Heart Of Fire: You'll Be In My Heart

by Melody Brush

Prologue: Lost In The Everfree

Equestria was in chaos as an army of changelings swooped down, attacking every-pony in sight. Statues and buildings were falling apart from blasts of magic flying through the sky as ponies were running in the streets, screaming and panicking. The guards were fighting a losing battle as these changelings managed to charge their power with all forms of love before the attack. If they weren't tied up by the changelings' green slime they were being tied up as they fall in direct battle. Any who offered a decent fight were soon dropped after leaving heavy scars on themselves as well as the massive city.

A single changeling stood on a tower of the castle watching her comrades as they flew in taking the form of ponies to feed off of their love as the ponies searched to protect those they loved. Though they were gaining much power through this attack she did not understand why they had to fly in like this. They would have an easier time feeding off every-pony's love if they snuck in quietly or tried to gain their trust through peaceful means, though their love for each other was much stronger with the fear of losing one another was present as they fought to defend those they loved. Another walked up to her and lowered his head in a respectful bow.

"What?" She spat, causing another coming up behind her to cringe.

"Er... we've captured the six mares who were sent to retrieve the Elements of Harmony, my lady." He said, keeping his head down low to the ground.

"And why have you not taken them to the queen?" She asked sharply.

"Er... I'll see to that straight away, my lady." He replied.

"You should have told me, you already have." She turned fully to face her inferior comrade.

"P-p-please forgive me, my lady. I-I-it shall not happen again." He pleaded as he let his head drop closer to ground, his muzzle nearly touching the floor. She stepped closer to him, her horn glowing a menacing green. A flash of green and the sound of crumbling stone filled the air. The other changeling instantly curled up in a ball on the floor, trembling as if in his own personal quake. After a minute he dared to look up at his superior, who glared at him sharply.

"See to it that you don't. The next time will be your head." She ordered to the other changeling.

"Y-y-yes my lady!" He stammered. She turned back to watch the scene of her comrades flying around as ponies while the other changeling ran off at top speed for his life. By this time, most all the ponies were now at the mercy of the invading armada, unable to fight back at the unimaginable strength of these changelings.

"Why must we attack like this?" She asked herself. Just then, she felt a presence in her head and the face of Queen Chrysalis appeared in the back of her mind. "Yes, my queen?" She said.

"You know you need not call me that, my dear." The queen said in a rather gentle voice.

"I prefer to maintain formality while we are amongst others, your highness." She stated. The queen smiled at the changeling, excepting her wishes. "How might I serve you, my queen?"

"Come to me in the audience chamber. I wish for you to be with me at our moment of victory." The queen ordered.

"I shall be there at once!" The changeling said with a deep perfectly practiced bow and broke the magical connection with her queen before she took off from the tower and flew around the castle, watching every-pony running and screaming. She sighed at the sight. She flew down toward the castle and landed on the balcony of the audience chamber.

She saw a few of her comrade changelings flying away from a giant green chrysalis containing Princess Celestia within. Princess Cadence was stuck to the floor by some kind of green slime and Shining Armor hypnotized in place by the queen's influence. The only member of the royal family that was not there was the Princess of the Night, Princess Luna. The changeling saw the queen standing between the two princesses, a look of pride on her face.

The pink alicorn was shouting something to the queen but the changeling ignored her she the princess struggled to break free then several changelings came in with the six mares who threatened to stop them at their moment of triumph. She glared at the mares as they were brought in by her fellow comrades before the queen to face judgment.

"You were saying?" Chrysalis asked mockingly to the young princess. The queen then told her subjects to go and feed, which they did eagerly, then she walked to the balcony to watch the scene unfold. The changeling came up to her and stood faithfully beside her queen, watching as her comrades flew around the capital, every-pony running and screaming in fear.

Chrysalis sang to her victory of having every stallion, mare and foal at her control. There was nothing more this girl wanted in the world. She had it all.

The changeling looked up to her queen before she heard something from behind. She turned back to see that, somehow, Cadence had broken free from her bonds and was now standing by Shining Armor, their horns glowing as their hair flowed as if they were floating in water and raised to the sky.

