//------------------------------// // Chapter 5: Mane 6 // Story: The Story Behind Evil // by Winona //------------------------------// Chrysalis and Fluttershy trotted into town. Chrysalis began to see knew ponies. Several times she hid herself when one got close, and Fluttershy had to remind her that she was in disguise. Eventually, Fluttershy and Chrysalis bumped into our favorite pink pony. "Hiya, Fluttershy!" Chrysalis was startled by the high voice. "Hello, Pinkie Pie." Fluttershy responded smiling. Pinkie Pie then turned to Chrysalis. "Hello-" She cut herself off with a huge gasp. "OH MY GOODNESS!!!" Pinkie froze in the air for a few seconds, her eyes focused completely on Chrysalis. Oh no... she knows! That pony knows! Chrysalis thought. "You're a new pony in town!" Pinkie Pie shouted. "Wha?" Chrysalis tilted her head. "You're new here! Am I right?" She didn't wait for a response. "Well, of course I'm right! I would've remembered you if you were here before! I mean, I remember all of my friends and everything about them! My Pinkie sense told me something really great was going to happen today, and it must've been telling me that a new pony was coming to town! A new friend! And I just love making new friends, will you be my friend?" Pinkie Pie brought her face inches away from Chrysalis' and fluttered her eyelashes. All Chrysalis heard was, 'Will you be my friend?' Wow... she talks fast. "Uh..." Chrysalis looked at Fluttershy, and saw the pegasus nod. "Okay?" "YAY!" Pinkie Pie jumped and froze in mid air again. "Wait a second! I never introduced myself!" Pinkie fell back to the ground. "Oh, silly me! I'm Pinkie Pie What's your name?" Chrysalis smiled. "My name is Chrysa-" "Crystal Charm!" Fluttershy cut her off. Chrysalis' eyes widened. "Oh... yeah... sorry. I got confused..." Fluttershy shrinked down. "Oh... um... sorry for cutting you off..." Pinkie Pie hugged Fluttershy. "Aww... it's okay! You helped her remember her name!" they all laughed. "Okay, Crystal... we should go now.." Fluttershy motioned for 'Crystal' to follow her with her hoof. "Wait!" Pinkie Pie screamed. "How do you know Fluttershy?" Crystal, again, forgot what she was supposed to say. "I met her today in the-" "SHE'S A RELATIVE!" Fluttershy screamed again, and imediately fell to the ground. "Sorry..." Pinkie hugged Fluttershy again. "How are you two related?" Crystal looked at Fluttershy for help, but the pegasus just stared and nodded, as if giving her permission to speak. "I'm her... sist-" she watched as Fluttershy quickly shook her head. "I thought Fluttershy was an only child!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed. "Oh, she is!" Crystal sunddenly said "I'm her... cousin?" She looked to Fluttershy who nodded with relief. Crystal smiled. "I'm Fluttershy's cousin." Pinkie Pie smiled. "Wait, then why did you almost say she was your sister?" "Uh..." "Oh! That's because... we're so close it feels like we're sisters!" Fluttershy said, bringing Crystal to a hug. Pinkie Pie giggled. "Then why haven't I met her before?" Fluttershy's eyes widened. "Um... she's shy, too..." "Wha?" Pinkie was confused. "I mean, I would visit her a lot when I was a filly... and I would write to her... and now she's moving in with me!" Fluttershy began to sweat. She was grateful that she was not the Element of Honesty. Not that it isn't a wonderful element... she thought to herself. Pinkie Pie smiled. "Well, then it'll be a double party! A 'Welcome to Ponyville Crystal Charm' party, AND a 'Congradulations Fluttershy for being reunited with your cousin who feels like she's your sister and she's moving in with you' party! Yay!" Pinkie Pie then zoomed off before Fluttershy and Crystal could say another word. After a few seconds of staring where Pinkie Pie was moments ago, Crystal finally spoke. "What just happened?" _________________________________________________________________ Pinkie Pie bounced away happily on her way to Sugarcube Corner. "Oh, I'm so excited for the party! I can't wait! The party should be this Friday. Today is.... Tuesday! So... I have three days to prepare! Oh, I better tell AJ to bake some Apple Pies!" Pinkie Pie giggled. "But first, I need to tell the Cakes about my next party!" Pinkie Pie continued to hop to Sugarcube Corner. After Pinkie Pie told the Cakes, and started to go to Sweet Apple Acres, she heard somepony calling her. "Pinkie Pie!" Pinkie looked up to see a cyan blue pegasus flying above her. "Hey, Rainbow Dash! What's up?" she giggled. "Oh, yeah, you are!" Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes. "Yeah, yeah... very funny. So, listen, I just got the best idea for a prank, and I need your help!" Pinkie Pie frowned. "Well, as much as I love pranking with you Dashie, I have to ask Applejack for pies for my next party!" "Oh... when is your next party?" "It's this Friday, and it's a double party! So, I need douple the pies! It's for Fluttershy, and her cousin Crystal Charm! She just moved here! Er- not Fluttershy... her cousin!" "Fluttershy has a cousin that just moved here? Why didn't she tell me! I gotta met her cousin! See ya later, Pinkie Pie!" And the pegasus was gone in a flash. "See ya later, Dashie!" and Pinkie trotted to Sweet Apple Acres. ________________________________________________________________ Rainbow Dash landed in front of Fluttershy's cottage. Instead of knocking on the door though, she tiptoed over to the window, and peeked in. She saw several animals around the yellow pegasus, and she also saw a blue unicorn. She tried to listen to their converstation. "We still have to meet my other friends eventually... I hope this works..." Rainbow Dash recognized Fluttershy's voice. "Hey, how did that pink pony know I was coming?" That must be Fluttershy's cousin... Crystal something... "Oh, she has a special sixth sense! It's really amazing!" "Sixth sense? Interesting... does that mean she can 'sense' that I'm a changling?!?!" "I'm not sure... I hope not..." Changling? Rainbow thought to herself. What the hay is a changling? Rainbow began to slowly tiptoe away, when she slipped on one of Angel's unfinished carrots. She landed with her back on the ground with a loud thud. Oh, horseapples! She looked up to see Fluttershy and Crystal looking out the window, very confused. Rainbow stared at them for a moment. "Hehe... uh... hi?" "Are you alright?" Fluttershy was obviously very worried. Rainbow nodded and got up. "I'm okay. That was just a little crash. It's gonna take more than that to keep me down!" Once Rainbow was up, she stared closely at Fluttershy's so-called cousin. She looked like a regular unicorn. Almost like a small... blue version of Twilight, with no cutie mark, green eyes, and a different mane style. Almost young Luna-styled. "So... you're Fluttershy's cousin?" The unicorn nodded. "Yup." Rainbow eyed her suspiciously. "So... where ya from, kid?" Crystal froze "Umm..." "I'm waiting!" Rainbow brought her face inches away from Crystal's, acting how she did when she thought Twilight was Nightmare Moon's spy. "She's from Manehatten." Fluttershy spoke. Rainbow turned to Fluttershy then back to Crystal. "Interesting..." Rainbow tapped her hoof on her chin. "Something funny is going on here... and I'm going to find out what!" With that, Rainbow dashed away. Crystal managed to speak as Rainbow flew out of sight. "Who was that?" _____________________________________________________________ Twilight jumped as she heard a loud noise. She opened the door to the library to find Rainbow in front of it, slightly dirty, and in an akward position. Twilight giggled. "You crashed again, Rainbow? Are you okay?" The pegasus got up and shook herself, sending all the dirt onto Twilight. "Fluttershy has a cousin!" Twilight stared at Rainbow, annoyed. She shook off the dirt too, then stared a Rainbow in confusion. "So?" "So... I think there's something wrong with her!" Twilight nodded. "Which is?" "I don't know." Twilight rolled her eyes. "Well, in that case, I can't help you