His uneven hoof steps could be heard pounding against the floorboards throughout the manor. Striding briskly pass the corridors clashing polka dot and floral wallpaper seemed to decay as he walked by. Like the very walls could sense his anger.
Grinding his back teeth to keep from roaring he reached the end of the glorified alley and kicked open the door to his "guest room". In all honesty, it should have been labelled the NEET room, with its current (and until this point permanent) occupant. Tirek. As he expected his cousin lay sprawled on a pile of dirty clothes and sheets cradling a bottle of apple cider in the crook of his arm.
He tried swallowing down his anger before he spoke. “Wake up, cousin. We need to talk” Several other discarded bottles clattered as the centaur tried to shield himself from the light coming through the open door. Cider in one hand, the other shading his eyes, the Tirek groaned and shifted deeper into his sheets, showing discord his back.
“It's the middle of the night. Talk tomorrow…”
“It’s 11 tolls in Luna’s night, Get up” Discord stormed deeper into the room. “There has been a grave accusation lodged against you Tirek, and I want to get to the bottom of it.”
Tirek groaned again. “Can't we talk about this later?”
Ripping the bottle from his cousin's grip Discord crossed his arms. “Baron Shy just paid me a visit. His daughter Fluttershy has been assaulted, and Prince Blueblood claims it was you who did it…”
That seemed to grab the centaurs attention. He dropped his hand and met his cousin's gaze. Discord thought he saw a glimmer of hope in those eyes. Lies...it had to be. He was positive his cousin would clear up this misunderstanding. Tirek blinked, to adjust to the light, or to recover from the shock of being accused of such a disgusting crime. “Blueblood claims what?” After a moment he drew back his lips into a snarl “That traitorous little b-”
“Tell me you didn't…” Discord barely recognised his own voice. “For Celestia’s sake, tell me you didn't do it!” he could feel his desperation labour his breath.
“Fine! I didn't do it! Now can I go back to sleep? I’m tired.” he replied, grabbing a nearby cover
“I don't give a flying feather that your tired." This time he tearing the covers from Tireks' grip. “A mare has been attacked. How can you be so aloof? Baron Shy is in a state and who can blame him?! I want the truth, and I want it now!”
“Pfft, what do I look like, one of those 'honest apples'?” the centaur grumbled lifting the empty cider bottle to search for that last drop.
“Now, Tirek.” Came the snarled reply.
“I didn't do her any real harm.” He groaned searching for another drink nearby.
Discord couldn't believe what he was hearing. “Any real harm? She was seriously injured and has a broken wing!"
“She deserved it”
“What?” The response stunned the draconequus, how could his own cousin say such a thing.
“She was acting all high and mighty. She needed to be knocked down a notch” Tirek huffed “or a couple hundred.”
The draconequus nearly gagged he couldn't believe his ears “ You...you did it...didn't you? You crippled that poor mare”
Wanting the conversation to be over the accused closed his eyes. “Crippled? Oh please, I didn't do that much. Your such a softie, discord all I did was remind her of her position.”
"Didn't you hear me? Her wing is BROKEN!" Discord was growling now his hands itching to wring the colt's neck. “Because she rejected you?” All he got was a shrug in response. “How could you?” Starting to pace, Discord combed his mane back with shaking talons and then swung back around to stare. “What kind of monster are you? To harm helpless mare? You're near a thousand years old! She's practically a filly!”
“The same kind of monster you were not too long ago I guess." He sniffed causing the draconequus to flinch. "Besides she’s not helpless.” Gingerly touching a bruise along his jawline, which discord had failed to notice until now. Finally sitting up, he yawned lazily and pulled at his off-white dress shirt. This time discord caught sight at a small few specks of blood causing him to wince. How badly had he hurt the mare? "And she's no little filly. Not with that body."
Discord felt sick and defeated. Tirek was as rotten to the core, and nothing discord did will ever change him. “You're a horrible excuse for a Stallion” The draconequus whispered “Thank Celestia your parents and brother aren't alive to see you like this”
“Would you listen to yourself Discord? So I had a little fun. Let's say your right, and she is disabled now, you can bet she can't remember it now. I don't see what the big fuss is about, heck! look on the bright side. I made a new friend for Derpy Hooves.”
Tirek barely heard the bottle drop before he was slammed up against the wall held up by his throat as Discord roared in anger. Even though he was tall and seemed muscular, it was all a show. Tirek had never lifted a hand to do an honest day’s work in all the years he had lived with discord. His frantic efforts to free himself from Discord's grip were in vain, with and without magic. His face started to turn to a breathless purple before discord realized what he was doing and loosened his grip.
“By Celestia’s wrath, I could send you to Tartarus right now.”
“ You're insane!” Tirek croaked.
The statement just fuelled Discords anger. He knew that his worm of a cousin was spouting out insults for defence, but the word still stung him. “Not insane, Tirek. crazy. Crazy to think that I could believe in you. That maybe one day I could see what your brother saw in you. I’ve made excuses after excuses and bailed you out of trouble nearly all of your life. But not this time. Whatever cruel and unusual punishment the princesses chooses for you, I will be in full support of it.”
“I was just having a little fun!”
“Fun was turning the sun into an orange or making pigs fly, what you did was disgusting.” Discord let Tirek fall to the hard floor with a thud, as though the very thought of touching was disgusting. “What you did was just plain cruel” Yes, Discord had committed many sins in his past but never had he come so close to killing somepony. How must her parents be feeling tonight, knowing that their one and an only little girl was so cruelly attacked?
This time he could not defend Tirek. Sure, Discord made a few bribes here and there over the years. He had learned that nearly anypony could be bought if the offer was big enough from his own experiences. He had gotten the pathetic centaur out of trouble more times than he could count. But not this time.
He felt his anger boil at the bottom of his stomach, and he knew without a shadow of a doubt that he would kill the centaur if he didn't leave. “Get out,” he said softly. With a snap, a bag of gold bits fell into Tirek's lap. “Take it, pack your things and get out and never come back.”
“Out?” Tirek echoed “You're kicking me out the house? Don't be silly discord; we’re practically family! We always have each others back.”
Family? Discord glared at Tirek. His tattered clothes. He neglected to shave in a fortnight or so and had his light grey mane lazily swept back. All he saw was a monster. "Heh! Very funny." And for the first time since Tirek darkened his door, the centaurs cocky attitude deserted him.
“You don't mean it.” He pushed off the wall and shrugged to straighten his shirt. “Where will I go?”
"Ask somepony who cares." Discord turned to leave.
“Come on cousin! Give me a second chance!”
“Your out of chances. Don't you get it Tirek? This isn't one of our harmless pranks. This isn't like the time we turned the roads into soap or planted poison joke in the park’s flower garden." Discord spun around locking his glowing, enraged eyes on to Tirek. "You CRIPPLED a mare, She cant fly and maybe worse, How will she have kids? You've ruined her life. This can’t be fixed.”
Tirek threw his hand up in mock defeat "It's not like you cant fix it! With a snap of your fingers, she'll be her uppity little self again. Heck, I'll even take responsibility! I’ll sponsor that pathetic excuse for a mare!”
“Sponsor? with what money? Besides I wouldn't even cast your name on a dog.” With that, he turned to the door, adjusting his own shirt “If you're not gone before I return from the Shys' house I will hand you over to the law myself.”
“To the Shys'? Why in Equestria are you going there?”
“To try to make amends. Though only Celestia knows how. Being a Lord didn't give you a license to destroy other ponies lives Tirek. You have outstayed your welcome. Clear out before I set the Timberwolves on you.” and with that Discord left the room intending never to see his cousin again.