Breaking Boundaries

The sun shined brightly over the town of Ponyville as Blazing Feathers did pushups on a cloud. He counted each push as the sweat on his body made his yellow coat sparkle in the sunlight. After one hundred pushups, the pegasus stood on the cloud as he wiped the sweat from his brow.

"Morning exercise, done," he observed to himself. "Morning flight," he began as he got ready to kick off the cloud.

"Getting ready for your morning flight, Stripes?" a familiar female voice called out, making Blazing groan.

"How many times do I have to ask you to stop calling me that, Rainbow?" Blazing asked as he sat down on the cloud while the cyan-blue female pegasus with technicolored hair landed next to him.

"Oh, lighten up, Stripes," Rainbow Dash said as she elbowed him in the side with a smile on her face. Ever since Blazing first met Rainbow Dash in Cloudsdale as children, she always used that nickname due to his unique set of orange stripes around his body.

"I hate that name," Blazing groaned as he hung his head. Rainbow chuckled. "So, how was the wedding?" Blazing asked in a desperate effort to change the subject. Rainbow beamed in excitement as she did a backflip off the cloud.

"Best wedding ever!" she called out. "There was this evil queen! A bunch of changelings invaded! Princess Cadence and Shining Armor used some kinda magic, and whoosh! They all went flying in all directions! Then, as the bride and groom said their "I dos," I got to do a Sonic Rainboom!"

"Wait, changelings attacked Canterlot?" Blazing asked as he blinked.

"Ah, it was nothin'," Rainbow shrugged it off. "Especially with me there!" Blazing shook his head with a chuckle. Ever since he knew the Rainbow, she never lacked confidence.

"I should've been there to help," Blazing observed. "I was always ready to stand by the Princess's side whenever danger occurred."

"You retired from that life a long time ago, Stripes," Rainbow countered. "Besides, with my friends and I on the job, nothin' can go wrong!" Blazing groaned at the nickname but chuckled at Rainbow's fearless loyalty. "Anyway, you wanna race for your mornin' flight?!" Rainbow challenged with a grin on her face. Blazing smiled at the offer as he got to his feet. "That's what I thought!" Rainbow said as she landed next to him with her wings ready to kick off the ground.

"Now Sonic Rainbow, and now Flaming Feathers," Blazing stated with a grin.

"That's probably a good idea," Rainbow agreed. "I don't think Ponyville could survive both a big bang and fire at the same time." Blazing had a gift almost as rare as the Sonic Rainboom, in which his wings would catch fire while flying fast enough. Some pegasi had similar rare gifts in which their wings could generate an element at will or during tense situations. Blazing had a friend whose wings could cause electricity.

"Alright," Blazing smirked. "One hundred laps around town!"

"You're on!" Rainbow agreed as she spread her wings. "One, two, three, go!" Rainbow counted in under a second before taking off, leaving a flash of technicolor in her place.

"Hey!" Blazing protested as he took off after her. Blazing flew as fast as he could without igniting his wings. It was a bit of a struggle, but he managed to catch up with Rainbow after twenty laps.

"Having trouble there, Stripes?!" Rainbow called through the rushing wind as Blazing reached her side.

"Not a chance, Technicolor!" Blazing countered as he increased his flapping. The two flew fast enough to cause a gust of wind to pass through the trees with every lap. Another twenty laps with neither passing the other.

"Looks like you're getting tired, Stripes!" Rainbow called out. "Why don't you call it quits!?"

"In your dreams!" Blazing countered as he flapped his wings harder.

"Careful there, Stripes!" Rainbow smirked. "Looks like your wings are smoking there!" Blazing ignored her as he kept flying further ahead. They had flown sixty laps now, and Blazing had taken the lead. However, Blazing was getting tired. Normally his morning flights consisted of just a relaxing flight around the town, but he could not ignore a good challenge from Rainbow Dash.

"Later!" Rainbow called as she passed Blazing with ease after another twenty laps. However, Blazing was not ready to quit. Just another twenty laps and the race would be over. Blazing could push himself further, but he was not one to go back on the terms of a challenge. He said he would not fly fast enough to ignite his wings, and he would stick to that promise.

"I'm not losing this one!" Blazing declared as he pushed himself a little harder to catch up. Five more laps. Four more laps. "Just, a little further!" Blazing flapped his wings hard and fast to try and catch up with Rainbow Dash. He closed his eyes as he dived for the cloud they started their race on and crashed in the fluff.

