Running. That’s all she could think of doing. That’s all she can remember doing. Running away from problems, from solutions, from everything…and from everyone.
But that didn’t matter at the moment. All that mattered to Chrysalis in that moment, was getting away from the soldiers on her trail.
Hooves pounded upon the forest floor, trampling branch, leaf, vine, and saplings. Somewhere in her mind, she felt that Proboscis would have her head for crushing all this plant life.
The sound of armored boots echoed in her ears, and she could spot the gleam of golden chest plates in her peripheral vision. They were still after her. Her eyes darted about her surroundings, desperately looking for a place where she could lose them. A cave system, a waterfall, a dense thicket, anything.
‘Come on,’ Chrysalis pleaded, ‘I spent months wandering through these woods! How do I not recognize anything?’
Chrysalis zigged and zagged through the brush, trying to lose them.
Then, she heard something. The pounding of more armored boots reached her ears. Chrysalis allowed herself to look back. The sight was somewhat unexpected. A pair of Changeling troopers had joined in the chase.
Were they working with the pony guards? Were they not? She couldn’t tell.
The four Royal Guards raced through the thicket, each respective duo trying to outpace the other.
Chrysalis kept running, wincing as she scraped past every tree and bush in her path. Stray leaves and bits of bark and branches gathered on her body as she went.
She saw a particularly thick patch of bushes, trees, and other plants ahead. It gave her an idea.
‘If I can get through that fast enough, I can dash off in some direction and lose them for a while. I could even double-back half way through while they think I’ve gone through it.’ If Chrysalis had the time and focus to spend on a smile, she would’ve done so at that moment.
Into the thicket she ran, the crunch and shaking of leaves accompanying her entrance. The guards soon followed.
After rustling about in the bushes for a moment, Chrysalis feel silent and still. Her ears swiveled in several directions, listening to the crunching steps of the guards sweeping the bushes. She couldn’t hide there forever, she needed some kind of distraction. Looking at the forest floor around her she noticed a sizable stone by her hoof. An idea came to her.
Quietly, she parted the branches around her enough to see the clearing on the other side of the bushes. Taking the stone in her magic, she aimed at one of the far bushes on the far side of the clearing.
The stone made quite a bit of noise when it hit the bushes. So much so that the guards turned and ran towards the sound.
“She went that way!” One of them called as they took off.
Chrysalis stayed low in the thicket until she couldn’t hear the thundering boots of the guards anymore.
Once she was sure they were gone, she let out a breath she didn’t even know she was holding. Slowly, she rose to her hooves and headed off to the left of where the guards had run.
Chrysalis walked for what felt like ages. Her head felt heavy, hooves were sore, belly grumbled. Her eyes drifted from side to side scanning her surroundings, looking for anything, shelter, water, food.
‘Oh, some food would be so good right now.’ She thought as she continued walking. Sadly, at the moment, there was nothing in sight.
Her stomach continued to complain.
“Oh curses, I’ve got to find something!” Chrysalis grumbled.
There was a small rustling in a nearby bush.
Chrysalis froze, her gaze slowly moving to the shrubbery. Was it a guard? A trap? Timberwolf? Hydra?
A small squirrel hopped out of the bush.
The squirrel stared at Chrysalis. Chrysalis stared at the squirrel.
Chrysalis twitched for a second. That squirrel meant something in the moment: food. She could grab it, drain its love and get some relief from the hunger. All she had to do was…
‘...Grab it.’
But she couldn’t move. She just kept staring at the squirrel, maintaining eye contact with it. She felt hypnotized by it. Or was it paralyzed?
Before Chrysalis could commit to any action, the squirrel abruptly scurried off to her left and vanished up a tree.
Chrysalis could only sigh, and resumed walking through the forest.
Somewhere along the way, Chrysalis had the fortune of coming across a small pond, where she was able to get some fresh water. She also managed to nab a few small fish as well. It didn’t satisfy her hunger but it did quell the grumbles of her stomach for a while.
With that business settled for the time being, the next step was for her to find a place where she could safely rest.
Chrysalis walked for about ten minutes. A thunderstorm rumbled behind her in the distance.
Another five minutes of walking and the sky had begun to turn grey, with a faint drizzle to accompany it. The Ex-Queen picked up her pace.
Another ten minutes and the rain was in full swing. The black sky was pouring buckets down on the forest below. The wind made everything rattle and shake viciously, making Chrysalis’s trek through the woods all the more difficult.
The weather was unbearable. Cold, windy, and wet was the worst combination of factors when it came to precipitation. Chrysalis needed to find shelter and fast.
After trudging through the wind, rain, and mud for what felt like an hour, something finally came into view. It was a cave. There wasn’t anything particularly special about it, but when one is in search of cover, it would look like a divine blessing.
Chrysalis turns towards the cave. The wind slammed against the broad side of her body, trying to knock her over. The slippery leaves and mud attempted to make her trip over her own hooves.
Slowly, Chrysalis managed to make it into the cave. The sound of the wind echoed in the cave, and blew in the entrance occasionally. Rain blew in, soaking the first few steps inside. The stone was uncomfortable and the whole place was dark and.
Still, it was dryer.
Which was something that the former Queen couldn’t say for herself. Chrysalis’s hair was a wet, muddy, disheveled mess, with sticks and leaves sticking out. Her wings were useless until they dried, and her hooves were painted with mud. She needed to rest.
Laying her head on the coziest looking rock she could find, she finally had the time to ask herself, ‘How exactly did I end up like this?’
She lay there watching the rainfall, listening to the thunder.
Eventually, as she began to finally drift off to sleep, she came to an answer for her question.
‘Damn Ponies.’