Author's Note

Hey, guys. So yeah, my faith in Generation Five has finally been restored! I guess I can consider myself a fan at this point.

So here’s my first one-shot G5 story that features one of the most interesting antagonists in G5. I actually like Allura as a character, and this is my first attempt at giving her some depth of character.

Plus, I am once again using Grogar in a MLP story which is something I haven’t done in a long time. It brings me back to the good old days.

Let me know what you guys think of this one-shot. Hope you enjoy reading!

A Test of Loyalty

As the skies were darkened by storm clouds and shrieking with thunder, it began to pour rain after a hot, sunny day in Maretime Bay. Within a frozen cave, there lay a winged snow leapard alongside a purple-blue bunny who was sulking with his arms crossed.

The snow leopard growled angrily at the ground, swatting a large icicle. “That unicorn ruined everything! How will we ever get back to Starlight Ridge now?!”

The rabbit muttered squeaks and grunts, pointing his finger at her in an accusatory manner.

“MY FAULT?! How is this my fault?! You wanted us to blow our cover so they could humiliate us even further?!” she exclaimed.

The bunny continued scowling at her while he was shaking his head in disappointment.

“It’s that unicorn you should be mad at, not me! She took away the only thing that can get us back to Starlight Ridge! Without it, we’re stuck here forever…all thanks to HER!!” the villainess ranted.

Then the bunny looked down on the ground and frowned in sorrow.

“*sigh* I know, Twitch, this situation seems hopeless now; but don’t worry, I will figure out a way we can return to Starlight Ridge. Then everypony will learn to fear the name…of Allura!” she promised, menacingly glaring at her own reflection on the ice.

After she was finished, she sat down on the ground and stared at the icicle she broke. There she saw a male snow leopard glaring daggers at her; she jumped at the sight of it in fear until the illusion disappeared within a blink of an eye.

She hung her head in shame. “I failed you, brother. I…failed our family. I can seriously use your help right now. There…has to be another way.”

Aside from the thunderstorm outside the cave, everything else was silent for a while. All Allura could do for the moment was getting some much needed rest before she could hatch a new plan. Twitch, however, decided to fall asleep under her wing.

Before she can close her eyes, she heard a still small voice within earshot. But it wasn’t a voice she was so used to hearing; it was a completely different voice—one she had no clue who it was.

“Allura…”

The snow leopard frantically looked left and right and briefly exited the cave to discover the source of the mysterious voice. “Who goes there?!” But no one answered her.

Allura then gently nudged her sidekick. “Twitch, wake up! Wake up! Somepony’s here!”

The bunny instantly woke up and started violently swinging at the air in self-defense.

“Allura…”

“There it is again! W-Who is this?! Show yourself!” Allura demanded, growling.

Suddenly, the icy ground was filled with blackness; its tendrils surrounded both of them and enshrouded the entire cave, drowning out the thunders outside thereof.

Allura and Twitch were overwhelmed with fear at that moment and could only stare at the darkness right in front of them. But then they heard the voice again—only more sinister and evil this time around.

“Do I sense fear in the great Allura? How underwhelming…” the voice taunted.

“WHO ARE YOU? What is all this?!” Allura shrieked.

“Your brother isn’t the only one disappointed with your performance; you have so much potential, yet you squander it so easily.”

Allura was shocked at the sudden mention of her brother, and she could only stare in silence as two yellow eyes opened in the midst of the darkness.

“I am…GROGAR, the Father of Monsters and the first Emperor of Equestria,” he introduced. “I know everything about you and your measly little situation.”

“You do?”

“Yes. Nothing happens in Equestria without my knowledge, for I see all things and know all things,” Grogar replied. His ghostly essence then formed into a silhouette, closely resembling his head.

Allura gasped at the sight thereof. “Wait…I recognize that old goat. Aren’t you the one who fought Gusty the Great thousands of moons ago?”

Twitch looked at her in confusion.

“You don’t know? Grogar was the one who fought Gusty during the battle for Equestria’s soul. I’ve read about it when I was a little kitten…right before I was—,”

“Taken away from your parents and left abandoned in Starlight Ridge where you had to fend for yourself,” Grogar finished.

Allura was taken aback by what she heard. “How do you know this much about me?! Aren’t you supposed to be dead?”

“Ha! I am no longer subject to death, thanks to the power of my Bewitching Bell. I witnessed every single event that happened in Equestria: the loss of all magic, the fall of Twilight Sparkle, the rise of Opaline Arcana, and…the restoration of…ugh…friendship, thanks to that worthless earth pony: Sunny Starscout,” Grogar spat with disgust in his voice.

“What do you want from me?”

“I know you want revenge on that silly little unicorn, and I know you want more power. You want to rule Starlight Ridge with an iron paw again, don’t you?” Grogar smirked.

