Night had fallen in the Crystal Empire and all was quiet.

Standing on a balcony overlooking the city was Chrysalis, donning her disguise as Queen Luna. While the city slept, Chrysalis did not—her mind too preoccupied with both events that had long since past, and events that had yet to come.

As the disguised Changeling Queen looked out over the shining city, she frowned. She had only freed Shining Armor recently, and already she feared Sombra might be on to her, but she had no choice but to act when she did.

She had been told of Sombra's plan for her and her changelings, and horrified though she was, she no longer had the power to stop him on her own.

Chrysalis had given the resistance everything they needed to fend for themselves. She'd given them the means to grow—planted the seed that would sprout and bloom into a force powerful enough to take out Sombra.

Sombra.

Even in her most foolish moments, she was no fool. Shining's attempt to buy time for his precious wife, while admirable, would've ultimately been pointless had Chrysalis herself been so inclined to go after the mare.

Sombra was busy elsewhere, and Chrysalis was in the perfect position to take out Cadence, but she didn't. She let the weakened alicorn go as she thoroughly trounced her husband.

It wasn't out of compassion, nor was it out of pity or even arrogance. Just like her interference with Sombra's little pet project, her actions were measured and would benefit her in the end, even if she were to die.

It was another failsafe.

Foolish though she was to do so in the end, she trusted Sombra a great deal... but that was only so far as a changeling could trust.

She, by her very nature, was a creature of deceit and manipulation, and that hadn't changed, not even with her devotion to the shadowy stallion.

With Cadence free, she knew the defeated Princess would rally eventually and come back to save her precious Shiny.

She was the one that made sure the Princess got out of the city and made it to the underground tunnels below the Frozen North.

She was the one who brought them to the safe haven they now called home. She had been the one to give them the supplies they needed to survive for so long.

It was not Cadence, but Chrysalis herself that built the rebellion into what it was today, all as a failsafe in case Sombra ever betrayed her.

If it turned out that Sombra was true to his every word—fulfilled his promises as he said he would—then all Chrysalis would have to do is say the word, and the Princess's little resistance would crumble in an instant.

She had worked tirelessly to gain Cadence's trust, and by extension, the trust of all of her followers. It was a grueling, frustrating task, but she did it all the same, and it seemed her efforts had paid off.

She held off and held out for as long as she could, hoping, wishing, praying that Sombra would give her the one thing she craved above all else... but it was all for naught, and Chrysalis was done.

This insane plan of his was the final straw.

Chrysalis closed her eyes and shuddered in disgust and silent rage as she recalled Sombra's words. She had succeeded in her plan to undermine his virus... but he hadn't given up.

With the new threat Abyssinia and this 'Storm King' posed, he had revived his perfect soldier project, and this time, Chrysalis would not be a part of it.

At least, not in the way she was before.

She manage to erase any and all evidence of her tampering when the project was brought back up, but that wasn't the problem.

The problem was that Sombra's team of scientist had found the wrench Chrysalis had thrown into the cogs of Sombra's viral machine and removed it.

The virus was back to working order and almost ready to be used the way it was originally meant to be. When he next used the virus, the victim would be nothing more than Sombra's puppet soldier, just as he had intended all along.

The victims in question this time around, however... would be Chrysalis and her changelings.

The tests had already been done with changeling cells. As it turned out, changelings made the perfect host—far more effective than even griffons did.

Stability and obedience were all but assured.

Chrysalis let out a shaky sigh, the breath she released misting slightly in the cool night air. She was far too weak to stop what was coming.

She was too weak to fight, there was nowhere she could run where Sombra couldn't find her, and the stallion had his own methods of weeding her and her kind out of hiding.

His own horrible, horrible methods.

She could do little to stop what was to come, but not all was lost. Sombra thought that those infected by the virus were completely invulnerable, invincible, and untouchable... but he was wrong.

There were indeed weaknesses that could be exploited, and she had managed to keep that bit of information to herself. That... and the knowledge of the rebellion she had fostered in secret for so many years.

Now that it had come to this... she'd take both those secrets to her grave... where Sombra was concerned at any rate.

The resistance itself however...

