Mending the Heart

Chapters

Phillia (Loving Friendship)
Pragma (Longstanding Love)
Storge (Familial Love)
Agape (Sacrificial Love)

Phillia (Loving Friendship)

Chrysalis soared in the crystal blue expanse of the sky. Down below her was the roof of the world, jagged, endlessly folding mountain peaks that scraped against the clouds. The queen-no, former queen, darted around the wisps playing in the air. The wind cut at her chitin, whistled through the holes in her legs. For a too short while they had been full.

She had been full. But that time was past. It had been too long, far too long, since she had fed. Not since she had sneaked away from Canterlot Castle in the middle of the night, cut herself away from the hive. What did they think? She had explained that she was not leaving against her will. Hopefully the more aggressive of her children-or subjects or whatever the hell they were to her-would believe her and not march on Canterlot on her behalf.

They would understand. They'd have to. Frozen crystals clinged to her mane, the green strands tossed around by the wind. A smile crossed Chrysalis's face. Soon, it wouldn't matter. Soon, none of it would matter. She darted upward as the wall came into her view. A solid sheet of ice jutted up from the frozen sea. She grit her teeth. The Ice Wall. The bane of the Equestrian sailor since time immemorial. In fact, no sailor of any race had ever managed to cross it. Many had tried. The ice towered over her, casting long shadows over the mountains. It very nearly touched the sky.

The key word was nearly. Chrysalis zoomed farther and farther up, the wall revealing its crevices, its sharp, white teeth that had devoured Griffon airships, Pony barges and once an entire Zebran armada.

Chrysalis floated high, higher, still higher until the air thinned out. No mortal could breathe up here. It was to her advantage that she was not a mortal. A white snowbird soared by-perfectly adapted to life in this climate. Chrysalis's stomach roared and she grabbed it in her magic, pulling the squawking, flapping creature to herself. Her jaws opened, preparing to absorb its essence, to devour its love.

She stopped, let the creature go.

There was no point to doing that. No point to feeding. Soon, she wouldn't need to do that anymore. The snowbird croaked, flapped its wings and was soon away, over the wall.

Only seabirds and me up here.

The wall still loomed over her. She ascended a few more inches until all air was gone, until she was surrounded by the void and stars hanging like jewels in the expanse. From this high up, the nations of the world spread out before her, but she couldn't make anything out, only patches of blues, greens and browns. She darted over the wall, shivered at the still cool air. She dove downward, her wings bound tightly to her sides.

She broke the spin, winds whirling around her, propelling her over the ocean beyond the wall. The ocean stretched on endlessly, dotted with barren islands where no race dwelt and hadn't in living memory.

She had a long memory. Too long.

The smile on her face grew wider. A happy tune burst from her lips even as tears trickled down her face, tears that froze against her chitin. She allowed the breezes to lift her upwards back towards the sky. Islands dotted the cerulean, ever tossing sea. The sea was troubled, Chrysalis noted. It always was in this part of the world. The winds tossed and turned the waves, splattering icy chips against the queen's face. Chrysalis hissed and floated out of range of the painful shards.

The sun followed her on her journey, inching ever steadily towards the west. It was at its peak in this part of the world, Equestria already shrouded in the cloak of night. Chrysalis violently shivered, fighting against blasts of cold air. The icy blasts were slowing the beating of her heart, making her eyes heavy, making her long for torpor.

No! Her horn lit up and a blaze of fire burst from her horn, danced upon the freezing sea. The flames licked at the ice and jets of steam bathed the Dark Queen. A satisfied moan came from her lips from the tendrils of steam that embraced her. The force of the blast propelled her backwards towards the still visible wall which even now cast a shadow over the ocean.

She growled and cast her gaze at the ancient edifice, longing suddenly to tear it apart, to test her most powerful magics against it. A rage filled bellow ripped from her lips and she shot a blast of pure energy at the ice. Nothing. It bounced off, dissipated as if it's never been.

The wall was still there. She could dash herself against it, but it would still stand even as it had since the creation of the world. Chrysalis shook her head. No point to it.

Insectoid instincts tore at her rational mind, urging her to rest, to find a place to burrow and just rest. Cruising over the ever churning ocean waves, she found herself dropping, attracted to the cold wafting up from below.

Sleep, sleep, sleep... Instinct whispered to her. Chrysalis managed a half-smile. Soon she would sleep. But not yet. Not yet.

Her flight took her past the frozen waters, towards islands and continents of the south. Happy, green islands blessed by the sun. Each one was examined and rejected. She flew over an island covered in palms, a volcano lifting up from its center. She paused over the volcano. Steam rushed up from the bubbling magma stirring in the cauldron of the volcano's peak making the shards of frost melt from her body. She shook out her mane, watery droplets sliding off of it.

Not too much longer. She buzzed her wings, casting off the last droplets of water, jetted away from the volcano. Stone ruins carved in a long forgotten alphabet peeked out from among the palms and Ponies walked well-worn stone paths that winded through the palm. A small town-almost a city-had been carved in the jungle.

Chrysalis stared. In her age, there had been no city there. Where had those Ponies come from? They weren't Equestrians. They were stockier, of a heavier build. They lacked horns or wings and their coats were brown or grey.

She closed her eyes. It didn't matter. I truly have lived too long. A new civilization has appeared, but it is probably already ancient by their standards. It will fall and vanish like all the others before it. How pointless.

Flying away, she didn't even cast a backward glance at the island. A new island was coming into her view as she soared closer. Wide-petaled pink flowers sprawled over the hills, spreading over every inch of the land. Memories came unbidden. Three young demigods-two Ponies and a Flutterpony-had explored the world then when all was young, when they were young. They had gone to the roof of the world simply because it was there, crossed the barrier and wandered the lands at the edge of the known world. (But how much farther did the world go? They had gotten bored and returned home before they could have found out.)

Even then, this island had been like this. The broad petals of the hibiscuses waved hello to her as she came in for a landing. The flowers rolled down the mountains that enveloped this land on all sides. She touched her hooves down on the fertile earth.

"Good evening, Chrysalis."

Chrysalis froze. The voice was cultured, the elegant intonations of another era.

"Or afternoon I should say. I'm still on Equestrian time."

The Dark Queen grit her teeth. "What are you doing here? How did you even know I was here?" She turned.

Luna laid in a patch of the flowers, idly nibbling on one. She swallowed, rose. "What am I doing here? Looking for you. How did I know you were here? I have been tracking your dreams."

Chrysalis stomped her hoof so hard that a split broke the land. "You had no right!"

Luna strode forward, head held high. "I had every right as Mistress of Dreams. Not to mention the fact that you ran out on us in the middle of negotiations!"

Chrysalis didn't move away from the marching princess."I could no longer bare your sister's claptrap about peace and the dawning of a new era!"

Luna rolled her eyes. "And you think I can? The difference betwixt us is that I do not run!"

Chrysalis snarled. "No, you only throw a tantrum and try to bring about eternal night!"

Luna snorted. "Don't you dare bring that up. You are the one who has no rights here. You did not return to the Hive, but ran out on us like a coward!"

"Don't call me that!"

"I will if you behave like one. Your subjects-no, the race you gave birth to-is in an uproar. You abandoned them."

Chrysalis turned away. "They'll survive. Let them grow up. They don't need me anymore."

Luna stepped closer. "Don't you think they're the ones who should choose that?"

Chrysalis bared her teeth. "It's not your concern! Integrate them into your empire for all I care! I don't care anymore!" She turned away.

Luna stepped up beside her. "I don't believe that. I know you're hurting. I know you've finally realized all your mistakes-"

"Shut up!" She shoved Luna away. "You are worse than your sister!"

Luna pushed her back, marched around so she was facing her. "Listen here. Have you considered the possibility, really considered it, that maybe I have some idea of what I'm talking about?"

Chrysalis pawed at the ground. "I'm warning you."

Luna's tail lashed behind her. "Another thing, you silly fool. I know why you're on this island. You really intend to drink from Pyrus's Spring?"

Chrysalis refused to meet Luna's gaze. "That is not your concern either."

"It will kill you."

"I'm perfectly aware of that."

"You will go into the afterlife, stand before the Gods, with sins yet unatoned for."

"Shut up!" The scream tore from Chrysalis's throat. "Will you just shut up?!" She charged, dirt kicked up in her wake as she drove her horn towards Luna's throat. Luna vanished in a haze so quickly that Chrysalis didn't have time to stop. She ran several feet, whirled around, charged again. Once more Luna vanished. Chrysalis panted. "And you call me a coward!"

"This is not cowardice." Luna appeared again, this time in the sky with her wings spread wide. Chrysalis fluttered into the air to meet her. Luna grinned. "You wish to do battle? Then let us do battle."

Chrysalis shot a blast of energy at Luna that Luna flew out of the way of. Luna dodged several more blasts. Chrysalis snorted and rocketed towards the Moon Princess, screaming as her horn struck against a shimmering, blue shield. She threw back her head and brought a beam of energy down on the dome. Luna smirked, poured more energy into it.

Chrysalis drew back panting. That's when Luna pounced, grabbing Chrysalis and throwing her down to the ground. Chrysalis thrashed against her hold until Luna pressed her foreleg into her throat. "You listen to me, Chryssy. I know what you're going through. You don't think I thought about it? Drinking the waters and finding peace? All you're doing is running."

