It was a very humid but clear night on the border between a standard forest and the Badlands. There was, what seemed to be, a claw sticking out of the ground; its colors a mix of red and black. It just stood there. . . It could have been for hours, or possibly even days, before it finally stirred. A strange, smoke-like figure started to fill the air around the ''claw''. In minutes, the haze cleared enough to see that the smoke was in the shape of a head; a stallion head.
Wha... Where am I...? The black smoke thought. This isn't the Empi--oh, right. I must have forgotten for a second that I was defeated so easily by those weaklings. Then sadly added to itself, Oh, who am I kidding? I'm the weakling. "Why does nothing go right for me?'' it complained. ''I had a second chance and what do I do? Fail. Completely and utterly fail.''
''You sure did. But, hey, so did I.''
''What?'' the smoke figure growled. Then it saw the tallest mare it'd ever seen in it's life. "Huh...who are you, and--'' The smoke figure looked at the mare more closely, with its tattered wings and holey legs. ''what are you?''
''Why, I am no other than the Changeling ruler, Queen Chrysalis.'' Then, she added slyly, ''Don't worry about introducing yourself, because I already know who you are, King Sombra.''
Sombra gasped. How did she know him?
''Don't look at me like that,'' she yapped. ''Just because I got defeated doesn't mean I'm going to sit around at home all day and do nothing. While you were feebly trying to break through Cadence's shield, I did the smart option of transforming into a Crystal Pony to hide among the others.''
Sombra was hot with embarrassment. Well at least I had the courage to show my face, bug!
''Oh and don't even get me started on how you got defeated. A Crystal Heart? Really? I would have smashed that piece of junk as soon as I saw it.''
''And when you exploded,'' she went on,''that face you had? Pure gold.''
''Look here, Chrysalis,'' Sombra spat, ''First of all, that ''piece of junk'' had Love Energy that I could have used!''
Love Energy? Chrysalis thought. Huh. Maybe that thing is a bit useful.
''Second of all,'' he continued,''if you just came here to insult me, then I have no problem destroying you once I've gained all my energy.''
''No, no, Sombra, I don't want us to be enemies,'' Queen Chrysalis insisted. ''In fact, I want us to work together to defeat the Elements of Harmony and company once and for all. I mean, I can change forms and you have dark shadow magic that will surely help me and my Changeling army. I can see it now: Once we destroy them, we can take over all of Eque--''
''Are you serious?'' King Sombra interrupted. ''I'm sure I can do just fine without you, thank you very much.''
''Oh, PUH-LEASE,'' Chrysalis laughed,''Look at you! You're a cloud of harmless smoke coming out of a broken horn and YOU think...'' She burst into a laughing fit so hard, she started to cry.
Sombra looked at himself. Do I really look that silly? he thought with a frown.
''Besides,'' Chrysalis continued when she wiped her face dry,''I'm sure you don't wan't to be out here in this thick air with no food or water, for who knows how many days.''
King Sombra thought for a minute. The offer did sound tempting: Food...shelter...and another chance to rule over the empire--no, Equestria! This idea just may work.
''Okay, fine,'' Sombra sighed, even if he didn't trust her completely. ''I'll join you. But even though I don't have my power yet, DON'T baby me. I'm not some spineless little filly who doesn't know how to take care of itself.''
''Yeah, yeah, I know.'' Chrysalis said, as she plucked King Sombra off the ground with her magic and carried him along to the Badlands. ''Smoke breath,'' she muttered.
''What was that?'' Sombra asked.
''Nothing.'' Chrysalis replied.
When entering the Badlands, the air grew thicker with heat. Chrysalis was panting with weariness within minutes.
"What's wrong, Chrysalis?" Sombra asked, raising an eyebrow. "I thought you would have no problem coming back, considering you made it to the forest so well."
"You...don't understand..." she panted. "I usually fly from place to place, but the air is too thick for my wings to fly right."
"What, are you so lazy that you can't simply walk around places?" Sombra sneered.
"Zip it, fool," Chrysalis growled. "I'm taller, heavier, and more built than you are. You are just smoke; the air goes right through you." Chrysalis sat down to take a break and forcefully jammed the tip of Sombra's horn into the ground. Sombra
made an inexplainable sound in anger.
"Hey, if this horn shatters, I'll never come back, so watch it!" Sombra retorted.
"I said zip it, and how dare you speak to your queen with such a tone?" Chrysalis hissed.
"You don't own me, bug. I am a king; I can treat you any way I want."
"Oh, so you don't mind if leave you here, in the dirt, never to come back?"
"It'd be better than hearing your yap about how things are harder for you. At least you weren't trapped in ice for a thousand years! I bet you had no hardships, anyway."
Chrysalis felt stung.
"You...you have no idea what I've been through!" Chrysalis shrieked. "If this is how you treat the one pony who decided to help you gain power, then I don't care what happens to you, you ungrateful oaf!"
Despite her weariness, Chrysalis stormed off in a huff, leaving Sombra alone in the dirt. Sombra was shocked she had acted so sensitively toward his statement, yet still angry at her.
"I didn't need you to concur Equestria anyway!" Sombra roared. "I'm going to gain my power later on, and when I do, I'll show you who'll be ruling Equestria!"
Chrysalis didn't even look back. Sunlight started to flicker through the haze as dawn approached. As the haze cleared, Sombra noticed how wide and barren the Badlands really were. Hardly any plants grew here, and if they did, it was shriveled and old.
How long has she lived in this wasteland? Sombra wondered. Well, who cares about her, anyway. She's got an army of bugs to help her.
Still, Sombra couldn't help but wonder what Chrysalis's past had been like, and if rejecting her offer had been a terrible mistake.
