//------------------------------// // 3: It Reminds Me Of A Story // Story: Death of a Queen, V2. // by Arkane12 //------------------------------// Chrysalis counted the small holes dotting the ceiling. In her previous attempts, the count reached upwards of three hundred before the pain in her leg or itch on her muzzle broke her concentration. Restrained to such a small range of motion, simple tasks like those became nigh impossible. On her sixth attempt, as she passed the four hundred mark, she heard the door open and caught the tail end of a conversation. “ . . . changes in her condition, Doctor Heart?” A mare’s voice, one she knew too well. Luna. Beneath their conversation, Chrysalis heard their hoofsteps grow closer. As they stopped, she caught the sound of feathery wings fluttering.             “Nothing yet.” This voice belonged to an older stallion. “I have to warn you, Princess, I’ve never seen anything like this.” Chrysalis heard bedsheets rustle, followed by a pained gasp. “We’re throwing everything we can at this, but she isn’t responding well to any of our treatments. At this point, we’re running out of options.”             “Has Twilight been to visit?” Luna asked after a long pause.              “Plenty. Too often for my liking, in fact.”  “What do you mean?”  The doctor sighed. “She might be an alicorn now, but she doesn’t have quite the same endurance as you and your sister. She was exhausted and practically malnourished; Her royal attendants had to carry her home.”             “I expected about as much. Thank you for seeing to her health.” Luna’s jewelry chimed as her head turned. “What about the other one?” Chrysalis tasted the venom in her words. “Hard to say. Changeling anatomy’s a bit out of my paygrade.”             “Will she live?”             “She . . .” The doctor paused. “The external damage appears superficial. She’s not in any danger of bleeding out. But if we can’t figure out a way to feed her, none of that is going to matter.”  The doctor’s words reignited the hunger pangs that Chrysalis had all but forgotten. She would kill for just a whiff of love. It took her a moment to realize she’d started drooling. “Thank you, Doctor,” Luna said. “I understand that I am asking quite a lot from you, but there is nopony else I trust to handle this.”  “I can’t make any promises, but I’ll do whatever I can.” The Doctor cleared his throat. “I’ll keep you informed if there are any changes that warrant your attention. But in the meantime, you should return to the castle and get some rest. It’s nearly dawn, after all.” “I know.” Luna sighed. “It feels a little strange. All those years, I felt her magic as she raised and lowered my moon for me. I never believed I would have to raise the sun for her.” After a brief moment of silence, Chrysalis heard the door open and shut once again. However, she could still hear the scratch of a quill in the room.  Chrysalis leaned forward as best she could without rattling her chains. In the dim light, she could barely make out the shadow of a unicorn through the curtain. He stood between the two beds watching as his quill scribbled away on the clipboard hovering beside him. As she stretched for a closer look, a muscle in Chrysalis’ wounded thigh tightened, causing her to wince. Though she managed to choke back a grunt of pain, she couldn’t stop her leg from twitching and turning her cuff into an alarm bell. The curtain locking her away crept back, revealing a small blue unicorn in a white lab coat.  “Oh, you’re awake.” He said emotionlessly. He marked a note into a box on the top of the page without taking his eyes off the changeling. Neither of them moved for a few brief moments. “How are you feeling?” “Take these chains off, Pony. I’ll show you how I feel.” Chrysalis growled. He nodded, his quill moving with a mind of its own. “I was referring specifically to your pain. Any serious discomfort?” “Obviously,” Chrysalis huffed. “These chains chafe, my leg hurts, and some pathetic little pony keeps bothering me with these inane questions.” She tried to be snide and turn away, but only made it halfway before the restraints pulled taut. “Think you have something to fix that?”  “Of course I do. I can leave.” With a nod, he hooked his file on the small plastic case at the foot of Chrysalis’ bed before turning away. A faint blue magic lit up the door handle and tugged it open. The sudden flood of fluorescent light pouring in from the hallway startled Chrysalis. “A nurse will be by in the morning to check on you.”  “Wait,” Chrysalis cried, the desperation in her voice surprised even her. The doctor turned and raised an eyebrow. Chrysalis took a moment to calm herself before she continued. “Just where do you think you’re going? I have not dismissed you yet.”  Without a word, the doctor took another step toward the hallway. “I’m ordering you to halt!” Chrysalis snarled. She struggled against her restraints.              “I don’t take orders from you.” The doctor, still standing in the doorway, turned to face Chrysalis. “While you’re here, you are my patient. “I’m simply doing what you asked, aren’t I? If I leave, you don’t have a headache anymore and I get to go down to the break room and get some sleep. Sounds like a win-win to me.”  Through the open door behind her doctor, Chrysalis saw several nurses watching the exchange between darting glances. Without her horn, Chrysalis’ senses had dulled dramatically, but she could still feel their fear through the haze. But not the doctor. His expression didn’t budge. “Now, did you have something you needed to ask me before I go?” Chrysalis stammered for a moment, flabbergasted by her complete lack of control. “Fine.” She whispered.  “Would you help me?” “That’s better.” Doctor Heart stepped back inside and let the door swing shut. He retrieved her file and returned to her bedside. “Now, would you like to tell me what’s bothering you?” He asked, calm as a waveless sea. Chrysalis' hatred toward this pony started to outweigh her pain. Quite possibly, she hated him more than the four princesses combined. And most of that stemmed from his complete indifference. He should have been angry at her for wasting his time, or smug that he’d managed to outfox her. Instead, he wore the same expression as the wooden chair tucked away in the corner of the room. It made her feel irrelevant. “It hurts,” Chrysalis said, ignoring her fury.  “Where?”  She answered by pointing to the foot of her bed. Following her lead, he walked around to the other side of the bed and pulled back the sheets. Though the heavy wool comforter remained clean, a red stain marred the sheet beneath it. With a frown, he inspected her injured leg. Chrysalis couldn’t see, but she could feel the blood seeping from where her flesh met metal. “I told those muscleheads they were making this one too tight.” The doctor shook his head but his neatly styled mane remained still. “Give me a minute. I’ll take care of this.”  He retrieved a supply kit from one of the cabinets beside the bed. Chrysalis tensed, noticing the red cross marking the front of the case. Doctor Heart pulled up a stool and a table for his supplies. With a deft display of magic, he unraveled and sterilized a length of white cloth. Over the course of the next several minutes, he slipped the bandage under the metal cuff. Chrysalis observed him, ready to struggle if he tried anything. Although, the longer she watched, the more the sight of her own blood started to affect her. Between that and her hunger pangs, she felt lightheaded. To keep from passing out, she turned her attention to studying the room around her.  It was bigger than she’d imagined. Darker, too. Doctor Heart kept the lights off, relying on the moon and stars to bring visibility.  A few chairs and tables were set out like a cozy den across the other half of the room. For families, she guessed. They probably hadn’t seen much use recently. To her right, Chrysalis could see the other bed. Even in her current state, Celestia looked as flawless as ever. Somepony had scrubbed away the dirt and sand stuck in her fur from her time at the hive. She had a blanket pulled up to her neck, hiding the wounds on her body. The peaceful expression on her face made Chrysalis angry, though she didn’t quite understand why. Doctor Heart finished wrapping the injury and tugged the bandage taut. The soft white cloth not only stopped the bleeding but also served as cushioning against the cold metal cuff. “Done.” He leaned back from his work. “Anything else bothering you?”  Chrysalis turned her gaze from Celestia to the doctor, and then back to Celestia. She hoped he might pick up her meaning, but the Doctor seemed oblivious to her intention. Grinding her teeth, Chrysalis finally asked. “Why is she here with me?”  Doctor Heart glanced over his shoulder at Celestia. “Princess Luna decided you two should be kept secret. Aside from my team and the nurses outside, nopony else in the hospital knows you’re here.” As he fell silent again, Chrysalis shifted her leg for the first time without pain.  “You . . . actually helped me?” Chrysalis asked, surprise sneaking through her contempt.             “What did you expect?” The doctor pulled a second slip of paper from his clipboard and scribbled a report on his work. “I’m a doctor. That means I took an oath. You might be a changeling, but you’re still my patient. That makes you my responsibility.”  Chrysalis chewed on a question for a moment before finally asking.  “You’re not afraid of me, are you?”  The doctor glanced up. “Should I be?”  Chrysalis chuckled. “Seriously? You do know who I am, don’t you?”  “Chrysalis. Former Changeling Queen. At least that’s what it says on your chart.”  “Former?” Chrysalis scoffed. “How dare you? I am a Changeling Queen.”  “Not according to the Changelings.” Doctor Heart shrugged.  Chrysalis ground her teeth. “How dare you. Those things you ponies love so much don’t deserve to be called Changelings. I am a Changeling. And once I find my way free of these restraints, I shall have to teach you to fear me.”             Doctor Heart arched his brow.  “What?” Chrysalis asked through grit teeth.  “When you got here, Princess Luna threatened to flay you with moonlight,” Doctor Heart explained. “It may have been the strangest threat I’ve ever heard. But when I stepped between the two of you, I thought I’d get to learn right then and there what it meant. There are few things in this world scarier than an angry alicorn. And you’re not one of them.”             “You’re more scared of her than me? I led a hostile takeover of Canterlot. I defeated your precious princesses twice.” The doctor’s words left her stunned. Even more surprising, she felt insulted by them. “I defeated Luna! And she scares you worse?”            “Yes.” His blasé response stung more than a little. “Actually, speaking of Princess Luna, she came by to see you earlier,” Doctor Heart said.  “I heard.” That would be a conversation to look forward to. “I also heard you tell her you’d send word when I was awake. I doubt she’s even left the hospital yet.”             “She has a tendency to get lost.” He chuckled. Chrysalis settled her head back against her pillow, eyes wandering over the hundreds of little holes. “So, why haven’t you told her? I'm sure she’s as eager to punish me as I am to get it over with.”  “Because you need to rest.” He spoke softly. It sounded almost . . . gentle. How long had it been since anypony had spoken to her in such a way? “Why?” The queen felt like a grub, mewling that question again and again. “Without rest, your condition won’t improve. And angry alicorns make rest difficult.” “No,” Chrysalis shook her head. “I mean why are you doing this?” “Doing what?” “Why are you helping me? Do you not understand that I would have killed you without a second thought? I wouldn’t have lost a wink of sleep over it. And yet, here you are trying to be friendly. If you think that will spare you from my wrath, you’re quite mistaken.” “If you kill me,” Doctor Heart began. “Who’s going to change your bandages?”   Chrysalis opened her mouth, ready to berate the doctor for such a stupid question. But she couldn’t. She couldn’t think of an answer.  “It’s my turn to ask some questions,” the Doctor said, resting his haunches on his rolling stool. “Do you know where you are?” “It’s a hospital. Obviously.” Chrysalis rolled her eyes.  “Right.” Doctor Heart leaned back against Celestia’s bed. “Canterlot Royal Hospital, to be exact. You’ve been here for three days. You were unconscious for most of it.” “Three days?” The Doctor nodded. “What’s the last thing you remember?” “I was sitting in my hive. Celestia just . . . walked in.” The words flowed easily. Too easily. Was she so desperate for conversation to resort to chatting with a pony? “She spoke to me . . . but I don’t remember anything she said.” The harder she searched, the more the memory just seemed to float away. She could see the alicorn’s lips moving, but she couldn’t hear anything. But even that was enough to make her pulse rise. “I just remember being . . . angry.” “It doesn’t surprise me that your memory’s a little fuzzy. You were dying, after all,” he said coldly. “Starvation mostly, but not an insignificant amount of blood loss. Wasn’t too sure you were going to wake up at all.”  “And Celestia rescued me, I guess?” Chrysalis scoffed.  “No.” Doctor Heart reached into his coat and pulled out a metal case about the size of his hoof. “Princess Twilight. She brought both of you back.” “Twilight?” Chrysalis’ eyebrow raised as the Doctor nodded. “Great. As if the baby princess needed an ego boost.” She frowned. “Although, I must admit I don’t remember Twilight being there.” The doctor glanced up as he pulled a cigarette from the case. “Understandable. She found both of you unconscious in your hive.” He put the end of the cigarette between his lips and returned the case to his pocket. “How about the leg? Remember what caused that?”  “Just some light cleaning,” Chrysalis snarled.  “Hmm. Sounds like you’ve had a rough few months.” “You have no idea.” She shot a spiteful glance in Celestia’s direction. ”And it’s all her fault. Her and that prissy little Twilight. Just another notch in the long list of their offenses against me.”  “That’s quite the grudge.” “Of course it is! Why shouldn’t it be?” Chrysalis snapped. “They took everything from me. I won’t be satisfied until I’ve returned the favor. I will make them all suffer.” The Doctor laughed.  “Excuse me?” Chrysalis narrowed her eyes in his direction. “Is something about that funny to you, Doctor?”  “No, it’s just that you reminded me of an old patient of mine.” Doctor Heart chomped the end of his cigarette. “You see, he spent his nights in the bar, picking fights with strangers. And when he lost, he’d come to me and ask me to patch him up. And while I did, he would rant about how the other guy got in a lucky hit and that tomorrow, he’d go back and find them the next night to get his revenge.” Chrysalis wrinkled her muzzle. “Don’t compare me with some pony drunkard.”  Doctor Heart’s smile faded with a chuckle. “Then one night, he just stopped showing up. I figured he must’ve finally picked a fight he couldn’t walk away from. Nopony knows what happened to him. Truth is, I don’t think anypony really cared.” His gaze returned from the past. “I can’t even remember his name anymore.”  “Is there some point to this story, Pony?” Chrysalis asked, sneering. “Nope.” He shook his head. “Just reminiscing.” He took a deep breath and stood, kicking his stool and sending it rolling across the room. “Anyways, I should let you get some rest.” As he straightened up, his old joints popped into place. “Oh, by the way, expect visitors tomorrow.”             “Visitors? Me?” Chrysalis laughed. “Maybe you really don’t know who I am.”             Without another word, the doctor left, closing the door gently behind him. Alone again, Chrysalis returned to her favorite pastime. She made it as far as six before her thoughts shook themselves loose. That Doctor had a lot of nerve, even for a pony. She considered adding him to her list, but figured against it. An old pony like him would be a waste of effort. He’d be dead soon enough on his own. With that, Chrysalis allowed her eyes to drift close.  But the night was too quiet to sleep. She swore she could still hear the faint whispers of the hivemind buzzing around her head. But they weren’t. Her Changelings were gone. They had betrayed her. And in their stead, they left nothing but a silent maw, still haunted by the echoes of the past. The emptiness tore at her, forcing her to think, lest she be consumed by her wandering mind.  And, in its cruelty, her mind returned to the Doctor’s words. They were nonsense. A story, fabricated with the sole intention of getting under her shell. He’d probably never had a friend in his life. He knew nothing of her. Her struggles. Her hardships. How dare he compare her to a forgotten drunk?  Even if her name slipped from the annals of pony legends, she would live on in the thoughts and minds of her children. Though they had betrayed her, they would not forget the Queen that spawned them, that fought for them, that sacrificed for them. They might abandon her, but they would not abandon her memory . . . Would they?