Before the Change, Tirek was a middle-aged bodybuilder whose arrogance was backed up by his strength. Hailing from the Deltoro Republic, he quickly rose in popularity during the turn of the century due to his great feats of strength despite pushing past thirty at the time: carrying a ton-heavy anvil on his back, ripping apart two phone books to celebrate getting his first cellular phone, daring a pick-up truck to run over his ab-riddled belly to end up surviving without a scratch, and funding not just one but two video games made with his likeness... or close to it, since he was depicted as a villainous centaur there.
At first, he welcomed the Change. Like many of his fellow Deltorans, he became a centaur with a form that matched his athletic physique. Getting used to six limbs proved to be a minor inconvenience, but at least he did not lose his hands like the ponies over in Amareica. Thus, life went on almost normally, with the minotaurs and centaurs of the country working together to rework everything to fit their new bodies.
What Tirek did not expect was being summoned by Princess Twilight Sparkle herself.
Hence Tirek is now incarcerated in a royal carriage big enough for his size and then some, locked in with a variety of magic spells that would zap any unauthorized intruders and Tirek himself if he went out without Twilight’s permission.
“Look, I assume you’ve read all the articles about me,” he says grumpily, “but, with all due respect, Princess, I have no plans to dominate the world… neither world, in fact. I’m not even sure where to start if I wanted to do that.”
The little princess—for he overshadows her even while sitting down—scribbles something on her clipboard. “By chance, do you have any criminal record?”
The centaur could only sigh after almost ten minutes of interrogation by a colorful pony. “Drunk driving, yes, but that was thirty years ago! Ask the police, if you have to; they’ll vouch for me. Really, I think if you would like to see how bad I am, you should check my posts online and how I stir the ire of those who are too lazy to get their bodies in shape….”
Twilight rolls her eyes to spare herself from the bicep-flexing of her guest. “If that is the case, then I must apologize for making a mountain out of a molehill.”
The adorable smile she gives softens Tirek’s heart a little, but he scratches his graying goatee in thought.
“Let me ask: why are you doing this anyway? I don’t see you randomly summoning others like this. Say… is it because I’m a celebrity who just looks like a bad guy?”
“Not really,” Twilight says, “although being a celebrity of some kind has been a common factor.”
“Common factor?” That gets his brain jogging.
A couple pictures levitate in her magic. “Ever since we realized this alternate world exists, it was fascinating to know that me, my friends, and many others have their own counterparts on Earth. However, I soon realized that the villains of our world may have their own versions here too.”
He soon realizes where Twilight is getting at. “So you’re saying that I am a villain in your world, then?” The frown morphs into a glower, though, as he asks, “Was it because of that Rise of Tirek game, wasn’t it?”
Being the unfazed diplomat and negotiator she is, Twilight hides her shuddering well. “Well, that was the start of my investigation regarding you. I was then told by the game shop owner that you were not some evil dictator from the underworld.”
Tirek could only let out a groan. “Okay… that embarrassment aside, let me guess: he is on the loose in your world and you want me to stop him somehow.”
“He was on the loose. Our Tirek currently trapped in Tartarus—“
“Wait. You have a literal underworld in your kingdom?”
Twilight nods matter-of-factly, knowing that she thought underworlds were also a thing on Earth until proven otherwise.
“What else is there? No, no… don’t tell me that. Just tell me who else you flagged down for this.”
“Hmm… to begin with, there was Sombra who I discovered was a dictator of Caneighda until he was imprisoned in a revolution. There was Chrysalis who was the last of her royal bloodline in Cambling before Thorax got elected and turned it into a republic. There was also this beggar on the street named Disc—“
“I am surprised to be in such company. Truly, I am.” Tirek then glances at his watch, deliberate in his movement. “But, again, with all due respect, Princess, I do have an appointment at the gym.”
Twilight may as well be bouncing with the amount of enthusiasm and embarrassment in her smile and gait. “Oh, yes! I do apologize for keeping you up longer than necessary, Sir Tirek! I’ll let you out, then. Thanks for your time!”
And as Tirek steps out of the carriage he then looks behind as the princess leads the carriage on. It soars across the sky like a pumpkin turned into a vehicle fit for a sleeping royal beauty.
He shrugs and groans at his lost time as he walks to the gym. “Stupid pony princess.”