//------------------------------//
// Grogar's Bewitching Bell 
// Story: The Return of King Sombra 
// by Dragon-Master-31 
//------------------------------//

The next day…







The next morning, Tirek, Chrysalis, and Cozy Glow were all eager to get the day started. Last night, they had all worked together to come up with a plan to reach the top of Mount Everhoof. The planning took some time, but the terrible trio were satisfied with how their plan turned out.



As the terrible trio set off for the summit of Mount Everhoof, they all agreed that until they reached a specific spot, they would stay on the ground so the wind wouldn’t give them any trouble. From what they had discussed yesterday, the trio determined that the path Cozy Glow had taken would be the smartest path to take first. Besides, they had to take care of Rusty Bucket and do what Sombra had ordered them to do.



If you run into anypony along the way, kill them.



Following Cozy Glow’s lead, the terrible trio soon arrived at Rusty Bucket’s cabin. As they arrived, Rusty Bucket walked outside to see who had come to his home this time. The sight of Cozy Glow, as well as Tirek and Chrysalis shocked Rusty Bucket as he was not expecting to have more visitors.



“Hello again, mister.” Cozy Glow said as she grinned at Rusty Bucket. 



“Huh? You again?” Rusty Bucket said as he looked at Tirek and Chrysalis. “And who might you two be?” 



“(Chuckle) So, you’re the one who wouldn’t let Cozy Glow up the mountain. Is that right?” Tirek asked with a raised eyebrow.



“Um, yes, that would be me.” Rusty Bucket said, not liking where this was going.



“(Giggle) This your last chance, mister. Take us up the mountain or else.” Cozy Glow said as she narrowed her eyes at Rusty Bucket.



“I’m sorry, but I can’t. It’s too dangerous to go up to the summit of Mount Everhoof.” Rusty Bucket said firmly. “I’m afraid you three will have to turn back.”



“(Evil Giggle) I was hoping you’d say that.” Cozy Glow said.



Then, before Rusty Bucket could do anything else, Tirek began to drain all of the magic out of his body. Once Tirek’s spell was finished, Rusty Bucket collapsed onto the ground, utterly weakened. Chrysalis then used her magic to suck all of the love out of Rusty Bucket’s body, leaving him completely drained of his life force. The three villains laughed as Rusty Bucket tried to get back up.



“(Groan) Why… Why are you doing this?” Rusty Bucket asked, finding it difficult to even speak.



“Because we have a job to do. Here, I’ll get the door for you!” Tirek said as he picked up Rusty Bucket and threw him at his door, breaking it down.



As Rusty Bucket was thrown into his house from the front door, Chrysalis walked in after him. As Chrysalis entered the home, her eyes spotted something on a small wooden table close by the fireplace. It was a book, but not just any book, it was the Friendship Journal that Cozy Glow had mentioned the previous day. Looking at the book, then at Rusty Bucket, and then at the fireplace, Chrysalis grinned as a wicked idea came to her mind.



“You know what the worst part is about ponies like you who live alone?” Chrysalis asked as she brought her face closer to Rusty Bucket’s. “When you die, no pony will ever know.”



Chrysalis then picked up the Friendship Journal with her magic and tossed it into the fire. Once the book was completely engulfed by the flames, Chrysalis took the book out of the fireplace and then threw it down on the wooden floor of the house. 



“No! What are you doing!? I’ll burn, help me!” Rusty Bucket cried as he saw that Chrysalis had started a fire in his house.



“(Evil Laugh) No.” Chrysalis replied with a sadistic grin.



“Please! I’ll take you all up the mountain, I promise! Just please get me out of here!” Rusty Bucket pleaded as he desperately tried to crawl away from the flames.



“Oh, I’m afraid it’s too late for that. You had your chance, and you didn’t take it. Farewell.” Chrysalis said as she picked up Rusty Bucket with her magic and threw him right into the heart of the fire.



Rusty Bucket screamed in pure agony as his body was instantly consumed by the roaring flames of the fire. Chrysalis grinned as she watched the pony struggle and writhe in pain. Eventually, the flames began to spread quickly throughout the wooden house, so Chrysalis quickly flew out of the house and rejoined the others.



“(Evil Giggle) Close the door.” Cozy Glow said with a sadistic grin.



With that, Chrysalis morphed into the female Ophiotaurus and let out a roar so loud, it caused the mountain to shake. Then, a huge amount of snow fell from the mountains, burying the entire house in snow and muffling the sounds of Rusty Bucket’s bloodcurdling screams as he was burning alive. With this little obstacle taken care of, the terrible trio laughed as they walked over the large pile of snow that covered the building. The villains were so busy laughing, that they didn’t hear the sounds of Rusty Bucket’s screams suddenly go silent; Rusty Bucket had finally succumbed to the blazing flames and was now dead.





As the terrible trio were making their way through some light forest to get to Mount Everhoof, they still continued to laugh over the disposal of Rusty Bucket.



“So, Cozy Glow, let’s just pretend that the old fool did decide to cooperate with us, would we have still finished him off?” Tirek asked, curious to hear the filly’s response.



“Well duh! Of course, we would still have taken him out. If we kept him alive, he would have told everypony about us. King Sombra said that no pony is supposed to know about us.” Cozy Glow said.



“Perhaps a fitting end for the fool would have been that once we reached the top of Mount Everhoof, we could just push him off the mountain and let him fall.” Chrysalis said with a flick of her tongue.



