Summer Days

by Alex The Lone Wolf

Day 20 - Till Time Keeps Us Part

"Look at him shrivel with fear…and yet…his love for you only continues to grow." Chrysalis provided an unnerving commentary as she continued to watch over you in this crystal ball she had on a podium in front of her. "It's perfect. Absolutely perfect." She turned towards me, causing me to slightly flinch back in fear. "His love grows as he worries over you, and in turn, you worry over him which inflates the love you have for him! I only wish I could allow this to continue forever, but a girl has to eat sometime."

"Queen Chrysalis…" Thorax began to speak. "I know we feed off the love of others and stuff…but don't you think this is a little harsh? You're causing so much pain to them, I can't help but feel really sorry…"

"You always were the weakest of the bunch." Chrysalis stated as she looked back at Thorax with a disgusted frown. "You still have so much to learn about the true nature of our kind. I'm glad you won't be feasting on this love with me, seeing as you have an issue with how I feed myself."

Thorax lowered his head in shame and turned away with nothing else to say.

"I'm getting antsy. It should be growing dark any minute now." Chrysalis turned away from her crystal ball and began to search through my schoolbag. "It's time for your 'hero' to arrive." She found my sketchbook, seeing as it was practically the only thing in there, and flipped through it. She stopped at one of the last pages I had sketched on. "What's this? A map? HAH." She cackled for a short time. "This is just TOO easy. This must be fate."

I hated the fact that I was helpless. I was supposed to have these powers to protect you, but what were they?! The only thing I knew I could do was stop time, but obviously, even if I was able to do that, I wouldn't be able to get out of the glue keeping me stuck here. There had to be more! But what?!

If you can listen to me right now, please! I need to know! I need to help Alex! He's all I have, and I'll do anything if it means I can make sure he's safe!

---

"I think Athena's in trouble! Please, you have to help me find her!" I pleaded the last pony I'd ever expect to help me with anything.

"What in Equestria are you talking about, boy?" My dad refuted harshly. "I don't have time for your stupid games. She was with you yesterday."

"That wasn't her! I don't know where she is, and I'm scared!" It was practically the first time I ever revealed my vulnerable side to him.

Instead, he only shook his head in both frustration and disappointment. "You two aren't my problem. Get to your room. I don't need you pulling another stunt like you did back in Fillydelphia."

I was sent to my room, and I was no longer allowed to search outside. I couldn't get sleep at all.

It was already past midnight, and I could feel my heart dip into a pool of depression and anxiety. Athena missing was the worst thing ever to happen to me, and I could no longer deny the situation for what it really was.

She had been kidnapped.

I couldn't understand why in the first place. It must have had something to do with Chrysalis and what she wanted, but I honestly didn't care about any of that. All I wanted was my sister back, and I was willing to do anything for that.

However, I had no idea where to start, and it frustrated me to the deepest end that I was so powerless at the time. I couldn't believe that our own father refused to help me. Instead, it only made things worse with him practically grounding me at home. He only cared about his image or reputation or whatever. It was absolutely absurd. He just didn't want me to make him "look bad" again…

I wanted to scream out loud or punch the wall. Something. Anything. All I had been doing is pacing around in my room the entire time, trying my hardest not to break down in tears and wish that it was all still a nightmare.

However, there was a sudden tap at our window. I immediately turned and approached it, opening it as soon as I got the chance. I looked around as fast and hard as I could, but I didn't see anything of interest. Chrysalis was supposed to come back, wasn't she?! Well, where is she?!

Before I could allow my anger to screech out, I noticed a piece of paper stuck at a corner of the window. I pulled it out and hurriedly opened it up. With the moonlight, I attempted to identify its contents. There was an 'X' at the bottom of the page, and near it were the words 'Everfree Forest'. Spaced short lines led a path up the page until they ended at somewhere that appeared to be a castle. Near the castle, there seemed to be an addition in a horrid attempt at humor. There was a small crude picture of a pony with the words of: "Help me! :("

The alone was enough to convince me that this was where I needed to go, but I couldn't help but notice something else. The paper felt and looked similar, but it was the writing of the labels on the map that caught my interest. It was definitely Athena's writing, and, noticing the torn edges at the side, it had to be from Athena's sketchbook.

