An Unlikely Band of Frenemies
Within the hidden swamps of the Eastern region of Equestria, the familiar, ram-shaped fortress of stone, and moss stood in the center of a dark, and murky swamp. The lair of the infamous All-Father of Monsters, and Emperor of Darkness: Grogar. It had been quite some time since he had assembled the many evil forces of Equestria in order to unite against their shared enemy, Prince Dusk Shine. For the moment, all had remained quiet in the fortress without any kind of irritations. Grogar himself decided to take this time to gaze into his eye-projected Palantir, which was showing him the image of an ocean green bell with the emblem of a silver eye in its center, and a crystal as the gong. This was the bell he had been searching for for eons since his defeat by his enemies hands and hooves. But now, at last, he was finally getting a lead on his most prized possession......and the key to ending the Princesses rule, and reclaim the world as his own.
At least, that's what he was hoping for until he heard the familiar voice of Cozy Glow clearing her throat to get his attention as she buzzed into the main chamber of the fort. "Now, I don't wanna tattle on my good buddy Storm King.......buuuuut you might like to know that he left food out - AGAIN!"
"I'll deal with it when i'm done!" Grogar grumpily replied, earning a huff from the filly as he returned to his palantir.......just for another distraction to come out the same way she did.
"Now, don't you trust ANYTHING that nosy, stinking pegasus says!" Storm King hollered as he pointed in aggravation towards where the filly had flown off to. Grogar simply replied by admitting, "I don't trust anything ANY of you say." Making the Satyr/Yeti also huff in annoyance as Grogar returned to his task - until a holy hoof got into his vision, and drew his gaze onto Chrysalis, who seemed equally annoyed as he did. "Are you really planning on attacking anypony anytime soon? If not, I don't even know why i'm wasting my time here! I AM a queen, you know, and I have other things to do than waste time!" She then flew off to the table that Storm King, and Cozy had sat down at. Looking at the trio in growing anger, Grogar snorted, and then declared. "Enough of this!" His horns and the orbs around his collar began to glow with his magic. "TIREK! EREBUS! COME OUT HERE, AT ONCE!"
In a fashion similar to how Grogar sent SOmbra to the Crystal Empire, both villains appeared in a swirl of yellow, and black magic. Both of whom appeared indignant, and shocked by this sudden occurrence. But as Tirek minded his surroundings, and his eyes fell upon his so-called "leader", a deep growl escaped from Tirek's throat as he stomped towards the table the old goat had been sitting at. "Grogar, you lackadaisical fool! What is the meaning of this outrageous conjurement?! We were in the middle of a highly important project when you whisped us here! Explain yourself!"
"Watch your tone, Tirek!" Grogar spoke in a growling, and threatening voice. "I am in no mood for indignation from anyone here: least of all my most unpredictable accomplice!"
"As if you are any more predictable, you suspicious old goat." Tirek insulted with his arms crossed.
Grogar's eyes glowed, and narrowed as his magic seemed to surge threateningly. "Don't push your luck, Tirek. You may be my second in command, but even you are not above my fury if you go too far. Either show respect to your superiors, or pay the price."
As he glared at the ram in challenge, a smirk formed on his muzzle. "Have no fear, almighty Grogar. My respect will indeed be given...........the day I meet one superior to me." He then laughed aloud as Grogar's face contorted into shock, and rage as Tirek went to join his villainous cohorts, with a much larger cloud of steam escaping his fuming nostrils, and even his ears. In passing, Erebus asked the ram, There IS a reason you summoned the two of us here, isn't there? Surely it was not to waste time locking horns like a pair of moosen during rutting season." He then stood opposite of Tirek, on the right side of the gathering table as Grogar glaringly made his way to his host. "I am leaving!" He said angrily. Every ounce of his firm patience gone in no time at all as his eyes shimmered their red and golden color. "Since it's impossible for me to accomplish the work I need to DO here, with you squabbling adolescents continuously distracting me! While I am away," he added, leaning onto the table, and meeting the villains face-to-face, "I expect the five of you to come to some kind of accord!"
The three villains who were sitting wasted no time spouting idiotic nonsense as Tirek and Erebus watched, privately complaining about the stupidity they have to put up with. Then to EVERYONE'S sudden shock, beams of black and gold magic struck the groups mouths, and muzzled them quiet. Their attempts to get the bands off proving useless as Grogar slammed his hoof on the table, and commanded, "I don't care how, but you must learn to work together! Only then can you accomplish what you so greatly desire: the defeat of Dusk Shine and his friends!"
Half an hour passed, and the villainous troupe had split up to do whatever. Cozy Glow was in the meeting chamber using nails, and ribbons to put something together. When she pulled back, it was revealed to be a hoof-drawn banner with the faces of The Legion of Doom together, with the words "Teamwork" written in crayon at the top. "Nothing quite says teamwork like an inspirational banner." She said in her overly optimistic tone. "Once Grogar sees this, he'll realize there's no way he can survive without me."
"If that's what you honestly think, filly, then you are even more deluded than I imagined." Erebus said, suddenly emerging out of the shadows, startling the little filly. "Holy toledos, Erebus! You almost scared me to death! Why did you sneak up on me like that, anyway?" The Pony of Shadows raised a hoof to his chin while he hummed in thought, before he said, "Call it a simple meanstreak - being imprisoned in Limbo for so long has left me rusty, and I required a frightful snack to boost my strength a bit."
"Well, you could have tried that with someone else." Cozy said as she grumpily got on her hooves. "That isn't how you treat your friends, you know. Grogar left me in charge so that I could remind you of that." A sudden look of disbelief crossed his black visage. "No he did not!" he exclaimed in annoyance, before he turned to a portal of darkness he had opened. "Not that it matters, since i'm done with you, and I have work to do." Cozy got curious about what Erebus had in mind, and quickly darted after him as he faded into shadow, and passed through his portal. She emerged to see that they were in a different location. One that was like an ancient temple of some kind, with glyphs of monsters that looked like nightmarish dragons that gave her the willies. It was a feeling elevated by the presence of dark crystals jutting out of every nook and cranny of the hallway she was in. Cozy quickly noticed the doorway with an eerie, purple light shining out of it.
She was quite shocked when she saw the immense lab in The Well of Shades.
Massive tubes filled with horrific purple, and black creatures she had never seen before lined across the room. Numerous monitors, and machines adorned the room, and gave it a frightening Frankenmane feeling to it. He shock didn't end when she saw Erebus accompanied by a familiar-looking King she believed to be dead. One who was having an irritated conversation with his ally. "Listen. I know the importance of Tirek's army being completed as soon as possible, but this is an ancient science that is older than the both of us combined, if you recall! Granted, the combined dark magics of you, myself, and Tirek did wonders to create The Dark Essence for our horrific creations, and our winged compatriots have done well gathering the genetic material I need for creating these beasts, but without a source of power to give them life, I can progress no further than the small numbers we have already produced!"
"You can explain that to Lord Tirek when he arrives from his training regiment." Erebus threatened. "And you know how he hates having his plans waylaid by a lack of progress."
Sombra snorted. "Perhaps my progress would be expedited if you just gave me more souls to drain from other scientific minds who are familiar with this kind of subject. The knowledge I obtained from consuming them was useful, but in the end, the results all point to one conclusion: without a true source of power to ignite the spark of life, I cannot bring the Tiracians to life! I need more time to figure it out!"
"Maybe if you had a little extra help, it would make things easier." Cozy Glow interject once she had gotten close enough, and actually startled Sombra. But surprise turned to feral anger when he produced black crystals aimed in circular formation around Cozy Glow's neck. "The pony whelp! Explain this nefarious intrusion!" His eyes widened, and he turned to Erebus. "You brought her in here, didn't you, you incompetent fool!"
Erebus bristled with fury as his wings extended. "What did you say, Umbrum shade?!"
"Guys, wait!" Cozy said, trying to stop the two from fighting. "Erebus had nothing to do with it! I snuck in here as he was coming in! I swear i'm the only one here, and I promise I won't tell anyone - especially Grogar - about this, even though he left me in charge!"