Rainbow Dash." Twilight began to close the door when- "WAIT!!!" Rainbow screamed. "What?!?!" Twilight was obviously annoyed now. Rainbow thought for a moment. "She said she was a changling!" Twilight now looked confused. "Fluttershy? Or her cousin?" "Her cousin! So... I have a question for you Twi... what IS a changling?" Twilight thought for a moment. "I actually don't know. I can do some research on the subject if you like, but honestly Rainbow, I think you're just overreacting." "Me? Overreacting?" "Yes! I mean, did Fluttershy ever tell you about this cousin?" "NO! That's the freaky part! We tell eachother everything!!!" "Well, Rainbow... maybe there are some things Fluttershy felt... shy about telling you." "Why would she be shy about telling me about her cousin?" "I don't know... but I will reserch changlings for you." "Thanks, Twi. I owe ya one!" ________________________________________________________ "Well... I suppose you should meet my other friends, Crysa- I mean, Chrystal." Fluttershy said, smiling. "Okay! Where do we start?" Crystal smiled back. Fluttershy thought for a moment. Mental checklist. [] Applejack [] Fluttershy [] Pinkie Pie [] Rainbow Dash [] Rarity [] Twilight Sparkle Wait a minute... why am I on this list? [] Applejack [] Fluttershy [] Pinkie Pie [] Rainbow Dash [] Rarity [] Twilight Sparkle Crystal and I saw Pinkie Pie on the way here. [] Applejack [] Fluttershy [/] Pinkie Pie [] Rainbow Dash [] Rarity [] Twilight Sparkle ...and Rainbow Dash crashed outside my window. [] Applejack [] Fluttershy [/] Pinkie Pie [/] Rainbow Dash [] Rarity [] Twilight Sparkle ..so that leaves Applejack, Rarity, and Twilight. Hm... maybe Applejack first. She's at the top of the list. Oh! Um... not that I like her better or anything... I... just put our names in alphabetical order... Fluttershy turned back to Crystal. "How about we see my friend Applejack?" Crystal nodded. "Okay! Lead the way!" ______________________________________________________ Crystal loved apples once she finally tried them. She happily continued to eat while Fluttershy talked to Applejack. "So... you say your cousin is from Manehatten?" Applejack asked. Fluttershy nodded. "Ya know, I used to live with my aunt and uncle in Manehatten. But then I moved back to the farm 'cause I didn't like it there." Applejack then turned to Crystal. "No offence, sugarcube... it just wasn't where I belonged." Crystal smiled. "It's okay. It wasn't where I belonged either." Applejack then turned to Fluttershy. "So... how come she's never had an apple before?" Fluttershy's eyes widened. "Oh... um... she's alergic." Applejack stared at Fluttershy. "Well, she's doin' just fine now." "I... I mean... her parents are alergic." Applejack continued to stare at the pegasus. "I never heard of somepony bein' alergic to apples. And I outta know." "It's um... extremelly rare... I... I gotta go!" Fluttershy ran away quickly taking Crystal with her. Applejack just stood there, confused. An hour later, Applejack was selling apples at the market. "Excuse me sir, would you like to buy some delicious Apple Family Apples?" Applejack asked smiling, when a pony walked by. "Oh, no thanks... I'm alergic." said the pony, and he walked away. Applejack walked up to the pony. "Listen here, mister! I don't like lies as an excuse to not eat my family's apples! You can just tell us if you don't like apples! You don't have to go a make up some story! Ya hear?!?!" The stallion swallowed and nodded. "Now I'm tellin' ya, sir. Just try some of our apples! They're the best!" Applejack tosed the pony an apple. He hesitated. Slowly, he took a bite, and smiled. "These are really good!" Applejack smiled. "I told ya there were the..." Applejack stared him. "Uh... sir? You alright?" The pony's tounge and lips were swollen, his eyes were watery, and his hooves developed a rashes. "I told you I was alergic!" the pony tried to scream as he trotted away as fast as he could. Applejack quickly looked around to make sure nopony else saw