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Blood Ties Chapter II: Tirek

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Gleaming, as enrapturing as lethal. Flare succeeded by darkness; the sun settles in the firmament, while the moon slowly manifests its beauty. Your presence in this realm is always welcomed, Scorpan.

I feel the heaviness over my shoulders, the weight of the provisions I have acquired. I consumed most of them during my haul, but I have not wasted the least bit of them. I can´t afford it.
I stand before the cave entrance; my feet claiming with pain after the little rest I offered them in the last hours. My wing´s state is not any better; they were the first ones to succumb to exhaustion. But here I am, finally, at home. At least what I can call “home”. Mother and Father used to tell us that wherever you feel loved can be refuge from penury. This great, vacuous, fetid cave is anything but snug, but I still dare to qualify it as a home. Thanks to the company.
I am about to step forward, yet I can´t help but hesitate. A month has passed since I left it, under my brother´s command, and now that I am back the culpability flourishes once more. There is no reason why I should permit guiltiness to haunt me; I have not committed any crime yet.

You pathetic liar.

I destroyed my true home, the place that saw me grow. They were weak, they were not deservers of the magic they possessed, and the natural order stipulated that it must belong to whoever is worth it. At least that is what I used to think. Nowadays… I don´t know what to believe in.

Tirek will kill me. He will savagely beat me until the last thread of life has abandoned my body. It wouldn’t be the first time he does something like that. And in my case it wouldn´t either.
But he has shown to consider me his equal, somebody who he can rely on, unlike our very own parents. Perhaps I can gain his consent.

I take a deep breath and walk inside the cave. The first thing that inexorably impacts against me is the stench that it houses. I had almost forgotten how it was like. The putrescence of a thousand corpses is what I can associate it with. I am likely to be right.
I advance thought the profuse chambers formed after years of erosion. Some rats, two judging their shrieks, run away from my path. The floor sloshes once in a while. I doubt that what I am stepping onto is water. The darkness is omnipresent, not even allowing the faintest glimmer of light to pierce the shadows.

Unnatural obscurity from where she observes us. She is here; this realm belongs to her. But I am stronger.

Fortunately, my sense of smell is as sagacious as any predator´s, and a period of one mere month can´t erase what years have outlined. Tirek´s odor is unmistakable, even in the most impious darkness. The perfect guide for an adrift traveler. I follow its instructions, with my hands always in front of me ensuring a safe walking. I palpate the irregular stone walls, sensing each one of their cavities and fissures. I feel the touch of something creeping by my hands, something with many legs. I grab it, squeeze it and devour it without any tact. Why should I have it? Besides; its flavor is worth it.

I turn in a corner, feeling how the space between the walls shrinks. I contort trying to fit in the diminutive area. Some fragments of stone detach with my advance. However I can do it without any major tribulation. Now I notice my eyes have been closed during my paces. With this ominous obscurity it is difficult to discern such a trivial fact.

It is not trivial at all, though. In the very instant my eyelids separate I am able to see what I had yearned for since I entered the cavern. The precious light radiates in a fine line in the distance, a shortening distance with every second that goes by. I remember it perfectly. The chamber in which we had settled had numerous entries, and this is one of them. After all this time, I am finally going to see him. I am…

A Traitor.

My heart shivers, as a chill descends from my nape to my tail. My feet become one with the cave and assimilate a rocky state. Solid, ferrous, they do not respond to my commands.

“Tirek is your brother” I think. “He loves you, as much as you love him, and despite what it may look like, he is not a mindless brute. He will attend to reason.”

Once this is said, I feel a feeble fortitude that urges me to move on. I regain the conviction I had lost and reach my destination.

Oneiric illusions, a limpid mantle behind which she is occulting. We are not alone.

The sunbeams bath my grimy visage in the moment it abandons the narrows of the path which took me here.  I introduce the rest of my body through the fissure and feel the sentiment of liberation that comes with it. I open my arms and stretch myself, filling my lungs with the fresh air that enters by the humongous hole of the ceiling of this section of the mountain. At least here the stink is innocuous.

The zephyr caresses my bushy coat, transmitting the heat of the summer. I look up through the aperture of the ceiling and contemplate the sky, conserving its violet tone. Discord´s influence upon Equestria has not been purged yet, but the damage he caused should be repaired in a matter of weeks, days being optimistic. I direct my sight below and analyze my surroundings. Everything is similar to what I remembered, though the fact that this cave has hosted someone can be easily perceived.

