The Mixer Chronicles

by Mixer

Peaceful

After the examination, the weeks past rather slowly.
Before we knew it the season had rolled over into winter and the Hearths Warming season.
Crystal was amazed by the first snowfall.
“Wow, what is this stuff?” she asked as she ran around in the falling flakes.
“It’s snow, haven’t you had snow before?” I asked.
“No. Brrr, its cold,” she said, with a slight shiver.
“Let’s get you back inside before you get sick,” I said, ushering her back inside the castle.
Crystal had been taught how to be a pony by Twilight and her friends a few weeks prior, and now she was learning how to change her form.
Interestingly enough, changelings are not born with the ability to transform their bodies until they mature. Crystal was just beginning to get her transformation abilities, but could not do so for more than a few moments. She was also limited to her current size.
“But it’s so pretty,” Crystal complained.
“I don’t care how pretty it is, I don’t want you getting sick,” I said, closing the door behind me.
“Aww,” she complained.
“Maybe I’ll take you outside tomorrow, with some warm clothes, but right now stay inside,” I said, shaking off some snow.
“Ok, but I’ll hold you to it,” she said, hopping around.
She had an almost inexhaustible supply of energy, even giving Sombra a run for his money on occasion.
“Why don’t we go visit Luna?” I asked Crystal.
“Ok, that sounds like fun,” she said, hopping onto my back without waiting for me to form a platform. “Forward!” she said leaning against my neck and pointing a hoof like she was leading a charge.
“Ok, hold on,” I said and galloped through the castle to Luna’s room.
I slid to a halt in front of Star Shine and Rose.
“We hello,” Rose said.
“Hi Rose!” Crystal said back.
“Is Luna busy?” I asked.
“No, she is free right now,” Star Shine said.
“Come in, I could hear you down the hall,” Luna said from inside.
I opened the door and walked in, Crystal still holding on to me.
“Since when did you start running down hallways like a herd of buffalo?” Luna asked.
“Since I had an overly energetic princess to watch over,” I replied, lifting Crystal off of me.
“I suppose I can understand that,” Luna said, as Crystal rushed over to give her a hug.
“Hi auntie Luna, look outside, it’s snowing!” she said.
“Yes, I saw,” Luna said.
“So where is Sombra?” I asked.
“Actually, he was looking for you,” Luna said.
“Was he now?” I asked.
“Yes, he said something about asking you an important question,” she replied.
“I suppose I should find him. Can you watch Crystal while I do?” I asked.
“Sure, it shouldn’t be too much trouble,” Luna said, as Crystal pranced happily around her.
I walked out of the room and sighed after closing the door.
“Rough work isn’t it?” Star Shine asked.
“Yes,” I said.
“I know, it wasn’t too long ago my sister was the same way,” he said.
“Hey!” Rose objected.
“I know, I know, but it’s true,” Star Shine said.
“This almost seems surreal really,” I said.
“What?” Rose asked.
“Everything is calm for once, there’s no crisis to avert, no villain to be stopped, not even a minor issue. But it’s kind of nice,” I said.
“Yeah, you are right, everything had been peaceful since Crystal got here,” Rose said.
“Almost too peaceful if you ask me,” Star Shine said.
“I sometimes get that feeling too, but for right now I have to go find Sombra,” I said, and trotted off in search of him.

I found him looking for me in the Caverns.
“There you are, I’ve been looking all over for you,” Sombra said.
“Yeah, Luna told me,” I said.
“So that’s where you were,” Sombra said.
“Yeah, funny how things work out like that, I go to see you only for you to be looking for me,” I said. “So what did you want to ask me?”
“I wanted to ask you about helping me get something as a gift for Luna,” he said.
“What kind of gift?” I asked.
“I don’t know, thats the thing, I can’t think of a good gift,” he said, his head drooping slightly.
“Why don’t you make her something, you know from crystal. Maybe a statuette,” I suggested.
“Do you think she will like it?” he asked.
“I’m sure if you make it she will love it,” I said.
“Ok, thanks,” he said.
“Any time, but that reminds me, I have to go check on something,” I said, and headed towards the airship dock.

