Tirek (Friendship is Magic)

Tirek was a cruel and ambitious Centaur and the brother of. After absorbing the magic of, , and , he nearly conquered all of Equestria though was stopped by the brave  and was locked up in Tartarus. Some time after this defeat, he and his new acquaintance Cozy Glow were recruited into the "Legion of Doom" led by Grogar, the apparent original king of Equestria.

Infernal Prince
In his youth, Tirek was enthralled by the feats of Sendak and though he considered him his master, he had no true respect or love for the older centaur. One night after an argument with his father, Tirek ventured out to meet with his master once again, who had a new possession; a drugged unicorn whom he kidnapped from Equestria. Sendak explained to Tirek that Unicorn's were among the most powerful forces in the entire universe, which is likely what embedded the goal to absorb the magic of all Equestrians in the young Tirek's mind.

Later that night, Sendak battled with the unicorn and tried to absorb its magic, but lost and the unicorn ended up destroying Sendak's home. Tirek found the old centaur trapped in the crumbling building, but refused to help him, instead fleeing back to his home. Sendak was sentenced to hard labor for his crimes, and while Vorak couldn't prove Tirek's hand in matters he confined his son to his room. As his father departed to return the unicorn to Equestria, Tirek vowed that he would one day overthrow him and gain the power Sendak had failed to.

Attacks on Equestria
Years later Tirek-now going by the title of Lord-traveled to Equestria with Scorpan intent on stealing the ponies' magic so that he could become all-powerful. Scorpan, moved by the ponies' peaceful ways, sought to move Tirek from his evil course, but Tirek refused to be persuaded. As such, he was later imprisoned in Tartarus after Scorpan alerted the Two Sisters to his plans, with Scorpan giving him his medallion before returning home. Star Swirl the Bearded would later recall Tirek when Stygian came to him for help against three Sirens attacking his home village.

A thousand years or so later, Tirek managed to escape confinement in Tartarus when Cerberus left the prison, but was badly weakened as a result of his long time in prison. After spending some time regaining his strength-during which time he may have visited the ruined Castle of Two Sisters-Tirek began attacking unicorns and draining them of their magic. Princess Celestia, alerted to his actions by a vision, gathered the other princesses-including Princess Cadance and Twilight Sparkle-and appraised them of the threat. However, rather than send any of them after Tirek, Celestia decided to dispatch Discord due to his ability to sense magical disturbances. Celestia's plan went well at first, with Discord quickly zeroing in on Tirek after he had attacked another unicorn.

Tirek recognized Discord-who had previously visited his father's court-and congratulated the spirit of chaos on escaping his stone prison; Discord responded by placing Tirek in chains. After learning that Discord had apparently befriended the ponies, Tirek lamented that he had fallen into the same trap as Scorpan. He then urged Discord to help him accomplish his goals, with the promise that Discord would then be free to cause chaos as he had previously. Regrettably, Discord accepted his offer, proving an invaluable ally in helping Tirek steal magic from unicorns, Earth ponies, and Pegasi. As he absorbed magic, Tirek grew bulkier and more youthful in appearance, with his horns, hair, and beard growing longer.

The two villains soon traveled to Canterlot, and after training Shining Armor and other Royal Guards of Equestria, Tirek entered the throne room. Much to his shock, he found that Celestia, Luna, and Cadance were bereft of magic, but became determined to find it. He banished the trio to Tartarus, and shortly thereafter learned from Discord about Twilight after giving him Scorpan's medallion as a gift. Annoyed, Tirek was nonetheless determined to find Twilight and take her magic for himself. With Discord's counsel, he captured her friends, , , , , and , whom he drained of their magic.

Assured that having them as prisoners would bring Twilight to him, Tirek then drained Discord's magic, the Draconequus having outlived his usefulness to the Centaur. Tirek then confronted Twilight, and soon discovered her to be in possession of all the Alicorn magic, which put the two at equal strength. However, by revealing her captured friends, he persuaded her to give up her magic, though Twilight insisted that he free Discord as well. Infused with tremendous power, Tirek began rampaging through the countryside, unaware that his false alliance with Discord had sealed his own defeat. With the Rainbow Power they unlocked with Discord's help, Twilight and her friends were able to strip Tirek of his stolen power and banish him back to Tartarus.

Not forgotten
Tirek would later be referred to by Rainbow Dash shortly before Twilight and her friends discovered the Cutie Map in Twilight's Castle. It was also mentioned that his battle with Twilight had caused some damage to the playground of Ponyville Schoolhouse. When Discord sought to take part in the Ponyville Players Spring Musical, many were reluctant to allow him to do so based on his previous alliance with Tirek. The agents of S.M.I.L.E. were aware of Tirek's activities, which Agent Foxtrot claimed were "a cover up." At some point, Tirek somehow began corresponding with Cozy Glow, and gave her instructions that allowed her to create a spell to drain all magic from Equestria.