I advance thought the lounge cautiously, looking for my brother. There is no other place where he might be, especially if he is expecting me to arrive early, as we had agreed in the moment of my departure. One side of me, however, finds rejoice in his absence knowing the task I have self-imposed. But fortunately, it is a soft voice which can barely exert any influence on me.

I locate the rudimentary beds we composed with leaves, straw and small branches. Almost unconsciously I crumple upon it, act which is followed by the immediate gratitude of my inferior appendages. I let escape a sigh of relief as I sink in the itchy material. My eyelids feel the temptation of closing, and that force is a formidable foe.

A dead warrior is unable to die again.

“You are truly incorrigible, Scorpan”

Proclaims a deep voice of undetermined origin. It echoes across the sheers walls, resonating in every corner of the complex ramification of tunnels.

I can hardly hide my surprise when that statement reaches my ears. Suddenly, all the lethargy I was beset by dissipates. I react as a string and straighten from the bed. Still sat upon its unpleasant surface I turn my head anxiously seeking for who has talked. Finally, our eyes meet.

He stands before me, with a corpulence that has intimidated all kind of creatures, our parents included. His crimson skin is dotted by the sunlight that enters through the ceiling, yet this only confers it an even more fearsome appearance. The mop of black hair that wildly extends by his body has increased since the last time we saw each other. A side effect of isolation, I presume. It is tousled and tarnished by the grime of the cave. His two horns adopt a curvature at the three quarters of their length, resembling to a devil like those of ancient tales. Grant him some centuries and Tirek will be able to figurate among them. His eyes confirm this. Composed of the purest blackness and solely importuned by two yellow dots. And they are being directed onto me.
I irretrievably feel how dread ascends by my dorsal spine, pounding on every vertebra.

“After returning from what probably is the most arduous moment of our mission, after a month of uncertainly fearing for you, consumed by the constant sentiment of culpability by not having offered myself to serve this commitment, this is what I am offered in exchange? A quiet, scornful entrance?”

He loved you, and you betrayed him.

My composure languishes with every syllable of despise. Abruptly I feel like a kid being reprimanded by his older brother, as he accustomed to do. It would strengthen my character, he used to say. In this moment I fear his lectures have fallen into oblivion.

I get up hobbling, without breaking the visual contact. My hands join in a gesture of bitter culpability. I look to the ground with grief in my movement.

“I am sorry, brother, I truly am. Please, forgive me for my disrespect” I achieve to shamefully mutter.

Under any other circumstances I would not feel this way after affronting Tirek, but knowing what I am about to reveal to him… This is only a premise of how he will sense.

I feel the touch of his sturdy hand grasping my arm. It produces me a dull pain, but I know that if he were truly furious he would have broken it, thus I feel relief. Right after he pulls from it dragging me in front of him. His other arm closes surrounding me while his hand descends to my forearm and closes trapping my hand.  

“I have missed you, Scorpan, I really have.” There is no reproach, disdain or petulance in his words. His statement is sincere.

My left hand lies upon his shoulder.

“So have I, Tirek.”

“However, and despite the joy that brings your arrival, we have other issues to discuss.” He promptly says. I limit to nod.

We split and he initiates his way with me behind. I don´t even know where he is heading to, but old habits are difficult to forget.

“Patience is a virtue, brother, and both of us are aware of this fact.” He suddenly says. “A month of inactivity has been a torture, but finally the time to act has come. The wise warrior does not charge in battle blindly; that has cost numerous defeats to foolish fighters through history. Learning the weaknesses and strengths of your adversaries is fundamental. Only after that, victory can be ensured.”

“I couldn´t agree more.” I convene.

Tirek is right; he hardly ever errs. Home was an easy conquest since we had had an entire life to become familiar with it. In an unknown reign, whose rulers and inhabitants hide in the mist of our own ignorance, it is certainly different.

“What have you been doing during my absence?” I ask.

“Given that I could not consort a proper strategy without knowing the field, nothing much. I´ve spent the last days gathering aliment and observing our surroundings. I have as well overseen your activities, and knowing that you have not consumed the least fleck of magic was reassuring.”

“When I am commanded something, I fulfill it. I thought you knew me better.”

“I never said I distrusted you. Simply, I interpreted that lack of activity as a sign of welfare.”
He sentences, no emotion in his voice to be perceived. I shiver when I hear that tone.

He continues his path until reaching the center of the chamber. From the gap between his horns an incandescent orange sphere is born, similar to a tiny sun. A shine which shares the same characteristics materializes upon the cracked ground, illuminating every corner of the room, just like his scream did before. Tirek solely knows the significance of subtlety when it is indispensable; if not he never doubts in exhibiting his might. Sometimes I have the hunch that it is meant to be a reminder to every creature, perhaps even to himself, of how powerful he is. I can assure I´ve never forgotten.