I checked on the airship’s progress.
“It’s simply remarkable,” a unicorn said as he trotted up to me.
His name was Clockworks and he was overseeing the construction of the airship.
“Yeah, that was kind of the point,” I said.
“But, comparatively speaking, this ship is ages ahead of it’s time. How did you come up with the design?” he asked.
“I don’t know, it just kind of came to me,” I said.
“Ah, the spark of ingenuity,” he said, seemingly knowing what I was talking about.
“It was not the only spark that came to me, but it was the only one that seemed likely,” I said.
“Oh, really?” he asked.
“Yeah, but I forgot most of the other sparks,” I said.
“Such a shame. Oh well, I suppose you can’t hope for more than one stroke of genius,” he said with a shrug.
“Well, it’s good to see that the ship is coming along so well,” I said.
“Yes, at this rate she’ll be airworthy before Winter Wrap UP,” Clockworks said.
“Sounds good, keep up the good work,” I said, and left for the surface.

When I reached Luna’s room I could hear Crystal's laughter coming from inside.
“Ha! I got you!” I heard her cry, followed by Sombra making dramatic sound effects.
I opened the door and saw that Crystal was standing on top of Sombra, who was acting like a slain beast.
“I did it! I killed the manticore!” she said triumphantly when I walked in.
“Did you now?” I asked.
“Yeah, she sure did,” Sombra said.
“Hey, you're supposed to play dead,” Crystal said.
“Oops, sorry,” he said and went back to laying on the floor, smiling.
“So, my little manicore slayer, what else did you do while I was gone?” I asked.
“Yeah, auntie Luna told me a story,” she said.
“And what story was that?” I asked.
“She told me about how Equestria was founded,” she said.
“A few days early aren’t you Luna?” I asked.
“Yes, well, It’s a timeless story,” she said.
“That it is indeed,” I said.
Crystal seemed to droop, “I miss mama,” she said, tears forming in her eyes.
“Oh, don’t cry,” Luna said, pulling her close with her wing.
“She’s still here,” I said.
“I know, but I still miss her,” she said.
“There there, don’t cry, auntie Luna’s here,” Luna said, comforting her.
“As long as I’m here it’ll be ok,” I said, trying to help.
Crystal cried a little, burying her head in Luna’s wing.
“Do you feel any better?” Luna asked when her tears stopped.
“Yeah,” Crystal said weakly.
“That’s good,” Sombra said.
“So, whaddaya say we get some Hearths Warming treats?” I asked.
“Ok,” Crystal said, drying her eyes.

We went to the castle cook and Crystal perked up when she got some Hearths Warming treats.
“Wow, these taste amazing!” she said.
“All better?” I asked.
“Mhm,” she said, biting into a cookie.

After she had gotten her fill of treats we went back to the caverns and I left her with Ivy so that I could go and get something from the Canterlot Market.
I was looking for something to get Crystal for Hearths Warming Eve.
As I was walking towards the market I saw two unicorns sitting on the side of the street.
“Spare a few bits sir?” one of them asked.
Both of them had cloaks on to protect from the cold, but the voice sounded familiar.
“Do I know you?” I asked.
One of the looked up at me and I recognized him immediately, “Flim?” I asked incredulously.
“I’m sure you’re mistaken sir,” he said, hiding his face.
“I’d recognize that voice from anywhere, you two are the Flim Flam brothers,” I said.
“Please don’t hurt us,” Flam said.
“We didn’t mean to try and ruin the Apples lives, it was just business,” his brother pleaded.
I sighed, “It’s Hearths Warming Eve in two days, what are you two doing on the street like a pair of bums?” I asked.
“After we got ran out of Ponyville we couldn’t sell our cider anywhere,” Flim said.
“We tried to find other work, but nopony wanted to be associated with us,” Flam continued.
“Eventually we sold the Super Speedy Cider Squeezy to a junkyard, and lived off of that for a while,” Flim added.
“Now, we're stuck here, living as beggars,” Flam finished.
“That’s quite the story,” I said.
“It’s all true, every last bit of it,” Flim said.
“Ok, come with me you two,” I said.
“W-what are you going to do with us?” Flam asked.
“Get you off the streets, now do you want to go inside where it’s warm or not?” I asked.
They looked at each other and followed me back to the castle.
I must be crazy, I thought to myself, as we walked through the snow to the castle.

