> Dubious Development
>  by Some Leech
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Enigmas of Entrapment
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Squinting into the distance, Chrysalis tried to ignore the driving, bone-chilling wind washing over her body. Taking the form of a roc, a gargantuan bird, wasn’t the easiest transformation to pull off for prolonged periods of time, but it had a few benefits. First and foremost, her thick plumage shielded her from the worst of the cold - secondly and just even more prudently, her eagle-eyed vision helped with scouring the frigid wasteland surrounding her.

She rolled her eyes as she beat her massive wings. The report she’d received that morning was unbelievable - so unbelievable that she had to see for herself if it was true. While she had no reason to question Pharynx, one of her most trusted and capable praetorians, his claim that the reigning diarchy of Equestria had been captured was nothing short of absurd.

Her eyes swept over the craggy face of a glacier then fixated on a small, almost imperceptible dark point on the icy surface. Excluding herself, the most bewitching, powerful, and beguiling evildoer in all the land, there were only a small number of genuine threats the ponies faced. Mired in her thoughts and hoping she hadn’t made an excursion for nothing, she sailed to the ground and reverted to her natural, beauteous form.

It wasn’t Tirek’s modus operandi to hold royals hostage - plus he was still locked up in Tartarus. Discord had gotten all lovey-dovey with the insipid ponies, going so far as to befriend the timid Element of Kindness, so the chances of him spontaneously reverting to his wicked ways was slim and none. With Grogar having been gone for multiple generations, allegedly banished by North Star and some human thousands of years ago, there was only one ne’er-do-well bold enough to even think about besting an alicorn in any way.

She slowed at the cavern’s entrance and allowed her eyes to adjust to the dim light. Ordinarily speaking, she wouldn’t have been skulking about without being in a disguise. Her infamy was well-earned and expanded beyond continental borders, making her feared and reviled in equal measure, yet there were a small hoofful of creatures who wouldn’t go running for the hills at the sight of her.

Pressing onward and into the gloom, she moved slowly and silently. Contrary to popular belief, there was no enmity between any of Equestria’s enemies - perhaps a begrudging respect, but certainly no friendship to speak of. Heaven help the ponies if villains ever found a way to work together, acting in concert to topple dreadfully cheerful, pastel equines, although the chances of that ever happening were practically nonexistent.

She stopped mid-step and cocked her head, having heard something in the distance. Caverns, while delightfully easy to guard and perfect to conceal anything questionable, came with one massive drawback - sounds. Even the smallest tap or heavy breath could echo for what felt like miles, making it easy for anypony who wasn’t deaf to tell if they weren’t alone.

Trotting ahead at a slow, silent pace, she noticed a faint light radiating from around a corner. The sound of heavy hooffalls grew louder, reverberating all around her, before a low, menacing laughter rang in her ears. Yeah, there was no doubt about it, he was back and up to his old tricks.

“Sombra,” she loudly announced, holding her head high as she strutted ahead, “it’s been quite some time, has it not?”

Sombra turned and affixed her with his crimson gaze. “Chrysalis?”

Giving a small bow, nothing more than a dip of her head, Chrysalis chuckled. “The one and only.”

“When and how did you make your return?” she asked, keeping her eyes on him.

He followed suit, eyeing her coolly as she approached. “Not that it’s any of your business, but I rematerialized nearly a week ago.”

Fighting to keep her lip from curling, she retained her placid expression - if only just. Ponies, there wasn’t a single one of them that she liked - sure, there were a small number she would and routinely did tolerate, but Sombra was not amongst their ranks. She remained where she stood and studied him, both out of curiosity and because she was at a slight disadvantage in the unusual situation.

He was just as she remembered him, unfortunately. Tall, well-built, and bearing cat-like eyes, he was the very definition of a delinquent. She could barely stand being in his presence, much less talk with him, but the bizarre circumstances demanded it.

Inspecting his attire, she snorted. “Do you keep a hoard of those things stashed away somewhere?”

He followed her gaze and flipped the cape from his shoulder. “Jealous?”

“Hardly,” she grunted.

Being a big, pompous ass would have been enough to rub her the wrong way, yet his hubris was galling. King - Hah - Sombra so deluded that he still fancied himself a King. Even with his crown and carmine cape, both of which being eyesores, the only thing he was a sovereign of was abject failure.

