Breaking Boundaries

Chocolate suddenly woke up in her bed as she sat up in a panic. She looked to the window to find the shadow of a changeling looking at her from outside. She quickly removed the blankets before getting out of the bed to rush to the window, which she opened.

"Princess, I've come for a report on your progress," the changeling stated matter-of-factly before noticing her wings.

"Not here!" Chocolate whispered as she pulled herself out of the window, closing it behind her. "Follow!" She took off toward the forest, the drone following close.

Chocolate knew the equines were sleeping in their homes, but she kept alert if she and the drone needed to change forms. After a brief flight without incident, they landed within the boundaries of the Everfree Forest, where Chocolate turned to the drone with a glare.

"You couldn't have chosen a better time to contact me?!" Chocolate hissed.

"Forgive me, your highness," the drone bowed his head in respect. "I'd have come during the day, but I didn't want to raise suspicion." Chocolate quickly gripped his throat as she glared into his eyes.

"You can come up with a better lie than that!" she hissed.

"I was watching you from a distance," the drone said as he choked for breath.

"Spying on me?!" Chocolate observed.

"Observing!" the drone choked.

Chocolate dragged the other changeling toward a tree, which she slammed him against as she glared into his eyes while pressing her arm with her entire body weight against his chest. "Start talking!"

"Chrysalis ordered me to get your report," the drone began, "that's the truth!"

"There's more to it than that if you were spying on me," Chocolate interjected. "Hidden from my senses, no less! I swear to the stars, you better give me a fucking answer before I slit your throat!" She raised her hand as it to the form of an Ursa claw to his neck. The drone swallowed as he sensed her rising rage.

"Chrysalis suspected you were defecting, so she had me come to observe you," the changeling explained. Chocolate slammed her arm into his chest before letting him fall to the ground, coughing for breath as he sat there clenching his chest.

"Why would she think I'd do such a thing?" Chocolate hissed as she paced back and forth.

"You tell me," the droned said as he regained his breath while looking at his princess. "You're the one getting close with a pegasus." Chocolate shot him a glare. "Tell me, princess. How will you explain to the queen how you feel about Blazing Feathers," he paused as he smirked at her, "while letting a traitor live."

Chocolate glared into the drone's eyes as if trying to burn his soul with fire as he got to his feet.

"I could've told the queen you lied to her," he began, "but I wanted to give you the chance to explain yourself."

"You do know who you're talking to, right?" Chocolate said as she took a step closer, making the drone take a step back. "I could slice open your gut and watch as your insides paint the ground where you stand, or rip out your heart and force you to watch it stop beating." She could see the fear in his eyes as he stared into her eyes.

"What would you tell the queen if you kill me?" he asked as he backed into the tree while staring into her eyes. "I'm expected to return with a report. If I don't return to her, she'll take action."

"You're a disposable drone on an errand," Chocolate countered. "Chrysalis won't waste the entire hive for you." The drone gulped again as Chocolate stepped so close, he could feel her breath on his scales. "Then again, it would be better to let you live." A few seconds passed, and the drone began to relax before Chocolate stabbed him in the gut with the thorn protruding from her elbow. "Because you're going to tell her I've not forgotten my place, and I am on task."

"You-" the drone gasped.

"Poison," Chocolate explained. The drone looked at Chocolate in surprise. "Don't worry; it won't kill you yet. First, you're going back to the hive, and you're going to tell Chrysalis that the Crystal Empire has returned." She removed the thorn and began to walk away. "And I killed you because you pissed me off."

"Why should I go back now?" the drone asked as he gasped from the pain.

"Because the poison will make your death all the more painful if you don't," Chocolate explained as she spread her wings. "And Chrysalis may have the cure for you."

The drone watched as Chocolate kicked off the ground and flew back to the town. "Now, what am I gonna do?" Chocolate asked herself as she approached the house. She opened the window to her bedroom and quietly slipped inside before closing it behind her. She stopped and looked around the room, which had given her so much comfort ever since Blazing took her in. After that encounter, this room would not provide her that same comfort. She looked at the unmade bed for a few seconds before she looked at the door. She warred with herself about whether or not she should return to the bed Blazing gave her or to find someplace else to sleep for the rest of the night.

Chocolate walked past the bed and out the bedroom door before turning down the hall to Blazing's room, where she entered quietly. She looked to find Blazing sound sleep in his bed with the blankets covering him from the waist down. She could sense the pegasus at peace in his dreams as she watched him closely. "The changelings, who made my life hell ever since I was born," she said to herself as she stared at the sleeping pegasus, "... or the ponies who've been nothing but kind to me? Even if only a few of them know the truth."

Chocolate began taking baby steps toward Blazing's bed. "If they reject me, I'll have no one to turn to, nowhere to go." She softly sat on the edge of the bed next to Blazing, being careful not to wake him from his peaceful sleep. "If I reject them, I'll have to return to that hell." She carefully slipped under the covers next to Blazing before snuggling closer to him, taking in the warmth of his body as she could sense his emotions begin to shift from peace to happiness. "I don't want to return to hell," she told herself as she snuggled closer to the pegasus. "I want happiness and peace."

