//------------------------------//
// Breaking Expectations 
// Story: A Lion's Pride 
// by Firestorm808 
//------------------------------//

Outskirts of the Everfree Forest

The Equestrians had much-needed drinks, and Escanor put away his things. With everyone ready, Twilight led the way to face Tirek once more. Clouds of ash filled the sky, rays of sunlight could barely be seen. To say that they were scared was an understatement. It didn't help that Rainbow was still holding onto the bottle.  Discord carried Fluttershy despite the numerous protests. She just wanted to stay in the cave and away from any demons. Ponyville came was not far from them, and they could feel the aura of hopelessness filling the air. Escanor was their flicker of hope in these dark times. If he failed, then all was lost.

About an hour later, the group crossed over a bend, and Tirek came into view. The form of Tirek dwarfed the various trees in the background. The giant Centaur was too preoccupied with his plans to notice them. He was standing in the field using a large tree as a pencil as he drew a crude map in the dirt. "Now, let's see. Who should I lay siege first? The Griffins? No. They have no magic and are living in destitute. I'll save them for last. I'll definitely go after the Crystal Empire, but I need to prepare for the Crystal Heart. I guess I could go after the dragons. They are the next closest thing to a threat at the moment." 

The gang quickly hid behind the bushes and trees like ants.





Escanor turned to Twilight. "S-so, that's Tirek?"

She nodded with a small glare directed toward the red monster. "Yes. That's Tirek."

Escanor shook in his boots. "H-He's bigger than I thought he would be." 'Oh my gosh. He's bigger Diane!'

"I'm not surprised since he stole so much magic." Twilight sighed. 'Escanor, I hope you know what you're doing.'

Spike bit his claws. "From the sound of it, he plans on going after the other kingdoms."

Escanor shook his head. "N-Not if I have anything to say about it."

Spike deadpanned at the attempt to be threatening. "Sure you do..."

Discord sneered at the villain. "Look at him, standing all high and mighty. If I ever get my powers back, he won't know what hit him."

"Come on, guys. Let's take this sucker down." Rainbow was about to blast off, but Twilight pulled her back.

"Stop it, Rainbow." 

"Don't just rush out there. You'll be creamed," chastized Applejack.

"While that is true, that's not the point. We went over this. It may seem unorthodox, even for me,  but we all agreed that we would let Escanor take the lead."

The bartender nodded. "Don't worry, princess. I'll be sure to give that hooligan a stern talking to." He turned back to his adversary before shaking again. 

Rainbow Dash took a deep breath before casting a glance at the shivering human. She led their group except for Escanor away a few meters. "Take the lead?" she whispered. "He wants to talk Tirek and convince him not to rule over us with an iron fist. I decided to humor him, hoping that something else would happen, but nothing did. You guys all realize how bad this is, right?"

"You think that we don't feel the same, Rainbow?" answered Applejack. "We all have family and friends relying on us back home." She stomped her hoof. "Even if it means risking my life, I would do anything to keep them safe."

"I can feel the anxiety boiling over." Rarity nodded. "I'm worried sick about Sweetie Belle. I told her to stay at the boutique, but then we got captured." She started to tear a bit. "I couldn't look at myself if anything happened to my little sister."

Fluttershy sobbed. "So many animals are getting hurt and losing their homes because of Tirek." She buried her face into Discord. "I just want this to stop..." 

The former Lord of Chaos comforted her once more before looking over his shoulder and widening his eyes. "Um. Girls..." Discord whispered. 

"My parents and Shining are practically drained in Canterlot," added Twilight. "Celestia, Luna, and Cadence are trapped in Tartarus." She wiped away her own sob. "Even with all the power the princesses, I couldn't do anything... I felt so useless."

"I hope Mom and Dad are okay..." replied the young Drake.

Pinkie jumped in to comfort Twilight and Spike. "I'm so sorry, you two. Everyone in Equestria needs help. We can't expect you to bear all of that alone. If it makes any of you feel better, there's something about him that makes my tail slightly tick."

Discord's started shaking Twilight. "Girls!"

"What is it, Discord?!" The alicorn shook herself out of his grasp. 

Spike pointed at where Discord was staring. "He left! Escanor is going to Tirek!"

They were all shocked. "What?!" They immediately all ran after their possibly doomed friend. When they finally caught up to him, they were all in full view of the villain. 

The red giant crossed his arms in amusement. His imposing shadow cast over all of them. "Well. Well. Well. Look who we have here." He looked at his former ally. "Hello, Discord," he waved mockingly. "I didn't expect you to show up anytime soon." 

The Chaos Lord was furious. "You betrayed me, stole from me, and left me there in the dust!"

