Chapter 6: Time of Dying
Chrysalis could feel the warm moist breath of the great snake preparing to devour a tasty morsel engulf her form. The putrid stench of rotting flesh being decomposed by a deadly toxin threatened to suffocate her as her end became more and more of a reality. Just as the jaws of the monster began to close around her, she heard somepony yelling followed by a deafening screech from the Maw. As the beast reared back, Chrysalis could see once again as the light returned to her world.
“Chrysalis!” a familiar voice screamed. Looking over to the source, she saw Caduceus running along the ridge of the canyon, using his wings to stabilize himself as the sand fell beneath his hooves into the crevice.
“RUN!”
Wasting no time, Chrysalis spread her wings and jumped over the break in the path. Once she landed on the other side, she broke out into a dead sprint to escape the now highly perturbed monstrosity before it could recover from the surprise attack. Unfortunately, her hard landing sent a sharp pain through her injured leg and forced her to hobble with the help of her wings.
Gliding down the canyon beside her, Caduceus hit the ground running. “Miss me?” he asked condescendingly as he shot her a sly grin.
Taking a quick look at him, she could see that his clothes were tattered and ripped, the shreds trailing behind him held onto him by his saddlebags. Reaching into one of them with his mouth, he pulled out a strange flask of liquid that sizzled as it was sloshed around. It was now that she noticed he was no longer wearing his glasses, and his golden eyes glowed in the night, making him look like some kind of dark specter in the eire moonlight.
“Where have you been?” Chrysalis asked, a little awe struck by the cinematic fashion in which he appeared.
“I’ll tell you later,” he mumbled, the glass flask still in his mouth. “For now, DUCK!”
As she did what he was told, Caduceus made a jumping twist and tossed the bottle of liquid behind them at the Maw who was once again on their trail. With a powerful flair of his wings, the bottle of liquid was shot out like a speeding bullet, careening towards the creature’s head. The contents of the glass exploded as soon as it made contact with the beast’s face, causing shards of glass to rip the creature’s face as the acidic substance ate through its flesh making the hard outer shell of its skin almost melt away at the touch of the substance. The creature roared viciously as it tried to shake the harmful chemicals from its snout.
Caduceus landed on his hooves without missing a beat and continued to run down the path a while longer until they reached a fork in the road; one path led out into the open crevice of the canyon, the other lead to a small hole in the cliffside barely large enough for a pony to squeeze through. Stopping just before the paths divided, Caduceus dug into his bag again and pulled out another flask of liquid that he threw on the ground beneath his hooves. The reaction of the chemicals was far different in this one, the contents that collided with the ground mixed together and created some kind of pungent smokescreen that quickly expanded to the size of the canyon, blocking them from the serpent's senses.
"Quick! This way!"
Herded down the small path to the cave, Chrysalis tried to change her form back into a normal, smaller pony but found herself unable to conjure enough magic to perform the spell. She hadn't fed in over a day and after using all of her reserves to run from the Maw, she was growing weaker by the moment. Shaking her head, Chrysalis pushed the growing pain in her body aside. She did her best to squeeze into the burrow carved into the canyon wall, but ultimately couldn't fit through the opening.
"I can't fit! I-It's too small!" she said as panic creeped into her mind. Caduceus dropped his saddlebags behind a large rock and pulled out a large tarp like material with small pockets on each of the corners that he placed his hooves in. Before she knew what was happening, he knocked her to the ground and jumped on top of her, wrapping the tarp around them with his hooves just as she heard another mighty roar from the the beast that was hunting them.
"Keep very still," he whispered with a steely edge to his voice. Doing her best to calm herself, Chysalis slowed her breathing and closed her eyes tight, hoping that this terrifying ordeal was nothing but a horrible nightmare.