I took them to the caverns and introduced them to Gold Rush.
“So who are these two?” he asked.
“They’re a couple of ponies that are down on their luck, but maybe they can work here,” I said.
“Are you fellas ready to work?” Gold Rush said.
“They most certainly are, right?” I said.
“Yes sir,” both of them said.
“Well then, go grab a helmet and a pick and get to it,” Gold Rush said.
“Right away boss,” Flam said.
I showed them to the equipment shed, “Better than living on the street?” I asked.
“At least it’s warm,” Flim said.
“You two better work hard though, normally we don’t take new miners,” I said.
“Thanks,” Flam said and donned a yellow hardhat.
“Good luck with work,” I said and headed back to the house.

“Ready to go on our shift?” Ivy asked, when I returned.
“Yeah, let me grab an energy potion first, I’ve been going all day without anything but breakfast,” I said.
“You know, you shouldn’t push yourself so hard all the time,” Ivy said.
“I know,” I said with a sigh, “But I just feel compelled to do whatever I can.”
“You know you don’t have to do everything by yourself,” she said.
“I know,” I sighed.
“Now, go get something to eat with that potion, otherwise you’ll be complaining for hours,” she said, smiling.
“You know, normally I give the orders around here,” I said jokingly.
“I’ll remember that sir,” she said, suppressing a giggle.
So I went and got something to eat and met her on the lift.
“That feels better,” I said.
“Good, wouldn't want you dying of starvation while on duty,” she said, as the lift started up.

We took our shift and nothing eventful happened, just like any other night.
“So, what promise did you make to Crystal before?” Ivy asked.
“For me to explain that, you would have to know about why I would make a promise to the queen of the changelings,” I said.
“So why would you?” she asked.
“You heard about when I imprisoned her in crystal?” I asked.
“Yeah, everypony around here heard of it, I mean there’s a statue of you in the gardens still,” she said.
“Well, when we were in there we were stuck on the Astral Plane together, for what seemed like centuries,” I said.
“How did you not go crazy?” she asked.
“I almost did, but we struck a deal and I made a promise to give her a chance to be good and forget about ever invading Equestria. Not surprisingly, she accepted,” I said.
“You what?” she asked, shock written across her face.
“Any way, to make a long story short, I ended up turning her and Discord into stone, even though I didn't mean to affect Chrysalis,” I said.
“So you broke your promise by turning her into stone, is that it?” she asked.
“Yes, it’s the only promise I’ve ever had to break,” I said.
“I can tell that you’re the kind of pony that would take that pretty hard,” she said.
“Yeah, I did, but I ended up finding Saddle Arabia out of it,” I said.
“So it wasn’t all bad,” she said.
“No, I suppose not,” I said.
“Well, if you ever need help, you know we’re here for you,” she said.
“Yes, thank you,” I said.
We just served the rest of our shift in silence.

Hearths Warming day came and went in the blink of an eye, the excitement sweeping the hours away.
The rest of winter went the same way, each day giving way to the next, until Winter Wrap Up was upon us.
Everypony enjoyed the changing of the season, excited to have the warm sunshine back.

