Heart Of Fire: Feathers Of Flame

Chapter I

A New Home

Four years had past since Blazing was left on the door step of the orphanage. The week before two pegasi came in with a foal and left him under the care of Cherry Joy. The foals name was Spark Storm. He had a beep blue coat and his wings were quit oddly shaped. Cherry knew, because of the shape of his wings, he would never be able to fly. She eventually adopted Spark as her son, caring for him as though she was the one who gave birth to him.

When day after Blazing was first brought to the orphanage came, he was introduced to the rest of the foals in the nursery room, where he and Spark played together as though they already knew each other. Since then, the two were virtually inseparable, playing games, laughing and, some times, getting into trouble.

One day during recess time at the orphanage, Blazing and Spark were playing various games outside, such as tag, heroes, cops and robbers and a number of other fun games they could think of. When ever Blazing was playing the part of the bad guy, or the robber, he was terrible at it because he did not like pretending to be mean, let alone actually be mean. This made him easy prey for being teased and picked on by other foals. Luckily, any time Blazing was named a target by some bully, Spark would always jump in to defend his friend's honor.

In the middle of their playing Cheerilee came up to the pair as they were wrestling on the ground and interrupted them. They both looked up at the purple filly with smiles on their faces as they got off the ground onto their hooves. They were covered in dirt, and their coats were all ruffled. "Hey Cheerilee!" They called at once.

"Hi Blazing! Hi Spark." She replied. She then looked to Blazing with a proud smile. "Hey, Blazing, you have a visitor inside." Blazing's eyes lit up. He darted past Cheerilee toward the orphanage, leaving Spark behind, who immediately fallowed after him. They ran in through the door and saw Cherry Joy with another mare.

"Oh, here he is with Spark now!" Cherry said with a joyful smile. "Blazing, this is Autumn Leaves." She said as she pointed to the second mare, who offered Blazing a kind smile. She did look like she was meant for the autumn season. She was a pegasus, her coat a bright orange and her mane and tale were a nice brown with a yellow streaks. And her cutie mark looked like leaves from the fall forming a heart.

"Hello Blazing." Autumn said, her voice sweet, soft, and gentle. Blazing offered a smile to the mare, not only to be polite, but also because he liked the sound of her voice.

"Hi." Blazing replied. He turned his gaze to Cherry. "Is she my mommy?" He asked, gleefully. Cherry and Autumn giggled at the eager question.

"No sweetie." Cherry answered. Blazing's ears fell back at the answer to his question and he started to cry. Cherry got up and walked over to him while Spark placed a hoof on his shoulder to comfort him. "Shh, it's okay Blazing. Don't cry." Cherry said comfortingly.

"Is he okay?" Autumn asked. Cherry held Blazing in her forelegs as he cried in her mane.

"Yes, he's just a little sensitive." Spark replied. Autumn nodded as she got up to come see the young pesgasus.

"Ever since I adopted Spark nearly two years ago, Blazing's been asking about his parents and if they would ever come back for him." Cherry explained with a bit of a tear of her own.

"Oh." Autumn replied in realization. She trotted up to them and crouched down next to Cherry so she could meet Blazing's gaze. She laid a hoof on his shoulder to get his attention. He looked up at her, his face stained with tears as he sniffed. She smiled at him. "Would you like me to be your mommy?" She asked. He sniffed, wiping away his tears, then nodded. She opened her forelegs, inviting him in for a hug. He sniffed again before he bolted out of Cherry's hold into Autumn's.

"Does this mean, Blazing won't live here anymore?" Spark asked his adoptive mother with a sad look on his face.

"I'm afraid so, sweetheart." She answered as she pet his head. Blazing looked up from Autumn at his friend.

"No!" He shouted. "I can't leave Spark. Who's he going to play tag with if I'm gone?" This earned a giggle from Autumn, causing both colts to look up to her.

"Boys," she called, "... I live down the road not too far from here. The same town, even. You can see each other anytime the two of you would like." Cherry nodded in agreement.

"Plus." Cherry added. "you two will be going to school together after next summer." Blazing still did not like the idea of moving away. He grew up in the orphanage his whole life and Spark was his best friend. He did not want to leave the life he knew, let alone his best friend who he played with on a daily basis.

"We don't have to leave until you're ready, Blazing." Autumn explained. Blazing looked between all of them, thinking about the offer of going with Autumn and have her be his mother. He really did want parents. He never his own parents, no one even saw who dropped him off at the orphanage. Wait!

"Autumn?" Blazing asked. She nodded with a hum. "If you're going to be my mommy, who's going to be my daddy?" Autumn's smile faded. Autumn's memories turned back to years ago. She had some one she loved very much, and for a long time it seamed like that pony loved her too, but the two separated some time ago because of a number of reasons. For most being, Autumn could not conceive. She and her lover wanted a foal so much, but her lover would not accept anything that was not their flesh and blood.

"No, sweetie." Cherry stepped in. Blazing looked up to her.

"Will I have a bother or sister like Spark?" He asked.

"No, I have no children." Autumn answered. Blazing blinked as he looked back at her. She had no husband and no foals. And, she was offering to be his mother. "I would really love it if you were my first foal." She said.

Blazing thought about it for a minute before he smiled as he bounced into her forelegs, wrapping his own around her neck saying 'mommy'. The words made tears stream down her face as she embraced him. The first real, great joy she had felt since she fell in love long ago.

"Well then." Cherry said with a joyful smile. "Spark, why don't you go help Blazing pack his things while I talk to Autumn.

"Yes, Miss Cherry." Spark replied with a bit of a smile to hide the sadness he was feeling.

"Spark, please call me mom." Cherry said, but Spark and Blazing were already gone. Cherry smiled weakly as she shook her head. "I've been trying to get him to call me mom for the last year and a half." She explained to Autumn, who smiled reassuringly.

"Give him a little more time. He'll open up to it." Autumn said comfortingly. Cherry smiled thankfully at Autumn.

"Now, we have some forms to fill out. If you'll just follow me."

~~)oOo(~~

Blazing was In tears as he hugged Cherry Joy and Cheerilee goodbye. Autumn, with the help of a few older colts from the orphanage, put Blazing's bags in the back of the cab she called moments ago. When the last of the bags were in place, Autumn called for Blazing. "Come on honey, time to go!"

Blazing was left telling Spark goodbye. "I'm going to miss you, Spark." He said, his face stained with tears. The two were inseparable for the whole time they had lived together. None of them thought the day would come one of them would leave the other.

"Don't worry ,Blaze. We'll see each other again soon." Spark replied bravely, despite the obvious sadness he was hiding this whole time.

"I still don't want to leave you guys." Blazing, admitted with a bit of a sob.

"C'mon!" The stallion pulling the cab called. "I ain't got all day." Autumn shot the stallion a bit of a glare. He merely rolled his eyes with a snort.

"You better go, Blazing" Cheerilee said as she smiled at him with tears of her own. She knew her little brother would not be happy his best friends would not be here as much anymore. She was ready to comfort Spark for as long as it took, even if he would be too proud to admit it.

"Get going, bud." Spark said. Blazing reluctantly trotted to his new mother, who helped him on the cab then hopped on herself. She gave the driver a few bits and the address she wanted them to go and the driver started moving. Blazing looked back as the cab moved and waved goodbye to those who took care of him for the last four years. His new life, about to begin.