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Phillia (Loving Friendship)2,072 words
Pragma (Longstanding Love)2,232 words
Storge (Familial Love)4,066 words
Agape (Sacrificial Love)6,318 words

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

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Lore Horse

Lore Horse #1 · Sep 4th, 2019 · · ·

Three cheers for a job well done. Hip hip , hip hip , hip hip

RoyalBardofCanterlot

RoyalBardofCanterlot #2 · Sep 4th, 2019 · · ·

9817193
Glad you enjoyed it. Anything you particularly liked?

Lore Horse

Lore Horse #3 · Sep 4th, 2019 · · ·

9817195
I liked all of it, I'm a big fan of the redemption side of a lot of stories. Saving someone from their own darkness, bringing them back from the point of no return is my favorite part of many stories on this site. And Chrysalis' descent into self-loathing combined with her near-death experience and being brought back from that brink it's what made this story shine for me. Of course it doesn't hurt that Luna is my second favorite character overall and my favorite princess and having her so loyal makes it even better.

RoyalBardofCanterlot