Of Kings, and Queens, and Crowns.

[Novaburst]

King Sombra was not amused about the current predicament that he found himself in. With Rarity knowing who he was, and all that she did, he'd have to relocate. However, he was putting any plans and schemes on hold. It was time he pulled a page from the book of the Elements of Harmony, and gathered a team. For that very reason, Sombra planned on gathering an organization of his own because what was a King without an army to back him up, after all?  His current idea had brought him to the island of the Changelings, the island that had spa-resort thing on it. While he had never been to one of those places, Sombra planned to use it for some R and R and R. Rest, Relaxation, and REVENGE. At present he was incapable of getting revenge, but he could make the plans he needed in order to make his scheme a reality. This was one of the reasons he had come to the resort island. Another was because he was long overdue for some pampering, to make himself feel royal in his opinion. And after the week he'd had, he needed it, he knew that much. 

[Blueblood]

Altogether, Chrysalis considered this her most successful scheme yet!

 

It was brilliantly simple, compared with her previous three attempts at securing a stable food supply for her loyal hivelings.  No necessary infiltration, kidnappings, or risk of sudden heroism on the part of unlikely ponies.  Nope!  Just a simple exchange: love for a good time at a tropical resort in a sidebar dimension.  And if the little touches Discord added to the real estate bamboozled her customers into giving more than they anticipated?  So much the better!  

 

Or at least, so she told herself, looking over her figure in the mirror.  *Filling out at last, thanks to a particularly generous 'donation' by a Prince and his guard.  Blueblood may be a fool, but he's darn good at spreading word of mouth advertising!*  Where militarism had failed, capitalism seemed to be doing the job quite nicely.

 

So why was she feeling so unsatisfied?  Some dark portion of her villainous hear rebelling against potential reformation?  A hidden dread of waking up pastel?  Or just boredom at the lack of a challenge?  Hard to say.  Shaking her head, she flashed her 'Island Queen' disguise back up again.  Not strictly necessary, given that most Equestrians now seemed to know that this island was really populated by changelings, but it still put the customers at ease to be welcomed by a tall, bountiful, and beautiful alicorn than the still holey chitinous form that was her natural state.

 

She stepped out towards the docks, regal and yet approachable, stopping to smile at and nuzzle willing sna- customers, before finally setting her eyes on the batch of new arrivals.  The usual crowd of ponies, still more the adventurous or bored, as you had to be willing to take on something rather outside the normal Equestrian comfort zone to be willing to be a guest of Chrysalis, reputation of reformation notwithstanding!  

 

Wait, hold on, who was that in the back...?

[Novaburst]

Sombra was here because he would need the help of Chrysalis. Given that his plan to get his hooves on the Elements of Harmony to use as glorified batteries was not going to succeed because Rarity was likely to have blown the whistle on it, Sombra knew he was going to need something easier to acquire. A horde of starved changelings would have been ideal, but they seemed to be prosperous on this island. Still, there had to be some way he could turn this to his advantage. If he could perhaps convince her that she wanted to, of her own accord work for him, his plans would be closer to succeeding than they had been in the past. Doing it without any form of deceit, or deception was not going to be easy though. Still, it was just one of the reasons he had come to the island. Kings deserved to be pampered, and he was going to enjoy the bits that he had invested. "Hello Chrysalis," said Sombra, as he approached her. Sombra could use a good bath, and a massage. He could also use a kingdom in a far warmer climate, as he had no intention of returning to the Crystal Empire just yet. 

[Blueblood]

Sombra.

 

It took every ounce of willpower for Chrysalis to refrain from curling her lips in sheer contempt.  Not having been aware of the king's heydey, she only knew how easily he had been evicted from his old Empire once it had returned, by the very same crew which she had run up against, no less!  The Queen prided herself, in her villainous heart, that she had put up a considerably better fight, thank you very much!

