//------------------------------// // And Everything Was Going So Well. // Story: My Little Changeling -- "I" is Magic // by Wing Dancer //------------------------------// The big stone, probably rivaling Rarity’s Tom in size, finally dropped from Twilight’s heart. The mare didn’t know if that was good or bad, as the emptiness she felt instead was as uncomfortable as the boulder before. Chip, the real Chip, finally spoke. And he didn’t sound anything like the two other colts in her imagination. What was she to say now? No problem? I didn’t mind? It kind of felt nice? The book before her had roughly twenty-three pages of unread mystery. Maybe it would contain that answer, the one she was seeking. It couldn’t be difficult; every answer could be simple, once you got to know it that was. The mare shifted slightly on her bed, closing the book. Maybe later she would finish it. Maybe not. Twilight coughed silently and drew in air, weighting each and every word that would come out of her mouth. “Chip,” she started, looking at the colt who in the meantime was squirming, as if being smitten by invisible books or knives, “I understand. It was an accident. I’ll be honest here and say that I was…confused at first. I’m still learning a lot about friendship and what it means. The thing that…happened. That is higher grade material. One that I have to get to, in my own pace.” She paused, trying to read Chip’s face. Did he understand what she was trying to say? Chip listened carefully. Twilight used words instead of physical objects to relay her message, and the least he could do as means of thanks was understand. So she was saying what? That she forgave him? The changeling himself was learning still, and he felt for the mare when it came to confusing situations. They both had research to do, and bumping into walls or falling into traps were one of the many perils of progress. “Chip,” continued Twilight, slowly crawling down from her bed, “the last twenty-four hours were crazy. For both of us. But we have a job to do. Research.” Was she reading his mind? “We can’t let ourselves be distracted anymore. The Princess urgently needs our results. We can…we can settle this after we are done. If you’d like. If you’ll want to. If you’ll be allowed to,” she finished with a sigh and slight smile. Now that she said it, Twilight felt better. She didn’t reject him, nor did she fling herself at him. Friends, that is all they were now. There was an important job to be finished, and that came first. Personal research on the topic of friendship and the L-word could come later. If they would still both want it. “I guess that is reasonable,” nodded Chip, allowing his own personal stone to drop from his heart. He couldn’t agree more, there were just too many awkward distractions up till now. “But what if something…like this happens again? I want to be honest with you Twilight, I don’t know a whole lot about ponies. Some medical facts, stuff from books that are obviously a bit misleading. What will we do if I fumble again?” Twilight sighted. “We are friends, right? The basis for friendship is trust. We have to trust each other. I-I promise to try and not jump to conclusions if you ever happen to do something strange.” She raised a hoof and looked at Chip with playful sternness. “But don’t you dare take advantage of that, okay?” “I promise! I’ll be on my best behavior from now on!” swore Chip, relief plain in his sound. “Pinkie Promise?” asked Twilight, raising a brow. She was smiling now. “What’s that?” The mare sat down and begun reciting the most powerful of promises known to ponykind. “Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye!” Chip looked at Twilight sitting there, with a hoof in her eye. “Now your turn,” she said. “Umm. Cross my heart and hope to fly…stick a cupcake in my ey-eeeYEOWCH.” “Ohmygosh, are you alright?” gasped Twilight, looking at the large colt rolling on the floor. “Medic,” he whimpered. * * * Sugarcube Corner was bustling with life today – it was a hot day, and ponies literally swarmed by the ice-cream stand. The crowds’ eyes got big at the sight of the colorful, chilled balls of milky goodness leaving their tubs and onto cones. The treats were hoofed out by Pinkie Pie who was the savior of the day, drawing in big balls of ice-cream and wishing everypony a good day as they happily trotted off. The pink mare was slapping yet another ball of ice onto an already impressive cone when her ear flopped. Then, her tail waggled. Her left hind leg’s hoof felt like thousand little ants crawled under it. That combo…that combo could mean only one thing. Somepony made a Pinkie Promise. And she knew where it was coming from. “Mr. and Mrs. Cake!” called out Pinkie, hoofing out the cone she held to the drooling colt in front of her. “Mr. and Mrs. Cake! There is an important thing at the place that I have to go to! Can I please have a break?” Mr. Cake’s yellow head appeared from around the corner, smiling at Pinkie. “Sure, why not. How long will it take ya?” “Oh. Um. Five minutes or so. Somepony made a Pinkie Promise, I have to make sure they know they have to keep it. Forever,” added the mare, her voice disturbingly dark compared to the vibrant and bright smile on her face. “Uh. Okay, Pinkie. Whatever you say,” nodded Mr. Cake, standing behind the ice-cream stand and grabbing a cone. “Five minutes. Try and not get caught up in some other stuff on your way back, like last ti-” The colt stopped, noticing he was talking to thin air. Oh, that Pinkie Pie…. * * * “C’mon, open that eye. I know it hurts, but I have to see it,” said Twilight, leaning over Chip who was refusing to take his hoof away. “But what if it flows out?” whimpered the colt. “Don’t worry, it won’t. The eye is much sturdier than you think, and I’m sure your eyelid closed just in time. All you did was poke your eye a bit too hard. Now, please, let me see it.” Chip sighed. He slowly removed the offending hoof, revealing a closed eye. “Now, open your eye. Come on. You promised to trust me, okay?” “Y-Yes. But that promise made this. What kind of a sick pony thing is this, anyway? Poking your eye out to make a point…” Twilight giggled, earning a hurt look from Chip. “Don’t worry, I nearly poked my eye out the first time I did this too. Pinkie Pie did that too…probably.” With a sigh that spoke of humiliation, pain and worry, Chip squinted, trying to move his eyelid upwards. It stung and felt uncomfortable, but quite soon it was open, and the colt blinked. “See? Nothing is flowing out. It’s perfectly fine…I can’t even tell if it got red or not. You have a pretty big iris. Look to the side please.” Twilight leaned in closer. “Nope, it’s alright. You’ll be fine. Eh, yet another distraction. You are a hoof-full, Chip-” “FOREVERRR.” Twilight tipped over, right onto Chip, who sheepishly looked at the staircase entrance. In it, a pink mare was standing on her hind hooves, panting like wild. She had her front legs high above her in a scary-monster pose, a mean face added to complete the picture. Pinkie Pie returned to all fours and instantly stretched her face muscles into a wide smile. “Oh, hi Twilight. Sorry, didn’t know you were that busy. I guess I should have listened to Spike when he was like ‘No, Pinkie, don’t go up there!’ and I was like ‘but PINKIE PROMISE!’” The mare chuckled, cocking her head. “Hey, since you’re taking a break in that super-duper important research thing you were doing, maybe you’d like to come with me to Sugarcube Corner for some ice-cream? It’s the bestest of bestest cream frozen in the freeziest freezers in all of Ponyville! There is no way you can get more ice or cream than that!” Twilight tried to keep an eye on both Pinkie Pie and Chip. The former was standing there like nothing was happening. The latter was probably getting over the shock and taking on an expression that didn’t bode well.