Dead, But Still Kicking

The planet of Equus. Magical, mysterious, wondrous. Filled with kingdoms and empires, princesses and warriors, mages and soldiers, planet of goddesses and demons. Truly a strange, marvelous place.

        And of all kingdoms on Equus there is none greater than the kingdom of the ponies, Equestria. A land of peace, power, love, friendship, and happiness. Prosperous, majestic, powerful and respected. This is the land that many kingdoms secretly hope to become, the envy of all the other lands.

Yet long ago there was a kingdom, no, an empire greater than any before it, greater than Equestria itself. An empire lead by a fearsome leader, a beast with powers never seen before whose limit was unknown. An empire with an army that could win any battle, soldiers worth a hundred ponies each, if not more. An empire, that fell as fast as it rose. The Dark Empire of Penumbra, lead by none other than the legendary Centaur, Lord Tirek.

But this was not always the case. Long ago there was no empire, there was no kingdom, Penumbra was divided. Five demon tribes fighting since the beginning of time, each governed by who were known as the “Divine Demons”, self-proclaimed descendants of the gods of the underworld, beings able to harness the secrets of the arcane, demons far more powerful than those they governed.

The northern demons, the Ilania tribe of the reptilians, masters of stealth and assassination. The eastern demons, the Vikonia tribe of the insectoids, masters of nature and the ancient. The southern demons, the Feralicar tribe of the beasts, masters of war and survival. The Cielo tribe of the west, the descendants of the mighty Dragons, masters of the sky and knowledge. And finally, in the middle of all, the desert tribe of Abyss, masters of the arcane and the occult. Centuries after centuries, these tribes have fought over the complete dominance of Penumbra, a war that many thought would never reach an end.

Yet fate was kind with Penumbra. It was King Vorak of the Abyss who one day refused to keep on fighting. Tired of the never-ending war, he dropped his weapons and offered peace to the land, a truce between the tribes, a chance for everyone to find progress. Inspired by Equestria, he saw how great and magnificent a kingdom could be and how if everyone worked together they could reach greatness. His kind words and determination reached the hearts of the other Divine Demons. And so, the kingdom of Penumbra was born, and due to his ideology and spirit, Vorak was chosen as their leader, the four other tribes swearing complete allegiance to him.

Peace governed throughout the land of Penumbra, the demons joined together, worked together, played together, befriended each other. And Vorak patiently hoped that one day Penumbra would be as great as that wonderful land of Equestria.

Little did he know that the one who would fulfill his desire would also bring doom to their land.

The chosen one, they called him, a centaur as powerful as the ancient gods the demons  believed in and idolized. Young prince Tirek had always been a prodigy of the arcane, mastering all sorts of advanced spells since he was young, having powers never seen before in Penumbra. Yet it was that same power what corrupted him. He wanted more, he needed more. And to get more power he needed to dwell in the ancient taboo of “soul-eating”.

A demon’s magic and power, as miniscule as it may be, is born from their souls, from their essence, and some argue that this is the same with every other creature on Equus. Yet only demons are able to consume the souls of others albeit with a price, as to do so, they must kill the owner of the soul they’re looking for to safely absorb their power... or so was thought.

Not far from the castle grounds, on a deserted mountain range called the Nether Lands, lived an elder, a master of the occult and Tirek’s mentor. Together, they found the way, a way to absorb the soul of anyone weaker than them without the need to kill them. Yet the elder knew Tirek was still too young to master this power and so he prohibited Tirek to try this until the elder himself had mastered the technique.  This angered Tirek who believed the elder wanted to keep this power to himself, he wanted the key to such power, he needed it.

Lead by his anger and desire Tirek infiltrated the elder’s cave to betray him. The mage had a lone unicorn trapped in this cave, one he would normally use to practice this new technique. Tirek knew that if he wanted to master it first, he had to get that unicorn one way or another. So while the elder was asleep, he sneaked into the Nether Lands with plans to steal the cage where the unicorn was held, yet when he saw the sleeping pony and the power it had, he succumbed to his temptations and attempted to obtain its soul and magic through the technique on the spot. Yet just as the elder predicted, he was still too young and did not hold enough power nor experience to perform this.

His attempt failed, resulting in an explosion that consumed the entire cave. Tirek fled before the armies of his father could reach the Nether Lands, disappointed in himself for being too weak, and knowing the elder was not going to be happy.

The old mage was imprisoned and sent to a magical jailcell for the rest of his life due to his crimes against Penumbra, and the unicorn he kidnaped was returned to his homeland. Betrayed, injured, seen as a fool, and now rotting behind bars, he swore revenge against Tirek and the kingdom. And with the last bit of power that he held, he began the rituals to cast an ancient spell that he recited for decades, a spell he would only manage to finish minutes before his death.

During those long years, Tirek never gave up. Kidnapping young demons, not feeding them nor giving them rest in order to make them weaker, torturing them, and attempting to devour their souls while they were still alive. Yet to no avail, his victims always perished before he managed to extract their soul, he was always so close, and yet so far. He could always feel the power, yet never make it his own.

