Old Words

by WurkyWilk358 0w0

Life’s Gift

Chapter 10

The night was still, and the moon shined down on a pasture of fields with the stars twinkling beside it. There was a faint breeze in the air that carried a scent of trees and dew from the grass. A single trail stretched across the fields, a trail ponies would sometimes walk along during the day just for a stroll. Along the trail sat a single bench someone decided to place in case there was anyone wished to take a short break. Nothing could be heard for an untold amount of time as the bench awaited the next wanderer to take a seat.

From the horizon, on this cool and quiet night, a figure slowly walked along the path to the left of the bench. It was a bipedal creature with a cane in hand and it was slowly and patiently making its way towards the bench. Eventually, the being had made it to the bench and decided to rest upon it by taking a seat. The old man sighed as he gazed up at the stars and moon. The old man always enjoyed his nighttime strolls, especially since he could bask in the moon’s glow. But why he chose to go out and walk this late at night was anyone’s guess, especially since most everyone was asleep by now. Despite this, the old man held his place and stat on the lone bench, by himself, with no one around.

Some time later, a second figure appeared from the opposite end of the trail. Its appearance was a tad larger than the old man, but had a cloak over its body. The slow, yet heavy, hoofsteps came clopping along the dirt path until the cloaked being spotted the old man on the bench. It paused for a moment, staring at the old man, until a tired sigh escaped and the cloaked figure walked closer to the old man on the bench. More silence followed once the two were just a few feet from one another and the old man glanced at the cloaked figure.

“Evening,” the old man greeted, and received a low hum in response. “Care to sit?” The old man offered. The cloaked figure hesitated but felt compelled to accept and positioned himself next to the old man. “Nice night, wouldn’t you say?”

“…yes, indeed,” the cloaked figure nodded.

“What brings you out all the way here?” The old ma wondered.

“I…was on a journey,” the cloaked figure said. “At first, I believed I was wasting my time when I should have been doing what I set out to do once I was free. But now…I feel so…conflicted.” The figure turned his head towards the old man. “You knew, didn’t you?”

“Now why would you go and assume something like that, Tirek?” The old man smiled. In response to the name, the cloaked figure reached up and pulled off his cloak’s hood to reveal himself.

Tirek had a blank expression on his face as the old man examined him. The last time he saw him, Tirek looked quite withered and frail due to lack of magic consumption. But now, he looked more healthier and less frail. His face had filled out, his body gained a bit more mass, and his horns had grown a little too. Though his eyes were black with yellow irises, they no longer had the power hungry gaze as before. Instead, they were much more calm and collected.

“You look more vibrant than the last I saw you,” the old man commented.

“I have been eating, if you must know, actual food for nourishment instead of consuming magic from ponies, as what we had agreed to,” Tirek said.

“You sound as though you have something on your mind,” the old man said.

“More than you can ever imagine,” Tirek frowned as he looked up at the sky. “When I was young, I held as much pride in myself than I care to admit. I was a headstrong, cold, and defiant centaur. My father always did what was best for my brother and I, but I treated him as though he were an obstacle in my way. I’m embarrassed to admit that deep down, I wanted to prove that I could be a better leader than he ever was.” Tirek looked down at his hand. “There was this hermit who prattled on about discovering a new way to harness magic and make it his own, and I saw it as my chance to achieve what I desired. In the end, I found myself being betrayed by my own brother and imprisoned for my crimes.”

“And you wished to continue those dark deeds of yours if and when you were ever free from imprisonment?” The old man asked and Tirek nodded.

“Power was the only thing on my mind. If I had that, no one would ever dare question my authority. That is…until I encountered you and convinced me to strike a bargain with me.”

“I asked you to travel and see the world,” the old man nodded.

“I did, and you know what I saw?” Tirek paused and looked up at the sky. “I saw…life.”

“Life?” The old man repeated.

“Yes, in the beginning of my journey, I wished to complete the task set for me and be done with it. As I traveled, the more I began to notice things. In a forest, I was surrounded by trees as far as I could see. Some stretched high to the sky, and their leaves were shaded a variety of colors. I thought to myself that if I had the power, I could burn the forrest down to make a monument to my greatness. But then I noticed the animals that lived in the forest. The animals I saw every now and then had made their homes in some of these trees. They all looked…content with their homes and found comfort from the trees. If the trees were not there for them, they would be driven out and left to fend for themselves out in the open. I felt a sense of…guilt when I wished for the forest’s destruction, so I decided to leave the forests of the lands be.”

“Nature is more important than you might understand,” the old man commented.

“I realized that, especially when I witnessed these ponies up close.” Tirek frowned and looked away. “I can’t tell you how many times I wished to absorb their magic for my own, but my honor made me stay my hand. At the time, I only viewed them as sources of power for my conquest and nothing more. That is until I had a certain encounter.”

“What kind of encounter?” The old man wondered.

“There are only a select few in the world who know of my existence, them being the Princesses, the Element Bearers, and Discord. The rest of these ponies were all mostly oblivious to my name, but kept their distance if my appearance was shown to them. One day, as I took refuge near a town, a young foal took notice of me an boldly approached. I thought he was a foolish little colt, but I suppose it was because of his young mind that made him oblivious of the danger I could have posed to him. The colt was so small, I could have easily scared him off or threaten to drain his power, but, once agin, I stayed my hand from doing harm.”

