//------------------------------//
// That was Unexpected 
// Story: Magical Difficulties 
// by TheClownPrinceofCrime 
//------------------------------//

IN GROGAR’s LAIR

This was a day a trio of Equestria’s greatest villains have been waiting for. For so long have they sought to finally have revenge on their enemies for defeating them and conquer Equestria once and for all. With an ancient artifact at their disposal, nopony in the land would dare attempt to overthrow them. Thus, they thought they will surely prevail over the ponies. 

Two of the villains were together in the meeting room where one was reading an ancient book while the other was finishing her breakfast. “Hmmmm, very interesting...” the middle-sized centaur muttered, turning the next page. 

“What is it, Tirek?” the little filly asked before chewing her last pancake. 

“This spell appears to be the central key to unlocking Grogar’s Bell, Cozy.” replied Tirek. “When Chrysalis gets back, I will inform you all of how this spell will work.” 

“Aww, come on! Why can’t you tell me now? Why do we have to wait for Chrysalis?” Cozy groaned. 

“I can’t spoil the surprise to you now, can I?” Tirek smirked. 

“You’re just like Grogar who doesn’t tell us what he’s been doing all this time while absenting himself! In fact, what’s taking him so long?! It’s been like three weeks or so since he left!” Cozy complained. 

“Maybe he’s going on a vacation. Perhaps like going on a cruise with mares beside him, going to an amusement park, or maybe going to a movie theater to watch a terrible movie and then getting drunk in a bar to forget about what he watched and forget about us.” Tirek mused, shrugging. 

Cozy arched an eyebrow at everything he said. “Uhh, why would he go to any of those places? Isn’t he supposed to be above such activities?” 

“Who cares honestly? Besides, it would be better if he never came back and we take Equestria for ourselves!” Tirek grinned. 

“Yeah! Works for me!” Cozy agreed. 

At that moment, a mare approached the room moments before changing into a tall changeling through a green flame. Tirek noticed her presence as she entered inside. “Ahh, Chrysalis! Another successful field trip, I presume?” Tirek asked. 

“Spreading distrust among the unicorns and earth ponies is almost too easy!” bragged Chrysalis. “We can take down Twilight and her friends a hundred times, but as long as the ‘love’ of Equestria is behind them, they crawl back to defeat us! Not anymore!” 

“No friendship, no magic!” Cozy added. “It’s so obvious when you think about it. I did my part in freaking out the pegasi.” 

“And Grogar’s long absence has given me time to prepare the next part of our plan!” Tirek said. He got up from his chair and blew out the flame on the torch. He removed it with his magic and took a bell out from inside the hole it was hidden. “Grogar’s Bell!” 

“It has the power to steal any creature’s magic! It holds that magic inside until it is released by this spell!” Tirek explained. “Which means all the power inside is ours for the taking!” He then preceded to kiss the bell repeatedly while drooling. 

Cozy grabbed the bell from his hooves with disgust on her face. “You’re drooling on the bell! What are you going to do? Marry it?” 

Tirek widened his eyes and glared at Cozy. “Marry it?! What do you—I’m just admiring the fact it has powerful magic inside!!” he yelled. 

“Sure. Just remember to ask the bell to go on a date later.” Cozy said, smirking. Tirek growled in irritation. 

“Enough! Let us try the spell before Grogar gets back! I’m sick of waiting for that old goat’s ‘master plan’!” Chrysalis said, rolling her eyes. She snatched the bell from Cozy’s hooves and laid it on the book. 

“Take my hands.” Tirek said. Cozy and Chrysalis looked at him confused. “So we could all take part of the spell...unless you prefer I take all the magic myself.” 

“That would not be good for you, Tirek! You would get fat from consuming all that magic!” Cozy laughed. 

“Why, you little—!” Tirek growled, igniting his horns. 

“Could you two just stop messing around for ten minutes?!” Chrysalis shouted. Tirek and Cozy stood down and began to focus. “(Sighs) Anyway, our path stands. What we do we do together. Once we have defeated the protectors of Equestria, we will rule this land and rule our kingdoms alone once more!” Chrysalis declared. The other villains evilly smiled. 

As they joined hands/hooves, Tirek cast a spell on the bell. The bell then glowed for several moments with bright yellow aurora. The villains smiled with eager anticipation as they fantasized having Grogar’s magic flowing through their veins. They could not wait to conquer Equestria. 

Suddenly, the bell stopped glowing and did not move. The Treacherous Trio stood surprised by the outcome. “Umm, why did it stop glowing? Is it supposed to do that?” Cozy asked. 

“I thought this spell was going to work, Lord Tirek!” Chrysalis said, glaring at him. 

“That’s what the book said!” Tirek replied. “This doesn’t make any sense!” 

At that moment, the bell grew two little legs and two little arms, stood up, and started to break dance. The trio look bewildered by the strange sight. Then hip hop music suddenly played in the background. The villains looked around in deep confusion. 

“WHAT IS THIS?!” Tirek yelled. 

“That bell is dancing!! How?!” Cozy screamed. 

“It is ALIVE?! Impossible!!” Chrysalis added. 

The bell then began grew a mouth and shouted, “YO, WHAT’S UP, BRUH?!” 

“Did it just talk?!” Chrysalis asked. 

“Make it stop! MAKE IT STOP!!” Cozy yelled, closing her ears. “I HATE THIS TYPE OF MUSIC!” 

Tirek cast a spell on the bell which stopped the background music and turned the bell back to its inanimate form. The villains sighed in relief. “I have no clue what just happened, but it’s obvious we did the spell wrong.” Tirek concluded. 