“(Laughs) Can you imagine the look on his face when we’d push him down the mountain? It would be hilarious!” Tirek said as the trio shared another laugh with each other.



While the terrible trio continued to laugh with each other, Tirek looked up and saw that there were some strong looking vines in the trees above him. Thinking that the vines could come in handy later, Tirek reached up and tore off a few of the vines, wrapping them around his shoulder. 





Soon, the terrible trio came to split in the forest. One path looked easy to take seemingly led straight to Mount Everhoof, while the other path would take longer to reach the mountain. Not sure which path to take, the trio stopped to think of what to do. After looking over each of the paths, Cozy Glow flew up ahead, pointing in the direction of the path on the right.



“We’ll go this way. It’ll get us to Mount Everhoof quicker.” Cozy Glow said as the other villains walked over to her.



“How do you know that? You never made it this far.” Chrysalis said, looking at Cozy Glow with a raised eyebrow.



“Because I have a great sense of direction.” Cozy Glow answered with a grin.



“Do you though? Because if you did, you would have reached the top of Mount Everhoof yesterday.” Tirek said with a smug look.



“Really? Are we really going to do this now?” Cozy Glow asked with a very unamused look on her face.



“Hey, I’m just laying down the facts for you.” Tirek said, putting his hands up defensively.



“Yeah? Well, if you bring it up again, the next thing that’s going to be laying down is you when I knock you out with one kick.” Cozy Glow said as she scowled at Tirek.



“Oh please, you’re not even strong enough to break my finger.” Tirek said as he waved his finger at Cozy Glow.



“If you two are done acting like children, may I remind you that we have a job to do.” Chrysalis said as she shoved past the two villains.



“Hey, he started it!” Cozy Glow said as she pointed at Tirek.



“Maybe I did, but you were the one who overreacted like a child.” Tirek said.



“I am a child!” Cozy Glow said.



“Whatever, let’s just go already.” Chrysalis said as she made her way down the path, with Tirek and Cozy Glow following her.



Little did the terrible trio know, during that whole time, they were being watched by a pack of hungry snow wolves. The wolves had been stalking the trio for quite a while now and they were just waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike. Unlike the forest creatures that had been stalking Chrysalis the previous day, these snow wolves were much stealthier and more efficient at staying quiet. Therefore, even Chrysalis couldn’t sense the oncoming threat in the tree line.



As the terrible trio continued to make their way through the forest, they soon spotted the edge of the forest up ahead. Excited to get out of the forest, Cozy Glow did a flip in the air as she eagerly pointed ahead.



“Come on you, guys! Let’s go!” Cozy Glow said as she once again flew up ahead of the others. 



“You know, I thought we agreed that flying wasn’t a good idea until we reached the right place for it.” Chrysalis said. 



“Pfft, relax, I’m only a few inches off the ground. The wind’s not going to take me down.” Cozy Glow said as she puffed out her chest with confidence.



Just then, as Cozy Glow’s back was turned, one of the snow wolves jumped out from the bushes and pounced on her, tackling her to the ground. Cozy Glow screamed as the wolf pinned her to the ground, trying to bite her neck. Before Chrysalis and Tirek could do anything to help Cozy Glow, the rest of the wolf pack emerged from the forest and began to circle the two villains. Tirek attempted to use his magic to scare the wolves away, but before he could, one of the wolves lunged forward and bit down on his forearm. Tirek cried out in pain as he felt the jaws of the wolf clamp tightly around him. Immediately after that, a couple more wolves leapt on top of Tirek, biting, and clawing at his back.



At the same time as Tirek was dealing with the wolves attacking him, Chrysalis was also being attacked. When the wolves first showed up, she had the idea to morph into a bigger creature to scare them off, but the wolves jumped her before she could use her power. The wolves were able to prevent Chrysalis from using her magic by biting her legs and one of them biting at her horn. Snow wolves were considered to be one of the more intelligent species of wolves in all of Equestria, and they were known to take down bigger creatures using their advantage in numbers.



During the scuffle, Tirek managed to get some of the wolves off of him by slamming himself against a tree, crushing two of the wolves. Tirek then kicked one of the wolves in the face, sending it flying back into a tree. The remaining wolves prepared to pounce on Tirek once again, but before they could, Tirek used his magic to lift the wolves up in the air and then he flung them all into the trees. With those wolves dealt with, Tirek began to use his magic to heal himself. 



Meanwhile, Chrysalis was still dealing with the wolves on her end. The wolves did not make it easy for her as they repeatedly bit her legs, with the one wolf still biting on her horn. Eventually, Chrysalis managed to find an opening as she flew up into the air. This escape managed to get the wolves attacking Chrysalis’s legs off of her, but the wolf biting her horn was still on her. Despite the cold wind causing her wounds to sting, Chrysalis powered through and swung her head in a circular motion. This caused the wolf to lose its grip and fall to the ground. Now free, Chrysalis swooped back down and landed in front of the wolves. 



“Let’s see how you creatures feel about this!” Chrysalis hissed as she used her magic to morph into a Timberwolf. 



This was a smart move on Chrysalis’s part as Timberwolves were the only creatures that snow wolves wouldn’t dare to mess with. Seeing the changeling suddenly transform into a Timberwolf, the snow wolves all cowered in fear. Seeing the fear in their eyes, Chrysalis let out a mighty roar, causing all except for one wolf, to flee the area.



