The gates of Tartarus rumbled, tremors shifting earth and rocks as magical protections flickered and failed. With a great heave and a deep bellow, a hand burst through the magic-wrought entrance, followed by another, then two hooves, then four as a strange creature erupted from Tartarus’ maw. Falling to the upturned earth, the figure wheezed, choking and coughing as it struggled to its feet.
“Finally…” Tirek gasped, fighting with every breath not to crumple to his knees. “I’m finally… free…”
Tirek raised a hand to his face to see himself shaking. “That mutt Cerberus finally wandered off again... I certainly hope it distracts Celestia long enough for me to regain at least a little of my power…”
Putting his hand to his chest, Tirek barked out a wet cough. “Speaking of… I have no time to lose. I must find as many ponies as I can before any of those alicorn princesses realize I’m… huh?”
Taking a look around him, Tirek was startled to find a barren landscape around him. The last time he’d escaped, the area was lush with plants and forestry, with woodland creatures darting to and fro between shady spots and nibbling on grass as the bright sun shone with not a cloud in sight. Now, the area was peppered with only hardy weeds and lichens. The tallest objects were boulders that despite Tirek’s weakened state only came up to his waist, and not a single tree was visible to the horizon. The sky itself was blanketed edge to edge by gray clouds; leaving not even a speck of blue visible. The once-pristine wildlife Tirek had sucked dry as a starting point to regaining his magic wasn’t anywhere to be found.
“What in the world happened here?” Tirek asked himself, before another harsh hacking fit shook his body. “If something else got to these pony creatures before I did, I might be doomed before I even start. At least the ponies only imprisoned me.” Scanning the skyline and reaching inside himself to feel where his sense of others’ magic pulled him strongest, he picked a direction and began hiking over hills and valleys generously buried in dust and dirt.
After what felt like hours of slow travelling across the gently rolling terrain and not even catching a glimpse of another animal—without the sun tracking time across the sky, Tirek was unsure exactly how long it had taken him—he crested a taller hill to find signs of life: a small settlement appeared to have been built from some pony village’s dilapidated remains, and Tirek noticed movement here and there between buildings.
Tirek licked his lips. “Good to know they’re still around.” Squinting, he peered closer to see some of them seemed to wear armor. “Although they look like a much more unfriendly bunch than the pushovers I’d taken magic from last time I escaped.” Making a mental note to gather information on what particular plight had befallen Equestria after he’d absorbed all the residents’ magic, he began taking a circuitous path through the landscape, avoiding high ground wherever possible and slowly making progress toward the settlement.
He stopped behind a boulder sufficiently large to hide his frame from the settlement’s view and peered out, discerning what he could about its defenses. He could see most ponies wore some sort of protective gear, and a few carried strange spearlike objects strapped to their backs or their wearing apparel. However, the place was rippling with powerful magic, more than enough for him to regain a significant portion of his magic. Dare he risk it?
Tirek’s ear twitched, and he turned his head to see something that made him rethink: A small unicorn colt was approaching the settlement not too far away from him, the pony’s body pulsing with residual magic. “These ponies must be powerful indeed to survive out here,” Tirek reasoned to himself, “so perhaps dealing with them one by one would be the smartest strategy.”
Leaving the shelter of his boulder, Tirek circled noiselessly around the colt to approach him from behind. As he came closer, he noticed the young pony was crying. Good, Tirek thought. He’s too preoccupied to notice me. Tirek edged closer and closer until he was barely a step behind.
The colt paused, hiccupping, and turned to see a massive form towering over him. He only got out a half-second of screeching before Tirek seized him by the throat and brought him up to his face.
“You’re a bad little boy, aren’t you, sneaking away from your home?” Tirek chuckled, licking the fingers of his free hand and dousing what magic the colt was attempting to conjure through his horn. “Do you know what happens to bad little boys?”
The colt struggled futilely as Tirek opened his jaws and began to inhale. The colt’s magic tore free from his horn, swirling into Tirek’s mouth as the centaur’s form began to crack and grow.
Tirek let out a content breath as he finished absorbing the colt’s magic. “They get punished.”
Tirek let the young pony drop from his fingers, flexing his arms and legs and letting his new magic stores settle. He felt great! Whatever magic the colt had possessed, it had restored his power far more than any typical pony he’d drained last time. In fact, the only ponies who’d given him more strength were the alicorns themselves. Whatever tragedy had befallen Equestria, it had given ponies a lot more residual magic than they’d had before.
Leaving the young pony behind, Tirek approached the settlement with a much more confident stride. His magic stores bubbled, brimming with energy. If he didn’t know better, he’d say it was growing more powerful by the second!
Tirek stopped. Wait. That’s not right. It really is growing more powerful! Tirek slapped his hand to his chest, looking down as he saw himself grow another several inches.
It wasn’t the kind of growth he wanted. Bulbous pustules began forming on his skin, swelling with tainted magic and fluids as large, grotesque tumors erupted all over his body. Stumbling to his knees, Tirek watched in silent horror as they swelled enough to burst, only to start forming again.
The colt behind Tirek shakily got to his hooves, lifting his head to see the centaur raising a boil-ridden arm to the cloudy sky. Letting out a spine-chilling shriek, Tirek exploded, pus and body parts spraying everywhere. A single wisp of blue magic darted from his remains back into the colt’s horn, restoring his magic and his cutie mark, an insignia bearing a radiation hazard trefoil.
The young pony slowly trotted over to where Tirek’s head had fallen. Nudging it with a hoof, the colt said, “Thanks mister. Now my mom won’t have to waste any RadAway.”
Pausing for a moment, the colt added, “Hey, you don’t mind if I take your metal too, do you?”
The colt carefully circled his home, finding a window and doing his best to sneak in without rattling the metal he’d pilfered off Tirek’s remains. He gingerly lowered himself from the sill and let out a sigh of relief before turning and coming face-to-face with his mother.
“And just where have you been, Rocky?” his mom asked pointedly.
“Uh…” Rocky feebly offered the metal he took as a peace offering. “Scavenging?”
She narrowed her eyes at the armlets and ring he was holding out in his magic. “And where did you get these?”
Rocky gulped. “I was just around the Crater, mom, and I found some metal for us to sell. I didn’t get in the radioactive stuff, promise! You can check, I’m clean!”
Rocky’s mom huffed before accepting Rocky’s attempt at appeasement. “Kids… I suppose you’ll have to learn about the outside world sooner or later, but there are some deadly and clever monsters out there. You’re lucky you didn’t run into one.”
-The End-
