…
…
Grogar could sense that the time to retake Equestria for his own was drawing nearer. As he inspected his donkey soldiers, thoughts of conquering his former kingdom was deep in his mind. "At ease!" He commanded the donkey platoons while his minions watched from the side. "Now then, you've all proven to me that you are capable of aiding in the retaking of Equestria. I sense that the time shall come sooner than you think!"
Grogar then sharply turned to his minions. "But there is still more to be done! We are still vulnerable!" He shouted in a commanding voice. "You, my most loyal minions, must demonstrate your leadership to me in the battle that is to come! With the loss of the Predacons and the Storm King, we can afford no more mistakes!"
The command in Grogar's voice made Cozy Glow feel nervous, but Tirek placed a hand on her shoulder to calm her down.
"To this end, I am assigning each of you a type of creature to attack," Grogar explained, "You shall take a piece of my army and conquer that specific creature's kingdom! Now, follow me at once!"
Leading the Legion of Doom out of the courtyard, each member of the legion eagerly anticipated the assignment that they would be getting. All…except for Lavan. For in his mind, it wasn't the impending invasion of Equestria, but of something else as he looked up staring at the horizon.
"Well, Emperor Grogar," Adagio Dazzle laughed as she and the other Dazzlings greeted him at the doorway. "I see we're about ready to conquer Equestria."
"Oh goody!" Sonata Dusk squealed with delight! "I'm longing for some fun as it's gotten boring around here!"
"Shut up, Sonata," Aria Blaze muttered. "This isn't a game. This is war!"
Scarface then growled, licking his lips. "Patience, my pet," Grogar remarked to the bear. "Your time will soon come."
Still, Lavan chose not to listen to them. He needed to find a way to bring his friend and confidant back to life.
"Hey," Cozy whispered to her father figure. "What's up with Hothead there? He looks sad."
"It's that friend of his, the one called Zeb," Tirek whispered back. "Lavan just can't seem to get it out of his head. Since Zeb was killed he hasn't been the same."
"Do you think we should help him?" Cozy Glow asked. "He could be a valuable ally for our own schemes."
Tirek looked back to Lavan. "As much as I want to help him, Cozy, I can't put us at risk of Grogar's wrath. Especially with a giant bear at his disposal," He explained. "We must be careful about who we trust."
The mention of Scarface's name caused Cozy's back to shiver. However, the thought of helping Lavan didn't go far from her mind. "He needs his friend back," Cozy thought to herself. "And that's just what we are going to do!"
…
…
Gathering in the throne room, Grogar activated his map of Equestria to give out his anticipated assignments to his minions. "Each target has been carefully selected according to your abilities," He said, pointing to each location with his bell's powers. "Chrysalis!"
Chrysalis eagerly gave her attention to her emperor upon her name being called. "You shall be responsible for conquering the Changeling Kingdom!"
"As you command…my emperor." Chrysalis remarked while bowing down to him.
"Lord Tirek!" Grogar shouted to the centaur. "You and your little friend there shall be responsible for overpowering the Yak kingdom!"
"The yak kingdom? You mean Yakyakistan!" Cozy cried, feeling somewhat flabbergasted by her assignment. "But, but they smell! And it's so cold up there! I'm just a filly!"
"Their strength is powerful, far too powerful to be left unchecked," Grogar explained further while stamping his hoof down. "So get used to it! You will face much harsher climates before all's said and done."
Gesturing to Cozy, Tirek stood her down as Grogar snorted through his nose.
"Lavan!" But Lavan was too busy focused on Zeb to give Grogar his undivided attention. "LAVAN!"
"Ye…ye…yes, Emperor Grogar?" Lavan stammered. "You bellowed?"
"Pay attention, fool!" Grogar snorted. "I'm assigning you to attack the Dragonlands!"
"Oh," Lavan remarked in an uninterested tone. "Yes, of course, my emperor!"
But Grogar was not convinced. "Why do you show no interest in your assignment?" He demanded.
"It's…it's nothing, my emperor, "Lavan insisted. "I was just thinking about something else. I am interested in conquering the Dragon Lands, thank you. I will not let you down!"
