"So, this is home sweet home?" Chrysalis playfully asked as they stepped through the door of Antonio's' mansion. "Pretty swanky digs here Tony baby."

Antonio grimaced hard. "Will you please not call me 'Tony baby'." He hated her calling him that. He hated her period. Ever since the office he felt small and unimportant. He went from being a CEO and high priest to being a chauffer and whipping boy. Everything he thought he was had stripped from him.

Chrysalis laughed mightily at his pain. "Oh Tony baby, you're too much." She stopped and gave him a faux sympathetic look. "Aww, what's a matter? is wittle Tony bony baby upset? Isums a sad boy? Aw, mean old lady treating him all bad? Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha, whoo. Oh you're good for a laugh Tony baby. Too much, too much." She took her coat off and dropped it on the floor. "Pick that up Tony baby and put it somewhere. Be gentle though. It was murder to get." Chrysalis then started laughing again.

Antonio picked up the coat and slowly took it the closet and hung it up. His self pity grew with every step he took.

Chrysalis sat on his couch and watched as he slowly made his way over to her. "You really are taking this hard aren't you Tony baby? You're people have a saying, 'don't expect to dance with the devil and not get burned'. All those years, all those people; murdered, tortured, by you and that little group of yours. The incantations and invocations, you never thought that would ever come back to harm you? Oh foolish, foolish man." Chrysalis' words were soft and soothing sounding which made them cut even deeper.

"I am a high priest." He said feebly. So much so; he sounded like a child protesting not getting dessert because they didn't eat enough of his dinner.

Chrysalis just smiled and shook her head. "You really think that title really means anything? Your species, it wraps itself up in these titles: general, president, senator, CEO, high priest; like a security blanket. Well a security blanket is nothing more than a piece of cloth and those titles are just words; meaningless words. Even I know that. I'm a queen but I know that title conveys no more protection against the world shouting at the water will keep you from drowning. No sit."

Antonio sat down on a chair that was at the left hand side of the couch, set ninety degrees to it. "So what now?" he asked; defeated.

"Well, you are going to take to that group of yours. I will introduce myself and I'll explain everything then."

Antonio was looking down at the ground and then looked up at her. "Where do you come from?"

Chrysalis laughed again. "Why? Planning on going there? I'm from dimension Uber-Pooper. Go down three dimensions and hook a left; can't miss it."

"Are you, are you from Hell?" he asked with fear of her saying yes and with a great sense of self loathing for asking a question that sounded so dumb.

"It was hell to me," she said sounding a bit bitter. "No. Where I come from it's mostly nice. Sickeningly sweet to be honest. You know how they fight wars over there? - Throwing food at one another and slapping. It's the closest thing to paradise you could imagine and I hated it."

"If it's so great, how'd it create you?" Antonio's voice was full of contempt and disgust which he made no effort to hide.

"Every Eden needs it's serpent I suppose. There were three of us actually. Tirek the destroyer, Discord the chaos bringer, and me, the love stealer."

"Did you say Discord?" Antonio asked surprised.

Chrysalis smiled. "Now you know why I took such an interest when you mentioned his name." She shook her head. "Anyway; there was three of us. But we were kept in check by the Princesses; Celestia and Luna. They always were able to best us. Funny thing is that Discord actually was able to conjure them for a time; more than either Tirek and I could do; and he is a complete idiot. So was Tirek in his own way. He could smash and crash all day, but he never had any vision.

"I, I had purpose. I had my children to take care of. Plus I just love being in charge. At least I thought I did. Then I came here. Everything I thought I knew went right out the window. I thought I knew what evil was but I was wrong. Your people, oh my; the violence, the suffering you inflict on one another is beyond anything all three of us were ever able to do back home. You let food rot while other large swaths of your population starves to death. I mean, wow, that is evil to a whole other level. And it's so wide spread. All of, your whole species is guilty.

"I realized how tame I was, how ineffectual we all were compared to you. But, after feeding on Salazar, I know better. I also know what my ultimate purpose is. Coming here has awoken something in me; unlocked a door I never knew was there. And for that I am grateful. Not to you of course, but to the forces that brought me here. Even locked away behind the vail, they can still reach out.

"So what about you Tony baby? How'd you get involved?"

Antonio took a deep sigh and started to speak when he was cut off.

"Never mind, don't care. Ahh. I'm tired. I'm taking a nap. Where's the bedroom? Eh, forget it, I'll find it. Now back to work with you Tony baby. I'll see you when you get home." She then got up and walked off.

Antonio sat for a while and considered his options. None of them were all that good. Eventually he just sighed and did as she said. In the end, he figured that was all he could do.

Author's Notes:

This is a breather chapter. It gives me a chance to explore Chrysalis' character more while giving the audience a break and just a little exposition. Next week, Chrysalis meets human Discord. And, no I haven't forgot about the Dazzelings. They're coming.