“Wake up you pathetic weakling!” That was the first thing that Skittish heard every morning. They had been traveling only a few weeks, but Sombra’s constant insults and intimidation made it seem like an eternity. Sombra was never pleased with anything, “Pick up the pace you sluggard! Why couldn’t you have had wings? When will you grow a spine?” and similar insults were all Skittish ever heard day in and day out. Even when he wasn't directly belittling him the dark king would always throw in an insult of some kind. Apart from that Sombra was mostly silent, even when Skittish asked him where they were going the only response he ever got was “South, I’m sick of the cold. Now shut your mouth before I get any sicker of you!”
During their journey Skittish and Sombra had witnessed the landscape change from a frozen wasteland, to frigid mountains, to lush forest. The forest itself had changed as well the trees which at first topped out at the same height as most shrubs, gradually grew taller as warmer temperatures permitted longer growing seasons. As they traveled ever southward the enduring evergreen gave way to deciduous broad leafed varieties. But now there was an entirely new terrain before them. Unlike the other transitions which were gradual and subtle enough that you wouldn't even notice them unless you were paying close attention, this was very obvious. There was nothing, no trees, no flowers, not even a blade of grass everything was dead!
“W...what happened to all the trees?” Skittish asked.
“ Isn't it obvious? Their dead genius.” replied Sombra as he glared disapprovingly from the crystal pony’s shadow.
“Maybe we should go in another direction, I don’t want to meet whatever caused this.”
“Normally I would agree with you. There is a village a few miles in that direction inhabited by a race of kittens, and believe it or not they would give me an even bigger headache that your incessant babbling.”
“If you dislike them so much, why are we going toward their village? “
“The reason we’re traveling is to get is so I can find allies to help me get my revenge on Equestria.”
“I highly doubt that a race of kittens would help.”
“How dense are you? Look at the trees! They aren't burnt, nor did they die of any natural cause. They have shriveled, which means that something has drained the life from them.” barked Sombra as he took physical form to point out the withered trunks of the trees and the browned foliage on the ground.
“I’m sorry, but how dose this relate to the kittens?”
“Nothing just starts feeding on the life of vegetation, higher life forms offer much more energy. If whatever did this has started to devour trees then that means that they have already had their way with the furry creatures. That plus the sheer number of trees that have been consumed can mean one of two things.”
“And what would they be?” Skittish reluctantly inquired.
“It means that either this creature is very powerful or it is a hoard, both of which can be very useful against my enemies.” Sombra replied with a definite air of anticipation about him.
Skittish thought briefly then added, “Or it could be one or two weaker creatures that have been here for a long time.”
“Shut up you!” Sombra retorted, “It doesn't really matter how strong this creature is, In order to get my revenge I will need some allies even colder than the glaciers I used to call home. Anything that would visit harm on that village of kittens defiantly makes the cut.” Sombra's eyes were alight with something that Skittish what at a loss to describe; it wasn't the same anticipation he beamed with moments ago, nor was it the strange form of sinister happiness Sombra would rarely exhibit, this new thing was admiration. It was something that Skittish thought he would never see on Sombras face, indeed the tyrant seemed to think anything that had breath on its lips was inferior to himself. That coupled with the fact that King Sombra was the most terrible thing he had ever known terrified Skittish, because anything that Sombra would hold any regard for must be truly depraved.
As they trekked forward a fortress atop a hill came into view. Enormous and terrifying its walls stood firm, Towers reached skyward keeping watch from their lofty heights,and the gate was barred denying passage to any wishing gain passage to the intimidating enclosure. The castle was perched on high ground surrounded on all sides by cliff faces, the only way to reach it was via a narrow path with the cliff face as a wall on one side and empty space that seemed to pull travelers towards the edge on the other.
Upon reaching the gates the flighty crystal pony and his shadow found that they were locked from the outside. Large chains with links as thick as a pony's hoof stretched across the equally massive gates. They reached from the threshold to the keystone of the arch stretching across and wrapping around each and every bar ensuring that the gate could not be opened. Near the center of the gateway all the chain were gathered together and fastened with a monstrous gilded padlock, and as a finishing touch the keyhole was filled with blood red wax and stamped with Princess Celestia’s royal seal. Above the lock hung a plaque bearing the inscription; This castle is the prison of Chrysalis Queen of the Changelings and all of her minions, who have been sealed away for heinous crimes against Equestira. In accordance with our laws she will remain incarcerated for the remainder of her days. Let her punishment serve as a warning to us all to observe and uphold all laws and statutes that have been put in place to protect the peace and harmony of our fair land.
Upon reading the edict the corners of Sombra’s mouth turned up stretching into a sinister grin, “Changelings eh. Not my first choice for an ally, but they’ll do nicely.”
“Ch…changelings!” Skittish squeaked. To the ponies of Equestria, Changelings were entirely unknown until the incident at the royal wedding; to the crystal ponies on the other hand they were all too familiar. To the changelings, the Crystal Kingdom was the promised land, where else would a creature that fed of the energy of strong emotions like love and hope feel more at home than an entire kingdom powered, protected, and held together by those very feelings.
In the past the Crystal Empire had repelled many attacks by the changeling hordes, who fought relentlessly to posses the Crystal Heart. Before he took the throne King Sombra was actually the general of the Crystal Empires army. To the crystal ponies he was the hero who saved them from certain defeat and to the changelings a monster that broodmothers would tell their hatchlings about to make them behave. “Let’s see if they still remember me.” Sombra said sarcastically as he broke the lock on the gate.