Visiting Hours

Chapters

1. Two Years...then a Visitor
2. 19 Questions to Go...
3. Pacifying the Prisoner?
4. Goodnight Rekkie

1. Two Years...then a Visitor

Tirek leaned against the bars of his cell, eyes closed.

Two years.

Two years since he had lost to the Elements of Harmony. Two years since he had been defeated. Two miserable years since he had once again been trapped in this wretched prison.

Two years of near silence, barring the sounds of the other creatures in this place or the occasional baying of Cerberus.

Two years of utterly boring, unchanging, listless monotony.

At this point, he somewhat welcomed death's sweet, merciful embrace...but he knew that neither Tartarus, nor those wretched princesses, would ever deign to provide him such a mercy.

He would suffer here for all eternity, alone, with nothing but that three headed mutt and the sound of his own-

"Hey, are you asleep?"

Tirek's eyes shot open at the sound of a boyish voice.

A voice.

Somepony had truly come down here.

He bared his sharp, simian teeth in a malicious grin, before rising to his hooves fully, then turning around as fast as he could with his decrepit, worn out bones.

He licked his lips at the prospect of absorbing some fool's magic-

Oh.

What a...surprising turn.

A dragon stood before his cell. He was definitely young...in his teens, perhaps? Green head spines and ear frills, purple scales, emerald eyes, and fanged mouth twisted into a perturbed pout. He wore a turtleneck sweater, a pair of loose fitting, baggy cargo pants, and a purple scarf.

Tirek squinted. He knew this dragon. Or at least...had a vague recollection of him.

"...Sorry to disappoint you, visitor, but I am quite awake. Any attempts to assassinate me will need to wait, hm? And to whom, exactly, am I having the pleasure of speaking?"

The dragon cocked his head and narrowed his eyes, before walking a bit closer.

'Yes, that's it...closer, fool...'

"Uh, Spike. Spike the Dragon. And I'm definitely not here to assassinate you. You know me...you probably just don't remember. It's been about two years since Twi and the girls blasted you back down here."

At the mention of his defeat, the centaur snarled. "Yes, I very well remember that, but I'm afraid I don't recall any sort of meeting with an adolescent dragon..."

Suddenly, he in fact did recall. The little toadie that was the fourth princess' assistant of some sort. His weakly glowing gaze narrowed.

"Ah yes. Now I remember. You're Twilight Sparkle's little pet."

The boy's snout scrunched up as he walked a bit closer. "Tch. Was that a dig? Weak, dude."

The centaur grabbed the bars of his cage. "I assure you, even in this state, there are few things about me that are weak, boy." He growled.

However, the little dragon was in range now, and Tirek gave a victorious, vicious smile. "I thank you in advance, for being foolish, though."

Suddenly, he lunged forward as far as he could go, and inhaled, the magics within him he used to siphon the energies from magical creatures sparking to life.

The boy was small and weak looking, but he knew for a fact, due to Discord's incessant chattering, that the dragon was capable of magic feats. As such, he had something quite useful to the centaur.

He had never drained a dragon before...he wondered how it tasted...

A few seconds ticked by as Tirek waited for the telltale energy of outside magic to fuel him, strengthen him...

...

Nothing was happening.

Spike let out a soft breath through his nose, before raising a hand and pressing a claw to the centaur's nose, moving him backwards and away from the dragon's face. "Yeah, uh...personal space. Please don't do that, thank you."

Tirek reared back and snarled in outrage. "Dragon, I can't consume your magic. Explain, now." Tirek growled, gripping the bars of his cage.

"You could at least be polite, jeez. Newsflash, you can't absorb dragon magic. It doesn't play well with other magic. And even it did, you wouldn't be able to use it. It relies on a lot of biological stuff that you don't have..." He then frowned. "And anyways, it's rude to drain someone dry when they've come to talk with you, you know..."

The centaur sneered, moving back to rest on his haunches. "It's a shame I don't particularly care what you Equestrians find rude or not." He folded his arms. "So, what do you want then, boy? If not my death, and you are unable to be an unwitting pawn in my escape from this place, then what use are you down here?"

Spike blinked. "Ah...hm. I guess I just...want to know more about you? Y'know. Research I guess."

