MLP:FIM Twilight's Kingdom (What if?)

Chapters

An unexpected Challenge
The Fall of a Crystal Prince
The Truth is Revealed
Betrayal on both fronts
Clash of the ages

An unexpected Challenge

It had already gone well into the morning in Canterlot. But the only thing was: the sun had yet to actually rise. For Shining Armor, who was currently on patrol with two guards after he had arrived with Cadence in regards to an international incident, this was a most peculiar thing. In all the years he had known Princess Celestia, and for the recent amount of time he's known Princess Luna: the prince had never known them to be so.....lacking in their duties as to let something like this happen. But he felt it best not to jump to conclusions. After all, with recent events going on, he figured it was possible that the solar, and lunar princesses may have been feeling a bit stressed out. And as such, simply forgot to begin their morning cycle immediately. His mind quickly relaxed once again, as he thought that it was no big deal, and the sun would be up in a little bit, even if it WAS a bit late. There was nothing to worry about.

Or so he thought, until he was met with a most peculiar sight as he, and his guards were moving to the exit of the castle: both the moon, AND the sun moved once more, but not as they should. Both moved around the sky as if they were illuminated points made from a unicorn's illumination spell, or a spotlight. After a few minutes of the celestial bodies just swishing, and flicking across the sky, the sun finally took it's proper place in the morning sky. Unfortunately, this did not alleviate Shining Armor's feelings. He was willing to believe that the lateness of the setting moon, and the rising sun was just stress - but now, after this display, he knew something was clearly wrong. And his mind raced with a single question which was now plaguing him endlessly: "What's happening with the Princesses?" As he kept looking up to the sun in thought, with a concerned expression on his face, something else suddenly happened behind him while he wasn't looking: his two guards began mysteriously floating up into the air, as if they had lost all control, or sense of gravity. A few moments later, and they disappeared into the air. Shortly after, Shining's helmet suddenly flashed in a bright light, much to his own surprise. But not long after, the culprit behind it was revealed as Discord: the spirit of chaos himself.

"Shining Armor! Why whatever are you doing here?"

The draconequus spoke in a mock friendly, curious tone, while he got in close with Shining Armor all while wearing the prince's helmet. But Shining himself was NOT happy to see the chaotic fiend: seeing as how he had turned against all of equestria, and joined forces with an evil being who had escaped from the realm of Tartarus, and thanks to Discord, had stolen the magic from nearly every pony in Equestria. By all accounts, he had betrayed all of them for something else. Shining quickly jumped away from Discord's grasp, and assumed a defensive stance while speaking in a rather threatening tone.

"Back off, traitor!"

"The only one Discord betrayed was himself!"

Almost as if on Que, a third person had just arrived on the bridge they had been standing upon. And although at this point, one pony were to look straight at him, they would at first mistake him for another pony, or at best, a bovine. But if they were to look up the massive, muscular form, they would be sorely mistaken. Because this being was unlike anything seen before in Equestria: he was tall, about Discord's height. Perhaps even taller. And like the disharmonious spirit, he was a mixture of a few different creatures with his lower half being that of a dark, blue horse with cloven hooves, and his upper half resembling a minotaur, except his upper body was pitch-black while his arms, and face were bright red. His horns were far longer than a minotaur, and were well-curved in their appearance while also looking as dangerous as they were. The burly beast also had a pure-white beard, and a silver brace/collar slung over his chest, and shoulders while a peculiar medallion was worn around his neck. And lastly, his eyes were black as night save for the piercing yellow pupils that showed pure malice within. Undeniably, this was the demonic centaur who had escaped from Tartarus itself, and had convinced Discord to join his side to take the magic of every, living being in Equestria: Lord Tirek. And as he finished draining the magic of one of the guards that had briefly vanished, his attentions soon turned to the former guard captain who now stood opposite of him.

"Abandoning his true nature to make "friends" with weak-minded equines who offer him nothing!"

Seeing the demonic entity standing before him, Shining Armor's expression hardened and he assumed a full-on battle stance. Cadence, and the Princesses had warned him of the monster that stood before, and that he was extremely dangerous. But the ever brave, and loyal prince didn't retreat, even though he was outmatched by the two fiends present. He stood his ground, and addressed the dark centaur standing before him.

"I take it you must be the one called Tirek?"

Tirek's eyebrow lifted in intrigue when he heard the "guard pony" referring to him by name. He imagined word must have already been sent to the princesses of his, and Discord's actions by now. Which he began to consider might mean they did indeed already expect them. And they might have been planning something for him once he arrived. Which means he may need to enhance his plans somewhat. And as he looked at the pony before him.....who did look somewhat "important", an idea popped into his head. One which made him grin with malice, as he spoke once more, humoring Shining Armor with his statement.

"Yes. I'm pleased to see that my reputation already precedes me."

"Funny: you kinda shorter than i imagined you to be."

Suddenly, Tirek's calm demeanor vanished for a moment as he quickly grew annoyed from the obvious insult. Already, he could tell this pony was a talker, and he didn't like that one bit. Though Discord couldn't help but chuckle a bit at the display, while he tried keeping it under control.

"Well, you certainly have some mouth to you, little pony."

Then, almost without warning, Shining Armor fired a beam of magic directly at Tirek with the hope of at least getting a shot in at the demonic centaur. Unfortunately, Tirek was far quicker, and actually caught the beam in his hand. Crushing it into a mystical ball, before eating it like it was some kind of candy. Another smile crossed his face as he actually took in the notion of this pony guard actually trying to not only take him by surprise: but actually take him on. Practically every pony who encountered either froze from fear, or pitifully attempted to flee for their lives. But not this one - this one had a fire in his eyes that burned with conviction, and determination, with a slight hint of anger. And when he saw that, Tirek actually seemed to be quite impressed, as he chuckled in amusement at the idea.

T"Oh, my. It seems you also have spirit for somepony so small. And i can see no hint of fear in your eyes: just a warrior's spirit. Good. I can appreciate that in an opponent. Now, little pony-"

"My name is Shining Armor, Monster!"

Tirek: "Heh. Very well: Shining Armor. Now, tell me something: who are you, specifically? Out of the other guards we've taken care of, you seem to wear a much more....sophisticated set of armor than the others. Perhaps that of a Captain, or maybe a commander. Clearly a high ranking, militaristic position. Is that it?"

This time, he was met with silence as Shining Armor simply kept up his defensive stance. It would appear that he was done talking now, and was prepared for any action which might occur. This did not go unnoticed by Tirek, as he decided to probe a little further.....and also try to get under his skin.

"Or could it be, perhaps, that you're merely some decorated soldier who only represents how truly weak this wretched nations defense truly is. Especially if YOU are what stands between us, and complete control over Equestria."

For all the talk of supposed weakness, Shining Armor refused to give Tirek the satisfaction of a response. He just kept his guard up, with his eyes slightly more narrowed than before, and his horn slightly charged for attack. And for his efforts, he was rewarded with a small growl which escaped from Tirek as his patience seemed to wear thin.

"Still you remain silent? Either you're at some loss for words.....or you're actually stupid enough to think you're somehow better than me. Well, "Shining Armor", i can promise that if you live to see what's to come: that mindset will bring you to a bad end. Maybe even sooner than you think."

"Oh, don't take it too personally, Tirek. He's just posturing to make himself seem tough. He did that with me when i first escaped my stone prison, and tried to pay Celestia a little.....visit. Though i could say that him now being a "prince" might have given him a bigger-swelled head than before."

After hearing this interesting bit, Tirek grew even more intrigued with the pony standing before him, who was now glaring at Discord for revealing who he actually was. Unfortunately, now Tirek's devious grin returned as he thought of just how perfect this was.

"Really? A Prince, is he?"

"Yep. Of the "great" Crystal empire, along with his lovey-dovey smoochums, princess cadence."

And then it clicked. As Shining Armor could worriedly see for himself, the wheels in Tirek's mind were turning, and he was now thinking of something Shining knew could not be pleasant by any means. His concern seemed to be more justified as Tirek let out a dark chuckle as he slowly made a mocking bow to the former guard captain while Discord openly laughed at the display.

"Well, then, "Your majesty", it appears that you may be far more useful to me than expected..........once i take your magic, of course."

Hearing the obvious threat presented to him, Shining Armor's horn surged with magical energy once again. Whatever Tirek had planned, he was NOT going to make it easy for him. Not by a long shot.

"Forget it! Whatever you have planned, i'm not gonna let you use me as part of it! As Prince of the Crystal Empire, and former Captain of The Royal Guard: i will take you down myself, here and now!"

"Hmm? Is that a challenge?"

"You better believe it is."

Suddenly, a bright flash appeared beneath Shining's body, and revealed a bunch of shackles clamped around his legs, and halted his movements. As he futilely struggled to get out of them, he heard a tsking sound which he looked to see coming from D"I should iscord himself.

"Sorry, Shining, but i think it's best we simply get this over with, and move onto the princesses already. After all, it's rude to keep them waiting like this when they're already expecting us."

Though his struggles lessened, the glare he now gave Discord did not.

"Let me go, traitor!"

"Now, now: you wouldn't want to hurt yourself, would you? You won't have your baby sister to come help bail you out this time."

Shining simply growled in response to Discord's jab at him, and he tried getting out once again. But before he knew it, the shackles suddenly grew red hot, somehow without burning Shining's fur and skin, before melting off him completely. Both he, and Discord were confused for a moment, before they turned to see Tirek, a glowing magical orb which resembled lava between his horns slowly vanish, while the centaur kept a neutral expression on his face. Of course, Discord was still a bit confused on Tirek's actions, not to mention the fact he could actually cast his own magic aside away so easily. Perhaps his power may rival even Discords own, and he had no idea. Nevertheless, he decided to address the issue himself.

"Uh...Tirek? What are you doing?"

"I should think it's obvious, Discord: the prince here has issued a challenge to fight me, and i am going to accept it."

Surprisingly, Discord actually felt a bit concerned about Tirek's proclamation. Even with the time he spent with him being short, Discord could tell Tirek was not a merciful individual. And if he was really going to do this, there was a chance he would seriously hurt Shining in some way. And even though he never really cared that much for him, even Discord didn't want any pointless harm to come to anyone. So, with the hope of not making Tirek suspicious of him being concerned, he decided to subtly question his motives.

"Oh, come on. You don't really want to waste your time beating up somepony like him, do you? Either one of us could deal with him so easily, it's hardly worth the effort."

But in spite of Discord's attempts to persuade him, Tirek was undeterred.

"Perhaps....to some. But i love a good challenge when it's given. Also, this one isn't all that weak: his power is higher than any of the average ponies i've drained so far. This MIGHT give me a chance to test a bit of my strength against one who isn't afraid to fight."

Of course, Discord wasn't willing to give up so easily, and tried once more to convince Tirek not to do this.

"But....the princesses are inside, waiting for us! We can't waste time on one, single pony who's hardly even a threat to us. It would be a waste to kill him."

At that, Tirek's eyebrow raised at Discord who wasn't sure what to make of it. If he was afraid Tirek may have suspected him, he was pretty good at hiding it.

"Who said anything about killing him? I simply intend to soften him a little before i take his magic. I never waste what could be of use to me. And besides: the Princesses aren't going anywhere. Especially since they know we would simply find them again, wherever they hid...........unless you still care for their safety, Discord. Is THAT why you're against this?"

"Wh-what? No! No, of course not!" Discord stammered "I just....feel that we have...bigger fish to fry, is all. But.....if you really want to do this, then go ahead. Just don't do anything drastic, please."

"Heh. Discord, my friend, you have my word that i won't kill the little pony.......but remember: you would be surprised what you can live through."

Upon hearing this, Discord silently gulped from worry towards the implications his companion just made. But nevertheless, he backed off, and stood to watch the spectacle about to take place. He did his best, and this would have to suffice. Meanwhile, Tirek returned his gaze to Shining Armor, who had just been standing around, listening to the debate between him and Discord. When he saw Tirek look to him once more, he returned to his battle-stance, with his horn charged up again. Seeing this, Tirek's dark smile returned, and he was quick to address the royal before taking any other action.

"Are you sure you still wish to do this, little pony? Oh, i'm sorry: "Shining Armor". While i am eager to do this, i assure you there's no shame in simply giving up. Stand aside, let me take your magic, and let me get to the princesses, and i promise to go easy on you."

"Do your worst! Even if it means i have to die, i won't let you pass. I will protect the princesses with my life. On my honor as a soldier, AND a prince."

After listening to Shining's words, Tirek's expression returned to a neutral one. Also, his head lowered so his face was obscured. Though he kept his guard up as best as possible, Shining still let curiosity get the better of him, and slowly approached the centaur. He wasn't sure what Tirek was doing, but he was a little eager to find out. Sadly, everyone knows what happens to those who are too curious - suddenly, Tirek glanced back up, a manic expression on his face, and his magic went off once more. Suddenly, Shining realized what was happening, and was about to move away as quickly as possible. But he was too late. He soon found himself in the grip of Tirek's own magic, and was soon suspended in the air, coming face to face with the demon's nightmarish expression.

"Then let the games begin!"

Quicker than Shining could tell, Tirek thrust him off of the bridge, and into a nearby building on the grounds below. Luckily, before he made impact, he activated his shield to keep himself safe. He was unharmed, though he nearly felt the wind get knocked out of him. To his shock, though, Tirek also was quick to come down, as he had suddenly slammed down into the ground, leaving a huge impact crater where he stood. Once the dust cleared, and Tirek had his sights set on Shining, he bore a look of anticipation for what he figured would be an amusing fight. Shining, meanwhile, was back on his feet, and was ready for combat. He had even conjured up a sword to help make things easier for himself. Which was good: because he would need all the help he could get.

Tirek made the first move as he fired a strong beam of magic at Shining. The stallion was quick to block it with his shield for a few moments, before he made a charge directly at Tirek. He made a huge leap in the air before swinging his sword down at Tirek's head. But the centaur was quick, and he blocked the blow with the brace on his arm. Shining then began swinging the blade several times hoping to hit Tirek at least once. Unfortunately, Tirek simply blocked the blows one after the other. It seems that in spite of his huge, brutish appearance, Tirek was actually much quicker than he seemed. And after he caught the blade in his hand during the last strike, he pushed his hand towards Shining, which seemed to glow with mystic energy, and pushed the prince backwards several feet. As Shining got back up to his full height, Tirek looked at the blade in his hand with an intrigued expression, before he tossed the sword back to its owner. He then spoke in a tone of genuine praise to his opponent.

"Very impressive, young one. Your skills are certainly more impressive than i assumed. It looks like not every one of you equines is as weak, and pathetic as i thought."

Though there was some praise, the insult Shining practically received far outweighed it. But then again: any praise from an enemy would be considered some form of insult. Nevertheless, he felt the need to rebuke the demons harsh claim concerning other ponies.

"Don't go underestimating us, monster! We ponies are alot of things: but we are NEVER weak! Something you find out soon enough."

Before Tirek could respond, both his, and Shining's attention was diverted by a distressed cry coming from the left. As it happens, a pony couple was seen out in the open, no doubt trying to flee when they felt Tirek landing. But when they looked, and saw the demon standing but a few feet away from them, they stood frozen in fear. They had never seen anything like this, and his appearance alone was enough to scare them. Tirek took pleasure in seeing them so terrified, but even moreso when an idea popped into his head as he looked back at Shining, with a cruel smirk on his face. At first, Shining was a bit confused. But as he looked from Tirek to the two ponies, his eyes widened in realization. Suddenly, more dark magic began flowing around Tirek's hand as he prepared to launch another attack: only with another target in mind.

