Midnight at Tambelon

by Alyssum Cherubwings

Rating: everyone
Tags: Princess Celestia, Discord, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Alternate Universe, Grogar, Tirek, Princess Luna, Drama
Length: 2664

An alternate universe with Grogar and the younger versions of Discord, Tirek, Scorpan, Cosmos, and Eris.

Inside the walls of Tambelon Castle, Emperor Grogar, the Father of Monsters, makes his best attempt to raise his new creations...three young ones known as Discord, Cosmos, and Eris. Some distance away, at Midnight Castle, are the young princes Tirek and Scorpan. When the kids of Tambelon and Midnight meet, it marks the start of a new friendship. Trouble eventually comes, and the group finds themselves influenced by evil. When they discover ponies for the first time in the form of two young alicorn sisters, a more power-hungry side to Grogar becomes unraveled. Discord must fight to keep his friends from getting wrapped up in the resulting chaos...or else he risks losing them, and himself.

This story will elaborate upon these characters’ backstories that have been somewhat seen in various official works of FIM and will be kept as canon - or at least something that seems like it could work canonically - as possible.

Published 2021-01-22 20:10:01 UTC
Last updated 2021-02-07 06:03:36 UTC

A Promising Prologue

It was a beautiful day. The sun was shining, a soft breeze rustled through the trees, and the draconequus sat outside with the yellow pegasus as they enjoyed their afternoon tea.

Discord took a deep breath in, completely relaxed. Times like this were the best. It was just him and Fluttershy, and he loved it. He loved...her.

Life hadn’t always been easy for the Lord of Chaos. His first attempt at friendship had failed miserably, turning him into a cruel, sneaky monster. Endless days were spent terrorizing ponies with his merciless chaos, until one pony had the courage to end those days forever.

That pony had been Fluttershy, sweet, compassionate Fluttershy. Now Discord only used his chaos magic for harmless jokes that didn’t involve turning the entire town of Ponyville into an upside down world of chaotic insanity.

Fluttershy suddenly broke the peaceful silence with an unexpected question.

“What was your childhood like, Discord?”

“My what?”

“Your childhood. If you ever had one, that is. I hardly know a thing about how the Lord of Chaos came to be.”

“It was so long ago that I hardly remember anymore, Fluttershy.”

But although Discord wanted to keep his past quiet from Fluttershy, he did remember. In fact, he remembered it all.

Author's Note

So this was a chapter added in late lol. As you can see this was published Feb 7 while the original first chapter was published Jan 22.

Creation of Chaos

~ A very, very long time ago... ~

Deep inside the dark halls of Tambelon Castle, Emperor Grogar was hard at work. Grogar’s donkey servant, Bray, was off to the side, carefully assisting his master with the task at hoof.

“Bray, hand me those ingredients on the shelf over there. No, not that one, the other one. Up more. No, lower. Now you’re too low! Don’t you ever listen, you idiot?!”

Bray fumbled over the ingredients on the shelves as his voice became a nervous stutter.

“I’m s-sorry, M-Master.”

“You had better be. I need the exact ingredients or my spell won’t work properly. These creatures aren’t going to make themselves, you know.”

“Of course n-not. That would be q-quite a strange sight to see. Now where was I? Bat wing, eagle talon, lion paw...”

“Don’t forget the scorpion tail for the second spell and the peacock feathers for the third one, Bray.”

“R-Right, sure thing,” Bray stuttered. Grogar was making this so difficult. Not one, not two, but three different spells at once!

Confident that he had gathered everything, Bray headed back over to Grogar. The ingredients spilled all over the table.

“Buck it, Bray!” Grogar cursed. “Can’t you keep anything organized?! Clean this mess up immediately!”

Bray did so, and Grogar laid the last three ingredients for the first spell in front of him. This was it. He was ready. Taking a few steps back, Grogar allowed magic to flow out from the bell around his neck. The magic steadily pulsed for a short time until the spell was finished.

Oh, what a sight to behold! It was quite a pleasing result, if Grogar did say so himself. Curled up on the table laid a tiny multicolored creature, a draconequus, Grogar had called it. Two horns, a tan one and a light blue one, were atop its pony-shaped head. Its front limbs resembled an eagle talon and lion paw, and its back limbs resembled a lizard claw and pony hoof. The brown-colored body ended in a long red tail. Lastly, wings of a bat and a pony were placed neatly on the creature’s back. Grogar had never created anything the likes of it before, but he planned to do so similarly with the next two spells and this had been quite a pleasing test run.

The next spell worked out nicely. Another draconequus laid before Grogar, one with different hues of red and purple. For as tiny and innocent it might be now, Grogar had no doubt the little one would grow into a truly malicious being.

“One day I will see you transform the very cosmos themselves,” he murmured into the draconequus’s ear.

The third spell was quickly finished soon after, and a creature Grogar called a sarimanok was born. Its head had curled horns at the sides and peacock feathers draping down the back. It was a beautiful creature, though Grogar’s plans for it were not so beautiful. No, this creature would not bring beauty to the world, but destruction. All three of the new little ones would. As his devious plans danced around in his mind, Grogar chuckled evilly.