"...What." Tirek deadpanned, an impressively unamused expression on his apeish face.

Spike plonked down on his rump, looking thoughtful. "I don't know, I just think I wanna know more about you? Like, every other bad guy Twi has faced, they had a reason for being nasty to everypony. But you...I don't get you. It's so strange. Even when you won, you didn't really do anything. You just kinda...started blowing things up."

Tirek sputtered. Had this little oaf really come down here to question his motives and goals? Pick apart his choices? Like some sort of...character study?

Having enough of this percieved foolishness, the centaur stood abruptly to his full height (which despite being withered, was still a good foot or two above Spike's own), and stomped his hoof. "Enough of these games! Where is Twilight Sparkle, and why has she decided to torment me further after two years!?"

He began pacing. "Or, were you sent by that wretched Celestia?" He paused and peered at the boy accusingly. "Or was it Discord. Is that slimy serpent having a laugh at my expense!?"

Spike held his hands up placatingly and shook his head. "No, no, I came on my own! Nopony even knows I'm down here!"

Tirek looked bewildered, before glaring pointedly. "...Then why in the seven hells are you here?"

"Like I said already. I wanna...figure you out."

"...Why?" Tirek asked, sounding and looking genuinely confused.

Spike rolled his eyes. "I dunno, I'm bored, you aren't going anywhere for a while, and I bet you're tired of listening to nothing but the sound of your own voice and thoughts."

The centaur flinched as if he'd been struck. Damn, this dragon seemed a bit perceptive. "...And what exactly do you want from me, boy?"

Spike looked thoughtful. "Uh...hm. We could play...20 questions?"

Tirek narrowed his eyes, then raised a brow. "20...questions?"

The dragon raised a scaly brow of his own. "Never played? It's simple. We each ask each other 20 questions, that's it. When we both get to 20, it's over. It's customary to start with softer stuff, then work your way up. And it's also customary to theme every subsequent question after the one asked before it."

Tirek cocked his head. "Sounds...juvenile."

"It can be, depending on who's playing."

Tirek thought it over. He was bored, of that there was no doubt. Conversation would likely be stimulating, and perhaps he could discover some information...information that may lead to him being able to escape.

"...Very well. We shall play your '20 questions', boy."

Spike smiled.

"Alright...20 questions. You wanna go first, or should I?"

The centaur rolled his eyes and laid down on the ground as well. "Oh, please. By all means, go right ahead, child."

Spike similarly rolled his eyes, before beginning.

"Alright, question one: How old are you, exactly?"

Tirek looked thoughtful. An interesting question. "...That's...difficult to ascertain. Before I was imprisoned, I was rather young for my species. Centaurs live longer than Equestrians do. I was in my twenties when I was imprisoned here...23, if my memory serves. So I suppose my biological age is 1025."

Spike blinked. "Huh...you look so old now, though."

The centaur bared his teeth in a snarl. "For your information, I would not normally be like this if all of my power and magic hadn't been stripped from me. Typically, the form you likely first saw me in when Discord and I captured you and your little friends would be my natural appearance...perhaps a bit smaller."

Spike thought back, contemplative. "...Oh. Yeah, I get it. You're kinda like Discord I guess. He looks way older than he's supposed to...but that's more cuz he's malnorished."

At the thought of being compared to the draconequus, Tirek groaned. "Ugh. As a rule, refrain from comparing me to that fool again."

"...Fine, fine, fair enough. Now, what's your first question?"

Tirek stroked his raggedy beard, frowning. "...What is your age, hm?"

Spike chuckled. "Knew you'd ask that. It's cuz I'm short and look young, huh?" He scratched his leg scales. "...17. My birthday's in 5 months."

Tirek grunted. "Hmmph. Almost matured, then."

"Maybe for a centaur or a pony. I'm not even a juvenile dragon yet. That'd be another 40 years, at least."

Tirek managed a thin smirk. "Questioned by a whelp...how undignifying."

"This whole position you're in is kind undignifying though, isn't it?"

The centaur narrowed his gaze coldly. "...Ask your next question before I lose my meager patience, boy."

Spike smirked. "Sure...alright. Question number 2..."

