The magenta unicorn stares at me from the other side of the table with a solemn look on her muzzle and in her wide azure eyes, “Crystal Heart! I never destroyed you!”
I keep my gaze wide and keep my own snout agape, “W-what?”
She smiles gently, “I destroyed Chrysalis… Remember? You are not Chrysalis…”
I frown, “I-I’m not Chrysalis…”
She nods, “Right! You have no vendetta against me, Crystal Heart!”
My mouth goes agape again, “Uh, r-right! I’m not Chrysalis! Well, not anymore!”
Her eyes widen again, “See how this works? This is a new life for you! You’re Crystal Heart now! Not Chrysalis!”
“But what about my hive?”
“You mean the changeling kingdom to the west? What about it? You have nothing to do with that place Crystal Heart!”
“I-I don’t?” I ask and frown as I’m not sure what this insane magenta unicorn is babbling about?
She smiles wider, “Nope! You just got here! I took you from the forest and now, you live with me! See how this works?”
“But where was I before?” I ask her…
“You were somepony else, but that’s not important now. What does matter is that now you’re Crystal Heart…”
At this point, I can no longer contain myself… I finally crack a grin and start giggling at how absurd everything truly is! I gaze at her with wide hysterical eyes and say, “I’m not Chrysalis anymore! But you’re still Starlight Glimmer! Ha ha ha ha ha ha!!!!!” as I giggle like a maniac at this small magenta horse, who just happens to share my insanity!
“Crystal! Get a hold of yourself!” Starlight shouts at me with a concerned look in her eyes!
I keep laughing at her, “We’re both lunatics, you know that? Completely insane! I lived in a cave, and now I’m in some crazy alternate universe where my name is totally different! Ha ha ha ha he he he he!”*
She frowns soberly, “Why, what do you mean? You’ve always been Crystal Heart?”
I stop giggling abruptly, “W-what?”
She smiles, “Sure! You were Chrysalis before, but hey!” she waves her right forehoof in the air. “That doesn’t matter at this stage!”
“Wait! I thought you said I’d always been Crystal Heart?”
“You have!”
I frown again, “I’m confused!”
She snickers, “Okay, it’s like this Crystal! You were somepony else…”
“Some-changeling!” I correct her.
She nods, “Right! You were an evil changeling queen earlier, but now, you’re starting over! This is another life for you, get it?”
“I think so?” I continue frowning as I lie…
She giggles, “You know all of that horrible nasty crap from earlier, when you were bad or whatever, Crystal?”
My eyes widen although I still don’t know where she’s going? “Uh, yes I do, but what is your point?”
She smiles brighter, “That that doesn’t matter anymore! This is a new you! You’re Crystal Heart now! A fresh start!”
I’m silent for a moment… “You know what? Let’s just call me Crystal Heart and be done with it!” before using my forehooves to collect the white cup of precious warm blond liquid and sipping some of it down my throat…
She starts to giggle, “See? You get cranky sometimes, but I know how to calm down my Chryssi-poo…
I look up at her and snarl, “GRR!” before sipping some more coffee with my hooves…
“I’ll go make us some lunch and then, we’ll continue our little project here and explore your feelings some more!”
“Don’t forget your nasty berry coffee!” I tell my love…
<*****>
And so, I sat on my back on the blue couch, staring up at the perfect light-colored ceiling as the fan made it’s familiar woosh woosh noise and the magenta unicorn sitting in the red EZ-chair on my left asks, “So, you don’t want power anymore?”
I sigh from my mouth, “That is what I said, is it not?”
She nods, “Well, right! Lets explore that then, shall we?”
“How about not?” I lowly reply under my breath…
“So, when exactly did you notice a change?”
I stare up at the white ceiling so clean above my head, “I didn’t exactly notice it, Starlight… The truth is, I just realized one day that it wasn’t there anymore…”
She nods, “Okay uh, now tell me about that! Why do you suppose that is, Chryssi?”
I grimace as this obstinance as I know precisely what she’s after, “You’re trying to get me to admit it, aren’t you?”
She frowns, “Admit what?”
I raise my voice, “Don’t you admit what to me, Starlight! You want me to say that your love got me to change, right? That’s it, isn’t it?”
“I thought we’d already figured that out?”
I nod, “Right! And you just love for me to admit it, yes?”
She sighs, “Well, if you’re reformed, that means that you’ll behave better and won’t do bad things like try to take over Equestria!”
I widen my eyes when I realize that she’s right! “Well, right! So that just naturally falls to the wayside and has nothing to do with you!”
“But I was the one who reformed you?”
“Yes! Of course! Not that that has anything to do with it!” I say as I hope in futility that she misses the enormous hole in my logic…
She smiles, giggles, and shakes her head…
“What?” I ask her…
She stares at me and says, “Maybe the why isn’t important?”
“Huh?” I frown.
She nods, “I mean, even if we did know why you want to make these changes and are perfectly happy this way, what difference would it make?”