that, then stared into space. "I guess some ponies really ARE alergic to apples." __________________________________________________________ Fluttershy added a mark to her mental checklist. Meeting Applejack, check! [/] Applejack [] Fluttershy [/] Pinkie Pie [/] Rainbow Dash [] Rarity [] Twilight Sparkle Now... um... I'll go visit Twilight. Since we're closer to her right now. As Fluttershy was thinking, she accidently bumped into somepony. "Oh! I'm so sorry... I-I wasn't paying attention and-" Fluttershy finally looked at the pony. "Rarity?" The white unicorn nodded. "Yes, it's me." she then turned to Crystal. "This must be your cousin! A unicorn, I see! How wonderful!" Fluttershy was confused. "You know about Crystal?" "Why of course, darling! Pinkie Pie spread the word faster than a unicorn could spread zap apple jam across toast!" Crystal smiled. "Hello! Your name is Rarity... right?" Rarity nodded. "The one and only! And you are Crystal Charm, correct? Welcome to Ponyville, I'm looking forward to your party!" Fluttershy's eyes widened. "Oh! Pinkie forgot to tell us, when is the party?" "This Friday, at the tradtional location: Sugarcube Corner." "Thank you, Rarity!" Fluttershy hugged her white friend. "No problem at all, dear!" Rarity returned the hug. "Well, I must be going. I have to make sure Sweetie Belle didn't burn the place down trying to get some ort of flame cutie mark. Until we meet again!" Rarity maved a hoof and left. Fluttershy smiled. Rarity... check! [/] Applejack [] Fluttershy [/] Pinkie Pie [/] Rainbow Dash [/] Rarity [] Twilight Sparkle Now, all that's left it Twilight! _____________________________________________ "This library is where my friend Twilight Sparkle lives. You can call her Twilight, though." Fluttershy said happily. Crystal nodded. "Okay." Fluttershy nocked on the door, but it was so quiet nopony else would even call it a knock. And, no answer came. Fluttershy frowned a bit. Crystal noticed this, and nocked on the door herself, several times, REALLY LOUD! Soon from inside, they heard the lavender unicorn speaking, abd trotted towards the door. "Rainbow Dash, you're going to have to give me more time then that to-" the door was finally open. "Oh! Uh... hi, Fluttershy. W-What bring you here?" Twilight laughed nervously. "Oh, um, I just wanted to introduce you to my cousin..." The pegasus nodded to the filly beside herself. "but, um... if you're busy we can come back later..." Twilight blinked. "Oh! It's no trouble at all, Fluttershy! Nice to meet you..." Twilight's voice trailed off meaning she didn't know the filly's name. "Crystal Charm." said the blue filly. "Lovely name!" Twilight smiled. "Well, thank you for the introduction Fluttershy, but I have to get back to my studies now, if that's all." "Oh, um... yes. That's all Twilight." The pegasus began to trot back slowly, but she then turned back. "Thank you for you time." "No problem!" Twilight magically closed the door behind herself as she walked back into the library. Twilight stared out her window and watched the two ponies walk back to the pegasus' cottage. "There doesn't seem to be anything wrong with the filly..." Twilight sighed and walked slowly back to her study table. "But not everything is what it seems." Twilight levitated a book in front of her and stared at a picture of what seemed to be a black pony with holes, a strange horn, and thin fly-like wings. Next to it, a picture of a small black pony-like creature, simlar to the one on the right, except this one looked like a filly version, in front of it's mother. This one had a small crown, like the one Crystal wore. Twilight didn't notice it at first, but Crystal looked an awful lot like this creature in the picture. The same crown... and the same eyes. Those eyes. But it couldn't be. The book says the young princess disappeared 10 years ago. Twilight shook her head, closed the book, and walked away. On the evil green cover, it was written: History of the Changlings: the enemies of Equestria.