//------------------------------//
// Familiar Faces 
// Story: The Belle of Tambelon 
// by Mr. Grimm 
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	Grogar’s face remained locked in its typical stony scowl as he descended up the dark stairwell to his room. But in his mind he was smiling a hideous grin. He was all too aware of the unicorn’s fear. He could smell it wafting off of her in copious amounts. It pleased the goat that she was afraid of him, as it would keep her in line. The spirit of darkness hoped to one day make Celestia and Luna feel as frightened as the unicorn who followed him. Grogar glanced over his shoulder at the unicorn. The long trip up the tower was taking its toll on her limbs, each one made flimsy with fright. The necromancer snorted contemptuously. She would never have survived in the age when he had ruled. She was soft, spoiled by the prosperity and peace that flourished under the Alicorns’ reign. But perhaps, with a bit of guidance on his part, she could amount to something. If nothing she’d be a valuable source of information on modern Equestria. 




Trixie tried to muffle her heavy breathing as she climbed up the stony steps of the tower. They had been ascending for what seemed to be hours, though in reality it had only been a few minutes. She felt tired and sore, as if her legs were about to melt. Whether it was because of her terror or because she was out of shape, she didn’t know. Either way she didn’t want to disappoint Grogar in any possible way after seeing what he did to those who stepped out of line. It was only after seeing the two trolls destroyed that she realized she’d sold her soul to a fiendish tyrant. The collar around her neck seemed to grow heavier, dragging her spirits down far into the earth.

The unicorn’s thoughts were interrupted when the monstrous goat stopped before a heavy oak door. He snorted as he butted his head against it, pushing it open. He continued on in with Trixie close behind. The mare shielded her eyes as they adjusted to the slightly brighter room, which like the rest of the castle was lit by torches. 

Trixie found herself standing in the middle of a cavernous room, its ceiling high and coned to match the gothic roof that covered it. Spread out on the floor was a great deal of ornately carved tables, their legs carved to resemble totems of strange, snarling monsters. Laid out on their dusty surfaces was an omnigatherum of objects, some as mundane as a simple sword, others were so exotic that she couldn’t identify them. The ones that mostly caught the unicorn’s eye were the ones that appeared as pieces of jewelry, crafted from gleaming gold and sparkling gemstones. 

The magician eventually noticed the tapestries that hung from the cold walls. Like the ones in the dining hall they were moldered and threadbare, indicating their great age. They depicted what appeared to be monsters in various acts of cruelty, some destroying villages, others attacking castles. Though they were sewn from decaying thread, the creatures still made the unicorn’s hair stand on end. 

One of the creatures was a massive behemoth, with the body of a black stallion. A strange torso emerged from where the head should have been, adorned with a black breastplate. The skin of the torso was red, and the muscular arms bore powerful clawed hands. The head was horned, and at first Trixie thought the creature was meant to be a malformed minotaur. But the face served to disprove her assumption. It was the strange, snarling face of some kind of ape, its grimacing maw filled with fangs. The bizarre monstrosity was in the act of toppling a tower by the means of a small black bag clutched in its claws that gave forth a beam of darkness. 

“It’s only a picture,” came the cynical voice of Grogar. Trixie was drawn out of her fixation and turned to look at the goat as he trotted over beside her, leering at the stitched creature with what seemed to be disappointment. 

“What…What is it?” the magician asked meekly. 

“Tirek,” came the curt reply, “Just one of the many sorcerers who failed me.” He turned and looked at the rest of the tapestries, a low growl in his throat. “They all failed me.” Trixie followed the goat as he walked along the walls, scowling at each monster. “I crafted the gifts that gave them power,” he pointed a cloven hoof at a hideous sea monster with a red amulet clutched in its tentacle, “And they were defeated by idiotic mortal values. Love and friendship…Peace and harmony…” Trixie began to shrink back as the necromancer shook with rage. Grogar’s red eyes blazed with long-held hatred, as though he might lash out and kill her at any moment. 

But he quickly regained composure as Bray entered the room. The donkey’s graceless stride made the warlord look upon him with flatness. 

“The great hall has been cleaned, Master,” Bray said with a bow. Grogar snorted and turned away, trotting toward what appeared to be a model of Tambelon. The miniature city sat on a table in the middle of the room. Trixie noticed that the replica of Grogar’s castle seemed to be made of newer wood than the rest of the tiny buildings. 

“Now then,” the goat said as he circled the table, “I shall explain my plan in simple terms so that your primitive equine brains may understand it. Trixie’s eyes widened indignantly, and grew wider as she saw the complete lack of offense taken by Bray, who continued to gaze obediently at their tyrannical master. 

“Mage,” continued the goat, “You recall when I gained your service by offering you power?” Trixie nodded, as this had only been a few hours earlier. 

“Yes,” she murmured, “But what has that…” She stopped when she saw the commanding glare Grogar gave her. 

“All mortals are easily corrupted,” he said with a small, wicked smile, “Even the purest heart can be consumed by selfish desire and pride.” Trixie frowned, for when he said this he was looking at her in an almost accusing manner.  

“That’s right,” Bray added with a crooked grin, “They can’t resist temptation. It’s like waving candy in front of a foal.” 

“Silence!” barked Grogar. Bray’s ears fell as his smile vanished. Grogar looked back to Trixie, who stood uncomfortably before his steely gaze as he spoke to her in an eerily quiet voice.

