The Return of King Sombra

by Dragon-Master-31

Frenemies

Meanwhile, in a forest near the bottom of Mount Everhoof…

Once Tirek, Chrysalis, and Cozy Glow had left the Void and were back in the real world, they all looked at each other, nodding before they continued their journey to Mount Everhoof.

“If King Sombra thinks that this job will prove to be difficult for us, he is greatly mistaken. We’ll get that bell, no problem.” Tirek said as they walked through the forest.

“Yeah! Let’s go get that bell!” Cozy Glow said as she did a loop in the air.

“Climb a mountain and retrieve a bell that once belonged to a powerful monster? This will be easy.” Chrysalis said as they continued their walk to Mount Everhoof.

After some time of walking, the terrible trio arrived at a clearing. From there, they were able to see Mount Everhoof. The mountain was tall and looked very intimidating from a distance. The terrible trio just stared at the big mountain, realizing that they might have just jinxed themselves with how easy this task would truly be.

“Well, it sounded easy…” Chrysalis said as the three continued to stare up at the mountain.

It was pretty clear to the terrible trio now that this task would be anything but easy…

“Scale the mountain.” Tirek said with his arms crossed.

“Retrieve Grogar’s bell.” Chrysalis added, looking up at the mountain.

“Together!” Cozy Glow said as she happily held out a piece of paper with some sketches on it. “I drew up a detailed plan with several visual aids to show how we can… ditch each other and do it alone…”

While Cozy Glow had been informing Tirek and Chrysalis about her detailed plans that she wrote out for them, the two villains decided to just get away from the little pegasus filly before she talked their ears off. As the pair left Cozy Glow behind, going their own separate ways, Cozy Glow was a bit sad at first, but she quickly regained her composure and grinned.

“Maybe when I’m waiting for them at the top, then they’ll appreciate me.” Cozy Glow said as she tossed her plans away, letting them get taken by the wind.

Despite the cold wind that blew through the forest the terrible trio had been walking in for some time now, it didn’t bother Cozy Glow that much. Being a pegasus, her body was naturally more used to the colder winds. Plus, it also helped that she was wearing a small lavender winter coat with a lavender winter hat, which she had borrowed from a family the terrible trio had come across a couple days earlier.

Chrysalis had decided that since she had wings, it would only make sense for her to try and fly up to the top of Mount Everhoof. This was easier said than done, however, as the winds were so cold and so strong, that Chrysalis found herself struggling to fly any further. After trying to overpower the force of the winds and failing, Chrysalis spotted a suitable place to land so she could at least get closer to the mountain on hoof.

“Perfect.” Chrysalis thought to herself as she flew down towards the ground.

As Chrysalis landed safely on the ground and began to walk through the forest, a bunch of eyes started to peer at her from the nearby bushes and trees, watching her intently. Suddenly, a large shadowy form started to approach Chrysalis from behind, a pair of glowing red eyes gazing at the back of her head. The creature had tried to sneak up on Chrysalis, but she had sensed the creature’s presence almost immediately. Just before the creature could attack, Chrysalis turned around fast and hissed at the large shadow, causing it and every other creature in the area to flee in terror. Chrysalis wasn’t sure what had just tried to sneak up on her, but she didn’t care as she was proud of herself for managing to strike fear in the creatures of this forest.

“Ha! As if anything on this mountain is scarier than I!” Chrysalis said, laughing with pride as she turned and continued her walk towards the mountain.

Meanwhile, Tirek had reached another clearing, giving him a good view of Mount Everhoof. As he looked at the mountain, Tirek quickly took notice of the strong winds that blew throughout the land. Looking down, Tirek saw a small patch of dirt next to a small stream. Tirek scooped a handful of dirt and then blew the dirt from his hand, hoping to get an idea of just how strong the winds were. Tirek ended up getting more than an idea, as the dirt seemingly bounced off of the wind and hit him in the face.

“(Cough) (Spit) Oh yuck!” Tirek yelled as he spit out the dirt that had gotten into his mouth. “Yeah, nope. There’s no way either of those two are going to make it to the top. I guess I’ll just wait here for them to return.”

Tirek then figured that since it was inevitable that Chrysalis and Cozy Glow would come back after failing to reach the top of Mount Everhoof, he could at least make the wait more comfortable for himself. The area he was in had a nice clearing with a big log on the side, as well as a tree stump next to it. Seeing this, Tirek decided to construct a little camp. The first thing on Tirek’s mind was crafting a nice chair that he could sit on while waiting for the others to return.

Looking around, Tirek found plenty of useful materials that he could use to build his chair. Tirek found a couple of good-sized logs and brought them back to his camp. Then, Tirek grabbed some branches from the nearby trees, followed by some bushes and a bundle of leaves. Tirek then found some vines hanging from a tree and figured that they would come in handy. Once Tirek had brought all of the stuff he had collected back to his camp, he nodded to himself and then thought about what else he would need for the camp.

Meanwhile, Cozy Glow was making her way up the mountain, following a path which seemingly led to the top. The wind was strong and very cold as it blew across the land. Cozy Glow was very glad she had her winter coat and hat, otherwise this journey would have been miserable to get through.

Along the way to the top, Cozy Glow came across a strange building. This struck Cozy Glow as odd since she didn’t think anypony would want to live in these harsh conditions. Not really sure what to make of it, Cozy Glow decided to walk closer to the house. As Cozy Glow neared the house, the front door opened, and a tall earth pony came out. The pony had a salmon-colored body with a white mane and tail. He wore a cape, which was actually just an old torn up blanket that had been sewed a few times. On his head, he wore a rusty bucket which had an opening carved out of it to make it more like a helmet. In his hoof, the stallion was holding a wooden staff. This was Rusty Bucket, the mountain guardian of Mount Everhoof.

“Halt! Who goes there!?” Rusty Bucket shouted as he saw Cozy Glow coming towards him. “A pony? There ain’t been ponies around here in I don’t know how many moons!”

At first, Cozy Glow was taken aback by the fact that this old stallion was actually living on Mount Everhoof, but then she got an idea. Perhaps this old fool could prove to be useful and maybe help Cozy Glow reach the top of the mountain. Cozy Glow smirked for only a second before she put on the most innocent and pitiful act she could muster, even going teary eyed.

“(Sniffle) Oh golly good sir. I’m just a poor lost pony looking for help.” Cozy Glow said as she sat down and put on a pouty face, as if she were an injured puppy.

“Aww, don’t fret little filly. Old Rusty Bucket here at your service.” Rusty Bucket said he gave Cozy Glow a polite bow.

“I’m so glad I found you! I need help reaching the top of the mountain.” Cozy Glow said, beaming with joy.

“Ehh… No can do, ma’am.” Rusty Bucket said, shaking his head while holding a hoof up.

The moment Rusty Bucket had said this, Cozy Glow immediately dropped the innocent act. Her cute puppy face vanished, only to be replaced by a look of frustration and rage.

“WHY NOT!?” Cozy Glow screamed, already tired of this old pony.

As Cozy Glow screamed, the whole area shook due to the volume of her voice. Terrified that the little filly would cause an avalanche or a rockslide, Rusty Bucket quickly shushed her.

“Shh! Not so loud. This is avalanche territory.” Rusty Bucket said, gesturing to the mountainsides covered in snow. “I’m the guardian of this here, mountain. It’s my job to keep ponies from heading up. Nothing at the top but dangerous snow, dangerous ice, and dangerous wind. Basically, it’s dangerous.”

Cozy Glow wanted nothing more than to just keep shouting at this old sack of dirt, however since she wasn’t interested in being buried by an avalanche, she decided to try and work something out with the stallion.

“It must get lonely all by yourself. Maybe I can be your… friend?” Cozy Glow offered with another innocent smile.

“Oh, I’d love a friend.” Rusty Bucket said, touched by the cuteness of the filly.

“So now that we are friends, you can help me up the mountain.” Cozy Glow said.

“Hmm… a real friend wouldn’t ask me to do something I’m not supposed to do.” Rusty Bucket said as he pulled out a book and read it. “Says right here in the Journal of Friendship; written by Twilight Sparkle and her friends.”

