Your Betrayal...
Yells. The yelling of perpetually anguished souls echoed throughout all of Tartarus. But he did not care. Pain, the moans of thousands upon thousands upon hundreds upon billions of souls forever trapped. Forever locked in this eternal abyss, never able to see the light of day ever again. Only able to struggle, to survive, to try and live through this realm that was meant for the damned and the worst of the worst.
But even with the myriad of yells, groans, anguished screams, and the silent voices of those who could no longer bare this prison. He did not care. He merely ignored all other noises as he approached the massive cage meant for one being and one centaur only.
Tirek.
Three orthros, seven feet tall, two on either side of the ancient master, one directly in front of him lead the lord of chaos to the cell chamber of the one called Tirek. Discord had said nothing the entire time he had appeared in Tartarus. He had not even smiled once when the guardian of this realm approached and asked him his purpose for coming to this realm.
He had merely told Cerberus his reason, before being led in Tirek’s direction by these three guards who as he had been forewarned would rip him to shreds if he tried to free the old centaur.
Obviously that was something that never once crossed the master of chaos’ mind. Cerberus himself must have known from the look in Discord’s eyes, but had simply warned him for the sake of warning.
They were moving up a hill now, in the direction of Tirek’s prison.
Every inch they got closer, made it much more easier for Discord to sense the centaur’s presence. He was weak. Soooo very weak. All the magic he had taken no more than a year ago had been rightfully drained and returned to their owners, when Fluttershy and the rest had tapped into their elemental potential, forced Tirek back into a weak state, and sent him back to Tartarus, -Discord’s eyes glanced over a couple billion cells where he saw multiple morosely lit eyes staring at him, others crying as he passed.
It was sad really, the draconequus mused as they made a left turn, the hill’s top becoming more and more visible. Those that had shorter lifespans eventually passed and withered away into nothing, those that had long ones, were doomed to live here till their time passed.
“A fitting service, for a fitting fiend” Discord absentmindedly said.
One of the orthros looked at him with a raised brow, its two heads staring at the draconequus as they neared their objective. The three orthros had been given orders to simply escort Discord to Tirek’s cell and remain there as guards, till the meeting was over.
None of the orthros knew why their master, Cerberus, allowed the Lord of Chaos to do what he was doing now, they did not question their master. They simply obeyed his orders. But it was strange, this being, this draconequus, the Lord of Chaos, if the stories of the past were true. Then the limitless amounts of power he had made things easy for him.
Discord could have quite literally teleported into Tartarus, figured out Tirek’s location, and simply teleported straight to him without having to need these guides.
Why he went through the easy way, was beyond the reasoning of both their heads. The leading orthros that lead the entire troop went by the name Vice Grip. The group was now a few feet away from the top, and then just about six feet away would be Tirek’s cell when they reached the hilltop, and since they were taking their time perhaps it was time the guards asked the question that had been bugging them all this time.
“Why are you doing this?” one of the heads of an orthros to Discord’s right asked. “Why are you even using this method of approach? With your powers you could have basically met him without our help. Then possibly been hunted down by every single orthros, and ogre in this entire domain” the orthros stated.
Discord chuckled, probably the first sound he had made since his discussion with Cerberus. “I knew that would happen. The last time I broke into Tartarus for a prank was during the Chaos Era, it’s one of the reasons why security is so tight around here, to prevent that from happening...a third time.”
“You didn’t answer the question Lord of Chaos,” the second head of Bloodhound said. “Why. Are. You. Doing this?”
“From what we’ve heard on the surface world after Tirek escaped you sided with him, till he turned on you and nearly had the entire world at his hands. Why do you decide to meet him now after a year...guilt?” Vice Grip asked.
Discord remained silent, any sign of mirth gone.
“Perhaps he feels angry” Bloodhound’s second head said with a grin, all 42 sharp teeth meant for attacking and ripping flesh appearing. “Wishes to take out that anger on his former ally, because he felt they were partners and was wronged.”
“Maybe he wants to work with Tirek again” Instigate said the second head wheezing with a laugh at the statement as they neared the peak. “Maybe being betrayed once wasn’t good enough. He is the Lord of Chaos after all. What’s more chaotic than doing something extremely stupid twice?”
“Calm down you four” Vice Grip stated. One head talking the other growling dominantly at the others. “I doubt he’d let us escort him if that were the case.”
“Who knows?” Bloodhound said. “He’s the Lord of Chaos, we’re the guards of all of Tartarus’ prisoners. He could be using us to get Tirek’s trust” -one of the heads snorted- “not like he’d need it anyway with the way he duped you.”
“That was pretty sad. I almost couldn’t believe it when Cerberus told us. Man” -both heads laughed- “did we have a good laugh when we heard that.” Instigate said.