While Chrysalis and Tirek had been fending off the wolves, Cozy Glow was fighting for her life against the last wolf, keeping its deadly jaws away from her neck. The wolf was persistent and was clearly dead set on making Cozy Glow its next victim no matter what. Cozy Glow punched and kicked at the wolf with her hooves as she tried push it off of her. As the struggle continued, Cozy Glow knew that she would eventually tire out, so she had to get out of this situation soon. Just as Cozy Glow predicted, her legs gave out and the wolf was ready to deliver a fatal bite. However, just before that could happen, the wolf was lifted up by Tirek’s magic and then blasted off into the sky.



“Phew, that was a close one. Thanks, Tirek.” Cozy Glow said as she got up and dusted the snow off of her back.



“Don’t mention it. If we’re going to die, it’s going to be because of a pack of wolves.” Tirek said as he examined himself for any more wounds.



“Come along then, let’s get away from here before any more pesky creatures show up.” Chrysalis said as she began to walk ahead, wincing a bit due to her wounds.



“Wait.” Tirek said as he walked over to Chrysalis. “Stay still.” 



With that, Tirek extended his hand and started using his magic to heal up Chrysalis’s wounds. Chrysalis was surprised that Tirek even bothered doing this for her. Although, it was most likely that Tirek just didn’t want to be slowed down by Chrysalis. Still, the gesture was somewhat appreciated. 



“Thanks…” Chrysalis said when her wounds were healed.



“Don’t get the wrong idea. I only did that because I don’t need you slowing us down.” Tirek said as he shot Chrysalis a look.



“Pah! You’re the one who is going to slow us down since you can’t even fly.” Chrysalis said as the two glared at each other.



“Um, hello? Can you two please stop acting like kids so we can get the bell? Thank you.” Cozy Glow said with a smile as she led the way.



This caused Tirek and Chrysalis to look at each other and then glare at the filly as they followed her, continuing their journey to Mount Everhoof as they made sure to keep an eye out for any other creatures that lurked around the area. 





Since the previous night when they had all shared their stories with each other, the terrible trio had gained a bit of respect for one another. Inside, they all felt a bit of pity for the other. Although, they indeed still hated each other, there was now more tolerance and respect between them. They now understood why they were serving Sombra and willing to accept the deal he offered them. While Cozy Glow had full faith that Sombra would honor the contract, Tirek and Chrysalis weren’t entirely sure. They didn’t think that Sombra would betray them or anything, but they couldn’t put it past him to one day just alter the deal so that he would end up getting more power over them.



After the incident with the snow wolves, the terrible trio had formulated a role system for their journey to Mount Everhoof. Cozy Glow would serve as the navigator due to her ‘great’ sense of direction; Chrysalis would use her abilities to morph into whatever form they needed her to be, and if a large threat were to show itself, Tirek would be the first to attack.



As the terrible trio were making their way up a hill, a large dead tree fell over, almost crushing the villains. With their path blocked, Chrysalis morphed into an Ursa Minor, picking up the tree and then throwing it down the hill.



“So, can you just turn into any animal? Or is there like a limit?” Cozy Glow asked as Chrysalis morphed back to her changeling form.



“We changelings can morph into any creature so long as we have either seen it or have a basic idea of their appearance.” Chrysalis replied.



“Huh, I got to admit, that is pretty cool!” Cozy Glow said.



“Yes, it’s cool or whatever. How long do you intend to ride on my back?” Tirek asked as he looked back at the filly.



“Until you admit that I’m a genius.” Cozy Glow said with a smile.



“Ha! I’d rather be locked in a cage with that dreadful pink party pony.” Tirek said as Cozy Glow stuck her tongue out at him.



“Hush, both of you!” Chrysalis hissed as the trio continued their journey.





After making it over the hill, the terrible trio arrived at the frozen lake that Chrysalis had run into the previous day. Overnight, the waters had once again frozen over with a thick sheet of ice. When they arrived, Tirek stuck a finger in his mouth and then held it up in the air to test how strong the winds were. After Tirek’s finger had completely frozen solid by the powerful icy winds, the trio concluded that flying over the river was a no-go.



“So, what do we do now?” Cozy Glow asked, still riding on Tirek’s back.



“Well, we’re definitely not getting over the river, that’s for sure.” Tirek said as he shook the ice off of his frozen finger.



“Step aside.” Chrysalis said as she stepped forward and morphed into an even bigger cragadile than before. 



Once transformed, Chrysalis dove through the ice and then resurfaced, swimming back so she was close enough to the shore where Tirek and Cozy Glow were standing. 



“Both of you, get on my back. I’ll get us across.” Chrysalis said as she did her best to stay still in the water.



“Hang on.” Tirek said to Cozy Glow. “If you fall in, I’m not freezing myself to save your sorry flank.” 



“Yeah, yeah, whatever.” Cozy Glow said as she playfully poked Tirek. “But I know you’d save me.” 



Tirek just rolled his eyes at this as he prepared to jump. Tirek knew he had to get the timing just right or else he’d fall in the freezing cold water. Due to the body shape of centaurs, Tirek wasn’t a great swimmer, and he wasn’t sure if Chrysalis would actually save him if he fell in. After a few seconds, Tirek carefully leapt safely onto Chrysalis’s back. With the two villains on her back, Chrysalis began to carefully swim across the lake, using the powerful jaws of the cragadile to break the ice that blocked her path.



It wasn’t long until the terrible trio managed to reach the other side of the frozen lake. As Chrysalis crawled out of the lake and back onto shore, Tirek and Cozy Glow jumped off of her back, allowing Chrysalis to morph back to her regular form. In front of the trio, was the huge pile of boulders all stacked up and forming a small mountain. 



