A different legion of doom

Grogar stared at his crystal ball, staring at his Bewitching Bell with determination.....

"Ahem, I know you told me to stick with you and your gang, but I simply cannot rest under these conditions! I politely request that you let me head out to get the materials to make my bed more to my liking."

"I scheduled a meeting in thirty minutes. If you can get the materials you need before then, then you may."

Starlight didn't have enough time, so she left to the table. But not without letting out a huge groan.

Annoyed, Grogar continued to watch his ball.

"Trixie demands that she knows what you're planning so we can be done with it!"

"I will explain everything in the meeting!"

Grogar was getting a headache, and the other villains weren't making things easier.....

"Are you planning on attacking anypony anytime soon? If not, I don't know why I'm wasting my time here."

Thorax merely buzzed off, and when Grogar stared at his ball again, he saw Discord just standing there.......

"What do you want?!"

"Oh nothing, just observing that little ball of yours, does it play buckball? Or is it not good enough cable?"

"GET OUT!"

Discord promptly sat down with the others.

"I'm leaving, since its impossible to accomplish the work I need to do here. I suggest the four of you come to some kind of accord."

The four sans Discord merely argued with each other, until Grogar silenced them with his magic. Including Discord, much to his chagrin.

"I don't care how, but you must learn to work together! Only then can we accomplish what you so greatly desire: THE DEFEAT OF TWILIGHT SPARKLE AND HER FRIENDS!"

Later.....

Discord teleported to Trixie's room, where he saw her practicing her magical abilities by trying to turn a stick into a tea cup.

"You know, you're never going to get it by just saying tea cup instead of picturing it in your mind."

"That's easy for YOU to say! You can turn anything into anything by just snapping your claws!"

"Yes, but try to see things, MY way, and you'll see just how easy it can be."

Trixie took Discord's advice, as she thought about turning the stick into a tea cup.

And low and behold, she did.

Trixie promptly grinned with excitement.

"There's more you can learn, if you join me and the others in a bit of a meeting I set up to help us bond better. It's what Grogar wants, isn't it?"

"Hmm, very well. Trixie agrees, so long as you don't try to brainwash her into doing stuff she normally wouldn't do!"

"I only would do that if I think it's amusing..... But, you're amusing enough as it is."

Discord then teleported away, leaving Trixie to turn more furniture into tea cups.

When Discord teleported into Thorax's room, he overheard him rambling on to something.....

"It's been weeks and Grogar has done NOTHING! It's not healthy to hold onto all of this RAGE! I could lash out at any moment."

Discord saw Thorax talking to a change-log.

"And how do you do this lovely-"

"HOW DO YOU THINK I'M DOING?! I'M READY TO ENACT VENGEANCE!!!"

Discord fell to pieces at his outburst.

"See what I mean?"

Discord then placed himself back together.

"Being stuck with nothing to do is sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo boring! You know what you need? A team bonding exercise!"

"We never did meetings in the hive, so I don't do meetings now."

"Listen, Grogar wants this meeting to happen so-"

"No he doesn't! And even if he does, Thorax only obeys THE RIGHTFUL QUEEN."

"They'll be chocolate."

Thorax looked at the change-log in consideration.......

Later.........

Starlight practiced her magic to prepare for Twilight when they duel again, but was interrupted by a flash of light.

"Whatcha doin?"

"I'm PRACTICING."

"I can see that. But you'd actually succeed if you joined me and the others in our own little meeting."

"I'm a little busy."

"Ok, if you don't want revenge on Twilight for ruining your village, and taking away EVERYTHING that was important to you, I completely understand......"

Starlight knew this was what Discord does, to get in people's heads.... But he did make a pretty good point.....

"Actually, a team meeting does sound like a good idea. As long as I can re-arrange a few things."

"I see what you're doing, you plan to convert us into your equal society by trying to blur the lines between equality and working together."

Starlight could only wince in frustration that Discord was incredibly smart for his own good.

"But its ok, even though its not going to work your secrets safe with me."

"Whatever......"

Starlight left to attend the meeting, as Discord smugly grinned to himself.....

Later......

"So as you all know, Grogar wants us to work together to achieve our goals. Which means, we need to be able to TRUST each other." Discord stated to the other two villains, with Starlight by his side.

"Hmm, yeah. IF we are to trust one another, perhaps inform Thorax, to STOP TRYING TO DEVOUR TRIXIE'S AFFECTIONS!!!" Trixie demanded.

Thorax stopped draining, before spitting love energy goop on his chocolate.

"I wasn't doing anything of the sort! How dare you!"

"How dare Trixie?! She just saw you doing it!"

