CHAPTER IV:
THE QUEEN
The next morning Blazing woke up to his alarm clock at seven AM. He shut the alarm off then sat up on his bed stretching as he let out a big yawn. He got out of his bed and walked out of his room into the hall. He turned right and walked toward the guest room. The door was cracked open, which made his heart skip a beat. He slowly and calmly pushed the door open.
The room was quiet, the bed was empty and the window was open. His eyes shot open wide. "Chocolate?" He called, running to the window. He looked for any sign of a brown, or black, pegasus in the sky, but saw nothing. Did she leave? It has been over a week since he found her in the forest and she was strong enough to change her form. The fact that she was not in the room most likely meant she... wait.
Blazing turned around and left the room, ran down the hall then down the stairs. When he reached the bottom of the stairs he looked franticly for anypony else in the house. "Chocolate?" He called. Movement came from the kitchen. He darted over the couch toward the kitchen door and was abruptly stopped by a black figure walking out of the kitchen. The two collided into each other and crashed to the floor.
Blazing looked up to see the changeling form of his new friend. "What is going on?" She asked, rubbing her head with a hoof. The collision was mainly met with their heads but Blazing ignored the throbbing of his head as he reached up and hugged Chocolate. She gasped at his action, not knowing how to react. Realizing what he was doing, he let go of her, his cheeks red with embarrassment.
"Sorry" He said. Chocolate looked shocked, her mouth hanging open with her eyes, unblinkingly, locked on Blazing.
"That was..." She started. "What was that?" She asked. Blazing looked puzzled.
"You don't know what a hug is?" He asked. She shook her head in response, her expression unchanged. Blazing felt his cheeks flush even more as he searched for the words to explain. Then there was a knock on the front door, which made them jump. With a flash of green light Chocolate changed to her pony form. Blazing got to his hooves and trotted over to the door. When he opened the door he was met with a loud BANG fallowed by a rainfall of confetti.
"Surprise!" Shouted the pink, energetic earth pony, Pinkie Pie. "Is Chocolate here? She's going to be late." Blazing shook his head from the shock of the explosion at his front door.
"Late for what Pinkie?" He asked. Pinkie looked at him in disbelief.
"Well, dah!" She said. "Late for her Welcome-To-Town Party." Blazing's eyes shot open with realization. Pinkie always threw a party for every occasion.
"Sorry Pinkie. Where is the party?" He asked.
"At Sugar Cube Corner. Where else?" She replied.
"We'll be there." He said.
"Great!" Pinkie chirped. "But hurry! Everypony will be there any minute and you don't want to miss any of the fun. I made Cupcakes, got balloons and streamers, juice and..." Pinkie was silenced by Blazing's yellow hoof.
"Okay Pinkie. We'll be there." He said with a chuckle.
"Okie dokie lokie!" Pinkie began to hop away, then stopped and looked back. "And don't worry Feathers. It's not like Chocolate's going to fly away and bring back an army against Ponyville." Blazing's eyes shot open and stared at the pink earth pony. Did she know? Pinkie just smiled and hopped away. Blazing looked back at Chocolate, who shared the same look of confusion and shock.
They went back in the house to get a few things taken care of then walked out the door, closing it and locking the house up then headed off to Sugar Cube Corner. They fallowed Pinkie through town to Sugar Cube Corner. Everypony Blazing knew and introduced Chocolate to was there, except for his best friend from when he was a young colt. Pinkie announced the mare of the hour saying how she was from Canterlot and that she is staying with Blazing while she was in town.
"Hey, Stripes." Blazing and Chocolate looked back to see Rainbow Dash smiling at them mischievously. "Are you to enjoying your date?" She asked.
"Dash!" Blazing snapped.
"Calm down, Stripes, I was just joking." Blazing glared at Dash, who smirked while raising an eyebrow. After a minute, Blazing broke out into a small smile. "Your a marshmallow, Stripes." Dash said while Chocolate laughed at the two.
Blazing and Chocolate spent all morning at the party. The Cutie Mark Crusaders spent a lot of time getting to know chocolate, which she enjoyed very much. Chocolate was happy to be at this party, she considered it a relief to get away from Zecora's rhyming for a change, but she mostly was enjoying the love given to her by her new friends. She could not help but notice most of the love was coming from one stallion. Every time she turned to look she noticed the yellow pegasus turning his head away to focus on something else.