Grunting, Grogar turned back to the assignment at hoof. "Arabus," He said to the swirling wind creature. "I give you permission to pay the griffons at Griffonstone a little visit!"
"Of course, my emperor!" Arabus laughed with glee. "I shall blow them away for you!"
"And their dislike for one another shall come to your advantage!" Grogar nodded. "As for Squirk, he shall conquer Mount Aris and Seaquestria. This time, the Maximals will not be around to stop him."
"And what about me, my emperor?!" King Sombra eagerly inquired. "Surely, you have a kingdom for me to conquer!"
"Yes, I do," Grogar happily nodded. "As my second-in-command, you shall assist me in conquering our prime targets: The now joint capitals of Ponyville and Canterlot!"
"And what about the…?" Sombra began.
"The Crystal Empire's Crystal Heart is stronger than ever according to our latest report from our spies in Equestria," Grogar interrupted while directing Sombra to look at the Crystal Empire surrounded by pink magic. "Besides, you attempted to conquer Canterlot yourself, didn't you?"
"I did, but..."
"-So you shall attempt to conquer it again," Grogar insisted. "And I…shall be one to take out the Supreme Princess Twilight Sparkle, and her meddling friends!"
Sombra felt somewhat insulted by this assignment, but he had to go with what Grogar had planned.
Still, not every member of the legion of doom had a strong interest in the job ahead. With Grogar not watching him, Lavan turned around to leave the throne room. But he was being watched by Cozy Glow.
Flapping her alicorn wings, the young pegasus turned alicorn dashed over to the fire creature's side. "You miss him, don't you?" Cozy asked Lavan. "You miss your friend, huh?"
"What do you know about my friendship with Zeb, filly?!" Lavan snapped back at her. "You…you're not even old enough to understand!"
"Yes, but I can understand your feelings, Mr. Hot Stuff!" Cozy answered in a babyish voice while flying in front of Lavan upside down. "You sense that your friend is still alive, but you don't know how to get him back, right?"
Thinking back to when she and her parental figures had found Lord Zedd's diary, Cozy felt she could do the same for Lavan. "I can help you!" She declared while seeing the stairway that led down to Grogar's workroom. "Follow me!"
Lavan watched as Cozy Glow flew towards the basement door. He felt confused at first, but came to an understanding that if Cozy Glow could bring his friend back to life, he had to at least give her a chance.
Little did either of them know, however, that they were being watched by the Dazzlings.
"They seem to be up to something," Adagio whispered as she, Aria and Sonata hid behind a wall. "We'd better follow them!"
Aria blinked. "But what about…?"
"Grogar must not have his plans interfered with," Adagio firmly insisted. "So we'll stop them ourselves!"
"Adagio, are you sure this is a good idea?" Sonata asked much to Adagio's annoyance. "I mean, it's his…"
"The last thing Emperor Grogar wants, stupid, is to have any outside interference!" Adagio protested. "Do you want to go back to being a powerless teenage girl in that other world?"
Silently, Sonata shook her head no.
"Good," Adagio smiled. "Now follow me, and do exactly as I say! When we inevitably expose these traitors, Grogar will surely reward us."
So the Dazzlings followed Cozy and Lavan down to the workroom, determined to stop Zeb's return at all costs.
…
Going down the stairs, Lavan and Cozy Glow reached Grogar's private workroom and found themselves in the room surrounded by shelves of books and spells along with the magic cauldron used by the emperor.
Lavan blinked in amazement. "This is his workspace?"
"It is," Cozy Glow whispered. "He must have a resurrection book or two somewhere."
While Cozy searched for a book, Lavan began to hear a faint sound coming from Grogar's cauldron.
"Help…" The voice faintly cried out from the cauldron. Walking over to the cauldron, Lavan looked down and stuck his hand inside of it. "Help me…"
"Zeb?" Lavan asked in a surprised voice. "Zeb, is that you?!"
"Help…" The voice cried out again.
"It's me! Lavan!" Lavan called out!
"Lavan?" The voice replied. "It's good to see you again!"