"I could've been doing anything! There's more to changelings then just draining love you know."

"Trixie doesn't CARE what changelings do!"

"If you two could break it up, we need to be able to get along with each other." Starlight stated.

"It's HIS fault he continues to be a pest on my shoulder!"

"Is that an INSULT?!"

"More or less."

"THIS, is exactly why Grogar wants us to-"

"SHUT UP!!!"

Discord promptly face slapped in irritation, before he noticed the banner of all five of them together.

He had an idea, and whispered it to Starlight, who decided to just roll with it.

They approached the table......

"I think, I know, a way that we can grow. Time to try something new, something better." Starlight sung.

"No more, solo. Trust is the way to go, and all we need to do is work together." Discord added.

"Ugh! Please! No thanks, no way. I feel the need to say! I'm great, I'm powerful! And I don't need YOU, THREE."

"Ugh! Powerful? Ok. I guess we'll downplay, how badly you got beaten till you can't see?"

"It's time, to try a better way to be bad."

"Do we really need a better way to be bad?"

"United as one." Starlight stated.

"Teamwork? Please, what a fad."

"Combined with all our strength, we'll go to any length. Once we have a better way to be bad." Discord sung, as he floated the banner into the air.

"Let's go, begin. This time we're gonna win." Starlight encouraged.

"The ice you're on is thin so watch what you say!"

"I know, you're in. I think I see a grin!" Discord teased Trixie.

"For all this pain and torture I swear you'll pay!"

"This time, we've got a better way to be bad."

"Sounds like a long shot this better way to be bad."

"United as one, we'll make those ponies so sad." Discord mocked.

"If we say OK, would you just go away?"

"Once we have a better way to be bad. We want to break their friendship, we want to make them weak." Starlight sung.

"You want revenge on Sombra, you want everyone to know Trixie! So lets increase our chances, by working as a team." Discord riled up.

"To crush our enemies to dust! And laugh as they all scream!" Starlight went crazy, as she and the others laughed maniacally.

"I think, I see a better way to be bad!"

"Just put me in charge! Make me king! You'll be glad!"

"No! I'm your mentor, I'm the best of us four." Discord bragged.

"Then you'll see a better way to be bad!"

"Wait! This is my thing a better way to be bad." Discord said on deaf ears.

"You shall do as I command! I will rule this triad!"

"Hey! This was our song!"

"Sorry not any longer!"

"A better way to be bad!"

"Now you're making me mad."

"Won't the ponies be sad?"

"That would make me so glad!"

"Now we've got a better way to be bad!"

.....................................................

"Hey! You stepped on my cue!" Starlight accused Thorax, as the three of them started arguing again seemingly learning nothing.

"Guys! Guys! Please, we don't need to act like we're better then each other, do we? Why can't we all just get along and work towards a common goal?...." Discord asked.

"Probably because we are infamous rouges who are not team players!" Trixie stated the obvious.

"Well, we all need to work together, otherwise we'll face Grogar's wrath." Discord excused.

"Discord is right, we need to put aside our differences for now, if we know what's good for us." Starlight agreed.

Trixie and Thorax nodded their heads in agreement.

Eventually, they found "Grogar" arriving back to the lair to engage the meeting.

"I assume you have all learned to cooperate now while I was gone?"

They all nodded in agreement.

"Good. Now, I have located an object of power, and it occurs to me this is the perfect test. The four of you will work together to retrieve it, against this item, those ponies won't stand a chance."

"My hive has come close to ruling Equestria several times, perhaps I should be the one to lead us!"

"Trixie defeated Twilight and her friends with an Alicorn amulet! That was good!"

"I defeated Twilight before she even MADE friends! I used Starswirl's spell to stop her connection before it formed!"

Their competition for who should be in charge made them fight over it, and Grogar was just about to lose it until.........

"Stop it, STOP IT! That's it! No more arguing amongst ourselves! We can't work together if one of us is commanding all of us! So get over it and STOP IT!"

The other three villains were shocked at Discord's sudden outburst, until they nodded that they will stop.

"THANK YOU Discord, now..... your mission....."

Grogar begun to project an image through his magic.

"Thousands of moons ago, the self righteous Gusty the great, unable to best me face to face stole my Bewitching Bell. A talisman containing most of my own magic. The bell cannot be destroyed, so Gusty hid it in a place it has taken me millennia to discover. An enchanted cave high atop MT. Everhoof, protected by magical winds that prevent anypony from reaching its peak. There the bell has remained, until now........ Scale MT. Everhoof! Bring me back my BELL."

"Hah ha! The ease of this task is laughable!"

Later..........

"Well it sounded easy........"

"Scale the mountain."