She glanced to the side, away from him for a fleeting instant, and froze. “I see you’ve been busy…”

“Hmmm?” he hummed, feigning disinterest while a grin split his fanged muzzle. “Oh, yes, I have been busy…”

A maelstrom of emotions welled up within her. Contempt, envy, confusion, regret - each one vied for dominance in her racing mind. Gazing across the massive chamber, past the self-appointed King, she stared incredulously at the sight before her. Unless her eyes were deceiving her, the story account she’d been given, as implausible as it had been, was proven valid.

Celestia and Luna sat within separate, crystalline cages. How in the world had Sombra pulled this off? Could this be an illusion? Had this been a trick to lure her here for some nefarious purpose? Beset with dozens of questions, she scowled over at the stallion.

“Not to insult your intelligence,” she began, her tone low and menacing, “but you do realize that the ponies aren’t going to stand for this - furthermore, perhaps as an oversight, your lair is perilously close to the Crystal Empire…”

“Fortunately for me, I’ve taken those factors into consideration - in fact, they’re part of my scheme,” he chuckled. “It will take time for the Elements of Harmony to determine my location. Before they arrive I hope - no, expect Cadance and that useless husband of hers to wage an assault.”

Lifting a forehoof, Chrysalis crept closer. “There are a few glaring flaws with this plan of yours. If I found you as easily as I did, Twilight and her friends will be here very - and I do mean very shortly.”

He held a hoof to his chest as he turned his nose upward. “Let them come. They may have gotten the upperhoof with me before, but that won’t happen again. Now that I know precisely what I’m dealing with, I’ll vanquish them and take back what’s rightfully mine.”

“I’d beg to differ,” Chrysalis growled while turning her attention back to the captive Princesses.

With a gemstone muzzle locked around her head, her hooves shackled to the floor, and a negation ring nestled to the base of her horn, Luna had been rendered completely helpless. The fury in her eyes was palpable, the sort of thing that would have caused her blood to run cold, although she was as powerless as a newborn - her sister, on the other hand, was another case entirely. Celestia stood unhindered within her confines - furthermore, as if her lack of restraints weren’t nonsensical enough, she had the faintest smirk on her muzzle.

Meeting Celestia’s gaze for an instant, Chrysalis frowned and thrust a hoof in the alicorns’ direction. “Why is that one free?”

Sombra shifted and beamed. “Because I like the ways she begs.”

“Lies,” Chrysalis hissed. “Celestia doesn’t beg for anything! You’d have me believe that -”

“I…I did beg a little,” Celestia quaintly interjected.

Whipping around and leering over at the Princess, Chrysalis sneered. “Horse apples! Why? Why in the world would you -”

As she was short by Sombra’s boorish cackling, her lip curled. She’d been around the metaphorical block a fair number of times, and she knew a big, steaming load of manure when she smelled it. Equal parts dumbfounded and at a loss for words, she glared at Celestia and was greeted with something altogether unexpected - a wink and a sly, knowing grin.

She could forgive Sombra for - on second thought, no, she couldn’t forgive him for anything. Only an absolute fool would think they could successfully subdue not one but two of the most powerful creatures on the face of the planet - leaving her to assume the umbral stallion was dumber than he looked or so utterly full of himself that he actually thought he could take either of the Princesses in a fight. She took a long, deep breath, held it, then slowly exhaled while she turned to face her less than gracious host.

“Answer me this ~ how,” she snarled.

“It was too easy - a trivial affair,” Sombra haughtily clucked. “All it took was a single, shaken pony to gallop into Canterlot to lure the sisters right into my clutches.”

Pinching the bridge of her snout, Chrysalis clamped her eyes shut. “No, you buffoon, how did you apprehend them…”

He trotted past her and to the pair of Princesses. “Foalsplay. After I announced myself and hit them with the full brunt of my unfathomable power, I imprisoned them and teleported them back here. Honestly, I thought they’d put up more of a fight, but I can’t be too disappointed - after all, they were facing the most handsome and mighty foe they’ve ever faced…”

With the taste of bile rising to the back of her throat, Chrysalis struggled not to retch. The gall, the absolute arrogance! In all her years, she’d never - never encountered somepony who’s head was lodged so far up their own backside. She didn’t have all the facts, only getting one side of what was surely an embellished story, but she’d bet her hive that Sombra hadn’t defeated either of the Princesses as easily as he claimed.

As she was hit with a wondrously inspired idea, the corners of her lips turned up. “Tell me, oh great and dreadful Sombra, what -”

“King,” he tutted, cutting her off. “King Sombra.”