I searched for the hoodie Miss Cadence had given me for our birthday and placed it on as quickly as I could. At first, I looked out the window to see if there was any possible way for me to get down and outside. However, the window didn't seem to be an option, seeing as our room was on the second floor. I couldn't risk hurting myself, especially in this case.

My only option was going out through the front door…

At that point, I could feel many fears stretch out and get in my way. It was my stupid mistake to tell our father about the situation. He didn't want me outside now, so I didn't think I'd be able to just waltz out the front door.

Nevertheless, I had to stick through with my promise. As long as I had Athena on my mind, nothing else mattered. If saving her meant destroying any shred of family we supposedly had back here, then it was no doubt worth it.

I had this hurting feeling that this would be the last time I'd ever step hoof in this house. If our father, our entire family, hardly gave a flying hoof about Athena's safety, then this was no place for us. If they weren't already going to disown us after my upcoming little stunt, then I was planning to leave willingly.

Punishing us for stupid little things was one thing, but if they're just going to ignore Athena's disappearance, then I don't ever want to even look at their faces again. Athena and I can take of ourselves. We'll make it work somehow. We don't need them.

I packed what little we had in my own schoolbag, including Athena's hoodie, and tightened it firmly around my chest. I placed a hoof on our door and took in a deep breath. When I finally let it out, I furrowed my eyebrows and made my way through.

I didn't hear any noise coming from downstairs, so even though it was a long stretch, I had been hoping everyone was asleep or too busy doing something. I quietly stepped down the stairs, and I was fortunate enough that they didn't creak out or anything.

Nevertheless, I found myself standing absolutely still the moment I reached the first floor. There had been a small light in the room across the stairs near the front door. In that room, our soon-to-be ex-father had been sitting and reading something on the table. However, he had looking directly at me the moment I had made it down the stairs. His small-framed glasses didn't necessarily lighten the dark expression on his face. I couldn't help but feel chills maneuver through my body.

The two of us stared at each other for a long while. I was starting to think that he had been hoping his bone-chilling glare was enough to send me to my room with my tail between my legs, but I wasn't budging.

"Going somewhere, boy?" He less-than-pleasantly asked.

"I've got nothing to say to you." I returned coldly, preparing to stand my ground.

"You better watch your mouth, if you know what's good for you." He began to stand up as he pulled something towards him.
It was his leather strap. He already had it ready, so that could only mean that he had seen this coming. I could only quietly watch him as he tightened its grip in his mouth. His teeth clenched onto it as if his fangs were sinking into an apple. It was now or never.

"You think I'm afraid of you?" I boldly voiced. "If you're not going to bother helping me look for Athena, then I'll do it on my own, and there's no way in Tartarus that you're going to stop me!" I braced myself for what was to come, but this time, I was going to give it all I had. Worst case scenario, if I found myself being cornered or overwhelmed, then I would just have to make a break for it.

I expected him to whip me with his strap first, but he ended up surprising me when he butted me with his head straight against the wall. There was a loud thump, and nearby objects shook from the vibration. A vase even wobbled unsteadily before barely regaining back its balance.

In the middle of recovering from that hit, especially since I had hit my head against the wall, I felt him press his hoof against my throat, standing me upright against the wall. All I could see were his practically bloodshot eyes. He definitely wanted to hurt me bad. That much was obvious.

"You little prick. If it wasn't for your mother, I would have left you out in the streets like a stray dog. You and that bratty little sister of yours. You two never had any business in this house or our lives, and, believe me, if I could wish you two away, I would do it in an instant and not regret it the least."

"What?" I almost struggled to say since he had his hoof at my throat. "You having trouble saying it? Say it to my face. Tell me that the two of us are adopted. It's pretty freaking clear that we never belonged here in the first place."

My left cheek was met with a stinging hard slap to the face by his weapon of choice.

"I'm going to punish you good." He stated bluntly. "And whenever I see that sister of yours, I'm going to give her the same treatment, just you wait."

My teeth clashed together so forcefully, I was almost afraid they'd break because of it. "You monster. You so much lay a hoof on her, I'll break every bone in your body!" I managed to grip his coat as I looked at him dead in the eye. "You're not getting anywhere near her!"
I had been ignoring this certain feeling in my body that was swelling up by the second. At first, I thought it was just my anger, but it proved me wrong when this blinding bright light intervened between us. Next thing I knew, my father, for the first time in my life, was lying incapacitated on the floor. In a sense, that was usually my spot. Not this time.

