♪ [dramatic music] ♪
Ahem!
I don't want to tattle on my good friend, Tirek,
but you might like to know he left food out. Again.
I'll deal with it when I'm done.
♪♪
Don't trust anything that nosy little Pegasus says.
I don't trust anything any of you say.
[snort]
Are you planning on attacking anypony
anytime soon? If not, I don't know why
I'm wasting my time here. I am a queen, you know!
I am leaving, since it's impossible to accomplish
the work I need to do here!
I suggest the three of you come to some kind of accord.
[all arguing at once]
[zap]
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!
♪ My little pony, my little pony ♪
♪ Aaaahhh ♪
♪ My little Pony ♪
♪ I used to wonder what friendship could be. ♪
♪ My Little Pony ♪
♪ Until you all shared its magic with me. ♪
♪ Big adventure! ♪ ♪ Tons of fun ♪
♪ A beautiful heart! ♪ ♪ Faithful and strong! ♪
♪ Sharing kindness ♪ ♪ it's an easy feat ♪
♪ And magic makes it all complete! ♪
♪ To have my little pony ♪
♪ Do you know you're all my very best friends? ♪
♪♪
Nothing says teamwork like an inspirational banner!
When Grogar sees this,
he'll realize there's no way he could survive without me!
[grunts]
You're gonna have to exercise a lot
to get as big as you were
when you absorbed the life force of all those ponies.
[groan]
Anyhoo... Grogar wants us all to work together
so I've scheduled a team meeting!
Doesn't that sound fun?
And since Grogar left me in charge.
No, he didn't.
[giggle]
Someone's a real grumpy-taur today.
If we aren't meeting, I guess I could just stay
and offer positive and inspiring-
Fine! I'll join your meeting. Just leave.
See you soon!
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.
And how are you doing this fine...
How do you think I'm doing?
I'm ready to exact my revenge!
See what I mean?
Being cooped up with nothing to do is the worst.
You know what you need? A team meeting!
I don't do meetings.
Grogar left me in charge.
No, he didn't. And even if he did, Chrysalis obeys no one.
There'll be cupcakes.
Grogar wants us to work together
to defeat our enemies.
Which means we need to trust each other.
If we are to trust one another,
perhaps inform Lord Tirek...
to stop trying to absorb my essence.
[whoosh]
I wasn't doing anything of the sort. How dare you?
How dare I? Do you know to whom you are speaking?
[zap]
How could I not! You tell your log every five minutes!
This is why Grogar left me in charge.
NO! HE! DIDN'T!
♪♪
Grrrr!
♪♪
♪ 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 ♪
Ah, please.
♪ No, thanks. No way ♪
♪ I feel the need to say ♪
♪ I'm smarter, stronger and ♪
♪ I don't need you two. ♪
♪ Stronger? ♪
♪ OK. ♪
♪ I guess we'll downplay ♪
♪ How bad you got your rear-end ♪
♪ Handed to you? ♪
♪ It's time to try ♪
♪ A better way to be bad ♪
♪ Do we really need ♪
♪ A better way to be bad? ♪
♪ United as one! ♪
♪ Teamwork? Please, what a fad! ♪
♪ Combine all our strength ♪
♪ We'll go to any length ♪
♪ Once we have ♪
♪ A better way to be bad ♪
♪ Let's go! ♪
♪ Begin ♪
♪ This time we're gonna win! ♪
♪ The ice you're on is thin ♪
♪ So watch what you say ♪
♪ I know ♪
♪ You're in ♪
♪ I think I see a grin! ♪
♪ 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! ♪
♪ 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 ♪
♪ You want revenge on Starlight ♪
♪ You want that huge physique ♪
♪ So let's increase our chances ♪
♪ By working as a team ♪
♪ To crush our enemies to dust ♪
♪ And laugh as they all scream! ♪
[laughter]
♪ I think I see ♪
♪ A better way to be bad ♪
♪ Just put me in charge! ♪
♪ Make me Queen; ♪
♪ you'll be glad ♪
♪ No! Listen to me! ♪
♪ I'm the best of us three ♪
♪ Then you'll see ♪
♪ A better way to be bad ♪
♪ Wait! This is my thing! ♪
♪ A better way to be bad ♪
♪ You shall do as I command ♪
♪ I will rule this triad ♪
♪ This is my song. ♪
♪ Sorry not any long-er! ♪
♪ 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 got a better way to be bad! ♪
Hey! You stepped on my cue!