“Hey!” Vice Grip shouted, both heads growling in unison as the seven foot tall beast pivoted in their direction. “Don’t anger him!” the leader warned, his body tensing as he looked in Discord’s direction.
Both Bloodhound and Instigate shut their mouths instantly, but when they looked at Discord who was supposed to be following them, they saw the draconequus inches behind them.
Floating inches off the ground, his eyes closed, his fists clenched Discord’s body language radiated belligerence. The ground underneath him, going from light grey to a sickly blackish green color as his anger flared at the words of Bloodhound and Instigate.
And much to the two orthros guards slight disturbance, the ground underneath Discord grew sick, a menacing blackish green color began to spread, stretching towards the two guards slowly. Like a creeper, stalking its prey.
Moans and groans, came from the ground as Discord’s anger made it sicker and sicker. Killing everything in its path, and just when the two guards were about ready to prepare themselves for a fight as the black mold grew closer towards them, Discord raised an eagle claw hesitantly, before opening his palm.
The mold stopped inches away from Bloodhound and Instigate’s feet. Vice Grip who was behind the two guards staring with an understanding silence, his comrades had crossed a line.
Silence transcended throughout the slope before Discord snapped his claw and made all of the black mold and its effects disappear, like it had never been there in the first place. The draconequus landed on the ground, waited in silence for a few seconds before he opened his eyes, again.
“Well?” Discord said in a calm, patient tone. “Lead the way.”
Vice Grip said nothing, he merely nodded. Turned around and moved forward. Bloodhound and Instigate who were both temporarily frozen, didn’t act till Discord was right beside them once again. One head whimpering submissively, the other growling in a low tone.
Discord looked at either guard, a calm look on his face, before both his eyes turned into slits flashing red. “Are you coming? Or not?”
It wasn’t a question.
Bloodhound growled before moving forward, Instigate simply avoided looking at Discord as they reached the top of the hill.
The rest of the trip was made in silence.
A cloaked figure, weak, weary, old, feeling pathetic, covered in his old shackles once more confined to an eternity in this infernal prison.
Tirek felt tired. He was tired of it all. Tired of this. Tired of Equestria, trapped in this infernal prison once again for who knows how many eons. He’d long lost count. The cold temperature up on this hill did him no better either. Cerberus had really upped his methods since his return.
In all honesty the centaur, was tired of everything related to this world. The ponies. Their princesses. The world in general. It made him sick and disgusted him to no end that he'd found himself back in this despicable dungeon of a prison once more.
He’d come here with his older brother so long ago he could no longer recall the time. Yet here he was again. Back in here. And what made matters even worse was that he could see someone approaching him not to far away now.
As if his brother’s own betrayal wasn’t bad enough, now he was having visitors? He wanted to groan but not having anything to drink for a year, nor food to eat didn’t bode well with the esophagus. His throat was dry, and he preferred to save it for whatever he was about to face.
Tirek’s eyes squinted, trying to peer through the slight dimness up ahead as a familiar looking figure approached him. His eyes widened when he saw who it was.
“Discord.”
“I have only one question” Discord said as he passed the three guards that now stared at Tirek with grins. “Why?”
Tirek said nothing. He merely folded his hands together, hunched over and aimed his eyes at the ground. He didn’t need this, not now, not today, not ever. Wasn’t it bad enough that every time these monstrous dogs got food or a good meal they would come up here and torture him?
“Answer me” Discord said, his voice cold. Void of any friendship, void of anything but anger. A deep, bitter hatred.
Tirek remained silent. The only thing he did was make a light weak cough that hurt his throat, before remaining silent again.
Discord said nothing. He just stared silently at....this centaur. This...person, he had believed understood him. Understood what it was like to be isolated, from everyone, from everything.
To be alone for so long. To feel the current coldness that occupied this hill, Discord had believed Tirek had understood it all. To feel empty, incomplete almost. It was one of the reasons he had decided to join sides. Not the main, but a part of it.
A crucial part that the draconequus felt had been greatly overlooked.
It took a second, with Discord staring at the centaur before he spoke again. Tirek looked, tired. Pathetic. Just like he had before, when they had first met and he had made such a foolish choice in joining sides with the one he thought was an ally, not a foe.
His shoulders shook as something popped into his head. A sad laugh, one that wasn’t quite full of sadness but had enough that the three orthros guards looked at each other confused, before Discord spoke once more.
“That’s fine” he said with a charming smile. “You don’t need to talk, just listen. You know, I’ve just realized something. You’d think after living for as long as we have” he began, materializing a seat behind him so he could sit in luxury, “we’d both have learned never to trust anyone. Your brother betraying you -he smiled at Tirek’s slight twitch- and all of Equus shunning me.”