If Cozy Glow wasn’t angry before, she definitely was now. Not only was this old pony not going to take her up to the top of Mount Everhoof, but somehow, he had even gotten a copy of that stupid Friendship Journal, even though he was basically a hermit. Cozy Glow could feel her rage bubbling up inside her, ready to boil over and she let it all out.

“Are. You. KIDDING MEEE!?” Cozy Glow screamed as she hovered in the air, her wings flapping furiously.

Cozy Glow’s screams were so loud that they echoed throughout the entire land. The entire mountain, as well as the surrounding land, shook in response to her sudden outburst. The filly’s screams could be heard from miles and miles away. It even scared some birds out of the trees in the nearby forest.

Rusty Bucket quickly shushed Cozy Glow again as he pointed in the direction back down the mountain. Not wanting to waste anymore of her time with this old pony, Cozy Glow decided to just turn around and leave. As Cozy Glow started to walk away, she turned back around to look at Rusty Bucket.

“I didn’t want to be friends anyway.” Cozy Glow said as she let out a huff before turning back around to continue walking away, leaving Rusty Bucket upset that he had lost his friend.

While Cozy Glow had been dealing with Rusty Bucket, Chrysalis was continuing to walk towards Mount Everhoof. By now, she had left that patch of forest behind and had started making her way through some snow-covered grounds. The cold didn’t really bother Chrysalis as she was more focused on reaching the top of Mount Everhoof. Along the way, Chrysalis did come across some more animals and creatures, but they wouldn’t dare approach her as the Changeling Queen had proven herself to be very intimidating.

Eventually, Chrysalis approached a lake that had been completely frozen over with ice. Chrysalis didn’t pay any attention to this as she just walked onto the ice. After taking only a couple steps, Chrysalis’s hooves started to slip and skid on the ice. When Chrysalis managed to catch her balance and keep herself steady, she thought of how she could safely cross this frozen lake. Sure, she could always just fly over it, but that would only result in the wind knocking her down. An idea popped into Chrysalis’s head as she grinned.

Chrysalis hovered a couple inches off the ground before using her powers to morph into a cragadile, crashing through the ice and into the water. Since the bodies of cragadiles were made of mostly solid rock and strong armor, Chrysalis was able to swim through the freezing water without any trouble. Once she had reached the end of the lake, Chrysalis burst out of the ice and walked onto shore. Looking up at the huge pile of boulders before her, Chrysalis knew that a cragadile wouldn’t be able to climb these rocks. With that in mind, Chrysalis then morphed into a mountain goat. Using the maneuverability and abilities of the mountain goat, Chrysalis was able to scale the boulders, making it to the top. Once she was past the boulders, Chrysalis morphed back into her changeling form, looking ahead at Mount Everhoof.

“Almost there.” Chrysalis said as she continued making her way to the mountain.

Meanwhile, shortly after Cozy Glow had walked away from Rusty Bucket, she ended up deciding that if he wasn’t going to help her get to the top of Mount Everhoof, she would go there on her own.

“Listen here! If you’re not going to show me how to get to the top of Mount Everhoof, then I’ll find a way myself!” Cozy Glow said as she pointed aggressively at Rusty Bucket.

“Well, go ahead then. Suit yourself.” Rusty Bucket said as he just stood and waited to see what Cozy Glow would try to do.

With that, Cozy Glow decided to fly over Rusty Bucket’s house and fly up to the summit of the mountain. However, before Cozy Glow could even make it past the stone chimney of the house, the strong winds knocked her out of the air, causing her to get thrown onto the ground, landing face first in a small pile of snow. Rusty Bucket just shook his head.

Next, Cozy Glow tried to go around Rusty Bucket’s house by climbing up a little snow hill. However, before Cozy Glow could even make it to the top of the tiny hill, she ended up falling into the snow and sliding all the way back down until she stopped right in front of Rusty Bucket.

“Nope, not that way neither.” Rusty Bucket said while Cozy Glow just gave him the side eye.

Next, Cozy Glow tried to sneak past Rusty Bucket by going around the other side of his house. Rusty Bucket already knew what she was doing but he didn’t care because he knew it wouldn’t work anyway. As Cozy Glow was creeping along the side of the house, Rusty Bucket stretched, his staff accidentally hitting the wall and causing a large pile of snow to land on top of Cozy Glow. Having had enough of being covered in snow, Cozy Glow’s face became so hot and red that she actually melted the snow she was in with her pure rage.

Cold and angry, Cozy Glow flew back around the house and landed in front of Rusty Bucket. She had had enough of this nonsense, and she was going to make sure he knew it.

“I TRIED BEING NICE!” Cozy Glow shouted, causing the whole area to shake once again.

“Shh, shh, shh, just calm down there, filly.” Rusty Bucket said, trying to prevent an avalanche from happening.

“You calm down!” Cozy Glow snapped, pointing a hoof at Rusty Bucket. “Ponies are supposed to do what I ask them to do! It’s like my thing, okay!?”

By now, the mountains had also had just about enough of Cozy Glow’s outbursts and screams. So, after Cozy Glow’s fit of rage, the mountain started to shake. Cozy Glow and Rusty Bucket looked up and saw that a large snowball was starting to roll down the mountain, coming straight towards them. Before anypony could do anything else, the giant snowball crashed right on top of Cozy Glow before rolling her back down the mountain. Rusty Bucket just watched as the rude filly was carried away by the snowball and then just shrugged as he went backside to warm himself up by the fire.

By now, Chrysalis had reached the top of another hill. At the top, she was able to see that Mount Everhoof was close enough to where she could fly across and reach it.

“Hmph, apparently I don’t need anypony else.” Chrysalis said to herself as she morphed into a large hawk.

Chrysalis then took off into the air and flew towards the mountain. As Chrysalis neared the mountain, the winds began to pick up and tried to push her back. Chrysalis fought as hard as she could to battle against the strong winds. After struggling for a bit, Chrysalis was so close to the mountain that her claws were practically scraping the snow on the mountainside. However, despite Chrysalis’s efforts, the wind was just too strong, and it pushed her all the way back to where she had initially taken off from. Chrysalis ended up getting slammed against a rock so hard that the impact forced her to change back to her changeling form.

Chrysalis let out a painful moan as she stood back up before kicking at some loose snow on the floor out of frustration.

“UGH! Stupid wind! I’m done!” Chrysalis hissed as she turned around and started to make her way back to where she had split off from the other two losers.

Sometime later…

For some time now, Tirek had already finished setting up camp and had even started a nice little campfire. By now, dusk had arrived, and the night would soon take over. Tirek had just returned back to camp with a couple of logs to keep the campfire burning. Just as he threw the logs into the fire, Tirek heard the sound of bushes rustling close by. Tirek kept his eyes on the bushes, getting ready in case a creature was about to jump out and attack him. The only ‘creature’ that ended up coming out of the bushes, was a drenched, freezing, and angry looking Cozy Glow. The moment Tirek laid his eyes on the miserable looking filly, he burst into laughter.

“(Growl) It’s not funny, Tirek!” Cozy Glow yelled as Tirek continued to laugh at her.

“Didn’t make it to the top?” Tirek asked in a mocking tone. “Surprise, surprise.”

“You didn’t make it to the top either.” Cozy Glow said with a smug look on her face.

“I didn’t try to.” Tirek replied.

“What!?” Cozy Glow cried, baffled at Tirek’s response.

“It took about five minutes to deduce that Sombra was right. This wasn’t going to be easy for any of us. So rather than subject myself to the elements, I decided to let you two face the danger, take what you learned, and use it to my advantage.” Tirek said, sitting down on the chair he had built while letting out another laugh.

“Hey! It’s King Sombra! Also, I put up with your ‘I’m smarter than you’ attitude in Tartarus, but I’m over it!” Cozy Glow snapped as she flew up to eye-level with Tirek.

“Oh yeah? Well, I’ve had enough of you trying to manipulate me with that ‘insincere syrupy sweetness’ of yours.” Tirek said while crossing his arms and looking at Cozy Glow with a smirk. “At least now we can see the real you.”