Tirek rolled his eyes. "This is coming from the guy who turned on his alleged friends first."

Discord cringed. "I thought you understood me..."

"Our partnership was simply business, a temporary alliance to achieve my goal. You were just another stepping stone to my victory." The centaur wasn't swayed. "You should have stayed there where you belong, you incompetent nuisance." He growled. "You had all this power, and you let it go to waste, for friendship..." spitting the last line with poison. 'I will deal with him later.' He then turned his attention to the ponies. "Don't you all look more colorful than before. I take it that you found some way to recover your magic." 

Twilight nodded. "Yes, we did, and we're not running away from you."

He laughed. "I could drain you all right now, but then again, I don't need to. I am the most powerful being in all of Equestria! You are but insects to my greatness."

"We're not here to fight, Tirek." Rarity strained to speak. "We just want to talk..."

"And why would I ever do that?" he asked.

"We're not the ones who want to talk," answered Applejack. "He is," she stated as she pointed to their new friend. 

Tirek cocked a brow at the strange bipedal creature. She saw him before, but he didn't seem like much. "Who and what in Tartarus are you?"

The man nearly fell over in fear. "My name is Escanor. I am a human."

"A Hooman? Strange. I've never seen something like you before. You're like some scrawny hairless minotaur. " He turned his head to the plans drawn in the dirt and frowned. Looking back at this human, he asked "What business does a weakling like you have with me? I have a very busy schedule."

Escanor gulped before speaking. He needed to be as direct as possible. "I come on behalf of all the citizens of Equestria. I-I formally request you to return the A-Alicorn magic to the princesses and the rest of the ponies, and leave us in peace."

Almost all of Escanor's allies face-hoofed. 'That was his plan...'

A silence rang through the field at the bluntness of Escanor's request. It soon ended thanks to thunderous laughter. "Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha!"  Tirek pointed his massive finger to the small creature. "A being like you is asking me to just go away?" Escanor slowly nodded, and Tirek responded with even more bellowing.

"Is it too late to live as a hermit with the Tree of Harmony?" Discord whispered to Spike.

"I doubt we'll make 10 steps before we get squished," the dragon replied.

Escanor frowned. "I apologize, Mr. Tirek, but I'm not joking. I'm serious."

Taking a breath from his laughter, he morphed his face into a malicious smile. "Tell me. What would happen if I say no?"

Sweat dripped from the man's face. "I prefer to not use violence, but I will stand my ground for those I care about. You imprisoned my dear Princesses in Tartarus and usurped her kingdom!" The cloth holding onto his left shoulder slipped onto his arm, revealing his lanky build even more.

Tirek laughed once more. "Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! This is unbelievable. " He moved his head dangerously close to Escanor"Well, unlike you, I do prefer violence," he responded. "Take a look over there." He pointed South East.

Escanor readjusted his glasses to get a better look and nearly gagged. He heard from the others that Twilight's fight with Tirek was bad, but holy moly. Numerous mountains had parts missing, and the fields were scorched to soil and bedrock. It was like Meliodas and Ban went to town there.





"So, have you changed your mind," a smirking Tirek asked.

The tension was getting too much for the elements to stay quiet. "Escanor, please, you don't need to do this!" exclaimed Applejack. 

"P-Please don't fight," begged Fluttershy. The others also voiced their protests. 

At first, Tirek frowned at their resistance, but then he smiled wickedly. "Tell you what, you made me laugh, so I'm gonna give you a chance."

'It actually worked?' "You mean, you're finally going to stop this madness?" asked a hopeful Twilight. 

"Like I would do that. Fat chance. I'm no idiot. What I'm proposing is a little wager, a game if you will?"

The elements were confused by the offer and were too anxious to hear their other companions speaking.  "Why would Tirek even offer something like that?" whispered Spike to Discord.

Discord placed a hand to his chin. "It seems that the Chaos magic is starting to affect him."

"What do you mean?"

"No one can wield Chaos magic without turning chaotic as well. That's why I am who I am or was. If this keeps up, he'll reach the same madness that I am but with more malicious intentions."

Spike paled. "That's really bad."

"A g-game?" Escanor wasn't expecting this, but it seemed good.

"A game? Do we all get to play?" asked a slight pepper Pinkie.

"Uh uh uh, pink one." Tirek playfully shook his head. "The only one who needs to play is this twig right here." Tirek rubbed his hands and turned to the man in question. "Now listen. If you win this game, I'll surrender to Equestria, no strings attached."

Rainbow Dash glared. "We're not gonna play your sick games!" 

With a tilt of his head, he smiled once more. "I can always just destroy you now if you want." He charged his left hand with glowing red magic. Everyone cowered to the ground in fear. The magic orb radiated with vigor before it died back down. "Then again, I do love seeing such weaklings squirm for mercy."

