The doctor and Chrysalis were escorted just outside the cell that was suited for the mare by two hefty guards, one having a rather noticeable scar running down his grey, chiseled face. The other looked younger and less battle beaten, but well trained for this sort of task.

They stood watch at the exit and snarled at Chrysalis while she entered. Seems that the military was still having sore feelings about her. Upon her wounds being slightly treated, cotton balls began to litter the stony floor, the medical physician keeping up with his work.

Bumps, bruises and the gash at her right side made by both the arrow and dagger were cleaned well, the whole while, him saying nothing. Once his work was nearly complete, he finally stated, “You’re a very lucky mare, you know? Very lucky indeed.”

Chrysalis looked at him in with disbelief showing through her eyes. “How so?”

“Well,” he began while scrounging through his medical sack, “for starters, Commander Static could’ve simply melted your head down to a puddle, squeezed the information out of you while killing all the cells inside of your brain because of the process. She’s done it before, and it’s not the most pleasurable experience, I promise you this. Plus, a real hassle to clean up afterward.”

He pulled out a syringe, tapped the needle lightly and looked over at her widening eyes. Chrysalis blinked and asked, “What do you plan to do with that?”

“Make you numb...” He squirted some bright green liquid out and let it land on the floor. It glowed through the darkness with smoke rising from its edges. “It’s not toxic, I assure you. The chemical is a powerful anesthetic made from extracts of certain types of mushrooms found in the Everfree Swamps. It’s quite harmless to us ponies, but for you...”

He observed the transparency and smiled, making Chrysalis even more uncomfortable. “Please,” she begged, “I’d rather not be your test subject.”

The doctor sighed and claimed, “You don’t very well have much of a free choice in this matter, dear. Now, hold still. This should only sting for a second or two.”

As he neared her, Chrysalis backed away into the guards. They reacted with powerful grips, held her down forcibly to the floor and assisted the doctor with his experiment. Like a lab rat, the queen was injected with an unknown substance against her will. Once the fluids were launched into her bloodstream, the stinging of pain washed away quickly, and for the most part, it didn’t seem to have an instant side effect. However, what if it did? That was the question that made Chrysalis have a cold sweat in terror.

She was released, sinking calmly to the ground as she asked the doctor, “What if this stuff kills me?”

The stallion looked back, her question catching his attention and pondered the outcomes. “I hadn’t quite thought of that possibility...”

Queen Chrysalis sheepishly lifted her body back up and explained to him, “If I die now, my blood will be on your hooves.” She coughed from lack of water and voiced, “I need a drink... Please, my throat is so dry, I can barely speak.”

The scarred guard laughed. “Good, maybe you’ll lose your voice. Then you can’t annoy us with your frivolous needs!” He looked over at his friend and said, ”Go get her what she wants.”

As for the doctor, he held his chin in thought, then asked, “And some bats, if you don’t mind...”

Chrysalis glanced from the guards to the doctor, and with a curious, though weak voice, questioned, “Why bats?”

“You’ll find out...”

Soon after the one guard left, Chrysalis was shown into her cell, the iron barred gate closed and was locked up tight. She looked around her room and took in what little surroundings could be found. A hard floor for resting on, no window, bad smelling and a leaking roof with a rhythmic drip every three seconds.

Just to make matters worse, the guard returned with the bats, Celestia only knowing where he got them. They were given to the doctor which he went ahead and let them loose inside Chrysalis’s cell.

They flew in circles for a moment, frightening the queen and bringing her to gasp a bit before they finally rested above her, screeching and wrapping their wings around their hairy bodies. “What is the meaning of this?” Chrysalis asked, thoroughly startled by their sudden presence.

The doctor took it upon himself to explain his odd actions. “Bats love the darkness, correct? They like the sight of it, and your coat, plus you mossy mane makes you blend in with the shadows of your cell. Changelings feed off of love, and it’s been plenty of time for you to be on the verge of death. We can’t have you dying, not before your own execution that’s sure to come. Just as soon as you confess to where those last few subjects of yours are, Celestia will be overjoyed to bring you to your end.”

Chrysalis gulped at his cruel words, looked up at her only source of food, and wondered, “How will it be done?”

The doctor adjusted himself where he sat and said without much emotion, “You’ll be hanged. They talked awhile about decapitation, but despite Shining Armor’s argument, Celestia wouldn’t allow it. Too messy for the public to see, she said.”

“Who else was discussing my fate?”

“Oh, just the two alicorn princesses of Equestria and Shining Armor. That is, Princess Celestia, Princess Cadence and her husband.”

“That’s it?” Chrysalis asked. “The way my life ends is in the hooves of only three individuals?”

“Afraid so.” He looked away from what he was doing with the syringe and said, “Be happy for that. If it was up to the whole town, they’d want each of your limbs cut off very slowly. Your blood would be spilled all across the town, coating the streets with your guts.”

This made her majesty shiver and look away, not wanting to talk with him any further. She’d gotten enough answers along with ones she could’ve lived without. Just as the doctor said, small doses of love were beginning to be absorbed by Chrysalis, but it wasn’t enough to completely regenerate her strength.

After a couple of hours passed by, she still felt extraordinarily weak and in dire need. She thought about her loved ones, how they were probably gone by now, and wished to see them once more, at the very least, before they withered away completely.

Author's Note

Coauthored with RainbowBob