Once the sparkling brilliance has dissipated I can see what it has conceived. A rudimentary wooden table has appeared before us, with two glass cups of wine onto it. An amphora, extremely similar to those we used to utilize at home, lies between them. Two large thrones are placed on the extremes of the table, with little distance between them.

As I´ve said, Tirek does not know the meaning of subtlety.

He occupies the greatest chair of both and accommodates to it. His four legs easily adapt this new position, much to his relief. This seat reminds me to the same our parent occupied at home, before their overthrow in our hands. Without uttering the least word, I follow his example and sat down in the other chair. The straw has no comparison with this. I sink the conformity of the throne while my hands find support on the armrests. I had always wondered how sitting upon Father´s throne would feel like, and I had the chance to discover it a few years ago.

Tirek takes the amphora and meekly serves the wine onto both cups. Then, he takes his and tastes it. I grab mine, but I do not drink from it yet.

“Enough talking about how glad we are to see each other. I consider that topic to be already exploited. Now…”

“You want me to explain you what information I´ve obtained, right?” I say before he can finish. He does not seem disturbed by this interruption.

“Evidently” Tirek answers, leaning back in his chair.

“Alright” I cough before commencing.
“For that I´ve seen, and you surely have as well, this kingdom is still weak after their last conflict. I suppose that when you fight a demented god who pays the worst part is the land itself. Even though three months have passed ever since, (according to the newly established calendar), his influence has not been completely purged from Equestria. Once in a while the gravity laws tend to be revoked, some creatures change of size, among other examples. Given that the course of days and nights was altered, and the madness that was imbued to the citizens, nopony can be certain of for how long Discord reigned. The last traces of his magic have deeply affected the grounds and the weather. Ponies can barely cultivate in most terrains, and they are forced to subsist on the commerce with neighbor reigns and the little food they can grow. One place called “Everfree” appears to have overcome these penuries and, according to most ponies I asked, it has always been independent from the rest of Equestria. Yet however, the creatures it hosts are too fierce and dangerous to even considering colonizing it. Most edifices have been lost by diverse motives, from natural disasters to reasons as bizarre as simply taking off and being lost in Equestria´s sky. Ponies are trying to locate and reposition these buildings, although quite unsuccessfully. The same can be applied to the search of ponies on the loose, still under Discord´s influence or how ponies here name it; “discorded”. Due to the magnitude of the tribulations they are standing up against, the three races have stepped aside their differences and joint forces to save their home.”

My exposition is suddenly interrupted by Tirek´s chuckles. He barely tries to hide it.

“Perfect, simply perfect. Their land is weak; dying. Fortunately, we are not interested in the terrain, are we? Now, go to the main point. What kind of magic can we extract from them?”
“I obtained information from the most reliable source possible. I befriended the official wizard of the Royal Court, who proved to be quite illuminating.”

“Befriended?” Tirek asks, ominously.

“I had to earn their trust, don´t you remember?” I sentence, cutting. I am not lying, nor telling the truth. It is better this way.

“Sagacious move.” He responds, though I can´t perceive admiration or approval in his tone. He is wary, yet not paranoid. However, I can discern his distrust for me.

“Well, in any case, he taught me much about how magic works in Equestria. Apparently, there are three different races, principally characterized by the amount of magic each one possesses. The one with the most prominent magical abilities is the unicorn kind. Their horns permit them to cast innumerable spells: summoning, attacking, levitation, even time travel. They are certainly a powerful group. However, each individual specializes in one single field. According to my friend, there are unicorns who tailor clothing, who manipulate time, who compose melodies, etc. Only a few fortunate ones can master the sole concept of magic, among them my friend. Pegasi are the second group. Their inimitable ability to fly is their strength. According to my benefactor, they possess a specific type of magic that allows them to manipulate weather with their own hooves, although this capability can be imitated by unicorn magic. Their flight is fundamental for Equestria´s survival due to the responsibility of determinate the rains and thus of the vegetal life. Finally there are earth ponies, whose abilities appear to be the feeblest of all in what concerns to magic. Their talent is mainly directed to tending the land and inferior creatures. However, they seem to possess certain ability to control the earth and what it can conceive.”

Tirek drinks from his cup and exhales a sigh of satisfaction. I approach the wine to my lips and taste it, much to my throat´s relief.

“Thus Equestria requires the care of all its inhabitants in order to survive… Such a shame we won´t be so convivial with it.” Tirek says dreamily.

My wine chokes in my throat and I have to cough in order to expel it.