Lavan frantically called out! "Where are you?! Speak to me!"
"I'm in some kind of spirit world that Grogar created!" Zeb's voice explained. "Can you help me out of here, brother?"
Sharply, Lavan turned to Cozy Glow who was still looking for a spell book on resurrections. "Can't you find something, filly? He needs help!"
"Sorry," Cozy cried while frantically picking books off of the shelf! "He's got a thousand of these books here, you know! It seems he has books for spells for everything under the sun!"
Lavan only protested! "Just find any book that can bring him back to life! Hurry!"
Pressured, Cozy eventually decided on a green book that she had found. Bringing it over to Lavan, she hoofed it to him and he began to search frantically for a spell to bring his friend back to life.
"Okay, okay!" Lavan remarked while scrambling through the pages before settling on a spell. "There's this incantation here that's in some strange language. It has to work!"
Looking into the book, Cozy saw that the spell was written indeed in a different language. "Yes, it's in old ponish!" She replied, snatching the book away before realizing that she could still help out Lavan. "Maybe if I tap into my alicorn powers…"
"What?" Lavan asked.
"Stand back!" Cozy Glow ordered and Lavan stood back as her alicorn horn began to charge up. "And you may want to cover your eyes."
Doing as he was told, Lavan covered his eyes as Cozy aimed her horn at the water inside the cauldron.
Outside the workroom, the Dazzlings each slithered their way towards the door and as Cozy activated her spell, the blinding light from the spell hit the Dazzlings. "Ahh, my eyes!" Sonata Dusk shrieked while Aria Blaze and Adagio Dazzle cried out in pain, their eyes blinded by Cozy Glow's strong magic!
…
…
When the light toned down, Cozy lowered her alicorn powers and at that very moment, Lavan opened his eyes to discover a Zebra dressed in tribal attire standing right in front of him. The lava demon couldn't believe what he was seeing. "Zeb?! Is that really you?!"
The zebra returned the remark with a smile. "What's up, you old lva head?!" He asked!
Overjoyed, Lavan ran over and hugged his friend tightly while Cozy Glow looked on!
"Um, Mr. Zeb sir?" Cozy Glow asked. "Lavan has been thinking about you for some time now."
"Who are you, missy?" Zeb blinked in confusion.
"I'm Cozy Glow," The filly declared with a bow. "A member of Grogar's Legion of Doom. And we are always welcoming new members."
But suddenly, Zeb's face turned sour upon hearing Grogar's name. "Grogar? Legion of doom? What's going on here?" He asked as Lavan released his grip from him.
"Grogar has recruited us to help him take back Equestria from Twilight Sparkle and her meddlesome friends," Cozy Glow answered. "You are welcome to join us, you know. In fact, we were actually having a meeting just now. Why don't you join us? I'm sure Grogar will accept you."
But Zeb was hesitant on the idea.
"Zeb, what's the matter?" Lavan asked as they started to leave the workroom.
"Why would you help someone that kept my spirit prisoner?" Zeb blinked. "It's not cool!"
"Because, Zeb, this is the one chance we get where we can build a new life for ourselves," Lavan answered. "Don't you see? Don't you get it? Do you even want to be amongst those rhyming striped equines of yours?"
Zeb said nothing.
"Isn't that what you wanted, to be independent of them after they threw you into that volcano long ago?" Lavan protested. "Twice I have saved you. Haven't you ever wanted to be free? To get back at them?"
Suddenly, Cozy's eyes widened and she slowly started to back away nervously, moving out of the workroom. "Well, yeah, of course. That is what I want, but…"
"Then let's go!" Lavan declared.
As they left, Cozy saw the moaning Dazzlings lying on the foot of the stairs with their eyes blinded by her spell.
"My eyes! My eyes!" Adagio cried as Cozy Glow looked down on them in a sarcastic manner. "I can't see!"
"Better shut these loudmouths up," Cozy thought to herself, before turning back to Lavan and Zeb. "Stand back a second!" Activating her horn, Cozy aimed it at the Dazzlings and fired another blinding spell at them. When the magic cleared, only a snow globe remained where the Dazzlings once laid. Picking up the snow globe, Cozy looked at the three Dazzlings floating helplessly in their confined space.