“Flying is still off-limits?” Cozy Glow asked.



“Yes, it will be safer to climb the rocks.” Chrysalis replied.



“In that case, get off me.” Tirek said as he reared back on his hind legs, knocking Cozy Glow off of his back.



“Ow! Hey! What was that for!?” Cozy Glow asked as she landed on her rump.



“I’m not going to carry you on my back while I climb up this pile of rocks.” Tirek said with his arms crossed. “I don’t need you making this harder than it already will be.” 



“Are you saying that I’m heavy!?” Cozy Glow yelled as her face turned red with rage.



“Don’t look at me, you were the one eating marshmallows last night.” Tirek said as he shrugged.



“(Growl) I thought we were a team!” Cozy Glow yelled as she stomped her hooves on the ground.



“We are, but that doesn’t mean we have to be nice to each other.” Tirek said.



“Would you two just shut up already!? If you’re going to keep arguing every five minutes, I will just leave you both here!” Chrysalis hissed as she stomped her hoof. “Now, follow me.”



With that, the terrible trio began to climb up the large pile of rocks. Snow had covered all of the rocks, making the trip very slippery and difficult. Due to this, the trio decided to take their time climbing up the rocks so that they wouldn’t fall down. Thanks to having fingers and sharp claws, Tirek was able to climb up the rocks with relative ease. Chrysalis and Cozy Glow struggled a bit since they didn’t have any fingers or claws to help them. Chrysalis had considered just morphing into the mountain goat she had turned into yesterday so she could get ahead of the others.



Thankfully, Chrysalis didn’t do this as when they had reached the top, Cozy Glow ended up losing her grip.



“W-Woah! HELP ME!” Cozy Glow cried as she was about to fall down the hill.



“Got you!” Chrysalis shouted as she managed to catch Cozy Glow with her hoof just in time.



“(Gasp) (Pant) (Pant) C-Chrysalis… you… you saved me…” Cozy Glow said, looking up at the changeling.



“Of course, I did, now come on. We’re not finished yet.” Chrysalis said as she lifted Cozy Glow up and placed her safely on the ground.





After making it over the large pile of boulders, the terrible trio climbed up to the top of another large hill. At the top, they saw up ahead was Mount Everhoof. Chrysalis had tried to fly from this spot to reach the mountain yesterday, but the wind ended up knocking her back. 



“So, this is the place?” Tirek asked the changeling queen.



“Yes.” Chrysalis replied with a nod. “Here, flying will be our best option. However, the wind will make it very challenging.” 



“So, what are we going to do?” Cozy Glow asked. “It’s not like we can just stop the wind from blowing.” 



“Well of course, we can’t. That’s why I brought these.” Tirek said as he removed the vines he had collected earlier from his shoulder and held them out to the others. “If we can’t fly across, we’ll just have to make ourselves a bridge we can use to reach the other side.”



“And how exactly are we going to do that?” Cozy Glow asked with a raised eyebrow. “Oh golly, please don’t tell me you’re going to try and lasso up those vines around one of the rocks on Mount Everhoof. Because that is never going to work.” 



“Do I look like an idiot or something!? No, of course, that’s not what we’re going to do!” Tirek shouted. “Chrysalis here will transform into an animal that can fly really well through strong winds.” 



“I told you, I already tried that, and it didn’t work.” Chrysalis said.



“You didn’t let me finish.” Tirek said as he gave her a look. “As I was saying, Chrysalis will turn into a strong bird or something, while I tie the vines around one of these rocks. Then, Cozy Glow will hold the other end of the vines and Chrysalis will fly as far as she can to the mountain. Just before the wind knocks her back, Chrysalis will throw Cozy Glow to the mountain, which will allow Cozy Glow to tie the vine around one of the rocks on Mount Everhoof. Then, Chrysalis and I will walk across the vine to get to the other side.” 



After listening to Tirek’s plan, Chrysalis thought it was actually a pretty smart idea. Cozy Glow on the other hood, was taken aback by what she had just heard.



“Hang on! You want Chrysalis to throw me across this huge valley so I can hopefully make it to the mountain!?” Cozy Glow cried with a flap of her wings.



“That’s the idea.” Tirek replied.



“What if she misses!?” Cozy Glow asked.



“Then she misses.” Tirek replied with a shrug.



“You’re insane!” Cozy Glow shouted as she pointed at Tirek.



“Do you have a better idea? I’m all ears.” Tirek said as he waited for a response. “Yeah, I didn’t think so.” 



“B-But are those vines even strong enough for this plan?” Cozy Glow asked.



In response to Cozy Glow’s question, Tirek placed a spell on the vines, which increased their durability and endurance. 



“Now they are.” Tirek said with a grin as he tied one end of the vines around one of the nearby rocks.



“(Sigh) Fine, I trust you, Tirek.” Cozy Glow said as Tirek handed her the other end of the vines.



With that, Cozy Glow turned to Chrysalis and nodded to her, signaling the changeling queen that she was ready. In response, Chrysalis nodded back to Cozy Glow before morphing into the large hawk she had turned into yesterday. Chrysalis then held out her right talon, signaling Cozy Glow to come closer.



“Just please don’t squeeze me too hard or anything. I don’t want to be crushed.” Cozy Glow said.



“I will not hurt you unless I have to.” Chrysalis said with another nod.