I didn't know what had exactly happened. I was wondering if I had blacked out, so to speak, but it didn't feel that way. It was more like something came by my side and aided me during that short moment of light. Nevertheless, I couldn't spare any time to ponder about it. I only continued to stare at the stallion who was now at the bottom before me.

"You're such a coward." I told him in a tone of absolute disgust. I noticed the leather strap that was now free from his grasp and gave it a new owner. Somepony who would put it to good use instead. "I don't care if you aren't our real father. You're just a selfish prick. You won't see us again. I promise you that." Before any pony could get wind of the situation that just occurred downstairs, I decided to take my leave.

---

I had made some distance outside before I heard somepony calling my name. However, the only pony I was interested in listening to was Athena, and by the voice, I already knew it wasn't her.

"What do you think you're doing?! You're going to leave, just like that?!"

I didn't bother turning around to face her. It was Starlight, and it was pretty clear that she was heavily upset. Maybe even a little heated.

"I'm going to find Athena." I answered without a sign of hesitation as I slightly looked over my shoulder. "Then, we're both going to get out of here."

"And where do you think you're going to go?!" She attempted to escalate this into an argument. I found that ironic. It was almost as if she cared… "You don't even have a place to stay! You two aren't going to make it—"

"Like you would miss me." I finally turned over to her and give her a look of utter repulsion as well. It definitely shut her up, just as I had been hoping. I didn't dare want to waste my breath with any of them anymore.

I continued walking and didn't look back once.

What did she know? She was only toxic to us. All of them were. We'll make it work. When I find her, I'm sure we can work something out with Applejack. I don't even care if I have to stay at the barn. I'm sure they'll let us stay if we pull our weight around.

I had already been thinking of a plan for when I find her, but I had to shake those thoughts out of my mind. For now, I needed to concentrate on finding Athena in the first place. No pony was going to get in my way.

---

Based on the map, the forest I needed to go through was apparently around where we had encountered Fluttershy and her friend. They'd be stupid if they were out here at this time, so I shouldn't have to worry about any slowdowns.

There wasn't exactly anything but the moonlight that guided me. From what I was able to see, I noticed a warning sign right outside a path into a murky forest. I didn't bother looking into the details. I was going in there, whatever the case. Nevertheless, I looked up into the sky and found that dark swollen clouds were there to greet me. It was yet another case of weather working on its own.

I began to feel droplets land on the uncovered parts of my face and coat, and it didn't take long for the amount of falling rain to increase. I closed my eyes and began remembering how I was in the exact same situation a couple of weeks ago. I was on a mission to help somepony I cared about, only this time, I would say things were a lot more serious and personal.

I reached for Athena's map from my pockets and took another glance at it. I studied it for just a few seconds and placed it back inside my pockets before it could get too wet. I believed I could memorize the path I needed to go, as long as I didn't try to cut corners.

I didn't know what was in store for me, so I prepared to take one last deep breath before I made my final decision. Once I exhaled, I grabbed ahold of my hood and placed it over my head. Under this one circumstance was the only time I'd ever go through a dangerous-looking place like this.

"Don't worry…" I whispered under my breath as I took one last hard look down the foggy path. "I'm coming…"

Not a moment after, I proceeded to sprint my way through before any kind of thoughts relating to fear or hesitation could catch up. I didn't dare look back. It felt as if the pace of my heart would increase with every flash of lightning and crack of thunder. I almost felt like I was running away from someone, but I continuously had to remind myself that that wasn't the case. Instead, I was the one who was doing the chasing.

Dodging crooked branches, tripping roots, and possibly even wild beasts that dwelled in the forest, I couldn't be sure if at times I was hallucinating. At one point, I believed I saw something staring at me from within the dark. It wore a cloak, so it couldn't have been an animal. Was that Chrysalis? No… That figure was much too small to be her. Nevertheless, I couldn't bother with the minor details. My main priority was to find Athena.

By the time something somewhat familiar came into sight, I slowed down to a walk. For a moment, I had to fight for air until my breathing was able to sort itself out. I turned my head upwards and noticed a castle just a short walk away.

Unwilling to wait any longer, I continued to gallop for a short while until I suddenly noticed someone had been in the middle of my way. From what I could tell, it was a unicorn, and her lavender hooves remained planted in the ground. I couldn't tell if she had just seen me or if she had been expecting me somehow.