"Unfortunately, you ponies do have a weakness in common: COMPASSION FOR OTHERS!"

Tirek suddenly lunged his hand towards the ponies, and another beam of his magic shot towards them. Shining let out a loud "NO!" as he saw the attack heading towards them. On instinct, his horn lit up once more, and he fired a beam of his own magic at the couple. But instead of an attack, it was a shield which managed to project itself before Tirek's attack could reach the terrified couple. The shield managed to hold off the blast, but the immense force of the blow caused it to crack, and had a rather painful effect on Shining Armor. His head pounded from the mental strain he went through holding up the shield against the not-surprisingly strong force of Tirek's attack. And he also felt himself grow exhausted from the effects, too. He had never used his shield against something THAT strong before, and the effects already hit him. Tirek quickly caught on to this, as he already suspected he would cast a shield spell to keep the couple safe. He just didn't expect it to be THAT strong. But it didn't matter: his opponent had grown tired from his efforts, and thus making it easier to finish this fight quickly. But Shining's attention was focused on the other ponies at the moment.

"GET OUT OF HERE! NOW!"

Snapping out of their fear induced stupor, the couple nodded to Shining, and did as he said. But while he was glad they were safe, he soon learned that no good deed went unpunished as he was suddenly blasted back by a beam of magic which struck the ground in front of him, thus causing him to roll over on the ground before landing on his side. He weakly got back onto his feet, while he was already heavily panting due to the shield's usage. While it was indeed his greatest skill: it proved to be his greatest weakness at the same time. He then looked to see Tirek beginning to approach him once more. A confident smirk etched on his face as he did. In defiance, Shining tried firing another beam of his magic at Tirek. But the centaur once more raised up his arm, and blocked it with his brace. Once he was close enough, Tirek loomed over the slightly weak Unicorn, deciding to gloat over his enemy if only because he felt like it.

"You see: your concern for others only brings you more despair. Listen to someone with experience: you would be better off if you only cared for yourself, and let others fend for themselves. You may live longer that way."

The only kind of response Shining gave was a hardened glare to show he would not give up. Even as Tirek prepared his magical draining ability for a finishing move.

"After all: it's not as if anyone cares enough to come, and save you."

As if fate was contradicting him, something unexpected happened: two shapes suddenly crashed into Tirek's abdomen, and pushed him back several feet, much to his, and Shining's surprise. Then, just as he recovered from that brief ambush, he took notice of a spear with quickly shot towards him like an arrow. Right before it could hit his face, his reflexes allowed him to catch it in his hand as it was mere inches from his eye. He gripped it hard, nearly threatening to break it. Then he turned back to where the culprits of this sneak attack had quickly appeared. There were two Pegasi, one was a stallion who was bright blue with a dark blue mane who also wore a wonderbolts uniform, and the other a mare with white fur, and a long, red mane wearing typical guard armor, but had duel blades on the ridges of her wings, both of whom made a landing in front of Shining Armor, side by side. And finally, a dark blue earth pony mare who wore armor identical to Shining Armor's. As he looked at them, he instantly recognized who each of them were: wonderbolt co-captain Soarin, Colonel Blade Dancer, and current Royal Guard Captain Blueberry Frost. Each of whom gave a happy glance to Shining, who was quite happy to see them, as well.

"Hey, bro! You okay?" asked Soarin. "Cause you don't look too good."

"Heh. I'm glad to see you too, Soarin. Don't worry about me: i'm okay."

"Not to be rude, your highness," Blade Dancer began, "but you look a little roughed up there. I'm guessing you've already seen some action?"

"...You could say that."

"Well, we're all pretty glad to see you doin' okay." said Captain Frost. "Hate to think what'd happened if we didn't show up in time."

"Same here. And....not that i'm ungrateful, or anything: but what are you all doing here?"

"Oh, you know: just followed the sound of crashing hooves, and loud explosions, and followed them here. Besides, i wasn't really doing anything after i got to warning the princesses about Tirek. So i was flying around when i saw you fighting that jerk. Found the Captain here, and the rest you pretty much know."

"Well, in any case: Thanks, guys."

The 3 ponies just gave him a friendly nod in assurance, before turning to Tirek, who was busy looking over the spear that Blueberry had launched at him. Once he was finished, his gaze turned to the now 4 ponies standing before him. His expression remained neutral as he examined them one by one. Nopony was certain what he was thinking, but it couldn't be good. A few moments later, a vile grin formed on his face as he spoke to all of them at once.

"More ponies come to their doom? How amusing. I would have figured Celestia would warn everyone to stay out of my way, lest they wanted harm to befall them."

"Save the threats for somepony who cares, you bull-headed reject!" Blade Dancer said in a threatening manner.

"Yeah! We're not scared of you! Cause we're gonna kick your flank back to where it came from!"

"Hardly. (looks to the spear) Interesting weapon you ponies have. But, i think it can be improved upon."

Before anypony could react, Tirek's magic suddenly kicked into gear, and the spear glowed in his hand with a dark, magical energy. Then, as the group watched, the spear suddenly began to do something unexpected: its whole appearance began changing from a spear, to what looked like some sort of staff that seemed to resemble Tirek somewhat. The base was long, and pure black, the hilt bore a bright red bull shape with two curved horns pointing out. Once he was done, Tirek held out the staff for the four surprised ponies to see.

"You tried to take me by surprise with one of your own weapons......it seems only fair i return the favor."

"We don't care if ye got any fancy tools, Centaur! 's far as i'm concerned, we're still gonna take ye down."

"Oh, is that so? You four are going to stop me? With what army?"

In response to Tirek's taunt, Captain blueberry simply gave a determined smirk, before whispering something only the others could hear.

"This one."

As if on Que, dozens of royal guard pegasi, and unicorns appeared from all around, surrounding Tirek in a circular formation. A multitude of horns glowing, with spears pointed to their target, poised to strike.

"Troops, listen up! Your target is the centaur standing right in front of ye! Make sure ya don't miss your mark, or you'll be dead!"

"Yes, sir!"

Yet, in spite of the seemingly overwhelming odds: Tirek was unafraid, nor was he intimidated by the numbers. In fact, he was quite calm in this situation. As if he knew that no matter what these ponies did, they couldn't harm him in the slightest. Not even the unicorns who were forming ranks in front of the armed guards, preparing to shoot him with paralysis spells in order to subdue him.

"Fire!"

All at once, the unicorn soldiers fired their spells at Tirek in a wave of mystic bolts surrounding him on every front. And he simply stood there, not budging an inch as they soared through the air towards him. So it seemed like he would be struck down in a few moments with no problems. But a sudden smirk he made quickly changed that notion. His horns suddenly lit up with his accursed magic, and a fiery shield formed around him, blocking the bolts before they could even touch him. Not even the spears being launched at him from above by the pegasi were rendered useless as they burst into flame upon contact with the shield. All the while, Tirek held a confident smirk while his arms were crossed over his chest, Staff in hand. Needless to say, everypony was more than a little disdained that this coordinated attack was also useless. Especially the four ponies still grouped together watching.

"Oh, man! This is NOT good!" Soarin said in a somewhat panicked tone.

"No kidding." Blade Dancerequickly said. "We have to find a way through this guys defenses if we want to beat him!"

"But.....how do we do that?"

"You can't! Because in the end, you pathetic equines are weak, and ignorant in how to properly use magic. But don't worry, because soon it will be used as it should be: in my capable hands. But first: allow me to demonstrate the full extent of what MY magic is capable of."

Confused by the statement, none of the ponies knew what to expect from Tirek. Until suddenly, his body began glowing with the same dark energy that flowed within him. His expression quickly changed to a maniacal grin, and his eyes began glowing brightly as the energy grew larger, and larger. Shining Armor's eyes widened with realization before he quickly formed a shield around himself, Soarin, Blade Dancer, and Captain Frost before shouting:

"HOLD ON!"

Tirek suddenly let out a thunderous, and savage roar before a massive wave of dark magic erupted from his body in a gigantic pulse which spread throughout the whole area. The guards panicked at the sight of this, but were too slow to get away. Every last one of them was taken by the pulse. And the whole area vanished in a bright flash of light as Shining struggled to maintain his shield through the powerful, magical pulse. A few moments later, and Shining Armor was able to drop his shield, though he quickly felt a sharp pain in his head from the shield, and his efforts to hold it during the attack. And the site he, and the others were met with didn't help in the slightest. Surrounding them on all sides were the unconscious forms of the entire royal guard, scattered across the area from the blast. And there, standing in the center of the crater he left, was Tirek: his body still glowing, but was now raising his staff in the air while swinging it in a circular formation. In response, the bodies of the royal guards began glowing the same color as him, while their own magical essence began flowing out of their bodies in a miasma which began rising in the air above Tirek. And just like before, the results were dozens of ponies who's cutie marks vanished due to the absence of their magic. Once all of the magic was gathered above him, Tirek proceeded to consume it all, and in the process is body grew further, and further as his strength, and power increased from the energy he claimed. While all of this went on, Discord remained up on the bridge, watching the spectacle below while eating some popcorn in his hand. Though he was worried at first for the safety of the ponies, his excitement on watching Tirek's fight was too much of an entertaining experience to pass up. And judging from what he just saw, it seemed Tirek was pretty chaotic in his own right. Further proof that the two would get along just fine. Meanwhile, Tirek was finally done with his magical meal, and was now several inches bigger than before. And the rush he felt was so exhilarating to him it was unbelievable.

*sigh* "Now THAT was exquisite. And it seems i proved my point, so...........where were we?"

Author's Note

reetings, and hello to the latest in Kahnac's MLP related stories. This time delving into a what if scenario regarding the season four finale that everyone knows as "Twilight's Kingdom". Now, to explain the exact purpose of this, and what the story's about.

As you already know, in the episode, the demonic centaur, Lord Tirek, begins stealing the magic of every pony around to increase his strength. Discord is sent to catch him, but Tirek sways him to his side, and the two go on a cross-country, magic draining spree. Eventually they make it to canterlot once Tirek's strength is great enough to take alicorn magic. By now, the princesses have transferred all of THEIR magic to Twilight so Tirek wont get it. Once he arrives, he tries to claim their magic, but fails to do so. He banishes them to Tartarus, and the rest is history.

Now comes the alternate story concept. Everyone remembers how, upon arriving to the capital, Tirek dispatches Shining Armor relatively quickly when he, and Discord encounter him, and he tries to stop the demon. And after he drains Shining, he just, kinda, leaves him there. Making him seem kind of useless: which makes me sad, considering he's my absolute favorite. This story is meant to redeem him with this simple question: What if Shining Armor didn't go down as simply as he did in the show? What if Tirek was actually impressed by Shining's determination to fight him? But especially this: What if Tirek played his hostage game early, and upon learning who Shining is, decides to use him as leverage against the princesses? Well, since i don't believe anyone's done this yet, i decided to take the helms for this story, and try my hand at it. And considering how big this project seems to be, i'll be splitting it up into maybe three pieces. Sadly, i can't fit everything into a single chapter, so......anyway: you'll also notice my inclusion of Soarin. Let me just say i kinda have a thing for him, too. So i came up with the idea that he may have been the one to warn the Princesses of Tirek's advances, and was in Canterlot at the time. Not to mention, i made him friends with Shining Armor, too. Alot of writers tend to do that anyway, so i figure i might as well, too. Also, for story's sake, you'll also notice the inclusion of two certain guard ponies who currently play a significant in tarbano and Faith-Wolff's story, The Bridge. Not much of them here, but i assure you there'll be more of them come next chapter. Assuming they manage to survive Tirek's onslaught beforehand.:D

MLP:FIM is owned by Hasbro, and Lauren Faust
Shining Armor, Soarin, Tirek, and Discord are owned by MLP/Hasbro
(Captain) Blueberry Frost is owned by Sword-of-Akasha.
Blade Dancer belongs to fiddlesticks
I DO NOT OWN ANY OF THE CHARACTERS FEATURED! ALL CREDIT FOR THEM GOES TO THEIR RESPECTIVE OWNERS!

The Fall of a Crystal Prince

Shining Armor, and his companions looked around the newfound battlefield with worried looks. Though it seemed like he, and his group might just have been able to at least hold their own against Tirek with a whole garrison of guards on their side........the demon had other plans as he knocked every last one of them unconscious with his magic alone, and then instantly drained them of theirs. Thereby increasing his power even further than before. Now, as Soarin quickly pointed out, things seemed much bleaker than before.

"Guys: this crazy dude just took down the whole royal guard without even breaking a sweat. We're in serious trouble, now."

"Calm down, Soarin." said Blade Dancer, trying to keep the tension from rising, "We can't just give up now. We're the only ones left standing between him, and the princesses."

"Yeah, i know....but, how are we gonna win, now? All these ponies couldn't stand up to him, and he's only gotten stronger! We're seriously outclassed!"

"Please: don't let any of that stop you idiots from attacking me all at once. I could use some more exercise." Tirek said in a very challenging tone.

Suddenly, his staff lit up with magic in the same manner as Tirek himself, and he thrust it towards the four ponies, allowing a beam of dark energy like his own to fire at them all. Quick to respond, the four ponies quickly leaped to the right, with Soarin pushing Shining Armor away on account of how tired he was, dodging the blast before it could hit them. They were fast to recover, with Blueberry Frost picking up one of the guard spears so as to arm herself for combat once more.

"Alright: looks like it's up to us, now. Our only chance is to hit him fast, and hit him hard. Prince Armor: stay back, and let us handle this. We'll try, and keep him at bay."

"But-" Shining armor protested, before Blueberry frost cut him off. :You have to. You've already given as much as you can to stop this monster. Let US handle it from here."

The prince wanted to argue, but deep down he knew Frost was right. His strength had diminished greatly, and he wasn't sure he could last any longer if he kept trying to fight. He hated having to sit on the sidelines when he wanted to keep fighting his troops. But he knew this was the only way: and he relented.

"Okay. Just be careful-that's an order."

*grin* "Yes, sir....Captain Armor. *turns back to Tirek* Alright troopss: attack!"

With that, the Trio went on the offensive, while Tirek positioned his staff in a defensive pose, with the top pointing to the left, and the bottom opposite. Captain Frost made the first strike, as she swung her spear in rightward while leaping in the air. Tirek easily parried the blow, and the two began dueling with their respective weapons. The captain's skill was good, but so was Tirek's, and his height gave him a major advantage. The pegasi duo tried evening the odds by attempting a larriette, only for him to sense them coming, grab their front legs, and then slam them together before tossing them away. Captain Frost tried to stab him while he was distracted, but he managed to catch it beforehand, and throw her towards the others. But they got back up just as quickly. Soarin came in first, delivering a series of hits to Tirek's chest, all while the latter simply stood there, and shrugged the blows off with ease. He then delivered a swift, but strong slap to the side of Soarin's head, sending him crashing into a nearby wall. Blade Dancer was next as she prepared to cut Tirek with here wing-blades. But the centaur side stepped two attempts before channeling his magic through his hand, and sending her flying across the field, and being given a rather rough landing.