“Are you alright, brother?” Tirek inquires, genuinely worried.

“Perfectly, perfectly” I respond dismissively, still struggling with my coughs.

You liar. That is all you know to do. Is that why you are here? Because you regret this moment? Is that the reason why you force yourself every night into watching this?

“Then continue” He says patiently.

“There is hardly much more to tell, I fear. Although, on second thought there is one more thing. Equestria has witnessed the rise of a fourth race, albeit its scarcity has conferred it a status of legend.”
Tirek arches his eyebrow with curiosity.
“They are called Alicorns. The main feature that characterizes them is the fact that they dispose of wings and horns alike. Apparently, they possess not only the magic of the three races, but their own particular kind of magic. One of the most instable forces of this planet; almost incommensurable. With it they dictate the course of days and night, raising both the moon and the sun every day. The unicorn I talked to, who personally knew them, explained that their magic equated to the entire land´s current population, nonetheless.”

Tirek primps his beard introspectively, with a blank expression on his countenance. However, for me it is perfectly legible. He is musing about an unexpected impediment. He always acts with resolution, as long as everything goes according to his plans, that is. When some kind of tribulation truncates his strategy he can only react in two ways; redesigning it, or else finally losing control over himself. Fortunately, his serenity has imposed.

“How many of these… Alicorns can they rely on?” Tirek inquires calmly, though I can perceive the inner battle within him against his own rage. If the answer displeases him…

“There are only two known Alicorns in Equestria. The same ones who stood up against Discord and accomplished victory. After that they assumed the throne.” I respond masking my dread.

Tirek slightly shivers after hearing that. He arches in his sit and relies both of his hands over the table. His medallion; the one I gifted him with, wobbles due to his abrupt change of position. Then joins his hands, crossing his fingers, and approaches his head to the just formed pose. He sighs and closes his eyes for a second before reopening them again. In his new glance I can perceive the determination they irradiate. Literally.

“Discord was an admirable adversary. Not even we were capable of stealing his magic. Fighting him would have been a poor and imprudent action, to say the least. Suicidal, more appropriately. However, I bet that with all the might this reign contains we can stand a chance against both of them.”

Suddenly, an audacious idea comes to my mind, a vile thought that if given a correct use could save the lives of millions. Because, how could I explain him that I´ve grown fond with this creatures? How could I express what they make me feel every time I see them working together in harmony, sharing their love for each other? Displays of unprecedented goodness, unselfishness, allegiance, integrity, joy and… that one sentiment impossible to describe with mere words. I have contemplated them; I have learned to appreciate them. They have shown me the true innocence and happiness of their lives. And the only one who has ever truly understood me, the last of my kind, the sole creature in this world who doesn´t repudiate me, is seeking their destruction.

Tirek would never agree to abandon our cause and return home. I don´t want to go home either. My only desire is being with him, wherever we go, but without harming anyone else. I am so tired of the smell, sight and touch of death…

Tirek takes the cup of wine decided to consume the scarce liquid it still remains.

“Tirek…” I say. I immediately perceive the trembling of my voice and use all my strength to soothe it. “Are you sure about this? Discord was… godlike. A creature of unmatched might. We both are aware of the rumors that surmised that he was part of the Celestials before his banishment. And they defeated him. I… I don´t truly believe that we can find victory in a confrontation with the Royal Sisters”.

During the only second that precedes his response I can discern how the factions of his visage contract due to the surprise.

“What?!” He exclaims with his thunderous voice. The entire cave quakes with fear.

“I am saying that we should not underestimate them. It´s basic logic, brother. If we both were incapable of defeating Discord, and they beat him in battle, what chances do we stand for against them?” I respond, as calmly as I can.

“Is it fear what I am hearing, Scorpan?” He questions. Tirek clenches the glass driven by his sudden fury. Incapable of bearing the might of his hand, it explodes in a million shatters. Fragments of crystal scatter by the chamber oscillating as they cut the air. When they impact against the wooden surface of the table I can see the blood they are impregnated with, yet no wounds are seen in Tirek´s palm.

Right now, our discussion is in a precarious equilibrium, and one more gust will be enough to plunge it into the dark void. Once it has fallen, I can´t ensure the integrity of any of us. I must select my following words with meticulous care.

“Not exactly. I am simply exposing my concern about this quest. Perhaps it overpowers us.” Only after pronouncing those words I notice my hesitation before answering. You idiot. I pray he has not perceived the slight doubt that preceded my explanation. But is there is one feature we share, is our perspicacity.