“It’s sad really, when you realize it. That even the most powerful of beings still desire some sort of companionship. I suppose it’s one of the reasons I joined sides with you, one of the reasons I actually allowed myself to trust you.” Another chuckle, weaker this time as Discord’s smile faded and his eyes lidded with anger. “How foolish I was. To think I threw away true friendship and nearly lost it all if it weren’t for Fluttershy and the others being so inconceivably forgiving.”
Tirek actually sported a smile. “Yes, their forgiveness is inconceivable. Isn’t it?” he said in a raspy voice.
“Yes, I suppose you’re right” Discord said, nodding his head then leaning back in his seat pleasantly with a smile.
“It never ceases to surprise me, just how much compassion these ponies have. Yet you still haven’t answered my question” Discord said, his smile fading once more. “Why?”
“I’m sure I told you my reason why, Discord. You’re smart, you weren’t smart enough to see my ruse but you’re smart. I told you why.” Tirek explained in his dry raspy voice, not looking up all while he spoke.
Discord’s expression remained straight. His lips thinly stretched in a line as he stared at the centaur. A long ill silence traveled up the hill that seemed to make the whole place grow colder by the second.
One of the orthros offered an awkward cough. Discord didn’t bother looking in their direction.
“You know Tirek” Discord said rising from his seat and standing on his mismatched feet. “I...have done a lot of thinking. About what happened, what could have happened if you hadn’t done what you did. And every time I think about it, I only see one solution. Do you know what that solution is?”
Tirek remained silent.
Discord’s expression remained solid and firm as he began circling the centaur’s cell. Teleporting from point to point due to the cell’s vastness till finally he came to a stop once more at his seat once again.
“The solution I always come up to, is the one that played out before you were defeated. Your betrayal would have been inevitable. You can’t trust anyone. You won’t trust anyone. Not after what old big brother did am I right?” Discord said with a hint of mockery.
Tirek flinched again, and Discord smirked. His nostrils flared, and his chains rustled with a metallic clang as he shifted his position to stare directly at his verbal attacker.
“Why are you here?” the old centaur hissed, his voice only barely able to manage half an inch of his rage.
“I felt it necessary to vent. Besides it doesn’t matter, we both know you have nothing better to do than sit here for another century or gods know how long” Discord said with a grin.
Tirek’s eyes narrowed. “You always were one of too much talk” his voice said, fluctuating in a low and dark tone.
“And you always were a traitor” Discord stated, sporting a dark smile of his own.
“It’s not betrayal if I never trusted you in the first place” Tirek stated.
Discord laughed at this. “Of course you’d say that.”
Tirek’s eyes flashed a brilliant shade of yellow as he straightened himself out and approached his cage. “What the hell is that supposed to mean?”
“This.” -a key appeared in Discord’s paw then transformed into a necklace- “Your necklace. The necklace your brother gave you.”
Tirek said nothing, the only sound that came was the clicking of his hooves and the rustling of his chains as he moved with some difficulty.
“You mean the piece of garbage that was my brother’s necklace? It means nothing to me.” The centaur said in disgust, coughing once more and briefly rubbing a hand over his dry throat.
“Does it now?” Discord asked with a cocked brow, moving towards Tirek’s cage. “You know Tirek, your betrayal taught me a lot of things. It taught me how to never be so foolish ever again. Taught me, that even the loneliest of creatures don’t desire companionship like I do, but power or some vendetta.
“There were a lot of things I planned on doing to you, you know? I was going to torture you, go back to the ancient ways of us draconequus and our ways of revenge. I was going to make you pay Tirek.” Discord raised one paw, in a clenched like fashion and watched as Tirek tensed.
Slowly the centaur rose into the air. Tirek’s legs kicking in the process as he fought for some kind of control, Discord couldn’t help but laugh as he watched the centaur flail about, the three orthros who had remained deathly silent joining in the laughter as well, all while Tirek continued to float about in his cell like a unicorn filly just learning how to use levitation magic.
“PUT ME DOWN DISCORD!” Tirek’s voice snarled, then coughed once more as he kicked the air trying to touch the ground that was inches away from his hooves.
“Make me” Discord smirked.
Tirek snarled, then opened his mouth. Trying to suck out Discord’s magic.
But nothing happened.
A second later his chains glowed forebodingly, then sent a painful shock through his entire body. Discord’s hold on him relinquishing in the process, forcing the centaur to drop to the ground with a powerful and painful flop as he was electrocuted.
Tirek winced, then rose slowly. He was getting tired of this. Tired of it all. He just wanted to rest in his prison in peace.