“The young are always innocently ignorant,” the old man said.

“I did not think much of the colt, but ever since he met me, he always seemed to want to see me each time for as long as I resided near that town. He prattled on about his family, how he always wanted to make his parents smile. I asked him what was the point? Why did he have to go out of his way for their satisfaction when all that should matter was his own? He didn’t seem to quite understand what I meant, but he responded by asking me why he should be the only one to be happy? His parents, his friends, his…brother, the colt was happy to have them in his life. It somehow reminded me of my own family, how my mother was always a kind soul. Even my father, in his own way. As I continued my travels, I had met many other ponies, young and old, even different creatures from time to time. Each one sharing their own view of how content they were with their lives.”

“You mentioned once that you had a brother when we met,” the old man said. “Were you close?”

“As close as can be, before he betrayed me,” Tirek said with a sigh. “Though, now that I recall, he was always one of my main pillars of support before my imprisonment.” Tirek looked back at the old man. “I see now that he must not have wanted to turn against me when he attempted to appeal to me, but I was so driven by my lust for magic that he was left with no choice but to warn the Princesses.” He looked up at the stars again. “I believed that not absorbing magic would make me too weak and frail, when in fact that it was starting to become therapeutic. My mind became clearer, my body felt more natural, and the drive for magic consumption ebbed away from my soul little by little.”

“Addiction is a terrible disease, it requires a strong will in order to not give in to its dark whispers,” the old man commented.

“I agree,” Tirek nodded. “But despite all that I had encountered, those experiences were not what convinced me to change my ways.”

“What was it then?” The old man wondered.

“It happened as I was headed towards another town. I was minding my own business when I heard a cry out for help. Piquing my curiosity, I investigated and saw a stallion and a mare. One of their wagon’s wheels had broken and the mare’s abdomen was greatly bloated, which could only have meant she was in the midst of giving birth to her unborn foal. Feeling compelled to aid them in their dilemma, I offered to quickly repair their wagon. However, fate had other plans and the mare was ready to give birth right then and there. With the stallion panicking and me having knowledge I’ve read in books, I had no choice but to assist the mare.”

“My word, that must have been an ordeal,” the old man chuckled.

“Believe me, it was quire arduous to say the least,” Tirek exhaled. “But the results were…beyond what I expected. Through my efforts, and instructing the couple, the mare was able to birth a healthy baby filly. There were times in my life I always ensured I would be mentally prepared for, but this…”

For the first time in Tirek’s life, the centaur smiled, but it was warm and kind instead of cold and malicious. “The filly’s wails were like a calling to me, her tiny frame in my hands made me feel I was carrying something so very precious. I had witnessed a life coming to the world for the first time, and I helped bring it to the world.” Tirek looked down at his hands, still smiling. “That’s when I realized it, as I handed the couple’s foal to them and sent them on their way after I repaired their wagon. This foal had been given the gift of life. It is a fragile gift, and not one that can be kept forever, but it is the most precious gift in all of the world. All these ponies, these creatures, they had all been given this gift. And I was planning to take it away from them.”

The old man smiled back as he too looked up at the stars. “In the end, what matters isn’t how long we’ve lived but how fully we’ve lived. The good we’ve done, the friends we’ve made, and the love we’ve shared along the way.”

“I am sorry that I did not realize this sooner,” Tirek said, slowly nodded.

“It’s the journey, Tirek, remember that,” the old man said as he patted Tirek’s shoulder and stood up. “Now it is time for you to begin living your life how can.”

“I shall,” Tirek nodded again and stood up as well. “I believe I owe my brother a long overdue apology.” He raised his hand towards the old man. “I thank you for showing me the way.”

“It wasn’t I who showed you anything, Tirek,” the old man said as he clasped his hand with Tirek;s and shook it. “You did that all on your own through your own eyes.”

Without another word, the two departed from another and left in the opposite directions where they came from. As Tirek walked down the path, he did not pull his cloak’s hood over his head this time. He would no longer hide who and what he was. Now, he had a whole new view on the concept of his life.

---

Far, far away from the lands of Equrstria, there stood a tall structure that towered over a city of creatures. The MIdnight Palace was home to the Centaur and Gargoyle race, but all the inhabitants were in shock at the moment when they saw someone walk towards the palace with a straight face. Tirek paid no mind to the stares as he made his way to the entrance of the palace. The guards were in such shock that they didn’t bother stopping him as he opened the doors and went in. Tirek eventually made it to the throne room where he saw an older centaur, a female gargoyle, and a younger male gargoyle all staring at Tirek with surprise.

“Hello, my family,” Tirek said. “I have returned, and there is much I would like to reconcile with you.”

Author's Note:

Life’s like a box of chocolates, you never know what you’re gonna get.

Hope you enjoyed! Next chapter, the epilogue!

~WurkyWilk has left the building…

Comments

[asdtroi8895]

Great way to end this arc. It makes sense for Tirek to change like this.

[Holydude]

I am glad tirek has had a change of heart. I hoped his family will consider his apology

[Arceaion]

Now the stage is set. All the pieces are in place, the final level has at last approached and there is but one life left. One last soul to save but can they be saved from their cruel fate or will they follow their destined destruction?

[Alondro]

10983420 Alas, I'm afraid Twilight is doomed to become Princess Purple Smart and destroy the world.