|
“ | Exactly as I planned. Today: Dream Valley. Tomorrow… All of Ponyland! | „ |
~ Grogar after conquering Dream Valley in My Little Pony 'n Friends. |
“ | I gave life to the foulest of creatures and allowed them to run wild, taking what they wanted and destroying the rest. My reign was a glorious, fear-soaked epoch of darkness in Equestria. | „ |
~ Discord (as Grogar) explaining how Equestria was under the real Grogar's reign in My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic. |
Grogar is a major antagonist in the My Little Pony franchise, specifically Generations 1 and 4. His G1 incarnation serves as the main antagonist of the four-part My Little Pony 'n Friends episode "The Return of Tambelon", while his G4 incarnation serves as the overarching antagonist of Season 9 in My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic.
He is an ancient ram sorcerer who wields powerful magic, primarily through the use of his magical bell. In the G1 continuity, he sought to reclaim his control over Ponyland after being previously banished to the Realm of Shadows, and exile all Ponies to the realm before being defeated.
In the G4 continuity, he is depicted as the mysterious creator of all monsters who ruled Equestria in the ancient past, until he was defeated and banished by Gusty the Great. During the ninth season, Grogar seemingly returns and assembles a team of Equestria's most powerful villains to help him defeat the Mane Six and conquer Equestria. However it is ultimately revealed that Discord was impersonating him in a misguided attempt to prepare Twilight Sparkle for ruling Equestria.
In My Little Pony 'n Friends, he was voiced by Michael Bell, who also voiced The Fear in Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater, Medivh in the Warcraft games, Quackerjack in Darkwing Duck, Lex Luthor in the 80s Superman Cartoon, the Riddler in Challenge of the Super Friends, Doctor Octopus in Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends, Zzzax in The Incredible Hulk, the Bunny in The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy, Naugus in Sonic SatAM, Ezekiel Rage in The Real Adventures of Jonny Quest, Redbeard in The New Scooby Doo Movies, and Lawrence in the Ratchet & Clank series. In Friendship is Magic, he was voiced by the late Doc Harris when Discord poses as him.
Description[]
Appearance[]
Both the G1 and G4 versions of Grogar are rams who are larger than the ponies in appearance, have goatees, sharp teeth, large horns and red collars with big golden studs and a single chain link at the center that held their magical bells. However, their fur, horns, hooves and eye colors differ from one another. The G1 version of Grogar had grayish blue fur, black horns and hooves and red eyes with white eyebrows. The G4 version of Grogar had cornflower blue fur while his mane, tail and eyebrows are white, dark azure horns and hooves and pale apple green eyes with red pupils.
Personality[]
My Little Pony 'n Friends[]
The G1 version of Grogar has a cold, ruthless and dangerous personality, often scolding Bray for his mistakes and threatening him different forms of torture if he fails him or even dawdles. He sometimes abuses the Troggles so they can follow his orders and do what he wants. He is extremely hateful towards pony-kind and other creatures, and prefers to have all his enemies captured. He loved enslaving anyone and had no problem with wanting to make the human children his slaves. He is also has murderous moments with trying to hurt or kill his enemies as shown when he confronted and attacked the ponies, human children, Spike (who is a baby dragon) and their friends and also when they were escaping along with the Troggles, he decided to kill them instead to make sure his plan worked. He is also very intelligent as shown when he hid the ancient bell in a different part of his castle, so that nobody could use it against him and after he learnt of Drog's betrayal, he set up a trap to capture the rest of the inhabitants of Ponyland.
My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic[]
When Discord portrayed himself as Grogar, he put on a serious and frightful demeanor that was enough to intimidate the other villains into submission. He claimed to be extremely patient and cunning, having awaited for thousands of years to take his revenge and is willing to work with other villains just for a chance to pull it off. Despite this claim, however, he was unable to tolerate his team bickering with each other, so he sends them on a mission to reclaim the real Grogar's Bewitching Bell in order to teach them to work together. When they claimed to have failed this mission, he only showed anger for a brief moment and then was pleased that they finally got their act together. He also did not tolerate disobedience, as he refused to bring back Sombra after he turned his back on him and used his death as an example to coerce the other villains into compliance. Unlike the majority of villains in the series, Discord (as Grogar) did not underestimate the Mane Six and acknowledged their teamwork as the key to their success. However, despite his seeming distrust of his cohorts, Discord (as Grogar) was gullible enough to believe their story that they failed to retrieve the Bewitching Bell, (which is ironic because at the start of the episode, he remarked that he doesn't trust anything they say) and was surprised when his cohorts turned on him and revealed that they had the bell all along.
