Following her escape from Canterlot, Chrysalis set her sights to the North. Stubborn as she may be, she knew the importance of a tactical retreat. With the appearance of Celestia's alter ego known as Daybreaker, she reluctantly accepted the fact that she wasn't strong enough as is.

"Why didn't you stay to fight," the voice of Chrysalis resounded in their mind.

"We both know that I'd lose in a drawn-out fight against her. Besides, I have no desire to fulfill any wish of yours," it jeered back. Morphing into a gyrutia1, she flew deeper into the frozen tundra. After four whole days of flight, the Crystal Empire finally came into view.

Holding her breath, she flew across the threshold into the unnatural biome of summer. Exhaling, which sounded like a long caw, she was surprised that a barrier hadn't been erected yet. Landing on the nearest roof for a quick rest, the strong aura of love immediately engulfed her. Reflexively, her wings opened and propelled her through the air.

The density of love, coupled with her recent exhaustion of power, overwhelmed her. She was drawn to the highest concentration like a bee to a flower bed. Finally, able to wrestling control from her primal instincts she realized her trajectory lead to the castle. Setting down atop a rooftop, Chrysalis spotted Shining Armor outside.

Remembering past events, she gave chase, waiting for her moment to strike. Yet the constant pull of an unknown source of energy continuously divided her attention. Furthering her confusing was the fact that the second blip never seemed to move from a seemingly fixed position. About halfway through the city, Shining Armor was joined by a fellow pony-in-arms.

They exchanged banter, none of which Chrysalis found important, as they enjoyed a break from patrolling the city. Stopping at a bistro they requested a coffee and some food. By the time their order arrived, his acquired companion had glanced her way several times. "Is something wrong soldier," Shining Armor asked.

"No sir, it's just that gyrutia over there, it seems to have taken an unusual interest in us," the guard replied.

Following his gaze, he spotted the bird in question. With the scrutiny of both ponies now upon her, Chrysalis swooped down and snatched a pastry from the table. After a short caw, with plundered confection in tow, she flew out of sight. The guard was about to suggest purchasing another pastry but was hushed by mild laughter.

"Don't worry about it corporal, it seems the bird was hungrier than I," Shining Armor replied. Having finished their break, they continued to patrol the city. Not wanting to raise their suspicions again, Chrysalis headed back to the castle, ditching the pastry along the way.

"Are you thinking of using Shining Armor again?" Chrysalis spoke in a condescending tone. The hypocrisy of her words caused her stomach to turn.

"Certainly but unlike you, I'll be taking a more direct approach," the entity replied. As before, the density of love increased the closer she flew to the center of town. Prepared, she maintained her cognition while landing in the first open window. Chrysalis scanned the empty room. In the far left sat a crib across from it was a changing station. The floor was littered with toys and other stuff for a foal.

About to move to the next open window, she froze as muffled voices could be heard approaching. The first voice was soft and unfamiliar but the second was unmistakenly Cadance's. Always eager to gain an advantage, she remained on the sill to eavesdrop.

Soon enough the door opened, held by a mare guard, Cadance trotted in with Flurry Heart. Approaching the changing table, they chit chatted while she attended to Flurry Heart. Chrysalis studied the three, attempting to pinpoint the source of power that had captured her attention.

"Perhaps I could use Cadance, she did drive us off with love after all. Although a foal's love is the purest of all," it thought while shifting her gaze between them. Her concentration was broken by the guard trying to shoo her from the window. Protesting angerly, Chrysalis hopped off the ledge, fluttered under the castle to land on the Crystal Heart.

Lost in thought, she was unaware of the slow absorption of the heart's energy. A couple of hours passed and with no solid leads, she prepared to camp on a rooftop until nightfall. However, she paused shortly after opening her wings. Something was amiss, it felt as if some of her energy had been restored regardless of not having absorbed any love.

She couldn't spot anything strange as she hopped atop the heart. Once again interrupted in mid-thought, she found herself being levitated from her perch. A moment of clarity immediately filled her mind as the unicorn sat her on the ground. "Its time for you to head off little birRAAHHH!!!" The guard's words turned to screams as Chrysalis shifted from a harmless Gyrutia to a diamond dog.

Without missing a beat she grabbed the heart, darted for the closest patch of soil, and burrowed underground. Due to her newly formed claws, she effortlessly escaped the ever-growing rabble of guards above. To make sure she wasn't being followed, she collapsed the tunnel about a mile out.

After an additional mile, Chrysalis made a small cavern and set about draining the heart of all its energy. Returning to her glorious form, the piercing cold of the tundra above caused her to shiver. The thick skin of a diamond dog made her oblivious to the sudden drop of temperature.

To combat this, she grew long warm fur all over her body. Although curious to why the fur was pink, the slight nuance was easily overlooked. Taking a moment to bask in the sudden warmth, she picked up the heart and gently began to examine it. Careful not to compromise its integrity, she cautiously wormed her magic through its molecular lattice.

Rushes of euphoria bombarded her mind as her magic coated the copious sentiments of love within. Knowing its intentions, Chrysalis furiously fought to regain control of her body. Unfortunately, her struggle was for naught as the entity continued to saturate the heart in magic.

"What's the point," she lamented in defeat. With a long sigh, she allowed visions of her old home and joyful moments had there flashed in her eyes. With each new vision, the pain in her heart grew heavier. It was the final vision of her budding friendship with Vinyl and, to a lesser extent, Octavia that crushed her spirit. A solitary tear ran down her face despite the gleeful expression the dominated her face.

Having never absorbed so much love at one time, the connecting stream of magic began to fluctuate. As an hour passed a golden glow began to surround her body. Unable to reinforce the faltering magic, an explosion of light illuminated the small cavern in the wake of its dissolution. The Crystal Heart softly landed in the loose dirt while Chrysalis was flung onto her back.

Her body twitched and spazzed as her body scrambled to evenly distribute the energy. She, slowly began to regain control of her body. Getting to her hooves, she spotted the Crystal Heart laying on the ground. Brimming with power, the entity began to taunt Chrysalis for being unable to stop it. Not waiting for her response, she morphed into a diamond dog and headed back toward Canterlot.

Author's Note

1. Gyrutia (Ja-oh-Tah) A medium-sized bird with blue-grayish feathers, with a snow-white chest, and gray underbelly. This bird makes its home in cold weather climates. However, it has been noted to venture into warmer climates in search of food.