He turned to face who he believed would be his final opponent, but was surprised when a spear was suddenly thrown directly at his head. Had he not blocked it with his magic, it might've gone right through his skull. This momentary distraction gave the Captain enough time to buck him in the torso, and actually push him back a few feet. At times like this, it was good to be an earth pony. But Tirek quickly retaliated with a beam of his fiery magic shooting from his horns only a few inches from her muzzle, and the force of it knocking her down. The attack knocked the wind out of her, and she had a hard time standing back up. Tirek soon began approaching her, intent on finishing her off. But a sudden flash of bright blue caught his attention. As did a sudden strike to his face. It didn't really hurt, but the surprise of it caught him off guard. Another punch soon came: then another, then another, then another. The pony was moving so fast, Tirek was having a hard time keeping up. Then he realized it was the stallion pegasus, trying to use speed to overcome Tirek. And to Soarin's credit, it was working. Tirek was having a hard time, which proved to be quite useful for the other ponies. Blade Dancer managed to get back up, and was once again slashing away at Tirek, who was once again dodging her moves. A few moment's later, Captain Frost, who had finally caught her breath, had grabbed another spear, and was back in action. The combined attack seemed to be working, as the 3 ponies now had the demonic centaur on the back hoof. It seemed like they would now have a chance at winning.

Until, in the midst of the barrage, Tirek's horns glowed with magic once more. But instead of simply charging a magical beam of some kind, the magic instead was being channeled in Tirek's staff: building up Dark energy until it began glowing brightly. Once it was bright enough, and just as the 3 charged him all at once, Tirek let out a loud roar as he slammed his scepter into the ground, and released a mystical pulse that struck the 3 of them like a hammer, and threw them aside with ease. When the smoke cleared, Tirek was the only one still standing: the battered, and beaten forms of the 3 ponies lay scattered across the field, defeated. As he looked at them, Tirek let out a grunting sound as he tossed aside the scepter, which vanished in a flame once he discarded it, and he now had a look of disappointment on his face.

"So much for exercise."

He wasted in time in using his magic to lift up the 3 ponies, who began stirring while in his grasp, and huddle them together, as he prepared to finish things up. Before anything else, he began draining the 3 of their magic, devouring every single drop of it until they were finally empty. Once that was done, he just dropped them back down to the ground. The colors in their eyes now filled wit pale, blank, colorless pupils. Yet in spite of his weakened state, Soarin still had enough strength to speak before falling unconscious like the Captain, and Blade Dancer.

*Weakly* "Well....at least.....we bought.....shining some....time."

Believing himself victorious, Tirek decided to mildly gloat over his victory before going after a certain unicorn prince.

"And that settle's that. As much as i've had a good time swatting around flies, i have more important things to do. So where, oh where is-"

"THAT! IS! ENOUGH!"

At first, Tirek was a bit surprised when he heard that shout - so full of anger, and aggression. But he also recognized that shout as belonging to his quarry, who he saw standing at least a few feet away from where Tirek himself was: a look of pure anger in his eyes, and his horn charging with magical power. While Tirek wasn't sure what Shining Armor was building up his magic reserves for, but he payed it no mind, as the stallion was too weak to be of any real threat to him. A fact he wanted to rub in before he got his hands on him.

"Ah, so the noble prince stays to protect his subjects! How pure of you! A shame you're in no condition to stop me. Or fair any better than these worthless nags did."

Shining Armor, for all intents and purposes, didn't respond to the remark. All that was on his mind was letting as much magic as he could muster build up in his horn for his idea to work. He knew he was only going to get one shot at this, so it needed to count.

"Hahahohoh, come on, now!" chortled Tirek in amusement. "Please say this is a joke! With your level of magic? After what i already did to you several minutes ago? Be realistic! No amount of magic you have is enough to challenge me as i am now! Besides, look at you: you're certainly no siren, no draconequus.......and certainly no alicorn! You're just a simple unicorn."

"Yeah?!" Shining yelled, the frustration and anger evident in his voice. And as he spoke, his eyes began glowing brighter, and brighter. "Well, you know what?! Buck magic levels, buck Draconequus' AND BUCK YOU!"

Right at that moment, he unleashed all of the magic he had built up into an immense wave of magic very similar to the kind he, and his wife had used to rid the city of the Changeling Invasion a while back. It rushed outwardly like a massive explosion, or enormous pulse of energy. Tirek had little time to react as the wave came flying towards him. And just like with the wedding-the wave brushed over the whole city, and briefly engulfed it in a flash of light. A few moments later, the light faded away, and the glow from Shining's horn faded. Now the prince was left panting heavily while his head was lowered as he felt the effects of such a powerful spell being used. Normally, he had no problems creating a barrier of any kind: but releasing a mystic wave like he did once before, without Cadence to help channel such magic? In the long run, it was taxing on his body, AND his stamina.

*panting* "Okay....never....try that...again....without Cadence. *Deep Breath* But at least it's over now."

"Indeed, it is."

Shining's eyes widened, with a feeling of dread falling over him. He slowly raised his head to see, much to his despair: Tirek was still standing where he had been. Only with a rather large shield having been cast over him. But now, it quickly receded, as Tirek had a less than amused expression, as he began slowly approaching Shining Armor.

"In more ways than one."

"No! That's-That's impossible! Nopony's ever been able to-

"No pony. Clearly you underestimated my power......and overestimated yourself. Though i admit: now i truly am impressed by your tenacity. But i've wasted enough time as it is. So why don't you just stand up straight, bow your head, and stop wasting everyone's time?"

In a last ditch effort to fight back, Shining once more tried lighting up his horn to attack. But all he got in exchange was the painful feeling in his head that comes after such an expendage of magic is used. After one last try, and another jab of pain to his head, his expression changed from determination, to complete, and utter defeat. Yet also a clear sign of sadness, as well as he suddenly dropped down onto his stomach, and lowered his head in shame. Accepting what was to come, next.

"Princesses....Cadence....please, forgive me: i failed."

"Well. It appears that i've finally broken both your body, AND your spirit. How amusing. Though if you really want to know if your precious princesses forgive you.......*grin* we can both find out once we reach them."

"Just shut up, and finish it, already."

"Oh, come now, dear boy!" Tirek said in mock-offended tone. "Haven't you been paying attention before? I have plans for you, even after i take what little magic you have left. After all: having a prisoner of my own should make this game even more fun."

At the mention of the word, Shining's expression hardened, and he quickly darted his head up at Tirek, and yelled, "A game?! This is all just a game to you?!"

"Hehehahahah! Don't be ridiculous. If this were really a game: that would imply i was having fun. But unfortunately, there IS no fun to be had swatting aside pathetic, little equine nags who are undeserving of their power. All i'm doing is establishing the status quo as it should be: with only ONE supreme being in equestria, keeping fools like you in their place. And with Discord by my side, my reign of terror will be remembered for ages to come: long after the Princesses are finally dead, and dust."

"And what about me?" Shining asked, as an eyebrow raised in curiosity.

"Well......every Lord needs entertainment of some kind. And with my power, i can stay that way with you for a long time." *Grin*

Shining's jaw clenched hard as he glared at the sadistic monster with complete defiance in his eyes.

"You sick, twisted monster! You might think you'll win: but the truth is you will NEVER succeed! There will always be somepony to stop you! No matter HOW strong you get. And when they win, and when you lose.....noone will ever have remembered you!"

"And who might these "someponies" be? The Princesses? Fool. In a few moments, their fate will be the same as everypony thus far."

In a flash of moment, Tirek grabbed Shining by his muzzle, and held him in place as he continued grinning in delight, while Shining still glared defiantly at the monstrous demon.

"As will every, single, pony in Equestria."

Then his nightmarish maw opened, as he drained the magic right out of Shining Armor's horn. A process which looked exceptionally painful for Shining, as his eyes quickly widened, and a strained, grunting sound could be heard as the process went on. Finally, Tirek finished up, and released the prince from his grasp. With a light groan, Shining nearly fell to the side as all of his strength completely vanished. But just before he hit the ground, Tirek quickly grabbed him in his hand, and held him around his torso from behind. Holding him like he was a small prize he had just claimed. He then looked towards the palace entrance, and suddenly vanished in a flash of fiery light.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

All the while, Discord had been perched on a couch sofa he had conjured just as soon as the action had begun. As it went on, he also made a bunch of items show up, as well: a pair of 3D glasses, a bag of popcorn with soda, a "Number 1" hand glove, and a red, and block striped shirt with a white logo that said "Team Tirek". The chaotic clash was much more entertaining than the chaos spirit had figured it would be, and he treated it like the greatest spectator sport in the world. But while he enjoyed the chaos that ensued: he was secretly glad Tirek spared the ponies as requested. he wasn;t sure why, but part of him felt concern for the little equines. Guess the mane six rubbed off on him a bit more than he figured. Needless to say, he was surprised when he saw Tirek disappear in a flaming flash. At least, until he heard a "whoosh" sound but a few feet next to him. When he turned, and looked, he saw Tirek with his now captive prisoner. A sinister smile etched on his face. Once he saw his new friend had come back, Discord sighed disappointingly before snapping his fingers, and making everything he made disappear.

"Oh, poo. I was hoping that could've lasted a little longer. I was really enjoying the show, it was so much fun."

"Relax, my friend: now is the part where things become TRULY interesting. I think it's time i finally paid the princesses a visit, at last."

"Hmm, sounds good. But what about him?" Discord asked, pointing to the barely conscious Shining Armor hanging helplessly in Tirek's hand.

"Ah, yes. Believe me: what i said before was true. I believe this one may be quite useful to us. But for now, i'll just leave him here. In case i may actual require....leverage."

Tirek then dropped Shining down to the ground, in a rather ungraceful manner. Discord was a bit startled with how quickly Tirek dropped the prince, and with such carelessness. But he quickly got over it. Though as Shining lay himself down, and weakly rose his head back up, his seemingly blind gaze meeting the Draconequss' own, he had only one thing to say as he finally succumbed to unconsciousness.

*groggily* "How....could you....d-do..this?"

As the Prince passed out, Discord looked at him in a rather confused manner. He was actually pretty confused about Shining's words: like he couldn't understand why Discord did what he did. There was no way. Nopony except Fluttershy had such faith in him. How could anypony else actually do? Before he could question the matter in his mind any further, he felt the muscular arm of Tirek wrap around his own, as the centaur addressed his mismatched companion.

"Why don't you go, and have a little fun? I won't stand in your way."

He then turned back to Shining Armor, and with a wave of his hand, cast a barrier of his own magic around the unconscious form of the prince. Now, his captive was firmly, and safely secured. While Tirek looked to the rest of Canterlot, chuckling deviously as he thought of the chaos he was now going to wreak, Tirek made his way into the castle. His objective waiting just inside.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Within the throne-room of the castle, the 3 princesses rested. Still weak from having rid themselves of their own magic, and then giving it over to princess twilight for safe keeping. They knew that a terrible risk came with this plan, but they were more than willing to take that chance to keep the rest of equestria safe. Soon enough, they heard, and felt, the fierce stomping of hooves rapidly approaching the room. Suddenly, Tirek burst into the throne room, ripping both doors out of the walls, and tossing them to the side. He then strode right on over to where the princesses were, donning the same devilish grin he'd been wearing all day. His magic swiftly took Princess Celestia to Tirek's eye level, and he attempted to drain her magic. But when he did, he was shocked to find nothing was happening. Yet shock quickly turned to anger as he demanded: "What have you done?!"

The only response Celestai gave was a determined expression which also held a sense of triumph to it. This caused Tirek to wonder about something. He quickly tried draining Luna, and Cadence respectively: but only ending in the same result as before-no magic, and a now enraged centaur.

"Wheeeere is your magic?!!!"

The Truth is Revealed

(I apologize to everyone if this doesn't seem as good. My mind was in a rut, and i wasn't fully able to concentrate. Also, i'm sorry for any spelling mistakes that appear. Lastly, a slight torture moment for anyone who's a bit squeamish about that sort of thing.)

It had been quite some time since Tirek had made his way into the Throne-room of Canterlot. And discovering that their magic was somehow gone. Needless to say, he was not happy with this development. Right now, he was currently seated in Celestia's own throne. An intimidating glare which was aimed directly at the 3 alicorns sitting before him. Yet despite the situation, none of the princesses seemed threatened by the monstrous centaur. They just returned the glare as he finally addressed them.

"So," he began, "What you mean to say is that you disposed of every last ounce of magic you had, and dispersed it so that it can never be reclaimed?"

"Correct." Celestia said.

"And you were truly willing to cast all your power aside like that? To lower yourselves to mere mortals?"

"Do not try to patronize us, demon." Luna said. "Magic is not what makes a pony, or any living thing special."

"She's right." Cadence added. "Besides, we aren't gods: and we were once "mortal", like you said, before. We wouldn't be lowering ourselves to something we used to be, anyway."

"And it's a sacrifice we all were willing to take, so long as it means keeping our subjects safe from you, Tirek. Better to dispose of our magic than allow you to use it for your own purposes."

While the princesses went on, Tirek listened carefully to everything they said. From where he stood, they sounded quite truthful. That they were truly willing to sacrifice what they had to protect the other ponies. THAT was something he could believe. But he also kept a little something in mind which threw part of their claim out the window. Something he knew which would help turn the tables quickly.

"Maybe so.....but you clearly never considered that i may know enough about magic to know that you might actually be lying."

All 3 princesses suddenly looked confused, as they appeared to not understand what he had meant. But inside, they were worried he may actually know what they also knew. Which was only confirmed when Tirek explained:

"Oh, yes: i have learned enough about Equestrian magic since i escaped from Tartarus. What do you think i spent all this time doing aside from slowly regaining my strength? Now, i have enough knowledge to know that you lie: magic cannot simply disappear. It can only be contained in another vessel if it is removed from its host. I am the proof of that, or have you failed to consider that fact as i tore the magic away from your precious ponies?"

The alicorn trio felt a pang of worry at this revelation, but managed to keep it hidden behind the stern expressions they held as they listened to Tirek gloat about his demented accomplishments.

"Which means that your magic isn't truly gone..........*grin* You've hidden it away somewhere - given it to somePONY. And then sent them away somewhere i couldn't hope to find them. Not too bad of a plan: but it seems you underestimated me. A mistake you may regret once you tell me who this pony is."

"And why, exactly, would we pass our magic onto somepony else?" Celestia questioned, calling Tirek's bluff. "Only another Alicorn would be capable of safely wielding so much power at once. Any other, and the amount would be too much for them: they would burn out almost instantaneously."

"Who knows? Perhaps you were so desperate to keep your precious magic out of my hands, you had no choice. But then again: (looks to Cadence) considering there is a 3rd alicorn where there used to be only two......whose to say there isn't a fourth?"

It was truly startling how Tirek was putting the pieces together. But it shouldn't have been surprising, considering he was able to turn Discord over to his side. But still, the princesses refused to prove him right, and remained as stoic as they possibly could.

"Doesn't really matter, anyway: fourth alicorn, or whatever foolish creature you entrusted it to, you ARE going to tell me who it is that has my property. And you'll do it NOW!"

"Even if you were right" Cadence said, "What makes you think we would EVER tell you where this pony is?"

"Because of what's going to happen if you stay silent."

"Do your worst, monster!" Luna boldly exclaimed. "But no matter what you do to us, we shall never tell you anything! Our own lives mean nothing compared to the safety of our subjects."

Tirek chuckled Darkly: "But whoever said anything about doing anything to YOU?"

Confusion suddenly fell over the alicorns after hearing this. Confusion.....and perhaps a bit of worry.

"You see, i considered the possibility of you attempting something to subvert me, even if i didn't expect it to be This. That's why, right before i came here, i made sure acquire.....incentive."

