The prompt for this was "Salem forms an Evil League of Evil of different villains from different franchises."
Seated on the throne of purple crystal in her meeting hall, Salem sensed their approach. None of them ever came in through the front gate of her palace, preferring to arrive directly in the chamber near the top of the palace. Salem suspected that they did so simply to remind her that they could appear wherever they pleased, but they at least did her the courtesy of signaling their coming.
Salem had already instructed Watts and Tyrian to remain in their chambers. She had no desire for them to meet her partners. Her Evil League of Evil, as at least one of their members amused himself by calling it.
Though the warning appeared in Salem's mind as a slight pressure, she had to wait a minute before the first of them arrived. When he did so, it was as sudden as lightning on a clear day. He emerged from the shadows as if he had always been there, wearing a cloak of dark colored cloth beneath which was only darkness. No matter how the light fell upon him, everything beneath that cloak was wreathed in oily shadow. Looking into his face was like staring into the bottom of an infinitely deep well.
Salem rose from her throne as he arrived and inclined her head to him. "Haliax," she greeted the leader of the Chandrian.
"Salem, always a pleasure," he replied in a cool voice. He stood beside one of the chairs to Salem's right and waited for the others to arrive.
They didn't have to wait long before a sound like thunder heralded the arrival of their next member. A shimmering white portal appeared to Salem's left, closing with another thunderclap as soon as its owner stepped through. He was a giant of a man, standing even taller than Hazel with musculature to match. He wore black armor that left his arms and face exposed. His skin was the color and texture of granite, his features were harsh, and his eyes burned with crimson fire.
"Darkseid," Salem said, inclining her head to the ruler of Apokolips.
"Salem," he greeted with a voice that was deep and commanding, but still surprisingly human for one who looked so monstrous. Before any more words could be exchanged, the fourth member of their circle appeared.
A humming sound filled the chamber as he appeared in a flash of golden light. This teleport was crude compared to the technology of Apokolips, but it still managed to place an adult Thoroughbred directly where he wished to be. His coat was a dark chestnut color with a white blaze down the middle of his face. The horse took his place standing to Salem's left near the foot of the table and nickered in greeting.
"Good to see you, Bad Horse," replied Salem.
The final member of the League came moments later, arriving last as his ego demanded. He Planeswalked into the room with a rush of air and a loud popping sound. His golden scales sparkled in the candlelight even as his massive wings blocked most of the windows on the right side of the chamber. Curved horns swept up from his brow, and a bronze egg hovered in between them. These horns would have scraped the ceiling if he stood upright, but he was perfectly content to coil himself to fit into the room, as if to show that it was lowering himself to even be there. The Elder Dragon's strangely human face smiled at his assembled partners.
"Greetings, my friends," he hissed.
"Nicol Bolas," Salem replied with a slight bow. "My partners, welcome to Remnant." She sat in the throne at the head of the table while Darkseid and Haliax took the seats normally used by Tyrian and Hazel. Nicol Bolas lowered his body a bit more, and Bad Horse remained standing as was typical of his species.
Salem felt the same twinge of apprehension that she always did around such a powerful assemblage of beings, but she didn't let it show on her face. Were the five of them to fight, she didn't know who would win, but she suspected that it wouldn't be her. Even so, her place in this League was secure. She was the only of them with the knowledge necessary to obtain and use the Relics, and even Bolas' telepathy couldn't glean those secrets from the inky void that was her mind.
That position might become more dangerous once a Relic or two had been obtained. Each of Salem's partners desired one of the Relics, while she needed all four. Darkseid planned to use the Relic of Knowledge to finally solve the Anti-Life Equation. Bolas thought the Relic of Creation could restore the godlike power he had possessed before the Mending. Haliax wanted the Relic of Destruction to annihilate the lands that he had once dedicated himself to protecting. Meanwhile, Bad Horse's designs for the Relic of Choice eluded even Salem's full understanding.
But at the moment, other problems presented themselves.
"I won't waste words," Salem began. "The Haven operation was a failure. Ozpin and his subordinates arrived to distract Hazel, while Raven Branwen deceived Cinder with a decoy Spring Maiden and defeated her in battle."
"Your protégé was beaten?" asked Haliax. "With all the effort you've put into her, that might be more of a loss than the immediate failure to obtain the Relic at Haven. Is she dead?"
"I have not become aware of a new Fall Maiden," replied Salem. "I believe Cinder may still be alive, though I'm not sure of her status. Additionally, Raven opened the vault before fleeing Haven. Ozpin now possesses the Relic."
Bad Horse whinnied a question.
"For now they're still in Mistral," answered Salem. "But with Lionheart and most of the kingdom's best Huntsmen dead, they are unlikely to stay there. Atlas is the only place left they will expect to be secure." She noted Bolas grin at that.
"If they are moving the Relic, then we should strike while they are in transit," suggested Darkseid.
"Agreed," confirmed Salem. "Tyrian and Hazel-"
"No," interjected Haliax. "Your servants have had their chance, and I am done waiting. The Chandrian will hunt them down and take the Relic from them."
Salem was surprised at his insistence. Haliax was the only one of their members who had been born with a human lifespan and later obtained immortality. He had always struck her as patient and cautious, but it seemed even he had his limits.
"Ozpin will be there," she warned.
"His body is new and weak," countered Haliax. "I will kill him easily. Along with the silver-eyed girl."
The others nodded in agreement, and eventually Salem relented.
"Very well, but be on your guard." Eager to get the conversation back under her control, she turned to face Bolas. "How are things in Atlas proceeding?"
The dragon grinned. "Don't you already know? The kingdom has closed its borders. Ironwood is jumping at shadows, seeing enemies everywhere he looks. His specialists are the only ones he still trusts. And one of those specialists..." He turned to face Darkseid.
"The Winter Maiden is ready," confirmed the New God. "Granny Goodness has broken her and remade her as our slave. She will convince Ironwood to lead her to the vault, and then she will take the Relic for us."
"Excellent," said Salem, before turning to the end of the table. "What of Vacuo?"
Bad Horse neighed in reply.
"That's good to hear, but with Cinder potentially dead we'll need a new plan for the Summer Maiden," Darkseid pointed out.
The thoroughbred whinnied.
"Really?" asked Salem with a grin. "How did you manage that?"
Bad Horse snorted. The table was silent for a moment before Bolas let out a hissing chuckle.
"Impressive," the dragon whispered.
"So then only the Beacon Relic remains," Haliax said.
"It's only a matter of time before my Grimm locate it," Salem assured her partners.
"Which brings us back to Cinder…" Darkseid sneered.
"Yes, we'll need to determine her status," admitted Salem.
"I can retrieve her," offered Bolas, sounding almost bored. The others turned to look at him. "My part in the plan for Atlas is finished, and it's not like I'd have any trouble infiltrating Haven."
Salem nodded in agreement, despite the apparent absurdity of the claim. She knew that invisibility was the least of what Bolas could accomplish with his magic.
"If she's alive, I'll bring her back here," continued the dragon. "If she's dead, I'll send someone to look for the new Fall Maiden. And if she's somewhere in-between, well necromancy can do wonderful things for the half-dead."
"Then it seems our victory is at hand," declared Salem. "Soon the Relics, and the power to reshape worlds, will belong to us."
Author's Note: I love villain meetings, so writing one with all my favorites was a ton of fun.
I provided enough information to make the characters I included easily Google-able, and I definitely recommend checking them out if you're not familiar. Dr Horrible is a lot of fun, and The Name of the Wind is one of the best books I've ever read.
Let me know what you think. Thanks for reading!