Few hours ago:
Cocktail of anger, fear and adrenaline and magic flowed through Chrysalis when she ran toward Ponyville. She ran like mad mare, not allowing any obstacle to slow her down. She jumped over, ducked under, rammed through or passed by any object in her way, no matter it was pony, cart, bush, or anything else. To anypony who watched it with friendly eye, it was amazing exhibit of agility and tenacity transformed into incredible row of stunts. For her it was just blur of actions and fast thinking.
For her it probably went like this:
Cart standing across the bridge. Ponies arguing about something. Too high to jump over. It's gonna hurt.
Skid on belly under cart. Again on hooves. Run. Ignore surprised yells.
Town hall far in front. Fountain is next to town hall. Gotta turn left near fountain. So many ponies in a way. Too many to ram through. Look around, keep speed. Stack of boxes on the left near wall. High enough to jump on balcony. From balcony to another one, and then to ground.
Filly on the way, jump over!
Jump on the boxes. Jump on balcony! Ignore surprised yells of ponies.
"What the hay?!" It doesn't matter.
Jump on another! Not losing speed. Jump down, trying to land sideways. Brace for impact. Roll over. Get up.
Legs? Still working, hurt.
Gallop forward. Group of ponies talking, blocking the way. Too high speed to turn or halt. Barrel with trash nearby, before them.
Jump on barrel. Jump over ponies. Barrel overturns, spilling it contents onto ponies. Don't waste breath on saying "sorry". Doesn't matter now.
Turn left or right?! Display map. Left. Evade ponies, bump and ram some. Look back. Anyone wounded? Okay, faster!
Market. Market day. Too many ponies. Too many market stalls. Stalls? Jump on apple cart hauled by big red stallion.
"What in tarnation...?!"
Jump on stand of mare with orange hair. She yells. Ignore. Where next? She throws carrots. Jump on another stand. Another yell. All market ponies stares. Jump on another stand. Another orange mare yells. She wears hat. She looks familiar. She kicks apples in direction of stranger. Stand cracks. Jump on statue of the fountain. Stand collapsed. Jump was too short. Hop out from water. Look around. Few angry ponies approaching. Where to run!? Nowhere to run! Time to fight through! Too weak... Too low on magic to fight all of them... everything hurts. Her legs are surely wounded. Heart beats fast and shallow. Vision blurs.
Chrysalis felt sudden chill from head to her hooves. So, that's it. End of line. They are going to finish her, or at least capture, and then they will found out who is she and execute her. There is nothing she can do, she failed everyling, she failed her sister.
Orange mare with hat on top trots toward her angrily. Chrysalis can't make out what she was yelling, too much ringing in her ears.
Chrysalis took firm stance on her shaking hooves. Last Queen won't go without fight! She will take few ponies with her. Ponyville will burn to the ground.
"Camp commander?" She tries to maintain mindlink. It's too wavy, and therefore it couldn't reach it's destination.
Chrysalis tries to aim her horn toward orange mare. She should have still enough magic for few killing shots but it's hard to aim when her head floats. Orange mare looks even more angered but backtrots a bit. Vicious chaneling spots this as ocasion, jumps forward to charge through earth mare... but her hooves never touched ground. Even more, she felt tightness against her ribs, feeling of sudden acceleration... and ground was moving away from her. She heard flapping of feathery wings, and surprised yell.
"RAINBOW DASH!"
Chrysalis felt like her head was getting airy...
--
Chrysalis gasped with loud wheeze and opened her eyes. She saw blue, clear sky. It meant she was lying on her back. "Where was she", was a question pounding through her head. But it wasn't only thing what was pounding inside her. Her heart had jumpy, weak rhythm. Her lungs wheezed heavily with each breath.
She remembered that she tried to reach library, but she wasn't sure what happened after she run out from Fluttershy cottage. She was sure she made dash toward library through Ponyvile. She remembered flashes of her crazy gallop, and she wasn't sure if she really did all this jumps, she never was a athlete. It was more like her sister thing.
She raised her legs... Ouch, they were hurting so much from exhaustion. She noticed few fresh stabbings. It wasn't from any severe wounds, only from grazes... still, she should later do something about it. It would be stupid to let her mask rot away.
"If I were you, I wouldn't try that." She heard unknown to her voice.