Tirek suddenly snapped his fingers, and a rather large bubble showed up right next to him. But it was what was inside the bubble that caused the Princesses eyes to widen, but for Cadence especially to gasp lightly: It was Shining Armor, still visibly weak from his encounter with Tirek. But now, he was stripped of his armor, and instead wearing some kind of red collar. Noone save for Tirek knew what this collar was, but it clearly wasn't anything pleasant.

"Shiny!"

"C-cadence? I'm sorry, i-i let you down. I let all of you down."

The princesses were horrified to see him like this. But that swiftly changed to anger, when they turned back to Tirek.

"Say hello to my new....."pet". This one was quite the exemplary fighter, i can assure you. He was the only pony who was actually bold enough to stand against me, where all others fled. True, the pegasi may have done the same, but HE was the only real challenge. With the level of magic he had, he may have been able to best me.......in my weaker state. But as i am, he was simply entertainment. That seems to be what he wanted, so that is what i intend to make him from this moment on. Now tell me: is he of any significance to you?"

"You vile fiend! Release Shining Armor at once! He has nothing to do with any of this, so leave him out of it!" yelled Celestia.

"Perhaps. But he made himself part of this when he challenged me, directly. And when i was told he was royalty, it made his usefulness all the better. Now, all he's good for is to amuse me. And what pet would be whole without a nice, pretty collar to remind others of how he belongs to.....and to keep him obedient?"

The bubble suddenly fell to the side of the throne, leaving Shining to lie on that spot for a few moments. Then Tirek firmly said "Get up" before suddenly, the collar began glowing, and painfully tightening around Shining's neck. It wasn't strangling him, but it caused him a good deal of pain while his body acted against his will. Making him fully stand up before it finally stopped glowing. He had been released, and given a moment to catch his breath, before turning to give a resentful glare to Tirek. The demonic centaur simply smirked at the sight, before turning back to the princesses, who had their own thoughts on what they had just witnessed.

"How dare you use such an accursed spell?" said Luna.

"Quite easily, actually. This simply helps to keep my new toy in line.......and to ensure i have leverage over him-AND you."

"No! Don't tell him anything! Just forget about me-ARGH!" Shining exclaimed, as the collar tightened around his neck once more. A few moments later, and it passed. But Shining was silent once again, as Tirek spoke once again.

"Now, i will ask you as politely as i can: tell me who the pony that has your magic is. Do so, and i'll let your prince go."

But the princesses remained silent, and with saddened expressions. As much as they wanted to tell him, if only to protect Shining Armor, there was too much at stake. So they stood their ground, and stayed silent. Tirek saw this, and his calm demeanor began shrinking away. Before anyone had time to react, he swiftly grabbed Shining by his back, and then brought him to his eye level.

"If there is ONE thing you should know of me, it's that i am NOT a very patient being. And when i begin losing my patience......i take it out on someone else."

Suddenly, Shining felt pressure building around his middle, as he felt Tirek tightening his grip around his body. Intent on slowly crushing him in his hand. This had Shining Armor grunting in pain as he wriggled about in pain. This also earned a worried glance from Cadence, who tried her best to look strong like her aunts: but seeing her husband being hurt like this caused her pain, as well. But the torment Tirek was going to put him through only just begun.

"Have you ever wondered what it was like? To see another pony slowly burn away from a fiery grip?"

To emphasize his point, his horns glowed, and suddenly his hand began to slowly glow. As it did, Shining, added to the physical pressure, felt the hand that wrapped around him slowly began increasing in temperature. His own fur, and skin grew warmer by the minute. But soon enough, it grew hotter, and hotter, until he was no longer able to stand it. His skin began burning, and searing from what felt like an inferno. And he actually yelled in pain from his body being burned alive. All the princesses could do was look away to avoid being effected any further. But Tirek wasn't don yet, as his right finger began glowing, as well.

"The charred, blackened flesh as it crispens from the heat, the altered texture of the skin as it slowly melts away: reduced to a either a charred, roasted heap, or a greasy, bubbling puddle that steams into nothing. But you know what else? While others prefer using a blade for their grim amusement: i actually enjoy the burning, red, hot touch of either a sharpened rod.......or even a personal touch."

He then places his glowing, red finger on the right side of Shining's chest. Making him give an even louder scream when the demonic centaur began trailing his finger down his body in a very slow manner. This allowed for a burnt mark to form as the unicorn's flesh singed from the burning, hot touch.

"True, the sharpness of a blade is enough to bring excruciating pain to the victim: i find that a fiery-hot metal is even better. The one who receives this burning touch begins truly showing who they truly are as their screams echo out. And the slower you go, the more you're able to savor......all the little, emotions. In many ways, this reveals the true nature of something.....or somepony, as it were."

After a while, Tirek's movement ceased, and both of his hands stopped glowing. This gave Shining Armor a sense of relief, but left him wincing in pain, and gasping for air from the torment he was receiving. When he managed to look, he saw that he had been branded with a rather peculiar mark: it was a loop-shaped symbol, almost like a lyre. But upon further inspection, it more resembled a pair of bull-horns taking up his whole chest. Seeing the blackened mark on his body may have been surprising, but he still managed to keep his demeanor calm, and focused. No matter what happened, he had to remain strong for the princesses.....and his sister. His attention was soon drawn back to Tirek, who was actually chuckling for some reason.

"Impressive, boy: even with all that agony i just put you through, it looks like you're tougher than i truly realized. Your heart's too strong for you to be a coward."

The only response the Prince gave to his would-be captor was another hardened glare. One which told him that no matter what he did: he would not yield. Tirek could already see this for himself: the pony was willing to give his life to keep the demon from having his way. This was already clear.....but as for one of the princesses, whom he noticed kept her eyes shut - but tears could be seen falling from her eyes. No doubt from listening to Shining's anguished screams. SHE was the weak link. And fortunately: he had one last idea to break the chain holding everything together.

"Now...let's see if we can reach into that heart, and see what truly lies within?"

Tirek made his right finger glow bright, hot red once again, and touched Shining Armor once again. Only this time, he touched one, single spot: directly where his heart is. Shining groaned in pain once more, and Celestia, and Luna were now more worried about what Tirek was planning.

"They say that if something burns hot enough, the object that touches it will eventually burn its way right through."

To illustrate his point, he began pressing the tip of his finger into Shining's chest, making him groan even louder as he felt the burning point burn into his flesh. But it only grew worse as he could actually feel the finger itself slowly burning his way INTO his body, and nearly penetrating his chest.

"And considering how well toned this pony is, i wonder how long i will take for me to burn through his flesh, and eventually his heart? And once we reach THAT point: then we can see his bodies reaction to his heart slowly burning to a roasted shell, and his blood-stream boil away to steam. By the end of this, his whole body might end up a bright, red, dried-out husk of what it used to be. Let's find out."

He then began pressing harder into Shining's chest. And this time, his finger was actually burning away what it touched. Now, Shining Armor, for all his attempts to hold back, began screaming in sheer agony from his skin, and even muscle burning away. His body began reacting violently to this - thrashing around, and trying to escape from this torturous fate somehow. Celestia, and Luna, were doing their best to weather this atrocity. They knew Shining Armor wouldn't want them to do anything on his behalf if it meant endangering everything. So they tried to hold out for as long as they could. Especially since they were powerless to do anything anyway.

Unfortunately, the same could not be said for the youngest of them.

Up until now, even though she was silently weeping from having to listen to her beloved suffer, she managed to keep herself quiet. But now that Tirek was on the verge of killing him, she was being torn apart on the inside. His pained screams clutching at her mind, and just thinking of what was going on, even when she tried to keep herself from watching so she wouldn't snap, was too much to bear. Her back was turned as she listened to the torture go on, and she was grasping her head as he tears practically flooded the spot she was sitting in. Eyes darting all around in a frantic, panicking motion. She couldn't take it anymore. No matter what, she couldn't let her love die: she wouldn't lose him so soon. So, in a last desperate move, she did something that would potentially doom all of Equestria: she relented.

*sobbingly* "STOP! PLEASE, STOP HURTING HIM! PLEASE! I BEG YOU!"

The Cadence's outburst surprised everyone in the room, but each had a different feeling once she was done: Celestia, and Luna were now quite fearful. They could already tell what she was about to do, and also seeing the state she was in. While they did sympathize with her, they couldn't help but feel despair that she had given in. They understood why, but it didn't change anything. Tirek, however, had an eyebrow raised in intrigue, while he also halted his advances. Though on the inside, he knew his plan was working, he pretended otherwise to see if this was true.

"Oh? And why should i? He is mine, now. Mine to do with as i please. And if i want to give him a slow, agonizing death, then there's no reason i shouldn't. What is he to you, anyway?"

By now, Cadence had managed to calm herself, she was still distraught. She knew what she was doing was bad, but she had no choice. Shining Armor meant to much to him, and she couldn't bear to go on without him. Or worse yet, to see him suffer so cruelly, and unnecessarily. Even if it meant dooming the world: she would give everything to keep him safe.

"Please....he is my husband. He means so much to me! I can't bare to let this go on any further. Please - don't kill him. I'll.....i'll give you what you want."

"Cadence, no!" exclaimed Celestia.

"Come again?"

*sigh* "If you spare his life.....then i'll tell you who we gave our magic to."

Celestia, and Luna's heads lowered in defeat. Though Cadence did the right thing, her actions would soon bring disaster to everypony alive. Tirek, meanwhile, didn't budge just yet, and he kept his taloned point right where Shining's heart is.

"Tell me who has it first, and i'll release him......for now."

Taking a last, saddened look at Shining, who managed to hear everything, and was shaking his head with a desperate expression, she turned her gaze back to Tirek, and did as he said.

"It's like you said: we gave our magic to a fourth alicorn for safe keeping. We believed that if it had been hidden away with somepony else capable of using it, you would never be able to find it on account of you not knowing there's another alicorn out there."

Listening intently, Tirek briefly stroked his beard in thought before returning his hands to its position, and then addressing the crystal princess again.

"Interesting. And who would this "fourth princess" be, if you would?"

She then lowered her head in shame, as she said in a rather low voice: "Princess Twilight Sparkle."

As low as she spoke, Tirek was still able to hear her words. And once he had the name, his mouth spread into a malicious grin that would send chills down a pony's spine. Now, he was yet another step closer to being an indomitable force, as he always wanted.

"Excellent. Now, you see? That wasn't quite as difficult as you thought, now was it? All it required was some proper persuasion. But anyway: a deal's a deal."

He lifted his hand away from Shining's chest, and in a moment, the burning glow vanished. But was instead replaced with a greenish color that enveloped his whole hand. He then waved it over Shining's chest, and in a few moment's, both the branded mark he left was gone, as was the hole he managed to burn into him. Once he was done, and the apparent healing spell he cast vanished, Shining was lifted up by Tirek's real magic, and placed directly before the princesses.

"Take the time to comfort him for a few moments........while you can."

Cadence didn't waste a single moment. Just as Shining at least managed to sit up straight, his loving wife almost knocked him over as she wrapped her whooves around his neck, holding him as tightly as she could without chocking the life out of him. And then she cried tears of both happiness, and sadness: happy for the fact she had managed to save her husbands life - but also sad because she had not just unintentionally betraying her sister-in-law, but had to watch, then listen to Shining Armor endure something terrible that she would never wish for anypony. But more than anything, she was afraid of how he would now react to her having done what she did. He must've been quite angry with him for her actions. At least, that's what she was thinking. Until he also embraced her, and gently tried to calm her down as best as he could.

"Shh, shh. Please, don't cry, it's okay. I'm alright. I'm still here, and i'm not leaving you."

*sadly* "Oh, Shining, i'm so sorry! I didn't mean to! But...i-i just....i couldn't let him hurt you anymore! It was too much for me to bear anymore! I'm sorry! I'm a horrible pony: i betrayed Twily! I-i....i understand if you hate me, now. Goodness knows i hate myself for-"

"Please, stop. Cadence, listen: I DON'T hate you, alright? You did what you thought was right. It may not have been the best, but i don't hate you for it. Don't forget: i promised to always love you, no matter what. You're the most precious thing i've ever had happen to me, and i wouldn't change that for anything. I'm happy to have someone so caring....and devoted as you, cadence. I love you."

*Sniff* "I-i love you, too, Shining. Thank you."

The two then touched their foreheads together, letting their tears fall as they did. Celestai, and Luna, felt a pang of happiness in their hearts seeing the two like this. Though they knew the consequences that were soon to come, they didn't fault Cadence in the slightest. If anything, they were just happy for her, and Shining Armor. Sadly, the moment was ruined by the fake-applause being delivered by Tirek, who drew their attention as he mocked the display.

"Oh, how touching! You two truly are soulmates, aren't you? A loving display like this is so magnificent, i'm almost....touched." he said, as he pretended to wipe a tear from his eye. "How fortunate for me such pathetic feelings pass quickly....even when i never had any to begin with!"

All the ponies simply glared at the tyrannical monster, as he had the Gaul to ruin the moment with his insults. Before any of them could react, Shining was enveloped in a familiar glow, before he was pulled out of Cadence's embrace, and set to hover beside Tirek, who had a wide grin on his face as he looked to the Princesses. Meanwhile, unnoticed by everyone in the room, Discord suddenly appeared out of thin air. Not using his usual means of appearing in a flash, he wanted to try something else. And when he looked, he could see that Tirek was busy dealing with the princesses. So he decided to just entertain himself by changing the stain-glass windows, and play with them as he waited.

"Now that i have what i need, it appears our business is concluded."

"Indeed." Celestia said. "Now release Shining Armor, and leave!"

"Perhaps i could........but there's a small issue: in all the excitement, i forgot to ask about WHERE "Princess Twilight" is. If you would be so kind as to tell me where she lives, or at least, where she's gone, then i'll be on my way."

"What?!" shouted Luna. "You fiend: that was not part of any agreement! Now release Shining Armor, at once!"

"Mind your tone, you worthless nag. You are in no position to make any commands, here. And i already did what i said....i just didn't say how long i would release your precious prince."

"Tirek, listen to me" pleaded Celestia "We do not know where Princess Twilight is! Once we transferred our magic to her, we sent her on her own so that she could remain hidden. She could be anywhere at this time."

Tirek's grin quickly vanished, and he was now giving a tern look at the 3 alicorns. Displeased by what he had just heard, as his fingers rapidly tapped one of the rests of the throne in agitation.

"How interesting. And i would be inclined to believe you....had your "loving" princess not confessed to your deception. So i would suggest you comply....or this time YOU will be the next ones to suffer."

"NO!" Shining Armor shouted. "Don't you dare hurt them!"

"Hmm? Hurt them? Don't be foolish. I don't have to hurt them to make them suffer.......especially when there are other ways to do so. *turns back to the princesses* So this is my final warning: tell me where the 4th princess is, or so help me, i'll-"

"I can tell you where she is!"

Noone expected to hear that. As Tirek turned to his left, his eyes having widened a bit, he looked at his helpless prisoner, who had a look of desperation, and determination. Even the other princesses, and Discord were surprised that Shining had just said that.

"I know where she lives....and...i can take you there. Just please: leave my wife, and the princesses alone. And don't hurt my sister."

"Sister? You mean-" Tirek started. After he thought it over, he quickly realized what Shining Armor had meant: Princess Twilight was his sister. Suddenly, Tirek let out a boisterous laughter that echoed throughout the chamber, and almost shook the whole structure. Once he was finished, he turned back to Shining, and said, "How amusing! I never imagined a pony could not only be MARRIED to a princess: but have one as a family member! It's incredible! *clears throat* And after all of this trouble to keep her hidden, you would actually lead me right to her?"

