//------------------------------// // Chapter 9: And There I Was, Minding My Own Business, When... // Story: Crystal Heart: After the Swarm // by Betty_Starlight //------------------------------// I stared into the blue eyes of my love and sincerely said, “So yes, that’s why I now have two cats…” Starlight frowns from the left side of the red couch, “Are you sure you’re ready for that?” I frown from my own side, “Fluttershy already wondered! Why does everypony keep asking me that? I assure you, I can already take care of one cat and taking care of another won’t be that much harder!” “You’ll have to scoop twice as much poop…” My eyes narrow and I solemnly reply, “I’m prepared for that…” She eyes me carefully… “You really love your cats, don’t you?” I blink and scowl when I realize that she might be right? “Absolutely not! My heart is filled with hate and darkness!” She smiles and giggles, “Oh, sure! Hate, darkness, and love for a magenta unicorn and two small felines, right?” I sigh… “I’m taking care of two cats and living with my lesbian marefriend, aren’t I?” Her eyes widen and she nods, “Well, yeah!” I sigh, “It just seems so weird? I mean, just a few minutes ago, I was the leader of a changeling hive and we were a fierce tribe of warriors! Now I’m snuggling kittens and the unicorn I love under soft warm covers and… And I’m actually happy about it!” She smiles warmly, “I hear you! I used to think I couldn’t be happy without ruling Equestria with an iron hoof and forcing everypony to conform to my cutie mark philosophy,”she says while playfully holding her right hoof in an angry position in front of her. She lowers it, “but now, I’m just principle of a school and living with you and that just seems to be enough!” as she smiles at me. I hoof my white cup of blond coffee to my snout for a strong swig and then set it back down with my neck as I swallow the warm caffeinated liquid and smile up at her, “I love you!” She smiles down at me, “I love you more!” I raise my neck, “Impossible!” “Is so!” She angrily replies! “Is not!” I irately retort! She furrows her brow, “How long is this going to continue?” I put my hooves on the table, “As long as it takes!” We’re both silent for a moment before we simultaneously erupt in hysterical giggles! <*****> I trot towards the Carousel Boutique’s round light blue two-story building with it’s two ornate front windows with yellow awnings over them and pink roofs… I sigh as I think that I’m about to introduce myself to a white unicorn inside as I trot up the grassy path to the front door… Suddenly, a pink blur intercepts me from the left! I suddenly see an excited pink earth mare on my right talking quickly to me and nodding her face while staring at me with her blue eyes that sort of pop out of her head! “HeyreadytogotoSugarcubeCornerwithmeforatreat, okayletsgoCrystalHeart!” She says at a lightning fast rate before grabbing my mane with her teeth and dragging me off to the left with her! I stammer out, “B-but Rarity! Wait! I was!” as we both continue moving the same direction, although only one of us is actually trotting and willing as my hind hooves scratch the ground and leave small ruts in the dirt. She abruptly stops dragging me in front of the glass doors of a pink one-story building next door and I soon regain my footing and turn my neck left to look inside before back at her, “Uh, what’s in there, Pinkie Pie? I’ve never been inside…” Her azure colored eyes are now wide as saucers, “WHAT? You’ve NEVER been to Sugarcube Corner?” I frown at the other earth mare, “Uh, no! Should I have?” She smiles at me jubilantly, “You’re gonna learn today, Crystal Heart!” “Learn? Learn what exactly?” <*****> Later, I’m leaning back in the chair with my tongue out the right side of my mouth as it stays agape and I can only mutter, “Chocolate! Caramel! Nougat! Frosting! Cherry swirls! Cordials!” She stares at me after I had just devoured my first real sugary treats in I’m not sure how long with a concerned frown on her muzzle, “Uh, you okay Crystal Heart?” I adjust my gaze back down to her when I realize that she’s still there! “Uh, yes Pinkie Pie! I’ll be just fine! Thank you for your concern!” She nods, “Well, yeah! Uh, so I guess I’ll ask the obvious question… Of all the pony races, why an earth pony anyway? I mean, you got magick and flight, right?” I smile, “Starlight also asked me about this one! The truth is, I’m no longer interested in power… I’ve decided that if I truly am to become reformed, then I have no need of it… Four hooves and a tail is fine…” She nods again, “Yeah, but I mean, I’m an earth pony and I always wondered what it would be like to you know? Lift things with my mind and teleport and to be actually able to fly on my own power! Like, “her eyes go up, “I don’t need one of those machines I build, you know?” they go back down to me…”With my own wings…” “And you’re perplexed as to why I would willingly give all of that up, is that correct?” “Well, mostly?” Her mouth frowns before she leans closer to whisper. “I mean, you can still do those things! You just don’t want to!” My eyes narrow, “No, I do not…” Her eyes widen again, “Well, what happens if we have need of your power then?” I smile and giggle, “Well, when Tirek returns or Sombra starts messing with ponies’ minds again, I’ll become Crystal Heart Super Alicorn! But until that point…” She smiles and giggles, “Right! You could’ve flown to Carousel Boutique, but you chose to walk towards it with your hooves!” My smile lowers and brow furrows, “Wait! You knew I wanted to see Rarity?” She frowns, “Well, gosh! I saw where you were going, but I only have so long on my lunch