Sandy Mane continued to meander forward at a sedate pace, the harsh sunlight burning down at her from on high. She finally stepped out of the narrow pass exiting to the south of the Badlands, beholding the seemingly endless sands of the southern desert. She took a brief moment to reflect on her past failures, a sigh of regret escaping her lips as she made to take another step.

"That's far enough, Chrysalis!" The earth pony glanced around as she suddenly found herself surrounded by a surprisingly large assemblage of creatures, she wasn't quite sure how they had managed to sneak up on her; most likely a combination of stealth, silencing spells, invisibility spells, or some combination of tactics she simply couldn't be bothered to fathom. Either way, she watched impassively as any number of pegasi, unicorns, earth ponies, alicorns, changelings, a dragon; even a gryphon or two, she wasn't sure if her eyes were playing tricks on her or if there really was a Phoenix soaring above her.

"Surrender, Chrysalis! It's over!"

The earth pony chuckled, evolving into a giggle before becoming full-blown maniacal laughter. The sandy furred visage burning away to reveal a doubled-over Changeling Queen, her laughter slowly becoming more and more unhinged before tapering off, Chrysalis straightening up and slowly turning her head to behold the one who addressed her.

"Oh my dear Celestia, you have no idea how true that is." She stepped around to face the Solar Alicorn, standing tall and proud as ever she had. Celestia's eyes narrowed in response, her expression becoming more guarded.

"Your rule is broken, Chrysalis. You have nowhere to hide and nowhere to run, surrender now and you may yet be shown mercy." Chrysalis nearly broke down into laughter once more, indeed she was unable to restrain a chuckle as she leveled Celestia with a sinisterly playful glare.

"No, I don't think I will."

"So you wish to do this the hard way? You will be apprehended regardless." Luna challenged, her horn flaring with magic, Chrysalis simply smirked at the display.

"Easy, hard, none of it matters when I am dying! Why should I care for the ease of your burdens?" The Changeling Queen sneered, buffing a hoof against the carapace of her chest as though she hadn't just made such a bold declaration.

"Dying?" Twilight Sparkle regarded the changeling sceptically.

"Yes, or could you not tell?" Chrysalis made a grand gesture to herself before looking down at her own body.

"Oh wait, I suppose you couldn't." Chrysalis barked a harsh laugh as green fire once more consumed her form, those assembled flinched as the proud Changeling Queen was replaced with a very different, but no less proud visage.

Head bowed, with one eye milky and unseeing, a deep gash cut into the chitin. Chrysalis stood as tall as her failing body would allow. Deep cuts, grazes, and chunks taken out of her carapace, her wings tattered, tail and mane ragged and shorn; but most telling of her plight was the absence of her right foreleg, severed jaggedly to the arm. Yet still, she carried herself with that challenging smirk and proud air that only a royal could achieve.

"Oh, dear sweet Celestia..." Some creature intoned, Chrysalis' grin widened at her would-be captors' shock.

"Surprising, isn't it? What happens when one's subjects rebel, one's home is destroyed and they're forced to flee without recourse for food or shelter. Did you know there's an Ursa Major in the Forbidden Jungle?" Chrysalis grinned widely as Celestia straightened, her expression settling into pity. Chrysalis' anger rose like bile at the sentiment.

"Chrysalis, let us help you." Celestia offered the olive branch, all too quickly thrown aside.

"Help? Help!?" Chrysalis cackled a horrific retching sound.

"You want to help, me? The mare of mercy comes again and speaks of "help". You want to help me? Throw me a spear, Sol Invicta! And let me go down fighting! Let me show you how the Queen of the Changelings dies!"

"You haven't the strength, cease this madness, Chrysalis!" Chrysalis leveled a malevolent grin at her.

"Oh, I have the strength for you, Nightmare Moon! Come and see, or are you afraid of a dying Changeling?" Chrysalis spat her challenge, Luna bristling at her words.

"Mother, please! Let us-"

"SILENCE TRAITOR!" Chrysalis' eyes flooded with green light as her venomous gaze snapped to Thorax, cowing not just him but every Changeling present. She held the dominating glare for but a moment longer before snapping back to Celestia.
"So what is it to be, your majesty? Will you grant me the honour of my station, let me walk into the desert as I had originally intended, or drag my corpse back into Canterlot? I assure you it matters not, within the hour I will be gone and there is nothing that any creature here can do about it." Chrysalis sneered, if nothing else she would have the victory of Celestia's pained expression, moments passing in silence.

"Come now, Celestia, I'll even fight with one hoof behind my back, to give you a chance." Chrysalis laughed as she slung the remains of her foreleg over her shoulder, for all the difference it made.

"Or do you simply wish to wait out my time? To spare you the humiliation?" She sneered, leveling a challenging gaze at all present.