Cozy Glow then walked forward, allowing Chrysalis’s hawk talons to wrap around her entire body. Once Cozy Glow was in a firm yet secure grip, Chrysalis took off into the air. Sure enough, the winds were still just as strong as ever. Chrysalis was only able to fly for a short time until she could sense that the wind would knock her back at any minute. 



“Are you ready, child!?” Chrysalis asked as she fought as hard as she could against the wind.



“Ready!” Cozy Glow shouted back as she prepared herself to be thrown.



With a screech, Chrysalis flipped in the air, using the momentum from the flip to fling Cozy Glow as hard as she could. As soon as she threw Cozy Glow, Chrysalis was knocked back down by the wind as she slammed onto the ground next to Tirek. The two villains watched as Cozy Glow flew through the air. Cozy Glow screamed all the way until she finally reached Mount Everhoof. Not wanting to miss her chance, Cozy Glow managed to wrap the vine around one of the rocks on the mountain, tying it up tightly. 



“Guys! I did it!” Cozy Glow shouted as she waved over to Tirek and Chrysalis.



“Wow, it actually worked.” Chrysalis said.



“Well of course, it did. I was the one who came up with the idea.” Tirek said as he grinned with pride.



Chrysalis merely rolled her eyes at this as she morphed into a monkey. Using the monkey’s fingers and firm grip, Chrysalis was able to crawl across the vine, which now connected the two mountains. After Chrysalis started making her way across the vine, Tirek also crawled across the vine, following close behind the changeling. Once the terrible trio had all made it to Mount Everhoof they all congratulated each other on the success of their plan. 







Meanwhile…







What the terrible trio didn’t know was that ever since their meeting in the Void, Sombra had been watching them. When Cozy Glow had told him that they were almost at Mount Everhoof, Sombra had gotten curious to see how the three villains were working together. He watched as the trio went their separate ways in an attempt to reach the top of Mount Everhoof. Sombra had to admit that it was rather enjoyable watching each of the villains fail to reach Mount Everhoof. However, he also wanted Tirek, Chrysalis, and Cozy Glow to work together.



When the terrible trio began to exchange their personal stories with each other, Sombra didn’t listen in as he decided that he didn’t want to know their stories, at least not yet. Although, based on the fears he had seen from them, Sombra already had a pretty good idea about the terrible trios’ pasts. The next day, Sombra watched as the three villains worked together to reach Mount Everhoof. When he saw their brilliant plan to actually reach Mount Everhoof, he was impressed.



“(Chuckle) Impressive… what a clever idea…” Sombra said as he continued to watch the terrible trio through the crystal ball.







Meanwhile…







After some time, the terrible trio finally made it to the top of Mount Everhoof. The journey to get here had not been easy, but it sure felt good to finally reach their destination. At the summit of Mount Everhoof, there was a large cave, which no doubt contained Grogar’s bell. Surrounding the entrance to the cave, was a strange looking field of magic and glowing lights.



“What is that?” Cozy Glow asked as she looked at the glowing magic lights.



“Probably just some magic barrier. No matter, it will not stop us.” Chrysalis said as she flew straight towards the cave’s entrance. 



As soon as Chrysalis reached the magic field surrounding the cave’s entrance, she was instantly knocked back onto the ground, sliding in the snow until she stopped next to Tirek and Cozy Glow. This surprised the despicable duo as they just looked at each other. Tirek then stepped forward to see if the magic field was really that powerful. Reaching out his hand, Tirek touched the magic field, only to have his hand burned. It was clear now that this was a powerful magical deflector shield and there was no simple way of getting past it.



“Can you absorb it and make it go away?” Cozy Glow asked hopefully.



“I can only absorb magic from living things.” Tirek said as he thought of what to do next.



As Tirek tried to come up with a solution to this situation, Cozy Glow thought about what Tirek had just told her. Looking over at Chrysalis, an idea came into Cozy Glow’s mind.



“You mean like her?” Cozy Glow asked, gesturing to Chrysalis.



Hearing this, Chrysalis’s wings instantly flared out as she lowered herself slightly, preparing to attack the two villains.



“Betrayal! I should have known!” Chrysalis yelled as she hissed at the despicable duo.



“Not betrayal; teamwork.” Cozy Glow said reassuringly. “If Tirek absorbs your energy, he might be strong enough to break through the barrier.” Cozy Glow said as Tirek flexed his muscles at the thought of getting more power.



“And then?” Chrysalis asked.



“Then… he gives it back.” Cozy Glow said as she smiled.



“I do?” Tirek asked, being caught off guard.



“Yep.” Cozy Glow replied with a nod as Tirek scowled.



“How do I know you won’t just take my magic and leave me?” Chrysalis asked, raising an eyebrow at the two villains.



“Oh, come on, would we do that to you?” Cozy Glow asked innocently.



In response to this, Chrysalis’s eyes went wide as she wondered if Cozy Glow was actually being serious. The changeling queen then gestured to herself and then to the other two villains, with a questioning look on her face.



“Okay normally, yes, we would.” Cozy Glow admitted with a shrug.



“Fine, I’ll give you your magic back.” Tirek said reluctantly.



“Very well. Do it.” Chrysalis said as she prepared herself to be drained of her magic.



With that, Tirek stepped forward and began to absorb Chrysalis’s magic. As Chrysalis felt her magic get drained out of her, she almost immediately started to feel herself weaken. As Chrysalis grew weaker, Tirek only grew stronger. Due to the sheer amount of power, Tirek started to grow in size. Soon, he had completely absorbed all of Chrysalis’s magic. Chrysalis fell to the ground, so weak that she could barely keep her eyes open while she looked up at the powered-up Tirek.