Chrysalis struggled, gasped when Luna applied more pressure. "That's why I didn't do it. I don't run like I said before. All you'd be doing-all I'd have been doing-is going into the life after this one with burdens on your soul."

Chrysalis hissed. "L-let me go."

"I will not. I won't pretend it isn't hard. But you can do it as I did. Make a fresh start."

Tears soaked Chrysalis's cheeks. "It's too late. I'm too far gone. Just let me die!"

Luna eased up on the pressure. "Fine." She got to her hooves. "I won't stop you then. But you will need an escort to the river."

Chrysalis stood on still trembling legs. "Why?"

"Have you forgotten? There are things on this island that can injure even those of our kind. As much as you wish to die, I don't believe you wish to have your bones broken."

Chrysalis shook her mane. "Not what I meant. I mean why are you doing this?"

"Because I'm your friend, you idiot. Now let's going."

Pragma (Longstanding Love)

Chrysalis strode into the dense vegetation. Green tendrils swirled around her legs, stung them as she trotted by. Luna did not speak, but Chrysalis heard her hooves treading down the grasses behind her. Chrysalis picked up the pace and her ears flicked when she heard Luna catch up to her, coming up on her left side. "You're not going to outrun me."

"Doesn't mean I can't try." Chrysalis buzzed her wings, launched into the air. Luna's wings snapped open and she darted after her. Chrysalis jetted forward, rose skywards over the tops of the palms, Luna only a few inches behind her. Suddenly, Chrysalis angled her wings and rocketed straight, shooting a blast of air into Luna's face that sent her sprawling. She twisted in midair just before she struck the ground, propelled upwards and paused. Chrysalis had vanished. Luna scanned her surroundings. A wind rustled the palms and some green strands. Luna dived towards the shadows of the grove, but the strands vanished. She looked around the shaded woodland, saw only more of the palm trees. Orange fruit hung low, a few ripe pieces having struck the ground.

Her earls flicked at the rusting coming from the side. She stalked forward, out of the shadows and into a clearing bathed in the golden light of her sister's sun. Chrysalis zoomed back into the jungles, Luna barreling after her. Chrysalis ran, the fury of their chase knocking down ferns and crushing flowers. Luna jetted forward, her wings slicing up the blade of grass. Chrysalis buzzed away, always slightly ahead.

Luna knocked her side with an outstretched feather. "I'm not letting you out of my sight!"

Chrysalis allowed herself to be carried by the wind. "You are a nuisance!" She turned, slapped her tail across Luna's flank and took off again. Wind smacked against her face. Behind her, she heard the flapping of Luna's wings, the roar of the gale stirred up by those great appendages. Chrysalis twisted higher into the ether, sailed upwards into the blue void. Luna rocketed after her when Chrysalis gasped. Pain jolted through her wings and they locked up. She struggled to correct her path, but it was too late and the ground was shooting up towards her when Luna snatched her up in her wings. Chrysalis held on tight and they separated a few inches from the ground, both landing on their hooves.

"Those wings of yours are fragile. How long have you been flying?"

Chrysalis panted and pushed her away. "None of your business." She gasped when Luna's magic took hold of her body. "What are you doing? Let me go at once!"

Luna strode forward, took hold of her wings in an arcane grip. "I need to examine your wings. Be still."

Chrysalis struggled, gave in against the greater might of the goddess. "I still don't understand why you're doing this."

"You don't need to." Luna's magic caressed Chrysalis's wings, soothing blue magic working its way into the frail appendages. "Only accept it."

Chrysalis grunted. "You spend too much time around your sister!"

Luna released her, chuckled. "Quite probably. I am famished from my flight through the astral realms-"

"So that's how you got here before me!"

Luna stretched her back and walked further into the clearing. Chrysalis followed. Here in the valley, the rolling flower covered hills gave way to swaying palms bending in the breeze. Tall grasses played around their pasterns. Luna settled in a patch of sea grass, nibbled a few emerald strands. "This is good, you should try some."

Chrysalis remained standing. "I'm not hungry."

Luna nodded. "I see. You're planning on ending it all so you've lost interest in the things required to sustain your body. It's why you didn't take any nibbles of my love when I was healing you." She nibbled on the ground cover. "Your loss. Very sweet with a slight tang."

Chrysalis rolled her eyes. "Must you psychoanalyze everything?"

Luna lifted up her head. "I helped invent the profession so it's something of an ingrained habit." She swallowed. "Loss of appetite is a classic symptom of melancholy-or depression as they call it these days."

Chrysalis snarled, stomped towards Luna. "Melancholy is an illness that afflicts airy-headed scholars and peasants with poor crops not proud queens such as I!"

Luna buried her muzzle into her meal. "Illness is no respecter of rank."

Chrysalis turned away again. "That's an excuse for weakness. I am not melancholy."

"No you just cut yourself off from everyone and plan on killing yourself. Not melancholy at all."

Chrysalis shook her head. "You don't understand."

Luna moved up to her hooves. "Truly Chrysalis? We both spent one-thousand years trapped in a darkness of our own design. Tell me what I don't understand."

Chrysalis clenched her jaws. "It is not sorrow. It is this hunger which will never be filled."

"If you just opened yourself up-"

Chrysalis inched back. "I can't-"

"Have you tried?"

A shiver passed through her. "I don't know how."

"Well then." Luna trotted back to the patch of sea grass. "Even if love energy is your primary food source I know you'd enjoy the taste. Won't you at least have a last meal?"

Chrysalis settled on the ground. The plants were cool against her thorax and nestled against her nose, dizzying her senses with the sweet scent. Luna made borderline obscene sounds of satisfaction as she munched at her meal. "You don't know what you're missing."

The queen stuck up her nose. The enticing scent was still in her nostrils.

Luna swallowed. "I'm quite certain they don't have such delectable meals where you'll be going."

Chrysalis attempted to buzz her wings, managed it for a few moments before the muscles of her back reminded her of just how long she'd been flying. "You mean the Gods will no doubt thrust me into the void-if they don't grant me rebirth. Either way this current existence will end." She flapped her wings a few more times, falling into a light rhythm.

Luna stared at her. "Are you certain that's what you want? It's not a decision you can unmake."

Chrysalis refused to meet Luna's gaze. The silence stretched on until Luna walked over and lifted Chrysalis's head. Chrysalis bared her teeth, but Luna didn't let go. "Go on. Look me in the eyes and tell me."

"I want to die." The words were choked out. Chrysalis closed her eyes. "I want the hunger to end."

"I don't believe you."

"I don't very well care what you believe!" She jumped onto her hooves. Luna stood, backed away to her marked out grazing grounds. Then, she sat and began once more to eat, making those same sounds of delight.

After a few moments, Chrysalis shuffled over and nibbled on a piece of grass. Her eyes widened and she involuntarily made a sound of satisfaction. Luna hid her smile.

...
Silence had settled on them like a shroud. The forest canopy spread over them, the broad leaves of the palm forming a shield against the burning sun. Slants of light filtered through onto the sandy floor of the island. The long grasses burst with red blooms, sending out an intoxicating scent. Chrysalis no longer attempted to get away from Luna so the two tread onward without sharing a single word.

The forest grew thicker and thicker. Growls sounded from far away. Both looked toward where the sound was coming from.

Luna drew closer to Chrysalis. "Are you well enough to fight if need be?"

Chrysalis snickered, her face breaking into a grin that sent shivers down Luna's spine. Her fangs practically dripped saliva. "Well, I won't be using utter flutter, but I can still charge and use my magic. I'm almost looking forward to it."

Luna pawed at the ground. "To be honest so am I. Changelings can use utter flutter? I thought it was solely Flutter Pony combat magic."

Chrysalis rolled her eyes. "Our wings are structurally identical, of course we can use it." She gave her wings a few flaps. "I don't need more than one around to use it either. As a Queen, my magic is incalculably powerful."

"I'm sure it is." Luna tread forward, her steps slow, careful to step around the leaves so that they would not release a sound by crushing them. Chrysalis pranced, crunched a fern beneath her hoof. She hopped again and crushed another one.

Luna pulled her back with a wing. "Quiet! Just because you have a death wish doesn't mean I do!"

Chrysalis yanked away. "You know I do not run away from a fight." She chuckled. "Do you know what your sister would say right now?"

"What?"

"She'd give some speech about how we should try to avoid any monsters-"

"We most certainly should-"

"-And must walk in harmony in the jungle, living in peace with all living things." Chrysalis transformed, Celestia standing in her place. "Let us make peace with the manticores perhaps I can share my tea with them."

Luna smirked and then burst into laughter. "Oh Chryssy, I have missed your humor."

Chrysalis grinned, then returned to her natural state. "Well, I have always been told I have a good sense of humor."

This part of the jungle was shrouded in shadow so deep that very little sunlight trickled down, only a few sparks of light dancing on the leaf strewn ground. The growls became louder and some other beast answered. Luna's ears perked, so did Chrysalis's. The roaring was becoming louder, trees snapping as two unseen beasts hurtled each other around the wilderness.

Luna stepped back. "Perhaps we can take another route."

Chrysalis stepped closer. "You truly are a coward."

"Call me that again and I'll snap your horn off and put it in an uncomfortable location."

"Like Tartarus you will."

Luna just sighed and trotted after Chrysalis. A blast of her magic trapped the other royal and Chrysalis attempted to struggle, found herself completely bound. "Release me at once!"