I widen my eyes, “Well, we could hypothetically undo everything and turn me back into an evil bug queen?”
She chuckles some more, “We’re DEFINITELY not doing that, Crystal!”
I start as I reply sardonically, “Oh, come on! It’ll be fun!”
She shakes her head, “Right!” and turns it to me. “So, we’re just going to let this mystery go then, and just continue our lives? As Starlight and Crystal Heart, right!”
I nod, “Yes! Blindly hoping that said secret does not bite us in the flanks later!”
She’s silent for a moment, “That seems oddly specific?”
I widen my eyes when I realize that she’s right again! “This is also true!” and then, hoping to change the subject, I say. “So, you were talking about lunch earlier?”
<*****>
As much as I hate to admit it, my magenta love, sitting there eating her daisy and mayonnaise sandwich was right… I truly had found something better than power and control… For only when I realized that I should relinquish that futile struggle for dominance, did I begin to understand that surrender also had it’s beauty… And then, she farted…
I smile because I’ve got her now! “I thought we agreed on no propane language?”
She stares up at me, “Profane language uh, “her eyes widen when she catches my quip and she smiles and chuckles before saying. “um, excuse me!”
I giggle, “So, I guess you’re comfortable around me again?”
She sets her sandwich down, “Well, yeah! I mean, the whole Chrysalis thing was a bit of a shock, but once I came to understand that you still love me, I kinda figured I should just let it go, you know?” she smiles. “Like I already said, I know all about forgiveness and second chances!”
“Honestly, I still can’t believe it was you and that it all happened like this?”
She sighs, “I know, right? I mean, revenge attempt, I could see Chrysalis doing! But uh, turning into well, you was unexpected!”
I widen my eyes, “You don’t think I’m shocked?”
She frowns, “You mean, it wasn’t intentional?” her eyes go skyward, “Well, why would it be intentional? I mean,” they go back to me. “this wasn’t your original plan at all!”
“Great! We’re finally on the same page now!”
Her mouth normalizes, “Well, like I said, it’s a shock!”
“How do you think I feel?”
She frowns, “Well, do you need a security blanket or empathy cocoa?”
I can’t help but giggle slightly when I realize what she’s doing, “I’m not one of your idiot students, Starlight! I can manage on my own!”
“You ever think maybe that’s your problem?”
I frown back at her, “What?”
She nods, “I noticed you have a tendency to do this earlier in our relationship! You never want help! Now you just sit right there, Crystal! I’ll go make you some empathy cocoa and get a nice security blanket for you! Oh, and I’ll also give you a Rainbow Dash plushie for comfort!”
“Wait what?” I say as she gets out of the chair and starts to trot back towards the kitchen to leave me…
I blink and think about what just happened… I said I didn’t need comfort or security, but she’s just going to give it to me anyway… Great! Then I frown and think, Why Rainbow Dash, anyway?
<*****>
And so, I sat frowning with my aquamarine snout there still on my back on the blue couch once again, as the magenta unicorn sat in the red recliner… Only this time, I had a red blanket around me and a small blue pegasus plushie at my side with many colors in her mane and tail… “You’re an idiot!” I said as my cocoa continued to steam on the long wooden coffee table…
She smiles and giggles, “I love you too Crystal! So uh, how do you feel about me, anyway?”
I sigh and honestly answer, “I think you’re the most wonderful pony in the world… And that sickens me…”
“Why would it sicken you, Crystal?”
“Oh, you know why!”
She sighs, “Yes, well then I guess this means that you just need to move past it?”
My eyes widen, “What?”
“Well, sure! The part of you that still hates me is the old part! But if you haven’t noticed, we’re snuggling and kissing in bed now, so I don’t think you hate me?”
I sigh, “Not particularly, no!”
She giggles, “Right! So that means that we just need to keep going then!”
“Great! Can we stop talking about it now, please, finally?”
Suddenly, the door behind me opens and Rainbow Dash trots in from the left to stare at me, wrapped up in my red security blanket with a plushie of her, “Hiya Crystal Heart! I was wondering if you were busy! Uh, hey! Cool plushie!”
I irately reply, “It’s called knocking you rainbow maned dufus!”
She giggles while keeping her head craned right towards me, “Yeah, but then I’d miss the fun! Hey, I was wanting to hang out today! Uh, you’re a really a changeling and can grow wings, right? Wanna go flying?”
“No, Rainbow Dash, not really…”
She frowns, “Well, why not?”
“Because Dash, I’m not comfortable with that anymore…”
Starlight turns her head right towards Dash while sitting on the chair, “She’s been like this! I know she has magick and flight, but she just prefers not to use it now… I don’t know why?”
I say, “I’m right here, you know?”
Rainbow turns her head back right towards me, “You know what? It doesn’t matter! We’ll just do something on the ground! Uh, whatever you wanna do is fine Crystal! I don’t mind!”
I stare at her intently, “You really wanna be my friend?”
And so, that’s how I got Rainbow Dash to buy me a coffee!
(To be continued… )