“Yes! YES! So much POWER!” Tirek roared as he flexed his muscles before giving them a kiss.



“Ew, what that really necessary?” Cozy Glow asked, but Tirek just ignored her.



“Oh yeah! I’m back, baby!” Tirek yelled as he blasted a beam of magic at the magical barrier, causing a small hole to form.



Tirek had intended to make the hole large enough for him to easily pass through, however the power of this barrier was so strong that Tirek could barely make a hole big enough for even a fully grown pony to fit through. 



“(Grunt) It’s not big enough for me!” Tirek yelled as he tried to break through the barrier.



“Maybe not for you!” Cozy Glow shouted as she flew straight through the hole before turning back to Tirek. “Keep it open for as long as you can, or I’ll be trapped forever!”



“(Groan) Would… that really be the worst thing that could happen right now?” Chrysalis weakly asked as Cozy Glow flew into the cave.





The entrance of the cave had been covered by dark shadows, which made it impossible to see inside or even distinguish how deep the cave was. Once Cozy Glow flew past the darkness of the cave’s entrance, she found herself standing in a huge chamber. If she didn’t know any better, Cozy Glow would have thought that she’d had just found an ancient temple. 



“Woah… what is this place?” Cozy Glow asked as she looked all around the walls of the cave.



Brightly lit torches were aligned along the walls of the chamber, illuminating the cave, and exposing all of its secrets. Aside from the torches, there were also lots of pictures which decorated the cave’s walls. These pictures seemed to tell the story of Grogar and his rule over Equestria, eventually leading to his defeat by Gusty the Great. There was also some sort of ancient written language across the walls, not that Cozy Glow could read any of it. In the center of the chamber, there was a pedestal. And on this pedestal, was the very item that the terrible trio had been looking for; Grogar’s Bewitching Bell. 



“(Gasp) There it is! Grogar’s Bewitching Bell! I found it!” Cozy Glow said as she clapped her hooves together.



As Cozy Glow began to walk towards the bell, she ended up stepping on something hard, which caused her to trip. Cozy Glow hit the ground, wincing a bit at the pain. As Cozy Glow tried to get back up, she looked to see what had tripped her, and she screamed. Cozy Glow had just tripped over the skeletal remains of Grogar, the father of monsters, and the first emperor of Equestria. 



Ever since Grogar had been banished by Gusty the Great, no pony had any idea as to where he went. For a millennium, Grogar had just wandered throughout Equestria, slowly trying to regain his power so that he could one day set out to retrieve his bell and take back Equestria for himself.



Cozy Glow had no idea how it was even possible for Grogar to be dead. Based on the state of his body, it was clear that he had been dead for some time, but the cause of his death was impossible to know. Could a powerful creature such as Grogar have simply just starved to death or was done in by the harsh conditions of Mount Everhoof? Did another creature kill him? 



What Cozy Glow didn’t know, was that Grogar had been killed by his very own bell. Years ago, when Grogar had regained enough of his strength, he journeyed to the top of Mount Everhoof and actually made it past the magic barrier. However, what Grogar didn’t know was that Gusty the Great had predicted that he would try to get his bell back. So, Gusty placed a failsafe spell that would activate if Grogar tried to get his hooves on the bell. As soon as Grogar touched the bell, the failsafe spell kicked in and started to drain all of his power, life force, and even his soul out of his body. Because of this, Grogar would just fall to the ground until he eventually died.





Cozy Glow’s thoughts were interrupted as she heard Tirek’s voice roar out from outside the cave.



“Can’t… Hold… Much… Longer!” Tirek yelled as he struggled to keep the hole open in the magical barrier.



With that, Cozy Glow completely disregarded Grogar’s body and swiped the bell from its pedestal. Then Cozy Glow flew as fast as she could back to the entrance of the cave.



“HURRY!” Tirek roared as he was about to lose his hold on the barrier.



Then, just before Tirek’s magic gave out, Cozy Glow blasted out from the hole in the barrier and crashed into a snowbank next to Chrysalis. Tirek and Chrysalis looked over to where Cozy Glow had crash landed and waited to see if she was okay and if she had gotten the bell. After a few seconds, Cozy Glow popped out of the snow, holding the bell up in the air.



“Tada!” Cozy Glow cheered as she proudly held out the bell to the others. 



“T-Tirek… my magic… please…” Chrysalis said as she looked at Tirek, struggling to keep her head up.



Tirek looked down at the weakened changeling queen, and then he looked at how powerful he had become physically as well as magically. Deep down, he wanted to keep the magic he had gained to himself. However, something just wouldn’t let Tirek do what he wanted. So, with a barely noticeable nod, Tirek began to give Chrysalis her magic back.



Feeling her magic return, Chrysalis was finally able to stand back up. She stretched out her wings and shook her head a bit. It was then that Chrysalis realized that Tirek had actually given her back her magic, without even complaining once. This came as a shock to Chrysalis as she really hadn’t expected to get her magic back so easily.



“Tirek… I… I wasn’t sure you were actually going to give my magic back.” Chrysalis said as she looked up at Tirek with a confused yet appreciative expression.



“Neither was I.” Tirek said as he shrugged a bit with a confused expression on his face. “But working together seemed… smarter than continuing to fight with each other.”



“When we helped each other, it felt better somehow.” Cozy Glow said as she flew up to their level.



“I haven’t felt like this since before I lost my hive.” Chrysalis said as she stepped forward. “Having others who will be there for you is… pleasing.”