Chrysalis's ear twitched at the sudden quiet hum of a spell being released somewhere close behind her. She smiled, but didn't turn around.

"I trust you were able to make it here without incident, Miss Belle?"

Chrysalis's tone was quiet and measured, Luna's voice giving it a more authoritative flair. The pony that had faded into existence behind her gave a sharp salute before responding just as quietly.

"Yes, Ma'am," the white unicorn mare replied, "made it here without a hitch. Nopony saw me, and I didn't even have to take anypony out this time."

"Good," Chrysalis replied, finally turning to face the mare, "if you had screwed this up, everything I've worked for up to this point would be ruined."

Before the Queen stood none other than Sweetie Belle, dressed in standard full-body 'liquid armor', the same shade of dark blue as the coat Chrysalis was currently 'wearing'.

The armor—made of an alloy whose name the designer refused to share—was smooth, seamless, quiet, and reflected no light. It had been one of Coco's greatest works, though Sweetie herself still felt her sister could've done better if she were here.

Still, it got the job done.

Chrysalis took a moment to observe the mare standing rigidly before her. She had no recollection of ever meeting the pony before the resistance, but now knew the mare to be the sister of one of the Elements of Harmony.

Sweetie Belle was still just a filly when the resistance was formed, but when it came to what remained of Ponyville to recruit members, she and her friends had caught wind of it and snuck their way into the group that had opted to join.

Chrysalis herself hadn't personally been there when they were recruited, but from what she had heard, Sweetie was surprisingly talented when it came to espionage and infiltration.

The Queen hadn't known how that even came about, but with the training she and her friends had done under Sweetie Drops, she had become a force to be reckoned with—they all had as the years went by.

But then there was the matter of their sisters.

They had asked, constantly, but Chrysalis never gave them a straight answer regarding those six mares. Eventually they gave up, coming to the conclusion that Chrysalis really didn't know anything... or so she made them believe.

She had decided to play dumb regarding the Elements up until now, but that would soon change once Shining Armor decided to bring it up.

It no longer mattered, really, and she had far more pressing things to worry about anyway. They could figure out what to do with the information on their own.

There were however, some things that needed to be said and done now, because once Sombra got his hooves on Chrysalis and her changelings, it would be far too late.

Chrysalis put the dark thoughts out of her mind for the moment and put on a regal, confident mask as she spoke.

"I wouldn't have called you out here unless it was of grave importance," Chrysalis continued after a long moment, "I have news for you and the rest... and you won't like it."

Sweetie's stoic frown faltered slightly, but she quickly recovered and nodded.

"Whatever it is, I'm sure we can deal with it," she replied confidently, "we've managed to survive this long, and now that you've broken Shining out of jail, things are—"

"Only going to get harder for you," Chrysalis interjected, "I'm sorry Sweetie Belle, but this isn't something to take quite so lightly," she sighed and turned away from the bemused mare, looking back out towards the city once more, "I... what I'm about to tell you is going to be... difficult, but please understand that I have no choice."

Sweetie didn't reply, but a growing sense of dread began to well up within her. She swallowed and took a step forward, waiting for Chrysalis to continue with nervous anticipation.

After another moment of silent contemplation, Chrysalis continued.

"In a few days time, I and the rest of my changelings are going to become not just your enemy, but the enemy of Equus as a whole," she turned back to Sweetie with a grave expression, "we're going to become Sombra's puppet soldiers... and we're going to be nearly unstoppable."

"M-Ma'am?" Sweetie Belle replied, taking a shocked step back, "but... but what are you... what do you mean? Sombra's puppet? Why? How?"

"He's going to turn us into something horrible, something powerful, and something completely under his control," Chrysalis replied, fighting to keep her voice steady, "and there's nothing I can do to stop him."

"But... Ma'am I," Sweetie Belle paused and looked away for a few seconds her ears folding back and her face downcast. Her face then hardened and she looked back, "very well, Ma'am. I take it I'm suppose to relay your final message back to Cadence and the others?"

"Indeed," Chrysalis confirmed with a nod, "you are to deliver this..." with a bright green flash of her horn, Chrysalis produced a large manila folder out of thin air, "Cadence is to know everything contained within this folder. It contains everything you need to know about what's to come and what to do about it."

