//------------------------------// // Ch. X: Promises // Story: Heart Of Fire: You'll Be In My Heart // by Melody Brush //------------------------------// CHAPTER X: PROMISES Blazing lay on Chocolate's bed, his forlegs wrapped around her stroking her fin-like mane while she sleeped in on him. She had cried for an hour before falling asleep while Blazing stayed up the rest of the night to comfort her. Celestia raised the sun some time ago, but Blazing did not care. Chocolate just had a nightmare that frightened her and all he wanted was to comfort her. He loved her, that much was clear. At this point he did not care if enypony else found out about her. If they did he would run away with her. He would run and hide from the world just to be with her. His thoughts trailed off back to Water Weight. She was the only other mare he cared about as much as he cared for Chocolate, but she was gone. Losing her left Blazing scarred for the longest time. He nearly through everthing away, even his life. Luckily he had friends who stayed by his side the whole time. The memory of Water Weight brought tears to his eyes as he began to sob softly. He felt a hoof on his face and looked down to see Chocolate was awake, her own eyes filled tears. The two embraced each other in a tight hug as though trying to make sure note to loose one another. There was a knock on the door. Niether one of them made an effert to get up to see who it was. The knock came again, Blazing only held onto Chocolate not wanting anything to happen to her. A few minutes past and there was another knock, this time from the window. Blazing and Chocolate jumped as they looked to see an energetic pink earth pony waving at them from the outside of a two story window. Blazing and Chocolate both bolted up off the bed and out of the room, through the hall down the stairs then to the front door. Chocolate had changed to her pony desguise and Blazing opened the door. "Hi, Feathers!" Pinkie chimed. Blazing and Chocolate ran back through the living room and the kitchen to the back door. Blazing opened the door and started to run out when... "I found you! Wana play again?" Blazing knew at this point there was no escape. Pinkie had decided this was a game and she always found her target no matter where they went to hide. He reached out and pulled Pinkie inside and flew through the house with her in his grip. Chocolate closed and locked the back door, ran to the front door then closed and locked it then followed Blazing up stairs. She found them in his room, Pinkie was sitting on Blazing's bed, her ever cheerful expression never ending. "Okay, Pinkie," Blazing said, "what are you doing here and what all did you see?" "I came here to see you two." Pinkie replied." I knocked on the door twice and you didn't answer, so I ran around back to see if you were buisy cooking cupcakes, but you weren't there, so I went and climbed to your window to see if you were still asleep, but you weren't there either, so I climed up the other window and saw you laying with Chocolate as a changeling. That's when I knocked on the window then you ran off and I..." Pinkie was silenced by Blazing's hoof on her mouth. "I know the rest, Pinkie." He said. After a minute, he lowered his hoof. "How long have you known she's a changeling?" "Oh, I've known since you first introduced her to me." She replied. "Dash didn't tell you?" He asked, hope in his tone. "She told me a few days ago. I saw her coming from the forest and flagged her down but she kept flying, so I fallowed her untill she gave up flying away and told me what just happened, but don't worry I made her Pinkie Promise not to tell enypony else." Blazing was filled with mixed emotions as he listened to her explanation. He pleaded with Rainbow not to tell enypony and she went and told the most unpredictable pony in Ponyville. However, Pinkie got Rainbow to Pinkie Promise and so long as a Pinkie Promise was in motion it was almost impossible to break it, especially with Pinkie. "There's a promis named after you?" Chocolate asked. "Oh, yes." Pinkie replied. "You say 'cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye'," Pinkie performed the proper motions that went with ths Pinkie Promise as she chanted, "and when you make a Pinkie Promise you have to keep it or you'll loose your friends trust and to loose a friends trust is the fastest way to loose a friend... FOREVER!" The last word made Chocolate jump as Pinkie switched from her usual cheery selfe to a serious pony. Blazing let himselfe fall to the floor with a grewing sob. Chocolate layed beside him, wraping her forlegs and wing around him for comfort. "Sweetheart, what's wrong?" She asked. "Is it Dash?" He shook his head and looked up at her, joy in his eyes as tears stained his face. "I'm not worried about Dash anymore." He looked up and smiled at Pinkie. "Thank you Pinkie." "For what?" Pinkie asked. "For Dash." Blazing replied. "Oh, it was nothin'" There was another knock on the door, more frantic and fallowed by several young voices. Blazing recognized the voices and got up to go and open the door. He trotted bown stairs to the front door, unlocked it and opened it to see, not three but, four little fillies each with a look of concern on their faces. "Is