It took everything Chrysalis had not to lash out at him, but she was able to hold herself back - if only just. “Pardon - King Sombra, what would you do if - oh, I don’t know - Twilight and her cadre of detestable, would-be hero companions were to liberate either of the Princesses.”

Sombra reeled back in shock, his eyes wide and mouth agape. “A ridiculous notion, but one I’ve taken into account. Luna, as you can well see, has been dealt with, while Celestia is so cowed into submission that the only thing she would do is cower within her cell.”

Rocking back to her haunches, Celestia covered her face with her forehooves. “J…just don’t hurt me, Sombra…”

“See,” Sombra mused, smiling broadly.

“Oh for…” Chrysalis trailed off as she lifted a hoof to rub her temple.

The small, fretful display confirmed her suspicions - well, confirmed her suspicions in part. Celestia was many things, but a thespian she was not. How the ageless, nigh-omnipotent Princess was fooling anypony was a mystery for the ages, although her ploy, as lackluster as it was, had worked. Shifting her focus over to Luna, she peaked a brow.

The younger alicorn was, in her experience, far less restrained than her sibling - nevertheless, her restraints and impotent state appeared all too real. Trotting across the room, she ran a forehoof over one of the enclosure’s bars. Though she was curious about what Celestia was up to, she was intrigued by how the clearly irate alicorn had been secured.

“What material is this fashioned from?” she inquired.

“Crystal I infused with my power,” Sombra replied as he moved to her side. “She was my first victim - not because I was worried about her overpowering me, but because I’d intended to use her as leverage against her sibling ~ isn’t that right?”

“Mmmph fffffngh nphnph yuh,” Luna protested, renewing her efforts to free herself.

A chill ran up Chrysalis’ spine. She was intimately familiar with how terrifying Luna could be, and she’d rather not get on the enraged Princess’ bad side. Swallowing hard, she tried to suppress what would happen when the alicorns got loose and brought their wrath upon their conceited, completely chicaned captor.

“Oh she’s feisty,” Sombra snickered. Reaching into her cage, he brazenly ran a forehoof up her cheek. “I would’ve thought your sister would be the one I had to worry about…”

Chrysalis could only watch in awe as Sombra taunted death itself. She almost felt sorry for the poor simpleton - almost. The Princesses, well-mannered and magnanimous though they were, weren’t ones to take kindly for such ignominious treatment - or so she would presume. Turning her head, she found Celestia looking squarely over at her.

She wanted to ask Celestia what really happened, but doing so could compromise the peculiar circumstances. Given that Sombra likely hadn’t expected her to make an appearance, making any dubious moves could rouse his suspicions or potentially result in a struggle - a struggle she’d win, of course, but a struggle all the same. Until she could puzzle out what was going on, it would be in her best interest to act with caution.

Drifting forward, she stopped just shy of Celestia’s cell. “This one, the fat one, what are your intentions for her?”

“Yes, the crown jewel in what will be my Empire,” Sombra boastfully exclaimed as he scampered over. “Once properly instructed, she’ll serve as a reminder to her former subjects that I can be a gracious King.”

Celestia blushed and timidly approached him, keeping her head down and shoulders slumped. “T…thank you, oh great Sombra.”

“Oh come off it!” Chrysalis raged. “That’s…” she trailed off and went rigid as both Celestia and Sombra gave her a startled look. “That’s - Ahem - such a waste of potential.”

Narrowing his eyes, Sombra grimaced. “How so…”

Chrysalis whipped around, if only to give herself a moment to think, and flipped her mane away from her face. “Think, Sombra, you have at your disposal two Princesses. Would it not be prudent to utilize them as more than mere prizes?”

“Hah,” he barked out a laugh. “Luna holds dominion over dreams, a useless ability if ever there was one,” he explained before pointing to Celestia, “and this one, as you mentioned, is practically worthless. All she’s good for is eating cake and lying about while Twilight and her minions do all the work.”

“You egregiously underestimate their capabilities,” she muttered while nodding at Celestia, “particularly that one’s. She practically razed my hive by herself - herself, Sombra.”

“And who’s fault is that?” he coldly countered. “Were your drones better trained, or defenses properly placed, that wouldn’t have been an issue. I, on the other hand, needn’t worry about such things ~ do I?”

Celestia shook her head and eased herself down to the floor. “No…”

All but gnashing her teeth, Chrysalis felt her blood boil. There was only so much anypony could deal with, and she was growing dangerously close to her limit. This charade, regardless of what had inspired it, may have been the most ridiculous thing she’d ever borne witness to, although she couldn’t let her irritation get the better of her - not yet.

