The Friendship of Evil Grows

by Zizi Tachyon

Ninth Chapter - King Scorpan

The road to the entrance of Midnight Castle was laid with bricks the color of charcoal. It stretched out for half a mile before it was swallowed by the drifting desert sands. Clouds weren't covering the skies over the castle and the setting sun was bright and hot. It made Tirek feel feverous, adding to the nausea inflicted by his cramped stomach. He grabbed a canteen from his saddlebags and drank it empty, which put him to ease a little.

Of all the thoughts troubling his mind, there was one thing that was disconcerting him directly. The vision with which he made Midnight Castle appear featured voices, bells, and other noises natural to an active city; but as they were approaching the gate there was no trace of any commotion. It didn't seem right. Had his senses deceived him, after all?

The gate stood open. This was not unusual, as it was only closed after it had gone dark, however it used to be kept by two guards at any time.

Without wasting a moment, Tirek marched through the gate. Cozy stayed closely beside him. She held her breath as they entered Midnight Castle.

The interior of the city was densely built with houses and towers. The main road led to the central palace up ahead, although it took twists and turns and its spire was only visible above the rooftops. In this regard it was exactly as Tirek remembered it—and as he imagined it. However, there did not seem to be a single resident and the streets were dead silent; not even the wind made any noise.

Tirek stood still. Cozy Glow cast a nervous glance at his face. He was upholding a neutral expression, although he seemed stiff in the neck and his posture was like that of a statue.

"Hello! Is anyone here?!" Tirek bellowed, his voice steely and commandeering. A reply came only in the form of an echo which died out seconds later. Cozy wanted to say something, but Tirek proceeded walking before she could figure out what to say. His hoofsteps resounded through the narrow streets. They were truly alone.

To the right they found an alley that lead to a yard. From afar they could see it was a relatively large open space that, left to its own devices for possibly centuries, was overgrown with weeds. Still, it was the only living matter they had hitherto come across. Tirek took the turn and Cozy followed.

"Tirek, do you want me to take a look inside the houses?" she asked finally.

"Do as you please. Maybe it will gives us a clue as to what—"

Before he could finish his sentence he had already found his answer before him. The walls surrounding the yard were crumbled, making for a large hole that was cleared in the center, with rubble piling up on both sides. A second glance revealed there were tools scattered on the ground. Brown, rusty tools, with blades and spikes. Weapons of war.

Tirek climbed through the hole in the wall. Cozy fluttered after him with gentle flaps; she didn't dare to break the silence with the clopping of her hooves. They were led into another street, but unlike the ones by the gate this one was devastated: windows were broken, arches were destroyed. Whole houses had collapsed. Any wooden structures that were still standing were scorched black and seemed brittle to the touch. At the side of the road stood some kind of carriage with the wheels destroyed on one side; Cozy recognized it as a mobile battering ram.

"Oh no, Tirek… this is so bad, I am sorry this happened," she declared remorsefully, though she wasn't sure if she really meant it.

"Don't be," Tirek retorted coldly, "It is no surprise, considering how much time has passed. Kingdoms fall, that's a fact of life." His head was feeling light, almost as if he could float away. He took a deep breath and sighed.

"I… I need to be alone for a moment," he added. "There is some place I need to go. You can look around in the meantime, but don't follow me." Without looking back he wandered in the direction of the palace, leaving Cozy Glow behind. Unsure what to do she stood there for a minute, but finally decided to do as he said. It was her own idea, after all.

---

The further Tirek went, the worse the damage became. It soon became clear that almost the whole city was ravished. Of course, the palace was still standing, and that was exactly his destination. If there was any place that could show him what kind of disaster had struck his people while he was away, it was the city's capital building.

When he was young Father had explained to him how the palace was built many centuries ago by one of his ancestors. He didn't remember the name, nor the year, nor the circumstances nor any other detail whatsoever. Father's lectures about rulership and diplomacy were equally tiresome. He couldn't care less about such petty things; what truly interested him was magic and the power that it brought. Power not through deception and an intricate network of pawns—Cozy Glow's idea of power—but brute force with which he could bend anypony to his will. When all were below him, there would be nothing he couldn't have.