~~)oOo(~~

Chrysalis sat on her throne with her legs spread wide as she held a drone's face against her soaking slit while she moaned in pleasure. "Yes!" Chrysalis moaned as she hed her subject please her. "Make your queen happy!" Other changelings watched in hunger as Chrysalis moaned in bliss at the pleasure.

"Queen Chrysalis!"

The gathered changelings scattered as Chrysalis hissed at the interruption before shoving the unfortunate drone to the ground. "Who dares-?!" Chrysalis paused when she saw the drone she sent to Ponyville collapse to the ground in front of her. "What's this?!" Chrysalis stood up from her throne and stomped toward the injured changeling.

"Filia!" the drone gasped. "She poisoned me!"

Chrysalis only raised an eyebrow. "You must've pissed her off, then."

"Please, your highness," the drone begged. "Cure me!"

"What do you have to report?" Chrysalis asked as she watched the dying changeling.

"Please-!"

"Report!"

"She only said she hasn't forgotten her place," the drone gasped. "And that the Crystal Empire has returned!" Chrysalis blinked as she heard these words.

"The empire?!" Chrysalis thought aloud as she looked into the distance.

"There's more!" the drone added the bated breath.

"Speak!" Chrysalis ordered as she looked at her subject.

"Please, highness," he pleaded. "Give me the cure, and I'll tell you!" Chrysalis hissed as she snatched the changeling off the ground and held him in the air by his throat.

"You dare!" Chrysalis hissed as the drone struggled against both the poison and her grip. "I'll find out the rest later," Chrysalis hissed before squeezing his neck so tightly it snapped. When the drone's body fell limp in her hand, she let it fall to the ground before turning to her throne. "Throw out the garbage!" she ordered as she walked to the throne. Four changelings flew in and carried the body away as another approached the queen while getting on her knees.

"Shall I resume pleasing you, my queen?" the changeling asked. Chrysalis folded her legs.

"You did well, but I no longer need your services," Chrysalis answered.

"Is there any other way I might serve you, my queen?" The changeling asked. "Perhaps I could find out about the princess?"

"No," Chrysalis answered. "Leave Filia be for now."

"As you wish, your highness," the changeling said as she bowed her head before flying into the maze of the changeling hive. Chrysalis placed her chin in the palm of her hand as she relaxed into her throne. "Filia's obviously hiding something from me," Chrysalis said to herself. "I'll let her play her games for now. After all, what child doesn't go through a rebellious stage?" She thought about what the drone just told her about the Crystal Empire. "Sypher!" Another changeling flew in and bowed his head as he landed in front of Chrysalis.

"Yes, your highness?" Sypher answered.

"Go out and find what you can about the Crystal Empire," Chrysalis ordered. "But do not go there under any circumstances."

"I shall leave at once, your highness!" Sypher said before flying away.

"I doubt there's anything of worth to me in the Empire," Chrysalis said to herself as she leaned on her throne. "But if Filia has defected, I can't rely on her for any more information."

~~)oOO(~~

Blazing stirred as he woke from his peaceful sleep to find something clinging to his torso. In confusion, he looked to see Chocolate still asleep with him in her hold. "Chocolate?" Blazing asked as he watched her sleep soundly. Rather than wake her up, he tenderly wrapped his arm around her back and watched her as she slept.

It only took a few minutes of waiting before Chocolate began to stir. Chocolate opened her eyes and looked up to find Blazing smiling softly at her. "Morning," Blazing warmly greeted Chocolate.

"Hi," Chocolate sighed as she held onto Blazing, who could see something bothered the changeling clinging to him.

"What's wrong?" Blazing asked as he patted Chocolate's head. Chocolate stayed silent for several seconds before she tightened her grip on Blazing.

"I don't want this to end," Chocolate said as she buried her face in the fur of Blazing's chest. Confused, Blazing rubbed her back in an attempt to comfort her. "Blaze; a changeling showed up last night," Chocolate explained.

"What did he do?" Blazing asked as he held Chocolate close.

"It's not what he did; it's what I did," Chocolate choked on her words as she began to cry. Blazing watched her as her tears began to stain his coat. "I may have made a terrible mistake!"

"Calm down," Blazing said as she held her close. "Talk to me; what's going on."

"I was angry and scared," Chocolate explained. "I didn't know what to do, so I poisoned him!"

"Why would you do that?" Blazing softly asked.

"He found out about Zuro," Chocolate answered. "I was supposed to kill Zuro, and I didn't want that changeling to tell her I failed!" Chocolate removed her face from Blazing's chest to wipe her tears. "Now, Chrysalis might come for me. If she does, I don't know what to do."

"Hey," Blazing said as he pulled her chin up to look at him. "I'm not going to let anything happen to you."

"But, what about you?" Chocolate asked. "You've done so much for me; I don't want anything to happen to you." Blazing pecked her forehead.

"Whatever comes our way, we'll face it together," Blazing reassured Chocolate.

"Is this a bad time?" a familiar female voice called from the window, making Blazing and Chocolate jump as they turned to find Rainbow poking her head through the open window.

"Rainbow Dash!"