Tirek

**Tirek,** also known as **Lord Tirek** is a male centaur, the older brother of Scorpan, the main antagonist of the season four finale Twilight's Kingdom and one of the main antagonists of the season nine finale, The Ending of The End. He is a villain who escapes from Tartarus, steals magic, and seeks to rule over Equestria.

Tirek is defeated and banished back to Tartarus by the Mane Six through Rainbow Power magic acquired from the Chest of Harmony. He is later released from his imprisonment by Grogar to join his alliance, along with Queen Chrysalis and Cozy Glow, to defeat Twilight and her friends and conquer Equestria. He is defeated by the Mane Six and their allies, and turned to stone along with Chrysalis and Cozy.

## Development and design

Tirek shares his name and certain aspects of his design with a Generation 1 villain from the animated television special *Rescue at Midnight Castle*; he was redesigned by Jeremy Tin for the current Generation 4. He is a centaur with red skin, white hair, dark fur, black horns, and cloven hooves. His head has bull-like facial features with a goat-like beard. DHX Media designer Phil Caesar strove to make Tirek "as scary as [he] can", receiving input from his 10-year-old daughter on whether each design was "too scary" or "not scary enough". According to Hasbro developer Brian Lenard, Tirek was originally designed with an "almost entirely red" body, but was recolored with a black torso to "tone down the intensity" and give more focus to the expressions of Tirek's face and arms.

Over the course of Tirek's appearances in the finale, his appearance gradually changes as he absorbs more magic. He initially appears very frail, with muted colors and a hunched posture that leaves him roughly at the height of a normal pony. After absorbing the magic of many unicorns, he gains a more muscular physique, brighter colors, and a pair of curved horns. His later transformations increase his size and makes him brawnier, and with increasingly long and elaborate horns.

## Depiction in the series

Lord Tirek appears in Twilight's Kingdom - Part 1 in a frail and weakened state, indicated by pale colors and a raspy voice. In a Canterlot alleyway, he approaches the unsuspecting unicorn Rare Find and drains his magic, growing larger and more powerful. Princess Celestia senses this attack in a vision in her dream, causing Princess Luna to see it and become aware as well.

Celestia and Luna explain to Twilight Sparkle that Tirek and his brother Scorpancame to Equestria from "a distant land" to steal Equestrian magic. However, Scorpan grew to appreciate the ways of Equestria and even befriended a young unicorn wizard. Scorpan pleaded with his brother to abandon their plans, but Tirek refused to relent. To save Equestria, Scorpan informed the princesses of Tirek's intentions. Scorpan returned to his homeland while Tirek was imprisoned in Tartarus for his crimes.

Celestia states that Tirek likely escaped during the events of It's About Time, when Cerberus left his post at Tartarus' gates, and has only recently regained enough strength to use his dark powers after languishing in Tartarus for centuries.

While continuing to devour unicorn magic, Tirek is captured by Discord, who is there on behalf of his friendship to the ponies. Likening Discord's actions to those of his "weak-minded" brother, Tirek appeals to Discord's former nature as a master of chaos, convincing him that friendship is "a new form of imprisonment" and that betraying the ponies will grant him freedom to do as he pleases. With Discord's aid, Tirek continues absorbing unicorn magic, becoming larger and stronger, and increasing in power. He soon becomes strong enough to begin absorbing magic from Pegasi and Earth ponies as well.

In Twilight's Kingdom - Part 2, Tirek continues to grow in strength and size. He becomes powerful enough to steal Alicorn magic and makes his way to CanterlotCastle. Anticipating his arrival, Celestia, Luna, and Cadance transfer all of their magic into Twilight and send her into hiding, believing Tirek is unaware of her royal status. When Tirek arrives and finds the princesses devoid of their magic, he banishes them to Tartarus as revenge for his own imprisonment.

When Discord has doubts about their alliance, Tirek gives him the medallion he wears around his neck as a token of his gratitude and loyalty, claiming that it originally belonged to "someone very close to" him. He soon discovers Twilight via her depiction in a stained glass window and questions the existence of a fourth princess; Discord confirms this and directs Tirek to Twilight's home in Ponyville.

When the two arrive, they capture Twilight's friends and Tirek absorbs their magic, growing even more powerful. The prospect of ruling Equestria alongside Tirek thrills Discord, but Tirek suddenly turns on him and says he is no longer of any use, proceeding to absorb his magic as well. When Discord reminds Tirek of the medallion, Tirek reveals it was given to him by his treacherous brother Scorpan and considers it "as worthless as he is."

Tirek soon finds Twilight and pursues her relentlessly, destroying the Golden Oak Library in the process. Enraged, Twilight fights Tirek in an intense battle of magic. Tirek fights back, but their evenly matched might leads them to a stalemate. Thus Tirek offers Twilight a trade: the release of her friends in exchange for the Alicorn magic. Despite her friends' protests, Twilight agrees to trade the magic for her friends, including Discord despite his betrayal. Upon releasing them, Tirek promptly absorbs all of Twilight's magic, making him all-powerful.