Was this Chrysalis in disguise? Was she trying to stop me?

"Who are you?!" I tested.

"What are you doing here?!" She ignored, which began to anger me. It didn't sound like something Chrysalis would greet me with, but I wasn't taking any chances.

"That's for only me to know!" I asserted.

She shook her head as if there was something else on her mind that was of a greater importance. "You shouldn't be here. It's too dangerous!"

"…are you going to try to stop me?" I asked with a hint of threat behind it.

"I'm trying to convince you to leave." She sounded sincere, but I wasn't buying it. There's no way some unicorn would be here all by herself of all places. "Please! Something bad is lurking around here!

"...right." I practically muttered softly. "You're not going to fool me."

"Huh?" She acted confused.

I shook my head vigorously. "I'm here for her! And I'm not leaving until I get her back!"

"What are you talking about?" She was really persistent… "Listen, my name is Twilight Sparkle. If you're looking for somepony, I'll help you! But we have to get out of here first. I can help you, I promise!"

With every ounce and shred of patience I may have had fleeing from my body, I raised my voice. "Enough! You're not fooling me. Where is she?! I want my sister. I want Athena back! You're not going to stop me, so either fight me or get out of the way!"

"Calm down. Please!" She pleaded. "I don't want to fight you! I want to help you, but like I said, we can't be here!"

"Shut up!" Unable to think clearly at the moment, I charged in and attacked her by tackling her to the ground. "Show yourself, you monster!"

"No!" She cried out, attempting to resist before she managed to pull me away with her magic.
No! I'm not going to lose just like that!

"Give her back!"

Before I knew it…the fight was over.

Just like back home, she had been lying there motionless. I was left breathing heavily, but I seemed to be okay. Nevertheless, this unicorn remained the same. I couldn't tell if she really had been Chrysalis. I didn't know how her kind worked, and just like with everything, I didn't have time to wonder about it.

"If you really are innocent…" I proceeded to say over her unconscious body, "I'm sorry…"

Afterwards, I turned towards the castle and continued to make my way in.

---

Once I was inside, every sound outside seemed to be consumed by silence. It was an absolute eerie silence. I noticed a lot of junk like webs in the area, but they were the complete least of my concerns. Before I would move on, I decided to finally take off my schoolbag and leave it by the front door. I didn't want it getting in the way. However, I made sure to bring his leather strap with me.

"Just hang on, Athena…" I mentioned softly as I scanned every opening in the hallway before me. "I'll find you. I promise…"

As much as I hoped and wished that I would find her in the very first area I looked, I knew that it was nearly improbable. Nevertheless, I didn't spend more than a few seconds calling for Athena everywhere I looked, including the darkest places. I searched high and low, to say the least.

No matter how much my morale decreased with every place I checked, I knew I couldn't quit. I don't know how or why, but it wasn't until I reached an area with a completely shattered rooftop where Chrysalis finally decided to answer a few questions. My anger began to rise the moment I noticed her standing inside as if she had been expecting me.

"Where is she?" I managed to say without a blast of aggression.

"My, my. Straight to the point, I see?" Chrysalis jested. "I like that." She proceeded to pace side to side in front of me, eyeing me as she licked her lips every now and then. "I knew there was something between you and your sister, but I never thought you'd go as far as hurting others to retrieve what you've lost. Now that's what I call love." She stopped in the middle of her pacing, picked up her hoof, and observed it as if she was analyzing the results of a pedicure. "It's rather ironic, isn't it? Your love…it's something I'd call a selfish desire. You'd think loving someone is the complete opposite of being selfish, but, my goodness, you're so brutal! That poor unicorn you absolutely obliterated outside this castle… I actually feel sorry for her."

"Then why don't you take a hint?" I attacked. "Let Athena go unless you want the same thing happening to you."

"Are you joking?" Chrysalis returned with a look of disbelief. "You don't scare me. Overcoming a couple of ponies with no real strength is hardly worth being proud of, but I'll tell you what… I'll let you see her for a few minutes. How about that?"

My body immediately jerked forward in response. Chrysalis turned towards her side and apparently caused a ring of green fire to appear on the ground next to her. When the fire dissipated, I was able to see her again.

"Athena!" I called out to her, ready to close in the distance between us, but Chrysalis didn't hesitate to warn me.