“What are you hiding, Scorpan? What intentions are you truly occulting?” His fury increases as the flames of an uncontrolled fire. His hands close around the borders of the table, slowly breaking it. I can hear the crunch of the wood as he maintains that position.

You are weak, Scorpan, in every sense. You could not deceive your brother, you could not stick with him, and you could not rescue him. You are not even deserver of breathing the same air he does.

“I am not hiding anything, Tirek, I swear. I…” My voice slowly dies. I deeply sigh and resume. “You are right, I am scared.” This is not completely a lie.

“Scared? Scared?! Dread is not what has brought us here, Scorpan. I never discerned any terror in you when we decided to crusade for power. I know you better than what you believe, brother. And I can distinguish your half-truths. Stop trying to trick me; your silver tongue never worked on me!”
Tirek bellows, revealing the monster he has only shown to our foes. Abruptly he gets up, flipping the table. When it impacts against the floor it is broken in half, yet still attached together. The amphora smashes against the floor, scattering the wine as if it were blood across the ground. Its destruction is followed by my glass, mockingly parodying a death.

Tirek takes the table by two of it legs, raises it above his head without the feeblest effort, and crashes it against the one of the walls, reducing it to a jumble of splinters, amputated wooden limbs and cracked boards. He stands contemplating the fruit of his unleashed wrath exhaling profound and choleric gasps, emanating smoke from his snout. His muscles are extremely tense; his veins palpitating.

He turns his head to me, making me sense the scorching heat radiating from his eyes. The creature which stands before me is an untamed beast, preparing to pounce over his prey without the least reticence, solely yearning for tasting its blood.

However, I am not a mere prey, I´ve never been. We both are hunters, despite what he might believe. Yet, in this instant, I am being consumed by a weakness which has left me simply helpless; even if he tried to fight back my own body would refuse. As if this were a nightmare.

Weak, both in mind and body. I almost feel pity for you.

His arm stretches towards me and suddenly my throat is confined inside his ferrous grasp. Reflectively my hands hold his enormous arm. My claws sink under his skin, but he barely reacts. I can feel his blood flowing from the wounds, how it slowly slips by his arm and eventually runs by mine. Not a groan, not a grimace, not even the slightest display of pain.

He slowly lifts me while I kick futilely, struggling to liberate from his grip. He approaches my face towards his, so closely I can feel his heavy and heat breath. His penetrating eyes scrutinize my visage, in search of something. I can sense my cold sweat advancing through my forehead and temples in wide drops. Until he finally talks.

“If you pronounce any other lie I swear you will experience by firsthand how strong I can truly be.” Tirek says with a particularly serene fury.

“I… I don´t want you to be harmed” I manage to say despite the strength he is exerting upon my throat.

His lips contract, revealing a line of white and sharp teeth. His eyelids slightly fall, composing a frown. It all happens in a brief second, before I am launched against the stone wall.

The impact is as harsh as I expected. The scarps of the cave only increase the pain as they sink in my back. I can perfectly discern the sound of a vertebra cracking. I am not worried about it; it will soon heal. As long as Tirek allows so.

The contact with the walls is brief yet intense. My mistreated body falls and hits the inexorable ground. My head reposes upon it and is actually grateful for that momentary pause. I don´t even attempt to get up; Tirek will be by my side before I can do it.

My thoughts are confirmed when I hear his resounding steps rising louder with each passing second. The walls themselves tremble with his advance, professing a perfectly comprehensible fear. Some fragments of stone detach from the ceiling and hit the ground reducing to smaller versions of themselves. That is what I can tell from the sounds I perceive, at least. My eyes are closed, but they discern the alteration of light when his shadow eclipses the sunbeams that comforted me with their warm touch. I find irony in the way he intends to block the Sun, but this is nothing but a febrile thought. I can barely raise my head nor separate my eyelids, yet somehow I gather the will to do so.

The first and only thing I can glimpse is the vision of his eyes, and once more I have to find the strength to look at him. Gradually, my sight returns, much to my dismay. His harsh countenance shrinks my heart.

He has you where he always thought you should be; beneath him.

However, in this dreadful beast, under that disdain and hatred I can still espy my brother.
I painfully cough with a growing smile on my face.

“I didn´t think… that proving your strength was necessary. That… poor table was a great example.”
I emit a brittle guffaw which only obliges my ribs to remind me my current and pitiful state.

Is that what I see in Tirek´s lips a grin? Perhaps the beginning of one. Whether it was or not, it has dissipated as rapidly as it appeared. I contemplate him with all the dignity I remain after being brutally beaten and aggrieved, though he had a reason to do so. Still, it is little but more than what Tirek apparently expected.