Before he realized it he had already set hoof inside the palace. Crimson rays of the evening sun shone through the broken stained glass and revealed to him the anticipated disaster in the grand hall: beautiful tapestries torn, furniture smashed to pieces, and everything glimmering coated in a thick layer of dust. Much more than before, he was now acutely gripped with sorrow and he didn't understand precisely why. Wasn't what he'd seen outside already enough? Why did he tolerate this horrible assault that had occurred without his knowing and the implications it had for his fellow citizens, but now choked up upon entering the place he had explicitly rejected?

Everything came to him at once with an immense force and he grabbed his face with both his hands. What had happened to everypony he knew? Were they still alive when it occurred? Who was responsible for this?

Tirek suddenly remembered: whenever the centaurs had a new king, a statue in his likeness was unveiled at the coronation. This statue was then added to the line statues of previous kings in the throne room. That's where he would learn the truth.

With newfound fervor he made his way through the hall of the palace. The throne room was just up ahead. His heart was beating in his throat.

He stormed in. The statues were aligned at the right hand of the throne. He immediately recognized the contemptible statue of his father, standing proudly with his arms resting on his traditional battle-axe. Beside it stood one statue was new. It was of a gargoyle, one who was notably smaller than the several other gargoyle rulers Midnight Castle had known. He was portrayed with a scepter rather than a weapon, unlike his ancestors, and there was a dove resting on his shoulder.

Tirek read the inscription at the foot:

SCORPAN, KING OF THE CENTAURS

He drew his hood over his head, let his arms drop by his sides and stood like that for a minute in total silence. Finally he spoke under his breath, "Scorpan, you were weak. You always were. In all my years that I grew up with you I have known you only as a coward. You rejected power even when I offered it to you for nothing in return. You did not have what it took to be a ruler, and now that I return after so many years, I find you on the throne and my home a wasteland. Is this the friendship that the ponies taught you, which you accepted in favour of strength and glory? A shameful, pitiful weakness that tears down the walls of a castle that have stood proudly through the ages? You have proven that friendship is a powerful force indeed—just not in the way you hope it is. It truly is a curse, after all; it spells a fate I wouldn't even wish upon my foes! Not even another ten thousand years in Tartarus can compare to the destruction I have come upon in terms of suffering! Because of you, everyone has perished, my home is destroyed, and I am the last of the centaurs!"

He fell through his knees on the dusty carpet that lay before the throne. Unbridled fury colored his face even redder than usual. Groaning woefully, he slammed his fist on the ground, the sound of which resounded through the room. His head sank in defeat.

"On my way here, I too have encountered friendship… I suppose it was an error…"

"…"

"Tirek?" A high-pitched voice called from behind him. "Tirek!" He turned his head and saw Cozy shyly standing in the doorway. She was out of breath, and after the initial surprise of finally finding her companion she retreated several steps, realizing what she was intruding upon.

"I know you didn't want me to come here, but I was looking around the city like you said and I came across this building. It looked pretty important, like some kind of shrine. The entrance is sealed off and I couldn't find a way in. Then I heard you, and, well…"

Tirek got up and wiped his face with his arm. "A shrine, you say?"

"Yup, it's somewhere in that direction, not too far away." She gestured with her hoof to somewhere outside.

If it was as remarkable as Cozy claimed, he should have been able to remember it. Had he ever been in a shrine that stood right outside the place? Nothing of the like came to mind.

"Very well, bring me there."

They left the throne room together, Cozy leading and Tirek following. His face bore a grim expression.

"But if you don't know it, then that probably means that it was built after you left, right?" Cozy asked, trying to make sense of it for herself.

"Indeed. It must have been erected by Scorpan after he became king." Cozy's ears perked up in understanding. "Likely a temple for him to be venerated in, or perhaps a vault for the riches he had taken for himself. No vanity project would be too much for somepony as rotten and inept as he. Let me guess: it portrays His Majesty as an unimaginably wise and benevolent ruler, clad in gold and purple."

"No, actually, it doesn't show anypony. There is some sort of engraving on it, but I couldn't figure out what it is." She spoke pensively, in a way that reminded Tirek from their earlier encounter with the fragmented obelisk. Another mystery had her fired up. Exiting the palace, Cozy took off and began fluttering in the air. "Come this way," she nodded sideways impatiently and took a direct turn.