"Is it a threat?" Chrysalis snapped and tried to move her head toward source of voice. Even her neck was burning from exhaustion. She was able to take a look of her surroundings, but she couldn't see owner of this cracking voice. They were on some kind of balcony, but more like terrace.
"Naaah, more like friendly advice. I bet that you won't be able to stand even for minute." Chrysalis saw blue pegasus mare with rainbow mane and tail closing in to her. It had to be Rainbow Dash. There was no other possibility with this mane.
"What happened?"
"It was nice running you did down there, but it made upset some stiff ponies... So, I swooped down and saved you from furious mob!" She puffed out proudly her chest and rubbed her hoof against her chest with smile toward disguised Chrysalis like she was awaiting for something.
"Well... thanks. Could you tell me wh..."
"So! What's your name?" Rainbow Dash interrupted her with barely contained curiosity.
"Charming Stories... And I was..."
"Such egghead name for such awesome runner? Are you sure you didn't missed you destiny? I mean, those long le..."
"RAINBOW DASH!" Chrysalis yelled, and regretted this second later. She felt like her lungs were bursting at seams. She wondered what part of her body wasn't overtaxed with strain.
Her painful yell worked - Rainbow Dash was silent for a two or so seconds.
"Hey, you are even yelling like my egghead friend!" Rainbow Dash suddenly realized something, and shot a confused look toward Chrysalis. "Wait, how do you know my name? Are you a chan..."
Chrysalis groaned. "You are famous. Twice saviour of Equestria. Only pegasus alive able to pull of Sonic Rainboom. Hell, you was mentioned in few newspapers!"
"Oh... yeah." Rainbow Dash replied sheepishly. Unicorn rolled over by flailing her legs, and was currently trying to stand up. She was able to raise her flank, but her chest was still lying on the ground, her forelegs too weak to push up her weigth. Rainbow Dash chuckled at this sight.
"Need help?"
"Are you blind?!" Chrysalis snapped, frustated with her lack of ability to even stand up.
"Jeeez... All you need is to ask." Rainbow Dash took in to air, flew over Charming Stories, grabbed her by hers shoulders and went up. Chrysalis stood shakily. Rainbow landed in front of tall unicorn.
"Thank you..."
"So... Where you were trying to get? You was running like it was matter of life and death."
Chrysalis weren't fond to idea of telling her truth. But on other hoof, she had problems with even standing. And she was lost, she realized when she displayrd map - it wasn't useful anymore, itlost track of her place.
And Morpha said Rainbow Dash really cares about her friends. It could be used for her advantage. Somepony need to give her a lift to library, and somepony needs to check on Twilight and maybe made her reasonable. Rainbow Dash looked like pony who won't budge to use force against friend for her own good. Who knows what Twilight will do when wakes up.
"Rainbow, listen. I need to get to library..."
"No can do. Twilight, librarian, I meant, barricaded herself with studies or something... she only sends Spike for food or something. Unless it's emergency..."
"That's it! Something bad happened there!"
"What do you mean?" Rainbow Dash tilted her head to the side with confusion.
"When I was meeting with Fluttershy... Don't interrupt! I met her only two days ago!" Chrysalis snapped when Rainbow was about to interrupt her. "When I was meeting with Fluttershy, she, Twilight I mean, teleported from thin air, and started to yell that she murdered somepony. I knocked her out, and then I galloped out looking for library. Fluttershy is probably on her way too. Somepony need to check on Twilight if she's still crazy. Fluttershy and I will check out what really happened. Are you in for help?!"
Rainbow Dash had a grimace of utter shock. She shook her head, and shot glare of animosity toward Chrysalis.
"I don't believe you. Twilight would never..."
"Then fly to Fluttershy and ask her herself! I know you are fast, It will take you one minute flat! Just point me to the library!"
"Stay right here! If you lied to me..." Rainbow Dash soared straight in direction of Fluttershy cottage.
"Great" Chrysalis muttered. She could finally took better look at surroundings. She was on a terrace of... a tree?
It was house inside the tree. Pony who lived here had a good taste in Chrysalis opinion. Changelings always preferred their houses alive and organic. Very expensive but easy in maintain, comfortable, self repairing and easily expandable. Tree wasn't as great as changeling building biomatter, but still it was better in eyes of Chrysalis than any other pony building made from stone or wood.