My conjectures are crudely interrupted as I feel my defenseless body ascending. I raise my head weakly to encounter his direct glare once again. His rage reverberates in each corner, as a pernicious aura composed by the purest wrath. My arms hang languidly, oscillating following a discordant pace. The taste of my own blood inundates my mouth, but that is the least of my worries. Tirek squeezes the metallic press that his hands are upon my shoulders, yet they are too numb to even notice this. If I have realized it is due to the way his arm´s skin is tautening. He pants once more with growing impatience and inquires again:

“What are you occulting, Scorpan?”

Though expected, the question is as painful as the first time. I am aware of what he is capable of; I know what he will do after an undesired response. How is it possible than both the truth and the lie will provoke the same denouement? I acridly gulp and sigh. His penetrating glare does not hesitate, and I am incapable of continue this visual battle. Almost involuntarily my head descends afflicted by the grief of knowing my irrevocable fate.

Stubbornness will enrage him, the sincerity of betrayal will conduct me to the same morbid ending, and I refuse to retract and risk living without honor or worse, dying lacking it. The figure of Father extols before me, originating from an indulgent imagining. At first it appears to be product of my slipping sanity, but he gradually becomes more and more lucid, until he is finally here.
Daddy will not protect you, Scorpan. Noting can impede what has been sealed by the pass of time.
Father holds my chin tenderly and raises it so that I can look him in the eyes. I am not worthy of looking at him, but he appears to ignore this prodigious fact.

“Your brother believes you to be a traitor, and he repudiates you for it. Apparently he has forgotten about us; our influence has fallen into oblivion for him. Yet you are strong, Scorpan. Your will is mighty, more than what he could ever cerebrate. Guide him to expiate his sins, help him to mend his mistakes. He will attend to reason.”

Such a deceiver. The same precise image of his scion.

With the same quietude and peace he materialized, his silhouette attenuates before fading into nothingness.

I look back at Tirek, still holding me as a broken doll. His expression has not altered at all; solemn, grave and expectant. Has he perceived our visitor´s presence? All the facts point out that the response to such imbecile question is a cutting “no”. I diminish importance to this idea with excessive ease, and venture to once and for all give him the answer he last desires to hear.

“I don´t want to harm them.” I mutter, weakened by the heaviness of those words and not by the persistent physical pain which refuses to abandon me.

Tirek´s face composes an expression of skepticism, before returning to its former state of placid wrath.

“Them?” He drily says grinding his teeth.

“The legitimate owners of this land. They… they do not deserve this.” My grief strengthens with every spoken syllable.  

Before I can realize, my back impacts once more against the ground, though much more gently than in my previous charge against the wall.

I erect in the floor and straighten upon my knees. Slowly, I place one foot onto it and crutch in order to finally stand up with a worn vigor and a decayed pride.

Tirek directs me one more glare, which dirks my flesh as a sharp dagger. However, my tenacity is able to combat him.

“Legitimate owners of this land…” He ominously mutters evading my eyes. It is not fear what I can discern in his vacuous expression, but a portentous indignation.

“Exactly.” I limit to respond, no emotion in my voice to be heard.

Tirek bitterly chuckles.

“They are ponies, Scorpan. They are mere mortal insignificant weak-minded ponies!” He burst out so abruptly that I instinctively recoil. Our very environment reacts with fright before his growing rage. I fear him too, but I cannot desist, not even if I wanted to.

“What have they done to you, brother? You were as disposed as I to treat them as they deserved. How could you possibly succumb to their crude ruses?!”

“I did not succumb to anything. They did not deceive me, nor tricked me into believing what they do. They solely exposed me another sight of the world; their world.” I answer abruptly. Tirek senses this as if I had spit him in his face.

“Oh, but you have. When did this benevolence for the lives of inferior creatures proliferate in you? In what moment did you begin to forget who you are?” Instead of talking, he is distilling corrosive venom that is already beginning to burn my flesh.

“I never forgot who I am. And it is truly insulting that you think so.”

“I know so!” He exclaims, trampling one single time with his mighty leg. The walls resound, detaching several pebbles from the sheer ceiling. For one second I dread that the entire structure will crumble and bury us alive. That wouldn´t kill us, of course, though it would be quite inconvenient.

“Your lack of ambition was always pronounced; you would never allow your full potential to flourish because of your weakness. Do you think I was never able to discern the compassion you showed towards our foes? I have barely impregnated my hands with blood solely to satisfy your puerile caprices. But what I would have never expected from you was such vile act as betrayal. I cannot say I am disappointed, however. To be disappointed you must have faith in someone first.”

