something i'd wanna see! Role-Reversal Universe, writers get on it.
Three separate times and occasions. Three separate Generations of MLP brought to an end. Those filled with light came and banished him back to the darkness each time, creating the next Generation.
That's how I interpret it, at least.
9854768
In a manner. Aurelian is speaking of groups of heroes like the mane 6 who step up for each generation to become the champions of their age; just like the pillars before them and the student 6 who will likely come after them. But, your interpretation is a fair one to consider; I never watched the older incarnations so the fact that the story and the past shows line up numerically like that never clicked in my head.
9854315
I understand your concern. You don't have to do anything but if you ask me you could "lend" this idea per say to your audience. Or just do a short "idea" blogpost where you explain in short a possible direction.
I'll be honest tho... Cozy Glow might be young and still have a life ahead of her but... Chrysalis? Tirek? Will they live long enough to find a meaningful new purpose in life? New aspirations? New dreams? New reasons to be happy? I have had this idea in my head where redemption is offered to them but... it's too late to go through the necessary arduous process of changing one's mind. What then? Do they send a message back in time to their younger selves urging them to change? Does that work? Do they just... give up and live the rest of their lives in solitary confinement/solitude?
Another idea puts them into the road to accept redemption but they find it... unsatisfactory. Like they accept a new way of thinking but it ultimately doesn't bring them the happiness they wanted. It sabotages their redemption and makes them feel indoctrinated/used in the effort of making a more peaceful world. It makes them think that their opponents didn't only beat them in combat... but in the mind too.
It makes me think... and I'm not sure I like where it leads.
If only it wasn't a one off. Maybe when the contest ends you could continue?
9854373
Yeah, he is like Morla in Neverending Story. If I were in the trio´s horseshoes, I would have pointed that at least they have a purpose in life yet, a drive to move forward. Aurelian just gave up and decided to let himself to rot.
Mmm
This could be the first chapter in the reformation of these three. I think it would be an interesting read.
9855953
The problem is he has done it all and seen it all. He's played both white and black. And being that old, centuries are like years, years like months, months like days, days like hours, hours like minutes. It's like looking at life at fast forward everything blends together. Look away your friends are dead and buried and you're looking at their great-grand kids. Be gone a "year" and a century has passed. Everyone you'd know and like is a mayfly. Except Celestia, Luna, Cadance, and Purple Smart.
I think this story is absolutely amazing, except for a bit of numbers nitpicking. He says he's seen species rise and fall, but ten thousand years is FAR too few to see anything on that scale biologically. As well, he waits for the end of time. The fact that he just so happened to come into creation just ten thousand years prior to our story is a HUGE coincidence, considering that there were likely billions of years of window for it to happen. It would make more sense on a scale of tens or hundreds of millions of years.
9854809
If it boils well with you I would love to see where the Evil Trio goes from there.
9854315
You could keep it short and just take it to what you think would be the natural answer they would get to. Some adventure that will let them find the answer to what left them shaken.
9857558
The evolution, life and extinction cycles suggested don't really add up to the scientific world that we know to be our own, but I do try to not let that fully impact the possibilities in a magical world like Equestria. Looking into it, I never found a lot of canonical explanations for things like pre-history and where the species that exist in the current time came from. In this world, species are types of creatures like ponies, dragons and like; and given that some species are born of magic as we saw when the mane 6 literally dismantled the mystical creatures into their individual components while escaping Tartarus, it doesn't seem too far a stretch that many 'species' could have come and gone. In regards to the 'end of time', Aurelian is speaking more to the simple fact that he has lived long enough to see every eventuality that life has to offer and, given his perceived futility of it all, has resolved himself to simply sit in Tartarus until existence as they know it ceases to be; as no other force seems to able to end his life which he has grown tired of living. I hope that explains my thought process a bit.
9855194
9855306
9855370
9857599
This story seems to have hit a very positive chord with readers and even though it was intended to be a one-shot, I think I will work to find a good way to keep it moving forward. My position on the idea has certainly changed over the past couple days given all the amazing feedback this piece has received.
NICE JOB
9857655
Very good. We all look forward to it
I've been avoiding the S9 spoilers so I almost didn't read this. I'm glad I did though. It was interesting to watch their notions being challenged.
I'm probably the only reader who found Aurelian neither convincing nor all that interesting.
9855953
Agreed. His message is what? Don't be good, don't be evil, do... nothing? Or do something, but not anything on the spectrum of morality? What an arrogant and foolish creature. I hope they decide to throw their lot in with one of the sides even harder—to spite him, and be it for his arrogance and condescension alone. I think that would be an interesting twist. For all his talking, his message is actually as empty as he is, and it would be fascinating to hold up this mirror to Aurelian, who thinks he has the universe figured out because he's supposedly the strongest there is and saw a lot.
Jeez, someone's full of himself.
That was surprisingly... good. I'm not really a fan of short SoL stories, but that one was different.
Nicely done, and interesting perspective about immortality.
9861792
He's telling them to not go down the same path he did which is do something evil and then be stopped because someone good stopped him it is a pattern that old as time itself good and evil will always fight it's better to live your life the best way you can