Author's Note

Whomp whomp.

So yeah...Spirek. Guess I'm doin' this, now. How exciting uwu. A brand spanking new never before explored rarepair. And slow burn at that. Oh La La~

This story will be updated twice a month, usually...so stay tuned for that. :ajsmug:

2. 19 Questions to Go...

"Alright...question two...hmm..." Spike looked pensive, brow furrowing. Soon enough though, his expression lit up and he snapped his fingers, before pointing at the centaur. "Alright, I got it! Question number two...where did you live? Before coming to Equestria, I mean."

Tirek raised an unimpressed brow and sneered. "I wandered as a nomad long before I ever entered this abysmal country."

The dragon rolled his eyes. "I mean where you grew up, smart one."

Tirek's eyes widened. His home. For a moment, thoughts crossed his mind. About his home...his parents...

His expression was dark and grim as he finally responded to the question. "...my birthplace was the Nether Lands. A place to the southwest, bordering Abyssinia."

Spike smiled. "Is that where centaurs live?"

"Yes..." Tirek replied, a cold feeling of melancholy passing over him. Unwanted memories best left buried. "Is it my turn to question now?"

Spike nodded, and the centaur looked thoughtful. It was customary to theme the following question after the preceeding answer, correct?

He thought more, before a decidedly nasty smirk (nastier than his default, anyways) cross his lips. "Alright...my question two...how are you taking the destruction of your own home? That treehouse..."

Spike's polite expression fell and he glared at the centaur. Tirek grinned even wider as he leaned forward out of the cage a bit. "What? It's a themed question." He cooed.

As if the boy had been reminded whom exactly he was talking to, he withdrew a bit and folded his arms. "...just fine, thanks. For your information, the treehouse was a library. There were hundreds of tomes in there, some of which Twilight will never be able to have back due to their rareness." His tail swished agitatedly. "Not to mention you almost killed our pet owl."

Tirek shrugged, smarmy smirk not leaving his face. "Oopsey."

Spike looked as if he was about to snap at the centaur...before restraining himself and giving a small smirk of his own. "It's cool, though...for the most part. We've had time to adjust, and we live in a crystal castle now. The Tree of Harmony made it for us, and Twi's collection is recovering quite a bit. And the library there is way bigger, too."

Tirek's expression dipped into annoyance. Nothing got too deep beneath this boy's skin, did it? "Oh my, how exciting. An entire castle. Color me ecstatic..."

Spike grinned, before continuing. "Thanks. Now that we sorted that out...question three."

This one was a bit childish, but he decided to ask it anyways. "Question three...do you like reading?"

Tirek blinked. "...is that truly a question you have, boy? My affinity for literature?"

Spike nodded and shrugged.

The centaur pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. "...I do, actually. I was not just some commoner of my kingdom. I was the prince, as well as a scholar."

The dragon looked slightly impressed. "Wow...neat. Do you miss that sort of stuff?"

"...I was led to believe there was an order to this little game."

Spike blushed. "Y-Yeah, but I just wanted to know-"

"Unless that's your fourth question then I'd rather not answer. Will that be a problem?" Tirek sneered, brow raised.

"Fine, fine! Jeez...ask your question, I guess."

Tirek rolled his neck, before asking. "Three...is this a ploy, of some sort? To get me to reveal weaknesses that you can scurry back to tell your rulers? To make my existence even more unbearable?"

Spike frowned. "No, it's not. If Twi found out I stole this amulet and snuck out in the middle of the night, I'd never hear the end of the ensuing lecture."

The centaur looked skeptical. "Amulet? What amulet?"

The dragon smirked cheekily. "Is that your question four?"

Tirek gripped the bars. "Don't play coy with me, child!" He snarled.

Spike backed away a bit. "Tch. How else do you think I got down here? I swiped this amulet from the archives. It's got a little magic in it...not enough to be worth it to steal, for your information, and not that you could in your condition. Just enough to get in and out."

Tirek growled, before smiling with false friendliness. "...I see. How very clever, guiling your guardian in order to betray her trust and sneak out at night..."

Spike looked taken aback, before rolling his eyes. "Don't bother with mind games buddy. I play monthly with Discord, it's not gonna work."

