It has begun! Equestria’s most ancient villain has returned, and he’s recruited the worst enemies the kingdom’s ever known. It’s the Villain League, or Legion of Doom! Queen Chrysalis’s smile King Sombra talking MLP Friendship is Magic - Lord Tirek humorous Icon Cozy Glow Icon 1
 
Just as My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic enters its final season, the Mane Six would face one more challenge before they take the throne of Equestria - to defeat the remaining villains and save their kingdom and beyond and their friends from their insurmountable evil. So let’s tell the story of how all this started…
 
Twilight Sparkle, Applejack, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, and Rainbow Dash have protected Equestria from many dangerous foes. Their first enemy was Nightmare Moon, Princess Luna fallen into evil who brought about an eternal night in order to beloved by her subjects. Using the Elements of Harmony for the first time, they defeated the fallen princess’ evil persona and restored her to her former glory. Since then, these six ponies would deal with more and more enemies that came their way. From Discord, the spirit of chaos and disharmony; to Chrysalis, the queen of the Changelings; from King Sombra, the darklord of the Crystal Empire; from Lord Tirek the centaur who stole pony magic; to Starlight Glimmer who stripped ponies of their cutie marks; from the Pony of Shadows who threatened to blanket Equestria in perpetual darkness and despair; to the Storm King, the evil warlord who desired to conquer the whole world by harnessing the magic of the Alicorn princesses; to Tempest Shadow who longed to have her broken horn mended by capturing the princesses for the Storm King to steal their powers, to Cozy Glow, the manipulative filly who schemed to rule as empress by draining magic from Equestria and be everypony’s friend. There have also been many other enemies who Twilight and her friends confronted, like Trixie; the Flim Flam Brothers; the Diamond Dogs; Ahuizotl and Dr. Caballeron; the Mane-iac, Chancellor Neighsay, and many more. And every time, they always defeated them.
 
The different enemies met different fates. Most of them were reformed, seeing the error of their ways and becoming friends with the Mane Six. Besides Princess Luna, Discord, Starlight Glimmer, Stygian, and Tempest Shadow renounced their evil pasts, along with Trixie, Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon, Gilda, Garble, Neighsay, Ahuizotl, and other many others. But others remained at their worst, refusing to change for the better, and they would be punished differently. Some, like King Sombra, the Storm King, and the Mean Six were destroyed, others like Svengallop, Gladmane, Suri Polomare, Wind Rider, Zesty Gourmand, Sludge, and the Diamond Dogs lament in their defeat, other scum, like Lightning Dust, Iron Will, and the Flim Flam Brothers continue pestering anypony, and the Mane-iac and Daybreaker would do so in our imaginations. And then, there are the remaining few: Chrysalis, Tirek, and Cozy Glow. Since their defeats, they all vow for revenge on the Mane Six, and soon, they would be brought together by the very first evil Equestria and before has ever known…
 
It all started one day when Twilight Sparkle and her friends were summoned to Canterlot by Princesses Celestia and Luna. There was very important news. Seeing how Equestria was enjoying its longest period of peace in recent years, largely thanks to Twilight and her friends, the two Royal Sisters decided to retire from royalty and leave the protection of their kingdom to the Mane Six. Twilight was confident at first that she and her friends would take on their new roles competently, but when when Celestia and Luna stated that the transfer of power from them to the Mane Six would only take a few days, she flew into tale spin of emotion and self doubt (“Twilight-ing” as her friends called her emotional-wracking state”). Back at the Castle of Friendship, Twilight’s friends tried to calm her down and reminded her of all the memorable times they overcame adversity together. Despite her friends’ reassurance, Twilight’s spiraling worsened. Discord knew Twilight didn’t believe her friends, as she always had very often, and criticized the ponies’ efforts to calm her down before he left. Little did any of them know, her worries would be validated, even as they spoke.
 