I was checking on the airship construction, which had fallen slightly behind, when Luna approached me.
“Mixer, do you have a minute?” she asked.
“What is it Luna?” I asked, looking over an accident report. Apparently, one of the workers was mounting one of the engines and it shifted on him, pinning another worker to the side of the hull.
“I think you need a break,” she said.
“What?” I asked, putting down the report.
“Look at yourself, you’re obsessing over your work. Ivy told me you haven't eaten properly in days,” she said, a worried look on her face.
“I might be skipping my lunches, but that doesn’t mean I don’t eat properly,” I said.
“See, that’s what I mean, you’re making excuses to work on this airship,” Luna said, her tone firm.
“But, it’s so close to being complete, despite the setbacks,” I protested.
“No, I’m making this mandatory. Go and take some time off in Ponyville. Relax, get your mind off the airship. You can come back in a week,” she said.
“What about Crystal?” I asked.
“You can take her with you. She has gotten better at changing her form has she not?” Luna asked.
“Yes, she can sustain a transformation for almost two hours,” I said.
“Then she can have a chance to meet new friends,” Luna said.
I sighed in resignation, “Very well, I’ll take a vacation,” I said.
“Good, I’ll see you in a week,” Luna said and walked away.
“She’s right you know,” Clockworks said, making me jump. “You have been a little obsessed with this.”
“I just want to make sure it gets finished,” I said.
“Don’t worry, I can handle this. Go, it was a direct order from the princess after all,” he said.
I sighed and walked back to the house where Crystal was waiting for me.
“Guess what,” I said.
“Oh, what?” she asked.
“We’re going to Ponyville, Luna says I need a vacation,” I said.
“Yay!” Crystal said and started hopping around.
I took off my armor and put it on a stand on the second floor and walked over to the barracks, Crystal bouncing after me.
“Trottson, Luna says I need a vacation, so you’re in charge while I’m gone,” I said.
“Ok, have fun,” he said, and waved to us as we departed for the lift.
I seemed to be the only one that thought this wasn’t good new.
“Now, Twilight and her friends know about you, but the other ponies won’t know it’s you and will get concerned if you aren’t transformed,” I explained.
“So I have to transform?” she asked.
“Yes, at least while we’re out in public,” I said.
“Ok,” Chrystal said, and transformed into her pony form, a white unicorn filly with a silver mane with a streak of neon green through it. Her eyes were still green, but they were now like a ponies, instead of a changeling’s narrow pupils. “How’s this?” she asked.
“You look just fine,” I said.