Chocolate here?" Applebloom asked. "Is she alright?" Scootaloo added. "She's not gone, is she?" Sweetie Belle asked. "Can we see her?" Asked Dinky Doo. Blazing smiled at the four with tears running down his cheeks. He stepped aside pointing a hoof to the stairs. The fillies bolted in the house and ran up the stairs. Blazing heard them all jumping with joy as they saw Chocolate. He closed the door and trotted back up stairs to find all of them in a group hug around Chocolate. "Did Dash hurt you, Chocolate?" Sweetie Belle asked. "Whah would she wanna hurt ya in the first place?" Applebloom asked. "Calm down girls." Chocolate said getting their silence. "I'm fine." "But, whah did Rainbow attack ya? Is she jealous that yer with Blazin'?" Applebloom asked. Chocolate looked up at Blazing who was standing in the door frame watching the scene. "You mite as well tell them. I know they won't tell anypony." He said. "Tell anypony what?" Dinky asked, looking up at him. The fillies turned their attention to Chocolate, who instructed them to stand back a little. They did and watched with intent as a flash of green light engolfed Chocolate, transforming her into a changeling. The four fillies gasped as they witnessed the transformation. "You're a changeling?" Sweetie Belle asked. "What's a changeling?" Scootaloo asked. Sweetie Belle shot a glare at her. "Don't you remember those creatures at the wedding?" She asked. "Oh yeah. Wait, what?" Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom jumped back while Dinky slowly approached Chocolate. "Dinky, get away from her!" Sweetie Belle called. "It's okay, girls." Pinkie said. "Chocolate is a good changeling." The three looked at Pinkie in surprise, then back at Dinky, who was huging changeling Chocolate. Blazing and Chocolate both explained the whole story from the day he found her in the forest to the day Rainbow found out about the turth. "Aw, that's so romantic." Sweetie Belle stated. "All, but the part Rainbow Dash attacked her." Scootaloo added. "You're still the same Chocolate that likes Blazing as much as me and mommy, right?" Dinky asked. Chocolate nodded as she hugged her. "Yes Dinky. I love Blazing. He's the first pony I ever met who showed me real kindness." Chocolate replied. "But, girls." Blazing called. The quartet of fillies turned to face Blazing. "You all have to promise you won't tell anypony Chocolate is a changeling." "Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye." The Cutie Mark Crusaders chanted in perfect unison as they performed the movements. "I will, if you promise not to hurt Blazing." Dinky said to Chocolate. Chocolate smiled at Dinky giving her a warm hug. "I promise, I won't hurt Blazing." Dinky smiled at Chocolate satisfied with her statement. ~~~ Rainbow was sitting ona cloud above the library looking down at Blazing's house. A familiar pink earth pony came up to the front door and knocked. Please be going to talk some sence into Stripes. She thought to her selfe. Nopony answered the door when Pinkie knocked. Rainbow watched intently as Pinkie walked around the house to the back. Shortly after, she came back around and started climbing up the side of the house some how to Blazing's bedroom window. Rainbow flew over the house to better watch Pinkie as she jumped down then climbed the other window. Oh, please be looking to talk sence into him since you're going through all this. Pinkie waved into the window, then jumped down and ran to the front door meeting Blazing as he opened the door. He quickly ran back, Pinkie dashed around to the back and yet again met Blazing at the door. Blazing pulled her in the house and closed the door. "Pinkie Pie" Rainbow screamed as she flew down by the back window and saw Chocolate vanish from the kitchen. She flew around to the upstairs window and saw Pinkie sitting on Blazing's bed in his room while Chocolate was standing just inside the door. Pinkie was talking, but Rainbow could not here what she was saying. After Pinkie was done talking Blazing fell to the ground crying, Chocolate sat down beside him wrapping her forlegs and wing around him. Get your love sucking hooks off my friend! She thought. Blazing then left the room leaving Pinkie with the desguised changeling. Pinkie get out of there! Rainbow's heart skipped a beat as she saw Applebloom, Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo and Dinky Doo come runing in embracing Chocolate. Blazing came standing in the door watching the scene. Rainbow's jaw dropped as Chocolate transformed into her changeling form in front of the fillies. The Cutie Mark Crusaders showed sighns of fear but Dinky went up to Chocolate and after a minute huged her. After a few minutes of talking the filies performed the Pinkie Promise wich made Rainbow gasped. No. You can't trust her, she's a changeling! The whole group in the room gathered in a group hug. Rainbow wanted nothing more then just to fly to the princess in a Sonic Rainboom and have her save Blazing before it was too late, but because Pinkie made her Pinkie Promise there was almost no way she could with out Pinkie some how knowing and she did not want to loose her friendship wih any of her friends. She flew off into the clouds in the sky wandering, How can I help them?