Powers and Abilities[]
My Little Pony 'n Friends[]
The G1 version of Grogar boasted incredible power thanks to his magic bell, which he used to channel magical energy through his horns. With the bell's power, he could fire destructive energy blasts, conjure up cages to imprison his enemies, and cast spells allowing travel to and from the Realm of Darkness. Grogar's powers allowed him and his Troggle army (armed with spears imbued with weaker versions of his magic) to capture nearly all ponies in Ponyland, including the immensely powerful flutter ponies. Grogar was also shown to be massively strong, as shown when he charged with his large horns and when he threw Spike off his bell in no time. He was also able to leap from his castle wall and land without injury or even flinching.
However, his bell's magic was weak to that of the ancient bell's, which Grogar smartly kept hidden in his castle, so no one could use it against him. When it was rung twice, Grogar's bell melted and he was rendered powerless.
My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic[]
“ | Lord Tirek: Grogar is ancient and extremely powerful. The land that would become Equestria was a mere collection of farms and pastures until he declared himself emperor of all he saw. I remember hearing tales of his tyranny when I was young. King Sombra: I have also heard of the first Emperor of Equestria. The "Father of Monsters". |
„ |
~ Tirek and King Sombra telling the tale of Grogar's reign over Pre-Equestria in "The Beginning of the End". |
The G4 version of Grogar, although never seen in person, is implied to have been even more powerful than his G1 incarnation. The power in his Bewitching Bell (which was said to have contained all of his magic) was able make Tirek, Chrysalis and Cozy Glow extremely powerful. Even divided between the three, the magic was enough to:
- Transform Cozy Glow, an ordinary Pegasus filly, into an alicorn strong enough to defeat the Canterlot Royal Guard all by herself.
- Power Tirek from his second form that was weak enough for Chrysalis to block his attempt to forcefully absorb her magic into his third form that enabled him to very easily defeat all the Pillars of Equestria at once (whereas Star Swirl alone would be enough to defeat Chrysalis in her base state).
- And give Chrysalis a new form powerful enough to defeat Starlight Glimmer (an exceptionally powerful unicorn) in single combat.
- This would mean Grogar would have been far above the base level of an alicorn, likely putting him at least on par with Celestia or Sombra.
His Bewitching Bell allowed him to steal the magic of any other creatures and use it to increase his own already formidable power. It's also mentioned that fear made him stronger, so the more fear he and his monsters caused, the more powerful he became. It was stated that during his fight against Gusty the Great and her army of unicorn warriors, fear made him powerful enough to break through an energy beam made up of all their magic, which was said to be "stronger than a thousand armies".
However, as great a threat as his bell, army of monsters, and raw magic made him, Grogar still had a weakness: his bell. Unlike his bell in G1, the Bewitching Bell is indestructible and cannot be destroyed. However, it could still be taken from him. When Gusty managed to do this, he was deprived of all his power and banished eternally.
History[]
My Little Pony 'n Friends[]
“ | Paradise: According to the ancient legend, Tambelon is the Realm of Darkness: a sort of in-between place. It last appeared 500 years ago and its ruler, Grogar, tried to conquer Ponyland. Danny Williams: So what happened? How'd he wind up back in the Realm of Darkness" Paradise: Uh… I don't remember, but Grogar swore he would return in 500 years to try again. |
„ |
~ Paradise telling about the legend of Grogar, Tambelon and his reign. |
The G1 version of Grogar appears only in the four-part episode "The Return of Tambelon" as the main antagonist. He is an evil demonic ram sorcerer and the leader of the kingdom Tambelon (which is also known as the Realm of Darkness) who conquered the Troggles and once ruled Ponyland with an iron hand 500 years ago before he was defeated when the ancient bell was rung. This banished him and the city to the Shadow World. However, Grogar swore that he would return in 500 years to retake Ponyland. Overtime, the memory of Grogar and his reign over Ponyland became forgotten from history and were only told as a legend that Paradise had heard about.
Grogar and Tambelon slowly started to return to Ponyland 500 years later, capturing all the Unicorn Ponies one by one when they winked in and out of the city. When Ribbon sends a dream message to Megan to tell where they are, Grogar intercepts it. After his second in command, Bray, feeds the Unicorns, Grogar orders him to prepare the Troggles to attack Ponyland and threatens him to not doddle. Tambleon fully returns and Bray and the Troggles conquer Dream Valley and capture most of its inhabitants much to Grogar's pleasure.
However, Bray informs him that nearly all of the ponies and their friends have been captured much to Grogar's anger seeing as that he plans to banish his enemies to the Realm of Darkness and plans to make the humans slaves seeing as that they like the Troggles have hands.
When the captured Ponies, Bushwoolies and Grundles escape the dungeons, they find the ancient bell but don't yet realize its purpose before meeting with Megan and Lofty who had sneaked into Tambelon to free them. Unfortunately, they are caught escaping by Bray and the Troggles. Bray informs Grogar of this and Grogar easily recaptures his prisoners except for Peach Blossom who witnessed the events. He orders Bray to return the old and new prisoners to the dungeons and threatens to throw him in the dungeon if they try to escape again.