We went to the train station and boarded the train for Ponyville.
Thankfully the ride was short and there were not that many ponies on the train. To the average passerby we appeared to be a father and his daughter, heading off to vacation.
When we arrived in Ponyville we went to Twilights, her house being closest to the train station.
I knocked on the door and waited for an answer.
Spike answered the door, “Oh, hi Mixer. What are you doing in Ponyville?” he asked.
“Luna thinks I need a vacation so she ordered me to,” I said.
“Oh wow, a baby dragon,” Crystal said, wonder in her eyes.
“Yep, I am pretty cool,” he said, trying to show off.
“Spike who is it?” Twilight called down from the second floor.
“It’s Mixer and, uh,” he stopped.
“Crystal!” she said, introducing herself for the first time.
“And Crystal,” Spike called back.
We heard a series of thuds that could only be assumed to be a stack of books falling over.
“Mixer, Crystal!” she said as she ran down the stairs.
“He says that he’s here on vacation, Luna’s orders,” Spike said.
“Luna’s order?” Twilight asked with a giggle.
“Yes, she links I’m too obsessed with work and need a break,” I said.
“I know what that’s like,” she said sympathetically.
“So yeah, I have to not think about work,” I said.
“Well, I know one way to not think about work,” Twilight said.
“A Pinkie Party?” I asked.
“Yep!” Twilight answered.
“Maybe tomorrow, for now just relaxing is enough excitement for me,” I said.
“But what about meeting new friends?” Crystal asked.
“I think another time would be more appropriate, you don’t want to wear yourself out too quickly,” I said.
“So Crystal are you related to Mixer?” Spike asked.
“No, he’s just my guardian while my mama’s away,” she said.
“Oh, where’s your mama?” he asked.
“I’d rather not talk about it,” she said.
“Oh, sorry,” Spike said.
“Thats ok,” she said rubbing his head, “You didn’t know.”
“Spike to you think you can go fetch something for our guests to eat?” Twilight asked him.
“Ok Twilight,” he said and scurried off into the kitchen.
“Sorry about that, sometimes Spike doesn’t know when to stop asking questions,” Twilight said.
“You know, we can’t just keep this a secret forever. But we should wait a little longer,” I said.
“You’re right, we can’t expect to keep a secret forever,” Twilight said.
“Why do we have to keep it a secret?” Crystal asked.
“Because, we don’t want the other ponies to react badly, and possibly hurt you,” I said.
“Why doesn’t auntie Tia just tell them about it?” she asked.
“Because, I know from experience that ponies don’t always take big news like that well,” I said, remembering back to the Sombra incident in the Crystal Empire.
“It’s best to introduce you in increments,” Twilight said. “A few ponies at a time won’t cause an uproar.”
“Ok,” she said. “But can I show Spike?”
“Show me what?” he asked.
Twilight and I looked at each other and nodded.
Crystal’s disguise disappeared in a puff of green magic.
“AH!” Spike exclaimed and hid behind Twilight.
“It’s ok Spike, I’m not gonna hurt you,” Crystal said as her wings unfolded.
He still cowered behind Twilight.
“See, that’s the kind of reaction I’m worried about,” I said with a sigh.
“Come on out Spike,” Twilight said and lifted him up from behind her with magic.
“I thought dragons were supposed to be brave?” Crystal asked and tilted her head to one side.
“Yeah Spike, you’re not afraid of a little changeling are you?” Twilight asked.
“I-I’m not afraid, just surprised,” he said.
“Ok, so we can be friends right?” Crystal asked.
Twilight put Spike down, “um o-ok,” he stuttered.
“Yay!” Crystal said and hugged him.
“See, you got all scared over nothing,” I said.
“I suppose I did,” he said as he struggled free of the hug.
“So, Twilight what have you been up to?” I asked.
“Oh, I was just studying some new spells when you knocked,” she said.
“Wait, I think I heard Pinkie,” I said.
“What?” Twilights asked as Pinkie came rolling in through the door.
“I thought I saw you in here,” Pinkie said, now lying upside down on the floor.
“Hi Pinkie!” Crystal said.
“Hi Crystal” Pinkie replied jumping up. “What are you two doing in Ponyville?” she asked.
“We’re on vacation,” I said.
“That sounds super fun!” she said.
“Except Mixer’s all grumpy about it,” Crystal said.
“How can you be grumpy about vacation?” Pinkie asked me.
“Because, Luna ordered me to go on vacation,” I said.
“You know what you need?” she asked.
“I already know the answer,” I said.
“A Pinkie party,” we said, me with notably less enthusiasm.
“Um Pinkie, are you sure that’s a good idea?” Twilight asked.
“Why not? My parties are always funerific,” she said.
“At least keep it to ponies that know Crystal,” Twilight said.
“Okie-dokie-lokie,” Pinkie said and bounced her way back out.
“I swear, she’s the only one who has more energy than Crystal,” I said.
“I don’t think anypony could have more energy than Pinkie Pie,” Twilight said.
I laughed at that, “I don’t either.”
“So what are you going to do for a week?” Twilight asked.
“Well, I suppose there are a few things that I could do,” I said.
“Like what?” Twilight asked.
“I do still owe Vinyl a jam session, and I could mix up a few potions,” I said.
“And there’s the Pinkie Party,” Crystal said.
“And there’s that,” I said.
“Well, if you need something to do I’m sure you could ask around,” Twilight said.
“Ok, ready to go yet Crystal?” I asked.
She transformed back to her pony disguise, “Yep!”
“Ok then, let’s go to my house,” I said.
“Bye you two,” Twilight called after us.
“Bye Twilight,” Crystal called.
“See you later,” I called.

We walked to my house and crystal dropped her guise once we got in the door.
“Staying like that makes me tired,” she said with a yawn.
“Well, if you like you can take a nap, I can even play a lullaby for you,” I said.
“That sounds nice,” she said, yawning again.
“Then let’s go upstairs,” I said, creating a small set of crystals as we ascended the stairs.
Crystal climbed into the guest room bed and closed her eyes as I played and hummed a nameless lullaby.
I made sure she was asleep and then I went downstairs and made myself something to eat. Luna had been right, I was skipping lunch too much.
Crystal slept for around two hours, then came bundling down the stairs, as energetic as ever.
“So what are we gonna do now?” she asked.
“Well, I think it’s safe to say that the Pinkie party won’t be until tomorrow, so I’m not sure,” I said.
“What about meeting some new friends?” she asked.
“Well, we could go to Rarity’s or Applejack’s, each of them have a younger sister,” I said.
“Let’s go to Applejack’s!” Crystal said.
“Ok, but we can’t stay as long, it’s on the other side of town,” I said.
“Ok,” she said and donned her unicorn guise.
“Let’s go,” I said as I got up from where I was sitting.
“Yay!” she cried as she bounded out the door.
“Wait up for me,” I called, closing the door behind me.