~~)oOo(~~
Blazing and Chocolate were now at the usual place outside of Ponyville where Blazing was working out wile Chocolate watched. Blazing was in the middle of doing his wing-ups when he stopped midway up. Chocolate's eyes narrowed as she saw him stop his exercise. "What is it Blaze?" She asked him. Blazing got to his hooves and looked over at her.
“I was thinking." He replied.
"About what?" Blazing's cheeks started to flush.
"Well, er, how do I put it? Um..." He looked away, scratching the back of his neck as the redness on his cheeks growing deeper. Chocolate's eyes widened with realization.
"Blazing." She said. He looked back at her. There was a long silence before she spoke again. "I guess, I knew this was coming." Blazing's red face was replaced with an expression of slight surprise.
"Being able to sense this kinda thing makes it easy, doesn't it?" He asked. Chocolate nodded. "I don't know what to think about this." He said. "I mean, I always cared for my friends no matter what their race was." Blazing did have a large heart for his friends, it was apart of him being a sensitive stallion. Zecora was a zebra and the best at mixing herbs and potions for those in need and she had stripes like his own which made him feel like she was family to him. Rainbow always challenged him and tried to toughen him up a bit, she really was like a sister to him. But, he felt more than a friend to Chocolate.
He found her cut up and bruised in the forest and helped her, even though she was a changeling. He took her into his house and kept her hidden from the whole town right under everypony's noses. And now he spent every waking moment with her. He may have been afraid of her at times because she was a changeling, but he did not care right now. He just enjoyed being with her and wanted to spend more time with her.
"Let me ask you something." He said. Chocolate nodded. "You should be healed up enough by now to be able to leave." He paused for a moment watching her reactions. "Why haven't you left?" Chocolate looked away from Blazing, her eyes locked on the ground. Blazing looked at her waiting for her to answer.
"You were the only one who showed me kindness." She said, looking him in the eye. "You did what nopony else would. You took me to be healed, you give me a warm comfortable place to sleep and you make great hot chocolate." The last bit made Blazing smile as he let out a faint chuckle. "And after Pinkie's party today, I have more friends then I ever would have with the changelings. Real friends, not simple ponies to feed love off of. I never left because of you. I want to stay with you." Blazing's eyes lit up.
"Does this mean..." He started, but could not finish his question because of her hoof covering his mouth. She nodded as she smiled at him. She removed her hoof from Blazing's mouth as tears started to form in his eyes. There was a flash of green light and Rainbow was sitting where Chocolate was.
"Oh quit being such a marshmallow." The fake Rainbow said in a perfect impression of the real Rainbow Dash. Blazing looked frantically around to see if anypony was around to see the transformation then waved his hooves for her to change back. She chuckled and with the same green flash Chocolate was back to the pony they had created. "See? You don't want anything to happen to me." Blazing smiled then reached up and embraced her in a hug. At first she just sat there not knowing what to do then she slowly wrapped her forelegs around him.
Little did the two realize that in the bushes near the forest was another changeling watching them. The changeling shook his head then turned to fly off.
~~)oOo(~~
The changeling flew in through the rocky mountains in the Everfree Forest. He spotted an opening on the mountain side and flew into the cave. Inside was a large number of injured changelings, many of them cut and bruised, others flat out on the ground groaning in pain and some not even moving at all. The changeling walked past, ignoring all the others. He came to a changeling taller than the rest, who was facing deeper in the cave and she was more bruised and cut up than the others. The first changeling bowed to the taller one.
"Did you find her?" The tall one asked, her voice was deep and menacing.
"Yes your highness." He replied. "She is in Ponyville... with a pegasus."
"Is she feeding off of this pegasus?" She asked. The changeling did not answer. "Well?"
"It seems that the stallion found her in the forest. He had her healed and took her into his home." He reported.
"That is not what I asked." Queen Chrysalis said as she turned her head enough for him to see her right eye. "Is she feeding off of him?" He lowered his gaze, cringing under her glare.
"My queen, she changed her shape in front of him and he was afraid others saw her." Chrysalis' glare started to harden. "A-and, s-she wishes to stay with him." Chrysalis turned all the way around to face her subject. He closed his eyes bowing his head so low his nose touched the ground.
"This pegasus knows what she is and still allows her to stay with him?" She asked, her tone sharp and accusing.
"Y-yes, my queen." Chrysalis arched an eyebrow as she stared at him. He dared to look up at her as she walked past him, causing him to cringe as she walked to the cave opening. The changeling let out a sigh then got to his hooves after realizing his queen had walked past and him followed her. Chrysalis got to the cave opening and stared off in the distance in the direction of the town where she and her changelings were placed in their current condition by the dark blue pegasus Storm Bringer.
