//------------------------------// // Gathering of Villains // Story: The Return of King Sombra // by Dragon-Master-31 //------------------------------// “(Chuckle) It is rather sad that I must destroy this world. But... whatever must be done, it shall be done. Watch out Equestria, the Doctor... is in....” Discorded Whooves said as he laughed and laughed, the arms opening and closing their claws, laughing with their master. “Well then, Doc, if you truly are loyal to me now, you will have no problem completing a mission for me, correct?” Sombra asked, making sure to show the Doctor he was serious. “I am ready to do as you command, master.” Discorded Whooves said as he lowered himself back to ground level. “Good, but before I assign you your mission, I will elaborate on my plan for Equestria. Yes, the plan is to destroy Equestria, but Professor Screw left out a very important detail. This is not only for the sake of saving other worlds, but also for revenge. There is a pony here in Equestria who has ignited my flames of revenge. Princess Twilight Sparkle, I'm sure you know who she is.” Sombra said. “I know of her, yes. From the memories of the Doctor and there is also a Twilight Sparkle in my world too. We were rather... close, I suppose you could say.” Discorded Whooves said with a smirk on his face. “(Chuckle) Very interesting, unfortunately I don't care about your Twilight Sparkle. I am talking about my Twilight Sparkle. My Twilight Sparkle stole my victory! I will not let her get away with that! Twilight is our number one priority here!” Sombra yelled, stomping his hoof down on the floor. “If you hate this Twilight so much, why don't we attack her first and then destroy the rest of Equestria?” Discorded Whooves asked. “(Chuckle) Do me a favor Doc, why don't you use your brain and look into the Doctor's memories. Tell me, what do you see? Surely there is something in there that shows what Twilight Sparkle has already accomplished here.” Sombra said, not looking very happy. Discorded Whooves did as he was told and looked into the memories of Doctor Whooves. He saw that Twilight had indeed done so much in this world. This Twilight had saved Equestria many times and defeated many enemies. She had accomplished so much in this world. Way more than his Twilight Sparkle ever had. Discorded Whooves was quite impressed by how successful this Twilight was compared to his. Once he had seen enough, Discorded Whooves looked back to Sombra and nodded. “Yes, she has done a lot, hasn't she? As much as I despise Twilight Sparkle, I have a great amount of respect for her. She is a powerful mare and a very dangerous threat to my plans. She and the rest of her friends have defeated many powerful enemies. That is why rather than attack Twilight Sparkle head on, we will weaken her emotionally. By destroying and conquering the different regions of Equestria, we will emotionally damage her. She will see how she is failing to keep Equestria safe from harm. Once we have weakened her enough, that is when we strike and take her down.” Sombra explained. “I see, so, what do you want me to do?” Discorded Whooves asked. “As you are aware, I cannot do this alone. That is why I have gathered a couple of very powerful enemies of the Princess to assist me in my plans for Equestria. But, for my plan to fully work, I need more allies to keep Equestria in distress, while I work from the shadows. Therefore, for your first mission, you are to go and seek out more allies that are willing to join us in our vision for Equestria. Once you have recruited enough, you will bring them back to my base. Do you think you can do that, Doc?” Sombra asked. “(Chuckle) I can do that. And based on the Doctor's memories, I already have a few individuals in mind. Though it might take me a few days to gather them all up and bring them back to your base, wherever that is.” Discorded Whooves said. “Professor, the book please.” Sombra said as he kept his eye on the Doctor. “Of course, your majesty.” Professor Screw said as he levitated the book over to Sombra, who then levitated it over to the Doctor. “Huh? What's this?” Discorded Whooves asked as he took ahold of the book with the mechanical arms. “This is a spell book filled with dark magic and spells. I created it myself shortly before I was banished. One of the spells you can use is a spell that can teleport you anywhere you can think of. All you have to do is think about the place you want to go, and it will take you there.” Sombra explained, taking the book back with his magic before turning to the Professor. “You stay here, Professor, I will be taking the Doctor to my castle. Plus, it will be good for him to meet his fellow partners. I will return when I need you.” “Very well, your majesty.” Professor Screw said, bowing to his master. With that, Sombra and Discorded Whooves teleported away from the lab in a cloud of dark magic. The Professor chuckled to himself as he was very pleased with the success of his experiment. He couldn't wait for what the future held for him. Earlier... Cozy Glow was happily humming to herself as she was just finishing putting up a banner, she had worked so hard on, despite it being rather late in the night. It was a large pink banner that had drawings of herself, King Sombra, Tirek, and Chrysalis on it. Cozy Glow was very pleased as she flew back a bit and saw how the banner looked hanging from the walls of the castle. “(Sigh) Nothing says teamwork like an inspirational banner.” Cozy Glow said to herself, admiring her work. Ever since Sombra had left, the trio of villains had accepted their roles as to serve King Sombra, or else suffer the consequences. Tirek and Chrysalis of course were not thrilled by the fact, but they knew they had no choice in the matter. Cozy Glow on the other hoof had actually come to appreciate her role. Plus, she figured that if she obeyed Sombra's every command, perhaps he would grant her a request. Cozy Glow had also put up another banner that read, 'Welcome Back, King Sombra' with a couple smiley faces. Cozy Glow had also taken the time to make the castle feel a bit homier, with lights and books and even a few pictures she had drawn and placed them on the walls. “When King Sombra sees this, he'll realize that he at least has one pony he can rely on. Me!” Cozy Glow said with pride. The only thing that concerned Cozy Glow was Tirek and Chrysalis. She knew that the only way they would all stay on Sombra's good side was if they learned to work together. From the look of it, they had absolutely no desire to work as a team. Cozy Glow wasn't too enthusiastic about it either, but she knew that sometimes you have to do things for the better, even if you don't like it. Since Sombra had left, there wasn't a lot of communication between the trio. Cozy Glow had been too busy making the place look a bit nicer, Tirek spent most of his