It didn't provoke her companion: Tirek trod with the same dispirited pace and his mouth was fixed in a disgusted frown. On one hand, he really wasn't in the mood for any adventures, especially not something that might have to do with Scorpan; on the other, he could admit to himself that the company of Cozy Glow made for a welcome distraction.

The destruction was as bad in this area of the city as anywhere else, but there was something that struck Tirek as curious. Something very subtle didn't match with the picture of Midnight Castle he had in his mind but he couldn't quite name it. Was it that the neighborhood felt more claustrophobic? Could it be that there were more houses than there used to be? And had the palace square always been paved with these dark, polished bricks? He felt some other details didn't quite line up, either, but he was shaken from his thoughts when he found himself standing before the mysterious building.

Cozy Glow was right that looked like shrine of sorts: it was square-shaped, supported at the corners by four milky jade pillars whose surfaces were irregular and polygonal like gemstones, and it had a broadly triangular pediment as a roof. The walls appeared to be made of blue marble and featured dents and stretches, but besides that, damage was minimal. It was furthermore remarkably small: its dimensions wouldn't even allow for two centaurs to enter it at the same time.

Tirek had no doubt about it: this structure did not exist before he left for Equestria. Though it was somewhat inconspicuous because of it size, it stood out in every other respect, like a crystal embedded in the wall of a murky cave.

"What is it supposed to mean, you think?" Cozy wondered, staring inquisitively at the decorated surface of the stone slab that was blocking the entrance.

This decoration was as enigmatic as the rest of the building. The lines were curvy and flowing and filled every square inch of the monolith, making it difficult to distinguish background from foreground and to recognize the part from the whole. But looking closer, one could discern a shape in the center, whose lines were drawn thicker than the others. It had the shape of a star, with curved rays emanating from the center and the broadest ray pointed towards the ground.

"It could be some kind of sun symbol, or maybe a tree?" she suggested.

Tirek stroked the marble, clearing away a fine film of dust that stuck to his fingers. "The land of centaurs wasn't particularly known for its trees. The closest living forest is many miles away. Maybe he has started a tree cult for that reason." He wiped off the dust and cracked his knuckles. "Enough speculation. Step aside."

Cozy Glow obeyed and moved out of the way. Tirek firmly grabbed the slab with both hands, lifted it up with ease and gently put it back down against the wall.

The two curiously peeked inside. The interior was empty, save for a stairway that led into a dark cellar. They cast a look at one another.

"You go first," Cozy said with a shy smile. "I'm not taking any more chances with strange doorways."

Tirek turned around and descended the steps backwards: they were too steep and the corridor too narrow for him to enter head-first. Moments later his head had gone underground. He kept going, and after several more steps he felt he had reached the floor of the dark cellar.

"Is it safe?" he heard Cozy's voice call from the surface.

"No bloodthirsty hellhounds here—I think," he answered dryly, upon which Cozy came fluttering down the stairs as well. Out of caution she decided to land on his back.

She tested her vision by waving her hoof in front of her eyes. "I'm as blind as a bat! Next time we should bring a light."

"I cannot see anything either. This is useless. I suppose we'll have to go back up and—wait!" Tirek started, a sudden realization came over him. "We do have a light!"

Invisible to Tirek, Cozy's eyes beamed as well. "You're right!" She climbed into his saddlebag and popped back out a second later, holding a small device in her hoof. "Starswirl's sun-dial! I had completely forgotten about it." She hoofed it over to Tirek. He experimentally held it before him with his arms stretched, but to no effect.

"How do I get it to work? Twilight said it gives off light when it is daytime. The sun is still up, right?"

"Yep, it sure is. Try to see if there is some kind of mechanical lock on it."

Tirek started fidgeting with it, searching for any part that would give to the gentle pressure of his thumbs. He tried rotating the axial ring that was inscribed with illegible characters.

He felt a movement. The device clicked with the distinctive sound of firesteel being struck. A sun-like orb materialized within between the rings and cast a bright red light into the room, just as if they were outside.

Tirek and Cozy could now see the interior of the room they were standing in. It was several times larger than the building at the surface. Between the elaborate inscriptions on the walls hung torches that hadn't seen use in centuries. But most strikingly, in the center of room, on a small, hexagonal, elevated platform there stood a crystal tree.

"Is that… the Tree of Harmony?" Tirek inquired with a quivering voice.