"Retrieve Grogar's bell......"

"As a team! I formed an expertly devised plan that will allow us to....."

Starlight saw the two villains leaving before they could conduct a plan.

"Where are you going?" Discord asked.

"I think we all knew we were lying about working together." Thorax stated.

"Yes, one of us will be the one to get the bell, and when we come back we will lie to Grogar that we worked together."

"But-... But... I thought we were a team..." Discord shed puppy tears at the bug and the magician.

"Oh stuff it will you?!" Trixie merely lashed, before she and Thorax went their separate ways.

Discord looked at Starlight with the same puppy dog eyes...

"I think... I'm gonna go too..."

Discord seethed to himself when Starlight was out of ear shot, and cursed his "teammates" stubbornness for not playing along...

Until... he formed a new plan, something that told him they wouldn't make it very far...

As he cackled maliciously to himself, he begun to split into three duplicates of himself.

"So Discord, why don't you take the bug and see just how miserably he's failing?"

"Of course Discord, and how about you check on the cultist and see how she's doing?"

"Indeed, and Discord, don't forget to spy on that stubborn magician."

"Why yes Discord!"

They split up and begun to spy on the others.......

Meanwhile......

Thorax flew towards the mountain, but the wind was so pushy and so vast, it kept him from moving forward. As he cursed under his breath, he knew he would have to find a way to cross.....

Meanwhile, Trixie approached the side of the mountain, she picked up a piece of dirt and blew it forward, causing the wind to push it back into her face, as she spit it out in annoyance.

Meanwhile, Starlight climbed a side of the mountain, until she approached a cabin with a pony in side.

"Who goes there!? A pony? There hasn't been a pony here in who knows how many moons!"

Seizing an opportunity, Starlight pretended to be sick from the cold.

"Oh thank goodness! I found help! Could you please help me from the cold good sir?"

"Oh, don't worry miss. I got ya."

Starlight proceeded to faint, until the pony caught her in his hooves.

"I'm lost, and cold..... I could really use some help."

"Oh fret not maim, Old Rusty Bucket at your service."

"I'm so glad I found you, I need some help getting to the top of the mountain."

"Well, no can do maim."

Starlight slightly frowned a little....

"Well, why not?"

"Well it's my job to keep ponies from heading up! Nothing at the top but dangerous snow, dangerous ice and dangerous wind! Basically, it's dangerous."

"It must get pretty lonely all by yourself, maybe I could be your...... friend?"

"Oh, I'd love a friend!"

"So now that we are friends, you can help me up the mountain."

"Well, a real friend wouldn't tell me to do something I'm not supposed to do..... Says so right here in the journal of friendship written by Twilight Sparkle and her friends."

Starlight's frown grew larger.

"Ok you know what? Fine. I can climb the mountain on my own."

Rusty gave a sigh of disappointment.

Meanwhile..........

Thorax transformed into a tiny mosquito as he flew up the corner of the mountain, trying to reach the top, until he reached a platform and transformed back.

Meanwhile, Trixie begun taking apart wood off of trees and making chairs out of them, and placing wood to make a fireplace.

Meanwhile, Starlight continued climbing the mountain on her own, trying to get past the shack, but the wind keep blowing her backwards.

Starlight, in frustration punched a wall of snow with her hoof, which caused a chain reaction of an avalanche to form a giant snowball that landed into her and send her falling off the mountain screaming......

Rusty just sighed and went back inside.

Discord watched, and silently chuckled to himself, knowing Starlight would fail miserably.

Eventually, Thorax had found a shortcut leading to the entrance of the cave, but the winds were so powerful, so strong, it sent him flying all the way back to the bottom of the mountain, undoing all of his progress.

In a fit of rage, he blasted a nearby tree into submission......

Discord watched and continued to snicker at his failure.

Meanwhile, Trixie finished building her campsite, as Discord watched with curiosity.....

However, his duplicates eventually returned, and they formed as one once again, as Starlight approached the campfire out of breath, and snow dripping off her.

Trixie promptly laughed at her embarrassing failure.

"It's, not, funny, TRIXIE!"

"Didn't make it to the top? Not a surprise, not a surprise at all....."

"You didn't make it to the top either."

"Trixie didn't try to...."

"WHAT?!"

"It took about five minutes to deduce that Grogar was right, NONE of us could make it up alone! So rather then subject Trixie to the elements, she decided to let YOU three face the danger, take what you learned, and use it to her advantage! Trixie is a genius. Heh he he he he."

"I put up with your 'Trixie speaks in the third person' language in Tartarus, but I'm OVER IT! TALK, NORMALLY!"