“This is not the real me! I’m cute and lovable!” Cozy Glow screamed as she gritted her teeth and glared daggers at Tirek.

“Pfft, no you’re not.” Tirek scoffed.

While the pair continued to argue, they were unaware that a male Ophiotaurus had been attracted to the area due to the sounds of Tirek and Cozy Glow’s arguing and was coming towards them from the tree line behind them.

“You think you’re cute and loveable? Oh please! You’re annoying and you snore.” Tirek said with a grin.

“I do not snore!” Cozy Glow shouted.

In response to this denial, Tirek laid his head on his crossed arms, pretending to be asleep and fake snoring, pointing at Cozy Glow as if he was showing her how she looked whenever she was asleep.

“Hmph! At least I don’t talk to my gram-gram in my sleep.” Cozy Glow said with a smug look on her face.

“Don’t you dare bring gram-gram into this!” Tirek shouted as he rushed over to Cozy Glow, pointing at her aggressively.

Just then, the Ophiotaurus that had been stalking them popped out and let out a mighty roar while waving its hooves around. After being initially surprised by the sudden arrival of this beast, Tirek and Cozy Glow instantly went back to hating each other.

“This is your fault!” Tirek and Cozy Glow shouted as they pointed at each other.

The Ophiotaurus let out another roar as it started to slowly slither closer to the two villains. As Tirek and Cozy Glow backed away from the beast, they heard the sound of another creature come from behind them. The two villains turned around and saw a female Ophiotaurus slither out into view. The female Ophiotaurus let out a low roar, which got the male Ophiotaurus’s attention. With the male now looking at her, the female batted her eyes at him in a flirtatious fashion. In response to this, the male immediately fell in love, with his eyes suddenly having large hearts in them. As the male Ophiotaurus slithered towards the female Ophiotaurus, with hearts coming out of his body, Cozy Glow knew this was their chance to get away.

“Quick, it’s distracted, let’s go!” Cozy Glow said, pointing Tirek in the direction they needed to go to get away from these beasts.

“Wait.” Tirek said, gesturing for Cozy Glow to stay put.

For some reason, Tirek had a strange feeling that this female Ophiotaurus showing up just in time to save him and Cozy Glow, just to supposedly find a mate, was too farfetched. This gut feeling ended up being right as the female Ophiotaurus suddenly roared at the male Ophiotaurus before morphing into Chrysalis, who had been in disguise the entire time. With the male Ophiotaurus being infatuated and filled with love, Chrysalis used her power to drain all of the love out of him, slurping it down like it was spaghetti. With love and energy drained from his body, the male Ophiotaurus fell to the floor, severely weakened.

“Mmm, so much love! I haven’t eaten this well in ages!” Chrysalis said as she flicked her forked tongue out.

“Ugh, that is so gross.” Cozy Glow said as she gagged a bit.

Once Chrysalis had finished enjoying the feeling of her hunger being temporarily satisfied, she turned to Tirek and Cozy Glow and gave them a mean look.

“Just so we’re clear, I didn’t save you because I like you. I did it because… because I…” Chrysalis said, struggling to finish that dreadful sentence.

“Need us?” Cozy Glow asked with a big smile on her face.

“(Snarl) Yes.” Chrysalis replied, upset that this was indeed true.

“Clearly, I was right to wait. Now tell me everything you learned today. Leave nothing out!” Tirek demanded.

With that, Cozy Glow and Chrysalis proceeded to tell Tirek everything they had encountered and learned about the obstacles and challenges waiting for them at Mount Everhoof. Chrysalis talked about the treacherous winds and weather conditions. Cozy Glow told them about her encounter with Rusty Bucket as well as the dangers of causing avalanches. After hearing about what Chrysalis and Cozy Glow had learned, Tirek wasn’t entirely sure what to make of it. The terrible trio knew that they would have just sit there and try to come up with a strategy to reach the top of Mount Everhoof.

A short while after the terrible trio had reunited at Tirek’s camp, they were now just sitting around the campfire. Well, most of them were at least. Tirek and Cozy Glow were by the fire, with Cozy Glow roasting a marshmallow. Chrysalis on the other hoof, had sealed the Ophiotaurus in a cocoon and was now crawling around the cocoon like a spider.

As Cozy Glow was roasting her marshmallow, she caught a glimpse of Chrysalis crawling around like a spider.

“Why are you doing that?” Cozy Glow asked, getting the changeling queen’s attention. “Didn’t you already drain it of love?”

“I always save a little for the next day.” Chrysalis replied as she flew back down, joining the others by the fire.

“You cocoon all of your… meals?” Cozy Glow asked, not really sure what else to call Chrysalis’s victims.

“Of course.” Chrysalis replied with a nod.

“So, when you pony napped Twilight and the others, you cocooned them?” Cozy Glow asked.

“Yes, until that foul Starlight Glimmer freed them, corrupted my subjects, and stole my hive!” Chrysalis said, gritting her teeth as she remembered what Starlight had done to her.

“Those ponies have weaknesses.” Tirek said, getting their attention. “I used that turncoat Discord; tricked him into helping me capture his so-called friends.”

“(Sigh) Discord was really something until friendship ruined him.” Chrysalis said.

“Yeah, he really was. At least from what I’ve heard about him.” Cozy Glow said as she ate her marshmallow. “Though, I’m sure of he was on our side, he’d just try to trick us into working for him instead of with him.”

“(Laughs) You should have seen Twilight’s face when her friends appeared in bubbles around me! She was all ‘Oh no! Oh, woe is me! Oh, please release my friends!’” Tirek said as he pretended to act like a terrified Twilight Sparkle while Chrysalis and Cozy Glow laughed.

“She’s so stressed out all the time!” Cozy Glow said as she laughed.

“When I posed as her now sister-in-law, Cadance, I thought she was going to implode!” Chrysalis said while Tirek and Cozy Glow laughed.

“I wish I could have seen her face when I nearly erased all the magic from Equestria.” Cozy Glow said as she thought about what kind of stupid face Twilight would put on.

“All magic was a little excessive, don’t you think?” Tirek asked, remembering how insane Cozy Glow’s big plan was.

“Meh, I think big.” Cozy Glow replied with a shrug. “Besides, it would have been worth it just to see Twilight and her friends bow down to me!” Cozy Glow said with a wide evil grin.

“Indeed, it would.” Tirek said as he tapped his fingers together. “Who wouldn’t love to see those prissy ponies realize they lost everything?”

An idea suddenly popped up in Chrysalis’s head as she then morphed into Twilight, speaking in a very deep non-Twilight like tone.

“I’m a pathetic pony princess! I made a detailed list of all the ways I’m a failure!” Chrysalis said, morphing back to her regular form while Tirek and Cozy Glow laughed.

“You know, working with you two may not be the worst thing.” Tirek said with a considerate shrug.

“Perhaps… as long as it’ll result in the complete destruction of our enemies.” Chrysalis said with a wicked grin.

“I wouldn’t have it any other way.” Cozy Glow said with a dreamy look before turning back to Chrysalis. “Do the pathetic princess thing!”

In response to Cozy Glow’s request, Chrysalis happily morphed back into Twilight and began to put on a show for the other villains. Tirek and Cozy Glow laughed for the entire performance until Chrysalis was finally finished, and she joined in on the laughter. Perhaps this team up wouldn’t be such a bad thing after all…

After the terrible trio continued to make more jokes about the ponies, they eventually settled down and decided to just have some light conversations until they would decide to turn in for the night.

“Well since we’ve all agreed to work together on our mission, it would be smart to come up with a plan on how we’re going to get to the top of Mount Everhoof.” Tirek said.

“Yes, that would be most wise.” Chrysalis agreed.

“Yeah! Then once we have Grogar’s bell, we can bring it back to King Sombra and he’ll be so proud of us!” Cozy Glow said with a flap of her wings.

This caused Tirek and Chrysalis to turn and look at each other. Ever since Sombra had tasked them with retrieving Grogar’s bell, Cozy Glow had been acting like a suck up to Sombra, wanting to make him proud and being completely loyal to him. Tirek and Chrysalis weren’t sure where this sudden change of attitude came from, but they were quite curious to find out why the filly seemed to idolize Sombra so much.