She floated the folder over to Sweetie, who took it in her own magic and eyed it with no small amount of curiosity. She returned her attention back to Chrysalis when she spoke again, worried by the sudden softness of her next words.

"There's more," Chrysalis continued, her gaze back on the city below, "Cadence might run the resistance publicly, but I control it behind the scenes, as she, yourself, and a few others know."

Sweetie Belle nodded uncertainly.

"With as much as you've done for us, I don't see how more ponies haven't figured it out yet," she replied with a weak chuckle, "AB and Scoots didn't realize it until I told them directly."

"Something I warned you against in the past if you recall," Chrysalis replied wryly, "I didn't want word getting out to everyone, remember?"

"Er... right," Sweetie muttered, shifting her hooves silently and awkwardly, "I forgot about that... sorry."

"It doesn't matter," Chrysalis replied with a slow shake of her head, "what matters now is that I will no longer be able to lead you from the shadows, and that I have knowledge."

She fully turned to face Sweetie Belle now, focusing all her attention on the mare in order to get across just how important her next words were.

"I have knowledge that Sombra will want, knowledge that he may already suspect I have... do you understand what I'm saying?"

Sweetie Belle gave a slow nod of her own, the dread from earlier rising higher in her chest.

"Once he... does whatever he's going to do to you... he'll probably try to get information on us," she surmised, "you know everything about the resistance, and if he gets his hooves on you—"

"Then you're all done for," Chrysalis finished, "most likely none of you will survive to oppose Sombra ever again, and you'll all probably die by my hoof... unless steps are taken."

"What do you propose we do?" Sweetie asked worriedly, "it's been years since the rebellion started, but we're only just now getting into a position where we can start taking on Sombra in earnest."

"It's not what you're going to do to maintain the secret," Chrysalis answered with a heavy sigh of resignation, "it's what I'm going to do to myself and my changelings before Sombra turns us to his side."

"A-And what's that?" Sweetie asked, not really wanting to hear the answer, "what are you gonna do?"

For the first time since Sweetie Belle had first met her, Chrysalis gave Sweetie Belle a genuine smile. It was full of sadness and regret, but it was no less sincere for it.

"I'm going to wipe mine and my children's minds clean of the knowledge of the rebellion's existence."

The unicorn was silent for a minute, her own mind working through what Chrysalis was suggesting. Given the circumstances, it was a perfectly logical thing to do, but this was Chrysalis.

She and her changelings were masters of disguise, trickery, and infiltration. Sweetie Belle would know, she took personal lessons from some of Chrysalis's own changelings themselves.

Even if Chrysalis were to go through with such a plan, Sweetie was sure, she'd just find them again in no time, but other than that, there wasn't really much she could do.

Sombra was too powerful now—too well prepared to defend himself for any kind of sneak attack. All they had at this point was subterfuge and deceit.

The thought occurred to her that Chrysalis could simply end her own life and not give Sombra the chance, but that thought was quickly and mercilessly stomped out.

Besides that, Sweetie knew the Queen would never go for it as it was.

If she went that route, she'd have to kill all of her children, and there was no way she was going to do that, no matter how dire the situation, and this was indeed a very dire situation.

Chrysalis chuckled at the conflicted expression on Sweetie Belle's face. For some reason Chrysalis could not fathom, Sweetie had taken a liking to her. She never said as much, but the Changeling Queen could feel her affection clear as day.

Chrysalis could tell that what she had planned to do, and this whole situation in general, was getting to the mare much more than she let on.

After what felt like an eternity however, Sweetie Belle finally managed to look the disguised Changeling Queen in the eyes with a small nod of acceptance.

"I understand, Ma'am," Sweetie finally replied, "but I would like to ask you one thing before you do this. Cadence doesn't know, and I haven't told her."

Chrysalis winced inwardly, at the sudden coldness in Sweetie's eyes. She had a feeling she knew where this conversation was headed, and she didn't like it one bit.

"Very well," Chrsalis replied neutrally, "ask your question then."