We walked to Sweet Apple Acres and were greeted by Applejack.
“Hey sugarcube, what’s up?” she asked.
“Luna says I need a vacation, so here I am in Ponyville,” I said.
“An’ who’s this?” she asked.
“Don’t you remember me, I’m Crystal!” Crystal piped up.
“Why, last time I saw you, you sure didn’t look like that,” Applejack said.
“That’s because I’m getting some of my powers,” Crystal said.
“So what brings y’all here today?” Applejack asked.
“Crystal wanted to meet some new friends, and so she picked your sister to meet first,” I said.
“Why, I’m sure Apple Bloom would be glad to meet ya, so long as ya keep that up that look,” Applejack said.
“So where is Apple Bloom?” I asked.
“In her treehouse with her friends, come on I’ll show ya where it’s at,” she said.
“Yay!” Crysalis chirped as we followed Applejack to the treehouse.
“So how many of Apple Bloom’s friends are here?” Crystal asked.
“Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo, they come over and play in the treehouse,” Applejack said.
“So I get to make three new friends,” Crystal said.
“Just stay in that form an’ you’ll be alright,” Applejack said.
“I know, other ponies might react badly if they saw me,” Crystal said.
“Well, here we are,” Applejack said.
“Cool,” Crystal said as she admired the treehouse.
“Apple Bloom, there’s somepony here to meet you an’ yer friends,” Applejack called.
Three heads popped out of one of the windows.
“HI!” Crystal called as she waved to them.
“Hi!” all three of them called back.
They pulled their heads back into the window and came out the door.
“What’s your name?” asked Apple Bloom.
“My name’s Crystal, what’s yours?” she asked.
“I’m Apple Bloom, this here is Sweetie Belle, and this is Scootaloo,” she replied.
“And we’re, the cutie mark crusaders!” they shouted in unison.
“Who?” Crystal asked.
“The cutie mark crusaders,” Apple Bloom said.
“We’re a group dedicated to helping ponies find their cutie marks,” Sweetie Belle added.
“And we’re always accepting new members,” Scootaloo said.
“Really?” Crystal asked.
“Yeah, we’d love to have you as a member,” Apple Bloom said.
“You get a cool cape and everything,” Sweetie Belle said.
“Cool!” Crystal said.
“Come check out our treehouse headquarters,” Scootaloo said.
“Ok,” Crystal said, following them up and into the small treehouse.
“Just don’t stay too long,” I called after her.
--
“So what do you think?” Sweetie Belle asked Crystal.
“It’s bigger that it looks,” she said.
“Yeah, we do all our planning in here,” Apple Bloom said.
“Planning for what?” Crystal asked.
“Our next way to get our cutie marks,” Scootaloo said.
“So what kinds of things do you do?” Crystal asked.
“We’re tryin everything,” Apple Bloom said.
“That’s a lot of things to try,” Crystal said.
“Yeah, but we won’t quit,” Scoot said.
“So is it just the three of you?” Crystal asked.
“It used to be, until my cousin Babs joined and started a Manehatten branch,” Apple Bloom said.
Crystal smiled, “It sounds like a great thing you’re doing.”
“You could join us,” Sweetie said.
“I’m not sure...” Crystal trailed off.
“Come on, it’ll be fun,” Scoot said.
“I’m not sure if that’s such a good idea. I mean it sounds fun and all, and I want to have you as friends, but I don’t think I could help you get your cutie marks,” Crystal said.
“What do you mean, of course you’ll be able to help us,” Sweetie said.
“Well, I’m not sure if I’ll get a cutie mark,” Crystal said.
“Don’t worry, we all felt like that at one point,” Apple Bloom said.
“You don’t underst,” Crystal tried to protest but was cut off.
“We can help you find your cutie mark,” Scoot said.
“But, I,” she tried to say.
“No buts, we’re gonna help you and that’s final,” Apple Bloom said.