“Cozy Glow, is it?” Chrysalis asked, looking at the filly.

“Yep, that’s me. What’s up?” Cozy Glow asked.

“Why are you so eager to please Sombra? As I recall, you didn’t care for him when we met him.” Chrysalis said.

For only a single moment, Cozy Glow had a look of worry on her face. She didn’t want to tell Tirek and Chrysalis the reason why she had fully devoted herself to being eternally loyal to Sombra. Cozy Glow quickly scoffed as if she had just been asked if she knew how to breathe.

“Well, duh, obviously because King Sombra is like super powerful and super smart.” Cozy Glow said, rolling her eyes a bit. “You heard his plan, he’s clearly smarter than all of us combined.”

“Yes, yes, Sombra is smart and powerful. But that still doesn’t explain why you’ve been acting so differently around him.” Tirek said.

“Gee, maybe I’m just trying to show my appreciation for the deal he offered us in that contract we all signed.” Cozy Glow said, scowling at Tirek.

“We all appreciate what Sombra’s contract will mean for all of us. But you don’t see us acting like a bunch of suck ups to him.” Chrysalis said, gesturing to herself and Tirek.

“I’m not acting like a suck up! Just drop it already, will you!?” Cozy Glow said as she crossed her arms.

“Come on, I’ve known you long enough to know that you’re hiding something.” Tirek said as he grinned, narrowing his eyes at the filly. “Why don’t you just drop the act and spill it already?”

“Why don’t you just shut up.” Cozy Glow said, growing more and more angry with these two villains.

“Child, if we are going to work together and one day rule over Equestria as equals, we should not be hiding any secrets from each other.” Chrysalis said as she also narrowed her eyes at Cozy Glow.

“I said, shut up.” Cozy Glow said, her rage about ready to burst.

“Not until you stop hiding whatever it is your hiding from us.” Chrysalis said.

“Spill it, Cozy. We’re waiting.” Tirek said.

Cozy Glow had had enough of this. She unleashed all of her anger as she exploded in a fit of rage.

“(Growl) FINE! IF YOU WANT TO KNOW SO BADLY, KING SOMBRA IS EVERYTHING TO ME! HE’S LIKE A FATHER TO ME! I WANT NOTHING BUT TO MAKE HIM PROUD! HE BELIEVES IN ME LIKE NO PONY ELSE EVER HAS!” Cozy Glow screamed; her eyes filled with pure rage.

This sudden outburst stunned Tirek and Chrysalis. They figured that Cozy Glow would have snapped, but they hadn’t been expecting her to say the things she had just said. Sombra was everything to her, and he was like a father to her? How could this be so? It just didn’t make any sense.

“And before you ask, what about my parents, MY PARENTS DIDN’T WANT ME! MY FATHER ALWAYS FOUND A REASON TO HIT ME AND MAKE ME FEEL LIKE GARBAGE! MY MOTHER DIDN’T CARE WHAT HAPPENED TO ME!” Cozy Glow screamed.

Tears actually started to fall from Cozy Glow’s eyes as she thought about her childhood. Cozy Glow’s father was an abusive stallion, who usually had a bottle of alcohol close with him whenever he wasn’t beating his daughter. Cozy Glow remembered every beating her father ever gave her, as well as his various reasons for doing so. From being a few minutes late back from school, not eating her dinner quick enough, talking too much, not learning to fly fast enough, to making the simplest of mistakes.

As for Cozy Glow’s mother, while she never hurt Cozy Glow, she never did anything to stop her father from beating her. There were even times where she would just stand there and watch as Cozy Glow was beaten for little to no reason. The only times when Cozy Glow’s mother would actually show any love to her, was when she would wipe up the blood and tend to the bruises Cozy Glow would sustain from her father’s beatings. Other than that, Cozy Glow’s mother barely even acknowledged Cozy Glow’s existence.

“Do you know what it’s like to be told that you were an accident!? THAT YOU WERE NEVER WANTED OR EVER LOVED!?” Cozy Glow asked.

Tirek and Chrysalis were speechless. They now understood how Cozy Glow had become such a nasty little filly. With a childhood like that, it was easy to see where Cozy Glow got her rage from. Despite the fact that they were evil, Tirek and Chrysalis actually found themselves feeling pity for the filly.

“KING SOMBRA HAS SHOWN ME MORE CARE THAN MY PARENTS EVER DID! THERE! ARE YOU HAPPY NOW!?” Cozy Glow screamed as she glared at the two villains.

Tirek was still at a loss for words, but Chrysalis had forced herself to try and say something.

“Child, I… I’m so-.”

“NO! Don’t you dare, Chrysalis! You have no right to say anything to me! You’ve never had to deal with anything painful! You were handed your role as queen!” Cozy Glow shouted.

When Chrysalis heard this, she lost all sympathy for Cozy Glow as she let out a long hiss, baring her teeth at the filly.

“(Hiss) How dare you! You know nothing about how changelings live!” Chrysalis shouted as she flared her wings. “Do you know what I had to do to get my title as queen!? I HAD TO KILL MY SISTERS AND MY MOTHER!”

Cozy Glow’s rage immediately vanished, and she was shocked by what she had just heard. Tirek nearly fell out of his chair when he heard Chrysalis’s statement. Now it was their turn to listen to Chrysalis’s outburst.

“Changelings do not simply pass down the title of queen! It has to be earned!” Chrysalis yelled as she explained the process.

For many moons now, the queens of the changelings would always be a member of royalty, whether it was a sister or a daughter of the current queen. Whenever the current queen decided to pass her title to another, she would host a large and sacred tradition. This tradition would involve the queen’s daughters or sisters gathering together and fighting to the death. Whoever was left still alive would have one final challenge to face before they would become queen. They would have to kill the current queen and only then would they be crowned as the new queen of the hive.

These rituals would always happen at different times, no one knew about what would happen during, and there was no backing down. If any changeling attempted to get out of the ritual or refused to fight, they would be killed. These rituals were very sacred to the changelings, and it was forbidden to speak of what occurred during these rituals until the day it happened. When Thorax had become the new leader of the changelings, he made sure that every changeling kept their mouths shut about these rituals, as he wanted to find new, more moral ways of electing a new leader.

Chrysalis still remembered when she was forced to partake in this sacred ritual. She wasn’t a child anymore, but she wasn’t fully grown yet either. The hive had been discovered by the griffons and they had launched an attack on the changelings. While the griffons did end up losing the battle and retreating, they had caused a lot of damage to the hive. Many changelings had been killed and Queen Fang, Chrysalis’s mother, had been severely injured, having her horn sliced off as well as one of her eyes being gouged out.

*Flashback: many years earlier*

Back then, I cared greatly for my mother and my sisters. I would have done anything to protect them. When we finally managed to force the griffons to retreat, we were all worried about the wellbeing of our queen. Due to the injuries, she had sustained during the battle, my mother called me and my sisters to her throne.

After Chrysalis and her sisters arrived in the throne room, they were greeted by a very odd sight. The entire hive had gathered around the throne and were just sitting, like they were waiting for something to happen. On the throne, Queen Fang sat in clear visible pain, blood still oozed from her wounds, despite being treated by their medical changelings. As Queen Fang’s eyes landed on her daughters, she gave them a small smile before turning completely serious.

“Daughters, we may have claimed victory over the attack by the griffons, but the cost was great. We have lost many of our loyal changelings and I have been greatly wounded. I fear that I am no longer fit to be queen, therefore, it is time for one of you to become the next queen of the hive.” Queen Fang said.

Keep in mind that neither I nor any of my sisters knew what had to happen in order for one of us to become the next queen. We all assumed that one of us would simply be chosen by our mother.

“Which of us shall become queen, mother?” Chrysalis asked.

In response to my question, mother called over a pair of changeling drones. They flew over to us and placed a variety of weapons before us. They didn’t say anything or even look at us. Once we had been given the weapons, they rejoined the rest of the crowd. That is when mother said:

“In order to decide who among you shall become the next queen, you must all fight to the death. Whoever manages to kill the others, shall be crowned as the new queen of the hive.” Queen Fang said.