time in his room working out and exercising using equipment he forged out of crystal, and Chrysalis spent pretty much all of her time in her room talking to some weird log-like thing. Cozy Glow knew that Sombra would return eventually, and she wanted the three of them to at least be able to get along to impress Sombra. After thinking it over a bit, Cozy Glow decided it was time to get the team together. With that, Cozy Glow flew in the direction of Tirek's room. Tirek was in his room, on his back and lifting a massive weight as he stared at a picture of what he looked like when he absorbed all the magic in Equestria. Sort of like an inspiration to work harder. As Tirek concentrated on getting stronger and stronger, he heard the familiar sound of his friend. “You're gonna have to exercise a LOT to get as big as you were when you absorbed the life force of all those ponies.” Cozy Glow said as she looked smugly at Tirek. Tirek didn't say a word as he just gave Cozy Glow a mean look before going back to his exercise. Cozy Glow didn't quite get the message as she just flew up and landed on the weight he was lifting, positioning herself in a relaxing pose as she continued to speak to Tirek. “Any who, King Sombra wants us all to work together. So, I've scheduled a team meeting! Doesn't that sound fun?” Cozy Glow asked as she looked down into Tirek's eyes, giving him a sweet yet creepy smile. Once again, Tirek didn't say anything as he just glared at Cozy Glow, who once again, kept talking. “And since King Sombra left me in charge-.” Cozy Glow started before Tirek quickly interrupted her. “No, he didn't!” Tirek said, knowing for sure that Sombra never said any of this nonsense. “(Giggle) Someone's a real grumpy guy today.” Cozy Glow said, playfully rubbing Tirek's forehead. “If we aren't meeting, I guess I could just stay and offer positive and inspiring-.” “Fine! I'll join your meeting, just leave.” Tirek finally said, sitting up and pointing Cozy Glow in the direction of his door. “See you soon!” Cozy Glow replied as she got up and flew away, with Tirek still glaring at her. With Tirek's assurance that he would join the meeting, Cozy Glow hummed herself as she flew down to Chrysalis's room. Tirek was rather easy to convince, especially since they had spent a decent amount of time together. However, Chrysalis would probably be a bit more challenging to convince. In the couple of days, they had been together, they hardly said a word to each other. Still though, Cozy Glow held her head up high and made it to Chrysalis's room, not before hearing Chrysalis talk to... that log thing. “It's been a few days now and King Sombra has done nothing! It's not healthy to hold onto all of this rage! I could lash out at any moment!” Chrysalis ranted before she heard the sound of that annoying little Pegasus. “And how are you doing this fine-?” Cozy Glow asked before Chrysalis flew over to her and put her face right in front of hers, causing Cozy Glow to lean back quite a bit. “HOW DO YOU THINK I'M DOING!? I'M READY TO EXACT MY REVENGE!” Chrysalis yelled before immediately turning back to her purple log. “See what I mean?” Chrysalis asked the log. “Being cooped up with nothing to do is the worst! You know what you need? A team meeting!” Cozy Glow said as she flew in front of Chrysalis and put her hooves on the top of the log, smiling at the queen. “I don't do meetings.” Chrysalis said as she got up and began to walk away, using her magic to take the log away from Cozy Glow. “King Sombra left me in charge-.” Cozy Glow said before Chrysalis interrupted her. “No, he didn't! And even if he did, Chrysalis obeys no one!” Chrysalis said, as she gave Cozy Glow a mean look. “They'll be cupcakes.” Cozy Glow said, giving Chrysalis another smile. After Cozy Glow announced the presence of cupcakes, Chrysalis's eyes widened for a very brief moment. Chrysalis looked to her purple log friend and then back to Cozy Glow with a look of interest on her face. Just because Chrysalis was an evil queen who had tried to take over twice now, that didn't mean she wasn't entitled to have some likes and dislikes of common things. But still, there should have been no way that Chrysalis would submit to this invitation just because of the presence of cupcakes. Chrysalis definitely had the will to resist these tasty treats, didn't she? Chrysalis wouldn't accept this.... right? It was only a few minutes later when Cozy Glow, Tirek, and Chrysalis were all sitting at a table and enjoying some refreshments Cozy Glow had prepared, which also included the cupcakes. Cozy Glow finished her cupcake and flew over to a stack of boxes and stood at the top, calling out to the two villains below her. “King Sombra wants us to work together to defeat our enemies. Which means, we need to trust each other.” Cozy Glow announced. “If we are to trust one another, perhaps inform Lord Tirek to STOP TRYING TO ABSORB MY ESSENCE!” Chrysalis yelled as she watched Tirek fail to sneakily absorb her magic. Having been caught trying to steal Chrysalis's magic, Tirek turned around quickly and spit out the absorbed magic onto a cupcake. “(Spit) I wasn't doing anything of the sort! How dare you!” Tirek said, acting all innocent and pointing the finger at Chrysalis as if she had instigated all of this. “How dare I!? Do you know to whom you are speaking?” Chrysalis asked as they both stared into each other's eyes, with Chrysalis eating the cupcake that had her spit up magic on it. “(Scoffs) How could I not? You tell your log every five minutes!” Tirek said as Chrysalis quickly swallowed her cupcake and held her log close to her chest like a mother. “(Sigh) This is why King Sombra left me in charge.” Cozy Glow said, not liking the behavior of these two. “No. He. Didn't!” Tirek and Chrysalis yelled. “UGH!” Cozy Glow groaned as she was starting to get very frustrated. Just as she was about to unleash her rage on these two idiots, Cozy Glow caught sight of the banner she had made and put up not long ago. Seeing the drawn pictures of herself, King Sombra, Tirek, and Chrysalis gave her an idea. With the idea bright in her head she smiled smugly and flew over to the two villains. Sometimes, there was nothing a good song couldn't fix. BETTER WAY TO BE BAD [Cozy Glow] I think I know, a way that we can grow Time to try something new; something better No more solo, trust is the way to go And all we need to do is work together [Lord Tirek] Oh please! No thanks, no way, I feel the need to say I'm smarter, stronger, and I don't need you two [Queen Chrysalis] Ha! Stronger? Okay, I guess we'll downplay How bad you got your rear end handed to you [Cozy Glow] It's time to try a better way to be bad [Lord Tirek and Queen Chrysalis] Do we really need a better way to be bad? [Cozy Glow] United as one [Queen Chrysalis] Teamwork? Please, what a fad [Cozy Glow] Combine all our