Cozy suggested that Tirek himself might be responsible for the disappearing magic, which resulted in Twilight and her friends becoming trapped in Tartarus with him. Tirek was highly amused by Cozy's deception, and contented himself that his enemies would suffer. However, when they pointed out that he'd be stuck with them for eternity, Tirek came to regret his actions. With further prodding from Pinkie Pie, he contributed his magic to a spell to enable their escape from Tartarus. He was later surprised when Cozy, her plan discovered and thwarted, was brought to Tartarus and placed in a cell next to his.

Legion of Doom
Tirek quickly tired of his new neighbor, who kept trying to form an alliance under the illusion of wanting to be friends. The pair were later pulled from their cages to a mysterious location, where they encountered and King Sombra. The being responsible for their arrival then revealed himself:, a legendary villain whom Tirek had heard of in his youth. As a display of power, he gave Tirek a magical orb that allowed him to reach the first form he had attained after absorbing pony magic. Grogar then ordered the villains to join him in an alliance; Sombra refused, and Grogar later used his crystal ball to show his death to Tirek and the other two as a warning.

The new allies quickly got on each other's nerves, with Cozy Glow proving annoying, Chrysalis imperious, and Grogar getting annoyed with all three of them. Tirek for his part, was interested in regaining his former massive physique, whether through working out or stealing magic once more. Fed up with the infighting, Grogar sent the trio on a mission to retrieve his Bewitching Bell from Mount Everhoof. Tirek initially intended to let the other two try and fail so he could learn from their mistakes, but ultimately cooperated with them, returning Chrysalis' magic after briefly absorbing it to break through a magical barrier. The three started to bond, but realized they were in danger of being affected by the magic of friendship; as such, they resolved to betray Grogar and not deliver the bell to him.

Unable to access the bell's magic, Tirek and his allies took advantage of Grogar's latest absence to travel to Canterlot in search of information about the bell. Upon arriving, they found the Last Summer Sun Celebration underway, and were stymied by both Canterlot Castle's recent security upgrades and the presence of the Mane Six and Discord. However, Chrysalis hit upon a scheme to use the situation to their advantage, with Tirek draining several Earth Ponies of magic and then stealing food they had prepared for the event. The plan proved successful, though Tirek was reluctantly forced to return the magic he had stolen, and the trio obtained a book about the bell. After returning to Grogar's lair, the trio learned that Grogar had discovered a new power source, and determined to master the bell's magic before he returned with it.

While Tirek did research, his companions spread dissension among the ponies, convincing members of each of the three main tribes-, s, -that the others were not to be trusted. Eventually, Tirek discovered the spells that would allow them to use the bell's magic, and the trio split the magic contained within between them. Thus empowered, the trio ambushed Grogar and used the Bewitching Bell to steal his magic, only to discover that Discord had been impersonating the ancient tyrant the entire time. Despite having previously absorbed Discord's magic himself, Tirek was leery of using it, and after Cozy Glow tried and failed to wield its power they decided to keep it within the bell. The trio then split up and made their separate ways to Canterlot, with Tirek battling the Pillars of Equestria and stealing their magic before joining his confederates at Canterlot Castle.

The three informed Twilight and friends of their success in driving a wedge between the tribes, and then destroyed much of the castle before overpowering Twilight. Before they could do more, however, struck them with a large boulder, allowing Twilight to escape. Tirek and his allies unleashed their combined power on the ponies and the powerless Discord, but Twilight's friends held a barrier in place to enable her to escape. The trio then imprisoned their defeated foes beneath the ruined castle, though Tirek felt that Twilight remained a threat to their plans. However, they soon had a falling out over what to do with the magic now within the Bewitching Bell, which included Celestia and Luna's as well as Discord's.

As the trio argued, Discord offered to show them how they could wield his magic, but Tirek was suspicious of his motives, and Discord used the opportunity to insult him and remark about Tirek's father King Vorak. Enraged, Tirek attacked, only to fall into Discord's ploy to free the captured, who freed the Legion's other captives. The Mane Six-besides Twilight-and Spike then made their escape while the other prisoners distracted the Legion. Tirek and his allies swiftly subdued their captives, only to discover that their efforts to divide the ponies had allowed the Windigos to return. Tirek insisted that the Legion deal with them, but they were soon distracted as Twilight and the escapees appeared to confront them, and traveled through a portal to confront them.

The ponies and Spike attempted to gain possession of the Bewitching Bell, with Tirek briefly facing Twilight in battle before realizing her distraction and preventing from getting the bell. With the heroes subdued, Tirek and his allies prepared to finish them, only to be stopped by a magical barrier. Its source proved to be an army of ponies and other creatures united by Twilight's School of Friendship students, many of whom then charged Tirek and his allies. Though outnumbered, Tirek and his allies proved more powerful, but Twilight and her friends-including the Pillars and Young Six-joined forces and unleashed the Magic of Friendship against the villains. The trio were returned to their normal states, and the repowered princesses and Discord then cast a Stone Sleep spell on them, turning them into a single statue.

A newspaper later detailed the final defeat of Tirek and his allies, including a number of pictures. Years later, a stainglass window in the rebuilt Canterlot Castle commemorated the event as well.