As soon as Queen Fang said this, Chrysalis and her sisters froze in shock. Once they realized what their mother had just said to them, they all looked at each other with horrified looks on their faces. They had all grown up together and looked after each other as much as every sister would. They had sworn to protect each other and ensure that they all strived to defend their kingdom no matter what. All of this, just so they could kill each other so that one of them could have the chance to become queen.

“M-Mother… it can’t be so…” Chrysalis said, hoping that her mother was pulling a sick joke.

Following Chrysalis’s lead, the rest of her sisters also began to question their mother, asking if this was really the only way to become queen.

“Silence! In this ritual, I am not your mother, I am your queen! As your queen, I order you, fight to the death! Show me who among you is worthy to become queen!” Queen Fang barked.

As if a switch had been flipped, all of Chrysalis’s sisters picked up whatever weapon they could get their hooves on and started to slaughter each other. Chrysalis’s youngest sister was killed almost immediately as a spear was jabbed right through her chest. Eventually, after seeing that her sisters no longer cared about each other, Chrysalis picked up a spear of her own and began to defend herself against her sisters.

Eventually, it came down to just Chrysalis and her oldest sister, Paralysis, being the only two left standing. Chrysalis hadn’t killed any of her sisters during the entire fight, instead she had merely defended herself while the others just killed each other with no remorse. Now, Chrysalis knew she only had two options, kill her sister, or die. Paralysis wasted no time as she lunged towards Chrysalis, attempting to stab her with the spear she was given. Chrysalis had tried to talk her sister down, but it was clear that Paralysis had no intention of acting like family anymore. After a short scuffle, Chrysalis ended up winning the fight when she accidentally stabbed Paralysis in the throat, causing her to bleed out in seconds.

After Paralysis had died, Chrysalis was left standing there, forced to look at the corpses of her beloved sisters. She did it, she had won. The slaughter was over, or so she thought…

“Congratulations, Chrysalis. You are the last one standing and have proven yourself worthy. However, there is one more test that lies before you before you can become queen.” Queen Fang said.

“Wh-What do I have to do?” Chrysalis asked, worried at what the queen’s answer might be.

“In order for you to become queen, you must slay me.” Queen Fang said.

“Wh-What?” was all Chrysalis could manage to say.

“Strike me down and the crown will be yours.” Queen Fang added.

This couldn’t be happening. Chrysalis adored her mother and had always looked up to her since she could remember. All her life, all Chrysalis ever wanted to do was to be just like her mother and make her proud. Now, she had to… kill her mother…

“M-Mother… I… I can’t…” Chrysalis said, feeling her legs shake.

“You must, Chrysalis. It is your destiny.” Queen Fang said as she stood up from her throne.

“No! No, I won’t! You’re my mother! You raised me! All I ever wanted was to serve you and be loyal to you!” Chrysalis cried as she felt tears begin to build up.

“If you will not fight me, then you will die.” Queen Fang said as she suddenly hissed at Chrysalis.

Queen Fang then lunged out of her throne and towards Chrysalis, ready to sink her fangs into her neck. Chrysalis didn’t want to kill her mother, but she didn’t want to be killed by her mother either. Chrysalis decided that if she could just wear her mother down a bit, she could talk some sense into her. So, Chrysalis charged towards her mother with her spear ready to protect herself. However, before Chrysalis could do anything else, Queen Fang suddenly exposed her underside and impaled herself onto Chrysalis’s spear.

Blood splattered all over Chrysalis’s face as she watched her mother allow herself to be stabbed. Chrysalis immediately dropped the spear and attempted to pull it out from her mother’s stomach.

“Mother! No! No! No! NO!” Chrysalis screamed as she tried to stop the bleeding.

“Chrysalis… remember, changelings are strong, we will never be conquered, Equestria will belong to the changelings one day…” Queen Fang said as she coughed up blood.

Queen Fang then placed a hoof on Chrysalis’s face, giving her a small smile. Chrysalis could have even sworn that a tear had fallen from her mother’s eye.

“I am so proud of you… long live Queen Chrysalis…” Queen Fang said as she breathed her last breath before succumbing to her wounds and died in Chrysalis’s arms.

“Mother…” Chrysalis said.

Then, before Chrysalis could mourn the death of her mother, Queen Fang’s crown disappeared from her head and reappeared on Chrysalis’s head. Chrysalis reached up to touch the crown and as soon as she did, the crown glowed. Suddenly thorny vines shot out of the ground from underneath Chrysalis and started to wrap around her entire body. Chrysalis tried to free herself from the vines, but they were too strong. Soon, Chrysalis had been completely cocooned by the vines. From within the cocoon, the other changelings could hear the sounds of Chrysalis’s screams as she started undergoing the final step in this sacred ritual, metamorphosis.

As Chrysalis’s body was contorting and changing inside the cocoon, the surrounding changelings began to chant her name, over and over again. The cocoon then glowed a bright green color as it started to crack. Once the cocoon had cracked enough, it exploded with a burst of light. When the dust cleared, Chrysalis emerged in her new form. Her legs had grown longer, her wings had grown bigger and stronger, and she grew out the signature horn that every changeling queen had. Once Chrysalis had fully emerged from the cocoon, she let out a scream mixed with a roar.

When Chrysalis was done with her cry, she looked out at the surrounding changelings, who were all looking up at her with admiration. A single changeling drone stepped forward and raised his hoof up at her.

“All hail Chrysalis! Queen of the hive!” the changeling drone said as he bowed down to her.

“All hail Queen Chrysalis!” the other changelings said as they also bowed to her.

As Chrysalis looked at the sight of all the changelings bowing down to her, she looked back at the corpse of her mother. Something changed in that moment inside of Chrysalis. Chrysalis’s mournful face was soon replaced by a look of pure bliss and satisfaction. Chrysalis then flew up into the air and laughed.

“(Evil Laugh) Yes! YES!! LONG LIVE, QUEEN CHRYSALIS!” Chrysalis shouted as she laughed and laughed as a final tear streamed down her face.

*End Flashback*

“So, you see child, I was not simply handed my role as queen, I fought hard for it, and I earned it!” Chrysalis said as she glared at Cozy Glow.

“At least your mom actually cared about you!” Cozy Glow said as she glared back at the changeling.

“Well now I can see how you two became so deranged.” Tirek said, trying to lighten up the mood a bit and failing miserably.

The terrible trio sat in silence for a few minutes until Chrysalis and Cozy Glow managed to calm down. Tirek and Chrysalis noticed that Cozy Glow was trying very hard not to break down and cry. It was clear that talking about her parents had reopened a deep wound.

“Child… Cozy Glow.” Chrysalis said as she walked over and sat next to Cozy Glow.

“What do you want, Chrysalis?” Cozy Glow asked, wiping away the tears in her eyes.

“As I was saying earlier… I am sorry about your upbringing.” Chrysalis said, actually sounding sorry for the filly.

“You… You really mean it?” Cozy Glow asked, curiously looking up at the queen.

“Yes, I do.” Chrysalis replied with a firm nod. “I may be a wicked queen, but even I am disgusted with what your family put you through. I never even treated my subjects so harshly unless they truly deserved it.”

“Well… thank you…” Cozy Glow said as she looked down at the ground. “I’m also sorry that you had to… kill your family.”

“Please, there is no need to feel any sorrow for me. It was my duty in order to become queen.” Chrysalis said as Tirek cleared his throat.

“(Ahem) You know, it seems like we all have something in common, aside from us being evil of course.” Tirek said, getting the attention of the other two.

“And what would that be?” Chrysalis asked, raising an eyebrow at the centaur.

“You could say that the main reason the three of us are here right now, is because of our families.” Tirek said.

“(Scoffs) Like you had it any worse than me or Chrysalis.” Cozy Glow said as she shot Tirek a look.

“I never said I did. But unlike you two, my family betrayed me and got rid of me!” Tirek shouted.