strength, we'll go to any length Once we have a better way to be bad Let's go begin, this time we're gonna win [Queen Chrysalis] The ice you're on is thin, so watch what you say [Cozy Glow] I know you're in, I think I see a grin [Lord Tirek] For all this pain and torture, I swear you'll pay [Cozy Glow] This time, we've got a better way to be bad [Lord Tirek and Queen Chrysalis] Sounds like a long shot, this 'better way' to be bad [Cozy Glow] United as one, we'll make those ponies so sad [Lord Tirek] If we say okay, would you just go away? [Cozy Glow] Once we have a better way to be bad We want to break their friendship We want to make them weak You want revenge on Starlight You want that huge physique So, let's increase our chances By working as a team To crush our enemies to dust And laugh as they all scream! [All Three] *Laughs* [Lord Tirek] I think I see a better way to be bad [Queen Chrysalis] Just put me in charge, make me queen, you'll be glad [Cozy Glow] No! Listen to me, I'm the best of us three [All Three] Then you'll see a better way to be bad [Cozy Glow] Wait! This is my thing, a better way to be bad [Queen Chrysalis] You shall do as I command; I will rule this triad! [Cozy Glow] Hey! This my song! [Lord Tirek and Queen Chrysalis] Sorry, not any longer! [All Three] A better way to be bad [Cozy Glow] Now you're making me mad [Lord Tirek] Won't the ponies be sad? [Queen Chrysalis] That would make me so glad [All Three] Now we've got a better way to be baaaad! “Hey! You stepped on my cue!” Cozy Glow said as she angrily pointed at Chrysalis. After that, the trio proceeded to get into an argument over sound cues and when and when not to sing over somepony else's lines. As the trio argued, they heard the sound of hooves clapping against the floor. Hearing this, the trio instantly stopped their arguing and looked over to where the sound was coming from. Low and behold, there was King Sombra, applauding them with an amused grin on his face. “(Chuckle) Very good, very good.” Sombra said, pleased that his presence once again put fear in the trio. “Wah! K-King Sombra! Y-You're back!” Cozy Glow cried, wondering how long Sombra had been standing there for. “Yes, I am back. Don't worry, I have nothing against singing. I just wasn't aware we were going to be singing.” Sombra said as he started to walk towards them. “Hmph! Where have you been!? It's been a couple days now and you have given us nothing to do! I demand an explanation!” Chrysalis yelled as she stomped her hoof down. Sombra said nothing as he just chuckled. Even if Sombra was going to say anything, he would have been cut off by Cozy Glow. “Hey! Be nice to King Sombra! You're ruining his return back to our base! I even made a banner for him!” Cozy Glow yelled, angrily pointing at the banner she made for Sombra. “Pfft! Do you really think that he cares about a stupid banner? He's an evil tyrant for Celestia's sake!” Tirek yelled as he tried not to laugh at Cozy Glow's foolishness to think Sombra would care about an art project. “You're right, Tirek. I don't care. However, I do appreciate the gesture.” Sombra said. “Ha, ha!” Cozy Glow laughed, sticking her tongue out at Tirek. “Whatever, I don't care either.” Tirek said, crossing his arms. “Enough. I'll get right to the point. Cozy Glow is very much correct about-.” “Wait a minute! You mean you actually left her in charge!?” Tirek cried. “And where did you get that bright idea from, Tirek?” Sombra asked, with a very obvious frown on his face. “She said so!” Tirek and Chrysalis yelled, pointing furiously at Cozy Glow. “Well, I can assure you, Cozy Glow is sadly mistaken. I said no such thing.” Sombra said as he stared at Cozy Glow, who just giggled like a filly who had been caught trying to steal a cookie from the cookie jar. “Moving on from that little mistake, Cozy Glow is right about one thing. The three of you definitely need to learn how to work together. (Chuckle) Yes, the three of you definitely need a better way to be bad.” “Ha! See! What did I tell you guys?” Cozy Glow asked, acting with great pride. “You be quiet! And you still haven't answered me, King Sombra! Why haven't we gotten any sort of task!?” Chrysalis asked. “For starters, I can tell just by looking at the three of you, that on the inside, you aren't very enthusiastic about serving me. Well, except for one of you.” Sombra said, looking over to Cozy Glow. “That, we can work on later. But in order for my plan to work, the three of you must learn to work together as a team. That is the main reason why I haven't assigned you a mission. However, that has changed.” “(Gasp) You mean you have a mission for us?” Cozy Glow asked excitedly, a gleam in her eyes. “I do. But first, it is best I give you three a little history lesson.” Sombra said as he waited for their undivided attention. “Have you ever heard the tale of Grogar?” Sombra asked, causing Chrysalis and Tirek to gasp in shock and horror. “Do you mean that Grogar?” Chrysalis asked. “The evil emperor Grogar from the legends?” Tirek asked. “(Chuckle) I assure you, Tirek, Grogar was no legend. He was as real as you and I.” Sombra said. “Um... who's Grogar?” Cozy Glow asked, very much confused about who this Grogar was. “Grogar was an ancient and extremely powerful goat or ram creature that lived many years ago. The Father of Monsters himself and Equestria's first emperor. You see, the land that would become Equestria was a mere collection of farms and pastures until Grogar declared himself emperor of all he saw.” Tirek explained. "Ah, I remember hearing all about his tyranny when I was young." “Yes, that's right, Tirek. Grogar gave life to the foulest of creatures and allowed them to run wild, taking what they wanted and destroying the rest they didn't want. Grogar's reign was legendary. A reign of fear and complete darkness over the land of Equestria.” Sombra added. “Yes, that is of course until Gusty the Great stood against him, stole his Bewitching Bell, and used it to banish him for all eternity.” Chrysalis said, laughing at the defeat of Grogar. “(Sigh) Yes, that is unfortunately true. It seems even back then; ponies were able to stand against their enemies and defeat them.” Sombra said. “So, Sombra, or I'm sorry, King Sombra, why are we talking about this Grogar anyway?” Tirek asked. “I'm glad you asked Lord Tirek. The mission I have for you three revolves around the tale of Grogar. Your mission is.... to retrieve Grogar's Bewitching Bell.” Sombra said. “WHAT!?” The trio cried. “But how can we retrieve this bell? We don't even know where it is.” Chrysalis said. “(Chuckle) That's right, Chrysalis. You don't know where the bell is, but I do.” Sombra said as he walked over to the table and then used his magic to create a whole map of what looked like Equestria. “This is a map depicting all of Equestria, I made it myself. We are right here, and the bell