However, when Discord bestows Scorpan's medallion upon Twilight as a sign of true friendship and gratitude, it proves to be the final key needed to open the Tree of Harmony chest. As Tirek rampages through the Everfree Forest, the Mane Six open the chest, gaining a new, powerful magic that Tirek is unable to overpower. With this magic, the ponies strip Tirek of all his stolen magic and reduce him to his weakened state again. He last appears locked in a cage within Tartarus, guarded by Cerberus.

Rainbow Dash briefly mentions Lord Tirek at the beginning of The Cutie Map - Part 1.

Pipsqueak mentions Lord Tirek in Crusaders of the Lost Mark, stating that Tirek's battle with Twilight is the cause of the poor condition of the schoolyard.

In The Cutie Re-Mark - Part 2, Tirek appears laying waste to Equestria in one of the alternate timelines created by Starlight Glimmer.

Lord Tirek is also mentioned in Shadow Play - Part 2.

In School Raze - Part 1, the Mane Six visit Tirek in his Tartarus prison and accuse him of stealing the magic of Equestria again. Tirek denies this but reveals that he conspired with Cozy Glow to drain Equestria of its magic in order to get his revenge on the ponies who defeated him. In School Raze - Part 2, Tirek realizes the ponies being trapped in Tartarus means he would be trapped together with them for eternity, and he agrees to help them escape after Pinkie Pie drives him insane with her clownish antics. After Cozy Glow's plans are foiled, she is imprisoned in Tartarus for her crimes, and she tries to make friends with him.

In The Beginning of the End - Part 1, Tirek suffers from Cozy Glow's repeated attempts to befriend him while imprisoned. Grogar suddenly transports the two from their cages to his lair to join forces with him, Queen Chrysalis, and King Sombra against the Mane Six. As a demonstration of his power, Grogar feeds Tirek with a sample of magic that rejuvenates him into a slightly younger form. In Part 2, Tirek struggles to work together with his fellow villains until Grogar shows them the Mane Six destroying Sombra, who had earlier left the group to conquer Equestria on his own. Under the threat of meeting the same fate, Tirek and the others reluctantly submit to Grogar's will.

In Frenemies, Tirek, along with Cozy Glow and Chrysalis, are tasked by Grogar with retrieving his Bewitching Bell from the summit of Mt. Everhoof, but he is unable to cooperate with Cozy and Chrysalis at first. Tirek quickly determines the quest to be too difficult to face alone and decides to let Cozy and Chrysalis do all the work. When Tirek finally learns to work together with Chrysalis and Cozy, they successfully retrieve the Bell and decide to use it in their scheme to overthrow Grogar.

Tirek is mentioned by Twilight and Mudbriar in A Trivial Pursuit with him and Scorpan being the answer to the question of who came to Equestria to steal magic from pony inhabitants.

In The Summer Sun Setback, Tirek, along with Queen Chrysalis and Cozy Glow, infiltrate Canterlot library's forbidden wing to get information in how to activate Grogar's bell and use its magic. He takes in part in sabotaging the Summer Sun Celebration by stealing the magic of various ponies at the event, and he and his fellow villains steal a book from the Canterlot Archives, which they plan to use to learn how to unlock the bell's power.

In The Ending of the End - Part 1, Tirek, Chrysalis, and Cozy Glow successfully unlock the power of the Bewitching Bell to make themselves all-powerful, with Tirek powering himself up to a larger form. They also drain Grogar of his magic, revealing him to be Discord in disguise. In their siege upon Equestria, Tirek fights and defeats the Pillars of Old Equestria, and he and his cohorts overwhelm Twilight's friends as she escapes.

In Part 2, Tirek and his fellow villains imprison Twilight's friends and celebrate their victory, but fail to reach an agreement regarding what to do with the magic they stole. After the rest of the Mane Six escape and the windigos appear as a result of their creating distrust among ponies, Tirek and the other villains face off against the Mane Six, and later an army of their allies, in a grand final battle. At the end of the battle, Tirek is de-powered back to his frailest form, and he, Chrysalis, and Cozy are frozen in stone for their crimes.

In The Last Problem, Tirek, Chrysalis, and Cozy Glow are pictured in a newspaper. Also, a stained glass window depicting their defeat appears in Canterlot Castle in future Equestria.

### Personality

Tirek is evil, domineering, narcissistic, and driven by an obsessive desire for power, believing that all the magic of Equestria should be his. He has a violent temper and fierce nature, which he directs towards Twilight Sparkle and the other princesses. He is also very manipulative and highly persuasive when striking a deal. However, while Tirek may hold up his end of a bargain in some cases, he is generally dishonest and traitorous, not hesitating to turn on and dispose of anyone whose usefulness has expired, such as Discord.

He harbors a deep resentment toward his brother Scorpan after his betrayal, describing him as "weak-minded" and "worthless."

Tirek holds a very low opinion of the concept of friendship, believing it to be both a sign of weakness and a form of imprisonment. However, he conspires with Cozy Glow for the sake of realizing his goal of revenge, even referring to her as his "little protégé". After having her as a fellow inmate for him, he has become deeply irritated by the young filly. Despite his animosity towards both Cozy and Chrysalis, Tirek shows a willingness to cooperate with them to retrieve Grogar's bell, and later establishes a partnership with the two to betray the ram, take over Equestria and get revenge on Twilight and her friends.

He is both awed and intimidated by Grogar, having heard stories of the villain's reign of terror when he was a child.