Tirek hissed and looked away. "Ugh, as an early question four, how is that serpent, anyhow? Still trapped under the hoof of those ponies I'm assuming."

The boy perked up. "Kiiiinda breaking order, but I'll let it slide since I knew you'd ask that. He's doing fine. We hang out a lot, and he's way happier than he probably would have been if he'd continued being who he used to be."

The centaur snorted derisively. "Hmph, they say the life of a well-kept slave is a content one indeed."

"Slave? You have a really low view of friendships, huh?"

"How can I not? It's utterly inane. Weak creatures having to rely on other weaklings, just to be strong. Uncovering how pathetic and spiteful said 'friends' can be, only to shrug and laugh it off, as if they're okay with it."

He laughed humorlessly. "Absurd. As if you could ever truly be okay with one's ugly side."

Spike's frills tilted down. "...I'm sorry you've got such a sad worldview."

"Don't be. I don't need anyone's worthless pity."

The dragon sighed, then stood to his feet. "...I'm going home." He said, without much else to add, before promptly turning around to walk down the stairs and back to the entrance of Tartarus.

Tirek grinned. "Goodbye, dragon child. Do tell the princess I said hello...or not. Wouldn't want to be fussed at, now would we?"

Spike gave him one last look over his shoulder, that made the centaur take pause.

It was such an...unreadable expression. So much emotion conveyed.

Then, the dragon walked off, heading back to the entrance and leaving Tirek to contemplate that face...that expression...

It seemed he was alone, yet again.

...Good. He hadn't asked for company in the first place.

Author's Note

-w- Tirek thinks it's over, but spoiler alert: it's not, pal.

Also, to my Persona lovers...tell me that little monolouge of Tirek's sounded a lil familiar 😏

3. Pacifying the Prisoner?

Tirek sighed as he carved yet another stripe into the ground beneath him, marking another day of torment, his face a mask of utter boredom.

It had been two days since Twilight Sparkle's little stoodge had decided to pester him with questions, and the centaur had been feeling odd ever since.

It had been so long since someone had just...talked with him. In his youth he'd loathed inane chatter, but for some reason the boy's presence and questions had made him feel...something.

He couldn't really pinpoint what.

However, after realizing that attempting to be civil with Tirek wasn't going to do anything but psyche the poor thing out, he had dejectedly gone home.

Likely to cling to his master's skirt, or perhaps pester his obnoxious Equestrian friends-

"Yoohoo!"

The centaur nearly chipped his nail in shock. His head whipped around, mouth going slightly agape.

The boy was actually back!?

The dragon trotted up the stairs, a large basket in his hands and a polite smile on his face.

"You're joking." The centaur deadpanned, standing to his full height and walking over to the bars, still convinced that the boy was some sort of hallucination. "You...returned here."

The boy set down the basket, still smiling that annoyingly laidback and saccharine smile...it made his guts churn with nausea. Or rather, that was the only way whatever emotion it invoked could be parsed by the centaur.

"Yup!"

"...Why?"

The teen cocked his head. "We...didn't finish our game?"

Tirek stomped his back hoof, nostrils flaring. "I thought you got the hint yesterday. I want no part of your asinine friendship slave contracts, boy, so do us both a favor and leave!"

Spike blinked, before sighing. "...Man, that's a real shame, Tirek-"

"Lord Tirek."

Spike rolled his eyes as he crouched low and opened the top of the basket. "And just when I made us both these treats to share..."

A wave of scent wafted out, and the centaur's eyes widened.

Food. Not just food, but clearly some sort of dessert.

His mouth watered a bit, before he shook his head, eyes narrowing once more. "...what is it?"

The boy casually reached inside and pulled out...pie. Some sort of fruit pie by the look and smell, with a beautifully latticed top and dark sugary goodness visible through the cracks in it's flaky crust.

"Blueberry pie. Made it myself. Starting to get really good at baking. Want a piece?"

The centaur looked as if he was reeling. A piece? Did he want one?

The only thing I have consumed in over a millennium is my own spite and bitterness, of course I want a piece-

"...Is it poisoned?"

The boy cocked his head, looking very confused. "Pardon?"