The two laid beneath their makeshift camouflage there for what seemed to Chrysalis as an eternity, waiting for the beast to pass them by. Perhaps the worst part of all this was the fact that she couldn’t see anything that was going on around her. She could hear the winds howling, sand falling, and the sounds of the monster as it tore through the canyon. Its roars of complete fury bore their way into her skull, creating an abject horror and making it almost unbearable to keep lying beneath the tarp. Soon, the sounds of the beast died out, but she dare not even breath until some time much later
“I-Is it gone?” she asked in a hushed whisper. She didn’t want to risk being too loud in case it was still lurking around.
The only response she received was a tremble in Caduceus's form. He had been propping himself up over her and holding the edges of the tarp the whole time without moving in the slightest. Suddenly, Caduceus seethed and collapsed atop of her, releasing his grip on the canvas that shielded them. The edges of the tarp were picked up by the wind, throwing it off of the two ponies and exposing them to the night once again. Chrysalis's eyes darted around the opening and top of the crevice they were currently in. After she was sure that they hadn't been spotted, she let out a sigh of relief before returning her gaze to the stallion that was now resting atop of her. Normally, she would have thrown him off for having the gall to lay his form atop of hers and for putting her on the ground in such an unsavory position in the first place, but for now she simply gazed down at him. His brow was moist and his mane was completely drenched with sweat. His ears lay flat against his head as his eyes fluttered open and closed in an attempt to remain conscious. His breaths were quick and ragged, most likely from fatigue, but something just didn't seem right. It was then that she felt a trickle of warm liquid slowly rolling down her chest to her back.
Looking down to the spot on the sand that the liquid was starting to pool, her eyes widened in complete horror.
"Blood," she whispered to herself. Caduceus's body heaved as he let out a raspy cough, a light trickle of the red fluid dripping from the corner of his muzzle.
"Well Ponyfeathers," Caduceus cursed, his voice was weak and distant. Weakly, he did his best to remove himself from atop his companion and rolled onto his side next to her causing him to gasp in pain. "G-Guess that monster got me after all." Scanning over his figure, she noticed a relatively large, swollen gash along his underbelly that had started to bleed profusely. "Q-Quickly, get my first aid kit. I need t-to stop the poison from sp-spreading."
Chrysalis's eyes darted around in a panicked search for the saddlebags. Once she found them, she ran over and began searching for the medical supplies, her hooves fumbled and her heart raced as the true nature of what was happening dawned on her. Taking a slow, careful breath, she did her best to steady her ferociously beating heart and calm her nerves. Panicking at a time like this would only make things worse. C'mon now, just breathe.
Taking out a rather large wooden box with a cross carved into the front of it, she quickly opened the box to find a wide assortment of medical supplies ranging from antibiotics and bandages to syringes and splints. "Ok, what now?"
Caduceus drew a labored, shallow breath and held out his hoof. "Green Vial. M-Marked with the snake. G-get it ready."
Looking through the kit, Chrysalis found what she was looking for, and removed a rubber cap that protected the contents of the glass. “What now?”
“Pour it o-over the wound.”
Doing as instructed, Chrysalis began pouring the solution down the jagged gash, causing it to bubble and hiss as it touched the damaged skin. Caduceus let out a breathless scream as the liquid seeped deeper and deeper into his body. Chrysalis closed her eyes, and held his hoof tightly as his body seized and convulsed from the pain.
A few moments later, the swelling around his wound began to descend, leaving the tear in his flesh thoroughly exposed. Chrysalis could now see that the single strike from the snake had cleaved into the layer of muscle tissue exposing the fibers and deep tissue, which had partially blackened due to the poison.
“Th-thank you,” he said weakly.
Chrysalis snapped out of her stupor, and with a slight jerk of her head turned her attention back to his pained expression. Her jaw trembled in fear. His once dark mocha coat had faded to an almost khaki coloring. “O-of course.”
Caduceus gave her a warm smile. “I know this looks bad, but I’ve been through a lot worse. The potion is doing its job, but there are a few more things we need to do.”
o.0.o
Taking the thick thread in her teeth, Chrysalis severed the end of the suture she had just finished using to close Caduceus’s chest wound. Moving back slightly, she looked over her work and smiled in content. The stitches were thick, and just tight enough to hold the lacerated skin together without tearing through the weakened tissue. Satisfied with her work, she reached into the supplies and pulled out some of the bandage wrappings.