Meanwhile, Danny, Molly, Spike, the Ponies and their friends realize that the bell on Grogar's collar is the source of his powers and plan to take it from him. They manage to get Danny's tape recorder and record and splice up Bray's voice in order for Masquerade to lure Grogar out. This succeeds and everyone ambush Grogar. Unfortunately, Grogar proves to be too strong and attacks the group with his horns, forcing them to get out of his way. Spike nearly takes his bell, but Grogar throws him off and captures Paradise and Forget-Me-Not while everyone else escapes.
Later, a Troggle named Drog abandons Tambelon and joins the humans, Spike, the ponies and their friends. However, a few Troggles (either out of fear or loyalty) inform Grogar of Drog's treachery and he prepares an ambush. This succeeds when Drog, the humans, Spike, the ponies and their friends enter Tambelon and get themselves captured and Grogar informs them of his plan to banish them to the Realm of Darkness.
Later, Bray informs Grogar that the Moochick and the baby ponies have been captured which pleases Grogar. He then orders a celebration and threatens that any of the Troggles not celebrating, will be banished with his prisoners to the Realm of Darkness at midnight. Grogar then prepares the spell that will banish his prisoners at midnight forever.
However, the ponies, humans, Spike, Drog, Bushwoolies and Grundles escape the dungeons and prepare to leave with the Troggles. After being informed of this, Grogar threatens to banish Bray to the Realm of Darkness if they escape. When he sees everyone escaping, he decides to use his magic to kill them instead. However, Spike unknowingly gives Paradise the idea of the ancient bell in Tambelon and informs her friends that when the bell is rung, Grogar's power will be destroyed. Grogar was defeated again by Megan after she and North Star rang the ancient bell for the second time, destroying the bell containing his power and banishing him, Bray, and the whole city back to the Realm of Darkness.
It is said he is unlikely to escape the Realm of Darkness again.
My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic[]
“ | Twilight Sparkle: …and while nopony had ever tried to reach Cloudsdale on hoof, Gusty the Great was not deterred! She and her unicorn warriors marched up the hill. But suddenly, they encountered… Spike: [gasps] What?! What was it?! Twilight Sparkle: It was the treacherous Grogar… …and Gusty could tell he was ready for battle. Gusty called out to the unicorn warriors— […] "We can fight Grogar together!" And the unicorn warriors shot magical beams into the clouds that wove into one! The beam, stronger than a thousand armies, shined down! It wrapped around Grogar and pulled him to the ground! "Don't let him escape!", yelled Gusty! […] Grogar was strong, for fear gave him power, and he broke through the bonds! |
„ |
~ Twilight Sparkle telling the tale of Grogar and Gusty the Great's battle in "A Flurry of Emotions". |
Long before the three pony tribes came together as one, the land that would become Equestria was once a peaceful country consisting of simple farms and pastures until Grogar appeared and took full control of the land, declaring himself emperor of all he saw. He wielded a powerful artifact known as the Bewitching Bell, which allowed him to steal magic of others and transfer it into himself to increase his own formidable magic, making him extremely powerful. For some time, Grogar ruled his domain with an iron hoof, creating several terrible creatures to terrorize the populace, which earned him the title the "Father of Monsters".
At some point, Grogar was confronted by a brave unicorn mare named Gusty the Great and her Unicorn Warriors. As told in the book by Twilight Sparkle, he encountered them on top of the hill that currently leads to Cloudsdale. The unicorn warriors shot magical beams into the clouds and wrapped around Grogar and pulled him to the ground, but the evil ram managed to break through the bonds as fear gave him power. The rest of the conflict was left unknown due to the interruption by Flurry Heart, but in Season 9, it is revealed that Gusty managed to take the bell away from Grogar and then banish him from the land. Since the Bewitching Bell could not be destroyed, Gusty hid it in an enchanted cave high atop Mt. Everhoof, believing it would forever be safe with the magic winds to keep any creature from reaching it. Overtime, the memory of Grogar, his reign over Equestria and Gusty became forgotten from history and were only told as legends that Equestria and a few villains have heard about.
In the ninth and final season, the redeemed spirit of chaos, Discord disguises himself as Grogar, in a misguided effort of preparing Princess Twilight to take over as ruler of Equestria when Princesses Celestia and Luna retire. Using this disguise, he then creates a syndicate of the most dangerous villains in Equestria, believing that the combined threat would pose an even greater challenge for Twilight and her friends and boost their confidence. These villains include the former tyrant of the changelings, Queen Chrysalis, the power-hungry centaur, Lord Tirek, and the treacherous pegasus filly, Cozy Glow. He also revives the dark unicorn, King Sombra, who was previously destroyed, though the latter refused to work with the other villains, which got him destroyed yet again.