"You speak Ponish don't you!? Is. It. Poisoned!?"

The teen gave an impressive eyeroll. "Yeah, I carried my flank all the way down here just to feed you some poisonous blueberry pie. If I was gonna kill you I probably coulda done it two days ago. You aren't fire resistant, you know."

Tirek actually looked thoughtful. As young and seemingly soft as the dragon was, he was still a dragon. With teeth fit to pulverize gemstones like rock candy and fire that could melt metal into slag.

He was lucky the boy had been weakened and ruined by the saccharine environment he was born into...otherwise he may have been attacked and wounded horribly by now.

"Fine...then why have you brought it, child?"

"My name is Spike. Tell you what, if you use my name, I'll give you a slice right now."

The centaur blinked. "...Are you actually bribing me, with food?"

"Mm...yup!" The dragon chirped cheerfully.

The centaur's eyes narrowed. "...Perhaps being raised by those pitiful ponies has not tempered your cruelty, dragon..."

He eyed-- and smelled-- the fragrant, delectable dessert.

Food. Something to actually taste...gods he wanted it. His body had been kept in a state of stasis for all these centuries. He did not need food, nor drink, nor sleep...but they would all feel utterly amazing.

"...Fine...Spike. Give it to me."

The boy smiled. "And the magic word?"

"Now." He snarled.

Spike's face fell. "One step at a time, huh? Fine."

He pulled plastic cutlery and a few plates from the basket, and what appeared to be a specially made pie spatula, then cut a generous slice of the warm pie out and set it on a small paper plate.

Gods, it looked mouthwatering to the I
imprisoned centaur. Golden, flaky crust, oozing thick, succulent blueberries and deep blue juice that no doubt tasted utterly scrumptious and pleasing to the palette.

"Uh...Tirek? You're drooling."

Tirek blinked and looked down, noticing that he was, indeed, drooling a thin line down his chin.

Embarrassed, he scowled at the boy and hurriedly wiped it away. "Hurry up, child- Spike...at the rate you're going, it will be another thousand years before I taste that pie...

Spike rolled his eyes and set the paper plate on the floor directly in front of the bars, knowing Tirek could reach it. He stuck a plastic fork in the top of the pie, and then gestured in a 'ta da!' fashion.

Tirek lowered himself down, getting comfortable (or as comfortable as a prisoner of Tartarus could be, anyways...), and he almost hurriedly took hold of the fork...

He paused and gazed at the little dragon suspiciously.

Spike rolled his eyes. "Oh for the love of Celestia-"

He quickly repeated the process, cutting himself a nice slice, before grabbing a plastic fork and promptly shoving a large bite of pie into his waiting maw, giving the centaur a tiresome, deadpan look the entire time.

"There, shee? Ish-" He swallowed. "It's not poisoned. Happy now, Mr. Paranoid?"

"Very..." With that confirmation, he dug in voraciously.

The first bite he had put in his mouth nearly made him moan from just how good it tasted. It was divine. Like a goddess had just full on kissed him, tongue and all. It was utterly enrapturing. The sweetness, the tanginess, the fragrance, the crunch, the chew...all of it was perfect. He could have died a happy centaur if it had been poisoned.

One he swallowed down that bite, he proceeded to voraciously decimate the pie, humming and sighing, very nearly tearing up from the sheer euphoria of the taste.

Spike watched him in a mixture of amusement and slight shock. "Don't...forget to chew, buddy..."

The centaur sighed as he finished his slice, utter satisfaction filling him.

That had been delicious. His stomach was absolutely thrilled to digest something so divine...

"So, about my next two questions..." Spike chirped.

His blissful, enraptured expression fell. Right. The boy... "Questions?"

"Questions...we were playing 20 questions and you asked me two in a row. So, I should be able to do the same before we return to the regular order."

The centaur folded his bony arms and glared. "I don't recall our deal involving answering and asking more inane questions..."

"Oh, it doesn't. But uh, well...I brought a whole pie." The dragon grinned. "There's more deals to be had, ya know?"

Tirek's eyes widened. "W-What!?" His expression was utterly bewildered. "You would give me more!?"