“I assume Celestia’s confines are warded in some way,” she thought aloud.

Sombra gave a small nod. “Of course they are, but that’s of little consequence. Should her cell be opened, she poses no more of a risk than a puppy.”

“And you’re sure of that?” Chrysalis pressed.

“With absolute certainty,” he huffed. “Why? You don’t believe me?”

“No -” she flatly stated, “as a matter of fact, I don’t…”

Lowering his head, Sombra tapped his horn to the cell’s door. “There. Celestia, come out and greet our guest.”

“Of course,” Celestia sighed. Rising to her full height, she nonchalantly stepped from her confines and stretched her wings. “Queen Chrysalis, it’s been quite a while. Have you been well?”

“I…” Chrysalis croaked, taken aback. “I’ve been fine.”

Giggling like a buffoonish colt, Sombra seated himself and waved a hoof. “Go on, give her a hug.”

“As you wish, my King,” Celestia whispered.

“What are you - get off me,” Chrysalis squawked as Celestia shot forward and snared her in an embrace.

“Exquisite,” Sombra guffawed, nearly doubling over in mirth. “Perfectly trained and easy on the eyes. A fine trophy if ever there was one.”

Chrysalis could have - would have shoved the Princess away, but she was unable to move. The warmth and the ethereal care radiating from Celestia was overwhelming - particularly for a changeling like herself. Nearly succumbing to the blissful sensations accosting her, feeling like a moth drawn to a flame, she was only barely able to wriggle free from the alicorn’s affectionate clutches.

She straightened her mane as she brushed herself off. “That proves nothing - besides, you have the Elements and their allies to contend with?”

“Allies?” Sombra parroted. “What allies?”

“Princess Cadance, Shining Armor, and Discord,” she noted while Celestia moved past her. Seeing a mixture of skepticism and surprise cross Sombra’s face, she sat down and lifted a hoof. “Don’t tell me you weren’t aware of the Lord of Chaos’ newfound loyalties.”

“Discord isn’t loyal to anything or anypony but himself,” Sombra spat.

Relishing his disdain, she leaned in. “While that is true, he’s grown awfully close to Fluttershy.”

“The yellow one?” he asked, prompting Chrysalis to nod. “Preposterous.”

“Not at all,” Chrysalis flippantly responded. “I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s traveling with them as we speak.”

Sombra turned his eyes to the floor and stroked his chin. “That may complicate issues.”

“To put it lightly, yes,” she sighed as she got to her hooves. “Thankfully, what with your infallible plan, I’m sure that -”

“Don’t be so hasty,” he interrupted while reaching for her. “With your aid and your minions, we could defeat them without breaking a sweat.”

This was too rich. Moments prior, Sombra had been thoroughly convinced that he’d done the unthinkable, concocting and executing a plan to conquer the ponies, and now he was asking for help. It would have been funny, had it not been so pathetic.

Trotting away while wondering if she could hide somewhere to surreptitiously spectate his impending downfall, she batted a wing at him. “I’m sorry, but I have business to attend to elsewhere. I’m sure that -”

Click

Chrysalis stopped dead and looked back, drawn by the unfamiliar sound. Sombra remained where she’d left him, sitting with his mouth agape, although the same couldn’t be said for Celestia. Cheerfully humming to herself, the alabaster alicorn had let herself into Luna’s cage and was systematically undoing her sibling’s restraints.

“W…What are you doing?!?” Sombra squawked, bolting to his hooves.

Without paying him the slightest bit of mind, Celestia shrugged. “She looked uncomfortable.”

“Uncomfortable?” he repeated. “They’re called restraints for a reason, they’re not supposed to be -”

“There we are,” Celestia chirped as she removed the muzzle from Luna’s head. “Now we just need to…”

Sombra backpedaled and ran into the wall behind him. “D…don’t take that -”

With the negation ring falling to the floor at her hooves, Luna cracked her neck. “Much better…”

Chrysalis had seen a great many things throughout her preternaturally long life, yet the expression of outright dread on Sombra’s face was so profound that she felt a pang of pity for him. He’d screwed up badly, worse than he could have ever dared to imagine, and now he was going to pay for his transgressions. As Luna trotted out and marched toward him, his knees began to quake.