Before Cozy Glow could make another wise remark, she then realized something. Despite the partnership she had with Tirek back when she had tried to erase all of the magic from Equestria, she never actually knew anything about Tirek’s story or why he was so obsessed with pony magic, or even how his family supposedly betrayed him. All she knew was that he and his brother Scorpan showed up to Equestria one day and then one thing led to another which resulted in Scorpan having Tirek defeated by Celestia and Luna. Cozy Glow had to admit, she was quite curious about how Tirek came to be.

“Tirek… what’s your deal? How did you end up becoming this big bad strong pony magic obsessed hothead?” Cozy Glow asked.

“Well, since we’re all sharing a bit about ourselves, I guess it’s only fair that I share my story as well.” Tirek said as he adjusted his seating position. “Alright you two, listen up.”

*Flashback: many years earlier*

A long, long time ago I was the prince of my homeland along with my pathetic little brother, Scorpan. My father and my mother, King Vorak and Queen Haydon, ruled over our land and kept our kingdom strong. We were all born with the ability to use magic, but like every other creature, we had to be taught how to use it. My brother and I were taught by Sendak the Elder, an old centaur who was very skilled with his power. From the day I first met him, I became fascinated by Sendak’s teachings, and I wanted to learn everything I could from him. Of course, my weak-minded little brother didn’t like Sendak and thought he was bad news. Originally, Sendak would hold his lessons within our kingdom walls, but he eventually moved out to the Nether Lands. Father didn’t like this change, but he never liked Sendak either, so I didn’t care.

One day, Tirek was making his way towards the Nether Lands to Sendak’s teaching grounds. He had got a letter earlier that day to meet him in private as he had something very important to discuss. This came as a surprise to Tirek as Sendak had recently left the area on a journey. While Tirek was making his way to Sendak’s place, Scorpan was chasing after him, trying to get Tirek to come back home so their father wouldn’t get angry with them. Tirek of course, refused to listen.

“But Tirek, you know what father said about visiting the Nether Lands.” Scorpan said as he flew after his brother, trying to get him to change his mind. “And mother will be summoning us for supper soon and-.”

“Then I suggest you go back hime to mommy.” Tirek said, turning around to glare at his brother. “I have more important things to attend to than supper.”

Seeing that there was no way of changing his brother's mind, Scorpan reluctantly followed Tirek into the Nether Lands. Eventually, they arrived at a cave, which was the entrance to Sendak’s quarters.

“Are we here?” Scorpan asked.

“Quiet!” Tirek snapped, tired of his brother being so annoying.

Tirek and Scorpan walked up to the opening of the cave and peered inside. Their eyes eventually landed on Sendak, who was seemingly draining some sort of magic from something that was inside of a cage. Whatever was in the cage was not clear to Tirek or Scorpan as the cage was covered by a sheet. After a couple seconds, Sendak stopped his magic and roared up to the entrance of the cave.

“Who goes there!?” Sendak roared, glaring up at the cave’s entrance before realizing who it was. “Tirek? Is that you?”

“Yes, master, it is me.” Tirek replied as he began to make his way down the stairs of the cave.

“Ah, my prodigy, I did not expect you here so soon.” Sendak said as he calmed down a bit, only to grow wary of something. “Hmm, I sense that you have not come here alone. Who is with you?”

“Only my pathetic younger brother, Scorpan, who frequently follows me wherever I go. He’s quite the nuisance, but he would never betray me.” Tirek said, gesturing up to Scorpan, who hadn’t entered the cave.

“Nevertheless, he must wait outside if you intend to enter my cave.” Sendak said, pointing up to the exit of the cave.

“As you wish.” Tirek replied as he headed back up to the entrance of the cave, coming face to face with his brother. “You, stay right here and don’t even think about interrupting us.”

“But why can’t I come with you, brother?” Scorpan asked, looking very concerned for his brother. “It’s Sendak the Elder, isn’t it? He’s finally returned. Rumor has it that he was gone for so long because he had journeyed to Equestria and-.”

Before Scorpan could say anything else, Tirek used his magic to cover Scorpan’s mouth, shutting him up.

“ENOUGH! I need you to stand out here and keep guard! And stop asking so many questions!” Tirek yelled as he turned around and headed inside the cave.

“You have taken care of your brother?” Sendak asked as Tirek reached the bottom of the cave.

“Yes, he will not get in our way, and he will not go against me.” Tirek responded with a nod.

“Hmm, I sense his fear of… and his devotion to you, Tirek.” Sendak said.

“Whatever, are the rumors true? Did you journey to Equestria, master?” Tirek asked as he walked over to the cage from earlier and attempted to lift the sheet up.

However, before Tirek could remove the sheet from the cage, Sendak sent a flame of magic at him, burning Tirek’s hand.

“Ouch!” Tirek cried as he flinched in pain from the burn.

“Don’t the creatures of this land have anything better to do than gossip about the whereabouts of an aging centaur like me!?” Sendak asked. “But to answer your question, yes, the rumors are true.”

“And you’ve brought something back from Equestria to show me?” Tirek asked, looking down at the cage.

“Young Tirek, it’s true that you are one of my lone allies in this land. And there’s no doubt you’ve got the gift of power. That a powerful magic is coursing through your veins.” Sendak said as he looked down at Tirek with appreciation. “However, I’m not so sure if you are ready for this.”

“(Growl) I am ready!” Tirek protested as he clenched his fists tightly. “Don’t you dare try to hold me back like my father does!”

“(Chuckle) I suppose I should know better than to try and dissuade you from your passions, Tirek.” Sendak said as he removed the sheet from the cage, revealing something that no creature in this land had ever seen before.

Inside the cage, there was a unicorn stallion from Equestria. The unicorn was a dark blue color, with a purple mane and tail. On his flank, there was a cutie mark which showed a strange looking planet with rings around it, as well as a single star above the planet.

“Is… Is that… I’ve only ever read of these creatures! I never dreamed that I would ever see one of them before my very eyes!” Tirek said as he stared at the unicorn in fascination, only to soon realize that it wasn’t moving. “Is it-?”

“Dead? No. I merely drugged it with a special elixir.” Sendak replied.

“What will you do with it?” Tirek asked.

“There is no magic in this entire world as strong as the magic within this unicorn.” Sendak began with a grin. “If I were able to extract and harness the magic of an Equestrian unicorn, why, I would be an unstoppable force!”

“You would be?” Tirek asked as he continued to stare at the unconscious pony.

“(Chuckle) Your emotions betray you, Tirek.” Sendak said as he shook his head a bit.

“What!? How so!?” Tirek asked, turning his attention to the old centaur.

“I can sense it within you. You want to harness the magic of this unicorn for yourself so that you may become an unstoppable force of nature.” Sendak said, looking straight into Tirek’s eyes. “However, you are too young and not yet capable of controlling unicorn magic.”

“Is that really what you think!? How dare you!” Tirek yelled.

Then, before Tirek could protest any more, they both heard the sounds of the castle bells ringing throughout the land.

“The castle bells…” Tirek said as he turned to look up at the exit of the cave.

“Yes, it would appear that our little visit is over.” Sendak said as he covered the cage back up with the sheet. “Have patience, young Tirek. Your time will come soon enough.”

Even though Tirek wanted to stay and argue with Sendak some more, he knew he really didn’t have a choice in the matter. So, with a huff, Tirek made his way back up the stairs and walked out of the cave, immediately being greeted by his worried brother.

“Brother, we must get back home immediately, or our parents will notice that we’re gone!” Scorpan said in a panic.

“Yes, I know.” Tirek replied as they made their way back to the castle.

“Is it true, Tirek? Did Sendak really travel to the lands of Equestria?” Scorpan asked.

“(Groan) Yes, brother, it is true. Now shut up and keep walking!” Tirek said, holding back the urge to smack his brother in the face.

After some time of walking, Tirek and Scorpan finally made it back to the castle, where they were greeted by the two guards keeping watch by the entrance. Scorpan was chewing on his own claws, extremely worried.

“Oh dear, we’re late! Father will know that we were outside the castle gates.” Scorpan said.

“I don’t care.” Tirek replied as they entered the castle.