"It's not the Tree of Harmony, but a different Tree of Harmony!" Cozy corrected. "The one in the Everfree Forest had branches that are zig-zagging spikes, while this one's branches are curving, like on the picture outside!"

He agreed: it was distinct from the one that perished by Sombra's doing. The branches hung and the crystalline leaves drooped down like a willow, giving a somber impression. Not only that, but while the Tree in Equestria had an magnificent aquamarine halo, this specimen was a dull grey and glowed only with the dimmest fluorescence.

"It's not looking healthy," Tirek remarked. "Maybe it's ill. After all, it is likely that nopony has tended to it for ages."

"Then what are we waiting for? Give it some water or something!"

They approached the Tree, but suddenly, as if reacting to their hoofsteps, a spark ignited within the Tree's heart and it started pulsating vividly. Tirek and Cozy Glow stood aghast as the pulses became stronger and stronger, with waves of light coursing through the Tree from the trunk to the heart to the branches. Then, a bright flash that illuminated the whole room erupted from it, consuming the crimson light of the sun-dial and restoring a tranquil, jade glow in its place.

"What in Equestria is happening?" Cozy trotted around the Tree, marvelling it from all sides. The Tree's radiance had a calming effect: she wasn't afraid, sad or vexed anymore. The pain in her joints from all the travelling was cured at once, as if she had had a long night of rest. The same happened to Tirek, who felt soothed as his anger and anguish were dissolved like snow in the sun.

An echoing voice spoke up from every corner of the room at the same time.

"Tirek and Cozy Glow, be welcome. I have been expecting you."

The voice was gentle and kind, even somewhat juvenile, but it nonetheless startled Cozy, who instinctively spread her wings and looked around to find its origin.

"Who is speaking? Reveal yourself," Tirek demanded.

"I am a Spirit of Harmony, the guardian of the Tree that you see before you. Eight hundred years have passed since darkness befell unto my eyes. Your light has reawakened me at long last."

Reminded of her own close encounter with the Tree, Cozy asked, "Are you related to the Tree of Harmony in the Everfree Forest?"

"Though we are distant, we are closely related. I felt a great pain when it died. But thanks to the effort of six young individuals its essence was preserved."

"Spirit, appear before us," Tirek insisted. "Tell us: where did you come from and what exactly has happened to my kingdom?"

"I am afraid I cannot yet reveal my material form. You shall first face a trial in which your intentions are assessed. Pass, and you will find the answers that you seek."

"You mean a friendship test? Like the one those six students had? I'm not sure if we're up for that. We kind of rejected the whole 'friendship' thing some time ago," Cozy confessed soberly. It was something she still stood by, so she spoke in frankness, which felt good; but at the same time she regretted to disappoint the Spirit.

"Indeed," Tirek added. "Both of us have done awful things that we can never rectify. And given our circumstances, I don't see why we should even want to try."

"I am aware of your histories. While your burdens are heavy indeed, rest assured that they will not affect the fate that presently awaits you. What will matter are your choices here and now. Let us proceed to see what they would be. I've got faith in you."

The Spirit stopped speaking, the Tree lost its glow and the room went dark again. A few seconds later it reignited with a blindingly dazzling light. Tirek and Cozy both covered their eyes but the light could not be blocked. It penetrated their arms, their legs, their whole bodies. The floor, walls and ceiling disintegrated and for a brief moment it was as if they were standing in empty, white space. At last, the light permeated into their souls, upon which an irresistible drowsiness overtook them and they fell over, passing out.

Comments

[vito]

Awesome chapter! Cozy's and Tirek's friendship is quite strong, even if they would never admit that!

[asdtroi8895]

This was sad. I wonder if there are more trees like that and how did this happen to the kingdom.

[Zizi Tachyon]

10253354
This was the darkest part of the story. Despite the tragedy I hope it was good. I'm not going to spoil anything but things will get better.

[Whistle Blossom]

Cute story!

[Razzy]

Well, not a good situation to come back to at home.

ToH 2.0!

[Doctor_Den]

what a selfish tree. In order for it to show the fate of the kingdom, the tree gives tests that must be passed. Would history change if Tirek couldn't pass this test? Didn't Tirek deserve to know what became of his people anyway?

[Juicer]

11167997
I believe it is like most adventure stories, the test will show if he is emotionally ready for the truth, sometimes the truth can hurt more than set you free.