is over here.” Sombra said, pointing to the locations on the map. “And how exactly do you know that the bell is there?” Tirek asked. “During the days that I was absent from here, I used my magic to sense objects containing powerful sources of magic. Using this trick, I believe I have found it.” Sombra explained as he pointed to Mount Everhoof on the map. “It is there at the top of Mount Everhoof, that you will find the bell. However, legend states that Gusty placed powerful spells and enchantments so that the bell would be near impossible to retrieve. These spells would even prevent you from reaching the top of the mountain. This will not be easy.” “So, in other words, you want us to go climb a mountain to get an old bell and bring it back here because you can't?” Chrysalis asked. “Oh, I can get the bell, Chrysalis. I just want to see if the three of you can get the bell.” Sombra said, directly challenging Chrysalis. “If the three of you are able to bring the bell back here, then you will be graciously rewarded. But... if you don't bring the bell back... you will beg for death.” Sombra said, making that last part very clear to his subjects, causing all three of them to gulp out of fear. “H-Ha! Retrieving this bell will be no problem! Even with the spells and whatever Gusty left behind.” Chrysalis laughed, calming down a bit from Sombra's statement. “(Chuckle) I have faith that the three of you will not fail me. Oh, and if you do manage to retrieve the bell and choose to hide it from me, trust me, I will know. And if you do hide it from me... you will all die.” Sombra said, once again terrifying the trio. “Oh, by the way there's somepony else I'd like you three to meet.” Sombra said, gesturing towards the entrance of the castle. Immediately after Sombra finished his sentence, the sound of metal clanking and metal footsteps could be heard coming from the castle's entrance. The trio were taken aback when they saw two long metal arms appear. The arms walked forward and once they were fully in view; the trio saw that there were four arms in total. The bottom two arms were acting like extended legs, carrying the body of a grey Pegasus. The top two arms were freely waving around, like a pair of snakes waiting to strike. While Chrysalis and Tirek had no idea who this pony was, Cozy Glow had an idea. “Huh? Doctor Whooves? What are you doing here? And why are you grey and ugly now?” Cozy Glow asked as Discorded Whooves walked up right next to Sombra. “(Chuckle) Yah!” Discorded Whooves yelled as he pointed his right hoof at Cozy Glow. Then, the top right mechanical arm extended towards Cozy Glow so fast that no pony was able to see it coming. The arm shot out and grabbed ahold of Cozy Glow, the claw completely wrapped around Cozy Glow's small body. “Gah! What's happening!? Help!” Cozy Glow cried as the arm brought her close to the Doctor. Discorded Whooves chuckled and then raised his hoof up. This caused the top left arm claw to get completely enveloped with deadly sparks of electricity. Discorded Whooves laughed as he brought the left claw closer and closer to Cozy Glow, ready to electrocute her. “ENOUGH!” Sombra yelled, causing the Doctor to look back at his master. “Put. Her. Down. Doc.” Discorded Whooves looked back to Cozy Glow, who was very much terrified at her current situation. After a few moments, the left claw deactivated its electricity and Discorded Whooves chuckled at Cozy Glow. “(Chuckle) Of course, master.” Discorded Whooves said as he suddenly threw Cozy Glow onto the floor hard with the arm holding her. “I said, put her down. Not throw her down.” Sombra said. “Sorry master, she slipped (Chuckle).” Discorded Whooves said as he showed no care whatsoever. “Ow! Ugh! I liked you better when you were a boring old scientist who sometimes came to our school!” Cozy Glow said as she got up, still hurting a bit. “Tirek, Chrysalis, Cozy Glow, this is Discorded Whooves. He is an alternate version of Doctor Whooves from another world. In simple terms, think of it as we put Discorded Whooves's mind into Doctor Whooves's body.” Sombra explained. “Another world?” Chrysalis asked. “Alternate version?” Cozy Glow asked. “This just keeps on getting weirder and weirder. And I don't like it!” Tirek said, kicking some dust to the side. “Discorded Whooves will be your new partner.” Sombra said. “Please don't tell me we have to bring him with us to get the bell.” Cozy Glow groaned. “I agree with the child. I have no interest in travelling with this Doctor. I don't like the way he looks at me.” Chrysalis said as she felt very uncomfortable due to Discorded Whooves's eyes that were filled with what looked like hunger. “(Chuckle) You are very lovely yourself, Chrysalis.” Discorded Whooves said as he smirked at Chrysalis, causing her to hiss at him. “No, he has a different mission that I am assigning him. He is tasked with recruiting some more individuals to join our cause. The more the merrier as they say.” Sombra said. “Oh joy, more idiots to add to our little collection.” Tirek said. “Yes, that is correct, Tirek. Well, Doc, now that you know how to use the spell book, you can use it to go and bring these new recruits back here. I am sure you will need all four of your mechanical arms so I will give you this saddlebag to keep the book in.” Sombra said as he placed the spell book into a bag he summoned and placed it around Discorded Whooves's neck. “I will return very soon, master. Goodbye.” Discorded Whooves said as he used the spell book to teleport away. “(Chuckle) I just hope you don't disappoint me like the Professor initially did. I am in no mood for more mistakes after all.” Sombra said to himself as he walked over to the table and stared down at the map he had made. “When Discorded Whooves returns, you three will leave to complete your mission. For now, wait here.” With that, the trio joined Sombra and looked over the map he had made of Equestria. Somewhere in Las Pegasus... The streets of Las Pegasus were lit up with the brightest lights imaginable, even this late at night. There was a bunch of rides still in operation, parties only just getting started, ponies going wild and having the time of their lives. Loud music blared from large speakers and the sound of cheering roared through the streets. Las Pegasus truly was the most vibrant and wildest place in all of Equestria. Of course, some ponies wanted to go to bed or just get away from all the loud noise. This was very much the case for one unicorn pony who was just walking down an alley, heading towards the dumpsters to throw a couple bags of trash away. “Ugh, dawn will be here in a few hours and still there are parties going on!? I should have moved to Appleloosa. (Sigh) I hate it here.” the unicorn said. As the unicorn dumped the last bag of trash into the dumpster, he turned to leave and hopefully go get some sleep. Unless his