"I don't believe you are in your correct faculties so, no."

Chrysalis breathed and then her eyes flared with mystic power. Luna cried out and was thrust back as her magic binds were shattered. She flared her wings, attempting to stop herself, but she slammed into the palm, completely splintering it. Shards of wood burst all around her and she struck the hard earth, bounced back up almost immediately, chest heaving, horn lowered.

Chrysalis stalked towards her, her eyes still glowing with mystic energies. "Do not forget what I am. I will not be handled like a filly."

Luna growled and reached deep into her core. "Alright. This has been coming for some time." Energies flowed around her, her wind caught in a powerful breeze. Then, she charged, hurtling herself at Chrysalis. Chrysalis vanished in a blur and shot out a bolt that smashed into Luna's back, sent her once more into the dirt. She brought down her hoof, but Luna bucked into her face. Chrysalis cried out and lept into the air, ignoring the pain in her muscles.

She zoomed up and Luna followed her, shooting a burst of magic that Chrysalis dodged. Chrysalis dodged two more blasts, but a third one struck her in the stomach. She teleported out of the way of the fourth blast, but Luna was already there when she appeared again. Luna whirled around, smashed her backlegs against Chrysalis's shoulder. Chrysalis spun towards the ground and Luna rocketed towards her, pouncing on her and held her down. She gasped when Chrysalis's legs smacked into her stomach and she was sent sprawling onto the hard earth.

Chrysalis growled, stalked towards her, her fangs barred, venom dripping down her muzzle. "I was barely older than an adolescent the last time we met each other." Luna struggled to stand. Chrysalis stomped a hoof down on her stomach. "You treat me like the wayward teenager you believe me to be. While you were trapped in stasis-in pathetic exile because you weren't strong enough to defeat your sister-I grew. And I learned. And I changed. The Chryssy you remember is a ghost. She's already dead."

"I refuse to believe that."

"What you believe is not important." Chrysalis twisted her hoof harder. Luna gasped and Chrysalis smirked. "Do you understand now?"

Luna smirked. "I remember...the tantrum you threw when your coltfriend-you had so many coltfriends-was late to your birthday. We all heard you screaming at him." She paused. "That was...the corruption was already setting in...that's what you're doing now...throwing a tantrum...just like the Chryssy I remember. You haven't changed."

Chrysalis removed her hoof. "A tantrum throwing bitch? You remember a tantrum throwing bitch?"

Luna shook her head. "Nopony...no one should be defined by their worst traits. I also remember the fun we used to have. The way you'd come up to me when I was deep in study and pull me and Tia away to some adventure or other. You loved a good scheme...still do. Remember when we all set out to find the golden fleece? We never did. You helped us find so many old tomes. Not that you liked books that much, but we got you interested in the old stories...some only we remember." Tears glistened in her eyes. "You liked the quest, the planning...I miss that Chryssy."

Chrysalis backed away, deep in shadow so only her eyes could be seen. Then she turned and vanished into the darkness.

Storge (Familial Love)

Chrysalis stepped deeper into the jungle. Vines choked the jagged bases of the palm trees, snaked along the ground. Animals of an unknown variety hissed and argued with one another in the low underbrush. What little light there was sprinkled on red blooms popping from among the dark green leaves of the underbrush. She looked behind herself. Luna hadn't caught up to her yet assuming she was following her.

She paused, listened carefully for the tell-tale trampling of hoofsteps over fallen palm fronds.

Nothing.

She waited, strained to hear hoofsteps or wingbeats, some sign that Luna was following her. Some sign that she wasn't alone. The chattering of jungle birds, the screech and howls of beasts hiding in the brush was her only companion.

Alone at last. Wasn't that what she wanted?

She stomped through the brush and fronds, blasting away a clump that stood in her way. A serpent hissed at her. She hissed back and it shot up a tree. Chrysalis threw back her head and laughed, then blasted the tree. The serpent darted to another tree as its shelter clattered to the ground. Chrysalis smirked, kept trotting. She had to sift through the memories of several lifetimes, but she knew she was walking the right path. Cracks running along the ground spewed out vapors. The silverish-white mists spewed out from the fractured earth. She gasped, tried to march on through it. All she could see was the thick wall of steam. She heard nothing except the clap of her own hooves against the rocky flesh of the earth. Not the chattering of birds nor the slithering of serpents. Only silence as thick as the fog.

A beast roared from far behind her. Some other beast roared back and the crashing of their combat rocked the jungle. There was no sound of animal life up ahead. The steam was beginning to dissipate, revealing only another long stretch of green canopy made up of palm fronds. Chrysalis listened. No birds nor snakes nor any other kind of animal. For some reason, the jungle creatures had abandoned this part.

Her wings twitched. Deep instinct told her to flee. She glanced behind her. Luna was still nowhere to be found. It was no matter. She angled her wings and jetted towards the treetops, shattering the palms as she darted into the open sky.

...
Luna laid on the sands, her belly pressed into the grainy substance. She lashed her tail. Her ribs ached from where she'd been bucked and a trickle of blood ran down her muzzle. Her body was already healing. In a few more minutes her broken bones would stitch themselves. She stood on trembling legs, lifted a hoof just to be sure then placed it down. As no jolt of pain alerted her to any lingering injuries, she began a quick trot towards the ocean. The waves caressed her hooves, lapped at the shore. The air soared through her spread wings.

She was quite done with Changeling queens.

A thermal caught her up in its gentle sway and she allowed it to carry her over the waves. She was done. Chrysalis could drink the poison for all she cared. It was obvious she did not want to be saved.

Luna flared her wings, beating up gusts of wind that struck the waves. Sprays of water struck her stomach, shocked her with the coldness. She ignored that, ignored everything except getting as far away from that island as she possibly could. The salty spray stung her eyes, salty water dripped down her lashes and wet her fur.

They had journeyed all day long, trekking among the pink flowers. Chryssi had plucked them, threaded them through her emerald locks. She plucked one, floated it over to Luna, then weaved it into her mane. Luna smiled at her friend's antics. Celestia's pink mane (it had been pink in those distant days) bounced ahead into the deep jungles.

Luna shivered though the day was warm. Memories flooded into her, stung her more fiercely than the waters stirred by her flight stung her skin.

The steam of that place had been so deep that they could not even see each other and had to keep their wings against one another in order to know that they were still together. Fear, ancient and primal, seeped into them along with the mists spewing up from the cracks of the earth. Only one question, unasked, was on their minds-what could leave such scars upon the face of Equus itself?

Luna shuddered at memories her thousand year sleep had erased. Wounds, physical and psychic that had closed hundreds of lifetimes ago split open again. She stopped flapping, allowed cool breezes to carry her along over the waves.

The beast that had ripped up from the ground-

Her mind blotted out what happened next, only blinding pain remained.

The slash of claws, blasts of magic warping the air, the buzzing of enchated wings summoning powerful breezes. Together, they had stood together, three against the demons that had stalked a world only then pulling itself from an age of chaos.

The shivering had turned into a full-blown shaking. What was she doing? She stopped, hovering in midair. How could she leave Chrysalis alone to face the monsters that stalked that place?

Tears trailed down her cheeks and she whirled around, rocketing back towards the shore. Sand exploded beneath her, the fury of her flight exploding the particles into clouds that wreathed around her. She raced towards the dense greenery of the jungle, her frantic flying slicing off the heads of the flowers, burst into the jungle.

...
Chrysalis stepped out of the fog and into perfect silence. Her each hoofstep was like a thunderclap. The scars cut deep into the grass, long, jagged cracks. No steam flowed from them. She presumed that a lava flow was further back. She bent, examined the wound in the living flesh of the earth. Those were tail cuts. Her heart squeezed in her chest and her wings snapped open of their own accord.

Flee. The thought took hold of her mind, would not let go. Some memory was clawing at her consciousness. She held her head. Pain radiated from between her eyes, pounded against her skull.

Something roared from the distance. Chrysalis's eyes sprang open just as Luna touched down, panting.

Chrysalis forced herself to straighten her back. "I thought you'd abandoned me."

"Never."

Love radiated from her. Friendship. Chrysalis sampled a bit and her headache faded. "Whatever. Why do you think every animal on the island is leaving this area untouched?"

Luna strode towards her. "Why do you think?"

Chrysalis stepped to Luna's side so they were both staring at the vast, verdant expanse. "So, that nightmare I've been having for the last several centuries isn't a nightmare?"

"I'm afraid not."

Chrysalis looked up to the sky. Luna shook her head. "Doesn't matter. He guards Pyrus's Spring to prevent demigods from doing exactly what you're about to do. He attacks all who come near, regardless of intent."

Chrysalis trembled. "He won't kill."

"No, but he'll make you very much wish you weren't alive. And don't you want to die?"

"Not like that I don't!"

Luna took a step forward. "Well, the only way out is through."

Chrysalis grunted. "For once we agree on something. Can't believe I forgot. Wish I'd brought some armor."

A wistful look crossed Luna's face. "Remember that armor we had back then? It's rusted away long ago. This will have to do." She closed her eyes, lit her horn. Shadows wreathed around both of them and when the shadows passed, they were both clad in silver bardin.

Chrysalis nodded. "Not true Changeling armor, but it'll do."

"I don't recall a single soldier during your invasion of Canterlot wearing armor."