“Yes…it’s always been one of my wildest dreams. I want to rule that town and go beyond! The world will tremble before me and worship me with joy and gladness in their souls!” Allura declared, spreading her wings.

“Of course you do. Fortunately for you, I can give you all the power in the universe right here and now so that you can fulfill your destiny,” Grogar assured.

Allura and Twitch looked at each other with interest before they turned back to Grogar.

“However, it comes with a price. You must swear your loyalty to me from this day forward; only then will I grant your heart’s desires. And only then will every single pony bow to your will.”

Hearing this made Allura’s smile disappear. That was the moment she heard a familiar voice in her head, pleading with her.

“Tread carefully, sister. Remember the promise you made to me before you took over Starlight Ridge: surrender yourself to NO ONE. The world will be ours and ours ONLY!”

Twitch even looked at her, shaking his head with a look of fear.

Allura turned her attention back to Grogar. “But if I do this, I would betray my loyalty to my brother. I swore an oath that no matter what, I would never grovel at the hooves of anypony. Our family was always—,”

“…headstrong and stubborn,” Grogar finished for her. “I know your family were the type who never submitted to any ruling power other than their own. Unfortunately, desperate times require desperate measures. You want to get back to your little village and regain your power as leader?”

“Yes?”

“Then forget about your oath. Become my servant and obey my commands! I will make all your dreams come true!” Grogar insisted.

Allura then thought about his words and also thought about her next course of action. She stared at her reflection again on the floor, seeing her younger self looking up to her older brother for protection and guidance.

Clenching her paw in fierce determination, she nodded her head. Arching her eyebrow at the demonic ram, she casually turned her back on him and walked away.

“No.”

This caught Grogar off-guard. “What? What did you say to me??”

“I said no. Just like my predecessors, I don’t submit to anypony or to any creature…much less an ancient myth such as yourself. I won’t break my oath under any circumstance. Thanks for the offer, but I’m sure I can figure something out,” Allura replied.

Encouraged by her defiance, Twitch blew raspberries at Grogar and hopped to her side.

“INSOLENT PESTS!! No one refuses me!! I’m giving you a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to gain infinite power—real power, and you want to throw that away?!” Grogar angrily yelled.

“I’m a patient snow leopard; I always find a way to get back up,” she replied, smirking.

Then Grogar mockingly laughed at her. “You think you can just walk away from this? You make me laugh.”

He ignited green fire around them; he also breathed fiery arrows at them which Allura effortlessly dodged while she kept Twitch safely hidden under her wing.

“I’m giving you one final chance to join me; otherwise, you shall both perish slowly and painfully. I’m sure your brother would love that,” Grogar threatened.

Growling in anger, Allura’s eyes turned white, and she ignited ice from her paws which extended everywhere around them. The ice extinguished the flames, and it ran up to Grogar’s spirit.

“What?! No…! Impossible!!”

Allura then fiercely glared into Grogar’s eyes. “Nopony threatens me and gets away with it. And absolutely nopony…uses my brother against me!

The ice power then froze Grogar’s ghostly silhouette and broke it to pieces. At that moment, the darkness vanished, and Allura returned back to reality.

She looked around to see everything was back to normal in her icy cave. She opened her left wing where Twitch was hiding safely; he jumped out and sighed in relief.

“I never thought that an old legend would haunt me of all creatures, but nonetheless, I’m so glad that nightmare is over,” Allura said.

Then she noticed a strange orb halfway covered with ice. She took it out of the ground and saw that it contained Grogar’s magical essence.

“Ahh, that explains it. Someone must have left this alone after thousands of moons. Oh well,” she shrugged, crushing the orb with her paw.

All the goat’s essence then disappeared into thin air, uttering a very faint scream.

Shortly thereafter, the thunderstorm ceased its thundering and lightning and began to clear away so that the full moon can shine in the night sky.

“You’ve done well, sister. You make our family proud.”

Allura evilly smiled. “You can always count on me, brother. Our legacy will be remembered for generations to come.”

Her stomach then started to growl. “Ugh, I forgot I haven’t eaten in quite a while. There’s gotta be some food lying around here!”

Twitch felt his stomach growl as well and uttered groans of hunger. Looking across the junkyard, he spotted some popcorn and pretzels on a random table.

While Twitch expressed joy to see some food, Allura appeared skeptical.

“This? Isn’t this something those ponies eat? I don’t consume pony food!”

Eating a pretzel, Twitch handed some popcorn to her, urging her to have some.

“Ugh, if you insist…” she groaned, slowly chewing. Surprised by its taste, she eventually finished eating the rest of the popcorn.

“Hmm, that wasn’t half bad!” Allura grinned, licking the crumbs off her mouth.

Twitch muttered in agreement.

“This realm is full of surprises; one way or another, I will get my paws on something that will bring us back to Starlight Ridge. Everypony will bow to me, and that ridiculous unicorn…will suffer my wrath. Hahahahahaha!!” Allura evilly laughed.