After cementing his place as their leader, "Grogar" then later sends the villains on a mission to retrieve the real Grogar's Bewitching Bell from Mount Everhoof. Even though the villains claim to have failed to obtain the bell, they did learn to work together, which was apparently enough to please "Grogar". Unbeknownst to him, they actually did get the bell but kept it so that they could use its power to betray him and take Equestria for themselves, which they did near the end of the season. They secretly steal a book from Canterlot and learn how to use the bell. They gain new super forms and then drain "Grogar" of his own magic, which also exposes him as Discord in disguise. Cozy Glow then uses the bell to drain the magic from Princesses Celestia and Luna. However, after the villains were defeated, Princesses Celestia, Luna, and Discord get their magic back.
The existence of the Bewitching Bell means that Grogar and Gusty the Great were indeed real in history and the latter had banished the former successfully, never to return again. Grogar only ever appears in illustrations or flashbacks.
My Little Pony: A New Generation[]
Grogar's Bewitching Bell makes a cameo appearance in Netflix's 2021 G5 film, My Little Pony: A New Generation. Though Grogar himself did not make an appearance, his Bewitching Bell is revealed to be in the possession of an earth pony named Argyle Starshine, who is also the father of Sunny Starscout, many years later. It is currently unknown how Argyle managed to get the Bewitching Bell. After Argyle passed away for unknown reasons, Sunny Starscout is currently in possession of the Bewitching Bell in her home.
Comics[]
My Little Pony: Nightmare Knights[]
The G1 version of Grogar made a cameo along with all the other previous villains of G1 in Princess Eris' casino.
Reception[]
My Little Pony 'n Friends[]
Grogar is generally second only to Tirac as the most beloved G1 villain for fans, and on some occasions, first. Many have claimed to like him over Tirac because he presents a far greater threat (having captured the Flutter Ponies which were the most powerful entitites in the G1 series) and takes matters into his own hands (or hooves in this case), whereas Tirac was more cautious and kept the Rainbow of Darkness secure while his minions captured the ponies and brought them to him. Others however feel that without the mystery and the incredibly intense threats used with Tirac, Grogar is only second best because he is otherwise better than the other villains in the G1 series, but not Tirac who has a more sinister background and a very satanic appearance.
With completely red eyes, for some Grogar appears even more intimidating than Tirac who at least had human eyes (albeit yellow), and this was a trait Grogar shared with no other character or villain in the show, and even as of G4, no villain has had eyes like him (from the get-go at least), eyes which make him stand out a lot as they make him look far more menacing than the rest. His somewhat humanoid face on his ram body is also pretty striking as a design choice that helps him feel more surreal and monstrous, befitting the fantastic world he's part of.
Alongside Tirac, Grogar was the villain that was most often requested to return in future MLP series.
My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic[]
Before it was revealed that Discord was posing as Grogar, the character of "Grogar" received mixed reviews. Many were hyped to see another famous G1 antagonist revamped in G4 and were expecting him to be one of the series biggest, most evil, and most dangerous villains. However, some complained that "Grogar" hardly served any purpose in the show, though he does have a connection to Equestria's history. The twist with Discord turning out to be Grogar gathered mixed responses from the fandom. Some have hoped that Grogar would finally be able to appear in the show after lobbying for the move for so long, and so the revealing of Discord to actually be Grogar caused disappointment. Others have commented that they didn't mind the twist, as most of the attention had gone towards the Legion of Doom anyway and that Grogar himself had little presence to be taken seriously.
Quotes[]
My Little Pony 'n Friends[]
“ | Bray: "The unicorns have been fed, master." Grogar: "Excellent! Now, Bray, we will reach Ponyland very soon. Prepare the Troggles for arrival." Bray: "Yes master, right away." Grogar: "Oh, and Bray. (shoots magic at Bray) Don't doddle!" Bray: "No! No, master. No doddling. Of course not, master. Right away, master." |
„ |
~ Grogar ordering Bray to prepare to attack Ponyland. |
“ | Bray: "Nearly all the little ponies and their friends have been captured, master." Grogar: "Nearly all is not good enough, Bray! I want every inhabitant of Ponyland in the dungeons by nightfall! (a Troggle feeds him food) I'm especially interested in the humans... ...since they like the Troggles have hands. We need more slaves with hands, Bray. Hands that can serve us! Now go!" |
„ |
~ Grogar plotting to make the humans slaves. |
“ | Grogar: Have the Troggles return them to the dungeon! Bray: "Yes, master." Grogar: And, Bray, if it happens again, you shall join them! |
