And so, I woke up on Starlight’s guest bed! I already told her that I wasn’t comfortable sleeping with her right now, after well, the lying… I still wasn’t sure what I was doing, but I saw the sun rising to the east out my window and heard birds chirping as I smelled the fresh morning air in these unusual pony nostrils my disguise had on me…
I looked at the clock on the nightstand and saw that it was eight forty seven! I had overslept by about an hour! How unusual?
I sighed as I sat there and wondered about a lot of things… I finally shook my head and decided to disembark from the mattress! That’s also new! An actual comfortable bed!
My pony hooves go clack as they hit the wooden floor just to the right of the bed with it’s soft pink cotton comforter and downy plush pillows on the end… I look at it and silently thank it for a good night’s rest before beginning my expedition into the foyer from the door…
The door quietly shuts behind me and I trot into the kitchen, where I sit my aquamarine pony haunches down into the chair, in front of the round wooden table… I frown while staring from in between two tufts of my brown bed head mane as I wonder if I’ll eventually become this shape, although I did have a conversation with myself about that last night that I suddenly remembered… I had decided that my true form would only be reserved for special occasions, although I couldn’t help but wonder when?
Starlight trots in from the kitchen and stops on the other side of the table from where I’m sitting. I stare at her tentatively, “Well, good morning sleepy head! How you doing, Chryssi?”
I snap to attention at my new nickname and stare back at her, “What? Oh! I’m doing okay! I uh, “I smile dimly.” didn’t seem to want to get up?”
She smiles lovingly at me and I suddenly remember why I’m here, “Well, I wasn’t gonna wake you!” her face normalizes. “How do you take your coffee?”
I blink and narrow my mouth, “Black is fine! No sugar!”
She trots over to my right and stares at me from there as I turn my head and think, Wasn’t there supposed to be coffee?
Before she says, “Chryssi… I uh… I need to know…”
I frown at this insane unicorn, “What?”
She tenderly closes her eyes halfway and moves her face towards mine to chance a nuzzle…
A nuzzle I can’t help but reciprocate as I move my snout to rub hers and smile and giggle at the sudden affection…
Then, she did the unbelievable… She kissed me!
And as I stared back at her half closed eyes with my own wide ones, and felt her lips locked with mine, I felt a burning passion deep within me… And I hated myself for it, but I truly was growing to love this small magenta horse!
She disengages and moves a few inches back to smile warmly at me again while staring deep into me with those piercing blue eyes of hers…
“Okay, new rule! No sacred lovey dovey moments, before coffee!”
She snickers and grins, “I almost forgot how much you hate mornings!”
I widen my eyes at her, “Yeah! I really do! They come too early!”
She continues giggling and shaking her head as she exits back to the kitchen on the other side of the table.
I think about what just happened as I wait for her to get my coffee… I think about how I’m not used to this place and that this is all new to me, but I don’t seem to mind the ride… I don’t mind because of that pony in there… The same pony who destroyed my life and got my hive to rebel against me… Why did I not destroy her when I had the chance? Ugh! This is madness!
Suddenly, the wooden door in front of me swings open and I witness a familiar smiling unicorn with two white cups in her magick floating to the right of her body as she trots towards me with those majestic and elegant hooves of her… Wait, what did I just think about?
And the whole time, regardless of my big secret, I can’t help but notice that she still seems happy to have me there as she floats a white cup with a warm black liquid inside it to my front at the table and smiles cheerfully down at me, “Here you go, Chryssi! This should perk you right up!”
I growl and grumble as I collect the cup with my forehooves and take that first cautious drink while she looks on from my left side…
“I know who you are, so you can use your magick to drink now!”
I swallow the hot beverage and stare up at her to frown, “Uh, that’s okay! I don’t mind using my hooves!”
She furrows her brow as she stares at me intently… “Chryssi, you know, you’re a changeling and can take any shape you want, right?”
I smile dimly at her, “But of course!”
She’s silent for a moment before saying, “But you still prefer to be Crystal Heart, the earth mare that I fell in love with…”
I blink, “And?”
She stares at me intently, “Do you want to be Crystal Heart?”
I smile up at her, “But I am Crystal Heart, remember? I made Crystal Heart to seduce you, if you’ll recall.”
“I…” She blinks, “I know that, Chryssi… But you like that form and you don’t want to use your magick, even though I know you have it… Do you want to uh, be Crystal Heart?”
I giggle up at her, “I am Crystal Heart, Starlight!” and then move my pony muzzle up to hers to chance nuzzle…
She giggles, “Quit it! I’m serious, Chryssi! Do you uh, not want to be Chrysalis anymore?”
I stop nuzzling her and consider this… I wasn’t exactly reluctant to go back to this form, now that I dwell on it and that is an interesting notion… I stare up into the azure eyes of this concerned magenta unicorn and smile when the words finally strike me, “Starlight, you said I could start over, right? Well, why don’t I try being a pony now?”
Her eyes widen, “Despite all your capable of, you’d be content to just be a simple earth mare?”
The true gravity of everything I just said suddenly hits me, “Starlight, I think I’m losing my mind? I-I love you and nothing means anything without you, now… I want to be what you want and so I became Crystal Heart, but now, now I don’t think I really want to go back? Just uh, “I shake my head, “just being with youas a pony just makes me so happy!”
She smiles dimly, “Hey Chryssi?”
My eyes widen, “Yes Starlight?”
She breathes out slowly from her nose, “Why don’t you sleep with me from here on out? I mean, “she blinks. “we don’t have to cuddle, uh, if you’re not comfortable? It’s just that, uh… Having my marefriend here and NOT sleeping with her seems like such a waste? I want you near me!”
