My name is Crystal. I live in Ponyville and do artwork for other ponies. Most think that I'm a simple Earth pony, but I'm not.
I'm a Changeling.
I was evicted from the colony by our queen because I was a girl. Cruel, huh? Now I know what you may be thinking: How does a Changeling survive with feeding off the love of others? I actually found out that friendship and kindness can be supplements for love, so I've been doing alright.
I turned myself into a pony of my own design. I gave myself a short green mane and tail. My coat is gray and I have a green swirl as a cutie mark. I chose to be an Earth pony because I love being strong and connected to nature.
Anyways, today is the Summer Sun Celebration! I was put in charge of making a beautiful banner for it, and I've spent all week making it! I'm bringing it to town hall when I hear a noise from the sky. I look up and see a chariot landing. A purple unicorn is sitting in it along with a baby dragon.
'Whoa! Who are they?'
I decide to bring my banner into town hall before going to meet the unicorn. I leave it neatly on a table so Rarity can hang it up later. I walk back outside, but the unicorn and dragon have already left.
'Oh, that's too bad...'
I walk back to my house/art studio, turn into a unicorn, and start working on a painting that Rainbow Dash asked for. I have just started when I hear a knock at my door. I quickly change back to an Earth pony before answering the door.
"Welcome to Crystal's Art Studio! What can I do for you?"
"Hello," say the unicorn I had seen earlier, "My name is Twilight Sparkle and I'm making sure that everything is all set for the Summer Sun Celebration. Did you finish the banner you had been making?"
"Yeah, I already brought it to town hall," I respond.
"Okay. Spike, check that off of the list,"
"Got it Twilight!" says the dragon.
"Bye..." I say as she immediately turns around and leaves.
'Guess that's no new friend for me...'
"Hey, Crystal!" calls an upbeat voice.
"Hi, Pinkie Pie," I say calmly as the pink mare bounces up to me, "Do you need something?"
"I just wanted to give you an invitation for a 'Welcome to Ponyville!' part I'm planning for Twilight!"
"Thanks," I say dully.
I accept Pinkie's invitation and she bounces off to tell more ponies.
'Today is going to be the usual...'
"What? Those things are good!" says Pinkie before following her friends into the forest.
When Princess Celestia was supposed to come out, instead came Nightmare Moon! Twilight said she knew that she had been coming before returning to her library. I had watched from the window as Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Applejack, Rarity, and Pinkie Pie had listened to Twilight tell them about the Elements of Harmony, and now I was following them into the Everfree Forest.
'I don't know why I'm following them...' I think as they near a castle, 'Maybe I'm hoping I can help or something?'
I change into a pegasus and fly over the ruined castle. I look down and see Twilight and the other ponies picking up some stones and placing them around Twilight. Twilight tells them to leave and she closes her eyes and light up her horn. I land on the broken roof and watch as something steals the stones and Twilight vanishes with them.
"Twilight!" yell the other ponies when they came back in and saw her vanish.
"Look!" says Rarity and points to a glowing tower.
I fly up to the tower and look down from the ruined roof. I see Twilight try something before Nightmare Moon appears and destroys the stones.
"The Elements!" cries Twilight.
I realize that the stones were the Elements of Harmony Twilight had been talking about. How was Nightmare Moon going to be stopped now?
"The spirits of the Elements of Harmony are right here!" cries Twilight as the other ponies appear.
I watch as the shard circle the five other ponies after Twilight says what they did.
"The spark didn't work!" said Nightmare Moon, "The sixth Element isn't here!"
"But it did!" said Twilight, "When I realized that these are my friends!"
A stone appeared and floated above Twilight.
"What are you going to do now?' she asks Nightmare Moon.
Nightmare Moon bursts into laughter, "You can't beat me!"
"What do you mean? Explain yourself!" yells Twilight angrily.
"You forgot about the seventh Element!"
"The... seventh Element?"
"Yes! And you don't have anypony left! So, goodbye to you!"
Nightmare Moon sends any shards of stone towards Twilight.
'No!' I think before I do something insane.
I switch back into and Earth pony and jumped in front of Twilight. I still don't know why I did it: but I did.
I must have been thinking that I had to do something. I was a worthless Changeling, and I had wanted to change that. I wanted to show that being good was better than hurting ponies. I wanted to do the right thing.
"What?!?" cry all the ponies when I jump in front of Twilight.
I close my eyes and prepare for the pain I was about to feel.
But it never came.
"Huh?" I ask as I open my eyes.
I look and see the shards spinning around me, like the other ponies.
"The seventh Element!" cries Twilight.
"No!" yells Nightmare Moon, "Impossible!"
The shards go into us (or something like that) and we float into the air. Nightmare Moon is engulfed in a rainbow that we are making.
"Nooooooo!!!!!" yells Nightmare Moon.
There's a bright flash of light and we are all lying on the ground.
"Oh!" says Fluttershy quietly, "It's beautiful, Rarity!"
"I know!" Rarity says, looking at her tail, "I'll never part with it again!"
"No, I meant your necklace. It looks just like you cutie mark,"
We all look down and see a necklace on us with our cutie mark. Twilight has a crown instead of a cutie mark.
"Gee, Twilight," says Applejack, "I thought you were just spouting a lot of hooey! But I reckon we really do represent the Elements of Friendship!"
"Indeed you do," says a regal voice.
The sun rises and Celestia appears. We all bow, but Twilight runs up to her.
"Princess Celestia!" says Twilight happily.
"Twilight Sparkle!" she responds happily, "My faithful student. I knew you could do it,"
"But, you told me that it was all an old pony-tale..."
"I told you that you needed to make some friends. Nothing more,"
"But my books said that there was only six Elements of Harmony, why is there seven?"
"What did you say?" asks Celestia, surprised.
"There's only six Elements of Harmony, so why are there seven?" Twilight points at me.
The other ponies gasp and I realize that I'm in Changeling form. I quickly switch back to being an Earth pony and try to look innocent.
"What did I do?" I ask innocently.
"May I see what you normal look like?" asks Princess Celestia.
With a sigh, I turn back into the Changeling I am and lower my head in shame.
"I'm a Changeling..." I say shamefully.
"Oh, my..." Celestia looks surprised, but then goes back to Twilight, "We will talk about this later, but first, I must see my sister!"