Chrysalis strode forward. "We don't need armor against mundane threats, we have exoskeletons."

Luna raised an eyebrow. "Yet you went up against my sister."

Chrysalis shuffled her hoof. "Princess Cadence rushing in was not part of the plan and I had no time to fetch my armor."

"Nor did you during Celestia and Twilight's wedding."

"...Why don't you stop asking questions?"

Luna muttered something about overconfidence and its role in the downfall of empires. "Are you still looking forward to the rush of battle?"

Chrysalis smirked and took a step forward, lifted her chin. "First Mother help me I am. I sometimes think I might really be insane."

Luna strode up beside her. "Just like we used to be, eh old friend?"

Chrysalis pawed at the ground, waved her horn. "I'll take on whatever this jungle gives!" She barked a sharp cackle and raced away. Luna pounded her hooves against the fallen fronds littering the jungle floor, racing after her. Chrysalis spread her wings and zoomed away, stirred the dirt and leaves. The fluttering of her wings and the flapping of Luna's own broke the silence that hung like a fog over the jungle.

They stayed so close their wings nearly touched. Neither attempted to outrace the other, flying in perfect formation. Memories came unbidden to them, ancient days of their youth, soaring over battlefields or lands far to the west, icy mountains and cities of shimmering gold, the crystal fields beyond the silver valleys beyond the edge of the world. Only Celestia was missing.

They scanned the ground as they flew, noting the sinuous lines carving through the jungle. One might believe a long ago river had once flowed here and dried up. The deep cuts in the earth crisscrossed throughout the jungle. Palms had been sliced from their trunks, lay fallen on the ground in clutters of branches and splinters.

Chrysalis relaxed her wings, drifting on a thermal. "There was a battle here."

Luna nodded, examined the tracks. "That's its tracks. I don't recognize the second set."

Chrysalis shrugged. "Some demon from the Cracks of Azar no doubt. Nothing we haven't dealt with before."

Luna smirked. "We've dealt with worse. Together?" She held out her hoof.

Chrysalis hesitated, then finally tapped Luna's hoof. "Together for one last time."

Luna's smile faded away. "I'll try to stop you."

Chrysalis darted forward; Luna kept pace. "Did you think this conversation was over?"

Chrysalis snarled, bucked the air.

Luna deftly slid out of the way. "I'll wrap you in shadow chains and drag you back, force you to explain to your children why you were going to abandon them-"

"Shut up!" Chrysalis whirled around, shot out a blast of energy that bounced off Luna's shield.

Luna kept the shield up. "I will not allow you to take your own life."

"It's mine to take."

Luna lit her horn, yanked her back. While she squirmed like a foal, Luna teleported in front of her. "Like Tartarus it is. You have a duty to the race you gave birth to. You owe them an explanation at least. I can't imagine the trauma-"

A slap cut Luna off. She held her cheek, grit her teeth. Chrysalis glared at her. "As much as I'd like to stay and listen to you eviscerate me, in your ranting there's something you overlooked."

The smell struck Luna so hard she gagged, a cough ripping from her chest. She summoned a bubble of clean air that purified the stench. Chrysalis grunted. "That's a useful spell. Tell me something, Luna. You have borne children? I recall your son."

Luna took in a sharp intake of breath. "Yes." Her voice shook. One-thousand years had passed but for her the wound was fresh. "His family line...degenerated somewhat. Cadence is a direct ancestor due to their dalliances with the Crystal imperial line." Her lips turned up. "He died against Sombra, one of the greatest knights who ever lived. We've spoken since. He dwells in the Elysian Fields."

Chrysalis waved her hoof. "Yes, yes, your son the hero. You've never shut up about it."

Luna growled. "What is your point?"

Chrysalis paused. "You cooked meals for him? I know you preferred the hooves on approach instead of having nannies dote on him."

Luna nodded, waved her hoof. "Could you get to your point? We're not getting further from Ragnarok."

"Let's just say you prepared him a meal and it made him ill even to death." She trembled. "Let's say you thought you were doing the right thing only to find that it doomed your children." The trembling grew.

Luna reached out her wings as if to embrace her, but Chrysalis fluttered out of reach. "Contrary to what you and your sister believe, a hug and kind words do not solve everything."

She danced on the wind, beating up a wind that pushed her farther away from Luna's touch. Luna sighed deeply and followed after. "I wish I could reach you."

Chrysalis ignored her. "What do you suppose happened here?"

The land was pitted,ugly pockmarks ripped through the heart of the jungle. Gaps appeared in the canopy. They soared over piles of lumber. Giant claws had raked the soil, turning it over. The rich scents of plowed dirt drifted against their nostrils and Luna would almost believe she was approaching a farming community, but there were no farms. No signs of the civilized order that (for better or worse) accompanied the introduction of agriculture.

There were no crops, no grains glowing golden in the sun. Just broken trees and broken earth. It was a wonder to her that the island hadn't been ripped asunder. The cuts were dry. It hadn't rained recently. The only explanation was that the cuts hadn't been filled up with water as the battle had been recent. Very recent.

Chrysalis stopped so suddenly that Luna nearly rammed into her. Luna gasped. It took a few moments to process just what she was seeing. All they could do was hover in the air, staring down at the majestic beast that was fallen beneath them. Great serpents that once writhed with life and power lay in the dust, cut away from the main body of the dragon.

Chrysalis hesitated, then floated towards the fallen god. Luna grabbed her with her magic. "What are you doing?! If anything can take the C'yashra down what could it do to us?!"

Luna was knocked back by the force of Chrysalis yanking away from her grip, but she quickly regained controlled, turning her spin into a dive. The ground raced up towards her and she stumbled when she landed. Chrysalis touched the decaying deity, nodding her head as a gesture of respect. Luna did as well. "We should get off the island."

"Go if you wish." The grin that spread across Chrysalis's face showed her gleaming, venom covered fangs."If that thing could take down the all great C'yashra, it could take me as well."

"Indeed it could and that's why we should leave!"

Chrysalis shook her mane. "I could die gloriously in battle!"

Luna slowly shook her head. "You really have gone insane."

Chrysalis snorted. "Perhaps, but you will follow me. What's the make you?"

Luna trailed after her. "Not the first time my sanity's been questioned. But how do you know being around you hasn't driven me so?"

"You were insane long before you met me."

Luna did not debate the point, only keeping at her side while they crossed around the knot of giant serpents. Both of them scanned their surroundings. Chrysalis snapped a branch beneath her hoof and Luna almost jumped. She chuckled and snapped another one. Luna only glared at her. The deep jungles were only growing deeper. They stopped when they stepped down into a deep impression. Shadow shrouded the palm-frond strewn path. Thickly knotted oaks towered over them, intertwined with palm to form a canopy that blocked out all but a few sprinkles of light. New, fresh, palms were growing from the decaying bodies of their predecessors, unfurling bright greenery from their branches. Luna plopped a piece of palm fruit in her mouth.

"Want one?" She offered it to Chrysalis who shook her head.

"Suit yourself." She chomped on it, sending sweet juice splattering juice on her fur.

Chrysalis flittered into the air and shot a blast that ripped a hole in the forest canopy, sending a pillar of light down on the path. Luna frowned. "Yes, I'm certain that won't let anything know we're here. How does a Changeling not know about the element of surprise?"

She rolled her eyes and snapped her tail against Luna's side. "Of course I know about it, but I can't see a damned...thing..."She trailed off. The trees crowded against them. Leaves and branches brushed against their flanks. A deep, winding impression coursed along the bare dirt.

Luna stared at them, pressed a hoof to the imprint of a band. "Chrysalis, does this look like a snake to you?"

Chrysalis quietly nodded.

Luna sighed. "Jormungandr."

"Doubtlessly so." Chrysalis kept walking.

Luna paused. "Will you allow me to feed you? You need your strength for the fight."

"I intend to die, Luna. What would be the point?"

"I do not wish you to die."

"Then we are at an impasse are we not?" Chrysalis turned to face her.

Luna trod forward. "A wager, friend?"

Chrysalis hesitated. "Name it."

"If both of us, Slepnir's daughter and Kelpie's daughter, can defeat the world serpent, if we have that greatness within us, then surely you must live. What other greatness might you achieve?"

Chrysalis threw her head back and laughed. "My goodness, Luna! I had no idea you had such a good sense of humor! I, defeat the great Jormungandr! Even with your aid it could not be done!"

Luna shrugged. "Are you certain? Perhaps, if we worked together, the deed could be accomplished."

Chrysalis frowned. "Very well. I accept your wager-you won't be alive to collect on it."

Luna lifted her hoof. "Swear on your Power and Throne."

Chrysalis tapped her hoof. "On my Power and Throne."

Energy crackled between them, binding her to her vow. Luna reached over and touched her shoulder. "May I feed you? You should at least try to win the wager."

Chrysalis grunted. "Do as you like. And do not say feed, I am not a Labrador Retriever."

"Then what's the proper term?"

Chrysalis ground her teeth. "I suppose there isn't one. We take love, we hunt. To take willingly is strange."

Luna patted her withers. "Is strange always bad?"

Chrysalis was silent for a few moments. "No, I suppose not. Do as you wish."