"You get any closer and she'll disappear in an instant, understand?"

I didn't have any need to test her. At the moment, I wanted to at the very least talk with Athena.

"Athena, are you okay?!"

Athena seemed to look broken. She hung her head low and looked away as she answered. "…I'm fine…"

"Athena, don't worry, I'm going to get you back, and we'll both leave this place!" I promised.

"…I'm sorry, Alex… This is all my fault… If I hadn't been so dumb and pathetic, I would have never gotten you in this situation to begin with. I'm sorry for every kind of pain I've caused in your life."

"What are you talking about?!" I asked, unwilling to hear that kind of talk coming from her. "Don't say stuff like that!"

"Can we please make this quick?" Chrysalis intervened. "I've brought you out here to say your goodbyes. After all, this will be the last you'll be seeing each other."

"What?!" I immediately turned towards her.

I noticed Athena's eyebrows furrow, and her expression transitioned from a sadness to anger. She had glanced over to Chrysalis and then to me. "Alex. We both share a bond like no pony else. That's why Chrysalis targeted us. This may be hard to believe…but I think we both have a power that can change things for the better!" With this unexpected remark, Chrysalis faced Athena with a cocked eyebrow. "I don't know how yet…but I promise I'll make up for everything I've had happened to you! I think I know what I need to do, but I want to see you one more time before all that." She paused for a quick second to catch her breath and continued guiding me as tears seemed to well up in her eyes. "There's this secret room in the—"

Before she could continue saying what she had to say, Chrysalis quickly covered her mouth with her hoof. "That's enough out of you. I gave you an opportunity and you horridly wasted it." Another ring of fire began to circle the two.

"Hey! Let her go!" I ordered as I galloped towards the fire. "Athena!"

However, before I could bother trying to step inside, it had already burnt out and disappeared.

For the most part, I was back to square one with my search, and I had no other choice but to continue looking around.

---

I managed to make my way back to where I had first entered this abandoned castle when I unexpectedly heard the sound of an organ playing. It was creepy enough to send shivers down any pony's spine, but the first thought that crossed my head was that it was a possible sign from Athena. Was she trying to tell me where she was at? It was my only lead, and I desperately hoped it was just what I needed.

I found myself in another maze in the lower underground parts of the castle, and if it weren't for the organ continuously playing between short pauses, I probably would have completely lost my way. There was no doubt that I eventually came across the room holding the source of the sound as it was loud enough to be distinguished as nearby. I cautiously slipped my head past the opening of the doorway and looked inside.

There were only candles that lit parts of the organ and the space around it. All other parts of the seemingly huge room were covered in darkness. Nevertheless, it was hard to ignore that the fire that kept the candles lit was green, rather than its usual color. It had to be Chrysalis's doing.

I began to slowly step inside, but any little noise I made escalated into an echo. Whoever had been in the front of the organ came to an abrupt cease. As I made a few more careful steps, the figure immediately bailed, causing me to call out.

"Hey!" I shouted.

I was about to run after this figure, but I suddenly began hearing buzzing and small flapping wings of tiny insects. Those close sounds mixed in with the strong echo of the area caused a noticeable shivering feeling in my chest. Nevertheless, I stood my ground and remained silent as I could only observe different shapes of black come into the radius of candlelight I was in.

I was able to somewhat clearly see them when they finally stopped. I was being surrounded by what appeared to be lesser evils associated with Chrysalis. In other words, I suppose these small disgusting insects were her minions, and I'm sure they didn't have a change of heart to help me instead.

Pulling out the strap I practically had as my own weapon, I dug my teeth into the leather and narrowed my eyes. I could only hope that it was as simple as swatting flies.

We continued to stare each other down, but it didn't help that a few were out of sight. Nevertheless, I kept an ear out and listened as much as I could in hopes to react properly. They didn't seem to start with an all-out attack. Instead, they jumped in one by one.

Stepping back and forth appropriately as much as I could, so I wouldn't lose my balance and trip, I could only flick them back with headbutts and slaps with the strap I carried. Unfortunately, I couldn't pursue a fallen one, seeing as another would get in the way.

I was afraid of getting overwhelmed at some point, but I continued pressing on. I believed they had gotten a couple of hits or even bites on me, but fortunately, it wasn't enough to bring me down. I mostly played defensively, seeing as it felt more like a fight where I had to hold out the longest.

