//------------------------------// // Ch. XI: Broken Loyalty // Story: Heart Of Fire: You'll Be In My Heart // by Melody Brush //------------------------------// CHAPTER XI: BROKEN LOYALTY Rainbow Dash was sitting alone on a cloud at the edge of the Everfree Forest, her thoughts swimming through the events of the last few days. The first thing she saw when she got back from Canterlot was Blazing with a changeling taking the form of his marefriend. All she knew was she had to help him but he would not allow any harm to come to the monster. Just ealrier this morning she watched as four innocent fillies get involved and promised not to tell. The thing that made her the most angry about it was Pinkie Pie knew the entire time and did nothing about it. "Why are they defendng that... that monster?" She asked herself. "Changelings tried to destroy Canterlot, they nearly took Twilight's brother away and who knows what they were gunna do with the princess." "Um, Rainbow?" Rainbow gasped and jumped from the cloud as she whirled around to find Fluttershy cringing at her reaction. "Oh! I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you." Fluttershy apologiesed. "No, it's okay. I was just... thinking." Dash said. Fluttershy looked at Dash with concern in her eyes. "About the changelings at Canterlot?" Rainbow looked up at Fluttershy, both shock and hope in her eyes. "Oh, I heard you talking to yourself about the changelings attacking the castle." Rainbow's eyes darted here and there before looking back at her friend. "Fluttershy, what would you do if a changeling was making you think it was good?" Fluttershy looked confused. "What do you mean, Rainbow?" She asked. Rainbow scratched the back of her neck thinking about how she was going to do this with out breaking her promise. "Um... try to imagin any one of your friends, and they were... uh... protecting a changeling who was claming to be good and won't hurt anypony." Fluttershy hid her head behind her pink hair. "What would you do about it?" "Well... um..." Fluttershy stammered. "I would give the changeling a chance... if he was willing to change." Rainbow Dash gave a low grunt that made Fluttershy cringe. "Sorry, Flutters." Rainbow said. "Um, Rainbow? If it's not to much to ask. Why are you asking?" Rainbow looked away from her friend. "No reason." Rainbow answered. "I was just asking." Dash took off of the cloud and flew away, leaving her friend alone. I should have known Fluttershy would say something like that. Rainbow thought to herself. She was filled with disappointment as she flew over town. She did not know where she was going. All she knew was that there was a changeling living in Ponyville with one of her oldest friends and she could not directly tell anypony about it with out breaking her promise to Pinkie. I gota do something, but what? "Hey, Rainbow Dash!" Rainbow turned to see Ditzy flying her way. She stopped and hovered in place and let the grey mare catch up. "What happened with Chocolate?" "You know?" Dash asked. "Dinky came home in tears the other day because she heard you attacked her. Why would you do that?" Dash gulped. The only way she would be able to tell the truth is if she broke her promise. "Rainbiw Dash, I know you. You wouldn't do something like that without a reason." "It... it was just a m-misunberstanding." Dash stammered. "What kind of 'misunderstanding'?" Rainbow scratched the back of her neck. "I thought, for a minute, Chocolate was an imposter trying to hurt, Stripes." Ditzy's eyes were nearly straight as they locked onto Dash, her eyebrows furrowed. "Why would you think that, Dash?" Ditzy asked. "I don't know. I guess, going back to Canterlot so soon after the wedding gave me the idea she was a changeling. I mean, Stripes said she was from Canterlot and the changelings nearly destroyed everything there." "Well, I guess that makes sense," Ditzy said, an unconvinced look in her derped eyes, "but even if she was a changeling she's pulling off a realy good act pretending to be such a nice pony." "Yeah," Dash laughed, a sheepish smile on her face as she scratched the back of her head, "but what if she realy was a changeling and you knew about it? What would you do?" "Is the changeling attack bothering you that bad, Dashy?" Ditzy asked. Dash just shrugged. "Well, if she was a changeling and I found out about it I wouldn't do anything about it. She's a nice pony who has done nothing to harm us and my muffin realy likes her, too. If Chocolate was a bad pony my muffin wouldn't want anything to do with her." Dash lowered her head in disapointment. "Rainbow, are you alright?" Ditzy asked. "I'm fine, I just need to go." Before Ditzy had a chance to say anything else Rainbow flew off, completely disappointed. Pinkie, Fluttershy, Ditzy and the four fillies all sided with the changeling. Would nopony see reason? Chocolate was a changeling. A creature that attacked Canterlot and tried to hurt her and her friends. She was living in Ponyville with Blazing and she could not tell anypony about it. She looked down as she flew over the town toward Cloudsdale and saw Blazing with Chocolate, Pinkie and the fillies. Blazing looked up and saw her fly in the sky. She stopped and hovered in place, looking at him as he watched her. She was considering going down there to talk to him untill Chocolate noticed that he was looking in the sky and followed his gaze to find Dash. When Chocolate spotted her she shook her head and flew off. ~~~ Blazing watched as Dash flew toward the clouds, his heart sank as she left. He closed his eyes fighting back the tears threatening to burst free. Chocolate wrapped her wing around his shoulder, nuzzling her cheek against his. He wanted to try and confince Dash that Chocolate was not a threat, but with Rainbow being the thick mare that she is, it would take time. "Mommy!" Dinky called pulling Blazing from his thoughts as he looked up to see Ditzy flying to them. Dinky ran up and enbraced her mother as she landed. "Hey, muffin." Ditzy laughed as she hugged her daughter. Blazing could not help but smile at the site, the bond between them so strong and beautiful, it made him tear even more. Ditzy looked up at Blazing with a caring smile on her face. After Dinky let her go she came up and embraced him in a warm hug. He welcomed her hug, returning the embrace as he sobbed softly. "It's okay, Blaze. Dash is just a little stird from the attack at Canterlot." Blazing pulled away from Ditzy looking in her eyes. "You talked to her?" Ditzy nodded. "What did she say?" "Just give her time Blazing. She'll calm down soon enough." She leaned in and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek, then turned to Dinky. "C'mon muffin. Let's go home." She pulled the perple unicorn upon her back and flew off. Blazing watched Ditzy fly away, his thoughts on Dash. Did she say something about Chocolate? Chocolate pulled him from his thoughts by kissing him on the cheek. He turned to face her and smiled at her as they stared into each others eyes for a minute. Soon enough he started to lean in closer, his eyes closing as the distance between them closed. She leaned in the rest of the way to close the gap and there lips met in there first kiss.