Caduceus looked down to his chest. “Not bad,” he said, his voice a little stronger than before. “Especially for your first time doing this.”
Her smile ran from her face, replaced by a sour scowl as she properly dressed his wound. “I never said that this was my first time doing this.”
No this was definitely not the first time she had to stitch a wound shut, but thinking about it just brought back terrible memories. Instead of reliving that particular nightmare, Chrysalis swallowed her anguish and threw her injured companion a fake smile, "Do you need anything else?"
To her surprise, Caduceus frowned and looked up at her almost... disappointingly? She couldn't quite place a hoof on the look he gave her, but she knew that this was the first time she had seen it in a very long time.
"Why do you smile if you do not mean it?" he asked, his voice quiet, yet very strong. "If you are unhappy, then be unhappy. Do not feign an emotion that you are not genuinely feeling, otherwise it will destroy you."
Looking into the golden pools of his hourglass eyes, Chrysalis saw nothing but pain. Not just in his physical being, but in his soul. He hurt to see her do this to herself, burying her pain deeper and deeper until it finally drove her mad. While they had not been with each other for very long, he seemed to know her better than anypony else on the planet. It did not strike her as odd, but instead she took comfort in the fact that somepony actually cared for her more than a subject of royalty or even test subject. It again reminded her of the time when her life was peaceful and happy, and this time a genuine, warm smile found its way to her muzzle as she placed her hoof on his.
The black of Caduceus's eyes widened to a staggering diameter as he looked down to his hoof, obviously taken quite by surprise at the rather forward gesture from the Changeling Queen.
A wave of hot blood came rushing to the Changeling's cheeks, and she closed her eyes solemnly, pondering his question. But her thoughts were interrupted by a strange, yet somewhat familiar, warmth rolling over her entire body. It was an ecstasy that shook the very core of her being, threatening to take complete control of her thoughts and actions, leaving nothing but a monster, hungering for more. It was at this moment of revelation that the very air she was breathing seemed to run from her lungs, and the blood flowing through her veins turned to ice as her body became rigid. Her eyes snapped open, revealing that she was now but inches away from Caduceus, who just looked up at her with no discernible reaction, save for that vibrant blush that graced his cheeks.
Chrysalis quickly fell to the ground next to him, trying to avoid admitting what had just happened to herself. Instead, she looked up to the stars and thought of something, anything to get the conversation away from the path it was about to go down. An awkward silence overtook the couple as the two just laid there beneath the stars. "The moon looks beautiful tonight..."
Caduceus looked over to her with a smile, then turned his attention back up to the sky. "Yes, it is quite beautiful."
Again, silence.
"My mother once told me how the moon was made." Caduceus continued to stare up in the night sky. "Would you like me to tell you the tale?"
Chrysalis released an inward sigh and rolled onto her side to face him. "Yes. Yes, I would like that very much."
With a smile on his face, Caduceus pointed a hoof up to the sky, tracing small circles around the neon light.
"When the almighty creators came to this land, they found nothing but oceans of rock and sand. A world devoid of life, water, or light. But in their minds, a spark did ignite. Baba, father of our kind, looked out upon the plains through his mask of gold, and spilled the life blood from his veins until his body became cold. The others looked to him with great dismay. 'Why would you do this? Have you nothing to say?'
"Baba looked at them, clear that his actions were not contrive. 'One of us must die to bring this world alive.'
"Understanding his sacrifice, the blood they did not waste, and created the oceans, lakes, and rivers, with great haste. Baba then told the other gods to listen carefully to his next word, for it would likely be the last one that would be heard.
"He cut off his head with great mirth. 'Use my body,' he said, 'to create the earth.'