"Bout time you showed up," Rainbow's voice called. Blazing looked up to find Rainbow lounging on the cloud with a victory smile on her face. Blazing chuckled as he pulled himself out of the cloud while panting.

"Still the best flier in Ponyville," Blazing observed. Rainbow smirked at him with a raised eyebrow.

"Ponyville?" she countered. "Try all of Equestria!" Rainbow proclaimed as she stretched her arms outward. Blazing chuckled as he rested on the cloud.

"Face it, Dash," Blazing began. "If I could fly at top speed, you'd have lost that race."

"Yeah," Rainbow chuckled. "For a second there, I thought you were gonna go full blaze o' glory."

"Thought about it," Blazing said as he lay on his back. "And I just finished working out, so my muscles are a bit strained." Rainbow looked at Blazing.

"You doin' okay?" she asked.

"Just a bit of lotion, and I'll be good," Blazing answered as he sat up, wincing as his muscles ached.

"You need help getting back home?" Rainbow asked as she sat next to him.

"How do you have so much energy, Dash?" Blazing asked with a smile. "You just flew around Ponyville a hundred times and act like it's nothing."

"Looks who's talkin'," Rainbow countered. "You've been working out ever since I knew you. What's your excuse? Are you getting lazy?"

"I have been slacking off a bit," Blazing blushed as he scratched the back of his head. "Ever since I moved back into town, I just thought I'd kick back, relax, find a girl, y'know?" Rainbow smiled at Blazing.

"That's no excuse for slacking off, Stripes," Rainbow said as she nudged his shoulder, making him wince. "Sorry!" Rainbow smiled. Blazing chuckled.

"No worries," he said with a smile. "I'll get myself back up there soon enough, but for now," he got to his feet with a bit of a struggle. "I better get that lotion."

"You sure you don't need help?" Rainbow asked.

"Dash, you just got home," Blazing countered. "You go enjoy yourself," he ordered with a smile.

"I can enjoy myself later," Rainbow countered. "Right now, one of my best friends needs help." Rainbow helped Blazing up. "What kind of a friend would I be if I ignored that?" Blazing smiled at Rainbow as she helped him fly off the cloud into town toward the library.

"You're the best, Dash," Blazing complimented as he smiled at her.

"Don't get all sappy on me, Stripes," Rainbow said with a smile. "I'm not the dating type." Blazing chuckled.

"You're a friend, not a girlfriend, Dash," Blazing countered.

"Are you saying you wouldn't date me?" Rainbow asked as they landed just outside a house across the road from the library.

"It's not that," Blazing began. "I've just always thought of you as the sister I never head." Rainbow smiled at Blazing's observation. "That, and I thought you had a thing for Applejack," Blazing added with a smirk.

"Watch it, buster," Rainbow stated firmly with a smirk.

"That's not a denial," Blazing chuckled.

"Want me to give you bruises over your aching muscles?" Rainbow glared at Blazing as he chuckled.

"Whether or not it's true, I don't care," Blazing said in defense. "I'd be happy for you no matter who you find worth sharing your life with." Blazing smiled at Rainbow, earning a smile from the cyan-blue pegasus. Blazing walked to the door and opened it before looking at Rainbow over his shoulder. "I'm glad you and your friends are safe. Changelings aren't known for being merciful."

"Ah, those guys were no sweat," Rainbow shrugged with a smile. Blazing chuckled.

"See you later, Dash," he said as he walked into the house.

"Try not to overdo it next time, Stripes," Rainbow winked as he closed the door. Blazing groaned as he rolled his eyes.

"I may have zebra stripes, but that doesn't mean I like the name, Dash," Blazing sighed as he walked through the living room of his house. Blazing walked up the stairs. Walking was easy as all the pain was in his upper body and wings. Blazing went straight ahead into the door on the other side of the hall at the top of the stairs.

"Now, where's that lotion?" Blazing asked as he opened the medicine cabinet in the bathroom. Inside the medicine cabinet was mostly oral and facial care materials like a toothbrush and shaving cream, but off to the side was an almost empty bottle of blue gel. "Oh, it's almost gone," Blazing observed as he grabbed the bottle. "Looks like just enough for now, but I better go get more." He pulled the cork out of the bottle and poured the gel into the palm of his free hand before setting the now empty bottle down to rub the solution into his muscles. The gel was cold to the touch of his fur but soothing.