 

Besides the lack of respect, however, was another issue.  Being known to host Sombra would likely attract unwanted attention to her, and right now, she knew perfectly well that she had more to lose than gain by taking up a hostile attitude towards Equestria.  On the other hoof... running a place like this was expensive, and the dark unicorn was paying a fortune in bits for his private vacation.

She didn't hold out much hope for the quality of his love, though.

 

Howsoever that might be,the duties of a hostess came first.  Glamouring up her most welcoming smile, the disguised changeling queen greeted her newest guest.  "Ah, you must be the one who requested the Royal treatment.  Do follow me, the spa has been prepared for you!"  She'd let him bring up any other subject along the way, though she hoped he would be smart enough to wait until they were actually alone to do so.

[Novaburst]

Sombra nodded, and walked with her towards the path. Once they were completely alone, and near the spa, Sombra lit his horn for a moment and lowered a barrier around him. The barrier was one he had made to make his emotions virtually undetectable. If she were to check him, she could see that he really desired the spa - and a good massage as well. Of course there were many other things he desired, like a kingdom in FAR warmer climates than the Frozen North.  "You know the funny thing, Chrysalis? I've gone over all of the previous battles. Yours, Mine, Discord's, Tirek's, and we've all had the same mistake made."  Sombra sighed. "We didn't have enough of a support system in case our plans went down hill fast. This is something that will need to change in the future. So here's my idea, Chrysalis. You, and me,  we scout out the new blood, the new wanna be overlords, or queens that try to take over and we provide them something they haven't had before. Training.  And of course, charge them huge amounts of bits for said training, as well as love in your case." 

It was an idea Sombra had thought of. If the former villains got together, and trained a new generation they could perhaps let the new generation play at conquest. Sombra for one did not plan on resuming his attempts to conquer the Crystal Empire any time soon. The mere thought of the place filled him with disgust. Being vaporized like that had not been fun for him, and had been one of the reasons he had let the Crystal Empire be. "The idea is rather simple. They pay out large amounts of bits to us. In return, we provide them the training, and if need be support for their plans, so they don't end up completely obliterated, or reduced in number like either of us. However, we make sure that our names are not tied to it. We of course would need to make ourselves appear to be fully upstanding citizens now, of the world. This is one of the reasons I came to you, Chrysalis. You appear "reformed" to the masses,  and so would be able to convince them that I am "reformed" as well. " 

 

"Because facing facts, I know what's gonna happen if we continue operating as we have in the past. We're probably gonna end up on the receiving end of Discord's Wrath, the Elements of Harmony, the Rainbow Cannon, and the Alicorns, before being locked into a dungeon now. Thus, we need to change tactics." 

 

"However, what the new "evildoers" as the Equestrians will not know is that we will sabotage their plans, make sure they fail, and get out of the business before they get vaporized, or humiliated like we were in the past." 

 

 

[Blueblood]

Instantly sensing the dropping of Sombra's barrier, Chrysalis immediately began reading what she could.  The surface-level desires were obvious enough, and the view afforded by the opening of the spa door would have been enough to reassure the unicorn that his desires would be met.  The spa was cleverly designed to be secluded yet appear open, wooden slats letting in warm breezes from fragrant gardens, inaccessible by any other path.  The interior design combined the exotic flair of Long Guo with a tropical flair, muted by the steam rising from warm pools.  Whether Sombra desired his bath or massage first, the facility could not have been more ideal.

 

The Queen even took a bit of an active risk, attempting an active probing to see what kind of ponies he found particularly attractive, so she could instruct her little ones to adopt disguises along those lines.