Meanwhile, somewhere in the Everfree forest, Queen Chrysalis, who too was overcome emotionally, expressed her unhinged desire for revenge upon Twilight and her friends as she carved wooden effigies of her changeling subjects. Ever since the Mane Six and Starlight Glimmer taught the changelings to share love instead of stealing it, they changed their wicked ways, and their once hideous features. Chrysalis, refusing to change for the better, flew away, vowing vengeance against the Mane Six and Starlight. Her last attempt by creating evil clones of the ponies failed, so now she tried to create an army of her former monster soldiers. Suddenly, she vanished in a swirl of black smoke. In the dark underworld prison of Tartarus, Lord Tirek and Cozy Glow continued to serving their imprisonment sentences. Recently, the two worked together to trap the Mane Six, while Cozy drained magic from Equestria to become the Empress of Friendship. But while Twilight and her friends escaped from Tartarus, their non-pony students, the Young Six, foiled Cozy’s evil plan, and she was sent to Tartarus as punishment. Now, Tirek was becoming increasingly annoyed by Cozy’s efforts to befriend him, when they suddenly vanished from their jail cells in the same manner as Chrysalis. Elsewhere, in a dark cave, a mysterious figure carved a magical insignia into the ground, restoring the body of King Sombra.  
In a remote part of Equestria, Chrysalis, Tirek, Cozy Glow, and Sombra appeared in a strange cavern, unaware of who transported them. Just then, the one who summoned them arrived and settled at a table, where a glowing goat-eye like crystal ball rested. It was Grogar himself. While Chrysalis, Tirek, and Sombra recognized him, Cozy had no knowledge of him. So the ancient emperor demonstrated his great power and fed a sample of magic that rejuvenated him into his slightly younger form. The grateful and impressed centaur explained to Cozy about Grogar’s legendary tyranny, which he was told when he was young. Even Sombra recounted about hearing the fearsome “Father of Monsters.” Although Chrysalis laughed at the ibex’s defeat and banishment by the legendary Unicorn Gusty the Great, Grogar thundered that the source of his power, the Bewitching Bell was taken from him by her, hoping he would be defeated. But he was only left weakened… temporarily.
 
Grogar then explained that since his defeat, he spent millennia gathering power, biding his time, awating the day of his return and conquest of Equestria again. He also observed all of the Mane’s Six’s enemies and their defeats at the hoovess of the “six, puny ponies.” Grogar identified the secret to their many victories: working together. He revealed that he brought the remaining villains together and have them team up with him to finally be rid of the Mane Six. Sombra refused to join forces with the other villains, however, and vowed arrogantly to retake the Crystal Empire on his own. Grogar encouraged the overconfident Sombra to try and take over the Empire by himself, saying if he failed, he would submit to Grogar’s will or else be sent back to the shadows. Sombra agreed to the ultimatum, and Grogar sent him away to the Crystal Empire. With Sombra away, Grogar told Chrysalis, Tirek, and Cozy Glow to try and work together.
 
Meanwhile, King Sombra began his new, one-pony assault on the Crystal Empire. He used his magic to bring the Crystal Ponies and Crystal Royal Guards under his mind control through horrible, hideous, spiky black helmets, expanding his forces. Shing Armor rallied the remaining guards to battle while Princess Cadance sent an urgent S.O.S. to Twilight. However, when they raced to her nursery to rescue Flurry Heart, they found Sombra holding her captive. Using Flurry as a hostage, Sombra secured Cadance and Shining Armor’s complete surrender and gained control of both the Crystal Heart and the entire Empire, confidently declaring on his stolen throne, “Long live the King!” Upon receiving news of Sombra’s return and takeover of the Crystal Empire, Twilight Sparkle called her friends together. Instead of alerting Celestia and Luna or relying on Discord, Twilight took this opportunity to prove that she and her friends could handle things on their own. Without the use of the Crystal Heart, the Mane Six retrieved the Elements from the Tree of Harmony while Starlight looked after the School of Friendship.
 
When the Mane Six arrived at the Crystal Empire, Sombra placed his fiendish helmets on the ponies to make them suffer their worst fears. However, they overcame Sombra’s dark magic with the Elements of Harmony, and while Sombra was distracted, Spike the dragon helped Cadance regain control of the Crystal Heart. With the Crystal Ponies free from Sombra’s mind control, the Mane Six used the Elements to vaporize Sombra into smoke. With Sombra defeated, Twilight and her friends celebrated their surprisingly easy victory. Twilight felt a little more confident about their ability to rule Equestria in Celestia and Luna’s place.
 