After applying the lotion, Blazing gave his upper body a bit of a stretch. "Much better!" he groaned with a smile. "That woman sure knows how to brew a good lotion." Blazing picked up the empty bottle, gave it a quick toss, and caught it out of the air before leaving the bathroom. "No better time than the present to pay Zecora a visit." He walked downstairs with a spring in his step and a smile on his face until he got to the door and left the house.

"Hi, Blazing!" a collection of young girl voices caught him off guard until he found the source and smiled.

"Well, hello, girls!" Blazing smiled at a white unicorn with pink hair, an orange pegasus with purple hair, and a butter-yellow earth pony with rich red hair tied up in a pink bow. "Did you girls enjoy your time at Canterlot?"

"We sure did," Scootaloo said as she jumped with a smile on her face.

"None of you got hurt up there, did you?" Blazing asked as he crouched to meet their eye-level with a look of concern on his face.

"We're okay," Apple Bloom said with a smile. "Applejack and her friends were there."

"You should've been there to see Rarity's dresses!" Sweetie Belle added with a beam. Blazing chuckled at the white unicorn's admiration for her older sister.

"And Rainbow's Sonic Rainboom was awesome!" Scootaloo added with a cheer. Blazing smiled at all three of them. "You should've been there!"

"I know, but if I wasn't here, who'd be left to protect Ponyville?" Blazing asked with a smirk.

"That's true," Sweetie observed. "Blazing's wings have that special power." Blazing casually spread his wings, which were as yellow as his coat at the base, but faded to a dark red at the tips.

"Sure, Blazing's wings can catch fire when he flies, but that's not as awesome as Rainbow Dash's Sonic Rainboom!" Scootaloo proclaimed confidently before blushing at the older pegasus. "No offense."

"None taken, Scoots," Blazing chuckled. "Rainbow is a better flier than I am, that's for sure." Scootaloo beamed.

"You think I'll be as good a flier as you two?" Scootaloo asked excitedly. Blazing looked at Scootaloos wings for a second. The young pegasus's wings were tiny, even for her age. He would hate to tell her she would never fly, but he knew she could just as easily be a late bloomer. Blazing offer her a smile.

"You're still quite young, kiddo," he said as he ruffled her hair. "But, just keep flapping those wings and never stop believing!" Scootaloo chuckled at the playful advice.

"So, where are ya goin', Blazin'?" Apple Bloom asked as he stood upright.

"I just ran out of some muscle lotion, so I was gonna go to Zecora's to get some more," Blazing answered as he started walking. The Cutie Mark Crusaders followed after him.

"Hey!" Scootaloo called. "Let's all go together!" Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle cheered in agreement.

"We could get our marks for escorting!" Sweetie Belle proclaimed. Blazing chuckled as he walked with them.

"Now, I'll let you three walk with me to the edge of the forest," Blazing began, "but after that, you three should look elsewhere for your marks."

"But, how can we get our marks in escorting if we don't escort someone?" Scootaloo protested.

"How often do you girls act as escorts?" Blazing asked with a smile on his face.

"Well, um," Apple Bloom began as she scratched her chin in thought. Blazing chuckled.

"It's not that I'm ungrateful for the gesture, girls," Blazing began as he looked at them.

"Then why won't you let us?" Sweetie Belle asked.

"It's 'cause he thinks we're too young to be going into the forest," Scootaloo pouted.

"But, we've gone into the forest lots of time," Apple Bloom protested. "When we helped find Fluttershy's lost chicken. When ah mixed that heart's desire potion."

"I know you three can handle yourselves when you go to see Zecora," Blazing interjected. "But, you three just got home from Canterlot. Don't you think some of the others would love to see you too? Like Twist and the Cakes?" The trio blinked.

"Yeah," Apple Bloom smiled. "We ain't seen none o' the others yet."

"C'mon, Crusaders!" Scootaloo proclaimed. "We can look for our marks after we've seen our friends!"

"And maybe we can find our marks in greeting others after a long trip!" Sweetie Belle suggested. They all cheered and took off toward town while telling Blazing "Goodbye" as he chuckled.