After joining Grogar, Tirek develops an obsession to regain his massive size and physique that he obtained after absorbing all magic in Equestria. He makes great gains toward this goal when he absorbs Chrysalis' magic so he would be powerful enough to bypass a barrier protecting Grogar's bell. Once the bell was retrieved, however, in an uncharacteristic act of honor, Tirek keeps his promise to return Chrysalis' magic to her, willingly setting himself back in the process. In Frenemies, Cozy Glow states that Tirek talks to his "gram-gram" in his sleep, suggesting he holds a great deal of affection toward at least one member of his family.

In The Summer Sun Setback, Tirek catches and releases a small bird that was blown away by Canterlot Castle's defenses in an uncharacteristic moment of compassion. As shown in *My Little Pony: FIENDship is Magic* Issue #2 and by his reaction to Discord's insults in The Ending of the End - Part 2, Tirek has a troubled relationship with his father King Vorak. In the same episode, Tirek proves himself to be more cautious and pragmatic than his allies, suggesting that they hunt down Twilight and deal with the threat of the windigos immediately. He is also well aware that Discord is lying when he offers to teach them how to use his magic in return for sparing his friends.

### Magic

Tirek is potentially one of the most powerful magic users in the show. However, his magic severely diminishes due to his imprisonment in Tartarus. He frequently shoots beams from an orange orb floating between his horns, and he absorbs magic from others.

Upon escaping from Tartarus, he steals unicorns' magic to restore his strength, later stealing it from Pegasi, Earth ponies, and even Discord himself. Tirek changes both physically and magically, gaining brighter colors, a more muscular physique, longer horns, and a deeper voice. As he progresses, he drains magic from dozens of ponies at once.

After absorbing the magic of Twilight's friends and Discord, Tirek's size increases to the point at which he towers over most buildings in Ponyville. His growing musculature shatters the bracers on his arms, and he grows a mass of white hair on his head to match his beard and tail. At this level of power, he matches Twilight Sparkle in a magic battle when she is imbued with the power of all four Alicorn princesses in Equestria. When negotiating with Twilight, he snaps his fingers and summons Twilight's drained friends in levitating bubbles.

After absorbing Twilight's Alicorn magic, Tirek grows even larger. The Mane Six finally overpower him when they gain the power of the Tree of Harmony, and he loses all of the magic he had drained from his victims.

It is revealed in Frenemies that Tirek can only absorb magic from living beings (meaning he can't absorb the magical barrier protecting the Bewitching Bell), and that he can return magic he has absorbed if he so chooses, as shown when he gives Chrysalis back her magic.

## Depiction in *Equestria Girls*

In the Better Together season 1 episode A Fine Line, Sunset Shimmer waits in line at the Canterlot Mall to buy a video game called *Tirek's Revenge*, which is a follow-up game to *Rise of Tirek*. In the special My Little Pony Equestria Girls: Holidays Unwrapped, a child receives a copy of *Tirek's Revenge* from a present from Applejack during the Toys for Kids Festival in the segment "Winter Break-In". Posters of the *Tirek's Revenge* video game appear at the same gaming store in the Canterlot Mall in the segment "Dashing Through the Mall".

## Relationships

### Allies

**Cozy Glow**: Tirek and Cozy Glow share a very strong relationship and learn to trust one another. Cozy Glow is also Tirek's protégé. It is unknown how they actually met, but Cozy Glow and Lord Tirek began writing letters to each other on occasion. It is also unknown why Cozy Glow decided to contact Tirek, but it is possible she wanted one of Equestria's biggest enemies to help her with her own schemes in erasing all the magic of Equestria. Though Tirek is skeptical with all the magic being gone, he went ahead to help her with the plan, so he can get his revenge on Twilight Sparkle and her friend when she tricked them to be locked in Tartarus. Tirek reveals to the Mane Six the dark truth behind Cozy Glow, her plans, and the fact that he conspired with her. But after the Mane Six escaped from Tartarus, Cozy Glow's plan was foiled by the Young Six and was taken to Tartarus for her crimes. She was locked in the cage next to Tirek's cage. Cozy Glow soon attempts to befriend Tirek, even making him a sculpture of the two of them. Tirek is annoyed by this, as he does not fall for her tricks since he too is a master manipulator. Later, Tirek and Cozy were released from Tartarus by "Grogar" and join his team of villains to conquer Equestria. Tirek is forced to work with Cozy Glow and to take over Equestria. Tirek and Cozy Glow didn't get along with each other, as they constantly bicker and argue, especially during their mission to retrieve the Bewitching Bell. However, because of their shared hatred for Twilight Sparkle, Tirek finally was able to cooperate with Cozy, despite his animosity towards her. They continue to work together and put their trust over each other. They continue to bicker and fight even in the series finale, which they argue how to use the magic they stole in the Bewitching Bell. In the end, Tirek became trapped in stone alongside Cozy Glow and Queen Chrysalis.