"Well, does no one here have the courage to face me?" Chrysalis kept the quaver from her voice, truthfully at this point she wasn't afraid of death, but the insignificance of her foes simply waiting for her death was another matter. Deciding to take matters into her own hooves she walked toward Celestia, her countenance unaffected by her three-legged gait. Even as those present tensed and poised to defend the Solar Diarch, she allowed the Changeling Queen to come nose to nose with her, Chrysalis breathing heavily.

"Is this it then? Are you not just a coward, but an honourless coward as well?" Chrysalis breathed, her one good eye making a piercing gaze into Celestia's. The intense glare slowly faded, the fight leaving the Changeling Queen as she slumped forward onto the Solar Princess, Celestia catching her out of reflex; Chrysalis breathed haggardly into Celestia's shoulder, her body gradually weighing heavier and heavier on the Solar Alicorn.

"Well... Never mind then..." Chrysalis tried to laugh but only hacked up some green spittle onto Celestia's back. To her credit Celestia ignored it as she gently lowered her fallen adversary onto the sand, cradling her in her hooves.

"Is that insufferable unicorn still here? I think I'd like to take her up on her offer now." Chrysalis managed a bark of a laugh, smirking up at Celestia. Her expression softened as the Princess couldn't help but offer a sad smile at the joke.

"Celestia..." Those nearby drew closer, Chrysalis wincing as she placed her remaining hoof on Celestia's chest.

"Yes, Chrysalis?"

"My subjects... My... My children... Will you watch over them?" Celestia nodded, beholding Chrysalis' walls falling for just a moment.

"I will, I promise." Celestia placed a hoof on top of Chrysalis', the dying Queen smirking. She couldn't bring herself to say it, but Celestia could see it in the Queen's eyes, those eyes closed as Chrysalis' breathing slowed.

Beep... Beep... Beep...

Why is there beeping in the afterlife...?

Beep... Beep... Beep...

Why is there pain in the afterlife...?

Beep... Beep... Beep...

Unless I've been condemned to the darkest pits of Tartarus...

Chrysalis dared to crack open her eyes, her vision burning against the harsh light, slowly but surely she opened her eyes, her surroundings coming into focus. She beheld the whitewashed room, the sterile smell that offended every creature that smelt it, and the steady droning of medical equipment.

Oh... It's worse.

The Changeling Queen made a futile attempt to sit up but rapidly abandoned the idea as pain threatened to lance through her body. She instead used her foreleg to throw back the blanket that was covering her. Chrysalis first examined the stump of what used to be her other leg, it had been cut back further, the chitin shaped and bound by hardened changeling slime.

As Chrysalis attempted to move her head she became acutely aware of something tugging at her neck, turning her head carefully she could just make out a plastic tube connected to her, yet another invention that ponies used to keep patients alive, if she recalled correctly.

Her time to dwell on her current circumstances was cut short as the door to the room opened, Chrysalis did her best to look over, but could only manage to look at the door out of the corner of her eye.

"I'll be honest your majesty, it's a miracle she's-" The Doctor stopped short as both he and Celestia caught sight of Chrysalis, very much awake and staring at them.

"-alive..." He finished weakly, Celestia however moved over to Chrysalis' bedside, gazing down at her.

"How are you feeling?" She asked calmly, tone as neutral as she could allow, but the empath Queen could sense the underlying current of worry. Chrysalis felt the whole gamut of emotions as the implications of her predicament hit her.

"Suprised." She settled on one, in particular, Celestia winced at the rasp to her voice.

"Why... How am I still alive?" The Changeling Queen managed a joyless chuckle.

"Your assessment of who was present in the desert overlooked one particular individual." Celestia responded, waiting as Chrysalis smirked.

"Ah, the Princess of Food..." Chrysalis turned her gaze to the ceiling.

"And how exactly did she pull that off? She can't create love, as I recall." Celestia shook her head.

"No, she can't, but she can use her magic to revitalise that which already exists. In spite of your actions in the past, there were those present that still bore love for you."

Chrysalis' eyes narrowed, carefully masking her surprise. She dropped her gaze back to Celestia, meeting the Princess' gaze with an arrogant smirk.

"And that brings us to the why... How is it you plan to end me then?" If she hadn't been able to sense the revulsion rising in Celestia, she would have been able to see it as plain as the day on her face.

"I have no intention-"

"Spare me the nobility, Princess. Execution and petrification may as well be the same word; banishment is exactly the same, just slower. We both know there is no prison that can hold me indefinitely. So how do you plan to do it?" Chrysalis sneered up at the Solar Diarch.

Author's Note

Entry one of this little enterprise!

This passage was spurred into being as I wanted to see an alternate take on Chrysalis' flight from the Badlands at the climax of season 6, particularly if Chrysalis did not fare well by herself and how she would handle the realisation of defeat.

I added in the hospital scene as I couldn't bring myself to kill her off. (This time, again...) But I'm not really satisfied with the scene as I was really writing to assauge myself and it was written without much care for aim or direction.

Partially inspired by the The Masks She Wears written by MadMaxtheBlack a marvelous, but unfortunately, seemingly dead story.