I leapt through the trees, my black coat doing well to help me remain unseen, as I traveled through the darkened forest. I was making my way deep into the Everfree, where I had a feeling I’d find Tirek and Scorpan. The two were huge, so I had a feeling they’d be pretty easy to find. What I didn’t take into account was how large the forest was.
Still, after an hour of searching, I started noticing signs of their presence. Broken tree branches, and signs of minor destruction caught my attention. I dropped down from the tree I was perched on, and landed gently on the ground. There were broken tree limbs lying on the ground, along with imprints in the ground, which looked an awful lot like hoof and footprints.
Caught up to their trail, I started sprinting, following the trail the two left behind. Despite how fast I was moving, I made very little noise, allowing me to listen for the two brothers. After a few minutes, I saw what looked to be a clearing ahead. I stopped running, and ducked behind a tree. I stood there, silent, listening. Closing my eyes, and focusing, I could make out what sounded like Tirek, speaking.
I turned, and leaped into the air, vaulting up the tree I was hiding behind, and perched myself on a branch. I then moved to the next tree, to get closer to the two brothers. I could now see them a bit more clearly.
There was a cave opening in the clearing, which housed Scorpan, who was lying against the wall. Tirek was standing outside of the cave, looking down at his brother.
“It was foolish of you to take that blast for me. I could have handled it,” stated Tirek.
“He, I suppose it was,” responded Scorpan, with labored breaths. “Still, I’m glad I did it. I mean, you’d do the same for me, right?”
“Oh, of course,” replied Tirek; though I had a feeling he wasn’t speaking truthfully. Scorpan didn’t seem to notice. Tirek turned, and faced away from his brother. “You rest here for a bit, I’m going to go try to find more magic to drain.”
“Be safe,” said Scorpan.
“Don’t worry about me, I can handle myself,” stated Tirek, as he started trudging away, the weight of his body causing the ground to shake. I waited a few minutes after Tirek left, before dropping down from the tree I was in. My boot landed on a stick, causing it to break in half. The sound of the stick cracking could be heard, and it caught Scorpans attention. He turned to face my direction, though he couldn’t actually see me.
“Who…who’s there?” he questioned.
I stepped out of the dark forest, into the well-lit clearing. Scorpans eyes widened in alarm, as he held his body up with one arm, the other clinging to his chest.
“Y-you!” I made my way towards the injured creature, and stopped a few meters away from him.
“So…you’ve come to finish me off, huh?” I just looked at him, my expression emotionless, until it softened.
“You’re hurt,” I stated.
“Yes…no thanks to you, and your friends,” he replied with a hint of malice.
“You came to our home and attacked us. We defended ourselves, as I know you would have done, had you been in our position.” Scorpan didn’t respond, instead he looked down, with a look of regret.
“Maybe I can help you,” I said. I held my hand out, and summoned my Keyblade. Scorpan looked surprised, and scared, suspecting that I was going to attack him. “Don’t worry, this isn’t just a weapon,” I said, before I pointed my Keyblade at him.
“Cure.” The spell worked instantly, mending Scorpans wounds. He jerked in surprise, expecting it to be some sort of attack, but he after that, he looked to me with confusion, after finding that I hadn’t hurt him. After a moment of looking at me, he looked down at his body, before testing his limbs, and slowly standing up. Once he was on his feet, he twisted his body, testing for pain. He found that while there was a hint of soreness, his wounds were more or less healed.
“You…you healed me?” he questioned. I nodded my head in response. “Why?”
“You were in pain. I don’t…I don’t like seeing others in pain.”
“But we are enemies,” stated Scorpan.
“We don’t have to be.” Scorpan just looked at me, with confusion on his face. “During the fight, I saw that you didn’t really seem to be enjoying yourself like he was. Tirek looks like he likes destruction, but I don’t think I can say the same for you.”
“You don’t know anything about me.”
“No, I don’t. But I what I DO know is that you don’t want to hurt ponies. You don’t like the feeling you get when you do, do you?” Scorpan wordlessly shook his head. “Then why do it?”
“Tirek is my brother, my flesh and blood. Ever since our parents passed, he’s looked after me. So I follow him. I will not betray him.”
“Even if he makes you do something you’re not comfortable with?” Scorpan did not respond.
“If Tirek cared about you, as much as you care about him, do you think he’d make you do something like this, which you obviously don’t want to do?”
“You will not turn me against my brother.”
“I’m not trying to. I just want to bring about a peaceful end to this conflict. The princesses don’t take kindly to people trying to take over their kingdom. Me, I just want to find a way to keep my friends safe, while making sure as many people are happy as possible.”
“You are friends with royalty?”
“Yes. The two princesses are my best friends. They’ve welcomed me into their kingdom, and gave me a place to live. I wouldn’t be here without them.” Scorpan seemed to be considering, this, thinking about what I’ve told him.
“I’ve…I’ve never had a ‘friend’ before. I’ve only had Tirek.”
“Well, in Equestria, Friendship is in abundance. I’m sure if you tried making some friends, instead of conquering the place, you’d find some success.”
“My own friends? Maybe…no, NO, I can’t, I can’t betray Tirek.”
“I understand you loyalty to your brother. But, what he wants to do is wrong. Stealing ponies’ magic, destroying their homes, it’s evil! Just because he’s your brother, doesn’t mean you have obey his every command.” Scorpan looked down, thinking about what I was telling him.
“Perhaps, you are right.” I sat down on the ground, adopting a more relaxed posture, and Scorpan did the same.
“What’s his deal anyway? Why does he want to conquer Equestria so badly anyway?”
“Tirek’s always had a lust for power. It’s probably an obsession at this point. He wans control, and he wants to be the strongest.” I nodded my head, taking in what Scorpan was telling me.
“Everyone wants to be powerful. But I like to believe that not everyone would be willing to hurt others to get it.” Scorpan listened, but did not respond. I stood up from my seating position, and got back on my feet.”
“If you want to experience friendship, Equestria is a good place to start. If you need a friend, I’m willing to be one to you. But the next time we meet, I will do what I have to; in order to protect those I care about. If you really care about your brother, please, try to get him to see reason.” Scorpan looked to me expectantly.
“I hope you the next time we see each other, it’s on better terms. But if you two return, and try to take down Equestria, I don’t know if I can stop the princesses from taking their wrath out on you two.” I turned and made my way away from Scorpan, heading back to the castle.
“I don’t think I ever got your name,” said Scorpan. I looked over my shoulder, back to him.
“You can call me Roxas.”
“…Then thank you Roxas. You’ve given me a lot to think about.” I offered him a smile, and then continued my way home. I would tell the two sisters that I didn’t find them, but if they returned for round two, and someone got hurt, it would be because of me. I just hoped I convinced Scorpan to abandon this conquest, and convince his brother to do the same. If not, well, I really don’t want to imprison anyone else, the way we did Discord, but I will if I have to. I just hope it doesn’t come to that.