"That's enough." A voice echoed throughout the hall, causing for my enemies' movements to cease.

I stared down at the direction of the voice as I proceeded to catch my breath as quickly as I could. Chrysalis had emerged from the darkness and shared a satisfied smile at me before glancing towards her minions with an annoyed frown. "Leave us at once." Sparing no questions, I heard their repulsive wings flicker away. Once, it seemed that we were finally alone, Chrysalis's malodorous grin returned. "Simply splendid, Alex."

"What do you think you're doing?" I asked, finding her actions odd. "Isn't it my love you want? Why are you sending them away? Wouldn't it be easier if you had your little followers with you?"

"I do want your love." Chrysalis clarified. "But, I want it all for myself, you see. They can have whatever scraps are left, but you and that sister of yours are my full course dinner. After all, there's no way I'd miss the pleasure of dining on such rich love. They would only get in the way."

"You're so sick…" I spat out with disgust. "Even to your own loyal minions."

Chrysalis responded with a jubilant chuckle. "I'll take that as a compliment." Her crooked and broken horn began to glow, and I immediately tensed myself to brace for whatever was to come. To my surprise, something appeared in the center of the room between us. It looked like a crystal ball upon a podium. "Go ahead. Take a look."

I stared back at her with suspicion and stood still for a moment before I decided to slowly and carefully move forward. I had only planned to take a quick look so I wouldn't keep my eyes off of Chrysalis for too long, but I couldn't keep myself from hugging the ball when Athena was in sight inside it.

"Athena!" I cried out, noticing that she been helplessly huddling somewhere in fear around a few bookshelves.

"Aww…" Chrysalis reacted upon the show I put for her. "You really do care about her, don't you? Isn't. That. Just. Adorable."

The crystal ball holding the sight of my sister immediately vanished, and I was met with a wall of poisonous-looking flames that circled around me. They didn't stop until they reached their original starting point, leaving me completely trapped inside with Chrysalis.

"I'm afraid your end has come." Chrysalis spoke to me as she inched towards me like a ravenous hunter stalking its prey. "If there's anything you'd like your sister to know before her demise, I suggest you say it now before we get started."

I shook my head and felt tears brim in my eyes. The entire time, I had only been blindly searching for the only pony I considered someone I could trust. We had been inseparable ever since we had known each other, and I couldn't bear the thought of the opposite happening. In my mind, she was the only source of love in my life, and if I lost her, I wouldn't know what to do anymore… Living…would be pointless.

"I won't let you do this…" I stiffened my shoulders and forced my voice to keep from breaking. "I've fought so hard just to get here. I've already lost so much that I used to consider invaluable. But…" I lifted my head from its lowered state and faced Chrysalis directly. "There's no way I'm going to let something like you take the only thing I love away from me!"

As I shouted those words, I felt a bundle of weight form at my sides and on top of my head. My eyes had been too busy glaring at Chrysalis to find the reason why she had suddenly looked so surprised. Her eyes almost popped out and her jaw was on the brim of hanging open.

"An Alicorn?!" She voiced with shock as if something about me abruptly and deeply offended her. Nevertheless, she appeared to shake her head from side to side as hard as she could and returned a look of hatred and malice that I've never seen before from her. "Impossible! Your love is mine!"

I had no plans to stay on the defensive. I was going all out. I wanted, at the very least, to put up a solid fight if I ended up losing my life this night.

Chrysalis attempted to apprehend me, but for some reason, I felt as if I had glided around. Erasing any thoughts of intervention in my mind, I proceeded to jump in for an attack. Before I reached her, a ball of magic suddenly detonated in front of her, causing her to fly shortly backwards. As if I had suddenly achieved the power of levitation, I was granted the ability to keep my hooves above the ground long enough to flail my whip at her as much as I could.

"Get back!" She screamed, defending herself by blasting me with a beam of her magic.

This caused me to stagger back, but as if I was in a bloodthirsty rage, I didn't feel any long-lasting pain. As soon as I had been able to swiftly recover, I felt an eruption of energy surge within and soon shoot through my head before I noticed azure auras fling towards Chrysalis in a row, my body shaking from a sort of recoil.

The impact of this attack caused her to skid lightly backwards.