“Ok, I have a secret, one that Mixer doesn’t want me to just go around telling everypony,” Crystal said.
“What secret?” Sweetie asked.
“And why doesn’t Mixer want anypony to know?” Apple Bloom asked.
“Because, he says that ponies would freak out if we just up and told them,” she said.
“We won’t tell anypony,” Scootaloo said.
“Do you promise not to freak out?” Crystal asked.
“We promise,” Apple Bloom said.
“Alright, here it goes,” Crystal said and her horn started glowing.
--
“Oh dear,” I said as we heard terrified yelps from the tree house.
“What’s goin on?” Big Mac said as he galloped over.
“It’s nothing, just the girls playing,’ I said, knowing that Applejack hated to lie.
“Yeah, Mixer brought over a new friend,” Applejack added.
“You sure?” he asked.
“Would I lie to you big brother?” Applejack asked.
“Nope,” he said, and ambled off.
“I swear, at this rate, all of Ponyville is going to know about her,” I said, shaking my head.
“She just wants to be honest with folks,” Applejack said.
“I know, I just wish it could be done with less panicing,” I said.
--
“Y-y-you’re... You’re...” Sweetie tried to spit the words out while she and the others cowered in the corner.
“A changeling, yes,” Crystal said, now in her true form.
“But all you are evil, your kind attacked our farm, and all of Equestria,” Apple Bloom said.
“I’m not like the others, I’m good,” Crystal said, trying to sound cheerful.
“So you’re not going to put us in pods and feed on us?” Scootaloo asked.
“Of course not!” Crystal said, a little shocked, I would never do that to my friends.”
“What about the other ponies?” Sweetie asked.
“No, not to them either,” Crystal said.
“But don’t changelings need to feed on, like love and stuff?” Scootaloo asked, the three of them cowering less.
“Nope, not since Mixer taught me this spell,” she said, letting her horn glow.
“So Mixer knows all about this?” Sweetie asked.
“Yes, he’s the one who is watching over me,” Crystal said.
“Well, if Mixer thinks you’re good, then I trust him,” Apple Bloom said.
“Yeah, he wouldn’t let a dangerous changeling hurt us, so why would he bring you here,” Sweetie said.
“Yeah, he saved all of us from,” Scootaloo cut herself short.
“It’s ok, I know what my mama did, and I don’t want her to be a statute forever, so I’m learning to be a regular pony,” Crystal explained.
“Do you still want to join us?” Apple Bloom asked.
“You still want me?” Crystal asked happily.
“Yeah, so what if you’re a changeling, you can still help us find our cutie marks, and we can be friends,” Sweetie said.
“Thank you!” Crystal cried and gave the three of them a hug.
--
“Looks like you made three more friends that know you’re a changeling,” I said, as we walked back home, a cape flowing behind Crystal in her pony form.
“Yeah, they were kind of scared at first, but they warmed up to me when I explained everything,” she said.
“That’s good. I know you don’t like hiding your true identity, neither do I, but I don’t want anything to happen to you is all,” I said.
“She gave my leg a hug, “I know that, it’s because you’re like my daddy.”
Something about that struck a cord inside me and made me stop dead.
“Your daddy?” I asked, almost as a question to the universe.
“Yeah, my daddy,” she repeated.
I was speechless, I had never thought that I would be a father, now I have a changeling calling me daddy. It was a perplexing flow of emotion.
“Is there something wrong?” she asked.
“No nothing, just... thinking about something,” I replied.
“Ok, but lets get home, I’m tired,” she yawned.
“Alright,” I said, smiling.
Something changed in me that day. The change was almost unperceivable to those who don’t know me, but to those who do, they would say that I smiled everytime Crystal was in the room.