boss wanted him to work overtime, which happened every other day. But before the unicorn could make it out of the dark alley, he was suddenly grabbed by a large metal claw from the shadows. The unicorn screamed as he was lifted off the air and yanked up towards the wall. The unicorn then saw Discorded Whooves, grinning at him before he started to use the three remaining arms to climb up the side of the building behind the dumpsters. The unicorn continued to scream, hoping somepony would hear his screams. A few ponies did hear his screams, but they assumed it was just a pony having a wild fun time. No pony was coming to his aid. The unicorn continued to scream in fright as he was carried up the side of the very tall building. The fact that he was terrified of heights made it even worse. Soon, Discorded Whooves reached the top of the building and once he was at the top, he walked over to the edge of the building and held the unicorn up to his face. Discorded Whooves needed answers fast and he figured that this was the best way to get answers out of the unicorn. “Who are you!? Why are you doing this!? Help!” The unicorn cried. “The Flim Flam Brothers, where are they!?” Discorded Whooves asked as he shook the unicorn in the metal claw's grip. “What!? Flim and Flam!? Why do you want to know!? Somepony help me for Celestia's sake!” the unicorn cried. “Grr! Yah!!!” Discorded Whooves yelled as he extended the arm out that had the unicorn over the edge of the building. “Tell me where the Flim Flam Brothers are now! Unless you want the day staff to mop you off the pavement!” Discorded Whooves threatened as he shook the unicorn again, making sure he could see how high up he was. “AAAAHHH!!!! O-Okay! I'll tell you! I'll tell you! Y-You can find them at their resort! Th-The Gladmane Resort! Over there! It's closed right now, but they own a room on the top floor! Y-You can't miss it! They're probably sleeping in there right now! I'm sure of it! I swear!” the unicorn cried desperately, pointing to the very large resort a few buildings over. “Thanks for the tip. Now, it's time I took out the trash.” Discorded Whooves said as he smiled wickedly at the unicorn. Before the unicorn could say anything else, the metal claw that was holding him in a vice-like grip squeezed even tighter around his body. The claw kept squeezing tighter and tighter until eventually there was a loud cracking sound and then the unicorn went limp, blood leaking from his mouth and nose. With the unicorn taken care of, Discorded Whooves looked down, aimed carefully and then dropped the unicorn. As if a cruel twist of fate, the unicorn's lifeless body fell into an open dumpster and once his body was inside, the impact caused the lid of the dumpster to shut. The trash had indeed been taken out. Satisfied with what he had just done, Discorded Whooves looked over to where the resort was. Walking through the streets now would not be a good idea. The ponies below probably wouldn't react nicely to seeing a Pegasus walking through the streets with four large mechanical arms. Discorded Whooves knew that the safest way to get to this resort was to leap from building to building. Discorded Whooves studied the distance between the buildings and decided to go for it, looking to the arms before jumping. “We haven't tried anything like this yet, but I am sure that you will be able to assist me with this. What do you think? Easy enough?” Discorded Whooves asked. The top two arms looked at each other and then back to their master, opening and closing their claws, assuring their master that they would try their best and that they knew they could do it. “(Chuckle) Excellent! Ready? YAAA!!” Discorded Whooves yelled as all four arms secured themselves on the roof and then with all their might bounced off the roof and leaped across, landing safely on the other building. Once they had landed on the other building, the arms ran forward and leaped from building to building. Eventually, they reached the resort and climbed the small little tower on the top of the building until they reached a nice little building. The bottom two arms secured themselves on the walls, allowing Discorded Whooves to lean back and look inside the room from the very large glass window. “Ah, would you look at that, the two con artists get a lovely view of all of Las Pegasus. And look, there they are now, sleeping peacefully in their beds. Well, shall we pay them a visit?” Discorded Whooves asked. The top two arms nodded and agreed with their master's plan. With that, Discorded Whooves used the top two arms to smash through the glass and snatch the two brothers out of their beds. This, of course, woke the brothers up and they started to yell and panic as they found themselves in the clutches of two metal arms. Discorded Whooves then used the bottom two arms to scale the building and stood up on the roof, keeping the brothers dangling over the edge to wake them up. “Hello Flim and Flam, my favorite pair of con artists.” Discorded Whooves said. “Wah! What in the hay is going on!?” Flim cried as he screamed in terror. “I say! Who are you!? Wait, aren't you that inventor we saw in Ponyville?” Flam asked as he looked at this maniac. “I am, and I am not.” Discorded Whooves replied. “What are you gonna do with us!?” Flim asked. “Whatever I choose to do with the both of you depends entirely on how you answer this question. Tell me, Flim and Flam, what are your opinions on Applejack?” Discorded Whooves asked. “Applejack? The farmer?” Flim asked. “The same one who keeps ruining our plans at every turn!?” Flam asked. “We hate her, I tell you! Hate her!” Flim said. “Yeah! She's the worst thing since pineapples on pizza!” Flam replied. “Hey, it's not that bad.” Flim said. “Point is, we don't like her! We wish she would just go away or get out of our lives!” Flam yelled. “(Chuckle) What if I offered you the chance to get rid of Applejack forever? Better yet, what if I told you that if you accept my deal, you could become incredibly rich?” Discorded Whooves asked, catching the attention of the two brothers. “Get rid of Applejack forever?” Flim asked. “Become incredibly rich?” Flam added. “That's right. All you have to do is pledge your loyalty to my master and if you do that, I assure you, when our plan is complete, he will make you rich beyond your wildest dreams. Well, what do you say?” Discorded Whooves asked. “We're in!” Flim and Flam both said in unison. “(Chuckle) Splendid. Tell me, would you be willing to take a pony's life to achieve your desires?” Discorded Whooves asked. “Uh...” Flam said, not sure about this kind of question. “Erm... well, we're sure we can do other things.” Flim suggested, chuckling a bit out of fear. “I'm sure my master will have a place for you. In the meantime, do you brothers happen to know by chance where I can find a minotaur who goes by the name