Luna pressed down on her shoulder and focused on her feeling of love. Chrysalis's muscles relaxed beneath her touch and she instinctively allowed in the energy of Luna's love. It flowed through her, reached the pit of hunger deep within her and briefly masked it. She closed her eyes, felt warmth soothe her deep inside. Strawberry ice cream. She rarely ate Pony food, but if Luna's love had a taste it'd be strawberry ice cream.

Chrysalis opened one eye as Luna drew away.

Luna set her hoof down. "Was that enough?"

Chrysalis bit her lip. "Yes, certainly. Let's go."

"Are you sure? Going into battle hungry doesn't seem wise."

Chrysalis pressed a hoof on Luna's chest. "I am a proud Changeling, I do not ask, I take."

Luna wrapped a hoof around hers. "Take what you need, friend."

Chrysalis jerked away. "Stop doing that! Stop being so damned nice, it's annoying!" She couldn't help but notice the holes in her leg had filled up. Once more she pressed her hoof to Luna's chest, seized more of that store of love Luna held within her. It flooded her so suddenly that she drew away. More of her holes were filling up, knitting themselves back together. The eternal hunger was gone. No, not entirely. There was still an echo of it, a distant throbbing.

She wanted more, seized it. Luna held her hoof and, for a second, Chrysalis leaned into the touch. Then she drew away. More holes had been filled up. She shook out her mane. "Let's go. Do you need to rest?"

Luna shook her head.

"Of course. You gave willingly, I didn't rip it out of you."

Luna sailed into the air, Chrysalis joining her. Above the treetops the two soared, warm wind pushing up their wings. The jungles below them were broken, trees knocked aside by what they now recognized as the writhing of a massive serpent. The earth was slashed, his scales having cut deep into the dirt. When the rains came (and clouds were already on the horizon), those gouges would fill with rain and rivers would flow through the land. His very presence had altered the landscape. A shiver passed through her. Her heart raced.

"Excited. You're excited." Chrysalis looked over at her. "We come from that age, don't we? Better death in battle that death on a straw bed."

Luna did not reply. Chrysalis bumped her. "Perhaps, you even miss those days. Days of blood and steel, fire and glory."

"I still see cities burning in my dreams. I still hear screams. Glory is just an excuse for a death wish. Nay, Chrysalis. Give me days of peace and plenty, with companions and song."

"I recall your ferocity then." Chrysalis allowed the wind to carry her along, past Luna.

Luna pumped her wings, reached her. "I waged war so that there might be peace."

Chrysalis snorted. "You enjoyed those days, don't lie to one who can sense your emotions."

"And if I did? What of it?" She sailed beneath a winding oak branch. "I was very young and the very young are often known for being very stupid."

Chrysalis's laughter floated on the wind. "So, did your Ponies ever figure out they were being led by an adolescent?"

"After the Discord Era, a foal could have led them."

That made Chrysalis's smile vanish. "I still don't understand how your sister could possibly forgive Discord."

Luna smirked at her. "You count yourself more righteous than he?"

Chrysalis jetted away, sliced through a tree branch in her path. Wood chips sprayed in her wake as the branch ripped away from the oak. Luna put up a shield against the splinters. "You could just fly around the branches."

She blasted another one. "What's the fun in that?"

The land shifted, sloping upward into dry mountains. The jungles vanished, but the depressions did not. A trail of cracks snaked through the rocky ground. A cave mouth yawned like the jaws of some ancient predator, opening into the heart of the great mountain. The peaks were ringed with clouds, circling a clear lake that was as grey as the clouds beginning to fill the sky.

Luna and Chrysalis flew towards the clouds, shivering as they ascended through the cool, fluffy material. Luna settled on the surface of the cloud bank. Chrysalis remained standing. After a while, Luna stood as well. "Here we come to the end of our journey."

"So it is. Why have we stopped?"

The clouds flashed blue as lightning rippled through its grey surface. Beneath them, the surface glowed with cerulean light while lightning rippled and rolled. They opened and rain poured down, beating on the rock below them like the drums of war.

"We are going up against a dangerous foe, Chrysalis."

Chrysalis rolled her eyes. "I'm aware of that."

Luna swished her tail. "And I don't trust your mental state right now. I believe we can defeat-or strike a serious blow-against Jormungandr, but only if we work together."

Chrysalis huffed. "Another friendship speech? Spare me."

"It is not about the magic of friendship-it's the magic of common sense which you seem to lack in abundance."

Chrysalis' lips curled back. "For someone trying to keep me from suicide, you sure do enjoy cutting me down."

Luna's shoulder slumped. "I do not enjoy it, but you've made me very frustrated. I don't want you charging into the fray without any proper planning or strategy."

Chrysalis stomped. "Who exactly do you believe you're talking to?"

"Someone who might commit suicide by proxy because they've so fully immersed themselves into the mythology of a glorious death in battle."

"Weak. You've become weak."

Luna snorted. "Oh, you believe I'm weak do you? Very well. Let's go and I will show you how weak I am when I have smashed the world serpent against a wall."

Chrysalis flared her wings. "I'll believe it when I see it."

Without another word, both dived toward the ground.

Author's Note

For those of you that are not mythology buffs, this is who Chrysalis calls daddy.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kelpie

Agape (Sacrificial Love)

Side by side, clad in silver armor, only horns, hooves and magic to be their weapons, the two warrior-goddesses of the ancient world strode once more towards danger both unwilling to admit that there was a third member that they wished was present.

Luna chuckled, looked up at the jagged mountain peak that stabbed at the sky. "Just like old times. It really is."

Chrysalis continued her quick stride on the rocky ground. The world serpent had been here, testified by the grainy powder, remnants of boulders, that were strewn upon the ground. Before he came, Luna thought, the jungle must have come up the border of the grey, edifice of sheer stone pushing up from the land. The shattered bodies of palms were scattered over the ground like toys thrown by a foal.

A massive oak, gnarled and ancient, had been ripped up from the earth. Its roots, tendril like, creeped for over a mile above the ground. The many branches were thrown around, splintered. The splinters, like dust, blew in the breeze from a trunk wider around than either Luna or Chrysalis was. They both took into the air, soaring over it and the ruined earth. They ascended ever upward, pushed up by thermals towards the crystal blue dome of the sky.

The mountains rolled further south on the island that neither could figure out the size of. Here at the edge of the plain, the universe shifted. Places were larger than they first seemed, some ethereal wild magic running rampant and constantly altering the land. There was one landmark, however, that was indelibly the same, magic unable to touch it or leaving it as it was as a sort of memorial.

A giant pile of what appeared to be stone sat between two high mountains, forming wings so vast they cast twin shadows over the range. The skull at the top of the pile was draconic, leading down a long sinuous spine, the eternally silent skull set in a forever grin. The bones were so old they had turned to rock as dragons did when their time came.

Luna and Chrysalis stopped for a moment, gazing down at the skeleton of the first dragon god, the only god to ever die at his own hand. Pyhrrus who had loved a mortal so deeply he went to death with her, who had poisoned a spring which would forever bear his name.

Chrysalis snorted. "Fool."

Luna gasped. "Do not insult the dead!"

Chrysalis rolled her eyes. "Shall I fear a ghost?"

The island suddenly shook and the mountains trembled.

Luna sighed. "His spirit inhabits this land. You know the dead are not truly dead."

Chrysalis snickered. "I am still not afraid. He was a fool, to die for love."

Luna glared at her. "A creature which feeds on love should place a higher premium on it."

"He well knew she would be reincarnated in the great cycle."

"He feared change, the loss of the original form into which her soul was cast."

"I say it again. Fool."

The mountains shook once more. Chrysalis spat. "And I care not for your opinion, corpse-god!"

"Tell me, Chrysalis." Luna fluttered around wispy clouds. "Do you not intend to follow in his claw-steps?"

Chrysalis burst through the same clouds and the fluff clung to her emerald locks before dissipating into water. "I do no such thing. I am dying so that the old Changeling ways might die with me so that a new way can be born for them-and a better one."

"That's a fancy way of saying running from your duties."

Chrysalis did not respond, only floated along in the cloud-filled void, bursting through the clouds as if it were a game to her. She shook out her mane and flicked her tail, sending water into Luna's eyes. Luna smashed through a cumulus, the shock of cold touching her fur, and whirled in midair, splashing water against Chrysalis.

Chrysalis shied away and a giggle escaped her lips. She gasped, shocked, immediately returned to silence. They continued their flight in silence. Suddenly, a deep groan came from the earth and the mountains rippled. Chrysalis raised an eyebrow. "I didn't say anything that time."

Luna paused. "That's not Pyhrrus." She drew away, flapping her wings lightly in a holding pattern. The mountains shuddered while something moved beneath them. Chrysalis paused in her flight. "Why did you stop?"

"Chrysalis, if you back out of the wager now, I won't think less of you."

Chrysalis snarled and turned to face her. "Scared?"

"Damned right I am." Luna alighted on a cloud, the spongy material covering her hooves.

Chrysalis joined her. "Just think of it, Luna. The bards will sing of us-"

Luna held up a hoof. "Spare me. I've had too many songs sung of me already. There comes a point when even glory becomes tiresome."

Chrysalis shook her head. "They will remember as the heroic queen who gave her life against the world serpent not the tyrant who led them on the path of destruction for generations."

Luna pressed her hoof against Chrysalis' cheek, kept it there when Chrysalis didn't move away."Do you think that's what your subjects think of you?"

