Crystal Heart: After the Swarm

by Betty_Starlight

Chapter 10: So Then, We Got a Filly!

The purple alicorn stared at the tied up pink filly in the chair and asked me at her right, “Uh, why do you own a ballgag?”

I look at her and smile, “Well, Starlight is a bit of a freak!”

My love looks at me from the other side of the Twilight, “Hey, it was your idea!”

I grin in Starlight’s direction, “I didn’t see you objecting?”

The alicorn shakes her head, “You know what? Never mind! I don’t wanna know why you have a ballgag!” she stares back at Cozy there, currently gagged and tied to a wooden chair and staring up at her with two enormous brown eyes. “Well, since two of you got free, this probably means we should put Tirek away somewhere safe, so if and when he escapes, he’ll already be contained?”

I nod at her, “It would be wise, yes!” I turn my head to the tied up filly. “I suppose we should see what she has to say?”

Twilight frowns at Cozy, “Well, if you really want to? I mean, she’s probably just gonna heckle you and tell you you’re not really changed though?” as the filly’s eyes widen all the way while staring up at her…

I sigh as the filly turns to me with her big pupils, “Probably? Still, I think we should see what she will say,” I lower my gaze at her, “I owe her that much at least…” before trotting over to her and removing her gag with my right forehoof…

She stares up at me, “So golly gee! You really want to do that, huh? Be an, an earth mare named Crystal Heart?”

I smile down at her, “This is what makes me happy Cozy Glow… And so, it’s what I’m choosing for myself at this point…”

She scowls up at me, “You IDIOT! Why would you give up power?”

“What good is power if it doesn’t make me happy?”

Her eyes widen, “What? Why wouldn’t power make you happy, Chrysalis?”

I giggle, “I had an entire kingdom under my command once, Cozy… We reigned supreme all over the Northwest section of Equestria… None could oppose us there… But I was never happy with that, now was I?”

Her brown eyes glare deeply into me before her muzzle finally replies, “You wanted more, huh?”

I smile, “Indeed, Cozy! And you know what? Even if I ever did get that, that would eventually not be enough for me either… No Cozy, I find a peaceful existence to be far more satisfying…”

“I uh,” she shakes her head, “look, Chrysalis er, Crystal Heart… You know, the thing about being trapped in stone is, it gives you a lot of time to think…” she blinks. “I don’t think I’d be totally opposed to learning a new way?”

My gaze lowers as I glare at this desperate filly, “And just what are you trying to say?”

She flinches as her muzzle grimaces, “Oh, golly! Do you really want me to spell it out for you? I’m saying I think I might want to become reformed!”

“And how do I know I can trust you?”

“I uh,” she blinks, “well uh, I guess you don’t, huh? But look!” she furrows her brow. “I’m telling the truth and I’ll do anything! Honest!”

I smile at the filly, “Anything?”

<*****>

The foal stares up at me with her large brownish eyes, “So, why am I not allowed to leave the room or see other ponies?”

I sigh at her, “Well, you were very manipulative and we don’t know if you can be trusted?”

Her view raises, “Aww! You don’t trust me?”

“Would you?”

She lowers it, “Okay! Point made!” and then, she re-lifts her neck. “But I do have another question… Why am I kept at Starlight’s house?”

“Well, it’s the best way for me to keep an eye on you!”

“Does Starlight know about this?”

“Well uh,” I stammer. “she might?”

“She doesn’t know about this, huh?”

“Well, uh,” I cough.”no, not exactly…”

She gazes at me very carefully with her auburn eyes… “You want a filly, don’t you?”

My own eyes widen as I honestly hadn’t considered that! “Uh, well I just need to make sure you’re taken care of!”

“Oh, golly! You couldn’t lie to me before and you still can’t lie to me! You wanted a filly and this is your weird way of getting it, huh?”

I close my eyes and shake my head to compose myself before finally staring back down at the small miscreant pegasus and saying to her, “Look! You said you wished to be reformed! Is that not so?”

She nods, “Well, right! But I never said anything about becoming your filly!”

I glare down at her, “Well, look! I honestly can’t think of a better arrangement!”

“I could!”

“Oh?” I look down at her. “Do tell?”

“One where I don’t become your foal!”

I raise my left eyebrow, “Would you rather a prison cell?”

Her eyes suddenly widen, “Okay uh, I guess I’m your new foal then?” before she smiles widely up at me while baring her pearly white teeth…

<*****>

I look up from where I’m sitting on the red couch with my magazine held in my forehooves and think that I hadn’t checked on Cozy in awhile and I really should at least see how she’s doing! I gave her some puzzles and coloring books from the school to keep her busy, but we don’t have any toys for her yet and I need to make sure she’s properly stimulated…

I set the magazine down on the coffee table before me and begin crossing the foyer after turning left to head towards the spare bedroom, across from me and Starlight’s room…

I hear only silence and the clopping of my hooves on the surface as I turn left to open the door with my right forehoof…

And I see Cozy there, standing on her hind legs and attempting to open the window!

She turns her head left back towards me and smiles, “Oh, hiya Crystal! I just wanted to get some air in here!”

My eyes narrow, “Cozy, drop the act!”

She sighs and goes back to her hooves with her body facing towards me and she scowls before saying, “I don’t wanna be here!”

