Breaking Boundaries

The barrier grew weaker with every strike From the changelings as they bashed their black, scaly fists against the pink aura of magic, desperately trying to get it.

"Come on, drones!" a female cried out as she slammed her fist against the wall. "Just a little more, and we can feed!" She slammed her fist once again, and a crack formed under her scales. A grin formed on her face, and she doubled her efforts. "And with me leading the charge, I'll solidify my place as the next queen!" she growled as she punched the barrier. She pulled back her fist to the point her elbow almost hit her back and gave one hard swing. Crack! The crack she made shattered, and she grinned. She looked around to find the other changelings were just as successful at that moment, and the barrier came crashing down in the fragments that disappeared as they fell. "Charge!"

"For the hive!" another shifter cried out as they all flew straight for the city. The lead female hovered in place as she watched her drones attack with a smile on her face.

"Finally!" she mused. "We can feed!" She watched the changelings land on the streets, causing the ground to shatter and crack at their dragon-like feet. The equine natives began running in terror as their great city was being invaded. After hovering for a minute watching her changeling brethren attack the city, her eyes turned to the castle, and she flew toward it. As she approached, she could see the changeling queen standing on the balcony with a grin on her face.

"Mother," the shifter called as she landed. She looked around to find other changelings were already at work encasing the Equestrian princess in a clear, green chrysalis. She also noted the royal guard captain stood at the altar with a blank expression on his face while the young princess the changeling queen came to replace was being shackled by shifter magic. She turned to the queen standing on the balcony with a grin and bowed her head."The city is ours!"

"Not quite yet, my darling, Filia," the queen countered as she watched the chaos unfold around the city. Filia looked at the queen in curiosity.

"Mother?" Filia called. The queen gestured to the spot next to her, to which Filia walked up without hesitation. "Princess Celestia is imprisoned. Princess Cadence is helpless. Our assault overpowers the guards. Shining Armor is clearly under your spell. There's no one left to stop us."

"Unfortunately, there are," the queen countered. "Six of the equine are on their way to the Elements of Harmony." Filia blinked.

"The magic of legend?" Filia asked.

"The tools used to imprison Nightmare Moon for a thousand years and encased the chaotic one in stone for even longer," the queen said as she inclined her head.

"Twilight will stop you, Chrysalis!" the younger alicorn cried out as she struggled against the green shackles tied to her wrists. The queen chuckled as Filia glared at the young princess.

"Silence, welp!" Filia barked before a hand rested on her shoulder.

"Leave her be, my darling daughter," Chrysalis ordered as Filia looked up at the queen. "There's no chance young Twilight, and her friends will ever get to the Elements in time." Chrysalis looked at Filia with a smile.

"I will see to it they are stopped!" Filia declared confidently.

"I have something else for you in mind," Chrysalis countered.

"Order and I obey, mother," Filia replied with a bow of her head. Chrysalis chuckled before she looked at the city.

"You remember Gnator, don't you?" Chrysalis asked.

"How can I not?" Filia replied as she rolled her eyes. "That fool only joined the army a year ago. Honestly, I don't know why you gave him so much attention."

"It's because he's the younger brother of that traitor who left the hive years ago," Chrysalis explained. Filia blinked at Chrysalis.

"Wait, a deserter?" Filia asked.

"The boy's name is Zuro," Chrysalis explained. "Apparently, his family has a history of abandoning the hive to be with the equine, and they didn't bother to share their spoils." Filia glared. "I had Gnator feed his big brother information about this attack so we could get rid of them both at once." Chrysalis smiled at Filia. "I want you to find them."

"Considered it done, mother," Filia bowed her head before spreading her wings and flying off the balcony.

"You might want to find some equine to feed off of before you do," Chrysalis suggested. Filia stopped and looked at the queen as she hovered in place. "Zuro has spent a few years amongst the equine, feeding off their love energy the entire time. I know you're stronger than most shifters, being my daughter, but luck favors the repaired."

"I won't fail you, mother," Filia bowed her head and flew off. Filia observed the carnage as she flew over the buildings. Changelings were all over the town, chasing equine around every corner. "There's no way we can lose," she said to herself as she smiled at the chaos. She stopped in mid-air to close her eyes and open her senses. "I need to feed," she told herself as she focused on the cloud of emotions filling the air. Most of it was fear of the assault mixed with desperation to protect loved ones. After a minute, the image of a blue female pegasus filled her mind. "Whoever this one is, she sure is loved," she observed as she began to shift. Her scales folded on themselves as her body began to change color from black to blue, and black hair grew on her head. Then her bat-like wings sprouted feathers, and her transformation was complete. "Now, to find your lover!" she grinned as she flew off.