“Mage, I intend to deceive the populace of Equestria into acting against their leaders so that I may ascend once again to the throne.” Trixie nearly fainted. He had told her his intention when they had first met, but now knowing just how evil he really was, the thought of him ruling Equestria was devastating. Her mind was filled with horrid visions of a dark dystopia; ponies succumbing daily to the iron hoof of the tyrannical Grogar. She saw bands of Troggles raiding the countryside, feasting upon whatever they could catch in their jagged claws. 

“How are we going to do this?” she breathed, not daring to allow any hint of her misery into her words. Grogar smiled at her in a way that made her shudder. 

“I have been gone for five centuries,” he said, “And do not know of what has happened in my absence. Tell me, who are the most powerful warriors of Equestria, second only to the princesses?” Trixie’s face turned horribly bitter as she thought of the answer. She knew all too well who qualified as the six most powerful ponies in Equestria. For almost a year she’d been keeping tabs on them, brooding enviously over their successes while she could hardly manage to maintain her already shaky reputation. 

“The Elements of Harmony,” she muttered. Grogar snarled fiercely at the jealous magician, causing her to leap back in fear. 

“I said second to the princesses, you imbecile!” he bellowed as his horns crackled with his destructive magic. Trixie fell to the floor in a cowering bow, her eyes pleading for forgiveness. 

“B-but they are!” cried the unicorn, “They’re six ponies! One of them is Celestia’s student!” She covered her face with her forelegs. She glanced up as the goat’s horns ceased their ominous sparking. He ran a cloven hoof through his beard as he took in the magician’s words. 

“Six ponies?” he murmured, “One for each Element.” A delighted grin spread across his face. “Tell me of their deeds, Mage.” Trixie began to rise to her hooves, her face once again embittered. Now humiliation was being added to her fear. Having to relay the heroics of the six ponies she despised irritated her to no end, but she knew she had little choice. 

“They defeated Nightmare Moon,” she mumbled sulkily. “That was when they became the bearers of the Elements.” Grogar frowned, his eyes clouded in memory for a moment. They returned to the present as he made a horrendous scowl. 

“Nightmare…” he growled, “That miserable strumpet…” Trixie’s eyes widened in surprise at his recognition of the name. 

“You…you know about Nightmare Moon?” replied the astounded unicorn.

“I know of Nightmare,” rumbled the necromancer, “I am the one who wrought her powers.” Bray shuddered at the creature’s name, recalling his terrifying encounters with what was once the only female equine to inhabit Tambelon. 

“Glad to hear she’s been disposed of,” he mumbled. 

“Anyway,” continued Trixie, “They turned her back into Princess Luna. That was the first time they used the Elements. Then about six months later Discord escaped and took over Equestria--” Trixie wasn’t so much surprised that Grogar knew of the Draconequus as she was to his reaction. The goat let out a roar of deriding laughter, along with a shower of foul-smelling spittle. 

“That buffoon?” he guffawed, “He was but a glorified gargoyle in my time. The coward went into hiding whenever his subjects acted up.” Trixie paled upon hearing Grogar’s opinion of what she had up until this point believed to be the most powerful being in existence. Grogar picked up on this quite easily and laughed once more, this time at Trixie. 

“Your society is more pathetic than I thought if you were fearful of something as harmless as Discord,” he chuckled, “You’ll come to think of him as a jest when I return to power.” Trixie seemed to shrink at his words, knowing that he was probably right.

“And then there was the wedding two months ago,” she murmured humbly, “They didn’t actually use the Elements there, but they defeated Queen Chrysalis’s army.”

Again, the magician saw recognition in Grogar’s eyes. But rather than hate or mirth, they seemed blank, as if he were lost in thought. 

“Chrysalis…” he rasped, “She survived the uprising…” There was almost a trace of respect in his voice. “What happened at this wedding?” 

“Queen Chrysalis tricked Shining Armor into thinking she was his fiancé,” answered Trixie, “He’s captain of the royal guard. I think it was a ruse to get him to let down the spell that was protecting Canterlot at the time.” Grogar stroked his beard as he glanced up at a tapestry bearing the image of a tall, black equine with a crooked horn and ragged wings. 

“Interesting,” he murmured, “But of course, it failed?” 

“She was exposed at the ceremony,” said Trixie, “She did beat Celestia, though…” Grogar’s brow raised in surprise, and then scrunched back into his usual sneer. 

“By feeding on the captain’s love, I gather?” Trixie nodded. Grogar was silent for a few moments as he pondered this information. One of his evil smiles crept insidiously onto his muzzle. “The fool…She was defeated by the love between the bride and the groom, wasn’t she?” Trixie couldn’t help but be astounded by his correct and insightful answer. 

“Yes,” she said, “It sent her and her changelings out of Canterlot…How did you know?”

“Because I am not a gluttonous idiot like she is,” Grogar beamed, “It must never have occurred to her that her power would be cut off when groom reunited with his true love. Likewise, she never realized that their true love would serve as an antithesis to the affection she feeds on though falsehoods.” He turned back to his minions with a dark grin. “But what can you expect from a creature that feeds on something as trivial and useless as love?”  

“Not much,” said Bray. Grogar narrowed his eyes at the donkey before turning to Trixie. 

“Mage,” he said, “Tell me everything you know about these ponies that bear the Elements. I must know their names and where I may find them.” Trixie frowned in discomfort as the goat craned his horrifying head so that it was only inches away from her own. “We have work to do.”