His younger brother, Scorpan, was terrified by the actions of Tirek. He threatened his brother to tell their father of his actions if he did not stop. Yet Tirek was no fool. He lured his brother with the promise of power, telling him just how much he needed Scorpan, how they could both rule together on a new world as god-like beings. To convince him, Tirek killed one of his test subjects and offered its soul to Scorpan. Hesitatingly, Scorpan absorbed it, and soon he wanted more. The two became addicted to power, growing stronger each day, working together to fulfil Tirek’s destiny as the new god of Equus.

And one night, they succeeded. One of the castle’s guards, a young gargoyle, had found what Tirek and Scorpan had been doing. Yet luckily for Tirek, Scorpan managed to stop this guard before he could tell anyone, yet he knew he could not hold the guard there forever. Afraid, injured by Scorpan, and unable to do anything to free himself, he was the perfect prey. Soon the gargoyle became nothing but a ragdoll, soulless, without the energy to even breath properly. Tirek on the other hand felt better than ever.

The alarms were heard, and worried that someone had found out about the disappearance of this guard, they hid the unconscious body before rushing to meet their father. As soon as they found out what was going on, they were angered.

Similar alarms were heard all over Penumbra, screams of horror and despair, of confusion and shock. The elder’s curse had finally taken place. A cloud of pure darkness had settled itself above Penumbra, covering the entirety of the land in darkness, depriving them from the life-giving light of the sun, and the calm embrace of the moon.

The divine demons joined together in council to solve this problem. The elder had perished and none were able to identify the curse he had set upon Penumbra. Vorak suggested to ask for help to the neighboring lands, yet the prideful council did not want to be seemed as weak and needy by other kingdoms, especially on such an infant state in which their nation was.

Yet Tirek saw opportunity where others saw doom. He interrupted the council and blamed his own father for not keeping proper watch over the elder who had caused this. And while the council saw this as madness, demanding Tirek to be escorted out, as time passed by crops began to perish, animals famished, and the land became cold and unusable. The demons were hungry, irritated, and wanted to take action. More and more demons joined TIrek in this claim, claiming allegiance to the one who promised them solutions, the one that aimed to end his foolish father's reign.

        With an army ready to follow him, and having mastered the method to devour the souls of others, Tirek knew it was finally time to take matters on his own hooves. With the aid of his brother, Tirek easily took out every guard that got on his way.

Soon, King Vorak and Queen Haydon saw themselves betrayed and defeated by their own children. Tirek saw his parents with despise, hatred, and pity, the only thing they were good for, he said, was giving him even more power. The royal couple fell to the floor as their escence was taken away from them, lifeless, afraid, regretting not having taken action against their oldest son before.

        Tirek called for his followers, claiming war against the tribes and the other Divine  Demons who were still loyal to Vorak.

        Not even in the days before the alliance had Penumbra seen such a bloody, violent war. The four tribes fought valiantly, yet Tirek and Scorpan alone were already too powerful and with every soul their armies took, they became even stronger. Hundreds of demons were slain under Scorpan’s mighty attacks alone, and hundreds more were left soulless to die on the battlefield by Tirek’s magic. While thousands other lives were taken by their armies. Soon, all the Divine Demons were defeated, their souls sucked out of them by Tirek and Scorpan, leaving them to die, if not already dead.

         And so, Tirek and Scorpan had become the leaders of a new kingdom. Using the vast resources that the land gave them, and filled to the brim with magic, what was once a humble kingdom, now stood as a terrifying empire that none could stop. This was the new Penumbra, no, this land was better than Penumbra in every way, Tirek thought, he knew this was a new era and needed to make it evident for the world to see in awe and jealousy. Thus, he changed the name, and the Dark Empire was born.

        Yet the demons were still unsatisfied. Even with less mouths to feed, food was scarce, and the lack of sun made it almost impossible to acquire enough to feed everyone. They wanted change, they wanted to feel the sun against their skins, they wanted to see their crops grow, their cattle feed, and their lives become as good, if not better than what they were before. Tirek was happy to comply. The demons needed lands where they would be freed of the course, and he needed more power. The only solution to both problems was to take over a new land to live in, and there was no better way to show the world the true power of the new Dark Empire than by taking over the most powerful land of Equus. He could already see it, Princess Celestia under his hooves, immobile, powerless as he bathed in god-like power.

        The letter of Tirek’s diplomatic visit to Equestria was sent, the two royal sisters fooled by Tirek’s words who claimed he was simply looking for aid to break the evil curse lay upon them. They looked forwards to the arrival of the new leader of this mysterious land, opening their doors to the evil tyrant.

        Yet little did they know that Tirek was not crossing the seas alone. He, his brother, and his army, sailed across the vast ocean towards the south of Equestria, reaching the abandoned desert that are the Bad Lands. They set camp there, and waited for the right moment to strike, while Tirek and Scorpan went on ahead to meet the princesses and earn their trust.