of Iron Will?” Discorded Whooves asked. “Iron Will? Oh yeah, the muscle guy! We know where he is!” Flim said. “Muscle boy should be holding some sort of auction just on the outskirts of Baltimare.” Flam said. “Well, come along then, we have work to do. Hang on.” Discorded Whooves said as he used the book to teleport themselves away. Meanwhile, on the outskirts of Baltimare... Just on the outskirts of Baltimare, there was a building that was set up as an auction sort of building. This auction house or whatever was being run by a very loud minotaur named Iron Will. Despite the rather late hours he was working today, he had one customer in his audience. Not that it was going very well, by all means. “And you can learn all of Iron Will's secrets to being the assertive you for just four easy payments of-!” Iron Will yelled before the customer got up from his chair. “UGH! That's it! I don't even know why I came here at this time of night! Forget this, I'm going home!” the stallion said as he began to leave the building. “Wait! Stop! If you act now, Iron Will, will throw in this easy pocket horseshoe cleaner! Don't go!” Iron Will begged as the customer left the building, leaving Iron Will all by himself. “(Sigh) Iron Will just doesn't get it! It's like Iron Will has lost all of his charisma! Gah! Iron Will is losing it! Iron Will, will lose everything he worked for!” Iron Will yelled as he sat down on his stage and looked at the floor in sadness. “It really is quite upsetting to see you like this, Iron Will.” a voice said. “HUH!? Who goes there!? Show yourself or Iron Will, will have no choice but to smash you to the ground!” Iron Will yelled as he got up and looked around furiously. “You really have been working hard haven't you, Iron Will? You are trying so hard to make Fluttershy proud of you. To show her that you could become a new minotaur, a better minotaur, a minotaur everypony could respect. Is that right?” the voice asked. “Yes, it is! Iron Will promised Fluttershy and Iron Will, will keep his promise!” Iron Will proclaimed. “Well, what if I told you.... that it was all a lie.” the voice said. “WHAT!? NO! Fluttershy wouldn't lie to Iron Will! Fluttershy was the element of kindness!” Iron Will cried, horrified at this news. “Sadly, my friend, it is true. Fluttershy wasn't very happy with how you treated her, so she devised a plan. A plan to set you up to fail. When you changed your ways, your business would be successful yes, but soon it would fail and then one day, you would die a poor sad old minotaur. And Fluttershy wouldn't even care.” the voice said. “No! No! NO!! NOOO!!! After all Iron Will did!? Iron Will promised to change and this is how Fluttershy repays Iron Will!” Iron Will yelled, smashing his fist through the wall out of rage. “Yes, I know, horrible.” The voice said. “Iron Will thought that his change would make good business. That Iron Will could make father proud of Iron Will. Iron Will could be a good son! Iron Will just wants his respect back! Iron Will wants his charisma back!” Iron Will cried as he sat down on the floor, almost actually crying, before the voice spoke up again. “What if I could help you get it back?” the voice asked. “Why should Iron Will listen to you, mysterious voice!? You don't even speak in the third person like Iron Will does!” Iron Will protested. “(Chuckle) You see, Iron Will, your charisma once came from fear. The fear that everypony used to have of minotaur's. Fear can be a form of respect, and you deserve it for all of your hard work. If you are willing to pledge your loyalty to my master, he will help you get that respect back.” Discorded Whooves said as he finally revealed himself by squeezing through the rather small doors, walking up to Iron Will, who was obviously taken aback by the sight. “Trust him, Iron Will, this guy knows his stuff!” Flim said, emerging from behind Discorded Whooves. “Yeah, listen to this guy, Muscle Boy.” Flam added, also emerging from behind the Doctor. “Ah! The inventor and Iron Will's least favorite scam artists!” Iron Will yelled as he pointed to the trio who had entered his building. “Hey, at least we actually make money! All you do is lower the prices until you give things away for free. No wonder you don't make any money.” Flam said, laughing a bit at the minotaur. “Haha! Yeah! Just go our route and you'll make more than enough money to make your pops proud.” Flim said. “Iron Will, will not be stupid enough to stoop so low as to scam! Iron Will is an honest worker! Unlike you two brothers who scam and lie!” Iron Will yelled. “All of you, please stop!” Discorded Whooves yelled, slamming his top two arms onto the ground. “I can help you Iron Will if you join us. What do you say?” “Will your master really be able to help Iron Will?” Iron Will asked. “I promise you; he can help bring the respect back to you. Ponies will fear you and thus respect you once again.” Discorded Whooves said. “In that case, Iron Will, will join!” Iron Will proclaimed as he stood up and flexed. “(Chuckle) Excellent, come now, there is still one more who needs to join us.” Discorded Whooves said as Iron Will walked over to them. “Here we go.” Discorded Whooves said as they teleported away using the spell book, having a pretty good idea of where the final individual would be. Meanwhile, just on the outskirts of Fillydelphia... It had been a while since the Washouts were cancelled due to the close call with Scootaloo. Since then, the Washouts had disbanded completely, and they had pretty much been forgotten. One of the Washouts, Lightning Dust, had taken this quite hard. Ever since she lost the Washouts, Lightning Dust had been travelling throughout Equestria and spent most of her time visiting the local bars and clubs, drinking her misery away. As the days went on, Lightning Dust's hatred for Rainbow Dash grew and grew. Rainbow Dash had ruined her life twice now. First, Rainbow Dash got her kicked out of the Wonderbolts, and now she got her group cancelled. Lightning Dust wanted nothing but to give Rainbow Dash what she had coming to her. Lightning Dust would even go as far as to hurt Rainbow Dash, somedays she would even consider even killing Rainbow Dash. She hated her that much. Lightning Dust was the last customer at one of the bars just on the outskirts of Fillydelphia. She just couldn't get herself to leave the bar, not because she was too drunk to do so, more so she just didn't want to leave. As the only other pony in the bar approached Lightning Dust to take her order, Lightning Dust spoke up. “You know, I outraced Rainbow Dash at every turn!” Lightning Dust said, slamming her empty cider cup on the table she was sitting at. “I was the one who had the guts to do what needed to be done to win and she cared more about making friends! Why does a Wonderbolt even need any friends? I should be a Wonderbolt right now