**Queen Chrysalis**: Tirek and Queen Chrysalis have a very strong relationship but it didn't start off that way at first. Before they team up in Season 9, Queen Chrysalis has heard of Tirek. However, Tirek himself has never heard of Chrysalis until they were summoned to Grogar's lair. At first sight, Tirek refers to Chrysalis as a "Changeling" and is impressed by the fact that she knows his name fully, pointing this out to Cozy Glow which made the filly roll her eyes. Chrysalis assumes that Tirek and Cozy Glow summoned her, but they confirm that they didn't. Later on, "Grogar" shows up to reveal he is the one who summoned the villains so that they can join the Ram in his plan to take over Equestria and defeat Twilight Sparkle and her friends. Grogar orders Tirek, Chrysalis, and Cozy Glow to learn to work together so they can achieve this task. During the first few weeks since joining the team, Tirek and Chrysalis didn't get along at first as they argue and fight. Tirek even tried to steal her magic one time, which causes the Queen to demand him to stop, which he angrily does so. During the song A Better Way To Be Bad, Tirek claimed himself to be smarter and stronger than Chrysalis and Cozy, which causes Chrysalis to disagree and reminds him of his defeats. They later learn how to tolerate one another during the mission to retrieve the Bewitching Bell and they seem to finally get along over their shared hatred to Twilight Sparkle and the others. Later, Tirek is forced to borrow Chrysalis's magic so he can break the barrier that is preventing them to enter the cave and grab the Bewitching Bell inside. Chrysalis is genuinely worried that Tirek will leave her with her stolen magic in his veins. Tirek looks at Chrysalis and contemplates over his decision to leave her or return her magic. He was not going to do it at first, but after some thinking, he believes it will be smarter to return her magic and keep her as an ally rather than continue to fight and bicker. So he managed to return her magic to her, doing something noble for the first time in his life, much to the surprise of Chrysalis. It was thanks to this brief sweet moment that Tirek and Chrysalis almost fell victim to the Magic of Friendship. Finally, Chrysalis snapped out of it and refuses to give in to "friendship" and the other villains decide to agree with her. However, they continue to work as a team as Chrysalis came up with a plan to betray Grogar and take over Equestria for themselves. Tirek agrees to this and tells them that if they win, they can resume hating and destroying each other. Tirek and Chrysalis continued to put their trust to each other, with Tirek doing everything Chrysalis tells him to do and he helps his fellow villains to secretly steal a book in Canterlot so they can learn how to unlock the power of the Bewitching Bell. In the series finale, they succeed in this and gain superpowers, and they betrayed Grogar, who is revealed to be Discord all this time. After Discord leaves, Chrysalis and Tirek briefly argue over the Bewitching Bell before Cozy stops them and forces them to fix their relationship by complementing each other. Tirek admits that Chrysalis is not as annoying as he expected her to be. Soon, they went out to conquer Equestria and manage to defeat their enemies, trapping them in cages. Chrysalis and Tirek both get angry at Cozy Glow for trying to use the stolen magic from the Bewitching Bell, as they have no clue how to use it. Later on, as the Windigos run rampant, Queen Chrysalis wanted to use the Windigos to her advantage, which Tirek strongly disagrees with as they too will become victims if they do not deal with the threat now, much to Chrysalis's anger. Before they bicker again, Cozy tells them both that they needed to deal with the Mane Six, who has arrived to challenge them. In the end, Chrysalis and Tirek continue to work together to face off their enemies, before they were defeated and is turned to stone alongside Chrysalis and Cozy Glow. In the end, Tirek sees Chrysalis as a worthy ally and shows some respect towards her, which he never did with Discord.