break and I wanted to give you a treat!” I frown in irritation, “But of course!” She blinks, “Something wrong?” I stare at her and consider my words carefully here… I finally smile and reply, “Uh, not at all dear sweet Pinkie Pie! I’m fine!” She perks back up as she smiles and giggles, “Well, alright Crystal Heart! Hey, my lunch is almost over now and I gotta get back to work! I’ll go pay and catch you later!” before trotting around the table on the right and hugging me before I can react! “EEP!” I squeal in her hooves before she releases me and turns right to begin to trotting towards the front counter to pay… I sigh and look up before deciding to make my exit before she crams any more sugar down my throat! <*****> I groan as I slowly trot towards the tan cottage where I stay with Starlight and I wince as my stomach aches… I look up at it as I begin marching towards the front of the door when I see a message on it! I look at the brown door to see written in Starlight’s hoof-writing, Dear Crystal Heart, There’s been an emergency at the school. I came back to eat with you, but since you weren’t here when I had lunch, I assumed you already ate. Love ya! Starlight I remove the letter with my right forehoof and put it in my mouth as I use my head to force open the door after operating the nob with my left hoof… I trot in slowly as my stomach continues to churn… I slowly close the door behind me and set the note down on the side table… I trot towards our room in the back where I lay down on our sky-blue queen-sized bed together and settle my head down on the pillow… I sigh again before silently vowing to never again eat that much chocolate! I close my eyes and lose consciousness. <*****> I awaken on the same simple red bedroll in the cave, where I’m hiding with the other villains… I blink, Was it just a dream? “Oh, golly Chrysalis! It’s not really that easy, you know?” I stare at the pink pegasus filly on my left and address her same as always, “What do you want now, you sniveling twit?” She smiles up at me while staring at me with wide brown eyes underneath her neatly arranged bluish-white curls, “You can’t get away!” I frown as I bring my holy black legs to the surface after rolling off my back from the bed to stare down at the filly, still looking up at me with her enormous pupils and wide mischievous grin, “Precisely what in Equestria are you talking about?” “Crystal Heart!” I hear a familiar feminine voice calling to me from somewhere. I open my eyes and I’m back in the blue bed and there’s now a magenta unicorn in front of it staring at me… “We need your help at the school!” I shake my head as I stare up at her from the pillow, “What is this regarding?” She blinks, “Cozy Glow just escaped, like you did earlier! We need to know where she might be heading?” I sigh, “How would I know? I went to the Everfree Forest, past the outskirts north of the school. That is most likely where Little Miss Glow went as well, since it’s the fastest way to become relatively safe, given her unique situation…” She breaths out heavily through her mouth, “Thanks Crystal! We’ll send search parties that direction! Maybe we can cut her off? I frown, “That would depend on when she left…” “This morning!” I nod, “Good luck Starlight! Is there anything I should do?” She sighs, “Uh, nothing you can do Crystal! Just sit tight and I’ll be back later this evening! Dinner is in the fridge!” before trotting around the bed on the left to my side and looking down at me and smiling, “I love you Crystal! And nothing Cozy Glow does is going to change that!” I widen my eyes as I actually hadn’t considered that until just this point, “Well uh, thank you very much Starlight… I love you…” “I love you too baby!” She says before leaning down to plant a big kiss on my muzzle… She removes her neck and normalizes her stance before saying, “I’ll see you later, Crystal!” and then, disappearing in a blue flash of light… I sigh, “I’m still not used to that!” before getting out of bed off to the side and trotting towards the door on the other end to start the rest of my lonely day…” When suddenly, I see two furry little bodies begin plodding their ways up the hall towards me… I smile when I think that perhaps I was not exactly done sleeping… <*****> “Oh golly, Chrysalis! Kittens? Really?” I hear a familiar squeaky voice say to me from the side of the bed… I open my eyes and crane my neck left off the bed as my two furry friends make their way to the foot to hop down and begin walking out the now open door and I see a small smiling pink pegasus filly with a neatly arranged bluish-white curly mane and tail. “YOU! How did you find me?” She smiles and giggles, “You know, just because I’m stone doesn’t mean I can’t see and hear! I saw you trotting around the courtyard earlier with Twilight and your new love Starlight Glimmer!” she snorts. “Best show I had in years! I like how well you’re pretending Chrysalis, but you don’t have to when you’re with me… “ I stare down at this filly and smile when I realize what I’m about to do… I smile because I know that on some level, I’m really going to enjoy this… <*****> I appear in Starlight’s office in a white flash! Papers fly off her mahogany desk as she stares at me with wide blue eyes from 12 feet away at my front, “C-Crystal! You teleported!” I furrow my brows and lower my gaze as the papers float to the ground and desk, “Yes, my love! I know I said I wouldn’t do all that I am capable of doing, but this is a special circumstance." She blinks, “Crystal! I’m very busy! Can this wait?” I smile at her, “No, Starlight my love! I think you really want to see this!” (To be continued…)