"My queen!" She cried out, but it was too late. By the time Chrysalis looked back a powerful, magical shield was created from the two lovers and exploded out around Canterlot, sending the queen and all her subjects flying in the air from the capital.

The changeling tried to regain herself, but that blast had caught her by surprise and most of her strength was drained from it. The shield not only protected the city, but with the extra power of love fueling its energy, the changelings were rendered powerless from its blast.

She flew uncontrollably through the air until she flew through some leaves and crashed into a tree and fell to the ground. The crash caused the air to be knocked out of her. She struggled to her hooves, bruised and gasping to regain her breath. When she finally got to her hooves, she reached out with her drained magic to the queen.

"Your highness! Are you there?" She called.

"I live, my child." The queen's voice answered as an image of the queen's face filled the young changeling's mind. Chrysalis looked drained and a little bruised, but nothing serious like her own.

"Where are you?" The changeling asked.

"I am within the Everfree Forest, as are a number of my subjects." The queen answered. Before the changeling could ask her next question, the Queen spoke. "Find your way to the small town of Ponyville at the edge of the forest back toward the direction of Canterlot from where you are."

"Yes, my Queen." She replied before she broke the connection and flew off back toward the direction of Canterlot, where she would find Ponyville. Flying around the trees avoiding the thick vines and hiding from the bigger forest animals to avoid using what was left of her energy.

She came to a clearing where she found the queen and a number of other changelings gathered together while some others came in from the trees, each of which shared their own number of scars and bruises. She sat down next to the queen, who smiled down at her. The changeling could tell that the smile was both sincere and fake to try and hide the fury that was boiling up inside her. The changeling bowed to her queen respectfully.

"What are we to do of this, my queen?" The changeling asked. Chrysalis looked off toward the edge of the forest, letting her smile canish instantly as she pointed her hoof.

"The small town, Ponyville is not from here." The queen explained. "We will go and ravage the town. We may have lost the battle of Canterlot, but we will not stop there. We will take their humble village in stead!" The changelings gathered all buzzed and cheered at the queen's words.

The young changeling, however, remained silent as she looked over to the town beyond the forest. Some small parts of the town were visible, but most of it was hidden by the bushes and leaves. "This can't be worth all of this." The changeling sighed to herself.

The changeling found herself watching the terrible scene unfold in front of her. Lightning was striking everywhere from one source, a single dark blue pegasus with oddly shaped wings standing on a cloud. He used the thunder clouds above other pegasi gathered together to fight off the changelings. The pegasi on the clouds caused the thunder, sending some bolts to the stallion on the cloud who used that energy through his wings to attack the changelings. A stray bolt flew in the one changeling's direction and struck her on the side, sending her flying back though the trees, into the forest. She collided with a tree, the wind knocked out of her, then fell to the ground, a long burn running down her side and she was bruised, sore and weak.

She looked up from her spot and saw her comrades being chased away by the Storm Bringer as he cast more bolts of lightning through his wings, the majority of them were directed to the Queen. She tried to get up to help her queen, but it was useless. Each time she tried to move, soring pain surged through her body. She was used up from the magical energy field that blasted her and her fellow changelings away from Canterlot Castle and the current battle left her scarred.

Most of her fellow changelings were killed or injured if not chased off by the Storm Bringer they had faced many times before over the years and soon enough the forest was devoid of all other changelings and ponies leaving only the sound of leaves rustling in the wind and forest animals braving to come out of their hiding places after the chaos settled down.

The changeling closed her eyes and tried to reach out with what magic she had left to find the Queen. "My Queen...?" She called out with her mind, but there was no response. Not to mention the pain it caused her just to try and use her mind. "Queen Chrysalis?" She called again. Still nothing.

Hours later she was alone, lost in this gods forsaken forest with no sufficient love to feed off of. Not even the animals dared to come close enough for her to get a chance. She lay on the ground in a bush near the tree she had crashed into, her head on her hooves as her body screamed in pain. She knew this was the end for her. She had no strength left to change to a pony if one were to happen upon her and find a way to feed of their love, no animal was enough to give her a jumpstart and none of the changelings were coming back after all the events of the day.

She was done for.