 

Once so alone, of course, it didn't take long for Sombra to outline his scheme and... frankly, Chrysalis contemplated throwing out a paying customer, not for the first time.  Of all the ridiculous ideas, training competitors in the sort of field that lead to mentors being betrayed in any case-

Or, actually, the mentors doing the betraying?  Now that was more like it!  The Queen's eyes began to sparkle with their old, green light as she contemplated his offer.  "Hmm... subtle, devious, impressive!  I seem to have underestimated your planning capabilities.  Of course, I should warn you, if you're hoping to use my reputation as a shield for yours... well, don't expect much.  Equestria isn't one to make pre-emptive strikes, but I've no doubt I'll have to answer for hosting you somehow, which complication will have to be sorted out before we can get started on your scheme.  Not to mention, the little issue that might arise from rumors of my reformation repelling potential students.  But I am intrigued, I will admit, very intrigued.  You have my interest."

[Novaburst]

"Now you get my evil scheme that I've thought of,  Chrysalis," said Sombra, as he looked at her. As she tried to scan his memories for a pony he found desirable, it was the form of Radiant Hope, a pony he missed and had a lot of confusing emotions wrapped around. As he looked at the open spa, he walked inside with her. :"You know, if I possessed the power I did when I faced Celestia and Luna in the past, I wouldn't have lost at the time when the Crystal Heart was used against me. However, I was weakened by my time in the Ice. I managed to fight both Alicorns to a stand still until they managed to seal me away."  Chrysalis could sense that he was attracted to Radiant Hope still, but had worked to suppress that. She could also see Sombra was on hyper alert for any signs of betrayal, and had numerous barriers, and shields on his body. "We will need to resolve the problem you have addressed first. Though, I admit,  making myself seemed reformed is not my strong suit. Now, how could we arrange the massage, and then the bath which I am in desperate need of?" 

[Blueblood]

Catching the image of Radiant Hope, Chrysalis sent the image along her psychic connection to certain 'lings in the spa.  They would come out, not as exact copies of the mare, but variations on her figure and demeanor.  Some carrying towels, others massaging oils.  "Would you like to take a bath, or have us release the tension in your muscles first?"  One, taller than some of the others, would ask.

'

The Queen spoke up.  "He requested the massage first.  The table is ready, I presume?  Make that two, I think I will join him."  She followed him into a secluded corner of the room, where tables were laid out for a pony to stretch out.  She did herself, letting down her disguise at last; a sign of trust, as her minions began to buff her chitin.  "Well, it's not as if we're in any hurry.  I'm sure in the near future I will receive a guest through whom I can get... political cover."

[Novaburst]

Stretching himself out on the table, Sombra sighed as they began the work on his admittedly sore muscles. Of course with the amount of effort he had been pouring into doing the renovations of his castle too far in the Frozen North for comfort's sake, soreness was to be expected.  "One of the things on our agenda though, will be rather difficult to pull off. In order to make sure a certain entity decides he does not want to interfere with our plans. Given the one thing he is afraid of is something I cannot acquire, and I doubt you would be able to," sighed Sombra, as one of them massaged a particularly painful knot he had for weeks, because of trying to build the roof of his castle himself.. Sombra let out a pleased sigh when the tension was gone because of how much better it felt.  "Also,  Chrysalis. I may be moving my entire island near yours," admitted Sombra. as he looked at her. "As to why, warmer climates, just to name a few things."  Sombra sighed for a moment. "Plus, being somewhere without storms is always a good thing.  So what do we....?"  Sombra trailed off as one of the Lings hit another spot of tension,  a wave of gratitude coming off of him. That aching spot had finally stopped hurting, for now, until he had to do more work on the roof of his castle. Which he was not looking forward to, to say the least. 

[Blueblood]

"Entity?"  The green gaze of Chrysalis pierced through the haze of sybaritic steam surrounding the pair, cutting like a searchlight right towards Sombra.  Her voice, while still soft, had a bit of the old metallic edge to it.  "To whom do you refer?"  Her hackles, not to put to fine a point on it, were up.  She had so many plans ruined by not having been briefed on all relevant players in a certain area, and she had been really hoping this wouldn't prove to be much the same.