"His hide stretched over the sand far and wide, filling the head of the god with happiness before he died. However, the job was not yet done, for the land was missing two things: A Moon and a Sun. Taking Baba's masked head in hoof, she did not waste any time. The great mother, Amai, set her eyes to the sky and began to climb. She climbed and climbed, rising far above the earth and into the sky with a smirk. Once she had finally stopped climbing, she was atop the mountain Kilimarejaro, and set to do her work.
"Amai removed Baba's gold mask to release the god's great might, and it illuminated the sky with powerful beams of light. The great mother took both the mask and the head and held them high. Then, using her own powerful magic, she threw them in opposite ends of the sky. Finally, Amai set both the head and the mask aglow in colors very bold. The skull of Baba shown neon blue, and his mask emanated a gallant gold."
It was then that Caduceus brought his hoof down to rest on his chest, and turned on his side to face Chrysalis, looking deep into her emerald eyes. He reached out and gently touched her chest, speaking softly in his native tongue. Once he was finished, he pulled back, closed his eyes, and rolled onto his back.
Chrysalis continued to face him, unable to move, unable to look away. Although she didn't understand what he had said, she knew it was extremely important. "What did you say?" she asked warmly, a small grin forming on her muzzle.
"It was something my mother used to do. A 'prayer' of sorts."
Chrysalis could feel a swell of emotion crash against her body, remembering that she was in desperate need of the live-giving nourishment. She had to press the matter further. "Your mother seems like a very interesting mare. Tell me a bit about her."
He started to laugh, but was cut off by a strong fit of coughing. Chrysalis frantically shot to her hooves to gently help sit him up, patting his back once he was upright. After she was sure he wasn't about to hack up any internal organs, she found herself smiling. "You know, if you don't want to talk about it, there are better ways to say 'no' than dying."
As his bout of coughing had subsided, he took a few deep, wheezing breaths to regain his composure. "Sorry. Just, give me a moment." Chrysalis released her grip on him, allowing him to lay back on his bed of sand before she checked his bandages. Sure enough, his convulsion had caused his wound to tear a few of the sutures, re-opening the wound and bleeding through the bandages. Diligently, she removed the now useless bandages, and set to fix the stitch.
Caduceus cleared his throat and licked his dry lips, preparing to speak again. "Well, as a shaman, she is the best our tribe has ever been blessed with, maybe even the best in all of Zebrabwe, but thanks to the famine, we never did get to truly test her abilities."
Reaching out with what little magic she had left, Chrysalis attempted to gather up enough energy to feed on from the conversation. The throbbing pain in her ergot as well as all of her aches and pains began to ebb away as she absorbed his love for his mother, but it was only partial. To be completely restored, she needed more. "What about as a mother?"
"Oh, well..." Caduceus stuttered, a small blush forming on his cheeks as he rubbed the back of his neck with a hoof. "What can I say other than she is the best mother my sister and I could have ever hoped for. She's a sweet, generous mare who was always doing whatever she could to keep my family safe and happy. She was always the strong one. Even when famine and war struck our village, she carried all of us with such strength and confidence.”
"You never mentioned the war before." Chrysalis cut the thread after closing the wound for a second time, pausing as she sensed a drastic change in mood of her patient. She could feel scorching waves of hatred and anger flow from him as the smile that had formed ran from his muzzle.
He let out a deep sigh, "When the famine broke out, a war for supplies and fertile land broke out... My village was caught in the middle of it all. Other than that, I do not want to speak of it."
What a nice way to say, "Mind your own business," she thought. Still, she couldn't blame him. Everypony has their secrets, her included. "Sorry. Forget I mentioned it."
"It's alright. I'm glad you asked."
Chrysalis's ear perked up as she shot him a curious glance, trying to understand why he was glad she brought up a very sensitive subject, to which he just smiled in reply. "It means you care."
She could feel her cheeks warm as she subconsciously shifted her weight from one hoof to the other. "Oh."
"But enough about me." A grunting cough left the injured zebra's lips as he strained to sit on his haunches. Once he was upright, Caduceus carefully moved closer to his companion, almost close enough to be touching. "What about you? Have any good stories to share?"