### Enemies

**Discord**: Discord and Tirek have a very poor relationship, but they started off neutral at first. Tirek has heard of Discord and has admired him for his evil ways. However, when they meet in the Season 4 finale, Discord chains up Tirek. Tirek thought that Discord wanted Equestria to himself, but Discord reveals that he is reformed and is tasked by the ponies to capture Tirek and end his threat. Tirek is surprised and disappointed that Discord is redeemed and working with the ponies, even comparing the Lord of Chaos to his "weak-minded" brother. Tirek then uses his manipulation tactics to have Discord join him in taking over Equestria and help him take all the magic of Equestria, and in return will let Discord roam free to do whatever he pleases. Discord eventually falls for Tirek's tricks and then they team up, helping Tirek steal almost all the magic from Unicorns, Pegasi, and even Earth Ponies. Tirek learns that the Princesses have given away their magic so he won't take it from them. After banishing the Princesses, Discord questioned over the fact that he said that everypony will bow to his will, and not their will. Tirek continues to gain Discord's trust by giving him a Medallion that he got from someone "very close to him" out of respect and gratitude for his loyalty. However, Tirek learns of a fourth Alicorn princess, Twilight Sparkle, over a stain glass window. He gets angry at Discord for not telling him about it while Discord explains that he needed reassuring that Tirek respects him for his loyalty. Discord tells Tirek that Twilight lives in a Library in Ponyville, so Tirek and Discord go to Ponyville. There, they capture Twilight Sparkle's friends, much to their shock and horror by Discord's betrayal. Tirek steals their magic and he becomes even more powerful. Tirek asked Discord if Twilight will do anything for her friends, which Discord answering that all of Twilight's magic will be his eventually and that no pony will stop them. This is where Tirek decides that Discord is no longer useful to him and he betrays Discord, stealing his magic as well. Discord questions Tirek over the fact that he gains the medallion out of respect and loyalty. However, Tirek revealed that he lied to him and the fact that his brother Scorpan gave Tirek the medallion. He considers the relic and his brother worthless before he leaves to face Twilight. He later holds Discord hostage, telling Twilight to choose between her friends and risk giving up her magic or suffer the consequences. Twilight decides to sacrifice her magic for her friends, to which Tirek holds his end of the bargain and sets them free. All of her friends, except Discord, were free. Twilight demands Tirek to free Discord. Tirek questions that after Discord's betrayal, the ponies still consider him a friend, but he sets him free as well. Tirek steals Twilight's magic and goes on a rampage, while Discord gives Twilight the medallion, which is revealed to be the last key needed to open the chest at the Tree of Harmony. The chest soon gives the Mane Six super "rainbow" powers and they finally defeat Tirek and send him back to Tartarus. Later in the series, Tirek was freed from Tartarus by "Grogar" and join forces with the other villains to take over Equestria and defeat Twilight and her friends. Up until the series finale, Tirek has no knowledge that Grogar is Discord all this time. However, very similar to what he did to Discord in the Season 4 finale, he and his fellow villains betray Grogar, using the Bell to take away his chaos magic and reveal his true identity. Tirek was surprised by this, as he found it unexpected. Discord manages to escape without his magic and Tirek and the other villains soon take over Equestria thanks to their superpowers granted by the real Grogar's bell. Discord is among those who were captured by the villains and is tied to chains. After Tirek bickers with the other villains how to use the stolen magic in the bell, which includes Discord's chaos magic, Discord, who is remorseful for his actions, enacts a ploy to trick the villains into telling them how to use the magic in the Bell. Tirek does not trust Discord as he knows he is lying, and Discord is equally distrusting, reminding Tirek of his betrayal towards him in Season 4, and insults him. After calling him a pathetic Centaur with daddy issues, Tirek angrily blasts him with magic. Discord blocks and reflects the attack with a crystal rock, and it strikes Starlight Glimmer's cage, setting her and the others free. Discord and the freed prisoners manage to keep the villains busy while Twilight's friends went to search for Twilight. In the end, after an epic battle between the Legion of Doom and the allies of Equestria, Discord suggests that he help Celestia and Luna turn Tirek and his fellow villains to stone. Overall, Tirek can be considered the archenemy of Discord. He never truly respected him and ended up hating him after finding out Grogar's secret. Thus, despite not interacting much after the fourth season, they have one of the most intense conflicts in the entire series.

**The Mane Six**: Tirek is one of the biggest enemies to the Mane Six. But he is also one of Twilight Sparkle's archenemies out of the whole group. Tirek first heard of them from Discord, who tells him that Fluttershy is the one who taught him about friendship. Tirek is unimpressed by Discord's friendship with the ponies, but he decided to use Discord for his schemes. Tirek later learns that a fourth Alicorn named Princess Twilight Sparkle exists and has all the Alicorn Magic he needed to gain more power and control in Equestria. This is thanks to a stained glass window that he discovers and asked Discord where he can find the fourth Princess. Discord tells him that Twilight lives in a library in Ponyville. Tirek smirks evilly and destroys the stain glass window with his magic. Tirek and Discord find Twilight's friends and traps them in cages. Twilight's friends, most especially Fluttershy, are shocked and heartbroken by Discord's betrayal and Tirek managed to steal their magic, powering to his final fourth form. Tirek than betrays Discord, steals his magic, and then goes to find Twilight. Tirek does eventually find the Princess and he attempts to steal her magic before Twilight teleported quickly to the Golden Oak Library. Looking through a telescope, Twilight spots Tirek shooting his magic blast, heading straight for the Library. Twilight quickly teleports away and saves her pet owl, Owlowiscious, before the blast destroyed the Golden Oak Library. This causes Twilight to become enraged and a grand battle between the two occurred. After the short dramatic and epic battle, Tirek and Twilight are at an impasse, so Tirek begins to offer Twilight a deal, by trapping her friends in bubbles and demands her to give up all the Alicorn magic that she has, which the other Princesses has earlier transferred their own magic to Twilight to keep it safe. Twilight decides to give up her magic in exchange for her friends, which Tirek holds his end of the bargain. He steals all the Alicorn Magic from Twilight and becomes even more powerful and unstoppable. As Tirek goes on a rampage, Discord apologizes for his actions and gives Twilight the last key needed to open the Chest of Harmony, which is Scorpan's medallion. The Mane Six opened the chest and the Tree of Harmony has grand them more powerful forms, which they used to finally defeat Tirek and reimprison him back in Tartarus.

In the Season 8 finale, Tirek returns as the secondary antagonist but still locked in his cage after his defeat in Season 4, magic is disappearing across Equestria and the Mane Six suspect that it is Tirek's doing. So they go to Tartarus to question the Centaur. As Tirek and the Mane 6 (with Spike) meet again as Tirek denies this, as the Mane 6 argue with him and noticed they're stuck in Tartarus with him, he did reveal that this was a master plan by his pen pal, conspired with a filly named Cozy Glow, who is the Mane 6's friend and the true mastermind behind the disappearance of magic, who lied to them to lure them into their trap and he intended to trap the Mane Six with him out of revenge for his defeat. However, his plan backfired as Twilight taunted him how he'll be stuck in Tartarus forever with his sworn enemies and Tirek is forced to help his enemies escape from Tartarus after Pinkie Pie irritated him enough. Then after Cozy's defeat, Tirek was having a angry conversation with Cerberus about being stuck in Tartarus but not locked in a cage, Princess Luna comes in through a portal with two guards, putting Cozy in Tartarus for her crimes much to Tirek's surprise as Cozy asks if he wants to be friends with a sinister smile on her face as the season ends.