"No he didn't, you prevaricating liar!" Sombra hissed. "I see what happens through the shadows, and I keep an eye on that old goat's club. And none except myself, Lord Tirek, and the three Shadow Wraiths here know about this location." Just as she was about to question the now scientific king on what he meant, a starry billow of smoke on her right, and a red cloud on her left, revealed Night Terror, and Dismay respectively, who were now giving either a menacing glare, or a psychotic, teeth-licking laugh that signalled the demon ponies intent to eat the filly. Cozy grew nervous at the gathered host surrounding her, as Sombra asked, "So give me one good reason why I shouldn't put an end to your miserable existence, and keep you from spilling the secret of this place."
It took her a few moments, but then she thought of something that made her smile with wicked triumph. "Because I created a magical portal combined with a mystical magnet connecting to the Aether Realm built beneath Dusk Shine's school, and under his nose for a whole week while learning how to make it work without him ever finding out it was under his nose the whole time. And by the time the effects of my spell kicked in, I fooled him and his friends into going to Tartarus itself, and freeing Tirek. All while fooling his whole, entire school to follow my lead, and framed those dumb student six for the vortex spell I created." She let that sink in for a moment, taking quiet amusement at the shocked faces of all present - even the stoic Night Terror. "So trust me when I say i'm super smart, and know how to keep secrets. So maybe if Tirek gives in the good word, I can not just help you with your work: we could probably get the whole gang minus Grogar to help out somehow. Maybe even find a better base to continue experimenting."
Sombra shook his head of confusion, and said, "And do you really think I would subject myself to the humiliation those other two fools who undoubtedly put me through when the learn the truth of my return?" Again, Cozy shook her head. "Not if we make up an explanation for how you came back." She then grew curious herself. "Which reminds me: how DID you come back, anyway?"
"................*sigh* Tirek." Sombra moaned.
"Oh, golly!" She said in amazement. "There really is nothing my penpal teach can't do, isn't there? Just point me in his direction, and we'll discuss re-introducing you to the Legion of Doom." SOmbra gave her an inquisitive look that said, "Legion of Doom? Really?. After a few moments of consideration, however, Sombra relented, and sent his pikes away, while Night Terror and Dismay backed down. He then told Dismay to direct Cozy Glow to Tire's chambers, which they did, although they gave Sombra a sneer while doing so, to remind him that they don't acknowledge his authority. They lead Cozy down one of the corridors to a room that had the sound of deep grunting, and growling inside. "That's where the master is right now." Before they left however, they flashed Cozy a toothy grin as they said, "Good luck not getting killed by the golems!" Though she was confused by Dismay's warning, she nevertheless entered what they established was the centaur's training room. And she was in awe at what she saw.
Tirek was going head to head with a horde of stone golems a foot taller than him, while he had his armor taken off. He had long reached the point where he no longer needed his armor to maintain his physical state, and his power. His training with his own, natural magic had helped make sure of that. Just as right now, his combat experience, which he had let grow stagnant from his years in his old home to his time in tartarus, was further developing, and allowing him to demolish the golems with brute force, and a fighting style Cozy never saw before. He parried, blocked, and dodged every blow they sent his way, and with well-placed hits, he shattered them to pieces. The last one, who took several swings at him, but was blocked at every turn, soon found itself lifted off the ground, and then smashed apart on Tirek's knee. The centaur took a heavy breath as he hovered a towel over to him to dry off the sweat. It was at this point Cozy Glow made her presence known to him by whooping, and clapping her hooves together. "Gooly, that was amazing! And I thought you were already incredible before, but once we finally get into action, and start draining the lifeforce of those good-for-nothing ponies again, I doubt even Discord could put up much of a fight against you!"
The centaur gave her a half annoyed, half inquisitive glance as he asked, "Why are you here, and how did you find this place?"
She giggled nervously. "Iiiiii kinda snuck in after Erebus. Don't blame him, though! He had no idea I was tailing him - even though it would serve him right for scaring me like he did." She muttered that last part, but Tirek didn't care. He just wanted to conclude his training regime and get back to work. So he went ahead to the 5000 ton weightlift bar on the ground, and picked it up with ease to do standing lifts. Cozy landed on top of it, being no bother to him due to his immense strength and her being near light as a feather in comparison. "Anywho: Grogar said he wants us all to work together, so I went ahead and scheduled a team meeting!" She then leaned down the bar to creepily smile at her mentor as she asked, "Doesn't that sound fun?", in the most insincerely sweet tone possible to annoy the centaur. "And since Grogar left me in charge-"
"No he didn't, you insolent whelp!" Tirek snarled, angered by his pupils insolence.
"Heheh! Someone's a real grumpy-taur today!" Cozy said in a fakely sweet voice, before she actually rubbed his snow white hair. This made Tirek's anger rise even higher as his eyes shined, and his magic began flaring. Cozy then realized her mistake when her master yanked her off the bar, and brought her to face level. She giggled nervously. "Was it something I said?"
"Were it not for the fact you, and those other cretins have some manner of value to me, my dear pupil," he snarled, before hurling his weight bar INTO the wall next to him, smashing it to bits, "I would suck every ounce of magical essence in your fickle, tiny frame, and give you to Sombra to experiment upon! Any further insolence from you directed towards me, and there won't even be enough left to fill a simple test tube! UNDERSTOOD?!"
Cozy nodded her head furiously without a word. Finally satisfied, he released the frightened filly as he considered her idea. "Though.........perhaps a meeting of our compatriots is a good idea after all." This made Cozy come out of her fear spell, and brighten up like a candle. "You really think so?"
"Remember I was the only who originally planned to unite the villains of equestria, my little protege'." Tirek knowingly said. "Grogar made my work easier by bringing us together, and I have been working to bolster our ranks even further as intended. But the issue of gaining trust between our forces was always to be an issue. This may be the chance to remedy that."
"Swell!" Cozy exclaimed happily. "And we can bring Sombra with us, since he agreed we could plan a way to introduce him back into the Legion!" When Tirek gave a look demanding an explanation, she quickly said, "So that Storm King and Chrysalis don't find out, and learn about all of this." She indicated the Well of Shades. "And unlike me, they seem like the type who'd tell Grogar just to get his favor. I say better we bring him in, and expose his return on OUR terms, and keep suspicion off our backs." She then gave a sly smirk. "But if you aren't interested, I COULD just hang around this place you've set up, check out all the cool sciency, black magic stuff, and offer you, during your workout, some major, confident, and inspiring-"
"Fine." Tirek rolled his eyes, then used his magic to open a portal back to Grogar's lair. "Sombra, Erebus and I will join your meeting after discussions are made. Just leave - now." he pointed, and the filly did as she was told. Having no wish to push her luck any further with the centaur. Once she passed through, the Well of Shades closed off, and the filly was left to seek out the last two allies in their organization.
"No."
"What?!" Cozy exclaimed at the Storm King's answer. "What do you mean no?!"
"Exactly what I said, Kid." The satyr/yeti said while adjusting his helmet in the mirror, and flexing off his good looks to himself. "I've got better things to do than mingle with a bunch of weirdos, freaks, and monsters who make ME look normal by comparison. And besides," he said, turning a glance towards Cozy, "I don't know if you've heard this, but I hate cute things. Especially cute pony things like you."
Hearing this, Cozy Glow almost got angry at having her greatest attribute insulted by an ugly, oversized furball. But then, a sudden idea came into her mind. "So you won't come to the meeting, even though Grogar left ME in charge." Storm King groaned in annoyance, not even turning to face the filly as he raised his fingers. "Okay, One: No he didn't. And two: there is no way in Tartarus I am going." He then suddenly felt a tap on his shoulder, and screamed like a girl when he saw Cozy giving the cutest, most cavity-inducing expression she knew how to give. "Not even if I ask you very nicely, Mr. Storm King?"
"No! Nonononono, not fair! Not fair using cuteness on me!" He said in a horrified tone. "Cut it out! Cut it out right now!"
"Then will you pwease come to the meeting?" She asked, holding both hooves to the side of her head, sounding like a toddler. "Pwetty, pwetty pwease with a gweat big chewwy on top?"
Storm King groaned, and growled as he twisted, and contorted his face in sheer horror and aggravation. Finally, he couldn't take anymore, and yelled, "ALRIGHT! Alright, i'll go to your dumb meeting! Just please stop making with the cuteness already! It's freaking me out!" All that did was earn a maniacal laugh from the filly, who proudly said, "And that's why i'm the best villain out of all of us.", before taking off to find Chrysalis. Leaving a stupified Storm King to realize he got played - by a child, no less.
