//------------------------------// // Chapter Two: Past // Story: Used Up // by Drizzle Quill //------------------------------// I remember love. I loved so, so much. My heart overflowed with it, and my mind could almost not compute it. He was my world. My lover, my adorer, my pet. My schnoopie doopie pony pie. He loved me back, in the same way I adored him. Life was perfect that way. No other ponies could pull us apart. None could distract us. My friend Marie talked to me sometimes. I don’t know what she was saying. I was too lost in my cuddle-wuddle fluffy bear’s eyes. “A dragon! Ze prince was correct, Chroma! You must take immediate action! Please! Chroma!!!” She was saying something. I didn’t care too much. Cloudy Isle put his hoof under my chin and rubbed his nose to mine. I giggled and whispered in his ear, causing him to snicker too, and softly kiss my cheek, making me laugh. “Chroma! Ze dragon is here! Chroma, ze royal guards do not know what to do! Zey’re falling, Chroma! Your subjects are falling! Chroma, I’m begging you! I know not of what has happened to you, but…please! Chroma!” I felt a hoof tugging on my leg, but I turned it away, continuing to stare into my Cloudy-Woudy Fluffle Puff’s eyes. They are the prettiest shade of dark blue, like rippling sapphire oceans. I swatted Marie away and grinned at him. He grinned back. He was my special somepony, after all. My eyes opened; I took a sharp breath in and stared out at the ruined wasteland before me. What had once been vibrant and full of color – my color – was now devoid of any life or magic whatsoever. Rubble littered the whole area, topped with lone fruit carts and other stalls. Above it all stood the castle, still standing, but one of the towers had slid off. The tower containing my bedroom. Marie is crying her eyes out next to me, but I don’t cry. I got to my hooves, wings spread majestically despite the terror, and slowly began walking towards my nation. Amera has fallen. “Chroma, what has gotten into you? Please, Chroma! I know you have no…no feelings for zis prince!” Marie pulled on my shoulder, sobs shaking her entire body as she screamed at me to hurry up, to order the guards, to tell them what to do. They were trying, she said, but they didn’t know how to face the dragon down. But Cloudy didn't want me to go, and I didn't want to go either. I flicked Marie away like she was an annoying little bug and took a sip of the milkshake we were sharing. In the distance I could hear the faintest of screams, but I paid no attention to them. What was I supposed to do? It wasn't like I could stop ponies from screaming. "Chromie?" Cloudy asked, nuzzling me and causing me to giggle. "Yes, Cloudy-Woudy?" "Would you-?" I never got to hear the rest of his sentence; Marie grabbed my arm, closed her eyes tight, and suddenly all I could see was a bright flash of violet. I screamed for Cloudy to swoop in and save me but he was nowhere in sight. I felt a hoof on my chest and looked up to see Marie, eyes narrowed and angry. "Listen to me, Chroma!" she shrieked. I twisted and turned, screeching my lungs out. "Cloudy! Cloudy! CLOUDY!" "Marie?" I spoke calmly as I heard her catch up to me. "What has happened to Amera?" "It was all zat prince's fault," the unicorn replied soulfully, gesturing at the mess that used to be my precious kingdom. "He gave you a drink...it put you...out of ze count for quite a while." "Out of the count?" I repeated, lifting one hoof to avoid stepping on a brick and instead turning back to look at Marie, green eyes widened. "What did he give me, then? Did he knock me out? Perhaps cause me to destroy my own kingdom?" "No, Chroma-" "I knew we shouldn't have trusted him! He brought that dragon to us! Probably trying to make sure his kingdom was the best! Well, I knew it! I knew it, Marie, and you can't argue with that!" Marie bit her lip and looked down, using her magic to play with her pink and green mane. "Well, no, but Chroma, it was not a 'knock-out potion' zat he gave you..." "Then what was it?" I demanded, stopping in my tracks and whipping around so that we were muzzle to muzzle. She stared at me in horror; I could feel her warm, panicked breath brush my snout, which I wrinkled and pushed forward, insisting an answer. "Well, Chroma, it wasn't really a potion with a bad intent." "Anything that results in this-" I gestured at my once beautiful kingdom, reduced to rubble and ashes upon the cold, hard ground and snarled a little just thinking about it. "-must have been given with a bad intent." "But it wasn't!" Marie insisted, before realizing that she was getting worked up and taking a deep breath. "...Chroma. Ze potion that Prince Cloudy Isle gave you...was a love potion." "Chroma, stop your struggling! I am trying to help you!" "Where'd Cloudy go?" I wailed, thrashing even harder against Marie's will, knowing she would give way at some point. "You can't take him from me! You can't! You can't!" "Calm yourself, Chroma! Calm yourself! You can't go back to see zat prince, he is becoming bad for you! And you must wake up! Zat dragon will not leave by itself!" Her voice was really starting to annoy me; with a single swipe I lashed out at Marie's face and felt my hoof connect with her cheek, causing her to scream and leap backwards, off of me. I got straight up to my hooves and looked around, trying to figure out where she had taken me. It was a room, a room that I recognized. One with a simple décor and darkness on all sides, not counting the small window next to the bed. It was indeed my room. Why had she taken me here? I should have stayed with my Cloudy! I called for him now, in a loud, flirtatious voice whilst Marie wailed on the floor, hooves clasped tightly over the wound that I had caused. All of a sudden there was a loud roaring noise, like an age old dragon was spitting out a fireball, and the whole room started to heat up. Marie screamed and leapt for me, ignoring her injury as she shut her eyes and