The realization of how close he was made the changeling queen jump slightly, her face burned even more so now. Looking away for a moment, Chrysalis tried to fight the blush that she knew had been forming on her cheeks. "Well, I don't know too many good stories, but there is this one that one of my caretakers told me when I first came to the hive."
"What is it about?"
Chrysalis looked down at her hooves, studying her form. "It was the story of our creation, or, at least how my people came to be what we are today. We weren't always like this; Monsters who have to feed on others to survive. Once we were like normal ponies with fur, horns that didn't look mangled, and hooves that didn't have these holes, but that was all taken away from us. It all started very long ago, when all of the world was in thrown into chaos, and the being known as Discord ruled over the land..."
Chrysalis took a deep breath, ready to begin the story, "Long ago in the land of Equestria, there were three different kingdoms that existed, sharing the land with the three pony tribes. The Crystal Empire; a proud clan of earth ponies who learned how to harness the power of crystals to make their empire as a beacon of hope and good will for all of the land to prosper from. The Alicorns, the winged unicorns with the god-like power to shape the very heavens with their magic and enforced the laws by banishing the wicked. Finally, the Faerie ponies. Much like the Alicorns, the Faerie ponies had both horns and wings, but unlike their feather-winged friends, their wings were formed more like an insects, thin and transparent yet large and graceful. The Faerie ponies used their magic to keep the earth fertile and spread the love of nature across the fruitful land, treated with the utmost respect and given anything they desired. Together, they kept an everlasting peace across the continent by bringing balance and control, but this was not to last, for when the three pony tribes made their new home, the great evil that had plagued their ponies followed behind them like a disease, infecting the beautiful new world with its putrid filth.
"The ponies referred to this strange creature as a 'Draconequus,' but the Alicorns knew the entity by a different name; 'Discord,' they called him; the last of his kind, and a powerful avatar of the Elements of Chaos whose very will could bend the fabric of space and time. Sweeping over the land, Discord began conquering each of the great kingdoms as he went, turning every race he defeated into a sick, twisted image of their former selves, and leaving his puppets in charge, eventually seizing control over everything but the underground city of the Faerie Kingdom. However, it was not long before Discord moved on the city to complete his conquest."
"It was then that the leaders of each race gathered deep within the caves to discuss their next move. During their meeting, the Alicorn King proposed the use of their most sacred tools of peace, The Elements of Harmony, to stop the enemy approaching their gates. The other races were skeptical. If these artifacts were so powerful, then why wouldn't they have used them sooner? The King explained that if each element was not harnessed by the proper champion, Discord could use the elements as a relay for his magic to corrupt their users, and that since none of them were the chosen champions, the risk of losing themselves was extremely high. Not to mention that the elements needed time to charge their power. Time that would need to be bought.
"Suddenly, the cave began to shake. It seemed that Discord had arrived.
"All of the world leaders stayed in their seats, mumbling this or that, trying to determine who would be the ones to distract the monster. It was then that the Faerie Princess rose from her seat at the end of the table, volunteering herself and her forces to buy the others some time. Once everything was settled, the Alicorn King set to work choosing the bearers of the elements, but there were only three ponies who closely embodied the Elements' powers enough to use them. His two daughters, Celestia and Luna, as well as the son of the Crystal Pony Emperor, Sombra. After the children were informed, the Alicorn King led them to the highest point of the castle to begin the preparation of the spell.
"In the great battle that followed, the Faerie Princess was able to hold the God of Chaos at bay, but it was not long before her forces began to wane. Discord deftly broke through her defenses and used his demonic magic to set each and every faire pony alight with an emerald flame, burning away all of their fur and cauterize their flesh, turning it black as coal. Their limbs and wings began to blister and crack as parts of their bodies melted and fell to the ground. Finally, the faire ponies anatomy was changed, giving them fangs and forcing them to feed on the life force of others, solidifying their transformation into what is now know today as Changelings. Discord materialized by the Princess' side, laughing hysterically at the sight before him.