"Only if you swear to spare the princesses.........and to not hurt my sister. I couldn't live with myself if she-" Shining cut off. Though he didn't finish, the meaning was quite clear. And after hearing this, Tirek considered the merit, before he asked something of the captive prince.

"So you claim, but why should i do as you ask? What guarantee do i have that you'll do as you claim?"

"Because if you do......i'll give my service to you: both living, and death. I'll serve you willingly, and without any problems. I won't resist, so long as you give me YOUR word you'll spare them."

It was straightforward, and without hesitation. Shining meant every word he said, despite the despairing the princesses gave him. And Tirek was once again intrigued by this little pony, and his willingness to give up everything to protect his loved ones.

"You would willingly sacrifice your life? Your very freedom? Just to save them?"

"Of course. Like any true husband.....and big brother should do. I'd do anything to make sure they're kept safe. Even if i have to die, or worse yet, become the dog of a tyrannical monster like you."

Before he even realized it, something stirred within Tirek. Emotions he thought he had buried long ago briefly resurfaced......along with memories of his younger brother, Scorpan. For just a few moments, he remembered his own dedication, and love for his brother. And his willingness to keep him safe. Even though he didn't always show it, he loved Scorpan with all of his heart, and would've given anything to protect him. At least, until he had betrayed Tirek. Remembering that, Tirek shook off the memories, and recollected himself. However, part of him was actually moved by Shining Armor's dedication. And he decided to show a little leniency.

"Then, i suppose i could agree.....after we make this little "bargain" official."

Before Shining could think of what he meant, Tirek suddenly thrust his right hand downwards, like he was unfolding something. And in a little flash, a bright, glowing, yellow piece of parchment suddenly appeared, and hovered right in front of Shining. It somewhat resembled a scroll, but had no piece that rolled it up. In fact, it looked more like a small check-list. And it was written in a language that Shining had never seen before, with the only words he recognized were "I hereby bequeath unto Lord Tirek..." at the very top of the parchment. A few moments let him understand what this was: a contract. Which was only confirmed when a feathered quill appeared right in front of it. But while Shining didn't see anything too special about it: Celestia, and Luna were horrified by the sight of that parchment, as they recognized it for themselves.

"Sister: Is that what i think it is?" Luna said quietly.

"Yes, Luna. But how could Tirek be able to use THAT kind of magic?"

The only one who didn't know anything was cadence, who quickly asked: "What are you talking about? What is that thing?"

"An ancient, and powerful magic. A phsyical construct of the cosmic force that exists alongside Chaos itself: Order." said Celestia.

"But....that's a good thing, isn't it?"

"I'm afraid not, dear Cadence" said Luna. "While order does indeed work to maintain balance, and keep Chaos in check, it is imperfect: though Order can often bring peace, and balance, it also inevitably restricts free-will, and prevents a sense of individuality as it forces all to abide by its will. And that contract works the same way: any who sign it are bound to follow through with its rules. It is a binding, and unbreakable agreement that is seen through with no choice in the matter - save for however the one who creates it see's fit. Only he who casts the spell can break the contract. And only then can the one who signed it be truly free."

"Then.....that means-"

"Yes: once Shining Armor signs......he is bound to Tirek for all eternity."

While that went on, Shining looked over the contract, to at least try to make sense of it. But since he couldn't read it, he found it quite difficult.

"What kind of writing IS this?"

"Nothing you need concern yourself with. Just think of it as "small print". Inconsequential, at best. Either way, this is initially the agreement between us."

"And.....all i have to do is sign it?"

"That's right. Do so, and i will keep my word."

"You swear?"

"On my own life: All four princesses will be safe, or else the bargain will be considered broken. Now, the question is: do we have a deal?"

Shining then turned from Tirek, and looked over the parchment one last time. Though he had a bad feeling about this, he knew he had no choice: this was the only way to keep those he loved alive. So with no time to waste, he took the quill in his mouth, and signed in his name. To Tirek's delight, it was done: the Bargain had been struck. Without warning, the contract suddenly wrapped itself up, before it began extending into long, glowing chains, which suddenly wrapped themselves around Shining's body, and linked themselves to the collar Tirek forced him to wear. When the chains linked to it, though, the collar changed from red, to black, and a small, yellow jewel formed in the center. The spell soon ended, and Shining was ungracefully dropped to the floor beside Tirek, who turned back to the princesses with a look of triumph in his eyes. And even some amusement from seeing their despaired faces turn to anger as they faced him.

"Now, tell me that wasn't amusing. Though still, not as amusing as you 3 idiotic princesses. Getting rid of your magic so that i cannot take it from you? THAT was your only plan?!"

They didn't say a single word. Only turned their heads to the side, and continued to glare at him. Even as he stood up to his full height.

"How does it feel?" he asked, as he began using his magic to conjure up 3 glowing orbs with 3 different ponies, before he violently smashed them all together. "Knowing that soon every pegasus, unicorn, and earth pony will bow will? And that there is NOTHING you can do to stop it?"

"You will not prevail, Tirek." Celestia said defiantly.

"Hmph. Stubborn till the end. Well, let's hope it serves you well where you're going."

Shining Armor finally got back up after having that strange, but surprisingly tiring spell, cast over him. But what he saw happen next only made his heart shrink, as his eyes widened in fear.

"Give my regards to Cerberus."

Tirek used his magic to open a portal to his former prison of Tartarus. And before any of the Princesses could react, one by one, they were cast into the nightmarish place......with Cadence casting one final glance to Shining Armor before she was thrown in last y Tirek's magic. As the portal closed, Shining frantically ran to it in the hopes of stopping it, or perhaps pass on through before it closed. But he was too late. It sealed just before he reached it, taking his wife away from him.

"NO! CAADEEENCE!"

His hoof reached out to where the portal had been, and he bore a look of sheer misery. Just when he thought he had saved his wife, she had been taken away from him. Banished to a dark domain, and sentenced to a fate worse than death. He had failed once again, and it hurt him worse than before. But despair quickly turned to anger, as he reeled around to see Tirek, with his arms crossed, and a confident/smug look on his face.

"You back-stabbing monster! You said she wouldn't be hurt! YOU GAVE YOUR WORD!!!"

"And i've kept my word, boy: she, and the other princesses ARE safe - safely locked away in the depths of Tartarus. To endure the same endless solitude I was forced to endure for all those centuries. A most fitting fate, if i do say so."

But Shining was now enraged by what just happened. He let out a fierce shout before he charged directly towards the centaur. Attempting to attack him, even without his magic. But right when he almost reached the demonic centaur, the chains around his body restricted, and tightened around him, as well as the collar. He was being strangled, and crushed by these bonds, and had ended up lying on the ground as he struggled to keep the chains from hurting him. Tirek chuckled darkly at the display with immense amusement.

"Now, now, my little "slave": did you actually think i would actually allow you to do something like this without a contingency in mind? The contract you signed is not only legal, binding AND unbreakable: it also prevents you from trying anything hasty. After all, you agreed to serve me for all time. And like it, or not: you WILL fulfill your end of the bargain."

When the enchantment subsided, Shining got a chance to breath again. He gave a harsh look to Tirek once again. His feelings of anger still present. But understanding that anything he tries would be utterly useless, he lowered his head in submission, and clenched his eyes shut as he let anger turn to grief. Grief which he kept hidden from his new master. But Tirek's attention was soon drawn to Discord, who finally made his presence known to his "friend" as he played with a window which had him, and an image of the princesses inside.

"Gotta admit, that is impressive: i didn't think anyone had enough mastery to use that spell, but you pulled it off nicely. *nervously* But....you meant "our" will, didn't you?"

"Of course, my friend. That just just a....spur of the moment. But never mind that. Here: i want you to have something."

As he approached Discord, Tirek reached up to his neck, and plucked off the triangular medallion which he had been wearing all this time. As he explained what it was, he wrapped it around Discord's neck, and fastened it tightly so it wouldn't fall off.

"This was given to me by someone very close to me. Now, i give it to you, as a sign of my gratitude, and loyalty."

"Oh, my~ I DO love a good accessory! I suppose that's Rarity's influence."

After he gave Discord his amulet, Tirek looked to the stain-glass window they had been standing in front of. And what he saw actually made him chuckle at the sight of it: He was standing on hind-legs, while Discord sat on his lower-half, with a sword in his hand, and a large sandwich in Discords.

"Amusing. But we have no time for such things! With the princesses out of the way, we can now-"

Suddenly, he was cut off when he noticed another stain-glass window which stood out from the others: a purple alicorn standing in the center, with literary objects floating around her. Needless to say, Tirek didn't like this in the slightest.

"Is this meant to be HUMOROUS?!"

"Ohoho, no, i haven't even touched that one, yet", Discord said nonchalantly.

Hearing this, Tirek looked to the window once again, and more closely examined it. Upon further inspection, he noticed a purple star surrounded by smaller white stars, on the crown she was wearing. He remembered seeing that star on Shining Armor's suit before his capture. He also remembered that the prince mentioned his sister was the 4th alicorn. So when he thought it over, it didn't take him long to put 2 and 2 together, and realize who this was.

"So THIS is Princess Twilight? Not all too impressive, i have to say."

"Well, i don't really blame you: poor twilight's much more of a bookworm than she is a princess. That makes her suuuch a stick in the mud. Guess i actually do see what Celestia saw in her."

"Which reminds me of something...." Tirek said in a passive-aggressive tone. Which almost made Discord nervous when he knew it was directed at him.

"All this time, you knew there was a fourth. Yet you did not tell me this? Even after we established our friendship?"

"Eh, now, now, Tirek: don't take it personal! I just needed some assurance, that you truly believed this to be a "team" effort. And now, i have it."

Though it didn't fully satisfy him, TIrek accepted Discord's reasoning, and moved.

"Then it's time that we find this "fourth princess". SLAVE: TO ME!" Tirek roared before using his magic to yank Shining Armor off the ground, and bring him to his eye level.

"It's time for you to fulfill your end of the bargain, and tell me where Princess Twilight resides."

Shining took a moment to gather his thoughts, as his mind was in a rudder. He still had a look of displeasure, but he kept his negative thoughts to himself. And instead, he did what he was told, as much as he wished otherwise.

"She's in ponyville. If there's anywhere she'd be right now, it's ponyville."

*Raises eyebrow* "The village below the hill? Really? An alicorn Princess lives among peasantry? That's ridiculous!"

"Oh, but it's true! I can vouch for that. AND i wholeheartedly agree with you:the idea of a princess living with ordinary ponies is just too priceless, heehehahdhah! I think it's to make up for the fact she thinks she's better than everyone else, but won't admit it! Hehehahah!"

Tirek's patience for Discord's humor began to grow thin, as he quickly, and suddenly grapsed him around the neck. A more, or less, angered expression on his face. Which only grew as Discord's nonchalant responses went on.

"And THAT is where her castle is?!"

"Castle?! AHAHAHAHAH, No! Princess Twilight lives above a LIBRARY in ponyville! I mean: castle?! Twilight Sparkle?! AHAHAHAH!"

But his amused laughter ceased when Tirek threw him down to the ground, and even Shining Armor was tossed in his direction. The draconequus actually seemed a bit concerned by what Tirek said next, in a snarling, vicious tone.

"Not for much longer."

Tirek then began moving, as his magic activated once again. But this time, it was the Princess window which suffered from his dark magic's ruthlessness as it melted away into a puddling mess of burning hot glass. A sign of terrible things to come.

to be continued

Author's Note

Now, we've reached the part of the story with a pretty big change: Tirek's interrogation of the princesses.

As you may have noticed, i decided that Tirek should have the same cunning he used on Discord, and not be so easily fooled by the princesses trick. And though it was never established, i believe that Tirek was actually catching up on Equestria's magics, and spells from 1000 years ago to present day. That way, when he regained his lost power, he could use said spells as he sees fit, and be even more powerful than he already is. The only info he couldn't get his hands on was the news of Twilight's ascension. Fancy that.

Also, here, we get to see him being absolutely ruthless: as in he likes to torture others in order to get what he wants. Which i think he'd do if the show had a higher rating. And i think he's a sadist, too: not only humiliating our poor prince with a mild-suppression collar to use as a torture device, but actually burning up his body so that he could get ONE of the princesses to break, as he knows one of them's his wife, and just so he can enjoy the pleasure of is pained screams, AND of burning him. Not to mention his method of nearly killing poor Shining: just call that another part of my sadistic side going through. As for why he healed up Shining Armor? Let's just say it's a matter of what REAL torture is about-hurting the body, and even the spirit. Though i did enjoy putting in that emotional moment between Shining, and Cadence. Guess i really am a sucker for those two.

Also, can anyone spot the obvious Ursula reference with glowing, yellow contract? No? Oh well, then. XDIJK This was an idea i wanted to use for a while in a different story: Where Tirek displays his true devilish qualities by making binding agreements with his victims. And the method i chose is the same as the Sea Witch herself. I know many fans like considering Chrysalis to be the Ursula equivalent, but personally? She's more like a toned-down version of Rhoodaka from Bionicle. Tirek is more of a devil-figure than she is: always tricking everyone around him, stabbing them in the back, and making deals for his own benefit. And using ANY means to do so. I just gave him the means of taking it a step further.:)

And in regards to Shining Armor: that spell the contract cast over him mixed with, and enhanced the magic of that collar of his. That's why it does what it did. Also, on why he made the deal: i think that if he felt he had no choice, Shining would sacrifice his freedom, and even his life, to keep everypony he loves safe. Even if he has to strike a deal with a devil-figure to make sure that happens. Kind of like a certain FUllmetal Alchemist would do.:)

Anyway, i hope everyone enjoys this, and i hope to have the next chapter done soon. Coming up next, Tirek strikes against the mane five to use as bargaining chips, just like Shining. And once his power grows further, he finds no more use for Discord now that he's surpassed him? How will Discord respond THIS TIME? Will he be able to show up the demon, like a true lord of chaos? Or will Lord Tirek show dissy that now he's only "second rate"? Find out next time.:)

MLP:FIM owned by Lauren Faust, and Hasbro.
Little Mermaid owned by Disney

Betrayal on both fronts

Meanwhile, in Ponyville, the mane six were all gathered together, looking over the many houses that were all boarded up, and safely secured. As per Twilight's request, they had warned every pony inside to go back inside, lock their doors and windows, and barricade themselves in their homes. With the threat of Tirek still present, there was no room for mistakes, or risking the safety of the ponies.

"Alright, y'all: ah think we've warned everypony to stay inside."

Hoping to to at lease ease the tension of the moment, Fluttershy said, "I'm sure Discord will catch Tirek, and this will all be over."

Rainbow Dash, in her normal, brash tone said "I'll bet he takes him sweet time!"

"Or perhaps these things just TAKE time!"

Everypony was surprised when they heard, and then saw Discord had suddenly appeared from out of nowhere. But Fluttershy was ever so glad to see him already home, again. So much so, she flew up to him, and embraced him in a nice, pleasant hug, which he returned in kind.

*gasp* "You're back! Did you bring the cucumber sandwiches?"

"I did", Discord said in delight as he conjured up a plate of sandwiches, and held them out in display.

"Though, i imagine they'll be your last decent meal for quite some time" he suddenly said in an ominous tone, as he dropped the plate with the sandwiches, and then suddenly trapped all five of the ponies, and spike, in a giant metal cage. They all hollered, and shouted in outrage, and confusion, demanding to know what he was doing. No sooner had all this happen, did Tirek himself arrive to inspect his partner's work, much to the sudden fright of his now captive audience.