Well, I did not! Your rhythm was way off.
[arguing continues]
ENOUGH!
I had hoped by now
you would have resolved your differences.
But apparently not.
Perhaps if we knew what the plan was,
we would be better able to prepare.
Assuming you even have a plan.
Of course, I have a plan.
I have located an object of power
and it occurs to me this is the perfect test.
The three of you will work together to retrieve it.
Against this item, those ponies won't stand a chance.
I have come close to ruling Equestria several times.
Perhaps I should be the one to lead us.
I nearly drained all the magic from Equestria!
That was good!
I absorbed all the magic of Equestria!
I could feel it flowing through my body as I grew.
[arguing escalates]
[explosion]
[zap]
Each of you failed to defeat
Twilight Sparkle and her friends.
My power is greater than all of yours combined.
This is but a fraction of it. Understood?
Uh huh. OK!
[thud]
Now you shall retrieve the rest of it.
♪ [mysterious music] ♪
Thousands of moons ago,
the self-righteous Gusty the Great,
unable to best me face-to-face,
stole my bewitching bell,
a talisman containing much 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.
Ha ha! The ease of this task is laughable.
[daunting music]
[eagle screech]
Well, it sounded easy.
Scale the mountain.
Retrieve Grogar's bell.
Together! I drew up a detailed plan
with several visual aides to show how we can...
ditch each other and do it alone.
Maybe when I'm waiting for them at the top,
then they'll appreciate me.
[wind whistles]
♪ [music intensifies] ♪
♪♪
[hiss]
As if anything on this mountain is scarier than I.
Ha ha ha ha!
♪♪
[coughing]
Ptui!
[whistling wind]
[door opens and closes]
Halt! Who goes there? A pony?
There ain't been ponies round here in
I-don't-know-how-many moons!
[sobbing]
Oh, golly, good sir.
I am just a poor lost pony looking for help.
Oh, don't fret li'l filly.
Ol' Rusty Bucket here, at yer service!
I'm so glad I found you.
I need help getting to the top of the mountain.
No can do, ma'am.
Why not?
[rumbling]
Shh! Not so loud! This here's avalanche territory!
I'm the guardian of this here mountain.
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 lonely all by yourself.
Maybe I could be your... friend?
I'd love a friend!
So now that we are friends,
you could help me up the mountain.
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 Twilight Sparkle and her friends.
ARE! YOU! KIDDING ME!
[rumbling]
Sshhhhhhh!
I didn't want to be friends anyway.
Aww...
[clattering]
[zap]
[crash]
♪♪
[crash]
♪♪
Almost there.
♪♪
[whistling wind]
♪♪
Nope. Not that way neither.
[groan]
[whoosh]
I tried being nice.
Shhhhh. Now just calm down there, filly.
You calm down!
Ponies are supposed to do what I ask them to do!
It's like my thing, OK?
[crashing]
[scream]
Eh.
[door opens and closes]
♪♪
Apparently I don't need anypony else.
♪♪
[thud]
[angry grunts]
[panting]
[hooting laughter]
It's not. Funny. Tirek.
Didn't make it to the top? Surprise surprise.
You didn't make it to the top either!
I 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 than subject myself to the elements,
I decided to let you two face the danger,
take what you learned and use it to my advantage.
[laughter]
I put up with your "I'm smarter than you" attitude
in Tartarus! But I'm over it!
I've had enough of you trying to manipulate me
with that insincere syrupy sweetness.