Cozy made her way down to the lower regions of the lair, trying to memorize where the Changeling Queen had made her place in this massive fortress. She didn't need to take long, as a familiar voice began speaking. "It's been several weeks, and Grogar has done nothing! All those other idiots are completely useless, too!" Chrysalis angrily said. As she observed the Queen's shadow moving in the open doorway of her chambers, she began wondering who she could be talking to. "And that centaur thinks he's so great? Pah! He hasn't done anything progressive either, and he's supposedly second in command! All of this waiting is driving me up the walls, i tell you now! It's not healthy to hang onto all this rage!" Cozy finally decided to find out what was happening, and entered Chrysalis' chamber - only to find her conversing with a lavender-colored log resting on a wooden stump. "At this rate, I feel like I could lash out at any moment."
That was the exact moment Cozy made her way up to the Changeling Queen of dwindling sanity. "And how are you feeling on this fine-"
"HOW DO YOU THINK I FEEL?!" Chrysalis roared, forcing the filly onto her back. "I'M READY TO EXACT MY REVENGE!!!" She then turned to her log, and said, "See what I mean?"
Brushing off the verbal outburst, Cozy said, "Being cooped up is the worst! You know what you need?" She flew up to Chrysalis, and showed her a small version of her banner. "A team meeting!"
"I don't do meetings." Chrysalis said, pushing the filly down to the ground, who was quick to get back up. "Uh, Grogar left ME in charge." Pausing briefly, Chrysalis twirled around and exclaimed, "No he didn't! And even so, Chrysalis obeys noone!"
"There'll be cupcakes!"
Aha. That was the dilemma of the fallen Queen: monologue to her log, or have a bunch of nice, sweet, creamy treats that tasted like love. Decisions, decisions.
"Okay, now that we're all here, let's get this started." Cozy Glow said to the five villains sitting at their meeting table, which had five chairs housing all but Erebus for obvious reasons. After explaining to the Storm King and Chrysalis that Sombra had returned by hiding a crystal bearing his essence, from which he could restore his physical form (which the two actually bought, if only because they didn't fully care), Cozy called her little team meeting to order while standing above them on a stack of crates.. "Grogar wants us all to work together to defeat our enemies. Which means, we need to trust each other."
Erebus, whose mass took up the whole back of the table area, and who was sitting behind Tirek, who sat with his head resting on his fist in silent boredom, poked his head up to say, "Trust is a difficult thing to come by, filly. As Stygian, I trusted the Pillars of Equestria to be my comrades. Then, when I myself joined with him to become The Pony of Shadows, I trusted Stygian would devote himself to the Darkness forever in pursuit of revenge. Both times I was betrayed, and abandoned. My Lord, Tirek, and even Queen Chrysalis can attest to the sensation of betrayal, and its lasting sting."
Chrysalis finished chewing her cupcake as she swallowed. "Agreed. If we are to trust one another," She began, when she noticed a deep, purple miasma flowing out of her chest, which was a type of magic she was all-too familiar with, and was unwilling to put up with, "perhaps inform King Sombra TO STOP TRYING TO ABSORB MY NEGATIVE EMOTIONS!!!" She screamed, startling Storm King awake, and making him fall out of his chair backwards-like. Sombra, of course, acted like a foal with his hoof in the cookie jar, and he merely spat back the purple essence onto a cupcake while covering it with his hoof. "I was not doing anything of the sort! How dare you!"
"How dare I?! Do you have any idea to whom you are speaking?" Chrysalis challenged in a tone that made Sombra, and the others roll their eyes, and the shadow king lightly recoiled when he watched her pick up the negative essence-covered cupcake in her magic, and eat it. "How in the world could I not? I've kept my eye on the lot of you this whole time. So I know because you tell your log every five minutes!" He pointed at the lavender log beside the queen, who growled defensively as she held her log close. Storm King, having gotten back up after that irritating fall, said in annoyance, "And this is why I only work with minions. At least I don't have to listen to them chatter up a storm when I can just order them to shut up any time I want. Maybe you guys should take a que." He said passive aggressively to the King, and Queen who quickly took note of the remark. "And perhaps, my snow furred friend, you should recall that you are now a king in name only." Tirek said, standing to his full height, which dwarfed the satyr/yeti easily. "None answer to an oafish buffoon who endorses himself as he conquers nations. You would serve far better as a sale speaker than a conqueror."
"Oh, yeah? Well at least I conquered Canterlot while you were stuck in that danky old cell in Tartarus!" Storm King defended, puffing his chest out while trying to look imposing. "Not to mention drove an entire nation underseas for years, and stealing the magic of the prancy, prissy unipegacornias. The power of the sun AND moon was mine, along with the power of the storms of the world." He smirked. "Doubt you did anything better." Confident he had the centaur on the ropes in terms of impressive feats. But he was waylaid by Tirek's amused laughter. "Really? ONLY the princesses magic? It may have taken time to do so, but I absorbed every last ounce of magic in Equestria, transforming me into a God." He raised his hands as he clenched them into fists. "I could feel all of that power coursing through my body as I grew in size, strength, and might. Even Discord himself fell pray to my powers as I slowly sucked the chaos magic from his bones. All of reality was at my fingertips," he scowled, "though I was foolish in not utilizing it to its fullest." He then grinned wickedly as he recounted his most enticing escapade. "And I deceived the Prince of Friendship himself into forming the Unbreakable Oath, and setting me free. None here can say that they've ever broken out of their own prison alone, can they?"
Storm King growled angrily as he silently conceded to the centaur's more impressive feats, and turned his back with his arms crossed in a huff. "Again, this is why I prefer working with minions instead of creeps!"
"And this is why Grogar left ME in charge!" Cozy exclaimed once more, trying to assert dominance she actually thought she had. What she got was the whole group getting in her face, and simultaneously roaring, "NO....HE...DIDN'T!" which made the filly growl in anger. But then something in her mind clicked, and she turned to her banner. An idea came to mind as she grabbed it, and approached her villainous friends, who were confused by the sudden sound of a tango starting up, and a spotlight appearing above the eager filly.
[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
[Storm King] (spoken): Ah, please!
No thanks, no way! I feel the need to say:
I'm smarter, stronger, and I don’t need any of you!
[Chrysalis] (spoken): 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!
[Chrysalis, Storm King & surprisingly King Sombra]
Do we really need a better way to be bad?
[Cozy Glow]
United as one!
[Chrysalis] (spoken): 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
Lord Tirek, and Erebus just watched this display with incredulousness as it seemed Cozy Glow was actually taking charge of three of their party. So much to the point she began having them perform trust exercises. As expected, Storm King failed the Trust Fall when he let a blind-folded Chrysalis fall. But she got her revenge when she got Sombra to help her, and kick Storm King down one of the stair flights during a Guidance test. The Satyr/Yeti's patience with the filly dropped to the point he almost shook the little goblin apart like a stuffed doll.
Let's go, begin this time we're gonna win
[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!
[Storm King]
For all this pain and torture
I swear you'll pay!
The four then tried tight-rope walking, with Cozy flying above, only for the three to slip and fall into the murky waters below.
[Cozy Glow]
This time, we've got a better way to be bad!
[Chrysalis, Storm King and Sombra]
Uh, sounds like a long shot
This better way to be bad
[Cozy Glow]
United as one
We'll make those ponies so sad!
[Sombra]
If we say "okay", would you just go away?
[Cozy Glow]
Once we have a better way to be bad
(She then produced paltry, stuffed dolls of the mane six for her friends to 'play' with)
We want to break their friendship
We want to make them weak
You want revenge on Starlight
You want that storm to peak
So let's increase our chances
By working as a team
To crush our enemies to dust
And laugh as they all scream!
[All six villains, with Tirek and Erebus now finding themselves sucked in]
(laughter)
[Tirek]
I think I see a better way to be bad (punches a hole in Dusk's doll"
[Chrysalis]
(Pulls off Dusk's crown, and wears it)
Just put me in charge
Make me queen, you'll be glad
[Cozy Glow]
(Swipes crown off her head)
No! Listen to me
I’m the best of us three
[All but Erebus]
(Hold appendages, and start spinning in a circle)
Then you'll see a better way to be bad!