“Bray, go put those draconequus spells I wrote down away somewhere. I might want to update them to create more draconequuii later and they need to be in a safe spot where I won’t lose them.”

Bray grasped the papers in his mouth and trotted away. In his clumsiness, he fell over a water bucket that had been just a bit too far out in the middle of the floor. He dropped the papers in surprise as water spilled everywhere. The spells became soaked, the running ink making them illegible.

“Bray...what. Did. You. Do?”

Oh, dear. Grogar was absolutely furious now.

“I-It was an accident! I didn’t mean to -”

“You do realize that I needed those for remembering the spells I just wrote, right? Those were very long and detailed spells, Bray! What, do you think I’m going to spend hours rewriting them all again?! Because if so, I have some news for you. I won’t! It wouldn’t be the same! If I miss a word here or there, it could ruin the whole thing. I’ve already forgotten how I ordered a couple words! Now you’ve gone and wasted all my hard work!”

Maybe don’t try to cast three spells in one sitting next time, Bray thought. He didn’t repeat that out loud, though. If he tried to talk back to Grogar like that, he’d be in more trouble than he already was.

“We still have the draconequuii you already created,” came a nervous squeak from the donkey. He was trying to offer a helpful suggestion to calm Grogar, but he wasn’t sure if it was working.

Grogar was still angry, but he knew he had to suck it up and make the best of the situation.

“Indeed so, I suppose. Perhaps one day, I’ll figure something out.”

Well, he hoped he would. Unless he ever remembered the spell that had already begun to somewhat slip from his mind.

For now, though, he had to ensure the kids grew up properly and were molded into the evil, dangerous beings he wanted them to be. All of the land would bow to him under the threat of these monsters being used to punish any traitorous act. Ponies especially, oh how Grogar hated them. Their stupid pretty colors, their pathetic happiness, their foolish sense of love and family...it was disgusting.

Grogar decided that the three little ones would need names if he was to raise them. Real names, not just that of their species. The sarimanok was given the name Eris. Grogar just liked the sound of it.

“I said I would see you transform the cosmos one day,” he said to the red and purple draconequus. “So, I shall name you Cosmos. Make me proud.”

One more to go. Grogar settled his eyes on the multicolored baby draconequus before him, searching for a name, a meaning, anything.

“Chaos,” he said at last. “Chaos is what you shall represent. You, little one...shall be named...Discord.”

Author's Note

About Eris’s species: The writer of the Nightmare Knights comic has stated that Eris was designed to resemble a sarimanok. Therefore, this is the species I will be calling her by.

Meeting at Midnight

~ Many, many years later... ~

“Ahhh!!! She’s gonna eat me!” Bray screamed, dashing down the hall on his skinny donkey legs. He ran past Eris, who watched as Cosmos followed close behind. From the day she was big enough to torment him, Cosmos did so. Bray dreaded the possibility of seeing her every time he turned a corner. Cosmos was beginning to grow into the personality of what her future self would be, and Grogar loved it. At least one draconequus was following his plans...the other one, however...

Where was that dumb, lazy noodle, anyway? Sleeping on a pink cloud while it rained chocolate milk?

Yeah. Indeed he was. Grogar’s voice was as loud as thunder as he yelled out Discord’s name.

“Discord!!! You get down here this instant!”

“Plbbttt!” came the reply of blowing raspberries.

Oh, he wants to do this the hard way, doesn’t he?

“Discord, I’m warning you. Get down here before I have to drag you down!”

“Oh, must I?” the young draconequus snorted. “I’m having an ever so delightful nap! Or, I was...until you ruined it.”

“I don’t have time for your games, Discord. We’re going to Midnight Castle tonight, and I expect all three of you to be on your best behavior.”

“Midnight Castle? Whatever for?”

“It’s the young prince Scorpan’s birthday, and King Vorak is throwing a banquet. I’m taking this as a perfect opportunity to discuss important matters with Sendak. You three can keep yourselves busy by getting along with the princes and staying out of my way.”

“There are two princes?” Eris exclaimed. She and Cosmos had popped their heads around the corner.

“Yes, Tirek and Scorpan. A centaur and a gargoyle. They’re around the age of you guys, maybe a little younger.”

“Yay, more friends to play with!” Cosmos squealed.

“...Right,” muttered Grogar. “Anyway, you three should at least try to make yourselves look nice. I don’t need to be embarrassed.”

The kids nodded in agreement and Cosmos looked over, eying Bray.

“Hey...pile on the donkey!” she exclaimed, tackling him. The others followed suit as Grogar walked away, grumbling.

~ Later... ~

Discord stood in front of the mirror, rearranging his bow tie. He hated it, but Grogar had insisted, so it was best to not argue.

First chance I get, I’m ditching this thing.