At least now we can see the real you.
This is not the real me! I'm cute and lovable!
Ha! No, you're not. You're annoying and you snore!
I do not snore!
[snoring]
At least I don't talk to my gram-gram in my sleep.
Don't you dare bring Gram-Gram into this!
[roar]
This is your fault!
[roar]
Mmm.
♪♪
Quick! It's distracted! Let's go!
Wait.
[roar]
[whoosh]
[thud]
Mmmm. So much love.
I haven't eaten this well in ages.
So gross.
Just so we're clear.
I didn't save you because I like you.
I did it because... Because I...
Need us?
Yes.
Clearly, I was right to wait.
Now tell me everything you learned today.
Leave nothing out.
♪♪
Why are you doing that?
Didn't you already drain it of love?
I always save a little for the next day.
You cocoon all of your... meals?
Of course.
So when you pony-napped Twilight and the others,
you cocooned them.
Yes. Until that sow Starlight Glimmer
freed them, corrupted my subjects, and stole my hive!
Those ponies have weaknesses.
I used that turncoat Discord.
Tricked him into helping me capture his
so called "friends".
Discord was really something until friendship ruined him.
You should've seen Twilight's face
when her friends appeared in bubbles around me.
She was all...
[groaning]
[laughter]
She's so stressed out all the time!
When I posed as her former foal-sitter,
I thought she was going to implode.
[laughter]
I wish I could have seen her face
when I nearly erased all the magic from Equestria.
All magic was a little excessive, don't you think?
Meh. I think big.
Besides, it would've been worth it
just to see Twilight and her friends bow down to me.
Indeed, it would. Who wouldn't love to see
those prissy ponies realize they've lost everything!
I'm a pathetic pony princess!
I made a detailed list of all the ways I'm a failure!
[hooting laughter]
You know, working with you two
may not be the worst thing.
Perhaps... as long as it results
in the complete destruction of our enemies.
I wouldn't have it any other way.
Do the pathetic princess thing again!
[laughter]
[roar]
[laughter]
I'm OK!
♪♪
[growl]
♪♪
[clang]
[scream]
[grunt of pain]
Can you absorb it and make it go away?
I can only absorb magic from living beings.
Like her?
Betrayal!
Not betrayal. Teamwork.
If Tirek absorbs your energy,
he might be strong enough to break through.
And then?
Then... he gives it back.
I do?
Mhm.
How do I know you won't take my magic and leave me?
Would we do that to you?
OK. Normally yes, we would.
I'll give you your magic back.
Do it.
[zap]
[grunt]
So. Much. Power!
[kiss]
Welcome back, baby.
It's not big enough for me.
Maybe not you.
Keep it open or I'll be trapped forever!
Would that be so terrible?
[chuckle]
Can't... hold.... much longer.
Hurry!
[thud]
Ta-da.
My magic.
I... wasn't sure you were going to give it back.
Neither was I. But working together seemed...
smarter than to continue fighting.
When we helped each other, it felt better somehow.
I haven't felt like this since before I lost my hive.
Having others who will be there for you...
is pleasing.
All of these years... taking power from ponies.
When you use your power to help others.
Yes.... it feels.
No!
Whoa!
The magic of friendship is like a disease.
An infection that spreads to those around you!
I watched it infect my hive.
I will not let it get me.
Same!
Obviously.
But... Grogar said we have to work together.
Grogar is too powerful.
Something must be done about that.
Let Grogar think we're his loyal servants.
In the meantime, we'll hatch our own plan.
Oh. I love a good backstabbing!
After that, we can go back
to trying to destroy each other.
In the meantime, what do we do with this?
You failed to retrieve the bell?
We're sorry, Almighty Grogar.
We worked together as you asked!
We just aren't as powerful as you!
[roar]
[crash]
Obviously.
At least you finally did as you were told
and worked together.
Of course.
Whatever you command.
Forget about that old bell.
You were right.
We're so much more powerful when we work as a team.