"Those girls never give up," he mused as he kicked off the ground to fly the rest of the way. He reached the edge of the Everfree Forest and landed on the ground to continue on foot. Blazing traversed the thick leaves of the forest for several minutes, keeping his senses alert for anything that might be on the hunt. Zecora may have settled in an area not active by the forest animals, but any who came to visit still had to be careful.

As Blazing passed a bush, the sound of someone grunting in pain caught his attention. He stopped to open his ears as he looked around. "Is someone out there?" he called as he looked around. There was no response. He stood there for a minute before he began to continue toward Zecora's hut. The sound reached his ears again. He stopped and looked toward the source of the sound. "Hello?"

"H-h-help me!" a weak female voice called out. Blazing blinked and rushed into the bushes to find the source of that voice.

"Where are you?!" Blazing called as he looked around.

"O-o-over here!" the weak voice called out. Blazing looked over to where the voice came from and rushed over.

"I'm coming!" Blazing called as he jumped over a bush and stopped short at what he found. There, on the ground, lay a severely injured female changeling. Blazing stared at the creature lying on the ground as she looked up at him.

"Help me," she pleaded weakly. Blazing narrowed his eyebrows at the changeling before he walked over and picked her off the ground bridal style.

"There's a healer nearby," Blazing explained. "Hang in there."

"Y-y-you're actually going to help me?" the changeling asked.

"Why wouldn't I?" Blazing asked as he carried her through the trees.

"Because I'm a ch-changeling," she stuttered as she hung her head to the side.

"You're a creature who needs help, and I'm not about to ignore something like that," Blazing stated as he carried her. "You just rest, and we'll be there shortly." The changeling groaned as Blazing carried her until he found Zecora's hut. "Zecora!" Blazing called as he approached the door. "Zecora, I need you to open the door!" Just as Blazing got to the door, it was opened by a female normal with a white coat lined with black stripes and a mohawk to match. The woman was covered with jewelry on her ears, neck, and wrists. When Zecora saw what Blazing held in his arms, she gasped.

"Oh, my goodness!" Zecora cried as she stepped to the side. "On the bed, now!" Zecora ordered as she pointed to a bed at the side of the room. Blazing rushed the changeling inside, ignoring the tribal decorations all over the interior of the hut. "What happened to the young one?" Zecora asked as she rushed to grab some bottles and herbs.

"I found her like this in the forest," Blazing explained as he lay the changeling on the bed.

"Step aside," Zecora ordered as she came up with the bottles, pouring some of the solutions on clean rags. "Blazing, I need you to mix those herbs I just placed on the counter in the cauldron," she ordered as she placed a rag on the changeling's forehead and got another rag wet with the potions.

"On it!" Blazing proclaimed as he rushed over. "Any specific order?" he asked as he grabbed the herbs off the counter.

"Just mix," Zecora ordered as she started cleaning the cuts on the changeling's body. Blazing dropped all the herbs into the cauldron and began mixing with the stick leaning on the edge of the black tub.

"Why are you helping me?" the changeling asked the gasps and groans.

"Hush now, child," Zecora said with a soft voice as she coated the fresh cuts with the lotions she brought with her. "You're in bad shape, dear shifter."

"Zecora, how long do you want me to mix this?" Blazing asked as he kept stirring. Zecora looked at him from the changeling she tended to.

"That is fine," she said. "Now, take one of those empty vials and fill it with the potion." Blazing walked away from the cauldron to grab an empty bottle as Zecora resumed treating the changeling. When Blazing filled the vial, he took it to Zecora, who took it as she offered the shifter a soft smile. "Drink this, and you will regain your strength." The shifter glared at her.

"You're just trying to poison me!" she groaned.

"If we wanted you dead, Blazing would have left you to die in the forest," Zecora assured with a soft smile. The changeling looked at the vial for a second before she opened her lips, and Zecora began to spill the contents onto her tongue. The changeling blinked and gagged.

"That tastes awful!" she groaned.

"Trust me," Blazing said as he crouched by the bed. "It'll make you feel a lot better." The changeling groaned as she let Zecora pour the potion down her throat while fighting the urge to gag. The liquid rushed down the inside of her throat until it hit her gut, where she felt the pain being washed away by warmth from the inside. After she emptied the vial, Zecora lay it on the floor next to her as she continued to clean the cuts.

"She had to have been out there for days," Blazing observed as he got to his feet.

"What makes you say that, my dear?" Zecora asked as she tended to the changeling on the bed.