„ |
~ Grogar threatening Bray after he recaptures the ponies. |
“ | Masquerade (as Bray): "Grogar!" Grogar: Bray! I thought you were at the dungeon! Masquerade (as Bray): "This is your last chance to capture all those ponies!" Danny Williams: (quietly) "Okay, Masquerade. Run!" Grogar: "Wait!" |
„ |
~ Masquerade luring Grogar into a trap. |
“ | Danny Williams: "Give up, Grogar! We've got you surrounded!" Grogar: "(chuckles) You're wrong, boy! I've got you surrounded!" (starts attacking everyone by charging) Ponies: "Uh oh, he's charging again!" Danny Williams: "Let me out of here!" Ponies: (Screams before Grogar rams into a tree.) Spike: "Now's our chance to get the bell!" Danny Williams: "Spike, wait!" Spike: (grabs ahold of Grogar's bell before Grogar frees himself and stares at Spike who chuckles nervously) Not bothering you am I? Grogar: (growls while throwing Spike off his bell.) Spike: Where is he? Let me at him! I'll make mutton out of that overgrown... (hears Grogar growling) Uh oh. Danny Williams: "Run, everyone!" Grogar: (uses his magic to capture Paradise and Forget-Me-Not) Run is going to do you no good! There's no place in Ponyland where you'll be safe! |
„ |
~ Grogar attacking the rest of the ponies and their friends. |
“ | Bray: "All is in readiness, master. As you ordered." Grogar: "Good. Very soon now, there will be no more ponies in Ponyland!" |
„ |
~ Grogar preparing a trap for the rest of the ponies, Spike, humans and their allies after learning of Drog's betrayal. |
“ | "Welcome, my little ponies! What a pity you can't stay for long! For within a few short hours: you with the rest of your kind will be banished to the Realm of Darkness!" | „ |
~ Grogar capturing the rest of the ponies and their friends. |
“ | Bray: "Good news, master. The Moochick and the baby ponies have been captured!" Grogar: "That means Ponyland is mine! This calls for a celebration! Tell the Troggles that anyone not found celebrating will be banished along with the ponies at midnight!" Bray: "Right away, master!" Grogar: "Now to start the spell that will banish the ponies from Ponyland forever." (uses his magic to begin the spell) |
„ |
~ Grogar ordering a celebration before preparing the spell to banish the ponies and their friends forever. |
“ | Grogar: "Escaped!? (shoots magic at Bray) You fool!" Bray: "It wasn't my fault!" Grogar: "If they get out of the city, you will take their place!." (uses his magic to fire at Bray) |
„ |
~ Grogar getting angry at Bray for letting the ponies and their friends escape. |
“ | "WHAT!" | „ |
~ Grogar's last word as he prepares to kill everyone before he becomes banished to the Realm of Darkness. |
My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic[]
Discord's Quotes as Grogar[]
“ | Queen Chrysalis: "King Sombra! You have returned? Why did you bring us here?" Discord (as Grogar): "He didn't. (walks over to table) It was I. You may call me... Grogar." (Queen Chrysalis and Lord Tirek gasp) Queen Chrysalis: "The Grogar?" Lord Tirek: "I thought you were a legend." King Sombra: "I've heard of you." Cozy Glow: "Who?" Discord (as Grogar): "I assure you, I am very real. And you have all been brought here as part of my plan to rid Equestria of Twilight Sparkle and her friends once and for all. (chuckles sinisterly)" |
„ |
~ Discord posing as Grogar by introducing himself to the other villains. |
“ | Cozy Glow: "I am so sorry, but the name 'Grofar'? It just doesn't ring any bells." Discord (as Grogar): "GROGAR! I have been away too long if my name no longer strikes fear into the heart of one so tiny! Perhaps a demonstration of power is in order?" (creates a magic sphere and gives it to Tirek who devours it which turns him into his second form) |
„ |
~ Discord (as Grogar) to Cozy Glow before demonstrating his (as Grogar) powers. |
“ | Discord (as Grogar): "I gave life to the foulest of creatures and allowed them to run wild, taking what they wanted and destroying the rest. My reign was a glorious, fear-soaked epoch of darkness in Equestria." Queen Chrysalis: "Ha! Until Gusty the Great rose up and banished you." Discord (as Grogar): "That fool believed taking my bell would defeat me, but she only weakened me temporarily." Cozy Glow: "Um, Tirek is really old... (no offense, you look great) ...but if he knew about you when he was young, we have super different ideas about what 'temporarily' means." Discord (as Grogar): "SILENCE!" |
„ |
~ Discord (as Grogar) describing how Equestria was under the real Grogar's rule and how he was defeated. |
“ | Discord (as Grogar): "I've spent millennia gathering power, biding my time, waiting for the perfect opportunity to seize control of Equestria! And watching all of you, I've seen each of your humiliating defeats at the hooves of six puny ponies. And do you know why they've always bested you?" Queen Chrysalis: "Because they cheat!" Lord Tirek: "Because they are annoyingly lucky." Cozy Glow: "I'm just a kid, so..." Discord (as Grogar): "It is because they work together! Where one is weak, another is strong, and thus unified, they are a formidable force! But we shall use their own strategy to defeat them!" Queen Chrysalis: "What are you suggesting?" Discord (as Grogar): "I suggest nothing. I demand that you join me, and together, Equestria will be ours!" |
