Heart Of Fire: Regal Rebirth

CHAPTER ONE:

THE HALFLING

   Blazing knocked on the door to his daughters bedroom with no reply. "Cream." He called as he knocked again. "Cream, it's time to get up, honey." Blazing always called Cream 'honey' much like Autumn always called him honey when he was a foal. She still did call him that sometimes, but not as often as she use to years ago. When Blazing received no reply, he opened the door and poked his head inside.

   "Cream?" He called as he looked on the bed, a lump covered by the yellow blankets on the bed showing Cream was still asleep. He smiled as he crept closer to the bed. No sleeping in today, honey. He thought. He reached the side of the bed, his forehooves raised over his head as he prepared to wake his daughter up by tickling her when all of a sudden.

   "Got'chya!" A little voice called out as something landed on his head nocking him to the ground on his belly, the two laughed as Blazing turned around on his back and wrapped his forelegs around the yellow halfling pulling her into a playfull hug. She nuzzled his neck as he held her against him, stroking her fin-like mane with his hoof.

   The hug was soon replaced with a fit of laughter as Blazing began to tickle Cream with raspberries as he once did with Dinky do. Just then, Chocolate, in her changeling form, came by the doorway and stopped to admire and laugh at the scene that was unfolding.

   "Okay you two." She called over their little battle. "Cream needs a bath before the girls get here." Cream perked right up at what her mother just said.

   "Are there bubbles?!" She asked. Blazing rubbed her brown mane with his hoof as he smiled at her enthusiasm.

   "Yes, honey." He answered. "There will be bubbles." Cream let out a squeek of joy as she dashed off of her father and past her mother and down the hall. Blazing and Chocolate looked at each laughing as he got to his hooves and made his way to his wife and kissed her on the lips, wich she returned affectionately.

   "Do you want to bath her while I cook breakfast?" She asked him.

   "No." He replied. "I'll slave over the hot stove this morning." She smiled at him. "Besides, I just got tackled by a hoofball! You gotta face the next pass." She smacked him on the shoulder as he laughed.

   "You're mean!" She stated before he pulled her into another kiss. "But I love you." She smirked before she went down the hall to the bathroom while he went the other way to the kitchen.

   Chocolate filled the tub with soap and water while Cream eagerly jumped in place waiting for her bath to be ready. When Chocolate shut the water off, Cream jump right in, splashing the water all over the place earning a laugh from her mother. Chocolate began scrubbing her daughter with a wash cloth and the soapy water, Cream happily playing in the water as she was being cleaned.

   Giving the little halfling a bath was not the problem, it was getting her out. Every time Chocolate pulled the plug to let the water drain, Cream would just plug it back up with a playful 'nnope' much like their friend, Big Mac did when they would see him in Ponyville. Chocolate finaly got the tub drained and pulled her daughter out, drying her off with a towel and then sending her off to see daddy.

   Cream ran into the kitchen to find her father standing by the stove as he flipped pancakes. He turned to look at Cream with a smile and crouched down low holding his forelegs open to her, she took the invitation without hesitation and ran up to him and jumped right into his embrace.

   "Are you all clean?" He asked. She nodded hapily. "I dunno, I think you still smell."

   "I do not, Daddy!" She pouted.

   "Yes you do, you smell sweet and beautiful just like your mother." She smiled and hugged him again. "Don't tell her I said that." He whispered in her ear.

   "I heard that!" Came Chocolate's voice from down the hall. They both looked up to see Chocolate staring at them, her forelegs folded, then Cream looked back at him with a smile on her face.

   "You're in trouble now." She said then hopped out of his forelegs and ran off to the table to wait for her breakfast. Blazing looked up at his wife with a 'please don't hurt me' look on his face. She stomped up closer to him and pulled him into a passionate kiss, Cream cried with joy from the level of love that came from her parents.

   Blazing pulled away from his wife and returned to his cooking before the pancakes burned and removed them from the stove onto a large plate, he had cooked enough so that each of them could start with two and two for four more as they were expecting the founders of the Cutie Mark Crusaders to arive at any minute. Then there was a knock at the door.

   "I'll get it." Chocolate said as she changed to her new pony form wich was a blue pegasus with a brown mane, the cutie mark she used as her first pony disguise was the same except it was brown and looked like chocolate. Cream also transformed into a yellow pegasus with a brown mane. Chocolate opened the door and was greeted with 'hello' from three young mares and smiled as she reverted back to her changeling form.

   "Hey Choco!" Sweetie Belle said as she gave her a hug, wich she returned happily. Chocolate was now called Choco because of that terrible day six years ago when everypony in Ponyville learned that Chocolate was a changeling, wich was a big reason why they decided to move away with a new look for her to avoid any unpleasant encounters from ponies who would know or figure it out. Chocolate gave each of the girls a hug as she invited them in, they all ran up to see Cream, who screamed with joy when she saw the Crusaders who came to look after her for the week end.