“All of these years… taking power from ponies…” Tirek said as he looked back on his past.



“When you used your power to help others,” Cozy Glow began as Chrysalis continued.



“Yes! It feels… (Gasp) NOOOO!!!” Chrysalis roared as she stomped her hoof on the ground.



Tirek and Cozy Glow were at first taken aback by Chrysalis’s bizarre outburst, but then they quickly realized why Chrysalis had gotten so furious. The way they had all been talking just now, it was like they were not only understanding the ways of the magic of friendship, but also embracing it.



“(Hiss) The magic of friendship is like a disease! An infection that spreads to those around you!” Chrysalis yelled as she snarled. “I watched it infect my hive. The very hive that I fought so hard to claim as my own! I will not let the magic of friendship infect me too!” 



“Honestly.” Tirek added as he scowled. “I’d rather give up all of my powers forever rather than follow in the footsteps of my pathetic brother!”



“But King Sombra wanted us to work together, remember?” Cozy Glow asked the other two villains. “That’s why he sent us on this mission in the first place.” 



“I don’t care what Sombra said! I will not allow myself to be corrupted by friendship!” Chrysalis yelled, stomping her hoof down again.



“It’s not friendship, it’s teamwork.” Cozy Glow said. “If anything, we’re frenemies; partners in crime.”



“Yes, partners in crime.” Chrysalis said with a grin.



“(Chuckle) Oh I like the sound of that!” Tirek said as he cracked his knuckles. 



“Yeah! Together, no pony will be able to stop us!” Cozy Glow said as she grinned.



Then, before they could say anything else, three of the enchanted bracelets suddenly fell onto the floor in front of the villains. 



“Huh? What are those?” Cozy Glow asked as she looked at one of the bracelets.



“Well obviously, those are bracelets.” Tirek said.



“Yeah, I know that, but where did they even come from?” Cozy Glow asked.



Just then, the terrible trios’ eyes all rolled into the back of their heads before their eyes started to glow that menacing green color. Soon enough, the terrible trio found themselves back in the Void.



“What!? Oh great, we’re back here again.” Chrysalis said as she looked around the Void.



“Ugh, it feels so weird whenever we get taken to this place. Like can we at least get some sort of warning first?” Tirek asked as he rubbed his head.



The sound of a deep and low laughter could be heard as the shadowy form of Sombra appeared before the terrible trio in the Void. 



“(Chuckle) Greetings my friends.” Sombra said as he looked at the three villains.



“Sombra! Why have you summoned-!?” 



“King Sombra! King Sombra! We did it!” Cozy Glow exclaimed, cutting off Chrysalis. “We got the bell!” 



“Well, would you look at that, I knew you could do it.” Sombra said with a dark grin. “I believed in you three.”



“You… did?” Chrysalis asked, tilting her head a bit.



“Of course. I wouldn’t have tasked the three of you with retrieving the bell if I didn’t think you could do it.” Sombra said.



“Even if you didn’t believe in us, it’s not like you could have sent someone else to do it. You didn’t have your little Rogue at the time.” Tirek said, waving his hand at Sombra.



“I had Professor Screw; I could have sent him. But I didn’t, did I?” Sombra asked, narrowing his eyes at Tirek.



“No, you didn’t. But that doesn’t matter.” Tirek said, brushing off Sombra’s point. “If I recall, you promised to tell us something important once we got the bell.” 



“(Chuckle) That’s funny because I never promised you anything.” Sombra said in a firm voice. “And as I recall, I said that once you brought me the bell, then we would talk.”



“Sombra, you know it will take us days to make it back to your little castle, why not just tell us now?” Chrysalis asked.



“Enough, I did not bring you all here to argue. I’m sure you’ve all seen the bracelets that appeared before you shortly before I summoned you to the Void, yes?” Sombra asked as the three villains nodded in response. “Good, those are very special bracelets that have been enchanted with dark magic. With them, you can teleport anywhere as long as you can visualize the location in your mind. Use these bracelets to return to your little camp that you made yesterday.” 



“Wait, how do you know about that?” Tirek asked.



“Ever since our previous meeting, I’ve been watching your progress. But that’s not important right now. Go back to your camp, I’ll be waiting. Dismissed.” Sombra said as the terrible trio all disappeared from the Void.



After the three villains had left the Void, they stood there and looked at each other, stunned by their meeting with Sombra.



“Sombra has been… watching us this whole time!?” Chrysalis asked with a hiss.



“He better not have been listening in on our little talk we had last night!” Tirek yelled with a growl.



“Oh, would you two just stop making such a big fuss over this!? It’s not even that big of a deal!” Cozy Glow said.



“Not that big of a deal!? How would you feel if Sombra heard everything about your parents?” Tirek asked, looking down at the filly.



“I wouldn’t care! In fact, I hope he did hear what I said about them! It will motivate him to do that favor for me.” Cozy Glow said with a huff. “Also, show him some respect and call him King Sombra!” 



“Respect!? Ha! You can keep being a loyal kiss up all you want! I’ve already had enough of Sombra ordering us around like we’re his slaves!” Tirek yelled.



“So, what!? Our talk last night meant nothing to you!? I thought we all came to an agreement to why we’re all going through with what King Sombra told us!” Cozy Glow shouted.



“We shared our stories, but we never said that we were accepting of Sombra’s terms!” Chrysalis yelled.



