The Changeling In My Heart

Chapter I

First Encounter

Celestia's sun rose high above the mountains in the east as the birds sang their lovely tunes with happy, cheerful and proud voices. The small town was a buzz with activity as the pony folk trot through the streets to buy and sell goods as well as spend time with lovers and friends. The foals were at school learning about their home and things they could do as they get older and work towards earning their Cutie Marks. Three of the fillies in particular are the most anxious to earn their Cutie Marks that they try anything and everything they can possibly think of.

Walking through the streets was a single pegasus with a yellow coat and orange zebra stripes. He had a well built body as though he were a plow puller for the Apple family for the last ten years. He was greeted by most everypony he walked past and he gladly returned the greeting if not offer a greeting to others himself.

"Good morning, Blazing!" A mare called as she walked past him. He smiled at her.

"Good morning!" He said.

"Off to do your morning exercises?" She asked him.

"As usual." He chuckled. "Gotta keep this body fit for flight..." he said as he flexed his muscles. "...and the mares." He winked at her. She blushed furiously. He chuckled before he walked off in a trot. He continued on through the town streets happily despite all the crazy stories going around town since the attack on Canterlot. Blazing was so into his joyful trotting he did not notice the young pegasus mare who was guiding some ducks through the streets until he bumped into her. She gasped and turned to face him with her ears pined back and crouched low to the ground. Her yellow coat almost hitting the dirt and her long pink hair curtaining her face.

"Oh! I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to..." She spoke in hushed tones.

"Oh, Fluttershy." He said with a smile. She looked up at him and smiled.

"Blazing Feathers!" She hugged him. He returned the hug with a joyful chuckle.

"I should be the one to apologize." He said. "I wasn't watching where I was going." She looked up at him.

"No, really." She insisted. "I am sorry for bumping into you."

"Fluttershy." He stopped her. He smiled into her eyes. "I'm sorry." She smiled and hugged him again.

"Are you off to do your exercises?" She asked him.

"Yes, I am." He answered. "And are you helping the animals this morning?" She looked to the ducks she was guiding a moment ago.

"I was helping the mother duck here move to the lake with her hatchlings." She answered. Blazing looked to the ducks and saw that it was one adult with several ducklings. He smiled at them before he turned to Fluttershy again.

"Well, I know you'll do them justice." He said. She smiled at him.

"Thank you. Blazing." She said. He inclined his head.

"Hey, is Dash back yet?" He asked. Blazing and Rainbow dash had been friends ever since they were foals years ago. The two always got into races and contests of speed and guts. The two were famous for causing ponies to dive for a nearby bush or barrel and hide until the gust of wind that followed their races died down before it was safe to come out in the open again.

She rubbed a hoof on her chin."Last I knew she was heading straight for Cloudsdale to make sure all the weather was in order before coming back here." She answered. "I haven't seen her yet. But if I see her I'll let her know you asked about her."

"Thank you, Fluttershy." He replied with a smile. Fluttershy smiled at him before she resumed guiding the ducks through town to the lake while Blazing watches her with a smile on his face. When she was out of site he turned and resumed his trot toward the edge of town to do is exercises. He was greeted by a few ponies as he trotted along before he reached the edge of town.

He stopped and closed his eyes as he inhaled through his nose, taking in the sent of the fresh morning air and sounds of the wild animals surrounding Fluttershy's house not far to his right. A gentle breeze blew through his mane and the leaves of the trees marking the edge of the Everfree Forest and the open range in between the town and the forest. He exhaled with an added happy sigh. He began stretching his limbs left and right for a few minutes. He always enjoyed exercising out here. It was nice and quiet and not many ponies besides Fluttershy came through here. After he was done stretching he let himself fall face first to the ground, catching himself with his wings just before his muzzle hit the dirt and started pushing up.

On a small cloud hovering over the edge of the town was a cyan blue, rainbow mane, pegasus mare, Rainbow Dash. She was laying on her back using her front hooves as a pillow under her head with her eyes closed when her ears twitched to the sound of grunted counting below. She grumbled and turned over on her belly to look over the edge of the cloud to find the source of the noise to tell him to quiet down so she could nap after a hard days work setting the weather straight. She stopped herself and grinned when she noticed it was Blazing doing his usual exercises which meant an opportunity for a race when he was done. She ducked down keeping her eyes over the cloud so she could watch him.

Blazing counted one hundred as he pushed one final time before he got to his hooves and shook it off. He had his walk, talked to a friend, did his stretching and wing-ups, now all that was left before breakfast was a good flight. A big smile dawned on his face at the thought and her turned his gaze back to his Cutie Mark before doing anything else. The single red wing bursting into flames on his flank made him smile even more as it reminded him of his passion for flight. He loved flying so much it was a wonder why he never attempted to join the Wonderbolts before.