„ |
~ Discord (as Grogar) proposing an alliance to the other villains in order to boost Twilight's confidence. |
“ | King Sombra: "I don't do "ours"; I only do mine! I will take back the Crystal Empire on my own, and I will destroy anypony who gets in my way!" Discord (as Grogar): "Such confidence. Go! Try to take back your kingdom. I shall send you there myself. If you prevail, you may keep it. But when you fail, you will submit to me!" King Sombra: "And if I refuse this deal?" Discord (as Grogar): "Then I shall return you to the darkness from which you were summoned." King Sombra: "Fine! But this is a waste of time, as I will crush those who defy me. I will defeat all who get in my way! (Discord (as Grogar) gets annoyed and uses his magic to send him away) I'm—" Discord (as Grogar): (to Chrysalis, Tirek and Cozy Glow) "I advise the rest of you to prepare to work together!" (leaves the villains) |
„ |
~ Discord (as Grogar) making a deal with King Sombra in either accepting or refusing his terms. |
“ | Cozy Glow: (holding hands with Tirek and Chrysalis) "Now I'll say something nice about centaurs. Tirek, you say something nice about changelings. And Chrysalis, you say something nice about ponies!" Queen Chrysalis: "NEVER!" Discord (as Grogar): "Let us hope the three of you will be enough for my plans." (The villains let go of each others' hands) Queen Chrysalis: "And what of King Sombra?" Lord Tirek: "Did he succeed?" Discord (as Grogar): "Hah! (uses his crystal ball to show King Sombra's death) I'd say he gambled and lost! But at least he can serve as a warning to those who doubt continuing with my plans. Unless any of you have doubts." Lord Tirek: "(nervously) Uh, not I." Queen Chrysalis: "(nervously) Nope!" Cozy Glow: "(nervously) I'm good!" Discord (as Grogar): "Then we shall join forces and work together to bring Equestria to its knees! (laughs maniacally while Chrysalis, Tirek and Cozy Glow laugh nervously)" |
„ |
~ Discord (as Grogar) cementing his place as leader of the Legion of Doom after showing and using King Sombra's death to secure their loyalty |
“ | Cozy Glow: (interrupts Discord (as Grogar) who is looking in the crystal ball) "I don't want to tattle on my good friend Tirek, but... you might like to know he left food out. Again." Discord (as Grogar): "(annoyed) I'll deal with it when I'm done." (returns to the crystal ball before Tirek appears) Lord Tirek: "Don't trust anything that nosy little Pegasus says!" Discord (as Grogar): "(annoyed) I don't trust anything any of you say." Lord Tirek: "Hmph!" Queen Chrysalis: (Discord (as Grogar) returns to the crystal ball before Chrysalis blocks it) "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?" (flies away into the living room with Tirek and Cozy Glow) Discord (as Grogar): (snorts angrily) I'm 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.(villains start to argue before Discord (as Grogar) uses his magic to silence them) 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! |
„ |
~ Discord (as Grogar) ordering the Legion of Doom to get over their differences while he leaves. |
“ | (The villains start arguing after singing their song until Discord (as Grogar) returns to the lair) Discord (as Grogar): "ENOUGH! (the villains stop arguing) I had hoped by now you would've resolved your differences, but apparently not." Queen Chrysalis: "Perhaps if we knew what the plan was, we would be better able to prepare!" Lord Tirek: "Assuming you even have a plan." Discord (as Grogar): "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." Queen Chrysalis: "I have come close to ruling Equestria several times. Perhaps I should be the one to lead us." Cozy Glow: "I nearly drained all the magic from Equestria! That was good!" Lord Tirek: "I absorbed all the magic of Equestria! I could feel it flowing through my body as I grew!" (The villains start arguing again which causes Discord (as Grogar) to angrily snap and use his magic to restrain them) Discord (as Grogar): "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?!" (The villains all agree before Discord (as Grogar) drops them) Discord (as Grogar): "Now you shall retrieve the rest of it." |
„ |
~ Discord (as Grogar) trying to get the Legion of Doom to stop arguing while revealing his plan. |
“ | 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. | „ |
~ Discord (as Grogar) telling about the real Grogar's defeat in "Frenemies". |
“ | Scale Mt. Everhoof. Bring me back my bell. | „ |
~ Discord (as Grogar} ordering the Legion of Doom to retrieve the real Grogar's Bewitching Bell. |
“ | Discord (as Grogar): "YOU FAILED TO RETRIEVE THE BELL?!!!" Cozy Glow: (dramatically pretending) "W-W-We're sorry, almighty Grogar." Lord Tirek: (dramatically pretending) "We worked together as you asked." Queen Chrysalis: (dramatically pretending) "We just aren't as powerful as you." Discord (as Grogar): (yells angrily and fires a magic blast into a wall causing the villains to flinch) "Obviously! At least you finally did as you were told and worked together." (leaves the villains) Cozy Glow: "Of course!" Lord Tirek: "Whatever you command!" Queen Chrysalis: (to Tirek and Cozy Glow) "Forget about that old bell. You were right. We're so much more powerful... when we work as a team." |