Chrysalis looked away. "Not the current ones, no. But when the hatchlings grow up they will hear the story of a queen who fell to darkness." She held her head. "I will hear their thoughts, their judgements in my mind and I won't be able to bear it!"

Luna stroked her face. "They will hear the story of of a queen who erred and changed her ways, who led her people towards a brighter future."

Chrysalis stared at her. "Are you sure?"

"I speak from experience."

A tremble passed through Chrysalis and she jerked back as if struck. Luna stepped closer and Chrysalis took a step back before whirling around.

Luna shook her head. "I thought I almost reached you."

Chrysalis held herself stiffly, in the manner of a proud and offended empress. "You don't understand."

"Then make me understand." She spat on the cloud. "For Father's sake, Chrysalis. We're running around in circles."

"No we're not. Maybe you are, but I'm not." She lifted her head towards the mountain that had once been the body of the dragon god. "I march towards glory."

Luna circled around to face her. "We might be marching towards death."

Chrysalis knocked her aside, snapped her wings open, ascended into the air. "You are free to leave at any time."

Luna heaved a heavy sigh. "I can't."

"Then to glory we march."

Luna flapped up to where she was and they soared over the mountains that jutted up at the sky like the fangs of some prehistoric, unrecorded monster. Deep fog crowned the stony peaks, wreathing around the rocks. Luna and Chrysalis darted into the fog, the heavy mist blinding them. Chrysalis kicked and wildly bucked, a string of curses spewing from her lips. Luna charged up her horn and an explosion ripped through the fog, flashing blue light rippling against the mist, blasting it away and bringing clear. blue skies until new tendrils of mist crept around the craggy mountain's head.

Chrysalis grumbled. "I was trying to save my magic for the battle. How will we find Jormungandr?"

They sailed further upwards towards the crystal, sapphire dome of the sky, far above the roiling mist that shrouded the craggy mountains. The fierce rocky teeth ran in a circle guarding a valley filled with apple trees for in another tongue, in the myth-stories of another race this island was Avalon-the Isle of apples. Knotted, greenery-covered trees lifted up as if to embrace their stone protectors. The branches intertwined in emerald canopies, hiding ruby red fruit.

Luna frowned. "Twilight would throw a fit at a tropical environment suddenly shifting into a temperate one after crossing the mountains."

Chrysalis snickered. "She can't handle such things? Weak minded."

"No one's ever called Twilight that! This place is close to the Dream Time, reality tends to break down. If you go farther there are other lands which more or less conform to the rules of reality we're more familiar with."

Chrysalis spun around a cloud. "I've been told there are glittering, golden kingdoms there ruled by a race of primates."

"Perhaps, can't say I've ever been."

The forest of apples rolled on for what seemed like endless miles. Clouds gathered, filling the blue abyss with mountains of water vapor that mirrored the mountains below. Lightning crackled and Luna dodged a bolt. Chrysalis dodged a strike and spun further away from the oncoming storm. "You get used to that controlled weather!"

Luna summoned a shield which rain slammed against as the clouds split open. She hurtled towards the ground just as Chrysalis touched down. They galloped, hooves pounding the grass, smacking over roots and the fallen leaves of countless autumns. Rain fell down the leaves and the apples waved in the wind. Still, they ran. Still, the rains struck down against their fur, not a gentle drizzle, but a stinging slap of water that drenched the fur uncovered by their bardin. The rain pinged against the steel.

Chrysalis found she had no time to think. The storm broke through the shadow-shrouded forest, the branches bowing to the gale. One branch snapped and hurtled towards Chrysalis. She spun around and was about to blast it when a blue beam of energy shattered it to splinters. She looked over to Luna who was already running once more, bowling over vegetation in her haste to find shelter.

Chrysalis lept, caught up to her. "Do not rescue me-I do not like being in the debt of others!"

"No debt, Friend!" She jumped over a root. "That's just what friends do for each other!"

Branches, leaves, fruits and rocks were caught up in the maelstrom. Luna's magic reduced many to splinters and powder. "I hate using that much magic knowing what's coming!"

"As do I!" She destroyed a stone heading for Luna's head. "There! The debt is paid!"

Luna sighed. "Thank you, Friend!"

The whirling wind slashed at the branches, stripped the leaves from bark and sent them to lash against their faces. Chrysalis grumbled and stomped through the woodland as well she could, each gust threatening to bash her onto the ground. Luna fared no better, pushing against a wind that struck against her, pushed her back with every hoof step she took.

Suddenly, a strong blast sent her sprawling on the ground. Chrysalis hesitated then ran to her, nudging her back up. Luna grit her teeth. "Getting too old for this."

"Ridiculous, we're the same age and I feel great. You're just out of practice."

Luna planted her forelegs deep into the earth, but with a shout the wind ripped her from her perch this time even spinning Chrysalis like she was a top, throwing her towards the ground. A scream ripped from her throat, but a cerulean glow stopped her descent, gently deposited her onto her hooves. Luna leaned against her. "While I am as opposed as you are to expending more magic than we need to, it may be necessary."

Chrysalis grunted while wind howled and branches crackled as they were split from the trees. Both summoned shields and trudged through the winding woods. The only light was the flash of lightning, the boom of thunder and screeching gale drowning out all noise. Neither spoke and if they had they could not have heard each other. A roaring clap of thunder shook the heavens and they drew close to each other, Luna softening her shield so Chrysalis could enter into it.

The proud queen straightened her back. "I'm only doing this for safety."

"I didn't say otherwise."

Chrysalis snorted. Sticks and rocks joined with the relentless rain in pelting against their shield. A flash of lightning pierced the forest's heart and a tree burst into flames, but the downpour soon put it out. Water drenched the ground they were standing and and they struggled to pull their hooves from the soggy ground. Luna flicked her tail. "You know Chrysalis, there are yet wonders to be seen in this world. On far isles west of the sun they say there are strange forests of trees that bear gems rather than fruit. Rubies and diamonds, emeralds and pearls and at the heart of that forest is a crystal fountain and whoever drinks of it shall never die."

"I shall already not die lest I drink from the spring."

"A forest of jewels does not interest you?"

Chrysalis shrugged. "I'm a mare, aren't I? It'd be nice to look at, a few new jewels for my palace. But what is there to eat on this island?"

Luna put a surge of power into the shield. "According to reports, sweet flowers."

"I could go for flowers right now."

"I am told the crystals themselves can be eaten."

"How is such a thing possible?"

Luna smiled at her. "Why don't you come with me to find out? They might be made of sugar crystals."

Chrysalis pursed her lips. "If so, the Changeling Empire may make a new conquest!"

"Not if Equestria doesn't get it first!"

Chrysalis shook her head. "I know my lesson about getting in a fight with your sister over sugar. Very well, I wish your empire well with its new territory."

"No reason we can't share."

"A tempting thought."

Silence fell once more. The furious rains tapered off to a more gentle drizzle. Water dripped from the branches, tapping the ground with a soft cadence. They released their shield and trotted through the wet grass. Knotted roots crisscrossed the ground and the wet canopy splattered drops against their armor.

Luna nudged her. "Do you still wish to die?"

Chrysalis didn't respond. The last boom of thunder roared away and then there was silence broken only by the rhythm of raindrops sliding down the leaves, tapping the earth below. Sunlight slid between the broken branches, changing raindrops into golden bubbles hanging against the bark, clinging to the brown arms of the trees. A few birds began to chirp, soon a chorus beginning a song. Luna released her shield. Chrysalis didn't move away from her. "I don't want to die." Luna lifted her wing to embrace her then stopped when Chrysalis backed away.

"But I don't feel that I have a choice. Tell me, do you really believe we can defeat Jormungandr? You seemed frightened before when we found C'yashra's body."

Luna grinned. "After the unpleasantness with Jormungandr's actions towards Twilight-"

"What unpleasantness?"

"The short version is that Jormungandr allied with Earl Aloysius Grey-"

"Earl Grey. You're kidding, right?"

"Allow me to finish. Earl Grey and Earl Shimmer allied with Jormungandr in an attempt to discredit and later poison her so they could send their own children to court Celestia. Jormungandr resents Twilight for retrieving my sister's lost necklace from one of his subjects-"

Chrysalis gasped. "Twilight took a necklace from a dragon? Is she out of her mind?"

"In any case he is to be bound and Father has given me a spell to use on him. I need for you to distract him while I apply the binding."

Chrysalis nodded. "Simple enough."

Luna stood so they were muzzle-to-muzzle. "And no foolish risks. I can't focus on binding him if I'm worried about you."

Chrysalis sidestepped her. "Please. I have a wager to win. I don't believe we can win, but I'll try."

They marched through the foliage, verdant bushes that grew on the forest floor. Little red berries popped from between their leaves. Broken branches and scattered twigs blocked their path. Eventually, both took to the air. The apple trees rolled upwards onto the green and fruitful mountains and they followed the path of them, ascending higher. A cave mouth yawned deep into the earth.

Luna landed on a lush, waving field of grass growing within the shadows of two ancient apple trees whose knotted roots pushed up from the earth. The two trees rose up like pillars, their branches twisting outward from the lichen covered trunk and covering Luna and Chrysalis both. The wind shook their leaves. Chrysalis regarded the cave before them. "Were I a giant serpent, I would seek such a cave."

Her companion nodded. "As would I." She glanced at Chrysalis. "Last chance, Chryssi."