Some time later, the Mane Six returned the Elements to the Tree of Harmony, but suddenly, black smoke filled the tree’s cave, and… CRACK.. a giant black crystal burst the ground beneath the tree, and destroyed it and shattered the Elements of Harmony to pieces! King Sombra appeared before the now helpless Mane Six, and cackled victoriously. He revealed that his defeat was only a trick to lead him back to the Elements, and now that the Mane Six’s greatest weapon was destroyed, nothing could stop him! Twilight’s friends attempted to attack Sombra with physical force, but he effortlessly trapped the six ponies in a wall of black crystals—impervious to Twilight’s magic. With the Mane Six incapacitated, Sombra left, preparing for his new domination on all of Equestria, starting with their hometown, Ponyville! Using his evil powers, he put all of the Mane Six’s friends and families under his control. After Twilight and her friends freed themselves from the tyrant’s cage, they found all their loved ones possessed by Sombra, including Starlight Glimmer and Spike, and Twilight was unable to break his spell. To make matters worse, vines from the Everfree Forest started to encroach upon Ponyville without the Tree of Harmony to keep them under control, ensnaring anything and anyone that was in their path. Determined to save their loved ones and home, Twilight and her friends armed themselves with gardening tools and waged war on the creeping vines. Meanwhile, with his army of mind-controlled ponies, King Sombra laid siege upon Canterlot, and possessed the Canterlot ponies too. Finding the castle abandoned, Sombra assumed control of the thrones, and began creating black crystals everywhere. Equestria was now his!
 
Or it was about to be when Twilight Sparkle and her friends burst into the throne room. Celestia, Luna, and the wizard Star Swirl offered to keep the forest under control while Twilight and her friends went to Canterlot and stop Sombra. After fending off Sombra’s possessed army, they found Discord free of Sombra’s control, and begged for help to defeat the villain, which he reluctantly agreed. Sombra blasted at them with his magic but Discord easily fended off Sombra’s blasts, all the while he expressing further his hope that Twilight and her friends would defeat Sombra on their own. When Discord stated Fluttershy was his favorite among the Mane Six, Sombra aimed his magic directly at her, and Discord jumped in the way, taking the full brunt of the blast and falling. With Discord seemingly defeated, Sombra believed he has truly won. Discord, drained of his power and barely conscious, told the Mane Six they do not need him, the princesses, or the Elements of Harmony to defeat Sombra. He said the six of them will always embody the virtues of harmony they each represent, and as long as they stand together, they will always triumph. As Sombra laughed off Discord’s sentiment, the Mane Six stood firmly united against him, inspired by Discord’s words. Sombra barraged the ponies with magic, but Twilight matched him blow-for-blow, saying no matter how many times they are knocked down, she and her friends will keep getting back up again and again. During Twilight and Sombra’s final clash, Twilight joined hooves with her friends, and the magic within them ignited similarly to the Elements of Harmony from their resolve to protect Equestria. Sombra recoiled in horror to see the Mane Six igniting a new power, screaming at the top of his lungs fearfully that he destroyed the Elements. With a declaration of “friendship is magic!”, the Mane Six took down Sombra once and for all. With the darklord defeated for good, the Mane Six’s magic dispeled his black crystals around the land and freed the mind-controlled ponies from his spell. Thus perished King Sombra.
 
Celestia and Luna entered the throne room to find the Mane Six nursing Discord back to health. Twilight feared the princesses’ disappointment in that she did not alert them about Sombra right away and believed she was unfit to rule Equestria. However, Celestia remarks that a good leader knows when to ask for help, but a great leader has the courage to admit their mistakes and the strength to make up for them. To make an example of this lesson, the princesses admitted that, while they believed Twilight had proven she possesses these qualities, they unfairly put too much pressure on Twilight all at once, and the consequences it left behind involving Sombra. So, they decided to continue ruling Equestria until Twilight was truly ready to take their place. Twilight was immensely relieved by the princesses’ decision, but Discord was upset, revealing he merely pretended to be hurt during the battle against Sombra in order to inspire the Mane Six to defeat him. Regardless, the Mane Six are reminded of how much of an unstoppable force they are when they stand together.
 
But this was not the end just yet. Back in Grogar’s lair, he returned and expressed begrudgingly if Chrysalis, Tirek and Cozy Glow would be enough for his plans. Despite Cozy’s attempt to foster teamwork between herself and the other two villains through an exercise she did when she was a student back at the School of Friendship, Chrysalis and Tirek were not interested. Grogar showed them the moment of Sombra’s defeat with his crystal ball, and he decided to use the late darklord’s hubris as an example to secure Tirek, Chrysalis, and Cozy’s loyalty. So even though Twilight Sparkle and her friends don’t know it, they will need all the help they can get as the new Villain League plot a way to come and take over the realm. For this is only the beginning. The beginning of the end…
 
 
Grogar - “We shall join forces, and work together to bring Equestria to its knees!”
 
The Villain League by me
 
Background by me
 
And this is the beginning of more Villain League pics to come. After making their vectors for the first villain pic, I immediately made this, though just today I fixed Chrysalis’ wings (I looked back on the MLP-Vector Club’s color guide and I discovered some complicated approaches to her wings, and I think I figured it out). So, as one non-MLP villain put it, be prepared! :o (Eek) ;) (Wink)