Chrysalis felt incoming mindlink transmission. It was from camp commander.
"Majesty?"
"Yes, commander?"
"Queen Metamorphosis is unreachable. What we are supposed to do?"
"I'm researching why my sister is silent. I need someling to observe Fluttershy cottage. Inside is very powerful unicorn... in not right state of mind. Description: Twilight Sparkle. Chinch-tier stealth."
"Right away, my Queen." Commander wanted to add something, but abandoned the thought.
"I need also my location on mental map."
"Sending to you. Anything more, majesty?"
Chrysalis displayed map again. She saw one ray running through Ponyville, beginning in abandoned castle, then appeared another one, beginning at swamps near Ponyville, when she felt another mind link opening. Both lines crossed in middle of Ponyville. It was location where Chrysalis was.
"It's all. Thank you, commander."
Mindlinks cut down. Chrysalis would laugh, if even breathing wasn't hurtful. She was where she wanted to be. Library. She was on terrace of library. She even didn't need Rainbow to give her a lift, because she was already there. She trotted toward wooden door, leading inside.
She reached it with her magic, but door didn't moved a bit, locked from inside. She looked around for a window to break open and slip through. Unfortunately, they were too small to let her do that.
Chrysalis was again getting irritated, she went so far, one door shouldn't stop her. She lowered her horn and prepared to strike door with a powerful magic beam, the same she used to best Celestia. Chrysalis closed her eyes, and tried to cast the spell. Her horn glowered... and spell fizzled with few green sparks. Her magic was almost completly deplated.
Disguised Queen dropped to her haunches. She felt like she hit the wall. She could transform some of her Love into magic, but her reserves of Love were low, and it would take time, time she wasn't having too much. Rainbow Dash could be back any minute, and Chrysalis preferred that she would be first to inspect library, if her sister disguised broken down or...
False unicorn gulped, and tried to convince herself that it was not a option. She raised again, and trotted toward the door, wondering what she could do now.
She wasn't burglar so she didn't know any method to deal with locks. Changeling method to deal with closed door was to destroy said doors, or transform into someone who is allowed to get through. Maybe there was some other approaches...
She looked at metal hinges and lock. If she could use her flameless burning spell around them, she could then buck door open easily. She thought again. It would be enough if she could burn out the wood around lock. She clapped her hooves happily, and she began to prepare spell, when sudden spark of insight come to her head. She realized that this spell was common among changelings, but to ponies it was probably unknown. She almost blew her cover, again!
Chrysalis hit door furiously with her foreleg, wanting to somehow dispose her arising anger with that. She was furiously punching door, when she suddenly heard small voice behind the unsolvable obstacle.
"T-twilight, is that you?"
Chrysalis knew this voice, but at first she couldn't pinpoint who was the owner.
"Twilight? Answer me, please?" Fright was easy to sense in voice of...
Spike, it was Twilight dragon assistant, Chrysalis realized suddenly. Finally, a glimmer of hope. She tried to remember how Twilight sounded like.
"Spike! Open the door, please!" Spike could hear exhausted, and a bit terrified about Twilight outside. It shouldn't be surprise he unlocked door without hesitation. Chrysalis jumped through almost immediately after she heard click of unlocking lock.
"Who are you!? You are not Twilight!" She heard shocked voice, and she turned to the owner of the voice.
Spike was small purple bipedal dragon with green underbelly, chest, and spines. Unfortunately, Chrysalis couldn't take a good look at his face, because Spike decided it was good time to turn out and try to make a dash deeper inside library. Fake unicorn quickly grasped baby dragon in her telekinesis, and levitaded him toward her.
Small dragon was trembilng in her force.
"Twilight...?" he asked fearfully.
"She's safe, knocked out but safe."
"Are you going to.. arrest her? It was accident!"
If I could I would have her head on silver plate, thought angered Changeling Queen.
"What happened? I'm not guard, but if she really killed somepony..." she decided to answer with not-so-well hidden threat.
"She's okay! She's breathing!" Quickly replied frightened baby dragon, nervously clenching his fists. "You can see her!"
Chrysalis took a look around. She was in somepony bedroom. Desk with few quills and inkpots, and opened diary on it. Few shelves with books on them, a small chest on the end of the bed... and on the bed pony with bandage on her head. She trotted quickly toward her, blinded with hope and barely noticing bowl with water, opened first aid book, and small opened chest with bandages, and some drugs in it.