"Urghhh!" She groaned and faced me with clenched teeth. "What are you?! How are you so…?!"

I was done hearing her talk. Instead, I continued to lash out every piece of my frustrated aggression upon her. At the time, I hadn't been focusing on making sure my attacks landed. All I cared about was unleashing all the pent-up rage I had accumulated, so it wasn't a surprise to find if a lot of my attacks missed. Either way, she appeared to be taking somewhat of a beating, and it was fair to say that she was doing the running instead of me.

My vision would darken every now and then as if I was on the verge of blacking out, but I was able take a break from my hurling fury when Chrysalis suddenly backed out into her walls of fire. I tried to look for her all around, but she managed to poke back in and tackle me into the ground.

It was clear that she wanted to pin me and stop me from fighting back, but I swear that there was literally something inside of me that wouldn't let that happen. Before she could cast any kind of magic upon me, she was interrupted by yet another source of magical power or interference.

Noting that she was vulnerable, she quickly flew back in midair. Bearing no hesitation, I pursued after her, and the two of us clashed for a short moment before I bashed my head towards her, sending her to the ground. Just as she was about to get up, I planted my hooves onto her body and felt another large exertion escape from my body.

Just as the other two times with my dad and that unknown unicorn, a blinding light erupted between us. When I had been able to see again, I noticed Chrysalis struggling to get up, her hooves trembling in what was most likely fatigue. However, I was prepared to offer no kind of mercy. I threw the weapon I had in my mouth to the side, and, before I knew it, a large beam of magic shot directly towards her from my direction as I gave one last venting scream.

I watched her fall flat onto one of the walls of the room and slide back onto the ground like the annoying fly she was. Had I not been panting so heavily in exhaustion, I believed I would have continued hacking away at her. Nevertheless, all the anger that had been fueling me the entirety of the fight seemed to slip away, and the weight that had been added on faded. Any bit of her fire that had remained died down.

"How…?" I heard her voice bitterly question. "A pony like you…" She surprisingly managed to bring herself back onto her four hooves, but it was clear that she wasn't in any kind of condition to be a threat.

"I want my sister." I demanded.

Chrysalis slowly shook her head as she began to back away. "This isn't over. You won this time, but only because I wasn't expecting such events to unfold. I'll get what I want next time we meet. I promise you that. You better watch your back from now on, little pony."

As much as I wanted to hurt her, I found myself suffering from fatigue as well. It was just like at the end of a hardcore workout. Any little adrenaline I had was gone, and the thought of knocking out was a tempting offer.

I had to let Chrysalis go for now, despite how much I was really against it. I needed to use whatever energy I had left for Athena. Things in the castle were calm now, but frustration began to build up inside me once more. I still had no idea where Athena was, and I'd still have to look all over for her.

However, just then, I remembered something. Back when I was looking in the crystal ball, I remember seeing a couple of bookshelves in the background. It wasn't much of a solid amount of evidence, but my best bet was to check the library. Athena had mentioned something about a secret room…so that's what I needed to look for…

In the middle of throwing a whole sort of books and furniture in the library around, I found myself absent-mindedly thinking about what had happened with Chrysalis. I wanted to know why I had been able to overcome Chrysalis, seeing as she presented herself as a major threat. In fact, all of this still felt like one big nightmare that I couldn't wake up from. At the same time, I was growing weaker and tired the more I thought. Despite my puzzled mind, I needed to wait until I found Athena and got us to someplace safe.

It felt as if I lost any sense of time or even my thought process as I tried to find this "secret room". My body naturally began to be consumed by rage, and I was at the point of breaking any little thing I came across. Without my sister, I honestly felt myself becoming a horrid brute. I started thinking that Chrysalis was right about one thing… I was willing to hurt any pony if they bothered to get in the way of making sure Athena was safe.

The thin ice my patience had been on was now broken, and different veins throughout my body felt as if they winded together. Having had no luck, I slammed my hooves down on top of a long table in front of the library. In the next few seconds, I felt myself blindly kicking and tossing things aside as I groaned and shouted in frustration. Lastly, I planned to kick one of the chairs across the area, but it remained planted in the same spot. Instead, it actually only leaned forcefully backwards until it froze in place all of a sudden. As I stared in question at this odd sight, there was a loud sound of dragging movement, along with a vibration of the floor I had been on.