Chrysalis strode towards the cave mouth. "Follow me if you wish, I certainly won't stop you. More glory for myself!"

Luna snorted. "You certainly haven't lost your courage. Well then. I won't have you think of me as a coward!" She strode in after, into the darkness and absolute silence of the cave. The darkness seemed a physical thing, bearing down on them, threatening to crush them. Emerald and cerulean light flashed, but their magic barely illuminated the rocky walls. Chrysalis cursed when her back hoof slipped into a narrow gully. Luna pulled her out; Chrysalis knocked her away. "Oh come now, Luna. You know it has little to do with pride and everything to do with you strange, incomprehensible fixation on protecting me!"

She steadied herself. "I will not deny that."

"Why?" It was nearly a whisper, but it might as well have been a blast of balefire in this silent space. "Why do you insist on protecting me?"

"Because you are my friend. Because I see myself in you. Because I wish I'd had someone who'd reached for me in the darkness."

"Didn't your sainted sister?"

"She tried." The clop of her hooves ceased. "Oh, she tried, but I was too far gone."

"So am I."

"I'm not willing to give up on you."

Chrysalis sighed, the barest sound breaking the silence that hung over the cave. Luna suddenly shushed her and drew closer. Chrysalis stopped. The lights flickering from their horns was not enough to banish the shadows that draped the cave, but was enough to illuminate barren, brown walls and a rough floor of shale. The ocean had once submerged the cave, seashells embedded in the rock hinting at an ancient aquatic heritage.

Chrysalis nudged Luna. "Do you hear that?"

"Why do you think I shushed you?"

Something was sliding over the stone. They closed their eyes, listened, even closing their eyes and allowing thick darkness to cloak them, shield them from hidden danger. The cave trembled as something passed by, vibrations of the movement rattling the wall, rattling even their bones.

Chrysalis took a deep, shuddering breath. Luna glanced around at her. "Getting scared?"

She snapped her wing against Luna's side, winced when gossamer hit steel. "I am merely preparing myself." She was also fighting down an urge to burrow deep inside the inviting earth. The earth called to her, sang a lullaby of a blanket of dirt keeping her safe till she chose to rise again in another, perhaps better, age of the world.

"Can you burrow through stone?"

Chrysalis grit her teeth. "Are you reading my thoughts?"

Luna shook her head. "Never!" She trod over the uneven rock, Chrysalis trailing at her side. The rock making up the cave was far from smooth, seashells speckling in gradients, rising and falling, nearly making them stumble.

"When you've been around Flutterponies and their kin long enough, you see the signs that they want to burrow. Drawing their wings in tightly, arching their back."

Chrysalis unfurled their wings, tripped when the floor rose, reared and brought down her hooves to steady herself. "To answer your question, no I can't burrow through stone." She experimentally tapped the floor. "Perhaps...No."

The cave winded, twisted into a network of tunnels mazing away into branching corridors. The farther they walked, the louder the rattling became. Each corridor spiraled off into a darkness which neither the light of their magic nor their eyes could could penetrate. They huddled together, Chrysalis inching against Luna's side, Luna inching against hers. Each step took them closer to the harsh hiss of something sliding over the rocky floor. Chrysalis took a step forward out of Luna's sheltering wing. "No going back, now."

Luna strode a few paces ahead of Chrysalis, her light nearly swallowed up in the all-consuming blackness. Her ears twitched, caught the sound of hooves slapping stone in a heavy gallop. Chrysalis stopped, swept her lit up horn in an arc. "Only preparing myself for battle."

They strode in silence, the clop of their steps drowned out by the rattling which grew ever louder. Stopping, they examined each doorway which ancient natural forces had carved into the rock. The rattling came from every direction, making them shake. The walls trembled at the low rumbling of some massive creature winding through the network of caverns.

Chrysalis steadied herself. "Just so you know, I'm shaking from that infernal racket not from fear."

Luna swung her head, so that the light of her horn examined each opening in turn. Some openings were too narrow to get through, mere cracks slicing into the brown, craggy skin of the rock. Others were larger, one looking as if it'd recently been widened. Piles of rocks which had been violently ripped from their former place littered the floor. Chrysalis cursed when she stumbled on one. "That cave's unstable. It'll collapse soon."

"Oh, of that I'm certain. I'm also certain I know why."

Chrysalis bunched close to Luna, herding instinct over-riding her pride. "Jormugandr. We can't go through there."

Luna chewed her lip. "Hmm. I think we have enough magic to prevent complete collapse, but we should save it for the coming fight."

"Another cavern then." Chrysalis trailed her hooves over the walls of one opening. "They may all lead to the same place."

"Or completely separate places."

"I know caves, Luna. Would you trust me on this?"

Chrysalis trotted ahead into the yawning jaws of the cavern. Luna trailed after. "Do I have a choice?"

"Not really, no." Chrysalis strode ahead. The darkness of the cave was so deep, the silence so absolute that the lights from their horns could not penetrate it. Only their scents and the clop of their hooves gave any indication that the other one was there. Luna tried to push her wings out, but the rocky walls jabbed her feathers. She grit her teeth, bit her lips to keep from crying out.

Chrysalis paused in her trot. "Are you still there, Luna?"

Luna grunted, returned her wings to her sides. The clop of Chrysalis' hoofsteps slowed. Luna stopped. "Are you alright?"

"Do you see those two tunnels on either side of us?"

"I can't see your tail!"

Chrysalis turned and lifted her foreleg into the air, traced a hole which the relentless march of centuries had carved into the rock. Then, she traced its twin, which was just across from it. The insistent rattling had ceased, the world serpent having found a place to rest. Soon, the battle would begin. She could feel her heart race, blood pounding in her veins. She was alive. She felt alive. She swished her tail, pawed the ground, snorted.

Luna tapped her back. "You'll draw his attention!"

Chrysalis chuckled. "Let him come! Onward to glory!"

Luna lifted her chest, attempted once more to flare her wings, grazed them against the tips of the walls, which meant that the cavern was widening. Widening into what, that was the question. There were still no light sources to guide them save for their horns. Luna wondered how much power they were wasting and quietly extinguished her light.

Hooves scrambled against the rock, sent pebbles clattering into Luna's forelegs. "Luna! Are you still there?"

"I'm here, Chrysalis. Don't freak out on me." Luna gave her a wry grin that couldn't be seen in the shadows. "So, what was all that about wanting to die?"

Chrysalis grunted. "I am a creature whose greatest asset is deception in addition to always being connected to a hive mind-or was. Entering a situation alone to confront an enemy directly is a new experience."

Luna attempted to shimmy up to Chrysalis's side, just managed it. "You're not alone."

Chrysalis snorted, picked up the pace. "I was only concerned as it is not wise to confront a powerful enemy alone. The strength of the stallion is the herd-"

"And the strength of the herd the strength of the stallion. The saying's engraved on the crest hanging above the defense department."

"A wise saying it is." Chrysalis picked up her pace again, forcing Luna to pick up hers, the cavern filling with the quick stamp of their metal shoes clinking against the surface of the cave.

"Are we running a race, Friend?" Luna galloped ahead. Chrysalis smacked her hooves down and was once more in the lead. The cavern widened into a large space, disorienting both with the sudden absence of the walls. Chrysalis spun, caught herself. Luna stumbled, flapped her wings to steady herself. It was impossible to say how long the vastness extended. They could see nothing except Chrysalis' horn, hear nothing but the eerie silence. If they strained their ears, they could hear the trickling of some stream flowing from the womb of the good earth.

Something moved in the darkness and they whirled around, horns held down, wings flared out. A massive, writing shape lifted up and a hiss rumbled from a giant throat. Luna and Chrysalis held their ground, their wings touching. Both felt the other tremble, but neither ran.

The writhing shape of Jormungandr began to uncoil itself, striking the roof which shook at the impact of his head. Pebbles rained down and they summoned shields as the cave roof collapsed, piles of rubble and stone tumbling down and falling off their shields. The storm of debris ripped from the wall, more cracks ripping through the ceiling as Jormungandr smashed his full body through the cave.

Blinding pillars of light suddenly banished the darkness. Luna and Chrysalis shut their eyes, only heard Jormugandr thrusting towards them. Both jumped in opposite directions, taking to the air while Jormungandr slammed his great head into the floor. It exploded, fragments of stone shattering and propelling themselves into the air. Chrysalis sidestepped them, putting up her shield a second too late as a rock slashed her exoskeleton.

She grimaced. "You will pay for that!" Spiraling down, she aimed her horn towards the heart of the great serpent. Jormugandr tried to dodge, but Chrysalis' horn found its target, slashing crimson red down the side of his scales. She ripped her horn from his scales, jabbed once more, but this time Jormungandr drew back and swung his tail, crashing it into her. She gasped, feeling cracks rippling along her exoskeleton. The impact sent her hurtling against the hard stone of the wall and through it, skittering to a stop.

She bounced up onto her hooves, rocketed once more towards Jormungandr, then unleashed a torrent of emerald flame. His booming laugh shook the whole cavern, shattered the rocks when the emerald flame bounced off his scale.