"Rainbow Dash just told me how changeling attacked Canterlot during the wedding," Blazing explained. Zecora hummed without taking her eyes off the creature before her. "I didn't get all the details, but she said something about there being some kinda magical explosion that sent the changelings flying." Blazing looked at Zecora as he found a seat. "Since the wedding was three days ago, she had to have been out there this entire time."

"That is a possibility," Zecora began as she pulled the rags away from the now sleeping changeling. "It is also a possibility this one could be of a different hive," Zecora observed as she got to her feet with all the supplies in her arms. Blazing got up to help her pick up the empty bottles and dirty rags.

"Let me help you," Blazing offered as he won a smile from the witch doctor. "Even if she isn't part of the group that attacked the capital, that wouldn't explain how she got out here in this condition." Blazing looked at the changeling sleeping on the bed. He knew after Zecora worked her magic, everything would be right as rain, so it did not bother him to see the creature in such a peaceful state.

"This is true," Zecora observed as she placed the supplies on the counter. "I have to admit; I am proud of you for bringing her to me." Blazing looked at Zecora in curiosity.

"You sound like a mother rewarding her child for doing a good deed," Blazing observed with a smile. Zecora smiled back at the pegasus with a wink.

"It pleases me so to see equine take such risks for creatures they don't know or understand," Zecora began as Blazing placed the supplies he carried on the counter with the rest. "You remember when everyone in Ponyville was so scared of me, they would run and hide every time I visited."

"Actually, I didn't live in Ponyville at that time," Blazing observed. "But I understand what you're talking about." Blazing returned to his seat near the bed. "I just couldn't leave her out there like that," Blazing stated as he watched the changeling sleeps.

"Well, she just needs rest now," Zecora stated as she stepped away from the counter. "But, she was not the reason you came into the forest, to begin with, is she?" Blazing looked at Zecora before he felt around his naked body for the bottle he had brought with him only to find it was nowhere to be found.

"Oh, I must've lost the bottle when I found the changeling in the forest," Blazing observed.

"The lotion for your muscles?" Zecora asked. Blazing inclined his head.

"Sorry, I lost the bottle," Blazing apologized as he looked at her.

"It is of no concern," Zecora stated as she walked over to the shelves of empty bottles. "You found a creature in desperate need of aid. You losing the bottle can be forgiven." She grabbed an empty bottle before going to a shelf with smaller cauldrons to grab one. After she got a small fire started under the new cauldron, she walked over to her stash of herbs. "The next thing you need to worry about is what to do with the young changeling," Zecora observed. "You know I do not have space in my hut for another."

"I'll take her to my home," Blazing stated matter-of-factly. Zecora looked at him as she began mixing the herbs into the small cauldron.

"Are you sure that is a wise choice, my child?" Zecora asked.

"She's a creature in need of help," Blazing stated. "Who the hell would I be to ignore something like that?" Blazing looked at the sleeping changeling on the bed.

"How are you going to get her home?" Zecora asked. "The recent attack will have made changeling unwanted amongst the equine."

"They already have a bad rep," Blazing stated. "But we both know everything's not as it seems." Zecora smiled at Blazing. "I'll wait until after dark when everyone's asleep."

"Will you need help getting her to your home?" Zecora asked as she filled a bottle full of the gel Blazing used this morning for his muscles and sealed it with a cork. "She will not fully recover by sunset." She gave Blazing the body.

"I didn't expect her to be," Blazing said as he took the bottle as he thought about the trek back to Ponyville. "Maybe it'd be a good idea to have some help." Blazing offered Zecora a smile. She pulled him into a warm hug, which he returned with a smile.

"I would be happy to help you in any way I can, my son," Zecora said happily. "But, do you think you could start calling me "mom"?" It had been over ten years since Blazing found out about Zecora being his birth mother, and in all that time, he never referred to her as such.

"But, you didn't raise me," Blazing observed as he pulled away from the hug.

"I know you had were raised by a wonderful woman," Zecora observed with a smile. "Autumn will always be the mother who raised you, and I have no desire to change that." Blazing smiled at her.

"Maybe someday," Blazing observed with a smile.

"I will not force you to do anything you are uncomfortable with, my dear," Zecora smiled. "Go ahead and rest yourself. I will fix you something to eat." Blazing gave her one more hug before going back to the seat by the bed.