“Discord” Tirek said tiredly. “I’ve been beaten, humiliated, betrayed, and defeated. It’s been a year, we have not talked. We haven’t seen each other in a year. Yet you pick now to pester and annoy me for some foolish mistake that was your fault and your fault to begin with?”
“Why not?” Discord answered. “I’m the Lord of Chaos. Reeking havoc is my thing. Since when do I ever make sense to anyone or anything, it was one of the reasons I joined you. We were both outcasts. But I suppose you’re right, I don’t need to keep doing this. I just need to let you know one thing.” Discord took his seat once more and sat down.
“I will never forget what happened. The gods know very well that both you and I, should be in here together. Rotting in the cell for the rest of eternity like the infinite number of souls in here. The only reason I’m not is because I was forgiven, granted I didn’t deserve it. But at least I’m willing to change now that I see who my real friends are.
“You on the other hand Tirek” -the necklace floated in the air, out of his claw and towards the cell- “you don’t seem to have learned a thing. Even after years upon eons of after what happened you haven’t forgiven your brother for what he’s done to you. His betrayal. When he betrayed you it hurt didn’t it?”
Tirek said nothing.
“I’m sure it did. Why else would you refer to your flesh and blood like he was nothing. Like he was as you just said “trash”, you hate him. Abhor him, for what he did. Much like I hate and abhor myself for believing that we could ever have been friends. For actually putting my trust in you, for even a fraction of a second when I should have known better.
“But hey, I don’t blame you. Who wouldn’t hate their own flesh and blood after what he did? Throwing away your true purpose in coming here like that?" Discord dramatically winced, "OH! Did that sting! If I recall correctly you two were meant to come here and take over Equestria, rule this world. But after your brother became acquainted with the citizens, the inhabitants of Equus, Starswirl, Luna, Celestia etc, he had a change of heart. But you Tirek-” he paused let his words sink in, before leaning into his seat.
Discord leaned so far away from his seat that he floated off it and his head phased right through the cell, just in front of Tirek.
The two said nothing, just stared at each other, before Tirek opened his mouth and tried sucking out the magic from Discord’s mouth that had phased through his cell.
In a flash the draconequus was back in his seat.
“You Tirek, you haven’t learned a thing. Not like your brother did.”
“It’s like I said, even after eons of living, learning, making mistakes. We never seem to learn. Not you, not I, not Celestia with me when I was in my most dire moments of companionship and need for someone to understand what I was going through, nor for Luna whom Celestia was oblivious to her own sister's afflictions, till eventually she turned on her. Neither did Sombra who gained power to better his kingdom, but in the end forced all his citizens to slavery so they could never leave him, so he would never feel alone, bereft. And not Luna who even now after her purification continues to torture herself every single night because of what she’s done in the past. None of us learn, but we can change.”
Tirek still said nothing, he simply continued to stare at the draconequus silently before turning around, his shackles once again causing him trouble before he pulled the hood of his tattered cloak up a bit more over his head.
“Leave Discord. Our conversation is over” Tirek stated, his voice strict, and stern.
“Yes, I suppose it is” Discord stated the levitating necklace still in the air, before it slowly returned to his side. “I just came here to let you know, I won’t ever forget what happened. Both our betrayals. And like I said, I learned a lot, I’ve realized my mistakes. And I won’t be making them again.” He smiled, allowed the necklace to bubble away back to wherever he had gotten it from. Then snapped the seat out of existence.
“Alright boys let’s go.” Discord said with a sigh, feeling much better than he let on. “It’s time we left Tirek alone to his nap, besides it’s getting a bit chilly in here.”
The three guards rose from their sitting positions and nodded, all heading back towards the slope down the exit, with Discord following behind. “Oh yeah Tirek” Discord called from behind the centaur.
Tirek’s hooded head turned in the draconequus direction, peering right over his shoulder. “What?” the raspy voice called lethargically.
“Have fun in eternity. Play nice with the others will you?” Discord said. He watched Tirek grunt then look away, before laughing heartily as he followed the three orthros down the slope.
The only thing now audible to Tirek as the draconequus heartily laughed his way back out of this infernal trap, was Discord’s laugh. And just before the silent laugh disappeared Discord’s head popped back in for one last word.
“I forgot to mention, if you do find some way to leave this trap. And I know you will, I suggest you go back home. Because if you do ever come back to Equestria and I sense you” Discord smile disappeared, his entire body and head materializing into the cell with Tirek and slamming him into the ground.
“I will make sure your next visit -both his eyes flashed angrily red- will be your last.”
Tirek coughed as the draconequus eased up on his grip before turning into bubbles and slowly fading away. “Have fun in eternity”, the lord of chaos said with one last smile before departing.
Leaving Tirek alone in his cell. By himself, to contemplate their little meeting. For a long long time.