[Cozy Glow] (spoken): Wait!
(Soon finds herself cut out of the circle, to her annoyance)
This is my thing
A better way to be bad
[Chrysalis]
(Swiftly uses her magic to plant the four villains to the ground)
You shall do as I command
I will rule this myriad
[Tirek]
(Knock her off as he gets back up)
That's what you think
But I am no common thug
What's a Queen to a Lord
But an insolent bug?
[Cozy Glow] (spoken): Hey! This is my song!
[Other villains]
Sorry, not any longer!
[All but Erebus]
(dogpile with Cozy at the bottom, with Sombra on top of her, Storm King on top of him, Chrysalis standing on him, and Tirek looming over all of them with a fist raised)
A better way to be bad
[Cozy Glow]
Now you're making me mad
[Sombra]
Won't the ponies be sad?
[Storm King]
Prob'ly more than a tad!
[Chrysalis]
That would make me so glad
[Erebus]
Weirdest time i've ever had
[Tirek]
Maybe just a wee tad
[All]
But now we've got a better way to be bad!
All six held a make-shift doll of their enemies in their hooves, and wrapped up the tango with the multi-colored spotlights hanging over them with a dashing spin, before striking poses in a group with roses in their mouths: Storm King slid on a knee with a fist on his hip, and hand in the air, Chrysalis raised a right hoof, and left back-leg, Sombra stood in the middle standing upright with a fedora on his head being held in his hoof while his right arm held his other, Cozy hovered in front of him performing a dip with Dusk, while Tirek Simply raised his cloak in his arms in a winged stance, while Erebus merely circled them like a vicious pred.
[End Music]
But Cozy wasn't happy with how the performance went. "Hey! You stepped on my que!" She accused Chrysalis, sparking a group argument among the villains. Even Tirek had gotten himself so excited for once that he also ended up partaking in this childish banter about who screwed up the musical number. Erebus just gave them a glance, before he shook his head in embarrassment. It was at this moment Grogar finally made his return. And while, at first, he was surprised to see Sombra present, he was too annoyed with the arguing to care right now, and yelled, "EEENOUGH!!!" Silencing all, who turned their attention to their self-proclaimed leader, who was rubbing the side of his head. "I would ask how and why you came back, Sombra, but right now I could care less. I had hoped you fools would have been able to resolve your differences by now, but apparently not!"
"I hate to break this to ya, goat man," Storm KIng said in annoyance, "But Friendship isn't Magic for villains, so you can't expect progress overnight."
"He has a point." Chrysalis interjected. "And maybe if we at least knew what the plan was, we would be better able to prepare!"
"Assuming, of course, you even have a plan." Tirek once again challenged, mentally hoping that an opportunity was about to be presented by their benefactor.
"Of course I have a plan, you fools!" Grogar bellowed, and began to explain even as some of the baddies kept elbowing each other for space. "I have located an object of great power: and it occurs to me this is the perfect test. The six of you shall journey forth to retrieve it." A smile of pure malice formed across Grogar's muzzle as his eyes shimmered. "Against this item, those ponies won't stand a chance."
"Perfect" Tirek thought to himself, figuring this was about the artifact he had been searching for. Keeping a straight face, he incited insurrection by asking, "And I assume that your Second in Command shall be the one who leads the expedition to this mysterious relic?"
"Pfft! You! Don't make me laugh!" Chrysalis snidely said, earning a glare from the centaur as she walked past him. "I have come close to conquering Equestria several times. Perhaps I should be the one to lead us!" But then Storm King knocked her to the side. "Get over yourself, Sister! I took over Canterlot city in a day, AND stole the magic of all four rulers! And I had all those ponies under my thumbs as slaves!" But then he, too, was pushed aside by King Sombra. "You are nothing but a pretender, fools! I was the ruler of an entire empire for many ages before my imprisonment - and used my superior mind, and mystical prowess to outwit the ponies at every turn!" Then Cozy Glow pushed him aside. "I stole all the magic from Equestria! That was Goood!" But was then swatted by Erebus' tendril. "I was on the verge of plunging all of Equestria into eternal darkness! Draining the land of Hope, and Harmony!" But he was grabbed by the horn by Tirek. "And as I said before, I consumed all of the magic of Equestria! Such power made me equivalent to even the Bahamut and Djinn themselves!" And from there, the squabbling began again.
Finally having enough, Grogar's body glowed with black and gold magic, and a burst of power exploded from his spot. Crashing into all six villains, and binding them all by their arms to the walls of the fortress. None of them able to break their bonds as Grogar stomped forward. His dark magic surging menacingly as he spoke. "Each of you FAILED to defeat Dusk Shine and his friends when you were alone! None of you are fit to lead anything! My power is greater than all of yours combined - and this is but a FRACTION of it! UNDERSTOOD?!" Most of the villains meekly responded in understanding, which was enough to convince Grogar to release them. Tirek, however, was enraged at how he had been blindsided, and made to look so weak like that. But he did his best to hide his anger.....especially since his armor had given him at least a small taste of the magic used on him - which for some reason felt oddly familiar to him. But he had no time to wonder as Grogar spoke again in a much more calm voice. "Now YOU shall retrieve the rest of it." Instead of waiting for an explanation to be requested, the ram made his four bells shine brightly, before releasing his magic into the air, and display a mural series of images that made something of a film, which Grogar narrated over.
"Many thousands of moons ago, in the early years of the fourth age, the self-righteous Gusty the Great - unable to best me face to face - collaborated with powerful allies, and stole my bewitching bell. A talisman containing much of my own magic, and the catalyst of my dominion over Equestria. However, the bell cannot be destroyed. So Gusty hid it in a place it has taken me millennia to discover: high atop Mt. Everhoof in its peak, protected by magical winds that make retrieving it all but impossible! There the bell has remained.......until now."
Once the magical slideshow ended, Grogar gave his menagerie of evil forces a hard glare, and commanded, "Scale Mt. Everhoof. Bring me back my bell."
Chrysalis laughed. "The ease of this task is laughable!"
But her tune changed after Grogar teleported them to the region where Everhoof stood, and the party saw how hazardous it was.
"Well, it sounded easy." She said dryly.
The gang of six villains looked upon the towering mountain of Everhoof, dozens of miles away. What appeared to be clouds swirled around the peak of it like a cyclone. A sure sign that old Grogar wasn't exaggerating about the mountain being protected by magical winds. Not even a hundred pegasi in unison could break through that wind. And yet, all six of them knew there was no choice for them. Each of them grievously assessed the situation, beginning with Tirek.
"Scale the mountain........."
[Storm King]
"Completely on foot........"
[King Sombra]
"While traipsing through tons of freezing snow, and ice...........
[Erebus]
"And carefully avoiding the powerful winds..................
[Chrysalis]
"Then finally retrieve Grogar's bell.
"TOGETHER!" Cozy Glow finished in an excited tone, while wearing winter wear in her color scheme with a parchment in hoof. "Now, i've already made a detailed list on how each of us can-" The other completely ignored her, and walked past her to, "ditch each other, and do it alone. Maybe when i'm at the top, they'll wish they'd listened to me." She deviously remarked while crumbling, and tossing away her list before making her own way to the mountain. But as the others progressed, Tirek commanded Erebus to remain behind for some reason. "Why are you stalling me, Lord Tirek? Although most of my allegiance is to you, we have BOTH been reminded of our standing in this Legion of Doom. And I am more than concerned with what may happen should we fail to complete our objective."
"Nevermind that accursed bell for now, Erebus." Tirek said in irritation. "I need you to fulfill the next stage of my new plan."
Erebus looked surprised at this. "Another plan?"
"Yes, my elusive wraith." Tirek said with a smile. "I had suspected that Grogar would eventually send us after his bewitching bell. Thanks to my conversions with the Heartstone, I have made a most invigorating discovery. But I could not act until Grogar himself did. Which is why when I saw the thin lines of his patience run thin, I stoked the fires of individual megalomania into goading him into losing his temper."
"Why?"
"Because it was amusing to see the gruff, but composed "emperor" lose his cool because of a bunch of squabbling fools. While it did anger me to allow him to get the better of me, it did well enough to satiate his anger and prevent any of the others from crossing a line." He smirked. "Now, thanks to him, I have confirmation that there is something very important in these lands. Aside from the bell, a source of immeasurable darkness that holds ties to not only the true Grogar........but my ancestor, Tirac, and Apophis, himself." When it looked like Erebus was about to question things, Tirek cut him off. "Think of it: based on the knowledge we've learned from both Sombra's study, and the Heartstone that lets me commune with Apophis, and my ancestor, the final clash between Gusty the Great, and the real Grogar occurred in the region of his fortress realm, which he had made out of the ruins of one of the great kingdoms of the second age of Equestria."
Erebus finally got what Tirek was saying. "You refer to the lost city of Tambelon. The kingdom who attempted to enslave the Bahamut, Laurana, only to earn the full hatred and wrath of the one the records call "The Dark Calamity". His hatred, and malice was so great it collapsed the entire mountain-city, and opened a tear in the fabric of reality. Directly into-"
"Into The Realm of Darkness, better known as Mar'Nulum." Tirek finished for the wraith. "The original Grogar made that mountain the center of his empire, and retained the name out of ironies sake. But its history goes further back than the second age, and has always been a domain of evil. Once it was known as The Midnight Mountain before the Second Generation of ponies built their city kingdom on top of it, and The Dark Calamity re-terraformed it, and removed harmonies influence on the mountain. A place where Emperor Grogar learned to harness essence - the very souls of the living to consume, or corrupt them into slaves. Thus earning its much more endearing name."
There was a long pause between the two before Erebus came to a startling realization. "The Well of Souls! Does this mean you have finally found it?" Tirek could only scowl in annoyance. "No. If there was one thing Gusty the Great seemed perfectly adequate at doing, it was hiding away anything: even cursed mountain fortresses." His scowl went away, however, when he spoke up again. "But even her little spell of concealment will not be able to hide its location from three creatures of Darkness." His horns ignited, and a fiery portal produced Tirek's winged servants, Dismay and Night Terror. The latter holding their wicked grin while the former merely kept his scowl. But upon seeing his master, he bowed his head in great respect. "I am at your disposal, Lord Tirek. What do you wish of me?"
"Is it a Balrog hunt, my lord?" Dismay inquired with sadistic glee. "I hope so - and I hope it's hidden in a populated city, filled with hundreds of ponies! Watching all those fugly little nags being burned alive would really make my day!" They laughed.
"You are half-right, Dismay." Tirek said, before producing a simple red stone with a rune placed upon it in an unknown language. "You two shall accompany Erebus in searching for a place known as The Well of Souls. It is hidden by powerful spells of concealment, and will be difficult to find. Which is why I had this rune stone formed from the Heartstone to track its Vashtar signature. When you are close to it, it will shine brightly to indicate you are near."
"And you are sure it is near this region, and not further away from Equestria?" Erebus inquired.
"Even Gusty the Great could only travel so far in such a short amount of time." Tirek said. "No, the Well, though still far, is near Mt. Everhoof. Of that I am certain. And my rightful "sources" tell me that three wielders of powerful Dark Magic will hold the power to dispel the spell of light, which undoubtedly was used to hide the mountain from all who would seek it." He then chuckled menacingly. "But the shame is she is no longer around: I would have enjoyed seeing the horror in her eyes as her own magic was made worthless in the face of her superiors. Now get moving! And do not come back until you have found it!"
"As you command, my lord." Night Terror answered, taking the rune stone in his ebony-armored hoof before flying off.
"Consider it done, master." Dismay bowed their head, chuckling as they flapped their bat wings into the air.
Erebus and Tirek shared a glance before the former said, "With any good fortune, we will find it by the time you recover the bell." His body then turned into a dark mass of black, oily magic, and massive wings. Oh, yes, Tirek thought to himself. It would be found before then. Before the second day is done, The Well of Souls, and Grogar's previous bell would be in the palm of his hand. Speaking of bells.........
Both Storm King, and Sombra decided to take the direct route to the mountain. Each one giving the other the stink eye as they moved. They both seemed eager to get in front of each other to get to the base. Pretty soon, the two were snarling in complete rage, and racing to get to their location first. As soon as they did, they ended up slipping on a patch of ice that sent them crashing into a big rock with a frantic yell. The two slid down with a daze, before getting buried in snow.
Chrysalis had taken to the skies above the land in her pursuit of the mountain. She was completely shocked at how strong the winds were on this mountain. It continuously threatened to throw her out of the air as though she were a mere bug. At first, she stubbornly continued through the dangerous winds, before an exceptionally strong gust threatened to blow her away. Growling in a huff, she decided to land in the forest area of the mountain. There she was completely on her own........save for the numerous eyes of yellow and red glaring at her from the trees, and bushes. Many creatures had seemingly come through this path before, and it stood to reason most never made it this far. The reason became more obvious when an immense shadow bearing the same eyes as all the others began to creep up behind Chrysalis in preparation for attack.
But the Queen already knew she was being stalked, and jolted backwards with a ferocious hiss that sent the mystery creatures crying in fright as they ran off. "As if anything on this mountain is scarier than I!" She laughed, and continued on her way.
Tirek, who had been staring at the mountain since his allies left, had already begun deducing the situation. To reach a final conclusion, he picked up a pile of dirt, and blew it into the direction of the mountain. To any other's surprise, it was instantly reflected by the magical winds that the centaur was now seemingly standing in front of. But he wasn't surprised: just annoyed when his experiment blew into his face, and got dirt into his mouth. As he sputtered, and spat out bit, and chips, he was begrudgingly satisfied with his answer, and knew what he had to do.
Cozy Glow was the only one who took the actual mountain trail leading upwards. On the way, she ran into a rather large shack which was home to an odd-looking earth pony who was brown in color, and had a long, white goatee to match his white hair. He had a dark, fur-trimmed cloak, and carried a shepherd staff. But most peculiar of all was that he wore a bucket on his head. When he saw Cozy, he made a remark on there not being ponies in these parts for many moons. Cozy could easily tell he was a well-meaning, but simple recluse who had no idea who she was. So she did what she did best, and put on her crocodile tears. "Oh, golly, good sir! I'm just a poor, lost pony trying to find help!"
Her fib fooled the stallion as he felt sympathy for her, telling her, "Aw, don't be sad, little filly! Ole' Rusty Bucket, at your service!" he saluted with his free hoof.
"I'm so glad I found you! I need help getting to the top of this mountain! And now that you're here, maybe you can help me out!" She smiled.
"Oh, uh....no can do, ma'am."
Her smile dropped in an instant, and turned into an angered frown before she screamed, "WHY NOT?!?", causing the whole area to shake.
"Shh! Not so loud!" Rusty said in as low a voice as possible. "This here's avalanche territory. I'm the guardian of this here mountain, and it's my job to keep ponies from trying to get to the top! Nothing but dangerous snow, dangerous winds, and dangerous creatures.......basically, it's dangerous!"
Cozy saw this wouldn't be as simple as she thought. But she didn't earn a rook for her cutie mark for nothing, and had another idea to get this pony on her side. "It must get pretty lonely, being out her all by yourself." She smiled. "Maybe, if you want, I could be your friend."
"Aw! I'd love a friend!" Rusty said, feeling touched by such a kind offer.
"Goody!" Cozy fluttered excitedly. "And now that we're friends, you can help me get up to the top of the mountain!" She smiled once again, sure of her success. But then Rusty Bucket pulled out a book from his winter cloak, and skimmed through it until he reached a specific page. "Hmm. Sorry, but......a REAL friend wouldn't ask me to do something i'm not supposed to do. Says so right here in "The Journal of Friendship" written by Dusk Shine, and HIS friends!"
The minute Cozy saw that irksome, familiar book cover, she lost all sense of calm, and reserve. "ARE! YOU! KIDDING MEEEEEEEEEE?!?!" She roared, shaking the very land around her, and not just where she stood. And when the friendly old pony tried shushing her again, she just turned around, and left him standing there.
"I didn't wanna be friends anyway!" She rudely said, making Rusty sigh in disappointment.
Having recovered from his brief collision, Storm King was analyzing the rocky plateau, trying to figure out the safest way to climb up. "Hmm. Maybe if I look for a solid planting, then get a foothold, I could-" But he was interrupted by the sound of rumbling next to him as he saw King Sombra draw out a crystal spike that was pushing upwards, with the thestral alicorn on top. Seeing this made Storm King drop his jaw in bewilderment. "Hey smokey! What the snowy heck are you doing?!"
Sombra sneered at the Storm King as he jumped off his spike, and into a rocky ledge. "What does it look like, you snow-headed fool? The winds make flight impossible, and I have the suspicion that my shadow form would be blown away no matter what I do." Another crystal began to rise, and he placed a hoof on top of it. "So I am taking the path of least resistance, and climbing up the mountain my own way!" He then stepped fully onto his crystal, and let it carry him up. Shaking his head, Storm King growled, and started climbing the rocky hill like a monkey in a bid to catch up. "That's gotta be the dumbest idea i've ever heard of!"
"Why?" Sombra asked, stepping off his crystal spike, and forming another out of the stones. "Because you didn't think of it first?"
"No, you idiot!" Sombra bristled at the insult, but Storm King continued - both unaware of a cracking sound beneath the alicorn's feet. "Because while I might be a "snow-headed fool", I know my snowy terrain! And I know that when snow-covered rock, frozen solid is split by an instantaneous eruption of solid mass, the chances of structural instability is elevated to-" The rumbling suddenly got even louder, as snow began to slide down past the Yeti/Satyr's hands......and Sombra felt his footing begin to give away. Before either new it, a small avalanche happened, and buried the two under tons of snow, ice, rock, and now dark crystal.
"Ah, nevermind!" Storm King grunted in a muffled voice.
Chrysalis' trek had continued unabated so far, and she had been making good time. She almost slipped, and fell on a frozen lake. But in response, she simply turned into a Craggadile, and broke through the ice, into the lake in order to swim through it, and break out to shore. Once she shook off the water, she then shifted into a mountain goat, and climbed her way up the snowy hill that overlooked the rest of the mountain.
"Almost there!"
All the while, Tirek had been gathering numerous items from differing locations. Tree branches, vines, bushes, and leaves. And all of it was brought into an open clearing with several wooden stumps set up in a circle. The collection swiftly being dropped in the middle of the spot, as he scanned the area for more supplies. It appeared that he was attempting to make something out of the natural elements.
But what could it be?
Cozy, meanwhile, went back to Rusty Buckets shack in her own attempts to traverse the mountain. She tried to fly up, but got a brutal reminder that the winds made that impossible. She then tried climbing the snow banks, but sank down into it, with the older pony needlessly saying, "Nope. Not that way, neither.", to her growing frustration. Later on, while Rusty seemed distracted, Cozy Glow decided to try, and sneak around the shack to make it to what she figured was a hidden path leading further up the mountain. What she got was a mound of snow falling down on her after Rusty accidentally caused the snow to fall when he hit the roof of his home with his staff while stretching.
By this point, the filly had reached her literal boiling point. And once she melted all of the snow off of her, she flew back in front of Rusty, and stomped her hoof on the ground, yelling, " I TRIED BEING NICE!" Again, this made the terrain shake, and tremble. But when Rusty tried telling her to calm down, she yelled again, saying, "YOU CALM DOWN! PONIES ARE SUPPOSED TO DO WHAT I ASK THEM TO DO! IT'S LIKE MY THING, OKAY?!" That was her final mistake, as she finally learned the hard facts that Rusty was telling the truth. She was soon sent screaming down the hill in a giant snowball not a few seconds after throwing her tantrum.
The stallion just shrugged, and went back inside his shack.
After half an hour of being trapped under all that snow, and other cold stuff, Sombra finally had enough. With a feral roar, he unleashed a burst of green and purple magic from his outstretched arms, and wings to blow away all of the snow. Even Storm King got blown away, and slammed face first into a nearby tree. Back on all fours, Sombra hissed, and snarled as he caught his breath. "I will not stand for this! Twas bad enough I spent three thousand years trapped in the Frozen North! But I will NOT be made a fool of by a faust-forsaken pike of frozen water!!!"
After readjusting his crown, Storm King sent Sombra a backwards glare.......and then hurled a large snowball at his face which sent him staggering to the left. He stared at the Yeti/Satyr with wide eyes of indignation while the former laughed his head off. "Sorry, but on you? Snow's a definite improvement!" And he kept laughing, even as Sombra growled with rage. Deciding to fight fire with fire, he then produced a large snowball the size of a boulder while the Storm King was busy. He noticed too late the massive shadow over his head when the mass dropped right on top of him. Now, it was Sombra's turn to laugh. This time in a small moment of triumph over his supposed rival for King. But things got heated when Storm King emerged with a glare on his face. "Buddy.........you are asking for it."
"Then now you realize this....means war." Sombra hissed.
The two kings stared into each other's eyes for what felt like hours. Anyone present would be wondering what was going on through their heads at the time. Were they going to actually fight? Or were they going to stare at each other all day? It was anyone's guess at this point.
Until a volley of snowballs started hurling at the two as the kings began throwing a hail fire of the clumped up orbs at each other. Both of them grunting from exertion as they comedically hurled the balls at each other. They either pelted the trees, rocks, and animals in the area, or each other, or they managed to hit each other. Either way, this was a new, and special type of battle each was determined to win. And as hardened conquerors, neither would back down until the other side surrendered, or perished.
The latter seemed unlikely.............just as it seemed unlikely they could keep this up for long.
After further traversing the whitened path of snow leading upward, Chrysalis had finally made her way to the final hill she needed to reach. One that was opposite the central portion of the mountain, that opened up a mighty large chasm in-between. The winds howled, and billowed fiercely in the air like the warning cries of a magical creature protecting its territory - which, in a way, was exactly the case. But Chrysalis didn't think of such things. She only thought of how she had reached the end of her journey on her own as she giggled. "Apparently, I DON'T need anypony else."
Honestly thinking this was the final round, and the last leg of her journey, Chrysalis morphed herself into the largest avian form she was able to change into to fly over the gorge. But she began to realize that even a Roc was not strong enough to overcome the mystic winds of Everhoof. And the worst part was that she'd gotten so close, she could have almost touched the edge of the cliff. Then reality set in, and the winds blew her back into the other hill, and back into her real form. The fallen queen exclaiming in frustration over her failure. Yet another humiliation she would have to endure.
Night had fallen, and Lord Tirek had placed the latest group of logs into the fire he had made. Afterwards, he reexamined the fruits of his hard labors: a small, but stable camp he himself had built for himself and the others. As someone not afraid to take care of things himself, the centaur had no issue with setting up the came on his own. He even set himself a lawn chair for his own personal comfort while he had gathered two other large logs for the others to sit on. Now, he just had to wait for all of them to show up in some kind of predicted, and disgruntled mess.
He was proven right when Cozy Glow first staggered out of the bushes. Her entire body had been soaked, and no doubt chilled to the bone, and she was heavily panting from having to endure that undesirable ride down the mountainside. That was NOT a way she wanted to enjoy thrill rides! A few seconds later, and the quarreling kings looked to have fared no better. Snow covered much of their body, they were exhausted, and their crowns were so far tilted they almost fell off of their heads. In other words, neither Storm nor Sombra appeared very regally as Kings should. Seeing this sight only made the centaur bellow with laughter at the sight of these buffoons obvious failures. All three growled at once, and simultaneously roared out, "IT'S NOT FUNNY, TIREK!!!"
But he heeded them not, for he was taking too much fun in rubbing salt in the wounds of their bruised egos - which he knew Chrysalis herself would undoubtedly share once she arrived. "So not a single one of you made it to the top? Surprise, surprise! Or.....it would be if your overblown egos would not indeed indicate your potential failures." he chuckled. However, Cozy was quick to notice the obvious fact that the centaur had gotten to this spot before them, and set up camp himself. Which lead her to believe he was being an overblown hypocrite, and called him out on it. "I notice YOU didn't make it to the top, either. What? Was none of your fancy magic good enough to help you out? Or did you keep stumbling over yourself like a bull in a china shop?"
To her, and the king's surprise, Tirek chuckled again. "Poor, simple foal: I didn't try to."
"Wait, what?!" The other villains all exclaimed.
"Do you take me for some muscle-bound fool?" Tirek angrily spoke. "It took only five minutes to deduce Grogar was right: NONE of us could ever hope to make it up alone! The mountain is protected, and will prevent those with ill-intent from reaching its hidden treasure." A leisurely smile formed on his muzzle as he took his seat upon his hand-crafted lawn-chair. "So, like any good leader would do, rather than subject myself to a fools errand by facing the elements, I decided to let you four face the danger. Take what you each learned, and use it to MY advantage." He laughed.
"Four?" Sombra asked. "Where is The Pony of Shadows? He hardly ever leaves your side, so I assumed he'd be here."
"Yeah." Storm King agreed. "Where is the giant ink-blot, anyway?"
"Erebus has more important matters to attend to than wasting time butting heads with those even larger than his own. I have already sent him off with my Dark Wraiths in pursuit of something equally valuable to the Bewitching Bell. One whose secrets will allow me to accomplish my own goals, and tip the balance of power in MY favor. Two groups doing my work for me in order for guaranteed success against our shared enemies." Tirek laughed wickedly. Cozy Glow, however, was unamused, and angrily exclaimed, "I put up with your "i'm smarter than you" attitude while on the road, but i'm over it!"
Tirek glared at the impudent filly. "And i've had enough of your open defiance, and this notion you are my superior. That mark on your flank may determine your destiny, but it is I who shaped it into its fullest potential. Everything you are now is what I made you into, you pathetic little whelp! You still have much to learn, yet continuously you try to manipulate me with that insincere, syrupy sweetness!" He then smirked at the miserable filly in amusement. "At least now, we all can see the REAL you under that facade you mask yourself in."
"GRRR! THIS IS NOT THE REAL ME! I'M CUTE AND LOVEABLE!!!"
The Storm King merely scoffed in disagreement. "No, you are not! My room is right next to yours, and I can tell you for a fact: you're annoying, AND! YOU! SNORE!"
"I DO NOT SNORE!!!" Cozy screamed, remaining just as unaware as her group of something massive, with curved bull horns.......slithering, and hissing? Yes, hissing, and slithering through the foliage towards the source of the commotion in the woods. Storm King himself not making things any less harrowing as he made mocking snore noises while pointing at the pony younger than him. But despite getting under her skin, she was quick to retort. "Well, at least I don't talk to my "Gram-Gram" in MY sleep."
"Don't you dare bring Gram-Gram into this, you sneaky little brat!" Storm KIng yelled as the two stared each other off, with the filly smirking in triumph. But suddenly, the troupe were surprised when the mysterious creature, which was an actual hybrid of a serpent and a bull crashed out of the brush, and roared at the group with tremendous force. While Sombra, and Tirek were momentarily stunned, Cozy and Storm could only think and shout one thing to each other in blame.
[both]
"THIS IS YOUR FAULT!"
Most of the group was shocked by the sight of this towering beast, which nearly dwarfed even Tirek in size. The creature threateningly slithering closer towards what it thought would be its next meal. But while Storm and Cozy Glow could back up in fright, and Sombra readied for battle, Tirek was finding himself amazed at what he was seeing. "An Ophiotaurus? And in this region?"
"Y-you know what this thing is?" Cozy nervously asked as Sombra fired a beam of dark magic upon the creature.......only for it to harmlessly wash over the creature, to the Umbrum's worry. Tirek, however, answered calmly, "Yes, but.........I thought my kingdom had hunted them all to extinction. They are one of the most formidable beasts in the world: immune to all but the strongest of magics, physically mighty, yet nimble as they are venomous. My father told me that during my Grandfather's reign, a surgance of these creatures began terrorizing Equestria - word only reaching us after some had invaded our kingdom." He fired a stream of red lightning which made the Ophiotaurus shriek in pain, and stunned it for the moment. "That is how our race, the Centaurs, came into our unification with the Gargoyles. Their warrior skills, and hunting prowess matched our own, and their ability to glide gave them great advantage in battle. Together with our tactical prowess, and the Equestrian's forces, we killed the infestation, and formed a unified pact between our three races. Until now I had thought they were wiped out." He then cupped his chin, stroking his beard in thought. "But then, stragglers have been known to appear every once in a while." He then smirked. "Perhaps this is a blessing in disguise."
"Yeah, I don't call a giant bull-snake who tanks magic attacks, and is fast, strong, and venomous as anything good!" Storm KIng exclaimed as the Ophiotaurus recovered from Tirek's attack, and approached them more angered than before. "Give it another zapping! Maybe we can make a run for it while it's conked out!"
"Don't be foolish!" Tirek exclaimed. "Ophiotaurus are cunning, and intelligent. I only hit the thing because it was taken by surprise. Now that it knows what I can do, it won't let me take another shot!"
"So what?" Sombra shouted, brandishing his scythe. "We confine ourselves to a serpent's meal! Not so long as I still breathe!"
"Which might not be long if it gets you in its coils!" Cozy remarked.
"I am an Umbrum, remember?! I can turn into shadow anytime I want! You're the ones who need to-" Sombra's ramble was cut off by the sound of something moving in the brush behind them. All, including the Ophiotaurus looked to see another of its kind. Only this one was shorter, sleeker, with smaller horns and a tuft of hair on its head. Unlike the big one, whose underside was orange, this one's was aqua. The sure signs of a female - and one that seemed interested in what was now identified as a male Bull-Snake as she battered her eyes while holding her head on her arm in a seductive way. The male seemed enraptured by the female's beauty, and was lovestruck in mere seconds. While it slithered towards the female, the other villains remained quiet. All except Cozy, who saw this as an opportunity. "Quick, while it's distracted! Let's get out of here!"
"Wait." Tirek commanded, noticing something off about this random occurrence. The other villains didn't argue, even though they wanted to run off - maybe out of respect, or fear of him, they had no idea. But they obeyed, and were thus treated to an unexpected, but welcoming surprise: the female Ophitaurus being Queen Chrysalis in disguise, and immediately drawing out a violet miasma of essence from the now weakening beast. The group was finally exposed to how Changelings originally drained love from their victims in the past. It was quite a spectacle, and an intrigue that her power was similar to Tirek and Sombra. A few seconds later, and the hybrid creature fell to the earth, drained of all will to even lift the tip of its tail. All the while, Chrysalis licked her lips, and hummed in hungered satisfaction from the meal she had just partaken in. "So much love! I haven't eaten this well in ages!"
The only one not intrigued was Cozy Glow, because the sight of the love-drain sickened her to point she almost puked. "So gross!" The others gave her a questioning glance, with Storm King asking, "You've seen big red suck the lifeforce out of ponies, but seeing a changeling suck out love is where you draw the line?"
"Hey, even i've got limits, pal!" Cozy exclaimed, making the Yet/Satyr roll his eyes.
"Just so we're clear," Chrysalis began, drawing attention to her, "I didn't save you because I like you. I did it, because....... because I-!"
"Neeeeeeeed us?" Cozy inquired while smiling with a ridiculously wide grin, and floating next to the changeling queen, who begrudgingly muttered "Yes!"
"Ah, yes!" Tirek spoke aloud, taking the attention back. "Clearly I was right to wait. Now that all of you have made attempts to scale this cursed mountain, no doubt you've gained some useful information regarding it. Now, tell me everything you've learned today - and leave NOTHING out." He ordered. Realizing they really had no choice, as Tirek had proven himself smarter than all of them combined, even with Chrysalis' rescue before, they all conceded to his unofficial leadership, and shared their experiences with the mountain.
Miles away from where the Legion of Doom had no taken temporary residence, The New Host of The Nightmare lead Tirek's Demon, and The Pony of Shadows in search of their missing objective. None of them knew exactly what it was, but their master assured them the Rune Stone he had crafted would guide them to where they needed to go. So far, with careful precision, they followed the glowing rune to a darker region of Equestria. A mountain region with several masses of thundering clouds hanging overhead. It was in that direction the stone glowed brightest. Thus did they venture into the mountain region where they found a barren, lifeless valley with mysterious, curved stones curling in a specific direction. Night Terror got a nagging suspicion their target was there. "Down there! To the heart of that valley!"
"Finally! Lord Tirek said it might not be the case, but it would be great if we ended up finding the first of the Balrogs, finally - then we'd have more wicked, demon company!" Dismay remarked gleefully as they descended.
"Patience, Dismay." Erebus said to his bat-winged compatriot. "Whatever we discover here may yet provide us with more than simply Balrogs." He then chuckled. "Perhaps even The Well of Souls, Tirek believes. The only way to be certain is to find out ourselves."
The three creatures of darkness soon landed in the heart of the valley, where the rune began shining light a bright, red star. It reached its zenith when the three of them stood next to an old, dead tree with a black spike sticking through it. Night Terror surveyed the area with intrigue, but also with inquisition as he pondered their next step. "According to the rune, we stand atop what Lord Tirek seeks. That means we stand atop it while it remains buried." He actually chuckled in admiration. "That Gusty the Great was truly blessed with great magic if she could seal something so great within the very earth."
"Yeah, yeah, we're all impressed by how much more potent pony magic was in the old days." Dismay said with complete annoyance. "But if the thing IS sealed, then how do we get to it? I doubt I could change into any Malworth strong enough to breach a magical seal. And our three powers combined could only hold open a gap in the spell - not undo it completely." Erebus then took a step forth to observe the crimson stone. "But Lord Tirek said that the power of three wielders of darkness - us three - would hold the power to dispel Gusties spell. What could he have meant by that, then?" Suddenly, it clicked in Night Terror's mind as he held up the stone. "That's it!" he exclaimed, surprising the other wraiths. "Do none of you see? The answer is in the riddle: three wielders of darkness hold the power to dispel the light!" He then raised up the stone. "This stone is the key! It is not only a guide: it will ward off the enchantments of Gusty the Great, and Laurana's light will vanish! But we must give it the might it needs to do its work!" He then put it on the ground, where it shined the brightest before taking to the air. "Quickly! Pour as much of your own dark energies into the stone as you can! The stone will do the rest!"
The two looked to each other briefly, wondering if he was right on this, or not. But they both remembered that Tirek chose him to bear Nightmare Moon's essence because of his potential cunning, and wit. And there were few aside from Erebus, King Sombra, and Tirek who were as well versed in the art of dark magic as The Nightmare. So, the two did as he said, took to the air, and poured as much of their own dark powers into the stone as they could. The stone began soaking up the dark energies like a sponge, and began to erupt in crimson, and black flames. As it did, the trinity noticed that a golden barrier appeared in the surrounding valley. And it was now catching fire from this wicked spell. The trio's efforts continued, and the flame spread far, and wide. In less than five minutes, the barrier had been burned away, and the stone itself again erupted in a versatile explosion of dark power. Just in time, too, for Night Terror and his companions could feel themselves growing tired from their part in the spell. They cut off their channeling spells, and then watched as the fire began to cause the ground to soften, and turn brittle. The stone itself began sinking into the ground, and swallowing the flame and all it touched. Soon there were no flames, no scorches, no burns, and no sign of the stone.
Just nothing.
The three wraiths began wondering if perhaps their master had been wrong, and this had been nothing but a ruse. But then, the very earth began to quiver. The land began to shake. And the heavens themselves darkened until only flashes of lightning could be seen crossing the sky as something began to happen. They all then looked to the epicenter of this massive tremor that could even be felt from the air originated from where the rune stone had been placed. That's where they noticed a red glow originating from the soil, followed by the ground itself slowly pushing upwards. As though something massive were threatening to rip and tear its way through the very earth to be free of its underground tomb. The tree beside it uprooted, and earth around it cracked. And a massive explosion erupted out of the centerpoint like a tremendous volcano had been set off. The three wraiths had gathered together, and backed as far away as possible for their own safety. But what they saw next, following the billowing smoke of red, was a bright beacon of red light splitting through the darkness to reveal a mountainous thing born of childling's nightmares.
As they saw the debris fall off the jagged spikes, and crimson liquid spilt out of the gaping maw of the beastial head that made the summit of this mountain - the red beam of light shooting out of its mouth like a beam of evil magic - and rivers of purple mist leaked out of the cracks, and holes within. The trio could sense the pure evil of this mountain fortress, still "wearing" the gateway to its very gut around its neck like a collar. What once was only myth, and legend has now been exposed as reality. After eons of being lost, the world of Equestria had seen its darkest secret returned. The Dark Kingdom of Tambelon. The well of Souls. The Nest of Evil. But the three, proud wraiths knew it by its true name before its fall in the first age, and was now free to reclaim, courtesy of Night Terror, whom had uncovered its secret.
"The Midnight Mountain.......and it now returns to the Darkness, once more!"
Been a long time, hasn't it? Sorry it took so long to get back to this, really. But real life, and numerous other projects get in the way sometimes, so you end up getting sidetracked. 
Hopefully this chapter makes up for it.
And yes, I decided to go out of order a bit, and follow "Uprooted" with the episode "Frenemies" instead. Why, you may ask? Because it gives time for better preparation, and build-up for the future plotlines to come. One example are those strange tubed creatures hidden in The Well of Shades that Sombra has been experimenting with. He WAS tasked with building Tirek an army with which to conquer all of Equestria (and Equestria isn't as technologically lacking as people like to think, so he CAN procure scientific equipment: he just doesn't know how to go about building this army.). Another is Tirek subtly manipulating events to his favor, and proving what a conniving bastard he is.
Also figured why waste time keeping Sombra's return a secret when his return could be possible. Because they live in a magical world, it WAS possible Sombra could have found a way to come back on his own, had Tirek not secretly done it himself. And let's just say this thought process also goes through "Grogar's" mind, as well, and he's also too annoyed to question it. All he cares about is getting his bell back. Completely unaware that Tirek is using EVERYONE to further his own goals. Obtaining the Bewitching Bell is most certainly a part of it. But something more important is required for his inevitable domination of Equestria to come to fruition.
The Restoration of his ancestor's/reincarnations fortress kingdom modified by the original Grogar: Midnight Mountain.
Since there's alot of lore, and world-building.......and well-intended slapstick here, and there, I have to split this episode-chapter in two. The next part will be where the villains begin getting over their differences, and realize they have more in common than they realize. And that's how they'll retrieve the bell in the next chapter.
See you when that happens!
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I can only imagine what the Mane 6's reaction to the Ophiotaurus extermination of the past will be, ESPECIALLY Fluttershy's.
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Don't worry: i'll make sure TIrek mentions that when they first tangle with The Tiracians.......after you read the next chapter.^^;
Just asking (if it's not an error), why did Sombra say that he was trapped for THREE thousand years instead of ONE thousand?
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Because i'm sick and tired of Celestia saying "1000 years ago" over, and over again. It's implausible that all of the villains they faced were all active in the same period of time............well, it isn't, but it was getting repetitive, and old. So I developed an intriguing idea: each of the main villains who were imprisoned were so for a period of time based on the seasons they each debuted in. King SOmbra emerged in S03, so he was in the ice for 3000. I also went a bit further, and set the villain defeats of the ancient times decades apart from each other. I'll consider making a timeline for my series eventually, but hopefully you see what i'm trying to get at here.^^;
By the way, in this chapter at the beginning, you said Princess Twilight Sparkle instead of Prince Dusk Shine. Sorry I didn't mention it to you before, but I kind of felt like leaving it be out of nostalgia, and to remind myself that I can always PRETEND TO MYSELF that Twilight is in Dusk's place in this story. Also, I didn't really get answers from my latest comment in the next chapter to if you're doing okay, and when you think the next few chapters will be posted.
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Why do some people have an issue with me using Dusk Shine instead of Twilight Sparkle? With all due respect, why should it matter? It's MY story, and I want Dusk Shine to be part of it, first of all. And noone's sexist favoritism is going to change my mind, even if they hate me for it. Second............ thank you for pointing out that editing error. I don't know why I put that name there, but it must have been a quick-type mistake. That's fixed now, at least. But now, with the greatest amount of respect I can muster: PLEASE don't talk as though I was wrong in using Twilight in her genderbent form. That makes ME seem like a fucking sexist, and I don't like that. And I was going to explain that i'm fine in a blogpost, but fimfic wouldn't let me at the time I tried to type it. So I decided not to waste my time with it. Just be assured I am perfectly fine, and as good as ever. That's all I have left to say, now.