I love you!
“T-Tirek?”
The named centaur froze in his stride. Anger and fear boiling inside him, he slowly turned to find him hovering there, wide-eyed, inquisitive, scared. Scorpan was always like this, but he had been avoiding Tirek since the destruction of his master Sendak’s cave. Tirek had been punished by his father, King Vorak, but Scorpan hadn’t even tried to show any affection to him in those dark times. But he was paying enough attention to his comings and goings to follow him out into the wilderness like this?!
They were still within view of their father’s black tower, which made Tirek feel like his accursed father’s eye was upon him. Especially since Scorpan was there as well, looking scared for him. Like he needed protection.
“Y-you don’t have anywhere to go if you escape, Tirek. Besides, you were confined to your quarters. You shouldn’t be out here-”
“Quiet, Scorpan,” Tirek snapped, and the hovering brown gargoyle gulped and shut his trap. Tirek huffed. “This doesn’t concern you, brother. Go back to mommy and tell her I’m missing again. That’s what you’re best at, isn’t it?”
As he started to walk away again, he heard Scorpan take a deep breath and quiver out, “No.”
Tirek paused again and looked back at his younger brother. He looked firm this time, doing his best to keep up a facade of strength. And that incensed Tirek to no end. His face turned even redder than it usually was. Only now does he think of offering any resistance to him?! All this time, when he dogged his trail to Sendak’s cave every week, Scorpan had done nothing.
“Sorry, dear brother mine. I must have had some sand in my ear. What did you say?!”
“I… said… no.”
Tirek bared his teeth. “Go away! This isn’t some excursion to the Nether Lands that you can tail me all the way to. I’m...”
Tirek looked to the distance. His master had been on the verge of a great advancement. And Tirek wasn’t a part of it. But now… he would claim it all. He didn't care if Scorpan heard. There was nothing he could do.
“...I’m going to Equestria.”
“What? Tirek, you can’t! Ambition like this will lead you to your doom! You can’t overtake all of Equestria on your own like this!”
“Oh, so you think I’m not capable of doing that?”
“I don’t want to see you fail, Tirek. You already lost the kingdom. Vorak counseled me in private and told me I was to inherit the land instead of you. You’ve been reckless for a while now. You’ve fallen so low, Tirek! I don’t want you to lose even more.”
“I have nothing to lose,” Tirek growled. “And I don’t care about the kingdom! My dear father rules a barren wasteland. Take the kingdom, for all I care.”
“I don’t care about the kingdom either,” Scorpan whispered, tapping his fingers together. “I care about you.”
Tirek, temporarily stunned, lifted an eyebrow.
“You… mean everything to me, Tirek. You’re the only brother I have. No matter how many times you got into trouble for visiting the Nether Lands, I still loved you. You’re my hero.”
Tirek shook his head. “Go back to the castle.”
“You kept your head up at all times. You were everything I needed. Confidence. Power. Independence. You sought out your own path. Even if it was wrong! You could forge your destiny, even if it ruins you! And that’s why I wanted to keep you from danger! I love-!”
“Because you thought I was wrong?” Tirek snapped, jabbing a finger in his younger brother’s face. “Who are you to decide what’s right for me?!”
“Don’t you get it?” Scorpan pleaded. “I wanted to be just like you!”
“You could never be like me.”
“I don’t care!”
Tirek growled and lunged, and with a heavy punch Scorpan was knocked to the dusty earth. Tirek loomed over Scorpan, who was immediately struggling to rise. “You won’t ever become like me!”
“I… know that!” Scorpan coughed, flapping his wings weakly to flap up into the air. “But I won’t stay down forever, either! You taught me that as well!”
“I never wanted you hovering over my shoulder!” Tirek bellowed, swatting Scorpan aside, and Scorpan went tumbling again. “You were always there, trying to dissuade me, when you could have been up in the castle feasting and ruling to your little heart’s content! I didn’t need you!”
As Tirek turned away from his brother’s body in the dust, he heard him whisper, “But I… needed you.”
Tirek flicked his ear curiously. “You were always weak.”
He heard Scorpan rise again from the dust once again. “I don’t want to see you die... “
“Because it means you’ll be left helpless?” Tirek assumed.
“Yes.”
Tirek groaned. “Nothing’s going to stop you from following me all the way to ponyland, is it?”
“I’ll do anything if it means you’ll be okay. I’ll help you out, if you really want me to.”
“What can you do?”
“I…” Scorpan thought for a moment before he stammered out, “I-I-I could find victims. Lure unicorns to a remote place, and you take their magic.”
Tirek nodded. That could work, if Scorpan wasn’t a failure about it. “Why do I need you specifically?”
“Because if not, I’ll alert the princesses to your activities.”
Tirek felt something freeze inside him. His parents were one thing, but the alicorn princesses were another entirely. The princesses of Equestria were renowned for their mythical, magical powers. Even Tirek was unsure if he would be able to take their magic. “You wouldn’t.”
Scorpan looked nervous and fiddled with his thumbs as he looked at the ground. Tirek could see through his ruse. He knew he wouldn’t betray him. Scorpan was too much of a follower for that. On the other hand, Scorpan was also too much of a suckup to authority. He’d be split apart if it came to that. And… for some odd reason… Tirek couldn’t stand the thought of him broken like that.
Nevertheless, Tirek still held defiant. “Am I really supposed to believe that brotherly love is the only motivation at play here, dear brother?”
“Weren’t you listening? I don’t care about power. You’re the one that wants it. I care about you. As long as you get a happy ending, that’ll… make me happy, too.”
Scorpan was no liar. His heart was too pure for that. Tirek could see he was as sincere as ever, just like when he wanted to keep Tirek safe.
Tirek wanted to change that. He didn’t want Scorpan near him anymore. So he would do something counterintuitive--take him in under his wing, but teach him how to be selfish and narcissistic. Then, finally, he would be rid of the burden called Scorpan.
“Oh, brother. What was I thinking?”
Scorpan looked up. “Huh?”
“All this time, you were looking up to me. I must have been blind not to see that. You could indeed be a great brother to me.” He gave a wave over his shoulder, into the sunset. “Come with me. I’ll tell you all of Sendak’s teachings. Let’s give you something to be proud of on our way to Equestria.”
“B-but I don’t want power-”
“Oh, come on, didn’t you want to follow in my hoofsteps?” Tirek slung an arm around Scorpan’s shoulders. “You need power for that.”
“I… suppose…”
“Then off to Equestria we go, brother,” Tirek said enthusiastically. As they began to walk on the path, though, something smoldered in his twisted heart. Disgust of Scorpan was part of it, but most of it was ambition. He had been denied of his father’s love, and his master’s magic, and his rightful kingdom. All because he wanted more and more power to influence his own path. And now he would prove them all wrong.