"'Why do you torture us like this, you monster?!' she asked, staring him down.
"His laughter halted as he stared at her with piercing red eyes. 'Why, my dear, I am not the monster. Ponies like yourself, who cannot stand the sight of something different, whose hearts are black and decayed inside, are the true monsters. And now I am going to show the whole world what you truly are!'
"Turning away from him, she tried to use her powerful magic to extinguish the fire. As soon as her aura made contact with it, an emerald flame shot through the air to her horn, burning her as well. Her screams of agony rang out with her subjects, creating a symphony of anguish and suffering. Being the demented creature he was, Discord rose his claws and began to orchestrate, laughing maniacally as he did so.
"Once the Alicorn King and the children channeled the power of the Elements, the emerald flame faded into nothing, allowing the Princess to see the true horror of what had happened to her people. None were spared. Stallions, mares, even the foals were mutated into these sick perverse images of their former selves. Looking towards the horizon, the Princess could see her people's tormentor, locked away within a prison of stone thanks to the Elements of Harmony."
Chrysalis took a moment to clear her throat, since she was not yet used to the dry desert air. She reached for the bag in search of the canteen and took it in her hooves, drinking slowly to savor the cool liquid's caress. Once she had finished her second mouthful, she let out a sigh of content and offered the remainder of the water to Caduceus, but when she turned to him, she dropped the canteen in shock. Her voice was caught in her throat, unable to speak as she gazed upon his form.
Caduceus's chest wound now oozed a dark puss through the sutures, his mouth was foaming at the corners, and, perhaps the most frightening thing, his once glowing golden eyes had glazed over and turned a whitish silver. Her breathing quickened to the point of hyperventilation, trying to get enough oxygen to her brain to comprehend the situation. It didn't take her long to figure that he was succumbing to the snake's poison. Caduceus said that the poison was designed to paralyze its victims, which probably meant shutting down his muscles to prevent him from moving, which also means his heart rate would slow to a near creep.
"N-No no no. This can't be happening," she said, quickly moving to his side. Pressing her ear against his chest, she could still feel his heartbeat, but he had stopped breathing. Placing both her hooves on his chest, she began to perform muzzle to muzzle, trying to recall what her teacher had taught her long ago. After about ten compressions, she covered his nose with a hoof and began to blow. After no response, she tried again and again. "You can't leave me! Not yet!" she cried out, applying more pressure with each compression. "Y-you promised me! You promised me that you would get me home!" Now pounding her hoof into his chest, she started to feel hot tears rolling down her cheeks as her strength finally left her.
For a few minutes, Chrysalis could not do anything but sob. She felt powerless to help her companion, who now lay motionless on the ground beside her. So this is it, huh? This is how the story's gonna end? With me failing, once again, to save the ones I care about... she thought, burying her head in her hooves as she felt his life-force fade.
Suddenly, something dawned on her. Her eyes shot open as her ears perked up, "Wait. M-Maybe I can still do something. Maybe I can use my magic to give him a part of my energy. It's a long shot, but what else is there for me to do?"
Chrysalis stood and took a few steps back from Caduceus and stared down at his form, almost completely devoid of color. Closing her bloodshot eyes, she began to focus her small amount of energy into the tip of her horn, condensing into a minuscule orb of green light. After a few minutes, she had funneled and compacted as much energy as she could spare into it. Once complete. the life-giving sphere detached from her form, floating aimlessly in the space before her as she caught her breath. She had never done anything like this before.
"Giving" was not the Changeling way. She had been told that since she first came to the hive. They had to take what they needed to survive, living off of the scraps of love they could find wherever they could find it and keeping whatever they could for themselves. Sharing with others was considered to be making yourself and those who fed off of your shares more of a burden. It was better to have one strong changeling rather than two weak ones. But now, she was faced with a similar situation; does she continue and give him the energy she could afford to share to completely revive him, or does she just give him enough to survive while keeping the rest for herself and carry him out to safety with the energy she would have from it?