"Sure I would. Info for pie? Sounds like a good trade to me, Rekkie~"

The centaur looked remarkably like he'd bitten a lemon. "...It doesn't matter how many baked goods you give me. You will never again refer to me by that infernal nickname, or else you can kiss this game of yours goodbye."

Spike looked nervous. "Right, right, sorry, g-got carried away...so, uh...a slice for each question you answer?"

The centaur stroked his beard, contemplative. "Very well, boy...ask away."

The boy grinned. "Alrighty...Question four...do you have a hobby? Besides y'know, being a bad guy and doing bad guy stuff."

Tirek sneered. "And why do you want to know this, Spike?"

"Hmmm, that sounds like grumpy centaur speak for: 'I don't want pie because I'm bitter'. I hit the nail on the head, huh?"

The centaur snarled, mumbling and cursing under his breath. "...Carving."

"Huh?"

"Carving!" He snapped. "I...enjoyed woodcarving, in my youth. I made wooden figurines."

The boy's eyes widened. "Wow, really? Was it...fun?"

Tirek looked away, glaring.

"C'mon dude, is it gonna kill you to answer me?"

"Unfortunately, no, it won't."

Spike narrowed his eyes. "Tell me or I'll eat the next piece."

Tirek cringed, looked pensive, then snarled and relented.

"Yes. It was quite fun. I enjoyed wood carving thoroughly, and I still wish I could do it now. It was an outlet for me as a child, and it relaxed me more than almost anything else..."

The centaur spoke softly, gaze gentle, even reminiscent.

He then remembered what was going on, sighing heavily at those feelings welling up, that were summarily suppressed.

"...Now give me that god's forsaken pie, boy. You've humiliated me enough."

Spike blinked. "W-wow...I uh...didn't expect that."

Tirek growled. "Great. I don't care. Pie, now."

The boy's brow furrowed, before he relented, cutting the centaur another piece and watching as he greedily devoured the slice, a bit slower but just as ravneously.

Once it was almost gone, the boy spoke up. "Question five...how often do you eat down here?"

Tirek swallowed his last piece, eyebrow raised. "....Never. Hence the decimation of these baked goods."

Spike's jaw fell open. "W-What? You don't get food down here!?"

The centaur sniffed and chuckled derisively. "Poor little dragon. Unaware of the cruelty of Tartarus, it seems. I am not fed because I simply do not need to eat. My bodily functions were put on hold the moment that I was imprisoned. I do not need water, nor food. I do not need to execute any sort of bodily function...though sleep is fine when I need to make time pass...." At the growing shock on the teen's annoyingly cute face, the centaur continued maliciously.

"Tartarus has dastardly magic to ensure those imprisoned within its bowels are forced into penance without pause. My body resets to its initial imprisonment state every new day. Anything I ate, any injury I sustained, it's all completely erased. I could slit my wrist open and by the time you returned tomorrow, I would be here, alive and well. It would be unpleasant and painful, sure...but the next day, it wouldn't matter..."

Spike looked pale and clammy, emerald eyes comically wide. Tirek could have laughed, it was so damned funny.

"Surprised?"

"V...Very." Spike choked out, emotion boiling through him. That was so...cruel. Sure Tirek probably deserved it, but gods...

The centaur smirked, triumphant. "Hmmph, horrifying, isn't it? This isn't merely a prison, after all. You think my only punishment is being trapped in a cage for as long as your princesses see fit? Tch. As if Celestia, or her pathetic sister, or that miserable high court would have been so lenient."

Spike felt a bit sick, cringing. "I...I..."

Tirek grinned, casually twiddling his plastic fork. "Mm, now that you have your answer...here's my question five...what will you do with this knowledge exactly, my boy?"

Author's Note

ówò Uh oh Spikey. Feelin bad for the nasty villain man...

4. Goodnight Rekkie

The boy still looked slightly floored, emerald eyes wide, as he looked at the floor.

"...Well?" The centaur's croaky voice suddenly sounded painfully loud, and Spike could hear the wicked smile in his voice.

"I...I'm sorry..."

That took the centaur offgaurd. Sorry? Sorry???

Sorry for what?

"Y-You're...sorry?"

"Y...Yeah..." The boy shifted uncomfortably. "L-Like...a thousand years being completely static...no f-food or water, or anything...t-that...that sucks."

