//------------------------------// // Chapter VIII: The Crusader Before The Sunset // Story: Heart Of Fire: You'll Be In My Heart // by Melody Brush //------------------------------// CHAPTER VIII: THE CRUADER BEFORE THE SUNSET "Alright, crusaders!" Scootaloo called out. "What're we gonna do to get our cutie marks today?" The trio were gathered outside the school house. School had just come to a close and all the fillies and colts were rushing home, or to their friends houses. "Ah can't do anythin' 'ntill mah chores are done." Applebloom said. Scootaloo looked over to Sweetie Belle, who shook her head. "I've got a homework assignment I need to get done before tomorrow." Scootaloo dropped her head in disappointment. "Well, what am I gonna do by myself for the day?" She asked. "Ya could always go see Rainbow Dash." Applebloom suggested. "I can't. She left town a several days ago and I don't know when she'll be back." Scootaloo answered. "Rarity's gone too." Sweetie Belle added. "She said something about her and her friends going to some crystal empire." "Applejack said the same thin'." Applebloom said. "I wonder what's going on that they all left town for?" Scootaloo asked as she scratched her chin with her hoof. "Applebloom!" Came an elderly mares voice. They looked over to see Granny Smith waving at her. "C'mon ya lil' whipper snapper! Let's get back to the farm 'n get things done!" "Gotta go girls. See y'all later." Applebloom said as she ran to her granny. "I better go, too." Sweetie Belle said. "I'll see you tomorrow Scootaloo." Scootaloo sighed. "Okay, see you tomorrow." Sweetie Belle walked off, leaving Scootaloo by herself at the school fence. She reached over to a bush by the fence and pulled her helmet and scooter from behind. What can I do? she asked herself. Her eyes sprung open with an idea. She put on her helmet, strapped it tightly to her head, hopped on her scooter and used her wings to bolt forward. Scootaloo raced through town, jumping off ramps, dodging ponies walking by, and performing a stunt every here and there. She came to a halt in front of a house behind the library. She took off her helmet, sat it on a handle of the scooter, and walked up to the door, where she raised her hoof up and knocked. She heard nothing from inside the house. She knocked again. Still nothing. She let her head drop. Maybe he's gone too. She turned around and walked back to her scooter. She reached up for where she left her helmet, but felt nothing. She looked up to find her helmet was gone. She looked around for whoever was around, but saw nopony. "Looking for this?" Came a voice from above. She looked up and saw Chocolate hovering over her with her helmet in hoof. Scootaloo smiled as Chocolate landed in front of her and gave the little filly her helmet while ruffling up her mane. Scootaloo looked around for Blazing, but he was nowhere to be seen. "Where's Bla-" Scootaloo was cut off as she was swept off her hooves into the air. She looked down to see she was sitting on Blazing's back. He looked up at her with a smile. Her eyes narrowed with a grin and she gave a quick nod. She wrapped her forelegs around his neck and when he was sure she had a good grip he locked his eyes forward and increased his speed. Scootaloo let out a loud "WOOHOO!" as Blazing flew in circles, ups and downs and all around town like a rollercoaster. After a good ten minute flight Blazing landed back in front of his house, Chocolate was standing next to Scootaloo's scooter smiling as the filly hopped off of Blazing's back. "That was AWESOME, Blazing!" Scootaloo shouted. He chuckled at her enthusiasm. Blazing looked around, then back at Scootaloo. "Where's the rest of the crusaders?" Blazing asked. "Applebloom had to do chores and Sweetie Belle needed to finish a homework assignment." She answered with a bit of a frown on her face. "And Rainbow's out of town." Blazing added as though reading her thoughts. She nodded. "So, you came to me?" He asked. "Dash said you were cool, even though you're soft as a marshmallow." Chocolate fought back the urge to laugh at the statement, earning an unhappy grumble from the stallion. "And she hangs out with you almost as much as the rest of her friends. What were you two doing, by the way?" Scootaloo asked the snickering mare. "We were visiting Blaze's old friend, Spark." Chocolate answered with a smile. "He and I were in an orphanage together when we were colts." Blazing added. "I haven't seen him in a while and I wanted Chocolate to meet him." "I didn't know you were an orphan." Scootaloo observed. "Are you part zebra, and that's why you have stripes? Are you related to Zecora?" Scootaloo's excitement grew with each question the point