It was mid-day, and the villainous trio and the hybrid traveled up the mountain and up to Rusty Bucket's cabin.

Rusty Bucket came out and saw the same filly with three different creatures with a shocked expression.

Chrysalis turned into a female Ophiotaurus and roared very loudly at Rusty Bucket, causing the mountain to rumble and come down with a rock-slide of snow on top of Rusty Bucket and his cabin.

Chrysalis, Tirek and Cozy laughed while the hybrid simply stared at the snow as he followed his new allies, mostly Cozy Glow. He could feel that she was feeling a little closer to him ever since they had their talk last night.

Rusty Bucket popped out of the snow and gasped for some air. "I'm okay!" He shouted.

The hybrid, however, secretly whipped his tail at the stallion and released an eldritch plasma ring at him, turning him into a black, rocky skeleton with red crystals sprouting out of him, his clothes turning to ash and withering away.

A While Later...

The quartet looked around for the right direction. Tirek grabbed some vines from the trees, Chrysalis reluctantly allowed the creature to hold her tail because of his blindness, and Cozy was a little ways ahead of them, looking for the right direction.

Coming at a crossroad, she looked left and right, and she pointed right with a confident smile.

A While Later...

The villains climbed up the mountain, except for the hybrid, who seemed to have absolutely no trouble against the enchanted winds. What was even more interesting, was that he wasn't even using his wings, he was just hovering like a Chinese dragon would.

Cozy put a hoof on one part and accidentally slipped. Luckily, Chrysalis let her catch her hoof by a hole, and the hybrid extended his fingers into oozy tendrils with a rocky surface and caught Cozy by the waist. Cozy looked at Chrysalis and the creature, seeing Chrysalis with a helpful smile and the creature with a reassuring nod. Chrysalis pulled Cozy up ahead of her and helped her climb the way. Tirek continued climbing fine with the creature watching his steps, making sure that the centaur wouldn't lose his step or slip.

A While Later...

The villains and hybrid got to the point where Chrysalis failed to cross to the other mountainside. Chrysalis motioned for Tirek to tie the vines on a rock, and the centaur did, while the creature tapped the vines and enveloped them in the rocky ooze to make them stronger, but the ooze only stopped an inch from Tirek's hands.

The hybrid crossed the chasm with no problem and landed on the other side, waiting to catch either Chrysalis or Cozy.

Chrysalis transformed into a Roc-bird and extended a foot to hold Cozy. Cozy took the vines Tirek held and landed in Chrysalis' talons.

Chrysalis took flight and flew as hard as she could against the winds. Once she was far enough, she threw Cozy Glow at the other side, and the creature caught the little filly. Cozy wrapped the vine around the other rock and made sure it was tight enough.

When the hybrid felt Cozy looking at him, he tapped on the vines again and they were fully enveloped by the rocky black ooze, making it much stronger.

Once tight enough, Chrysalis turned into a spider monkey and crawled across, Tirek following. Once the two got across the villains and hybrid looked up at the mountain peak.

A While Later...

After climbing all the way to the peak, the villainous trio and the hybrid came upon the enchanted cave that held Grogar's Bewitching Bell.

Chrysalis flew towards the cave, only to be repelled by a magical sphere and blown back with a yelp. The hybrid extended his fingers and caught the changeling from falling in the snow, setting her upright.

Tirek and Cozy looked at each other in surprise and approached the shield. Tirek touched the shield, but it zapped him with heat, causing him to grunt and shake his hand.

"It's no use, this shield is meant to keep everypony and everyone out," Says Tirek.

"Well, can you try to absorb it? It is a magical shield," Cozy Glow suggested.

"I can only absorb magic from living things, anything else that's placed by somepony is not considered living in this world," Tirek stated, then the trio began to think. When Cozy Glow looked at Chrysalis, that's when an idea hit her.

"Like... them?" Tirek looked at Chrysalis and the creature in realization.

"Hmm..." Tirek said.

Chrysalis looked at the two in shock, then she gritted her teeth. "Betrayal!" She shouted as she prepared to attack. The hybrid however, simply did nothing but land on the snow.

"No, no, no. Not betrayal, teamwork," Cozy reassured the queen.

"How is taking my- er, our magic apart of teamwork?" Chrysalis asked in a suspicious manner.

"If you guys allow Tirek to absorb all of your energy and magic, then maybe he might be strong enough to break through the field," Cozy explained.

Tirek looked at his muscles with glory and pride.

"And then what?" Chrysalis asked suspiciously.

"Then... he gives it back," Cozy provided. Tirek was taken aback and looks at the pegasus filly in confusion.

"I do?" He asked.

"Mm-hm."

"How do I know you won't just take my- our magic, grab the bell, and then leave us to freeze on this mountain?" Chrysalis asked suspiciously.

"Well, the creature thing said that for those in pain, we have to show them empathy. So if he says that you have to show it to us, I'm pretty sure that means we have to show it to you, too," Cozy stated.

Chrysalis simply sighed in disgust, "Fine, but only if Tirek swears not to do it anymore at Grogar's lair," She said, eyeing Tirek.

"As I said, I have done nothing of the sort!" Tirek tried to defend himself.

"Tirek?" Cozy said with an arched brow. Tirek simply sighed.

"Fine, but only if she doesn't talk to her log every 5 minutes," Tirek said with a smirk.

"How dare you-!"

"Chrysalis, we don't have time. We need to get the bell, or who knows what Grogar's gonna do to us? We'll make it 15 minutes, okay?" Cozy said quickly with a persuasive smile.

Chrysalis sighed and stood up straight. "Do it." Then, Tirek started to absorb Chrysalis' magic and started to turn into his third form, the changeling could feel herself getting weaker by the second. Once finished, the changeling queen collapsed onto the ground with broken eyes.