I quickly looked behind me and noticed a path that had been opened up by two bookshelves. Taking only a quick second to gasp, I immediately began trotting inwards. A little part inside me was afraid of another trap, but seeing as Chrysalis had been left in a bad condition, I didn't worry too much about it. Nevertheless, as soon as I was inside, I never figured the sight of her would give me the vivid feeling of ecstasy I didn't believe I had ever felt in my life.

"Athena!" I cried out and immediately raced over to her, pulling her into the tightest hug I could manage.

"Alex…" She mentioned with what sounded like sadness in her voice. "…you were the reddest I've ever seen you…"

Despite what she said, I quickly shook my head and focused my attention on her condition. "Are you okay? Did she hurt you?"

"I'm fine…" She unexcitedly returned. "…but… I'm scared…"

"You don't have to be scared, Athena." I assured her. "She won't be bothering us anymore. No one will. We'll make it together. Just the two of us. We won't have to worry about anyone anymore. If it anyone tries to take you away from me again, I'll do whatever it takes to bring you back. I won't let anything like tonight happen again!"

"But that's just it, Alex!" She faced me with gloomy eyes. "Everything that happened here is my fault! Everything that always happens to the two of us is always my fault! It's like all I do is bring you trouble, and I'm sick of doing that!"

"Stop blaming yourself!" I argued. "You have no control with what happens. What matters now is that you're safe."

"How much longer can we last, Alex?" I couldn't help but feel as if Athena was questioning my promise of protection. "Chrysalis will keep looking for us, and who knows what she'll do next. I just don't want to see you get hurt. That's the last thing I want to happen…" Athena raised her hooves to wipe the tears from her eyes. "I never told you…because I was scared. But…apparently, I can control time, or at least freeze it. Before Chrysalis caught me, I found this tree that spoke to me. It said we both have these…'extraordinary abilities', and that it's our bond that will shine light in the 'deepest and darkest places'. I still don't even know what these abilities or powers exactly are, but if I can somehow manipulate what I already know to make sure your always safe, then I'm willing to do it…"

It wasn't that I didn't believe what she was saying. So many strange things had been happening that I couldn't explain myself. Yet, I didn't like the way she had been talking. Just what was she planning to do?

"Athena…"

"This entire time I'd been helplessly held back, I did a lot of thinking, Alex." She told me. "About how these powers worked and stuff, and I think I came up with an idea… I think they somehow work with my emotions, and stuff happens when I really want them to. I really want you to not have to worry about me anymore, so I'm afraid you're not going to like what happens next…"

"Just what the hay are you saying, Athena?" I unexpectedly felt my anger rise.

"Alex… I'm cold." She suddenly changed the topic. "Can I borrow your hoodie?"

"Yeah, of course." I quickly removed the clothing I had almost entirely forgot I had been wearing and turned it over to Athena.

Once she had it on, she seemed to snuggle a bit with it.

"It's so warm…" Her eyes were closed for a few seconds as if she was deep in thought. I noticed tears well up in them when they opened, and she had been looking at me as if she had just lost something important. "Alex… I'm sorry."

All of a sudden, some kind of bubble or aura formed around her, separating the two of us apart. At this sight, I immediately panicked and became desperate.

"Athena! What are you doing?!" I tried to reach her, but my hooves only remained planted on the surface of this magical barrier.

"I'm sorry, Alex." She apologized uncontrollably as a waterfall of tears fell from both her eyes. "I really am. I don't want to do this, but I have to if I want to protect you. I know it's scary now, but you won't remember anything about me. Don't worry, I'll make sure to always stay with you no matter what. I won't let you worry about me ever again. I'm sorry."

"Athena, stop! Please!" I felt myself bursting into the same sad state she was in. I couldn't bear the thought of losing her for a second time. "I'll do anything! I just want you by my side! You're the only thing that matters to me! I promise I'll protect you! Believe me!"

My words definitely seemed to have caused hesitation to interfere with her plans, but she managed to shake them away. "I love you, Alex. I love you so much. Please understand why I need to do this."

"Athena!" I cried out one last time.

"I love you, Alex." She repeated. "I'm sorry…but I'm afraid our summer together…is over…"

She closed her eyes with those last few words, and soon, I felt everything I knew begin to fade away.

Comments

[ShadowLight96]

Holy shit. I'm getting a kingdom hearts 2 vibe from this.....it's so sad....