I suppose it’s best if I told you a bit about my parents. My father, King Vorak, was as strict as they come. He had a tough attitude and was always serious, I barely remember him even smiling. We never got along, and I don’t think we ever would have. Father never believed in me, and he always found a reason to criticize me. I hated him and he knew it. My mother, Queen Haydon, on the other hand, well, she was a nurturing caring mother. Sure, she was much nicer to me than my father was, but I didn’t care. Besides, all she ever cared about was keeping up our appearances and keeping us all together as a family.

As Tirek and Scorpan entered the castle and approached the dining hall, they overheard the sounds of their parents talking to each other. Tirek stopped and kept himself hidden so he could listen in to what they were saying. Scorpan didn’t want to eavesdrop on his parents, but he had to admit, he was also curious as to what they were talking about.

“Tirek and Scorpan are late! They will be punished for this!” King Vorak barked in anger.

“Now Vorak, you’re always so quick to judge and imagine the worst of things.” Queen Haydon said as she tried to calm down her husband.

“Yes, and why shouldn’t I be? From the day Tirek was born, he has never behaved like a prince! Not once has he acted as a rightful heir to the throne! He’s always lurking out in the Nether Lands, more interested in that old hermit Sendak than what is taking place in his own kingdom!” King Vorak yelled.

“Tirek is gifted with magic. More so than anyone in the kingdom, even us.” Queen Haydon said. “You have never encouraged it, but instead you have tried to ignore it.”

“My dear, I sense a thirst for power in him.” King Vorak said, dropping his angry act and looking at his wife with concern. “He will one day use his gift of magic against me. I only hope that Scorpan’s devotion to Tirek will not lead him down the same path.”

Just then, Scorpan decided he had heard enough of what his father was saying so he flew out from where he was hiding and greeted his mother. Tirek also emerged from hiding and walked over to his father.

“Good evening, mother.” Scorpan said as he flew into his mother's embrace. “I am sorry that we are late.”

“There, there, it’s quite alright.” Queen Haydon said as she hugged her son tightly.

“So, you finally decided to grace us with your presence.” King Vorak said as he looked down sternly at Tirek.

“It would appear so, father.” Tirek said as he met his father’s stern gaze before they all sat down for dinner.

After dinner had been finished, Tirek and Scorpan went up to their room for the night. As the two brothers sat in their room, Tirek was holding a miniature wooden model of a unicorn he had carved, up with his magic. Tirek then looked over to his brother and decided to ask him a question.

“Why did you interrupt our parents when they were talking earlier?” Tirek asked, looking at his brother, who was staring at the fireplace in their room.

“I couldn’t bear to listen to father speaking so poorly of you any longer.” Scorpan replied as he turned to face Tirek. “Besides, we shouldn’t be snooping and eavesdropping on them in the first place.”

Tirek just scoffed as he threw the wooden model into the wall, shattering it to pieces, just barely missing Scorpan’s face. Scorpan’s eyes went wide as he felt the model zip right past his face.

“Brother, you are too sensitive. Without ‘snooping’ as you say, I would never know what our dear father really thinks about me.” Tirek said as he levitated the broken model over to him, examining it. “Hmph, I’m sure mother would never allow father to tell me how he really feels. After all, she’s so concerned with keeping up our appearances as well as keeping the family together.”

“What are you going to do?” Scorpan asked.

“I’m going to sleep. Goodnight, brother.” Tirek said as he climbed onto his bed and draped the covers over himself.

Little did my foolish brother know, I had other plans for that night. Once midnight came around, I decided to head back to the Nether Lands to Sendak’s little hideout. Of course, there were guards outside of our castle, so I had to get creative. I used my magic to create some fireworks in the sky, distracting the guards long enough for me to get away from the castle. Those idiot guards thought my little display was supposed to be some enemy attack, so while they tried to find out what was going on, I snuck away.

Soon enough, I had arrived at Sendak’s hideout. Luckily for me, the old fool was fast asleep. I had always looked up to Sendak since I was young, like he was someone who actually believed in me. However, when he said that I wasn’t ready or capable of controlling the magic of a unicorn, he crossed a line. He had become just like my good for nothing father, who never believed in me. If Sendak wasn’t going to give me what I wanted, I decided to just take it.

As Tirek looked over the sleeping form of Sendak, he scowled at him, feeling betrayed by the one creature he thought believed in him.

“Sleep well, Sendak, and stay put.” Tirek said as put a spell on Sendak which would immobilize him. “Now, for you.” Tirek said as he walked over to the cage with the unicorn.

Tirek removed the sheet covering the cage, exposing the unicorn, who was still unconscious.

“Your magic will be mine!” Tirek said as he concentrated all of his magic and power into draining the magic out of the unicorn, only to completely fail.

That was the first time I ever used that special power of mine to suck out the magic and life force from a pony. I wish I could say it went smoothly, but I guess luck just wasn’t on my side that day…

“What!? Why isn’t it working!?” Tirek shouted as he once again tried to drain the magic out of the unicorn.

Due to the commotion caused by Tirek using his special power, Sendak as well as the unicorn trapped in the cage ended up waking up. When Sendak awoke to see Tirek attempting to drain the magic out of the trapped unicorn, he was shocked.

“What!? T-Tirek!? Is that you!? What are you doing!?” Sendak cried as he tried to use his magic.

“What does it look like I’m doing, you old fool!? I’m taking what is rightfully mine!” Tirek shouted as he turned to Sendak.

“Tirek, you can’t! You’re not strong enough yet!” Sendak shouted before he was slapped hard in the face by Tirek.

“(Snarl) You sound just like my father! Doubting me and never having any faith in me! Well, I’ve had it!” Tirek shouted as he glared into Sendak’s eyes. “I’m done holding back! I’ll show you just how strong I am!”

“Set… me… free!” the unicorn said as he looked over to the two centaurs.

“(Evil Chuckle) I don’t think so, pony.” Tirek said as he gave the unicorn a sinister grin.

“TIREK! NO!!!” Sendak cried as he watched Tirek prepare to use his special power.

Once again, Tirek tried to drain the life force out of the unicorn, using more magic than he ever had in his whole life. Tirek didn’t care about anything else aside from absorbing more magic and power so he could show everyone in his kingdom that he was special and that he was not weak. Once he had this new power, he would show it to his father and earn some respect. Tirek fueled his power with all of the hatred and anger he felt for his father and Sendak’s betrayal.

Because Tirek had put in so much power and hatred into his magic, the spell ended up backfiring and an explosion occurred, causing the cage to break open and shelves and tables to fall everywhere in the hideout. Once of the heavy shelves ended up falling onto Sendak’s legs, pinning him to the ground.

“GAH! I’m trapped! What have you done!?” Sendak cried as he felt his legs get crushed by the shelf.

In the commotion, Tirek managed to snap himself out of his angered state, looking over at the one creature in his kingdom he thought believed in him. Seeing Sendak injured greatly caused Tirek to feel guilty for what he had just done.

“Sendak… I… I…” was all Tirek could manage to say as he looked at his master.

“Quick! Contain the unicorn before he escapes!” Sendak cried, pointing over behind Tirek.

Tirek turned around and spotted the unicorn fleeing from the cave, however that wasn’t what was concerning Tirek. The explosion had been so big that it burst out of the cave, meaning that the guards back at the castle surely saw it and would send troops over to investigate the scene. Tirek knew that he couldn’t get caught here.

“Don’t just stand there, you fool! Help me!” Sendak cried as he reached his hand out to Tirek.

“I… I’m sorry.” Tirek said as he began to leave the cave.

“What!? Where are you going!?” Sendak cried as he watched Tirek leave. “Tirek, come back! Tirek!? TIREK!!!”

Sendak’s cries could seemingly be heard for miles as Tirek just ran away and headed back to the castle. Eventually, Tirek was able to sneak back into his room and climbed into bed, pretending as if he had never left.

Early the next morning, Tirek was woken up by Scorpan, who barged into the room with an excited look on his face.

“Brother, you’re here! I thought for certain that you were out in the Nether Lands.” Scorpan said as Tirek rubbed the sleep out of his eyes.

“(Groan) What makes you say that?” Tirek asked as he looked at his brother.