        The plan was simple. Tirek would speak face to face with the princesses and when the moment was right, Scorpan would immobilize the two alicorns, letting Tirek absorb their power and thus, becoming truly unstoppable. And once the princesses were taken care of, his armies would start invading, easily taking over the entirety of Equestria. It was the perfect plan, it could not fail.

        But things did not go as Tirek planned.

        Scorpan, impatient, anxious, wanting, needing more power, could not wait any further to attack Equestria. So behind his brother’s back, he went on with the intent of starting a rampage across the land of ponies, of destroying and absorbing the souls of anyone who dared to get in his way.

Yet as he began attacking towns, as the ponies screamed in fear, he suddenly was overtaken by a strange invisible force. Immobile, powerless, and for the first time in a long time, afraid, Scorpan shivered as he saw his reign end. A flash of light blinded him and seemingly out of thin air he appeared. In front of him levitated a bearded unicorn with powers comparable to his own if not greater, yet far smaller in size, and far wiser. He was witness of the true power that an Equestrian unicorn could reach, he had underestimated them. He was afraid.

Scorpan trembled in fear, begging for mercy. knowing he would perish for his sins.

Yet the unicorn had different plans for Scorpan. He smiled upon the beast and gave him forgiveness, kindness, and reminded him of the correct path. Other ponies joined this strange bearded unicorn, showing Tirek the most powerful magic that Equestria held, the magic of friendship.

Scorpan’s heart shattered as he realized what he had become, a monster, a being who wanted nothing but the blood and soul of everyone, a tyrant. Struck by the kindness of the ponies and seeing that it would not be right to take over such a magnificent, magical land, Scorpan rushed to his brother to try and convince him to think things through, to reconsider their options. Yet Tirek did not listen, and ordered him to remember his place. This is when Scorpan finally realized that while he had an undying loyalty to Tirek, while he would follow him to Tartarus and back, Tirek could only see him as a weapon, a soldier like the rest.

There was only one way to stop this. Scorpan rushed to Canterlot to warn the royal sisters of Tirek’s true intentions. The two alicorns held the magic of the Elements of Harmony, yet with the sheer power TIrek had acquired, Scorpan feared they might had not be enough to stop the tyrant.

Filling himself with valor, he did what he should have done all those years ago, confront Tirek and stop him once and for all.

The battle held between Scorpan and TIrek was legendary. Only Scorpan’s mythical strength and speed were match to Tirek’s unlimited arcane power, thus Tirek could not absorb Scorpan’s soul, nor could Scorpan defeat Tirek. Yet he didn’t need to defeat him, he only needed to weaken the centaur. As Scorpan finally saw defeat at the hooves of Tirek, and the oldest sibling began devouring the youngest one’s soul, Celestia and Luna appeared, wielding the Elements of Harmony, using their power to seal Tirek in a place where he could never be able to harm anyone ever again, the gates of Tartarus.

And so, Lord Tirek was vanished. The Dark Empire had fallen as fast as it had risen, and seeing how their leader had been defeated, the armies of demons surrendered. Some claimed allegiance to Scorpan, others fled and spread around the Bad Lands and the neighboring regions. It was finally over. Scorpan prepared to return to his land with those that wished to accompany him, knowing that without leaders, Penumbra would fall, yet blaming himself for all the caused harm and refusing to be the new king. Not like it mattered, after all, the curse of the elder would claim its toll, and all demons would perish.

Celestia could not allow this though, and because of his valiant actions, she gifted Tirek an ancient relic, the Astral Diamond. At first, Scorpan did not understand what this sacred gem did, yet Celestia simply told him he would find out with time.

        Scorpan returned to see in surprise how the townsfolk greeted him in cheers and applauses, glad to be freed from Tirek’s tyranny, those who followed and even worshiped the centaur having stayed in the Bad Lands. Yet Scorpan was still ashamed of his actions, and seeing the demons in such a deplorable state after everything that had happened, it was devastating to him.

        He flew to the top of the now abandoned castle where he had spent most of his life, the demons of the Abyss waiting for him to take the crown and become the new King. Yet his sins crawled on his back, he knew he couldn’t be king after the atrocities he had committed, he was no Celestia, no Luna, no Starswirl the Bearded, and most definitely no Vorak. Yet just as he was about to take his own life away, the strange gem that had been gifted to him began glowing. Taking it out of his pouch, the stone seemingly came to life, levitating towards the tallest point of the castle, rotating rapidly as it began emanating a strong light.

        Penumbra saw in awe how a white aura took over the skies, how the dark clouds of the curse retreated towards its core. They cheered and howled as they finally felt the sunlight on their skins, they had been saved, Penumbra had been saved.

        Scorpan smiled as he saw what was happening. A field of magic surrounded the old castle, keeping the clouds sealed inside this magical dome the gem had created. He thanked Celestia once again as he flew out, seeing her sun once more, hearing the demon’s cheers and howls, it gave him hope that one day someone would step up, take the crown, and finish what his father had started. That one day, someone would make Penumbra great again, with love, compassion, and the magic of friendship.