In Season 9, Tirek and Cozy were released from Tartarus and join forces with other villains to conquer Equestria and get rid of Twilight and her friends once and for all. Tirek thinks that the reason the Mane Six always win is that they are "annoyingly lucky". He even shares his hatred of the Mane Six towards his cohorts and mocked them. Tirek faces off against the Mane Six again in the series finale, but this time, he is not alone. Tirek and his cohorts managed to defeat (most likely knocked down) the Mane Five for a brief time after Twilight escaped, but Twilight gained the confidence back and battled the villains one last time, as the villains get the upperhand threating to hurt Spike if they don't stop fighting, as the Mane 6 surrendered the villains were all just about to have Twilight and her friends finally defeated and killed, to finally get their revenge on them and to finally have them out of the way so they'll never get in their way ever again, but the Mane 6 were saved with the help of their own allies. Tirek and Twilight share a brief rematch during the final battle. They are both not as powerful as they once were during their epic battle in Season 4, which Twilight having her own magic while Tirek was in his third form. In the end, the Mane Six and their allies managed to defeat Tirek and his partners, who are turned to stone by Celestia, Luna and Discord, never to be seen by the Mane 6 again.

**Princess Celestia, Luna, and Cadance:**Tirek serves as one of the biggest enemies to the Princesses of Equestria, which included Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, and Princess Cadance. Though he has no history with Cadance, he has one with Celestia and Luna. After his brother Scorpan alerted Celestia and Luna of Tirek's intentions, they send Tirek to Tartarus for his crimes. Thousands of years later, Tirek escaped from Tartarus. One of Tirek's main goals in Season 4 was to steal Alicorn magic to become powerful enough to conquer Equestria. When he arrived in Canterlot, he learns that the Princesses have given away their magic to Twilight Sparkle for safe-keeping. Tirek thinks this is a dumb idea for the Princesses part as he is going to force the ponies to bow to his will and there is nothing they can do about it. The Centaur then sends the Princesses to Tartarus as revenge for trapping him in Tartarus for many years. Later on, Tirek was reimprisoned back in Tartarus by the Mane Six and the Princesses were set free from Tartarus thanks to the magic of friendship. The princesses again face off with Tirek in the series finale, but this time he has teamed up with Queen Chrysalis and Cozy Glow and defeated them once again. Later on, the Princesses take part in the final battle against the three villains and Celestia, Luna, and Discord turned Tirek and his cohorts to stone.

**The Pillars of Equestria**: Tirek serves as an enemy towards the Pillars of Equestria which included Star Swirl the Bearded, Somnambula, Flash Magnus, Rockhoof, and Mage Meadowbrook. Star Swirl has befriended Tirek's brother Scorpan and may have taken part in helping the Princesses send Tirek to Tartarus. In the series finale, Tirek battled the Pillars and easily defeated them thanks to his newfound power acquired from the Bewitching Bell. Tirek seems to not recognize Star Swirl during the battle and it is unknown if Tirek knew of Star Swirl's friendship toward his brother. Tirek later imprisoned them in Canterlot with the help of Chrysalis and Cozy. During the final battle, the Pillars were released and regain the magic that Tirek stole from them thanks to the magic of friendship. Tirek and his cohorts were defeated and turned to stone.

### Other

**King Sombra**: Lord Tirek barely has a relationship with King Sombra as they don't interact much. The only time they met was during the Season 9 premiere, when Tirek and Sombra were both summoned by Grogar to his lair so they can learn to team up and conquer Equestria, defeating their enemies in the process. When Sombra arrived, the weak Tirek powers his magic to threaten him, before he was interrupted by Grogar, when he arrived. When Tirek regains his second form after Grogar gave him a sample of magic, Sombra looks at Tirek with a bored expression on his face, as he is not intimidated or surprised. Sombra later helps Tirek explain to Cozy Glow who Grogar truly is. Later on, as Grogar tells the villains to work together, King Sombra refused to join the newly formed group and leaves to conquer Equestria on his own. But before he left, Sombra boasts towards Tirek and the other villains that he will crush those who will defy him and defeat all who get in his way. Tirek backs off from Sombra with an annoyed expression on his face before Grogar sends Sombra away. Later on, he and Chrysalis asked about Sombra's whereabouts and if he succeeded. Grogar reveals in his crystal ball that Sombra is destroyed once again and he warns the others that could happen to them if they do not submit to his will. Tirek reluctantly submits to him. However, later on, after they retrieved the Bewitching Bell, Tirek schemes with his fellow villains to betray Grogar and take over Equestria.