Filia dawned a look of terror as she flew through the streets as if she were being chased. "Help!" she cried out in desperation before she rounded a corner to find a fellow changeling flying back into a wall. He shook his head and looked up to find Filia in her changeling disguise and blinked.

"Angel, what the hell are you doing here?!" he asked in horror. "I told you to stay home!" Filia blinked in confusion before she realized who this changeling was.

"Zuro!" she called with a glare. "You traitor!" The shifter blinked before another tackled him to the wall. Filia blinked at the sudden attack. "Gnator!" Zuro called. "Stop this!"

"You brought this on yourself!" the second changeling growled as he held his brother against the wall by his throat. Filia grinned at this wonderful happenstance.

"Oh, this is perfect!" she proclaimed. They looked at her as she reverted to her natural form.

"Princess!?" Gnator called in shock. "I got this one!" he growled as he glared at Zuro.

"Unfortunately for you, you've outlived your usefulness," Filia declared as she pulled the thorn from her left elbow. Both changelings looked at her in confusion as she raised her wand at them. "Time for you both to die!"

"What?!" Gnator called as Zuro grabbed Gnator's wrist.

"Move!" Zuro called out as he yanked his younger brother out of the way just in time for Filia's green magic energy to hit the wall where they were. Filia growled as she chased after them, blasting at them with her magic as they flew through the streets.

"You and your family will suffer!" Filia cried as she tried to strike them down.

"Why is she doing this?!" Gnator could be heard as he flew with Zuro.

"Classic tactic!" Zuro answered as they rounded a corner. "Use the friends of your enemy as bate to eliminate both!"

"But, I was loyal to Chrysalis!" Gnator protested. Filia managed to hover in front of them, stopping them in their tracks.

"You and your family deserted the hive before!" Filia observed. "For that, you will pay!" She raised her wand for another strike before a flash of pink coming from the castle caught their attention. All three changelings looked at the castle as the light flashed from within.

"What the hell's that?" Gnator asked.

"Equine magic!" Zuro answered.

"Mother!" Filia cried out as she took off toward the castle. She flew faster than she ever had before as the pink light grew brighter. Just before she got to the balcony, a bright flash exploded from the castle, and another barrier expanded from within. Filia tried to stop, but she was not fast enough. She collided with the barrier as it sent her flying away from the city hard and fast. She had no control over herself as she flailed her arms and legs in a desperate attempt to stop herself, but it was no use. The magic of the new barrier zapped her of all her strength, and she found herself flying toward a forest just outside of a small town. She fell through thick branches and vines until she hit the ground with a thud.

Filia groaned as she regained consciousness. As she struggled to open her eyes, she only felt pain throughout her body. Fighting the pain, she opened her eyes and looked around to find everything dark around her. She tried to pick herself off the ground, only to fall as the pain shot through her arms. "Ah!" she cried out in pain. She lay on her side as she shivered from the pain. "Mother?" she cried out with a weakened voice. Her physical strength was completely gone. "Mother?" she cried out desperately through her magic. She looked at the sky in vain as the only thing she could see was the leaves, branches, and vines of the forest she found herself in. "Damn it!" she cursed as she mustered what little strength she had to curl up.

"How am I gonna get out of this one?" she asked herself as she lay there. She tried reaching out with her senses to find any source of energy she could find. A forest is a home to all kinds of creatures. She could try to feed off whatever filled the air from the animals around her. Or at least she could use whatever there was to keep her alive. As she reached out with her senses, she found something to absorb.

After several unmarked hours of scavenging anything she could absorb, she found enough strength to start crawling. "I'm sure I saw a town outside the forest," she observed as she painfully pulled herself through the mud. As she dragged herself on the ground, she found she was in worse shape than she initially thought. She stopped to look her body over and found fresh cuts and bruises all over her body. "Damn it!" she cursed as she lay on her back. "I've got to get to that town to feed!"

She struggled on the ground for so long; she had no idea how much time had passed. She did not even know how long she was unconscious. Was it just a few hours, or did that barrier knock her out for days? "Mother?" she tried reaching out again. "Where are you?" She looked at the trees overhead as tears began to stream down her cheeks. "Is this how it all ends? The princess of the shifters lost in a forest with no one to turn to?" She closed her eyes as she lay there, seemingly accepting her fate as she waited for darkness to claim her.

"Is someone out there?" a male voice called out.