"Ta da!"

"You've gathered up ALL of them?"

"And her little dragon, too!" Discord said chuckling, while he tried brushing a finger under Spikes chin like a puppy, only for the young drake to snap is jaws at Discord.

"Excellent. But just to be sure: Come here, you!" Tirek said, as he conjured up a mystic chain, which he violently tugged at, pulling the still captive Shining Armor to his side, while he pulled at the chain in the hopes of getting Tirek to ease off. Once he did, Shining looked to see the now trapped friends of Twilight, looking at him with shocked expressions.

"Are these really princess Twilight's friends?"

*sigh* "Yes." Shining Armor said, lowering his head in shame.

However, the sudden sound of his voice happened to catch another's attention. And no sooner had he heard Shining Armor's voice, did spike scurry past the others to see him. And he was even more surprised than the others.

"S-Shining? Is that you?"

Seeing the young dragon, Shining's eyes widened with worry, and he ran up to the cage towards his surrogate sibling.

"Spike! Are you alright? Discord didn't hurt you, or the girls, did he?" he asked in concern.

"No, we're alright. But-what about you? What are you doing with....him!" Spike asked, a mix of fear, and concern in his voice as he pointed towards the towering demon standing just a few feet away. But upon hearing the question, Shining turned away from Spike, and answered shamefully.

"I'm sorry, spike. This was the only way i could keep Twily safe."

"Safe?" asked Rainbow Dash. "What does THAT mean?"

Before he could answer, he felt Tirek pull him back by the chain he once more conjured up, moving the prince back to his side while the chains wrapped around his body constricted. Shining gave a choking gasp as he felt the pressure around his chest, and throat build up, again. This went on for a few moments, before the chains loosened enough to let Shining breath again.

"That's quite enough, slave."

The girls had a horrified look at the cruel display they were forced to witness. But that quickly changed to anger as most of them glared at him in disgust, before Rarity addresses the dark centaur.

"You monstrous brute! How dare you treat somepony so terribly? And what are those chains he's wearing? And that garish collar?"

"Consider it a means of ensuring the cooperation of my new.....pet."

"You big Jerk!" yelled Rainbow Dash, as she practically pushed her head into the bars as if she could squeeze her way through, "Ponies aren't pets! And definitely not to some freak like you! So you better let him go, or else!"

"Or else what?" Tirek asked disinterestedly, "Even if you could somehow best me, it would make no difference: the prince here signed a contract."

With a snap of his fingers, the contract appeared from thin air, and unfurled itself before the captive ponies. They then saw Shining Armor's name written at the bottom, though they still weren't sure what it meant.

"In exchange for his eternal servitude, he asked that i spare the lives of the princesses, including the one called Princess Twilight. Now, he is mine to do with as i please, and this contract ensures it stays that way, forever."

In response, Shining's head went even lower, as he felt his shame grow even further than before. As for the ponies, they were still absolutely disgusted by this. But one pony in particular couldn't take anymore, and Fluttershy began crying at the prospect of everything that was happening. She almost fell to the ground crying, when Applejack came to her, and began comforting her as best she could. As her tears fell, Fluttershy's gaze soon fell upon Discord, who actually seemed to be quite pleased with himself.

"Discord, i-i don't understand! How could you be with someone so cruel, and horrible? Why are you doing all this? I thought we were friends!"

"Oh, we were: But Tirek offered me sooo much more than just tea parties. And at least HE doesn't treat me like a nuisance all the time, when we're supposed to be friends. Surely you saw this coming?"

*sobbingly* "I didn't! I really didn't!"

"Now, before we go any further, i'll ask one, simple question: WHERE is Princess Twilight?"

Instead of answering, the ponies, and baby dragon, either looked away, or continued to glare at him in defiance. They were not willing to sell out their best friend, and Tirek could see that for himself.

"So, that's the game, is it? *sigh* You ponies make very little sense to me. You would throw away your lives for something as meaningless as Friendship. Even when you cannot understand that it's just another means of tying you down, and trapping you inside a prison you can never see, but still lies before you. Well, if you truly wish to die for your loyalty......*Grin* Then i'll be happy to oblige you.

This time, the ponies all reacted, and cast a worried glance at Tirek. But Discord was the one who was more worried than anyone else. Because even though he wasn't friends with her anymore, he didn't want anything to happen to Fluttershy. However, he also didn't want to jeopardize his friendship with Tirek, either. He was at an impasse about what to do. Unsurprisingly, Shining Armor beat him to the punch.

"No, wait! Please! They're not a threat, so there's no need to hurt them! And i thought you wanted to use them?"

"Plans change. Since these little nags have no intention of giving me what i want, i have no use for them. Besides, there are plenty of ponies in this village: i can practically smell the magic of each, and every one of them. I can simply feed off of them.....which makes these six expendable. Unless, of course, YOU might have an idea of where she could be?"

The prince opened his mouth to speak, but he couldn't think of anything to say. He honestly had no idea where Twilight could be, so he had no leverage to keep her friends safe. Tirek saw this, and simply shook his head in annoyance.

"Didn't think so. Now, let's see: which of you should i obliterate first?" Tirek said, as one of his hands suddenly began glowing, and forming an energy sphere similar to his magical-aura. He then pointed it in the direction of the six, letting it's energy build up as the now terrified ponies, and dragon, began huddling. At least hoping to stay together before the end. All the while, Shining Armor was horrified, as he was fearful for the lives of his sister's friends. If they died now, and he wasn't able to stop it: she'd never forgive him. And that would hurt worse than any torture Tirek put him through so far. But just before Tirek could finish them off-

"Hold on a sec! I think i know where she is!" Discord quickly said, catching Tirek's attention. Having also heard him speak, the other ponies looked to him in dread. Aside from them, he also knew where Twilight could be. Which means that now, she was in greater danger than before. Nevertheless, Tirek cut off his attack, and turned to Discord.

"Is that so? Then if she's not here: where else would she be?"

Discord prepared to speak, until Fluttershy ran up to the cage bars, desperation in her voice, as she pleaded: "Discord, please! Don't do it!"

He gave her a short glance, which may have been one of sadness, but it was hard to say. He turned back to Tirek before anypony could process it, with his usually jovial demeanor.

"The Castle of the Two Sisters. She often likes to hang around there sometimes. So i imagine that's were she'd be. It's in the everfree forest, due north in a straight line. Ya can't miss it!"

Tirek raised an eyebrow in curiosity, while the captive ponies had a defeated look which revealed he was telling the truth. Satisfied with this answer, he quickly grew another fiendish grin, and said, "I see. So the old castle still remains? Then it seems that that's where i need to go. But first........."

Before anyone could react, Tirek's magic quickly gripped the cage the helpless prisoners were contained in, and much to their worry, being lifting up into the air, just a few feet above Tirek's head. The demon then proceeded to drain their magic, while a pained Shining Armor was forced to look on. And almost surprisingly enough, Discord turned his gaze away from the display, looking sad. A few moments later, and Tirek was finished with his magical appetizer. He then ungraciously dropped the cage to the ground, with the now weakened ponies falling down, getting Discord to jump in surprise. After taking in their magic, Tirek's body glowed fiery red once again, symbolizing another transformation was occurring. Like with the other ponies, Tirek's body grew twice the size it already was, but this time with some physical changes added: his horns grew longer as they straightened out, pointing upwards, as a white mane of hair formed right between his horns while his beard grew a few inches taller. When he stopped growing, this cuffs he wore around his wrists actually snapped off, since his body had seemed to grow too large for them now. But what was on his mind was the power - the immense power that these five ponies had contained inside them. True, there were ponies whose magic was great, but this? This was on another level entirely. Like their magic was laced with a force that was part of the universe itself. And it made his own strength even greater than he anticipated. After taking a moment to adjust, Tirek asked:

"Do you really think she'd do ANYTHING for them?"

"If twilight has magic to give", Discord said in a confident tone , as he extended his lion paw towards Discord, then said: "It will be yours. Soon there won't be a pegaus, earth pony, or unicorn who will be able to stand up against us."

"US?!" exclaimed Tirek, causing Discord to lose his triumphant demeanor, and look a bit perplexed. "Who said anything about "us"?"

"Y-you did." Discord answered nervously, before Tirek's magic enveloped him, as well. He tried to break free, or teleport out of his grip, but it he couldn't. Somehow, Tirek's own power surpassed his, and as such he was able to hold onto the Draconequus with ease, as he spoke, much to the surprise of spike, the mane five, and even Shining Armor.

"I said nothing of the sort. All i said was by helping me, you'd be given both freedom, and a chance to reclaim your greatness! I never mentioned how long that would last, now did i?"

Hearing that, Discord's heart skipped a beat as his eyes widened into saucers.

"Wh-b-b-but, i thought-you said- but i thought we were friends! I thought you appreciated everything i did! You promised me something BETTER than friends! I believed in you! I TRUSTED YOU!"

"Then you are an even greater idiot than i took you for. Don't misunderstand: i truly am grateful for your contributions to my rise to power, and i did enjoy some of your mischief......but how could you not expect this after you yourself were so willing to turn against the ponies you "befriended"?"

"But i-"

"You are the spirit of Chaos: an UNPREDICTABLE being who grew soft from his time with these weak, pathetic nags! Did you actually believe i would trust the likes of you? Or at least trust you NOT to have second thoughts, and go back to those filthy ponies?"

"W-what?"

"Do not mock me, Discord. You thought you could deceive me all this time? Well, i'm afraid you were mistaken. Ever since you joined me, i've kept my eye on you: an ever watchful gaze that kept you in my sight all along. And in that time, there hasn't been an expression, or movement - the expression of your eye, the tilt of your head, the way you were quick to keep any harm from befalling them - that escaped my notice. All of those were my spies, and they told me everything i needed about you. That's even why i feigned wanting to kill the captive ones: to see how you would react, and if in some way you would stop me. And i must say, i'm relieved you proved me right."

"You....weren't going to kill them?"

"A good gambler never plays his hand until all the cards are displayed. A something you've seemed to forget since these ponies tamed you. But at least it made it all the easier for me to control - to play you like a misshapen fiddle."

Hearing this, Discord couldn't help but shake his head in disbelief. A look of sudden realization, and shame appeared, as he put all of the pieces together.

"It was all a lie. You never cared about me, at all! You were just using me! All you've ever done was use me!"

"I suppose that's true. But tell me how it was any different from what these ponies did? How long have they kept you trapped within their false promises of something they doubtlessly never had? How long did they hold the cards against you, and kept you a slave to their whims? It only made sense that you would wish for an opportunity to gain revenge upon your jailers.....by ANY means necessary."

"NO! I didn't want to hurt any pony! I just wanted the freedom to have as much fun as i wanted!"

"Is that so? Yet you had no qualms about when i tortured the prince in order to learn of Princess Twilight."

"I didn't know! I had no idea you did something like that!"

"And yet, would it have mattered? Though you deny it, now, you know some part of you enjoyed seeing the ponies suffer. To know what it feels like to be helpless, and captive as a mortal - like you no doubt felt in your 1000 year stone prison, and then your forced commitment to these ponies. Like it, or not: we're the same. We simply work on opposite sides of the coin."

He so desperately wanted to argue. To deny the truth in Tirek's words. But for the life of him, Discord could think of anything: because the demon was right. Part of him DID want the ponies to pay. First, for trapping him twice in stone, and then for basically forcing him to hold back his chaotic tendencies. And worse of all, for never giving him a chance to be friends, like he was with Fluttershy. She was the only one who gave him a chance.....and he resented the others for that. But now, as he stood helpless, and in the iron grip of one he assumed was his friend: he realized he may have been wrong. Maybe it was HE who never gave THEM a chance. That's what he began to think as he looked from Tirek, to Fluttershy, and his friends. A strong sense of guilt in his heart. Tirek, on the other hand, grinned with malicious glee at seeing how Discord's spirit may have actually been broken.

"Seeing the truth, are we? Good. Because it's time we ended this charade. Still, i suppose i should thank you one last time: you helped me grow strong, then you provided the means by which i can obtain princess Twilight's magic! And now, you are no longer of any use to me."

His eyes then narrowed, and glowed brightly as his dark spell was about to take hold. He opened his maw wide, ready to take Discord's magic as well. But before that could happen, he felt a sharp pain going into his right hoof that made him growl in anger. When he looked down, he saw Shining Armor, with blood on his horn, and struggling to stand against the chains that constricted around his body. Just before Tirek could take Discord's magic, he made a move to stop him. The spell that bound him tried stopping him, but he ignored it as long as he could in order to stab his "master" with his horn - the only real weapon he had left. But now, he was paying the price as the chains, and collar threatened to strangle the life out of him. Thankfully, the chains released their hold on him, and gave him time to breath. Unfortunately, that time was cut off quickly as he was suddenly gripped in the gigantic hand of Tirek, who was fuming at this act of defiance.

"You insolent worm!" he snarled. "Have you already forgotten who is master, and who is SLAVE?!"

"No," Shining Grunted. "Because i don't belong to anyone!"

This earned a loud grunt from Shining, as Tirek tightened his grip on the white-furred pony in his grip.

"It seems that i need to discipline you to make you remember your place! After all what did you think to accomplish with that little paper-cut of an attack?!"

Gritting his teeth, Shining still managed to deliver a small smirk, along with a determined look of defiance.

"Making you lose your concentration."

This made Tirek cease his actions for a moment, as he took in Shining's words, and briefly pondered on what he meant. Suddenly, his eyes widened, and he turned to see someone he neglected to deal with. And as Discord slowly rose back up, something was off about him: the air around him seemed to fill with red, and black pl-add patterns of aura (literally), and when Tirek saw his face, he saw something he never expected to see from Discord: anger. His eyes glowing bright yellow, and his teeth snarling with rage. It seemed quite clear that Discord's sadness turned to anger: and he was going to take it out on his so-called "friend".

"You back-stabbing moron! You think that you can cross the lord of chaos like that, and get AWAY with it?! THEN YOU'VE GOT ANOTHER THING COMING?!"

Tirek, actually intrigued by Discord, looked to him, then Shining, who was also surprised to see Discord like this. But he was then hurled away towards the cage, slamming directly into the bars. Despite getting the wind knocked out of him, he was alright. And he, along with the others, were now watching this now frightening display. But Tirek, on the other hand, wasn't intimidated in the slightest. Quite the opposite, actually: he was laughing in anticipation. Like he wanted to see this happen, or something like that.

"AHahahah, yes! Now, you're beginning to understand! Power is everything! Power is what is more valuable than friendship! The true freedom you desire! Now, do you see? You finally accomplished what you set out to do! Just as i promised, your greatness has been restored! .......For a few fleeting moments!"

"Then let me thank you: BY SENDING YOU INTO OBLIVION!!!"

"Careful, Discord! It wouldn't serve you well to underestimate me, no matter how much power you have! But please, by all means: show me what you can truly do! I'm sure it'll be good for a laugh!"

"OH, YEAH?!" yelled Discord. And immediately after, he began firing immense beams of powerful chaos magic from his hands. And he wasn't holding back either, as he poured as much power as he could into his attacks. He didn't simply want to defeat Tirek: he wanted him to be DESTROYED. And it seemed like that was the case, as the beams collided with his body, and made great explosions which rocked the whole town. When the smoke from the blasts cleared, Tirek was nowhere to be seen. Only a rather large crater where he once stood. Just to make sure, Shining Armor came close to the crater, to inspect the spot himself. Discord, however, was busy catching his breath from the usage of so much power. But when he was done, his arrogant, and confident expression returned, as he began floating in the air as he chortled in delight over his victory.