concentrated. I knew what was going to happen next, but I didn't fight it this time. Through the violet light of her teleportation, I watched my room burst into flames. "A love potion?" I couldn't believe my ears; I actually turned and stared at Marie as if she was crazy but evidently she was not. "Wouldn't I still be able to manage my kingdom under a love potion?" The whole thing sounded so ridiculous I wanted to laugh. "Zat's what he believed as well," Marie murmured. "You've spoken to him?" I grit my teeth. "Did you bash his skull in for me?" She surprised me by looking honestly shocked by this statement. "Chroma! He had the best of intentions! He didn't realize zat the potion would cause both of you to be...out of ze game, for a while." She stared off into space, obviously trying not to look straight at my face. "Marie Fauna." I tried not to be rough with her but I couldn't help it; using my green aura I jerked her face towards mine and pulled her muzzle close, so that I could feel her hot, panicked breath on my nose. "What did I act like while I was under this spell? What did Cloudy Isle make me do?" "You won't like it." I have to force back a laugh. That's all she says to me? You won't like it? I already knew that. I just needed to know. "Tell me, Marie. Tell me now." She shakes her head as much as she can while under the grip of my strong magic. "Non, Chroma. You will not enjoy the results. It was...it was not a pretty sight." "Tell me, Marie Fauna!" My eyes narrow with the anger building up inside of me, like a volcano ready to burst. I can feel the magic in my horn starting to overflow; little green sparks fly in front of me. Marie is thrashing now. "My kingdom is gone, and I want to know why!" At the last word, my magic explodes in a blast of emerald. Marie screams. Marie and I hover outside of the kingdom, watching ponies flee in all directions. Fillies scramble to keep up with their parents, while pegasi zoom out of the way of the destruction. Another roar splits the air and a fireball comes hurtling towards a building, causing it to explode. Somehow I feel like I am responsible for this, but that can't be right. The only purpose in my life is Cloudy. Cloudy is my sun, the one that I revolve around, and all the other ponies are the stars, the ones that don't matter, that are only there to look nice. Cloudy...where is he? I need my Cloudy! But before I can scream, a hoof is stuffed in my mouth, and I can see Marie bending over me, a wild look in her eyes. "Chroma, wake up! Wake up now! We need you!" That is when I see it: the huge dragon, with scarlet scales larger than me. Is Cloudy over there? Is he in danger? I thrash harder, trying to escape the unicorn's grasp but she's strong, and holds me down. In pure frustration I alight my horn with a green aura, enveloping it around Marie and tossing her aside. "CLOUDY!" I scream, wings unfurling as I take to the sky, searching for him. "CLOUDY!" "Get down from zere, Chroma!" Marie screeches from below me. "One hour has almost passed, and-" All of a sudden it feels as if I have awoken from a dream. Blinking, I don't even have time to note my surroundings before I'm plummeting to the ground. The world goes black. And when I next open my eyes, Marie is sobbing next to me, telling me that my kingdom is gone. When the scream pierces the air, high-pitched and fragile, I know that I've gone too far. Sweat pouring down the side of my head, I drop Marie and rush to her side, watching as she whimpers, curled up in a small ball. "Oh gosh...oh gosh, Marie. Marie, I'm so sorry, are you okay?" "My head..." She turns over and stares up at me weakly. "Chroma...what was zat?" I had almost killed my best friend. I had almost killed my best friend. All because of that Cloudy Isle. That stupid, stupid, stupid Cloudy Isle, who thought that he could take control of me with a love potion. He is the reason my citizens have scattered; he is the reason my castle is gone; he is the reason Amera has fallen. Rage runs through my veins like a river, hot and red. For a moment all I can see is a searing scarlet light, the same color of the dragon's scales. How dare he. He knew the dragon was coming and he decided to pull a stupid stunt like this? Marie moans and lifts her head weakly. "Chroma...we have to get away from here. Find ze other citizens. Find a place where we can spend ze night." As much as I don't want to admit it, she's right. There's no point in staying here any longer. Amera is no more. It has been taken over by a dragon. A stupid, stupid, stupid dragon, just like that stupid, stupid, stupid Cloudy Isle. I grit my teeth and forced myself to nod. Slowly the unicorn got to her hooves and staggered; I ducked beneath her and caught her, slowly helping her up. Marie shot a thankful glance at me, and we began to head away from my castle, away from the city I had guarded and loved for so long. Away to who knows where. "Chroma?" Marie suddenly speaks tentatively. "Yes?" "If you are ze Princess of Love, you do not want your love to be, as you say, 'used up,' oui?" "Yeah..." "Well, didn't Cloudy Isle just use it all up with zat love potion?" With a jolt, I realize that she's correct. I have never wanted to love too much in fear of not having enough to spread to all of my citizens, which is why I've rejected courters so often besides the fact that they're terribly annoying. But now...now...what is a Princess of Love without her love? How would I gain it back - feed on it? Did this mean I was no longer the Princess of Love and Color? And if I was, what kingdom was I to rule? I didn't answer Marie, even though I knew she was patiently waiting for one. Instead I squeezed my eyes shut and continued onward, pressing forward with wings pressed tightly against my sides. It was all Cloudy Isle's fault. And now he had to pay. I didn't know how I was going to do it, but I was going to get revenge. I had to get revenge. For my subjects...for my kingdom... ...for my love.