What are you doing child? She asked herself. Are you merely gaining his trust as a changeling to feed off him? The changeling stood beside his queen looking up at her.
"Shall I bring her back to you, my queen?" He asked. Chrysalis gaze never shifted. "Your highness?"
"No," she said as she kept her gaze to the town, "I want you to go and keep an eye on her. She may be using him to gain strength." The changeling bowed again before taking off out of the cave. "Wait you fool!" Chrysalis snapped at the changeling. He stopped mid flight and turned to face his queen.
Chrysalis lowered her head, her horn starting to glow with green magic. The changeling closed his eyes and braced himself. There was a flash of green light that shot straight to the changeling. The changeling opened his eyes and looked at himself to find nothing had happened. He looked up at the queen in confusion.
"A simple spell that makes you undetectable by other changelings." She explained with a cold stare. "Report back to me about everything she does. If she truly does feel for the stallion, I'll speak to her myself."
"Yes my queen." The changeling replied. A flash of green flames engulfed him and he was a blue pegasus with brown mane then took off toward the town to carry out his orders. Chrysalis watched as her loyal subject left her behind, het thoughts turning to the one she involuntarily left behind.
My child, forgive me. Chrysalis thought to herself. I never wanted to leave you. I will watch over you now and always. You are the one who must take my place as Queen Of The Changelings. Please do not falter, she closed her eyes and reached out with her magic, ... my daughter.
~~)oOo(~~
Chocolate felt a shiver in her spine. She looked over to the direction of the mountains in the forest. A twinge of fear filled her eyes as she felt something she had not felt since the attack at Canterlot and after the events of the past week she did not like the feeling. She was brought back into reality by a pink hoof waving in front of her. She flinched at the hoof and looked around to see Blazing, Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie all staring at her.
"Yep, she's still in there." Pinkie said in her cheery voice.
"What's with you?" Rainbow asked. "You blacked out on us for a good five minutes there."
"Sorry." Chocolate answered. "I just... er. I need a minute." She turned and walked away. Rainbow looked at Blazing with a look of confusion and annoyance.
"What?" He asked her.
Dash just motioned her head for him to follow Chocolate. He took the hint and trotted after her. He caught up with her and walked by her side.
"What's wrong Chocolate?" He asked. She stopped and looked back at the other two mares then back at him.
"Can you wait until we get back home?" She asked. Blazing looked at her for a moment then nodded his head. He looked back at Dash and Pinkie waving a hoof at them.
"I'll talk to you guys later." He called. Dashed had that 'what the hay' look while Pinkie just returned the wave. Blazing and Chocolate resumed walking, heading toward the house by the library. They got to the house and walked in. Blazing closed the door behind them wile Chocolate went straight upstairs. As she vanished Blazing started to grow a little more concerned.
He went into the kitchen, put the kettle of water on the stove, took a couple packs of hot chocolate from the cabinet and started to make his friend’s favorite treat. When the hot chocolate was done Blazing put the mugs on a tray and carried the tray up stairs. Chocolate was laying face down on the bed in the guest room in her changeling form. Blazing sat the tray on the nightstand beside the bed then sat down next to her. Chocolate did not reach for any of the mugs.
"What's going on, Chocolate?" Blazing asked. Chocolate raised her head to look at Blazing, fear was visible in her eyes.
"I felt... " she trailed off, fighting a knot in her throat. "I felt... her." Blazing first looked confused, then realized who she was talking about. "I haven't felt her magic like that since Canterlot and after the first few days you found me I hoped I never would again."
"Do you think she knows you're here?" Blazing asked. Chocolate shook her head.
"I can only feel her when she is close, or she uses her magic." There was a long silence. Blazing started to say something but was caught off guard by Chocolate embracing him in a tight hug. "Please protect me Blazing." She begged, tears starting to form down her cheeks. Blazing returned the hug to comfort her.
"It'll be alright. I'll be here for you, always." Chocolate's hug grew tighter making it a little hard for him to breath. Her tears turning to quiet sobs. "Don't cry, I won't let anything happen to you." She loosened her embrace and smiled at Blazing.
"Thank you so much." After one more tight hug the two took the mugs of hot chocolate and headed back downstairs to watch TV. This time was different than usual because they were closer now. They watched a movie about a stallion called Spirit. Chocolate leaned against Blazing's shoulder wile he wrapped a hoof around her shoulders.