"HEHEHHAHAHAHAH! So, who's laughing now, eh?"

But a sudden, deep voiced laugh echoing from seemingly everywhere threw him off his high horse, and startled him. A beam of volcanic energy shot out of the crater,, making Shining jump back next to Discord, which then exploded into black smoke, before revealing Tirek. Still intact, and uninjured from Discord's assault. And with an even wider, sinister smile than before.

"Why i believe it's ME."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jhj25HnpSRU

On instinct, Shining Armor adopted a defensive pose, ready to defend himself from what might come. Discord, however, seemed to have lost a bit of his confidence, seeing as how Tirek had survived his strongest attacks. It seemed that the dark lord had surpassed the Master of Chaos.

~I must admit, your parlor tricks are amusing
I bet you've got a bunny under your hat!~

A beam of magic suddenly shot out of Tirek's finger, and struck Discord: putting him in a familiar looking violet-starry cape, and top hat. His head was stuck, and he struggled to get the thing off with no success. It only came off when Tirek pulled at it, but then made a gigantic rabbit slip out of it, squashing Discord beneath its weight before a swirl of red smoke made them both Disappear.

~Now, here's your chance to get the best of me
hope your hand is hot!~

A magician's hat suddenly appeared, and a whole deck of cards began flying up to the disembodied head of Tirek, showing Discord as the Joker, and Shining as the Jack. His body reappeared, and he brought the cards together before bending them out, causing the cards to scatter, and for the two to pop out while still in their card outfits.

~Come on, Clown! Let's see what you've got~

Discord had enough, and in a flash, his outfit vanished, and he was back to his old self. With a fierce look, he summoned a whole group of storm clouds, laced with chaos magic. And upon pointing his finger at Tirek, several bolts joined together to form a rather large bolt.

~You can try to slam me with your hardest stuff
But your double whammy isn't up to snuff~

Instead of harming him, the bolt simply washed over Tirek's torso like it was nothing. But before it stopped, he put his arm up in front of the bolt, and sent it hurling towards Discord, much to his surprise. The bolt sent him flying backwards, and crashing into the floor. He wasn't really hurt, but it was still an unpleasant experience. He quickly shook his head to shake off the dizziness that hit him, and looked to see Tirek appear before him in a red, and black spiral.

~I'll set the record straight: you're simply out of date
You're only second rate~

In a flash, Discord transformed into a ferocious manticore, and charged at Tirek with the intent of mauling the centaur to bits. But Tirek, in a flash of fire, dressed up like a circus ringmaster, with a lion tamer's whip, and hoop. Discord passed through the hoop, and was changed into a small, little, white house cat. Falling down onto what appeared to be a stool, with Tirek now dressed in a traditional college professor's black cloak, and square hat, standing in front of a chalkboard, and covering Discord with a dunce hat.

~You think your cat's a meany, but your tiger's tame
You've got alot to learn about the magic game~

When the hat lifted, Discord was reverted to normal. And even Shinng Armor appeared next to him. That's when the stool flipped upside down, and surprisingly caused Discord to fall down to another place. This time with some added company.

~So for your education, i reiterate:
You're only second rate!~

The two landed, and found themselves literally in the palm of Tirek's hand. His fingers had paintings of himself, in his withered form. The pinkie made both of them backed up into what they saw was Tirek's thumb, made to resemble his current form, horns and all. It suddenly sprouted arms, and then smacked both Discord, and Shining together, making them spin together in a complete circle, with something pale brown wrapping itself around them.

~Mares cower at the power in my pinkie
My thumb is number one on EVERY list~

They only stopped when a finger belonging to a familiar, red centaur touched the top of Discord's head. Both saw they were wrapped up in a literal "list", and unable to move, as they glanced worriedly at Tirek.

~But if you're not convinced that i'm invincible
Put me to the test!~

He then pulled back his hand, and then slashed in the duo's direction. But instead of aiming for them, he dug into the ground beneath. Carving a rather large hole that both Shining, and Discord fell into after they jumped into the air to dodge Tirek. Once they were in, the hole close up, revealing itself to be a grave.

~I'd love to lay this rivalry to rest~

This time, when Discord got out, he let loose what he could on Tirek: firing another chaos bolt (which was blocked), tying him up in a gigantic string of chewing gum, locking him into a treasure chest, and then making two giant axes chop it to pieces.

~So go ahead, and zap me with a big surprise,
Slap me in a chest, cut me down to Size!~

But then, the whole thing exploded into red smoke, and summoned a pitch black, giant cake. Which grew ow after row, with red candles popping around the whole thing, until one last candle came out the top. Out of the Candle appeared Tirek, only with massive, black bat wings, which he spread out along with his arms, and made the candles shoot out hellish streams of fire.

~I'll make a great escape. It's just a piece of cake.
You're only Second Rate!~

This display only made the two more worried, and they tried to flee. But just as they turned around, a monstrous head-statue blocked their path. Suddenly, the ground opened up beneath them, and sent them falling into a savage inferno. They landed on a flight of stairs that was actually elevating upwards: to a titanic throne seating Tirek, wearing a black suit of armor, a small satchel around his neck, and the same demonic staff he used a while back.

~You know, your hocus pocus isn't tough enough
And your mumbo Jumbo doesn't measure up!~

Afraid of what was going to happen, the duo ran down the stairs as fast as they could. And Tirek, with a devilish expression, fired a beam of his own magic from the staff at the two, nearly hitting Discord after he tripped going down those stairs.

~Let me pontificate upon our sorry state
You're only second rate!~

Both continued to run (Or in Discord's case fly) to safety as fast as they could. Suddenly, a wall of fire appeared with Tirek's image within, halting their advance, and making them turn back.

~Zabba-Cabba-Dabra!~

Strangely, they then came across an old mare in a rocking chair, silhouetted, and bearing a triking resemblance to Granny Smith. But as Discord, and Shining found, it was actually Tirek in an old, pony form "wearing" a wig. Just as they jumped backwards in fright, he reached out a hoof, which changed into a hand, and grabbed hold of them both.

~Granny's gonna grab ya!~

While trapped in his grasp, the two watched as the demonic centaur began growing in size as the atmosphere turned flaming red. In a matter of moments, he was even bigger than an Ursa Major.

~Alakazam-damus! And this thing's BIGGER THAN THE BOTH OF US!~

Then a beam of light shot out of Tirek's eyes, hitting Discord, and dressing him up once again. This time, it was a simple, blue business suit, which struck the Draconequus as odd. But then a pair of hands suddenly appeared, and in a display of simple mishief, pulled down his pants to reveal some whitey-tighteys underneath, which he covered with his hands in embarrassment, even when being hung by giant claws.

~So spare me your tremendous scare!
You'd look horrendous with some underwear!"~

Tirek's hands then lifted both Discord, and Shining in a magical aura. but then in a flash, Discord's whole body was in pieces, like a disassembled toy, before it was reassembled in a crate that had a familiar apple symbol on the side. It then closed shut, with Discord inside, before being spun around on Tirek's finger like some kind of toy. He then crushed it in his hand, and made Discord, and Shining reappear. However, their vision was soon blotted out when Tirek's eyes began flashing again. Only this time, they shined brighter than the sun, and began enveloping this whole void they were in.

~And i can hardly wait to discombobulate
I'll send you back, and packing in a shipping crate
You had a chance for running, now it's far too late
You're only second raaaaate!~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Discord's eyes shot wide open, as they were overtaken by a bright, yellow glow which made him seem like he was possessed. Which was an accurate case, as he began spewing his magic, which was an overflowing miasma of purple, and green, from his own mouth. And all of it went flowing straight into Tirek's maw, as he greedily consumed every last ounce of Chaos magic Discord had, and grew even larger than many of the houses in Ponyville. He soon finished up, and let Discord drop from the air like a dead housefly. A victorious smile was on his face, as he looked down at the weakened, and utterly defeated Draconequus. Not to mention the now downed Shining Armor, who was lying beside the cage looking miserable, with Fluttershy, and even Applejack rubbing his body to help soothe him.

"And that settles that. Now, you see what happens when you challenge your betters - BOTH of you. Now, Discord, you can stay here, and die as a pathetic, and worthless freak like you deserves. From this point on, consider our "friendship" over."

He then proceeded to stomp off in the direction of the Castle of the Two Sisters. But even as weakened as he was, and as miserable as he was feeling, Discord wasn't done yet. There was at least one last thing he wanted to know. Something that burned at his mind since he learned the truth.

"Wait. Stop for....just a moment."

Though his voice was somewhat low, and almost a pathetic whimper of what it was, Tirek was able to hear him. And for whatever reason could have compelled him, he stopped just a few feet away to hear what Discord had to say. But he kept his back turned, as a show of unconcern.

"If...what we've done together really means nothing....then: what about this medallion you gave me? You said this was a sign of your gratitude, and loyalty. A gift...from someone close to you."

For all his talk, Tirek proved uninterested in Discord's point, and simply raised an eyebrow in his direction before replying. Even turning his head back once to glare at Discord with his own feelings of anger, and hatred.

"Indeed: my dear brother, who betrayed me all those years ago. As far as i'm concerned, it is as worthless as HE is. Only serving to remind me of two important things: that in the end, ones loyalty is only to themselves, and their own self-interests. And the only gratitude i've ever felt was for getting rid of that trinket at long last. That thing only served to remind me of the betrayal, and the endless suffering i endured, because of him. And the truth of what Friendship REALLY is: A trap. One that ensnared my brother long before i had a chance to say goodbye to him. Now, he's dead to me. Just like you are.....and soon every pony in Equestria will be."

With that out of the way, Tirek marched his way to the everfree forest, and the prize he seeks. Now, Discord was left alone to wallow in both self pity, and shame for his misdeeds. Even the other ponies felt a little bad for him, despite his betrayal.

"Surely you saw this coming?" Applejack asked ironically. Perhaps thinking Discord had been smart enough to at least suspect Tirek of any deception. But Discord could only whimper one, single sentence as he looked to the medallion one last time, thinking of how he traded a real friendship for a false one.

"I didn't. I truly didn't."

to be continued.

Author's Note

Pt 4 ready, and at your service. And this one was quite a bit of fun to work on. Especially the inclusion of a certain song i had plans of adding at some point in the story. What better point than when up against Discord? And in case anyone's curious, i made this version of the song a mix of both the original, and this: made by Ink Potts on Youtube, which was a great inspiration for this. Also, kudos to anyone who can spot the maybe one, or two references inside.:) And remember: the song is simply a tribute to Tirek's character. Ink Potts had the right idea, so i wanted to capitalize on it.

Anyway, i hope everyone enjoys this chapter, and is eager for the next one. Hopefully it'll be ready soon, and for everyone to enjoy.:D

MLP:FIM owned by Lauren Faust and Hasbro
You're only Second Rate owned by Disney
The Return of Jafar owned by Disney

Clash of the ages

Much time had passed since Twilight had left her friends back in ponyville to come to the Castle of the Two Sisters on her own. She hated having to lie to them about what was going on, and for not letting them help her. But Celestia had convinced her that she HAD to keep her new powers a secret. She, and the other princesses believed that with Tirek an even greater threat than before, it was imperative that she stay hidden, and keep the others safe through ignorance. Though there was an incredible risk in this plan, especially with Discord on the dark one's side, but they felt there was little choice. Now, twilight sat alone, a good distance away from the castle, trying to contemplate how she could ever hope to manage the power of four alicorns at once. When she came home, she found she was barely able to handle doing anything seeing as how super-charged she was. And if she couldn't get a handle on this.....then what hope did she have of defeating Tirek?

But she didn't let these thoughts get to her. If there was one thing she was known for, it was perseverance in the face of danger. And with a determined look, she intended to master her new strength, no matter what it took.

"I can do this." she said to noone in particular. A moment later, he horn began charging with her signature aura. And in a flash, she has teleported herself from the rock ledge she had been sitting on to one that had been just below her. She looked a bit surprised as she stood there, looking back to her previous spot. But that quickly turned to a small hint of pride as she took in her small accomplishment.

"See? Ha! perfectly controlled teleportatio-(flash)"

Suddenly, she found herself in a window in canterlot, much to her sudden fluster: then it was a waterfall-then it was on the back of a charging buffalo in AAAAppleloosa - then finally, in between a narrowly-split rock. Where, while inside, Twilight simply groaned in exasperation from how annoying this seemed to be. Clearly she had her work cut out for her.

"PRINCESS TWILIGHT!"

The loud, roaring shout had caught her completely by surprise, but she was far more worried than surprised. While she hadn't faced him, yet, she had already figured who this must've been as she gasped: "Tirek!", and her horn began charging once again.

"YOU HAVE SOMETHING THAT BELONGS TO ME!" yelled the fearsome centaur, in all of his furious power.

Suddenly, a fiery energy formed in both of his hands. He raised them both above his head, before throwing both in the direction he sensed Twilight was in. Out of his hands emerged two pillars of intense flame that shot forward like streams of destructive energy. They very nearly hit Twilight before she shot out of the rocks she hid in. The rock, however, was not as fortunate as it exploded in a sea of fire, and debris. Twilight was now zooming, and zig-zagging through the air, trying to get control of herself. She ended up heading straight for Tirek, and very nearly collided with him. Seeing her dash past him, Tirek sneered in anger, and immediately his magic surged between his horns as his left hand moved forward, and then lifted up. As Twilight looked behind her to see if the demon was still behind her, she was met by a pillar of rock rising out of the ground, surprising Twilight. She took evasive maneuvers to avoid the rock, but ended up doing a 3'60. She ended up dragging along the ground as she tried to stop her descent, coming to a bumpy halt when she hit a titanic, black-furred equine leg. She nervously glanced upward to see the glaring gaze of Tirek, causing her to back up a few feet. Seeing her standing directly in front of her now, Tirek did something the young princess wasn't expecting: he began letting out loud laughter of amusement. She wasn't sure what he found so funny, but it didn't last long as he addressed her.

"So, this is the fourth, and newest alicorn princess to "grace" equestria: a young mare. How amusing. Still, after many dark forces have failed to corner, and face you: the fates deliver you to me as an act of providence."

Twilight figured that, right now given the apparent mood of her enemy, she might be able to talk to, and reason with him. Even if it was a mistake, she still had to try.

"Please, listen to me! You don't have to do this! Equestria is a land for acceptance, and friendship! If you just give us a chance, we can accept you, too! You have the power to stop this! So, please, do it!"

*smirk*"You're right: I DO have the power. I have all the power in THE WOOOOOORRRLLLDDD!" Tirek roared, as he unleashed a large beam of magic from between his horns, fire from his clenched fists, and his entire body glowed in that same fiery aura. This dsplay of power, however, caused the very sky itself to darken with a reddish haze. To twilight's eye, it almost as if the sky had been set ablaze. But she had not time to ponder this development as she was drawn back to Tirek.

"Yet it's still not enough: it will NEVER be enough....not until i have the alicorn magic hidden away inside of you."

Twilight gasped in surprise loud enough for Tirek himself to hear. That let him know how surprised she was that he learned her little "Secret".

"That's right, "your majesty": i know exactly what your fellow princesses have done. I FORCED them to tell me before i banished them to Tartarus itself."

Now, Twilight was terrified. Not for herself: but for the fates of the princesses. Somewhere, she knew something like this might happen. But that still didn't make it any less dreadful to imagine.