"So. Much. POWER!!!" Tirek roared in greatness, but then he noticed something. "Although, I didn't receive any power from you," Tirek said to the creature.

"My powers cannot be absorbed because they work much differently in this universe than where they were given," The hybrid explained.

"Ah, I see... Well, anyways, WELCOME BACK, BABY!!!" Tirek shouted with mighty joy. Then, he shot a mighty beam at the force field, but only a small portion of it opened. "It's not big enough for me!" He said straining.

"Not for you, but it is for me," Cozy said before she went through the hole. "Keep it open, or I'll be trapped in here with the bell forever!" She called back before entering the cave.

Chrysalis lifted her head weakly. "Would that really be so terrible to do?" She asked Tirek, who simply laughed at the question.

"Can't... hold... much... longer!" He called through the hole. He could feel himself losing it. "HURRY!!!" He shouted.

"Just a little bit-!" But Cozy was cut off when Tirek lost his grip, and the hole closed off. Cozy fell to the ground and looked up to see that the hole had closed before she was able to escape.

"NOO!!!" Tirek roared, then he punched the side of the mountain. "We were so close!"

"We... we failed," Chrysalis said weakly.

"I... I'm trapped..." Cozy said. She saw that she had the bell, but she and it were now trapped inside the field.

"W-What do we do?" Chrysalis asked.

"Grogar said that we have to work together, so we can't just go back without the filly," Tirek stated.

"And we can't go back without the bell either!" Cozy called through the field.

Chrysalis was thinking, until she thought of one thing.

"Creature... You said that your powers work differently here than where they were given to you, correct?" She asked weakly.

The hybrid simply stared for a moment before he turned to the shield. "I understand your idea," He says as he approaches the shield. "Move," He said to the centaur. Tirek moved away and let the creature come to the field. Cozy looked up at the creature, hoping that he might be able to break her out of this field. "Beware, Cozy Glow. You will feel gravely feverish,"

"W-What does that mean?" Cozy asked a little worriedly.

For an answer, the creature exposed his palm and placed it on the force field. The trio noticed that the creature didn't flinch at its touch, because it wasn't burning. Instead, the shield itself started to deteriorate and collapse.

Cozy suddenly felt very queasy and sick. "I... I don't feel..." Then she collapsed to the ground, and her body began to break out in Leprosy and Melanoma. "Too... (shudder)... g-good," She whimpered weakly.

Chrysalis and Tirek saw the diseases escalating. "What's... happening to her?" Chrysalis asked, almost concerningly.

"Just a few more seconds," The creature responded without strain.

Cozy Glow started feeling like her life was slipping away from her corpse. She still shivered and shuddered in her purple coat, and her eyelids began to falter.

And then, when Death's door had almost opened to the filly, the corruption stopped. Then a portion large enough for the creature shattered like real glass. He walked in and grabbed the filly, taking her out of the field. He then made a syringe with this golden yellow liquid with glowing white swirls appear in front of him. He took it and injected it into the filly's neck.

Then, the diseases started to vanish by the hours. Cozy Glow weakly opened her eyes with soft blinks. She looked up at the group, and then she smiled softly at the creature. Then she coughed a little and said, "T-Thank you..."

The creature simply nods.

Chrysalis looked at Tirek weakly and pitifully. "My magic..." She sulked.

Tirek looked at his muscles for a moment before he looked at Chrysalis with a reluctant look. He opened his mouth, and Chrysalis' magic was returning to her horn, giving her the strength she needed. Chrysalis jumped immediately and charged her horn with glee. Then she looked at Tirek a little shyly.

"I... I wasn't really sure you were going to give it back..." She said nervously, not used to telling creatures how she would usually feel.

"Neither was I," Tirek said with a shrug. "But, working together seemed... smarter than to... continue fighting," Tirek said with a slight smile.

"W-When we... helped each other, it... it felt better somehow..." Cozy said weakly.

"I... I haven't felt like this since... before I lost my Hive. Having others who will be there for you feels... pleasing... Chrysalis said thoughtfully.

"There is a value you three could learn from this experience. Working together doesn't mean that you have to become friends..." The hybrid began.

"Ugh!" Chrysalis groaned.

"Certainly not," Tirek said firmly.

"Bleh," Cozy said a little more sternly, despite her weakness from the diseases healing inside of her.

"Yes, friendship is as revolting as it can be for us villains, but working together doesn't mean that you have to be friends. The other way of thinking about it... Is that there are possibilities for you three to learn to cooperate with each other with only glimpses of sympathy for one another," The hybrid finished.

Chrysalis, Tirek and Cozy looked at each other thoughtfully on this.

"You... You're right, creature. We may not like the idea of being 'friends'..." Chrysalis began.

"But there are other ways we can learn to work together," Tirek said.

"Even if... we can show just... a little sympathy," Cozy added.

The hybrid nodded at the trio. "Now that you three have obtained the bell, perhaps it is time that you all head back," The creature said.

"Oh... You mean... without you?" Chrysalis asked a little reluctantly.

"I mean, we've only met you just last night," Tirek said.

"And you... helped us climb... up the mountain and... get the bell," Cozy said weakly with a smile.

The hybrid began thinking of what to say. "Would you... like me to walk with you, at least until it is time to part ways?"

"I think that would be exceptional," Chrysalis said.

"I suppose if you'd like," Tirek said with a shrug.

"I'd like that," Cozy said weakly before she coughed a couple of times.

"Very well." And with that, the trio and hybrid started their way down the mountain.

Next Chapter: Knowing your Inner Pain Estimated time remaining: 23 Minutes