**Grogar**: Though the real Grogar and Tirek never met, Tirek has heard stories of him when he was young of how he was once the Emperor of Equestria and of his reign of terror. Tirek even thought of Grogar as just a legend at first, before he learned that he was indeed real once. Grogar was even powerful and threatening enough to even scare Tirek. In Season 9, Tirek meets Discord disguised as Grogar, but he never found out his secret identity until the series finale. As Grogar, Discord played him very well enough to even convince Tirek to join his team of villains to conquer Equestria. Tirek was awed and terrified of him at first, but he later gets over it when he conspires with Cozy and Chrysalis to betray him after retrieving the Bewitching Bell, so they can conquer Equestria for themselves. Once they did put their plan into action, they learn that Grogar is Discord in disguise all along, much to the surprise of the three villains. It was Grogar's magic from the Bewitching Bell that powered Tirek into his third form but is powerful enough to jump across obstacles and easily defeat his enemies with his new super-strength. If he didn't share Grogar's magic with the other villains, Tirek would've been in his fourth form again and will almost be unstoppable. In the end, Tirek and his allies were stripped of their powers and turned to stone by Discord, Celestia, and Luna.

**Sendak**: Sendak was Tirek's old mentor from childhood who taught him how to drain magic from others. Tirek was unhappy with the way his father disapproved of his actions, and started meeting with Sendak despite his father's protests, eventually becoming his protegee. Tirek learned to control his magic from Sendak. It was also Sendak who inspired Tirek to attempt to one day drain all the magic from Equestria, as he convinced Tirek that Equestria had more magic than anywhere else in the world, and absorbing it all would make someone an "indominable force". Sendak seemed to care for Tirek and wanted them to drain the magic from Equestria together when Tirek was older, but Tirek betrayed Sendak and abandoned him during a cave-in. Though Sendak survived, he was imprisoned for the rest of his life, with Tirek vowing that he would succeed where Sendak failed.

### Family

**Scorpan**: Scorpan is Tirek's younger brother and they had a close relationship at first before Scorpan befriends the other ponies. As they arrive to steal the magic of Equestria, Scorpan began to appreciate the ways of Equestria and befriended Starswirl the Bearded. Scorpan urged his brother to abandon their plans, but Tirek refuses. Scorpan soon alerts the Princesses of his brother's intentions, so they send Tirek to Tartarus. Before Scorpan returned to his own lands, it is possible that he gave his Medallion to Tirek during his first days in Tartarus.

Tirek was hurt by his brother's betrayal and is angry with him while Scorpan still cares about Tirek. However, it is also possible that Scorpan gave Tirek the medallion before he was imprisoned. Either way, he kept the Medallion all these years. It is possible he kept it to remind himself of his brother and that he does show some care about him, but is still hurt and betrayed.

In the Season 4 finale, he gave away his brother's medallion to Discord as a sign of "his gratitude and loyalty". But when Tirek betrays Discord later, he reveals that the medallion was given to him by his "worthless" brother, thus severing his only connection toward his brother. It is possible that Tirek gave away the medallion so he can finally forget the pain his brother caused him in the past. Scorpan and Tirek never saw each other again in the series.

It is unknown if Scorpan is still alive or has died before the events of the series (although he was originally planned to appear in a prologue for the movie as the original owner of the staff of Sacanas). In the IDW comics, Scorpan and Tirek remained close but Tirek sometimes bullies his brother for being too sensitive and abuses him on occasion.

King Vorak is the father of Tirek and Scorpan. In the series, he is only mentioned once by Discord when he suggested that Tirek has used magic to compensate that deep down, he will never be enough to please Vorak, causing the centaur to blast the draconequus angrily. This could also explain how Tirek became evil in the first place was from his father's disapproval for his son (besides learning to absorb magic by a centaur hermit and his thirst for power). In the IDW comics, Vorak appears physically in FIENDship is Magic Issue #2 and he shares the same name as the series version of Tirek's father. It is shown that Tirek had a rough relationship with his father. While Tirek was born a prodigy with more magic than any other being in their kingdom, Vorak disapproved of how he acted, fearing that Tirek would one day try to use his power to overthrow him. Unlike Tirek, Vorak was a benevolent ruler, and wanted peace with Equestria. Their relationship was strained due to Vorak's disapproval of Tirek's behavior. At the end of his issue, Tirek vows that he will one day overthrow his father and take the kingdom for himself. The fact that Tirek was shown to still be on good terms with Scorpan (who clearly respected their parents) when they initially journeyed to Equestria suggests that Tirek either abandoned this plan or set it aside. Though it's possible that he overthrew his father in a cunning way, to which it would seem he would have inherited the throne legitimately and no one other than him and his father found out. It is unknown if the Vorak in the comics and the series are one and the same, but it is possible that the writers took inspiration from the comic to the series, even if some of the elements in both the series and the comics reconned each other, such as the defeat of the Dazzlings and the different versions of King Sombra. It is unknown if Vorak is still alive or has died before the events of the series, though the latter is very possible (although he could possibly still be alive, as Discord mentioned him in the present tense, saying that Tirek will never be able to please Vorak).

**Queen Haydon**: Queen Haydon is the mother of Tirek and Scorpan, and the wife of King Vorak. She is never mentioned in the series. In Tirek's issue in the FIENDSHIP is Magic mini-series, she is shown to have loved both of her sons and wanted to keep peace in the family. Unlike her husband, she was shown to be more supportive of Tirek, though she was shocked when he lied to them. Despite her obvious care for Tirek, he seemed indifferent to her. Tirek had no problem with lying to her, and vowed that he would overthrow her husband and take the kingdom for himself, showing a lack of care for her feelings. It is unknown if Haydon is still alive or has died before the events of the series, though the latter is very possible.