He turned his gaze from his mark and took in a deep breath before crouching down to the ground. His hind legs were ready to buck as his front kept him standing and steady for the take-off. He spread his wings up, getting them ready to send him flying. He took in another deep breath and before exhaling he kicked off the ground with full force, causing a dust cloud to explode like a bomb where he once stood.

He flew up straight through the clouds, the wind rushing past his ears, his heart racing with joy and added adrenaline. He banked left and right, cutting through the air like a whip as he bolted through more clouds before diving down and through some trees outside of town. He turned back toward Ponyville and flew over the straw roof tops, sending some of the loose straw flying in the wind and flags flapped as he passed. He twirled and spun in the air, performing some areal acrobatics for those watching bellow. After a few minutes of enjoying a good flight he came to a stop and landed on a cloud. He took a few breaths as he sat there and let his wings lay on his sides.

"Still fly like an old mare." A female voice said. Blazing smirked before he folded his wings against his body and turned to face the cyan blue mare sitting on another cloud, smirking at him challengingly.

"You maybe able to pull off a Sonic Rainboom, Dash..." he said. "... but you still can't out-flap the blaze." She busted out laughing as she rolled on her back on the cloud.

"Oh, that's rich!" She blurted. "You never stop coming up with the best jokes, Stripes!" He narrowed his eyes.

"I wish you'd stop calling me that." He growled. She sat up. Ever since they met as foals Rainbow always called him Stripe do to his natural born, orange zebra stripes on his yellow coat, and he hated it. He asked her many times to stop calling him that, but to no avail. Most of the time he would get mad about it, but sometimes he put up with it.

"Beat me at a Sonic Rainboom and you get your wish, Stripes." She challenged. He grumbled.

"You know I hate that name." He protested.

"Oh, quit your complaining and take it like a stallion." She chuckled. "How about a race?" He narrowed his eyes at her for a minute before he spread his wings with a smirk.

~~)oOo(~~

After what seamed like a lifetime of racing from Ponyville to the city of Cloudsdale and back again, Blazing and Rainbow sped their way to the main road entering their small hometown. Rainbow had her eyes on the prize with a smirk of victory on her face while Blazing had an unblinking look of sheer determination. The were neck and neck as they left small streaks of rainbow and fire toned orange and red hues. Blazing pushed himself to get ahead of her as she did the same. Their target getting closer and closer.

On the streets of Ponyville ponies heard the steadily increasing whoosh of speeding pegasi and looked up to the source to see Blazing and Rainbow headed straight for them. Some of them rolled their eyes before they bolted for a place to hide behind until the inevitable dust cleared, others simply moved out of the way while the rest completely panicked and ran for the hills!

Blazing and Rainbow were so close they could see each other on the corner of their eyes and pushed even more to make it so they could not see the other at all. It was so close Blazing was beginning to fear they would have a tie match that would surely be faced again very shortly after. The held up their front hooves in front of them just a second before they hit the ground and kicked up a huge cloud of dust around them. After a couple of minutes the dust finally settled and both were panting and huffing from what must have been their most vivid race yet. Blazing looked up to his challenger to see her right next to his landing spot.

"Who wan?" He asked himself.

"Oh boy! Oh boy!" A cheerful mare's voice called. Blazing looked up to see a hot pink earth pony mare bouncing in excitement. "That was the most specular, super d' de duper, bestest, spine tingling pegasus race I've ever seen!" Blazing could not help but chuckle at her enthusiasm.

"You didn't happen to see who wan, did you Pinkie..." Blazing huffed. She stopped her bounce in mid air and hovered a second with a blank expression before she landed on her flank and sat there for a minute blankly. She sat up straight as she closed her eyes and gave a professional expression.

"I'd have to say it was a tie." She said calmly. She then bounced again. "But it was the most amazing tie I've ever seen and hope to see again very soon! Oh! I hope you two will have a tie breaker very soon! I love tie breakers! Don't you love tie breakers!? They're so much mph-!" She was silenced by Blazing hoof.

"Okay, Pinkie!" He said, getting her attention. Rainbow sighed as she got to her hooves. When Blazing was sure Pinkie calmed down enough he let his hoof fall away from her lips, which deflated by her chin like a balloon.

"So, Stripes." Rainbow called, earning a heavy sigh from the stallion.

"What?" He replied in annoyance.

"Dashy, why do you keep calling him Stripe when you know he doesn't like it?" Pinkie asked. "It's no fun making your friends upset like that."

