• Published 16th Jan 2020
  • 752 Views, 20 Comments

Scorpan's Confession - BradyBunch



Tirek has nowhere else to go. After his master was captured, he vows to take the magic from Equestria. As he departs, however, his concerned brother tries to talk. It is at this point where a bond is broken, but a pair of hearts are twisted together.

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I hate you!

A blazing sapphire hole appeared in the middle of the dead, black air. Out stepped Scorpan slowly, and his flat feet hit the crumbly, hardened igneous earth of Tartarus.

“I’ll be back in ten minutes,” Scorpan called over his shoulder. “I should be fine until then, Celestia.”

The portal swirled shut with a distorted warp, and Scorpan was left alone at the summit of the mountain.

In the center of the dead volcano lay his brother. Barred in a cage and sucked of life until he was little more than skin stretched over bones, Tirek caught a glimpse of Scorpan and, after a weak growl, got to his hooves as Scorpan approached.

“What more do you have to take away from me?” Tirek croaked, clinging to the cold bars of his cage for strength.

Scorpan’s heart ached. “Your pain,” the gargoyle whispered. “If you’ll allow it.”

Tirek chuckled in bursts of gasps. “O...of course you can. You gave me my pain. You can take it away, as well!” He descended into a coughing fit.

“Brother,” Scorpan said. He was taller than the cage now; tall enough that he could look down on Tirek now for once. It made Scorpan feel sick to his stomach. This was wrong. He was supposed to look up to him! But instead… “Please.”

“You think… I’ll listen to you?!” Tirek’s voice was weak and raspy, but still carried that unyielding defiance Scorpan always admired. “We almost had it all! And then you… you-!”

You were the one that made us lose everything!” Scorpan replied, his emotion rising. “With the power of friendship, we could have had anything we ever wanted!”

“We would have been reliant on them!” Tirek wheezed. “I would rather rot in this underworld forever than live in a world where others are the source of my strength!”

Scorpan knelt so he was on the same level as Tirek. “And where is your strength now?”

Tirek heaved for breath as his anger rose. Sparks ignited between his horns as he grit his teeth, but that simple action made him pale and lean on the bars of his cell, gasping just to stay conscious. Scorpan waited as he tried to speak.

“You… were always like this…”

“I know,” Scorpan said.

“Mooching off others… trying to be strong… because you had no strength inside yourself! You’re… scum! You… you…”

Scorpan reached for his cell bars and grazed his hand with his fingers. “I once thought so too.”

Tirek scoffed and withdrew his hand from the bars, making him wobble. “Don’t touch me!”

“Your hand… it was cold,” Scorpan observed, concern creeping into his words.

“What does it matter?!” Tirek spat, rubbing his palms together.

Scorpan paused. He closed his eyes while clenching his fist. “I once thought the same as you did. That I’m nothing without you. But… I was blinded by my admiration. And it was only recently when I found out that’s not my path to go on.” He opened his eyes again, full of honesty and compassion for his brother. “I do have my own will. I have my strength. And I don’t have to rely on you.”

Tirek, after listening, grimaced. “That explains why you had no problem turning me over to the princesses.”

“You’re wrong,” Scorpan insisted. “It was the hardest thing I had ever done. Even as a monster, you mean so much to me."

"Monster?" Tirek croaked, incredulous. "I'll gladly take on that role the ponies give me. You sided with those sheep. You betrayed me!"

"I loved you, Tirek!" Scorpan exclaimed. "Who's the real traitor? No matter how much I admire you, I can't follow you on the path of self-destruction."

"You're nothing without me!" Tirek hissed, gripping the cold bars of his cage so hard his thin veins bulged against his tight skin. "You'll be forgotten! Ruined! It's what you deserve!"

Scorpan clasped Tirek's biting-cold hand with his own to keep it warm. "I'm fine with that."

Tirek's hand thrashed under Scorpan's, doing his best to tug it out. Scorpan felt pity for the monster. Regret, loss, and unattained dreams. He couldn't just leave him alone.

"Tirek," Scorpan whispered. "I'm… sorry. Not for what I had to do, but… for not seeing who you became."

"Don't use that tone for me!" Tirek wheezed, ripping his arm free and balling his fists. "I didn't ask for your pity! I didn't ask for your forgiveness!"

Scorpan couldn't look him in the eye. "You don't deserve it, either."

He took off the amulet of his father's kingdom from his neck. "I want you to have this. Remember me, and why I had to leave you."

"I don't want anything you have to offer me!" Tirek spat. "Especially anything my father gave you!"

"I don't care if you want it or not," Scorpan refuted. "Your pride has cut you off from accepting anything. Love. Help. Respect. And defeat. Try to think about why I did this, not the fact that it happened. Then I might think about telling Celestia to let you go."

Tirek snarled and shook the bars, looking feral. "You dare to think you're more righteous than me?! I won't live in a world where you're greater than I am!"

Scorpan finally gave him a cold, hard look. "Then die."

He tossed the amulet into his cage. "That'll keep you warm. I hope you understand someday."

"I HATE YOU!" Tirek roared gutturally all of a sudden, squirming like a worm and pounding on the bars, growling and crying like a tortured animal. "I WILL RUIN YOU!"

Scorpan, who had turned around and was beginning to walk away, spared one final glance over his shoulder at the wreck of a creature trapped in iron.

"You were my brother, Tirek." His eyes were dry, but they were empty of any joy. "I loved you. But I could not save you."

A blue portal swirled out of nowhere, and Scorpan faced forward and didn't look back as he exited Tartarus.

He heard Tirek's cry. But it was a cry of rage.

Author's Note:

I wrote this for the Horse Word Extravaganza contest. I hope it stands enough well on its own. This is not related in any way to my other Tirek and Scorpan story, Brotherhood and Betrayal.

Comments ( 11 )

“I would rather rot in this underworld forever than live in a world where others are the source of my strength!”

Says the magic thief.

That's the greatest irony here. Tirek ended up more dependent on others than Scorpan ever was. There's barely any substance left to him on his own. Very nice addendum. Again, best of luck in the judging.

10038677
Thanks for the comments and the observations. I'm glad to see you love it.

Man, the ending part of it reminded me of Obi Wen Kenobi talking to Anakin Skywalker, telling him how much he cared and loved him but he couldn't save him from the dark side. I hope you will do great in the Horse Word Extravaganza contest!

10040592
It was kind of obvious, wasn't it?

There's some delicious irony in here, and it's great to see hints of how Scorpan's codependent attitude did give way to strength of character. I'll have to check out another story by you when I can.

10040845
Thanks for taking a look! My earlier work is a bit weaker, but what the heck, everyone's work is weakest when they start out. I hope you enjoy what I have to offer, Ice Star.

10040895
Huh, I suppose it can be. Most of my best stories are my earlier works, but I suppose everyone is different.

I’ve added a few to my reading shelf, and I’ll be sure to leave a comment.

10040915
Thank you for that. I'm always happy to see new readers and new comments. It makes my day seeing someone happy because of the work I did.

Oh. Ohhh. This whole story is painfully good.

Scorpan’s heart ached. “Your pain,” the gargoyle whispered. “If you’ll allow it.”

“You’re wrong,” Scorpan insisted. “It was the hardest thing I had ever done. Even as a monster, you mean so much to me."

Wish I had family who'd say that. Tirek doesn't realize how lucky he is; shame on him.

Breaking heart aside, this was a lovely read. Well-written, with some powerful, powerful lines. Beautiful!

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