The Badlands appeared deceptively normal as Chrysalis flew through the scorching desert sky, Celestia’s firey sun assaulting her eyes. There was not a hint of moisture in the air, just coarse, unforgiving dust. Twice she nearly succumbed to sleep in mid-air, totally exhausted from the lack of love around her as her little changelings fought over the tiniest traces of water. In other words, business as usual.
Or not.
“Something on the horizon” she muttered to herself. She double checked, then triple checked, but the dark, cloudy figure was still there - getting larger in fact.
“SOMETHING ON THE HORIZON!” she called out, lighting up her horn to echo the message across the area.
Immediately, the entire changeling hive, a huge dome-like, black, honeycomb-like structure in the desert sands, began buzzing with activity. Thousands of changelings swarmed into the skies above it, though a few collapsed on their way out, already too tired to continue.
Several changelings carried cannon-like weapons, armed with blobs of some kind of acidic substance.
“Chrysalisssss” a male voice calmly but clearly sounded from no direction in particular - and the whole army froze in place.
“How nice of you to make this a bit more fun,” he continued, “I’ll be sure to kill you last.”
“Show yourself at once!” Chrysalis demanded angrily. “You will not harm me - and you will certainly not harm any of my citizens!”
The voice simply laughed as the dark, corrupted form of Sombra materialised in front of the changelings’ leader.
“I’m afraid I can only grant one of your requests, your majesty” he said with a cruel smile, before sending a huge wave of purple light into the changeling lines, causing thousands of the creatures to cry out and hiss in agony, before falling to the ground, motionless.
“NO!” Chrysalis screamed, flying full-force towards Sombra, her horn lit. Sombra simply floated out of the way, before blasting her with a huge beam of magic.
“Argh!” the changeling leader cried, spiralling towards the ground before crashing into a sand dune, her eyes filling with the displaced particles.
“Surrender now or the next hit will be fatal” Sombra chuckled.
“I will never abandon my little changelings!” Chrysalis hissed. “They have done nothing wrong, it is my duty to protect them!”
“I have already failed once…” she added, a hint of sadness in her voice. “But it will not happen again!”
Sombra laughed, sensing the opportunity to toy with his opponent some more.
“Well, I see you have very little regard for your own safety,” said Sombra, “unfortunate really, you’d make such a good dark magician if you’d just be a little more selfish.”
“I will never succumb to your hideous ways!” Chrysalis snapped back.
Sombra smiled, pleased with the reaction. “Don’t worry, however. I have something you will care about.”
With a flash of light, the form of a tiny little changeling appeared in front of Chrysalis, and Sombra flew down towards him.
“Pupa!” Chrysalis gasped in panic.
“So that’s what you call the little insect” Sombra snickered.
“Don’t you lay a hoof on him!” Chrysalis hissed again.
“Don’t worry, I won’t hurt your pathetic son - as long as you surrender.”
“No! I will not betray my people!”
“Very well” Sombra said with a smug smile, before slashing at Pupa’s tiny form violently with his sharp, malformed horn.
“HELP!” Pupa screamed as he tumbled into the sand, his exoskeleton cracked severely, with thick green liquid oozing out of the cracks.
“MUMMY! HELP! PLEASE!” he cried as Sombra slashed at him again and again, Chrysalis looking away in horror.
“ENOUGH!” the changeling queen finally snapped. “I SURRENDER! DON’T HURT HIM ANYMORE!”
“Excellent,” Sombra answered as he left Pupa lying trembling in the sand, wet with green blood, completely unaffected by the act of violence he’d just committed. “You have five minutes to get yourself and your disgusting little son out of my sight, and if you return, you won’t be so lucky.”
Chrysalis glared at Sombra, her eyes filled with the most firey rage he had ever witnessed. For the first time that day, Sombra flinched, just slightly. The changeling queen proceeded to race over to her son and hold him close to her, before taking to the air, cradling him as she flew.
Sombra smiled, very pleased with himself, as he turned to face his new subjects, who had landed in the sand, covering their eyes and quivering with fear.
“From now on,” he shouted, “I am your king!”
Sombra lit up his horn and shackles appeared around the legs of all the changelings left alive.
“You will do what I say, or you will pay the price, understand?”
Cautious nods spread across the crowd.
“Good. You are to turn this nest into a military fortress. There are to be at least a hundred cannons, at least ten thousand soldiers, and at least a hundred thousand bricks made for the walls - understand?”
“Y-your majesty?” one changeling spoke up, instantly regretting opening his mouth.
“What is it?” Sombra asked impatiently.
“N-no disrespect, but we are hungry - starving really - and we have no resources to build with. We’ll all die trying.”
“Would you rather die now?” Sombra threatened.
“N-no sir, sorry sir.”
“One more word from any of you and you’ll be nothing more than a scorch mark on the floor! Understand?”
The changelings nodded silently.
“Any questions.”
They shook their heads, equally silently.
“Excellent. Get building. NOW!”
Several hours later, an exhausted Chrysalis finally landed, shakily, on the Southern outskirts of a dense forest, bordered by vast plains of fertile grassland. This was definitely Equestrian territory - she couldn’t remain out in the open for long. Gently, she laid her injured son on the soft bed of leaves that coated the forest floor, examining his wounds.
Every inch of the child appeared to be bleeding and beaten, Sombra had made no effort to target a specific area, he just thrashed around like he was beating a piñata.
Ex-Queen Chrysalis stroked Pupa gently with one of her front hooves, causing him to flinch a little, before spreading himself out on the soft leaves and relaxing.
Sombra had taken everything, her kingdom, her people, her livelihood - but he was not taking her son.
She considered her options, not that there were many. Perhaps she could hide in the forest, find some kind of rare medicine or something? No, she didn’t even know what plants to look for, never mind how to find them. Perhaps she could head back to the hive, sneak out a doctor? No, it was too risky - she could get killed and then little Pupa would be totally defenceless. Chrysalis knew in her heart she only had one option - and she wasn’t going to like it…