"If you've been on our side this whole time, why'd you do all those terrible things to Shining Armor?" Sweetie asked, her voice low and accusatory, "I snuck into the Palace once on an intel mission, and I heard a scream... and when I followed it to it's source... there you were, laughing like a maniac while you shocked Shining with some kind of horrible green lightning."

"...I see," Chrysalis replied somberly. She sighed and hung her head slightly, "and you didn't tell anyone? Not even Cadence?"

"I...." Sweetie's cold glare faltered and she looked away and her next words were whispered and hurt, "how could I? It would've broken Cadence's heart to know what you were doing to her husband. And besides that, I..."

She shook her head rapidly before glaring at Chrysalis again.

"Why?" she repeated more forcefully, "why did you do it?"

Chrysalis remained silent for a moment before speaking again, her own voice quiet and remorseful.

"To tell you the truth, Sweetie Belle, when I first helped create the resistance, I had an ulterior motive," she confessed, "I didn't really care about any of you, I just want insurance in case Sombra betrayed me.

"Shining Armor meant nothing to me, Cadence meant nothing to me, none of you meant anything more to me than pawns to be used at my disposal."

Chrysalis sighed again as she sensed the hurt coming off of the mare in waves.

"I know this isn't what you wanted to hear, but over time, I did realize how important the resistance was, and I... while I was... ingratiating myself to you all and Cadence, I..."

Chrysalis turned her back to Sweetie Belle and hung her head lower. When she spoke, her voice was barely above a whisper.

"I'm sorry, Sweetie," she said softly, "I know it hurts to hear, but you have to believe me when I say that I've since changed for the better in recent years. I care about what happens to all of you... and I want to take down Sombra just as much as any of you."

"Then say that to my face."

Chrysalis turned to see a stern faced Sweetie staring back at her expectantly.

"Say it to my face," Sweetie repeated, "I want to see your eyes when you say that, then I'll know if your telling the truth or not."

Chrysalis stared back at Sweetie in dumbfounded silence for a few moments before letting out a strange mix between a bark of laughter and a choked sob.

She regained control of herself and looked the mare dead in the eye.

"I've changed Sweetie Belle," Chrysalis intoned, "I'm no longer the evil Bug Queen I once was, now I just want to protect my children... and if I can't do that... I want to destroy the one who took them away from me."

They stared at each other for a full minute before Sweetie Belle smiled and nodded in satisfaction, her eyes glistening with unshed tears.

"I believe you, Ma'am," she whispered, "and I'm sorry."

"No, Sweetie," Chrysalis responded with a shake of her head, "I'm the one that needs to apologize. But time grows short, and I need to get back to my own chambers. That means you need to leave, and quickly."

"Understood," Sweetie replied, snapping another salute and raising the folder in the air, "I'll deliver this straight to Cadence... and... Ma'am?"

"Chrysalis raised an eyebrow expectantly at Sweetie's sudden hesitation. After a moment of awkward shuffling, the mare spoke again.

"I... I'm gonna miss you."

The disguised changeling let out a humorless chuckle in response.

"Trust me, Sweetie Belle," she said with a bitter smile, "when Sombra's done with me, you'll wish I was dead and gone. Now then... goodbye Sweetie Belle, and good luck to you and the others."

Before Sweetie could protest Chrysalis rose from where she had been sitting near the rail of the balcony and trotted past her. She stopped when she was back inside the hallway and looked back to Sweetie Belle over her shoulder.

"Ah... and, Sweetie Belle?"

The mare looked back at her with a question gaze that belied a vast mix of emotions.Chrysalis gave her one last sad, sincere smile and said only one thing more before trotting away.

"Tell Shining Armor and Cadence, that I'm sorry... for everything."

Welp, that's it. I am officially done with what I guess it Part Two of this series. I have a few sequels in mind that I'm planning on working on and I have yet to decide which one will come first, but this one and the others will be released sometime before the year is out, that's the most I can promise at the moment.

Aside from that however, there's going to be a lot going on in the next story. I'll try to keep it to a trilogy, but I make no promises. I actually wouldn't mind having mulitple books for this story if I'm being completely honest though.

Anyway, thanks as alway for the support and I'll see you all in the next book!