and Rainbow Dash should be the one sitting here!” Lightning Dust groaned as she ranted on and on. “Yes, well Rainbow Dash is in fact not here. So, if you want to stay here, you're going to have to order something, miss.” the waitress said. “(Groan) Another cider or a root beer, I don't care, just give me something!” Lightning Dust said as she slammed her face down on the table. “Miss, are you sure you are, okay? Do you need a place to stay or something? No pony has ever stayed here this late. I'm genuinely concerned about your wellbeing.” the waitress said as she put her hoof on Lightning Dust's back. “I'm fine! Just get me another root beer please.” Lightning Dust groaned, not lifting her head up at all. “Um, okay then.” The waitress said before a voice spoke up from behind. “That one's on me.” Discorded Whooves said as he entered the bar, shocking the waitress as she saw the large mechanical arms. “Look, I don't care who you are, but you can't buy me off like that. I'm not that kind of mare. Go away!” Lightning Dust said, very much annoyed with how many stallions were trying to get her attention as of late. “(Chuckle) We can discuss that another time, Lightning Dust.” Discorded Whooves said smugly as he walked over to her and stood across from her. “But for now, I have a deal for you.” “(Sigh) Just go away before I call the-WAH!! What the hay!” Lightning Dust cried as she lifted her head up and leaned back in her seat, taken aback by the sight of this Pegasus with four large mechanical arms. “(Chuckle) I can assure you, sweetheart. You're not dreaming.” Discorded Whooves said. “Wait a minute, aren't you that Doctor Whooves guy I saw in Ponyville once?” Lightning Dust asked. “In a way yes, in a way no. Now, I couldn't help but notice you really seem to have a hatred for Rainbow Dash, is that correct?” Discorded Whooves asked. “You have no idea! I hate her so much! That rainbow bitch ruined my life, TWICE! She stole my dream! She ruined everything for me! I hate her so much! She always thinks she's better than me, well she's not! I hate Rainbow Dash more than anything in all of Equestria!” Lightning Dust yelled. “I see, what if I told you that I could give you the chance to prove to all of Equestria that you are better than Rainbow Dash once and for all?” Discorded Whooves asked. “Oh yeah, and how are you gonna do that?” Lightning Dust asked, her eyebrows raised, and her interest peaked. “Quite simple really. By taking Rainbow Dash and those friends of hers down once for all. How does that sound to you, Lightning Dust?” Discorded Whooves asked as he grinned. “I like the sound of it! Let's go!” Lightning Dust said as she was about to fly out of her seat before she was suddenly grabbed by one of the arms and pinned back to her seat. “H-Hey! What are you doing!?” “We will accomplish what you desire, under one condition.” Discorded Whooves said, causing Lightning Dust to frown. “You better not suggest anything funny or I'm gonna kick your ass.” Lightning Dust said. “(Chuckle) Again, we can discuss that later. In the meantime, if you wish to achieve your goal, you must first be willing to pledge your undying loyalty to my master and obey his every command. If you do that, I assure you, he will make your dream become a reality, forever. Well, what do you say, Lightning Dust? Are you in or are you out?” Discorded Whooves asked. “I don't care what I have to do! As long as I can teach Rainbow Dash a lesson! Heck yeah, I'm in!” Lightning Dust said. “(Chuckle) Very good. Come along now, the others are waiting. But first...” Discorded Whooves said as he got up and walked over to the waitress, who was terrified. “No witnesses.” Discorded Whooves said as he grabbed the waitress with the top two arms and crushed her to death, tossing her body to the other side of the bar counter. Lightning Dust was shocked and quite terrified at the murder she just witnessed. Sensing that Lightning Dust was taken aback by this, Discorded Whooves turned to face her, a very serious look on his face. “You will have to do some interesting things for the master. You still in, Lightning Dust? Or do I have to find somepony else?” Discorded Whooves asked, raising the top two arms, and showing off their deadly claws. “U-Uh, y-yeah! I-I'm still in!” Lightning Dust said, stepping back a bit. “(Chuckle) Good, come along now. Allow me to introduce you to the others.” Discorded Whooves said as they left the bar and met the others. “What the? Who in the hay are you guys?” Lightning Dust asked as she saw the two unicorns and one minotaur. “The name's Flim.” Flim said. “And I'm Flam.” Flam said. “And we're the Flim Flam Brothers!” Flim and Flam said as they did a really stupid pose. “Right...” Lightning Dust said. “Iron Will is the name! Master sales minotaur and inspirational speaker when needed! Iron Will is the strongest in all of Equestria!” Iron Will proclaimed as he flexed. “I see...” Lightning Dust said, already questioning the choice she made to join this group. “All together now. It's time to meet the master.” Discorded Whooves said as they all grouped together and then teleported away. King Sombra's Castle... Back in the castle, Sombra and the trio of villains were patiently waiting for Discorded Whooves's return. Sombra was very curious as to who Discorded Whooves was going to come back with. Sombra hoped that it wouldn't be as bad as what the Professor did, bringing a common pony to be a new member. Tirek didn't care about the Doctor's mission, just so long as it didn't involve bringing anypony who was like Pinkie Pie. Chrysalis personally hoped that Discorded Whooves didn't come back at all. Cozy Glow didn't care about this at all as she just wanted to get to her mission already, even though they would probably find a place to camp and just sleep until morning. Not long afterwards, Discorded Whooves returned. The villains turned and saw Discorded Whooves along with the rest of the new members. “I have returned, master. And as you can see, I've brought some new recruits to join us.” Discorded Whooves said as he introduced each new member. “Flim and Flam, brothers and expert con artists, Iron Will, powerful minotaur with a loud and confident voice, and lastly Lightning Dust, ex-Wonderbolt and fast flyer.” Sombra said nothing as he just frowned and stepped forward a bit. “I know they are just common folk, but I assure you, all four of them are willing to pledge their loyalty to you and do your bidding. They each have their motives and have agreed to join us.” Discorded Whooves said. “I'll be the judge of that.” Sombra said as he stepped closer to the new members. “You two, step forward.” Sombra said, gesturing towards Flim and Flam. Flim and Flam were shocked to see that this master of Discorded Whooves was none other than King Sombra, the evil unicorn tyrant who had once tried to take over the Crystal Empire