"That oughta keep you three quiet. Maybe I'll let you guys out someday when you can promise not to tell," Cozy remarked as she shook the snow globe, causing Sonata Dusk to turn green. "All right, let's go!"
…
Making their way back up the stairs, the fake alicorn, lava monster and his zebra friend quickly and quietly returned to Grogar's throne room as the demonic ram continued making his final preparations.
"It sounds like he's finishing the meeting," Cozy whispered as she placed an ear to the door. "I've got an idea."
Once again, Cozy activated her horn and cast a spell to make the snow globe containing the Dazzlings disappear, then cast another spell on herself and the two reunited friends. Then she proceeded to make her way through the door much to Lavan and Zeb's surprise.
"Well?" Cozy whispered while peeking through the door. "Come on!"
Shrugging his shoulders, Lavan led Zeb into the throne room where Grogar had just dismissed the meeting.
"And where have you been, young filly?" Grogar demanded, while looking right at Cozy Glow. "And where have you been as well, Lavan? The both of you dare to leave a meeting as important as this unannounced?!"
"Um, golly, Emperor Grogar," Cozy Glow protested, flying up to him as the rest of the Legion cleared a path for her. "I can explain, honest! You see, there's this old friend of Lavan's…"
"Silence!" Grogar shouted as he looked right back at Lavan and saw Zeb hiding behind his back. "Lavan, who is that behind you?"
Knowing that he had been caught, Lavan reluctantly stepped forward. "My emperor," He explained. "I heard the sounds of my friend here, and…"
"Your friend from the zebra village, yes?" Grogar asked, looking right at Zeb. "The one called Zeb?"
Stepping down from his throne, Grogar pushed Lavan aside with his bewitching bell's powers and towered over him. "You were crying out from the spirit world, weren't you?!" He inquired. "After I rescued you from purgatory, you decided to come back?"
"L-look, my emperor," Zeb pleaded in protest. "I know you kept my spirit protected, but…?"
"But what? You didn't like the accommodations?" Grogar snarled.
"Well, I was taught that spirits never really die, so I sensed that Lavan was recruited by you and…" Zeb nervously explained.
"And you seized the opportunity to come back to life, yes?" Grogar concluded with another snarl.
Zeb silently nodded that everything he had said was indeed true.
"Hmm, so it seems that you both went behind my back to bring a last minute recruit into my ranks," Grogar remarked to Cozy Glow and Lavan. "As much as I am appreciative of your efforts, you disobeyed me nonetheless and must suffer the consequences."
Stamping his hoof, a small platoon of donkey soldiers stepped forward and they all grabbed at Cozy Glow and Lavan, forcing them down to their knees. Sensing that Cozy was about to be harmed, Tirek had to think of something quickly.
"Place them against the wall over there. You know what comes next." Grogar ordered, directing the donkeys to place Cozy and Lavan against the wall to the left of Grogar's throne.
"What are you doing?!" Zeb cried as Sombra held him back with his magic. "Leave them alone, I beg you! I'll do whatever you want, Grogar, but don't hurt them!"
Sharply turning around, Grogar stared the zebra in the face. "Let me explain something to you, zebra," He coldly hissed. "When I have servants who disobey me, they must suffer the consequences. Perhaps there is no better time to learn than now!"
"No!" Tirek cried out as he suddenly came on the scene, catching Grogar's attention!
"Impeding my orders, Tirek?" Grogar asked. "Why don't you share the punishment?"
"I'll take it all," Tirek pleaded, fearing for Cozy Glow's safety. "Please. Think of it as my punishment for not teaching Cozy Glow better."
"Tirek, no!" Cozy Glow cried, but the centaur remained defiant. "You don't know what you are doing!"
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…
"Would you now?" Grogar remarked, circling around Tirek. "And what would prompt such an act of charity from someone like yourself, Tirek?"
Tirek then looked over to Cozy Glow and took an enormous gulp. No one was prepared for what he was about to say.