she started to bounce in place like Pinkie Pie on an average day. "Slow down, sport." Blazing placed a hoof over her mouth. "Yes, I am part zebra. No, I am not related to Zecora, but I do think of her as family most of the time." He let his hoof fall from her mouth. "C'mon, Scootaloo. I'll buy you a cupcake at the Sugar Cube." Her eyes sparkled. Chocolate gave her helmet back to her, and she hopped on her scooter. The three then headed off to Sugar Cube Corner. ~~)oOo(~~ Blazing and Chocolate spent the rest of the afternoon with Scootaloo until Applebloom came looking for her fellow crusader having finished all of her chores at the farm. The two fillies ran off to do something that involved finding their cutie marks, whatever crazy stunt they could think of. Blazing and Chocolate were left alone with plenty of time to hang out before sunset. He looked over to her with a smile. "So, what do you want to do now?" He asked. She scratched her chin as she looked upwards in thought. After a minute she looked back at him with a smile. She motion her head for him to follow her outside then flew into the air. He watched her take off then soon followed after her. The two flew up above town until she grabbed a large cloud and fluffed it up a bit, before laying down on it. She looked over at Blazing and padded the empty spot next to her. He smiled at her as he hovered in, accepting her invite happily. "What are we doing?" He asked as he laid beside her. She smiled at him. "We are going to watch the sunset." She answered. Blazing smiled at the idea. They lay on the cloud facing the west watching as the sun slowly moved toward the horizon. The sun was a yellowish orange hue causing the surrounding clouds to shine pink and the sky blending in color from a vibrant yellow to a deep, dark blue in the distance. Closer and closer Celestia's sun crept out of sight, until the last inch of the sun finally disappeared behind the mountains. Chocolate smiled n awe as she had never watched the sunset before. Being the Queen's daughter made sure of that. Her joy and thoughts were short-lived as the were interrupted by a faint sobbing. She looked over to see Blazing with tears running down his cheeks. "Blaze, what's wrong?" She asked him with concern. "Nothing." He sniffed. "It's just..." he wiped away a tear with his hoof as he started to explain. "... the last time I sat to watch the sunset was with..." He trailed off, choking back a sob with the emotion in his eyes. Chocolate was met with realization. She reached over and tenderly embraced him in her forelegs. He welcomed her embrace by wrapping his own forelegs around her while burying his muzzle n her neck. The two lay on the cloud locked in each others forelegs, neither one wanting the moment to end. ~~)oOo(~~ Blazing opened his eyes to find Chocolate in her changeling form locked deep in her sleep with a smile on her face. He also found they were still on the cloud Chocolate set up the night before for them to watch the sunset. He did not care they were out in the open with her in her natural form. The sun was barely visible over the east mountains, so nopony would be up this early in the morning and the pegasi usually don't clear the skies until the sun was high in the sky. A few minutes past and Chocolate stirred. She opened her eyes and stretched out in a big yawn. "Morning." Blazing said. She looked at him and smiled. “Morning." She replied, laying back down beside him and they stared in each others eyes for several minutes. The sun was now above the mountain top. Blazing looked up at the sky to see if there were any pegasi in the air yet, then back at her. "You should change back to a pony." Blazing said. She looked at him, her eyes asking, 'Do I have to?' as she gave a bit of a groan. "You know as well as I, nopony can know you're a changeling." She sighed in defeat. She closed her eyes and in a flash of green light she was the brown mare she looked like for many weeks now. The two sat up on the cloud and stretched out their wings. When they started to take off Blazing froze in place. Chocolate noticed he stopped moving and looked to him before followed his gaze. Hovering by the cloud was the cyan, rainbow maned mare with her eyes wide with shock. "D-Dash." He stammered. "You're ba-" Before he could finish Dash flew right in and collided with Chocolate. The two mares fell off the cloud toward the ground, Dash swinging her hooves at Chocolate. Blazing flew after them at top speed. As the two mares came closer to the ground, Blazing closed the distance between him and them. Just a half a dozen feet off the ground, Blazing caught up with them and grabbed the two in his forelegs then flew straight for the forest.