„ |
~ Discord (as Grogar) angry that the Legion of Doom "failed" to retrieve the Bewitching Bell not realizing that they've hidden it and are planning to betray him |
“ | Cozy Glow: "(clears throat) Where are ya goin'?" Discord (as Grogar): "Since you three were unable to retrieve my Bewitching Bell, we need another source of great magical power to defeat Twilight and her friends." (leaves the lair) |
„ |
~ Discord (as Grogar) leaving for the Summer Sun Celebration while also deciding to find another artifact and still not realizing that the Legion of Doom are planning to go to Canterlot to find the answer to use the Bewitching Bell. |
“ | Once again, I've found success where you all find failure. I have located what I sought, and tomorrow I will set out to retrieve it. When I return, Equestria will finally be ours for the taking. (leaves the villains) | „ |
~ Discord (as Grogar} pretending to have found another artifact to use and still not realizing that they have a book that they secretly stole from Canterlot on how to use the Bewitching Bell. |
“ | Discord (as Grogar): "I have returned. Twilight Sparkle's coronation is today, and we are going to ruin it with this artifact. (reveals a jewel that resembles the Flash Stone) But to succeed, you must work together." Queen Chrysalis: "Oh, way ahead of you, Grogar." (Chrysalis reveals her new powerful form, spits webbing on Discord's (as Grogar) hooves, Tirek reveals himself to be in his third form, Cozy Glow reveals herself as an alicorn while blasting the jewel and the villains reveal the Bewtiching Bell which causes Discord's (as Grogar) eyes to widen in shock and fear) Discord (as Grogar): "The bell! You had it all this time?! Why didn't you tell me?!" Cozy Glow: "We're villains. Duh." (The villains use their magic to activate the Bewitching Bell which drains Discord's magic and his Grogar disguise which exposes him. Discord waves sheepishly at the villains who are shocked.) Lord Tirek: "That was unexpected." (Discord snaps his fingers to disappear but to no avail and flees) Cozy Glow: "Wait. Discord was Grogar? Like, the whole time? Should we follow him?" Queen Chrysalis: "Without magic, he's no threat. Besides, we have plans." |
„ |
~ Discord being betrayed by the Legion of Doom who use the Bewitching Bell on him to drain him of his magic which exposes him of his Grogar disguise much to their shock before allowing him to flee and continue with their plans. |
Trivia[]
- A popular fan speculation was that Grogar would be the villain in the My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Season 5 premiere since Tirek was rebooted as the Season 4 finale antagonist. However, this was proven false, and the real antagonist in the Season 5 premiere is Starlight Glimmer. However, he was mentioned in "A Flurry of Emotions" and Discord poses as him in Season 9.
- Grogar's defeat takes place during a song. This would happen two more times in following stories, with Crunch the Rockdog and King Charlatan (though in the case of the latter, he was reasoned with and realized his mistakes, the heroes just played a song that befitted the moment).
- It is a common misconception that Grogar is a necromancer in My Little Pony 'n Friends, despite nothing in the show indicating this to be true. Ironically, the version of Grogar from Friendship is Magic seems to use necromancy to resurrect fellow villain King Sombra. However, it turns out to be Discord in the form of Grogar, meaning that King Sombra came back from the dead by Discord's doing, not Grogar's.
- Similarly, the concept of a kingdom returning from a limbo along with a dangerous ancient evil was used by both Grogar and Sombra's debut appearances.
- The G4 version of Grogar being a tyrant and creator of monsters may have taken inspiration from Morgoth from The Silmarillion. His title of the "Father of Monsters" is also similar to Typhon who is husband to Echidna who was the "Mother of All Monsters"
- The G4 version of Grogar may have also taken inspiration from Tirac in terms of being a tyrant of a kingdom and having created monsters.
- While Discord poses as Grogar throughout Season 9, the real Grogar's fate and true personality are unknown, although he's known to be cruel and wicked in the past. It is known that he was banished and defeated by Gusty the Great as Chrysalis pointed out in the Season 9 premiere according to the tales she and others had heard. As the Grogar seen throughout the season was an imposter, it can be assumed that the real Grogar simply remained banished. However, it is unknown if his banishing involved him being sealed in another realm like the Pony of Shadows or if he was simply exiled from Equestria. If it was the latter, he may have died of old age, though several creatures in the series are known to have extended lifespans. It's also unknown if the voice Discord was using was the real Grogar's or a voice that he had come up with.