"Calm down, Pinkie." Blazing defended his foalhood friend. He turned to Rainbow. "What did you want to say, Dash?" He asked.

"I was just gonna ask if you wanted round too?" She answered. He shook his head.

"Not now, Dash." He replied. "I've done my exercise for today and I planned on going to see Zecora for a while."

"Fair enough for me." Dash said in satisfaction. "When would you like to settle this tie of ours?" She asked with a smirk. "Tomorrow?"

"Let's play that by ear." He answered. She seamed to like that answer even less.

"Fine." She said. "I'm out!" And with that she bolted up to the sky. Blazing smiled at her as she flew off before he turned to Pinkie.

"Well, Pinkie." She smiled at him. "I think I might come by for a cupcake after my visit with Zecora." She smiled even more and bounced with joy.

"Oh goodie! I'll have an extra special one made just for you for that awesome race you and Dashy had!" Before he could respond to that she was already gone. Only a cloud in her body shape remained for a few seconds before fading away. Blazing shook his head with a quiet chuckle before turning back to the edge of town and started walking off toward the Everfree Forest.

~~)oOo(~~

Blazing Feathers made his way through the vines of the forest floor. He always avoided flying unless he had to when traveling through the Everfree. He always took the same root the zebra, Zecora showed him since their first encounter a few years ago. He knew the trail just as well as she did and never strayed off the path he memorized unless he had to, which was very uncommon since nopony dared to travel through the forest anyway with the exception of a few mares in Ponyville.

There were a few things different here and there do to the small battle that took place a few days before. Singed trees from lightning strikes, broken branches from ponies and changelings crashing into them, and a couple of craters too. He traveled through the trees and bushes for several minutes before he heard rustling in the bushes to his right. At first he ignored it with the thought of it being a few animals scattering from the sight of him, but that thought was soon chased out of his mind when her heard a whimper. He stopped and turned to the source of the noise.

"Hello?" He called out. The noise stopped at his call. After a minute he shrugged and thought it was just an animal, but as he started to resume his walk he heard the sound again. This time he got a lock on the source. He turned to a large bush and quietly made his way to it. If it was a child he did not want to scare it and make it run away in this cursed place, and if it was a threat he most certainly did not want to drag much attention to himself without running a huge risk to his life. He kept himself low to the ground as he eased his way closer to the bush. He got to the edge of it and reached his hoof up to the leaves. Once he got a hoof full he quickly pushed them out of the way and braced himself for what he was about to see, but what he did see was absolutely nothing close to what he expected to find.

There in the bushes was a single black creature with broken bug like wings, a curved horn protruding from its forehead, cuts, scars and bruises lining its pony like body, holes in its for limbs, dark blue greasy, silk like hair and sky blue beetle eyes. He blinked at the sight and sat there, frozen in place as he stared at the changeling creature before him. He wanted to scream and run, but he could not do so out of fear and sorrow. Fear because he knew all to well the recent history of the changelings and sorrow because of the condition this particular changeling was in.

The changeling looked up at him weakly. "H-h-help... m-m-me..." She said in a female voice before her head collapsed with a thud. Blazing's heart sank to an all time low. He could never in his entire life ignore a cry for help, but could he answer such a request to a creature who's race only recently attacked the capital of Equestria? It was painfully obvious she was extremely weak and could not in anyway fight for herself. His thoughts turned to his old friend Zuro the Guardian who was recently discovered to be a changeling himself and was now about to face trial for treason and other crimes against Equestria. He knew Zuro was no real threat to him or his friends. Zuro was a hero to his town. Who is to say this changeling would be no different than Zuro.

He moved in and scooped the changeling up in his back and resumed going the direction he had been before. "W-w-where...?"

"I'm taking you to a friend of mine who can heal you." He answered before she could finish. He pushed on with more urgency through the forest with his newfound precious cargo on his back. It seamed to go on for hours as he rushed through vines and bushes, earning a few scrapes and scratches on his limbs and wings as he used them to protect her. After several long minutes he finally saw his destination. A tree with a door cut in the front and a couple of windows next to it with foreign decorations covering almost every inch. He walked up to the door and knocked on it.

"A visitor, I presume. Come inside the entry room." Came a deep female voice from the inside. Blazing opened the door and walked in to find a zebra on the other side of the room that was as equally decorated as the outside with foreign decorations and a large caldron in the middle of the room. She turned and smiled at Blazing and opened her mouth to say something before he turned and opened his wings to reveal the changeling on his back, at which point her eyes widened and her mouth sealed shut in shock.