I smile, “I know Cozy…”

She frowns, “So why are you forcing me? I thought we were friends?”

“Cozy, I’m still your friend!”

“Could’ve fooled me!”

“Cozy, do you know what you need right now?”

Her eyes widen, “Yeah! I need to get out of this house so I can escape and start plotting my next move!”

I snicker, “No, you don’t know what you need…”

She stares at me carefully as I see her quivering brown eyes sizing me up, “Okay, lets just say hypothetically that you’re right and I need parental guidance or whatever! What makes you think that you and Starlight would be good at it?”

I giggle down at her, “Well, you already have a history with both me and Starlight and so there is that? And we both volunteered to do it?”

Her gaze lowers, “No, YOU volunteered to do it! She never did no such thing!”

“You don’t know that she’ll say no?”

She retorts, “You don’t know that she’ll say yes, either!”

“She won’t…”

Cozy stares up at me again as the filly considers all of this… “So, assuming you’re right, you think you two are perfect for the job, huh?”

My eyes widen, “Now she gets it!”

Cozy finally gives a consigned sigh of defeat off to her right before adjusting her eyes to me and saying, “Well, I guess I can give it a shot, maybe? But uh,” she blinks up at me and raises her view. “there is one thing I’d like about now?”

<*****>

I sigh as I use my head and teeth to set down Cozy’s empty plate into the sink in front of me… I wonder where Starlight is as she’s usually back by now, but Cozy said she was hungry, and so I fed her dinner a bit early… I want to be kind to this filly after all… She said she didn’t wish to talk and only ate in silence… I could only ponder what was going on in the filly’s mind as she devoured her spiced hay cakes and drank her cider in silence…

Suddenly, the front door in the far room to my right opens up and Starlight bursts forward towards me as she quickly trots across the foyer, “Where is she? Is she in her room?” she says as she comes into the kitchen beyond…

I turn my gaze to my love, now standing wide-eyed and frantic a mere 5 feet from my side, “Yes dear! Twilight told me to keep her locked and contained for now!”

Starlight nods, “Okay, but is she speaking with you at all? What is she saying?”

I sigh, “Well, not exactly? She only says simple things and is always polite and courteous… Still, I can’t help but feel like she’s keeping me and everypony else at a distance?”

Starlight frowns, “Well, put yourself in her hooves! How would you feel? You just escaped stone and you find out one of your only friends switched sides! You think maybe she feels hurt and confused?”

Suddenly, we both hear an angry squeaky voice from the other room suddenly yell, “I’m not hurt!”

My mouth normalizes as I stare at the magenta unicorn, “I think she’s eavesdropping on us!”

Starlight attempts to suppress a grin as she stares towards the ceiling and says, “Cozy! We know you’re there! Come on out and say hi!”

Suddenly, the wooden door to my left and Starlight’s front swings open to the left and out steps a small pink pegasus filly with a neatly arranged curly bluish-white mane before she stops maybe 7 feet shy of both of us on the other side of the table and stares up with wide brown eyes, “Oh, golly! Am I not supposed to listen in on your conversations? I’m really sorry about that!”

Starlight turns to her, “Okay, first rule: can the act! We all know you’re not an idiot!”

She sighs and stares up at Starlight, “Well, I guess you do huh?” she blinks. “Do I have to start calling you both mom now?”

Starlight eyes the filly carefully, “Well, what are you comfortable calling us?”

Cozy frowns, “Well golly, if I’m being honest, I’m okay with calling you Starlight and uh,” she turns to me and gauges me carefully. “Crystal Heart for now, anyway?”

Starlight smiles down at her, “Then that is what you shall call us until you’re more comfortable!”

She stares back at Starlight at her left, “Wait! So you’re not forcing me into this? I don’t have to become your foal?”

I look at the filly from Starlight’s right and interject, “Cozy! Listen to me! You’re still a filly, right?”

She turns her head back towards me and nods, “Well uh, yeah!”

I smile and nod, “Right! So, that would infer that you need parental figures and guidance during this early period in your life. Now, assuming you weren’t behaving properly earlier, and I don’t think we’re going to debate that now, we can deduce that your viewpoints on the world are skewed, yes? So, it stands to reason that you be given that guidance so you’ll understand how to behave from here on out!”

“Oh, golly! You really do wanna become my mommy!”

“You haven’t said no, yet?”

Her eyes widen, “I didn’t think I’d have to!”

I grin down at her, “Well, do you have a better suggestion to ensure that you get the care and guidance you need?”

She stares up at me and frowns for a moment before finally conceding, “Golly right! My new homo mommies!”

I giggle, “Come on Cozy! Let’s get you settled in with a nice book so you can relax while me and Starlight here…”

“My other mommy!” Cozy cuts in!

I nod, “Right! Your two mommies can eat and you’ll have something to do in the meantime! Then, we can all have family game night!”

She stares at me carefully, “You planned this, huh?”

I snicker, “Well, kinda, yeah!”

She frowns up at me…

“Well, it’s still better than stone, right?”

Her eyes quickly widen as she starts, “Okay, I’m gonna go get washed up and pick out a good book for now!” before smiling up at me with her big teeth… “I’ll be back later for uh, family game night! Yes! Golly right! That! Of course!” as I stare down at her and snicker…

(To be continued…)