With a blood curdling cry, a black-furred, armored mare rushed into the fray, shooting a blast of pure dark magic that burst against Jormungandr's side. He screamed in true agony as the black flames burned, danced over his skin. Nightmare Moon tore into him, a relentless torrent of strikes pounding into him. He struggled to rise against the blasts, succeeded in barely lifting his head and thrusting. Nightmare Moon dodged the attack and lunged towards his neck. A turn of his head sent her sprawling, but Chrysalis darted forward and caught her. She crashed into her arms and they cometed towards the earth before twirling away from each other.

Lightning spun from Nightmare Moon's horn as she unleashed her power onto the God of Serpents. Jormungandr writhed and cried out as blue light crackled on his already charred flesh. He lunged once more and Chrysalis buzzed away, but Jormungandr clamped down. She screamed, his fang piercing her exoskelton.

"Chrysalis!" Nightmare Moon's shout reverberated throughout the space and, screaming in rage she slammed her horn into Jormungandr's jaw, blood spraying into the air, splattering her armor. She ripped out her horn, plunged it again, struck only air, the serpent winding out of the way and bringing down his tail against Nightmare Moon's helmet. Dazed, she spun through the air, slamming into the unforgiving stone, cracks ripping into solid stone as she impacted.

Chrysalis whirled around, an arc of emerald fire blazing from her horn and slashing into Jormungandr. The cavern shook as he was thrown back. She rocketed towards him, the air warping at her speed and slammed into him, driving him further back while Nightmare Moon recovered and crawled to her hooves. Chrysalis slammed into his middle, but was sent back the moment her hooves crashed against his scales. She caught herself in midair. "Luna! What was that spell you were going to use?"

Luna stumbled, swayed on her hooves while Jormungandr lunged towards Chrysalis. Chrysalis soared out of the way, but Jormungandr surged after, ripping at her leg. A scream tore at her throat as green blood surged down her hoof.

Shadows swirled around Luna and Nightmare Moon appeared once more in her place just as Chrysalis tumbled to the ground. Nightmare Moon, rushed to her side, shielding her with her body. Chrysalis fluttered into the air. Jormungandr laughed. "Amusing." His voice rumbled and he towered over the equines. Chrysalis and Luna darted into the air.

Chrysalis reached deep into her soul, pulling out the height of her racial magic-utter flutter. Winds swirled around her wings and she was pulled into the air, a vortex of air warping and twisting all around her. With an act of will, that windstorm battered Jormungandr. The ground screamed as he was torn from his seat, ripped into the air. The storm of winds tore at him as he struggled against the hurricane that tossed him into and then through the wall. Chrysalis and Nightmare Moon raced through the hole which had been torn into the cave and burst into the light of day. The winds had thrown the great serpent several miles away, ancient palms severed and reduced to splinters and one mountain reduced to rubble, boulders crashing down onto Jormungandr.

He sprang up, shooting miles into the air, scales glistening, his mouth opening to reveal rows of fangs glistening with venom. Chrysalis and Nightmare Moon shot into the air, Chrysalis once more summoning her magic, beating the air with her wings and bulleting blasts of air against Jormungandr, bowling him back as the blasts struck him from every direction. He cried out and shot a stream of green venom. Chrysalis dodged, winced when the venom sizzled against her skin. She propelled her wings, a hurricane unleashed by her wings, Jormungandr struggling to continue to stand.

A low chant thrummed through the island, the entire land vibrating with energy. Jormungandr, still battered by the gale, gasped. "What is this?"

Luna stood where Nightmare Moon had been. She ascended into the air, a chant breaking from her lips. Runes sprouted all over her body, glowing red. Jormungandr lashed towards her, crashed into a shimmering cyan shield. Chrysalis screamed, the battle cry tearing her throat, the pain burning her hoof and fueling her ferocity as she sliced her horn into Jormungandr, tearing through his scales, her magically charged horn slicing through them as he drew back and roared. Venom vomited from his lips, the acid forcing her back. Agony flooded through her veins as her armor dissolved. Venom burned into her chitin. Her nerves screamed out, unable to fly she thudded against the ground.

Luna's chant picked up intensity while Jormungandr slammed against her shield. Golden bands of energy sprouted from the soil, twining around him though he thrashed so hard the island itself shook and the mountains trembled. He fought against the bindings, slamming down his great head onto the shield, cracking it. Luna's chant sped up, repairing the cracks.

Chrysalis forced herself onto her hooves, blood seeping from her chitin, her wings shred to bits. "Jormungandr! Hear me! I am a Daughter of the Tuatha De Danaan, the Shining Gods! I shall die on my hooves!" Then she charged, mangled horn held down, slamming one last time into his scales, as her horn snapped.

Not that she felt it.

Luna's eyes were closed, the world around her having to ceased to exist, the ancient chant thrumming through every cell in her body. No matter how hard Jormungandr struggled, no matter how fiercely he shook against the bonds, they would not break. Luna's eyes snapped open, filled with ethereal light. Energy crackled all around him and golden light enveloped him.

When it faded, Jormungandr was gone. Luna landed. "Well, that was easier than I thought it'd be, eh Chrssy?" Her eyes widened. "Chrysalis!" She raced to the fallen form of the queen, knelt at her side, scooped her up. Cracks ran up and down her chitin, her wings were in tatters, her mane a dust-covered mess. "Chr-Chryssy!"

She held Chrysalis's broken body in her forelegs, tears welling up in her eyes, crying her name over and over again, but no matter how many times she called, Chrysalis would not answer. No breath filled her lungs, no heart beat sounded deep within her chest. Tears streamed down Luna's face.

She wiped away the tears. "It's not going to end like this! Listen to me, it's not going to end like this!" Pressing her hooves on the fallen queen's greying chest she focused. Energy flowed from her while she focused on every memory she had of her. Frolicking in a primeval meadow when they were all innocent children, soaring over the Great Western Sea, Chrysalis's laughter tinkling over the wind as they hurtled over the Ice Wall, the first three living beings to do so, at least on the Equestrian side.

More memories, far more intimate ones. Staring up at her stars, Chrysalis at her side. Celestia appreciated her sister's work too-on occasion-but Chrysalis always had an appreciation for the darkness and the lights flung across the abyss.

Luna's tears dripped down onto the ground, splattered onto the body of her fallen friend even as her love flowed deep into her. She didn't notice as the cracks began to increase, flakes of Chrysalis's shell breaking away. The world grew blurry, her eyes blinded by tears.

"Your night is so lovely." Another Chrysalis in a far-happier age of the world whispered to her while both laid on their backs, their hooves intertwined, so close that the strands of their manes mingled.

Luna brushed away her tears. "Come back to me, Chryssi! Come back!"

More and more of her love flowed into the fallen queen, more cracks breaking off of her. Luna's eyes widened when she saw the first flash of blue fur beneath the chitin, but she kept her hooves atop Chrysalis's chest allowing the love to flow. The faintest hint of breath, indicated by a slight rise in her abdomen, returned. More and more of her chitin fell away, revealing cerulean fur. Luna didn't cut away the flow of love, watching as the chitin fell away. Cerulean fur peaked from beneath what was left.

With a crackling, a tearing away of a prison that had lasted for over ten centuries, the chitin crumbled away into dust, revealing what had always been beneath. Her fur was matted with the dust of one-thousand years, her mane still caked with blood.

Luna stroked her cheek. "Chrysalis? Wake up, alright?"

Slowly, she opened her eyes. "...Luna? I'm...n-not hungry. What is this?" She held up a foreleg. "My chitin...I..."

Luna fell on her in an embrace, weeping on her shoulder. "I thought you were dead!"

Chrysalis embraced her back. "Not sure I'm not. Please, Luna." She pushed her away, then stood on hooves that were still shaking. Luna pressed against her side and Chrysalis leaned against her. "Don't know how I'm going to explain this new look to my Changelings."

"I like it. It's rather fetching."

"Going to do something new with my mane. So, we beat Jormungandr?"

"Indeed we did." Shards of chitin were now dissolving.

Chrysalis stomped her hooves. "Yes! Victory belongs to Chrysalis, Queen of the Changelings, Empress of Ten-Thousand Nations!"

Luna cleared her throat. Chrysalis blinked. "Oh. And you too, of course."

Her companion chuckled and nudged against her side, nuzzling her cheek. Chrysalis did not move from the affection, nuzzling against her. "I'm not hungry anymore." She moved away, took unsteady steps in the manner of a newborn foal. "What happened Luna? What did you do?"

Luna moved around to face her. "I gave you my love. That's all. A pure offering of my love, freely given and it broke the curse."

Chrysalis wept, bitter tears rolling down her fur. "So foolish, I have been so foolish for so long. I thought none could love me, that I had to seize it by force...the hunger drove me...I did awful things..." She fell on her belly. "Luna, I want you to have my empire. I am no longer worthy of the title empress and you shall take care of them."

Luna laid across from Chrysalis and licked away her tears. "Sister...my sister returned to me...you died this day. The mighty Empress of Ten-Thousand Nations perished on this island, slain in battle with the World Serpent. You have been born anew by love's power. Do not waste your new life. Go to your children. Teach them anew and your empire will prosper and be greater than it ever was before."

Chrysalis leaned her head on Luna's, wept till she could weep no more, Luna only holding her in her wings until the crying subsided. "Do you want to go home?"

She nodded beneath Luna's chin. Luna stood. "Then, let's go home."

Chrysalis stood as well, lifted her chest and chin, spread her wings. Together, they sailed into the air and began their trek over the Great Western Sea.

Author's Note

Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.-Jesus of Nazareth