He could have continued hitting me during hours until his knuckles bled. He could have broken my limbs, tear them apart. He could have ripped my heart off and showed it to me still palpitating. He could have committed unspeakable tortures, expose me to the greatest conceivable pain, but it all would pale in comparison to the use of the precise words in the correct order.

I feel how the lump of my throat tightens while my mouth dries. My tremulous hands turn into fists as I sense the impotence creeping like a snake, wrapping my body, twisting and usurping the control of my body.

So, so weak; you sicken me.

“You chose me over our home. You served me tamely, with honor and professing me the same respect I professed you. In equality and without an insulting hierarchy. And now, after all we have gone through, you do this?!” Tirek resumes, with a voice in which disdain, hatred and sadness coexist in perfect harmony.

Once again, I am invaded by a sentiment of agonic enervation. If he does not shut up I will crumble like a castle of cards. What is talking to me is not a beast anymore, but my brother, the last being who can still proclaim to love me. And now… I am broken by the devastation led by his words. If he vanishes, everything will be lost for me. There will be nothing left. Perhaps the ponies could embrace me once more, but at what cost? I am the monster who brought the death to their doors. I was his most loyal companion, his greatest ally. Indisputably, and without mattering the years that go by, I will always share blood with the demon whose arrival supposed their perdition. Occulting the truth would be easy. I have always been good at titivating insincere truths and sincere ruses. Lying in order to survive is plausible, but with the purpose of living? That is inconceivable. I cannot imagine a worst existence than a life erected over the foundations of a lie.

“You speak of betrayal, when you are too blind to see the truth about yourself.”

Those words erupt from my throat though I cannot recognize them as mine. I ignore what kind of mysterious force has taken over me, but the temptation to let it domain me is too powerful.
Tirek firstly appears to be surprised by what I´ve said. Rapidly, he regains his composure.

“What did you say?”

“Do not even try to hide it, because I was part of your betrayal. Tell me; what brought you here? What did you have to do to stand where you are today, accusing me of perpetrating what you jocularly call “your honor code”? Have you forgotten the tombs you´ve filled, the families you have torn apart? Your own family! I don´t know about you, but I cannot erase the image of the moment when you lunged against father, when you shot mother. I had to contemplate it, knowing that my choice to side with you until the end of our very own lives was irrevocable. I saw the man who raised me bleed, the woman embraced me as one more of her scions silently cry witnessing the deed of her two offspring. And you dare to judge me?!”

“I did what had to be done!” he bursts out. The little serenity that still remained inside him has finally vaporized before the burning hell of his fury. “It appears you have forgotten the pure desperation of living in a dying land, knowing that others can gloat over the joy they unjustly possess. I saw our people, whom in that time I consider worthy, live in agony while creatures as the ponies you so arduously try to protect lived in a prosperous land without any signal of misfortune. The gifts they possess are undeserved!”

“And who the hell are you to dictate who is worthy of life and who is not? Are you truly so demented”?

Tirek´s mouth immediately shuts, as he draws a grimace of desolation. The tense muscles of his neck relax, his fists liberate from their duress and his eyes try to avoid me for the first time in the entire day. His mere figure irradiates such an intense pain that even I feel its effects. However I stand firmly, without altering my posture or expression one single bit.

Tirek´s face directs its attention to the ground, or at least that is what it initially seems. His hand ascends to his neck until it encounters the medallion that has been swaying during all of our conversation with every shake of his body. His hand wraps it and moves it up until it is directly in front of his visage. I can perceive from the temblor of his fist that he has begun pressing it.

“You speak using their same words, Scorpan.”

My heart contracts with that statement. The despite they charge cuts my skin, and their grief inoculates my veins with a lethal poison.

“You are truly going to do it, aren´t you? You are going to abandon me, as everyone else has done.”

Tirek and I have been connected since my memory can recall. I could read his sentiments as
distinctly as he. He would always stand up for me; he was my guardian, my protector. And so was I for him. Together we battled countless enemies and defeated every single foe which had the boldness to defy us. With every single feud we only grew stronger; both in spirit and flesh. The fires of war forged unbreakable bonds between us, which allowed us to sense the other´s might and misery. And in this very moment, Tirek´s dolor is unmatched to any other sensation I´ve ever experienced, either physically or mentally.

“I… I am sorry, brother. It was never meant to end this way. But it doesn´t have to be like this. We can abandon our plan, move forward and never look back. This world is greater than any of us know. We can discover the wonders it contains, expiate our sins. But please, I implore you. Don´t obligate me to destroy another land. I cannot bear the odor of death anymore.”