The centaur blinked profusely. "Yes...y-yes it does." He murmured softly.

He was floored. Someone actually...got it. A little over a millennia ago, after he had been tried and found guilty by the Equestrian high court, they had sentenced him to this...this hell. The dull, monotonous, unchanging torture of Tartarus. For centuries upon centuries.

And yes. It sucked.

And this dragon...understood that. This dragon somehow gave a damn that he had been left to rot in this miserable hole for centuries.

Tirek felt something.

Something he hadn't felt in ages.

He felt...grateful. Grateful that someone understood just how much he hated this place, how much he didn't want to be here, how much he missed the sky, and the open air, and food, and drink, and actually stimulating conversations, and his magic...

"Tirek? What's up? You're spacin' out a little, dude..."

The centaur snapped back to reality, and looked at the boy, who was gazing at him with such...genuine concern. It was almost...unsettling. No one had looked at him like that in ages.

"I...I was thinking. And it's Lord Tirek."

The concern on that face melted away into unimpressed dryness, and the centaur almost felt thankful. He couldn't...take being looked at like that.

"Uh huh...so, we both, uh...answered some questions. I'm gonna go ahead and head home. You look like you need a nap...and I don't need Twi finding out that I snuck out."

"I do not need a-!"

"Yeah, yeah, buddy, no need to screech at me, whatever. You look like you need rest. That's all."

The dragon packed up his things in his basket, expression thoughtful. "G'night, Tirek. I'll see ya when I see ya, yeah?"

"...Yes. I suppose you will." Tirek muttered, not realizing he more or less had invited the boy to return.

Spike smiled softly, before walking away and down the stairs, the prisoner watching him the entire time, until he disappeared from view.

Tirek then looked up at his cell ceiling, then the floor...

Before heaving a great sigh and flopping down tiredly, rolling onto his side. "Gods damn that boy..."

His stomach felt as though it had been filled, and sleep came to him rather easily.

"Father?"

"Yes, Tirek? I'm busy, you know..."

"I-I...know, father. It won't be long, I promise."

A sigh. "Alright then...out with it."

"...Where did mother go?"

There was a soft, barely audible sound, as a quill tore slight through the document it had been pressed to. "...Haydon is in the nursery, with Scorpan."

The young prince scoffed. "Not her, father. I mean my real one. She can't just replace her. I want Mother back."

Vorak said nothing, face stony and impassive, as he stared off to the side.

"...She is departed."

The prince huffed, front hoof pawing at the ground. "Yes I know that, she left over two years ago. But when is she coming back, Father!? It's fine if Lady Haydon is here to keep you company or whatever, but she can't just replace my mother! It's been too long, Father! I want her-"

Vorak stood up from his desk with a roar, hand slamming down with enough force to crack the oaken wood. "DEAD. YOUR MOTHER IS DEAD. SHE PASSED ON DURING THE TRIP, AND SHE WILL NEVER COME BACK! NOW BEGONE WITH YOU, YOU BOTHERSOME CHILD!"

The young prince had begun to shudder slightly, as he stared up at his enraged father...before the king sunk back in his seat, rubbing his temple.

"...Leave me in peace, Tirek. Go."

Spike had slipped into his bedroom stealthily and sneakily, setting down his basket behind his bed and beginning to strip doen to his sleeping wear.

Ah, ah ah...a little dragon sneaks his way back home, and before dear Purple finds out. How odd, but interesting~"

The boy stiffened, freezing up.

A brightly colored snake slithered out from behind his bed, with large, glowing red eyes, marked with stunning golden scleras.

As the snake slithered to the boy, it slowly but surely transformed into...

"...Hey, Discord..."

The draconequus grinned down at him, expression somehow both innocuously teasing and maliciously crafty all at once.

"Hey, indeed, Spikey-Wikey~..."

Gods damn his bad luck.

Author's Note

ú_ù Seems good old 🍵rek has parental issues he needs to work out...of course, he's like a 5 layer trauma cake, and that's just the icing, to be honest.

And oh, Dissy Dissy, what in Equestria are you doing in Spikey's room so late at night,, hm? 👀