"Well only if you stop trying to convert me into your 'equally balanced society'! I will not let MY POWER BE TAKEN AWAY FROM ME!"

"Power? WHAT power?! You're just a fraud who performs magic shows to boost your ego!"

"HOW, DARE YOU! I put in all my effort to give ponies a good performance! It's not MY fault Twilight and her friends heckled me for DOING MY JOB!"

"Well it is for going power mad and wearing a soul sucking amulet that made you crazy."

"ONE TIME! And don't try to act so 'holier then thou' when YOU created multiple timelines of destruction and damage just to get back at her for taking away your 'precious' EQUAL TOWN!"

"DON'T YOU DARE BRING MY VILLAGE INTO THIS!"

Their arguing attracted an Ophiotarus, who growled at its prey.

"THIS IS YOUR FAULT!!!"

However, just as it was about to strike, a male "Ophiotarus" suddenly arrived, causing the female to become smitten with affection.

"Quick! She's distracted!"

"Now wait just a second."

However, Thorax shed his disguise and begun draining the creature of her love as Starlight and Trixie watched.

And when he was done draining, he slurped it up, and the Ophiotarus fell to the ground weakened.

"Mmm, so much love. I haven't eaten like that in ages." The changeling licked his lips, as Trixie felt like she was going to throw up.

"So gross....."

"Just so we're clear, I didn't save you because I like you. I did it because...... because I-"

"Need us?" Starlight finished.

"Yes....."

"Clearly I was right to wait! Now tell me everything you've learned, leave nothing out!"

"Now wait just a diddly darn second."

Everyone else face hoofed as company had arrived shortly.

"You didn't forget about little old me, did you?"

"Where have you been?" Starlight confronted the Draconequus.

"Oh, just taking a nice view of the mountain, it makes quite a lovely picture wouldn't you agree?"

Starlight turned to Trixie, who just shrugged.

"Well, we were just about to take refuge, you're welcome to join us." Trixie offered.

"Oh I know, that's why I'm here." Discord smirked, as he and the others begun to sat down....

Later........

Thorax finished enwrapping the Ophiotarus in a cocoon, as he sat back down with the others.

"Why are you doing that? Didn't you already drain it of love?" Starlight questioned the shapeshifting bug.

"I always save a little for the next month."

"So when you and the others ponynapped Twilight and the others, you cocooned them too?"

"Yes, until that SCOWL of a grub Sombra freed them, BRAINWASHED my siblings and mother, AND STOLE MY HOME!!!"

"Those ponies have weaknesses, I Discorded and convinced them all into behaving the opposite of their elemental virtues, so that they couldn't blast me with those dangerous elephants of harm-many."

"Ugh, if only the elements were all we needed to worry about when we invaded Canterlot."

"You should've seen Twilight's face, when her friends started lying, and pushing, and stealing. She was all, "Aah! Ooh! Ugh! Agh! Ehh....." Discord stretched and contorted his face which morphed into Twilight's, as the others laughed at his mockery of the friendship princess.

"She's so STRESSED out all the time." Starlight made fun.

"When my mother impersonated her old foal sitter, I thought she was going to implode!"

"Heh, I wish I could've seen the look on her face after I BANISHED her from Ponyville."

"I bet it wasn't as expressive when I took away her and her friends cutie marks and put them in my vault."

"Storing cutie marks away from their owners is a little excessive, don't you think?"

"Pfft! And let destiny control our every thought and action? No way! And besides, it would've been worth it just to see Twilight and her friends GIVE UP and join my cause...."

"Indeed it would, who wouldn't love to see the look on those pretty ponies faces when they realized they lost everything?"

Thorax promptly changed into Twilight.

"'I'm a pathetic pony princess! I made a detailed list of all the ways I'm a failure!'"

The others laughed at his impression as he changed back.

"You know, working with you three may actually not be the worst thing." Trixie suggested.

"Perhaps..... As long as it results in the COMPLETE DESTRUCTION OF OUR ENEMIES!" Thorax grinned.

"I wouldn't have it any other way........ Do the pathetic pony princess thing again!" Starlight pleaded, as Thorax changed again.

The villains laughed around the campfire as they bonded over their mutual hatred for Twilight and her friends......

Later......

The villains reached the shack belonging to Rusty Bucket.

He exited the shack and saw the four villains, when Thorax turned into an Ophiotarus and roared at the pony, Causing an avalanche to fall on him.

The legion merely laughed as they climbed up further the mountain.

"I'm OK!" Rusty Bucket re-assured.

As they travelled across the mountain, Discord came across some vines which he pulled and planned to use for later.

Starlight scouted ahead and pointed in the right direction.