Tirek´s eyes keep introspectively directed to the golden medallion, evoking thoughts I cannot read. His somber pose and the subsequent wait for his response are unbearable. I am too scared to execute the least move, even too afraid to even breathe. This decisive moment of musing is ponderous as any other. The expectation, disquiet, dread; all combined in a cumulus of pernicious emotions. I can almost hear how his sentiments and ideas settle down, as blocks of stone; oppressive, capable of crushing your bones if you placed beneath them. His heavy respiration is the only sound to be heard in the humongous cavern and all of its nooks. The entire world patiently waits in silence for his response.

Tirek raises his head, still holding the medallion without retiring it from his neck. He looks at me, and in the same instant he does so, I can augur his response.

“Do not ever attempt to drag me to the pit of your own cowardice, brother. If you have decided that the role you will play in this world will be as a traitor, siding with worthless equines rather than your own bloodline, so be it.”

“Tirek, please…” I say, as I feel something inside me crumbling. My eyes filling with tears are a mere manifestation of the devastation that ravages me.

“Enough!” he roars. “I want you to know; if your blood is not staining my hands, it is solely because once I felt proud to call you my brother. But not anymore.”

Tirek turns around, avoiding eye contact and proceeds to abandon the cave. Each step is an earthquake as he slowly heads to one of the numerous conduits that lead to the exterior. I contemplate him as he approaches to the widest cavity of all, feeling the tears finally manifesting by flowing across my cheeks. I try to dry them with my arm, but there is no use, as they continue emanating inexorably. It is a silent crying, yet at the same time as painful as a stab wound. Its dolor intensifies as the seconds advance, and like the injured one who palpates his cuts; my hands go unnoticed to the belt I was bestowed by Tirek a long ago. I hold it tightly, with such strength that I am afraid of breaking it, but I cannot help myself. It is my burning wound, and with time it shall be a permanent scar of this day, for that I will never allow myself to get rid of it.

Poor little Scorpan. I´d pity you, it you weren´t so pathetic. But why don´t you show it to your brother, huh? Demonstrate the weak despicable mash of ignominy you truly are.

However, Tirek stops. He leans his hand against the wall, giving his back to me. His neck falls in a stentorian sigh. I suddenly see my chance.

“Is this what you truly want?” I manage to say, interrupted by my own sobbing. I would like to restrain myself, but not even a god´s will would be powerful enough to do so.

“It is what you have obliged me to do!!”

He turns around abruptly, allowing me to see his face once more. It´s red tone has stirred, but that is not the only change I can discern. There is something in his eyes, something I have never seen before. A tremulous drop on the corner of his left eye, while on the right a second one has already begun to slide in its way to his chin. He notices the consternation upon my visage and tries to hide it, but he desists half the way. He then limits to observe me the same way I presume I must be doing.

“Brother…” I say.

“Not a word.”  He cuts. “Now, listen to me, and do not dare to say a thing. I will leave now, and you will stay where you are. Once I´m gone, you can decide. Reunite with me in the battlefield where we had planned, or else… This will be our last encounter.”

Even if I wanted to say something my dry throat and paralyzed tongue would impede it. The only answer I can offer is a weak nod of assent, but the feeble ascent and descent of my neck proves to be enough for him. He responds with another silent nod before turning around and abandoning this cave forever. He walks into the tunnels, and I can distinguish his hulking figure for one last time before the shadows whose domains we invaded devour it. And for some inexplicable reason, I have the fateful hunch that he soon will be nothing but a persistent memory, eternal reminder of the path I´ve chosen to roam from here on.
First of all, hi. Yep, still alive. You won´t see me dead until I reach 22. I think that´s a song reference. Maybe. Don´t know.
Look it up, maybe you find something.

Anyway, this fic is pretty much dead. It´s been abandoned for a while now and I´m not looking at my calendar because I don´t want to feel depressed. Still, I liked this chapter and I thought it deserves to be read, so here it goes. It´s unedited, written by a far less experienced me, but still legible. And to this day it´s still one of the texts I´m the most proud of.
In any case, enjoy!
I hope you have fun reading it; I honestly don´t remember if I did back when I first wrote it.

Cover contesy of :iconinuhoshi-to-darkpen:
© 2016 - 2024 GUILLE832
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ABrightSide's avatar
So, you decided to take Tirek's backstory from the show and made it more complex. You did a good job. Tirek was pretty threatening, which made Scorpan's opposition even more awesome.

It's kinda weird. Why are your stories so dark and serious, and yet you always have a joke prepared when you talk to me? :)