Eris, meanwhile, had chosen a beautiful dress with a purple top and trailing peacock feathers. Her horns were adorned with long blue earrings, and a blue necklace was placed neatly around her neck. She admired herself for a moment before she rushed out of her room, nearly colliding with Cosmos.

“Hey! Watch where you’re going!”

“No, Eris, you watch where you’re going! It took forever to tuck this stupid flower behind my ear, and you almost made it fall off!”

Discord walked past the angry squabble, rolling his eyes.

Typical girls.

He was happy to be able to meet some boys his age, especially Tirek. From what he had seen in the books Grogar left laying around, centaurs looked pretty awesome. Maybe they’d become great friends. Best friends, even.

Oh, but what use are friends? Grogar would say.

That’s what you and Sendak are, right? Friends?

Just because we get along and discuss things with each other doesn’t mean we’re friends. We’re business partners, Discord. That’s all.

What kind of business?

I...I can’t tell you. Not yet.

From that, Discord concluded there must be some big secret going between Grogar and Sendak, and he wanted to find out what it was. He couldn’t have known then what Grogar and Sendak planned to do to the land of Equestria, and the ponies within it.

The kids suddenly heard Grogar calling them. It was time to head over to Midnight Castle. The trip there didn’t take too long. Once they arrived at the gates, Grogar turned his head to whisper, “Remember, don’t embarrass me.”

As Grogar went to greet Vorak before going off to find Sendak, the kids wandered around in an attempt to find the princes. The search ended abruptly as something small and furry crashed to the ground. It was a young gargoyle, and a centaur similar in age followed behind.

“Hi, guys! I’m Scorpan, and that’s my brother, Tirek! Who are you?”

Discord, Cosmos, and Eris introduced themselves.

“Are you siblings too?” Tirek asked.

“Oh, no,” came Cosmos’s reply. “It doesn’t work like that with us. Here, I’ll explain it to you.”

According to Cosmos’s explanation, Grogar had created multiple different species of monsters, from bugbears to manticores to sea serpents. However, no monster he created specifically with his spells - as opposed to monsters making families of their own - bore any relation to another. Creating creatures from random ingredients and magic just worked like that.

“Whoa,” exclaimed Tirek. “That’s...kind of confusing, but I’ll go with it, I guess.”

With that, the group went on their way, running around the castle and causing chaos. At one point, a chocolate milk cloud had found its way into the King and Queen’s room, and drenched everything. Discord had noticed it just in time to snap his fingers and make the mess disappear. One of those fake plastic flowers had its water squirted in Vorak’s face. Grogar was definitely not happy about that when he found out later. Endless pranks were played on the guards as well, and it eventually led to a guard chasing the kids and knocking over a priceless vase in the process.

“Ooh,” Tirek chuckled sneakily. “That better get cleaned up, or heads are gonna roll!”

“Tirek, Father told you not to copy him when he says that anymore!”

“I say what I want, Scorpan.”

“Well, I can say that I think we’d be great friends,” Discord added, though he couldn’t stop thinking of an angry Grogar using his head as a bowling ball, given Discord’s magical ability to contort his body any way he wished. However, the difference between him and the guards was that it wouldn’t actually hurt him.

“Yeah, friends!” said Tirek. “After all, Sendak told me that ponies believe friendship is magic!”

Eris had now become interested in the conversation. “Ponies?”

“Yeah, Sendak researches all about the ponies in Equestria. He also gave me this little pouch I have around my neck. He said it’s called the Rainbow of Darkness. I don’t know what that means, but I’m not supposed to open it yet. All I know is that it contains magic, a gateway to power. I’m tired of being stuck here, in this stupid castle. Sendak will be going to Equestria soon, and I wish I could go with him. Then I could learn the real ways of magic, and become the most powerful centaur ever! Maybe then my father would have a reason to care about me.”

“He does care about you,” reassured Scorpan, playing with the medallion around his own neck. “He’s just distant, is all.”

“Says the gargoyle with the birthday banquet. I didn’t get anything like this for my birthday last time.”

“You were also grounded.”

“He’s got a point, Tirek,” Eris suggested.

Oh, if only Pinkie Pie had been alive then. Tirek would have gotten the birthday party he deserved. But she hadn’t been born yet, and Discord wouldn’t become friends with Twilight and the girls for a long, long time.

He had now to worry about. Cosmos, Eris, and the princes were his friends at the present time, and the future would come later.

“Hey, do you think King Vorak would let you two come over to Tambelon Castle sometimes? It’s not very far.”

“We’d like that very much!” Scorpan exclaimed as Tirek nodded in agreement.

And so, a new friendship bond was formed between the five kids. Discord only hoped it would last.

Author's Note

Okay but Tirek’s “heads are gonna roll” joke though...now you know where G1 Tirek got that from.

This chapter might be lengthened in the future...if so I’ll make note of it in the notes of whichever chapter is the most current at that time.

Scorpan’s birthday is 10/20 and Tirek’s birthday is 5/10... try to guess the significance of these dates!