"She's my daughter," Tirek whispered, much to Grogar's surprise. "She's my daughter."
Cozy was amazed by what had just come out of Tirek's mouth! Even Grogar was surprised and suddenly, he began to laugh heartily. "What a development this is!"
"No," Tirek protested, shocked at what Grogar was asking him to do. "No, I won't!"
"The cat's out of the bag, Lord Tirek!" Grogar shouted. "Your issue will feel its sting at my hooves…or your own hands! One way or another, you will learn that no one defies me!"
Tirek felt the pressure mounting at what Grogar was trying to make him do. He was being forced to hurt the pony that he'd taken under his wing and treated like his own daughter.
"No." Tirek whispered and Grogar's smile turned to a scowl.
"Very well then." Grogar said as he prepared to strike only for Tirek to stop him.
"No!" Tirek cried, nervously stepping forward to face the back of his daughter and Zeb. Even the violence loving Chrysalis was horrified by what was happening before her eyes.
"Tirek…" Chrysalis cried as the centaur looked back to his girlfriend nervously.
"I'm sorry, my daughter. Forgive me." Tirek whispered.
Once the lashing was over, Cozy and Zeb were thrown to the floor. But Grogar was not done. Turning his attention to Lavan, he motioned for him to be positioned next. "Bring him forward!" Grogar demanded and Sombra brought Lavan against the wall.
"Allow me, my emperor." Sombra offered, licking his lips. And Grogar happily obliged.
"You are all dismissed," Grogar said to the rest of legion once Lavan's lashing was complete, and then turned his attention over to the downed Cozy Glow, picking her up with his magic. "As for you, young filly, let me explain to you that you had it easy with your father administering the punishment. But next time, I may not be so forgiving."
Then he had one more question for Cozy Glow. "Now, where are the Dazzlings? I know you did something to them! I sensed the magic you used."
"I disposed of them," Cozy hissed. "They got in the way of what needed to be done. And you'll never see them again!"
"You lie!" Grogar snarled. "They are still alive! You can't hide anything from me!"
"Of course they're alive," Cozy weakly whispered, magically producing the snow globe containing the three dazzlings. "See? There they are. But they'll be of no use to you, I've shut them up!"
Grogar furiously released his grip on Cozy upon hearing this, throwing her to the floor. "You two," He ordered to Tirek and Chrysalis. "Get this backstabbing brat out of my sight at once! I see I was wrong to give her alicorn powers. Clearly, she cannot be trusted."
Doing as they were told, Tirek and Chrysalis took the wounded Cozy Glow out of the throne room while Sombra continued to stand over Zeb and Lavan.
"What shall I do with these two, my emperor?" Sombra asked.
"Throw them in the dungeon until I say otherwise," Grogar answered. "Let's give them some time to catch up before we launch our invasion! Maybe they'll still be of some use to us."
Smiling, Grogar watched as Sombra led the two wounded friends out of the throne room while being picked up by the donkey soldiers.
…
Meanwhile, Cozy was taken back to her quarters as Tirek and Chrysalis attempted to care for her wounds.
"Grogar is dangerous," Tirek declared to Chrysalis. "He clearly doesn't play by our rules."
"Of course he doesn't Tirek," Chrysalis replied as she placed a washcloth on Cozy's back while the alicorn filly winced in pain. "What Cozy Glow did was add another ally to our ranks. Only a fool like Grogar would see that as a negative."
"Yes, I completely agree," Tirek whispered as he looked up to the galaxy. "Even Discord when he was masquerading as Grogar never did such a thing. It's clear that Grogar regards us all as disposable. That's why he is sending us out to invade these kingdoms before him. He has no intention of letting us keep them, he intends for us to fail. Chrysalis…I…I think we need to…"
Suddenly, Tirek felt one of his girlfriend's armored hooves touch his hand.
"I'm thinking the same thing, Tirek," Chrysalis declared as they continued to look down at their daughter figure. "We have to do something before it's too late. It is we should rule all of Equestria, not that old goat!"
Both of Equestria's most dangerous villains decided to take matters into their own hooves and hands against Grogar!
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