“Leave me. I wish to be alone.”

This was not the first night that Queen Chrysalis had commanded her servants to leave her in peace, nor would it be the last, she suspected. Her servants obliged wordlessly, of course, leaving the queen to her own devices. Once they had left, the changeling paced her lair restlessly. It had been many months since her minions had laid siege to Canterlot, yet the crushing defeat still left a bitter taste in her mouth each night, denying her mind peace. Victory had been all but assured, yet it had been snatched from between her teeth at the very last moment. Being vanquished by the magic of love was, perhaps, one of the cruelest of ironies the changeling queen had ever faced.

An all-too familiar feeling surged from within her. It was something she had felt every evening for the last several months and had slowly grown to despise herself for it.

She was scared.

It was only a matter of time before her race drove itself into extinction. Survival of the fittest, and her loyal changelings were dwindling. They needed food, and they had none. They needed love, and they had none. They needed a good home, and they had this. Even mentioning the home she’d lived in for her whole life left a foul taste on Chrysalis’ lips. Their home was falling apart, just like them. Perhaps it was a race for whichever fell first: her home or her hive.

Grunting in frustration, Queen Chrysalis stomped a hoof on the ground and glanced over at the mirror. She wished she hadn’t smashed it, but she just couldn’t bear to look at herself any longer. Not after the debacle at Canterlot. Her minions had been quick to forgive her, but she couldn’t forgive herself. Not after that.

As she walked towards her bed, movements in the corner of her eyes snapped her out of her stupor.

“Who goes there?” Chrysalis demanded as she swivelled around, “I said I do not wish to be disturbed.”

The room was empty, however. A trick of the light, perhaps? Chrysalis might have dismissed it as nothing more than her mind playing tricks if it wasn’t for the chuckling that followed.

Thick, heavy masculine laughter resonated throughout the room. It was not a humorous nor hearty laugh. Instead it held a deep, mocking tone which made the changeling Queen’s chitin crawl. The mysterious intruder laughed at her seemingly from everywhere.

And yet the room was still empty.

“Who goes there?” Chrysalis repeated, masking the fear behind caution.

“Queen of Shapeshifters,” a deep, masculine voice purred, “I do believe we haven’t met.”

“Who are you?” she demanded, “You are trespassing in the royal chambers. Speak your business or face the consequences.”

“I am... an ally,” her intruder drawled, “I have been watching your hive for some time now, and I’m here because I believe we may be able to negotiate a mutually beneficial... agreement.”

“Where are you?” Chrysalis hissed, glaring into the darkness.

“I am right in front of you, my Queen.”

As if in response to the sinister voice, the candles in the room flickered, and the lighting in the room dimmed. The changeling Queen watched as the darkness itself appeared to ripple and flow, beating back the very light. A set of eyes loomed in the contorting darkness, burning green and red.

“Who are you?” Queen Chrysalis whispered, struggling to believe her eyes as the shadows became alive.

“I am an ally,” the voice repeated, “My name is King Sombra.”

“King of what?” she sneered.

“King of Shadows, my Queen.”

“I’m not your Queen,” Chrysalis hissed, “What do you want?”

“So fierce,” he chuckled, “I knew I’d like you.”

“Speak your business!” Chrysalis yelled irritably.

The humor in the eyes peering at her from the darkness vanished, replaced by a cold indifference.

“Very well,” the shadow growled, reverberating through Chrysalis’ entire body. “One thousand years ago, I overthrew the useless Queen of the Crystal Empire, and ruled over the empire of the north. It became, apparent, however, that these two princesses-” Sombra sneered at the mention of the word. “-were fearful of my power. I was tricked and ultimately defeated.”

“A riveting history lesson,” Chrysalis said sarcastically.

“I want my revenge. I want those two pathetic sisters to pay for what they've done for me. But first, I need an army. Your army.”

“How could my changelings and I ever hope to benefit from that!?” Chrysalis spat in outrage. “We will not be your fodder, my King.”

“We are not so different, you and I-”

“We are nothing alike!” Chrysalis yelled.

“Did you not also face defeat at the hands of the Princesses of Equestria?”

“My magic was more powerful than Princess Celestia's,” Chrysalis growled bitterly. “She was defeated-” Chrysalis turned to glare at the menacing shadows. “-By me!”

If King Sombra was surprised or impressed, the burning eyes in the darkness gave nothing away; they continued to stare back at her emotionlessly.

“I defeated them once,” he murmured. “But I was foolish in my youth. I thought that I had outsmarted them as well.”

An awkward silence ensued when Chrysalis didn't respond.

“The item that I seek is the crystal heart.”

“What is it?”

“It is the embodiment of the love and happiness of the ponies of the Crystal Empire.” Chrysalis subconsciously licked her lips in response. “I had hidden it away, but once again I was foolish and let it slip away.”

“Where can I find this crystal heart?”

King Sombra hesitated momentarily as he evaluated the worth of such information, “It is currently within the borders of the Crystal Empire, in the possession of their princess.”

“So why do you need me and my changelings?” Chrysalis asked.

“You really are quite an amazing species. Able to take on the form of any pony, even an alicorn, and emulate their abilities to a limited extent. But what really interests me is your method of warfare. Infiltration. Deception. Espionage. You know, ponies once called your kind the warriors of the shadows.”

Chrysalis could see where this was going, “Impossible. We may be strong, but we are not strong enough to lay siege to an empire, even if we did attack from within.”

King Sombra chuckled that chilling laugh that Chrysalis had become somewhat familiar with, “No, not the Crystal Empire,” he said, “But the whole of Equestria!”

A silence followed that Chrysalis had rarely ever found herself in. Mostly because she'd never been too stunned to speak before.

“You're mad,” she stated matter-of-factly.

“I'm a little too ambitious. A personal flaw,” Sombra replied calmly.

Chrysalis hesitated as she considered the King's words.

“How do I know I can trust you? I can't trust someone who hides in the shadows.”

“How do you know you can trust me?” Sombra asked as if musing over the question. “Well, you don't,” He replied, shiny white teeth glinting in the darkness.

Chrysalis eyed the shadows up and down.

“What do you want me to do?”