but was thankfully defeated. After the initial shock, both brothers stepped forward a bit and even hugged each other out of fear. “There is no shame for being afraid in my presence. Doc says that you two have a motive for joining our cause, what are your motives?” Sombra asked. “W-We want to get rid of Applejack!” Flim said, shaking out of fear. “Y-Yeah! A-And Discorded Whooves says y-you can help us with that.” Flam added. “And also, that you c-could make us r-rich beyond our wildest dreams.” Flim finished. “(Chuckle) So, you're both in it for the money?” Sombra asked, his eyebrow raised. “N-Not just that! We also want to get rid of Applejack!” Flam said. “I see, tell me, what are you willing to do for me in order to achieve these goals of yours?” Sombra asked. “Uh, w-we'll do anything! We'll steal, lie, scam, sabotage, and all that stuff!” Flim replied quickly. “Y-Yeah! We'll do that stuff! Though we aren't sure if we can kill anypony.” Flam said nervously. “(Chuckle) That is no issue for me. I'm not asking you to be murderers. Now, based on how you answered my question, I will accept the both of you, move back and you, step forward.” Sombra said, gesturing to Iron Will, who stepped up and was also terrified to see the evil king. “Iron Will, was it? Tell me, what is your reason for wanting to join us?” “Iron Will was betrayed by Fluttershy! Fluttershy tricked Iron Will into thinking change would save Iron Will's business! Whooves said that Fluttershy lied! Iron Will wants revenge! Iron Will also wants to be feared! Fear is another form of respect! Whooves said so! That is why Iron Will is here!” Iron Will said, trying his best not to show any fear. “I see, you felt betrayed by somepony you trusted. Now you want to get revenge on that pony and make other ponies afraid of you because that will get your respect back? This is why you want to join?” Sombra asked. “Yes! Whooves said that you can help Iron Will get his revenge and his respect back!” Iron Will said. “(Chuckle) And I can, but first I must ask, what are you willing to do for me, Iron Will?” Sombra asked. “Iron Will is willing to destroy, smash, break, and scare ponies for King Sombra! Iron Will doesn't care if he has to hurt somepony! Iron Will wants revenge and Iron Will wants it now!” Iron Will yelled. “And what if you had to take the life of a pony? Would you be able to do that, Iron Will?” Sombra asked. “Iron Will is not sure, Iron Will needs time to think about that.” Iron Will replied, a bit nervous about what Sombra had just asked. “Very well, step back now. You, step forward.” Sombra said gesturing to Lightning Dust, who also was terrified as she stepped forward. “So, you're the same Lightning Dust that has some issues with Rainbow Dash, am I correct?” “Y-Yes sir! I'm that Lightning Dust!” Lightning Dust said, trying to act as tough as she did when she was in the Wonderbolts training program. “Your attempt to act tough is impressive, but I can see right through it. There is no shame for being afraid of me.” Sombra said. “Yes sir! Sorry sir.” Lightning Dust replied, still trying to keep her composure. “So, Lightning Dust, why are you here? What reason do you have to want to join us?” Sombra asked. “It's Rainbow Dash!” Lightning Dust said, stomping her hoof on the ground. “She ruined my life twice now! She stole my dream from me! She took away my only friends! She took everything from me! Creep with the robot arms said that if I joined you, you could help me prove that I am better than Rainbow Dash and that I can get rid of her once and for all!” “(Chuckle) I always knew you hated Rainbow Dash, but I didn't know there was this much hatred.” Sombra said. “You have no idea!” Lightning Dust said. “In that case, what are you willing to do for me, in order to make your dream come true?” Sombra asked. “I'll do anything! I don't care! Just as long as you let me take care of Rainbow Dash!” Lightning Dust replied. “If I asked you to take a life, what would you say?” Sombra asked. “I already told you, sir! I don't care! I just want to make Rainbow Dash pay! I want to hurt her! I want to kill her! That's what she gets for stealing everything from me!” Lightning Dust yelled. “I see, step back. Discorded Whooves, you are lucky that these new members aren't a disappointment to me. I accept them. Every creature! Gather around now! I trust that you all are willing to do your jobs as I say! To obey my commands and listen to my orders! Equestria will be ours soon! We will destroy all of Equestria and then we take out Twilight Sparkle! Once Twilight Sparkle is dead, I will grant all of you your rewards and wishes! Now, bow to your master!” Sombra yelled as all of his subjects bowed to him. “Good, now, Discorded Whooves, stay with your new members for now.” “Yes, master.” Discorded Whooves replied. “Now, Tirek, Chrysalis, and Cozy Glow, you may leave now. Come back only when you have retrieved the bell. Otherwise, do not come back at all. Oh, and if you run into anypony along the way, kill them. Be gone with you now!” Sombra ordered. With that, Tirek, Chrysalis and Cozy Glow got up and began to walk towards the entrance of the castle. Despite it being very late at night, they knew they had to do as they were told. Tirek walked past with no problem, but as Chrysalis walked past Sombra and the Doctor, she felt one of the mechanical arms grab ahold of one of her back legs. Chrysalis turned her head around fast and saw Discorded Whooves staring at her with that gross look again. “Do make sure to come back, Chrysalis.” Discorded Whooves said, before Sombra used his magic to pry the claws open and free Chrysalis. “I swear when this is all over, I will cocoon you and drain you of your precious life!” Chrysalis hissed as she bared her fangs and turned to quickly walk away to catch up with Tirek. After Chrysalis walked past, Cozy Glow flew over next to Sombra and landed next to him, tapping his front leg. “Hey, King Sombra.” Cozy Glow said as Sombra looked down at her. “What is it, Cozy Glow?” Sombra asked. “Don't you worry about a thing! We'll get that bell back and we will succeed with our plan! You can count on it!” Cozy Glow said, earning a chuckle from Sombra. “(Chuckle) I hope so. Your loyalty to and devotion is pleasing to me.” Sombra said, patting Cozy Glow on the head. “Go now, bring the bell back and make me proud.” Sombra said, gesturing towards the entrance of the castle. “Oh, I will!” Cozy Glow said as she happily flew away, catching up with Chrysalis and Tirek. “(Chuckle) Very good.” Sombra said as he watched the trio leave the castle before turning back to his new members. “You all rest, your first mission will be assigned in the morning. Good night.” Sombra said as he sank into the shadows and left the castle. “(Chuckle) I wonder, what part of Equestria needs to be saved first.” Discorded Whooves said as he chuckled.