Celestia and Cosmos laid on the grass next to each other happily. They pointed out the clouds and their individual shapes to each other while Scorpan and Luna played happily nearby.
“Scorpan!! What are you doing?” Luna giggled. “I’m up here! You have to save me!” She beamed at him. He adjusted the playing helmet that was too large for his head and giggled.
“Oh!” He smiled up her. There was a little play castle with stairs of climbing walls and ladders. He handled his wooden sword clumsily as he stumbled round the side of the climbing frame. He looked at the ladder and let out an airy laugh and hauled himself up. His little, but not so little hands and feet supported his weight sturdily as he managed to clamber up the kid’s ladder. He managed to keep holding the toy sword. He smiled when he saw Luna smiling at him expectantly. “Don’t worry, fair filly! I’m gonna take you back to my safe bedroom!” Scorpan promised the only property he really owned, however unintentionally suggestive it may have sounded.
“We can have a sleepover!” Luna cried jumping up and down.
“Yeah!” Scorpan giggled as Luna went down the slide. Scorpan followed too soon and he bumped into her. They both giggled as Luna laid back onto the little but not so little gargoyle and nuzzled into Scorpan’s fluffy mane. She put her hooves lovingly on his shoulders for a hug and his arms cuddled Luna in return.
With a thud, the pair fell off the slide and smiled at each other.
“We’re here!” Scorpan cried.
“OOH! THAT ONE LOOKS LIKE DISSY!” Celestia pointed to a cloud.
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He pushed the door open slowly and walked in. Smaller ponies - the size of himself and Cosmos - with only wings were scattered around wearing golden metal. Like the metal Scorpan wore. They ignored the little not so little centaur. He heard friendly chatting and glasses tapping onto tables. He also heard his father groaning.
“Why is it that the younger son - the gargoyle - wears gold and yet the older son - the more powerful and magical centaur - wears silver?” Was something silly he heard them talking about. He opened the door and their heads all turned to him, not suddenly or shocked, but curiously and maybe concerned.
“You, OK, hon?” Haydn asked her eldest son with a soft smile. Tirek nodded.
“What is that you needed?” Queen Armonia asked softly.
“I...I just gotta ask a quick question.” Tirek said politely, but directly.
“Ok!” Armonia beamed. Tirek turned to his father and King Nova mostly.
“Why am I here?” The little centaur asked. Duchess Haydn and Queen Armonia smiled hysterically at Tirek’s little ways.
“Oh...Tirek.” Vorak chuckled. King Nova leaned down to Tirek’s eye level.
“10.” He began. “You, young man, are the most direct and...strangely clever little character I’ve ever had the awkwardness of being approached by.” Tirek looked confused.
“Dad?” Tirek wanted an answer to his question.
“You’re here to meet King Nova and Queen Armonia’s three children.” Vorak said plainly.
“Why?” Tirek asked. The adults looked unsure at one another. Vorak looked at Tirek softly in the eye and gave a soft smirk.
“You’re a big boy now, aren’t you?” Vorak soothed. Tirek nodded. Armonia was about to stop Vorak, she found it unnecessary to tell him the truth, but was stopped gently by Haydn. “You...Aren’t interested in Luna, are you?” Tirek looked confused, looked around and then shook his head. “Well...because your Grandfather - Kai-Wreck - is King, you and Scorpan are seen as...keys to unlocking the hearts of other kingdoms.” Tirek nodded. “The keys are used by marrying them to a child related to the King of another kingdom. When that has happened, it confirms the safety of the kingdoms.” Tirek looked disgusted. He opened his mouth to say something and stopped.
“Ok. So why are we here? You want Scorpan to marry Luna?” Tirek said plainly. They nodded. Tirek’s eyes sparked. He suddenly felt mad. Very mad.