Personality
Tirek was a rude, cruel and wicked individual, quick to anger and suspicion and contemptuous of concepts such as loyalty and friendship. With his goal to absorb the magic of all those in Equestria, Tirek very nearly succeeded in his plans to rule the land and undoubtedly became the biggest threat to blight the land at his peak. Tirek's relationship with is nefarious at best, for despite hearing tales of the Sheep in his youth he dislikes submitting to him. He has, however, briefly been shown to care for and Cozy Glow to some extent, though all three refuse to let their bond become true friendship.

In terms of family, Tirek apparently has a soft spot for Gram Gram, his grandmother, while his father seems to have been a source of some feelings of inadequacy. According to Discord, Tirek's fear that he can't measure up to Vorak's expectations is part of the reason he seeks greater and greater magical power.

Abilities and traits
Tirek has the ability to absorb magic from other living beings, increasing his own strength in the process. His ability to absorb magic is affected by his own strength; upon initially escaping Tartarus, he was incredibly weak, and it was some time before he could begin draining ponies of their magic. This draining process creates a magical disturbance which Discord can sense, which allowed Discord to locate him. Tirek also lacked the power to do anything against Discord initially, even though he could steal magic from Unicorns.

The more magic Tirek absorbs, the more his body is altered as a result, with his appearance moving through several notable stages:


 * In his weakest form, Tirek is an elderly centaur who is hunched over, with reddish-gray skin, a shrunken upper body, and very small horns.
 * In his second form-achieved through absorbing large amounts of Unicorn Magic or after being empowered by the disguised Discord-Tirek's skin is a more vibrant shade of red, his horns grow larger, and his body is more muscular.
 * In his third form-gained after absorbing Pegasus Magic and/or Earth Pony Magic, the Changeling Magic of Queen Chrysalis, or the Sheep Magic of the Bewitching Bell-Tirek's skin becomes an even deeper red, his horns become much longer and curved, and his body becomes even more muscular.
 * In his fourth form-gained after absorbing the magic of the Mane Six (minus Twilight) and the Royal Guards of Equestria-Tirek grows a thick white mane of hair and increases in size.
 * In his fifth form-obtained after absorbing the magic of all Four Princesses of Equestria, Discord, and most if not all of the other Pony Magic in Equestria-is the most massive of all, with his chest and arms appearing so massive that his head seems small.

My Little Pony
Tirek, then Tirac, originally appeared in the special "Rescue at Midnight Castle" where he served as the main antagonist of the film. There, he was voiced by Victor Caroli, a prolific American voice actor in the 80s who appeared in other Hasbro works such as The Transformers and , mostly as the narrator. Tirac's goal in the original pilot was to capture four ponies so he could transform them into dragons to pull his chariot as he enacted the Night That Would Never End, until he was eventually killed by the Rainbow of Light.

Equestria Girls
In Equestria Girls, Tirek is a fictional character who appears to be the focus point of the Tirek series of video games containing at least two entries - Rise of Tirek and Tirek's Revenge. He is one of the four Friendship is Magic villains to appear as fictional characters in the Equestria Girls universe, the others being, and.

Behind the scenes
Tirek first appeared in "Twilight's Kingdom" and was voiced by Mark Acheson.

Voice actors

 * English
 * Mark Acheson
 * Albanian
 * Dritan Boriçi
 * Finnish
 * Markus Bäckman
 * Finnish
 * Petri Hanttu
 * In "School Raze"
 * French
 * Michel Hinderyckx
 * German
 * Tilo Schmitz
 * Hungarian
 * Gábor Németh
 * Italian
 * Raffaele Farina
 * Polish
 * Tomasz Borkowski
 * Brazilian Portuguese
 * Guilherme Lopes
 * Portuguese
 * Tiago Retré
 * Romanian
 * Adrian Moraru
 * Russian
 * Anton Savenkov
 * Serbian
 * Milan Tubić
 * Spanish
 * Miguel Ángel Jenner
 * Latin Spanish
 * Víctor Hugo Aguilar
 * Polish
 * Tomasz Borkowski
 * Brazilian Portuguese
 * Guilherme Lopes
 * Portuguese
 * Tiago Retré
 * Romanian
 * Adrian Moraru
 * Russian
 * Anton Savenkov
 * Serbian
 * Milan Tubić
 * Spanish
 * Miguel Ángel Jenner
 * Latin Spanish
 * Víctor Hugo Aguilar
 * Russian
 * Anton Savenkov
 * Serbian
 * Milan Tubić
 * Spanish
 * Miguel Ángel Jenner
 * Latin Spanish
 * Víctor Hugo Aguilar
 * Spanish
 * Miguel Ángel Jenner
 * Latin Spanish
 * Víctor Hugo Aguilar
 * Latin Spanish
 * Víctor Hugo Aguilar

Cartoon

 * (possibly)
 * (mentioned)
 * (mentioned)
 * (mentioned)
 * (pictured)
 * (pictured)
 * (pictured)
 * (pictured)
 * (pictured)
 * (pictured)
 * (pictured)

Games and software

 * My Little Pony (Gameloft)