 

There was a chiding chitter from the drones attending to her, as they were beginning to detect tension re-gather under their hooves as they ministered to their queen.  Ah, but what did they know of political implications?  And as for Sombra actually moving in...  "You'll have to ask Discord about the real estate; I got the land from him.  And since when have you been able to move entire- wait, never mind, you did seal away a kingdom."  She frowned, it wasn't like her to slip up like that.

[Novaburst]

"Discord was the one I was referring to," muttered Sombra. "As to asking him, I'll need your help to convince him," sighed Sombra. "Since you are on friendly terms with him, you would probably have an easier time of convincing him to allow me to relocate my island closer to yours, than I would. Plus, there is the matter of me not wanting him to mess up everything I have worked tirelessly on the island to build, some of it by hoof." admitted Sombra as the spot had that had been hurting him had been finally worked out. Sombra, sighed once more, as one of the drones managed to get out a very agonizing pain in his back. A wave of gratitude, intense washed over the Changelings, and the Queen. That bothering Sombra for some time now.  "You see, my plan I mentioned was to make sure no one outshone us as villains. By sabotaging the competition, as it were. Making their plans fail, under the guise of "teaching" them how to be better villains. We make it ridiculously easy for the "good guys" to win, and then when they do, we claim the individuals were insane, move onto the next student(s) and so on. Essentially by the time we're done, we'll have taken out all the competition in Equestria, and made ourselves fortunes while we do so. What do you think of the plan?" asked Sombra. 

 

 

[Blueblood]

Oh, Discord?  That was... some comfort.  Not much; it didn't pay to be too comfortable around the dragonequus.  Still, the Spirit of Chaos was a known unknown, rather than an unknown unknown.  "I'll... put in a good word for you."  Or would a bad one serve Sombra's purpose better?   After all, Discord was interested in sowing chaos, and a promise of good behavior on the stallion's behalf would be the opposite of that, surely.  "Just don't drop by unannounced during business hours; the guests may be alright with me and my disguised children, but I'm not sure about you."

 

At least the (former) king was showing himself capable of spreading positive emotion, which the Queen and changelings around him quietly and happily fed upon.  "That might not work indefinitely, but it will probably work long enough to sort out the fools from the clever among our opposition.  I like it, I have to say, I like it quite a bit.  Ahh..."  The last bit of polishing was done upon her scales, which gleamed like burnished jet.  "There!  Now, how about that bath?"

[Novaburst]

"Yes, a bath sounds lovely now that I finally no longer hurt nearly as much as I did." admitted Sombra, another wave of gratitude washing over them, due to that. "Tell me, Chrysalis, how much would it cost bit wise to hire about a dozen of your changelings?" asked Sombra. Having the Changelings help him with moving the castle would make things easier, and more importantly, would not strain the muscles he had just now gotten to feeling like they were not being stabbed, or burnt from the inside, while being stabbed all over.  "They would be very useful in assisting with the relocation of my island," admitted Sombra.  "As to not dropping by unannounced, I'll use a disguise. You know Chrysalis, this could be the start of a beautiful team up. If I had thought of this during my initial reign, teaming up with you, and your changelings, you could have had all the love you could ever want, and I could have had a force of transforming soldiers who could rival the power of an Alicorn. Teaming up now helps the both of us, admittedly." 

[Blueblood]

"Bit-wise?"  Chrysalis cocked a chitinous brow at Sombra.  "Depends on how much love we could glean on the job, versus how much we'd have to spend to do it."  If the ratio wasn't favorable, the expenses would be extravagant to the point of deterrence.  At the end of the day, little shiny bits of metal had no inherent value in the hive.  All commerce was love-backed...  

 

She got up, leading the way towards a steaming pool in the walled garden.  "After you."  She gestured, contemplating the team-up.  "I have come to appreciate the value of... friends, it is true."  The word still had a bitter taste in her mouth, but it was the bitterness of black coffee, rather than poison, by now.  *Watch yourself Chryssie, or they'll be picking you out in aquamarine pastels soon..."