"You can do it Escanor," cheered Pinkie.

"I don't know what you'll be doing, but do your best," stated Rarity.

"Show that varmint what for," added Applejack.

"Do it for us, for the princesses, for Equestria!" exclaimed Twilight. 

"Alright!" answered Escanor. "I'm not much of a fighter, but I'm pretty good when it comes to games. What will it be? Cards? Dice? Charades?"

Tirek slowly crossed his arms. "The rules are simple. I decide who goes first, and then we  take turns attacking each other until one of us dies."

...

"Waaaah?!" Everyone was shocked by the turnaround. Fluttershy fainted into Rainbow's hold. That wasn't a game at all, it was a fight to the death. 

Tirek paid no mind to his their shock. "Since I'm in a good mood and doubt you'll survive my turn, I'll let you go first."

Before the others could protest immediately at the savageness, Escanor stepped right in front of Tirek and answered once more. "I-I'll do it." Tears and sweat were practically flowing from his hair.

"Well said!" Tirek clapped him on the shoulder, sending the man about a meter into the ground. 

The entire parts screamed in terror. "Escanor!" They ran a few meters before being blocked by Tirek.

"No interference." Tirek raised a brow at the man-shaped hole. "Huh? I thought I was holding back?"

"Is he...?" Twilight couldn't bear to ask. The others begged not to get a bad answer.

Focusing his ears, Tirek frowned. "Nah, he's still breathing, just out cold."

They all sighed in relief. "Oh, thank Celestia." Not a second later, they paled at the possible conclusion to the game. "Does this mean we lost?"

"Nah. This fool didn't even take his turn yet." He harrumphed. 

"You're going to wait for him to wake up?" asked Discord. He hoped to Harmony that he would.

The giant shrugged. "Meh, I'll give him fifteen minutes to get back up. If not, I'll destroy the lot of you." He though for a moment before speaking again with a sinister smile. "Or, I could give you an offer."

"What?" More games? They were all under the hooves of Tirek, so they had to play along. It was madness.

"I'll let you all go free if you abandon this creature and leave him to his fate right now."

Fear washed over the gang. It was so tempting. They would live to see another day and fight, but they would leave a friend behind. They wanted to say no, but fear wrapped around them. If they left, they could try and find help in the other kingdoms but at what cost. Could they live with that guilt?

Tirek turned to his former ally. "Come on, Discord. What's one more abandonment to add to the list?" 

Discord scowled. 'I can't... not again.' 

He turned to the blue mare. "What do you say, Loyalty? Who matters more, you and your friends, or some weird creature you brought here before me?"

Rainbow growled. She was the Element of Loyalty. He was trying to force her to give up on her values just like that. If she turned her back on Escanor, she would bring shame to herself and Harmony. She looked at the others and saw their hesitance. She needed to take charge, so Rainbow Dash stepped in front of everyone  and declared, "We're not leaving him, you freak!" Just one voice was needed to get the ball rolling.

Pinkie jumped to attention with a stern expression. "You're right Rainbow! We never leave our friends. No matter what."

Rarity went next. "He may be a stranger, but he is one of the nicest Stallions I've ever met.  What kind of lady would I be to leave him in your uncouth hands?"

Discord sneered. "You have taken almost everything from me. Like Tartarus, I would let you take away my last chance of salvation from your demented horrors."

Seeing almost all of her friends stand up to the terror, Twilight felt more confident to fight as well. "As the last princess of Equestria, I stand by my friends and my family against all that you stand for. You may have tempted us, but we won't stoop to your level. Escanor will wake, and he will beat you!" The vigor in the Mane 6, Discord, and Spike erupted in passion.

Tirek smiled at their petty last stand. "Then I guess we let fate decide." With a snap of his fingers, an alarm clock was conjured and set. "Let the wait begin."

The passion of the group soon turned to awkward silence. Fluttershy finally came to and was updated on the situation, glad that Escanor was relatively okay. The temporary peace allowed the wind to blow, moving the black clouds out of the area. Finally, the sun shone over them all. Time went by, and it started to feel more uncomfortable each second, emotionally and physically. 

"Is it me, or is it getting really hot?" asked Rarity, she fanned herself as she started to drench in sweat.

Tirek didn't even feel the change. He simply stared at the clock, waiting for his moment to act.

"Well, it is around noon right now," answered Applejack. "I gotta say, it certainly is hotter than usual."

"I blame it on the lack of weather ponies," added RD. "There's not a cloud anywhere for me to shade us."