“A ten count,” Luna purred. “In the name of sport, I’ll give you to the count of ten before I hunt you down and make you wish you’d remained under whatever shadowy rock you crawled out from under. Ten…nine…eigh-”

Sombra bolted for the exit, running as fast as his legs would carry him, with his tail tucked between his legs. It was a marvel that he hadn’t soiled himself in the process of his hasty retreat, although that was probably for the best - particularly because Luna was more than likely going to have him bedridden or worse before everything was said and done. Disappearing without saying a word, the stallion made his leave without looking back.

Giving Chrysalis the smallest shred of acknowledgement, barely a glance, Luna stormed after him at a slow, methodical pace. “This doesn’t mean anything…”

“Of c…course,” Chrysalis stammered, unable to keep her voice from cracking. 

Keeping her eyes on Luna until she’d gone out of sight, she yelped when something patted her shoulder. Her horn flared to life, her hackles raised, and she bared her teeth as she wheeled around, prepared for anything, yet her panic evaporated when she was greeted with Celestia’s smiling face. By the ancients - even if the Princesses didn’t make a concerted effort to intentionally be rid of her, they’d be the death of her.

With a soft harrumph, Celestia turned her cheek and closed her eyes. “I’ll have you know, I’m quite cross with you…”

“I…what?” Chrysalis rasped.

“You ruined a perfectly good exercise for my dearest student,” she lamented.

Exercise - this had been an exercise?! Gnashing her teeth, Chrysalis prayed the pain blossoming in her head wasn’t a burst blood vessel. Of all the harebrained, convoluted, insane things she’d ever had to deal with, the Princess’ ploy had to be one of the stupidest.

“Judging from Luna’s disposition, would I be mistaken to think she wasn’t in on this project of yours?” she groaned.

“She wasn’t, no, but that’s only because she refused to take part in similar plan well over a millennia ago,” Celestia explained. “She was in no danger, if that’s what -”

“I know she wasn’t in any danger!” Chrysalis chided. “Neither of you were in any danger!”

With a knowing smirk on her snout, Celestia eyed her. “And yet you came to check on us…”

The statement rocked Chrysalis to her core. Had she come to see if the Princesses had been captured out of doubt or dismay? Pondering on the subject and second-guessing her own motives, she flinched when downy feathers stroked her foreleg.

“I simply wished to see if a report I received was true,” she murmured.

Celestia brought a hoof under chin and lifted her face to look in her eyes. “Right…”

“S…shut up!” she feebly groused, backing away and doing her best to look menacing. 

Languidly pursuing her, Celestia grinned. “If you’d wanted to visit me that badly, you could have simply come to the Canterlot castle…”

“Bah,” Chrysalis seethed.

Irrespective of what had really compelled her to seek out Sombra’s hideaway, she knew when she’d been had - plus there simply was no reasoning with Celestia. There was nothing she could do to convince the Princess of anything, imagined or otherwise, so departing was her only option to save face and spare her dignity. Trotting through the cavernous chamber and to the exit, she came to an abrupt halt when a sextet of ponies came rushing toward her.

“She’s over there,” she breathed, trotting past Twilight and her assembled cadre of do-gooders. Wanting no part of the insufferable ponies, she snarled when the heroines blocked her path. “Move…”

“You’re not going anywhere, Chrysalis,” Dash proclaimed.

“Yeah!” Pinkie squeaked while holding what appeared to be a coconut pie at the ready.

Straightening her stetson, Applejack spat a piece of wheat to the floor. “Ah don’t know what y’all have been up to, but -”

“It’s quite alright,” Celestia sighed. “She had no part in this.”

“Told you,” Chrysalis grunted as she muscled her way through the small throng. Peeking over her shoulder, she flashed her teeth at Celestia. “Good luck explaining this, Princess…”

“W…wait,” Celestia shouted, teleporting before the fleeing changeling. “Aren’t you going to wax poetic about how we’ll all rue the day and -”

Barging past the Princess, Chrysalis set her sights down the tunnel. “I’m hardly in the mood, Celestia,” she grumbled. The air was still and silent, save for the sound of her hooves on the ice beneath her. “I’ll see you later…”

She didn’t slow until she was outside and bathed in the light from the midday sun. Why had she said that? She realized it would only be a matter of time until she and Celestia crossed paths again, and the Princess must have known that as well, yet she’d bidden adieu like she’d just seen an old friend.

Shaking her head, she quietly laughed to herself. Friend - such an ugly word. She had no friends, no real ones, but Celestia seemed determined to change that. As she extended her wings and took to the sky, a sobering, appalling thought crossed her mind. She hadn’t said goodbye because she’d felt obliged, she’d said goodbye because, at least in some small part, she’d wanted to…