**Tirek's Grandmother**: The unnamed grandmother of Lord Tirek and Scorpan. She is only mentioned once by Cozy Glow that he talks to his "Gram Gram" in his sleep, which made Tirek angrily yell at her to not bring his grandmother into their argument. This confirms the fact that Tirek did care about at least one member of his family (despite his resentment toward his father and brother and indifference to his mother) and that Tirek deeply misses her. It is unknown if she is still alive or has died, but the latter seems to be a more reasonable explanation.

## Depiction in *Equestria Girls*

In the Equestria Girls: Better Together episode A Fine Line, Sunset Shimmer waits in line to buy a video game called *Tirek's Revenge*, which is a follow-up game to *Rise of Tirek*.

## Trivia

* Tirek was originally a G1 villain who was the main antagonist of Rescue at Midnight Castle.
* While Tirek was likely meant to outshine previous villains such as Chrysalis and Sombra, many fans hate him for destroying Twilight's library and sending the princesses to Tartarus. Some have even speculated, out of hate for Tirek, that after his reimprisonment, Cerberus eats him as punishment for sending the princesses to Tartarus. This is the exact opposite scenario of Chrysalis and Sombra; When they died, most fans denied it out of love for them or desire to see them return (and the IDW comics, whose writers are bronies and pegasisters, had Chrysalis survive, while some continue to deny Sombra's demise even after it was confirmed). This, in turn, could likely be the reason why Meghan did not have Tirek end up like his G1 counterpart.
* In his fully-powered state, Tirek is easily the most powerful antagonist (and maybe even character) in G4 (much as he was in G1). After consuming enough magic, he surpasses even Discord in power (a character who is constantly portrayed as near-omnipotent). However, despite the raw power he possesses, he is not as skilled with it as the draconequus is. Tirek mostly uses the magic of others to fuel his own familiar offensive spells, rather than reshaping reality at will like Discord does. It's later revealed that while Discord's magic increases Tirek's power, Tirek cannot actually control Discord's magic if he were to absorb it via Grogar's bell since those who possess Discord's magic would be driven into madness, which happen to Cozy Glow and Pinkie Pie.
* He is considered as one of the most evil villains in *Friendship Is Magic*, along with Queen Chrysalis, Cozy Glow, King Sombra and The Storm King. Tirek is shown to have consciously flat-out rejected the very concept of friendship with the ponies of Equestria, his brother Scorpan, and Discord, believing it to be a weakness. Also, without any rain or food (due to stealing flight from pegasi and strength from earth ponies), the ponies of Equestria would likely die early into his rule if he stayed in power. However, he is later willing to cooperate with Cozy Glow and Queen Chrysalis to achieve his goals and he did come close to reforming in the episode "Frenemies" before Chrysalis snapped him out of it.
* Tirek is one of Thomas and Twilight Sparkle’s big and *baddest* villains ever.
* Tirek become Thomas' enemy in *Thomas' Adventures of My Little Pony Friendship is Magic - Twilight's Kingdom (Full Movie)*
* Tirek appear to get his revenge on Thomas,Twilight and their friends in Thomas and Twilight Sparkle's Adventures Series after he joins Diesel 10 and the Rough Gang when they free him from Tartarus.
* Tirek shared the secondary antagonist role with Cozy Glow and Queen Chrysalis in Thomas and Twilight Sparkle's Adventures Series since they're Twilight Sparkle's arch enemies and have more personal connection to her and her friends than any other antagonist in the series as well as the show as it's main antagonists.
* Despite that stock footage of his many forms is used for his appearances, Tirek is mostly in his third form in the series. However, since joining Grogar (who is actually Discord in disguise) and from *Thomas' Adventures of My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Season 9* onwards, he's in his second and third forms at different times from now on.
* He is voiced by Mark Acheson, who also voiced Unicron in Armada and Energon of the Transformers Unicron Trilogy.

## Gallery

Tirek's weakest formTirek's third form after absorbing Pegasus and Earth pony magicTirek's fourth and strongest form, after absorbing the magic of Discord and Twilight's friendsTirek's strongest formYounger TirekYoung Tirek in My Little Pony: FIENDship is Magic Issue #2.Tirek and Scorpan in a storybookTirek on his weakest state.Hooded Tirek"I am Lord... **Tirek**."Tirek trying to defeat the Mane 6Tirek before his defeatTirek's defeatTirek in Season 8, School RazeThe Mane Six question Tirek.Tirek and his new allies.Tirek, Chrysalis and Cozy Glow teaming upTirek absorbing magic at the Summer Sun Celebration.Tirek and Cozy GlowTirek and ChrysalisTirek and DiscordTirek and Twilight Sparkle after their battle.Tirek threatening the Princesses.Tirek stealing magic from the Pillars.Tirek and his fellow villains annoyed by Sombra's boasting.Tirek with Discord, who is disguised as Grogar.Tirek with Sendak the Elder.Tirek, Chrysalis and Cozy's final defeat.