Chrysalis took the small orb in her hooves, gently cradling it as she walked over to Caduceus. She slowly dropped to her haunches just above Caduceus's head, preparing to finish her spell. Her horn began to glow subtly as she took hold of the sphere with her magic, floating it down just above the tip of his snout. She closed her eyes and began breathing deeply, allowing her to concentrate on the task before her.
The orb's light grew brighter as she moved it into Caduceus' mouth, but something was wrong; his throat was almost completely closed, depriving his lungs of air and not allowing the passage of the orb. With her magic as weak as it was, it would be impossible to force her spell down his throat without physically prodding it herself. But that means that she would have to...
Chrysalis felt a burning rise in her cheeks, realization dawning on her. She would have to use her mouth to push the orb of magic into place before she could finish her spell. She took a deep breath, knowing that it was the only course of action she could take. Carefully, Chrysalis placed the orb on the tip of her tongue as she used her hooves to hold Caduceus' chin down, allowing her easy passage. However, the closer she drew to him, the louder the beating of her own heart grew. She was terrified. The last time that her lips touched those of another, she accidentally drained their life force, turning them into a hollow shell. The more she thought about it, the stronger the fear became which caused her to shiver, but her determination was resolute. She would do this, and she would save his life.
The moment her lips touched his, she could sense something. They say that a kiss is the moment when two souls are at their closest. For Changelings, a kiss is the most direct access to another's emotional energy in its purest form. The sensation is overwhelming for most, but Chrysalis pushed her primal urges aside and began to push the orb down to his throat. His mouth was as dry as the desert sand around them, making her job all the more difficult. Still, she was able to place the orb in position before taking hold of it in her magic.
Well, this isn't exactly how I pictured my first kiss with you to be like, she thought as she broke contact with his rough, dry lips. Chrysalis then moved the orb down into Caduceus' heart before allowing its magic to dissipate and spread throughout his body. Relief washed over the changeling as she watched the color slowly return to the fallen stallion's form. Moving forward, Chrysalis put an ear to her friend's chest, intently listening for any sign of change...
Suddenly, his eyes shot open as he lurched forward, shouting some incoherent babble as he stumbled to his hooves and ran over to the nearby sandstone wall. Something about her marrying a pet and a satanic elephant with a fork attacking him. "What in the world did you do to me?" he asked, spinning on his hooves to face her only to find her wrapping him up in a tight embrace, further shocking the still delusional zebra.
"How d-dare you!" she screamed through a flood of hot tears. "H-how dare y-you even think of l-leaving me here alone!"
Caduceus blinked a few times, staring down at the crying mare as a warm smile formed on his face. Gently, he returned her embrace. "I'm sorry, Chrysalis," he soothed, stroking her mane gently. This only made her cry even harder, now unable to speak through her tears.
Why do I feel this way? she thought to herself, still clinging to Caduceus as if she were about to be blown away. Why am I weeping like this? Why does my chest hurt so much? Another violent sob shook her body, causing her to hiccup. It was embarrassing for her to be so exposed and clearly vulnerable. If she were to show such weakness before her own people, they would have her head for it.
"Hey," he whispered gently, still stroking her mane. "I don't know what you did, but thank you for this. However, now is not the time to cry. We need to find a way out of this canyon and get to the town before the sun rises."
o.0.o
A strange hooded creature stood atop the canyon's edge, staring down at what it thought was the most pitiful sight its eyes had ever witnessed. There was the target, the Queen of Monsters, crying hysterically over the loss of her pathetic companion. Reaching a metal talon into one of the pouches around its waist, the creature pulled out a small map, a stick of graphite, and a compass, marking its location as well as a small note on the parchment. Satisfied with its work, the creature returned the tools to their proper places. Once that was complete, the creature flared its wings, leaping into the night sky and flying at a blistering pace towards a distant mountain range. It had to give the message to his master:
Subject Zero has been found.