“I don’t care...About the other kingdoms...I don’t care...about you and you!” He pointed to the two alicorn. “I don’t care about royalty or tradition! I DON’T CARE ABOUT LUNA AND I DON’T CARE ABOUT WAR!” Tirek glared around the room, his fists clenched and a spark glowing between his horns. “I DON’T CARE ABOUT WHAT HAPPENS TO ANYONE BUT MY FAMILY! SO WHY DON’T YOU JUST DROP WHAT EVERYBODY ELSE THINKS AND DOES, AND THINK ABOUT WHAT’S BEST FOR US!” Suddenly a beam of magic blasted the dining table and destroyed everything that the Alicorns had the ponies lay out. Smoke rose from the burning ashes of the wood and dining items. The Alicorns looked disgusted and shocked by Tirek’s actions. They stared at him as if he were from Tartarus. His parents however were looking angry and upset. I’m sure you can tell who was who.
After a few moments of utter silence, King Nova put his golden embroidered hoof down.
“Get out,” he hissed through his teeth. Tirek looked around the room at the adults negative expressions. As soon as he left, he was in for it. He gulped and sighed at the known fact of him getting punished… most likely at its worse.. He’d just started a war. Great.
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Tirek sat in the carriage, his arms folded as tight as they could fold, and his mouth closed as tight as it could close. He sat as far away from his brother as he could, pressing himself against the door, not caring that each time the carriage bumped it scraped him against the door. As he bounced along with it scraping at his skin, he frowned. He just wanted to go home.
Scorpan, on the other hand, was sat on the other side of the carriage. His arms weren’t folded like his brother’s, instead were flopped on his knees. His ears were drooping, as were his wings. He distracted himself from Tirek by trying to fascinate himself with the floor in front of him, but it never lasted long. Any pattern that he found would be forgotten or get repetitive.
Scorpan eventually found the strength to lift up his head to look at his mother. She seemed to be staring at… nothing. Not her husband, not her sons… not even outside. She was staring in oblivion.
Though, the gargoyle couldn’t bring himself to even glance at his father. He didn’t need to. He could hear the muttering and grumbling of his Father. The only reason that he wasn’t shouting was that Mother had told him “enough”. Otherwise, Vorak would still be roaring insults and disgust at Tirek.
Tirek could imagine the beating his Father would discipline him with. He groaned at such a thought, and hit his head against the carriage wall, though not hard enough to actually hurt himself. After all, he didn’t want to make the beating more painful than it was going to be without a reason.
Even still, his mind wavered on the idea of Scorpan having to meet Luna JUST to stop a stupid war! Why should Scorpan lose his true love because everyone else wanted him to? Ridiculous. He looked over to Scorpan and narrowed his eyes.
“Scorpan?” he whispered.
“Mmm?” Scorpan replied gloomily.
“...I did it for you, ya know,” Tirek answered. Scorpan rose, confused.
“You got Dad mad for me?” he asked, puzzled.
“No! They wanted you to marry Luna! And I said that Scorpan should marry whoever he wants!” Tirek whispered firmly. Scorpan blushed.
“Why?” Scorpan whispered sweetly.
“Because they think if you marry her, everyone will get along FOREVER!” Tirek began whispering louder. Trying to explain ANYTHING to Scorpan was like trying to set fire to a pair of soaked socks.
“Well...I wouldn’t mind…” Scorpan tapped his feet together and rubbed the back of his head. Tirek’s eyes widened.
“Scorpan!!! Look out for YOURSELF! NO ONE ELSE! If you do stuff only for the benefit of people you DON'T EVEN KNOW, you’ll get taken advantage of! NO BROTHER OF MINE GETS TAKEN ADVANTAGE OF!!!” Tirek went off the rail a bit there.
“But...what about the peasants…?” Scorpan whimpered slightly. Tirek sighed.
“You’re an IDIOT!” Tirek finished the conversation. Scorpan’s ears flattened and he sniffed slightly. He’d miss Luna. He looked at Tirek. Most of all, Scorpan hoped that everything would be better when they got home.
Little did he know...They weren’t going home.
Dun Dun DUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUN