"Ugh! I swear, these joints get worse every day!" Grogar's steps were heavy, and it was clear from the way he'd wince every now and again that his walking wasn't exactly the most pleasant of experiences. But in spite of this, the ancient goat somehow managed to look, of all things, fairly relaxed, even smiling to himself as he walked along the familiar path back to his home. "All this time, all this exile, and I think a vacation was probably the best idea I've ever had." He chuckled, looking up at the welcome sight of his home. Though any other creature looking upon his lair would probably feel nothing but terror. To Grogar, there was no greater sight, and as he sighed he continued to walk towards it. Once at the main entrance, he stopped, giving himself a quick stretch, though always making sure not to go too far with it, lest his old bones just crack under the strain. "Well, it was nice, but now it's home sweet home."
Unfortunately, his good mood, or at least as good a mood as Grogar was capable of feeling, was not to last, as he took one step inside and his eyes widened. "...What. Is. THIS?!?!" He had come back expecting this place to be exactly as he'd remembered it. Instead, he saw a plethora of damage and wear that definitely hadn't been here before. It was as if somecreature had come along and just blasted holes everywhere for no reason. Grogar dismayed at the wrecked sight of his abode, seething and snorting as his mind raced to consider who could have done this. "I live in the middle of an evil swamp, hundreds of miles from even the closest of dwellings! Who could have just come along and done this?!" Then, after just looking around, his anger began to subside. He exhaled deeply, finding a nearby chair and just slumping himself upon it. "You know, a quiet return. That's all I wanted. Come home and rest. But no, apparently even that is asking too much!"
"I know you look old, Grogar, but you needn't sound it as well."
Grogar again snorted, glancing to the side to see the sudden arrival of a mare, smiling to him as she emerged from the shadows. The old goat frowned to her. "Am I to assume you are responsible for this, Gusty? A little bit of mischief to ruin my day?"
Gusty, known to Equestria as "the Great" shook her head. "No, that honor goes to those who took up residence here in your absence."
Grogar's eyes narrowed. "Who would dare take the home of the Father of Monsters?"
Gusty shrugged. "Oh, just a trickster whose trick came back to bite him."
Her old foe paused here, thinking on that cryptic remark, before slapping himself in the forehead. "...Discord?"
Gusty nodded. "Discord," she confirmed.
Leaning back, Grogar groaned with tiredness, ever showing his age. "Uuuuuuuuuuuuugh! Dare I even ask what his little plan was this time?"
The newly-arrived mare took on a mischievous smirk as she began to trot towards him. "You're not gonna like it."
"I can handle it," Grogar assured her.
"It'll put you in a bad mood," Gusty added.
"I'm fast getting there already, Gusty!" Grogar warned her.
Sighing, the mare shrugged. "Well, Discord disguised himself as you and gathered a bunch of other villains together in the hopes of artificially creating a 'final challenge' for the alicorn Princess who was slated to take over Equestria. But then things went wrong, and they used his, er, your bewitching bell against him, draining him of all his powers. Then they empowered themselves and went on a rampage, after which they were beaten and turned to stone. Oh, and your bell was rendered useless on top of everything."
Grogar sat there, having taken in all of that story, and his left eye twitched a little. "I...see."
Gusty looked at him warily. "You, er...you doin' okay there, bud?"
Grogar took a deep breath, then exhaled. "I'll...be fine."
A chuckle from Gusty. "Wow, you really have mellowed out after all this time."
Her former enemy looked around the wreck that was his home. "Thousands of years in exile have taught me many lessons, Gusty, not the least of which is accepting when I'm just plain done. I had my chance at the top, and thanks to you I lost it. Being out here, forgotten, made me realise just how little it really mattered to be a cause for nightmares and monsters."
Gusty raised an eyebrow to him. "Gee, way to make a gal feel guilty why don't ya?"
Grogar actually managed a smirk to that. "I take my pleasures where I can." Then, as he turned to look at her again, he found, to his surprise, that she was carrying over a tray with a pair of teacups. Setting it beside him, Gusty took one for herself, blowing on it lightly before taking a sip. Grogar considered it, then took one of his own. A single gulp of the drink did wonders for calming his nerves. "Ah! A long journey really should end with one of these, shouldn't it?" He then glanced to his companion. "If you'd have told me all those thousands of years ago that the two of us would have tea together one day, I'd have called you mad."
Gusty giggled. "And I'd have called you worse." The two shared a laugh, and after taking a second sip, Gusty stared at her reflection in what remained of her drink. "I doubt Tirek or his little cohorts are enjoying the end of their villain days as much as you are right now."
Grogar took only a moment to understand what she meant, and looked to her with some surprise. "Tirek? Vorak's little boy? He was one of Discord's group?" A dry laugh escaped him soon afterwards. "Heh, I always knew that kid would end up in a bad way, given how much his Father talked about him."
Gusty sighed. "Yeah, he got put away about...three times now, I think. You'd think he'd have learned his lesson the first time, but I guess not."
Grogar nodded. "Some lessons are learned the hard way, little pony." After a quick pause, he looked back to her. "Dare I ask who the other compatriots were in this little plot of Discord's?"
A mischievous smile on the part of Gusty followed. "A Changeling Queen and a disgruntled little pegasus filly."
Grogar blinked slowly, and then bellowed out a loud laugh that echoed all throughout his lair. "Ha! That Discord sure knew how to pick em! Tirek and a Changeling Queen I can get, but getting played by a filly too? Ha! Oh, that must have stung!"
Gusty too joined in on the laughter. "Not as much as how his friends reacted to what he'd been doing, I hear."
After his laugh calmed down, Grogar nodded a few times. "I can imagine. Hard to believe Discord actually managed to make friends after all this time. I always figured him for the perpetually selfish type."
Gusty looked to him slyly. "Oh, I hear he eased off a bit after one of the ponies who formerly beat him managed to work her way into his heart. Sound familiar, old goat?"
Grogar rolled his eyes. "Yes, yes, I saw the parallels already, Gusty. No need to point them out."
Another giggle from Gusty. "I'm just teasing. In truth, I'm glad we managed to get past all that nastiness from way back when. It's been good having you as a friend, Groggy."
Grogar frowned. "It would be even nicer if you didn't keep using that nickname."
A quick shrug and smirk from his companion. "You know you love it."
Then, after a long pause, Grogar looked to her with curiosity. "I never quite understood that about you, Gusty. So much of your life was spent around beings like me. Monsters, evil overlords, the occasional dark spirit. So little of your life was around ponies, of those of your own kind. Why?"
Gusty, for all the confidence she'd displayed before, suddenly found herself at a loss here. She stared at her tea cup, which had long ago been fully drunk, and just thought on that for a while. After a time, she smiled. "I guess...it's just who I am. I never really fit in with other ponies. I liked them well enough, but I never felt like they were where I belonged. So, out I went, seeing the world and meeting creatures they'd have only dreamed of."
Grogar smirked. "Or had nightmares about, in my case."
Gusty nodded to him. "Or that, yes. Honestly, I felt more at home with strange beings like you or the windigos than I ever was around my own people."
The ancient Father of Monsters considered that. "I suppose that's why Equestria has naught but legends about you at this point."
Gusty's smile returned. "I know. I chanced a quick visit into Equestria again recently. Most ponies have never even heard of me, and those who have just think of me as a myth. If ever there was a pony who knew I really lived, they're long gone now." She sighed deeply. "And I'm fine with that. A story can inspire more good than a flesh and blood person sometimes." As her earlier smirk resumed, she glanced to Grogar. "I hear you yourself had much the same reputation among villains."
Grogar snorted. "Fine by me. Let me be forgotten. If my legacy is that of a story that mares tell their foals at night to make them behave, then I suppose I can think of worse ways to be remembered." He too now smirked. "Besides, if any of them ever get it into their heads to come out here and see the 'empty' lair of Grogar, then at least I'll have the satisfaction of seeing the looks on their faces when they realise just how 'gone' I really am."
The two shared another laugh together, and when Gusty wiped a tear from her eye, she looked to him enthusiastically. "Okay, even I would be willing to allow a moment of villainous gloating from you on that one!" After the two laughed again, though a bit less this time, Gusty glanced around, and even she, with her comparatively upbeat personality, couldn't help but recognise that they had a bit of work to deal with. "So...I imagine you'll want to get on and fix your house now?"
Grogar sighed, his shoulders slumping. "Well, it's not gonna fix itself, now is it?"
Gusty looked around, then developed a rather uncharacteristically wicked grin. "You know, if you're in need of extra building materials, those baddies I mentioned are currently made of stone right now."
Grogar looked to her, shocked and impressed in equal measure. "That's a bit dark for you, isn't it?"
Gusty shrugged. "Hey, if I can influence you, then you can influence me. That's how friendships work, remember?"
Naturally, Grogar rolled his eyes to that. "And there's the friendship speech! I just knew it was coming sooner or later!"
Smiling to him, Gusty reached over and gave him a quick pat on the shoulder. "Awww, you know me so well, Groggy!"
"...Ugh."
