Bastien wouldn't deny that he longed for space of his own. Freedom to prove to Marceline that he was worthy of her attention and affection, capable of being her heir. He wanted to prove that he could benefit the Hills herd all by himself, but she'd given him little chance to do so. Though she allowed him the freedom to roam the Hills as he pleased, she forbade him from stepping hoof beyond its borders. It frustrated him to think she still saw him as a child, utterly incapable of handling himself beyond basic chores like patrolling or caring for his sister. All his life he'd been confined to Salem, and he wanted to explore.
Still he refused to take her for the villain. She had her reasons, of that he was sure. He didn't know anything of her past, but if it was bad enough that she refused to speak of it then he figured it must be bad. It didn't occur to him that his mother might not be the pillar of strength and purity he'd imagined her to be. It wasn't something he wanted to think about.
Joachim appeared quickly, manifesting above him at the peak of a nearby dune, a regal outline against the bright white glare of the Salem sun. He quickly descended and the pair found themselves meeting face-to-face at last. Bastien had seen Joachim before, of course, at a distance as he bickered with their mother. Occasionally those verbal spats led to physical spars, and it infuriated the colt to be confronting the stallion who'd caused his mother so much pain.
Ears buried back in his crimson mane, Bastien scoffed at Joachim's statement, lip curling petulantly in a mirror of his mother's. "She was forced from her home," he said, an echo of what little information Marceline had fed to him about her tumultuous past, like crumbs left along a trail for a lost child, helpful on the surface but only leading them astray. "And it was your fault. She just wanted to be loved and you ruined that." With narrowed eyes he watched as Joachim approached, a disgusted sneer on his lips. The spotted stallion maneuvered around him and drew alongside, close enough that Bastien could feel his brother's breath upon his neck. He took several steps to the side, lashing out with blunt teeth to try and bite at Joachim's cheek.
"I have nothing to say to you!" He snarled, brow furrowed and amber eyes alight with fury. He was trying not to let the rage that burned inside him come loose, knowing full well that his brother could hurt him - even kill him - if he wanted to. But he couldn't seem to stop himself from spitting, "Why do you care if she has more kids? The way you talk doesn't make you sound mysterious or righteous, it makes you sound jealous and bitter. You're upset because you're a once-was mommy's boy who got cast aside and replaced. It's your own fault you're where you are," Bastien reinforced his earlier statement.
Pivoting the conversation, the red dun colt asked, "Why did you even bring me here? What do you want with me?"
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two years old. mixed breed. red dun roan
fifteen-one. fiero x marceline. played by pippa. |