“What about the contract!? We all agreed to work together with King Sombra! You two even signed the contract willingly! Where did that attitude go, huh!?” Cozy Glow asked as she glared at the two villains.



“Ever since Sombra made us sign that contract of his, I’ve been thinking, King Sombra is very powerful and if he were to get his hooves on this bell, how do we know he won’t just use it against us?” Chrysalis asked, gesturing to Grogar’s bell.



“Sombra would never do that to us!” Cozy Glow screamed. “Didn’t you hear what he said!? He said he believed in us!” 



“And you actually believe him? How do you know he’s not just using your past as a way to get into your head?” Tirek asked.



“NO! Sombra would never do that!” Cozy Glow screamed, on the brink of tears as she boiled with rage. “How about this! We’ll give King Sombra the bell, and if he betrays us, you can both kill me before Sombra kills us. If he doesn’t try to betray us, then you both will be just as loyal to him as I am.” 



“Fine, I accept your little deal.” Tirek said as he and Cozy Glow glared into each other’s eyes.



“I too will accept the terms of this proposition. Come, we shouldn’t keep Sombra waiting for much longer or he’ll start asking questions.” Chrysalis said.



With that, the terrible trio all put their bracelets on and used them to teleport them back to their campsite.





When they arrived, the three villains were greeted by the sight of Sombra, who was facing the opposite direction, seemingly humming to himself. Sensing their presence, Sombra turned around to face the terrible trio.



“(Chuckle) Hello again, my friends.” Sombra said with a grin.



“Do not mock us, Sombra! We are not friends.” Chrysalis hissed, disgusted by hearing the word, ‘friend’.



“Very well, I am pleased to see that you’ve all returned safely.” Sombra said, looking over the three villains. “Now, where is the bell?”



“Right here.” Cozy Glow said as she picked up the bell and proudly presented it to Sombra. “See, just like I said.” 



“(Chuckle) Very good. I am very proud of all of you.” Sombra said with an approving nod. “Cozy Glow, if you would please give me the bell.”



“Yes, King Sombra. What the!? Hey! Give that back!” Cozy Glow protested as Chrysalis used her magic to snatch the bell away from her before Tirek grabbed onto Cozy Glow. “Hey! Let me go!” 



“Why should we give you the bell!?” Chrysalis hissed.



“Chrysalis, give me the bell.” Sombra said, his smile immediately vanishing into a stern frown.



“Why!? So, you can betray us!?” Chrysalis yelled, baring her fangs at Sombra.



“We’re not stupid, Sombra! This bell has so much power! What’s stopping you from using it against us!?” Tirek asked.



Sombra didn’t respond as he just glared at the terrible trio; this was the last straw for them. Then, without even blinking, Sombra used his magic to raise up three shadow hands from underneath the villains, grabbing each of them by the throat and lifting them up in the air. As the terrible trio were being strangled by the shadow hands, Sombra just continued to glare at them.



“I’ve offered you three the chance of a lifetime to rule Equestria and have given you more than enough second chances, and this is how you treat me!? Assuming that I would betray you!! Even after we signed the contract!?” Sombra yelled, tightening his grip around the necks of the villains.



As she was being strangled, Cozy Glow desperately tried to call out to Sombra, but the hand around her neck wouldn’t let her utter a single sound. Even though Cozy Glow was fully devoted to Sombra, he was so angry that he had completely forgotten about her loyalty to him.



“This plan will not work if you three aren’t going to play your part! Without you, I might as well just let Twilight Sparkle and her friends use their rainbow power to destroy me! Don’t you see, I need you three!!!” Sombra yelled.



While the terrible trio were being strangled, Chrysalis was starting to lose her grip on Grogar’s bell. Eventually, her magic was cut off and she dropped the bell. Due to the how far Chrysalis had been held in the air, the bell landed on the ground with a loud bang. The impact had caused something strange to happen to the bell. Beams of light started to seep out of the bell, causing Sombra and the other villains to turn their attention towards it. Suddenly, the bell started to shake and levitate off the ground. Then a huge burst of light blasted out of the bell, causing the terrible trio, who were directly above the bell, to be blown in Sombra’s direction, crashing into him.



The four villains completely disregarded the previous issue they just had with each other, instead focusing entirely on what had just happened with the bell. The sound of heavy breathing could be heard, confirming that something had just come out of the bell. Whatever it was, was covered by a cloud of dark mist and a strange red aura. Once the mist cleared away, the villains were now able to see what or rather who had just been released from the bell. 



“Wh-Who is that?” Cozy Glow asked as she looked up at the creature that stood before them.



“It’s him… it’s Grogar…” Tirek said, shocking the other villains.



“What? Impossible!” Chrysalis said as she looked up at Grogar.



“Grogar…” was all Sombra could say; even he was shocked by Grogar’s sudden arrival.



Indeed, standing before the four villains was none other than Grogar himself, however there was something off about his appearance. Just as the legends depicted him, Grogar was tall, with an odd blue colored coat and a light greyish mane and tail; his large horns were a dark shade of blue. Around his torso, Grogar was wearing a strange red harness with bells around it. That is where things started to look different. Grogar’s eyes were a dark reddish color and there was a strange dark aura seeping out from his entire body. Also, he looked like he was more of a spirit than an actual living creature. Grogar continued to breathe heavily until he looked up into the skies of Equestria, reveling in the fact that he was finally free from his cursed bewitching bell.



“(Growl) (Dark Chuckle) I’m back… I’m free… I’M FREE!!” Grogar roared as he laughed, while all the other villains could do was stare in complete shock…