“Why, the explosion and brilliant flashes of light that occurred last night, of course!” Scorpan replied as he raised his hands in the air. “It came from the direction of Sendak’s place. When I came to tell you about, you weren’t here so I thought-.”

“I didn’t leave the castle last night. End of story.” Tirek said.

Just then, before the two brothers could say another word to each other, one of the guards came into the room with a stern look on his face.

“His highness, King Vorak has requested the presence of both of you immediately.” The guard said.

With that, Tirek and Scorpan followed the guard as he took them in the direction of the throne room. Along the way, Scorpan began biting his claws out of nervousness.

“Father must be very upset about something for him to summon us this early in the morning.” Scorpan said. “What do you think caused the explosion last night, brother?”

“(Sigh) I don’t know, Scorpan. I don’t know.” Tirek said, avoiding eye contact.

“Wh-What if he thinks you did it?” Scorpan asked worriedly.

“I don’t care what he thinks.” Tirek responded as they arrived at the throne room.

“King Vorak, the princes are here, as you requested.” The guard said as he bowed down to his king.

In the throne room, King Vorak was talking to some of the other members of the royal court. Queen Haydon was sitting at her throne, looking very worried. King Vorak didn’t acknowledge the guard’s statement as he continued to talk. It seemed that the unicorn had been discovered by the guards and he must have told the king why he was in their land.

“Sendak brought an Equestrian unicorn here against their will!? Is that old fool trying to start a war!?” King Vorak yelled as he stomped his hoof on the ground. “(Sigh) We will need to have an immediate damage control meeting with Princess Celestia.”

Tirek and Scorpan just looked at each other in response to what their father had said. Scorpan had no idea what was going on, while Tirek just kept his mouth shut.

“Prepare a delegation to escort the unicorn back to Equestria. I will lead the it personally. In my absence, Queen Haydon will be in charge. Guards, make sure that Sendak is sent to the mines. So long as I am king of this land, Sendak will never see the light of day again. Dismissed!” King Vorak yelled as the everyone in the room left, leaving only the king and queen, as well as Tirek and Scorpan. “Now you two, where were you last night?”

“Here in the castle, father.” Scorpan replied quickly.

“Yes, I was here with Scorpan all night. Right, Scorpan?” Tirek asked his brother.

Scorpan couldn’t respond as he just stuttered until King Vorak broke the awkward silence.

“Is that so? Well, I heard differently, Tirek. I heard that you played a part in the events of last night.” King Vorak said, narrowing his eyes to his son.

“Tirek, my son, please tell me that you would not betray us like that!” Queen Haydon pleaded, looking heartbroken.

“Well, what do you have to say for yourself?” King Vorak asked as he walked up to Tirek and looked down at him.

“I… don’t know what you’re talking about.” Tirek responded, meeting his father’s gaze.

“Tirek, until I return from Equestria, you are not to leave the castle grounds. In fact, you are not allowed to leave your chambers and I will have guards positioned there at all times. Dismissed!” King Vorak yelled as he turned around and stormed out of the throne room.

After King Vorak had left the room, the guard from earlier began to escort Tirek and Scorpan back to their rooms. Before they left, Queen Haydon put her hand on Tirek’s shoulder, turning him to face her.

“Tirek, why? Why did you do this?” Queen Haydon asked, looking worried for her son.

“(Scoffs) Don’t act like you care about me, mother.” Tirek said as he pulled away from his mother and left for his room.

Once Tirek was in his room, he walked out to the balcony attached to his room and looked down, watching his father depart for Equestria. As he watched, Tirek remembered the conversation he overheard his parents having the day before.

“You’re right, father. One day, I will overpower you. I will take this land for myself. Once that is done, it is I who will journey to Equestria and do what Sendak could not. One day… I will be an unstoppable force of nature… I will be, Lord Tirek!”

*End Flashback*

“So, you overthrew your dad and took over his kingdom?” Cozy Glow asked.

“I wish I did, but no.” Tirek said with a grunt.

“But I thought you said that you weren’t going to come to Equestria and take magic from ponies until after you took over your dad’s kingdom.” Cozy Glow said.

“That was the original plan, yes. But things changed.” Tirek said. “I was young and stupid, so I got tired of waiting and I managed to convince Scorpan to come with me to Equestria so we could steal the magic of the ponies.”

“And how did you do that? From what you’ve told us, your brother wasn’t exactly the invading and conquering type.” Chrysalis said.

“Easy, my brother was so scared of me and devoted to me, that I just had to say the right things and threaten him with pain.” Tirek replied.

“What happened then?” Cozy Glow asked.

“Well, we made it to Equestria, but my idiot brother ended up meeting that Star Swirl the Bearded pony and became infatuated by the ponies’ way of life. Scorpan tried to convince me to change my mind, but I wasn’t having it. The coward ended up telling the princesses and I was sent to Tartarus, while Scorpan just left me behind to rot!” Tirek said as he clenched his fists tightly.

“So, your brother really did just leave you.” Cozy Glow said as she rubbed her head. “Did you ever hear from him again?”

“No, but Princess Celestia gave me a letter that was written by my father. According to the letter, Scorpan told my parents everything and I was pretty much forbidden from ever returning home. To my father, I was dead to him.” Tirek said with a snarl. “Like I said, my family betrayed me and abandoned me.”

After Tirek had finished his story, the terrible trio once again just sat in silence. They took time to really take in what they had heard from each other. It was clear that each of them had either gone through something horrible or had been treated unjustly. They now understood why each of them were the way they were now. By sharing their pasts, the terrible trio began to have a mutual respect for one another.

“Well, I can see now why you look up to Sombra so much and why you are always so eager to impress him.” Chrysalis said as she looked at Cozy Glow. “He is like a caring father compared to the likes of your parents.”

“And I completely understand why you hate Starlight Glimmer so much.” Cozy Glow said as she looked at Chrysalis. “You were forced to do horrible things in order to claim your role as queen and because of Starlight, you lost everything that you fought so hard to achieve.”

“Yes, that is why I am willing to follow Sombra, so long as I can get my revenge on those pathetic ponies, especially Starlight Glimmer.” Chrysalis said with a hiss.

“I can also see why you’re so obsessed with gaining all this power. You want to show everyone back home what you’re truly capable of.” Cozy Glow said, turning to Tirek.

“Precisely. And if Sombra honors the deal he made with us, I will become strong enough to take what is rightfully mine! I’ll make my father’s fears come true!” Tirek said as a thought suddenly came to mind.

“Of course, King Sombra will honor the deal he made with us; we all signed the contract.” Cozy Glow said.

“Wait, what about you? What are you trying to get out of all this aside from Sombra’s approval?” Tirek asked.

Cozy Glow waited a few moments before she looked at the two villains with a serious expression.

“I want King Sombra to teach my parents a lesson for treating me the way they did. And once he’s done with that, I want him to kill them.” Cozy Glow said without a single stutter or hint of hesitation.

The filly’s response shocked Tirek and Chrysalis, but only for a moment. Considering what they knew now about Cozy Glow’s past, they didn’t blame her one bit for wishing death upon her parents.

“Well, I think we’ve finished our story time, why don’t we come up with a plan to reach the top of Mount Everhoof.” Tirek suggested to the others with a grin.

“(Evil Laugh) That sounds like a marvelous idea.” Chrysalis said with a flick of her tongue.

“Yeah! Tomorrow, we’ll reach the top of Mount Everhoof and Grogar’s bell will be ours!” Cozy Glow said.

With that, the terrible trio shared a laugh as they then formulated a plan on how they would reach the top of Mount Everhoof and retrieve Grogar’s Bewitching Bell…

Author's Note:

I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! Half of it was basically the Frenemies episode from season 9, but I hope it was enjoyable! The terrible trio finally got some time to shine and we even learned a bit about their origins! Tirek's origin came pretty much from the comics and Chrysalis's origin I thought of myself. Over the past couple chapters we've learned the origins for why the villains are evil, but don't forget, they are still the villains in this story! Next chapter, the terrible trio will continue to try and retrieve Grogar's bell! Thank you for the support!