“Aranea!” I shouted to her barely escaping from the closing wall, unable to reach her due to the four-pegasi grapple that held me aloft. I began to struggle, but their grips were enough to hold me, the magic-nullifying effect useless against this amount of raw muscle.
“Look down.” One of them flatly stated.
“I already am dumbass! What does that have…” Well, guess I'm the dumbass this time. On finally focusing on the ground, or rather, the distance to the ground, I realized the likely fatal consequences to successfully fighting my way out of their hold. Aranea shifted to her armored changeling body and took wing alongside Luna. She was nearly as stoic as she was when we first met. That's no surprise, considering what's just happened here. Chrysalis was behind that wall, bigger and badder than ever. I was more surprised she hadn't simply fought us free and returned at first, until I remembered Sky. She'll be lucky to live through the night, let alone back in one piece. I craned my head back as far as I could to see her unconscious body held by another pair, streaking ahead of us. A third carried the bloody stump of a hoof and a leg behind the first two.
Aranea and Luna might have been having some conversation behind us, but I couldn't hear anything outside of a close-range yell from the rush of wind. “Where are you going?” I shouted, hoping they could hear me. One gave a sidelong glance at me before turning back towards her direction of flight. She didn't bother to answer, or didn't concern herself with giving an answer I could hear, I wasn't sure. Maybe pegasi can hear each other better in the wind and she hadn't thought of it. All in all, it didn't matter. We were moving nearly as quickly as the train, and certainly taking a more direct route. Spires crested the horizon between attempts to hear what was going on behind me and spinning the wheels of my brain about what to do now. Crenellated towers appeared before I really registered it.
Canterlot.
Of course we were going there. I should've known that from the beginning really, but no one who saw what was behind that wall was in their right mind at the moment. The three responsible for Sky Sprinkle veered off from the group, no doubt to some emergency room. I hoped they could save her. I knew better.
As if Chrysalis didn't have enough to pay for already.
We alighted near the gates of the castle, several ponies jumping out of the way with looks between annoyance and concern at the abrupt entrance of royalty by relatively nonstandard means of transportation. I rushed over to hug Aranea as soon as I was free. She returned it gladly. “So what were you two talking about back there, and what do we do now?”
“We must discuss this inside.” Luna simply stated as we entered the gates. The ponies in the hall made way as the procession of varying royalty (And myself) passed by. We entered the royal chambers in time to interrupt day court. Celestia was as close to losing her patience as I'd ever seen her. Some unicorn in expensive-looking clothes was losing it as well, having the gall to actually argue with her.
“While your complaint is worthy of consideration, it is a matter for lower courts. That aside, you have no evidence of your claim whatsoever.”
“B-but princess, it's a changeling! You know they'd do something sooner or-...” he turned around from his tirade to see the fucking changeling queen herself facing him.
“Species-based hatred has no place in our kingdom! Your case is dismissed with prejudice. It will not be taken up by any court. And you yourself, Ivory Crown, are dismissed as well.” Celestia waved a hoof and a guard approached Ivory, leading him out. He gave a look at us on the way, probably freaking out internally over being heard by everyone.
Of course there would still be racists (Specists?) here, even after a decade or so. Thankfully they were relegated to a fringe and no longer taken seriously. Probably some pissant noble that didn't like a nonpony having station. The titles meant nothing, but they held on to them. Probably because without inherited money they'd be on the streets, and have nothing else to cling to. Fuck 'em.
Celestia looked at us. I was roughed up, and Aranea was missing her bags and clothes. “Due to a matter of grave importance, day court is suspended. My apologies for any who are inconvenienced by this, but it is beyond our control.” The ponies filed out, a few grumbling. Celestia turned to an aide. “See those that traveled are provided with a room and contact home. Hopefully this won't take long.” The pony nodded and quickly left, leaving Celestia, Luna, Aranea, and myself the only occupants, not counting the guards that were just outside the door.
Aranea reverted to her human body, and stood by me as the princesses took a paired stance opposite us. Luna began. “It was changeling magic that caused Sky Sprinkle's current state. She's fighting for her life at this moment. Why would you commit such an abhorrent act?” Celestia started at the news. How the fuck did she not see what happened? Oh, wait. As much as I was raging at the accusation, she didn't come down until later. She couldn't have seen what was on the other side of that wall.
“It was not I, princess Luna.”
“You were the only one in the area capable of such magic, to our knowledge. It would be welcome, though no less dire, that an alternate explanation presented itself.”
We didn't have time for this. I interjected before she could answer. “It wasn't. We'll need artillery to get back in there. We have to get back there. It's-”
“We require more information than that. No military aid will be proffered until we receive the answers we require.”
I stepped closer with every word, until the end was screamed into her face. “It. Was. CHRYSALIS!”
The doors opened as the guards rushed in to find me face-to-muzzle with Luna. Chances are a few rooms adjacent heard it. Everyone stopped dead in their tracks. There were very few things left in the world that would shock Luna or Celestia. This was one of them.
“What!?” the diarchs said in tandem.
“The bitch is still alive, and she's in there!” Aranea put a hand on my shoulder and stepped up.
“Nohbodi is correct. Chrysalis is indeed within that forest, and she's the cause of all that has occurred. It's imperative that we return and finish this before more lives are lost.” Everyone stared at the revelation, but especially me. I've known Aranea for this long, and she's never – never – changed the way she spoke. Not the words she used anyway.
This was Chrysalis.