"No less a fate than what I was condemned to centuries ago. You all made a pathetic gamble.....and you lost. Now the other 3 are doomed, and only you remain. And whether you like it, or not: you're going to give me what i want!"

His magic surged once again, as he opened his mouth to perform his magic stealing curse. But Twilight managed to teleport herself away BEFORE he could catch her. He was annoyed by this, but he refused to let it inconvenience him. While Twilight sent herself to the treehouse, and began watching him through her looking glass: he was using his enhanced senses to locate her. And eventually, he found where she had gone. His eyes glowed as his sight zoomed in on her location. Seeing that she was watching him, Tirek made a rather vicious smirk before his horns began charging with magic, and he loudly spoke, not caring if she could either hear, or read what he was saying.

"Peek-a-boo! I. KILL. YOU!!!"

He reared himself back, before unleashing a powerful beam of magic: straight towards the library. Twilight wasted no time teleporting herself inside, before appearing outside with Owlowicious in her hooves - at the exact same time as the beam collided with the library. The force of the explosion shoved her into the ground as she teleported, making her lay on her side. When she looked back to the library, she was met with a terrible sight that made her gasp in horror:

The Golden Oaks Library was no more. Thanks to Tirek's attack, it had been reduced to a dismantled piece of timber that began raining burning books which had been blown out of the decimated library. Twilight felt more than a little emotional as she had been forced to watch her precious library - her precious HOME, be destroyed before her eyes. She felt a great sadness as she bid her faithful owl to fly away to safety, with the latter feeling just as terrible as she. However, she was quickly pulled out of her emotional moment by the loud, threatening yells of Tirek.

"NOW COME, AND FACE ME, PRINCESS! UNLESS YOU WISH THE SAME THING HAPPENS TO THE REST OF YOUR PATHETIC VILLAGE!"

Registering his insidious voice, Twilight felt a new emotion flowing within her: anger. A scowl formed on her face as she thought of what Tirek had just done. Crippling the ponies of equestria, and banishing the other princesses to Tartarus was bad enough: now he had just made things personal. That library held precious memories she had shared with her friends, and he had just destroyed it. Now he was going to pay for everything he did. Activating her magic, she teleported several meters in the air before Tirek, and then unleashed a super-charged magical beam which engulfed Tirek. Luckily he had formed a forcefield at the last second. But the beam intensified, and began forcing him backwards before causing an intense explosion behind him. He immediately stood back in place, his own scowl remaining, as he saw the angered princess land before him, and then glare intently. Interestingly, this only made him smile in amusement.

"So, not every alicorn is a cowardly weakling like Celestia, and the others. Good. Now let's have some REAL fun."

Focused mainly on the insult he registered, Twilight's glared only intensified. But then, she began building up force around herself as she shot into the air once again. Seeing what she was doing, Tirek followed suit using the pegasus magic that was now part of his being. The two enemies began charging through the air towards each other. As they did, each began channeling their energy into a certain part of their bodies: twilight: her right hoof, Tirek: his right fist. Each was enhanced with their own super charged energy, and was inbound for collision. The two raised their appendages back, before crashing them against each other in an incredible punch, resulting in a massive shockwave which blew back most of the trees, and sent the two away from each other.

Tirek recovered from the push-back first, and began launching the first attack. With two magical sources in the palms of his hands, Tirek began firing beams of his magic at Twilight, who quickly saw the attacks, and began dodging each one. As he fired his attacks, which caused massive damage to the area around them each time they missed their mark, Twilight continuously fired her own beams of magic at Tirek. However, when she fired a beam at him, he projected a powerful shield that deflected the beams. This went on for a few minutes, as they soared through the skies above the everfree forest. In time, they ended up close to the outskirts of ponyville itself.

Specifically, the playground of the school.

Taking just a moment to survey her surroundings, Twilight's expression widened when she realized where she was. She knew right away she had to get out of here, before-BOOM! Too late. Tirek crashed into the ground in front of her, and had a hardened look on his face. Refusing to give here an inch, he launched another energized fist at Twilight, who was barely able to jump out of the way in time. Tirek proved relentless, and lashed out wherever he spotted her. In his furious assault, he had caused immense damage to the area, much to Twilight's growing concern. She decided enough was enough, and as he struck the ground once again, she took to the skies once more, prompting Tirek to follow.

However, he wasn't so quick to follow just yet, and devised another attack. With his magic primed, he held his hands over the ground toward the forest area, and with a quick raise of his arms, ripped several chunks of stone out of the earth. Twilight was surprised at this, or rather, Tirek's seemingly flawless manipulation of the magic at his disposal. Unfortunately, he capitalized on her momentary distraction, and launched six boulders at her in the sky. Quickly regaining her senses, she dodged each boulder as quickly as possible. One almost hit her, if she hadn't reacted with an explosive forcefield which obliterated the rock afterwards. She quickly retaliated by firing another beam at Tirek, only for the former to leap to the side, and let it pass him by as it carved an explosive line in the ground. AN amused smile appeared on his face before he took to the skies once again: twilight at the ready. But what she didn't expect to see was the growing, electrical surge of red lightning which began forming in Tirek's right hand. Before she had time to fully dodge, Tirek shot a lightning bolt at the startled princess. Without really thinking, she pointed her horn in the bolts path, her horn glowing with her aura as she did. The bolt struck it head on. But instead of killing her instantly, the energy conducted around Twilight's horn as she struggled to hold onto it with a spell she was using to redirect the bolt. Tirek was plenty surprised that she was able to hold the lightning like this. Almost moreso when she aimed her horn at him with a strained glare, intent to finish him off.

Right before she realized what she was going to do.

With a reluctant expression, she aimed her horn in an opposite direction - making the lightning bolt shoot harmlessly in another direction. Tirek watched as the bolt went off, before turning his attention to the mildly exhausted alicorn. This was when he knew the advantage was slowly turning in his favor. He would just need to wear her down a bit longer, and the fight was his. Regaining herself, Twilight instantly shielded herself against a magic beam fired by Tirek, before teleporting out of its path. She then began flying towards the castle of the two sisters once again while firing magic beams at him. But Tirek pressed onward firing his own magic beams, and now his lightning bolts at Twilight, refusing to let her escape. Seeing how this was getting nowhere, Twilight decided to use one of Tirek's own attack methods against him as she lowered herself towards the wood. With her enhanced magic strength, Twilight began grabbing several trees, and throwing them at Tirek. The demonic centaur blocked each one that came towards him, though his anger seemed to grow as he did. One of them, however managed to hit their mark, and strike him in the side of his head. But that only made him angrier as his eyes began glowing brightly. Before Twilight realized it, a strong current of wind began blowing towards Tirek. And to her surprise, began flowing around him in a large circle of wind that began drawing in some of the tree's she had thrown, along with some of the debris from their fight. As the wind blew faster, and faster, Tirek drew fire from his hands that began to engulf the wind circle, and change it into a ball of fire. The air from the ball fed into the flames, and increased the temperature, and intensity of said flames. Before Twilight could teleport, or even conjure a shield: the flaming sphere erupted into a fiery wave of destruction that leveled everything around it. The Twilight was at least able to project a mild shield which still proved strong with her enhanced magic. But the flaming shockwave still pushed into her hard enough to send her flying, and then careening to the edge of the castle's cavern, dazed from the blow.

Tirek, meanwhile, dropped from the ground a few feet away from Twilight, creating a small crater as a result. He soon stood back up to his full height, before walking toward's the dazed Twilight. As he did, a look of smug triumph was on his face. He was confident that he had won, and he was about to capitalize on that as he reached down to grab her, and then finally claim what was his.

"You were quite the slippery little fish, child. But now this game is over."

Just as soon as he was about to grab her, however, her magic kicked in, and she teleported away. She soon reappeared next to Tirek, a determined look on her face.

"I can still give you a run for your bits!"

Twilight suddenly zoomed away as fast as she was now able to. But just as Tirek was about to pursue her again, he noticed that as soon as she had gone several miles away from him: she immediately zoomed back around, and was now charging at him. As she did, her horn charged up, and surrounded her in the intense alicorn energy as her speed increased to its Zenith. In the blink of an eye, she seemingly collided with him, resulting in another intense shockwave. However, when the smoke cleared: it was revealed that Tirek had used another shield to protect himself from the attack. Twilight was left to land on the ground, worried that her attack had no effect on him thanks to that shield. But a sudden rush of pain through her head distracted her from this.

"OW! Okay, i think i might feel that tomorrow."

"For you, nag: there IS no tomorrow!"

Once again, Tirek channeled his magic into his arms, granting them intense energy. And with just as great speed, he slammed his fists into the ground, nearly crushing Twilight in the process. But it did cause a large chunk of cliff to separate, and crash down into the chasm below. While it did, Tirek once again attacked with a series of super-charged punches, which Twilight narrowly evaded each time.

"You can't escape! And you can't dodge forever!"

Suddenly, he overshot one of his punches, and gave Twilight a chance to strike. She attempted to perform a spin kick to his head - but he was a little faster, and caught her back leg before it could strike him. But the force of the attack did push Tirek near the forest. Unfortunately, it just gave him a little something to throw Twilight into after he repeatedly spun her around. She smashed through several trees as she smashed through them. But she still kept going. Flying as fast as possible through the woods, she fired yet another powerful beam at him. He just crossed both of his arms together, and let them beam wash over them. When she got close, he once again tried to strike her with a powered fist. She ducked right beneath it, and followed his example as she struck him in the torso. However, that didn't seem to harm him in the slightest: even with the force she tried putting into the blows. Her momentary disbelief gave Tirek a chance to grab her, and then slam her into the ground in from of him.

"NO MORE GAMES!" he roared, before rearing his fist back, and launching it into the earth. Of course, before it could strike Twilight, she managed to teleport away just in time. So his fist ended up getting stuck in the earth for a few moments before he blasted his hand out of the ground. He turned his head in several directions hoping to find Twilight, and end this fight for good. What he didn't seem to notice was her flying right behind him, charging her horn for a sneak attack. Or so it appeared as he spun around with a vicious smile on his face, as he fired two beams from his hands directly at Twilight. Seeing the attack coming, she quickly shifted her spell to a protective barrier, which she strained to hold for a while before teleporting a few feet in front of Tirek, surprising him. She quickly shot a beam into his face, earning an annoyed growl before he blocked the beam with his hand, with his person being unharmed, and with another vicious grin, use his magic to grab hold of her. She found herself helpless in his mystic grasp as he gave her a quick look, before spinning around and hurling her straight to one of the high mountains. All while she screamed at the top of her lungs.

'YAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!"

She made a powerful collision with the mountain, making a plume of smoke form around her. When it cleared, she was seen in a magic aura: safe from any real harm.

"RRRRAAAAAAAAGGGGHHHHH"

As she squinted through the smoke, she was surprised when she saw Tirek charging straight towards her - both horns aimed directly at her as he hurled through the air once more.He collided into her with enough force to break through the mountain-side. But even so, she was still unharmed thanks to her shield. While he growled in aggression, she gave him another sharp glare before teleporting directly above him. She took this opportunity to charge up her magic once more, and slam it into his back, forcing him to collide with the ground. But she still pressed her advantage, and shot another beam at Tirek, striking him while he was still trapped. He disappeared into the ground as the rock, and dirt seemed to bury, and seal him in. Twilight safely landed on the ground, sure that she may have won. But she got proven wrong as a beam of his dark magic erupted from the ground, circling around her as it seemed to make an incision in the ver ground itself. Moments later, Tirek raised the round slab upwards, with Twilight still on top, and hurled it away from him. Twilight managed to fly off of the stone as it crashed a distance away, and she made her way back towards Tirek. The demonic centaur roared once again as he raised both arms up, before slamming them into the ground. This time, it caused eruptions of stone pillars to sprout like saplings, very nearly hitting Twilight. But she managed to both evade, and blast every last one that got in her path before she focused her attack on Tirek. The latter seemed to have the same thing in mind, and soon fired his most powerful magical beam at Twilight, and vice versa. The beams collided with each other, and caused an explosion bigger than any previous ones prior. The whole area was engulfed, and caused mass destruction all around.

Soon, the light faded, and revealed Tirek was buried beneath the rubble caused by the blast. It looked as if he may had been incapacitated by this, and that the fight was finally over. But instead, Tirek simply stood back up, brushing off the rubble without a single scratch on him. To him, it was more of an inconvenience than anything. But then, Twilight herself re-appeared: standing before him, and delivering a stern gaze to match his scowl.

"Hmph. It appears we're at an impasse. You've gotten quite strong with the magic you now possess. But i know for certain that it will only get you so far."

"You really think so, huh? I don't think that arrogance will save you. We may be evenly matched, but i still have the magic of 4 alicorns on my side. Eventually, i WILL take you apart."

"Heh, and don't think that i don't appreciate the effort. Even i must admit: by a wide margin, you're packing much more of a punch than that unicorn stallion, or even Discord himself ever did. tch, however: you will never-EVER-defeat me with that power."

Upon hearing this, Twilight's expression changed from stern to completely flabbergasted. She just couldn't comprehend the logic behind Tirek's claim.

"Wh-i-you-...What in the name of Celestia does THAT mean?! How could you even come to that conclusion?!"

"Because you're green."

*raises eyebrow*"......wait, do you me-"

"No, not literally! What i mean is: you're a novice. An amateur. You're a single alicorn who's trying to harness the magic of being's who've had more experience with THEIR magic in a thousand years, than you no doubt have had in a few hours. Let's not forget: after her sister's banishment, Celestia learned to not only control the sun: but also the moon itself!"

"But, what does tha-"

"And besides, i could see it the moment i first saw you: you don't have a handle on the FULL power itself. Unless you focus everything you have on a single thing: you will quickly lose control, and the magic will soon enough overtake you. Or worse, your lack of complete control shall wear you down to the point of exhaustion. It's only your negative emotions that allowed you to wield it up to this point. As for me? I've trained myself to harness the magic i take with solid fluidity, and to never let it control me. For i am the master of my own fate, and nothing else commands me! So i assure you, even if we continued with this fight: you could never truly best me."

"Is there a reason i shouldn't still try?"

Upon being asked this question, a knowing smirk suddenly appeared on Tirek's face. Thus causing Twilight to suddenly grow concerned about what he knew.

Actually, there is one reason i can think of: strength, and power is only relevant .... when a certain "leverage" is involved. So, how about a trade, Princess Twilight?"

Tirek then snapped his fingers, and made eight bubbles appear in a circle above him. Inside each one were the captive mane five, spike, Shining Armor, and a greatly depressed Discord.

"Their release: for ALL the alicorn magic in equestria!"

Twilight gasped in fright at the sight before her. Fright that was directed to the fate of her friends, AND family. All of whom began frantically speaking, and pleading to Twilight, while some like Rainbow and Shining, tried to break free. Discord was the only one who did nothing as he just lay in his captivity: a solemn look of regret etched upon his face.

"What's it going to be.....princess?"

Twilight, for the first time, was unsure of what to do. With her friends, and family at the mercy of the evil demonic centaur, there was a chance she would end up doing anything she could to save them.

Even if it meant making a decision which could doom equestria itself.

to be continued.

Author's Note

Hello, my friends. And welcome to the 5th part of my MLP fic story. It's been a while, i know, but let's just say i got the drive to get back into this. And boy, do i think i really did a good job with this one. For one thing, i enhanced the fight between our magical powerhouses to make it more interesting, and i even threw in several references in the chapter, as well. Hope everyone can find them, and i hope everyone enjoys this, as well.:)

MLP:FIM is owned by Lauren Faust and Hasbro