My little pony:Adventure of Seresia

The piercing cold wind kept sweeping into the narrow cave, accompanied by a shrill sound that roused Chrysalis from her rare moments of rest. She had to brace herself, reinforcing her protective magic and wrapping her clothing tighter around her body. Then, she added more wood to the fire to keep herself warm.

This cave was a small refuge she’d luckily found during her arduous journey. She no longer knew how far she was from her destination, nor how much time had passed, or when this relentless blizzard would finally cease. Chrysalis was beginning to regret taking such a perilous route into the Crystal Empire, but she knew she had no choice. The only comfort was that she’d packed enough supplies; otherwise, survival in such a harsh environment would have been nearly impossible.

"This idea was utterly foolish!" she grumbled, using her magic to poke at the fire with a stick, venting her frustration. Sparks flew up and scattered around, some even landing on Feng Chen's cloak without so much as a reaction. Chrysalis slowly pulled another blanket from her bag, intending to wrap it around herself. But she paused when she heard Feng Chen coughing repeatedly. She called her name several times, but there was no response.

"Oh… don’t tell me you're getting sick. I have no time to play nursemaid," Chrysalis muttered in irritation, standing up and moving over to feel Feng Chen's forehead. “Hmph… I trust you’ll get through this,” she said before reluctantly draping her own blanket over Feng Chen and then returning to her spot. Soon, Chrysalis succumbed to the overwhelming exhaustion and drifted into sleep.

In her dreams, she found herself seated upon the royal throne of Canterlot, surrounded by her subjects. They were all chanting her name, hailing their queen. Before her, bound tightly, were Twilight and her friends. With a wicked grin, Chrysalis relished the moment she had always longed for! With a single command, her subjects swarmed forward to drain every bit of love from the captured ponies under Chrysalis's triumphant gaze.

When Chrysalis awoke, she was back in the cold, dilapidated refuge. The hard ground was unforgiving, and only the faint warmth from the fire offered any comfort. She stood up and looked outside, noticing that the sky was darkening. She poked her head out to find the blizzard had finally stopped. The vast, white expanse stretched as far as the eye could see, and under the moonlight, it looked even more desolate. A light breeze occasionally stirred the snow from the ground, only to scatter it all around once more.

Chrysalis pulled her head back and glanced over at Feng Chen, who was still in the same position, the blanket untouched. She walked over and nudged her a few times.

“Hey, Feng Chen, are you still alive?” With Chrysalis's prodding, Feng Chen finally responded, struggling to open her eyes and whispering weakly:

“My… my queen… are we… are we there yet…?”

“You fainted halfway, so I dragged you into this cave. Now get up! We still have a ways to go.”

“Yes… my queen…” Feng Chen tried with all her might to stand, only to collapse heavily back onto the ground. Chrysalis simply watched, coldly indifferent.

“My queen… I’m sorry… I… I don’t feel well…” Despite her feverish state, Feng Chen maintained her deferential tone. “My queen… could you… get something from my bag…?”

“What is it?”

“A small white bottle… it’s… a medicine I prepared… for resisting the cold…” Feng Chen coughed again, directing Chrysalis to the precise location in her bag. When Chrysalis found the bottle and opened it, she poured two small red pills into her hoof.

“This?” she asked.

“Yes… yes, my queen… you can take one, too… it will make you… feel much better…”

Chrysalis hesitated, staring at the pills in her hoof, then swallowed them all at once. Soon, a wave of warmth began spreading from her chest, washing over her entire body like sunlight’s embrace. She shivered briefly, but after a moment, the biting cold vanished entirely.

“This… this stuff… it’s incredible! Feels like basking in the joy of victory!”

“My queen… could you… give me one, too…?” Feng Chen asked in a near-pleading tone. Chrysalis stared at her for a moment, then levitated the bottle over to her.

“We’ve got a long road ahead. You’d better recover quickly.”

“Yes, my queen… I’ll only need… one night…” After taking her pill, Feng Chen soon fell asleep again. Chrysalis, however, found herself unable to rest. She stepped outside the cave, standing in the endless snowfields and gazing at the tiny, distant figure of the Crystal Empire. Memories of her former glory, of the heights she once commanded, washed over her. But rather than anger, a strange melancholy crept over her. For days, her dreams had been filled with visions of adoring subjects, but instead of bringing satisfaction, it left her feeling wistful.

Lost in these thoughts, she suddenly felt a wave of nausea.

“Ugh! Foolish, accursed friendship! You won’t change me!” She quickly shook off the conflicting thoughts and returned to the cave. When she noticed wisps of steam rising faintly from the fire’s direction, she initially thought something had gotten too close to the flames. But as she got closer, she realized it was heat coming off Feng Chen through the blanket.

“What, are you trying to roast yourself?” Chrysalis muttered, watching her for a moment with mild confusion. Uncertain, she resolved to keep watch, in case anything happened to her. After all, if anything happened to Feng Chen, Chrysalis knew the journey back would become that much harder.