- As he never actually appeared in person, the exact power of the FIM version of Grogar is unknown. The magic initially stored in the Bewitching Bell was stated to have been his, and it was enough to turn Cozy Glow into an alicorn, give Chrysalis a new form powerful enough to defeat Starlight Glimmer, and power Tirek's second form that was only one Earth pony away to his third form which took his third form to a level that could very easily defeat Starswirl and the other pillars all at once. It's unclear however if the magic was split exactly evenly amongst the three villains. At the very least, he would have to have been far more powerful than Starswirl or any base level alicorn, likely putting him on par with Celestia. Assuming that his magic was divided exactly evenly, he would still be less powerful than Twilight and Tirek were during their battle in season 4, as they had power equal to all 4 alicorns, while Grogar would only have the power of three alicorns, given that a third of his magic would have been enough to turn Cozy into an alicorn.
- While the G4 version of Grogar may still be alive in another realm, as all of his old magic was stored in the Bewitching Bell and eliminated when the magic of friendship was used to defeat Chrysalis, Cozy Glow, and Tirek after they had absorbed it, all of his old power is now gone forever, meaning that even on the off chance that he did somehow return, he would have no way of reclaiming his magic. His only way to become as powerful as before would be to re-obtain the Bewitching Bell and absorb enough magic from other beings to gain power equal to his previous power. In addition, it is unknown what was done with the bell after the villains were defeated, so it's not even clear if he could reclaim it. As a result, the possibility of him returning for real would not be of much concern at this point. However, in G5, many years after the events of My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, his Bewitching Bell is revealed to be in the possession of an earth pony named Argyle Starshine, who is the father of an adventurous Earth pony named Sunny Starscout. The bell makes a cameo in the Netflix film, My Little Pony: A New Generation. It is currently unknown how Argyle got the bell. After Argyle passed away, the Bell is now in the possession of Sunny Starscout. If Grogar is still alive and has returned from another realm, it is possible he will return in the future G5 series, as an potential enemy to Sunny and her friends and will try to reclaim his bell from Sunny's home.
- The G4 version of Grogar (including Discord's disguise as him) is the third character to be a revamp of a G1 villain, the first being Tirac with Lord Tirek and the second being the Smooze, who was turned into a far less destructive entity in G4, and not a villain in the slightest.
- Both the G1 and G4 versions of Grogar are similar in many ways:
- They once ruled the ponies' home country in the distant past.
- G1 Grogar ruled Ponyland 500 years ago.
- G4 Grogar ruled ancient Equestria thousands of years ago.
- They both are ancient and legendary that some characters have heard tales of their tyranny and they are much older than other villains.
- G1 Grogar is well known by Paradise and is older than Tirac.
- G4 Grogar is well known by Equestria, Queen Chrysalis, Lord Tirek and King Sombra and is much older than the latter three (though he could possibly be the same age as Discord).
- They each had a magical bell which was the source of the their power until they lost it.
- G1 Grogar's bell was destroyed when Megan rang the Ancient Bell a second time.
- G4 Grogar's Bewitching Bell is indestructible, but was taken from him by Gusty the Great and her Unicorn Warriors.
- They both had minions who served them out of fear and later turned on them.
- G1 Grogar had the Troggles who abandoned him out of redemption.
- G4 Grogar had Chrysalis, Tirek and Cozy Glow who betrayed him to take Equestria for themselves (though this was actually Discord in disguise).
- They once ruled the ponies' home country in the distant past.
- When Discord poses as Grogar throughout Season 9, he was thought to be the main antagonist, Bigger Bad and overarching antagonist of the season and entire series while Chrysalis, Tirek and Cozy Glow, were thought to be the secondary antagonists of the season. However, this all changed in the finale as when Discord's mistake was revealed and thus, Chrysalis, Tirek and Cozy Glow took over as the main villains of the season and entire series.
- Grogar is the closest the series had to an overall main antagonist of the entire series, as he has more connection to Equestria and it`s history than any other antagonist in the show. Unfortunately, since the real Grogar never appeared in the show but only appeared in illustrations and flashbacks and Discord posed as him in Season 9, the real Grogar serves as the overarching antagonist in the series.
- According to series director Jim Miller, Discord impersonating Grogar was planned from the beginning of Season 9, as they wanted Chrysalis, Tirek and Cozy Glow to be the main antagonists of the finale because they had more of a personal connection to the main characters.
- According to the writers, they brought Grogar into My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic to re-imagine what he would be in G4.
- In the My Little Pony: Essential Handbook, there is an error in which the studs on Grogar's collar are blue instead of golden.
- Due to resemblance and age wise, many fans have theorized that Grogar was Discord's father or that the latter was created by Grogar, as we don't know of Discord's true origins and he seemed to portray Grogar extremely well.
- However, the real Grogar never physically met Chrysalis, Tirek, Sombra and Cozy Glow, so that Discord impersonated him in order to delay his return and bring these four villains back in his place by deception. If Grogar and Discord met for the first time, they would have a bad relationship from the beginning.