They came across a fallen tree blocking the way, so Thorax turned into an Ursa Minor and lifted the tree out of the way.

While climbing the mountain, Trixie almost fell off, but Starlight caught her before she could fall.

They eventually came across a giant boulder blocking their way, so Discord snapped his fingers and turned it into a giant cake, as several snakes slithered and devoured it.

They eventually found a gap across the mountain, so Discord used the vines he grabbed earlier, he attached it to a rock, and Starlight and Thorax tried to pull it to the other side, with Thorax turning into a Roc for extra momentum while holding onto Starlight.

Eventually, Starlight lifted herself with her horn and tied the vine to the rock on the other side and signaled the others to cross. Thorax turned into a monkey to grasp the vine while Discord followed.

Trixie, though nervous, tried to grasp the vines with her hooves, it wasn't easy, but eventually all four of them made it to the other side of the mountain.

They approached the cave storing the Bewitching Bell, leading Trixie rushing into the entrance, only to get knocked back by a magical force field protecting the entrance.

Thorax touched the shield, only to have his hoof burnt.

"Can you drain its love for protecting the cave?....." Starlight suggested.

"I can only drain love from LIVING beings!"

.......................

"Like her?"

Trixie stepped back in defiance.

"Betrayal!"

"Not betrayal, teamwork! If Thorax drains your energy, he might be strong enough to break through!"

"And then?....."

"Then..... he gives it back!"

"Wha- WHAT?! But I've never done it before! I could end up just like my siblings! I don't want to-"

"Hey! Technically it's not SHARING love so much as it is giving it back....."

"True......"

"How do I know you won't just take my love and leave me?"

"Would we do that to you?"

Trixie merely waved her hoof in reminder.

"Well, maybe THEY would......"

"I'll give you your love back....." Thorax sighed.....

..................................

"Do it."

Trixie thought about being adored by hundreds upon thousands of an audience of ponies as Thorax absorbed her love for it and stored it inside his being.

Eventually, Trixie collapsed to the ground weakened, as Thorax could feel the energy coursing through his veins.

"Yes....... YES!!!!!! Let's DO THIS!" Thorax blasted a hole in the shield, but it was too small.

"It's not big enough for me!"

"Maybe not you!"

Discord shrunk himself as he flew inside the cave.

"Keep it open! Or I'll be trapped forever!"

"Would that be so terrible?"

Thorax laughed at Trixie's comment as he kept trying to keep the shield open.

"Can't.......... hold....... much....... longer!!! HURRY!!!"

Discord eventually made it out with the bell in claw.

"Ta-da!"

"Ooh..... Trixie, can, barely, move..... Ugh....."

Thorax looked at Trixie with a look of doubt...... Before ultimately releasing his stolen energy back to Trixie, as she rose up from the ground in relief.

Thorax looked at his sides, and was relieved to discover that he hadn't transformed like his family.

"I didn't think you were going to give it back."

"Neither was I! But working together seemed smarter then to continue fighting......"

"When we helped each other it felt better somehow......" Discord pondered in contemplation.....

"I haven't felt like this since before I lost my village....... Having others who will be there for you is........ pleasing......"

"All of these years draining love from ponies......"

"When you use your great power to help others......"

"Yes it feels.......... NO!!!!"

The others were surprised at Discord's sudden outburst.

"I am not going to let something as silly as 'friendship' ruin the grand scheme I have been setting up ever since that old goat recruited us!" Discord revealed to the other villains.....

"What grand scheme?......" Starlight confronted.

"Why do you think I didn't just run off and cause chaos on my own as soon as I was set free? It's because my magic is weakened after being set in stone for a couple months compared to the last thousand years I was imprisoned. Therefore, I have grown weak, and the...... "goat" is using it to "his" advantage......... The reason I agreed to team up was so that we could work together to achieve a common goal, and overthrow "Grogar"'s plans for our own. Let "Him" think we're "his" unwitting victims, in the meantime...... we'll make our own plans."

"Yes! I LOVE a good backstabbing!" Thorax claimed with glee.

"If you say so, Trixie never really liked that old ram anyway......"

"In the meantime, what do we do with this?....." Starlight looked at the bell, as they stared at each other......

Later...........

"YOU FAILED TO RETRIEVE THE BELL?!"

"Oh, we're so sorry o mighty Grogar!"

"We worked together as you asked."

"Oh please spare us from your fierce wrath."

"We just aren't as powerful as you......"

"Grogar" only lead out a huge screech that made everyone cover their ears.

"Obviously! At least you finally did as you were told and worked together."

"Of course!"

"Whatever you command!"

"Yes, master."

"Forget about that BORING old bell, you were right! We're so much more successful, when we work as a team......."