“CLEARLY!! Perhaps holding your hands was a bad idea!” Chrysalis snapped. 

“Hey, you yourself said that what we do, we do together! Hello?!” Tirek argued. 

“I know what I said! That doesn’t mean we just embrace each other like...ugh...friends.” Chrysalis spoke, cringing on the last word. 

“How about this spell? Maybe this will work.” Cozy suggested, pointing at the imprinted spell. Tirek and Chrysalis looked at the spell and nodded in understanding. 

“Hmmm, this does look promising. We should definitely give this a try.” Tirek said.

“Very well. I hope it works this time,” said Chrysalis. 

Instead of holding hands/hooves, Tirek cast the second spell on the bell. This time, it flowed toward the ceiling while glowing brightly. “Look, it’s moving this time!” Cozy smiled. 

“Finally! Our time of vengeance and terror has come!” Chrysalis exulted. “Prepare yourselves, Celestia and Luna! Get ready to face your ultimate—!” 

The bell then blasted rock-in-roll music. 

“AGAIN?!” Chrysalis shouted in disbelief. 

“Come on!! What gives?!” Cozy added. 

Chrysalis suddenly felt a kick on her flank. She bumped into Tirek from the force of the kick. She looked back and saw no one behind her. “What the? WHO DARES KICK QUEEN CHRYSALIS?!?” the changeling angrily bellowed. 

“Wasn’t me!” Cozy denied, waving her hooves innocently. 

“Me neither! I was just standing right here!” Tirek also denied. 

The bell stopped playing music suddenly and fell down on the table all by itself. Tirek looked puzzled by that odd moment. “Huh? Did that thing just deactivate itself?” he asked. 

“That wasn’t me. Is somepony here with us?!” Chrysalis demanded no one. She flew out to the wider room of the cavern to see if any one was there. To her surprise, no creature was there. “Hmm, at least Grogar hasn’t returned yet.” 

“He could appear any minute! We have to hurry and absorb its powerful magic! I am dying for this magic already!” Tirek urged, gazing on the bell. Chrysalis flew back to the room and reunited with her allies. 

Before Tirek could cast another spell, Chrysalis put her hoof on his shoulder. “Don’t! I will cast a third spell myself! You’ve done enough!” she spat. 

“Humph! You’re welcome.” Tirek muttered, crossing his arms. 

After reading another ancient spell in the book, Chrysalis cast a third spell on the bell. “This should work.” she said. 

The bell then flowed in the air and emitted the same yellow aurora. Just when things got weirder, the bell grew red lips and remained floating in the air. It also grew an eye in the middle with an eyelash and looked flirtatiously at the bewildered centaur. It flowed toward him and began kissing his cheeks repeatedly and fluttered its eyelash at him.  

“Awww!! See, Tirek? I told you to take it on a date!” Cozy giggled. 

“I should have never kissed that bell.” Tirek whispered. 

The bell turned back to normal and landed on the book again. This really frustrated the Treacherous Trio. They planned to take over all of Equestria with newfound power. Yet, this is what really waylaid them? Was this going to be their downfall? 

“Okay, this is getting ridiculous by the second! Every time we try a new spell, something stupid happens!! What is wrong with this book?!” Chrysalis said. 

“Somepony must have manipulated the spells on the book or something. That’s my only guess.” Cozy said. 

“Those spells do not even look like they’ve been manipulated! I mean, look at them! Is it possible that’s how Grogar ruled Equestria in the first place?” Tirek asked. 

“NONSENSE!! He would’ve never conquered Equestria if that ever happened to him! Still, I am not willing to give up our plans just because of silly events like this!” Chrysalis stated. 

At that moment, the bell activated itself and levitated in the air. It turned backwards and faced the trio with a magical vortex underneath. The villains became confused at first until they grinned evilly as they thought it would finally give them Grogar’s power. 

But then—“Tirek, Tirek, you have disappointed me, son.” a voice called from the bell. Tirek widened his eyes with crippling disbelief as he immediately recognized the voice he never wanted to hear again in his life. 

“F-father?!” Tirek shouted, trembling. 

“You are a complete waste of a son. Your brother Scorpan was ten times the mighty creature than you ever were. Ohhh, how pathetically worthless you are. Truly the embodiment of disappointment.” Vorak said. 

“STOOOOOOOPPP!!!!! TURN IT OOOOOOFFF!!!!” Tirek screamed in sheer rage. 

“Chrysalis! How dare you!” another voice called out from the bell. 

“Mother?!” Chrysalis recognized. 

“You are a worthless excuse for a ruler. Thorax has proven himself as more wise and caring than you are. Also, you can kiss Starlight Glimmer’s hooves when you surrender.” the voice said. 

“WHAT?! NOOOO!!!” Chrysalis cried. 

“Oh hey, Cozy! Chancellor Neighsay wanted to say hi!” another familiar voice chuckled. 

“SANDBAR?!” Cozy said. 

The bell produced a panoramic picture of the Young Six making a piñata Cozy Glow and Yona smashing that piñata to pieces with candy flying everywhere. Neighsay then winked at Cozy before the picture disappeared. 

“THAT’S IT!! I AM OUT OF HERE!!” Cozy screamed, flying out of the cavern. 

“Right behind you, Cozy! I’m done with this stupid bell!!” Chrysalis cried, following her. 

“I’ll find some other magic to absorb! I’ll be sick from this!!” Tirek bellowed, running to catch up to them. 

Once the villains ran out, the bell flowed down on its own and started to laugh hysterically. “And that’s how I saved Equestria! Hahahahaha!!” the bell said. It turned into its draconequus form and left the cavern. 


THE END