At this point, I can only frown up at her, “You’re an idiot, you know that?”
She grins and snickers, “I love you too, baby!” and leans down to peck me on the lips!
“Complete moron!” I add as she continues to giggle at me… Before turning to the warm caffeinated beverage I oh so desperately needed right about now!
I begin taking another swig with my forehooves when this infuriating unicorn from Tartarus pesters me once more, “Hey, Chryssi?”
I set down my mug quickly in frustration before turning back right to face her with wide curious eyes, “Yes, dear?”
She stares at me, gauging me with those blue pupils of hers, “You can be Crystal Heart if you want to be…”
I’m silent for a moment… “Okay…”
She smiles and leans down for another kiss on my pony lips… She breaks and moves a few inches away, “I love you Crystal Heart!”
At that point, I can only concede defeat and say the only thing I can, “So bucking stupid!” and move my face to hers for another passionate kiss… And as I held my snout to hers, I contemplated on identity and what that truly means… My name won’t be Chrysalis anymore, but Crystal Heart… I know my magick and true form will never really go away, but I seem to be fine without them now?
She breaks and moves back a small bit to gaze at me and smile, “So, would you like that? To be Crystal Heart?”
I smile up at her and finally repeat myself, “My name is Crystal Heart!”
“I noticed you haven’t fed recently? Don’t you need love?”
I blink and stare forward blankly when it suddenly occurs to me that I actually haven’t fed in weeks now! I just wasn’t hungry! I look up at her and frown, “I uh, I don’t think I need any right now, actually?”
Her eyes widen when she suddenly realizes, “You’ve been feeding off my love, haven’t you?”
My eyes widen at this prospect, “I uh, I guess so?”
Her mouth goes agape, “Chrysalis! I reformed you! Uh, “she shakes her head. “Crystal Heart! Sorry! But you’re reformed now!”
I frown as my eyes widen again, “I am?”
She smiles and nods excitedly, “Yes Crystal! Love reformed you!”
My mouth narrows, “It was love that defeated me in Canterlot all that time ago and now, this love has done this to me?” I breath out of my mouth. “Sometimes, I don’t think it’s a good idea to mess with love?”
She giggles, “Crystal Heart?”
I widen my eyes at her again, “Yes?”
“I love you!”
“I love you too, but I’m gonna need more coffee than this if this is how things are gonna go today!”
She grins, and giggles while shaking her head before hugging me…
I squeal, “EEP!” and for the third time in the past 12 hours, I wondered exactly what I had gotten myself into?
She releases me, and says, “Well, I got honey buns for breakfast, and you already got coffee. Uh, how does a nice romantic wagon ride sound this lovely morning?”
I stare up at her as I’m honestly not sure and reply, “That sounds lovely, darling!”
She frowns at me, “I think I get it now? I had to keep coming up with romantic things for us to do because you weren’t really romantic before…”
I frown, “Not really? I mean, drone comes in, I buck him, he leaves, larvae gets hatched later, and that’s pretty much it!”
“Changelings aren’t much for romance, are they?”
“Well, back then, they weren’t! I don’t know what modern changelings are like?”
She smiles and moves her right forehoof down my chest, “Well, I do know of one particular changeling who’s a genuine love bug!”
My eyes widen, “Really? Who?”
She giggles and bends down to kiss me and I once more feel electricity moving through my snout and into me and I’m once again reminded of why I’m here…
<*****>
As I sat there in the wagon as it rolled down the trail that morning, I contemplated on a lot of things as I stared into the azure gaze of this other pony… Wait! Other pony? When did I start thinking like that? I contemplate on what this will mean for the rest of my life… Or rather, the rest of this pony’s life. It occurs to me that I will outlive her and I suddenly wonder what sort of changeling I will be later when she finally passes on?
All of these thoughts race through my mind when she suddenly says, “Crystal! You okay?”
I blink in startled confusion before adjusting my gaze to her, “Oh, I’m just fine sweetie! We’re all fine here! Everything is just fine! Uh, how are you?”
She giggles as she leans towards me to peck me on the lips and smiles with her face a few inches from mine and blue eyes locked on mine… My eyes shimmer with my changeling magick as she says, “You always did think too much, Crystal Heart…”
I smile and admit, “Well, yeah…”
Her eyes widen, “Relax! I’m here! You’re here! We’re in a nice cozy wagon ride together! This is fun, right?”
I widen my eyes and contemplate fun? It was so much easier when I was pretending… “Yeah, of course baby! I’m happy!”
“You sure? You’ve been quiet this whole time!”
I giggle to the right side with conceded defeat, before staring back into those eyes I’ve come to adore, “Yeah, I just keep thinking about this commitment, you know? I mean, I’m not really a pony! Uh, am I?”
She gazes at me intently, “What if I told you you’re all the pony I need? What if I told you that it doesn’t matter to me that you used to be a shape-shifting love-sucking abomination? That you’re Crystal Heart now and that that’s good enough for me?”
I stare into the blue oculars of this pony and wonder just how well she knows me by this point? “Perhaps that’s all I need, then?”
She giggles and leans towards me so I feel her soft warm breath on my face from a few short inches away, “Perhaps you really do think too much!” before leaning in for another passionate kiss on the lips…
She disengages to grin at me from a short bit away as I whisper, “Stupid dumb shit bucking idiot…”
She silences me with yet another passionate kiss…
I suddenly realize that this identity shall be who I choose to be… I am now Crystal Heart, because that’s what my love needs now…
(To be continued…)