When she was next to head of the pony she was sure of three things.
It was her sister. She didn't had any proof, it was more hope than knowledge... but it had to be her.
She was alive, her chest was rising and falling with each breath.
And somepony cleaned and bandaged her head.
Finally she was able to notice all small things around bed. Somepony helped her disguised sister. But if it wasn't Twilight...
"You did this?" She asked small dragon, pointing with her hoof to pony and all thing around bed.
"Y-yes?" Spike answered fearfully.
Many thoughts how to show her joy and thankfulness toward young dragon has flashed through Chrysalis mind. She wanted to jump, yelling her sister is alive. She wanted to at least hug dragon for his effort.
But Chrysalis, being Chrysalis...
"You did splendid job. I was afraid..." She sighed, putting dragon down.
Spike eyed her unsure, but he finally managed to stammer "Is Twilight okay? She..."
"She went crazy, and I had to knock her out... but Fluttershy or Rainbow Dash should calm her down when she wake up. She bloody scared us!" Chrysalis violent emotions were slightly giving away. "Is it her first time? I meant...!" She wanted to correct herself realizing how it sounded.
"She never did something like that. She..." Spike gulped and contiuned "Twilight had freak outs before, but nothing like this. She is... There is something wrong with her! And she doesn't want to say what it is..."
Chrysalis shot a glance at Spike. She didn't need a second look, she saw such fear many times before. Fear born from lack of knowldge what's happening to friend. In last few days she saw it too often in her camp. Everyling was hoping for precise information from other camps, to confirm fears or hopes about close ones. So often few lings came to her and asked kindly if Queen knew anything about some ling... and she had to answer that she wasn't able to manage stable communication with other camps, so she was only able to do only highest priority calls. They always looked so dejected and sadly understanding when they left her.
Or lings which friends were suffering from traumatic events of Canterlot and after. Unresponsive shells of lings, or only shadows of they former selfs, drowning in their pain.
Chrysalis actually really felt bad for Spike. He was only a kid, and for some reason his friend... maybe even mother figure just went crazy, believing she murdered a pony. Probably there was more to that.
This green dragon eyes full of fear...
She trotted closer to Spike and kneeled. He needed some help, she felt it. Some kind soul to listen to him or something. Maybe it will make something better...
"Hey... Twilight is okay. Nothing bad happened. She just..."
"She freaked out! She didn't even stop to check her breath..." Spike pointed at pony in the bed.
"She wasn't in right state of mind. Something is probably troubling her..."
Spike once again interrupted her.
"But, she should tell me! I am her number one assitant! I was always able to help her. I heard her cry in sleep three days ago. And she was mumbling something like... like..."
Spike couldn't force himself to finish thought.
"Like?"
"Like they made her into muderer! But she would never kill anypony! It's some fat lie!"
Chrysalis had to fought urge to snap. Yes, Twilight would never kill a pony. Probably not even a pet or something. But her actions during Invasion caused unknown, yet high casualties among changelings. But nooo, lings are not ponies, and they'll never be.
...could it be that Sparkle had some gulit inside? That she felt bad she caused such pain?
It... complicated... things for older Queen. She wanted to blindly hate Twilight for crossing her plans... but yet, again she did something that anyling was doing during griffin attacks. And she had gulit trips in effect... But it didn't sounded like she was regreting that what she did caused death, more like she was forced to cause these deaths. She was probably regreting that her hooves became dirty, Chrysalis thought cynically.
But some seed of doubt was planted.
And Morpha was great pony...
She saw strained expression of young dragon. She decided she won't share her suspicons about source of Twilight ramblings. He was hurted enough.
"Listen... I believe you could ask her when it's over. She wil realize she have some problem, and needs friends help." After second of doubt she decided to grab dragon in small hug. He flinched, but shortly quickly returned gesture. Chrysalis felt dragon was giving some positive emotions... some hope, some grattidute, maybe something friendship-like. She inhaled it with every part of her body. Was it that what Morpha was talking about? Help them and they'll feed you?
It was ridicolous, but it was feeling right.
"Thanks... Heh, just realized I don't know your name."
"Charming Stories."
"I'm Spike. You are good pony."
Chrysalis for once felt good with such statement.