"Twilight!" groaned Discord, Spike and Pinkie. "Why did you have to leave the sun up that much. It wasn't even supposed to be noon when you moved it."

"Noon?" The Princess of Friendship looked to the sky, and the Sun was in fact in a different place than where she left it. 'That can't be right. I specifically put it up for early morning.' "H-how did...?" Before she could finish her question, the alarm rang, signaling their imminent doom. 

"Looks like time's up," cheered Tirek.

Escanor had still not woken up, and they were subject to the consequences. Rarity and Fluttershy started to cry into their friend's hugs. The more resilient of them tried to comfort them while they could, but even they had emotional cracks start to form. Soon, the entire group was crying in a group huddle.

"I love the sounds of your anguish. It fills me up like a glass of fine wine. It's too bad that your alleged savior failed you all. I was expecting more, but I suppose he was just a fool like the rest of them. I really wanted to see the desperation and hopeless in his eyes just like you all have right now." After another laugh, Tirek reached into the ground and pulled out an enormous chunk of Earth. 

"I'm so sorry that I pulled you all into this," apologized Rainbow Dash. "I didn't want to prove him right. We don't abandon our friends."

Discord patted her mane. "It's okay, Rainbow Dash. If you didn't step up, we would have let the only one who believed in us down, and we would give Tirek the satisfaction of our fall. I just blame myself for falling for his lies. This is all my fault... I'm sorry, to all of you."

Twilight sobbed. "I just want you all to know that you are the best friends I ever had." They all exchanged the same sentiments, feeling the weight of the situation bearing down on them. 

"Isn't that just sweet..." Tirek cooed before frowning. "It sickens me. Goodbye, little ones. I hope to never see you all again." With almost no effort, he tossed the object of their demise.

As much as their legs wanted to run, they knew that would never survive. Their fate was sealed. The shadow of the mass of Earth cast over them. They all closed their eyes for the coming of their demise. Dust flew everywhere; however, they didn't feel anything.

"Did... Did he miss?" asked Spike who kept his eyes close.

"Not quite," an unknown deep voice spoke. 

They all opened their eyes, at the voice of their apparent savior. When waved away the dust, they all saw the reason for their survival. In front of the group was the man they almost lost their faith in. "Escanor!" 

They were all wide-eyed. He was much different than before. He appeared taller. His body filled in his uniform much better, and his muscles were more toned.

The girls blushed a bit at the masculine essence that radiated off of him. Discord and Spike also stared in awe.

Some of them started to cry in happiness. "Thank you, Escanor. I had hope that you wouldn't let us down," wailed Pinkie who latched on the man's leg. "I should have known my tail wouldn't lie to me. How did you get so big?"

"What?!" 'How are they still alive. How is he alive?' Tirek looked back and forth from the hole Escanor previously laid unconscious. "I suppose I was wrong. There certainly is more to you than I thought." 

Escanor tossed away the mass easily. He turned his attention to the red giant. "It's not surprising that a lowly demon such as yourself would attack such innocent souls."





Tirek frowned. "Do not let your minor rescue fill your head. You have barely seen the height of my power."

Escanor simply smiled. "And to me as well. To think you have gone through all this trouble just to greet death."

The elements looked at each other, surprised by his change in tone.

Tirek became curious. "What's wrong with you? You're nothing like before. What happened?"

"Escanor?" asked the ponies around him, but he didn't reply to them. 

The man stood tall against his adversary. "I am just a human. However, I am also one who stands atop all races."

Hearing that phrase, it finally clicked in Discord's brain. "No. It can't be!"

"He's what, Discord?" asked Twilight and Rarity. 

Fluttershy tapped his side. "Didn't you say that you might have known him before?"

Discord ignored their questions as pieces came together in his mind. "I-It's really him! He's..."

Escanor pointed skyward. "I am the Seven Deadly Sin's Lion's Sin of Pride, Lord Escanor." From the angle the others watched, it seemed as if the sun rested on his finger.

Tirek raised a brow. 'He's certainly stronger than before, but it is of no concern.' "I am one who stands atop all races, you say? Big words for one still so small." Escanor had only grown about a meter, still dwarfed by Tireks immense size. "You have only delayed the inevitable." With that, Tirek laughed at their hopelessness. "Hahaha."

Escanor began to chuckle along with him.

The others were confused by the interaction before Escanor made the first move. With simple elegance, Escanor jumped backhanded the centaur's face with a resounding  *Smack*, sending Tirek flying through several trees and onto his side.

Escanor tilted his head to the fallen Tirek. "That is the Sin of Pride."

Everyone was gobsmacked. Escanor had knocked their tormentor away with little effort. What in Tartarus was going on!? Deep inside, they knew their prayers to Harmony have been answered.